Whew. It's been a while, but I'm back, rewriting and this time finishing the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own.

"You ruined my roof!" Kurama trembled, devastated. All his stunning roses, reduced to ash as his pet had let out a sudden growl of frustration before shooting a stream of dark fire at his ceiling, blowing it sky high. Conjuring up a few more fireproof vines to hold his struggling toy, he applied some wards to his pet.

Hiei's flames went out as if an invisible bucket of water had suddenly poured itself over him, so he just settled for smoking.

If I can't incinerate you, I'll settle with smoking in front of you! Feel the second-hand! Hiei though viscously, if not a bit out of character.

Kurama, lost in his own thoughts, choked as the smoke made its way into his lungs suddenly (As planned). Irritation mad its way up his throat and the Youko found himself snarling.

"You better please me well." Kurama warned his slave, slapping him harshly. Then he pulled his new toy into a bruising kiss, which his pet struggled fiercely against, to no avail.

"What's your name baby?" He hummed, more forgiving after getting some action, however miniscule.

"Hn." Hiei glared. Oh if looks could kill…

Well perhaps it's better they didn't. Hiei hated nearly everybody, but he wouldn't have anything to do if they were all piles of ash from his literal death glare.

"Well, then I will just have to name you, if you will not speak!" Youko announced, quite pleased to have thought of such an idea, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Hiei faltered as he watched the twinkle strengthen until it had grown to a bonfire to match his own powers and changed his mind. Anytime his looks decided to get their act together to murder demons he started at was just fine with him.

"Puh-lease tell me your name?" Youko pouted, fluttering his lashes teasingly in such a way that would make anyone go weak in the knees.

Hiei, however, not being just anyone, thus immune to most things (save his sister's smiles) merely raised an eyebrow. "Hn."

Youko growled, throwing his arms up. "Well fine! Then I'll call you Kohana!"

Hiei looked incredulously at the now preening fox demon.

"Little flower?" He asked, arching his eyebrow yet again. At the Youko's nod, he sighed.

"Hn." It wasn't the defeated 'hn' Kurama was waiting for, but it was one of momentary resignation. Unfortunately, this was not what Kurama had had in mind when he had chosen the ridiculous name for his unwilling toy.

Speaking of unwilling…

Yomi said the present would be perfectly trained. He thought suddenly, feeling slight anger bubbling up within him. He hated false advertisement.

When he came back into reality, 'Kohana' as he had dubbed his pet was glaring at him sexily, making his breath hitched and chase away all thoughts of Yomi from his mind.

In the meantime, Hiei was having some angry thoughts of his own.

This fool is in the way of me delivering my package! He fumed silently, glaring his worst at Youko, who, instead of the desired effect of (A) cowering (B) running away, or his favorite, (C) crying in fear altogether, merely shivered, eyes glazing over in desire.

And if that wasn't bad enough, he had been named Kohana, "Little Flower".

A woman's name.

If he weren't bound by assassin's code to never reveal his true identity to someone who could be an enemy he would be screaming it at the top of his lungs.

"At least things can't get any worse." He muttered inaudibly.

But as things have a way of challenging everything you say at that exact moment, a huge hole was blown through the sidewall, frying the supposedly fire-proof vines and blowing Hiei and Kurama both to the other side of the room.

Youko growled, hurriedly rewrapping Hiei in his vines before he could even register his freedom.

"Stay here love. I'll be right back and then we'll have some fun with no more distractions." He bent down over a struggling Hiei, looking him in the eye.

Defiant crimson met stern gold.

"Or arguments." Kurama stood at his full seven-foot height, towering over Hiei.

"I am the master." He uttered firmly in departure, sweeping out of the rooms and calling for his guards to capture the intruder.

Hiei tested the strength of the green cords half-heartedly. In his warded state, they were impossible to get off—as he had assumed already—but survival instinct dictated he try anyway.

"Mr. Sensui has reduced your time limit to three days." A nauseatingly cheery voice cut in from above.

Hiei ground his teeth, glaring at the user of the voice balefully.

"Excuse me?" He gritted out, looking up to see the owner of the voice to be a ferry girl with blue hair and wide pink eyes.

"Sensui wants Itsuki now silly!" She giggled.

"Hn." He growled in response, making her fly backwards uneasily. Her smile slipped and she frowned.

"Well no need to get all grumpy! I'm just doing as Sensui-sama ordered!" she took off at high speeds with a huff and a squeak as he snarled threateningly after her.

Satisfied that no, he had not lost his touch, the stupid fox was just plain insane, Hiei focused his energy on escape.

He wiggled against the vines yet again, to no avail. Letting out a puff of exasperation he let his mind fall back to Plan B.

'If you can't go to the prey, make the prey go to you.'

Help me! Hiei pleaded telepathically in his best pathetic just-finished-crying-and-is-scared-to-death mental voice. Wards sucked his power, true. But it took no energy to mind-speak. Being a Jagan wielder had perks.

"There, that should do it."

Help me!

Itsuki started, as a piteous voice rang through his head telepathically. His heart went out to the speaker immediately and hurriedly he got up to trace the ki residue left by the voice.

Hiei didn't have to wait too long for the fruits of his labor. When the package burst into Youko's room, as he had known he would, he put on what he called 'humiliating but totally helpful because these suckers eat up the hurt and weeping child like candy mode'.

Whimpering occasionally for good measure. It worked like a charm.

Of course.

"Are you okay?" The package asked gently, kneeling down staring sympathetically. Hiei fought the urge to vomit, turning his gag into a sob.

"It hurts." Hiei gritted out, still managing to sound somewhat innocent. Itsuki gasped as if he just noticed the wards.

"You're warded!" He puffed in surprise.

I would have never noticed. Hiei thought, fighting the urge to roll his eyes or stab the brain dead fool in front of him (or both).

It didn't matter though because the package was taking off the wards and untying the vines that captured him.

When the last one fell off, he wasted no time in chanting an imprisonment spell, binding Itsuki into one of the five small tablets he carried. Standard procedure after all. Letting victims' roam free as you travel back to clients was rarely a good idea.

A better idea would be to make a date with death.

They were fairly new actually, but when so many assassins began falling in love with their hit, the tablets were created. Ever since their creation there'd been a whole lot less eloping.

In other words…Fool proof.

Yet as Hiei headed off to Sensui's mansion to deliver, he couldn't help but feel a shred of guilt.

For the face of Itsuki before he disappeared into the tablet was not only one of betrayal, fear, or even anger. Such looks were easy to contend with.

No, Itsuki had merely looked sad.

Hiei felt like he had taken some kind of test and failed utterly.

But his job called for a clear mind and stealthy get-away, not empathy. So he stored his troubles into a dusty corner in his head, going off to his client.

Money called after all.

Youko shook with anger as he leaned against his still last standing wall, staring at the spot Kohana—as he had named his pet—had been.

"If you believe you're through with me, you're dead wrong."

He leapt out the large hole in his wall, landing softly on the ground where daffodils hummed happily amidst the wreckage.

Youko petted his plants softly, speaking to them in motherly tones.

"He's small with the most beautiful blood eyes." He whispered to them gently. They nodded, eager to serve their master.

"Go." He told them and they did, eagerly dragging their roots in the ground, creating a long rut in their wake.

Momentarily, Youko's colder self came out, whom he liked to call thief, asking questions he had not touched, as he was afraid of the answer.

What are you going to do with him when he is found? I say beat, rape, and kill!

"I don't know." He whispered aloud. "I feel connected to him somehow. Everything in me screams for him. And I don't deny myself of anything. It would be a waste to start now." He stood, dazed, looking into the distance for moments, before coming back to Makai.

"Now stop pestering me, I'm hunting." He growled softly, yet somewhat in amazement as he admitted to himself he might actually have feelings beyond surface looks.

It disturbed him more than anything.

Yet it would not stop him in his quest for reunion with the small slave he had only known for a night.

Hiei splashed cold water on his face to wake himself the next morning. Leaning back on a beech that had grown by the lakeside, he shook his head violently. Nothing was stopping him from taking the two minute run to Sensui's home, give him what he wanted and receive his award.

Hiei frowned, writing it off as he was always on time, never early or late. There was still two more days before he needed to hand in anything.

Or maybe you just didn't like the face on the package. His other side spoke snidely, mocking his reasoning. Maybe because you know this capture has nothing to do with a past war or physic's powers dying out. Maybe because you were once a "package" and you know what happens to packages that are wanted so desperately clients send messengers only after mere hours into the mission giving you a time limit.

Hiei shuddered as his inner self hit home. It's not like I care! He argued back. That was a while back, I got over it. Besides, it's not like I'm going back or anything.

The unfortunate one isn't me so I shouldn't care!

It was only nine months ago. Is your reality really so distorted? And shouldn't being the key word in that last statement… His other self spoke softly, fading away on its own accord, leaving Hiei in horrible memories.

Flashback

He lay twisted on the cold stone floor, covered only by a light rag that he had called clothing for the past year. Above him stood a golden hair man with deep purple and black clothes and wrapped around him like leathery bat wings, light violet eyes cold in sadistic pleasure as he bent down over the ragged koorime.

"I'm going to fuck you so hard, when I'm done you won't know which way is up." He breathed softly, raking long nails down Hiei's leg carelessly, leaving red trails. Hiei whimpered, curling up in a tight ball.

"Why…Jaki?" He ground out. "I never…" He gasped as the Jaki in question roughly squeezed his dick, twisting it harshly. "Did anything to you!" The last part rushed out before he was pulled into a harsh crushing kiss.

Jaki bit his tongue, making him groan in pain, outlining his too curvy body for a male with his claws in more dark red lines.

"You're so tempting." Jaki mouthed, not really answering the question, as he moved against Hiei's neck, biting down, marking him.

"It took so many legends to capture you. Do you know how hard you are to get? Kept slipping through my fingers."

Hiei huffed as Jaki sucked at his blood, licking it up his back, and then going into a violent streak by throwing Hiei against the stone.

Hiei felt his head crack upon impact and with a mew he tried to sink into the floor. As life went fuzzy, Jaki stood over him, a twisted smile dancing upon his face.

"Your home is so close yet so far away. Right next door really." He cawed happily. "It was a convenient situation wasn't it? An alliance between countries!"

Another hideous laugh. "What do you think Mukuro will do without her heir?"

End Flashback

He shivered. That was the in the middle of his torture. He had stayed there a year longer, where he had finally escaped through Jaki's sewage system.

He had then vowed he would become stronger, never be ruled over again in such a manner.

So he became the "assassin who had the audacity to name himself after Mukuro's lost heir". He took a series of jobs and soon became famous for his quick assassinations in the black market.

"I am the hunter. It is not my business what becomes of the prey." He stated firmly, getting up, racing off to the huge house looming overhead that was Sensui.

I am the hunter.

Forget about being early or not, just drop of the package so you can get back to remembering that.

Youko perked as a fern made it's way back to his gardens.

"What did you find?" He demanded of it harshly.

Ah, it going to neighbor, yes yes. Neighbor. It rustled before settling back into its original inanimate state.

Youko frowned.

"That could either be Sensui or Jaki. Both insane, but considering Jaki is more likely to accept a slave without asking, he's probably headed there."

Nodding in agreement to himself, he laughed, feeling a bubble well up in his throat in excitement.

"Off we go eh?" He laughed again, taking off; sure he was close to re-claiming his little Kohana.

Hiei strode purposely toward the doors. As he got closer guards materialized from the wood work to block his path.

"State your purpose." They intoned monotonously. Hiei glared at them in greeting.

"Hn. Sensui's package has arrived."

Both nodded simultaneously, melting back from whence they had come.

Hiei frowned as he noted the guard on the right give him a look of pity before disappearing completely, but brushed it off as his imagination.

Even though his gut was screaming at him to turn around and run as fast as he could the other way.

And he didn't have an imagination.

Shaking himself, Hiei flitted swiftly to the main hallway where he had met with the lord in his last visit and waited.

It didn't take long for Sensui himself to come down, eyes alight in a frenzy.

"You got him?" He whispered excitedly.

"Hn."

"Hand him over!" Sensui commanded, stretching out his hand, to which Hiei placed the tablet in.

His client let out a crow of triumph, signaling the guards to close the doors. He frowned severely.

"Money." Hiei grunted, stuffing his hands in his pant's pockets to hide their fidgeting from Sensui.

"No no, you are staying here." He waved impatiently while nodding sagely at Hiei. "I've decided I like you as well. So you won't need money. All my wealth is yours as long as you do exactly what I want, when I want." He casually stated.

He wasn't met with such a calm reaction.

"WHAT?" Hiei blurted wide-eyed, stunned into emotion.

"This was not the deal! I've upheld my part of the bargain and expect you to up hold yours!" Hiei swore profanely for several minutes in several languages. Sensui watched on in interest.

"How interesting. I wasn't aware that such phases could be used as profanity." Sensui shrugged, snapping his fingers. Guards materialized.

Bring him to my chamber."

"Yes master," all intoned, stony eyed.

As one, all attacked Hiei at once, who had regained his composure enough to smirk.

He was angry and needed to blow some steam. How many opportunities like this did you get?

With a yell his sword was slicing through everything it could. The guards dropped like flies, sliced to mincemeat.

More guards streamed into the room and Hiei, with another quick yell immediately disintegrated them. He wasn't, after all, the most sought after hit man for nothing.

Hiei smiled viciously, katana dicing up low-leveled demons left and right. As he swung at the speed of light, his thoughts turned to he had learned more in nine months on his own than the whole thirty years he had been under Mukuro's rule.

Finally, guards lay in pools of blood and Hiei allowed himself a victorious grin.

"Hn." He spun on his heel, keeping his Katana out in case of any more opposition. He went to walk out of the room, but was blown backwards from a gust of icy wind.

"Hello. My name is Touya. I am here to capture you."

Hiei blinked. "Hn. Fool. I will pull your intestines out through your mouth if you do not let me pass."

Touya grinned.

"I am ice, though you talk much more coldly than I could ever. Ah, the irony of life." He chuckled good-humored, and then sobered.

"Unfortunately, I am obliged to my master, whom is not you. My ice shall banish anything you could throw at me."

Hiei snarled.

"Hn." He stood straight, lighting one hand in red flames and hurled it maliciously at the ice demon. The demon's last line had struck a chord in him, opening up an old wound that had never healed.

I'll never be banished by ice again! Hiei yelled silently, attacking with fury. His opponent was automatically put on defense, blocking with a rapidly formed ice shield.

Hiei roared, sending a ball of black flame at the ice master, who skidded backwards against the strain.

In retaliation, Touya jumped up, sending out ice shards, which Hiei blocked with his arm.

Ignoring the streams of blood, he went in for the kill, but was blocked as a spray of ice muddled his vision. Growling, Hiei stumbled backwards, only half intentionally.

Quickly regaining his balance in time to block Touya's ice-covered punch, Hiei sent out his own flame-covered fist, which was countered by Touya's other hand.

They froze in this position, breathing heavily upon each other's necks, neither willing to break off first and risk defeat.

"It's been awhile since I've had a real opponent." Touya murmured.

"I only wish we could fight this all out fairly. However, that is not what master wants. I am deeply sorry."

Touya sprung from the stale mate and Hiei followed, lighting his hand on fire for the finishing blow. However, as he pulled back for the punch, something cold encircled itself around his neck, shrinking to fit snugly.

A moment of confusion was followed by a dizzy spell and Hiei crashed to the floor, power drained into what turned out to be a collar around his neck.

"Fuck you." Hiei choked, blacking out from such instantaneous ki drainage.

"I'm sorry" Touya told the unconscious koorime, picking up the small body and carrying him to Sensui's bedroom.

As ordered.