Hiei was first to wake. He sat forward slowly, wondering where he was until he turned and saw Kurama sleeping lightly on the bed. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, smiling a little. He tiptoed out of the room and into the dining room. Noticing the teacups were still out, he cleared the table and dumped the tea into the kitchen sink. He looked around curiously. Since Kurama was sick (at least to Hiei's knowledge), and would be getting up soon, he would need food. He searched through the blue and silver cupboards to find something he could make for the ill fox. He reached the fridge and saw packaged strips of meat at the bottom of it. He picked them up. The package read "bacon."
'Kurama should be able to stomach these,' Hiei thought. He opened the package, took out a pan, and placed a couple of bacon strips on it. He looked over at the stove, knowing its use was involved in the cooking of this bacon, then looked back at the bacon angrily. 'Blast these infernal human contraptions! I have no idea in hell they work!' Hiei studied the stove for a minute before giving up and forming a cooking method of his own.
Kurama woke up pleasantly. He sat up and inhaled deeply, hunger rising to his belly as he smelled the bacon. He looked out of his bedroom and heard the tell-tale sizzling coming from the kitchen. 'Hiei… cooking?' he thought confusedly. He looked into the kitchen, witnessing the strangest thing he had seen in a long time.
Hiei was sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, holding a frying pan on the palms of his hands, and using his ki to create flames, which were frying the bacon. His back was turned to Kurama.
"Hiei..? What are you doing?" Kurama asked incredulously. Hiei turned where he sat.
"I'm cooking you breakfast, fox, what does it look like?" Hiei said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Kurama snorted, then burst into laughter at the sight. Hiei growled, his energy flaring. "What is so funny, Kurama?!" he growled angrily. Kurama laughed harder and pointed at the little demon. Hiei's ki flared again, and the bacon was suddenly engulfed in a three-foot-high flame. Hiei jumped and released his aura quickly, looking at the bacon, which had been reduced to black powder. He looked over his shoulder to glare at Kurama as if it were the Youko's fault. Kurama gingerly took the pan and set it on the stove.
"How about we go out for breakfast? My treat," Kurama said, smiling and stifling giggles. Hiei took on a face that very much resembled a pout and stood up.
"All right," he said sulkily.
After a breakfast at a mediocre restaurant (in which no bacon was ordered), the two mutually decided to just walk around the town for a while. They talked idly as they walked, lifting both demon's spirits a little. The two strode past an alley, chuckling. They stopped and listened when they heard the sounds of a fight deeper down the alley. Curious, they walked towards the sounds to find Yusuke and Kuwabara standing over about five other bloody guys. Yusuke noticed Hiei and Kurama first. His face lit up.
"Hey guys!" he called. Kuwabara noticed the others after Yusuke yelled. He waved. "Hey Kurama… Hiei," Yusuke greeted, his eyes lingering on Hiei. Hiei looked away.
"Hello, Yusuke," Kurama returned politely. "Hello, Kuwabara."
"Are you two doing anything?" Yusuke asked.
"Not really," Kurama replied.
"Cools! Mind if we tag along?"
"I… don't see… why not," Kurama said haltingly.
"Awesome!"
"Heh heh! Ya hear that, shorty? You gotta put up with us now!" Kuwabara teased.
"Just stay away from me." Hiei was already back inside his shell.
"Aw, come on, Hiei, lighten up!" Yusuke threw and arm around Hiei and leaned on him playfully. Hiei shrugged him off, irritated. Kurama twitched in jealousy.
The day progressed slowly. The four of them walked aimlessly through town, Kuwabara being loud as usual, Hiei being antisocial as usual, and Yusuke dropping subtle flirts to Hiei while Kurama got more and more frustrated with him.
The four (mostly Kuwabara) decided to stop at Keiko's ramen stand for a late lunch. They ate together, Hiei and Kurama skipping on the actual food. Hiei was gradually becoming more uncomfortable as Yusuke's comments became less subtle. Kurama had finally had enough. He stood.
"I just remembered—I have a place to be," he said after Yusuke's latest attempt to flirt with the fire demon. "Please excuse me."
"Hey, no problem. See you later, Kurama," Yusuke said, turning to Hiei. Hiei, however, was looking past Yusuke to Kurama. He looked upset as he walked away.
Kurama was mildly disgusted with himself. 'How could you let your jealousy get the better of you like that?' he thought angrily at himself. 'Ugh! You should be happy for Hiei; if he likes Yusuke, he'll eventually open up to him and they'll be happy together!'
'…But the fact that he was already so open with you…' the Youko in him interjected slyly.
'Stop. We're being conceited and reading too much into small things,' he argued with himself.
Hiei ducked under Yusuke and caught up to Kurama. He thought that Kurama's illness had caught up with him, and reached up to touch Kurama's shoulder. Kurama twitched and whirled around.
In his agitated state, he acted without thinking. As he turned, he extended his arm and struck Hiei across the face, throwing Hiei's head to the side. Both pairs of eyes grew wide. Hiei slowly brought up a hand to gingerly touch the left side of his face where Kurama had hit him. Yusuke had followed after Hiei and was now at his side, holding his shoulders.
"Hiei, are you all right? Kurama! Why would you—!" Yusuke's indignant words were stopped in his throat when he saw the absolutely mortified expression on Kurama's face. Kurama shook his head and backed away before he took off running at top speed. Yusuke stared for a moment before turning back to Hiei. And ugly bruise was spreading across his left cheek. He hadn't moved an inch.
"Wh-what the hell just happened, Urameshi? I thought he was on our side!" Kuwabara said, speaking of Kurama. Hiei spoke at length.
"We have to find him. He's…sick," he said quietly, shifting to a more comfortable standing position but never taking his hand from his face. "Detective, you go that way." He pointed behind him. "Idiot, you go that way." He pointed to his left. "I'll go this way." Kuwabara growled at being called idiot, but didn't argue, walking off in the direction Hiei had pointed, grumbling. Yusuke wasn't so quick to agree.
"Hiei, I could go with you," Yusuke offered.
"What are you getting at? I don't need help in my search," Hiei said. It was true, he could just follow Kurama's scent; he'd just pointed the other two in the wrong direction on purpose so that he could be alone for a while before he found Kurama.
"Hiei, I… I want to go with you." He put his hands on Hiei's shoulders again.
'Why do you keep touching me?' Hiei thought. 'You're not the one I want! I don't want to see you'
"Hiei, I want to be with you… together." Hiei's eyes widened as Yusuke pulled him in and hugged him. Hiei pushed him away not even a second later.
"Detective, I don't know what's gotten into you, but you'd better get it out of your head! I don't want you. Go be with Botan, or Keiko, or even Kuwabara! Leave me alone so I can search for Kurama!" With the last word, Hiei sprinted off in the direction of Kurama's scent, leaving Yusuke alone in the middle of the street.
Hours passed before Hiei could pinpoint Kurama, even with the Jagan. 'Curse you, fox! He really knows how to conceal himself,' Hiei thought as he sped toward a group of tall buildings. He hopped to one of the lower rooftops, leaping from roof to roof, eventually closing in on Kurama.