A/N: Another heinously late chapter, and I'm very sorry. I really am trying to stay on schedule. We were in NYC this past weekend so my husband for compete in a tournament for a video game (he won!). It was an adventure for sure! I've never been in NYC before and I'd love to go back sometime. Anyway, I'm sorry this late.
Hayato warily studied Shinpi as they stood walked the grounds of Genkai's temple together. They were side by side, as they should be in his opinion, discussing details of what had happened a few nights before. Shinpi wore a thinner jacket than the weather called for, so he had a wing wrapped around her to shield her from the bitter air as best he could. Hiei's comment during their debriefing of the situation in Demon World had irked the raven to the point of him losing sleep, eventually trudging up the stairs to knock on Shinpi's bedroom door only to be greeted by the fire demon's insidious and pointed warning to go the hell back down to the couch. Now, Hayato knew they slept together. He knew this was a real relationship with all the things that would entail: adoration, patience, arguments, sarcasm, fondness, and physical contact. He knew a lot of things. He'd seen Shinpi, the only person in the world he actually cared about in any way that mattered, in relationships before. But what he had not needed to know was what Hiei looked like in Shinpi's cotton robe at the two in the morning, the garment only closed by the strictest definition of the word.
Needless to say that his questions had gone unanswered at that moment as he had suddenly lost all interest in pursuing any form of conversation with anyone as he processed through this trauma, turning silently to descend the stairs and reclaim his sleepless post on the couch wondering if human dish soap was a strong enough astringent to cleanse his eyes and mind.
Over the last few days, between then and this trip to the distant estate of the elderly psychic, Hayato had closely watched Shinpi and Hiei interact and how she handled her days. He had made it a pointed habit to keep as much of an eye on her as possible, especially around her new boytoy. From all his surveillance, Hiei seemed to genuinely care for her. He went out of his way to make time to see her. Still, Hayato had a hard time just believing in the inherent trust his leader had in the man.
He had seen Shinpi in relationships before.
He refused to allow one to kill her again.
Hiei could be as caring and gentle and honest as he wanted to be, but it would not so quickly convince Hayato that he was on their side. Hiro had been charming and kind too. Hiro had looked at Shinpi sometimes like she was a dream. Hiro had slept beside her, held her, laughed with her, and he had helped raised her son. Hiro had looked Hayato in his eyes and thanked him for looking after his wife.
Hiro had been a goddamn liar.
For all Hayato cared, Hiei was one too and it was only a matter of time before they found him out.
If at all possible he wanted to spare Shinpi that news. He wanted Hiei to be what she hoped he was. Hiei wasn't his favorite demon, not by a long shot, but he did have certain qualities that were desirable. His willingness to go into battle for Shinpi was toward the top of the list. His arrogance was toward the bottom. Shinpi cared for him though. With her heart and soul she adored that stubborn, agitating little man and therefore it was Hayato duty to ensure that Hiei never let her down. Never hurt her.
He had failed to protect her from Hiro. He had failed to save Kin. He hadn't been strong enough, smart enough, thorough enough. He had lost his family when Hiro turned on them, breaking him so badly it nearly killed him. When he'd woken to see the state of Kin, the ruin of the castle, the darkened sky…
If it hadn't been for him and his blind trust in Shinpi's judgment maybe none of this would have ever come to pass.
A mistake he would never make again. This led him back around to why he was here on the sprawling property in the first place instead of back in Makai doing reconnaissance. He enjoyed the extra time with his oldest friend. Also she was an idiot and had agreed to fight not one but two high-class demons with her hands tied presumably behind her back.
"This is a bad idea." Hayato grumbled.
"I've never had a single bad idea in my life." Shinpi rolled her eyes. "Also, this wasn't even my idea. It was Hiei's."
"Perfect, so the temperamental, power hungry, arrogant man who has you wrapped around his finger just decided he wanted to tie you up and make you face not just him but also his closest ally, a man who rivals your intelligence and deftness, and you just said 'yeah, sounds like a good time'." He stopped walking so he could throw his hands through the air while speaking, irritation lining his face, his tone edging toward total exasperation.
Shinpi took the moment to pick a few pieces of lint and leaves from his tunic then focused on his hair which hung loose for once. Her fingers plucked up a few strands for her to examine, her lips pursing.
"Are you even listening to me?" He demanded.
"Of course. Something something bad idea. Something something your dislike and distrust of Hiei. Something something you think Kurama is smarter than me." She surmised, earning a tired huff from him. "Your hair is dry. I'll wash it for you tonight so I can treat it properly. You've always had such lovely hair. Maybe I can plait it for you again."
He softened considerably. "It's been a while, actually. I'd enjoy that."
"You worry me Hai, you don't take care of yourself. Your tunic is a mess, your hair is tired, your eyes have more baggage than the cargo hold of an airplane. Are you drinking enough water? Eating enough? You'll stick around for a few days so I can make sure you are packed properly." She fussed. "I need you alive Hai, you're all the family I have left."
"You are such a hypocrite." He frowned. "Do you even listen to yourself? You obviously hadn't sleep when I arrived. You've lost weight again."
"But my hair is healthy." She pointed out, grinning at him with a wink. "And I moisturize everyday. Keeps me young."
"You know what else keeps you young? Dying at a young age. Which you'll do again if you don't start taking more precautions." He warned her. "I can't lose you again, Hichi. I won't survive it."
"Your concerns are heard, Hai. In fact that's why we're here. Hiei and Kurama feel the same way."
"Explain yourself." He was dubious. Highly skeptical. It showed on his face apparently because yet again she rolled her eyes, this time crossing her arms over her chest still using the top hand to gesture loosely.
"The other night after Hiei and I got back from our vacation we went out for drinks with the guys." She started.
"What did Yusuke goad you into this time?" He deadpanned.
"No this wasn't his doing. This was all me." Shinpi sighed, squinting away from him. "There was a girl and she was obviously in trouble. Long story short I got myself intentionally kidnapped by a demon trafficker so I could destroy him and his accomplices in an effort to free the girls they'd stolen. In the process, I may have allowed the leader to tie my hands together and I guess, maybe, I sort of didn't bother freeing myself as I took on the building. Hiei wasn't impressed."
"Wow." Hayato stared at her dully, not sure his body could physically handle being anymore exhausted with this than he already was. He needed a nap.
"It wasn't that big of a deal. I won." She shrugged. "I don't understand the fuss, honestly."
"Of course you don't."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinpi whipped her head around to glare at him. "I was in control of the whole situation."
"Right, right. Because you can account for literally every single possible scenario." He nodded. Then he forced a thoughtful look. "Did you have your mask?"
"You know I didn't. I was in a bar, I can't just keep it on me all the time." She told him. "It draws attention I don't want."
"Did you have your knives?" He wondered.
"No. I was with the guys, I had no need for them. I had my chain."
"Did you use it?"
A pregnant pause answered him. Shinpi began to stiffen under his interrogation, especially when he nodded as he clicked his tongue.
"So you went into an enemy stronghold half-cocked, basically unarmed, with no armor or mask then allowed them to give you an extra disadvantage by limiting your movements. I can't imagine why the people who care for you might be upset by this." Hayato laid into her with a tone absent of venom. She hated casual lambasting the most of all the sorts, so that's what he did. He noticed she winced slightly. "There's more isn't there?"
"I was stripped of my clothes." She closed her eyes and made a face.
"Mhac na galla." Hayato looked up to the sky for patience. "It is truly a miracle you've managed to live this long."
"I mean, if you want to get technical about that I di-"
"If you finish that sentence I'm going to punch you square in the nose." He warned her darkly. "I don't need the reminder. You don't take enough precautions. It's like you don't care sometimes."
"I care all the time." Shinpi stiffened again. "Everything I do is because I care. Watch your accusations ean beag."
He shook his head, lips pursed at the old nickname. "If I had pulled that stunt you would have laid into me until you were lightheaded. You would have been furious. I hate agreeing with that little imp but he is right about this. You have whatever he does to you coming."
"Goddamn that horse must so tired of carrying all three of you on it's back." Shinpi declared, tossing her hands into the air. "Did you all sit down to have a meeting about how to yell at me? I had it under control!"
"You are not invincible!" He yelled back.
"I never said I was! I know I have flaws, okay? What else was I supposed to do? She needed help and I was there. I had to do something!" Shinpi slid her feet apart to stand her ground. "No one else was doing anything!"
"Did you even bother asking for help?" He demanded and Shinpi's teeth audibly clacked when her jaw snapped closed. Hayato shook his head, sending his black hair shivering. "This has always been your problem, Hichi. You always have to be the hero, you never think about asking for help. One day that's going to lead you into something you can't handle."
"I told you, I had it under control. The SDF and I had been looking for that operation for months. I had some intel. I wasn't completely blind."
"Did it ever occur to you that they knew you might be coming for them?" He asked sharply. "Try as hard as you do, Hichi, you don't know for sure your presence is a secret. You don't know who might know about you. What if they had rigged the building with traps? What if there was some form a gaseous attack? What if they had guns? You know what your father would tell you."
Shinpi swallowed and rolled one shoulder as the hairs on her nape rose. Hiei was watched her, probably close by which meant Kurama was there too. They could probably hear everything. The last thing she wanted was to give either of them more ammunition to guilt her with.
"Hai-"
"He would say what he always said when you tested his patience like this. It is foolish-"
"-to forget half the board belongs to your opponent." Shinpi finished, sunken into her shoulders her anger deflated. "Fine. I hear you. I hear you. I hear all of you."
"That doesn't mean you're getting out of getting your ass kicked." Hiei announced from beside Hayato, who jumped at the sudden intrusion.
"Agreed." Kurama nodded from Hayato's other side, earning a wild look from the raven who hadn't heard either man approach and quite frankly did not enjoy knowing they could sneak up on him. He glanced at Shinpi and she looked unsurprised by their unnerving appearance. The fox wore his hair up in a high ponytail, only his bangs in his face. A thick sweatshirt covered his arms as defense against the cold.
"Oh good, the gang's all here. Maybe you should join us." Shinpi looked at Hayato. "You all seem to be on the same wavelength right now. Three against one."
"I'd rather watch from the sidelines." Hayato's dark brown eyes shifted to glance at Hiei who stood in his cloak and scarf. "Just in case things go too far."
"Nothing will happen to our darling Hichi except for some considerable bruising to her ego." Kurama smiled with false kindness. "The intention isn't to harm, Hayato. It's merely to deal the final blows of the lesson you just started hammering into her."
Shinpi squinted at him, assessing the fox then wrinkled her nose and shrugged. Kurama tilted his head, his smile fading some. His agitation and concern glinted over his expression and she swallowed at the sight of it. She looked desperately uncomfortable under his attention, moreso than that of either of the others. Perhaps she sincerely wasn't used to his ire.
He wondered if he'd ever been this frustrated with her before.
Running off to battle Hiro without telling them had infuriated him but he'd managed to hide it and by the time the fight was over he was too overwhelmed with relief and sadness for her that he couldn't maintain any other emotions. Was there any other time? He didn't think so. That also made him realize Shinpi had a very distant awareness of his cool temper. Hiei burned hot and bright and loud and furious. Kurama though, he burned like ice. Sharp, biting, encompassing and unrelenting. It didn't just consume, it encased. A fire would kill you with pain, and relatively quickly, but ice? Ice took it's time, the cold cut through everything you had and destroyed you system by system.
She'd understand after this though. He would make sure of that. The truth was, the stunt itself was annoying but it was her defense of herself and her recklessness that was spurring him into action. If she had just accepted the admonishments and the concern he'd have cooled off. Hiei would have too. But her adamants that she was right and they were the bad guys for calling her out on her behavior had been too much. He was tired of it. He spent a considerable amount of energy worrying about her well-being and her safety, sometimes piecing her back together when she bit off more than she could chew. If she couldn't understand them on this then they'd just have to make her.
Kurama had no intention of actually harming Shinpi, none at all. Instead he hoped to merely put the fear of god into her so that she understood she could be outmatched. All he wanted was to know she would slow down and think clearly before going into a dangerous situation. Of course, Hayato was also right, it would be nice if she just asked for help too.
"Are you two planning on just standing there staring at me all day or is one of you going to tie my hands together so I can prove that you're all overreacting?" Shinpi raised her eyebrows. "We haven't got all day."
"You seem to be under the impression that you get to be in charge of this, but that's not the game." Kurama narrowed his gaze on her. He watched her pull her shoulders back slightly as she eyed him. "We start when Hiei and I decide it's time."
"You're sour again today." She accused quietly.
Kurama was almost gleeful that she hated him being so upset with her. She could shoulder Hiei's frustration with only mild discomfort most of the time, but she obviously greatly disliked being on the receiving end of his attitude. Normally they got along so well, were so close. It must sting her, having him act this way. But that was good. It meant she would take this lesson to heart.
"I haven't forgiven you yet." He told her coolly.
That rattled her, parting her lips as she assessed him quickly and with visible concern. Her eyes darted to Hiei.
"Kurama." Hiei drawled his name evenly but Kurama knew it was a prompt. That was interesting. Hiei's arms moved to cross over his chest as he closed his eyes. It seemed to Kurama that Hiei was just as uncomfortable with him being upset with Shinpi as she was. More interesting than his discomfort was the fact that Kurama knew that Hiei was giving him the lead.
It had been too long since they'd been at each other's side this way but it all came back naturally. Kurama was a little sorry for the circumstances because he would have liked to fight alongside Hiei and Shinpi both. At least he and his old friend, while out of practice, could quickly fall back into step with one another.
"You're right." Kurama nodded. "The fun isn't in waiting but in winning. Why don't you do the honors, Hiei?"
"I figured you'd want to."
"I'll double check."
"That seems about right."
"You two are making me nervous." Shinpi scowled at them, but she still extended her arms to Hiei when he approached with a length of rope. Her eyes followed the careful movements of his hands as he tied her wrists together. Yanking, he made sure the knot would hold. Lifting his face so she could see the glimmer in his eye Hiei offered her a dangerous smile.
"I'd feel bad for you if you didn't have this coming." He told her, tilting his head. "Don't forget that I warned you."
"Your petty attempt at intimidation isn't going to work on me." She stared back, her expression eroding into crafted neutrality.
"Maybe not." Hiei shrugged. Then his teeth flashed in a quick, harsh smile. "But his will."
Shinpi barely had time to process the claim before she threw herself backwards, rolling over the ground to pop back to her feet. Kurama stood where she'd previously been, his attention on her cold and calculating. Her pulse immediately jumped, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. Despite the warning sings, the sirens in her head, her body's desire to flee she couldn't help but smile wild and amazed. The energy rolling off of the two of them was unlike anything she'd beheld before. Hiei alone had always boasted such an impressive aura but now with Kurama beside him exuding just as much menace and power, it was nearly dizzying. A few years ago she would have fled. There would have been no hope of her winning against the pair.
Lucky for her she had grown too much to feel such unnecessary dread.
"Are you sure you should be smiling?" Hiei's voice sounded from behind her, breath ghosting over her ear. She twirled around only to find air where his heat had been.
Taking the opening he gave her Shinpi listened to her instincts and ducked as a leg swung over her head courtesy of Kurama. Arching back she narrowly avoided Hiei's punch. She had no chance to gain the offensive as she danced between them, avoiding their blows with hardly any room to breath. They worked together seamlessly and Shinpi wondered why they didn't do this more often. What kept them from pairing up this way? They were formidable together and quite frankly more than a little frightening.
She was in heaven.
This was the best training session she'd had in ages. Kurama was just as lithe and coordinated as she was, and when she moved he moved with her. They were two currents swirling together to create a dangerous eddy. Hiei flowed with Kurama just somehow against him. As the fox pulled her in, herding her, Hiei struck out and attempted to keep her under. A marvelous, vicious dance.
"Most beings have the sense to be afraid by now." Kurama chastised as he spun around her, leg coming out low to sweep her feet from under her.
Shinpi managed to avoid crashing to the ground, instead throwing herself forward into a roll so she could spring up. A mistake as she was immediately struck by Hiei who had been waiting for her. The hit made her stumble to the side, blinking after retaliating with an instinctual kick to his sternum.
"I'm not most beings." Shinpi shot back at Kurama, twirling away as he produced his whip and lashed toward her with it.
She needed to remember her notes. Before she'd met the boys she had been studious in writing everything she knew about them and she'd kept those notes updated ever since. This situation was new to her but the men weren't. She knew them. Hiei was the one who would box her in. Kurama preferred keeping a distance, using his whip to cut through his opponents. He wasn't a grappler. The fox would keep forcing her toward Hiei and allow him to do the dirty work. Kurama would keep her from getting too far. He knew her style, and he would know how to counter it. Kurama didn't have as much experience on the receiving end of her techniques but he had seen many of them.
What to do, what to do?
What were they going to do next? Which way were they trying to push her? How could she best fend them off? She needed a moment to gather herself, to think, to breathe.
Hiei lunged toward her and she swept herself away but he followed, predicting her movements as she had expected him too. They moved around one another in a practiced dance that normally made them an excellent team. Twisting around, her leg in the air to kick at his head, Shinpi felt the oppressive lash of energy announcing Kurama behind her. The distraction allowed Hiei to capture her ankle, a smirk on his face.
"Still feeling cocky?" He asked, humored. "If you beg I might let you get out of this."
Her response was to tip her head slightly to the side, eyebrow cocked and then shove her bound hands toward him, a ball of air flying from her palms into Hiei's chest, spilling him backwards to the ground. In an acrobatic escape that flipped her to the side without her hands, Shinpi narrowly escaped Kurama's whip, but the crack of it so close to her head hurt her ears. Eying him she noted the stern set of his mouth. She walked backwards to keep them both in sight, eyes narrowed. Kurama watched her, glanced to Hiei, then back to her and chuckled to himself.
"So clever." He told her, shaking his head.
"Coming from you that feels like an awful threatening compliment." Shinpi took another half step back.
Hayato watched from his previous post, having been the only one not to move into the fray. He took in all the movements and he was surprised to see how his oldest, dearest friend was behaving. The other two didn't seem to place her behavior, maybe they weren't familiar enough with it to call it by name. He had known that woman for most their lives and he could read her like a book even when neither of them wanted him to and right now he knew, without a doubt, she was viscerally wary of her opponent. She was seeing something in Kurama that called for her wits and caution.
It had been a long time since he'd last seen her back away from anyone or anything.
His instinct to join her had to be fought down, which meant he crossed his hands over his chest to hide his balled fists. He had to let her experience this. She had to learn. She had to fail.
Shinpi flitted back as Kurama advanced on her, her teeth grinding together. Kurama ducked down and Hiei jumped over his shoulder. She allowed him to persist, parrying his blows hit for hit. Hiei stepped forward, and then stopped his assault as his foot squished in the damp grass. He looked down and then swore, shoving himself back into Kurama as Shinpi grinned. She stood ankle deep in the swamp water they'd wandered into and allowed it to coil up her legs like trained snakes. She didn't flinch at the frigid temperature of the water because she didn't want them to know she couldn't hold it for very long.
"A whip for a whip." She winked at Kurama before spin-kick outward, sending the tendril of water directly at his face.
Kurama jerked back, feeling the sting of a cut on the very tip of his nose. Wild eyed he stared at Shinpi who looked too proud of herself. A bubble of truly prideful fury rose in his chest at the insult of getting caught up in her attack. The anger was toward himself, for not seeing it coming. For being too slow.
"Brat." Hiei hissed at her, keeping himself back.
Kurama sank to his knees to dig his fingers down into the soft earth, a few sharp seeds in his hold, and shoved his energy down into them. The demonic plant rushed underground and Shinpi offered a startled call when it erupted underneath her, a cage of branches threading around her. Shinpi sounded a profanity at them both as Kurama rose to his feet, sweat already beading on his brow.
"I'll go in, you back me up." Hiei kept his voice down. "That won't hold her long."
"She expects you to rush her." Kurama argued quietly.
"True. But you're out of practice and if we want her to lose we have to play to our strengths." Hiei smirked, pulling his sword free of it's hold.
Kurama would have loved to argue but he couldn't. Which only fed into his agitation. This was just another reminder that he'd let everyone else surpass him. He had to get better. He watched, decently impressed, as the vegetative cage started to dry out, water bubbling up to the surface of the branches and then rising into the air. Hiei threw himself over Kurama, rolling them both across the ground to avoid the barrage of water-bullets as Shinpi burst free of her holding. She stood glaring at them in the tattered remains of the plant. Stepping out of it she managed a few steps toward them before Hiei pried himself off of Kurama and launched himself at her, blade out and swinging. Water gathered in pools under the fox and before he fully grasped what was happening, ropes of it coiled around his ankles and wrists, yanking him down to the ground. With Kurama temporarily out of the picture Shinpi was able to focus solely on dodging the sword and getting in close to her partner, dipping under his arms and spinning around his back with grace. Hiei grabbed her by the shirtfront, dragging her close. She headbutted him in return, kneed the outside of his thigh then slammed her clasped hands across his face. As he staggered she moved behind him, throwing her arms around his throat and pulling back, pressing her knee against his spine as she put pressure on his windpipe.
Kurama took advantage of her distraction, feeling her icy water-chains slack and burst out of them to erupt into the fight, lashing out with his whip. Shinpi cried out when it struck her arm. Hiei thrust back with his sword angling up in an attempt to impale her, narrowly missing as she shoved him away from her, disarming him in the process. Hiei panted, reaching up to wipe the blood from under his nose. The look in his eyes could have chilled the sun, but Shinpi didn't seem to care. She shifted her weight foot to foot. Then she spun a kick, a cut of air biting against Kurama's ribs to knock him down but decidedly not breaking the skin. Diving across the ground at the same time that Hiei lunged she only managed to nab his sword by a fraction of a second, delicately pressing the tip against the hollow of his throat. Then to the side of his neck. Then tapped the left side of his chest.
"Dead." She declared. "Thoroughly stabbed with his own weapon. A bloody mess, but still somehow smiling as though the monster who killed him was the most alluring creature he'd ever seen."
"She's all yours." Hiei sat on the grass and then laid back with a smile on his face, arms behind his head as he watched Kurama's whip pull the sword from Shinpi's normally firm grasp and fling it several meters away. "Better run little wolf, you've upset him."
"Damn you both." Shinpi huffed and then took off toward the tree line for cover. The wind cycled around her shifting directions to hide her scent. Kurama's nose was as delicate as hers but she had ways of fooling it.
Panting, she found a group of trees to call a hideaway for a moment. Her breath misted into existence. This should be easier, it was just her versus Kurama now. Sure, she was in the forest but that didn't necessarily give him an advantage. He didn't routinely manipulate plants outside of his creation. He could do it, but he often didn't which made her assume it took more energy. He would want to conserve as much as possible. He had already been slowing down by the time she'd taken on Hiei, his reflexes too slow to dodge the water that held him down. She could use that.
Her stamina was as high as ever, though she had to admit this was taking a toll on her. Her legs would certainly be sore tomorrow after all the abuse today.
Okay, think. What was Kurama going to do? Look for her. Sense her out. She didn't have much time before he found her, she couldn't keep the wind moving all the time without giving herself away and she was sweating which meant she smelled more strongly than usual. Dammit. How to best challenge Kurama.
She could do this.
A branch broke to her left and she glanced toward it without moving, tensing in preparation for diving out of the way. Another on her right. Dammit. He was trying to lure her out.
Ambush predator.
"You look shaken." Kurama voice proclaimed as he dropped down on her from above. Shinpi snarled as he landed in a crouch over her, her body aching from the sudden impact. "Did I startle you?"
"Not at all." She shoved a foot against his hip and listed him to the side so she could roll away to her knees. Before she found her feet he cracked his whip at her, causing her to fall backwards to avoid getting hit. An idea blossoming, Shinpi accepted the next blow that bit into her shoulder. Crying out she arched her back in pain. "Kurama wait-"
"That might work on Hiei, but not on me. I know how hard I hit you." Kurama pulled his arm back and lashed out again as she swore, forcing herself to her feet and to the side to avoid the next blow. "You can't garner my pity, Amon-Shinpi."
Her chest warmed at his words despite her heavy frustration. "You're really immune to my tricks, aren't you?"
"They were mine long before they were yours." He informed her. "I've had centuries more time to manipulate and deceive."
"I find persistence and dedication often outweigh time." Shinpi explained with indifference. "I may not have as much experience but I did manage to fool even you."
"Times have changed and so have you. You can't fool me anymore." Kurama warned her. "I know you too well now."
"We all have our secrets, Kurama. You can't know everything." She spread her feet and hunkered down slightly. "It wouldn't be interesting otherwise."
He supposed she was right, he couldn't know everything. She certainly didn't know everything about him. There things he'd never tell her, never show her, never admit to even if tortured. It was only fair to assume she was the same. He didn't particularly enjoy thinking about it though so he chose not to.
Shinpi rushed forward, launching herself to tackle Kurama into the trunk of a tree that shook heavily in response. She was glad that it hadn't snowed in the fast few days, otherwise she might be drenched by now. It was already cold enough with her soaked socks and shoes. She might freeze into her shoes. It would be nice for this to end soon. The fox's breath rushed out of his lungs with a hiss upon impact and for a moment she thought she'd managed to stun him. Grabbing his shoulders she spun him around and threw her arms around his neck, attempting to maneuver him into a chokehold. Instead she only managed to find herself thrown to the ground roughly. When she got up again, she roundhouse kicked him, then spun and slammed her foot down attempting to force him back. He caught her ankle and threw her to the ground once more. Frustrated, she stood up and found him waiting for her. It was all she could do to just keep him from landing any serious blows.
This wasn't right. Kurama didn't fight this way. He didn't throw punches, he didn't overwhelm his opponent with brawn. Her back hit the tree once again and she growled, ready to slam forward when he produced a rose and jammed it above her head, embedding it into the trunk. Grappling with her he gained control of her arms and forced the rope binding her wrists over the the deliberately placed protrusion.
It left her prone, her hands raised and the rest of her relatively defenseless as she struggled to hide the signs of her exertion.
What the hell had just happened?
Had…had she actually lost?
"You're breathing heavy." Shinpi shifted, controlling her own breathing as best she could as she pressed back into the tree Kurama had pinned her against. Kurama glared at her in distrust of her muted excitement. "Don't be embarrassed dearest, I have that effect on even the sternest of men."
"Don't act cute." He warned her. Annoyed she was aware of his exhaustion and more frustrated it was there to begin with.
"You sound like Hiei." She teased. "Are you going to finish this?"
Kurama tensed. The stem of his rose held her hands above her head but he didn't want to chance her weaseling her way to freedom because he was quickly losing the energy to drag this out so he blocked her legs with his own, bringing his body closer to hers. Glaring down at her smug face he tried to battle a litany of thoughts and instincts.
Don't let her win this.
"I will." He assured her.
"You've lost your gusto." Shinpi accused gently, her smile and body softening. "You really can't do it, can you? You can't hurt me. You've been antagonistic but you've also been pulling your punches. Even your whip lacked the bite I've seen you muster before, it had no thorns, broke no skin."
"I can. I would just rather not." Kurama wanted to beg her not to push this, not to push him. He wasn't feeling all that in control of himself. All of this hunting, fighting, pursuit had roused his baser instincts.
Hiei was out there somewhere, probably watching. Waiting. He had to stay in control of himself. He had to pull back. For so many reason he had to end this. But for so many more he didn't want to. He had slept next to Shinpi, he had braided her hair, held her when she was injured, lounged with her and yet this felt like the closest he'd ever actually gotten to her. Like he had finally broken through some barrier surrounding her placing himself inside her stronghold. He'd never, not once, seen this look in her eyes before and he wanted to devour it so no one else would see it but him. That awful, alluring mixture of exhaustion, pride and hunger. Not for him, he knew it wasn't for him, not really at least, but for their thrilling fight. He had earned something today, something that likely didn't rightly belong to him.
And he wanted to keep it, like the thief he was.
His fingers raised to graze from her temple down her jaw, his cold expression forced but necessary. Shinpi seemed to believe the lie. Her throat moved and he watched it, part of him—that dark buried part he never, ever allowed her to see—howled in victory knowing he had her right where he wanted her, trapped and waiting for him to move. Nails lightly followed the vein on the side of her throat before he looked back into her eyes. He shouldn't have.
Where was Hiei?
Why hadn't he come to stop him by now?
Or Hayato for that matter?
Didn't anyone care he had her alone out here, defenseless, at his mercy?
Why was it always him who had to be the one in control? Why couldn't someone else come and take the control from him for once?
His fingers curled into a fist against the bark of the tree where his hand rested near Shinpi's side. Locking his jaw he hoped he looked angry. Ready to hurt. To kill. Anything other than what he actually felt.
She could never see it. He wouldn't let her.
Never.
That was his vow to himself and without Shinpi knowing it, to her too.
Never let her see his weakness in this.
"I've never seen your eyes shine like this before." Shinpi tilted her head curiously, speaking quietly as she studied him with too keen an interest. Squinting she seemed to realize something. "Your jawline is stronger than I thought. I've never really noticed before. Yusuke always says you look soft but you don't really, do you? With your hair down it hides your edges but there they are for me to see."
"This isn't the time for idle chitchat, Amon-Shinpi. You're in trouble. I have you captured. Fight me off." Kurama demanded harshly. "That's the whole point isn't it? For you to prove you can get out of this."
His anger mounted suddenly, replacing the emotions he shoved elsewhere. It rushed in to fill the void left behind. Kurama bared his teeth, leaning over her small frame.
Shinpi looked up at him then glanced down as his fingers ensnared her throat. When she swallowed again he felt it. That dangerous, dark, despicable part of him once again had to be beaten down.
"You're bluffing." She declared, raising an eyebrow.
"I literally have my hands around your throat."
"Hand. Singular. Who ever heard of being strangled with one hand?"
"It's almost like you want me to hurt you." He growled at her. "Defend yourself!"
"Now you really do sound like Hiei." She relaxed against the trunk. "I wonder if this is the same tree he strangled me against. The entire time he was on me about not defending myself."
Kurama blinked. "What?"
"It was our first real fight, I think. After the sewer escapade. I scared him and he retaliated in earnest." She shrugged. "He choked me unconscious. I hadn't meant to startle him so badly, it was like he could feel that I was thinking about killing him. I wasn't going to, of course, but the thought crossed my mind."
"I remember the aftermath." Kurama thought back. "I think that's when Hiei really started to fall for you. He was so enamored with that moment, so lost in it. He wanted you to do it again."
"I'm glad I left an impression."
"You're so infuriating." Kurama hissed. "All of this is to teach you to rely on us. To know your own limits and instead I'm the one stopping! Can't you at least pretend to-"
"Kurama." Shinpi looked up at him, but he didn't really see her expression. He was lost in his frustration with himself and with her.
"Just pretend to have a little humility. All I want to hear is that you know you aren't always the most intelligent or or the most capable! I just want you to admit you need us!"
"Kura-"
"For gods sake, Amon-Shinpi, just call for me!" His chest heaved with the words, his breathing unsteady. When he looked into her eyes he saw her pupils had shrunken down to pinpoints, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she attempted to remain as still as possible.
Vines and plants had sprung to life from his hair and the ground, encasing her legs and arms having crawled over his back and over his own appendages. The rose above her head had extended into a vine, wrapped around her throat with the thorns cutting into her skin. Part of the vine rested against her cheek, a thorn dangerously close to her eye. Shinpi trembled slightly, mouth open just a bit. The plants stopped growing as soon as Kurama realized what was happening.
"I yield. You win. I can't get out of this." Shinpi spoke as well as she could with her throat constricted. "Kurama, I give up."
"I win. That is a sweet thing to hear." He tried to laugh but it came out stunted because he had not meant for this to happen.
He had to reel himself in.
"Can you gloat later? Get me out of this mess." Shinpi fussed, blinking up at him, her voice far from steady. "You've made your point."
Finding his opportunity to pull back and regain himself, Kurama offered her a slick smile. "Oh, have I? I don't know. I feel like maybe it would serve you right to be left like this a while."
"Don't you dare." She warned him darkly.
"I might." He tossed his head back and forth. This was helping. This was clearing the air in his head. "How long do you think it would take you to untangle yourself?"
"Kurama." She spoke his name in a low growl. "Release me."
"I'll get around to it." He flashed her a grin and it was genuine because he was actually enjoying this moment. She was back to her obstinate self and he was back to his senses.
"I'm going to destroy you."
"It's so adorable you think that." He teased, stepping back. "You just yielded and I didn't even have to wound you."
"You yielded?" Hiei questioned with heavy amusement, his voice announcing his appearance in the tree above them. He smirked down at Shinpi. "That's embarrassing."
"Tell him to release me." Shinpi craned her head back and the thorns drew beads of blood there they cut into her throat. "This is uncomfortable."
"I think you should ask him nicely. He's the one who cornered you. Don't you tell me all the time to stop making demands and to try to be a little sweeter with my words?" Hiei perched on his branch languidly, checking his nails. "You're his prey. I'm just the ghost haunting you both because some wild wolf killed me off."
"You're not funny." Shinpi grumbled.
"I like his idea. I think you should ask me nicely." Kurama agreed, not bothering to hide his smug satisfaction.
"You two need to stop agreeing so much. It's been nothing but trouble for me lately." Shinpi complained bitterly.
"This is only a fraction of the grief the two of you have caused me over the years." Hiei let her know with a huff.
"I like to think I'm generally impartial." Kurama defended with a smile. "I take the side of facts."
"Is that your little petname for her now?" Hiei wondered dully. "Are you planning on holding her here all day? I'm getting hungry and bored."
"She still hasn't asked to be released."
"She's hoping you'll forget and just let her go." Hiei rolled his head and then hopped down to stand at his friend's side. "She's like that."
Shinpi took the moment to appreciate them as they bantered at her expense. She didn't regularly get to see the two of them being so chummy these days. It was lovely and she wished they would do it more. Kurama brought out a different side of Hiei, something sharper and more amused than most of the others. They looked so relaxed, at ease with the world around them. Riding the high of an earned victory no doubt.
The sound of heavy wings beating preluded Hayato's arrival, the soft thud of his feet making contact with the ground barely rousing Hiei and Kurama from their conversation. Brandishing the short sword he seldom used, Hayato freed Shinpi from the plants in a few strokes with a decidedly sour expression before replacing the weapon in it's sheath on his hip.
"Thank you. I thought they were going to leave me there for days." Shinpi rubbed at her new rope burns. "Absolute devils, the both of them."
"You're bleeding." Hayato told her, gently dabbing at her throat with his fingertips. "Why would you allow them to push you so far?"
"I didn't. Kurama bested me. Next time I'll get him back." Shinpi moved her hand to her neck and rolled her lips. "Exhilarating fight still. Actually I would say losing made it even more exciting than it would have been otherwise."
Hayato frowned then glared at the two men over her head. While maintaining eye contact he allowed his energy to rise into his hand, his palm covering the wounds on her throat. Through that act of healing her he continued to stare at Kurama and Hiei, who stared back with dull expressions.
"Thank you little bird, that feels much better." Shinpi stretched her arms and rolled her shoulder, then frowned as she rubbed it. "I thought I'd overcome that injury. How strange."
"Your shoulder?" Hiei asked, walking over to her. With some disguised concern he placed his hand on the sore spot, allowing his elevated body heat to seep into the muscle. "Was it the position?"
"No. It was hurting earlier too." She allowed him to massage the muscle. "Like it used to when you watched me. Curious."
Hayato rolled his eyes. "Don't come in now pretending to be soft, Hiei. You just watched your friend brutalize her."
"So did you." Hiei shot back at him. "I'm not soft. I never pretend to be."
"I didn't mean to truly injure you." Kurama fretted rushing over. "We should get you inside so we can ice it."
Shinpi laughed at their concern, not to be bitter, just because it made her appreciate them. Even still, she brushed Hiei's hands off of her. "Hayato will take it from here boys. We have a date planned anyway. You two can compare notes about what a brilliant opponent I am."
"You lost." Hiei reminded her.
"But not without hubris. Your point has been made. Next time there's even the hint that I'll be outmatched I'll ask someone to join me." She waved her hand through the air.
Hayato smugly accepted her touch as she looped her arm around his, pulling him to walk beside her. Hiei watched them go, as did Kurama. Both of them with similar looks of disdain. Then Kurama frowned, watching as Hayato slipped his hand down Shinpi's arm, a soft glow arising as he healed her rope burns.
"You lost control." Hiei spoke evenly once his wolf and her bird were out of range. His attention shifted fully to Kurama. "I almost stepped in."
"I knew you were watching." Kurama sighed, pushing his fingers through his bangs, resting the heel of his palm against the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what happened. I just kept getting angrier. She wasn't taking anything seriously."
"I'm not complaining, I'm just surprised." Hiei explained. "It's a rarity. I suppose though, I shouldn't be shocked she was the one to break you. Even when you're winning against her it always feels like she has you exactly where she wants you."
Kurama was going to disagree but decided not to bother. The truth would be too honest and he wasn't in the mood for that sort of thing. Instead he followed as Hiei started to walk. There was no point in rocking the boat and it technically wasn't lying if he wasn't the one talking anyway.