I do not own the characters that I choose to use in this fanfiction…

"Father?"

Vegeta felt his world tilt at the boy's question. He couldn't explain it, but it was full of so many things. Within that one word the Saiyan prince could hear longing, loneliness, pain, and hope. Things that he had no idea how to offer, much less give. The whole room sat in dumbfounded silence, everyone gazing at the warrior, wondering what would be said, or done. But Vegeta was spared having to reply, because in that moment of shock, the small demon's gaze sharpened, and his mind cleared from the herb's affects. Using his flash step, Hiei had grabbed his sword, and now held the blade millimeters from the Saiyan prince's throat.

"Who are you?" the fire apparition snarled.

Vegeta sat, examining the boy's face, confusion clouding his own. When the child had been asleep, he appeared young and peaceful, but it seems that wakefulness caused a shocking change. Now his face was cold, and untrusting. His eyes were dispassionate, the eyes of a killer. He had seen horrors, no doubt about it, and was scarred just by surviving. The Saiyan prince saw it all just looking in those red eyes, but most of all he saw himself. When he was a child he was angry, alone, and in pain. Yes, Vegeta saw himself in the boy currently holding a blade to his throat, and for some reason it made him want to help him.

Giving a cocky smirk, the space warrior laughed. "I'm the man who's going to teach you how to control that energy of yours, that's who I am."

Hiei's apathetic mask cracked for just a split second as he felt confusion envelope his senses, and looked up to Kurama and Yusuke for confirmation. "Is what he says true?"

"It appears that way," Kurama answered calmly.

"Hn." Turning back to his 'hostage', Hiei pulled the blade away from the man's throat and stepped back. "Whatever. If you're here to teach me how to use this new power, then prove to me you know what you are doing. I want to gain control over it sooner rather than later."

"Oh yeah," Goku chuckled as he watched the small fire demon leave the room. "I would definitely say he's related to you. You have the same charm."

Sending a menacing growl towards his rival, the Saiyan walked out of the room and followed the strange boy outside onto the lawn. Cold red eyes appraised his foe, while his hands wound around the hilt of his weapon. Vegeta walked down the stairs, and stepped onto the grass, his own gaze carefully measuring the small demon.

"How old are you anyway?" the Saiyan prince queried. "You look no older than a child."

"My age is no concern of yours, old man," Hiei growled. "All you need to know is that I'm old enough to have killed more people than you can imagine."

"Oh is that so?" Vegeta replied in a mocking tone "Then I guess I should be afraid of you?"

The small apparition smirked confidently at the stranger. "You would if you were smart."

The Saiyan prince gave a low chuckle before assuming a battle stance. "Before we begin," he said with his own equally confident smile, "might I know the name of the warrior who is going to teach me fear?"

"Hiei," the demon raised his sword, his feet sliding into position. "And you?"

"Prince Vegeta, now fight!"

Hiei sprang forward, his sword aimed at the stranger's throat, but it did not connect. Vegeta had waited till the last second before using his battle speed and disappearing. Left hanging in the air, the small demon could only wonder where he had gone. Landing on the grass, he held his sword at ready, searching for his opponent. But then an unexplainable pain raced through his nervous system sending him crashing to the ground. It was strange. All Hiei knew was that he had heard a rip, and then his entire body burned with a pain comparable to when he had his Jagan implant.

Vegeta chuckled as he stood over the boy. "I thought you were going to teach me to fear you? Is this how you defeat your enemies? Though I have to admit, with the training you have had had thus far, you are actually quite strong, but you are still no match for me."

Tears dancing in the corners of his eyes, the fire apparition could only snarl. "What did you DO to me?!"

"Simple," the stranger replied, his words riding on a chuckle, "I merely grabbed your tail."

"My WHAT?!"

Vegeta and Goku exchanged looks of confused amusement before the space warrior knelt down and tickled Hiei's nose with a long brown tail.

"I said I grabbed your tail," Vegeta repeated, his face wreathed in a wicked grin. "This one, right here."

"I'm going to kill-AUGGHH!"

Vegeta stopped squeezing Hiei's tail after the demon let out a nice scream, but did not let it go, the boy needed to learn this lesson about respect for one's elders. Still grinning at the child splayed out on the grass currently writhing, and groaning, in pain the prince decided to have mercy on the boy, and gently began to stroke the tail, massaging away all the pain that had been inflicted. Slowly he stilled, and Hiei felt the horrible burning pain recede only to be replaced by a feeling more wonderful than anything he had ever experienced. Unfortunately, just like with the pain, it turned his legs to jelly. The Saiyan prince, still grasping the young man's tail, kept rubbing it with two fingers. Gently stroking the fur, and running his nails along the hair. Hiei felt his eyes begin to droop as his body trembled in what could only be described as ecstasy. Back and forth, back and forth, Vegeta kept stroking and combing the fur of his tail, and as the fire demon began to melt into the grass, he felt a small hum rumble from his throat. It grew in intensity the more relaxed Hiei's body became, but he couldn't stop it, whatever the stranger was doing felt like he was floating on a cloud in heaven.

All too soon the bliss ended though as the Saiyan prince dropped the jaganshi's tail, and Goku let out a robust laugh. "You actually made him start purring!" he guffawed. "I guess it really is a Saiyan thing."

Face burning with humiliation at being manhandled, Hiei could only snarl. "Why couldn't I move, and what do you mean by a 'Saiyan thing?'"

"You're what is called a Saiyan. I am one as well. We are born with tails that are extremely sensitive to touch, and unless you train yourself past it, someone grabbing your tail the way I did is extremely painful, or extremely pleasurable depending on the situation."

"Saiyan?" Hiei breathed, slowly sitting up "What is that, and how do you know that that is what I am?"

With a smirk, Vegeta stood, making his hands into fists on either side of him. With a mighty yell, the stranger powered up his ki, and his black hair turned blond the way Hiei's had two days earlier. Everyone except for Goku stood in shock as the prince's energy reached towards the sky, crackling and dancing with barely restrained power.

"That's exactly what the shrimp did two days ago!" Kuwabara practically shrieked.

Yusuke and Kurama could only nod in unison marveling at the newcomer's immense power, while Goku whistled appreciatively as he analyzed Vegeta's battle aura.

"Wow Vegeta," he exclaimed "Have you been doing extra training recently? You've gotten stronger."

"Yes I have, Kakarot!" the Saiyan prince cried smugly. "I was going to show you before our sparring session was interrupted."

"Wait…" Yusuke stammered turning to Goku. "Don't tell me that you can do that too?"

"Yep!" the fighter cried enthusiastically. "Watch!"

Without even a yell, the other Saiyan warrior also transformed, leaving the others in shocked silence. They stood there glowing and crackling, their bodies exuding power beyond belief, before finally returning to their old forms. Walking up to the stunned fire demon who had stood up during the show, the Saiyan prince gave him a cocky smirk.

"THAT," he said smugly, "is a Saiyan. We know you are one because what we just did is a called going Super Saiyan, a special form that only the strongest of warriors can attain, and according to your friends you went Super Saiyan not even two days ago. It is impossible for anyone to do without first having Saiyan blood flowing through their veins. That's why we are here, to train you in the use of your power that has woken inside of you."

For the first time in his life, Hiei was genuinely interested in the paternal side of his lineage. He was Koorime from his mother, so it had to be his father that he had inherited this energy from. Eyes wide with the revelation that he might get some answers as to what his other half was, the fire apparition felt his insides begin to tremble with an emotion he could not yet name.

"What is a Saiyan?" he asked softly. "You aren't human, and you aren't demon. So what are you?"

"The Saiyans are an ancient warrior race," Vegeta declared proudly. "We come from the planet Vegeta, and were feared throughout the universe for our power."

"Wait a second," Yusuke began his face blank with confusion. "So you're saying that you guys are aliens?"

"Hmph!" the Saiyan prince scoffed. "You pathetic humans with your ridiculous terminology! Yes, we are from another planet, and are what you lower class filth call 'aliens.'"

"I don't know about you Urameshi," Kuwabara grumbled, "but I can believe that Hiei's related to them. They have the same attitude."

Hiei stood there, barely hearing the bickering going on around him. He was half alien? No, this was too ridiculous to be true. But the evidence was there, the strangers had also transformed the way he had with the exact same energy, and they had known about his new appendage that he hadn't even discovered on his own yet! What was going on here? As he considered these things, he was brought out of his reverie by a sharp pain in his scalp. Looking up, he noticed that his sparring partner had reached over and yanked out a few hairs, and were wrapping them in a handkerchief.

"Here," Vegeta handed his rival the stray hairs. "Have Bulma analyze these. I want to see just how much Saiyan blood he has in his veins."

With a nod, Goku placed his fingers to his forehead, and then disappeared in a flash. Vegeta stared at the spot where he had been standing for a few moments, contemplating just what he might hear when Kakarot returned. In truth the prince was intrigued by the young boy. He was strong, but he bore a strong resemblance to his family tree that Vegeta had to be sure. What if this child was somehow connected to him? Even if he wasn't though, it would be handy to know just how much Saiyan blood the child had in his DNA. Taking a deep breath, the prince cast his gaze up into the clouds, knowing that whatever the future had in store, it wasn't going to be easy.

….

Later that night, Hiei sat alone in his room, one hand idly stroking his tail. Chewing on his bottom lip pensively, the fire demon pondered his situation and how much had changed in the past seventy-two hours. Two days ago he was normal. He was a fire apparition that had tamed the Darkness technique, and was considered one of the strongest fighters in all of the Makai. But what was he now? An alien demon hybrid freak of nature, that's what. And to make matters worse, ever since this weird transformation, he didn't have quite the handle on his emotions that he used to. Maybe it was the new energy, maybe it was the strangers coming and telling him secrets about his lineage that he never wanted to know. But regardless of where it started, Hiei just didn't feel comfortable in his skin anymore. He felt so out of place and confused, and right when things were settling into a comfortable groove, they just had to up and change. Placing his chin onto his knees, the fire demon wrapped his arms and tail around his legs, and gave a sorrowful sigh. He felt helpless, and that was not a feeling he enjoyed. Hearing his door slide open and shut, Hiei glanced up, and was surprised to see Yusuke standing in the doorway, and walking over to sit next to him.

"So," the human teen said after a moment's silence, "how you holding up?"

Hiei merely stared at the wall on the other side of the room in a stony silence. How could he answer the former detective's question? He had long reconciled that they were friends, but he still wasn't very good at the whole spilling your guts, heart to heart situations. Feeling his friend's eyes on him, Hiei could only give a small groan and bury his face into his knees. Yusuke sat stunned at the weakness the small demon was allowing him to witness, but only for a moment. With an understanding smile, the teen raised his arm, and wrapped it around his friend's shoulders. He could feel Hiei tense underneath him, but he kept his arm where it was, trying to show the warrior that comfort was his if he wanted it.

"This is stupid," Hiei found himself muttering, almost shocking himself that he had spoken at all.

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked, hoping his question wouldn't scare the demon into shutting down right when he started to talk.

The fire apparition sighed then looked back up, propping his chin on his knees. "All this time I have no idea who or what my father is, and now I find out that he was some kind of alien warrior? What part of that doesn't sound ridiculous?"

"True," Yusuke murmured. "And to make matters worse you now have a tail that makes you scream or act like a freaking cat, and that's kind of creepy when you think about it too."

Hiei turned to give the former detective a withering glare. "Thank you for that wonderful confirmation on just how much my life sucks right now," he said beginning to crawl away to the other side of the room.

"Hey!" Yusuke grabbed the retreating demon, pulling him back to his spot. "I was just trying to be funny."

"Well you aren't being funny," Hiei spat. "In fact I think your jokes are getting worse!"

"They probably are," Urameshi countered, a mischievous grin lighting his features. "But what do you expect when I have to hang out with a sourpuss like you all day?"

Hurt filled the young demon's eyes as the former detective's word left his mouth. Once again wrapping his arms around his legs, Hiei turned his head away from his friend, and shut his mouth. Yusuke felt like he had been slapped across the face. Of course he shouldn't have said that, but it just came out! The human teen groaned, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily as he tried to assess the situation and figure out the best way to fix it. Letting out a frustrated growl at himself, Yusuke scooted himself to the other side of the demon, trying to get his friend to look at him. But Hiei didn't feel like letting Yusuke see anymore of his weakness and just turned his head again. Once again, Yusuke scooted around to the opposite of his friend, trying to catch his eye, but this time the fire demon buried his face into his knees not looking anywhere.

"Come on Hiei!" Yusuke whined. "Will you stop acting like a little girl and just let me apologize!"

"Why not continue?" Hiei growled. "You're doing such a good job as it is."

The demon kept his head where it was until he heard a large thump on the floor in front of him. Peeking up from where he had been, Hiei was shocked to see Yusuke with his face buried in the floor doing a formal bow of apology.

"Look," the ex spirit detective said, voice muffled by the wood flooring. "I'm sorry for being a jerk, and saying stupid stuff without thinking, please forgive me?"

Hiei blinked a couple times, his intense gaze on the prostrate form in front of him before stretching out one leg and poking his friend's head with a single toe. "You know I could easily take a picture of you like that and put it on Genkai's fridge, right?"

Yusuke's body tensed at the thought, and his hands curled into fists, but his voice was steady. "If that's what it takes to make it up to you, then fine."

The fire demon gave an almost imperceptible laugh, and pushed the human's head more forcefully with his foot. "Get up, that posture doesn't suit you."

With a relieved sigh, Yusuke sat up, and scooted back to his spot next to Hiei. "Yeah, well this whole being depressed junk doesn't suit you. If you want to talk about it, I'm here, but don't let it eat you up inside."

"Heh," Hiei chuckled. "I thought you hate talking about touchy feely stuff?"

"Almost as much as you do," Yusuke nodded, eliciting another laugh from the jaganshi, "but not even I'm stupid enough to think that you can bottle things up, and not deal with the consequences later. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience."

The small apparition sighed, and then leaned his head against the wall, knocking it against it as if he were hoping stuff would start making sense if he hit it hard enough. After a few moments silence, the demon finally spoke. "What did you do when you found out that you were a descendant of something you didn't even know existed?"

"Well I had it easy," Yusuke chuckled. "I never knew demons existed until I started working as a spirit detective yeah, but I still had time to get used to the idea that they did. But it was still weird to find out that one minute I was human, next minute I'm this kid that everyone's afraid of because apparently I've descended from this totally powerful demon, who is also a king, and I'm standing there like, WHAT?"

Hiei found himself laughing at the feigned look of surprise on the former detective's face, but quickly sobered as he pondered his lineage. "But I don't want to be part alien!" he whined. "Everything was so much easier when I was just a really strong demon."

"Yeah, it usually is," the human smiled at his friend. "But if life stayed the same all the time, we would be bored enough to kill."

The fire apparition couldn't stop the laughter that Yusuke kept causing. "You know I've actually been that bored, right?" he chuckled.

"Yep," Yusuke nodded. "That's why I said it. I thought you could empathize, and know that it isn't a place we want to be."

Both enjoyed a round of laughter at that, and as the night passed on to morning, Hiei found he could admit one thing to himself. It was good that he had someone like Yusuke for a friend.