A/N: Hello once again, Audience.
Well, at least I'm being consistent, I guess. Sorry about the lack of chapter yesterday. Between getting ready to go to Italy for a month and moving out of the home I've lived in for over two decades, some things have just gotten left by the wayside. In any case:
Ciao for now!~
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!
[Will be updated soon]™
Hiei remained a silent presence at Shikiyoku's side as she ran back to the city, though his eyes periodically glanced to her as if he thought she might have disappeared. It was a difficult thing, really, to not have her in his head at all times, to be able to sense her proximity with something other than the usual senses.
Yes, it wore on him a little, but really, he decided to at least attempt to wait until she decided to ask him for that kiss.
His eyes wandered the bar for a moment after Shikiyoku spoke before he turned to glance at her, taking that moment to consider the room that he had bought from Kafu, and the things inside.
Mentally, he took stock of everything he knew to still be concealed inside the upstairs room, wondering if he should take anything from it back to the First Level.
While nothing there struck his fancy at the moment, he did remember where he'd stored some of his earnings.
He gave Shikiyoku a look that read he'd be back in only a moment, before he turned and flit up the stairs.
He stepped into the room that had been his living space for the past decade and took a glance around, noting things here and there that were his, but nothing of importance right away. He rifled through drawers and underneath objects, collecting little pouches here and there and storing them away in his cloak pockets.
One more lap around the room and he'd gathered everything he needed. He stepped from the room, and within milliseconds was down in the bar again, standing beside the demon he still could not sense at his side.
(I've all I need.) *
Shikiyoku waited for Hiei's response, and his return, and after giving him a nod turned to go, leaving the Niiro behind and forging a path through the crowd for the two of them until they were free of the city gates before she set their pace into a run.
She made for the southern portion of the level, West of where the portal to the Eighth Level lie, slowing just after noon to adjust course.
A white-blue-haired shape leaned against a tree, standing out in no small measure against the red backdrop of the level around him, and it was in his direction that she turned, coming to a stop nearby.
Her presence appeared to startle him as he did not sense her at first, but he gave her a smile that lightened her own features as she nearly returned it, saying only, "He will be along soon."
Kasai nodded, his eyes lingering upon her as she turned her eyes upward.
It was not long at all before the trees above them rustled and a brown-haired form greatly resembling Taka at first glance dropped to the ground.
The brown wings at his back shifted as he stood up, his equally earthy eyes regarding the three.
He pointed at Shiki.
"You were not part of the bargain."
"You are mistaken."
He narrowed his eyes at her as if sizing her up a second time.
"That may be. But if you are to whom the contract was made then you are aware space is limited."
Shikiyoku only returned his steely gaze a moment longer.
"Do you know who I am?"
"It matters little." He shrugged.
She grunted in answer, her eyes cutting in Hiei's direction.
She felt tempted to approach the subject by simply leaning down his direction and tipping his face upwards.
Instead she took a knee before him, closer to his level now to better address him without seeming to lord over him with her stature.
"My Consort. Would you gift me with your kiss?" 3
Really, Hiei had not paid much attention to the others in the area, only watching Shikiyoku from the corners of his eyes as he willed himself to sense something from the bond that might alert him of her nearby presence. And as expected, he came up with nothing from the bond, as if she were never there in the first place.
Though with the arrival of the bird demon, he did tune in to the current moment, his red eyes turning to take in the being who made him almost narrow his eyes in recognition. He listened to what the other had to say, expression void of emotions that might hint at his thoughts on the matter.
He recognized that this demon was very much different than Taka, other than in looks. His wings were made of actual feathers, instead of earth and soil like Taka's had been. And the energy was starkly different; while Taka's energy had felt heavy and weighty, the energy of this one felt light and flighty, like air..
Shikiyoku moving to kneel before him quickly drew his attention from the newcomer and had an expression of surprise flickering across his face. It then turned to realization, followed by…
What was the word?
...adoration? Maybe.
Very briefly, he remembered the moment in the bar where he had asked for a kiss, and been rewarded with only a kiss on the cheek.
He quickly decided that now was not the time, and took her face in his hands so that when he did press his lips to hers, he would feel the change beneath his fingers too as he willed such change to take place, desiring it really.
Not sensing her nearby was driving him mad. *
The change cascaded over her from head to foot and when she awoke she stood looking up into Hiei's eyes, green shining and gleaming into red.
(Thank you, my prince of fire.)
If she thought about it longer than that she would freak out a little, so she turned away, slightly smug at the expression on the bird's face.
"You are...Shikiyoku."
It was not a question.
Her nose raised a little higher, but she did not answer.
The hawk scoffed, but said nothing more.
"Wait here."
He shot up into the trees and there was a flux of power and then the branches whirled and whipped as a larger hawk lowered down, big enough to fill the area but limber enough to maneuver until it stood on its talons nearby, wings folded against its back as it regarded them with a fierce eye, and then lowered so that they could climb on, Kasai moving along first and doing so.
The fire demon turned to reach a hand down to pull Shikiyoku up behind him.
Shikiyoku stepped out of the now giant cloak, folding it over and over in her arms and then taking the half leap up and grabbing Kasai's hand to pull up the rest of the way and settle behind him.
(I will need you.)
It was almost desperate, as her anxiety had started swirling in regards to their journey.
The hawk lifted majestically into the air, rising above the treetops, starting to soar and moving quickly towards the location of the portal.
By the time the hawk had entered the darkness of the place between the levels, Shikiyoku's fingers were twirled and grasping the feathers beneath her, hardly noticing the warmth emanating from the bird beneath her, her eyes closed and a fine line starting to form between her brows.
When they broke through to the other side, the sounds of the Infected accosted what had been the dead silence of the passageway upon their ears and Shikiyoku's entire body, strung tightly before, hovered on snapping completely as the memories started to surface of her near-death experience.
Eventually the hawk rose higher in the air, circling upwards if never quite leaving the noise of the horde behind.
The bird dropped them off near The Last Stand, only making sure they were clear of his takeoff before shooting up and wheeling away.
An exchange of sorts passed between Shikiyoku and Kasai and then the other demon had turned to enter the bar, his unsaid promise to find her again hanging on the air between them. 3
The moment Shikiyoku was able to connect with him through their bond, Hiei relaxed, releasing tension at his shoulders he hadn't known he'd been carrying. His expression quickly turned serious, however, when she did take that moment to speak at him in the bond, her words accompanied with an anxiety he hadn't actually felt from her in a long, long time.
So he wasted no time in leaping up onto the back of the hawk demon, immediately getting settled at Shikiyoku's back with his eyes on the back of her head. First, he only reached to her with a hand, laying it on her shoulder. Than, progressively, he inched closer, until he had ended up with her face in his chest and his arms wrapped around her midsection, his eyes closed to concentrate on images he could transmit to her of better days and fun times.
Just as he'd done before, he talked to her through the bond, and sometimes aloud, murmuring in her ear this or that.
He didn't notice immediately that they were descending, but the moment the hawk landed, Hiei hefted Shiki into his arms and slid from the feathered back, letting her slide to stand on her own two feet as the bird demon took flight again.
He watched in silence as Shikiyoku and the other fire demon exchanged words, remaining a silent presence only a step or two behind the woman until the other turned and disappeared into a bar.
That's a new place.
A few beats of silence passed before Hiei stepped up to her side, his eyes watching her from the corners.
(Ready to go home?)
I am. *
Shikiyoku stood watching Kasai as he left, until he was out of view.
The tension from their travel still lingered in her muscles, though her appreciation for Hiei's assistance flooded their connection and she took a step back to close the distance between them, seeking physical contact with him, her breathing still unsettled and her pulse staggered.
Her affirmation of his question drifted wordlessly through the bond, mixed with her attempts at recovery and the former apprehension that still swirled in her sensibilities. 3
Hiei kept his gaze on Shiki as she took one step backward, the bond telling him a moment after what she wanted, and he responded in kind by taking the one last step forward needed before his shoulder brushed hers.
A moment later he had her off the ground and in his arms again, the bond filled with more images meant for distraction- all of which centered around the time they had spent in her home on the First Level- and the time he intended to spend there soon.
And he ran.
Each step kicked into the dirt with more force than the first, the wind sending his hair and cloak ruffling about as his speed increased little by little. He put as much distance between Shikiyoku and the Eighth as he was able, skirting through and around trees and bushes and away from what he could sense to be other denizens of the level here and there, keeping them in their own little world so that maybe she would be put at ease.
Several days and nights passed with this steady pace, his eyes ahead and feet never faltering. Only when the sun began to set after a few more days did he begin to slow, knowing that if he kept going as he was any longer, he was likely to drop the woman he held.
And he made sure to find a place near a stream, where they had access to water.
Finally, he did stop, only meters away from the sounds of a bubbling brook where he could smell the fish and the creatures of this Level moving about.
(Are you hungry?) *
Shikiyoku clung to Hiei without any sort of hesitation or remorse of any kind, desperate for the contact that helped soothe the nightmares in her head.
She hugged his neck tightly, as if she could pull herself closer, her face searching for the skin of his neck to feel the warmth of him against her, eyes squeezed shut as she immersed herself as completely as she could in their bond.
It meant that Hiei could sense every instant where the Infected burst into her awareness, reenacting the sprint she took through the Eighth to get to him.
She could sense his need for rest, did not argue with his slower pace. They were farther from the shrieks, but they still echoed in her mind, piercing through on occasion even Hiei's comforting presence.
She shook her head slightly against his neck where she had not moved her forehead when he asked.
(If you do, do not leave me.) It was not a plea so much as a request, but she only meant that he not pull away from the bond if he needed food.
She finally lifted her head far enough so that she could press her lips to his skin in thanks for his...for his everything.
(You are quite a singular demon, my Hiei.) 3
Truth be told, Hiei hadn't quite expected the images that the bond had fed him through their run of the levels. Sure, he'd known that Shikiyoku had gone through hell and back to get to the Ninth Level, but he somehow felt that he hadn't understood it until this moment, where he stood absolutely still with his arms still around Shikiyoku and his eyes closed.
It left him not wanting to let her go, not wanting to stop running even for a second, if he thought it might help her escape the nightmares and the memories.
He smiled against the top of her head reassuringly.
(I did not plan to leave your side.)
He lifted her a few inches from the ground and began to waddle in the direction of the stream, his chin resting on her head so he could look out at his surroundings as he moved. He knew she did not wish to break contact, and thus would do his best to keep such contact in place.
Because where there was water, there was usually fish.
And fish were easy to catch when one had the speed that Hiei did. Even demon fish.
So when he finally did manage to feel the ground softening as they grew closer to the water source, finally reaching its edge, he set her down on her own feet again, this time taking a step away from her, but leaving his left hand within her right.
He crouched at the water's edge, eyes watching the swimming fish with deadly intent.
Had anyone not known of his speed, they likely wouldn't have seen the series of events that lead to him wielding a sword that had more than just a few fish skewered and just as quickly cooked through and through- except maybe for the short burst of light from the flame.
He stood upright again, holding his sword out to Shikiyoku in offering. *
Shikiyoku did not reject what he offered, completely content to whatever Hiei wished, giving his hand a knowing squeeze, a thankful gesture.
When they laid down to rest, Shiki practically entwined herself with him as much as he would allow, herself refusing to sleep but keeping watch over the two of them and letting the shield that was her connection with with her Consort ruminate between them, studying his face as he slept to distract herself. 3
Hiei hadn't minded in the least when Shikiyoku curled into him for comfort, knowing on a level that he'd forgotten about over the past ten years that she needed not only the contact, but the contact from him. Her Consort. So he'd settled down after eating and let her get just as close as she pleased, her arms around his neck, his around her shoulders, their legs intertwined.
He'd fallen asleep rapidly- much faster than he'd ever done. And he slept deeper than before. Whether that was contributed to his exhaustion from running or how comfortable he was with the woman next to him, he did not know.
He did not dream, did not so much as even twitch during the night. He could feel the warmth of the other person, and that was all he needed.
So when he awoke, sometime before sunrise, it was not because she was watching him, but because his own internal alarm had decided that this was the perfect time to get moving again, that he'd gotten just enough rest to continue on.
He said a sleepy hello, rolled over and stood before offering her a hand to stand.
And wordlessly, he released that hand and turned his back to her, taking a step forward before suddenly crouching to the ground. He remained silent for a beat before he looked over his shoulder at her, the bond transmitting what he wished for her to do in this moment as he gave a crooked smirk.
The second Shikiyoku leaned into his back, Hiei's arms circled underneath her knees and he stood upright, turning to watch as she buried her face in his neck and her own arms clasped around him.
And then he took off again.
Nights like that one happened over and over again, where Hiei would run until he was afraid he'd either drop Shiki or collapse onto the ground on top of her, and he would get them both some food before he lay down for a nap. Some nights, he knew she slept, because he would wake to find her twitching, the bond transmitting a fear unlike any other, and he would hold her and talk to her until she either eased into peaceful sleep, or would wake.
Then they'd be up and he'd run again.
The day they finally reached the First Level was the day Hiei relaxed tenfold, the crease at his brows smoothing out as if he no longer had to concentrate, as if he no longer expected some sort of attack. His stride lengthened and he slowed only a little so that he may take a few moments to remember the way around this place.
It took him a bit, but he was able to navigate until he slowed to a walk up to the front yard of a rather dusty little two-story house. One that he remembered lying on the couch of just before a note had been dropped for the two of them.
He'd only just become her Consort then, after Kit's death.
He stopped at the front door, staring at it as if he thought he might be in the wrong place. After a beat, he turned his head to the woman who he carried against his back, eyes soft as the couch he found himself wanting to lay on.
(We're home.) *
Shikiyoku let out a sigh that resonated not only throughout her body but also in the entirety of their bond.
I love you.
(May we never be forced to leave against our will again, my Consort.)
She finally lifted her head and set it atop his shoulder, nuzzling her nose into the side of his neck before planting a kiss there again in absent thanks, not particularly thinking about it.
"What do you desire?"
Her eyes gleamed briefly. 3
Hiei gave a soft exhale through his nostrils in amusement, his head dipping only for a moment in agreement with her as his hand reached out to try the doorknob, finding it- surprisingly- unlocked. He stepped foot inside, his head turning back so he might glance at Shikiyoku with her sudden question.
His answer came quickly, and without much thought- his filtering system had been shot, apparently, with his lack of sleep.
"You to be my mate."
He shut the door and turned to shuffle further inside, blinking once as his body began to let him know just how much he'd overdone it this last run. And all he could sense being given through the bond from himself at that moment was exhaustion, and relief.
His feet dragged against the carpet with each step, his eyes finding the couch and focusing on it with every fiber in his being. It felt like it took him days to circle around the couch and crouch until Shiki sat on its edge, so that he himself may turn back around, grab her again, and stretch out along its length with her against his side.
(...and to not leave this spot for quite some time.)
His eyelids slid closed, and a long, deep exhale sounded in the otherwise silent room, Hiei seeming to deflate in place as he sunk into the cushions with not small amount of satisfaction.
(Later…. Sweet Snow.)
With those last words, the fire demon fell asleep, his breathing evening out and ever the quietest little snores sounding in his slumber. *
She had not been the one traveling, but the amount of exhaustion Hiei's side of the bond pulsed with had in truth been slowly growing each day towards the end, until its greatness made even her begin to feel as if she had run with him.
And it was because of that hazy, practically delirious, sensation that meant when she kissed his smooth skin the once as an expression of her thanks, she did so again after her question, the tiredness of her mind finding comfort in the sensation of her lips making the gesture against him, something very ancient within her that had been stirred by their journey, their constant closeness and physical contact, and the fact that he had not since they reunited spurned what had been quite innocent advances or rather silent requests for that contact.
Her eyes slid closed as she felt him moving underneath her, the arms that still stubbornly held her legs to his sides, and her torso against his back, the position one that since he first suggested it they had since done, Shikiyoku finding that in this way more of her touched him and more of his physical warmth permeated her thoughts and better drove away her darknesses.
When she asked her question, the intention behind it had been more akin to "what do we do now," and so she barely heard his first answer as she once more gently parted her lips and drew them together wearily upon the only part of him she could readily reach from where the rest of her was still firmly leaning into his back.
In fact, she really dismissed it quite completely with an instant, internal, "that's not what I meant," and another kiss, picking back up on his intent to collapse for a long while-with which she could not argue-as he let her down.
She gave a sleepy sort of half-smile, and wondered briefly if she should order a new couch, for while it was not uncomfortable right this moment for her to be pin against the back of it, Hiei had grown since the last time they were on it in this manner, and she wrapped her arms around his torso in case he began to fall so that he could not.
No longer near an exposed portion of his skin, she only buried her face into his side, suddenly remembering the significance of the phrase "sweet snow" after all these years and knowing that too was a purchase which needed to occur.
She meant to say something else, but as he finally collapsed into sleep, the sensation resonated strongly in her bond and drew her with him.
And for the first time in months, she slept peacefully. 3
~!**!~
On the First Level, time seemed to move differently. There were times when Hiei found himself unsure of what day it was, or how long he'd been doing one task or another. Days dragged on and yet somehow seemed to blur all together, as if one, long, unending day. When he slept, it was at Shikiyoku's side, in a comfortable bed or, on the days when he didn't think he could make it up the stairs, on the couch in front of the television. There were nights where he couldn't sleep, when Shikiyoku had her nightmares that kept her awake until she simply couldn't remain awake any longer, at which case Hiei would stay away and comfort her until the break of dawn, when he would close his eyes just before she woke so that maybe she would not know that he did such things.
Sometimes he thought she may have noticed, but said nothing.
One day, out of seemingly nowhere, Shikiyoku brought up the idea of building a bar. Blueprints were made, and Hiei let the woman decide which one she thought would work the best. After that, It seemed like merely hours passed before they were looking at lands and signing paperwork. The pair gathered demons for work, with a promise of a job there should they want it once the bar was open for business. Hiei made sure to pay them well on the days Shiki herself remained busy.
Day after day, the large group of demons would band together to construct the place board by board and nail by nail, day in and day out- most working through the nights simply because none of them had anything else to do at the time. A majority of them had been sent to the level after an explosion during the battle on the Eighth, and not a single one seemed to mind being where they were.
Occasionally, an Infected demon would stumble across the grounds, and Hiei would see to it that the demon was either killed, or if he somehow couldn't immediately remedy the situation, captured. He did well to keep them out of Shikiyoku's line of sight, ridding himself of the presence long before she was even alerted to it.
Soon after the first several attacks, demons began making trips to the construction site, looking for someone with speed and strength to hire for killing of Infected that still rampaged in areas of the level.
That was when Hiei began leaving the site.
At first, he would only be gone a few hours. Then, as more demons seemed to hear of his abilities to deal with the Infected, he found himself gone for days at a time, going on several hunts in a row before he would return to Shiki with a pocketful of money and an exhaustion in his eyes that meant the both of them would sleep well for at least one night.
Even a few of the demons hired to work for Shiki and himself asked him for help a time or two, and he gladly accepted.
When the time came that a larger job was asked of him, he found himself turning to those few demons who had initially been hired for the bar, promising to pay them for their help should they decide to lend him a hand.
Just like that, there was a small group of demons who always seemed to answer to the fire demon. The group of four seemed to look to Hiei every time a demon showed up about a job, for a mercenary, with eyes filled with expectant loyalty.
The fire demon had had to find four new people to help Shikiyoku on the days he and the small group disbanded from the bar and went on hunts.
It was a subtle thing at first, starting with only four demons. Then he noticed a newcomer one day. A couple of weeks later, and Hiei found himself staring at a good sized group of demons who turned to him for just about anything, as if he were their boss.
Word got around the level of a new mercenary group, one lead by the Cursed Child. Nobody seemed willing to squash the rumors, other than Shiki denying up and down that he was cursed.
Little by little, work began to pick up. Some days, Hiei would go alone on jobs simply because he felt the need to do so. Most days, the group went together, hunting Infected and doing other odd jobs around the four uppermost Levels. Their reign grew until Hiei found himself asked to travel all the way to the Eighth, though he initially refused.
Weeks passed and Hiei realized he'd begun to turn down too many jobs, all of which requested a trip to the lowermost levels of the realm for this or that, sometimes to dump infected because the demon asking knew the infected and wished to have mercy, sometimes because that's where the demon had been blasted from and was still afraid to return.
The reasons piled up, and more and more he found himself lingering in the near-completed bar- not that he didn't enjoy it. his men, however, seemed less entranced with the idea of building, of construction.
So naturally, he accepted the next few offers.
Time after time they ran the levels, fetching this or dumping demons there. Stealing that. Whatever was asked of them.
On the days Hiei grew tired of being away from Shikiyoku, his men would send him back with their word to achieve the objective. At first, he felt weary and remained with them simply as a cautionary thing.
His mood, however, suffered. The longer he stayed away from Shikiyoku, the worse his mood fell until he simply could not stand to be near another demon that was not the woman he missed, the woman he worried about.
So he left them.
Initially, he worried about the group and how they fared, about how long until they'd come back to the level or if they had already made it back.
Eventually, he found that worrying was of no use. The demons were highly skilled- to each their own- and very much capable of taking over. So on the nights he turned to leave the group, he felt no remorse.
On this night, as he ran through the last of the First Level, Hiei felt… worn. More so than he had in previous weeks, or maybe even months. His pace didn't slow until the moment he saw the bar in his line of sight, and only than he only slowed to a walk when he was within meters of the front door.
He eyed the establishment up and down as he approached the entrance, though his entire attention remained on the bond that sparked to life the moment he'd reached the level. He sauntered through the door, letting it close behind him with a soft click, the bells above ringing only a moment longer before they too went silent.
He marched straight to the woman who worked at the half-built bar, circling the part that was already finished until he stood over Shikiyoku, whom he very promptly pulled against his front with an arm around her middle and planted a kiss upon. The index finger of his other hand snaked towards her collarbone, finding the thread that held both the tear gem and ring he had given her. With one gentle tug, he pulled it free from her shirt so that the whole room could see his claim upon the woman, whom he addressed after pulling away.
(It can't serve its purpose when you've hidden it.) And despite the grumpiness that seemed to sound with the words, in truth, this was the best he'd felt in several days. *
After having been on the move for so long, the first few days of waking up to the same scenery over and over again caught Shikiyoku off-guard. It did not feel normal to not be on the move, to spend an entire afternoon without purpose or drive.
Hiei's presence greatly influenced how quickly it all felt normal, as they remained in constant company of one another. The nightmares had not all vanished, and she still preferred quiet meditation in Hiei's arms to actual sleep, but the many occasions in which they plagued her, where she slipped from mediation to accidental sleep, were tempered by the comfort which her Consort gave her.
They did not speak of it.
The idea for the bar had many starting points in Shikiyoku's head. Given that the caliber of the Niiro Kaga was locked away in the Ninth Level, a part of her sought to expose the average demon to the type of atmosphere that was offered there. She knew that there was still some contention with the humans as the two groups might never completely co-mingle pleasantly with one another, and the setting as she imagined it would be a safe haven for all those who needed an escape. And while she knew Kafu would never had done so, she intended to add a nightclub element as well.
It had honestly been something she thought about even before they found themselves stuck in Mukuro's, and now seemed to be an appropriate time to begin such a venture, to perhaps invest a portion of the money she had into such a thing.
Once the plans were set into motion, Shikiyoku found herself swept up in the planning and building and business of the thing, and found in the midst of it that there were other businesses and places and such into which she could invest. Her time among the courts in the Ninth Level translated well, and she picked up the knack via the diplomacy required to survive, able to spot swindlers and cheaters with a discerning eye, though her instincts as to their desires always caught onto their intentions the instant before they even decided upon them.
As to the bar itself, she called in a good deal of favors for the project, for getting the location and materials she wanted, for having builders directed to her, demons who would be able to handle the materials she gathered and the construction which she oversaw.
She could not fault Hiei for not sticking around all the time to help, and more often than not his leaving for some mission or another as the bar rose up around her was a blessing on some counts. At first she sorely missed his physical presence, but as time went on and the bond within them remained strong, its steadiness within her would be enough to satisfy her until he returned.
She only grew weary of his still being called "cursed," though on some level she realize he felt the same about those that only knew her as "tainted." On the First Level, they had less of a preconceived notion as to what exactly "Kuraku" meant, but more and more often that became the way she was addressed or known.
In regards to whatever group Hiei had caught himself up with, Shikiyoku could only say that the longer he stayed away, the more frantic and anxious she became about...everything. Running around the construction site to take care of too many things herself because if she stopped to rest or breathe, she would have to think and she wasn't prepared to do so while he was gone. Sleep was farthest from her mind, which meant the nightmares stayed away as well.
On one of the longer ventures, the roofing was finished and the vast majority of work that needed to be finished was on the inside, but upon Hiei's return to the First Level, the bond did alert her to his relative closeness, though she had dashed off to discover the reason for the delay in a shipping that had been scheduled for two days before.
Standing on the side of the building farther away from the main entrance, though facing it, the busyness of jotting down on her clipboard and the twenty notes in her mind that needed transferring to paper kept her from looking up to see who had came in or gone out this time. It didn't particularly matter in regards to her personnel as they were not the types to shirk on their jobs.
Pushing her glasses up further onto her nose, a pair of black boots came into her view as she stared intensely at her furiously sketching hand, and it gave her just a second of mind-blanking pause to realize who the boots belonged to before she became squished against a familiar body as she looked up, blinking in surprise from behind the dark frames of her glasses.
The clipboard became smashed between them as did her arms and she was acutely aware of the other arm encircling her and even more so of the warm lips suddenly finding hers.
Former surprise scattered into a rapid blush, the now mid-length hair up a working ponytail at the back of her head releasing energy into the immediate air around them as her core sped up and her eyes began to gleam.
Unsure what exactly might happen when she felt his free arm move, a tug at the collar of her blouse reminded her of the necklaces there which had been hidden unknowingly in her rush to change clothing for an inspector who visited earlier that day.
If any of the workers actually noticed the little exchange, and weren't used to it by now as it had happened more than once, they were wise enough to continue about their work, skirting the scene occurring in their midst.
Caught completely off guard by the moment, Shikiyoku's lips remained parted for a moment longer when Hiei finally pulled away, her glittering eyes staring up almost in awe at him. She could only give the tiniest nod of her head as she stood there held against him, lips meeting to give a quiet "mm" of agreement in response to his intimate commentary, though she did not manage much else.
Floating into their bond came a questioning, a wondering if he was back for a while, and a concern that at any moment he might leave again, or get pulled away too soon. 3
When Hiei pulled away after a moment, he didn't make to move away from Shikiyoku, not even a twitch as if he might step backwards. His eyes stared down at the woman whose hair was in a somehow-neatly put up ponytail, whose eyes gleamed at him from behind thick lenses that he recognised from what felt like eons ago.
Her inquiry, however, was met with an exhale that somehow released every bit of tension he'd been carrying, ridding him also of all frustration and irritation that had built up over the past day or so.
Only then did he answer, "I'll be here for a while. The others can handle anything that comes up."
For a second time, he leaned forward, though this time it was to plant his chin on her shoulder where he stood for a few minutes. His eyelids slid closed and he took a deep breath of the air around him, most of which smelled of Shiki, but it held other scents. Scents of construction and the workers doing said construction.
(I missed you.) *
Shikiyoku let her eyes close, for the moment not worrying about her energy on the air. Most of the time she had her hair more tightly restrained, but since Hiei had not been around for a while, and she had been in a hurry, its current state was not ideal for once more being near him.
Becoming reattuned to him and his presence, she could almost feel being this directly in contact with him all of the nonsense he had been through while gone.
With her arms pinned against him, especially the one, she could not return his embrace entirely, but she did manage to slip free her left hand and bring it around his side to rest against his back. And she could feel there the work and strain he had done since last they were together.
She shifted her other hand around, intending to rest it against his core, when she suddenly had a different idea and did not complete the gesture, a small smile starting to bloom over her features.
Giving a little wriggle to free herself, she reached for one of his hands and started moving for the other side of the bar.
(I want to show you something.)
The clipboard was left atop some packaging and quickly forgotten.
When she got about halfway, she paused and turned to face him, taking his free hand in hers.
(Close your eyes. And keep all of them closed.)
She started walking backwards, leading him towards a door almost exactly opposite of the main entrance, next to which she planned on placing an actual bar when the time came.
The door slid open into the wall as they approached and Shikiyoku began climbing a staircase while still facing Hiei, feeding him the information for each step until they had no more stairs to take.
Only then did she let go of a hand and reach to her left to open another door and lead him inside.
Once that door was shut behind them, she let go of his other hand, still facing him.
(Okay.)
Shikiyoku watched as he opened his eyes again.
The room had an ornate canopy bed to his left against the left wall and no windows. The furniture, floor, and walls were all of the same deep, rich, dark brown wood as the bed, a couch opposite the door with a coffee table in front of it with bookshelves on the wall to his right next to it.
(My room isn't finished yet or I would have shown you that.) There was a bit of frustration mingled with the thought. The bed for her room still hadn't been delivered and it was a constant source of consternation for her.
(But anyway, this is for you.) 3
Hiei didn't at first move, his eyelids slowly coming open as he took another breath in, the warmth of the hand at his back familiar and welcome. So when she suddenly began to shift around as if to wriggle free, he first considered that she was trying to get away for work, that someone had caught her attention.
He found himself surprised when he stood upright and watched as she reached for his hand. He didn't protest in the least, instead giving her a curious look before doing as told and closing his eyes, though there was no missing the momentary ghost of a smile on his features in amusement.
He followed quietly, assessing each step he took and listening to how his steps echoed on the wood, realising that she lead him up a set of stairs that he hadn't remembered her intending to be there.
Needless to say, when she told him to open his eyes, he did so. He scanned the room, taking in each piece of furniture and each marking in the dark wood that made up the whole setup.
At first, it didn't seem to register with him that this was his room- that she had designed it with him in mind, and had intended to all along.
When it did register finally, he blinked once and turned his eyes to her, only managing to stare while the bond transmitted only a fraction of his surprise to her.
Anything he'd ever had in life had been taken from another, or worked towards. Never before had someone given him something, much less built something for him as Shikiyoku had.
He blinked again.
Another moment of pause passed, and then Hiei's eyes were closed and he bowed his head, a smirk finding his lips and a breath of air escaping his lips in a quiet chuckle.
(You surprise me, woman.)
Thank you. *
(Do I?)
She seemed pleased with his reaction, grinning at him from where she still stood in the center of the room.
(Well, you're welcome. I'm glad you like it.)
She also scanned the room as if giving it a once-over, but she had seen to all of it herself, so the gesture seemed almost moot.
"I figured we would probably be here a lot, so it made sense for there to be somewhere comfortable to collapse when the need arose." Shikiyoku reached out and smoothed a hand over the end of the bed, giving it a fond look. 3
Though Hiei said nothing, the emotions filtering through the bond was all that was needed to show his appreciation and his enjoyment of the space that he could call his own. He walked around the room once, looking over everything until he reached the bed, at which point he paused with his knees against the edge, as if testing its sturdiness.
Without warning, he let himself fall onto its surface, a small groan falling from his lips as he sank into the soft, plush mattress in satisfaction. It was even comfier than it looked, and he couldn't be happier.
His eyelids slid closed, letting himself memorize the feeling of the comforter underneath himself, as if he might not ever see it again.
(You simply are the best at everything you do.) *
Shikiyoku moved around the edge of the bed just enough so that she could lean against the post at the closest corner to herself, watching him with a smile.
(True.) She allowed, inspecting her fingers as if they were dirty. (But I do not tend to do things which I would not be best at. So really, I'm just a sneak.)
(I am glad you like it, though.) 3
An audible chuckle broke the silence in the room from Hiei, and he turned his head so that he could look at Shikiyoku with a crooked smirk. In his mind, he replaced the word sneak with smarty, knowing it to be more appropriate. Though it brought out the sudden desire to want to see her try something she'd never done before, simply so he could watch her figure things out and learn how she worked in regards to things that she'd never before encountered.
Those were likely few and far between, he realized.
He watched her quietly, his stare an appreciative one.
(Are you going to stand there all night?) *
Shikiyoku shifted against the pole as if settling herself more comfortably, crossing her arms.
(I could.) She admitted.
(The view isn't all that bad.) 3
Hiei's smirk grew more sidelong and his eyes took on a fiercer twinkle than before.
(It's better from my perspective.) *
(I sincerely doubt it.) Shikiyoku lifted her nose into the air a little higher and finally dropped her arms as she turned away.
(Don't go anywhere, yeah?) 3
Hiei pouted a little at Shikiyoku's back as she turned to leave, his eyes following her the whole way. Part of him wondered if his stare would make her stay, but the rest of him rationalized that it seemed as if she intended to return.
(Wait, wait, wait.) He shifted a little on the bed, though his next comment came just as quickly as the first. (I like that one too.) The bond transmitted a quick okay, now you can go, though Hiei didn't so much as blink as she disappeared out the door. *
Shikiyoku didn't even bother to stop when Hiei called out to her, as she could sense the roll he was on and what would follow.
It did make her twitch a little as her core threatened to react.
Moving into the other room down the hall-her own, unfinished room-Shikiyoku gathered a few things into her arms and moved back the way she came.
She flipped the lights off as she reentered Hiei's room, shifting the pile in her arm as she moved towards the bed until she had the thick candle in one hand and could pass her other hand in front of it, igniting it with her energy and placing it down on the bedside table next to Hiei.
Before she released it, it fluxed brighter, setting the room into a soft, warm glow.
When she stood up, she blinked and remembered something else, turning to go out the door again.
(Remove your cloak.) She told him absently. (And your shirt for that matter.) 3
Hiei snickered to himself when she was out of the room, his eyelids sliding closed. He took a deep breath and found himself sinking further into the mattress, its plush comfortableness hard to resist after three or four days of nothing but running.
He shifted further onto the bed, until he lay sprawled in the center of it, only to find that when Shiki returned, it was to have him remove the shirt and cloak that he wore, which for a moment had the bond ringing with what could only be described as a sequence of question marks followed by okay?
When she was out the door again, he gave a slight huff and shifted around again, until he was standing at the edge of the bed. His tired hands pulled the cloak from around his shoulders, and then his shirt up and over his head, both articles tossed to the couch where they landed in a pile on the armrest.
By the time she reentered the room, he was splayed out at the center of the bed again, laying on his stomach and his eyes closed. His breaths were long, taking in the scent of the candle that somehow gave off Shikiyoku's scent, though he didn't quite think it impossible with her energy being the source of light in the room. It did, however, seem odd that her energy had lit the candle, as there was no heat to the flame like there should have been. *
When Shikiyoku returned to Hiei's room and shut the door quietly behind her, she gave the dark form on the bed a smile as she moved across towards him, feeling her energy further dispersing in the room via the candle at the bedside.
She had something similar to a washcloth that she was tossing between her hands that both warmed them and began to call her energy to buzz down her arms and into her palms.
Her glasses were removed and placed next to the candle as she reached up to pull her hair free and give it a toss as her scalp began to tingle, creating an atmosphere of tranquility as her energy moved invisibly into the air to fill the entire room, the haze of color from the candle only complimented by what could be seen of that which she released directly.
Closing her eyes for a moment and tucking another bottle or two under an arm, Shikiyoku reached out and put her hands up near the candlelight as if she sought to warm them.
Her breathing deepened and she relaxed further, her own tension from the day washing away as she lowered herself into a semi-meditative state before opening her eyes and moving to climb up on the bed and crawl over to Hiei.
Moving without jostling him too much, Shikiyoku reached the fire demon and got up on her knees, her mind too entranced to give a thought to the fact that she did not hesitate to straddle his thighs and sit down on him, her weight fairly inconsequential.
Tell me what you've done.
The oil she spread on her hands and forearms seemed almost to add more of her scent into the air as she placed her hands on Hiei's back and held them there, feeling the muscles beneath her fingers and slowly beginning to move her hands around.
The answers she got varied between running and lifting and holding himself upright in daily toil, as well as a great deal of fighting, particularly from the side of his sword arm.
As she actually began to work through their tension, the energy buzzing down her arms moved through her hands and below the surface of his skin into the muscles themselves, and since she had her eyes closed, only listening through the tactile sensations beneath her fingers, she did not notice that she herself had started a similar gentle glow as to what the candle nearby emitted.
When she did open her eyes on occasion, they too gleamed with her energy, usually hidden by the lids themselves.
In this way did she continue for a long time, becoming through the access of her energy into him entwined with the body beneath her in such a way that as she massaged, it let her free the muscles of their unnecessary tightness.
As she finished, she smoothed her hands across his back and opened her eyes, for the first time enjoying the markings of his station that curled over his skin and disappeared beneath the waist of his dark pants, and feeling under her fingers the expansion of his lungs that indicated his level of slumber, as well as a soft noise that periodically escaped his lips.
Moving dexterously, Shikiyoku removed herself from atop him and slipped off the edge of the bed, turning to reach for the bottles that had been nestled against her leg. 3
At first, the feeling of Shikiyoku climbing onto the bed and eventually sitting just below his waist had Hiei confused, the bond not really telling him much of what she planned to do, but his trust in her keeping him from either questioning her motives or moving away. And initially, when she placed her hands on his back, he wondered what she held against his skin and what coated her hands.
Those thoughts, along with all others, disappeared the moment her hands began working at his muscles, replaced with quiet, pleasant hums here and there as every knot and every kink was worked away.
He didn't really know when he'd fallen asleep, only that it was a light sleep, that he could still appreciate the working of his muscles just a little until he delved even further into slumber. He didn't dream, nor did he seem to acknowledge anything outside of his own comfortable darkness.
And yet the moment Shikiyoku was moving away, he seemed to protest with a grumble, the bond becoming filled with don't leave. And though his eyes never opened, they didn't need to in order for him to know just where Shiki was. *
Shikiyoku let out a breathy chuckle as she turned and placed the bottles next to the still-lit candle, feeling her energy slowly being called back from the very corners of the room.
She grabbed the small towel from beneath the pile and climbed back up next to him, gently wiping away what remained of the oils from Hiei's skin and then starting to turn to slip off again. 3
The soft snores that came from the fire demon paused for a moment as he shifted a little, turning so that his right arm could rest under his cheek and serve as a pillow. He stilled again, the sounds resuming as if they'd never stopped in the first place.
His free hand, however, reached out and grabbed hold of what he could of Shiki in protest, fingers curling around the hem of the shirt she wore as the bond was filled with a protest that probably better suited anyone other than this particular demon, that being a soft noo. *
Feeling her momentary retreat being further protested, Shikiyoku still continued to stretch until she could place the towel on top of the other things, sending Hiei a silent shh of reassurance that she was not going far.
She realized when he caught ahold of her blouse that she hadn't even changed out of the clothes she wore while working, and she passed her hand in front of the candle again to put it out as she lowered herself back onto the soft bed next to Hiei with a small smile. 3
When the bed shifted around, Hiei let out a soft exhale, the bond alerting him that Shikiyoku came closer, and allowing him to respond in kind. The moment she was laying next to him, the fire demon scootched closer until he lay on his side and his head found her shoulder, the arm he didn't lay on wrapping up and over her midsection until his hand disappeared between her arm and the covers they lay on.
Finally, he settled with a huff and a grumble of something including the word woman, before he fell back into slumber as he had before. *
As Shikiyoku settled onto the bed, Hiei's movement towards her meant she relaxed on her back as she let him do as he wished, finding that he had somehow discovered a way to get even closer than he ever had, his face almost nuzzled against her jaw.
Having been so closely connected to him not so long ago, his proximity to her this time did not set her buzzing with energy, the feeling of his skin against her familiar and comforting as she cuddled just as close as she could to the warmth of the fire demon next to her and waited for what would be a peaceful sleep overtake her. 3
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!