Kurama was bored. He tapped his pencil on the desk and stared blankly at the newspaper in front of him. There'd been no activity in either the Makai or the Reikai for Koenma to call him about, and while life in the Ningenkai was good right now, Kurama was becoming increasingly dissatisfied. The emptiness in him that he had first noticed shortly after the end of the Makai Tournament had recently been growing.
At times, Kurama would almost wish for some heinous, life-or-death situation to come up in the Reikai, just so he would have something different, a new challenge. Of course, he would never actually want something terrible and dangerous to happen, but at least it would give him a chance, an excuse to see his friends again.
To see Hiei again.
He sat in his desk, sipping his almost-cold tea, thinking. He enjoyed coming in to work after hours. Everyone thought he was being industrious, and working hard to get ahead. And he supposed he was. But the main reason he liked working late was because here he was alone. He could just be Kurama for a while, instead of Shuuichi. He could be himself with Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and their other friends, but when there was no chance to be with them, he relished the after hours of semi-freedom.
He looked back down at his newspaper with a yawn. It must be almost time to go home, he thought. He would read this last article then head out. A slight frown line appeared between his eyes. The frown deepened the further along he read. Recently, he'd been keeping track of a series of murders that had been approaching Tokyo. The murders were vicious, brutal and completely unpredictable. The victims were random, seemed to have nothing in common with each other, were both male and female, and ranged from 12 to 60. The murderer seemed to have no particular pattern. Even the ways the victims were murdered were completely different. Some of the victims were killed with a knife, though never in the same way, one was strangled, one tortured and shot, one burned to death...there were more, and each one was different and horrifying.
In fact, there was nothing to tie them together at all, except for the appearance of a series of odd chemical dusts at the scene of each crime. The chemicals in the dust were unknown to even the highest of officials and scientists. The general consensus was that it was some new drug. What confused them, though, was that the supposed drug was organic. An organic substance that was unidentifiable.
But Kurama had his own suspicions. There was a conspicuous silence regarding the crimes. Usually, the media loved to horrify the public with tales of blood and violence, but on this one case they were completely silent. For no reason he could specifically pin down, he knew with certainty that the "unknown organic substance" was Makai-grown and that the reason for the silence was an inability to explain some things. He knew without a doubt that these murders were not the result of a human, but of a youkai.
Disturbed, Kurama gathered his things to leave. He exited the building, still deep in thought.
If the murderer was indeed youkai, then ningen police weren't going to be very successful dealing with the problem. He pondered the mystery, his fox's mind grasping this new puzzle with a vengeance, and his human mind deciding to pay a visit to Koenma tomorrow and talk to him about it.
Kurama walked slowly, newspaper in front of him, rereading the article in hope of gleaning new information. He noticed a small group of boys leaning against a wall, but in his preoccupied mind, he just dismissed them. They were no real threat to him anyway.
The boys watched Kurama walk, shared a glance with each other that communicated more than a thousand words, and pulled away from the wall. They slowly, ever-so-casually began to follow him. They were young and not overly intelligent, but they knew that an unconscious victim couldn't fight back. A swift, accurate blow to the back of his head and he was out.
"Aw, man!" One of them, a big dark-haired boy, swore. "It's a guy!"
One of the other boys, obviously the leader, smirked with a malicious gleam in his eye, "So? Any guy that feminine was meant to be played with, ne?" He knelt and turned the redhead who'd crumpled on the ground over. The boy grinned and pulled out a short, but very sharp knife. He ran the blunt side down Kurama's face, without drawing blood.
"He's awfully pretty, ne?" A quick slit with his dagger sliced the shirt Kurama was wearing, leaving a red mark on his chest that slowly began to bead up with blood.
The shadow flashed in front of him, and his knife was gone faster than he could see. In the blink of an eye, all six boys were on the ground in various states of pain and agony...at least they would have been if they'd been even remotely conscious.
Kurama woke up in his own bed, in his mother's house. His chest and head had been bandaged and cared for, though his head still hurt like crazy. For a moment he wondered how he had gotten here, and why, if someone had found him, he hadn't been taken to his dorm room. Then he felt a familiar dark presence in his room. He sighed, shivering slightly in excitement. That would explain his mother's house. Hiei wouldn't have wanted to risk being seen by anyone in the dorms. He opened his eyes and spoke softly, "Hiei?"
Hiei stepped forward from the shadow he'd been waiting in. He nodded at Kurama in greeting.
"Arigatou, Hiei." Kurama restrained himself from grabbing his little friend, hugging him tightly and saying how much he'd missed him. Instead he just said, "Thank you for helping me."
"Hn. Stupid fox. You were sloppy." Hiei's voice and words were almost accusing, but his eyes showed a little of the concern he felt.
Kurama sobered in agreement. He had been careless. He smiled slightly at the look of concern in Hiei's eyes. He understood what Hiei hadn't told him. Though his head still ached painfully, he somehow felt better than he had in months. Strangely, the discontentment and emptiness were gone for the moment. "Are you just visiting, Hiei? Or are you staying a while?" Kurama tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the anxious hope out of his eyes and voice.
"Koenma called me." If Hiei heard the longing in Kurama's voice, he made no sign of it. He held out a cassette tape to Kurama. "This is for you."
Kurama raised an eyebrow and moved to pop the tape into his old stereo. Koenma's childishly odd voice shouted out at him. He winced and turned down the volume. Shuuichi-kun must have been using his stereo while he was gone.
"Kurama," Koenma's voice cackled. "You, Hiei, Yuusuke and Kuwabara are to report to my office at nine o'clock tomorrow morning." There was an audible click, a small pause, another click, then an overheard conversation. "How much did he say we were overspending, George? Can't we even afford just a *little* music video?" Koenma's voice whined.
"Koenma-sama!" George's voice replied chastising, in a pleading tone that probably shouldn't have been possible, but was uniquely George. "You know how displeased your father was with the spending you've been doing latel - Koenma-sama! Put down the video camera! Enma-sama said no - Koenma-sama! Where did this laser disk player come from?! Koenma-sa -"
The tape cut off suddenly.
Kurama blinked, then turned to Hiei with a suspicious sparkle in his eye. For a moment there was silence, then he put a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. The corner of Hiei's mouth lifted slightly.
When Kurama had gotten his chuckling under control, he asked, "Did he give you any more details than he gave me?"
Hiei shook his head. "I got the same message as you."
Kurama was silent for a moment, then spoke in a soft, serious voice, "I've missed you, Hiei."
Hiei's response was a curt, "Hn," before he disappeared in a flash of black. He reappeared briefly at the window, to say quietly, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, ne?" and then disappeared.
Kurama lay back down on his bed, caught between disappointment and happiness. He knew one thing for certain. He couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.
When Kurama arrived at Koenma's office the next day, Yuusuke and Kuwabara were already there, waiting. Hiei had yet to appear, much to Koenma's vexation. He paced the short span of his desk, tensely muttering through his fuukuman.
His agitation increased as the minutes passed, and before he could explode, Kurama suggested, "Why don't we start without him? I can fill him in later." Koenma sulked, muttered something about stubborn youkai and sighed, resigned.
He opened his mouth to speak when a flash of black halted in front of him in the shape of Hiei. Hiei wore his usual condescending expression, and for a moment, Kurama was afraid he'd have to restrain Koenma physically. But after a few tense moments, Koenma regained control and spoke.
"Recently, there have been a series of murders in the Ningenkai. Have you all been keeping up to date on them?"
Kurama and Yuusuke nodded, and Kuwabara shrugged uncertainly. Hiei just gave Koenma a look that said, quite clearly, "They're humans. Who cares?"
Koenma sighed and continued. "The perpetrator of these crimes is a youkai by the name of Hitsunai." Koenma paused and rubbed a hand over his eyes.
When he didn't continue, Yuusuke piped up, "And...? What kind of youkai? What class is he? What are his powers? Where can we find him?"
Koenma didn't meet Yuusuke's eyes and said, a little embarrassed, "I don't know." This was met with incredulous silence. "We don't have very much information on him at all, though we do have a picture." The face of a youkai appeared on the small pocket television on Koenma's desk; it appeared he was cutting back on technology since his big screen TV was conspicuously absent.
The youkai was not very large, but was muscular in a wiry sort of way. His skin was a very pale white. His hair was dark, dark black, a sharp contrast the pure white horns he had on each side of his head. He was clothed, from head to foot, in black, and was covered almost solidly, from neck down, in many long black strips of cloth, each about two feet wide. The effect was very unsettling. An angel in black. But the things that drew the attention of all the boys were the youkai's eyes. Amidst the black and white sharpness of his appearance, the vivid yellow of his eyes stood out. Two bright spots of color, filled to the brim with bitterness. Kurama could almost feel the anger and hatred emanating from the television.
Koenma spoke softly, his voice at odds with his demeanor. "Very little is known about him. This is his first offense, and it has been horrifying. There is no rhyme or reason to any of the murders. The only clue we have is the powder that has been found at every site. It's a Makai plant called Yuudoku Shokubutsu."
Kurama gasped, and all eyes turned to him. He explained, "It's grown in the very southern regions of the Makai. The plant basically devours everything it touches. It can only be carried in pure diamond containers, since that's the only substance it can't eat through. In small doses, it releases a hallucinogen, and because of this, it's often used at parties in the south. If only a little is used, it doesn't seem to have many side effects. However, it's usually only used by people who are either brave or stupid, because a larger dose can cause unconsciousness, and too much can cause a slow and painful death, since the plant literally devours your insides."
Koenma lifted his head and looked Yuusuke straight in the eye. "It is imperative that he be stopped. He's upsetting the balance between the Ningenkai and the Makai, Man and Youkai, Good and Evil..." Hiei raised an eyebrow.
Koenma paused to take a breath. "Besides, if I don't find him, my dad will get mad." The last was said in an almost-pout.
Kuwabara still looked confused. But all he said was "How are we supposed to find him if we don't know anything about him?"
Koenma turned to Kuwabara and said, "That's up to you. But it needs to be done quickly. Before more innocent lives are slaughtered."
The Urameshi team, all a little excited to be working together again, had decided to split up. Botan, Yuusuke and Kuwabara would go to each crime scene to interview each victim's family and try to find a common thread. In the meantime, Kurama and Hiei would go to the Makai to research Hitsunai himself.
Now, Kurama looked at the as-yet empty doorway he was standing in front of with mixed emotions. He had nothing against Mukuro, personally, he supposed. He knew Hiei respected her a great deal. She was powerful, and she seemed to treat Hiei well, but Kurama couldn't help the uneasy feeling she inspired in him.
Maybe it was from being around Yomi too much during the Makai tournament. Maybe it was because he didn't trust her. Or maybe it was just because she got to see Hiei every day, while he dreamed about the little Koorime, lying in bed every night. Alone. His eyes widened as an errant thought popped into his head. What if Hiei and Mukuro were sleeping together?! He blinked and shook his head to clear it. If he kept thinking those thoughts, he'd never be able to concentrate on the job at hand.
Hiei just raised an eyebrow and gave him an odd look, then proceeded to ignore him as Mukuro came in the door.
"Back so soon, Hiei?" Mukuro's smile was not-quite-friendly, and not-quite-sincere when she saw Kurama with Hiei. "I would have thought if it was important enough to take you from me, Koenma would have made it last a little longer."
Hiei grunted. "We need some information." Hiei showed her a little 3-d image that Koenma had given them. "His name is Hitsunai. We need to find him." As usual, his tone was abrupt and his words were few, though his usual "I'm-so-much-more-powerful-than-you-that-you-can't-possibly-imagine" air was missing.
Mukuro looked at the picture and frowned. "I've heard of him, a little. Not much. I know he's about A-class. Not very powerful, if I remember correctly." She paused in thought a moment then continued, "There's an archivist just on the outskirts of my territory who might know more. She has taken it upon herself to keep track of everything that has happened in this territory for the past five or six centuries. If he's been here at all, she'd know."
Hiei turned to Kurama with a questioning look in his eye. Kurama met his gaze guiltily, and Hiei frowned and said, "Mukuro says she's heard of him, but doesn't know a whole lot about him. She suggests we try an archivist at the outskirts of the territory."
Kurama nodded. "Sounds good." He turned to Mukuro with a polite bow and spoke his first words to her since his arrival. "Doumo arigato gozaimasu."
Mukuro smirked at him. "Good luck."
The two turned to leave, and she called out after them, with genuine amusement in her voice, "And, Hiei, you might want to reassure Kurama that we aren't having sex with each other. He's been trying to figure it out for the entire time you've been here."
Kurama left with a *very* warm face.
The archivist lived at the top of a large hill, in a small cottage almost completely hidden by trees and plants, barely visibly unless you were only a few feet away. To one side, there was a large boulder that provided shelter from the elements and, more importantly, hid the cabin from prying eyes. It hung slightly over a cliff that looked down on the majority of Mukuro's territory. On one side of the boulder, there was a crevice. Not very big. Barely big enough for a small woman to sit in comfortably, but small enough to be hidden by shadows when people looked up at the rock. And it had a great view. Someone sitting in that crevice could see far and wide across the valley. The perfect place for watching without being seen.
The cabin itself was dull and unobtrusive with plants and vines stretched out over the entire thing. It had a small, round window on the side facing away from the boulder and a very short door. Whoever lived in it appeared to be very small. These were the only openings in the cabin, as far as Kurama could see. However, in the approaching darkness of the Makai night, there was light emanating from the window and under the door.
Kurama approached the door and knocked lightly. He looked over at Hiei and smirked. The door, which was too small for Kurama, was just the right height for Hiei. Hiei met Kurama's smirk with a glare that said he knew exactly what Kurama was thinking, and turned away. Kurama stifled a chuckle. No one answered the door, so Kurama knocked again, a little louder.
They heard grumbling from the inside, a bump, a few loud curses, more mumbling then silence. Kurama's eyebrows rose, and he looked at Hiei again with amusement sparkling in the green depths. "Well, it sounds like *someone's* home, ne?"
The door opened quickly, with a slam on Kurama's last word, and he jumped. He blinked at the sight before him. The woman was very small and dainty. She was about Hiei's height and looked more delicate than a bird. She had soft-looking, wispy white hair and big, sharp blue eyes. Her entire demeanor was quiet and submissive, and she looked so old and fragile that the slightest breeze might carry her away, but Kurama had the feeling that was an act. Judging from the intelligent sparkle in her eye and the ease of the curses she'd been spouting a few minutes before, there was much more to her than she looked.
"Can I help you?" Her voice, like her manner, was unassuming and quiet. But not overly friendly.
Hiei stepped forward and spoke bluntly. "We need to find out about a youkai named, Hitsunai. Mukuro said you would tell us."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" In the face of Hiei's not-quite-offensive attitude, some of the act slipped away, and she looked him in the eye, speaking with a mocking voice. "Now, why would I do that?"
Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Baabaa..."
The woman smirked, losing the rest of her innocent act, "Oh, yes, that's certainly the way to win over my cooperation." She leaned her head back and returned his glare challengingly. "You haven't answered my question, child. Why should I help you?"
Kurama stepped forward before Hiei could reach for his sword. "Obaasan, excuse us. We didn't mean to be rude." He shot a meaningful glance at Hiei, who grunted and looked away. "The youkai we're looking for has been causing a lot of problems, and we would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to give us." His hands were in front of him, in a motion of placation. His eyes were polite and careful. They needed this woman's information.
The woman studied him for a moment, and Kurama had the distinct impression that she was seeing clear through to his soul. She seemed to come to a decision, both about him and about their request. Moving aside, she motioned for them to come in. "Let me see what I can do."
Kurama almost sighed in relief. As Hiei passed in front of him to enter the little cottage, Kurama flicked his shoulder with his thumb and forefinger. When Hiei turned, and Kurama gave him a Look. Hiei grunted and turned away, ignoring Kurama.
Kurama hid a smile. Hiei was adorable when he was annoyed.
They sat on little chairs, while the woman made tea. The cottage was just one room, so they watched her while she moved. Kurama's knees were uncomfortably cramped, since the chairs and the cottage were built for someone much smaller than he. The old woman hummed while she prepared the tea, and Kurama could almost see Hiei steaming in his impatience. When the woman glanced back at Kurama and winked at him, he bit back a grin. There weren't many people who would go out of their way to tease the dark little youkai. Up to now, only Kurama had been brave enough, or dumb enough, to play with and tease Hiei. Kurama respected this little slip of a woman who wasn't afraid of his grumpy friend.
Finally, the woman poured them tea and sat down. "What did you say this person’s name was?"
"Hitsunai." Kurama looked to Hiei, who took out the small image they were given. "We only know a little about him. This is what he looks like. We also know that he has access to a plant called, ‘Yuudoku Shokubutsu’ which grows only south of here. Mukuro said only that she’d heard of him and suggested maybe you might be able to tell us more."
The woman studied the image for a moment, lost in thought. Finally she met their eyes. "Aa. I know him. He was born in this territory, but he left when he was a young man and never returned. What kind of information do you want to know?"
"Anything that would be helpful, both in finding him in the Ningenkai, which is where we’re pretty sure he is, and in fighting him, should the need arise."
The woman began speaking, and though she looked at no notes and referred only to her memory, the two knew that what she was telling them was flawlessly accurate. "When he left here, he was barely a B-class youkai. Neither of his parents were very strong, so my guess is he’d never be more than a high B or lower A-class. His powers were empathy-based. He could feel people’s emotions." Kurama and Hiei looked at each other solemnly. An empath could be a potentially dangerous enemy.
"Unfortunately, that’s as far as his empathy went. He could feel the emotions, but he couldn’t do anything about them, couldn’t control them or manipulate them. He could project his thoughts and emotions to an extent, but only if people willingly gave their consent. And even then he could only project, and not touch their own minds in any way. He discovered his restrictions at an early age, though, and began dabbling in outside magic."
"Outside magic?" Hiei’s voice was sharp and wary.
"Hai. He began experimenting with spells and potions. Even at that early age, he showed an alarming talent for performing acts that should have been beyond his ability. Though his class level was very low, when he left, he could have been ample competition for any upper A-class, and he was steadily improving, even then. Now, I’m sure he could face down, and possibly even defeat, an S-class."
"Do you have any idea why he would be striking out against humans?" This time the question came from Kurama.
The woman stilled and turned to him with an icy stare. "I’m sure I have no idea. And as for finding him in the Ningenkai...I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help you there." And with that the woman stood and began clearing away their cups and the tea. Kurama took that as the hint that it was, and stood. He bowed as well as he could in the cramped space, and thanked her politely.
When they stepped out the door, he gave Hiei a look and said in a low voice, "I’ve got a bad feeling about this." They left together to go meet Yuusuke at the agreed upon rendezvous.
He watched the small group gather, from his perch up on a tree limb. The spell he had cast seemed to be hiding his youki well enough. They hadn’t seemed to notice him yet.
There were five of them: three weak humans, a girl, and a small youkai. He sensed that the humans were more powerful than most, but he had no doubt his abilities would far surpass theirs. He narrowed his yellow eyes, looking closely at one of the humans. He knew that one. Where had he seen him before? For a moment he was lost in contemplation. His eyes lit up and he grinned evilly, as he finally recalled a name to match the face. Perfect.
They were looking for him. He could tell. He might as well give them what they wanted, ne? They would be no match for him. This could not be more perfect if he’d planned it.
"So that’s all we learned." The frustration in Yuusuke’s voice was almost tangible. "There’s nothing to tie these murders together at all. No common hobbies, except for the fact that two of them enjoyed baseball and two of them liked the color blue. All we really learned was that Keichi, the most recent victim, played soccer and had a crush on a girl at school."
"That’s not true, Yuusuke," Botan interrupted with a slight catch in her voice. Kurama turned to look at her, concerned. She seemed to have been affected hard by talking with the boy’s parents. There were tears in her eyes, and her face was sad, but she continued, "We learned that he was a normal boy. He wasn’t especially talented, or gifted at any one thing. He was just an ordinary human boy."
"If he were only an ordinary human boy, why would he be killed by a youkai who could defeat an S-class?" Hiei’s deep voice interjected.
Botan sniffled and turned to Hiei and shrugged delicately, wiping a tear away.
"And why would Hitsunai be after these others as well? What would make a youkai with his abilities suddenly turn and attack humans, who were no threat to him?" Yuusuke asked.
"The archivist wouldn’t answer that." Kurama’s soft voice entered the circle. "I had the feeling that she knew the answer, but wasn’t telling us."
Hiei nodded in assent.
The five sat in silence for a moment. Each of them was caught up in his own thoughts. The group was standing in a circle, in a relatively isolated part of a park. The area was surrounded by trees, so they were well-hidden from the general public, in an effort to conceal their discussion. They could still see the occasional mother with her child, or little boy walking a dog, but other than that, the area was empty. "Where do we go from here?" Kurama was the first to voice the thought that was on each of their minds.
A voice, lilting and oddly musical, seemed to come from nowhere, answering his question. "I’d say you should go to the source. Ne, Kurama-chan?"
Kurama started and turned, glancing first to one side and then the other. But the speaker was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at Hiei, and the two turned, without speaking, to take places on each side of Botan, preparing to protect her against the unseen enemy. They scanned the area but couldn’t find a body to match the voice.
At the first sound of the youkai’s voice, Yuusuke had yelped, and he and Kuwabara moved to circle the small opening, quickly taking stock of the people in the area. It was late in the evening, and most of the crowds had left. Yet a few lingered, meandering through the park, completely clueless about the danger they were in.
The voice flowed, catching and riding the wind like falling leaf. "Where am I, Kurama-chan? Find me if you can..." The voice seemed to circle the boys, flying here and there, hiding in the mist that now flooded the area, but never settling. "I’m here!" The voice lingered to Kurama’s right, and he turned, staring hard into the mist, but he saw nothing. "No, I’m here!" The voice was at his back now. He turned sharply, gracefully, summoning his rose whip as he searched for the hidden enemy, still seeing nothing.
Hiei stepped forward, having had enough. His eyes narrowed. "Kisama," he growled. "Show yourself, coward!" He held a firm grip on his katana, jagan glowing bright and probing.
The voice laughed, the sound a chilling and unnerving sensation. The mist parted directly in front of the boys, swirled dramatically, then dissipated in the shape of the youkai whose image they had been researching for the past twenty-four hours. His appearance was something of a shock to all of the boys. The image had been accurate down to each line of his clothing. But in person there was something...charismatic. Something unique about him that shone brightly. Kurama’s eyes narrowed as the youkai’s appearance cleared. He was beautiful, to be certain. But there was a sinister look to him. His beautiful yellow eyes were hard and angry. The figure took an elegant bow, gracefully presenting himself to them with a disdainful smirk.
"Hitsunai desu. Hajimemashite." Though his voice was melodic and his words polite, his tone was mocking and contained a cruel edge to it. An uneasy feeling that Kurama couldn’t place washed over him. Hitsunai was staring directly at him, and those eyes seemed to be burning a twin set of holes right through him. Kurama knew, somehow, that this youkai hated him. Hated him passionately. Yet, for all that he was racking his memories, both Shuuichi’s and Kurama’s, he could not remember ever meeting this youkai. The utter and complete hatred in the glare that the youkai was giving him sent a shiver up his spine. He desperately wished Botan were far away from him. But she remained where she was, silent and small, trying to keep herself from the youkai’s notice, and he mentally urged her to remain so.
Yuusuke stepped forward, drawing the youkai’s attention from Kurama and Botan, and in his typical leader-of-the-pack manner tilted his head cockily. "Oi! You’re under arrest by order of the Reikai Tantei. Do you give up..." Yuusuke cracked his knuckles with a gleam in his eye and a half smile on his lips. "Or do we have to force you?"
Hitsunai laughed again. It was a cold and sadistic sound, harsh to Kurama’s ears. He could still feel that maliciousness aimed at him. The uneasy feeling was rapidly growing. He wouldn’t act unless he had to. Not with Botan so close to the danger. He’d let Yuusuke and the others handle it. But he narrowed his eyes and watched Hitsunai closely. The youkai’s mouth moved subtly, though he didn’t speak. His look said that Yuusuke was impertinent and weak. An attitude the team had faced often. One that always managed to rile the more volatile-tempered members of the group. Hitsunai’s hand moved slightly in Yuusuke’s direction, and Kurama leapt forward and yelled, "Yuusuke! Watch out!"
A sudden blast of raw power shot out of nowhere and hit Yuusuke straight in the back, sending what looked like raw voltage shooting through his entire body. Yuusuke screamed in agony as wave after wave of spasms rocked his frame. He collapsed, still crackling with energy and light. Botan held her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Her eyes were wide in terror and worry.
"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara raced forward, catching his friend as he slipped to the ground, unconscious.
"Kisama!" Hiei’s katana was out and slicing through the air before anyone had a chance to take a breath. He sliced through the spot where Hitsunai had been standing, and would have sliced right through the youkai...if the youkai had been there. Hitsunai had disappeared. He reappeared on the other side of them, still laughing maniacally. Hitsunai smirked at Hiei’s expression and disappeared again.
Once again the bodiless voice surrounded them, circling them like a vulture circles its prey. "Run, run, as fast as you can..." He appeared briefly in one spot, amidst a small grove of trees, then was gone. "Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man." He reappeared next to a bench, just a few yards from a father with two small children, who seemed completely oblivious to the disturbance in the park, then disappeared again. Botan made a strangled sound of frightened concern. Hitsunai reappeared and turned toward the sound. Kurama readied himself to fight, but the youkai was distracted before he needed to.
Kuwabara had leapt to rush the youkai when the youkai paused in his movement. With a yell, he charged forward with his Rei Ken, only to lose his balance and topple over when the youkai that he should have run through was no longer there. Again he reappeared in a different spot. The youkai didn’t seem to be moving, simply disappearing completely and reappearing in a different location.
Hitsunai laughed again, taunting Kuwabara. "Good puppy!" He held his hand out in a beckoning gesture, as an owner would to his pet, and called him again. "What a good little puppy you are!" Kuwabara growled and charged.
"Watch his mouth! He has to recite the spells! Catch him while he’s saying the words!" Kurama shouted, even as Hitsunai shot another spell, this time aimed at Kuwabara. Again he disappeared before the others could respond.
Kuwabara collapsed on the ground, shaking. When he stopped shaking, he rolled over onto all fours and began running in circles, like a dog chasing his tail. And, indeed, soon he began to bark, angry little yips that got louder with each circle he made.
Kurama turned, slowly, keeping Botan behind him, watching for the youkai. He met her eyes, trying to comfort her with his gaze, but he wasn’t sure how successful he was. He knew, somehow, that the next target would be himself. For a moment there was nothing. No voice, no Hitsunai, no spells. Just the wind and the mist. Yuusuke lay on the floor, still unconscious from whatever Hitsunai had done to him, and Kuwabara barked in circles around his fallen friend. Hiei stood at Kurama’s back, with Botan between them, watching, waiting.
Completely silent, Hitsunai reappeared to Kurama’s left, only visible for a brief second. Just long enough to send off his spell. But Hiei saw him. And saw who the spell was aimed at. Hitsunai released the spell with a yell, sending it careening, a straight pink line of energy, toward Kurama. Hiei jumped backward, his only thought to knock Kurama out of it’s path. The pink line slammed into Hiei, knocking him a good fifty feet away. He landed in a heap on the ground, unconscious.
"HIEI!!!!" Kurama screamed Hiei’s name and raced to his friend, dragging Botan by the wrist, practically throwing her to the ground behind him. He landed hard on the ground near Hiei, gathering the little fire demon in his arms, holding him close with one arm. With his other arm, he grabbed a rose from his hair. The youkai had hurt Hiei. He would die. His eyes grew cold and dangerous as his body melted from the gentle form of Shuuichi Minamino into his youko form. His narrow, golden eyes surveyed the area. But there was no Hitsunai. He waited a moment, but the youkai was gone.
With a muttered curse he shifted back to his human form, pulling Hiei more firmly into his arms. His gaze swept the area, taking in the complete lack of damage. The only difference in the park around them was the bench that had been knocked over at some point in the fight and the three bodies, in various states of consciousness, which littered the ground. People continued to walk through the park, laughing and completely at ease. Botan’s eyes had been wide with fright, but when they saw the children, they got a protective, determined look in them.
Kurama looked over at Yuusuke, who was just regaining his senses. Their eyes met, solemn and quiet. They weren’t finished yet. They would regroup, and he would return. And next time they *had* to be ready for him.
Hitsunai cursed. Damn that little fire brat. He had destroyed the plans which had been so carefully laid out. Hitsunai slammed his fist into the tree he was leaning against in frustration. He couldn’t even read the little bastard. Kurama was easily read, his feelings displayed out in the open for anyone to see. Kurama was practically projecting, his feelings were so obvious. No challenge to Hitsunai’s abilities whatsoever.
But Hiei...Hitsunai growled softly. Hiei, he couldn’t read. At all. The other humans and the girl were almost as open as Kurama was. It must be the jagan, Hitsunai decided. He knew Hiei’s jagan may have given the Koorime some telepathic abilities of his own, and that would explain why Hiei was so difficult to read.
Hitsunai sighed, at a loss. His plan had been completely shot down. For a moment he sat in silence, staring into his own mind, trying to decide a new plan of action. He thought of the spell he had cast. The spell which had now been transferred to Hiei instead of Kurama. His eyes widened as he realized what spell it had been. He grinned. Well, it wasn’t what he had originally planned. But he was nothing if not resourceful. He could adapt. He chuckled to himself. Oh, yes. He could adapt.
Hiei lay still, unconscious, with his head cradled on Kurama’s lap. His face held an expression of utter peace, and he slept more deeply now than he did after calling forth the Kokuryuha.
Kurama was worried. It had been almost three hours since their fight with Hitsunai, and Hiei had yet to regain consciousness. Yuusuke had fully recovered from his attack and had taken Kuwabara to Genkai’s temple to see if Genkai or Yukina could help him. But Hiei was not waking up, and they still had no clue what Hitsunai’s spell had been, since he seemed to be completely healthy. Just asleep. Kurama petted the little youkai’s dark hair, anxiously wondering how long he would sleep.
He studied Hiei’s peaceful expression, smiling ironically. If it weren’t for the dire circumstances, he would have been thrilled to be in this situation. Would have been thrilled at any excuse to hold the little Koorime close. But he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it. A worried frown line settled between his eyebrows. He wished Hiei would wake up.
Kurama shifted his hold, sliding one arm around Hiei’s slender shoulders, bringing him against his chest. He buried his face in Hiei’s hair and whispered hoarsely, "Wake up, Hiei! Please, wake up." He cradled his friend in his lap and in his arms, rocking him gently.
The first thing Hiei noticed when he woke up was that he couldn’t move. His arms were in front of him, pinned between his upper body and something else. Something was wrapped around him, holding him in place, and he was warm. Whatever was binding him was somehow hard and soft at the same time. Ordinarily, Hiei’s first instinct would have been to fight, to break against the bonds and kill whoever it was that dared try and restrict him, but he could feel Kurama’s strong, comforting ki all around him, and instead of wanting to fight, he had the inexplicable urge to snuggle closer to the security that seemed so near.
He opened his eyes slowly, lethargically. But all he could see was darkness, so he closed them again, and just felt. He could smell Kurama. That fresh, green smell that was uniquely Kurama. He could smell him all around, encompassing him, overwhelming him. A strange feeling, stronger than anything he’d ever felt before, warmed his lower body. His stomach knotted and tightened, and he felt warm all over. Kurama’s hands were caressing his back in small, slow circles, and it was making him ache in a strange, longing sort of way. It was not comfortable. Hiei squirmed, in a vain effort to soothe the ache that grew increasingly hard to ignore.
Kurama felt the little bundle in his arms move and pulled away, quickly, looking to confirm that Hiei was indeed awake. Hiei opened his eyes and blinked slowly, dazed and sleepy. Kurama started to tell Hiei he was happy that he was awake, and to ask how he felt, and basically to mother and coddle his friend. But something in Hiei’s eyes made him pause. For a moment they were silent, just gazing at each other.
Kurama whispered, in a hoarse voice, "You’re awake," since it was all his throat could seem to manage. Something in the way Hiei was staring at him stole his breath. Hiei just blinked. "I’m glad you’re awake, Hiei..." Kurama began to regain control again, but his voice was still shaking. "How are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Hiei shook his head slowly, never taking his eyes from Kurama’s.
Silence fell again. Kurama didn’t know what to say, and Hiei didn’t seem inclined to do anything but stare. Finally, Kurama knew that he either had to do or say something to get out of this staring contest, or he’d do something stupid, like lean forward and brush his lips against Hiei’s. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hiei’s finger pressed against his lips, silencing him.
Hiei felt...odd. Tingly and warm. And unsettled. Kurama was his best friend, had been his only friend for a very long time. But in all the time they’d known each other, he’d never felt like this. Never felt this fierce burning that raged through his body, as hot as the dark flames he controlled. He’d noticed Kurama’s appearance before, and he’d admitted to himself, though never to the stupid fox, that he found him attractive, but he couldn’t understand this sudden, intense desire. And he couldn’t seem to control it. He stared into Kurama’s eyes. Those deep fathomless green eyes. Kurama was saying something. But Hiei couldn’t comprehend the words. All he could do was feel and desperately try to control these urges that were running rampant through him.
There was silence. Kurama wasn’t talking, and he was incapable of coherent speech. He just stared. He tried to deny the need in his heart and body. He didn’t need anyone. When you started to care for people, they became a weakness. Like Shiori for Kurama. Like Yukina for him. He hadn’t wanted Yukina to become his weakness. Hadn’t told her he was her brother, in hopes that that would keep a distance enough to protect him. But no matter what he said or did, he admitted to himself, she was a weakness. He would do anything to keep her safe.
He closed his eyes tightly, shutting Kurama out. If he gave in to this heat, now, this passion that was in him, demanding release, he knew that he would only be opening himself up to further weakness. Not only that, but there was also a possibility...a strong possibility...that Kurama would reject him. Then he’d not only be without a lover, he’d have lost his best friend in the bargain. But when he reopened his eyes and met Kurama’s he froze. All the arguments he’d been telling himself disappeared in a flash. Kurama opened his mouth to say something else, but Hiei stopped him, covering his lips with one finger. Kurama’s eyes widened.
Kurama wasn’t sure what was wrong with his friend, why he was staring at him so intently. If he hadn’t known better, he would have sworn that he knew the look in Hiei’s eyes. If he hadn’t known Hiei as well as he did, he would have been convinced that the heat that glittered in those blood red pools was desire. But he did know Hiei. Knew him better than he knew himself, he thought. And Hiei had never shown any sign that he felt anything more than friendship for Kurama. No matter what Kurama said or how much he hinted and teased.
Kurama closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t his fault. Hiei’s fingers were cool against his lips, and he responded on instinct. Really. Eyes still closed, he kissed the fingers softly, then shifted his mouth to pull one inside. He sucked gently. He realized what he had done when he heard Hiei’s sharp intake of breath. His eyes popped open, and he pulled away, mortified.
"Gomen nasai, Hiei!" Kurama’s cheeks flamed, and he looked down to his bedspread in utter embarrassment. "Gomen," he whispered again.
But Hiei wasn’t there. The only sign of his presence was the open window.
Kurama rolled on to his stomach and sighed into his pillow. Damn. He was an idiot.
"Well, Baasan, can you help him?" Yuusuke and Botan had rushed Kuwabara to Genkai’s temple as soon as Kurama had said he’d care for Hiei. Yuusuke and Genkai stood in the middle of the room on either side of Kuwabara, who was sitting back on his haunches, panting, with his tongue lolling out.
Genkai raised an eyebrow at him and turned from Yuusuke to Kuwabara. "I don’t think there’s anything I can do, Yuusuke. Not without knowing the spell he used." She frowned down at Kuwabara, who was now awkwardly attempting to scratch an itchy spot behind his ear with his foot.
"Kazuma-san!" Yukina’s soft cry filled the room. "Doushita no?"
Kuwabara barked and bounced toward Yukina, hopping on all fours, yipping excitedly.
Yuusuke rolled his eyes, and told Yukina, "He was hit by some youkai’s spell. Changed him into a dog."
Yukina turned her big red eyes to Kuwabara, sitting in front of her. "Poor Kazuma-san. Is there anything we can do?"
"Baasan says she can’t do anything, ‘cause she doesn’t know what spell the guy used."
Yukina knelt, putting her small hand on Kuwabara’s head, petting his hair softly. Kuwabara’s eyes rolled, and he collapsed onto his side, panting in pleasure. Yukina giggled and scratched him behind the ears. Kuwabara nudged his head against her arm, begging for more.
Yuusuke snickered. The sight of Kuwabara stretched out while Yukina scratched his tummy was one of those moments when he really wished he had a camera. He rolled his eyes again and turned to Genkai. "So what should we do?"
Genkai was silent for a bit, contemplating Kuwabara’s situation. "Well," she said finally, "there is the possibility that Kuwabara could break free of this spell himself. If he gathered his ki and could focus enough..." she broke off at the sight of Kuwabara thumping his foot on the ground enthusiastically, while Yukina petted him. Genkai raised an eyebrow skeptically. "But he has to be able to want the change, and he has to be able to focus completely on changing."
Yuusuke looked at Yukina, with her hands on Kuwabara’s shoulders, laughing, while he enthusiastically licked her smiling face. Yuusuke looked back to Genkai. "Uh huh. Right." He sighed. Kuwabara was taking to his new role just a little too easily, and Yuusuke had the feeling that Kuwabara kinda liked being in his current position...lying in Yukina’s arms...even if he did think he was a dog. He snickered. He *really* wished he had a camera.
Hiei sat up in the branches of a tall tree, cursing to himself and trying to calm the storm that still raged through his body. It had progressed well beyond the excited, achy feeling. His heart pounded in his ears, his body temperature had soared, and his arousal burned painfully. He’d tried just about everything he could think of to get his mind off of it, to relieve the tension, but nothing seemed to work. His body hurt all over, and he could barely move. Damn that Hitsunai. What in the hell had he done to him?
He let out a shuddering breath and thought of Kurama. He bit back a moan as wave after wave of heat shot through him in a flash. He’d been shocked when Kurama had kissed him. Had... He closed his eyes and pressed back against the tree, digging his fingernails into the trunk. He wanted nothing more than to race over to Kurama’s house, tackle the damn fox and make love with him until neither of them had the energy to even breathe. Or at least until this terrible feeling went away.
Unconsciousness beckoned him, and he gritted his teeth, fighting it. But he couldn’t give in. Couldn’t abandon his pride and give in to the weakness. He wouldn’t give in. He wouldn’t...he sank into the darkness that swallowed him, almost grateful for the short reprieve.
When he next opened his eyes, he was standing on the ledge outside of Kurama’s bedroom window, with no memory of how he’d gotten there. He figured that he must have already knocked, because Kurama’s shocked, sad eyes met his through the glass. Kurama opened the window with a startled sound, and all of his intentions flew away. At this point he no longer cared. Taking a deep gulp of air, he stepped into the room.
"Hiei," Kurama whispered in shock. "What are you doing here?" Kurama didn’t know how to respond to Hiei’s presence. He hadn’t expected to see his friend so soon. Kurama was perfectly willing to admit that he’d wanted Hiei almost from the first moment he saw him, but he had never made so forward an advance as he had today. Now he wasn’t sure how Hiei would react. He decided to let Hiei take the lead. He’d just sit back and not initiate anything.
Hiei didn’t speak, just looked at Kurama with so much need and pain in his eyes that Kurama took a step towards him, before he could stop himself. The sight of Hiei in pain struck Kurama hard. Hiei never showed pain or weakness. He certainly never showed that he needed anyone, regardless of how true it was. Kurama’s brow furrowed in concern.
Kurama put a hand on Hiei’s shoulder. "What’s wrong, Hiei? How can I help you?" His eyes widened. Maybe it was the spell that was hurting his friend. "Should I take you to Genkai’s?" He led his friend to the bed, and sat down next to him. Hiei was breathing heavily and he looked feverish. Kurama wanted him to be comfortable, since he didn’t know what was wrong with him. "Hiei, wha—"
His voice was cut off when Hiei’s hands tangled in the forelocks of his hair and yanked hard, bringing his mouth down to his. Kurama made a muffled sound of shock against Hiei’s mouth as it pressed hard against his. When Hiei pulled away, his eyes were tightly closed, and his hands, which were tangled in Kurama’s hair, were shaking. "Kurama." His voice was hoarse with what Kurama was beginning to recognize as barely controlled desire. "Kurama, I...I need you." The last words were spoken so softly that Kurama almost missed them. Yet, still Hiei didn’t open his eyes.
For a moment Kurama was silent, stunned. He blinked. Putting two fingers under Hiei’s chin, he lifted his face, silently asking him to open his eyes. As if he had read his thoughts, Hiei opened his dark red eyes. "I need..." Hiei paused. "Kurama, will you help me?" He looked down, pushing Kurama’s fingers down, away from his chin. "Please."
The last word undid Kurama. He wasn’t sure why Hiei was doing this, or what had made Hiei want him so much now, when a few hours ago he had fled his room without saying a word, but Kurama wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He put his hands on Hiei’s shoulders and drew him close, bending down to kiss Hiei’s lips, softly, questioningly, giving Hiei one last chance to pull away. Hiei leaned closer.
With a soft moan, Kurama wrapped his arms around the little fire demon and pressed him gently back against the bed, burying his face into his neck. Hiei hesitantly wrapped his arms around Kurama and whispered into his ear, "I love you, Kurama."
Kurama froze. He closed his eyes and breathed shakily into Hiei’s neck. "Hiei, I..." He broke off, his choked voice disappearing for a moment, and then continued in a whisper, thick with emotion, "I love you, Hiei. More than anything. I always have."
He kissed Hiei’s neck, then made a path to his mouth and kissed him, soft and lovingly. Hiei quickly caught on to what he was doing, and it turned passionate and hot. For the rest of the night, there was no talking. Nothing more than two lovers learning each other’s bodies and giving themselves to each other, body, heart and soul.
Some time much later in the night, while Hiei was sleeping soundly, Kurama lay wrapped around his lover like a blanket, exhausted, but too overjoyed to sleep. He moved his arm, which was under Hiei’s head, falling asleep, and brushed against something smooth and cool. His hand closed around the tiny gem, and he held it tightly, treasuring it. He supposed he should give it back to Hiei. After all, Hiei hadn’t actually given it to him. But he held out his hand, gazing at his little token, and decided to keep it after all. This one little tangible piece of his lover to treasure forever. He sighed and held his little lover close. Once a thief always a thief, he thought to himself, as his eyes closed and sleep slowly overtook him.
Kurama hung up the phone and snuggled back in his bed, curling around the sleeping figure of his lover. He yawned sleepily, wishing he could cuddle up and sleep peacefully, the way Hiei was doing. Neither of them had gotten any sleep last night, and this morning when Kurama had finally begun falling asleep, Yuusuke had called and said that Kuwabara was himself again, breaking into random bouts of laughter as he spoke, and that they should arrange a meeting place and time.
Kurama watched his little lover sleep, and sighed happily. He still couldn’t believe Hiei had come to him, had actually said he loved him. He tightened his arms around the youkai, burying his face in Hiei’s hair. He’d loved Hiei for so long, had flirted and hinted and teased. But Hiei had always ignored his teasing, had just given him that "stupid fox" look that he knew so well. He’d never hinted that he wanted more, and Kurama hadn’t wanted to push.
He knew Hiei’s life had been hard, and he’d been willing to be the one pleasant constant in Hiei’s life if Hiei hadn’t wanted more; he’d finally come to the conclusion that Hiei must not want more. He worked for Mukuro now, and seldom visited. The only times they ever really saw each other were when they were on assignment from the Reikai. Kurama missed the times when they had sat together, while Kurama did his homework, not saying anything, just enjoying each other’s company, or the times when Hiei had come to him, hurting without ever saying why, and Kurama had talked to him, cared for him, and had tried to take his mind off his problems. He missed the few times Hiei had ever shown him emotion or shown that he cared about him, when he’d come to him instead of being alone or seeking help elsewhere.
He’d missed Hiei.
He sighed softly and whispered into Hiei’s ear, "Time to wake up, Hiei." Hiei murmured something incoherent and turned around in Kurama’s arms, snuggling close. Kurama hid a smile and kissed Hiei’s cheek. "Koibito," he whispered. "We need to go meet Yuusuke in the park to plan." His lips traced Hiei’s ear lightly, teasingly. Hiei shook his head, trying to shake off the irritation. Kurama blew on his ear softly.
Hiei’s eyes popped open, and he pulled away to glare into Kurama’s green eyes. Kurama chuckled, and repeated himself. "Yuusuke wants us to meet him in the park."
Hiei grunted and pulled away, turning his gaze from Kurama. Kurama could have sworn he saw a blush on Hiei’s cheeks. He reached out and took Hiei’s hand in his. Hiei raised his eyes to Kurama’s, and Kurama squeezed reassuringly. Hiei got an unreadable expression on his face and pulled his hand away, searching around the room for his clothes, which were strewn here, there, and everywhere else.
Kurama snickered, grabbed a robe, and taunted, "Love you, Hiei," on his way out the door to the bathroom. When he came back Hiei had already left. He smiled. Who would have ever thought that a fire demon, who could control four Makai-made fire dragons, would be embarrassed "the morning after." Hiei was adorable.
Kurama dressed and headed out the door, walking to the park where he was to meet his friends with a dreamy smile on his face. Last night had been incredible. His love for Hiei overwhelmed him. He’d had many lovers in the past, but he’d never felt for any of them what he felt for Hiei. As though he couldn’t survive without him. As if without him he was incomplete.
He blinked and looked around. The last time he’d been walking without paying attention he’d been attacked. He had no intentions of making the same mistake twice. Paying attention to his surroundings, he continued in the direction of the park. He idly wondered how Hiei would act when there were people around them.
As he passed a vacant lot, he felt cold, familiar youki surround him, and he froze. Hitsunai. Damn, he swore to himself, wishing his friends were here.
"Well, well, well." Hitsunai’s icy cold voice echoed through the lot, and Kurama swirled with a feeling of deja vu. Once again, his opponent was not visible. Only his voice and the unpleasant touch of his youki were present. "Look what we have here."
Kurama stood still and glared into the emptiness, glancing around him, verifying that there were no people present, then searching out the youkai. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want? Why have you come after us? Why have you been hunting humans?"
"You mean your searching through Mukuro’s territory didn’t give you any insight, Kurama-chan?"
Kurama remained silent in the face of Hitsunai’s mocking voice. Uncertain of the youkai’s actions, Kurama knew his best bet was to keep him talking and to get him out in the open.
"You have no idea why I might have decided to turn on poor, innocent, *weak* humans?" Hitsunai appeared before him with an evil sneer on his face and an unbalanced glint in his eye. "The old bag didn’t tell you about my parents, Kurama-chan? She didn’t tell you that they didn’t want a child and should never have had one. That my mother deserted my father for a time, indulging in an affair with a *poor*, *innocent* human." Hitsunai spat his words, the hatred in his eyes increasing with each passing moment. "She didn’t tell you that when the *poor*, *innocent* human dropped my mother like an unwanted pet, she returned to my father and I, made our lives miserable for a time and then killed herself."
Kurama’s eyes widened as he began to catch a glimpse of the source of Hitsunai’s intense bitterness. He frantically searched the lot with quick, furtive glances, looking for an opening. Hitsunai saw him looking around and muttered a few words and shot out an arm. Kurama ducked, expecting a blow, but instead a white glow surrounded the lot with a low buzzing hum, then faded. "There. Now your friends won’t be able to interrupt us." The barrier around the lot was just barely visible, but Kurama could see that it was well-constructed and would not be easily penetrable. It appeared that the old archivist had been right about the strength of Hitsunai’s powers increasing.
Kurama focused his attention back on Hitsunai. The insanity that was beginning to emanate from him was rapidly increasing with each word, and Kurama silently reached out with his mind, to touch Hiei’s mind, to tell him what was going on.
"She didn’t tell you of how after my mother’s death, my father beat me on a regular basis, almost killing me time and again. She didn’t tell you how my father let my mother’s cheating and her death make him mad, that he lost control of what little power he had and let it consume him. That he died wishing me to hell in pain and suffering." Hitsunai paused, so mad that Kurama wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d started foaming at the mouth. "She didn’t tell you how that *poor*, *innocent* human, who had completely destroyed my life, lived to marry another weak human and live happily ever after." Hitsunai’s eyes glittered with unshed tears of hatred and anger.
Hitsunai’s tone of voice became sickly sweet and condescending. "I’ve seen you before, Kurama-chan."
Kurama blinked. "I don’t remember..."
"Oh, no. You wouldn’t remember. We never actually met, you see. I watched you, though. Watched you fighting in the Ankoku Bujuutsukai. You’re a decent fighter, Kurama-chan." Despite the complimentary words, his tone was rich with disgust. "You represented your team well."
Kurama couldn’t bring himself to thank Hitsunai for the strange compliment and just eyed him warily.
"I saw you again, at the Makai Tournament," Hitsunai continued, ignoring Kurama’s silence. "Again, you fought well. Seeing you take your youkai form again was a rare treat." His gaze turned inward for a moment, and he appeared to seethe silently. He focused his gaze once more on Kurama and sneered. "You were offered a great prize, Kurama-chan. A third of the Makai on a silver platter, with Yomi’s blessing. Yet you *chose* not to accept. You *chose* to remain human."
Kurama had to stop himself from backing away from the venom in Hitsunai’s voice and face and stance.
"You *chose* to remain a part of a species that is so *poor* and *innocent* that the lives of a youkai woman and her family mean nothing to it. A species of people that care for no one but themselves. A species that is so pitiful that it can’t even fight back against the weakest of youkai. You are a traitor!" With his last angry words, Hitsunai shouted a few indecipherable words and shot a red beam of energy towards Kurama. Kurama barely managed to leap out of the way in time.
Kurama spoke, desperate to keep Hitsunai talking. He’d been able to reach Hiei, and he knew that his friends were coming. Now all he had to do was keep Hitsunai distracted in the meantime. "So why didn’t you attack me yesterday? You had the opportunity after Hiei fell. If you are so angry with me, why did you only attack my friends?" Kurama dodged another stream of energy as he spoke.
Hitsunai paused in his attack and smiled evilly. "The little fire brat interrupted my plans, jumping in to take the spell that was meant for you. I could have attacked you after that, you’re right. But I decided that giving him the spell was much more appropriate."
Kurama felt the nearby youki of his lover approaching rapidly and knew that Hitsunai did as well. Hitsunai turned his head in the direction of the approaching group and smirked. "Here comes your brave little love, Kurama-chan. Maybe he will save you." Hitsunai turned back to Kurama. "You, my dear Kurama-chan, are as easy to read as writing on a page." He circled slowly around to stand behind Kurama, away from where Hiei and his friends were coming from.
They broke into the clearing and stopped, quickly assessing the situation. Yuusuke fired a few quick rounds of his Rei Gun at the barrier, but it had no impact. Kuwabara tried slicing with his Rei Ken, but all that accomplished was him bouncing back and landing on his rear. Hiei watched the others fail with a gleam in his eye and remained silent, watching Kurama. His Kokuryuha could probably break through the barrier, but there was a chance that it would blow Kurama up with it, so he wouldn’t act unless he had to. He would have to trust Kurama to take care of himself.
Hitsunai continued speaking. "I could see that you were in love with that irritating little fire demon, and he offered me the perfect opportunity for revenge."
Kurama glanced at Hiei, who looked down, refusing to meet Kurama’s eyes. Kurama turned away from Hiei and looked at Kuwabara and Yuusuke, who were standing next to each other, staring at Hiei and Kurama with their eyes wide open and their jaws almost on the ground. Kurama turned back to Hitsunai with a blush on his cheeks.
Hitsunai smirked at Kurama’s embarrassment and continued. "I had originally planned to use the spell on you, to make you want him so badly that it literally ate you up inside. When he didn’t return your feelings, you would suffer, just like my mother did. Like my father did after her death." He glared at Hiei. "The little brat interfered with that, as you know. But I realized that making him fall in love with you was a much better plan. The spell was set to wear off. In fact, it must have worn off about an hour ago. When your little lover no longer returned the love that you so freely gave to him, you could feel the same agony my family did."
Kurama’s eyes widened in horror and sought Hiei’s. But Hiei kept his gaze firmly on the ground. Kurama’s eyes filled with tears, as he took that for his answer, and he fell to his knees. At Kurama’s collapse, Kuwabara and Yuusuke renewed their efforts to bring down the barrier, but with no success. Hiei did nothing, remained completely silent, though he did raise his eyes to watch Kurama.
"What’s wrong, Kurama-chan?" Hitsunai’s smile was filled with malice. "Are you feeling sad? Your little youkai doesn’t really love you. It was all a joke. Nothing serious. You shouldn’t get so worked up. After all, you’re only human. The feelings of one youkai shouldn’t mean anything to you."
Kurama couldn’t move. Pain, a rush of sheer misery washed through his body. Last night he had given Hiei his soul, and today it meant nothing. He reached inside of his pocket and clasped the little round gem in his fingers. Meaningless. A stolen token of a night that meant nothing. His eyes closed, and his mind tried to drown out Hitsunai’s continuing stream of words. But the words struck Kurama on some level. A joke. Nothing serious. Kurama had given his entire being to the person he loved, and Hitsunai was laughing it off as a joke. Anger began to well deep inside of Kurama. An intense hatred for this being who played with emotions like they were nothing. Kurama hated being manipulated. And the raw emotions that he was feeling right now left little room for rationality.
He lifted his head and glared at Hitsunai, his gaze sharp and piercing, his green aura dark and blazing in anger. Surprised, Hitsunai stepped back a few steps, before he realized what he was doing and stood still. "You should have studied your victim a little more, Hitsunai." Kurama’s voice was low and dark as he slid a hand behind his head, slipping his fingers into his hair and pulling out a few small seeds. "I don’t like to be toyed with."
With a fierce yell, he thrust three seeds at Hitsunai. One seed fell harmlessly to the ground, but the other two struck their mark, and the youkai screeched as two vines with sharp thorns and sharper teeth circled his body, squeezing tightly, hungrily chewing on his flesh. Hitsunai began to mutter a spell, but the plant reached across his neck, cutting off the flow of words and tightening so that Hitsunai began to turn a dull shade of purple. His eyes dilated, wide with terror.
Kurama’s eyes glittered coldly, and he stood, hands on his hips, watching his victim. Then he turned to Hiei with a sorrowful look in his eyes, meeting Hiei’s confused look with a regretful one of his own. With an arrogant, and very angry, flip of his hair, he turned back to his enemy. "You used me. You hurt my friends. You used the one I love...all for some misplaced sense of revenge." Kurama knelt, placing his hand on the warm earth. "You deserve what you are going to get." Taking a deep breath of air, Kurama spoke a few words and sent his power surging into the life beneath the ground.
The last, fallen seed took life, sprouting up, engulfing Hitsunai, melding with him. Hitsunai’s legs became the roots. His arms reached towards the sky and became branches. Slowly his body and his face melded with the tree, and within a few short moments the youkai was completely gone, and a radiant, beautiful tree stood in his place.
Collapsing back on his heels, Kurama whispered, "Now you can’t hurt anyone, Hitsunai. Your revenge was worthless, and now you’ll live inside this tree, silent and watching. Unable to move. Living in the world of the beings you hate so much without being able to do a thing to them. Children will play on your branches, lovers will carve their names on you...and you will have to watch them be happy around you. And suffer in your own way."
Kurama closed his eyes. From somewhere deep inside of him he heard the voices of his friends, heard their footsteps as they rushed forward when the barrier collapsed. He felt heat enfold him, and he thought he heard Hiei’s deep voice say his name before darkness overtook him.
Kurama woke up, for the second time in three days, lying in his old bed at his mother’s house. For a moment he was disoriented, but memories quickly rushed at him, reminding him of what had been said and done. He didn’t open his eyes. He could feel Hiei’s youki, but he didn’t think he had the strength to face the little youkai.
Hitsunai’s revenge had caused Hiei to come to him, to fall in love with him. He hadn’t thought twice about returning that love. After all, he’d been in love with his best friend for ages. And now, knowing that it was all some spell, that Hiei had never really loved him, that their night of love and passion had been only a brief moment of false love, he felt as if his heart had been torn out, shredded, and put back in, in pieces.
He turned his head into his pillow and stifled a sob. He didn’t want Hiei to see him like this. Sniffling, he lifted his head and tried to hide his tears behind the action of rubbing his eyes. Hiei wasn’t fooled but said nothing.
Kurama didn’t even know where to start talking. He took a deep breath and said, "Hiei...Hiei, I know you weren’t...yourself yesterday." He paused, letting out a shaking breath. "I’m sorry...for taking advantage." He looked up to gauge Hiei’s expression, but Hiei was looking out the window. Kurama looked back down and continued. "I don’t expect anything. I know your feelings were manipulated by Hitsunai. But, I want us to be friends still. If we can." He looked up again, urging Hiei to look at him. Hiei finally turned and met his gaze with an emotionless stare. He stared hard into Hiei’s blood red eyes, hoping that the friendship and trust he’d worked so many years to achieve wouldn’t be lost to him forever. Hiei still said nothing.
Kurama whispered hoarsely, "I understand if you don’t want that." When Hiei still didn’t respond, Kurama reached into his pocket and pulled out the dark tear gem and handed it to Hiei in a closed fist. Feeling like his heart was shattering into a million pieces, he said, "I took this from you that night. It doesn’t belong to me."
Hiei took the gem and stared at it for a long, silent moment before lifting his head to look at Kurama’s downturned face. If Kurama had been looking at him, he would have seen Hiei’s confused expression and tormented eyes. But Kurama had said his piece and was feeling dejected and ashamed, and he couldn’t meet Hiei’s eyes. Hiei clasped the gem in his small hand and turned to the window. He needed time to think.
Kurama felt his friend leave on a slight breeze and lifted his head. His face was tearstained and his eyes reflected only a fraction of the anguish that his heart felt. He collapsed on the bed and cried himself to sleep, knowing that the one person who could fill the emptiness inside him had just disappeared out that window, probably for good.
The office was a mess. His secretary had been at wit’s end for the past week. She couldn’t, for the life of her, figure out why that nice Minamino-san had been in such a nasty mood lately. He was short with her and with his colleagues, he was messy and disorganized, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. She sighed. And he’d always been such a *good* boy. She gathered the few papers she’d been working on, placed them carefully in a folder and brought them to his desk. He was faced away from her, staring out the window with the same vacant look she’d seen on his face often, lately. She cleared her throat delicately. "Minamino-san?"
"Yes?" His voice, while not quite a bark, was certainly snappish.
"I brought you the new account you asked for." She resisted the urge to start backing away from him. She put the folder on the top of a large pile of stacked folders on the corner of his desk. He didn’t say a word, so she assumed she was dismissed. She turned to leave, but the sleeve of her blouse caught the corner of one of the middle folders and sent the entire pile crashing to the ground.
Minamino-san whirled, angrily. "Now, look what you’ve done!" With an exasperated sigh, he knelt and began picking up the papers.
It was the last straw. The weeks of snide comments, snappish remarks and harsh words finally caught up to her. She burst into tears and ran out of the room crying.
Kurama knelt on the ground and sighed. He knew his attitude lately was upsetting those he worked with. He supposed he should go apologize to her for being so cross. It was only an accident after all. But he couldn’t seem to find the energy to get up. He closed his eyes and put his hands over his face.
Three weeks had passed since Hiei had left him, and the emptiness in Kurama’s heart had settled. Though the pain he felt was still as achingly strong as ever, the sharp, agonizing needles through his heart had dimmed. Now he just seemed to move through life in a daze. Existing, as he always had, but without that spark that made life interesting. His teachers had noticed, though his grades remained as high as ever. He had buried himself in school and work, trying anything to forget the emptiness inside of him. His mother and family had noticed. His mother worried about him, fretting over the bags under his eyes, concerned over how much weight he’d lost.
Yuusuke and Kuwabara had come by several times to see him, but he always found some excuse to avoid them. Being with them was painful, so he pretty much kept to himself. Koenma had asked him to be a part of the group a few times, but Kurama had begged off with various excuses. Eventually, he had asked to be assigned future cases on his own, and Koenma had reluctantly agreed. He did his work on his own, for the most part, and rarely socialized more than absolutely necessary.
For the first weeks after Hitsunai’s attack and Hiei’s departure, he’d kept the window open every night, despite the approaching winter, in hopes that Hiei would appear and say that it was all a mistake, that he really did love him. But Hiei never came. And Kurama began to lose hope. Last night, for the first time in weeks, he’d closed his window when he went to bed. Today, he’d been a mess, angry and short with everyone he met.
Kurama sat at his desk in his office, in the after hours, and sighed into his almost-cold tea. He almost chuckled to himself. Just three weeks ago, he’d been doing exactly this when this whole thing started. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He felt so aimless now. As though life was without purpose. He couldn’t remember ever feeling like this. He was a youko. He had always loved life, and loved living it. Even when Hiei was in the Makai with Mukuro, he never felt this desolate. But then he had known that Hiei was still his friend. Now he didn’t even have that knowledge.
He closed his eyes and sighed again. Gods, he missed him.
"Yo, Kurama!"
Kurama’s eyes popped open at the sound of Yuusuke’s voice loudly penetrating the silence of his office. Yuusuke had slammed open the door, and he and Kuwabara had barged in with big grins on their faces and determined gleams in their eyes.
"Yuusuke," was all Kurama could manage. He rose to his feet, picking up the fallen stacks, and put them back on the desk, taking his place in his chair.
Kuwabara made himself comfortable on a chair, facing Kurama, and put his feet on Kurama’s desk. "We have come to find out why you’re ignorin’ us."
"I’m not ignoring you, Kuwabara-kun." Kurama’s voice was polite, if a tad detached. In his current state of mind, he didn’t think he was up to being social. He wanted to go home and go to bed.
"Like hell, you’re not ignoring us." This came from Yuusuke, who had perched himself on the edge of Kurama’s desk and was slouching in an arrogant pose. "You haven’t worked with us on any cases, big or small, and Koenma said you worked on your own once. So why have you been avoiding us?"
"Yeah," Kuwabara added. "Just ‘cause the little shrimp’s an asshole, doesn’t mean we aren’t still your friends." This earned him a fist in the stomach from Yuusuke.
Kurama’s eyes just narrowed dangerously.
"So what’s up, Kurama?" Yuusuke’s voice and manner were cocky and arrogant, but his eyes were concerned.
Kurama looked down, unable to meet the easy friendship in Yuusuke’s eyes. Yuusuke and Kuwabara were right. He had been ignoring them. But being with them hurt. Nobody had mentioned Hitsunai or what he had revealed to them about Kurama’s feelings for Hiei. Just thinking about it made Kurama’s cheeks burn in embarrassment. He didn’t really know what to say to them. And he really wasn’t in the best of moods anyway. Which was probably why he responded the way he did.
He lifted his head, glaring at the younger boys, and spoke through gritted teeth. "I don’t want to talk about it." He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Opening his eyes, he stood and continued, "I really should be leav—"
Yuusuke stood, with an angry sparkle in his eyes, and slapped his hands down on Kurama’s desk, staring straight into the youko’s green eyes. "Oh, no you don’t." When Kurama turned his head away, Yuusuke pounded once more on the desk. "Dammit! Look at me, Kurama!"
Kurama raised startled eyes. Yuusuke fought with Kuwabara and Keiko all the time, but as far as Kurama could remember he’d never yelled at him before.
Now, Yuusuke’s dark eyes glittered with frustration and anger. "We’re your *friends*, Kurama. We want to help you. But how can we do that if you won’t even talk to us?"
"I’m not in the mood to talk, Yuusuke." Kurama’s voice wasn’t raised, but very firm. "I don’t want..."
"You don’t want to be hurt." This time, Kuwabara spoke up. "The little shit dumped you, and we remind you of him." As usual, Kuwabara had seen far more accurately into him than Kurama had been expecting. Though his face was red, acknowledging the feelings Kurama had for Hiei, he strove on, heedless of the growing anger in Kurama’s eyes. "Your mom is worried, Kurama. And your step-brother, and Koenma, and us...Just because the runt was an asshole, doesn’t mean your life is over. You’re not alone."
"He’s not an asshole." Kurama’s gaze was deadly, and Kuwabara swallowed.
"Kurama," Yuusuke drew Kurama’s attention from Kuwabara. "No matter what anyone else thinks of Hiei, or what he’s done, we *are* here, and we want to help."
Kurama’s eyes calmed, and the sadness returned. He sat back down, folded his arms on the desk in front of him, and rested his forehead on them. The fight seemed to drain out of him, and he let out a shuddering sigh. "I miss him."
Yuusuke looked at Kuwabara, who was looking decidedly uncomfortable, and then returned his gaze to Kurama. "There’s other people, Kurama. Girls chase you all the time. I’m sure you’d have no problems getting dates. You could still meet someone..."
Head still down, Kurama answered, "I don’t want someone else. I want Hiei."
Yuusuke didn’t know what to say to that.
"Maybe he’ll come back." Kuwabara looked at Yuusuke, with a nervous expression on his face. Yuusuke just shrugged.
"He won’t." The desolation was thick in Kurama’s voice. "I’ve lost him."
"Then he’s lost." Kurama looked up at Yuusuke. That had not been what he had expected to hear. "There are still other people who care about you, Kurama. Other people who want you to be happy."
"But..."
"No. No buts, Kurama. Hiei was special to you. And maybe you don’t want to date someone else. But you have friends. And family. And things to live for."
"You don’t understand, Yuusuke. You couldn’t understand."
Yuusuke bit back the nasty retort that tried to sneak its way past his throat. "Maybe not," he snapped. "But I know you’re wasting away, and you’re deserting the people who care about you. Maybe not physically, but it hurts just the same. You’re hurting them just like Hiei hurt you."
Kurama’s eyes widened with pain and shock. Yuusuke didn’t say anything, just stood and walked toward the door. Saying nothing, Kuwabara followed him. Kurama stared after them in silence, then stood and rushed around the desk.
"Wait! Yuusuke!" Kurama called out, before they could leave the room. "Please."
Yuusuke stopped but didn’t turn.
Kurama walked to his friends and spoke softly, "Thank you."
Yuusuke turned around and looked at his friend. He relaxed, relieved to see a small smile on Kurama’s eyes and a lighter expression than had been there for the past three weeks.
"You’re welcome." And with that, Yuusuke and Kuwabara left Kurama to do some thinking on his own.
Kurama returned to his desk, after his friends’departure, and rested his head on his hands, lost in thought. When he left his office that evening, he had come to a decision.
He returned home to have a long discussion with his mother, carefully avoiding every important secret he held. He told her, in an emotional, cracked voice, of a would-be lover who didn’t return his love. His mother cried for him and held him close for a long time. In her arms, Kurama felt better than he had in a very long time.
Through the next few weeks, Kurama gradually began to heal. It was a slow process, and he didn’t expect ever to "get over" Hiei completely, but he was beginning to find meaning in life again. He agreed to rejoin the team, and though Hiei was never there and never spoken about, he enjoyed his times with his friends. Yuusuke and Kuwabara never mentioned Hiei, and he could sense their discomfort around the subject. But their friendship was a great comfort to him.
He eventually tried dating. Once or twice. It never went beyond the first date, and it always left him feeling lonely and empty, and missing the little fire demon dreadfully. So he gave up on that idea.
He *was* learning to enjoy life again. But many nights, he would lie alone in his bed, and he would think of Hiei, and he would cry himself to sleep.
He was alone. This was not out of the ordinary. He was often alone. Had always been alone. But now, not only was he alone, but he was lonely as well. He lifted his cup of nameless purple fire, drank deeply, then put his cup back down and refilled it with the near-empty bottle on the table. He glared at the rain falling outside the window of the dirty, dark little bar he was sitting in. The miserable weather matched his mood perfectly.
Mukuro had gotten sick of his foul mood and had "suggested" that he take time off. A few years to cool his temper. That she could do without him for a few years only angered him further. Angered and depressed him. It appeared that *nobody* needed him. Yukina didn’t know about him. Mukuro, the one person he’d thought needed him, didn’t seem to anymore. And Kurama...
He took another drink.
So involved was he in his thoughts that he failed to notice the people around him nervously shifting in their seats and cautiously departing. His evil glare at the offensive raindrops and the oppressive heat that flooded the room suggested that he might want to be alone. The owner of the bar was tempted to kick out the youkai who was making his customers leave, but one glance at the dark little demon quickly cured him of that idiotic notion.
Hiei finished the sixth bottle of whatever-it-was and glared around the room for the bartender. He was slightly surprised to find the room completely empty. He frowned and glared at his empty glass as though his look would refill it. The glass didn’t take the hint and remained empty. Hiei grunted in disgust and stood to leave. He didn’t see anyone to pay, and figured that meant he didn’t need to. Picking up his black coat, he rose and left.
The servers and the owner of the bar heaved sighs of relief and opened windows and doors in an attempt to cool the building.
Hiei hated rain. It was so...wet. Each time a drop landed on him, he glared harder. One drop landed directly on his nose, and he lifted a hand to hit it, punishment for daring to touch him. He noticed that this hurt, but he didn’t pay too much attention to that, since he was too busy trying to figure out what stupid youkai was making the world spin. He decided to stand firm against the enemy and continued his trek.
When he reached the forest outside of the town, he rested against a large tree, slightly relieved to see that the world had stopped spinning for the time being. He was glad. He wasn’t feeling so good.
He sat there for a short while before realizing that he wasn’t getting rained on anymore. He looked up and saw a huge blanket of dark green leaves overhead. A few leaves fell to the ground, falling in a graceful arc, glinting with a faint, shiny silver outline. Hiei closed his eyes, reminded of a certain silver fox.
Kurama.
It was his fault that Hiei was so miserable in the first place. Hiei had absolutely no idea what his feelings for that stupid fox were. Sometimes he missed him so much that it left a physical ache in his chest. Other times, he would remember That Night and spend a miserable time fighting the urge to rush to Kurama and make love to him again, fast and hard, then slowly and gently. One night certainly hadn’t been enough.
But he didn’t love him. It had all been Hitsunai’s stupid spell. Hitsunai. Just thinking the name made Hiei’s blood boil. That bastard. Hiei was a very powerful youkai. He’d made sure of that. He’d had to be, so that he wouldn’t be at the mercy of others. So he wouldn’t be weak. Yet Hitsunai had made him weak, had used and manipulated him. Used him to hurt the best friend he’d ever had.
Every time he closed his eyes, he was faced with the memory of Kurama’s eyes, those beautiful emerald eyes, filled with shock and hurt. Because of him. Because he’d been weak. Later, Kurama had tried to save their friendship, had given him back his tear gem and said that he knew Hiei didn’t love him. His words had said he wanted to be friends, but his eyes had been full of pain. Finally, Hiei hadn’t been able to stand it. He’d left, a jumble of confusion, unable to face Kurama. His best friend.
Hiei pounded a fist against the tree in frustration, then grabbed a limb and held on tight as the world spun around him.
It had been so long since he’d seen Kurama. Blinking his eyes in a futile attempt to clear his head, Hiei wondered what Kurama was doing right now. If he was as miserable as Hiei was. His eyes narrowed. The stupid fox was a youko. They weren’t exactly known for fidelity. Kurama had probably gotten over Hiei in an hour and moved on to his next lover. A rational side of Hiei pointed out that other than himself, Kurama had never had a lover as long as Hiei had known him. But the drink-muddled part of his brain was the one that was currently in control, and in about three minutes, his poor, almost-incoherent brain had Kurama married and pregnant with some woman’s child. Hiei squinted his eyes in concentration. Or was that married to a woman who was pregnant with his child?
He snorted. Whatever. It didn’t matter. Kurama wasn’t going to get away with it. If Hiei was going to be this miserable, Kurama was damn well going to be as well. Hiei nodded decisively at this profound thought. He took a step and tripped over an upraised root, landing face first in the mud with an indelicate thud. He lay there for a few moments, then sat up dizzily. He blinked his eyes twice, trying to get his bearings. What was he doing again? Oh, yeah. Making Kurama miserable. He wiped a muddy sleeve against his muddy face.
With a determined glint in his eyes and a far-from-steady walk, he headed towards the Ningenkai.
Kurama yawned, slumping in his chair, exhausted. It was finals time. Shuuichi-kun was away at school, hopefully (but not likely) studying as well. Kurama’s parents, willing to get out of his way for the weekend, had gone off on a romantic mini-vacation, leaving Kurama alone with the house. Kurama had gotten called away on a case almost the instant his family had left, and now that he was finally sitting down to study, with 54 hours and 36 minutes until his first final, he was too exhausted to concentrate.
He looked back down at his book and yawned again. He was sore, and every single one of his muscles ached from his fight earlier today. He knew from experience that he would be fine tomorrow, but for now he was miserable. He took a sip of his water and tried to reread a sentence for the fourth time, but his eyes seemed to want to close of their own volition.
He rested his head on his hands, thought to himself, "I’ll rest for only a few moments," and promptly fell asleep.
He was woken up by a firm, too-loud pounding on his window. He jerked awake and, with blurry eyes, turned toward the noise in alarm. He saw only a vague image of darkness and cautiously moved to it. Why would someone be coming in that way instead of the door?? The only person who ever entered his room through that way was Hiei, and he knew that it wasn’t him.
But when he got close enough to make out the outline, he wondered. He opened the window, and Hiei’s form literally *fell* into his arms. The rain had washed off most of the mud, but what it left behind was a very soggy, bedraggled Hiei. Kurama blinked a few times, completely speechless as the filthy little youkai seemed in no hurry to move. He hadn’t seen or heard from Hiei in almost two months, and now here he was lounging in his arms. Kurama couldn’t decide if he should be ecstatic at the youkai’s return or angry at his nerve.
Hiei pulled back and stared dazedly into Kurama’s face. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, looking confused for a moment. He opened his mouth again to speak, but a hiccup came out instead. His eyes widened, and he blinked.
Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Hiei?" His voice was a mere whisper, as if he couldn’t bring himself to believe the little youkai was actually there with him.
"K’rama," Hiei responded. It seemed he had his voice back, but he didn’t seem to know what else to do with it, so he resumed his silence.
For a while neither of them said anything. Kurama held Hiei, who seemed to have no will to stand on his own, and Hiei simply stared at Kurama.
"What are you doing here, Hiei?" Kurama finally asked in a pained voice. "You left."
Hiei nodded, then put a hand to his head and winced.
"Hiei, you’re drunk." Kurama stared at him in astonishment.
Hiei glared. "Am not. And what in the hell are you doing pregnant?!"
Kurama blinked. He couldn’t possibly have heard what he thought he just heard. "Excuse me?"
"You can’t just jump from my bed," Hiei continued, ignoring the fact that he technically had no bed, "into some pregnant and get woman." Hiei squinted in concentration. "No, get into some woman..." He cleared his throat and tried again. "You can’t jump from my bed and go into the arms of some woman." He paused for a moment, then nodded decisively.
Kurama stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about, Hiei?"
Hiei looked like he was going to growl. He reached up and clasped his hands behind Kurama’s neck, pulling his face down. He whispered in his ear, "You are mine, Kurama. She can’t have you," then proceeded to pass out.
Kurama just stood there, mouth gaping, with the unconscious Koorime in his arms for a while before he thought of cleaning him, changing him into some of his own, much-too-large sweats and placing him on the bed.
Kurama finished tucking Hiei into his bed with a myriad of emotions coursing through him. Finally, sick of waiting for Hiei to wake up, and drained from the events of the day, Kurama decided he needed to sleep. He looked at Hiei, snuggled peacefully in the blankets and pillows of his bed, and then grimaced at the cold, hard floor.
Narrowing his eyes, he slowly got into the bed, carefully pushing Hiei over a bit to make room. The instant his body touched the softness of the bed, every muscle in his body gave up, and he was asleep within seconds.
Hiei woke up slightly disoriented. The alcohol had passed through his system, leaving behind a truly evil headache and an upset stomach. But Hiei knew his youkai physiology would deal with that quickly enough. He closed his eyes and snuggled into the heat around him. It had been a very long time since he’d drunk as much as he had last night, and he needed a few minutes to get his bearings. When he opened his eyes again, they met a pair of sleepy green ones and blinked. For the first time, he realized where he was: lying in Kurama’s bed, arms and legs tangled up in Kurama’s.
Half-asleep, Kurama murmured a husky, "Good morning."
Hiei closed his eyes and melted a little inside. For the first time in almost two months, the dull ache in his chest lifted, and he felt at peace. He opened his eyes to look back at Kurama. Kurama didn’t quite look fully awake, rather somewhere between sleep and awake. He was a beautiful sight, with his green eyes half closed and his flaming hair a mess all around his face and the pillow. Hiei raised a tentative hand to Kurama’s face, gently touching his cheek.
Kurama closed his eyes completely, leaning slightly into Hiei’s warm palm. This was one of his favorite dreams. The one where he woke up and Hiei was there to greet him good morning, then the two of them would make love all day without a care in the world. He smiled slightly, with his eyes still shut. Turning his face into Hiei’s hand, he placed a wet, open-mouthed kiss on Hiei’s palm. "Welcome back, Hiei," he whispered, continuing the lovely dream.
Hiei inhaled sharply, eyes closed, quickly drawing his hand away.
Kurama jerked awake when the dream didn’t go as it was supposed to. When he realized what happened, his face burned with shame, and he turned away. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "I wasn’t really awake."
Hiei said nothing, just opened his eyes to look carefully at Kurama. His tone of voice had sounded loving in his half-sleep state, and he had said Hiei’s name. For one brief instant, Hiei dared to hope that the youko still cared for him. He knew, in his sober state, that Kurama wasn’t the sort to go rushing into another’s arms right away, but Hiei hadn’t considered that Kurama would still care for him. He had hurt the youko too much.
Kurama’s next words reaffirmed that thought. "What are you doing here, Hiei?" Kurama wouldn’t meet Hiei’s blood red eyes with his own, too afraid that he would do something else embarrassing. "You left."
Hiei, gradually becoming aware of how close the two of them were lying, pulled away, scooting to the edge of the bed. He sat up and looked uncomfortably at the bedspread. He didn’t quite know how to answer Kurama. So he just shrugged and grunted, giving no insight into his thoughts.
Kurama wondered how much of last night Hiei remembered. Kurama recalled Hiei’s final words before he passed out and couldn’t stop himself from asking, "Do you...do you remember anything from last night?"
"A little. It’s kinda hazy."
"Oh." Kurama returned to his silence, unsure of what to say.
"What did I say?"
Kurama flushed. He was tempted to lie, but his need to know what Hiei had meant overrode his embarrassment. Besides, he figured it was pointless to hide his own feelings from Hiei, since his love had never been an issue. He’d always been blatantly obvious in his feelings. Part of him wanted to blurt out that Hiei had claimed him, said he belonged to him. Part of him wanted to demand what Hiei had meant by that, wanted to know exactly what he had been thinking. With a heavy sigh, he whispered, "You said..." he broke off, then continued. "You said I was pregnant." He couldn’t meet Hiei’s eyes. He’d chickened out.
Hiei’s eyes widened in surprise. He didn’t remember that. Then his eyes narrowed. Kurama wouldn’t have been so worked up or embarrassed about it if that had been all that he said. "What else did I say?"
"You said I had jumped into some woman, or some woman’s arms...it was kinda hard to understand you." Kurama mentally smacked himself for continuing to avoid the subject. He couldn’t help it though. That other part of him, the part that wasn’t dying to know what Hiei had meant, was terrified to know. He’d offered himself, offered his heart, too many times, and he had been too badly hurt. Now he was terrified of what Hiei’s answer might be.
Hiei raised one eyebrow. "And?"
"And what?" Kurama whispered.
"And what else did I say?"
Kurama took a deep breath and blurted out, "You said ‘You’re mine.’" He paused for a moment, then continued. "What did you mean by that, Hiei?"
When Kurama’s question was met with silence, he took that for an answer. He sat up, ready to leave the bed. "I know you were drunk, Hiei. You didn’t mean it."
For some reason this irritated Hiei. "Why do you do that?"
Kurama raised his eyes to Hiei in surprise. "Do what?"
"Make so many stupid assumptions."
Kurama frowned in puzzlement, not really sure what Hiei meant by that. "You don’t love me, Hiei." Saying the words brought a solid rock of pain to Kurama’s chest, but he continued on. "Hitsunai..." He broke off, then continued in a few moments. "I have to accept that."
Hiei glared at Kurama. The more the youko talked, the more annoyed Hiei was becoming. Stupid fox, assuming he knew everything. That was so like him. He said as much to Kurama.
"I don’t understand," Kurama’s voice was full of confusion. "What am I assuming?" When Hiei didn’t respond, Kurama continued. "Assuming that you didn’t mean it? That you don’t love me? That you do?"
Still Hiei said nothing, just glared.
Frustrated Kurama threw his hands in the air and stood up. "Talk to me, Hiei. If you don’t want me to make assumptions about how you feel, one way or the other, then *tell* me how you feel."
"Hn." Was all Hiei said. "Stupid fox."
Kurama turned and glared at him. "That’s your response for everything, ne? I’m just a stupid fox, an idiot." Kurama tried, somewhat successfully, to keep the hurt from his voice. "Do you have any idea what I’ve been through for two months, Hiei? *Two* months! You left without even saying good-bye."
Hiei looked down at the bedspread again, not wanting his eyes to betray the guilt he felt. He knew Kurama was right. He shouldn’t have stayed away so long. Or maybe he shouldn’t have come back. He looked at the open window, wondering how to get there without Kurama, who was standing between him and the window, catching him.
Unfortunately, Kurama intercepted his glance and glared at him. He walked to the window and shut it, locking it with a loud snap. "You’re not leaving this time, Hiei. You’re not leaving until this is settled."
Hiei returned Kurama’s glare with a sullen one of his own. He hated being put on the spot like this. And Kurama knew it.
"You hate being pushed, Hiei. I know you do. But I can’t go on like this. I can’t keep falling into depression when you leave, never knowing if you’ll come back or not." His voice dropped to a whisper. "My feelings for you have never been a secret, Hiei. I love you. I’ve always loved you. If you came back last night because you thought I’d gone to someone else, you were wrong."
Hiei said nothing, but closed his eyes in relief.
Kurama was pacing and didn’t see this, his voice gaining strength as he continued. His face had the look of a man who had thrown all caution to the wind and felt he had nothing left to lose. "I did date while you were gone." Hiei’s opened his eyes and glared dangerously. "But I couldn’t do it. I dated two girls. Both of them smart, pretty and very nice. But neither of them made the room light up when they entered it. Neither of them glared at me with dark, beautiful eyes. Neither of them said things to make my heart hurt, then turned around and said something or did something so perfect that it made the sun shine again." He took a breath and turned to Hiei. "Neither of them were you, Hiei."
Kurama’s voice began to take on a desperate sound."*Say* something, Hiei. Tell me you hate me. Tell me you never want to see me again, or that you’re just not interested in that kind of friendship. Don’t just sit there and stare at me."
"If you’d shut up, I might have a chance to say something," Hiei finally growled during a pause for breath.
Kurama immediately stopped talking and moved to sit on the bed across from Hiei, his eyes searching for any hints he might glean from his friend’s face.
Hiei looked like he was about to say something, then appeared acutely uncomfortable. Kurama nodded at him, encouraging him to continue.
"I don’t hate you."
It was said grudgingly, as if it had cost him a great deal.
Kurama closed his eyes and bit back a tear-filled laugh. He opened them and gazed at the little fire demon sadly. "Thank you, Hiei." Kurama stood and walked to the window. He gazed out for a moment, then lifted the lock and slid it open. He didn’t look back at Hiei. Merely stepped away from the window, to allow Hiei the opportunity to leave. He turned to his desk and stared at it blankly. "I can’t keep you here, Hiei. And I don’t want to force you into doing anything you’re not ready to do." He breathed shakily. "You can leave, if you still want to."
He heard no movement. But then, he never really expected to. When he figured Hiei’d left, he leaned his forehead against the wall and sighed. This time, it would be over for good. He had let him go. He hadn’t been able to keep his fire demon.
He was surprised, then, to feel a small, hot hand grasping his own. Kurama twisted jerkily in shock. Hiei stood, holding his hand, with an uncertain, but determined look.
"You’re making assumptions again."
Kurama’s eyes lit with hope, but he didn’t dare voice it.
Hiei moved closer to Kurama, so close that Kurama could feel the heat of him through both of their clothes. Hiei squeezed his hand tightly and whispered, "Stupid fox."
Kurama closed his eyes and bit his lip to prevent a relieved sob from escaping. When he’d composed himself, he squeezed Hiei’s hand and turned to him with a shaky smile. "I love you, Hiei." He leaned forward and whispered into Hiei’s ear, "and you’re right. I am yours."
The End.