Based off my earlier oneshot We'll Be a Family Someday, it's not necessary to read it to get what happens in these. However the prologue oneshots are going to correspond with the background info of We'll Be a Family Someday, so I'd recommend reading it as well regardless.

Enjoy~!

"What?"

Yusuke stretched out in the sandy terrain of Raizen's territory, he blinked slowly up at the electric red sky of Makai, not bothering to glance over at his companion for the evening. Hiei had paused in polishing his katana, raising an eyebrow at the lazy detective.

"I said, Kurama's gettin' married."

Hiei heaved an agitated sigh, "I heard you the first time, Yusuke. What I'm asking is what does that mean?"

This time Yusuke glanced at the darker demon, with a facial expression that screwed up the boy's young features into disbelief.

"You're kidding, right? Dude, Kurama's no longer a bachelor. He's..." Yusuke trailed off trying to think of how exactly he could explain the human concept of marriage to a demon, "he found a lover, and he's decided he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Only her."

Hiei stared at the wide grin that over took Yusuke face and felt the urge to punch the half-breed in the face. He turned back to his sword, rubbing along the metal with much more force than need be.

"I see..." he said after a moment, "the fox has taken a mate then."

Hiei only knew the concepts of mating for a few years now, he had learned of it when he had read through Shigure's library during recovery after the Jagan implant. Not many demons partook in mating, it was a lifelong commitment and trusting someone on that level was unheard of in demon world. Hiei would go as far to say it was borderline human in nature. It was the closest thing the fire demon knew of to compare this so called 'marriage' to though.

Yusuke shrugged, "Yeah, pretty much." He didn't notice Hiei's shoulders tense at the confirmation.

They both sat there in silence. Yusuke had requested Hiei's presence the moment he came through the portal and when he declined to the shorter's suggestion to spar Hiei had waited to hear what it was that the detective needed to say. What seemed so important that he needed to drag Hiei all the way into Raizen territory? Surely the fox's decision to commit himself even further to his human facade was not the end of it.

"What else do you have to say to me?"

"Busted," Yusuke grinned, "you caught me." The teen rubbed his dark hair before sitting up and turning to Hiei, face to face. The fire demon tensed more so at the sudden change in body language. Somehow he got the feeling he wasn't gonna like whatever Yusuke had to say.

"He made me the best man."

Hiei blinked, "Hn, your human garble means nothing to me, Yusuke."

The human teen groaned, "Ya see, in a marriage good friends are invited to be part of the ceremony and the best man...well, it's suppose to be the groom's best friend."

Hiei stood abruptly and sheathed his katana, "I see this meeting has been nothing but worthless human gossip, of which I have no interest. Don't waste my time again, detective."

"Wait, Hiei!" Yusuke scrambled to his feet, "I'm sure Kurama would have made you best man if you'd just came to visit more often. He seems to think you're not coming back-"

"No!"

Yusuke started, his jaw slack in open shock at the bark. Hiei had the tendency to growl, mutter, and threaten but never in the years Yusuke knew him did Hiei ever raise his voice like that.

"But Hiei!"

"I said no!" Hiei turned around and Yusuke had to fight the urge to look away, the pure anger and resentment in those fiery red eyes was intense. "I chose my life, he chose his. I'm a demon; I belong here, in my home, in Makai! If Kurama wants to waste his life as a petty human then so be it, he can rot for all I care."

Yusuke was speechless, he stared as Hiei huffed and turned away. The teen felt like he was losing something as he watched his friend leave, like he wasn't just walking away from him but everything they had been through, everyone they knew and cared about. His fists clenched at his sides, his own anger boiling up in his veins. How dare Hiei play the species card, there were other demons that lived in Ningenkai just fine! Who cared what world you lived in as long as you had friends and family there with you. How could he leave Yukina? How could he say that about Kurama, his best friend? Didn't he care about any of them?

"Bastard!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, "you really think you belong here? You don't know what home is, you asshole!" He turned away and sprinted for the portal waiting to take him back to human world. Yusuke was pissed, furious to the point that he wanted to strangle some common sense into the stupid fire brat. But that didn't stop his heart from clenching painfully in his chest as he passed over the portal.

They were never going to see Hiei ever again.