Chapter 15 By the Sea
Hiei felt thoroughly relaxed as he sat in the beach chair underneath the large umbrella. No one was around to pester him about going in the water or surrounded him with incessant chatter. Sure, there were other people on the beach too but they weren't close enough to Hiei for him to be bothered by them. So he was allowed to enjoy the breeze of the ocean and the warmth of the sun without smelling like that awful lotion and getting a sunburn, he had learned that lesson last time. He was going to enjoy the nice, sunny day.
Keiko, Boton, and Mîra were chatting in the water, splashing each other when someone said something embarrassing, judging from the laughter. Yusuke was helping Ryuji build a sandcastle that looked more like a mound but the little boy was thrilled either way. Kurama seemed to be assisting them, digging around the mound. Off in the distance, Kuwabara and Yukina were walking the beach looking for seashells. He didn't pay too much attention to his sister, she seemed to be enjoying a private moment with Kuwabara as they held hands and she stood closely to him as they walked. He knew the oaf would take care of her, even if he was annoying.
Hiei dozed off, coaxed by the warmth of the sun. He awoke sometime later to Ryuji crying loudly. Yusuke was frowning as he walked toward the umbrella with his loud son on his hip. Hiei was able to judge that he hadn't fallen asleep for too long, the girls were still in the water, Kurama had joined them, and he saw a faint outline of Yukina and Kuwabara down the coast.
Yusuke set Ryuji down on a laid out towel next to Hiei and mumbled, "Ugh, where are those crackers?" Hiei snickered to himself, feeling foolish for feeling domesticated the previous night when obviously Yusuke was sucked in a lot farther than he ever would be. Well, for now at least.
Meanwhile, Ryuji started bawling. Tch, kids. Hiei hoped he wouldn't have to deal with any for a long time. Thankfully, he was sure he and Mîra had a good few hundred years left to live so he potentially had a while. When Yusuke found the bag of crackers, he handed a few to his son who threw them on the ground.
"I should go get Keiko," Yusuke said frowning at the hysterical child. Hiei looked out to the place they had been and there was a smaller mound where their castle had been. He was tempted to get out of his chair and start to make a new 'castle' to make the child stop crying but then again, it wasn't his problem.
"Aw, what's the matter?"
Hiei looked up to see Mîra smiling gently at the child. She picked him up and started bouncing him on her hip. "Don't cry, you can make another castle, it's okay," she cooed. Ryuji began to stop crying and Hiei stared at her half shocked and half interested.
Hiei had found it hard to take his eyes off her earlier when his wife revealed the bathing suit she had chosen. Mîra hadn't been lying when she said he'd like it. The bikini was solid black and there were gold circles connecting the ties around her neck to the larger portion of the top. The top seemed to hug the curve of her breasts well but he was reminded of her sparring top. No, it was her bikini bottom that he could not keep his lewd gaze off of. He struggled to mask it, of course, but it was hard when for the first time he saw the outline of the downward v of her pelvis perfectly, her long slim legs inviting his gaze. Her backside, which he usually never saw because the dresses she usually wore were not form fitted, was a rather nice round shape. Not to mention that the front piece and the back piece of the suit were only held together by a gold ring on either side of her hips that could easily be broken in one simple motion…
With the child on her hip however he saw her in a different, almost instinctive light. He had already judged that she would bear children well when she was in his dungeon but it was another thing to see her actually interacting with one. Interacting well at that. Some part of him was relieved to see that she knew what she was doing with the small child and another part of him found it endearing. Hiei then scowled, being around this child with his wife was warping his mind. Children were a definite no go zone, he felt he was barley grasping being a good husband to a wife he was still getting to know.
"Thank you!" Yusuke said, exasperated.
"No problem," Mîra said. Ryuji squirmed in her arms and she set him down on the towel. Hiei must have been staring at her oddly because she frowned at him when she reached for their bag.
"What's up?" She began to rummage through the bag and pulled out a bottle of the sun lotion.
"Hn," he said.
"Do I even have to say it?" she asked rolling her eyes. She turned to Yusuke, who was standing up presumably looking at Keiko, and asked,
"Hey do you mind putting some sunscreen on me? I think I'm starting to burn," she said, pointing to the quite attractive portion of her lower back. Before Yusuke could even say anything, Hiei snapped up out of his chair and snatched the bottle of her hands. She turned to face him, bewildered, but he shoved her back around and put some of the awful smelling lotion in his hand.
Yusuke began to laugh as she looked at him from over her shoulder and asked, "What's got you so riled up?"
"He's just jealous," said an all too familiar smart ass voice behind Hiei. As Hiei took his time rubbing the lotion onto the small of her back, Kurama came into view.
"What? Why? For asking Yusuke to help me not burn? He was already standing." She sounded confused as Yusuke laughed harder. Hiei was too, just not for the same reason she was. There was no way he was going to let Yusuke touch his wife in such an attractive spot on her body but why he cared so much was another matter… or was it? Why did he go back and forth all the time about whether he wanted to allow himself to resign to his feelings for her or not? He thought the constant battle was annoying as hell and he just wanted it to end. He began to apply sunscreen to her upper back, because he wanted to, as Kurama chuckled,
"Demons are rather posses-"
"That's enough," Hiei growled. There was a pause before Mîra said,
"Hiei I think the rest of my back is fine."
"It's pink," he said quickly, his face turning red.
"Oh, okay. Thanks," she said. Yusuke was clutching his stomach laughing and Kurama wasn't even bothering trying to cover his small laughter because they were able to see that her back wasn't turning pink at all. After he finished rubbing the sunscreen on her shoulders she turned to him, eyeing him suspiciously.
Hiei stared back and shot a glare to Yusuke as Kurama stepped forward.
"Hiei, don't you think Mîra looks pink here too?" Kurama said innocently, pointing at her chest.
"Yes," Hiei immediately answered. He regretted it when her suspicious look turned into embarrassment.
"You men are all perverts!" She snapped, snatching the bottle out of his hands. She was glaring at him her face red. Hiei could try to feign innocence but she would see through that in an instant. She had to know at least sometimes when battle was raging inside him over her. Instead he shrugged his shoulders and sat back down in his chair. What was he to do? He was a man after all… Yusuke was still laughing but when Mîra gave him a death glare he quickly grabbed his son and headed out to the water to meet his wife. Kurama gave Hiei a small smile before following Yusuke to the water. Hiei glanced at Mîra who was still looking rather embarrassed and furious so he closed his eyes. He figured watching her put on the sunscreen would not have boded well for him.
Hiei nodded off again and woke up on his own this time. Kuwabara and Yukina had come back from their walk and they were playing with a beach ball together with Boton, Yusuke, and Mîra. Keiko was in the group with them, helping Ryuji throw the ball when it came their way. Kurama was standing around them, taking pictures. Suddenly Mîra ran up to him and began conversing with the fox animatedly. The two of them then headed back to the umbrella where Hiei was. He frowned, wondering what torture his wife was going to subject him to. He had an inkling she was going to seek revenge after she was embarrassed even though it really wasn't his fault but that, naturally, didn't matter.
She walked up to him and Hiei eyed the camera in Kurama's hand. Pictures. He hated pictures.
"Hiei, I want an instant portrait of us."
"It's called a picture."
"Well it's technically an instant portrait so it doesn't matter."
He smirked at her. "That's not what it's called," he said mockingly and she scowled at him.
"Hiei, I want a picture of us."
"No," he said firmly.
She pursed her lips as she shifted her weight to the side of her body, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "Hiei, I want a picture. And because I'm your wife I get what I want from you, because if I'm not happy, you're not happy. Do I need to remind you about the last time we had this conversation?" She said steadily.
She didn't need to remind him, Hiei remembered it quite well. They were at the mall and Hiei was exhausted from a day of shopping and frustrated that he even had to go at all. Yukina and Keiko were available but she had forced him to come, even though she knew he didn't want to be there. He had been tortured for countless hours being dragged from store to store, let alone being in a crowded human place. The only thing keeping him going was the thought of delicious sweet snow waiting for him in Matsuo's parlor. So when she came out of what he thought was going to be the last store and demanded he pick out new earrings for her, he flat out refused. He didn't care how she asked or how many times, he wanted sweet snow.
When he thought she had given up she walked into another store and another and another until he realized she was going to go into every store in the damn mall until he complied. He caved and bought the earrings for her, thinking that she had made her point. But she was more conniving than he gave her credit for. They had rushed to the sweet snow parlor only for Hiei to discover it had just closed. He had turned to complain when he saw the triumphant look on her face and he realized her goal the entire time was to stall long enough for the parlor to close. Hiei did not take the punishment well and left her with all the bags, but she had the last laugh.
Hiei didn't know what she could do at the beach but it couldn't be nearly as bad as intentionally depriving him of his precious sweet snow. Plus, he was too prideful to give into her demands, at least the first time around anyway.
"I don't care," he said and closed his eyes, intending to ignore his wife.
"Kurama, get your camera ready," she said smoothly. Hiei was tempted to open his eyes but he fought the urge, he had to hold out.
"How will I know when to take it?" Kurama asked, a little nervous. The fox was sly but he didn't seem to like getting in the middle of their disagreement.
"Oh, you'll know," she said wickedly.
Before Hiei could consider what her tone implied, he felt her weight in his lap. His eyes shot open, shocked, as she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and her lips pressed up against his cheek. He blushed, words and thoughts failing him. Hiei felt as though she had been holding him for forever, her lips rooted in place when she finally let go and stood up. He watched her, still processing what had just happened, as she and Kurama looked at the picture.
"Aw, this picture is soooo cute!" She said in a sickly sweet voice. "Don't you think Kurama? I think I'm going to show everyone how adorable this picture is of us, Hiei!"
The gears clicked in Hiei's mind as she called out to Yusuke, Kuwabara and Boton.
This was way worse than depriving him of sweet snow.
He darted up and made an attempt to snatch the camera out of her hands but she sidestepped him. Now intrigued, the rest of the group stared at them as he glowered at her.
"Give it to me," he hissed.
"I warned you, you can't say I didn't," she sighed mockingly. He made another grab for the camera but she jumped out of the way. "Now, Hiei," she chided, "We can't go on like this, the humans are beginning to notice."
"Woman, you are trying my patience," he growled. He walked up to her and she laughed, dangling the camera above his head, out of his usual reach.
"Like I haven't heard that before," she said. Her face was fully of victory and Hiei despised it.
"Mîra-chan, what's on the camera?" Boton asked mischievously. Mîra raised her eyebrow at him and gave him a look that said 'well'?
He glared at her and snapped, "Fine."
She smirked triumphantly and turned to Boton, "It's nothing, never mind!" Boton pouted at her but Mîra ignored it and her glinting eyes followed Hiei as he walked back to his seat. If he was going to be forced to take a picture, she was at least going to do it where he wanted. He sat down and she slid into his lap, wrapping her arms around Hiei's neck again. This time, she leaned her head against his and Kurama readied the camera. Before he was about to take it he heard her sigh.
"Hiei, put your arms around my waist or something. At least pretend you like me," she said humorously. Not really wanting to contest her or feel humiliated any longer, he complied. "Oh and please don't look too irritated, I do want this to be a nice instant portrait."
He didn't bother commenting on her alternative name for a picture but he did note her honest tone. Hiei relaxed, he did want her to be happy, after all. Kurama quickly took the picture and she got up to look at it, evidently pleased.
"Delete the other one," he said frowning.
"Fine," she said sticking her tongue out at him. She and Kurama messed with the camera for a moment.
"It's done. I'm going to find Yukina," she said taking the camera.
Hiei sighed. Well that was over. Kurama sat down next to him, chuckling. "She seems to have your pet peeves pegged down pretty well."
"Hn."
"Don't look so sullen, Hiei. It's only natural for her to want a picture of the two of you and you know you brought all of that upon yourself."
Okay so he had a point, again. But he didn't have to admit it. "Hn."
Hiei looked up as Yusuke called out to them, asking if they wanted to play beach volleyball against him and Kuwabara. Hiei stood, it never hurt to humiliate the overzealous oaf. There was a volleyball net nearby and Kurama explained the game briefly to him as they walked over, it sounded simple enough. Hiei noticed that soon after they had started playing, a small crowd started gathering. He didn't think their playing was that great, though they may have looked slightly over the top considering the amount of strength they were hitting the ball with. When Kurama slammed the ball over the net and scored a point, it bounced and rolled off a ways. Kuwabara ran off to get it and Hiei scanned the crowd. He caught sight of a few young women in bikini's giggling as they glanced at him. He frowned and searched for his wife.
She was standing with the other girls and Hiei was amused to see a different look on each of their faces. Keiko looked dumbfounded, Boton was shocked, Yukina seemed impressed and Mîra… she wasn't looking at the game, she was looking at him. Her eyes were cool, collected and he could see the expectation in her eyes. Smirking he brought his attention back to the game. His wife would give him a look demanding him to win, even in a stupid human game. As difficult as she had been that day, he didn't like to disappoint.
After demolishing Yusuke and Kuwabara a half hour later with finesse, Hiei began to look for his wife. Instead, the young women he noticed eyeing him earlier popped in front of him.
"Wow, you are, like, so good at this game!" The first one said.
"Yeah, totally!"
Hiei frowned. He wanted to see his wife, not these stupid human girls.
"So we are having, like, a totally awesome party at our beach house tonight and you should totally come!"
"Excuse me," a silky voice said behind them. The two girls looked back and Hiei smirked when he saw Mîra. His eyes then noticed what she was holding in her hands and his smirk disappeared and was most likely replaced by a childish look. Hiei was a sucker for sweet snow, he just couldn't help it.
Mîra moved to squeeze between them in an effort to reach Hiei but the two girls shut the gap between them. "We were here first, hands off." What was with these girls?
Hiei then saw Mîra move around them smiling loftily. "Oh please," she said, rolling her eyes. She turned to him and handed him the sweet snow. Hiei happily accepted the cone of delicious, cold, sugary, goodness. Mmm vanilla, one of his favorite flavors. "This is for winning," she said. He saw Mîra cast a glance at the women. "This is because I can," she purred. Hiei flushed as she tilted his head slightly. He blinked as she slowly licked some sweet snow out of the corner of his mouth, intentionally trying to piss the other women off. It was working.
"Wh-what?" One of them stammered as Mîra drew back. Hiei's mind recovered and he ignored the flush on his cheeks as he looked up at his wife.
"Hn," he said smirking. She returned the smirk as she said,
"Not a word. Shall we?" She slipped her hand into his free one and they walked off, Mîra waving a sarcastic goodbye to those other women. He then forgot about the women as he enjoyed his sweet snow cone as they walked over to the rest of the group.
"Whores," he heard her mutter in elvish. Hiei glanced up at her before smirking proudly.
"Jealous?" he asked and he enjoyed the blush that spread across her cheeks.
"Of those trashy humans? I don't think so," she snapped. Hiei felt her grip tighten on his hand and he was pleased to know that he wasn't the only one that was possessive.
00000
"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Hiei turned his head at the sound of Mîra's voice. She was standing in the balcony's sliding doorframe in their room looking relieved. She walked out to the railing and leaned up against it, looking out at the water. Hiei turned his attention to the sunset in front of him. After dinner, he decided to have some quiet time to himself so he slipped up to the balcony in his room to relax in the scenery. He sat in the chair, his feet propped up on a small table barefoot. A cool breeze drifted by and as much as he hated to admit it, humans knew how to make a comfortable clothes. He was grateful for Kurama bringing him a pair of blue jeans and a navy blue button down. His usual attire would have been too heavy.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" She sighed staring at the hues of orange, yellow, and pink in the sky. He turned his gaze to her and felt his heart skip a beat. She was wearing a sleeveless light green sundress with small daisies scattered across the fabric. The dress hugged her bosom and waist well and the hem of the dress stopped a few inches above her knee. There was a neatly tied bow in the back and Hiei thought the dress revealed her in a charming light. The top portion of her hair was tied back with a small green ribbon and the rest of her hair lay on her back lightly, blowing in the breeze. He was fond of the simple style on her, it accentuated her ornamented ears well. Gazing at her, his heart beat increased but not in a way it had before. The other times he had found her seductive and alluring but here she was simply breathtaking. He was in control of himself but he couldn't bear to take his eyes off her, afraid the lovely image was too good to be true.
"Yes," Hiei said. He realized he said it softly, almost gently. She turned to him and blushed at his gaze, her eyes bashfully looking away. He brought his legs down from the table and jumped up onto the balcony rail. He held his hand out to her and said,
"We're going on a walk."
Mîra looked up at him surprised but then smiled. "Of course, Herven. But you can't expect me to jump down in a dress. It would be very improper."
He frowned at her, putting his outstretched hand in his pocket. "You run around and fight in almost nothing, and jumping down a short distance in a dress is improper?"
She looked at him incredulously, hands on her hips. "That is my sparring attire, it's different. I am a properly raised Queen and I was taught not to jump around in dresses. My mother would highly disapprove."
"Tch, what kind of warrior are you?" He asked. He jumped down back onto the balcony and walked towards her.
"The properly raised, highly edu- wha-what are you doing?" she cried as he easily scooped her into his arms. She was looking up at him evidently flustered by his motion. He hopped onto the railing and she wrapped one arm around his neck, the other grasping his shirt.
"Going for a walk." He jumped down and he felt her grip tighten. He landed a good distance from the house, unless anyone was on the porch they wouldn't notice them at all.
"We could have walked out the front door," she said, a touch of irritation in her voice. Judging from her averted gaze and the blush on her cheeks, she didn't seem to mind his exit too much.
"Hn," he said and he set her down as she chastised him. Hiei didn't pay much attention to her words as she rambled about his improper use of expressions and he took her hand in his and began walking along the beach. She grew quiet and walked close to him. They didn't talk much as they walked, and Hiei relished his surroundings; the cool sand between his toes, the serenity of the sunset, the playful breeze, her sweet scent, and the slightly rough but feminine feel of her hand. He had never really held a woman's hand before but he always found hers comforting and his thoughts drifted towards her.
Hiei liked her a lot, he couldn't deny it. Mîra had proven herself to be a powerful, prideful, arrogant and successful warrior. These qualities were initially what made her seem attractive to him, and in a way, she reminded Hiei of himself in battle. Unlike him however, she was intellectual, witty, dedicated, and seemed to enjoy interacting with other people. He should have been turned off by this, he never liked chatty people. He tolerated Kurama because… well he was Kurama. But somehow he could stand her sometimes incessant chatter because she also seemed to understand when to stop talking, a trait that Boton could pick up on. Overall, there was nothing special about her but somehow… someway she was able to turn his sharp mind to mush, cause his heart beat a thousand times faster than it normally did, and allowed him to think with the part of his brain that most boys grew up thinking with once they hit puberty. This was an odd sensation but it wasn't a terrible feeling either.
When Mîra had explained her necklace to him, she mentioned that marriage was hypothetically the joining of two halves to create one whole. He had heard this from Kurama before, it wasn't a foreign concept, but it troubled him. If she was supposedly his other half, what did she complete him with that no one else could? And what did he provide her that no one else could? He thought he had met someone who could fill him when he got to know Mukuro better. Both of them were damaged, unloved children. When he realized he had no feelings for Mukuro he figured he would go his whole life without a mate, despite being a rather young demon. But somehow, the woman that had been forced on him and was his opposite was the one creating, what was the phrase? Oh yes, butterflies. Mîra could give him one look and his stomach would fill with butterflies, rendering him to a wave of mixed emotions. By this point he was able to somewhat sort through them but his attraction to her still bewildered him. He usually didn't like to think about it, it was too complicated, but when he was walking on the beach in a comfortable silence with her, what else was he going to think about?
"Hiei, can we go sit over there?" He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he almost missed her soft voice. She was pointing to a sand dune and he walked over, leading her.
He sat down, propping his arms on his knees while she hugged her knees. They sat in silence, watching the sun as it was preparing to dip below the horizon.
"Um," she said nervously. Hiei glanced over at her and she was doing a poor job of masking her nerves. She sighed before continuing,
"I'm really glad that you asked me to go on a walk. The girls were driving me insane, all they kept talking about were babies! Then they were asking me about babies and- Yes! That's exactly what I said!" she cried, noticing the probably horrified look on Hiei's face. "I mean, Ryuji is cute and all but I do not want to think about children right now."
"Same," he grunted. There was another pause as his thoughts drifted back to the image of Ryuji on her hip. A question popped into his mind, and he only really wasted to ask it for reassurance.
"Mîra, do you know how to properly raise… them?" He paused on the dreaded 'c' word.
She looked at him incredulously. "Hiei, I am a royal woman. I was raised to be a warrior and a Queen but first and foremost a mother. It is my duty to bear children to continue my family and the Angulóce Nyello blood. I will bear children from you, whether I have to force them from you or not," she said fiercely. Hiei highly doubted he would object to her forcing him to do anything of that nature but he thought it better to keep that to himself.
"Hn."
"Not a word," she said flatly and Hiei smiled to himself. She would never tire of reprimanding him would she? There was a slight pause before she switched topics.
"I've always wanted to see the beach, ever since I was a little girl. Alyatavar is landlocked and the ocean was far away, surrounded with human kingdoms and settlements. I always wanted to go but father wouldn't let me. He told me that I could go after I became Queen, the human Kings would invite me out of respect." Her voice became distant and Hiei felt slightly out of place. He didn't mind hearing about her home but it made him feel a little guilty.
"Hm, it's ironic that I actually ended up fulfilling the goal of the war because I ended up a prisoner."
That peaked Hiei's interest. "What?" he asked, snapping his to hers, taking his gaze off of the sunset.
Mîra raised an eyebrow at him and looked at him curiously. "You fought us for three years and you had no idea why we were there?"
"We figured you wanted access to the human world," he said steadily. She tilted her head, thinking.
"Well… I suppose that's true. We didn't want it for conquest however. We have humans in my world too, you know. They are fairly primitive, technology wise, compared to here. Usually they don't like to be around the elves of my kingdom, we tend to look down on them. However our oracles predicted an opening allowing access from our world to a pure human world. We were intrigued but… damn oracles. I hate prophecy. There are so many ways to interpret it that it would drive anyone but an oracle mad and yet many try to understand the impossible. It's pointless in my opinion. After all, if prophecy will come true no matter what, then what can anyone do to stop it? It's better to allow time and history to occur as they should, in the moment.
"Anyway, I digress. When we found the connection, we sent scouts in only to find your realm. They encountered lower class demons however and so the War Council assumed it would be easy to take the Demon World and have unlimited access to the human one. We just wanted to study them, learn how they evolved on their own in a world devoid of magic."
She sighed deeply and her eyes seemed far away to Hiei.
"Do you regret fighting?" He asked. The words left his mouth unsure if he wanted to know the answer. She gave him a long look, her lavender eyes weary, just as he had seen them before they entered battle.
"No. I will never regret fighting for my people, it was my duty to my future kingdom. But you are not asking the right question for the answer you are looking for," she said quietly.
Hiei thought for a moment before asking, "Did you want to go to war?"
"No." She said solidly. "I always thought there might be more to your realm, that we should seek leaders before hastily jumping to arms. But I was a minority on a War Council that had not seen true battle in a long time. The older elves were restless with the peace and they poisoned my father's mind and convinced him to sound the war drums." Her voice was bitter now. Hiei thought about taking her hand in his but he had second thoughts. The war was bound to be a touchy subject between them and she was not entirely sympathetic to his kind.
"You know?" she said, her tone inquisitive. "Speaking of the war, I'm reminded of an old prophecy that's basically become a staple bedtime story, it's so old." She grinned at him. "Want to hear it? I can give you the short version, if you want."
Hiei didn't care for bedtime stories. He had received none. She seemed like she wanted to share it with him however so he simply replied, "Hn."
She rolled her eyes at him. "If you wanted to say yes, just say yes. Anyway," she straightened herself out and turned towards him slightly as she continued.
"This is the story of the Rise of Man and the New Angulóce Nyello. Our great kingdom will befall many blessings and riches. Peace will cover the land and all will be well between elves and humans. This peace will last for many centuries. But when the drums of war ride into unknown lands a great and precious possession will be lost and the elves will return home, not necessarily defeated but lost without this treasure. This treasure is said to be so great that many vied for it and wished to possess it. Without this treasure, the balance of the elves will fall apart. Magic will weaken as a result of the lost balance and the Angulóce Nyello shall fall silent. The Age of Man will begin where steel and forge will replace song and spell and magic will be a faded memory. War will ravage the lands. Those who will remember the old ways will feel all is lost. However," she leaned in towards him for effect, "one day a new Angulóce Nyello will arrive, an Angulóce Nyello like no other and it is this elf that will revive the balance between the elves and mankind. Under him, all nations will prosper and the Golden Age will begin."
When she finished Hiei wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. It wasn't that gripping of a story, let alone a rather depressing bedtime story for elf children. The elves go to war, lose something, fall apart, and- wait. Elves go to war into unknown lands. That sounded familiar. Then they lose something precious. What did the elves lose in the war? They had no jewels or treasures with them…
Mîra began to twist strands of her hair around her finger and began to hum prettily to herself as she looked off into the distance. She noticed his glance and smiled shyly at him, blushing. He blushed back in response, his train of thought getting cut off by her charm. Something didn't sit right with Hiei about the prophecy but he let it go for now. She shivered as a cool breeze went by. Rubbing her arms she said,
"It's gotten a little chilly, hasn't it?"
Wordlessly Hiei put his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. He sometimes found it annoying that she was taller than he was but he did like how comfortable his hand felt holding her waist. He looked over at her and realized they were sitting very close to each other, Kurama would have called it cuddling, he was sure. Hiei did not cuddle or do anything remotely as sweet as cuddling. Sitting close was a nice alternative. He looked up at her and he felt his heart race.
Mîra spoke again, quietly looking out at the now dark sea. "You know, I miss the gardens the most. There were mazes of flowers of every color at every turn and beautiful fountains outlying the paths. The gardens were the perfect place to think, relax, read, or sometimes the perfect hiding place alone, or," she paused, her eyes twinkling mischievously, "with a friend."
Hiei wasn't paying attention to what she was saying, he was now entranced by her wonderful scent, the warmth of her body next to his, her shining eyes, and the gentle look on her face. How was she able to do this to him? And why her? They had just been talking about the war and there was a small stillness between them and now he was being bewitched by her. She was chatty, demanding, slightly spoiled, intelligent, strong, beautiful- no. He couldn't do it, he didn't want to let her in. The more he knew about her, she more she was going to know about him and that wasn't a good thing. He wanted her to keep thinking he was just some renegade who became powerful and won the title of King. He didn't want her to know that he was a bastard child who relished in the taste of blood for so long. But her presence was calming, when he wasn't waging war with himself at least. Even now, he felt at peace with her and he just wanted to be next to her. Hiei didn't care if she talked all night, as long as he was with her nothing else mattered. The rational, colder part of his demanded to know why and he had no answer.
"I miss the high arches of the halls and rooms, the open airways of the passageways, and the air seemed so lively, so… magical. Here, the magic in the air is musty, as though it was an old book. I can smell the faded pages as I touch the magic in the air to weave spells," she said thoughtfully. Hiei had no idea what she was talking about but he felt a small knot in his stomach. Mîra looked at him, her eyes gentle and her smile soft, and Hiei couldn't help but notice how close their faces were, their noses almost able to rub against each other.
"But, I think our garden is coming along nicely don't you think, Herven?" Mîra asked and she smiled knowingly at him. For him. As he stared into his wife's memorizing eyes and the warmth of her smile, his contemplations and worries dissolved. His heart beat quickened and he began to feel a burning desire for her, her touch, her smile, her voice, her everything.
He closed his eyes, his face moving on its own up towards hers. Her lips felt soft and sweet to him as he pressed against hers. He felt something new arise within him, something he couldn't quite place.
He withdrew after a moment and quickly came to his senses. Embarrassed he looked away from her began to pull away but she wrapped an arm across his shoulders and gently turned his face towards her. Before he could say anything her lips met his and he felt a sudden rush of emotion as he somewhat clumsily kissed her. The hand on her waist gripped her tightly, his other hand entangled in her silky hair on the back of her neck. Hiei felt she was holding onto him desperately, as though she couldn't get enough of his essence with each time their lips touched, broke and moved together.
Hiei felt a swelling in his chest, it wasn't desire and went beyond contentment. He felt as though the world had been put right, everything he had been through was worth it for this moment with her. He didn't want her to let go and he would do anything to keep her in his arms, to have her smile his smile, to hear her say his name. Was it… happiness? At the thought of the word, his body warmed. She sighed his name between kisses and he deepened the kiss, trying to pour his elated soul into her. Hiei was happy. Not content, not okay, not satisfied, not peaceful. Happy.
He liked being happy with her.
Mîra broke the kiss breathing heavily, putting a finger to his lips to prevent him from closing the gap. She smiled at him as though he had done something humorous but silly.
"We have to go back at some point, Herven," she giggled.
Hiei frowned, or what he thought was frowning, at her. He pushed aside her hand and pressed his lips against hers. She stiffened but relaxed and fell into rhythm with the now fluid movement of his mouth. He could feel her melt against him and he, quite enjoyably, held her as tight to him as he could.
Mîra broke the kiss too soon and laughed prettily. "Come on, don't pout. We can make out in bed instead. I think it will be a little easier on my back too." She stood and he scowled at her.
"I don't pout." He stood as she laughed again. Wordlessly he swept her off of her feet and it took moments to arrive back at the beach house. As he set her down, she raised an eyebrow at him,
"Eager are we?"
"Shut up," He growled and she laughed as she walked inside but he didn't miss the wink she gave him. He inhaled and exhaled deeply before stepping inside, hoping to not attract any attention. Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Kurama were sitting in the living room and he had to pass it in order to get to the stairs. He noticed Kurama look over at him. Too late. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to act like nothing had happened as he headed towards the stairs but Yusuke stopped him with his words.
"So, what happened, Hiei?" He glanced over at his raven haired friend who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Hn, nothing," Hiei tried to say nonchalantly. Yusuke only grinned wider. Kuwabara had a knowing smile on his face and Kurama looked amused, as he tended to be recently.
"Dude, you can't hide it. You're practically glowing."
Hiei stared at Yusuke, surprised. Glowing? He looked down at himself, he wasn't glowing. Was this another stupid human phrase?
"Glowing, it implies that you have a very happy aura around you, so happy that other people can tell something good has happened to you," Kurama explained simply.
Hiei scowled, "I'm not smiling."
"You don't have to," Kurama replied, not bothering to mask the smile on his face. Yusuke and Kuwabara got out of their seats and walked over to him.
"So, so? What happened?" Yusuke asked anxiously.
"Yeah, tell us," Kuwabara asked.
Hiei could see the curiosity killing them and he was sure Kurama was curious as well, though he had a little more respect. Still, these were his friends… a little man talk can't hurt, right?
Hiei thought for a moment, thinking of a way to convey why he was so-called glowing without revealing his newfound emotions. What would Kurama say… no, Yusuke say if he were in this situation? Hiei smirked. Oh, of course.
"First," he said.
The two boys blinked at him, processing what he said while Kurama chuckled, "Congratulations, Hiei."
Yusuke frowned, thinking. His face then lit up and Hiei figured he had put it together. "Alright Hiei! Way to go, man!" He exclaimed loudly clapping him on the back.
"I still don't get it," the oaf said confused.
Hiei glared at him. "Baka, it's your stupid metaphor."
"EH? What did you say?" Kuwabara cried. Suddenly there was a wail from the upstairs that sounded like a small child.
"YUSUKE!" Keiko's voice pierced through Yusuke as he instantly looked nervous. Kuwabara was sniggering at him while Kurama stood, claiming it was time to turn in. Hiei agreed and took Keiko's distraction as an opportunity to slip upstairs.
Hiei was pleased to discover his wife already changed and waiting for him under the covers, her cheeks flushed prettily and coy smile playing on her lips. He stripped quickly and joined her under the covers. He stared into her glowing eyes, draw to them, and he was soon wrapped happily in her embrace. He absorbed her touch, her scent, her essence as he kissed her. She pulled away from him too soon and let out a small yawn. He laid down on his back and turned his head as she moved towards him, placing her arm across his bare chest and laying her head over his heart. Hiei wrapped one arm around her body, his fingers meshed with her hair, and placed his other arm behind his head.
"I'm really glad you kissed me tonight, Hiei. If you hadn't I probably would have kicked you and your oblivious demon ass into the water," He heard her chuckle.
Hiei swelled with pride. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him. And she would have been angry if he hadn't? Wait…
"What do you mean?"
"I've been waiting for you to kiss me for over a month. And I'm a lady and ladies don't make the first move. That and you're as skittish as a horse when it comes to this stuff. One wrong word or move and you would run off, probably to Kurama. So I waited patiently and it was worth it." He felt her shift slightly and he glanced down at her as she propped herself up. She looked at him sleepily and gently placed a kiss on his lips. After a moment, she pulled away and settled back into her original spot.
"Hn," was all he could muster. She was right… had they been spending that much time together without him realizing it? Well, he couldn't complain at any rate, she seemed to understand that he was new and a little nervous about the whole relationship thing. Which, consequently, sparked the never ending debate about why he was caring for her and if he should be caring for her at all.
"Not a word. Goodnight, Herven," she murmured in elvish. He didn't respond right away, glancing down at her sleeping figure. He smiled slightly, watching her figure rise and fall gently. This woman made him happy. Him, happy. Hiei gripped her tightly as he closed his eyes. Screw his other thoughts, this woman had provided him with something no one else ever had and if he was going to care for her then he was going to do it wholeheartedly. No more doubts, no more battling with himself. He would tell her about his past, not right away, but he was charged with taking care of this woman he now cared for. Hiei didn't like doing things halfheartedly and she deserved no less.
"Goodnight, Vesse," he said gently and for the first time in his life, Hiei drifted off into a blissful slumber.
So one of my favorite sentences out of the entire fic is, "She seems to have your pet peeves pegged down pretty well." Yay consonance! Anyway, I had a fun time writing this chapter so I hope you all enjoyed it!