A Painful Past -Hiei-

[Hiei]

"I have no lord, my home is the sea."

The sea? Hiei turned his head to look at her. She was a pirate? It was then that he noticed her hand tracing the tattoo upon her arm. He had not noticed that before. How could he have been so oblivious to it? He looked at the body mark for a moment. Pirates. Hiei chuckled. Had he known she was a pirate, Hiei would have been more careful walking past her just now. Ah, hell, no harm done.

"A pirate, huh?"

Though, it was somewhat unusual. She had a master here, and she was a pirate. Which one came first? Well, she did mention something about a dojo just now. Was it the one that was run down a short walk from here? If that was the case, then she was probably a student here first, and when the master was murdered, she got lost and became a pirate? Well, he had a somewhat similar story. Only... He was the murderer.

"And yourself."

"I'm a mercenary who fights for the highest bidder. And at the moment, that happens to be Lord Yuan Shao. I have no loyalty to him save that from my contract, though."

Hiei chuckled, truly amazed at his own simple lifestyle. He really was a free bird. Then, as they turned right, they would find themselves at the entrance of the inn. It was not that big, though not that small. The entrance was those sliding doors, which Hiei proceeded to slide open, his other hand reaching up, gesturing for Lifen to go in first.

"Ladies first."

And he flashed that hospital smile of his.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

The smell of food was so strong now. The people of the settlement seemed so familiar, some faces she knew very well from all those years ago and some she was positive were new. There was a gentle smile as one passed and looked at her, an old man. He seemed to recognize her, but said nothing and continuing on, probably making nothing of it. "Yes a pirate." she even had a fancy name to go with it, but she preferred not to say it.

When he explained himself, she took note of it. He seemed like he was loyal only to himself. Such a simple way to live, an easier way, yet lonely. "And if you were to be offered more by another... would you accept?" she was curious to say the least. The problem with being an intellectual was being curious.

As they made it to the inn, his smile made her smile back. Despite his rather 'loner' style, he seemed harmless and kind. Yet she knew that underneath that smile there was a deadly killer and that just made her more interested and slightly baffled. How could a person who killed so many still smile by the end of the day. Lifen killed the bastards that killed her master and that made her smile. When she was at sea she could smile, but if she led the life of Hiei, would she still smile? Smiling back and saying a thank you, she entered the inn and found a table off to the corner, not wanting to be recognized by the people of this place.

Lifen had grown up, but that didn't mean she was completely unrecognizable. Sitting down, she made sure her back was turned to the people. Most were travelers who had come by here and needed a place to rest, but the people who worked here she was sure had been here since she was very little.

[Hiei]

"And if you were to be offered more by another... would you accept?"

"Without a second's hesitation."

And once more, Hiei would smile, as he followed her into the inn, closing the door behind him. There were a considerable amount of people in the inn, notably a couple of men of hard labour that decided that tonight would be a good night to get together and have a few drinks. There were other travelers there too, a couple of merchants, but none that Hiei recognised, so paid no attention to. Hiei may still be new to China, but he got around quite a lot. He knew which clients were worth looking into. Though, he never was one to look for jobs. He simply waited for them to come to him. It was always better that way.

It was always easier to bargain for a better price, if the one desperate for the deal was his client, not him.

They would then proceed to sit at the corner of the premises, Hiei being forced then to sit facing the crowd, his hand coming up as he unbuckled the neck of his cloak letting it then drop on the chair as he proceeded to remove Heikage from its buckle, with its sheathe and all, before placing it against the seat beside him. And he would then proceed to place one elbow on the table, sitting quite comfortably with the cushion of his cloak against the wooden seat. He reached down with his other hand for a moment, feeling for a pouch tied to his waist belt. It was the gold that he had brought along with him from his room, and it seemed to suffice feeding the two of them.

"So, what will you be having? My treat. Least I could do, since I'm the one who asked you out like this."

And just as he asked, one of the waitresses proceeded to move from the bartender of this part of the inn, heading towards them and getting ready to take their order. Well, this wasn't such a bad place, after all. At least they had good service.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

His honesty was one she could definitely respect. As he settled in across from her, she was able to watch him carefully, unbuckling his weapons. Her own tanto's were irritating at her side, but she didn't want attention to be drawn at the very stiff fans at her side, instead, she sat at the edge of the chair. As the waitress came, Lifen ordered a simple rice and vegetable dish. Even if she was hungry, she knew very well that she wouldn’t eat much anyways. The waitress bowed and turned to Hiei.

Lifen didn’t speak until the waitress was gone to fulfill their orders. “I am curious though, do you travel much?” he seemed like it, but she should never be quick to judge by appearance. Sure, he was ‘loyal’ to one, but that didn’t mean he stayed in one place. Her eyes were focused on Hiei, his features quite foreign she could clearly see that under the current light, handsome, calm, soothing, but there was a hidden feel of danger. All of these aspects she could see from earlier, but there was something about him that was different and she couldn’t put her finger on it. Perhaps when he spoke she would figure it out.

Everything was a puzzle for Lifen. No matter what type of puzzle she always wanted to solve it. It was one of the reasons why her pirate captain kept her around despite being a woman. That, and she made quick work of their enemies.

[Hiei]

The waitress would arrive, and Hiei would let his new-found companion give her order first, before proceeding to provide his own. A bowl of rice and another bowl of steamed beef, quite a favourite for the young assassin. And he also allowed himself to order a glass of their best wine and two wine cups, a soft smile on his face, realising almost immediately that she had not ordered any drinks.

“I am curious though, do you travel much?”

The question snapped Hiei's attention back towards her, as the waitress walked off, Hiei fully aware that he had pretty much allowed a major poke in his wallet. Ah, hell, there was a lot more that came from, considering his line of work and China's current situation. People like the one in front of him, though, came rarely. She was sharp and interesting, her observations and replies never having failed to amuse Hiei thus far.

"Well, I came here from Japan almost two years ago, and I've been roaming around China ever since. I've been to most of the cities. Why do you ask?"

Hiei looked towards her for a moment, tilting his head. And then, he would lean forward a bit, before letting out a chuckle, his crimson hues moving from her for a moment as he looked over his shoulder. The travelers paid them occasional glances, mostly made curious by their appearance, but the group of local men, who looked quite drunk, had been looking at them ever since they had come in. It unnerved Hiei, but at the same time sent a chill of excitement down his spine.

"And you know, you can put your weapon on the table, if it's making you sit uncomfortably like that. Besides, it's not like anyone will realise. They'll just think that it's a fan."

Ah, yes, the sharp eyes and deduction skills of the young assassin. He had somehow pieced it all together. The stroking of the fan earlier, as if getting ready to snap into it. The weight that it seemed to place upon his arms. And now, her attempt to hide it from plain view. It was enough pieces of a puzzle for Hiei to put together.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

Lifen wanted to order alcohol, but recently she had been overly indulgent in it’s pleasures. As he ordered wine, she supposed it wouldn’t be dangerous for it wasn’t as strong as the alcohol she usually drank; it wouldn’t affect her. Lifen shrugged, she asked because she was getting a clearer idea of him. “I am simply intrigued.” Why lie about it? She might as well let him know that he was interesting and not like the boring drones she encountered.

Lifen watched him lean in; she kept herself composed, looking at the man very carefully. It was only when he broke eye contact to look around did her own grey eyes diverting its attention to others in the inn. Travelers barely stared, they were used to od appearances so the ones present would only glance up at herself and Hiei, however, the commoners did not stop and only did one man make eye contact with her did she turn to look away at Hiei, not wanting to be recognized.

The mention of her weapons made her grin, he was perceptive, he paid attention and that little observation of his gave her even more information about him. “Very sharp.” She took the ‘fans’ from her sides and placed them to the side of the table. For fans, they were fairly long, but it was not unusual to see fans of larger size. Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms a hint of a grin playing at the edge of her lips. He may have figured out that they were weapons, but had he figured out of what kind? She had left no hints, but she could always leave a few, just to amuse herself. “You seem to be quite the connoisseur of deception. Or am I mistaken?” she placed her hand on her weapons stroking it affectionately, the blades hidden had been her longest companions.

[Hiei]

“I am simply intrigued.”

Hiei chuckled, finding himself unable to properly reply that then. What more could he say, after all? Saying thank you would be quite egoistic of himself, and saying that she was too was a bit... Corny. He would once more lean back against the chair,that soft smile upon his face as he looked at her. She was a natural beauty, he realised it, now being given the light by the flames of the inn. She had this dark mysterious aura around him, one that Hiei found quite alluring too.

“Very sharp.”
"Thank you."

And this time, an appreciation was required, of course, considering it was a direct compliment. Although his eyes were on her, it would occasionally glance towards the trio of locals, who kept giving them the suspicious eyes. Hiei was no idiot. Despite their passiveness at the moment, Hiei knew that it would only be sooner or later that their alcohol would drive them to cause a little bit of trouble. Hiei would figure that it was simply because of the attraction she had as a female, but considering how she acted when she looked towards them, Hiei was starting to have an idea that it was something else.

“You seem to be quite the connoisseur of deception. Or am I mistaken?”
"It's part of the job."

Hiei chuckled, his eyes rolling downwards for a moment as he caught her hand stroking the fan. Whatever she was up to, she was probably testing his ability to deduce then. Of course, there had been no direct clue to shade out what weapon it was exactly, but from the shape of the fan, Hiei figured it was around the idea of a short sword. Unless the fan was actually hollow inside, it had to be a blade. What kind, Hiei could not figure out yet. However, he would allow himself to voice out a different inference then.

"So... Any reason why the locals here seem to despise your presence in their town?"

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

He was seemingly modest, despite earlier stating that he fought for the highest bidder, she still felt like there was nobility in him. Lifen had started to ignore the people around them, feeling like they were not worth her time. The people in here she had barely known as a child, what gave them the right to look at her in such a way.

Yes, she assumed that he would know all the tricks in the book and perhaps had a few of his own. It didn’t surprise her that he noticed the men were looking at her slightly different. First off, they knew who she was and what she had become and they still blamed her family even after all this time. “Despise? And here I thought they would welcome me back with open arms.” She turned to look at one local and winked, the man looked away quickly his cheeks turning bright red. Lifen laughed, the mans reaction proving itself quite amusing.

“My master, he was well liked, a kind man and when my family came, the bandits came right after and slaughtered him. I suppose they believed my family is responsible.” Lifen didn’t care much, if they wanted to blame her then that was their choice, she was more than willing to take the blame, but it didn’t matter to her, she was going to kill those bandits one by one. “Besides, I think they’re more interested in my new companion.” She was talking about Hiei himself, they could tell he wasn’t from china, it was visible in his features.

Lifen could care less about these people, they blamed her and yet they were more than willing to take the remnants of her masters belongings and sell them so that they could invest in useless luxuries the town never needed. Everyone knew her master had weapons valuable for their timeless and jewel encrusted shapes. To her, they were the ones to blame for if they had some decency left in them, they would have respected the man and given the remnants of his wealth to the poor as he had always wished.

[Hiei]

“Despise? And here I thought they would welcome me back with open arms.”

Sarcasm? Yeah, seemed pretty much like it. Hiei smirked. Hiei could somewhat understand how she was feeling, being shunned in her own hometown. Hiei was born a prince, but was seen as a curse and a burden instead, not only by his family but by every single one of the people that were under his family's care. His father never saw him as worthy of being his heir, instead training the boy to become an assassin, one that Hiei's younger brother could make use of during his reign. Hiei was to be a tool for the man who would take what was meant to be his. And all this was because he was born with a defect in his eye pigmentation. He was born with red eyes.

As Lifen proceeded to tease one of the locals a bit, Hiei would glance over, noticing the other two's reaction after Lifen looked away. And he could not help but smirk, noticing the conflicting expressions on their faces. For the girl that sat opposite the assassin, they held disgust, disappointment, hatred, but the alcohol that seemed to be running excessively through the system added into those vortex of dark feelings lust, jealousy and desire. As creepy as it was, Hiei found it amusing how those feelings could mix together so well.

“My master, he was well liked, a kind man and when my family came, the bandits came right after and slaughtered him. I suppose they believed my family is responsible. Besides, I think they’re more interested in my new companion.”

Hiei looked at Lifen, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he allowed himself a shrug, before shaking his head as he looked at the table. Placing both hands on his side of the table then, Hiei would notice, at the corner of his eye, the waitress walking towards them with their orders upon a tray.

"I don't know. I don't think I'd get the same reaction if I winked at them."

And the waitress would arrive, placing their respective plates in front of them, before walking off to retrieve the second half of their orders - the wine and the cups.

"So, what about you? What sort of trade do you specialize in? Considering your choice of weaponry and skill in deceit, I'm guessing somewhere along the lines of mine?" He would inquire, though his eyes were on the bowl of rice in front of him. He had not eaten since noon, and traversing all the way to night had taken quite a bit out of him. He was hungry.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

Lifen did not break eye contact until the women with their orders came. Leaning back, her eyes shifted downwards to the bowl, it was still fairly hot and so she felt like it could wait, besides she was too immersed in the conversation to eat. "If it wasn't for their physical appearances, you would think them animals." she could be speaking about the bandits, or even the locals with the mixed and perverse looks in their eyes, either way it didn't matter to her, he could take his pick as to who she was talking about.

Lifen laughed, no he wouldn't get the same reaction. "Maybe not, but I bet the reaction you receive would be more amusing than a simple blush." in fact, she knew he would get a reaction that no one in the room would ever forget.

Trade, Lifen wasn't sure. "The only trade a pirate knows is rum, gold and the sea." she grinned, becoming more serious. "I've never worked for a person other than a pirate captain and before that I was just a traveler with my family." perhaps she had none, just a nameless women who could fair well in battle.

[Hiei]

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"If it wasn't for their physical appearances, you would think them animals."
"Aren't we all?"

Hiei add in a rather sullen tone, a clear indication that he was both being lively and serious at the same time. His eyes were still fixated upon the food laid out in front of him, the hunger that bothered both his mind and stomach only held in check by the chivalry that Hiei had picked up in front of women, in which he would allow her the first bite of the night's meal. Hiei would then slowly allow his gaze to come up to meet hers, before flashing her a smile, one that truly displayed a different side of him than that his victims last witnessed.

"The only trade a pirate knows is rum, gold and the sea. I've never worked for a person other than a pirate captain and before that I was just a traveler with my family."
"And yet, you carry with you an uncommon weapon for discreet killing and a hidden weapon, plus the manners of a true lady and the looks and brains of one too."

Hiei allowed himself to trail off in his words, as the waitress returned then, allowing herself to apologise to Hiei, stating then that the inn bore no wine, but they did have some stronger alcoholic drink to offer. And perhaps due to the fact that she had mentioned it just before, Hiei would change the order to a bottle of rum. And the waitress was off once more, Hiei chuckling as his attention returned to Lifen, the assassin allowing himself to tilt his head and smirk.

"You really are one interesting pirate, Lifen."

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

Her food had gotten cooler and so she took the first bite, savoring the taste. His words flattered her and she couldn’t help but flush a slight pink, but it was gone just as fast as it had come. How could she answer that? Shrugging she took another bite trying to figure out the easiest way to explain.

“It is easier to keep out of sight and unquestioned than basked in glory with useless words following you around which serve no purpose.” At sea, it was just her and the crew. Pirates never asked about one anothers history, preferring to just work and make the most out of what they had than waste time with the past which would never change. And as a traveler, she never had to explain she entertained with her family and moved on no questions just applause and gold. “As for the weapons, it just makes revenge that much sweeter when they don’t know what’s coming.” She wasn’t a sadist, but at times she could be quite the cynic.

At the mention of rum, she couldn’t help but smile and laugh a bit. “I see you’ve been taking notes.” Waiting for the waitress, Lifen continued eating her food. With the glasses down on the table and the large bottle of rum left for them, she poured for Hiei first and then proceeded to do so for herself. Raising her glass she paused for a moment before continuing on. “To random encounters in cemeteries.” Laughing just a bit, she brought the glass to her lips and drank a bit. As mentioned earlier, Lifen had been drinking too much heavy alcohol, and she needed to tone down, this time she would try to not finish her glass… only that would prove to be a very difficult task.

If she was an interesting pirate, then she wondered faintly what he would think about the people she sailed with. Yes, they all didn’t have names that when mentioned by bandits would have them feeling uncomfortable, but there were some that where just plain odd and amusing. “Interesting and pirate are synonyms.” Yes that was a reasonable response.

[Hiei]

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“It is easier to keep out of sight and unquestioned than basked in glory with useless words following you around which serve no purpose.”

Hiei would place a pinch of rice in his mouth too, as soon as she was done swallowing her first bite, the action itself taken as Hiei's indication to start his own feast. However, her words had caught Hiei had a pause there, as the assassin tried to branch out her words to find openings from which he could give a clever reply to. However, it seemed that she had thought up her statement well. Hiei could find no better reply to her, after removing the chopsticks from his lips of course, than...

"Well said."
“As for the weapons, it just makes revenge that much sweeter when they don’t know what’s coming.”

Hiei allowed himself a soft chuckle. He could agree to that, but he had a wider variety of preferences, it seemed. Hell, to be honest, Hiei had no preference in how he killed. It all mattered on how the client wanted it to go. Whether it would be a public assassination, a private one, or an 'accident', the latter being the hardest to stage, of course. If there were no specifics, then Hiei would have to research his victim quite a bit thorough than usual and find the easiest time and method to swoop in for the kill. He would simply nod his head though.

“I see you’ve been taking notes.”
"Eh, I can pay attention too, you know."

He chuckled once more, before allowing his gaze to move her for a while as he looked at the new additions to their table. Ah, rum. Honestly, Hiei was not that much of a drinker. Considering his line of job, he was expected to be of full mental capacity 24/7. It was only times like this, when he would take on voluntary departures from his client, that he was allowed to celebrate. And these times were rare. Lifen would fill Hiei's cup, receiving a nod of appreciation from the male as he lifted it up.

'Heh, yeah. To random encounters in cemeteries indeed."

And he would proceed to down most of the cup, the liquid pouring down his throat and giving it a burning sensation that spread throughout his mouth and down his throat. An audible sigh would escape his lips.

“Interesting and pirate are synonyms.”
"Heh, I can agree to that. I was picked up in the sea by pirates a few weeks back, and it was the captain's daughter that set me free. I never really understood why, though."

And he would proceed to down himself another pinch of rice with the chopsticks, adding a slice of steamed beef on top for extra flavour. And as soon as he swallowed the delicious mouthful, he would open up the conversation once more.

"You never said what happened to your family..."

Well, wasn't this quite an open conversation.

[Yu Lifen (Harley)]

It was easier to focus on the bowl in front of her, the steam coming from the rice and vegetables only made her more aware of her hunger. Lifen ate silently, the people in the inn had kept to their own orders, through the corner of her eye, she noticed that the men stopped looking in their direction. Lifen took another drink of her rum, the burning sensation that should follow after was something she was so accustomed to that she paid no attention to it. “A captain taking his daughter to sea, now that I must see.” Most pirates would have their fun with women and leave them , they would never see the women again and if she were to give birth to a child, well, it was up to her to raise a child that would never know its father.

Lifen shrugged her shoulders, she wasn’t sure. They were probably around traveling, entertaining doing what they did best. Yu Lifen had a good relationship with her family, but now that she was so apart and with other goals and objectives, she felt like she shouldn’t burden herself with these emotions. Perhaps in the future she would allow herself to return to her family and convince them to settle down in one place. “Wherever they are, I’m sure they’re fine.” It was all she could say, taking a swing of her rum, she returned to her food once again returning to the silence that had been the only constant companion in her life.

[Hiei]

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“A captain taking his daughter to sea, now that I must see.”

Hiei looked up once more, those chopsticks wedged in between his lips. It took his hungry mind a while to register what she said, before giving a muffled chuckle. True, enough, he did see the point behind her statement. Not like Hiei was judging, but pirates were known to not have any morals to speak off. Drink, loot, pillage, rape, these were all activities that were related to them. And the last one being the one in topic here. Pirates must sleep around a lot, so of course, they'd have off-springs that they don't even know abo-... He looked at Lifen... Was she really that kind of a person?

She shrugged her shoulders, Hiei almost catching is an answer to his mental question, but realised soon enough that it was referring to his later question. So, her family's whereabouts were unknown, huh? She pretty much had a lot of things to do in life before she finally settled down, it seems. Revenge, reclaiming her sensei's honor, finding her family. It all seemed like a hassle for the young carefree assassin. He nodded his head slowly, before allowing himself to finish the remaining rum in his cup, another sigh escaping his lips as he poured himself a second round.

"Well, that's good to hear, I guess."

And another pinch of rice with steamed beef, Hiei allowing himself to indulge in the moment, one that was becoming more and more rare, it seemed. With all the conflicts and battles that were occurring all over China, Hiei really had his work cut out for him. Contracts after contracts after contracts, it almost seemed as if he was a full-time soldier already. Man, he hated that thought.