A/N: Hello once again, Audience!
I absolutely adore the scene happening right now between Shikiyoku and Hiei and the flame. I definitely count it among my favorite of scenes between the two of them. It's funny to me that it occurs so closely in timing with the scene between Akari and Kurama that I love so much too. I gotta say though, while I love all of the OCs I created for this story, the fire is so totally one of my favorites to get to play.
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko/Shikiyoku and Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.
As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."
The only exception to that last rule is for the Shiba Inu dog, Nabu. All of his "spoken" dialogue will be in italics and quotations, but is communicated through body language or dog-like noises, so unless a character is able to translate those they are unlikely to pick up on what he is saying any more than the average person might understand his general moods like aggression (bared teeth, ears back) or excitement (wagging tail).
In this chapter, the character of the fire speaks a different language entirely, the language of fire itself, which is conveyed by what I describe as 'dancing.' This is simply referring to the manner in which fire moves as it burns, which normally would not mean anything, but given that this particular fire is a sentient being, one can translate its dance-like movements into speech, which Shikiyoku does for Hiei. You will see after a certain point in this chapter dialogue that is in italics and followed by a tilde, which will look like this:
Sleep now, she-of-desire.~
This is indicative of the fire's speech and how it is not spoken, but instead danced.
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
The Youko impersonator, whom Akari has taken to calling 'Foko' since he is a 'Fake Youko,'
visits her at her home, dressing her wound and staying with her until she falls asleep.
She learns that Foko and Otento do not see eye-to-eye about many things,
and his actions against her in the park went against Foko's direct orders.
~!**!~
Meanwhile, Shikiyoku takes Hiei to a dark clearing encased almost completely by a thick grove of trees
with thick fog swirling about in which a medium-sized teardrop shaped tongue of flame resides.
Shikiyoku tells the story of how the flame came to be here,
and the fire rewards her with a tiny white-hot flame from itself.
Shikiyoku urges Hiei to eat the dancing extension of the fire,
which makes him feel as if his insides have been set ablaze in the best of ways,
and then she tells him he could place his hand inside it if he wishes...
Hiei felt as if he were as light as a feather, as if he could be carried away by even the slightest breeze that blew by. But, he also felt as weighted as a block of lead that was held to a flame, his skin warming up slowly.
After a few moments, his eyes focused again in front of himself, his brain and senses reminding him that he was not alone here, and there was still a whole flame that he could admire.
That he could…
Tear a bit away from, if he desired.
His eyes shifted over to Shikiyoku as she spoke up, and the most lopsided, crooked expression formed on his face, a single corner of his lips lifting and parting to show his teeth at the prospect of touching the flame. His hand twitched and his body seemed to sing at the possibility of touching the source of the fireball he had tasted.
And if it awarded him another part of its core, that would be an extra bonus.
A very delectable bonus.
He stepped around Shikiyoku, approaching the flame slowly as his eyes again took to assessing the glowing orb. It danced in the air in front of him, making his eyes flash and warming his skin as he got as close as possible without actually touching the orb.
He stared at it, his hand twitching at his side as he contemplated. He didn't understand his own hesitation, but before he even thought about assessing his own emotions, his arm lifted from his side, the arm of his cloak falling away just enough to reveal the nose and whiskers of the dragon tattoo underneath.
His fingers paused momentarily about half an inch from the flames before he slowly let his hand move through the flame, parting the fire so that the flames licked around his open hand. Even with his hand entirely engulfed in the fire, up to his wrist, his fingers were not sticking out of the other side of the fire, and for a moment, nothing at all seemed to happen, and time seemed to stand still. *
The flames lapped curiously around this intrusion, feeling flesh and bone that did not give way to its silently roaring inferno.
It licked with further inspection across this 'skin,' weaving between four fingers and a thumb, none of which it understood or knew the names of, and in actuality was for the first time encountering. Flesh it knew. It had come from flesh! Or...flesh is the first thing it remembered.
When it encountered a darker portion of the flesh, the fire flared up as if startled, but released a sound like a chirp as if truly pleased, not drawing away from the marking, but rather sweeping over it with more density and then further out until it reached the sleeve over Hiei's arm.
It appeared to tentatively lift a single tongue of flame and experimentally, slowly, placed itself upon the fabric with a firm touch, chirring again when the fabric did not give-way, but perhaps with a bit more consternation at having not only found this one thing that did not burn, but now this other thing that did not burn.
Not going farther in that direction, the fire turned its attention back and swirled around the darker mark faster in greeting, and briefly its entire self flared black-which made it all but disappear in the black-colored clearing with the heavy forest canopy overhead that was too thick for any of the light to escape from anyway-except for the outer edges which contained the blaze in a purple hue.
The tattoo itself did not move, but the fire whorled suddenly white as an afterimage of the dragon's head appeared to rise briefly up from the marking below, its jaws parting with its own brief hello as the flames about it danced eagerly while it lowered back down on Hiei's hand.
After this, it did nothing more than flicker about as it had been when they entered the grove, as if thinking, watching, considering the fire demon before it. If it had a head, it likely would have been tilted as it stared in Hiei's direction before it turned and looked at the other demon that stood in the clearing, still at the edge and taking in the scene in silence.
Shikiyoku perked up as she felt the fiery gaze of the orb fall on her, and she recognized its twirling as a gesture that she should approach, which she did so cautiously.
Her eyes remained trained on the flame as she came and stood almost up against the fire, its glow washing over her body, ending up not a foot to the right from where Hiei still had his hand inside, her expression solemn.
It danced a question at her.
"Yes."
It thrilled higher up into the air briefly, its fluttering and spurting a song of joy that caressed Hiei's hand before truly turning up the heat with a roar of power as it blazed into whiteness.
The sudden, palatable wave of pushed heat would have knocked the pair of demons off their feet had it not been so controlled that they could feel it where it only pressed against them with as much pressure as they could handle and no more, even as it rushed past them at full force.
The trees of the grove were almost uplifted from their roots, suddenly set aflame in a circle around them, which appeared to explain the strange formation.
Their hair swept upwards in its heated wind, making any loose bits of their clothing lash out madly around in the air.
The small orb appeared to grow larger with each new pulsation as if angry, quickly becoming classified as more of a bonfire, then it engulfed them both in an inferno that filled the clearing up completely, a dome of true fire.
Shikiyoku was forced to throw her arm up over her eyes to shield them from the light, and for a moment she thought sure she was about to be consumed by either the raw power or the heat of the flame or both.
As the fire gathered back together in one fatal swoop, receding itself completely from the clearing, it remained large enough that both Hiei and Shikiyoku were still aflame, completely surrounded by orange and red fire.
As Shikiyoku opened her eyes from where she had not realized she'd been squeezing them shut, she looked over at Hiei in astonishment, finding that, for her, the flames did not so much as singe a single hair even as it pressed up against her skin and she marvelled at the precision, the control, feeling that the heat was just at the threshold of what her body could withstand.
It looked as if the parts of Hiei that would not burn were actually on fire, though anything flammable the fire would not touch, as with her.
The heart of the flame was still whitish-blue, but it was a little higher now, just above their heads, Hiei's right hand still in the midst of it.
The fire around them gave what was unmistakably a shove on both Hiei and Shikiyoku's outer shoulders, forcing them together.
Shikiyoku stumbled enough at the abrupt shift in her balance that she found she caught herself with her left hand on Hiei's right shoulder-still uplifted slightly into the orb-her stance turned slightly now so that her body pressed up against his back and side when the fire stopped pushing.
She turned to stare at him eye-level, her expression surprised and quite simply speechless at the series of events that had led to her being here. Next to him.
The fire kept them engulfed together, and as Shikiyoku let her gaze lift back to the white core again she found that it spoke in its own way once more, twirling and sweeping about in its dance.
Shikiyoku's eyes softened as she understood his meaning, and she also nodded sharply once, not turning to Hiei, but beginning to speak.
"He says to tell you..." She paused as she tried to put into exact words what it was trying to communicate, "To remember that the raw power of fire not only pains the flesh and sears the weak...not only can it roar in anger...and commit utter destruction...and reduce everything in its path to ash...but that it also warms the soul...and lights a path...and can by embracing others protect them..." Here the fire that still surrounded them swirled a deep red with emphasis. "And keep them safe from all harm."
She frowned. "It's hard to translate it all literally as some of it is only impressions. Like about the 'others' you choose to 'embrace'...he specifically said something like 'a select few that must be worthy of fire's protection and honor.' Not just anyone."
Shikiyoku's gaze lifted up again from where it had contemplatively lowered to speak that last part, the fire dancing its spins and dips again and she opened her mouth to speak once more.
"He-..." Her words cut off abruptly as she snapped her jaws closed, her eyes widening.
A blush suddenly flared up Shikiyoku's neck and onto her cheeks and her eyes flickered briefly over at Hiei before she felt a distinct pressing of pressure against her forehead, several in fact, all in quick succession. Like an affectionate pat of approval.
The fire had done the same thing to Hiei at the same exact time and it hummed around them with an air of happiness. 3
Hiei had the distinct impression of curiosity, as if the flame had a mind of its own and could think, could contemplate. As the fire touched his dragon mark, he could feel the interaction deep within his core, as if the fire itself were able to communicate with his best companion, and there was a conversation taking place. But it ended shortly, and he found himself staring in awe at the flame, extremely impressed with the sensation of the probing flame.
The flame stayed calm over his hand, not burning higher than before as he had at first expected it to do, but simply licking at his hand as if testing what would catch afire and what would not. He didn't even notice when Shikiyoku approached, brought forth by the flame. Only when she gave a whispered answer did he become aware of her proximity, and as he turned to glance at her, the fire seemed to burn brighter, the energy positively exploding, not only around him, but seemingly inside him as well, as if the bit he had taken for himself still reacted to the core of this one.
It wasn't uncomfortable, despite the immense amount of power that made his hair and cloak move with ferocity, as if a gale-force wind had suddenly hit him and Shikiyoku. And in the next moment, he was reopening his eyes to take in his surroundings in the new light that had settled around him, encasing himself and the woman to his right in dancing flames. Even though his hand was still within its fiery core, the sensation was a different one, as if now he were being refreshed, washed over by the flames of happiness.
He wasn't prepared for the shove that pushed at his shoulder, making his entire body shift towards Shikiyoku. He recovered easily by simply maneuvering at the fire's will, his foot catching his balance easily even as Shikiyoku grabbed onto him for support. In surprise that was nowhere near mild anymore, he turned to meet Shikiyoku's gaze, wondering if she had been expecting this either.
He saw the astonishment and the surprise on her face, wondering if that was what his own expression looked like, and was immediately aware of the physical contact of her body against his, as if they were compressed together and couldn't move away.
His eyes quickly shifted up to the flame, waiting for an explanation.
But just as soon as he was about to inquire, Shikiyoku spoke up, and Hiei was all ears. Halfway through her speech, his crimson orbs turned to her, watching the expressions that flit across her face as she spoke, never looking at him.
He didn't understand the reason behind this speech, or the reason behind the close proximity. At least, not at the forefront of his mind. There was, however, a part of him down deep that understood, soaked in the information as if his life depended on it, and stored it away for later, as if it were the most vital thing in all the three worlds.
He turned back to the flame, watching it intently, trying to figure out its way of communication so that, maybe someday, he too could speak to it. But he was too distracted, the back of his mind almost forcing him to focus on Shikiyoku's translations, to watch the burning of the flame as it became brighter in color, more energetic, almost.
Shikiyoku abruptly stopped, and before he could turn to prompt her onward, he felt the oddest sensation of being tapped on the head, as if being awarded for a job well done. Despite himself, a small part of him swelled up with pride and he found himself standing taller, spine straighter than before.
"I'll remember it." he finally said, tone even as if he were making a casual deal with another person. And his eyes slid over to the woman next to him while a deep part of him swirled with an emotion he didn't understand, making his gaze linger upon her for a bit longer. *
The fire around them continued to whirl and flit about for a moment longer, its complete and utter joy practically palatable on the air, especially at Hiei's response.
It appeared to pause though, almost as if in mid-step and Shikiyoku felt it staring at her. Had it actually been a dancer, she had a distinct feeling that the pose would have had one leg lifted, which now slowly lowered to the ground as it continued presenting its face to her, arms clasped together behind its back, head tilted slightly as if expectant, waiting.
In fact, the whole clearing took on an aura that was best described as "holding ones breath," though of course, the flame had no literal breath to hold.
Shikiyoku blushed again and her head tilted down a little bit, away from the core, as the fire inquired whether it needed to repeat itself and she shook her head. She remembered exactly what it had said a minute ago, thank you very much. It wasn't as if she was going to easily forget something like that. She was definitely not sure how Hiei was going to take it though, and she scrambled for a moment to come up with an alternative translation. 3
Hiei felt his own spirits lift as the air around him positively quivered with happiness, with glee that was tangible in the air. It made him almost give a small smile- something he hadn't done in a very long time- but his expression stayed… whatever it had been. His eyes wandered around, as if able to see the happiness floating on the air.
And then everything was still, quiet. The halt in all things made Hiei very curious, his own breath even seeming to stop in anticipation for whatever the flame was waiting on. Instinctively, he turned to Shikiyoku, as if the flame had prompted him to do the same, and he waited in silence.
He didn't know how, but he just knew there was something the flame wanted her to say, wanted her to reply to. He could feel it in the stillness of his own core. *
When Hiei turned and looked at her, Shikiyoku felt her stomach drop, her mouth still clamped shut as now the both of them stared unblinkingly at her.
The hand she still rested on Hiei's shoulder shifted slightly.
"He-" She decided to start from the end, "He actually is quite pleased with you. Stating that you're near-perfection as far as what he wishes all like you could be, though-" For some reason, this next part seemed oh-so-much easier to say than what was coming later, despite the fact that the flame was making a correcting-like observation here, like teacher to student, "He says you're too..." Her eyes shifted to the right as she searched for the word, "Closed-off?" That wasn't quite right, "Reserved?" She shrugged, "He actually says its impressive considering the natural amount of what he calls 'true flame' you have within yourself. He suggests that you 'loosen-up' at least to-" She faltered, "Someone. Before it all comes tumbling out at once."
The fire had, of course, said her, in so many words, which brought her back to the rest of the translation, which the orb still waited for her to convey.
It didn't seem to protest to her slightly modified word there and she felt that it understood that she got the general idea across, the details something that got muffled on the way-side.
"He, uh, he also says we make a good team." Shikiyoku paused. That wasn't quite precise enough and she searched for better wording. "...or that we're good company for one another. It's like...both. He added that we try not to stir up too much chaos together though." Her lips parted in a toothy grin as she finally looked back up at the core of the flame, "But then he laughed, so I'm not really for certain whether he meant it or not."
The flame waited another beat after Shikiyoku finished, then took up burning again, weaving and waving in the air around them.
Shikiyoku let out a tiny breath she'd been holding when she got done, suddenly very grateful that the flame couldn't comprehend each word she spoke.
She had very intentionally left out a specific portion of the first part of the conversation that had take place around the word 'team.'
The more accurate word would have been 'mates,' which the fire had excitedly followed up with how pretty the children from their mating would be, continuing into a long, complicated series of impressions about said children, and also wondering when her appearance changed.
It was certain these children would be very powerful indeed, because a child born from an Ice Maiden and any other demon was always one of the most powerful of demons, if also cruel and destructive without the presence of their mother's tear-the Ice Maidens never associated with anyone outside of their floating island because they did not understand the calming effect those tears had on said children-instead fearing the inevitable result of such contact itself.
It also noted here the Jagan Eye and how spectacularly Hiei had recovered his former power, if not quite at the level he had once been.
And in relation to their spawn and how powerful it kept repeating they would be, she, of course, was no weakling in the capacity of demonic energy she had herself. The combination of them was something the fire felt eager in witnessing, and asked her to bring them here upon their birth so that it might give them its blessing.
It recognized Hiei's state of being her Champion on some level or another, and it seemed certain that their 'partnership,' by which it meant physically, would only produce male children-he would still give her twins!-but that these children might even surpass the potential of power their father had.
Something about Hiei's state as a son of the Koorime that would not produce female children...the flame started getting technical here, however Shikiyoku felt her mind having already been blown and it all flew past her.
Needless to say, it remained excitedly bouncing around them, quivering in anticipation for the day when they would return and bring with them their first set of twins.
Twins?
First set?
Shikiyoku fought an almost hysteric laugh, nearly reaching a breaking point mentally.
Children? ... Me? ...with him?
Again, the prospect seemed laughable, though this time because of Hiei and not because of how utterly convinced the flame seemed to be.
She imagined if she made up some story about all little demon children jumping out from the element that they controlled fully formed, Hiei would believe her without hesitation.
In all her years she had never encountered a male demon with so much innocence, even accounting for the fact that he was not all that old among their kind, but even then he was one that did not so much as express even an inkling of interest or awareness of what the word 'lover' might mean. Which was singularly the most startling thing about him for her.
Every male, strike that, every demon, knew exactly how to pass on their genetics to a new generation, and she briefly wondered just how the fire thought these children the two of them were supposed to have were going to come about. Because it certainly wasn't going to happen by conventional means.
Shikiyoku finally giggled at that last thought, a bubble of nervous energy at the fire practically...what was the human word? ...marrying the two of them.
Preposterous. 3
Hiei waited as she began stumbling through the translation, his head tipping slightly to the side curiously as his own body reacted to the feedback the flame was giving. His own core seemed to quiver in excitement as well, his stomach churning with the emotion that the flame within swirled with.
For a few minutes, the churning in his stomach seemed to escalate, making his body twitch here and there with the odd sensation from within. When she finished, his mind stayed on the "good team" part, and though he had the distinct feeling it hadn't been as accurate of a translation as it could have been, as if it were lacking something vital, he released a small sound of approval that was almost equivalent to a small burst of laughter that ended very shortly after.
Even as the flame around his hand danced happily, he gave a flashing smirk that mirrored the swirling within, his irises alight with amusement and approval.
"Of course!" He didn't elaborate any further, because quite frankly, he couldn't find the words. *
As the two of them stood there together, the swirling orange flames around them started to recede, slowly licking back into to the core like the reverse of a piece of newspaper catching fire.
Pulling back all the extra bits of itself, the core lowered back down to just below their shoulder level.
While the inferno no longer swept around them, the air still felt heated, and the dancing of the now more contained fire was no less of a sight than before.
At some point during the encounter, the mist left, and it only now started to curl back into the grove, slipping back around their ankles.
The fire pulsed a wave of energy outwards, gently removing Hiei's hand from within itself before it flared white, releasing a single tongue of flame over the top of its main body that wavered downwards in front of Hiei, fully expecting him to let it fall into his hands.
Shikiyoku found herself smiling as the treat fell, even going so far as to forget that Hiei had gotten hers, feeling a surge of pleased emotions that the fire was going to gift him with such a rare color. 3
Hiei pulled his hand away from the flaming orb slowly, his arm falling to his side, feeling a little odd now that the warm flames weren't touching his skin. His stomach and core had calmed down now, and he felt a sense of quiet content. His eyes still flashed with amusement, but other than that, his expression had returned to an almost blank expression.
He was about to step away when the fire flashed, turning white with enough heat that could have singed a demon within moments if it came in contact with lethal intent. A moment later, a small part of the core broke apart and moved, almost lazily floating in his direction until he held out the same hand that had touched the fire, watching the tongue of flame dance in his palm happily.
He eyed the small flame for a moment before looking back up to the core, a smirk forming on his lips again. "Much appreciated."
He glanced at Shikiyoku for a millisecond before inwardly shrugging and popping this piece into his mouth again. The flavor, which he could not describe, was stronger this time, the flame hotter and much more enjoyable than even the first, which he had considered the best taste in any and all planes of existence. *
The fire chuckled at Hiei as he thanked it, whirring slightly with another bout of happiness.
"You haven't told me how things are, yet." Shikiyoku told the orb of fire, removing her hand from Hiei's shoulder now that she was not oppressed by the control of the fire and stepping towards the swirling orb.
She reached up and passed her hand over the top of it, but through the flickering tongues of flame that danced upwards. As she did so they lapped about her fingers excitably, shivering as if tickled by her touch.
Fine.~
Shikiyoku frowned playfully at it, pausing her hand in mid-pass and shifting her fingers about, to which the dancing flames quivered again and cooed in laughter, but did not tell her to stop.
"You're not much help."
What did she wish it to say? Not alone in grove with so many memories inside! Spends time thinking and reliving lives of those from before. Maybe gets little lonely. But only smallness! Has much interaction with the other selves within. Does not wish to leave safety of tree-home. Black is favorite color! Besides flame. Flame is best color.
Shikiyoku remembered why she didn't actually stay in the clearing in past visits, as talking with the fire was exhausting and it tended to chatter off-subject.
She thought of the tree whose roots she loved sleeping in, her strength returned from the fainting spell of earlier, but the constant translating made her mind tired.
Feels better!~ Is good.~ Wanted to help.~
"Yes, thank you for that." She smiled at it as she pulled back and lowered her hand, the flames following her removal until she started to move the hand down.
The fire heaved once as if in a sigh as her hand got away, but did not protest.
Sleep now, she-of-desire.~ Will be good.~ Has self-protection.~
A thrill ran up its body and the thought of her and Hiei together.
Much traveled.~
The fire knew she had come from far away, and still had a long way to go.
But...see again?~
Brings littles next time!~
It added the second part before Shikiyoku could answer the first, but the blush did not creep past her neck this time.
"She doesn't think so." Shikiyoku crossed her arms over her chest.
The fire resounded with consternation at her, wrestling with her answer for a moment before striking up in dance again.
Then...still bring child-of-self with, yes?~
Shikiyoku finally laughed, knowing it meant Hiei, her arms dropping back to her sides as she gave the orb a crooked smile.
"We'll see."
Likes child-of-self.~
The fire flared up briefly with giggles of flames vibrating up its sides as it looked towards Hiei again.
"I know." She responded kindly.
It fell silent for a moment, growing briefly serious.
Would bless she-of-desire, but has self-safety by side now, so does not need!~ Is having of happy feelings all!~
The corner of Shikiyoku's lips rose a little in a half-smile.
Sleep now.~ Has much to discuss with memories now!~ Child-of-self best news.~ Will much talk.~
"We'll leave you, then." Shikiyoku turned her head to look at Hiei, "Back to the tree?" 3
Hiei thought of the flame that had joined its kin inside his stomach, the flames not exactly joining, but residing side by side like partners dancing around one another. The joy that filled him was unfathomable, his mind a whir of thoughts over this fire. What would happen if it stayed over time? Would it simply sit there?
Something pulled at his attention.
Snippets of words.
Or, rather, impressions of words, of a small conversation that he somewhat understood. But they were only snippets, broken fragments of sentences here and there that made little to no sense to him.
Bring littles…~
Child-of-self…~
Blessing…~
It wasn't much, but for some reason, the first impression he received made him blink and turn to stare at the fire again in confusion. It was similar to how he'd felt about what Shikiyoku had translated, without the feeling of it being slightly misinterpreted.
But he didn't inquire. He wasn't curious enough just yet.
When Shikiyoku turned to him, he gave a small nod of approval and turned to leave, glancing back once at the fire and testing one small thing out.
His Jagan opened beneath the cloth that hid it so well, and his mind concentrated on the flame.
"What an interesting creature you are." *
When Hiei touched the fire's consciousness with the Jagan, a legion's legion of voices spoke back to him at once, the voices of all the fire demons who had ever existed, the deepest one of all belonging to the voice of the very first demon, the original fire demon, which was almost resonating at a register too low to hear, reminiscent of its former massive size. The fire's raw power threatened to overhaul, to overwhelm even Hiei's monstrous telepathic power just from the sheer number of them.
"IS NOT CREATURE. IS FIRE. IS ALL-FIRE. CHILD-OF-SELF WILL BECOME ALL-FIRE ONE DAY AND BURN WITH ALL-FIRE TOGETHER. FOR ALWAYS. FOR NOW, PROTECT AND CHERISH. LIVE FULLY. IS MOST POWERFUL CHILD-OF-SELF. IS PLEASED."
The fire broke the connection, pulling away into itself from Hiei's mind much like it had pulled away from he and Shikiyoku before, drawing back the flames of its speech in that reverse-flaming-newspaper fashion before leaving Hiei all alone with his Jagan.
For her part, Shikiyoku followed after Hiei, taking the lead when he appeared to pause in place and continuing to walk in the direction of the ring of trees, feeling much more contented than she had in a long time. 3
Hiei became completely overwhelmed with the product of the mental contact, his mind now filled with so many voices that he couldn't even separate one from another. It made his vision swim for only a moment before he refocused, able to just barely keep his mind from being overtaken by the immense amount of consciousness that touched his own.
But more than anything, he was stunned. He hadn't even considered the fact that such a thing could be derived from past demon souls, all of the same kinsmanship. And he had felt each and every soul within the flame, and each one of those souls had responded in an uproar against his brush against their beings.
He was, again, surprised when the beings within conveyed a very clear message. His eyes widened as they left his consciousness, his mind scrambling to recover from the barrage.
And after a moment of simply staring at the flame, a small sneer formed on his face. "Interesting," he mused aloud to himself as he turned to leave. *
"Told yah." Shikiyoku replied primly, having felt the surge of Hiei's Jagan Eye as she kept walking. "I wouldn't suggest doing that again though. He's easily excitable."
Without saying another word, Shikiyoku picked up the pace, having reached the treeline.
She dodged through the thick undergrowth with exact precision, spinning to the side to avoid groups of branches, ducking underneath overhanging vines, standing up more fully in her run once they got far enough away from the grove that the trees thinned out, glancing back to see that the fire had completely disappeared in the thickness of the mist that swirled just in front of her eyes.
"You won't find your way back unless he wants you to." Shikiyoku commented calmly in the middle of their return. "The grove twists and bends in on itself to protect him and the chances of it and him both letting anyone actually in are slim. He may be easily excitable, but he is also easily angered. And his fury is more dangerous than any living beings' could ever be."
She fell silent again, alternating between trees and ground, whichever one had the easier path to navigate back to the other side of the valley. 3
Hiei turned to follow after Shikiyoku, staying silent even as she spoke to him an an amused tone. He quickly picked up his pace in a run to keep up easily with the woman, his eyes staying focused on the path she wove for him so that he wouldn't branch off and simply end up in a place he didn't actually want to be. Because, now, he did actually feel like sleeping, and a tree sounded just about amazing at the moment.
As she continued speaking, though, he gave just a small scoff at her, amused. "I don't intend on bothering it again."
Even the deepest part of him told him that it was a lie. He was intrigued with the flame. And, it was highly likely he would attempt to visit again, if only briefly.
But he did take her warnings and memorized them, to ensure to be wary later on.
And it didn't take long for his mind to already consider going back, his very core still warm with the flames he had swallowed.
Such a delicious treat… *
It did not take long for them to traverse the valley back to the side where Shikiyoku 'lived' when she was here. With the forest less dense than the one around the fire, it was easy to spot the gigantic tree that rose towering over the rest of the treeline.
Shikiyoku slowed as the reached the clearing and walked over to the root where she had placed her cloak, reaching up and moving it further back so that it would not fly off in the wind as it had already been shifted about just enough to be worrisome.
She placed a hand on the soft bark of the root that arced upwards out of the ground, feeling beneath her fingers the steady life of the tree it belonged to and looking up into its branches, the lowest of which were at least twice the size of the giant root next to her.
Her eyes shifted to the place where she often slept long ago, a place where one could curl up in near the base of the tree in a crook between where two roots dove into the ground underneath them. But, her gaze rose upwards to the lowest branches of the tree, which were easily at least two miles above the forest floor.
When she had been younger, there was only one time she had successfully made it up the path, though she had attempted to run the vertical trunk each time she tried.
She couldn't decide if she wanted to put out the effort to get up there or not, as lovely as the view and peacefulness of the breeze might be.
Shikiyoku turned to Hiei, hands on her hips as she inquired, "What do you think?" 3
Hiei pulled to a stop underneath the large tree, the branches moving only the slightest bit with the wind. He eyed each branch, particularly the closest ones, which were pretty high in relation to any other tree he'd ever scaled. He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to get up on the lowest one without using his sword for leverage.
And he didn't even want to consider damaging such an amazing sight.
Not because of how much he enjoyed it, but because there was a very real possibility it could strike back.
At Shikiyoku's question, he glanced at her before turning his eyes back up to the branches, impressed. "Too much effort." he said casually, as if his mind had already been set on staying on the ground. Might as well, right? "The ground will do for now." As he finished this sentence, he turned and simply lowered himself to the ground, reclining against the tree just as comfortable as he could be. *
Shikiyoku stretched her arms above her head, finding herself relieved with his answer before lowering next to him, leaning her back against the trunk and blinking sleepily as she realized just how tired she was.
Well...they had run nearly the whole day. And the fire was exhausting enough to talk to all on its own.
She shifted herself a little lower, eyes closing as she let herself relax, one of the arms that had taken to resting on her stomach slipping off slowly and she let it lay on the ground.
"I'm glad you like it here." She murmured, her body and mind edging towards dreamland. 3
Hiei's back was pressed against the bark, which was surprisingly smooth compared to its rough appearance. His head leaned back against it as he lowered himself further down, only his shoulders and up now touching the bark as his eyes slid closed, making him realize just how much he'd missed sleep. After all, he'd had a rude awakening back in the Human World, and then he'd simply gone on running for several hours.
The realization brought on a small yawn as Shikiyoku mumbled at him, and he merely nodded, not knowing if she saw the gesture.
As his body stilled from mild adjustment, he began to relax from head to toe, his mind quieting and he slowly drifted towards sleep. *
A cold breeze of the valley that often accompanied the dead of night blew over Shikiyoku while she still had the wits about her to be aware of it, even if only barely.
Her brow frowned and she turned over onto her side, towards the warmth she felt to her left, and then fell asleep in the peaceful silence.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku's eyes grew brighter as she and Hiei sped forwards, drawing closer to the city gates, the walls rising like red marble at a ridiculous height on the horizon.
For some reason she felt more excited than she had in a while. she had never actually seen the inside of this city.
As they got closer, there was actually a beaten path on the ground from the feet of those coming from their direction over the years and since traffic was fairly heavy along it, she kept to the trees along the side, jumping from branch to branch along with others who had the same idea as he, passing a few demons who were simply standing in the trees, a few groups conversing about subjects Shikiyoku didn't care to listen in on.
She could feel more than a few eyes on her as she lept past them, but most of them turned back away when she got out of view, her cloak fluttering along behind her as she traversed through the trees.
She didn't have the hood up, the thought didn't even cross her mind, so when they reached the gates, forced to walk along with the traffic as the trees had stopped a half a mile back, she heard a gruff voice that cut through the rumble of the crowd.
"You, there!" A demonic gate-guard with a large pike in hand shouldered his way through the other demons, stopping in front of her so that she would have to as well.
The demons around them did not stop, instead fluidly slipping around the scene that started occurring before them. 3
Hiei ran and leapt through the branches of the trees until the branches ended, making him fall to the ground in an almost lazy manner. Once his feet touched the ground, his run turned into a lazy jog, slowing so that he could take in his surroundings and worm out any threats, if there were any, before the threat became known.
Quite frankly, the idea of going through the city was not one he enjoyed. While Hiei himself looked very obviously demon, his red eyes being the sole reason behind the assumption at this point, he was more than aware at Shikiyoku's appearance. While her scent was not of a human one, at least not to him, she certainly stood out, despite the outfit that only ebbed the situation just a little.
So, when he heard a gruff, masculine voice calling out into the crowd somewhere ahead, the fire demon was not surprised to see Shikiyoku stopped in the middle of the moving path of demons, who merely continued on. Since he was a ways back, his eyes registered everything from the weapon he wielded to the severe expression on his face.
And for the moment, he wasn't in any rush. She could handle it if she simply wished to do so.
And yet, he didn't enjoy the idea of her handling this particular situation. So his hands slid into his cloak pockets and he continued forward at a slightly faster pace, until he drew up just a few feet behind Shikiyoku, watching the guard.
"You're wasting our time."
~!**!~
Akari's hands methodically twisted the hair tie around and around in her hair, creating the very same ponytail that she'd had earlier this morning, though it was a little less icky now, due to the shower she'd had. It was still slightly damp, but the sun that beat overhead would fix that problem in no time at all, she could tell by the warmth that radiated over her skin.
She pulled the hairdo tighter before her arms fell to her sides, her muscles protesting even the smallest movement with soreness that could only come from the training she'd been forcing herself into each and every morning. Yes, especially this morning, even though it was tough to really do much of anything in that particular gym without becoming overwhelmed.
The grumbled word she said was not a nice one.
Of course. First, a rose. Then, a lecture and a scar. Last…
She huffed to herself.
That's exactly why I skipped. I can't deal with it.
Just the thought of seeing the redhead sent her mind into a flurry of rapid, incoherent, fragmented thoughts and emotions. And again, this morning, when she'd gone to change into the outfit she had picked specifically for her personal training, she'd seen the bandages, even lifted them to check the wound Kurama had given her, and instead of seeing the scars, she'd not only seen the moment in the gym, but she'd felt it. On her cheeks, as heat. In her core, as a frazzled emotion she still couldn't place. And, of course, on her lips, where he'd lingered just long enough to render her speechless, smirk, and then make his escape.
Stupid fox demon. It isn't as funny as you make it to be.
Her eyes suddenly refocused on the sidewalk she wandered along, only jarred from her dazed thoughts by a grumbling human who rammed into her shoulder, causing a small grunt of pain from the shock her torso took.
"Watch it!" the man spat at her before turning to continue on in a hurry.
Stupid people. Stupid fox. Stupid, stupid, stupid… *
~!**!~
Yusuke slurped the stick of licorice further into his mouth, one hand stuffed into the pocket of his green school uniform while the other whipped a joystick expertly around, his eyes firmly fixed on the game screen in front of him.
The noise of passersby outside the arcade did not so much as break his concentration as he glared unblinkingly at the boss fight.
When the lizard boss made one last attack and reduced his character to death, Yusuke threw his hand up into the air.
"AUGH! That's like the fifth time you stupid game!" He munched angrily on the licorice, pulling his hand out of his pocket with both another coin and another stick of licorice, finishing the one in his mouth as he slipped the coin into the machine and then chomped down on the candy angrily, shifting in his seat a little as the introduction ran across the screen.
~!**!~
The guard's eyes narrowed as Hiei approached and spoke, Shikiyoku doing nothing more than looking up at him with large, unblinking green eyes.
He took a sniff of the scent that wafted up from the much shorter female below, one side of his upper lip raising as it curled into his nostril.
"Her kind isn't welcome here." The guard retorted, talking directly to the fire demon. His words this time held less force than before.
"I have my escort." Shikiyoku purred, "Out of the way."
The guard shifted his eyes downwards to regard her again. It was true that her kind were free to go about should they be accompanied, but...he looked back to Hiei.
"She's with you?" 3
Hiei blinked slowly once at the guard, as if he'd been asked the most ridiculous question in all of the universe. He didn't enjoy wasting time in any single way. And he had already known that her appearance would create problems- not that it made it any better. It still irked him to be stopped.
"If she were not, I would not have specifically enunciated the word 'our.'" he finally responded, his tone even and expression mildly irate. He stared unblinkingly, waiting for the guards wittiest response.
~!**!~
Akari turned away from the human and continued onward, her eyes staring unblinkingly ahead while her thoughts continued where they had left off.
Why him, of all people? I have to attend the same school, and I refuse to go as long as he acts like this.
What exactly is this anyway?
A frown colored her features as a headache began to form just behind her eyes. No matter how much she thought about it, she simply couldn't get past it. Nothing helped her sort through the mess, the chaos her mind became each time she attempted to do so. And still, the question remained, the one she had yet to answer or even consider:
Would I keep the scar?
Another huff of frustration and she actually threw her hands in the air now, her eyes turning to the heavens. "I give up!"
A small part of her, still as stubborn as ever, whispered no you don't..
It was just a stupid scar, for pete's sake! A scar! She could ignore it if…
….Stupid fox…. *
~!**!~
Yusuke stretched and stood up from the video game, stuffing his hands in his pockets shortly thereafter and heading out of the arcade, licorice still hanging out of his mouth.
He swiped a can of soda from someone walking by and kept going, ignoring any noise of protests they gave him.
As he lifted the drink to his lips, throwing back his head as he walked, he ran right into someone and nearly jostled the carbonated liquid all over himself.
"Hey!" He exclaimed, lowered the can, "Watch where you're goin'-" He cut off the word he meant to say when he recognized Akari, inserting another in its place, "Red. I mean, come on. People are walking here." He peered into her eyes. "Woah. What's wrong with you?"
~!**!~
"I have to make sure." The demon rumbled. "It's my job." He looked back down, taking another sniff. "You certainly don't look like one of them from The Palace." He didn't ask why, but it appeared the prospect loosened his stance. "But anyway, you should consider at least wearing that hood of yours. Contain that scent. Maybe it'll keep you out of trouble."
He stepped back.
"I'll do as I please." Shikiyoku practically growled at him as she swept past.
"I'm sure you will." The guard turned before any more words could be exchanged, shouldering his way back to his post.
As Shikiyoku kept moving with the crowd through the enormous gates and into the city proper, she grumbled angrily to herself about many things, namely the division of her spirit which contributed to her inability to change her appearance, and in a very colorful string of language that made a least two of the demons next to her twitch their ears, looking at her wide-eyed as they stepped away as inconspicuously as possible from her person. 3
Hiei gave no response to the words the guard tossed his way, his nostrils flaring again as the demon's eyes traveled back to Shikiyoku in contemplation again. Hiei closed the distance between himself and Shikiyoku in about four strides, his red eyes following the guard the entire way until he was completely sure the demon would not return to him nor Shikiyoku for further debate.
And it satisfied the fire demon to have gotten away so quickly, without too much trouble.
Then again, maybe it was being able to talk to one like that again- a demon who was supposed to be of authority- without getting mixed up into tedious trouble. After all, Koenma wouldn't take the talk back, so he'd refrained for quite some time.
And the release was simply amazing.
Red eyes moved down to Shikiyoku as his ears finally tuned into her grumblings, a sneer forming on his lips at the profanities.
"Hn," he breathed out instinctively, rather amused by her language of choice and the reaction she earned from the other demons nearby. "Perhaps you should just stick to that."
~!**!~
Akari hadn't been paying attention. At all. Her most recent thought had been a halting one, a thought that made her mind go numb with realization and her face and ears warm up at the prospect behind that single thought.
She'd simply fallen right into the fox's hands, practically walking into his plan.
But that didn't change anything…. did it? She still hated the scars beneath, still wanted to be rid of them. Even the mere thought of them and the memories they held made her want to cover her head and scream into something that would staunch her voice.
And even still, the throbbing pain of Kurama's attack kept nagging at her.
It was at this thought that she ran into another human, immediately snapping back to reality and releasing a small rumble of a growl at the male that automatically began saying a sentence that would not end well for either of them.
But when her eyes met brown ones and her mind recognized the voice of the detective, her glare became harsh as he paused only briefly before calling her red. That hadn't been his original word choice, she knew, but she didn't linger on it.
And his question had her blinking at him, her lips pulling down into a frown deeper than any other she'd had all day. "Aside from you being in my way, ramming into people like an idiot? Nothing," she replied loftily, her nose going higher in the air as if to prove her point. She hadn't realized it was so evident, her musings. *
"Me?" He grinned at her, stuffing his free hand down in his pocket and pointing at her with one of the fingers wrapped around the soda, "I'll have you know I was actually on my side of the walkway.
"And I know that look. What's up? Do I need to punch him for you?" He laughed nervously, "Unless it's Hiei. Then I'd really rather not. That guy's got abs like a rock."
~!**!~
"Stick to what?" Shikiyoku growled at him, not knowing what in the bloody ninth level he was talking about.
If she'd had her true form, the demons would have been clearing a path for her, and instead she was forced to slouch along like so much human cattle.
Not to mention the fact they wouldn't have been stopped, because everyone would have known Hiei was with her.
A smell caught her nose and her mood lifted slightly as her head perked up, catching sight of a tavern alongside the pathway. She remembered she had not actually been in this city before and she stood taller as they kept going, starting to take in the sights surrounding them and drinking them in almost hungrily as if to make up for lost time.
They started walking through the trade district where demons were lined against the buildings attempting to sell their wares to those going by. 3
Hiei chose not to reply, deciding to leave Shikiyoku to imagine what he meant on her own. The thought of her curses made his sneer widen just a fraction before it disappeared, amusement replaced with curiosity as he walked through the town, his eyes roving over each and every single thing he could see.
Demons wandered, going in and out of shops in groups or simple pairs. Different types of music drifted from open doors to what he assumed to be pubs, and different scents permeated the air, marking it a rather peculiar scent even to him.
But that wasn't what interested him most.
The trader's stands were everywhere, lining both sides of the path through the city, each table holding something different, some even with large objects set on the ground for viewing in full without breaking the table. Almost unconsciously, he drifted through the crowd to browse, small things here and there snagging his attention before he was up close on the objects only to see they were fake and continuing on, ignoring any and all chatter about him buying the newest product.
~!**!~
Akari huffed at Yusuke and turned her eyes to the side, not surprised he had turned to teasing her so quickly about her own lack of observation. It wasn't like she'd been even remotely close to reality anyway- her mind had been so consumed with-
She cut the thought short to prevent the same thing happening again, her eyes turning back on Yusuke as he spoke up again, making a scoff leave her lips.
The mental image of the detective trying to attack Kurama, while amusing, wasn't tempting enough to have her mouth open and speak about it. So, she chose the next best thing.
"Admiring another man's torso, are we?" she taunted, moving around him to continue on. "Huh, and here I thought you might actually have a chance with a female. Too bad, I suppose. She must be very disappointed." *
"First of all," Yusuke did not seem phased by her jabs, instead pulling his hand back out of his pocket and lifting a single finger, "He's not a man, he's a demon. Which really makes it unfair in the first place." Another finger, "Secondly, that was what we humans call jealousy. I know it's hard to tell the difference sometimes, but you'll catch on. Probably." He tilted his head and left his lopsided grin plastered across his face.
"Hey, listen, I just left the arcade, but I wouldn't mind going back." He jabbed a thumb behind him, "You wanna hit up a few of the machines?"3
Okay, so I gotta say that I love getting to play Yusuke against Akari. CM and I decided that he and Akari have a kind of love-hate sibling relationship that even now we wish we had opportunity to explore!
Koorime - the name of the race of ice maidens that live on the floating island Hyouga (Hiei's birthplace).
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star