**Standard Disclaimers Applies. In this Chapter, Mukuro x Kurama is implied**
Quick Author's Notes: Hi all! After lurking ars site for years, I've finally decided to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard...), and write a story of my own. I'd definitely appreciate feedback on the pace of the chapters and the portrayal of the characters!
I realize that the Youko is a bit out of character but hope to explain that later in the story. I also admit that I am having a bit of trouble with tense and is trying to work out the kinks. Any pointers are much appreciated!
A quick examination of the other lava cakes on the head table found no traces of the offending Makai swamp mushroom. It was only found on Hiei's original cake. While the servants were clearing away the corpse and the other generals were discussing the next course of action, Hiei quickly wolfed down the rest of the cakes. He had a feeling he won't get to eat cakes from this pastry chef for a while.
And he was right.
No one was sure who the perpetrator was, but that didn't stop Mukuro from locking up the head chef, the pastry chef, the senior wait staff, and even Shigure, whom Kurama had recalled smelling "earthy" at the beginning of the evening. In fact, to avoid future poisoning attempts, the new heir was ordered to hunt down and cook his own food until a perpetrator has been identified. This was bad news. Hiei hates cooking since he has only one cooking technique...incineration.
Hiei couldn't really think of anyone would want to poison him, least of all Shigure. After all, there is no honor and no pride in such a sneaky method of assassination and Shigure was anything but dishonorable. In fact, he doesn't think any Alarican would employ poison to kill. The citizens of this warrior state values strength above all else and were brought up with the concept of survival of the fittest ingrained in their minds. Mukuro was over reacting.
After the fifth day of eating charred food, Hiei decided it was time for Mukuro to release his favorite pastry chef and allow him to eat meals prepared by professionals.
Just as before the banquet and the succession announcement, The Alaric King had shut herself inside her private chambers. Hiei banged on her doors loudly, "Open up, woman!"
He found the heavy doors unlocked and flung them open. Inside Mukuro's sitting room, he found a half naked Youko Kurama pulling on a pair of white pants. The fox was facing away from the door and had five deep scratch marks running down each side of his wiry back. Without a glance at Hiei, the fox called out, "Mu-chan! Your dear heir is here to see you!" Hiei did not missed the fox's exaggerated sensual tone when he uttered his pet name for Mukuro.
The fox then turned to reveal bite marks all over his neck and bruises on his shoulder and wrists. There were bite marks all over his lips as well. "Lord Hiei, what a pleasure to see you again." The entire room stank of rose and cedar and fresh dew mixed with the smell of wards, of explosions, of energy...in other words - it smelled like Kurama and Mukuro. Hiei felt a slight flush on his cheeks.
Mukuro strolled out of her bedchamber in a similar state of undress. Her scarred right breast was practically hanging out of her thin robe and her neck showed matching bite marks.
"What happened to you two?" Hiei immediately regretted asking.
"Pure as the driven snow as always," Mukuro smirked. "We've been...playing games."
"Playing rough," purred the fox while he winked at the jagashi. "Well, I'd better freshen up. Mu-chan, please show our dear Lord Heir my little gift." At that, the fox strolled toward the bathroom with his tail swinging casually behind him.
Hiei stood glaring at the departing fox. He had never been interested in such carnal activities as fornication. Instead, he finds his release in fierce battles. The fiercer the battle, the more euphoric his climax. He understood that Mukuro have needs, but truly, she has been much too distracted ever since Youko Kurama showed up.
As if reading his mind, Mukuro said, "It's all fun and games you know. To Youko Kurama, I'm just the flavor of the month. Likewise, his pretty face and limber body can only keep me interested for so long. He's not really my type, you see. Though, having him around has been a breath of fresh air." Mukuro added, "you should do well to learn some tricks from him."
"I'm no pet. I don't do tricks." The red eye demon shot looks of disgust at Mukuro, ready to burn her to a crisp if she continued with this ridiculous talk.
Luckily for her, Mukuro did not push the issue further. "What do you need, Hiei?"
"Release the chefs," Hiei demanded. "I'd rather take my chances of being poisoned than eat charred food for the rest of my life."
Mukuro chuckled. "Well, it seems my lovely pet fox have just the trick for that." She picked up a small flowering plant from her sitting room table and presented it to Hiei. "This is a manticore orchid. It needs neither sunlight or water. Instead, its blossoms gather nutrients from eating solid food. If you feed a blossom poisonous food, it will whither and die before your eyes within a second." Mukuro smirked at Hiei. "How's that for a pretty trick?"
Hiei stared at her in response.
"Feel free to release your precious pastry chef." Mukuro dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"Hn." Hiei replied before he flitted out of the room.
Hiei has been feeling odd ever since his visit to Mukuro. Since that day, he had felt a strange stirring deep down inside. He found himself wondering what it feels like to pin a seven foot tall fox down and...be intimate with him...whatever being intimate actually means. Was it like the bloodthirsty high he gets in the heart of an intense battle?
The youko was despicable, aggravating, shrewd, ruthless, chatty, powerful, perceptive, knowledgeable, graceful, bewitching…..Hiei cut this chain of thought short. He did not like where it was taking him. Instead, Hiei focused on the task at hand - training his troops. He was drilling his Class A captains, all two hundred of them, with the goal of increasing their speed and precision. It was important to instill a "take no prisoners" mentality in them, considering that's how true battles are won. Clever gimmicks had no place in warfare.
His mind drifted back to the youko. He had been thankful - though he would never openly admit it - that the youko had discover the Makai swamp mushrooms before he had eaten them. He was further indebted to the fox when he was set free from eating burnt food for the rest of his life by the fox's manticore orchid.
Hiei scowled. He would have to ensure that his debt to the youko is paid in full.
"There you are, Lord Heir!" Youko Kurama suddenly emerged from the bushes. Speak of the devil! Hiei wondered how the fox is able to hide his ki and appear undetected every time despite his distinct rose and cedar energy signature. Mukuro emerged behind the fox.
Damn it! Her too?
"Mu-chan and I are getting bored of being cooped up in the bedroom and decided to come out for some fresh air." The fox remarked mischievously. "What say we play a little game?" The confident fox twitched his ear and swished his silver tail. Mukuro smirked behind him.
"I'm busy training my captains." Play was not an activity Hiei was familiar with.
"But the more the merrier," observed the youko, his tail now swishing to an unidentified beat. "It was so hard to convince Mu-chan to come out of her bed chamber. Can't we play a little game so she can stretch her limbs and stimulate her muscles?" The fox appealed. Behind him, Mukuro was looking highly amused.
It was becoming rare to see Mukuro outside of her bedchambers and Hiei thought it would do her good to flex her muscles and train with her troops. "What kind of game?" Hiei demanded.
"How about tag?" Hiei raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, but this isn't normal tag, you see. To win, you must find and immobilize the other players." Kurama winked and added, "By whatever means necessary, of course."
Before Hiei could respond, the fox poked him playfully on his forehead.
"You're..."
Another poke.
"..it."
As the foxed turned away towards the forest, he gestured to all two hundred of Hiei's captains and bellowed, "In fact, you're all it! It's you guys against Mu-chan and I, ok?" In a flash, Mukuro and Kurama were gone.
With a sigh, Hiei turned back to his men. "Alright men, let's treat this as a training simulation."
This was quickly becoming the most sophisticated game of tag ever. Now into day six of the game, Hiei and his captains were far away from the castle and deep in the Alarican forest. So far, the game had involved tracking, strategy, and coordination, not to mention hunting, gathering food, survival, and fighting off the beasts deep within the forest.
"Sir! No sign of King Mukuro and the Youko Kurama," reported one of the captains who had just returned to their makeshift camp on a short scouting mission. It had been over half a day since they lost the King's and the fox's trail. As a plant manipulator, the Youko had been spreading his ki signature among the greenery making it near impossible to find his exact location. Likewise, Mukuro's scent lingered in the air no matter where they were.
Four days ago, they came across what was evidently a site of recent copulation in a clearing. The scent of rose and cedar was heavy, and the trees were warped strangely. Some of the plants were manipulated into a waist high hammock-style swing that smelled strongly of Mukuro.
Two nights ago, Hiei was hot on their trail and had blasted a patch of forest into a wide open space with his dragon of darkness flame, only to find that his king and the fox had escaped yet again. Meanwhile, some of his captains have been ensnared by large, heat seeking venus fly traps, pierced by bamboo spikes bursting from the ground, and wounded by tele-kinetically controlled rocks - clearly a Mukuro touch. In fact, he have had to send almost half of his captains back to the castle to recover from their "game". Hiei had to admit that these shrewd tricks had kept him and his men completely occupied, and can see their merit in a few-against-many situation such as this. He also had to admit that the fox was more powerful than he lets on - perhaps not the brute force that Hiei normally prefers - but impressive nonetheless.
They were near the the Tourinese border now, but Hiei was too absorbed in the game to care. He felt like he was fighting Mukuro for the first time all over again. It was a intense feeling of perpetual homicidal arousal that can only be satisfied by winning and capturing Youko Kurama.
Suddenly, Hiei and his captains were surrounded by rose petals. He felt a small laceration on his cheek and realized with a start that the petals had razor sharp edges. All around him, his captains were yelping in pain and surprise. Two of the denser captains attempted to evade the petals only to be slashed all around their bodies. To counter the irritating gimmick, Hiei used his flame thrower technique to burn all the petals.
Hiei was getting frustrated. Up til now, he had not used his jagan to locate his king and the fox, because he had viewed it as cheating. But seeing that the fox had been using all of the forest's plants to confuse and harass him and his men for six days now, Hiei now felt that the use of the jagan was justifiable.
He ripped off the ward on his forehead to reveal his jagan and closed his two blood red eyes. The jagan opened and felt around the forest. Far off, perhaps three hours away from their current location at Hiei's top speed, it sensed two powerful energies twisted together. Furthermore, it seemed as if the two energies are entangled in a full fledged battle. Had the fox and his king grown tired of waiting for them? How dare they spar without him!
"I'm on their trail!" Hiei shouted to his captains and flitted towards the throbbing energies.
Author's Note Continued: This chapter was fun to write! Especially the last part highlighting all their fighting techniques!
As I was writing, I found that I would pause to speak dialogue out loud in the tone of each character to check whether or not it sounds right. Is it working? Does anyone have other tricks for writing in character dialogue?
Next chapter, we're shifting POV to Yusuke! Let's see what he's up to in Tourin.