I thought about how Kuwabara has the strongest convictions around and how the four of them inspire each other to do more than what's expected of them.
"Kuwabara, I believe you are being irrational," Kurama urged gently, worry laced tightly in his words.
"No! You are being an Idiot!" Hiei screamed in fury. Black energy crackled around his swabbed arm and saturated the air around him.
"It's not fair! I should not be given an extended life when no one else gets that kinda thing!" Kuwabara bellowed right back. He stood toe to toe with Hiei, breath sawing in and out of him in great lung full. The silence that stretched out was broken when Yusuke spoke up.
"You're different," he muttered.
"You are better," Hiei said with conviction. Never did his blood red gaze waver from Kuwabara's own blue. Kuwabara took on a look of horror at the statement. He backed away until he bumped into Koenma's desk and sat down heavily, knocking off mounds of paperwork to flutter to the floor.
"Don't," Kuwabara whispered. He looked up and pointedly looked at each of his friends. More strongly he said with venom in his voice, "Don't eva' say Imma 'bove everyone else. Don't make me into a God when I am only human!"
"You have done more in a few short years than a demon could in all his centuries of being." Kurama said this as if he were trying to convince a stubborn toddler to do something. Kuwabara rounded on the red head with a vicious glare.
"Then that is enough! I've always been human, with all the expectations that comes with it, and that is enough for me. It should be enough for you too!" Kuwabara directed his last sentence at everyone gathered in the room.
"Why the Hell you bein' so thick headed for? You still gonna be a human. Just gonna live as long as a demon! Stop your bitchin'," Yusuke ground out. He huffed, stomped over to the couch, and threw himself over the back outta sight of everyone. Kurama gave a glare in Yusuke's direction. Yusuke had a way of pissing everyone off at once, which was fully achieved when Yusuke flipped the bird over the couch.
"You are supposed to be here with us!" Hiei said angrily. "You're supposed to be here with me." The achingly soft words coming from Hiei on a plea caused Kuwabara's chest to spasm in pain. He could hear the longing in Hiei's voice; see the desperate look in his eyes and the hard set of his jaw. Kuwabara brought his hands up and pushed the palms into his eyes sockets. The pressure served to curb his pounding headache and stop the building of tears. Dropping his hands back to his side, he sighed and moved to stand next to Hiei.
"Don't make this about us—"
"It is about you, so it is about us! Do not push me; I will not hesitate to push back!" Hiei demonstrated his point by roughly shoving Kuwabara to the ground. Normally when this happened Kuwabara'd be butt naked and so horny the rough treatment was an intoxicating foreplay, but in this context the gesture made him mad as Hell. He was quick to get to his feet and grab at Hiei's throat pushing him back and slamming the upper half of his body ontop of Koenma's desk. The toddler God cried out in indignation as the last of his files scattered about. Hiei merely glared overtop Kuwabara's clenched hand.
"I know you want this so we can crack heads together foreva, but I just can't change everything for that opportunity. I won't change anything! Because if I accept this then everything I've done, all the good acts and the selfless deeds, they go from being noble to being payments for something I desperately want."
Kuwabara's hand went lax around Hiei's throat. He leaned down until his face was buried beneath Hiei's left ear. Loose orange curls spilled across Hiei's cheek. The fight for Kuwabara's life extension had turned into a lovers' quarrel. Kurama awkwardly to the side blushing madly at the affection the two rarely ever showed. Koenma and Botan were busy gathering up the papers and sorting through them, while Yusuke was lying dejectedly on the sofa. Unlike Kuwabara, Keiko would never be given the chance to accept a longer life, let alone vigorously turn it down as Kuwabara was.
"I don't want to lose myself or throw away everything I believe in on this one selfish act," Kuwabara whispered into Hiei's neck as the demon wrapped a strong arm over trembling shoulders.
"You are an idiot," Hiei said flatly. Kuwabara laughed on a cry. "I would never let you become lost," he added tenderly. Though his voice and touched were caring, Hiei was glaring with all his might at Kurama. The red head had the sense to turn the other way, but he could not stop himself from physically wigging out over the PDA.
After discretely wiping his face clean on Hiei's cloak Kuwabara moved back to give Hiei room.
"You have made your decision then?" Koenma asked distractedly from his place on the floor. He'd already known Kuwabara would refuse the gift. Kuwabara looked deeply into Hiei's eyes for several long seconds. Without looking away Kuwabara confirmed his declination. He saw in his lover's eyes a pinching sorrow followed by a hardened reserve.
"As of now, my lifespan will be that of a human. Make it happen Koenma," Hiei said, steadily looking anywhere but at Kuwabara. Kuwabara spluttered a protest. "You have made your decision. I have made mine." Hiei's harsh statement effectively silenced Kuwabara and managed to quail his disgruntlement.
"I've never shortened a demon's life before. But I don't see a problem with it. Speeding up death is always much faster than postponing it," Koenma said with a serious look to his face. His thoughtful eyes flickered over to Yusuke, who'd popped up at Hiei's outta-the-blue demand. "I take it you would also like a shorter lifespan, Yusuke?"
With a wildly excited grin Yusuke vigorously nodded his head. Off to the side Kurama cleared his throat delicately. "I, too, will make this request. What better way to end the legend than on a peaceful, content note."
A quiet calm fell over everyone as Koenma settled down to fill over the necessary paperwork to grant this altercation. Yusuke, as always, ruined the moment by bringing up the latest game he and Kuwabara were going at. Insults were exchanged and the two were soon found rolling around on the floor wrestling with each other. Hiei and Kurama talked quietly about setting their affairs in order, both keeping a watchful eye out so as to avoid the tumbling duo as they worked their way around the ground.
Botan left the boys as quietly as she'd been throughout the whole meeting. Tears glided silently down her cheeks, but her eyes held a hard glint to them. Her team was set to dye an early death. Her team. She'd guided them through the beginnings of their missions and watched as they took off without her, now she would have to guide them through death much earlier than she'd have hoped.
The only thing that cheered her up was the knowledge that while life for humans was short, death was even shorter. Before long they'd be reincarnated. Slipping into the room that dealt with the rebirth process, Botan set about changing a few things. They would remember everything. And next time they'd all be demon, even Keiko. Botan smiled a sad flicker of the lips as she stepped up to the book containing the rebirth details. Holding back her long kimono sleeve, she picked up a brush, dipped it in a well of ink and began writing the happy ending her team deserved.