Ikigai (Hiei x OC)

TIME

Soft light filtered through the tent. It seeped behind Airi's eyes, easing her gently out of a pleasant dream. She nestled her head into the pillow. Hiei stirred behind her, but did not wake. A soft smile formed as she settled more deeply into the shape of him, the protective weight of his arm around her waist sending her into a spiral of unadulterated contentment.

She felt him in the middle of the night, as he slid into the tent and laid down quietly beside her. His energy was palpable, filled with uncertainty. It was clear he felt at fault for how upset she'd been, and when his doubts got the best of him and he sat up to leave, she grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his. His breath steadied, and he pulled her close, laying his cheek down against hers.

After weeks of recurring nightmares, peace found its way back to her dreams that night. She did not know whether it was Hiei's presence that stilled her or the catharsis of unloading her greatest shame. Both seemed likely.

Abruptly, the fleetingness of life overcame her. As a girl, she'd thought her mother would be there for her, always. She'd thought that Yusuke and Keiko would be around to play whenever she wanted, and that their oak tree at the park would never be torn down. And she had been sure that she would waste away and die in that facility.

With the man she adored dozing soundly behind her, she knew better than to believe it could last forever. She focused, every second, on memorizing the way it felt: his slow breath on the back of her neck, his hand tucked underneath her ribs, the perfect heat of his body. It was too sweet, too good, for forever.

Time could only stand still for so long. He inhaled deeply, his arms stretching lightly around her. And then he was gone.

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Hiei sat away from the group and their fire, hunched over, elbows resting on his knees. The stars were brighter than normal tonight, and the sky clear. The moon lit the grass in front of him, and he watched as it was tousled by the wind.

Two weeks had passed since the night they spent together, and for fourteen days, he had tortured himself. He ached for her, an ache so deep it buried itself within his bones. But everything was about to change; the hours were slipping through his fingers. He began to dread the tournament that had been cause for so much excitement just two months prior. For the first time in his life, it felt as though he had something to lose.

As he pondered this sudden upheaval of his existence, fingers swept across the top of his back. His eyelids fell, brows pulling together towards the center of his forehead. Airi placed a teacup in his hands. Sitting down across from him, bathed in moonlight, she may have been the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"I was thinking," she said, completely unaware of the thoughts racing through his mind. "There might be another use for my powers that we haven't considered."

He switched off the part of him that toiled.

"Go on."

"Do you remember..."

"What, girl?"

She smiled wide. Somewhere along the way, she'd started to enjoy his callousness. He loathed it.

"That night in the woods, when I... touched you. With my mind."

"I remember."

"Well, what if I can do that with other people, too?"

He frowned.

"Not, like that," she said. "I mean, what if I can hurt them?"

"Hn. Not a bad idea. Why don't you try it out on the ugly one?"