Chapter 0 - Work in Progress

Work in Progress


X -x-x-x-x- X


Auggie Nakano breathed in deep as he took in the cool, clean air surrounding the temple. It was such a peaceful place here, although the quiet was maddening. He preferred the lights of the stage and the pounding music. Entertainment! There was nothing to entertain here.


Or so he thought as he came upon a certain swordsman training in the forest. He smiled and ran up to him, hoping to get a better view. He was shirtless after all!


As soon as Hiei spotted him he stopped his movements. “I don't require an audience,” he clipped.


“Well, too bad because you have one!” he spat back and promptly sat down cross legged in the grass.


Hiei's dark crimson eyes moved up and down his body, taking in his appearance and Auggie felt a shiver. “What?” He was in his typical jeans and jacket, with no shirt and apparently Hiei had a problem with that. “You're wearing less clothing than me!”


“I'm training. What's your excuse?”


He blinked. “No excuse. I just like dressing like this. And I guess you like it too, since you keep looking.”


Hiei flushed at that and growled. “I am not! You're distracting me!”


“Uh huh. Sure.” And he leaned back crossing his long legs femininely. He grinned as Hiei indeed was looking when he did that. “Suuuure.”


Hiei shook his head and went back to what he had been doing. Which was training. Auggie figured Hiei would use his speed to train, but no. His movements were slow, by Hiei's standards, and precise.


Back and forth, swaying like leaves in the breeze. Tensing muscles, twitching and flexing and glistening with sweat. Was he drooling?


Auggie shook his head and cleared the dirty thoughts, though that was hard to do considering the situation!


Hiei stopped with an irritated look on his face. Perhaps he was mad Auggie was ogling him so hard.


The dark demon cursed something under his breath and threw the sword down, sitting on the grass and removing his left shoe. Auggie watched with interest as Hiei removed the bandages covering his foot. “Why don’t you wear socks like a normal person?”


“Look who's talking,” was the dry retort.


“Humph!” Auggie crossed his arms and pouted, but kept watching what Hiei was doing. “What's a matter? You got a rock in your shoe?”


The last of the cloth was off and Auggie gasped as he noticed Hiei's big toe was swollen and red on the outside. What was that? “Did you stub it?”


Hiei picked at it for a second or two before he grabbed the sword and held it at the tip like a knife. He began to head for his toe. “What?! Oh, my God! What are you doing?!”


“Quiet, child. It's an ingrown toenail.”


Auggie blinked a few times. “Demons can get those?”


“I grow nails, don't I?”


Auggie had no time to reply as Hiei dug the tip of the sword into his nail and with one swift movement flipped the entire nail off.


He just about passed out. Words that weren't words spilled out of his mouth as he held in a scream behind his hands.


Hiei just shook his head. No sign of pain in his features. “You're not going to start crying again, are you?”


Auggie shook his head with a sniffle. “No!” Hiei was starting to wrap his foot again until the boy stopped him. “Wait!”


Auggie pulled a salve from his pocket and moved closer to the jaganshi. “This will help heal it faster.”


“I didn't ask for your help.”


“I know. I want to. It looks painful.”


“I've had worse.”


“Just let me help.”


“I don't need help from a weakling child.”


Auggie stood up and felt it build within him. Felt the goddess stuck inside him stir and awaken. “I am not a child.”


Hiei didn't miss a beat. “I was talking to the boy, not you.”


Izanami growled and Auggie had to hold her back. “Stop it!”


“Why can't you pursue someone better? She asked in his mind. “Like that gorgeous redhead Kurama...”


Yes, ever since Kurama and Hiei had rescued them, both demons had been in their thoughts. Iza liked Kurama but Auggie...was drawn to Hiei more. Hiei was dangerous and mysterious...sexy.




Auggie sighed and flipped the small can of salve to Hiei. “Well, if you change your mind. It works wonders.”


Hiei looked at the tin, and pocketed it without a word, and continued to wrap his foot without using the medicine! Stubborn!


“Why can't you be more receptive?”


Hiei stood up at that question. “To what? Your advances?”


And in a second Auggie was pinned to a tree, ruby red boring into stormy blue. His breath caught in his throat as Hiei leaned in, heat radiating from the demon, making him sweat. “Oh, uh...”


“Hmm...why don't you make yourself useful...” Hiei spoke as his ran his lips across Auggie's neck. “and go make some of those things you made last night...”


“G-Gingersnaps?”


“Whatever. Go make some for me.” Hiei released the human and went back to his training without another word.


Well, that was almost a kiss. Progress!


He smiled wide and practically skipped back to the temple.


“Ugh! Kurama wouldn’t order you to cook for him like some common scullery maid! He would woo you with rose petals and a three coarse meal!”


“Maybe,” he answered aloud.


“Why cant we pursue someone less abusive?”


He gasped. “Hiei isn't abusive! He's just a little...scratchy.”


“I'd rather scratch my itch somewhere else!”


“Shush!” He looked back at the fire demon who was back to thrusting his sword. Garnet orbs briefly looked back and that's when Auggie saw Hiei's face was more red than it had been.


He ran a hand through his hair with a wink and watched Hiei's eyes widen just a bit. “Ha. See?” He continued to saunter back to the temple.


“Why work for something when you have perfection available already?”


Auggie sighed. “Sometimes a work in progress is more fun.”


~End

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