Chapter 8
Mukuro looked up at Rin from the round banquet table. Or rather, Mukuro's name on the little place card at her seat looked up at her. Rin furtively glanced around before taking the card and setting it face down. It was already weird enough that she was taking Hiei's maybe-girlfriend's place at the wedding; she didn't need other people being reminded of it as well. Fortunately, the milling, chattering crowd seemed to have covered for her.
Behind her, she heard Kurama's voice. "I believe this one is mine." He appeared next to her and slid out the chair to her left. He gave a pointed look to her face-down namecard. Of course he had noticed, and of course he was sitting next to her. Of all the luck, hers was the worst. Botan was on his other side, then Yusuke, Keiko, Shizuru, and a short, curvy woman with a pixie cut and muscular arms revealed by her sleeveless dress.
Rin felt a presence next to her and turned to see Hiei. He looked at his namecard with distaste - his name was beautifully written in silver script - and muttered, "What is this? Human foolishness."
"You and I can switch," she said quickly, her cheeks heating, the bombshell he had dropped so casually earlier still running through her brain. "If you want to sit next to Kurama."
His ruby eyes fixed on her. "Why would I want to sit next to Kurama?"
She stumbled over her words. "Because… because you slept in his room last night?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Hiei tossed his head and sat, also turning his name card face down.
Her face felt like the surface of the sun. Collapsing into her chair, she couldn't think of anything to say. But his sharp gaze was unwavering on her face, and it was clear he wasn't letting her off the hook. She anxiously tangled her fingers in the skirt of her dress, leaned closer to him, hesitated, and whispered, "If you two don't want anyone knowing that you're together, I understand. I just wanted to offer."
Hiei reared back, his expression affronted. Again Rin was reminded of a cat sprayed with water.
"You think Kurama and I are —?" He hissed, "Keep your voice down. We are not - . We have never -." He shook his head, mussing his bangs, unable to continue.
Rin was sure that her face had spontaneously combusted. Before she could reply, the fire demon harrumphed and turned away, crossing his arms. Rin spiraled into her own special circle of awkward hell. This whole weekend just kept getting better and better.
On her other side, a hand touched her elbow. "I see you and Hiei are getting along swimmingly," Kurama murmured.
Damn those keen fox ears of his.
She opened her mouth to say something, anything to distract from her latest foot-in-mouth moment, when she was interrupted by the PA system. The voice sounded familiar, now that she was hearing it for a second time.
"Attention wedding guests: please find your seats. The Kuwabaras will be making their grand entrance in two minutes, and you won't want to miss it!"
There was a mad scramble as people scurried around finding their tables. Rin noted several beautiful women in elaborate kimonos, faces placid and remote, drifting by and sitting at a table in the back corner. Yukina must have invited some of the ice maidens from Demon World.
That made her wonder. How much of the crowd was normal humans, versus those that were spiritually aware or even actual demons? Were Kuwabara and Yukina trusting everyone to behave and keep the normies in the dark? The thoughts distracted her from her embarrassment and her curious mind churned through the possibilities. Before she could voice her thoughts, energetic rock music piped through the room, hushing all conversation.
A spotlight trained on the doors to the rooftop patio.
"May I please have your attention. I have the great honor of introducing our favorite newlyweds, Kazuma and Yukina Kuwabara! Please give them a round of applause!"
The two of them burst through the doors in a blizzard of snowflakes, hand in hand. Kuwabara brandished his Spirit Sword above his head like a prizefighter while Yukina smiled demurely. To normal people, it must have just looked like he was waving. The clapping and cheering was deafening as the two bowed, basking in the adoration of the people that loved them.
"Fool," Hiei muttered next to her, his gaze snagged on his new brother-in-law.
Kuwabara was brandishing his sword as the couple crossed the dance floor to their sweetheart table. As the lovebirds sat down, someone in the crowd tapped a fork against their wine glass, then others took up the call till light tinkling echoed around the space. Kuwabara and Yukina looked at each other, blushing, then kissed. Rin cheered and clapped with everyone else, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Hiei looked confused and annoyed.
A waiter appeared at her elbow. "Excuse me, miss. What would you like with dinner? We have whites, reds, a variety of sakes, a few domestic beers…?"
"I'll have the red, please. Merlot, if you have it."
The waiter nodded and turned to Hiei. "And you, sir?"
The fire demon sat up stock still, looked from the waiter to Rin and back again, then at his face-down placecard, the others at their table, and the ceiling, as if he might find an answer somewhere in the space around him. The waiter shifted his weight, his pleasant smile faltering as the short pause went on longer and longer, stretching into the territory of awkward. Hiei's wide-eyed gaze found her face, and if Rin wasn't mistaken, his expression was panicked. Pleading.
"He'll have the Merlot as well, thank you," Rin cut in.
Hiei sagged in relief as soon as the waiter moved on to Kurama and Botan. His desperation at that simple question niggled in her mind. Was it possible that Hiei had never ordered a drink before? Rin didn't know a lot about Demon World, but it didn't seem like the sort of place that would boast of its extensive wine selection. If there were any taverns or bars, it was likely that all you could order was ale or some vile 'house special.' And even if there were well-stocked taverns in Demon World, Hiei didn't seem like the type to go sit at a bar for a drink.
Was that the real reason that Hiei had invited her to the wedding? Not to help him choose an outfit, buy a gift, or to learn to dance, but to navigate all of the strange new human customs on the day itself without looking stupid? If Hiei hated anything, above all else he hated looking foolish. Especially in front of Kuwabara and Yusuke. And even worse, at his own sister's wedding. He wasn't someone who made mistakes, or who tolerated being laughed at.
In no time the waiter was back and filling their glasses. Hiei looked at his suspiciously, then shot a glance at Rin. She picked up the glass of blood-red liquid, swirled it, then took a small sip, acting like she didn't know he was watching her with eyes that matched the Merlot. Hiei copied her, mostly hiding his expression of distaste.
Kurama turned to them, watching the fire demon on Rin's other side. "How do you like the wine, Hiei?"
"Only humans would take perfectly good food and spoil it on purpose," Hiei said moodily.
"I rather find the taste grows on you, like many human creations," Kurama replied, green eyes twinkling.
"I agree," Rin cut in, hoping to smooth things over with the fox by agreeing with him. "I used to hate it when I was younger, but now it's one of my favorite things."
"Tch," Hiei said.
"I wonder what's for dinner," Yusuke said, craning his head to look around the room. "I'm starving."
"Didn't you read the invitation?" Keiko asked with an indulgent smile. "It's all on there."
"Of course not; that's why I keep you around, Miss Straight A's," Yusuke replied. Keiko rewarded him with a swat on the arm.
"Little bro and Yukina decided on a buffet," Shizuru put in. "Lots of options. Vegan too," she said in an aside to her date.
"Score!" Yusuke crowed. "About time Kuwabara paid me back for all the times I saved his ass."
"Yusuke!" Botan exclaimed. "Kuwabara and Yukina did not have their wedding so you could gorge yourself."
Hiei turned away from the lively banter, though Rin knew he was listening. If ordering wine had been trouble, a buffet line might be even worse for him. Would Hiei appreciate help, or would he snap at her again? She thought of his stricken face when the waiter asked for his drink choice and decided that it didn't matter.
Leaning over, she whispered to him, "Do you know how a buffet works?"
One gimlet eye looked at her. "I know what the word 'buffet' means; I'm not an idiot."
Rin smiled to herself, but didn't let it show. His nonanswer was answer enough.
"In a few minutes they'll start calling tables to go to the buffet. We'll go up with the group and get in line…"
Though Hiei didn't visibly react to her explanation, his shoulders did relax a fraction.
As they waited for their table to be called, someone in the crowd again took up the wine glass-tapping. As Kuwabara and his new bride smiled indulgently and then kissed, Hiei's eyebrows scrunched together.
Yes, Rin was seeing how she could be of use here, and it quieted some of the anxiety clamoring inside her. Her purpose here, even if Hiei wasn't entirely conscious of it, was to act as his guide to nonsensical human customs. After all, that was why she had become a librarian. She liked helping people and explaining things.
As Yusuke and the others laughed and clapped, she leaned over to Hiei, putting a hand on the back of his chair. The warmth of the wine settled happily in the bottom of her empty stomach, and she put her mouth right up to his ear; he stiffened at her close proximity. The fire demon smelled like flowers - probably Kurama's soap - and the faintest tinge of wood smoke.
"It's an old human tradition," Rin said. "When you tap your glass at a wedding, it's supposed to make the couple kiss."
"Hmph. Humans and their ridiculous customs." Hiei grabbed his wine glass and drank, expression annoyed. When he set it down, it was half empty. He eyed his sister and new brother-in-law. "There is no world in which I'd want him kissing my sister."
Draining her own wine glass, Rin said, "Too late for that, I think." She nodded at Yukina and her new husband, whose blush almost matched the color of his hair.
She chuckled inwardly at Hiei's stricken expression, but before he could reply, the waiter returned to refill their wine. The table next to theirs was released by another server and filed towards the buffet on the other side of the room.
Hiei took another sip of his red wine, and Rin wondered if the taste was growing on him.
"Your scent," he said suddenly, pert nose wrinkling. "What is it?"
"Excuse me?" Rin said, flushing. She ducked her head and took a quick sniff of herself. Oh god, maybe she had forgotten to put on deodorant. "Is it bad?"
"It reminds me of Kurama's plants," Hiei said contemplatively. He studied her as though she was one of those same plants under a microscope.
"Is that a good thing?" she asked hesitantly, thinking of Kurama's many varieties of plants: the Rose Whip, the death flowers, the various blood-drinking and meat-eating plants... The possibilities were endless, and most of them weren't flattering.
Hiei crossed his arms, the wine glass hanging carelessly off one hand. "Wouldn't you like to know," he said with a smirk.
It was going to be a long night.
Author's note: Thank you to all my readers and of course to Sammie42, who continues to leave the sweetest reviews!