Chapter 7 Starting Over

Hiei always enjoyed the trees around Genkai's temple, they were perfect for sleeping in. But by the time everyone had decided to turn in for bed, long after Yukina and the other girls showed up, the elf had still not returned. Kurama convinced Hiei to wait for her in the room given to them by Genkai, reasoning that she would feel better if someone was waiting for her. Hiei could give a damn about how she felt at this point, but he waited in the room anyway sleeping in what he usually did when he was indoors, just a pair of boxers.

The temple had gone quiet aside from the noises of the night and she still had not returned. Hiei wasn't worried however. She was more than capable of taking care of herself and he knew she wasn't going to run away. As much as she hated him, he was her support. If she tried to go anywhere else in the Makai, she would be killed on sight, or at least many would try. She was safe with him, protected by him, and had access to money. Only with him could she try to live as she did in her home world. That and she seemed too prideful and dutiful to run off. Sure enough, sometime after Hiei had fallen asleep, he woke to the sound of someone outside the door. He didn't move as she slipped inside. He heard her rustle around a bit, presumably looking for her pajamas and as she began to change, Hiei had dozed off again.

When he woke up, Hiei figured it was still early in the morning but he had always been an early riser. He looked at the woman next to him and he saw that she was as far away from him as possible with her back turned to him. Her hair was still in the two buns and she smelled fresh and clean. She must have taken a dip in the small lake nearby. He hoped that she would be in a better disposition today.

Hiei got dressed and slipped outside to do some training before breakfast was served. He always secretly liked training in the mornings at Genkai's. It was one of the few places he felt calm and secure as he trained without having to worry about anything sneaking up behind him. A couple hours later, he was reminded how incorrect that was.

"Tch, what do you want?" he scowled at his red headed friend. Damn fox.

Kurama merely smiled, amused that he had snuck up on Hiei successfully. "Breakfast is almost ready. You should clean up," he said. He tossed Hiei a towel and followed him to the nearby lake where Hiei splashed his face and bare chest with water.

"She seems better this morning, although I think she is being polite because of the girls. She and Yusuke seem to still have some tension however. I'm wondering how long it takes before one challenges the other," Kurama said.

Hiei glanced over at his friend as he dried off his chest. Kurama had that far off look again, one that usually corresponded to guilt. Hiei assumed he was rethinking the decision to keep her around.

"She will be fine," Hiei said. He wasn't even sure if that was the truth but it seemed to make Kurama feel better. "Maria and Claudia seem to like her and she gets along with Shana well."

"It's just you, then," Kurama mused.

Hiei didn't reply as he put his cloak back on. As Hiei walked past Kurama he said,

"I'm sorry, Hiei."

Hiei turned around and looked up at his friend leaning against a tree. Kurama had made a lot of tactical decisions during the war, he was the best at it. Some of them Hiei knew haunted him. Now that he was also human, Kurama had become more aware of guilt, more aware of compassion, even if he ruthlessly showed none. It was just like him to sit and wallow in guilt like this.

"What's done is done. I don't ask for your opinion to hear your trivial musings," He said. His musing were not trivial but Hiei disliked it when Kurama brooded upon them, it made him weak and annoying.

Kurama smiled at him, understanding his message. "I don't recall you asking for my opinion, Hiei."

"Tch, you say what you want whether I want to hear it or not."

Kurama chuckled at his words and they started walking back to the temple. Hiei enjoyed the silence he shared with Kurama, it was one of understanding. Though he would never admit it aloud Kurama was his best friend, the one person who understood him fully more than anyone. Even as close as he was with Yusuke and Mukuro, there were times when they would fail to pinpoint what was going on inside whereas Kurama was always able to flush everything out of him. He felt he understood Kurama in that way too. It was because of the serenity between them that Hiei felt the day was going to be a good day. Nothing crazy would happen, he would just return to the Makai with the woman and he would go about his business as usual.

When they reached the clearing next to the temple, Hiei sighed. He should have known that nothing was that simple or quiet anymore. In the clearing, Yusuke and the woman were sparring each other, although it seemed this was to the knockout. Hiei and Kurama made their way around to the front where the others were watching and eating.

"Hiei-kun, here is some breakfast," Yukina said, coming over to him and offering him a plate. She was trying to seem happy for him but he could tell she was worried. There was an empty spot next to him and she sat down.

"I don't know what happened to make them so angry at each other but Kazuma-kun said something happened last night. She was trying to be nice this morning but they just started arguing and Genkai kicked them out," Yukina explained.

Hiei didn't respond and ate his breakfast as he watched them. They both seemed a little beat up and he hadn't felt Yusuke's reiki and he didn't see her sword so Hiei assumed that this was a fist fight. She charged at Yusuke and he side stepped her punch. He moved to kick her but she caught his leg. With a heave she swung him around, causing him to land hard on his side.

"Hah! You are all talk but you can't seem to follow through," she yelled at him, a triumphant smirk on her face. Yusuke stood easily, Hiei knew that this was nothing more than a street brawl to him. He had taken much bigger punches before. She on the other hand… her breathing was labored and she looked tired. She was skilled with a longsword and magic but she must not have trained much in fighting without a weapon. Yusuke was wearing her down. Soon, this would be over.

"You talk too much!" Yusuke called to her. He was baiting her and she fell for it. Hiei was not happy watching her fight like this. She was being blinded by the pent up emotions within her. As much as she needed the release, it was in poor taste on her part. She was a much finer warrior than she was allowing herself to be.

Hiei's eyes never left her as she punched, kicked and tried to dance around Yusuke, her eyes filled with rage. He wondered if he should step in, stop her before she humiliated herself again. Something told him, though, that would wound her even more, a bigger testament to her weakness; her enemy becoming her savior. So he watched her fight her losing battle until finally, Yusuke smacked her into the ground. She struggled to get up but her arms failed her and she fell back into the ground. Yusuke put his foot on her back and formed one of his hands into the shape of a gun. He put his pointer finger to her head and said loudly, "Bang."

Yusuke then sat down on the ground next to her and it was apparent he was talking quietly to her. Hiei wondered what he was saying but if Yusuke wanted him to hear it, he would be speaking louder. Yusuke talked to her for some time before he stood up and walked back over to them. He looked at Hiei and said,

"Sorry about that."

"Hn," Hiei said. A part of him wasn't happy, he didn't like seeing her defeated that way. When they had fought in the war… that was a good way to lose.

Hiei stared at her figure lying in the ground as everyone moved around him. Yukina ran out to tend to her but it seemed she rejected the help. Yukina returned back inside, Yusuke and Keiko left, Boton went back to the Reikai, Kurama walked back inside, Genkai came outside, and Yukina followed. Soon the movements became blurs, he didn't care about them.

The figure of the woman lying in the ground was once proud and powerful. Now she was utterly broken, not even having the will to get up and move on and push forward. He remembered her eyes at their wedding and he realized he was mistaken in what they saw in them. Her eyes held her pride; she was not about to be weak in front of her father, her people, not with the heavy duty suddenly placed on her shoulders. But here, away from them, her pride could be broken.

Hiei was reminded of the time when he first fought Yusuke. That was the most humiliation he had ever suffered in his life. His pride was gone, shattered in an instant to have been outsmarted by a human of all things. Hiei wasn't sure when he fully regained his pride, but it wasn't the same as before. Maybe it was because he wasn't ever alone after that. Being stuck in the human world, he was dragged on missions with Yusuke, found his sister, and visited Kurama. With a start Hiei realized he had developed into the demon he was now precisely because Yusuke had shattered his pride, and after that he had regained it surrounded by people he eventually called friends.

Hiei looked up at the sky after a raindrop hit his hand. The rain fell quicker and Hiei darted inside. He stopped in the threshold and turned to look at her. He then went inside, ignoring Kurama calling out to him, grabbed an umbrella, and went outside. He walked up to where she was laying and Hiei oddly felt saddened and disgusted by her pitiful state. He moved to where she could see him and he was relieved that her eyes were still open.

"You need to come inside," He said. When she didn't respond, Hiei looked up at the sky and back down at her. She would get sick, lying here in the rain. Hiei scrunched his face, he hated the rain. Regardless, he sat down and held the umbrella over her head, causing his back to get wet. He didn't say anything to her as tears blinked out of her eyes. He tried to keep the umbrella over them both but he found it wasn't working well so he resigned and allowed his head to be doused with the constant pellets of water.

Even though it took him a long time to realize it, he wasn't alone when he was rediscovering himself. The woman before him was his responsibility. He didn't know if they would be friends, he didn't know if he would ever truly know her, and he didn't know if he would fall in love with her but he knew one thing.

She would never be alone; he would make sure of it.

He peered down at her as she moved her head slightly.

"You're getting wet," she whispered.

"Hn," he replied.

She smiled weakly at him.

"Hiei, I think I broke a rib. It hurts."

"Yukina can fix it," He said.

"Okay," she breathed.

Wordlessly he put the umbrella down and turned her body over. She groaned as he moved her and he quickly picked her up and darted for the overhang, getting them out of the rain. Yukina had already prepared a bath and she and Genkai took her to get cleaned from the mud and healed up. About an hour later, she was resting in the room. Hiei figured they would probably be there for another night and so he selected some clothes from the shopping bags and summoned Shana to take home the rest.

When she woke up, it was around the dinner hour. She walked slowly out into the main hall in a robe where he, Genkai, and Yukina were sitting. Yukina immediately stood up to help her sit down next to Hiei and he noticed how tired she looked. She spoke softly and said,

"I need to go apologize."

So Yukina helped her change into the clothes and Hiei carried her to Yukimura Ramen. He set her down outside the store and she took a deep breath before walking inside. Hiei followed her, greeted by the warm, delectable smell of the restaurant. The place wasn't too busy and it seemed they had caught Yusuke on a break, who was working behind the counter. Hiei hung back and noticed Keiko in one of the booths with their son Ryuji on her lap. Hiei sat down in the seat across from her as he watched the woman and Yusuke talk quietly at the bar. After a few minutes Yusuke began to laugh and she was smiling.

She held out her hand and said, "Hello, my name is Princess Mîrvana, wife of the Demon King Hiei. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Grinning, Yusuke took it and as they shook hands he said, "I'm Urameshi Yusuke, and I was the number one Spirit Detective and I run this place with my wife Keiko."

They let go, things seemingly resolved, and Yusuke asked, "Hey are you guys hungry?"

"Oh, no we just wanted to stop by and-" she began but was interrupted by a loud growl coming from her center.

Yusuke burst into laughter and Hiei saw Keiko smile. "Please sit and eat, on the house," she said.

His wife looked at Hiei and he slid over in the booth for her to sit down. He always enjoyed the ramen here. She sat down next to him and she and Keiko began chatting about womanly things and the toddler. Yusuke soon brought them over some bowls of ramen and the four of them sat and talked, well he talked minimally anyway. Hiei usually didn't do this, Kurama tended to drag him here, but it was a pleasant experience. His wife seemed happy about it too. After they finished eating, they took their leave.

When they reached the fortress she made her way to their room where he noted she began to prepare for bed. Hiei wasn't sure if he should sleep here or outside. A part of him didn't feel like sleeping outside but he wasn't sure if he was ready to share the bed with her either. So he sat in the chair in front of her vanity and waited for her to come out of the bathroom.

When she emerged, she ignored his presence as she took her hairbrush from her vanity and hopped on the bed. There was an odd silence between them. Just as Hiei was about to stand to leave, she spoke.

"He told me about the first time you two fought."

His eyes watched her as she slowly brushed through her long white hair. "He said that you wouldn't shut up and that ever since you've become a lot quieter, not as stupid. …I laughed when he said that, or at least smiled. My torso hurt too much." She stopped brushing her hair and looked up at him. Hiei wasn't sure how to read her. She seemed to be examining him, as though she was seeing him differently but the emotions inside of her were not as clear.

"He told me about the tournament. I had no idea that the King is chosen by sport but I suppose it makes sense for you barbarians," she said. Hiei thought her voice sounded slightly bitter. She must not approve, since her blood determines the crown. "We will start training tomorrow," she stated.

Hiei frowned and she rolled her eyes at his expression.

"Do you want to beat this Hideki guy or not? While you were off at war, he did nothing, except preparing for that moment. He's gotten stronger for sure and if you had such a hard time last fight, then you need to focus."

"What do you care?" Hiei asked.

She looked at him impudently. "If you lose then I become homeless and penniless. I will not go from riches to rags nor will I allow a King to fall so easily. Thus, we will begin training tomorrow."

"How?" he said coolly. He didn't like her telling him what to do.

"With the dragon of course. It's your greatest strength and weakness. If you can gain more stamina and become more familiar with it then you can use more its power without such drawbacks. Maybe you will even hear her song."

"What song?" Hiei asked frowning, he didn't like the way she was talking. And why would his dragon have a song? Dragons sang? Hiei didn't know of any dragons in the Makai…

"Don't worry about it," she said and she returned to brushing her hair.

Hiei could tell the conversation was over and he headed over to the window. As he prepared to jump, she said,

"I still dislike you."

Hiei didn't respond and he jumped out the window. He could live with dislike, it was better than hate after all.