Last time on The Argument
Kurama: Hiei, you are using Kuwabara and you don't love him. He feels sorry for you and will leave you.
Hiei: Kurama you used your Youko magic to seduce Yusuke and manipulate his feelings.
Hiei: (knife)
Kurama: (Rose whip)
Yusuke and Kuwabara: Break it up and get the details. Yusuke threatens to whip Kuwabara and Hiei's asses.
Kuwabara/Hiei: Dramatic exit
Hiei/Bara Suite
"Hiei?" Kuwabara laid his lover gently on the bed. He was huffing and shaking so badly that even Kuwabara's strong hold couldn't stop the quavering.
"What happened Hiei? Tell me how this happened."
Hiei burst into tears. "He..he said that I was using you," he sobbed. "He said our relationship was one sided and that I didn't appreciate you. He said I didn't love you!" Hiei wailed.
"That's not true," Kuwabara reassured, rocking his lover.
"He said I didn't know how to love. He said my loveless life caused you to take pity on me and that's why you are with me."
Kuwabara was angrier than he had ever been. Anger seemed to pour into his veins and swirl in front of his eyes. He was so angry that he was frightening himself. He couldn't believe that Kurama could be so insensitive.
"He said that one day you would get tired of being my servant and leave me. Is that true Kazuma? Are you going to leave me? Because I couldn't take it. I don't know what I would do without you!" Hiei was sobbing so hard that his breath was coming in ragged pants and his head ached.
"No, Hiei that's not true. I will never leave you. Never! We are bound together for life. We are soul mates."
"Kazuma!" Hiei hugged him as if he were scared to let go. "I'm sorry for how I treated you! I took you for granted…"
"No!" Kuwabara said loudly. Hiei flinched.
"Sorry love," he cooed. "I know you appreciate me. I love to spoil you. I love cooking for you, making you fresh coffee and juice and scrubbing your back in the bath. I love you and I want to make you happy.
"Kurama's right, you did grow up without love. That's why I make sure to show you how much I love you"
"I don't deserve you."
"Of course you do!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
"I'm just a wretch and a criminal. No one wants me. I deserve to be alone for the rest of my life."
"Never say that again. You are not a wretch or a criminal. You have a code of honor and you would never betray me or your friends. You protect what's important to you and you never give up."
"He said I was too insecure to let you top me."
"Now that's none of his damn business." Kuwabara said through clenched teeth. The more he heard, the more he felt like snapping Kurama's neck.
"You know why I love you the most Kazuma?"
"Why?"
"Your sensitivity." He said, calming down. "You always see the good in people, even me. You are willing to give anyone a chance, even your enemies. Like when you saved that boy seaman. I knew you would be able to love me and take care of me. I was weak and wounded. I knew you could help me just like those animals at the clinic."
One of Kuwabara's many volunteer works was at the animal shelter. He helps take care of animals wounded by cars or victims of animal cruelty.
"You're not one of the animals at the clinic, Hiei. You are the love of my life."
"Thank you. I don't know what I did to get you but I'm thankful." Hiei held his lover and protector tight, with a newfound resolve to show his appreciation more often.
Meanwhile, at camp Yusuke/Kurama
You OK, fox?
"Oh Yusuke!" Kurama burst into tears in his arms. "Hiei said that I seduced you and that you don't love me. It's not true!" he sobbed.
"I love you Kurama," he soothed, stroking his lover's hair. "I loved you for so long. I spent too much time trapped in a loveless relationship."
"He said I stole you from Keiko," he continued. "He said that I threatened Keiko and I was using tricks to keep you," he said in between tears.
Yusuke's anger flared. He felt like snapping Hiei's neck.
"He said I used my Youko ways to ensnare you and that I was still a thief at heart."
"That's a lot of talk coming from the likes of him," Yusuke seethed.
"Yusuke, I'm not Youko anymore, I swear it! Even though I revert back to his form when I am upset."
"I know you're not Youko," Yusuke reassured him. "Youko didn't love anybody. You love me, your mother and your friends. Even that little bastard," Yusuke finished, referring to Hiei.
"Yusuke, do you really love me?" Kurama asked, feeling insecure.
Yusuke grabbed Kurama's shoulders. "Of course I love you. I loved you for so long, Kurama. The day you confessed your love to me was the happiest day of my life."
"Oh Yusuke!" Kurama burst into a fresh wave of tears.
"Easy there, fox," Yusuke soothed, holding his lover tight.
After the sob fest….
After rocking his wounded lover to sleep, Kuwabara headed for the porch. Somehow he knew Yusuke would join him. He let the cool, crisp air calm his raging temper. I have to stay calm Kuwabara told himself I need to hear both sides of the story.
"Kuwabara?" Yusuke joined his best friend on the porch.
"Yeah," Yusuke answered.
They just sat there and stared into the setting sun. It was October, Kurama and Kuwabara's favorite time of the year. The air was cold and crisp and the leaves turned in to rich reds, oranges and gold before they fell. Yusuke had promised to go on a walk with Kurama to see the leaves. They came to this cabin in the mountains every year. This was the first time that they had invited Kuwabara and Hiei. It has started out fun, and they even started a friendly "competition" (for details see my story The Cabin) and team Kuwabara/Hiei were in the lead. Now this tiff between Kurama and Hiei threatened to ruin everything.
" Is Kurama napping?"
"Yeah finally after a freaking typhoon of tears. Why did Hiei have to go and say that shit for?"
"Just a minute Urameshi. You don't know the half of it. Kurama said some pretty mean stuff to Hiei."
"What could be worse than accusing Kurama of stealing me and manipulation my feelings for him?"
"How about saying that Hiei can't love me because he grew up without anyone to love him?"
"No shit?"
"No shit, Urameshi."
"Damn, Kurama really can be a heartless bastard sometimes," Yusuke confirmed. "And he did kind of strike the first blow. Verbally, that is."
"Well Hiei didn't have to go all bezerk on him either. He makes such a big deal outta nuthin' sometimes," Kuwabara admitted.
"Well, Kurama was just saying what I said to him," Yusuke replied.
"What does that mean, Urameshi?"
"Well I was complaining to him about the way Hiei treats you. Like his servant or something."
"That's not true…"
"No, let me finish Kuwabara. I see how you cook for him, grinding his coffee and squeezing oranges; catering to his every need. He won't even let you speak for yourself."
"It's not like that Urameshi. I like to cook and I don't mind the coffee, it doesn't take long. As for the juice, I only do that when I'm off. And you know he talks to everybody like that. That's just how he is. As for speaking for me he usually says what I would have said anyway. If I don't like it I say so and he listens to me. Just like when he made that bet with you. He was willing to pull out when I said I wasn't comfortable.
"And it's not one sided either. He does all the cleaning; I'm very messy and disorganized. He keeps all my files in order at home and comes to the office once a week to clean my desk and file my paperwork."
"I had no idea Kuwabara."
"He's really messed up, Urameshi. You and Kurama don't know the half of it. We went to a psychiatrist because he kept having nightmares when we first got together. He asked me to go with him and I would end up crying after every session."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and he's in a peer support group for group therapy. I don't go to those sessions."
"How's it going?"
"It's really helping him. He stopped having nightmares. They help him with his social skills and they say he's a good listener and problem solver."
"Does he take anything?"
Kuwabara shook his head. "He refused. The doc wanted to give him Xanax or something like that; but he said he didn't want to take a pill to make him happy. Plus the doc doesn't know all the side effects for demons yet."
"He knows Hiei's a demon?"
"Yeah, that's why we went to him. He has a lot of demon clients. That's why he recommended the group. It has both humans and demons."
"Wow. I had no idea."
"But he doesn't want people feeling sorry for him. That's why when Kurama said I was only with him because I felt sorry for him he went crazy."
"What? Kurama said that? Geez, he was really being an asshole."
"That's what Hiei said, remember? That's when we heard them. Shit, I ain't never seen Hiei that mad. He was about to cry."
"Yeah, and Kurama had that look on his face. The look he gets right before he kills somebody."
"Yeah like when he killed that gourmet guy, or Toguro that is."
"Yeah, when he said Youko was laughing at him it really set him off. He took off that idiot's head without even thinking about it. He hates to be reminded of Youko. It always makes him feel real guilty. Youko was a real bad dude. Even put out a hit on his best friend."
"What?"
"Yep. That Yomi guy in the makai I fought in the demon tournament. Apparently he was in Kurama's little gang but was hotheaded and kept starting trouble. Kurama got tired of saving his ass and decided to get rid of him."
"But he didn't die though."
"Naw, the hit man missed or changed his mind. He ended up blinding him instead. That's how he got so powerful. His ears are so sharp that he could practically hear what you are thinking. And he is strong, Kuwabara, way strong. The only fight I ever lost."
"So what happened with him and Kurama?"
"Well he threatened to have Kurama's family killed if Kurama didn't help him. Funny thing is, even though he hated Kurama for what he did he said that he would have done the same thing! And he was just as bad as Kurama. Raizen told me that he wanted to let demons eat as many humans as they wanted."
"Really?"
"When I confronted him about it, he basically said that it was nothing personal but a demon's gotta eat too."
"So what happened between him and Kurama?"
"Well they eventually settled their beef but Kurama still gets the creeps around him."
"You think they were lovers?"
"I asked Kurama but he will never give me a straight answer. He just says Yomi and Youko were a part of his past that he wants to separate from. He keeps trying to run from Youko but he can't. Youko is a part of him forever. I think he tries to hide that Youko stuff from me because he thinks I will end up hating him."
"Well now that we know the root of all this I think we should let them settle it themselves Urameshi. We should be supportive but not try to make them apologize."
"Kurama's right. You are very wise."
"Kurama said that?"
"Yeah."
Little did they know that their entire conversation was heard by the subjects. Hiei was on the other side of the front door and Kurama was on the side of the house. They both stole back into their rooms before they were discovered.
What's this? Kurama and Hiei heard the whole thing! How will this affect events? Will they be able to bury the hatchet? Find out next time on The Argument!
