Bow: ::while being chased around by orderlies:: And here we are at the
beginning of the fourth chapter. ::hiss at orderlies, foam::
Dragon: O.o??? Erm... Bow... That was obvious.
Bow: ::hiss, foam, gurgle, swipe::
Dragon: ...Yes, so I guess I will be leading you into the chapter today, seeing as how Bow is in some kind of bizarre mental state. But anyway, I hope you're ready for this chapter, 'cause it promises to be something interesting. ::blinks:: I think. I'm not entirely sure as of yet, seeing as how I don't plan out chapters in advance.
Bow: YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!!! ::hiss, swipe, gurgle::
Orderlies: ::chase:: Come back here!!! We're not going to hurt you!!!
Bow: Aieeeeeeeeee!
Dragon: T-T Kill meeeeeee...
Random Dragonslayer: ::from within Dragon:: I tried that and you ATE me!
Dragon: Shut up, you! ::pokes her stomach::
RD: Urk! Stop doing that! It's already cramped in here without you poking your claw at me!
Dragon: -.-;;;;;
Kurama had wiped the message off the wall before Kraiseiya could see it. Knowing her, she might go to the park just to save her mother, oblivious to the harm it might cause her. He knew she would act this way... because he had tried to do the same thing: sacrifice himself for the life of his human mother. They had been able to clean her up before she regained consciousness, and when she did, she remembered nothing of the encounter. His guess was that she had been either put to sleep or knocked out before anything had happened to her. Clever... not leaving any witnesses to what had been done. Thankfully, Tsukiko would never know what had happened, and with much cleaning liquids, they were able to get the blood off of the walls and floor before her mother could find out.
"Kraiseiya, as much as I hate to do this to you... I have to go. Hiei can stay here with you and keep you company, but my mother..." Kurama murmured, holding her shoulders.
She nodded, looking exhausted and worn out both physically and mentally. "Hai... You should go. Can... Can Hiei stay? I don't want to be alone with just Okaasan right now." He nodded as she paused. "Demo... who do you think would have done this? Or why?"
"I... I don't know. There were no signs of who did this. No evidence of any kind that I could find," he replied, mind filled with self reproach. But he couldn't tell her! She could get herself killed! And Hiei... Hiei could protect her here, should anything happen. He had to go and confront these youkais... at the park.
She sighed. "H-hai... Demo... you should go, Kurama. Go make sure your mother doesn't get worried about you."
He nodded, and kissed her softly, feeling her press back against him in response only barely. "Good night... Kraiseiya-koi..."
Her eyes were unfocused as she watched him walk out the door. "'Night Kurama-koi..."
Hiei stepped in after Kurama exited the shop, meeting her glazed eyes. "Kraiseiya... are you alright?"
Her eyes cleared, and she returned his gaze. "Hiei..." She nodded. "Gomennasai... If I'm causing you any trouble."
He shook his head. "Iie, no trouble at all. C'mon, we should go up into the apartment with your mother."
Thankfully, Tsukiko was asleep, and Kraiseiya didn't have to deal with more introductions. Kraiseiya sat cross-legged on the couch, while Hiei was leaned back up against a wall, arms crossed, deep in thought. He had discarded the black cloak that normally surrounded him, and he wore a pair of black pants, and a light blue sleeveless shirt.
He was in her house, he felt her aura all over the apartment, and yet he could do nothing; his honor would not allow it. She was bound to Kurama. She was his. He could clearly overpower her if he so wished, but even if she was not bound to any man, that too would have been against his code. Besides, he did not just want her body. He wanted her heart as well. He sighed, shaking his head. He was lost in a sea of feelings he did not understand.
"What is it?" Kraiseiya asked, looking over to him.
His head jerked up, slightly startled by the kind and worried tone in her voice. "I-I... nothing..." He paused. "You do not have to waste your worry on me. I'm fine."
She blinked. "I'm not wasting anything. I can be worried about you, can't I? I just wanted to know what was bothering you."
He looked away from her, despite the shock and... happiness that he felt. "Really, do not worry about me. You will just burden yourself further. I can only guess what weighs down on your mind right now."
A small smile broke out onto her face. "Hiei..." she waited for him to glance over at her. "What Botan said was right, isn't it? You do have feelings for me."
Hiei tried to fight back the red color that crossed his face as he looked back down to the carpet. "She jumps to conclusions. Botan is mistaken."
"Iie, I think she's right about you. But you just won't admit it, because that's not like you. You don't let anyone in, yet you get into everyone else's minds and study them from the shadows."
Hiei looked back up at her, eyes widening. "How-?"
Her smile brightened. "Kurama and I aren't stupid, Hiei. We can sense you following us. But Kurama said that you two are almost never far apart, and are at least always watching out for each other. He's told me about what has happened to the both of you. You depend on each other."
Hiei nodded. "Hai, I suppose we do."
"And I'm wedging myself in between the two of you."
"Iie, Kraiseiya. Kurama and I are fine now, do not blame yourself."
Tears began to gather in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Hiei faltered at the pained look on the girl's face. He walked over to her, sitting on the armrest of the couch, facing her. He reached out to her and gently touched her cheek, watching as a single tear traveled down her face. He wiped it away, wondering why he was hurting himself this way, torturing himself with a girl who belonged to his best friend. "Hai, I'm sure," he said, voice quiet.
Kraiseiya could feel the roughness of his hand, calloused from swordplay. His touch made her feel a warmth run through her. But, only Kurama could make her feel this way. What was going on? Why was she letting this happen...? Why was everything so confusing? She placed her hand on his knee, looking up into his blood-colored eyes. "H-Hiei... What-?"
He took his hand from her cheek, and slid off of the couch, walking back over to the wall, leaning against it once more. "I'm sorry. I overstepped my bounds."
Confused, Kraiseiya just watched him. What was she feeling? Why was she feeling this way?
"I should not have done that. You are bound to Kurama," he muttered, staring once more at the carpet under his feet.
"...What do you mean by 'bound'? Kurama mentioned it before as well..." she mumbled.
He looked back up to her, meeting her silver eyes, which sent a sharp pang through his heart. "You... have never heard of that before? ...Iie, you wouldn't have. It is a youkai practice. Because you are bound... to Kurama, you carry his scent. It hangs around you like a protective aura, telling other youkais that you belong to another. To Kurama." His voice sounded pained as he spoke these words. "This is honored by most youkais, and you will be left alone."
"Oh... Is that why you...?" her voice trailed off.
He nodded. "Hai. I, too, honor this practice."
She looked away. "Gomennasai. This must be painful for you. I don't know what it's like to love someone who cannot return that love..."
Hiei shook his head. "I told you not to worry about me. Do not torture yourself with my unluckiness. I have grown used to misfortune in my life. You mustn't trouble yourself."
Kraiseiya fell silent, and looked out of the window, out at the approaching sunset out on the horizon. "Almost sundown..."
Darkness setting in above him, Kurama looked up through the branches of the trees, letting out a heavy sigh that had been building in his chest. Soon, he should confront those who were after Kraiseiya; HIS Kraiseiya. And they would pay for what they had done, and answer his questions. Just like he had told Kuwabara before, he would not hold back to get what he wanted.
As he walked, he heard birds take to the sky in a hurry, and he turned towards the sound. They had been disturbed, they would not do that on their own...
"So, she is not coming then, is she?" "No matter, we will just have to go get her." The voices sounded almost reptilian, and guttural. And they followed each other seamlessly. "You are brave, human, but are too late to save her." "She will be ours." Three separate voices.
"Iie! Dame!" Kurama shouted up into the trees, whirling around as he heard a group of youkais leave the area, not bothering to mask the sounds of their departure. "Leave her alone!"
Then the forest was silent around him. He began to run back to her house, knowing that he was nowhere near fast enough to make it there in time. The only one who could possibly match these youkais in speed would be Hiei... Hiei! He could only hope that he could protect her on his own...
The silence was killing Kraiseiya. Why didn't Hiei say something? Tell her what she was feeling, why she felt that way. She loved Kurama, how could she have feelings for Hiei too? Arms wrapped around her knees, she stared at the black television screen, not paying any attention to the fact that it wasn't on, but just lost in thought.
Hiei, too, was wracked with confusion. Why had she acted that way? It would have been so much easier for him to have her push him away, to do something to tell him that she wasn't interested in him, that her heart was reserved for Kurama. But the way she had looked at him... He didn't know what to do. Sure, he could follow what his mind told him: back off and leave her alone, she belongs to Kurama. But he just couldn't! Not while there seemed to be some sliver of a chance that she might return his feelings... But then he'd carry the guilt of snatching her away from Kurama! He shook his head with a heavy sigh. He didn't know what to do anymore. His code didn't cover things like this...
Being lost within his mind, he didn't hear the sounds of footsteps outside the shop.
Kraiseiya, however, did. Her eyes focused, and she turned her head towards the sound. "What was that?"
Hiei blinked, shaking his head slightly to clear his vision. "What was what?"
As soon as the three words slipped out of his mouth, the door was promptly kicked in, and a trio of reptilian youkais slipped inside. Their yellow eyes fixed upon Kraiseiya, and they moved towards her on clawed feet. All three had jet-colored scales, dark as night, and their eyes blazed like small amber fires. They were lightly built, and Hiei guessed they had agile movements suitable to their body structures. Long tails were held a few inches above the ground. Damn... he cursed mentally. He could only guess they were prehensile.
Hiei snatched his sword from the sheath at his waist, the ring of the blade and the light reflected from the steel catching the eyes and ears of the youkais. They turned to him, eyes narrowing in haunting unison.
"So, there is another trying to save her?" "Though not a human like the last one." "Maybe he will be worth our time." "Perhaps." "Depends on his skill." "He feels strong." "To even think he can protect her, he'd need to be." "Then shall we test him?" "Hai." "Hai."
"Kraiseiya, get back into this corner. And don't move. I don't want to accidentally hurt you," Hiei commanded. She nodded, and hurried over to the corner he gestured to, which was positioned behind him.
"Kraiseiya?" "So that is her name." "'Last hope'?" "Hmm, a fitting name." "The rest of her people are dead." "She is the last one." "The last one we need." "Then She will come." "At last." "At last." "At last."
Note: Her name is a youkai name. I made it up, and the meaning.
"Stop babbling and fight me!" Hiei barked, eyes narrowing to blood-hued slits.
"So be it," they said in unison, making Kraiseiya shiver.
They lunged towards Hiei, using their long claws like swords to try and slash at him. Hiei parried their blows, though he was struggling slightly to keep up with their lightning-fast strikes which were timed in perfect succession to try and get him off guard. He frowned in concentration, growing irritated that he could barely block all of their attacks and yet could deal none of his own! All he could do was wait for one of them to falter, misstep, or something!
He heard a crash, and there was a gap the strikes, which he used gladly to deal a blow to one of the black reptilians. Green blood was drawn, and he heard a loud hiss of pain. The blows stopped coming altogether, and he leapt back to Kraiseiya, surveying what had happened. Somehow, one of the trio had been hit with a lamp, which now lay in shattered pieces on the ground, and the one who was hit was clutching his head. The one he scored was holding a gash in his side, green blood seeping between his fingers. The last one was unharmed, but he looked to the other two with a look of caring worry. He placed a hand on each of the others, and cast a cold glare at Hiei.
"We will not forget you." He paused, as if waiting for the others to speak. He was so used to the other two continuing his thoughts, that he had to wait to finish his own. "We will meet again."
The other two looked up to the unharmed member of the trio, and they looked back over at Hiei in eerie unison. And then they vanished into the shadows.
The diminutive youkai looked back at Kraiseiya, to see her huffing slightly, the cord of the lamp still in her hands. Apparently, she had been ready to pull it back to her had she missed.
"You're the one who threw the lamp?" he asked, eyes widening. Not that it could've been anyone else...
She nodded. "Uh... huh..." she breathed.
A slight smirk passed over his lips. "I don't say this often, but thanks. I don't think I could've gotten rid of them if I hadn't had that gap in blows."
She nodded, and promptly crumpled to her knees. Hiei caught her by the shoulders, holding her up and leading her over to the sofa to sit down. "Hey! Don't collapse on me now..."
He paused, glancing over at her mother's bedroom door. "Kraiseiya... How come your mother didn't wake up? That sure was a lot of noise..."
She blinked, refocusing her eyes as she looked up at Hiei. "K-Kurama... he gave her some kind of plant mixture to help her sleep. He said she wouldn't wake up until morning..."
Hiei nodded. "Of course. I should have guessed that."
"H-Hiei? Were those the youkais that tried to make me think Okaasan was dead?"
He paused, and then nodded. "Hai. Hai, I think so."
"KRAISEIYA?!"
The door banged open again, though this time, a more welcome face entered.
"Kurama-koi!" She exclaimed, turning her head towards the door, her silver eyes wide with relief.
Hiei backed off immediately as Kurama ran to her, slipping onto the couch beside her and gathering the girl into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, hiding her face in his uniform for the second time that day, feeling safe in his embrace as he held her. He kissed her hair soothingly, stroking the white strands as he looked up to Hiei.
"What happened?" he asked, eyeing the green blood that stained his sword. "Are you alright?"
Hiei nodded, sheathing the sword. "I'm fine, thanks to Kraiseiya. There were three black reptilian youkais, and she was able to distract one so that I could get a hit in. As soon as one was bleeding, they backed off. Strange as it was. But we're both unharmed."
Kurama nodded. "Thank you, Hiei. Thank you for keeping her safe."
"I would have done it had you not asked. I too have an interest in her safety." He looked at Kraiseiya, who was still curled up against Kurama, and left the room in a black blur.
Bow: And now it's time for something everyone can enjoy! Torture Hiei Time!
Hiei: ::blink:: What the fu-?!
Dragon: Now, now, watch the language, pipsqueak.
Hiei: ::tied to a chair:: Hey! What the hell are you doing to me?!
Bow:
Dragon:
Hiei: O.O;;;;
Bow: Now we get to read you all of the love-mail that you get from girls all over the world.
Hiei: WHAT!?!?!? IIE! THAT'S JUST SICK!!!
Dragon: Aww, c'mon. you know you and Kurama have the biggest fan mass of the entire cast.
Kurama: o.o Really?
Bow: Yup! Me being a member!
Hiei: KURAMA!!! Get me out of this fuking chair!!!
Kurama: u.u;;; Gomen, but Bow made me promise not to.
Hiei: Damn you, you horrible heartless btch!!!
Bow: ::shakes head:: What language. You shouldn't call Kurama that.
Hiei: I WAS TALKING TO YOU!!!
Bow: Oh. O.o Well that's alright then.
Dragon: X.x....
Bow: Anyway, ahem! ::pulls out a letter from nowhere:: 'Dear Hiei: You are my favoriteist charrie, I mean like yea! heart heart Love, ' The name has been edited for embarrassment reasons.
Hiei: THERE'S NO NAME BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T COME UP WITH ONE RIGHT THERE!!! THAT'S NOT A REAL LETTER!!!
Bow: So? Your point? There's prolly one like that somewhere.
Hiei: LET ME GO!!!
Bow: But that would spoil the fun.
Kurama: Come now, Bow. You're just being cruel. Let him go.
Bow: Demo...
Kurama: o.o
Bow: ::sigh:: Hai...
"Kurama... why didn't you tell me about what was going on?" Kraiseiya asked, meeting his green gaze as they sat on the couch. He held her shoulders so that he could look down to her.
He looked away from her. "I didn't want you to endanger yourself. If you knew, I thought you'd go."
She nodded. "Yes, I would have. Okaasan is very dear to me, and I wouldn't endanger her because of me."
He looked back to her. "And that is why I didn't tell you. You could have gotten yourself killed."
She shivered in his arms, and he pulled her closer to him. "Just... I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you, Krai-koi. I'm glad I had Hiei stay here with you."
I'm not, she thought to herself. Now I'm just so much more confused.
"Well I'll watch over you tonight. I'll leave before your mother wakes up, so that she doesn't ask any questions. Okay?"
She nodded. "O-okay..."
The three black youkais had retreated back to the forest, and they were curled up together, cradled in the branches of a tree. Two of them slept, reassured by the comforting embraces of each other's arms, while the third -the other that had acted to protect the other two from that short youkai who had fought them- was still awake. His arms, legs, and tail were curled in the tangle of black-scaled flesh, each member of the trio supporting each other. He looked up at the star-speckled sky through the tree branches, and then back down at the other two, his yellow eyes lit from an inner fire as he tightened his grip on them.
"Sordo..." Ciego, the awake youkai, murmured to one of them. He could tell them apart, not just by the instinctive force he felt when he looked at the two of them, but his long, slightly drooping ears were stark white. "Mudo..." he looked to the other. His lips were white. He, himself, had a white mask-like marking across his eyes. Because of the darkness they veiled themselves in, the markings were unseen by the short youkai and the girl.
"We will get her, that Kraiseiya girl..." he fell silent, waiting to continue his thoughts. "Then we can bring Her back."
He settled down against them, closing his eyes as he rested his cheek against the side of Sordo's head. He eased himself into sleep, though he kept his ears ready to listen for anyone who might stumble upon them in the forest...
Bow: And we end here, kiddies! Whee!!!
Hiei: ::still chained to chair:: YOU NEVER LET ME GO!!!
Bow: ::blink:: Eh? But, I stopped reading the letters, you should be happy.
Hiei: LET ME GO!!! YOU HEARTLESS BTCH!!!
Bow: Not with that language... Besides, I was going to keep you here as my love-slave.
Hiei: O.O!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Bow: Just kidding!
Hiei: GAHHHHH!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!
Dragon: Stop your whining, you little midget! Who'd have thought someone so small could yell so loud! U.u;;;
Bow: Erm... Maybe we should end this here before Hiei's language gets even more... flowery.
Hiei: YEAH YOU BETTER END IT HERE BEFORE I ESCAPE AND KICK YOUR GIRLY $$!!!
Dragon: u.u;;; Yeah, the 'at sign' and the dollar signs are reaaaaaallly inconspicuous.
Bow: ::shrug::
Hiei: I WILL LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS OF PAIN AND BEGS FOR MERCY BEFORE THIS IS OVER BOW!!! ::evil laughter:: YOU WILL FALL PREY TO MY TORTURE!!! YOU STUPID FUKING $$HOLE!!!
Bow: ::blink:: o.o;;;;;;;;;;; Such language... ::shoves a bar of soap in his mouth::
Hiei: O.O!!!!!!!! ::gurgle, bubble, hiss, foam:: Mrrrffffffffgrrrraaaahhhhh!!!
Dragon: Heh, now the pipsqueak can't say anything. ::snicker::
Bow: u.u;;;; Yeah, now we're going to end it. I'm afraid of the FF.net people who might take off this fic for language...
Note: For you intelligent people, the names of the youkais are as follows, translated from Spanish: Ciego: blind; Sordo: deaf; Mudo: mute.
Dragon: O.o??? Erm... Bow... That was obvious.
Bow: ::hiss, foam, gurgle, swipe::
Dragon: ...Yes, so I guess I will be leading you into the chapter today, seeing as how Bow is in some kind of bizarre mental state. But anyway, I hope you're ready for this chapter, 'cause it promises to be something interesting. ::blinks:: I think. I'm not entirely sure as of yet, seeing as how I don't plan out chapters in advance.
Bow: YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!!! ::hiss, swipe, gurgle::
Orderlies: ::chase:: Come back here!!! We're not going to hurt you!!!
Bow: Aieeeeeeeeee!
Dragon: T-T Kill meeeeeee...
Random Dragonslayer: ::from within Dragon:: I tried that and you ATE me!
Dragon: Shut up, you! ::pokes her stomach::
RD: Urk! Stop doing that! It's already cramped in here without you poking your claw at me!
Dragon: -.-;;;;;
Kurama had wiped the message off the wall before Kraiseiya could see it. Knowing her, she might go to the park just to save her mother, oblivious to the harm it might cause her. He knew she would act this way... because he had tried to do the same thing: sacrifice himself for the life of his human mother. They had been able to clean her up before she regained consciousness, and when she did, she remembered nothing of the encounter. His guess was that she had been either put to sleep or knocked out before anything had happened to her. Clever... not leaving any witnesses to what had been done. Thankfully, Tsukiko would never know what had happened, and with much cleaning liquids, they were able to get the blood off of the walls and floor before her mother could find out.
"Kraiseiya, as much as I hate to do this to you... I have to go. Hiei can stay here with you and keep you company, but my mother..." Kurama murmured, holding her shoulders.
She nodded, looking exhausted and worn out both physically and mentally. "Hai... You should go. Can... Can Hiei stay? I don't want to be alone with just Okaasan right now." He nodded as she paused. "Demo... who do you think would have done this? Or why?"
"I... I don't know. There were no signs of who did this. No evidence of any kind that I could find," he replied, mind filled with self reproach. But he couldn't tell her! She could get herself killed! And Hiei... Hiei could protect her here, should anything happen. He had to go and confront these youkais... at the park.
She sighed. "H-hai... Demo... you should go, Kurama. Go make sure your mother doesn't get worried about you."
He nodded, and kissed her softly, feeling her press back against him in response only barely. "Good night... Kraiseiya-koi..."
Her eyes were unfocused as she watched him walk out the door. "'Night Kurama-koi..."
Hiei stepped in after Kurama exited the shop, meeting her glazed eyes. "Kraiseiya... are you alright?"
Her eyes cleared, and she returned his gaze. "Hiei..." She nodded. "Gomennasai... If I'm causing you any trouble."
He shook his head. "Iie, no trouble at all. C'mon, we should go up into the apartment with your mother."
Thankfully, Tsukiko was asleep, and Kraiseiya didn't have to deal with more introductions. Kraiseiya sat cross-legged on the couch, while Hiei was leaned back up against a wall, arms crossed, deep in thought. He had discarded the black cloak that normally surrounded him, and he wore a pair of black pants, and a light blue sleeveless shirt.
He was in her house, he felt her aura all over the apartment, and yet he could do nothing; his honor would not allow it. She was bound to Kurama. She was his. He could clearly overpower her if he so wished, but even if she was not bound to any man, that too would have been against his code. Besides, he did not just want her body. He wanted her heart as well. He sighed, shaking his head. He was lost in a sea of feelings he did not understand.
"What is it?" Kraiseiya asked, looking over to him.
His head jerked up, slightly startled by the kind and worried tone in her voice. "I-I... nothing..." He paused. "You do not have to waste your worry on me. I'm fine."
She blinked. "I'm not wasting anything. I can be worried about you, can't I? I just wanted to know what was bothering you."
He looked away from her, despite the shock and... happiness that he felt. "Really, do not worry about me. You will just burden yourself further. I can only guess what weighs down on your mind right now."
A small smile broke out onto her face. "Hiei..." she waited for him to glance over at her. "What Botan said was right, isn't it? You do have feelings for me."
Hiei tried to fight back the red color that crossed his face as he looked back down to the carpet. "She jumps to conclusions. Botan is mistaken."
"Iie, I think she's right about you. But you just won't admit it, because that's not like you. You don't let anyone in, yet you get into everyone else's minds and study them from the shadows."
Hiei looked back up at her, eyes widening. "How-?"
Her smile brightened. "Kurama and I aren't stupid, Hiei. We can sense you following us. But Kurama said that you two are almost never far apart, and are at least always watching out for each other. He's told me about what has happened to the both of you. You depend on each other."
Hiei nodded. "Hai, I suppose we do."
"And I'm wedging myself in between the two of you."
"Iie, Kraiseiya. Kurama and I are fine now, do not blame yourself."
Tears began to gather in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Hiei faltered at the pained look on the girl's face. He walked over to her, sitting on the armrest of the couch, facing her. He reached out to her and gently touched her cheek, watching as a single tear traveled down her face. He wiped it away, wondering why he was hurting himself this way, torturing himself with a girl who belonged to his best friend. "Hai, I'm sure," he said, voice quiet.
Kraiseiya could feel the roughness of his hand, calloused from swordplay. His touch made her feel a warmth run through her. But, only Kurama could make her feel this way. What was going on? Why was she letting this happen...? Why was everything so confusing? She placed her hand on his knee, looking up into his blood-colored eyes. "H-Hiei... What-?"
He took his hand from her cheek, and slid off of the couch, walking back over to the wall, leaning against it once more. "I'm sorry. I overstepped my bounds."
Confused, Kraiseiya just watched him. What was she feeling? Why was she feeling this way?
"I should not have done that. You are bound to Kurama," he muttered, staring once more at the carpet under his feet.
"...What do you mean by 'bound'? Kurama mentioned it before as well..." she mumbled.
He looked back up to her, meeting her silver eyes, which sent a sharp pang through his heart. "You... have never heard of that before? ...Iie, you wouldn't have. It is a youkai practice. Because you are bound... to Kurama, you carry his scent. It hangs around you like a protective aura, telling other youkais that you belong to another. To Kurama." His voice sounded pained as he spoke these words. "This is honored by most youkais, and you will be left alone."
"Oh... Is that why you...?" her voice trailed off.
He nodded. "Hai. I, too, honor this practice."
She looked away. "Gomennasai. This must be painful for you. I don't know what it's like to love someone who cannot return that love..."
Hiei shook his head. "I told you not to worry about me. Do not torture yourself with my unluckiness. I have grown used to misfortune in my life. You mustn't trouble yourself."
Kraiseiya fell silent, and looked out of the window, out at the approaching sunset out on the horizon. "Almost sundown..."
Darkness setting in above him, Kurama looked up through the branches of the trees, letting out a heavy sigh that had been building in his chest. Soon, he should confront those who were after Kraiseiya; HIS Kraiseiya. And they would pay for what they had done, and answer his questions. Just like he had told Kuwabara before, he would not hold back to get what he wanted.
As he walked, he heard birds take to the sky in a hurry, and he turned towards the sound. They had been disturbed, they would not do that on their own...
"So, she is not coming then, is she?" "No matter, we will just have to go get her." The voices sounded almost reptilian, and guttural. And they followed each other seamlessly. "You are brave, human, but are too late to save her." "She will be ours." Three separate voices.
"Iie! Dame!" Kurama shouted up into the trees, whirling around as he heard a group of youkais leave the area, not bothering to mask the sounds of their departure. "Leave her alone!"
Then the forest was silent around him. He began to run back to her house, knowing that he was nowhere near fast enough to make it there in time. The only one who could possibly match these youkais in speed would be Hiei... Hiei! He could only hope that he could protect her on his own...
The silence was killing Kraiseiya. Why didn't Hiei say something? Tell her what she was feeling, why she felt that way. She loved Kurama, how could she have feelings for Hiei too? Arms wrapped around her knees, she stared at the black television screen, not paying any attention to the fact that it wasn't on, but just lost in thought.
Hiei, too, was wracked with confusion. Why had she acted that way? It would have been so much easier for him to have her push him away, to do something to tell him that she wasn't interested in him, that her heart was reserved for Kurama. But the way she had looked at him... He didn't know what to do. Sure, he could follow what his mind told him: back off and leave her alone, she belongs to Kurama. But he just couldn't! Not while there seemed to be some sliver of a chance that she might return his feelings... But then he'd carry the guilt of snatching her away from Kurama! He shook his head with a heavy sigh. He didn't know what to do anymore. His code didn't cover things like this...
Being lost within his mind, he didn't hear the sounds of footsteps outside the shop.
Kraiseiya, however, did. Her eyes focused, and she turned her head towards the sound. "What was that?"
Hiei blinked, shaking his head slightly to clear his vision. "What was what?"
As soon as the three words slipped out of his mouth, the door was promptly kicked in, and a trio of reptilian youkais slipped inside. Their yellow eyes fixed upon Kraiseiya, and they moved towards her on clawed feet. All three had jet-colored scales, dark as night, and their eyes blazed like small amber fires. They were lightly built, and Hiei guessed they had agile movements suitable to their body structures. Long tails were held a few inches above the ground. Damn... he cursed mentally. He could only guess they were prehensile.
Hiei snatched his sword from the sheath at his waist, the ring of the blade and the light reflected from the steel catching the eyes and ears of the youkais. They turned to him, eyes narrowing in haunting unison.
"So, there is another trying to save her?" "Though not a human like the last one." "Maybe he will be worth our time." "Perhaps." "Depends on his skill." "He feels strong." "To even think he can protect her, he'd need to be." "Then shall we test him?" "Hai." "Hai."
"Kraiseiya, get back into this corner. And don't move. I don't want to accidentally hurt you," Hiei commanded. She nodded, and hurried over to the corner he gestured to, which was positioned behind him.
"Kraiseiya?" "So that is her name." "'Last hope'?" "Hmm, a fitting name." "The rest of her people are dead." "She is the last one." "The last one we need." "Then She will come." "At last." "At last." "At last."
Note: Her name is a youkai name. I made it up, and the meaning.
"Stop babbling and fight me!" Hiei barked, eyes narrowing to blood-hued slits.
"So be it," they said in unison, making Kraiseiya shiver.
They lunged towards Hiei, using their long claws like swords to try and slash at him. Hiei parried their blows, though he was struggling slightly to keep up with their lightning-fast strikes which were timed in perfect succession to try and get him off guard. He frowned in concentration, growing irritated that he could barely block all of their attacks and yet could deal none of his own! All he could do was wait for one of them to falter, misstep, or something!
He heard a crash, and there was a gap the strikes, which he used gladly to deal a blow to one of the black reptilians. Green blood was drawn, and he heard a loud hiss of pain. The blows stopped coming altogether, and he leapt back to Kraiseiya, surveying what had happened. Somehow, one of the trio had been hit with a lamp, which now lay in shattered pieces on the ground, and the one who was hit was clutching his head. The one he scored was holding a gash in his side, green blood seeping between his fingers. The last one was unharmed, but he looked to the other two with a look of caring worry. He placed a hand on each of the others, and cast a cold glare at Hiei.
"We will not forget you." He paused, as if waiting for the others to speak. He was so used to the other two continuing his thoughts, that he had to wait to finish his own. "We will meet again."
The other two looked up to the unharmed member of the trio, and they looked back over at Hiei in eerie unison. And then they vanished into the shadows.
The diminutive youkai looked back at Kraiseiya, to see her huffing slightly, the cord of the lamp still in her hands. Apparently, she had been ready to pull it back to her had she missed.
"You're the one who threw the lamp?" he asked, eyes widening. Not that it could've been anyone else...
She nodded. "Uh... huh..." she breathed.
A slight smirk passed over his lips. "I don't say this often, but thanks. I don't think I could've gotten rid of them if I hadn't had that gap in blows."
She nodded, and promptly crumpled to her knees. Hiei caught her by the shoulders, holding her up and leading her over to the sofa to sit down. "Hey! Don't collapse on me now..."
He paused, glancing over at her mother's bedroom door. "Kraiseiya... How come your mother didn't wake up? That sure was a lot of noise..."
She blinked, refocusing her eyes as she looked up at Hiei. "K-Kurama... he gave her some kind of plant mixture to help her sleep. He said she wouldn't wake up until morning..."
Hiei nodded. "Of course. I should have guessed that."
"H-Hiei? Were those the youkais that tried to make me think Okaasan was dead?"
He paused, and then nodded. "Hai. Hai, I think so."
"KRAISEIYA?!"
The door banged open again, though this time, a more welcome face entered.
"Kurama-koi!" She exclaimed, turning her head towards the door, her silver eyes wide with relief.
Hiei backed off immediately as Kurama ran to her, slipping onto the couch beside her and gathering the girl into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, hiding her face in his uniform for the second time that day, feeling safe in his embrace as he held her. He kissed her hair soothingly, stroking the white strands as he looked up to Hiei.
"What happened?" he asked, eyeing the green blood that stained his sword. "Are you alright?"
Hiei nodded, sheathing the sword. "I'm fine, thanks to Kraiseiya. There were three black reptilian youkais, and she was able to distract one so that I could get a hit in. As soon as one was bleeding, they backed off. Strange as it was. But we're both unharmed."
Kurama nodded. "Thank you, Hiei. Thank you for keeping her safe."
"I would have done it had you not asked. I too have an interest in her safety." He looked at Kraiseiya, who was still curled up against Kurama, and left the room in a black blur.
Bow: And now it's time for something everyone can enjoy! Torture Hiei Time!
Hiei: ::blink:: What the fu-?!
Dragon: Now, now, watch the language, pipsqueak.
Hiei: ::tied to a chair:: Hey! What the hell are you doing to me?!
Bow:
Dragon:
Hiei: O.O;;;;
Bow: Now we get to read you all of the love-mail that you get from girls all over the world.
Hiei: WHAT!?!?!? IIE! THAT'S JUST SICK!!!
Dragon: Aww, c'mon. you know you and Kurama have the biggest fan mass of the entire cast.
Kurama: o.o Really?
Bow: Yup! Me being a member!
Hiei: KURAMA!!! Get me out of this fuking chair!!!
Kurama: u.u;;; Gomen, but Bow made me promise not to.
Hiei: Damn you, you horrible heartless btch!!!
Bow: ::shakes head:: What language. You shouldn't call Kurama that.
Hiei: I WAS TALKING TO YOU!!!
Bow: Oh. O.o Well that's alright then.
Dragon: X.x....
Bow: Anyway, ahem! ::pulls out a letter from nowhere:: 'Dear Hiei: You are my favoriteist charrie, I mean like yea! heart heart Love, ' The name has been edited for embarrassment reasons.
Hiei: THERE'S NO NAME BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T COME UP WITH ONE RIGHT THERE!!! THAT'S NOT A REAL LETTER!!!
Bow: So? Your point? There's prolly one like that somewhere.
Hiei: LET ME GO!!!
Bow: But that would spoil the fun.
Kurama: Come now, Bow. You're just being cruel. Let him go.
Bow: Demo...
Kurama: o.o
Bow: ::sigh:: Hai...
"Kurama... why didn't you tell me about what was going on?" Kraiseiya asked, meeting his green gaze as they sat on the couch. He held her shoulders so that he could look down to her.
He looked away from her. "I didn't want you to endanger yourself. If you knew, I thought you'd go."
She nodded. "Yes, I would have. Okaasan is very dear to me, and I wouldn't endanger her because of me."
He looked back to her. "And that is why I didn't tell you. You could have gotten yourself killed."
She shivered in his arms, and he pulled her closer to him. "Just... I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you, Krai-koi. I'm glad I had Hiei stay here with you."
I'm not, she thought to herself. Now I'm just so much more confused.
"Well I'll watch over you tonight. I'll leave before your mother wakes up, so that she doesn't ask any questions. Okay?"
She nodded. "O-okay..."
The three black youkais had retreated back to the forest, and they were curled up together, cradled in the branches of a tree. Two of them slept, reassured by the comforting embraces of each other's arms, while the third -the other that had acted to protect the other two from that short youkai who had fought them- was still awake. His arms, legs, and tail were curled in the tangle of black-scaled flesh, each member of the trio supporting each other. He looked up at the star-speckled sky through the tree branches, and then back down at the other two, his yellow eyes lit from an inner fire as he tightened his grip on them.
"Sordo..." Ciego, the awake youkai, murmured to one of them. He could tell them apart, not just by the instinctive force he felt when he looked at the two of them, but his long, slightly drooping ears were stark white. "Mudo..." he looked to the other. His lips were white. He, himself, had a white mask-like marking across his eyes. Because of the darkness they veiled themselves in, the markings were unseen by the short youkai and the girl.
"We will get her, that Kraiseiya girl..." he fell silent, waiting to continue his thoughts. "Then we can bring Her back."
He settled down against them, closing his eyes as he rested his cheek against the side of Sordo's head. He eased himself into sleep, though he kept his ears ready to listen for anyone who might stumble upon them in the forest...
Bow: And we end here, kiddies! Whee!!!
Hiei: ::still chained to chair:: YOU NEVER LET ME GO!!!
Bow: ::blink:: Eh? But, I stopped reading the letters, you should be happy.
Hiei: LET ME GO!!! YOU HEARTLESS BTCH!!!
Bow: Not with that language... Besides, I was going to keep you here as my love-slave.
Hiei: O.O!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Bow: Just kidding!
Hiei: GAHHHHH!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!
Dragon: Stop your whining, you little midget! Who'd have thought someone so small could yell so loud! U.u;;;
Bow: Erm... Maybe we should end this here before Hiei's language gets even more... flowery.
Hiei: YEAH YOU BETTER END IT HERE BEFORE I ESCAPE AND KICK YOUR GIRLY $$!!!
Dragon: u.u;;; Yeah, the 'at sign' and the dollar signs are reaaaaaallly inconspicuous.
Bow: ::shrug::
Hiei: I WILL LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS OF PAIN AND BEGS FOR MERCY BEFORE THIS IS OVER BOW!!! ::evil laughter:: YOU WILL FALL PREY TO MY TORTURE!!! YOU STUPID FUKING $$HOLE!!!
Bow: ::blink:: o.o;;;;;;;;;;; Such language... ::shoves a bar of soap in his mouth::
Hiei: O.O!!!!!!!! ::gurgle, bubble, hiss, foam:: Mrrrffffffffgrrrraaaahhhhh!!!
Dragon: Heh, now the pipsqueak can't say anything. ::snicker::
Bow: u.u;;;; Yeah, now we're going to end it. I'm afraid of the FF.net people who might take off this fic for language...
Note: For you intelligent people, the names of the youkais are as follows, translated from Spanish: Ciego: blind; Sordo: deaf; Mudo: mute.