Chapter 3

Rin contemplated the racks of identical men's suits as she sat waiting outside the changing room. Hiei was inside, almost certainly grumbling and cursing his way into one of the outfits that the salesman had suggested.

As it turned out, it wasn't as simple as taking Hiei to the nearest Men's Warehouse and getting him measured for a suit. His everyday wear, cloak and all, was just not suitable for walking into a human retail store, so she had to buy him a t-shirt and jeans, which he of course did not want to wear.

"I can barely move. It's too tight," he complained, pulling at the fabric of the jeans. "And where am I supposed to keep my sword? Why do humans wear things like this? Completely impractical."

"No sword. And no complaining," she had replied. It was strange to see Hiei in anything that wasn't all black, and she wasn't sure it suited him.

The curtain concealing the changing room rustled, and a hand pulled it aside. The fire demon emerged, hands thrust deep into the pockets of his tailored slacks. Rin's breath caught in her throat.

The salesman had taken one look at Hiei and pulled together an all-black ensemble (not that there was much choice of color with men's dress fashion). Rin's heart leapt into her throat when the man had mumbled something about 'children's sizes,' but while Hiei's eyes flashed, he didn't say anything. In fact, as soon as they had stepped inside the store, he had been struck mute, watching everything with round eyes like coins and following her like a baby duckling. He had even submitted to being measured without a word or a glare.

Seemingly summoned by some innate salesman sense, the clerk appeared and looked at his charge critically, ushering Hiei in front of the large mirror. The fire demon stood stiff, his shoulders rounded and head down, but even his slouching couldn't disguise how well the suit fit. Well done, sales guy, thought Rin. Hiei wore a midnight black suit with a black satin button up underneath that looked as if it had been made just for him, the lines of the outfit emphasizing his lithe, muscular figure. His sharp red eyes met hers in the mirror, expression uncertain, and she realized that she was staring.

"Well, what do you think, miss?" the salesman asked. He had tried to tug at the coat to make it hang better, but one look from Hiei stopped him in his tracks. "Your boyfriend cleans up well. We're just missing a tie."

Without missing a beat, Rin said, "I think we'll go without the tie." Hiei would never wear it, so it would just be a waste of money. "He looks great, thank you. I just have one suggestion…"

Later as they walked back to the parking garage, Hiei shouldering the garment bag containing his new suit, Rin said, "You're lucky I have some money saved up. This weekend is going to be expensive."

The demon scoffed. "You humans and your money. In Demon World we take what we need."

"Yeah yeah, I've heard all about how great Demon World is. Fighting all the time, never a moment's peace." A thought sparked, and she asked, "Say Hiei, where did you get your clothes? Your old ones, I mean. Does Demon World have tailors? They'd have to, right? Do they get paid? How does the economy work?" He gave her a blank stare that said that she was being an idiot. "Actually, your old clothes - are they the only ones you have?"

Hiei harrumphed, then said, "At least demons don't pay each other with squares of plastic. We trade things of value."

Rin made a mental note to find some more clothes for him. The fact that he ignored her question and changed the subject so quickly probably meant that she was right.

"Anyway, next thing on the agenda is a wedding present. What were you thinking of getting them?"

The fire demon's step faltered for a second, and he looked away, hiding behind his fringe of black hair.

Rin bit back the words admonishing him for thinking of going to a wedding without even a card, let alone a present. It wouldn't do any good to embarrass him further - he'd just shut down. "We'll think of something. I'm sure they have a wedding registry."

Hiei sighed in exasperation. "It's like you're speaking in a completely different language," he said as he adjusted the garment bag, looking like a black turtle with an overly large shell.

An internet search and a couple thousand yen later - the couple did indeed have a registry, probably set up lovingly by Kuwabara himself, Rin thought - a new Kitchenaid mixer was on the way. Ticking off that item in her notebook, she said, "Next is a hotel room. It's really late, so we'll have to be super lucky to find anything."

"I have no need of a hotel room, or any of your human comforts," the fire demon said. He was sitting on the floor of her living room with his back against her sliding patio door, back in his own clothes.

"Not all of us can literally sleep in trees, dude," she said, clicking over to the hotel's website. "And you can't really think that you can hang your suit from a tree branch and keep it nice."

Hiei made that 'tch' noise that he was so famous for - Yusuke and Kuwabara had tried for months to imitate it correctly, but they never could nail his growl.

"Anyway, if I'm going with you, I need a hotel room, electricity, a bed, you know - those important things? Heard of them? Do you want me showing up looking like I fell out of a tree?"

The fire demon rolled his eyes and said, "I really don't care what you do or what you look like." He looked out the patio door into the sunset flooding her apartment, plainly done with the conversation.

"Ooh, we're in luck," Rin said. "One room still left. I'm gonna snatch it." She input her credit card details, wincing at the expense, but glad she'd have somewhere to sleep. Her email client dinged with the confirmation email, and out of habit she clicked over to read it. One hotel room booked for the weekend. Amenities included a hotel pool, a jacuzzi tub, a small patio, and one (only one!) king bed. Rin's mind skated over the implications of 'only one bed,' having read a few romance novels in her time, but as far as she knew, Hiei had never slept horizontally in his life, especially on a soft surface like a bed. He'd probably want to sleep sitting up out on the patio. Or in a tree.

But still, her cheeks colored. It was going to be an interesting weekend.