Ikigai (Hiei x OC)

*COMEDOWN*

As the lush landscape flew by outside the window, Airi slept soundly in his lap. He longed to be affectionate with her – to kiss her face, run his fingers through her hair, or whisper kind things in her ear in the hopes that they would make it into her dreams – but in the presence of all these other people, he held back. It was for the best that she did not move, because without her placed firmly on top of him, his hardness would have been quite difficult to conceal.

The memory of her in the wake of that battle had been burned into his brain. She was so much more powerful than he could have imagined. Wiping thirteen people from existence with the sound of her scream, and having the control to leave everyone else unharmed... it was incomprehensible. Those men were far stronger than the low-class demons he'd seen her take care of in the past. He spent most of the long journey home planning out exactly what he would do to her the moment she opened her eyes.

For the first time, he did not feel apprehension about being irrevocably tied to her. She was not a fragile human, after all. Behind that innocent face lay a warrior, the disguise making her all the more fearsome. One would never suspect she could turn you to dust with barely a flinch. His heart raced as he considered the idea that he'd found his mate, something he'd always thought would be reserved for others and never himself. 

Relationships where he came from worked differently than those he observed in Living World. Humans created connection out of convenience, or fear. They relied on each other to ease their own weaknesses. It was pitiful, and left an acidic feeling in his throat. Demons, on the other hand, were content to be alone. Preferred it, actually, to the company of those whom they did not trust. Only a few found companionship that transcended casual friendship or desire.

While she'd proved strong enough to stand up to his rigorous standards, there was one issue that played through his mind constantly, and that was how short her life would be compared to his. It weighed on him day in and day out, growing stronger as his feelings morphed and deepened. The idea had long ago seeded in his head that there must be a way to lengthen a human life – a path different from the one Toguro had taken. He committed himself, then, to searching that damn library from top to bottom. Other than the Spirit World archives, which he would never be allowed to access, it was his best bet. Trying not to ask himself what Airi would think of this plan, he rested his cheek against her head, ignoring the tiny hairs that tickled his nose.

The van rolled up to the gravel lot, and he watched everyone file out, exhausted and nervous. Those they'd rescued had been subtly shaking the entire way back. It would not be a simple adjustment. Deciding they'd done enough to help for the day, he utilized his speed to get them up to the complex and locked safely in his room without being seen. Near the front doors, he'd noticed that same pulling feeling as before, the one he'd forgotten in the midst of his recovery from the near-death experience. He pushed it again to the back of his mind.

Cool, refreshing air filled his room from the window that had been left open. Dusk crowded the walls, making everything feel smaller, more intimate. Placated by the success of their mission, and with the taste of violence still on his tongue, there could not have been a better end to the day than feeling her steady breath on his chest.

The sun was long gone by the time she stretched her limbs around him, and he'd thought of nothing but her since laying down all those hours ago. He'd accidentally slipped into a tender mood, and strangely, was not quite sure how to retrieve the intense urges that had possessed him earlier. Just thinking of being with her was enough to make him hard again, and her hand rubbing up and down over the fabric of his pants did the rest. A rigid grin spread across his face.

With a knuckle placed beneath her chin, he tilted her head up and looked in her eyes. They'd never been so bright. He didn't want to come on too strong if she was still feeling weakened from the attack, but she was fine. More than fine. His lips crashed onto hers, and she climbed on top of him, grinding against him in a way that had him pulling her hair long before he'd expected to.