Ikigai (Hiei x OC)

THE PRICE

They'd been on the ship for only a couple of hours, and Airi had successfully run through every single conceivable explanation for Hiei turning down an easy opportunity to be with her. They were all her fault, and none of them made her feel any better. Looking at him under the wisps of her bangs, his silhouette against the fiery sunset now a painting in her mind. She could not bear the sight of it any longer, and rose from her seat, Mori jumping off her lap and into Yusuke's beside her.

"You alright?" he asked tentatively. They'd all witnessed the uncomfortable exchange.

Shrugging, and trying her best to smile, she headed towards the other side of the ship. It was nearly empty – the wealthy humans were dining and drinking within the cabin, and her friends were all together where she'd just been. For a moment, it felt like she was the last remaining person in the world. The boat captained itself, and every sunrise and sunset from here on out would belong to her. She liked that feeling.

Pressing against the railing, she gripped it tightly and closed her eyes, feeling the last bits of warmth from the day fading with every passing minute. The salty air blew the hair off her shoulders, and goosebumps prickled where it touched the bare skin of her neck. When one truly stopped to experience the world, it was too beautiful for words.

Another set of hands came to rest outside of hers, and the breeze was blocked by a smooth cheek against her own. Lost as she was in her awareness of the moment, the solid form of him behind her was overpowering, so much louder than the wind and the setting sun and the faint taste of salt on her lips. It did not seem possible, nor plausible, that a single person could be more powerful than the earth itself.

He did not speak, which did not surprise her. Communicating through touch alone felt wondrous, but was unclear at best. Giving in, she let the weight of herself fall against him, and the side of his face nestled further into hers.

"I can't stay mad at you," she whispered, swept away by everything that he was, and forgetting everything he was not.

She sighed as he pressed his lips to her cheek, lingering long enough to still her troubled heart.

*******************************************************************************************

Worn from travel, and with the heaviness of the past week resting heavily on their shoulders, Airi, Hiei, and Genkai trudged up the hundreds of steps that led to the complex. This would be their home now, for an indeterminable amount of time. Airi reflected with nothing but fondness of the six months she'd spent there with Yusuke and Kuwabara. It was as immersed in nature as their makeshift camp, with all of the comforts of home.

It was not lost on her that she now returned to this place with the man she'd been looking so desperately for last she was there. Distance hovered between them, the rift too large to be patched by a single interaction. The ship was not private enough to induce the discussion that needed to be had, though his efforts won her over. Whatever his reason, her assumptions were likely far from the truth.

As they traversed the final flights, Genkai was notably out of breath. They stopped at the top, supporting her between them, each with a hand beneath her elbow.

"Thank you," she muttered, catching her breath. "Dying and coming back to life at my age is hard work. When I gave Yusuke the rest of my power, I expected it to be the end. I knew the physical ramifications, I just did not expect to experience them."

"Take your time," Airi said, her tone gentle.

"You will be a far better student than the dim-wit, I think."