How he met her, Part 1

…..Hiei…..

Walking down the barren streets of this God-forsaken human city, I tried to stop the bleeding from the bite wound in my side. The battle earlier had left me drained and weak; exhaustion creeping up on me like a silent assassin, waiting to drag me into a dark oblivion. I can barely see or hear my surroundings. My vision was blurred, my hearing was deafened by the constant downpour of water; the rain felt like lead beads pounding on my back. The bleak, yellow lights of the street lamps flickered in the distance, barely giving me any sort of visible line of sight.

My breathing came in low, quivering rasps as I fell against a building, needing the support. I needed to rest for a time. I needed to catch my breath. My black bangs clung to my forehead as the rest of my hair lay flat, hanging about my shoulders, weighted by the pounding rain. As I pushed myself upright to my feet, I staggered and held out my hand on the building for support. I tried to steady myself once more. Once my composure had been regained, I walked on.

I hated feeling like this. I was in a state of vulnerability, my entire being weak. I won't be able to defend myself against another attack. I wanted to stop and find a place to rest, to sleep, but I couldn't take such a chance. If I was discovered by the enemy in this state of being, I won't live for much longer. Then again, they'll most likely find me much faster if I keep exposing myself like this. My thoughts were jumbled and confusing. I wasn't in the right sense of mind to be planning anything.

The gash in my side burned and tore as I continued my walk towards the old hag's temple, if that was the way I was going. I had lost my sense of direction after the rain had started to pour, and with the constant blood loss, I wouldn't have been able to think or see straight anyway. My senses were blurred along with my vision. The rain washed away any scents that would lead me back to where the fox or the detective would be. I'm all on my own, standing for no one but myself, leaning on no one for support, alone, the way it has always been. The way it should be.

I staggered and lost my balance like a drunken man. My cloak flew about me like broken, black wings, torn and ripped and useless. My hand clutched my side in a vice grip, trying desperately to hold in as much blood as it could until my destination had been reached. My head hung low out of pure exhaustion, my mind weary with what's to come. I climbed back onto my feet, not yet ready to give in. I've fought countless enemies and won. The fight against my own weakness will be no different.

I came to a street corner, the light there shining upon me like a spotlight. The rest of the world just a black abyss with me in the middle of it all. No one around to help me stand, no one around to lift me up. I can do that all on my own. I fell to one knee, the weariness taking its toll. The blood flowed freely from the open wound no matter how hard my hand pressed against it. Everything was just a foggy blur, what came in sight and in mind. The sidewalk came in and out of focus as I tried to make sense of my surroundings, tried still to triumph over my lack of discipline. Rain still pounded upon me like lead weights, getting heavier and heavier with each gust of wind that tried to blow me over and knock me down. I closed my eyes trying to will the pain away, trying to feel nothing.

I collapsed, unconscious. I couldn't go on.

….

Warmth. I feel nothing but warmth around me. It was like a blanket of air around me, and a feeling inside that I couldn't begin to describe if I tried. This feeling nearly made me smile.

There is a certain scent in the air. Familiar scents coming from my own world, the forests and deserts, the air and earth. It was all so familiar, yet unique. There were scents I've never experienced before, a mixture of old and new that swirled around me. There was a hint of rain and tea leaves. I took a deep breath.

Finally I heard music. It was soft, gentle, sad, yet seemingly triumphant. I had heard this song before. I remember being in Kurama's transportation machine. This same melody played from the "radio", as he called it. I had forgotten the name. It wasn't important then, but it seems to be now. I listened intently to the song. I believe the instrument was a piano. The cords strong and melodious yet soothing. I was about to drift back to sleep when it suddenly stopped. I furrowed my brow, not wanting the music to stop.

I felt something like ice upon my forehead. It brushed back my bangs gently, with care. When it left, I suddenly felt very hot and uncomfortable in my own skin. A cold wet cloth was placed upon my forehead. I could feel my bandana still resting upon my forehead. The water seeped into it, further covering my Jagan eye.

I then opened my eyes. The bright light nearly blinding me, making my vision blurred with light. I saw a figure. It was small, its skin shined like the moon, a soft glow of ivory. As my eyes kept trying to focus, I could see the figure's long midnight hair, shining a dark blue hue in the sunlight. Then its eyes. Big dark blue eyes, looking like the ocean at night when the moon was full. They displayed worry and had the aura of a carefree innocence you normally find in a child. When my eyes finally came into focus, I saw that it was a small girl, a tiny angelic looking creature. The thing that tipped me off that I was most certainly NOT in heaven was that she reeked of human.

She reached her hand over towards me, I grabbed her wrist tightly in my hand as I sat up. My glare boring holes into her eyes.

She gasped when I grabbed her. Her eyes held such fear when she looked into mine. She glanced at her wrist in my grasp, then looked back to me. Her other hand slowly came up and was gently placed on mine. She tenderly rubbed the tips of her fingers into the back of my hand perhaps trying to make me let go.

"Um…" She looked down, away from my harsh gaze. "You are… hurting me." She looked back into my eyes with a calming gaze. "Please let go."

How I wanted to crush her tiny wrist in my hand. I just have to squeeze and she'll be in more agony than she's ever known. Filthy little human, daring to look me in the eye as she demanded I release her, but before I gave the thought of breaking her wrist a second glance, I let go. I must be becoming soft as I spend more and more time in the human world, or she uses her pretty blue eyes for more than just seeing.

TBC…