Inherently Evil (A Hiei Story)

Chapter 8: A Surprise

A loud crack of thunder startled Nunnally awake. It was late in the morning but it was still very dark in her apartment due to the thick clouds in the sky. She stretched then made a cup of tea as the rain poured down. She could never get tired of the rain; it had a calming effect on her.

She sat down on the cold couch, realizing for the first time that Hiei wasn’t there. He must have been gone for some time. That was to be expected, actually, she had no idea what she should have expected. It was a complete mystery where they would go from here but Nunnally knew a place to start.

The files Koenma had given her were sitting on the edge of the coffee table. She was sure she had left those by the front door. Hiei must have thumbed through them at some point. Nunnally set her cup down and picked up the thicker file. It was full of Koenma’s reports and notes about the case.

He wrote about the mutilation in great detail. He described the gouged open stomachs as the women being hollowed out. That gave her the chills. The experience had been traumatizing. Adding such a gruesome description presented her with such a feeling of detachment. She needed to be detached though, no bias allowed.

However, Nunnally couldn’t help but be biased. The cases were too similar to her own. But how could that be? Her father was still locked up, right? She was sure of it. It can’t hurt to check.

She got up and went to her bed. The headboard consisted of three small cubbies covered by sliding doors. She slid the middle door over to reveal a box with an incantation on the lid. Inside the box was a white candle with a black wick, an ink well, a quill pen and paper. Nunnally grabbed the box and went back to the living room.

As she knelt on the floor in front of the coffee table she pulled the objects out one by one. When she touched the wick of the candle a bright purple flame appeared. The dark ink in the ink well gave off a faint purple glow when she dipped the pen into it. Then she began to write. Her letter was short though she found that she couldn’t write the specific words she was looking for. She rambled and was slightly evasive but her point was made in the end.

She began to fold up the paper into a square when she heard the sound of the deadbolt turning and the chain latch coming undone. It was then that she realized Hiei had locked the door on his way out in the night and was back. He opened the door and stared at her curiously as she brought the paper up to the flame of the candle. It burst into flames and vanished without a trace, leaving no ashes behind.

“I see you’re inviting yourself in. I was just contacting my uncle.”

Hiei remained emotionless. “Burning your message seems counterproductive, but I know better than to assume anything with you.”

“It’s enchanted paper, Hiei, along with the ink and the candle. My uncle doesn’t exactly have a telephone so this is the fastest way that I can manage.”

“Essentially the paper rematerializes in your uncle’s presence.”

Nunnally smiled, snuffing out the candle. “Essentially. You’re very perceptive.” She got up to return the box. “I know it’s not my business but where’d you go this morning?”

“You’re right, it isn’t your business. However,” He threw a file on the table. “I went to get the information and photos from the body we examined yesterday.”

“I think that does make it my business.”

“Hardly. Besides, I think you’ve probed enough into what I’m up to.”

“Is there a broken record in here or is it just you?”

Hiei was done with the small talk. He sat down and began flipping through the files. Nunnally joined him, picking up the newest addition. Koenma had less commentary this time but there was plenty of other handwriting. It must have belonged to Hiei. It’s more legible than mine. She looked at him. He had his nose buried deep in the thickest file. She turned to examine the photos.