I just finished watching Yu Yu Hakusho and had to write this. My first piece of fanfiction...halp.

Enjoy!

The day that Yusuke came back, Kurama had left Yusuke and the others back at the train station. Botan and Koenma had left to attend to some other-worldly affairs and Yusuke and Keiko and gone off to – *ahem* – catch up, which had left him with Kuwabara. Kuwabara had become quite the studious student indeed. Surprisingly, when Kurama suggested the two of them go to the arcade together for a round of Goblin City, Kuwabara refused, saying he needed to spend more time studying. Kurama had wanted to feel disappointed at the rejection, but instead he felt a small sliver of pride building up inside of him. They had all changed so much since their first meeting; he only hoped that Kuwabara would spend some time with Yusuke soon and perhaps rub off on him. But that, he knew, was wishful thinking.

He decided to take the long way home. The sun was just barely visible on the horizon as he walked through the park. He thought of his friends, the troubles they'd faced together, the troubles that may lay ahead, and he couldn't help but smile. The odds did seem to be against them, but somehow they had survived. Everyone had gotten their happy ending so far. There was just one thing missing.

As if on cue, he felt an all-too-familiar presence lurking in the treetops.

"You can come out, Hiei. You must know that I know you're there."

A small figure, draped all in black sprang to the ground and landed gracefully on one bended knee. The sun had begun setting, and from this distance, the only pieces of Hiei that Kurama could see clearly were the white fabric around his neck and the matching streak in his hair. Kurama smiled outwardly at the sight of his dear friend, but internally, his emotions were much more complicated. The memory of their last conversation and the false rejection he had given Hiei...it brought up feelings that were unpleasant for Kurama, so he set them aside in a neat pile. His internal structure might be unpleasant and repressed, but it is also very organized.

Hiei stood with a smirk and an "Hn."

"You can never be forthright in your greetings, can you, Hiei? It always has to be a surprise."

"I'm sorry, does that bother you?" Hiei asked, stepping towards Kurama. "I prefer studying my prey before I attack."

"I didn't realize this was an attack," Kurama said. "I assumed you would be more careful about letting your presence known to your prey, if that's what I am."

"I'm not attacking you," Hiei said, something dark and mischievous in his eyes. "Yet."

Kurama's stomach tightened as Hiei stopped a few feet in front of him. He ignored it. "May I ask why you've visited the human world? Escorting a human home, or some other matter?"

"A personal matter," Hiei said. "I came to speak with you, actually. About my necklace."

Kurama furrowed his brow in confusion. "Hiei, I told you, I cannot give that to Yukina on your behalf –"

"That's not what I want you to do with it." Hiei took another step forward. "I want you to keep it this time."

"Hiei, I –"

"During the tournament, did it surprise you at all that I conceded defeat when fighting Mukuro? She was stronger than me, yes, but you know me better than that, I hope; I don't give up during a fight. I would have died before I gave up on any other fight."

Kurama bit his lip anxiously. The fight between Hiei and Mukuro was something that he hadn't even liked watching while it was happening – there was something different about that fight, the way Mukuro and Hiei had fought, the way they behaved around each other – it had made Kurama uneasy, and he had tried his best not to dwell on it. But now Hiei was asking him to, which was cruel, even for Hiei.

"Mukuro taught me something," Hiei continued. "She and I are very similar; we've led lives thinking that we were all but abandoned, thinking that we had no place to call our own, no place to call home. We both spent so much time fighting simply to fight, to feel something. But what she taught me is that there's more to us than that, that I have a better reason to live than I have to give up my life so carelessly in a fight because of my pride. She taught me that I do have a place in the universe, a home, even if I couldn't say where that home was, exactly."

Kurama couldn't take it anymore. With as much composure as he could muster, he spoke. "Hiei, you are a dear friend to me. I am very glad that you have found your place with Mukuro. But if that is so, I'm sure she won't mind keeping your necklace safe for you –"

"Aren't you listening? It's not with her that I have found a home," Hiei said, his eyes narrowed and pointed towards Kurama. "She only helped me realize where my home is. When I gave you my necklace, and you rejected it, pretending it was a romantic gesture –"

"Only a joke, Hiei –"

"It made me think. And when Mukuro propositioned me –"

Kurama's eyes widened. This was too much for him. Hiei truly was evil. He must have realized how Kurama truly felt and had come here to taunt him with stories of him and – and – that woman. Kurama couldn't even think her name.

"Kurama, don't look that way," Hiei said, giving Kurama a sinister grin. "I turned her down. But Mukuro, again, helped me to realize something; where I truly belong."

Kurama's heart was pounding. "And where is that?"

Hiei had still been feet from Kurama, but in a flash of black and white, there were mere inches between the two. "When you rejected my offer, you were lying, weren't you? It's why you've been avoiding me since you left Demon World. It's why you only send messengers to get updates on me and never come to me yourself. You thought I was in love with Mukuro, so you said that as a defense mechanism, didn't you?"

Kurama wondered how much harder and faster his heart would have to beat for it to break through his chest. "I...I didn't want you to know..."

Hiei grabbed the front of Kurama's shirt and pulled Kurama down so they were eye level. "Kurama, you idiot, she's not the one I'm in love with. Where I belong in the universe – where my home is – it's with you." He pulled Kurama closer and kissed him, kissed him with everything he had. Kurama could feel everything poured out in the kiss: the abandonment, the fear, the loss, and the desire. And Kurama put everything he could muster into kissing Hiei back. Every human emotion he could fathom he tried to put into kissing Hiei back. And it was working, on both of them. Soon there were open mouths, clashing tongues, escaping moans, wandering hands, and soft murmurs of each other's names. Kurama felt damp grass under his hands as he fell forward onto Hiei, who had pulled him down onto the ground.

"Hiei," Kurama mumbled as Hiei's mouth explored Kurama's collarbone. "I love you."

Hiei cupped Kurama's face in his hands and pulled the other demon's face towards his, locking eyes. "You're a fool for not letting me know sooner. I had to find out from someone else that we..." Hiei's eyes were narrowed in disgust, and it only made Kurama smile.

"I didn't realize that you felt the same."

"I didn't realize it either," Hiei said, pushing away a few bright red locks that were blocking Kurama's green eyes from his view. "I was an even bigger fool than you were. But before I forget," Hiei said, pulling one hand away from Kurama to pull something out of his pocket. It was the necklace, small and glimmering in what remained of the sunlight. He placed it gently over Kurama's head to rest around his neck. "I trust you'll keep it safe for me, Kurama."

Kurama placed a hand over the gem and felt like his heart was about to burst. "Of course I will." He leaned down quickly to meet Hiei's lips, pouring as much passion into this kiss as the first. He felt Hiei's hands grip his hips roughly and his skin began to burn even more than before. He pulled away quickly, panting heavily.

"As lovely as this is," Kurama said, "I can't stay here all night making out with you in the wet grass. It's getting dark and my mother tends to worry."

"Oh, right, your human mother." Hiei put extra emphasis on the word "human" and Kurama had to stifle a laugh. He knew the fire demon better than he knew himself; he didn't hate humans, it was just second nature to him to react in a repulsed manner by their mere existence.

Kurama stood up and held a hand out to Hiei, helping the smaller man up. As Hiei stood, Kurama kept his grasp on his hand, tracing his thumb over the back. "If you don't have any plans for the night, you could come with me."

Hiei smirked, closing the distance between the two of them and cupping Kurama's cheek. "That does sound rather enjoyable."

Kurama smiled widely. "Wonderful. Just remember to call me Shuichi when you meet my mother."

Hiei took a step back, eyes wide in panic. "Your mother?"

Kurama laughed. "Only kidding, Hiei. That one was a genuine joke."

Hiei let his shoulders drop and his eyes relax. "Oh, good." He followed Kurama as the redhead pulled him through the park to the dark and empty streets. "But spending time with a human – that would be something I could manage. For you, anyway."

Kurama's heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He turned his head toward Hiei. "Really, Hiei?"

The only response Hiei gave was to turn his head slightly towards Kurama and shoot him a glance through his narrowed eyes. Kurama squeezed his hand. "Let's just go home, for now. I won't put you through that." Hiei seemed to relax. "For now," Kurama added.

They held hands as Kurama led Hiei back to his apartment. Kurama assured Hiei that his mother would be in bed by now, but Hiei took no chances. He entered Kurama's room through the window. In Kurama's bed they held each other, kissed each other, and apologized to each other in as many was as they could to make up for lost time. At the end of it all, when the morning sun peeked through Kurama's windows and they were wrapped in each other's arms, sleep threatening to take them soon, Kurama leaned in and whispered to Hiei, "welcome home." Hiei pushed Kurama's hair aside and kissed the top of his head as they both let sleep overtake them.