Sorry about the sporadic updates, but I have a feeling that's the way it's going to be for a while. Lots of work and little inspiration is to blame. By the way, did FanFiction change up the Copy-N-Paste method? If so, it really sucks... I'm hoping it's just my internet glitching or something. Anyhoo... Drop me a line or two in the comments to let me know what you think, and onward we go!
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He didn't want to stay, that's what he kept telling himself. He was just doing this to make Yukina happy. It had nothing to do with the way the girl's breath came so quietly. It had nothing to do with the way her tan face looked so peaceful as the moonlight shone in through the window. He would not have feelings for a woman that wanted to claim him. He had been down that road, and he would not be overpowered again. She let out a soft sigh and her eyes closed tighter. As a reflex Hiei could not control, he slid into her mind. He closed his eyes and ran a hand through her hair as he watched her dream.
Suteki was a small girl, sitting in the dirt and pulling mats from an older woman's curly hair. Other women walked around the camp with sullen and downcast eyes, completing the chores for the morning. The area around the two seemed like a haven, shining bright through the grey of the world.
"Do you want to go to the river?" Suteki tapped the woman's shoulder and spoke as her hands moved.
The woman's round face lit up when she turned to look upon the filthy child. It was like she lived for seeing the dirt smeared from head to toe. She truly loved the little girl. And the little girl truly loved her. They exchanged words through hand motions for a few minutes before Suteki burst out laughing. Hiei watched her shoulders heave, lips parted in full joy, and for a moment he wondered if he could ever cause her such unbridled happiness.
It was all short lasted though. His physical body felt her grip his pants leg tight as the tone of her dream shifted harshly. She was in a small tent, the woman standing beside her. Their hands were locked together and he see the whites of their knuckles. Panic.
"Go wash her and put her in this." It was the dead man that threw a semi-clean frock at Suteki. A smirk played across Hiei's lips as he remembered shoving his sword through the man's broad chest. His face looked different when it wasn't filled with fear.
"W-why?" Her voice was almost brave, but her body shook. His hand hit her cheek hard, pushing her into the thin woman's leg. The woman pulled her close, but did not shield her. She was scared of the man too.
"What was that, my little river rat?" The man formally named Hiraku grasped a lock of her oily hair and twisted it hard.
"Nothing, Master. I'm sorry." Tears left clean paths down her cheeks.
"Good girl. I think I will tell you why, though." He sat down on a small camp chair, leaning back with a sick smile on his face. Everything was quiet as the woman pet Suteki's hair comfortingly, ignorant to the whole verbal exchange. "I finally found someone to take this one off my hands. He's coming soon. So leave. Have her ready and back here in an hour."
The pain that her face expressed was almost too much to watch. Hiraku seemed to enjoy it immensely.
"I said leave."
Suteki grabbed the woman's hand once more and pulled her from the tent. As they sat at the edge of a small pond, using stained rags to clean themselves, the woman started talking with her hands. After she finished she used her thumbs to wipe the newly revived tears that fell from Suteki's eyes.
"They're taking you away now, Mimi…" Her hands stayed limp by her sides, and Mimi looked confused. "They're taking you away and I'll never see you again…"
To Hiei's surprise, the Suteki he knew stepped from the shadows. She watched and the girl and woman embraced and cried together when the news was translated.
Then everything was dark. The broken child sat in the middle of the nothingness with dead-looking eyes. Suteki walked forward and sat in front of her, examining carefully. Hiei noted the key differences between the two. It wasn't that his Suteki was taller, or had meat on her bones. It was her eyes. Her eyes held life. They still buried the same pain, but everything about her was stronger.
Hesitantly, Suteki reached out and wiped away the girl's tears. She ignored her own, they flowed freely.
"He will pay for what he did to Mimi…" Her voice cracked, just barely pushing back the suffocating silence. "I will kill him…"
She stood, offering her hand to her child counterpart. Dead eyes seemed to flicker to life as the thin arm rose, reaching upward.
As they held each other, Hiei pulled from the dream, looking down at the now-calm face in his lap. He pushed away the tears that had made their way from her dream to reality.
"If you don't, I will." He heard as the others walked into the suit and considered moving.
"Hiei…" She whispered from her sleep, hair falling across her face.
He sighed, closing his eyes once again and resigning himself to sleep here for the night.
I awoke slowly, head aching slightly but feeling resolved. As I pushed myself into a sitting position, I saw Hiei's face. I vaguely remembered falling asleep with my head in his lap, but I assumed he would leave as soon as he could. He seemed to still be asleep, as did the rest of the girls, so I grabbed a combat outfit from my bag and crept to the door as silently as possible. I paused, looking back, and almost screamed as I saw Hiei standing right behind me. Luckily his calloused hand covered my mouth before I could. The look that overtook his eyes was cold, but I could tell it wasn't directed towards me. Remaining silent, I walked from the room, letting out a deep breath.
"Suteki, how are you feeling?" Kurama looked up from his book as he sat on the couch. He sent a glace to Hiei when he walked towards the kitchen but said nothing.
"I'm fine." I smiled, sitting across from him.
"That's good. Are you ready for your match today?" The question was pointed. He was making it clear that he didn't approve my staying.
I paused, looking at my hands and carefully thinking about the question. Finally, I looked back towards the fox.
"Yes."
My legs itched, wanting to run. I could barely hold back a sprint as I walked to the arena. This was the last round that would take up an entire day in separate areas. Tomorrow the matches would be held one by one.
"Teki! What's the hurry? Your match is second in your block, not first!" Yusuke called after me, but I threw a dismissive hand over my shoulder and kept going.
When we arrived at the room we had claimed the first day, I felt trapped. My foot tapped erratically as I sat there, watching Yusuke's fight. At first it seemed the female had the upper hand, but as soon as he got into his groove the fight was his for the taking. Kuwabara yelled the entire time about how despicable he was for hitting a woman. Hiei's fight had started in the middle of Yusuke's, and while I wanted to change the monitor, Keiko had been so glued to it I didn't speak up.
"Up next for Block D is Suteki vs. Taichi. Please report to the North Gate."
"Already? Dang. Good luck, Teki." Kuwabara clapped my shoulder as I stood. Kurama stood as well, walking with his hand on my elbow to dissipate my anxieties about the crowd.
"You can always back out." He mumbled, feeling my pulse racing just below the thin flesh. "No one would think any less of you."
"I would." The words were whispered, barely a decibel above silent. I felt terrible for not telling anyone of my connection to Taichi. I wasn't even sure if Taichi himself knew. There was no way he recognized me.
I pulled away and gazed into Kurama's concerned eyes when we reached my destination. I gave him a reassuring smile as a buzzer sounded off, signaling it was time for me to leave.
The sound of my own heart drown out everything else as I stepped forward. For a fraction of a second my hands craved my staff, but I was determined to do this with my bare hands.
The man in front of me had a serene smile painted across his lips, and he was dressed in a luxurious blue kimono. His silky black hair fell to his waist, held together two inches from the end with a ribbon. The blue of his kimono would have subtracted from the blueness of his eyes had it not been for his pale, unblemished skin. He was so beautiful it hurt to look at him, like staring at the sun for too long. I tried to pull my eyes from the ground, but my body bent in submission. I felt defeated before it even began.
"Match two of Block D, Suteki vs. Taichi. Begin!"
His smile stayed in place as he walked forward.
"Do you wish to give up? You know you cannot beat me." His voice was deeper than it was in the hallway, but his tone was the same.
"No…" I whispered fiercely. My eyes clenched closed almost as hard as my fists. Blood dripped from my palms as my nails bit deep into them.
"Speak up, girl. They have to be able to hear your withdrawal." His smooth hands, soft and cold, tilted my chin upward. I could feel the dominance radiating from his strong shoulders.
"No!" Tears poured forth when my eyes opened to glare, and my right fist flew through the air, too fast for him to stop it. It connected with his jaw and with a sickening snap, his head turned to the side.
The smile never left his face.
I continued to throw punches and kicks, all of which he took without flinching. That cursed smile stayed as if he was made of stone, as did the rest of his body.
"Fight me back!" I snarled, stopping my punches to bring my face an inch from his. My smoldering look only seemed to amuse him. "Hit me!"
I got my wish. I didn't realize that I had though until I was soaring through the air. I tried to right myself to get my feet back on the ground, but Taichi blurred above me and dug his elbow deep into my stomach. I saw stars as my back hit the earth, ripping the air from my lungs.
"Are you happy now? Ready to give up?" He hovered above me, trailing his ever-sharpening claws across the scar that ran across my throat. As my body trembled, trying to bring the air back a laugh echoed through my mind.
I forced my fingertips into the soil and everything was dark.
Stillness. Quiet. I was nowhere and everywhere. I felt the man's heartbeat above me, but too soon I needed air. The earth shifted around us and there was light again. I pulled myself away, out of the crater and stood. Taichi had leapt away as soon as the soil softened.
The smile was gone. Nothing about him seemed serene anymore. His kimono was ruined, his hair askew. His eyes burned with an intensity that make me crouch in anticipation.
In an instant we were running side by side. I waited until I saw a low enough branch before jumping up, launching myself into the canopy. I kept going, keeping my feet light and movements silent before I felt safe.
'What are you doing? Running away like some common coward? This is the man… The man that killed Mimi!' The voice in my head was my own. Angry and sad, it reached deep down and pulled at my insides. It made me feel sick, like I was about to throw up, but before I had the opportunity I was thrown from my tree. I managed to right myself, feet landing solidly on bark and pushing forward. Shooting past Taichi and bolting back into a clearing before he could catch up, I glanced around. I felt disoriented, but when I caught sight of the main arena behind me I grounded myself.
"If all you're going to do is run, you might as well give up." Taichi slunk into my line of sight like a panther stalking his prey. Static filled my brain, and my vision went red.
But I was too late. Just as I snarled and launched, what seemed like vines slung from his fingers and latched onto my wrists and ankles. My back slammed into the dirt, pinning my down and pinpricking stars across my eyes. Slowly, I could feel the vines pulling everything from me. First my Demon Energy, and then it began devouring my life energy. As I looked up at the sky, my struggling becoming less and less frequent, Taichi strolled over.
"I despise weaklings. You know, you remind me of a girl I owned once. Completely useless, never listened or took my advice, and a pretty face to watch the life drain out of."
Everything felt grey and cold, even Taichi's boot when it connected with my cheek, neck, and side over and over. Nothing hurt anymore. Not my leg, not anything. It was just cold. Vaguely I heard the tall man's laughter, and the brushing of wind through the trees. Soon though, that left me as well as everything else. The last thing I felt was the snarl that vibrated through my chest.