Inherently Evil (A Hiei Story)

Chapter 1: Meeting Him

Nunnally inhaled deeply. She could smell the rain in the air as she sat on the narrow fire escape outside her bedroom window. She looked at the pale gray wall across the alley. Three stories below a feral cat rummaged through the dumpster while a flock of crows flew overhead.

She heard a buzzing sound coming from inside. She set her tea down on the wrought iron and crawled through the window and onto her bed. Her phoned was buzzing on the nightstand. She answered it.

"Hello?"

"Nunnally?" It was Kurama. "I'm calling to invite you over for the night."

Nunnally wrinkled her nose. She hadn't planned on going anywhere. "Who will be there?"

"Everyone," Kurama paused. "I thought we could have a little get together."

"I'm not sure if I'm up for it." She really wasn't.

"That's too bad. You would have finally got the chance to meet Hiei." Kurama sounded smug.

That proposition was intriguing. "Really? I supposed I can make it then."

"Be here around 7."

"Okay. See you then."

Nunnally put the phone down. She hadn't been a friend of this group for long. She had found her way to Koenma one day and had been there since. They talked about Hiei frequently but she had never had the, err, pleasure of meeting him.

This should be interesting. Nunnally grabbed her tea and shut the window.

                                                                                                      * * * *

The rain had practically turned into a monsoon by the time Nunnally arrived at Kurama's house. She rushed up to the door and knocked briskly. Botan greeted her with a smile.

"I'm glad you made it. The rain had me worried." Botan didn't really sound worried.

"Kurama made it hard to decline." Nunnally peeled her wet coat off and hung it up. She rung out her long dark red-wine colored hair, kicked her shoes off and followed Botan.

Yusuke and Keiko sat cuddled up on the loveseat. It seemed like they grew closer and more open about their relationship every day. Kuwabara was ogling Yukina who sat curled up in the arm chair talking to Shizuru. Kurama and Hiei were not present.

"Hey," Yusuke greeted her with a smile.

"Hi," Nunnally leaned on the back of the couch. "Where's Kurama?"

"He's in the kitchen." Keiko responded.

Nunnally bit her lip "I see."

"Hiei's in there, too." Shizuru smirked. "I'm sure you'd like to meet him." No one else understood the hidden meaning in her words like Nunnally did.

"I just want to know what the fuss is all about. Kuwabara can't stand him but everyone says he's a nice guy. I'd like to have my own opinion."

"Then go get your opinion. But really, the guy is shifty." Kuwabara muttered.

"Kazuma, be nice." Yukina scolded him.

Nunnally rolled her bright teal eyes and made her way to the kitchen leaving behind the small talk. Kurama was standing at the counter preparing snacks. It took a moment to scan the room to find that Hiei wasn't there.

"Howdy," she greeted Kurama enthusiastically.

"Hello Nunnally," Kurama flashed his charming smile. "I'm glad to see the rain didn't hold you from coming."

"Rain smain; it's just water. Whatcha making?"

"Sandwiches; I thought finger foods would be suitable for this evening."

"This evening is a waste of my time." The voice was harsh and came from the hallway.

Nunnally looked over. Hiei was leaning against the doorway, a scowl on his face. She had seen pictures and even footage from the Dark Tournament but Hiei was very different in person. He seemed to be giving her a weird look. Perhaps that was Kuwabara's words getting to her.

Kurama sighed. "Everything seems to be a waste of your time."

"I have other priorities. I shouldn't be here making small talk while I have more pressing matters to take care of."

"Relax. Koenma requested you spend some time here helping us and Mukuro granted it."

"Koenma requested it?" Nunnally asked.

"Yes, tomorrow he'll brief us on the issue but as for tonight, we'll just unwind." Kurama gathered up the plate of snacks before pausing. "By the way Hiei, this is Nunnally. Nunnally, this is Hiei."

"Hi." Nunnally waved her fingers.

Hiei stared briefly before walking away. Kurama assured Nunnally not to worry and led her back to the living room. The group dug into the food like a pack of wild animals.

Nunnally bit into a pretzel when she noticed Hiei had made himself comfortable on the bay window, paying no mind to the rest of the group. She continued to snack, noticing Hiei eyeing her from time to time. Obviously she was just as guilty. 

Finally, she looked up at him directly. He didn't look away. His gaze was even more fierce than she had been warned about and it made her uneasy. Suddenly she felt a tingle like the beginning of a migraine. She looked back at Hiei and noticed a slight glowing coming from under his bandana.

There was that already familiar and harsh voice in her head. What are you?