Title: Erased In a Moment
Author: Ryukotsusei
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Hiei/Kagome
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. I merely borrow the characters for my own twisted amusement.
Summary: King Enma becomes interested in the destruction of the Shikon and Hiei is forced into becoming Kagome's jailer. As cruelties are revealed and plans begin to unfold, Hiei is forced into an action he would not otherwise take but will either of them survive?
Chapter Four
Hiei was beyond furious, somehow he should have known that his warning to her that night was only the beginning. It had been two months, two whole fucking months of Kagome going under the knife every few days and the powers that be still didn't have any answers. The girl had even died on the operating table once due to the strain.
Knowing that there were specific requirements that needed to be met in order to revive someone once their soul had departed the body, the apparition had taken action. Ignoring the enraged voices of the Doctor and his assistants who were busy trying and failing to revive her, he'd snapped the restraints that had held her in place and carried her limp and bloodied form to Koenma's office. The demigod wasn't pleased in the least to have his office doors kicked in but seeing the problem he quickly took charge of things. Since that day Koenma had been present for each examination just in case of another incident but Hiei's patience was quickly wearing thin.
Somehow he'd managed to grow attached to the girl, he wasn't about to speculate just how it had happened. The fact just remained and he wasn't going to try lying to himself anymore and deny it. Hiei knew that he should be there in the room with her, this last trip to medical had been especially rough on her but even with as hardened as he was he knew he needed a break to collect himself.
Pushing through another set of doors, he was well aware that he was breaking the order Koenma had given him to remain in the wing Kagome was contained in. At the moment though he really didn't give a damn just what rules he was breaking. Ogres looked at him curiously as he passed and somehow he just knew that word would travel quickly that he was wandering the halls. 'Let it, I need a good fight right about now.' It had been too long since he had been in a physical altercation and the blood lust that he let loose so frequently was simmering just below the surface, looking for a way out.
However he paused when he entered another corridor, familiar voices washing over him even though they spoke in low tones. When Kagome's name was mentioned he moved in closer, using every bit of stealth he had ever possessed in order to find out just what was going on. The Reikai team was never very forthcoming to begin with and he was well aware that they would clam up if they caught sight of him.
"Is he certain? It's taking quite a risk, I mean what if he is wrong?"
Hearing such words couldn't possibly mean anything good Hiei knew. Everything they had tried and failed so far had been "risky", if they managed to come up with something else that even this assistant was worried about then Hiei wanted to know exactly what they had planned.
"Well this is the King we are talking about, his information is about as good as it gets. It would make sense though, we've established the jewel has bonded with her soul, otherwise it would have never reincarnated with her."
Hiei sneered to himself, King Enma was wrong on so many different things it would be laughable if this wasn't such a serious topic. As it stood he could probably provide them a list that it would take a week just to get past the first page and yet these fools believed that the God was infallible despite having seen for themselves just how wrong he could be when dealing with the girl.
"I suppose you're right. Simultaneous destruction of the jewel and the girl's soul would probably do it. Without an anchor there is no way for it to return, it should just cease to exist."
Fury gripped him as he listened to them talk about Kagome's life as if it were something so easily thrown away. 'The fools! If they are wrong they will destroy us all!' Hiei didn't even want to think about what would happen if the jewel did indeed reform without someone to keep malice from tainting it. Destroying Kagome's soul would eliminate any chance of salvation that they would have, there weren't any other miko's in existence that were strong enough to deal with the artifact.
"Everyone seems to be in agreement on that point, thats why preparations are already being made. Apparently this spell only works under a full moon so we have to wait another three weeks for it to take place."
Three weeks, it wasn't much time to come up with any feasible plan but Hiei wasn't about to let them kill her for their own selfish reasons. Being unwilling to deal with the "what ifs" did not not justify their actions and it was all he could do not to spill their blood in that very instant. His hand settled on his katana yet he dared not pull it. If he was incarcerated there would be no way for him to help the girl.
"So I take it the examinations are off then? There's no point to them if they already have a plan in place."
Hiei forced his temper to cool as he continued to listen. If the experiments were to stop it would help the both of them out in the long run if he had any intentions of getting Kagome out of there. As weak as she was at the moment they wouldn't get passed the front gates before they were captured.
"Yeah, they've been canceled. I don't know why they didn't come up with this sooner, it would have made things so much easier when dealing with that girl. I was getting tired of her breaking my nose every chance she got."
The sound of their voices began to drift away as he continued to stand there. It didn't matter, he'd learned more than enough and now he just had to think of a plan. Three weeks was enough time for her to heal and regain some of her strength, it was just a question of where could they possibly go that the Reikai wouldn't find them. As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to need help.
Retracing his steps, he made his way back towards Koenma's office. Hiei knew that the man hadn't wanted to do this in the first place, he was their best chance for help in getting out of this godforsaken place. Going to the Ningenkai was not possible, the Higurashi Shrine and Genkai's temple would be one of the first places that the SDF would look when the search began. While he was certain that between himself and Yusuke they could hold off their forces without drawing Kurama and Kuwabara in it but that didn't mean he wanted to endanger his sister either.
Likewise, heading into the Makai was too predictable as well. Mukuro might understand but she was also one for expediency so there was no telling what her stand in this instance would be. Without having a way to ask her before hand he was low on options and frankly he wasn't willing to risk it, not when he was putting his own life on the line by helping the Miko to escape.
That left one possibility, staying in the Reikai. As he walked down the hall Hiei considered the possibility further. It would be the last thing the SDF or Enma would expect of him and there were plenty of places that they could seek shelter. Of course, shielding would have to be maintained no matter what happened otherwise the sensors would hone in on them and leave them powerless to escape. Overall it was the best course of action he could think of, perhaps Kurama would have been able to come up with a better plan but at the moment he didn't have the luxury of the Kitsune's intelligence at his disposal.
Hiei pushed open the doors to Koenma's office without hesitation, his expression never faltering. He was determined on this front and one way or another he would be taking her out of the palace, with or without the demigod's help.
Koenma slowly set aside the stamp and pushed a stack of papers away from him as he somberly regarded the tense apparition. Visits to his office by the hybrid were infrequent, only coming when Hiei demanded some sort of consideration be given to the girl's comfort. One small truth came to him as he stared into that impassive face, Hiei knew. Koenma didn't know how the demon knew but the fact still remained. Hiei was always like that and to this day Koenma still hadn't figured out just where the apparition managed to get his information. "Somehow I'm not surprised to see you."
"Cut the crap Koenma, when were you planning on telling me?" Judging by the look on the demigod's face the man had guessed exactly why he was there. 'Good, it saves me from having to explain it to him.' He wasn't quite sure who he was more pissed off at the fool's he had overheard, Enma for coming up with this insane plan to begin with or Koenma for hiding it from him.
"Don't get so excited Hiei, I just found out myself yesterday. Despite what my father believes I don't think it will work. A wish didn't do it, nothing else that he has attempted has made any difference. I suspect this won't as well, it'll just leave us with a tainted jewel to deal with." Koenma sucked furiously on his pacifier for a moment. He'd brought all of this up to his father but of course he hadn't been listened to. Instead King Enma had looked at him with amusement and cited a lack of age and experience for his son's doubts about the plan.
Hiei stared at the man for several long moments, trying to gage just how much help the demigod was likely to be. He'd stood up to his father once before and it had nearly gotten him executed. Would he be willing to do so again? Paltry arguments here and there weren't something that was likely to gain Enma's wrath, helping the girl escape on the other hand just might be worse than when he helped Yusuke. "If you know it then let her go Koenma."
It was something that Koenma had been thinking of as of late, but he worried about the likelihood of being able to remain undetected. Allowing her to leave just to be captured again would put them all in danger, yet he couldn't just set her up for execution. Regardless of his father's thoughts Koenma didn't believe she deserved that fate. "If I were to do this I want your word. You will stay with her and do everything in your power to make sure that my father can't find her. If your not willing to do this then don't bother asking for my assistance." If Hiei wasn't willing to do this then another way would have to be found.
"I'd already planned on going that route Koenma. It would be sentencing her to death leaving her to her own devices." Hiei wasn't about to tell the demigod just how far Kagome had gotten beneath his skin, there was no way in hell he'd leave her once she'd been freed. Granted he wasn't entirely certain how well he would fare against the entire SDF but he wasn't going to let her go without a fight.
Koenma nodded, accepting his answer easily enough. He wasn't blind to the feelings Hiei had for the girl, he just hadn't been certain if they were strong enough for him to be willing to risk his own life. "I take it you have some place to go then?" When Hiei looked at him with narrowed eyes he held up his hands. "Don't look at me like that, I need to know if I'm to help steer them away from the both of you!"
Indecision made it's home in Hiei's chest as he considered the question. On one hand he had no desire to give Koenma any more information than necessary. If Enma had even the slightest hint that his son knew their whereabouts he would stop at nothing to get that information. But the demigod could be very useful in helping to hand out misinformation as to their whereabouts, thereby keeping the SDF away from them. Knowing they would need all the help they could get, he decided to give Koenma an answer. "Somewhere in the Reikai. It is the last place they would expect us to be. Shielding will be difficult with the artifact and her natural powers, you will take care of the problem."
"Hmmm shielding. That would present a problem wouldn't it? I can't erect a barrier, that would be a dead give away. But..." Koenma punched a few keys on his computer, accessing the security grid. "However the sensors that would track you can be tampered with." It wouldn't take much to alter, he'd just have to make sure what he was about to do was well concealed. "If I were to change things just before you left it's certain that it would be noticed. But if I block out your energies now, it's not as likely that they'll be found. I don't think they'll look this far back."
What Koenma had said made sense, though he wasn't exactly confident. The SDF tended to be thorough and if they had the slightest clue that Koenma had helped them, they'd comb every inch of his office including that computer. Regardless though there wasn't anything that he could do about it now. "We need a supply of healing ointment sent to her room as well as whatever you believe will aid in her recovery. Kagome wouldn't last an hour in the condition she is in now if we were to leave."
"I'll see to it. Be sure to inform her of what is going on Hiei, the more time she had to mentally prepare the better." Koenma entered the last line of code in that would eliminate all further keystrokes, thereby hiding exactly what it was he was doing. The only way they could figure out what he was doing from here on out was to go through the coding line by line which would take forever. The demigod barely looked up when he heard the doors opening once more, signaling Hiei's departure.
Now that he had explicit permission for removing Kagome from the Reikai, Hiei allowed himself to relax slightly. Koenma would do everything in his power to make sure they went undetected once they had left. Until then they would concentrate on planning which would mean spending even more time than usual with the girl. It was a development he wasn't going to complain over, he'd come to find he rather enjoyed her company on most days and even if he didn't it would have been something he would have needed to get used to. It had taken years but it seemed he had finally come to understand why Yusuke was able to pull off miracles when it came to protecting Keiko.
A few minutes later he found himself entering her room once again and was unsurprised to see her sitting by the window. As usual a rather forlorn expression graced her features until she turned to look at him, her eyes instantly brightening. It wouldn't be long before that happiness disappeared he knew, how could it not when he was the bearer of such bad news? "We need to talk."
Kagome instantly turned guarded as she looked at him, her entire posture becoming one of wary alertness. Despite the injuries done to her body, her instinct began to kick in as she waited for the bomb to fall. The apparition never said that phrase and meant anything good by it. "We do?"
Knowing that the room was likely to be bugged, Hiei opted for using the Jagan to carry on this conversation. From here on out every word uttered would have to be thought about carefully if they were to avoid cluing King Enma and his lackeys in. Nudging her mind slowly, he waited for her startled expression to ease before projecting his thoughts to her. 'I have learned of King Enma's plans. What we speak about from now on must not be uttered aloud. Can you agree to this?'
Kagome nodded slightly, the mind touch had startled her but it wasn't painful. Hiei was unlikely to hurt her intentionally anyway and it helped to dissipate more of her anxiety at having him in her head even though it did nothing for the fear she felt of the unknown threat. Unsure of just how telepathy worked, she hoped he would only need to read her thoughts. 'I agree. What have you learned?'
'In three weeks time Enma intends to hold an execution. He believes that since your soul is tied to the jewel if he were to destroy it the jewel would be eliminated as well.' Pausing to judge her reaction, it was much as he expected. Hiei watched her carefully, waiting to see if she would slip into shock. To his relief she did nothing more than pale and stare at him in shock. 'Needless to say I think he's expecting too much out of this experiment and Koenma does as well. Therefor two days before they come for you we will be leaving.'
'You're... You're going to help me get away?' Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at him. There were times she thought he cared more than he let on but it was always so hard to tell with him. If he was willing to risk so much to help her get away, it had to mean something. Truthfully his news had startled her but somehow she had known it was coming. Sooner or later they had to think they'd be better off just killing her and hoping it would destroy the jewel. If they had asked she could have told them it wasn't likely to work, the Shikon always did have a mind of its own.
While the thoughts were flying through her head, Hiei clearly saw each and every one of them. For now he ignored the questions of how much he liked her. There wasn't time to worry about such thing at the moment and truthfully he didn't want to. He was very well aware that he'd just given his word to Koenma that he would stay with her and he wasn't delusional enough to believe that the Reikai would ever stop in it's pursuit of Kagome or the jewel. That made them inseparable, at least until one of them died. 'We'll leave at night and head for shelter. I know you can shield your energy, I suggest you work on strengthening that shielding while you have the chance.'
Kagome nodded, her shielding wasn't the best in the world so it only made sense that she work on it while she could. Failure was not an option, not when it was more than just her life on the line. 'I will, I promise.' As she stared at him she got to her feet and began walking towards him slowly. Thankfully he didn't move, just watched her approaching him with slight curiosity.
Knowing full well what she was about to do, Hiei contemplated moving before deciding against it. It would be pointless, if he tried she'd just continue to pursue him until he gave in and most likely would aggravate her wound in the process. He tried to tell himself if was just a simple gesture of gratitude but as her warm arms slid around his shoulders he couldn't deny the joy he felt flowing from her. It was addictive and for the briefest of moments he closed his eyes, allowing the contact to continue. However after allowing the feeling to continue for a few moments he gently pushed her away. 'You should be resting, moving about will not aid you in healing faster.'
'You're right.' Kagome pulled back reluctantly. For some reason she'd felt at home in his arms and the thought both warmed her and confused her at the same time. As for the apparition his expression was still as closed as ever yet there was a softer tone in his mind voice now, something she couldn't help but dwell on. Slowly she made her way back towards the bed, easing herself into it before turning bright eyes on Hiei. 'Thank you, for everything.'
Nodding to her, Hiei stood once more and made his way towards the door. 'I must go, there is much I must do if we are to be prepared. I will return once the sun sets, for now rest.' As he walked out the door he made his way towards the library. The Reikai's records were extensive and while he knew the palace like the back of his hand, the rest of the spirit world was a mystery to him. Maps of the realm would be essential if he were to get some idea of where they were going.
