Yakosuko

By: Sano

Standard YYH disclaimer

Note: This fic contains shounen ai. If you don't know what that means I suggest you don't read this.

*^^*

Kurama's emerald eyes looked empty as he gazed out the window as if waiting for something or someone.

A knock on the door brought the kitsune out of his reverie and his head whirled around. "Who is it?" His voice came out strained and weak.

"It's me Shuu-chan. May I come in?" It was no mistake that the voice behind the door was his mother's.

"Hai"

The door opened and Shiori stepped into the room with a smile on her face. "I brought you some soup." She gestured the tray in her hands in Kurama's direction.

"I'm not that hungry Kaasan. But thank you, anyway." Kurama declined.

Shiori's smile lost a little of its gleam and hurt pierced Kurama's heart. "I'm sorry Shuu-chan. But you haven't eaten anything since yesterday and I'm not taking no for an answer." Shiori said.

Kurama sighed and forced a small smile on his face. "Fine. But I'm really not that hungry."

His mother beamed at him and brought the tray over to his bed where he was sitting. They sat there quietly for a few awkward moments as her son drank the soup and Shiori opened her mouth to break the tension.

"Is your friend Hiei-kun here? I haven't seen him for awhile." She asked.

Her eyes widened slightly when Kurama dropped the spoon on the bowl noisily and pushed it away.

"Arigato, Kaasan, but I'm really tired and I just want to sleep."

"But Shuu-chan…" She trailed off as her son got under the covers and closed his eyes. She could feel that something was wrong with her Shuuichi but was just to scared to ask.

She just watched silently as her son pretended, quite poorly, to be sleeping. She gathered up her courage and finally asked him. "Is there something wrong Shuuichi?"

"No, I'm fine, Kaasan." Kurama replied.

Shiori sighed. "You can't fool me. I'm your mother. I'll always know when something's bothering you. Please, tell me if there's something wrong."

Kurama sighed again and sat up. "Okay. I'll tell you. It's about Hiei."

Shiori smiled as an image of Hiei formed in her mind. "Oh, Hiei-kun. Did you have a fight? I want to see him so much, he's such a nice boy…" She started talking about her plans on what to do when Hiei came when her son's voice cut into her planning.

"He's not coming back, Kaasan. He's gone." Her son spoke in a sad tone.

Shiori blinked. "You mean he's moved away?"

Kurama stood up and walked around the room, once, twice. And finally he stood in front of her and took her hands into his own. "He's not coming back, Kaasan. Hiei's…dead."

Shiori's hand widened in shock and her hand flew to her mouth automatically. "Dead…?"

"Hai, Kaasan. Hiei's dead…" Kurama trailed off. His eyes filled up with tears and he buried his face in his mother's chest.

"Shh…Shh…It's okay…" She rubbed soothing circles on his back as her son's body wracked with broken sobs.

Her son finally quieted down after a few minutes. Kurama broke away from her and wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry Kaasan. I just got carried away." He offered her an embarrassed smile and looked down so his red mane was covering his face.

Shiori brushed the red strands away from his face and smiled at him. "It's okay to cry, Shuu-chan. As long as you want." She tucked her son into bed and kissed his forehead gently.

"As long as you want…" Kurama echoed as Shiori turned off the lights and left the room.

He turned to his side so he faced the window. Please, come here…say that it isn't true that you're dead He balled his fists and willed that a dark figure would suddenly appear on the window and say "Hn".

Minutes passed and still, Hiei didn't come. He turned away from the window as flood of memories filled his mind.

His gaze went to his desk where a picture on a frame stood. It was a picture of him and Hiei, with him hugging the Jaganshi around the shoulders and pinching his left ear. His mouth turned up in a half-smile as he remembered the day he took it together with his friends.

They were urging Hiei to take even one picture. But the fire demon was stubborn and constantly ignored them.

Hiei finally agreed but on one condition: He wasn't going to be alone on it. Of course, everyone turned to him. And of course, he agreed. He didn't mind. Hiei was his best friend and this might be the only opportunity to take a picture of the Koorime.

Then at the last second, he hugged Hiei around the shoulders and pinched him on his left ear. He could still hear Hiei shouting at him after that.

He took the picture from the desk and cradled it gently in his arms as if it were a baby. He sat on the windowsill. With one knee bended and the other one left dangling inches off the floor.

He almost always saw Hiei sitting in this position. And sometimes, he would feel Hiei staring at him while he did his homework. And everytime he would catch the fire demon staring, Hiei would just offer him a "Hn" and just polish his katana.

Kurama sighed wearily as he lied on his bed. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His eyes were red and puffy from crying so much and he didn't think he could cry anymore. Actually, he still can as he felt tears welling up again.

Burying his face into his pillow, he let the tears flow freely down his flawless cheeks. He loved Hiei so much. As much as he denied it, he just can't get the fire demon out of his head.

He tried to make Hiei notice him more than a friend, but the fire demon was so dense that he even thought that maybe Hiei wouldn't be able to return those feelings.

He tried to make Hiei notice so much that he forgot to hide it from his other friends. The girls all knew about his feelings, but Yuusuke and Kuwabara were as dense as Hiei and didn't seem to notice it.

He held the picture in front of him and traced his finger around Hiei's form. "You betrayed me Hiei…you broke your promise…" He closed his eyes as he remembered the day he last saw his best friend.

*^Flashback^*

"You can't go Hiei! It's dangerous!" Kurama exclaimed at Hiei, who was sitting on the window polishing his katana.

"It's my job, fox. I have a contract with Mukuro." Hiei replied shortly.

Kurama felt jealousy rising in his throat and he pushed it away. "You always go to those dangerous missions. Don't you think that someday you may get killed?"

Hiei stopped polishing and turned his crimson gaze on him. "If it's my time, I can't do anything to stop it."

The youko sighed. "I really have a bad feeling about this Hiei."

The fire demon closed the last clasp on his cloak and turned to leave. "Don't worry kitsune. I intend to come back. I have something to tell you."

"Why don't you tell me now?" Kurama asked.

"I have my reasons."

Kurama sighed again. "But…" He hesitated. "…Promise you'll come back."

The fox must be imagining things. But Hiei actually smiled at him. A real smile, not the half-smile ones that he only saw once in a while. Before saying: "I promise." Then he was gone.

*^End of Flashback^*

"You lied Hiei…You broke your promise…" Another tear made its way down his cheek and the fox waited for sleep to wrap its comforting arms around him.

*^^*

"Kurama…" Hiei whispered as his half-transparent hand neared towards Kurama's cheek. "I've caused you so much pain…I should have listened to you when you said I shouldn't go…"

His hand hovered above the fox's lips. He wanted to kiss Kurama for so long, he wouldn't be able to kiss him forever.

"Hiei!" Botan's voice came from outside the window.

Hiei turned to the ferry girl. "Just a second." His voice didn't bear a strand of harshness and this surprised Botan greatly.

The fire demon turned to the kitsune again. He leaned in close, his lips hovering centimeters away from Kurama's.

"I'm sorry, Kitsune…I broke our promise…Ai shitteru" Hiei whispered before nodding at Botan. Botan nodded back and Hiei hopped into the oar that would bring him to the Reikai.

*^Owari^*

Ha! That's why Hiei should always listen to Kurama. Such an angsty ending *sniff*. And Botan has a part here too! *sob* First I killed Kurama-touchan now I killed Chibi-chan!!!

Please review!!