The story from which "Excerpt" came. Will try to update.
Mature themes, but more like those of Kafka than Balzac (i.e. deep themes not sexual ones)
Where the raven flies
Like brambles from a thorn bush
There is no escape.
"Hiei…"
The dwarfish figure stopped at the entrance to the hotel room, his hand on the doorknob. He grit his teeth. The stench of humans and smoke had become overbearing half an hour ago. Had there been no important business to attend to, he never would have come to this place to begin with. Trying not to inhale, he released the knob and turned back to the fox demon. "Yes, Kurama?"
Kurama, with a blank look, set the textbook he had been reading on the wooden table. He licked a finger and dog-eared the page before turning to Hiei. "Going for a walk?"
"If by 'walk,' you mean escape from the stench of humans, then yes," Hiei said. He grabbed the doorknob with more force and began to turn it.
"May I come with you?"
Hiei stopped. The fumes were making his head pound. A few more seconds and he'd probably beat someone's head in—bystanders included. "I won't stop you," he growled.
Kurama stood up from the chair and walked past Hiei to the closet, his red hair flowing behind him like a flag. Usually Hiei would've made some snide comment about his looks, but right now his only desire was to get out of the building and breathe fresh air. Kurama must have noticed this since he took an annoyingly long time to fetch his shoes and put them on.
"I'm leaving," Hiei growled as Kurama painstakingly tied the one pair of sneakers he owned. The demon opened the door with a violent motion and began to run.
Sweet air enveloped him as he bolted outside. They had been lucky enough to have a mission outside the city, where the only human interference was concentrated in a small and semi-secluded area. As the peaks of the houses faded into pin-pricks, he began to slow into a jog, then to a walk. After a few yards, he stopped. Checking his bandage for any ends that had become loosened during his run, he scanned the surrounding area. A lush forest. "Too bad Kurama's still at the hotel," he murmured to himself as he rewound part of his bandage. "A fitting place for a fox demon."
"I couldn't agree more."
Hiei looked up to see Kurama emerging from the foliage. He snorted and continued to fiddle with the ends of his bandage. "You finally caught up?"
"You did catch me off guard," Kurama replied as he brushed past a fern. "I had to take Yoko's form to get here."
"Is that a compliment or idle chit-chat?" Hiei growled as he stretched his left arm over his head. "You know I hate both."
The fox demon smiled, letting out a small chuckle. "Yes, Hiei, I know."
Suppressing the urge to punch the stupid smile off Kurama's face, Hiei focused his energy into a series of lunges. Moments later, Kurama joined him, choosing to start where Hiei had left off with his arm stretches.
"If I had known this was going to be a run, I might have tied my shoes more tightly," the fox demon teased as he stretched out his right shoulder.
"Hnn…"
Reviews are appreciated as always!