The Price of Winning

She cried out in her slumber.

She sobbed into noting as she struggled against invisible attackers...and then someone had wrapped their arms around her and destroyed the nightmare.

She opened two blazing indigo eyes as she whimpered and then, lost in a tormenting pain, she sobbed into Hiei's shoulder.

She couldn't survive without Him.

But as he wrapped his arms around her he spoke nothing, his chest rose and fell with the breath that Hellfury cursed.

And as Hellfury sat, ready for the fight he knew his slave would return to him, would beg and plead for the feeling only he could give her... For the comfort and love he could give her, and he alone.

Ryukiba woke to Hiei shaking her, she sat up before trying to cover her mouth as blood spilled out, her own crimson life liquid smattering the ground before Hiei grabbed her shoulder, lifting her up so she could look into his crimson eyes as he licked the rest of the blood from her lips.

She smiled, half heartedly as the hollow feeling returned ands he stood, dressing and looking the mirror.

"Am I beautiful?" She whispered, but no one could hear her as she stared into empty blue eyes... Ones she felt where not her own.

She pretended to feel fine as she walked with the others to the arena they had fought in before. She felt weak and her hands shook as she bit the tip of her pale index finger, licking the blood away as Team Dragon Dancer appeared at the other end of the ring.

The commentator started the match, and Kurama won... Then Yusuke lost...Then Kuwabara lost...then Hiei and Ryukiba went up as a team to fight.

They could win...

But Ryukiba stepped back as Hellfury pounced into the ring, eyes set on her as if he were a starving beast...and she was his prey.

"Stay away from her..." Hiei snarled as the fight began. A water dragon threw a painful fist at Hiei and kept him locked to the left side of the ring... Leaving Ryukiba and Hellfury on the right.

"...I...Hellfury..." She whispered as he rushed forward and she dodged, hollow and empty as she launched no attack.. Nothing to harm the dragon as he went after her almost tauntingly. They stood, staring each other down when Hiei killed his opponent.

He lunged at the occupied Hellfury but Ryukiba's words where like a leash around his neck. "No! Stop!"

Hiei froze as she stepped toward Hellfury and asked something that made Hellfury smirk.

"Am I beautiful?...Do you love me koi?"

He ran forward and pinned her down, she didn't move as he put his long claws to her throat and licked his lips with a forked tongue.

"You are a Naive Koorime. You where meant only to bear my heir. Nothing more. No, you idiot, you are not beautiful!" He moved to slit her throat ands he leaned into it, but Hiei shot forward, knocking Hellfury to the ground and cutting him in half.

Ryukiba grabbed her Wakisashi and hacked at her arm, tears of tainted stone rolling down her face as her red blood smattered the ground.

Then Hiei knocked the blade from her and put her in a headlock. She struggled to get away, snarling and sobbing before he hit her pressure point and knocked her out.

They had won...

At the cost or Ryukiba's will to survive.

Hiei bandaged her arms as they sat in her old house, feeding her on s small bit of his own blood to help keep the child she bore healthy as, at the same time, he made an attempt to replace her addiction to fire...He addiction to Hellfury...with an addiction to blood...An addiction to him...

Trapped in the jaws of nightmare, Ryukiba felt the need for the drug Hellfury had given her grow...

"Am I beautiful?" She asked the fire...

"No."

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