Ticking Timebomb
Chapter 62: Fix It With My Love
. . .
"What did I say before you left?"
I bit my tongue to keep in the sarcasm when I said, "Don't mess with the timeline."
"And what did you two do?"
Hiei rolled his eyes and grunted out a, "Hn." And I just sighed. How many times did Koenma have to reprimand us? We got the point already.
"We messed with the timeline."
"Exactly! You should be lucky that the sentence the lords gave you was so light!"
We were given three days to return to human world and gather supplies. Another journey on the demon plain was not something I was looking forward to, but at least Kazuma and Kurama would be coming along this time.
"Even things here have changed! All those slaves you freed were meant to die! Do you know how much paperwork I have to do now!"
I tried to form my face into something sympathetic and humble but failed miserably. I was glad the slaves lived. And I didn't feel bad for him.
Koenma dragged a hand down his face and took a long violent sip from the cup of tea Yukina had brought him. He slammed the ceramic back on the table once it was drained.
Hiei and I sat across from him, as if we were two naughty children that had been called to the principal's office.
"What is done is done," said Hiei and he made to rise, deeming the conversation over.
"Where are you going? I'm not finished talking to you yet!"
Hiei glared at him, a look that clearly stated how unimpressed he was, and then reached out a hand for me to take. Koenma shrunk beneath his gaze, chewing furiously on that pacifier he always had in his mouth.
"I have little patience to listen to you babble about things that can no longer be changed. You've said your piece."
I took his hand and he hauled me to my feet. We left Koenma sitting there without so much as a wave goodbye.
But he just had to get the last word in. "Takahiro will be accompanying you to the Makai this time! You two obviously can't be trusted!"
It was my turn to roll my eyes. If he thought bringing Takahiro would change anything he was blind and dumb. Uncle Taka was just as bad an influence as anyone else.
Hiei's grip on my hand remained tight the entire walk towards his bedroom in the temple. He didn't release me until we were safely behind closed doors.
I sat on the edge of his bed and buried my face in my hands.
It was always one thing after another. A year ago things were simpler. I worried only about finding my sister and doing a good job as a fresh out of the academy cadet. Now, it was as if I was constantly jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.
How long would it take before I was burnt to brittle bones and ash?
As my mind ran in circles the smooth shick shick of Hiei sharpening his sword was something of a comfort. It made me raise my head so I could watch him and for a brief time my mind turned blank.
I watched him for a long while, his precision and care impeccable, the movements of his hands hypnotic. I almost didn't hear him when he spoke.
"There is something I must tell you."
His voice was so carefully controlled that it instantly made me wary. I sat a little straighter, my heart thudding a dull beat beneath my breast.
"What is it?"
"You should abandon your sister. Your goals must change."
"Abandon her?! Are you crazy?" I shot to my feet, blood rushing and heart starting to race. I was ready for an argument. Perhaps even hoping for it.
Hiei never stopped sharpening his blade. But his gaze did pin me to the spot...and slowly made me sink back onto the bed. "She is not who you think she is."
My heart clenched. I took a breath. Yes. I knew this. Had known this for some time now. She was never truly who I thought she was. But I'd raised her so high on a pedestal I never wanted to see it; never wanted to believe in that truth.
"Yes," I said. "I know."
"Do you?" he asked, tone inquisitive as well as disbelieving.
"Do you think I didn't notice as a child when a sister suddenly appeared one day? One that looked so similar yet still so different? I might be stupid but I've never been blind..." I coughed once, "not entirely anyway."
"You knew?" Hiei was stunned and I took some pleasure in the wide eyed stare he now regarded me with. As if his eyes couldn't get any bigger.
"I didn't know, not exactly. I always thought she was a gift from god after my parents died. My grandparents never noticed, they acted as if she was always there...so I did too."
"But your memories..."
"Altered I'm assuming, with everything I know now. Things became a lot clearer after I met all of you. But it never stopped me from thinking of her as my flesh and blood."
"While you were...injured, I saw things...memories."
"What kind of memories?"
"Ones that led me to certain conclusions. They were later confirmed by Kurama who spent some time with your sister here at the temple."
"What did you see, Hiei?" It was hard to keep the growl from my voice. I hated when he was cryptic.
"You were very young. Koenma paid a visit to your parents on behalf of King Enma. It seemed that your parents were refusing to have a second child...and this displeased the king."
"I see," I murmured, eyes shifting to the floor.
"Hitomi...she is a clone, made from your cells. A type of golem, with a stolen soul and heart. Your parents wanted to prevent the cycle, to fight against fate. They did not want another vessel to be created."
"A clone...?" I breathed. And then came the laughter. A laughter that was bitter and dark and maniacal.
I laughed until I was breathless and then it turned into choking sobs and tears. I crumpled in on myself, curling up, shoulders shaking.
What else would be taken from me?
When would I have a day where I did not worry about anything?
Hot hands slid over my shoulders and down my back. They circled up and around until they were wrapped around my wrists. I didn't resist when he pulled my hands away from my face.
Hiei knelt in front of me, gaze far more tender than I'd ever seen it.
"I cannot take away your worries...but tonight, go to sleep and look forward to the next day. Do not let sorrow drown you."
"Why should I look forward to it? It is just another day closer to my death."
"Because tomorrow will be special."
I did not hold much stock in his words. And though he slumbered beside me that night I laid awake and thought of all that I'd lost. There was plenty I had gained...but at what cost?
My sister was not my sister. I knew that. But hearing it for certain tore a part of me out and then shredded it to bits in front of me.
And even if Hiei thought I should give up on her...I couldn't. I never would.
A clone...
But still my flesh and blood. She was made of me, she was a part of me.
I would not give up on her.
. . .
Four hours of sleep was all I managed. But they were enough for Hiei to rise and leave the room without me noticing.
I awoke to a cool summer's breeze blowing through the open window. My glasses were placed over my nose shortly after and I rolled from the bed, still naked.
A set of clothing was folded neatly on the wooden chest at the end of Hiei's bed. They weren't mine, but when I pulled them on they fit well enough, if a little loose in certain places.
Light black cotton pants. A simple dark blue shirt that folded much like a pair of gi would. It tied near the middle and I knotted it tight.
Fighting clothes, I realized, after everything was put together. All it lacked were shoes.
And it was a little belatedly that it dawned on me that these were Hiei's. The shirt was too big, meant for someone with broader shoulders. The pants were loose, but not to the point they would fall off. And the lack of shoes was a given—he had larger feet and while I could pull off wearing his outfit, footwear was out of the question.
Did he have some elaborate plan for today? Or had I just put on an outfit he'd left out for himself?
I looked down at my attire and considered taking it all off again but a pleased voice made the thought flee almost as soon as it entered.
Hiei was leaning against the open doorway, smirking, eyes hooded and swimming with lust. "Seeing you in my clothing makes me want to take them off."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "So why don't you?"
"Later. I have other plans for you this morning."
He led me from the room and towards the kitchens. He grabbed two apples from a bowl on the counter, tossing one towards me, which I caught out of mid air.
"Eat," he said, and then exited through the backdoor of the kitchen.
I chewed my way around the core as quickly as possible, following behind him at a steady pace. He led me out into Genkai's forest. I could feel the presence of dark and dangerous things here, but nothing came out to bother us.
It was a long trek, but after a time we emerged into a clearing atop a hill. You could see the forest and valley down below. A cool breeze ran through the grass and I thought it would be nice to sit for awhile. But I found myself blocking an unexpected blow just before it would have reached my face.
"Your reflexes have improved," he commented, before coming at me again.
If it was a fight he wanted...
I turned to the offensive the second I was given an opportunity, but he caught me in a grapple that I knew damn well he'd learned from me.
Hiei pulled me to the ground, tangling our legs and arms until there was no possible way for escape. I struggled anyway, even as he pulled my arms tighter behind my back.
He leaned over me, burying his face in my neck and nipping at my skin. He dragged his lips across my ear and said, "Today I want you to cast aside all your fears and worries. Today you will concentrate solely on your own pleasure. I will make you forget, if only for today."
He was too concentrated on his little speech, so I took the chance to break his hold on me, flipping the tables.
When I was straddling his waist I asked, "And you think sparring is the best way?"
He smirked at me again and I found myself on my ass with Hiei across the hill. "It is just the start," he called.
The mock fighting went on for quite awhile. I was yet unwilling to admit that Hiei's little plan was working—I didn't think about much else other than defending against his blows.
The hand to hand combat was exhilarating. And the adrenaline soon turned into a heated arousal I was loathed to ignore.
We fucked in the grass, out in the open, not at all worried about being seen or caught.
When we returned to the temple to shower...it felt as if just a little of the weight that pinned me to the earth had lessened. At least for now. And the distraction he provided in the shower helped considerably, the insatiable bastard.
Dressed in regular clothes now, I turned to him, toweling off my hair. "So, what now? Surely your master plan isn't over."
I didn't want to admit that I secretly hoped it wasn't.
"Lunch first, then I'll show you."
Hiei dried in seconds and I stared at him enviously...as well as a little disappointed. It sure looked nice when those water droplets rolled over his abs.
Lunch was a short and sweet affair, provided by Yukina who sat and ate with us. I was happy for her company, though it seemed to make Hiei tense.
Later on, when I was carefully situated on his back while he ran, I shouted over the wind, "Why don't you just tell her?"
But Hiei just shook his head and picked up his pace. He refused to tell me where we were going and this entire situation was rather surreal to me. I mean, my demonic boyfriend taking me out on what? A date? It was laughable.
We ran for what felt like ages and when we finally came to a stop and I climbed off his back, I couldn't help but stare. "What the hell?"
Hiei wasn't looking at me. In fact, he was studying his feet awfully hard.
"Are you serious?"
He huffed out a breath. "Yes," he growled.
"This is...unexpected."
"Don't make me choke you."
I eyed him up and down, made the gaze sultry. "I might like that too much."
"Later," he said.
"You told me that earlier too...and I recall a rather enjoyable tussle in the grass. And then again in the shower."
His lips were curling upwards into some semblance of a smile and I wished for nothing more than to see it turn into a full blown one. But he pushed at the small of my back, urging me forward.
I looked up at the building, my steps faltering. I'd wanted to do this for a long time...but how had Hiei known?
"I have my sources," he said, with that uncanny ability of his to know exactly what I was thinking without even reading my mind.
"You talked with Kazuma?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.
"Are you going or not?" he said.
"Definitely going," I said. "Will you be joining me?"
"If that is what you wish."
I looked him up and down one final time and tried to give him an out. "It's okay, I know it'll make you uncomfortable."
He snorted and then urged me forward once more.
Upon entering the building an instant sense of excitement rushed through me. Without even thinking I reached out for Hiei's hand and he allowed it, his calloused grip warm and grounding.
I had to shout over the noise...and while this was a wonderful (as well as thoughtful) gift, it would have been better if everyone was here. If...Hitomi was here.
Hiei leaned into me, his body blazingly hot, and breathed into my ear, "Stop thinking."
We bought tickets at the gate, Hiei producing a wad of bills and change that he shoved into my hands. I laughed at him much to his displeasure and then smoothed out the mess. It was then handed over to the booth attendant, who shouted over the noise for us to enjoy ourselves.
We were a little late, the band's opening number having played through half their song list by the time we shoved our way into the pit.
Hiei looked beyond uncomfortable and was falling quickly into the realm of defensive rage. The first person to push us was the last. And thus our spot right in front of the stage was uncontested and secured. No one dared even look at him the wrong way after that.
It had been so long since I'd seen a concert. I enjoyed it to the fullest. I sang loudly along with the band, laughing at Hiei's pinched face and lack of enthusiasm.
He did this for me. All of it.
I would have to reward him well later.
It was late by the time it let out and I was starving. My stomach grumbled on the walk towards the exit and garnered a wry chuckle from the man beside me. I was swept back up onto his back soon after and I let the rush of wind from his speed free me.
I threw my arms out and pretended I was flying. And if I closed my eyes I could almost believe that I was.
When we crested the top of Genkai's stairs I was greeted by the sight of my friends, all gathered on the porch, food of all types set out on a long table settled on the lawn.
Hiei and I were handed a beer and I was dragged off by Kazuma, who lamented about how jealous he was that I got to see one of our mutually favorite bands. I promised I would go with him next time, not even thinking that there probably wouldn't be a next time. And he just smiled and handed me a fresh beer after I drained my first.
We ate and reveled in the sweet summer air and laughed until our throats were sore. It felt good to spend time with Keiko and Kazuma and Shizuru. To see my friends happy and carefree.
Uncle Takahiro pulled out his guitar and began to play, phantom instruments accompanied the sound, and soon we are paring off and dancing.
I got swung about by Kazuma and then Yusuke and even Keiko, who twirled with me in the grass until we were dizzy. Everyone was drunk on more than the alcohol and it felt wonderful and pure; the way only a group of close friends could make you feel.
Eventually I found myself wrapped in a now familiar set of arms—strong and unyielding. And we left behind the noise and excitement of our people. Hiei brought me to the tallest tree on Genkai's land, one that overlooked the ocean. He settled us both on one of the highest branches and I was not afraid, because I knew he'd never let me fall.
I was tipsy and warmed by the alcohol, but the cool night's breeze made me lean into his side. He pressed his back against the trunk of the tree and dragged me with him, settling me against his chest.
The sky was clear, stars for miles and miles.
Today...today was a good day. Tomorrow would be so much different and I didn't want this to end.
I pulled a cigarette from the long forgotten pack I'd stuffed in my pocket that afternoon. Hiei lit it for me with a tiny flame on the tip of his finger.
"Not gonna lecture me?" I joked.
"Hn," he grumbled, nuzzling into my neck and dragging his tongue across my sweaty skin.
I leaned back into him, watching the smoke from my cigarette curl lazily up towards the moon. I felt the subtle shift in the air and my heart clenched in my chest once before it began to race.
The idea inside my head wasn't new. But it was...scary.
But tonight...tonight would be the best time to ask. I might never get another chance. It was now or never.
"Marry me," I blurted.
The kisses he was slowly planting on every bare piece of skin halted. A hot ragged breath made goosebumps rise on my skin.
No response. My heart clenched again. "Do demons have ceremonies like that?" I asked to fill the silence. "I didn't read anything about it, but I admit I didn't pay all that close attention and—"
He cut me off by sinking his teeth into my neck hard enough to bruise but not break skin. "Ask again," he demanded.
I took a long drag off my cigarette to muck up the courage. "Marry me?"
When he once again remained silent I turned in his arms to look at his face. What I found there was...
Different.
He swallowed thickly, his eyes darting around my face. "Again," he commanded.
And I realized this was much the same as the first time I'd told him I loved him. It instantly made me sober.
"Marry me."
He gritted his teeth, jaw tight and looked away, towards the stars. "You ask to be my wife yet refuse to take me as your mate."
Anger. That was definite. But disappointment too.
So I explained, "I...I can't do that to you. If I'm your wife it's not so...permanent."
"I told you to forget, didn't I?" he snarled.
"I can't. You know I can't. You were amazing today, you put up with so much shit, and I appreciate it. But I can't just forget that weight."
He shook his head, still refusing to look at me because if he did he might just feel a crack down that thick foundation he'd built around himself. So I reached out and placed both my palms against his cheeks, dragging his gaze back towards me.
"Hiei...marry me. Let me call myself your wife. Let me have that, at the very least."
"Do not try and manipulate me by playing with my emotions."
I raised an eyebrow, one corner of my lips turning up into a grin. "And here I thought you were an emotionless bastard all this time."
His hands wrapped around my upper arms, fingers pressing into the skin, bruising. I loved those wild eyes and the fire that blazed so brightly beneath his skin. I loved him for so many differing reasons, but I would always love him just exactly as he was.
"Marry me," I repeated for what I hoped would be the final time.
It sparked a reaction I hadn't quite expected, but I did not reject him. I did not stop him when he lifted me and pressed my back into the rough bark of the tree. Or when he plucked the cigarette from between my lips and burnt it to ash. I was not afraid of the height or his hasty hands as they wrenched my pants down around my thighs.
I moaned when his heated fingers connected with my sex and his teeth grazed down my neck and the bandages wrapped around his free hand husked across my skin as he lifted my shirt. All rough palms and burning touch and wild, violent desire.
When he entered me I feared the tree would catch fire, but soon I thought of nothing other than him and the way he made me feel. How the bark cut course lines down the flesh of my back, the pain it caused the fresh scars there. How his fingers and teeth and tongue drew lewd and wretched sounds from my throat only to have the night wind swallow them up.
It was dirty and profoundly emotional when it shouldn't have been. It wasn't just a clean cut fuck. It wasn't something I could deem as anything other than 'making love' and the sappy thought was both disturbing as well as lovely.
Of course, I would never tell Hiei that.
His pace was restrained with careful control and I wrapped my legs around his hips and let him press me further back into the tree, his lips leaving blazing trails across my face and the freckles on my chest. He placed a palm against my fast beating heart and I no longer felt ashamed that he could hear it and feel it so much better than anyone else. It was his. It would always be his.
When he grew close his hand dipped to the apex of my thighs and his thumb brushed the bundle of nerves there over and over. I slammed my head back into the bark, breathlessly whispering his name again and again.
The energy gathered, gold and pink and blinding. It could have been sensed for miles when it finally exploded outward, covering us in glowing sparks of color and light.
Spent, Hiei held us up with a single arm planted against the tree, his other wrapped beneath me. He panted into my neck, both of us dripping with sweat. He hefted me a little higher and I released one last weak moan at the sensation of him slipping out of me.
He dragged his lips up my neck to my ear and breathed out a single, "Yes."
I didn't need to ask what he meant.
. . .
The next day I left Hiei to complete his own preparations and still drunk on the feelings of last night, I gathered up the single prize I'd managed to bring back from the past.
I found Takahiro enjoying a well cooked breakfast and slammed my prize down in front of him.
"Make me a set of rings."
He quirked an eyebrow at me. "A dragon bone blade. Are you sure you want to dismantle such craftsmanship?"
"Yes," I breathed.
Because I knew it wouldn't melt even under the highest of heats. That only the power of a god could dismantle and reshape this sword.
"Fitting," he murmured. "Dragon bone wedding bands, huh?"
I didn't ask how he'd known, because Takahiro intrinsically knew everything. And he wouldn't tell me anyway.
"It's been a long time since I've attended a wedding. I'll have to dig out my best suit."
"Who said you were invited," I said with a grin.
"I'll crash it if that's the case. You can't get rid of me Umi."
I leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
I left him then, on the hunt for that blazing energy and discovered him outside. But I was quick to duck back into the temple when I realized who he was with.
He stood beside her, semi hidden in one of the gardens and I couldn't help but peak out the window. I was no good at reading lips and I couldn't hear them from here, but when I saw crystal tears spill from Yukina's eyes I didn't need to.
That conversation was a long time coming. And I had no right to interrupt.
I back tracked and found Yusuke instead. We fell back into our old training pattern after finding an empty dojo and it was a nice change from the hectic days of the past few months.
Kazuma and Kurama eventually joined us, watching from the sidelines.
After a time I egged Kazuma on enough to join in on some swordplay and did not recoil when he pulled out his reiken. I joked and jabbed at him, saying he'd grown sloppy, which made him fight all the harder. Until Yusuke jumped him and they ended up brawling like a couple of idiots.
That was when I plopped down beside Kurama so I could catch my breath.
"You plan to marry him," was the first thing he said and it wasn't a question.
"Yes," I replied with conviction. "I can't allow him to tie himself so permanently to me as a mate...but as his wife, when I die he can just move on."
"Do you truly think so little of him that he'd do such a thing? Do you believe that he doesn't realize the consequences of mating with you? That he hasn't prepared for them?"
"No, I'm certain he's thought of every scenario," I said, not at all taking offense to Kurama's words when just months ago I would have.
"Then why do you think he'll just forget your existence when you pass on?"
"It is a vain hope and one I wish to hold onto," I said.
He cast a strange look over me then, gaze both searching as well as pained. He felt pity for me. And perhaps even Hiei too.
"He loves you. You do know that?"
Of course I did. I knew Hiei well enough now that he wasn't the kind of man who would do any of the things he'd done for me in the past for anyone else. At least, not for some random person. He must care deeply for them, in his own way, in order for him to act in such a manner. I wasn't stupid. It was plain as day if you knew were to look.
But it was hard to admit. It was hard to think of him that way. It left a searing pain across my entire soul.
Gone were the days I could just believe he was a cold, callous asshole.
"And do you love him in return, Kasumi?"
"You already know the answer to that, I'm sure."
"Humor me."
I rolled my eyes, but felt a grin tug at the corners of my lips. "I, Morimoto Kasumi, love Jaganshi Hiei with every breath I take and every beat of my heart and all that other sappy shit you read in corny romance novels."
And Kurama laughed, laughter that brought tears of mirth to his eyes, and chocked out, "Good."
. . .
It was nice to be back in my apartment, to feel the presences of Yusuke and Keiko in their bedroom. To stand out on the fire escape and smoke in peace, the sounds of the city drowning out the thoughts that ran circles in my head.
I was packed and ready for the day ahead, the trip back into demon world and my confrontation with Mikail.
And after that I would once again begin my search for my sister.
A shadow fell over me, blocking out the moonlight and I found Hiei balancing beside me on the fire escape's railing.
"Hello husband," I said, flicking my cigarette down into the alley below.
He huffed out a breath, "Not yet."
"Soon enough," I replied.
The hooded gaze he cast over me had me reaching out to take his hand. I dragged him down from the railing and through the window, up to my bed. I stripped him of his clothing and let him remove mine with hands far too gentle.
And then I worshiped every inch of him.
My lover. My soulmate. My husband.
What a difference a year could make.
. . .
A/N: I was really nervous about posting this chapter because it's so sappy. But I needed this this past couple of weeks, desperately, so I hope you guys enjoy the sappy, fluffy, smutty mess this chapter is. Tell me what you thought of it. Too OOC? Too much sap? Not enough sap? Too smutty? Etc.
Till next time!