A/N: Hello once again, Denizens of this FanFiction Realm!
The scenes between Foko/Akari and Shikiyoku/Hiei are ones CM and I really enjoyed writing, so I hope you enjoy reading them! The chapter is a little bit shorter than usual, but I start rambling about the tribe's celebration next in our RP, so if I hadn't stopped here this chapter would have been super long, tee hee.
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 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).
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Foko interrupts Akari's encounter with the demon Kaido,
a demon with whom Foko was supposed to be meeting,
and subsequently kills Kaido for making Foko wait.
Akari is still hallucinating due to her lack of sleep,
but wanting to stave off the nightmares,
she uses Foko's presence as a distraction from her tiredness.
Foko seems nonplussed at his role as distraction,
and embraces this role by offering to play tag with her.
~!**!~
As night fell on the Ninth Level, the lur'mog finally gets his point across to Hiei:
there is a healing pond of water nearby.
Hiei immediately returns to camp and retrieves Shikiyoku, and as she is not fully awake,
she panics as it feels like he is attempting to shove her into the water.
A moment passes between them where Hiei asks if she trusts him-
"Of course."-after which he climbs into the water himself and turns to lift her down after him.
The water is freezing, so Hiei provides a bit of light and warmth in the form of a ball of fire,
and Shikiyoku takes to watching her arm in an attempt not to slip back asleep while floating with him...
Finding the limb was no better distraction from her tiredness, Shikiyoku realized she'd started staring at Hiei, his own gaze trained on the fireball he created.
As she had many times before, she took in the curve of his cheek, the bone structure of his face, gazing over and appreciating the aesthetics of his features that she could see, his wine-colored eyes, his dark hair, his muscular shoulders. Even the Jagan, which was at the moment mostly closed, seemed to be as much a part of his complete form as the shape of his lips were to his face.
And she had to admit, just as the times before, that she'd fallen in with a rather attractive demon. And this and her previous thoughts were stirring her core more than was likely wise, her scalp tingling and her eyes glinting with power.
"Beautiful," She breathed out in a whisper, quickly flickering her glance over to the fireball when she realized she had accidentally expressed her internal feelings out loud, "Isn't it?" 3
Hiei tried to think back to the last time he'd simply sat around and done nothing but… admire. Off the top of his head, nothing came to mind, so he delved deeper into his own thoughts for a few moments, thinking back to before he'd met Kurama, before he'd trekked between the worlds and ended up in the Human World.
There, he thought as a memory surfaced. He'd been planning everything, before even considering finding Youko Kurama, of all demons, and he'd taken a break from… whatever he'd been doing before then. He'd let a stream of his energy move about, creating a light show in front of him as it danced and twirled, putting on a show in the night that only he could see.
Hiei released his hold on the memory and came back to the present in time to hear Shikiyoku's words, not even noticing the very slight pause between them. He nodded once before turning and moving away, deeper into the pond until he was almost neck-deep in, at which point he simply decided to move below the surface and rid himself of the rest of the disgusting grime and bile that had built up over the past two days.
~!**!~
Akari lay there, eyes closed and cheek on the cool grass, momentarily forgetting the reason she hadn't been up and around in the first place as she sighed in content. The park, even though it was not her favorite, was extremely peaceful and it was hard to convince herself to peel her eyes open again.
She looked over at Foko again, watching him quietly, noting the expression he wore. What's on your mind now? She continued to eye him quietly, as if she'd be able to read his mind if she simply stared long enough and tried hard enough.
Suddenly, she was up and moving, and the fact that her body didn't protest made it easier for her mind to forget that she'd actually been hurt. She reached down, patted his head between his ears with the palm of her head, smiled mischievously and then turned to run.
"Now you're it." she called over her shoulder before simply taking off.
Might as well, right? *
Foko's ears flattened outwards a bit, away from where she touched him, and the curiosity in his eyes shone brightly as she ran, up until she spoke.
"Ha!" Foko was on his feet in the next instant, and in the one following dashed off after her, his expression bright, his ears standing straight up at attention as he began to chase her, for the moment keeping a single step behind as he followed.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku winced a little when Hiei moved away, both at having to remove her hand and put her other toe down in the water-her knee seemed stiff to her sensibilities-and also, as a result, having to be lower down in the water.
Regardless of the fact that her face felt warmer, a shiver spanned the rest of her body, and she let her toes flex up and down on the pond floor, which bounced her in place a little, glancing over as she did so to feel her arm begin to itch, which truly delighted her and gave her a smile.
...which turned mischievous in the next second as she whipped her head back over to where Hiei had disappeared under the water-Lucky hybrid-and she lifted her useable arm up and pulled it close to her side with every intention of splashing water at him as soon as he'd be able to feel it.
She dropped her grin, taking on a face of nonchalance that she would hold if he actually turned around to look at her when she did so. 3
Hiei lingered beneath the surface of the water for a moment, his feet flat at the bottom of the pond, but knees bent to allow every inch of his body, making sure every inch of his hair specifically, was underneath as well. His movement made the water seem to sway, moving through his hair as it soaked his head entirely, flowing through each lock of hair despite how thick his hair was.
He waited another brief moment, eyes closed as he wiped at his face with both hands and then ran his fingers through his gently-swaying hair. His fingers broke the water's surface with the motion, causing ripples around his hair as he decided to follow the motion of his hands and resurface again, feeling as if the grime had simply dissipated in the water.
When his face was above the surface, he blew air out of his mouth, sending droplets of the water spewing in front of himself as his eyes opened and he turned to face Shikiyoku. "You should do the-"
Water hit his face, easily entering his opened mouth and making him flinch in slight surprise, eyes closing instinctively and head craning back just a little from the experience of being splashed, something he'd only experienced when he fell from the cliff he'd been tossed over as a child.
He stood there, eyes still closed and lips now closed around the water he'd caught in his mouth, to which he slowly spit out. And for the moment, his only reaction was the look of irritation on his face.
~!**!~
The sound of Foko's steps gaining on her was not lost on Akari, and quite frankly, she wondered why he hadn't closed the distance, as she was completely and utterly sure he could do so in a flash if he so desired. With a wide grin, she glanced back over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out before whipping her head around again and avoiding the bench she'd been careening towards by, as the humans said it, the hair of her chinny chin chin.
Maybe that wasn't right.
Oh well.
Her strides lengthened at the concept of a purser, and the fact that he could catch up at any second. It made her mind more aware, made it easier to look ahead and plan a route, should she require it.
"You're too slow, sweetheart!" Kyu yelled after her, all to which she ignored and changed directions, abruptly deciding that maybe, if she continued to move in zig-zags, he wouldn't be able to keep up. *
While he may not have been an actual fox demon, Foko understood well having been in this body for long that the chase was just as, if not more exciting, than the capture.
And so for the next few strides, he simply stayed right behind her, his silver hair streaming in the air behind him as his feet lightly touched the ground with hardly a sound of his pursuit.
When she took to zig-zagging, he anticipated her next turn and took two steps and was in front of her as she changed directions, feet planted and hands on his hips, waiting to see if she would be able to course-correct in time or if she would simply run into him, and he grinned down at her.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku had meant to keep a straight face, but at the look of consternation-irritation, really-that Hiei wore when the water hit him, a giggle bubbled up from her lungs and made it part way past her lips before she had time to put a couple of fingers to her mouth and continue the quiet laughter behind them.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she doubted anyone had the audacity to ever splash water at the great and powerful fire demon that was Hiei. And considering his childhood, she also doubted he even knew what she meant by it. A fact which, when remembered, made her pull her lips into her mouth and bite down on them so she didn't snicker again.
And it was that thought which made her splash him again as he sat there, that is: assuming he didn't have a playful bone in his body and would probably just tell her to stop it without understanding the gesture.
Granted...she had an advantage that other demons of his childhood had not.
He wouldn't actually kill her for it.
...maybe. 3
Hiei kept his eyes shut as water dripped down over the eyelids and proceeded to run down his cheeks. He moved as if to wipe it away, but paused when he heard the beginnings of a laugh from Shikiyoku, who seemed to clamp down on the sound just as soon as it was made. His eyes opened now to glare at her, only to snap closed again when she repeated the action.
And again, he blew air from between his lips and scattered the water droplets that hung from his lips. Never before had another demon acted like this with him, and his calculating mind simply couldn't figure out the meaning behind it or the reason it had been necessary.
His eyes opened again, his glare darker this time despite the flames between them that lightened his face.
"What exactly… drives you to do such… moronic things?" he finally voiced, tone just as heavy as his glare. Any other demon would have been killed on the spot.
~!**!~
Akari glanced back, seeing Foko behind her and giving another smirk of amusement. However, when she turned forward again, he was in front of her, feet planted and hands on his hips, expression smug. Her mouth opened to form a small 'o' shape in surprise, and with a single step, she was spinning away, changing direction before she ran head-first into the demon and instead moving as if her life depended on not being caught.
As she pivoted on a single foot to allow her spinning escape, she actually brushed his shoulder with her arm that had flung out to aid in keeping her balanced before it dropped to her side again to help propel her forward and away from the male, hoping she'd adjusted quick enough to avoid being captured. *
Foko just grinned and let her go.
"You're much too fast for me, inu." He called, chasing after her again, "Whatever am I to do?"
In counter to his words, Foko appeared in front of her again after several more strides, and did not give her a chance to turn, putting out his hand and gently prodding his finger against her forehead.
"Tag."
He stood there looking triumphant.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku bit her lips again before answering, knowing that he really didn't have the capacity for the gesture now and debating whether or not to actually explain it.
"You, flame-boy." She answered curtly, going on before he could answer by putting her good hand up to her collarbone and assuming an expression of loftiness, her eyes closed and nose turned upwards primly in the light of the fireball next to her, "In my never-ending quest to educate you on the many ways in which demon and human alike might have a bit of 'fun.'" She went on after a second as if a thought occurring to her, "And fun that doesn't involve hacking one's way through a mass of enemies because we all know how much fun that is for you." The sentence came out quickly as it was information they both knew to be true. "Fun we can both participate in." She added, still in a very professor-like mode. 3
Hiei frowned at Shikiyoku as she spoke, nose in the air as if teaching him something she thought he should already know. His expression of irritation didn't falter, not even when she brought up his idea of fun. Instead, he shifted his weight and began moving closer, wading through the pond slowly, silently despite the motion of the water.
"Your idea of fun is equivalent to an attack," he stated, though, in truth, he was having a few internal issues. "Your idea of fun, as just displayed, is not amusing to me, woman."
He moved even closer, until he was standing in front of her threateningly, orb of fire suddenly going out as he relinquished her source of heat. And he stood there for a moment, cold eyes watching her carefully. "Your idea of fun is vastly different than mine."
And in the next moment, water was flying upwards, the dragon that was normally nothing more than a tattoo on his arm roaring up from the waters, willed to life in a split second for only one purpose:
...to rain water down on her.
~!**!~
Akari heard his words, but she found them as nothing more than his personal joke, to which she actually felt amusement stem from. He was playing this game the way she would expect any demon to. He was enjoying the chase, toying with her as most demons likely would have.
So when he appeared in front of her again, she wasn't surprised this time. But, she didn't have time to skid to a stop either, no matter how hard she dug her feet into the ground.
Though, her momentum slowed just enough that when she did run into the demon, they didn't simply topple over. *
Foko had already planted his feet firmly into the ground, and Akari smacking into him was a little like a fly hitting a mountainside.
His eyes sparkled with amusement, grin much less wide than previously, if only because he fought desperately against laughing aloud.
He took her by the shoulders, lifted her just enough that he could move her, and set her back on her feet in front of him before putting a hand back on his hip, finally grinning at her again.
"You're 'it.'"
~!**!~
Shikiyoku kept her half-pious pose until Hiei continued moving and was going to be standing in front of her, and at his voice drawing nearer, her hand fell, her lips struggling against the smile that wanted to form on her mouth as she stared him down with equal passion to his own, if on the complete opposite spectrum than the one he appeared to be accessing.
She parted her lips with a single brow raising to make some high and mighty observation about having to discover and establish for oneself the difference between an 'attack' and 'play,' when the darkness flame shot up out of the water, casting its brilliant dark-purple energy in a gorgeous reflection on the pond.
To which, of course, Shikiyoku appeared to remain unimpressed-if not a trifle confused at what exactly drove Hiei to releasing it-but did follow its path upwards with both eyebrows rising and mouth still open with the intent to speak, but instead getting her entire face showered with the water that the dragon had displaced, making her eyelids blink rapidly as she squinted to clear the liquid from her eyes, a mischievous smile starting to form on her face. 3
Hiei watched Shikiyoku as the dragon reared from the water, creating steam as some of the water evaporated with the contact, but also creating a shower that fell down around them noisily. As soon as she looked away, Hiei silently moved, ducking beneath the water until every inch of his spiky hair was underneath the surface.
He paused for another moment before his eyes opened beneath the water, taking a short moment to assess her knee before continuing on with what he wanted to do anyway.
He reached out and grabbed the ankle of her left foot, his other hand grabbing behind the thigh of her right leg and pulling her feet from the ground beneath, ensuring she dipped beneath the water in front of him.
~!**!~
Akari moved to step away, not sure how he'd react to being run into, but wasn't surprised when Foko actually guided her a step away from him. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and looked up at him with raised brows, her own hands planting on her hips and a small pout making her bottom lip jut out slightly.
"It's no fun if you just stand here, silly." she complained before her expression shifted to a smile. "But, I won't be able to keep up, so this game is one-sided."
"Hey, you're using your noggin." *
Foko's expression shifted as if he hadn't even considered the fact that he was supposed to move again after tagging her.
"And you should have tagged me just now." Foko pointed out, grinning and hopping back out of arm's reach. "And if you don't believe yourself to be faster than me, doesn't that just mean you have to win some other way?" He pivoted on one foot and looked over his shoulder at her, shaking both his rear and his tail at her tauntingly, letting his tongue stick slightly out from between his lips at her.
~!**!~
Luckily for Shikiyoku, she had just taken a breath to speak when she suddenly found herself jerked downwards, the water enveloping her entire head as she went under. Unfortunately, most of that breath was blasted out of her mouth in the initial bubbles of her descent in her surprise.
The first thing she found when she got her bearings as quickly as possible was seeing Hiei's eyes gleaming crimson in the water, the next was that her entire body gave one final shudder as the liquid closed overhead and her eyes slammed shut at the prickling feeling that briefly stabbed at her scalp. Her teeth may have gritted together at the sensation, but there was no mistaking the amusement at Hiei dunking her.
She shook her head slightly as she felt her hair begin to fan out behind her, begrudgingly thankful that Hiei got the whole process of torture over and done with all at once.
That didn't mean she didn't go ahead and stick her tongue out at him impishly after reopening her eyes. 3
Hiei felt the beginnings of a sneer form on his lips as Shikiyoku came crashing down into the water before him, expression one he knew well. He floated in front of her, eyes sparking with amusement as she stuck her tongue out at him, her own eyes showing amusement at his antics.
So, maybe he hadn't ever associated falling below the surface of water to be fun.
However, the process of pulling one under the water, for no reason other than to get back at her for the splashing… that he enjoyed. And her reaction made it just that much more amusing.
His hands moved in the water to keep him floating below the surface, but after a moment, he sneered again and moved to resurface, knowing that Shikiyoku would be able to do the same once she planted her foot and pushed upwards.
~!**!~
Akari could have whacked her own head for her blunder. She had simply thought he was letting her tag him back. No, he simply hadn't known. The idea made her laugh suddenly. "You suggested a game you didn't know how to play entirely?!" She yelled at him with another laugh.
And when he was taking off, her laugh was gone and she realized that he was right. She'd have to find other means of tagging the demon back. So, for the moment, she let him move away, watching him thoughtfully as the gears in her mind began turning.
Or rather, they were trying to.
As she stood there, she raised her hand to stifle a yawn, the lack of movement making her aware of her tiredness again despite the distraction Foko posed.
"You're losing."
"Shut up," she finally responded to the demon before moving away from him and running after the demon who'd continued the game. *
Foko took off after the moment of butt-waggling, heading for a portion of the park which had strange shapes coming out of the ground. Eyeing one in particular, he dove straight into the tube and shuffled on his hands and knees until he was half-way through it.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku stayed under the water for a moment longer, shifting her fingers through her hair as the grim got out of it, unsure of when or where the two bobby pins from the previous hair-do had gone and not particularly wasting any time other than observing it thinking about them.
Flexing the hand of her almost completely restored arm, she glanced up at Hiei and half-wanted to take the same move and turn it on him, but being ever the entrepreneur, lazily rose up of the water in front of him instead.
"Hiei…" Shikiyoku dropped her voice low when she spoke his name, letting her tongue caress the two syllables out of her mouth, a slight smile on her lips, and her attitude much different than before as her energy started to move sensuously through the empty space between them and her eyes gleamed a bright emerald-green in the darkness. 3
As Hiei resurfaced, his eyes reopened and he looked up to see his dragon still swirling around and around in the air, moving in circles above the pond and above his head. The glow that emitted from it was one he revelled in for a moment longer before he recalled it, his eyes following its every move as it made one last circle before making a rapid descent, moving first so that it rested its chin on his outstretched hand, palm holding the dragon up before it continued on, swirling around and around his arm before turning around and swirling back up to his wrist, returning as a simple tattoo and going back to where it had been resting its eyes.
He looked up now to see Shikiyoku standing in the water, her lips moving to form his name almost lazily, or that's how he saw it anyway. His smirk reappeared on his lips, but died away after a moment and taking to simply lingering in his gaze.
And he didn't respond other than a look of expectation, waiting on her to continue with whatever she'd been about to say.
~!**!~
Akari ran after Foko through the park, though he had a decent lead on her. Her strides were long and her arms swung to help propel her forward, head ducked just enough that she wouldn't lose sight of the fox demon who changed directions, as she had expected him to.
But where he headed, and where he ended up…
Akari came to a stop about ten feet away from the tunnel, staring at the opening where he'd almost disappeared, the end of his tail and his feet visible from where she stood. And then she dropped to her knees in the grass, hand holding her stomach and head bowed. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter that she was trying with all her might to hide, but as it became harder to breathe, her laughter began to ring throughout the air around her, first quietly before slowly rising in volume, dying away again when she couldn't breathe anymore.
A demon, diving into a dog's play tube!
The thought and the image in her mind made her topple over in the grass, landing on her right shoulder and simply laying, curled into a small ball as she gasped frantically for air, crying tears of laughter that streamed down her cheeks. *
Foko stopped in place and blinked.
You'd think I would remember by now that I'm just a little bit bigger than my actual form.
Hearing the frantic laughter on the grass pulled Foko from his brief inward moment as he grinned and he continued crawling on all fours out the other side of the plastic tube, turning, and staying in that position all the way over to Akari, his silver-hair falling down either side of his face as he crawled up to her, eyes bright, ears at attention and fixated upon her sound.
When it appeared she might stop, Foko simply started prodding at the side of her ribs that had not been injured, curious to see if this inu might be ticklish.
~!**!~
As soon as Shikiyoku had Hiei in her eyes' grasp, she let another gentle pulse of power wash over him and moved closer, her lips slightly apart as if any moment she could speak.
Underneath the water, she flexed the hand of her mostly healed arm, testing its strength, and then brought both hands up to rest them on Hiei's shoulders near his neck, fingers almost absently moving back and forth over his bare skin.
"Hi-ei..." She said again, making the separation more pronounced, drawing herself up close to him without breaking eye contact, "...tell me something..." She paused for a moment before finishing, eyebrows raising slightly. 3
Hiei retained eye contact with Shikiyoku calmly, not even an inkling of her energy pulsing around him known by him. So, after a few moments, he was completely locked on her, his gaze no longer holding his amusement, but calm, patiently waiting as she moved closer, her hands now on his bare shoulders. His eyes remained on hers, transfixed.
At her pronunciation of his name, he felt as if she were making him wait on purpose, and the thought almost had him becoming impatient. He raised a brow curiously at her, completely and utterly aware of her touch.
When she continued, but did not continue enough to be of benefit for either of them, his brow raised further. His lips parted only slightly, as if preparing to ask her what she wished to know, but words never really forming on his tongue.
After a moment, his lips did actually part enough to release his prompting question, "What do you wish to know?"
~!**!~
Akari's laughter died down for a moment, her chest expanding and contracting with her rapid attempt at regaining her breath. Her eyes were still closed, her breaths more than just a little audible as she forced her laughter to stay in her throat, not allowing herself to continue laughing.
She was so concentrated that she hadn't been aware of the approaching demon until he was prodding her, poking her ribs to which she quickly jerked away from, eyes shooting open to stare at Foko, lips twitching but clamped firmly closed as she wriggled away from him. *
Foko's teeth were showing. Because he was smiling so hard at Akari's mild attempts at escape.
Without any other warning, he grabbed her by the shoulders again and pulled her towards himself while at the same time shifting over so that he was sitting down, getting her into his lap and beginning to prod at her again, a portion of his hair falling against her face.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku brought her nose so close to Hiei's that the two almost touched before she went on.
"Are you having fun yet?" Her grin turned wicked and in a flash, one hand slid up his neck to the top of his head and shoved down forcefully, the other still at his shoulder and taking the moment of distraction she'd provided for herself to dunk him completely under the water, beginning to laugh merrily as she pushed him slightly further down before starting to let go. 3
Hiei opened his mouth to speak, to respond to her question, but he hadn't had time to even suck in a breath before his head was underwater, held down by a hand atop his head, completely breaking the spell she'd had over him. His lips quickly closed, as did his eyes once he realized he was underwater, easily keeping from swallowing the liquid despite the abrupt surprise.
His eyes opened and his head moved so he could look up at Shikiyoku from beneath the water's surface, taking a moment to think as her hand lifted from his hair.
And he decided to be as cruel as was possible in the situation.
He let out the breath he'd been holding, creating bubbles in the water as he let his entire body relax, going slack. And, with the aide of his Jagan, he began pulling his energy inside himself, concealing his presence very slowly until, after a minute or two, it was as if he had no energy at all.
And at that precise moment, he stopped all movement and let his eyes close, creating a calm mask as he simply floated just beneath the water's surface.
~!**!~
"N-no! Nononononono!" Akari began protesting as she was pulled closer to Foko, a laugh leaving her as soon as his fingers began prodding again at her ribs. "S-stop it!" she stuttered out between bubbles of laughter, the more he prodded the more sensitive she seemed to be to this sensation of tickling.
A flashback to when she was younger had her batting at his arms, tears rolling down her face again as she attempted shifting to keep him from the area around her hips where she used to be most ticklish. "I-I can't breathe!" she stuttered out again, her words ending with more laughter as she struggled to get away, batting at him now with both hands. *
Foko finally released her after continuing for a moment more, pleasant laughter falling out of his mouth as he watched her wiggle slightly in his lap.
He leaned back on his hands and tilted his head slightly to regard her with a grin, crossing his legs at the ankles and looking down at her.
~!**!~
Laughing the entire way to the bank of the pond, Shikiyoku had herself pulled halfway out of the water before she even bothered to look back, mirth falling away into just a grin as she easily lifted up the rest of the way with her newly healed arm.
When she finally turned back to fire another comment about the lesson being over, hands on her hips, Shikiyoku realized that the water had grown very still and her hands slowly dropped to her sides, no signs of any bubbles that would indicate life beneath the surface.
For a second, her core hitched and she frantically turned inward to the bond she held in her mind.
The pact hummed at her attention, and she knew without a doubt that Hiei was not dead. Or dying, for that matter. She had been through three-Shikiyoku closed her eyes at the reminder-three times of feeling the pact sever, and while each one had been as unique as the death or powerlessness that caused it, it would be untrue to say that they had not rocked her to her very soul.
But...he didn't resurface.
That water wasn't that deep.
Did she choke the air out of him?
She couldn't remember. She didn't think so.
Shikiyoku's breath caught in her throat.
She was only handling half of a pact.
That thought send her core racing again.
Perhaps if he died she wouldn't feel it like the others.
Her arm absently flex again, as if testing its strength without her direct awareness.
Then she dove back in.
The entire time she swam back in Hiei's direction, she paid close attention to the half-pact between them.
Surely if he were dying it would alert her. It would have to for her survival. And she didn't think something like that would be split somehow.
That's what led her to getting down to where Hiei had sunk slightly to the bottom from the lack of breath in his lungs and pausing for a moment, slyly letting a portion of her former panic continue ringing against the bond between them.
Is it a game you're playing with me, flame-boy? The thought both amused and surprised her.
Then we shall see exactly how long you're willing to play it.
Keeping herself swimming just in front of him, Shikiyoku brought up a single hand and teased the back of her fingers across Hiei's collarbone, drawing back and then reaching forward with both hands-and a sadistic grin-and lightly brushing the tips of her fingers intermittently all the way down his chest to his stomach. 3
Hiei had to fight to keep from moving any of his muscles, which occasionally twitched in protest of being so still in the water, where he could receive no oxygen whatsoever. But he managed it as if he'd done this hundreds of times, arms floating out by his sides to both make the illusion look more realistic and to keep himself submerged. It was something he'd learned when he was younger and having to get away from a demon who'd been a little tougher than he'd anticipated.
He was about ready to resurface when he felt the change in the water indicating that Shikiyoku was moving nearby, getting closer. His eyes remained closed, so he didn't see what she was about to do until she was actually touching him.
For a moment, he didn't react, though the sensation was enough to make his fingers twitch as he fought the urge to move. After another beat, his eyelids shot open and he was reaching out, grabbing Shikiyoku's wrist and pulling her towards himself, energy billowing around himself as his mind reached out to touch hers.
"To answer your question, I am indeed having fun. Are you still having fun?"
~!**!~
Akari's arms fell to her sides when Foko released her from his sadistic form of torture. She gasped for air, eyes opening to shoot a half-hearted glare in his direction, completely contradicted by the small smile on her lips.
"You're-" she took another deep breath, "A jerk." she finished, though she didn't mean it in the slightest as she lay there, watching him.
And then she reached up with the hand closest to him, miming his earlier motion and lightly touching his forehead with her index finger, her smile growing. "You're it," she whispered before laughing again and letting her eyes close. *
Foko narrowed his eyes playfully at her as she declared him 'it,' but made no move at that moment to tag her back, until she closed her eyes and a frown passed over his features. He poked her side a couple more times.
"None of that now. Or you'll be tickled again."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku didn't appear surprised to find that Hiei had been playing a game with her, though a tiny portion of her mind expressed relief at discovering it to be true and certain.
She let him pull her closer, and then came farther than he'd likely intended before answer his question until her body rested up against his under the water, laying her face into the crook of his neck and closing her eyes as she felt the warmth radiating off his bare skin.
Responding through the contact she still felt via the Jagan, she answered him after that moment.
"Of course. And I don't think I've ever had quite this much fun all at once, Champion. ...thank you." She let her appreciation flood the place where their minds were connected. 3
Hiei had released her wrist, but it didn't seem to stop Shikiyoku from simply floating closer, almost forming a hug. He didn't move away, simply floating there as he felt the bond begin to thrum almost happily in his mind, as if this contact were something that should have happened long ago. His eyes looked to her from the corners, watching the way her hair moved about in the water as she gave her reply.
Despite the burning of his lungs that were screaming for air, he stayed a little longer, sneer disappearing from his expression as he watched Shikiyoku, a little surprised by the gentle appreciation in her words when he'd just played dead.
After another moment, his lungs protested enough that his head throbbed, and then began to ache. He grabbed at Shikiyoku's arms and pulled her up with him, his head breaking the surface and his mouth immediately opening to gasp for the oxygen his lungs craved.
"Avoiding the city was worth it, now wasn't it?" he suddenly voiced, expression blank but gaze shining with the smugness that didn't show anywhere else.
~!**!~
Akari's entire body twitched at the contact, another small huff of a laugh leaver her at Foko's prodding, her eyes sliding open in preparation for another attack. But he calmly sat back again, and his words made her stick out her tongue at him. "I wasn't sleeping, just relaxing for a bit!"
She gave a beat of pause before huffing again. "And that's a form of torture I hope to never experience again." *
"What, relaxing? I can remedy that for you." Foko replied with ease, moving his hand as if to start tickling her again.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku tried not to smile, but her lips kept twitching as she narrowed her eyes playfully at her Champion, hands resting softly on his shoulders where they had moved when he started to pull her up with him.
She finally made a big show of sighing and tossing her gaze up towards the overhanging trees, "I suppose here is where you get to say 'I told you so.'" 3
Hiei raised a brow at Shikiyoku, following her gaze for a moment before turning back to her with a brief sneer before he was pulling away and moving towards the edge of the waters, not glancing back at her as he moved away.
"As if I'd say such a petty thing."
He pulled himself up from the waters and then pushed himself up to stand, wiping the water from his face and then running his hand over his chest to do the same, the feeling of the water dripping down his skin an unpleasant one.
~!**!~
"Nononono!" Akari quickly replied, a hand reaching up and grabbing his wrist to still its descent and forcing him to lower it again. "No more, please." she practically begged, shifting her weight to angle her torso further from him as if to highlight her point. *
"But I thought relaxation was torturous for you?" Foko grinned briefly increased pressure on the wrist she held as if to fight her resistance against his advances.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku watched Hiei move away from her, and now that her body had adjusted to the temperature of the water, she felt anxious about leaving.
While she hadn't directly paid attention to it at the time, the air had made her body shiver desperately when she'd gotten out earlier.
Ironic.
Stalling for a moment, Shikiyoku lifted her forearm out of the water, flexing her fingers for the third time and watching with interest the tendons pull and move as she did so.
She leaned closer to her skin, unsurprised to see that the healing had left a scar down the length of her arm, as long as the hole itself had been, where the skin had pulled together to close. And on both sides of it too.
Curious, she briefly glanced down to her knee, but it was still beneath the surface of the pond, and the darkness did not allow her sight to penetrate far enough to make it out.
She wondered if there was a scar there.
Resigning herself to the chill she was likely to get, Shikiyoku made her way back to the edge of the pond and slowly, reluctantly, started to pull herself out of the water, shiver beginning as soon as her shoulders left it. 3
Hiei stood with his back to the pond still, his hands wiping away droplets when he felt them until he was bored with it and simply decided to use his energy. Might as well use his resources, right? His eyes slid closed, trying to ignore the droplets that fell from his hair and down his face some more as his energy began to swell within himself, his core pulsating with heat energy as his skin began to continuously warm up.
After a moment, steam seemed to be rising from his body as the water evaporated, and his hair began to stand on end as it normally did, the water from his locks also evaporating little by little.
He turned around to face Shikiyoku as his energy died away, eyeing her as he realized he didn't feel the cool of the air, or rather, he wasn't bothered by it. He noticed goose bumps forming on her skin as soon as she was pulling herself from the water, and he considered her for a moment.
He wasn't one for contact, really. He'd been just a bit uncomfortable a moment ago when she'd leaned her head on him, and a little more so when her hands had planted on his shoulders. He saw it as unnecessary and useless, most of the time.
But he couldn't exactly extend his warmth to her like a simple heater. It would require a flame.
So he turned his back onto her again as if about to walk away, but paused mid thought and turned back to her again, and he began flexing his energy around himself again, testing its ability to move around himself as simple warmth.
He found that, while he couldn't simply direct it to her, he could expand it, make almost a bubble-like area of warmth around himself that radiated through the air. She'd only need to walk nearby to feel its effects. So he approached her, his bubble of warmth moving with him as he took to standing near her.
"They're having a bonfire."
~!**!~
She gave a small laugh, "No, no, tickling is torture! You're going to actually kill me if you keep it up!" she exaggerated, meeting his resistance with equal force. "Can we just have a moment of staying here?" she suddenly requested, small smile coloring her features with fondness. "Please? Your lap is very comfortable." *
"Of course, inu." Foko replied with equal good-humor and a gentle smile, pulling his arm away to prop himself up again.
He gazed at her for a moment longer before lifting his eyes back up to the clouds, letting the peace settle across the park as between them.
~!**!~
By the time Shikiyoku got all the way out of the pond, she had her arms wrapped around herself while the air hit the droplets of water and her soaked hair.
She knew immediately when Hiei stepped closer what he was doing and she gave him a grateful look, standing in place and shivering.
Shikiyoku raised an eyebrow when he mentioned it and spoke through chattering teeth.
"Bonfire means lots of demons around." 3
Hiei raised a brow at Shikiyoku's words, having already discerned that particular problem. Of course it meant a lot of demons, but it also meant food, all to which his stomach was craving at the moment. He was surprised it hadn't made a sound yet.
He turned and began to walk, assuming she'd follow since he was radiating the warmth she needed to keep her teeth from chattering and muscles from tightening. He considered their options for a moment as he sauntered along. He could kill something, if he so desired, but that would also mean that he'd have to skin it, clean it, gut it, the whole shebang.
And he wasn't quite hungry enough for that process just yet.
Maybe there was-
No, rivers were scarce in most parts of Demon World.
He'd simply have to gather them food from the bonfire on his own, he decided. "Are you hungry?"
~!**!~
Akari released his wrist and let her hand rest on her stomach, her eyes watching Foko even as he turned away. She hadn't been lying when she'd said she was comfortable. His presence was easy to give in to, and quite frankly, she found herself increasingly wanting to stay within his presence.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was so accepting of anything and everything that happened around her, even going so far as to kill his own business partners simply because he enjoyed her presence too.
It was something she found funny, but at the same time, disconcerting. Why? Because, well, he was so different than the people he was overseeing. While Otento was lethal, attacking at every chance he saw, Foko was making peace.
At least, to her he was.
She hummed thoughtfully and turned her eyes to the side now, noting that Kyu was nowhere to be seen and feeling grateful for that fact. *
Without directly meaning to, Foko reached over to the hair fanned out about his thighs from where Akari had struggled and began playing with the strands absently, his eyes turned down to watch, but very obviously far away and not particularly seeing the action.
He spread portions of her hair farther out over the outer side of his leg and gently brushed his fingers against it, observing the stark contrast in color from her locks to his pants.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku trotted to catch up to Hiei once she realized he did mean to head back towards the encampment, partly for his warmth, mostly for his company.
"I could certainly eat." She responded mildly, "But I think you'll find we'll be dragged into the celebration. And I wouldn't advise you stealing the food." She teased. 3
Hiei made a small sound of amusement at Shikiyoku's teasing, though it didn't really move past his sealed lips. His expression remained neutral, even as he thought back to the creature he'd killed and every single word it had yelled at him. "Yes, but part of that is, by right, my own." he said suddenly, thinking back to his days as a child, when he'd been taken in by bandits that were a little rough around the edges, to say the least. They'd taught him the guidelines of how the hunt went.
Perhaps they were different here, but he half cared nothing at all about the differences.
The other half of him was mildly curious and wanted to learn.
~!**!~
Akari's eyes took in the scenery around her, noticing for the first time that the trees here were different than those at the other park that she normally visited. They were smaller and offered less shade, their leaves weaker and tearing as limbs struck one another. Some of the limbs were dead from the trees' ages.
The human world trees die much faster than Demon World's.
She let her eyes wander again, this time to the playthings in the area. They were simple, obviously meant for creatures whose attention spans were no longer than her smallest finger. Nabu would have enjoyed it, when they first met. Now, she wasn't quite sure.
The feeling of her hair being tugged brought her eyes back to Foko, and she watched the glassy-eyed stare he had, wondering for the second time that day what was plaguing his mind, and again not asking. She let her eyes move to see the sky past his head, deciding to leave him to his thoughts for the moment. *
Foko started to weave a portion of the hair together with one hand, his long lithe fingers delicately patterning the strands he had between them, starting from closer to Akari's head and moving out swiftly to the end of her hair.
He did this twice more, then took all three braids and started the same process over again until the ornament was finished.
His eyes came back to the present then, and admired his handiwork.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku gave Hiei a surprised look.
She had not known he had joined them in their hunt, though that is what she supposed he meant.
"I do not think Shubou would begrudge you what is rightfully yours." Shikiyoku admitted, "However, it would be considered a slight upon their honor for you to steal away with it and not at least sit with them to consume it." 3
Hiei didn't respond. That had been something he'd learned in his childhood too, but hadn't really cared for at points. Even now, he wasn't one for communal feasting. It was something he saw a group of very close individuals doing and, well, he wasn't even hardly acquainted with these demons.
Perhaps he'd skip it after all, to avoid the politics of it all.
Or maybe it wouldn't hurt to join for a while.
He couldn't decide just how hungry he was, and now that he'd voiced his thoughts to Shikiyoku, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to back down now anyway.
"What's there to celebrate anyway?" he asked, genuinely curious of the occasion that had called for a bonfire and a feast.
~!**!~
Akari revelled in the feeling of Foko's fingers moving through her hair as gently as they were, her eyes sliding closed for a moment or two. It was the sole reason she'd let it grow out, so she herself could fashion it into any style she so chose, once she'd began living with Sensui. So when his fingers released her hair from his hold, she opened her right eye and looked up at him, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Do you always play with something in your hands when lost in thought?" *
Foko blinked down at Akari, unaware that she had paid any attention, though his absent-mindedness was mostly to blame for that.
Before he answered, he smoothed his fingers down the finished product.
"I'm not sure." He admitted, "I think it was a result of having something so beautiful to play with."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku made a thoughtful noise, "Mm. I think Shubou still celebrates the Feast of Darkness." 3
Hiei raised a brow, though didn't look at Shikiyoku or express his slight confusion. He'd never celebrated anything of the sort, to his knowledge. Was it something native to this level of Demon World, or simply something that became a rarity before he was born?
Either way, it mattered not to him. He wasn't a fan of large gatherings.
He actually almost sighed at this point.
He himself wasn't hungry enough, but if Shikiyoku was, he wouldn't mind killing and skinning a creature for them to cook and eat.
~!**!~
Akari blinked slowly at Foko with a small smile. "Would you believe me if I told you it used to be short, not even touching my shoulders? It was kept that way for most of my life, actually. Only recently did I decide to grow it out." she paused, smiling. "Who knew it curled so much?" *
"Mm." Foko intoned, continuing to run his fingers through the other, non-braided parts of her hair, "Short or long is a matter of personal taste. I can see you looking just as lovely with either."
~!**!~
Warmer now, Shikiyoku stopped for a second to bend down and remove the bandages from around her knee, interested to find that here there had been left no scar.
Now that he had reminded her of it, Shikiyoku kind of wanted to attend. She turned the thought over in her head as she unwrapped her former wound.
She knew there would be storytelling and some time of music and dancing. Not to mention a few duels between tribesman. The celebration would likely last the entire night, as it was intended to. She felt torn, much preferring the simple company of her Champion to a large crowd.
Well, as large of a crowd as Shubou's tribe might produce. Which, if memory served of the brief moment she'd gotten to look around at the tents and gauge the noise when Hiei whisked her away earlier, would barely consist of twenty demons altogether.
Her energy did buzz slightly around her with excitement at joining them though.
She also suddenly realized the meaning behind Shubou's offer for her to join in with them. Having a demon of her kind in attendance, with her background and age, would make the feast one the tribe wasn't likely to forget, even if she had been forced to sit in the background with her injuries.
Events such as these were not usually kept in Demon World any longer except among the tribesfolk because their original purpose had been to lift the spirits of a hardworking group, ceremony and significance behind the gathering aside.
"I..." Shikiyoku started, hesitant, as she stood up to keep walking, "I should go." She admitted with a bit of reluctance. "Shubou asked me to while changing my bandages, and I...I think I owe it to the tribe for their kindness. To at least appear for a moment." Shikiyoku gave Hiei a side-long glance out of the corner of her eye, "I understand if you do not wish to join." 3
Hiei let the silence stretch on for a few more moments as they walked, stuck in his own inner debate for the moment. He could go, and likely end up being stuck there with Shikiyoku waiting, if she decided not to join him. He could skip out, kill an animal for themselves, but then he'd have to find a water source for-
Shikiyoku's voice practically yanked him from his thoughts and brought his eyes to her as she spoke, solving all of his inner debates in a single sentence. The rest of her words weren't really necessary, because no matter his reluctant he was to join the celebration - even to simply eat - he wouldn't allow her to go alone.
So when the campgrounds came into his sights, Hiei didn't turn to go back to the tent. Instead, he followed his ears, not responding to Shikiyoku with words, but with the direction his feet carried him.
He'd simply have to stick it out, he supposed.
Maybe he would actually find something worth staying for.
~!**!~
Akari made a sound of amusement at Foko, then turned it into a small sound of appreciation. He'd answered a loaded conversation wisely by not stating any preference or commenting on the flaws nor perks of either hairstyle, something she hadn't realized she'd been listening for.
"Quite frankly, I like it better long. I can play with it myself when I end up bored."
The smile she offered was a lopsided one as she eyed him again. "You know, I've been curious about a few things, but I'm sure you wouldn't appease my curiosity about any of them." she suddenly admitted. "Say, your actual name." *
"Well, I won't turn down the question, you just may not get an answer." Foko smiled down at her and tilted his head. "Would it be unreasonable of me to admit to enjoying the name you've given me in place of my own?"3
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star