Ride like the Wind
Chapter 13

A month had passed since that day. Yusuke and Kuwabara followed the two back to Guerroro. Yusuke said that it was only to see what their town was like. (Shuichi thought it was just so he could have an excuse to stay away from his mother.) Kuwabara said he was going to exorcise any demon he ran into in Guerroro. (Of course, he found out that idea wouldn't work out...)

Since the four had left Yukina in Nuevo Laredo, it seemed like Hiei always had too much to think about. Shuichi often caught him brooding on the porch as the sun went down. It was almost as if he missed her already. The red head sometimes wondered if it was because he never told Yukina he was her brother. Come to think of it, why didn't he tell her...?

But... It was sometimes hard to think little of it. The same small man with the cold eyes that had killed Mayor Karasu not so long ago and walked away like it was nothing watching the sunset somberly...

It was also awkward the time Hiei caught the red head watching him. He stared at him waiting for the red head to say something to him.

"Uh... Hiei..." Shuichi managed to mumble before he burst out, "I think you should come inside! Chupacabra's gonna get you!"

Long blank stare. "Shuichi. I haven't seen Chupacabra since I was thirteen. I think he's in Texas right now. That and we were actually good friends so I doubt he'll suck my blood."

W... What...? "...You never know..."

"Whatever."

---

"El Diablo! I've heard o' him! 'At's a strong demon!" Rinku exclaimed when Shuichi told him about the trip from Guerroro to Nuevo Laredo.

Not really... "Yup, the four of us had to defeat El Diablo," Shuichi replied with a smile.

"And the Broker of Darkness! What brave souls!" Koto, was also listening, cried.

"So why'd Hiei leave?" Rinku asked. "I think the thing about the mayor made sense but... Hiei has to work on his crops an' stuff. I remember the old folks said it was like when he went with JJ Thompson to America to be with the guy."

"JJ Thompson?"

"Don't you know? Johnathan James Thompson. The thief. They say he took care of Hiei when he was a little kid... Or so I've heard," Koto explained simply, a warmness in her voice. Wait? Warmness...? Oh geez...

"What kind of guy was he? Do you know?"

"He was gay!" Rinku burst.

"No, he wasn't that's only a rumor!" Koto growled. "He was really kind and clever and sensitive, sympathetic, compassionate, romantic, strange, enthusiastic, charming, honest, and other stuff that would make you think the last thing he is is a thief! ...They also said he was slightly feminine."

"Exactly. G. A. Y."

"Rinku, shut up I'm trying to talk to Shuichi!"

"You know he had to be! Besides that, you don't even know him! How would you know all that!"

"You wanna start something, punk!"

Why do I always get stuck in situations like this? Shuichi thought. Then he said. "Uh... You guys carry on. I've gotta go do something!" And he ran away after that was said while the two continued arguing.

---

Hiei wiped sweat off his forehead. Damn this May weather. I'm not feeling hot, but damn! Somehow I sweat more in the summer without ever getting hot! I need to find a new job. Then he heard footsteps approaching. Oh goddamn you, Yusuke! Why the hell do you have to bug me now!

"Hey, Hiei! A fox girl and a kid with yo-yos are fighting! You wanna watch?" Yusuke asked with a laugh.

"Yusuke, what the hell am I doing right now?" Like I really wanna see Koto and Rinku fighting again...

"I kidding! God! Where's your sense of humor? Or did you kill it working too damn much?"

"What do you want?"

"Why're you being such a bitch?"

"Do you have something better to do?"

"...Not really."

"Go home then!"

"Oh, just hear me out!" He sighed and ran a hand through his greasy looking hair. "I happened to hear some of the old folks talking on my way here..."

"They always talk. Those senile bastards never know when to shut the hell up."

"I heard about a guy called JJ Thompson that took care of you when you were a smaller runt than you are now."

"Your point?" He glared at the demon slayer.

"You wanna see him again?"

"You wouldn't dare..." His eyes narrowed. "Returning a soul from the dead only means your own life. It's a forbidden art..."

"I know all that, geez. Koenma told me all about that. Didn't you check if Johnny was dead? Koenma told me this a while back. Your JJ's... Alive."

Hiei's large eyes widened and he felt a pit form in his stomach. Then his eyes narrowed again with distrust. No, John can't be alive. I watched those bastards kill him right before my eyes.

"I'm guessing by your expression that you didn't. JJ's in America. Chicago, too."

"You're lying." Bandits don't raise fools.

"Swear to God." Yusuke held up a hand as if making it a vow.

"Go away! I'm working!" Bastard.

Yusuke shrugged. "Nice to know that at least, right?" And he walked away.

I know John died. I knew he was dead when his body fell cold on the floor. And I hated myself for just standing there and watching. I remember breaking down in tears when I killed those bastards that took his life. And the worst part was... They were my father's friends. John's friends. And... What the hell...? Why don't I remember the rest?

"You killed people, Hiei! You killed people from all the way in Chicago until you got to Mexico! That's why you're being arrested!"

That's what I really did... Wasn't it...?

---

Hiei plopped on the porch. Paco meowed (Howled would have described the sentence better.) as he rushed to his "owner" in hopes of getting the daily table scraps early. The tortoise shell cat sat patiently. (Translation: "Hey, gimme some food, demon slave!")

"Damn, you cats have it easy... Too easy..." Hiei sighed and eyed the cat a little. "Is it me or have you been getting better? Who the hell's been feeding you so damn much? And while we're on the topic, why're you letting yourself get like that?"

Paco yawned. ("Fine, screw you then.") He plopped.

"You fat ass." He laid back. What was his attraction the Shuichi? Maybe it was because he reminded him of John. They were a lot a like in a way. But it wasn't the same he would feel for a brother. Then he started to think more about it. That time in Laredo it felt more like it was just to get Shuichi to say he was a demon. (It was a huge failure.) But... "Paco, don't shoot me for this, but... I think I might be in love with the boy."

Before he knew it, Hiei fell asleep...

---

"...ei! ...Hiei!" Shake, shake! "Hey, wake up!"

Hiei forced himself to wake up. He yawned and stretched. "Ugh... Wha tim is it...?"

Shuichi stood over him. "Looks like seven. At night, mind you."

"Se... Seven hours! Why didn't you wake me up!" I slept six hours! Goddamn!

"Well, I would've, but... Well, you looked so peaceful. You weren't snoring or tossing and turning... You looked like you were dead."

Don't say dead. "Ugh... Goddamn it."

"I tried to wake you up a while back, but you wouldn't wake up, does that make you feel better? And I also thought you needed a break. Sun up to sun down doesn't sound like good hours to me."

"I guess." He wobbled inside.

"Come on Paco!" He picked the cat up. "Man you're heavy! By the way, I made some tea. My mom used to make it when when she felt bad or if I was feeling sick."

"Who the hell said I was feeling bad or sick!"

"Trust me. I know." He smiled.

Hiei turned to the window. No. Not with a fifteen year old kid I just met two months ago... But...

Shuichi set a cup down and stared at the older man for a while. "Yusuke told me what he said to you... Just don't let it get you down. You might overload yourself feeling guilty about not telling Yukina... You know.. Yusuke didn't mean to hurt you or anything. It was out of good intentions. He wouldn't have told you if he knew it would've backfired. I'm not sure myself if he did think about it. He's sorry about the whole thing if you feel that bad... Just don't kill him. You're cool with him now, right?"

The pit in his stomach came back. He looked away and sighed. "It's not like we can talk it out and everything'll be fine. It's not like that at all. And all I did was stand there and watch him die. I should've done something to help him, but what did I do? I just killed those guys and… And..."

"You killed people, Hiei! You killed people in Chicago until you got to Mexico! That's why you're being arrested!"

Hiei kicked the wall. "Damn it! All I did was kill those two guys and killed people all the way to Mexico! I would have killed myself if Koenma never did anything about it! If you asked Jin what happened to me, he would've told you my eyes were so red from crying, your hair would have looked like a light pink... And somehow... Somehow I get all this crap that John's still alive! What the hell am I supposed to say about that? It's been ten years and he should be ten years dead."

Hiei continued, sliding to the floor, his voice shaky now. "But it's not a total loss. Part of me is hopeful. I mean, what if Yusuke's right? What if John really is alive? Then another part of me is afraid to get my hopes up. Then it'll be worse than it was in the beginning. But... Really... What if John is alive? What then? It's great that he is and I'll feel like a complete jack ass. But really, what? Will he be able to even look at me knowing that I've become a murderer? Is he just gonna turn away and wish I stopped living like all the humans here? Sure he counts as a criminal, too, but what if he changed? And... Damn it! What the hell is wrong with me? I'm just so damn confused!"

Shuichi stared for a while, not knowing what to say or do. The real question should be why he told me that... He hugged the small demon and the two stayed like that for minutes or hours. The time didn't matter. It all felt the same. The room was filled with silence-too much silence- and a touch of nostalgia.

Hiei finally looked up. To hell with it.

"Hey... Something wrong?" Shuichi asked.

Hiei was silent. He then kissed Shuichi and walked out. Shuichi stared at the wall like it was on fire. Did he just...? Oh my god...! And I think I liked it... "Paco..."

---

"Hey, Shuichi!" Yusuke ran to the red head. "...Uh... Hey, How's the little tiger doing?"

"Little...? Oh, Hiei? I dunno. I didn't hear him get up this morning..." Shuichi replied.

"Oh... I see... Why're you carrying Hiei's tools? Did he mess something up and need you to carry his stuff?"

"I think he's still asleep. I think he needs it. I'll do the work for him. Gotta get going!" He ran away.

Those two... Sometimes I wonder about them... Yusuke thought.

---

Shuichi made it out to the field. Wow. After seeing how violent he is, I would've guessed that he had a green thumb...

Shuichi.

Wha...?

You know who I am, Shuichi. It's been sixteen years. I need my freedom.

No.

How long do you intend to keep me in this dungeon? I need my freedom. I'm willing to use force to get my freedom. Sixteen years is too long to wait.

Youko, I can't free you. Not now. Why now?

This world you live in right now. It bores me. That demon, Hiei. Is that your toy, Shuichi? You could probably make him do anything with a little push... Just to get him wrapped around your finger. You know he's foolish enough to do it.

Youko Kurama I won't let you take over. I'll let you come out on the full moon...

How long is soon?

A few days. I'll let you out then. I promise.

It was your word...

---

Shuichi knocked on the door. "Hiei?" No answer.

He opened the door and he softly called the demon again.

Hiei sat up slowly, yawning. "Wha...?"

"So you decided to take the day off?"

"Day off? I just woke up..."

"Just... You could sleep your life way, man!"

"Sure."

"You look pale." He put a hand on Hiei's forehead. "You're burning up. You do need rest."

"That's normal."

"Nuh-uh! I've touched your face before and it wasn't that warm! Now you should go back to sleep!"

Without any more said, or his trademark "Hn.", Hiei laid back down. He stared at Shuichi, his eyes glowing in the moonlight that fell in his face. He was expecting Shuichi to say something more.

"You can't work with a fever like that so I'll work for you. Cool?"

Hiei's eyes fell to the floor as if disappointed that he couldn't work until that damn fever went away. If he had spoken he would have given a sarcastic, "Yes mother."

end chapter 13

Notes:
1. Chupacabra- The legendary blood sucker found in Mexico, Southern California and Texas. It's been known to suck blood from goats. And the sighting began in about the sixties, but putting these things in are fun so who cares.
2. Info about JJ Thompson- Koto made him sound Gary Stu-ish so I'll clarify with you. He was an alcoholic that happened to have a soft spot for children. That's all I'm telling you about him

3. Anything written like ("This") after an animal does something is their thoughts. Just for fun.

A shonen ai at last but not much romance for a while. And Shuichi the house wife.