Not much to say, just please enjoy the chapter!
* * * * *
Cold as Fire
by Grace Musica
Chapter Sixteen
Hiei's Judgement
* * * * *
Botan was the Spirit Guide assigned to Hiei's case. And what was her reaction when she saw her fare? Was it shock? No. Was it sympathy? Not even close. She scolded Hiei like a naughty human child. "Hiei! You shouldn't be here!"
Hiei raised his eyebrows; that blue-haired wench was using the exact same tone he had heard Mrs. Tetsewon use on Kori when the child had charged him scarely two weeks earlier. "Nice to see you too, Botan."
"It's just!" Botan pulled out her little pad of Fate, flipping though it. She raised her eyebrows after reading a page. "Well, you're not supposed to be here, but here you are!" She stared back at him while tucking her pad away. "What am I to do with you now?"
"Take me to King Yama."
"But Hiei! Demons can't--"
"DAMNIT, BOTAN TAKE ME NOW!"
Botan was taken aback by this. She knew Hiei had a temper, but it had never been turned on her before. She stared at him, and could practically see the need for her to do this for him etched in his features.
"Please, Botan, take me to King Yama."
"All right. Hold on tight."
* * * * *
Tensi stuck her head into Koenma's office. "You wanted to see me, cousin?"
Koenma didn't even look up from his paperwork. "Yes, yes, come in, come in, have a seat."
Tensi complied with Koenma's request, shutting the door behind her. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Well... I have a question my father wants me to ask you. Why haven't you crossed over yet? You know you can't go back. Why are you still a ghost?"
Tensi shrugged her shoulders. "Not appealing at the moment. I still want to watch over my friends, make sure they're okay, you know."
"You mean you want to watch Hiei."
Tensi decided to go for the truth. "Well, yes."
"I don't think you'll need to do that anymore," Koenma told her, handing her a sheet of paper to read.
"Request for Hiei, fire demon, to have passage into the Spirit Wor--WHAT?!" Tensi finished, jumping to her feet.
"He killed himself. Didn't see it comming," Koenma said in his quite frank manner. "He's going up in front of my father... Should I slip you in with him?"
"Your father will kill you."
"No he won't. He can't--" Koenma grinned a bit. "I'm his only heir."
* * * * *
"How dare you think you can just waltz right in here and ask for admittance!" King Yama thundered at Hiei. The fire demon simply stared back at the monarch, a move that infuriated the king even more. "Don't you know demons like you don't get any mercy?"
Hiei bowed his head, sorrow taking over. You knew this would happen.
"You're a theif, you're a murder, and--"
"And he was reformed in less than four years." The voice came from the back of the hall. Hiei turned around to find Tensi in formal dress, showing her status as royal cousin. "I personally think that's a good thing."
"You would," King Yama told the half-demon as she walked down the carpet. She bowed formally at her cousin. "Are you here to cross over, Onizuka Tensi?"
"You could say that, couisn." Tensi took Hiei's hand. "I want the same fate Hiei gets."
"Ten--no!" Hiei protested immediately. "I refuse to let you do this."
"Hiei, you're not going to tell me what to do, not anymore. I want to be with you, and if that means I have to go to Hell, well, then, I have to go to Hell. At least I'd be with you." She looked at him, strait into his eyes. "Hell would be more tolerable with you than Heaven without you."
Hiei put his free hand on Tensi's cheek. "Ten..."
She knocked his hand away. "And besides, you moron, this was totally uncalled for! Honestly, it's not like you couldn't come to Spirit World and see me!"
"Um, excuse me..." King Yama tried to intervene, failing miserably
"I THOUGHT you would have crossed over by now," Hiei replied, half-defending himself, half-scolding Tensi.
"Um, the King wants to talk now...." King Yama tried again.
"Oh, right. Me, cross over? Don't you know me good enough by now? Didn't cross for five hundred years, what makes you think I'm going to do it now?"
"Well, excuse the hell out of me, Onizuka. That's right, I forgot that your human taint tends to make you forego REASON!"
"Oh, don't start with me about 'human taint', Hiei, I'm in NO mood!"
"IF THE TWO OF YOU ARE QUITE FINISHED, WE COULD CONTINUE!" the enranged King of Spirit World thundered.
Hiei and Tensi just scowled at King Yama, unnerving the monarch with the twin evil glares he was getting for interrupting their argument. He coughed. Must be a demon thing.
Clearing his throat, he continued. "Yes, now, this is very sweet and everything, but the fact still remains that Hiei's ran a pretty bad life."
"Cousin--"
"Be quiet and let me speak! Now, as I was saying, Hiei's murdered, he's tried to kill, he's turned people into zombies, he's stolen precious artifacts, he's done millions of things, all punishible by eternal damnnation, banishment into the farthest reaches of space."
Hiei bowed his head again, sorrow once again flowing though his veins. Tensi squeezed his hand in support. At least I'll have her...
"...However, Tensi does have a good point. You have some redeeming qualities. For the last four years, my son reports that you have matured greatly, and have shown amazing progress from what you were, the aforementioned murdering demon thief, into what you have now become, the admiral demon standing before me."
The two looked at each other, then at King Yama.
"Therefore, I am offering something to the two of you that has never been offered to any demon--full or half-blood--before. I want both of you to do Death Counciling."
"Death Couciling?" Hiei asked, shocked.
"Yes, the couciling of newly deceased humans, those who haven't excepted their death yet, and are still living as ghosts. Help them deal with what happened, especially those who have died tragically or unexpectedly." He looked at their skeptical looks, then raised his eyebrows. "Of course, if you think you're too good for such a job--"
"No! No!" the two panicked, throwing up their hands. "We'll take it!"
"Fine, then get out of my sight!" the monarch roared good-naturedly.
* * * * *
When the two got out of the throne room, Tensi immediately leapt into Hiei's arms, kissing him hard. He kissed her back just as hungrily, picking her up and spinning her around, not giving a damn about all the ogres staring at them. Finally, he put her down and the two broke apart. The two looked at the swelling crowd, then back at each other. "What do you say we get the Hell out of here?" Tensi wispered to him.
"I'd say you were pretty damn smart."
* * * * *
"You know, if I wasn't dead, my cousin would kill me if he found out we were sleeping on the job," Tensi jokingly told Hiei later, as the two lay in each other's arms, the aftereffects of their recent lovemaking still throbbing though their veins.
"I don't recall much sleeping," Hiei replied to the girl, running a hand over her bare hip.
"Ah, neither do I." She leaned up and kissed him gently. Pulling back a bit, she looked him in the eye. "Why did you do it, you dumb demon?"
Hiei sighed. "Seeing you again, just to lose you... I couldn't bear it. I had to be with you forever, and death was the only option." He pulled her close. "You've become a part of me, a need so deep it hurts, even when we're together."
Tensi propped herself up, her elbows on his chest. "Hiei, when did you become so romantic?"
"Two hundred years will change a man," was his reply.
Tensi grinned and kissed him again, all the love she had for him revealed in that simple act. He pulled her to her chest, kissing the top of her head gently. "Oh, gods I've missed this, Ten."
"Missed what, love?"
"This," Hiei replied, pulling Tensi even closer. "You. Everything."
"What, no sex since me?" Tensi asked jokingly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Nope. No one at all. The thought never even crossed my mind."
She gently kissed the underside of his chin and began to drift off to sleep, at least until he shook her awake.
"Hm, now, Hiei, I love you and all, but I'm REALLY tired. Can't I just get a FEW minutes of sleep?"
"Nope," Hiei looked down at her and smiled at her. "You've got to make up for over two hundred years of abstinance, and in a hurry."
"Aw, Hell," Tensi replied in mock-agony, looking up into Hiei's eyes. "I'm screwed, and in more ways than one. It's a good thing we don't start work for three days, right?"
"That would be most correct."
* * * * *
* * * * *
Cold as Fire
by Grace Musica
Chapter Sixteen
Hiei's Judgement
* * * * *
Botan was the Spirit Guide assigned to Hiei's case. And what was her reaction when she saw her fare? Was it shock? No. Was it sympathy? Not even close. She scolded Hiei like a naughty human child. "Hiei! You shouldn't be here!"
Hiei raised his eyebrows; that blue-haired wench was using the exact same tone he had heard Mrs. Tetsewon use on Kori when the child had charged him scarely two weeks earlier. "Nice to see you too, Botan."
"It's just!" Botan pulled out her little pad of Fate, flipping though it. She raised her eyebrows after reading a page. "Well, you're not supposed to be here, but here you are!" She stared back at him while tucking her pad away. "What am I to do with you now?"
"Take me to King Yama."
"But Hiei! Demons can't--"
"DAMNIT, BOTAN TAKE ME NOW!"
Botan was taken aback by this. She knew Hiei had a temper, but it had never been turned on her before. She stared at him, and could practically see the need for her to do this for him etched in his features.
"Please, Botan, take me to King Yama."
"All right. Hold on tight."
* * * * *
Tensi stuck her head into Koenma's office. "You wanted to see me, cousin?"
Koenma didn't even look up from his paperwork. "Yes, yes, come in, come in, have a seat."
Tensi complied with Koenma's request, shutting the door behind her. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Well... I have a question my father wants me to ask you. Why haven't you crossed over yet? You know you can't go back. Why are you still a ghost?"
Tensi shrugged her shoulders. "Not appealing at the moment. I still want to watch over my friends, make sure they're okay, you know."
"You mean you want to watch Hiei."
Tensi decided to go for the truth. "Well, yes."
"I don't think you'll need to do that anymore," Koenma told her, handing her a sheet of paper to read.
"Request for Hiei, fire demon, to have passage into the Spirit Wor--WHAT?!" Tensi finished, jumping to her feet.
"He killed himself. Didn't see it comming," Koenma said in his quite frank manner. "He's going up in front of my father... Should I slip you in with him?"
"Your father will kill you."
"No he won't. He can't--" Koenma grinned a bit. "I'm his only heir."
* * * * *
"How dare you think you can just waltz right in here and ask for admittance!" King Yama thundered at Hiei. The fire demon simply stared back at the monarch, a move that infuriated the king even more. "Don't you know demons like you don't get any mercy?"
Hiei bowed his head, sorrow taking over. You knew this would happen.
"You're a theif, you're a murder, and--"
"And he was reformed in less than four years." The voice came from the back of the hall. Hiei turned around to find Tensi in formal dress, showing her status as royal cousin. "I personally think that's a good thing."
"You would," King Yama told the half-demon as she walked down the carpet. She bowed formally at her cousin. "Are you here to cross over, Onizuka Tensi?"
"You could say that, couisn." Tensi took Hiei's hand. "I want the same fate Hiei gets."
"Ten--no!" Hiei protested immediately. "I refuse to let you do this."
"Hiei, you're not going to tell me what to do, not anymore. I want to be with you, and if that means I have to go to Hell, well, then, I have to go to Hell. At least I'd be with you." She looked at him, strait into his eyes. "Hell would be more tolerable with you than Heaven without you."
Hiei put his free hand on Tensi's cheek. "Ten..."
She knocked his hand away. "And besides, you moron, this was totally uncalled for! Honestly, it's not like you couldn't come to Spirit World and see me!"
"Um, excuse me..." King Yama tried to intervene, failing miserably
"I THOUGHT you would have crossed over by now," Hiei replied, half-defending himself, half-scolding Tensi.
"Um, the King wants to talk now...." King Yama tried again.
"Oh, right. Me, cross over? Don't you know me good enough by now? Didn't cross for five hundred years, what makes you think I'm going to do it now?"
"Well, excuse the hell out of me, Onizuka. That's right, I forgot that your human taint tends to make you forego REASON!"
"Oh, don't start with me about 'human taint', Hiei, I'm in NO mood!"
"IF THE TWO OF YOU ARE QUITE FINISHED, WE COULD CONTINUE!" the enranged King of Spirit World thundered.
Hiei and Tensi just scowled at King Yama, unnerving the monarch with the twin evil glares he was getting for interrupting their argument. He coughed. Must be a demon thing.
Clearing his throat, he continued. "Yes, now, this is very sweet and everything, but the fact still remains that Hiei's ran a pretty bad life."
"Cousin--"
"Be quiet and let me speak! Now, as I was saying, Hiei's murdered, he's tried to kill, he's turned people into zombies, he's stolen precious artifacts, he's done millions of things, all punishible by eternal damnnation, banishment into the farthest reaches of space."
Hiei bowed his head again, sorrow once again flowing though his veins. Tensi squeezed his hand in support. At least I'll have her...
"...However, Tensi does have a good point. You have some redeeming qualities. For the last four years, my son reports that you have matured greatly, and have shown amazing progress from what you were, the aforementioned murdering demon thief, into what you have now become, the admiral demon standing before me."
The two looked at each other, then at King Yama.
"Therefore, I am offering something to the two of you that has never been offered to any demon--full or half-blood--before. I want both of you to do Death Counciling."
"Death Couciling?" Hiei asked, shocked.
"Yes, the couciling of newly deceased humans, those who haven't excepted their death yet, and are still living as ghosts. Help them deal with what happened, especially those who have died tragically or unexpectedly." He looked at their skeptical looks, then raised his eyebrows. "Of course, if you think you're too good for such a job--"
"No! No!" the two panicked, throwing up their hands. "We'll take it!"
"Fine, then get out of my sight!" the monarch roared good-naturedly.
* * * * *
When the two got out of the throne room, Tensi immediately leapt into Hiei's arms, kissing him hard. He kissed her back just as hungrily, picking her up and spinning her around, not giving a damn about all the ogres staring at them. Finally, he put her down and the two broke apart. The two looked at the swelling crowd, then back at each other. "What do you say we get the Hell out of here?" Tensi wispered to him.
"I'd say you were pretty damn smart."
* * * * *
"You know, if I wasn't dead, my cousin would kill me if he found out we were sleeping on the job," Tensi jokingly told Hiei later, as the two lay in each other's arms, the aftereffects of their recent lovemaking still throbbing though their veins.
"I don't recall much sleeping," Hiei replied to the girl, running a hand over her bare hip.
"Ah, neither do I." She leaned up and kissed him gently. Pulling back a bit, she looked him in the eye. "Why did you do it, you dumb demon?"
Hiei sighed. "Seeing you again, just to lose you... I couldn't bear it. I had to be with you forever, and death was the only option." He pulled her close. "You've become a part of me, a need so deep it hurts, even when we're together."
Tensi propped herself up, her elbows on his chest. "Hiei, when did you become so romantic?"
"Two hundred years will change a man," was his reply.
Tensi grinned and kissed him again, all the love she had for him revealed in that simple act. He pulled her to her chest, kissing the top of her head gently. "Oh, gods I've missed this, Ten."
"Missed what, love?"
"This," Hiei replied, pulling Tensi even closer. "You. Everything."
"What, no sex since me?" Tensi asked jokingly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Nope. No one at all. The thought never even crossed my mind."
She gently kissed the underside of his chin and began to drift off to sleep, at least until he shook her awake.
"Hm, now, Hiei, I love you and all, but I'm REALLY tired. Can't I just get a FEW minutes of sleep?"
"Nope," Hiei looked down at her and smiled at her. "You've got to make up for over two hundred years of abstinance, and in a hurry."
"Aw, Hell," Tensi replied in mock-agony, looking up into Hiei's eyes. "I'm screwed, and in more ways than one. It's a good thing we don't start work for three days, right?"
"That would be most correct."
* * * * *