Fox: Look! I'm abandoning my homework yet again!
Kyff: Is that supposed to surprise anyone? Honestly, I wonder how you pass your classes at all.
Fox: Sheer luck. Hehe.
Kyff: Mistress Fox does not own any members of Yu Yu Hakusho present in this story.
Fox: I DO own Rono, Tetsu, and the burnt/bloodied/dismembered corpses of the demons who follow them.
Kyff: She's quite proud of that.


CHAPTER 3:
Angel in Disguise


The trees quivered in the night breeze. Rono patrolled his camp once again, growing restless as time went by. They were lucky to find another demon to sacrifice so close to the solstice ritual. All of the low-class demons had fled the area days ago, and the last three sacrifices were stolen by other tribes.

Tetsu and the others blamed him, he knew, but it wasn't his fault. Demons everywhere were going crazy with bloodlust, and it was all because of the red moon. Once every thirteen thousand years in the Makai, the full moon turned a crimson red on the night of the winter solstice. There were legends that told of certain demons attaining ultimate power if they were drenched in the blood of their enemies while the moon was high in the sky. Thousands had already perished in the battle for power, and thousands more would join them by night's end.

Rono didn't care about all of that. This solstice was no different than any other for him. He just wanted a sacrifice for Lord Makiko so he could continue to live without the fear that other demons felt. Lord Makiko would continue to protect him as long as he continued to perform sacrifices in the demon lord's name.

They would not be able to reach the temple in time, but it didn't matter as long as they brought the bloody heart of the demon back with them. An altar was erected near the base of a gnarled old tree, and all of the needed supplies were waiting nearby. They simply had to wait until the moon reached its zenith, and they could begin the ritual.

He completed his second circuit around the camp and decided it was time to prepare the prisoner for his death. He stopped at the altar long enough to place the blade of the ritual dagger in a steaming pot of black liquid. Perfect. Now all that needs to be done is read the sacrifice. A noise from the forest interrupted his thoughts, cut off before he could recognize what it was that he just heard.

A little uneasy, he called to the sentry hidden in the woods nearby, and waited for a response. He heard nothing. Sprinting to the other side of the camp, he tried again, but none of the demons guarding the camp answered his frantic calls.

The rest of the demons in his band were beginning to mutter amongst themselves, either questioning his sanity or in fear of whatever was making Rono panic.

"Leader, what is it that troubles you?" Tetsu asked from behind him. Rono turned to see the pale green demon looking at him curiously. His long black hair, pulled back into a high pony tail, was streaming out to one side in the whisper of wind. His beautiful golden eyes were filled with wisdom and patience. They were eyes that could see through outer appearances to the very depths of the soul, yet revealed nothing. He felt dirty when he looked into those eyes, like looking into the eyes of a god, all-knowing and pure. He hated those damn eyes.

The others, though never openly showing any dissent, couldn't understand why Rono was the leader of their band instead of the charming Tetsu, but it was always quite clear to him. Tetsu was too calm, had no stomach for killing, and was such a terrible leader that he couldn't lead the way to water if he fell out of a boat. He wasn't half the demon that Rono was.

Rono opened his mouth to respond when a scream erupted from the woods. The last of the sentries stumbled into the clearing. He spotted Rono and turned pleading eyes on him. "M'lord," he gasped. "We have to leave. Forget the ritual, he'll kill us all if we stay! He--"

His words were cut short when a thick icicle shot straight through the back of his neck. He stood for a moment more, blood bubbling out of the corners of his mouth, before collapsing to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Rono glanced at Tetsu, but his stone mask revealed no emotion.

Without a sound, a petite, blue-haired ice demon emerged from the trees to stand in the pool of blood. The blade of ice extending from his right arm was stained a glistening red with the blood of the others, and his eyes glittered with cold anger. Frost began to spread the moment his feet touched the ground, and quickly covered nearly everything in the clearing. Ice grew on the trees, thick and heavy, and the branches dipped with the extra weight, groaning their complaint. Somewhere behind him, several limbs snapped off and crashed to the ground, narrowly avoiding the trembling demons huddled below them. The fire sputtered as it struggled to fight the unnatural cold.

Utter terror swept through him so quickly it drained his strength and left him dizzy. He sank to his knees, knowing down to his very core that he was going to die.

The ice demon moved toward him determinedly. One of his band tried to intercept him, swinging an axe over his head with the fury born of fear. The blue-haired demon cut him down with only one swing of his ice sword, his eyes never leaving Rono. Three more rushed him, but Tetsu ordered them to stop.

Even through his terror, he felt his indignation arise. How dare Tetsu order around his underlings? But all coherent thoughts faded from his mind when the ice demon stopped in front of him. He looked down at Rono with those cold, cold eyes, and all he could think about was how wickedly sharp that blade looked glinting in the firelight...

"Ready to die?" he growled and raised his sword.

The coppery tang of blood drifted through the darkness. Hiei heard, as if from far away, a scream, and the sound of a body crashing into the ground. Shouts. The scent of fear and sweat. A familiar presence, bright and pure, beckoned to him. It pushed away the haze in his mind, and all at once he could see, hear, and feel again. Could have done without feeling all of this, he thought. His ribs ached, his head pounded, and his raspy breathing was erratic and tasted of blood.

The explosions of color and movement dizzied him, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, all he could see was a luminescent ball of cold fire. He blinked. His blurred vision came suddenly into sharp focus. He looked again to where the ball of shining light had been, the light that had enticed his mind from unconsciousness, and saw Touya.

Hiei gasped in pure shock. He had never seen the ice master so angry. If looks could kill, he could easily have incinerated half the Makai by now. As it was, he was obviously on a killing spree. Frost and ice coated every surface except the fire and the demons themselves. Blood stained every piece of clothing he wore, and his sword of ice was as crimson as the moon above. He was even standing in a dark pool of the liquid, and Hiei could swear he was still faintly glowing.

Is that his ki I'm seeing? No, it can't be. That kind of power would make him stronger than even Sensui or the Toguros!

Hiei caught sight of Rono as he collapsed to his knees, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction at seeing the demon filth so terrified of Touya, who was now making his way toward Rono. He cut down one demon without so much as misstep, and Hiei was awed by this side of the ice master he had never seen before.

One of his guards finally noticed he was awake and greeted him by backhanding him in the face. Through the spots of light dancing in front of his eyes yet again, Hiei saw Touya stop in front of Rono and raise his ice sword. The guard backhanded him a second time and his sight left him. "Ready to die?" he heard Touya ask Rono coldly. The third time the guard hit him, the world spun and he fell back into darkness.

Thanks to my reviewers for the last chapter:
The Forbidden Fox
Dragon Tamer103088

Two reviews a chapter! Not bad considering this is the first fic I've ever posted. Fox is happy. -grins-