From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory

Chapter Four: The Kiss

Aliya sat at the kitchen table quietly sipping a mug of hot chocolate that Suichi had made for her only a few minutes before. Her long black hair was draped delicately over her back. She was wearing some of the clothes that Suichi had bought for her. A soft smile spread over her face at the thought of the ruby haired young man who seemed slightly over-protective of her. As she finished her drink, her attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps entering into the kitchen. Her gaze fell upon the four foot eleven inched quiet man who always seemed cold.

"Good morning Hiei," she said in her usual soft voice. The man barely acknowledged her presence as he walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. Aliya let out a soft sigh as she dropped her gaze to the bottom of her mug staring at the swirling dark liquid that still remained. Hiei turned his head slowly to look at her. He felt hsi cold heart slowly start to melt as he watched the dreamy expression on her face. It was a look she had often worn when he knew her. It was an expression that he had come to miss although he would never admit it to anyone.

The young girl's sigh drew him out of his thoughts. She placed her small hand against her cheek and slowly turned her gaze to look at him before turning away. "Am I disturbing you?" Aliya asked as she lowered her hand and wrapped her fingers around the mug. Hiei shifted his gaze towards her and watched the side of her face. "No..." was the only thing he said to her as he began to prepare himself a cup of tea. The young girl sighed as she lowered her mug from her lips and turned her head to watch him carefully.

"Then why do I get the feeling that you are avoiding me?" Aliya dared to ask him. The man turned his whole body and leaned against the counter watching her with a more emotional expression on his face. "I do not know what you are talking about." The young girl frowned and stood from her chair pushing it back with the sudden movement. She placed her hand on her hips glaring at him. "You do know what I am talking about Hiei. I can tell that there is something you guys are not telling me. Ever since I woke up here I can feel a tension in the air."

Hiei frowned in return after hearing her words. He actually did know what she was referring to. It was getting harder and harder for them to pretend that everything was all right especially with her being in the same house as them. He had often found himself looking at her, staring at her watching her every movement. And he knew that the others were doing the same. "You are imaging things." Aliya huffed moving over towards the four foot eleven man and stood directly in front of him. For the first time in his life, Hiei felt uncomfortable with the close presence of a woman.

"Then tell me why have I woken in the middle of the night to see Suichi standing in the door way of my room watching me as I sleep? And don't tell me its out of concern because... there is always something in his face..." Hiei felt his eye twitch when she said that. He had suspected that the kitsune had been entering into her room at night but giving his friend the benefit of the doubt he never questioned it. Now that she was telling him, he understood what was going on. Without a word he walked past the young girl who was taken aback by his movement.

"Wait... where are you going?" she asked him and stepped forward to follow him but when she saw the look on his face Aliya flinched and drew back. Whatever she had said had an obvious affect on the man and she did not want to see what would happen.

Suichi was sitting in the middle of his garden checking the progress of his roses when he heard the approach of Hiei. "Every time I come out here I expect her roses to have wilted and died. But I am always gladdened to see that they still continue to bloom." He turned his head, his emerald orbs burning with an emotion that Hiei had not seen in them in over a year. "I don't know how long I can pretend, Hiei. It's getting harder and harder with each passing day now that she is living with us."

"It would be easier if you would stop appearing in Aliya's room," Hiei said not wanting to get into an argument with his friend. Suichi smirked as he turned his attention back to the roses. "I know you can feel it too, Hiei. It wasn't easy for you watching her for the year seeing her tormented and not being able to do anything about it. And what about now?" Hiei folded his arms over his chest and looked away. "I am not as weak as you."

Suichi let out a humph as he stood from the ground and turned towards his friend. He stopped beside him. "I know you, Hiei. Perhaps better than you know yourself. You cannot deny yourself much longer..." With that the kitsune walked over to the patio door and entered into his apartment. Hiei frowned staring down at the roses knowing that his friend was right. He would not be able to contain himself much longer.

Aliya raised her eyes when she heard the sound of the patio door closing followed by a pair of footsteps that entered into the living room. A smile spread across her face when she saw that it was Suichi. "I was wondering where you had disappeared to," she said as he sat beside her. "I was attending my rose garden," he responded to her. The young girl gasped and clutched at the young man's arm as her eyes grew larger. "You have roses? It is one of my most favorite flower."

Suichi smiled biting back a comment as he nodded. He watched her pretty face as she smiled at him then slowly turned her face away as she leaned against his arm. The kitsune stiffened as he felt her body pressing against his. The young girl let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes. "Would you like to see it?" he asked. Aliya tilted her head upwards so that she could look into his face. Suichi felt his heart stop for a brief moment as he looked into those stormy grey eyes of hers. "I would love to..."

The kitsune pulled away from her and took her hand gently in his callused hand before helping her onto her feet. He tried to ignore the soft feel of her flesh against his as she held his hand tightly. Suichi gently pulled her with him leading her out of the apartment and towards the rose garden. Aliya gasped as she looked around at the beautiful multi-colored roses. She leaned forward and breathed in their scents enjoying the soothingly familiar aromas, the young girl smiled softly.

Suichi watched her every movement remembering somewhere in the back of his mind when she would spend hours taking care of the roses. He reached out and gently pulled a rose from a nearby bush and held it out in front of her eyes. Aliya gasped staring at the blood red petals and smiled as he slowly slipped the flower into her hair. The kitsune took this moment to take in her soft scent, his fingertips brushing through the soft strands of her hair.

The young girl slowly turned her face towards his and opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly felt his lips against hers. Aliya's eyes widened but instead of pushing the man away from her or even slapping his face, she raised her hand lacing her fingers into his long hair. The tip of his tongue brushed against her soft thick lips trying to gain access into her warm mouth and when she did not comply, Suichi slipped his hand underneath her shirt and placed his hand on her bra covered breast.

The sensation of being touched caused the young girl to open her mouth allowing him the access he needed to push his tongue into her hot mouth. Almost immediately, their tongues danced and swirled together massing each as they moved. The two were unaware of a pair of enraged eyes that were watching them. Unable to watch any longer Hiei jumped down from his tree and approached the two embraced in a powerful kiss and cleared his throat.

Suichi slowly broke the kiss immediately recognizing the grunt as coming from an anger filled Hiei. Despite not wanting to draw away from the lips that he had longed to taste again, Suichi pulled back from the breathless young girl who's cheeks turned a rose shade when she realized that they had been watched by Hiei. She had been unable to explain it but she had felt something radiating from the shorter man as he folded his arms over his chest.

Without uttering a word the two walked off leaving a dazed Aliya laying in the soft cool grass her fingertips pressed against her plush lips as she could still feel the red haired young man's still on hers.

Suichi ran his tongue over his lips, he could almost taste Aliya's lips still on them. "What the hell was that?" Hiei snapped at him, drawing the kitsune out of his own daze. Suichi shifted his gaze away from him for a moment before turning back towards him. "I told you that I would not be able to keep myself at bay with her here, Hiei." The fire demon raised his eyebrows before an enraged expression over took his handsome features. "So you decide that you are going to climb on top of her?"

"You make it sound as if I was going to rape her," Suichi said keeping his face as calm as he could. "Did you not say that you would not be able to control yourself?" Hiei questioned him. "You know I would never do anything to harm her just as you would not." Hiei growled as he moved closer to the kitsune. "You have done more than that. She does not remember us... none of us and yet you kiss her. I watched what you were doing Kurama. Did it not occur to you that she will soon realize that your kiss held more emotion in it than it was supposed to?"

The kitsune folded his arms over his chest knowing that his best friend was right. "Then what do you propose that we do?" Hiei turned his head remaining silent as he tried to ponder on what to do. The damage had already been done so there was nothing left to do at least for the time being. "You will have to have some self-control. I will not hesitate in hurting you if I find you kissing her again."

With that the fire demon left his friend to ponder over his words. Suichi turned his gaze to stare blankly at the white eastern wall. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before something else happened even if his friend refused to believe it.