"How long are you going to be like this?"
"Not sure. It's been awhile since I've been forced to change like that. Maybe till tomorrow would be my guess."
"Hn," Hiei opened his eyes and watched her. She rolled onto her side. He had carried her home, or back to the cave they had slept in the night before, and layed her down. He even covered her up with his cloak.
Kageri seemed happy when Hiei said he would stay while she recovered. They talked... actually Kageri urged Hiei to tell her about his adventurest in Ningenkai with her brother. The whole time Hiei was talking she would lay there smiling and listening closely. She was really pleased to hear that Kurama hadn't been reincarnated as a worthless human. But then... Hiei wanted to know something.
"Why does Karasu want you?" he asked after they had been discussing the Toguro team. Kageri looked away and closed her eyes. "Kageri...?" He heard her sigh sadly.
"It... was a long time ago. Yoko and I went out on a thief but something went wrong. I was caught and tied up. I won't grieve you with all the details of what they did to me. But I was weak enough that they could spit in my face and I couldn't have done a thing."
"Then all of a sudden a lot of bombs went off, while they ran off to find the intruder I was left to die. He came, appeared through all the explosions and found me. Damned humans, I was weak and vunerable at that point. He said he was a friend and was taking me out of there to my brother... the lying bastard."
"Next thing I knew I was in shackles chained to a bed. From that point on I was his slave." Hiei backed up against the wall. His eyes were wide and his face was redder than Kurama's hair. Kageri cuddled up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"But I finally gained my strength back and busted out. I ran from him and a partnet of mne helped me get away." Kageri closed her eyes and nuzzled Hiei. His face was red as red could be. But he didn't push her away.
"I'm not going back, never." she murmered into his chest. Hiei at silent and closed his eyes. It was already early morn and about time they got some rest.
It was around afternoon when Hiei awoke to the reaction of smoke. Kageri slid a plate of fish, rabbit, deer, and bread over to him. "I don't know what fire demons eat." she said. The remaining bones of a couple fish showed that she had already ate.
"You're all better." he stated the obvious. She nodded and sat by him. "My body would only be exhausted for a little while, after a good sleep I would be better." she said. He nodded and stared at the food. He didn't like any food... except that sweet snow from Ningenkai that Kurama had gotten him hooked on. Still he ate.
"What about your spirit energy?" he mused after eating the rabbit. "It'll be fine by tomorrow. The wait doesn't really irritate me as much as why I have to wait. Because he had to force me, if I did it on my own I wouldn't be so weak now."
Hiei looked up at her with the fish tail hanging out of his mouth. Kageri's face looked green. He swallowed and asked, "What?" She shivered some. "You.... ate it. Scales, bones, and all..." Her nose crinkled up. He blinked at her oddness. It wasn't poisonous was it? She had ate it... so wasn't he supposed to? "You ate it." he pointed out. "But I'm a fox. And I didn't eat the bones." Hiei's eyebrow twitched at such ignorance. How was he supposed to have known?
"So you're saying if you would have transformed on your own you wouldn't have this side-affect?" She nodded. "Then why didn't you?" he asked. Kageri scratched at her ear and stared to the floor. "Because, one, Karasu wanted me to. And two.... I loose self-control and I can't stop what I do. I don't even realize it until after it's been done. And I knew you wouldn't run away. So... I was afriad I would hurt you."
Hiei couldn't believe this! She had a chance to not have herself harmsed but didn't do it because she was worried for him. "You're a fool." he told her. She smiled. "Maybe I am." He blinked. That was meant as an insult... why did she smile?
"So what shall we do today?" she asked as she poked her head outside. "Hn." She looked back at him blinking curiously. "What does... 'hn' mean?" Hiei sat silent staring back at her. whad did 'hn' mean? He always said it so shouldn't he know? "Just some secret cod deal?" she assumed and shrugged. Then she went outside.
When Hiei made his way outside she was smiling up at the sky and humming. "Vixen, what are you doing?" She laughed and smiled at him. "I was waiting for that. I had began to miss my old nickname." Kageri said. She walked over to him and hugged him straight out of the blue. "Kageri?" She brushed her fuzzy ears across his cheek. "No you can call me by my nickname. I like it. Look around Hiei, it's a splendid day and it holds so many oppurtunities for us to play. Let's take them up on them, shall we?"