Thank You! Inu.Roxs, KyoHana, Kitara Jaganshi, and Chiisai Mu
Author's Notes: Okay, so I looked over the last update I've done for this now changed story, and I noticed I didn't give any props to the person who helped me with my edits! What is wrong with me! Goodness, Chiisai, I totally apologize for that.
So, yeah, Chiisai Mu was the authoress person to read over my first two rewritten chapters and the third chapter that I've written for this story. It's because of her that I was able to make such changes to this story. So, thank you again! And, everyone should go read her stories. She's definitely awesome.
And let me see, I have some recommendations for stories by her that I love: Murderous Insanity, Fetal Flesh, Self Righteous Suicide, By Love, Dedication, But Say Not, Fox and Fool, Poetic Justice, and AntiLiberation. Yep, a lot, but she's written a lot more. So, check them out, 'kay? Kay!
Disclaimer: All names and titles of buildings that are not my own belong wholly and completely to Ms Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake series. Though I love it, I definitely don't own it.
Chapter 2
Hiei stared at his mentor with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. This expression wasn't kept for long because of how foreign it was to him. Instead, seconds later, his face rejected it and once again became passive. "What?" he demanded harshly, narrowing his eyes.
Genkai sipped her drink again and peered at him over the mug's rim as if to say "you heard right". Her student stared at her with hard eyes, subconsciously doing his best to keep any emotion from appearing in them. However, it seemed even his best efforts proved futile when the old master continued to speak.
"It was against the natural laws of both groups, but it was to happen," she spoke solemnly, as if what she was about to say would somehow lose importance if spoken any louder. "They met on the battlefield; your mother with the vampires, your father the lycans. Though a relationship such as theirs was forbidden by both groups, they continued to meet."
"Idiots," the hunter muttered, then glanced away when his mentor's eyes found him.
"Your mother," the old woman continued after a moment, "became impregnated with you and left her clan early on the night you were born. She and your father met as they had planned, and escaped into the night. She gave birth to you at the darkest hour, 3 AM."
'The Witching Hour,' Hiei thought scathingly. Though he wasn't an especially superstitious person, he had heard the story as a young child. And as it was with children, the tale had been stored safely in his memory for easy recovery.
In the old fable, the Witching Hour was the time when demons and other preternatural creatures roamed the planet at their most powerful, and their most evil. At first, he believed this information to be useless, but now, he wondered if his time of birth held any connection with the tale. If what Genkai had said was true, as it must be, then perhaps the myth was more than just that.
Genkai continued to tell her student her story, this one of how she became his guardian. "The next day, your father found me, and that night he and your mother brought you here. Then, they returned to their own people. I was never informed of their fates, which is just as well." The last was spoken softly and seemed to hold more meaning than the words alone.
Hiei's brow furrowed minutely in confusion, but she neither elaborated nor continued for a time. He didn't ask why she wished not to know of his parents' fates and so, received no answer.
A sigh escaped her throat as the woman looked to the wall instead of the boy in front of her. One look at those brown eyes told her student that she was lost in her own memories; likely, those of his parents. In truth, the old master was reliving a memory. She was remember the night her toughest responsibility was dropped into her lap.
Two figures raced up the stairs to a dojo surrounded on each side by woods. The owner of the dojo had taken the liberty of removing wards that were constantly active so her visitors could enter without fear. The woman went by the name Genkai, and was much younger than her present counterpart. Her hair was still the vibrant pink color of her youth and her eyes, though bright, held the wisdom she carried from her already numerous trials.
The two silhouettes stepped upon the top step, which spanned out as a concrete walkway. With only the moon as light, the only features that could me made out were what revealed them to be a man and a woman. The female was leaning slightly against the male as she breathed deeply. Upon closer inspection, a small bundle was discovered in the woman's arms.
The pair moved quickly towards the younger Genkai and managed to step into a flood of light from a porch lamp in the process. With the added illumination, the female was shown to have hair a beautiful aqua blue color tied back in a low ponytail with strands sticking to her damp forehead. Her eyes were a deep red color, and, at the moment, seemed wide with fright. The male stood taller than both women. His hair was wild, revealing his nature, and completely black. His eyes were a dark color — blue, brown, or black — with a bright tint around the irises. Both of them seemed tired and worn out, and wore clothes that were ripped, muddy, and bloody, and that had obviously seen better days.
They advanced on Genkai, she older in physical appearance only. Quick orders came from her, "Bring him inside. Then, change your clothes and return. Alone."
Rushing to comply, the couple set their bundle down on a mat that had been set up. Immediately after, the two adults entered a separate room from which they returned minutes later, clean and in nicer clothes than the ones they previously owned. Both were wondering how the young female had managed to find something their correct sizes. Bu,t the time to ask never came as they reentered the first room and were shoved out after one last glance to the bundle each.
"Leave. Separately," was the firm order from the young owner of the dojo as she forced them to exit. They thanked her profusely before doing as she said. As they left, Genkai turned back to her door. A loud wailing was sounding from inside. Her new bundle of preternatural energy had awakened, somehow seeming aware that an exchange of great significance to his life had just taken place.
The master blinked, coming back to herself from the five-second memory. Even knowing her mentee could tell when she was herself again, she continued to procrastinate with silence. Finally working herself up to speaking again, she opened her mouth, but never got the chance as her student spoke.
"I'm going."
She knew she had waited too long.
Genkai turned her eyes to his, and as they met, a quick, silent conversation passed between student and teacher:
'You don't want to tell me.'
'I have to.'
'You're a coward.'
'I am.'
'I don't want to know.'
'Now who's being a coward?'
The mentee's glare ended their unspoken conversation.
"You need to hear this," Genkai stressed aloud as a last ditch effort.
"No," he said before speedily exiting the home. He heard neither the exhaled "idiot" by his guardian of sorts, nor his part in the story. He never heard the part that might keep him alive.
&&&&&&&&&&
Hiei ran through the streets quickly, appearing no more than a fleeting image in random intervals, towards the apartment complex he frequented for sustenance and rest. To those who knew him, it would be apparent he had something on his mind. His normally hard, red eyes were swimming in bouts of confusion. Only his mentor, as far as he knew, would have any idea why. His mother, his father, both of whom he'd held with a degree of loathing were now hated even more for simply being who, or what, they were. If Genkai had meant for their talk to make him forgive his parents, she had truly thought wrong.
Though, the more he thought on it, the more he realized nothing changed. His parents still left him alone and, likely, died. Nothing had changed but, for some reason, it seemed worse now. Maybe it was because even his damned mentor had been hiding the truth from him. A strangled growl passed through his lips, which forced him to realize the level of his own anger, and, thus, try to rid himself of it of the emotion, knowing irrational thinking got one nowhere.
'But emotions are not so easily repressed,' the male thought with an irritated look.
Coming upon the door that led to his apartment building, Hiei pulled his keys from his pocket. Each tenant of the complex had a key to enter the complex and another to enter their separate homes. In the middle of using the first of those keys, the hunter suddenly stopped.
"Shit," was all he whispered before, quick as sound, he spun around, kneeled to the floor, and held his gun at two-hand ready position, one thumb of the safety. Standing before him was a male with a shock of wild red hair that looked windswept, despite the fact that the night air was calm. He had pointed elfin-like ears that seemed even more so when he was excited. Right now they seemed almost elongated as his wide dark blue eyes revealed his surprise. His mouth, already slightly open, began to spread into a lively grin.
"Whoo wee, Hiei! Ya always know how ta get me blood movin', ya do!"
Hiei made a low noise resembling a growl in his throat before standing and holstering his gun. "What is it, Jin?" he demanded. He was used to the boy being so hyper, sure in his belief that he had attention deficit hyper disorder, but he never got over how easily Jin could sneak up on him. Not many could.
"Ain't ya goin' ta 'vite me in?" the boy — called so because of attitude more than age — asked.
"What do you want, Jin?" The hunter repeated tersely. He was not in the mood for games tonight.
Jin pouted, but couldn't hold the expression for long due to his carefree nature. "Sumone wants ta meet wit' ya."
"Why and when?" the now known hybrid asked almost absently. It wasn't uncommon for Jin to bring him information about someone wanting an execution. Sometimes it was legal, sometimes it wasn't. It never mattered because he always did such a thorough job that no one would even think of asking him or his 'clients' about it. Either way, it was always Hiei's own interest that decided whether he met with the client or not. He didn't waste time on those that didn't grasp his attention.
"Nuther hunt and tanight."
"Story."
Jin shrugged, though the shorter man was scanning the streets and sidewalks for eavesdropping neighbors and not looking at him. "Heh didn't tell me." This caused Hiei to turn to the smiling redhead with a confused eyebrow raised. He grinned more, "Said he wanted ta tell ya himself, he did."
Hiei blinked, half out of confusion and half out of intrigue. What was it this client wanted done that he wouldn't tell his messenger? Already he could tell that this was more than just a regular bounty hunt. "What time?" he finally asked.
"A' soon a' ya accept," was the response as the grin widened more than should have been humanly possible, even for the hyper-active boy. The hunter's eyes narrowed slightly as a thought crossed his mind: the message sender had known he would take the bait.
Despite what many of Hiei's clients believed upon first seeing him, he was a very thorough strategist. He was able to assess a job as well as the one paying for it and easily decide the best course of action. He was definitely not one to be toyed with, and didn't enjoy being treated as such. Seems this was another person he would have to prove it to.
"Let's go," the hunter ordered. He was a firm believer in using any reasons available to get one's mind off a certain topic. Without even knowing it, Jin had brought him a mental and emotional reprieve.
"Where are we meeting?" Hiei asked, pocketing his keys after re-locking the door.
The redhead responded, "The Lunatic Café," and gave a sidelong glance and grin to his companion. "Les' race!" he exclaimed before taking off. Being one of the few people Hiei let in, he knew the man would follow. Couldn't resist a challenge and all that.
The two sprinted three miles towards where the hunter had earlier killed a bounty before turning off the main highway and onto a dirt road. They were moving so fast that both seemed to be flying on air. Jin was grinning enthusiastically with excited child-on-Christmas-morning eyes and complete elf ears, while Hiei was smirking, yet managing to keep his emotions bottled so nothing he didn't want to would slip, like that he was actually enjoying himself.
The pair soon came upon a small weathered building, but instead of slowing, kicked up the speed. The door of what looked something like an abandoned warehouse approached, yet the race continued. It wasn't until they had gotten within five feet of the door did either stop. And when they did, both of their feet were even, no arms were in front. It was a tie.
Jin whooped, "Tha' was that best fun me had in awhile, i' was!" Ignoring his companion, Hiei walked to the door and waited to enter after his escort.
Knowing The Lunatic Café was a popular hang-out for some type of supernatural creature, but not being sure at which kind, caused the shorter man to be cautious, even more so than usual. When he entered behind Jin, his eyes immediately began to roam around the room. It looked normal enough: a bar towards the center, a small stage to the far left for the rare entertainment, tables and diners populating the area, and waiters and waitresses bringing food and drinks to customers. Normal. In fact, if it hadn't been for his training, Hiei might not have notice anything odd at all. As it was, the uninhibited power of the creatures in the building was enough to make his skin prickle. It made him glad he had brought his sword; he always preferred a sword fight to a gun fight. And if the slightly feral smirk now decorating his face was any indication, he was definitely hoping for a fight.
Clearing his face, he then looked to Jin for some kind of change in his composure or demeanor to prove he had also felt something, but only found the boy speaking animatedly to a waitress as if he didn't notice. In his mind, that made him an inhibition if a fight started, even if he was trained.
"Heya, Hiei!" Jin called. "Les' go. He's here." With a huge grin and wave, he walked away from the waitress and towards a door at the back of the room. Feeling every eye focus on them when they passed, Hiei grated his teeth to suppress the almost insane urge to glare at them all.
They came upon a door with a sign on it that read 'Employees Only'. The sign was given less than a glance by the one leading before it was pushed opened to show a narrow hallway, though Hiei knew that neither of them worked there. The hunter paused at the door, frowning at nothing in particular before continuing through.
The pair continued to walk until they reached another door that somehow held the aura of finality. The fact that the taller and red-haired male was unnaturally quiet the entire time caused the bounty hunter's anticipation to rise even as the door opened. Making sure his messenger entered first, he followed quickly after. Something about this didn't feel right and the hunter had learned to rely on his instincts. But even with all evidence telling him to stop, he didn't.
The room they entered had the look of an office. The walls were painted a simple white matched by the immaculately polished linoleum floor. In the center of the room rested a large rectangular table where four males were seated. At the head of the table sat who Hiei figured to be the one ordering the job. Somehow, everyone else seemed below this person.
Time itself seemed to come to a stop as each eye fixed on the two entering. Looking around, Hiei noticed Jin had gone to one knee before the man in the closest chair. Arching an eyebrow, the invitee glanced from him to the male. He gave him a skeptical once over - black hair, brown eyes, short leather jacket, nothing special. But when the man nodded, Jin stood and took a seat at the table with the other four.
As he did, the obvious head honcho stood with a smile that reached his eyes and made Hiei immediately distrust him. There was something in those eyes…
The man walked towards the hunter with a bit of a cocky swagger that matched the slight smirk on his lips that seemed to dare anyone to mess with him. The shorter man's eyes trailed over the leader now that he was standing. This time noticing he wore faded blue jeans and a green tank under the jacket.
The man reached his hand out to Hiei before introducing himself, "Hey. I'm Yusuke, the one hiring you." Hiei took the man's hand in a shake. But the moment he did, a shock passed through him. He jerked his hand back, eyes a little wider than normal. That little touch was all he needed.
"What is this?" he demanded glaring at the one in front of him. Yusuke's cocky grin widened, showing teeth. Chancing a quick glance to the seated Jin, the hunter only saw him looking down at the table, avoiding his gaze. He returned his cold glare to the one in front of him.
"What's up?" Yusuke asked, his puzzled tone completely offset by the grin he wore and causing Hiei, even without his suspicion, to believe the boy a horrible liar.
Placing distance between himself and the other members of the room, the bounty hunter reached to his back with his right hand. His smoldering gaze remained on Yusuke while he watched those at the table with his peripheral vision. He pulled the silver katana from his back and got into a ready stance, tense but prepared.
"Werewolves," he spoke softly and with much contempt, eyes scanning the group assembled and lingering briefly on Jin. The eyes of the ones at the table were fixed on their leader. Hiei looked back to him to find his eyes alight with a supernatural glow, though the grin he wore did not fade.
A frown crossed his face as the leader spoke, "Yes, we are."
Hee! See, no plot changes, though I did add in a bit. What'd you think of the Witching Hour relation? Hm, you know, there's this little button down there that will let you tell me. You should press it. It's such a wonderful tool.
