Disclaimer: No, I do *not* own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, Hiei would be in
every single episode.
Author's Notes: I'd just like to cruelly delay you from the story for a second so I can just say, thank you. All of my reviewers have given me the courage to continue this story. I'm so happy that you think so highly of me. Now for the next chapter.
SECRETS IN MY BLOOD CHAPTER 4
"Do it again." Commanded Hiei.
Keiko looked at him like one might looked at an insane person. She had been practicing the same moves for the past six hours. It was beginning to rack her nerves, not to mention wear her out. Even if these were what Hiei insisted on calling, 'pathetically simple' and if she had five minute water breaks from a flask Hiei had mysteriously produced. Her body was simply not used to this harsh treatment or these awkward fighting poses.
Keiko knew better then to protest however. She had already tried. The results had been more moves she must perfect upon. At one point she had only to learn two basic Aiki-jutsu moves. Now she had to learn five.
Hiei watched her fail again and again. It was always the same mistakes. She hadn't kicked high enough, her punch hadn't been powerful enough or she had just butchered the entire attack by moving out of stance. The fire demon knew not what to make of this. Had someone told him Keiko was a demon at this very moment, had he not sensed her dying, he would not have believed it. Her 'natural instinct' for fighting was nonexistent.
He studied her, as he had been for the last six hours. She had the strength, but no talent. Her entire body was drenched in sweat from the vigorous, and seemingly unending, exercise. Yet she remained standing. This was actually proof enough that she was not fully human. A human, with Keiko's almost exact characteristics, would have fallen by now.
Keiko kicked again, but this time, her body fell to the earth with a sickening thud. She lay there for a second and then let loose a low groan of anguish. Her body refused to lift itself. She was fatigued, both mentally and physically.
Instead of forcing her to stand, Hiei decided it was time to let her rest. There was obviously something wrong, either with her or this method of training. What ever it was, it must be put to rights and soon.
Keiko lay on the cold earth, waiting for the fire demon to discipline her. He did not. This surprised Keiko. She stayed in her fallen position gasping for some time. Finally she sat up, making her head spin slightly. Hiei was still there, watching her. This made her feel a little strange and insecure. Whenever he stared at her, she always felt this unfamiliar fluttery, bubbling feeling in the very core of her being. Perhaps it was the way he stared at her. His red eyes, they appeared to observe everything, take everything in. It was almost surreal.
"Why does he always stare at me like that?" Thought Keiko.
"You should bathe." Said Hiei, destroying her concentration, "I can smell you from here."
Keiko glared at him. Hadn't anyone ever taught him to be courteous?
"Most likely not, he did come from here." Thought Keiko as she continued glaring at him.
"I would love to Hiei but," Answered Keiko, "There isn't a place to wash and I have no other clothes."
The fire demon narrowed his eyes slightly, thus reminding Keiko who was superior. Once Keiko had down cast her eyes, Hiei spoke.
"Hn. There is a stream not to far from her in that direction." Said Hiei, pointing west of the clearing they were in, "Leave the clothes to me."
Before Keiko could protest or tell him her sizes, not that it would have done her any good, Hiei was gone. The female half demon just stood there, upset that her 'companion' treated her like an inferior being. Even with all she was going through! She felt the urge to scream and cry like she did when Yusuke upset her, but she didn't. Doing so might attract unwanted attention and without Hiei here to protect her . . . anything could happen. Keiko grit her teeth and stomped off toward the stream.
After an hour or so, Keiko found the stream. Slowly, cautiously, Keiko began to peel off her tattered, dirty clothes. To say they were tattered and dirty was actually an understatement. The proper words were shredded and revolting. Once her school clothes were off she covered her body as best as she could and timidly ventured toward the churning water.
She dipped one foot in and quickly removed it. The water was frigid. Keiko desperately wished for another way to cleanse herself, but she knew there was no other way. She looked at her skin. Already it had the beginnings of goose bumps. On top of it all, she was still covered in sweat.
Keiko then noticed something about her skin, or really, the perspiration covering it. The salty liquid was tinted red! She brought her arm closer to her face. Her eyes widened as she smelt the reddish fluid. Its aroma was unmistakably metallic.
Keiko jumped into the water, hoping to rid her body of the blood it had excreted from its pores. Fortunately the water was only waist deep. If it had been deeper, Keiko might have never resurfaced. The icy waters greeted her body with a cold brutality, forcing the air out of her lungs. She stood up and shrieked her displeasure. Hastily, she scrubbed herself and crawled out of the water, shaking violently. She sat down at the edge of the stream, still shivering.
Then, something soft fell on her head. Looking up at a tree near the bank of the stream was Hiei. At first Keiko panicked at being seen unclad and threw a stone at him. Her aim was dead on, but Hiei dodged it with a slight turn of the head. Hiei did all this with his eyes closed, it seemed as though he had not been watching.
"Don't worry; I have no interest in your body." Said the fire demon.
This was not entirely true, despite the fact he sounded so convincing. He had accidentally witnessed her exposed body while she was bathing. Keiko might have known this, had she been close enough to see the pale blush that colored his cheeks.
She was not close enough, fortunately for Hiei, and half believed him. Keiko did not fully believe him and probably never would. Living all her life with Yusuke, who could be a bit of a lecher at times, she never could banish the feeling that all males had over active sex drives.
Once she was sure that Hiei was not watching her, she looked at the 'something soft' that had landed on her earlier. It had been clothes. The pile consisted of a comfortable, light green shirt with a brown undertone, dark green pants that fit snugly from her hips to her knees and were loose from that point on. Also, there was black, soft boots, one long black sash, a short black scarf and five white cloth bandages, one was wider then the others bandages.
Assuming and she assumed correctly, the widest of the white clothes was a breast band. The more primitive version of the modern bra. Keiko might have been touched that Hiei cared to remember her female form if she hadn't been completely embarrassed. None the less, she put it on because she knew if she didn't, the torture would be much worse.
Keiko then put on her pants. She felt strange without underwear, but there was none and she was not asking Hiei for some. Then she up on the shirt. The shirt had a nice texture to it, silky and soft, not the rough wooly feel she had been expecting. She then wrapped the sash around her pants and tied her hair back in a pony tail with the scarf. Due to the fact her hair was so short, a few locks were still in her face, but the scarf still helped. Finally, she tugged her boots on.
"You can open your eyes now." Keiko told the very much a male fire demon.
Hiei jumped off the far away branch he had been lounging on and landed in front of Keiko, surprising her a bit. He was less then half a foot away from her, closer then he had ever been, excluding the time they had entered the Makai, hands linked. She noticed that his eyes were only one and a half inches below hers. He really wasn't as short as he seemed.
"Why didn't you put these on?" Questioned Hiei, who had taken the four remaining bandages without her knowledge.
"I thought they were for problems we might have later." Said Keiko, thinking of the lacerations and abrasions she was likely to get.
"They're to prevent problems." Said Hiei as he took one of her arms into his hands.
Working quickly, the fire demon wrapped one of the bandages around her wrists and in between the fingers on that hand. He repeated the process with the other hand. He did this so quickly and so efficiently that Keiko could barely feel his hands caressing touch on her own.
"Caressing?! No, no, it just felt kind of . . . nice." Thought Keiko, shocked by the irregularity of her own thoughts.
"Sit down." Commanded Hiei.
"Why?" Asked Keiko.
"Unless you want to put these on your ankles yourself, you need to sit down so I can do it." Answered Hiei.
Keiko sat down and Hiei put the bandages on her ankles. She now knew what they were for. The bandages would stop her from twisting joints. At this point in time, she remembered a question that had been plaguing her mind ever since she had begun her bath.
"I need to ask you something." Said Keiko, already fearing the answer.
"What?" Growled the fire demon.
"My sweat . . . it was red. It had blood in it. Do . . . do you know why?" Ask Keiko.
"Yes." Answered Hiei as he moved on to her other ankle
"Then tell me!" Demanded Keiko frantically.
"Hn. It has your human blood in it. Your body is ridding itself of the substances that make you human and replacing it with new demon blood. You should be relieved this is happening. It means that you will be a full demon soon." Replied Hiei.
"My body is just going to sweat my blood away?! Why couldn't I just stay home and work out?!"
"It isn't that simple. As I have already told you, to become a demon you must act like one. Besides, you were not fit to exercise in the human world. As I recall, you were stumbling around half dead in the park." Answered Hiei in a tone that clearly showed his disgust at her pitiful short term memory.
"Follow me." Said Hiei, not waiting for her to think up a comeback.
Keiko got up and let the fire demon lead her back to their camp site. It was getting dark now. The sky above, or what she could see through the canopy of leaves, was a myriad of otherworldly colors. All of the hues and tones were a darker version of the daytime ones; they were beautiful, but so much more sinister. It made her think of her own position. Keiko was becoming what she believed to be a darker version of herself.
The complexity of her life had taken over her thoughts, thus dimming her other senses. Hence, she did not hear the near silent sound of scraping claws on the ground. Hiei on the other hand, was not pondering on the recent turn of events, not this time. He heard the faint, yet distinct sound.
Pausing, Hiei listened closely to his surroundings. He gave no warning of stopping and Keiko walked right into him. Not even giving her the chance to fall, let alone ask him what he was doing, Hiei grabbed Keiko around the waist with one arm and covered her mouth with the other. Ignoring the rather sensual position they were in, what with Keiko's body leaning against his, Hiei concentrated all of his senses where he had heard the sound. After waiting in this pose for a minute or two, Hiei released Keiko. She whirled around to face him, to ask him what he had been doing.
That is when the steel wing demons struck.
Author's Notes: I'd just like to cruelly delay you from the story for a second so I can just say, thank you. All of my reviewers have given me the courage to continue this story. I'm so happy that you think so highly of me. Now for the next chapter.
SECRETS IN MY BLOOD CHAPTER 4
"Do it again." Commanded Hiei.
Keiko looked at him like one might looked at an insane person. She had been practicing the same moves for the past six hours. It was beginning to rack her nerves, not to mention wear her out. Even if these were what Hiei insisted on calling, 'pathetically simple' and if she had five minute water breaks from a flask Hiei had mysteriously produced. Her body was simply not used to this harsh treatment or these awkward fighting poses.
Keiko knew better then to protest however. She had already tried. The results had been more moves she must perfect upon. At one point she had only to learn two basic Aiki-jutsu moves. Now she had to learn five.
Hiei watched her fail again and again. It was always the same mistakes. She hadn't kicked high enough, her punch hadn't been powerful enough or she had just butchered the entire attack by moving out of stance. The fire demon knew not what to make of this. Had someone told him Keiko was a demon at this very moment, had he not sensed her dying, he would not have believed it. Her 'natural instinct' for fighting was nonexistent.
He studied her, as he had been for the last six hours. She had the strength, but no talent. Her entire body was drenched in sweat from the vigorous, and seemingly unending, exercise. Yet she remained standing. This was actually proof enough that she was not fully human. A human, with Keiko's almost exact characteristics, would have fallen by now.
Keiko kicked again, but this time, her body fell to the earth with a sickening thud. She lay there for a second and then let loose a low groan of anguish. Her body refused to lift itself. She was fatigued, both mentally and physically.
Instead of forcing her to stand, Hiei decided it was time to let her rest. There was obviously something wrong, either with her or this method of training. What ever it was, it must be put to rights and soon.
Keiko lay on the cold earth, waiting for the fire demon to discipline her. He did not. This surprised Keiko. She stayed in her fallen position gasping for some time. Finally she sat up, making her head spin slightly. Hiei was still there, watching her. This made her feel a little strange and insecure. Whenever he stared at her, she always felt this unfamiliar fluttery, bubbling feeling in the very core of her being. Perhaps it was the way he stared at her. His red eyes, they appeared to observe everything, take everything in. It was almost surreal.
"Why does he always stare at me like that?" Thought Keiko.
"You should bathe." Said Hiei, destroying her concentration, "I can smell you from here."
Keiko glared at him. Hadn't anyone ever taught him to be courteous?
"Most likely not, he did come from here." Thought Keiko as she continued glaring at him.
"I would love to Hiei but," Answered Keiko, "There isn't a place to wash and I have no other clothes."
The fire demon narrowed his eyes slightly, thus reminding Keiko who was superior. Once Keiko had down cast her eyes, Hiei spoke.
"Hn. There is a stream not to far from her in that direction." Said Hiei, pointing west of the clearing they were in, "Leave the clothes to me."
Before Keiko could protest or tell him her sizes, not that it would have done her any good, Hiei was gone. The female half demon just stood there, upset that her 'companion' treated her like an inferior being. Even with all she was going through! She felt the urge to scream and cry like she did when Yusuke upset her, but she didn't. Doing so might attract unwanted attention and without Hiei here to protect her . . . anything could happen. Keiko grit her teeth and stomped off toward the stream.
After an hour or so, Keiko found the stream. Slowly, cautiously, Keiko began to peel off her tattered, dirty clothes. To say they were tattered and dirty was actually an understatement. The proper words were shredded and revolting. Once her school clothes were off she covered her body as best as she could and timidly ventured toward the churning water.
She dipped one foot in and quickly removed it. The water was frigid. Keiko desperately wished for another way to cleanse herself, but she knew there was no other way. She looked at her skin. Already it had the beginnings of goose bumps. On top of it all, she was still covered in sweat.
Keiko then noticed something about her skin, or really, the perspiration covering it. The salty liquid was tinted red! She brought her arm closer to her face. Her eyes widened as she smelt the reddish fluid. Its aroma was unmistakably metallic.
Keiko jumped into the water, hoping to rid her body of the blood it had excreted from its pores. Fortunately the water was only waist deep. If it had been deeper, Keiko might have never resurfaced. The icy waters greeted her body with a cold brutality, forcing the air out of her lungs. She stood up and shrieked her displeasure. Hastily, she scrubbed herself and crawled out of the water, shaking violently. She sat down at the edge of the stream, still shivering.
Then, something soft fell on her head. Looking up at a tree near the bank of the stream was Hiei. At first Keiko panicked at being seen unclad and threw a stone at him. Her aim was dead on, but Hiei dodged it with a slight turn of the head. Hiei did all this with his eyes closed, it seemed as though he had not been watching.
"Don't worry; I have no interest in your body." Said the fire demon.
This was not entirely true, despite the fact he sounded so convincing. He had accidentally witnessed her exposed body while she was bathing. Keiko might have known this, had she been close enough to see the pale blush that colored his cheeks.
She was not close enough, fortunately for Hiei, and half believed him. Keiko did not fully believe him and probably never would. Living all her life with Yusuke, who could be a bit of a lecher at times, she never could banish the feeling that all males had over active sex drives.
Once she was sure that Hiei was not watching her, she looked at the 'something soft' that had landed on her earlier. It had been clothes. The pile consisted of a comfortable, light green shirt with a brown undertone, dark green pants that fit snugly from her hips to her knees and were loose from that point on. Also, there was black, soft boots, one long black sash, a short black scarf and five white cloth bandages, one was wider then the others bandages.
Assuming and she assumed correctly, the widest of the white clothes was a breast band. The more primitive version of the modern bra. Keiko might have been touched that Hiei cared to remember her female form if she hadn't been completely embarrassed. None the less, she put it on because she knew if she didn't, the torture would be much worse.
Keiko then put on her pants. She felt strange without underwear, but there was none and she was not asking Hiei for some. Then she up on the shirt. The shirt had a nice texture to it, silky and soft, not the rough wooly feel she had been expecting. She then wrapped the sash around her pants and tied her hair back in a pony tail with the scarf. Due to the fact her hair was so short, a few locks were still in her face, but the scarf still helped. Finally, she tugged her boots on.
"You can open your eyes now." Keiko told the very much a male fire demon.
Hiei jumped off the far away branch he had been lounging on and landed in front of Keiko, surprising her a bit. He was less then half a foot away from her, closer then he had ever been, excluding the time they had entered the Makai, hands linked. She noticed that his eyes were only one and a half inches below hers. He really wasn't as short as he seemed.
"Why didn't you put these on?" Questioned Hiei, who had taken the four remaining bandages without her knowledge.
"I thought they were for problems we might have later." Said Keiko, thinking of the lacerations and abrasions she was likely to get.
"They're to prevent problems." Said Hiei as he took one of her arms into his hands.
Working quickly, the fire demon wrapped one of the bandages around her wrists and in between the fingers on that hand. He repeated the process with the other hand. He did this so quickly and so efficiently that Keiko could barely feel his hands caressing touch on her own.
"Caressing?! No, no, it just felt kind of . . . nice." Thought Keiko, shocked by the irregularity of her own thoughts.
"Sit down." Commanded Hiei.
"Why?" Asked Keiko.
"Unless you want to put these on your ankles yourself, you need to sit down so I can do it." Answered Hiei.
Keiko sat down and Hiei put the bandages on her ankles. She now knew what they were for. The bandages would stop her from twisting joints. At this point in time, she remembered a question that had been plaguing her mind ever since she had begun her bath.
"I need to ask you something." Said Keiko, already fearing the answer.
"What?" Growled the fire demon.
"My sweat . . . it was red. It had blood in it. Do . . . do you know why?" Ask Keiko.
"Yes." Answered Hiei as he moved on to her other ankle
"Then tell me!" Demanded Keiko frantically.
"Hn. It has your human blood in it. Your body is ridding itself of the substances that make you human and replacing it with new demon blood. You should be relieved this is happening. It means that you will be a full demon soon." Replied Hiei.
"My body is just going to sweat my blood away?! Why couldn't I just stay home and work out?!"
"It isn't that simple. As I have already told you, to become a demon you must act like one. Besides, you were not fit to exercise in the human world. As I recall, you were stumbling around half dead in the park." Answered Hiei in a tone that clearly showed his disgust at her pitiful short term memory.
"Follow me." Said Hiei, not waiting for her to think up a comeback.
Keiko got up and let the fire demon lead her back to their camp site. It was getting dark now. The sky above, or what she could see through the canopy of leaves, was a myriad of otherworldly colors. All of the hues and tones were a darker version of the daytime ones; they were beautiful, but so much more sinister. It made her think of her own position. Keiko was becoming what she believed to be a darker version of herself.
The complexity of her life had taken over her thoughts, thus dimming her other senses. Hence, she did not hear the near silent sound of scraping claws on the ground. Hiei on the other hand, was not pondering on the recent turn of events, not this time. He heard the faint, yet distinct sound.
Pausing, Hiei listened closely to his surroundings. He gave no warning of stopping and Keiko walked right into him. Not even giving her the chance to fall, let alone ask him what he was doing, Hiei grabbed Keiko around the waist with one arm and covered her mouth with the other. Ignoring the rather sensual position they were in, what with Keiko's body leaning against his, Hiei concentrated all of his senses where he had heard the sound. After waiting in this pose for a minute or two, Hiei released Keiko. She whirled around to face him, to ask him what he had been doing.
That is when the steel wing demons struck.