A/N: Hello once again, Fanficdotnet Lovelies!
Things have been pretty hectic for me lately, doing lots of auditioning, as well as CM, who is working her butt off at her job. We always try and write when we find the time, though currently such times are infrequent in nature. I make no promises about reaching any sort of consistent posting schedule, but I might actually attempt to post a new chapter once a week now that I've finished with the busier of my existence for the moment, likely around the time this one is going up. We'll see.
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko/Shikiyoku and Youko/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.
[Anything written in italics inside square brackets is Youko speaking to Shuichi/Kurama inside their mind and is private conversation, unable to be picked up by telepathy.]
{Anything written in italics inside curly brackets is inner dialogue by Shuichi/Kurama to Youko, and is also private conversation, unable to be picked up by telepathy.}
"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).
The above rule also applies to Akari's old friend Isamu when he is in his dog-form.
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
In the midst of his first experience in a fire room at the bath house on the Seventh Layer of Demon World,
Hiei comes to himself to realize that out in the hot springs of their private space,
Shikiyoku has switched forms in reaction to her nightmares.
Approaching her cautiously,
he finds that she is rather coherent in spite of her form,
one that typically sent her into a feeding frenzy.
When he asks her to look towards him,
his intention to change her back, afraid of her losing her mind,
she is hesitant, keenly aware of each scar and how marring they are of her appearance.
Patiently, Hiei comes to realize she is afraid he will leave her.
When he attempts to come close enough to kiss her,
she struggles to resist feeding upon him,
thankful that she is weakened from not having fed in a long time.
Using the Jagan, Hiei shifts between the layers and back,
kissing her before she could have a chance to react.
Almost immediately, she begins to draw energy from him,
steadily growing stronger even as his desire to change her to normal sweeps over her.
As she switches forms beneath his lips,
Hiei's Consort mark extends over his arm
in direct response to his actions in regards to her.
Admonishing him that he could have died as soon as she awoke,
Hiei's only reply is that she could as well should she stay in that form too long.
Now in her right mind, Shikiyoku realizes Kitoushi must have drawn some of the disease from her,
and she is overcome by guilt, thoughts turning to Douji and the destruction she brought upon his tribe.
While at first he moved to leave her and return to the fire room,
Hiei senses her inner turmoil and slips into the hot springs nearby,
Shikiyoku asking if she could move closer.
While Hiei attempts to reassure her telepathically,
that his move to change her back had been of his own volition,
Shikiyoku begins to silently weep out of weariness and dejection at her situation.
Unsure what to do, Hiei pulls her closer to his side,
and in response Shikiyoku manages to pull her thoughts back together,
not wanting to burden Hiei with her troubled mind.
As they begin a distracted banter,
Hiei reflects upon how much he has changed,
and how much he has come to care for the she-demon at his side.
He knows she is hiding her emotions from him,
but has had too much of his energy drained to push the subject.
He admits to her that the water is "not bad."
~!**!~
In one of the kitchen's at Yomi's compound,
Kurama takes a slice of orange Akari was eating
directly from her hand.
While she meant to "wipe off" onto him the place where his lips had touched her palm in the gesture,
Kurama simply grasps her wrist and when she struggles to release herself, he pulls her closer.
Unbeknownst to Akari, it is not only Kurama staring at her,
but Youko is simultaneously joined in the effort as well,
drawing her up against the avatar and holding her closely.
Resisting both himself and the kitsune within,
Kurama only brushes his lips against Akari's cheek at first,
beginning to kiss the new scar she sported on her cheek from her training,
and telling her it would be going away as soon as he got the chance to remove it.
Their intimate moment is interrupted by another demon entering the kitchen,
and though said demon informs them the area is about to fill,
Kurama insists he does not care,
though he picks Akari up and carries her out anyway.
He makes a stop by the room in which Akari had killed Takeo, her trainer,
and the plants within it will need one more day before they are ready.
It is one of the plants itself that speaks of it, however, and in Kurama's own voice.
Akari nearly jumped when the door opened, her eyes shifting to Kurama as he shut it behind himself and stood there for a moment. She raised a brow, curious, but not daring to ask in case he decided to drag her inside anyway. By the time he had opened his eyes to look at her, her expression was void of anything but calm waiting.
She did eye the smile he gave, though, and her muscles relaxed all at once. Not dragging me in there. Good.
When he moved forward to pick her up this time, she didn't hesitate to wrap her arm behind his neck, her left hand resting on his opposite shoulder. She didn't protest, because she was just relieved he didn't want her in the room.
Not yet.
Shut up!
She figured Yomi was still listening, so she let the sigh she gave drag on a little longer than it would have normally been. She let her eyelids close after a moment, deciding not to actually say anything. *
"What do you wish to do with your last free day to yourself? We have until tomorrow evening. Or thereabouts." Kurama glanced down at Akari as he continued walking.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku scoffed as if he'd said the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well, of course it's not bad." She resisted letting out a long 'duuuuh,' though it was heavily implied. "It was meant for fire demons, after all."
She let the elbow near his side nudge into him to emphasize the statement, this out-of-place playfulness briefly scattering the frown over her brow. 3
Hiei let out a breath of amusement at the air around Shikiyoku, one that heavily implied a sarcastic remark that she didn't verbally give. Or, something similar, at least. His eyes remained closed and his head fell a little further down as he relaxed even more.
He thought he opened his mouth to say something, but really his lips didn't even twitch.
It was getting a little harder to stay awake.
~!**!~
Akari frowned up at Kurama, her eyelids opening quickly at his words so she could turn a stare up at him. Tomorrow? The frown deepened into a scowl, her lips pressing together in a thin line. And for a few moments, that was the only answer she gave him.
And then she turned her eyes to the side and actually began thinking of things to do. She didn't want to go to the gardens. She didn't have the energy to simply meander about, and she didn't want Kurama carrying her around aimlessly.
Her eyes closed again and she took a deep breath.
"Nothing in particular." *
"Then I might suggest rest?" He paused in place, then shifted his feet in another direction, one that might lead them back more quickly to her room.
~!**!~
She had turned back to the front, shifting a little in such a way that brought more of her up out of the water, her back flattening against the rocks as she adopted a position with less slouch.
Her ear twitched at Hiei's lethargic movement.
"Sleep, fire-prince." Shikiyoku murmured quietly as her own eyelids closed, her voice only barely spanning the space between them.
"You will not drown with me." Her words were simple, calm. "I would not let you." 3
The smallest breath left Hiei's nostrils in both acknowledgement of her words, and amusement at the prospect. And even as he did begin to drift into sleep, his entire being remained aware of where he was. At least, in regards to the hot spring.
That didn't mean that he was aware of the way his head tilted to the side, towards Shikiyoku until it rested atop her head.
And he let out the smallest breath in satisfaction.
~!**!~
Akari gave a small shrug. "Probably better than running around." Not that I could do running of any sort. She almost felt a smile lift the corners of her lips at the thought. Almost.
You know, a bath might help the muscles.
She pursed her lips together a little in consideration. And if you can't move after?
Best not to try. *
Kurama turned the last corner and made his way down towards her room.
"Any other complaints besides the stiff muscles?" He let them into her door, but did not put her down, pulling the door shut behind them with the toe of his foot.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku hadn't particularly been expecting his head to press into her own, suddenly growing heavier as he drifted off into sleep.
Even less so her own reaction to it, the sudden longing to gather him into her arms for once, and let him rest against her.
She let out a little breath as the contact between them sent more sparkles of energy skittering this time down her wet hair.
She could live with this, for however long he needed. It was her fault he felt this way after all.
The only 'protest' she had was the way her veins started buzzing, warming her skin in ways that the hot spring never could. 3
As darkness washed over Hiei, some part of him seemed to feel as if he was moving, gently swaying back and forth even if there was no reason for him to feel he was doing as such. It didn't seem to bother him, didn't seem to stir his consciousness in the least bit.
And while he slept, that was the only thing he became aware of. No dreams, nothing.
~!**!~
"Hm?" She hadn't been paying attention. "Oh," Akari's eyes came open and she glanced up. "Not really. Sore muscles, lethargy." Weird dreams. Hallucinations. She shrugged. "Nothing I haven't dealt with before, and nothing that won't pass after another day." Like I'm going to tell you I see dead people wandering the halls and in my dreams. *
Kurama made his way over to her bed as she talked, gently putting her down.
"Those are fairly easily remedied." As he turned and walked towards the bathroom, slipping the coat off of his shoulders and resting it over the back of a chair he passed, he went on, "I will draw you up a bath."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku did not actually voice the noise of consternation she wanted to release from her throat, but it mentally echoed across the recesses of her own mind.
The longer she sat there, the more her energy buzzed along her skin, practically setting it aglow, and the portion of her hair out of the water had long-since dried, her scalp tingling as it sent free into the air more of that same energy, but as a scent and invisible to all but the highest of trained eyes.
He's not even awake! Bloody hell.
She knew Hiei was the source of whatever was going on, but she hadn't the faintest idea as to why, but she did not want to move and wake him, so she stayed very still, only blowing a puff of air upwards when a strand of hair fell into her face.
Where in pain-form her energy had filled the private hot springs with a mucky, sickening, almost sticky haze, this time her power mixed in with the fog to give it a soft yellow glow almost imperceptible from the light cast by the flames that swirled and licked along the surface of the water. And where before the haze would have driven any demon in their right mind in the other direction, this time it would have beckoned them closer to her, and even she could feel how inviting the area around her had become.
Shikiyoku's eyes flicked upwards briefly as if she would be able to see him, feeling more silent sparks of energy flit between where his head contacted hers.
Dammit. 3
Blissful darkness. The occasional sway. And, after a few moments, an odd color seemed to fill his mind, replacing the darkness with a calm, peaceful glow of yellow. Serene, inviting him deeper into sleep.
Hiei's lips parted to release a very small breath of content, and after they remained open so that he may breathe from his mouth instead of his nose, which stirred a few strands of Shikiyoku's hair here and there.
~!**!~
Once she was set down, Akari shifted so that her back was against the wall where a headboard would normally be, her eyes following Kurama as he promptly turned to move away. She raised a brow as he spoke, noting the direction he was going.
She didn't protest, but she did purse her lips at him. Why can't you just sit down and stop worrying? *
Kurama had his sleeves rolled up, was crouched down near the floor and had left the bathroom door behind him opened. He absently swirled the tips of his fingers around in the water that was just beginning to crawl up the edge of the tub from the faucet, as his other hand rested near his bent knee.
[Mm.]
Youko didn't have to say anything. Kurama knew exactly how long it had been since the fox had taken a bath, seeing as how Youko was broadcasting the information for him.
{You are not taking a bath with her.}
[I never said it had to be me.]
{It was heavily implied.}
[Well, I mean, look, it's not like there wouldn't be room enough for both of us.]
{We're not taking a bath with her.}
[You're no fun.]
Kurama managed to stifle a laugh, only smiling a little as he stared at the water, bits of steam beginning to rise from it here and there.
He reached up and over the edge with the hand not keeping track of the temperature and as he passed his hand in front of him, over the water, powder scattered onto the rippling surface.
Youko was pouting.
[You didn't put any Byunine in there.]
{That's because Byunine is a potent aphrodisiac.}
[And?]
{And that has nothing to do with what this bath is for. We're trying to cure her.}
[That would cure plenty of things. Would make her feel better too.]
{You're hopeless.}
[No, actually I would say I'm fairly hopeful given the circumstances.]
~!**!~
It's hopeless. Shikiyoku decided, working her jaw around a little.
Ever since the fire demon had fallen asleep, she had been sitting there-for who knows how long at this point-trying to figure out what exactly was going on.
She considered herself to have a fairly tight reign on her powers at this point. Ever since breaking her mother's mesmer, it had been as if her capacity, her skill for micro-managing every filament of her power, had steadily increased.
And once Kitoushi changed her back, it was as if perhaps in spite of her dual capabilities she found she could adjust each nuance, fine-tune her control to the utmost of efficiency.
...except where he was concerned.
And she hadn't the faintest idea as to why.
Everything felt normal upon inspection, save for the fact that her core was swirling madly around in her chest and her cheeks and ears were flushed with a heat unrelated to the Crimson Pool.
Hopeless. She repeated, as if that were going to make anything better. She might have been referring to herself at that point, however. She wasn't precisely sure. 3
The golden glow seemed to brighten a little, cheery and inviting. Curious. It swirled calmly in and around the darkness of the sleeping world, calmly coiling around and around, swirling in intricate patterns that seemed to leave an impression wherever they went. And for a while, the patterns were simple swirls and curls, dancing around and around. But occasionally, a heart would form, and from it the curls would grow until it overtook the heart entirely, turning it into a mass image of swirling decorations that were easily recognizable.
And the weirdest feeling registered in the back of Hiei's mind, pulling at his consciousness. The color began to dim like a candle slowly going out, or perhaps slowly moving away from him, until he was left with the darkness behind his lids and the sound of fire dancing in the air, of water moving around him gently.
His nose twitched just a little as something tickled at it, and he was moving away from it, lifting his head from the odd position and a hand lifting, peeling away from the rock it had been resting on to rub at his nose.
His eyes opened and he realized he was staring down at Shikiyoku's hair, and the air around her was… odd. Amusing, when he realized she was brooding over something or another.
~!**!~
Akari stared at the open door to the bathroom, listening to the sound of the running water. Even from here, she could feel the air in that room thickening with the steam that was being produced, that was rolling from the water.
Now that the water was actually running, she wondered why she hadn't decided to take a bath sooner. Or why she waited until she didn't have much of a choice before agreeing to it. It wasn't like she'd had the chance to have one since she'd arrived; Takeo had hardly given her time to have even the shortest of showers when necessary.
And the enticing thought of the hot water had her up and moving for the dresser, pulling a random drawer open and rifling through the different articles of clothing. Most of it she wouldn't wear, simply because of the long sleeves or the thin material.
By the time she had pulled out a couple of materials, the drawer was a mess.
Which meant she had to fix it again. So she did, neatly folding each shirt, each pair of pants, each article in a neat, wrinkle-less pile divided as it had been. And then she slid the drawer shut, pleased to meet no resistance for out-standing materials. *
Kurama walked out of the bathroom, both sleeves rolled up above his elbows, and paused for a moment to watch Akari, folding his arms over his chest with a gleam of amusement in his eyes when he realized what she was doing.
Bits of steam were playing along the air behind him, coming from the surface of the bath, and he hadn't turned off the water yet so the splashing and filing of the tub still made a great deal of noise.
The back of his hair was sticking to his neck though.
"All better?" He asked when she shut the drawer.
~!**!~
Oh thank the Kamis.
Shikiyoku almost accented her relief with a sigh, but at the very least the pent-up tension across her shoulders faded.
Needless to say, she was immediately aware of the moment that Hiei lifted from her, and she pulled at her energy, drawing it inwards and after a moment starting to shift around as if to move away. 3
Hiei noted the instant Shikiyoku relaxed and his eyes gleamed for a moment in amusement. He drew further away just as she shifted around, a hand still rubbing at his face a little where he could feel a spot on his temple that was a little sensitive. Probably from resting like that.
He let her shift away, even shifted away himself as he pulled his other arm away from the rocks as well.
"Uncomfortable?" He grumbled, still sleepy, as he shifted to move towards the way he'd waded in.
He was getting tired of the water.
~!**!~
Akari hadn't heard him move from the bathroom, so when Kurama spoke up, she gave a little jolt of surprise and glanced over her shoulder at him, blinking twice before releasing a breath. "About the drawer? Yes." She turned to face him, pausing for a moment as she eyed him.
Standing there, watching her with amusement.
…
She shrugged at him and moved for the bathroom, turning so she could pass by him. "You're in the way." *
"Ah," He took a slight step so that she could more easily get by, "My pardons." He gestured a hand in the direction she was already headed, "The bath awaits whenever you are ready, your majesty."
~!**!~
As soon as he spoke, Shikiyoku froze in place, still trying to reel her energy back in, her stomach clenching.
She hadn't thought he was awake.
"No." She said quickly, turning to look at him. Not physically anyway. That part was fine. Her eyes scanned the fog around him, which parted as he moved through it.
...maybe he...didn't notice how extensively her energy had filled the area. 3
"Hn."
Hiei kept moving, not glancing back at her as he waded out of the hot spring. And the moment his feet touched the rock, his energy fluctuated, pulsating around him in three short bursts until even the towel was dry.
Another short scratch at his face and he was continuing on, sliding the door open to the front room.
"Neither was I."
~!**!~
Akari paused just before passing by him entirely and turned a stare onto Kurama, frowning. "None of that." I don't like that. Her eyes narrowed a fraction before she continued, brushing by him and into the bathroom. She turned, a hand on the handle of the door and pushing it closed.
"Stupid fox." *
"Whatever you say, beautiful." Kurama replied mildly, calling through the door. "You're not allowed to drown, by the way. Yomi wouldn't be happy about that."
Kurama moved towards her bed and lay back down on top of it, leaning his head against the wall and putting his hands behind his neck to help prop it up.
~!**!~
Still staring after him, still sort of halfway to standing in the water, Shikiyoku froze again.
Anything else she had been going to say shot out of her mind, and if Hiei hadn't noticed her energy on the air up to that point, there was little in the way of missing the fluxuation that rolled through what was already on the air.
Had she been Kit, her ears would have laid back flat against her skull in an expression of almost fearful expectancy as she blinked, trying very hard not to even breathe too loudly. 3
Hiei didn't so much as even pause when the pulse went through the air, causing a scent to fly past his nostrils and thicken around him. A scent he'd already noted on the air. His lips turned up in a sneer as he slid the door shut behind himself, completely amused by the reaction he'd received from the woman.
Hn.
He stood at the door for a whole minute before moving for his clothes.
He was done with the fire room and the hot spring for now.
~!**!~
Akari shut the door calmly and huffed at it when she heard Kurama's response, not even giving a reply of her own as she turned away and tossed the new outfit on the counter near the sink, where she'd be able to reach it later.
With a wince of discomfort here and there, she peeled her clothes away and set her eyes on the still-running water, watching the ripples for a second before very carefully lifting one leg over the sides, then the other, and lowering herself in the hot water.
And as she lowered herself until the water touched her chin, she let out the longest sigh of relief she'd issued in a while. She didn't even care if her hair swirled around her in the water.
She lazily turned the faucet off with a foot and sunk just a little further in the water, eyes closing.
This feels absolutely wonderful. *
Kurama let his eyes close when Akari did not say anything else, starting to go through the list of things in his mind.
No word on Shikiyoku yet.
I wonder what Yomi will have in store for me if he discovers she was Toriko, and is the same Shikiyoku he knew Youko was Champion for.
[You think he has not already made that connection?]
{I think for now we could still consider it a possibility.}
[And how many demons by the name of Shikiyoku do you know?]
{The same number as you.}
[Even if he doesn't scheme some way to fold Shikiyoku into his plans, he is not likely to let someone else have her.]
{Funny. Sounds a lot like you.}
~!**!~
Shikiyoku let out a quick breath from her lips when Hiei did not pause and stood the rest of the way up, a hand reaching for where the ends of the towel were tucked together at the middle of her chest.
In another breath, she had her energy unwoven from the fog and steam and was moving in much the same direction as Hiei, the yellow glow getting pulled back into her as she stepped up out of the pool and for the sliding door in front of her.
While any fire demon could dry themselves, there were a few reckless souls that might accompany them and could not, and might not wish for the demon to dry them off by the end of the visit, either via energy or otherwise.
Heh.
Paying little attention to the room they had first entered-truthfully Shikiyoku expected Hiei to have gone back into the room of fire-she dripped across the floor just past where the closet stood open still with the shelves of towels, pressed her palm against the blackish red-marbled wall, and was rewarded with the wall sliding to the right so that she could step into the little room beyond it, the wall sliding closed behind her. 3
Hiei had already dressed halfway before he heard the door slide open, his hand pausing only briefly in its reach for his cloak as he listened to the sounds of wet footsteps moving across the room. Undeterred and, quite frankly, uncaring, he let his fingers grab at the cloak, pausing again when his eyes saw the mark on his arm was longer than earlier.
He stood upright, cloak in hand, and took to eyeing the marking that was almost to his wrist- a rather large addition compared to before. His eyes moved from the swirls on his arm to the markings on his torso, which had spread further even there as well. It disappeared below the waistline of his pants and curled towards the right, taking over more than half of his torso now.
I don't remember it growing like this.
When was the last time he'd looked at it though?
….
Just that once, he supposed.
Hm.
His eyes moved to his left shoulder, and he blinked when he realized the same dark swirls disappeared over the joint there too.
He was suddenly glancing around the room, noting the closing portion of the wall but dismissing it entirely as he searched for a mirror.
~!**!~
Another long, deep breath sent the water near her lips quivering and rippling away from her face. Every muscle seemed to expand and relax within the heat of the water, every pain and ache dissolving after a few minutes.
It took a lot for Akari to open her eyes and pull herself up to rest her back against the tub and rest her arms along the sides of it. She let her head rest back as well, eyes staring at the ceiling for a few moments before they slid close again.
The air seemed to grow thicker, heavier, and her with each breath she found herself relaxing more and more until the darkness behind her lids became that of light sleep.
She floated in that darkness for a minute or two before it dissolved and gave way to another dream, just like the last. Except even as she stood by the door of the bathroom, she found she didn't really want to leave the room. It was so warm and quiet and peaceful.
Her head turned towards the wall to her left, catching the lack of reflection in the mirror that hung there and making her smile a wry, twisted smile. Still ghost like. Same dream, different circumstances.
Despite her earlier reluctance to leave the room, she moved through the door and into the bedroom, glanced briefly at Kurama, and then moved out the bedroom door, turning and moving the same way she'd gone the first time. *
Kurama's thoughts had lulled, his internal timer set to pull him back to the present to retrieve Akari if necessary.
It wasn't wise to stay too long in the bath he had drawn for her.
But she still had a few minutes left.
Even in the peacefulness of his mind, he still turned over situation after situation, answer after answer to the circumstances he found himself in, and they all ended up revolving back to the same phrase.
Yomi expects you to betray them.
~!**!~
When the door slid silently back open a few moments later and Shikiyoku stepped back out into the room, she appeared entirely dry, even the towel that she had repositioned about herself.
She caught Hiei looking around for something and stopped right outside the drying room as the wall closed behind her, a single hand on her hip and all her weight resting on that same leg.
She pointed a finger of her other hand up at the ceiling.
"But I don't think it's going to help you much." 3
Hiei heard the sliding door, but didn't think anything of it, didn't look in Shikiyoku's direction until she spoke. And when he did turn to face her, he noted the finger pointing directly up, and his eyes followed. He blinked at the large overhead mirror; how ridiculous it was to be on the ceiling.
He stared at his reflection for a minute, eyes following the markings he saw moving over his shoulder and to his shoulder blades, but he couldn't tell how far it spanned from such a ridiculous angle.
Lay on the floor?
And look like a total fool, trying to crane his head around so he'd be able to see up and over his own back.
Jagan.
What a waste of energy, though. It wouldn't be happy with the simple thirty-second usage of its power.
….He'd just have to wait.
~!**!~
Akari moved through the halls, passing the room where she'd previously seen Kyu and continuing down a few flights of stairs. Demons moved in every which way, some with papers in their hands, some with weapons at their sides, and some clad in noisy armor. Satchi was among them, moving by with his eyes ahead and shoulders back, chest out.
"Idiot." she grumbled at him as she passed, continuing down one more flight of stairs and into the large dining hall.
She wasn't surprised to see Yomi at the table, plate in front of him and a maid to the side, a waiter moving by her for something he'd requested. Or ordered. Whatever.
She moved around to the far side of the table and turned to face him, noting the small pause he gave and tilting her head as if she thought he'd look at her. He instead turned to the demon who entered the room and gave a scowl.
"This better be important."
She left the room before the demon went on, going through another set of doors and into the busy kitchen filled with demons cleaning up their messes, plates scattered along one counter for their own meals. The smells were wonderful, but only for a moment before she felt her stomach drop and her nose wrinkle.
It was almost sickening now.
She left that room rather quickly as well and went back up another flight of stairs, roaming the fourth floor aimlessly, even humming a little to distract herself from the twisted knot in her stomach the kitchen had created. *
Kurama eyes slid open and his feet hit the floor as he stood up.
Time's up.
Granted, he hadn't told her that part.
He made his way over to the door and knocked.
"Akari? You should get out now. It's best not to soak in there for too long."
He waited a beat, not even hearing so much as a slosh of water.
"Akari, if you make me come in, Youko's going to be overly excited about it."
[Hey!]
When there was no answer that time, Kurama slipped his fingers over the doorknob and turned, letting himself inside and calmly reaching for a towel.
She would fall asleep.
[She was already fairly tired.]
{Defending her?}
[Of course not.]
Hmph.
His sleeves still rolled up, Kurama made no hesitation in kneeling next to the tub and attempting to peer into Akari's face, reaching up to brush a few strands of her hair that had plastered down her cheeks back with the rest of their brethren.
"Akari..." Kurama called to her quietly, towel in the other hand as he waited for another moment, watching his fingers peel back the bits of hair.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku almost let out a puff of amusement as she lowered her hand once he glanced up.
The fire demon likely had no concept of why the entire ceiling was a mirror, and neither, as she had said, was it going to serve his immediate purpose for it.
She started walking towards him, left hand dropping from her waist to swing at her side as half-presented the other hand in his direction.
"I could...give you an image. In a manner of speaking." She stopped just short of him. "If you like." 3
Hiei frowned up at the mirror and turned his gaze away from it, turning his eyes to Shikiyoku as he heard her begin to move towards him. When she held her hand out in his direction, he raised a brow curiously at her and gave a small considering glance at her hand again.
When his eyes flickered back up to hers, he nodded once, genuinely curious.
~!**!~
"Akari…."
She paused in the middle of the hallway and looked around, searching for the person who'd called to her. There was more being said, she knew, but she couldn't quite catch it, the words nothing more than a mumble in her ears, as if she had cotton in them.
Then it stopped, and she frowned. She continued walking, this time moving in the direction she'd come and towards where she knew she'd been sleeping.
"Akari…"
Her brows furrowed and she began moving faster, confused. It was definitely Kurama's voice, now that she had been listening for it. "I'm comin', I'm comin'."
Wha-at?
She slowed her pace as she hit the last staircase, slowing from a jog to a walk halfway up and calmly following the direction her feet seemed desperate for her to move in.
"Akari."
"Be patient, fox."
"Dog."
She kept moving, undeterred by the different voice, by the different addressing of her. "What? I'm busy."
"Not going to look at the one you killed?"
Akari shrugged as she kept moving, the being following her up the stairs. "I've killed a few, why would you matter?"
"Because you should've followed me."
That had her pausing a few feet from the door, turning to look at Takeo with wide eyes. His lips were in a wide, sardonic grin and his dim eyes flashed at her. Where she knew there should have been a gaping hole in his chest, there was only the outfit he'd been wearing the day he died.
It took an extra second to gather herself and close her eyes. Just dreaming.
And when her eyes came open this time, she was in the bathroom, a finger just touching her cheek and her hair moving. She reacted, hand closest to the person who'd intruded quickly slapping the other's away, her knees coming up and sending water in every which way while her other arm took to covering her.
"Get out!" she growled as her eyes landed on Kurama. "Now." Every single nerve was shot, and this definitely didn't help. *
His eyes had not once left her face, though he doubted she would even bother to notice, and it should have been commended, really, considering the kitsune leering at him in his own head.
"No." He said simply, staring into her eyes. "Not until you tell me where you've been. You were barely pulling enough air in to be considered sleeping, much less alive, and your heart rate had, for lack of better term, stopped. And this is not the first time. So, unless you've suddenly gone to the trouble of learning a meditation deep enough to make yourself appear dead in the time since we were last together, I suggest you tell me where you've been." The last three words were much harsher, stone cold and icy, than the rest of it which up until that point could have been considered statements of fact.
And he still did not look away from her face.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku stepped up to him once he nodded, wondering momentarily when he'd gotten so tall because weren't they the same height not all that long ago?
It's been over a decade for you, Shiki. Isn't he allowed to grow? He's still young after all.
Shiki? When had she started calling herself that?
Her hand lifted from where she offered it, turning so she could place her palm at the heart-shaped mark etched in thin, black ink directly over his core.
When she completely the gesture, pressing her hand against his warm, smooth skin, she could feel the steady beating of his core under her palm, the source of his power, and she found herself standing there with the barest hint of a smile on her features.
It only took a second before the tattoo beneath her hand started to glow a golden-yellow color, somehow brilliant and yet soft at the same time.
The lighting spiraled outwards from there, setting his entire left side aglow, and while Shikiyoku had always been able to tell the size of the marking, she noted how much longer it took to get the entire thing lit up this time, even if the whole process took nothing more than a second.
In her mind's eye, she could see exactly where each spiral lay across his skin, but now those swirls were yellow instead of black.
The smile from before grew a little.
It is a rather handsome Marking. 3
Hiei's eyes followed her hand until it touched his skin, where he felt the warmth of the glow begin underneath her palm and spread in every which direction. Up to his shoulder, down his arm and torso, right towards his opposite arm and even left around his side.
For a brief second, the glow reminded him of his dream earlier, and his lips twitched.
The warmth continued over his shoulder and across his left shoulder blade, spreading to follow his spine in some areas. It moved around his waist and over his left hip, only a few inches down his thigh.
By the time the glow was stilled, having covered every inch of the marking, his eyelids were closed and his lips had a small twitch upwards. It was much, much larger than he'd thought, and it was a very satisfying thought.
~!**!~
At the very first word Kurama's lips issued, Akari's eyes narrowed and she leaned away from him, her hands shaking as she curled them around her arms. She opened her mouth to repeat the demand in a much higher pitch, likely a higher volume as well, but he continued and her eyes narrowed further.
Amidst his words, she did become aware of his steady stare meeting her glare, never wavering away, and a part of her found relief in that. The rest of her, however, was still shaken, still envisioning Takeo and Kyu and the creature. The rest of her was realizing what he was telling her and what it meant, that even though she'd been here, sleeping, she hadn't actually been dreaming.
And that probably shook her even more and her brows lowered further over her narrowed eyes, making more shadows over her glare.
There was a beat of silence where she tried to gather her thoughts, separate the images from the words she would have to say, and dimly she felt as if the water around her was too hot, her skin cold.
"I," she began, voice low and glare still meeting his, "have been here." The word came out heavy and harsh, not shake in her voice despite the shake in her muscles. She would've said more, but she found it harder to speak when her stomach rolled and pitched. *
Kurama searched her face, his expression never shifted, even as Youko attempted to show him what he wasn't looking at and forced the redhead to ignore him even further.
[She has nothing to be ashamed of.]
When Akari finally spoke, Kurama blinked at her once.
[She's lying.]
{I know that. I think that's...what makes it hurt worse.}
He didn't even have to call her a liar, to tell her that he knew she wasn't being truthful. And he didn't think it would do any good to tell her that Yomi already knows anything she thinks she might be hiding.
If Youko and Kurama had pulled together that her spirit was leaving her body, in a sort of 'astral projection' as Youko put it, because she was supposed to die with Takeo and her soul had been torn so far apart from her body that it could roam free...
It would be expecting too much to not think Yomi could hear even spirits walking the hallways. That he wouldn't exploit them in any manner possible should he discover a use for them.
Kurama's stare on her only lasted a moment longer before he abruptly stood and tossed the towel at the floor next to the tub as he turned away.
"You should rest." He moved for the door. "You'll be expected at the room in the morning."
~!**!~
The smile faded.
One that needs to go away.
There was going to be no 'easy' way of saying it.
"Hiei...I..." That storm she had been fettering away sent a morose cloud to settle over her eyes, darkening the usual bright green. "You've got to let me take it off." 3
Hiei's expression quickly went from one of quiet amazement to a frown at the shift in mood over Shikiyoku. His eyes turned to her with a sharp keenness as she began speaking, searching her face for whatever she was about to say.
And he'd be lying if he'd said he completely understood this woman.
His brows furrowed a little and he watched her silently, staring. Not responding right away.
After a moment, his lips finally formed the words in a fashion that didn't sound harsh. "And why would I do that?"
~!**!~
She felt it.
Akari could feel the unspoken accusation that hung on the air, and she set her jaw. I am not. She kept her narrowed stare steady on him, even when he suddenly stood, the towel hitting the floor as he turned to leave. She didn't move, her lips twitching every which way as she struggled not to speak over him.
Because she really didn't like the idea of interrupting the fox demon.
But the instant he was done talking, Akari's voice cut through the air, a pitch higher as she spoke around the twisting stomach and the grossness she could feel building up. You can't be sick now.
"It isn't like I have anywhere to go, Kurama!" His name had been said half a pitch higher from the rest of her words, though from anger, fear, or desperation, she didn't know. "This stupid building is the only place I can be! Otherwise, I'd be long gone by now, putting that stupid room and this stupid kingdom or whatever behind me!" She drew in a shaky breath. "If I had any other option, I wouldn't be here. And you know at this moment what my only other option is." Death, with Takeo. *
Kurama let himself be stopped short when Akari started speaking, stood with his back to her with his hands curled into fists and resting against his thighs.
He was also pulling his lips into his mouth, trying not to interrupt the girl's building frenzy with the laugh of relief he wanted to release.
[You're terrible. I knew I didn't like this from the beginning for a reason.]
{It's working, isn't it?}
When she finished, Kurama turned back, shifting enough so that they could look into one another's eyes again, facial features in his resting neutral.
He started to raise a single hand up towards his lips.
"Perhaps you should have gone with that option." His words sounded as if he barely contained some sort of icy fury.
His hand held a single finger up, one that he put gently against his own lips just as he finished before winking at her and sending her a silent grin before moving that finger over to tap at his ear meaningfully.
If Yomi thinks we are upset with one another, we will both be better off.
"Be at the room in the morning. Do not make me come get you."
In the most completely opposite manner of his tone possible, Kurama moved his hand over to cover his mouth, giving Akari a rather ridiculous lovey-dovey face, winking and all, and silently kissed his hand, acting as if he blew the kiss across his palm in her direction.
He slammed the door abruptly, not waiting for her to say something and possibly ruin the plan, snatching his coat from the chair and stalking out of the room, also slamming the door to her bedroom behind him.
[Think he was listening?]
{Most certainly.}
~!**!~
Saying that a million reasons passed over Shikiyoku's mind would be overstating things.
Trying to explain why Kitoushi and Youko were both easier choices wouldn't have been fair.
Even if any desire to teach went the way of Douji.
The thought of having to teach made her feel weary.
She felt too tired to tell someone about how or why she just wanted them to run their hand through her hair, brush their fingers along her skin, gather her into their arms, kiss her, or, hell, even make love to her, which was not something she had so much as thought of in ages.
Youko might kill me himself if he knew that last little tidbit.
None of the reasons she thought of were relevant to why she brought it up now, though, and they were dismissed as soon as Hiei asked.
Her eyes shut as if in pain, a crease forming between her brows as she landed on the actual reason, the real reason why she had even said it in the first place.
"...because I can't take any more of this." She answered softly. This heartache. This fragility. Am I selfish that I do not wish to break? 3
BEfore today, Hiei would have thought she was speaking about him. About being tired of him. But after a few days of keeping his distance, of watching from afar and even being forgotten, he knew better. It wasn't just him. He wasn't a top contender, no matter what any stupid markings had to say. He wasn't a first pick, not even a second.
And when she said she couldn't take it, he saw images flashing before his eyes, of Otanto, Taka. Of Douji. It was easy to follow her train of thought, and suddenly his lips pulled into a very thin line and his eyes darkened just a little.
"Nothing ends just because you leave it behind." His tone was even, his eyes watching her. "It will all still be there, no matter what marks you remove, no matter where you go." Because you're not coping. You're running.
And I've done that.
~!**!~
Akari's breathing was heavy, but she tried to maintain it, tried to control it so that maybe she wouldn't have to get up and find a trash can, which was significantly closer than both the sink and the toilet. She stared at Kurama as he turned around to meet her gaze again, noting the movement of his hand and the absolute lack of emotion on his face.
And she flinched at his words, her eyes coming open again to see the finger in front of his lips, the wink he gave and the grin that formed. Her breath left her in a moment of complete and utter confusion, and she deflated completely, all anger gone.
What?
And then he moved his finger to his ear and she was releasing a small whoosh of air, the only breath she'd taken between the wink and the tap of his ear.
She wasn't sure whether to be angrier, or relieved. Her expression didn't seem to know either, as she found herself only staring at the redhead, barely hearing his next words before the door slammed behind him.
….What?
For a few minutes, she only sat there, staring after him with thoughts churning and her muscles shaking.
You're…
Ugh.
Still not sure how to feel, she forced herself to move, to lean over the edge of the bath tub and grab the towel, to stand and wrap it around her body, to reach down and pull the plug from the drain so the water wouldn't still be there later.
And even then she didn't go far, only moving to sit on the floor, eyes closed and trash can nearby, just in case. *
Kurama stalked down the hallway away from her room, his eyes cold, but his mind cringing.
Ugh.
It was almost painful not to be there to help her.
And it was going to be just as painful not sleeping next to her tonight.
Can't risk it.
"Lover's quarrel, Kurama?"
Yomi had fallen in step with him, though Kurama knew of no reason why the demon would be walking down this corridor at this time of day.
"You know I do not associate with people who lie to me."
"And lie she did. I wonder why she didn't want you to know about her little trips around our place."
Kurama cut his eyes over to look at Yomi, but said nothing.
"Ah, but I'm sure you already knew about her spirit roaming around."
Another step or two of no answer.
"She was supposed to die when Takeo did." Yomi added almost absently, "He's the one that came up with the idea, but honestly I thought it wasn't all that bad."
Another pause.
"I guess you more than anyone are thankful she did not cross over." Yomi made as if to turn to the left down another hallway, they had reached the end of this one, and Kurama had taken a step to go right, but they both stopped.
"I do not think thankful is the correct word."
Yomi only raised an eyebrow.
"If she died, she wouldn't have had a chance to lie to me." Kurama told him coldly, moving off in the direction he had started to go, leaving Yomi standing and listening after him. "I think she was better off dead."
One of Yomi's ears twitched.
If memory serves, you've said that exact same thing before, Youko Kurama.
Yomi turned to walk the opposite direction.
Of course, the last time you said it to a colleague, you set me up for death.
I wonder what you'll do this time.
~!**!~
Tears stung at her eyes, but Shikiyoku refused to let them fall.
When she spoke, her voice had gotten no louder than it had been.
"...if I lose anymore of you, I'll break." Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at where her palm was still setting Hiei's tattoo aglow. "You're all..." So very dear to me. "You all need to go away. These all need to go. So you don't die. So I don't..." The words caught in her throat, and then came out hoarsely, "...kill you." 3
Hiei's expression remained unchanging, but internally he felt the small effect of those words. He knew she'd been grieving, knew she'd been struggling to keep her head above water. He knew she'd very likely blamed herself, but hearing her say it was…
It was different than simply knowing.
Thinking back to earlier, he had known that he was taking a chance, that it would push her a little more.
And still, he shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere." Whether it be death, or simply to the next layer. "I didn't hunt you down just to be thrown to the side." I didn't stick around to be forgotten, to be underestimated. I didn't take you away from the house to be expelled.
"I did not come here today because I had to. Or that I felt I had no choice. I did not lay next to you on a bed because I was forced, and neither did the others. I did not fight hundreds of the dead because you told me to."
And I certainly won't be thrown away by you because you're afraid.
~!**!~
She wasn't sure how long she sat there or how many times she ended up being sick before she had nothing but dry heaves- which was odd since she'd eaten very little in the past week or so, if at all. But she did get up and brush her teeth, put on the outfit she'd chosen and work at drying her hair.
Her thoughts had all slowed and she was carefully assessing everything since she'd woken up the first time. The comments, the way he acted when they were in the kitchen earlier. The way he didn't push her when she'd been confused about his words of her going somewhere- not that she had known at the time.
Clever, stupid, jackass.
Then again, if he'd told her, it probably wouldn't have worked.
And that was probably the most embarrassing part, was her reaction.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She kept a hand on the towel at her head as she moved from the bathroom and to the bedroom, knees shaking and muscles weak.
At least she knew why she felt so cruddy now. Walking around as a spirit wasn't so fun when she knew of the drawbacks. Not that it was fun seeing dead people.
Which… was odd too.
She plopped onto her stomach on the bed, face in the pillow.
I still don't want to go in that room, no matter what he says.
And even though she knew Kurama hadn't meant what he'd said, his second to last words still made her cringe. Two people in three minutes telling her the same thing wasn't fun. *
There was no mistaking the sigh Youko let out as Kurama's ears perked in hearing Yomi start to move the other way.
[You know what he expects us to do.]
{It's not my fault your reputation precedes you.}
[Ha! Very funny.]
Kurama made the way to his rooms, entering into the suite and throwing the coat he had been carrying in his arm on one of the chairs, moving for the bathroom as he pulled the uniform's shirt off over his head.
He leaned into the shower, turned it on and went back out to plop down into the chair his coat hung over, his shirt in one hand and his other going up to rub down his face.
Shower and attempt at rest.
Sleeping alone was going to be difficult.
~!**!~
Finally able to blink back the tears, to dry them out as the storm lessened from its roar to being once again shuttered away, Shikiyoku's hand lifted from Hiei's chest, creating enough space that the tattoo stopped glowing.
She already knew she couldn't just 'kiss it and make it go away.' It hadn't worked for Kit, so why would it work here? And Hiei had even gotten to voice how unwilling he was.
Was she throwing him aside?
If she was throwing him aside, she was at least being fair and intending to do so to all of them.
It appeared perhaps that convincing this one was a lost cause for the moment.
He'll see. He'll have to see. Otherwise-
...am I selfish for not wanting to break? 3
Hiei continued to watch Shikiyoku, his expression calm as he assessed her, half expecting her to demand why he hadn't already left, since she'd asked that before. So when she didn't ask, his head tilted to the side a little.
And for a moment, he wasn't sure if even he knew the answer to a question he'd expected her to pose.
But his eyelids slid closed, and he was hearing something she'd said shortly after he'd caught up to her, after he'd taken to being with her despite her attack that very day.
And he also remembered laying in the Elder's tent, having a sleepy conversation before falling into the darkness.
Rae's guestroom.
...The Niiro.
A warm feeling crept up his spine and his core gave an odd jolt.
Dancing for tribes.
Running with the layers.
Crimson eyes were staring down at her again.
The sour fruit.
Sweet Snow.
Stawberries.
Things he never would have associated with a person, things he never would have tried until her. Things he wouldn't have shared with another person.
Energy sharing.
Phoenix hatchlings.
…..
He could go on, and on, and on.
But he stared at her, expression not guarded, irises flashing with each new thought, each new addition to the list that continued to grow.
Hair pins.
Even the most ridiculous things.
"I won't leave." he suddenly said, tone low, voice matter-of-fact. Not unless you choose another. "I still have an entire building for you to see burn." Rae's palace.
~!**!~
As she lay there, Akari realized how warm the bed had been when Kurama had been there. This sucks. She rolled onto her side and pulled her knees towards her stomach, eyes watching the shadows that danced around and around on the walls of the room, almost as if for her own personal entertainment.
She wouldn't sleep, because she didn't want to roam the halls again. She didn't want to see Takeo waiting by her door, or Kyu by the door of the training facilities. Only the heavens knew who else she'd see roaming the place.
Why?
She blinked.
Why are they here?
Takeo, she understood. Kyu…
That's a million miles from here.
She pursed her lips. Still possible to be hallucinations. Wouldn't be the first time.
The shadow on the wall darted around quickly, earning her attention before it went back to its slow, circular movements, keeping her eyes fixated on it. At least it would distract her until morning. *
Kurama pressed a hand into the tile of the shower wall and leaned forward, letting the cold water fall over his shoulders into rivulets down his back and legs.
Reaching over and turning the knob, the water stopped and he reached up and ran a hand down his face, clearing his eyes before giving a little flick of his wrist and letting the water he removed sprinkle against the tile.
Standing up he stepped out and grabbed for the nearby towel to wrap around his waist, picking the second one up and tossing it over his head, giving an absent rub over the material as water from his wet hair still streamed down the sides of his face.
As he did so, he meandered out into the main room, walking over to the half-fridge in the wall and opening it, reaching inside for a drink and twisting the lid off of the glass bottle as the door closed.
The lid got tossed in the trash nearby and as Kurama lifted the drink to his lips he walked towards another door to his left, getting back into the bedroom and flopping down on the soft bed.
He leaned up against the headboard, one arm going up to prop his neck, and after a second he took another drink.
...if he didn't let himself think about anything, he wouldn't remember how badly he wanted to go back to that room.
Her room.
~!**!~
When Shikiyoku felt him staring, she found herself lifting her head just so she could gaze back at him.
She did not notice at first how his blazing eyes had also set hers ablaze, her energy filtering in and shimmering over her eyes as he looked at her.
When he spoke, her eyes flickered to the side, and it was the moment she stopped looking at him that she noted that her energy made them gleam.
"You likely should. Leave that is." Haven't I said that already? "Foolish demon. You can just forget about that, you know." 3
Hiei stepped closer at her response, his eyes flashing again. "Forget?" Impossible.
Many, many responses flew across his mind's eye, and it took a moment before he settled for one, though he did take a breath in before speaking, just in case something better came to mind.
"Forget it like I could forget you?" He paused, watching her keenly, unblinkingly. "Like I could forget your feet moving across the floor as you walk? Your hair brushing against your back?" Suddenly, he found himself channeling what she'd said that day, and his lips twitched. "Your eyelashes brushing together when you blink?"
Not even if I tried.
"For you, it was a decade. I didn't forget a single one of those things." You did. You forgot your smile. You forgot your capabilities. Your determination. You forgot your will to fight.
Things I never forgot, and can't see ever forgetting.
Foolish woman.
~!**!~
Sometime in the middle of the night, Akari had woken to the darkness and realized she'd accidentally let her eyelids close for too long. And even though she realized she hadn't gone anywhere, she didn't let her eyelids close again.
So even before the sun rose, she was up and dressed, twisting her hair in a ponytail and glancing down at the armor she'd remembered to grab. It had been nice not wearing it. She even paced about her room for a while before leaving, the beginnings of the sun's rays just beginning to shine through her window and sending shadows scurrying for new places to be.
She stepped into the hall to find a guard, as before, and she scowled at him before turning and going the opposite direction, moving down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Have to eat, or I won't be able to think.
She was in and out before anyone knew she'd been there, a chunk of bread in one hand and water in the other as she walked back up the stairs.
At least I don't hurt. And my muscles seem to be holding out.
Probably because of the fox.
…..stupid fox. *
Before the morning had broken, before there was a hint of light outside the main building, Kurama was already leaning next to the door, arms crossed over his chest, head slightly lowered and his eyes closed.
He had one knee bent and his foot braced up against the wall behind him as if holding it up.
There may not have been circles under his eyes...but that did not mean it was a long night. And an even longer morning already.
~!**!~
There wasn't much space between them in the first place, but when Shikiyoku felt Hiei shift to close the distance further, the hand that had still been poised inches above his core dropped to her side hurriedly, and then both arms were behind her back, hands clutching at one another almost nervously, fingers laced together in a haphazard manner against the soft fabric of the towel.
She even probably leaned back a little at his proximity, her eyes still looking off to her left as he kept speaking.
And she could feel the change, feel her core lurch in that funny way he seemed able to make her do whenever he felt like, feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and turning what must have been everything from her neck to the tops of her ears pink. Her scalp tingled, her veins buzzed, everything just starting to go out of her control.
I...I can't...
She couldn't form a single coherent thought. 3
Hiei remained quiet for a moment, watching her as the color began to form in her cheeks, the heat rushing up her neck and to her ears. He could feel it just as much as he could see it, and he made sure to take keen note of it happening.
Because he couldn't remember ever seeing it happen before. If it had, he must not have noticed. ...But he noticed now.
"Countless demons have tried killing me in countless different ways. I've even had my own dragon thrown back at me." He paused, irises darkening a little more. "I'm not easy to kill, and your fear of that is making you forget your own capabilities. Your own reason for what you do." He shifted his weight just a little. "Makes you forget everything except your desperation."
And while he understood it, he also thought her running away would do nothing but cause her more harm.
~!**!~
Akari had just tossed the last bit of bread in her mouth when she stepped onto the right floor, half expecting- hoping?- Kurama not to be at the door to the training room. And she forced herself to keep moving when she did see him.
Because that room was not where she wanted to be.
She stopped a good ten feet away, water bottle in one hand and the other planted on her hip, eyes watching him warily, occasionally flickering to the door and back to his face. "Not happening, just so you know." *
Kurama didn't move, but he did speak.
"Defying a direct order from Yomi? Bold."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku's eyes shot back up to catch Hiei's, more fire stirring behind them than had in a long time, even if she couldn't at the moment control how they shimmered with power, nor how her veins were buzzing madly now.
"You mean my desperation for you to live?" She almost snapped the words at him, but there was something in her tone that lended itself to be a step back from that point, "For your death not to be my fault, or by my hands, like all the others? Yeah. Kind of hard to forget that, I'll admit." 3
Hiei didn't even so much as blink. Not a single muscle moved in his body except to breathe, and hardly even then. Because now, he was getting irritated. He shoved the emotion away, kept calm despite his normal temper.
"The only death that might even be considered your fault is Otento's, but that was in defense of your own life." He paused and drew a breath. He hadn't wanted to draw this conversation. So he steered away from what he'd been about to say.
"You are not responsible for us. We are. You are responsible for you. And you blaming yourself for our decisions is nothing short of blaming me for your decision to fall into a pit in my stead. It's no different, and I couldn't control what you did. You can't control what others do, whether it be with, for, against, or around you."
He paused, continuing to stare at her evenly. "And I can assure you none of us are willing to part until you decide who is to stay."*
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! BOOP! -Star