Rebirth

A/N: Companion fic to BlueUtopiah's Change, which burrowed into my brain and would not leave. It's independent, but I strongly recommend reading Change first.

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Not surprisingly, the last thing he thought as the blinding flash of the chemical explosion streaked towards him was oh shit, not again…

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He'd done it before, of course, and his power then had not been as great as it was now; it was absurdly easy to pull himself out of his body. It was a skill he had learned accidentally while learning to block his mind to telepathic influence – to sever the connections between his thoughts and his body, his body and his aura and his aura and his spirit. It had saved his life twice – once when he had been reborn as a human, and once in his battle against Toguro. Now, he had honed the skill to a fine art, and it was a simple matter to flee between worlds (now that he didn't have to discard most of his youki to slip through a hidden portal). At that point, he gave up his consciousness, trusting to his instincts to lead him to a suitable body as they had last time.

It was a pity, really. He had rather enjoyed being a redhead.

Gods, but if they didn't figure it out soon, Hiei was going to have a fit.

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Coming to was actually more painful than passing out had been, and he opened his eyes slowly to see the dingy grey pavement that was mandatory for shady-looking alleys in any world, along with the trashcans, amorphous goop and the reek of bad alcohol and sewers that was equally consistent. It itched at his nose, which was as sensitive as ever, and he sneezed several times before he was able to tune out the stink.

So he wasn't a fetus this time. That was good. Being born had damn near killed him the last time – there was something to be said for memory loss; remembering that kind of pain would have scarred most humans for life. He flexed his fingers experimentally – fingers, good, his career would be ruined without those – and slowly brought them before his eyes, blinking owlishly as they refocused. The hand in front of his eyes was more like a paw, furry and small. Some sort of cat youkai, no doubt.

Regaining muscular control took him the better part of a day, at the end of which he could move around fairly easily, even if his coordination was shot to pieces because his limbs were differently proportioned now. The body he was occupying was young, apparently soulless (he didn't even want to wonder why) healthy if malnutritioned, and male. He was grateful for that last; he was much too old to be figuring out a new gender in addition to a new body. And Hiei would probably kill him.

Hiei.

He must know by now; that explosion was hardly unnoticeable, and Yusuke would have sent him a message or something by now. And hopefully he would have realised his soul was missing, and drawn the correct conclusion.

Then again, this was Yusuke.

With a sigh, he discarded his initial plan of holing up somewhere safe until he could take better stock of his situation and control his body better, and stumbled out of the alley to find out where he was. The last thing he wanted was for Hiei to act even more rashly than he normally did because he was temporarily off-balance from Kurama's apparent death.

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Luck was on Kurama's side; the village he had landed in was less than an hour's journey from Alaric. He was actually familiar with it, having visited a few times with Hiei. The townsfolk eyed him curiously but didn't stop him or talk to him. He supposed this body had been that of a stranger, since no one seemed particularly interested in wondering why it was moving around again.

It took him two hours to stagger down to Alaric, where he was promptly turned away by the guards. Gritting his teeth, Kurama scaled the side of the fortress and slipped through a small passage Hiei and Mukuro had ordered made as a secret exit, crawling through two kilometres of tunnel before he slid out from behind an elaborate tapestry next to Hiei's room. By the time he collapsed onto their bed, he was too exhausted to even worry that none of the guards had noticed an alien youki in their heir's bedroom, and criticise Alaric's security system.

He fell asleep almost immediately.

Kurama woke a couple of hours later when he sensed Hiei's energy close by – weakened, drained, but still furious. How terribly predictable. He merged soundlessly with the shadows.

Hiei didn't even notice him as he stalked over to the window, staring out of it blankly. Kurama resisted the impulse to huff indignantly.

'Kurama, where are you?' Hiei murmured, sounding older and younger than he had in years.

Cue the grand entry, Kurama thought wryly. He does accuse me of dramatics. 'Right here, Hiei,' he replied.

It was almost worth dying to see Hiei gape wide-eyed at him, and he grinned as he emerged into the light.

'K-kurama?' Hiei stuttered, and he could feel his youki reach out, wrapping around him almost desperately seeking reassurance. He let it. 'H-how?'

Kurama shrugged. 'It was just like the first time, although it happened much faster. But practice makes perfect I guess. At least I didn't have to be born again.'

'You…you have whiskers…and a tail.' Kurama was willing to let that one slide; concessions for shock. Still, Hiei didn't have to rub it in.

He grabbed his tail a little self-consciously and studied it critically. Not the most ideal – or pretty – tail, but no matter. He could change things – how else would a pureblood Japanese boy have red hair? 'It's not the first time I've had a tail, although this one's a bit on the thin side. No matter. I'll shape this body as I did the last, I have time.' Kurama paused, studying Hiei's face, and grinned predatorily. 'Did I worry you?'

'Hn.'

Hiei turned away, and that was more than enough cause for teasing. Kurama smirked. 'Did you

miss me?' He stepped up behind Hiei and ran his paws – paws, how undignified for a kitsune – over Hiei's chest, exactly where he knew it would have the most effect. It was quite gratifying to feel Hiei shudder in reaction, even if the angle was all wrong. It was an entirely new perspective on how it must be for Hiei.

'Great, now I'm a pedophile,' Hiei muttered, trying to distract himself.

'Hardly,' Kurama said dryly. 'Patience, Hiei. I didn't learn to live this long without patience. It will take me about five human years to regain most of my youki and by then I will have filled out quite nicely.' He leaned up to kiss the back of Hiei's neck, and decided that he much preferred leaning down to do it. 'And, as usual, you won't be able to resist me.'

'Should I set up the litter box in the corner then?' Hiei asked.

That, he was not willing to let slide.

'OW! You scratched me!' Hiei yelped. As if he'd expected less.

'I die and come back in this brand new body and all you do is insult me?' Kurama demanded. His tail twitched instinctively, irritating him further. Damn it, he was used to a tail that wagged when he was happy, not angry!

'Where is the soul?' Hiei asked seriously, turning to face him. Blood was welling up in a razor-thin slash on his neck, but he ignored it.

'I don't know,' Kurama admitted. 'Either this boy was severely traumatized or deficient, but there was nothing inside…or it might be hidden away somewhere, in a part of the mind that I can't access.'

'So if the true soul does emerge?'

That, he could definitely do without, but he shrugged and winked anyway. 'Then I'll be a triumvirate.' Oooh, foursomes…that brought up some memories. Monogamy was so unadventurous sometimes.

Hiei sighed. 'Wonderful.' He arched an eyebrow. 'You understand that if I walk around with a kitten I'll be the laughing stock of the castle, and Makai.'

Hiei flopped on the bed, exhausted, and Kurama hid his smile before he could see it.

That had summoned images of Ekichi, and by extension, Kuwabara. The idea of Hiei walking around with a mini-Kuwabara-cat was simply hilarious. The image would have offered ample opportunities for teasing – if he hadn't been the kitten in question.

As it was…'Hardly,' Kurama said wryly. 'As soon as Yomi, or anyone else for that matter, learns of my condition I doubt they'll stop taunting me long enough to laugh at you. I suppose there are going to be quite a few roasted demons over the next few years…well, they do make such great fodder for my plants.'

He jumped onto the bed, and promptly fell over with a startled sound, as his legs were a good two feet shy of the length he had assumed they would be. He wound up face-down next to Hiei, who chuckled faintly. 'Stupid feline,' he whispered, sounding bone-weary. Stupid fox, Kurama thought. The closest thing Hiei could ever produce to an endearment

Kurama thrashed around on the bed, feeling horribly clumsy, until he finally found a pose that seemed comfortable enough, curled up against Hiei in a rather catlike manner; purring automatically at the warmth and familiarity. Hiei stiffened at first, probably at the strange scent of not-quite-Kurama, but then he relaxed, stroking the fur on his head as if he were a cat – which, Kurama had to admit, he was. His hand trembled slightly, and Kurama felt a pang of guilt. He didn't know if it was from relief or weariness, but it was his fault either way.

Hiei's hand continued to stroke him softly. It was sending him to sleep again. 'You did miss me…' he said, almost surprised by that. Hiei was so stoic, it was easy to forget that he could feel, and deeply. 'I'm sorry I worried you.' The words were squashed by the covers, but he was too tired to roll over and too comfortable to move away.

'Hn,' Hiei said, and everything he had probably felt in the last few hours was clear there – anger, pain, loss, fear, hope, relief, and mostly love. He felt surrounded in it, and he basked in the sensation. He had died, briefly, but he was still alive, and with Hiei, and his tail was funny, but on the whole, things were all right.

He really didn't think he could feel happier–

'Tomorrow I'll ask Mukuro if she has a ball of yarn.'

Vengeance, Kurama decided immediately and firmly, even as his eyes drooped. Definite vengeance. In the morning.