Heart of Darkness

Kurama’s POV
The night has fallen, and my car was waiting outside. Mine and Kuwabara’s clothes were packed and we were ready to go. That is, unless I wasn’t having second thoughts. My life was long enough, and ending it would be welcome. I am sick and tired of running away, from one place to another, one mansion to another, and the knowingness that one day, someone will catch me. Instead of running, I’d rather stay in one place. I had had much experience with humans, vamps and slayers, to know that love between each of the kinds was impossible. Than what is this feeling that I feel? What am I feeling towards Hiei? Love, hate or friendship? And the bad part is, no one is able to reply to that questions. Vampires are forbidden to feel any emotions towards each other, not to mention the humans and slayers. Slayers are also forbidden to marry to anyone who is not of their kind. But Hiei’s father has broken that rule too many times, and Hiei was born a half breed. I’m not sure if it was from a vampire, human or a demon female, but it definitely isn’t a slayer. That’s why I have decided to consult the prophetess before returning here to leave. If I do get the answer that I want, I will stay here, and await his return. How do I know he’ll return? He’s a vampire slayer, and they always come back. Besides, I doubt that any slayer who has something in his mind would let a vampire go unharmed. The prophet I am going to is the prophet I have consulted numerous times. The fact that she is much older than myself gives her much more wisdom. How she had become a prophet is unknown to me, and I have a feeling I’d rather not know.

I entered her house if you could call it that. It had red curtains, and it smelled of incense. The smell of the incense would be intoxicating to any vampire but myself, since it was the smell of roses. She was obviously expecting me. She sat behind her throne-like chair, her crystal ball and cards in front of her. She got up to greet me. Even though older than myself, she looked young. Her long black hair touched the ground. Her eyes were icy blue, and her lips blood red. Her hair was streaked with gray, a sign that she was getting older, but she had no wrinkles. “I was expecting you Kurama.” Her voice was cold, just as her stare. She seated me in front of her, and planted a kiss on my cheek. She sat back in her chair and relaxed. “What do you wish of me this time Kurama. Something is troubling you, I can see it.” I chuckled. How perceptive she was! I mean, she was a prophet, but no one ever knew my thoughts. No prophet I had ever consulted (to her dismay) knew what I thought, and it could hardly be seen in my eyes. “I wish to ask you of this certain vampire slayer.” Her eyebrow lifted in confusion, but her mouth tweaked in amusement. “What is this certain vampire slayer’s name?” She spoke with a roman accent, and it wasn’t surprising being that she spent many years there, coming here only once in a while. “His name is Hiei The Shadow Dragon.” Her eyebrows knitted in anger, and I could see her hands straining over the arms of her throne. Obviously she knew of whom I was speaking. “How dare you ask me about him! Is it not enough what he did to me and YOU have to remind me?!” Oh shit. I had never seen her so angry as she was. “The bastard took away my family and my life away from me! I had been hiding from him for years! I thought him dead, and now you tell me he’s alive?!” Kurama’s eyebrow lifted. “What do you speak of? You have no family.” Something is wrong. Could there be two Hiei’s? “Two thousand years ago I did, before HE came along and took it all away!” Two thousand years ago? Hiei hasn’t been alive for two thousand years. He couldn’t be alive unless he himself was a vampire? Or could it be that Hiei she speaks of was Hiei’s ancestor? Too many questions, So little time for answers. Tahren calmed herself and sat down. She touched her crystal ball and images appeared. A tall figure with long curly hair and green eyes was in the picture. He wore clothes similar to Hiei’s and his sword was the same, but it couldn’t be Hiei. This guy actually had a smile on his face, Hiei only grinned, never laughed. No, this was Hiei’s ancestor. “That is not of whom I speak of.” I touched the bowl and gave her the image of Hiei, the Hiei I know. Tahren grinned. “Oh so that is of whom you speak of. He is linked to my own object of hate. Hiei The Shadow Dragon the II is not a person that you’d want to mess with Kurama. His history is impure, his story sad, and his face bears only hate for vampires. Believe me when I tell you. Do NOT fall in love with him, as I am sure that you will.” I was puzzled, and I formed my thoughts in one clear question. “Why would I fall in love with Hiei?” The prophetess chuckled. “Vampires AlWAYS fall in love in what they cannot have. I do hope that you won’t get hurt in this match, even though it might be a completely wrong one. If you wish to win Hiei over, you will need much more than a pretty face and body. You will need to stay alive, chances are, he himself will kill you.” Kurama remembered why he had come here, before she could dismiss him. “I have come here to find out about Hiei’s past.” “That is one thing you will NEVER find out. Not from me, not from Hiei.” I frowned Why had I came here in the first place if I wasn’t going to get any answers whatsoever from this woman before me? Hiei must know tons and tons about me already. After all, he had his fathers papers and journals, while I had nothing on him. That mysterious creature has obviously decided to make my life harder. If this prophet won’t tell me, I’ll just have to find another. But what if this one can’t access Hiei’s past? Than surely no one else will be able to. If naught, I will find that out. I have to keep a calm face and ask her. I grinned and asked the question which I needed the answer to. “Is it because you don’t want to, or because you can’t see his past?” She frowned, and I think I saw a flash of anger in her cold eyes. “I have no access to Hiei’s past nor future as you doubt, so I do not have access to yours either. And I’m pretty sure it isn’t because you will die as soon as you meet with him.” She grinned. I frowned again; I seem to be doing that a lot in this past year. This witch knew how to get back at me, but I have my own weapon. “What are you implying? That I become Hiei’s mistress?” “No. I simply mean that your future might be entwined with Hiei’s and thus, you two might end up as lovers or enemies. It is a question of whether you are in love with him or not…” She grinned wickedly, then continued “And that is a question to whose answer only you know.” Kurama sighed. Double questions were Tahren’s specialty, especially when it came to love and hate. Her question is actually “Is Hiei in love with you?” I do hope she doesn’t know him. Her eyes narrowed and she hid me in a corner of her room, to which of course I protested. “Do you wanna become shish kebob?” I just silently sat in place, curious to why she was making me sit right here, if she could’ve kicked me out of the window as she has done a few times before. I rubbed my back. “Maybe she finally became compassionate. I shivered Not likely. I looked from my corner in time to see Hiei sitting on the chair across from Tahren. His back were turned towards me, and the prophetess planted a kiss on Hiei’s cheek. He growled, and I had to fight the urge to laugh. The prophet just sat back into her throne ready for Hiei to throw questions at her. Hiei talked slowly, patiently and silently so I couldn’t hear what he was saying. Damn that bastard, why can’t he talk louder? If I’m already gonna become a fried vampire in a few minutes, might as well find out what is his problem. I shifted and inched closer to Hiei, but tried not to be seen.


Hiei’s POV

The annual visit to the prophet was in session. I guess I have to come and tell her what happened so she could help me with it. Kind of like a shrink. When I entered her dark room I felt another presence beside me and her, but who is it, I have no idea. Maybe she finally decided to hire a maid. This place certainly needs one. Cobwebs could be seen all over the place, and dust irritated my sensitive nose. One of the stuff that affected me the most was her kiss, and the smell of burning incense. It smelled of roses, kind of like Kuarama… I dumped that thought and concentrated on what I was here for; but Kurama was the reason I am here. The prophet regarded me calmly and I started telling what has happened in the past year. I told her of Yusuke, of Kurama, Kuronue, and of every single person who clouded my mind, including my father. She listened intently as I spoke then slightly grinned. She thought I did not notice, but I did. Her grin was something a man rarely wanted to see, cause it usually meant something bad, and I am sick and tired of bad stuff happening. In that second I saw a shadow move I jumped out of my seat, readying my sword for whoever was in the shadows. I had had enough of curses and everything else for the day, and I am so sick and tired of everyone trying to kill me, might as well finish them off now before they get any ideas. I jumped on the figure pinning it in the shadows. Tahren lighted a candle, and I saw now in whose eyes I was looking at. It was none other than Kurama, the man who now plagued my dreams. I was straddling his hips, holding his arms pinned above his head with one arm and my sword in the other. He gulped, and I could see fear in his eyes. Tahren disappeared, I could feel it. Her energy was ebbing, but still, I could feel her leave. This might have been her plan all along, and if it was, she was going to pay. Kurama gasped under the pressure on his hands. I let him go and got off him. I headed for the door and tried to open them. No go. Everything in this complete room was locked, and I had a feeling Tahren had done it on purpose. Oh how I will place my hands around her lovely neck and squeeze it tight until she was no longer alive. But now I had bigger fish to fry. Kurama and I were locked in this room, and it was weapon proof and power proof, and way too strong for me to go through the door. The stench of the incense will get me dizzy soon, and if I don’t have an escape before that… Goodbye life. Kurama would surely kill me. But he couldn’t do that if he was dead first, now could he. I dismissed the thought. We are stuck in this situation, and neither will be able to escape if the other one was dead. So that was what that sick little mind of Tahren thought of. We would have to keep the other alive if we are to exit this place, but was there more to the scheme? There must be more, and knowing Tahren as I do, it was much much more than either me or Kurama could handle.

Kurama’s POV

I gasped. I could still feel Hiei’s strong arms around my body, and his hips straddling mine. The weird feeling coursed through my body, making me feel excited. I saw him going to the door and trying to open them, but no avail. We were locked here… together, and I’m sure this was Tahren’s plan all along. Well, no matter what, I will find out what this one thinks of me, or rather feels. That must have been Tahren’s plan, to connect me and Hiei with a strong bond, and prove to us that we’re in love, but that doesn’t justify her. I will kill her the next time I see her, that is if I live to see her for another time. Hiei is not a person who would sit calmly when captured, but she obviously made it so that we could come out only under one condition; showing our true feelings to one another, but then that must mean that Hiei shares my feelings, does it not? How am I supposed to know? This is something I have no experience with, and if we do share our feelings, what shall we do? We are not of the same kind, he is a hunter and I’m his prey I do wish that we’d feel the same way, but at what cost? The V. C.* would surely take away all my money and possessions, and I don’t even wanna think what the B. V. H.** would do to Hiei if they found out, but they don’t have to find out, now do they? We could keep it a secret for a long time, couldn’t we? I am scared. After all, it is not something that I should mess with, especially not at the cost of what I have earned over the years. But truly, can I do anything? I do not think so, and Hiei is about as powerful as myself. The Vampire Slayers aren’t a growing community, in fact there is less of them every year. They are what you might call and endangered species, as are vampires. They can only turn those of the same sex as them, and if you’re not gay, well too bad, you are only allowed to live with a female or male, depending on your sex. It has always worked for us, but never for slayers, since men couldn’t bear children. Well, they couldn’t do that in the vampire’s world either, but females couldn’t have children, so, so we could be different from the slayers and humans, your partner had to be of an opposite sex.


Hiei’s POV

I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit. I don’t trust Kurama (why should I), and I don’t trust the prophet. This is just a game to her, and I know it, and so does she. Kurama will ignore me with the best of luck, but I never had good luck, now did I? Am I even gonna live through this day, and through this meeting with Kurama. I turned around to find him staring at me, then quickly looking at the floor. He is so cute like that, acting shy but… No! This is no time to be thinking ‘romance is the answer to all your problems’ though many people seem to think so. By God, this is gonna be a long day.

*Vampire Council
**Board of Vampire Hunters