Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Yuu Yuu Hakusho or Sailor Moon characters. Steal my idea however and I'll boil you in oil! (Or sock Aya-kun after you)
Tenshi's Notes: Well, well minna-chan, I wasn't going to update for a bit, demo I wrote a bit more today on this fic. *blinks in surprise as all her slew of chans and imoutos stare at her in open-mouthed shock* I've been REALLY engrossed with my RK pet project as anyone who knows me will tell you, and I still am. I'm also working on a SM/WK crossover as we speak, and between all the fics I have and Perfect World, I'm slowly going insane. *giggles* Anyway, expect a new chapter of Legacy to appear soon!
After this, I'm not sure how long I will take with updates, demo I've hit a lot of roadblocks since I have that many fics to keep track of. Shikashi, I will be posting the first chapter to my latest fic next week some time (I think).
One quick question to answer: Mae, Hiei is the fire demon in YYH, the one with the Jagan (third eye). He's short, bad tempered, demo he's really kawaii (Right Angel-chan?). *giggles*
Special thanks to all my chans, my imoutos, my lone musume, and my chibi-self. Angel-chan especially for trying to keep me going with this fic as well as all my wonderful reviewers.
Before I forget, I'd like to announce my latest adoption, BunnyS (aka B-chan), as my imouto. *giggles* My family's growing, ne?
Anyway, I'll shut up now, minna. :P
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Chapter 3
Wandering deep into the heart of the forest stealthily, she made her way through with no fear. Long accustomed to the night, she found herself on the other side of the forest overlooking a steep cliff. Staring up into the dark sky, Usagi breathed a deep sigh before dropping her heavy bag. She hadn't wanted to do this but she had no choice. To find Yuusuke, she needed to delve into his mind and understand him. And that required tapping into a part of herself that she had longed to forget but never could. It clung to the back of her mind, and try as she may, it always remained. Haunting her, nipping at her heels, and most of all, never letting go. Sitting down cross-legged, she attempted to relax but it was difficult when she knew what was going to happen next. One by one, her defenses fell, as her body became more lax. She allowed her mind to become free, and the presence appeared, tickling the back of her consciousness. I knew you'd come back… Her eyes flew open suddenly as she sensed someone else nearby. Her eyes were wild and her movements were jerky as she leapt to her feet and whirled around to stare into the deep red eyes of Hiei.
"What in bloody hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled at Hiei, who appeared extremely taken aback by the strangeness in her. Something was not quite right about this whole scene. There was a crazed look in her eyes that he had never seen before.
"What's wrong with you?" He demanded, as she just stared at him with those wild eyes of hers. Suddenly, her body froze, and he could almost see the change take over. She blinked once and her eyes cleared once again. Her breathing was changed, slightly uneven, as if whatever she had just experienced was strangely unconnected to her being. She began trembling, and as she looked up, he saw the fear written deep within her eyes. He felt an unaccustomed sensation located near the region of what the humans would call a heart, something that he only felt with his sister. This ningen had managed to summon up the protective instincts that he normally reserved for Yukina. Unsure of what to do next, he slowly made his way over to her.
"Are you okay?" Hiei asked gruffly. She just looked at him with her deep blue eyes, affecting him in ways he did not like. Remembering something that Yuusuke did to Kuwabara once, he smacked her on the back, causing her to stumble.
"What did you do that for?" The look was gone from her eyes, only to be replaced by indignation and just a bit of fury.
"I saw Yuusuke do that to Kuwabara once," Hiei said, before mumbling something about "not hitting so hard".
Usagi's eyes widened in sudden understanding. The fire demon had no idea how to comfort someone, so he had remembered something Yuusuke had done for Kuwabara. And guys being guys, they had done the usual slap on the back as a form of consolation. The expression on her face softened as she took note of the strange look on his face. His back was turned to her, and she felt she had to do something to thank him for his kindness. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she whispered softly, "Thank you, Hiei-kun."
Coming from her, those words somehow made his day, before he heard her intake of breath.
"And what were you doing spying on me anyway?" Her voice changed as she remembered that he wasn't supposed to be here.
Spinning around, he snapped back. "You were sneaking off into the night! What was I supposed to think?"
"It's MY mission! I can do whatever I please!"
"Except when it concerns Yuusuke, or may harm anyone else."
"Just stay out of my way!" Usagi yelled, unbearably annoyed with the fire demon who was currently messing with her state of mind.
"As long as you stay out of ours!" Hiei shouted back, not really caring that he didn't make sense. Then again, he didn't really enjoy the fact that it took a mere female make him happy for one brief moment. She stomped off towards the direction of the camp, he noted with satisfaction. Thieving had been the only thing he had known all of his life. He had been betrayed by his mother, a Koorime (Ice Maiden), and the rest of his people. Born a fire demon, he had been a freak, an outcast, one who was believed to be a disgrace since he did not belong. The young demon had wandered endlessly across a lonely world, not knowing what he had done wrong. His only sin had been his birth, for he had been born with different powers and gifts. His people did not take too kindly to it and as such had thrown him off the edge of the floating land of the Koorime, unleashing the harsh, unforgiving world of the Makai on him. He had eventually met up with a group of thieves, who became the only family that he ever knew. And even still, life was lonely. Treachery and power were the names of the game. Nothing else mattered. And even amongst his clan, death was a frequent visitor as countless members lost their lives trying to retrieve the most elusive of jewels and prizes. In the back of his mind, he wondered if all the items he kept trying to steal were not a way to compensate for the lack of love he had as a child. Scoffing at himself for hanging around ningens too often and picking up their weak tendencies, he made his way back to camp as well.
Usagi stared into the flames, mesmerized by their graceful movements as they leapt from one wooden playground to the next. The crackling over the campfire seemed to be her only companion, offering her silent support as she became lost in her thoughts. Frankly speaking, she was disgusted with herself. The very moment she had allowed her defenses to crumble, she had fallen prey to that which lived within her. She was helpless, overwhelmed by the strength it possessed, and how susceptible she was to its seductive powers. If Hiei-kun hadn't had come in time to distract her, would she have been able to return to her normal self? Would she have been able to shed the demons of her past? Or would it consume her once again? The fires blazed deep within her soul and she struggled to contain them, forcing them to retreat. My power is my mind. I can control what happens. You will not get me again. I will find Yuusuke and we will find a way to stop this.
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Foolish child. You think you will escape me so easily? I will own you.
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Wide-eyed and strangely refreshed after a dip in the freezing stream, she returned with a slight swagger in her step. Her silvery-blonde hair lay down her back as she waited for it to dry. She stared at the campsite and almost giggled. Kuwabara lay sprawled on the campgrounds and he was twisted in a weird angle that almost seemed painful. If it weren't for the drool trickling from the corner of his mouth, she would've believed he was dead. Kurama was sitting with his back to a tree, arms crossed, and dozing lightly. She knew that he recognized her presence and as such, it wouldn't alarm or awaken him. The air was crisp, cool, and had a bite to it. She breathed and watched in fascination as her breath escaped in a swirl of white mist before mingling with the rest of the air. She felt eyes upon her and she turned around to see the fire demon gazing at her almost thoughtfully, an indiscernible look in his eyes. When he blinked, the look had just as quickly disappeared. She was about to say something when footsteps sounded. Whirling around with surprising speed and accuracy, she was poised to attack when Hiei suddenly appeared by her side.
"Matte. It's all right. She's a friend."
Usagi's eyes darkened in jealousy before sheathing her knife back into its resting place. Muttering something under her breath, she was about to move away when she caught sight of the prettiest and most delicate of all creatures. She was tiny, even smaller in stature than Usagi was. Her blue-green hair was half pulled back, and her deep red eyes shone with a sweetness that belied the colour. Wearing a light blue kimono, she took delicate steps that made Usagi almost hate her instantly. This girl was everything she wished she could be, and everything she was not.
"Hiei-kun!" She called out lightly, and even her voice sounded melodic and feminine. Usagi did not miss the look of fondness that crossed the fire demon's face.
"Yukina-san," Hiei addressed her with none of his usual biting scorn.
A smile brightened her lovely features as she bowed. Odd, Usagi thought to herself. Did the air just seem a bit chillier all of a sudden? She tightened her black jacket around herself, and though she didn't know it, her actions had caught Hiei's attention.
"Konnichi wa. I am Yukina," she said, bowing politely at Usagi, causing the blonde to clench her jaw slightly at the picture of femininity and grace that Yukina appeared to be.
"Tsukino Usagi," she replied curtly "How did you find us?"
"I had heard that Yuusuke-san had disappeared, and this was his last known location. I knew that his friends would try to find him. I had been hoping I would be of some help."
The sweetness of her disposition made Usagi feel like such a monster. How could she hate such a caring person? Naturally, men (or demons) would be attracted to such beauty and personality, even surly, ill-tempered ones. She couldn't fault them really, she thought reasonably as she gnashed her teeth just a little bit.
Not too far away, Kuwabara stirred in his sleep and swore he heard the melodic voice of his wonderful Yukina. Getting to his feet immediately, he could not help the smile that cracked his face or how shrill his voice was about to become.
"Yukina-san!"
Usagi cringed as she caught Kurama's attention. Mouthing "Is he always like this?", Kurama nodded with a wry grin in response as she struggled to contain her giggles.
"Kuwabara-kun," Yukina smiled prettily at him, causing the tall orange-haired man to blush.
Usagi thought that they were adorable. Despite the height differences, there was a sense of compatibility and well, Kuwabara was obviously crazy about Yukina. Though the petite girl was not as openly affectionate, there was a twinkle in her eyes that hadn't been present earlier. And Hiei… he looked meaner than ever. He didn't like the pairing too much, that much was evident. He was holding himself back, and Kurama's eyes were dancing with a secret mirth. Usagi frowned slightly, not particularly liking her reactions to the whole situation. Moving quickly, she managed to clear out the camp site before turning back to the group.
"I have a hunch that Yuusuke might head north."
"Hunch? You're going to drag us god knows where on some hunch?" Kuwabara yelled out, only to fall silent as Yukina gave him a disapproving glare.
"I think Usagi-san knows what she's doing," she observed softly. "I don't think she got to where she was today on wild goose chases."
Kurama smiled in approval, as did Usagi.
"Arigatoo for the compliment and your faith," Usagi thanked sincerely. "We don't have much time to spare. Let's get going."
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It had been through sheer will power and strength that he had managed not to blush in front of her. Thank God for those years of training, Hiei thought to himself. He had woken up from his light slumber, and had been shocked to find Usagi gone from the camp site again. Brushing aside the strange feelings of concern that had appeared, he had made his way quickly before spying her not too far from the stream. His mouth had fallen open in amazement as Usagi, with her back turned to him, had begun removing her tank top. Her creamy golden skin had held his eyes captive as he had found himself unaccountably drawn to her. Stretching, she had then reached behind to release her hair from the confines of the bun, allowing her silvery-blonde tresses to fall back. God, her hair was long… Moving her fingers towards the belt, she had been about to take that off as well, before Hiei blushed severely and moved away quickly. Her head had whirled around suddenly, sensing a presence though all that greeted her were trees. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hiei had returned back to camp, and wondered why the hell his heart was thundering in his chest.
Blinking, he managed to snap back to reality, cursing himself silently for not being able to tear his gaze away from the female who now drove beside him. She held the steering wheel practiced ease and confidence. She seemed so fearless, a strange contrast with most of the human females he knew. Usagi… the name did not appear to fit her at the moment. She was cold, though at times, he could've sworn he saw a human soul peeking through. On the job, however, she was 100 percent professional, too much like himself. Slamming on the brakes suddenly once again, she cursed under her breath before jumping out. He jerked forward a bit before following suit. Damn, she had a speed that almost rivaled his. She stopped abruptly behind a giant tree, and she didn't appear surprised to find him behind her. Motioning slightly to a figure to their left, he immediately understood what she meant. Crouching down low to avoid detection, they both sprang on the unsuspecting creature with amazing speed and accuracy. A feminine yell sounded out, echoing through the forest.
"Nani?!" Hiei exclaimed, staring at a brunette with deep green eyes who was now glaring at them with annoyance.
A sound of frustration came from Usagi as she rolled her eyes at the brunette. Offering the other girl a hand up, she managed to pull the much taller girl as Hiei watched in fascination at the muscles in her arms that strained under the other girl's weight. "Makoto-san, you must stop this! Stop following me! You are just a beginner. You'll get yourself killed if you keep this up!" She berated angrily, furious at the newest addition to the bounty hunter association.
Usagi had read up about Kino Makoto: A talented martial artist, she had been drawn to the demon world where she had lost a boyfriend who had been battling in the competitions. Since he had been delivered a deadly blow by the hands of an underhanded demon, Makoto had spent considerable time tracking it down before killing it. What she had found out in the process was that she loved the investigative aspects of what she had done. Unfortunately, Makoto was new to the business and knew little about what was going on, and what could or could not be done. Though Usagi herself had free reign over what she could do, Makoto as a junior bounty hunter could not start off on major kills like that. There were unspoken rules of conduct and code that she had accidentally violated. The council had then assigned Usagi to be Makoto's mentor or parole officer, depending on whose point of view you were looking from.
Makoto had been relentless in her pursuit to reach further levels within the association, and with her enthusiasm being as high as it was, ended up aggravating Usagi even more. On the last assignment, Usagi had managed to lose Makoto somewhere in the forests of South America before veering off into the demon world. As annoying as Makoto could be at times, Usagi had become fond of her, respecting how hard Makoto was working in order to succeed at the world, and as such, had no wish to see Makoto dead at such a young age. This time, however, Usagi hadn't been as lucky as she stared at the other girl in exasperation.
"How the heck did you know where I was going anyway?" Usagi asked with grudging respect for the girl. Then her eyes widened in realisation. "You sneak! You put a tracker somewhere didn't you?" She remembered how her right boot had felt just slightly off, and checked the bottom of it. Sure enough, there it was, a tiny black object stuck to the heel. She frowned and removed it quickly, before crushing it.
"Hey!! That thing cost me a fortune!" Makoto yelled out.
"A, you should not have been following me in the first place. B, you know full well that if I ever found any bug you planted on me, I would destroy it. And what the hell were you doing anyway? Don't you know that this demon is dangerous and vicious? His human self has NO control whatsoever to the demon soul that is now existing in him. It's taken over, do you understand that? It possesses no remorse and acts without warning. It has no accountability, no reasoning, and just attacks at will. It has already destroyed a few towns and families on its path, so again I ask you, what are you doing here?"
A glint of determination entered Makoto's deep green eyes as she met Usagi's gaze unflinchingly. "I've seen what demons do, remember?" she responded quietly.
Usagi felt her heart softening though she hardened it immediately. Feelings and emotions got you killed in this line of work. There was no room for mistakes and errors. A split second decision made with feelings could terminate your existence. Clenching her jaw, she continued as if she hadn't heard the grief and pain that still lingered in Makoto's voice.
"You had encountered a lowly demon, not even registering in any of the classes. With Yuusuke's current state, I'd put him at a very high B if not an A itself. You've never fought any demons in the other classes, much less fighting one of the most powerful ones right off the bat."
Her eyes flashing green fire, Makoto retorted, "How can I? You and your council are hell bent for punishing me for an honest mistake I made! I didn't know! I just wanted revenge! That demon took away the man I loved! Do you know what that's like? Do you?"
Her voice had risen drastically, ending off in a shriek, the damning words being thrown in Usagi's face. She flinched almost imperceptibly though Hiei and Kurama caught it. A strange expression crossed her face before she underwent a change yet again. Masks and mirrors. This girl had learned the art of disguising her pain and hiding them in a place where she would never have to see it again, Hiei determined. She wielded her armor of ice to ward off any intruders, thus allowing her survival and her level of success at her current job. She would never permit any one to see her pain, her grief and what ever burden she carried. That he could guarantee.
"Emotions interfere with decisions, and when it boils down to a split second decision, you can't afford to make such a fatal error. In that breath of a second, your mistake could mean the end of your career. You hold such promise, Makoto-san. I'd hate to see your career ending so quickly."
Green eyes looked into deep blues, satisfied with the answers that they found in them. "I will train you myself if I make it back alive. I'll drop you off at the next town, all right?"
"Hai, Usagi-san. It would be an honour."
Satisfied, she remembered Hiei's presence as the demon just looked at them with an expression that resembled curiosity. Introducing the two as quickly as possible, a thought suddenly struck her as she gazed at her already packed jeep. Glancing back and forth between the height differences of Hiei and Makoto, she couldn't help herself.
"Don't even think about it," Hiei warned.
The tiny grin that crept upon her deep pink lips was almost worth the indignity of him sitting on Makoto's lap all the way to the next town. Then again, maybe not.
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Blurb: Btw, I KNOW that Hiei is OOC in this fic, demo… isn't he that much cuter this way? *pokes Angel-chan* (Tenshi runs off squealing, Hiei's a peeping Tom!!)