Chapter 26 Lightning

Hiei sat on Kurama's bed, his legs crossed staring intently and nervously at his friend. The red head was slightly disheveled, his red hair spiked in odd places and his white undershirt wrinkled, but his face was alert and his eyes sharp. He was much better looking than the blue haired woman who had tried to kill him for kicking her out of the room, but this was a dire situation.

"I see why you woke me," Kurama said quietly. "Have you talked to Mîra about the summons yet?"

"What do you think?" Hiei snapped. He let out a frustrated sigh. "Damnit."

"Give her time. I told you, her entire world has been ripped out from under her feet. Again."

"What the hell is the difference from before? I am myself, she is herself and we are wed, mated, and we were content," Hiei growled.

Kurama frowned at him. "Things aren't the same, Hiei. You are no longer the King. That means something to her."

Hiei swallowed and stared at his friend. At the last Makai tournament Hiei had taken a rough beating from one of Raizen's old friends before his last match. In the final round he went up against Mitage, a higher A-class water demon who had gotten lucky in his opponents. If his opponent hadn't been a water demon, things might have been different. Even with Koku, he discovered his dragon doesn't like water much either, his efforts were not enough. His twelve year reign had ended.

Hiei wasn't happy with the news, but it was more the fact that he lost the fight than the crown that bothered him. Crowns will come and go but power will remain. After all, he had the fortress, his territory and most importantly his wife. His day to day duties slowed a bit but that left him time to train and roam the Makai. Sometimes he would take a few days and just leave without a worry with Shana and Mîra to run the day to day. It allowed him to evaluate his strength and focus on gaining the power that had cost him the fight.

That, however, was not seen as a benefit in the eyes of his mate. Since he lost Mîra had given him her support and told him next time, but that was when he was looking. When she thought he couldn't see or didn't notice, he saw the way her eyes looked down at him and questioned him. She acted the same around him, still laughed, smiled, sparred and laid with him eagerly at night, but something had shifted between them. They weren't arguing or angry at each other but something just felt off. So when the summons arrived from the new king, Hiei immediately set out to Kurama's. He didn't know who else to talk to.

"I don't understand why a piece of metal means to her. It is nothing but a title," Hiei snapped.

"That is true for the Makai. Power is the true ruler and iron fist of the demon home but that only applies because of the intelligence levels demons are born with. You should know better than anyone that a D or C class will listen to an A class precisely because of pure terror. The Makai's monarchy is unique in that regard which is why the tournament is a necessity for stability," Kurama said. "However in the human world, which is similar to Mîra's home, kings could potentially rule with more than power. Kindness, compassion, and understanding go a lot further than ruling on power alone."

"Tch, because they are weak."

Kurama narrowed his eyes at Hiei. "Hiei you can count the number of assassination attempts on your life since you became king on one hand. There's a reason for that."

Hiei knew he was well received by the Makai, he generally left higher class demons alone except to collect tribute from knowing ruled territories. Unless the demons complained, Hiei didn't care what they did. He would not call that kindness or compassion, though.

Seeing the disgruntled look on Hiei's face, Kurama continued. "Kings, outside of the Makai, also rule for as long as they live. Mîra, if she had claimed her throne, would have ruled for centuries comparable to Mukuro or Raizen. Three years is a blink of the eye as far as she is concerned."

"Then it shouldn't matter. I might as well have not ruled at all," he grunted.

"The fact that you were ruling makes all the difference, Hiei. Imagine if Yomi had been king during the war instead of you. If she had been lucky he wanted to negotiate at all, she would have been marrying Yomi, not you. Even if you had captured her and offered yourself that would not have been a suitable offer. Her station would be higher than yours. Precisely because you were king, her father was willing to give her to you. She was marrying a king, not a general whose social status and land ownership was unknown."

Hiei stared at his friend quietly for a moment. "What are you implying, fox?"

"Rank matters. She married a king who in no longer a king. Where does that leave her?"

"My wife. My mate. That's where it leaves her, the same as before," Hiei growled now he was irritated. This conversation was supposed to be helpful, not redundant.

Kurama shook his head slightly and he sighed before trying again. "Hiei, why do you think she hates cooking so much?"

"She's a vain, snotty, queen who-"

Hiei stopped mid-sentence. Queen. His queen, or was his queen. He wasn't a king any more so she was automatically demoted as well. What did that make her now, a princess again? He couldn't think of his mate as anything other than a queen, his Queen. He was just a regular demon, working as Mukuro's right hand again. Did that make him a commoner in her terms?

"That contributes to it," Kurama said softly, "but it's something else too. Have you noticed that Mîra will watch the girls in the kitchen rather than stay with us where she can easily avoid being dragged into work? Part of it is because that is where the women are, her friends and companions. Part of it is that she watches them to try and learn because she doesn't know how to cook. She doesn't know how to clean. Keiko gets mad at her all the time for not contributing and acting like she has better things to do than cook, because she was raised that way. She was raised to believe she is better than those tasks."

Hiei's eyes widened, suddenly realizing Kurama's intent. "She was only raised to be a queen. That's the only way she knows how to live."

Kurama nodded solemnly. Well damnit now what? He could try again the next tournament but he enjoyed not being king. He was free to move as he wanted without being bogged down by anyone but Mukuro and he didn't mind that. Even if he wanted to try again he would have to wait almost three more years which didn't solve his current issues.

"You need to give her time, Hiei. Additionally, any specific tasks you can give her will help as well. You have to make her feel that she is still an authoritative figure who commands respect."

Hiei sat quietly for a moment, thinking. "I have, it isn't enough." He paused for a moment, "She has a softer side, I haven't been playing to that."

Kurama's eyes narrowed. "This isn't a game or a fight, Hiei."

"What do you know?" he snapped, suddenly enraged. "You cannot understand what it is like for her to look at me. To see the shame in her eyes, questioning my worth. That she can no longer sees me as-" A man, Hiei left unspoken. After a small pause he continued, "She is a woman who is attracted to power."

"You are powerful, Hiei. There is no questioning that. Even I wonder about myself… but it is difficult to evaluate ourselves when we haven't fought against powerhouses of the Makai. Have you ever gone against Mukuro or Yomi seriously? Or even Yusuke?" Kurama asked, his eyes now staring at the window. Hiei followed his gaze and watched the cool night breeze gently push the budding blossoms.

Kurama was right, as usual. Hiei didn't remember the last time where he actively pursued power as a goal. Being the King was a part of that but he hadn't faced Mukuro or Yomi. Yusuke wasn't looking for a real fight because he wasn't looking to win. Where did he truly lie? Did it even matter anymore? Even pondering his abilities seemed frivolous. Hiei laughed aloud. Of course it seemed frivolous; he wanted a family for Kami's sake now. He couldn't push himself or wander and seek power when he wanted to start a family. He wanted to be with his children and his mate in the fortress, living the life he never thought he would achieve. That was why being king didn't matter much to him. In the end, he had grown bored of the fighting phase of his life. Maybe, a century from now he would feel inspired to actively take up his sword again but right now, he just wanted to be with his mate.

"Kurama," Hiei paused as his friend glanced over at him, "have you thought about children?"

Kurama smiled but it was tired and sad. "Of course. However with Boton being who she is… well it is difficult to conceive a child when the person you love is dead." The smile faded and his emerald eyes seemed too old for the face that held them. "That's why I never asked her to marry me, even though I have a ring in my drawer. It would hurt her too much."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. The fox bought a ring? He wanted to see. Wordlessly he got up and opened the drawer, not caring that the desk bore into Kurama's side.

"Hiei, what are you doing?" Kurama asked sharply.

Hiei picked up the small, black velvet box and before Kurama could stop him was situated back on the bed.

"Hiei, wait!"

Hiei ignored the fox and opened the lid. The ring had three round diamonds, a larger one in between two smaller ones and small diamonds outlined the rim of the band on all sides. The ring was simple but pretty. He closed the lid and tossed it lightly to Kurama, who looked like he was going to have a heart attack as he caught the small box.

"Tch, if you're that worried about it just give it to her," Hiei said.

"I told you, it's not that simple," Kurama said slowly. Hiei could tell he was becoming irritated by the slight deepening of his tone.

"Quit being a fool. She would rather know that you love her and hurt everyday rather than being hurt not knowing."

The corners of the fox's mouth twitched into a sly smile. "Speaking from experience, Hiei?"

"Che, I don't believe in love. The word means nothing to me."

"But you care for her above all things. You find her to be the most enchanting, enthralling creature you have known." Kurama stared at the box in his hand. "And for some reason you can't help but come back, no matter how hard you try to distance yourself, you can't help but be drawn in."

Hiei stared at Kurama for a long moment. "Hn."

Kurama smiled.

There was a knock on the door and Boton entered rubbing her eyes, Kurama quickly shoving the ring in the drawer.

"'Rama I want to go back to bed," she mumbled sleepily. Standing with her cotton candy blue hair frazzled in what was obviously Kurama's pajamas that were just slightly too big for her, Hiei could sort of see where the fox was charmed with her. Sort of.

"Kurama, I'll be gone in the morning," Hiei said standing and giving his friend a nod. Kurama nodded back, and turned his attention to the ferry girl. Hiei closed the door behind him and he made his way to Kurama's living room. Collapsing onto the couch, Hiei closed his eyes and thought about his wife. The way she hummed while she methodically brushed her hair, or how she stood strong, tall, and proud as she trained and commanded the soldiers of the fortress, and even the way that she laughed at something he said when he wasn't intending to be funny at all. Not that he usually intended to be funny, but it never ceased to amaze him how she was able to construe his small nuances in tone or word choice into something humorous, as though it was a private joke that only she understood.

If there was anything he could hold or capture about his wife however, it would be her smile. Not just any smile, but the smile that she gave when she saw him. What she was doing didn't matter, she could already have been smiling for all he knew. No, it was the way that she was brought out of her thoughts, the small widening and then warming of her eyes, the slight broadening of the corners of her mouth causing her rosy cheeks to look plump enough to look cute, and the sudden wonderful glow that her visage radiated immediately quelling any doubts or fears within him.

Love. Hiei despised the word on principle. What did he know of love? When had he been shown love? Kurama explained to him once that there were many types of love and that one of them was the love between friends just as there is a love between siblings or mates. Kurama had told him once that he loved him like a brother and Hiei had felt deeply honored to have heard the statement, but he couldn't say he felt that same way. Not that he didn't feel as though Kurama was his brother, he definitely did. It was more that the particular word choice was not what he felt towards his closest friend.

Hiei had eventually found a way, a proper way, to convey his feelings to the fox. Now he needed to do the same for his mate. Would that help restore the small amount of respect that he had lost from her? Mîra was always open with her feelings, she told him when she thought he was attractive or that she cared for him. Every time the words left her mouth, the pretty warm smile on her lips, it always surprised him but without fail it warmed him. It was only fair that he do the same for her.

As Hiei drifted off to sleep, keeping her smile in mind, he knew he would do whatever it took to make her happy again. No matter how much it hurt him, no matter how far he had to go, he would prove his worth and make her smile again.

0~*~0

Sopping wet, and furious because he was sopping wet, Hiei trudged through the fortress to his room. He had left Kurama's and only intended to drop by his sister's place to say hello but Yukina convinced him to accompany her and Isao out while she ran errands. By the time he had returned to the fortress it was well into the night and all he wanted was to dry off and curl up in bed next to his wife.

Instead his room was empty and the window was left open, the doors flopping back and forth from the storm wind. Growling he went over to close the window when there was a flash of lightning. In the flash of illumination, he looked down to see a figure standing in the gardens. Was it Mîra? He considered his options for a moment and with a disgusted look on his face, jumped back out into the thunder storm.

He landed easily enough and made his way over to the gardens where sure enough, she was standing in her nightgown. The white fabric was plastered to her skin, the pale peachy pigment of her skin showing through the translucent cloth. Her arms were at her sides and her white hair whipped around her but her face tilted towards the sky remained still. She looked so lifeless that for a moment, Hiei wondered if it was really her.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Hiei spat. She did not turn to acknowledge him but instead pointed up at the angry sky.

"Watch and wait," she replied. The sky rumbled loudly and a bolt of lightning flashed far off in the sky. "Inside a thunderstorm are ice particles that vary in size, from small ice crystals to larger hailstones. Owing to the rising and sinking air associated with thunderstorms, these particles collide frequently inside the cloud and these collisions within the thunderstorm cause these particles to build up electric charge. Due to the different rates of rising and falling within a thunderstorm, a separation of electrical charge takes place."

There was another flash of light as she paused. "Back home we call it nárosilim and it is the only entity that speaks to the four main elements; A creation of wind and water that burns like fire and yearns for the earth. It is the only element I cannot contain. I don't know if I ever will."

Hiei stared at her curiously. She was standing in the rain to watch lightning for fun? At this rate she was going to end up sick. He walked over to her and took her hand. Her cold touch surprised him. Her skin was always cooler to him but she wasn't ever cold.

"You need to go inside," he commanded sternly.

"But that's what makes it so fascinating. In the blink of an eye it is here, and then it leaves. I don't even know that I am blinking and it happens. That is what makes it difficult to understand and difficult to contain. It is the ultimate element. Some say there is a dragon back home associated with it but I have never seen it." She continued to look up at the sky, ignoring him.

"Mîra," he began warningly but then her gaze sharply turned down to him.

"Humans here have harnessed it. It is amazing what their lack of magic has allowed their minds to create instead. Even Gandara was built based off of a human city. Demons learned how to use and create electricity from humans. I do find it ironic that the electronic devices that they have created are damaged by water, even though it water that helps bring it to life. That which gives life also brings death," she chuckled. There was another flash of lightning and she looked down at him curiously.

"You are like that. You are not here. I blink. You're here. I blink. You're gone."

Her words were soft, without anger or malice but he didn't know how to respond. The words sounded more like an observation in his ears. Distant, accurate, and unemotional.

"You remind me of lightning. You are a child of water and fire and as you run the wind carries your name. When you strike the ground you leave nothing but devastation in your wake. Breathtaking and yet so dangerous." Her gaze went back to the sky. "I wonder which element I am like."

Hiei stared up at his wife, wondering if he should just leave her in the rain. It seemed she was contemplating many things and Hiei wasn't one for long chats about the meaning of life. If she wanted to do that then she had better call Kurama. Still, he couldn't help but be perturbed by her words. Was she implying that he was going to leave her? Or worse, that she was going to leave him?

"I am not going anywhere," he said fiercely.

She looked down at him with an eyebrow raised as though she was wondering where that statement had come from. "I know that."

Suddenly he felt stupid. All he wanted was to go to bed and now he was contemplating his existence in the rain? "This is ridiculous. There is lightning all the time in the Makai. Observe it when you aren't going to catch hypothermia," he snapped.

"It's not the same," she protested, looking back at the sky. "This is how it should be made, a swirling of elements blended together to create one."

"Who is to say what something should or shouldn't be?" He countered, his arms crossed. She looked down at him surprised and then frowned. "I'm going to bed. If you get sick that's your problem," he snapped before flittering off back up the trees to his window.

Hiei had only taken off his clothes when she entered the room through the window. She closed the window behind her and pulled the nightgown off, exposing her naked body underneath. Hiei watched her as she quickly went into the bathroom and began to set the bath. Hiei didn't enjoy baths, they took too long, but with his body wet and cool a warm soak sounded like a good idea.

Wordlessly he slipped in, the warm water soothing him. She soon followed, sitting on the opposite end, her toes poking above the water next to his shoulder. His only reached the middle of the large tub. He ducked his head under for a moment and when he rose he ran his fingers through his hair, squeezing the water out.

His gaze flickered over to her and she was staring at him quietly, her eyes solid, but he knew she was questioning him underneath. He held her gaze until she sighed, closed her eyes, and dipped under the water. She rose a moment later and reached for the shampoo. As she lathered her hair she spoke quietly.

"How was the human world?"

"Fine," he grunted.

"What was so urgent that you needed to see Kurama for?"

"Nothing. False alarm."

She didn't respond, she knew he was lying. But she let it be as she rinsed her hair. "How is Isao?"

"Fine." He paused. "He sneezed and froze a part of Yukina's hair."

His mate smiled humorously as she lathered her hair with conditioner. "I read in a medical book today that said males chose the sex of a baby. I never knew that. All my life I had been raised knowing that I had to provide a son to my husband and yet I have no control." Her hands paused as she frowned. "I've seen so much strife and agony in women because they could not bear sons. It seems so unjust now… This world is truly amazing, if we knew what they know our lives would be completely different," she mused.

Hiei stared at her for a moment, almost hesitant to bring up the subject but he wanted to know. "Have you bled this month?"

A flash of irritation crossed her visage as she finished washing her hair. "No, but I will this coming week."

"We will see."

She gave him a hard glare before taking a deep breath and plunging under. He watched the bubbles that drifted to the surface expand and pop as she rinsed her hair. He knew he opened a sore spot between them but he didn't care. He didn't care about her criteria and the fact that their relationship started differently. What did it matter now that they were happy together?

Mîra resurfaced and after getting the hair out of her eyes, she sighed. "Don't get your hopes up Hiei."

Hiei knew she didn't want children but he didn't understand why. She told him that she wanted his children but he didn't understand the timing? As much as he didn't want to admit it, he did want his offspring to spar with Ryuji or Isao. They were his family.

"I won't let them be alone," he said quietly.

She stared at him curiously, trying to make sense of his words. It took a minute but finally things clicked, he could see it the way she sighed and averted her eyes.

"Is that honestly why you want children now? And don't give me a 'hn' or some bullshit one word answer. I need to know," she said. She turned her gaze to him expectantly.

Hiei stared at her firmly. "Partially. I feel ready, with you I feel ready."

His mate stared at him for what felt like a long time. Then she reached over for a large vial filled with a smelling substance and she began to rub it over her body. Hiei despised the scent so he washed with normal soap and quickly got out. He quickly dressed for bed and went over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of panties and her favorite silk pajamas, the long sleeves and pants covered in colorful purses, high heels, and pearl necklaces. He set the clothes on top of the dresser and climbed into bed.

Hiei stared at the ceiling, her words tossing over in his head. The battle to convince her to conceive was a long one, it wasn't something that he could persuade her to do in a day, even though he didn't understand why not. Still, he felt his honest words had some impact on her. Feeling a little better about the situation, even if there was still some tension, his thoughts shifted to her words about lightning.

"You are not here. I blink. You're here. I blink. You're gone."

Hiei leaned up to see his wife in the bathroom, standing at the mirror combing through her hair. He blinked. She was no longer in front of the mirror. His eyes opened wide and for a moment he panicked, but then the sound of a drawer opening and closing reminded him she was still there but out of view. In one blink he had seen her and she had vanished.

Hiei flopped back down and stared and the ceiling again. He was like lightning… like being held one moment and free falling the next. Like not seeing his sister and then having her standing in front of him. Like not being sure of the final strike will be enough and then come out triumphant. Like swinging the sword down towards her and then stopping. Like being free one moment and being married the next. Like being king and then simply not. Hiei decided he wasn't like lightning, life was.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mîra emerge from the bathroom and began to dress. All the twists and turns he had taken to get where he was now had all been through strikes of lightning. Some of the storms he could see coming and some he couldn't but each strike was important. He could see the one from the summons brewing now. Where would that take him? Where would it take his wife? He knew he had to tell her but he didn't want to, he knew it would hurt her. Still, the lightning had to strike, didn't it?

As his mate climbed into bed he sighed. When he started contemplating life it was definitely a sign he was tired and desperately needed sleep. That or Kurama was somehow penetrating his mind with some secret flower to make him think like the fox. Mîra was laid on her back, staring at the ceiling like he was. Then, all of a sudden, her body violently jerked upward.

"Ah-CHOO!"

"Tch, I told you do."

"Shut up," she snapped, reaching over to her nightstand for the tissues she usually kept there. After she blew her nose for what seemed like forever and washed her hands, she climbed back into bed, situating herself on her back.

"Hiei?"

"What?" he said flatly.

"This isn't a deal breaker for you, is it? Children, I mean."

Hiei turned on his side to see his mate staring at him, her eyes somber. A part of him wanted to say yes to force her hand. But if she could still tolerate him enough after losing the crown, then he could delay his desires. He beckoned her to him and she snuggled into his chest, her arm wrapped around his torso and the other tucked into her side. Her legs curled up and intertwined with his, his toes playing with the fabric of her pajamas. He pulled the covers over her and frowned at her braid.

"Tch, what have I told you about using my scarves as hair ties?"

"Oh please, don't pretend. You know you like it when I steal your scarves and wear your cloaks."

"I like it when you wear nothing underneath."

"Of course you do," she said dryly. He didn't have to see her to know she was rolling her eyes. He stared tenderly down at the crown of her head and placed a light kiss on it before settling into his pillow. Lulled by the sound of the storm outside, he was content in knowing he had at least one more night where he could contentedly curl up with the woman who meant most to him. A storm was coming, but the lightning hadn't hit the ground. Not yet.

Translation Notes:

Nárosilim- firelight