The beginning of the reception was the same as any other, but different in every way. Kuwabara, Kurama, Koenma, Genkai and Botan all stood to make a speech. Yuusuke looked at Hiei.
"Hey! What about you, Hiei? You're the only one of the team who hasn't made a speech yet." Yuusuke commented, knowing that Hiei would never agree to do such a thing. He was right. Hiei just crossed his arms and stared at him, remaining silent. Yuusuke grinned and then turned to Keiko. He whispered something into her ear and she giggled.
Everything seemed alright in the world. People were dancing, laughing, eating, and having fun. The atmosphere was so contagious that even Hiei forgot about going home for a while. But only for a while. Although he was happy watching Kurama have fun, he wanted to have his own fun. Hiei watched as Kurama took Keiko out to dance. Then Botan. And Yukina. And Shiori. After that, Kurama went to sit next to Hiei for a bit.
"You seem to be having fun." Hiei commented.
"I am. You should come over with us." Kurama offered, coughing a bit.
"Hn. No. You should not be dancing so much anyway, with that cough that you have." Hiei said.
"I'm sure that it is nothing." Kurama reassured him.
A pause.
"I noticed some females staring at you while you danced." Hiei said casually.
Hiei tilted his head slightly to where the girls were and Kurama followed the direction of the nod. Sure enough, there were two girls, probably friends of Keiko's from school, giggling and staring at Kurama. When they noticed that he was looking their way they put their heads together and giggled for a bit, then decidedly started coming towards Hiei and Kurama.
"Good evening ladies." Kurama greeted as the girls walked up. "Is there something we could help you with?" Kurama asked, also including Hiei.
The girls giggled. "Actually, we were wondering if you would dance with us." The taller of the girls, who had light brown eyes and reddish hair, asked. The other one was slightly shorter, with pitch black eyes and hair.
"My name is Kaito Mizuki, by the way." Said the taller of the girls. "My friend's name is Takahashi Khana." The girl continued, indicating her friend.
"I'm delighted to meet you Miss Kaito, Miss Takahashi. I am Minamino Shuichi. This is Hiei." Kurama said and coughed. Hiei glanced over at Kurama when he heard him use his human name. He would never get used to it.
"About our invitation…" Mizuki put in boldly.
"I would love to dance with you, Miss Kaito, but I've been dancing for quite a while and I would like to rest for a bit. Is that alright with you?" Kurama asked.
"So I've seen." She grinned. "It's alright. Do you mind if I have a seat?" Mizuki asked.
"Not at all." Kurama said.
Mizuki took a seat close to Kurama. Too close, Hiei thought.
"What about you, Hiei? Would you like to dance? I haven't seen you get up all night." Khana asked timidly.
"I don't dance." Hiei said rudely, looking off in another direction.
"Come on Hiei. It'll be fun." Kurama urged, taking Khana's side. Hiei shot him a "no-fucking-way" look but Kurama ignored it. He stood up, grabbed Hiei's wrist and pulled him toward Khana. Kurama then ushered both of them to the dance floor.
"I'll get you for this Kurama." Hiei threatened, but only loud enough for Kurama to hear.
"Have fun!" Kurama said and smiled, turning on his heel as a waltz started up. He could feel Hiei shoot daggers into his back as he walked away. He knew full well that Hiei meant what he had said.
Watching Kurama walk away, Hiei resigned and began to spin Khana gracefully around the room. Hiei noticed that everyone had begun to slowly clear the dance floor.
"Everyone is leaving." Khana commented, assuring Hiei's suspicions.
Hiei said nothing but nodded in agreement. Hiei could see everyone he knew staring at him, their jaws practically to the ground. He saw that Kurama was also staring at him. Gawking actually. Hiei almost laughed aloud when he saw Kurama's face. Then he noticed the girl next to him. Mizuki. She was gingerly tracing her fingers up and down Kurama's arm, trying to get his attention. Hiei surged with jealousy. Thankfully the music had stopped. He began to storm off towards Kurama, remembering to grab Khana's wrist at the last second.
"Kurama, we're leaving." Hiei stated plainly, anger edging his voice. He had let go of Khana's wrist.
Kurama immediately registered that something was wrong and complied.
"Forgive me ladies. We're going to have to cut this night short. It was nice meeting you." Kurama said and started to walk away.
"It's only around six. It's still early. And we haven't had our dance yet." Mizuki whined and grabbed Kurama's hand, stopping him in mid-stride.
"I'm sorry, but we have to go." Kurama said, gently pulling his hand out of Mizuki's grasp before Hiei decided to break her neck.
Hiei headed out the door. Kurama went to his mother.
"Hiei and I are going home now, mother." Kurama told her.
Shiori smiled and nodded. She knew that Hiei and her son were lovers and she also knew that Hiei could get very…impatient sometimes. "Impatient" being an understatement.
"It's alright dear. I'll just have Atsuko or Shizuru take me home. I'll be home late. Don't wait up." Shiori told him, making sure that she gave them enough time.
Kurama smiled, hugged and thanked his mother. He then went over to Yuusuke and Keiko to congratulate them and say goodbye. Then, after another five minutes of saying "goodbyes" to everyone else, Kurama stepped outside and went to Hiei where he stood waiting for him. Once Kurama was at Hiei's side, Hiei turned briskly on his heel and walked in the direction of Kurama's house.
"What's wrong, Hiei?" Kurama asked.
Hiei said nothing, remaining silent the entire thirty minutes it took them to get to Kurama's house.
Once they reached the house, Kurama half expected Hiei to drag him into his room and strip him down. That was not the case tonight. As soon as Hiei went through the front door he stormed up the stairs to Kurama's room and shut the door with a bang. There what a moment of silence while Kurama locked the front door then he heard another door bang shut.
Kurama had begun to worry. He'd never seen Hiei like this. Kurama set down the keys and walked quietly up the stairs. He opened the door to his room cautiously and peeked in. No sign of Hiei.
'He's probably in the bathroom.' Kurama thought.
Kurama went to his bed and sat down with a sigh. He peeled off his shoes and then lied flat on his back, closing his eyes for a moment. He heard the bathroom door open. He looked up and saw that Hiei was dressed in his usual clothing.
"I left the other clothes in there." Hiei stated simply. He went towards Kurama's window and slid it open.
Kurama sat up with alarm. "Hiei! Where are you going?" Kurama asked.
Hiei stilled for a moment, seeming to consider what Kurama said. Then he silently slipped out the window and into the trees.
It was around eleven that same night when Shiori got home. As she went up to her bedroom she decided to check up on Kurama, thinking that the door was going to be locked anyway. When she felt that it wasn't, she opened it cautiously, expecting to see Hiei and Kurama in a fierce embrace as they slept. What she saw was completely unexpected. She saw her son, still in his tux, laying at the far edge of the bed, clutching a pillow as if his life depended on it. She heard him breathe out a long, saddening sigh. Maternal instincts kicked in. She quickly went up to Kurama and sat down at the edge of his bed next to him, touching his shoulder lightly.
"What is it, dear? Where's Hiei?" Shiori asked and saw her son furrow his brow in sadness at the mention of Hiei's name.
"Did something happen to him? Is he alright?" Shiori asked, slightly alarmed.
She knew that Hiei could take care of himself well enough, but if something had made her son upset, especially if it concerned Hiei, then she knew it was really bad. She saw Kurama shake his head slowly.
"He's fine mother." Kurama coughed out as he started to sit up.
Shiori could see that Kurama had shed a few tears a while back, even in the dark. She saw that his eyes were blood-shot and red-rimmed and his cheeks were tear-stained. He looked pale and dreadfully tired. Shiori instinctively reached out her hand and patted Kurama's head. She pulled him closer and let him put his head on her lap. She began to run her hand soothingly up and down Kurama's back.
"I remember the last time you were this upset. You were three and you had fallen from the apple tree in the backyard. How you got up there I'll never know." A pause. "I remember feeling like someone had taken a knife to my heart and stabbed it. I thought I would have to take you to an emergency room. Thankfully you didn't even have a scratch. You were just scared. I sat on my knees and hugged you for a while. Then you laid your head on my lap and I held you just like this while you cried your little eyes out. And then you fell asleep." Shiori smiled, remembering how relieved she'd felt after knowing that her little boy was alright.
She looked down at Kurama in her lap. She knew that he had just had a hard fall. Only this time it wasn't without any scratches. She patted his head tenderly. He was breathing easily now but she knew that he was still awake.
"What happened with Hiei, Shuichi?" Shiori asked reluctantly. She felt Kurama clutch at her dress. He let out a heart-breaking sigh once more.
"I don't know…" Kurama said, his voice hardly audible. "He was… really angry when we left. We got home… he changed… and then left through the window…" Kurama explained, coughing a bit.
Shiori looked up at the window which was still open. She squinted her eyes in the darkness. She thought she could make out a figure in the dark, but she wasn't sure. She turned her attention back to Kurama.
"I'm sure that everything is fine, Shuichi. He just probably needed some air." Shiori offered reassuringly.
"He would have told me…" Kurama choked out. "He's really angry with me…" Kurama sighed, barely audible, realizing this had never happened before, coughing a bit harder.
Shiori felt her heart break. She was going to kill that short, arrogant son of a bitch next time she saw him, for making her son feel like this.
"I'm sure he's not angry with you. And I'm sure that he loves you very much." Shiori said, trying to sooth her son.
She couldn't stand it when he was like this, especially since it didn't happen very often. She looked out the window again. Did the figure move? Was it even there? She wasn't sure. Maybe the shadows were playing tricks on her. She focused her attention again on Kurama.
"Please don't be sad, dear. I can't stand it when you're unhappy." Shiori admitted. She felt Kurama try to change his mood, but he couldn't. Shiori patted his head and begun singing to try and calm him down.
"Shine, bright morning light/Now in the air the spring is coming/Sweet, blowing wind/Singing down the hills and valleys…" She trailed off, patting his head absently.
Kurama shifted his head a bit. "You always did sing like an angel…" Kurama said smiling a bit, coughing slightly. Shiori smiled.
They both heard a soft rustling at the window. Shiori turned and Kurama sat up. They both saw Hiei standing at the window, looking tired. Shiori felt her anger rise up. She stood.
"Now you listen here…!" Shiori started.
"Mother, please!" Kurama begged, holding her hand as if to try and hold her back.
"No! This has to come out! Do you have any idea what damage you've done? Shuichi has been laying in this room alone and unhappy because of you! I have half the right mind to throw you out of this house this instant and never allow you to see my son ever again! But I won't do that because I expect you to set things right! Do you hear me?!" Shiori screamed, obviously more than slightly bothered by Hiei's presence.
Hiei looked hurt. "I intend to…" He said, surprising both Shiori and Kurama. He looked solemnly at Shiori. "Could we have some privacy?" Hiei asked.
"Absolutely not!" Shiori burst out.
"Mother, could we please have some privacy?" Kurama asked tenderly, after seeing that Hiei wasn't going to protest.
Shiori thought for a moment, and then complied with her son's wishes. "I'll be right across the hall." She said, looking at Hiei. Then she turned around and closed the door quietly behind her.
It was quiet for a little bit after Shiori left. Kurama neither spoke nor moved. He wasn't looking at Hiei. He found the patterns on the sheets more interesting.
Hiei could see that Kurama was still upset. It broke his heart to see him like this and even more when he thought that it was because of him. He had actually come back hours ago, about fifteen minutes after he had left, and was going to go back into Kurama's room when he heard Kurama sniffling a bit, and realized that he had cause Kurama to shed tears. He had stayed outside to wait until Kurama had quieted down some. It hadn't taken too long for the sniffling to cease. But during the time he spent outside listening to Kurama, the more it broke his heart, and the more courage he lost to go inside. By the time he had decided once again to enter the room, he felt like his heart had turned to dust. He was about to go in when he saw Shiori enter the room. He heard them talking, Shiori trying to sooth Kurama. He had heard Kurama's upset voice and sad sigh. He had felt his heart shatter even more at the pain he heard (if that was even possible). After a while more he had stepped in, interrupting Shiori's angelic song.
Now Hiei stood there, taking in Kurama's form. He was sitting up on the bed, hunched over slightly, head bent down. Kurama had tucked his hair behind his ear, unknowingly giving Hiei a full view of his face. Hiei could see Kurama's red-rimmed eyes and slightly tear streaked face. He felt like killing himself for making Kurama so upset, and for so long. Hiei took a step forward, extending his hand out a bit.
"Kurama, I…" Hiei didn't know what to say. 'I'm sorry for hurting you? I'm sorry for being jealous? I'm sorry for being a total dick?!'
"It's okay Hiei. It was my fault… I'm sorry." Kurama coughed out, his voice barely audible.
Hiei felt like taking his sword and stabbing himself through the heart. Kurama was blaming himself?! Hiei wanted to scream. Instead he went up to Kurama and hugged him as tight as he could, burying his face into Kurama's neck. He felt Kurama tense under his embrace and took it as a sign that Kurama didn't want to be held right now, especially not by him. Hiei struggled with his own emotions, not fully understanding what the lump in his throat meant. He nuzzled Kurama's neck tenderly.
"It's not your fault, koibito. It's mine. I'm sorry. I should have never gotten jealous like that." Hiei uncharacteristically apologized. He stood up, slid off the bed and went towards the window.
"Where are you going?" Kurama asked with a cough, picking his head up. He wanted Hiei to stay with him, to hold him. The only reason he had tensed was because he thought that Hiei was angry and was going to punch him.
"I'm leaving. Going back to the Makai. You'll…" Hiei choked out, unable to finish; unable to look at Kurama.
He was about to slip out the window when the branches moved and closed it tight, staying in place to keep it closed. Hiei looked back at Kurama, slightly stunned. Kurama met Hiei's gaze and saw as Hiei turned his head away. Kurama lowered his head, convinced that Hiei didn't want to have anything to do with him. He felt his emotions rise to the surface again. With a flick of his fingers, Kurama made the trees open the window, giving Hiei the ability to leave. Hiei turned to Kurama again. He saw Kurama's head bowed, his hands were gripping the sheets, and his shoulders were shaking, trying to control his emotions.
"Leave if you want to…" Kurama could barely be heard. "I…won't stop you…" He coughed out.
Hiei couldn't take it anymore. He went towards the window, closed it hard enough for Kurama to hear and then locked it. Kurama stayed where he was, unable to move, thinking that Hiei had actually left. Hiei hadn't intended to make Kurama think that he had left. He wanted to let Kurama know that he was staying. Hiei went around the bed and touched Kurama's back lightly. He heard a sharp intake of breath. Hiei wrapped his arms around Kurama's waist and hugged him tightly. He felt Kurama's hands touch his arms ever so lightly. He was still coughing a bit, which worried him. But no more sadness. Hiei was glad.
"You stayed…?" Kurama asked, unsure. He felt Hiei nod on his back. Kurama tried to pull away so that he could be face to face with Hiei but Hiei only held on tighter, thinking that Kurama wanted to run away from him. "Hiei, please let…" Kurama started, but Hiei interrupted.
"No!" Hiei yelled, the sound muffled by Kurama's hair. Hiei held on tighter.
"…me turn around." Kurama finished. He felt Hiei twitch a bit.
'We really need to work on our communication skills.' Kurama thought, glad to have Hiei with him.
Hiei let go slowly. He straightened out and let his arms fall to his sides. Kurama turned around and backed up a bit to give Hiei some room. He looked up and found that Hiei's face was covered by his bangs. He couldn't see Hiei's expression. Kurama slowly extended a hand out to Hiei. But instead of taking it, Hiei lunged forward and tackled Kurama onto the bed. Kurama felt Hiei's arms and legs wrap around him like vines and felt Hiei bury his face into his chest. Kurama took his arms and wrapped them tightly around Hiei's small frame. After a bit Kurama felt Hiei's limbs loosen and start to shift as Hiei went to straddle Kurama's waist. Putting both hands on the bed on each side of Kurama's head for balance, Hiei leaned down and kissed Kurama tenderly. Kurama shifted, running his hands down Hiei's back. He felt Hiei react instinctively under his fingertips. Kurama began to slip his slender fingers under Hiei's shirt and started to peel it off.
"What are you doing, Kurama?" Hiei asked, breaking the kiss.
Kurama didn't say a word. He just continued to strip Hiei down until there was nothing left to take off. He then looked up at Hiei with pleading eyes.
"Please…" Kurama begged.
Hiei complied, taking off Kurama's suit carefully, remembering how upset he'd been when he had lied on it. When they were both naked, Hiei still on top of Kurama, they continued their kiss. Their kiss wasn't filled with raw need, but with tenderness and care. Hiei ran his hands lightly on Kurama's warm skin, feeling him shiver under his touch. Kurama did the same, touching Hiei in the most intimate of places, mind, body, and soul. They went on like this for hours on end, making each other feel fully alive and so happy that each thought that their hearts might burst with joy. Then they slept, content to be in each other's arms, a slight smile on each of their faces.
It was around ten the next morning when Shiori awakened. She looked at the clock on her bedside and panicked.
'I must have been really tired,' she thought.
Then she remembered all that had happened last night after she had gotten home from the wedding. She quickly shot to her feet and went to check on Kurama. She was half hoping not to see Hiei there when she opened the door but smiled just the same at the sight that greeted her. She saw Hiei and Kurama in a tight embrace, both covered, the thin sheets tangled at their waists (it was clear to see that they were both naked but nothing stood out ;]), both smiling in their sleep. Shiori saw Kurama's hand move lower on Hiei's back as he shifted himself into a more comfortable position where he could be closer to his lover. She could have sworn that Hiei's smile widened a bit. Smiling to herself, she silently closed the door and let the lovers sleep. Then she went into the kitchen to prepare something for when they both woke up.
'Something that can be reheated.' Shiori thought, knowing that they would sleep well into the afternoon, considering how comfortable they were. And they did.