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Disclaimer: YYH is not mine, Togashi, etc.

Whatever it was, it glimmered like treasure, sparkled like diamonds. His first instinct was to reach out for it, to take it, and in his haze he almost fell prey to desire. Yet somewhere, deep in the recesses of his mind, he knew that his awareness was impaired, and he held back. It was then that chaos broke loose.

A shout sounded in the distance, and suddenly a dark filter fell over the scene. He couldn't help but blink rapidly, trying to adjust his vision, lest his prize be lost in the darkness. He caught sight of it one more, that sparkle, before realizing where he was. Bamboo shoots lined the small area of clearing that encircled him, the stench of blood becoming more and more apparent as he realized with panic what was about to happen. The sparkle caught his eye despite him not wanting to see, and time slowed to a near halt. Then, without warning, the chase began.

"I have to go back for it!" That voice echoed in his ears, a voice so long lost that he almost collapsed at the sound of it. Turning to face its owner, he found himself frozen as lights shot over the thick foliage, pursuers near. He began to sweat, out of breath, though it didn't compare to his companion. Panic stricken eyes pleaded at him from behind strands of mussed black hair that fell over his face as he turned back to run, wings folded behind him like a small, scared bird. His state didn't stop him, though, as he bolted back, running as fast as strong legs would take him to the thing that he held most dear. Knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop him, he cried out, his voice a desperate sobbing plea against a body that would not move.

"Kuronue, don't!"

As soon as the words left his lips, fate made its decision. He screamed as the trap activated, blood hitting his face, life draining from the crippled body in front of him. The pendant swung from a shoot just out of reach, taunting the pair in their last moments together. Knowing that it would be the last time he heard it, the other braced himself for the last words to come, shaking in raw agony.

"That's enough, Kurama."

The blood was gone. It was the first thought that formed in his mind as he opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling over him. A second passed before he realized exactly what had happened, his physical state no different than what his mind had conjured. Needing to feel the tangible, he sat up, trying to conceal the shaking in his hands. Green eyes searched rapidly for the voice that had broken him from the nightmare. They settled on the far corner of the room, the fire demon sitting on the floor trying to look bored as he leaned against the wall, but his tenseness coming off clearly. Noting his presence, and his surroundings, the other let out a shaky breath that seemed to have been stuck. He composed himself as best as possible, knowing that his companion would be keeping an eye on him.

"What are you doing over there?" He said by means of greeting, ready to give his mind something other than what had happened to think about. The smaller youkai raised a warded eyebrow, his arms tucked into his cloak.

"I found your breathing agitating."

"Agitating?" The kitsune gave him an unamused look, and to his surprise the other failed to meet his eyes for a moment.

"Agitated. It didn't seem right to sleep next to someone whose breathing was so agitated." The fox let his eyes fall in response, realizing that he would have been happier in accepting the sarcastic comment. "What happened?"

"You don't know?" Hiei rolled his eyes before giving his friend a petulant look. Why Kurama would assume that he'd use his abilities to spy on his dreams was beyond him, and childish by the look of his face. The kitsune smiled lightly, and the fire demon realized that he had been baited.

"I suppose my past is catching up with my humanity." The tone was wistful, but if fell just off the mark. Hiei watched as Kurama looked past him and through the window instead, knowing how bothered he was and how little he wanted to bother Hiei with it. A part of him wondered if Kurama thought him incapable of caring. Finding himself hurt at his own thoughts, the fire demon pressed forward.

"You're in pain." There was a question in his words, and Kurama forced himself to look at the other, finding, if nothing else, patience. He folded his hands in his lap, trying to situate himself comfortably before attempting to explain a past that had been forgotten before his comrade had even been born. His excuses for stalling were, though, just that.

"Yes," he whispered, cursing himself when he realized that his tone had inspired visible concern in his counterpart. He struggled, trying not to falter, focusing on aspects of a past that had not managed to show in his dream. "This last debacle between good and evil has left me with a bit more to think about than usual, I'm afraid."

The slight widening of red eyes showed that he suddenly understood, at least, the context of his nightmare. Kurama had always been weaker than the others in the respect that his emotional state was what the enemies sought to exploit. Perhaps it was his constant state of control, or the cold calm in his eyes, but nonetheless it led to deep internal battles that lasted long after the dust had settled on the battlefield and the bodies had been removed. Hiei himself had been so wrapped up in his own emotions over Kurama's final fight that he had fallen into the category of the rest of the team members: fooled into thinking that the fox was alright. He of all people should have known better. Still, it was understandable, what with the first piece of evidence that he had not been Kurama's only partner. The sight of the chimera had riddled the fire demon with feelings of jealousy and inadequacy, but that had only been heightened with watching what a visceral reaction the fox had to his emergence. He had been more than happy to bury all thoughts of it in the darkest corner of his mind once the fallacy had been revealed. He had been truly foolish to think he was the only one.

"I think I've forgotten what it meant to mourn that loss." The fire demon snapped out of his thoughts at the other's voice. The fox was smiling at him with sad eyes, seeming to apologize without meaning to. He answered with a puzzled look, unsure of how to word what had crossed his mind without stepping on the proverbial landmine.

"Kurama," he paused, then gave up looking for the right words with a shake of his head. "What exactly was your relationship with that apparition?"

He regretted the words as soon as they left him, but he knew that the longer the question lingered in his mind, the more vulnerable he would feel. It was only natural, of course, to want to know about his teammate's past, wasn't it? Kurama looked blindsided for a fraction of a second, then seemed to have similar trouble expressing himself.

"We were partners, bandits, the two of us. It was in great part due to our teamwork that I built my empire, once upon a time. That partnership was not unlike ours, you know." His eyes echoed nostalgia and remembered happiness, though his voice hinted at sadness. The hi youkai stared, finding himself steeled by the look.

"He was precious to me. You remind me of him, in some ways. Though," he said with a more genuine laugh, "he would have woken me up much sooner, if I were 'agitating'." Hiei frowned at him, only making the self pleased look on his face grow. A less intense version of the feelings he had gone through that night was beginning to take form, though he tried to will it away. Smug fox.

"Tell me then, what exactly would he have done next?" The bitter question was meant to serve as further distraction for the fox, but he found that it backfired, the kitsune's face immediately falling. His eyes darted away from the fire demon quickly, some sort of memory or answering realization surfacing. Hiei knew immediately that it had been one which was private, one which he would be better off not thinking too deeply about. It didn't add well to the mix of feelings so far.

"It's late. Perhaps we should try to get some more sleep." The fox lay back down, eyes wide and open, fixed on a spot on the ceiling. A moment of silence passed between them before he sat back up, looking at the other with light exasperation. "You don't plan on staying there for the rest of the night, do you?"

The look the fire demon gave him said exactly that.

"Hiei, please, come to bed. I promise to keep any breathing disturbances to myself." Their eyes locked from across the room, and in that moment both of them tried to read into the color of the other's irises. Then, slowly, the fire demon slid his arms from his sleeves and knelt to unbuckle his heavy boots. The kitsune immediately relaxed, though he didn't overlook the trepidant pace at which he moved. A small word of thanks was whispered as the smaller of the two slid under the blanket, his mind far too awake for sleep. The fox let his eyes close, his breathing even and measured now, seemingly falling into an easy sleep. A few minutes passed, the stillness of the room oppressive and hovering as far as the fire demon was concerned.

"I forgot to ask, why did you come tonight, Hiei?" The fire demon turned his head to stare at his partner, noting how he didn't open his eyes while he spoke. He let the moment pass, taking in his delicate features from as close as he knew he could get.

"I smelled rain on the air," he lied quietly, not for a moment taking his eyes off of the pale face in front of him. He almost mimicked the movement when a small smile appeared on the other's lips, but the words that followed killed the instinct, for reasons he refused to address.

"Mmm, good. I always sleep better knowing you're by my side." And with nothing else to say, the kitsune gave in to a this time restful slumber.

Curling one hand painfully into a fist, the fire demon forced his eyes shut, hoping that sleep would be merciful and spare him the analytics. Surrounded by the smell of roses, mercy left him to suffer.

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