When Aimi came to, she slowly opened her eyes. Everything was fuzzy. 'Must've hit my head or something...' she thought, thinking about the fact that everything was fuzzy because of a painful bump on her head. She used her mind's eye to find out what time it was. ' 9:30 pm? Dang, I slept a while...' She then suddenly remembered 10:30's events, and sat bolt upright, feeling a sharp pain in her right side. The winced, then looked down. Her whole torso was bandaged, but she could tell that she had a large gash and bruise on her right side. 'How the hell did that happen?' She looked around, noticing a chance to take in her surroundings. Her eyes bulged with fear.
She was lying in a bed with pink sheets and red hearts. The room's walls were a hot pink color, and just about everything else in the room...was PINK. "AAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed, leaping painfully out of the bed and dashing over into a corner of the room. She screamed again and Kayko came bursting into the room.
"What's wrong, Aimi ?" she concernedly asked.
"It's...it's...it's..." she stuttered, not being able to get the words out.
"Oh dear," said Kurama, poking his head through the door and getting a look at the room. "This isn't good..."
"Hey you!" Kayko yelled, attempting to push Kurama out the door, "out of my room! This is a girl's only room!"
"But Aimi 's...well, let's just say that she doesn't much like pink."
"Huh?"
"Kurama-san!" wailed Aimi , still frightened and jumping towards him, "It's so scary! Take it away!"
"What's wrong with her?" asked a totally confused Kayko.
"When she was small, out parents decorated her room pink, and ever since, for some strange reason, she's always despised the color; to the point of...well...this," he explained, motioning to her shocked and afraid expression.
"That's kinda sad when you think about it..." said Kayko.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, so it's life," he said, leading Aimi downstairs.
They were obviously in Kayko's house, but how they got there—and why they got there, for that matter—was still unknown to Aimi . "Uhhh," muttered Aimi once Kurama had sat her in a chair in the living room downstairs where everyone else was sitting, except for Hiei who was leaning against the wall closest to the door, "what exactly happened while I was passed out?"
"Hiei, you were the one most involved with everything; why don't you explain?"
"Me?" he said indignantly, "Why me? You were the one with her the whole time!"
"Ah, but you were the one who protected her the whole time," said Kurama, almost sneering. Hiei seethed with anger
There was an awkward silence in the room, then Hiei blushed very slightly and muttered, "Damn you, Kurama. Fine then, I'll tell you all while you're here...
"When Aimi passed out, I guarded Kurama and her from an onslaught of demons that were trying to get them—or should I say you," he said, staring directly into Aimi 's eyes. For the first time, she noticed that he had glinting, almost ruby red eyes. She blushed slightly, and then Hiei continued. "When the onslaught slowed, Kurama and I decided to find shelter; otherwise they would just come again. We didn't go far so that we could still reach his house in case we needed to. Apparently, when we got here, we noticed that Aimi had gashed her side on something, so we wrapped it up, told everyone to come over here, and then put her in Kayko's bed. Any questions?"
Kuwabara raised his hand. Hiei rolled his eyes and said, glaring at Kuwabara, "What fool?"
'I'm not a fool, damn it!' Aimi heard Kuwabara think. He then calmed down and took a breath, asking, "Why the hell were those demons after Aimi anyway?"
"I'll take it from here," Kurama said, noticing Hiei's confused and surprised expression.
'He actually thought of a question worth asking...' Aimi could hear Hiei thought-speak.
'His mind's guard is down today...' thought Aimi , 'Wonder why...'
"The reason the demons were after Aimi ," announced Kurama, bringing Aimi back from the thought of the surrounding people, "was because Aimi isn't really my sister."
"What!" yelled Aimi , Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Hiei in surprise. Especially loud was Aimi, not wanting to believe what her guardian had told her.
"We adopted her when she was small. More like took her in. You see, one day when I was walking, I found her lying in the field next to the school, and ran home and told my mother. She told me to go get her and take her home, which I did. We named her Aimi because it can be roughly translated into either fire or water, and we instantly realized that she was both, or rather I did, I Begged my mother, and she let me name the girl that I would for years to come, call my sister.. So her name literally means 'water fire'. Another reason we named her that is because I could sense her parents in her."
Aimi was confused. 'I was adopted...? I had different parents...? I always thought that I was really Kurama's blood sister...' Kurama sensed this and mentally comforted her while continuing with the story.
"I could tell that her father was a fire demon, and her mother half water demon." The whole room gasped. Now Aimi somewhat understood. 'No wonder I was always interested by fire...and why I'm such a good swimmer...I wonder if it also has something to do with the fact that I suck at climbing trees, cause I'm not part earth demon or something...'
"Aimi ," said Kurama seriously, turning to her, "hold out your right hand, palm up, but clenched in a fist." She did so. "Now think of nothing but a small flame, big enough to fit into your hand. Think of nothing else, and just concentrate on that flame."
'Flame, flame, flame...' Aimi thought.
"Now," Kurama continued, when he could tell she was oblivious to anything else, "open your fist quickly and say, "'Hi'"
"Hi!" she shouted, opening her eyes to see what would happen. Suddenly, once she opened her fist, a small flame appeared there. She could feel its warm, but it didn't burn her skin, regardless of the fame touching it. Everyone stared. Even Hiei seemed interested by now.
Kurama grinned. "Good, my hunch was right. Now, if this lucky streak continues, then you should be able to...okay. Now hold out your left hand and do the same thing, but this time think of a small fountain of water from your hand.
'Water, water, water, water...'
"Now open your fist again and say, 'Mizu!'"
"Mizu!" Suddenly a small fountain of water shot from her hand and went up about ½ a foot, then came back down, then went back up, then down; just like a real fountain. This one got 'Ooh's' and 'Aah's'. Aimi blushed slightly and clenched her fist again to make the water stop. She didn't like quite that much attention.
"So," Aimi heard Hiei mutter, "I was right. She isn't any normal human..."
"So now you see, Aimi ," said Kurama, "that you can control fire and water with a certain amount of practice. You can control small flames and waves, but it will take training to be able for you to control the sea or catch a building on fire, which I wouldn't let you do anyway," he quickly added, noting the excited expression on Aimi 's face at the mention of setting a building on fire. Her face fell when he corrected himself.
"Since my father was a full fire demon and my mother half water demon, that would make me ½ fire demon, ¼ water demon, and ¼ human, right?" inquired Aimi .
"Yes, it would," replied Kurama. "But you have to be careful. You are the first human/demon mix with all these abilities in this unique situation. That was why the demons were after you. Someone must be controlling them to capture you."
"But why would anyone want to capture me? It's not like if they marry me they'll get super-powers like the ones I have, is it?" Aimi laughed, then stopped when she saw Kurama's serious face. "You're joking, right?" she asked—more like pleaded.
"I'm afraid not," said Kurama, shaking his head. "There will only be more demons—and even humans if they know of this power—after you for your power. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to be even more careful than usual when you're alone."
"Well jeez, that kinda sucks. Are you saying I need a bodyguard like those stupid, ditsy American pop-stars? Ha! Give me a break!" she exploded.
"Actually, yes," replied Kurama in the same tone he was using before.
"Haha!" she laughed, still joking around, not taking anything with seriousness. then continued to say, "And what? You're going to have Hiei be my bodyguard, right? Haha! That'd be hilarious..." she trailed off, trying to think of the most hilarious person for that situation, yes, it would in fact be Hiei, but then again she was noticing Kurama's expression.
"As a matter of fact, yes. Hiei will now be like your protector as of now. He'll go with you everywhere."
"What!" Hiei and Aimi screamed. Obviously Hiei hadn't been expecting this.
"Even to the bathroom! And what about when I take a shower...ew..." she shivered. "And also, he looks so much like a stalker already, with his Goth look and everything..."
"Do you think that I seriously want to go with you everywhere!" asked Hiei to Aimi . "I mean, sure Yusuke might be happy to be your bodyguard but," he said, turning to Kurama and roaring, "WHY ME!"
"Because you both somewhat understand each other, since you're both part fire demon. And also, just because she's adopted doesn't mean I don't care for my little sister. I don't trust Yusuke or Kuwabara because they might molest her, and I don't want to take that chance."
Aimi laughed as Yusuke yelled, "Damn, Kurama! Way to spoil all the fun, I almost had her melting in my palm!"
She threw him the most disgusted face she could muster and rolled her eyes. "No, not really," Aimi said after finishing laughing. "I never liked you in the first place! "
"Anyway," Kurama said gaining control over the group again, "I also trust Hiei with my life, so I'll trust him with my sister's as well. Good luck with that, Hiei."
Hiei growled and teleported away. Aimi tried to find his mind to find out where he went, but Hiei had remembered this time to block her out. 'Fine, be like that, new bodyguard,' she mocked as she thought-messaged him, putting major emphasis on 'bodyguard'. What was really bothering her, though was, why could Kurama just do it himself? Although, it would probably be very easy for demons to find her if it was her own brother that was constantly with her. Duh. But still……ARG.
'Grrrrrrr,' she heard him reply. She laughed and went up to Kayko's room.
She changed the room's color in her mind by just thinking that it was black, blue, and silver, her favorite colors, and she also imagined that instead of hearts on the sheets of the bed, there were dragons. When she opened her eyes, the room was as it was in her mind. Kayko would kill her if she just left it like this, so she decided she'd change it back later. All the information Kurama told her made her head spin, and her side was hurting like hell, so she decided to go to bed.
Right before she fell asleep, she messaged Hiei again saying, 'Yo, I'm goin' to sleep now, so you might as well hang around the house to protect me, bodyguard.'
"I am," Hiei said out loud, suddenly standing next to her bed. Aimi jumped at the sound and opened her eyes quickly to see him.
"You don't have to be in the room, just in the vicinity," she said angrily. She was somewhat uncomfortable sleeping in the same room that Hiei was in.
Hiei smirked at her, then teleported to the window seat. "Heh, no way. If I have a chance to torment you, then I'll take every chance I get."
"Damn you," she said, angrily again. Inside she was actually happy thought that of all people, Hiei-kun was watching over her. She opened her mind to let him know that without actually having to tell him. She could tell he twitched in either annoyance or he had an itch, but she could see in the bright moonlight reflecting off his face that he was blushing ever so slightly.
Aimi fell asleep with a smile on her face.
When Hiei sensed that she was asleep, he walked over to her and pulled the covers up on her and put an extra blanket on her. He looked at her for a few minutes, then went back over to the window seat and stared out the window, his face scowling, but a medium shade of pink.