Hello all! I'm so glad to finally contribute to the Kurama/Hiei fandom! I'm a review whore so any feedback (good or bad) that you have for me will be greatly appreciated!

Dark Heart

By Fangirl66

Hiei stretched as he stood up from where he had been lounging, for the last two or three hours, on the familiar oak tree branch outside his mate's bedroom window. He leaned heavily against the thick bark and peered inside at the redhead's sleeping form.

Usually Hiei would've joined his fox in bed but Kurama had been acting very strangely these past few weeks. At first, Hiei wrote it off as distraction; Kurama was always troubling his mind with boundless scenarios that would drive a normal being, human or demon, out of their mind. However, Hiei soon realized that it was only around him that Kurama would act so odd. When they were with Yusuke or any other member of their little group everything was like it had always been; teasing and jokes; jabs and fun. But when they were alone the redheaded part-human wouldn't so much as touch him.

A few months ago the fox not touching him wouldn't have seemed like such a crisis, but now that they had entered this tentative courtship Hiei wasn't so sure. And Hiei hated that! He was the master of the black dragon, for Inari's sake! Why the hell should he be so unsure concerning a basically valueless relationship between himself and the fox?

Hiei shifted his weight from his left foot to his right as he began to feel the tingly numbness of his left leg falling asleep. In the past when it came to the more physical aspects of their relationship the fox had seemed almost too eager to participate. But now, every time the black-haired boy tried to instigate contact, Kurama would freeze-up and instantly push away.

Yet another thing that pissed the young Koorime off was that they had only consummated their new relationship a little before this whole ordeal started. It seemed like now that Hiei discovered that he really enjoyed sex, his mate was destined to snuff him for the rest of their existence together. So not only was the shorter male feeling insecure, but sexually frustrated as well.

Hiei sighed, quietly, to himself. Could he truly be that bad? He knew that the fox had centuries of sexual experience under his belt but Hiei had never felt that he himself was so terrible. In the past Kurama had found his inexperience to be a turn on, or at least that was the impression the Koorime surmised.

Hiei rubbed his eyes tiredly, his feeling of inadequacy intensifying. He stole one last look at the slumbering fox before he leapt out of the tree and disappeared into the morning rays. His last thought was a fleeting hope that he would at least see his fox tonight, at Kuwabara's birthday party.

Kurama woke with an angry sigh; he had, had yet another nightmare. This time he had not only torn Hiei apart as he fucked him but he did it while laughing hysterically. He could still hear his mate's pleas for him to stop, for mercy. He shuddered his gaze automatically drifting to the window. His eyes darkened slightly when he realized that he had gone another night without seeing his little koorime. It was his own fault, after all. He had been steadily distancing himself from Hiei after he got his very first urge to hear his mate scream…and not in pleasure. At least he knew that whatever this was it had nothing to do with his demonic side. He had been Yoko for centuries and had never experienced the desire to completely and utterly destroy someone he loved.

Sure, demons in general didn't mind a bit of blood and pain in their foreplay, but the ideas that were currently running blindly through his thoughts were dark, tainted, almost like they weren't really his. Right now, in Kurama's normal state of mind, he knew that he would never willingly hurt or allow any harm to befall Hiei. But when the Koorime touched him he was possessed by the maddening impulse to not only claim but ruin.

And these irritating cravings couldn't have come at a worse time; Hiei had just recently plucked up enough courage to initiate the touches that Kurama loved so much and now the fox-demon couldn't even respond without the dread of doing something unforgivable. Kurama feared that his restraint would eventually break and he would make his dreams a reality, not that he hadn't come very close before. Hiei had absolutely no idea of the line he walked, of the absolute danger he was in, when alone with his mate. Kurama laughed mirthlessly; weren't you supposed to be safest in a lover's embrace?

A part of Kurama knew that the short-tempered fire apparition would be infuriated if he ever found out that the redhead was protecting him like 'some damn ningen female', but nonetheless, Kurama was abstinent in keeping the younger demon safe and in the dark. If Hiei knew the truth he would, without a doubt, do something foolish and impulsive.

Yes, Kurama thought. It's better this way. He knew that right now his little mate was feeling hurt, but hurt was far better then dead.

He just hoped that whatever was possessing him to see his mate in this way would depart from his body soon, for Kurama feared that their tentative relationship was not strong enough to withstand this much longer.

"Happy eighteenth Kuwabara!" A hoard of people surrounded the pleasantly surprised redhead. Showering him with congratulations and gifts, Yukina even gave him a small peck on the cheek, much to his delight.

It seemed like everyone Kuwabara had ever come into contact with was there, well, everyone except one certain fox demon, Hiei thought bitterly to himself. He crossed his arms and pressed himself further into the corner he had occupied since the moment he had arrived. Not only is Kurama not present, but I will be forced to deal with intoxicated fools for the remainder of the evening.

"Oi Hiei!" Hiei was brought out of his brooding as Yusuke emerged from the gaggle of people surrounding the birthday boy. He clapped the temperamental fire demon on the shoulder and offered him his signature smile.

Hiei nodded his head in the part-demon's direction, a pretty big deal, greeting-wise, to anyone who knew him. "Detective."

"This is a party! As in go have some fun already!"

If it weren't beneath him, Hiei would've rolled his eyes at the spirit detective's overly exuberant behavior. "Your definition of fun and mine are two distinctly different things. Unless you, too, wish to go kick defenseless puppies."

Yusuke laughed loudly, too used to Hiei's morbid humor to take him seriously. "You're a little shit, you know that? Anyway, where's your foxy mate?"

Hiei stiffened slightly, but when he spoke his voice was an epitome of indifference. "How should I know? I'm not his keeper."

Yusuke snickered, "Trouble in paradise I take it?"

"Go to hell, half-breed."

"Shrimp puff."

"Hothead."

"Pinecone."

"Dumbass."

"Strawberry shortcake."

"Dickless."

"Why you little—!"

"Now, now kiddies break it up. You know daddy doesn't like it when you fight." Kuwabara smirked, knowingly, down at the two of them as he made his way over.

"Go away, Neanderthal."

Kuwabara twitched, "You little punk! Don't make me whip my sword out and slice you into little-bity-I-wasn't-hugged-enough-as-a-child pieces!"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up Kuwabara! We all know that you only like to release that sword of yours cause you're compensating for something else, if you catch my drift."

Kuwabara's face went as red as his hair, while Hiei smirked. "I agree detective. I retract my earlier statement, the oaf shall now be 'Dickless'."

Yusuke roared in laughter, supporting himself on Hiei's shoulder so he could stay upright. Other's soon joined in and not long after the entire room was snickering at Kuwabara's expense.

"Would you all shut up! This is supposed to be my birthday party!"

"Well I'm glad to know that I'm in the right place." A gentle voice from the front door greeted amusedly. Various happy choruses of 'Kurama!' issued from the partygoers.

Kuwabara huffed and crossed his arms. "Way to be late, fox-face."

"I am deeply sorry for my tardiness, but something unexpected came up." When he didn't elaborate everyone resumed their previous actions before Kuwabara's outburst.

Kurama made his way over to his three teammates, offering a present to the still sulking Kuwabara as a peace offering. "I trust you are enjoying yourself?"

Holding the brightly wrapped package petulantly to his chest and glaring heatedly at Hiei and Yusuke, Kuwabara responded snippety. "Well I was until these two clowns ruined everything!"

Hiei shrugged, "Don't start something if you aren't willing to finish it."

Kuwabara's eye twitched. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean, you pint-sized Satan!"

Yusuke, happily, butted in to elaborate. "It means don't start a fight with us cause we can kick your ass, carrot top!" And then as an afterthought, "No offense Kurama."

Said carrot top smiled charmingly, "None taken."

Multiple fights ensued, but no one worried too much over it; the boys were just being the boys, fights and such were their way of making their bonds stronger.

Soon enough the only ones still present were the regular crowd. Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Yukina, Botan, and Koenma. They sat in a circle trading stories, laughing at memories; Hiei found himself closing his eyes and just relaxing. Something he had never found himself comfortable enough to do around any other group but this one.

His mind wandered to the fox that seemed to always be consuming his thoughts these days. He could feel Kurama next to him; his body heat and demonic energy radiating of him in an infuriatingly appealing way. He could also hear his laugh and smell his scent, two more things that turned him on more then he would ever admit out loud. Why did things always have to be so rough for him? Couldn't he catch a break, just this once? Was this…problem that Kurama was having something that every couple had to deal with? Hiei had no other prior knowledge of relationships other then observing the one between the detective and his woman, and that in it of itself was a terrible example.

He wished he could just use his Jagan eye to see whatever was upsetting Kurama, then he could fix the problem and move on with his life. He just hoped that the thing that was bothering the fox wasn't the Koorime boy himself, that was something that Hiei just knew would break him into pieces. And the fact that Kurama had the power to break him, in general, did nothing to calm his rampant nerves.

A cautious hand on his shoulder shook him from his thoughts. "Hiei?"

The Jagan user blinked sleepily, his eyes widened slightly as they focused on the empty room before him . "Where did everyone go?"

Bright green eyes, brimming with mirth, stared down at him in amusement. "Kuwabara and Yusuke left to walk Yukina and Keiko home while Botan and Koenma left for Spirit World."

The young Koorime deduced that he must have been more out of it then he originally thought. That was a little unsettling.

"What's so funny?" Hiei glared at the laughing fox beside him, failing to see the entertainment in their current situation.

"You're face," Kurama cut himself off as another fit of chuckles erupted from his chest, "It's adorable!"

Hiei blushed and adverted his gaze. "Shut up, fox."

A new wave of laughter, louder this time, swept through Kurama at the sight of the blushing fire apparition. Angrily Hiei swept his leg up and over the fox's outstretched legs, so he was straddling the elder demon's hips, and, with the intent of shutting the fox the hell up, Hiei determinedly pressed his lips to Kurama's.

Fear swept through Kurama's soul as he waited with baited breath for the idea's to fill his mind, but they never came. The redhead waited a whole fifteen seconds but the thoughts of blood and darkness never came. A warmth quickly spread through his chest and he gripped Hiei's hips to pull him closer, to deepen their long-awaited kiss.

To say Hiei was surprised was an understatement. He assumed Kurama would freeze up and push him away, like he had done countless times before. The last thing he expected was Kurama's tongue down his throat and the fox's wayward hands groping his ass. Not that he was complaining.

Kurama pushed forward, forcing Hiei to lie on the ground unless he wanted to be thrown from the kitsune's lap. They both moaned as Kurama pressed they're arousals together.

The fox pulled away to admire the Koorime before him, continuing to grind his hips sensually into the younger's so the black-haired boy had no choice but to squirm in ecstasy beneath him.

"Ku-Kurama!"

And suddenly he wasn't there anymore, it was like a haze had come over his brain, making everything seem farther away then it was. He saw, rather then felt, himself grip both of Hiei's wrists and pin them above his head. He had his dragon exactly where he wanted him; Hiei had always been at his most vulnerable point when he was receiving and displaying affection. Kurama could do nothing to stop the scenarios that began to fill his brain.

"Kurama stop, please!" Black Koorime jewels littered the floor around him. He felt powerful, unstoppable, as he watched his mate. He felt his mirth grow in volumes as uncharacteristic fear began to fill the proud warrior's eyes beneath him.

"No."

"What? Kurama?"

Hiei cried out again as thorned tendrils wrapped around his throat and easily ripped the delicate skin there. "Why are you doing this!?" Confusion was written on the young Koorime's face as he failed to understand the reasoning behind his mate's out of character actions.

"No."

"The hell is the matter with you? Let go!"

Beautiful tear filled red eyes stared up at him imploringly. "I love you." Hiei's voice was hoarse from yelling, from screaming, his words coming out barely a decibel louder then a whisper. "Please Kurama, I love you." Hiei looked dead, his eyes having lost the familiar fight that had always been present in them. His dragon had given up.

"No!"

"Get off me now Kurama!"

Hiei's mouth opened in a silent scream, his voice having died out a while ago, as Kurama's hands plunged into him; one into his shoulder and the other into his thigh. The hands began to carefully rip apart the muscle tissue as Kurama thrust forward into Hiei's tight, unprepared entrance—

"NO!"

Suddenly the haziness was gone as he felt his hand's erupt in agony. He sprung away from his lover and didn't stop moving until his back collided with the opposite wall. He was breathing heavily as watched Hiei sit up as well.

He flinched away from the Koorime's gaze when he saw the slight fear in the younger demon's eyes. He inspected Hiei's body, focusing on the angry bruises that had already begun to erupt on the fire apparition's wrists. Hiei sat up on his knees, regarding his mate with poorly masked concern.

"I'm sorry."

Kurama snapped his gaze back to Hiei's face, though the youth was no longer looking at him, choosing instead to stare forlornly at the ground. Why is he apologizing? I'm the one envisioning countless ways to torture him! "You have nothing to apologize for."

Hiei stared down at his legs and began to pick at the black fabric of his pants. "I burned your hands, I think that's worth apologizing for…"

Kurama blinked unseeningly down at his hands. That must've been the shock that brought me out of it. He really shouldn't be apologizing for something that most likely just saved his life.

"Kurama?" Said fox had never seen Hiei look so lost, so innocent, so childlike then he did right now. But as soon as the look was there it vanished, replaced with the anger that usually was present on the younger's face. "What the hell is going on with you! The past few weeks you've acted like I'm the carrier of some fatal disease, then all the sudden it's like you're some bitch in heat and before my mind can catch up with my body you're frozen on top of me with some insane, murderous look in your eyes!"

Hiei panted heavily after his tirade, talking and expressing more emotions in those couple of sentences then he usually does in a month. Kurama closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. All was quite in the room for five painstakingly slow minuets, Coming to a decision the fox clenched his fists and opened his eyes, fixing Hiei with an emotionless stare.

"I'm sorry, Hiei, but this isn't working out."

Oh no! He's breaking up with Hiei! I'm curious, can anyone guess just what's wrong with Kurama? I love reviews –hinthint- So please leave one so I will be motivated to write another chapter!!