(The song was written by my friend Jess...I hope you like it! . R/R)
NightmaresofRed
Chapter 7
Corathir blinked in surprise then a huge grin spread across his features as he said "Kirya you kick butt!" Kirya laughed and smiled pleased with her handy work, "Thanks" she answered rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Corathir walked over and kissed her cheek turning pink himself. Kirya turned bright red looking at Corathir surprised. Hiei raises his eyebrows surprised at Kirya's strength, "I see even though you seem pretty clueless at times, you can be tough when it is needed." Zythar looked between the two grinning, "Aw young love, the sweetest thing there is!" Ariali snapped out of her daze, and realizing she was leaning on Hiei pulled away turning a light shade of pink and said "Very cute too." Kirya giggled and covered her already beat red cheeks saying "stop it." "Ya, you guys are embarrassing us." Corathir said pink as well with a slight smile on his face. Hiei, deciding that it was time to leave suggested they continue on. Ariali nodded pulling her hood over her head and begins walking to the nearest town. Meanwhile Mirtha has crawled over to Zythar and clung to his knees saying in a whiney voice "Honey! Do you forgive me! I love you!" Corathir looked at her shaking his head in disgust "Wow...she's pathetic." Zythar looks down at her shaking his legs trying to pry her off, "Ya." Hiei just shook his head and began walking in the direction of the town mumbling "Pathetic fool." Ariali pulls her cloak tighter to her slim form as she stares at ground, trying to ignore the persistent whispers of the town folk as they see the wanted posters. Hiei's eyes flash to slight concern as he looks down at her "Are you ok?" Ariali nods and says quietly "They're talking about me...about how they think I burned those towns." Corathir and kirya walked further back, talking about the two. Corathir asked looking at them briefly, "Do you think they're dating?" Kirya looks ahead the them thinking, "I don't know, I mean they only just met right?" She then shrugs and adds. "But they'd be cute together." Hiei glares at the towns people "We'll fins the person to prove your innocence as well as helping that scaredy cat hero." He says motioning toward Corathir. Corathir looks at Hiei confused but shrugs and says to Kirya "Ya, I think so too, plus he did get mad at Zythar." Kirya nodded agreeing with him "True, maybe he likes her and she likes him but they're to afraid to say anything. Oh it's like a cute romance novel! It's inspired me to write a song!" Kirya says giggling. Corathir chuckles at her enthusiasm and tells her he'd love to here it. Kirya looks at him grinning, "Really! You actually want to hear? It makes me so happy!" She twirls and begins to play on her harp.
On the day that the sun rose in the sky
the color was red,
which stained the forest floor.
For he wasn't able to tell her,
when they first met their paths intertwined
and found themselves working together,
and liking one another!
But they had a fear,
the single fear everyone has.
Admitting that they liked each other.
And now this sad song has ended,
with the young man looking down,
on his untold love.
As she lays there dead and pale,
he whispers in soft sweet words "I love you."
And then sun finally rises high in the sky,
and the red is gone as the wind blows by.
Taking her body along with it,
leaving a single white rose.
Corathir grinned "I love it, I think it's your best song yet! Though the ending is sad." He says ruffling Kirya's hair. "Great job munchkin!" "Hey!" Kirya yells annoyed, "I'm not a munchkin!" "You are to me." Corathir says looking down at her smiling. Kirya sticks out her tongue smiling, tries to mess up his hair. Corathir grabs her hand, as Kirya tries to pull her hand away frowning. Corathir grins tickling her with his free hand as she squirms laughing harder yelling "Not fair!" as the tickle fight begins.
Ariali looks up and smiles at Hiei "Thank you, though I fear Corathir might be a lost cause," She says. Hiei snickers and nods, "I agree, but we'll have to manage." Ariali pulls off her hood gaining more confident as they take each step, "I guess so." Hiei smiles at her and she suddenly hugs him. As he recovers from his shock he feels himself hug her back with a slight smile on his face. Ariali looks over his shoulder at the houses on the side of the wide dirt road and she tenses suddenly recognizing for the first time where they were as she pulls away from Hiei holding in her tears that are now threatening to spill out. Hiei looks down at her surprised, but says in a soft voice "It's ok to let your tears show." Ariali looks surprised at his kind words as her tears pour out and her shoulders shake as she sobs. Hiei unsure how to deal with her sudden break down pulls out his slightly stained handkerchief and hands it to her. Ariali leaned on him burying her face into his chest, searching for some comfort. Hiei rubbed her back and said in gentle tones, "It's ok." Ariali nods and says through tears "M-my parents, they d-d-died here. They w-w-were burned b-because the p-people thought they h-had killed a n-nearby t-tribe." Corathir and Kirya look over stopping they're tickle fight, Kirya stands up and asks with concern. "Oh no, I was wrong?" Corathir frowns confused, as Kirya suggests "Maybe we should go around the town." Corathir nods in agreement, as Hiei looks at Ariali "I think it would be best." Ariali breathes trying to calm down as Hiei asks her "Do you want to go around?" Ariali looks up at him with her tear stained face and nods. Corathir glares at the few people who stop and stare, wondering what's going on. Kirya says watching the people as well "Besides, these people seem so rude. All they do is stare." Kirya pretends to look stupid, staring at random people. "Haven't they ever seen people from different towns!" Corathir chuckles "Guess not, we better get going." Kirya decides to change the subject, "Okies!" as she marches out of town in the lead. Hiei looks down at Ariali in his arms and rubs her arms reassuringly, "come on" he says with a half smile. She nods and follows sniffling and suddenly the sniffling stops.
Kirya still smiling and walking "Now let's hope we get no more interruptions tonight." Corathir turns to look at Ariali and realizes she's now tied up and laying in the middle of the dirt path. "What now! Won't we ever be at peace!" Hiei noticing a tall, well muscled armed man standing infront of the now tied up Ariali, draws his sword and growls "What do you want?" "I already have what I want," the man says motioning to Ariali. "Let her go!" Hiei yells becoming angry. Kirya gasps "Poor Ariali! Let her go, she's innocent!" The man looks at Hiei with a grin, "The porcupine is upset! How horrible!" Hiei growls "Don't call me porcupine." Corathir realizing he still has a sword strapped to his side, pulls his sword out as Ariali struggles against the ropes. Corathir charges at the man, but he's tripped by him and goes crashing into a nearby house. Hiei snorted "Corathir you're pathetic." Kirya was behind Ariali, cutting the ropes on her ankles. The man turns and kicks her hard in the stomach. "No one interferes with my reward money!" He says as he holds up a wanted poster with Ariali's picture on it. As Kirya flys off to the side from the kick, Ariali kicks the man's legs out from underneath him causing him to fall on the ground in pain. Hiei taking advantage of the situation puts his foot on the guys head and his katana at his throat, rage filling his eyes. The man looks down at the katana growling unhappy. Hiei's eyes turn cold and heartless as he cuts the man's throat in one swift motion. Ariali looks at Hiei with shock and slight fear as the blood on his sword drips off onto the dirt path. Hiei's eyes turn back to normal as he whips the bounty hunter's blood off his katana and finishes cutting Ariali's ropes. Corathir stood up from debris and held his head staggering. Kirya stood as well, trying to catch her breath, making a mental note not to get on Hiei's bad side. Ariali stood up rubbing her wrists as Hiei said "I suggest we find somewhere to wash up." Ariali looked at him with slight fear, "You know, you didn't have to kill him." Hiei grunted and answered "Would you rather him to run free and bring more bounty hunters?" Ariali said frowning "But he wasn't a threat Hiei!" His frown deepened "Still he would have brought more." Ariali looked down, "I guess...just the rage in your eyes...it frightened me a little." Hiei ignored her and said "Are there any hot springs around here?" Corathir yelled from a distance "I found some!"
The girls stripped of their clothing and enjoyed a relaxing soak as the guys did the same, washing they're clothes as well. Ariali spoke up, "So Kirya, what's going on between you and Corathir?" Kirya just looked at her confused, "We've been friends since we were little..." Corathir heard their conversation and leaned in toward the bushes that were separating the 2 hot springs as Hiei washed his clothes. Kirya asked "Why?" Then she leaned toward the other girl slightly and asked "What about you and Hiei?" Ariali blushed "Well I was just wondering since you two seem to like each other as more than just friends." Kirya blushed as well, "I see...I don't know what her thinks though...do you like Hiei?" Corathir turned toward Hiei and whispered urgently "Hiei, listen, they're talking about us!" Hiei walked over just as Ariali turned red at Kirya's questiona dn sunk further into the water, "I-I don't know...I think I do." Kirya giggled, "Aww why not? You guys look so cute together!" Ariali smiled slightly, "So do you and Corathir." Mean while Corathir was leaning so into the bushes to hear that he lost his balance and fell face first into the girl's hot spring and came out spitting out water. Kirya stood there in shock, then the yelling began...
"CORATHIR!" Kirya yelled as she slapped him hard across the face. "You pervert!" Ariali looks out of the water in shock and sees Hiei in the other hot spring, since the now dense bushes had been cleared by Corathir leaning on them. Hiei noticing Ariali, sunk underwater fast to cover his naked form as Ariali did the same with a huge blush. Kirya was now screaming at Corathir at the top of her lungs as she stood up, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Corathir stood there noticing how little covering Kirya had and then snapped out of his fantasys. "Sorry! I was just trying to hear what you were talking about!" Corathir said trying to explain himself. Kirya's eyes narrowed "So you were evesdropping!" she asked him poking his chest. "Yes...I mean...NO!" Corathir answered flustered. "What did you hear?"Ariali asked getting out of the water and pulling on dry clothes in the privacy of bushes. "I heard some stuff...about you and something about liking Hiei...and um," Corathir said pink. "And?" Kirya asked crossing her arms. Hiei cleared his throat, already out of the hot spring himself, "You know you two are still naked..." Corathir's eyes widened in surprise as Kirya said "I forgot about that, but it's not like we haven't seen each other naked anyways," she looked away pink sinking into the warm water. "Ya.." Corathir agreed sinking into the water as well. Kirya got out of the water and got dressed as Corathir did the same. Kirya sat next to Ariali "That was so embaressing." Ariali nodded afraid her voice would crack showing how embaressed she was. Corathir cleared his throat and turned toward Ariali "So you really think that...Kirya and I would make a good couple?" Ariali nodded "When I first met you two I thought you were a couple." Hiei walks over with his hand in his pockets "So did I." "Oh ya, I remember one of you two saying something about that when we met." Kirya said nodding a little pink still.
Corathir sat thinking then looked up at Kirya "Kirya I..." Corathir clears his throat and continues "I think I love you...I've loved you since we were little." Kirya turned to him with a huge blush "Me too Corathir, I was just afraid to say anything because I thought...you didn't..." Corathir nodding stepping closer to her, "Me as well." Kirya looked up at him as he took her hands in his and smiled a warm smile. Kirya smiled back just as warmly as Corathir closed the distance between them and kissed her lightly. Kirya kisses him back as they ignore Ariali and Hiei completely. Hiei looked up at Ariali feeling uncomfortable "I think we should let them be..." "Ya," Araili said agreeing walking out into another clearing in the forest as Hiei followed.