WARNING: This chapter contains adult themes.

Chapter 19 Lovegame

Hiei walked up to the door of the library one evening, feeling tense, a letter clutched in his hand. He knew Mîra was inside, reading or cataloging, and he didn't want her to see him so agitated. Rodynar warned him that another visit would be requested but the letter was rather demanding. The writer was not the same person it had been when Rodyn requested to visit. Not only that, he knew that the visitor only wanted to take his wife away from him. Politics aside, Mîra was his and nothing was going to change that. Hiei frowned. Well almost his technically, he still had yet to claim her as his mate officially. To most demons she was recognized as a prisoner rather than his wife.

Hiei scowled, his thoughts running away from the point again. The letter was curt, rude, and didn't even say who would be visiting. He wanted to tell Mîra this time since it was someone unknown and a threat, even if she didn't know it, but he needed to calm down. He inhaled and exhaled deeply and with a focused mind, entered the library.

The room had become one of Mîra's favorite places in the fortress as fall began to turn into winter. She would bundle up in a blanket and spend all day reading and taking notes next to the fireplace. Hiei thought her bundled up form was amusing and cute, but she took seriously the fact that she was not taken to the colder weather. When he walked in, he was surprised to see her at a table next to the fireplace, examining multiple documents. She noticed his presence and waved at him before returning to her work.

He walked over and sat down in a nearby chair. He studied her, as he often enjoyed doing now, as her shadows danced on the wall, flickering in the light of the fireplace. Her hair was mostly down with the top portion pulled back in small ponytail. She was wearing a simple red dress with a heavy black cloak draped over her shoulders, he assumed for warmth. Her makeup was simple and her lavender eyes were darting back and forth as she read the documents in front of her. She sighed, and he followed the movement of her attractive bosom dropping. She reached out to a wine goblet and took a sip, not taking her eyes off the paper she was reading. The red tinted her lips slightly and he didn't take his eyes off of her as she slowly licked her lips, wiping the wine away.

Hiei got out of the chair and walked behind her. Mîra ignored his movement and he brushed her hair aside, leaving the nape of her neck exposed. She shivered from the sudden exposure to the cool air. He touched his lips to the back of her neck teasingly and smirked as he watched different kind of shiver go down her back.

"Hiei, let me finish what I'm doing I'm almost done," She said. Hiei could tell she was trying to keep calm but his body was warm and he had begun his hunt. Words were not going to stop him now. He continued to kiss her neck slowly, lightly, letting his lips linger tauntingly on her skin just slightly. He began to trace kisses up her neck and he felt her stiffen, trying to stay focused.

"Hiei, I am trying to figure out when my birthday is and you are not helping," She said, the fight in her voice evident. He ignored her and began to kiss the other side of her neck. He heard her sigh, and just when he though he was going to win, Mîra pushed him back.

"Give me a minute, I told you I'm almost done," She said, a playful glint in her eye. Still, Hiei wasn't happy about being pushed away, now he wanted her even more.

"Hn," he said and begrudgingly went back to the couch. Mîra giggled as she stared at him, amused. He glared at her.

"Not a word, Herven. More importantly, I am almost done calculating when my birthday is. I was born fourteen days after the winter solstice. Here however, your days are very organized and broken down and so I am trying to pinpoint the day and month that my birthday will occur in. Since the solstice seems to move around every year within the month and you seem to celebrate one day each year I am trying to figure out what my day is for continuity's sake. Although, now that I think about it, just doing what I've always done might be easier. Hmm," she mused.

Hiei was bored with the explanation and it made him want to kiss her just so she would shut up. Not to mention that the noises she would make from that were much more interesting than the noise she was making now.

"Don't look at me like that. Don't you care to know when you wife's birthday is?" She asked, her eyes scolding him.

"Hn."

Mîra rolled her eyes at him and looked back down at her papers. "Ah-hah! I think I've pinpointed a good day. January 5th is around fourteen days after the solstice. How does that sound? That's in about a month so you should have plenty of time to prepare a nice gift." She got up and walked around the table to where he was sitting on the couch. He pulled her into his lap and she shook her head at him.

"You didn't hear a single word I said did you?" She murmured. Mîra rubbed her nose lightly against his, her enthralling lavender eyes staring into his hungry crimson ones.

"It wasn't important," Hiei said. He tried to close the gap between them but she put a finger to his lips.

"Birthdays are very important dates for everyone, even you. And how could you not want to know the day that your beloved wife was brought into existence? If I wasn't born, what would you be doing now?" She said with a fake air of indignation.

Hiei usually didn't like his birthday. A few weeks ago however, Mîra had made sure he got a Neapolitan sweet snow cake with gift cards to Matsuo's as a birthday present. He had received small presents from Kurama before and he appreciated them, but it always felt like it was out of sympathy and Hiei hated being pitied. With Mîra she simply brought it out of the freezer before they went to bed and gave it to him with a kiss before turning in. Getting two of his favorite things on a day he usually despised made him feel that he was better than a throw away child. Mîra didn't know a thing about his past but was giving him things that he loved because she cared enough about him. The gesture had made him care for her even more and Hiei felt the time was right to claim her as his mate, the fact that he was tired of suppressing his urges notwithstanding.

"If you weren't born, I wouldn't be doing this right now," He said smirking. In one fluid motion he spun her off his lap and laid her on the couch. She giggled and pulled him towards her, her lips eagerly meeting his. He felt his body heat up and his blood rush as he kissed her passionately, engulfed in her sweet scent. His hands buried themselves in her silky hair as Mîra's hands undid his cloak, and the touch of her soft fingers against his bare chest excited him. When they gasped for air, he began to trail kisses down her neck to her collarbone. She let out a soft moan as his lips reached the top of her breasts. He pulled the fabric down and was unpleasantly greeted with a corset. He moved his other hand so he could tug at it but she took his face in her hands and brought his lips back to hers. She broke the kiss, giving him a pointed look.

"You are not going to ruin another one my corsets. You can help me change out of- mmm," Mîra sighed as he kissed her again. Her hands slipped around his neck and clutched his hair as her tongue traced the inside of his mouth. He pressed his lips more forcefully, desperately, against hers and he felt her body push up against him. Hiei wanted her and he could tell she wanted him. He pulled up her dress slightly and slipped a hand underneath, running his hand along her smooth leg. He was pleased to find that she had chosen to wear panties instead of bloomers, and he ignored her attempts to break the kiss as he fingered the lace. He kissed her neck hard as his hand slipped underneath the lace and gripped her round, soft rear.

"Hiei, Hiei you need to stop," she gasped. Her voice sounded far away and he wouldn't have believed it even if it wasn't. He knew she wanted him, he could feel it from her arched body, her hungry mouth and her tantalizing fingers. He moved his hand towards her front, increasingly excited, when suddenly he was ripped from her body.

Hiei blinked, stunned as his mind caught up with what had happened. Mîra's foot was in his lap and she was panting heavily. He realized he was so close to her "garden," as Yusuke called it once, and she had pushed him away. Again.

"You want me!" Hiei spat angrily.

"Not on the damn couch, I don't!" Mîra said just as angrily, her eyes piercing into his. She pulled herself up and began to straighten her dress.

"What does it matter?" He asked furiously.

"It matters to me! I don't our first time to be on the couch with me fully clothed! This is similar to you trying to do me up against the wall!" She snapped. She gathered her hair in an attempt to flatten the mess.

Hiei glared at her. The first time he had made a move on her, they were out with all their friends at some stupid club. She was completely smashed and Hiei had taken a few shots to bear the scenery and being taller. They had found a rather cozy, dark spot in the club they were in and he was convinced Mîra had used magic to mask them from onlookers as they made out. She had stopped him from unzipping her jeans but that argument made more sense then. The next few encounters didn't as they occurred in the fortress or at Genkai's. They were in their own home, who was going to walk in on them? Even if they didn't have sex, he would like the privilege to at least touch her. Wordlessly, he got up and darted out of the library. He needed a cold shower.

He hopped in quickly and stood in the shower with his head against the wall, thinking. Hiei was trying to respect her but it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult. Every time they touched his desire for her deepened and she always responded more eagerly. He knew she wanted him but he felt she was making excuses to avoid home base. Why? Was she scared? Hah, Mîra wasn't scared of anything, as far as he could see and if she was, she hid it well. Being scared equated to being weak, she would never show herself as being weak. Rodyn did mention that her previous lover had been bad for her… maybe it was something to do with that. Or maybe it was something worse, something to do with him.

Hiei froze as the thought sunk in. What if she really didn't want him? Or what if she had deemed him to be an inadequate mate? What if she thought he was too short to properly satisfy her? Worse yet, what if he was too small? Hiei looked down at himself, out of impulse, to check. He then wanted to smack himself. What the hell was he doing and why the hell did he care? He had never thought about this before. The crazy things this woman made him think of… why couldn't she have been quiet and weak? Then he could easily take her when he pleased. Hiei scowled, he was an idiot. If she was quiet, simple, and weak then he wouldn't be interested in her in the first place!

Hiei sighed, wondering why this was so complicated. They were already married and more importantly, they were stuck together for the rest of their lives. Why bother waiting? What was there to gain? Maybe they could get to know each other better. Or maybe Mîra wanted to get better adjusted to life here before taking the final plunge of their physical relationship. Or maybe Mîra didn't want to lie with him and he'd been a fool all along.

Hiei suddenly straightened, hearing the sound of a door opening and closing underneath the echo of the water pellets against the stone wall. He frowned, hearing a faucet and the unmistakable sound of someone brushing their teeth.

"Woman, what the hell are you doing?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he was frustrated at being in the same room as her, upset that she had interrupted his private thinking time, or embarrassed because he was naked in the shower.

"Imb bruwshing my feefth," came the muffled reply. Hiei frowned and he heard the faucet again and her spitting. "I'm brushing my teeth because I want to go to bed and you've been in here for about a half hour. Besides, I found that letter and I wanted to talk about it before bed."

Letter? What letter? Hiei thought for a moment before feeling stupid. The letter he was originally going to discuss with her before he became distracted by… other things.

"We can talk when I'm out of the shower," he snapped.

"Oh please, I don't know what you're thinking about in there but I'm sure it isn't as important as this letter. So, my father is sending someone else to try and get me to come home. You'll have to accept him, you know, since you accepted Rodyn. After this one you can probably decline the next but if you don't allow this visit, it will make you look rude. More importantly it will seem like Rodyn was possibly lying about the nature of the visit, prompting that I am not happy which could trigger many things."

This woman… "Do you know who they are sending?" Hiei asked grumpily. There was a long pause and Hiei almost opened the sliding door to the shower to see if she was still there.

"No." Her voice was almost inaudible against the drizzling of the shower. "But I can guess…"

Before he could speak, he heard her open the door again. "Hiei, make sure to wrap up your insecurities sometime soon. You know I'm a light sleeper and I don't want to be woken by you coming into bed."

Insecurities? Damn woman! Hiei opened the sliding door and glared at the closing door. "I don't have insecurities. It's not my fault you can't admit to what you want," he snapped. The door stopped and she reappeared in the doorway, hand on her hip and her eyes blazing.

"What would you know about…" Her eyes grew wide, shocked, and her mouth was agape. She looked like an idiot but Hiei couldn't understand why.

"About… admitting things? Admitting large… big things," She forced. She swallowed, a deep flush on her cheeks. "Um, anyway we should check you out- check this out, tomorrow. Yep tomorrow. Big day tomorrow. Very very big day, and um I'm just going to go to bed now," Mîra said quickly before shutting the door behind her.

Hiei frowned. Well that was strange. He had never seen her so… flustered before. She was stammering, incoherent, and used the word 'um.' She hardly ever uses that word… And what was so important about the next day? Hiei shrugged it off and figured she was at least right about how long he had been in the shower for. He chose to ignore her comment about his insecurities and turned off the water. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. Seeing the light off, he walked out of the bathroom not bothering to try and be modest. He walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. Hiei paused, sensing something behind him. He turned around to see Mîra's head flop down on the pillow. He narrowed his eyes at her. Was she… staring at him? Hiei mentally shook himself, not possible. He did however, pull on a pair of boxers quickly and he slipped into bed.

Normally Mîra liked to curl up next to him for a little after they off the lights but tonight Hiei felt like she was as far away as possible.

"Mîra?"

"…yes?"

Hiei wanted to ask her what he did to make her stutter so much but stopped. He decided to ask her something else instead. "Tell me who is coming."

He heard her sigh and she flipped her body towards him. Even in the dark he could see the outline of her face, the strands of hair laying across her masked visage. "Probably one of the guard, I was close with all of them and the appearance makes it seem more formal. They will probably bring gifts and tributes to disguise the real reason they are there."

Hiei frowned but he knew she couldn't see it. "How do you know what they are there for?"

"Please," she snorted, "I'm not an idiot. Rodyn tried to get me to go home and now they are sending one of the royal guard here? I didn't get where I was by being ignorant of the way others move. Understanding politics and the game of chess they play was critical to my rise in power. Just because I was named the heir didn't mean everyone agreed with it."

Hiei was silent and chose not to respond. He moved next to her and slid his arm around her back, holding her lightly. This woman drove him crazy. One minute she was sexy, then angry, then flustered, and now calm and collected. How was he supposed to deal with the range of emotion?

"Mîra?"

"Yes?" This time she sounded grumpy.

"What did I do earlier? You sound like an idiot."

"Do? Do what? You didn't do anything, nothing at all."

Hiei frowned. That didn't sound like a usual response, not to mention she didn't comment on the fact he called her an idiot. Tch, women. Why the hell were they so inconsistent? Hopefully the next day she wouldn't continue to sound like a floundering moron.

"Mmm, Hiei?" He heard her whisper. She nuzzled his chest with her nose and he felt her lips lightly press against him. He stroked her hair, waiting for her to continue but he could feel the warmth of her breaths even against his chest. She had dozed off. If Hiei was prone to chuckling, he would have at the sight of his wife now seeming harmless and innocent. Instead he relaxed, set his worries aside, and allowed himself to enjoy falling asleep with the woman he cared for in his arms. He had enough to worry about, he was going to take advantage of the peaceful moments when he had the chance.

00000

Hiei was irritated. Mîra had been blushing, stammering, and acting nervous whenever she saw him throughout the rest of the week and it was driving him crazy. Not to mention she would daze off, looking at him but then claim she was looking at something else and he couldn't figure out why. His wife could be chatty, annoying, flirty, powerful, and sweet all in one day and Hiei knew how to manage that better than her actions now. That however, was only a part of his irritation. The anticipated arrival of the other elf had put her on edge, when she wasn't flustered. Mîra wasn't sleeping well anymore and she had been snippy with Shana on multiple occasions. He knew Shana understood Mîra wasn't her usual self but he didn't like the way she was treating his assistant. Hiei had nearly lost all his patience for dealing with the severely hormonal woman when Mîra had mentioned her desire to visit Shizuru and her sister in law. Hiei was grateful for the break and decided to use the trip to his advantage.

He was leaning up against Kuwabara's glass sliding door as his comrades contemplated what was going on.

"Okay, you have a few things going on Hiei. Let's address the elf visitor first," Kurama said slowly. Kurama was sitting in Kuwabara's desk chair in his usual thinking position, legs crossed and hand on his chin, his emerald eyes still. Behind them, Hiei knew his mind was racing, tunneling down hypothesis and possible outcomes.

"So this guy is probably one of the royal guard and she said she knew them all fairly well. Why would they send a guard? Wouldn't that be less effective than sending her brother?" Yusuke wondered aloud. He was sitting on Kuwabara's bed, his hair slicked back and his brown eyes cool.

"Ah, brothers and sisters have strong connections so then-" Kuwabara looked startled and the uncomfortable. Hiei looked down on him at where he was sitting on the floor, his normally moronic, structured face, now serious.

"What?" Hiei snapped.

Yusuke seemed to look just as confused but it was Kurama who spoke. "Hiei," he said quietly. "Has she mentioned anything about her previous relationships?"

Yusuke looked shocked but Kuwabara remained the same. Even the oaf had figured it out and he hadn't? Shit.

"She never mentioned anything to me… but Rodynar did. He didn't elaborate," Hiei said quietly. There was a small silence in the room before Yusuke spoke.

"Even if this guard is a previous lover, she's married to you. Mîra has a high sense of honor, I doubt she would just run off with him," he said. It was slightly reassuring.

"Hiei, didn't you also mention that she told you she liked being here with you?" Kurama asked. Hiei nodded and the fox gave him a small smile. "Then I'm sure things will turn out fine."

"Do you think that's why she's been on edge too? Maybe she knows who is coming and she's nervous about it," Kuwabara mused.

"Possibly. Still, we don't know anything for sure," Kurama said. There was a silence again before Kuwabara stood up and walked over to Hiei. He stared down intensely at the demon and Hiei became unnerved by the gaze.

"If that bastard tries anything and you want backup for kicking his ass," Kuwabara jerked a thumb at himself, "you call me."

Hiei looked at him wide-eyed for a moment before regaining composure. What an idiot, he had hardly ever been to the Makai and here he was offering to immediately come. Tch, that was Kuwabara alright.

"Hn."

"Eh? I offer you help and that's how you respond?" Kuwabara screeched, grabbing Hiei's collar. Hiei glared at him and was about to comment when they heard the girls arrive. There was a knock on the door and Yusuke opened from the bed to reveal Keiko with Ryuji on her hip.

"Here, take care of Ryuji. I'm going to the movies," she said and plopped Ryuji in Yusuke's lap before he could object. Boton and Yukina appeared in the doorway and waved to their significant others when Mîra appeared behind them. She squeezed past them and Hiei noticed she was holding a large bag. Great. How much did she buy this time?

"Hurry up! We gotta get going to make it on time!" Shizuru's voice called and the other two women scurried away.

"Gimme a sec!" Mîra called out. She walked over to Hiei and her cheeks looked flushed from the cold air. She was wearing a light pink sweater, blue jeans that accentuated the curves of her legs well and tall brown boots. Her hair was in her usual simple style, top part pulled back the rest down, and she wore earrings to match. Hiei thought she looked pretty but then he noticed she was looking at him nervously. He glared at her. This woman had better get her act together, and fast, because he didn't know how much more of this he could take.

Her eyes stared at him for a moment before she cleared her throat and held out the bags to him. "So I know that Shana's birthday is coming up and she adores these filly dresses but I don't know what she'll like or won't like so can you just take a look to double check? I got them from this store called 'Baby, the Stars Shine Bright' since it had such cute dresses but like I said, I want to double check," she said quickly and Hiei could detect the hint of nervousness in her voice.

He eyed her suspiciously but he took the bag from her and peered inside as she continued to ramble. "So you know, it was a good idea to come here. I mean I've been rather anxious lately for multiple reasons and all I needed was a good day out with the girls," she said. One dark dress, one white one, yeah Shana would probably like them. She adored frills. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Mîra peering rather intently at something behind him. He frowned and turned slightly behind him but there was nothing there.

"What is it?" he asked.

His wife snapped her gaze back to him, an embarrassed blush rising in her cheeks. "What? Nothing I just thought I saw a bug or something behind you," she said. Her tone was matter of fact but he doubted there had been anything behind him at all. Hiei stared at his wife who was biting her lip. What would cause her to act so out of character from her usual self? Maybe she was sick.

He pulled down her arm to bring her to his height. "A-ah, Hiei what are you doing?" she asked, surprised. She was blushing terribly and her usual collected lavender eyes were nervous. He placed a hand to her forehead.

"You're sick," he said, frowning.

Mîra rolled her eyes and pulled back. "I'm not sick and how are you supposed to check if I have a fever when your body heat is naturally higher than mine?"

Hiei glared at her and held out the bag. "Hn."

"Not a word," she said, giving him a look. Well at least she was back to normal. He had spoken to soon however as she began to stare at him bashfully and fidget with the bad handle.

He saw her glance over at Kurama who was stifling a laugh. What was so humorous? She glared at him and started to say something but closed her mouth instead. Hiei stared at her bewildered as she closed her eyes and she inhaled deeply. She opened her eyes, seemingly more resolute and composed.

"So what's going on in here? You all have been staring at me oddly since I walked in. I know I'm nice to look at in these jeans but it's just a little strange," she said. She cast a suspicious glance around the room and then back at Hiei. He averted his gaze, he wasn't aware of his friends stares. Normally he wouldn't hesitate to tell her but he had a feeling that telling her they were gossiping about a former lover of hers would not go over so well.

"Herven," she said sternly. He glanced up at her and she did not look happy. Then a surprised look came over her face.

"Oh, I interrupted guy talk didn't I? Which must be about me… are you sure you want to be taking advice from him?" She asked, an eyebrow raised and her thumb jerked towards Yusuke.

Kuwabara laughed and Kurama chuckled. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" Yusuke cried. Hiei flushed, embarrassed. She thought he was asking relationship questions... On the upside she was acting normal again. He tried to glare at her he felt it was ineffective under the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Leave, woman," he snapped and she grinned.

"Oh Herven," she sighed. She shook her head slightly as she stared at him, her visage alluring and her eyes staring at him presumptuously. She knew he was embarrassed and she liked seeing him trying to cover up his emotions, she found it amusing. Of course, he would find her insanely attractive when she was in control of the situation as he was struggling to be in control of himself. Hiei hated it and relished in it at the same time which made no sense no matter how many times she had looked at him that way. Some things probably weren't meant to be understood. Still, he had to save face. He mustered a glare at her and she laughed.

"Cin sinte le ve han, Herven," she purred. Before he could do anything thing she swooped down and planted her lips on his. Hiei panicked when he heard the wolf whistle and he couldn't believe that Mîra was kissing him in front of all his friends, the unspoken rule she had never openly broken. There was an audible smacking sound as she pulled back from the smooch. Hiei blinked, frozen in place as she swung the bag over her shoulder.

"Later," she said, winking at him. Hiei watched her strut out of the room dumbfounded. 'You know you like it,' the words echoed in his head. Hiei relaxed and then smirked. He definitely did.

"And what is your problem exactly?" Yusuke asked, grinning wolfishly.

"Hn," Hiei said. Well she was definitely back to normal now. Maybe it was just a strange woman phase… but what prompted it, why was she acting that way before?

"Well, that interlude explains her previous behavior," Kurama said, his green eyes amused. There were very few times Hiei appreciated it when Kurama seemed to read his mind. This was one of them.

"Yeah dude, she's just into you!" Yusuke said grinning.

What? She was acting out of character because she liked him? What the hell? She showed she liked him when she pulled stunts like the one she just did, when she smirked at him, chided him, or even smiled sweetly at him. Never nervous, never stuttering, and never so… absently mindedly gazing about his general area! Hiei frowned, not convinced at his friends words.

"Okay, hang on. When did this behavior start?" Kuwabara asked.

Hiei thought for a moment. It was around the time the letter arrived asking for the other visitor… Hiei's eyes widened. It was after he had gotten out of the shower than night. So what had happened? Hiei recounted the evenings events with as little details as possible, ie, stating they had spent time together that evening and while he was showering they were talking in the bathroom.

"But what exactly happened? What were you talking about?" Kurama asked. So he mentioned how she had insulted him and snapped back.

"Yes, but did you do anything physically? Did you open the door at all?" Kurama pried and the other two men looked at him intently.

"Yes," Hiei said frowning. They immediately started laughing just as the realization hit him. He had opened the sliding door all the way. And he had been naked. Kami, she had seen him, all of him.

"Well that explains it! No wonder she was checking out your ass earlier!" Yusuke said howling with laughter.

"What?" Hiei asked slowly. Yusuke and Kuwabara burst out into laughter and so Hiei turned to Kurama who was chuckling.

"When you were looking in the bag she was really looking at you, not a bug," Kurama said simply.

At him? Which meant all the other times he had caught her absent gaze, she was staring at him. Which meant that she found his body to be attractive enough to the point that she was the nervous one now. Which meant that her suave actions earlier was a sign. She did say that hanging with the girls had helped her out… what if that meant her opinion of lying with him? Which meant she was going to let him actually follow through. Hiei smirked. Well then he had better get ready to steal third and head for home, now shouldn't he?