Shadows of the Past
by Yami Yue
Team Urameshi was to fight in the first round the next morning. Hiei didn't seem too pleased about the match. I was curious to see how well the swordsman could fight. Kenji, Ryou and I headed up to one of the VIP rooms to watch the round. To my surprise there was a tall, brown haired young man with JR stamped on his forehead and pacifier in his mouth already in the room. "You guys are just in time," he said. "The first fight is about to begin," "Who's up first?" Ryou asked. "Jin," the brown haired male answered. "That should be interesting," Ryou commented. "Who is that?" I whispered to Kenji. "Koemna," he answered. "Hiei told me he was a toddler," I said. "He is usually," Kenji assured me. "He sometimes takes that form," "So why does he still have that pacifier?" I asked. "That's something we have yet to learn," he replied.
We watched the matches and were pleased at each mach Team Urameshi won. The final match was Hiei vs. Staze, a creature with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a snake with a ball of electric energy upon the tip of it's tail. I watched in fascination as the fight began. Staze lunged at Hiei with its fangs bared. Hiei suddenly vanished from sight, reappearing behind his opponent. Staze whipped its tail toward him, slamming the electric ball right into Hiei's back. The swordsman cried out in pain as electricity coursed through him. Dark fire surrounded Hiei's body forcing his opponent to release him or be burned. Hiei blurred from sight and reappeared a short distance from his opponent. Staze formed a ball of lightning in his hands and hurled at Hiei who easily dodged it. Staze hissed in anger and hurled several more lightning balls in rapid fire succession.
I watched in amazement as Hiei used his incredible speed to dodge his opponent's attacks. However, he couldn't counterattack. Staze was surrounded by it's own electric energy. If Hiei got too close he would be electrocuted. With a scowl he tossed aside his cloak and scarf leaving him in a tank top. I noticed the bandages on his arm and wondered why there were there. Had he been hurt before the match? Hiei carefully untied the bandage on his hand and slowly unraveled it to reveal a tattoo of a black dragon that reached from his hand to his upper arm.
Staze let loose another barrage of lightning balls as dark flames leapt from Hiei's arm. This time the swift fire apparition didn't move. My heart began pounding in my chest. If the lightning struck him, it could kill him. The lightning collided with a wall of dark flames as Hiei shielded himself. The three eyed swordsman's energy felt as though it filled the whole stadium. Down in the arena a massive black dragon began to form. It roared as it glided toward its master's opponent. Within moments the dragon had engulfed Staze. I watched with wide eyes as the dragon began to disappear. Hiei's expression was one of great concentration. "Calling back the dragon must take more effort than summoning it," I thought. As the moments passed I could feel Hiei's energy lessening.
Fearful for my newfound friend I dashed out of the room. I raced down the hallways, glad that the crowd in them parted for me. I reached the arena sidelines quickly. Hiei had already stepped out of the ring when I arrived, once more in his black cloak and scarf, his victory was being announced. He stumbled slightly and Yusuke rushed to help him. I growled under my breath. For some reason I didn't like Yusuke touching him like that. "Are you alright?" I asked. "I'll be fine Fox," he assured me as he walked toward me. "Yusuke, look after Kenji and Ryou for me," he said. "Sure," Yusuke replied. "Go and get some rest," Hiei nodded and continued moving toward me. He looked unsteady on his feet. He pitched forward and I quickly moved to catch him. He landed in my arms and I could feel heat rising to my cheeks as he rested his head against my chest. "Would you like some help Hiei?" I asked. He nodded.
He held onto me as we made our way back to our room. I found I enjoyed this closeness. I wondered what we were to each other. From what Hiei had told me the day before, it seemed as though we were close. He had never said we were best friends or anything else. Hiei looked up at me, his eyes were somber. "Are you sure you're alright?" I asked. "You seem preoccupied," He gave me a wan smile. "Don't worry about me Fox," he said. "I'll survive,"
By the time we reached the room, Hiei's eyes were half closed, trying to fight the sleep that was creeping up on him. Upon entering the room I lead him strait to bed. Hiei closed his eyes and soon was fast asleep. I sat down beside him. He looked so much like an innocent child while sleeping it was hard to believe that he wasn't a child but a man. I gently caressed his cheek as I studied his face. His lips looked so soft. I wondered vaguely what they'd feel like against mine. I blinked in surprise at my thoughts. I knew that I was attracted to Hiei but that was that all it was, an attraction, a simple crush? I was beginning to doubt it. I was sure I felt jealousy when Yusuke had placed his arms around Hiei to steady him. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if what I was feeling was love.
I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until the gentle caress of a hand upon my cheek awakened me. I opened my eyes to find Hiei leaning above me. "Feeling better?" I asked. He nodded. His eyes were locked on mine. In them I saw hope and longing. I broke free of his ruby gaze as I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Hiei gently caressed my cheek. "Why are you blushing Fox?" he murmured in my ear. A shiver ran up my spine at the seductive tone of his voice. "Would it offend you if I said I found you attractive?" I whispered. "No." He purred into my ear. "It wouldn't." "Did I before I lost my memory?" I asked. "Yes." He answered. The temptation to kiss those soft looking lips of his proved to be too much. I pressed my lips to his in a fiery kiss. Hiei's eyes widened and I broke the kiss before he could respond. My face flushed at the realization of what I had done. I turned my face away from his. "Inari Hiei, I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me, I …" "Fox," He said softly, interrupting my apology. "There's no need to apologize," He said. I turned to face him. " . . .but..." He silenced me by placing a finger on my lips. "You haven't done anything wrong," He said softly as he removed his finger. He returned the kiss with a loving one of his own. I smiled against his lips and kissed him again. Each kiss we shared became more heated as we exchanged them. He gently ran his fingertips over the thin cloth of my tunic as I unraveled the white scarf from around his neck.
I gasped softly when I saw the mark on his neck. I pushed him away from me. "You're mated," I said. "You didn't tell me you had a mate," "Kurama," he said softly as I quickly sat up. "I can't believe this," I muttered. "Fox…" he said. "Don't fox me, Hiei," I growled. "You have a mate," "Kurama, you are my mate," he said as he grasped my arm.
I looked at him in dumbfounded silence. He took my hand and gently touched it to his neck. "This is your mark," he said. "Just as I marked your neck, your thigh…" "How do I know you're not lying to me?" I asked. "You couldn't help but notice the marks when you bathed me," Hiei pulled away and climbed off the bed. "You'll just have to trust me," he said. The moment he had turned away I knew my words had stung him. I really had no reason not to trust him. After all he had taken me in and cared for me. He seemed to know my likes and dislikes without me ever having to say a word, and the way he looked at me ... His eyes seemed to say "I love you," whenever they met mine.
He wanted me to trust him, and I found that I could not deny him that. Gently I reached out and took hold of his arm. He turned to face me, hurt evident in his eyes along with hope and love. "I'm sorry Hiei," I said softly. "I should have told you," he responded. "I suppose I was hoping you would remember," His eyes were clouded with sadness. I looked away in shame. What else had I forgotten that I should know? What had made me forget?
Hiei's gentle touch broke me from the thoughts leading me into fustration and I looked up at him. "I have something that belongs to you." He said softly as he pulled a necklace from his pocket and held it out to me. I touched the dark gem and suddenly a scene played itself in front of my eyes.
"It's about time you woke up." Hiei said. Lazily I opened one eye. It seemed he'd been up for a while, judging by the impatient expression on his face. I closed my eye and yawned, intent on going back to sleep. Hiei gently pushed me onto my back and drew me close to him, cradling my head in his lap. He tugged lightly on one of my sidelocks and I opened my eyes. His ruby red orbs locked onto my emerald green ones. The look in his eyes dared me to close my eyes again. "Alright I'm up." I conceded. "Good." He said as he placed a small box in my hands. "Happy anniversary fox." He said. I sat up and opened the box. I reached inside and lifted out a silver necklace. At first glance the pendant could be mistaken for a black pearl. I knew better. It was a tear gem. I looked at Hiei and smiled. "Put it on me?" I requested. He took the silver necklace from my hand and secured the chain around my neck. "Thank you Hiei. It's beautiful." I said as I fingered the tear gem. His eyes shone brightly, obviously pleased with my response.
"My necklace," I murmured. Hiei nodded. "Put it on me," I requested. He climbed onto the bed and secured the chain around my neck. I touched his arm and he sat down beside me. He looked at me quizzically. "Just now I saw you give this to me... like a vision ..." I told him. A soft smile graced his lips. "I'd been awake for hours waiting for you to wake up so I could give it to you," he said. "The look on your face was more than worth the wait," I smiled back at him and moved closer.I claimed his lips in a gentle kiss. He returned it with a loving one of his own. "I love you Fox," he said as he slid a pair of rings onto my finger. "I love you too," I whispered. "...now tell me more ...about us..."
To Be Continued . . .
AN: It looks like no one guessed the poem our star couple got their lines from. The lines are from The Highwayman
Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Stay tuned for the next chapter