Please note that this acts a as a sequal to my prievious work "Chocolate Box". Its not truly necessary to read CB before this, but it helps to understand some of the jokes.
"Click." The lock rasped as the silver haired fox demon broke the code. A simple device to hold such a precious treasure, the thief thought to himself. The professional spell breaker and general treasure hunter was searching deep within an ancient temple to find a rare potion. This potion was said to take away a demon's powers for a short period of time. He opened the box and found not one bottle of legendary potion, but two bottles. One, a little blue bottle, held a potion marked with a symbol representing the word demon and a little red bottle marked human. In the bottom of the chest lay and old sheaf of paper. The demon closed the small box and picked it up. Only five minutes of the spell allowing him to remain in full demon form was left to him, so the master thief tucked the box under his arm and made for the exit.
❃
The red haired boy awoke from his slumber and stretched. Another day full of the drudgery school held for his life. At least Shuichi would have the memories of his romp in true Kurama form. He had found and taken a treasure he'd prize almost as much as his life. The prize was a small vile of a potion intended to repress a demon's power and give them a status equal to that of a human. Along with this little treasure, he'd received a few bonus'. One was a second bottle containing a vile of potion that amplified any demonic attributes found hidden within a human, and the other bonus was the recipe for making the two potions.
Last night's fun and rewards in mind, Shuichi kicked off his bedding and allowed the shock of the cool winter morning air fully awaken him. It was obnoxious how the elements acutely affected him in his human skin, but nothing that could happen that day would have the power to sadden him. With a smile on his face, the red head began his morning routine. He had to resist the strong urge to retrieve the box beneath his bed and open it. He longed to admire the fruits of his work, but knew that would amount to nothing. Part of what made the beautiful fox successful as a thief was in keeping the fact that treasure can own its owner if the thief was not careful; even if the desired treasure wasn't a trinket of material value.
His plotting thoughts of how to get a certain sword happy demon to drink one of the lovely potions kept the fox humming through his morning. Even on his way to school, Shuichi had a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. Plotting ways to gain the pyro-inclined demon to entertain his company had become one of the boy's favorite past times. The only problem lay in the fact that the dairk haired one had grown substansialy in power and was touchy to deal with. The potion could easily fix that, but he needed to figure out how to get the potion down a certain demon's throat. Whistling happily with fruitful thoughts, the elated boy found a rather rude set back standing between him and his school gates. Yusuke stood with arms crossed, a somber look on his face, and pointedly blocking the school bound fox incarnate's way. "Finally", Yusuke said in agitation.
"What's up?" Shuichi cheerfully replied.
Yusuke glared at the fox demon and wondered what made the demon so happy. "Koenma wants us. He has a big job for us and it sounds like it could take all day; if we are lucky."
"Oh? Is the whole gang going to be there?" Kurama asked with barley disguised hopefulness.
"Of course... What's got you so chipper?" Yusuke asked with slight agitation and a little suspicion.
"Oh, nothing." The good looking fox said with his usual evasiveness.
"Right... let's get to the underworld." Yusuke suspiciously looked at the red head as Boton made her appearance to escort the two.
❃
Normally the elegant fox wouldn't have allowed Boton to escort him, but today he didn't care. Hiei would undoubtably be at the meeting and a window of opportunity might arise. If he could catch the elusive demon's eye, he might be able to drag the object of his obsession to a secluded spot and invite him for a drink. Though, Kurama didn't actually know what Hiei liked to drink. Something hot probably... maybe something hot enough for the demon to burn his tongue on... Kurama shook his head to clear the ensuing erotic thoughts from his mind. An interesting idea with some very interesting possibilities, but the fox didn't have a way to make a drink hot enough for a pyromaniac demon to burn himself on; and that left him back at square one: getting the potion down the sword slinger's throat. Kurama continued to plan, though the palace loomed ever closer and he didn't come up with much.
In the underworld palace an interesting sight befell the group. Christmas decorations lay everywhere and all was in holiday chaos. "Took you guys long enough. I need you to find a Christmas gift for a special girl and I don't have time to get one, so you guys have to get it for me." Koenma greeted and shooed them on their way in one breath; then disappeared into a pile of decorations.
"Arrgg this is just like his Valentines day mission. I hate this type of mission." Yusuke grumbled, though his feelings were not shared by the rest of the group, especially a powerful fox demon. The gift hunt from Valentine's day had left most of the others at a good spot with their special someones.
"Well, we better get started. Christmas is only a few days away and we need the gift." Kuwabara suggested while the fearless leader of the group continued to fume over the mission.
Hiei, Kurama noticed, had a very suspicious look on his face. Since Valentines Day, the demon had been suspicious of anything the fox tried to give him. Kurama took note of this awareness in the usually emotionally clueless demon and began working on a plan around that. This time he'd suggest they stay together as one group. Then Hiei might be more likely to show an interest in a possible gift.
Kurama hadn't done too much other than tease the yokai since Valentines Day because the boy was a little skittish. Naturally Hiei wouldn't admit to any kind of feelings, but ever since that tasty kiss, Hiei kept his distance and was a wall of caution. Well, the year had almost gone by and the silver haired fox was ready to play.
"Ugh, Valentine's Day was bad enough." Yusuke interrupted Kurma's thoughts with aggrieved muttering, "let's get this over with." He proposed as the group set out.
❃
"Where to first?" Botan asked the group.
"How the hell should I know?" Yusuke asked in obvious agitation which seemed strange since this venture gave the boy an excuse to ditch school
"Let's do the reverse of last year. We'll spend today looking at various shops as a group and tomorrow we can split into separate groups." Kurama suggested. This suggestion left Hiei with deep suspicions. He knew the yokai had something up his sleeve, but he had no idea what that sleeve held. Last time was bad, but this time would be even worse; he knew this. The silver haired fox and his human disguise held a strange appeal for the pyromaniac of a demon. He hated to admit it, but Kurama's company was enjoyable, and Hiei actually found himself craving that companionship. That kiss from Valentines Day still lingered in his mind, and he was loath to let it happen again. He would not admit that he liked that kiss, and he would do anything he could to prevent a recurrence. So far he had been successful, but he knew it was a matter of time. No matter what his thoughts, Kurama was not a being to be denied. The dark haired demon sighed as the group took to Kurama's suggestion and headed out.
The first store everyone looked into was one called Victoria's Secret. The name was interesting, but the contents of the store were not. The only person from the group enjoying themself was Boton. The store was a filled with women's undergarments. Why they were in the store was beyond Hiei, but Boton seemed to think it was the best store to do female Christmas shopping. The fire using demon sent up a silent prayer of thanks that he was male and didn't have need of Victoria's Secret.
The group dragged the excitable guide out of the store and made their way through some other shops. Kurama insisted they visit Hallmark, which Hiei pointedly stood outside of, and all in all lead a rather fruitless search. No one could agree on anything, and the one female in their group still insisted upon something from Victoria's Secret. The boys had no intention of ever going back to that store.
❃
After looking through dozens of shops with no avail, the tired and ready to quit group came to an interesting clothing store. All sorts of hand knitted outfits in many colours hung within the little shop. Though they had been assigned to hunt for a gift for Koenma's special someone, Kurama had no intention of following the mission. Instead he left that to the others. He was on a mission to find a gift for his favorite dark haired demon. His day's watching had now proven fruitful. The moment Hie's eyes saw the store a delighted light rose in the deep red eyes. With glazed eyes, the dark haired demon walked to the window and longingly stared at an intricate black sweater. The final piece of Kurama's plan was in place.
Hiei had a favoritism for wearing black and seemed to pick up a fondness for roses. The sweater had a rose pattern meshed into the knitting. It was a rare work and would serve a great purpose in the capture of the pyro. "Let's try this shop. If we don't find anything, we should quit for the night." Kurama suggested with the agreement of the others. They entered the store and looked around. It was a quaint store and had the feel of a certain chocolate shop Kurama was familiar with.
The red head left the group to go speak to the attendant about the sweater. The lady was happy to oblige the fox and even had a way to get the sweater out of the window display, wrapped, and handed to the ex-thief without Hiei noticing. The lady went to do her thing, and Kurama's plan formed fully in his mind. He'd tell Hiei that he'd found something of interest to the demon. Naturally that would put up the suspicion lights in the fire users head, but the offer of chocolate should lure the demon. For some odd reason Hiei had a liking for chocolate, and thus a cup of hot chocolate should intrigue the demon. A few drops of the potion in his cup, and the rest would be cake.
❃
The group left the shop and Hiei had some mixed feelings. The group finally decided on a cute pink sweater with a star pattern knitted into it and decided the mission was complete. Hiei didn't really care about the mission and cast one last longing glance at the store. The owner had taken down the black sweater and said it had been reserved for a customer who was due to pick it up any minute. The dark haired demon kinda wished the sweater was bought for him, but immediately suppressed that feeling. The sweater represented a melding to him. A melding of a rose using fox and himself. Why he liked this melding was beyond him, but it made things feel right. He sighed in resignation and followed the group back to the underworld.
This time around Koenma was very happy with the gift. Yusuke had no interest in the sweater and Koenma thought it was a great gift to give the girl. Hiei found it funny that after last time Koenma still asked them to present hunt. The group was thanked for their work and sent on their way. Each person broke off on their separate ways and Hiei decided he should be on his way too. Though as he walked to the door, a familiar red head barred his path. The sword wielding demon gulped slightly and tried to ignore the figure.
"I went treasure hunting and found something you might find of interest." The supposedly ex-thief said. Everyone thought Kurama had quit treasure hunting or thieving; everyone except Hiei. The thief often brought rare gifts back for the fire demon. Most of them dealt with enhancing powers and helping him grow stronger. Thus, Hiei found himself in an internal conflict. He wanted to go and see what this treasure was, but considering Valentines Day and what happened then, he was reluctant.
"What is it?" Hiei suspiciously asked.
"Meet at my house and I'll show you. It's a surprise." The read head said with one of his irritating smiles and left. At this point Hiei knew the fox has something in mind, but as usual since the fox demon had told him to do something, Hiei could not refuse.
❃
Kurama had everything set; his adoptive parents were gone and the apartment was set against the demon's escape. All he had to do was wait fo r his prey to come. Kurama had always loved a good hunt, and the hunting of a certain demon occupied most of his thoughts anymore. Two cups were set with the potions. The red cup had the potion for brining out demonic traits smeared in the bottom and the blue cup had the potion for suppressing demon traits smeared in it. All he had to do was add the hot chocolate. The sweater was elegantly wrapped with vines and roses to create an interesting unwrapping experience.
While Kurama lost himself in his thoughts, and shortly the door bell rang. The excited red head all but ran to the door to answer it. He opened the large door and welcomed the poutty demon. "Come in." Kurama smiled to his guest. "The thing is on the table. I'll get some hot chocolate." Kurama pointed to the package. He watched as the demon slowly walked to the package, and smiled. The red head went into the kitchen and readied the chocolate.
The fox demon emerged from the kitchen to see the dark haired demon holding the package almost fearfully. "What's wrong?"
"I don't trust it." Hiei pointedly informed the fox.
"Oh? Here drink this you'll relax." Kurama smiled knowing that when he issued a suggestion to the pyro, said pyro would be forced to comply.
"What is it?" The sword wielder asked the fox.
"Hot chocolate." He smiled and handed the glass to the demon. Hiei took it and looked at it suspiciously. He sniffed it for a moment and set it and the package down on the table. He took a seat down on the couch and Kurama joined him. "I'll open the package and you take a drink of the chocolate." Kurama offered his companion as he took the package in his hands. He opened the package and watched with a smile on his face as Hiei took a sip of the hot chocolate.
"Mmmmm..." Hiei said with delight and took a deeper sip. While Hiei was enjoying his chocolate, Kurama was drinking his own cup of hot chocolate. He could feel the potion take affect and watched Hiei to see if he noticed the change.
"Here." Kurama said as he handed the sweater to Hiei. When Hiei saw it, his eyes lit up and he reached for the sweater. Hiei took the sweater in his hands, looked up at Kurama and froze. Before him was not the red head human with little power, but the silver haired fox demon who could hypnotize with his golden eyes.
"I found a potion I wanted to try out. I put some of it in my drink to see if it worked. Obviously it did." Kurama said with a silky voice as he noted the look on Hiei's face.
Hiei looked at the silver haired thief and wondered for a few minutes. Youko never tried anything strange with him so he should be safe. He looked at the sweater and grabbed the cup of hot chocolate. He took another sip, "Ouch!" Hiei dropped the cup and sweater and began to panic. The chocolate had burned his tongue. Him a fire demon and his tongue had been burned by a human drink. This was a bad thing, a very bad thing.
"What's wrong? Did you burn your tongue?" Kurama asked with a voice like silver and that's when it hit the pyro. The cups of hot chocolate each held a potion in it. One of them was obviously meant to bring out Youko, and the other to seal demon power. "Let me take a look." Kurama enticed Hiei.
Before the once demon could react, Kurama held the boy's chin and pressed his lips to the dark haired boy's. Hiei tried to push the fox away, but with his demonic strength suppressed, his struggle was to no avail. "Mmm...I still taste the hot chocolate." Kurama said in his silky voice as he broke the light kiss.
The thief pushed the startled Hiei into a laying position on the couch. Before the dark haired boy could voice any objections, Kurama soundly kissed him. Again the pyro tried to struggle, but Youko used his vines to hold the boy down. The fox ran his tongue across his captives lips, and obediently Hiei opened them. Deepening the kiss caused the trapped demon to tense. "Relax, I'll make sure this is a night you won't easily forget." Youko broke from the kiss to run his lips across his prey's neck.
"A night I won't forget? What are you... release me!" Hiei renewed his struggle.
"Hush now. Trust me I know exactly what I'm doing." Kurama laughed at his captives cries. No sooner had he said this when the expert thief's administrations began to take affect. Hiei's body was betraying the owner and giving in to the fox demon.
"Kurama..." Hiei managed to meekly cry out before his mind went blank and the fox indulged in his prey.
❃
Hiei grogily woke up with a very sore body. He couldn't place where he was sore, but he was sore. As his mind rose from the visage of sleep, he began to recall the events from the night before. He had gone to Kurama's house, against his better judgment, and drank some hot chocolate with the red head. Slowly his mind pieced together hat happened, and he sat bolt upright when his memory returned. Kurama and he had... even the memory of the night sent a strange tingle up his spine.
Just when his panic subsided, Hiei felt eyes upon him. He turned his head and panic ensued again. Laying seductively next to him was the silver haired form of Kurama. If Kurama was still in Youko form, that meant the potion hadn't worn off. And, if the potion making Kurama Youko hadn't worn off, then whatever was sealing his powers also hadn't worn off.
"Looks like this new potion is a bit stronger than the others." Kurama said in his silky voice and once again pounced on the now powerless demon.