Out of Bounds and Beneath Dreams

Information on the dreamlands and their inhabitance was referenced from:
Brian Lumley Companion, The. 2002. Publisher Tom Doherty Associates. New York, NY.
Unless it’s something I made up.

Out of Bounds and Beneath Dreams by: boysluvcraft
Part one
Prologue
The two travelers stood before the mighty vault that had been built in a place loftier than most birds can fly and far colder than most men can bear. The construction of the mazy manse been completed only hours ago, but already the doors were sealing from the ice and the halls were shrinking with frost. This was not a concern; those bitter halls were never meant to be lived in. It was to be a tomb.

“It is finished at long last,” said the first traveler in his deep booming voice.

“Nearly finished,” corrected his smaller and softer spoken companion, “We but have to place the book in its vault, and then it will be finished. And then, my dear friend, we may return home.”

“Aye, home sounds good. Too long have I longed for the shores where I was born,” The first one sighed. “Well, let’s get on with it. Toss that accursed piece of Arcanum into the vault.”

He handed the bundle to his companion and urged him to go. The other carried the thing through the three doorways that would seal the vault forever, and up stone dais that would be the book’s final resting place. He placed it gently on its stone base, briefly running his fingers over the obscene signs and symbols that adorned its cover. They made him want to wrench. So many abominable things had been done, so many lives ruined over this thing. That was why the elders had appointed the two of them to spirit the thing away this distant and remote place.

On an unexplainable impulse, the man opened the book and looked inside it. A distressed gasp escaped him. The cover page said The Book of Cures and Reverses. It should have been The Book of Curses and Maladies. They had the wrong book! Just then he heard ominous the grind of stone on stone. He spun on his heel in time to see the innermost door slam shut. He heard the first and second fall with finality.

The young man pounded on door and called out to his friend, “The doors have malfunctioned! Quick, get me out of here!”

“I’m sorry, my friend,” the larger man’s voice came through muffed, “but there is nothing wrong with the doors. I triggered the mechanism.”

“What! Why?”

“You are so trusting, so quick to love, you foolish boy.”

“Why?” He demanded again.

“It will not matter to you soon,” the other’s voice was cold and distant.

“WHY?” He pounded on the door. He sobbed, “At least tell me why.”

When all three the doors were sealed it triggered the second mechanism, the one that opened hundreds of tiny vents in the vault, allowing super chilled gases from the center of the mountain to flow into the space. The young man heard the hissing of gases moments before they poured into the room. The young man’s tears turned to ice before they hit the ground, and his last breath froze instantly in his lungs as he stopped forever.
* * *
I. I’ll Be Gone for a While
Hiei used his key to open the front door to Yusuke and Kurama’s apartment. Contraire to popular belief he could enter a building through a door. Hiei always considered the place Yusuke and Kurama’s apartment, even though he lived there too, sometimes. He started staying there after the ordeal they had in the Dreamlands, which had brought the three of them together, romantically speaking.

He walked in and found Kurama curled up on Yusuke’s lap while the two lazily kissed each other. Their lack of urgency and the smell of sex in the air told Hiei that they’d recently sated themselves. Hiei was silent as he watched the two. Damn, they were sexy together. It had been nearly a year and half since they’d gotten together, but Yusuke and Kurama were still always all over each other. Not to be mistaken, their relationship was more than just lust and sex. The affection that ran between them was so thick Hiei could almost see it as a tangible thing.

Not wanting to disturb the tender scene, Hiei started to back out of the room, but he stepped on the damned floor board that Yusuke always claimed he’d get around to fixing. It let out a long and loud squeak. The two looked up sharply.

“Hiei, you’re back!” Yusuke excitedly greeted him.

“And just in time too,” Kurama flashed his seductive eyes at the smaller demon and patted the cushion beside them. Hiei paced closer to them, but didn’t take the seat.

“I came to tell you that I’ll be gone for a while,” he told them.

“Ah,” Yusuke let out a slight whine, “Any idea how long ‘a while’ is gonna be?”

Hiei slowly shook his head. Yusuke sagged for a minute, but eventually nodded in understanding. He and Kurama have had this conversation before. The fox told him not get upset whenever Hiei vanished, that by his nature, he needed space and the freedom to come and go as he pleases. Hiei did come and go, often.

“Are you leaving right away?” Kurama asked.

“Unfortunately,” Hiei nodded, “But wanted to come tell you two before I left… I know how you worry.”

Hiei gave them each a kiss and then turned to leave. At the last second before reaching for the door knob, he glanced over his shoulder and told his lovers, “It’s nothing dangerous. I’m just helping Mukuro with… a little research project.”

When he’d gone, Kurama tilted his head like a confused cocker spaniel, “Research project?”

“I know,” Yusuke crossed his arms, “I mean no offence to their intelligences, but if this were high school I wouldn’t expect those two to be the brain boxes doing projects for fun and extra credit. They’d be the ones in letter jackets and shoving people’s heads down toilets.”

“I suppose our little fire bug is just full of surprises,” Kurama chuckled at Yusuke’s inspired comment.

“I hope he surprises us by coming back soon,” Yusuke quipped. Kurama nodded his agreement, gathering Yusuke once more in his arms to resume their intimate activities.

Meanwhile, Hiei was headed downtown toward a portal that he knew was in the restroom of and an abandoned gas station. Another surprise, Hiei was capable of traveling without running or jumping from tree to roof top. Hiei walked on the ground; he wasn’t in any hurry. It was autumn in the human world and he liked the sweet smell leafs let off right before they died. He admired the color of the fall leaves against the colors of the setting sun, and wondered why things always seemed so warm and beautiful right before it got cold and dark. The thought sounded a lot deeper than it really was.

Hiei came to the derelict gas station, took a deep breath and pushed the door open. This was it, for the next few weeks he would be spending all his time running from this library to that archive, fetching scrapes of paper, and pouring through moldy old tomes, looking for minute passages. The thing they would be researching was called, “The Second Life Charm”. Supposedly, it was a spell that could be cast on an object and that object would absorb and store the holder’s energy. The idea is that the holder could fill it with enough power to equal the energy they hold in their own body, then if the holder where to expend all of their power in battle, they could reabsorb the energy in the object and be at 100% again-- hints the name, Second Life Charm.

Hiei could see why it would appeal to Mukuro. Two years ago she lost the Makai Tournament because she spent all her energy in the preliminary matches. It wasn’t his desire to extend his power that caused Hiei to agree to help Mukuro-- though he had to admit it would be nice if he could use his dragon and not faint afterward.

Hiei’s reverie was spoiled just then when a small winged demon, that greatly resembled a Chihuahua with the mange, appeared on his shoulder in puff of smoke.

“Master Hiei!” The thing screeched like broken glass on concrete, “You must come to Makuro’s fortress at once!”

“Damn it, I’m on my way now, can’t that old woman wait?” Hiei huffed. He swore sometimes Mukuro acted like she was his mother.

The tiny demon shook its ratty head, “No, master Hiei! Something terrible has happened! Everyone in the fortress… they‘ve all been….” The creature tugged at its ears in frustration, “They’ve all been turned to stone!”
* * *
II. I May Have Imagined It

Mukuro’s fortress was mobile, therefore never in the same place. It was also very fast, so one day it could be in a totally different region of demon world than was the previous day. Usually Hiei used his Jagan to locate the thing by fixing on to its Ladyship’s energy signal. But this time when he unleashed the Jagan, it found nothing. The failure sent a panic rushing though Hiei’s being. Hiei had to relay on the mini demon, whom was apparently a female named Wakame, to lead him to the fortress.

As they ran, Wakame told him what she knew, “I’m afraid I didn’t see what happened. I was away doing my work as a messenger for her Lordship. When I returned everything was… well you’ll see for yourself. Words are inadequate.” The demon shivered with that last sentiment.

Wakame pointed to a ridge up ahead; the fortress would be just over those rocks. Hiei scaled the mounds and looked down on the valley below where the fortress stood. Wakame was right had she tried to describe this scene to him, her words would have been inadequate. There among the boulders and the scree Mukuro’s unstoppable cybernetic insect of a fortress stood as if frozen in in its tracks. As Hiei hurried down the slopes he became aware of another abnormality in the mobile garrison. Its color and texture were all wrong. The once dull exoskeleton was now smooth and glinted in the sun. It looked as thought the thing where made of meticulously craved crystal.

With a rising sense of urgency, Hiei found the door. He had to break it open as that the controls where now, like the rest of the ship, worthless rock. He spotted the guards just inside the door. He hailed them as he approached. There was no response, because, like Wakame had told him, they where made of solid, lifeless stone. It was then that horror griped the Koorime, not just because the men before him were turned to stone, but because they where frozen in a completely relaxed and casual state, like they never saw this fate coming. He flew down the halls toward Mukuro’s study. On his way he expected to see sighs of battle or panic, but there was none. As he passed corridor after corridor all he saw was demons stopped in time. Some of them were even laughing.

He came to the study, shattered the door and flung himself inside. There she was, Mukuro, sitting in her armchair, calm as he could be, a petrified book in one hand, and a slight smile on her lips. It was the last blow Hiei could take that day. He sunk to his knees, and placed his face in her cold stony lap.

“How?” He growled, “How could this happen. Damn it, old woman how could you let this happen?” He howled at the unyielding demoness.

Wakame, who had caught up in time to see the spiky haired demon’s outburst, said, “There may be something else-- but I not sure about it.”

“Tell me.”

She told him, “Before I went to get you, I was checking for survivors, when I thought I saw a shadow moving in the hall. I chased it into the control room, but when I got there, there was nothing there.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Well… for a second I thought the air was shimmering like heat coming off a fire, but there was no heat in that room only cold stone. I may have imagined it,” she shrugged.

Hiei folded his arms behind his back and paced a moment. He stopped; examining what was once a solid oak desk, now a stone desk-- and not a very solid stone at that. With a swift kick he rendered it into sand and gravel.

“Wakame,” Hiei instructed the ugly little she-demon. “I want you to go to Lord Urameshi’s territory, speak with a monk named Hokushin, tell him what has happened here, and tell them that Lord Hiei would like them to come out here and relocate these statues to a safe place within their territory.” It may have been a pointless thing to do, but still he didn’t like the idea of low class demons coming in there looking to break off some souvenirs.

“What if they refuse?” She tilled her tiny head.

“Tell them… it would mean a lot to me,” he said. “They’ll understand.”

“Should I report this to King Enki?” She asked. “He may want to keep a look out in case this sort of thing happens again.”

Hiei nodded, “Yes that would be a good idea. Wakame, what is your current rank?”

“Second Assistant Deputy Courier,” she said with pride, “Eh, or in layman’s terms ‘gofer.’”

“Congratulations ‘gofer’, you just made lieutenant junior. Now go. I’ll call you if I need you. ”

The mini demon saluted and disappeared in a poof of smoke. Hiei turned down the corridor and headed for the control room where Wakame claimed to have seen a shadow disappear. Hiei wasn’t sure what he was looking for in the control room, anything that shouldn’t be there; anything that could be a clue to whom had done this. When he found who was responsible for this… well let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

He was just about to give up and chalk the disappearing shadow story up to being the product of a frightened low-class demon’s imagination, when a glint caught his eye. He reached into a shadowy crevice to fish the thing out. His fingers grasped something cold and metal. It looked like a pocket watch, but wasn’t ticking and the latch was jammed shut. Also the chain that tethered it to its owner was broken and useless, which explained why it was on the floor. But, why was it the only thing in the fortress that hadn’t been turned to stone? Answer; because it was not in the fortress while everything was being turned to stone. And who would be wondering around this place after everything had turned to stone? The person who had turned everything to stone.

The watch itself held evidence that its owner’s guilt, because engraved on its front was a five pointed star, the pentagram, the sign of the witch. Yes, witchcraft could transform objects into stone-- but an entire fortress filled with A-class and an S-Class demons? That would have to be one powerful witch. Hiei rolled the thing over in his hand; the other side had an inscription on it. It wasn’t in a language that Hiei did not recognize. He pocketed the item, and went on his way. The place was still dangerous he could feel it, and it wasn’t his imagination.
* * *
III. It Seems There’s Been another Incident
Gandara was Hiei’s next destination, a demon by the name Suzuki lived there. Suzuki was one of the most knowledgeable beings in Makai when it came to spells and arsenals, so there was a good chance he may have recognized the one used on Mukuro’s garrison. Also the lord of that territory, Yomi was a long time rival of hers. He probably had her list’o enemies memorized.

But Hiei was a long way from Gandara. Even at his speeds, it would still take days to reach. Hiei had run all day and was currently resting for the night in a small cleared area in a forest so thick not a trace of star or moon light shone through the tress. He sat, staring into the fire he was using to roast a fat lizard who never saw it coming. All these thoughts of murder, intrigue, and revenge swirled around his head, yet his mind kept coming back to something that had nothing to do with those things. His mind kept coming back to Yusuke and Kurama.

“Hn, I’m going soft,” he grumbled to himself. But still, he thought, maybe I should go back to them. Mukuro’s demise was big news, certainly the two would appreciate being let into the Know. Then again it wouldn’t be the first time he had failed to tell them some thing. And it wasn’t like they could do anything to help the situation. Hiei wasn’t even sure was said situation was yet! Best to just see Suzuki, find out what he knows, and then make his decisions… if there were in fact decisions to make.

Hiei began to eat his dinner when a familiar presence tingled on the peripheral of his senses. He addressed the creature, “Done carrying out my orders already, Wakame?”

The ugly little she-demon manifested before him in a puff of rancid smoke. “Yes, milord,” her voice grated, “The Toushin monks are indeed carrying out your request.”

Hiei nodded, “Good. I guess I‘ll have to find some way to repay them.”

“That is not of the largest concern right now, milord.” Wakame continued, “I’ve already been to see King Enki, he was very distressed to hear about Lord Mukuro, and not just out of fondness for her, no. It seems there’s been another incident!”

“Another incident of demons being turned to stone?” Hiei’s attention was rapt on what the tiny demon had to say, “Where?”

She told him, “In Gandara, it was Lord Yomi’s compound. It was reported by the young Lord Shura, himself! My goodness, I’ve never seen a boy so frightened, and you know that that boy does not frighten easily! It seems the boy had slipped off to play in the forests this morning. Then when he got hungry, about lunch time, he came home to find everything-- and I mean everything: walls, plants, furniture, books, clothes, food, and yes, every demon, including Yomi, had been turned to stone. I, uh, already went there myself to confirm, though I did not stay long. All appeared to be just as he said.”

Hiei scrunched his brow as he kicked dirt over the dieing embers of his fire. Then he quickly gathered his things. There would no point in camping that night. He would not have been able to sleep anyway-- not until he saw the tragedy in Gandara for himself. Before he set off he instructed Wakame, “Go back to Urameshi’s monks, tell them about Yomi, and tell them to be on the lookout, there seems to be a pattern developing.”

“And the Lord Urameshi, himself?” Wakame asked, “I was under the impression that he does not live in demon world, though.”

Hiei’s heart clenched in his chest. If these attacks were contained to demon world then Yusuke was safe in the human world, but if not… “You’ll find him in the human world along with Kurama. Advise them to seek shelter… in Reiki perhaps.”

“Yes sir!” She disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Hiei ran through the night and all through the next day, stopping only take water or to relieve himself. He arrived in the city that was Gandara’s capital around sun rise the day after. He went straight to Yomi’s private estate, but when he approached the grounds, he stopped by a demon who was wearing the colors of a local guardsman.

“Hold on right there,” the demon haled him, “No one’s allowed to go into the grounds.”

Hiei examined the demon. He was tall, around seven feet, but he was also very fat so as to give him a stout appearance. His face looked like a bulldog’s with thick dangling jowls, boar-like tusks, and small beady eyes that were too close together. Hiei already knew he wasn’t going to like him.

“Do you know who I am?” Hiei asked the guard.

“Do I look stupid to you?” The giant pig of a demon snorted at him, “Of course I knows who you are, you’re Makuro’s little pet, Hiei is it? Well, it don‘t matter. No one is allowed--”

“Let him by, you idiot!” The reprimand took the form of a sweet, if not arrogant sounding, male’s voice.

“Shishiwakamaru,” Hiei recognized the owner of the voice.

“Hiei,” Shishi acknowledged him. Something of the man’s arrogance seemed to have faded to be replaced by a twinge of sorrow. “You came to see what happened right? This way.”

Shishi silently led Hiei through the grounds. Everything appeared normal, until Yomi’s extravagant manse rose into view. It was huge and sprawling, the design; classic Japanese, like an ancient home of a noble family descended from samurai, except now the entire thing looked like it was spun from colored glass. Shishi warned Hiei to stay on the dirt path. Hiei found out why as they neared the manse, Hiei could see were the grass abruptly became discolored and carried an extra gleam. The lawn was like thousands of glass needles. Shishi told him it formed a near perfect circle around the compound.

“This is obviously some sort of spell at work,” Hiei stated, “I came to see if Suzuki had an opinion on it.”

Shishi paused mid-step, “I don’t suppose Suzuki will have an opinion on much from now on. He was inside the compound when this happened.”

Hiei cursed under his breath. He did quite a bit of that as Shishi led him through the halls of Yomi’s palace. On the way he saw demons frozen in mundane life, guards standing watch with bored expressions on their faces, maids dusting knick-knacks. He even saw one demon with a rolled up newspaper in his hand, frozen mid-swat. The bug, that would have been his victim, was still sitting on a lampshade, like little craved gem. Many of apparitions he saw, he knew personally. He saw Chu and Rinku, Jin and Toya, along with many of Yomi’s top men.

“I was supposed to be on duty today, but I was at home, sleeping off a concoction that Chu gave me at the party last night,” Shishi told Hiei with a shutter. “Funny, I don’t usually drink-- bad for the skin-- but we were celebrating Suzuki’s big break-though with the research he was doing for Yomi.”

“Yomi was researching something?” Hiei glanced up at the other.

“It wasn’t really a secret,” Shishi shrugged, “It was called the Double Doll. As I understand, it’s an artificially created soulless body that a demon can astral project it’s consciousness into and use. The idea is that you could use the double body to go into potentially dangerous situations and if something happens, you won’t die. You’ll just return to your real body. Yomi was going to use it to explore the unknown regions of Makai.”

“I see, by using the Double Doll, a demon can return and report their findings, even if they’re torn limb from limb,” Hiei nodded. “And Suzuki figured it out?”

“No, he just finished translating the recipe-- it took a long time.” Shishi shrugged, “He still needed to research the ingredients and procedures, before he started testing… why you think his work has anything to do with what happened here?”

“I thought so at first,” Hiei shook his head, “Mukuro was researching something too, but there’s no connection.”

Shishi sighed, “Just coincidence, too bad. Here we are, though I doubt you‘ll find anything useful.”

Shishi took him into Yomi’s study, where he found the lord himself. Hiei had been told that Yomi had been one of the victims, but still it was jolt to actually see the powerful apparition standing there as a lifeless statue. Suzuki’s statue was in the room too, along with Yomi’s adviser Mr. Yuda. Not everybody in the room were statues, there were a few demons he did not recognize examining the statues-- there was one he did recognize.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Hiei snapped at Shishi.

Shishi started to explain, “She’s the Oneiromancer--”

“Varvara,” Hiei finished, “But WHY is she here?”

“Because I was summoned here,” the cadaverous old lady strolled over to them, “And it’s a pleasure to see you too, Shorty. How is that delightful young human, Kuwabara, doing by the way?”

“Better than me, at the moment,” Hiei snapped, “Are you going to answer my question or not?”

“Ah, short and to point as usual,” she said emphasizing the word ‘short’ and ‘point’ as she tugged at a strand of his dark spiky hair. “I’ll have you know I’ve made a discovery.”

She pointed to the statues, “They live! Their bodies were turned to lifeless stone, but their minds are still attached by the slightest thread. I can sense them dreaming.”

“You mean like Koenma was?” Hiei asked.

“You mean are they in the Dreamlands? No,” the old woman shook her head, “Demons of this realm seldom go there. They are only in mundane dreams within their own individual consciousnesses. But the fact that their minds and souls have not departed their bodies leads me to think that they still live and may be restored.”

“And you haven’t said how,” Hiei pressed. This was good news.

“I do not have all the answers,” She threw her hands melodramatically into the air.

“If this was done by a spell, might there be a counter-spell?” Shishi spoke up.

“It’s possible,” Varvara said, “But we would have to know the exact spell that was used. The wrong counter-spell could spell disaster.”

“Define disaster,” Hiei said.

“Have you ever placed non-tempered glass on a hot surface? Boom!” Varvara mimed an explosion.

“Enki sent a number of specialists, maybe one of them found have a clue,” Shishi said off handedly, but it reminded Hiei.

“Wait, I found this in Makuro’s fortress,” He produced the pocket watch-thing from his coat, “It was the only thing in place that wasn’t stone.”

Varvara snatched the thing form him. Her expression at seeing the pentagram was like ‘oh-hum’, but when she turned it over and saw the inscription on the back, her thin white brows shot up her forehead.

“That mean something to you?” Hiei demanded.

“I can not say what it means, exactly, but I can tell you it’s written in Ancient Dreamland Script,” She told him, “there are few who can decipher it.”

“Tell me that you’re one of them,” Hiei groaned, fearing the next words that came from her mouth.

“I can not,” she said and he groaned again, “But I know who can. He is a human called Eldin the Wanderer, but he’s… not available on this plane.”

“Don’t screw with me woman,” Hiei warned, “He’s in the mother fucking Dreamlands, isn’t he?!”

“Yes,” she replied calmly in the face of his outburst. “I can send you there to find him, if you would like.”

Shishi had just spoken to one of the specialist and reported, “They have no idea what spell was employed. It seems that your watch is the only clue we have.”

Hiei cursed and Varvara said, “I’ve a room in town. We can prepare for your journey there.”

“I’m coming with you,” Shishi said.

“No you’re not,” Hiei snapped, “Last time I went with Yusuke and Kurama, and we got separated-- wasted a whole fucking year looking for each other. No, I’m going alone. I can stay more focused that way.”


Varvara took Hiei to her room at the inn. She allowed Hiei to skip the customary steps of bathing and dressing in night clothes, and immediately administered to him a blue sleeping pill, cup of sweet, pink fluid to stall any biological functions which may interrupt sleep and a glass of water.

As his eyes started to droop, she placed her hand on his forearm, the one that didn’t have his dragon on it. It burned for a second. She explained, “So you will not have to remember what the inscription looked like. When you dream the words will appear on your arm. Show it to Eldin when you find him. But I’d recommend you keep it covered until then, seeing as we don’t actually know what it says.”

The world burred and softened as it drifted out from under him like the tide washing off the beach. Hiei slipped off to Dreams.
* * *
IV. I Remember You Now
Descending into Dreams is like a cross between falling asleep and walking down stairs, which in fact is what it is. But awaking into dreams is not like waking up, it’s more like suddenly become aware of yourself and your environment when you were not before. Hiei became aware of himself as he wondered the streets of a big city. His first impression was that it was a port city, for the smell of salt that lingered in the air and the abundance of merchants that bustles by him, weighted down by their bountiful goods. Hiei was very used to this state of things from the time he held residence in the Dream city Ulthar. The second thing that he became aware of was that this was not Ulthar. It was too warm to be Ulthar and the stone was the wrong color. Ulthar was carved of dark green marble and black basalt. This place was made of sparking red and purple-- even the wharves were carved of the stuff.

“Oh shit,” was Hiei’s first words in Dreams, which he uttered as he made his third observation. He was fully ‘awake’ now and he had come face to face with a mirror hanging on the outside of a shop. He brought hand up, lifted his bangs, and cursed again, “Shit.”

Like the first time Hiei had gone down into Dreams, his Jagan decided not to follow him. Which was unfortunate because he needed it to control his dragon… scratch that. Upon rolling up his right sleeve Hiei found that he did not have a dragon to control.

He cursed again. He didn’t have the time or space to check, but he was pretty sure that his demonic speed, endurance and strength were also compromised-- not that he couldn’t cope, but it would make matters more difficult.

“Ah well,” Hiei muttered, “We’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.”

As Hiei walked along the streets of the city that he now realized was Barharna, he had time to take stock of himself. He wasn’t wearing his normal clothes anymore with his big black coat and baggy black breeches. Instead he was wearing slim black leather pants and matching jerkin over a dark gray wool shirt. It was the same outfit he had on the last time he’d been in Dreams. He even had his specially modified sword strapped to his backside; the saber with the extended hilt so that he could wield it two handed. It was like he’d never left Dreams. He checked his left arm to see that the inscription was there as Varvara promised. It was, thank goodness for small favors.

Hiei came to his destination, a long line of pubs near the docks. He figured that a man called Eldin the Wanderer would be known in such establishments. He picked one and ventured in. It was a dim and seedy looking establishment, which suited Hiei just fine. Sleazy bars mean sleazy bartenders and for some cosmic reason sleazy bartenders seemed to know everything. Sure enough, behind the bar he found a large sweaty man, who no doubt smelled like bologna and feet.

“What can I help ya with,” the man said as he spit in a glass and started to polish it.

“I’m looking for someone,” Hiei said, “He goes by the name Eldin. Do you know of him?”

Several patrons paused and watched the exchange with get interest. The bartender said in a cheerful tone, “Eldin the Wanderer? Good old Eldin? Why yes. You a friend of his?”

For some unknown reason Hiei lied, “Yes.”

“Well in that case,” the man’s voice suddenly changed to one full of anger and hate, “Get him boys!”

All at once Hiei was seized by several pairs of strong hands. Normally he could have evaded or fought them off. But he had just come to Dreams minutes before and his body’s reflexes had not yet adjusted to the change. The hands lifted him up and bore him through the tavern, toward the door.

The bartender followed behind yelling, “Tell yer friend Eldin that he and his ain’t welcome here no more and if I ever see his lousy hide again I’ll skin him bare!”

Hiei was thrown unceremoniously out the door. He tumbled through the air and came to land on something soft that upon impact yelled, “Oi! Watch where throwing your trash!”

The bartender hollered back, “Awe, kiss it!”

“You’ll kiss my boot,” yelled the squirming lump that Hiei was sitting on, “As soon I get out from under this-- You!”

Hiei got his bearings enough to look down on the man who had broken his fall to find himself looking into big translucent blue-green eyes, framed by a fringe of long yellow hair.

“Do… do I know you?” Hiei stared at the remarkably familiar face.

“Do you know me?!” The blond gapped. “I can’t say, but I sure as hell haven’t forgotten you!”

Just then a group of men stumbled out onto the wharf. One of them pointed toward them, “There he is lets get him!”

“I think we should continue this conversation elsewhere,” The blond said as he scrambled to his feet, taking Hiei by the hand. “Are Yusuke and Kurama with you?”

“Um, no,” Hiei responded as the blond pulled him toward the docks, “They’re safe in the Waking World.”

“You’re here alone?” the blond called back to him. “Turn here!”

“Gahh!” Hiei gulped as they took the sudden turn. “Why are those men chasing you?”

“They’re construction workers-- and not very good ones! They’ve been building structures with substandard materials and now the city Regulators are shutting them down,” the blond explained. “But they seem to think it’s my fault because I was the one to notice the discrepancies in their books. I’m just a temp, for land‘s sake. It‘s hardly my fault that their buildings are made of sticks and spit that are going to fall apart the first time it rains!”

“Where are taking me?” Hiei cut in.

“Away,” the blond pronounced as they ran down a narrow dock. “There she is.”

Hiei would have stopped had the blond not been tugging on his arm.

“This is Kurama’s sky yacht, the Old Greg,” Hiei remembered the ship. It belonged to Kurama during their first visit to Dreams. He had piloted it all over Dream’s waters and skies. He once drove it up from the bottom of the ocean and even flew to the moon. Hiei had only seen the ship after it had been wreaked and dredged up from the bottom of the sea. But now here it was all repaired, refurbished, and shining more beautifully than Hiei had ever seen it before; a sleek, fast ship of blond polished wood-- with a figure head that looked like a fish-man wearing a tutu.

“What are you doing with this?” He asked the blond as he was shepherded up the gang plank.

“At the moment, using it to make an escape,” the blond told him, “Historically, I’ve been keeping it in good condition. It’s cost me a lot to refurbish it, but I was sure that Kurama would’ve skinned me if he found out if I’d tried to sell or scuttle it.”

The blond weighed anchor and cast off. A few pulled levers and flipped switches later, the ship started to move out. At that moment the men that had been chasing them appeared on dock. A couple of them threw grapping hooks at the Old Greg and snagged hold of the railing. They tied the ropes to the dock, causing the small ship to come to an abrupt halt. The blond cursed as the men swung themselves out onto the ropes and started to climb hand over hand toward the ship.

Not a problem, Hiei strolled over to the rail and watched the men make there way over. When they were about half-way there, he coolly took out his sword and in one stroke sliced all the ropes, sending the men plummeting into the water’s of the harbor. This was immediately followed by a roar of laughter from the multitude of people who were just standing on the docks watching this transpire.

A few minutes after they sailed out of all the hubbub, the blond spoke, “I’m sorry for shanghaiing you like that, but as you may have noticed I was in a hurry. I hope I didn’t interrupt any business you had in Barharna.”

Hiei frowned and stared at his would-be abductor. The yellow haired man was small-- not as small as Hiei, but small enough to be a native of Dreams, who are typically shorter than their Waking World counterparts. But Hiei already knew he couldn’t be a native. He had seen the man’s eyes, which were clear and focused as only a man of the Waking World‘s can be. Those eyes were set in a heart shaped face, along with a small straight nose and a mouth who‘s smiles could range from mysterious to reassuring.

Hiei’s lips curled in a smile that was mysterious, and anything but reassuring. The blond noticed Hiei’s scrutiny and said, “What?”

“I remember you now,” Hiei said closing in on the blond.

Before the other man could think to react, Hiei’s hands closed on him, one on his hip and the other tangled in his long braided hair. Before he could utter a sound, Hiei’s lips were covering his. Hiei’s body pressed his against he railing. Before he could really register what was happening, he’d surrendered to Hiei. The demon’s hot hands moved up and down his body, fondling his sensitive sides, hips, thighs, and ass. Meanwhile the demon’s tongue played fantastic games in his mouth, coaxing his own tongue into playing back and then quickly dominating it.

Just when the other didn’t think he could take anymore, Hiei pulled back and said, “You’re that cute blond that used to hang out with Yusuke and Kurama.”

“And you’re that insane person who thinks it’s funny to grope me,” the blond fell to his knees without Hiei there to hold him up. He was out of breath and just a little delirious from the things Hiei had been doing to him.

Hiei sunk down to that ground in front of him, “I don’t think it’s funny, just fun.”

“What?”

“So much fun…” Hiei mused, “And cute too.”

“Wh-what?” The blond stuttered.

Hiei chuclked and reached for the blonde’s waistband. The blond opened his mouth, no doubt to voice some question or protest, but Hiei quickly silenced him by mashing his lips into the others. He played his magical little tongue games with the blond again, suitably quelling the other’s resistance. Hiei’s hands worked their way under the other’s tunic and found the drawstring on his leggings. A quick tug and the pants fell around their owner’s knees. The underwear was taken care of in a similar fashion and then Hiei descended down the man’s body. Hiei was pleased to find a bright pink erection jutting out of a nest of golden curls.

“Hn, cute.” Hiei swiftly took it into his mouth and sucked at it.

“Nggh!” The blond whined as his manhood was being teased and tortured by Hiei’s creative tongue. “Hmm… oh, Hiei….st-sto-ahhhh-p.”

Hiei liked the way the man called out his name in that sweet brassy voice. He decided to reward him by swallowing his dick all the way to the hilt. That done, Hiei worked his jaw so as to scrape his bottom teeth against the base of the blonde’s penis. This move never failed to make Yusuke go cross eyed, when Hiei did it to him. It was easier to do to the blond, seeing that he was nowhere near as large as Yusuke. The affect was still the same.

The blonde’s head rolled back as his hips jerked erratically and his breathes came out in gasps. “Ohh no, no, Hi-Hiei! Ah ah ahh… ah fuuck no! HIEI!!”

Hiei licked his lip lips, savoring the flavor of fresh cum. He said to the blond, who was collapsed against the railing, “I’m looking for a guy called Eldin the Wanderer, by the way. You know him?”

“Eldin? Yeah. Who doesn’t?” The other panted. “I know all the stories about him, too… he and his partner, Hero, have quite a reputation.”

“You’ll help me find him, then.” It didn’t sound like a question, but still the blond responded with a weak nod. And so the agreement was made, and the metaphoric contract was metaphorically signed as an alliance thicker than blood stronger than steel was forged. (Utter sarcasm.)

As the newly formed partners sailed over the Southern Sea of Dreams Hiei asked, “What was your name, by the way?”

To which the other muttered, “Ianto.”

TBC…
A/N: Who else could be our favorite demon’s guide through Dreams, but the ever suffering OC Ianto. Ianto is easy lead into things, isn‘t he. The poor thing can’t even get a blowjob with dignity. I think Hiei might seem OCC in this, but in cannon he’s got 0% sexual interest, so I’d say we fanfic writers have quite a bit of wriggle room where it comes interpreting his sensual behaviors. Which is awesome cuz we can have Hiei in like hundred flavors. Hmm, did I have point? Awe well. Review and I’ll see ya Next Time!