Be True To Your Heart

(A/N: None of my stories are ever revised. In my personal writing, revision is not in my vocabulary.)

Summary: Will Kurama and Hiei find the courage to be true to their own hearts when love beckons? And no, this is not a songfic. A little OOCness on Hiei's part.

Chapter 1: Hearts on Fire

Chapter 2: In the Heat of the Night

Chapter 3: Armageddon: the wrath of Hiei

Chapter4: A Kitsune's Love

Prologue: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

The air was ablaze with scorching heat. The room was filled with a suffocating thick black blanket of smoke. Yusuke Urameshi coughed hard, cracking his eyes open. The fire had roused him from his peaceful sleep and caused him to flee his house. There were shouts coming from neighboring houses. People all around him were in a panic. The young man hated being crowded and pushed people out of the way. He collapsed to the ground, coughing, trying to rid his lungs of the offensive smoke. Botan was nearby and she immediately rushed over to Yusuke.

"Yusuke? Are you all right?" she asked worriedly, checking him for any burns.

"I'm (cough cough) fine."

Her eyes dropped with worry. Yusuke stood up, gazing at the burning house in regret. How had the fire started?

They watched the house go up in flames, mesmerized by the swaying colors of red and yellow, sparks often spewing out at people like an angered fire demon spouting its hatred at innocent beings.

They stood in front of the burning house for hours. Many onlookers lost interest and trudged back home, not worried about what would happen after the flames died down.

Botan and Yusuke continued to look at the flaming structure, staring for what seemed like an eternity.

Long after the fire went out, when the Urameshi house had been reduced to nothing but ashes, Yusuke grabbed the only surviving object he could salvage from the fire: a picture of him and all his friends.

He clutched the frame to his chest, allowing the pure crystal tears to slide down his sooty cheeks. He picked up a handful of ashes, curling his fingers around it, and then letting it blow away in the wind.

"From ashes to ashes, dust to dust," he quoted quietly, a calming peace settling over his heart.

Botan gently pressed her lips to his.

"Yusuke, are you all right?" she asked a second time.

He turned his warm brown eyes to her sparkling magenta ones, smiling tenderly. He brought her into his strong arms.

"Yes, Botan. It's a new beginning for us."

She looked at him in surprise, then smiled as well.