Ride Like the Wind
Chapter 2

Bang!

Shuichi shot up, screaming "I'm awake!"

Hiei rolled his eyes and sighed irritably. "You should've been awake a few hours ago."

"Really? What time is it?"

"The hell I know." He pointed to the sun. "What's that look like to you?"

"I dunno..." Shuichi looked at the bullet hole that had once been very close his head. "Hey... Why'd you shoot at me! You could have killed me you know! I thought you needed me."

"Who said I needed you? I'm not needing you. I'm using you as a way to help us get food in our stomachs. I've had to starve a weeks once because I gave up some food to some kids. If you want the town to starve that's your damn problem. Stay here."

"Why?"

"Take a leak."

"...Okay. Forget I asked."

As he walked away, Hiei growled under his breath, "Stupid bastard..."

Shuichi sighed. So it's the second day of traveling. I guess Hiei really does have a problem with Americans... I wonder why. I mean, I know Mexico and America might not be on good terms with each other but that doesn't mean that... Hm... I wonder if it's because the mayor's American... No. That doesn't make any sense. Why would someone come from America just to be mayor? Wait... What it he said?

"It's... No one. No mother. No father. No one left. I'm the last one."

Shuichi tugged a plant from the ground and stared at it, trying to think of the connection. Maybe... Maybe...Maybe his family was killed by Americans! I can't... Of course he would hate Americans if they killed his family! But... That's no reason for him to throw death threats at me! He barely even knows me! Would he say the same if he knew that I was...?

---

Three hours passed so slowly that Shuichi didn't even know how much time had passed.

"...Am I sure he just left to do that? ...I bet he just left me behind... I fail to understand the logic in that but... Arg..." Shuichi ran in the direction he saw Hiei walk away in. "Hiei! Hey! Hiei!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!" he growled, walking to him, dragging his feet in frustration and dripping wet.

"What... What were you doing for so long? And... For that matter... Is that wat-" Shuichi was interrupted.

"I dunno where the hell you're mind's going! You know damn straight it's water!"

"I honestly hope so. I dunno what you'd be doing if you were still wet with..."

"Okay. Don't even finish that. Just tell me. What the hell were you screaming about? I don't see anyone else out here to get you. That's disappointing."

"I thought you were taking me to the mayor!"

"So now you want your body sold to him?"

"No. How do you know he would want me to do that anyway?"

Hiei looked at him. "Hm. You're right. You look like a girl. The only way I can tell you're not is the voice and the flatness. I don't think he'll do you."

"You...! Okay. I'll tell you why. You said the town's starving, right? Well, I thought about it and I figured I'll do it to help the town. I'll work it out later. ...Why're you wet anyway?"

"Mayor's just across the river. He wants to make sure people hardly ever get there. I don't know why. Maybe he's paranoid."

"Well, wouldn't it be easier to walk across the bridge?"

"It's broken. Mayor broke it. He's been here longer than I have. So... We didn't know about it when I was a kid. Someone told me to go on it. I... I fell in. And I almost drowned in there. Some guy was actually nice enough to get me out. But after that... He beat me up. Not because I was were I was told to go. Not because I listened to those other kids. Because he said I was trying to kill myself so I could see the devil. That's why."

"...You tried to swim across?"

"Swim? You kidding? No one taught me. All these retards think the same way. Only the few demons here don't. I don't think any of them know how either."

Shuichi stepped to the river's edge and measured its depth. "Hiei. Grab on to me."

Hiei frowned. "What?"

"You want to go to the mayor, too, right? If not, I'll go alone. So..."

"I'm going, too."

"Then get over yourself and grab on. I'll swim across. If you're still gonna complain about it, then you're just gonna drown. You're outta luck there. I don't know how the help a drowning person aside from getting them out of the water."

Hiei growled under his breath.

"I'm not asking you to touch anything below the waist. If I did, I wouldn't have a problem with getting my body sold or anything, would I? You could just gab onto my shoulders. That's all."

"Fine. But I'm not touching you again."

"Sure..." He's acting like a kid.

---

Knock, knock, knock!

"Huh?" The guard opened the door and he cursed. "Jaganshi. What the hell are you doing here?"

He pointed at Shuichi, still drying his face off with his dripping arm.

"Who the hell is he?"

"Just get the mayor."

"Whatever. Hey, you should go on the bridge again. Maybe you'll have fun again. You gonna get Touya to watch your ass on that one, too?"

"You just go to hell when you get your head outta your ass."

The guard laughed at the small demon and walked away.

Shuichi glanced at Hiei. Man...

"What the hell's your problem now? You wanna back out? It's too late from that crap," he growled.

The red head shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Don't you pity me."

The same guard from before came back. "'Ey, Swimmer. He'll see you now."

"You were lucky you damn brother was there when you picked that fight with me. I should've finished you off years ago," he went through the door with Shuichi following slowly forward.

The door shut with a thud. Shuichi thought to himself, Well, here goes.

The room was small and simple. There was only one window in the room and it was on the left from the door. There was a bookshelf in the back of the room which was filled with books the were probably still unread. There was a desk and two chairs in front of it. The desk was covered with two piles of paper that were stacked next to each other in an unorderly way, scattered pens ans pencils, a candle, and, on the edge of the desk, a block of old wood that had carved in it "Mayor Karasu Juarez".

The mayor was a pale man of over fifty (That, in demon years, is actually still quite young.) with black hair that fell halfway down his back in small waves. His violet eyes appeared to always be in deep thought. He was dressed in black- all black. He was also wearing glasses at that time, which he pushed up at that second.

Karasu looked at his two visitors with little interest. "So you've come back here again, Jaganshi? I'm not going to debate your being stuck in Guerroro anymore. I advise you to give up on that idea."

"It's not about that," Hiei growled. "This kid. We'll give him to you if you pay us to get our land back from those rich fools or give it back yourself. You could use him as a slave or whatever you feel like."

The mayor removed his glasses and chuckled quietly. "Hm..." He stepped close to Kurama and eyed him. He reached for Kurama hair and stared at the red locks.

"He's not from here? Is this an Irish one?" the mayor asked.

"American," Hiei answered coldly.

"I don't think he's cut out for work..." He felt something cold touch his cheek and his eyes moved toward the object when he heard Kurama gasp in fear- Hiei was pointing a gun to Karasu's head. "Jaganshi... What the hell are you doing? Are you...?"

"I'll see you later, Juarez," Hiei fired.

The guard dashed in only to be shot, too. Other were frozen.

Hiei turned to them as they walked away. "Say anything of this and that'll be you, too."

---

"Dear Mother,

It turns out I wasn't going to be given to the mayor for work after all. I'm not sure I should be grateful Hiei killed the mayor or scared..."

"What're you writing?" Hiei asked, sounding a little gentler than before.

"A letter to my mother."

"Well, you ain't gonna get that sent anytime soon, are you? Don't think the Pony Express' is gonna send it if you're in Mexico."

"I know that. It just keeps me from getting homesick."

"Then why the hell'd you come if you can't handle being alone?"

"I can go here with no problems. It's just that... I'm not sure I'll be able to go home anytime soon..."

"Why not? Get into a fight with your old man?"

"No. My father's dead. It's just that... A bounty."

"A bounty? God damn! What'd you do?"

"Nothing, to be honest. But... I'm accused of murdering someone called Shinobu Sensui. I know it wasn't me. I barely knew the guy. I think it was a demon. You see, he studies demons. In fact, I think he used to be a demon slayer."

"How you get in there?"

"Someone just accused me. I guess they thought I hated him. I can't say I do. I haven't even talked to him. I left when that guy threatened to kill my mother. He won't give up until I turn in evidence and admit my crime."

"So wouldn't they have already...?"

"Not with me gone."

"Oh. Get rest. Not stopping for you tomorrow." Hiei yawned at curled up near the fire.

Shuichi smiled at him.

"Speaking of Hiei... It seems like he's a little less hostile now. I guess he's used to me now. I'm not sure if it's that or if he's just happy to be the one who killed the mayor... But you know... He had it bad as a kid. I have to assume so after what I heard happened to him. He said he was beaten after being saved from drowning. They say he's evil... Well, I'll just see how everything goes...

"I hope everything goes well for you mother!

Love,

Shuichi"

End chapter 2

---

Notes:
1. "The mayor's across this river."- I honestly don't think there's THAT many rivers in Mexico. I've looked on a map and there weren't really any that were there. Maybe like two or three from where I looked on there. I'm not sure.
2."I'm not going to debate your being stuck in Guerroro anymore."- I'm not using real city names. I don't know any of the names except Mexico City and Laredo. That's it. I used the street names in Mexico for the city names. Sorry.
3. Pony Express- Actually in this time, the Pony Express would be starting to disappear since post offices were being made I think. I forgot...

Sorry about this really late update. I was at San Antonio to visit my family and the I went to Laredo, Mexico. I'll be gone next wee, too. I'm going to be at the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Um, yeah. Well, hope to see you next chapter. Review!