Amethyst Eyes

Chapter One: She was here?

It’s been two months since Yusuke returned to the human world. Much to the surprise of many, Hiei came back with him.

Why? Who knows? Maybe he didn’t like the job of patrolling the border for stray humans; erasing their memory and shipping them back to the human world. Kurama, Keiko and Kazuma have gone on to the university to study. Yusuke got himself a job as a security guard (any excuse to beat somebody up), though no one’s really sure. Kurama got an apartment of his own and runs a flower/herb shop next to his building that’s owned by his stepfather.

Shizuru, Kazuma’s sister went to America six weeks prior to visit a friend for a few months. Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei and Kazuma have been put on Koenma’s payroll. It’s decided, that the four Spirit Detectives would be paid for their services so it wouldn’t not inconvenience them if they lost their current jobs in the human world. He’s given all of them a personal communicator. He’s currently looking for Yusuke’s permanent replacement.

(Remember Yusuke was fired permanently but is called on for special cases only. The reason being, that an old nemesis of the spirit world wanted to enslave the human world and it forced Koenma to seek out Yusuke and his friends. The small stuff he’ll keep on the back burner for building experience and character for his replacement.)

The entire gang was planning a party at Genkai’s temple to celebrate the engagement of Yusuke and Keiko and Kazuma and Yukina. Of course Botan, Yukina and Keiko found a new reason to go shopping and possibly drag the men along. (1) Genkai was more than happy to have company around the temple, in exchange, they would clean up after themselves and perform the occasional errand. The temple had plenty of room and she considered them her family, but she wouldn’t say it out loud.

Botan, Yukina, Yusuke, Kurama, Kazuma, Genkai, and Keiko were sitting in the living room making plans on what to buy. The group decided to have the party the following Saturday night. By then Kurama, Keiko and Kazuma would start summer vacation. It was Tuesday. Hiei, as always, took a seat at the windowsill and looked at everyone making noise. He really didn’t care about being social at the moment, and he wasn’t at all happy at the fact that the oaf proposed to Yukina while he was away. But at the same time he hadn’t planned on coming back.

Hiei stared out the window and thought about the mysterious girl who he felt had, not once but twice, come out personally from hiding just to see him. He’s thought about her over the last four years, ever since that night at the cliff. Ever since then he dreamt about a woman with similar eyes and he wondered if that’s what she looked like. He found it odd that when he dreamed, it felt more like memories than anything else. He heard a lot of his own thoughts about where he was and what’s running though his mind. He didn’t understand why he kept thinking about her.

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Flashback

The night at the cliff, he was training to perfect his Kokuryuha (Black Dragon Wave). The training had caused second and third degree burns on his arm. Even though he was a fire demon, he was also part koorime. As he pulled his arm out of the fire, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He was not happy knowing that someone was spying on him. He quickly turned around and pulled out his katana with his left hand. He looked up and saw a person with a black cloak similar to his own except that it had purple strips on it. The hood and scarf covered most of their face. All he saw were violet eyes that reflected the light of the moon, making them shine like gems.

Amethyst eyes.

The pupils looked like they belong to a snake or cat. By the way they walked he could tell it was a woman. She stopped a fair distance away.

Hiei simply glared at this person for a moment before asking coldly, “What do you want?” The stranger only pointed at his arm. Hiei looked down to see how burned, blistered and bloody it was. He looked at her, “So?”

The woman ran towards him, and he had his katana ready to strike. She stopped about ten feet away, “I just want to heal your arm,” she said in a soft tone, one that sent tremors down his spine. He was taken aback at how nice her voice sounded, like a lovers caress, and that it could lull him to sleep if he let it. He quickly regained his composure.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I can,” she answered.

He didn’t feel threaten by her so he lowered his katana. “If you’re lying, you die,” he said.

She nodded and slowly approached him. She gently placed her hands on his arm.

He flinched from the pain and the contact. He felt strange as she emitted a light of fiery red (gold and red mix) that felt so warm, comforting and somewhat familiar. He could feel her power and it shuck the very center of his being. Yet at the same time, it felt as if it was embracing him. The wounds appeared to heal from the inside out. Within a minute, all his wounds were healed, the burns gone and the black dragon could clearly be seen going up his arm.

“Do you want to seal it?” she asked.

He nodded; watching closely as she proceeded to clean his arm of the blood. She then wrapped his arm and hand, placing the ward to seal the dragon. The entire time, Hiei was wondering why he let her do it. What was it about her that was leaving him speechless? He was not one to trust another easily, but something told him that she could be trusted, that she was true to her word. She finished and he noticed the smile in her eyes as she looked up.

“Good luck. I’ll be watching your fight,” she said.

Hiei looked at the seal on his fist and was reassured that she did as promised.

Flashback Interrupted
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“Hiei?” Yusuke called again to get his attention. Hiei snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the group which was looking at him.

“What?” Hiei asked, annoyed at the interruption.

“Are you alright?” Kurama asked with concern.

Hiei gave him a look that said, ‘What do you think?’

“I’m asking you if you want to help get the supplies for the party.”

“Not interested,” he quickly replied.

Kurama looked at Yusuke who got up and walked over to him to whisper, “This if for Yukina. Don’t you want to help for her sake?” Hiei had a soft spot for his sister even though she didn’t know he was her brother.

“Fine,” he said, making the rest of the group smile or smirk. Everyone made lists of the things they were going to bring in next Saturday. Hiei looked annoyed at the fact that he’ll be helping people make more noise.

After a couple of hours and some fist fighting between Yusuke and Kuwabara, everyone bid farewell and went their separate ways. Hiei and Yukina were staying at the temple, but he went outside to be alone.

Kurama and Yusuke stayed behind as well to find out why Hiei was so distracted, but it was Yusuke who approached him. Kurama escorted Keiko to the car and distracted her while they waited.

“Hiei, wait. Is there something that’s bothering you?” His tone reflected his concern.

“No,” he said.

‘Are you thinking about her again?’ Yusuke asked him mentally to insure his privacy.

Hiei just nodded. He’d spoken to Yusuke, needing someone to talk to, during the few weeks before they returned to the human world.

‘You really should try to find out something about her instead of waiting. It’ll give you something to do for a while. Maybe you should talk to the toddler since you said you couldn’t get any info on her at Mukuro’s.’

‘I’ll think about it. You better go before Kurama’s patience wears out.’ All the while keeping his back to him.

“Alright, but if you feel like talking, you know where to find me,” Yusuke offered as he made his way down the temple stairs. Hiei smirked and went up a tree to look at the full moon. His thoughts once again wondered on how fast she’d disappeared after having placed the ward on his arm.

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Continue Flashback

When she had finished putting the ward on his arm he asked her who she was. Her answer threw him for a loop.

“I am many things and at the same time, I am nothing.” She was a puzzle he very much wanted to solve.

“That’s not an answer.” He said impatiently.

“It’s the only one I can give you right now.”

“Why help me?” His voice softened, almost as if he were shy to ask such a question.

“Because I want too.”

He shook his head. “Don’t expect me to say ‘thank you’.”

She turned from him and began to walk way. “Don’t die,” she said, and then disappeared. He was shocked because he wasn’t able to sense her after that. He had actually wanted her to stay a little longer. He had felt comfortable in her presence, which was rare for him.

End Flashback
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He saw her again in the crowd during his fight against Bui. He had to turn away to keep his focus on his opponent, but deep down he was smiling. He had never felt so alive, so powerful being around anyone, but he hated having the feeling leave him so quickly. For some reason, her support meant a lot to him. The lights of the temple were slowly being extinguished as Genkai and Yukina headed for bed. Hiei fell asleep while in the tree lost in his thoughts.

////////// Dream //////////////

He was sitting in a field of flowers. The full moon high in the sky well above the mountain tops. By the lake a few yards away, the most wonderful woman to come into his life. Gaining her attention, he got up and floated to sit by her. She had long honey blond hair that went down to her waist. Her beautiful violet eyes met his gaze and trapped him under her spell. He never knew that he’d have these feelings for anyone. Even after all this time he couldn’t believe she was his.

‘Lover, is something wrong?’

‘No,’ he replied calmly. His own voice was deep but void of emotions.

She moved closer to him until she straddled his legs and put her arms around his neck. ‘You know I’m here if you want to voice your thoughts,’ she encouraged. Her voice was so soft it could lull him to sleep.

He slowly put his hands on her waist, wanting to avoid hurting her with the metal gears on his forearms. He really should remove his gloves; there wasn’t any immediate threat present. So he proceeded to do just that and the gears followed before wrapping his arms around her waist. ‘I’m…sad. I can not give you any children,’ he confessed.

She smiled at him and stroked his cheek. ‘I know you would have enjoyed training them but that would mean settling down long enough to raise them properly.’

‘Doesn’t it bother you?’ He asked, searching her eyes for his answer and finding it.

‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘But we both know that if we could have children they would be mortal. They would grow old and die, while we remained the same.’

He laid down on the grass, pulling her with him; her head resting on his shoulder and his arms holding her tight. Maybe it was for the best. The situation made him think about his mother who had past on so long ago.

‘Let’s go visit our friends. It’s been a few years. I’m sure they miss you.’

He knew she wanted to get his mind off it, but it just wasn’t fair. He flipped her over to lie on top. ‘We’ll look for them another time. We’ve been battling demons for the past two weeks and I’ve neglected you.’ He said before capturing her lips.

/////////// End Dream//////////////////

The next morning, Kurama woke up and got ready for school. He had a chemistry final in the afternoon and he wanted to take a last minute look at his notes before class. His assistant, Takashi, would open the shop that morning and Kurama would join him after class. He enjoyed working at the shop because it gave him something to do. His shop not only had flowers, but lots of herbs and plants that traditional doctors came to buy for their practices.

While in the shower, he kept thinking about Hiei. ‘What’s going on with him? He’s been like this since he came back from Makai.’ Now that he though about it, he was acting a little strange during the Makai tournament. It bothered him a little that Yusuke wouldn’t say what was bothering him. He knew that Hiei was a private person and rarely asked for favors. He’s happy though that he was able to help him with a few lessons a few years back.

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Hiei woke up from his dream and wondered why they’d started again. He’s had dreams like that before but they were never as clear and he always had trouble remembering them. He wondered if that’s what she looked like. If so, whose eyes was he looking through? Obviously they were lovers, but what was he to her? And if he didn’t know any better he could have sworn they were talking Chinese. He’d ask Kurama when he got the chance.

He was determined to find out something about this woman. Considering the power he felt coming from her, she was probably well known somewhere. The first place to start was by going to see Koenma. He wasn’t really looking forward to seeing the half pint because he’d rather keep this to himself, but he wanted information and Koenma was a good source. He jumped off the tree and went into the temple to freshen up.

Genkai was in the kitchen drinking tea and noticed Hiei come in. “Morning.”

“Hn”.

“You’ve been quieter than usual.” She looked him in the eye and added, “Penny for your thoughts”.

He thought about asking her since she’d been around, was well known in Makai and had his respect. “What I ask stays between us,” he declared, for he wasn’t happy to have more than one person know his business, but sometimes it’s got to be done. She nodded. “Do you know of a girl with violet eyes? She wears a black cloak with purple strips.”

Genkai gave him a serious look. She knew exactly who Hiei was referring to, but wanted to be sure it was really her. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to tease him a little.

“Since when have you been interested in girls?” She couldn’t keep the humor out of her voice.

Hiei glared at her warningly and started to turn away.

“Wait,” she said seeing as she couldn’t really have any fun with him. “I know little about her. I met her about 16 years ago. What do you want to know?”

Hiei gasped, for a second feeling that he might not have to go see Koenma after all. Hiei turned to face Genkai, “She was here?” She nodded. “Who and what is she?”

“Rumor has it that she’s a cat demon and that she’s as beautiful as she is deadly. Even though I met her she never showed herself to me. Have you seen her?” she asked. She purposely left out that she was an assassin for hire due to the fact that Hiei was still alive and he’s no push over in battle either.

“Awhile back, why?” Hiei was puzzled by the question.

“Those that have seen her are no longer among the living.” Hiei’s brow rose slightly. He wanted to know more. He’s made a lot of enemies, especially siding with the humans, but at the same time, he didn’t feel as though she was a threat of any kind.

“What else do you know?”

“Not much. She stayed here for a week and we fought once for practice. I felt her power, but she never used it in our fight. If anything she sent most of my own attacks back at me. It was a game to her. She shows up in this area at least once a year if not twice. She doesn’t bother me, so I don’t bother her.” Genkai stared at Hiei with amusement as he took in the information and.

“She comes here? Has she shown up this year?” This was too good to be true. How could he have missed her?

“I haven’t sensed here this year so far. Her pattern consists of either the middle of summer and/or winter. She must have a hideaway in the mountains. It’s hard to sense her sometimes so I think she’s using wards to mask her presence.” If she didn’t know any better she could have sworn Hiei was about to have any anxiety attack right before her eyes. She wondered if it was from joy or fear. It’s hard to tell with a stoic individual.

So all he had to do was wait and he’d meet her again. He wanted to kick himself for waiting at Mukuro’s. If she was going to show her self, she’d do it within the next two weeks. Patience is not one of his stronger virtues, but since he’d waited this long he could wait another two weeks. Then he frowned. If she didn’t show he’d have to wait six months till winter. But that didn’t make sense…

“Do you have any other questions?” She really wasn’t comfortable having him stand there lost in thought if she wanted to enjoy her breakfast.

“Do you know her name?”

“No. If you want to know more, I would suggest talking to Koenma.”

With that Genkai closed her eyes and continued drinking her tea. Hiei turned and headed to the bathroom thinking over what he’d just learned. ‘A beautiful, deadly cat,’ he sighed. ‘I sure can pick them.’

Genkai found this turn of events very interesting. She wondered how long things were going to stay peaceful. Granted, she didn’t mind a little action as long as it didn’t destroy the temple. But she really was too old for this shit.

She’s curious as to why Hiei, of all people, would ask about her. Could he be interested in fighting her? She remembered clearly meditating in the forest behind the temple and sensing her coming. Genkai had never felt such power coming from one person and she knew the visitor was anything but human. Genkai got up and went to the temple entrance to see for herself who was coming. She had many enemies who wanted her head, which was proven when she’d showed herself at the last Dark tournament.

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Flash back

“Can I help you?” Genkai asked the girl in black.

The girl bowed and said, “Hello, are you Genkai?”

“Yes.” Genkai was puzzled at the sound of her voice; she felt she was talking to a child because of the playful tone, but yet it sounded like she was very smart.

The girl stood at least a foot taller then Genkai. There was no way to know how old she was by looking at her eyes and her voice could be deceptive as well, “Don’t worry, I’m not here to kill you.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I just want a place to stay for awhile. I’m willing to help around your temple in exchange for a room. If you’ll let me hunt in the forest, I’ll feed myself.”

“You have my permission.” Like she’d be able to stop her if she said no! “How long is awhile?”

“Eight days okay?”

Genkai looked at her in disbelief. Most demons were usually straightforward in wanting to kill her or they would pretend to come in peace to see if they could catch her off guard. Somehow this girl was able to get past the protective barrier around the temple. (Although the barrier was only good in keeping out demons lower than B Class). At the same time she couldn’t help but feel calm in her presence, her words sounded sincere. She would still keep her guard up.

“Eight days is reasonable. Follow me.” Genkai turned and slowly walked into the temple followed by the girl. Genkai was still ready just in case she was suddenly attack from behind. Genkai showed her where everything was in the temple and then the room she would be using.

“Thank you.”

Genkai nodded and asked, “What is your name?”

“For your safety I cannot answer,” she said, then went into her room.

Genkai closed the door and left. The eight days went by very quickly. Genkai hardly knew she was there. The girl went into the woods often not knowing what she did. When she was visible, it looked like nothing changed. On the sixth day the girl asked Genkai if she would be her sparring partner. Having been promised that she wasn’t going to kill her, Genkai agreed. The girl asked that Genkai not hold anything back, but if she felt she couldn’t fend her off, she would of course ask Genkai to back off a bit.

The battle was fierce; Genkai used every skill she could think of to gain some advantage, but to no avail. The girl was a very gifted fighter; Genkai could not keep up with her.

After an hour the girl stopped the fight. Genkai was exhausted; she had taken many hits and only succeeded in landing three. The girl was happy about the fight.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun.” She helped Genkai into the temple, and that was when Genkai could feel the girl’s power rushing over her. Once in Genkai’s room, the girl healed her injuries and said, “You should get some rest. Would you like something to drink or eat?”

“Yes, please.” A few minutes later, she brought some tea and bean paste buns.

“I’ll be back later to remove the tray,” with that she walked out.

The last day was when the girl gave Genkai the Rei Kou Gyoku. (2) She stayed with Genkai until the ball of energy fully merged with her. Genkai awoke late the next morning sore from the ordeal and knew that the girl was no longer at the temple. She made her way to the kitchen for some water and saw a note on the refrigerator door.

‘Thank you. Till we meet again.’

End Flashback
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It’s been 16 years and has since passed on the Rei Kou Gyoku to Yusuke. There was no such thing as coincidence, only inevitability. It was only a matter of time before she showed up again, but when?

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Author’s Notes:

1) Since Yusuke is still associating with Koenma, Botan takes the time out to stay in touch.
2) Rei Kou Gyoku = Spirit Wave Orb/Gem