A/N: Hello once again, Fanficdotnet Lovelies!
Your friendly, neighborhood Star here with another chapter!
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 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.
(Words in italics and within parenthesis is dialogue between Hiei and Shikiyoku via the bond between them after Hiei becomes Shikiyoku's Consort. As soon as the 'thought' occurs, it can pass between them, and does not actually have to be formed into exact words-feelings and sensations can pass through as well-in order to be picked up and the meaning translated immediately by the other. For the sake of the coherence by the reader, words and sentences are used as normal. It cannot 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 Nabu Exception also applies to anyone when they are in an animal form, if the dialogue is in italics and quotations, unless stated otherwise.
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Carrying Shikiyoku away from the concerned Iketeru and Rikei,
Hiei only puts her down when they reach their rooms.
Though without her ability to see,
Shikiyoku reaches back to the time when Youko was her Champion,
where he kept her blindfolded for the majority of her days,
and where she had eventually learned to see without her eyes.
As she lays down on the bed, Hiei goes to shower,
returning to complain she is 'too far away.'
Since she has not showered and still has another's blood on her,
she does not move, waiting until he falls asleep
before moving into the other room and attempting to test her vision issues.
~!**!~
The gathered fighters agree to continue to do as they're able,
keeping their ears to the ground for any information,
Jin and Chu also resolving to help Akari relearn how to move between layers.
Akari proposes her idea of moving demons to the wrong layer
when the battle starts, and while Kurama thinks it will be of little consequence,
neither does he find the idea unsound, and admits aloud that it's a good plan.
While the others muse over additions to the plan,
Akari asks Kurama about those in the palace on the Ninth Layer,
and the fox informs them that he does not believe
any single one of the three would-be kings could actually
manage to secure the throne for themselves as
the current ruler is too strong.
While the others continue talking about the throne,
Akari sits and tries to access the Tenth Layer to no avail.
Wishing to attempt to sleep while the safety of Kurama's room was afforded her,
Akari takes the necklace Kurama offers and moves away.
Touya presses Kurama for the name of the Heir
that Yomi so desperately wanted to have,
and Kurama assures him that besides himself and Akari,
Jin is the only one to have ever seen her,
as he called upon Hiei to chase after her
when he was unable to catch her himself.
Chu makes the connection that Hiei and the Heir are "together,"
as he puts it, and Kurama finds himself amused that he did so.
Leaving the others to their discussion,
Kurama and Jin head to where Akari fell asleep,
finding that her spirit had once more left her body.
Once he removed the necklace from around her,
allowing Akari the opportunity to return to herself,
Kurama sits down to adjust it again as Jin leaves them...
It took several more minutes before Kurama was satisfied with the result, the single flower left on the necklace holding a star-burst of color from the center of it.
He pulled his gaze from the necklace, blinking and coming to the realization that he had not moved an inch since starting.
Letting the necklace dangle from his fingers over her face, Kurama sent Akari a smile.
"Falling asleep any time soon?"
~!**!~
Shikiyoku stretched her arms over her head and arched her back a little, unsure exactly how much time had gone by.
There didn't appear to be anything wrong with her sight other than the fact that she still saw nothing.
She collapsed out of the stretch back over the coffee table, staring blankly down at it for a second before bringing a hand up to rub at her eyes and letting out a groaning sigh.
Irritating. 3
~!**!~
Akari's eyes crossed as the necklace fell in front of her view, blinking once at the flower that hung in front of her face and blocked her sight of the shadow that she could still feel moving along her skin. She shifted, lifting the hand where the shadow played to accept the circle of vine and flower, a small smile of her own on her lips.
"I haven't decided yet," she admitted, giving a shrug and shifting so she lay on her stomach again with both elbows in the grass and her chin resting in one hand, the other lowering the necklace to the grass slowly before her eyes returned to the shadow that coiled around and around her fingers now. "Sorry for the trouble. If I knew how to control it completely, I would." Her tone was even, calm, simply stating a fact. None of her actual emotions on the matter came forth. *
Kurama considered Akari for a moment before responding.
"Sorry for not dying, you mean? Hm. I think that's one apology I can most definitely choose not to accept."
A glimmer of a smile dancing over his lips, Kurama turned and started to walk away.
~!**!~
Without being cognizant of the motion, Shikiyoku reached up to the tear around her neck that had been jolted free from its hiding place when Hiei lifted her by the waist and toyed with the bauble. Her fingers appeared to be searching its surface for some sort of impurity or error, but the entire thing was smooth and perfect.
I don't understand what happened.
She frowned.
That was likely what bothered her the most about the whole thing.
Sure, Hiei startled her with his kiss, and the connection rebounded the 'joy,' multiplied it so to speak, back at her face.
Fine.
But why did that create a lingering effect?
The hand that wasn't occupied with the tear rested on the table, Shikiyoku putting her cheek against her palm. 3
~!**!~
Akari's lips twitched downwards into a frown. That's not- ….whatever you say. She gave a little huff and let her eyes close again, her energy now pulling the little shadow around in little twists and turns that left the energy within the being bubbling with joy. And she rolled over onto her back, holding that hand in the air and briefly casting a glance in Kurama's direction before turning back to the shadow.
It paused briefly, giving its own little pulse of energy at her before returning to winding around her fingers, slower now.
He has his own things to do, little one. And I do too. *
The conversation back with the other demons turned to tactics. As well as intell.
Troop movement. Training. Strategy.
Kurama let them know Raizen's lack of layer-walker recruitment as well as Mukuro's advancement. She had nearly caught up to Yomi at this point.
"Why hasn't Raizen bothered, do you think?" Kazuka turned his eyes onto Kurama and a couple of the other conversations that had started died down.
"Because he doesn't need to."
~!**!~
Sick and tired of not being able to-
Shikiyoku grumbled to herself as she walked back into the bedroom, her stomach clenching in her body.
She remembered the rug at the last moment and raised her foot high enough to step onto it as she head for the box thing in the corner.
Her hand found the top of it and she felt her way down the front and side until she found the handle and gave it a tug, picturing in her mind the two loaves of bread sitting on the only shelf inside and reaching for the one with the purplish shade on the right.
Standing with the door open, she took a bite of the stuff and hardly noticed the exquisite flavor that actually set her energy buzzing below her skin, her scalp tingling without her direct notice.
She was still much too irritated.
Finding that even a single bite settled her hunger for the moment, she tossed the piece into the small fridge and turned to walk towards the bed, imagining Hiei laying there somewhere on the other side.
Still miffed, Shikiyoku crawled over the edge in the direction she felt Hiei, and she only stopped when one of her hands pressed into the bed and could feel the sinking portion of the covers near his back.
What the hell am I supposed to do about this?
More internal grumbling as she started to lay down behind him, facing him and sliding her right hand over his side to rest near his waist and burying her nose in the back of his neck.
The instant she settled down, her other arm folded underneath the pillow at her head and her eyes closed, she realized the irksome feeling that had been gathering ever since she sat down in the other room melted away and her entire body relaxed into the warm demon next to her.
Shikiyoku meant to analyze the phenomenon, but she couldn't quite remember why she was so upset in the first place.
Right as she neared actual sleep she found her lips had softened from their previous frown into a small smile and for the first time in a very long time, perhaps since before their separation, she shifted her head to replace the end of her nose with her lips, planting a brief, gentle kiss against the smooth skin at the base of Hiei's neck in thanks before her chin tilted back towards her chest and her forehead brushed up against that same space as she fell asleep. 3
~!**!~
Akari sat on top of the covers, tension between her brows and shoulders tense as her chest rose and fell with heavy breathing and her eyelids slid closed out of exhaustion, both physically and mentally. The last vestiges of energy she had left from her nightly attempt at getting to the Ninth Layer via shadows had been just as fruitless as before, despite her complete and utter disposal of every ounce of energy she had, leaving her just shy of tapping into life force energy just as the sun was beginning to shine its rays through the curtains of her room.
And she was enraged.
Not only had she still been unable to get to the Ninth, but the shadows had basically tossed her from them during her very last attempt. She had been tempted to try again, except when she'd tried to pull on her energy she'd felt actual pain from scraping the bottom of the metaphorical barrel that held her energy. And it had taken her breath from her lungs very quickly.
Her fingers curled tighter around her ankles and she bowed her head, eyelids peeling open despite her exhaustion.
Useless.
The single word had a long sigh leaving her, the little patience she still somehow had keeping her from growling.
And then she remembered that it was indeed morning. Meaning she had to get up and go.
So, mechanically, she unfolded her legs and swung them over the side of the bed, took a quick shower and dressed, and was out the door and moving down the corridors towards the training room.
She was much later than normal, but quite frankly she didn't actually care except that it would take away her time with Kurama.
Time she would very likely be using to sleep, as she had been doing of late. It had become… habitual.
Were it not for her mood, she would have been dragging her feet past the demons that were leaving their quarters and readying for the day's duties. Had it not been for her mood, she wouldn't have glared at the demon who looked at her funny as he passed, as if finding her lack of energy odd.
And as she came in view of the training room and Kurama, she realized she wouldn't have to act angry about being here, because she was already angry. Though, Yomi wouldn't know that it would be unrelated to the person she was supposed to hate. Heh. *
As he had done previously, Kurama sat leaning up against the wall next to the door to the training room, patiently waiting for Akari to appear from around the corner at the end of the hall.
While he did take note on some level of her approach, in truth his mind was sorting through the latest meeting and the beginnings of a plan he felt formulating in his mind.
One that relied on the moves of Yusuke, which naturally made it a more volatile plan than the fox would have normally liked, but given the information their spies were feeding them of the lack of attention on Raizen's part in building his troops, Kurama was beginning to have suspicions of his own as to what 'father' and 'son' were really doing.
The nomenclature of the pair almost made Kurama snort audibly. He never would have imagined, or even guessed at really, the blood relation between the two.
Feeling Akari draw closer, Kurama pushed himself away from the wall and turned to the door without ceremony, placing his hand on the knob and swinging the door inward to enter the room.
~!**!~
While a vast majority of the next day was spent with Shikiyoku sleeping soundly next to Hiei, as the hours wore on into the late night she found herself more often than not drifting just below consciousness, inbetween the sleeping and waking world even into the early morning of the following day.
At that point however she had settled into the 'waking' side of the rest, though given how much time they had spent apart lately, she found within herself no desire to move.
Until something began itching at the back of her mind and she felt as if she was needed elsewhere.
Breathing a heavy sigh into the air around her, Shikiyoku's eyes came open as she analyzed the sensation.
The lab.
But she had been told her presence wouldn't be required until the day after.
Still called to her.
Blink.
Dammit.
Beginning to work her way to the edge of the bed, she made sure to inform the connection between herself and the hybrid of her soon-to-be location, not wishing to truly interfere with his slumber, but also wanting her disappearance not to be the cause of any abrupt emotion, be it panic or otherwise. 3
~!**!~
Akari lumbered her way down the hall and followed Kurama into the room, not even glancing at him as she continued a step further, passing by him and briefly considering simply going on ahead and letting him catch up. However, she waited until the door was shut behind him before turning and reaching to him with a hand that curled around the sleeve of his shirt and tugged, the rest of her body turning away and pulling him along through the foliage.
And she didn't say a single word, because in that moment only two things were going through her mind: Useless and sleep. *
Stepping aside to let Akari into the room, Kurama made no hesitation in shutting the door behind them, the foliage starting to creep across the entryway as he turned back to the rest of the room only to find that the moment he did so his started moving forward without exactly understanding why until the rest of his mind caught up and he realized Akari began pulling him along as soon as she was able.
He blinked at the back of her head as he freely followed after, allowing her to lead them wherever she wanted, though he wasn't quite sure at first what lead her to so quickly deciding to move through the room.
Upon evaluating her posture and flow of movement, coupled with the fact that he read both her mental energy and literal energy to be rather low, Kurama patiently stepped up to walk in stride with her, simultaneously extricating his sleeve from her grasp while reaching out his other hand to take hold of the one in which the material of his jacket had been clutched, saying nothing, but still continuing to head in whichever direction she chose.
~!**!~
Amusingly enough, it had almost been instinctual for Shikiyoku to walk out of the rooms instead of slipping between the layers of the fortress, despite the fact that while she could not see anything that did nothing to prevent the clarity of the map that Mukuro had implanted into her mind.
Something about attempting to traverse through the levels of the place in such a fashion while blind left her feeling unsettled, though to be fair she didn't even consider the option until she was already halfway to the labs.
Upon entering the laboratory she very quickly realized she had not taken care to memorize the floor plan and stopped just inside of the door as it swung closed behind her, making an expression of consternation as she paused.
Looking up at relatively the same time in her direction, Rikei and Iketeru exchanged a puzzled glance before Shikiyoku spoke up and drew their attention back to her.
"What is it? I thought I my presence would be unnecessary until the morrow." Shikiyoku did not make a move to come any further, instead adopting an irritated look and crossing her arms over her chest, letting her eyes rove into the general direction she heard the other two working.
Rikei and Iketeru looked at one another again before Rikei spoke up, slowly.
"I suppose while you're here we can continue with a few more things."
Shikiyoku felt her lips twitch unhappily, unsure how exactly she had felt the need to journey all the way here when that sort of response was the only thing she got.
Iketeru moved around to another portion of the room, "Of course, we'll need you to switch for us."
He picked up a knife from one of the tables and started walking towards her.
Shikiyoku frowned, "And how exactly are we planning to do that this time?"
"I suppose I can simply threaten you." Iketeru shrugged as he grew closer, "To be honest we hadn't prepared for your appearance, but it will have to do."
"Uh huh. You do remember that the reason I chose the two of you to work with just happens to be because I am unable to sense anything you desire? That does include the desire to kill me."
Iketeru came to a stop, giving the knife in his hand a thoughtful look.
"I hadn't exactly thought of that."
"I know."
Iketeru considered Shikiyoku for a moment, standing a few feet from her and taking special note of the fact that his approach did nothing to raise her concern, though she did raise an eyebrow, having heard Iketeru's steps halt.
The brown-haired demon narrowed his eyes a bit, lifting the knife from his side and waving it silently back and forth in the air.
No reaction.
Rikei had turned to watch by this time, and it was he who spoke up before Iketeru.
"Woman..." The word was hesitation, holding a sort of questionness that lended itself to the tone of the rest of his sentence, "I think being blind is more of a hindrance than being unable to sense our desires."
"It's possible." Shikiyoku allowed.
"You being blind or that being more of a hindrance?"
She blinked but gave no answer and Iketeru looked over his shoulder at the other demon who gave him a shrug.
A swooshing noise came from somewhere nearby Rikei and he pushed his glasses further up his nose as he moved over to a clear tube that seemed to extend down from somewhere above.
Unfolding the note that popped out from the opening, Rikei let out a single puff of amused air as Iketeru came up behind him.
Rikei showed him the contents of the piece of paper and Iketeru made a similar noise.
"I suppose that solves the problem for us."
"Indeed."
Without hesitation, Iketeru went back over to Shikiyoku and picked her up by wrapping an arm behind her back and hoisting her up to hold her side against his hip.
"Really?" She didn't struggle, arms and legs dangling towards the floor, annoyed to find herself in such a position and knowing there wasn't terribly much she could do about it.
Rikei pressed a few buttons on a nearby console and a large, clear portion of the floor behind him started to iris open until the circular opening was more than twenty feet across, at which point Iketeru tossed Shikiyoku into it before her brain had a chance to register whatever was going on.
I shouldn't have left that damn room.
Without sight and thus unaware of anything going on, Shikiyoku could only pinpoint the sensation of free-falling through the air, working her jaw around and wondering what exactly this was supposed to accomplish.
Granted, most other thoughts in her mind vanished the instant she heard the roar from beneath her, the noise almost vibrating her bones.
That's when she realized she could feel the desire of whatever lie below her.
It really only had one, and that particular desire centered almost exclusively around consuming whatever had been tossed into its pit.
Good. I was worried the day wouldn't get any better. 3
~!**!~
For a very split moment when Kurama's sleeve was no longer in her grasp, Akari felt a groan begin to form in her throat. That sound was squashed just as quickly, however, when she felt the redhead's hand replace the material she'd been holding, and it instead became a long breath that she released from her lips.
The tension between her brows slid away, her expression becoming flat and unreadable and her mind just as quickly becoming blank. Her fingers curled around Kurama's in acceptance of the gesture as she walked, finding herself grateful he felt no need for words.
Or perhaps she was just grateful he didn't point out her dishevelment. Either way, the silence was a blissful, very calming thing.
She lead the way to, quite frankly, a random spot in the side of the room farthest from the door, not really having any certain destination in mind other than being where if another- such as Chu or Jin- entered, she herself wouldn't be interrupted if Kurama was needed.
Assuming his movements wouldn't wake her.
She came to an abrupt halt in an area that was dominantly grass, the foliage creating a little dome around and over the area with a diameter of what she estimated to be ten feet.
And it was perfect.
So Akari wasted no time in lowering herself to the heather and laying on her side, her grip on Kurama's hand not even loosening as she began to scoot about and get comfortable. *
Continuing to say nothing, and in spite of receiving no verbal cues from her either, Kurama went ahead and followed Akari down to the floor, giving her hand a gentle, comforting squeeze once he faced her, eyes kind and waiting to see how exactly she planned on settling before he did anything more.
~!**!~
The day did not get any better.
However, the fact that she could not exactly do what the scientists intended, given her lack of vision, did in fact mean that she actually left the lab much sooner than if she had been able to see. There were certain tests that relied heavily on her vision, and others that she simply refused to do.
...she also refused them the honor of attempting to 'fix' her vision. That may or may not have been a large portion of the reason she left in such a hurry.
Once their attention shifted from the disease to her vision she found no reason to stay any longer.
She would have readily admitted that being related to the fact that Hiei presumably still lay on the bed in their rooms and while the tears she kept for him appeared to hold her anger at bay, they did not appear to have much say in 'irritability' or 'short-temperedness.'
It was these things Shikiyoku found herself grumbling about in her own mind, lost in her thoughts as she made her way back to the rooms.
So much so that it was not until she felt the back of her head smack against the wall behind her that she realized something rather quick on its feet had approached her from the front and planted hands on her shoulders to shove her into the wall.
Blinking, as if that would clear her vision or something, her face gave little reaction to the new position, save for a line appearing between her brows as she frowned, becoming aware of the warmth of the hands on her shoulders as well as the scent that she associated with Hiei permeating the air in front of her.
"I told you where I would be."
Other than a general feeling of unhappiness in the way the demon stood over her and the manner in which the hands pressed her into the wall, the only answer Shikiyoku received was a prompt kiss on the lips, at which her eyes closed-though it made little difference-as the burning which had ripped scars into her skins during her descent into the pit earlier became replaced with a tingling that started from her mouth and smoothed over the rest of her body.
Waiting patiently for the expected blackout, the warm lips that had found her own jerked away from her suddenly and the presence was gone just as she heard a trio of demons speaking in low voices turn the corner at the other end of the dimly lit hallway.
Her eyes flew open and she blinked once more into the darkness of her sight, feeling strangely divided in mind and body.
The demons thankfully turned down another hallway before reaching her, but Shikiyoku had pushed herself away from the wall, eyebrows drawn more deeply together than before and her lips pulled into a flat line, to begin walking in the direction of the rooms, unable to completely process the moment that had just occurred. 3
~!**!~
Akari paused briefly at the tightening of the hand around hers, glancing at Kurama for a moment before continuing about what she'd been doing and laying on her side, facing the redhead. She stilled for a second, mentally taking stock of the position and how comfortable it would be should she decide to stay this way.
And after a few beats she continued to shift, making a small sound of displeasure as a few muscles controverted with laying on her shoulder, the muscles taught from the way she'd sat all night long. So she shifted until she was on her back, letting the hand that held Kurama's rest on the grass calmly as she settled.
Once she decided it was comfortable, she gave a small tug at Kurama's hand, silently asking him to lay nearby, in the very least. *
Of course.
Kurama went ahead and stretched out next to Akari, laying on his side and bending an elbow behind his head as a pillow to prop his neck up.
Laying here would be more conducive to the thoughts rolling about in the back of his mind anyway, momentarily placed on hold once entering the room and noting Akari's tension.
He fully expected her to fall asleep, though he couldn't quite imagine himself doing the same. Too many things to consider.
"Blanket?" He murmured, eyes still considering Akari as she began to grow still.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku made it back to the rooms without incident, her mind blank and hardly able to consider what had just happened, though she kept running a hand over the other arm, the smoothness of her skin feeling strange and deepening the frown on her face.
Once the door was shut, she turned to the rest of the room as she reached up to tuck a portion of fallen hair behind her ear, her fingers coming in contact with silky flower petals that until then she had nearly forgotten she wore: the adornment, the gift really, from Youko.
Almost instantly she recalled the bracelet around her wrist, nearly forgotten, and her eyes turned in the direction of her folded clothing on the couch to her left, knowing the three feathers in one of the pockets of her pants.
Without much consideration, she moved towards the pile and ruffled around in it until she pulled out the smooth, brown feathers and held them up to her face, imaging the earthiness of their color, which had matched the hair atop his head.
As with the bracelet around her wrist, the remembrance of the amulet wherein these feathers had once resided stirred nothing within her mind in relation to the giver of the gift, other than each givers face and the recognition that they were no longer among the living.
Shikiyoku moved to the other side of the couch and coffee table, folding her legs beneath herself as she sat down on top of her feet and let the feathers fall to the table one-by-one in a neat pile, reaching over to the bracelet and unhooking it, placing it next to them as she slipped the flower out from behind her ear and did the same.
Her elbow came up to the tabletop and she rested her face in her hand, picturing in her mind's eye the three objects at which she pointed her eyes but was in fact unable to see.
"Such objects of affection will have to be taken into account, lover. It is not for you to decide whether you keep them or not. These gifts would mark you as in the attentions of another and it would likely be in your Consort's best interest to rid himself of any that are not from him."
Renai was right, of course. While being 'courted,' for lack of better term, these baubles were only meant as constant reminders to the others that they were not alone. Now that only one stood Marked, it almost seemed insulting to bear what was given with the intentions that these gifts had been.
And while in her true form she likely could not so much as consider being rid of the last tokens of a pair of demons close to her heart that she would never see again, with her mind stuck as it was she found she held no true emotions in regards to any of them.
That did not mean, however, that she did not sigh and let her eyes slide closed. 3
For quite a bit of time, Hiei's mind had been battling between consciousness and the sleeping world, occasionally slipping from one to the other with vague thoughts and such here and there. for example, the first time he had become a bit aware he had noticed the lack of Shikiyoku's presence, but had also, on some level or another, known where she had gone without thinking about it. The second time, he was aware of the lack in her presence in his actual mind, the lack of feeling in the bond he knew to still be there.
But after that he didn't become aware of much else as he slipped back into the sleeping realm for just a little longer.
And then, seemingly out of the blue, his eyelids peeled open and he was blinking against the low lighting of the room, his internal clock telling him that it was near midday and he had no reason to move if he did not wish to do so.
Except, at the same time, he became aware of Shikiyoku's energy in the next room, and the complete lack of her presence within his mind again. The bond being completely silent had him shifting a little, slowly moving to stand and making his way across the room, pulling the door open and stepping only two feet into the other, staring at Shikiyoku calmly, almost curiously.
His eyes noted the way she sat in front of the small table and slowly slid down to see what she was leaning over, his eyes catching colors of objects he had, quite honestly, paid no mind to as of late. He hadn't had time to look at them, much less remember what they were. So the fact that she had them lined up on the table had him curious of her thoughts.
He blinked and looked to her again.
And stared.
He held that stare on her for a bit, his mind waking up enough to realize that she looked fine, but the kinship they had within their minds relayed absolutely nothing from her end.
So he continued to stare, suddenly very confused and unsure of what was going on.
This is…. odd.
~!**!~
As soon as Akari stopped moving, her entire body seemed to give a sigh of relief and the tension in her muscles dissipated all at once, her spine flattening against the soft grass beneath and lending complete and utter satisfaction in the comfort of the quiet room. The earlier anger ebbed, dimming to a mild irritation that was slowly seeping away as well even as Kurama's quiet question floated on the atmosphere.
Her eyelids slid closed and her lips gave the barest twitch. "No, thank you."
And just like that, she was out like a light. *
~!**!~
Shikiyoku did not expect the fire demon to emerge from the bedroom, though she was aware enough of his entrance that her eyes opened again and she turned in his direction, lifting her head from her hand.
The instant that she realized she had thought Hiei would come into the room from the main entrance, the momentary lightening of her features fell into neutral.
Not that he wasn't fast enough to do it, which had her all confused again as to how she really felt about who kissed her, though something inside her argued, certain that whatever had happened in the hallway had not originated from her actual Consort.
Which raised more uncomfortable questions than she really wanted to try and answer. 3
The exact moment that Shikiyoku turned to look at him, several things stood out to Hiei that had his mind jerking into full awareness and his eyelids sliding the rest of the way open, where they'd been half-lidded before. He studied her, noting the lack of emotion in their shared mental bond and on her expression, but the simultaneous lack in scars on her skin.
Instinct told him to kiss her and change her back, but rationality told him she had never actually switched.
Which meant she wasn't sick.
But he couldn't feel her and her expression was-
Hng.
"This is unacceptable," he told her, his voice still heavy from sleep. He didn't like that he couldn't read her without the Jagan. And, really, he was very tempted to access the Jagan just for that purpose here in this moment.
~!**!~
Akari settled very quickly into the dreamless world of sleep, her body going still and her breathing evening out before too long. And for a while, she didn't even so much as twitch a muscle, her lack of energy in every sense making her feel too tired to even move. She did however, after a good amount of time, eventually roll onto her side and into Kurama as she normally would have, resting against him with both arms between them and a small sigh leaving her in content.
And after that, she didn't move another muscle, her body relaxing into the redhead and allowing her sleeping state to deepen so that her energy may regenerate. *
The only problem with the plan was in fact Yusuke hims-
Kurama blinked when Akari moved up against him, pulled back into his surroundings which he had to admit he wasn't particularly taking note of at that exact moment.
Giving her a little smile that her sleeping form could not see, Kurama took the arm not pinned against her holding her hand and lay it over her before returning to his previous thoughts.
~!**!~
-because even the consideration that there was some sort of Mock-Hiei running around, mimicking the Consort's position, troubled her deeply.
She blinked at him, still feeling strangely hesitant and uncomfortable, then suddenly was struck by his words, her immediate internal response moving across her mind strongly.
(This is actually a solution.)
She wasn't sick. The disease couldn't propagate. And this let her...
Her eyes fell to the coffee table where she knew the objects lay. 3
This time, the sound Hiei had wanted to make earlier became vocalized, the small indication of unhappiness gruff with his sleepiness and, simultaneously, his unhappiness. And it was quickly followed by a firm, "No."
Because really, he was finding himself bombarded with too many thoughts at once, and his brain wasn't quite awake enough to keep them from piling up and conjoining into a convulsed heap of confusion.
Shikiyoku was half switched, half not. And her reaction to his words had him suddenly thinking that it wasn't intentional. Meaning he wanted to go tell the scientists that they'd better find another way, or he'd do away with them and demand Mukuro find others.
"No," he repeated, as if unsure he had actually spoken the word to her. "Find another way." *
Shikiyoku looked back up in Hiei's direction at his second 'no,' face expressionless.
Technically it wasn't a permanent solution in any case as it didn't exactly get rid of the sickness and she no idea what would happen should she be threatened and in this strange state of between both forms.
Though it wasn't as if they wouldn't be able to discover the answers to those questions. That would require the other demon mimicking Hiei, and said realization led her back to frowning.
Because if she really thought about it, what reason would Hiei himself have of running off, as if kissing her were an embarrassment?
...he wasn't likely to be pleased about the prospect of some sort of copy running around. Not by any stretch of the imagination. 3
Hiei stared at Shikiyoku, as if his hardened glare would further solidify his rebuttal in her brain. Her lack of facial response to his words was unsettling in this form, where he should have been easily able to read her without the use of telepathy or the Jagan. Where he should have been able to-
Wait.
His eyes narrowed at her a little, zeroing in on the stare she had pointed at him and realizing that it too wasn't right. Vaguely, he recalled a moment the day before where he'd noted her glassy-eyed stare, where he'd noticed she hadn't seemed to see the room around her.
She'd been fine then, other than that.
Now, however, he wanted to test that. So, slowly, quietly, and just so she wouldn't hear him do so, the fire demon crept forward and slowly raised a hand in front of her face, a finger extended towards her nose. For a moment, he paused, his index finger less than an inch from her nose and his lips twitching in amusement because she should notice, if she was able to see.
Which he highly doubted. *
Whether he made noise or not, Shikiyoku could feel his presence coming closer, continuing to stare in his general direction, until she felt him stop moving, briefly wondering at what his intentions were.
(Don't change me.)
Because if he kissed her, she wouldn't be able to handle the thoughts at the forefront of her mind. 3
Hiei's smirk of amusement quickly vanished at the lack of reaction about his gesture, and instead was met with the strong sense that she didn't want him to change her. Meaning she really couldn't see him. And that thought had his lips turning down into a deep scowl and lines forming between his brows.
(You really can't see.)
The thought solidified at the very forefront of his mind and his entire expression became perturbed. His entire being was disturbed by it. She seemed fine and able to get around on her own, that wasn't an issue. The issue was that someone could easily do what he'd just done, and come closer. While she would note their proximity, if they moved slow enough and were able to hide their desires, they could attack at any given time.
A sound reverberated at the back of his throat.
(I don't like it. All of it.) *
She wasn't about to admit to him being right.
So she couldn't see exactly. It had never been a problem before, not when Youko kept her blindfolded the vast majority of the time, forcing her to adjust otherwise.
And technically he was at fault for that, but surely it would fade with time. It was not something she felt any great concern towards.
More disconcerting was the half-way state, and right up with that was being forced back into her true self without first explaining the intent of the items laid out on the table next to her.
...trying to explain those, though...
Her eyes shifted to the side.
Strangely enough Shikiyoku wished she did not have to say it out loud. 3
So….
Halfway/Inbetween state of Shikiyoku, where he couldn't read her thoughts or emotions without the Jagan.
She was also blind.
Hiei's eyes traveled over her again, looking for anything else about her that was out of sorts in any way, shape, or form. And other than the shifting of her gaze, he saw nothing. And, really, he couldn't do much of anything about her current predicaments.
So his eyes traveled to the objects laying on the table in a neat line, eyeing them each in turn. Douji's bracelet. Taka's feathers. Youko's flower.
Two of those three objects were from demons she would never see again. Demons she had cared for. It was partly the reason he hadn't thought much about them, aside from the lack of time to do so. They were her objects, her possessions.
Youko's flower, while it smelled very much like Shiki herself, was however not very… pleasant.
And that was what his eyes locked on for a moment before turning to Shiki. And he didn't say anything, waiting patiently for her to explain what had her with them in front of her the way they were. *
Shikiyoku pushed herself standing, casting one brief, blind glance down at the table where she knew she had placed the gifts.
"They are..." She took a deeper breath, finally looking away from them, "You may do with them what you will."
Leaving them there she stepped around him towards the bedroom door. 3
Hiei raised a brow at Shikiyoku, his eyes following her unseeing gaze down to the objects and eyeing each one again curiously. And for a moment, he stared at the large flower that had previously been in her hair. A flower that he knew to smell of Shiki, to enhance her own natural scent. And while he enjoyed her scent, he also realized that to mean the fox had to have sniffed at her in some way, shape, or form to memorize her smell.
And the mental image of the fox's nose in her hair was very unpleasant.
His eyes shot up and to Shikiyoku as she passed, her words echoing in his mind for a moment. And just as quickly, he turned back to the flower, the mental image of Youko working hard on it and his nose in her hair ingrained in his brain and causing a corner of his lips to lift in disdain.
The flower was in flames very quickly following that thought, and in seconds it wasn't even a pile of ash.
The other two objects he eyed momentarily, blinking at them and suddenly realizing that he didn't know what to do with them. One, because he knew they were the last vestiges of any tangible reminder of two demons she had cared for who she would never in her lifetime see again. One of which had been a very close companion of hers long before she'd met him.
Part of him didn't particularly care.
However, there was a part of him that recognized this to be a challenge for her. That if he destroyed them, he could potentially break her a little all over again. Recalling that heaviness after Kitoushi's death had him almost physically cringing; if he destroyed her only memoirs of Taka and Douji, would it be the same thing to her?
A voice in the back of his mind seemed to insist that he'd already made up his mind.
Silently, he turned away from the objects and followed after Shikiyoku.
He…
He wasn't sure he could bring himself to do it, even if he particularly cared about those objects as he had the flower.
Because while he hadn't liked Taka, he just…
He didn't think he'd be able to, despite everything.
And Douji's bracelet? He wasn't sure that he particularly cared much about it.
So, as he closed the bedroom door behind himself, he decided that they would remain hers to do with as she pleased. After all, they were her memoirs.
(The others….are yours.) *
There was some part of her that found vague amusement in the fact that it appeared as if the flower went up in flames shortly after she left the room.
Shikiyoku had only made it to the bottom edge of the bed when she felt him enter the room behind her, sensing his answer as she stopped in place and stared blankly forward.
Renai's words echoed in her head.
It wasn't as if the other two would be coming back. Wouldn't that be the sole reason she would keep such things?
And truth be told, she didn't want others to look at her and automatically assume there were demons pursuing her in some manner or another. Because in the end she already had the one she wanted.
She half-wished he would have just burned them all. 3
Hiei followed Shikiyoku to the bed, letting her get comfortable first before he himself even decided to shift around in such an attempt. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to sleep now that his mind was so wide awake and had so many things to ponder over.
Half of him really wanted to go down to the labs and-
…
He could threaten the scientists to change tactics. Because this wasn't going to work. He didn't like it. It was too closed off and…
Unsatisfying.
(Hng.)
He paused, contemplating it as he sat on the edge of the bed.
He could go.
But…
(Hng….) *
Given that he had already apparently 'given the items back,' when Shikiyoku shifted her eyes in the direction of the hybrid who sat down next to where she stood at the end of the bed, she found herself actually raising an eyebrow questioningly.
"Problem?" 3
Hiei's thoughts went quiet after Shikiyoku's single-word question caught his attention, momentarily breaking his thought processes and leaving him considering her before he turned his eyes away, glancing very briefly at the door before letting them continue about the room in an almost calculating manner.
If he visited the scientists, he had a feeling they wouldn't particularly listen to him without proper convincing.
And Shikiyoku would likely be the same way, maybe.
But that didn't mean he couldn't try. It wasn't like he couldn't sway a demon's resolve. He'd grown rather skilled at that, after all.
But, was it essential and needing to happen now?
He would be busy for Mukuro tomorrow.
He glanced at Shikiyoku again, considering her for a minute. Again, that feeling of indecisiveness tugged at him, earning a mental groan, but otherwise he didn't move.
He could wait until morning. If she was still this way, then he'd visit the labs before departing.
(Problem solved.) *
"Hmph."
She didn't feel particularly convinced, neither was she sure about what 'problem' he had solved.
In any case she guessed it didn't matter and proceeded to crawl up on top of the bed to lay down. 3
There was a small part of Hiei that still considered actually going to the labs and getting it over with, but really he'd already settled on doing so in the morning if it was necessary. And that's what he'd stick to, since he'd be leaving at that time anyway and he wasn't sure when he'd be back.
His eyes followed Shikiyoku as she crawled onto the bed, his previous thought leaving him irritated with the reminder that they were there against their will.
Why couldn't they just have been left alone?
Oh well. What's done is done, he supposed.
He shifted and let himself lay on his back near the edge of the bed, still eyeing Shiki from the corners of his eyes. He really didn't want to leave tomorrow. *
Shikiyoku kept on crawling until she could plop down with her head on the pillow, which is precisely what she did, burying her face in it and laying there for a second until she slid her hands up underneath the pillow and turned her face to the side to let out a dissatisfied huff.
Whatever she was going to mutter at him, she only got so far as to manage a grumbled, "Flame-boy..." 3
Hiei lay on his side facing Shikiyoku after she stilled, taking to watching her with a raised brow as her lips opening and acting as if to form a string of words, but only seeming to get out the nickname. His brow rose higher and his lips gave the barest of twitches.
(Yes?)
He half expected her to fall asleep without answering, but wasn't quite sure if she would do so. *
Shikiyoku's frown deepened for a second, and while she had the intent to let out a growl at him, it only hummed at the back of her tongue.
"That's not fair." 3
Hiei noted the deepening of her frown with the widening of his own lips, giving a small sneer at her as his stare grew in intensity. And he held that stare for a good few minutes before he realized there was no indication that she noticed, and realization hit him.
(Oh.)
(Right.) *
Shikiyoku's eyes came open as if it was going to make any difference, a slightly puzzled expression on her face.
"What?" 3
He didn't respond right away, his mind working for a bit as he thought about what she'd said, his sneer ever growing as he realized what she meant. And even a few minutes after realizing he didn't respond right away, but when he did it was with no small amount of amusement.
(I forgot you can't use this for communication.) *
"Tch." Shikiyoku turned her head so that her other cheek lay on the pillow, looking away.
Her irritation was not strong enough to float over their connection, as she would not have admitted to feeling uncomfortable since she could not converse with him as normal, so she did not actually get up as she considered doing, only closing her eyes as she faced the other direction. 3
The reaction he received was nothing more than what he'd expected, and sufficiently amused as he was, he rolled onto his other side so that his back was to her, indirectly saying he was done with the taunts. And while not being able to see her, it was very easy to fall back into the disdain towards the lack of emotion he could feel filtering through the bond.
Which made it a little difficult to lay there in amusement as he was trying so hard to do.
And he didn't like it. The lack of thought, of emotion, of feedback from the other end of the connection he knew she could read.
And he found the desire to fix that growing ever the more. *
There was a brief moment of time where the thought formed in Shikiyoku's mind that perhaps she shouldn't have killed the beast in the pit. Maybe she could have stayed down there and made friends with it.
Certainly had to have led to a better situation than the one she currently found herself in.
Assuming she could get past its overwhelming desire to consume her.
Possibly could have posed a problem.
But she wasn't sure if that was any worse of a problem than this one. She had half a mind to see if Rikei or Iketeru might be able to do something about this strange state.
The other half of her mind rationalized that they would simply want to run more tests for the fun of it. 3
He really, really didn't like it.
Hiei almost made a sound out of displeasure as he rolled towards her again, all amusement from earlier gone and replaced with dislike of the emptiness in his mind. It was beginning to make him feel restless, as if she weren't even there.
(Shikiyoku, turn to me.) *
The fact that she actually attempted to respond to him in kind nearly made her flinch, but she didn't move at first, instead answering aloud with a sense of resignation in her tone as she practically sighed, "It's not like I can see you anyway. What does it matter." 3
Hiei's impatience grew and he released a small scoff, though he did feel a touch of amusement at the fact she'd pointed out and the point she'd missed. It reminded him very easily that she couldn't feel his desires in her 'pain form', which he assumed was what this was in most aspects.
"It has nothing to do with you looking at me." His retort was calm and even. *
Was that not part of the reason why she felt irritated in the first place?
"What else would it be?" She grumbled, burying her face in the pillow underneath her. 3
Tch.
Hiei fought the sound of impatience as he took a moment to simply stare at her. "You're too far away. I don't like it." *
Shikiyoku's eyes came open to stare emptily at the pillow that she could feel around her face, the slightest smirk turning one side of her lips upwards as she went ahead and turned her face towards him.
"Really. I'm fairly certain even without my sight I can tell how close we actually are." 3
Hiei wasn't sure if he should be amused or surprised by her lack of forethought on his motives. Personally, he thought it would have been obvious at that point. And for a moment he didn't move.
And then the silence he heard from the bond seemed to drag him into that impatience again and he scooted a little closer, grabbing her with one arm and tugging her just a bit in hopes that it would make the awkward angle easier to handle.*
Shikiyoku finally relented and shifted around to face him as he took a hold of her arm, keenly aware of the fact that she honestly had no idea what exactly he meant for her to do, only knowing that she could not be too far away.
"What do you want?" The question was eerily similar to another that she might have asked were she of sound mind and body, so it did not come out sounding nearly as harsh as the single worded version of the question did the first time. 3
Hiei paused when she spoke and took to eyeing her for a moment before he decided to answer. His answer consisted of moving forward, scooting himself closer and shifting his head so that when his lips touched hers, maybe it wouldn't be so odd at this angle. After all, he was accustomed to standing over her every time he had to change her back.
And when his lips touched hers at that odd angle, he found himself hoping that it would work, because he had absolutely no idea what he'd do if this didn't switch her back completely so that they may communicate their normal means. *
She could hear Hiei shifting around, but it wasn't until the very moment he kissed her that she realized his intent the whole time had been to kiss her.
Which wasn't all that useful at that point.
However, within that same moment, her mind folded in on itself as her faculties shut down and the next thought in her mind when she awoke whirled around whether the previous kiss hadn't been long enough or hadn't worked because it wasn't him. 3
Well, to say it worked would be an understatement, because he felt the feedback from her end of the bond flood his mind much quicker than any of the other times he'd had to switch her, so by the time she regained her senses he pulled away and had his eyes closed.
Her thought that filtered through, however, had his eyelids sliding open again to stare at her in complete and utter confusion.
What other kiss?
Why would it-
(What?) *
Not that she particularly had any reason for wanting to hide anything from him, but as she started recalling the incident that occurred before she made it back to the room she drew closer to him and wrapped an arm over his neck as all of her previous uncomfortableness surfaced again.
Having to walk to and from the lab. Thinking it was him impatient for her return on the way back, but with her mind not being given a reboot she could shove it all aside to deal with the problem that had been prominent the longest.
(Smelled like you. Warm like you. Your aura. Unsettling.)
At least, unsettling now that she had a chance to think about it in her right mind. 3
Hiei's mind went blank for a moment as he took in what Shikiyoku was sharing, the arm around his neck very quickly conveying how perturbed she was by it- as if he hadn't already felt it himself. And as he stared at her, the explanation sinking in, the only thing he could think of was the pseudo Youko they had fought so long ago.
A being who had gotten away.
Meaning this being could either be that same demon, who someone very similar.
(…)
Miming him.
(…)
Were it not for Shikiyokus hold on his neck, the fire demon would have been sliding from the bed and leaving the room with every intention of bloodshed. However, because of the grasp on him and the fear he could feel rolling from her, his boiling rage at the thought was… set aside for later.
Because now there was a problem.
There was no way of knowing what the demon wanted or what it would do. If it was impersonating him, the demon could very easily be trying to weasel in while he's away and cause conflict. Do harm.
And he was not okay with that.
And he was not okay with being mimed.
His jaw flexed a little and his eyelids slid closed.
And in his mind he could only picture himself grabbing his blade and running it through said trespasser. *
(I...did not see him though. But he ran when others were coming as if something might have given him away.)
She made the smallest sound of unhappiness, thinking of how she had attempted to speak with the demon via telepathy and chalking up the lack of response to wanting her changed now.
(I don't know what to do.) 3
The urge to slide away and track down this problematic demon grew a little more with her growing discomfort, but for the moment he said nothing and actually began to think of ways that would quickly and efficiently distinguish the imposter from himself- assuming that demon also gained Hiei's own abilities as the fake Youko had of the true Youko.
But, surely no one could mimic a Consort bond…
Right?
It would make sense if one could mimic the power of telepathy, as it would be a substantial thing like the Jagan.
The Consort bond, however, was unlike anything Hiei had ever felt before. It linked him directly to Shikiyoku.
Perhaps there was a way to utilize that…?
(When you are approached by me, expect communication like this first. If no such thing is established- if I send nothing through the bond prior to physical contact- it is not me.)
Surely that would do for now, yes? *
(O-Okay.)
She tightened her hold around his neck, squeezing her eyes shut and trying not to consider what this demon hoped to accomplish.
Because whatever it was likely centered around her given the interest. Why else would one need to test and see if they could revert her?
...and Mukuro was going to make Hiei leave tomorrow, for who knows how long.
...perhaps she would be able to keep the other two in the lab busy with her until Hiei's return. 3
The fire demon went quiet, thoughts churning and anger burning just below the surface, tamed for the moment. He wasn't sure what a demon would want that would require them mimicking Hiei himself, but it would certainly do the trick in getting near her if said demon was able to do all he could too.
As Shikiyoku drew closer, his thoughts were put on hold and he wrapped his free arm around her middle in hopes that it would settle her unease, even if just a little. And it was perhaps this that had his anger of such a daring demon ebbing, his focus turning to her and continuing on the track of considering things that would both appease her and make such a situation easier to avoid. *
The fact that the demon had run off sent Shikiyoku's thoughts circling back to her vision, feeling certain that perhaps said demon took advantage of her lack of sight, perhaps to test the authenticity of his transformation or whatever it was that had him capable of imitating her Consort.
She still could not decide if the only reason she did not return to her true form was because the demon was not in fact Hiei or because the kiss was cut short. Too many variables and too much silent cringing at the prospect of such an experiment, since in the end it would require the impersonator to truly come up with an answer of which she could be sure.
However, none of it would particularly matter if she could not see a difference, as she suspected there was one.
It...made the issue of her blindness slightly more of an immediately pressing matter.
And also brought to her attention that she had no such 'experiment' in mind to attempt to return her eyes to normal. 3
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!