A/N: Hello once again, FanFiction Enthusiasts!
So, where the previous couple of chapters were short because of my attempts to cut these chapters into relative coherency, this one in return is a littler longer, heh.
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!
As Akari 'dreams' while sleeping, Kurama is actually pulled into what accounts as little more than an illusion,
finding himself amused to find Akari has Youko inside her dreams. Of course, 'Youko' is actually Foko,
but Kurama does not know this and interacts as if there's nothing odd about the silver-haired fox
acting rather over-protective of the girl.
Playing along with the world she has created, Kurama asks if Akari is hungry,
and soon the two of them are sitting together at a ramen stand.
Kurama apologizes for the trouble he's caused,
bringing Akari to realize that she's asleep.
As she falls away into the darker reaches of slumber,
Kurama admits to her that he wishes for nothing more than her happiness.
He is dropped back into his room, where he has Akari in his arms as he leans up against the wall,
and he resigns himself to staying there when she appears to almost protest him leaving her.
~!**!~
Over the next month-in Demon World time-Shikiyoku and Hiei make the trek from the Ninth Level to the First.
Hiei is looking for information regarding King Enma kidnapping demons from the First Level and relocating them to Human World.
As they arrive in the first city, it begins to rain and the two of them go into a nearby lounge to wait for the acidic downpour to stop.
The owner of the lounge gives Hiei a drink and provides them with a private room,
sensing Shikiyoku's tension and explaining there is no place for it there.
Shikiyoku has noticed that since she broke the compulsion her mother placed on her,
there have been subtle changes to her body that happened without her direct say-so.
Her scent is more potent, her hair gleams, and the most disconcerting:
her skin almost glows with beauty, meant to beckon others closer, to touch it.
Lesser demons pay more attention to her now than ever before,
and it has steadily made her more and more nervous.
She now goes around as covered as possible, but despite her best efforts,
she has found no gloves that would fit her rather small, humanoid hands.
In any case, she and Hiei take their rest in the private room, intending to stay until the rain stops,
and after having what equated to a 'bad dream,' and waking both herself and Hiei up,
Hiei moves over next to Shikiyoku with the intention of his closer presence being of a help.
Hiei had stayed in that exact spot for about two more hours before his ears had picked up the slight change in the sound, his instincts picking up on the change in the atmosphere that told him the rain had let up. His eyelids slid open and he stared up at the ceiling for a moment before his irises turned down to the peaceful expression on Shikiyoku's face.
After a slight moment of contemplation, the fire demon moved each and every muscle slowly, carefully, until he was sliding away from the couch and slinking out the door, shutting it behind himself silently. With eyes set on the demon behind the counter, who now seemed rather bored as he rubbed at a few bowls with a towel. The fire demon approached the counter with silent steps that, somehow, were not lost on the demon who turned a blank stare onto him.
"Nice nap?"
Hiei raised a brow before turning eyes back to look at the different snacks and such in the area, the soft music of the room floating around just as easily as the demon's voice.
"Another one?"
"Yes," Hiei replied finally, deciding he'd have the drink rather than a snack. "Two, this time."
"She gonna drink this one?"
Hiei gave a smirk. "I guess we'll find out."
"Indeed." the demon replied as the bottles slid across the counter and into Hiei's waiting fingers. Without another word, the fire demon dropped a few coins onto the counter and turned, making his way back into the room where Shikiyoku had been left alone to sleep.
~!**!~
The darkness of sleep didn't really seem to fade entirely as Akari awoke, and the only thing she did at the moment as shift, pulling herself closer to the pillow she was hugging, tangling her legs in the blanket around her feet and burying her nose into the fabric of the sheet that felt extremely warm.
She took in a deep breath, willing herself to go back into the sleep she'd somehow managed.
A dreamless, beautiful sleep that she hadn't had in what felt like an eternity. Nothing but darkness, restful sleep.
And she could go for a few more hours of such sleep.
And that thought lead her to tangling herself up further into the sheets, arm pulling her pillow closer and nose rubbing one more time against the sheet with a sigh of content. *
There had been a moment or two over the past day where Kurama had considered getting up, but each time the urge had arisen, the demon he now lay next to on the bed would move closer, pull him tighter, or murmur something in her sleep, completely rendering the urge moot.
So, he had himself napped on and off, waking on occasion to assure himself that she dreamed none during her rest, and found the next night that somehow in the middle of all of this, instead of sitting with his back against the corner and Akari in his arms, they were laying next to one another, Akari tangling her legs up in his-and ridding any chance Kurama had of leaving without her notice-with her arms around him and her face buried in the sleeveless white undershirt of his school uniform. He'd removed the pink jacket at some point.
He froze as she shifted around again.
Once the night had come upon them, he had found himself unable to fall back asleep, and took to weaving vines into Akari's hair, giving her a brilliant green crown, and he wondered if his actions had nearly woken her.
He waited a few seconds after she stopped moving before returning his free hand back to her hair and this time continuing to circle the vine down around her long curls, encouraging the growth gently with his energy while at the same time weaving it with his fingers.
~!**!~
With her internal clock set to wake her when the atmosphere changed, Shikiyoku could feel that alarm slowly pulling her from rest, becoming aware of the fact that she had found a couch pillow and was hugging it, curled around it in a ball on the seat cushion.
She blinked sleepily once, eyes closing quickly again with heaviness of not being fully awake and wondered somewhere in the back of her mind where Hiei had gone off to. 3
Hiei slipped back into the room silently, cold glass bottles between his fingers clinking only a little as the door shut behind him silently for the second time. He popped open one of the two, hearing a small sound of fizzing sound just before he lifted it to his lips, taking a small sip of the drink that suddenly had him pausing, staring at the red slush within the glass confines with wide eyes.
It reminded him of strawberries.
After that thought, he took another drink, this time savoring the taste and comparing the flavor to that of the little red fruits of Human World, moving to stand over Shikiyoku, extending his hand until the cold glass bottle touched Shikiyoku's cheek.
"Time to get moving."
~!**!~
Akari settled again, just thinking that she might be able to fall back asleep until she felt her hair move. She heaved another sigh, this time thinking maybe Nabu had taken to chewing on the ends of her hair again- something that hadn't happened for months now.
But…
She couldn't hear the smacking of the dog. Nor could she smell the pup. She let her eyes slide open, her senses slowly waking and her brain finally registering the fact that the scent of the area was nothing like the smell of her home.
And when her vision cleared, she saw white sheets. Perfectly white fabric. And the feeling of her hair being moved was much more prominent this time, and her hold on the fabric that smelled alarmingly of roses and other greenery released, pulling away from the pillow she'd been holding on to. She looked up at the source of the movement, finding an arm clothed in the same perfectly white fabric of what she just realized to be a shirt.
Her eyes followed that arm to stare, wide and unblinking at the face of Kurama. *
Kurama felt Akari shift in his embrace, but this time didn't bother stopping his work.
His green eyes briefly lowered to her hazel ones to indicate the he knew she was awake, but then they went back to looking at her hair.
"Sleep well?"
~!**!~
In her semi-hazy state of sleep, Shikiyoku could feel the air of the room shifting around, so the cold bottle on her cheek did not startle her, instead bringing her eyes open as she heard Hiei speaking to her.
She sat up and took the extended bottled offering, looking at it skeptically before sliding her eyes over to watch Hiei partake of his. 3
Hiei released his hold on the bottle he'd extended to Shikiyoku as she took it from his grasp, lifting his own to his lips again and wandering towards the door, the taste on his tongue so very uncannily similar to strawberries that he was almost certain it was concocted of the fruits.
He paused by the door, turning to Shikiyoku with a patient expression that said he was waiting.
Then he held up his bottle to indicate the subject of which he was speaking, "If you try it, you may find it an enjoyable taste."
~!**!~
Akari immediately detangled her legs from Kurama's as soon as she was aware of herself, pulling away, though keeping her hair under his touch so that he wouldn't end up pulling her locks harshly. "What do you think you're doing?" she growled, feeling completely unsettled.
How in the three worlds had this come about? *
"Weaving?" Kurama raised an eyebrow, stopping the moment he felt her shoving back, "And I'm not done yet." He remained paused for a second longer, then went back to it when she did not immediately continue to pull away.
Since she had been asleep when he relocated them to his home, Kurama felt no surprise at her reaction.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku stood up when Hiei stopped to stare at her, realizing that he meant 'time to get moving' now.
She still gave the bottle an identical look of skepticism as she started to follow after him.
"It is the same as the other?" 3
Hiei turned to continue through the door, stepping again into the room that was filled with soothing music and soft murmurs between inhabitants of the lounge- not surprisingly the same demons that had been here when he'd first arrived.
He didn't even glance back at Shikiyoku.
"Not precisely. Serves the same purposes, aside from the calming effect." He took another drink of his own, keeping the bottle against his lips until it was empty as he stepped outside. "Just drink it. No complaining."
~!**!~
Akari glared up at Kurama from under her hair and the hand that was still woven into her locks, not daring to move any further from him at this point, as she had become more than just a little aware of his energy pulsing in the room.
Against her own that was still radiating around her body.
She took a moment to consider the situation, glancing around the room and then looking back up at Kurama from where she lay propped up at the elbow on her side. "Why?" *
Kurama kept his face neutral, gently twisting his fingers and the vine through the lock of hair he had been working on.
"Because I was bored." He said plainly, avoiding any other manifestations of the question that Akari posed at him.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku heaved a quiet sigh of deference at Hiei and went ahead and opened the bottle and began drinking, stopping only to pull her hood up over her head and self-consciously tugging at the ends of her sleeves to cover as much skin as possible.
As they got outside, Shikiyoku glanced around while taking another begrudging sip of the drink while she stuck to Hiei and paying little attention to the taste, instead thinking about how she might acquire a pair of gloves small enough for her hands.
Her hood shadowed her face well enough, but her fingers were still visible and their enticing, almost pearlescent gleam made Shikiyoku feel very strange about letting anyone see them. 3
Hiei continued moving through the town that seemed to come alive, demons moving from building to building, continuing their daily lives even as the last of the day's light disappeared. Or, maybe it was reappearing? He wasn't sure. He'd forgotten how time passed on this level after so long of being gone.
Plus, what did it matter?
What they needed hadn't been here. If no demons gathered in a social building knew of the rumors Hiei had been inquiring of earlier, then neither would the common folk of such small town.
However, he did want to visit the trading post, for more than his own amusement. He almost felt as if it were a necessity at this point, as they'd visited almost every single trading post since the Ninth Level. Why?
Sometimes for his own amusement, sometimes for something Shikiyoku felt she needed.
~!**!~
Akari huffed at Kurama, momentarily turning her eyes away as she forced herself to not ask any more questions, though there felt like there were many. But for the moment, all she could think of was the fact that she was stuck here, in an unfamiliar room with Kurama, who was currently toying with her hair.
Much like Foko had done.
The thought had her eyes sliding closed and taking a deep breath.
"What exactly are you weaving, might I ask?" she asked, voice calmer now than previously. "Don't tell me it's some ridiculous headband or another." *
"A 'ridiculous headband' would be much too mundane for the likes of you." Kurama responded. "You can see it when I'm finished."
His eyes remained trained on his work, getting down to the bottom of one full curl of her hair with a vine and going back up to where the crown came around just behind her ear and coaxing out another length of plantlife, slowly taking it down another curl.
"Did you sleep well?"
~!**!~
After the first couple of sips, Shikiyoku let the bottle hang at her side, keeping her head down as she followed after Hiei.
Being lost in thought about a demon of pain led to her bumping shoulders with another demon going the opposite direction and she didn't stop to turn around, instead being startled out of her thoughts and quickly stepping up as if she were Hiei's shadow, staying close to him.
The demon she ran into didn't say anything, but did pause to look after her for a moment before turning and continuing down the path the other way.
Shikiyoku could feel the eyes of that demon on her, and wished suddenly for the power of invisibility, but said and did nothing save for keeping next to Hiei and making sure she stared at the ground near his feet. 3
Hiei refrained from the sound he wanted to make, keeping his sigh in his chest and squashing the sound before it could even be made. He could feel the distress of the person trailing him as if it were a tide rushing over his entire being, as her energy often did.
He continued onward, paving a path between the moving bodies of demons of all kinds. He glanced over his shoulder once at the woman making herself his shadow, his body very much aware of her close proximity on his heels.
After a brief glance, he turned forward again.
"There's a trading post a few meters away. Might have what you're looking for."
It hadn't been hard to guess what she wanted. After all, it was hard not to notice the odd sheen that covered one's skin.
~!**!~
Akari didn't respond right away, instead letting her body finally sink into the mattress again as she forced herself to relax. She let her eyelids slide closed, mind almost immediately going over the only other person who'd been allowed to play with her hair.
But, for some reason, she felt as if Kurama's work was gentler, more kind than that of Foko's, who, in comparison, seemed almost as if he'd never done such a thing before.
Of course, that wasn't the case, she knew. He'd been quick with his work.
Unlike Kurama, who was taking his time, enjoying himself.
"M-hm." she finally replied, the sound one of relaxation. She didn't want to ask how or why she was in Kurama's house. "How long have you been at this, exactly? And… How long did I sleep?" *
His internal clock told him he had started this a few hours ago, but his response consisted of, "I'm not sure. But you've been sleeping since yesterday."
Kurama watched his fingers curl around the strip of hair, winding the vine to the contours of Akari's hair with ease.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku closed the hand that did not hold the bottle into a fist, flexing once before releasing it.
As if she'd really thought Hiei hadn't noticed.
Perhaps on some level she wished he didn't, but since she felt sure this strange mutation was a hinderance to their more subtle work here she did not find herself surprised in his comment, but instead a little grateful that he would go to the trouble of seeking out something for her, even if it was probably for his own peace of mind.
She nodded before she realized he couldn't see her do so, but stayed quiet anyway, following after him just as she had been. 3
Hiei walked on despite his sudden irritation at the close proximity of the female and the cloud that he could all but see hanging over himself and her. His jaw set as he thought about it, not having to even make an attempt to guess what it was that was bothering her this time.
Because it was the same.
Every. Damn. Time.
Hadn't they moved past this stage already?
Suddenly, his calm mask became a glare at demons who passed too close, earning a quick scuttle out of the way or a challenging glare here and there, all to which he found useless and pointless. Unamusing.
He flexed his jaw discreetly, hands moving to his cloak pockets with ease instead of pushing open the door of the trading post, which was designated by his shoulder as he brushed by the wooden structure and inside the large warehouse-like building. Demons were everywhere, looking among stalls and stands galore, some with dull, old objects worth absolutely nothing and others with shiny, new objects also worth nothing. Some had food, some had what others would call simple souvenirs. But the only stands he needed, or felt he needed, were in the back.
He cut a straight path through the building, sending a glare to anyone who even so much as glanced his direction or even thought about heading towards him, whether it be for another stall or otherwise. He approached the stand that held hats, gloves, and shoes, each different colors with different purposes, some made of material he'd never seen before.
And instead of wandering away like he normally would have, he decided to stay near Shikiyoku.
It wasn't like his wandering away would help her mood in any way, shape, or form.
~!**!~
A long, loud sigh left Akari's lips at Kurama's words. Since yesterday?! How long had she actually gone without sleep? Her closed eyelids hid the roll to the ceiling her eyes made as she thought back, earning hazy memories of, the latest….
School? Maybe?
Right, a loud, annoying sound.
She frowned to herself and let her eyelids slide open again, this time looking up at Kurama's calm expression as if it held her answers. But all she could come up with was, still, the loudest, most annoying sound.
"A fire alarm."
She tried to recall more as she watched the redhead, the way his eyes moved to follow the motions of his finger and what she assumed to be vines, the way his hair moved when his shoulders did. "Why are you such an ass?" she suddenly inquired, releasing a sound that could almost be called a scoff.
She was supposed to be mad at him.
It was hard to be when she was just so comfortable. *
Kurama's eyebrows lifted at her words, but the small smile that his lips pulled into belied his surprise at her question.
"And how exactly am I supposed to answer that question in a way that would satisfy it?"
~!**!~
Shikiyoku stepped around Hiei and immediately moved to the section containing gloves.
Her first impression was that none of these were small enough, her second that she found herself searching for something black for no other reason than the fact that it would match the rest of her clothing.
She nearly snorted at the pettiness of such a thought. She should be thankful to find anything, pink, blue, chartreuse or otherwise.
Somewhat wistfully she thought of her old clothing, some gloves included, back in Toriko's home, knowing that with just a little time she could modify any of it-much like she had modified the original cloak and outfit she wore initially for she and Hiei's excursion-from what her former demonic form measurements had been to those she had now in her more humanoid guise.
The wistfulness turned into almost an audible snort of derision in thinking of how quickly Rae had adjusted every single piece of clothing in her old closet in Rae's palace back on the Ninth Level. There's no telling how many poor tailors she figuratively, and likely literally, whipped into submission in order to accomplish such a task in hardly any time at all.3
Hiei stood over the stall, eyes roving over the varieties of gloves, among other things he realized were scattered about, seemingly hidden from sight as if the gloves were most important of them all. A sales tactic, for sure. It was the same as when he'd been in the first city on the Ninth Level.
The one he'd taken a katana from.
The same katana that he just realized had been left behind.
With his cloak.
Hiei felt his lips pull down into a grimace at the simple thought of his cloak being left behind, replaced by the out-of-place, very flammable cloak he wore now. The itchy material was nothing compared to his favorite article of clothing.
"Ah, browisn' fer gloves I see!" Hiei's red eyes looked up to the shopkeeper who seemed to have simply appeared. The shock of purple atop the demon's head was completely contradicted by the glow of turquoise that peered at Hiei momentarily before turning to Shikiyoku. "An' fer good reason too! Yer pos'tively shinin'."
Hiei felt a brow twitch at the dialect of this demon, who sounded remarkably similar to another he'd met. One he hadn't heard from since the tournament.
At least Jin was on occasion worth listening to.
"Ooooh! Look how small yer hands are!" He peered over the stand at Shikiyoku's hands with shining orbs, smile wide and showing two rows of crooked, discolored, pointed teeth. "You nee' somethin' special."
He reached below the counter, hands moving objects that gained Hiei's attention as they clinked and clunked, even jingled against each other.
"Is you lookin' too, flame-boy?"
The scowl Hiei gave was accompanied by a twitch of his brow and lips, the vein in his head suddenly throbbing. "No."
Don't call me that.
"Mmm… Too bad."
~!**!~
Another scoff and Akari was shifting, moving so that she lay on her stomach on Kurama's bed, chin on her hands and eyes sliding shut again.
"I guess what I'm meaning to say is…"
She gave another pause. What was she trying to say? She wasn't going to admit that she'd been trying to be angry at him. She had plenty reason to be too. So why wasn't she?
"What is it exactly that makes you want to be an asshole? I mean, come on…" *
Kurama gave a little sigh, smile fading away.
"To be truthful, it is never my intent to come across that way." The smile returned for a second, "Unless it's needed to knock some sense into someone and no one else has volunteered for the job."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku clenched her teeth together and held back a low growl that threatened to start vibrating in her throat, instead idly shifting through pairs of gloves as if she could find what she searched for.
There were many beautiful specimens of work, each crafted with care. There were ones that would only go to the wrist, ones with the fingers cut out, others that were meant to extend to the elbow, some that would reach even further up the arm. Some had gems or feathers, some had embroidery or etch-work. There were some interesting materials as well. Nothing Shikiyoku did not recognize, but several instances of things she knew were not cheap by any definition of the word.
And all too big.
Even the smallest she knew would not accommodate her human form's short fingers and small palms.3
The shopkeeper noted Shikiyoku's eyes that glanced over each and every pair of gloves even as he continued rummaging underneath his small counter. "Aw. don' be sad. I have special ones too!"
Hiei turned his eyes away, looking at a nearby stand to keep the desire of striking this foolish demon under wraps. Neither of them were children, and they shouldn't be treated as such.
"Here, try these!" The demon moved, pulling his hands out from under the surface and extending a pair of gloves that were simply one color, gold, with dark thread where the cloth had been sewn together. "Is my smallest pair! Ne'er though' I'd sell 'em."
Hiei's eyes zeroed in on the color, noticing the light sheen that seemed to glow around the color. Wasn't the point of gloves in their case to draw attention away from her hands?
"Here, have these as well!" The demon turned to Hiei, extending a pair of dark blue gloves. "They're rumored to be able t' ward off the kidnappers! They're common abou' these parts, though no' many people believe a crazy shopkeep."
Hiei frowned at the offer, crimson eyes turning up from the gloves to the turquoise gaze that shone with excitement. "Kidnappers?"
"You ain' heard th' stories?" His voice was hushed now, the demon leaning forward to create an air of secrecy as he spoke. "I've seen 'em."
~!**!~
"Yeah, well, y'know…" Akari began, not looking at Kurama. "it isn't your job to set someone straight." A small smile ghosted across her features before disappearing entirely. "And quite frankly, your methods are questionable, at best."
She gave another pause.
I don't see why you care anyway. It matters not what you think, because either way, it's still my problem. Dumb fox demon. *
"Ah." Kurama 'realized' what Akari was talking about, "You should know what I did had nothing to do with being an 'asshole' or setting you straight." His face dropped into a neutral, guarded expression and he had to force himself to continue to work on the curl he currently had in his grasp, getting to the end and stopping completely before going on.
"And I'm afraid I must apologize as apparently I only made things worse. That certainly did not factor into my calculations as a result and it was never my intention to cause you more trouble."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku took the gloves from the merchant and immediately slipped the left one on her hand, putting the bottle down on the table inbetween them and then placing the other over her fingers.
They would...do. For her purposes. Neither particularly aesthetically pleasing for Shikiyoku nor really the right size, but they extended up her arms to just shy of the elbow and would conceal her skin even if her sleeves accidentally lifted a bit.
As she inspected her newly acquired gloves, turning her hand first one way then another, she held back a scoff at the exchange occurring between the shopkeeper and the fire demon next to her.
There was no way to tell if they warded off kidnappers or not-she barely glanced at the gloves the shopkeeper offered to Hiei-as if it were true, the pair would likely still be on the hands of some demon somewhere. 3
Hiei let his eyes drop again to the gloves offered to him, expression mildly irritated and slightly disgusted, as if the articles were tainted. The shopkeeper seemed to notice and place the small gloves down, hands resting atop them as he leaned forward. "No one's e'er seen 'em before, y'know? The kidnappers."
Hiei made to leave, ignoring what he said. He was now entirely uninterested.
Out of all the stands, the one they needed just so happened to have the craziest demon behind it.
"They took an Aswang, y'know tha' right?"
Hiei paused, finally turning to look at the demon again. Smile gone, expression troubled now instead of happily servicing customers. "You expect anyone to believe you?"
"So you do know. Rumor has it, she's dead alrea'y. Killed after taking a human child's life."
Hiei's brows furrowed only slightly, eyes shifting to Shikiyoku as his mind brushed hers. "What do you think?"
~!**!~
Akari heaved a sigh, turning her face away. She had the oddest sense of déjà vu going on.
"It doesn't matter." she replied, cheek resting on her hand making her words slur just a little. "It isn't like it hasn't happened before." she paused, contemplating his words. She wasn't exactly sure why, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't find it in herself to be mad.
"Don't be stupid." she suddenly said, deciding his apology wasn't necessary. "Your intentions were different than those in the past. I acknowledge that." She gave another pause, finally turning her face and opening her eyes to peer at him calmly again. "Just…." she let her words die away, deciding not to say them after all.
She pushed herself up to sit up, shaking her arm in an attempt to awaken the numb limb. "Like I said, it doesn't matter." *
"Well, it obviously does matter since you sent yourself into a frenzy to stay awake to ward off dreams that my actions caused in the first place." Kurama tilted his head slightly, "So, on some level, whether you acknowledge it or not, the entire situation was my fault. And for that," He took a breath, "I'm sorry." He closed his eyes.
"I would take it back if I truly thought it would help."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku continued inspecting her gloves, acting as if she hadn't heard Hiei's question.
"Merchants are sometimes known for having information the general populous does not. They're also known for being quick to tell you what you want to hear, and not necessarily what is true." 3
Hiei turned to the shopkeeper again, this time facing him entirely with a watchful gaze. He considered pressing on, but quickly decided he was in no mood to linger around for information that could be entirely false. So he turned to leave, his Jagan quickly and discreetly gracing the demon's mind with its presence in search of-
"Those gloves, they're eight-"
It took a lot to keep from pausing and turning to face the merchant.
"Your service is much appreciated," Hiei cut him off, continuing to move away. He didn't even give the demon a hint of the coins he'd left inside the other pair of gloves, something he'd learned to do long ago when he felt… generous.
"Two towns over is the home of the Aswang." Apparently, the merchant had known the creature personally. Though, as for seeing her taken…
That was nothing more than a load of crock.
"This place is useless now."
~!**!~
Akari set her teeth together. Here she was, being nice, and Kurama was trying to convince her to be angry. Like she hadn't already tried. She moved, leaning forward and hitting him on the chest. Hard, with an open palm before leaning away, brows drawn down and lips pulled into a scowl. "Get over it. Just dreams, just memories. The past." She moved, sliding away and swinging her legs over the side of his bed.
"What in the hell makes you think taking it away would matter anyway? Haven't you learned anything about running from your past? Surely someone like you knows how that goes." *
Kurama sighed.
If he hadn't given her the scar in the first place, then she wouldn't have been driven to dreams of her former station in life that were so ugly she had forced herself to avoid sleep for, what, three days? He couldn't really be sure. To say that he had regrets was an understatement of the third degree.
"No. Not particularly." He finally said. "What reason do I have for running from my past? Considering it actually ran into me…" He mused on Youko's spirit entering the body of the child Shuichi Minamino.
That is, himself.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku caught the shopkeeper's gaze after Hiei turned to leave, glancing meaningfully at the bottle which she had left on the table before following after the fire demon.
Assuming he didn't choke on the coins left inside the beverage, Shikiyoku had used some sleight of hand to leave him at least some recompense for the information, if not for the gloves.
When she felt Hiei telling her of the information he'd gathered from the shopkeeper, she gave him the mental equivalent of a nod before pulling her mind away from him to realize something she had not considered before.
Hiei really did have no use for her.
Considering she spent the majority of her life as an information gatherer of one sort or another, with both her second and third champions, the sudden thought that the thing she would consider herself best at was completely moot for a demon with a Jagan hit her all at once.
Why the hell had he agreed to protect her in the first place? There was absolutely nothing for her to do in return except follow him around and cause more trouble than she was certainly worth, given that she really had no worth to him.
Ugh. 3
Hiei continued walking in silence for what felt like an eternity, finding no reason to rush to their next destination. The next acidic rainfall wasn't for a few days, at least, and quite frankly, he was sick of running around like a moron.
Or maybe his patience was wearing thin. It was something he hadn't noticed until now, but every time Shikiyoku seemed to fall into one of her moods, his patience seemed to wear thinner and thinner.
Until he was almost afraid he was going to snap.
He didn't understand her in the least bit. Her mood changes. The causes of such changes. Only that his presence would sometimes calm her, sometimes make the cloud over her head darken.
"Enough."
He wasn't sure why she continued to shift the way she did. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much. All he knew was that the longer they were in one another's company, the darker her mood seemed to get, and thus, the shorter fuse he had.
"That. Is. Enough of that."
~!**!~
Akari planted her feet on Kurama's floor and she was making for his door, hand pausing on the handle as he spoke up. She turned her head slightly to show she had heard him before turning her eyes forward again, then down to her fingers around the knob.
"I'm a mess. Get over it. You did what you saw fit in an attempt to fix my mess. While I appreciate that, it's also made me realize how much of a mess I actually am, despite these months after Sensui. Your actions were…" she gave a pause as she pulled the door open.
"Never mind. Point is: you made your point." *
Kurama was standing, listening to Akari's words and trying to decide whether or not he should physically prevent her from leaving.
"And do you know what that point was?" Kurama wanted to know, his expression just as neutral as it had been.
~!**!~
At least-
Hiei's voice pulled Shikiyoku from her next thought, startling her a bit.
It dawned on her that Hiei was likely picking up her thoughts on some level or another, something her previous two champions got quite good at doing without the aid of a third eye. And given that the two of them had been in close company for over a month demonic-time, him sensing the gist of her mood was unsurprising.
She didn't actually answer him, instead finishing her thought about how what with their fast approaching return to Human World, and subsequently to Koenma with the information they gathered, Hiei wouldn't be stuck with her for much longer.
That lifted her spirits, if only a little.
For now, at least they had some direction or another, though Shikiyoku could only guess why Hiei wanted confirmation about the kidnappings; she didn't particularly care. Let the three worlds do as they pleased.
...and maybe once she had a moment she could figure out what exactly surpassing her mother's strength had done to her. 3
Hiei continued walking, brushing his hands discreetly on his cloak for a moment as if brushing away his irritation. His mood, however, stayed, just as persistent as his sudden silence and the desire to say no more in case he actually did snap at her. It wasn't like he wanted to.
"I normally wouldn't care," he suddenly began, not sure what had prompted him to speak, "but this is.. different."
Again he went silent, this time truly not intending to speak, no matter what she asked, if she even decided to prompt him.
~!**!~
Akari's hand fell from the knob after the door had been pulled open, turning to go down the hall and only pausing to consider his question. She let her eyes turn to him, looking at him from the corners for a moment before a brow raised.
"Scars are scars. As you said, they tell stories. Survival stories." Her brows resettled into place, expression turning neutral again. "I just have to get through my own, get over it because I'm an idiot stuck in the past. Now, if you'll excuse me, Nabu's probably running around like an idiot."
With that, she let her feet carry her to the stairs. *
After she left the room, Kurama let his eyes close, a pained expression falling over his face.
Of course that wasn't his only reason, his only point, but why did he find it so difficult to try and explain it to her?
What, he could admit it to her mostly unaware self because somewhere in his head he knew she wouldn't remember? Or was it that he felt if she actually rejected him, it would just chalk up as another failure, like giving her the scar?
Kurama collapsed back into sitting on the bed and stared at the point where Akari had disappeared, saying nothing.
Stupid fox.
~!**!~
She knew it was different. And she knew apologizing for it would make no difference.
She also knew faking her mood was likely to be just as bad.
So, for the moment, she settled on contentment, resting on thoughts of the matter at hand as well as the thoughts of fulfilling that which she felt Hiei desired most.
Soon. 3
Hiei walked. And walked. And walked. Never once had he decided to pick up the pace, only deciding to keep this slow pace out of preservation for the both of them, giving Hiei time to keep himself in check and Shikiyoku time to sort through herself.
So, when he set foot into the city he'd been looking for, his expression was of calm neutrality. His hands were at his sides, eyes glancing about calmly as he considered the extremely silent town. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought this city to be completely abandoned.
The difference?
He could see blinds moving from windows, shuddering back into their original places as demons retreated from the visitors.
A shaken town. Almost small enough to be considered a village.
"Unsettling." Even for Demon World.
~!**!~
Akari gave a pause at the top step, a hand moving up to her hair as her eyes turned back to the open door of Kurama's room that was just down the hall. She released a silent sigh from her lungs. "Hey!" She suddenly called down the hall, a very slight smile touching her lips. "I dunno what you did, but thanks." She turned and continued down the stairs. "I haven't slept like that in ages."
She let her feet carry her down until they touched the platform of the living room, gave one more pause, and then turned to leave, hand falling to her side. Crazy. *
Kurama had lowered his head to stare down at the floor, leaning over with his arms resting on his legs, but his head lifted at Akari's words and he actually found himself smiling.
At least he'd been able to do something right.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku bent her head slightly forward in a nod as she glanced around them.
"Is this proof enough for you, then?" She asked quietly, noting the haunted look in the eyes of any who she could catch peering at them before escaping back into the buildings. 3
Hiei continued to stare at a pair of eyes that had locked with his own, meeting the gaze squarely, but with no hint of malice whatsoever. No ill intent. And as a reward, the eyes simply stared back, as if a silent conversation were going on.
But in reality, Hiei felt mildly disturbed. He couldn't feel anything of the eyes that stared back at him. His mind, or rather, his Jagan simply couldn't focus on the being, as if the air around the demon was hazy, unstable.
Or maybe it was stable enough to seem unstable to him. But the more he poked and prodded at the mind that he could clearly see churning behind the blank stare, the less he seemed able to focus on the being.
Force won't always work, I suppose.
He suddenly was walking forward, raising a hand to wave Shikiyoku to follow, not that he hadn't thought she wouldn't follow.
"Your turn. I'm useless at the moment."
~!**!~
After a while, Akari had decided to do something she'd been putting off for a while now:
Visit Spirit World.
"You picked the best time to visit! Koenma was just about to send me to give you the communication mirror he has specially for you!"
The demoness shrugged, but gave no response to Botan, who continued on happily, as if no response whatsoever was required of the girl. And for a moment, Akari considered turning around, going back. She almost wasn't sure she wanted to know the answers about her former team. After recalling the demise of Gourmet, she did give a short pause and glance back.
But it was too late now. She was already in the office, watching the large doors slide shut behind her.
She turned to look at the toddler prince, who was staring at her for a moment with a calm gaze. His lips twitched slightly, making her brows furrow before she sighed. "I suppose you wouldn't mind answering a few questions for me?"
"That depends on the question."
Akari gave a small pause before smoothing down her shirt. When was the last time she'd stood before this desk? A few months ago? "I'd like to know, if you would allow me, about what happened to the team."
She watched him sit back, regard her for a moment. "I'd been wondering when you'd ask." His hands moved to a drawer she couldn't see, his eyes below the desk surface as he pulled out files, setting them in a neat stack and sliding them towards her without so much as a hesitation.. "Help yourself."
And she made herself comfortable in a chair in front of his desk, files in hand and silently shifting through the first one, Sniper's. *
~!**!~
The cool night air rustled through Kurama's hair as he walked through the trees on the outskirts of town.
Sleep had been...a no-go.
After spending the past day and a half tending to Akari-and by 'tending,' mostly sleeping-Kurama had found that laying back down and staring up at the ceiling had been the most of what he could do at that moment.
He was thankful his mother was on vacation.
He could have used some sleep remedy or another on himself and forced the sleep, but it felt much nicer to be up and around, easing some of the pent-up tension he had gathered from staying in much the same position for so long.
For the most part, he kept his mind clear, avoiding the internal monologue he'd been running through about Akari, as well as the one involving Hiei and Toriko.
Or...hopefully Shikiyoku. Especially if, as Kurama suspected, the pair had gone off into Demon World together. Protecting Toriko from the things she appeared to fear the most would certainly be-
Kurama shook his head.
Clear mind. No thoughts.
Because there was always a chance of-
Kurama staggered as he felt a wave of...something...shudder through him, and he whipped around to see Otento, having not heard nor felt the demon approach.
Otento's platinum blonde hair waved slightly in the breeze, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression blank.
"Greetings...Kurama."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku followed after Hiei, wondering almost incredulously at what exactly Hiei thought he was useless for, as the fire demon led the two of them towards a house off to the left. 3
Hiei never let his gaze stray from the one he was locked with, almost thinking that if he broke the contact, he wouldn't gain it again. But as soon as he was standing at the door, the eyes drew away from the window and, in a second, were peering at him from a crack between the doorframe and the door itself.
"What?"
Hiei raised a calm brow and glanced at Shikiyoku. "We're traveling through, need to ask a few things.
"Company not wanted."
Hiei stepped forward, using his foot to stop the door from slamming shut.*
Shikiyoku glanced behind towards the street as Hiei stuck his foot between the door and the frame and prevented it from closing, earning himself a glare from the owner of the home within.
Slipping her small frame inbetween Hiei and the door, getting wedged against the two, Shikiyoku raised her head so that her eyes behind her hood would meet with the ones of the demon she could make out in the gloom beyond.
Her green eyes glowed with subtle power and she reached a small hand into the house through the opening Hiei had kept, finding the jawline of the demon beyond and brushing her fingers from ear to chin.
"Let us in." She said simply, voice low and husky and filled with that same subtle hint of power her eyes held.
The spell seemed to work, the door opened slowly, and the demon stepped back, giving them just enough room to come inside before he closed it behind them.
There was a lantern in the corner of what Shikiyoku would have equated with the living room of Toriko's home, and it cast just enough light to reveal a comfortable chair, which was all Shikiyoku needed.
She did not make eye-contact with Hiei, instead letting her gaze catch the demon at the door and hold it, but she did speak into her own mind a warning for her Champion.
"If you wish for me to do this, be prepared to behead the poor fool once I am finished."
Shikiyoku raised her hands and slowly pulled her hood back, letting her ebony hair fall about her shoulders with a shiny gleam like so much silk, a tell-tale perfume beginning to permeate the air around her.
"And make sure you keep hold of the pact so you too do not succumb."
Each motion Shikiyoku made was deliberate, her eyes never leaving the demon before her, and his own brown eyes locked with her gaze.
She pulled up the sleeve of each arm in turn, every movement somehow sultry, and then peeled back a single glove, revealing her skin which, like her profile, held a faintly pearlescent glow all its own that seemed to almost beckon one to test its smoothness.
And beckon Shikiyoku did, holding that hand out, palm forward, to the enraptured demon by the door who made no hesitation to join her, reaching out with his hand and intertwining his fingers in hers as he came closer until he stood practically in her embrace. He released her fingers to hang by her side and ran his up her exposed arm to lightly rest there, staring down into her eyes which held the answers to everything he could ever ask and more.
Shikiyoku's energy had not even manifested visibly yet, filling the nose of this demon in silence with only her eyes giving an indication of the seduction happening between them.
The demon leaned closer, inches away from Shikiyoku's face, and his eyes flickered briefly down to her lips, finding them lush and enticing and slightly parted, before returning to her eyes.
Those lips curved ever-so-slightly as Shikiyoku took a breath to speak into the warmth she had created between them.
"What do you desire?"
A thousand things ran across the demon's mind as he stood there, breath moving slightly faster than was normal, and Shikiyoku blinked once, hiding the brilliance of her gaze from him for only a moment, but leaving him, in that moment, feeling as if he might go insane should she never gaze upon him again.
As her eyes came open again, he had taken his other hand and placed it at her neck, as if that would make her open them faster.
His vision and mind both tunneled onto this exquisite being before him and he finally gave his reply, the spell over him coming to a completion.
"I desire... ...you."
Shikiyoku's head tilted slightly as if she had fully expected his response. This demon gave in quickly to her tactics, his strength of mind fast overwhelmed by her energy, her presence.
"Tell me," She moved her face so that her cheek brushed up against his, moving her lips close to his ear, and he appeared to shiver at the touch of that same inviting skin against his face that his fingers now caressed up and down her bare arm, his eyes shuddering closed, "How often does Spirit World come to kidnap demons here?" 3
Hiei raised a brow at Shikiyoku, but otherwise moved out of her way, sliding his foot from the door's frame and simultaneously taking a full step back, catching Shikiyoku's words and giving an imperceptible nod to show he'd heard and understood. Her energy moved around her, making the hairs on his arms and neck raise. At Shikiyoku's second prompting, Hiei made no motion that he heard her.
He merely turned his attention inward, deciding that trusting her judgement was likely the only thing he could do at the moment. So his mind focused on the pact, the bond that dully hummed underneath everything else currently on his mind. He carefully kept his eyes turned away from the scene, instead taking in the darkened room despite the beginnings of light outside. He tugged once on the bond, earning a dull throb in his temple from the gentle prodding of such a thing.
"What do you desire?"
The question cut across Hiei's mind, sliding into the forefront of his mind and settling there as if it were making a home for itself. As if it didn't wish to go unnoticed.
And for some reason he couldn't quite comprehend, he himself began sorting through the things he so desired. At first, it was simple things, such as to get this mission over with, to leave this level and figure out what was going on between the three worlds. He thought about wanting to see Yukina and make sure she hadn't gotten onto him yet.
His next thoughts consisted of Shikiyoku and Toriko, letting them see the parts of Demon World they wanted to see. And then, he found himself wanting Shikiyoku to feel a little less… useless. He wanted her to be herself, not a tool for others.
He wanted another moment like the one back at the pond. He wanted them to have fun. To enjoy one another's presences and-
The bond suddenly rang in his head, making him blink and focus on it again, previous thoughts now forgotten. His eyes slid open- when he'd shut them, he didn't know- to peer over at Shikiyoku curiously, not sure where she was in her questioning.
"Is it time to kill yet? I'm ready to get out of here."
~!**!~
Akari thumbed through file after file, reading the pages with a soft smile here and there. Hagiri, as she'd referred to Sniper as, had gone back to school. He seemed to stay mostly to himself, but that wasn't surprising, even to her. Kamiya had escaped from jail, not only changing his own face and name, but changing his lifestyle as well to support the sick and dying humans. Mitari…
She paused at the file and gave a small smile. He'd been the smartest of them all. He'd been the one to see that Yusuke and his team were the good guys first. He'd done right before any of them could, and she found herself wishing to hunt him down, say hello. Ask about mundane things such as school.
Amanuma. Her fingers paused here as well, almost not opening the file. She remembered how it had been set up, how the youngest of them all had been set up to die in order for the others to continue. But when she opened the file, she was surprised to see that his status read: Alive and well. She read the notes along the side, glancing up at Koenma briefly, who took no notice in the change in air around the female. She found herself feeling a bit more… respectful to this toddler prince.
Not only had he given her another chance, but Amanuma as well. She wondered if the others knew that bit.
Her eyes turned down again, skipping Gourmet's file and going straight to Itsuki's, which, like Sensui's, was covered in red letters that read MISSING and THREAT. She looked at the closest wall clock, finding that Koenma's clock was generous enough to give her the date back in Human World.
Two months ago. If his disease had stayed persistent, Sensui would have died two months ago. Itsuki…
There was no telling where that one went. He could be stuck in a shadow realm at the moment, and not even the best of shadow masters could find him. It was just that simple.
She closed the last two files and took to staring at the top one in thought.
Maybe when she got back, she'd find them. Say hello. Catch up.
Or, maybe not. *
~!**!~
Within seconds Kurama had evaluated the situation.
To be faced with a demon who could not only mask his own energy, but his scent, his sound, his very presence…
It this wasn't an S class demon, Kurama didn't know what was.
How he managed to get past the Kekai-
Didn't matter.
Kurama knew he was outmatched, even before he attempted to reach for his demonic energy and found that the same black orb had encircled it once more, locking it away within his body.
The seeds he had been experimenting with that would react to the soil or the air or water-anything that wasn't his energy specifically-were nowhere near out of prototype, as it remained difficult to infuse something with his demonic energy without the knowledge of how to actually seal that energy away from himself, save it for later. He knew nothing of rituals or curses or anything that might allow him to do it. Spells in that realm of knowledge were out of his expertise, though to be fair it wasn't as if many walked the planes of existence that were experts in that sort of thing anyway.
And, at any rate, he wasn't about to throw those seeds at this demon when he actually had no knowledge of what Otento was capable.
"Otento." Kurama said simply, all of these thoughts passing through his head at a moment's notice.
The other demon did not move.
"You are to come with me, fox."
"And if I refuse?"
The blonde uncrossed his arms and held out the leafy crown that Kurama had woven into Akari's hair.
Kurama's expression did not change, even as the crown shriveled brown and then crumbled away into dust in Otento's fingers.
Otento did not have to say another word. His meaning was clear enough for the redhead.
"You will not harm her." Kurama's voice lowered, his gaze steely.
"If you come with me of your own accord, no harm will come to her." Came the reply.
The urge to reach for hidden seeds almost made Kurama's hand twitch, and even though he restrained it, Otento's vibrant eyes flickered to Kurama's fingers as if he had sensed to desire.
"We will be doing something about that." Otento commented sharply.
There was nothing with which he could legitimately respond. If there was even the slightest chance that the enemy had captured Akari, Kurama wasn't about to risk her life.
And, really, it was only a matter of time before the fake Youko needed Kurama removed from the playing field. He was too much of a liability to have walking around.
Kurama blinked once, then held out his hands, wrists together, to which Otento came forward without hesitation, producing a length of wire from somewhere that felt strange when tightened against Kurama's skin in a makeshift pair of handcuffs.
The wire held some sort of power all its own and the energy of it hummed against Kurama's wrists.
Otento started to walk beyond Kurama, tugging at the wire when the fox demon stayed in place for a second too long and setting Kurama to a slight stumble after him.
~!**!~
"You try my patience, fox." Otento growled, slashing again at Kurama's thigh with the needle-thin blade.
Kurama had been led here, wherever here was exactly since it had gotten misty with an otherworldly fog and obscured his vision and removed any sense of direction he might have had, and Otento had promptly thrown the other end of the wire up into the branch of one of the dead trees to pull Kurama's hands above his head.
What had followed was a series of increasingly short-tempered questions regarding the whereabouts of 'Toriko.' The interrogation had gone south quickly when Kurama refused to respond, and now Kurama could not even lift his head, his clothing in tatters and bloodied with each strike the other demon had taken. His mind was hazy from the blood loss, and there were no such thoughts of escape in his mind.
Because...if he tried to escape...they might do something to Akari...
Kurama coughed a little as blood got caught in his throat and made his breathing difficult.
He would have-should have-blacked out hours-minutes?-ago, but somehow his high constitution allowed for no such thing, leaving him in a state of semi-awareness in which he could no longer consider flinching-not that he had-under the subsequent attacks.
"Answer me!" Otento brought the blade up across his body and slashed through Kurama's arm again.
The fox stayed silent.
~!**!~
He was supposed to have been back an hour ago. Foko grumbled to himself as he tromped through the trees. Unfortunately, other things had held the pseudo-fox's attention just long enough for the sleight to go by unnoticed.
He didn't even need half the time he requested for the job in the first place. What's so hard about apprehending a fox when you have the power to- Foko stopped dead in his tracks, nose flaring.
Blood.
But Otento's or Kurama's?
Too far to distinguish. He was not in full control of the fox's senses as of yet.
What could have gone wrong?
Foko broke into a dead run, sprinting in the direction of the scent's origin and breaking through the trees with wide eyes onto the scene, seeing Otento's back as he lifted an arm to make another slash meant to join the already countless others that covered the tattered body of the redhead the demon had been sent to obtain.
Foko let out a snarl that shook the trees as he continued forward without pause, bringing up a fist that suddenly sprouted with a sword of deadly plant life and making the last dash forward, swinging the sword down through the very arm that Otento held up to strike into Kurama, and continuing a few paces past both demons before skidding to a halt and turning to glare menacingly at Otento.
Otento stood in shock, staring at the place where his shoulder should have connected to his torso and finding nothing there, the arm fallen to the ground below.
Foko stalked back to the demon, plants disappearing from his fist, and grabbed the blonde by the front of his shirt, turning and slamming him into the trunk of the tree from which Kurama's arms had been strung up.
"You were to bring him back to me." Foko's words were crystal clear and articulated, as well as almost to low to hear and dripping with barely-contained fury.
Otento's eyes were just as wide as possible, blood dripping from the place where his arm had once been, staring directly into Foko's cold, golden gaze.
For a split second, Otento's eyes narrowed, but a plethora of indescribable plants erupted seemingly from the air behind Foko and trained themselves upon, facing towards, Otento's body.
"Just try to work your magic on my energy." Foko seethed, "I dare you. You will be dead before your work is finished."
The tension of Otento's body did not lessen, but it changed, and the plants behind Foko disappeared, slithering away out of sight as if they had emerged directly from Foko's back.
"I will spare you your life," Foko snarled viciously, "But only because he is not dead and you have up to this point proven yourself a valuable asset."
Foko glared at Otento, finally releasing the demon from where he was held up against the tree trunk so that he slid back down for his feet to touch the ground.
In two steps, Foko had Otento's limb in his hand and he threw it none too gently at the other demon, who barely caught it in his other hand.
"If you are not back at base by the time I return, I will hunt you down and kill you myself." Foko snapped again. "Get going!" He growled when Otento did not move immediately.
The purple-eyed demon shuddered, but slipped off of the tree, never leaving eye-contact with the pseudo-fox even as he stepped to the side of it, but then he turned tail and ran, quickly moving out of sight of the shifting mist.
Once alone, Foko visibly relaxed, but turned concerned eyes to the fox demon before him, starting to check for vital signs and the extent of the damage. He removed bits of fabric where they had gotten caught inside the wounds, not caring that his hands were quickly becoming soaked in the blood of the overly injured avatar as he made his inspections, speaking quietly to the fox in the hopes that Kurama might latch onto his voice and not fall into unconsciousness.
Unable to recognize the voice, Kurama still did just that, fighting back the urge to give up and let go and knowing on some level that doing so might cause him to never wake up. 3
It's said/hinted at here and there in our roleplay around this time, but CM and I discussed the difference in Shikiyoku and Hiei's interactions when we decided a time-skip was in order (that is, the possibility of Hiei being more talkative with her and the like) and we decided that because of the traveling they did together (the month of a time-skip we did for them basically) that Hiei has become at the very least more amiable specifically when it comes to Shikiyoku since they've been companions and in close quarters for that length of time. And why things like her mood effect him more. So, if you notice moments that you might think are out of character for Hiei, know that CM and I made the choice to have him act in such a way because of their month of travelling, and that here is where we are in fact consciously starting to make the slow shift for Hiei to begin caring for her, and that the change, while meant to be subtle in some aspects, didn't come all at once, but instead did happen over time (we just skipped all the boring travelling they did in that month since nothing terribly important happens).
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star