A/N: Hello once again, Audience.
Apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I'm in the middle of tech week for an opera that opens in a few days.
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]™
Shikiyoku never really strayed very far from Hiei for the rest of that day and into the next night, only moving to tend to Kurama as needed.
As for Kurama, he mostly slept, though Shikiyoku took a great deal of comfort in the fact that on the rare occasion where he did wake up, he seemed coherent, and she hoped that perhaps it meant the worst had passed, that he would not for some reason actually shift.
And by the next morning, her hopes were answered in a positive manner. While neither she nor Hiei stirred for several hours, when Shikiyoku woke herself up during the dawn of the new day, she found Kurama sitting up and already awake.
With his fever broke, and his power over his own energy restored, he felt confident in his ability to look after himself, and through promises of calling on her should he feel the slightest twinge in the wrong direction, insisted Shikiyoku and Hiei need not stay any longer, waving them out the door and on their way home, which Shikiyoku did after going ahead and changing back into what clothes she had.
Having been looking forward to getting to spend some actual time together with Hiei, Shikiyoku found herself disappointed when on their return to the bar, Hiei was immediately dragged off by his guild on urgent business.
She kept such thoughts to herself and only smiled and nodded him off before slipping away upstairs to change her outfit and ready herself for a day of working behind the counter.
~!**!~
Over the span of the next two days and three nights, Akari was tied up with the workshops that took place in various places in town. The first, being the pastry workshop, had taken place in a school for the culinary arts. The kitchen she had found herself in had been mainly stainless steel from top to bottom, from the stove to the utensils in the drawers, to the countertops to the pans that hung over their heads. And the parts that hadn't been stainless steel, such as the doors on the underside of the cabinets and the walls, had been painted a deep red that reminded her of only the prettiest of roses. A specific one, actually, not that she'd ever admit that to herself.
The people in the first workshop had been from all walks of life. One was a kid on a scholarship to the school hosting the little activities, who looked about Mimi's age, while another was a middle-aged woman who simply seemed to be wanting to improve her home cooking skills, and had stepped into the wrong place. There were a few that attached themselves to Akari, all of which had been decent people for the hours that she knew them, and some had even exchanged phone numbers with her.
The coffee workshop had taken place in a similar fashion, inside a school for chefs and in a room that had been painted to stimulate the brain processes, but those people had been a little louder than the first group she'd met. They laughed more, talked more. And when someone 'goofed', it became a good-natured joke that everyone giggled at, and then a lesson from the instructor.
Those people hadn't let Akari even consider staying to herself, despite the obvious lack of sleep in her eyes. Instead, they had simply passed her another cup of coffee with a nudge of an elbow and a wisecrack about 'extracurricular activities' and other jokes along the lines of "Not a morning person, huh?"
They'd even had music playing in the background of the machines that were constantly running, of the instructor that never seemed to take a breath, of the jokes that never seemed to have an end.
In truth, she'd enjoyed it despite the rowdiness and the never-ending jabs. It made the group of strangers seem more like a group of old friends, as if she'd known these people for a very long time.
During the nights between the classes and the one prior, Akari hadn't been able to sleep very soundly. Instead, she'd gotten nothing more than a nap in before she would wake up and stare at the ceiling, unable to fall back into that particular kind of darkness. So, she'd gone on hunts to the Fourth, setting an alarm on her watch so that she wouldn't be late to any of the events.
Finally, on the third day, which had been given to her as an off day before she took ownership of the shop, she had been able to get a little bit more sleep in. About five hour's worth, actually. And the first thing she'd done was get up, get dressed in a pair of capris meant for running, a short-sleeved v-neck shirt, and tennis shoes, and was out the door with her two companions on either side of her.
The sun was only just peaking over the horizon when she began her run, the ponytail she'd tied her hair up in slapping at her spine at the place between her shoulders every now and then. She had an ipod strapped to her left arm, and an earbud in one ear so that she might hear Nabu should he decide to speak up.
The trio had just met the path that followed the river when Nabu had barked out a request to pause here, to play in the water before continuing on their run. One step after another, she slowed until she was walking, her eyes following the two dogs that rocketed forward and to the river with a calmness only afforded to her by the nap she'd snuck in.
She sat down on the little bench a ways away from where her friends played, her eyes finding the sun that was still slowly moving its way up the skyline. The cool breeze that blew by brushed her cheeks and helped what little warmth that had bloomed there to fade away from her skin.
She had closed her eyes only a moment. It hadn't been for more than the span of half a song, really. But in those few moments, she seemed to have retreated inward without directly noticing, her senses to the world around her dulled.
So, she didn't really expect the voice that floated lazily on the air next to her.
"Mind if I have a seat?"
She gave a small start, blinking her eyes open and turning to look at the man dressed in athletic shorts, a tee, and tennis shoes, obviously on his own jogging path. She eyed the ponytail that was tied to the back of his neck and pulled over one shoulder, the brown ends just brushing his collarbone. His lips stretched into a somewhat crooked smile, his brown eyes sparkling at her.
"I didn't mean to startle you."
Akari finally shifted, placing the foot she had crossed over her knee back onto the grass and pulling her arms from the back of the bench, scooting to one side of the seat. When he sat, she only continued to watch the other Alpha, blinking only once or twice at him as he got comfortable beside her.
"I didn't realize you run this path. It's quite the sight in the mornings, hm?"
Akari turned her head forward again, eyes finding the sunrise again. "I usually run this way in the evenings," she admitted after a moment. "The sunset is quite the sight too."
"I'm sure it's marvelous." A beat of silence passed between them, neither demon looking at the other. Yuuichi broke the silence with a small sigh of content. "I take it you're off today?"
"Mm."
"You look out of your element," he teased. "You're supposed to be wearing an apron."
"It's nice to have a break once in awhile." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I didn't think PIs took days off."
"It's nice to have a break once in awhile." The smile he gave was enough to have her giving a small scoff, but he continued before she could speak up, "Plus, there's always someone else to take a job if I decide it isn't worth my time."
She tilted her head a little. "You mean you have a partner? Seem more like a lone wolf to me."
"It's a loose contract of sorts. Lend each other a hand if needed, otherwise stay out of the other's way." He turned to look at her finally, shifting his weight until he faced her, his back against the arm of the bench. "I haven't thanked you for your help yet."
Akari waved a hand. "Like I said before, don't-"
"Now now, don't be a poor sport." She raised a brow at him, hand paused in the air between them. "It's sort of a tradition of mine; I don't like owing people."
Akari gave a small breath of a laugh, her chin dropping a little. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say, detective."
"How about brunch?"
"Today?"
"Well, it can be tomorrow," he replied, his tone wavering a little with his amusement. "Whichever is best for you."
"Well, we're already here," she said with a shrug. "And neither of us are busy."
"You mean breakfast?"
Akari shrugged again.
He only smiled at her some more for a moment before he pushed himself to stand, turning and waiting for her to do the same. "There's this place I know. It's a great place to get some coffee." *
~!**!~
"I've heard it's the most wretched evil place."
Several dark-headed school girls in matching outfits and clutching bags were clumped together across the street, staring in the direction of the building on the other side where they had been watching more than one shady character enter the doors, hearing upon its opening the low bass of a club and smelling the alcohol even from where they stood.
"Dad's forbid me from even standing on the same street." One of the girls giggled nervously.
"Well, 'dad' doesn't know you're here, now does he?" The bravest of them wasn't hunched over, her bright green eyes taking in every little detail of the outside of it. "Man, what I wouldn't give to play a gig like that." She breathed.
The rest looked at her like she was insane.
"Like your brother would let you anywhere near the door."
"Shut up, Makoto!" Came the retaliation. "Like you would know." She stuck her nose in the air. "Big brother lets me do lots of things."
Makoto scoffed, "I was talking about your twin."
"Speaking of which, where is he, by the way?" One of the other girls actually stood up straighter and craned her neck about as if to spot him.
Resisting rolling her eyes at the other girl, Misaki continued to glare at Makoto, who was doing the same back.
"I think it might be best if we kept moving." A quieter voice spoke up from somewhere lower, the shortest of the bunch self-consciously shifting her glasses farther up her face. "People are beginning to stare."
"Let 'im stare." Misaki said a little louder than necessary. "I ain't goin' anywhere until I see the inside of that place."
Makoto paled a little, "Really, Misaki. I didn't mean it earlier. You don't have to go inside."
"No, you dared me to do it, and I'm gonna do it." She took in a breath and passed her bag to the shorter girl that had spoken. "Hold onto this for me, will yah Kasimi?"
"Look, all I said was I bet you couldn't get a gig in there-"
"And I took you on that bet and I intend to make it happen!" Misaki clenched her fists. "Right now!"
"Misaki," Makoto took her arm, "It's a bar. You're not even technically allowed in there."
"And when did that ever stop us before?" Misaki replied archly, pulling her arm away. "It isn't like we couldn't go grab a beer out of that vending machine over there anyway." She tipped her head towards a row of machines the next street over. "So what's anyone in there likely to care if I go inside?"
"Because they're demons, Misaki." The girl that had been looking around for the brother leaned in closer to her and the whisper seethed past her barely open teeth. "They'll just drink you instead of the alcohol!"
"That's all stupid. There's tons of demons walking around openly nowadays. If they really were eating people, they wouldn't be allowed to do that." Misaki finally freed herself from Makoto's grasp and marched defiantly across the street, leaving the other girls gaping in her wake.
Luckily, Misaki's courage lasted for longer than just managing to get inside the door, very quickly realizing she stood out and half-considering turning right around just so she could go home and change into something a little less noticeable.
Too late now.
After that beat of pause just passed the threshold, Misaki kept moving forward, eyes keenly scanning the room, which barely seemed to take note of her entrance.
While many of the occupants were openly demonic, she thought perhaps there were even a human or two among their number, and assumed her presence was not completely out of the ordinary.
Skirting the tables and chairs, she made her way towards the bar, weaving through bodies in a direction that at first she did not intentionally head, somehow feeling her own steps leading her the way she needed to go.
When she broke free of the other bodies, she found herself standing in front of any empty chair across from what she could not describe otherwise than the most attractive being she'd ever laid eyes on.
Only looking at him for a moment before turning her attention to climbing into the chair, she felt her heart give this odd little palpitation, drawn to the figure with crimson eyes and tattoos across his cheek in a way she never experienced in her short life.
"Demon's Fire." She said when she could get his attention, speaking over the noise that she found strangely muted for how many demons, and how much music, was live in the room. 3
Hiei had his hands on a glass and was mixing when the door to the bar opened, his mind turned inward as if he might find that he could chat with Shikiyoku while she was gone on whatever endeavors needed her presence so badly to leave him in charge. Truth be told, he was rather bored without her around. Sure, he was busy, but it wasn't a fun kind of busy at the mid-afternoon hour of the day.
So when a familiar scent washed over him, the fire demon reached out with the bond in greeting, not really waiting for a response as he slid a glass down the bar and turned to Shikiyoku as she slid into a stool at the bar.
Very quickly, however, he was made aware that the woman sitting in front of him was not, in fact, Shiki. When the bond did not seem warmer with her presence, despite the long black haired woman with green eyes sitting before him, he turned and moved on to his next order, not thinking twice about the doppelganger sitting in front of him.
Even as her gaze found him for a second, earning his attention, he only turned to her long enough to hear her order, and promptly read her. Or, at least he tried to read her.
Instead, all he got from the Jagan was a foreign jumble of something he didn't understand, something that while it gave him the slightest aches at the temple, was somehow still rather pure in its own form.
It took the fire demon all of two seconds to retreat from said being's mind and turn to her order, deciding he wouldn't bother with this newcomer and his attempts to read her, despite whatever entertainment it might bring him. *
Having forgotten every last little reason as to why she came into the bar in the first place, Misaki stayed long enough to finish the shot, which she had enough sense to nurse instead of throwing back, paid, nodded her thanks, and left.
All of the other girls had gone save the shortest, who still held Misaki's bag faithfully.
A little blurry-eyed, Misaki made it up to her without incident.
"Thanks, Kasimi."
The girl nodded, pushing up her glasses.
"So, did you get us a gig?" She asked after a moment wherein Misaki endeavoured to hang her bag successfully over her own shoulder.
"A what? Uh, no. I...forgot. I don't think the owner was there today anyway." Misaki waved absently, but shifted to look back at the building over her shoulder, feeling strangely drawn to the individual she now knew to be inside. "I think I'll come back tomorrow."
Kasimi's eyes widened, "R-Really?"
She stood quietly for a moment.
"Yeah...really."
~!**!~
To say she didn't rush back to the bar the next day as soon as it was possible would have been a lie, and if Shikiyoku could have gotten the taxi to drive any faster, she would have.
Paying him, turning away, she sashayed her way towards the doors, grateful to be returning to her premiere domain.
Opening them with one hand, she shucked her elegant jacket from her shoulders as she moved inside, throwing it over one arm as she immediately removed a ring from her finger and started pulling pins from her hair as if purging herself of her other occupation, heels clicking smartly as she moved across the floor. 3
After a couple of hours in the bar early in the morning, Hiei had snuck away to his jewelry room upstairs, and his hands had been working non-stop for hours. He carved jewels, washed and polished them, set them into necklaces and bracelets, and then moved on to the next set once he had one done.
Time meant nothing to him, really. For all he knew, he could've been in that room for weeks and not known it.
And the only reason he stopped was to reach for a certain tool, his hand touching the surface of the desk and finding that it wasn't there. For the first time in hours, he glanced up from his work and around the desk, seeing said tool nowhere.
He wheeled further from the desk, and instead of spying the tool, he instead saw the sparkling jewelry that was laid out in different places on the desk, somewhat organized, somewhat in a disarray.
Determined to find that tool, he stood and began reorganizing, lining the already finished sets on one side of the desk and putting his tools in place around his main workstation underneath the lamp.
Having found what he needed underneath another set, he took a step back to survey the area, his eyes scanning the now-clean desk before coming to rest on the desk covered in jewelry sets.
He began counting, suddenly realizing that he had absolutely nowhere to put them.
On the Ninth, he'd been able to take them to a store and sell them at whatever price he saw fit.
Here, on the First Level, he had no such contract with any jewelers in the area, and thus had no place to put finished pieces.
Which left him momentarily calculating one thing after another, realizing too that with so many sets in the way, he wouldn't have room to put anymore finished sets anywhere.
And he hated not being busy. *
Sensing Hiei to be somewhere above her in their apartment, Shikiyoku only nodded to the workers and patrons of the bar as she moved through the other door across from her, successfully retrieving every last pin from its place and vowing to not have any reason to put her hair back up for the next several days.
Getting up the stairs and down the hallway to her room, Shikiyoku smiled as she felt Hiei to be beyond the door all the way at the end, anxious to see him and yet knowing he could remain busy long enough for her to change, having taken off her heels just as she finished mounting the stairs before getting very far down the hall.
Turning into her own bedroom and beginning to put her things away, stripping off the skirt and blouse and putting hair pins and glasses into the bedside drawer, Shikiyoku paused in place as a faint blip of panic trickled across the bond, chuckling to herself as she could only imagine what on earth had Hiei so concerned from where he likely sat behind his jeweler's desk.
Gently setting Kurama's ring back on the ring finger of the glass hand she had made to hold it, and putting its glass cover back over it, Shikiyoku calmly removed the similar cover nearby and retrieved the necklace with blue gems from where they lay safely inside the protective cover that she put back down in its rightful place, slipping the gems over her head to let them settle against her sternum.
When the cutting panic spiked further, Shikiyoku smiled and shook her head, opening a drawer and satisfying herself with a larger shirt-finding she had not the patience or desire to put anything pretty on for a while-that hung down to her thighs and leaving the room, pulling her hair out from under the neck of the shirt as she started to open the door at the end of the hall.
Stepping silently inside, she fluffed her hair as she entered and looked towards Hiei at his work. 3
Hiei frowned at the many necklaces and bracelets laid out on the table, his chin in his hand and his eyes unblinking as thought after thought ran through his mind. He considered making a run to the city and finding a temporary contractor. He considered finding one on another level, but that would mean he'd have to find some other form of entertainment for the day until he went out with the guild again.
He considered running to go buy cases, but in truth he didn't feel up to rearranging the room to accompany such things; with this room, Hiei knew no such thing as small. His desk was the largest he could find, and he would want nothing less than that for anything that would hold his jewelry- temporary or otherwise.
He considered continuing with the one set he had been in the process of making, but found himself too troubled with the number of completed sets to be able to focus on such a thing now.
It was in the midst of these thoughts that the door to the room opened, and he seemed to snap away from what he'd been doing to turn and greet Shikiyoku with a moment of relief and a small stare in her direction. He hadn't even known she'd been nearby, much less in the building.
He made a face.
"I made too many." *
Shikiyoku kept moving across the room towards Hiei even when he looked up and finally acknowledged her presence.
"Aw."
At his statement, she suppressed a smile as she circled around behind him and stretched over to wrap her arms around his neck and lean into his back, her head hanging over his shoulder. She greeted him by pressing her lips firmly against his cheek before turning to survey his 'problem.'
"But they're all so lovely!" 3
Hiei turned back to the jewels in front of him as Shikiyoku approached, turning his cheek momentarily into her greeting before he turned back down to his problem area again with his nose scrunched a little and his lips pursed.
Some of them he was quite proud of, and quite frankly, didn't want to sell simply because he didn't want to go through the time to remake them for himself.
At her observation, Hiei gave a small nod. "And they need somewhere to go so I can make more." His frown deepened. "Do you see any you like in particular?" A few of the sets were simpler, meant for wearing on the job or at small gatherings, whereas some of them were more bejeweled and meant for parties and large events.
He made a sound at the back of his throat.
"You don't happen to know of any decent contractors on this Level, do you?" *
"You've plenty of room in here." Shikiyoku glanced up for a moment before teasing, "You haven't even used up any of your floor space."
Her eyes lowered back to his desk.
"It's hardly fair. I like them all. And I do, but..." Her eyes continued scanning the jewels before her, "But I have made no ventures thus far into anything jewelry related." She rested her cheek against his as she kept bouncing between the different sets. "I have rather unintentionally avoided those categories I dabbled with in the past, now that I consider it. But they're all wonderful. You'll have no trouble selling them here, I'm sure. I doubt there is such quality to be had among mere humans." 3
Hiei let out a breath, Shikiyoku's presence becoming the very calming factor to him in the moments where he thought he might forget the set he'd paused in making. He considered each item before spying the one he'd made earlier in the day and taken a particular liking to. He reached forward and in one smooth motion plucked it from the lot and held it up to the lamp, surveying the little red gem in the center of intricate swirls of diamond and silver that had been inspired by the very swirls on his skin.
After a moment, he turned to face Shikiyoku, presenting the necklace to her to survey.
"Until I find a contractor, would you be willing to wear sets here to sell?" he suddenly asked, the lightbulb over his head blinking to life. *
As Hiei reached for one of his pieces, Shikiyoku unwrapped herself from him and stood over his shoulder, content to survey his work with a light smile on her face.
She blinked in initial confusion when he held one out to her, and then blushed self-consciously.
"It is- I-" She chuckled and shook her head. "If that is what you desire, of course, but I think you do not need me to wear them. We could put pieces out in cases temporarily for you. I fear I would only be in the way." 3
Confused, Hiei's head tilted to one side as he stared at Shikiyoku. "Simple busts would not do it justice." He straightened up and unclasped the necklace with care, holding it to her as if to place it around her neck. "You're the one everyone looks for when they enter the establishment anyways. You are the owner." *
"But- I- already wear your jewelry, Hiei." She found herself more and more often of late having to check herself, nearly adding 'love' instead of his name in this case.
Shikiyoku reached down into the neck of her oversized t-shirt and retrieved the necklace he had gifted her long ago where it had been hidden away from when she pulled on the clothing.
"And I certainly would not do your work justice besides." Her eyes went from the necklace he had extended to the rest spread out on the workbench. "They would be better suited in a place of neutrality where one can observe them without consequence." 3
For a moment, Hiei's frown turned into a slight pout at Shikiyoku's initial response, somehow having forgotten that she did indeed wear the jewels he'd given her. When she pulled them from under her shirt, the ring he'd made her clinking against the other jewel, he frowned even more, thinking.
He shifted his hold on the new necklace to hold a hand out for the one she wore, seeing at least one solution to the problem. "May I?" He gestured to the ring-gem combo with a nod of his head. *
Letting out a little laugh, Shikiyoku shook her head, but replied, "If that is what you wish, then you may do whatever you like." 3
Hiei pulled the necklace up and over her head, setting down the more ornate set for a moment so he could untie the ribbon from the jewels. He slid the ring into his hand before tying the tear gem back onto the ribbon and placing it over Shikiyoku's head again, then reaching out and taking her hand.
He considered her hand for a moment, then the ring in his free hand, and after a moment slid the ring onto her right hand, on the third finger, before releasing her hand and turning to again grab the other necklace and secure that one about her neck.
Once that was done, he took two steps back, putting him against his desk, to eye the ribbon that sat underneath the silver and diamond and ruby that decorated Shikiyoku's sternum.
Finding that the ribbon didn't seem to be a distraction, Hiei nodded once.
"Perfect." *
Standing patiently before him, Shikiyoku simply let Hiei do as he pleased, knowing that her protest in regards to the other, the first necklace he gave her with the tear gems on it, was likely to be easily diverted, as when underneath her clothing, it could hardly be seen, though in silent protest she wasn't going to point that out.
At first she didn't pay attention in the least bit, taking little notice when he grabbed her hand or replaced first one necklace and then the new one, but when he finally stepped back, instead of looking at him, she was eyeing her fingers, and lifted up the hand he had initially taken to frown at it, and consequently at the ring he placed there.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, staring at it and blinking.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had been aware he added something to the necklace when he retrieved the one Yukina gave him from around her neck when she found him all that time ago on the Ninth. But quite frankly, she hadn't ever taken a second glance at it in all that time.
But now, with the ring staring back at her, it was a little hard to ignore the implications of what she wore, the gem almost identical to the one now hanging once more around her neck.
"Hiei-" She couldn't get anything other than his name to pass over her lips, turning her gaze up to stare at him through a confliction of emotions she found she could not sort through. 3
Hiei stood and stared at the necklace he'd placed around Shikiyoku's neck, inspecting every millimeter of the artwork in search of flaws, and finding the only flaw to be that he had yet to polish the larger jewel- something he'd decided to wait on until he had better polish.
In truth, he'd focused so hard on the swirls around the gem that when Shiki said his name, he blinked as if he'd forgotten she was there, his eyes finding her face before following her gaze down for a moment, and then back up to meet her stare.
He raised a brow, as if waiting on her to continue.
"I thought you knew you were the inspiration for everything?" *
Images of all she had gone through passed over her mind, from her waking on the First Level without him to his falling asleep in her arms the very day she found him. And alongside it, the memories of his own separation that had been shared between them all that time ago, memories that somewhere in the midst of she now realized he had wept.
The proof was there sitting on her finger.
And the truth of it all blindsided her into standing there staring up at him, knowing that as much hardship she had experienced searching for him, he had shared in equal measure by being forced to wait. She had felt as much back then, but seeing a manifestation of that time left her completely caught off guard at the reminder.
It did not seem so strange to her to find that she had started to blink back tears somewhere in the midst of it all, and in the sudden upheaval of emotions, Shikiyoku had abruptly stretched upwards to meet him, her arms finding their way around his neck for a second time and without hesitation or consideration, her lips finding his and kissing him in the only expression of her turmoil that she could rightly think of, eyes shut and letting her own tear fall down her cheek, knowing that not even the bond could decipher any words that she might think of to say. 3
At first, Hiei didn't understand the expression on her face or the odd vibrations of the bond, which pulsated in a slow rhythm that he'd never felt before. He stared back at the woman who he noticed began to form tears in those green eyes, and his own widened.
He hadn't expected her to cry, or to suddenly close the distance. A little unnerved, he'd taken a step back out of instinct and found himself leaning, almost sitting on the very desk he'd been working at all day long, his arms around Shikiyoku's middle out of mere habit.
He hadn't expected the kiss either, but welcomed it wholeheartedly. And all he could do was stand there and return the kiss given to him. *
When Shikiyoku pulled away, she immediately looked down, one hand moving away from him so she could reach up and wipe the back of it over her cheek.
She almost apologized, for assaulting him, for crying, for something, but still couldn't manage to form many actual thoughts.
After a second or two of trying to clear her face, she managed to pull together a few quiet words.
"I...didn't know...it was yours." 3
When Shikiyoku's hand was out of the way, Hiei reached up and wiped the last of her tears away from her eye with his thumb, his head tilted to one side and his lips threatening a twitch at the other. He didn't dare speak, instead waited until she found her words before he too spoke up.
Though, he was a little amused at her surprise on the matter.
"It's the first piece made." He thought of the set he'd eventually made to accompany it, sitting in a shop on the Ninth with an overrated price tag and no ring to accompany, and his amusement grew a little more.
He didn't know why he decided to make the jewel into a ring that day, but he was glad he did, and that he'd discovered jewelcrafting on his own. *
Sniffing once, Shikiyoku's other hand slid down from his neck until it came to rest over his core and the markings there that curled around the left side of his chest.
She stared at the ring, not even attempting to wrap her mind around the thought of such a gem actually existing.
Studying it so did lead her into also recalling the same set he now thought of, his statement somehow lending itself to the nature of not only it being the very first piece he made ever, but also the piece that eventually led to the others in the work, all based around this single piece that tied them all together. The one piece that was missing.
This single piece he had given to her.
...no wonder the bracelet had looked as if it belonged with her.
In a way, it really did.
She let out a little huff of a laugh.
"Shouldn't you be wearing it? Where's your jewelry?" 3
Hiei let his hand fall to his side, his palm brushing the fabric of the pyjama pants he wore briefly as he continued to simply stare at the woman in front of him, watching as she stared at the ring she hadn't actually looked at since he'd given it to her. He'd known she hadn't really seen it since then, and had known it was only a matter of time before she did, but he didn't mind waiting for this particular moment at all.
At her sudden question though, he was pulled away from his moment of admiring her to actually focus on what he'd been asked, his brows raising momentarily before he reached up and pointed at the gem resting against his bare chest- Yukina's tear gem.
"Anything else would come apart when I'm running the levels." The ribbon just so happened to be able to withstand his speed when he did run, whereas the metals he used weren't fully suited for his full speed now. He'd become fast enough that thin strands of metal would come apart were it not of the right material.
And his jewelry right now was definitely not of that same metal.
"Plus, my work looks better on others." *
She shook her head at him, fully aware that he meant her and not generally others.
"I...don't know what to say, Gouka." Thank you seemed too empty a sentiment. She did not feel as if she truly deserved such a gift as this. She could only shake her head again, speechless for the moment.
Just because it had been made for her did not make her feel any more worthy of it. And she knew there was not a single thing in her possession that she could give to him in return that would even come close to it.
He had freely given to her something that most other demons might covet, and would covet, truth be told. But all the emotions that swirled around the knowledge that this tear was his, had fallen from his eyes, and then been given to her, were too raw for her to do little else than stare at the ring on her hand now resting against his chest.
The implications of being keeper of his birth-tear was one thing, something she had finally accepted and cherished as a meaningful symbol of that bond which would connect them for the rest of their lives.
But this tear? His tear? One he shed in her absence?
She could find nothing, no words or emotions or feelings, that could even come close. And out of that wellspring of turmoil she had kissed him as the only reaction that made sense. And not thought twice about it. 3
Hiei continued to watch Shikiyoku as the gears continued to turn in her head and behind her eyes, as if searching, thinking, calculating something to do or say in response to the thing she reacted so strongly to. His expression softened ever so slightly, his eyes still meeting her gaze and noticing perhaps for the first time that despite her strong reaction to the moment, it was not with her energy on the air.
His lips twitched upwards.
"If you're still interested, the jewelry still needs a model." His eyes turned down to the necklace that he'd adorned her with briefly before turning up to her gaze again. "As the inspiration for everything made, it's only fitting that you be the model, the one selling it." His eyelids slid closed and a small smile touched his lips. "If you're willing, that is." *
Shikiyoku blinked when he finally broke the silence, and took in a breath that seemed to clear the rest of her thoughts as she let his words permeate the space between them.
She gave a smile that might have been more mischievous had it spread further than just twitching her expression.
Her eyes still regarded the ring, however.
"That's hardly fair, don't you think? A little like cheating, making things for me and then having me sell them. I know you; every single one of them is going to look good on me because you made them for me. They'll never look as good on anyone else." She finally tipped her face up to look at him, the same ghost of a grin dancing across her eyes. "But they will sell. And quickly." She playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Sneak." 3
Hiei's brows rose a little as if he didn't have a clue what she was talking about, his earlier expression dissolving entirely into one of interest. When his eyes opened, it was to reveal the slightest of gleams that mirrored the mischief that flashed across Shikiyoku's face as well.
Finally, his lips gave way to the knowing smirk.
"It's business."
And more than just a little pleasure. *
"It's shady." Shikiyoku replied in kind, giving a little sniff before going on. "But I can't say I don't like it."
Her eyes darted off to the side for a second as she ran a quick succession of thoughts through her mind as to the execution of said 'business strategy.'
Shady as hell.
But if people want to buy it, who are we to stop them?
"Well." She hadn't really ever stopped leaning into him and she drummed her fingers once over his core. "I suppose there's only one other thing to really settle." She met his gaze again. "What's in it for me?" 3
Whereas at first Hiei dipped his chin down in agreement with her first words, his nose went a little higher at the second, more so in amusement than true arrogance. He was quick to return his gaze to her though, feeling the tapping of her fingers against his chest and a curiosity suddenly forming at her tone of voice.
And at her question, he let his head tilt to one side in consideration, realizing that with any other business transaction he would have offered a share of the profit, with her he didn't know what to offer. He didn't know what she'd want, since he'd never actually seen her do actual business with his own eyes. Not this way, anyway.
He met her gaze again, gears still turning. Should he take it as the business angle, as they had been discussing, or the angle where he wanted her to have whatever she wanted from it?
"Well," he began, tone thoughtful, "what is it you desire?" *
Hah!
Shikiyoku's eyes glittered briefly but, "You're supposed to make me an offer, jewelry-man." 3
He'd thought that it would work, to be honest. He'd thought that maybe if he said it that way, she'd help him decide which angle to take on the situation. Instead, he was still just as unsure as before.
He pursed his lips.
Business?
Or Personal?
Business?
Personal?
...Both?
Both.
Coming to a conclusion, he nodded once. "Because of our unique relationship and the nature of this arrangement," he began, nodding smartly once as if he liked his own wording, "we can split the profit down the middle, since I cannot sell the things I make without you and you cannot model such fine jewels without me. Second, to accompany the more personal side of this venture, I offer you unlimited amounts of affections- be it hugs, kisses- whatever your heart desires, my Jewel. Any time, any place." *
"Unacceptable." Shikiyoku immediately replied, the impish expression in her eyes having gone nowhere. "Really, if this is how you ran your business practice in the Ninth, I'm utterly surprised you got anywhere at all. But because I like you-" She poked a finger into his chest from the hand she had resting there. "I'll make you a more appropriate counter-offer. I am a means of advertisement. That is all. Your pieces would sell without me, I will simply make them sell faster. Perhaps easier. But I by no means have any right to more than fifteen percent of your profit, when in truth I will be doing very little myself. And quite honestly, ten percent will do admirably and is likely a closer representation of my 'troubles' to do so. And business, my darling Consort, should never be mixed with what you call personal."
Not for you. I do not think you are prepared to go down that road. Not with me. 3
Hiei couldn't help the amusement that danced in his eyes at Shikiyoku's counter offer to his own, which was much less than he had offered. Part of him wasn't surprised, and another part of him was disappointed at the tossing away of the half that he'd most wanted her to agree to.
What a shame.
"On the Ninth, I had no personal ties, and felt no obligation to be lenient with contracts. You are much more favorable than any of those demons." His lips lost their smile for a moment. "You took the fun away from me too. It being personal would be quite the adventure, don't you think?"
He reached up to remove the necklace from her person, unclasping it and turning to set it to the side. He turned back to her again, settling against the desk once more and wrapping his arms around her again. "Now, tell me about your day, hm?" *
Shikiyoku's eyebrows raised higher on her face, and she restrained herself from saying the first thing that came to mind, which was something about mixing business with pleasure and how she was certain he was not properly equipped to handle such a venture with one like herself.
"Fun?" She finally replied as he turned back to her, her head tilting a hitch to the side. "I did not know you knew the meaning of the word. Pray tell me, when did this come about? The admission astonishes me." 3
The very first thought that ran across his mind was one that took great effort to pause, to think about the wording and to carefully manage it so that it would come across exactly how he wanted it to.
But really, his tongue had a mind of its own in the moment.
"It's something I've learned from you." The bond buzzed with the underlying thought- the one that he didn't catch in time before it transitioned over- that more than simply implied on the fun he'd like to learn from her. *
Shikiyoku did not say anything at first, though her expression certainly transitioned to indicate that she had quite clearly understood the implications that had flowed over their bond. To say she had perfected a 'come hither' look would have been an understatement given her former line of work, but this one seemed to tie in 'oh would you,' just as easily.
"Mm. The things I could teach you, flame boy." Shikiyoku's smile had turned upwards on the one side. 3
For a split moment, the bond stilled with silence just as Hiei himself did, before the bond was suddenly alive with the equivalent of hhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggg echoing throughout not just his mind, but his body in its own way. His reactions, all three of them, were different from the other, and would hinder each other.
React with a witty comeback, kiss her, or-
Before the thought was even formed, Hiei pushed away from the desk he leaned upon and stood upright, his face lowering even closer to the woman who had no choice but to be pinned to his chest. When he stilled, it was with the side of his nose against hers, and his lips only far enough away that when he spoke, his breath washed over hers.
"I'm more than willing." *
"Are you?" Shikiyoku murmured back, unable to look him directly in the eye any longer with his face so close to hers.
Even as they stood there, Shikiyoku found no actual desire within him...in any direction, almost feeling as if he were teasing her, but perhaps had no true wish in spite of what he said.
Which put her in a strange sort of position, where she hadn't so much as moved when he began shifting around, knowing that he meant to come closer and finding herself unable to back away, entrapped this time by her own actions where before in this situation she had been caught in the midst of her own energy.
Her lips twitched as if she might smile.
"...I do not think it would be a wise move to entangle yourself with one such as I." 3
Hiei stayed silent, knowing that she had more to say and that he would have to better consider his responses before-
Oh forget it.
The moment she was done speaking, he pursed his lips and jut them both out, just brushing the corners of Shiki's lips as he gave a hummed "Mmmmmm," after which he nodded once in reply to her first question.
And then he proceeded with abandon.
"It's a little late for that, don't you think? The way we're bonded, the way we're standing…." He gave a one-shoulder shrug. "More than a little late for that, Shiki." *
"This?" Shikiyoku mentally brushed her hand over their bond. "This is nothing, flame boy. Our minds may been entwined, but it cannot compare."
You are not ready for that.
She would have shaken her head if they had not been standing so close.
"You do not know what you are asking." And in fact the longer she thought about it, the harder she struggled to restrain her energy from responding without her permission. "And I am ill-qualified to-"
...to keep my own wits about me. 3
Hiei didn't seem phased by Shikiyoku's rebuttal, his lips pursing and stretching out once more as he hummed in thought again. He stared at the wall past her head that he could see, his mind working but at the same time blocked and not very productive in the moment even as she continued speaking.
Usually, he'd have counters against those accusations.
For some reason, he couldn't think of any.
So instead, he leaned in and finally pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth first, before retreating and claiming her lips entirely. *
No-
You can't-
...this is not fair.
...if this is your way of teasing me...you're dreadful at it.
Perhaps in truth she was simply ill-qualified to read his body language. Perhaps that was why her energy always manifested at his attentions. Because she never expected them from such a taciturn individual, whose expressions still oftentimes left her wondering what exactly was going on behind his crimson eyes, and whose desires were so often kept from her awareness.
Shikiyoku would have readily admitted he was the most difficult to read being in existence, which frustrated her to no end when she felt herself having been practically raised for that sort of thing.
But one thing she had never found to fail her was that innate thrumming sensation that would resound within her body with the desires of those around her. Excepting perhaps the two scientists from whom she felt nothing...but she had felt such things from Hiei in times past. And so it was that even when he stood there as quite possibly the most potent aphrodisiac she had ever encountered in her entire life and felt absolutely nothing from him, that she found she could not push the issue. Could not take him at his word, not when his very being seemed to indicate that his words rang falsely in the air, not matching or resonating as one single truth.
And it saddened her, for again that little ache tinged her core with its unspoken desire to have him for her own as she stood there kissing him back.
You do not want me. No matter how much it may pain me to admit it...there will be someone else for you. 3
While Hiei felt a reciprocation to the kiss, even when his hands found her face, after a few moments there seemed to be a lack of… everything else. There was no want, no need that had emanated from Shikiyoku, unlike the kiss with Shikijo. There was no willingness to go further. Where the fire demon wished she'd step up, she didn't. Where he wished she'd take the next step, he instead somehow came up with the distinct impression that she did not wish to.
There was still warmth and softness, as there was in all things Shikiyoku did. There was simply a lack of desire.
And it was with those thoughts, and more than a little disappointment, that Hiei finally pulled away and even took a step away, his expression a calm one. Relaxed. Content despite the lack of enthusiasm on the air.
He eyed her for a moment before tilting his head to one side, a brow raised slightly as a thought crossed his mind.
"You never did tell me about your day." *
She wished it would just go away, that it would stop making her core do that strange throbbing pain that she couldn't rightly say she had ever known to have happen to her.
In some fashion or another, it made her want to try harder. To actually attempt to ensnare him and make herself the one he wanted, even in spite of all the instincts telling her otherwise.
And it was while distracted by the ache that she felt Hiei pull away from her, removed himself from her direct presence, leaving her disappointed with the thoughts of truthfully ensnaring him swirling in agitation through her mind.
And all at once it dawned on her, that for all her years walking this plane of existence, for all the many demons she had at one time or another enraptured, even those that had been killed for her sake, in her name, that this bloody demon, out of all of them...perhaps he had...in truth it was him that had...
Her eyes widened with the realization as she looked up at him, her mind very obviously on a different conversation than the one at hand he was trying to have.
While she had been so distracted all along the way, from the beginning really, with ensnaring him, she hadn't even noticed that he had already ensnared her. That for all her troubles, all it had gotten her was right exactly where she wanted him: and the ache in her core only confirmed it.
And despite how much it may have pained her to admit there would eventually be someone else come along for him, that for whatever reason she was not the one, the only thing she could rightfully think to say about the whole situation slipped out from her lips in a whisper before she could stop it.
"Damn you."
Almost before she had finished saying it, without knowing what she was doing and yet fully intent upon her action, it was Shiki's turn to close the last bit of distance between them, her arms coming up to circle his neck and pull him down to meet her even as she stretched up as far as she could to find his face, to find his lips for a second time and plant there a kiss that somehow knew it sealed her fate. And for that moment, she did not care. No matter the end result, no matter what woman eventually stepped in or what the future held, that in spite of it all she had still entangled herself so completely, so willingly, so unknowingly, that she understood nothing aside from death would ever truly pull them apart.
I have damned myself. 3
Truth be told, while he had asked of her day, Hiei had hoped she wouldn't let him change the subject so easily. He hoped she would give him some smile or another or… something. Anything other than letting him change the subject as he had. He wanted her to prove him wrong, to show him that she did want him, in every essence of the word.
And so when she looked up at him with gears turning behind her eyes, and a light there that maybe was different than any other gleam he'd seen there before, he knew she wouldn't let him change it so quickly.
And boy was he pleased when she closed the distance this time, pulling him down into a kiss that he was more than simply willing to give into, one that he let himself be immersed in because she wanted him to. And of all the kisses they had shared since his stay in the Last Stand, this one was closest to what he'd wanted all along. It enveloped all that he'd been hoping for, and perhaps a little more.
For a brief moment, he let himself enjoy standing there, her arms around his neck and her lips on his. But when an image crossed his mind, one that at the time of coming across the scene had made him rather irate, he found himself moving without a second thought.
His arms, which had found her midsection again, moved away from Shikiyoku just long enough to reach behind himself and to the desk he'd been standing against, his hands finding jewels and metals that he pushed further away, creating a careless pile around a small space where, once satisfied with said space, he swiftly had Shiki from the ground and sitting on the wooden surface, his hands again finding her face.
And through all those motions, not once did he give thought to the feeling of his core doing a little hitch and his energy coming to life. He didn't register the little snowflakes that fell into his hair and around the space that was occupied by Shikiyoku too.
All he knew was that she was right where he wanted her, and nothing else mattered. *
Somewhere distant, Shikiyoku had curiously taken note of the sound she soon realized to be Hiei making space on his desk into which he promptly set her down, but it wasn't that particular maneuver which resulted in her eyes blinking open in momentary confusion as she felt something soft and cool beginning to caress her exposed skin and hair.
Snow?
Her hands had woven their way down from his neck to encircle his back as if she might be able to pull him closer, her knees on either side of his hips as she all but pulled the two of them together until they were flush up against one another, but her grip on him shifted, loosened as she felt the gentle pricks of frozen water coming to rest on her person.
Strangely enough, she did not often truly consider Hiei's mixed blood, though if she took the time to analyze his mannerisms, she could say with certainty that despite of his obvious affinity for fire, his personality did not have the same volatile nature as one of his pure-blooded brethren would have had. And in truth, his expressions and demeanor did more appropriately fit with what she had heard the Koorime to embody. Even the typical ice apparition were not as cold and heartless as they. Though neither was Hiei, she well knew, but that side of his hybrid so obviously dominated his everyday life, creating this fascinating creature before her: stoic as ice with the power over fire.
...though Shiki could only come to one conclusion given their circumstances as to why she now sat in the midst of flurries falling all around her, which had distracted her enough that her kisses had lessened.
(Enjoyed that, did you?) Her eyes took on a decidedly more purposefully energy-filled gleam. 3
When Shikiyoku's arms shifted around him and her kiss lessened against his lips, his eyes came open as if to inquire the reasoning behind the lessening affections. Instead, he was met with her side of the bond warming with the presence of her question as it moved into his own consciousness and her eyes began to sparkle in such a way that had him unable to look away when he finally did pull away for a moment.
His pause was only brief before his lips found hers once more for a simple peck, then moved to her cheek, and then ending with a kiss near her ear, his lips smiling against her skin even as a snowflake landed and stuck to his eyelashes.
(Answer enough for you?) *
As Shikiyoku sat there enveloped in a strange anomaly of feeling the heat from his skin counter to the cool snowflakes that melted almost as quickly as they fell against her, her eyes closed and she smiled at him as he moved around her.
And she had this amusing little thought as one of her hands began absently moving side-to-side against his back. She found that she could not be upset at whoever it was Hiei might choose, because really she would have to be aware of the situation she was entering as Shiki wasn't going anywhere, but despite what she remembered feeling all that time ago in regards to teaching anyone anything, she realized no longer held such reservations. And while she had no intentions of taking advantage of him, for some weird reason the idea of, in a sense, preparing him for that inevitability gave her a great deal of comfort.
She would show him how to better himself, and indeed who better was there to do so for his particular case?
The more she considered it, the better she felt. He deserved her best attention now so that later he might in turn find it useful somehow.
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!