Hiei's Justice

Chapter 3

Paradise Lost

Eight months, that is how long Hiei has been stuck in the human world without a way to go home to demon world, he didn't know exactly where to search, research on a topic was more of Kurama's thing, but now he had to be the one to do the research to go home, and he hated it. He's looked through countless books on many different religious folklore and tales and have found that most of them were wrong, almost comically, but they were still the only thing he could look into without asking the others for aid, and he dreaded doing that more than he would care to admit. They still hadn't truly forgiven him for pointing out, very truthfully he might add, that they have all killed before and since he was technically aloud to do it, he had no actual trouble with killing an alien, though in retrospect he probably should have told them that the first month he was there.

Right now he wasn't aboard the watchtower, he was actually in the building that would have housed the portal to spirit world, it was an old abandoned warehouse that wasn't on the edge of the city, but right in the middle of it, he had brought in some tables and chairs to work on. He had been studying up on the chemistry of this world, wondering if he could combine some elements, take something and combine it to make a mixture to somehow reactivate the portal home, or at least to spirit world so that he could let them know that it was now safe to open back up. Though his efforts were getting him nowhere as the human compounds here all lacked a spirit enhancement that would allow him to make anything worth the use, and he has almost exhausted the uses of his current available technology, and it was primitive tech to begin with. The best thing he could do was connect to a nearby Wi-Fi to access the internet, it had a very limited storage space so he couldn't store many files on it, and yet the internet wasn't worth much at all, he had no idea what to search for, he tried being direct, being subtle, being both.

Now he was going through everything he had gathered so far, for the millionth time, and the same results as always came up, zero spiritual essence can be found within that stone slab, it was nothing more than that at the moment, and by all appearances, all it ever was until this moment. It was disappointing how much time he has used to research a way into a slab of concrete, maybe if he went a different route, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a map that held a map of the closest cities that he was in, maybe if he could follow the spiritual layout of them and find the center.

"Hn, that could work, but it would be risky and take a lot of time, not to mention I would need some of the most advanced of technologies if I were to accomplish it, anything that would help me tap into another dimension, or even something like that black whole that I've heard talk of. All of this assuming that I can find a focal point nearby to pull everything together, and if I'm right, it would have to be the right kind of focal point, I'd have to unlock spirit world first to get Yukina out of there, this could work, I just have to find the right path," Hiei theorized looking at the map.

That was when something happened that hasn't happened for many months, he got a call on his communicator, he didn't know he still had the damn thing, they made it clear that they didn't want anything to do with him, he put it in his ear, "this is Batman, are you there Hiei?"

Hiei thought about not answering and hanging up, but decided he better work on getting some of that tech sooner or later, "I'm here bat, what do you need me for, I was just about to make a breakthrough with an idea to getting home," that at least put the thought in the man head.

"Sorry to interrupt it, but Diana needs our help, I'm sending you some coordinates for you to head to so you can meet up with the others," Batman said as he typed keys into the computer, "though I do think you should be careful, they're still not too happy with you at the moment."

"It's been Six months, though I've held grudges for longer than them, but I'd rather they move past it because sooner or later they'll need my help and if they don't move past this they'll be too caught up in something petty to ask for it," the demon cut the transmission there to leave quickly. He gave one last look at the maps, narrowing his eyes at the paper before turning and leaving the building, it'd take him weeks to go through all of Japan to find the right place anyways, even longer to get the right equipment that can work with his Jagan, but this call from them was a start.

Museum rooftop

Maybe it wasn't a good start, when he got there, all he got from the league aside from Wonder Woman was glares, those of the league that were there to begin with, which was only Superman, Flash, and J'onn, and J'onn's glare was more akin to a blank stare than anything else though. Flash's glare was much more oppressive than Superman's, though that was mainly because the big blue boy scout was of a much more forgiving nature than the scarlet speedster, who at least had the thought process needed to know that now was not the time for jokes for the moment. They were on the top of the museum with Wonder Woman leaning against a skylight with Hiei himself leaning against the wall opposite to her, Superman, J'onn, and then Flash was directly in front of her and stood in front of the demon, all glaring over their shoulders at him.

Wonder Woman looked around confused at the glares towards the demon, "I still don't get why you three are glaring at Hiei so, no one has yet to give me an explanation for that or why we didn't call him in to help with the Aquaman issue when Orm was planning that attack."

"I can't speak for them personally on the issue of why you didn't call, but it would have helped, since demons often wish for the same thing as Atlantians for the rest of the humans, spare a select few of us of course, however in regards to why they are glaring at me, I took a life," he explained.

"Empathizing with their thought process would have been a bigger help, so it would have made sense to bring you in on it, yet I still don't get why they are glaring, they do know that they took lives before as well, correct," her question got Flash and Superman to look her way in shock. "My people are warriors born, we are trained from birth in battle and hardened as such, we have hunted numerous creatures for both food and sport, did you think I wouldn't notice that we had killed those invaders by melting them with the sun, not something one usually survives."

The two who had the biggest problem with Hiei at the moment looked stunned that she knew and didn't say anything, and even more stunned that she was fine with taking a life, thankfully Hiei ended their own thoughts for now, "now why were we called over here," the question was valid.

Wonder woman went on to explain why they were at a museum, including the gathering of artifacts that she needed to still do, and the turning of her people to stone, "of course I don't trust this Faust, but what else can I do, you can't help for men are forbidden from setting foot on Themyscira."

"Somebody should've told him that before he went onto the island and turned your sisters and mom to stone," Flash commented to try and lighten the mood, though it didn't have the impact needed, his heart wasn't in it, too shaken up with the fact that he's taken a life before.

"I gave my word that I would find the other relics," Wonder Woman stated while looking down, there was one course of action left for her, in her mind it was the only way to free her mother and sisters from their stone imprisonment, to Hiei he could see many different ways that this could go.

"I'm afraid that leaves us but one course of action," J'onn stated seriously, Flash nodded and Wonder Woman uncrossed her arms, then Superman smiled, as did J'onn, "we'll have to help you," that brought a smile to Wonder Woman's face before she looked to Hiei for his part.

"I'll help, I'll go meet up with Bat and find out what he's learned ahead of time, two minds gathering information is better than only one," Hiei got off of the wall and walked towards Wonder Woman, "I'll also see if I can sense anything off about the artifacts," he stuck his hand out.

She gave him the piece he asked for and let him take it with him, he turned around and in a shimmering blur, he disappeared from the rooftop as Superman asked Wonder Woman, "how long were you going to wait and tell us that we had killed those invaders, we could have contained them."

"Because that was a war, you may not like it Superman, but in most wars, you kill or be killed, they would have done that and much worse had we pulled our punches, and I honestly thought you knew, no one can survive a melting Superman," Wonder Woman said before she took out a gem. "This gem should lead you to a location J'onn, you take Flash and be careful, I had to fight a guardian to the piece I found, it stands to reason that you two would have to do the same," J'onn took the offered gem, afterwards she took off in flight headed for the piece that she would collect. Superman remained standing for a moment longer before he also took off, which left just Flash and J'onn to remain on the roof before they also made their way to the jet so that they could go to their destination, this was shaping up to be an interesting mission, though a heartbreaking one.

With Hiei

Hiei traveled farther still until he got to a city in the middle of a large downpour, tracking the dark knight with ease until he found him on a rooftop looking over a university, the demon walked up behind the man silently before stopping just beside of the man, "what are you waiting on?"

Batman wasn't surprised to hear his voice, he heard him coming up behind him a while ago and didn't bother to let him know that he knew, yet the demon still knew that he knew he was there, "a professor to this college that should know about this Felix Faust," Batman stated without looking.

"Wouldn't a computer be able to tell you exactly what he'll be able to tell you," Hiei questioned the crouching man, "though if you're going for the personal motivations that wouldn't be made public on the internet then a colleague of his would be the best bet," he answered his own question.

"Former colleague, Felix Faust was kicked out of this college do to some of his theories and since then his former employers have gone missing one after the other, Diana said this guy was a sorcerer of some kind, so I'm assuming that he had a hand in that," the dark knight stated. He also noticed that his target was coming to the university as predicted as well, "you can either join me or stay here, but I prefer to work alone," he informed the demon who didn't move from his spot as Batman took out his grapnel gun to glide and appear behind the old man, "Professor Erlich?"

The man began to take out his keys as he automatically replied, "uh, no conferences without an appointment," he was about to stick the key into the key hole, "uh, see my secretary if," lightning suddenly struck and flashed Batman's silhouette in front of the man, "AAHH," he was clearly startled.

Batman towered over the old man as he turned and saw the dark figure before him, clearly he wanted to be anywhere but where he was, but the signature 'bat-glare' kept him in place, "tell me about Faust," and so the old man spilled everything he knew, and even things that he suspected.

Now Hiei was with Batman as they were in the former office of this Faust as Batman called in the others, "Diana, I've dug up something on your friend, Faust, and I think you better see it for yourself," and she would want to, some of the things in this room practically screamed need to know.

Luckily she and everyone else had already received their pieces of the key and headed their way as quickly as they could, when they got there, J'onn commented, "fascinating, Faust clearly has a great passion for learning," learning and obtaining powerful artifacts as well, given the amount.

Flash was of course the one that would stumble upon something and do something stupid, spying a crystal with a closed eye on it before picking it up, "where did he get this stuff, Warlocks-R-Us," he looked through the crystal before putting his ear to it, then the crystal started to form a ball.

That ball of energy was also opening the eye on the top of the scepter, the ball of energy soon flattened into the rest of the crystal, Batman was the first to notice, "don't touch that," Flash turned with the scepter in hand and shot a beam his way that impacted the wall and left it scorched. It was only thanks to the dark knight's reflexes that he ducked down to avoid the blast, then the infamous 'bat-glare' was on as he marched up to Flash, "don't touch anything, we don't know what kind of powers we're dealing with," Hiei didn't miss everyone else put something back as well.

Superman then examined the large dent in the wall that was still smoking from the beam that Flash hit it with before turning to Batman, "so who is this Faust," the others gathered to a table in the center of the room where Batman began to pull out a photograph from within his belt.

"Felix Faust was once a respected professor of archaeology, but when he became fascinated with the mystic arts he was kicked out of the university for his heretical ideas, he swore revenge on those who mocked him and several later disappeared under mysterious circumstances," he informed.

Diana saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned to one bookcase that held three faces before walking towards them, "I have a pretty good idea what happened to them," well that solves the disappearances for the time being, now back to the purpose of being here.

"It gets worse, we found his journal," Hiei stated before tossing the journal on the table and it fell open on the page he wanted, "the last entries make reference to a former vacation spot for me, Tartarus," the others looked at him as if he was crazy, especially Diana, "demon, remember?"

That explained it for everyone else, of course he wouldn't have a hard time in the pit of lost souls, it would just be a vacation spot for him, but Superman still felt compelled to question it, "isn't that just a myth," he asked as Diana turned and walked to the shelf again as if lost in memory.

"If only it were, long ago in ancient times, my mother, Hippolyta, fell in love with a god, Lord Hades, when war broke out between the Olympian gods and their ancient foes, the Titans, Hades struck a treasonous bargain with the enemy, he would deliver Mount Olympus into the Titan's hands. In return, he would be given dominion over all humanity, Hades tricked my mother into opening the gates of Olympus to the invading Titans, there was a battle of which the muses still sing, the gods fought back and eventually prevailed, and as punishment for his treachery, he was cast into the pit of Tartarus. There he would rule over the dead for all eternity, and for her unwitting role in Hades' plot, my mother was charged with guarding the gateway to the underworld, to make sure the gate could never be unlocked, it's only key was broken up and scattered across the globe. Mother told me she kept one of the pieces in the temple, as a daily reminder of her eternal shame," Diana told the story beautifully, but it was not the whole story, it was one side of the story that was only told from the gods' side, and it aggravated Hiei to no end that the other side he knew.

"That story is only what your mother knew though," Hiei questioned and all eyes turned towards him, "what if that is only what your mother knew because it was what she was told, if Hades was framed by his brother Zeus who was already paranoid of his brother because he was too happy. If Zeus was wanting to get Hades out of the way so he framed him and appealed to everyone's natural distrust of anyone that had connections with the dark side of things like Hades did, and what if that is why Hades was sent to Tartarus, because Zeus didn't want his brother around."

Diana's eyes widened at what he was implying, "my mother told me that Hades came to her to open the gates himself, it wasn't a trick from Zeus, and where did you get this information, if it's from Hades himself then you can hold your tongue, I wouldn't trust anything that he said."

"No, I was told so from Persephone, and then confirmed it with the other staff of his that serve him in Tartarus, as well as the souls that are not known for lying, he is actually a wise and just ruler for them," Hiei said and Diana widened her eyes again, for Persephone to say that as well. "Though you are right that Hades did go to your mother and ask her to open the gates, but not for the Titans, he had gotten word that a prisoner that the Titans' had previously held was free and wanted to welcome him back, but that was a trick, it was Zeus giving false information too.

Diana looked hurt, she was always told that Zeus was good and just, that Hades was evil, and yet it was the opposite, Zeus was the deceiver and Hades was the wise and just king, that didn't make sense with her teachings, "then they never told my mother and punished her for loving Hades."

Hiei nodded as J'onn walked forward, "then these relics we've been gathering are parts of the key, and from what Hiei has told us, it seems like he can slip freely between realms such as demon world and Tartarus, meaning that if the gates of Tartarus are opened, then he can return home."

"Where is this gateway to the underworld," Superman asked, he didn't like Hiei and if this would send him home, then so be it, but it would also give to lost loves a good reason to reconnect and work out their issues, and he may not look it, but he was a sucker for a good romance.

"Beneath Themyscira, though I know I shouldn't give Faust the key, if I don't my mother and sisters will remain petrified forever, and if I do I might get to reunite my mother with her love, but who knows what Faust will use the key for, it might be modified to control Hades," she stated.

"Though we could give him the key to see if it can actually be used to open the gates," Hiei suggested, "spirit world has connections with the other pantheons, one of them is the Greeks, they may have been warned of the threat of that invasion and closed their afterlives like spirit world did."

"There is also no guarantee that if Tartarus is open that the way to demon world is open as well, right," Batman suggested and got a confirming nod in return, "then we have no choice but to go to the island and see if the gates can be opened while stopping Faust and returning the Amazons."

Themyscira

Faust was in the middle of the main temple and waiting for Wonder Woman while talking to the statue of Hippolyta, "I should thank you for raising such a devoted daughter, she was so eager to cooperate," soon Diana came in through the doors to the temple, "back already, and with hours to spare."

"You sound so impressed," Diana told him dryly while glancing to her still stone mother, "but I have the relics, and already assembled into the key," she pulled the cloth from over the key to show him her words are true, "but first free my mother and then you shall have your prize."

"Oh yes, yes of course," he brought his hand up and a purple ball formed before appearing the symbol of Medusa on a stone coin as big as his palm, he looked at it before pointing behind him and towards Hippolyta, "raedis vitae," the spell worked and the queen was free from her bonds. Diana walked calmly and handed Faust the key while walking past him and kneeled by her mother to check and see if she was alright while Faust held the key in triumph, "after 3,000 years, the key is finally complete," the queen looked on in horror at what her daughter had done for her. The sorcerer shifted his gaze to them, "thank you for the assistance, but now that your usefulness is over," he conjured the coin again began the spell to turn the two to stone, "petro fatis," he said but lost focus on his magic as a red blur zipped past him while grabbing the coin.

Flash was standing there flipping the coin-like object like a coin, "you're not the only one with an ace up your sleeve, pal," soon others came out of the shadows, first Batman, who used a line to jump down from a statue and land safely in front of Faust before knocking him over quickly.

Batman stood over the sorcerer as he scrambled back, "did you really think she'd trust a scum like you," he questioned as J'onn and Superman flew down to either side of him, "it's over Faust, come along quietly," Hiei was the last to appear, he stood behind the sorcerer to block his path.

"Or you can come kicking and screaming, but considering that you invaded Amazonian territory, we might just leave you for them to judge," Hiei stated as he rushed and put a gag over Faust's mouth and grabbed his hands and held him down, "though you should feel lucky that we won't."

With the threat quickly subdued, albeit temporarily, Diana threw her lasso to Hiei for him to tie up the man and make it a much more prolonged binding, "I suggest you yield Faust, that lasso is unbreakable, you will never break free of it," and yet the sorcerer continued to kick about and try.

Hiei sighed at the man's vein attempt to break free and crouched down and slammed the back of the sorcerer's head into the ground , it wasn't enough force to kill him, just enough to knock the man out, he slowly stood as he grabbed the key, "it's time for me to go home now," he stated.

Diana looked down at the key and then back over her shoulder at her mother, with a sigh she picked up the key before walking towards the entrance of the cavern to the underworld when her mother called out, "what do you think you're doing Diana," she asked as calmly as she could.

Diana looked at her mother with some sadness and a bit of pity, "I hope I'm right mother, in fact I know I am, but I believe that Hades was framed and as such is wrongfully imprisoned in Tartarus, we of the Justice League cannot let that injustice stand, we must free him at once."

Her mother looked shocked before her face morphed into one of anger, "Diana you know what he did in order to be sent to Tartarus, how he betrayed the gods and me, I've told you the story of him many times, he was not framed, I know this because I was there, who told you otherwise?"

Diana looked to Hiei for him to explain instead of herself, he sighed before looking to the queen with serious eyes, "his wife Persephone told me this, as well as various souls in the pit, all saying that he is a wise and just ruler, all of his court think this as well, I asked them not himself. Before you begin to also say that they were playing me for a fool or I'm playing your daughter for a fool, I spied on everyone in secret, and believe me, when I hide, none can find me, as to the other issue, you don't know me or what I believe or think so you have very little say in who I am and my goals."

Hippolyta could only look at the demon in shock at knowing her argument before she could state it, but she was not deterred, "regardless, as queen I forbid this action from being carried out, the world cannot afford the chance that you are wrong, the key will be destroyed, this time for good."

"Mother, you can't," Diana exclaimed in protest before her mother narrowed her eyes at her daughter, "Hiei has stated there is a portal to his home in Tartarus, and he wishes to go home, will you simply deny his request to go home because you are scared of facing Hades."

The defiance was unexpected by Hippolyta, but she quickly recomposed herself, "you think it is out of fear of Hades that I do not open that door," she asked and only silence was there to confirm her question, "I am not scared of Hades, I'm scared of what he will do, what he will take." Diana didn't know how to react, what could her mother mean by that, she got her answer after her mother sighed, "I didn't sculpt you alone Diana, Hades helped me, we sculpted you together, and should he find out who you are, I am afraid of what he will do, he might take you away from me."

She bowed her head at her mother's confession, a single tear forming in her eye, "we both know that after we are finished here, you will have to banish me mother," Flash and Superman gasped at the information, they were never told, "I broke the laws of my home, this is the price."

Batman didn't outwardly react, neither did J'onn, Hiei turned away from the scene with the key still in hand and crept away slowly, at the rate this was going they'd never agree to anything and he'd never go home, so he decided to sneak off and find what he was searching for on his own. He almost made it on his own before he was caught by Batman's eyes, he didn't say anything but followed none the less, the others noticed it and knew where they were going, Superman and Diana agreed to distract Hippolyta silently while J'onn and Flash said they will go back to the ship. They didn't really go back to the ship, J'onn phased through the floor while Flash rounded back and came in through a hole in the wall to meet up with Hiei and Batman, the four descended together down into the depths of the pathway until they came upon a large cavern that held the gate.

They approached said gate and Hiei placed it into the keyhole, and turned it, the rumbling started and he was sure that the queen was alerted to his presence down here now, but it was too late as the gates were now about to open, just as Hippolyta and Diana were racing down with Superman. Two large stone blocks were being maneuvered, the left one going up and the right one going down, gears with cobwebs on them started to turn and large wooden blanks slid to the side, the bottom one going to the left, and the top one going to the right, the queen was too late. The large metal doors started to open, she expected to see the golden glow of the gateway, but instead it opened to reveal nothing, behind the gateway there was only solid rock and stone, it was as if there was never a gateway to Tartarus there, and then she realized what this means.

"The gods have truly been sealed away from us," Hippolyta observed in shock as she went to inspect the stone, she bowed her head against the stone and then turned back to then face the Justice League, she didn't even acknowledge the demon that had on a stone face at this. "Diana of Themyscira, you have brought men to this island that is to be kept hidden from all, and though I think I must follow the law, the only force protecting this place now that the gods have left us would be nothing without you," she began walking forward, "as such you will do such. You are to protect us from man's world should they ever find out about our existence, and when they do, you will be our ambassador, either that or you are exiled from your home, what do you choose," the offer was the best she could do, and the only option she had left at this point.

"I agree to your terms mother, I will be the ambassador to our home, should the need ever arise," Diana didn't even bow, this time she ran up and hugged her mother, not caring about proper decorum, she pulled back now that she though of something else though, "our amazon sisters."

Back on the surface everyone was gathered together as they walked out of the temple to the open air, seeing all the amazons turned to stone still, and Faust still lying unconscious, Hiei roughly grabbed him and read his mind for the information he needed before tossing him aside. He quickly snatched the pendant from Flash and held it up towards all of them, "raedis vitae," all the girls were then quickly unpetrified and looked around confused before the pendant was tossed to the queen who caught it quickly, Diana ran up and hugged all the sisters who seemed shocked.

Later they were gathered on a beach and standing in a lineup before the amazon queen, "and for your brave assistance against the sorcerer, Faust, you have earned our eternal gratitude, before you leave, please accept these royal offerings," each hero got a golden wreath as an honor.

Diana was the one to hand Hiei his, who only took it with one hand and a blank look, she sighed at him, "I am sorry that we did not find your way home, but please do not lose hope," she grabbed his shoulder in what she thought was reassurance, "you will find a way home soon."

"Hn," he shrugged her hand off his shoulder before turning and walking back to the jet, he didn't have hope in anything, he had a plan and power, that was all he had to work with, but he needed knowledge as well, and he didn't have the knowledge required yet, so he must work on that now.

He waited in a seat on the jet for a few minutes before the others came onboard, all looking at him with what he couldn't stand, pity, and it was in that pity that Superman spoke up, "look, you have great potential to be a hero, and heroes don't kill, even if you don't see yourself as a hero." The demon was about to interject before the man continued, "but I perhaps approached you wrong and how you go about things, from now on you're going to receive the same missions as the rest of us, same training in the same equipment, and from now on be an actual teammate."

"He's right, we were a little harsh on you and left you alone because we didn't want to be around a killer," J'onn elbowed Flash in the ribs for the remark, "but doing that isn't the right thing to do, so instead, how about we keep an eye on you now, that way you also won't be alone all the time."

Hiei sat there quietly staring off past them and out into the horizon as the jet began to leave thanks to Diana, he looked back to Batman to get his reaction and it was only a firm nod to him, so with a sigh Hiei said the only thing that he could given the situation at hand, it was a, "Hn."