Chapter 4: The Hired Hands
Hiei looked at the men and glared. She got up as well and stepped outside with Jin as she glanced back at the men. They made no movement yet to come after them, so Hiei and Jin simply looked at each other, both thinking the same thing, 'The manager hired them.' They then walked in opposite directions, and once out of view from the doorway, they both simultaneously broke into a run, darting off from the restaurant.
She made her way back to the marketplace to sell the sash before sunset. She pulled it out of her pocket, then offered it around. "Excuse me sir? You have a wife, don't you? A charming man such as yourself as to have a wife." Quite frankly, the man was uglier than a toad, but by the way he dressed, she could tell he was loaded. "Wouldn't you like to buy her this lovely sash for her? She might be so pleased that she might want to give you a treat tonight." She said, smirking.
The man blushed a bit, "Why yes, yes I do!" He thought about her last statement, and totally understood her implication. "I'll take it!" he exclaimed as he gave her the money, not even giving a second thought to the higher than usual price. He proudly paraded off with his sash, running home no doubt.
Hiei tossed the pouch of gold coins up and down, walking out of the marketplace, "Sucker!" She said with a laugh as she tossed up the back and caught it before stuffing it in her pocket. "Now, to hit the bars." She said as she made her way to the nearest bar.
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Jin entered a small teahouse at the end of town, overlooking the ocean. He stared out at the docks, sipping on a cup of tea his waitress gave him. His mind wandered, and his eyes were distant, deep in thought. 'I should be getting back to my comrades soon…' He thought. He wondered what they were doing right now, but quickly dismissed the thought.
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Hiei entered the large bar, which was bustling with activity. She calmly walked up to the counter and sat on a stool as she stuck her hand in her pocket and fidgeted with the pouch in there. She managed to get three gold coins out and placed them on the counter. "Sake." She said simply as the bartender nodded, took her money, then placed a rather large glass of sake in front of her. "Bottoms up." She said, then began to drink it.
Several drinks later...
Hiei was wasted. Her eyes drooped and she sat hunched over the counter, clutching an empty cup. "Gimme mooore." She goaned, shakily holding up the glass.
"I'm sorry miss, I think you've had enough for tonight." She said with a small smile, raising an eyebrow at her in amusement.
Hiei slammed her glass down on the counter and grumbled, "Neverrr enuffff. Damn basthard..." She said, her voice slurred. She spun around on her stood and steeped off, then staggered to the doorway. "Kick all your asthes...Come back with bad eggs...really BAD eggs." She gumbled, pulling herself out of the doorway and onto the dark street. "Hoohoo, whooooo!" She sung as she spun around, and staggered down the street. "Gonna buy meee a big hat, a really big hat! With a big red featherrr." She rambled on. She began to subconsciously look for an inn, knowing she couldn't be out at night like this, what with all the pleasure hungry men prowling around.
Jin had left the teahouse, and now walked the street, trying to find an inn. He rounded a corner and what happened next brought that creaky old smile to Jin's face. He saw the girl from earlier as she was hobbling across the street. He could tell, yet did not want to assume, that she was very drunk. He started toward her but then stopped himself. He asked himself, "What am I doing. She's fine without you. She will manage." Jin stood for a moment, watching her.
Hiei scanned the signs, trying to find an inn, then began to sing quietly to herself, "Inn, inn, inn..." She continued to search, her two swords tapping more on her hips due to her staggers. She rounded a corner and came onto another street, darker than the others.. In her drunken state, she did not notice the large, dark skinned man who began following her, a mischievous look on his face.
Jin wanted to follow her. He saw the man going towards her but why was he telling himself not to go on? Was he being cold hearted and selfish? He felt that way, though that couldn't be right. He wasn't sure what it was, but something was holding him back.
The man walked up next to her, that hungry grin on his face. "Well hello there. What's a pretty lady like you doing out this late?" He asked her, looking her over.
Hiei didn't even look at the man, her dull eyes focused ahead. "Go away." She said simply in a dull tone.
The man wasn't about to take no for an answer, however. He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back a little. "Why don't you come home with me?" Hiei got an angered look on her face as she slapped his hand way.
"Not interesthed, basthard..." She said in her slurred tone, trying to stagger away, at a faster pace. The man then grabbed her by the arm, harder this time, and yanked her back again, resulting in her letting out a little yelp.
"I don't think you have much of a choice." He said in a lower tone, then laughed lightly to himself, eyeing her hungrily. Hiei then began fumbling for her sword with her free hand, but couldn't seem to get a good grip on the hilt in her drunken stupor...
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A/N: Longer chapter! Fluff galore! MORE CLIFFIES! Ok well, just a bit of more interacting between Hiei and Jin. Gonna bring in more Mugen and Fuu in the near future. It's turning out that this fanfic might be shorter than I thought. xP Oh, and one more thing, NO MORE CHAPTERS UNTIL YOU GUYS REVIEW! >O That is all.