Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is not mine, you know the drill.
Title: "Why He Chose to Stay"
Chapter One: Swords and Tears
The familiar sound of thunder crackled in the hazy purple sky. Immediately following it was a forked bolt of lightning that brightly illuminated the sky before fading away. The storms were commonplace, but not near as much so as before Raizen's death, when they shook the grounds and rattled even the strongest fortresses. Then they had reflected the struggle of power between the three kingdoms of Demon World, but since then the kingdoms had been unified and an omnipotent ruler crowned. The three former rulers had retreated to the shelter of their palaces, were they remained quietly.
In one of the former fortresses a small demon padded silently down a deserted hallway, his cloak swishing behind him. His crimson eyes flashed in turn at each of the torches that lit the hallway, and by his will they went out. The demon had always preferred darkness; most of his life had been spent in it. Despite the darkness he was able to see perfectly and walked without fear of colliding with either the walls or other demons. His footsteps were silent, the only noise his light breathing and the occasional sound of his sword brushing against his leg.
His acute senses detected the presence of another, and he stopped, glaring through the shadows. He knew who the demon was that approached him, and at the moment he didn't want to face her. It was too late to mask his energy and hide his presence so he stood defiantly in the center of the hallway as she stopped as well, meeting his eyes with a small smile. Neither said anything.
Suddenly the torches on the walls flared to life, and Hiei stared into Mukuro's amber eyes through the newfound light. She looked smug, he decided, and unconsciously he found himself looking her over. From her shoulder-length orange hair, combed to the side, to side of her body he knew was mechanical, then back to her eyes, especially to her right, which wasn't human. Why he found himself doing this he had no idea and silently berated himself for such a thing. She had such a feminine body; he found it impossible to believe he had thought her a male when he'd first met her, before she had revealed the truth of her identity to him. Suddenly Hiei realized what he was thinking and mentally slapped himself.
Mukuro smirked at her accomplice and raised as curious eyebrow at the frustrated look on his face, something she didn't think had to do with suddenly encountering her in the hallway. There was something about the way Hiei was looking at her that interested her and made her wonder briefly what he was thinking. Well, she could always find out.
She had been staring straight into his eyes for several moments before Hiei suspected what was happening and looked away quickly. He didn't dare look back up at her, fearing she had discovered what he was thinking. Apart from most likely killing him on the spot, he knew he would never hear the end of it in Hell. Angrily he closed his thoughts and looked up defiantly, waiting for a punishment that surprisingly never came
"Why so uneasy Hiei?" she asked in her mysterious voice. Okay, maybe she didn't know what had coursed through his mind in the last few minutes, but that thought didn't improve his mood.
"You have no idea," he whispered dangerously, issuing the threat.
"Oh?" Mukuro sounded slightly eager. "You wouldn't happen to be challenging me now would you Hiei?" She couldn't keep a smile from crossing her face as the prospect of a fight loomed in her mind. She hadn't fought seriously since the tournament.
Hiei smirked. "I do believe I am," he said boldly. "That is, of course, if you accept." He left the sentence dripping with sarcasm, daring her to refuse. He knew Mukuro couldn't resist a challenge or a good fight, especially if it came from him. As though to tempt her he tugged gently at the bandage around his right arm. "When you're ready," he whispered as he passed, before vanishing into the darkness.
The wind had begun to pick up when Hiei took his place in the trees, blowing his cloak and hair in all directions. The air was cold, but it didn't affect him that evening. In fact, the only thing he could feel was the slight nervousness and excitement that came before a fight. He hadn't forgotten Mukuro was a former lord of demon world, and that title didn't come lightly. He also couldn't let himself forget that even though she would fight with him she was also the one that gave him orders and was not someone he should anger. Feeling his boss's energy, Hiei tugged off his cloak and lay it on the ground along with his katana, which he set down grudgingly. Tightening his belt and checking that his bandage was secure, Hiei waited in the clearing.
Sure enough, a moment later Mukuro appeared through the trees, the wind ruffling her hair slightly. She'd unclasped the purple vest she wore to allow better movement, and tucked in her belt was…a pair of short swords? The fire demon did a double take, then reached down for his own blade. He'd never known she had training as a swordsman.
"Are you sure you know how to use those?" Hiei asked mockingly as she dropped the two scabbards on the ground. He drew his sword slowly, hearing it slide smoothly against the inside of the scabbard and knowing it was deadly sharp. The last of the day's light reflected in the blade as he held it loosely in his hand, waiting for his opponent to make the first move.
"I think I have a fair idea," Mukuro replied, twirling her right blade in circles. "I figured we could play by your rules for once."
Sensing the challenge that lay in her words Hiei charged, aiming a swift strike to her side. Mukuro parried his stroke easily, casting his blade wide while she aimed for his chest with her other sword. Startled but recovering quickly, Hiei leapt out of range just as the blade raked his neck. He landed a few feet away and brushed the trickle of blood from below his ear where she had nicked him. Mukuro stood casually while she watched him, her blades held loose but ready.
"You seem startled Hiei," she called, causing the fire demon's head to shoot up.
"Not hardly," he snapped, gripping his sword tighter.
"Then let's go," she said softly, and the next moment had vanished. Hiei looked up nervously and jumped when he suddenly felt her energy behind him. Spinning on his heel he brought his sword around quickly, forcing her back.
They exchanged several blows before Hiei leapt into the air, aiming for a downward attack using his unnatural speed. Watching him with a mildly amused look, Mukuro jumped up as well, smiling when she saw Hiei's startled look as she appeared above him. Unable to stop from falling, the fire demon landed on his feet but barely had time to move before he felt the cold steel of a sword against the his neck. Tipping his head back as far as the blade would allow, he glared at Mukuro.
"You're hardly one to show mercy," he said angrily as she released him and took a few steps back.
"Neither are you," Mukuro countered evenly, "but if I kill you I can only beat you once."
Her words angered him and lit a fire in his heart; a flame hungry for revenge. Swords were his element, he could defeat her easily! He was being too soft! Moving with a speed he didn't even recognize, Hiei moved in for his next attack, his blade pointing toward his feet. Recognizing the motions for an upward strike, Mukuro stepped back to avoid his stroke and smiled triumphantly, which faded immediately when she saw the demon spinning on his heel. Using the forward momentum from his previous swing, Hiei pivoted and aimed his next attack at her side, catching himself a fraction of an inch before he made contact.
"Now who's asking for mercy?" Hiei asked darkly.
The calm tone had gone from Mukuro's voice when she answered, "I never asked." Suppressed anger reflected in her eyes as she glared at the fire demon, who chuckled softly when he realized why she was mad. She didn't like getting beat at her own game. Suddenly feeling mischievously spiteful, the fire demon backed away and lowered his sword.
"I could stop holding back if you wish," Hiei said, his voice full of fake concern. "I want this fight to be worth everything it should."
Now there was no mistaking the venom in Mukuro's gaze and her energy surged. A light blue aura emitted from the blades in her hands as she slowly stepped toward him. Two could play that game, and Hiei's sword was coated in fire as he swung at her arms, but she blocked the stroke and kept advancing, forcing Hiei back.
Darkness had nearly set in, but that didn't stop either fighter as their raging match continued. Any hesitance they had was long gone, and Mukuro's true sword style was beginning to show through the casual method she had used earlier. The flowing strokes she had been attacking with had been replaced by short strikes, usually combining the range of the two blades to isolate a specific vital point on the body. It wasn't as fluid as Hiei's technique, yet surprisingly effective combined with her natural speed, and the fire demon found himself backed against a tree with Mukuro advancing.
"Shit," he whispered as he looked up at the tree. It was much too large and the trunk too wide to offer anything useful to his situation. The low, thick overhanging branches provided places he could hide but limited the height he could jump, giving him no true means of escape. "You better think of something quick," he whispered to himself just as a solution came to him.
Slowly he tried to edge around the side of the tree, freezing in his tracks as one of Mukuro's blades embedded itself in the wood inches from his face. Now she had only one weapon but had cut off one of his escape routes in the process. This was where he had to rely on his own speed.
"So Hiei," Mukuro said when she stopped in front of him, "what will you do? I doubt you'll surrender, you're not the type for it." She twirled the knife in front of his eyes to see if he would flinch; he didn't. "I won't kill you, but a nice wound might do you good."
Hiei saw her thrust as though it was in slow motion. Just as slowly he ducked out of the way, wincing as the blade grazed his arm, but it was enough. The sword slid off the curved surface of the wood and Mukuro stumbled, off-balanced by the strike. Bringing around his weapon, the fire demon pointed the sword at her heaving chest as she glared at him from the ground.
"Checkmate," he whispered, remembering the human term.
In a crackle of energy the former lord vanished, leaving her second in command to gather his scabbard and cloak silently. Hiei slid his sword away and tucked it through his belt as he fastened the cloak around his shoulders. Glancing around, he spotted the smaller pair of scabbards Mukuro used and appeared beside them, collecting them in his hand. It was best if he brought them back with him. It was foolish to transport a blade without its scabbard, but he knew Mukuro was furious after her defeat and most likely hadn't thought to grab them.
As he made his way back to the fortress, Hiei pondered over his victory. It seemed almost impossible that he could have actually beaten her, but he knew it wasn't a fluke. Neither of them had been holding back when they fought and had struck to kill, at least once Mukuro had realized it would be an even match. The fire demon's steps quickened as an idea came to him that both excited and disgusted him. Now his suspicions were starting to come to the surface, startling images playing through his head.
What if Mukuro had been favoring him on purpose? And when he had broken through her defenses it made her realize he wasn't a swordsman to be taken lightly? That would make her even angrier when he defeated her, and it explained why she didn't land her strikes. Except that last one, Hiei thought grimly, she was angry enough to injure him then.
No, that made no sense! the fire demon told himself sternly. There was nothing that would make Mukuro lose a fight on purpose; he knew the former lord well enough to know that. But she had seemed almost playful when she had challenged him in the hallway now that he thought back on it. Hiei's eyebrows shot up. That was not an emotion he'd seen from her before, not even in battle when she would toy with her opponents.
His familiar home fortress coming into sight, Hiei began to sprint. He'd succeeded in doing nothing but confusing and frustrating himself, and those were two things the demon despised. Another was being favored, and as his suspicions began to find a basis in fact his mood continued to darken. He had almost no doubt now that Mukuro hadn't been fighting him full force and he wanted terribly to know why.
Reaching the edge of the trees, Hiei jumped and landed in one of the windows in the upper level of Mukuro's fortress. Seeing no one he quickly turned down one of the halls leading inward and almost completely vanished in the darkness. That was one thing he liked about the fortress; it was almost always dark, an environment he was quite accustomed to. Cloak swirling behind him, the fire demon reached the end of the hall and stopped in front of the wall that stood before him.
Once he had defeated Shigure and claimed his position, he had been moved from the dungeon and given his own chambers near the heart of the palace. No demons but himself passed through the hallway he had just come through, and he had made sure none of the torches were ever lit. Without them and any light from the outside it was darker than any other place in the palace and he liked it that way.
Placing the palm of his hand flat against the wall, Hiei waited for a moment before taking it away. In front of him, the portion of the wall that he had touched glowed with a dark blue light before appearing semi-transparent, which was what the fire demon had waited for. Not hesitating, Hiei walked straight into the wall and felt a chill as he passed through, appearing quite calmly on the other side. Making the door activate by his demon energy had been pure genius, and the fire demon was thankful for it as he sensed the wall becoming solid once again behind him.
The fire demon surveyed his furnishings with a small feeling of satisfaction. As much as she had insisted, Hiei had refused to allow Mukuro to adorn him as she had the other high-ranking warriors in her palace. He hadn't wanted any special treatment to begin with and had taken the position almost grudgingly; it would be almost humiliating for her to indulge any more. She hadn't seemed surprised by this fact and didn't force him to change his mind as long as he did his service.
The fire demon's chambers were larger than he cared for, but that was one thing he hadn't had any input on. Contrary to the hall outside, he did keep his room faintly lit; too many nightmares and horrible memories could assault him in complete blackness when he was at his most vulnerable. The black candles he had placed around the room flared as he passed in reaction to his demon energy, fading to their normal glow as he moved farther away to the rack in the corner that kept his swords.
Hiei knelt down and slid his katana from his belt and set it on the dark wooden rack. Smiling slightly, he traced his finger over the black dragon emblazoned on the wood, the beast's body seeming to curve around his blade, its two ruby eyes at the tip. Below the dragon's legs, resting in its claws, was the long sword Mukuro had given him when he entered her service, and the fire demon picked it up gently.
Sliding the blade from its ornamented scabbard, Hiei held it in his hands, gazing at the reflection that stared back at him. His eyes traced from the white star in the base of his hair to the purple iris of his Jagan to the very faint scar on his cheek from his battle with Mukuro, where his gaze lingered. They had both fought their hardest, but with two very different motives in mind. He had cared nothing for the rule of Demon World then and certainly not now. He had fought to free her and nothing more.
Restoring the sword to its rack, Hiei crossed his room and sank slowly down onto the futon he rarely used. She has asked him if he had wanted to stay. She hadn't forced him, hadn't done anything to try and sway his decision. She simply asked him. And he had agreed. Sitting with his back to the wall, the candlelight playing over him, Hiei wondered if it had been a bad decision.
Daylight streamed through the windows in the room where Hiei awoke. Blinking confusedly, the fire demon sat up and felt a warm fur blanket slide off him. He leaned heavily on his arm while his other hand went to his head, rubbing his temples. Where was he? He glanced around the room, noticing the wooden floors and windows that were absent in Mukuro's fortress. Now he was suspicious. Taking another quick look around his heart skipped slightly. He was in Genkai's dojo!
This realization sent the fire demon scrambling to his feet and he dashed to the door, sliding it back faster than was necessary. He had been right; standing in the snow in the clearing in front of the dojo was none other than Yusuke and Kuwabara, his old teammates. Both hadn't noticed him and were immersed in a heated argument about something the fire demon could only guess. They were better than no one, he decided, and grudgingly admitted that he would even consider Kuwabara worthwhile. Jumping off the steps, he approached them confidently.
Both immediately stopped when they sensed their old partner, and Kuwabara took a step back. The assured smirk Hiei wore faltered when he saw Yusuke's brown eyes narrow into a glare. The Spirit Detective's fists had clenched and Kuwabara was watching him cautiously, looking as though he was going to sprint away at any moment. Well this wasn't exactly the welcome he had expected after being away for so long.
"So you decided to come back huh?" Yusuke said slowly, still looking strangely murderous. "We thought you were just going to make yourself at home with her. What's the matter Hiei? The sex not good enough for you?"
You have no idea, the fire demon thought angrily, then berated himself that he would be thinking things like that at a time like this. "What are you trying to say?" he asked coldly, all signs of friendship gone from his voice. His crimson eyes met Yusuke's brown ones and they glared at each other for a moment. "What would make you think that I wouldn't come back?"
"Gee, I don't know," the teenager snapped in a high-pitched attempt at mocking the fire demon. "Maybe the fact that the only reason you even fought in the damned tournament was to free her? Maybe the fact that you agreed to stay with her in Demon World and not return?"
"And what would I do here?" Hiei growled. "If this taught you anything Yusuke it should be that demons don't belong in a world of humans."
Yusuke didn't answer and stared at a spot over the demon's shoulder. A familiar demonic energy caused Hiei to spin on his heel and come face to face with his last companion, the fox demon Kurama. For a moment the red-head simply glared at him, his emerald eyes showing no signs of familiarity. Too late Hiei realized what he has said and why Kurama was looking at him like he was. The fox demon possessed a human body and lived with his human mother in the city.
"So you believe demons have no place in this world?" Kurama asked coldly. His arms were crossed and he smirked at Hiei's startled look. "Don't be surprised Hiei, I don't believe you couldn't foresee this when you agreed to stay. You've pledged your allegiance elsewhere."
"Kurama," he protested weakly. Yusuke and Kuwabara he didn't care, but he couldn't lose Kurama too. The fox was the only one he had trusted for a long time, the only person he truly felt close to. "Kurama, you know I didn't mean it like that!"
Kurama gave him a hardened look. "It's very hard to know what you mean anymore Hiei."
And behind him, Hiei could see another demon that almost brought tears to his eyes. Yukina stepped hesitantly from behind the fox demon, her crimson eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Stopping a few paces from her brother, she stared at him for a moment without speaking. She looked positively devastated and her eyes had a dead look to them. Feeling his heart jump into his throat, Hiei looked desperately at Kurama, who put his hand gently on the ice maiden's shoulder and continued to glare at the fire demon.
"Yukina," he began softly, but she silenced him with a look.
"Don't brother," she whispered, and Hiei's gaze snapped from his sister to the fox next to her, who shrugged lightly.
"We told her after we returned, assuming her brother would never come back," the fox said quietly. Hiei stared at him for a moment with widened eyes before looking back at Yukina, who was crying silently. Tear gems lie on the snow by her feet, and the last restraints Hiei had on his emotions were ebbing away.
"How could you?" she said in a whisper, her voice muffled by her tears. "How could you choose her over me?" Her head shot up and she looked directly into her brother's eyes, who seemed to shrink under her gaze. Hiei suddenly felt very aware of the tear gem that hung around his neck. "Answer me!"
"Yukina-" he broke off. Despair rose in his heart and he stared at the ground, feeling a large chunk of emotion forming in his throat. He couldn't bear to look at her as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Only when he heard her move closer did he dare look up.
"You don't need this anymore," she said coldly, jerking the necklace from around his neck. The tear pulled off in her hand and she held it triumphantly.
Hiei stared at her in disbelief as she turned her back and walked past Kurama into the dojo. For a moment he was able to keep himself standing, but gradually the strength left the fire demon's legs and he sank to the ground, his whole body shaking with suppressed sadness and pain. Hot tears jumped from his eyes and landed in the snow as he hid his face in his arms. His breathing coming in gasps, he heard someone moving nearby and glanced up, expecting Kurama to make a smart retort about how he had always had this coming and didn't deserve to be Yukina's brother. He was surprised, however, when Mukuro stood before him.
"Come along Hiei," she said softly and he stared at her, not comprehending what she meant. "It's time to go back to where we both belong."
"No!" he said forcefully, brushing the tears from his eyes as he looked at the former lord. "I was wrong, I don't belong with you!"
"And you think you belong here?" she questioned, causing the fire demon's head to shoot up. Though her words were harsh she was speaking softly, almost sympathetically. "It seems they don't want you here. You would be best to come home. Demon World is your home now."
"I don't want to go," he protested weakly, his hands closing into fists at his sides. "I don't care what you say! I don't care! I know I need to stay here and you can't stop me!" His eyes were narrowed into his familiar death glare as he met her eyes. Defiance flared in his heart and he said in a much more controlled voice, "I'm not going with you."
"So you'll stay with the friends that deserted you?" Mukuro asked, looking almost amused at Hiei's resolute face. "You think they would welcome you back with open arms after you abandoned them?" She knelt down and put her hand on the fire demon's shoulder, her other tipping his chin up so he was looking at her. "Hiei, they want nothing more to do with you. You have no other place to go than to return with me."
Slowly Hiei pulled away from her grasp and looked at the ground, the burning tears returning to his eyes. For a moment neither moved, then painfully slowly the fire demon rose to his feet, still not meeting her eyes. Mukuro smiled gently as she followed her second-in-command through the snow. She had spoken the truth and nothing more to make him see sense and it had worked. For a while the fire demon's heart would be broken, but she was prepared to help him collect the pieces.
With a final forlorn glance at the dojo, shimmering with snow, Hiei brushed the tears from his eyes and vanished into the darkness.