Yu Yu Hakusho: An Alternate Reality

by Last of the Star Makers

What if Shinobu Sensui had one more bad guy? And what if Kurama's classmate got caught up in the whole saving the world mess? Starting in the midst of the Chapter Black Saga, Episode 73 of the anime, join CrisicMelody and Star's on-going roleplay full of action, adventure, and a little romance along the way. There's probably gonna be fun too. We think so. AU. OC/Kurama, OC/Hiei.

166. Episode 250

He didn't not like her kissing him again.

If anything, his liking it caused the little blips of energy that fired off intermittently around him, and if he thought for a moment that he wouldn't burn her, or maybe even disrupt the progress that her energy so obviously had made from the day's events, he would have grabbed her and kissed her again.

As it was, he only let himself turn his head a tick in her direction so that maybe he could look her over.

He could make out some of the dark lines of the fox on her neck and shoulder, and when he saw no immediate sign of actual irritation around it other than the fading pinkness of warmth against it, a bit of relief sighed through him.

He'd been afraid that he'd actually make things harder for her.

He turned his head until his cheek pressed to hers. "I want to kiss you again," he mumbled, the bond resonating with his begrudging honesty and frustration about it, "but I don't want to irritate the mark." *

She was pretty certain that wasn't a question.

Much less the one she hadn't answered.

She hummed thoughtfully against his skin again after affectionately nudging him when he pressed his cheek to hers and then turning to plant another kiss, and the bond similarly simmered with a thoughtfulness.

Pulling away at last to sit back on her feet in front of him again, she leaned towards his face with a purpose glittering in her green eyes, almost completely awash with the yellow of her energy and holding not an iota of the fear he had of making things worse for her.

Your fear would mean less of your hands on my person, and I find that notion unacceptable.

However...

"You could always just sit on your hands, Ka-chan." Her lips were twitching as she struggled not to laugh at him, the humor of her suggestion dancing across her features. 3

Hiei's eyes narrowed at her, watching the amusement bloom across her features and seem to accentuate the already glittering-golden energy in her eyes with that extra gleam.

He couldn't decide if he liked that idea or if he hated it.

Think I won't?

In either case, he almost felt it to be a sort of challenge and, being the way that he was, he let go of his ankles and lifted a hand to scratch at his nose before sliding his hands underneath himself.

He leveled a stare onto her for a moment and he considered her, musing over the name she'd called him and realizing it was similar to how she'd called Kurama 'Yo-chan' before.

He battled himself a little; Did he ask her its meaning, or simply lean over and kiss her like he so wanted?

After a beat of hesitation, he decided he could ask her later, and he leaned over her and pressed his lips to hers. Much better. *

She waited to see what he would do, hands in her own lap and honestly not thinking he would do it, even if she hoped he might.

She would have laughed at him when he did if he hadn't also begun staring at her and she only watched him, eyebrows raising slightly as if to say 'that's all?'

The energy around them, faintly glimmering and nowhere near the force of presence it had been a few nights ago, shifted pleasantly against them when he came to kiss her, and without thinking about it, Shiki lifted her hands up to his neck, thumbs in front of his ears briefly before the both of them slid down just under his collar again.

Her amusement with him peppered the enjoyment of his kiss in the bond. (Are you really so worried about hurting me?) 3

Hiei realized very quickly how much he would struggle to keep his hands under himself when, as Shikiyoku's hands found his neck, he almost reached out to pull her closer to himself and he had to firmly tell himself no.

He didn't stay at her lips too long, instead moving and kissing the edges of them and then one cheek, followed by the other in a sort of mimic of her earlier light kisses.

At her question, his thoughtfulness hummed within the bond. (...I was worried about burning you, but so far that hasn't seemed to be a problem,) he admitted, remembering how she hadn't even really remembered being burned the last time either. (What currently worries me is my energy encouraging the toxicity of Kurama's in your system.)

He found her lips again. *

(I mean, you did burn me.)

At his reminding her of it, the pain at her thigh did throb a little more insistently, but in the midst of the shimmers of energy Hiei sent across her features, Shikiyoku paid it little mind for now.

Not to mention the fact that the burn being approximately the size of his hand was very satisfying to her as if the thought that he'd been touching her at all was more than enough to dismiss any minor injury he might have caused.

Shiki leaned farther towards him, even if unaware of how he wanted to hold her, but she genuinely tightened her fingers against him for a moment as she struggled this time to keep them there.

(On that particular subject may I remind you, however, that you know of at least one fireproof outfit in my possession. Does that mean anything to you?) 3

Hiei broke just far enough away from the kiss so he could look at her face, studying her for a brief moment and considering her mention of 'at least one' fireproof outfit.

Oh. Right. I'm not the only fire demon she has known in her lifetime.

"Do any of them have this style shirt?" he asked her after a moment, his left hand coming up to brush a finger between her shoulder and the shirt-strap that sat on it, no longer as worried as he had been about his energy as he felt it had calmed again. *

She watched him move to touch her with a mild sort of expression as her hands came back to her lap again.

"I have at least one that's off-the-shoulder. What makes you ask?" 3

He lowered the strap back to her shoulder again, his still-slightly-warmed finger carefully avoiding the mark on that side of her neck and shoulder as he met her gaze again.

"Well, two reasons. One being that it would defeat the purpose of having a mark from Kurama if it goes unseen. Second…"

He almost smiled as he shrugged one of his shoulders. *

"Ah." Her energy swirled more fiercely once in her eyes as she lifted them from his hand to his face, lips still fighting a smile. "Well. First of all, none of the clothing to which I refer would actually fit currently. And second of all-" The energy around the air glittered in a minute sort of twisting motion, "-it's quite possible we've moved away from the significance of my having those clothes to your being more interested in protection from fire...?" 3

"Possible, yes," he replied with a nod of his head this way and that. "But, I had asked for that specific style because it suits you." He leaned a little away to survey the flowy green top she wore, finding that it reminded him of a few dresses he had looked at back when he'd planned their date together and quite liking that, just like the dress he'd chosen for her then, he was able to see more of her.

Not to mention the fact that the color matched her eyes too, which he turned his head back up to look at again.

He opened his mouth to remark something about him also having fire-proof clothing, mostly to see how she would react, but he just as quickly decided that, (I like this outfit as much as the ones that would fit you in this form anyway.) *

Shikiyoku's eyes narrowed a little as she scrutinized his features, the bond once more ruminating with her thoughtfulness as her lips flattened out into a thin line. 3

He raised a brow at her as he watched her expression change, curious to see what she had to say of his commentary.

When she did not immediately have any sort of reply other than the narrowing of her eyes, he continued.

(As it is, the black of those particular outfits are… suitable, but not so…) He again tilted his head this way and that as he looked for the word he wanted, (...appealing… as the green you currently have on.) *

While initially she wasn't sure whether she wanted to kiss him or smack him, her expression didn't change as he elaborated.

Who are you and what have you done with my Hiei?

She leaned a little closer to him as for once she leveled her own stare on him.

Not so appealing? I think you'd find you might like your clothes on me much more than you think you would.

"If you want me to wear your clothing so badly, flame boy...all you have to do is ask." 3

The golden energy glimmering at him from her eyes was tempting, he realized, as for a moment the thought of opening himself up to it just as he had a few nights ago tickled at his awareness.

"Mm, I'll remember that," he told her after a few beats of staring. *

"You should." She replied. "Though I have to say I do remember your shirt in particular being quite comfortable the other morning. So you'll certainly get no protest from me if you do decide to make that request."

She almost made a comment about dumping water on him again to get him to take his off, but as it was, she was also aware she might be treading on dangerous enough ground with him looking at her like that.

But she hadn't exactly backed down. 3

The bond wavered between them, tickled with his amusement and his quietly mulling over thoughts for a brief moment before he came to some sort of decision and only shook his head to himself.

Because again, giving her his shirt would cover the very marking she was meant to be showing as many demons as possible.

"I have plenty of them, and sharing with you has not been a problem in the past."

In fact, sharing with her often made things more fun for him, more meaningful. *

She appeared to arrive at a decision, gold still glittering in her gaze.

"Alright. I'll make you a deal."

"Tsun's been waiting. As have the others." (We should probably head downstairs.) "When we come back up later, I'll take your shirt and wear it in place of this one." 3

Hiei's brow twitched and his lips tilted up at one side, and his end of the bond warmed with the sentiment of 'I love you' and 'you are also my favorite'.

"You have a deal," he told her just before leaning over to kiss her briefly one more time, pulling away almost as quickly so he would not be tempted to delay their appearance in the bar any longer.

He slid from the bed and held his hand out to her - not because he feared she couldn't stand, but because he genuinely wanted to hold hers in his own. *

The energy around them had dissipated somewhat, though his kiss made it shiver in the air one more time as he set another blush going across her features and she looked down at the bed instead of at him while he got up.

She shifted her feet out from under her and scooted over, grasping Hiei's hand when he offered it as she let her legs hang down the side of the bed, brows drawing together a little as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and scooted forward some more, tentatively trying out her balance as she rose and definitely using Hiei's offer as an anchor whether he meant it to be one or not.

Managing to stand, she took her hand back to reach up and shift her hair around again with the tiniest sort of sigh that likely spoke more to the trouble she'd felt the mark had cause than its immediate benefit had so far been as she gathered and smoothed the dark tresses together over her left shoulder and redid the tie that had been around it before so the ponytail hung low over her shoulder again and down past her waist like usual.

She didn't seem to care about the missing shoes, much less make as if to reach for them, but she did appear to shake herself a little and withdraw what was left of her energy from the air.

When finished, she looked at Hiei and gave him a small smile as if to say she was ready, reaching over and smoothing her hands across his shoulders and fixing his collar back and otherwise similarly straightening out his clothing. 3

Hiei watched Shikiyoku's muscles as she worked her way off of the bed, only slightly worried about her legs and genuinely curious if her energy had indeed chased away the numbness and toxicity from Kurama's marking her.

Even as she adjusted her hair, he watched, though his earlier seriousness didn't quite make it onto his features. His eyes followed the little movements her hair made, remembering how short it had been when she'd come to find him on the Ninth and finding himself glad to see that it was finally close to the length it had been before that ordeal.

He was a touch disappointed that she pulled her energy back to herself, the glitters fading from the room altogether until finally leaving her eyes.

He would most definitely endeavor to make sure it remained active in her system, even if neither of them wanted it to be floating about the room as she worked.

He continued to watch her as she stepped closer and took to 'fixing' his shirt and, not for the first time, he remembered that she hadn't resumed the tracing of his mark on his arm earlier.

He was glad to see her reaching out to him here, even if it was to straighten him out.

"How do you feel?" He asked her as she adjusted his shirt here and there. *

Shikiyoku paused for a breath at the question, gaze turning inward to assess something when she wasn't honestly certain she knew what she was looking for.

Granted, she found it, that is, the strange foreignness of the energy at the marking on her right, hovering nebulously around her exposed neck and shoulders and chest, even stretching what was certainly intentionally tantalizing on the fox's part just below the line of this particular blouse.

The breath puff out of her lips a little as she finished putting back together what she'd certainly had a part in mussing up, "I'll just be glad if this works." 3

Hiei nodded, his eyes still glued to her features as if he might catch something else there, and after a few moments of seeing nothing more than what he could only guess to be her looking forward to all of it being over, he raised his hand in offer between them again.

"Well, I'll be beside you in any case." *

"That's because you're the best." She had dropped her hands to clasp them together behind her back, and almost leaned forward to kiss his cheek until she saw the hand.

While she initially lifted one of her own again, she didn't quite make it to his, pausing.

(...you don't have to, you know.) 3

Hiei almost smiled, if not for the pause of her hand and her turning to the bond. His confusion almost became visible on his features, but it hardly even had time to bubble in the bond before the faint impression of 'oh, right' hummed over it instead.

He was going to have to learn how to balance himself with talking aloud and in the bond with her, since he knew she wouldn't enjoy not hearing his voice.

(Will you hold my hand for a little longer, my Beloved? Not because you have to, but because you want to?) *

(I would hold your hand any time you wanted me to, Ka-chan. And for as long as you like.)

She met his palm with her own and curled her fingers around his hand, faintly smiling up at him. 3

The warmth and familiarity that accompanied her calling him 'Ka-chan' permeated the bond between them, telling him not just that the 'Ka' came from the end of 'Gouka', but that the honorific attached to it embodied all of the familiarity and closeness between them that he hadn't genuinely known she'd felt, especially not to the depth that such a nickname spoke of.

He twined his fingers through hers and lifted her hand, at first wanting to kiss her palm, but instead finding it easier to kiss the back of it.

(If you held my hand as long as I liked, we would both find it much harder to get things done,) he teased as he lowered their joined hands and took a half-step back to allow her the path to the door. *

Her eyes sparkled with delight at the admission, her grin becoming hidden when she gave in and stretched up to kiss his cheek before retreating and moving for her door, pulling him along behind her.

As she moved down the stairs, she considered their hands for a moment.

(Hm. I dunno. I've still got one. I think we could make it work.) 3

(I said it would be 'harder', not impossible.)

He followed along behind her down the stairs and into the bar, a slight smile aimed at the back of her head as he decided that if she meant it, he'd hold her hand until he absolutely had to let go.

(Working behind the bar would be fun this way too,) he told her as they crossed the room. *

A rather loud thud followed by a heated curse and Shiki was telling Hiei in the bond it'd have to wait as she let go of him and let the sensation of the intention that she was about to be tackled trickle briefly between them, the distinct desire attached to Tsundora, and it was in fact the ice wolf who had practically launched himself across the room the moment they'd come out their apartment door.

He came at her in wolf form, darting between and sometimes shouldering patrons out of the way, and Shikiyoku managed to brace herself when he practically collided with her, front paws on her shoulders as he leaned his large head down to lick frantically at her face, his breath chilling the air with light frost as he continued making various sounds.

"-and I was so scared because it was the last thing I'd ever said to you- -if I killed you I never would have- -and I'm so sorry and-" He whined his conversation at her, his tag wagging frantically, if especially low between his back legs and leaving Shikiyoku trying to turn her head and murmur reassurances at him, her hands finding the deep fur of his shoulders and burying into them amidst the natural rime that flaked the tips of it.

"Tsun, Tsun, I'm fine. Tsun, it's okay." She felt his sides expand like he might take a breath. "C'mon. You're okay."

The image shifted and he threw his arms around her and buried his face in her left shoulder, her dark hair a stark contrast to the white fur he always wore around his shoulders as he started saying all the things he'd said before aloud into the crook of her neck. 3

Shikiyoku's warning by way of letting him sense the desire along with her was enough to give him the split second he needed to step out of the way, knowing that she would not mind this particular demon tackling her and that even if she did, he likely wouldn't have been much help anyway.

So, after a brief glance of fondness at the two, Hiei turned and continued making his way to the table, taking the path through the crowd that the wolf had carved for him.

As he grew closer to the table and the rest of his guild, his hand took hold of the back of his usual chair and instead of pulling it back to sit like he normally would, he dragged it around the table and set it next to Chisai and the empty chair that belonged to the wolf across the room.

"Changing places today, Boss?" Gai grinned around Chisai at him, both moving their chairs slightly further down the way.

"Change is good every once in a while, Ikigai," he replied as his eyes caught sight of the curse-grumbling weapons master just as the other plopped down in his chair. After hearing him grumble something about 'just doing what he asked me to do', Hiei stared at Tarou until the other finally looked up. "Sorry for being gone so long."

"What're you apologizin' to me for, boss? He's the one who whined the whole time." Tarou jerked his head in Tsun's direction. "Was fun until he shifted," he grumbled. *

Accepting his apology and smoothing her hand up and down his back, Tsundora eventually calmed in Shikiyoku's embrace, breathing in her sweet scent and the wetness to her neck eventually coming to dry as he planted several kisses to her neck and cheek before scooping her up in his arms so that her right side was facing outward and turning to head back towards the table, nuzzling at her face and continuing to kiss at her intermittently.

She tossed her apron at one of the bartenders before she got too bar, and the worker caught it mid-air and hung it up.

"Mother, has anyone ever told you it's like hitting a brick wall?" He asked her curiously as he moved back for the table, tail swaying more calmly behind him.

She blinked at him as his icy gaze found hers and he found his seat, arms wrapped around her in his lap and hers still about his neck.

"What?"

"You. It was like slamming into a brick wall. You didn't even budge."

"I knew you were coming, Tsun."

"Yeah, but, that's a lot of wolf." Tarou jumped in, his own eyebrow raised as he lifted his tankard. He would know. Damn fool knocked him off like it was nothing. 3

Hiei finally lowered himself to sit in his chair as Gai and Chisai settled into their own, having created enough room that Tsundora could sit himself into his own chair with Shikiyoku in his lap just as Hiei expected.

"Here you go, Tarou I-" Akari blinked at the table as she rejoined from her trip to the bar, Tarou's requested drink half-lowered to the demon suddenly in his own seat as she registered Hiei and Shikiyoku's rejoining them. "Hey, good to see you guys again," she said with a smile in their direction, her hand continuing its path until she set a fresh tankard in front of Tarou before turning and setting her own drink down, then she turned and situated herself on the armrest of his chair, too lazy to go find another in the bar after his reclaiming his own seat.

"Hey, Hiei?"

The fire demon turned and met Gai's gaze, knowing in an instant that the other wanted to talk about his sword. He only nodded at his guild member, "Will you be here in the morning?"

"Yeah, Airi has work."

"Good. We'll talk about it then." *

"How strong are you, Mum?" Raion's eyes were flashing at her.

Shikiyoku had one of her arms resting on top of Tsun's shoulder, hand buried in his hair and her fingers scratching steadily at the base of his dark, furry wolf ear, which had by this time relaxed to the side under her touch.

"Strong enough to know not to answer that question, kitty-cat." She almost purred at him.

"I bet she could throw Tarou." Raiton said thoughtfully.

"I'd let her throw me."

"Well, you'd have to try and resist." Raion told him.

"Why?"

"Because we're testing how strong she is."

"So?" 3

Akari reached for her glass of water and settled back against the edge of Tarou's chair, a hand slipping away from Akihiko, who tucked his hand briefly into his jacket pocket before saying something to her about 'I told you to keep it'.

She only shrugged and smiled at him before turning back to the conversation happening around her. "I dunno, a deadweight Tarou would be a pretty hefty lift," she rejoined. "He could just enjoy the throw without any real effort. That would be hilarious to watch."

"Maybe we could sell tickets to it. Like an event," Ikigai mused, appearing serious.

Akari nodded, "I bet anyone in this bar would pay to see it, myself included."

"Is there a drink for that? Can one be sent for that?"

Akari noticed Hiei turning from Shikiyoku to Ikigai. "I imagine we could makeone, if you could get her to accept it." She didn't miss his turning to look at the woman in question again, or that his expression was not one of questioning. *

"There is most definitely a drink you could send in regards to lifting dead weight." Shikiyoku replied, absently looking up at Tsun's ears, both of which were just about as slouchy as the wolf himself, hardly able to keep from slipping out of his chair. "It does not, however, have the meaning you all are desiring."

She didn't look out at the rest of them, but a particular sort of smile had settled on her lips even as Tsun shifted back up in his chair a little and squeezed his arms around her for a moment before starting to respond to her attentions by shifting a hand back and forth over her leg, though he didn't really seem to otherwise notice much of anything else going on.

Across the table, Tarou squinted at her suspiciously, knowing that he'd never gotten such a drink in any case.

"Oh, you'd recognize it if you saw, big guy. Trust me." 3

Akihiko took a glance around the table. "Only two people at this table have gotten it, if I remember correctly." He sipped at his drink as he watched the eyes travel around the group as if they might know on sight who the 'lucky one' might have been. He lowered his drink just far enough to continue, "and I'm certain neither of them accepted."

"You know the drinks like you're one of the bartenders, Aki," Tarou pointed out.

"It's because I pay attention."

Hiei glanced at Shikiyoku again as the table continued to converse, and after a beat, he realized he felt watched, and he looked away in time to realize Akari had been the one watching.

"Was it you, then, Akihiko?" Chisai asked.

The other didn't respond. *

"I'm surprised you have any idea what it means if you've never seen what happened when anyone accepted." Shikiyoku stopped and turned to raise an eyebrow at the Second.

Blinking, Tsundora dipped his face down and nudged at Shikiyoku's cheek before planting a kiss at her forehead when she turned back to look at him.

"I don't get half of those dumb drinks." Chisai grumbled to himself, reaching for his own to hide his frown.

"That's because you never drink any." Raion told him with a half-smile.

"Because I don't know what they mean!"

"Not the adventurous type, are you?" Raiton grinned.

"Oh, like you'll drink anything that's put in front of you."

"Have you seen me not?"

Chisai huffed. 3

Akihiko only winked at her over the rim of his glass.

"Wait, if not Aki, then who? Have I gotten one and not known it?" Tarou asked, his glass half-raised to his lips.

"I doubt it, since you don't even know what it looks like."

"Neither do you, Raiton!"

"I never claimed otherwise."

Hiei, still half in his own little world from before his and Shikiyoku's rejoining the bar, found himself glancing down briefly at his hand, not holding Shiki's, and after a moment of acknowledging that he didn't want to disturb her while she comforted Tsun - something they both needed, he knew - he reached out and just brushed his hand against her back. *

Tsun had pulled Shikiyoku away from the conversation still happening around the rest of the table, the two of them murmuring back on forth on their own subject as Tsun came to rest his forehead against hers and close his eyes, Shikiyoku slowly switching between massaging her fingers against his scalp and his ear.

She only blinked when something most like a contented sigh gently feathered across her awareness and when she realized it wasn't her own exact feelings, her bond with Hiei expressed more clearly this patient sort of satisfaction as she lent her attention to it, soon after feeling his hand against her in a gesture she would have strongly asserted he'd never done until that moment.

His touch spread shimmers across her skin, sending a shiver up to her neck even though he had not made contact with her skin, and she shifted in place as her scalp prickled pleasantly with her energy, releasing the barest scent from her hair that had Tsun unknowingly nudging at her again before letting out this little sigh.

She almost echoed him for reasons entirely unrelated to the wolf if he hadn't brought her back to the present, and in any case she wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him. 3

He hadn't realized he'd enjoyed simply being in contact with her until more recently, and as his swirl-marked arm remained extended just a bit so he could keep his hand at her back, Hiei realized that he had been wanting it since she'd let his hand go to catch Tsundora.

He rubbed his hand in a gentle little circle against her back, the motion more indicative of his idle mind than anything else.

It wasn't until he let out a little breath that he realized the sigh was not really and truly his own, but instead belonging to Shikiyoku, warming the bond between them with a pleasant satisfaction that mirrored his own in that moment.

His hand stilled against her back, but he did not retract his hand.

"Well I think he's full of crap," Tarou grumbled, "and just doing that thing he does to get us all riled up."

"Akihiko? No." Ikigai grinned, completely contradicting the mock surprise. "He wouldn't dare." *

"It's your fault for being so easily taken in, Tarou." Tsundora's gaze glittered at the other.

"If he didn't, it wouldn't be half as fun." Raion added.

"Yeah! I'm the only one who's any fun around here, cat, and don't you forget it!"

Shikiyoku's head tilted a little, looking as though she had rejoined the conversation, but only acutely aware Hiei hadn't retreated from her.

(Hiei...? Are you okay?) 3

"Your particular brand of fun isn't always the best for crowds," Akihiko jabbed, almost smiling to himself as he took another drink.

"My party tricks are the best party tricks, I'll have you know."

"Oh yeah?" Akari bounced her foot. "I'd say I didn't see you as a partier, but that would be a lie. Any tricks you want to-"

"No." Raion cut in with a groan.

"Last time he tried one of his 'party tricks', someone almost lost their head," Chisai mumbled.

"He should have been lookin'!"

Hiei's eyes bounced around from person to person as the conversation went on, listening but not truly hearing what they were saying as the bond alerted him to Shikiyoku's attention.

He almost turned to look at her.

(I'm fine,) he responded, the impression of a reassuring smile just touching the bond. (I just wanted the contact with you.) *

(O-oh.) The admission warmed her cheeks. (I-I thought you needed something.)

"Your party tricks always involve sharp objects." Raiton told Tarou.

"Duh."

"I'll never understand that." Ikigai admitted. "Couldn't you use something safer, like-"

"Oh, like you're one to talk, metal-boy." Tarou's tone was completely off-set by his grin in the other's direction. 3

"Yes, but his party tricks never end in injury," Chisai defended.

"Mine don't… usually."

Akari snickered. "Usually?"

"Hey, if people dare to be around a guy juggling longswords, it's their fault for getting hit with a few."

"Ooooh?"

Hiei almost shrugged at Shikiyoku, though his answer of 'I did … you' seemed to be hinted briefly in the bond before Tarou's turning to him pulled his attention away. "What do you want me to do about it, Tarou?"

"Tell 'em about that one time that-"

"That also ended in injury, if you recall."

"Yeah, but only self injury!" *

Hiei's answer was met with confusion even as the two of them seemed to finally hear at least something of what was going on around them.

Me?

"Contrary to popular belief, hotshot, we also care about you being injured too." Raiton lifted his drink to his lips.

"Well yah coulda fooled me!"

"That's because you get hurt so often." Chisai piped up. "It's hard to get excited about something that happens all the time." 3

Ikigai sat up straighter in his chair. "If you want, we could practice some jugging stuff later! Not here, of course, and when we're sober, but I've done a lot of sword juggling in my time."

"Really?" Akari called.

He nodded. "It used to be something I did to entertain guests back home. My mom loved it." He smiled wistfully. "Though, I can't say I ever juggled anything as big as Tarou's zanbato."

"Well, I have plenty of 'em if ya wanna try it, kiddo!"

"Make sure he comes back in one piece," Akihiko added, though who he addressed was unclear, as he looked at neither party. "I'll have your head myself."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Dad. He's in good hands with me!" Tarou grinned.

"I can blunt them in an instant if I need to," Gai added with a shrug.

"It'll be a workout!" *

"Why do I get the distinct feeling this will end poorly." Tsundora remarked.

"Nah, not if Gai's got his back. He'll make sure he only gets hurt a little." Raion grinned over his glass before taking a sip.

Gai nodded, similarly smiling.

"I mean, no pain, no gain." Tarou threw back a larger swig of his own. "But I can't say I wouldn't take you up on that, Gai. If I thought you meant it."

Shikiyoku shifted around in Tsun's arms and the other relaxed his hold on her so she could slip away, though he kept a hold of her wrist for a moment to tug her back and she let him kiss her cheek before she left his immediate vicinity, moving for the bar to get a drink of her own.

If Hiei was going to keep doing that, she definitely needed something, otherwise she wasn't going to be able to stand it much longer. 3

Ikigai shrugged. "The offer is there anytime you want to take it," he replied with a smile. "Airi's enjoyed the juggling, and she's a natural at it - though, she prefers the little foam-filled balls."

"Hackey sacks," Akari provided.

"Yeah, those."

"There's even some juggling scarves too," she added, and he only grinned at her.

Hiei's hand slipped away and to his lap just before Shikiyoku moved away from Tsun, and for a moment he glanced around for a drink that he realized he hadn't ordered yet.

He thought about getting his own, or even asking Shiki to grab one for him, but the sudden excitement from Ikigai as he turned to look at Hiei almost startled the guild leader. "Hey, Boss! Have you tried juggling swords?"

"No." *

"Really?"

"Does he look like he would juggle swords, dimwit?" Raion interjected.

"I mean..." Tarou turned to look Hiei up and down, "Does Gai?"

"...point."

"I mean at least Gai looks like...what are they called...those people at that one place..." Raiton glanced up at the ceiling like he could recall what he meant.

"Descriptive." Chisai told him.

"You know what I mean. With the stupid rides and those silly games..." 3

Akari tuned out of the conversation long enough to see Hiei watching Shikiyoku leave, and she too glanced over at the woman who walked toward the bar before she turned back to the table.

"Discreet, Hiei."

He met her gaze with a frown, but did not reply before she turned away to catch Raiton's words about 'stupid rides and silly games'.

"Uh, carnival, maybe?" she intoned.

"Or a fair," Akihiko added. *

~!**!~

Shikiyoku didn't exactly hear the somewhat lumbering demon come up behind her where she stood at the bar talking with the workers and waiting on her order, but she knew Tarou meant to stand surrounding her, as he went to lean over her and rest an arm on the bar next to where she had her elbow already on it holding her cheek.

Tilting her chin up until she could see the bottom of his jaw hovering over her, he amiably ordered something himself. When he finished, he looked down and caught her watching him with a grin and he returned it, his other arm coming down from where it had signaled the tender and almost resting on top of her shoulder from his height over her as he slouched forward a bit and caged her with his arms.

"Have I told you you look gorgeous today, Mom?" Tarou shifted down and smooched her right cheek, noticing with a certain amount of satisfaction how she met his affection readily as always, and when her own arms came down to rest over one another on the counter as she shifted in place, the right hand found his left arm and lay there.

He had asked earlier if that mark on her was real. He knew what it meant on some level, though he couldn't have said how.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, big guy." She told him as she settled quite comfortably in his presence, patting his arm twice where her hand was.

"Well-" His arm lifted out from underneath hers and he ran his hand down her left side, over her waist and hip and thigh, "In that case, gorgeous, you're-"

When she hissed in a small breath of discomfort between her teeth, he retreated, hand lifting, and glanced with concern where she'd flinched, seeing beneath where his fingers hovered away from her skin a hand print he knew he hadn't seen on those rather fine legs before Hiei carried her upstairs.

"Mm, things gettin' hot and heavy with the bossman there, huh, little lady?" He teased, guessing at the size and subsequently, the source. Not to mention the angle at which said handprint happened to be. That spoke volumes in and of itself.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh." As he peered down at her, he planted a kiss to the tip of a newly pinkish ear, not moving far from it before murmuring, "Call me crazy, but a move like what he pulled earlier would have set anyone off. I wondered what was taking you two so long."

Shikiyoku stiffened.

"So, I for one am not surprised to see a little-" He was lightly tracing the tip of a finger around the outside of the burn, "-glory mark. He seems like a scorcher, that one. And you'd be just the type to ignite a stoic punk like him. How was it?"

She huffed out a tiny breath as she nodded to the bartender and grabbed the drinks he slid her way, "I wouldn't know, big guy." She said truthfully, "He's never wanted 'it' from me."

And she had slipped out underneath his arm before he could stop her, leaving him staring after her as she threaded her way back through the crowd.

His eyes flicked heavenward with a bit of exasperation at her assertion, at her or at his boss he wasn't sure, nodding thanks to the bartender when his own drink appeared near his hand.

"Clueless." He grumbled to himself as he moved for the guild's table again, "Or maybe he's broken."

Either way, if Akari was taking it upon herself to coach the little bastard, she likely had her work cut out for her.

Tarou had never seen Hiei look at anyone the way he looked at Ma, though. Little jerk couldn't take his eyes off of her when she was around, no matter what the rest of the guild might think as to their leader's orientation. If anyone had a chance of lighting that particular fire, it was her.

He grinned.

And he was sure if anyone had a chance of convincing her of that, it was him. 3

"Yeah, carnival," Raiton responded with a nod. "He looks like one of those-"

"I've never been to a carnival," Gai frowned. "Airi says they're fun and she wants to go but she also says the festival season is coming up."

Akari nodded her head this way and that. "I think so. I've never been to a festival or a carnival, but I know the humans have, like, seasons for them? I know there's a summer festival, and carnivals happen during the fall I think. It should be coming up pretty soon."

"You've been with the humans a while, haven't you?" Gai asked with genuine interest.

"Mmm… I want to say longer than I've spent on the other levels, but I'm not really sure. I was on the Eighth for a time. I have no idea how long I was there." She shrugged. "I also didn't spend much time actually out 'with' the humans. I just observed from a loft for a long time before meeting Hiei and the others." *

~!**!~

Shikiyoku shook her head a little as she made her way back.

Okay, yeah, they'd...kissed or whatever. And Shikiyoku felt relatively positive Hiei had liked it. But the thought of forcing anything on him or taking advantage of him when she didn't honestly know what he wanted still gave her pause for thought.

...she might have been a little off on her human age equivalents with Akari, though.

Maybe.

When she reached the table, Shikiyoku quietly leaned over Hiei's left side and set the drink in her left hand down in front of him, giving him a small smile before standing back up next to him and trying to make some sort of sense of the conversation she'd only half-heard in the first place. 3

"But, going back to the topic," Akari finished off her water and stood, "lots of media portrays those sorts of events as great date spots, Ikigai. You'd probably enjoy them because you're with your girlfriend."

Hiei, not originally following the conversation, seemed to rejoin at the word 'date' and his eyes bounced from Akari to Gai, who grinned at the dog in his thanks before Hiei's vision became slightly obscured by the long black hair that danced into his line of sight.

He looked first to the hair, then to the hand that set a drink in front of him, and then up at Shikiyoku.

(Thank you.)

Seeing Akihiko's drink low, Akari turned back to the second in command to offer grabbing him something, 'since I am going to the bar', she said, and when he shook his head she stood up long enough to cast a glance in Hiei and Shikiyoku's direction, her eyes dropping to the red mark that stood out on Shikiyoku's left thigh.

She tried not to smile to herself as she turned away and moved for the bar, wondering what had happened to cause that particular print on her, but not willing to probe for information.

Not when Hiei was looking up at her like that.

She couldn't bring herself to distract him from her long enough to ask. *

(Seemed like you could use one, too.) Shikiyoku teased, smiling at him. (Sitting with the others without one is just asking for trouble, I think.)

"Looking good, Za Joie."

Shikiyoku glanced up and away from Hiei in time to be hip-bumped into by Satchi as the other did so when while moving by, giving her a wink and grinning down at the marking that stared up at her from Shiki' neck.

Jostled forward and catching herself with her free hand as her other hip hit the table, Shikiyoku shook her head at the waitress as she kept moving and genuinely came to stand between Tsun's chair and Hiei's in the hopes that it would give less of an excuse for any of her other workers to get the same idea. 3

Hiei blinked at Shikiyoku as she stumbled and he turned to look at Satchi as the waitress passed, his eyes glittering briefly at her in amusement before he turned back up to Shikiyoku, finally responding to her with, (I'm in trouble with them whether drinking or not. I'm their 'boss' after all.)

The title came touched with amusement and a fondness, and he turned away from her to grab his drink and finally take a sip from it.

(But this helps.)

Akari meandered to the bar and was there long enough to ask for a water, which the bartender quickly refilled her glass with, before she turned and weaved her way through the crowd again, still mulling over the obvious sunburn-style burn mark on Shikiyoku's leg.

She doubted Hiei had gotten 'to the Ninth' with her.

She doubted they'd see the pair for a few days if the fire demon managed to find himself there.

As she slipped back into the group, Tarou now in his chair and Shikiyoku righting herself after some sort of apparent stumble, she found herself quickly taking a drink from her glass to hide her smile - and deny herself a laugh - at Hiei's looking back behind Shikiyoku and then up at her again before finally turning to lift his own glass to his lips.

She only lowered her glass to her navel when she situated herself on Tarou's chair again, her eyes still glued to the fire demon.

"Lesson one, Sparky: You should touch it."

Hiei didn't look up at her. "What?"

"Her butt. You should touch it." *

When Tsun realized Shikiyoku had come back to stand next to him, he reached out and wrapped an arm around whatever was closest to give her a hug, leaning in her direction to rest the side of his head against her as she lifted her arm and curled it behind his shoulders before lowering her face towards his hair.

"It's okay, Tsun." She murmured, knowing this close to him he would hear her no matter what. "I'm still here."

He squeezed once before he let go, his hand retreating far enough to rub up and down her side a couple of times before leaving her entirely. 3

Hiei sipped at his drink, his eyes skirting around the table as conversation happened around him, none of which he heard.

"Why?"

"Because you liked slapping her, right?"

"..."

"And you saw Raion do the same, right?"

"..."

"Well, I can say with full confidence that if you liked slapping her, you'll like simply touching her. Low effort, super easy to reach with where she's standing right now, and you'd get to see the reaction, even if she tries to hide it because you're around all of us."

Hiei took a longer drink this time, though he did not immediately swallow it.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not staring." *

He still needed the reassurance that she was nearby, even if he didn't come out and say as much, so Shikiyoku didn't move much, contemplating sitting on the wolf's lap again as if it would make him feel any better.

It probably would, but he hadn't asked this time and a more immediate wish of her had her slipping her hand behind his head to press a hand to his neck and she could almost feel the tiny sigh he gave as if that satisfied something he hadn't been able to quantify.

If anything, it wasn't your fault. I'm just completely out of my mind. 3

Akari could feel the awkward from across the table, and she wondered briefly why Hiei hesitated when he'd already done something similar.

"I know you're not looking," he finally responded, and she was surprised by the hint of exasperation.

Her smile faded to a gentler one. "If it also makes you feel any better, no one else will notice. They're all…" She looked up at the raucous table, seeing Tarou jab a finger across the way at Raion and Chisai and Gai waving hands, but hearing none of the argument, "...occupied."

Hiei knew she was right, and yet for some reason he couldn't quite bring himself to reach out and rest his hand on Shikiyoku, even if he did want to have the contact.

"Of course, it's probably easier for you to simply follow through with it when you come up with the idea yourself, hm?"

He didn't have an answer for the dog, and after a few beats, he figured she was done bothering him about it.

He looked up at Shikiyoku again, seeing none of her energy on her skin or in her gaze and, after glancing briefly at the dark lines of the fox on her neck and shoulder, he found himself reaching out to touch her anyway, his fingers just grazing against her right leg as if to get her attention. *

The room was too busy for Shikiyoku, already awash in the desire of those around her, for her to sense anything of the telepathic conversation happening at the table, and she was also similarly preoccupied with moving her thumb back and forth across Tsun's skin as the wolf relaxed enough again to rejoin the guild's antics.

Hiei's touch sent similar chills as before running up and down her leg as the energy just below her skin stirred into shimmers below his fingers.

Blinking, and then eyes going a little wide, she glanced quickly in his direction after catching a quick breath at the sensation, the bond between them simmering with a similar 'need something?' like it had before. 3

He waited until she glanced down at him before his eyes briefly shifted from her face to the mark, and then back to her face again. (How are you feeling?)

He almost took her hand in his, but he decided otherwise and let his hand find its way back to the armrest of his chair, ignoring the telepathic 'you missed' from Akari. *

Her face turning a little pink at the idea that he'd actually done that intentionally to get her attention first instead of just asking her in the bond like she would have expected him to, Shikiyoku stared at him, losing what little familiarity she had with the guild's conversation completely to the crimson eyes looking back at her.

(Fine?) She blinked again and her gaze left him for a split second as she thought to actually assess what he meant and then she gave a tiny nod to confirm it. (Kurama could probably tell better than I can about it moving. I'm sure he's right: it's likely happening so slowly I can't tell any difference.) 3

Hiei watched her for the moment, assessing her, the bond, and her response as she gave it, wishing he could sense the movement of Kurama's energy in her so he knew the answer to such a question before asking it.

Thankfully, its moving so slowly meant it also wasn't likely to affect her, especially on such a scale as it had before.

Nonetheless, he found himself reaching out and taking her right hand in his left, his thumb idly moving across the back of it to spur on the little golden sparkles.

(Is Tsun doing okay?) he asked after a beat. (I know he needed that.) *

(Ah-) Shikiyoku quickly looked away again when he grabbed her hand, already feeling the energy he stirred there and blushing further as she took another drink, but did not move as if to remove her hand from him. (I think so.)

She glanced in the wolf's direction.

(He kept apologizing.) The idea was met with chagrin. (So I finally just stopped telling him he didn't have to and accepted it.) She felt strongly he wasn't to blame; if she wasn't apparently going further out of her mind with each passing day, what the ookami thought was his fault wouldn't have happened in the first place. 3

Hiei almost sighed, though the bond did breathe its impression across to her, weighted with his understanding from both ends. (Neither of you knew. I certainly didn't expect his reaction.)

He ran his thumb across the back of Shikiyoku's hand again, his eyes briefly falling to their linked hands - he told himself it would be enough for now - before he slowly turned, catching a bit of the conversation but not really hearing much of it in general.

Akari nudged her shoulder against Tarou's, laughing. "Well I think you're swell."

"You lot hear that?" Tarou yelled across the table, his eyes pointedly on Raion, "I'm swell."

Raion only shrugged and Akari's attention shifted briefly from the conversation - or, rather, the mock argument - happening around her to glance in Hiei and Shikiyoku's direction. She watched as the fire demon looked up at Shikiyoku in a way that she'd never before seen on his face, the barest hint of a smile touching his features and a kindness in his eyes that, if she'd been asked, she'd have said was uncharacteristic of the male.

After a few beats of Hiei looking up at Shikiyoku and Shikiyoku not looking to him, Akari couldn't help that her own stare leveled on the woman, waiting patiently for the other to look at her before she slid her gaze meaningfully to the demon at her right.

To her disappointment, he turned to look around the table just as she'd meant for Shikiyoku to see his expression, and he seemed to at least half hear what was going on, which would certainly be a first for the evening, she thought. *

Shikiyoku felt the intention from the demon across from her when the desire was more than just the general hubbub washing over her from the bodies in the rest of the bar and aimed at her specifically and she blinked and glanced over at Akari with questioning in regards to what needed her attention.

A slight tilt of her head and dip of her brows and she shifted her gaze in Hiei's direction, wondering what Akari meant exactly in the gesture, but just as quickly losing focus again as her attention lifted to the door.

Having never quite caught up with the conversation around the table, she'd been gauging with equal parts habit and genuine interest the atmosphere, which at present remained just as amiable as always, desires drifting across her awareness suitable to those normally within the walls.

She sensed them before they actually entered the doors, this particular group, laughing and joking and getting hailed by one of the bartenders, and just this group would have been fine if Shikiyoku didn't also know they fully meant to celebrate something and before they announced to the room that they were buying a round of drinks for everyone, Shikiyoku turned to Tsun and gently put a single finger beneath his chin to encourage him to look up at her.

He had trouble looking her in the eyes.

"...are you happy, Tsun?"

The question made his brow twitch, but he kept his gaze away from her for another moment, his answer clear.

"You don't always have to be happy. Not for me. Not for anyone." She murmured at him. "But try not to let yourself become so lost elsewhere that you forget how, mm?" She nudged his face and kissed him before silently turning away to go work behind the bar, wordlessly squeezing Hiei's hand and making to pull him along with her.

"I thought you were done for the night, Za Joie?" One of the bartenders called with good-humor as she nicked her apron from its hanger to put back on.

"Yes, well-" Her eyes shifted towards the large group and their subsequent announcement of buying drinks for the room and she tossed the bartender a small smile as she turned to her station. 3

The entering of the new group did not go unnoticed by Hiei, despite his focus being mostly on the woman next to him. Their entry into the bar meant the Jagan told him of their surface thoughts, filtering through each person in search of anything out of the ordinary before dismissing them almost altogether, raising no alarm except that, maybe, he was to be getting up soon.

Though whether that was because of his awareness of their entry meaning more drinks in general or his awareness of Shikiyoku's quiet intentions to part from the guild for work, even he didn't know.

Either way, the moment Shikiyoku's hand squeezed his, he was rising from his seat. As the pair of them slipped away, Hiei quietly moved the chair back to where it belonged - sharing a look with Akari meant to tell her that it was free if she wanted it - and he only realized he still held Shikiyoku's hand when he tossed a hand towel over his left shoulder and his eyes caught sight of their linked fingers.

He turned to her just as she finished tying the apron with the one free hand, amusement bubbling between them in the bond. (Still think we can make this work?) he asked her as he half-lifted their joined hands together, the bond ruminating with his quiet want of them working together as they had in the past. *

Shiki only noticed he hadn't let go of her when she turned as if to go back to her station on the very end and realized her right hand was still very firmly in his left.

Blinking down at it, she raised an eyebrow at him.

(You're the one who said 'harder.') She reminded him, eyes glimmering with amusement. (But not 'impossible.' Working as you desire, however, will certainly test those limits.) She shifted her fingers in the midst of his own just slightly.

She was proficient enough with her left hand to think little of it, and with him using his right, it was quite 'possible' they wouldn't break anything.

She stared up at him where she'd stopped, and wanted to cup his cheek with her free hand.

(What do you say, My Consort? Shall we dance?) 3

Hiei's head tilted just a touch in one direction, his own amusement dancing briefly across his features as he surmised that she had no complaints about working like this. He also didn't miss the twitch in her free hand, his eyes catching movement in the muscles of that arm as if she might raise it, but nothing coming of it before his eyes turned up to hers again.

(All you ever have to do is ask,) he responded as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek briefly, and when he stood upright again, he gave her a turn, guiding her in the direction of her station as the Jagan opened the general telepathic connection he had with the staff to include himself and Shikiyoku as well, fully announcing their joining the others behind the bar without so many words.

(Let's put on a show, hm?) He took his place next to her and reached for glasses almost immediately, lining them up in front of the both of them.*

(I didn't think you liked dancing.) Shikiyoku replied mildly as he turned her, feeling the shimmer at her cheek upon his affection release a small puff of her energy into the air like always as she reached for a couple of the bottles they would need in mid-turn.

(Then again, I never took you as much of a showman, either. The rumors swirling around you say you're the type who prefers efficiency to showmanship. More likely to end a battle with just the effort required, no more and no less.) 3

(I didn't enjoy being forced to dance,) he replied almost loftily, the memory of Rae locking them in a room to change and become 'presentable' in her court not genuinely as amusing as he'd made it in the beginning. (That said, I enjoy dancing with you, my Beloved.)

His free hand, having situated the glasses as they needed to be, lifted a bottle from seemingly nowhere - his movements too quick to be seen by just anyone - and he made a show of tossing it, bouncing it off his elbow, and then catching it - the lid no longer in place - and pouring from the bottle into three of the nine glasses in front of them.

(As for showmanship, there's a difference between battle and bartending. Here, they're likely to return and become regulars if you entertain them enough,) he mused. (I'd prefer to end a battle as soon as I can, in case of another one later. This is not so much that I can't enjoy it as well.)

He cast a look in her direction, his smile returning. (As for rumors, I hardly give them credit when they're concerning me, since most of them go the way of 'cursed'.)

He bounced the bottle back over his hand and, after re-screwing the lid on while the bottle hung mid-air, he replaced it for another and did the same.*

It was hard not to pay attention to the demon next to her, Shikiyoku becoming quickly wrapped up in him not just within their bond, but with her general focus.

For the most part, she could do the work without thinking about it, twisting the bottles she'd snagged between deft fingers as she mixed the liquids together in midair before they fell into the glass and absently retrieving something Hiei needed for one on his side.

Her hand in his did twitch once at first when she'd meant to use it for something, but she caught the hang of it pretty quickly and instead tugged at him when leaning around his other side would be faster than them exchanging something.

Her lips held a faint smile while they worked and at one point she nearly kissed him as they changed places so she could toss ice in the glasses that needed it.

(Dancing is quite similar to movement on the battlefield.) She remarked, (It did not, I think, truly surprise me to find you so quickly adapting to the necessity of the time. You are quick and pick things up with relative ease. Much like you did the bartending.)

Their bond ruminated with her dislike of the word in regards to his person.

(That is usually tacked on, yes.) She was as much a hub for rumors in her position as Yusuke. 3

Hiei shifted in place as she returned to her own spot and stepped behind her, his back briefly against hers as he retrieved three bottles from the wall behind her before he stepped back to where he'd been, briefly kissing her cheek again as he passed.

(Picking up what I know of dancing has helped more than once in battle,) he told her as he filled glasses then transitioned them to an empty tray, adding his and hers before sending it off with Sachi when she swept by. (Especially the more recent one,) he added, a slight bit of chagrin just touching the bond, barely hinted at, as he remembered chasing down the demon who'd pulled him from her that night and said some warning about 'not being the only one who saw her'.

(The demon that broke my blade was not so easy to take at the time. Looking back now, I'm certain I'd already become ill before coming across that particular battle. I wouldn't have struggled to keep up otherwise.)

His footwork at the time had been the only reason he hadn't been slammed to the ground, he remembered.

He slid a bottle in her direction absently before stepping behind her again, his back once more pressed to hers as he replaced bottles on the shelves.

(This, at least, is more enjoyable.) The hint that the word 'this' referred to working with her as a whole accompanied the sentiment, his true happiness at doing so permeating the space between them. *

Their bond expressed the little puff of air at his affection and she glanced at him not for the first time since they'd started making drinks.

(If you keep doing that, I might drop something.) She protested half-heartedly, never really used to the feeling of his beckoning her energy from her on any such whim.

She let out a sigh as she tried to release any thoughts that might return as to her having so nearly lost him so very recently.

(...I am glad you are here. And that you enjoy being here.) 3

(Oh?) He swiftly traded glasses around, taking her half-full ones to fill with the liquor he had on his side and giving her the ones she could finish for him in turn. (Well, it might also help you if you also followed through with the things you so obviously want,) he told her, the impression of his earlier catching her hand twitching but never moving surfacing in the bond between them.

Until then, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

As they finished filling glasses in tandem, he moved with a swiftness that only she could catch to load the tray with those finished drinks before he hefted the tray from the bar and, after spinning Shikiyoku to trade places with her briefly, he handed the tray off for an empty one from another waitress before just as smoothly spinning them both back into their places.

(I enjoy this just as much, if not more, than the guild work I do.) *

She didn't respond to him at first, distracted in part by having her own desire so called out by him, and letting herself get caught up in prepping the next set of orders they were receiving.

(I can't imagine why.) She replied, leaving his statement about following-through alone for now.

What she wanted was not important.

(You don't seem the type to be content doing something this mundane.) She thought of Kafu's work at the Niiro Kaga. There were demons who worked as such and felt fulfilled, but not many. 3

Hiei cast a narrow-eyed glance out of the corner of his eyes, not missing that she took his last statement as an excuse to not say anything about the first. His hand stilled briefly, a bottle balanced delicately between each finger and half-turned as if to pour.

He might have continued the conversation about his enjoying this if not for the importance of the other, completely disregarded topic.

(Well, you're not denying the fact that you want those things, I'll give you that.)

He turned and continued his pour, the liquors pouring over one another in a waterfall style so that they mixed evenly into the glasses.

(I would not deny you the things you want, Shiki.) *

Even in the midst of her own pouring, Shikiyoku's eyes darted to the side, briefly scrambling for a way to turn his attention from what she had, apparently, obviously skirted over.

After several moments of silence between them, concentrating on a particularly intricate mix, she finally replied, quite simply:

(What I want is not important.) 3

Hiei finished his pour in the silence, waiting patiently to see if she would respond. He even had time to trade trays with Sachi before Shikiyoku seemed to even consider responding, his eyes catching the drinks she made and deciding to wait patiently for her to finish them before pressing the matter, if she did not respond.

Her response, however, immediately gave him pause and he turned to look at her for the briefest moment before deciding that, no, that was not a suitable answer.

His hand plucked the bottle from hers as he turned her with their linked hands, not thinking even for a moment that he might let go even as he guided her until her back was against the shelves of bottles behind them, his free hand coming up to rest against one of those bottles as if he meant to grab it, though he did not actually move to do so, instead trapping her between himself and the display as he pinned her with a stare, quietly commanding her attention.

(And why do you think that to be the case?) *

Shikiyoku moved with him frankly without conscious thought, just like they had been interacting the entire time, though she did frown when she blinked at the prep table and how far away it was and then suddenly looked up at him as he met her with a stare.

She froze, eyes wide as she felt like she flushed from head to toe, having entirely lost any of the rest of the room much less any of the orders they were supposed to be working on, and similarly unaware that her energy skittered up her neck and scalp and all but poofed out of her hair in so many glitters.

Her lips parted briefly like she meant to answer him, but honestly she'd completely lost the question, too. 3

Hiei's fingers linked with hers twitched ever so slightly, squeezing her hand just a little before relaxing at their sides. He kept his stare leveled on her, unblinking, as he assessed the sudden lack of response from the bond, filled only with the strangest sensation that he could only attribute to a sort of surprised blankness similar to the one he'd earned the night Kurama marked her.

His fingers slipped from the bottle on the wall and he instead put his weight on the edge of the shelf, careful not to overload it with his own.

(Why is it I should want things but you shouldn't, hm?) *

Because what I want is very dangerous for you.

Shikiyoku blinked at him and at least seemed to come back to the moment with him, the fingers of the hand he didn't hold suddenly clutching at whatever was behind her so she didn't move it where she wanted it to go.

(Because that is how this works, Hiei. I would give you the world; I require nothing in return.) 3

His eyes did not miss the movement of her free hand further away from him, grabbing onto the shelf she could reach and holding it just as tightly as her hand held his own. He continued to stare into her face, however, not willing to break away.

(What if what I want is for you to want things from me?) *

Her head gave a small shake, even if her answer only partially reflected it.

(That is much harder for me to do; no one has ever asked that of me before.)

I want plenty of things from you...but nothing I'm brave enough to ask you for. 3

His expression softened with her reply, the narrowed stare relaxing into a calm gaze as she shook her head.

He knew she was right even if the bond hadn't rang with the truth of it. He hadn't ever mentioned it before this moment, hadn't even considered the thought until more recently. The concept hadn't even been a whisper in his mind until he'd almost died.

So many things to set right.

He felt partially to blame for her free hand having pulled away from him.

(What do you want? Right now.) As he asked the question, the hand on the shelf near her head came down to poke at the arm that had retracted from him, a surprising contrast to the hand that had only gripped his tighter in the same moment. *

(Too much.) She didn't shake her head again, but the impression was there, still wide-eyed and staring at him with her blushing cheeks. 3

He raised a brow at her.

(Then start with this,) he told her as he poked her free hand again, considering taking it in his own but deciding he could wait, just as he had been since coming back down the stairs the second time. (You don't have to pull away. I don't want you to.) *

(No...I mean...I guess...) She hadn't rightly decided if what she wanted was too much or if she wanted too many things in that moment, but it was such a convoluted answer even to herself that she wasn't exactly sure.

Shikiyoku was quickly coming to realize just how much she pulled away from him, but it wasn't a thought she would rightly have until later.

She swallowed, awash in the waves of her energy and in a way very scared of them.

(I...can't. Not right now. Please...) Please understand...

(... ...ask me later. When we're alone.) 3

Hiei could see her energy floating about her now, golden and shimmering, and almost distracting if not for his stubbornness and the topic at hand.

He'd never before seen her react like this, and for a brief moment he only watched her, looking for the source of the sudden pleas for him to not ask her right this moment, reminding him that they were in fact in the bar, supposed to be helping, and he'd taken the moment to pull her from her work.

His free hand curled around the same bottle as before, this time lifting it from the shelf.

(If you insist,) he conceded, wondering what it was that she wanted that would cause this sort of reaction. He might have thought she was trying to get out of the conversation entirely, if not for the hints of fear he could sense in the bond, not truly enough for him to identify its origin.

He kissed her cheek softly in reassurance. (Then I will tack it on to our current in-progress deal, and come back to it later.)

He pulled away then, his hand still linked with hers and a bottle in his other, turning her in a lighthearted spin back to where she'd been standing as he stepped into his own position again, rejoining the telepathic line with Shikiyoku so they could pick up orders again. *

Relenting his presence did a great deal in her return to form, though certainly his apparent compliance with her unspoken plea that he be understanding about it even without her being able to give him a direct reason in the moment eased a tension at the back of her neck.

If he had pressed her, she would have done it, but his willingness to at least give her the chance to do so on her own terms-in this specific case being where others couldn't see in case his reaction turned out negative-released a tension at the back of her neck she hadn't realized was there as her shoulders relaxed and he brought her back to their present endeavours.

(I love you.)

(Thank you.) 3

He sensed her relief as if it were is own, the sensation of it sweeping through him and ridding him of a tension that was also not his own, and he glanced at her briefly before turning down to the line of glasses he set up as he slid them to rest between himself and Shikiyoku, in reach for both parties and easy to craft together.

Her response in the bond almost made him pause, his hand spinning the bottle he'd grabbed from the shelf expertly before half-pausing in the pour motion, though his hesitation only lasted a fraction of a second before he continued to tip the bottle down to pour.

(I love you, too,) he told her simply, not sure how to feel about her thanking him for doing as she'd asked. *

After a few minutes where they continued in their work, she finally replied with a wry, humored glance between them.

(Changing the terms of a deal after it has already been struck is a little unsavory, Hiei. Do you always work that way?) She teased. 3

Hiei didn't look away from the work in front of him, but the barest hint of a smile twitched at his lips as if he'd been waiting for her to say something about it.

(Well, I would have struck a new deal in the moment, but I don't imagine it would have been as fun as it would be, say, now.) He pivoted and replaced several bottles on the shelves behind him. (Should I make a new deal, then?) *

She raised an eyebrow, but only watched the ice hitting the new glasses instead of looking up at him.

(I'm not particularly certain there's any sort of deal to be made, Hiei.) 3

Hiei returned to his place.

(Considering you have a penchant for and a skill of redirecting conversations, I simply figured the easiest way to revisit that particular conversation was to have the deal of 'I will ask, you will answer and deliver',) he told her, the impression of his smile widening accompanying the words across the bond. *

(Noticed that, have you?) She replied mildly. (I suppose you've been around me long enough that I ought to expect you to have picked up on a few things.) 3

He finally cast a glance in her direction.

(I suppose so. You're quite adept at it.)

He turned back down to his drinks and began to slide them along the bar to patrons waiting along their shared spaces.

(Even now, it can be easy to forget the original topic. However, I intend to follow through with it.) He gave her a look. (So, just as you did before, I'm enacting this deal.) *

Shikiyoku actually smiled, finishing up the last few drinks she had to prepare.

She could never tell him no. Only, perhaps, 'not now.'

(Well, you'll get your chance.) She picked up the last glass left in front of her and squeezed Hiei's hand, almost meaning to tug at his arm so she could kiss his cheek. (Just this last one.) She meant to take it out herself. 3

Hiei nodded briefly in her direction to acknowledge that she was to step away, his hand squeezing hers even as he stepped closer to grab a glass from under her station.

(Before you go,) he began as he stood upright, hovering just next to her with the empty glass in his free hand, (I want a kiss, please.) *

She smiled up at him and the request, feeling as before the strange sort of assurance as to his desire trickling over her awareness of it.

While the smile turn somewhat mischievous as she pulled their paired hands up to her lips and kissed the back of his, her response was sincere in any case:

(I would give you anything you desired.) 3

Hiei, having been undecided on what type of kiss he'd wanted, was just as happy to receive the one on the back of his had as he would have been to receive one on his cheek or lips. That sense of satisfaction whispered across the bond as he glanced at her from the corners of his eyes, his one hand still working on a layered drink in front of him.

(I'll have to endeavor to ask more often, then, my Beloved.) *

She likely gave him her smile just the same all the time he received it from her, but certainly in this moment, she had the one just for him as she let go to turn away.

Shikiyoku moved around the end of the bar with the drink in her hand, on a whim deciding to fulfill this particular desire she had felt percolating through the air from this regular since he ordered the drink.

"Your drink, Viktor." She leaned over his shoulder and murmured into his ear as she placed the drink on the table.

The demon glanced over at her face when she came into view, eyeing the long black hair he felt brush against him and all at once he had a hand slipping beneath her blouse to find the small of her back before she could escape his reach as he scooted his seat out from the table with a firm push.

As that hand kept going, wrapped around her and pulled her closer, he leaned over and moved her hair with his nose to kiss twice at her neck as his other hand snaked across the front of her stomach and found her hip, effectively pulling her to sit straddling his leg facing him.

"I enjoy seeing so much of you, seductress. You should consider it more often."

Her own palms came up between them against his chest, currently unworried about his advances as he nipped at her just under her jaw-on the side without the marking, no less-but equally as poised to resist him if she felt unsafe about them, even if relaxed in his presence currently.

"I can assure you I did not wear this outfit for your benefit."

Shikiyoku could just imagine Hiei, and Kurama too for that matter, being particularly unhappy with her if she allowed anything to happen that might trigger the marking's toxicity. She was on her guard about it now in any case, content to keep some of the energy Hiei had released earlier in the air around her just to be safe in regards to feeling this one's intentions, though his attentions certainly made that part slightly easier.

She adjusted Viktor's shirt as he left her, the other running a hand down the side of her neck with the mark and coming to rest where it disappeared beneath the fabric of her blouse.

"First a gem, now a mark." He breathed over her skin, kissing at the center of her exposed skin just above where the Hirui stone necklace rested. "You're no koorime, seductress, and this one is different than before. Add to that the fox's mark and I'd say you're too entangled nowadays for your own good."

"I'm just as entangled as I wish to be." She replied, her eyes gleaming at him as she leaned forward when he looked up. "No more. No less."

"Word of your alliances have spread quickly. We all knew you and the fox were at an understanding, but this was a bold move and you know it. And to have your Consort accepting as well. Some may fear the changes your triumvirate represent."

"The rewards will far outweigh the cost."

"We shall see, won't we." His nose met with her chin and pushed it higher away so his lips could find her skin again. "In any case, your kitsune surely knows of your work and must be aware of such arrangements."

Shikiyoku had not moved much outside of what the other demon had requested of her, the scented aura around her definitely shifting and weaving with his attentions, but her mostly focused on making sure his desires remained outside the realm of possible injury to her in regards to her mark.

"I have plenty who would be interested, Viktor, as you well know." She knew what he sought.

"What I want, seductress, is you. Tonight. I would pay as much as you required."

He seemed to head off her initial commentary that she was too rich for his blood, but it mattered little in any case:

"I am, in no uncertain terms-" She added to prevent any further protests, starting to disentangle from him and stand up, "-already spoken for this evening, but as I said, I know many who would be more than happy to provide for you what you seek."

"I want none but you." His grip tightened on her and in that moment her energy flared briefly in her eyes as she met his gaze.

"And you will not have me. Release me."

Caught up in her eyes, Viktor relaxed and Shikiyoku stood up from where he'd rested her on his knee.

She leaned back over him to murmur into his ear, "Too much of that and you will find even those interested in you will turn you away. Tread more carefully next time. This is your only warning."

She moved back for the bar, and Hiei, leaving the other staring after her. 3

Hiei's eyes followed Shikiyoku, the smile she'd given him being his favorite thing in that moment, almost wanting her to look over her shoulder with that smile again, but not quite brave enough to ask for it.

Because if she complied - and she'd already said she would give him anything he ever wanted - he'd probably run out to kiss her.

And she had a drink she wanted to deliver.

Nonetheless, with his left hand no longer in hers, his hands worked quicker than before, setting up drink after drink and piling them all on a tray for a waitress to snag as she passed by - though he never did see who the waitress was. Even as he conversed with the demons in front of him - mostly idle surface conversation - his eyes followed Shikiyoku.

He watched her place the drink on the table, watched how her hair fell just as it had over himself earlier, and then he watched the hand that slipped under her blouse to find her skin.

He blinked a little and turned down to his work, thinking that maybe that had been what he'd wanted earlier when she sat with Tsun, and he returned to the conversation in front of him.

"-busier than usual, you think?"

"No, this is about how we usually are," he responded to the woman in front of him idly, setting her drink on the bar top in front of her. "It just seems louder, I think, because of them." He tilted his head in the direction of the guild, some standing and yelling about this or that, some sitting and throwing what could only be money into the center of the table.

"Mm, such a rowdy group they are."

He nodded. "Indeed."

"They're your guild, am I right?"

"They are."

"You have a good group of mercs there, Consort." She lifted her glass to her lips, took a sip, then smiled up at him over the rim. "Wonderful as always. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he told her as she slipped from her stool, leaving it empty for the next customer.

He glanced around the room again, his ears no longer focusing on one specific conversation, and he caught the word 'gem' in time for his eyes to find Shikiyoku and the regular again, hearing the commentary about the alliance between Shikiyoku and her Consort with the kitsune she had been marked by.

He watched the situation for a bit longer, seeing that he didn't exactly touch her marking and, even in the moments where he might have come close, Hiei did not miss Shikiyoku's eyes watching those movements.

And while he didn't understand fully the other's mention of paying her for the night - something he added to his rolodex of things to learn about at some point - he didn't miss her firm rejection, a part of him feeling very proud to know that he was who she would be having her company for this evening, and he turned back to his work in time to pass a tray to Sachi, trading the fully loaded one for her empty one even as Shikiyoku came closer. *

Shikiyoku let out a breath as she moved behind the bar and started to take off her apron again.

She was glad to know demons were spreading the news so quickly and she glanced down at what she could see of the mark, wondering exactly how long she would have before it disappeared.

Assuming...it...disappeared, of course. She imagined it had to do with Kurama's energy. She needed to try and remember to ask him tomorrow if there was still the same amount as before. 3

As a demon slid into the empty stool the previous woman had vacated, Hiei pulled away from his station, seeing Shikiyoku pulling her apron away from herself out of the corner of his vision.

"Running away already, boss?"

Hiei, to most others, appeared to simply stand there as a drink seemed to manifest in front of Chisai. "I think you can manage without me for the evening." He glanced at the others across the bar, seeing that they'd calmed down. "Who won this time?"

"Who do you think?"

"Akihiko."

"Naturally."

Hiei leaned forward and set one more drink in front of Chisai. "Give him this for me."

The blue haired demon looked curiously first at the one set in front of him, and then in surprise at the first he hadn't noticed be made. "I will." Chisai took both glasses in his hands and looked up at Shikiyoku, "Have a good evening, mommy. Get some rest." He paused, looking over the mark on her neck. "We worry."

And before she could reply, he turned and shuffled his way through the crowd, leaving Hiei to turn to Shikiyoku and offer his hand to her.

~!**!~

Chisai waded through the crowd, casting only a brief glance over his shoulder at Shikiyoku and Hiei, a soft smile just twitching at his lips as he turned forward again. As he approached the table where the guild sat - minus Tarou and their newest friend Akari - he came to a stop next to Akihiko and set the drink down in front of the Second.

Aki blinked at the drink set in front of him, not really recognizing its meaning at first, and he lifted his eyes up at Chisai, who only shrugged and continued on his way to his own seat.

Sachi passed by in time for Aki to lift the drink in one of his hands and his other snaked out to just wave in front of her vision, and he lifted the drink curiously at her.

The waitress shrugged with one shoulder and smiled. "It seems you mean quite a bit to someone, my friend," she told him. When his expression did not change, a mix of 'I thought I said no drinks' and 'what does that even mean', she stepped closer and leaned closer, hovering at his side but not touching him as her finger pointed to the different layers of the drink. "I care for you," she slid her finger along the cold glass to the second color, "You are important to me," and then her finger slid to the third and last color, "I am here."

Sachi raised herself to stand again, retracting her hand and planting it on her waist. "Though I imagine the several layers of that last color indicates more than one person, but that depends on the sender and the bartender."

As she turned to resume her work, leaving him to contemplate these things, Akihiko lifted his gaze and looking for Shikiyoku's in the crowd. Instead, his eyes briefly found Hiei's, their stares locking for the smallest moment before the other turned away, seemingly content with knowing the message had been received.

For the second time this day, he felt a sort of weight lift from his shoulders and, just as the door closed behind Hiei's back, Akihiko took a drink from the beverage and turned in his chair to return to the conversation around the table, only really half hearing it.

The little shit, he thought as he took another drink. *

Shikiyoku turned as Chisai began speaking to her and blinked at him, giving the other a small smile.

Curious, she turned to Hiei as she absently took his hand, "What did you send him?" She hadn't caught sight of the drink before the other demon turned away. 3

Hiei turned and began to lead her toward the apartment, his hand in hers but his eyes glancing briefly in the direction of the guild. "Just something to let him know he's not alone," he answered after a moment, remembering the look he'd seen on his Second's face earlier in the morning.

He hadn't had words then, and he didn't have words now. But Aki was important to him and the others, and… well…

The sentiment passed between them without his direct notice, (He deserves to know.)

He tugged the door open and led her inside first, his eyes falling on her again before he followed her in. *

Shikiyoku moved far enough into the stairwell that Hiei would be able to fit behind her before turning as the door clicked shut and letting go of Hiei's hand to rather primly not let him any further as she started to unbutton his shirt, fully intending to take it, just as she said she would. 3

Hiei's mind had briefly been occupied by other things, so when the door closed behind him and Shikiyoku's hand left his, a sort of surprise flickered across his awareness as his back touched the door and he was briefly frowning down at her before he realized her hand had left his to join the other one working at his shirt.

The moment reminded him of one from so long ago, from a time he almost could have forgotten, where he'd first met her. The true her, and not just the human she had wanted herself to appear to be.

His earlier worry about his second in command faded entirely, forgotten for the woman standing in front of him, her hands on his shirt, and her energy still on the air from their earlier interaction.

His left hand reached out to her again, this time seeking the skin at her shoulder, his finger tracing the outline of the fox mark there so that little sparkles came to life against the area there, half because he liked to see them and half because it would keep her energy active. *

Her neutral expression, somewhat "all-business" as it were, didn't shift until he reached out for her and sent shimmers along the marking.

She smiled a little, her eyes also catching sight of the swirls curling along the bits of Hiei's chest underneath the shirt she was still working at removing, and as she got about halfway done her hands paused just long enough to be noticeable before she continued with what she had been doing. 3

Hiei's finger traced just outside of the mark, his eyes following it for a few moments before coming back to her face, then, eventually, falling to the hands that had paused against him.

He half considered 'helping' her unbutton it, but quite frankly, he found himself not minding being where he was.

So, instead, he brought up the thought he'd been meaning to say since the door closed behind him.

"So, what is it you were so reluctant about earlier?" *

She'd genuinely forgotten about that at this point, and had she gotten much further, she would have dismissed him entirely.

She stopped what she had been doing and looked at him steadily for a moment.

"Do you really want to know?" 3

Hiei nodded without hesitation, his eyes lifting from her stilled hands to her face. "I meant what I said, Shiki."

(I want to know what you want, too.) *

Shikiyoku let out a small breath and nodded.

"Alright."

Without saying another word about it, she reached back up and actually put a few of the buttons back where she'd released them, just enough to return over the halfway mark, and without other ceremony, put her hands on his sides and shifted Hiei away from the door to take his place, turning him as she did so he might end up facing her.

She grabbed for his left hand with her right and in a fairly accurate recreation of the situation to which he referred, pulled him down over her until she could almost kiss him, her free hand slipping beneath the front of his untucked shirt to slide up from his waist towards his chest. 3

Hiei obliged her as she shifted them around, taking cues from her to be exactly where she wanted him until he realized what she was doing and was able to situate himself as well, his right hand coming up to rest on the door just as it had against the shelves earlier.

The hand that slipped under his shirt and up his abdomen sent the tiniest thrill up his spine, and for a moment he wondered if she would only rest her hand against him or if she would idly trace his mark as she had earlier in the evening.

Either way, he was instantly reminded of the day he had chased her down, of his laying next to her and her hand on his chest because he'd had to remove his cloak and shirt. He remembered the kiss that had sealed his position as her Consort, and while he didn't expect such a kiss in this moment, a sort of nostalgia swept through him and he found himself wanting more of that similar contact.

The hand pressed against the door slid further down until it came away to instead seek her skin under the flowy green top she wore, his fingers spreading against her side and simply resting there.

The satisfaction of the contact swept through him all at once, fulfilling a need he hadn't known he'd had and leaving him only able to just stare down at Shikiyoku from where he'd stopped moving completely. *

She'd been trying not to think much as she maneuvered them around, fully expecting Hiei to be willing to let her do so once his reiteration in their bond hit her again.

Without the overhanging fear of his reaction being negative where everyone could see her failures, she sort of just did it, not letting herself consider much the feeling of him beneath her fingers as she came to rest her palm on his chest across from where she'd put her mark on him.

She wasn't sure when she'd left the moment, though she was certainly aware it had to do with her bracing herself for his reaction, but the sound of his hand sliding down the door made her blink and suddenly see the side of his face where her cheek had ended up near him, and his hand sent pulses of her

energy all the way across her torso when it found her skin.

For all of his blankness to her, she couldn't actually dismiss his initial reaction as this somehow being exactly what he wanted too, if the sudden release of his own sort of tension in a silent sigh across their bond didn't confirm it for her.

She blinked, never having realized until it was gone what exactly might have been plaguing him.

Her eye flickered towards the gap she'd left in his shirt, struck again by another wave of wishing to push it aside and kiss her marking on him.

Energy softly billowing between them, she wasn't sure she could breathe, much less move.

"Is this what you desire, Hiei?" she asked softly.

(Is this what you want, Ka-chan?) 3

The sigh that had breathed through the bond finally seemed to release from his lungs as his lips parted and he let out a long, slow breath he hadn't realized he'd held. He felt tension he didn't even know he had fall away and, after a few beats, his eyelids slid closed and he lowered his head until his forehead rested against her shoulder, careful of the Jagan.

And even that was more satisfying, the little extra touch of his skin to hers, and if his left hand wasn't already linked with hers, he might have hugged her with both arms just under her shirt.

Her verbal question prompted him to nod ever so slightly against her, and the realization that he hadn't known he'd wanted this, craved this moment, whispered to him that he'd been missing out for so long and hadn't even realized it.

Her question in the bond, however, was met with an overwhelming sense of content, followed by the admission, (...I hadn't known I wanted this.)

He shifted his head just a little against her, turning toward her neck so his mumbles would not be so garbled against her, "Would you… also… trace my mark? I liked when you did that earlier too." *

Shikiyoku leaned her face in his direction when he lowered his head, her energy still contentedly swirling around them in soft fashion.

She closed her eyes when he mentioned how he hadn't known he wanted 'this,' and a briefly pained sort of expression fluttered across her brows.

(I...am sorry...that I cannot hardly read your desires, my Consort.)

She smiled again at his request.

"Well..." She slipped her hand out from under his shirt and lifted the hand he held to her other side like she guessed he might want it there if it were to leave her grasp, and she went back to unbuttoning his shirt, "I could." (I will.) "It would be much easier to do without this, don't you think?"

This time her undressing him was more amiable and less focused on the task itself and what she'd promised she would do.

When she got just over halfway again, she pushed at him just enough to be able to duck her head over his chest, shifting the shirt out of the way like she wanted to earlier and kissing at the heart, her energy just starting to warm it before she pulled away. 3

Hiei nudged his nose against her in response to her apology, this time feeling instead of seeing the little sparkles that shimmered over her skin at his contact.

(I...don't imagine you can read a desire that one does not have, my Beloved,) he told her after a moment, a sort of realization blooming across his consciousness. (You can't sense I want something if I don't even know it exists and can be wanted.) He hadn't known that it might be more than just her general company that he wanted. More than a kiss here or there. More than his holding her hand.

He hadn't ever considered before this moment that the rest of her was accessible as well, or that it would even be remotely pleasant to reach for, much less touch.

He wondered briefly if she felt similarly happy to have such contact, but before he could think to form the question, she placed his left hand against her hip, and he almost followed through with simply wrapping his arms around her if not for the fact that she would have a bit more difficulties in removing the shirt he wore and fulfilling the only other thing in this moment he could think of.

He lifted his head from her shoulder just as she paused, his eyes coming open in time to see her lean forward and kiss the center of the open heart mark on his chest, and another sort of sigh whispered through the bond.

He hadn't thought to ask for it, and her simply doing it because she seemed to want to was perhaps more satisfying than if he had asked her to.

(Do you know why I liked you tracing the mark on my arm?) *

Shikiyoku was smiling again as she left him to go back to what she'd been doing, glad to continue to feel from him how the things she'd been wanting he seemed to welcome.

(Why is that, my love?) She kept unbuttoning his shirt as she asked. 3

Hiei's fingers moved against her skin, idly tracing random patterns as if he could trace his own markings into her skin as he recalled the moment of his becoming bound to her what felt like so long ago.

(I like it because it reminds me of the day you chose me as your Consort.) *

Her subsequent amusement at his answer had nothing in fact to do with the answer. Not directly, anyway.

She chuckled.

(You'd seemed so awkward when I kissed your mark the first time that I'd given up on ever getting to do it again.)

(...I'd traced them because you let me. To memorize them while I had the chance.) She admitted. (I didn't think you'd much cared for it and I wanted to make sure I knew them while I could get away with it.) She finished the last of his buttons as she said as much. 3

Hiei's lips gave the slightest twitch, though whether to go up into a smile or down into a frown was impossible to tell for his conflicting feelings on the matter.

In either case, he knew he enjoyed it now.

(I… was still coming to terms with the fact that not all forms of contact could mean a person wanted my death, I think,) he admitted a little sheepishly. (I did not know what it could mean to simply have this.)

As if to emphasize his point, Hiei leaned over her further and, once sure she was done unbuttoning his shirt, he wrapped his arms around her waist - his bare forearms flush against the skin of her waist and back - and he hugged her.

(I may not have known how to react to it then, but… I do know that I enjoy it now, and I would not mind you doing either of those things anytime you wished.) *

Shikiyoku meant to actually take off the shirt, but instead ended up with more energy buzzing through her veins as she only really caught onto Hiei's intentions as he hugged her instead of before, as was per the usual.

As she did figure it out, she let her arms encircle him as well from beneath his now-hanging shirt and flattened her palms against his back, burying her face against him and actually letting out a sigh herself that seemed to encapsulate just how much having this contact with him seemed to satisfy her as well.

She'd said before she had been thankful he'd come to enjoy things like holding her, but it was different this time and she was very aware of that, for the first time not regretting how she'd absently been tracing his tattoos earlier, despite originally being upset with herself for her lack of discipline on the matter.

(I'm the luckiest demon in all nine levels; I get to be held in your arms.) 3

As if he could get more contact with her, Hiei's hands spread so that his palms rested against her back, his fingers wide, and he lowered his chin to her shoulder again, kissing her cheek on the way to resting there.

Her sigh seemed to echo in the bond, and for a brief moment he wondered how he could possibly get any happier than he was just then.

And then she 'spoke' and he turned his head to kiss her again, her energy tickling his lips and nose as he pressed first one and then the other against the side of her face.

(Nothing makes me happier than coming home to you, and knowing that I am the one you also come home to.) *

She felt rather unwilling to let him go, honestly. Despite the promise about taking his shirt.

It seemed much more inconsequential, especially when he said things to her like that.

"Have I told you lately you're my favorite?" She murmured, turning her face to speak into his ear. (Because you're my favorite.) 3

Hiei chuckled and lifted his head from her shoulder, indulging himself for a moment by leaning over and kissing her as he unwound his arms from around her, albeit reluctantly, and he pulled his shirt from his own shoulders and managed to slide it over hers before he finally pulled out of the kiss and slightly away to look at her, his hands again finding this skin of her waist.

He tilted his head ever so slightly to the left, an eyebrow ticking upward just a touch.

"...You were right, this was very important." *

She still had her arms around him even when she suddenly found herself with his shirt around her shoulders, too wrapped up in how he continued to send little glimmers of energy into the air around them, blinking up at him owlishly when he left even as his hands warmed her waist again.

Her hands against him shifted as she narrowed her eyes up at him, wondering where she'd heard that before and not quite able to quantify it just then.

"Well," She stuck her nose in the air, "I was supposed to take it from you, but you distracted me, so that's on you."

She let go of him to slip by and begin moving up the stairs, "I guess I'll go change now." She had the shirt held in a finger hanging over her shoulder down her back, a smile dancing at her lips. 3

Hiei only smiled a little down at Shikiyoku as she narrowed her eyes at him, a pseudo-innocence just tinting the bond with its falseness just before she slipped by him.

He turned to watch her go, his eyes watching the shirt she wore as it flowed around her with each step she took, though at her comment of 'taking it' from him, his eyes found the back of her head and his smile turned to a smirk.

"If you're not satisfied, I can always put it back on and try again." *

Shikiyoku paused halfway up a step somewhere above him and let her foot come back down silently as she turned to level a long look at him, face unreadable except for a certain emotion that flashed over her eyes.

After several beats, she slowly asked, "...do you want to try again, flameboy?" 3

Hiei watched Shikiyoku as she turned to face him, his own expression unchanging from the smirk that played at the edges of his lips. And the longer he stared, the more firm he became in his decision for his next step.

As she asked the question, Hiei took a single step up the stairs, his eyes trained on her. "Hm…"

He rooted himself in the bond, letting it permeate with his confirmation that yes, he wanted to 'try again', and before she could even consider moving one way or another, his confirmation was followed up by his wordless want to snatch the shirt from her and, in that very same instant, he was gone from where he'd been standing.

He disappeared from the bottom of the stairs, shirtless, and reappeared at the top of them, his shirt back in place over his shoulders, buttoned, tucked in, and neatly set upon his person as if he'd only just gotten dressed for the day. *

If she was being honest, his answer surprised her, as if she'd expected to be allowed to continue up to her room without protest.

It did not, however, surprise her enough that she didn't turn her eyes up to him when she felt him move past and give him that same unblinking stare as before.

She took another step up.

"You're sure, flameboy." It wasn't exactly a question, but like before she found herself at least giving him a chance to reconsider.

~!**!~

Tarou had long ago leaned forward on the bar, not even in the stool he'd shoved up under it when he'd earlier sensed a charge in the air from somewhere near Shikiyoku's station and immediately set out to discover what was going on.

His tankard sitting on the bar between his hands, he stared down at the liquid inside of it and blinked, thinking on everything he'd seen so far today and wondering how a woman like that hadn't bedded that dumbass already.

Stronger will than I've got. He thought to himself, lifting the drink to his lips.

"He's never wanted 'it' from me." Her no-nonsense statement echoed around in his skull.

Like hell he hasn't. Tarou grumbled, knowing on some level that if Hiei had, she was exactly the demon to know.

He glanced at Akari next to him, recognizing the sort of flabbergasted look in her eyes as the two of them mulled together over the scene they'd just watched unfold.

Suddenly recalling the overexcited slap to the arm he'd gotten from her like he hadn't been staring at the pair of them as they worked, Akari had at least drawn his attention to the fact that she was there, too, having approached at some point and shouldered her way up next to him, the demon expanding his own sense of space around him so she might have room to slip up between the other bodies.

He studied her for a moment as he lowered his drink back to the bar for the fifth time, lost in her own thoughts, and remembered the unspoken conversation she'd been having with Hiei earlier in the day before Shikiyoku collapsed.

He nudged at her with one elbow and rubbed a finger from his other arm beneath his nose as he shifted back a little from the bar and teased, "Well, unlucky you, huh? Seems like that one is taken." 3

Akari stared ahead, not really seeing anything of the bar in front of her as she lifted her half-raised glass to her lips again, not quite sure which emotions were stronger in that moment.

Her excitement that Hiei wasn't so 'hopeless' a case as she originally feared he might be, her incredulity about Shikiyoku's perceived 'age' of Hiei, or her own sort of flustered emotions about witnessing even such a short scene in intimacy between Hiei and Shikiyoku.

...Not to mention the look he'd had when she kissed his hand, smiled, and then left him.

If anyone had told her back in the day that Hiei was capable of anything such as 'lust' or 'love', she would have laughed in their face. But, here she was, having just witnessed a little of both in a way that reminded her of the humans she had lived among for so long.

She took a sip from her drink.

The nudge against her side brought her back to the room, the noise of the bar falling on her ears again and her awareness of the people around her coming back in time to catch Tarou's words, and she blinked up at him, suddenly remembering that she'd smacked him earlier before.

She would have apologized in that moment - her smack against his arm hadn't been restrained in any sense of the word - but her registering his teasing made her narrow her eyes at him.

"Unlucky me," she replied almost archly, her nose raising just a little in the air. "What terrible circumstances I find myself in."

She lowered her chin again, took another sip, then winked at Tarou. "Maybe he's not so hopeless as he seems."

~!**!~

Hiei met her gaze evenly, his chin raising just a touch in acknowledgement of the challenge, and he met it with a corner of his lips turning up.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be standing here." *

The vaguest sensation of Hiei, once again, being in so much trouble permeated their connection, and though the action sent Shikiyoku into the briefest swirl of déjà vu, neither did it distract her from her intention to keep moving up the stairs towards him, face unreadable if with the slightest indication that as such was dangerous given the emotion curling through their bond like a half-spoken whisper.

As she reached the stair below him, Shikiyoku reached up and took a handful of his shirt in her fingers, pushing him back a few steps with it so she could join him on the landing before quickly shifting her feet to the left and jerking him over her as her back met with the wall across from the door to his room.

She didn't release him from her gaze, tugging him even closer and staring into his eyes as if daring him to kiss her as she reached out and began unbuttoning his shirt for the second time.

If it had been anyone else, she likely would have also run her hands down his chest, actually pulled him up against her, but she let the lack of contact between them in this instance speak for itself, and when she ran out of buttons, curled her fingers around the fabric at his side and gave a well-practiced, quick pull that freed the shirt from its tucked confines and let her continue.

When she finished, she reached up and grabbed ahold of the shirt just below the collar and whipped it off of his shoulders down to his elbows, trapping his arms for a moment as she stepped around him again and backed him up to the wall to pin him against it for a breath, her face still near to his.

Her eyebrows lifted just slightly, almost smirking at him, and in the same sort of abrupt, nearly jarring motion shifted the shirt the rest of the way off his arms.

"Mine." She told him under no uncertain terms, doing as she had on her way up the stairs and crooking a finger under the collar of the shirt to lift it up and around until she had it hanging down behind her as she left him and moved for her room.

~!**!~

"I mean, I haven't seen him give a lady the stare you got." Tarou remarked as he lifted his drink to his lips to hide his smile. "And if I'm not mistaken, you fairly liked it."

He let out a breath as his tankard lowered, thinking back to Shikiyoku's admission.

"I dunno...still seems pretty damn hopeless to me." Tarou blinked and considered the wall in front of him lined with bottles, but not particularly seeing them. "He's...definitely different than when I first met him. Someone called in a favor I owed and I ended up here-" He gestured to the room, "-doing some manual labor they couldn't, or didn't want, to do.

"He was pretty reticent back then. All cold and unfeeling. Hard to read. Still is. Wasn't sure at the time if he liked me or hated me," he mused.

"But I've gotten more used to the tiny changes here and there, if I'm lookin' for 'em. Never thought I'd live to see him do something like what he's done today, though. He even talks to the patrons more. Always had a full station, but it was more for his looks than his conversation." 3

Akari leaned away from Tarou to look up at him, her expression one of mild disgust. "You obviously missed the part where I literally turned him away, Tarou." The very thought of that look sent a not-so-pleasant chill down her spine and she just as quickly took another drink. "As it is," she said after swallowing, "The only reason he had that look in the first place is because I all but challenged him to it. Told him he probably couldn't even emulate it. ...He doesn't even seem to know what it means, the poor guy." She took another drink, this one longer, and as she drained the glass, she shifted with the intent to order another from the bartender just a little further down the way. "As for liking it, I doubt anyone would react any differently than I did. That stare, no matter who it's from, is not an easy one to ignore. Especially not at that particular intensity."

...This is going to be a painful experience…

Once she flagged down the bartender and requested another drink - sure to give a smile of thanks before they turned away - she turned to look at Tarou as he talked, nodding here and there, perhaps more emphatically at his noting the fire demon's changes.

"His changes are pretty drastic from my point of view, but I also only was around when he was working with Yusuke and the others to kick mine and someone else's asses." She smiled to herself. "I hardly knew the guy then, but if you can believe it, he was far more reserved then, more ruthless and less caring. More… cold, as you put it. He preferred to do whatever he wanted without being around others until she came along." She shrugged a little. "He's definitely a different person, even if he's still hard to read."

Akari bumped her shoulder against Tarou's arm, her lips stretching into a teasing smile. "Got the hots for your boss, hm?" After a beat, she let out a little sigh and turned to look at the bottles across from them, her eyes briefly leaving the moment as she thought about her conversation with Hiei. "I take it you noticed more of our conversation than just the look, hm?"

~!**!~

Hiei only watched Shikiyoku as she ascended the stairs slowly, deliberately, in a way that reminded him of times where he himself had stalked through areas of bushes and grass while hunting his target. The realization of it sank into his bones even as her hands came up to his shirt and she guided him back and to the wall, only instinctively reaching out to plant his right hand on the wall next to her as he had before, if only to keep himself upright.

He couldn't decide if he wanted to kiss her, or hug her, or just let things happen, and in the end, his indecision coupled with his not really having expected the event that led him to leaning over her yet again left him only able to stare down into her eyes.

As such, he moved when she wanted him to, unable to do much more than simply comply as his energy swirled just below the surface of his skin, coiling as if waiting for any one thing to push him over the edge to this being too much, and he was surprised when her whipping his shirt completely off didn't immediately send a spark or two into the air.

Instead, the warmth seemed to simply gather in his cheeks and across his nose, settling there as he turned to watch her leave, his mouth opening as if he meant to respond to her declaration, but nothing really falling from his lips.

Again, he found indecision to be his enemy here as he found himself wanting many things at once and, unable to choose just one of those things, he instead simply stood there, almost locked in place even as the bond swirled with the nebulous feeling of 'want' from him, steeped in that same indecision of what exactly he wanted. *

Taking the shirt from him proved to be exceptionally satisfying...maybe even more so than it would have been in any moment before this one, and Shikiyoku left him with his thoughts standing up against the wall in the hallway to move for her own room, actually allowing herself the sort of smile a fox who'd gotten into the chicken coop might wear as she opened her door, left it wide, and stepped into her room.

Practically humming to herself being so pleased, Shikiyoku gently tossed Hiei's shirt onto the edge of her bed, his scent on it wafting into the air, and her smile was much softer this time as she took her attention away from it to start pulling off her own clothing, laying some of them over the chair by her vanity.

She eventually shrugged the shirt back onto her bare shoulders, slipping her arms into the sleeves as the warmth Hiei left in the fabric embraced her own skin and left her happily drowning in his scent, and she reached for the drawer to place other bits of clothing inside, pushing her glasses back into place atop her nose and finishing gathering her hair in a loose bun at the back of her neck.

Rummaging around in the top of the drawer to make a space, her fingers crinkled into a piece of paper and her eyes narrowed as she pulled it out, especially suspecting as to what exactly this might be.

ki-ki's Hieis favour it.

She rubbed her fingers at the bridge of her nose as her energy scattered further across her skin and shivered in the air around her.

Dammit.

She dropped her hand and absently latched a few of the buttons into place somewhere around her middle as she called out, "Hiei! What is this about?"

~!**!~

"Brilliant fighter. Complete dumbass." Tarou commented about Akari's experience with Hiei's 'look.' "He got one like that from Mom one time..." He just shook his head and sighed, thinking about what a disappointment his boss was.

He raised an eyebrow at Akari when she asked about his own feelings on the matter, "Well, I sure as hell wouldn't work for somebody I didn't like." He grinned, knowing he'd 'worked' for Shikiyoku long before he'd called Hiei 'boss,' "Him havin' a sexy-ass Queen is also a perk."

He raised and lowered a shoulder, "You weren't exactly droppin' eaves, dog. I can sense telepathic conversation as much as the next guy, but I ain't one myself." 3

Akari turned and blinked at Tarou. He what?

"Hiei has…" she opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, unable to really quantify the idea that Shikiyoku had not only given Hiei such a look, but that the fire demon seemed to not have responded in the way the woman had wanted. "...I can't…"

She blinked again.

"...Okay, I can believe that." I wish I didn't.

She let out a breath that was half a laugh, half a sigh. "Knowing what I do of his past, I wouldn't be surprised if Shikiyoku is the first to have the opportunity, or even the want, to, uh, educate him on such things. Unfortunately…"

Unfortunately, she's in denial.

Akari sighed again.

"Unfortunately, he needs guidance, and I'm not sure Shikiyoku is willing to offer it." She shrugged and reached out to take the glass that was set in front of her, offering a smile of thanks at the bartender even as he moved away. "And being as… uneducated as he is, I can at least give him ideas." She lifted the glass to her lips, hand pausing half-way. "I have a feeling it'll be interesting. I can sort of see some of myself in him." Particularly his awkwardness, she thought as she lifted her glass the rest of the way, remembering Hiei's reluctance to follow through with Akari's suggestion even after she'd genuinely become distracted.

~!**!~

Hiei only seemed to recover his senses when Shikiyoku stepped into her room and out of his sight, a sort of tension he hadn't noticed building suddenly releasing from his shoulders and neck in a sigh.

After a beat, his entire body seemed to thaw and he turned to follow, not missing the lack of clicking from the door closing behind her and taking that as a sort of invitation. He only came to a stop once he was in her doorway, where he leaned against the frame with his right shoulder and slid his hands into the pockets of his pants just as she pulled his shirt over her shoulders, and for the moment he lost the world.

...Very important, indeed.

He hardly even blinked when she spoke aloud, at first not looking at whatever she had been doing and, subsequently, not understanding what she meant. "What is what?" *

She blinked and looked up over at him, blush settling across her nose from the note and having been completely unaware he'd come closer, much less stood in the doorway.

"This." She emphatically shook it as she marched in his direction and stuck it under his nose. "What is the meaning of this?"

~!**!~

"That little shit turned around and walked away." Tarou told her. "Completely left the building. I didn't even notice at first cuz I was too busy enjoyin' her as she left." He threw the rest of what he had back before signalling the bartender, as if the recollection drove him to drink. "I mean, I know he's young, but he's also stupid." Tarou grumbled further. "I ain't never seen no goddamn fire demon able to keep his cool when someone lays eyes on them like that. I nearly fuckin' sparked and she waddn't even lookin'at me."

Tarou eyed Akari when she mentioned Shikiyoku being unwilling to 'offer it.'

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't blame her." He mumbled. "You can only get turned down so many times before it starts to wear on yah and she's known him a lot longer than any of us have." 3

Akari was halfway through swallowing a mouthful of her drink when Tarou told her of Hiei's response to Shikiyoku's look, and she couldn't stop the surprised intake of breath that made her choke on her drink in response.

She lowered her glass to the bar, her hand still around it, and dropped her chin as she coughed, finally swallowing the last of the drink despite the burn in her nose and the liquid she could feel stuck in her airways.

"He-" she coughed again, "left the building?!"

All at once, she understood.

She coughed a few more times, cleared her throat, and finally sat upright again as Tarou mentioned Shikiyoku being turned down 'so many times', and she nodded with the complete understanding that he was most certainly right.

"Well… I can't say that I'm confident in my ability to take him from that level of stupidity to something to the level of a proper fire demon, but…" She turned her glass in her hand idly. "But I can give him ideas and see how he employs them." She shrugged. "He's already picking up things from others, and if anything, today's little show proves he may have the capacity for it, even if he doesn't know it."

She turned to face Tarou this time, looking him up and down. "Unfortunately, there are things I'm not willing to educate him about... " She frowned, realizing she couldn't imagine him being willing to learn from just any demon - whether through practice or simply talking - and she tilted her head to the side. "The problem I foresee is he may not follow through after being told about it. Just today, he avoided doing a thing I suggested, and I'm not sure if it's because they were with the guild or if he's genuinely intimidated by the thought itself."

~!**!~

Hiei's eyes followed the flow of his shirt against her, his eyes finally coming up to the paper she all but shoved in his face, forcing him to at least acknowledge the little scrap of paper he'd hidden in her drawer.

One of a few, he knew.

He raised a brow at her and glanced over the edge of it to stare down at her again. "It means you're my favorite." He blinked. "Or, that's what it's supposed to mean." *

She glared at him a moment longer before her cheeks puffed out as she looked at the slip of paper, but she only huffed out a breath as she moved away to put it on top of the chest of drawers, pulling her necklace out from under his shirt as she grumbled, "Well, you did it wrong."

Her scalp still tingling and releasing glimmers into the air around her head seemed to indicate more so than her expression her actual feelings about it.

~!**!~

"I can't even imagine," Tarou went on, apparently stuck on how she'd been turned down in the specific instance of which he mentioned to Akari, "how that made her feel. Ain't no way a woman like that is used to being ignored. And she in particular doesn't deserve it. We were all disappointed at him on that one. She musta said something to him, he came running back in and followed her upstairs, but I would bet my sharpest weapon nothing came of it at that point, and she all but confirmed it today when I pressed her on that little burn he'd left on her between them comin' back downstairs."

"I know what he should do." His tankard had been refilled and he fiddled with it, still waiting on the shots he ordered a moment ago. "Moments with her are obvious. If he had half a mind, he woulda plucked her hand from those shelves if she let him, and slipped it under his shirt or som'fin."

Tarou watched her as she turned towards him, smile dancing over his features as he raised an eyebrow about what she wouldn't be willing to teach Hiei.

"I know a few what look like her." He nodded his chin towards the door behind which Shikiyoku and Hiei disappeared earlier, grin widening. "If you wouldn't, they will." 3

Akari blinked up at Tarou as he spoke about Shikiyoku's likely feelings on the matter, struck by the thought that Tarou might be better suited for such conversations with Hiei, if not for the fact that she thought it may be a bit much for the fire demon and his… reluctance.

She knew Tarou had quite a bit of experience with such things, but in this moment, his knowledge became so much more valuable to her, and she again looked him up and down, considering him.

"And considering he's her Consort, I imagine it made the whole ordeal that much worse," she murmured thoughtfully, mostly to herself as her eyes came to Tarou's features again. "Tarou, you know Shikiyoku well enough, yeah?"

She turned and, seeing the stool behind her vacated, shifted until she perched herself on its edge, her feet coming to rest on one of the pegs under her seat. "Would you mind if I came to you from time to time about Hiei? I can't say I know either of them well enough to be able to answer anything and everything he may ask about, and the only thing I can do is give him ideas, but even those are limited with my knowledge of their relationship dynamic."

~!**!~

Hiei's eyes sparkled at Shikiyoku as she turned away, his eyes again following her as she moved away. He almost didn't register what she said, enjoying too much the vision of her wearing his clothes.

He would definitely remember to make such deals more often.

"Oh?" He asked after a short delay, only really half listening. "How is it supposed to be, then?" *

Shikiyoku hadn't moved from where she'd come to stand profile to him and her eyes cut to the side away from him, features still pink under his unwavering stare and finding it more difficult to think.

"...you...the kanji...it's not my name and...the last word isn't...and your possession's wrong..."

~!**!~

Tarou was fairly certain Akari would ignore his commentary about knowing a few who'd be willing to teach Hiei a thing or two.

If nothing else, he'd kept his mouth shut because he was certain the little punk wouldn't take him seriously, even if Tarou could figure out a way to say it that likely wouldn't lock the demon up.

He raised and lowered a shoulder, "Known a few women like her. There aren't many." His lips parted again for another smile, "Though they are my favorite." He figured he should probably leave it at that, though another shot or two and he might have gone into more detail as to why.

He reached up and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck somewhat self-consciously, "Yeah, I know 'em both well enough. Well enough to know bossman wouldn't listen to me if I tried." Tarou let out a sigh.

The pair of shots he ordered slid his way and he shunted one Akari's direction, eyeing her again.

"If you ever need help," He lifted his glass meaningfully in her direction, "I'm always here." 3

Akari's lips stretched into a small smile at first, his smile slightly infectious. Though, at his comment of his 'favorite' women, her lips widened into a toothy grin, not surprised to hear the comment and, if asked, she likely would have assumed as much.

Though at his comment about Hiei likely not listening to him, she nodded. "Well, I'm sure you have many, many ideas I can take and mold into a thought he won't be so daunted by."

She blinked and turned down to the shot he slid her way, reaching out to take it without a beat of hesitation, though she did wait for what he had to say before her grin shifted into a grateful smile and she lifted the glass to just clink against his.

"I look forward to the results," she told him before throwing the shot back.

~!**!~

Hiei nodded, "I'll work on it."

Though, truth be told, if she'd asked him what he was supposed to work on, or even anything of what she'd just said, he wouldn't have been able to tell her. He hadn't really heard her, and the only reason he was even remotely aware that she'd responded to him at all was because he'd seen her mouth move.

After a few beats of silence, he pushed away from the door frame and stood upright. He finally blinked as he took first one step and then another in her direction, telling her in the bond that he intended to hug her without so many words. *

When she heard him lean away from her doorway and move her direction, Shiki's eyes flickered towards him, quickly lowering from his face down the rest of him in one motion as they darted away again, the anticipation of him coming closer starting to make her already pearlescent skin gleam as if beckoning to be touched, though she already found herself all but rooted to the spot, somewhere distant perfectly aware that she'd done this to herself and yet unable to rightly say she regretted it.

~!**!~

Tarou threw back the shot in good company before all but slamming it back down on the bar, tossing a compliment at the one who poured it.

"So, what's your plan?" He wanted to know, leaning forward again. 3

Akari lowered her empty shot glass to rest it next to Tarou's, the burn of the alcohol finally seeming to settle into her stomach and flush in her cheeks just a little. She considered ordering water, but Tarou's question distracted her enough to turn her gaze onto him.

"Well, really, right now I need to get a gauge of what he knows and what he doesn't, and the resource I have readily available - other than literally asking him a million annoying questions - is a television." She tilted her head slightly to one side, thinking. "I could also find books, but I don't even know if he'd enjoy reading, not to mention the fact that he also is apparently just learning to. At least, that's how I understood it."

~!**!~

Hiei crossed the room silently, watching Shikiyoku as she glanced his way and then to the other side. He almost asked her why she did so, but in the moment of him coming to stand next to her, it didn't seem so important.

Instead, he opened his arms and, after a beat, wrapped them around her shoulders, hugging her for the sake of hugging her. *

After all these years, I still never know what to expect with you.

Shikiyoku let out a breath as he hugged her, pushing her glasses farther up her nose and reaching up to curl her arms around the one he had in front of her, leaning into him and relaxing a little, but finding she had nothing to say about it.

~!**!~

"Well, you got your work cut out for you." Tarou commented mildly. "I might be able to get Ma to believe me on the other side of it, but..." He shrugged.

"As far as books go," Tarou's grin turned slightly more wicked, "You know he doesn't hafta know how to read in order to enjoy pictures..." 3

Akari nodded. "You'd have more luck with her than I would, that I know for sure. I can only really relate to Hiei."

At Tarou's commentary of 'books with pictures', she blinked at him, half wondering how she hadn't thought of it herself, given that she also tended to read magazines.

She opened her mouth as if to reply, but closed it again as she considered the idea of going and buying such magazines.

"...Hm. I wonder if that would work?" She turned her eyes to stare at the empty shot glasses sitting together, considering the idea and all that it entailed.

"I'll remember that," she finally said, her lips twitching into a sly smile. "You're terrible, and I appreciate it."

~!**!~

Hiei leaned his head closer and kissed her cheek.

"You don't have to wear the glasses now," he murmured against her. He was partially surprised that she was still wearing them, since they were up in the apartment now, and while he didn't think she forgot to take them off, he did wonder if she'd left them on because of the energy he could see dancing along her skin. *

Shikiyoku rested her lips, her face, against his arm, for once glad to be away from the rest of the world for a while. Didn't have to worry about a stupid mark or-

She blinked and mumbled against him, "I hadn't gotten that far..." For that matter, she actually still had her hair 'up' too, though pieces of it were already falling out of the tie she'd brought it together at the back of her neck with.

His presence at her cheek kept scattering energy over her face and she rested in the sensation of it for a moment.

~!**!~

"Terrible?" Tarou repeated in mock-surprise, "I've been told I'm swell, if you care to remember!"

"But if we're being honest that's probably the mildest of my suggestions," He laughed. 3

"Well, yes, you're varying degrees of both depending on the situation," she told him with a grin. "I do believe it's part of what might be considered your 'charm', Tarou."

A laugh bubbled from Akari's lips, "I have no doubt about it, and I imagine any one of them could be useful at any point in the future."

~!**!~

Hiei hummed against her, at first making no move other than to lean further into her, adding just a little of his weight to her shoulders.

After a few moments, however, he pulled his left hand away from her right shoulder and lifted it, his fingers carefully taking hold of the frames on her face before he pulled them away, deftly folding the temples together and again resting that arm across her collar bone, his wrist resting on her right shoulder.

"It suits you," he said after a moment, his lips twitching. "My shirt, I mean." *

Shikiyoku dropped her arms to her sides when he began to move, closing her eyes and only opening them halfway up again when her glasses were gone.

"Yes, well..." The ghost of a smile passed over her lips. "I could have told you that, but I somehow didn't think you'd believe me."

~!**!~

"Bah, charm is for dumbasses who can't get what they want just by asking." Tarou remarked, still smiling.

He glanced in Akari's direction, "Well, if you need help, I'm not too hard to find, really." He plopped his face in his hand for a minute as if the remembrance almost pained him as he mumbled, "Idiot like that can't even find his way into her bed, there might really not be any hope for him at all." 3

Akari raised a brow at Tarou, but said nothing more of his 'charm', her lips twitching ever so slightly. She raised her drink to cover the half-formed smile, taking a sip even as she eyed him.

She only lowered it when his chin found his hand. "Well, I do appreciate your willingness to help. Maybe we'll be able to give them a push in the right direction." She paused. "Give him a push."

~!**!~

"Yes, well, the experience of it is more fun, in any case."

All at once, Hiei stood to his full height, his arms squeezing tighter around her so that as he straightened, he lifted her off the floor. He shuffled a step or two sideways, set her down long enough to set her glasses on the vanity, then lifted her again and shuffled to the side of her bed, where he unceremoniously let them fall on top of the covers, his arms still firmly wrapped around her.

"...much better." *

Shikiyoku grinned a little as he admitted as much, eyes briefly widening as he lifted her before she laughed.

"You're ridiculous." She blinked and looked over at him, trying not to smile. "Didn't even take off your shoes."

~!**!~

"Yeah, I think if he fell for her, she'd tumble right after." Tarou lifted his head again. "He'd have the easiest time convincing her. That's not the problem. The most I can hope for is pestering her enough that she slips up when around him." 3

Akari let out a small breath. "I honestly figured she at least was not sure of his reactions to her? I mean, he's pretty hard to read, so I wouldn't be surprised if his turning her down and being unreadable means she's at a loss. I mean, I tried reading his expressions earlier, and while they're not so… expressionless… as they used to be, he's still the hardest person I've ever read."

She lifted her hand from her glass and half extended it in his direction before letting it fall to her lap. "I'll do what I can about it, though. At least he seems receptive to ideas - I was surprised he mentioned he slapped her on the ass, honestly."

~!**!~

"Oh, right," he grumbled, and he managed to move himself around so that when he kicked off his shoes, they fell to the carpet next to the bed, and he just as quickly got comfortable next to her again.

"Better?" *

She raised an eyebrow at him, "You tell me, flameboy."

~!**!~

"Reading desires is her thing though, yeah?" He shrugged, "She told me he'd never wanted anything from her."

Tarou burst out laughing at the incident Akari mentioned.

"Ah-haha, thank you for reminding me!" He pushed his hair back out of his face, grinning, "God, that was the best. We were betting on who could make Mom poof first, did he tell you that? She does this thing where she gets all sparkly sometimes and she'd been drinking a lot that night, so we figured it'd be the best time to try. That little shit waltzes in, hears our conversation and just-" Tarou almost lost it again, but tried to do his best stone-faced Hiei impression, "'Bet.' And then goes over and-" Tarou couldn't stop laughing, "Her face- It- He-" 3

Akari tilted her head just a little at Tarou's question, her brows furrowing just a little. "Is that what that is?" She asked, remembering how Shikiyoku had stopped her from 'congratulating' her for the union she'd thought the other woman had gained with Kurama. "Huh. I don't think I realized that," she admitted. But, as she considered it, remembering several moments where the other seemed to 'read her mind', Akari shook her head. "Wait, no, I know what you mean. I just never thought anything about it."

The revelation niggled at the back of her mind, and after a brief moment of contemplating it, she remembered hearing whispers among the humans in her shop from time to time, talking of a 'witch' who 'granted desires', and she wondered briefly if that would be Shikiyoku's doing. "It certainly explains a few things, both here and among the humans."

Though, Tarou's mention of Shikiyoku saying Hiei 'never wanted anything from her' had the dog similarly confused.

A demon who doesn't want anything from her wouldn't back her into a shelf like that. ...Or pin her between himself and the bar.

Tarou's laughter brought her back to the moment and a smile settled across her face as he cleared his face of his hair and, as he told the tale, her lips stretched into a grin. "I have no idea what you mean by 'sparkly', but I imagine her reaction was priceless."

In any case, his recalling it certainly conveyed the amusement of the time, and she couldn't quite keep from smiling at him as his words gave way to laughter.

~!**!~

"Mmmm…."

Hiei slipped his left hand under the collar of his shirt, finding the skin at her shoulder in much the same way she had done with him earlier in the day, and just as he had when down at the bottom of the stairs, he gave a little breath of content.

"Now it's better," he told her as he settled against her. Though, as he kissed her cheek again, he realized her hair was still in the tie. "Do you want me to take the tie out of your hair?" He wasn't sure if she would prefer her hair to be loose or not. *

His hand initially spread glimmers of her energy across parts of her neck, and then as he kept it there she could still feel the soft glow from his touch and she blushed again and couldn't look at him.

"Oh, uh, y-you don't have to do that, i-if you don't want to."

~!**!~

"'Is that what that-'" Tarou stared at Akari incredulously, "You been livin' under a rock, doggo? That's literally what Mom's known for." He gestured around at the bar, "Ask anyone and they'd tell you she's the demon of desire." He appeared to consider the statement, "Well...anyone up here, anyway. Folks call her 'Kuraku' but they dun' really know what that means."

He sort of wiggled his fingers all around his head, "You can't see it all the time, but if you catch a sweet scent on the air, it's probably her. Whole damn bar smells like her, but most of us are just so used to it by now we don't notice unless she's close." He shrugged, "The wolves say they can tell whether she's actually here or not from a mile out, but they say a lotta stuff. She rarely ever 'poofs,'" he made a gesture similar to an explosion around his head, "but it happens." He grinned, "Happened that day. Even Chisai could see it and he's never payin' attention." 3

Akari nodded, "I always have lived under a rock, Tarou," she told him matter-of-factly. "It keeps me out of trouble." She paused. "Well... sometimes it does. Sometimes it gets me into trouble."

Though, as he told her about Shikiyoku's stance as the demon of desire, as well as her 'poofing' energy, she only nodded, all of it making sense and filling in little things she had already picked up, but hadn't been able to really and truly name.

Thought, at the idea of Shikiyoku 'sparkling', she found herself remembering a certain dog calling her 'sparkles', and a soft smile found its place on her face.

"Well, if all goes well, you'll get to see those little energy 'poofs' more often, my friend. If Hiei could get that reaction then, I can't imagine what he'll get when he actually tries."

~!**!~

If you don't want to.

Those words almost made him sigh; she wasn't telling him no or that she didn't want it down, only that he 'didn't have to', and for a brief moment, he only stared at her, remembering that he'd taken her glasses off of her face without asking, and also remembering the another time he'd done as such.

He'd kissed her then, after hearing her tell some other demon that only 'one demon in the universe' could have 'such a privilege', and he'd done as he wished with confidence before moving on.

He considered her. He considered pressing her on if she wanted him to take it down, or if she wanted it to stay as it was. However, with her lack of true answer, he realized he already knew her response.

So, with a teasing smile, he pulled his left hand from under the shirt she wore and carefully tugged the hair tie from her hair - trying not to pull too hard and possibly cause some form of discomfort - and then he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Am I the only demon who gets to do this too?" he asked as he held out the hair tie for her to take. *

The actual answer was yes.

Yes, she wanted him to. Yes, she'd put it up in that manner because she knew how it would look with his shirt. She rarely did anything without purpose.

In a way, with Hiei, she felt like she couldn't ask, maybe. Or wouldn't. Too afraid, as she'd mentioned to Akari, of somehow convincing him of doing something he didn't want to do.

As she'd told him, she wasn't exactly capable of much rational thought when it came to him.

She completely expected him to just take the hair tie out if he wanted, thrown off by the question and faced with her own obvious 'yes' and unable to admit that it was exactly what she'd wanted and why she'd done what she had with it earlier.

Shikiyoku couldn't look at him, though she could all but feel his expression, staring down at the pillow between them as her eyes glimmered with energy as he did so, feeling underneath her blushing features how it skittered across the mask of her face just underneath her skin and she bit at her lower lip as he leaned in to kiss her cheek, resisting the urge to kiss him herself.

For her anyway, there was something strangely intimate in letting him take down her hair and at his question she didn't meet his gaze, though she nodded, and blinked at his hand when he held out the band.

The energy that had been fighting against her wishes whispered slowly out of the long, dark locks as she reached for Hiei's wrist with one hand so he wouldn't take it away as she accepted his offering, but only slipped it over his fingers until it settled on his wrist before lowering her hands away from him again.

~!**!~

"You? Get into trouble?" Tarou grinned at her, teasing, "I wouldn't have taken you for the type, doggy. You're much too prissy for that."

He only made a humming noise at her commentary about Hiei 'trying' as he lifted his drink to his lips.

"Trying? I'm surprised he even did it in the first place. He's never struck me as one to be so openly...affectionate in public." He ticked his head to the side a little, "I say, having just watched him steal more kisses from her than I've ever dared." He shook his head. "That guy makes no sense to me." 3

Akari frowned at Tarou and she swirled the liquid in her glass around thoughtfully, staring at him. "Prissy?"

She hadn't known what he would say, but 'prissy' was not it. Sure, maybe she expected 'domesticated' or… if she were to describe herself, perhaps 'cowardly', but not… 'prissy'.

She didn't know how to respond to that.

"I don't often wish to be in trouble," she said with a raise of her chin, fighting a smile. "It just happens to find me."

She took a sip of her drink.

"As for Hiei not making sense… yes. I get it. I think once he's properly… educated… he will start to make more sense to everyone."

~!**!~

Hiei let Shikiyoku do as she wished, keeping his hand hovering near her as she slipped the hair tie over his hand until it rested around his wrist. He stared at it for a moment, noting that it was not too tight despite its elastic being stretched just a little around him, before he turned his eyes to her face again, a soft smile replacing his earlier smirk.

His left hand lowered to find a bit of her hair, and he ran his fingers through it briefly, watching as her energy slowly came to life as if only just allowed to be released.

It being the source of her power, her energy, drove his next statement.

"I'm honored you have such trust in me, my Beloved." *

That way you can put it up whenever you like.

She couldn't bring herself to say it, lowering her eyes away from him again and honestly sort of surprised with herself that she'd been able to put the thought into words to begin with.

She so rarely let anyone take it down she couldn't even remember the last time someone had that wasn't herself or a Champion, much less put it back up. Aside from Hiei himself.

When around someone with desires she could read, her focus became so much less upon herself so much more easily. The majority of the time in any situation similar to this, what they wanted was what she wanted anyway, and being asked came across much differently when she already knew the question would be coming.

She could feel where his fingers seemed to encourage more of the stuff to come gleaming out of her and she smiled a little when he spoke.

"If I couldn't trust you, you wouldn't have earned my marking as you did, Consort. That being the case, you don't have to ask. You're the only one I feel comfortable being around while so exposed like this anyway."

Sans glasses, sans hair tie, it was much harder to resist allowing her energy to do as it liked, and was certainly not helped by the fact that he was still touching her.

~!**!~

Tarou grinned at Akari, daring her to say something about it from over the rim of his drink when she repeated the word, eyes glimmering.

He sighed as she went on, "Maybe." He grumbled, "Still don't understand how a fire demon of all things hasn't gotten this far. He's, what, a hundred years old now? Two?" Tarou scoffed. 3

She lowered her chin, her eyes falling to Tarou's face again as her hand lowered the drink to the bar once more. After a beat, she shrugged at him, genuinely not sure of Hiei's age.

"I think he's older than I am, but I don't know for sure, honestly." She blinked. "Wait, maybe not." She looked down at her free hand and began counting fingers, murmuring to herself as she recounted first her own life to herself - in years - and then what she knew of Hiei's from Sensui.

"Mmmm… If I'm older, it isn't by much, I don't think. Though, from what I know of fire demons, he definitely is an outlier." She dropped her hand to her lap again and looked up once more.

...

...prissy.

She puffed her cheeks at him, but still said nothing of it, not wanting to give him the satisfaction

~!**!~

Hiei raised a brow. I don't have to ask?

…

But didn't we just have a conversation about me telling her what I wanted?

Not to mention the fact that she avoided giving him answers when it came to herself - something he'd only just realized she'd done probably for his entire time with her.

"Well, I knew you trusted me with your life," he said after a moment of contemplation, "but it's different with this." He weaved a bit of her hair through his fingers, feeling its softness against his hand even as her energy sparkled against him. "...since it's where your power is stronger, I mean," he mumbled as his eyes found the sparkles that danced between his fingers.

"...I also would not want to do something you would not want me to," he added after a beat. "You never tell me what you want, except for in the bar when you asked me to wait." *

Shikiyoku almost scooted closer to him as he continued moving his fingers through her hair, to close the last bit of distance between them, of which there wasn't much to begin with.

She shrugged a little, "As my Champion, I was trained that you had my best interests in mind. Whatever you could do then, you can do now. I trust you with all of me, seat of my power or otherwise."

She let out a breath, "Hiei, I've told you before you can do whatever you like with me. It's-" She turned more pink around the ears, "-harder...the other way...because I don't know what you desire."

~!**!~

Tarou nodded absently, "You don't see a lot of older fire demons running around. They usually kill themselves because of how volatile their element is. However," He added wryly, "As far as I know the only type of demon who matures faster than they are kitsune. Like their energy drives them to it or something." 3

Akari let loose the breath she'd been holding and gave a shrug.

"Kitsune, fire demons, and, as far as I can tell, canines. All of them mature pretty quickly; quicker than most other types." She nodded her head this way and that. "I've never thought about why that is though."

~!**!~

Hiei bobbed his head ever so slightly as Shikiyoku talked, his eyes finally lifting from her hair to her face and he watched her.

Though, at the mention of not knowing what he desired, a little sigh breathed through the bond.

"Well, right now, I want to hug you." To demonstrate, he let her hair fall to her shoulder before slipping both arms under the shirt she wore, his bare skin coming into contact with hers, and he pulled her closer. "Like this."

Because the skin contact is nice.

"And…" He pressed his lips to her cheek again.

(And I want you to kiss me again.) And this time, with the request came the very clear notion of wanting her to kiss him on the lips. *

Him telling her things in the bond was their solution for her being unable to sense his desires, whether or not he meant the things he said or did in a way she couldn't mistake.

Getting her to tell him what she wanted was going to be a whole new set of issues that she couldn't even bring herself to address consciously and always managed to slip around.

Suddenly finding herself pulled up against him, Shikiyoku blinked at him, her own hands caught between them instead of where they'd been resting on the comforter, and the contact between them sent more shimmers along her back as she watched him kiss her cheek, still surprised to be in his arms.

She still felt the sort of vicarious satisfaction at his confession in their bond, though, feeling just as reassured about it as she might have been had she been able to sense from him that very thing and she smiled as she fulfilled it for him, pulling back to look into his eyes.

(Better?) She repeated like he had earlier.

~!**!~

"There's a reason why foxes get the reputation they have." Tarou told her, "Cuz they get such a headstart over everyone. And most people know fire demons can't hardly contain themselves as it is, so why would that be any different?" He shrugged, "Both of them have rightly earned their stereotypes. Which is why the boss is one of the weirdest demons I've ever met." 3

~!**!~

Hiei closed his eyes to appreciate the kiss he had asked for, the satisfaction of her fulfilling one of his requests without hesitation once more bringing a certain warmth to his core that he hadn't known he'd been missing until he'd experienced it.

That warmth lingered as she pulled away and he opened his eyes to stare at her again, the slightest of smiles playing at the corner of his mouth.

He wanted another one.

But he also wanted to revel in the contact between them and her skin under his embrace. Idly, his left index finger began to make very light circles against her back, where the tickling sensation of her energy coming to life just barely registered against his own skin.

He leaned down to kiss her again, more tenderly this time, and when he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers.

(Would you trace my markings?) he asked her, his request somehow coming across quieter than his last one and softer in the sense of 'need'. (I really did enjoy that before.) *

Any of the previous teasing she might have felt melted away as did any of the rest of the room like they weren't already alone, Shikiyoku finally blinking up at him as he left her only far enough to rest against her again.

Her hair rustled gently behind her as she shifted almost immediately in response like she might do so instinctually at his word, the energy that had been slowly seeping out of her since he released it having thickened into the air around them, leaving her scalp tingling pleasantly and more of it bubbling excitedly beneath her skin.

In spite of all the closeness they'd had so far that day, the request still made her hesitate, even as-like with everything else he asked within their shared space-the sort of ambivalent sensation of reassurance of his desire swept through their bond instead of her body like she might normally have expected from anyone else.

(O-of course.) Her blush this time deepened not from their exchanged affections, but of the sudden intimacy of the request which she earlier admitted to having given up on the dream of experiencing again.

And this time, the touch wasn't the absentminded need for comfort like it had earlier been.

Shikiyoku watched as she set the fingers of her right hand to doing just as he asked, following the lines of her marking with a sort of reverence at having been asked even as she relaxed and the lighter hesitation gave way to a more confident activity.

She knew these markings. Quite well. And even now her touch left whispers of her energy following behind the tips of her fingers as they moved across his chest, though it did not fully bloom into its usual splendor like it had before when she pressed a palm to the center of it, only fading quickly after she passed over line by line and finally wore a soft smile as she watched it chase after her meanderings. 3

As if his muscles had any tension to release, a soft sigh almost seemed to whisper across his body as her fingers began to trace the markings and his own light circles against her skin seemed to slow in response to his enjoyment of the contact.

And just like when he traced circles on her skin, he could feel the energy that bloomed across his own chest as her fingers roamed along the swirls, following first one and then another continuously.

He might have been able to fall asleep if not for the fact that he'd been so looking forward to this moment that he was almost afraid to miss out on it.

(You can 'get away' with this whenever you want.) *

Shikiyoku's eyes flickered off to the side away from his chest at his commentary and she let out a little breath as she felt her neck heat up and the tips of her ears follow suit with the blush that had already been a somewhat permanent fixture since his second kiss.

For once, she had no immediate, witty response for him, knowing through their bond he meant what he said and a small, dangerous part of her she still kept from him still stuffed so far down that its small voice daring to push at his boundaries remained silent and away from her lips.

Be careful what you wish for, Gouka. It wanted to say. This is a fire by which you could get burned.

Instead, Shikiyoku bit her lip, overwhelmed by the honesty of his statement as she took to staring harder at the tattoos curling across his torso and her hand moved up towards his neck over his collar bone, though it turned to trace outwards to his shoulder just as she relaxed again in his arms and thought to enjoy the contact he'd requested.

Still mostly trapped against him, she traced back towards the center of it again instead of trying to go farther and before she realized it blinked at a sudden blur of her vision, overtaken in this quiet moment by tears she couldn't quite control as her fingers made it back to the heart and then somewhat desperately spread wide to press her palm against his skin and call the energy within to flurry rapidly across the rest of it.

The bond had no exact words, only the distress at having almost lost him for good swirling with the relief at having him still there and pouring out of her silently in a flood of deeply passionate emotions she could not help. 3

He didn't know when he'd started to sense the turmoil in the bond. It could have been quietly in the background for days without his constant direct notice of it. However, as her fingers continued to trace swirl after swirl, he became more and more aware of the strengthening storm that passed from her to him, swirling and heavy with emotions and tears that he didn't have to open his eyes to see.

He reacted quietly, first by hugging her closer - tangling his legs with hers and ensuring that she could feel as much of his bare skin against hers as possible - followed by the gentlest nudge of his head against hers and soft, warm kisses starting at her nose and slowly making their way from one eye to the other as if to kiss her sorrow away.

He'd known she had been holding back, even if he hadn't directly acknowledged it to himself. He'd been waiting for her walls to finally fall, for her to finally feel safe enough to let him see her and help her.

And now that those barriers of fear had fallen to allow him the ability to feel everything else she harbored, he welcomed her with an open mind and quiet reassurances in the forms of kisses and hugs and absolutely entangling himself with her.

He hadn't truly meant to make her cry, but a part of him knew that it would help her to release it in the form of tears - no matter how much he hated to see her cry.

And all the while, each kiss came accompanied with a quiet sensation of simply being 'there' from his side of the bond. *

Shikiyoku didn't realize until she was in the midst of it that it had been a long time coming, though she had certainly cried upon first seeing him awake. There hadn't been a moment before now where she could no longer ignore how strongly she felt affected by his impending loss, the waiting, the steeling herself for the worst.

It all swept out of her, any fears of losing him, only to be caught up by the solidity of his presence between them, and she couldn't have said when her arms had wrapped themselves tightly around his neck or buried her face against him.

Eventually exhausted and emptied of the sorrow but filled by his comforting presence, she pulled back far enough to smile at him as she sniffed and apologetically started moving her fingers over the swirls at his cheek.

(...thank you...) 3

Hiei held her throughout the wave, letting his presence simply be known as she let out the tears and the anguish that no longer really needed to be held back. When she buried her face against him, he took to kissing the top of her head and playing with her hair, calm and steady in all things even as she began to quiet down.

When she pulled away, he finally opened his eyes to meet her gaze - still just as calm and steady as the rest of his presence - and he let his lips stretch into a reassuring smile.

She didn't apologize this time, and a part of him felt a sort of pride at the fact.

He leaned his cheek ever so slightly into her touch, though his eyes remained fixed on her face. (Of course, my Beloved.)

I'd do anything you wanted and needed me to do.

The soft smile on her expression twitched ever so slightly, but he could see the exhaustion from her emotional outpouring just as well as he could feel it. He smoothed his hand down the back of her head to her back and continued to rub comforting circles between her shoulder blades. It seemed as though only seconds passed before she closed her eyes and her tracing motions stopped. Her breathing evened out and he leaned in to kiss her one last time before he settled into a quiet stillness that wouldn't disturb her sleep.

He didn't immediately let himself go under, however. He laid awake and quietly watched Shikiyoku, listening to her breathing and the things the bond felt necessary to tell him until, at some point in the night, her slumber was deep enough that he knew he would not disturb her.

Only then did Hiei shift around some more, further tangling himself up in her by slipping his bare arms under the shirt she wore once more and spreading his hands against her back. He rested his head next to hers on the pillow, their noses almost touching, and finally, after stilling, he let his eyes close again.

His sleep wasn't so easy on this night.

While he didn't move nor dream, he also didn't fall into a deep slumber as he might have any other night. He felt all too aware of his skin against Shikiyoku's and the warmth under his hands. He knew every slight move she made, even if he didn't wake completely to really consciously note it.

However, when the slightest disturbance trickled into the bond, he seemed to fall deeper into it out of instinct as if to give Shiki more of himself. When that didn't stop the growing turbulence, he shifted his head and sleepily began to plant kisses here and there, not really awake enough to know how many he gave her or where exactly he planted them.

And when those kisses seemed to help just enough to encourage him to keep doing so, Hiei continued his randomly placed, sleep-laden kisses of comfort in lazy trails along her skin.

It wasn't until she moved that he truly woke, at which point he found himself blinking owlishly up at the woman who had rolled him onto his back and was now hovering over him, unsure of how he got there but also completely sure in that instant that he wasn't unhappy to be where he was. *

So many things had happened to them of late, though, what with travel on the other levels doing funny things to time, it was difficult to determine just how many days the two of them had really lived since the first of the New Human World's calendar year. Most recently though...

Hiei had taken her out on a date.

Six Crusnik were led down to the Seventh, to The Last Stand, and if not taken care of, then at least scattered to the forewinds.

The journey back upwards had not been an entirely pleasant one, either, the scar that was the nightmares of the Infected Shikiyoku already carried only deepened by their chase of her to the lower levels.

Akari's shop had been built. Kainegisu showing up to ask Shikiyoku to consider returning to the Ninth with him. Shuichi and Toriko's engagement.

Discovering Hiei loved her in return. Only to be all but torn from him by circumstances beyond almost anyone's control.

Retrieving him and waiting nearly two weeks bracing for the worst: that an infection she already felt herself responsible for spreading might take away the one thing in the world she finally realized just as it was nearly taken from her she truly could not live without.

What little sleep she'd gotten recently had still been plagued by those thoughts she'd tried to ignore at the time. The prospect of losing him had been almost too much for her, and she was so very tired now, could have wished the rest of the world away just for a few blessed days so she could recover from the aching in her soul, so he could recover fully. So that they could both feel some semblance of the normalcy their lives had been earlier in the year where Misaki's band had only just been taking off.

Of course, the underlying throb of the marking at her neck seemed to remind her even in sleep that what they had considered normal might never be the same again. And that was besides Shikiyoku having accidentally revealed to Hiei how she'd gone so long living with the void of desires that he was, and him beginning to understand how he could use the bond to circumnavigate an issue that had been plaguing her since their initial Champion/Ward bond.

Exhausted as she was, all of these things kept rolling around in her mind, mixing and swirling with other issues she so long had been fighting, like her reservations about viewing Hiei's status as an adult more so than the child she felt him to be and all of the decisions made or words she'd spoken lately where she felt so unsure in how to approach him as either anymore.

Her dreams, then, were at times equally restless, more emotional journeys than vivid depictions of events true or false, but with an underlying fear of complete loss that seemed to grow as the hours wore on, threatening to take from her something that in her sleep she could not name, but similarly could not gain enough conscious thought to wake up from.

The sensation that briefly scattered the negative thoughts came in the form of the pleasantest sort of golden, bubbly feeling that she searched for a second time without realizing it, and then clung to when it came again until it slipped through her mental fingers and dissipated.

They kept coming, radiating from somewhere far outside of her by something she knew but could not in those moments name, despite her pursuit and return of them.

Truly unaware of the affections she was being given at first, Shikiyoku's instincts seemed to overrule what was left of her mind's turmoil as she let out a small breath and her body reacted to an age old trigger she'd never once had to consider in the presence of the demon next to her, but had been employed by others long before she knew he existed.

The heated kisses they usually received came to him this time, though for the moment these were born out of her almost completely asleep state, a couple of quick, nipping ones moving up from where his neck met his shoulder before a softer one in the midst of the markings there close to where he'd been at hers just before.

But there was no mistaking that it was Hiei's name she breathed across his skin as she trailed kisses until she found his lips again from where she'd come to be over him.

It was the underlying, newish scent of charcoal mixing with the usual cinnamon and cloves that got her attention, woke her up as she lifted from his lips to the growing realization that her energy was readily effervescing through her limbs and into the air around them in a shifting glitter of sparkles and her eyes, whirling with unfettered energy, widened as her breath caught in her throat and she said his name again, more coherent this time, mortified, and without the faintest idea how she'd ended up over top of him.

The only thing that could have possibly made the situation any worse was the timing of how the door to her apartment swung inward and her head whipped over her right shoulder as she almost immediately scrambled backwards off of Hiei to sit further down the bed on her feet at the sight of Kurama the Youko all but waltzing through the door.

The fox actually let out a laugh as he stood there with his arms crossed taking in the scene, seeing the deep redness to Shikiyoku's face and an expression on Hiei's that likewise seemed to indicate neither one of them had the faintest idea how they'd ended up in the situation he'd caught them in.

Entirely too amused, Kurama left the door open behind him as he made his way around the end of the bed with his tail swaying in good humor behind himself and noted Shikiyoku scooted so she'd be on her knees facing him when he made it over to that side, but hadn't managed to greet him in any significant way otherwise.

All but plopping down on the bed in front of her and shifting so his right leg was bent up between them, leaving his posture open towards Hiei was well, Kurama flipped part of his long silver hair on that side behind his shoulder as he leaned forward with a knowing, toothy sort of grin.

"You kissed her neck, didn't you?"

He got a glare from Shikiyoku he summarily ignored.

"She likes that. Right here, even?" He went on to press a slender finger approximately in the middle of the fox tattoo's face on her neck, somehow even more pronounced by the blush of skin beneath it. He didn't wait for an answer, appearing confident of his assessment as he lowered his hand back to his leg.

"And while she was asleep, no less. You're lucky you still have any clothing on at all."

"Ku-rama!"

"What?" He raised an eyebrow and finally looked down at her fuming below his gaze. "Afraid I'll give away all your secrets? Anyone who's been your bedfellow more than once figures it out." He reached forward to gather her hair up and move it all to hang over the shoulder opposite his marking. "You're very kissable. And so responsive, too. I think that's why we find you so fun."

She huffed out a breath and was pouting now as she sat back on the bed between her feet, refusing to look at either him or Hiei and glaring out at the rest of the room over her hair instead as Kurama tilted his head to look her up and down.

"Oh, now you're just doing that on purpose so I'll stop." He did take the moment to appreciate how the length of the shirt hit her thighs so it seemed like she wore nothing else underneath.

"It's not bad." He tilted his head the other direction, "Though I haven't the faintest why you've got it buttoned up so far." He reached forward for the black dress shirt she wore that he felt positive was not her own. "You've more chest than he does, so it doesn't hit you right." Kurama made no hesitation to absolutely undo more buttons than was necessary for the purpose of his visit.

"There. Now it's more flattering on you." He told her once he'd revealed enough cleavage to satisfy him for the present before undoing one more button just because he could.

Kurama reached up to slowly slide the shirt down and off her shoulder with a precise sort of unmistakable attention, noting the pink edge to her now bare skin hadn't gone anywhere, though he was certain that had less to do with his own forwardness and more with the state he caught her in.

He wasn't going to miss an opportunity to enjoy this moment whether she did or not. Placing his hand up to her skin over the marking, his mind did rush with the assessments of it, but he let himself be distracted as she took a breath beneath his slightly cool touch, and a bauble nestled at her chest caught his attention with her intake.

Kurama blinked at it and almost lifted his hand, unable to read Shikiyoku's expression with her still looking off like that, but absolutely sending a glance in Hiei's direction from under his lashes. Discrete, and curious not only to Hiei's reaction to all of Kurama's machinations in the last minute, Kurama caught sight of the two baubles around Hiei's neck that seemed to affirm his suspicions about the origins of this third.

Kurama knew Hiei once again wore both of his mother's tears, the second belonging to Yukina. He also knew at one time, Hiei had left his own with Shikiyoku for safekeeping.

But this one of Shikiyoku's was new. Was undeniably Hiei in origin...and Kurama had never taken notice of it before now...

...the implication being...Hiei had finally found someone he felt he couldn't live without, too...

...and it was Shikiyoku. 3