A/N: Hello once again, Audience.
I am SO SORRY, fam, for not getting a post up yesterday. I just finished up a show this week and completely flaked. As an apology, this chapter is a bit longer than normal.~
Chapters for this fanfic are released on the first and third Mondays of each month.
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]™
They tried for hours.
Perhaps not hours.
For as long as Kurama could attempt it.
But the problem was...it never worked.
He could never figure out how to get his energy to work. When something is second-nature to you, an instinct, an ability you had since birth, how are you supposed to get it to work when the only way you've ever gotten it to work doesn't work?
He couldn't honestly feel the life of the plants as he was used to doing.
And these things worried Shikiyoku more than anything else he told her up to this point.
And she began to have other thoughts. Began to piece together the symptoms he had told her and realize that she had felt them herself.
They eventually got him back into bed, and she had set up a small alchemist station on his bedside table.
According to Kurama, the plants very likely might still be useful to his condition even without his ability to manipulate them, and under his weary tutelage, she eventually made powders and pastes with a mortar and pestle, administering the results to him either by feeding him, or in the case of the mixture meant to help his fever, placing it on his forehead and wrapping gauze around it to keep it in place.
Sometime during a waiting period for a paste to set-up, Kurama pointed Shikiyoku in the direction of a drawer in which she might find something to wear, and given her internal reservations about just exactly what Kurama was experiencing, she thought little of slipping one of the many neatly folded undershirts over her head, the garment adequately covering her-if only just barely-after she untucked the towel from around her chest and tossed it on top of the pile of clothes in the bathroom.
While Kurama did eventually fall back asleep, even sitting up as he was, Shikiyoku only intermittently slept on the chair nearby, waking every few hours to rouse him just enough to give him more of the medicine and check if the gauze needing changing.3
~!**!~
Dark had fallen long ago, the sun of the Seventh Level having dipped below the horizon what felt like ages before the tired group of mercs shuffled their way through the dense forestry. More than a few of the men leaned on one another for support, bleeding wounds now closed and dark, angry bruises shining through on each individual. When Hiei turned to glance at his weary men, he made a mental note to demand a higher pay; he himself likely would be in worse shape if not for his own speed and agility.
And perhaps the fact that he'd run down infected demons before helped too, but it hadn't helped much in the face of the horde they'd escaped. He made another mental note to never accept a job from this particular client again as well.
It took the group a little over an hour to finally lay eyes on light in the distance, and that seemed to brighten their spirits enough to pick up the pace a bit. The usual banter picked up around the group again as the Last Stand came closer and closer in their line of sight, and the sound of music and smell of alcohol snuck into their senses.
By the time the group actually crossed the threshold into the bar, life seemed to be restored to their entire beings, and each person broke away from the other. He shook his head a little; if anything could bring them strength to keep going, it would be alcohol.
Inside, it was as if a wordless understanding passed over each man in the group, and each went different directions with little grins or looks at one another. Hiei himself took residence at the bar and ordered a drink. It wasn't a strong drink, simply because he didn't plan on being up long enough to have another. Nor did he want to actually get drunk; he wanted to be fully alert when the group set out in the morning for the First Level.
When his drink was set in front of him, he took it in his hands and swiveled around in his stool to watch the room. He sipped at the beverage as his eyes swept the room, and he settled into his seat with his back against the edge of the bar.
No matter how tired he was, he wouldn't leave the bottom floor until his entire guild was safely upstairs. After the hits they'd all taken this night, he didn't want to chance anything that might happen. *
As the last bastion of safety before the horrors of the Eighth Level, The Last Stand catered to those rough and tumble types, the mercenary, the merciless, the Hunters. And there had been much sacrificed to ensure its continued safety from the desolation that was slowly creeping its way across the Seventh.
Those sacrifices meant there was much that went on within its walls. Food and drink and coin and a good deal many other things exchanged hands in the busy, bustling building that sat atop the cliff-edge that overlooked the plains leading to the Eighth Level's entrance as if the structure itself stood watch as the first line of defence in the event of a disaster, and the last safe walls before the arduous journey downwards.
The busyness, the atmosphere, was an eternity of difference from that tavern on the Ninth, and yet in many ways they were the same.
Excepting one, major difference. One that made no attempt at subtlety as she made a grand entrance through the doors and stood tall, overlooking the crowd with a hint of a smile that knew without a single doubt that for those first moments, every eye of the room had fallen upon her person.
For every single one of them, she appeared different, according to the tastes of each, though her sensual clothing and her tall frame remained entirely the same, and she showed off her figure in her stance as she shifted weight to one leg and placed her hand on her hip, completely aware of the control over the situation that she held.
Bright, glittering eyes regarded them all equally, for the moment showing no immediate favor as for just that moment it seemed the entire building held its breath.
She did not so much as shout, she had no need, instead with a grin that spoke volumes merely saying, "The next round is on me."
The hall practically erupted into cheers as she sashayed towards the bar to make her own order, first one voice and then another taking up a cry, a chant, of what presumably was her name.
"Shi-ki! Shi-ki!"
She merely laughed a cascading waterfall of a laugh and waved them off as the owner of the bar made a point to meet her where she ended up, his own face cracking a rare smile in her direction like so many other of the battle-hardened mercenaries themselves were doing as the busyness took hold again.
"The usual for you this fine evening, seductress?"
"You know me too well." 3
Hiei's eyes slid to the door when his ears heard the wooden frame creaking and the hinges make the slightest noise with its opening, and had he not swallowed his drink, he likely would have choked on it at the sight of the newcomer. His eyes noted every detail about her, starting with the outfit that revealed most of her body, only hiding the parts that most would literally kill to see. Then he eyed the swaying of her long white hair as she gracefully made her way through the parting crowd, and the way it brushed against her dark skin and occasionally fell in front of those glittering golden eyes.
He wasn't too surprised that the room was suddenly echoing her name. Nor was it surprising that the demons at the bar stumbled out of her way to let her have a seat if she so wished.
Why didn't she dress like this more often? He definitely didn't mind seeing so much of her.
Not that she would believe him if he told her as such, which he was rather happy to inform her of. Though, as she stood to his left, he found his lips sealed and his mind still processing the change in the woman who had come to the Seventh for him.
He studied her profile for a moment longer before his eyes trailed her frame, appreciating her new attire and returned confidence in this form.
After another beat of simply staring, he turned inward to compliment on such things to the woman with which he was bound, and instead he found that very bond muted. It wasn't the usual mute with this form, where it seemed frozen and her emotions were cut off from him. Instead, it was the usual muteness that came with the physical distance between the two, and a sort of disappointment bled its way to his thoughts.
Realizing that this Shiki was not his Shiki, he took a long drink from his tankard and swiveled his chair around, where he turned to face the wall of alcohol behind the bar. *
Once the female had drink in hand, she turned outwards to survey the room with that same half-smile on her face as she began to drink, her glittering eyes distracting from the same glitter that danced over her skin and made her appear as one looking at her wished for her to appear.
She leaned in a devil-may-care sort of fashion against the bar itself, elbows planted upon it and her stance arranged in such a fashion that made it obvious she was perfectly aware of the effect she had upon those in the room.
Those that did not know her name quickly found out as it spread like wildfire around the room.
Eyes continued glancing her way, and she met them with ease, but did not linger with any of them long even as she brought her drink again to her lips.
She tilted her head towards the side as the one next to her exchanged banter with 'the enchantress,' earning no more from her than the same toothy grin any other had thus far earned.
"What news, Shikijō?" A couple of patrons approached her, though their pleasantries did not last much longer than any others before they went on their way.
After a time, she turned away from them and leaned forward onto the counter to survey the wall of alcohol displayed behind the bar, her height such that she had no need for the stool she had inadvertently scooted inwards underneath the bar itself. She once more leaned into her arms, a second drink already in hand, and she let out an almost inaudible sigh. 3
Hiei memorized an entire row of bottles before his cup was refilled, and he was halfway through that one by the time he'd memorized shelf number two. Most he recognized, some he didn't, but really, it mattered none to him. Though, it was much easier to count bottles than to keep his eyes from turning to the Shiki lookalike again. After all, it wasn't the one he wanted, so there was no use in staring and letting her think he was interested.
He couldn't say that he wasn't aware of her every move, however. It was hard not to be when she even smelled like his Shikiyoku.
Because of this, he didn't miss the little breath she let out, and he couldn't quite help the sardonic smile that danced across his features.
"Not as fun as you had hoped it would be?" He didn't even look at her, but he knew that she would understand that it was for her. *
Shikijō raised a delicate eyebrow as she looked down over her shoulder to spy the rather delicious looking demon next to her with a face she had not seen here during other visits.
"I hadn't rightfully decided yet." She gave him a once over before returning to what she could see of his red-eyed profile and the swirling tattoos over his left cheek. "Hybrid, mm? Tell me, handsome, are you having fun?" 3
He counted some more bottles, drank some more from his cup, and committed to memory the bottles of booze he didn't recognize. His cup refilled once more, he finally set the drink onto the bar and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Hiei glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't miss the use of the word hybrid, though the tone around the entirety of her response seemed to lack something that didn't quite match the persona she portrayed, something he couldn't quite put a finger on.
He raised a brow thoughtfully at her, and a slight glimmer flashed across his eyes for the barest of moments.
"Fun? Now what, pray tell, is fun?" He picked up his drink again and took another long draw from it, the words of another echoing in his mind that he had no idea what 'fun' was. *
She opened her mouth as if to say one thing and then closed it and turned away again, "You know, it doesn't surprise me to hear you ask. You seem so very...fierce. I'm certain you likely intimidate away anyone before they have a chance to ask. Especially what with that mixed heritage of yours. I doubt there are many who have even dared to get this close. And stay there." She turned back to him, a smile unlike the others she had given playing tug-of-war at her lips as she fought against it. "You don't scare me in any case." 3
He'd reached the end of the wall of bottles, leaving him with nothing to distract himself with. Nothing except his drink and the lines on the surface of the bar. So, when she turned away, he didn't fight the urge to watch her from the corners of his eyes.
"That's too bad," he responded after a beat of silence. "I rather enjoy watching people run at the sight of mixed blood." This time, he couldn't quite fight the lopsided smirk that ghosted across his features and revealed his amusement. Instead of looking for a distraction now, he tilted his head in her direction ever so slightly.
It was easy to pretend that this was the real Shikiyoku, that the responses he garnered were from the very one he longed to be with in those moments. And it was easier still to see the similarities between the two; they stood out just as much as the differences did.
Perhaps it was the similarities that gave fruition to his next thought and his next actions. Perhaps it was the similarities that nudged him to continue the conversation, to use the interaction to 'practice', as it were, talking to the object of his affections. Or perhaps it was the glittering eyes and the fact that she truly didn't seem bothered by his mere presence - not that he'd ever indulge in her desires - that decided for him to use the opportunity to actually have some fun for once.
Whatever the reason, he turned to fully look at her and he flashed the slyest of grins. "The few who have dared to get so close didn't do so for the same reason as you have." His lips pursed thoughtfully for a second before he breathed, "any company outside of that is always a pleasure." *
Her eyebrows rose higher on her forehead as her regarded her, "And what reason would I have to approach you, handsome? All dark and brooding as you are. Not in the least inviting with that dreadful scowl and those frowning lips. Rather forward of you to assume so much and so highly of yourself." Her eyes glittered, but her expression did not otherwise give indication to her thoughts. 3
Hiei's silence was a long and thoughtful one where he watched the woman with keen eyes that searched her face as if to find answers there. But, really, it wasn't until he saw the little shimmers in her gaze that he found a reply, and he gave a one-shouldered shrug.
"People only approach me for two reasons." He turned away and scooped his drink from the bar. He pointed a finger at her from around the tankard, "One, which you've shown no signs of, is to fight." He tapped his index finger against the cup and took a drink. "Two, some people simply find some sort of interest in dark and brooding." He set his cup down again and turned to face the wall again, as if counting the bottles once more. "I don't quite understand it either." He shrugged and settled with his arms lazily resting on top of the bar. "Though the latter always seems to invite rather interesting company." *
"Well." She let out a breath and turned to take another sip of her drink, "I seem to remember it being you who began this conversation and not I, who simply approached the portion of the bar that gives the best vantage point of the room as I'm sure you know. People only speak to me for one reason. I've half a mind to ask you what your one reason is." She lifted her drink to her lips again. 3
"You're not wrong," Hiei replied nonchalantly. He studied the wall for a moment longer, as if bored. "I'm in a bar on a Level that I hardly enjoy visiting, and hardly do make the trip to visit. Considering this is a rather… popular venue, I've decided to entertain myself here for the night." He took a moment to glance out the corner of his eye at her. "And why not do so with the most attractive woman in the establishment? It's only a bonus that she's also the most interesting." *
She finally smiled, her eyes closing as her head tilted downwards just a hair over her cup.
"Flattery will get you everywhere, handsome." The glitters dancing over her skin had not stopped. When she opened her eyes, they were doing the same. "Insincere or no. But really," She turned to watch him again, "What in the nine levels is a demon like you doing in a place like this? You stand out. Dare I say, you don't belong." 3
Hiei, curious, turned to Shikijo again, this time with brows raised. He knew he stood out, but he'd always thought it was simply because of his tattoos and his hair. He regarded her for a moment before he finally let himself ask.
" 'Demon like me'?" His lips twitched upwards ever so slightly. "While I know I have distinctive features, I don't think I know what you mean." He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "In any case, I came here on a job." *
She turned to face him completely as he replied, still leaning on the bar, but this time with just the one arm, her drink within reach but on the countertop.
She nodded at his comment about the job, finding it a reasonable answer.
"Well, there must be something about you." She countered, "Otherwise I wouldn't still be here." She let her gaze first look over his hair, what she could see of his face, making no effort to hide her scrutiny. "Perhaps it's your charm." As before, her expression gave nothing away of her true thoughts. 3
For the first time since the conversation had started, Hiei gave a little snort. He had no charm, and they both knew it. Even to him it was obvious that he was out of his element, and he couldn't quite see a demon of Desire missing such a thing either.
"Perhaps it's the frowning lips, all dark and brooding as I am." He made a sound that could have been a laugh if it had been loud enough. "Or the tattoos." He flexed his arm as if to draw attention to the markings on the back of his hand.
In spite of himself, he smiled at his cup.
"I like to think it's my humor." *
Shikijō smiled. "You have more charm than you seem to wish to give yourself credit, handsome. Should you apply yourself, I envision you capable of being quite charming. All you need is a decent teacher, a bit of practice, and the will to become so. Or maybe you're the sort that needs a reason instead."
She grew thoughtful as she regarded him, "I have seen better pouting lips than yours, dark brows more capable of brooding. You are missing a certain...cloud that does not now hang over you, though whether it once did I cannot say. On the other hand, were you to offer me a chance at seeing more of those tattoos of yours, I would invariably be unable to deny us the pleasure of my doing so. In that and indeed in all things, I am at your disposal..." She seemed suddenly to realize she did not know his name. "Forgive me. I get ahead of myself. We have not even been introduced. While I am called a great many things, my name is Shikijō, though as you may have heard most here simply call me Shiki. It is an honor to share in your company, Master Hybrid." 3
Hiei took another long drink from his cup before he set it, empty, onto the bar. He turned after a moment to face Shikijo with his lips cocked upwards in a smirk. He leaned his left elbow against the top of the bar, rested his chin on the top of his knuckles, and crossed one leg over the other, all while his eyes gave her a once-over. When his irises finally settled onto her features again, there was a sort of light that glinted within the rubies.
He considered very briefly the notion of offering her a hand to shake, but he didn't actually extend the gesture. "As enticing as being called a Master Hybrid sounds, most simply call me Hiei." *
Raising a dark, delicate eyebrow at him as he shifted, Shikijō made no attempt to hide the fact that she plainly took to watching the way Hiei's shifting caused the sleeve of his cloak to ripple towards his elbow and reveal more of his arm, and subsequently his tattoos.
"Mm." She hummed before letting her glittering, golden eyes slide slowly over to his face, "A quick study, then?" She commented on his maneuver with little more than a murmur, her eyes flashing in a manner that conveyed, if nothing else, his need to proceed with caution. "How useful that must be for you...Hiei." She gave him a nod, "The pleasure there is in meeting you is all mine."
The aura around her body that had been constantly giving off a particular glimmer, shimmered in a telling sort of fashion as she moved to lean over the bar again, taking to staring down at her drink with a secret sort of smile as she let the fingers of one hand toy with the lip of the mug. 3
Once he settled in his seat, Hiei seemed to freeze within his space. His muscles went lax and he let himself lounge against the bar with exposed markings and glinting eyes. His lips stayed in that same half-smile formation and his irises seemed to glue themselves to the profile of the woman who had turned away from him. He remained quiet, even as her energy seemed to give an odd shiver around her in a way that reminded him of Shikiyoku's reactions to his stare in previous moments similar to these.
The differences were interesting, he had to admit. They drew him in out of curiosity, and pulled him further from the thought that this was Shikiyoku. It was easier to tell now that it wasn't her, even if she looked like her, sounded like her, smelled like her, and even reacted like her in some ways.
A few more seconds of silence slid by before he finally spoke.
"Of all your beautiful curves, that smile is my favorite." *
She had taken a drink in the time it took for Hiei to speak again, a long draught that had mostly emptied her mug.
As she slowly lowered it from her lips, she observed him out of the corner of her eye before the contain landed silently back onto the top of the counter, seeming for a moment unsure of what exactly to make of him.
"My smile, Hiei?" She repeated as she turned to regard him again with a bit of pleased confusion, another of such smiles tugging at her mouth, though she briefly appeared almost self-conscious of the action. "I-" She refused to allow him to render her speechless and forced herself to continue, "-must admit there are few who would agree with you, and less who would even bring up the notion." Finally succeeding in at least lifting the edges of her lips, her next query was accompanied with a bit of a smile, "What makes you say so?" 3
He could see that she hadn't expected the compliment he'd given her, and for a brief moment, Hiei considered the fact that demons didn't tend to note the simpler forms of beauty, including the simple gesture of happiness that was a smile. It was a slightly… disconcerting thing to consider, especially as he realized that he'd never told Shikiyoku that he did enjoy her smile.
Neither had anyone else, as far as he could remember. And there was no mistaking that it was much the same with this Demoness of Desire.
His expression softened and Hiei gave a brief shake of his head, causing his bangs to sway slightly in front of his eyes.
"It's a shame, really, that demons are too occupied with other curves to notice the gentle beauty in the smile." He blinked once and gave her a genuine smile. That smile was quickly replaced with his sideways smirk, "Happiness is a rare beauty in and of itself."
At least, it was in my life.
He mentally shook himself.
"And all the sparkling energy in the world can't match the radiance of your smile." *
She gave him an equally sly expression at his talk of other curves.
"Most demons are happy enough to remain occupied with such curves, my dear hybrid." She blinked at his returning smile, taking notice for perhaps the first time that of which he spoke, and finding that in the moment it made her core stutter over a beat.
She stuck her face in his suddenly, "You. Had best be careful where you strike up a spark." She leaned back again, eyes glittering as always. "This is a fire that could burn you should you choose to play with it." She flashed him a smile that this time held all the mischievousness her sincere one earlier had not. 3
Hiei would have had a retort to Shikijo's initial response, but her nose nearly touching his gave him a moment of pause. His brows rose ever so slightly and he resisted the urge to lean away, taking her challenge as she presented it with a gleam in his eye. His smirk widened and twisted when she leaned away and smiled, and for a moment, he forgot that he wasn't talking to his Shiki. Especially when this Shiki smiled in a way that reminded him so much of her.
But, with each lack of response from the bond within him, he was reminded of the distance between himself and the Shiki he so desperately wanted.
Despite this, his lips twitched further upward, revealing his own mischief at the thought of being challenged. He followed her motion and leaned toward her, the hand that he had rested his chin on earlier now coming forward to take a piece of her hair between his fingers and play with it.
"Well, it would definitely be interesting to feel the heat as others feel it." He studied the lock of hair between his index finger and thumb for a few moments. It was silky, healthy, and vibrantly alive. He noted this briefly with a mental image of this person standing in front of a campfire so many years ago before he turned his eyes up to her again and focused on this version of the woman. "Tell me, what's it like to feel the fire?" *
Shikijō did not move, peering for a moment through her long lashes down at Hiei and taking in a calm, deep breath of the strange scent of cinnamon and cloves that had given away his mixed blood from the very beginning.
Her grin, however, grew no less wicked at his question, and she only let her eyes flicker briefly away from his face just long enough to take note of his attentions to her hair.
"Ice may hold you captive-" Shikijō murmured huskily between them, her half-lidded eyes sparkling dangerously in his direction, "-may preserve whatever becomes encased within its grasp... ...but fire? Fire can consume you, Hiei. And the more it takes from you, the more you will find yourself giving to it, unable to resist what you think may placate it, unable to realize that your placation only feeds it, until you have nothing left to give-" She had ever-so-slowly been moving closer to his face, stopping just shy of him. "-until you can give no more." 3
He could feel her breath against his skin now, could smell the sweet aroma that reminded him so much of vanilla and strawberries and everything that reminded him of Shikiyoku. He could sense the body heat from the woman at this distance, and could feel the heat that she radiated with each gruff word that fell from her lips. His lips parted slightly to release a breath, his eyes locked on her golden ones, and his own words whispered from his tongue fluidly, loud enough that only she could hear and yet quiet enough that the rest of the room had no chance at catching them.
"I've been consumed by worse."
After a moment's hesitation, his fingers released her hair and the palm of that hand found her cheek. He pulled her the last of the way to his lips, and her warmth drew his eyelids close.
The very instant their lips met, he knew that the kiss was different than the ones he'd shared with Shikiyoku. Sure, there was warmth and content in the gesture, but as Hiei leaned in further, two things occurred to him.
For one, this Shiki lacked a certain.. Tenderness? No, that wasn't right. A certain… want? No, there was definitely copious amounts of that. In fact, as the second thing he'd noticed, he'd realized that Shikijo was more than happy to not only accept his attentions, but embrace them and willingly guide them, should he wish her to do so. It was a strange realization, really.
This could be what it's like to kiss Shikiyoku, he thought. There was a want, a hunger in the way their lips moved against each other that hadn't been present with Shikiyoku.
But, again, with Shikijo, there was something else, something more missing. He couldn't quite define it, but he found himself wishing this woman would come to know whatever it was- whether it was tenderness, warmth, or…
Love.
That was Shikiyoku's specialty, right? Desires and love. To love beings she didn't even know, to even love beings who sought her destruction.
This demon was missing it, and for a few moments, he found a part of himself hoping that Shikijo would learn what it was, and that she would find it within herself.
And, when that moment passed, Hiei pulled away. He found himself slightly out of breath, and for a moment, he was too wrapped in the fact that Shikijo had been so willing that all he could do was stare.
Because Shikiyoku had never been so willing.
He waved to the bartender and gestured to his empty cup, all the while staring silently at Shikijo. *
There was a beat just as Shikijō felt Hiei begin to pull away that something strange jolted over her lips and left her wondering at what exactly it was that this demon had done to her.
And then he was gone.
Her glittering eyes revealed from underneath lids that had slid closed, she blinked and found herself staring back at him as the odd warmth she felt buzzing over her lips felt as though it slowly took hold of the rest of her body, slipping into her veins.
The foreign sensation did not seem negative in any way, and so for the moment she shoved it out of her immediate awareness, regarding Hiei with a satisfied sort of half-smile as she moved to rest her left elbow upon the bar, lowering her chin across the top of her hand that awaited its arrival.
"But you've yet to be consumed by fire, Hiei." She murmured still, the pair of them within their own private bubble that had yet to be pierced by the ruckus of the bar around them. "Others know that playing with fire can get one burned. You've had the luxury of immunity up until now." She gave the slightest of pauses. "Let me assure you: that was merely a...taste." 3
Hiei let out one breath that was longer than the others as the bartender filled his drink, and the fire demon wasted no time in scooping his cup from the bartop and pressing the cool glass to his lips. He took only a small drink before Shikijo spoke up, and he let his eyes focus on her again, her words almost drowned out by the beating of his own core.
It was harder, though, to remind himself that this woman was not Shikiyoku - no matter how much he wished it was. Hell, had this been Shikiyoku, he didn't think he would have pulled away, which definitely gave him pause for thought.
As her words registered with him, he found himself wishing with all of his being that this woman was Shikiyoku, and with such a wish came his inability to separate this lookalike from the real one, and the emotions she stirred sent a single little snowflake falling from somewhere over his head and to his bangs.
He downed his drink and set the glass down, revealing his never-changing poker face and a slight smirk.
"You're far more than a simple fire. You, Shiki, are an inferno."
He waved the bartender over again. *
Shikijō gave out a laugh that wasn't quite a pleasant one. It was too self-serving, too much like a true demon might give when they know they're being flattered, but they also know it's true.
"Yes. Yes, I am that. But what high praise coming from one such as yourself! And I have seen your work." She leveled a gaze at him, her eyes gleaming with all of the lusty emotions that her lips had moments before expressed. "There is one particular section of the Ninth Level that has not stopped burning since you first rampaged through it, oh mighty, Walking Inferno. They've taken to calling that part of the forest Ceaseless Blaze. It's somewhere Northeast of The Palace." She waved a hand nebulously in the air as if gesturing towards the place of which she spoke. "There was a huge swathe of land that we thought your queen-" The word was said without a hint of jealousy, but still contained perhaps what could be best described as the slightest of eyerolls. "-had dried up decades ago, but it turns out it serves as excellent kindling. It shows no sign of stopping. I have visited many times. Your handiwork is exquisite, and truly your mixed blood fascinates me. Such power." Her eyes gleamed dangerously again. "But I must say I think I much prefer your true name. It suits you better." She had leaned in his direction again with a confiding air. "Being called a 'flying shadow' just doesn't cut it anymore when you set such hellfires as that, Gouka." She let her eyes rove meaningfully over him, drinking in his features with a hunger, the hand that was curled around her beverage-formerly gesturing in the air between them-twitching a little as she resisted reaching over towards him. 3
It radiated from her entire being now, the heaviness that he'd felt in their kiss. Sure, he'd known it had been there since the beginning, but it was much less controlled here, as she stared with glimmering eyes and ever-so-slightly parted lips. It called for his attention and beckoned him forward, where he couldn't help but lean towards her as she did towards him.
As she spoke of him and his power, of the things his power could and have done, Hiei found himself slowly coming to the realization that this was the other side of being the Cursed Child. Instead of fear and hatred and disgust, he was faced with one who was not only fascinated with, but seemed charmed by the prospect of such power, of such mixed heritage that gave way to what she called his 'handiwork'.
It seemed that those who saw him as a Cursed Child could also see him as Gouka, and both sides of that coin came loaded with quite interesting reactions.
"Such Power."
Hiei leaned away slowly, his eyes watching as Shikijo's looked him head to toe with that same heaviness, that same lust and desire that he'd sensed within their brief kiss. The beating of his core slowed to normal and he found he had complete control of his breaths, which had been short before this moment.
He tilted his head ever so slightly at her, that same smirk still in place. *
She gave a chuckle when Hiei did not respond aloud.
"I am perfectly aware that you already knew such facts." Those same, gleaming golden eyes met with his crimson ones and did not for a while look away. "But it is so wonderful to be reminded of them through someone else's dialogue."
"You are certainly quite adept at setting a fire, Gouka." Shikijō readily admitted it. New acquisitions were always exciting, of course. She reached out between them without a second of hesitation-he had in fact been the one to kiss her after all-and drew the backs of her long fingers up the side of his face, drifting over the markings swirling of his cheek with a touch that only briefly brushed against his ear before she let her hand hovering in the air, so close to being in contact with him and yet remaining far enough away that she did not.
"Tell me." She breathed, her face nearer now to his, "How good are you at stoking those flames?" 3
There it was again, that honorific. "Gouka." The name for him that had cropped up during his and Shikiyoku's time in Mukuro's palace. A form of respect for his mixed blood and power.
His thoughts on the matter were brushed away as Shikijo leaned further forward and extended a hand in his direction. He stilled in anticipation for the contact of her hand against his face, for the warmth that would be his markings coming aglow to her touch. With the lack of said touch, and likewise, the lack of glowing markings, he let out a short breath and reminded himself that this was not Shikiyoku, and that this woman could not bring that warmth to his skin.
She could, he realized, leave him staring at her expectantly at the lack of touch. She could leave him anticipating it and yet not deliver, leaving him waiting as if it was all he actually wanted.
For those moments, he was completely at her mercy, waiting for and wanting that touch, and all the while realizing how powerful the gesture was by not touching him. It made her words more powerful, more tantalizing, and his reaction to it stronger.
Without realizing it, he'd found himself almost nose to nose with her, his eyes flickering between her stare and her lips. He let his own breath wash over her.
After a beat, he leaned further forward until his lips were near her ear, and he took his time in letting his words fall from his tongue.
"Asking a demon of fire to fuel the flames can be a dangerous game." *
The breath of his words that curled down the side of her face made the tiny hairs on Shikijō's neck shiver and stand as she closed her eyes and took great pleasure in the sensation.
"Dangerous games are often the only ones worth playing." She murmured back, strands of her hair whispering to lay down her back as she turned her head enough so that she too would be speaking into his ear. "If they were easy, the payout would not be nearly as satisfying." The fingers still in the air near him shifted enough so that they could gently rest on the side of his neck, her thumb near his ear where it started to move slowly back and forth. "Besides, it has been my experience that those with mastery over fire are usually the best suited for such things. And if they are not, it takes but a little instruction. They will catch on fire just as quickly and easily as most things will. Perhaps even more so." 3
For the first time since Shikijo's entrance, Hiei's eyes turned to survey the rest of the room. He kept his cheek turned her direction, if only to let his breath continue to brush her face, but his eyes took a sweeping glance of what he could see of the room behind her, taking in the ones who had been staring and the ones who were locked in their own worlds. Even as she replied to his taunting banter with her own, he found himself slowly losing interest, slowly letting the bubble he'd let himself be encased in with her to expand and include other people in the room. Little by little, his senses were opening up to the rest of the establishment once more, instead of focusing on only the one person.
He replied easily, without even looking at her again, in that same low tone that he'd used before.
"And which burn do you prefer, Enchantress? Low and slow, or an all-consuming inferno?" *
She let out a huff of breath that contained all the silence of her amusement, a sort of pleased response at what he had come up with.
She had been asked such a question before, on more than one occasion. But if this one was truly as novice as he claimed to be, imitation for him would be the fastest path to advancement.
"One moment it is one," Shikijō murmured, pressing her lips to his cheek briefly, "The next the other." Her second kiss was just shy of his ear. "You would find that I am not particular, unless I have need to be. Adaptability is in fact my forte." 3
The response he earned was not one he had a reply to, especially not when it was paired with the kisses she pressed to his skin. It made it harder for him to find a similar dialogue in the room to mimic, and it made it even harder for him to search for similar exchanges when he found himself so focused on the new touch to his cheek. It drew him in and distracted him from the room.
He… had no response to give her. He could only blink and stare at what he could see of her face, his lips pursed slightly as he mulled over possible responses, and what would sound appropriate in these circumstances.
It was at that point when he realized an unusual silence had fallen in the room, and his senses expanded until he could feel the movement of his guild within the building, each person standing at once and without hesitation.
He drew back from Shikijo to take a long look around the room, taking in each member of his guild and seeing each one had their back to him, ready to face whatever threat had entered the building.
Hiei slid from his chair as his eyes finally swung to see the door, readying himself to face whoever it was that his men had perceived as a threat.
And he blinked once at Uryo. *
As Uryo lifted his head upon entering the bar, he was greeted with more than one unwelcoming expression.
Feeling the blood start to trickle down from a recent wound across his cheekbone, the dark-haired demon reached over and passively rubbed his fist over the injury to clear away the viscous liquid without looking away from any of those standing in the room.
He did raise a dark eyebrow at them, and at Hiei too, whom he saw stand and give him a similarly guarded gaze.
In what for most would have been seen as a preening sort of gesture, Uryo reached up with his same free hand and tried to tame what was a somewhat disheveled look to his hair, unaware that those standing in the room tensed with his movement.
Spying the one demon seated in a corner relatively near to him that he had in fact entered the building to speak to, Uryo heaved the cumberous bundle in his other hand up and across his body, flinging it over the heads of those still seated.
It landed with an unhealthy, flat sort of sound onto the table at the opposite end of where the demon he aimed for was seated, the opening of what could now be identified as a large burlap sort of material fluttering outwards as the contents of the bundle bounced out and rolled down the wood to the far end, stopping just short of the demon with whom Uryo made eye-contact who was still seated, one hand on his drink.
Four heads. Not-so-neatly severed, but quite dead.
The other demon looked down at them with raised eyebrows and Uryo huffed, pulling his arm back down to his side and inadvertently hiding the huge tear in his sleeve back against his body once more. He stood a little straighter and looked at the rest of the room with a sudden, devilish grin.
"Drinks are on him." He jerked his head in the direction of the seated demon as the room erupted into cheers. 3
Out of all the people it could have been entering the bar, Hiei hadn't expected it to be Uryo. It took him a few moments to process the happenings around the bar - longer than usual, if he were honest - and he found himself looking over the demon that he hadn't seen in what felt like its own eternity.
He took in the other's arm, which he had tucked into his cloak as if it were in a sling, and he took note of the bag that was tossed across the room. He noticed the cut on the other's cheek, and the disheveledness of his hair from the speed he'd been running.
And he also noticed that with each movement, his guildmen tensed to leap.
As the bar erupted into laughter, Hiei made the slightest of sounds at the back of his throat, a call to attention for his group. Several heads twitched in his direction, listening and waiting for guidance. When they received none, Akihiko, Hiei's second in command, finally turned to look at Hiei with a raised brow. Hiei shook his head, and the other spread the message to stand down, albeit reluctantly and with more than a little confusion.
The fire demon moved through the bar and extended a hand to Uryo, a welcoming sort of smirk on his features.
"Uryo." *
There were a few nearby who had stood up to move to and converse with Uryo, the latter of which tried to at least take a few steps away from the door so that they did not block it.
Other conversations started and broke off as Uryo began to move towards an open seat with the intention of ordering something to drink when he noticed Hiei approaching him.
"Ah-ha. Very funny, Hiei." Uryo said as he regarded the extended hand, his own corresponding one tucked into his cloak. His fingers flexed, if only barely.
A subtle scent of blood, almost indistinguishable, rose from inside the makeshift sling as Uryo found himself regarding a pair of eyes that reminded him so very much of his own, from a height that he was not used to having them peer upwards at him from.
The boy had grown. But then again, Uryo had not seen him in a long while.
He forced himself to keep his gaze locked on the shorter fire demon, for he too had noticed the figure at the far end of the room, leaning against the bar, and he knew she was watching them for the moment, with those piercing eyes and that long, turquoise hair belonging to a woman he knew could not be his dear Hina, but whom he found himself desiring to speak with nonetheless, to just be able to touch that hair and embrace that waist... In the moment, where he found himself barely able to even stand, it was almost more than he could bear. 3
Hiei had been looking for a specific response when he outstretched his hand to the other, and receive it he did. It was hard for the fire demon to pick up on the scent, and had he not been looking for it, he wouldn't have noticed the very subtle smell of blood that crept its way from the cloak. He ignored the other's sarcastic response and gave a slight flick of his wrist - a movement so fast that only the trained eye would notice - and he carefully placed a small bag of mixed aides in the other's good hand, for later.
He didn't have to tell the other that Shikiyoku had put it together. It smelled slightly of her still, despite how long Hiei had been carrying it. And inside that bag would be more than enough to coax Uryo's regeneration into gear and relieve him of whatever pain he may feel.
"It's good to see you." Hiei's hand fell to his side again and it found the now-empty pocket of his own cloak. His expression settled into a more serious one, his smirk gone as Akihiko became a silent presence just behind Hiei. "The last I saw you, it wasn't so pleasant. You seem to have a double running around." *
The taller fire demon blinked and lifted his good hand just enough to focus his eyes in on whatever he had been given, suddenly appearing self-conscious and hesitant to accept the little bundle.
He was not one that ever asked for help, or expected it.
He opened his mouth to protest, to insist Hiei might need this later, that it might not even work on him, but Hiei moved on and did not allow him the moment and Uryo simply let his hand lower back down, feeling a wave of a chill that was the absence of his energy in his body pass harshly through him from head to toe.
I think I need a drink. Or five. Hell, let me at that whole wall back there.
Uryo could barely process the words Hiei was speaking to him, though he had made extra effort to keep his eyes somewhat focused on the guild leader before him, instead of letting them wander to the woman still at the bar.
"I'm not sure I understand you." Uryo said slowly. "I did not realize winning that tournament would be such a burden for you or maybe I would not have let you win." That half-smile tugged at his lips as he thought back to the poker game that had lasted a week, in the Niiro Kaga, over a decade ago now. 3
All at once, Hiei became aware of the utter lack of alcohol he could smell on the other. It was the only smell that Hiei could attribute to this demon, as he was too powerful for Hiei to sense in any other way, but the utter lack of the stench on the other fire demon was almost disconcerting to him. He was sober. Completely sober.
The last time Hiei had seen him even remotely close to being sober, the demon hadn't been able to focus on just one thing. He'd been talking too fast for most to understand, and his train of thought had been almost imperceptible, changing from one topic to another seemingly without any cause for such shift.
At the time, Uryo had drank to slow himself down, which Hiei himself didn't quite understand.
A pensive frown pulled at Hiei's lips as he studied the other. He made a decision and turned to Akihiko, who had been listening for an explanation, and a silent exchange happened between the two before the second in command moved away and towards the bar.
Hiei gestured towards the rest of the establishment, more or less to the tables nearby. "I'll be brief, so you can focus on regaining that energy." He let the other decide where to sit, and it was only a few moments before Akihiko rejoined Hiei, holding a tray of tankards, all filled with the strongest drink in the establishment. The Second gave Hiei a look.
"Akihiko, this is Uryo. The last I saw him, I was stuck on the Ninth and living in a bar." Hiei took the drinks from him and held one out to Uryo. "Uryo, my right hand, Akihiko." *
Uryo felt a shudder of a breath rattle his insides as out of his peripheral he could still see the woman seated at the bar.
He thought that perhaps if he could not see her he would be better off and he took several measured steps to one of the long tables where he could sit with his back to her, stepping over the bench and taking a seat, slumping forward to lean his good arm on the wooden surface, bits of his dark hair falling forward from the ponytail in which they were usually pulled back.
He slipped the tiny bundle that smelled of herbs and Shikiyoku into his cloak as it gaped open, too exhausted to even let his eyes roam over the rest of those at the table, much less the rest of the room.
Uryo gave Akihiko a nod and accepted the proffered drink, but did little to it other than pull it towards himself with his free arm. "My apologies if I do not remember you or your name later. I am not accustomed to making acquaintances while sober."
He looked to Hiei. "You were stuck?" He grunted. "I don't think I knew that. I don't remember it coming up." Another one of those half-grins, "Maybe I just thought she kicked you out." 3
Hiei gave the slightest of shrugs as he sat across from Uryo. He shifted until he was comfortably seated and he made a point to shift the entire tray of drinks towards the other fire demon. Akihiko made himself comfortable next to Hiei, and despite the original look he gave, he smiled at Uryo. "Can't say I've had that happen myself."
"By the time you found me, I'd come to terms with it, really." Hiei explained to Uryo. "That was after my initial rampage and just as I was settling into the Niiro." His grin widened slightly. "As for being kicked out, she'd have a hard time keeping me out. She's stuck with me."
Hiei looked up briefly to survey the room, pausing momentarily on Shikijo with a quick realization that he'd forgotten she was there, but turned back to Uryo with a more inquisitive expression. He wasn't sure where to start, because he wasn't quite sure he himself know what had happened. After a brief hesitation, he settled on a simple question:
"Have you heard word of a demon with the power to copy you and your power running around the levels?" The only demon he knew of that could do such a thing he hadn't seen since the explosion on the Eighth. *
Uryo had been planning on waiting until he felt his strength returning before actually consuming any of the beverage in his hand.
It had been a long time since he had felt such weakness, but these particular Infected had been strong. Had reminded him a lot of Shikiyoku when he had come across her all that time ago, when she tried to feed upon him. They had been smart. Fast. And had eaten through much of his energy, which he had coaxed them into battle with so that he could get close to them.
He sat up a little bit and pulled his hair over his shoulder, briefly releasing it from its place at the base of his neck so that he could smooth it and gather it together before tying it off again.
He gave Hiei a quizzical look.
"Me and my power?" He finished and left his hair over his shoulder for the moment. "Mm."
He stared thoughtfully down into his drink.
"There have been a handful that have tried." He finally said. "But they found my strength too much for them. Their-" His eyes shifted to the side as he appeared to look for a way to say what he meant. He shrugged and provided, "Energy pool is never large enough. Either they have to revert or they are consumed by it."
He raised his gaze to look Hiei in the eyes, "To my recollection, the last instance I heard of a demon who might have the capacity for such a form as mine...was the one that fooled Shikiyoku into thinking he was you."
It had been a long time ago. When the pair of them had been ushered into Mukuro's Fortress. But some time later, Shikiyoku had warned Uryo of such a being: one that had tricked her while she was blind, and again when she was distressed.
Uryo blinked and pulled himself away from such thoughts, suddenly taken aback by the severity of the expression on Hiei's face.
He released a breath and downed the entirety of the vessel in front of him, in the next moment sliding one to Akihiko and another to Hiei himself before getting a third in front of him.
He pointed at Hiei.
"Look here, kid...you can't go around your entire life worrying about things that might happen...you'll go crazy, and end up like me." His grin this time was at least a bit more sloppy. "And nobody wants that. Take a drink. Maybe you'll think clearer." 3
Hiei nodded at the initial response he was given; he'd thought as much in terms of attempting to mimic Uryo's power without having the capacity to hold such strength, and he'd ruled out the only being he knew of because of that thought. He leaned against the table with his arms crossed in front of him, and he'd been about to thank Uryo when the other continued on.
It didn't take much for the memory to drag itself from the back of his mind. After all, Hiei had never had any other attempt to mimic him before. He remembered her being blind and having thought he'd come back from training sooner than he had. He remembered, vaguely, that the being had impersonated Taka, who had died before then.
It had been before he'd even became her consort that Taka had died.
A crushing weight fell over Hiei as a sort of panic set it. First, the being had approached Shikiyoku within Mukuro's Fortress. Twice. And then it found its way to him, looking like Uryo. That was three times it had mimicked someone Shikiyoku knew, only this time Hiei had accidentally come across it.
What if he wasn't there next time the being came through? He couldn't even touch it the last time he saw it.
Hiei sunk into the bond, toning out the room for a moment to assess the state of the only connection he had with Shikiyoku at such a distance. He found it calm and quiet. Safe.
He shifted slightly in his seat, but paused as a drink bumped against his folded arms. He looked at it first, then up at Uryo, momentarily confused at the finger pointed in his direction.
As the other spoke, Hiei felt the edges of his mouth turn downwards, breaking his stony expression if only a little.
"...I- ...You-" Hiei shook his head, thoughts jumbled. "Drinking to think clearer is what you do."
He took firm hold of the drink that had been slid his way, and he downed every last drop of it. *
"You...are not wrong." Uryo allowed. "However! There are others who do the same. ...just perhaps not quite to the same degree."
By the time Hiei had finished his, two others of the tankards were empty and Uryo belched, the room almost immediately swimming around him since he had little energy left to support such quantity of alcohol.
"Feel better?" 3
Akihiko, who had been sitting silently to the side and listening to the parts of the story that the Guild would need to know, finished his own drink and reached for one of the remaining ones between the trio, his eyes shifting down to and focusing on the liquid contents.
It wasn't until Hiei finished his drink that the second in command seemed to decide to fill in the others, and he stood, said a brief farewell and an 'excuse me', and made himself scarce.
Hiei took momentary notice of where everyone in the bar was, but turned back to Uryo before Akihiko even made it to another table.
"A few more of these and I may find myself in another poker tournament," he joked, momentarily thinking about the years he'd spent passing the time in the Niiro Kaga on the Ninth. He glanced up again briefly, watching Shiki at the bar for a long moment before he turned to Uryo again.
He checked the bond again, as if his actual response depended upon his connection to Shikiyoku. Still finding it calm, he nodded at Uryo.
"When did you leave the Ninth?" he asked suddenly, wondering if he'd just crossed onto the Seventh. Considering the other fire demon had tossed a bag full of Infected heads to someone else, he didn't quite think that to be the case. *
"That can be arranged." Uryo noted as he took another drink.
"I don't know." Was his immediate answer. He shrugged his good shoulder. "I've always tended to stay on the lower levels as a general rule. Though, I think I was as far up as the Fifth the last time I heard word from Shikiyoku, which was only a few months ago as far as I can make out. ...how is the lady?"
He had not actually seen either Hiei or Shikiyoku in some time.3
When Hiei considered going up to one of the rooms to get some sleep, he didn't find himself able to see himself actually sleeping, what with the information he'd gained from Uryo. Or, rather, the dots that had been connected. It made the idea of a night-long poker tournament an appealing one.
"When I win this time, it won't be because you let me." Hiei took another drink before he set his tankard onto the table. He gave a nod at Uryo; he couldn't remember if Shikiyoku had told him of their passing words or not, and if she had, he wouldn't be able to remember exactly when that had been.
"Well, the bar's been established and its doors opened. She's been enjoying running the place and having so many people to look after." He paused as if to think of what more to say. "She's cleaned up a mess or two of mine, but otherwise has been quite content with where she is." He thought about walking into the bar and his greeting and their quiet moments between guild trips here and there. "I'd say she needed to be out of the bar here and there if she didn't enjoy it so much."
He took another drink. *
Uryo gave another noise of appreciation for the information, accompanied by a nod of satisfaction.
He had not missed the look that had passed over Hiei's face, the true smile as he talked of her.
"Sounds like she's quite happy, then..." He took another drink, downing half of the tankard in a single gulp.
A bit of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he glanced over his shoulder briefly.
He very quickly laid eyes on the only woman in the room worth looking at, who was reclined in another's lap and leaning into the wall behind her.
Her eyes were half-lidded as she watched the demon she sat with lift her palm to his lips to plant a kiss there, watching her face as he continued to gently press kisses onto her fingers until she appeared unable to stand it any longer and she leaned forward, tipping his face upwards with her free hand and seeking out his lips with her own.
All of this Uryo saw in the instant he glanced before returning his eyes to his drink and subsequently taking another gulp of it.
"...I am glad to hear it." 3
Hiei didn't miss the beat where Uryo glanced behind himself, and he didn't mind letting himself glance in that direction for the same duration of time either. However, another check with the bond reminded him that the woman was indeed not who she looked to be, as it had been all night, and he turned away just as Uryo did.
He considered the fact that he didn't see Shikiyoku as often as he wished he could, but he kept the commentary to himself as he took another long drink, emptying this tankard and trying his best to ignore the stress too.
He'd get home to Shikiyoku soon, and in the meantime he would keep his attention on their bond. And the drink he received as one of his guildies passed by.
It was at this point that he realized the amount of drinks he'd had this night were beginning to catch up to him.
"If we're going to play cards, let's get to it before I have too many to think at all." He smirked at the other. "And while we're at it, remind me how parties on the Ninth go." *
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!