Maribella, dressed in a lovely dark green dress with a black shrug and matching heels, stepped out of Shizuru's house, arm in arm with Yukina who wore a light blue dress with white shrug and little white sandals that matched. They'd spent the last two hours making each other beautiful for the date, a happy distraction from Ari's unhappy mood about Hiei.
She'd avoided him the entire time since their last argument. She didn't want to hear any more of his denials of emotions. It hurt too much to imagine a life without a loving soulmate. Especially when demons could live for a long, long time. Any time she'd felt the throb in her wrists that had signified Hiei's growing close, she'd turned and went the other way. It was just a reminder of something she couldn't have.
So she'd asked Touya to be her date today. At least then she'd have someone to talk to who wouldn't try to make her accept something she wasn't ready or willing to accept.
Kuwabara was waiting outside for them with Touya by his side. They'd each dressed up at least a little for the date—each wearing their nicest shirts and pants. Ari even had to admit that Touya looked nice in a rich royal blue button up shirt and black slacks. It isn't Hiei though a voice inside her muttered darkly.
She tried to ignore that voice though as she stepped forward with Yukina to meet their dates. Before long they were at the restaurant, a nice Italian affair with an intimate little alcove where they were led and seated. The seats were arranged Kuwabara, Yukina, Touya and then Maribella around a nice pretty table. Drinks were ordered and soon they were laughing and generally having a good little take together. Despite that the entire time, Ari was drawing a hand over the patterns on her wrists, tracing it as if she could rub it off her skin or sooth herself with feeling it against her fingers.
Just before the meal was delivered though, Touya looked up as if startled and then smiled a sly little smile. "You will have to excuse me but I have a feeling my part here is about to end," He said to them. "I've had fun though. Human restaurants are so strange and interesting." He pushed himself up and before Ari could even ask as question, he left the alcove. Ari stared after him, suddenly the third wheel.
"What the hell?" she demanded before looking over at Yukina and Kuwabara who both looked just ad dumbfounded. "Did I try to bite his head off or something and not notice?" They were each shaking their head when Kuwabara blinked past her and suddenly seemed to get uncomfortable. She turned to follow his gaze and groaned. Why had she not felt the thrumming strengthen?
Walking towards them was Hiei. For once he was wearing a similar attire to Kuwabara and Touya—a deep maroon button up shirt and black slacks with shiny new looking black shoes. All in all he looked quite human date quality material. If it hadn't been for the history, Maribella may have actually appreciated the attempt at human dating etiquette Hiei was portraying as he neared and took Touya's seat.
"I'm sorry I am late. Jin insisted on it being a late arrival," Hiei said gruffly.
Maribella stiffened and focused on a point ahead of her, anger burning through their link. The water on the table rippled steadily even though no one was touching the table. "Well, you certainly scared my date off fast enough. You'd think when someone tells you no, you'd get over yourself and accept that they don't want you there," she said venomously. She was livid. How dare Jin go around her back and orchestrate this charade! "Well I hope you like what Touya ordered, because we can't exchange it."
"I will have to deal with it then, won't I?" Hiei countered amiably enough that Maribella was at a loss for a retort for a moment.
"Yes, yes you will!" she finished lamely before looking over at the other two. "You were telling us a story Yukina?" she prompted. Even though the other demoness hadn't been telling them a story, she was quick to the rescue of her friend, beginning to tell of a fox she'd met in the makai who had been a friend for a time.
Maribella was happy for the distraction, and even happier when dinner came and she could avoid having to talk to Hiei altogether, who had otherwise remained quiet in his seat between her and Yukina unless prompted by the other two. As the dinner progressed, Yukina seemed more and more desperate to get Hiei to talk and join them more socially.
"Did you have any makai pets as a child Hiei?" she finally asked halfway through here meal.
Hiei grew still for a moment and finally looked over a Yukina before away again, "No, I didn't. I grew up with bandits. Pets were not tolerated unless they could fulfill a purpose like hunting," he admitted finally. "Though there was a pack of makai hounds we had for a little while." He then went into describing them, a rare form of talking from the usually antisocial Hiei. Ari refused to admit it but it did soften her a little to hear about how one makai dog had half an ear from when it had tried to attack a panther-esque creature.
Yukina finally got them really talking by asking small questions which would elicit either stories about Eikichi, or about the hounds from Hiei who was competitive by nature and would try to tell better stories than Kuwabara. Only Ari didn't speak now, and the more that she kept quiet, the more Yukina would get them to tell funny stories. It was obvious what she was trying to do, but Ari became determined to show Hiei that she didn't want him there. No matter what kind of cute stories he might inadvertently share about a stupid dog that had fought a rabbit demon and had ended up being cursed with bunny ears for a month.
But she did thaw a little as the time moved on. She couldn't help it. He did make a good conversationalist when he wanted to. She found herself watching him more and more as dinner finished up and the check was brought. Kuwabara reached for it but it was already gone from the table before they could blink. "I will pay," Hiei said as he straightened the little book with the bill so the waiter could take it back.
When they finally rose from the table, Hiei retrieved the little shrug from the back of the chair and held it up for Ari to slide her arms into. She hesitated, watching him carefully before she accepted the help. "Thank you Hiei," she said, the first words directly at him since their spat when he'd first gotten there.
"You look very nice tonight," Hiei replied, offering her his arm which further made her suspicious, but nonetheless, she looked down as a blush mantled her cheeks.
"Thank you," she said, thawing a bit more as she took the arm. "And… And you look very nice as well." Even if he is only here because he wants to watch out for his own ass and Yukina. that nasty little voice hissed.
