Ikigai (Hiei x OC)

This YYH based epic opens with Airi, a sweet girl who possesses an incredible darkness, breaking free from six years of captivity and torture. Entering on the day of Yusuke's wake, she finds herself indebted to Hiei. His distaste for her eases when he realizes she is not the weak human he expected, and as she opens herself up to him, he comes to trust her. That trust gives rise to an intense romance, one that allows them to grow and to fail, together.

Things are not always as they seem, and after the Dark Tournament, Airi's mysterious history comes to light. Her story weaves through the remaining anime arcs, and after the Makai Tournament, she and Hiei remain in Demon World to embark on a surprising quest. Through it all, their irrevocable bond and devastating physical connection hold them steady.

Mostly Hiei/Airi's POV, but Genkai, Kurama, Yusuke, Yukina, and other OCs get the spotlight, too. Hope you enjoy!

My HC is that Hiei is fiercely pansexual, so I write him from this perspective! It will come up later on ;)

If you're here for the smut, jump to any chapter marked with an *.

COVER ART BY THE LOVELY @HANASE ON TUMBLR!

The characters depicted in this story, other than the OCs, belong to Yoshihiro Togashi, creator and illustrator of the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I thank him deeply for creating a world and its inhabitants that are so complex and wonderful that its fans are still writing their own takes more than 30 years later.