Seek

When Hiei made a decision he was not slow to act on it. A trait, which had kept him alive for years, and one that he applied to all aspects of his life. Although he still had many reservations about letting Kagome further into his life, he was certain that he didn't want her removed from it.

Now that he was fully committed to the idea of maintaining their association he was wasting no time in returning to her home to reaffirm his continued presence in her life. He refused to be chased off by some dog with a superiority complex.

Upon arriving Hiei chose to be direct stopping right in front of her home, but to his surprise a few minute passed with no sign of her. An unsettling feeling began to grow within him at her failure to quickly acknowledge his presence. True she would often take her time in seeking him out when he choose a tree on the property to settle in, but never had she failed to greet him promptly should he approach her as he was now.

Pushing aside any thoughts that he may have done damage to whatever relationship they had formed with the previous days events, he focused on locating the absent woman. His eyes closed, he stretched out his senses until he located his quarry. Her distinctive reiki was coming from a small structure off to the side of the main house. Curiosity getting the better of him he made his way to the poorly maintained structure. For once seeking out the Miko instead of the other way around. Seeing the small building's door was open, Hiei peered inside as he moved forward.

Hiei wasn't really sure what he was expecting to see in the building's interior but it certainly wasn't an old well. Adding to the oddness of the whole thing was that he had expected Kagome to turn and face him once he appeared in the doorway. Instead she continued to sit on the well's edge simply staring into its depths. She gave no indication that she had even noticed his arrival. Any worries he held about her being displease with him now gone in the face of the odd scene, Hiei decided he was done waiting for her to notice him.

"What could possibly be so interesting?" Watching in mild concern at the slight jolt to her body as she registered his words.

Clearly startled, Kagome turned to look at him. "Hiei? Oh my gosh. I didn't sense you arrive."

"Obviously." Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he continued into the room to stand beside her. The stab of some unnamed dark emotion at being overlooked resulting in him giving her a harder look than intended. "It's not like you to be so distracted?"

She almost seemed to squirm like a child under the weight of his stare clearly struggling with what to say. Hiei simply waited, never breaking eye contact. He was not devoid of patience when the situation called for it. A sad smile slowly appeared on her face as she her internal debate quickly came to an end. "I suppose you're right. I guess I just got lost in my thoughts"

She once again turned to look down into the well as she continued with what she had to say. "Do you ever wonder if maybe you should have made different choices?"

Now that had Hiei confused. Her question laced with the feeling of doubt not seeming to fit with his image of the confident upbeat women he had come to know. Her forward thinking outlook being one of the things he would list as a positive quality in her. "No." Her deflating posture at his short answer pushed him to elaborate. After all while he disliked signs of weakness he knew that none were truly immune to their darker emotions. He himself had been waging his own internal struggle just yesterday. "The past cannot be changed it is a waste of effort to regret what can not be undone. All you can do is move forward."

His words were rewarded with a bright smile and a change in demeanor to one more typical of the woman in front of him. "You're right. If you focus to much on the past you can loose out on what is right in front of you." Her eyes seemed to momentarily take on a far off look as she voiced a question clearly not directed at him. "How could I have so easily forgotten a lesson I learned so long ago?"

At that she jumped to her feet brushing herself off in case any dirt clung to her clothing. "Thank you Hiei. I needed that." Her eyes meeting his as she continued. "You are a good friend. How about we go into the house and have some tea?"

Hiei for his part was not sure that what he said could have had such an impact, but he was not stupid enough to correct her and loose out on credit given. Additionally he was just a bit pleased to have been the one she turned to for support. Even if it was most likely due to his timing rather than some form of favoritism. Either way with the official label of friend, he had without a doubt established his continued welcome to the shrine the dog's opinion be damned.

Hiei nodded in agreement to her suggestion of tea allowing her to grab his hand and lead him into her home. The thought briefly crossed his mind how he would never permit such a thing ordinarily however for Kagome just this once he would make an exception.

AN: So sorry this took so long to get out. I'm not going to make excuses. Just life happens. Thanks for the reviews and I hope anyone who is still around enjoys the last chapter. For any interested I have started the next story in the series and additional information can be found on my profile. So if you want more keep your eyes out for Exception.