Authoress' Notes: Yup, twenty-second chapter. That's currently where we are right now. ^.^ Some people say that Hime doesn't seem too bad. Which may be a good thing for Hiei, though he does constantly expect bad things from her because she is, after all, a human child. And we all know how Hiei detests humans. ^.^
Did you ever notice that Jin and Shishi never finished telling how they got together before they left? That was my mistake, so I have to fix it in one of the next chapters, because I'm sure you people don't really want to go back and read it over again. Sorry about that, guys. ^.^;;
So, onto chapter twenty-two!!
~A Red Rose in the Darkness~
Chapter Twenty-two
Kurama turned the key in the lock after knocking for a few seconds. He figured Hiei was sleeping or something and didn't hear the knocks. The fox yawned, slipping off his shoes and closing the door behind him. In all honesty, he looked like crap. He was so tired because he went to school, then went to work, and then came home to cook dinner and do his homework. Let's not even try the days where he has to go shopping as well. And now he had to work over the weekends, as well. He was glad he had today off of work, and he had stayed after school to finish his homework early.
He dropped his bag by the door and went into the kitchen, to find a sloppily written note on the kitchen table.
Kitsune, I'm off somewhere right now. Do not worry, for I will be back. Take this time to get some rest. You really need it.
Koi shiteru,
Hiei
Kurama looked at the note and smiled, bringing his hand to his mouth and yawning again. He put it in his pocket for treasured keeping - it was rare to find Hiei signing "I love you" and then his name after it, so Kurama would keep it and bring it up in case he ever needed to blackmail Hiei.
He slipped out of his windbreaker and looked around, after un-Kurama-like tossing it on the table. He himself trudged into the living room and plopped down on the couch, grabbing a throwpillow and instantly falling asleep.
Meanwhile, little miss princess Hime was giving little mister Hiei a tour. It's been going on for forty-five minutes now. She was actually quite intelligent for her seven years of age, and you would actually think her to be a small eleven year old if you hadn't known any better.
She showed him the bathrooms, all six of them, which were pearly white and sparkling clean. She showed him the door to her parent's rooms, she even showed him the family portrait room. Finally, she brought him to her own room. As soon as she opened the door, Hiei wanted to turn away.
Everything in her room was pink, pink, with a dash of pink. Hiei found he couldn't stand it. He wouldn't have minded white, but this was too much. Pink pillow cases, pink comforter, light pink sheets, pink walls, pink lamp shade? Even all of her stuffed animals were pink. Her wardrobe, which was light pink, was opened, and almost every article of clothing was pink. Hiei started to get a headache from looking at all the pink.
Hiei looked around, and spotted one thing that wasn't pink. Walking across the pink room, his feet sinking into the pink carpet, he reached the small item on her light pink desk.
It was a necklace. A simple silver-chained necklace with a small sapphire dangling from the end. He picked it up in his bandaged hand.
"Hey! Don't touch that! It's very important to me!" She shouted.
He allowed her to swipe it out of his hand. He could understand that.
"...where...did you get it from?" He asked hesitantly.
She looked at him. "My older brother gave it to me before he...left us."
Hiei looked at her again, seeing the bratty face, but he looked beyond that. Hime wasn't a brat.
She was exactly like him.
He pulled his own necklace from inside of his shirt, and knelt down to meet her at eye-level. She looked at it.
"I have a necklace that someone important gave to me as well."
She looked at him. "Well, isn't that a coincidence?"
He smirked. "Yes, it is. Listen...do you want some ice cream?"
"We're not supposed to leave the house."
"Nobody will know. We'll just go to the park, get some sort of snack, and be back in ten minutes. All right?"
She nodded and was about to place her necklace back on the desk, but she stopped for a second, and put it on over her head so that it dangled at her neck. Then she slipped her hand into Hiei's.
"I want you to hang onto my hand. Do not let go, okay?"
She nodded. Hiei made sure the door was closed, and he opened the window.
"We're gonna jump out the window?" She asked him.
"Don't worry," he said, with a slight smirk. "I can fly."
There was a 'flitz' sound effect, and the two disappeared.
Seconds later, they reached the park. She looked around her in awe. "Wow!! You really can fly!!"
Not quite, but it was close enough. "You can't tell anyone about this, though. All right? Otherwise, I won't be able to do it again, okay?"
She nodded, with a big smile on her face. "That was so much fun!"
"We'll do it again after ice cream."
"YAY!!"
Hiei began walking, her hand still in his, with a small smile on his face. It seems she isn't that bad after all.
The fire demon fit the key in the lock and turned the doorknob, walking inside to dark. He scanned the room with his Jagan, finding Kurama's form, sprawled out, though quite gracefully, over the couch. He draped a blanket over his fox. Then the phone began to shrill loudly. Hiei picked it up before the ring could even finish.
"Um...hello?" He greeted, a little quietly.
"Hey! Is this Hiei!?"
Hiei sighed. It was Hime's mother. "Yes," he confirmed, while tossing the money he earned that night carelessly onto the counter, where Kurama would find it in the morning.
"I just want to say thank you! I've never seen Hime so cheerful! Can you come tomorrow at noon? We have another party thing to attend."
"Sure..." he said, rubbing his eyes.
"Cool!" Did she just say cool? "Oh, Hime wants to go to the park tomorrow, so could you take her there?"
Inside, he was smiling. "Of course."
"Thanks, Hiei. You rock!" She said, wishing him a good night and hanging up.
He hung up in the darkness, sighing and plopping into his armchair, staring at his fox through the dark, listening to the almost inaudible rythm of his breathing. It was all for him. Everything Hiei did, was to help or protect Kurama in any way. He was beginning to wonder if he was becoming weak.
Hiei's eyes closed, save for the Jagan, and he almost instantly fell asleep.
Hieica: *rubs hands together gleefully* Next chapter, Hiei is going to see someone in the park. Who, you ask? MWAHAHAHAHA, you'll just have to wait! ^.^;; I'm so evil sometimes. ^.^
Also, guess what!? 200+ reviews! Isn't that beautiful!? I love you guys!! *huggles and squeezes all air from reviewers* ^.^;; So, I want to thank you all for 20+ reviews, and I don't care if some of you think I'm tacky for this. ^.^;;
Hit it, Swissy!
Swissy: MWAHAHAHAHA!! Now I have sharp and pointy objects to threaten you with!! *grins malevolently* MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! *whips out a plastic spork* It is pointy! BLEEEH! Therefore, you'd better review! YEAH, or I'll stab you with it, and if it breaks, I have spares!! *behind him is 500 boxes of plastic sporks* MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahaha... *gasps for air*
Did you ever notice that Jin and Shishi never finished telling how they got together before they left? That was my mistake, so I have to fix it in one of the next chapters, because I'm sure you people don't really want to go back and read it over again. Sorry about that, guys. ^.^;;
So, onto chapter twenty-two!!
~A Red Rose in the Darkness~
Chapter Twenty-two
Kurama turned the key in the lock after knocking for a few seconds. He figured Hiei was sleeping or something and didn't hear the knocks. The fox yawned, slipping off his shoes and closing the door behind him. In all honesty, he looked like crap. He was so tired because he went to school, then went to work, and then came home to cook dinner and do his homework. Let's not even try the days where he has to go shopping as well. And now he had to work over the weekends, as well. He was glad he had today off of work, and he had stayed after school to finish his homework early.
He dropped his bag by the door and went into the kitchen, to find a sloppily written note on the kitchen table.
Kitsune, I'm off somewhere right now. Do not worry, for I will be back. Take this time to get some rest. You really need it.
Koi shiteru,
Hiei
Kurama looked at the note and smiled, bringing his hand to his mouth and yawning again. He put it in his pocket for treasured keeping - it was rare to find Hiei signing "I love you" and then his name after it, so Kurama would keep it and bring it up in case he ever needed to blackmail Hiei.
He slipped out of his windbreaker and looked around, after un-Kurama-like tossing it on the table. He himself trudged into the living room and plopped down on the couch, grabbing a throwpillow and instantly falling asleep.
Meanwhile, little miss princess Hime was giving little mister Hiei a tour. It's been going on for forty-five minutes now. She was actually quite intelligent for her seven years of age, and you would actually think her to be a small eleven year old if you hadn't known any better.
She showed him the bathrooms, all six of them, which were pearly white and sparkling clean. She showed him the door to her parent's rooms, she even showed him the family portrait room. Finally, she brought him to her own room. As soon as she opened the door, Hiei wanted to turn away.
Everything in her room was pink, pink, with a dash of pink. Hiei found he couldn't stand it. He wouldn't have minded white, but this was too much. Pink pillow cases, pink comforter, light pink sheets, pink walls, pink lamp shade? Even all of her stuffed animals were pink. Her wardrobe, which was light pink, was opened, and almost every article of clothing was pink. Hiei started to get a headache from looking at all the pink.
Hiei looked around, and spotted one thing that wasn't pink. Walking across the pink room, his feet sinking into the pink carpet, he reached the small item on her light pink desk.
It was a necklace. A simple silver-chained necklace with a small sapphire dangling from the end. He picked it up in his bandaged hand.
"Hey! Don't touch that! It's very important to me!" She shouted.
He allowed her to swipe it out of his hand. He could understand that.
"...where...did you get it from?" He asked hesitantly.
She looked at him. "My older brother gave it to me before he...left us."
Hiei looked at her again, seeing the bratty face, but he looked beyond that. Hime wasn't a brat.
She was exactly like him.
He pulled his own necklace from inside of his shirt, and knelt down to meet her at eye-level. She looked at it.
"I have a necklace that someone important gave to me as well."
She looked at him. "Well, isn't that a coincidence?"
He smirked. "Yes, it is. Listen...do you want some ice cream?"
"We're not supposed to leave the house."
"Nobody will know. We'll just go to the park, get some sort of snack, and be back in ten minutes. All right?"
She nodded and was about to place her necklace back on the desk, but she stopped for a second, and put it on over her head so that it dangled at her neck. Then she slipped her hand into Hiei's.
"I want you to hang onto my hand. Do not let go, okay?"
She nodded. Hiei made sure the door was closed, and he opened the window.
"We're gonna jump out the window?" She asked him.
"Don't worry," he said, with a slight smirk. "I can fly."
There was a 'flitz' sound effect, and the two disappeared.
Seconds later, they reached the park. She looked around her in awe. "Wow!! You really can fly!!"
Not quite, but it was close enough. "You can't tell anyone about this, though. All right? Otherwise, I won't be able to do it again, okay?"
She nodded, with a big smile on her face. "That was so much fun!"
"We'll do it again after ice cream."
"YAY!!"
Hiei began walking, her hand still in his, with a small smile on his face. It seems she isn't that bad after all.
The fire demon fit the key in the lock and turned the doorknob, walking inside to dark. He scanned the room with his Jagan, finding Kurama's form, sprawled out, though quite gracefully, over the couch. He draped a blanket over his fox. Then the phone began to shrill loudly. Hiei picked it up before the ring could even finish.
"Um...hello?" He greeted, a little quietly.
"Hey! Is this Hiei!?"
Hiei sighed. It was Hime's mother. "Yes," he confirmed, while tossing the money he earned that night carelessly onto the counter, where Kurama would find it in the morning.
"I just want to say thank you! I've never seen Hime so cheerful! Can you come tomorrow at noon? We have another party thing to attend."
"Sure..." he said, rubbing his eyes.
"Cool!" Did she just say cool? "Oh, Hime wants to go to the park tomorrow, so could you take her there?"
Inside, he was smiling. "Of course."
"Thanks, Hiei. You rock!" She said, wishing him a good night and hanging up.
He hung up in the darkness, sighing and plopping into his armchair, staring at his fox through the dark, listening to the almost inaudible rythm of his breathing. It was all for him. Everything Hiei did, was to help or protect Kurama in any way. He was beginning to wonder if he was becoming weak.
Hiei's eyes closed, save for the Jagan, and he almost instantly fell asleep.
Hieica: *rubs hands together gleefully* Next chapter, Hiei is going to see someone in the park. Who, you ask? MWAHAHAHAHA, you'll just have to wait! ^.^;; I'm so evil sometimes. ^.^
Also, guess what!? 200+ reviews! Isn't that beautiful!? I love you guys!! *huggles and squeezes all air from reviewers* ^.^;; So, I want to thank you all for 20+ reviews, and I don't care if some of you think I'm tacky for this. ^.^;;
Hit it, Swissy!
Swissy: MWAHAHAHAHA!! Now I have sharp and pointy objects to threaten you with!! *grins malevolently* MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! *whips out a plastic spork* It is pointy! BLEEEH! Therefore, you'd better review! YEAH, or I'll stab you with it, and if it breaks, I have spares!! *behind him is 500 boxes of plastic sporks* MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahaha... *gasps for air*