Hey, I'm back. They fixed me up and I can type again YAY. Not that more than two people actually read this, but here's an update. (actually, technically, The Dark Wyvern doesn't count, because he's partly writing this...)
DISCLAIMERS (because, really, the legal department has nothing better to do than prosecute harmless writers all day) YYH and characters what started there belong to the mind what thunk 'em up and/or the suits what bought the rights. Worlds Collide is the title of an album by Apocalyptica. Any OC's including, but not limited to, Pyro and Hillock are mine, as is the (ahem) plot. (plot summary: things happen, they think its fixed, more things happen, more things happen, shit goes to hell, maybe there's a happy ever after. Its my standard plotline.)
The next morning saw Pyro headed out to work. It was close by, so she liked to walk there as often as possible. No sooner had she turned to cut across the grass than Kurama fell into step beside her.
"And where are you off to this fine sunshiny morning?" Pyro asked, surprising herself with her lack of sarcasm.
Kurama chuckled. "Work. I can't just sit home and wait for something to happen."
Pyro nodded. "If I may ask, where do you work?"
Kurama waited until they had crossed the two-lane road before responding. "The nursery down the road, I believe it is called Leon's." He stayed as far from her as he could without seeming rude.
She shrugged. "Makes sense, I mean, where else would a plant manipulating demon work? An advertising agency?"
He attempted not to snort at the aptness of her guess.
She continued. "Though, you are the type what could model quite successfully, so, can't rule that out."
He flat out laughed at that. "Thank Inari they never showed that particular beverage add campaign here. And I have no desire to ever do that again."
"Lets be serious a moment here, say you had to chose, boring desk job, or playing with plants all day. You would chose plants. I know I did."
Kurama chuckled.
"I started last year, as soon as it opened. Now I'm a supervisor, and I'm told I'm days from getting the Assistant Manager position, so I'm most likely your guide to the nursery today."
"You will most likely be seeing me quite a bit more than that, as I have gotten the Supervisor position you will be vacating."
Pyro grinned broadly. "Sweet. If the reputation is anything to go by, you should be trained fairly quickly. A lot faster than some of the morons on the team now."
"I'm sure they can't be that bad."
The pair started their walk back at the end of the day. As they walked, both checked their cell phones.
"Yusuke has asked that I pick up milk on the way." He chuckled as he read the next text to himself. "Apparently, Hiei has picked up on drinking it along with Kuwabara. Hiei has explicitly asked that I do not bring home the 'coloured water the Witch's Human drinks' direct quote."
Pyro giggled. "Yeah, I need to pick up milk too. And some earplugs for the neighbors, so they don't hear... erm, something they ought not hear." She blushed slightly.
Kurama chuckled. "I had not expected Tim to promote you so quickly. It is safe to assume your celebrations tend to get quite loud, is it not?"
Pyro blushed more. "Oh, its safe to assume all right. Though, I half thought Tim was gonna fire my ass when he called me in."
"Since you will be knocking on Yusuke's door anyway, would you mind delivering the milk?" Kurama asked the brunette girl as they approached the apartment building they both called home.
"Oh sure. Should stave off the awkwardness of the earplug delivery." Pyro shifted the small tub that boasted its contents were '500 noise canceling earplugs.'
"Think you bought enough?" Kurama chuckled.
She blushed a deep shade of crimson, almost matching his hair. "Um, probably not, but after this warning, they can buy their own."
They parted ways at the top of the steps, he to his apartment, she to her delivery. Standing in front of the door next to her own, she had an 'oh shit' moment. But, the kitsune had said they texted, and implied that at least one idiot would be home, so she pounded on the door.
Yusuke answered it. "Geeze, Witchy, where's the fire?"
"Erm, Kuwabara's aura?" She held up the bag and tub in her hands. "I come bearing gifts of milk and earplugs."
Yusuke chuckled. "Warning taken. Thanks."
Pyro made a hasty retreat.
The team and their reluctant protectees settled into a regular routine. Kuwabara found a job as a nurse in a veterinarian's office nearby. Kurama and Pyro walked to work together every morning, and back again in the evening. Yusuke and Hillock decided to team up for practice sessions in the woods near Hillock's parent's house. They also helped out with any work that needed done on the property.
That being said, it was days before any of them discovered what Hiei did with his days.
Once again, Kurama and Pyro were asked to run small errands for the others on the way home from work. She had ventured into the toy isle for a much needed pack of foam darts for her fiancee when her path was partly blocked by a familiar scowl under a shock of black spiked hair.
"Holy shit, when the hell did you get a HUMAN job?" Pyro giggled.
Hiei turned his glare on her. "I started here two days ago. It is, a matter of image." He carefully stacked small square boxes made of brightly coloured plastic. "What is the point of these ridiculous things?"
"To be ridiculous. Human children don't mature as fast as demon children, and need silly toys to keep them occupied." Pyro giggled. She plucked the package of foam darts off the shelf. "And these keep Hillock from putting any more plastic pellet dents in the walls. Or breaking lampshades."
Kurama joined the girl, spotted Hiei, then growled slightly. He turned and walked away without asking the question he had walked over to ask Pyro.
She turned and watched the fox stalk off. "Did I say something?"
"No. You did nothing." Hiei turned to place the next set of boxes. "I have offended his fox."
"Oh." Pyro still sounded confused. "Well, if you need to avoid a pissy red head later, we can do some minor work with energies in my apartment. Hill and I have some pretty decent wards in place."
Hiei's eyes widened slightly. Her kindness was something he would never get used to.
Kurama waited until the door had fully closed behind his former partner in crime before speaking. "Did you mean to make a challenge with that job of yours?"
Hiei rolled his eyes. "No, Fox. If you were thinking, you would know that."
"You know I have no problem working and shopping so that you do not have to interact with the humans." Kurama sighed.
"Fox, you know as well as I do that the standard for the area is both members of a non-intimate living arrangement work. Since we display no signs of wealth, we should both work." Hiei said slowly, as if explaining to a drunk.
"You do not need to add mockery to your list of offenses." Kurama growled.
"I was not mocking you. Get your head out of your ass." Hiei growled. "I was attempting to do as you have always asked and blend in with the local cultural norms." The mildly pissed fire demon stalked to the door.
"Hiei, wait. I..." Kurama bowed his head. "Gomenasai."
Hiei paused. "I'm sure. The witch has asked for a small lesson in fire work."
"Keep yer damn pants on! I can only move so fast!" Pryo's voice reached the ears of the fire demon pounding on the door.
Hiei's hand faltered mid-strike. "Its Hiei." he announced, and immediately wondered why he made that concession to Human courtesy.
The door opened, revealing the brunette. She held a dishtowel in one hand. "Fox on your case?" She swung the door open further. "Figured he would be, so I made extra. Hill's still out beating your menace to society."
"Hn. The Detective is not mine." Hiei grumbled, accepting her unspoken request to enter.
"Yeah, well, Red is, and obviously, he's being a dick." Pyro giggled. "Chill out while I finish up, then we can get to work."
Hiei snuck into the kitchen behind her. He waited until the girl had gone back to her abandoned task, then spun her to face him and held his dagger to her throat. "Your man is not here to protect you, should you not be more wary of who you let in your house?"
Pyro gave the demon a wicked grin and tapped her carving knife against his groin. "Just because I'm a pretty girl doesn't mean I need a man to protect me."
"Remove your blade from my groin." Hiei growled, pressing his dagger into the skin just below her jaw.
Her response was to press the tip of her blade firmly into the place his femoral artery pulsed.
He replied in kind. "I will not tell you again."
Her blade pressed harder, sliding through the material of his work pants. "I remove my blade when I no longer feel threatened."
A light tap, followed by the sound of the door being opened fractionally tried to break the tension of violence. "Hiei?"
"Hey, Red. Ya might as well join us." Pyro said, not looking away from her opponent.
"Hiei!" Kurama's voice conveyed the shock neither combatant would turn to see. "Do you have some sort of deathwish?"
Pyro rolled her eyes. "Obviously, he does." She pressed her blade closer by another fraction of an inch.
Hiei's eyes flashed in response to the kitsune's unspoken command. In the space between blinks, the fire demon had crossed to the other side of the living area. He winced at the sting of the wound the witch had given him, and knew he felt his own blood run out to stain his black pants.
A fine line of bright red blood bloomed on her pale skin, none ran.
Kurama rushed to the girl. "Dammit, Hiei. The 'broken witch' will not be the downfall of this mission, you will." He tilted her head up gently to examine the depth of the wound. "And you had better thank the gods you barely scratched her."
Whatever else he meant to growl was forgotten as she swung her knife up to smack the unopened antiseptic swab from his hands. "You make one move to recover that, and I swear I will do worse to you than draw a little blood."
Both demons watched the bead of red-black blood draw a line down the length of the carving knife.
"Blood for blood." Pyro shrugged. "Now both of you get the hell out." She turned away to try to wash the knife.
Kurama attempted to speak.
"Get. OUT!" She yelled.
Just like that, both demons found themselves staring at her apartment door.
I was going to add another scene, but, since one of the writers on here whom I read all the time has finally posted after her hiatus, I feel guilty about making you fine folks wait another day. So, go thank Totidem Verbis for once again kicking my ass. Any confusion about pyro's sudden psycho is my fault. Mea culpa. It will be resolved, and fairly quickly, because its that time again ladies and gents, pyro feochadan is galavanting off, and The Dark Wyvern shall be at my elbow as I type, so we might even get out two chapters! Lol. Ok, later peeps.