Chapter 10
Deer Me…
Hiei woke before dawn and left Kurama's house, shouldering the egg in the backpack. He headed for the park, where he normally lived. He had already learned all he could from Kurama, patience, and sought to be alone; if nothing bothered him, he would be free from the temptation of sin. If he were to be truly alone, he would have to be out of Ningenkai; perhaps he would go to Reikai, where it was more peaceful. His sister Yukina was also there; protecting her was always calming, as if her healing powers reached beyond her hands and surrounded her very aura.
He had left no message for Kurama, but the kitsune was used to few words from the youkai when he left. Kurama would think of something to tell Shiori. Passing into Reikai, he found himself in one of the many deep forest. A quick scan with his Jagan found no signs of intelligence that might distract him.
He climbed up a fir tree and chose a spot to regain sleep he had lost last night. A robin flitted by his branch and landed in a small nest a few trees across from him. Slowly, he allowed himself to smile; the small bird had brought food for its even smaller young, thoughtlessly and with love. Hn, at least he couldn't hear the little nestlings' squawking. He lived without interaction from any other person for seven days before it changed when he was napping in that same pine tree.
Hiei jumped at the sound of a yell; a low-classed youkai with a single horn leapt upon him with a sword. Hiei made a move to draw his katana, but reconsidered at the weight hanging from his shoulder in a bag. "Go away." Hiei said plainly. The other youkai laughed and attacked him again. "I will only leave when I have your head on a platter, Hiei!" the youkai said.
"I don't want to have to kill you, go away!" the Koorime said, gritting his teeth and jumping around the trees to dodge his attacks.
"Never! I've been searching for you for weeks, and I will have my prize!"
Hiei sighed and quickly beheaded the youkai. "At least I have given you a painless death." He said, wiping the blood off his sword. "There is honor in mercy, even though it is no strength." Hiei went about his day, wandering around to keep his speed sharp when he saw a small fawn in the middle of a field. Its spotted coat was well hidden in the dappled long grass. Hiei watched it for a while, when he realized that something was wrong.
The fawn was sickly thin, and constantly looking around for something. Hiei went past the fawn, trying to ignore it and clear his mind. He came across the hasty remains of a single camp. There was a rotting carcass sitting beside a sooty mound of ashes, a fire, and a small stretch of weathered leaves, possibly a makeshift bed. Hiei put the two pieces together: the youkai he had just slain was the murderer of the fawn's mother.
He groaned, "Baka oni!" he turned around and reentered the field where the fawn was wandering around. He approached the fawn, slowly so as not to frighten it into a run. "Your mother is dead, you know," he said to the animal. The fawn blinked back at him, not understanding speech. "I suppose I should give you a quick death too, then you won't have to starve for a few more weeks."
He drew his sword and leveled it at the fawn. Sensing danger, the knee-high creature charged forward and butted Hiei's shins with his head. Having no antlers and being very weak, the fawn fell over. Not even wavering from the young deer's futile attack, he sheathed his sword. "Still fiery? Maybe you can survive after all. No telling how old you are, or at what time your species has to be weaned away from milk, though." Hiei sat down and picked up the fawn, it struggled for a few seconds before giving up. "I suppose I haven't got anything better to do than take care of you."
He ripped up some grass from the ground and showed it to the fawn. "See this? Its good for you. Eat it." The fawn stared up at him pitifully; Hiei sighed, "For the love of…" he stuck a piece of the grass in his mouth, "See? I eat it; now eat it," he shoved a piece of grass in the fawns mouth. It let the grass hang out of his mouth, like Hiei. "Stupid deer, eat it!" it stared back at him. Checking to make sure no one was looking, he ate the piece of grass. It was bitter and scratchy, not at all good. "Eat it!" the fawn curiously munched on the grass, getting the hang of solid foods for the first time. He nudged Hiei's hand with his small velvety nose for more. "Hallelujah!" Hiei rolled his eyes and uncurled his hand so the fawn could get to the grass. "At least deer don't make noise."
Suddenly, he fell backwards with the fawn on his chest. The pack on his shoulder became extremely heavy for a moment. He opened the bag and took out the egg, holding it up against the sky; it was glossy like glass, and black as the night with a warning-red flame wrapped around it. "I guess I changed it significantly for it to have shifted around like that," he muttered to no one. The fawn sat on his chest and sniffed his face; "So what should I call you, then if I am to keep you?" the little creature began nosing around for more grass, perfectly comfortable with Hiei's presence now.
"Eh…I'll just call you Kaz, after the fool Kazuma; your skull is almost as hard as his."
