::NOTE:: In this chapter, the very first original character is introduced. In a fanfic that takes place so far into the future, I believe the presence of new characters is unavoidable. This character is female, but before you start crying Mary Sue, there will be NO ROMANCE between canon and original characters. I don't support it, in fact, I'm determined to make Hiei hate her as much as possible, since that's what I believe he would do.
Hiei shuddered as swift gusts of wind and ice nipped bitterly at his exposed face. The towers of stone and glacial chunks that rose up before him were completely still. There was no sign of life anywhere.
The small youkai had stood staring for many minutes, trying to comprehend the spectacle. He knew, beneath the frozen rubble, the corpses and dreams of all the Koorime women lay crushed, his own sister excluded. A sense of deep loss, unlike anything he had felt before, filled him. The house in which he had been born was now gone, along with everything that could have been his had he been born female. He wondered what that isolated life would have been like. Would he have been happier growing up with his own people? Or, was the troubled path he had been set upon truly his destiny.... He would not, for example, have ever met the majestic kitsune who now stood beside him, shivering against the cold and attempting to guard his face from flying shards of ice.
"Hiei," Kurama said, his voice drowned out by the severe wind, "I'm going to dig a burrow for us to sleep in. I can't stay out in this cold." Hiei nodded and sprinted off as Kurama pulled the mask of his hood over his mouth and nose, summoning a brutal looking plant which began to tunnel into the frozen ground.
The climate in the area had changed drastically and suddenly. Only a few hours run from the site was a sea of lush, warm forest through which the pair had been traveling for many nights. The land surrounding the island's base had once been forest as well, but now all that could be seen for dozens of miles was frozen wasteland. Not only the Koorime, but every living thing in the falling island's path had been obliterated.
Hiei sprang to one of the snowy peaks gracefully, staring down at the catastrophe beneath his feet. Hesitating, he knelt and moved a large stone, wondering what he would discover as he dug. Another snowy rock was revealed, and then another. His speed increased and he hurled away rubble for hours, until his hands were blistered and exhausted.
When night fell, Hiei descended from the mound and quickly discovered the burrow Kurama had created for them. A thick hide packed by the fox blocked the entrance, keeping out most of the snow. Hiei moved it aside quickly and slipped through the gap, finding the little den to be considerably warmer than the surface. Kurama was seated in the corner farthest from the entryway, chopping up a series of small plants and vegetables against a flat stone.
"I've been allowing a bowl of snow to melt into water," the fox said as he worked. "Could you boil it for me, please?"
Hiei did not respond, but tugged off his outer cloak and knelt down by the small bowl, laying his hands on the sides. His body temperature rose and the water began to bubble rapidly. Kurama took this as his queue to dump some of the items he had been cutting into the water and left them to simmer.
"I'm making a broth for us. There isn't anything nearby to kill, so I can't prepare any meat for you, I'm sorry," Kurama said, once the vegetables were cooking steadily within the earthen pot.
"I don't care," Hiei mumbled, settling down within the leafy patch Kurama had grown against the back wall of the burrow, which he assumed would be serving as their bed. The fox sat tentatively for a few minutes, eying his mate.
"Did you find anything?" he asked, finally.
"Nothing...." Hiei sighed and leaned against the wall, finding it was not uncomfortably cold. Kurama had dug deeply enough to penetrate the permafrost, and their own body heat had slowly warmed the space further.
"I plan to head back out as soon as the sun rises," he added firmly.
Kurama sighed and took his partner's tiny hands into his own.
"You're all bloody," he commented, staring down at the scraped and dirty fingers.
"Not like it matters," Hiei said, shrugging. Kurama used the hem of his robe to clean away the dirt before leaning down and licking carefully at the small wounds. "I can do that, you know..." he mumbled to Kurama.
"I would rather tend to you myself to make sure it's done properly," Kurama replied, pausing for a moment.
"I was taking care of my own wounds long before you came along, fox," Hiei said moodily.
"Yes, and you were in horrible shape when I met you. You fainted right before my eyes."
"That's because I had been attacked!" Hiei barked back, glaring at him angrily.
"Also, you ruined my bed sheets. Your wounds bled all over them. I had to throw them away, did I ever tell you that?" Kurama asked casually, massaging the demon's hands and releasing youki into the cuts to seal them.
"Tch, why would you remember something about a bed you haven't slept in for a hundred years?"
"I had many good dreams in that bed," Kurama said, smiling fondly. "And, you would sometimes sit there when you came to visit me. Do you remember?"
"I only visited you when I was extremely bored," Hiei replied, rolling his eyes.
"After you would leave, I would always wait until your youki was out of range before lying down in my bed to savor your scent..." Kurama continued, speaking more quietly than before. "I'd pull the covers against my face, breathing in deeply. Your essence would fill me up, and it was almost like you were right there with me."
"You don't find that the least bit perverse?" Hiei asked, raising his dark eyebrow.
"Not a bit," Kurama said, holding onto Hiei's hands in spite of having finished his healing. "It was only a way to satiate my lust, after all.... Sometimes, when we would fight, having you so close, your back pressing against mine, was like torture. The worst of all was during the Dark Tournament, when you shared my room. The one time you actually used your bed... I stayed up all night watching you. I laid there wondering what would happen if I came close enough to lay my hands on you, if I touched you, kissed you...."
Hiei allowed his frown to melt away, forgetting to scowl as he listened to Kurama's words. He knew, after being his lover for so long, how Kurama had pined for him when they were younger, but the kitsune did not speak of it often. Hearing stories such as this always filled Hiei with a sense of terrible remorse, and he wondered how Kurama had kept from going mad all the years they had been merely 'friends'.
"I don't... want to hear about it," he said quietly. Kurama's eyes rose and Hiei glanced towards the floor of the burrow.
"I understand," said the fox. "Please don't think I'm trying to blame you."
"No, it's not that," he muttered. "I don't want to hear about it, because... I'm here now. The past... is meaningless. All that matters is today." He felt his face heating up, as it did whenever he expressed his feelings. After five decades with Kurama, he still had not grown accustomed to showing his emotions openly. Perhaps he never would.
"Those are very wise words, Hiei," Kurama said, smiling sweetly at his lover. Hiei's lip twitched, and in a rare act of affection, he leaned close and placed a kiss on Kurama's mouth. The fox took this opportunity to throw his arms around his small partner and lower him onto his back. He kissed and nibbled at the side of his narrow neck, tugging the white muffler which resided there away with his claws.
"Hn, aren't you ever satisfied with a simple kiss?" Hiei growled, though the sound quickly turned to a satisfied groan as Kurama sucked at his neck passionately.
"After fifty years as my bed-mate, do you really need to ask a question like that?" he said, glancing slyly up at the little demon and licking his smooth skin.
Hiei clung desperately to his senses, giving the big fox a shove.
"I'm hungry!" he yelled, pushing Kurama away to no avail.
"Mm, so am I, my dear..." he crooned, nipping at Hiei's collar bone.
"No, I want something to eat, so get off me." He stared resolutely down at Kurama, who looked up to meet his gaze and sighed.
"I suppose we do need to start on that soup," Kurama said glumly as he climbed off of Hiei and began serving their small meal. "But don't think I'm going to let you get away that easily."
They ate heartily, cleaning the pot, but Kurama was unable to make good on his threat. By the time they had finished eating, Hiei had grown sleepy, and was now curled up in the soft leaves, rubbing his eyes.
Kurama, having accepted defeat, was gathering all their available coverings together and was piling them up as blankets. That, in addition to Hiei's warmth, was enough to create a comfortable sleeping arrangement. The cold world above them could barely be felt at all underneath the hot covers.
"I might have to travel tomorrow in search of food," Kurama said as Hiei blinked away sleep. "We weren't able to carry much from the forest."
"Do what you must," Hiei mumbled, yawning and clutching at the front of Kurama's tunic.
"I must ask... how long do you plan to stay here?" the fox asked. His voice was cautious and quiet.
"As long as it takes," Hiei said; his last words before drifting off to sleep against Kurama's chest. The kitsune stared into the darkness, thinking to himself. It would seem Hiei's determination had not wavered since the beginning of their journey. He would do everything he possibly could to retrieve his mother's body and find some sort of resolution. Kurama supposed it did not matter, as they had eternity to spend with each other. If surviving in this frozen emptiness was what it took to make Hiei happy, then that is what would be done.
Days passed, and each morning at sunrise, Hiei would exit their makeshift burrow and climb the mountain that had once been his birthplace. Today, he felt he had finally made some progress in his digging, as he had uncovered what appeared to be the smashed roof of a Koorime home.
Kurama was away, searching for food, and would not return until well into the night. This left Hiei completely alone, though his discovery had given him a new sense of purpose. Every small stone he hauled aside felt like a step in the right direction, while before, he had been doing nothing but losing himself in a sea of snow.
He plowed away at his task without complaint, no matter how unforgiving the strong wind around him was. Stone after stone was tossed aside, and soon Hiei was waist deep in the rubble. He bent down for what must have been the thousandth time that day and went to grab yet another stone, but as he did, his frozen fingers touched something unfamiliar. The little youkai crouched, staring. There was an object that was white like ice, but smooth and delicate. He dug more rocks from his path, clearing away the snow. Gusts of wind blew more white powder into the hole, hindering his work and blinding him momentarily. His tunic blocked the path of the wind as he shifted within the hole, and with one more stroke of his hand, he could see what he had been so busily uncovering.
It was a child. The frozen body of a tiny Koorime girl was at his feet, still partially buried. He could tell, now, sections of her legs and arms had been ripped clean away by the thousands of pounds of rock above her, but her face had somehow been spared. The child's expression was perfectly preserved, her youth frozen in time.
Hiei allowed his calloused fingertips to trace the outline of her cheek. Slowly, he examined her.... She seemed to be sleeping, he thought to himself as he stared. Her blue hair, so much like his sisters, rested in gentle curls around her face, providing a perfect framework for her innocent countenance.
The wind blew with a continuing fierceness as Hiei sat, drowning out the tinkling sounds of black gems that fell around the child's body.
When Kurama returned, the scene above their burrow seemed unchanged, at first. As he came closer, though, he spotted a long and jagged rock protruding from the snowy ground not far from the base of the rubble. The earth around it seemed recently disturbed, though the wind had masked any trace of footprints.
"Oh, Hiei..." the fox sighed deeply, staring at the crude and lonely memorial before entering the burrow.
He discovered Hiei inside, undressed save for his pants, curled up in the corner among the plushy foliage. Kurama hung the string of fish he had caught from a stone lodged in the wall and squatted down by Hiei, feeling the heat rising from his body.
The youkai was much hotter than usual, and deeply asleep. The fox draped the furry pelt he had been carrying across his mate before rising and situating himself beneath the entryway to the burrow. He set to work building a small fire, and then roasting the plump fish over the flames while Hiei slept.
Water on the fish's fleshed crackled and popped as they cooked, but Kurama's sensitive ears perked at every tiny sound emanating from Hiei in spite of the noise. He breathed heavily, and shifted in his sleep several times. Kurama observed these noises carefully, until finally he could tell the demon was beginning to awaken. Crawling over, he placed his clawed hand on Hiei's shoulder and gazed down at him until his eyelids parted.
"What do you want..." Hiei groaned when he came to and realized Kurama was hanging over him.
"We have a big supper tonight, you must be starved," he said as Hiei sat up slowly.
"I don't need anything," came his soft reply. The apathy in his voice instantly alerted Kurama to how much he had been affected by the day's discovery.
"So, was it her?" he asked, cautiously. He leaned close to his mate, laying his hands across Hiei's legs to show his support.
"No." Hiei glanced away from the fox.
"Who then?"
"A child," he mumbled.
Kurama's understanding expression flickered as Hiei seemed to shrink away from him.
"Ah, so that's it..." he whispered, closing his eyes and pulling the little youkai into his lap. "You must have known you would find other bodies," he said, and began to stroke the mass of fluffy black hair.
"I hadn't really thought about it," came a shy and uncharacteristically unguarded voice. "It was like seeing my little sister dead at my feet."
Kurama nearly winced at the bluntness of Hiei's words. He could feel through his mate's body language, his tone, just how badly he had been hurt inside.
"That child was not your sister," Kurama said. "Yukina is alive in the Ningenkai. I have never hear any information that would make me think otherwise."
"But she was someone's," he said softly, though clearly, "someone's child. She didn't deserve... to be crushed."
Kurama clutched Hiei firmly against him, wondering just what else had been crushed that day. It was then that he felt Hiei trembling within his arms, not with sadness, but with anger.
"Hiei...?"
"When we leave here, I'm going to find it," his voice was now low and dangerous, filled with hatred. "I'll find the creature that caused this destruction and tear it apart with my own hands. I won't be satisfied until it's experienced enough pain to make up for all the lives it took away, all the agony it caused..."
"Their agony, or yours?" Kurama asked calmly.
"It doesn't matter!" Hiei shouted, shooting up to his feet. "Don't try to pretend you're above acts of vengeance. You'd do exactly the same thing if it had happened to you!" He cast a fiery glare down at the fox, clenching his teeth together until his jaw ached.
Kurama stared, reading Hiei's expression, until he finally closed his eyes and smiled.
"I suppose you're right about that," he said, his lip twisting up wryly. "If anyone were to hurt you, I'd kill him a thousand times over...."
Days turned into weeks, and soon the moon had gone through a full cycle. Hiei's daily trips to the fallen island had become an obsession. He would often stay long into the night, skipping meals and all but ignoring Kurama. The space at the foot of the mound had quickly become a graveyard as Hiei solitarily and silently laid each dead Koorime he came across to rest.
The kitsune spent most of his time underground, occasionally venturing out to find food. Mostly though, he slept, or sat around moodily, wishing Hiei would hurry up and get over himself so they could return home to their own warm burrow. He had been completely understanding at first, compassionate, supportive. But, now that a month had passed, Kurama's patience was waning. He would not say so, however, lest he invoke the wrath of his temperamental mate. All Kurama could do was cook, and sit, and wait.
Stars had been showing for hours already when Hiei climbed down into the burrow for sleep and something to eat. It had been a particularly windy day, and as he sat himself before the tiny fire, he felt shards of ice melting from the surface of his clothing. He watched as droplets of water pooled on the earthy floor, turning it to mud.
Drawing the plate Kurama had prepared close to him, he let out a small sigh. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Had this journey been a waste? He was not sure if he had found anything here to bring him closure. The piles of dead bodies, none belonging to his mother, had only succeeded in fueling his frustration and wearing him out.
As he sank his teeth into a hunk of meat, flavored with roots and herbs collected by Kurama, he heard the kitsune roll over in his sleep. The thick fur he had acquired for their blanket was knocked to the floor, landing with a soft thump against the bottom of the cave. The fox rose, rubbing his eye; one ear was pressed back grumpily against his head.
"You finally decided to come find something to eat?" Kurama asked, though the answer was obvious. "You've been up there for two days."
"I lost track of time," Hiei grumbled, his mouth full of food.
"I doubt it," Kurama groaned, flopping back down unceremoniously and nuzzling his face against the warm fur before glowering at Hiei.
"Unless you have something to say, stop glaring at me," he commanded, spitting a bone against his plate.
"Hiei..." Kurama sighed deeply and crawled over to his partner. "I know the thought has crossed your mind, so I'll go ahead and say it: Don't you think it's time to give up?"
The kitsune was met with nothing but the sound of Hiei's noisy chewing.
"Your mother has been dead for a long time, Hiei, the body you're searching for is an empty shell. What difference does it make if you find her now, when her spirit has been at rest for decades?"
Hiei's ruby eyes flickered and turned to glare at the fox beside him.
"What makes you think she's at peace after what was done to her? She killed herself, you know."
Kurama ran his claws tenderly through Hiei's hair for a few seconds before his hand was knocked away.
"Your mother has nothing to cause her pain any longer. In spite of the odds being stacked heavily against him, her son grew up into a healthy, beautiful man. Before all this happened, you were safe, content, with a very attractive lover, I might add."
Hiei, who had been looking away, turned to stare angrily at Kurama once more.
"My life... has been full of nothing but emptiness..." he mumbled, a dark scowl plastered on his face.
Kurama smirked and forced the youkai into his lap. "Don't lie to me, child, I know you better than anyone alive, so using that sad story on me is pointless."
"I'm not a child!" he roared, halfheartedly shoving Kurama away, knowing it was futile.
"You're acting like one...." Kurama tipped his partner's face up until he had a clear view into the fiery eyes. They were burning with frustration and loathing, but also overflowing with helplessness....
"I know very well your life hasn't been easy," Kurama soothed, "but you have nothing to cry over anymore. You have a safe home, a challenging and rewarding hobby, all the time in the world to hone your skills, and a mate who is completely, utterly dedicated to you." The fox could feel Hiei's small body melting against his chest as he spoke. The little demon was quickly giving in, allowing his rocky exterior to crumble.
"Fate was kind to you after all, Hiei."
"What about my sister?" he said quietly, glancing up. "I haven't seen her in nearly a century. I abandoned her..."
"We'll see her again, when you're ready," Kurama said, bending down to kiss his lover's smooth cheek.
"I hardly deserve to see her again, after what I've done," Hiei replied, lowly.
"Enough sulking," Kurama scolded. "If you want to do something to relieve your frustration, why not make love to me?" The fox leaned in close, grinning widely. Hiei's sad expression instantly morphed into one of disgust.
"You bastard kitsune, all you want is sex!" he shouted, scrambling out of Kurama's lap and onto the hard floor.
"Oh Hiei, it's been weeks..." Kurama whined, grabbing the youkai and dragging him to the corner of the cave.
"Let go of me!" he snarled, glaring upwards as Kurama pinned him down.
"I think not. You've indulged yourself enough, Hiei, it's my turn now."
Kurama yanked Hiei's muffler from his neck and began kissing at his throat while he searched for the seam on the side of the little youkai's cloak. Hiei growled, pushing the flats of his hands against the heavy kitsune, but he would not budge. The dark, wet tunic was dragged off of his body and Kurama smiled down at him, taking hold of his pointed chin.
"Cut it out," he warned, trying to stare up at Kurama in the most threatening way possible.
"No."
Kurama leaned down and pressed his lips against Hiei's mouth, meeting with resistance at first. But, as he swirled his warm tongue around against the wind-chapped lips, their owner slowly began to succumb. Hiei eventually moved his gritted teeth apart and allowed Kurama entrance into his mouth, unable to deny the pleasure he knew he was soon to receive. Perhaps, for the night, it would be okay to forget.
The kitsune kissed him deeply, tenderly, letting Hiei give whatever cues he wanted and responding accordingly. Somehow, Kurama had managed to slip off his white tunic and now pressed his wide chest down against Hiei's bare body.
The demon groaned softly, moving his head away from the kisses.
"I wish you wouldn't pin me down like this all the time, you're so heavy..." he complained, though without his previous malice.
"Should I be insulted?" Kurama quipped, though he quickly moved aside. He rolled to his back, pulling Hiei's thin body on top of his own and caressing him softly. "Is that better?"
Hiei responded by relaxing against the kitsune's chest, reaching his small hands up to play with the long strands of silver hair. Compared to Kurama, who was nearly three times his size, Hiei resembled a tiny child. He let his mind wander as the fox massaged his back, wondering if he would have looked less awkward alongside Shuuichi, who, while tall, had been much closer to his own height and weight.
The Jagan master closed his eyes, allowing Kurama's attentive touches to lull him. As those soft hands stroked his aching muscles, the anguish of the past few days began to fade, at least temporarily. He allowed himself to think only of Kurama, and was just about to lower his head and touch his lips to his lover's eager mouth when an unceremonious thump disturbed him.
"What was that?" he said, suddenly tense and on guard.
"Just the wind, now come here..." Kurama snaked his arm around the back of Hiei's neck and was pulling him down for that kiss he had been waiting for when the small youkai jerked away.
"It wasn't the wind." Hiei shook Kurama off him and got to his feet, pulling his tunic back on. "There's something outside."
"An animal then... " Kurama offered, feeling very, very frustrated at this point. He glared as Hiei buckled his belts and unsheathed his sword, preparing to investigate.
"I don't smell any animal," he said warily, clenching his back teeth together and inching towards the opening of the burrow.
"Hiei, at this point I don't care if the ghost of Yusuke himself is outside." Kurama was on his feet as well now, clinging to Hiei and pulling him back towards the furs. Hiei, though, ignored, and merely shrugged off his partner's amorous advances. He readied his sword, prepared to fling the fur blocking the door aside and strike whatever had stuck upon them. Before he could act, Kurama's hand was on him again, this time gripping his wrist tightly.
"Stop!" the fox commanded, earning a wicked glare from Hiei as he spun around to respond. Kurama's face, however, was softened, though traces of annoyance could still be seen lining his features. "If you're determined to investigate, I'm coming with you."
A few moments later, the two emerged from the den, fully cloaked and ready to fight, if necessary. The waxing moon reflected intensely off the sheet of snow, creating the illusion of day. Hiei tensed, ready to attack, but much to their surprise, lying before them was not an animal, or a monster, but a woman, apparently unconscious or perhaps dead.
Hiei lowered his sword and stared curiously.
"A survivor?" Kurama suggested. Hiei, though, who had seen firsthand the striking resemblance between the members of his race could tell that his woman was not Koorime.
"No..." he knelt down, pulling the figure's hood from her head to reveal a mane of wavy brown hair and two large, pointed ears. A quiver of arrows and bow were strapped to her back, her wrists and hands were wrapped tightly with cloth bands, presumably to protect her slender fingers from the cold.
"She's alive," Hiei noted.
"Perhaps we should bring her inside and thaw her out," Kurama said, examining the woman's frigid body as well.
"Are you insane!?" Hiei cried suddenly and angrily. "You're really going to just drag her inside before we know who she is? She could have had something to do with that happened here, why would she be hanging around in the freezing cold if not?"
"Hiei, I hardly think someone with such an insignificant amount of youki could have been involved in this catastrophe. She doesn't pose any threat to us."
Hiei growled and turned his gaze back on the unconscious female. "I don't care, I'm going to find out who she is before we do anything."
He grabbed the woman by the robes around her neck and shook her several times before he raised his hand and began slapping her awake.
"Hiei!" Kurama shouted, yanking his lover's hands away and inadvertently allowing the woman to slump back into the snow. "Is that really necessary!?"
"She's waking up, isn't she?" Hiei roared, grabbing his sword again as the figure beside them began to stir.
She fidgeted slightly and winced before opening her round lids to reveal two icy white eyes. Kurama held Hiei back as the girl slowly regained her senses. However, he could not prevent the cautious demon from shouting,
"Who the hell are you!?"
She jumped, obviously startled, not having noticed two youkai kneeling in the snow only inches from her. Shakily, she pulled herself into a sitting position and stared. But, rather than being combative, or frightened, she seemed... awed. Her vacant looking eyes darted from one demon to the other, as though she were seeing something from a long forgotten dream suddenly materialized before her.
"It's you..." she said, in a hushed whisper. "I can't believe I finally found you..!" She brought her frozen fingers to her lips, her breath quickening in excitement.
"Do we... know you?" Kurama inquired.
"Who are you working for!?" Hiei added harshly, leaning towards her with his fist tensing threateningly around the hilt of his sword again. "Why are you following us!?"
"You..." she said, pointing at the two of them, "are the Untouchable Bandits." Her awed smile then spread into an ecstatic grin and she began to quiver. "And I..." her breath quickened once more, "I... am the first one to ever find you!" she shrieked, jumping to her feet in triumph.
Kurama stared up at her, stunned but interested. Hiei, who looked disgusted, was sure he had been mistaken in believing she was a threat, and was now convinced she was simply an idiot.
"I've been searching my whole life! They all said it couldn't be done, but I've done what no one else could do! I found the Untouchable Bandits!" she cried, beside herself with joy. "And now...! Now..."
But before the young youkai could finished, she collapsed on the ground in a heap.
Kurama and Hiei looked down at the once more unconscious form, their faces displaying expressions of wonder, and contempt, respectively.
"I guess we're bringing her inside after all," Kurama commented.
Hiei groaned and rolled his red eyes, accepting defeat.
"I hate you..."