"What sort of gate is this?" the spirit detective demanded loudly, faced with an open gate he could not physically step into.
"A fairly simple one, chump. The master likes people to come in, but not to leave, so I get to give all of his visitors the key to get them in, where the master will kill you!" answered a small girl as she floated about just above the gate opening.
"A key?" Kurama asked.
"That's right. As far as you are concerned, it's simple, though the gate is very complicated. I give each of you a question, and as long as you consider the answer to the question, you will be able to move through the gate. If your thoughts are distracted, you will no longer be able to move as the gate will re-establish the forcefield all around you. You won't even have room to breathe where you stand," the floating, child-like gatekeeper explained, chuckling gleefully at the prospect of their deaths.
"Enough chuckling, child. Give us your questions and we shall see who dies today," Hiei growled, glaring up at the infant.
The girl snickered one last time before flying down to whisper into the ear of each of the companions.
Hiei felt his stomach churn as he heard the words being whispered in his ear, and as the imp moved to whisper in Kurama's ear, he watched as the fox paled ever so slightly and stood more stiffly than he had before, and Hiei thought he caught a glance in his direction as the imp whispered in the fox's ear, though he probably imagined it.
"When will you tell him how you really feel about him?" the imp had asked Hiei, with a significant glance at the red head. What kind of question had the child asked Kurama? Something about his human mother, if his suddenly cold expression was anything to go by.
How had the girl even known that he had feelings for the fox? He was Forbidden, he had no business feeling anything for anyone. He stepped forward, entering the gate, moving easily as his thoughts churned, creating and discarding plans in which he told the fox, and scenarios of how the red head might react.
Reaching the further side of the gate, Hiei determined to put those thoughts from his mind, they would only distract him, and they were on a mission for Koenma and Enki – a rogue demon had been kidnapping children, human and demon alike. Enki didn't approve, and Koenma was infuriated. Kuwabara was really only with them as the human representative in this operation, still working for Koenma part time as a Spirit Detective. The other three were all there as a favour to their thick-skulled friend under the guise of orders from Enki, or maybe it was the other way around. If it was a good fight, they almost didn't care which way around it was.
It turned out to be a nothing job. The demon was weak, a mere B Class apparition. Certainly it would have been a challenge all those years ago when Hiei and Kurama had first met the Spirit Detective, but now it was an insult to their individual levels of skill to have sent them all. The chance to catch up wasn't so bad though, and once the children had been taken to the authorities who would return them to their families, the four allies had returned together to the Ningenkai for lunch at a tea house just down the street from Kurama's apartment.
Once they had eaten, they split up. Yusuke and Kuwabara went to the arcade together, talking about some of the latest games and sometimes about Keiko and Yukina, whom Kuwabara had finally figured out was Hiei's sister. Kurama invited Hiei to his apartment, and they headed in the opposite direction to the other two, in comfortable silence.
Hiei finally broke that silence as he toed his boots off and Kurama closed the door to the apartment.
"What's the matter, Fox?" he asked, his words blunt but his tone ever-so-slightly gentle.
"Nothing Hiei, what could ever cause you to think that something is the matter?" Kurama answered, a surprised expression plastered onto his face as he removed his own shoes.
"Don't try that with me, Fox. I noticed. Between the fights earlier, and on the journey back, you were distracted. It was that girl at the gate, wasn't it?" Hiei said, his usual glare in place unusually directed at his best friend as he crossed his arms and waited for Kurama to admit he had been caught out this time.
Kurama sighed and reluctantly nodded before moving past Hiei to sit on the two-seater couch he had in his small living space. It was a three-room apartment: bedroom, bathroom, and combined kitchenette and lounge space.
Hiei approached the couch as well, but didn't sit down.
"It had to do with Shiori, didn't it?" he asked. His tone could almost be called gentle as he spoke.
Kurama just nodded again, his eyes focused on his hands, which were clenched over his knees at that moment. "How did you know?" he whispered when Hiei didn't say anything further.
"Think a moment about who you're talking to Kurama. I am neither the empty-headed Detective, nor the moron," Hiei scolded. Taking a slightly calming breath, he sat down beside the only being in the three worlds who had ever truly earned his trust and respect, the one who had taught him what happiness, true happiness, was.
"Yes of course. Forgive me Hiei," Kurama said, attempting to smile over at the demon who had found him when he was much younger and had brought him out of hiding. "You always seem to know."
"Hn," Hiei grunted, crossing his arms once more. "I'm just familiar enough with you that I can guess quite accurately. Now tell me, Fox. You know that I won't breathe a word of it to anybody."
"She asked about how Shiori might react if she ever learned the truth of even half of the lies I have told her. I know she will be deeply disappointed in me, at the very least, though I expect screaming, fainting, and then her ultimately shunning me would all be more likely to happen."
Hiei watched as Kurama's calm broke just a little more, a tiny chip falling away as he buried his face in his hands. "That might happen if you told her everything at once," he conceded, taking the initiative to try and physically reach out and be there for his friend, for once, and reached an arm around the red head's shoulders. "But if you took it slowly, like one every few months perhaps, she would probably just accept it and continue to love you as she has always done. Though perhaps start with the small lies first"
Kurama nodded his head silently before falling into the loose embrace Hiei had around him. The fire demon felt his friend shift so that face and hands alike were now buried in his black coat, and the slight shivering was proven to not be from any chill as a damp patch seeped through the cloth so that Hiei could feel his friends tears against his skin.
"I apologise for my weakness," Kurama whispered, pulling back slightly to wipe his eyes on his sleeve, though he didn't look up to let Hiei see the tears. "Thank you for not pushing me away because of it."
"Hn. You're welcome. Do you intend to talk to Shiroi?" Hiei asked, releasing Kurama as he took deep breaths and sat up straight once more.
"I think it would be a good idea to clear up at least one or two untruths, but the thought of telling her, the act itself, scares me somewhat," admitted the once-legendarily cold-hearted, ruthless thief of the Makai.
Hiei braced himself a moment before he allowed the thought in his mind to be orated. "Would you like me to be there with you when you tell her?" he offered, not looking at Kurama as he spoke.
Kurama jerked around in surprise, looking intently at Hiei's face. He knew his mother made the other demon somewhat uncomfortable, but he had made the offer all the same. It was something that Kurama could not completely comprehend the meaning of, though a small whisper in his heart cried out in desperate hope for something he did not believe possible.
"Very much, if you really don't mind. I know Shiori's presence makes you uneasy, and I would not like for you to feel ill-at-ease just to support me when I should not need it," Kurama answered, smiling gratefully at Hiei, slipping one of his hands over Hiei's bandage covered appendage.
"I would not have offered if I did not mean it, Kurama. What will you tell her first? None of your secrets are exactly small ones, are they?"
"I think I'll start with half-truths, I would not want to tell her that we met because you sensed my demon energy, that would put you on the spot with her as well."
"Perhaps start with being able to remember your previous life, and go in small doses from there," Hiei suggested, grateful that his friend didn't want him to be the subject of Shiori's scrutiny, even as much as he wanted the chance to be honest with the woman who meant so much to ... his best friend.
Kurama nodded his agreement. "That sounds like a very good idea. I'll invite her to share lunch at the tea house on Saturday."
"The day after tomorrow, correct?" Hiei asked. He didn't bother to keep track of what the ningens called the days of their week. To him, time passed in yesterday, today, tomorrow, the week, month or year.
"Yes. Will you stay until then? Or will you disappear for a while, and just return in time for the lunch?" Kurama asked, hopeful that Hiei would stay rather than go.
"Hn, if you want me to leave, Fox, then just say so," Hiei grunted. He had heard the way Kurama's tone was tinged with hope when he asked if Hiei would stay, but he still wanted to hear the words.
"I don't want you to leave, Hiei. Please stay, I know there isn't much room here, but you know you are always more than welcome."
"When you invited me to have lunch with you and a friend today Suichi, I had expected you to introduce me to a girl you were seeing," Shiori said as she sat down with Kurama and Hiei at their table. "Though I am very glad to see you are keeping well also Hiei, I'm sorry if I sounded like I was unhappy to see you."
"No Mother, I'm not seeing anyone," Kurama answered, trying desperately to wave the topic aside. This was one of the reasons he didn't go out to lunch with his mother quite so often any more – she was determined that he was of a marriageable age now, and he...
"Oh Suichi, why not? I'm sure you are the last of your friends to start looking at girls, right Hiei?" Shiori asked, attempting to get some more motivation for her son to move faster towards romance.
"The only girl I ever went looking for was my sister," Hiei answered, turning his tea cup in his hand. He didn't bother to elaborate on that story, Shiori had managed to get him to explain about his separation from Yukina, and his recently finding her, by bribing him with ice cream.
"Why is that Hiei?" Shiori asked, curious. "You're very attractive after all, surely you could find a nice girl who you would want to settle down with."
"I would rather a nice man," Hiei stated, closing the subject as it pertained to him as he calmly took a sip of his tea, ignoring that Shiori was quietly blinking in surprise.
"Is that why you haven't found anybody yet either, Suichi?" Shiori asked tentatively once she had gathered herself once more.
Kurama swallowed, blinked, and attempted to change the subject. "That wasn't what I had wanted to talk to you about today, Mother," he said, hoping that the woman would take the bait and be curious about what he wanted to tell her.
"Oh, I do apologise dear, please, do go on," Shiori answered, smiling, though the unanswered question did not leave her mind.
"I wanted to talk to you a bit about my previous life," the red head said all at once, getting it out there and off his chest.
"Previous life?" Shiori repeated, surprised.
"You have heard the theory of reincarnation, I suppose?" Hiei interjected, saving his ... friend from having to carry the conversation too much by himself. "Usually when someone is reincarnated they do not have memories from their previous life, though in a few cases it has been known for a person to regain their memories of their first life, or even if they have been reincarnated multiple times, of one of their other lives."
"And you can remember your previous life, Suichi?" asked Shiori, slightly awed at the idea.
"Yes, even to the moment when I entered your womb, mother. My name in my previous life was Kurama."
Shiori nodded in understanding. "So that's why some of your friends call you Kurama, because they know about your past life too."
"Yes," Kurama agreed, relieved that his mother was taking this information so well.
"I suppose you were quite different in you previous life?" she questioned.
Kurama nodded. "Less kind, less patient, less tolerant, and I had no experience of love in my previous life," he explained, describing some of his attributes without touching on his heritage. "Many called me ruthless and cold hearted then, but I am much happier now, since you taught me love."
Shiori smiled at that, warmed by her precious son's words. "I would like to hear more about your previous life Suichi."
"Perhaps though, another day," Hiei suggested. "An unpleasant past should not be disclosed all at one time over tea and sushi-mi."
Kurama smiled his gratitude to his friend, tension easing from his shoulders completely.
"Does that mean we shall be having another lunch next week?" Shiori prodded gently.
"If you like Mother," Kurama conceded. "Will you join us again Hiei?"
"I told you already, I would support you through all of these conversations with you mother if you wanted me to. I know how difficult it is for you," Hiei answered, selecting a small, deep-fried riceball with his chopsticks.
"Thank you Hiei."
The rest of the lunch passed pleasantly, Shiori talked about work, her husband and his son, and Kurama talked about how his small business was doing – a plant boutique he owned privately, and so was able to keep his own hours. Hiei stuck with his tea and sushi-mi, though when Shiori asked about Yukina he answered her questions politely.
Just as their waitress was taking away their used dishes, Shiori brought up the same subject that she had started their lunch on.
"I would never have guessed you preferred men, Hiei," she said. "Are you seeing anyone at the moment?"
"I am not in a relationship," Hiei answered, setting down his empty tea cup for the waitress to take away.
"Any idea what he'll be like when you find the guy for you?" Shiori persisted, smiling at the waitress as she took away her plate and chopsticks.
Hiei glanced at the space Kurama had vacated just before Shiori had started up this questioning again – too much tea, he had said as he left them, smiling, with a promise to be right back.
"Oh yes, I found him even, but I haven't said anything, and will continue in the same fashion. I do not wish to ruin my friendship with you son," answered the fire demon, very honestly, as he returned his red gaze to Shiori's own obsidian orbs. Shiori was the only ningen he trusted with his emotions, and that was entirely because Kurama had first.
The woman nodded, a gentle smile on her face. "I hope Suichi returns your affections, Hiei. I know the way he dodged my question earlier, and while I had wished for grandchildren, I wish even more for my son's happiness," Shiori said, surprising Hiei. "He smiles more often around you, you know."
Hiei decided to walk ahead of the other two when leaving the tea house, giving them some small privacy to their conversation. He could hear every word of course, and his ears were burning red at the conversation Shiori was insisting on holding with her son at that moment. Hushed whispering or not, he still heard Shiori firmly refuse to be drawn away from the subject and gently demanding an answer, and then Kurama admitting that yes, he did like men rather than women.
They hailed a taxi and helped Shiori in before waving her goodbye and turning to walk, once again, to Kurama's apartment. Once again, they were silent until the door had closed and they were removing their shoes.
"You heard what Shiori was speaking to me about, I assume?" Kurama asked.
"Wasn't something I could really help, Fox," Hiei answered. "I apologise though for causing the confrontation between the two of you. If I had not stated my own preference, she would most likely not have thought to question yours."
"Actually, I'm somewhat glad that she did. I did not want to have to think of a way to tell her that in addition to the beginning of unravelling my demon past for her," Kurama proceeded to follow that statement with a deep breath in, and a sigh. "You have an opinion on my preference."
"Probably the same opinion as you have of mine, Kurama," Hiei said, regarding his friend as calmly as he could given the subject matter.
"I think it's the best news I ever heard," the fox murmured, green eyes fixed on Hiei's tight rear as he moved to sit on Kurama's couch.
"The same opinion then," Hiei affirmed, smirking over his shoulder at the man he hoped would soon be his lover. The result depended very much on how this conversation proceeded.
The way the ex-thief's whole face lit up in delight and barely restrained lusty hunger was definitely a positive sign.
"Are you just going to stand there, Kurama?" Hiei said, his voice quiet but with a purring tone to it rather than any kind of hushed whispering.
That hungry lust overtook joy and Hiei smiled as the fox pounced upon him, quickly taking control as their lips mashed together pleasantly, tongues twining sensually, and hands leaving burning trails behind as clothes were quickly removed.
At the next lunch, the pair came out and admitted that they had gotten together after Shiori left before continuing to talk about Kurama's past life. It took three weeks of Saturday lunches at the tea house together for Shiori to figure out on her own that her son's previous life had not been a human one, and when during the fourth lunch she asked outright what type of demon he was, both of the boys were momentarily speechless.
Hiei was the one who eventually spoke.
"Well, I'm a fire demon that was born to a race of completely female ice apparitions, and Kurama's a fox spirit. Were you up to four, or five tails when you died before?" questioned Hiei once he had explained, making it sound as normal as being business men and their last golf scores.
"Five," Kurama answered, still a bit dazed from being found out.
"Quite old then, and powerful too I suppose," Shiori observed, taking it in calmly. Since she had been having these lunches with the boys, things just didn't surprise her as much any more, at least concerning these two. "Hiei, your origin sounds confusing," she continued, turning to the black haired boy she now thought of as her son-in-law.
"Ice apparitions normally reproduce asexually once a century, always one child and always a girl. My mother met and lay with a man, who I can only suppose was a fire demon, and when my sister was born, so was I. The elders do not approve of male offspring, believing men to be naturally violent, and thought that I would destroy their floating island, and their whole race, if permitted to survive. I was literally thrown out, and had to essentially raise myself in the demon world. I went back once, looking for my mother and sister. Yukina had already left in search of me, and I could only visit my mother's grave," he explained.
Shiori, though no longer so easy to shock, was still a very caring person, and felt very deeply for Hiei's plight. Seeing her reaction, Kurama returned to his senses and offered her his handkerchief.
"Oh, thank you Suichi, I hadn't realised I was crying. I'm sorry for the embarrassment boys," the older woman said, accepting the linen and cleaning herself up. "Suichi, you didn't say what colour fox you were."
It was a weak attempt to change the subject, but they all appreciated it.
"I am a silver, mother," Kurama answered.
"Wait, you're talking about your past self in the present," Shiori said, confused once again.
"Yes mother. I hope you will forgive me speaking indelicately, but when my soul merged with the, I'm sorry to say, dying foetus in your womb, the human and demon merged together. It is not simply that I was a demon in my previous life..." Kurama explained.
"You're still part demon now," Shiori finished, awed.
"Mother?" Kurama said, worried when the woman who raised him remained in stunned silence after that revelation.
"Yes dear?" she asked, though she clearly was still a bit out of it.
"You are worrying your son, Shiori," Hiei said plainly, sipping his tea. "He's been worried you would hate him for his demon heritage for some time now."
Shiori blinked, and her eyes focused once more on the two boys. "Well that's just silly," she objected. "I'm in the habit of loving my son, finding out that he's also part demon isn't going to make me love him less, it just explains a few things."
Kurama sighed in relief.
Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Like?" he prodded.
"Like the way he always behaved like someone who had seen it all before, but didn't understand why I loved him, when he was still small," Shiori answered smiling.
"I've learned since," Kurama said, smiling a truly happy smile. "I love you, Mother."