Arranged Love

Arranged Love

Chapter 3
Real Reality


Kuwabara walked home as slowly as he could while keeping the appearance of a natural walk. His lower back still stung from the burning mark, and his legs felt like lead weights. People passed him quickly, and kept their distance. How they could tell he was “taken” he could only guess. He must look like seven shades of death.

The occurrence was uncommon, but not unheard of. He knew little of the history, but the demon, spirit, and human world were all closely connected. Something to do with a war and a treaty and BAM! Humans could become property of either gods or demons at a whim; that is to say, within “reason.” He had never bothered to pay much attention to this history. It was a fairly taboo subject, more myth and rumor since the feudal era had given way to modern times. He never felt it practically applied to him anyway; he hand neither seen, nor did he seek either of the ‘higher’ beings.

That was really part of what bothered the human. He hadn’t (as far as he knew), run into any demons in his young life. He had no clue who marked him, or what he or she planned to do with him. He had tried to fight it, but thoughts of an earlier conversation with some classmates kept creeping into his mind. According to a reliable source, the flesh of a strong young man was both tender and sweet to demon lips. Though he was no coward, the thought of ending up on a banquette plate made the redhead a little queasy.

While thoughts of becoming an evening meal whirled through his brain, a fellow redhead gave pause to the passing fighter. With a moment’s hesitation, perhaps contemplation, he quickly turned to catch the youth.

“Kuwabara,” a silky yet strong voice ruptured the young man’s thought bubble. Kazuma turned quickly to see a familiar upperclassman addressing him. Shuiichi Minamino was the very illustration of grace and intelligence. The last time the two had spoken, Kuwabara had punched him, sending the slender boy almost head over heals. He figured the green eyed wonder had come to gloat about his recent times.

Though Kuwabara was only slightly taller than his fellow redhead, he took the opportunity to look down on Minamino acknowledging his schoolmate silently, hoping to stave off conversation. Unfazed by the menacing rudeness and silence, the slender young man took the acknowledgment with pride.

“I don’t mean to pry but,” a slender hand cupped a lovely angelic face in a gesture of concern. “You seem to be troubled.” Kuwabara wanted to scream just for the indignity of it. He should have known to keep walking.

“How’s Yukina?” Kuwabara noticed those oh so intelligent green eyes flash for a moment. Striking the upperclassman’s nerves gave the boy a thrill of satisfaction.

“She is well,” the shorter boy replied offhandedly.

“Then everything’s fine,” with that Kuwabara turned on his heals and beat a retreat from the conversation. The fighter had a natural aversion to running from confrontation, but the older boy gave him the creeps.

Oddly enough, Shuiichi followed.

“Wait Kuwabara,” the illusion of politeness dropped when Minamino grabbed his arm. He tried to break the hold, but found the slender boy’s hand held like a vice. “I can help you.” A strange aura passed between them when the longhaired boy said this. It caused the hairs on Kuwabara’s neck to rise.

“I can take care of myself!” Twisting Kuwabara broke the unnaturally strong hold and took off at a dead run for his house. His heart was beating wildly against his ribcage. He swore, for just a moment, there was another person staring out of Minamino’s green eyes. A creature too old, too wise, too powerful to be human. For a moment, his human schoolmate transformed.

~~~~----~~~~----

Shizuru Kuwabara contemplated the ashtray on the table intently. Something had disrupted the tiny enclave in which she and Kazuma had managed to survive alone for many years.

Her little brother was finally getting to the age where his powers could be unsealed, and he would no longer need her protection.

However, he wasn’t quite there yet. The older Kuwabara found herself unable to sit down, pacing the room like caged animal. Something impossible had happened to her little brother.

Just minutes earlier, the redhead had burst through their front door and slammed it behind him. He’d braced himself against it, as though some monster on the other side threatened to consume him. Sweat dripped from his brow, and his breath was ragged and gasping. It had surprised her, and frightened her to see him so afraid.

Her teenage brother then slowly sank to the floor, and looked up at her. That ever-present cigarette almost fell from her mouth when she saw his expression. He was despairing. In all of his young life, through trials and failures, she had never even seen a shadow of defeat in his eyes. Now though, those coal like orbs were abysmal.

He had been marked, and there was no denying he was in over his head. She had told him to pull himself together, go up to his room and do his homework. He was presumably up there now, listening to music. She could feel his anxious and alternately depressed emotions swirling around the house, and it annoyed her to no end. She couldn’t think straight with a distraction like that in the house. She had to think. Her little brother was marked and in over both of their heads.

“Damn it to hell, Kazuma!” She cursed, and violently snubbed out the glowing cancer stick. Her brother was always getting himself into trouble, but now of all times?

Her pacing increased in speed, and she lit another cigarette out of pure irritation. She could feel the prickly vibes of her brother’s fear and confusion in the back of her mind. There was something very powerful also, that limited her vision.

Her heart fluttered around nervously, fiercely angry and completely terrified at the same time. The brunette huffed and puffed and in general panicked over the situation. She had no target to be angry at, and though her brother was home she could feel a fast current pulling them apart. It was as if a whirlpool had suddenly opened to swallow him up.

The tall brunette was not accustomed to being unprepared, or out of her depth. When their father died, she chose to raise the redhead herself. She had only been fourteen then, and certainly up to her elbows in difficulty. However, she had managed to get by with a job, and renting out this little house from a friend. Kazuma was a good-natured boy, if not entirely easy to discipline.

They had lived a happy life together, or at least a mostly happy life. Now something… Shizuru’s hands began to shake violently as dread washed through her psyche. Something was taking away what she had worked so hard to keep.

Fear soon gave way to anger in her mind. What did she have to bend over backward for? She was a psychic with ample ability, and came from a long line of psychics. Who could possibly have the right to come here and demand what was hers? Anger gave way to a raging fury, and Shizuru put out her cigarette with finality.

Whatever, or whoever came for her brother would have to fight for him!

~~~~----~~~~----

Tiny houses lined a tiny street, leading to places infinitely smaller and greater in size. Trees and houses, and power lines all stood together in harmony. Birds sang in the last rays before twilight, and people walked slowly along. Laughter, the roaring of motorcycles, the smell of gasoline and dying leaves in the early fall.

In the past two weeks Kazuma felt more about his world than he had in sixteen years. The redhead saw time gone by like a thirsty man saw water down the drain. He couldn’t get back what he had squandered, and only now truly knew the value of it. All of the things he had taken for granted mocked him with the sure knowledge of two things; he would be taken away, and he would never return.

The carrot top slinked away from the window to curl up in bed. His own house was a place that didn’t belong to him anymore. His familiar worn out bed, with dips in all the most uncomfortable places felt strange. The redhead slid his fingers over the cheap but soft cotton sheets he had just bought to replace the old worn out ones. His desk was piled with unfinished homework, because they wouldn’t let him go to school anymore. His walls were white, cold, and unwelcoming. The clock on his wall cruelly counted down his life by seconds.

Kazuma balled his large hands into fists. He hated sitting here and doing nothing! He wanted to go out and run off some of these pent up emotions. He was ashamed of lying down and throwing himself a pity party, but what else was there to do? What else is there to think about when no one will talk to you anymore, and just whisper behind your back? How can you possibly put a positive spin on being dead to every other member of society?

If the redhead walked outside not only did he get a gut wrenching feeling of loss, but of loneliness too. People were afraid to look at him, to talk to him or even walk near him. He had never been popular in the area before, but this total isolation was too much. He couldn’t even see his old friends anymore! Humanity treated him like the carrier of some disease.

All he had left was Shizuru, and she was a real pain to hang around at this point. Her bad mood told him she hadn’t thought up a way to get them out of this situation yet. He had told her to just forget about it, and she got real angry. The teen flipped onto his back and stared at the ceiling with a sigh. He’d never figure out exactly what their relationship was.

On the one hand, he couldn’t blame her for being a little distant with him. They were only half siblings, and when his dad had died she had picked up the slack. Their mom hadn’t liked him from the moment he was born, which to this day confused him. He remembered, if it was a memory and not a dream, feeling the deep love of that woman he never grew to know.

However according to the sparse information Shizuru had given him on the matter and some assumptions of his own, this is why they were alone. His sister, for all her shortcomings was pretty awesome he guessed. The boy knew he wasn’t the easiest guy to put up with all the time, and they kind of in a round about way had managed to get through life like normal people. They were normal as two psychics without parents could get at any rate.

His brunette guardian did seem to have one other reason to be reserved. He had always suspected she was keeping a secret from him. He could tell she knew things she wasn’t telling him, but he could neither trick nor guilt it out of her. It was one of the many things about her that annoyed him, and one of the reasons they fought so often. He hated feeling out of place, even though he spent almost all of his life in that state.

He growled getting up from the bed. He was feeling sorry for himself again! He hated having all this time to think about stuff. The more he thought about things, the more confusing they got. He’d rather kill a few brain cells watching tv, or playing video games. However, tv had become the box that mocked his lonely situation, and he had always gone to the arcade for videogames. He paced the room, feeling irritated for an unknown reason. Anger was just boiling up inside of him. The redhead wanted to slash, burn, crush or destroy something.

These thoughts were so strange that he stunned himself. Kazuma looked at the hands that wanted to rend something to pieces. He never thought things like this! While he was busy studying his hands his sister slammed his door open, making him jump.

~~~~----~~~~----
Hiei stepped through the portal to the human world followed by a pack of demons laden with sacks of gold in demon currency. The good thing about the shimmering metal, was that it was valuable anytime, anywhere. The bad thing about it was it was heavy.

It had taken a week for the spirit world to yield a proper scale of value for the human in terms of gold. Those highhanded pencil pushers had the audacity to say there was no longer a chart value for human life. It was “unethical” to put a price on life. The short assassin snorted, looking to the sky briefly. They should know; they started the value chart in the first place.

The appraisal put the boy at the ridiculous price of one hundred eighty kilograms(1) of currency. Since Humans couldn’t pronounce most things in demon, the actual weight of the gold had to be used to measure value. Each sack contained about forty-five kilograms , and Hiei added another for insurance.

He had spent a great deal of time getting legitimate paperwork for buying and transporting his would be human mate. This put the one time bandit, face to face with a long list of crimes he had not “yet” been charged for, as there was no “definitive” proof. Nonetheless, the spirit world made things as difficult for him as they possibly could. Being forced to do something he didn’t want to do, being talked down to, and being delayed by bureaucracy were things the fire demon hated.

The assassin had less than a week to procure Kazuma, and present his contract to Mukuro who would hopefully take this mess from there. Hiei sought out the signature of his target’s spirit energy and waved his subordinates in that direction before taking off at a blistering speed. The lesser demons would barely be able to keep up with this pace, but he didn’t care. The quicker he got this over with, the better.

~~~---~~~---

The redhead placed a hand over the dark tattoo created by demonic spirit energy. He looked up at his sister who wore a very serious expression.

“They’re coming to collect you, Kazuma.” She lit a cigarette and continued, “But I won’t let them.” The teen took a step toward his sister; dread finding a new level in his gut.

“What are you going to do, Sis?” She couldn’t fight a demon even if she was a psychic. If she got in their way, they might kill her.

“You just stay up here like a good boy,” the elder Kuwabara pointed to the floor sharply, blowing smoke as she spoke. “Let me worry about what I’m going to do.” ‘Because you don’t even know what you’re going to do yet, do you?’ The teen thought angrily. Brilliant

Suddenly he found himself nose to nose with the brunette head of the household.

“Don’t you ‘Brilliant’ me kiddo!” Her voice rose with authority. “You’re going to sit up here, and regardless of what you hear downstairs,” she flicked her cigarette angrily, “You are going to STAY up here, you got that?!”

The teen was forced to back up until he fell on his bed. He hated it when his sister pulled this crap. Kazuma didn’t feel right about this at all, but he didn’t have a much better plan in mind. The redhead mumbled an assent, as his sister exited the room slamming the door behind her. He knew she wasn’t angry with him really; she was just trying to get ready for the real fight ahead of her.

~~~~----~~~~----

The fire demon arrived at what he could only consider a hovel of a home. He had read the section on the Kuwabaras’ fairly miniscule income, and low living standards. It only furthered his ire over the situation. His mate to be wasn’t even well bred enough to have standing in the human world.

Before he could knock the door to the small residence swung open and a tall young woman appeared, blocking the demon’s path. Hiei looked up at her with impatience, she looked down on him with indiffernce.

"I've come for the boy." Hiei announced in a flat though deeply poisonous tone. He wasn’t much of a businessman; slash, hack and take were more the Hiei way.

The brunette looked down her nose at the little demon. Hiei felt his ire rise at her unspoken observation. If he had struck fear in her heart, it didn't show on her bored features. Keeping with his own resolve he presented the contract.

"You are Kuwabara Shizuru, are you not?" He continued seriously. The female's cigarette glowed brilliantly for a moment as she inhaled deeply.

"I know who I am," she said mimicking the demons tone. "You're the stranger here," she blew smoke to punctuate her inquiry. Hiei's entourage exchanged nervous glances, but the demon didn't flinch.

"I am the Jaganshi(2), Hiei." The fire demon waited for his due respect, but received none.

“That Jaganshi Hiei?” The tall female now leaned in the doorframe, her tone acidic with sarcasm, still unfazed. Before the miffed demon could reply she continued, “I suppose there is only the one though.” Her tone was as close to dismissive as it could be without being a direct insult. Rage boiled in Hiei’s small chest.

“Hn,” In the affirmative was all he allowed himself.

“And what exactly do you want with ‘the boy’?” Shizuru flicked ash from the end of her cigarette, still dispassionate. The fire demon grew impatient with this stalling.

“He is my property,” the fire demon growled out, “to do with as I please.” The brunette leaned down, for the first time anger was in her eyes.

“Actually,” she said her lip threatening to quiver into a snarl, “he’s mine.” Hiei, and the demons balked at her audacity.

The demon snapped his fingers, and the gold laden demons gratefully dropped their burdens before the human.

“I have claimed him,” he gestured to the gold, “this is compensation. Now hand the boy over, woman.” He saw her eyes widen at the amount of money before her, and felt a thrill of satisfaction. Humans were always hungry for gold.

“He’s not for sale,” she growled, turning furious eyes on the demon. Hiei felt his last nerves quickly giving away.

“This is more than he’s worth,” Hiei took a step forward, only to be struck at by the impudent girl.

“He’s not for sale,” she repeated firmly, meeting the demon’s hateful gaze.

“I’m buying him none the less,” he put his hand on his sword causing his subordinates to become increasingly nervous. “Or would you deny me?” The threat was unveiled, but the human stunned him again.

“I’m telling you to go to hell!” Shizuru backed in and slammed the door in a swift and fluid movement. Even with her unusual speed, Hiei managed to get a boot in the doorway. The frame bent around it, and the hard wood shattered on the demon’s foot. Pain shot through the assassin’s leg, surprising him greatly. What is she, part ogre?

In spite of his momentary shock, this was the last straw. With a twist of his throbbing limb, Hiei kicked the door open, nearly knocking it off it’s hinges, and sending the girl on the other side flying. The brunette hit the wall at the base of the stairs with a force that almost rendered her unconscious.

Hiei removed the seal from his Jagan just in time to see a carrot topped blur fly down the stairs. His prize slid slightly at the bottom, taking in the sight of his hurt sister and a demon with three eyes. The human lunged for the assassin, and demon couldn’t hold back a smirk. The Jagan glowed bright purple causing a mind blast that slammed the poor boy to his knees.

The Jaganshi then turned his attention on the brunette entering her now fuzzy mind. Due to her lack of awareness, it was a simple matter to force her to sign the contract through mind control. He could sense she was a proficient psychic, and was glad not to have to fight her for the signature. Hiei retrieved the contract, and motioned for his men to carry the now prone redhead.

Hiei made sure the gold was in place, and left a letter Mukuro had drafted with the express instructions of giving it to the sister. The demon scowled at his surroundings, before turning on his heels and leaving. With a slight limp.

~~~~----~~~~----

When Kazuma opened bleary eyes, it was to the sight of trees flying by. Even though his comprehension was a fog, the image of his sister lying at the base of the stairs came clearly to his mind. The boy shook his head, quickly coming to attention.

He had been flung over the shoulder of a demon larger than even he was. He struggled against the monster’s hold, only to find his limbs weren’t responding. It felt as though he were trying to move through mud.

“Just a precaution,” Kazuma looked up into the red eyes of a short demon he recognized immediately. It was the demon who had broken into their house, and hurt his sister. Rage filled the teen’s body, and the desire to murder was almost unbearable.

The midget sneered at him, obviously aware of his thoughts. The boy opened his mouth to give the bastard some choice words just as a sudden feeling of dread filled him. Something dark was swallowing his body and abruptly, the world dropped out from under them.

A cry of fear was ripped from his unwilling throat before darkness engulfed him once again.
~~~~----~~~~----

Shizuru, in the meantime finally woke. Her head hurt in a way she wouldn’t have wished on her worst enemy. Rolling onto her side, she blinked several times as her room came into focus. As she tried to recall the events leading up to where she was, an invisible hammer was steadily beating away any organized thought.

She clenched her fists, and was surprised by a crinkling sound. In her right palm was a small, engraved envelope. It bore a strange rune mark, and trying to think what it meant made her head hurt even more. She broke the seal, tiredly pulling the carefully folded piece of paper from the expensive stationary.

Though her head was throbbing, she managed to make out the cursive scrawl on the letter.

To Kuwabara, Shizuru
Eldest Daughter of the Kuwabara House,
Legal Guardian of Kuwabara, Kazuma:

In honor of the long tradition recognizing the equality of the worlds of Demon, Human, and Spirit, your brother has been chosen to marry demon blood. In exchange for his flesh, blood and spirit, you have accepted the equivalent amount of gold from the groom’s House…

Shizuru slowly turned to see five huge bags of gold on their kitchen table, the weight of the bags nearly toppling it. She wasn’t aware that the paper shook in her hands as she continued to read.

I do not believe we have to remind you what an honor it is to be chosen to participate in the Binding Of Worlds. We thank the generosity of the Kuwabara House, and its Chief Kuwabara Shizuru, for complying with the terms of the agreement. Your selfless actions have lead to the furthering of peace and prosperity between the nations of Demon, and Human.

We acknowledge the guardianship of Kuwabara Kazuma, to be officially transferred to the demon Hiei, upon the consummation of their union. At that time, all rights to and privileges concerning the human Kuwabara Kazuma, will be under the authority of the demon Hiei. Furthermore, once the guardianship is under the authority of the demon Hiei, it cannot be removed or revoked without the authorization of the demon Hiei, or a demon of higher rank.

If there be any contest to the union of the human Kuwabara Kazuma, and the demon Hiei, then through authorities concerning those parties can the issue be addressed. We will not tolerate the willful disobedience of laws and ordinances passed to protect rituals of the Binding Of Worlds. Should disobedience of said laws and ordinances occur, parties concerned in the disruption of our sacred rituals shall be punished to the greatest extent of the Law.

It is with great pride that we assure the head of the Kuwabara House, that all precautions are being taken to ensure that the ritual can proceed. We thank Kuwabara Shizuru, for her cooperation in this matter and wish luck on her House for generations to come.

With all due sincerity,
Mukuro of the North Eastern Region
Demon Lord and Master
Legal Guardian of the demon Hiei

Shizuru sank to the floor. Her nightmare had been reality; she had failed to save her brother from that puny fire demon. She crushed the letter in her hands even as hot furious tears ran freely down her cheeks.

This was the first time the brunette had cried in years, and she didn’t care who saw her. She stared blankly out the windows of her violated house, drawing ragged breaths that soon became sobs. She was vaguely aware of strong arms encircling her shoulders, and a soft voice trying to sooth her.

She couldn’t think about that person, or what words they might be saying. All that repeated through her head, were all the times he had been mean to her brother. The times they had fought, over stupid things and said they hated each other. The times she had slapped him upside the head for being out of line, or berating him for not trying hard enough.

Shizuru had thought as his protector, she had earned the right to be tough on him. But now, she had failed him so completely that she might never see him again. Her heart hurt, her eyes hurt and her throat was hoarse from apparently wailing. She had not even heard herself over the agony in her mind. Soft hands cupped her aching head and turned her to face her comforter.

It was none other than Shuiichi Minamino, who her brother had knocked out their front door almost a year ago. His expression just as his touch, was both gentle and firm.

“Shizuru,” He began very slowly, “I know this is very hard for you, but you have to listen to me.” The tall brunette hiccupped in reply. “I can’t explain everything to you now, but with his attitude Kazuma will find himself in real danger among demons.” Despite her situation, Shizuru pulled out of his grasp to wipe her face of now sticky tear streaks.

“I’m not sure if we can get him back to our world,” Shuiichi offered her a handkerchief from his coat which she gratefully used. “However, we may be able to make sure he stays alive, and safe.”

“Y-you can do this,” The elder Kuwabara practically begged the younger boy, brown eyes sparkling with sadness. To her disappointment, he shook his head sadly.

“I can help you, but you are unfortunately going to have to do most of the work.” The tall redhead rose offering her his hand. “It won’t be easy and it won’t by any means be pleasant but,” he looked at her sincerely, “It can work.”

The answer was clear in the elder Kuwabara’s mind. There was no way she would be able to convince ‘authorities’ concerning her brother to help. Mukuro was as ruthless as she was brilliant. Even though for all rights and purposes they had stolen her brother, no one would get in that demon lord’s way.

Kuwabara Shizuru, didn’t know what she would have to do to save her brother. As she rose on shaking legs however, it was clear in her mind what she was willing to do.
~~~~~-----~~~~~-----

1.I felt the need to use kilograms instead of pounds. 45 kg is about 100 lbs.

2.Ok, I love the Japanese language, but I generally have a problem inserting it into fanfiction. It’s difficult, because Yuu Yuu Hakusho is one of those anime’s that lends itself to Japanese (because it sounds so much cooler). Jaganshi, despite the way some authors use it, is not a name attached to Hiei so much as an ability title. Most people know the Jagan is the third eye, and that Jaganshi means “evil eye master.” Therefore, it’s really no different than calling him evil eye master Hiei. But it A) doesn’t flow as easily, and B) bugs the hell out of me to write “evil eye” instead of Jagan. Therefore, this is one of the few exceptions I will be making when it comes to inserting Japanese in with my story.

Author’s Note: Thank you all who have reviewed my and enjoyed my story so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Now that the set up is mostly out of the way, we can get on with action and romance!