Out of Bounds and Beneath Dreams

Out of Bounds and Beneath Dreams
Part two

I. You just Sucker Punched a Dragon!
Hiei had told Ianto about what had happened in the Walking World and showed him the inscription on his arm, on the off chance that the blond knew the language. He didn’t. So it seemed he had to find this Eldin the Wanderer, after all. Eldin had no fixed address, as may be expected from a man called ‘The Wanderer’, so finding him might take some time. The first place that Ianto suggested they look in a nearby city called Andahad.

“So, what exactly is in this Andahad, place?” Hiei asked his newly acquired blond guide as they stood on their ship’s deck, watching the aforementioned place grow larger as they approached it.

“Not much worth noting,” Ianto told him, “There are a few taverns some brothels. Not much gambling though. It’s fairy quiet for a city on the Isle of Oriab.”

“And you think Eldin is here, why?” Hiei asked with a less than patient tone.

“Because this is were Ula and Una Gidduf live,” Ianto said, “Una is Eldin’s sweet-heart, in a manner of speaking.”

“In a manner of speaking?”

“Her sister and her tricked Hero and Eldin into deflowering them as a means to avoid marriage with the Dukes of Isharra, who would only have virgin brides,” Ianto told him a-matter-of-factly.

“Some trick,” Hiei muttered.

“It’s a hilarious story,” said Ianto, “And one that if told properly will pay for our meals tonight and possibly a proper room that doesn’t sway when the tide goes out. Hmm, if I can find I decent piano I could probably even finance a night in a brothel for you.”

Hiei took offence to that, “Why would you think I’d want to go to some human infested whorehouse?!”

“Because you’re groping MY ass again,” Ianto shouted and smacked the demon’s hand away from his backside.

Hiei scoffed, “You weren’t complaining an hour ago when I was nibbling on your cute little dick.”

Ianto turned beat red, “I did too complain. I told you to stop, but you didn’t listen and kept on!”

“Sure,” Hiei teased. “And you didn‘t come in my mouth.”

“We are NOT having this conversation,” Ianto covered his ears and dashed away from the demon.

“I don’t see why you’re being such a prude about it,” Hiei raised his voice, “It felt good right? So what reason is there to deny it?”

“I can think of two reasons,” Ianto muttered.

An abrupt and high pitched whistle came from off the starboard bow, catching Hiei’s attention and causing him forget about Ianto’s comment. There was ship, about twice the size of the Old Greg, coming up fast beside them. A man was standing on the deck waving a green flag with a yellow stripe and a bull’s head on it. Hiei assumed this was some sort of naval signal. Ianto seemed to understand it as he selected a blue one from a box of his own flags and waved it back. Soon the larger boat matched their speed.

“Ahoy there!” The man yelled, “Coming into port? And for what business?”

“Aye,” Ianto shouted back, “And personal business at the Gidduf manor house.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be those adventuring scoundrels what defiled old Ham’s daughters would ye?” The sailor laughed.

“Unfortunately not,” Ianto chuckled in response, “but that would be the same lot we’re looking for. You’d make a happy man of me if you said that they were around.”

“Sorry, but I’m afraid you’re out of luck, son.” The man shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything hereabout. But if anyone knows I’m sure the Gidduf girls do.”

Ianto accepted that. “Thank you anyway. Which pier should we set down in?”

The man told him, “A vessel your size would be best in block 4 on the eastern side. I’d avoid dock 9 though; the supports have gone bad on one side, so she leans a bit.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you again,” Ianto hollered to the man before turning back to Hiei, “Well that’s that.”

“This is pointless,” Hiei said. “Is this the only lead we have?

“It’s the closest lead we have,” Ianto shrugged, “If this fails there are a hundred other haunts that we can check. So don’t start getting all fussy and downtrodden just yet.”

“Hn, were you this much of a pill when you traveled with Yusuke?” Hiei snorted.

“Yusuke treated me with some measure of respect,” Ianto pointed, “You…. Oi, sometimes I wonder why he held YOU in such high regard.”

Hiei was quiet for a moment then he said with a touch a humor in voice, “You liked him, didn’t you?”

“Wha--” Ianto sputtered.

“You had a crush on my Yusuke.”

“Well, um,” Ianto seemed like he was going to deny it, but then his face took on an expression of resolve and he said, “So, what if I did?”

Hiei chuckled and said, “You have good taste.”

“You’re not angry?” Ianto asked with astonishment.

“Feh,” Hiei snorted, “If I took it personally every time someone liked Yusuke I’d have killed half of Makai’s population by now.”

“Well yes, he does have that… something that just draws you to him,” Ianto muttered and shrugged. Hiei nodded an agreement and the two paused and looked at each other, not saying a word. The moment was more awkward than any of the awkward moments that hey had shared in the brief time they’d been in each other’s company.

“Um, isn’t that where we’re supposed to dock?” Hiei pointed.

“Ah, yes, I’d better get to the wheel,” Ianto moved. In a matter of an hour they had docked, and made their way to the Gidduf house, where they were granted acutance with the young mistresses.

“I don’t think we should tell them,” Ula said as Hiei muttered something about typical female obstinacy.

Una added, “Sorry, but our boys do have a lot of enemies. How can we know that we can trust you?”

“Listen,” Hiei told the girls, “I need to know something that only this Eldin can tell me. Now I am going to find him one way or the other and if my search takes longer than it should because of your deceitful females, I swear--”

“Hiei!” Ianto cut him off, “Don’t threaten them. How would you feel if a couple of strangers showed up asking about Yusuke and Kurama?”

“Ah!” Una exclaimed, “Of course, now I know where I heard your name before; Ianto and Yusuke. You were the two who found that cult in Dalshore.”

“And stopped the plot of the banished Deep Ones in Pnok,” Ula caught on, “And you took care of that nasty business at Hornbell Manor.”

Hiei raised an eyebrow at Ianto, who blushed and said, “I suppose we’ve made a bit of a name for ourselves.”

“In that case, I think we can come to an arrangement,” Ula said.

“Are you sure sister?” Una looked wary. At which point Ula leaned in and whispered in her twin’s ear. Una brightened, “Oh I get it, a trade.”

“A trade,” Hiei eyed the girls like they were venomous snakes.

“You see,” Ula began, “A few years back our father gave us a pendent belonging to our mother. It was very precious to us, but one day while we where up on the buffs, we accidentally dropped it down a fissure. Now, if you can retrieve it for us, we’ll tell you where Hero and Eldin have gone.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Hiei agreed begrudgingly, “I don’t suppose you remember exactly were this fissure was?”

They did and soon Hiei and Ianto were at the site, looking down into the narrow crack in the rock. Hiei was crouched down, examining at the opening. He reported, “It’s too narrow to climb down. But fissures like this are often connected to cave systems so we might be able to find another way in.”

“Oriab is riddled with caves.” Ianto put in, “I can go to the town hall of records and see if I can find any helpful land surveys. Here, you can go to wait for me at that tavern near the docks.”

Ianto went to hand Hiei a fist of coins, but Hiei sneered at them, “Why the hell would I want to hang out in a bar full of stupid, drunk humans?”

With that the issue was closed; Hiei would be accompanying him to the hall of records. Once there, Hiei was remarkably a good help with helping Ianto fetch and carry materials. As he riffled through a file drawer, Hiei was hit with a sudden sullenness. This was exactly what he would have been doing at that same moment in Mukuro’s study, if all this crap hadn’t happened. Hiei shook those thoughts away before they caused him too much trouble. Instead he turned to regard the young man that would be his companion until the end of his mission.

The blond had a series of maps laid out over the floor, while he sat perched on top of a table looking down on them. His fine, blond brows were drawn down over the bridge of his nose and his lips seemed to pout a bit as he tried to puzzle out the information in front of him. Hiei had the sudden urge to topple the blond and make him his plaything. Hiei didn’t entirely understand these compulsions of his. They seemed to come with Dreams for him. The last time was there he was compelled to take a human as a lover, and a native one at that. Hiei had urges in his Waking World persona too, he just didn’t feel compelled to carry them out, mostly because he thought it make things too complicated. But then things are often simpler in Dreams. These things only vaguely echoed through Hiei’s mind as he sidled up behind the blond and touched his shoulder.

“What?” Ianto jumped. Even though Hiei had been well behaved since they landed in Andahad, the blond was still wary of him.

“Find anything interesting?” Hiei asked plainly.

“A cave system; just as we suspected.” Ianto answered, pointing to a map, “I believe the entrance is roughly around that area. I can’t be too sure. Notes on this area are ridiculously disjointed.”

“Hn, we should go scout the area then,” Hiei nodded, “It might get dark out before we find it. Will that a problem for you?”

“I’ll cope,” Ianto reported as he gathered himself off the table. Hiei suppressed a growl as he watched the other’s long hair sway back and forth over his cute ass.

They found the cave with little problem. But only a few yards within the opening the tunnel halted abruptly.

“I said I wasn‘t sure,” Ianto shook his head. “I’m starting to think you right, this is pointless.”

“No,” Hiei held up his hand to silence him as he sniffed the air. He hummed to himself and approached the back wall. And then after a second of evaluation, he raised his fist and struck the wall. A spider’s web pattern of cracks appeared in the wall. Another punch and the wall shook and then it moved. It rolled like a giant wheel, out of the way into a hidden recess to one side, revealing the passage behind it. “A false back,” he told the blond behind him as he dusted off his knuckles.

“I‘ll be,” Ianto stared down the tunnel, but then his eyes shifted to the demon and perhaps lingered there a little too long. He shook himself, “We need a light!” He said absently as he dug through his satchel and produced a small glassy ball.

“What’s that?” Hiei asked in an or-do-I-even-want-to-know tone.

“A light,” Ianto told him as he cupped the thing in his hands, brought it up to his lips, and blew on it. In an instant the ball lit up like a light bulb, “It was a gift from a wizard whose library I helped re-catalogue. It’s better than a torch because won’t explode it you run into a pocket of combustible gases, and look, its hands free.” Ianto lowered his hands, but the ball remained hanging in the air.

“Cute,” Hiei responded curtly, “Let’s go. The sooner we get this done the sooner those… women will tell us what we need to know-- provided they actually know something and weren‘t lying to us.”

“What would make you think they were lying?” Ianto asked innocently as he followed Hiei down the dark tunnel.

“Women are prone to deceit whenever they want something and they think the fact that they are women justifies it,” Hiei said.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had a problem with women,” Ianto said wisely.

“Watch it Blondie,” Hiei warned.

“Just calling what I see,” Ianto held his hands up in surrender. “But on a more immediate subject, why do you suppose this cave was plugged up like that?”

Hiei shrugged, “Couldn’t say, but I’m sure we’re about to find out. There’s an unusual odor wafting down this tunnel.”

Find out they did. As they passed down the tunnel the smell got stronger, by the time they rounded the last corner even Ianto could smell it, a scent like old leather and ashes. But at that point the smell was the least interesting thing. The tunnel ended abruptly as a shelf over vast cavern. It was natural and beautiful. The rough walls and dripping stalactites sparkled with crystallized deposits. But there was evidence of man’s past presence in the form of stairs cut into the living rock, leading down into the pit. Their magical light ball floated out over the pit as the two descended the stairs. The floor was encircled by a ring of murky green water, save for the spot were the stair connected to the floor. At the edges of the water was another sigh of human hands, letters written on the floor in paint that glowed with a faint florescence. At the center of the floor was something far more interesting.

“No way,” Ianto whispered looking at sleeping the beast. It was big, big as a house, and covered in dark scales that shimmered just as pretty as the cave walls. Its long serpentine neck twined around its bulky body and rested on its tail. It had spines all down its back and two rows of horns fanning off each side of its head, as well as a single horn adorning its long snout. There, there was a lonely beam on sunlight, falling form a minute crack in the ceiling to land on that horn and glint off a silver necklace that encircled it.

“It would have to turn out like this, wouldn’t it,” Hiei griped walking toward the head of the dragon.

“Hiei!” Ianto whispered, afraid that the creature would wake.

Hiei waved a hand at him and moved closer to where he could reach out and touch the necklace. He wouldn’t be able to lift it off the horn easily, it was too tall-- and of course the stupid chain didn’t have a latch on it. Hiei drew his sword and carefully slid it under the chain and attempted to lift it higher like that. No, good it still fell inches short of the top.

“Here,” Ianto whispered kneeling down before Hiei, lacing his fingers together to give the demon a boost.

“Hn, I knew one of these days you’d willing get on your knees for me,” Hiei smirked as he stepped onto Ianto’s hands.

“Not funny,” Ianto hissed as he lifted Hiei up. In the process Hiei’s groin pressed into the side of the blonds face. The state of that region told the blond that Hiei was not completely kidding.

“Got it,” Hiei signaled Ianto that he could put him down. On the ground Hiei showed the blond the trinket.

“Fantastic,” Ianto smiled, “Now let’s get out of here before--”

At that second the dragon’s eyes snapped open. They were big as shields and glowed electric blue. Ianto gasped. Hiei told him to stop staring like a moron and run. They were on the steps and climbing as the creature roared and tried to climb to its feet. The sound echoed in the cavern, making the walls shake and stalactites fall from the ceiling. The adventurers raced up the steps even as the dragon rose up and snapped at them. Its teeth fell short as the two were well above that level. But then, just as they thought they’d escaped, the dragon brought its tail around to slam on the all beneath the steps. Hiei and Ianto paused as steps jolted and a crack appeared between them. In the next second the stone beneath Ianto gave away and the blond fell. His short cry was cut off by a snapping sound as the dragons jaws closed around him.

“Damn it,” Hiei cursed. Without a second thought he leapt form the stair to land effortlessly on the dragon’s nose. The dragon hardly had time to register this before Hiei struck it right between the eyes. The blow caused the dragon’s head to drop to the floor, where Hiei hopped off. In the next moment Hiei, grasped it by the horn and demanded, “Spit it out!”

The dragon could feel Hiei’s angry aura raising and whined like a hurt puppy.

“Spit it out!” Hiei tugged none-too-gently on the horn.

The dragon whimpered and opened its mouth, letting its enormous tongue to come lulling out. The tongue unrolled and deposited a disheveled, drool covered Ianto at Hiei’s feet.

“Good boy,” Hiei shoved the horn away, “Now go back to bed.”

Then like a good little dragon, it slithered back to center of the cavern and curled up to go to sleep. Hiei then turned to Ianto. The blond jolted with panic and attempted to skitter away, though the slick dragon slit made it difficult. At first Hiei didn’t understand this reaction, until remembered that Ianto was sensitive to psychic vibrations, thus he was feeling his powerful anger just as the dragon had.

Forcing himself to calm down he asked, “Can you walk?” After Ianto nodded, “Good, lets go. And I swear if those women don’t have any information after this I’ll give the necklace back to the dragon.”

It wasn’t until they had made their way back through the tunnel and Hiei was in the process of rolling the false back into place, that Ianto spoke again, “He was right about you.”

“What’s that?” Hiei glanced back over his shoulder.

“Yusuke,” Ianto told him, “The entire year that I spent with him, all that was ever on his mind was you. He told me about you, about your ferocity, and how unfathomable you can be. You… you just sucker punched a dragon!”

“Hn,” Hiei grunted, “That little dream-dragon was like an un-housebroken puppy compared to the infernal creatures I’ve known.”

“Nonetheless!” Ianto gasped, standing to move towards Hiei. “You really are something else.”

Hiei closed the distance between them, reaching up to draw Ianto face towards his. This time there was no resistance on the blonde’s part as their lips touched. Ianto sighed softly while he let Hiei work his mouth with lips and tongue, his hands gently knotting in sticky wet braids.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Ianto sighed when they parted.

“I know. You need a bath first. You’re disgusting,” Hiei replied with wit.

“That wasn’t what I was--” Ianto was silenced when Hiei took his mouth again, this time not as gently. It left Ianto dizzy and unable to speak.

“I know. Don‘t worry about it,” Hiei said. Then on a different note, he tossed the procured pendent into the air, caught it and said, “Now let’s go squeeze those bitches for information.”

After presenting the twins with the necklace, they told them that Hero and Eldin had stopped by a little under a month ago. They had been in the area anyway, having just received a commission from a wizard who lived on the nearby continent of Zak. More specifically, he lived in a tower in the hills behind an unnamed fishing village. Hiei asked Ianto if he thought he could find the place. Ianto dryly said it shouldn’t be a problem. So after bidding the twins farewell-- and getting Ianto a proper bath-- the two set off for the continent of Zak.
* * *
II. And now a Bangle
It was a calm day on the Southern Sea. The waters were clear and sparkling and the sun was bright and warm. Hiei was on the deck of the Old Greg, his shirt discarded to the floor, while he practicing with his modified saber. The changes he had done on it made it look more like the Katanas he preferred, but it still handled a little differently. The weight and balance was different. Hiei wasn’t too bothered, being a skilled enough swordsman to adjust. The thing didn’t have a full tang though, that bothered him a little and he just knew it was going to break on him at the worst time.

His body needed getting used to too. He was a lower S-Class demon who could call up summon the fiercest dragons of the underworld to do his bidding, in the Waking World that is. But dreams have a way of making things simpler and more complicated at the same time. Here his strength, speed, endurance, and overall power were all reduced to a mere fraction. Hiei knew he could cope, make no mistake, but it still irritated him. He swung his sword again, thanking whatever gods claimed to take credit for such things that at least Dreams had left him his skills.

Hiei’s newly acquired partner, Ianto had been sitting up on the rail of upper deck, next to the wheel housing, with his nose stuck in some book. He had not, however, turned the page in quite some time and no longer seemed to be looking at the book at all, but rather looking over it at Hiei as he trained on the deck. His clear Atlanta green eyes played minutely-- almost appreciatively, over Hiei’s flexing muscles. None of this escaped Hiei’s notice. He turned and caught the blonde’s gaze causing him to start and fall over backwards over the rail.

Hiei laughed, watching the blond. Ianto got up, irritably straightening his clothes and hair. All of which just amused the demon even more. Hiei wondered that if Dreams had gods, should he be thanking them for sending him such an entertaining distraction during this otherwise tedious venture. Hiei hadn’t forgotten the seriousness of his mission. There were scores of demons back home, many his friends, whose continued existence might depend on his success in the Dreamlands.

He needed Eldin the Wanderer to translate the inscription the old woman Varvara had copied onto his arm and find out if it was useful in any way. First he had to find the man. That in and of itself was going to be a laborious task that was going to involve a lot of Hiei’s least favorite thing; waiting. But at least he had some entertainment while he waited.

They moored the ship amongst the fishing boats in the village’s small shipyard and immediately set out on foot for the hills where the wizard’s tower was supposed to be.

“This is the wizard’s home,” Hiei drawled looking up at the tower, “I figured it’d be drabber.”

“It wasn’t painted red the last time,” Ianto muttered as he pulled the bell-rope.

Hiei glanced back, “Last time?”

Just then the door swung open as a winked old man with a long white beard poked his head out, “What’d ya want!?”

“Old man,” Hiei called the wizard’s attention down to his level, “I understand that you recently contracted two adventure’s Hero and Eldin. I am seeking the latter. I would be appreciative if you could help me with that matter.”

“Eh?” The old man looked at Hiei as if he’d been speaking an alien language.

“Eldin the Wanderer,” Hiei spoke louder, “Where is he?”

The wizard stared at Hiei long enough to make the demon uncomfortable, glanced at Ianto and then back at Hiei, “You boy’s looking for Eldin, huh? Better come in.”

The old wizard led them into the tower. Inside Hiei was instantly taken aback by the blatantly modern styling of the furnishings. Many of the items he saw could not have been made in the Dreamlands. There were chrome barstools, stainless steel cabinets and things made of plastic, aluminum, and glass far too perfect to have been made in Dream’s foundries. Things were to get weirder yet, when the wizard led them to an empty area, he snapped his finger and a set of chairs scurried over to seat them. And then with a clap of his hands, a coffee table entered, bearing three steaming cups of coffee.

Hiei noted that his blond companion didn’t so much as flinch at the apparently living furniture. Then he recalled his comment about the last time. He asked the blond, “You’ve… been here before.”

“Been here?” He old wizard cracked, “Why he and his friend put together every stick of furniture in this tower.”

“Yusuke and I. It was a job,” Ianto told him, “we needed the money.”

“That’s right, you‘ve got a different one with you this time” The old man eyed Hiei. “What you’d do trade him in for a more compact model. Ah, let me guess this one gets more miles to the gallon, so long as you make sure to check his dipstick often enough.”

“As you say,” Ianto sighed, not exactly sure what the wizard was going on about, but sure he was having a laugh at both his and Hiei’s expense. Ianto perked up, suddenly getting an idea, “Actually, we might not need Eldin. You might be able to help us. Hiei show it to him.”

Hiei rolled up his sleeve bearing the inscription, “I’ve brought these words from the Waking World. I’m told they’re ancient Dreamland’s.”

The wizard looked at the words and shook his head, “Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t help you just now.”

“Then can you tell me where I can find someone who can,” Hiei said, “tell me where’s Eldin is.”

The old man was contemplative for a moment as if deciding exactly where to start. At last he said, “I sent them to retrieve a bangle which I had gifted it to my… old friend years ago, you see.”

“Stealing it back?” Hiei raised an eyebrow.

“No. Retrieving,” the old man corrected. “My old friend and I had a falling out, if you will. And in her fury, she threw it into an extinct volcano, one whose vent is rumored to reach all the way down to the Vale of Pnoth! And well… she‘s gone now, so I wanted to get the bangle back, for sentimental reason’s. Knowing the reputation of the two impetuous adventurers, I contacted them to go look for it.”

“So they haven’t returned yet?” Ianto asked. The wizard nodded. “Then we could just wait for them to return. We could stay in the village and you could send them after they’d delivered the bangle-- if you would be so kind, that is.”

“That’s the thing, boy,” the wizard said gravely, “I sent them out weeks ago. They should have been three times over by now. I fear something has gone wrong.”

“You don’t think their dead?!” Hiei said suddenly worried.

“Those boys are tenacious and have the devil‘s luck,” the wizard shook his head. “They’ve survived a lot. And besides I just have a feeling. Anyway, if you want to speak with Eldin I advocate that you go looking for him-- and fast.”

Hiei grunted, “I should have known this was starting look too easy.”

Ianto, the more diplomatic of the two, addressed the wizard, “Can you at least give us some information to help our search, like the coordinates of the volcano where the bangle was thrown.”

“I can do you one better than that,” the wizard snapped his fingers, “Have you a compass?”

“Yes,” Ianto fished around in his satchel and pulled out the small disk devise and handed it to the wizard. He took it into another room, leaving the demon and the blond to talk amongst themselves.

“First a watch, then a pendent, now a bangle,” Hiei groused. “What is this, my great quest for accessories? Hn, and where the hell did that old man go? I don’t need to be wasting my time on some fool‘s errand.”

“A fool‘s errand? You do realize that it’s your errand we are ultimately fulfilling here.” Ianto pointed out.

Hiei flashed him a glare, which slowly melted into a smirk, “Hn, if that tongue of your’s so restless that it needs to insult me, perhaps I should put it to work.”

Ianto epped as a blush spread over his cheeks and lowered his eyes, determined to behave himself. Soon the wizard returned with a rolled map in one hand and the compass in another. He showed them that the map marked the vent in which Hero and Eldin had gone to. Then he returned Ianto his compass.

“You’ve done something t it,” Ianto observed. Physically the thing looked the same, but the blond sensed the metaphysical change.

“I enchanted it,” the wizard told him. “See, all those years ago I put a positively charged enchantment on the bangle, in case it ever got lost. So now that I’ve put the negatively charged side of the enchantment on the compass, it will point to the bangle. I did the same thing for Hero and Eldin. Find the bangle and you’ll find them.”

“That will only work if they have the bangle,” Hiei pointed out, “wouldn’t it have made more sense to put the positive enchantment on our compass so that it points to their negatively charged compass?”

“And that will only work if they have their own compass, which they could have lost,” the wizard said throwing Hiei’s logic back at him, “And away that’s not how it works. Dang it, I’ve more than drawn you map! Now get the hell out of my tower and go look for yourselves!”
* * *
III. No More Games between Us
“The vent is located in an area midway between Thalarion and Zura. If we circumvent like so, we can avoid having to pass to close to either-- Hiei, are you listening?” Ianto sat at a table on the deck of the Old Greg, examining the map the wizard had given them. Hiei gave no indication that he had heard the blond. “Hiei?”

Hiei was staring out over the lapping waves. The sea was dyed orange and pink from where the sun was setting into it. It looked as if the sun was melting into the sea. The imagination would want to think that if he jumped into the sea right then it would be warm as a bath, and maybe smell like oranges. Ocean course reason told him that the sea will only smell like the sea. The water would be cold. The warm colors always signaled the cooling of things.

“We will be going into the Dream’s underworld, am I right?” Hiei said seriously to the blond, “Tell me everything it is you know about them.”

“That’s a large subject in which there few solidly known facts,” Ianto sighed. “The subterranean Dreamlands are said to be even vaster than the surface Dreams. They are layered and complex with thousands of diverse regions including underground mountains, chasms, rivers, and oceans, lost cities of wondrous sizes and shapes, many of which could not have been built by anything even resembling human and many of which are believed to still be inhabited.”

“Hmm, the Vale of Pnoth then,” Hiei narrowed it down, “The old man mentioned that place.”

“Save for the Pit of the Unknown Things, its deepest known region of the underworld,” Ianto told him, “It’s where the dholes live and pile bones that they’d licked clean. And that it all I can tell you about the dholes, you see, no one has ever seen a dhole and kept his sanity.”

“Cheery,” Hiei scoffed. “You know, I would have expected the land of humankind’s dreams to be quite so sinister, so dark. In fact I wouldn’t have been surprised to find a land made of rainbows and cookies.”

“Well, you do know that humans haven’t been the only intelligences shaping Dreams. As a matter of fact the First Ones of Dreams were said to be entirely alien,” Ianto said idly as he opened a thin book and started flipping through the pages, “In the Bad Times minds much more power than man’s ruled this world in an empire of nightmare. Ah, back then people feared to venture out after dark, or should they be snatched up by night-gaunts to be winged away to some unnamable fate. Even in the cities, they feared. Numbers offered no safety against the night and the un-nameable.”

“You… speak as if you had been there,” Hiei noted the wistful and somewhat retrospective tone in his voice.

Ianto looked up at him, a ghost of confusion dancing across his features, “Well of course I-- Ah, I see! I speak of legends and out of habit you assume legends took place long ago in the misted annals of history. And you are not altogether wrong, fore the Bad Times do stretch all the way back to time immemorial, but they ended quite recently. In fact, some people are still reluctant to believe that they are truly over!”

“That’s interesting,” Hiei muttered.

Ianto shrugged, “its common knowledge for anyone who--”

“Not that. The last time I traveled through Dreams, I heard bits and pieces about the Bad Times and their end at the hands of Titus Crow and Henry de Marigny,” Hiei cut him off. “What I was referring to, is the fact that I asked you a question about yourself, but you managed to turn it into something about the Dreamlands.”

Ianto’s brows creased over his delicately formed nose. He said in a calm voice, as if he hadn’t decided if he wanted to be angry or not, “So?”

He had expected Hiei to push him, to demand some confession. He was ready to be angry, to yell and fit, but to his surprise Hiei only laughed, “It’s not intentional, is it? That’s fine. I don’t need to know your life story anyway.”

“Good, then I won’t tell you,” Ianto sniffed and then he changed the subject. “Before we start for the vent I think we should detour to Serannian. The Old Greg needs a proper surviving and we desperately in need of supplies.”

“We could have gotten food and stuff at the fishing village,” Hiei frowned.

“I’ll rephrase that,” Ianto said, “I need to earn some money to buy supplies with. I didn’t get paid for that temp job in Barharna, in case you forgot, we left in a bit of a hurry.”

Hiei sighed heavily and threw his hands up in the air, “and how long will that take?”

“Don’t get huffy,” Ianto waved his hand like he could fan away Hiei’s irritation, “There are a lot of opportunities for quick cash in Serannian. We could be ready to sail out of there in a couple days.”

“And how long until we get there?” Hiei crossed his arms.

Ianto coughed, “Uh, well, two-- two and half days.”

“Two days to get there and then two more to leave, at minimum!” Hiei burst out, “I can’t just stand around and do nothing for nearly a week.”

“It can’t be helped. You’ll just have to find some way to amuse yourself.” Belatedly the blond stiffened as he heard his own words and thought about how they could be taken. His stomach sunk to the soles of his shoes as a wide grin spread over Hiei’s features. He held up his hands, “Oh no!”

Too late, Hiei dashed across the table and snapped the blond up in his arms. Ianto’s hands reflexively closed on Hiei’s shirt; because the speed at which the demon assailed him was enough to make him believe for a moment that he would sail right over the railing and fall into the sea. But Hiei had better control than that, there was never any danger of them falling off the boat. However he would have to admit the mistake had its benefits. Now he had the blond clinging to him as he held him across his arms like a bride. Hiei took advantage of Ianto’s momentary disorientation to close his mouth over the blonde’s.

The fun only lasted a second before Ianto tore his mouth away and scolded him, “Hiei you!”

Hiei snorted, “What? You seemed to enjoy it when we where outside the dragons layer in Anadhad.”

“I also said we shouldn’t be doing it,” Ianto reminded him indignantly-- or as indignantly as a man can be while he’s being held bridal-style by a man smaller than he is.

Hiei countered, “And I told you not to worry about it. What? You don’t like being kissed? Touched?” Hiei brushed his fingers meaningfully across Ianto’s back, “Taken care of? I could worship your body like a pagan idol. You‘re already golden.”

Ianto‘s body visually shook from hearing those heated words. He turned his pinkened face away from Hiei, “What about Yusuke and Kurama? You‘re not…?” Ianto trailed off.

“With one of them?” Hiei finished it. He seemed to cool a bit as he set the blond down on his feet. But he kept a hold on one of his wrists, as if he thought he would try to run away-- like there very far for him to run. Hiei could feel the coolness of his skin through his shirt, like a physical reflection of the chill in his moods. “Hn, I forgot that we didn’t have that out until after we’d left your company.”

Ianto quickly looked down, “I-I don’t like to pry.”

Hiei smirked, “I know. That’s what I like about you.” He took Ianto’s chin in his hand and lifted it, planting a small kiss on his lips. Hiei abruptly stepped back and leaned on the corner of the table, sighed, “Alright, since it seems to bother you-- which is starting to become a bother to me-- I’ll clue you in. Nobody chose anybody.”

Ianto gave him an astonished look, “None of you are together?”

“Wrong,” Hiei corrected, “All three of us are together. We share… everything.”

“Oh,” Ianto nodded his head vacantly. “But then… I mean, I don‘t really understand the dynamics of the type of relation you have with them… is this really okay?”

“I don’t see why not,” Hiei tilted his head, “You were theirs once, so why not be mine now?”

“I wasn’t theirs,” Ianto started, “Yusuke only needed me for my knowledge of the Dreamlands and Kurama-- he hated me! I was never theirs. They didn’t want me.”

Hiei chuckled as if he was talking to a precocious child, “If they wanted you, would you have let them have you?” Ianto flushed and Hiei chuckled again, “Oh yes, you were theirs… still are, maybe. I already told you that we share everything. So because you were theirs, you are already mine, rather you knew it or not. The only reason they didn’t want you was because they were too distracted to see you, but I see you clearly. Anyway, I won‘t force myself on you if you really don‘t want it, it‘s beneath me.”

Hiei stepped around Ianto, headed for the door that led to the cabins down below. He caught a glimpse of the blonde’s face before he passed. Ianto was completely aghast. Hiei heard a choked curse before he closed the door behind him. Stepping into the main cabin, Hiei shed his clothes. It was nice getting out of that leather and feeling the cool air brush against his skin. He sprawled out on the wide bed, remembering the last time he was in that bed, Kurama’s bed where they made love for the first time. He didn’t know it at the time but Kurama was already Yusuke’s lover, which explained why the fox’s body was so open and willing to accept his pleasures. Hiei thought of Yusuke and Kurama. They were probably together at that moment in the Waking World, touching each other, kissing each other. Hiei could just imagine it.

Kurama would be toying with Yusuke’s nipples. Yusuke loved having his nipples played with, though he’d never emit it outside the bedroom. Shoot, he wouldn’t even emit to having nipples, forbid the presence of a normal body part disturb his tough-guy image. Hiei wondered what his tough-guy image thought of Yusuke taking cock up the ass on a regular basis. Oh yes, he liked that too. There were nights when Yusuke couldn’t get on his hands and knees fast enough to satisfy his need to be filled by one of his lovers. Not saying that Yusuke did like to top-- heavens did he like to top-- and he was good at it too! Hiei remembered how glorious Yusuke was; his hair loose and wild, body tight as a spring and glistening with sweat as he moved between Hiei’s legs. He was like some sort of sex god, but the look on his face made Hiei feel like he was the object of worship.

Hiei moaned to himself as the images danced before his mind’s eye. He lifted his hand and grasped his stiffening cock. There was no denying his need now. He began to slowly stroke himself as fresh memories surfaced. Kurama… if one were allowed only a single lover in one’s life, Kurama would be the one to have. Kurama was like a thousand lovers rolled into one. He could be a cool and collected seme or he could be a wanton uke. Hiei had spent entire nights with Kurama, tenderly and deliberately touching and fondling each other until their bodies felt like they were smoldering. And again there were times when one of them would just spontaneously grab the other and mount them fast and hard, like an animal.

Hiei reached down with his other hand to give his balls a squeeze. He watched a bead of pre-cum well up from his slit to glide down his shaft. Yusuke and Kurama were both hot, but then put them together… ah now you’re cooking with fire! There had been times when those two were together when, Hiei would completely forget about himself and just watch them. Their chemistry together was just remarkable, Hiei thought. Kurama had his seasoned experience, Yusuke his youthful enthusiasm, and then there was the warmth and passion they shared. They were equals, perfectly balanced, and they loved each other so much…. Hiei’s mind flashed him an image of the last time he’d seen them, holding each other on the couch, affection hanging around them like a blanket.

Hiei’s hand slowed its movements and stopped. He sighed, moroseness settled on him. He tried to run away from them that time. He had felt like an outsider, like he shouldn’t have been there. Why? They never treated him like that, never gave him any indication that their love for him was any less then their love for each other. In fact, he was sure that they loved him just as much as they loved each other. What was it then? When he saw them together, he could almost see the tides of affection washing back and forth between them-- and it made Hiei feel bitter and… guilty.

The throb between his legs brought Hiei back to reality. He was still hard. He cursed his demonic virility as he squeezed his erection again. It wasn’t fun anymore. It was a chore to pleasure himself. If that stupid blond had just bent to his desires, Hiei would have been more than entertained at that moment. His thoughts wouldn’t have turned so gloomy and this whole thing would have been much more enjoyable. As if by cue, a soft gasp reached Hiei’s ears, followed by a heavy backward step. Hiei looked up. The blond he had just been cursing was at the doorway.

“What?” Hiei asked without stopping his hands motion on his rod.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were… busy,” Ianto said turning his head so as not to see Hiei’s sexual display, “I was just going to warn you that I was going to activate the floatation engines. There’s a fast wind current blowing a few miles up and I think that if we catch it we could shave several hours off our journey. If the wind holds, we might even be in Serannian by noon tomorrow.”

Hiei was almost taken aback, “Hn, and here I thought you came down here to push the subject we quit upstairs.”

“That would be a considerable waste of time,” Ianto told him flatly, “since you apparently have no idea what you’re talking about. Quite a line of bullshit your stringed together there, ‘you‘re theirs so you’re already mine. Did you really think I‘d buy that?”

A smile touched Hiei’s lips. Ianto was sharper than he thought. “Didn‘t work?”

“Not by a long shot,” Ianto replied blankly.

“Well shit,” Hiei shrugged the best he could propped up on his elbows with one hand gliding over his cock. “What the hell do you want you hear from me? I‘m bored. I’m horny. And you’re the only appetizing creature I can see.”

“No strings attached?” Ianto glanced shyly over his shoulder.

“Huh?” Hiei faltered before the meaning of the blonde’s words took root in his brain. “Hn, I don’t like strings anyway. They tangle.”

“Hmm, in that case, I think I still have a few minute before I need to catch that wind,” Ianto strolled over to the bed and crawled up to kneel between Hiei’s legs. The demon jumped as the blonde’s cold hand wrapped pleasingly around his super heated phallus. Ianto stroked him a few times then his grip tightened on Hiei, painfully causing the demon to hiss.

“One thing; no more games between us. Got it?” Ianto said firmly before loosing his grip and resuming his gentler caresses, “They confuse me, Hiei. And where we’re going, you want me to be clearheaded. I’m not saying you have to bare your soul to me or anything, just maintain some level of honesty. I don’t pry and I don’t judge.”

“Then what was with… all that hesitation?” Hiei gasped out.

Ianto paused, “Well, I liked Yusuke, you know that, and I suppose I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t be taking anything from him. But it’s okay if this is all you want to give me.” Ianto leaned down and flicked his tongue over the head of Hiei’s cock.

Hiei shuttered as Ianto’s slick tongue tickled his sensitive slit, “Ohh… you are one, mmm, strange creature.”

Ianto choose not to respond to that, but rather bent farther to take Hiei’s tip entirely into his mouth to suck at it like a calf sucking at its mother’s tit. His long yellow hair spilled over his shoulders and cascaded over Hiei’s hips and belly. It added a whole other level of sensation to the experience. Hiei found one of those yellow braids in his hand, he gripped it tightly as if he expected to be thrown into the void and that robe would be his only tether back to reality. The cold hands, the wet mouth and the silky caress of loose hair, it all helped Hiei to fall over the edge into pleasured oblivion.

After Hiei came, Ianto cleaned the stuff that had spilled over his hand and splattered on his lips off with a handkerchief. Then he left Hiei so he could active the floatation engines and catch the fast wind. The wind got them to Serannian just a few hours past noon the next day.

TBC…
A/N: Glad to see you’re still reading and reviewing Xaina, kit-kit. I probably would have never undertaken this story if not for those reviews of yours. And FYI Xaina feel free to open that big mouth of yours. I’ve taken some risks, deciding Hiei would have an affair with Ianto, but there is a point to it. It’ll work out in the end… I think. See ya next time.