They don't walk alongside each other. Hiei glides along tree branches and rooftops where they're available, unable to keep pace with Yukina's slow steps when they aren't. The evening air vibrates with his heat, leaving a trail for her to follow.
If she weren't already in a haze, the journey's surreality would strike her. In the past few decades she's seen little of her twin. They haven't said what they are in so many words, but they must both know, the same way they always knew group reunions would have someone who shared their quiet demeanor and suspicion of human inventions. Once when a gathering overwhelmed Yukina, she stepped outside and found him up in a tree. Not wanting to bother him, she sat at its base, playing with a squirrel. As she stood she invited him inside, which made his eyes widen as he'd apparently thought he was hidden.
But at some point Hiei lost track of the way humans age, returning from a long spell of training to find his greying friends settled into their responsibilities, and Yukina supposes he couldn't handle the shock. She stopped feeling him in the forest while the rest of them played on the beech, or finding unaccounted for gaps in snacks at their get-togethers. Her fantasies of him clearing the air about their relation and sweeping her away for a family trip dimmed to hopes that he'd return to Human World, to hopes that he was happy, to hopes that he was alive.
It's not quite the trip she envisioned, but he's alive and with her, more than can be said about her friends.
In the middle of a field he stops beside what seems to be empty air before his katana slices it. Yukina peers around his shoulder at the void. When Tarukane's henchmen brought her to Human World, she was unconscious. Though she's touched both worlds, the space between lies unseen.
Whatever darkness she expected, she's met instead with flashing lights that make her squint. Within seconds she's nursing a headache. "It's just like Kazuma's video games," she mutters. Hiei makes a sputtering sound she doesn't ask after.
Without warning any semblance of floor drops away. Yukina falls through empty air, too disoriented to do more than clutch her suitcase. The mountains spiking the horizon don't seem to change position, but then she's below tree level and in Hiei's arms.
For a moment she clings, seeking the warmth she lacked at the recent wake. He eases her down and her feet touch Demon World soil for the first time in decades.
Soil isn't the right word. Not so much as a sprout grows in the cracked ground, the forest distant enough to hide whatever lives within. Though fireflies no longer float beside her, she doesn't need them to see the purple night sky. The cloying scent of exhaust has been replaced with raw, heady stenches, and the air presses down on her, perhaps because it's thinner up in the Glacial Village. She thought she'd forgotten.
They come to a stream that runs rusty from some kind of mineral and follow its winding path between plateaus. Red and purple funguses grow along the bank, making her wish Kurama were there, though even without his advice she knows not to touch them.
Hiei doesn't speak, but he's close beside her now, his wrist twitching in his pocket. The set of his jaw tells her that something is wrong. She doesn't ask what, silently putting one foot in front of the other.
They're passing under a cliff when he hooks an arm around her waist and draws her into an indent in the rock, leaning to whisper in her ear.
"Don't move a muscle until I return."A chill rushes in as he vanishes.
Sounds of battle slip around the bend. Rock presses down on Yukina's head and jabs against the back of her locked knees. They give an inch. She's good at becoming a statue, but the plaster chips from doubt. Hiei is a swift fighter—if he hadn't run into trouble, he would have already dispatched any threats.
The shouts and energy bursts dwindle. He doesn't return. A bead of sweat runs down Yukina's temple like a snowman beginning to melt.
Carefully she sets down her suitcase and creeps along the cliff side, poking her nose around the corner. A trio of horned demons stands in a triangle. Yukina stifles a gasp as she finds Hiei squirming against rock, one of the demons pinning his right arm. A palm covers his mouth, the fingers holding down the lid of his Jagan. The third demon wrestles with his remaining limbs, shielded from neck to belt by a metal plate that his heels glance harmlessly off. Laughing, the demon grabs his ankle and twists.
Unable to watch, Yukina calls out, sending a blast of icy wind to distract them. Hiei sees her first, fear stretching his eyes in a way his predicament hadn't. The others follow his gaze, and the armored demon lets go to walk steadily toward her.
The problem with ice powers is that using them requires shutting out her emotions. Genkai was a fierce instructor, but Yukina felt safe with her. It's different freezing her anxiety while a killer strong enough to oppose Hiei bears down on her. He's taller than he looked from a distance, his horns winding to sickening points, his armor scorched from what must have been Hiei's failed attack. Bile rises in her throat.
Luckily, grief has numbed her enough to let her conjure ice at her fingertips. She clutches her fists to her chest, hidden weapons slicing the fabric as the attacker's shadow falls over her. Hiei screams her name. It aids her tactic, but almost distracts her from her gambit.
Just as rotten breath bathes her face, she lifts her chin and flicks her wrist, flinging tiny darts of ice into the attacker's many eyes. The demon howls, swiping inaccurately enough for her to duck under and away. A swishing tail brushes her leg.
Her wrist trembles as she runs, knowing she missed her chance to attack, knowing she isn't prepared to take life, knowing she can only buzz about the enemy like a fly until she's squashed.
The demon stomps behind her. Not daring to check if he's blinded, she enters the stream, feeling it slosh around her ankles and soak into her socks. Several paces in she turns and sees her attacker standing on the bank, too savvy to follow an ice apparition into water. A battle rages behind him, but she can't take her eyes off of him to see how Hiei is faring.
Some kind of slug oozes over her foot. As she shakes it off, she gets an idea, kicking hard enough to splash the water as she flings her sandal at the enemy. It slaps the top of the metal plate and slides off.
Still blinking rapidly from her attack, the demon stares down at the shoe. "You're not even worth using to torture him," he says before turning to go.
Yukina bites hard enough to taste blood, teal energy glowing around her behind the enemy's back. She zooms in on the water splattered by her shoe. Some has slipped inside the armor, joining sweat. Freezing it, she applies as much pressure as she can muster. The moisture expands.
As the metal cracks, a blast of black flames takes advantage of the opening to hit the demon's exposed chest, swallowing a resulting scream. It dissipates in a swirl of smoke before it reaches the water.
Breathing heavily, she tries to get her bearings. The other two enemies are little more than soot in the background. Hiei is at her side before she can find him among it.
"I thought I told you not to move. Dammit, I didn't expect demons like that to be prowling this far out."
"It's all right—I'm all right. How about you?"
He ignores her question, studying her. When he sees she's fine, his lip curls. "Congratulations for not following orders. They clearly didn't anticipate an ice maiden as their downfall."
"I counted on that…though I didn't do much. Did you know them? They seemed to know your weaknesses."
Hurt pride wipes any trace of a smile from his face. "No, I didn't. Ugh, they weren't even that strong."
His Jagan flashes. In the past she thought his eyes mirrored hers, but she realizes they can't if they don't number the same. The third isn't even red, but purple, as if her hair and eyes had been mixed on a palette. He can't have been born with it, she thinks, her windpipes tightening.
The way his brow furrows at the stream pulls her away from the thought—of course a fire demon would hate getting wet. She giggles, wondering if he just now noticed. The sight of his wounds sobers her. He isn't bleeding much, but he's plenty bruised, with at least one nasty cut across his arm.
"Please, let me heal you," she says. He looks up at her with surprise, then turns away.
"It's just a scratch."
"It could get infected. Plus, I need to check for internal damage, and…"
Pulling away from her reach, he returns to the shore. She has to bite her tongue not to point out that there's no point in acting tough when she already saw him cornered.
With disinterest he glances at the gash and licks the blood dripping down his arm. Yukina's seen demons lick swords clean to scare their opponents—they'd cock their chin and smirk, running their tongue slowly along the blade. This is more like watching a cat's rough little tongue lap at spilt milk. He stops to retrieve his sword, and she exits the stream, stepping carefully around the charred remains to pick up her sandal.
For the rest of the trip Hiei keeps his distance. By the time they reach their destination the sky is red, like someone swiped blood across the purple canvas. At first Yukina mistakes the mobile fortress for a giant demon; it's the shape of a centipede, its face emerging from foliage and stopping scant feet away from them with a whirring sound. Its mouth drops open to extend a ramp like a tongue.
"Come on," Hiei says. "Only fools keep Mukuro waiting." He ascends the ramp, and Yukina follows him, letting the beast swallow her up.
"You're late."
Mukuro says it without turning. She's crouched beside a set of blank monitors, her head inside a silver box. Hiei folds his arms.
"A welcoming party that shouldn't have been anywhere near the border wasted our time. What the hell has everyone here been doing?"
The hand Mukuro waves clutches something sharp that doesn't look as if it should be waved. "I've been dealing with a bunch of metal junk throwing tantrums. If the patrols are wimping out, too, I can't be bothered. You take care of it now that you're here."
"He was injured protecting me," Yukina bursts out. She's been making herself small, thinking about how little Demon World etiquette she knows. "He needs to rest before he fights again."
Hiei gives her a sharp look. "I'll take care of it," he tells Mukuro.
Mukuro's head emerges, spinning toward Yukina with one wide eye that seems to scrutinize her better than most could with five. Yukina doesn't breathe until Mukuro's face smoothes. She rests the tool over her shoulder as she stands.
"So you made it in one piece. Hiei, take our guest to her room. Further instructions will come later."
For all her brusqueness, Mukuro's speech is level, almost mechanical. It puts Yukina at ease despite herself. Though she would expect Hiei to buck against orders, he whisks her out before she can do more than thank Mukuro for her hospitality.
She watches her feet to avoid stumbling on the uneven ground, which is made of the same red, veined material as the ramp-tongue, like they're truly in the beast's belly. In close quarters Hiei can't hide how he drags one foot as he walks, grimacing every handful of steps. Yukina halts.
"I knew it. You are injured."
"I said it's fine." Hiei's voice is a low hiss.
"It's your ankle, isn't it? I can fix it if you let me."
Hiei swivels his head toward a couple of demons that had been carrying monitors down the hall. Their stares travel between Yukina and Hiei's leg until his glare sends them off.
Upon reaching her room he shuts the door, his Jagan glowing like he's checking for eavesdroppers. "You aren't in Human World anymore. Nobody is going to thank you for drawing attention to their weaknesses."
"I wasn't trying—I was only worried about you."
That catches him off guard for a second before he turns away. "Don't waste your energy. You've had a long day, just rest." He barely gives her the chance to call thank you very much for escorting me after him as he leaves.
Though she should unpack, she sets her suitcase in the corner without doing so. It holds treasures she inherited, and she doesn't want to unlock that set of feelings just yet.
The walls have fewer membranes than those in the hall. The tissue looks spongy, but it's smooth to the touch, like warm metal. Only a round bed, a chest, and a side table furnish the room, which has no windows. Though not intending to sleep, Yukina lies back on the bed—if she sits upright, the small, boxy room makes her anticipate a visit from Tarukane. Icicles form around the room's corners. She lets them melt naturally, watching droplets slide down the wall.
Those memories haven't haunted her in years. Her life began in the aftermath, when she first met her twin and friends. She'd forgotten that until Kazuma asked her if she hated humans, the answer might have been yes.
The remaining ice crashes to the floor as tears sting her eyes. She manages to hold them back and sit up before Hiei reappears with a bowl.
"I can't recommend you eat with Mukuro," he explains. "Of course, you might want to eat alone." He looks hopeful at the idea.
"I don't mind the company." Privately she delights at how the passive wording makes him freeze. After handing over the bowl he sits against the wall with a hand over one knee as if he just happened to settle there.
She has no appetite, but her stomach is empty enough to accept the food. Rice and pickles accompany mushy, charred vegetables. She gets the feeling it's not what the cooks usually make and hopes she hasn't inconvenienced them. When the bottom of the bowl becomes visible she starts nudging the last grains around, assuming that Hiei will leave when she's done.
"When did you learn to fight?"
Startled, she looks down at him. She thought his first two eyes were avoiding her, but he's watching her like a curious cat.
"Genkai taught me to control my energy," she says. "The others continued teaching me techniques after…"
She stops herself on the cusp of choking turns away.
"So, you work for Mukuro? Kurama didn't really explain," Yukina says, scissoring her chopsticks.
"He's good at withholding explanations unless you don't want to hear them." He doesn't offer more, and Yukina doesn't pry, stacking her remaining rice along the side of the bowl.
"Why did you think I shouldn't eat with Mukuro?"
Hiei's tension belies his attempt to joke it off. "She's a pig. It's not pleasant to watch."
Knowing better than to think he'll share the truth, she finishes the last few grains in silence.
If Yukina's situation has a silver lining, it's the chance to finally be with her twin. However, after her first day at the fortress he makes himself scarce, always out on patrols or other jobs, and strangers dump her food outside her door. She begins to keep it propped open just for a chance at interaction, quickly realizing that Mukuro doesn't usually have guests, as a different demon delivers the food each time.
One day she stops a purple-skinned woman, asking her about Mukuro. "What do you wanna know?" the woman asks.
"Well…anything. I don't really know much about her."
The woman scratches her temple, looking at Yukina as if she's sprouted a human from her head. "You're her special guest, aren't you? She said nobody's to touch you unless they want their stomach carved out. Not as scary as it would have been in her prime, but y'know, most of us don't have death wishes."
"Oh," is all Yukina can say.
Don't dawdle, Mukuro's voice enters, as if echoing from no specific expecting telepathy, Yukina jumps. It seems to be a message to the woman, though, as she scuttles down the hall without a goodbye.
Report to me. And bring your food.
After orienting herself, Yukina picks up the tray the woman left and hurries down the hall. She can't say how she knows where Mukuro is, but her feet carry her to the right room, where Mukuro sits in a way that transforms her ordinary armchair into a throne.
"I thought it was time we had a little chat, since you're curious," Mukuro says. "But please, eat."
Yukina sets the tray on the coffee table in between Mukuro and the smaller chair she settles into, but she only picks up the drink, unsure if Hiei's warning applies when Mukuro herself isn't eating.
"I'm sorry for being nosy," Yukina says.
"Don't be silly. I'd be more offended if you weren't." Mukuro brings a hand up from the armrest to prop her chin on it. "Well, ask away."
Yukina sips the drink, which she'd think was tea if it weren't so murky. "Could you please tell me what you do?"
"Where to begin…? For centuries I ruled Demon World as one of its kings."
"A king?" Half-choking, Yukina covers her mouth. "Forgive my rudeness. I didn't know you were royalty."
Mukuro waves a hand. "Those days are behind me. Though we hold a tournament every few years to decide the next ruler, I find myself lacking the ambition. As for now, this fortress oversees the patrols along the border between worlds. It's become tradition for tournament losers to handle patrol duty, so Hiei and I are always stuck on it, dull as it is." She pauses. "Of course, that means I'm the boss."
"I see…" Unable to grasp politics at the moment, Yukina tucks that knowledge away. "If you don't mind my asking, why do you participate in the tournament if you don't want to win and don't like patrolling?"
"So you noticed." Mukuro turns toward a katana resting against the wall, and Yukina's cheeks heat at her own intrusion. She curls up around her cup, staring at the folds of her skirt between her knees, an old flower print sheet that Shizuru repurposed.
"I guess I'm stubborn," Mukuro concludes. "Are you going to eat? You're so small, it looks like you're going to shrivel away."
Yukina is saved the answer to the question of Mukuro's eating habits, as she doesn't summon her during mealtime again. From what little Yukina can glean, the technological problems and the demons that assaulted Hiei seem to be related, leaving Mukuro busy getting to the bottom of it. Not wanting to stay in her room, Yukina wanders the fortress with her hands tucked against her chest, murmuring excuse me more than she says anything else. Demons shiver while she passes, as she's stopped withholding the winter she carries with her. Sometimes eyes graze over her, and she grasps the moisture in the air in case they decide to cash in on her ability, but Mukuro's threats deter them.
Her room lacks the houseplants Kurama always supplied her with, and for its organic appearance, the fortress is as technologically based as the boxy metal toys humans constantly make smaller. She takes to leaving the fortress whenever possible, though she always keeps it in sight. Sometimes the land is as dry and barren as the ground she first landed on. Other times she finds rivers to wade in, watching for small aquatic demons like the one that's settled in Genkai's sea. And when she's especially lucky, the centipede will push its way through a forest, and she'll listen to the wildlife while studying dappled shadows left by the leaves.
One such day she senses Hiei in a nearby tree. While a couple of decades ago she might have left him alone, she tilts her head up to find him among the branches and chirps a greeting. He doesn't respond.
Bolstered by the forest, she's too otherwise restless to let it go. She calls louder. With only a slight rustle he drops beside her, placing a finger over his lips. Frowning, she listens, but hears no sign of danger.
"What's wrong?" she mouths.
"We can't be seen together."
Of course not—there's nobody around to see us, she thinks. "Why not?"
"This isn't like Hum—"
"I know." It bursts from her in an unfamiliar tone. She lowers her chin, returning to a whisper. "I know."
A root lies between them, thicker than her limbs. He nudges it with the toe under his hurt ankle. "I have enemies here. Any connection of mine can be exploited, especially an ice maiden."
Being kidnapped once was enough for her, as was seeing him pinned down—but his meaning makes her feel empty. "Can't you defeat them? You're a strong fighter, and Mukuro must be, too."
"She is stronger. Few can match her technique, not to mention her ferocity. And I'm no weakling, but I'm also no fool. I refuse to let arrogance be our downfall." His voice softens as he averts his gaze. "Back when Kurama had his human mother, every other enemy he faced threatened her to get a hold over him. He's slipperier than that, but I won't put us in that position."
Though he turns to her, Yukina stares at the ground. Maybe she should trust him, but she can't bear to watch her silver lining slip behind its cloud's silhouette.