A Painful Past -Hiei-

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

She was sure this was the city, where she met the old man who helped her. Walking in, she could recognize the people a little child she used to play with had grown into a young beautiful women with her own child. Yu Lifen walked past the girl, obviously she didn't recognize Lifen. That was all fine.

It was still early, there would be time late to visit the cemetery for now she would stay at the dojo. The place was still in ruins, no one seemed to have touched it. Her footsteps echoed in the large dojo, the place gathered up dust, no one would believe how beautiful this place used to look. Kneeling down, she picked up a broken sword, sadness filled her eyes. "You have all but disappeared while your legacy remains shattered." standing up she looked outside, seeing that it was getting dark and people would start to go home for supper soon.

The walk to the cemetery took ages, and she wished for it to have never ended. The tombstone erected for her old master was there, polished and well kept, people had come to pray, obvious by the candle that was there. Lighting up the candle, she put her hands together for prayer, her eyes shut tightly. She could feel a tear trickle down the side of her face, she would shed one last tear for her deceased master.

[Hiei]

It never hurt an assassin to allow some time for himself to scout major cities and towns like Jin Yang. After all, these were potential places that Hiei could find himself sneaking into or running out of. He was an assassin, and most of the time, his job required him to execute public assassinations. That meant that the escape from the respective guards would become a whole lot harder. So, knowing the place beforehand would help give Hiei a little bit of information to plan an escape route with. Hiei had been in the art of assassination for years now, and he had learned that one of the best places to hide out at was the cemetery. There were very little people here, and the Chinese being quite superstitious, marching into cemeteries were one of the things they'd rather not do.

The Japanese killer walked into this said cemetery, covered in a brown cloak that hid all save his face, the fair skin of the Asian contrasting and adding a soft glimmer to the crimson hues of his irises. It was getting dark, and there were very little out on the streets now, which allowed Hiei to be a little bit less discreet with his information gathering. And the cemetery would be empty too, allowing Hiei to look for hiding spots, or even routes, that would prove useful. Boy was he in for a surprise when he saw someone still praying there, the flickering of the candle adding an eerie feeling to the surroundings.

Hiei stopped in his tracks, allowing himself to take in the scene. There she stood, hands locked together in prayer and eyes closed. He sighed. A departed loved one, Hiei could only figure. He closed his own eyes for a moment. He never really had someone he could call his own. And the people he had considered to be his family were all dead, as were his real family. Yeah, mourning was something that Hiei was never familiar with. He never had the time to. He would continue in his pace, intending to walk past behind her.

However, as he did, a gust of wind would blow past, his cloak dancing and pressing against his back. It did not cause the hood to go down, nor the cloak to reveal his armor and weapons, but it did cause the candle to go out.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

No more mourning, she may have killed the main bandits that killed her master, but there was also those who had helped and she would hunt them down to the end of the earth. She wanted to see the fear in their eyes when they knew it was their time to die.

The wind made her snap her eyes open, the candle had been blown out by the wind. Her hair dancing to the steady rythm of the gust that had settled. Turning around, she was startled by the man standing there. Pulling out her rope dart, she narrowed her eyes, the lack of light not letting her see the hooded figure. Was he here to pray as well?

Standing up slowly, she refused to speak. Words were not meant to be randomly and foolishly thrown around, she would wait. If he said nothing, then she would leave the cemetery for him.

[Hiei]

The sudden movement was caught in Hiei's peripherals, the assassin's own right hand reaching to the back and grabbing the hilt of his dagger, the movement hidden by his cloak. She too would draw a weapon. A rope dagger? Hiei's eyebrows furrowed. He never thought that someone like her would carry around a weapon like that. He looked down at a weapon. And it was quite an uncommon weapon too, something used mostly by those in Hiei's field, due to its reach and mobility. It was never recommended in one-on-one fights, but for killing enemies over long distances in discreet.

"You're no ordinary widow."

Hiei allowed himself to state, his right hand still gripping into the hilt of Death. The distance between them was considerably short. From the time that she would need to cock the weapon and throw it towards Hiei, even if she were to jump away to give herself time and space to move, Hiei's own dagger would have already found its way to her flesh by then. If she thought of using that dagger on its own, Hiei would be more than ready to parry her attack.

"And that's not a weapon I recommend using at such short distances. You never know what I have under this cloak. I could have a weapon pointed at you this very moment and you may not realise it."

Not exactly true, but hey, it's all about mind games here now.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

He was too close, that was certain, but the rope dagger would be a distraction. The fans at her side looked harmless, but concealed within was a tanto. Her eyes flickered to his hand and she knew that he was dangerous. She had dealt with many powerful men before, but none gave off the aura similar to the one the man before her had. "And you are no ordinary warrior." was he a warrior? No, warriors held themselves differently, but he was not a bandit either. His posture was lithe, he was fast she could tell. He was the one who would hide in the shadows, the type of person she never associated herself with unless they were useful to her.

She didn't move, knowing that one wrong move could start a battle. "My life has never given me the opportunity to have a husband. This is my master." she turned to look at the place he was buried. It was a shame he was gone, but she swore to avenge him, and she would never stop fighting until the war was over and those bandits were all dead.

[Hiei]

"And you are no ordinary warrior."

She was sharp indeed. No, Hiei was not being egoistic here, but true enough, he was no ordinary warrior. He was an assassin, a paid killer. He was more than a warrior. And simply from his appearance, she had managed to deduce that. Hiei doubted it was all to compliment him, for this was not the situation that called for such, really. She really was sharp. Hiei's eyebrows relaxed a bit. As like her, Hiei stayed still, the rest of his body hidden by his cloak, but his red eyes glimmered under the cover of night.

"My life has never given me the opportunity to have a husband. This is my master."

Ah, a fallen master. And as like her once more, Hiei would allow himself a brief glance at the tombstone of her said master. A master, huh? Well, he had lost those too. His father had taught him to be a killer, but ended up being killed by Hiei's own blade. The bandits taught Hiei to be an assassin, but ended up dead too. Not by Hiei's blade, but he had a part to play in it too. It was his presence that triggered the elimination of the bandits he was with.

"... Murdered, I'm guessing."

No, not a wild guess, but the aura she emitted then as she looked at it was familiar to Hiei. Rage. Vengeance. Hunger. It was all there. At least, Hiei had a hunch it was there.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

He spoke very little, much like her. Probably a troubled past, something they both shared. She relaxed her hand from her rope dagger, if he had come to harm her, he would have already done so. "Yes murdered." by whom, he didn't ask, and she was a women who preferred to speak very little. Simplified life and those who spoke for the sake of hearing their own voices always sounded foolish.

Yu Lifen was curious as to what brought him here. "You don't seem like the mourning type." heavily cloaked, seemingly distant. Men like him sealed their emotions away, not allowing them to get in the way of a mission. But it raised the question, why was he at a cemetery?

[Hiei]

"Yes murdered."

Yup, Hiei had hit it right on the spot. He noticed then the fading of hostility that radiated from her. Well, that was progress, Hiei figured, as he himself pulled his fingers off Death's hilt, his shoulders relaxing as he slowly stood up to his full height, having bent them in retaliation from earlier, getting ready to push him away if he ever needed to. Hiei would, however, take a step back, giving her space to adjust herself.

"You don't seem like the mourning type."

Hiei let out a soft chuckle. True, he may be an assassin, but that did not make Hiei completely void of emotion. Despite his occupation, the man still had his own... Pleasures in life. The only thing he lacked was values, which made him the efficient assassin that he was. He would allow his eyes to glance around for a moment, before turning back to her.

"If I were, I might as well live in the graveyard."

Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but he had lost many of his family and friends back in Japan that it was not even funny to him. The large group of bandits that he had come to know as his family was pretty much as large as a small army. If he were to mourn for every single one of them, he'd probably be in the cemetery for a month.

"This place is never filled with people, just a handful of mourners like you. It's... A useful area to be aware of."

He did not really have to get into detail. He trusted that she would get the idea soon enough.

"... And you don't seem like the type who'd sit still and just mourn either."

And there comes the push back. Hiei could only wonder how long this conversation would last, but considering their... Complimenting personalities, it'll probably last a while.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

His step back allowed her muscles to relax a lot more. He was well trained, able to pick out minor details, he was aware of his surrounding, looking around, but not for a specific thing. Was he looking around to check for changes? It was slowly clicking into place and by what he said she felt like she had a clear picture. He was a trained killer, his job was to take out his targets as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Lifen was a pirate, but she wasn't like the rest of them. She preferred using her mind to analyze rather than attack. To her brawn was nothing without the brains. "I don't mourn. This is just a rare case." and it would be the last time she shed a tear, crying was not going to bring him back. "Something that will not be repeated." she was not emotionless, far from it. Lifen knew that after all these years, she should move on and she did, but that did not mean she shouldn't pay tribute to the elderly man who molded her into the women she was today.

So this trained killer, she presumed an 'assassin' was trying to get a good grasp of the place, but who here was worth killing? Sure there were some rich manipulative men who kissed up to any warlord, but they were hardly worth killing. She didn't word any of this, she didn't speak unless she had to and she never asked questions unless it was of importance. Yu Lifen had dealt with scum like bandits, the crudity of pirates and the snobby rich men who thought she was another whore on the street when they saw her. Well... not anymore. Still, when it came to these random strangers she meets, she is always intrigued by their lifestyles and the way the held themselves. The little details that helped her grasp the way men thought, acted, all things that could help in battle. She worded nothing, it was much easier to keep quiet and speaking was not a given.

[Hiei]

"I don't mourn. This is just a rare case. Something that will not be repeated."

Ah, another curious individual that has shut out the rest of the world around her, keeping only to herself and building a wall around her heart to prevent herself from feeling the loss of a loved one again. The common people would call it a foolish thing to do, but Hiei wouldn't know, for he had done the same. And so far, it had been doing well for him. For the longest time in his life, the only complications in his life were misinformed or amateur clients. Some people send requests out of impulse and never give Hiei much information or leverage to work with. He was just paid to kill, and so he would kill. Very little would pay extra for a preference, but those that did only made things a little bit more complicated too.

Hiei was a foreigner. His homeland was far from here, far from China. He had no friends here, no one to turn to in his time of need. All he had was himself, just as he had for the past many years. He had no home to return to, not even in Japan, the city that was supposed to be under his care having being thrown into a state of chaos that had sent it tumbling down to naught but rubble and ashes, triggered by a state of events puppeteered by none other than Hiei himself. The political and social effects his assassinations had on the country were not things that he really bothered about.

And besides, his last kill had actually helped the Han Empire, when Hiei himself had sneaked into Pu Yang and eliminated the commander, Zhang Bo, there, during the siege of the city by Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. He would once more look at the grave, remembering the bandit hideout that he had actually come to call a home, before it was burnt down by his father's troops.

"... And have you found the murderer?"

Just as Hiei had found and killed his, he wondered if she had done the same. Although they were of different professions, it did not seem that the two of them were that much different. Their reactions to life's challenges, their perspectives of fate, almost everything that made them who they were were similar, something that both disturbed and intrigued Hiei.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

There was another powerful gust of wind, it brought upon a salty scent. She knew it was from the houses of wives as the cooked for their husbands and children, yet somehow the scent reminded her faintly of the sea and she couldn't help but momentarily shut her eyes. Opening them again, she realized that this man, much like her, spoke very little and his company was probably the easiest compared to other men who blabbered on about complete nonsense.

His question made her remember why she was here, did she get the murderer. The main one, yes, but there were others that took part in the crime and she still had yet to hunt them down. "There are still a few bastards left to slay." there was a bitter sound in her tone, and some for her own personal vengeance, the ones who beat her down and did away with her nimble body. Still, she never found out who that one man that saved her was.

At that moment, Lifen stroked the handle of her 'fan'. The concealed tanto that had tasted the blood of many bandits and disgusting men who dared attack her. She was not a women who killed anyone for the fun of it. She was not a sadist, perhaps a bit cynical she could be, but not a sadist. She killed those who hurt her and who killed her master and untill all of them were dead, she would not rest. How many were left? She was sure there were at least five or six of them, it wasn't killing them that was hard, it was finding them and she was dead set on finding each and every one of them.

[Hiei]

That gust of wind blew in, Hiei's cloak dancing with it, this time sliding off his body and revealing the black tunic and pants that he wore, held there by a dark brown wide belt. The silver studs on the ends of Death's and Despair's hilts glimmered under the gaze of the rising moon, though Heikage stayed hidden behind his back. His nose wrinkled at the smell of the wind. Salt. Was it the sea? No, it was too far away to be a sea breeze. Hiei figured it was just the maidens of the houses cooking. Ah, food... He was hungry.

"There are still a few bastards left to slay."

Hiei could not help but chuckle at that reply. He would nod his head slowly in agreement, before looking away, unable to hide the glint of excitement in his eyes. People paid him to kill, both the good and the bad; the heroes and the villians. Bastards were no different.

"There always are."

That was all Hiei could say, as he turned back towards her, before slowly raising his view as the stars finally made themselves visible to the inhabitants of the mortal world, the full moon hanging solemnly at the side of the sky. It was a familiar sight for the young warrior of the night, but it was one that never failed to captivate him. He let out a soft smile, one that contrasted the dark history that he carried. He looked almost innocent.

"It's getting late... Have you had your dinner?"

And he would drop his gaze back on her, that smile fading away into something more... Him. Softly, he would tilt his head, his thin lips now just neutrally positioned.

"If not, would you care to join me? I'm heading back to the inn. And this is probably late but, my name's Hiei. Masaaki Hiei."

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

Lifen's eyes rested on his weapons. It seemed he was hiding them behind the cloak that her wore. The gentle glint of the weapon kept her glancing back at it, but even then she stopped and paid attention to Hiei and not his weapons, she wasn't sure why but her fingers still caressed the 'fans' by her side not wanting to alarm anyone. She felt that it was best to keep weapons hidden it meant less attention and less questions asked.

There was a twitch in the corner of her lips as he chuckled. She looked around, noticing that it was late. She hadn't eaten in ages and now that she thought about it she was fairly hungry. His offer made her smile and she nodded her head."Well I planned on staying at the dojo, but it wouldn't hurt to have dinner." she supposed that would be fine, and her curiosity of this man was not fully satisfied, sitting down with him would be interesting. In fact, she was quite curious about him, maybe his past and his adventures. But Yu Lifen knew that it was dangerous to ask about a persons past, unless they gave you such information she would never prod and ask.

His name made her realize that he was a foreigner and it clicked because his accent was slightly different. At first she ignored it and though he was from far west of Han, but now that she thought about it, it made sense that he was from outside of Han. "And I am Yu Lifen." before she would introduce herself by the nickname pirates gave her, but there was no need for that she was no longer a pirate and she didn't need men to fear her so she could steal and kill easily.

[Hiei]

"Well I planned on staying at the dojo, but it wouldn't hurt to have dinner."

Hiei smiled, nodding his head in acknowledgment as he then turned on his heels, towards the town square, where the inn was located close to, for convenience. Of course, he would not walk off just yet, for prayers like this often usually had a formal ending to it. She probably may just want to say goodbye to her sensei once more, before walking off. Sensei... Hiei could not help but smirk at the word. Although he had learned from many, he had never called anyone by that title before. He never figured it was necessary. At least, that was how it was to him.

"And I am Yu Lifen."

Lifen, huh? As soon as she was ready, Hiei would lead the way, giving her the choice to either follow or walk beside him as equals. People were only servants when they chose to be. Defined destinies were overrated. Hiei preferred to go with life by his own choices. He was a free bird, free from the shackles of society or religion. It was not long before they would reach the inn, and considering that there were less people on the streets, Hiei figured it would be a tad bit safer to be more comfortable. With that, his hands would come up, grabbing the mouth of his hood and pulling it back, revealing the marvel that was his hair. Raven black and long, reaching halfway down his neck and covering part of his ear. And the unique part was that among his hair, there were crimson streaks, colored akin to that of freshly spilled blood, scattered all over, giving an illusion of blood being splattered upon the shadow of night.

A familiar image for Hiei, if I may add.

"So, under whose banner do you fight for, Lifen?" He asked, turning his head to look at her, giving her the due respect as they walked. There was no need to pay much attention to his way. Hiei was naturally attuned to directions. He knew where he was going, even if he was not looking. Besides, there were very little obstacles to bother about.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

Yu Lifen looked down at the tombstone of her master and patted it gently, she would have to come and drink some alcohol another time, but for now it was time she left. As Hiei walked, she caught up with her, more than an arms length away from him and yet just beside him, she didn't need a guide for this place it had once been her home.

Her eyes followed the movement for his hands lowering the hood. She was able to get a good look at him now that there was more light and he wasn't hiding. A very good looking young man, with hair that had odd colorings in them. His face pale, probably from hiding beneath that cloak. Looking away she continued on to the inn eyes scanning the place as they walked, there was no inconsistencies just the occasional man returning from a hard day of work and women hurrying their children in for supper.

His question made her pause, technically she didn't fight for anyone, not yet at least and she knew it could be dangerous to tell someone her future lord without knowing who they fought under. "I have no lord, my home is the sea." her fingers went up to the tattoo on her right arm, remembering the many journey's she had. Dare she ask where Hiei was from? "And yourself." if he asked her, then she supposed it was an open invitation to ask him.