Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Kaleidoscope Syndrome ❯ Standing Still ( Chapter 2 )

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The Kaleidoscope Syndrome

Part II

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It was cold where he was now. There wasn't necessarily any wind but the temperature itself was below freezing. The region was nothing more but a pack of floating glaciers and icebergs. There was no shelter for when the sun would go down and absolutely no life whatsoever. It was the solitude that attracted Hiei to this place. Not even the koorime ventured here-they remained confined to their own territory and that was what they wanted. And at this time of the year, Yukina was sure to be with them. Hiei grunted and quickly began speeding down the icy terrain. It ran on for miles without end and he welcomed this prospect.

A sudden breeze blew past him and Hiei immediately drew out his sword and turned to face the intruder with a snarl.

"Nice to see you as alert as ever, Hiei," came an amused tone.

The smaller youkai snorted and sheathed his sword as he faced Mukuro fully. "What are you doing here?" he bluntly asked, a bit annoyed at the interruption in his exercise.

The taller youkai smiled slightly. "You have some guests waiting for you," she said mysteriously.

Hiei arched an eyebrow. "What sort of guests?" he inquired warily. To have Mukuro actually deliver the message to him was rare, which meant she was hiding something. And her shifty eyes did nothing to soothe his qualms.

"Don't worry. It's nothing you can't handle. However, they did seem in a rush to see you," she replied calmly as she prepared to start running back. "I don't suppose you want to keep them waiting?"

Hiei gave a derisive snort as he turned his back on her. "Tell them to wait a bit longer-I'm not through running yet," he retorted indifferently. Whoever the guests were he didn't care. Nothing stopped him from finishing what he began.

A light laughter was sounded behind him. "Very well," said Mukuro before disappearing in a flash into the distance.

The dark-haired youkai watched her for several moments before breaking into his run again. To be honest his curiosity was quipped. Mukuro seldom came to him if something important hadn't happened so some concern was beginning to build up within him as well. Why she had decided now of all times to leave him in control of her charges was something he never did understand. Perhaps she grew bored of the business or perhaps she simply wanted to see how he would be able to take care of himself. Whatever the reason, it made Hiei positively bitter at times. Solitude was lost and Mukuro couldn't have been happier it seemed.

For several minutes the air rushed past him and Hiei forgot everything that haunted his mind. He might as well relax now before having to face off his mysterious visitors back at the main estate. The sun was slowly rising to its zenith and the region became slightly warmer. Hiei narrowed his eyes as he came to halt beside the water. The glacier he stood on was drifting slowly and he rested there for a bit before finally looking back over his shoulder. The idea of going back home was very unwelcoming.

"But I suppose I have no choice," he muttered darkly as he launched into a fast pace.

Everything spun past him wildly. There was no reason to be on guard for the only creatures that lingered in that area were the koorime-and they were probably busy celebrating the return of their ice princess. Hiei narrowed his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that Yukina would be visiting him soon as well. She always did so every year and he had yet to complain. All she had to do was look sadly at him and his will to argue would dissipate completely. It made him feel somewhat weak and shameful that his own sister had this much control over him-of course, she had no idea. Hiei made sure of that till this very day.

As the estate neared, the youkai suppressed a groan when he spotted the guards rushing towards him.

"Master! There are-"

"Mukuro told me. Go back to your posts," interrupted Hiei coldly as he walked past them. They bowed respectfully before quickly vanishing.

This had better be good. Mukuro greeted him upon entering the manor. She bowed slightly with mock reverence. "Your guests await you," she said with a hint of a smirk. The smaller youkai snorted and she then began leading him to one of the rooms on the left of the main floor-a place where Hiei usually partook in his meetings. She paused at the closed doors and looked at the youkai in the eye. "Don't get too mad, Hiei."

With that mysterious message, she turned around and began walking back to her quarters. Hiei stood at the doors pensively before finally turning the handle. The doors opened with a barely audible creak and bright lights entered his vision. Hiei narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the two guests waiting with their backs turned against him while they sat at the conference table. He placed a hand on his hip.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he called out bluntly.

"Gee, you're still as polite as ever, Hiei," came the reply as one of the figures turned around, revealing a dark-haired man the fiery youkai knew all too well.

"Do you handle your politics like this as well?" inquired another voice, also familiar to Hiei.

The small youkai looked at the two figures before him with absolute shock in his eyes. "What are you two doing here?" he asked forcefully, glaring hard at Yusuke.

"Is that any way to treat old friends?" retorted the latter before standing up slowly. He faced Hiei fully and smiled. "My friend!" he exclaimed humorously before enveloping the smaller youkai in a fierce hug.

Hiei squirmed uncomfortably before prying Yusuke off annoyingly. He then looked sharply at Kurama. "All right, what do you want?" he demanded.

The redhead chuckled lightly. "Do you always have to assume people come to you because they want something?" he replied.

"You visited me two weeks ago so I know you want something," stated Hiei firmly.

Kurama smiled and waved to Yusuke. "But what about him? He hasn't seen you in years so how do you know he isn't here for a visit?" he queried.

Hiei stared at Yusuke for a moment before snorting. "Yeah. Right," he replied unconvincingly.

"Aaw, you hurt me, Hiei!" exclaimed Yusuke with a hand over his heart as he pouted deeply.

The smaller youkai eyed him strangely. There seemed to be something off about the other man but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He looked at Kurama and found him smiling back at him knowingly.

"You got us. We do want something from you."

Hiei blinked and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

"Will you allow Yusuke to stay with you for a bit while I go off to settle some business?"

The fiery youkai regarded Yusuke for a moment as the latter began to wander about the room in boredom. "Isn't he big enough to take care of himself?" he retorted sourly.

Suddenly, Yusuke marched up to him and frowned deeply at him. "Hey, I heard that, squirt! And yes, I certainly am big enough to take care of myself-I'm double your height for crying out loud. But Kurama won't let me because he's-" he said before the redhead cut him off.

"It's a matter of emergency, Hiei," said Kurama as he looked at the youkai urgently in the eye. "Just do this, please."

Hiei narrowed his eyes. Is he sick? He projected the question mentally and saw Kurama's eyes widen in surprise before he nodded slowly. The smaller youkai cursed under his breath as he gazed upon Yusuke once again. The latter was staring at Kurama resentfully. He appeared to be in perfect health but again that warning signal went off in his mind. There was indeed something strange about his form. Sighing, he looked at Kurama.

"Fine."

The kitsune offered him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Hiei. I'll be back as soon as I can but I really haven't clue how long it'll take to settle this dispute," he said as he took his cloak hanging on the arm of a chair.

"Probably a month," came Yusuke's surprising voice.

Kurama looked at him darkly. "Are you sure?" he asked.

The dark-haired man smiled somewhat bitterly. "Well, I don't know how the youkai in your lands are, but in mine, they're absolutely insane. A month was the shortest time I ever spent settling some disputes between the lords and the people. Maybe your youkai are more agreeable," he replied, shrugging. He then shot Hiei a smirk. "So you're stuck with me, eh?"

The short youkai suppressed a moan of despair as he looked at Kurama. "Be back soon," he said tightly.

"I'll try, Hiei, I'll try," replied Kurama amusedly as he wrapped the cloak around his body. "Now I must depart. Yusuke, try not to give him a hard time."

"You must be joking. I give Hiei a hard time just by standing here," he shot back with a grin.

Kurama shook his head wearily but still managed a smile at his friend. He then turned to face Hiei and bowed slightly. "Take care," he said before leaving the room.

Hiei stared at the back of the kitsune as he turned away before slowly returning his gaze on Yusuke. The latter was busy staring off in the direction Kurama went with a frown. Part of him was curious as to why he seemed concerned but to voice that out would only result in Yusuke teasing him to no end.

"I'm surprised. Kurama didn't bring any of his men with him," said Yusuke.

The latter had apparently given Hiei his answer without him even asking. He then snickered at Yusuke's words. "He's considered to be one of the most powerful youkai. It's the others that have something to fear from him," he replied shortly before placing his hands in his pockets. "Come. I'll take you to your room."

Yusuke looked at Hiei whimsically. "This is beginning to sound like some kind of fairytale. Only there aren't any princes or princesses, only a protective youkai and one that doesn't give a damn," he said as he followed Hiei.

The shorter youkai stared at him only to shake his head in exasperation. The two began heading up a long spiral staircase. Yusuke looked around at the enormous manor with some awe. Unlike Kurama's fortress, this place was almost completely bare. The walls and ceilings were made of stone and the furnishings were simple, dull shades of blues and greens. No brilliance could be spotted anywhere. Even the youkai standing guard seemed to appear like statues with their grey uniforms and stoical expressions.

They entered a wide and empty hallway. Yusuke blinked in mild curiosity as he and Hiei walked down the long corridor. Their steps echoed loudly on the wooden floors, muffled only slightly by the thin black carpet. A large window decorated the end of the hall, where it briefly split into two separate sections. Yusuke eyed the corridor on the left, which was dark and gloomy, and then the one on the right, which could have been its mirror reflection.

Hiei briefly went up to the window and lit up the candle that stood on the table before it. Immediately, both opposite corridors went alight with small burning candelabras hanging from the walls and the air became noticeably dryer. Yusuke looked at Hiei incredulously as he began leading them down the left corridor.

"Hey, you got to teach me that trick," he said in amazement as they walked down the now bright and warm hall.

Hiei arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything as they walked down the long path. They then came to an abrupt stop where a wall stood before them. Yusuke cocked his head to the side confusedly.

"Either you don't know your own house or there's a hidden door around here," he commented ponderingly as he examined the wall much to Hiei's amusement.

The shorter youkai walked up to Yusuke and placed his hand on the wall where a soft glow appeared. A series of strange symbols appeared before disappearing, leaving a wide hole in their wake. Yusuke blinked in surprise and started laughing.

"So no one else but you can enter?" he inquired as they walked in, the hold closing up immediately once they went through.

"Only the inhabitants of the house can enter."

Yusuke eyed Hiei darkly. "You mean I have to ask someone every time to open the door if I want to enter a room?" he queried, slightly miffed at the idea. He crossed his arms. "You know, it's not like I'm going to take anything. You would think I already have everything I need since Raizen left me in charge."

"It's not a matter of trust. It's a matter of keeping up my reputation. You have no idea how many youkai in my region detest you, Yusuke," quipped Hiei mildly as he opened a door to the right. It revealed a large and rather vacant room with a single window opening up to the gardens. "You'll stay here."

The dark-haired man eyed the room quizzically and sat down on the large, plush bed, which was decorated in crimson and black. Yusuke tilted his head to look at the ceiling and noticed a small statue of a gargoyle hanging in the corner. He narrowed his eyes pointedly at the figure.

"Please don't tell me that's a camera," he said dryly.

Hiei snickered. "Afraid of being watched over?" he asked with a smirk.

Yusuke looked at him accusingly. "No, just who's watching over me," he replied before walking over to the window. He looked down at the gardens and arched an eyebrow in question. "I thought we only went up one flight of stairs. Why is this room so high up? Unless that little 'hole' was some kind of portal."

"You're not as dense as I thought you were."

Dark eyes flew in Hiei's direction. "Hey, I was a Reikai Tantei, right?" he replied, a small smirk on his face.

"Then I'll leave you here."

Yusuke's eyes widened as Hiei made a motion to move. "Whoa, wait, how do I get around this place? You mean I really have to ask someone to open the door for me all the time?" he inquired quickly.

Hiei turned around halfway as he met Yusuke's concerned gaze with his own amused one. "Yeah, you do," he answered before leaving the room with a quiet shut of the door.

It was silent for a while before Yusuke suddenly plopped down on the bed recklessly, making everything in the room tremble slightly at the force. He buried his face into the soft pillows before turning around to face the gargoyle, which appeared to be almost smiling at him. He glowered at it dangerously as he rose from the bed, charging up his index finger and targeting it faultlessly.

"Remember who I am. Annoy me too much and you'll be toast," he warned in a low tone.

The gargoyle's eyes turned an eerie red before closing. Yusuke smirked and discharged his attack.

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TBC

Do-do-do-do… (Creepy Twilight Zone theme!) Hiei wasn't as mad as I wanted him to be. Oh well. He's toned down a lot in the past century or so. Heh. And Yusuke's such a bad boy. But that's why we love him! XD

Next part snippet: Uh, I have no idea. Day one in the House of Hiei? I think Yusuke will probably end up lost and causing mayhem for Hiei's youkai. :P