Leap Year (IY x YYH, Kagome/Hiei)
The question posed to the Reikai thinktank was this: How does one go about extending the life force of the purest, most powerful miko currently among the living without corrupting her soul by mating her to a youkai, no matter how honorable said youkai may be?
At the second part of the question, there were grumbles about how no youkai was honorable, how no matter how much one may say about their distinct distaste in any power save their own, they were still after one thing: power.
The question posed to the Raikai thinktank was this: If the miko were the ones constantly refreshing the earth against the spiritual and physical corruption of the youkai and humans, and if the miko were slowly dying out after the fall of Midoriko, how does one go about extending the life force of the purest, most powerful miko currently among the living without corrupting her soul by mating her to a youkai, no matter how honorable said youkai may be, until an alternative could be found?
It was a question that had been plaguing Reikai for a long time. The earth was constantly being corrupted by all the living beings on its surface. Miko, simply by living, were able to filter the corruption, like plants filtering the air. An alternative would need to be found. Eventually. In the meantime, they needed to buy themselves some time.
The question never posed to the Reikai thinktank was this: Did the miko want to be used in such a way?
Most would say that Kurama was the better thief. Most did not even know of Hiei's skill. Sure, he pillaged and plundered and murdered and took the odd assassination job—everyone knew that. And that was exactly how Hiei preferred it. Let them all think that Kurama was the sneakier one, the most elusive one; let them all be persuaded by his ruthless image and give credit to Youko Kurama…when…if… they noticed anything out of the ordinary. Hiei didn't care. It was far more impressive to him to know the facts when the rest could only speculate. The best reputation was no reputation.
Hiei didn't know if Reikai was aware that there was someone wandering around in their underhalls. He doubted it.
"Great, so this is what Hell looks like?" Hiei deadpanned.
"Well, I didn't say Hell, now did I?" The miko responded, hands on her hips, obviously miffed that he implied that she was what hell had to offer. "I said under world, as in a plane of existence underneath the normal world, but not quite death."