A/N: Hello once again, Audience.
Longer chapter for you this time. I just really didn't want to break up the scene at the end, so I just put it all in here.
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]™
Just as she had promised to herself, Misaki was back in the bar the very next day, following the tug at her heart after school.
This time she did change clothing first, quickly dropping her things off at home and thankful that her older brother was still working and her twin had after school activities to keep him busy.
As soon as she stepped across the threshold, she knew he was not there. But in the hopes that if he worked there, he would be back, she sat down in the same stool as the day before, ordered the same drink, and waited.
For all her courage, she just couldn't bring herself to ask about the guy with the spiked up hair and the tattoos that swirled around his face and disappeared beneath his shirt.
That didn't stop her from coming the day after. And the day after that.
Once the weekend came around, her twin brother ended up joining her simply because she couldn't hide it from him any longer. And after that, Kasimi joined them. And then after band practice, the other three members of their crew insisted on going as well.
By that time, Misaki had made friends with a few of the other regulars, so when she and her motley crew rolled in through the door, her name was called at least twice in greeting, and she joined an already mostly full table, her green eyes flashing as she introduced those who came in with her.
Most of them already knew Kasimi, the small, shy girl self-consciously pushing her glasses further up her nose, as well as Rizu, who had his hair dyed electric green and what with his extra-dark brown eyes looked intentionally the opposite of his twin sister in that coloring specifically.
The male she called "Hara," who stood only slightly taller than her twin brother with his shirt half-tucked and a lit cigarette in his mouth nearest to Kasimi, the other demons at the table exchanged a brief, understanding look with, for they saw more than just the obviously dyed midnight-blue hair and they knew the white eyes with the dark rings around the irises were not a pair of contacts. He gave them all a nod.
The last two boys introduced themselves in as confusing a manner as possible. They stood out from the rest with their blonde hair and blue eyes, and were quite obviously identical twins. Their introduction was half-spoken, half-sang, and one called himself Svaen while the other said he was Sven, and it was quite impossible to distinguish the one from the other, for they usually talked in unison and there was little difference between either their mannerisms or dress.
While this in general amused the already buzzed demons in front of them, they were actually quite astonished when the realization dawned on them that this pair was neither fully demon nor fully human, but instead half-breeds.
The two groups mingled reasonably well considering the differences in background and bloodlines, but even as Misaki began nursing her second Demon's Fire, one question continued repeating itself at the back of her mind, and it was one that kept her eyes moving around the room even though she knew he wasn't there.
She hadn't told anyone she brought with her the exact reason why she kept coming back. The band knew she was trying to get them a gig there, but not even her twin had any idea of the crimson-eyed male that was the real reason to her return.
It wasn't until she started her third drink that her mind was unstable enough to gather the sentence together and finally say it.
"Where's that dark-haired guy?" She thumbed towards the bar, engaging the demon next to her in the conversation, even if she spoke a little louder than she specifically meant to do.
"Uuhh-" The demon had enough of his wits about him to be able to scan the bar, "There's like four?"
"Nah-" Misaki circled her fingers around her face, "The one with the swirls."
"Oh, that guy? White part to his hair right around here? Bandana? Doesn't speak much?"
She nodded.
"You must mean- uh- man, what's his name?" The demon nudged the male next to him, "Third eye? Guild camps here?"
"The Cursed Child?"
"The Cursed Child." The demon turned back to her with the answer.
Misaki snorted into her drink, nearly taken it up her nose, thinking of his smoldering gaze, "He is not cursed."
The demon shrugged, "Son of one of those damn Koorime and some fire demon that managed to knock her up. Cursed Child."
For some reason, the mention of him being a fire demon angered Misaki greatly, not directly at him perhaps, but at the idea of a fire demon in general, which so utterly confused her that her flaring temper manifested and she found words spilling out of her mouth in the heat of her emotions that she couldn't say she rightly understood herself.
"The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant." Misaki seethed at no one in particular, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the glass in her hand. "It is what one does with the gift of life that determines who you are. And he is not cursed." She parted her clenched teeth just enough to take another sip, mumbling angrily as she did so, "I have seen people who are cursed. And he is not one of them." 3
After the encounter in his jewelry room, Hiei had decided to spend some time with Shikiyoku before either one of them were called away again, or whatever might come up between this or that. After the flurry that had come to life had dissipated once he'd become aware of it, the pair had simply gone about their day as they usually did: talking about this or that and generally just remaining in one another's presence.
This morning, he'd awoken to the sense of being waited on, the air around himself having shifted as if once he reached out with the Jagan, someone would be calling upon him. So, he'd pulled himself away from Shikiyoku and, after a brief conversation, had slipped away to change clothes.
The moment his feet hit the first stair going down, he let the Jagan open just enough so that when he did step into the bar, he would be able to do his usual screening of the people inside, and any who crossed the threshold afterwards.
Once the door opened, the fire demon did just that. Each denizen inside the four walls of the bar was scanned- both with eyes and telepathy- as he turned and made his way to one side of the bar.
His guild sat in the corner of the bar, which was odd considering they usually enjoyed the center of the room, but that thought diminished when his scan around the room was completed and his eyes found a group at a table on the other side of the bar, four of whom he'd been unable to read without forcing himself to be known.
Not particularly caring, Hiei simply continued on his way until he was sitting at the table his guild had taken, the only chair available planted next to his second in command.
"Hey boss," came the same greeting from all eight of them at once, though it was much quieter than usual and more than a few of them seemed to be distracted by something else in the bar.
In the corner seat with his back to the wall, the fire demon was able to scan the crowd again, his eyes once more finding the four minds he couldn't read with a simple screening. And it just so happened that he overheard one particular voice saying words that he'd only heard once before in his life, causing his gaze to zero in on the Shikiyoku doppelganger long enough to remember the last time he'd heard such words before he dismissed it altogether and turned to his guild.
"Debrief me." *
The demon next to her, having perhaps heard her, but not exactly understood, actually caught sight of the cursed child as he entered the room and moved back to his usual spot with the rest of his guild.
Letting out a snort into his drink, as he lifted it to his face he managed to not laugh as he told Misaki, "You're being watched."
The blushed of drink across her face deepened when Misaki looked around and spied the group in the corner, ignoring all their glances as soon as she caught sight of the one that had situated himself in the exact corner of the building.
She just as quickly turned away, feeling now the other sets of eyes on her and not having the faintest idea what they meant by it. 3
~!**!~
Initially, Akari had thought the other would take her to her place of work, as it seemed like his kind of thing to do. Instead, Yuuichi had lead her to this little hole in the wall of a place that she'd never heard of before, the building located on the opposite side of town from her shop. Inside, the place looked more like a lounge than a coffee shop with various couches and padded chairs tucked away to one side of the room, the other half decorated with tall two-seater tables. The bar was tiny, and their options had been limited on the menu, but Akari had ordered a simple latte, as was her go-to these days when trying new places.
Yuuichi had lead her to a table in the corner, tucked away from the rest of the world as they sipped at their coffee and exchanged words, questions, interests. He made it easy to carry a conversation, seeming to be flexible in topic and ready for anything she might ask him. He told the occasional work story when it related to a topic they ventured to, and then listened when she told her own work stories.
Really, the topics hadn't been of much importance. It had all been mundane things. Things she would have shared with anyone should they ask with genuine interest in her answer.
And ask he did. For a few hours, actually.
Akari leaned forward with her elbows on the table, her hands around the fresh latte that he'd bought for her and her feet up on the bar of the tall chair. "And he hit you? With his car?"
Yuuichi's laugh floated on the air between them, pleasant and light. "You'd be surprised how many times that's happened. More than I'd like to admit, really."
"Even though he knew you are demon."
His smile only grew at her incredulity and he gave a short nod. "He wasn't the brightest lightbulb in the room."
She gave a small sound that could have been a laugh if she didn't have her lips at her drink. Her eyes sparkled with the laugh though, watching him from over the rim of the glass. The light flavor of the warm coffee washed over her tongue again with vanilla and cocoa undertones that she appreciated as a sort of quiet fell.
The silence that stretched between them was calm, easy. She didn't feel the need to fill it with words, because neither person seemed to be uncomfortable with the quiet. They simply took a moment to reflect on their thoughts, Akari watching him and Yuuichi turning to look out the window on his right. Even as she sipped at the last of her drink, she realized that she'd needed to find someone other than Botan or Mimi to socialize with. Someone more like her, in more than one way.
Her eyes followed the cup as she lowered it to the table, still smiling. "Well," she spoke up, not looking up at him yet, "this was nice. I appreciate it."
"It's good to find someone to talk to who is more like us once in awhile."
Akari finally turned her eyes up, finding that while he did not smile at her with his lips, his eyes sparkled at her. He watched her with an expression that momentarily took her off guard, making her blink once before she recovered and gave a quiet scoff. "Indeed." She looked at her watch, realizing it was now close to lunchtime.
"Your friends will need food soon," he told her, making her lips twitch a little. "I guess it's time we part ways, hm?"
"Yeah. I've got some cleaning to do today, and some things to finish before work tomorrow." Akari slid from her chair, not surprised when Yuuichi was standing in front of her.
"Let's do this again sometime," he told her before he waved for her to go ahead of him.
She didn't say anything, her instincts telling her no, but her brain saying yes please. *
~!**!~
The next morning when Akari showed up for work, it was with the knowledge that she now owned the place in which she worked. It was with the knowledge that the road ahead of her was going to be long and stressful, but that once she got down everything she needed to learn, she would be set for a very long time. It was with the knowledge that she would have to juggle everything all at once, and still smile at the customers even if she might want to close the doors and take the time to learn some more.
And it was also with the knowledge that it was just her and Mimi now.
So when she stepped into the dark cafe, she wasn't surprised to smell Mimi's scent, to hear her in the kitchen yawning as she rattled stuff around in her business to get the place up and running for the day. She locked the door behind herself and continued through the shop, a hand rubbing at her eyes and then falling to her side when she stepped into the kitchen and, subsequently, Mimi's line of sight. "Good morning."
"Akari! Good morning!" She slid the pan in her hand into the hot oven before slamming the door shut. "How's it feel, walking into your own shop?"
"...much the same as before. Except now I have an office to hide in." Akari turned to look at the little office, whose door was open and she knew the desk had been cleaned out save for pens and pencils, the picture frames that had been there would no longer be there. "Let's get this in the oven, and you can teach me about the paperwork?"
"Yeah, yeah! I can teach you ordering first! We have an order to turn in today!"
Akari smiled gratefully and picked up the bowl of batter, pouring it into varying muffin tins. Once that pan was in the oven, she was rolling up croissants. By the time she'd finished that, Mimi had finished what she was doing and had moved for the office.
Akari followed suit once the oven was set. She stepped into the room and took a look around, noting the empty coat rack in the corner, the clean desktop, the computer with her name displayed on the login screen and asking for a password.
"Pretty much everything you do will be over the computer or phone," Mimi said, nodding to the office chair that looked brand new. Akari moved to sit in it, finding that it was larger than the one the elderly couple had been using, and more comfortable too. She twisted to face the computer, pulling the keyboard from under the desk and typing in the password she had given the old man. "There will be an icon for a file marked order sheets. You'll want that."
Step by step, Mimi walked Akari through the various kinds of orders, from cleaning products to ingredients for their cupcakes to their tea bags. From there, she was able to not only submit the orders, but to catalogue them for future reference.
After that was taken care of, Mimi had to run to open the shop, telling Akari that she'd be okay with running the place by herself, and that she'd stay as long as Akari needed. So, the demoness holed herself up in her new office and began familiarizing herself with everything. She looked through the filing cabinets, the files on the computer, the calendar in the desk drawer and the days marked on it. Everything she could get her hands on, Akari was looking through. And every so often, Mimi would pop her head in for a few minutes with little tips, sometimes able to stay in long enough to teach her something new before a customer would walk through the front door and Akari sent her back to the front.
By the time the lunch rush hit, Akari had grown restless from being holed up in the one room without much movement, and had made her way out into the foyer. She was helping customers, making sandwiches, anything she could to not only stretch her muscles, but to give her brain time to soak in what she'd already learned.
By the time the afternoon came, Akari had holed herself up again, and was on the phone with an affiliate of the shop. She was making a point to acquaint herself with the people the elderly couple had known, and was setting up appointments one by one, marking them on the calendar that had been left behind.
Once that had been taken care of, Akarit old Mimi to go home. The girl agreed and had left, leaving Akari with the closing of the store and several hours of business left.
Just before closing, the door chimed open and Akari lifted her head from the till she had been counting, seeing a familiar blue-haired woman bounce into the place. "Akari! Long time, no see! Where've you been?"
Akari finished counting the cash in her hand and tucked it away into the register before answering, "I was getting some training."
"Training? For what?"
Akari shut the drawer with a little ching and moved around the counter to stand in front of Botan. "For this place. The couple who owned it before wanted me to."
"Who owned it before…?" Botan blinked once, twice, and then seemed to put the pieces together. "They sold it?"
"Mm-hm."
"What are you going to do?"
"I guess run the place, since they had me sign as the owner."
"What?!" Botan bounced in place. "Akari, that's wonderful news! Congratulations!" She bound forward, her arms circling the demoness who had been waiting for it. "You have your own business!"
Akari let a little laugh escape her. "I, uh, am still figuring it out. Today's day one of being the owner, and the sheer amount of papers I looked at today was almost overwhelming."
"Oh, you'll do great!" The former ferry girl took two steps away and looked her up and down. "But you're still wearing that plain black and white outfit. Why?"
Akari raised a brow. She was supposed to wear something different?
"You should dress for the job! For the title! Take pride in it!"
"Maybe I'll think about it after-"
"No, no, no. You've got to have a good impression too, Akari! Come on, where's your sense of fashion!" When she received no answer, Botan sighed. "You don't have one, do you?"
"Not if it doesn't include something similar to what I'm wearing now."
"...oh dear. I'm taking you shopping."
"Botan, I have to close up first."
"Then hurry up and close!"
"...You're still in the building."
"Oh! Right!" With that, the blue-haired woman skipped from the cafe and took to lingering outside the door, completely missing the sarcasm that Akari had layered in her words. *
~!**!~
"Botan, I really don't have time for-"
"Oh, shush. You and I both know losing a couple of hours of sleep won't actually hurt you. Come on, come on! Try this one on!" The woman shoved a hanger into Akari's hand, and then turned and, with both hands on either shoulder blade, guided the dog demon into a dressing room. "And don't you come out without it on!"
Akari sighed, turning to face the mirror as the door shut behind her, the blouse that her hands held onto frilly and… not really something she liked.
"Oh! And these too!"
A pair of slacks were tossed over the door, where they rested over the top. She gave another sigh and did as demanded of her. She unbuttoned the blouse she currently wore, pulled it from her shoulders and set it on the nearby bench. She kicked her sneakers off and then shimmied out of her black jeans, tossing them to the side to lay with her shirt.
Carefully, Akari unbuttoned the blouse that Botan had pulled from the rack for her, and slid it over her shoulders, buttoning it again. She adjusted the cuffs of the sleeves and the collar, finding that it had a decorative lace in those areas.
She turned and pulled the white slacks from the top of the door and worked herself into them, finishing by tucking the navy shirt in and then looping the same color belt through the loops at her waist.
"Well? Let's see it! Chop, chop!" The sound of Botan's hands clapping together accosted her ears.
Akari gave a third sigh, not even turning to look in the mirror before opening the door to the dressing room and stepping out to the inquisitive eye of Botan. Purple eyes looked her up and down several times before turning to the side, looking for something only she would find. "Wait there! Oh, and let your hair down!"
Despite the shaking of her head no, Akari did as told and pulled the bun from the top of her head, allowing her messy curls to fall around her shoulders and down her back. When Botan came back, she shoved a pair of shoes into her hands. "Put those on!"
"Heels? You realize my job is a lot of standing and walking?"
"Just do it!"
"Fine, fine." Akari leaned over, one hand finding the nearest chair while the other slid the shoe over her foot, not surprised that the ferry girl had known the right size to make it fit. And she did the same with the other before she stood upright, finding herself a good three inches taller than before.
"Look, look!" She spun Akari around to face a nearby full-length mirror, then bounced to one side to continue looking her up and down. "It's close to what you were already wearing, but more formal. And the material is more durable too, so it won't stain easily. Oh! And you contrast the usual uniform too, taking the dark color as the shirt and the light as the pants. Psychologically, you'll appear more important just because the colors are reversed."
"I look like I belong in a meeting room."
"Exactly! It's good for reaching out to other businesses and for catering and all that fun stuff!"
"We don't cater."
"It was just an example. Moving on." Botan turned away, her hands looking through another rack. "It's up to you to keep it, Akari. Personally, I like it."
"...Maybe we should try shorter heels to start." *
~!**!~
Despite her earlier plans to go to the Fourth, Akari had decided to go straight home, mainly because her arms had been full of bags and her heart with sadness at the sheer amount of money Botan had talked her into spending. She'd stayed up just long enough to hang up each clothing item before crawling into bed and letting sleep overtake her.
The next morning, she had decided to try her luck with one of the new outfits. In fact, she'd decided to wear the very first outfit Botan had chosen for her, up to and including the two-inch heels the pair had eventually agreed on. She'd also left the top two buttons undone, so she could wear the necklace that Botan had bought and given to her for the occasion, the pearl resting perfectly on her collarbone, the black little flower decorating it going nicely with the navy of her shirt.
Despite her new attire, she'd walked to work this morning too, getting her fill of the early-morning breeze before she would be stuck inside all day. And once inside, she had begun the opening routines, working side by side with Mimi who had, again, shown up early to teach Akari a few more office things.
She'd commented on the outfit, said that it made her look older, but otherwise seemed indifferent to the change, and had gotten right down to business again.
The pair spent a good three hours in the office before opening hour, at which point Akari had stepped from the little nook and into the front of the shop, leaving Mimi to tend to the kitchen.
And as the morning rush came through, many customers complimented her hair, which she wore down for the first time ever in the establishment. They complimented her necklace, her shirt, her shoes, her smile. One even complimented the makeup that Akar was most certainly not wearing, which amused her to no end.
Not ten minutes after she sent Mimi home for the rest of the morning did business die down, leaving her in the silence of her own shop and her thoughts to occupy her.
She knew she needed at least one more person to help Mimi, who was now working odd hours and even double shifts while Akari was asking her to teach her the office work. She knew the girl was likely already tired, and it had only been two days. She knew that within the next two weeks, the girl would be worn thin.
So, she made a sign. During the grace period of no customers, she utilized the computer and printer to type up a sign entailing that a position had been opened, and that the shop was under new management. Her name and the shop's number was plastered on the bottom, and she didn't hesitate to put the flyer on the front door of the place.
As she did though, she stepped aside for a customer, holding the door open with a smile of greeting. "Hi! Go ahead and take a look at the menu. I'll be right-"
"Actually, I was hoping to see the owner."
Akari looked up at the man finally, who gave her a cheeky, lopsided smile. "Oh?" She inquired, meeting brown eyes with her own steady hazel ones. "Lookin' right at her, Detective."
"Well, well. She's making a name for herself." He gave that same lopsided smile.
"Trying to." She closed the door behind him, finally turning to face him with a wide smile. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?" She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Need help looking for another car?"
"Actually, I was hoping you'd like to sit for a while. I enjoyed our talk the last time, and was wondering if you'd be interested in a repeat."
Akari turned her head ever so slightly, mulling it over. "I assume you want regular joe with that chat?"
"It wouldn't hurt."
She clicked her way back to the bar, noting somewhere that she felt his eyes on her as she moved away. It was a quick thing, to pour him a simple cup of coffee and turn to go back the way she'd come.
What wasn't simple was stopping short of the chest she nearly run into, Yuuichi having followed her to the bar and taken up residence at the edge of it. Somehow, she managed to not spill a drop of the coffee she held, despite the little step back she'd been forced to make.
"I didn't mean to startle you," he said, a hand halfway reached out to her as if to catch her.
She slowly lifted her chin until she was looking up at him. "You're quite lucky I've learned how to walk in these so quickly. One of us would've ended up having to change, detective, and I'm not quite so sure that it would have been me."
"Indeed. Here," he held out a couple of bills in one hand and extended the other, pointing to the coffee, "switch me."
Akari raised a brow, but swapped him anyway. She'd half expected him to not pay upfront. After all, he was 'going to be here a while'. "Have a seat wherever you want, though I suggest the middle one on the left row by the window. It gets the most sun."
"Your favorite, then?"
She nodded as she shut the register and turned to follow him to the table, her own hands empty of beverage. She watched him take the chair facing the door, taking mental note of it as she slid into the one opposite. "What, no case today?"
"Mmm, I passed it to someone else. Wasn't my kind of thing," he replied before he took a sip of the hot coffee. After he swallowed, he lowered the insulated cup to the table. "You look like a shop owner today." He smiled at her. "It suits you."
Ah, such flattering words, she thought curiously as she smiled at him. "Thank you."
For a few moments, neither spoke. But after a while, mild chit-chat started up, and once again, Akari found herself wrapped up in conversation with the demon, time passing without her notice. *
~!**!~
Any glimpse she was able to get of him after that further fed her desire to see him, and before Misaki knew it, she had become absolutely obsessed with him without really understanding why or how. In truth, the only thing she had to go on was this inexplicable assurance coming from somewhere within herself that he meant everything to her, in spite of the fact that she really had no idea if he actually knew she existed.
The majority of the time she was able to get to the bar, he was nowhere to be found, and she learned when he was not out with his guild, he spent most of his time upstairs in what was apparently an apartment of sorts.
It had not actually happened yet that she had been there when Hiei returned to Shikiyoku, an interaction that almost always started with a kiss, but even if she had, it was unlikely she would have been deterred, too distracted by the sight of him to take much notice of anything else.
Their excitement as they entered the bar this time was palatable, and Shikiyoku looked up from where she stood behind the counter to see the crew of six marching in, five of them decked out in what she knew to be hard core performing outfits, with the shorter, sixth girl with glasses much more plainly dressed.
She recognized each of them at this point. Even knew their names, though their interactions were few and far between. They moved to the typical area they hung around in and ordered drinks, making much noise and not disguising their intentions: they had a gig that night and were here to take the edge off before they went onstage. And by the lightness of the drinks they ordered this time, Shikiyoku could only assume it was true.
After a time, they left, with a handful of others that had been sitting around, but were interested in seeing them perform, and the night continued on in its usual fashion, with little else to distract Shikiyoku from Hiei's impending return than the usual monotony of business.
It could not have been more than two or three hours later that the motley crew reentered the doors, those among their acquaintance that had remained behind expressing general surprise and concern, knowing that the concert should have taken longer than the time that had passed before their return.
Mildly interested in her own right, as it was the most exciting thing going on at the moment, Shikiyoku listened to the snippets of conversation she could catch from her place still behind the bar mixing drinks, and the heaviness of the drinks ordered added to what she heard indicated to her that in some manner or another the gig had fallen through.
Intercepting the drink order before any of it had actually been made, Shikiyoku herself mixed the lighter drinks each of them had earlier in the night, and when she was finished, walked over to address the group, the expectation of receiving their drinks quieting them down once she finished her approach.
"It would be such a shame for a night like this to be wasted." She began, one hand holding a tray of drinks that were most obviously not what they ordered, her other hand planted on her hip as she regarded them each with a discerning eye.
Hara removed the cigarette from his mouth as he stared at her, his white eyes widening as he exchanged a glance with the blonde haired twins, who had also in that moment come to realize the same thing as he. They did, however, shake their heads at him, their blue eyes widening in surprise. For Hara, it meant something very specific.
They could not hear her song.
As all three of them glanced at Misaki and then back to the female that approached them, there was no mistaking the similarities, which they had picked up on as soon as they saw them this close together.
It was unheard of for the twins to come across someone whose inner song they could not make out, and while Hara knew he and they were still quite young, to him it meant that she were too strong for any of them to properly read.
He turned back to listen as she continued speaking, offering them a gig here and now, and to say he was impressed at the prospect of her power would have been an understatement.
"You would pay us?" Misaki appeared to take the idea with incredulity. "You haven't even heard us!"
Riku smacked his sister across the shoulder, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, stupid!"
Shikiyoku smiled, and began passing out the drinks to their rightful recipients, Hara taking note that these were what each of them had order earlier, and how she did not seem to hesitate in giving the correct ones to their correct person.
"I'll take it on a point of faith that you're any good." She told them. "And if everything goes well, I can talk to your manager afterwards about setting up something more permanent."
The entire group exchanged glances this time.
"We, uh, don't have a manager." Kasimi spoke up quietly in the sudden silence between them.
Hara noticed the slight tick of a smile that quickly disappeared as the dark-haired female in front of them finished handing out their lighter drinks.
"Well, do you want one?"
"We've never needed one before."
Riku smacked Misaki again.
"What? We haven't. I was just saying."
"She's offering, you idiot." Riku gave a passing glance to Shikiyoku to make sure he was correct in his assumption and she gave him an affirming nod.
"We'll talk after. All of us together." Shikiyoku informed them. "Nothing is decided on yet, though I would truly find your performing here acceptable. Half now, if it would help your decision...?"
"We'll take it" Hara finally asserted.
Shikiyoku smiled at him and he found himself blinking back at her, finding something in her appearance that Misaki did not have, but being unable to ascertain what exactly.
"Finish your drinks. I'll have some people help bring your equipment in." She turned to Kasimi, "Would you mind coming with me and seeing what needs to be done on my end of things?"
Kasimi seemed surprised, but Hara did not think much of her picking the girl out as the more tech-oriented individual as the two of them walked off together, Shikiyoku slipping the tray into the hands of a passing waiter.
It took perhaps half an hour for drinks to be finished and for setup to be completed, and by that time the entire room was abuzz with this addition to the evening. The dance floor had been cleared while equipment was brought in and adjustments were made, the DJ's station having been moved aside and where it stood morphed into a stage that practically stood the length of the wall, jutting out a good ways away from it so as to fit all five players on it.
And so it was that when Kasimi stepped back from the rest of them to join Shikiyoku who stood with arms crossed overseeing the venture, that Rizu had taken his place behind the drums, Hara stood with his bass checking the tuning against Svaen and Sven's rhythm and electric guitars specifically, and Misaki was walking among them making sure last minute things were in place before taking her position at the mic in center stage.
The entire bar grew more quiet, and Shikiyoku absently tweaked the spell in the air so that the coming music would not be muted and instead fill the building.
Not a single word was spoken as the song began all at once, and even Shikiyoku found herself entranced to the point of only staring and listening, despite the fact that the pounding rhythms coursing through her core almost had her taking that final step out onto the dance floor just so she could figure out some way to express her utter and complete enjoyment of what she heard.
As the final chord faded into nothingness, Shikiyoku blinked for the first time in as many minutes, and could feel the entirety of the room only able to hold their breath and wait for the next song.
Knowing immediately that the reaction was not what they were expecting, Shikiyoku suddenly moved over to the stage, noting Misaki's wide eyes at the silence they were being met with, and the rest of the room just watched as Misaki bent down and Shikiyoku started to untie the apron around her waist.
Misaki nodded, Shikiyoku stepped away towards the bar, and there was a quick meeting of the minds on stage as more whispers occurred, but whatever was said seemed to be met with agreement and Misaki turned back to start the next piece.
As it started, the rest of the room could only sit or stand and stare until Shikiyoku stepped back into view, sans apron and glasses and with her hair down for the first time that anyone in the bar could remembering witnessing.
Her eyes remained closed, but the rest of her shimmered as several strands of yellow energy quivered into shape around her and she began dancing with them as the song rang in the air around her. Somehow wicked and graceful at the same time, a physical manifestation of the sound, other demons started to get up and join her until the entire dance floor was filled to the brim and overflowing, reassuring those who played that their presence was greatly appreciated. 3
The morning that Hiei finally dropped onto the First Level was when the rest of the guild finally seemed to perk up, their banter starting up as their defenses dropped and they all began to relax. As time wore on, jokes began flying around the group as if they were all on a simple stroll, occasionally making their leader glance back at them with amusement in his gleaming irises.
By the time the sun had set and the group was drawing closer to the bar, the banter, the talking, the jokes turned to food and drinks- ones they were craving the most and the ones that they looked forward to having first.
When Hiei himself began to slow a little, his feet finding the pavement of the city, the others slowed too. The fire demon turned inward for a beat, finding that the bond was beginning to come alive with more than just its presence.
At first, he felt a quiet sort of stillness that was different than the usual, but calming in its own way. As he rounded another block and continued down the street, there was a moment where he became distracted from the bond, from his thoughts of returning to the bar and greeting Shikiyoku with a kiss, and he remained distracted right up until his feet touched the pavement of the parking lot of the bar.
The first thing he noticed was a different sound, a different rhythm within the bar that was unlike the usual in some way. Louder, fuller. Unrestrained.
When he pushed the door open and took three steps inside, he was met with the ending of a song and then the beginning of the next. The crowd in the room- all of which were standing and facing one side of the bar- was clapping and whooping and yelling and cheering in excitement. His eyes found the band beyond the crowd only because people shuffled and picked up whatever dancing they'd been doing for the previous song.
He noted the crew as one that had recently been coming in, but dismissed them entirely- despite how enjoyable he found their music.
And really, their music likely would have enraptured him were it not for the person he saw on the dance floor between bodies, her golden energy radiant as she moved with and through the strands around her.
All he could do was stand and stare, not even noticing that the members of his guild had moved by him to join the crowds. *
There was something deeply primal in their execution of the songs that had Shikiyoku momentarily surprised at what little she had already gathered of their group. Surprised that they had no manager. Surprised their other gig stood them up.
Their sound mixed together a frightfully moving rhythm and Shikiyoku wondered if it had something to do with the fact that there were so many different bloodlines represented on that stage, human and half-breed and apparition alike.
At different points, she felt more than one stare, occasionally from the stage and more often from the bodies around her, but when she considered how long it had been since she danced and how she had not done so in this manner since purged of her active Crusnik, it did not come as any sort of great astonishment to her, as she could feel her skin having started to glow and had very purposefully kept her eyes closed since she started.
There was one particular stare though that had her suddenly blinking up at the ceiling even as the song ended and the cheering started up again.
On the stage, Misaki had felt the instant Hiei entered the bar, and as their last chord still resonated around them, she whipped around and spoke a few words to the rest of them, the twin brothers nodding and almost immediately starting the opening riff for what she asked.
While most of the demons around her started up again, a few expressed initial confusion at being unable to understand the words, though when Shikiyoku told them it was in a different human language they just nodded and went with it.
For her part, Shikiyoku's eyes, now open and full of the glow she had before been keeping from the others, cut through the crowd as she continued dancing and found Hiei's, crimson and gleaming at her in the darkness.
And without even actually saying a word, the look on her face spoke it just as clearly as if she had been next to him.
You.
Come here.~3
The new song that started up was not one he understood by ear, but he almost felt that the rhythm and melody of it spoke its own language that, when listened to hard enough, told of the meaning on its own. It had his core give a small hitch, and another one still when gleaming eyes turned and found his through the crowd within an instant.
And the look on her face was all the invitation he needed before his feet were moving, the bond in his mind alive with his sudden sense of urgency to get to her, but his steps calm and calculated as he maneuvered through the large crowd.
He didn't notice that people moved out of his way as his feet carried him closer to the woman who had so very long ago managed to enthrall him. He didn't notice anything but the woman that he stepped in front of, her energy moving around the room in its own dance that he joined in to, matching his Beloved's steps without a beat of hesitation, as if he'd done this particular dance before.
He wanted to greet her, to say something, to kiss her, anything. But his greeting became an expression on his face that perhaps he'd never shown before, and the bond mirrored it in every way. *
She had long ago filled the bar to the brim with her energy, invisibly wafting to every corner and encouraging the loud cheers and excitement that otherwise the demons had not known how to express at the quality of music presented to them.
And it was this energy that billowed behind Hiei as he moved towards her, causing the steps of those around him to part as he approached. And when he had gotten within striking distance, she let the strands around her toss away to circle him, as if he needed any further instruction to come closer.
As they started dancing together, it did not for one second appear to strike Misaki negatively in any way at all. It wasn't that she didn't see his face or the way he looked at the woman that brought him close, it was just that somehow she felt as if she had seen that look aimed at her, though she hadn't the faintest idea why.
Once that song ended, Misaki let the others start up their own piece to give her voice a rest, at first walking over to the bar to ask for some water, but eyeing Hiei with every intention of taking her drink and going to talk to him. 3
For Hiei, the whole world was Shiki, and Shiki alone. For an entire song, a whole dance, his eyes never left hers as they danced round and round. And when that song came to an end, so too did the dance, Shikiyoku pulling to a stop in front of him and the fire demon doing the same.
The smile she gave was one that said a simple hello, and for the first time Hiei restrained himself from just gathering her up into his greeting kiss so that he could watch her a little longer. His head tilted to one side after a moment and he gave a twitch of his lips at one corner.
(Hello yourself.) *
(Seems you made it just in time.) Shikiyoku replied, letting the strands of her energy snake away back into her body as she took his hand in hers, her skin still glistening from the veritable scent still dispersed throughout the room.
She led him over to the bar so they could get out of the heavier part of the crowd, sitting down in one of the stools and ordering herself a drink that, for once, she didn't mix.
(How do you like my new band?) 3
Hiei only tore his eyes away from Shikiyoku long enough to see her strands of energy pulling away from the immediate area around them, receding back into the being from which they had burst, before he was again staring at her even as she turned and began leading him to the bar.
He took the seat next to her and turned to face her, one elbow on the bar and the other resting on the back of the tall stool. He himself did not order a drink immediately, already too intoxicated with the woman he faced anyway.
He did turn to glance at the band still playing though, her question reminding him that there actually was a band to which she'd been dancing to.
(A good investment, I'd say.)
He watched the group on stage for a few moments more before turning to look at her again. (Business will pick up for them. And you.) *
Shikiyoku let the bond echo with her silent, pleasant laughter as she took several sips, watching carefully for a moment the rest of her energy still floating around the room and deciding for now she would leave it.
(Of course. That was mostly the point after all. And by the time the night is over, they'll have a new manager and likely three or four new gigs besides the one they'll be obligated to perform for this establishment.)
"For you."
Shikiyoku's face reflected a 'what,' as she turned to see a second drink slid to her elbow, giving the bartender who made it a searching glance as he only shrugged and let her know in such a manner that she wasn't to know.
"Not this again." She eyed the glass distrustfully, if amused, considering the offer it presented and sending her gaze out into the rest of the room as if she might catch sight of a pair of eyes watching her back. 3
Hiei almost smiled at the giggling of the bond, his eyes reflecting the smile that never really touched his lips. (I'm sure they'll enjoy it.) He again let his eyes wander the room, only to come back to Shikiyoku once more when she verbally spoke, his eyes finding the drink in front of her.
He eyed the offering for a moment, half amused. When she turned away, his hand slid out to take the glass, his body shifting to face the bar so he could order a drink of his own and hide the one he'd stolen between his crossed arms and his chest.
Purely for amusements sake. *
Given her actions that night, the drink did not surprise her. But neither did she get any indication of the individual that sent it.
Taking another drink of her own, when she turned back to find it missing, she nearly choked on what she had.
(Please...please don't tell me you drank it yourself.) 3
Hiei leaned further forward on the countertop, his eyes cutting to the side when Shikiyoku turned forward again. He raised a brow at her, the hand closest to her reaching for the drink that the bartender set before him. He didn't immediately drink from it, instead pulling it closer to his person as if someone might take it from him.
(I only drink the drinks sent by you.) He turned forward and finally drank from his own glass, which when he raised his arm, revealed the one he'd stolen. (I learned that lesson, remember?) *
(Do you?) Shikiyoku looked thoughtful. (Because I seem to remember you not even drinking what I sent you.) A moment of personal amusement when she had found him on the Ninth and sent him something exceedingly inappropriate to get his attention.
A second drink appeared for her and nearly caused her to laugh at it, for it was an offer to dance. 3
Hiei thought on the moment which she referred to, his head tilting to one side momentarily as the bond rebounded his own amusement at her. (To be fair, I'd been too drunk to know it was you who sent it.) He took another drink of the one he'd ordered, watching another one be placed before Shiki with his own gleam of amusement. (I'd drink it now if you sent it.)
In one swift motion, he swapped his glass from hand to hand and reached out for the one in front of her, fluidly sending it sliding down the bar. (And only I get that privilege.) *
(But Hiei...what if I want to dance?) Even as she mock-protested, a second one appeared and she could hardly stand to contain her chuckle, instead tapping the ring finger of her right hand against the glass it held, making a soft tink-tink-tink noise as the band of the ring on that finger made contact with it. 3
Hiei smirked at Shikiyoku as he watched yet another drink be set down, unsurprised by the chain of events. (I'd willingly be your dance partner any time you wanted.) He watched her tap the glass for a moment before his hand slid over and took hold of that one too, the expression he gave her one of mischief. (And if you truly wanted these, you wouldn't let me take them.) *
(You're breaking a lot of hearts tonight, flame boy.) Her eyes flashed with amusement. (What's so bad about a single dance?) 3
Hiei slid that glass too down the bar and away from the both of them, and then the glass that he'd been hiding followed after in a moment. One last quick motion and he finished his own drink before turning to face Shikiyoku in his chair again.
(Your dances are dangerous. One dance is all it takes.) *
(One dance is all it should take.) Shikiyoku watched him as she reached for her own drink and finished it, nodding at the bartender to refill it. (But I fear you give me too much credit. My dances are absolutely harmless. Totally and completely.) 3
Hiei's brows rose in unison until they hid in his bangs, his look of incredulity aimed at her with full force. He opened his mouth to speak, but when his eyes caught the gleam of her ring, he shut his mouth again, forgetting what he was going to say.
As he stared at the jewelry, an image came to mind of a revision of said ring, which would add another gem and change the band to signify the dancing of himself and her.
He blinked once, recalling how he'd wanted to ask her time and time again to be his mate, but couldn't because he still felt he owed her for the time he'd slighted her. How she'd been invalidated by his own actions.
How he'd told himself he wouldn't ask it of her again until he'd made up for it in some way.
And though he did not know what the second jewel should be, he now knew how he'd make it up to her.
He'd make the ring a physical manifestation of his promise to never again do as he did then. *
When Shikiyoku noticed how his expression suddenly left their current conversation, she just shook her head and let him be for the moment, having absolutely no intention of actually dancing with anyone else, not with her energy still permeating the bar.
A second song with no singer started up, and Shikiyoku saw Misaki making her way towards them through the crowd, being stopped and having to talk with various people along the way.
Shikiyoku took her refilled drink in hand to take another sip, nudging the bond between herself and Hiei to attempt to pull him back to the present.
(You have a fan.)
Giving her an encouraging smile as she approached, Shikiyoku took particular notice that Misaki hardly gave her a second glance, excepting for a double take to the necklace with the single gem hanging around her neck.
"Misaki, this is-"
"Hiei." She nodded, "Though we haven't met." She frowned for a moment when she caught sight of the ring on Shikiyoku's finger, finding that a brief that isn't right crossed her mind before she turned to Hiei and gave him a nod of greeting. "Like what you've heard so far?" 3
Hiei blinked once at the ring he'd been staring at when Shikiyoku grabbed his attention, his eyes focusing on the moment once more as he tried to remember what they'd been talking about.
Before he could remember, two things registered with him. One, she'd warned him of someone who'd found a liking in him. Two, that someone was quickly at his side, to which he turned to look at the girl who looked so starkly similar to Shikiyoku.
He nodded his greeting once when she said his name, not surprised really that she'd learned of it. At her mention of the band, his eyes turned up to the rest of her crew for a moment before returning to the singer.
"Good dancing music," he replied after a moment, turning to glance at her once again before gesturing to the passing by bartender for a refill. *
Misaki couldn't help the grin that moved across her features, relieving her of the moment of horror when she realized that she hadn't actually heard anybody call him by name, and had no idea how she knew it.
Her eyes flickered over to Shikiyoku briefly, who gave her that same calm smile, "I noticed. I, uh, just wanted to make sure you liked the music as well. I've heard you're around quite a bit with your guild, and I wouldn't want you guys not to enjoy it."
As she spoke, a drink was set down by Shikiyoku's elbow and Shiki turned to glance at both it and the bartender who just looked amused and shrugged his shoulders. 3
Hiei didn't respond at first, his eyes turning back to the singer to look her up and down momentarily, thoughts circling behind those eyes. It only took him a nanosecond to realize her wording was not only intentional, but an inside look of how she viewed him. Add to that the very few glances to Shikiyoku, and he realized what was happening.
Without looking, Hiei's hand grabbed the drink from Shikiyoku and slid it further down the bar, that same hand grabbing his own drink and bringing it to his lips as he thought for a moment.
When he set the glass down again, he gave a slight nod of his head. "The guild will have no problem with it." His eyes found a few members of his guild in the crowd for a split moment, his head nodding in that direction to indicate their fun. *
While Misaki caught what he said, her face carried only the confusion there as she tried to consider what on earth she had just witnessed happening before her.
Shikiyoku gave a low chuckle, "It's a sort of...tradition among our kind. The giving of drinks. There is meaning to each of them, and if you agree to the terms, you consume the beverage to indicate as such."
Misaki opened her mouth to question what she just saw, but Shikiyoku answered before she could do so, turning to tease Hiei as she did so.
"Hiei does not wish me to dance with anyone else this evening, so he keeps stealing my drinks and giving them away and I haven't the faintest idea why he's being so mean." She looked back at Misaki. "If someone else drinks what is put before you, they have to instead fulfill the terms, so now some poor schmoe at the other end of the bar is going to end up stuck dancing my dance." 3
Hiei turned to his drink, acting as if he were ignoring the conversation at hand, but really he was listening rather intently. When she turned to tease him, he glanced at Shiki out of the corner of his eye, the edge crinkling as if he made a face at her.
He rested his glass in his lap, fingers still encircling the cool, condensing beverage. When he spoke, it was directly to Shikiyoku.
"It'll be interesting to watch."
(As I said, if you wanted them, you would tell me no.) *
Misaki seemed to think it all a novel idea, momentarily glancing around the rest of the bar and thinking that perhaps she caught a drink or two being delivered in such a manner to others.
"See what I mean?" Shikiyoku glanced over at Hiei, her eyes still softly glowing. "He's absolutely heartless."
(Or perhaps it's just that I am completely aware of the fact that there isn't a single being in this room that would make me look half as good as you do.) 3
Hiei tilted his head in one direction at Shikiyoku, for the moment forgetting the other who stood quietly nearby. He considered different responses to both conversations before turning and glancing around the bar himself, as if looking for ideas.
Finally, he turned to face her again with a gleam in his eye. (I'm heartless because you stole it.) *
Still aware of the conversation at hand, Misaki glanced back and forth between first Shikiyoku and then Hiei, a slightly wicked grin on her face as she finally rested her emerald green gaze on Hiei and with eyes glittering in her own right, added in a moment of surreal clarity, "That's because he lost his heart a long time ago."
She gave him a little nod, raising her glass as if to toast him, and turned away as the song ended to head back to the stage, with Shikiyoku watching her silently as she went. 3
Hiei had raised his glass to drink from it when he became aware of Misaki's gaze, but he didn't turn to look at her until after she was walking away, his brain taking a moment to register how she'd said the words he'd denied her to hear him say to Shikiyoku aloud.
He took another drink as she disappeared into the crowd, eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
He hadn't gotten the impression that she was a telepath. And anyway, the conversation he'd been having with Shikiyoku had been over the bond, only a complete enough thought to be interpreted.
He crinkled his nose at the direction she'd gone. Odd. *
Shikiyoku's face did not completely turn down into a frown, but her forehead wrinkled with the notion as she kept sight of the girl even as she climbed back up onto the stage and took her place for the next set.
Still facing the stage herself, leaning against the bar with her drink in her hand upon it, Shikiyoku continued to regard her curiously before murmuring to Hiei, "Very strange. Does she smell like anything to you? I've yet to pick up her scent." 3
The fire demon tore his eyes from the set and twisted around in his seat to face the bar, his other hand sliding away another drink that had at some point been set next to Shikiyoku again. When she did speak to him, he didn't at first answer, thinking back to the first time she'd sat in front of him at this very bar a while ago.
He frowned at his glass, though he covered the expression with the rim of said glass as he took another drink.
(Yeah. You.) *
(What? Really?) Shikiyoku's eyebrow shot up and she stole a glance at Hiei.
Lips twitching dangerously, she moved her head over and took an audible sniff of her own shoulder. (What do I smell like?) 3
Hiei glanced at Shikiyoku from the corner of his eyes, his expression reading really? At first, he simply stared at her as if she were a little odd, but after a moment he turned away. (You smell like you. I've yet to find something to compare.) *
Her smile briefly manifested before fading away.
(Until now.)
Shikiyoku continued attempting to analyze the girl from where she sat, momentarily considering the fact that one typically could not smell one's own scent.
A second thought occurred.
(What all have you picked up from them?) 3
Hiei snorted with dry humor. (You can't compare something to a clone of itself and get a different result. Same scent.) He took one last drink before setting the glass down and sliding it close to the edge of the bar to the bartender, who swept it up as he passed by with a glance to Hiei and Shiki.
At her question, Hiei's head lifted just a little bit from where he'd bowed over his arms in thought, his Jagan already having been searching the room.
(On initial screening, nothing. When pushed a little further, the girl…) He pursed his lips in thought, trying to figure out how to word what he was trying to say. (It's like reading the All Fire with the Jagan. Pure in essence but in another language. Gives me a headache.) He shrugged. (Thus far, I've not made my presence known telepathically to the rest.) *
(Her twin is human. The other pair of twins are half-breeds, which is strange in and of itself. I have come across only a handful since we've been here. I have felt nothing from them other than their desire to play music.)
Her eyes scanned over the other three. (I do not know what Hara is, but his blood is ours.)
She frowned again as she spied Kasimi watching the group intently from a chair, nodding her head to the music. (Have you tried her?) Shikiyoku sent the image of who she meant to him. 3
When inquired upon, the fire demon wasted no time in screening over Kasimi again, though this time he decided to do as he did with Misaki and dig a little deeper into the telepathy. At first, he was met with nothing, but after another second his nose crinkled and his brows furrowed, and he retreated rather quickly from the mind of the female sitting in the room.
(Foreign.) He considered for a moment before his telepathic attention turned to Misaki again, reading her in the same way he'd done to Kasimi, and realizing that there was a stark similarity to the essence of their thoughts.
When he retreated the second time, it was with a slight headache in his left temple. (Both are the same.) He didn't really know how to explain it, except that the two girls seemed to have minds that were the same in every essence of the word, except maybe of the words in the language that ran across their mind. Which was odd, because when he decided to scan the twins, who both were singing the same song at the same time within their minds, there was still a difference in their telepathic essence. *
When Shikiyoku felt a sort of strain occur next to her eye, she blinked and turned back to Hiei, all thoughts in regards to the enigma in her bar fluttered away as she reached into the bond between them to see what was happening to him and almost apologetically drawing closer until her leg touched his next to her.
(It doesn't matter.) I don't think. (I sense no malicious intent from them.) Even if I could not smell anything from the other girl either.
(Have another drink?) 3
Hiei decided that he was done reading minds for the night even before Shikiyoku shifted closer and the bond warmed with her presence. He glanced over at her initially before turning his body to face her entirely, staring with that neutral expression he usually wore.
(Only if you're the one sending it.)
Truth be told, he didn't know what to think on the two girls whose minds were completely the same. He'd never found such an anomaly before.
So he decided to give himself time to analyze it over a drink. *
(Mm. Is that so?) She considered him and his statement, even as she indicated the bartender fill her glass back up. (And what drink, exactly, is it that I should send to you?) 3
Hiei tilted his head at her briefly. (Anything you want, of course.) *
(Yes, but see, my question was what do you want?) She appeared to be sizing him up. 3
(That's a dangerous question.) Hiei blinked once at her as if bored. (But, if we were going by what I wanted, I would send you a drink. So your question is also pointless.) He gave her a brief smirk. (What do you want?) *
(Also a dangerous question, flame boy. In case you've forgotten.) Her eyes, still glowing after all this time, shimmered, and she slowly began drawing her energy back from the corners of the room, but at a trickle so that it would take some time to finish.
Her eyes flicked over to see one of the bartenders from down the other end of the bar approach them close enough so that he could slide a drink until it just reached Hiei before going about his own way again.
Shikiyoku's lips still only held that half-hidden smile. 3
Hiei would have responded if Shikiyoku hadn't glanced away, and he too glanced down the bar in time to see a drink slid his way and almost bump into his elbow. The little concoction, layered green over reddish-orange, was not one he'd seen mixed here before. Nor had he himself ever mixed it.
Sure, he could probably tell the contents to someone, but not the meaning.
Nor did he rightfully know that Shikiyoku had sent it. He suspected, what with the smile on her face when he turned to look at her with his glass in hand, but he didn't want to accept a foreign offer from someone else. That would be no fun.
(From you?) *
Shikiyoku raised and lowered a single shoulder.
(Yeah, it looks fairly familiar.) 3
A brow raised slightly at Shikiyoku before he held the glass up between them, as if gaging the possibility of it actually being sent by her. He sniffed once at the red-pink salt around the rim before his other hand pulled the glass stirring stick from the drink and pulled the cherry from it.
Deciding he trusted that she'd sent it, he not only downed the drink, but he also ate the cherry and licked the salts away before setting the glass down again. *
(Did you even enjoy that at all?) Shikiyoku wanted to know, watching with mild amusement. (Can you even tell me what it tastes like, or did you down it too fast?) 3
Hiei raised one eyebrow in slight amusement at her question as he licked away a piece of salt from his finger. (Of course I did.) He let his expression fall into a smug one as he immediately began naming everything that had been in the drink, beginning with the ice, continuing on with the ogre's blood, and ending with all of the spices that had been added to the mixture. When done, he leaned an elbow onto the countertop and curled that hand into a fist, where he rested his jaw calmly with an expression that said he was waiting on whatever she decided to do or say next. *
Shiki had not exactly expected him to throw back the entire glass in the manner that he did, and while for her, after what was just about her fourth glass, she felt her energy just now starting to glimmer uncontrollably over her skin, she couldn't imagine what he was feeling after having been drinking equally as much as she and adding on top of that what amounted to more than a triple shot of ogre's blood alone.
Shikiyoku mirrored his stance, with her elbow on the bartop and her chin resting gently atop her hand as she peered over it at him.
(That's all fine and good, my Consort, but you've left the most important part out. What does the drink mean?) 3
Hiei remained seated the way he was, the taste of the last drink still on his tongue, and part of him wishing he had more of the rock salt that had been around the rim.
He pushed the thought aside, his gaze locking on Shikiyoku's, and for a moment he didn't answer her.
Finally, the impression of a shrug pulsated over the bond in an I dunno implication, and he responded, (Whatever you want it to mean, I suppose.) *
Shikiyoku's grin finally gave way to a silent laugh as she felt his side of the bond begin to buzz what with the strength of the alcohol he just downed on top of the other glasses he had.
(I think perhaps that's enough for you for tonight.) 3
Hiei let his chin shift until his cheek rested a little heavier on his fingers, his eyes sparking once as if some thought crossed his mind that he wouldn't say. (If you say so.) *
(I mean, you're welcome to have more if you want. It was merely a suggestion.) Shikiyoku watched him with thinly veiled amusement in her eyes. (How did you like that ogre's blood by the way? It's from the first shipment we've been able to get ahold of.) 3
(What have you named that drink, by the way?) He asked before answering anything else she said. (I didn't really plan to drink more than the glasses I'd ordered, but that last one was nice. It'll be a top seller I'm sure. Granted, depending on the meaning, it may become a favorite to some.) His eyes twinkled at her. *
(I haven't named it anything.) Shikiyoku admitted. (We simply have not served it here because we have not had the ingredients until now. It is not exactly one Kafu sells a lot of, but I thought you might like it.) 3
(Is that so?) Hiei finally shifted, this time moving to lean the other way, against the back of his chair. His eyes momentarily lifted to see the band and the crowd surrounding the people playing music, and for that moment he let himself be distracted.
(They'll be a good addition I think.) *
(I most certainly agree.) Shikiyoku watched him affectionately, aware of her energy still coming in from all corners of the room and only sitting and enjoying the relatively peaceful moment, even if the state of the strange newcomers danced back and forth down in the bottom of her mind. 3
Several thoughts swirled in Hiei's mind as he watched the band, his chin finding his arm after a moment and his eyelids closing to enjoy the feel and sound of the bass. He let the thoughts go wherever they wanted, bouncing from the members of the band to his day with the guild to-
(I'm going to make revisions on your ring, by the way.) The bond gave a little quiver with his own excitement of the prospect, but he was able to keep from letting his image of the revisions find her side of things. (I have to get a few things first though.) *
(Oh?) Shikiyoku let that hand rest on the counter so she could admire the ring about which he spoke. (How could you possibly revise perfection, Gouka?) 3
(You haven't seen perfection yet, my Jewel.) His response was quick, and if he'd said it aloud, he likely would have stumbled over the words in his haste to correct her. (When I'm done with it this time, it will be perfection.) *
(My only disappointment is that I will not get to wear it in the meantime.) She smiled at him, shaking her head slightly at the term of endearment he used. (I am anxious to see how in the nine levels you'll manage to perfect perfection itself. It's very beautiful.) 3
(It won't take long to redo it. If you want, you can watch.) He turned to look at her again, though his cheek never left the crook of his arm. (If you want to, that is.) *
(Won't the secret be ruined if I'm standing over your shoulder while you do it?) Shikiyoku teased. (Are you certain I would not make you nervous?) 3
(Quite the opposite.) Hiei gave a small smile at her. (Your presence helps me to think.) He drummed his fingers against the back of the chair, as if itching to get his hands on a jewel at that very moment. (I enjoy it when you're involved in my jewelcrafting.) *
(Oh? Is that why you asked me to show off your work? I thought it might have been the case.)
Another drink, just like the others, appeared at her elbow and she very deliberately took another drink from the glass in her hand as she eyed it. 3
(It's the first thing I can share with you that doesn't require running the levels all the time. That gets tiring. This doesn't.) He eyed the glass that was set near her, and for the first time this evening, he didn't immediately move to slide it away from her.
(It's similar to you letting me take part in the bar.) *
Shikiyoku left the new drink right where it came to rest next to her. (I mean, I could go with you and the guild. But I get the distinct feeling I would just be in the way. Your assistance in the bar is actually helpful. I appreciate it.) 3
Hiei made a face. (It wouldn't be fun, chasing the people we chase. I like having you involved in the things that are fun for both of us.) He wiggled his nose a little. (I enjoy the guild, but some of the clients are… irritating.) His expression smoothed out and he blinked once at her. (I have good men in my guild.) He paused. (They really like you too. Call the bar their home.) *
Shikiyoku refrained from commenting on things that would be fun for both of them, finding that of late such dialogue would likely get her into trouble she wasn't completely sure she could manage to escape from and felt unwilling to risk.
(Luckily, you get to have your pick of clients, dear guild leader.) The bond between them simmered with Shikiyoku's pleased response to hearing such things about her and the guild. (I am glad to hear it. And that they know they are most welcome any time.) 3
Hiei shrugged a shoulder. (Sometimes, the guild needs those frustrating clients to let off steam. Those are fun.) He took a sweeping glance around the room. (When you're done drawing in your energy, let's go dance? Or to bed. Either is fine with me.) *
A second drink joined the other that had been put down and Shikiyoku turned to get the bartender a look.
He shrugged and was obviously trying not to laugh at her.
"Your fault for stepping it out there, woman. So many people here that you're probably going to be getting those for a long while."
(I think I should probably not dance, fire prince. Not unless we want the bartenders delivering more of these drinks to us after we retire upstairs.) For the most part, Shikiyoku had retrieved all that which had been spread throughout the bar, the little of which wafted around her now doing so out of the excess of drink and not because she did so intentionally. 3
Hiei didn't necessarily take note of the second drink joining the first, his eyes too busy circling the room to see the slight change in her proximity when he did finally turn to peer at her again. He considered countering with something along the lines of allowing no other to dance with her once out there, but he decided that the idea of a comfy bed was likely a better one.
Especially since he and the guild had been out a few days and slept very little during that time.
(I'm ready when you are.) *
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!