Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, but secretly wished I do. Contains OOC.
I thank you all who review me and read this story. I apologize to anyone I would offend with my story. I also change Hiei's appearance, well, height actually. Sorry.
Yes, this is a Hiei/Kurama.
Chapter 1
"What on earth do you mean, hand over my wallet you scum?" Kurama stood in the narrow, cobbled alley and stared in outraged disbelief at the scar-faced man wielding a big knife. It was all too much.
He was hot, tired and thoroughly disgusted. His canvas-and-leather flight bag and backpack hung heavily from his shoulders and his camera felt like weights around his neck. His shirt and jeans was damp with perspiration and sadly wrinkled from several hours of sitting in a cramped coach-class airline seat. The traveling had become an endless nightmare. Kurama was convinced that owing to some oversight on his part during a previous lifetime he was now doomed to travel through this South Seas experience forever, never again to know the comforts of civilization.
The creep standing in front of him waving the knife was definitely the last straw.
"You heard me."
The unkempt man reminded Kurama of a rat. The man darted a nervous glance over Kurama's shoulder and then back to his own. Satisfied that the alley was still deserted except for his victim, he motioned with the wicked-looking weapon. "I said give me your wallet. I ain't like I got all day, y'know."
"You've obviously spent so much time in this heat that you've fried what few brains you've got. Quite understandable. This place is an oven. But pay attention. If I'd wanted to get mugged, I could have stayed home. I have not endured an endless flight, eaten rotten airline food, had my luggage lost and missed my connections just to wind up turning over my wallet to the first two-bit thief who comes along."
"Jesus, lady, will you keep your voice down?"
"Why should I keep my voice down? And what is it with you people on this island? This is like the second time since I've arrive that someone mistook me for a girl. " Kurama's voice already laced with outrage, rose yet another notch in volume. "Besides, I have no intention of handing over my wallet or anything else to you. Now get out of this alley and leave me alone."
"Now look here, you crazy bastard." The man waved the knife threateningly, but he took a step back when Kurama's eyes narrowed. Once more he glanced anxiously over his shoulder. "I ain't got time to be nice about this."
"Neither do I." Kurama grabbed his camera and held it up to one eye. He focused on his target and squeezed the shutter-release button. The man's mouth fell open in shock. "A charming pose. You know, if you knew what I've been through today, I'm sure you'd find yourself another poor helpless tourist to rob. I am not in a good mood."
"I don't care what kind of mood you're in."
Kurama ignored his interruption. "Furthermore, I am a person who has been under a great deal of stress lately, according to my friends. People who have been under stress are unpredictable and dangerous. You never know what they're going to do." She squeezed off another shot.
"Hey, what are you doin'?" The man swore and leaped back another step, instinctively raising a hand to shield his face. "Stop takin' pictures of me. What's the matter with you? Just give me your damned wallet."
"Very well if you insist." Kurama let the camera fall to his waist. Grimly, he let the heavy shoulder flight bag slide to the pavement. He then tugged at the zippers of his backpack.
"That's better. Come on, come on."
"This," Kurama said through his teeth, "has been the worst trip of my entire life and I've hardly gotten started. I can't wait to get home and tell my friends what they did to me. Here. You want my wallet? Help yourself." Kurama turned his unzipped backpack upside down and dumped the contents at his feet.
The would-be thief swore again in a strangled-sounding voice. "You're crazy. You know that? Crazy."
"Stressed, not crazy. There's a difference. If I were crazy, I might actually be enjoying myself."
"What the hell do you think you're doin'?"
"Getting myself robbed." Kurama finished emptying the backpack. "Come and get it, you scum."
"Get out of my way." The man edged cautiously forward. "Get back. Go on, get back."
"Is there a good living in this sort of thing?" Kurama watched as the man hunkered and worked his way closer to where his wallet lay on the ground.
"Shut up. Just shut up, will you? Don't you ever close that damned mouth of yours?" The man lunged towards the wallet.
Kurama waited until the last second and then swiftly kicked out the hand holding the knife.
"Aargh!"
Caught off balanced, the thief dropped the knife and scurried to one side like a small, startled crab. Kurama took a step forward and kicked him again, this time catching the man in afar more vulnerable spot.
"Damn you, you crazy, stupid bastard! You're a real nut, you know that?" The man rolled to one side, hugging himself. He lurched to his feet, backing away from Kurama. Then the man's nervous eyes flicked to a point behind Kurama. He cursed, turned and fled.
"That's it!" Kurama yelled after the man, his hands on her hips. "Run like the coward you are. You remind me of my stupid EX-s, you scum."
But the man was long gone. Grumbling Kurama knelt on the cobblestones to retrieve his belongings. It was not a simple task because his fingers were shaking.
"Did you kick all your EX-s around like that, or did Sharp Arnie just remind you of someone special?" inquired a deep, amused male voice from behind her.
With a gasp, Kurama shot to his feet and spun around. A man lounged in the alley entrance. The man was taller than him, a couple of inches over six feet, lean and hard and broad shouldered. He had jet-black hair with a white sunburst in the middle. Caught in the harsh glare and deep shadows cast by the intense tropical sun, the man looked infinitely more dangerous than the earlier man with the knife. The slashing, wicked grin that revealed his teeth did nothing to soften the impression.
But far more unsettling than the dangerous quality was the fact that the stranger looked eerily familiar. Yet Kurama was certain he had never seen him before in his life. He would not be likely to forget those fiery red eyes.
"Who are you? His accomplice?" But even as he asked the question Kurama knew this man did not eke out a hand-to-mouth existence taking wallets from innocent tourists. If he chose crime as a career path, he'd go into it in a big way. He'd be a jewel thief or a mob leader. Two hundred years ago, he would have been a pirate.
"That troublemaker doesn't have any friends, let alone accomplices."
"You know him?"
"Sharp Arnie and I have encountered each occasionally over the years. We're not exactly pals."
"Oh." Kurama frowned. "Did he run off because he saw you?"
"I believe he ran off because he thought he was going to get stomped to the ground trying to retrieve your wallet." He said smirking.
"I was certainly going to do my best to stomp him. The nerve of some people. Shouldn't we be notifying the authorities or something?"
"Sharp Arnie will be taken care of in due time. Don't worry about him. It's a small island."
"I'll be happy to file a complaint or press charges or whatever one does in this sort of situation."
"Don't bother. We're not real formal around here. Guess I'd better give you a hand picking that junk up or we'll be stuck on Ruby all day"
The man levered himself away from the gray wall and paced toward Kurama. He moved with an easy, coordinated stride that bespoke strength. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and an equally faded khaki shirt. The collar of the shirt was open, and Kurama realized he was staring at the man's strong chest. Kurama caught himself and came back to his senses instantly as he realized the stranger was reaching for his valuables.
"Hold on just one second before you touch my things. Who are you?"
"Hiei Jaganshi. You're Kurama Minamino, right?"
Kurama eyed him warily. He didn't look like a fan who might have recognized him from a photo the publisher put on the inside of his book's back cover.
"How do you know my name?"
"I've been looking for you. Billy said you'd gotten tired of waiting around for your ride to Amethyst Island and had decided to do some sight-seeing."
"Billy being the Billy of Billy's Ruby Island Dive and Tackle shop? The same Billy who told me that through no fault of my own I had missed the one flight a day to Amethyst Island? The Bill who was going to arrange for me to spend the night in that fleabag of a hotel on the waterfront until I informed him that if he did not contact the management at the resort on Amethyst Island at once and tell them to send a boat I would be leaving on the next plane for the states?"
Hiei winced. "Sounds like the same Billy, all right. He owns that fleabag of a hotel, by the way. But you're in luck. When his message arrived I decided to come over and pick you up."
"I should think so," Kurama said. "I'm booked into Crystal Cove Resort for a solid month. The least the resort can do is provide convenient transportation."
"Take it easy. I'm here, aren't I? You've got your transportation. What do you say we get moving? I've got better things to do than hang around here on Ruby."
"So do I. I certainly hope Crystal Cove Resort offer a few more amenities than Billy's hotel does."
"Crystal Cove offers everything you'll need for a relaxing vacation on a tropical island," Hiei said. "Within minutes after your arrival you will discover that time has slowed to an ancient, unhurried crawl and you are in another world."
"You're quoting directly from the brochure, aren't you?"
"Yeah, standard procedures." replied Hiei frowning a little. "My younger sister forces me to read it to every tourist. Says it get them more exited."
"Smart girl." Kurama said with a small smile. "So, how long have you work in Crystal Cove?"
"Since it was built. I own the place." Hiei the strap of Kurama's flight bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Ready?"
"You're the owner?!" Kurama asked surprised as he and Hiei made there way back to Billy's.
End of chapter 1
Sorry to anyone I offend with the change in Hiei's height. Thanx for reading.