When I originally posted this chapter, as some of you probably know, there was a lemony scene which is why I rated this chapter M. It was brought to my attention that this would require me to change the rating of the entire fic, and more importantly discourage some of my readers from viewing this chapter. Consequently, I have rewritten the part with the lemon to avoid these issues. This chapter still heavily contains adult themes, but there is nothing graphic. They spend most of the chapter talking (about important things) anyway so if you were discouraged from reading it before, I encourage you to do so. Also, just for those who skip this paragraph:

WARNING: This chapter contains adult themes.

With that said, this is one of my favorite chapters so I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 23 Scars

There was something about mating that changed the way he looked at her. Before when he saw her body first and it wasn't until she opened her mouth to speak that he went deeper. Now when he looked at her he saw the reverse. Currently she was intrigued by him, interested in what he was hiding inside of him, like a new spell she was trying to master. This was the reason why her eyes stared at him in fascination, why her fingers ran over his skin lightly examining him, and why her body was positioned like a crouching cat.

"This was from an axe. The axe was stuck in you and you had to yank it out to keep moving. Excruciatingly painful, doubly because it was in your leg. You probably broke a bone or two from it as well, axes are powerful when wielded correctly. "

Hiei watched his mate as she traced the scar on his leg. He leaned against the headboard of the bed, her eyes staring intently at the wound as though she was reconstructing the fight in her mind.

"It hurt like fuck," he grunted.

"Who was it from?" She asked. She sounded as though she was a scientist collecting data on an experiment, enraptured and calculating.

"Hideki, the first time we fought."

Mîra nodded thoughtfully and kissed the scar lightly, her cool lips leaving a slight imprint on him before his heat washed over the touch. Her fingers and eyes slowly moved up his skin to his thigh as she searched him, pulling the bed sheet over her. She found what she was looking for on his inner thigh, close to his manhood.

"This is from a dagger. Not a serious wound and it could have healed without a scar at all but it was not tended to properly." He watched her studios face change as her brows knitted and her lips pulled into a frown. He knew what she was going to ask before she spoke.

"Why would you have a stab wound here?"

Hiei didn't really want to answer, she would either laugh or be angry. "It was from a prostitute who thought she could kill me and steal my money, not like I had much anyway."

His mate looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. "A prostitute?"

"I was young," he said, annoyed.

She looked back at the wound curiously. "Then that means she wasn't aiming for here. She was aiming for here," she said, her fingers gently running along his limp member. He inhaled deeply, stirred slightly at her touch. She, however, was no longer interested in his sex, he had satisfied that desire earlier, and returned to the scar. She kissed the scar and looked up at him.

A smirk played on her lips as she climbed into his lap, sliding her hands up his chest and around his neck, intertwining with his hair. He pulled the white sheet over her shoulders and for a moment, her pale skin and white hair blended in with the sheet and, from the angle he was sitting at, the snow falling outside the window. Despite the incident being three months ago, the paranoia of another elfin invasion had kept Hiei and his mate busy, traveling constantly to quell rumors and reassure villages that cared.

They had finally arrived at the fortress the previous night exhausted from spending a few weeks away. When Mîra forced herself to actually sit up and attempt to get out of bed the next morning, as soon as her bare foot hit the freezing stone floor, she retreated to the bed refusing to come out. Mîra claimed it was too cold and snowing too heavily to go anywhere so Hiei had taken it upon himself to warm her up. After they just stayed in the bed, enjoying each other's company.

"So, tell me about this prostitute. I want to know more about your former mistresses."

"It was a onetime deal. I met with a few others in my youth but I got bored," he said flatly. She looked at him humorously.

"Don't be so stingy, I've told you about my past relationships. Thalion and all the random boys in between," she said, her eyes twinkling. "Of course, you're the best I've been with."

He looked at her irritated for a moment before a thought crossed his mind. "In what way?"

She looked at him surprised and then she smiled at him. "In every way. Even though," she leaned down to kiss his chest, "there are scars here I cannot trace." Her kiss warmed him as he sighed heavily. The scars of his heart… the pain and suffering that had taken years to push through and reconcile with. He barley felt her as she kissed his nose and became fascinated with a scar on his shoulder.

"This looks like a bite mark. Deep and thick. You lost a lot of blood from this wound."

Hiei blinked back into reality at her voice. "Dark Tournament. I was fighting this bastard who used these dumplings or some shit to become immune to my attacks."

"Hm, you had trouble then which means you weren't at 100% when you were fighting him, thus Koku could not be summoned. This wound was probably at the end of the fight," She calculated. She kissed the wound and brought her eyes back to his. "Tell me about it," she said.

"I was supposed to die when they threw me off the island."

Hiei wasn't sure what possessed him to say it. He had meant to tell her about the fight but somehow those words slipped out instead. Maybe it was because she mentioned the scars within him. Maybe it was due to the subtle reminder from the snow falling heavily outside. Or maybe it was just time to tell her the truth.

He looked into her stunned eyes, trying to make sense of what he just said, trying to figure out if she hadn't imagined what he just said. Her body still in shock, he gently pushed her off of him and he laid down, head on his pillow, staring at the ceiling. The covers pulled up and he looked over at her. His mate was staring at him patiently and mournfully, her head resting on the pillow, waiting for him to begin his story. He looked back up at the ceiling.

"I was supposed to die because I was a boy born in clan of self-reproducing women." That's how he began because that was the truth. Regardless if he had been a fire demon, at least he was pretty sure he was a fire demon, or not it wouldn't have mattered. So he told her about his mother, Rui, and the horrid, cold, and dead floating island in the sky. He told her how when he lived, he grew up on a diet of blood and death and just as he had gotten bored of it, he was abandoned by the thieves that named him. He told her of how he returned to the floating island intending to kill them all only to find they were already dead. He discovered that his mother committed suicide over grief and how he had a sister that was missing. Hiei paused and heard a sniffling sound. He suddenly became angry.

"I don't want your pity!" His voice was louder than he intended it to be but he did not regret his words.

"I do not pity you! What would make you say that?" She shot back, just as angry. But when he turned to look at her, her back was to him. She was hiding her face from him. Hiei supposed she couldn't help it. At least she was trying to hide it from him. He rolled over on his side and intertwined his fingers with her hair. She began moving her arms quickly and she flopped back over to face him, her gaze steady. She could not hide her puffy eyes, however, as she sniffled. He pulled the covers over her shoulder and took her hand in his.

"I wanted to find my sister. I don't really know why. Maybe I felt she could be my one redemption and give me a purpose," he thought out loud, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. It was strange, almost eerie, hearing his past out loud. Kurama and Yusuke found out through the mission and Mukuro from being an intrusive bitch. He had never actually told anyone himself. Strangely, he wasn't bothered by it. The recounting stirred up some emotion but mostly he felt empty about it, as though it was someone else. His story turned as he began to talk about how he lost his mother's hiruseki stone and Shigure, her eyes going wide as he talked about the Jagan implant.

She fingered the teal stones, resting on the bed in the space in between them. "It figures, we all have visible scars from meaningless encounters and yet the only outward symbol of the scar inside you isn't visible at all. Shigure really knew what he was doing to not leave any unnecessary marks on your forehead."

Hiei wasn't sure how to receive the comment. He wasn't one for cosmetics. He paused, waiting for her to finish the thought that was visibly coming as her she stared at the gems curiously.

"Will our children inherit the Jagan?"

Hiei frowned. "I don't know." That was a good question. Too bad Shigure was dead.

She nodded thoughtfully and her eyes returned to him, and he resumed his story. He talked about his search for Yukina, his top priority, and how he met Kurama. He talked about how he stole the artifacts from the Reikai with Kurama and Goki and when he met Yusuke. She laughed loudly as he talked about his fight with human, saying how she was glad he wasn't as much of a pompous prick anymore. He glared at her and he moved onto tackling the Beasts of Maze Castle, and how torturous it was to be in his home, be branded a traitor, and yanked out of his home back to the human world. He then talked about how he found his sister, Yusuke and Kuwabara providing a distraction for him. She was smiling as he spoke, and he imagined her thinking about how he had slowly changed during this time. He didn't need to tell her how he began to trust in the three of them, he supposed it was in his voice as he recounted his story.

Just as he began to talk about the Dark Tournament, there was a knock on the door. Mîra pulled up the covers bashfully, why Hiei didn't know, and he granted entry as he sat up. Maria and Claudia wheeled in a cart with food and bowed before exiting quickly.

"Those two are so awesome! Now I can eat and you can tell me about the tournament!" Mîra exclaimed happily. He chuckled as she braved the cold floor and ran to her dresser to pull out a silk robe. She pulled it on and brought the food over to them. They sat against the headboard eating lunch and he continued talking. He thought it was amusing how entertained she was by the tournaments and she hung onto his every word, demanding he describe the fights in detail. She gasped for Kurama, rolled her eyes at Kuwabara loosing, sighed as Yusuke kept sleeping, and glowed with pride when Hiei recounted his fights.

"And that's the story of how you were born," she cooed at the dragon on his arm. He willed some youki and the miniature dragon slithered off his arm and jumped onto Mîra's shoulders. Hiei looked affectionately at his mate as she allowed the dragon to have a bite of her bread.

She then frowned as she chewed, thinking. "Wait a minute. Kurama, our mistaken for a girl, redheaded, plant nerd, is a silver haired, beastly, ruthless demon?"

Hiei nodded and her jaw dropped. "So THAT's who that was! I was wondering for a long time!"

Hiei frowned at her and she explained, "Remember when we fought? I saw him there but I didn't see the redhead first, just Yoko. I was wondering where he had gone to."

"Hn."

"Not a word," Mîra said simply, taking another bite of food. She then gave him a look and said expectantly, "Well, what happened after the showdown of the century?"

Hiei approved of her slang for Yusuke's fight against Toguro. He then began to talk about Sensui and she listened seriously. He talked about how he didn't want to help and he wasn't obliged too anymore, he figured Yusuke could handle it. But then things were getting serious and he didn't want to see Yusuke die as a plaything for some bastard. So he saved him and sparred with him, helping him regain his focus. She smirked at him and made a comment about how sweet it was and he ignored it. She listened, interested as he talked about the barrier, Yusuke dying, Yusuke living and Sensui's death.

Hiei paused. He could tell it was midafternoon, the snow making the room dimmer than it should have been for that time of day. He flicked his wrist and lit the torches in addition to the fireplace. The food was long finished. He glanced down as his wife laid down on her side opposite of the head of the bed. The silk robe seemed to just barely cover her and his blood began to stir as his desire for her flesh rose. Hiei tore his gaze off of her. No matter how badly he would have minded stopping his story there, he knew she wanted him to finish. He might as well, then he wouldn't have to revisit it. He was hesitant however, he knew she wasn't going to like what was coming next.

"Herven?" He looked back at her and he could tell she knew he was hesitating. So he drew a deep breath and said,

"Then I met Mukuro." He paused and then smirked, "What a bitch."

He didn't look at her as he spoke, explaining the Three Kings situation. He expected a reaction from her when he told her Mukuro, who he thought was a man at the time, threw him in her pits and tossed demon after demon at him. She didn't say anything as he spoke of the dark days, he had lost track trying to keep count. If there was anything he knew, he knew that he really loathed Mukuro. She brought in Shigure, and Hiei told her he thought it was a good way to die.

"You what?" She snapped. He glanced down at her, his mate's eyes furious. "A good way to die? You are so young! Are you insane?"

Hiei blinked at her. He wasn't expecting that reaction. "I had nothing left to live for. I had found Yukina," he said.

She sat up, furious. "You're an idiot! Yukina knew you were her brother then, why else would she give you her tear gem! And what about Kurama and Yusuke and even Kuwabara? Why would you want to abandon them?"

Hiei had never thought about it that way. "I have the right to choose my fa- the way I die." He had almost said fate but he paused, thinking of her. In fate, there were no choices.

"Not with me you don't! You had better live through every damn fight you get into because I refuse to be a widow!" If the words following these hadn't been what they were, Hiei would have been amused. "And what about your mother's stone? That had to be important even if you had Yukina's!"

Instead he looked away, not sure how to answer. "Yukina's stone was enough. And I did not find my mother's stone. Mukuro had it and gave it back."

He glanced over at her and he watched her as she slowly laid back down, as though she had a weight in her. Hiei wondered if this compared to learning about Thalion. He knew his mate saw Mukuro as a constant threat to their relationship, no matter how many times he had reassured her.

Hiei didn't look at her as he talked about his fight with Shigure and what he saw in the rejuvenation tank as Mukuro revealed her true self to him. He did not talk about Mukuro's past. That wasn't his business to share. She was quiet as he launched into the Makai Tournament and his fight with Mukuro. Then, he briefly talked about after, how he lived with her for the next three years before he won. He left out Mukuro's roundabout confession. That wasn't Mîra's business either.

There was a heavy silence when he finished. He chanced a look at her and saw her eyes hard, her visage steely. He narrowed his eyes, concerned.

"She has a horrible past too, doesn't she?"

Hiei placed a hand on her leg, intending to reassure her with his presence. He wasn't sure if it worked. "Yes."

"And that's how…that's why she understands you. Your pain. Why you understand each other."

Hiei was growing concerned, as her voice was eerily quiet. "Yes."

His wife shook her head sadly. "I will never understand you that way. I can sympathize or even pity you with my whole heart but I will never empathize with you." She paused. "It's not fair," she said bitterly.

Hiei's eyes widened. "No!" He said hurriedly. Mîra looked up at him shocked and then she looked away hurt. Hiei pulled her to him and she complied as he slid her into his lap. He turned her chin to him and looked her dead in the eyes.

"I never want you to understand me that way. Never," he said strongly. Her eyes held his gaze as her anger softened and grew into confusion.

"I'm not following you this time. I want you to understand all of me, shouldn't you want the same?"

"Vesse, Mukuro and I are fucked up. I don't want you to be that way, ever," he said fiercely. She looked at him shocked and then she turned away from him and he knew she was hiding her sadness for him, her pity.

"I won't understand you before you came here, Vesse. And you won't understand me before I met Yusuke. But," he placed a kiss on her turned cheek, "I understand who you are now." He tucked some hair behind her ear and she turned to him sighing.

"I suppose." Her eyes darted away for a moment and he knew something else was on her mind. She leaned into his chest, her ear over his heart.

"Herven," she murmured. "The way you phrased things… you said you got bored. Will you get bored of being King?"

"I was, before the war." There was a slight pause before she asked the question he knew was coming.

"Will you get bored of me?"

Hiei held his mate tightly and he closed his eyes. "Maybe," he said honestly. How was he to know? They would be living for a long time, who was to say that they didn't tire of each other? Not that he wanted to but Hiei was always a realist, if not a pessimist.

She pulled out from his embrace and straddled him, staring into his eyes determinedly. He stiffened slightly, not sure at the reaction she was going to give.

"Hiei," She said firmly, "Promise me you will tell me when you are starting to get bored. Because if you up and leave me one day without a word I swear I will come after you and hunt your sorry ass down. And our children have to be fully raised, saying you're bored to get out of parenthood is a cowards excuse and I abhor cowards. So promise me."

Hiei stared into her magnificent, determined, proud eyes, the eyes that had always kept him spellbound to her presence. He kissed her briefly before she broke it off.

"Promise me!"

"Hn," he said frowning. Hiei hated promises. Promises always got broken.

"That isn't a word! Don't avoid the subject!" She snapped. Then, looking a little hurt she added, "I don't want to be abandoned by you without a word. I want the chance to change things while I can."

Hiei paused before he said, "I swear I will tell you."

"On what?"

"…On the stones around my neck."

She kissed him gently for a moment before pulling back, resting her forehead against his. Hiei closed his eyes, basking in her essence. He could feel her body heating against his skin and he breathed deeply as her fingertips grazed the back of his neck, twisting his hair in her fingers. He inhaled deeply, her sweet flowery scent overwhelming him. He held her tighter to him, his hands clutching the silk on her back. He felt her move her head away from his and he felt her lips brush his before gently pressing them together.

Of course, there was something about mating with this single woman that changed the way he viewed the nature of the act itself. When he was a younger demon, he came to the conclusion that lust was the downfall of his gender. He had watched the way men squabbled their money, made fools of themselves, and even killed each other all over a single desire that was ever changing and fickle. This desire warped men, made them loose themselves and their minds. He wanted no part of it.

He now recognized that, in a way, he had slowly become those that he had ridiculed. He had given her an allowance, he was fairly sure he had been an utter idiot around her at times, and he would kill for her without hesitation. But it wasn't the desire for her body alone that drove him to this change, it was much more than that. There were times when he came to her out of lust and vice versa but other times there was something deeper and stronger underneath. It was this feeling that made him endlessly fascinated by her raw expressions, her walls gone and her pride dissolved. It was this feeling that made him want to memorize and hold onto the way she sighed his name, her tone utterly satisfied as her breath whispered the syllables into the air. It was this feeling, this deeper desire that would keep him tethered to her and always coming back for more.

Hiei let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on her back, his eyes closed. He wrapped his arms around her sides and kissed her back. He could feel her rumbling underneath him as she giggled,

"Enjoy yourself?"

"Very," he growled, nipping her skin with his lips. She giggled again and he felt her leg rub against his. He propped himself up and rubbed his nose against her rough back, sighing to himself. This woman… He kissed a scar on her back before forcing himself up. He examined her, sprawled out on their bed, her profile glowing at him. He then frowned, distracted by something odd.

"Herven, we should shower. I suppose we should get out of bed so we can actually go to sleep tonight," she said humorously. He barley heard her words as he examined her back more closely. His fingers ran along the thin, white strips of tender flesh that crisscrossed her entire back, trying to figure out where they had come from. He never recalled these markings on her back before. Then again, he never saw her back. Only when she wore a bikini was her back exposed and her hair up. When they sparred, her hair was always down and now that it was winter, she wore her hunting attire anyway. Why had he never seen these scars before?

Hiei didn't take the time to examine her scars like she had for him but he knew that she treated them with ointments and creams to help them blend into her skin. He had thought she wasn't proud of her markings but then he realized this was her catering to the womanly side of her. A typical king was expected to have visible scars of battle as a memento of honor. A typical queen was not. Mîra had compromised with her pride by not hiding them intentionally with clothing but softening them so she was still considered a woman. He supposed her vanity ran deep with her pride a well.

"Hiei, what are you doing?" she asked, concerned.

He ignored her again, trying to decipher where these markings had come from. He hovered over her again, pushing her down as she tried to get up. His eyes widened when he noticed smaller scars, as though something had been ripped from her back. These marking could only be from a whip more specifically a whip with balls at the end. He couldn't remember the name of the whip but he knew it was supposed to hurt like hell. She couldn't have been fighting someone for this kind of scarring. Suddenly, the markings vanished and her back was smooth again but Hiei could feel the small traces of magic in the air.

Wordlessly she pushed him back and slipped off the bed, taking the robe that had somehow come off during their mating. He shoved his wonderings of exactly when it had come off to the back of his mind and glared furiously at the woman's back, her white hair covering her back and curling at her hips.

"Coward," he snarled, suddenly put off by her shame. "You say you are a proud warrior and yet you hide the scar on your back. If you hide such things you are no warrior, only a coward. Don't you abhor cowards?"

His words stopped her, the door to the bathroom pausing. There was a silence before she continued to open the door and step into the bathroom and out of his sight. He heard the shower turn on and he heard her step in. Hiei slipped out of the bed and walked over to the bathroom, not wanting to spoil the overall good mood of the day with an argument. He noticed was she bent over, washing her hair and he patiently waited for her to finish before stepping in with her.

He took the soap and lathered it in his hands before taking her arm and covering it in suds. He didn't look at her but he wasn't going to apologize either. She sighed deeply as he finished cleaning her torso and she turned around, her back facing him. It was smooth.

"Don't insult me," he snapped irritably.

"I'm…" He heard her sigh again and the magic dissolved, revealing her scarred back. He massaged her back slowly with the soap.

"It was a punishment," she said bitterly. He paused for a second in his movements.

"I was on rounds with my brother and my father, collecting tributes from conquered areas. Normally he just sent Rodyn and I but he wanted to accompany me, to teach me. We were at one elfin village that had recently been conquered and they refused to bring out the tribute. The leader of the village was dragged out, an old elf and was thrown before us. He refused to pay us, claiming they had no need of being conquered or need to pay homage to a bunch of bullies.

"Naturally, that didn't go over well. I assumed my father was going to get off his horse and kill him there but instead… he turned to me." Her voice had changed and he recognized the haunted tones. "He ordered me to kill him, and show what happens when you rebel against the crown. I thought it would be easy, I reveled in the kill of battle, the satisfaction of knowing I was the stronger one. But as I walked up to that man, being held in place by guards I felt this pit in my stomach. I looked past the old man and caught the eye of a young male. He didn't look scared. His eyes burned with a fiery vengeance that I had never seen before.

"I turned back to the old man and I stared at him shocked. He was daring me to kill him, daring me to prove how cruel we were. I felt disgusted in myself, I enjoyed fighting in battle but to kill a defenseless man who was standing up for what he believed in? I just… I couldn't.

"So my father killed the man, took me home, strapped me up and whipped me. He left me long enough for the wounds to scab over, though most of them were infected. When I finally managed to be able to get out of bed, he sent me back out to collect tributes. We encountered a different village that resisted and I burned it to the ground. No one else resisted again."

The sound of the water pounding against the walls was the only thing that Hiei heard when she stopped talking. He realized he had been washing the same spot on her back and he stopped. The scars on her back were a representation of her standing up to her father. Standing up for herself. Her father ruled by fear. In turn, she was taught to rule by fear. Hiei ruled by fear too, but he felt it was different. Hiei was ruthless but cruel he was not. What had been done to her, what she had been forced to do, was cruel and it was her father who should be ashamed. The villages in proximity to the fortress enjoyed it when Hiei visited and even Mîra. He knew the demons were starting to open up to her and he found it difficult to believe that she would rule with such an iron fist.

Finally he spoke. "Don't you listen, woman? To hide these beautiful scars is cowardly and you are not a coward."

"What am I then?" He could hear her voice wavering. Tch, for as much as this woman didn't like crying, she sure did it a lot. Hiei didn't judge her for it, though. She was emotional and he liked that, he needed that from her, even if he wouldn't openly admit it. Crying for her wasn't a weakness, it was a release.

"You are my warrior Queen."

"You said I wasn't a warrior."

Hiei cringed slightly. Sometimes, he really needed to think before he spoke. "Those were the words of a fool."

To his surprise she laughed. "So you're actually admitting it for once?"

"Hn," he said scowling.

She turned around grinning. "Not a word my foolish, Herven. Now finish washing me! I'm hungry!" He glared at her but complied. When she turned her back to him to rinse, he made sure to kiss the scars on her back. Each and every one.

00000

The next day, Hiei found his wife sitting in the armory. She was in her hunters gear with her hair put up, her black cloak around her shoulders. He was pleased to see the pearl earrings he had given her as an anniversary present in her ears. She was sitting at a table slowly polishing her claymore and Hiei assumed she was going to take it out for some training.

"Hello, Herven," she said not looking up from the silver blade.

He didn't respond but he walked over to his mate. Intrigued he walked up to the blade intending to inspect it. The only time he saw Víreserce was in battle. The concept of having a named blade wasn't foreign to him but his katana's broke too often to develop an attachment to them.

The claymore was made of a silver blade and the hilt was also silver, ornamented with gold leaves on a vine wrapping around the hilt, precious gems accentuating each leaf. How did she swing that around without being bothered by the stones in the hilt? Hiei scanned the blade again and noticed small writing etched into the side of the blade.

"It says, Khil Cín Elwe, Follow Your Heart. When I came of age, it was presented to me. All Angulóce Nyello receive the weapon of their calling forged with the Oron Telpë, Mountain Silver, found in the deepest part of the Fealóce's Lair. Each blade is forged with the user in mind and the magic of the silver enables the blacksmith to inscribe a proper message for the user."

Mîra lifted the sword and stared at it gleaming in the light of the room. Wordlessly she sheathed it and looked at him, scratching the nape of her neck.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I want to spar."

"Not right now. I was going to do some technique. Maybe a little before dark?" She asked. He noticed her hand absent mindedly travel up to her neck again. The spot looked a little pink, probably from the scratching.

"Fine."

She grinned at him mischievously and gestured to the array of weapons in the room. "What weapon shall I use?"

"Your own."

"Sounds good to me! On a different note, Yukina's wedding is next month and we will be spending about a week in the human world to help with preparations. Don't forget to make the arrangements accordingly."

"Tch, I know." He glared at her but she rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't be so touchy, I was just reminding you," she said knowingly. She scratched her neck again before pulling on the brown leather gloves sitting next to her. Hiei frowned, peering intently at the nape of her neck.

"Yeah, the bite is red from me scratching at it. The odd thing is that I don't know what type of bug bites leave scars that don't kill you. I'm perfectly fine but the bite marks won't dampen, even with makeup and my ointments, and the itching is driving me mad."

Bug bite? Hiei walked closer to where she was sitting and she craned her head to the other side so he could see. Instantly Hiei became furious. Bug bite? Bug bite? His marking was no mere bug bite!

"You're fine!" He snapped.

She frowned at him. "But it has been itching for weeks now and there isn't anything I can do. Maybe Kurama will know what kind of bug did this."

"It's a mark! We are mated!" Hiei spat.

Mîra frowned at him, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. "A mark? That aside why do you keep talking about this mate thing? We have been 'mated' for almost a year now."

"No, we've been married. We have been mated for a month."

"Married and mated are the same thing! We consummated the marriage-slash-mating a month ago."

"It's not the same," he said frustrated.

She looked at him exacerbated. "Hiei, sex has nothing to do with marriage or mating! You can be married/mated and not have sex, hello we are a prime example!"

"I know," he growled.

"So then, why is this mating thing a big deal?" She cried, throwing her hands in the air. Hiei scrunched his face trying to find a way to properly convey what was on her neck. They had mated and now she would always be his, but he had to be careful. His wife was headstrong and would not hesitate to unleash her wrath on him if he made a wrong move. That and it would be painful considering they were in an armory full of a variety of weapons she knew how to use fairly well.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Hiei turned to see Shana looking bubbly with Kurama standing behind her.

"Kurama-sama is here!" the shadow demon announced exuberantly. Tch, he had forgotten how puppy eyed the shadow demon got when Kurama was around.

"Kurama! Thank goodness!" Mîra said, pushing past Hiei.

"Hello Mîrvana," the fox said politely, taking her gloved hand and kissing it. After paying his respects, Hiei noticed the twinkle in the fox's eye that usually meant he had something up his sleeve. Great.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," he said and Hiei could practically see the amusement seeping out of him. Of course Kurama knew what was going on, he probably interrupted right then intentionally!

"I have this bug bite on my neck that itches like crazy in addition to leaving a scar on my neck. What kind of demon bug would do this?" Mîra asked. She turned her neck to Kurama and he smiled, an entertained look on his face.

"Well, since you aren't dying I can assure you it's nothing serious. When did you receive this bite?"

"Well it was…" Mîra frowned in thought. "I don't really remember."

Not remember? Not remember? How the hell could that woman NOT remember the first time they had lain together? If Hiei was Kuwabara, he would be throwing a fit. Since he wasn't, it was bottling up and it was going to come out if this damn woman couldn't keep her facts straight!

"Do you remember being bitten there in any, ah, situation?" Kurama said carefully. Hiei noticed Shana with her hands clamped over her mouth, trying to keep her laughter contained.

"Bitten on my neck? Well there was…" Mîra flushed and glanced at Hiei. "Ahem, there was a time when I was bitten."

"What was happening?" Kurama asked. Shana looked like she was going to burst and that damn fox's grin couldn't get any wider.

"Ah, well I believe such topics are not appropriate for conversation especially when a child is present," Mîra said delicately, the flush in her cheeks deepening. Child his ass, Shana knew exactly what was going on. Any demon would know, they could smell Hiei radiating off of Mîra as soon as she stepped into a village.

"Well then, given the nature," Kurama shot a mischievous glance at Hiei, "I would say that this is a love bite, rather than a bug bite." Hiei saw Mîra's jaw drop. Did she not understand this? How could she not?

"Although," Kurama said, inspecting the mark more closely. He pulled back the collar of her shirt and Hiei narrowed his eyes. The fox was inspecting the area around his mark but Hiei didn't like the he pulled back her clothes.

"What is that feeling?" Mîra asked wide eyed.

"That would be you feeling the jealousy seeping out of Hiei," Kurama said simply, retreating from her. He turned his gaze to Hiei. "However, the goal is to have it flowing through her, not in one concentrated spot. That's why she's itching." Before Hiei could respond to the embarrassing diagnosis, Mîra had grabbed him by his cloak and shoved him up against the table.

"What did you do to me?" she snarled, her eyes promising brimstone and fire upon the incorrect response. Was it strange that he liked seeing the fury in his wife, that he felt excited by it? He was already thinking about how to counter her, how to turn her fury into a smoldering gaze that would lead from fighting to much more enjoyable things. Maybe Yusuke was right and he was a bit of a sadist.

"We mated," he emphasized.

"What does that mean?" She roared. Hiei looked up at his wife and then past her at Shana who was laughing hysterically. When she caught his glare, she quickly disappeared.

"It means that he has marked you as his mate," Kurama said fluidly. Mîra turned her sharp gaze on the fox coming into view.

"Explain," she demanded. Hiei noted that the fury in her voice had subsided slightly but her grip on him did not.

"When demons mate, they exchange youki with each other. This serves a purpose similar to the gem you gave Hiei when you got married or like how humans exchange rings. Essentially, with his youki in you, any demon will smell his scent and know you are his."

Mîra frowned in thought then turned her gaze back on Hiei. Frustrated she let go of him and stood with her arms crossed. "So, let me get this straight. He bites me, puts his youki in me, and now he is in me, which serves as a warning symbol for any other demon who wants me? And this is how demons get married?"

"Yes and yes," Kurama said smoothly.

Mîra then looked horrified. Concerned, Kurama sat her down in the chair. Feeling slightly despondent over her reaction, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and glared over at her. She should be happy, she was his. Wasn't that a good thing?

"Why does it itch?" She finally asked.

Not wanting to go through that highly embarrassing explanation again, he gave a look to Kurama. Instantly the fox was gone, shutting the doors behind him. Hiei turned to his irritable wife.

"You should have told me," she snapped.

"I did."

"Okay, you should have explained it to me."

Hiei didn't respond for a moment. "You should be pleased, you are mine."

She glared at him, "When I made the comment about being your property that night, I was joking."

Hiei stared at her quietly and she sighed. "Okay I'm sorry. I shouldn't be complaining since you were bound to me unwillingly. I guess we just have a different way of viewing each other."

Her words stung a little. "You would not want to rip out the throat of a woman who tried to offer herself to me?"

Mîra's eyes suddenly flashed dangerously, a snarl on her lips. "I wouldn't just rip out her throat."

Her words made Hiei felt better. This was just a misunderstanding. She was just as possessive of him, even if she didn't see it as such. He inhaled deeply, the curve of her neck suddenly looking rather delicious.

"Sit still while I fix this," he growled heatedly, nestling his fingers in the back of her hair and tilting her head.

"Do I have to sit still while you… take care of me?" She asked enticingly, her lavender eyes staring at him invitingly. Hiei smirked. No, she did not have to be sitting still while he took care of her. Not at all.