The End of Barney's Baby Talk
In front of us stood a large, glowing, teal oval that held a strange, yet friendly foreboding.
"Now, just follow me and everything will be alright," the red-head cooed in the happy, puppy tone once again. I rolled my muddy eyes in distain and followed the arrogant intern and his stony companion through the oval.
"Come," the shorter boy commanded as he stepped into an entirely black room and motioned for me to sit down. Everything in the room was dark as a moonless night sky; therefore, I couldn't tell what it comprised of. "I'm not going to give any and food or water or allow you to sleep until you verbally ask for it," he stated in a clipped tone.
I nodded and hunkered down for a long stay; I would just do what I always did – stay silent until I passed out and wake up in a very white hospital bed. Simple as can be…
"Hiei, I don't think that's a very good idea. She can't fend for herself; it's just not fair," Shuiichi reasoned. Hiei gave him a hard look and Shuiichi settled against the wall with perfect posture, still flashing me that fake 'don't-be-afraid-of-the-big-bad-man' smile. Gray shadows were cast across the room as I tossed a small, flaming sphere into the air and Hiei snuffed it out with the blink of one bloody, crimson eye.
A day or so passes
Up…ark…blink. Up…ark…snuhhh. I'd been playing this little game with Hiei for a while and neither of us was tiring of it. Throughout this entire time, his hardened gaze locked onto my cynical stare. I was earning a large amount of respect for this small man. I had undergone similar treatments before, but never had anyone gone to smack me when I tiered or when I left the room to get food. He was treating me like, if not an equal, something above a mentally challenged slug's level.
"Hiei, I'll be back in just a moment," Shuiichi said softly to the back of Hiei's head, "Leiko, don't worry. He won't hurt you and I'll be right back so don't worry," he chirped in the same tone he always used with me. Then he left the room. But, Hiei had earned enough of my respect for him to be told so.
"You like fire too?" I rasped out, my voice hoarse from disuse. He stared at me, confused for a moment, then nodded.
"Why are you talking?" he asked gruffly. I gave him a weak smile as my own gaze hardened with a feeling that brought small amount of bile to my chest. Little did I know, but a certain red-head had entered the room from behind my back.