A/N: Well, of course they're not mine! Warning: This chapter has some swearing and a slightly gruesome scene at the beginning.
Thank you KyoHana and TheNotSoNiceLibrarian! BIG HUGS you two for constantly supporting me! I've changed my story telling style from my last story to be more dialogue focused instead of introspective. I hope it is working out! Please let me know!
And also, thank you to Gothic Lust and Narshia for following this story / adding it to favorites. It means a lot to me!
Ok, now on with the story!
The alley was narrow, its width allowing no more than two at a time. Located deep in the abandoned warehouse district, there were better refuge options for the homeless, but Hiei was not looking for shelter; he was chasing a rumor.
Sprawled on the ground at the very end of the alley was a headless carcass. Its torso had been cut open, vital organs harvested. There was no blood. If not for the careless position that the body was left in, Hiei would have thought that he was looking at a sterile carcass used in a lab experiment or a prized wild game catch prepared for market. Gingerly, Hiei kneeled to examine the body. The silver tail on the carcass was the only sign he needed to confirm its identity.
He stood up, one hand on the wall for support, the other on his stomach and retched, a burning acidic taste in his mouth. His stomach heaved, body trying over and over again to purge his bowels of irritants that were only present in his mind. His throat burned. The rancid taste of vomit flooded his senses. He needed an urn of water to rinse out the taste, the smell, and the reality before him. Clenched eyes stung with tears. Weak legs collapsed under him, no longer able to support his weight. He felt as if he was being encircled by a cocoon. The steadily falling tears formed two wet trails, one pooling on the bridge of his nose, the other leading to a waterfall that trickled from his temple. The air was warm. His back rested on a comfortable pallet and his head was supported by something soft.
Slowly, Hiei became aware that he was in a soft feather bed and not a narrow alley in the slums. He was in his room, far away and years from that place, but he still couldn't help feeling like the powerless child he once was. For a while, he didn't move until the tears ceased. Then, he turned to lie on his stomach so he could drag his face across the pillow. Having destroyed all evidence of his sorrow, he slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his temples, steeling himself for the day ahead.
His concentration was interrupted by the loud thud of his heavy double doors crashing open. Hiei quickly shifted into the shadows, back straight and shoulder tensed.
Yusuke barged into the room. "Hey Shrimp! We need to talk! Wake up before I kick your — !" He paused, expressive brown eyes narrowing at his friend's rigid posture. Immediately, he knew. "You dreamed of Fox again."
Hiei swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up and strolled briskly towards the black outfit that was laid out for him the night before by the maids. He kept his eyes trained towards his dresser and did not once look at or acknowledge Yusuke.
"Hey, you know it wasn't your fault." Yusuke grabbed his friend by the arm, turning him to look directly in his eyes, but Hiei kept his eyes trained on the clothes in his hands. After a short moment, he yanked his arm away and proceeded to dress, slipping on a plain black shirt.
"That was a lifetime ago! Move on, Shrimp!" Yusuke said, squeezing his temples with his thumb and ring finger to combat the incoming headache. Pointing at the silver fox tail that was hooked onto one of Hiei's many belts, Yusuke continued, "You've been wearing that tail on your hip since that day, gone back to that alley almost every year, and even built a garden in his honor. Enough is en—" He stopped, Hiei held a cold blade at his throat.
"One more word on this and you'll speak no more," Hiei growled, finally meeting his eyes.
"Stop bluffing. You and I both know you'd never do it," Yusuke said sternly without even a hint of concern. "We've been through too much together and you need me now more than you ever did on the battlefield."
In response, Hiei withdrew his katana and set it aside. In one fluid motion, he swung a black silk cape over his head and onto his muscular shoulders. The thick material fanned out behind him and then settled, enclosing his figure completely. With his fingers buried within the softness of the now covered fox tail, Hiei finally spoke, "Yes. It's been an undesirable turn of events."
"You call this undesirable?" Yusuke arched one eyebrow and then did a 360 degree turn, arms out and palms up, gesturing to different parts of the room: the handcrafted polished oak bedframe, the lush feather bed, the ornately carved double doors, the heavily embellished wall hangings, the massive dresser that was twice as wide as he was tall, the imported oil lamps, the expansive floor to ceiling windows, the arched fireplace decorated with intricate floral carvings, and finally Hiei's fully embroidered silk outfit. "You're a fucking king!"
"No matter how lavish, chains are chains!" Hiei hissed. At Yusuke's shrug, he added, "I only joined the military to get off of the streets. I had no idea I would climb up the ranks so swiftly that I get recognized by my father who, coincidentally, was the King! It's like something out of a tall tale!"
"Not really. Your jagan makes you pretty damn easy to identify." Yusuke crossed his arms and looked pointedly at the short king, "There are not that many Jaganshi around, you know."
"Which means that if he had really wanted to, he would have found me earlier. First he takes away my opportunity for a normal childhood by abandoning us, then he destroys any opportunity for a normal adulthood." A heavy scowl formed on Hiei's face and he started pacing. "Damn my father for claiming me after all these years. Damn him for leaving me the throne. He should have left it for his daughter."
As if his gaze alone could set objects aflame, Hiei slowly scanned the room and its exaggerated decor then continued his soliloquy, "Me, the bastard love child of the King with some jaganshi harlot, King? Laughable." A dry laugh escaped his lips. Sighing, he sat down on his bed to pull on his leather boots.
"Don't be so glum!" With a big grin on his face, Yusuke sat next to him and patted Hiei heartily on the back, then flopped down on to the king's bed with no reservation, arms outstretched and legs dangling freely off the edge. "Most of the country loves you. Classic rags to riches inspirational story."
"The rest of them want to kill me and I don't blame them. There are other more appropriate rulers and plenty of people wanting to take my place." His voice softened, "My half-sister should be ruling. No one would challenge her rightful place at the throne."
Yusuke's face suddenly lit up and he shot back up into a sitting position. "Oh right! That's what I came to talk to you about!" The silly grin disappeared from his face and he leaned towards Hiei as if he was about to reveal a devastating secret, "I've narrowed down the suspects plotting your downfall. I think it's one of the royal cousins."
"Which one?"
"All I know is that a tall one with a cold glare has been shopping for assassins. That could mean Yomi, Sensui, Koenma, Sakyo…." Yusuke started counting the possibilities on his fingers.
"My grandfather must have passed on his tall gene to everyone except my father. There's at least ten of those," Hiei rolled his eyes. "Great job, detective, but this doesn't help much."
"Shut up! You should be more courteous to someone who's been working his butt off to uncover your enemies!" Yusuke shoved Hiei's shoulder who retorted by trying to whack him on the back of his head. Yusuke tilted away just in time, then he stilled and whispered, "Most likely they'll try to kill you tonight."
"Oh. You mean at the unification celebration? A public event with an influx of demons, where we'll be opening the hall for a large banquet complete with imported servants and performers? Who would think to attempt an assassination there?" Hiei said dryly, an expression of wide eyed innocence on his face but voice overflowing with sarcasm.
Showing that he did, in fact, have some self control, Yusuke ignored the biting comment. "Look! I've made sure that the papers for all servants and entertainers have been thoroughly examined before they are given clearance. You'll have a taste taster, and only your closest servants will be handling your food. One third of the army will be in and around the castle, guarding us. I'm doing everything I can."
Hiei nodded and patted Yusuke lightly on the back, before getting off the bed to perch on the windowsill at one of many full length windows and stared outside. "This castle was built in a time of peace. Make sure all large windows are guarded. I'll be wearing my katana tonight."
Hiei looked out at the eruption of colors in his garden, mind suddenly wandering away from the chirp of songbirds and the present to a faraway clot in a vacant warehouse of a port side city. A warm body was waiting with open arms. Instinctively, his left hand reached for the fox tail by his side.
As if on cue, Yusuke extracted himself from the bed and made to excuse himself. These sudden episodes of deep reminiscence have become increasingly frequent and Yusuke knew when to make himself scarce.
As he opened one of the heavy double doors, he came face to face with a lovely ice apparition with long mint green hair half held up in twisted braids. Stray strands framed her sweet face and gentle features. Next to her, a timid woman whose long hair was swept up in a loose ponytail that cascaded around her head and a well built demon with a conspicuous blue mohawk stood protectively.
"Princess Yukina. Lord Chu. Rui san." Yusuke bowed, careful to greet the visitors in order of rank. "I'm afraid King Hiei is in no mood to talk right now."
"Oh dear, Yusuke san, is something the matter with my dear brother?" Yukina stepped forward, angelic crimson eyes widening in concern. "Is he apprehensive about tonight?"
"Oh nothing of the sort," Yusuke began, but before he could conjure up a believable excuse, Hiei interrupted from within the room.
"Let them in, Half-breed," the demon king stood from his perch, silhouetted against the bright sunlight that streamed from the window.
Yusuke shrugged and then stepped backwards to hold the heavy door open for the visitors. In accordance to the standards of grace in her country and helped along by the restriction of her kimono, the princess shuffled into the room in small steps, hands clasped before her and head held high.
"Brother dearest," Yukina bent forward slightly in greeting. Behind her, Chu and Rui bowed deeply and greeted him with a mumbled chorus of your majesties. "I'm glad you are well."
"As I've said, there's no need for this type for formality when it is just us," Hiei gestured for his guests to take a seat at the cozy drawing area surrounding his fireplace, then settled in a chesterfield wingback chair of silk needlepoint upholstery. His guests straightened themselves and followed his lead. Yukina made herself comfortable on the couch, while Rui sat next to her with lowered head, and Chu stood directly behind Yukina, proclaiming his self-appointed role as Yukina's protector. Yusuke stood at a distance, close enough to listen, but far enough to provide the semblance of privacy.
A small fire crackled to life with a barely discernible fluctuation of Hiei's youki. With his elbows on the arms of his chair and his fingers interlaced before his chest, Hiei asked bluntly, "What brings you here, Yukina?"
If Yukina was offended by this casual usage of her name or the lack of formal greetings, she betrayed no indication, instead she reached out a delicate arm to touch her brother's knee. "Tonight is a special night for you, and I just want to ascertain that you are prepared before I ready myself for the festivities."
Hiei narrowed his eyes into slits of red and said matter-of-factly, "I don't think there's much preparation to make for fucking a courtesan."
Yukina's cheek flushed a brilliant shade of red that matched her eyes while Chu chortled and Yusuke whistled.
Rui's shoulders tensed and pale hands clenched at her kimono. Forgetting her position for a moment, she chided, "This type of plebeian language is inappropriate in the presence of ladies!"
Even though Hiei took no offense — he's been spoken down to most of his life — Chu set a heavy hand on Rui's shoulder and reprimanded her softly, "Calm yourself, Miss Rui. The King may express himself however he wish." Chu looked up at Hiei, a big smirk on his face, and winked. "I believe he's up to the task."
Hiei just glared at them all.
Eager to bring the conversation back to the topic at hand, Yukina continued, "Brother, you've refused to do this in the past and I need to know that you will do it this time. Please understand that it is customary in our culture for any powerful man to build a harem, especially the King. Choosing a…lover at such a big celebration is not only normal, but also expected." Yukina could feel the heat continue to spread across her face, this was not a topic she felt comfortable talking about. "Your reluctance has fanned the fires of rumors claiming your...inability."
"So I'm to sleep with some whore just to prove my virility to a bunch of strangers." Hiei fumed, right hand clutching the arm of his chair and left hand retreating into his cloak to grab a hold of the foxtail, feeling the familiar warmth of silver fur. "I can think of no baser reason to engage in fornication."
"Please brother!" Yukina threw herself off the couch to kneel down in front of her dark half-sibling, eyes pleading and beads of tears forming. "I've personally chosen them this time, and they are nothing but the brightest, most beautiful, and graceful creatures. I've chosen males too, if that is your inclination. Please brother, it needn't be more than one night." Seeing tufts of silver fur peek out from beneath her brother's cloak, she added desperately, "There will be youkos available too, if you prefer."
Instead of having a calming effect on her brother, her last statement served to rile him further. His mouth opened to say something and then closed. His ki fluctuated violently and his cat like eyes shone in resentment.
"Hey Cuz! Calm down!" Chu rushed forward to shield the princess from the King while Rui pulled her backwards. Hiei stood up, making to strike, but sat back down, a grimace etched on his face.
"Snap out of it, Shrimp!" Yusuke appeared in front of him, leaning in so close that the half-ningen filled up Hiei's entire field of vision. Offering the King his katana with one hand and pulling him up with the other, Yusuke cheerily exclaimed, "Look at all that pent up energy! I could use an intense round of sparring right now!"
"Hn." Hiei grabbed the katana and flitted to an open window. Before he jumped out into the sunlight, he glanced back at Yukina.
Quietly, she appealed to him once more, "Please brother, I don't want to see you alone." Her pure aura fanned out around the room to embrace him.
Then he was gone.
Yusuke chased after him, shouting, "If I win, I get to choose the one you'd be bedding tonight!" He winked at Yukina, who bowed deeply in gratitude for defusing the situation, before leaping out of the window.
"Sometimes, I think that fellow is the only thing keeping our king sane," Chu shook his head in disbelief, walking towards the opened window to see them now engaged in battle.
"I'm glad that he has a dear friend who understands him." Quietly joining Chu's side, Yukina smiled at the scene below. "All my life, I've dealt with the expectations that comes with being royalty and the complications of castle politics, so I've grown accustomed to it. I can only imagine how overwhelming it can be for my brother."
"That may be the case," Chu scratched a bald patch of skin right next to his mohawk. "But what man wouldn't want to be surrounded left and right by beautiful lovers?"
"A man who has lost someone dear to him, I suppose." With a sad smile on her face, the princess turned to leave the room, Rui trailing awkwardly after her.
A/N: Where's Kuwabara you ask? Don't worry! He'll show up soon enough!
Also, as previously mentioned, there is a link to a larger, downloadable version of the Youko Shuichi cover art from my profile. Feel free to download!
Well, until next time then!