I started this one night when I was bored and I ended up loving it to death. So here is it! R&R please...pretty please with a cherry on top!

Warnings:

(1) This is written in story format, meaning it's very descriptive and you might get bored if you're not used to reading things like this. But bear with me! It's all good!

(2) This story is contains shounen-ai, nothing too serious, but still shounen-ai all the same. I'm not going to tell you not to read it because of it, because it's not that bad really, but of course, it's up to you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, or its characters, but a girl can always dream!

Description: Kurama's life becomes a little full all of a sudden and he's stuck making decisions that could end up hurting him and those around him in the end. The story takes place a few years after the end of the Dark Tournament and features the main characters of YYH. It starts off as if Kurama's the main character, but it'll switch off between different characters as needed. Enjoy!

Hiei Returns

-Kurama-

"I heard that Urameshi, this isn't over!" Kuwabara Kazuma exclaimed back at Urameshi Yusuke as he chased him down the block. Shaking his head, Kurama, stood up from the park bench and smiled at them. Knowing them, they'd be at it for hours.

Left alone, Kurama now had time and peace, two things required to have his mind reel constantly with thoughts. He walked down the dirt path of the route leading to the forest. It was where he was headed about an hour earlier before he ran into Yusuke and got into a conversation with him about problems with Yusuke's relationship to his girlfriend, Yukimura Keiko. Then Kuwabara showed up, asking for trouble. It was a common sight, so Kurama felt at ease. As their distance increased, Kurama found himself thinking about his own relationship "problems."

By that point in his life, Kurama had never had a girlfriend. He was 17 years old and was about to start his senior year of high school with his closest friends at their current school. It would be Kurama's first year there, however and he knew his mother, Minamino Shiori, had her sights set on him finding someone. It interested him none.

Kurama felt he was getting along just fine without dating. He was happy, content, but yes, every now and then he found himself feeling lonely. He would assure himself that everything was fine, but the feeling persisted. He tried his best to ignore it, but still accepted it all the same. With 17 solid years in this his human form at his heels, he understood human emotions and how they differed and were similar to demon emotions.

By the time he reached the depths of the forest, the afternoon had progressed quite nicely. He stopped for a moment and sat down underneath a tree. He stretched his legs out and rested his head and back against the trunk of the tree. His red hair fell about his shoulders as he did so. He sighed.

It wasn't long before he heard the rustling of leaves above him. A few fell slowly to his lap and some rested in his hair. He searched for 'ki; it was an automatic response to when he felt he wasn't alone. It wasn't necessary, though. He already knew who it was.

"It's not like you to have such a short stay in the makai, Hiei." Kurama said, a little bit of his happiness at seeing him hinting in his voice. Hiei jumped down from the tree, landing just inches from where Kurama sat. He stuck his hands in his pocket.

"I got bored," he said simply. Kurama bent his knees up to his chest, still looking up at Hiei.

"Looking for fun in the ningenkai?" Kurama asked in a playful tone. Hiei didn't answer; Kurama didn't expect him to. Hiei looked away.

"Mind if I stay with you for a while?"

"Not at all." Hiei looked back down at him and nodded. Then he turned and walked away.

Kurama watched him walk away, studying him as he got further away. He had a strange sense to him and Kurama wasn't sure what it was. Something about him didn't quite feel right.

As night fell, Kurama decided he should head home. He stood up and walked up the dirt path that led him there. The streets were beginning to empty and it was dark, quiet and practically deserted by the time he arrived home. He entered his apartment building and checked his mail in the main hall before he took the stairs to his apartment. He slid his shoes off and sat his keys on the end table near the couch. He plopped his mail on the dining room table as he went towards the kitchen. He went to the refrigerator and looked inside, taking out some fruit juice and pouring himself a glass. He left the tiny kitchenette and sat down at his table, looking through each piece of mail. It was all junk but one. It was from his mother.

He smiled to himself and opened it, reading it over quickly and then reading it a second time a little more carefully. It was nice to know that she still missed him and that she wanted to see him. But Kurama couldn't go home. There was no room for him there. He sighed. He would have to give her a call the next day after work. He finished off his juice and cleaned up after himself. He went to his bedroom afterwards.

He walked over to his window and opened it, lifting the screen also. He breathed in the crisp evening air and looked out into the tree that grew right outside his window. He sighed as he searched the branches, not seeing what he was looking for. He pulled himself back inside and went over to the night stand to the left of his bed and grabbed his hair band. He bunched his hair into a ponytail, then grabbed a novel he was in the middle of reading. He climbed into bed, stacking two pillows to prop himself up on.

Settling back, he opened the book up to the marked page and began to read. This was how he often spent his summer evenings: enjoying a mellow activity before cooking and eating dinner, and then heading off to bed. Not five minutes into his reading, however, he heard faint knocking. He book marked the novel and scooted off of the bed.

The knocking came again before he could reach the apartment door. Not being a very cautious person when it came to strangers at his door, he usually just opened it, but this time he peered into the eyehole to see who it was. If it was a stranger, he'd pretend he wasn't there. Looking through, however, he saw that there was a familiar face on the other side. He stepped back and opened the door.

"Good evening, Botan," he greeted the bubbly blue-haired messenger of the reikai. She grinned back at him, stepping inside.

"Hello, Kurama, how are you?" she all but exclaimed, seeming to cheerful for the amount of winding down Kurama was in the midst of. But it was still nice to see her again.

"Alright," he said in response to her question, closing the door behind her. "What brings you here this evening?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," she said, looking around the dimmed room as if she'd never been there before. "I was just in the neighborhood and figured that I might just come and see what my favorite red-haired demon was up to." She paused and then turned to him. He stared back at her. "You're alone, I see."

"Yes, well, not anymore." He went past her and offered her a seat at the dining room table. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I was just about to throw something together."

"Sure," she said, going over to the table and having a seat. From its position near the entrance of the kitchenette, she could watch him as he made dinner.

"How does tilapia over wild rice sound?" he asked, entering the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door and looked inside.

"Delicious," Botan said, lifting her hands in the air as if she really wasn't sure. Kurama smiled at her, talking to her about several different things as he prepared their dinner. He served it up with some wine and sat across from her.

"Wow, Kurama, you sure know how to wow 'em," she said, grabbing her knife and fork.

"What do you mean?" Kurama asked, spreading a napkin over his lap and beginning to eat.

"You know," Botan said, getting a mischievous glint in her wide, mauve eyes as she leaned forward. "Dimmed lights, a delicious dinner, an expensive wine. Interesting conversation... I'm surprised some young woman hasn't stolen you away from us." She covered her mouth and held back a giggle. Kurama smirked, shaking his head at her.

"It seems that only you and the others appreciate that about me," he said. Botan took a sip of her wine, waving her hand at him as she did.

"Oh, you're lonely," she told him sadly. He looked surprised. "Don't worry, I'm here to help, you know?" She sat down her glass, looking enlightened. "Why, I have the perfect idea! I could be your matchmaker!" Kurama's emerald eyes widened considerably.

"No, that's quite alright," he assured her, sounding as nervous as he was smiling.

"How perfect," she said as if she didn't hear his refusal. "I have the perfect girls in mind for you. I wonder who the lucky one'll be." Kurama chuckled at her.

"I'd really rather you not," he said. She waved him away again.

"I've got you covered," she said with a wink. Once Kurama managed to be alone again, he washed the dishes and went into his bedroom after turning out all the lights. He pulled his blouse up over his head and threw it into his hamper. He unbuttoned his pants and went over to his bed. He unzipped them and pulled them down, then sat at the edge of the bed to take them off, along with the hair band.

He brushed his hair out before slipping on a light blue nightgown. He turned out his lamp and got back into bed, this time sliding under the sheets to go to sleep. He gave a final glance to the window before turning over. He pulled the covers over his shoulders and placed his hand under his pillow for support.

-Hiei-

Once he saw that Kurama had stopped moving, he slid silently into the bedroom, landing softly on the carpeted flooring. He removed his cloak and his katana, placing both on the floor beneath the window. He approached the bed, stopping when he reached the side of it, watching over Kurama as he slept. He couldn't quite explain what he felt as he stood there, his eyes lingering on the curves of Kurama's body beneath the sheets.

Hiei took a step closer, his thighs pressing up against the side of the bed. Slowly, he lifted one leg up and kneeled down on the bed, gently shifting his weight to lift his other leg, too. He lowered himself so that he lay down on the bed, but not completely.

He leaned forward, closer to Kurama, being able to see his slightly flushed cheek beyond the mounds of his hair. He took in a breath, holding it as he leaned closer. He brought a hand up, reaching it over to Kurama, who breathed in deeply suddenly, causing Hiei to retract his hand. His heart began to pump rapidly, his nerves beginning to make him sweat. He reached his hand over again and lightly touched Kurama's hair.

It was inexplicably soft and supple; Hiei's hand slid through the thick of it with ease. It was silky, almost making Hiei apprehensive about touching it with dirty hands. He brought his hand through it again, and then again, leaning down and breathing in its scent. He closed his eyes as the aroma of wild flowers began to sink in. He opened them, feeling uneasy at the fact that he liked it.

He lightly, just barely stroked Kurama's cheek, causing the youko to shift in his sleep. Hiei froze. He didn't move an inch until Kurama stopped moving. He looked down in shame. He shook his head and lifted himself up from the bed. He went to the window and grabbed his cape and his katana, taking them with him over to the chair that sat in the opposite corner of the room.

Sitting down, he let his katana rest on the floor. He covered himself up with his cloak and closed his eyes, opening them for a moment to watch Kurama again. Not quite sure why he did that, and everything else he'd done just then, he closed his eyes again and went to sleep.

Lots and lots of paragraphs, I know, but it won't stay that way as the story progresses. R&R please! I'll love you forever! I'll probably update later today, but if I don't get any reviews... I don't even want to think about it that way! Don't hesitate to say what you want; I welcome flames... as well as praises:: wink, wink:: G'day!

J3