Hiei kept his stare cast downward as they traveled under the cover of night. He flitted carefully from tree to tree, keeping up with Hinarama who was swiftly leading. It was hard to pay attention to his surroundings though when so many thoughts plagued his mind….
Rain pelted down on Hisha as she struggled to keep up with Hiei. She felt a cough rolling unpleasantly around in her chest. The cough came up and she collapsed as her body shook. After the moment passed, she looked around for Hiei. He was nowhere to be seen. Anger filled her.
'That creep!' she thought angrily. 'He knows I don't have my full strength back yet he goes on without me anyways. As soon as I'm well again, I'm leaving this bastard.'
"Need a hand?" a casual voice interrupted.
Hisha started and looked up to see Hiei. He was dripping wet with an extended hand. She eyed him warily before reaching up and accepting his help.
Her legs shook and she didn't trust herself to walk. Not wanting to admit her weakness, she didn't voice a complaint. After all, she was slowing him down enough as it was. That and he already seemed to hate her. The feeling was reciprocated.
"Try and keep up," Hiei said before leaping off again.
Hisha frowned and forced her legs to move. She jumped into a tree after him and continued quite well for a few more yards. Her feet slipped on a wet branch though and she fell with an abrupt shout.
Hiei heard her come crashing to the earth and went to help.
She was unconscious lying in a miserable heap. He removed some of the brush and lifted her body easily.
Grumbling something no doubt less than admirable beneath his breath, Hiei made a poor shelter beneath a few rocks and tall trees. It was impossible to get a fire going. Everything was soaked. On a good note, the rain had washed away the dirt and blood that had plastered Hisha's face. Hiei started. Her face was…beautiful.
He could see her flawless pale skin, wet from the rain droplets. He took his cloak and dried her face and was surprised to feel how warm she was, despite how hard she was shivering. In fact, she felt too warm. And her skin was just too pale.
"Great," Hiei muttered realizing she had a fever.
Hisha's eyes opened at that moment.
"What are you doing here?" she asked groggily. With a sudden lurch, she sat up and vomited into the bushes. Hiei wrinkled his nose in disgust.
For the next hour, Hisha vomited frequently behind the bushes. Hiei waited quite patiently for her to finish. Her stomach finally ran out of anything to throw up and allowed her to fall into a feverish sleep.
The rain pelted down even harder, soaking them through. The shelter wouldn't do at all, Hiei knew. They might as well have been standing in the rain for all the pathetic cover was worth. He decided to find better cover.
Hoisting Hisha over his shoulder, Hiei took off. He found a cave not much longer later, but it was occupied. That was soon remedied and he laid Hisha down. She was still shivering. Hiei covered her with his cloak and her shivering lessened. He decided to sleep as well and allowed his eyes to drift slowly shut.
Hisha awoke to silence. Rain was no longer lashing at them. Birds were softly singing a morning song. She felt something heavy on her. Hisha grabbed whatever it was and pulled it off. It was Hiei's cloak. Color crept into her cheeks as she thought of the ill meant thoughts she had been harboring of him the past week or more. Where was he anyway?
She didn't have to look far. He sat right behind her. Her ears perked up as she heard him softly breathing. Hisha was sorely tempted to reach out and brush the unruly spikes of hair from his eyes, but held back.
A low growl rumbled in her abdomen. Hisha didn't trust her stomach yet enough to eat anything. She was sore all over and had a rather annoying headache. Not wanting to wake Hiei, and not wanting to wait until he woke on his own, she began to make something.
Hiei stretched and yawned as daylight peeped through his eyelids. He reached out beside him where Hisha had been asleep. Feeling only his folded up cloak, he knew she was already awake. Surely enough, she was humming a song to herself, sitting at the cave entrance.
She was combing her hair with an obviously handmade comb, but her hair looked much healthier untangled and cleaned. Hisha flipped the now black silky mass over her shoulder and turned to face Hiei.
"I know you helped me," she said bluntly. "This is the second time then that you've helped me, possibly even saved my life. I thank you very much."
Hiei nodded.
"And I have no choice but to stay around you until my strength fully returns, so I wouldn't want to spend the days hating each other."
Hiei nodded once more.
"So truce?"
She held out a slender hand. Hiei took it in his and smiled.
"That doesn't mean we have to get along?" Hiei asked warily.
"Not at all."
Hisha flicked her tail somewhat happily.
Despite all wishes to not wanting to get along, the two found themselves doing just that. For the next two months, they learned about each other. Hiei, who had never opened his heart to anyone, found himself doing so. The same was for Hisha. They formed a strong bond of trust that would not be easily broken.
Hiei knew he was in trouble. His employer would not be happy. He had demanded Hisha healthy and beautiful. And he had wanted her as soon as possible. Hiei knew he could have handed her over well over a month ago. She was certainly strong enough now. Hiei had a hard time holding his own in a sword fight or spar against her. But he had made a grievous mistake: he had become attached to the target.
"Hiei?" Hinarama chirped to Hiei, still deep in sore thought. "Are you hungry? Hitaro found us a meal."
A large deer laid freshly wounded close by. Hitaro had Hiei start the fire and they then prepared to eat it.
Stomachs full and their minds numb with hazy tiredness, the group fell asleep. They did not have much cover. Everyone had become rather lax lately since they had seen no enemies and had run into no trouble. But it would prove a costly mistake…
"Hinarama!" Hitaro called the next morning. "Hinarama!"
Troubled when his twin sister did not answer, Hitaro began to feel dread creep over him.
"Hiei, Hitaro," Kurama said calmly while staring at a small puncture wound on his shoulder. "Check you shoulders for a mark like this."
Hitaro rolled up his sleeve and Hiei removed his cloak. Hiei saw the abrasion and realized what had happened.
"We were drugged," he spat.
"I don't understand," Hitaro almost whimpered.
Kurama sighed heavily. "Apparently our enemies have been watching us and decided to take the offensive while we were weak. They drugged us and captured Hinarama. They now have a hostage."
"Hn."
"But why not take us all?" Hitaro wondered aloud.
"Our enemy is a shallow person. They took Hinarama no doubt thinking the drug would be strongest on her. They didn't want to risk awakening us and being killed," Hiei explained refastening his cloak.
"Hiei," said Kurama. "Could you use your jagan to find where they took Hinarama?"
"Hn."
Hiei removed the bandana from his forehead and the jagan glowed green.
Almost instantly, a castle came into view. It was large, dark, and menacing. And Hiei knew it all too well.
"It's a castle of a very powerful demon lord. About 100 miles north of us."
