Zegg: it wasn't just you sweetie, I swear. And now that I'm this far in, I realize that slight is an understatement. My apologies for listening to the characters in my head. (they hate me.)

White Rose Fox: thank you! Your reviews always make me smile.

I'm gonna have a bit from Hiei's POV, just because I couldn't find another way to get Kurama reading Hiei the riot act any other way. Someone's got to give the little guy the talk.

Disclaimer time: don't own the YYH characters, just borrowing them for my alternate reality where hiei becomes emotionally aware, and kurama sometimes acts like a jerk. I swear I'll give them back when I'm done!


The train got us within a block or two of the concert venue, so we decided to walk. I stayed close to Hiei, so I wouldn't get lost.

"Hey baby, wanna ditch the shortie and go out with a real man tonight?" It was the third lame pick up attempt since the train.

"Real men don't try and pick up other men's dates. Which obviously means you're a pathetic waste of my time." I said, not even bothering to glance his way.

Hiei glared at the man in question, then wrapped his arm around my waist. "Is this baka bothering you?"

I smiled over at Hiei and put my arm around him. "Nah. You know, we wouldn't have this problem if you'd stop being so formal in public, honey."

"Mother always told me I should have married myself a nice Japanese woman." Hiei laughed.

The guy got the hint and made himself scarce.

'From fiancees in an ambulance to married in half a year. Wow. How'd I sleep through that ceremony?' I laughed on the outside, to keep up appearances.

'Hn. He would not have backed down if I claimed you as anything less than my mate.' Hiei made a face at me. "If you wouldn't dress so revealingly in public, I wouldn't have to be physical."

"Maybe I like it when you lay claim like this." I winked at him. "Who are we going to go see?"

"You'll like them. The lead singer happens to be a kind of emotion demon himself, that I had to smuggle out of the makai a year or two ago."

"Really? What does he do with the emotions?"

"He feeds on them. Mostly emotions like admiration and affection, two things a demon who can't fight will never get in the makai."

"Does Koenma know about it?"

"Koenma approved his relocation papers. Sent me and Kurama after him. He and I both have a set of backstage passes at every show Raghukumara plays."

"Holy Hades, I love that band! But I always figured Niyati was a vampire, not a demon."


"Look again, baka. Two passes under the name Jaganshi, they're at every concert." Hiei growled at the security guard at the stage door.

The guard gulped and shuffled through the files again. "My apologies, sir, here they are. The note says you're to go straight to Mr. Niyati's dressing room. Fourth door on your right."

Hiei took the passes. He donned one and handed me the other. "I won't report you, this time."

We found the dressing room and knocked. Niyati answered with a scowl. "I thought I said I wasn't to be... HIEI! My favourite surly firefly! You finally came!" the other demon flung his arms around Hiei.

I struggled to keep in my giggles as Hiei tried to extract himself from the singer's grasp.

"Niyati, please, my onna will get ideas." Hiei sighed after a moment.

The singer released Hiei and looked me up and down. "You can't be serious. A gorgeous thing like you with that surly little swordsman? Stay with me tonight, gorgeous, I'll treat you like a princess."

I smiled and shook my head. "Nah. Hiei does right by me, and has been my champion twice, once to the death. So I think I'll keep him." I shrugged, then winked. "Besides, I stay with you in the context you're thinking, Hiei might kill my favourite singer!"

Niyati laughed. "With a claim on you like that, I think I'll stick to mild flirting."


I had fun. We were on the floor, right up against the crowd control barrier. A group of women were around us, most of them alone, and we decided to dance with each other. I made sure to stay in Hiei's line of sight, just to keep him from trying to burn anyone. It would suck if he had to be sent away for killing a human.

I did try to get Hiei to dance toward the end of the show. Niyati had switched over from the heavy, almost metal sounds of his early work to the very danceable softer sounds of his latest album.

"Dance with me, Hiei!" I tugged on his hands to get him into the group I'd been dancing with.

"I don't dance." He pulled me in close.

I pouted at him. "Just once. I swear I won't tell." I started to sway to the music.

He growled.

I grinned. "Its fun, Hiei. Please?"

'If I do this, you will never ask again?' mind to mind was easier to hear over the noise of the concert.

'If you dance with me now, I will not ask until Yusuke's wedding.' I smiled at the scowling demon.

'The detective will never marry.' He smirked at me, but allowed me to lead him away from the wall.

'Its like pulling power. Just feel the music and move.' I moved to the music, moving him along with me.

'Its like the ceremonies of the makai. But their music is all drums.' He moved with me on his own.


We left right after the show, declining Niyati's offers of an insane after party. We walked over to the nearest noodle shop and took our sweet old time getting back. Caught the last train, thank the gods. I don't think it would be very easy to explain a run like Hiei's in any situation.

It was well past 1 a.m. by the time we crept into the temple. We tried to be quiet, and slip into our room without waking the house, even though I was stifling mad giggles over Hiei's recent complaint against Niyati's enthusiastic greeting.

The light flared to life, albeit dim life. "Interesting phone call I got about an hour ago..." Kurama's voice was low, like the light he'd just clicked on.

"Um, hi, dad. Waiting long?" I giggled.

"Niyati rang, asked if the surly firefly had gotten you back safely. Said he was worried that you didn't attend his party, being a human woman in Hiei's care and all." Kurama gave me a look that could peel paint.

Hiei growled. "I told that baka how things stand. And so did she."

Kurama chuckled. "As did I. I told him that he'd better not call for our lovely Pyro again if he ever wanted an heir. If you two didn't thrash him, Yusuke most certainly would, on your behalf."

"Wow, y'all are bloodthirsty." I chuckled nervously and started down the hall.

"Goodnight, Pyro." Kurama said.


Hiei's POV

I started after her, I was tired, and liked to be the one to set out the bedrolls. She seemed to appreciate the gesture.

Kurama caught my arm. "Hiei, a word please?"

I faced the fox. He'd been trying to get me alone for days.

"What are you doing, Hiei? She's human."

That was subtle. I blinked at him.

"You know you can't keep her, even if you mark her, she will die long before you even get old." Kurama looked at me like he was trying to read my mind. Only the onna I share a room with can do that.

"I have staked a claim on the woman. I will keep her as long as I can." Simple was always best when dealing with the fox. Less for him to use to trick me.

"Don't play with her, Hiei, she's not a toy. I know exactly how dangerous she could become if her shields fail. Hiei, I mean it, this is not some kind of strategy game." Kurama looked away. "Humans can only last so long before their strength runs out."

"Hn." Normal humans wouldn't last long anyway. "She has and will hold out longer than most. The demon bitch inside her has nearly been the death of her, and that alone gives her strength." I looked toward the room I shared briefly, wondering if she was already asleep.

Kurama shook his head. "I will waste no more of your night Hiei. Please, just think about what I've told you. I like the changes she's worked in you, old friend, and I want you prepared for what could happen. So you don't go back to the way you were before."

I shrugged and started down the hall.


Pyro's POV

I stayed close enough to catch a little of what they were saying. Kurama could be such a worrier if given half a chance.

::He does not worry, its strategy. The lovely kitsune in there is a brilliant strategist, in and out of bed.::

'Ug, I do not want to know his intimate details. Get back in your box, bitch.' I hurried down the hall to get ready for bed. Didn't want Hiei to get mad at me for eavesdropping.

I sat in the room in a sleeveless gray tunic. I spent a lot of my time in the temple wearing the same style tunic, because they were easy to fight in, and cheap enough that I didn't have to worry if I ruined one or twelve.

Hiei finally walked in while I was braiding my hair. He looked around the room and smiled briefly before pulling out the bedrolls.

I sighed at the inch and a half of space he put between them. I had hoped that the times we'd shared a bed would get the hint through his crazy hair and into his brain, but it seemed my hopes were in vain. I sighed again.

He looked at me like I'd caught him with the last ice cream sandwich, again. (It had happened twice back in slower lower, and those looks were priceless.) "Is there something wrong?"

"I figured that as many times as we've shared, you'd have just set them up together." I gestured at the beds to show what exactly I was talking about.

"The times we have shared you were sick, or there had been a fight not related to training, and you were in need of comfort." he shrugged at me and sat on his bed.

"If it were just comfort, I would have gone to Kurama. He does comforting better than you." I sat on my bed facing Hiei.

He growled and inched closer.

"I didn't just want comfort, Hiei. I wanted to feel safe. The nights you share the bed with me are the safest I've felt since I saw all those imps go up in black flames."

He moved to sit next to me in the space between blinks. "You don't feel safe here?"

I shook my head. "That's not it. I feel protected here. I feel safe when you're around. I feel even safer in your arms. And then you run off and sulk over something that got a little too personal, and it makes me feel like you don't want me close, and all your claims to me are just for the job."

He reached out and touched my cheek like he thought I would break. "I had a really bad childhood, I have no idea how to treat a lover or a mate. And I don't think I'd live for very long if I treated you like some of the demons I traveled with did."

Images of large male demons mistreating their severely underfed women flashed through my head. "You would get away with all of two seconds before Lotus would break out and decide you're her new toy."

"And human romance isn't something I've tried to study."

"Meh, no worries. I'm romantic enough for the both of us." I giggled at the slight blush that crept up his cheeks.

He leaned in and kissed me. 'Shut up, Pyro.'


you naughty things, you probably thought there would be lemons here. Nope. Next chapter, I swear. They have to go through a little bit more crap before they get to have some niceness.

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has alerted or favourited or even just read this story. Over 400 hits this month. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Please review!