Chapter 11 The Angulóce Nyello

Hiei arrived home to find it in a state of frenzy. Claudia and Maria were barking orders to servants as they ran around searching for something.

"What is going on?" he demanded, walking up to Maria.

"Oh, Hiei-sama! Thank goodness! Mîra-hime returned home vomiting and feverish and it won't go down! We think she was poisoned and Shana said she drank an antidote but her symptoms are getting worse! We are trying to search the castle for anything that can help!"

Hiei paled and dashed off to their room. That stupid, proud, arrogant, idiotic woman! She was being affected by the poison, just in a different way! Now what was he supposed to do? He threw open the door to the bedroom open to see Shana sitting by her bedside holding a bucket for her as she vomited.

"Hiei-sama," the young shadow demon wailed.

Mîra's eyes flickered up to him and he was shocked to see how pale and weak she had suddenly become. He wasn't that far behind her when they had left, him being on Koku and her traveling through the shadows. There was maybe a two to three hour difference between them.

"She called for me as soon as she left the room you were in. After I took her into the shadows she fell ill. I brought her back here as fast as I could but…" Shana trailed off, her violet eyes brimming with tears.

"Go get Kurama, now," Hiei said, trying to keep his voice collected.

Shana started to go into the shadows but Mîra grabbed her arm and said,

"Lau, lau."

"But Mîrvana-hime you will-"

"Lau," she said hoarsely before throwing up again. Shana looked at Hiei and he nodded. She darted off to find the translator and Hiei sat down on the bed where Shana had been. Hiei frowned as he examined her more closely. Her skin was deathly pale and sweaty and he could sense her body heat draining from her. If he didn't do something fast she was going to die.

After she finished throwing up, she threw her hand behind her and Hiei assumed she was trying to reach for the glass of water behind her. He gave it to her and she drank it, swished it around in her mouth and spit it out into the bucket. She did that a few more times before gulping the rest of the glass down and then lay back in the bed. Hiei set the bucket down on the ground and he hesitantly slipped his right hand into her left. That was what he should be doing right?

She gripped his hand tightly and said "Liré, Hiei, liré!" Her voice was raspy and a part of him felt frightened. Earlier that day she had been kicking ass and now she was on her deathbed. How did this happen?

Shana came back with the translator and Mîra repeated her words.

"Sing, Hiei, sing. That's what she's saying Hiei-sama," Shana reported.

Hiei turned to her confused. Sing? Sing what? Hiei didn't sing, ever. He could see that she was struggling and he put a hand to her forehead, her forehead must be scalding to her.

He felt her squeeze his hand again and desperately she said, "Liré!" For a moment, Hiei could faintly see a white glow around her and he felt the dragon on his arm begin to stir. The glow disappeared and her eye lids closed. Shana darted out of the room to alert the maids and Hiei grabbed the wet cloth in the bowl of water sitting on the nightstand and patted her face with it in an effort to keep her cool. He had to think fast. What was it that she had called herself? Hiei frowned, thinking. The light protected her from dragons and the elf had said she wasn't a Dragon Keeper… she was a Dragonsinger. That was it!

"Koku," he commanded and the black dragon slithered off his arm and began to materialize in the room. The dragon brought her head to Mîra's and Hiei could see a black glow coming from both of them. He then heard a small girl's voice singing and Hiei looked at the dragon. She was singing. Was this what Mîra had meant? Poison wasn't her problem. Hiei frowned, thinking back to the fight. That other elf had mentioned repercussions for calling on her 'protector.' What did that mean?

The black glow around her began to flicker and she began to toss her head back and forth slightly. She was not winning the battle she was waging. Hiei heard the song become louder, and more desperate sounding. Hiei placed his hand other hand on his dragon's side to reassure her. As soon as he placed his hand there the black glow extended to him and suddenly he was in an entirely different place.

He seemed to be in a lush, large open field but he didn't recognize the place. The air seemed clearer and cleaner than any place he had been. The wind was blowing a light breeze that was quite pleasant. In fact, Hiei would have loved the place except for the fact that a few yards he saw a large fire. He focused, trying to see what was in the fire and his eyes widened. Mîra was in the fire, unconscious. Her skin didn't seem to be burning but Hiei sensed this was the cause of her fever. He wanted to run out to her but he felt rooted in place.

"Shit," he swore and Hiei looked past her as he heard a loud roar. There was a large deep red dragon standing on its hind legs, its large leathery wings spread out menacingly. The dragon's scales were large and tough and its belly was tan. The dragons wingspan was enormous but its head was even more fearsome. The muzzle was large and it bared sharp, gleaming teeth at them and its golden eyes were looking at them sharply. The dragon pulled its long neck back and thrust it forward, letting out another terrifying roar.

Hiei looked around it and noticed a man standing next to the dragon with hand on its hind leg. The man was wearing brown leather boots with grey pants and a grey undershirt. Over the shirt he wore a blue tabard that was trimmed in gold and was tied around his waist with a yellow sash. On the upper portion of the tabard was a gold tree. Hiei had seen that before… it was Mîra's crest, the symbol of her home! With a start, he looked at the man's face and saw a similar facial structure to hers, pointed ears, and lavender eyes. His long white hair was pulled back into a high pony tail and Hiei knew that her sickness had to do with magic, not poison. But what could he do? This man was killing her and he could do nothing about it.

Around him, he heard Koku's song and another song clash with each other. Hiei figured it was the red dragon's song and he wondered if they were battling or conversing. Hiei scanned the red dragon again and then fire. The flames were flickering between red and black. Hiei looked back up at the man and was startled to see that he was crying, tears pouring down his cheeks. His lavender eyes turned to Hiei and his expression was unreadable. The elf eyes turned back to the woman in flames and Koku's song became louder. The elf then turned his gaze back on Hiei, his face mournful. He then took his hand off of the red dragon and the scene began to warp.

Hiei blinked and realized he was sitting on the bed still. Koku had her head pressed against Mîra's and the glow around them faded. Shuddering slightly, Hiei ripped his hand off the dragon. What in Kami's name had happened? Hiei didn't like that he was asking that question more and more often. He momentarily pushed the thousands of questions running through his head aside as her eyes lids fluttered open.

He heard Shana cry out and Maria and Claudia scurried over to her with medicine, food, and water but he sat there, staring at her tired face as color began to return. The dragon changed songs and it reminded Hiei of a lullaby. Her eyes slowly closed again but Hiei felt that she was resting now.

"Hiei-sama, her fever is going down!" Maria cried happily.

"Good," he said. A wave of relief swept over him. He stared at her now peaceful face and he wondered what that vision had meant. That was one of many questions for her. Ever since she had entered his life there had been nothing but questions and no answers. This time, for sure, he was going to get at least some answered.

He tried to pull his hand from hers but as he moved her grip tightened. Hiei stared at her, puzzled. She wanted him to stay? He felt his face flush at the thought of her wanting him, needing him. He growled, shaking off the stray thoughts entering his head. Right now she needed someone to care for her, not have moronic desires for her.

"Hiei-sama?" Maria asked and he turned to look at her. His twin maids were smiling, their hands resting on the chair they had brought up to the bedside for him. On the nightstand were reports he hadn't gone through yet. He was always amazed at how well they understood him. He moved to the chair and yanked his right hand out of hers. Her arm pulled up but it stopped moving when his other hand touched hers.

"Tch, did you have to be such a difficult woman?" He growled quietly. He glanced at her peaceful face and frowned. He had gone from feeling guilty to indifference to actually caring and now lust. What was this woman doing to him? Was dealing with women always this difficult? Tch, he would have to ask Kurama the next time he saw him.

00000

The next morning, Hiei awoke to her voice.

"Ah! That was a great rest! A little unexpected but nothing I can't handle!"

Hiei groggily sat up and looked over at her. Her face was full of energy and from what Hiei could see, she was fully recovered. She then turned her gaze to him and her eyes hardened.

"Humph," she said crossing her arms and turning away from him. She had just woken up and she was mad at him already, perfect. Hiei disliked how this was starting to happen more and more…

"What's a Dragonsinger?" He asked, ignoring her attitude.

Mîra turned back to look at him, frowning. He could see the distaste in her eyes but then she sighed. "Fine, I'll explain. I do owe you that much at least. But after breakfast," she said getting out of the bed. When she walked into the bathroom, Hiei quickly got dressed and left the room. He ate breakfast quickly and waited for her in his office. She usually took longer to get ready and he doubted she would have liked to have spent breakfast with him.

About an hour later she walked through the door wearing an emerald green dress with gold trim. Some of her hair was pulled back and tied with a thin golden ribbon and the rest of her hair was down. Hiei thought she looked pretty in that color but he pulled his gaze back to the papers in front of him to hide the flush on his face. Her physical body had never bothered him before, there was no reason it should be now. Right?

He looked back up at her as she sat down in the chair across from him. He was semi-relieved to notice that her dress was not in a V cut and was in a bowl cut, revealing less. He sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up on his desk. He stared at her, waiting for her to talk. He watched her lavender eyes size him up until they rested on his red eyes. He could feel his face flush slightly under her gaze but he ignored it. Her eyes were unreadable and he hoped that his eyes revealed the same.

Finally she spoke. "Magic is a curious thing. It exists around us and within us. Elves are instinctively able to tap into magic and some humans are born with the capability as well. Even for elves however, not all magic comes instantly; one has to work out the deeper mysteries it offers. There is one thing that we are taught from the beginning of our lessons however; magic is specific. If a requirement is not met the consequences can be disastrous or deadly."

"Is that what happened to you?" Hiei asked, eyeing her steadily.

Her gaze flickered off to the side for a moment before she responded. "Yes. However, I did not know that would happen. But I am getting ahead of myself. The Angulóce Nyello, the Dragonsingers, are elves who were chosen to be potential candidates to be a Dragon Keeper, an Angulóce Tae. They possess the power to communicate with dragons and are able to harness their power if it is given. No one knows how this power was initially given or created but we do know it is hereditary. As you can imagine, such a great power elevates those who bare it to the highest status or allows them to take it. Thus, Angulóce Nyello are usually royalty to varying degrees.

"Now, each region of my world has a specific dragon associated to it and that dragon is represented by the Angulóce Tae, who is chosen out of the Angulóce Nyello. At a young age those identified as Angulóce Nyello are lined up and go through a series of trials to determine who will be the next Keeper."

Her eyes became distant and almost sad as she continued. "Once the Angulóce Tae is selected, he or she will undergo rigorous training in order to be a suitable habitat for the dragons presence. Those who are not chosen receive training to become the kingdoms elite guards. Except for me. Because I was the daughter of the king and I was not chosen, I was automatically designated the heir to the throne."

She fell silent for a moment and Hiei understood there was more personally to this simple explanation than she was letting on. "Why didn't the chosen Keeper become the next King?" he asked and her attention turned back to him.

"It is forbidden. When the Angulóce Tae were kings, their power ran unchecked and war continuously ravaged our lands. The seemingly limitless power constantly destroyed the peace of the lands and corrupted the once good men in charge. That is why I was an optimum choice. I would have passed on the Angulóce Nyello power to my children and I would only be as powerful as I could make myself. The Angulóce Tae would serve at my side offering any assistance needed while keeping me in check. The system works well, although now I'm not so sure…"

She let her words trail off and Hiei thought back to the man from the dream. He had reminded Hiei of Mîra, maybe a relative of hers was the Dragon Keeper for her people. "What happened to you?" he asked and she sighed deeply.

"The dragon of my people is Fealóce, the fire dragon. We are a kingdom of warriors and the fire dragon is a heavily offensive dragon, full of power and menace. The dragon is cruel in battle which means that the Keeper must have a kind gentle soul to control it." She paused again before continuing, "I was close with the Angulóce Tae and so I was able to learn how to call upon Fealóce and ask him to grant me a portion of his powers for a short amount of time. Magic is a tricky thing however. Pull out the necklace I gave you on our wedding day."

He looked at her curiously as he pulled out the gem from underneath his cloak. She leaned over and held it in the palm of her hand. The gem gave off a slight glow and Hiei could feel a warm sensation beginning to run through his body.

"This gem is the reservoir for my power, my ability to properly perform magic. This gem, in a simple way, carries my soul. Without this, I am useless as a practitioner. Because my essence is so heavily embedded in this gem, you, as my husband, would not be complete with me as your wife without my gem. Or so they say. Ideally, marriage joins to halves to create a whole and the magic seems to respond in a similar manner. This is why as my husband, you carry my soul. If you had one, I would also carry yours. It is the purest and deepest gesture of affection my people have. As a result, the magic inside reacts to that desire and keeps it intact. So if you were to have an affair, I would know because the gem I gave you would punish you."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"

"Just an example," she shrugged. "If you want another, it's supposed to even out our life spans so that we die around the same time. Romantic isn't it?" She ended dryly.

Before he could ask her how long her people tend to live, she sighed, "I digress. The point is that magic behaves according to its own wishes and can to the wishes and loyalties of the user. Sometimes these loyalties or wishes are subtle and go unnoticed by the user, which in this case was me. When I called upon Fealóce, I was unknowingly calling upon a dragon that no longer recognized me as loyal."

"How were you unloyal?" Hiei asked frowning.

"It's simple really. Hiei, you consider me to be your wife, correct?"

He looked at her, frowning. "Tch, what else would you be, woman?"

Her lips pulled into a small smirk. "You would think it was that simple. You could have considered me a whore, a slave, prisoner, anything. But you think of me as a wife, a specific type of companion and the gem reacted to that, changing my loyalties from Fealóce to Koku."

"To Koku… how? Koku did not exist when we were wed."

"That is true," she said slowly. She bent over and kissed the stone and a surge of power ran through him. He stiffened as she glanced up at him. She then sat back in her chair and moved her hand from underneath the gem. Hiei took the gem in his hand and looked at it curiously and then back at her. She was staring out the window, her face pensive.

"Koku was not fully formed when I met you but she was established enough within you that it did not matter. Like I said earlier I trained heavily and extensively with the Keeper to be able to call upon the powers of Fealóce. When I married you, however, and you accepted me as your wife the magic recognized your dragon as my new protector and guardian. I then spent months training with you and Koku. By using my song, I connected myself to Koku which enabled her to have a song and become physically alive. What I didn't realize was that by enabling her with a song, I had affirmed my loyalties to Koku and not Fealóce. So, when I called upon the fires of Fealóce, he punished me for my disloyalty to Koku. He would have killed me, had Koku not shown up."

Hiei stared at her in shock. All of that from this small gem in his hand. "I told you, magic is specific and mysterious. When mixed with our will, it is sometimes a more powerful of a tool than we realize," she explained.

Hiei sat quietly for a minute absorbing everything she told him. So… because he considers her to be his wife, she was bound to him and Koku. But if Koku was able to magically form a bond of loyalty with her then did that mean…

"Am I a Dragonsinger?" He asked roughly.

His question seemed to catch her off guard. "Well… I suppose so, yes. The moment Koku became physical, you technically became an Angulóce Tae. Though, I doubt you will have the same powers a regular Angulóce Tae would have considering you were not born with magic. The creation of you as an Angulóce Tae is different and would never have happened on normal circumstances. You may be able to sing but I doubt it. Koku seems capable of it however which is enough for you purposes."

"Sing?" Hiei asked. He frowned, thinking. "You asked me to sing when you were sick."

"Yes, when I realized that Fealóce's fires were killing me I knew that the loyalties had changed and I needed Koku. Or you, whichever sang first."

"Sang what?" That was the one part he still didn't understand.

"Sang in dragon tongue. Like I said, since you instinctively didn't do it yourself when I magically called for it, I doubt you will be able to do it at all. Koku responded to the summons instead, which is fine."

Hiei frowned. Sing in dragon tongue? "Tch, I don't sing anyway."

She seemed amused at his words but the look faded quickly. They sat in silence as Hiei gathered his thoughts. He was pretty sure he understood why she fell ill but his thought traveled back to the whole marriage/magic relationship.

"What happens if you cheat?" he asked suddenly.

She eyed him curiously but then she shrugged, "Magically, I don't know. Maybe you'll be 'notified' but I never met anyone who had actually cheated. If elves get tired of each other there is a separation ceremony, though it is quite taxing on both parties and they usually never recover their magic fully. That doesn't happen often either. I hear that people who have affairs usually take their punishment and work it out with the other spouse."

The answer was odd but he was the only one to marry her, how would she know what would happen exactly? There was another silence before he quietly asked, "Do you consider me to be your husband?"

She looked at him with a look he didn't recognize but he noticed the flush in her cheeks. "Yes, I do. We are in the strangest relationship predicament I have ever heard of but…" her words trailed off and she looked away from him as the flush in her cheeks deepened. "You take care of me when I don't deserve it," she said softly. "And I think I take care of you when you don't deserve it." She turned back to him, her face confused. "That counts as being a married couple, doesn't it?"

"Hn," Hiei said. He wasn't sure himself. He did promise to take care of her and she had looked out for him as well… but the images of marriage he had seen in the human world involved love. But he didn't love her and he was sure she didn't love him and yet there they were, married. Married and magically bonded together. He never dreamed all those months ago the impact she would have on his life.

"Again, 'hn' is not a word," she said quietly, shaking her head slightly. She was looking out the window again but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "I don't think we have anything to worry about, by the way. That Dúrtava got lucky and was smart. Well smart enough to avoid the war anyway. Not many broke through the portal entrance since it was heavily guarded. She probably slipped in at the end when we were struggling with supplies and such."

She didn't turn her gaze back to him and he let a silence settle between them. He had forgotten his worries as to what else had broken through the portal. He stared at her, the quiet between them allowing him to absorb her image. He felt his face flush slightly as she turned her pensive gaze on him. She stiffened and tugged the fabric hugging her bosom up. He glared at her.

"Don't be stupid," he snapped.

"You're the stupid one!" Mîra shot back. "You can't even bother to thank me and with the way you're…" She breathed deeply as her face reddened. "Oh forget it! What good will it do anyway?" She said irritably to herself.

Hiei maintained his glare as he stared at her as evenly as he could. She was embarrassed from the way he was staring at her and he had no reason to think she was attractive in this moment. The gown she was wearing didn't form to her curves well and the glare in her eyes weren't making him curious, wondering what it would take to make the glare disappear. He thought back to the proud superior look that had graced her features… Hiei scowled and she narrowed her eyes at him in response. This was beyond idiotic! He needed to switch topics, now. He thought back to Kurama's advice from earlier and he thought that he should man up, as the oaf said. That would kill two demons with one swipe.

"You were right," he said irritably, his arms crossed. She looked at him surprised and asked,

"What?"

"I'm not repeating it, I know you heard me," he growled and she smirked. He shouldn't have liked the superior gleam in her eyes. He really shouldn't, there was no reason for him to like her looking so haughty at him. If anything he should be angry. Angry, not drawn in. Angry…

Mîra cocked her head to the side, her proud eyes studying him. "I suppose that will do," she said standing. She walked towards the door and before she left she glanced back at Hiei, closing the door behind her.

Hiei sighed and fingered the gem resting on his chest. At least she wasn't angry at him anymore and he had some answers. Crazy unimaginable answer but answers nonetheless. More importantly, if he was going to struggle every time he saw her now, he didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't understand, there was no reason that her power and pride should be attractive to him. Mukuro was just as powerful, if not more. He had watched her fight before without any of the feelings that had arisen when watching Mîra. What was the difference between the two women? Sighing, he pushed it to the back of his mind, like he tended to do with his thoughts recently, and made a note to add that to his list of questions for Kurama.

Translation Notes:

Lau: No

Liré: Sing

Angulóce Nyello: Dragonsinger

Angulóce Tae: Dragon Keeper