Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
I sincerely apologize for the delay in this latest chapter. I struggled with the second half for a very long time and eventually decided to cut the chapter in two.
The rising sun bathed the room in a glow that reminded Hiei of the fateful morning years ago when three young demons made their escape on the back of a foul-smelling cart. In the serene light of the morning, the violent events of the previous night seem but a dream. Hiei willed it to be a dream, because dreams are only unconscious delusions, much preferred over false hope that preys on man's greed, promising a lofty payout against impossible odds. The ancient Greeks had it right; hope was an extension of suffering. That Pandora closed her infamous box before hope had a chance to escape only meant that the world would never recognize it for what it truly is: absolute evil.
Despite his greatest efforts, however, the discarded white robe that laid in a heap by the window and the forgotten acupuncture needle were enough physical evidence to show that last night was indeed not a dream.
Hiei did not sleep at all. He couldn't. Instead, he spent the night sitting on the windowsill and attempting to drown hope with leftover liquor. Physically, he was drained, but the gears of his mind, a constant hum in his head, were turning faster than even his acclaimed inhuman speed. He desperately needed to explain away the eerie resemblance of the assassin with his childhood friend, but found no logical explanation. Eventually, he gave in to the comforting warmth of hope: Fox — or his spirit — could still be alive. Wandering deep in the realm of what-ifs, speculations, and deductive reasoning, Hiei had not realized it was morning until the sunlight and the chorus of songbirds pierced through his windows like an intruding mob.
Yukina would be eager to receive a report of affirmation in his successful conquest. No doubt she would be crushed by the news that Hiei's evening did not end with copulation. The King snorted. He could withstand the onslaught of a thousand flying arrows on the battlefield or the danger of well placed prick of an acupuncture needle, but the dim of his sister's glittering red eyes that is a sure sign of her disappointment? No, that he could not face. He took another swig of the strong liquor then sluggishly pulled his clothing on to prolong the inevitable. Explanations have never been his strength.
When Hiei finally emerged from his room, it was to find Rui and Yomi quietly murmuring outside his doors. Startled and appalled at his sudden appearance, the two quickly bowed down in an earnest round of your majesties.
"Yomi, what are you doing here?" Hiei murmured warily. He was not in the mood for exchanging pleasantries.
"Your Majesty, a pleasure to see you too," the tall elegant lord replied with a wry smile on his face. It signaled danger. "I heard rumors of the dancer who caught your eye and was hoping for the good fortune of meeting the beautiful creature in the flesh."
"He's gone," Hiei responded dismissively while meeting his mockery with a blank expression. Yomi's smile pulled into a tight frown.
Rui was quick to jump into the conversation. "Your Majesty, if I may intrude, where can I find him? I'm to escort him to the courtesan quarters."
"Your guess is a good as mine."
Rui furrowed her thin brows and rubbed her right temple. "As a chosen mate of your majesty, he is not to leave the premises!"
"He escaped in the night." Hiei sighed, impatience and irritation written clearly on his face. "You'd better call for Yukina and anybody that counts, I'm only going to explain this once."
With a quick bow, Rui turned to fetch her mistress, her shuffling footsteps echoed down the hall like the rustle of fallen leaves.
Hiei spent a few moments glaring at his cousin until he remembered that the man was blind. Despite his lack of sight, the man got on surprisingly well using his other senses. Regardless, the young King had no fond thoughts to spare for this man.
When Sensui's army had finally quenched the rebellions of the Ubutu tribes on Yomi's territory and captured all their tribal leaders and shamen, the blind lord had shown no signs of appreciation. Instead, he had petitioned for the release of all the prisoners, claiming that it would be the basis of a peaceful negotiation. King Tennou had rejected the pleas, and rightfully so, because Yomi and the tribes have been given plenty of opportunities for diplomacy, but the blind lord — who had proved himself to be nothing but another irresolute noble grown sluggish and fat from the levies imposed upon his peasants — was unable to reestablish peace before the violence escalated to the point where the army's involvement was necessary. Yet, despite his failure, he retained his status as Lord of the West, when, to Hiei's eyes, the role was more befitting of Sensui.
After a few more moment of awkward tension that Hiei quite enjoyed, Yomi breached the silence. "My sincere apologies for missing the unification banquet last night, I was delayed by recent events in the west." There was something contrived about the way he spoke.
"Come. Don't come. It's no matter to me."
"I would never have missed events as important as the Unification Celebration and the King's would-be first bedding if it wasn't for pressing matters." The hint of growing sarcasm clearly showed a lack of respect, yet Yomi's expression and body language remained diplomatic.
"And what sort of pressing matters are those?" Hiei feigned interest.
"Nothing that would concern Your Majesty, I assure you." This time, an air of nonchalance.
"Hn." Hiei wasn't sure whether Yomi meant that the matter was not significant enough to concern him, the King, or if he meant that Hiei would not be concerned regardless of the matter.
Yomi deftly changed the topic at hand. "I suppose it may be a long while before a successful first bedding given your exacting tastes and the threat of further assassination attempts."
"I don't believe I've mentioned any attempts on my person." Hiei crossed his arm and drilled red eyes into Yomi's face suspiciously.
"Your Majesty, by your raised and fluctuating aura, one can deduce that something excitable happened in the night. Either you had a very enjoyable evening, or a very distressing one. With the dancer gone — or rather, escaped, as you've said — it is logical to conclude the latter."
Hiei slow clapped rather sarcastically without betraying emotions on his face. "You don't seem anxious at all."
"Your Majesty, you have already demonstrated that you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. It'd be wise to send guards for Princess Yukina, however, she is the one who reigns after all."
Hiei arched his eyebrow. It was true that he has been skipping the pointless daily council meetings, preferring to let Yukina and her sound judgement govern the day to day activities of Maragonia. However, Yomi has been the first who dared make explicit mention of that fact. Hiei would have applaud his frankness, if not for the threatening undertones in his voice.
Before he could question Yomi further on his intentions, Yusuke appeared, sprinting down the hallway with Yukina, Chu and Rui not far behind. Soon, a small assembly was gathered outside his doors and Hiei was hit with a barrage of questions and people speaking atop of one another.
Hiei wanted to lie. He'd rather tell them that was dissatisfied with the dancer and had kicked him out in the middle of the night than the truth. But he knew it wouldn't make sense. A normal dancer would return to his dance troupe, and this one surely hadn't. To placate his advisers, the King quickly provided a summary of the night's events, carefully leaving out his suspicions regarding a certain silver haired fox and acts he was too embarrassed to describe. Even without mentioning Yusuke's wariness of a larger plot against his life, Hiei could already feel his sister's concern manifest itself into invisible shackles that would restrict his already limited freedom.
From there, the conversation quickly diverged to acts of finger pointing and expressions of worry, with Yusuke repeatedly assuring that every servant, performing troupe, and courtesan from the previous night had been thoroughly screened. Guards descended upon the King's room, combing every crevice for clues of the dancer's identity and motivation. Servants who interacted with the redhead were questioned, but all accounts indicated that the dancer was a mild mannered young man who seemed rather astonished that he was chosen by the King. The chain smoking woman was called forth. She wore an accusatory expression while she explained that the redhead seemed inexperienced and meek. The owner of the dance troupe was summoned. He explained that the half-fox was a new recruit who joined over four months ago when a talent search was held in Chetoria, a small neighbouring country whose greatest export was their beautiful citizens. The fox had claimed to be an orphan and wandering performer who survived by busking in busy cities. The owner had been surprised by his good fortune in finding such a great undiscovered talent and immediately invited him to be part of the dance troupe.
Other performers were summoned, but aside for his occasional lapse in memory and fondness for wild blossom honey and writing — he wrote many letters to someone who appeared to be a father figure — they could not shed light on the dancer's background. He never received any responses to his letters and kept to mostly himself, they say, but was eager to offer assistance any time it was needed and showed no political or religious leanings or, for that matter, interest in politics or religion at all. A closer inspection of the acupuncture needle left behind revealed traces of the assassin's own blood. He must have kept it concealed within his own body to avoid detection. The needle was clearly ningen made but of common materials that betrayed no further details of its origins.
In his discarded belongings, left in the dance troupe's change room, were a few items of clothing, some writing instruments, blank parchment, a small pouch of dried persimmons, and his earnings from performing.
A lone performer, who was, completely by chance, recruited into a famous dance troupe set to perform at the Maragonian Unification Banquet, who was, also completely by chance, chosen by the King to be his bedding partner for the night. None of this spoke to an organized assassination attempt. In fact, too much seemed to be left to chance for there to be any sense of organization at all. Well, except of course, for the very puzzling existence of the concealed acupuncture needle.
A religious fanatic perhaps? He did mention something about a savior.
An otherwise passive individual, rendered temporarily insane?
Or was he part of a much more sophisticated network of assassins, casually embedded into various aspects of the celebration?
As the calm in the eye of the storm, Hiei watched, slightly bemused at the chaos and crime scene investigation that unfolded before him. He could care less about a scheme against his life whether it be initiated by one of his cousins, or an organized network plotting to overthrow him. There was an entirely different priority in his mind. Let his advisors believe what they will, so long as they do not compromise his plans.
He stood up from his usual perch on the windowsill closest to his bed — the same window through which the assassin escaped out of the previous night — and made for the door as inconspicuously as possible.
"Brother, where are you going?" Yukina called out from the couch by the fireplace, forehead marred with lines of concern. "You mustn't wander around by on your own."
Hiei cursed under his breath. He should've just jumped out the window.
The princess turned to Yusuke and demanded, "I want a dedicated guard on my brother around the clock. I do not want him to face an assassin alone, ever again." Yukina gestured resolutely, completely uncharacteristic of her cordial nature.
"You're overreacting, Yukina. I am more than capable of handling multiple attackers." Hiei responded quietly, chin tilted upward and red eyes staring down at his sister.
"That may be true, brother, but you cannot always be on the alert." Yukina stared back at her brother defiantly, her icy glare a match for his fire. With the exception of Yusuke, whose crooked smile showed he was rather entertained, and Yomi, who carried a look of difference, everyone else looked on, the air thick with expectation.
All his life, Hiei had been chained, first by poverty, then by guilt, servitude, and finally by parentage and duty. But it wasn't until now, when he finally had a personal purpose that he could feel how restrictive the chain of bloodline were wound around his ankles. "Only if it's Yusuke."
Yusuke's smile melted into a frown while Yukina nodded in acceptance.
She continued her demands, "Next week's unification parade will be cancelled. I do not care to provide another opportunity for further attempts."
"No!" Hiei blurted to everyone's astonishment, not only was he ever one for rowdy public outings but he rarely offers his opinion on matters of the realm. "The parade will go on as scheduled."
"Brother! It is not safe!" Yukina appealed, lines of worry and tightly pursed lips defacing her otherwise gentle features.
"It was an isolated incident, a simple crime of opportunity." Hiei stated simply in a tone that deterred further argument. In truth, what the King really needed is another opportunity to meet this red-hair fox.
"Princess, if I may intrude," Yomi, who had been quiet all throughout the investigation, finally spoke. "Indeed, it is best to go on with the parade as planned. No doubt, the common folk will find it unusual that an annual parade is cancelled. Questions would be raised. The common people have no concern for the truth. They want reassurance that the realm is secure, that their King is strong."
Chu nodded in agreement. "Princess, by cancelling, the assassin and whoever ordered the attempt will conclude us fearful. That is not the signal we want to send."
At a loss for words, Yukina looked around the room for those who agreed with her. Rui was clearly frowning, but she didn't have the status for her words to count. Succumbing to her cousins' advice, Yukina acquiesced, "Very well, I expect to see increased security measures."
"Of course, Princess Yukina." Yusuke was quick to comply with her demands.
"I want any assassin captured alive," demanded the King. "Anyone who kills an assassin before I got to personally questioned the criminal will face my sword. There will be no exceptions." Hiei looked pointedly at Yusuke, and then around the room at everyone else to make sure he was understood.