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

"Focus your ki!"

"I'm trying!"

Hiei stood on the lawn, focusing on his fist trying to draw out his aura, but he was once again finding himself unable to call on it without causing himself harm. So far he had done well in hiding the effects that the energy had on him, but he wouldn't last much longer. Gasping for air, sweat dripped down his face as the small apparition reached inside himself, and touched the golden glow that had replaced his black flames. The repercussion was almost instantaneous. Jerking forward, the demon doubled over in a pained groan, his breath coming in shallow gasps. Gritting his teeth, he fought against the waves of dizziness and nausea that were flooding his senses. Coughing painfully, the demon opened unfocused eyes and watched a steady flow of blood gush from his nose and drip from his lips and chin onto the grass.

Taking a few more shuddering gasps, Hiei attempted to stand, but his legs wobbled with exhaustion. His chest moving in and out as he labored to breathe, the demon forced himself to rise and glare at the Saiyan in front of him. Blood stained lips grimacing in pain; he once again focused on the power within, forcing it out. Vegeta's eyes widened as he watched how the boy struggled, impressed by his fortitude and strength. But as he once again swayed on his feet, the prince swiftly moved forwards to catch him just as the small demon's ruby eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Falling to his knees in front of the boy, Vegeta grunted as Hiei fell unconscious into his arms, his heart clenched in worry. He had seen this happen only once before. A Saiyan in Frieza's army had had a child with one other humanoid alien. Their child had two different forms of energy from each parentage, and the two power's battle for dominance nearly tore the child apart from the inside. Eventually he was able to expel the energy from one parent, but it still took some time for his body to absorb and harmonize with the Saiyan energy. The process was extremely painful, and difficult to even survive. Adjusting the small boy so that the prince was cradling him in his arms, he licked a thumb and began to scrub away the blood covering Hiei's chin.

Vegeta frowned as his skin touched the boy's pale face, and quickly placed his hand against his cheek and forehead. The child was burning up with fever, and the sweat caused him to shiver weakly against the Saiyan prince's chest. His chest heaved as he labored to bring air into his lungs, and the space warrior marveled at just how skinny the boy actually was. Did no one feed this child? Thinking back to his wife and family, the Saiyan surprised himself when a stray thought considered bringing the boy home with him. Giving his head a firm shake and standing up, he began to carry his charge into the temple, but the movement quickly woke the jaganshi up. Eyes snapping open, he wiggled out of Vegeta's grip till he was standing on his own two feet, albeit unsteadily. Pointing at the Saiyan, Hiei snarled his displeasure.

"Don't ever think that you can touch me!"

Vegeta opened his mouth, and then shut it as he examined the angry figure in front of him. So much about the boy radiated past torment, much like he had gone through when serving under Frieza. He too began to hate physical touch as a child after the sheer torture inflicted on him by his master, and as the prince gazed into angry red orbs, he could practically see just how much they mirrored each other. Trembling from fatigue, Hiei turned around and began to stalk back towards the temple, but stumbled on his way. Wordlessly, Vegeta reached out and once again caught the boy, with one arm wrapped under one of his arms, the other holding the apparition's head firmly against his shoulder. The prince was not one to embrace; in fact he had never even hugged his own son until the child was old enough to accompany his father onto the battlefield. But something about this pale boy caused a great deal of hurt and grief to resurface on the cold warrior's heart. Making him want to reach out, and show the small demon that he understood what it meant to grow up among hardship beyond imagining.

"Let go of me!" Hiei roared, his body thrashing within the saiyan's grip. "Let. Me. GO!"

Wrapping his arms more firmly around the wriggling body, it wasn't difficult to overpower his weakened form, and force him to stay within the embrace. Hiei bucked, and twisted, but this stranger would not let him free! Gritting his teeth, he let loose another enraged snarl, attempting to punch his way out. But the Saiyan pinned the demon's arms to his sides, and forced him still. Breathing hard, Hiei leaned his forehead tiredly against the prince's shoulder, and allowed his eyes to slide closed. Vegeta smiled as the small body grew limp, and slipped into unconsciousness. Resting his chin on top of black hair, he stood there for a moment, embracing the boy, and pondering how to get through the hard shell the demon had put up around himself, that was so similar to his own. Once again picking the boy up and holding him the way one would a small child, the prince carried Hiei into the temple, and alerted the old woman about the boy's fever.

…..

Hiei slowly came to, his mind struggling to regain consciousness. He didn't know where he was; only that he was lying on his back on something soft, and that he was covered by a blanket. As he became more alert, the small demon became aware of the distinct throbbing in his head, and grimaced with pain. A soft touch stroked his forehead, gently caressing his hair, and then left. Opening his eyes, the small demon struggled to sit up, only to be pushed back down by strong hands. Looking around, he noticed that he was once again lying in his bed, and that the alien warrior was sitting next to him a wet washcloth in one hand.

"You know," Hiei muttered irritably, "I'm really getting tired of waking up like this."

Leaning forward with a soft chuckle, Vegeta gently spread the cloth across the demon's forehead, but stopped with a jerk when the boy hissed in pain. Pushing the hand away, Hiei growled;

"Not there."

"Well if not there, then where?" Vegeta asked, one eyebrow raised "If you haven't noticed, you have a high fever, and if you don't cool down soon the sickness will only get worse."

Rolling over onto his stomach, the small demon groaned at the nausea afflicting his body, and then grabbing the washcloth, he spread it across the back of his neck, reveling in the coolness. Resting his head on his arms, the demon tried to remember the last time he felt sick with fever. It certainly wasn't any time in the last decade. Maybe the time he was still in the bandit's camp, but that barely counted because it was food poisoning from underdone meat. Feeling the alien's eyes on him, Hiei sent a petulant glare over at the man.

"What?" he growled.

"Who is your father?" Vegeta asked softly.

Hiei jerked like he had been slapped. Why would this man ask that? There were many times in his life where Hiei could have spent time wondering about his father, but he never had. The problems he had inherited from his mother were quite enough for him, thank you. Feigning a careless shrug, he turned away from the man's curious stare.

"I don't know," Hiei replied in a monotone voice. "I was obviously never very high on his list of priorities, much less considered important to him, and the same goes for me towards him. His existence or identity is not anything I care to know about."

"Why would you say that?" the Saiyan prince sounded confused. "Every boy needs a father, or at least someone they can trust to help show them the way."

"Well I don't."

"Liar."

"What's it matter to you anyway?" Vegeta found himself once again being pinned down by those angry red eyes, his heart clenching tighter and tighter as bitterness and pain dripped from every syllable that Hiei uttered. "The man obviously didn't want me, and nor does he need me, just like I don't need him. So let's just leave it at that!"

With an angry huff, the boy turned his head away from the sickeningly concerned look that the warrior was giving him. Vegeta simply gazed at him and then reached forward to check his temperature, but as soon as his fingers grazed skin, the small demon irritably slapped his hand away. With a sigh at having to resort to extreme measures so quickly, the Saiyan merely grabbed a hold of Hiei's tail, and once again began stroking it, smiling at the result. The small demon melted into the mattress, once again allowing a rumbling purr to escape his throat, and once Vegeta was sure that the apparition was too incapacitated to do much of anything, he checked the boy's temperature. Hiei growled at the touch, but was too comfortable to try and stop the Saiyan from caring for him. Closing his eyes, the small demon let his breaths even out and deepen, until finally a calm and peaceful sleep overtook him. Vegeta nodded his head in satisfaction; it seemed that his fever was slowly going down, though it was still high enough for worry. He just needed to rest for the duration of the day, and focus on getting his strength back. For the next few hours, the space warrior never moved from his seat, and stayed stroking the soft fur of Hiei's tail, remembering how his own father had comforted him the same way when he was ill as a child, that is before he had been given away as a peace offering to Frieza. A sorrowful sigh escaped his lips, and the gruff warrior shook his head free of the depressing memories from times past.

The sound of the door sliding open made the Saiyan prince look up, only to see the lithe red-head entering the room. Looking down at the floor, the boy's green eyes sparkled in amusement at the position Hiei had fallen asleep in, and then moved to sit next to his friend. With curious eyes, Vegeta watched the boy kneel down, and use one slender hand to check the small demon's temperature. With a sigh, the teen reached over, and grasped the bowl. Dipping in the spare washcloth, he wrung out the excess water, and then rolling up Hiei's shirt, spread out the wet cloth across his back. A small shiver ran up the fire apparition's spine before he once again drifted off back into dreamland. With a nod of satisfaction, Kurama settled back against the wall, and pulled out a book to read during his vigil over his friend. Cocking his head, the Saiyan prince assessed the boy in front of him, who was at once gentle, yet carried a dangerous darkness behind his eyes.

"Why doesn't he like the cloth across his forehead?" Vegeta asked in a hushed voice.

Seeing the prince once again comforting his friend through stroking his tail, Kurama gave a small smile, knowing that now was as good a time as any to attempt touching the fire apparition without fear of dismemberment. Stretching one arm out, he gently tugged on the knot tied at the back of Hiei's skull, loosening it just enough to pull off the white headband.

"This," the kitsune began softly, "is no mere headband. It is a seal for something we call a Jagan eye. It allows it's user the ability to read minds, acute telekinesis, the capability to track or locate something you wish to find, and the ability to control some of the more dangerous fighting techniques known to the makai."

Vegeta stared in curiosity at the halfway open third eye set into the small apparition's forehead. "Was he born with it?"

Kurama shook his head mournfully. "No," he whispered. "He had it implanted into his skull, which I assure you is no small feat. The surgery itself is so painful, lesser demons would die just from the mental stress it takes not to claw your own eyes out."

"And this boy did it to himself?!" the Saiyan asked stunned, his eyes wide with shock as he began to contemplate what his charge had lived through that was so horrible he would endure such a horrific surgery. "He's so young, what earthly purpose could he possibly want it for?"

Kurama shrugged, his face stretched into a grim, humorless smile. "He has never told us the reason behind why he got the Jagan. We all have our theories, especially me, but you are not yet close enough for me to feel comfortable divulging any of them. Maybe one day after we have learned that you are truly trustworthy, we might let you in on what secrets we have earned from the jaganshi, but until then, I must keep my mouth shut out of respect for my friend."

Vegeta felt like he should have been offended and annoyed at not getting his question answered, but actually felt that he could not summon up even the barest hint of said emotions. He respected the unity, and familial energy that this team exuded. They were protective of each other, and fiercely loyal. All traits the Saiyan held in highest regard. If they felt that they wanted to keep some secrets close to their hearts for the time being, he could not fault them that decision. Giving only a nod, Vegeta once again resumed his vigil of the mysterious child who was claiming more and more of his heart.

….

"What are we doing here?"

Vegeta turned back to face the young demon, the barest hint of a smile on his face. "After learning about your third eye, I got an idea on how best to do our training without you killing yourself."

Hiei looked around at the beach the Saiyan had led them to, his face still a mask of confusion. "But what does the beach have to do with anything?"

"The temple is too distracting" the space warrior replied, crossing his arms as he educated his young charge "Every time we are training, one of your teammates will pass by, and unconsciously you begin pushing yourself harder and farther than you're ready for. We need some place quiet where you can work without getting distracted and racing on ahead into areas you can't handle yet."

"Are you calling me weak?" Hiei snarled.

"I never said that," Vegeta said patiently, "but the longer you act like a brat by refusing to listen to my instruction, the longer it will take for you to gain any control over your ki."

Hiei's face closed down as he sent a venomous glare at his new teacher. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, the small demon walked past the warrior, and onto the sand. "Whatever old man, I just hope your 'idea' brings better results than everything else we've tried."

The Saiyan growled in irritation at the boy's attitude, and then found himself chuckling at it. The little brat certainly was like looking in a mirror that was for sure. Walking up beside the sulking child, he gave the small demon a wicked grin, and then ruffled the spiky black head, thoroughly mussing it even worse than it had been before. With an irritable snarl, Hiei slapped his hand away, and then flash stepped a good twenty feet ahead. Turning around, he sneered at the older man, his face full of disdain for what the Saiyan was trying to accomplish.

"So what do you want to do first?"

"First sit down like you are meditating," Vegeta instructed, watching as the boy did as he asked, albeit reluctantly. "Now, if I'm right, your third eye requires energy in order to use it, correct?"

Hiei merely raised his eyebrow in an obvious 'Duh' look, causing the Saiyan to send his own glare across the sand separating them. With a sarcastic roll of his eyes, Hiei answered the question.

"Yes," he spat, "it requires energy, but I haven't gained access to it since I transformed."

"Hmph," Vegeta smirked in satisfaction. "I thought so. The first part of your training is simply to try opening your third eye. I assume that that requires less energy than focusing a physical manifestation of your power in the palm of your hand. So for now, just work on that."

The small demon sighed, and then tried to open his eye, but an electric shock crackled across the Jagan causing him to wince in pain. Shaking his head from the sting, he once again focused on the task at hand. For minutes, or hours the demon didn't really know which, he worked and sweated. Using only the minimum required amount of energy needed to open his evil eye, and at first it seemed hopeless. But as time passed, Hiei discovered that he was getting used to the way the energy flowed through his body. He still got stung every time, but he was making progress in getting his demon genetics to accept this odd new power that had replaced his old flames.

Vegeta watched the boy's progress, a satisfied smile on his lips. His idea was working well, and he expected Hiei to be able to open his cursed eye by the end of the day. Standing up and stretching, the Saiyan prince walked over to where his charge was sitting.

"Hey," he said, gently nudging the kid with his boot, "I'm going to the temple to get us some lunch, you stay here and keep working, ok?"

Eyes still closed in concentration Hiei gave a nod, and listened to the warrior walk away. Taking a deep breath, he dug within, gripping the energy, willing it to power his eye. Ignoring the stinging pain, yellow electricity danced across his features, and his hair swirled from the energy flowing around him as the young demon strained to open his third eye. His face a deep grimace of pain, he furrowed his eyebrows, blocking out all other distractions until finally it began to awake. For just a moment, the cursed third eye opened and Hiei was able to feel its power again only this time it was sharper, and had a longer reach than anything he had ever felt before. But as quickly as he attained it, the eye snapped shut, sending the jaganshi tumbling backwards.

Jolting up, his ruby gaze was wide, and a grin of victory stretched across the young demon's face. Grabbing two fistfuls of sand, he threw it up into the air like makeshift confetti and gave whoop of joy.

"Yes!"

Jumping up, he turned around trying to find Vegeta, but his happy smile died on his face as he remembered that his teacher had left to find them lunch. A feeling of keen disappointment burst inside his chest, and Hiei plopped back down into the sand, his eyes downcast and lonely. He couldn't explain why he felt this way; he barely knew the man, but there was something about him that made the demon feel… at home. Shaking his head firmly, the half Koorime berated himself for such weak thinking. What did he care if the Saiyan prince had been there to see his success or not? It didn't matter; all that did was getting his strength back by mastering his new energy. With that resolve burning in his heart, Hiei set out once again trying to open his third eye, but was interrupted by an unexpected guest.

"Well, well, well," a deep voice growled behind him. "What have we here?"

Turning around, Hiei was shocked to see the water user they were fighting with when this whole mess started. But what was worse was the fact that Hiei knew he was no match for the S class demon, at least not in his current state. Scrambling to his feet, the fire demon assumed a battle stance all the while casting his gaze around searching for a mode of escape.

"What do you want?" Hiei growled.

"I'm here because my boss asked me to kill you," the demon replied with a shrug.

"What?" Hiei's face went slack with confusion. "Who's your boss, and why does he want me dead?"

"My boss," the water user began, then rubbed his face with an apologetic chuckle. "Ah, but where are my manners? My name Kalos, and as you have already guessed, I am a water demon. My orders from my boss are simple, find all of Saiyan blood, and kill them. That is, except for the ones known as Vegeta and Goku, those I'm to leave for my boss to kill personally."

"So you are to be my assassin for no other reason than that I am part Saiyan?" the fire demon asked. "Your boss must be pretty twisted to want to see the extinction of a race of people by ensuring that not even their bloodline survives."

"My boss is eccentric," Kalos replied with a small smile, "but he pays me well, and that's all I need to know."

"So the fight at the temple," Hiei queried, "that was just a ploy to make sure I am what you thought I was?"

"Basically."

"Well here I am." The fire demon reached for his blade, knowing that there was no way out of there but to fight, and to win. "So why don't we see if you're the assassin your boss hired you to be."

"Yes," Kalos growled happily. "Let's!"