What little space he had managed to put between them was done away with a stride, her hand still holding on to his, felt almost defiant in its boldness. Warm betwixt his grasping fingers, and she was warmer still. Her body, soft and delicate, as she pressed in against him. Or maybe he was just so hot. His heartbeat beat faster still, beat by beat, it pulsed against his bones and his head seemed to swim with the rush of blood that swirled about.

And he could feel her heart fluttering too. Its quickened pace drumming through the layers of fabric between them.

Foolish. This was more than foolish. There was so much he did not know.

Yet, as she pressed his hand against her chest, his palm against the very beat of her heart, a maddening thing that pounded beneath a cage of flesh and bone, he couldn't seem to care about anything else beyond the feeling there between them. Electric.

"I can't know what quickens your heart so, Hanae," He answered coolly, and like a snake, his hand pressed its way up from her pounding chest, ran firm along the nape of her neck and with callused fingers come to rest behind her neck, he pulled her closer still. "I can only speak for my own heart," Dangerously close. "Listen," he almost begged, as to rest her head against his chest.

"Does it still sound so steady?" he asked tenderly, feeling as if his heart would jump from his throat if he but stopped to think.
 
Hanae couldn’t speak. Words were trapped in throat as she looked up at Hiei when he moved his hand. It didn’t move lower— which she was terrified of happening because what was she supposed to do then?— but instead went to the back of her neck. She winced, shutting her eyes tightly and half-expecting him to strangle her. Yet, he had pulled her head closer.

He was so warm.

Hanae inhaled deeply, catching a myriad of smells intermingling. From it she knew that Hiei did bathe, more than plenty other residents of Sonshan, but it had been awhile. A slight tang of sweat and dirt, a heady musk that wasn’t necessarily unpleasant. There was something else interwoven between this, something sharp and metallic. Hanae hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath.

She released it and gently, oh so gently, nuzzled her face into his chest. She swallowed hard, leaning her slender body against him. She kept her eyes closed, slightly disgusted with herself for being so immodest, thinking of how this was probably making her grandmother and mother and father and even her sister roll over in their graves right now.

If they knew that their little Kohana was eagerly embracing this man, this dangerous, dangerous man—! Don’t think. She reminded herself.

Hiei’s heart must have been hypnotizing her with it’s dissonant rhythm. She heard it loud and clear, but it offered her no relief. Her hands slid up to his chest. Where was that paper, where would it be? No answer came to mind. Was she thinking of the wrong questions? Perhaps. She thought back to when Shinobu had arrived, how Hiei was one edge because of it.

Where would father hide it? Hanae thought, and instantly she received a answer. Like a kiss from a ghost, her fingers barely touched Hiei, slipping underneath the robe, searching. But despite her whisper-like touch, Hanae looked up at Hiei.

“Your heart,” she said, loud enough to command his attention, to urge him to look only at her face. “It’s like a drum, Hiei.” Fingers kept searching and searching and— this! Suddenly, Hanae frowned and then took a step back, pushing Hiei away from her so she could pivot on her heel, her back facing the gangster as she crouched down low and shook her head.

“I may be naive but even I know what men like you think of women.” She said fiercely, hiding that slip of paper within her blouse. “If you’re… you’re… going to be foul then I suggest a woman of the night! After all, I’m sure that’s why you’re meeting up with your associates, to drink and go from bar to bar. I’ve seen it plenty of times. And I refuse to sully my reputation further. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, once you’ve settled down from your… your lascivious desires!”

Hiei couldn’t see Hanae’s face, but if he had, he wouldn’t see a look of disgust although her voice suggested otherwise. Instead, a proud and victorious look claimed her features, and it was hard to hide her wide smile.
 
What is even happening? Some smarter part of him asked. A dumber part of him did not care, her voice calling his attention, her eyes demanding all of it as her hands felt around his chest.

It's like a drum.

He swallowed hard. His moved to form a word when small hands pushed hard against his chest and drove him back a step and a half. Hanae whirrled away, her short cut hair fanned out as she put distance between them and made herself smaller and sent stinging words flying his way.

Men like you. Foul. A woman of the night. Your lascivious desires.

His brow knit together to a furrowed point, and he adjusted his robe, eyes downcast as his hand worked the disturbed fabric. "Forgive me," he said coldly as he looked down at his own hands, still warm from... whatever it was that had transpired. "I forgot myself," he bowed his head to her, turned away and left the house without another word. His insides felt twisted into knots, and all he could think about was the feel of it all as he walked through the empty halls of the home he had been invited to.

How warm it had all been. And how cold he felt now.
Later that Evening:
Inside the Grinning Cat Tavern
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The sound of wine bottles and clay cups tinked about, as many voices mingled and mixed. They spoke about business. Woes. A marriage in the family, the play they saw the other day, and the weirdest dog you ever did see. It was just another night at the Grinning Cat, and Hiei skulked at a table on the third floor balcony with his crew. It was usually a little quieter up there.

Had she played him?

1742021575523.webp"Hey, Hiei," Kenta said. "Hellooo, Hiei?"

Maybe it was just more a different kind of noisy.

Hiei's eyes found Kenta. "Hmm?"

"What's wrong with you man, I mean, usually you'll at least have a drink or two before you get all lost in your brain cave," the wildkin wiggled his fingers about his own head.

"My what?"

"Then you'll usually say something like, we have to do better, or, if we move just a few more stones, we will outsell Akotori's crew, and Lady Duri will show us favor, you know?" he waited for a response.

"Nothing," Hiei said, and took a drink from his half empty cup of sorghum wine.

Kenta's eyes narrowed. "You serious man?"

Hiei looked to him sidelong. "What do you mean?"

Kenta looked at him, expression long and flat. "What do you mean, what do I mean?" he clicked his teeth, and grumbled before he took a drink from his own cup.

Hiei looked away, and sipped slowly on his drink.

Kenta clacked his cup down against the table hard. "I mean!" he failed at whispering, and raised his cup cheerfully at two young women who passed him by. They laughed and walked on by. Kenta frowned. "I mean... you look kinda down in the dumps man, more so than usual,"

"Care to explain?"

The wildkin shrugged. "I dunno, you look more lost, and less, generally annoyed,"

Hiei crossed his hands, elbows on the table, his wine cup obscured his mouth as it hung betwixt middle finger and thumb. "You remember the Hiwara job?"

"Hiwara job?" Kenta squint his eyes and cocked his brow. "Can't say that I do..." he said, voice stretched like he was trying to squeeze the thought out. The strained expression vanished from his face, an easy smile took its place. "Migi! Yo, over here man!" he waved him down.
 
Migiru was known to always be late, and the reason was always because of a woman. Whether it was a girlfriend of the month yelling at him for cheating (again) or a woman sparking his fancy for the night, if Migi was absent then it was usually because of his insatiable love for women. Young or old, thin or thick, short or tall, human or nonhuman, Migi didn’t shy away from any experience he could explore, even if it was at her expense.

Yet somehow, Migi never seemed to be in short supply when it came to his options with the ladies.

1742149431530.webpThe two that had giggled at Kenta paused as Migi made his way over to their usual table. The women’s eyes prompting Migi to look over at him. A smirk and wink was all it took for the pair to blush and giggle to one another, scampering off elsewhere. Girls loved bad boys. It was practically a scientific fact at this point. But what was better than a bad boy?

A half-naked bad boy. Migi hadn’t bothered to fix his rob, letting it flit around his waist. If it weren’t for the bright blue sash tied above his hips then his robe would have been on the ground. A swirl of tattoos and scars decorated the strong muscle that bulged with every move. He took his seat, and without asking, took hold of Hiei's half-full glass and gulped it down as if it were a shot.

“Ugh.” His deep and raspy voice rumbled out, “Not sorghum wine again. Reminds me of what my grandpa used to drink.” His lips had puckered up. “Nothing like rotten cabbage, paint and disinfectant mixed together to make me want to stop drinking.” Despite his size, Migi was fond of the sweeter stuff. Others stopped pointing it out after the punch Hiroto took when he said Migiru had lost his pair after drinking strawberry rice wine.
 
"I was drinking that," said Hiei with narrowed brow.

Kenta grinned wide. "Migi, bro, what took you so long?"

"Why do you ask as if we didn't already know,"

"Hah! Well, who better than to help you out, Hiei?"

Hiei's eyes narrowed even more. "Migi can't get himself properly dressed half the time, what is he going to help me with?" he asked and made to stand up.

"Hold on, Hiei! Hold on!" Kenta held the taller man back with an arm looped across his chest. He pulled him in under his wing, much to Hiei's dissapointment. "Don't go actin like we don't know what's going on here, little crane boy,"

"Little crane-" Hiei growled, and popped up from his seat.

While shorter, Kenta had more mass on him, and kept Hiei down. "Hiei... come on man... we've seen it before, haven't we Migi?"
 
Migi didn’t speak as Kenta and Hiei went back and forth, and instead found a serving girl and quickly ushered her over— not that she was going to keep him waiting in the first place. Ordering three green melon shots that he intended to drink all by himself, he was faintly aware of Hiei’s attempts to leave. With his elbow on the table, he rested his chin on his palm, staring hard at Hiei.

Yes, something was different than usual but… it was something they had all seen before. Actually, this sort of disposition from Hiei was quite reminiscent of an earlier time.

“Yeah. Hard to miss when you’re like this.” Migi agreed, and with a heavy sigh, he shook his head. “You talkin’ to Hinoka again? You know how that’s gonna go.” It was a sore subject, and understandably so.
 
"Hinoka?" Hiei asked incredulously.

Kenta nodded with his eyes closed, as if he were visiting the memories of their shared past. "The little crane boy's, crane wife,"

A growl came from Hiei's throat. "Will you please stop calling me that?"

The three drinks were placed on the table, and Kenta was quick to grab one up. "What? You know that's what we all called you two, right?"

Hiei snatched one of the small cups and glared and Migi. "Vengeance," he said, and knocked the thing back. He made a face of pure displeasure.

Kenta laughed and raised a toast to Migi before he tossed his own drink back. "Oh," he said happily as he wiped his lips clean. "That's good," he laid his cup mouth down and glanced at Hiei. "So, you don't deny it? It's Hinoka?"

"No," Hiei said flatly. "Asides from the few business dealings we had with her and her crew, I haven't spoken to her," he looked down at his empty cup.

"Hmm... I don't buy it," Kenta tilted back his head and tried to get the very last drop of green melon drink with his tongue hung out. "Ahhhh , thfink youth hiding smomthing"

Hiei looked like a cat ready to bite, he was so wound up and displeased. "Couldn't just be I find you two particularly annoying today, right?"

A single drop landed on Kenta's tongue, and he straightened up. "Course- ow!." Near bit his tongue off. "I near bit my tongue off..."
 
Migi, despite being quick in a scuffle, was too slow to keep the shots to himself. Perhaps he should have ordered five, after all? He turned his head, wanting to capture the staff's attention again but paused to look back at Hiei and Kenta.

“And,” Migiru added, “everyone knew Hinoka had you whipped. I bet if I looked hard enough that I’d find a notebook filled with pages of ‘Hiei ♥ Hinoka.’” He paused only to take the last shot for himself, throwing it back and thankfully losing the taste of the sorghum wine. Feeling fine, as one always did after the first shot of the night, Migi raised three fingers to the serving girl from before.

“Annoying you is how we show affection.” Migi grinned. “Don’t act like you don’t love it.” Leaning over, a large hand clapped down onto Hiei’s shoulder. The man always reminded him of a bamboo shoot. “And speaking of looooove~” his grip tightened. Hiei wasn’t going to get out of not telling them, “Who’s the broad that got you upset?”
 
"My," he grumbled as Migi's arm wrapped around him like a constrictor. "Aren't I lucky,"

Kenta smirked. "To have friends as true as the two of us?" the demi-felonin asked as he eyed the new round of melon shots the waitress had dropped off, she gave Migi a wink before she walked away. Kenta's fingers wiggled with nefarious intent. "None luckier, Hiei,"

Hiei slipped from his Migi's grasp, and snatched up a second shot with proud grin. Before Migi could snatch the drink back, Hiei tossed it back. "Who said anything about a woman?" He asked as he wiped clean his lip.

Kenta tried to grab up one of the other two shots.
 
Migi, perhaps because he was so intent on keeping Hiei in place was exactly why Hiei was able to get out of his grip so easily. Or maybe it was because after the serving girl had set them down onto the table she had purposely winked at him, distracting him just enough so Hiei could wiggle his way out like a fish.

With slumping shoulders, Migi took only one shot, sliding the other towards Kenta. Drinks were better shared with friends. They also helped to lessen bad news.

“I saw you.” Migi said finally. “You were pushing some girl’s cart.” He took his shot, preparing himself for the bad news. He clinked his glass hard back onto the table. “And Shinobu saw, too.”
 
"You saw me?" he asked, a half smile wide with disbelief quirked his lips. At mention of the cart what little humor had shown all but vanished. "Shinobu..." he all but hissed. "Where did you see him?" he asked, and a bit of edge crept into his voice.

Kenta looked at Hiei, then looked at Migi, and sipped at his drink.
 
Migi crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. Shaking his unruly hair back from his face, Migi stared at Hiei for another moment, cool and unbothered.

“Not here. Don’t worry.” Migi said easily. “He was leaving Kishi’s store as I was heading in to drop off a pouch of Herb.” Absently, his hand patted at a pocket in his trousers, making sure he still had his own pouch. Satisfied by the reassuring crunch, Migi waved his hand off to the side as if blowing away smoke from his face.

And then as part of his revenge for Hiei taking two of his shots now, Migi grinned sardonically.

“She’s kinda cute. Not my type but I bet she’s easy to pick up and throw around.”
 
Hiei's head was swimming as the rapid succession of drinks started to work their way into his system. Still, he could think clearly enough. He just couldn't hide it so easily.

"Oh look, you made him crawl into his mind cave," Kenta said absently.

A click of teeth. "My mind what?" Hiei asked.

"Cave! You know, that place where you do all your... thinking, Migi I think you broke him."

Hiei was blushing and scowling all at once. "Don't talk about her like that,"

Kenta grinned, hungry. "Heh, see, see!" he nudged Hiei and then smack-pat Migi on the shoulder. Winced, and shook his hand some, as if he had struck a rock. "Damn man, you been training lately?" he said as he blew air onto his reddened digits. "

Hiei shut his eyes and growled as he clenched tight the cup in his hand. If Shinobu had seen them walking together... if he had followed them. She was leverage. A point of vulnerability. Still, he saw her smile. Heard her whisper in his ear, and thought of teeth sinking into his neck. "And I never said I liked her!" he near-shout as he smacked the table with his cup. He sunk in his chair, eyes all squint and lips a sour line. "She's just some flower girl," he rumbled.

Kenta ordered another round of drinks. "Yeah, yeah, sure, Hiei, and Migi is good at math."

Wide eyed, realization dawned on Hiei. He straightened up in his seat, and his hand slipped into his jacket, and searched around. He blinked, dumbstruck. Had it fallen out somewhere?

"Yo, what's the matter?" Kenta asked.

Hiei suddenly felt sick again. What if Hanae had found it? What did it even say. Probably nothing of import. Just another reminder of what a disappointment he was. "Excuse me," Hiei said as he tried to get up from the table.
 
Migi looked at Kenta, grinning prodding, showcasing his two rows of white teeth that glimmered with the cheap and hazy arcane light around them muddled by actual candlelight.

“Always working out, when you’re ready to get those gains and eat nothing but chicken let me know.” But soon enough, his meager math skills were brought out into the open. With a easy shrug, he only replied with, “not my fault the numbers just look like squiggles.”

soon enough though, a hand was on Hiei’s shoulder, keeping him in place.

“Leaving the boys to go see your girlfriend? Bros before hoes, Hiei. Come on, you know that.”
 
Hiei glowered at Migi. "She is not a gardening tool, Migiru," he said in a voice like curling smoke.

"Pfft, though I'm sure you'd like to tear up her fields, eh, Hiei," Kenta grinned, and waggled his eyebrows in a manner most lewd.

Hiei grumbled, held still by Migi's monstrous grip. "I have business I must attend to," he steamed out a breath.

"Man, Migi, he's down bad," Kenta laughed, and the new drinks showed up. "Come on, Hiei, it can wait till morn-"

Hiei smacked the table down with his hands and he glared at Kenta with dagger-point eyes. "I said, I have business to -" his stomach twist some, and the room seemed to spin.

It was well known in their crew that, sharp as he was, Hiei was an absolute lightweight when it came to knocking back drinks.

The room blurred in Hiei's eyes, and he seemed to wobble some beneath Migi's arm, his eyes dulling.

Kenta smirked. "Lil crane boy had one too many to drink?"

Hiei's glare turned sharp once more, and his hand whipped out to grab up another one of the drinks he didn't pay for. Without breaking eye contact, he drank it down, and wiped away his lip. "I'll shrink you under the sthable,"

Kenta laughed and smacked the table. "You hear that, Migi?! Got ourselves a little contest," Kenta raised the glass in cheers, and knocked back the bitter liquid.
 
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