Chapter 5 Death Day

Hiei was in the most awkward and mortifying experience of his entire life. He was thrown off a floating island, survived, raised by thieves then abandoned, survived the Jagan implant, was deemed a traitor by the demon population at the Dark Tournament which was undeniably humiliating, was killed by Shigure, and was brought back to life by Mukuro. Through all of the lesser experiences of his life, nothing compared to this. He had felt angry, fury, contentment, sorrow, but awkward? Never. Mortified? Never. Nothing other than this moment had he ever felt the desire to run as far as he possibly could and not even think about killing everyone first.

Damn fox, this was all his fault.

No, no, that wasn't true. Kurama would have been in much deeper pain if he were standing on this box, platform, alter. Whatever it's called. Hiei had to do this, he had to get through this, for the Makai. Hiei felt a strain on his neck but he didn't move. He wasn't sure how long the ceremony had been going on for. Once she had reached the front where he was he had stopped paying attention, despite him seemingly staring up into her eyes. For the first time upon gazing into her eyes, he really wasn't paying attention to them and was looking past them. He vaguely wondered if she was doing the same…

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his hand. He remembered that they were holding hands but he didn't look down and it took a lot of effort to suppress a scowl.

"Pay attention, idiot! Take off my veil and put it on the ground," she hissed at him.

He had to do things in this ceremony? Hiei reached up immediately, as if nothing had happened. She bent down slightly and he lifted her veil off of her head and placed it on the ground in front of them. What was the point of that? At any rate, Hiei was paying attention now.

"The bride will bestow her glass upon the groom," the elf presiding over the ceremony said.

The elf was speaking in elvish but somehow they had used magic to automatically translate. Hiei thought it wise not to mention that the translation magic would have been nice when he met with King. Setting that thought aside, Hiei refocused on the presider's words and became confused. What the hell would he do with a glass? She let go of his hands and Hiei was curious as she reached for a cord around her neck. She lifted it over her head and pulled it down and around her hair. When she held it out in front of her, Hiei frowned. Attached to the cord was a simple translucent rectangular crystal that was pointed at the tip. From what Hiei could see, there was nothing special about it.

Hiei watched the crystal move towards him but it stopped. Hiei looked up into her eyes and he felt his insides twist. Regret. Hiei hoped that she would somehow see that in his eyes too.

She began to tremble has her hands slowly lowered the jewel over his head. Instead of letting it go, she held onto it. With her hands shaking at such proximity, Hiei could feel her fear, her pain. Hiei closed his eyes, what in Kami's name was he doing? He was destroying her life. Was it worth it? Was this truly the only path to peace?

"Now state the Oath of the Binding," the presiding elf said.

Hiei opened his eyes at the word 'binding,' and he felt a large weight inside of him. Binding? Who was he fooling? Marriage was supposed to be binding. Forever. Could he live with her for forever? Hiei suddenly realized he had no idea how old she was.

There was a silence and Hiei wondered if she was supposed to be saying something or if the other elf was supposed to lead it. As if answering his question the elf bent down and whispered,

"My Lady, I, state your name-"

"I know the words!" she bellowed. The presider stiffly drew back his head and stared at her smugly.

"I," she said. Her voice was firm but quiet.

"I, High Princess Mîrvana of Alyatavar, bestow upon you, Demon King Hiei of the Dark Dragon, my glass. With this glass, I pledge," Her voice seemed to choke and she was breathing heavily. Hiei wanted to tear his eyes away from her but he couldn't. Her eyes were unreadable, frantic, as tears welled up and trickled over as she blinked. Hiei wanted to run. He could run, there was still time. He could just go away. The next Makai Tournament was soon anyway and he didn't need to enter, he could just run. He didn't need to be here, here didn't want to be here. He didn't want to kill her this way. This was not the glorious death he imagined or even she imagined. It was worse, an eternal prison for the both of them. But at least he would be in his home with his friends. She would be cut off from her world for the rest of her life. Suddenly he was angry, he didn't want to kill her this way. She was a fine warrior and she deserved a swift death, not a slow agonizing one. Kami, save them both!

She closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply. When she opened her eyes, he saw the warrior within her, her fierceness and determination. Hiei suddenly felt invigorated by her. She was going to push on, accomplish what she started. She was not about to give up. She may loathe his existence for their entire marriage but she knew she had to do this. If this woman could do that then so could he.

She started over in a loud clear voice, "I, High Princess Mîrvana of Alyatavar, bestow upon you, Demon King Hiei of the Dark Dragon, my glass. With this glass I pledge to stand by you, through days of new and old, through days of illness and good spirits, through dark days and bright days. With my ancestors as a witness, from this day forward I am eternally yours."

She let go of the necklace and the crystal hit his chest with a heavy thud. The presiding elf turned to him and asked him to repeat the same words after him. Hiei said the words without thinking, unable to take his eyes off of her tear stained face. As soon as he finished the oath however, he felt a sudden jolt within his body. He jumped backwards, shocked. He looked down at the crystal around his neck to see it glowing slightly.

"That is supposed to happen," the presider whispered snidely. Hiei wanted to punch him in the face. The woman took his hands and pulled him back to the center of the platform, pulling his attention back to her. Her eyes seemed dead to Hiei and he was not surprised.

"The ceremony is complete. The bride and groom… may kiss. May the ancestors bless you with wealth for you and your prosperity," the presider said.

Not wanting to waste any more time in this stupid ceremony, Hiei reached up and pulled her shoulder down gently as he raised himself with his feet. He didn't close his eyes as he quickly pressed his lips against hers and pulled back even quicker.

The King stood up and began clapping and soon the rest of the crowd followed. Hiei shot a glance to Kurama who gave him a small smile. Hiei knew it was meant to be comforting but it looked hollow. Hiei looked up at his new wife and offered her his arm. She barley looked at him as she took his arm and they walked down the aisle.

With the ceremony concluded, the most of the guests headed back to the fortress. Hiei watched the King and his daughter talk quietly with each other from a distance. Hiei felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Yusuke standing next to him.

"Hiei," he said quietly but he didn't continue.

"If you need any help, let me know. I've picked up a few things, being with Keiko and all…"

"Yusuke," Hiei began, "is this worth it?"

"Yes," Yusuke said strongly. Hiei turned back to his woman and her father. It seemed he was giving her advice and comfort.

"I think this was the best option because we aren't in war anymore. Everything is resolved and things heal with time. Besides you two aren't completely incompatible. She's just as arrogant and stubborn as you are," Yusuke said, grinning.

"Hn," Hiei did not appreciate the attempt at the joke.

"And," Yusuke said more seriously. "When you were fighting on the battle field, the way you two moved… it was if you two were enjoying the fight. Well, maybe not enjoy but it wasn't a ruthless intent to kill. In my experience, that's never a bad thing."

So he had noticed it too… the difference. Yusuke had a point though. When Yusuke enjoyed a fight, he usually made friends. Hiei himself enjoyed seriously fighting with him.

"Besides," Yusuke said as he put his arm around Hiei's shoulders, "It's about time you got a girl. I mean for the longest time we thought you and Kurama-"

Hiei threw up his fist and hit Yusuke square in the face. That conversation was done. He began to walk towards his woman and the King, trying to ignore Yusuke's laughter behind him.

The King and his daughter were in a tight embrace as Hiei walked up. After a moment with Hiei standing there they drew apart. The King tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then kissed her forehead.

"Namárië,Yende," The King said sadly.

"Namárië, Ada," she replied.

The King turned to Hiei and grabbed his hands. The King gripped Hiei's small hands in his large ones and said, "Please, take care of my daughter."

"I will," He said. "I swear it on my honor," he added, hoping that would appease the King.

The King seemed satisfied enough and let go of his hands. The King gave a long look to his daughter and he turned and walked through the portal. Hiei watched it grow smaller behind him until a small circle in the middle was the only part left open.

She turned to him and for the first time that day, he actually looked at her. She wore a spaghetti strap dress made of white satin, golden leaves decorating the upper part of the bodice. Her sleeves were detached and had cuffs embroidered in gold leaves on the upper part of her arms, a translucent material covering the rest of her arms. The cuffs were attached to a thin material that connected to the dress straps. Parts of her hair were braided and pulled back and tied together, small flowers inserted in her hair. Her ears were pieced with two large gold hoops and on top of her head was a gold tiara. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. And she looked like a corpse.

Hiei took her hand and called for Shana and soon they were traveling the shadows to his home, their home.

They arrived right outside of the main hall. Shana gave him a thumbs up and he turned to look at the woman at his side. She looked down at him and nodded, she was ready to play her part. He offered her his arm and she slid her hand around the crook of his elbow. He pushed the doors in front of him open and demons around him began to cheer.

Hiei couldn't help but smile a little at the realization that they had won. Their land was safe, the Makai could rest in peace tonight. Today was a day for celebration and he was going to celebrate.

He walked up to his throne and Maria and Claudia had been kind enough to have another one created for his wife. He gestured for her to sit down, which she followed. He turned to face the crowd of demons before him and saw Mukuro smiling at him and holding a goblet out for him. He nodded a thanks to her as he took it from her and raised it in the air and said, "Victory!"

The demons cheered loudly and drank the toast. Then the feast began. Many demons mingled with each other but Hiei remained on his throne with his woman as demons came up and offered their congratulations.

At one point, Boton arrived and Kurama happily approached Hiei with her on his arm. Hiei was glad that he had taken this burden instead of his friend who looked genuinely happy with her. Yusuke also approached but didn't say much, Hiei knew he was eager to get home. Mukuro and Yomi approached together and ignored the woman to his right which was understandable. When Hiei saw Kuwabara and Yukina approaching he leaned over and said, "If she talks to you, you had better talk back." She said nothing in reply but shot him a look that suggested she was going to do whatever she wanted.

"You did a good job, for a runt," Kuwabara said smugly.

Hiei glared at him. "Baka," he snapped.

"Teme! I'm gonna-" Kuwabara suddenly stopped yelling at Hiei when he noticed the woman next to him. He looked over and it amused him to see her eyebrow arched.

"Ahem, I apologize. I am the great Kuwabara Kazuma," the oaf said and he struck a pose.

"You are… human, "she said slowly.

"Huh? I sure am! I know this runt from when we killed a bunch of demons. He was on parole." The oaf was going to die now.

"Parole? Tell me more," she said, grinning slyly.

"Baka, must I bash your head into the ground again?" Hiei growled.

"Bring it!" Kuwabara yelled.

"Excuse me!" Yukina's small voice cut through, diffusing both of them in an instant.

"Ah, Yukina-chan! Sorry!" Hiei wanted to plug his ears as the oaf's pitch rose significantly.

Yukina stepped forward and bowed to Hiei. He didn't like it but he knew she was showing him respect as any demon should.

"Yu-Yukina! You don't need to bow to him," Kuwabara said.

"Of course I do, he is my King," she said smiling sweetly.

"A-ah…"

Yukina turned to the woman on his right and bowed deeply to her. When she rose she said, "My Lady, or do you prefer Princess?"

"Princess," she replied, the pride evident in her voice.

"Then, my Princess, my name is Yukina, from the floating island of the Koorime. I am a good friend of Hiei-kun but I live in the human world at a temple with an old woman, Genkai-san. Please come and visit if you tire of these walls. I, and Yusuke's wife Keiko, can take you around the human world and maybe to the shops. Humans seem to have a good sense of fashion. I always find it relaxing and enjoyable to go, even if I don't buy anything," Yukina said sweetly.

Hiei was grateful for her invitation. She could use a friend here. Hiei looked at the woman next to him and he watched, for the first time, her visage soften and she smiled a genuine smile at his sister. He had never seen that look on her face before and he was entranced by the sweetness of it. He was comforted to see that she was a little alive inside.

"I would like that very much, especially since I don't have any clothes here!"

Yukina giggled. "Then I will see you soon, Princess?"

"Yes thank you, Yukina," she said gently.

Yukina bowed again to the both of them and then gave a small wave to Hiei as she turned to mix and mingle. After some time, demons stopped coming up and Hiei stood up, intending to visit with his friends. He turned to his woman and said,

"Make sure to eat something. You can get up if you want."

She merely nodded at him and he walked around the dance floor towards Mukuro who was sitting in a corner, sipping out of her goblet. He sat down next to her, unsure of what to say.

"I hope you find happiness Hiei," she said.

Hiei looked up at her to see a small, wistful smile. Hiei felt awful. If there was any woman he should be with, it should have been Mukuro. He tried, if one could try, to see her that way. But for some reason he couldn't. It had nothing to do with her being somewhat of a mentor or rival, he just flat out didn't feel any romantic inclinations for her. He knew, however, that she did feel that way for him. He hated rejecting her, he didn't want to cause her pain after all she had been through but he wasn't going to lie to her. That would hurt her even more.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm fine," she said.

There was a small, comfortable silence between them. Hiei knew she detested the elf and wasn't trying to mask it. He didn't mind, besides, Mukuro would always be stronger than him, always his superior, even though he was King. He felt that was the natural order for them and he was content with it.

Mukuro finished her drink and stood. "I'm heading out." She bent down and gave him a quick, friendly kiss on the cheek. "See you around."

Hiei didn't say anything but he gave her a small wave. After she left, he stood up and talked with a few generals, thanking them for their work and assuring them they would be rewarded. Finally, he made it to Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara.

"Hiei!" Yusuke greeted with a large grin on his face. "Sooo?" He asked, a wolfish grin on his face.

Hiei hated it when Yusuke had that face. It usually meant that he was going to ask something obscene. Then Keiko would overhear and yell at him for it.

"So what?" Hiei asked flatly.

"Are you excited?" he asked slyly, elbowing his arm.

Now Hiei was confused. "For what?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara stifled laughs while Kurama did a fake cough to cover up the amused smile on his face. Hiei scowled at the fox so Kurama bent down and whispered something in his ear that made his insides freeze and his face burn.

"What?" he spat, which only made Yusuke and Kuwabara laugh more.

They were obviously not taking this seriously. How the hell was he supposed to bed her? Well he knew how, but it was more of a matter if he wanted to. Or if she wanted to, which he highly doubted. He stared over at her and she was currently talking with Koenma. She was beautiful… but he had wanted to kill her before. And things were pretty awkward and difficult… he highly doubted he would be able to perform even if he wanted to.

"I don't think so," he said quietly.

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at him seriously and there was an uncomfortable silence between the four of them until they overheard Kokou yelling at Enki to dance with her. They watched the humorous scene and Kuwabara was suddenly inspired to go ask Yukina for a dance and Yusuke walked over to Yomi and Shura. Hiei and Kurama still hadn't said anything when Koenma walked up to them disgruntled.

"Hiei, go dance with your wife. She won't dance with me until you dance with her first," he said, irritated.

Dance? What? He hated dancing… Tch, if he had too… he walked up to her as she seemed to be finishing the last bite of her food and said bluntly,

"We should dance."

She rolled her eyes at him and stared at him smugly. "What makes you think I want to dance with you?" At least she had some fire in her, Hiei noted. "Besides, you're too short for me."

Scowling, Hiei grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. He put his hand on her waist and grabbed her other hand. She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked up at her. He had never really thought much about his height until now but she was around Kurama's height which made his head near her stop at her mid torso, just below her breasts. He wasn't going to let that bother him though. They didn't really move that much, rather they swayed in place. After one song she stepped back from him. She gave him a snide look, probably about to comment on his lack of dancing ability, as if he cared, when Koenma graciously stepped in. Hiei went back to Kurama and watched the Rekai Prince waltz with her. He seemed to be trying to talk with her but she wasn't responding much. After a few songs, Koenma politely walked her over to him.

"I am ready to retire," she stated. He nodded and nodded goodnight to Kurama. Hiei didn't care much to say goodnight to anyone else, he didn't need their comments. They slipped out of the hall quietly and he led her down the corridors to his room. When they got to his room, he said,

"This is my room. You can come in any time you want. There isn't much in here though."

He opened the doors and gestured for her to enter. The room was simple. There was a fireplace he rarely used, a large bed and bathroom, two dressers, a closet, and a vanity that he never used. The room wasn't decorated, Hiei only slept in here after all. As he closed the doors behind him he noted that the sheets were fresh and neatly folded on his bed were a set of black pajamas that he rarely used and a white nightgown for her. His maids had been thoughtful.

He made his way over to his dresser and admired Yukina's handiwork in the mirror before untying it and pulling it off. He heard the woman behind him move and he turned to see she was sitting on the bed, examining the night gown. As he walked over she asked,

"Silk pajamas? Really?"

"I don't use them that often," he replied as he sat next to her.

They sat in silence for a moment before Hiei remembered a question from earlier.

"How old are you?"

"One hundred and thirty-seven. How old are you?"

Hiei thought for a moment back to Yukina's last birthday party. "One hundred and sixteen."

Hiei watched her crunch her face for a moment. "Lovely, I'm married to a barbarian who is younger than me," she said dryly.

Hiei wanted to say it wasn't that much of a difference but he thought better of it. Silence fell between them until she asked,

"Why did Yukina say she was your friend? Aren't you related?"

"It's complicated," He responded.

Another silence. Hiei fingered the collar of his pajama top. What was he supposed to do now? He was in no mood to lay with her, that was for sure. Would he sleep here, with her next to him? Should he send her back to her room from before? Would she feel better about that? Would he?

"I hate you."

Hiei looked up at her, slightly shocked. He wasn't surprised but it was different hearing it than assuming it. She turned to him and he saw that she was silently crying again but her eyes were cold as stone.

"I hate you." This time her words stung as her eyes bore into him.

He hated himself a little too. "I wish I had killed you in battle." After he said it, her realized the words didn't sound as good out loud as they did in his head.

She did not react to his words and remained emotionless. "The feeling is mutual," she whispered back.

Hiei decided he was going to sleep in a tree that night. There was no way he could stand to be around her. She was too depressing now and he was… too guilty. He grabbed the pajamas and walked over to the dresser. He put them away and grabbed a cloak from another drawer. As he pulled it on, he said

"I'm going to sleep outside. Make yourself comfortable here." Then, before she could respond, he darted out the window.

He wasn't far when he stopped moving as he heard a mournful wail coming from behind him. He carefully and quietly made his way back to his window. He peered inside and saw her crumpled on the bed, sobbing loudly. She had finally broken down, when she was alone. Tch, that woman had too much pride, Hiei thought. He sighed, there was nothing he could do for her now. Kurama had once told him that sometimes women need a good cry, that's what helps them relieve their stress. Hiei wasn't too sure about that but he did know he was the last person she wanted comfort from. So, he left.

Namárië,Yende- Farewell, Daughter

Namárië, Ada- Farewell, Father