OtherWorld 01
Chapter 15: Hiten
The Demon woke up, feeling a warm body next to his. How long had he been with this same female? Over a week? He had never done that before! Usually, it was just grab the prettiest female he could find, use her for a few days, and then get rid of her in a flash of lightning. Why hadn't he done that to this female?
He glanced at her. She was watching him, but she showed no fear at all. Maybe she had at first but after a couple of days she didn't show any fear at all. And she touched him, her hands velvet; none of the others ever touch him. Sex had always been more rape than anything else -- not that it mattered to him, just as long as his needs were fulfilled. What was different about this human female?
She ran her hands down the small of his back, trailing down over the curve of his butt, exciting him instantly. After he finished, he lay there, basking in the afterglow. It felt so good! Even her scent was good. He took a deep breath, to bring her scent in -- and suddenly turned to her, smelling her deeply. She smelled different now! Why? It suddenly came to him!
He looked at her, surprise written on his face. "You're pregnant." He placed his hands on her stomach, and felt his child's presence.
"I impregnated you." he said again, mostly to himself. His thoughts were a jumble. He felt her move closer to him and he put his arms around her, unconsciously protecting her. She was no longer just a way to release sexual tension; she was now his family.
"Do you live here alone?" she asked, talking to him for the first time. The house was silent and she had seen no one since her arrival two weeks ago. It stood empty, run down as if it had been abandoned for a long time. There was no joy or warmth in this house. There was a little food and water, which she took while he slept. Escape was not possible; the house was high in the mountains and she had no idea where she was.
"I used to have a brother, but he was killed." he replied. And he was now hunted because of his brother. His brother had tried to kidnap the wrong girl: Kagome. Neither of the brothers realized that she was protected by one of the Princess' males, InuYasha, and was the mate of the wolf clan leader, Kouga. And now his brother was dead. And they would eventually find and kill him also -- Kagome could lead them directly to the three crystal shards in his forehead.
"My name is Serafin. What is your name? And what was your brother's name," she asked.
"I am Hiten and my brother was Manten."
"If our baby is a boy, let's name him Manten for your brother."
He looked at her, surprised. He kissed her gently. He had never kissed a human before. She deepened the kiss and he responded to her. She was his family now -- she carried his child and he had to protect her.
Serafin had been terrified when the Demon had dropped out of the sky and grabbed her. He flew high in the air on wheels of fire to this house. She knew that he was a Demon and that he had taken other women from the village. Sometimes the women were never found; other times, their scorched bodies were found after a few days. She had no hopes of living, but she was pragmatic, so she made the best of her predicament.
He was not cruel. When he took her for the first time, he was not gentle, but he was not brutal either. He seemed to want nothing else from her but sex. He took her over and over until he was exhausted, and then he slept.
It had been like that now for two weeks. Something inside of her told her that as long as he wanted her, she would stay alive. So she encouraged him, touching him, running her hands over his body. And now she was pregnant by him. Everything had changed. His touch became gentle and he enveloped her in strong arms.
She looked at Hiten. He was almost human looking for a Demon. He had dark hair which he wore in a long braid, although now it was loose, and gold earrings dangling from his ears. His eyes were the worst -- long ovals of deep red -- but she had gotten used to them. He had fangs like most Demons did, but he was not bad to look at -- actually, he was quite handsome.
Hiten had to change his future. Two weeks ago, the only thing he had wanted was revenge, knowing that he would surely die but hoping that he could kill InuYasha before his death. But he had not been able to find InuYasha, so he had taken this woman instead, trying to drown his grief and anger in her body. But now, revenge was no longer that important. His unborn child was! "We are going to the castle."
"Castle?" she questioned as he pulled her from the bed. He handed her clothes and she put them on. She helped him braid his long hair after he dressed. Then he gathered his belongings, stuffing them into a leather satchel, which he threw over his shoulder. He then added the small wheels of fire to his boots which gave him the ability to fly, grabbed his thunder pike, picked up Serafin, and took to the sky.
After healing Kenshin, the Princess spent as much time as she could with Kurama. He still tired easily, his wounds had been terrible and he had lost nearly two-thirds of his entire body's blood. No human could have survived his injuries and she was very grateful that he had be able to get his Demon powers back. They spent their time together taking slow walks through the gardens or sitting on his balcony in the sun, quietly talking. He was getting stronger daily. The Princess was on Kurama's balcony when a servant came running to her. There was a problem at the gate -- some Demon had arrived and was asking for her. InuYasha had already gone to the gate. The Princess ran swiftly down the stairs to the gate.
A Demon stood there with a human female at his side. He kept asking for an audience with the Princess, his hands spread open, offering no resistance. InuYasha already had Tetsusaiga drawn.
Suddenly, Kouga swept by her and leapt on the Demon.
"No!" Aara called. "I want to hear what he wants."
"This is Hiten." InuYasha told her. "He only wants revenge. I killed his brother when they attacked Kagome a few weeks ago."
"Kouga! Stop!" she commanded. The angry Wolf Demon released Hiten, growling deep within his throat, his eyes enraged. She went to Hiten and the young woman that he had brought with him.
Hiten knelt on the ground before her. She lifted his face to look into his eyes. There was no malice in his red eyes or in the emotions she felt when she touched him. "Come into the Castle." she said, ignoring the protests from both InuYasha and Kouga. She took the woman's hand and walked them both into her castle.
Hiten knelt before her and related his story, and begged for life, not for himself so much as for his child and the human female who carried it. He vowed never to take revenge for the death of his brother and asked to become one of the Protectors of Otherworld. He was a powerful Thunder Demon like Bankotsu, able to wield lightning, and he knew his value.
The Princess listened to him as he knelt before her, using her power to feel the truth behind his words. She could tell that these emotions were very new to him, but he was sincere. His brother had been the whole world to him, his only family, and after his brother's death, Hiten had been angry and sad, but more than anything, he had been alone. Very alone. And now this human woman was giving him a chance for a new family.
His Demon's heart had been opened. She had seen it happen so many times before. Kouga had been a killer, using humans to feed his wolves, before he became one of her Protectors. He had become a Protector only to save his clan from annihilation, but then he fell in love with Kagome and everything had changed for him. Now he would protect all humans with his very life. Kurama had also been a cold-hearted Demon, until his human mother taught him how to love.
InuYasha was more fortunate, having learned love in his mother's arms. He never had a Demon's cold heart like his brother. The Princess hoped that someday Sesshomaru would feel that warmth and his heart would thaw. But she would take credit for Hiei though; giving the Fire Demon love for the first time. Perhaps that's why Hiei was so special to her. Hiten's heart had never been completely cold because of his feelings for his younger brother; and now a human had warmed his heart even more. She looked deep into his red oval eyes and smiled, touching his face gently.
"I accept you as a Protector. You will keep your shards. You and Serafin can live in the Castle. Kurama is in charge of the Protectors and he will tell you what to do. Right now, let's get you a suite of rooms to live in and some clothing for Serafin."
Hiten stood and bowed to his Princess. She had spared his life and given him a future when two days ago he had nothing. He vowed to serve her faithfully until the day he died.
Once they were alone in their rooms, he took Serafin in his arms and kissed her deeply. "You are my family now. You and my child." Hiten looked at her, seeing her as his mate for the first time. She was pretty for a human, with long blond hair and clear blue eyes.
Serafin wrapped her arms around Hiten. She had heard his pleas to the Princess, and knew that he had gone on his knees for her and the baby she carried. And she knew it had not been easy for this proud Demon to beg. After watching him supplicate himself before the Princess, she realized that she could learn to love this man. And the child she carried.
The Princess had Toutousai, the sword master who had created Tetsusaiga, create a special sword for Kenshin. Hiei took him to a safe place to practice with it. The sword was in a scabbard enameled in red metal and wrought with gold scrollwork. The sword itself was perfectly balanced, the metal folded a hundred times, and its blade covered in runes. Hiei told Kenshin to put his energy force into it; something Kenshin had learned from his own swordsmanship. Kenshin concentrated for a moment and then poured energy into the sword. Suddenly, flames licked the edge of blade. It was a sword of fire. He swept the sword in front of him and flames fanned out from it. It was the most beautiful sword he had ever held and he was overwhelmed by the gift. When he got back to the castle, he immediately went to see the Princess who was with Kurama on his balcony.
"I cannot thank you enough for this gift," he said, touching the new sword at his side.
"It seemed fitting for you," she replied smiling, "If you have to fight here, it will be against Demons and you will need more than skill, you will need power. This sword can give you power."
She looked at Kenshin, and then at Kurama. "I have another gift, but I think Kurama would be better giving it to you. I will leave you both alone."
Kenshin bowed his head as she left, and looked askance at Kurama. He pointed to a large paper bag just inside his room and asked Kenshin to bring it him. From it, Kurama pulled out several packages, each wrapped in cellophane.
"Kenshin, let me explain the wonders of underwear to you…" he began, for Kenshin still wore a loincloth under his clothes. Kenshin reddened with embarrassment and then his eyes grew wide with wonderment. What an incredible world this was!
Enjoy the companion piece: "The Red-Eyed Demon"