"Urameshi."
Yusuke scowled up at his boss, who was standing beside his desk. "What?" He asked, not bothering to keep his irritation out of his voice.
"I need you to go to the hospital and take a statement," Koenma told him. "A rape case."
"I hate those," Yusuke muttered, standing. He started towards Shuichi's desk. The redhead was bent over a mess of papers, utterly absorbed in them and ignoring everything around him. A hand on Yusuke's shoulder stopped him.
Yusuke glared at Koenma. "What?" he demanded.
"You're going with Kuwabara," Koenma told him.
"What about Shuichi?" Yusuke asked. "He's my partner. Why can't he come?"
"He's busy," Koenma said firmly. "You're taking Kuwabara."
Yusuke glanced around the room until he spotted the orange haired man standing by the door, waiting for him and looking as unhappy about the situation as he was.
"For a rape case?" Yusuke grumbled. "Do you think the two of us are really the best people for this? One look at that thug and the girl will run screaming from the room. You know that Shuichi's always the best with these cases."
"It's not a girl," Koenma said bluntly. "And no, you're not the best people for this. But you're all I have."
Yusuke's eyes darted back to SHuichi, still bent over his papers and oblivious to everything that was happening around him. He sighed.
"Fine," he muttered, starting towards Kuwabara.
"I'm driving," he grumbled at the taller man as he passed him.
"Hey, wait," Kuwabara protested, hurrying after him.
-0-
The victim was a young man, as Koenma had indicated. Yusuke kept his distance, standing to the side while Kuwabara talked to the man. Really, he was more of a boy. Yusuke would eat his badge if he was actually 20 as he claimed.
Very quickly he had realised that Kuwabara was the best person to question the man. Despite his brutish appearance he was sympathetic and caring and that showed through. The man responded better to him than he did to Yusuke so Yusuke let Kuwabara take the lead.
It was a simple story, and one Yusuke had heard before. Boy (or, more often, Girl) goes to club, meets nice guy, accepts a drink, passes out and wakes up somewhere completely unfamiliar with no memory of the previous night.
This one had a twist, though and Yusuke suspected that it was the reason Koenma had ordered them to investigate. According to the attending nurse, the drug used was Lift. And the young man did have some memory of the events of that night though it was hazy.
Another point that interested Yusuke was that the incident had occurred at the same club Shuichi was investigating. He found that fact disturbing.
After the interview, Kuwabara and Yusuke stood outside the room in the hall.
"Do you think we can find this guy?" Kuwabara asked. He looked upset. Hearing the details of what the young man had suffered, even though those details had been few, had been enough to affect him.
"I don't know," Yusuke said. "Dark hair, dark eyes, that's a pretty crappy description. The name is probably fake, too."
"Should we check out the club?" Kuwabara asked. "Maybe someone saw something?"
Yusuke snorted. "Do you think they'll cooperate?" He asked, cynically.
Kuwabara's face dropped but Yusuke continued on. "They don't want the bad publicity. And if this guy is a regular, they'll protect him. The guy who owns the club is probably into drugs so he won't want us poking around, even if the case has nothing to do with the drugs. And we know that it does involve drugs."
"So we just drop it?" Kuwabara asked indignantly, his voice raising.
"Shhh!" Yusuke hissed at him as a passing nurse gave them a disapproving look.
"Look," he said quietly. "It sucks, I know. We can try, if you want. But it won't do any good."
Kuwabara kicked at the leg of the chair he was standing beside. "I hate this," he muttered.
"I know, man. I know," Yusuke agreed. There were times when he hated his job, too.
-0-
Shuichi sat in his apartment at his small dining room table. Sitting on the tabletop in front of him was the contract Hiei had drawn up. He'd already read through it twice and made several changes. He wondered how Hiei would react to them.
There were several terms in the contract that he'd needed to look up on the internet because he hadn't understood them. He had thought that he was fairly experienced in sexual matters but he been stunned by the contents of his research. He felt like he was getting in over his head.
He wondered if he should talk to someone about his situation. Maybe Yusuke. But then he thought better of it. Yusuke would likely advise him to not go through with it. He had been against Shuichi's assignment from the beginning.
Shuichi sighed and tucked the papers back into the folder. He'd discuss the contract with Hiei during their next meeting.
-0-
Hiei waited at the bar for Kurama to show up. He was early but he suspected that Kurama was the sort to show up early and Hiei didn't want him wandering around the club on his own.
He was correct. Kurama showed up fifteen minutes early. He wore slacks and a button-up shirt again. Hiei almost groaned out loud when he saw the shirt. It was pink. He hated pink. But somehow Kurama still looked good in it. It just wasn't fair.
"Good evening," he greeted Hiei. He held the folder containing Hiei's contract under his arm.
Hiei slid off the barstool, taking Kurama's arm and guiding him through the room. He went into the same hall they'd been down last time and found an empty room. this time Kurama entered without hesitating. He sat on one of the sofas, putting the contract on the table.
Hiei sat down across from him and slid the contract to his side of the table. He began to flick through it, taking his time and noting the things Kurama had added or changed.
He seemed willing to experiment, but only in certain areas, Hiei noted. He didn't want anything that would leave permanent scarring. That was no surprise, given his good looks. He also didn't want to be shared, though he was okay with public displays.
Hiei looked up at him to find that Kurama was watching him with his usual impassive face. "You're not okay with anyone else touching you?" he asked curiously.
"Certainly not," Kurama said with a frown. "Is that a deal-breaker for you?"
"No," Hiei said. "I don't plan on sharing you, anyway."
"Good," Kurama said flatly.
"Is there anything you have questions about?" Hiei asked him.
Kurama's lips curled into a smile. "How long do you have?" he asked wryly.
"All night," Hiei told him honestly. He slid the contract back to Kurama, in case he needed to use it as a reference.
Kurama leaned back, ignoring the contract. "First…" he started.
-0-
Hiei left the meeting feeling annoyed. Kurama was a stickler for detail. He'd insisted that Hiei explain several terms to him. In excruciatingly precise detail. With things that Hiei thought were obvious, Kurama had still required clarification. He was definitely insecure about this, Hiei thought. That made him wonder why Kurama was still determined to go through with it.
At least he had eventually signed the contract. Hiei had been about ready to strangle him when he'd suddenly just signed it. Out of the blue. Hiei had almost cried with relief. He was tired and he just wanted to go home and sleep.
When he arrived back at his house he found that he had a message on his answering machine from his employer. Tomorrow was supposed to be his day off but she wanted him to teach a class. The usual teacher had called in sick that day and she was scrambling to find a replacement.
Hiei worked as a martial arts teacher at a dojo located near his house. He called his boss back and told her that he'd take the class. He could use the extra money.
Hiei padded through the silent house. It was far too large for one person but it had belonged to his aunt and been left to himself and his sister when she died. Hiei had grown up here. His sister should have grown up here as well but that wasn't meant to be.
Hiei had thought about selling it but it held too many memories for him to let it go. He always found an excuse to keep it. It required a lot of upkeep however and Hiei's wage didn't cover all the expenses. He'd left the garden to grow wild as he didn't have enough time to look after it. Nor the interest, he had to admit, if he were being honest.
He toyed with the idea of inviting Kurama to spend the night at some point. Kurama had insisted that they keep their interactions restricted to the club. No doubt he felt more secure there but Hiei hoped that eventually he'd loosen up on that point. Perhaps once he became more comfortable with Hiei he would be more willing to compromise.
-0-
Shuichi was incredibly nervous when he showed up at the club for his first session with Hiei. Hiei was again waiting for him at the bar. Like last time, Shuichi greeted him politely, and like last time Hiei said nothing. He just stood up and headed in the direction of the hallway again. This time he went further down the hall than they had previously been and turned a corner. They passed several rooms before Hiei stopped at one.
He waited for Shuichi to catch up and then gestured for Shuichi to enter the room ahead of him. Shuichi did so, after shooting him a wary look as he passed by him.
The room beyond was dim but there was enough light for Shuichi to make out the contents of the room.
There was a bed against the far wall. On the walls hung various items. Shuichi recognised most of them from his research.
Hiei closed the door behind him but gave him space and stayed silent while Shuichi studied the room. It was important for him to feel comfortable and safe.
Eventually, Shuichi turned back to Hiei, one red eyebrow raised in inquiry. "Well?" he asked, a little uncertainly.
"Would you like to get started?" Hiei asked him. Shuichi swallowed but nodded.
"Good," Hiei said.
-0-
Hiei sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Kurama was dozing with his head in Hiei's lap as Hiei stroked his hair. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even. Both were naked and sweaty but Hiei didn't care.
Kurama had surprised Hiei. He had expected some resistance from the man but Kurama had been obedient and submissive. He had asked some questions towards the beginning but after some time he had relaxed and allowed Hiei to proceed with the session.
Hiei had thought that Kurama was inexperienced, but now he was beginning to think that the redhead actually did have some experience after all. His reluctance seemed to stem from a bad experience in his past. He required constant reassurance. Hiei had needed to remind him several times that he was safe, when he sensed that Kurama was beginning to become upset.
Hiei knew that he would have to wake Kurama up soon so they could both shower but for now he decided to just stay here for a little while. These sort of moments were rare for him. He wondered if they were rare for Kurama as well. Did he have anyone in his life he could snuggle up with? Probably not, given that he'd come to the club in the first place, Hiei thought.
Kurama shifted in his lap, mumbling something incoherent in his sleep.
"Kurama?" Hiei asked quietly, wondering if that would be enough to wake him.
"Hmmm?" came the groggy response.
"Kurama, you have to wake up. You need to shower," Hiei told him.
Kurama's only response was to sigh softly. Hiei gave Kurama's long hair a gentle tug.
"Come on," he said insistently.
"Five more minutes," Kurama mumbled, looking up at Hiei with pleading emerald eyes, still glazed with sleep.
Hiei groaned. "All right, fine," he muttered. Kurama closed his eyes. Hiei shook his head in resignation and went back to playing with Kurama's hair.
-0-
Shuichi collapsed into bed that night, completely exhausted. But it was a good kind of exhaustion. He'd been surprised by how much he'd enjoyed the night's activities. Hiei had taken the time to make sure that he knew what to expect and that he felt safe. It hadn't been anything like his previous relationship. That had been unexpected.
He'd only ever had experience with one dom and that man had been hard and intolerant of Shuichi's lack of experience. He had expected Shuichi to obey him unquestioningly and had not bothered to take the time to allow Shuichi to trust him or bothered to consider Shuichi's feelings. Shuichi had felt used and taken advantage of. The relationship had ended horribly.
Hiei had been considerate and patient with him. He felt cared for and valued. He found himself looking forward to their next meeting.
The fact that he was quickly becoming emotionally invested with someone while working a case did bother him a little. But it was very unlikely that Hiei had anything to do with the drugs. And spending time with Hiei gave him the perfect excuse to return to the club. No one would find it suspicious if he were meeting someone regularly there. Yes, he was using Hiei. Just a little. He knew he should probably be honest with Hiei and tell him what he was really doing there, but he didn't want to jeopardise the case or put Hiei at risk in any way. Shuichi decided to tell him only when he had gotten what he needed, and hope that the other man would understand his reasoning and forgive him.