Howdy! It's good to be back, and might I say it's nice to have something to distract me from the shitshow that is the world. Hopefully I can do that for you as well with this chapter, even if it's just for a couple minutes. Stay sane out there!

This is a response to anon reviewer "Sam": It's wonderful to hear you enjoy the way I'm writing these characters. Hiei is hard to pin, he talks more than you think, but he doesn't talk *too* much. It's a balancing act.

And yes, the DOG! We should all wonder about the dog. He's a good boy. :)

Enjoy.

-EX-PO-SI-TION *clap clap clapclapclap*-

Tenrou yawns. He's recovered his energy after so many trips to Human World, and he's ready to go back. The attack on Alexa Orlov wasn't as successful as they'd hoped, but Entity reached out to her. Perhaps, with the fright she was delivered from Mrs. Albrecht, the combination will get her to flip to their side. That's all he can hope for. He doesn't really want her to die, after all. He never wants any humans to die.

Still, he wishes she'd make things easier. Administering proper training to the Tsa Chi forces has been an interesting process. Their leaders are stumped on how to administer their toxins on humans. Several variables have been used, but the power of their poisons depends on their evolution and resistance through time. Creating a potent enough concoction would either require years of breeding, or a miracle ingredient. Obviously, there's no time for that. Still, they are becoming better fighters than Tenrou previously believed of them, and when he thinks about it, there are only two humans who can stand against them. And with that Kuwabara more focused on his studies in the first place, it only left one.

He doesn't know the extent of Alexa Orlov's powers. The power she used to both beat back her enemies and heal her teammates is unprecedented. Not only that, but even when Mrs. Albrecht had her cornered, she was rescued from her fate by a demon. A demon of all things!

Hiei. That's his name. He doesn't know much other than what the Tsa Chi Clan has handed over. He mastered the Darkness Flame Technique, was second-in-command to Mukuro before the unification, and was a ruthless warrior with little kindness or sympathy for his enemies. A brute. Quite the opposite type to be swooping in and saving human women, even if they're fighting alongside one another.

"I suppose that must be my next obstacle. The link between Alexa Orlov and Hiei. Even Their Grace attempted to put an end to any connection between them. There's more to learn," he thinks, flaring his energy as the Earth turns below him. Sirius aligns, and in a ray of burning starlight, Tenrou jets down, down, down…

Alexa falls back on her butt, breathing heavily. She takes a few seconds to catch her breath before looking up with a smile. Sweat drips down her face, making her glad she didn't bother wearing a lot of makeup. A hand reaches down. Alexa takes it with full trust and hops back to her feet with gusto.

"Even in the short time since our last bout, you've become stronger. Your friends are right to see you as impressive," Mukuro says, not a hair out of place after their little session. Alexa waves a dismissive hand at her.

"I'm not all that great, I'm definitely not strong enough to compete with them, but I try my best. Although I suppose it's probably a good thing I'm having a power crawl, given the position I'm in now," she replies, brushing her pants off.

"I see. You have a lot of anger inside. Perhaps you can utilize it, as I have utilized mine in the past."

The comment draws a scrunched look of confusion from the human.

"'Anger'? I don't have any anger, what makes you think that?"

Mukuro hums in amusement, not buying that garbage for a second.

"I can sense it when we spar. It could be part of the reason why your old master mentioned your shortcomings the way she did."

Alexa rolls her eyes. What could she possibly be angry about? Life is going fine, and she chose to go this way in the first place! It's not like she's miffed or unsatisfied with it. She has friends, she has a roof over her head, she technically has a well-paying job! She almost fainted when she saw the number of zeroes on the paycheck Botan delivered to her before! Her student loans are gonna be paid off in the next year if she keeps up with it! That's cause for a goddamn PARTY!

"Then tell me. Tell me what happened back in your hometown, I doubt we'll be interrupted here," Mukuro commands calmly, though with no spite. She's right that they will likely keep to themselves; they're atop an Okuninju plant, high above the land below. What Alexa doesn't know, that Mukuro is fully aware of, is that there is one person around listening in… and he's perfectly aware that Mukuro wants him there. She doesn't know why he's followed them, but so be it.

Alexa knows there's no avoiding it and gestures to a nearby tree to sit under the leafy branches. Demon trees don't seem all that different from human ones, even though she knows Kurama would clutch at his pearls if he heard her say it.

The two settle on the ground next to each other. Mukuro is at ease. Alexa fidgets, trying to tie the narrative together in her head.

"Well… Before I got my spirit power and started training, I was a college student. I studied music. But before that, I came from a fairly small town. It's the kind where everyone goes to church on Sunday, differing opinions are stifled, and there are certain expectations for certain people. I dunno if that makes sense to you," she starts, looking over to see if there's anything she needs to clarify. Mukuro nods for her to continue, as she understands enough.

"Right. Okay, so I was raised pretty strict in my family, and I was the only child. I mean, there are other parents who are more strict than mine, like I was allowed to pick trombone in band and not a more 'feminine' instrument, and I could read what I wanted, and I could go trick-or-treating for Halloween. I know some people whose parents thought that was abominable. I just had to get good grades and maintain a pristine image. Be a good girl. Wasn't too difficult, being honest."

"But I had a friend from church whose parents were close with mine, and he and I were always together." Alexa grows quiet, eyes staring in her lap as her thoughts cloud her expression. The classical music that had been around them fades away. Mukuro starts to see a level of anger on her face, and realizes that this is part of her underlying problem.

"My parents are the type to believe that getting married and having babies right out of high school is normal. I didn't want to upset them. I got engaged before I even graduated. My fiancé was a perfect gentleman, a good friend, like, there's nothing bad I can say about him, y'know? I just…"

She leans back to gaze into the leaves above her.

"I wanted more for myself. I could see opportunity, and that future just wasn't for me. I went to school without any real help from my parents and broke off the engagement amicably. The only reason I wasn't disowned outright is because I think my parents believed I would either change my mind or find a new husband at school. Unfortunately for them, I basically had an identity crisis while there, and after I left school to start training they basically went ballistic and have dropped almost all contact. I don't blame 'em, they're probably right to be disappointed. But that guy… sometimes I wonder if I should've stayed with him. Life wouldn't have been bad if I had stayed, and there's a part of me that really misses him."

Silence whirls around them.

"You were right, that is much lamer than my own past," Mukuro says, earning a light joking shove to her shoulder. It's an action she never thought anyone would dare try on her.

"I told you. How could I compare to someone who became a king of Demon World, haha," Alexa snorts, not insulted by the comment at all. "From what I can tell, you've gotten over whatever your past is, though. I'm jealous."

Mukuro sits back against the tree.

"Our mutual friend is the likely reason for that," she states, earning a disgusted look.

"If you're talking about him, no way. He's not my friend, he doesn't have friends. According to him they're just a crutch for the weak," Alexa shoots back, earning a laugh.

"I think you know by now that he doesn't always say what he means. He seems to look after you well enough," Mukuro points out, which is true. Alexa can't deny that.

"Yeah, okay, but why? That's been stumping me too. It's like those videos of fostering feral cats, he gets all angry at me right when I think we might be having a 'moment.'"

This gets Mukuro's (and the listener's) attention. Moment? What does that mean? Very ambiguous. The listener can hardly hold back from zipping out and demanding an explanation. He doesn't bother, as Mukuro is going to take the opportunity to ask.

"What do you mean? What is a 'moment?'"

Alexa pauses, her words stopping in her throat to make an odd croaking sound. Her face starts turning red.

"Uuuuuh… Just a moment. You know. Like when you're around people. And there's a moment. And in that moment, it's a moment."

The clarification works wonders, in that it succeeds in making Mukuro look at her in mild confusion, which is an expression she's never expressed in front of Alexa before. It's progress! But as for making her point, she's fallen flat on her face. It's not like she has a great way of explaining it. After all, Hiei's crowning achievement of confusing her is when he saved her, and that's not really a moment between them, per se… She wishes he wasn't such an asshole.

"I see… Is he truly that terrible?" Mukuro asks. Alexa swivels her head with a guilty pout on her face. She has to admit it…

"No…" She swears internally she'll never let Hiei know that's the truth. He's helped her out too much. Mukuro laughs again.

"As I thought. Humans are more interesting than I first believed, they find kindness wherever they look for it. I used to think it was one of their primal weaknesses. Demons are hardly ever so forgiving of another's faults."

Alexa rolls her eyes, cuz Hiei is never forgiving of any of her faults. That's the way he acts, anyway…

"He'd die before acknowledging, but he is likely one of the kindest demons I've ever met."

Alexa's thoughts grind to a halt as she whips her head to Mukuro in startled confusion. The listener recoils in… disgust…? He's not kind!

"Hiei's not kind!" Yeah, what she said!

"Oh he is, in his own way of course. What he's done for me can only be explained by that fact.

Of course, Alexa asks for the hot deets, because how is Hiei anything close to that adjective? She can think of so many times when he's been a complete twit. Then again, there are those moments where he's actually kinda bearable.

"Okay, you've gotta spill the tea on this one. Let's hear it," she prods, scooting closer to annunciate her desire.

Mukuro proceeds to tell her about the man who enslaved and groomed her as she grew up. The torment. The torture. As the details emerge, Alexa listens soberly, seriously. Her music drifts around them, a sweet, sad piano tune that allows for comfort.

Hiei found out that Mukuro was cursed with visions of this man being the father she always wanted on her birthday, a sadistic lasting mark. She never minded the scars from the acid she poured on herself to escape. She was rid of the chains that bound her. But her birthday was always a nightmare of a false, predatory love that never was.

Hiei found out. He went out and found that man. And in the torturous grip of a demonic plant courtesy of his friend Kurama, Hiei presented him to her as a birthday gift. The visions faded, and at last. At last… Her life, the life of Mukuro, was all hers once and for all. Her future could be all that mattered.

The listener waits for Alexa's reaction once the story is complete. He never thought that any of his actions could be considered "kind," he just did those things because it seemed the correct thing to do at the time. Is that kindness?

"Mukuro," Alexa addresses, then holds her arms open. Her lips waver and her eyes are wet with unshed tears, "may I?" she asks, and the ultra-powerful demonness cocks her head in wonder.

"You may?"

Immediately she is enveloped in a hug. Mukuro sits stunned, unused to such contact at all. She doesn't really know what to do with her arms. But she lets it happen. Alexa's hand starts sliding up and down her back in a motion that appears to be habit and instinct.

Alexa draws back and holds her shoulders with a watery smile. Mukuro is still stunned.

"There," she warbles, before sniffing and clearing her throat. "Now you know what a real hug is like. I want that to be part of your future."

Mukuro blinks, then begins laughing. Alexa pulls back more, bashful from her impulsive move. In her twenty-second hindsight, that was embarrassing. The listener scoffs to himself. That woman and her stupid face… If anyone is kind between them, it's her. He refuses to entertain the idea that he's like that, even if Mukuro thinks that of him.

Alexa apologizes quietly as Mukuro eases from her laughter.

"I'll let it slide this time. From now on I'd prefer battling to anything else," she says, to which Alexa agrees whole-heartedly. She can understand not being comfortable with affection, considering the background story. Still, if anything, it feels as though the anger inside her grows a bit. She never realized this anger even really existed. Why are demons and humans doing the same things to each other?

If Hiei hadn't gotten to him first, Alexa would've hunted Mukuro's abuser, herself.

As the pair begin to meander back to civilization to hit up a bar before Alexa goes home, their secretive hidden third party feels stormy. Hiei hates how despicably normal the human woman is and hates how glad he is that she refused to allow her life to be that way. She made the correct decision to begin training. He will ensure that she understands that fact.

Mukuro's birthday gift from Hiei is so tragically missing from the show. All my manga readers out there, hey-o! She punches his innards out when he first asks about her trauma. Deserved. I love Mukuro, I wish she was my best friend.

So there you have it, the "tragedy" of Alexa. I didn't grow up like her, but I knew plenty who did!

Thanks for reading so far, and I'll be back!

Til Next Time,

-A