Author's note: Yup, I know, it's been a long time. Sorry about that. Lots happened. Anyway, I managed to get back to writing this story so here's an update. Though you might find it quite lacking compared to the time you had to wait for it. Sorry about that too.


File 58: Reason to fight – Hiei's chapter

It was about half a year after Yusuke and Hiei had come to the Makai and joined their respective factions. Akari had arrived two months after them, and so four months ago. Yusuke was training with Hokushin, Seiten, Touou, and another monk. It was four against one, the perfect regimen, because although Yusuke had the raw power of an S-class demon, he had yet to sharpen it and be able to harness it. So they were beating him relatively easily, and advised him not to be reckless. That angered Urameshi who told them to stop holding back and fight like they meant it or it wouldn't be training. They were interrupted by the rumbling of the King's stomach. The boy glared at the tower. There was no way he was giving up until he put his shitty old man's nose out of joint. So he challenged them again. Hokushin sighed.

Another reason Urameshi was so impatient was that Akari, despite having come later, was already able to beat them a third of the time. That was because although she lacked in power compared to him, she could utilize hers better, and she was also quick to spot habits and weaknesses and exploit them. She had learned how to better read the flow of a combat and anticipate. So, sometimes she was off for about two weeks at one of Raizen's pals and would come back to challenge Raizen again, or spar with Yusuke, or Hokushin and others too. Sometimes, it was both Yusuke and her against a number of monks. She had also taken a liking to fighting alone against large numbers of opponents. Akari had also started having duels with Yusuke. And the more time passed, the more troublesome she was becoming... Because although Yusuke was growing fast, not only was the girl better at the tactical side of combat, but she was quickly catching up to him in terms of amount and quality of energy! She was really dangerous after all! He could never relax! Well, not like he had come here to relax but still! That said, the young man heard she was taking a break from love matters, and since he missed teasing and touching Keiko, he had started learning how to take advantage of their bouts to feel her up a bit. This was just a perfect way to get revenge... although then she'd snap and beat him more than Raizen ever did and he'd end up at death's door...

In the giant armored insect fortress Mukade, Mukuro asked his lieutenant, Kirin, how Hiei was doing. Kirin believed that he must have died after these six months trapped undergroundd with those 500 A-class youkais. But when Mukuro pondered that Kirin had been his second-in-command for 250 years he thought he should have made Hiei fight at least 1000 youkais instead of a mere 500, then he would have raised into an even stronger subordinate able to last even longer. Kirin though had no idea why his boss was so interested by an ordinary A-class youkai like Hiei.

That Hiei was simply sleeping though... and dreaming, or rather, rememorating... the day of his birth in the Land of Glaciers, Hyouga. His mother, Hina, had given birth to twins, an unprecedented event in this country. And one of them was a boy, a Forbidden Child, an abomination! During the time of division that happened once a century, that filthy, wretched Hina had an affair with a man!

A Koorime's lifespan was infinitely long. Every 100 years, during the time of division, they conceived and birthed a single child all by themselves. All children were females, and grew to look like their mother, like 'offshoots'... as long as no relations were had with men. The Ice Maiden lived in an eternally frozen castle-like land that drifted across the skies enveloped by clouds. This seclusion was purely out of self-preservation. Indeed, all children born out of liaisons with other races were boys, and the vast majority grew up to have cruel, brutal natures. Many Ice Maidens were killed by them. Thus it was decreed that all interactions with outside races would be henceforth forbidden. So while the Elders decided to keep Yukina as their kin, the male child would be cast out. If he lived, he would bring disaster to the Land of Glaciers. Those people didn't know that Hiei, even in his mother's womb, already possessed self-awareness. And once into this world, he could see and hear and understand everything. He might even have had enough power to roast those noisy old hags. Hina was crying and begging to have her child back. She absolutely wanted to raise it, even if it meant leaving the village. But that wasn't permitted. All male babies must be cast out. And for a baby to be dropped from the sky like this could only result in death. Rui, Hina's close friend, was tasked with that role. The elder knew of their friendship but there was no need for pity. This wretched thing would only bring death to untold numbers of Koorimes if he remained. So she was forced to drop him, but not before giving him a hirui stone tied to a string in a pendant... as well as a request: when he would return, she wanted him to kill her first. That was the only way she could face Hina. The baby understood and grinned cruelly, tightly holding onto the hirui stone. Hiei was confident to survive though. And he was glad to have been given a purpose in life as soon as he had entered this world. He would kill all the Hyouga women!

The fire demon opened his eyes and clicked his tongue. He was sitting against a pillar, his arms on his knees and his sword at his side. That dream again... Mukuro entered and came to greet. He had really killed all the A-class youkais. They were no match for him even if they ganged up to attack him. The King also admitted that he didn't think that Hiei could get this strong in only 6 months. He was really something else. Since there was no point lumping him in with those A-class goons, Mukuro suggested that he tried out for his personal guard.

"It feels to me like the stronger I get, the more distant you become, you rotten monster. What the hell kind of demon are you? What's your true form?" The little youkai glared.

"Wanna see? Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to say 'I'm your father' or something. But I guess it IS about time I show you what I look like at least. Alright, I'm going to bring one warrior here. My little 'inner circle' consists of 77 members handpicked by me. The number doesn't mean anything, I just like it. That guy's one of them. I'd say you two have about the same level of power. Beat him and I'll show you what I look like and give you his position."

"Talking to you drives me nuts. I don't need any special position."

"Don't be so sure. It's pretty convenient. Just by being one of the warriors beneath me, most youkais will become cooperative towards you. It makes looking for things easier too." Mukuro left on these words. He'd be back in a few minutes. Hiei glared more fiercely. What an utterly creepy bastard, acting as though he already knew everything. He stood up and a hirui stone pendant dangled at his neck. This one had been handed to him by Yukina the night of his departure for the Makai. She had told him it had been given to her by her mother.

"Koorimes cry a single tear when their child is born. That tear becomes a jewel of a different color than a regular hirui stone. That tear jewel is given to the child. My mother Hina had two children so she cried two tears. I have one and my brother has the other." Yukina said. Hiei was impressed she had managed to keep it hidden from that fat pig (Tarukane). "I hid it in my stomach."

"Why are you giving me that memento?"

"Rui-san, my mother's best friend, said my brother was born wrapped in a fiery youki. It was so bad that he couldn't be held unless his whole body was wrapped in curse-confining talismans." His sister replied. The fire youkai recognized the name of the woman who had tossed him off the cliff. "I just thought his race would probably be close to yours. If you meet a man with the same kind of stone, please give that to him and let him know I'm in the Human World."

"He's gotta be dead. They dropped him from way up in the sky, right?" Hiei argued. He didn't want her to go looking for her brother, for him.

"I'm sure he's alive." The yukionna smiled sweetly and confidently. "Rui-san also said: 'that boy could understand everything we said. Someday, he'll return to take revenge.' I believe so too. A society that forces its people to shut out their hearts just so it can survive... they should be wiped out. That's what I think."

"So that's why you deserted them. Which means your line about the Land of Glaciers allowing you to search for your brother was a complete lie, huh? Don't be so dependant. If you want them destroyed then do it yourself. Don't go counting on some brother who might not even be alive." He chided her. The girl was shocked for a moment but soon agreed with a smile. She had a feeling that had she found her brother, he would have said the same thing.

However, Hiei still couldn't find his own hirui stone despite his jagan, and his youki having been imbued in said stone. There was a good chance that someone was hiding it in their stomach. It was then that Mukuro returned with his opponent. The little youkai was surprised to recognize Shigure, the demon surgeon who had implanted the jagan in his forehead. Although more than a doctor, that tall man looked like a seasoned warrior with a strange sense of fashion. It wasn't about his clothes (a light blue, sleeveless robe, white pants, and black bandages wrapping both of his forearms) but about his piercings: two large rings on his lip and head, each sporting a chain – with a little bell for the chain hanging from the head ring; plus three smaller rings on the left side of his jaw. He also had a stitched scar across his face. Hiei asked him when he had joined up with Mukuro.

"Since a little after I performed your jagan transplant." The physiotherapist replied. That got the king curious about their relation. "We were doctor and patient, that's all. I also showed him a bit of swordplay. I see he's developed his own style now. I'm impressed though. You can't tell that I operated on you. The jagan transplant alters one's abilities. It's more of a 'rebirth' than a simple 'augmentation'. Thusly, your power is reduced to roughly the same level as when you were in infant. I remember it well, your spectral power dropped from A-class to below D-class. And yet, just a few years later, you've grown even stronger than you were before your surgery. That's truly surprising."

"Hn, is that so? Then before I knew it, I became as strong as you are?"

"It appears you've already located the Hirui stone you were looking for." The surgeon remarked around the fire youkai's neck.

"This one isn't mine." Hiei hid the jewel under his shirt.

"Oh? Then it must be your sister's. Either way, it means you've found one of the things you were looking for." Shigure concluded. Intrigued, Mukuro asked to be filled in. "Hiei commissioned me to implant the jagan in his forehead in order to aid his search. He sought two things: one was his mother's memento, a Hirui stone, and the other was his sister's home, the Land of Glaciers. I decide whether to accept patients or not based on what – if anything – I can rob their world of. In other words, as payment I take not money but a part of their life afterwards. Hiei was no different. My fee this time was that even if he did locate his sister, he could never reveal himself to be her brother. If you defeat me, I'll give you a full refund." He took his man sized weapon, the Rinka Enreki-tou (Brimstone ring-blade).

"I told you before the surgery. I never intended to tell her who I was in the first place." Hiei also shifted to a battle stance, ready to draw his sword.

"People change their minds."

"Well, that's enough reminiscing. A fight is a fight. You will stake your lives. There's nothing better than a life-or-death battle, no matter the style the combatants use. The moment the match is decided, and the two journeys end is like the flash of a thousand fireworks. BEGIN!"

The contestants faced each other. Hiei knew that the longer this fight would last, the worst it'd get for him. His fire youki would give him a better chance at victory but he just couldn't resist the temptation to test his strength as a swordmaster against another swordsmaster, and his former teacher. However, to Mukuro's opinion, the odds would be 7 to 3 in Shigure's favor if they used just blades. Before, Hiei fought only to live, and did whatever it took to win, because he had a purpose. Now was different. His purpose was different. He needed strength, a strength that he couldn't get unless he was ready to lay down his life.

He lunged. His opponent charged too. At first the little demon appeared to block with the side of the sword with his arm behind to strengthen the block. The Enreki-to though had power of an axe and could chop it in half. At the last second though, Hiei blocked with the edge. Because of the force of the blow, his own sword dug deep into his arm, but thanks to that, he was able to deflect the attack, although his sword was chipped. He stepped on the circular blade, allowing him to close in enough to strike his opponent. But to move his sword fast enough, he had no choice but to sever his own arm. Shigure raised an arm to protect himself and it was sliced. He lifted his circular weapon, making Hiei fall. The small youkai flipped, landed on his feet, and slashed. He gashed his enemy's shoulder but not deeply enough. The Enreki-to swung back down, cutting the sword, and went on, digging deep into Hiei's midsection, but the red-eyed demon endured and moved forward to attack. The fighters passed each other. Blood gushed out... from the severed arms, from Hiei's abdomen, and from Shigure's head that had been sliced through above the nose. It was a draw. The two collapsed, a red puddle forming and growing under them. Mukuro praised their amazing display.

"You've earned a reward. Your Hirui stone." The King stuck out his tongue, showing the stone pendant. "The treasure you've spent most of your life searching for. To me, it's no more than a tribute paid to me by one of the lands I rule. Take it." He dropped the pendant next to the fallen man.

"Hn. I don't need it anymore... it stinks... of your guts..." And with these words, Hiei lost consciousness.

In his mind, his life seemed to be replaying like through a haze. After being dropped from the Land of Glaciers, he fell into a river and was picked up, named, and raised by a gang of thieves. From his earliest age, hearing screams of pain made him smile, and he loved seeing the red raw flesh after he sliced it, right before the blood would start gushing. It was no wonder the koorime had feared him and abandoned him. Knowing that his Hirui stone keepsake was a supreme treasure, he began flaunting it, daring others to take it. Thanks to that, there was no shortage of blood and flesh to cut. After many years spent in carnage, he found himself caring less and less about finding Hyouga. As he would stare at his stone, his hatred would slowly fade and he'd start to feel that this place didn't matter this much. Then he eventually grew tired of mindless killings, as the local criminals, including his own gang, came to fear him and avoid him.

So Hiei left and started wandering around. His time spent staring at his stone increased, and he realized that he felt calmer as he did so. He only settled down when he had the stone in front of him. However, as he changed lands, enemies changed as well, and some of them were really tough to the point that even he was occasionally cornered. One day, although he managed to kill him, one of those enemies cut his pendant that fell down a cliff into a river. Now he had two things to search for: the Land of Glaciers and his lost Hirui stone. He needed better eyes. He went to Shigure and asked him to perform a jagan transplant. In exchange for that new ability, he endured excruciating pain and lost all the spectral power he had worked so hard to build until now. Though to him, that was an appropriate punishment for having made a stupid mistake and lost his Hirui stone. After the operation, Shigure told him to stay and learn swordsmanship and regain some strength. After all, if a patient died on him right away, the surgery would have been wasted. Although it was unlike him, Hiei stayed and did as told.

Then he went to search for those two things. With the jagan's power, he easily found the Land of Glaciers. He returned 'home' and saw all those miserable and fearful koorime. They looked so pitiful he lost all desire to kill them. Slaughtering those wretched things would have given him no glory or satisfaction. It was like that town was already dead. He met Rui, the woman who had tossed him out. She took him to his mother's grave, a rotting tree tucked away on a small hill. That sight didn't stir any emotion in him. However, that trip yielded one important piece of information: he had a sister named Yukina who'd disappeared several years ago. He had completed one goal, and made another one.

After more ups and downs, Hiei went to the Human World. He met Kurama, a youkai who had taken human form. He teamed with him and another demon to steal treasures from the Spirit World. Because of that, he fought this odd human serving as Reikai Tantei, which caused him to change some more... as well as that outrageous woman, Akari. For the first time, he had met someone who was burning even more fiercely than him, but in a different way... unlike him, she was burning while emitting a blinding light. And he had learned that this light hid a darkness just as deep. And like a fire can absorb another, he was irresistibly drawn to this light and darkness. But he wasn't the only one. Because of his pride, he couldn't admit that he was being swayed by a little human girl, and by the time he realized just how strongly he wanted to possess her, she had already come to belong to another man. What more, both the man and the woman were important to him. So he had hesitated. But after all, because they were so important, he couldn't let go. Because they were so important, he had to confront them earnestly, with all he had. That was why he had told Akari about his feelings, and why he had challenged Kurama. And that was why he had to become stronger. He too didn't want to be left behind. He wanted to have power above hers, so he could protect her, and so he could become the one she was aiming for, and thus occupy her thoughts more and more.

Thanks to those connections, he managed to find his sister Yukina and save her from a rotten bastard. Obviously, she didn't know about his identity, and of course, he didn't say anything either. It was fine this way. He grew stronger. He had fun for a time, but just as fighting in the human world became boring, messengers from the Makai came. The day of his departure, Yukina gave him her Hirui stone to give to her brother, without knowing that was already exactly what she was doing. Although aware that it was not his own Hirui stone, when he'd look at Yukina's face, he'd feel that this stone would do just as well, that he had accomplished two of his goals. Now he still had one left. He wanted to bet his life on it, he had to... like Kurama was betting his life for her... otherwise he could never surpass him!

Mukuro was standing in front of a cocoon-like device inside which Hiei was being treated. Both Hirui stones were hanging from the fire demon's neck.

"Funny stones, aren't they? It's as if they can soak up all of your hatred and anger no matter how much you've bottled up. Thanks to that stone I was saved. Abandonned as a baby, I became a slave. After years of abuse, I escaped. But that freedom cost me half of my body. I blamed the whole world and for a while I killed everyone who caught my attention. That's how I became strong." Slowly, Mukuro stripped until completely naked, revealing that she was actually female, and a beautiful one at that with short messy orange hair... for her left side at least. Her whole right side was covered in scar tissue and burns, most of her right arm and leg had been replaced with mechanical limbs (though her hand and foot were still natural). The right side of her face was highly damaged too, leaving her right eye fully exposed. "If I hadn't come across that stone, I'd still be consumed with hatred and venting it through wars and destruction. This right half of me is my pride and joy. I don't even want to fix it. As promised, this is who I, Mukuro, really am. Live, Hiei, you're not strong enough to choose the manner of your death yet."

Henceforth, Hiei became Mukuro's highest-ranked warrior.


Author's note: yeah, not only is the content lacking, it's short too. Really sorry. Next one, 'Reason to fight - Kurama's chapter' should be a lot more... fleshy... I guess...