Rain and Fire
Chapter 17: Explanation
They all gathered around the hut, each staring at Mizu as she grinned from ear to ear. They were all waiting for her to explain...everything.
Hiei felt the most confused. Had he heard right when Mizu had been sleeping? Had that really been Rain's voice?
Mizu grabbed her glass, and filled it with saki. She gulped it down, then grinned. "Ah, well, I suppose it would help if Rain was the one who explained, ne?"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "And I'm sure she would rather explain than drink."
Mizu grinned. "Good one! I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't had great saki in a few years!!"
She sat up straight, and her face relaxed. She slowly opened her eyes, and the grin was gone. She sighed, and looked at the others.
"Well, I suppose you'd all like an explanation, wouldn't you?"
Rain's voice. An odd feeling stirred in Hiei's stomach, and he couldn't quite place what it was.
"I should start with my birth. It's gonna get confusing, but bear with me. You can ask questions when I'm done." she said. She closed her eyes, and started to talk once more.
"It all started with the forbidden romance. Ameratsu, the sun goddess, was tricked into sharing her bed with a demon. However, neither expected to fall in love with the other. The Forbidden Child, Devika, was the result of their love. She was powerful, as was to be expected with parents such as they. But Devika hated her heritage, and wished for nothing more than to be human. So, she fled.
"She ran away to a remote village, though her outlandish appearance made the villagers a bit hostile towards her. Only one man truly saw her for what she was - a kind, caring person. He convinced the village elders to let her stay as a healer, and they agreed. But it seemed as though taboo romance was part of her blood, and Devika found herself with child by the man who had helped her, even though he was already married.
"When the child was born, she was more powerful than her mother, because of the human blood in her veins. The babe's tiny body would never be able to hold all of the power without killing her, so Devika took drastic actions. She used her very life-energy to 'split' the babe into two separate beings. One was the embodiment of the babe's human blood, and the other of the goddess-demon hybrid blood from her mother.
"The human child was to be left with her father, to be raised in the proper environment, and the hybrid child was to be left with a close friend of Devika's. They had a special connection with each other - they could feel where the other was, and felt, heard, and knew the same things as each other. They shared memories as well."
She stopped, and looked up at them. "As Rain, I was the human side of Mizu. Izumi was the hybrid side. We were each an embodiment of certain personality traits as well."
Rin stared at her with widened eyes. "You said that you had to stay with the father..."
"Hajime." Mizu said, her eyes softening. "We share our father, Hajime. The one that Youko Kurama killed."
"When you said you'd killed someone..." Huo started.
"I meant that I'd destroyed Mizu, myself, in a sense 'killing' her." The blue-haired girl smiled slightly. "Though I suppose I was much happier as I was - my own person. I never wanted to be merged back with Izumi, though Fate was against us."
"How did Yakumo know about that though?" Hiei asked. "That you two were part of one being?"
Mizu let out a bitter laugh. "That bastard...after Youko Kurama slaughtered our village, he found me and took me in. I stayed with him, and he was...kind to me. I always had the strangest suspicion that it was a fake kindness however. It wasn't until Jiro started talking about Naraku...that's about when I realized who Yakumo really was. When he and Naraku joined forces to get the Shikon and Izumi...that's when I ran away."
Hiei frowned. "Jiro? I thought he-"
"He was my lover." Mizu said, cutting him off.
Hiei's stomach seemed to drop, and a strange feeling washed over him. Lover? Then when they had gone to rescue her, and she had said that she wasn't a virgin...
"I was with him." Mizu said.
He blinked. "How-"
"You don't need to say anything. I'm telepathic. I can hear your thoughts, just as you can hear the thoughts of others."
She refused to meet his gaze. She just stared at her hands, lying in her lap. "Jiro...when I found out that he would help Yakumo, I broke it off. Though that probably isn't right...it was more like he broke it off. Yakumo told him who I was, and what I would become, and he said he would help him. If Jiro hadn't, I would've stayed with him..."
Hiei was silent. He couldn't bring himself to say anything to her. He felt oddly betrayed, though he couldn't figure out why. Rain had slept with Jiro...hearing that stirred more strange, unidentifiable emotions within him. But why would it bother him?
"You said that you realized who Yakumo 'really was'. What does that mean?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"It means...that I realized who he was. I realized that he was her lover. I realized that the only way that he could posibly know who I was...was if..." She slowly looked up, meeting Sesshoumaru's gaze. "...was if we were related."
Everyone's eyes widened at this.
"Related? How-" Rydia started.
"Yakumo was Ameratsu's lover. My grandfather." Mizu said.
Everyone was quiet. There was so much to absorb...
Huo was the one to break the silence. "And now he wants you back."
Mizu nodded. "He wants to use my powers to destroy the three worlds. He said that when the three worlds were gone, he'd be able to create his own. A world that bends to his rules and wants."
"Nice grandpa." Rydia said sarcastically, rolling her crimson eyes.
"But what can we do now?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"When I used my power...it was like a beacon for him. He knows where I am now. And he'll send every Hunter under his command to get me. If I stay here, this village will be destroyed." Mizu said, looking down once more.
"So we'll get you out of here. Besides, you can resist him, can't you? I'm sure you're twenty times as powerful." Rydia said with a grin.
"It's not that simple. Yakumo...when he decided to partner up with Naraku, it was because Naraku knew how to taint the Shikon in a way so that at his command, it would start to absorb my energy. If I try to fight Yakumo, every move of resistance I make will make me weaker. If I resist too much, I'll die."
"So...all you can do is keep running?" Rydia asked.
Mizu nodded, and sighed. "And now Yakumo will stop at nothing to attain the final piece that will make my merge with Izumi permanent. Because we can only be merged once a certain ritual has been completed. But..."
Hiei looked over at her. "But?"
"But...if I can surive for one week without the ritual, Izumi and I will have regained enough of our energy to split ourselves once more."
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. "Then all you have to do is make it to tomorrow at midnight, right?"
Mizu nodded, her blue hair falling into her face. She brushed it away, and stood. "Which is why I plan to run. Right now. The farther away I can get from Yakumo, the more my chances of making it past the deadline are."
The words were out of Hiei's mouth before he realized what he was doing.
"I'm going with you."
Her sapphire blue eyes snapped towards him, her mouth hanging slightly slack. "Going with...no! Hiei, you can't come with me!"
He growled, narrowing his eyes at her. "And why the hell not? You've involved all of us in your little family fued, so don't kick us out now."
She put her hands on her hips. "Because I'm trying to save all of you now! If you come with me, the Hunters will attack you as well! And remember what happened last time I let all of you fight them by yourselves?"
An arrogant smirk formed on Hiei's lips. "Oh? And if I remember correctly, you were too busy crying over that baka ookami to help us. So what would it matter this time? You'd just stand by and watch again."
Mizu bristled. "How dare you! I was in my human form! I can only really use my powers when my life is in danger!"
"Oh, and your life wasn't in danger when about three Hunters were there?"
His retort silenced her, and she glared at him with all the anger she could muster.
Huo sighed, and stood. "Now, now, children. No fighting, please."
"Look, do what you want. Follow me, get yourself killed. See if I care." Mizu said. She closed her eyes, and her face relaxed.
She opened them once more, and they were dancing with happiness. "Ohayo, minna-san!"
Hiei snorted. Why should he listen to her? She really had involved all of them, and there wasn't any way in hell he was going to let her leave them behind now.
They said their good-byes to the villagers, as well as Sango and Miroku, and headed out for the mountains nearby. They wanted to go as far away from Yakumo's territory as possible.
Hiei was silent as they walked, watching Mizu grin happily and hang off of Huo's arm, who was grinning just as wide.
His mind was trying to sort out all of the complicated emotions swirling around inside, and he was left to think. He still didn't know why it had bothered him so much when she had said that she had been...sleeping with Jiro.
He put a hand to his chest. It would ache there every time he thought about that. But why? It was starting to piss him off.
He'd ask a question, and instead of an answer, he'd get twenty more questions in it's place.
"The humans call it 'love', Hiei."
His crimson gaze snapped up to Sesshoumaru, who was walking beside him. "What?"
"You love her, Hiei. It's obvious." The silver lord's eyes seemed to have a sort of laughter in them.
"Hn. I don't love anyone. Especially not some...whatever it is that she is." Hiei said with a snort.
"It'll only hurt more the more you deny it, Hiei. I learned that from experience."
"What?"
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Never mind. Don't worry about it, Hiei."
Rydia, who was ahead of all of them, suddenly stopped.
"We should camp here for the night."
Hiei looked skyward, and realized that it was almost pitch black. Through the forest, he hadn't noticed because it was almost always pitch black anyways...
So, Huo and Rydia set up a little fire, and they all settled down around it. Everyone fell asleep after a while, until Hiei was the last one up.
He lay on his back, staring at the stars that twinkled across the blackened sky. His eyes started to close, slowly, until they were shut. But then, a shadow over his face made him open them once more.
He frowned. "What do you want, Mizu?"
She had her hands straddling his shoulders, and her hair hung around them like a blue waterfall. Her eyes had a strange, out of focus look to them.
"Hiei-san...will you promise me something?"
He snorted. "Fine, what?"
"If something happens...if I...do something bad...do you promise to end it?" she asked, her voice very quiet, barely above a whisper.
"What do you mean?"
"Please...do you promise?"
He felt a little drop of water - no, a tear, his mind corrected - hit his cheek.
"I...I promise." he said, the harsh tone gone from his voice.
She started to lean down towards him, and his eyes widened. "What are you-"
She pressed her lips against his, silencing him. Part of him wanted to throw her off, and the other part...wanted to pull her closer. He realized that he couldn't do either, however - he couldn't make his body move.
She pulled away, and to his surprise, it wasn't Mizu's eyes that he was looking into.
It was Rain's.
A smile formed, her brown eyes still watery, and she whispered, "Thank you, Hiei."
Before he could ask what had just happened, Rain's face pained. She seemed to have a blue energy pulsing around her, and then, she faded away.
"Rain!" he exclaimed, sitting up. His eyes scanned the area as quickly as possible, and he realized she wasn't there.
Huo opened one sleepy crimson eyes. "Please Hiei, don't shout. Some of us are trying to-"
"Rain - I mean, Mizu, she's gone!"
"Gone?!"
"Do you see her somewhere, horse boy? Because I certainly don't." Hiei snapped.
"Damn it! Come on, I know where she is!" Huo exclaimed, getting to his feet. "Wake up the others - we're going to have to run."
Author's Notes: I thought this chapter SUCKED. I apologize for the SUCKINESS of this INCREDIBLY LAME chapter. I wanted to get it up as soon as possible, and then....the suckiness fairies paid me a visist!! I'm soooooo sorry!! To make up for lameness, I've posted Mizu's picture on the website, for those who haven't seen her yet. Please look! My first CG!!
miyako14: I am sooooooo sorry about that!! My e-mail was down....and it still is, unfortunately...I tried to send it to you, but my computer was being an ass. Hopefully it won't be down next time. I am soooooooo soooooooo sorry!!!!
Coodle: Unfortunately, I tried to get the exciting part in here...but it ended up being fluff, so...yeah. Well, the next chapter should be getting close to the end, so expect lots and lots of fighting. Woohoo!!
LuckyKoorime: And unfortunately, Shadow-chan, there will be little action in this chapter too....but the NEXT one is going to be almost all action, to make up for the lameness of THIS chapter!! YAAAAY!!
Chibi Lady: LOL. No, never stopped to look at Yakumo's hair. I guess I'd better work on his picture though, eh? I mean, hell, he's been introduced already...
Story Weaver1: Well, I plan on re-writing it, and re........uh.....drawing it, so you can look forward to that, okies?? Well, there's more Hiei/Mizu....um......Hiei/Rain fluffy for you! And I'm now debating doing an entire story on Huo's past...I'm thinking just a chapter at the end of the story explaining it will suffice. It'll explain some things that I couldn't fit into the story...
sisko66002: Thank you!
WindyRen: Thank you! I'm glad you like it!
TPM-girl: LOL. Awww, no need to be scared of her! She can only destroy three whole worlds in about ten minutes tops!
slave2anime: That would've been.......VERY nasty. Ewwwwwwwww...........Sesshoumaru is NOT a pedophile!
SarnaKiro: I'm really glad you understand, though! And this chapter explains everything, too. Yaaaaaaay!
Wolf-black-flame: This is one of my more confusing stories..........so........yeah. Anyways, this chapter explained everything, but if you still have questions, feel free to ask!
