Standing At The Crossroads (Hiei/Kagome - Inuyasha/Yu Yu Hakusho - Theme 22)
Title: Standing At The Crossroads
Author: Ryukotsusei
Pairing: Hiei/Kagome
Fandom: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho
Theme: 22. a great sorrow
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko and Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. I make no claims of ownership to either series, nor do I make any profit off of this fan fiction.
Author's Note: I'm playing a bit with Hiei and Yukina's ages for this fic. Thank you to everyone who reviews.
Chapter Two
"Very well then," Kagome said as she moved to yet another of his bruises, hoping that she'd get him mended enough that she wouldn't have to worry about him dying from internal injuries. There was no point in helping the guards in their attempts to eliminate the apparition, things were going to be difficult enough down here as it was. "I suppose I should answer the question you've asked already. I'm here because I attempted to destroy the barrier between the Ningenkai and the Makai and nearly succeeded. Remaining here is my punishment." When she looked up the way his eyes widened in surprise told her that had been the last thing he had expected to hear but that didn't shock her any. How many humans would unleash the demon world just to find their lost love? Somehow she doubted there would be many who would consider the idea, assuming they even knew about the Makai in the first place.
"Why the hell would you do something like that?" Hiei wasn't sure if the woman was crazy or just had a death wish. If she knew of the barrier she had to realize what was on the other side, just waiting to get out. Or maybe she just didn't give a damn about what happened, determined only to put an end to the evil that Youkai represented. If she couldn't go to them she'd allow them to seek her out. Being what she was would have made her a prime target for being slaughtered.
"Ah, ah.. I answered your question now it's time for one of mine. Why did you steal the artifacts of darkness? I'm sure you'll give me some corny reason like to rule the world but that's not what I'm wanting to know. Personally you strike me as the type who wouldn't want to bother with ruling the masses so there has to be a pressing reason. What was it?" Now that she was finished healing him she took up a position next to him, leaning against the wall. It wasn't like they'd been supplied with chairs so they could sit in comfort. She could only imagine the way the apparition's muscles were beginning to ache from holding the one position for so long.
"You know nothing about me Miko so don't presume what I would or would not say," Hiei glared at her but to his consternation the woman didn't back down. What was even more annoying was the fact that she'd pegged what he was going to say before he even had the chance. Obviously he was underestimating her, a bad habit he was getting into when it came to humans it would seem. "Your race is too weak to exist without someone taking control. It's like a herd of sheep, milling around aimlessly until someone strikes. Unfortunately for your kind there are those such as myself who can control the lot of you easily. Only then does your race have a purpose and that would be as fodder to throw at the demons I sought to overthrow." There was no mistaking the anger in her eyes as he continued to speak but he didn't care. Let her get pissed off, it wasn't as if her feelings on the matter were any of his concern. She'd asked a question and he'd answered, that was all that was required of him.
"If our race is so weak then how is it I could kill you with one touch and you'd be helpless against me?" Kagome whispered as she leaned dangerously close to him. Her holy energy surged just beneath the surface of her skin in a dangerous threat and while she had no intentions of using it she knew the apparition knew just how lethal she could be. "For that matter how were you captured? If I were to wager a guess it was Koenma's newest Spirit Detective that managed to haul your ass up here and he's what? A fourteen year old boy." At this she gave him a condescending look as she moved back a respectful distance, allowing her power to recede. "So much for the superior strength of a youkai."
"I don't see where you have room to talk woman, after all you're in here too." At the moment Hiei wished he could wrap his hands around her slender throat and choke the life out of her. His pride still stung over the fact that Yusuke had managed to defeat him even if it had been a lucky shot. "Yusuke had a fool's luck, nothing more. Even that would not have been enough to save him if Kurama hadn't interfered, I was moments away from crushing the life out of him. But then I should have been expecting it, your kind is known for stabbing each other in the back. This world has tainted the fox, corrupted his mind with its pathetic ideals." If he ever managed to escape this hell hole those two would be the first to pay for what they had done. Kurama's treachery would not go unpunished, sooner or later the kitsune would drop his guard and that would be the moment he struck.
"So I am Hiei. My mistake was in believing that Sensui would forget about me after I'd made my wish, I should have taken him out first." How many times had she gone over that day in her mind debating on how she could have done things different? Far too many to count and in the end it was all pointless anyway. Nothing had changed, nothing ever would. She'd doomed herself with the wish she'd made upon the jewel and she had to accept it. It didn't matter that she was tired of everything, Enma had made certain that despite her wish for death she'd be forever under his control.
"A wish?" Hiei snorted at the thought. What the hell would a wish have to do with anything? "I seriously doubt something so paltry as a wish would land you in here. Tell me the truth, how did you really come to be here. If you managed an attack on the barrier as you said you had to have had some sort of help. Even with your power it's no match for the barrier." There had to be more to the story than just this, he refused to believe that a human had a chance at endangering the Ningenkai in such a fashion. Power such as that was reserved for youkai alone.
"Is it so difficult to imagine that I'd be capable of such a thing?" Kagome nearly laughed at the skepticism she saw in the demon's eyes. More than once she'd been told her innocent appearance was deceiving. Even Koenma had a difficult time believing all the deaths that had occurred by her hands in the Feudal Era and he knew exactly what she was. "I suppose it is," she mused quietly. "But then again I no longer have the Shikon no Tama in my possession either." Had the demon been unrestrained she might have tensed seeing the look that entered his eyes. It wasn't surprising that he'd heard of the jewel, the legends continued on to this day and she was certain there was some fool out there still looking for it.
Hearing about the jewel was the last thing that he expected but he was coming to realize that nothing about Kagome was as it seemed. If the legends were to be believed that little artifact had more than enough power to destroy the barrier completely so why had she failed? It didn't make sense and though he sensed no lie from her the story just didn't add up. "I don't see why I should believe you, if the jewel was indeed in your possession you wouldn't have failed. Unless of course you didn't know how to use the damned thing properly which wouldn't surprise me any. So humor me, how did you find the single artifact that has been said to have been lost for centuries?"
"I think I've given you quite enough information already Hiei, it's my turn now." Kagome looked up when she heard footsteps and fell silent for a moment, knowing that Yasuo was checking in on them. Only once he'd left again did she turn her attention back to the apparition. There was little hope that the man would open up to her if they had an audience and while it was shaky at least they had some sort of rapport going. "You speak of the Shikon as if it is common knowledge yet I know that for close to five hundred years it has disappeared. So either you are old enough to have heard about it when it was causing mass destruction or you've heard rumors of it recently. Just how old are you?"
"That is none of your business Miko. Let's just say that in my search I've heard of many things, the jewel being one of them. Who wouldn't pay attention when the knowledge of such a powerful artifact was dropped into their lap?" The rumor had in fact been so tempting that he'd begun to look for it when he'd learned about the artifacts of darkness. Perhaps it was foolish to have believed that those three items would have been preferable to the jewel but after fruitless months of searching for the Shikon he'd decided to chance breaking into the Reikai. And now he was here, hanging from shackles which were impossible to forget about. His shoulders ached but there was absolutely no relief in sight. There wasn't even any slack in the chains that he might manage to rest them for a bit but he bore it without complaint.
"Your search?" Kagome instantly latched onto those words and looked curiously at the apparition. Seeing the look on his face Kagome knew that she'd picked up on something important, it looked as if Hiei was ready to kick his own ass for giving even that little bit of information away. "What were you searching for Hiei?" The way he instantly claimed up told her that he wasn't going to give the information up easily, if at all. "Or are you still looking?" There was a possibility that it was just something trivial like wealth or power but somehow she doubted it.
"I don't think so, a question for a question Miko. Unless you're wanting this little interrogation to end so soon," Hiei baited the woman, hoping she'd steer away from the subject of just what he'd been searching for. Though he'd said he could end their talks at any time he wasn't necessarily ready to. This was a prime moment for gathering information, for learning about the woman standing in front of him. It was necessary knowledge, especially if he needed to know what she was capable of. If indeed she tried to stop him from escaping when the time came, he needed to know how to eliminate the threat she could pose. Seeing the defiant light in her eyes had the apparition laughing, if nothing else she was entertaining. It helped to pass the time and distract him from the fact that he was locked in a damned dungeon. "So how about it, want to tell me how you came across the Shikon?"
"Tch, I'm beginning to think all of your kind are arrogant pricks, thinking you can demand answers when you're the one chained to the wall. I should let you sit for a while and see how long it takes you to figure it out for yourself, assuming anyone is willing to talk to you that is," Kagome snapped, she was more than a little tired of the high handed attitude he was taking with her but after all this time she should have been used to it. There were others in here that were far worse, at least this one hadn't resorted to name calling yet.
"I'd rather that than the spineless cowards that most of your race happens to be. Do you fall into that category Kagome? Going to back off and hide when you're posed with the first serious question of our talks?" Though he'd posed a question meant to insult her Hiei was certain she was anything but a spineless coward. If that was the case she wouldn't have gone against the Reikai to gain access into the Makai. No, he hadn't quite figured this woman out but he would given a bit of time.
"Hardly Hiei, think what you want about most humans but don't ever lump me into the spineless category. I've stared down demons far worse than you and walked away from it unscathed. A simple question that is common knowledge isn't going to phase me," Kagome voice was waspish as she stared into his eyes and for the briefest of moments she thought she saw a flash of approval before it was gone. Now she was certain of it, cowering back and acting like she might have when she was a teenager would do nothing to win over this apparition's trust and respect.
"Then answer the question," Hiei waited to see if she would back up her boast and give him the information he sought. She claimed that it was common knowledge and indeed it might be, in the Reikai. Mentally he rolled his eyes, if his gut instinct was right this woman had the capacity in her to be more cut throat than most demons though her loyalty was likely to be stronger than most of his kind. Hell, if he would have known about her before the failed attempt at taking over the ningenkai he might have broken her out of this prison while gathering the artifacts. Surely she would have been more of an aid than that fool Gouki had been.
For a moment Kagome remained silent, gathering her thoughts before sighing, "If you know the legend of the Shikon no Tama then I am sure you have heard about the Priestess Kikyo and how she was betrayed by her lover Inuyasha?" When he cautiously nodded she wasn't surprised, that part of the legend was even better known than the jewel's creation itself. It would have surprised her if the apparition hadn't heard that part of the story. "I am the reincarnation of the Priestess Kikyo and the jewel reformed in my body upon my birth. Not even the fires of hell which surrounded her when she was sent to the afterlife could destroy it, the Shikon waited for a chance to return and when I was born, it took it. "
"So it was you that roamed Japan collecting the jewel shards when it was shattered," Hiei said quietly, mulling over the tidbit of information she'd given him. There had been tales of a strange girl that had appeared out of nowhere but he'd put little stock in them. Most of the rumors about the woman centered around a well that was said to be tied to the future, something he'd deemed impossible at the time. Yet if what Kagome had said was true, then he'd be forced to consider the possibility that it hadn't all just been someone's drug induced fantasy. "Tell me about the well." There was one way to find out for certain if she was indeed the reincarnation and that would be by retrieving information from her that only a few would know. The same information that blood had been spilled several times over in his efforts to obtain it.
"Perhaps after you tell me of your search." In this Kagome had the upper hand and she knew it although she didn't believe for a second that the apparition would part with his secrets so easily. Most likely he'd give her a fragment of information, just enough to pacify her for the moment before demanding information of his own. "What are you looking for Hiei?"
To tell the Miko of his sister just wasn't going to happen, not anytime soon. Very few people knew that he even had a family, Kurama being the exception. It was just another reason why the Fox had to be eliminated. He couldn't trust the redhead to keep his word, much less a secret of such importance. Instead he settled on telling the woman something else, still important but no where near as Earth shattering as Yukina's existence, "Many years ago I lost a Hiroseki stone that was given to me by one of the Koorime. The necklace holds great meaning for me and I want it back."
"A Hiroseki stone?" Kagome raised an eyebrow hearing this. Spending time with Sango had done wonders for increasing her knowledge of demon races and she was well aware of just how reclusive the Koorime were. In all of her travels she'd only come across one, a woman by the name of Hina. During the short time they had spent together her heart had gone out to the woman and her plight, she could only pray that things had turned out well for her and the children she had carried. "And it was given to you voluntarily?"
"Of course it was voluntarily! What kind of monster do you take me for?" There was no way in hell that Hiei would have gotten one by any other means, no matter how much he despised that frigid race. Only his mother and sister were worthy of any form of his affection, yet one was dead and the other lost somewhere in the Ningenkai. Now he wouldn't be able to keep an eye over Yukina as he'd sworn, not unless that Reikai brat released him. Another thought struck him hard, causing him to look at the miko with a suspicious gaze, "How the hell do you know what a Hiroseki stone is?"
"Just a moment," Kagome murmured as she closed the distance between them. When she'd touched him before something about his energy had seemed off, tangled in a way but she'd dismissed it as a side effect of the wards. Now she wasn't so certain, she just had to know if she was grasping at straws or not. Carefully she laid her hands on his chest, ignoring the glare that he was giving her and allowed her power to flow through him. Carefully it searched, unraveling the finest details and while she couldn't say that he carried the abilities of both the fire apparition and the Koorime there was no doubting that the ice maiden's blood flowed through his veins. "So it is you," she said softly as she pulled the energy back into her body. "Your mother was so worried, afraid that the Elders would not allow you to survive. Miroku and I did our best, placing a blessing upon both you and your sister but we weren't sure if it would work." She smiled slightly, her lips turning up at his stunned expression. Clearly he hadn't expected her to say such a thing and briefly she wondered how he would take it. "I'm glad to see that you lived Hiei, your mother must be very proud of you."
For several long moments Hiei wasn't sure of what to think, much less know what to say. There was no refuting the truth of what she'd said, Kagome could never have known about his mother's fears or the danger he'd been in from the Elders. Nor could she have known he had a sister, not unless someone had told her and he was positive that she hadn't met Kurama. The fox would have mentioned her at least once in passing if he had, especially when they'd busted into the vault. Swallowing his unease he tried to glare at her but the gentle look never left her face. "How did you know my Mother?"
Although it was within her rights to deny him his answer, Kagome had no intentions of doing something so cruel. Something about the way he had asked her the question led her to believe that there were untold amounts of pain hidden deep within. That somehow, despite their best efforts and hopes that they hadn't been successful in swaying the course his destiny was set to take. "Often we traveled through the mountains in search of the jewel shards and one winter we came upon a woman who was heavy with child. Not even Inuyasha complained when I suggested we stop to see if she needed help of some sort." Her eyes clouded over with the memories, even the hanyou she traveled with had known the peril the woman was in. "She was only a couple of days away from giving birth and the closest village too far away even if we were to ride on Kirara. Hina, didn't want to return to her own people but she couldn't see any other options. To remain exposed and alone was certain death yet she knew that even if she were to wait until after her children were born very few if any human villages would allow her to remain."
Any thoughts of arguing with the miko fled upon hearing her words. This was his first real chance to speak with anyone about his mother, someone that actually knew the woman even if it was briefly. To his mind Rui didn't count, she'd pitched him off the side of the island with an apology and a plea to end her life. His return hadn't been any better, she begged for him to kill her. No, what he wanted was to find out just how his mother felt about him and Yukina. While he'd heard her pleas for his life to be spared it didn't necessarily mean that she'd given any serious thought as to what she would do if the elders had relented. "Why didn't she stay with you? Surely the group you were a part of would have been strong enough to protect her."
"I tried to convince her of that Hiei. But in the end she wouldn't listen, by then we were well known. Everyone knew about how we were hunted, how our lives were in danger every day. In her mind there was no way we could protect everyone, especially with two newborns to look after. The draw of the jewel shards ensured that you and your sister would be in constant danger if you remained with us. In spite of that Inuyasha told her that it didn't matter, that he'd make sure nothing happened to the three of you but she couldn't risk your lives on the word of someone she barely knew." In fact Inuyasha had threatened to tie the woman up so she couldn't go anywhere but even that threat had been brushed off. More than once Kagome had wondered just what happened to Hina and her children, at least now a partial answer to the question was standing in front of her. "Hiei, how is Hina? We went back to that area occasionally, hoping to see her but we never did."
""She died not long after they banished me from the island," Hiei didn't bother to sugar coat the truth. His mother had been dead a very long time and he'd never known it, never thought to even check to see how she was doing. Guilt plagued him for the oversight but he'd done well to shove it to the side, instead focusing on his search for Yukina. Somehow it didn't surprise him to hear that his mother had turned aside the offer for assistance though, from what little he knew about her Hiei knew that she was extremely independent. Had she not been she never would have searched out a lover in the first place.
"Oh my God," Kagome whispered as she stared at him, stunned by the proclamation. Now she was certain that they should have let Inuyasha carry out his threat to keep the Koorime with them. Had she died in childbirth? Somehow she knew that wasn't the case. Perhaps it was instinct, perhaps not but she didn't believe that Hina would have succumbed to that unless.... "What of your sister, did they banish her as well?"
"No," Hiei answered quietly, sensing no malice behind the question. The miko seemed to be honestly troubled by what she was hearing, had she been so foolish as to believe that the offspring from such a cursed union would be allowed to live? The only thing that had spared Yukina was the fact that she was a female and carried none of the abilities that he had. "Yukina was allowed to live, only I was thrown off the edge of the island. My mother died shortly after, having committed suicide because she couldn't handle the guilt of being unable to stop what had happened."
With such a horrific start it was no wonder that the man had grown to be cold and supposedly uncaring. But before he'd had a chance to compose himself Kagome had managed to see a glimpse of the pain he felt and she knew that while he might not be a good person a lot of it was due to the circumstances he'd been forced to endure. Just how much he enjoyed that dangerous lifestyle however remained to be seen. While she couldn't tell Koenma everything that he wanted to know just yet, Kagome was certain she had far better insight into just who Hiei was than most other people. "How old were you?" She couldn't imagine that they'd allowed him to stay for very long. When Hina had told them about the prohibitions their kind were forced to endure she'd been stunned that such a thing was allowed to take place. If anything there seemed to be even less tolerance than hanyou's were generally given by both demons and humans. No wonder Inuyasha had been so adamant about Hina staying with them.
"The time for you to play twenty questions is over you two," Mamoru said as he walked up to the two of them. Just because Koenma had ordered them to let the two have a nice chit chat didn't mean that he was going to put up with them standing there all day. What pissed him off worse was that he'd been summoned by that pacifier sucking brat to have a talk about filing improper reports not long after the man had disappeared. Apparently he'd taken exception to him accusing the apparition of doing something he was clearly incapable of. It meant he missed most of their conversation but he knew there would be plenty more of them in the future that he could take advantage of.
"Aren't you over stepping your boundaries Mamoru? Koenma said I was allowed to speak with him as long as I needed," Kagome glared angrily at the man advancing upon them. Just when it seemed as if she'd finally broken through Hiei's barriers for the time being the dungeon jackass had to make an appearance. Briefly she looked over at Hiei and could see that he'd closed himself off yet again. How hard would it be to get him to open up the next time? Kagome wasn't so foolish as to believe it would be easy, now she was certain he'd lived in solitude most of his life. Being thrown away like trash had to do a number on someone's mental stability.
"Watch your tongue bitch, just because Koenma gave you a new job doesn't mean you can run your mouth like you own the place." With the way his day had gone Mamoru was just looking for a reason to slap that irritating look off of her face. Since when did prisoners get to tell their keepers what they would or would not do? For the moment he ignored the apparition, choosing instead to Lean closer to the miko while he glared down at her, "If you know what's good for you you'll march that pretty ass of yours back into your cell without another word."
"And if you know what's good for you you'll shut the hell up before I have you hauled up before Koenma again. Care to make it twice in one day Mamoru? You might find yourself locked in a cell like one of us commoners. Just imagine the fun some of the prisoners will have then." Kagome knew that whatever Koenma had said had to be something harsh with the look she was being given. Most likely it'd been something along the lines of what she'd just mentioned, the demigod despised being lied to and on official paperwork just made things even worse.
Hearing that threat repeated was the final straw and hearing Yasuo walking up behind him was the only prompting he needed. Viciously his hand shot out, slapping the woman across the face. If Koenma wanted to bitch about his treatment of the girl so be it, this wouldn't be anything that a trip to the healers couldn't cure. Before she could react he grabbed a fist full of hair and forced her to her knees.
“Bastard,” Kagome bit out as she slammed her fist up into the man's stomach, driving the air out of his body. Roughly she pulled away from him, ignoring the painful way her hair was ripped out as he stumbled away from her. It was unfortunate that her powers wouldn't work on the man, she'd like nothing more than to purify him for what he'd done. Before Mamoru could reach her Kagome lunged forward, gripping the doubled over man by his hair and shoving down as she drove her knee up into his face. The satisfaction she got from hearing his nose shatter was short lived however as the other guard began calling for his friends. It wouldn't be long before she was overwhelmed but she was damned sure going to leave a mark on at least this one.
Hiei watched angrily as three more guards jumped into the fray. Just how many men did it take to subdue one woman? What was even more laughable was that she wasn't using any of her powers, but she was doing a decent job of holding them off without it. Even so, he knew she wouldn't be able to keep them off for long but at least she'd managed to take the one bastard out of the fight. That one was still attempting to stem the bleeding, not that it was doing him much good.
“Dammit hold the bitches legs!” Yasuo had managed to get the woman down on the ground but she'd already taken another of his friends out with a wicked blow to the groin. Now that was two down and she didn't seem to be ready to stop anytime soon. A cry was torn from his lips as she managed to get free enough to bite down deep enough on his arm to draw blood. Roughly he pulled away from her, ignoring the searing pain that came with it. Once again she was almost free and he was beginning to curse whoever the hell it had been that had taught her how to fight. While she wasn't the most experienced of opponents her desperation gave her something of an advantage. Their captive audience wasn't helping matters either, taunting them about their inadequacies. “Shut up!” He yelled as he slammed the miko's head against the concrete in an effort to stun the girl. While it worked for a moment she was still struggling against him, forcing her to repeat the move twice more before she finally went limp beneath him. “Fucking bitch!”
“Drag her ass into the cell,” Yasuo said with disgust as he stared at the blood slowly seeping from the back of her head. There was no doubt about it now, he was going to be forced to call a healer in and then there would be hell to pay. At least this one wouldn't fall completely on his shoulders, Yasuo had been the one to strike first. He'd just been unfortunate enough to see the fight begin and was forced to be the one to finish it.