Story Title: In the Eyes of Angels

Disclaimer: If I owed YYH, Hiei/Kurama (and Jin/Touya) would've been clearly canon. No ambiguity.

Author's Notes: Thanks to LordOfTheWest, shiorifoxiesmom, The Only Love For Soujiro Seta, pyrosnightmare, Yuu-chi, Alexisminamino, Dragon77, ChatterBOXX, Starfool, littlelil1991, Brlr, hawi, Moon Minamino, Deidara4ever, Makoza-Foxdemon, tigress eyes, and fire-ball-kyo-DLM for reviewing.

The next seven chapters will all be a little awkward since I haven't decided how they fit together in my outline. After all, friendship is a new concept to Hiei. After 12+ chapters, I realize readers are eager for love scenes. I can't promise anything physical yet—Hiei has too many issues with that—but the sweetness does rise in the next seven. My only hope is that it doesn't turn too saccharine. And that writer's block doesn't hit me again.

Thanks for reading.

-o-

Chapter Twelve: The Influence of Cake, or How to Make Hiei Jaganshi Sociable For One Hour

-o-

Even though he finally acknowledged, though would never verbally admit, that he and Minamino were friends, Hiei wasn't certain if he liked having Minamino as a friend. His opinion was always changing, mostly to any playful-but-striking-right-on-a-nerve teasing by Minamino or any sort of prying he tried when Hiei wished to be anything but communicative. He wasn't certain if the things he hated outweighed the things…he could tolerate. Chalking it up to his near, no, complete lack of experience with having friends, there was a lot about his friendship with Minamino that left Hiei uncertain.

And so was Yusuke, though not quite to Hiei's extent. While he no longer antagonized Minamino, he had not embraced him as a friend either. Yusuke wasn't quite sure how to treat Minamino yet and wound up showing him indifference most of the time, unless Minamino was getting in the way of discussing prank plans.

It was the late middle of May and the past few weeks had gone by relatively uneventfully. Hiei hadn't dreamed anything, except for the few times he dreamed of hands tearing through his skin and cracking his ribcage in half to expose his beating heart, but as painful and disturbing as the dream was, it was still just a dream, not a memory, and Hiei was used to odd dreams. After all, there was nothing he could dream that was anything worse than what he had experienced in his waking life.

After Suzuki's failed homicide, things were reasonably normal and boring, though many things wound up turning normal and boring after a psycho pompous clown tries to kill you and leave you dead in the forest. It was just the regular course of things.

Hiei sometimes went to class and sometimes did his homework. He served his daily detention, paying for a hole in his wall that had been repaired weeks ago. He went to track practice and Minamino observed and studied from the stands—Hiei neither knew nor wished to know which he did more of. He pissed off Iwamoto as much as he could and found time here and there to drop in on Minamino the mouse and give him (or her?) a cookie.

In the library, Hiei sat, his chair tipped back onto two legs and his feet on the table. Minamino sat nearby, busy with homework. Most of the time Hiei spent with Minamino consisted of him sitting (or sometimes reading) while Minamino did homework, made review sheets for the tutorial class, looked for books, researched, noted, and read. At some point, they would talk until Minamino deemed his break was over or Hiei refused to say anything more. Their time together was quiet and unchanging. That suited Hiei just fine.

Minamino appeared to be working on an essay, if his steady writing spell was any indication. As he usually did, even when he was supposedly reading, Hiei watched him. Or, more accurately, he studied him.

Hiei wasn't sure of what he was looking for or what answers he was trying to find but he knew there were things he did not understand concerning Minamino and their friendship. Things like what friendship was and what someone does in a friendship. Maybe studying Minamino wasn't really a viable means but right now it was Hiei's only idea. Not like he knew to do anything else.

"If you are bored, I am, by no means, keeping you here. You are welcome to go as you please," Minamino said, not even pausing from his work. "However, if you wish for something to do, I suggest you complete your homework. I do not see why you have not already."

Hiei had not actually turned in a scrap of completed homework in two weeks. He usually just passed the assigned worksheet or a blank piece of paper in, not even bothering to scribble down his name at the top. Father Takenaka had scheduled they have an after-dinner chat about Hiei's homework situation this evening. Hiei wondered if he could use the excuse that he had too much homework to do to skip the headmaster's lecture.

"Either I'm a rebel fighting against an unjust, corrupt system that cruelly pits us against one another in the name of academic success." Hiei leaned back further in his chair and smirked. "Or I just don't give a damn."

"I know you are capable of completing it with ease."

"Yea, but that would require me doing my homework," Hiei said. "Defeats the purpose of me not doing my homework."

"It would be something you could do to terminate your boredom," Minamino peered up and over at Hiei and smiled. "Other than stare at me."

"I'm not staring," Hiei vehemently denied. "Your face is in my way."

"Oh, I see now." Minamino made a show of looking over his shoulder. "My face is clearly obstructing your view of a magnificent support column. Excellent choice. Very white. Very smooth."

Dropping the chair back on four legs, Hiei tossed Minamino a glare and stood up. Without another word, he disappeared into the book stacks. After all, he had better things to do than his homework or listen to Minamino's nonsense.

And it wasn't like Hiei getting up and wasting time searching for new reads while Minamino worked was anything out of the ordinary. It happened fairly regularly during their shared library time. Hiei wandered and came back when he either felt Minamino was close to completion or he simply grew too bored. That wasn't about to happen this time. He wasn't coming back. When he was done, Minamino would have to find him.

I wasn't staring, Hiei grumbled to himself.

-o-

A cockroach will crawl into any crevasse, Iwamoto thought bitterly as he glowered out a teacher's office window down at Hiei Jaganshi walking with Kurama Minamino. Until the only thing you can do to rid yourself of it is tear down all the walls.

Iwamoto ground his teeth. Hiei Jaganshi was a cockroach and oh, did Father Iwamoto long to squash him. His presence had spread like an infection, striking first and foremost at the top with the headmaster, though it was no surprise to Iwamoto that Father Takenaka had been taken so easily. He cared for all the students but Takenaka had a special love for the scum. He wanted to nurture the weeds, make them grow into actual people worthy of the rest of society but forgetting the fundamental difference—weeds were not flowers, that weeds were meant to be plucked and killed.

Let a weed thrive in your garden, Iwamoto wasn't able to see Hiei Jaganshi's face since it was turned away but he recalled Kurama Minamino's amiable smile and how he spoke to Jaganshi on good terms. And it will choke out all the other plant life.

And now, with his unbroken winning streak in races, Hiei Jaganshi's infection was spreading to the rest of the student body. He had been ignored or ridiculed during his first week but now students were starting to accept the foul little bastard. Not that Jaganshi was befriending anyone, but the damage was already done.

I will not let this proud institution's reputation go to the dogs because of one vile, smart-aleck imp, Iwamoto turned away from the window in disgust. I swear I will crush Hiei Jaganshi. I will purge this school of his blight. I will do what I must.

We will only have the best.

-o-

Kurama Minamino was very good at avoiding things and especially people he did not wish to confront. If social avoidance was a science, Kurama Minamino would be at the forefront of field discoveries. However, the subjects of his evasion were not always easily dissuaded and once in a while, he would be pursued by an exceptionally strong-willed soul.

Today's persistent shadow was Miss Kirisawa. They shared two classes, neither she excelled in, and she was a regular admirer of his. Kurama was fairly positive she harbored a mild crush on him, as did the majority of the female student body. Kirisawa herself was a cookie-cutter example of any cute but spoiled academy schoolgirl, her only distinguishing feature was being a little less stuck-up than the norm.

And she had something she wished to ask Kurama. A favor. No matter what sort of request it was, Kurama considered anything a type of favor. Shutting his room door behind him, he had caught her eye (after she had eagerly called his name from down the hall) and immediately knew she wanted something. A favor. One he had not the time or patience to fulfill.

He pretended to be lost in thought and ignored her. Thankfully, the stairs were not far from his room. She tried to hurry and follow him but he was outside and walking through shortcuts at a hurried pace that did not seem at all hurried to passersby before she could reach him.

As he expected, she could not overcome her ridiculous fear of Hiei to approach him and fortunately in their shared gym class, the teacher separated the boys and girls. He could avoid her around campus and Hiei would deter her at meals, so if he could miraculously slip by her in their history class, he could easily elude her until she at last gave up on her futile endeavor.

But she was determined and Kurama was even more determined.

When their teacher finally dismissed the class, Kirisawa made quick work of calling Kurama's name and trying to reach his desk. Kurama calmly made his way toward the hall. His feint of feigned self-distraction became less and less plausible to maintain, however. She was causing such a commotion Kurama could not ignore her without causing some harm to his standing among his peers. After all, as she went on, it was becoming more and more blatant he was ignoring her. He could not let his peers know that was the case.

"Minamino! Wait! Minamino!" She practically begged him to pay attention to her.

Kurama resisted the impulse to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. He took an unnoticed deep breath to ready himself and then paused and waited for her to catch him. If she had only kept this an internal affair instead of broadcasting it to the entire hall, he could have avoided her without fail or penalty. Truthfully, he could still ignore her and evade her easily but that might cause the student body to think he was callous and Kurama Minamino was never callous.

Though Kurama supposed it was better just to end her pursuit than let it persist and irritate him further. He had expected her to give up before his long night in the laboratory but he could not be confident she would and he allowed no one to follow him into his lab work. Better to prune the damage than to permit it to rot to ruin, he surmised.

"I've been trying to get your attention all day," Kirisawa said, quickly catching her breath after hurrying toward him.

"Is that so, Miss Kirisawa? Pardon me, I have not noticed," he lied through his smile and amicable tone. "Whatever could it be that you need of me?"

Kirisawa smiled and twisted her waist gently from side to side in a girly, coquettish manner. "Well…I know you're always busy, always got a lot on your mind, but I think you've heard about the party I'm having, right?"

"It may have been brought to my attention." With the same subtlety of a car crash.

Talk of Kirisawa's party had been going on for weeks but complications forced the date and location to be changed. And once the arrangements were resettled, exactly every female student on her party guest list had at some point approached Kurama and asked him if he would be her date to Kirisawa's party. The constant petitions from the girls had been enough irritation but the many encouragements that he go from the guys in his admiring circle (who mistakenly believed they were his friends and that he needed to relax more) firmed his resolve that he would not go.

"Yea, well, so…," she went on, continuing her silly feminine flirtation. "I was wondering, if you're not super busy or even if you are, that you could find the time to come. Even just a little while. You think you could?"

"Actually, Miss Kirisawa," Kurama put on a voice and expression that blended appreciation and courtesy with regret, "as appealing as your invitation is, I am afraid that I will have to pass."

Kurama gave a polite farewell bow and started to turn from her until she wrapped her arms around the crook of his arm and jerked him to a stop.

"Aww, come on, Minamino, please come. All work and no play makes Jack jump over the candlestick."

Kurama did not correct her malapropism but did fight hardily against the urge to tell her he did not appreciate her clinging onto him, much less her further delaying him from heading to his next class. The more extroverted girls in his circle did share a habit of attaching themselves to him, commonly to his arms and once and only once to his waist.

"Again, you don't have to stay the whole time. Just enough to get you out of our stuffy library. Surely your grades won't suffer if you take a little break from studying. Please."

She was beginning to truly press on Kurama's nerves. He slipped some of his annoyance into his voice, remaining polite but now carrying a firm edge that this was his final decision. "I am sorry but unfortunately I do not merely have to study. I also have lesson plans and tests to construct for my tutorial class."

And then Kurama had a thought and his tone and demeanor brightened considerably. "Though I must admit, now that I reconsider matters, I suppose I could rearrange my schedule to allow for a small break. Pardon me for my earlier decline. Having so much to complete in relatively little time caused me to be hasty with my estimations. You understand I must be frugal with my time."

"Oh yes, Minamino! I know!" she said enthusiastically and then much more self-composed, "So this means you'll come?"

Kurama gave her a gracious smile. "It would be my pleasure, Miss Kirisawa."

Much to Kurama's displeasure and disapproval, she shrieked for joy and bounced in place, causing a greater scene and revealing herself out to be a foolish child. Kurama quickly excused himself and hurried up the stairs to his next class. He fleetingly wished the cherry blossom tree was still in full bloom but sadly all its pretty pink petals were gone not a week after they had arrived. Such were their nature, however.

Still, he could have used the soothing sight to erase the distraction of Miss Kirisawa's exuberance from his mind and clear the way for the much planning and persuasion he would have to employ.

-o-

Since their rising number of wins and what with being on the track team no longer considered an embarrassment, many more 'friends' of the team started coming out to watch the track practices. Instead of the sparse specks as before, the stands were partially filled with these new clusters of friends, fangirls, and Minamino.

Hiei sat catching his breath on a bench on the sidelines. He had just completed a series of trial runs, a handful being solo but most with at least one other team member. He had achieved great times but he hadn't ran to his near-best. Quite frankly, he wanted to run in the woods. The terrain was far more unpredictable, peaceful, and best of all, there were no stupid fangirls moaning condolences when their pretty boy gained yet another second-place versus Hiei.

The useless twits. They screamed their giddy heads off with every good time or potential look their way. Their pretty boy remained red-faced, whether out of exertion or embarrassment it was hard to tell. Mostly likely out of embarrassment, Hiei decided, since everyone knew that Minamino could have all the girls cheering and giggling over him with a mere close of his textbook and a look. It had to be humiliating knowing he was outclassed and his said better sat feet away, miraculously making an attempt to study through the clamor.

The pretty boy's fangirls' collective screams sounded as shrill and grating as proverbial nails running down a chalkboard as the boy at last won his first first-place. Hiei's curses and shouts that they shut the hell up went unheard in their roar. Morons. Didn't they realize the only reason he had won was because he wasn't up against him? Probably the only one up there smart enough to realize that was Minamino. Clearly that was the case, since the girls kept on cheering.

As the only sign of any intelligence in the stands, no one ever cheered for him. At all. A few brave fangirls had tried in the beginning, but Hiei had put a stop to it. Hiei did not want any fans. He had no fans.

Soon as practice was over, Hiei left, as he always did. A few of his teammates called to him in a ridiculous attempt to get him to join in with the team on some sort of outing or just to hang out, but Hiei ignored them. After so many times, he figured they'd stop but someone always tried. Idiot.

And besides, many of the friends and fangirls were coming out from the stands. It was far too many people for Hiei's liking (granted one person was too much for his liking) and he wanted no part in the small-scale sea of stupidity inundating the track field so he hurried off before any one of them got the dim idea to crowd around him and offer their banal encouragements. Like he needed them.

Hiei walked down the short road from the track field heading toward the main campus. He was alone on the road. He heard no one coming from the field and looked over his shoulder to confirm that was the case. What a bother, Hiei huffed in annoyance as he leaned up against the chain-link fence and crossed his arms over his chest.

At last hearing someone coming and having shot a quick glance to see who it was, Hiei fixed his stare away to the right. He clenched his teeth and tightened his arms over his chest in preparation for the inevitable comment he would make that Hiei would revile.

"How unexpected to see you still here, Hiei," Minamino said. "If I had known you were waiting for me, I would have definitely hastened my leave."

The first words that came to Hiei's mind was a complete denial that he had been waiting but it was clear to the both of them that he had been. Hiei obviously had no other reason to remain near the track field. He wished he could deny it but he couldn't. He certainly could not admit he had grown used to walking back with Minamino.

"You think I wanted to stand here so long," Hiei said stubbornly, as they walked together. "What took you?"

"I apologize for my delay. I found myself swamped in polite conversation from various sides. It required much time and patience to navigate through, otherwise I would have been right with you."

Hiei snorted derisively. "Because one day the students here will tell stories to their grandkids of how they asked the great Minamino about the weather and what he thought tonight's dinner would be."

Minamino softly laughed. "Well, it was not quite that commonplace. I do not know how intently you listen to other students—"

"I told you I do not eavesdrop!" Hiei shouted, glaring ice toward Minamino.

"Yes, I surmised as much," Minamino said, fanning his hand in a please-settle-down gesture. "What I was actually referring towards was the talk of Kirisawa's party. Am I correct in assuming you have not heard anything about it?"

"You think I pay attention to their drivel?" Hiei said. "I don't see how you stand it. Then again you're generally in the thick of it." All they ever talk about is you. "So what about this party? Are you going?"

"Actually, I have accepted Miss Kirisawa's invitation to go," Minamino said.

Hiei was admittedly surprised at first but did not show it. As sociable as Minamino was, he seemed to Hiei far too fixated on his academics to ever allow himself to waste time at a party. After all, even their own interactions were centered around Minamino's studies. "Hn. No wonder they swamped you. Once the news travels, every girl in this school will be asking you to go with them."

"Oh they asked far before I was invited," Minamino said. "However, right now, I am not going with anyone specifically."

Hiei quirked an eyebrow. "Right now?"

"Correct. I have yet to ask but I hope the person I wish will come with me will agree to come." Minamino looked and smiled at Hiei.

"No."

"My, that sounds definitive," Minamino's voice remained cheery. "Is a negotiation out of the question?"

Not that he was ever considering saying yes, Hiei asked, "What are your terms?"

"Should that not be my question?" Minamino said playfully as Hiei glared sternly at him. "Very well then. All I request of you is that you accompany me to Kirisawa's party for one hour."

Hiei's answer was still no. "Under what stipulations?"

"None," Minamino said. "You merely have to come with me and stay at the party for one hour. Nothing more, nothing less. Consider it a test of endurance."

Hiei hardly believed that was all. For only knowing Minamino for about a month now, he already knew proposing anything at face value was rarely an option to Minamino. There was always something else, another layer, another meaning. "And what else? Lay out all your cards, Minamino."

"I have, Hiei. Just go to the party and stay. One hour. I request no further conditions of you. I will not force you to socialize, if that is what concerns you. You are free to act as you please at the party."

Sure it was a waste of an hour of his life, but if all he had to do was show up… Except he would be showing up with Minamino. Hiei did not like the thoughts the idea of that stirred up. Maybe, yes, it was true he was friends with Minamino but he didn't want the rest of the Academy knowing. And since he was Minamino's friend, they would believe he was their friend too and try to talk to him.

Minamino did say he didn't have to socialize.

His terms were easy enough to follow through but the conditions of the party would be senseless, boring, and irritating beyond reasonability. Minamino was right (when was he not?). It would be a test of endurance.

But Hiei had endured worse. And no part of this would ever be too much for him to handle. He could say yes, but that answer depended on what he would get out of going.

"Let's say I considered agreeing," Hiei smirked slyly. "What would you give me in return?"

"Well, I would be a fool to believe you would do this for nothing, now would I?" Minamino said. "What are you requesting?"

"Pass me so I never have to attend your class again."

Minamino made a playful show of frowning. "Now, Hiei, be reasonable. You know I cannot do that." Hiei kept his smirk and shrugged his shoulders in an it-was-worth-a-shot manner. "May I propose a suggestion?"

Hiei made no objection.

"I am positive it will require little persuasion on my part to commission Eriko to bake a cake for you. As this business truly only concerns us, I will, of course, furnish all the expenses. I believe that would be an adequate exchange for an hour's worth of your time, do you agree?"

Make it through an hour of stupidity and win a cake all to yourself was what Hiei heard. Minamino's suggestion was certainly tempting. He had never expected to but Hiei found himself reconsidering.

"And if that will not convince you, will this?"

Minamino pressed his hands together as if in prayer, raised them so his fingertips touched his bottom lip, smiled, and sweetly asked please. Softness and warmth were the first things Hiei noted about Minamino's expression. His eyes and smile seemed to radiate them.

Minamino's eyes could capture sunlight. It was the only way the green of his eyes could shine so brilliantly. Even though he knew the pleading in his eyes was a put-on, Hiei could not help but note how genuine it felt.

"Please," he repeated.

Hiei ripped his sight away, turning his head to the other side in disgust. He took from his pocket a small wadded-up note and threw it at Minamino's face. The paper ball bounced harmlessly off the side of Minamino's forehead as he tried to dodge (or made a show of trying) and laughed.

Minamino still smiled at Hiei and was in an all-around pleasant mood as Hiei shoved his hands into his pockets, held his arms tight to his sides, and sulked. The warmth on his cheeks and the pressure in his chest could only be due to anger and annoyance at Minamino (because he was clearly intentionally trying to piss him off acting so ridiculous and so damn pleased).

Stupid Minamino, Hiei grumbled, wishing he stopped playing around and quit smiling so much already. As if asking please and acting like that will convince me to go!

Hiei agreed to go. For the cake.

-o-

Outside their dormitory, Kurama Minamino waited. Though he was fairly positive Hiei was not about to back out of his word and stand him up, he could not be one hundred percent certain. After all, it would not be unlike Hiei to lie or to simply do something just to be contrary. However, he had not acted for the rest of the week like he planned on ditching their plans and Kurama, trusting Hiei would keep his promise, had not bothered him to reaffirm his agreement.

If he was going to show, he would show. If he did not, Kurama would have to make sure he made his promise up to him. And he would not get his cake. After all, Kurama Minamino did not reward bad behavior.

About another minute later, Hiei came out dressed in all black, his clothes a bit wrinkled. Most likely he had picked up whatever was on his floor. To his credit, his clothes did at least look clean. Which, as Kurama figured, was the best he could hope for. Not like he was in any position to complain. He was still wearing the Academy uniform, despite it being a Saturday and having many more nicer clothes, all clean, pressed, and folded away neatly, he could have worn for the party but had not.

Hiei was sullen. He stared at the ground, hands already in his pockets and pressed to his sides yet again, and appeared to be in an unyielding state of complaint.

"Let's get this crap over with," he growled, heading off without Kurama even though he had no idea where the party was being held.

Kurama could hardly disagree with that. Truthfully, he disliked going to parties, viewed them as frivolous squander of his time, and rarely went to any, even though he seemed to be constantly invited to them. Kurama supposed that was why Kirisawa had made such a performance out of her cheer. To her, it was like she had won the grand prize, accomplished the impossible—she had gotten Kurama Minamino to go to her party.

Kurama thought of ten things he could be working toward completion instead of going to this party.

Since students were not allow to leave the Academy without a day pass and the mass exodus of students for one night would garner suspicion, Kirisawa's party was being held in the Science Hall under the guise of a club meeting. It had not been their first choice of locations, that had been the gym, but word had spread too far to the faculty and forced changes.

A fleeting concern washed over Kurama when Kirisawa had told him the party was in the Science Hall. He recognized the property damaging capability of high school idiocy and sought to keep his research safe. However, his work was securely hidden within a locked third floor laboratory, only accessible with a teacher's permission and key (though Kurama had unlimited access), and the party posed a threat only to the second floor classrooms and possibly its laboratories, if someone somehow managed to unlock them—but those labs held nothing that mattered to Kurama so he did not protect them or warned the Biology club, who did use those labs.

Guided by the sound of bad dance remixes of equally awful or at best merely mediocre pop music, Western and pan-Asia, Kurama with Hiei reluctant in tow walked down the hall. Kirisawa stood outside a pair of adjacent classrooms talking with a small group of friends. None of the girls' mini skirts could have ever passed Academy regulation nor would have their halter and tube tops.

They wet their toes into the depths of rebellion and this is what they choose to surface with. How unsurprising, Kurama thought, passing by a girl who chose to defy the Academy by painting herself up like a hooker.

"Minamino, you're here!" Kirisawa called, breaking from her giggling friends to run toward him. "I hoped you'd show—" Blinded by her haste, and presumably her joy, she did not notice Hiei until after she had reached them and gave Kurama an unwanted, uncalled-for hug—they were not at all that close of friends.

At seeing Hiei, Kirisawa froze, her face glazed in shock and her eyes widened into saucers. Kurama imagined a mouse, having sensed the hovering presence of a hungry snake, stilling all its movements to avoid detection.

I realize Hiei never presents himself in a positive light, however Kirisawa and the others should not fall victim to storymongers' gossip. The manner they act around him only serves to fuel the lies, after all.

Kurama threw on a gracious and reassuring smile and tone. "Ah, Miss Kirisawa, perhaps I should have informed you beforehand and I hope this is no inconvenience to you, however Hiei has decided to accompany me to your party. Do you take issue with him coming?"

"No. No, that is fine," she said, her voice quavering, and then much more quietly added, "Just never expected…"

Kurama watched Kirisawa give Hiei an awkward, jerky smile as Kurama entered the classroom and Hiei followed. Most of the desks were removed, a few that remained served as countertops for giant snack bowls, liters of pop, and other food and drink party necessaries. On the teacher's desk stood the sound system blaring out the dance music. From the shouts in the adjacent classroom, someone with audio and visual connections had set up a projector with a television and was showing a soccer match—Kurama could not tell by ear who was facing who, having never taken any interest in sports (well, besides this year's track) and figured it did not really matter.

"Minamino. One hour," was all Hiei said before taking the least populated route over to a row of desk chairs lined against a wall.

The party went about as Kurama expected. Everyone else was having a great time, Hiei sulked and scowled from his chair, and Kurama endured through the party as a necessary evil, chatting through one tedious conversation after another while simultaneously rearranging his schedule in his head to allow for a day (or at least half a day) off. If ever given the opportunity, he hoped to join Hiei and attempt to make the surly boy show a semblance of sociability, if only with him.

Alas, the friendliest behavior Hiei had shown so far was not snapping at or outright punching the few brave souls who tried to approach him. Kurama supposed this was the best behavior he could ask for, especially after not stipulating that he behave in any sort of proper way—because Kurama Minamino was not an idiot and knew that forcing Hiei to do anything, especially to act friendly, would only garner his hatred and hostility.

Still Kurama wished Hiei wore more of a bored, indifferent expression rather than the cross, snarling glower he was shooting across the room. No wonder the storymongers were getting away with their story that wolves had raised Hiei. He did look ready to bite the next person that came in range.

Kurama marginally listened to a conversation whose subject just did not matter when the topic suddenly changed.

"So, like, what's his problem?" a girl asked, her line of sight indicating Hiei.

"Oh, nothing," Kurama said and left it at that.

"You're friends with him, right, Minamino?" a boy from his Modern Japanese class said. "Or is it more like he's friends with you?"

Kurama faked a smile, though it would be interpreted as lighthearted, as the boy pompously snickered at his own joke. Kurama disliked any possible interpretation of his words, including the implication that Hiei was only friends with him for his popularity and status or that Kurama was so self-important that he considered himself above Hiei.

"Is he always like that?" the girl asked, light concern in her voice.

"Yea, Minamino," said a second boy. "Does he ever look like he's not about to punch you in the face?"

"Hiei has an acquired personality. He does not care for many people. Or people in general. It requires patience to cope through his antagonistic temperament."

"Why would you want to be friends with someone like that?" said the first boy in distaste.

"It's no surprise, guys. Minamino is so kind and easy to talk to. He can make anyone his friend," said the girl as she attached herself to Kurama's arm, making him wonder if every girl at the Academy were all secretly exceptionally well crossbred mobile venus flytraps and his arms were just large pieces of meat to clamp down on.

Before Kurama could respond, he heard a boy shout, "Hey, what the fuck is your problem?"

Kurama looked and saw Hiei's seat was empty. Through the congested room, Kurama could not see Hiei anywhere but following the trail of shouts and parting students opening up a path to the nearest door, Kurama surmised enough to deduce his whereabouts.

Giving a swift pardon to his company, Kurama hastened through the party crowd.

-o-

Run. Get out of there. Find open space, were the orders Hiei's brain gave to his body. Turn here. Faster. Now go up. Hiei wasn't even aware of where he was going. He simply trusted his feet to take him where he needed to be.

It had been too much. Too much noise, too many students steadily crowding around him, closing him in a smaller and smaller box. The idiot girl had invited too many people or too many crashed and no one gave a damn. He had almost been totally enclosed in a wall of physical contact, covered and bare skin. He began to suffocate as the wall grew closer and closer. Until Hiei had to break free.

Racing up a flight of stairs, Hiei barged through a door and stopped at the rush of cool air on his flushed, sweaty skin. He stood and breathed, easing the pounding of his heart. Clarity slowly began to return to his senses. Hiei found himself on the Science Hall's rooftop. It was night. There was a comfortably cool breeze blowing. A light mounted above the doorway partially illuminated a small space on the roof. From memory, Hiei knew that the rooftop was enclosed in tall fencing. This was a familiar place.

Hiei stepped out of the door's threshold and embraced the openness. With each breath and reassurance, he no longer felt the need to scan the area for danger, to ready himself to bolt at a moment's notice. He was okay. He was alone on the rooftop. And nowhere else. There was no need to panic.

He sat down and leaned his back against the fencing. His body was mostly in shadow but the light above the doorway dimly outlined his feet and legs. He sat, relaxing the last jolts of fear out of his nerves. He thought of nothing. From the woods, he heard the distant hoot of an owl.

This had been Minamino's fault. It was his stupid insistence that Hiei accompany him to the party. It was his stupid agreement. Hiei didn't want to go and he never would have wanted to go. Minamino had tricked him into going.

You really think he knew you would react that way? said another thought. Minamino knows nothing about…back then. If he had, he wouldn't have wanted you to go with him. He is your friend.

Much as he hated that small thought in the back of his mind that was always so rational and oddly upheld Minamino's defense quite often, Hiei had to admit the thought had a point. It didn't take a genius like Minamino to figure out he hated people but Minamino would have to be psychic to know Hiei couldn't stand to be in a crowd and loathed being touched, even just the prospect. There was no way he could have known.

Well, even though he didn't know and hadn't meant any harm, this was still Minamino's fault. Hiei may have failed to stay an hour but damn it, he was going to get his cake out of Minamino.

The door to the rooftop opened. Hiei was ready to tell the stupid bastard to fuck off until he saw it was Minamino and still he contemplated ordering him anyway. But Minamino was Minamino, impervious to foul language, hostility, and desperate desire to be alone, and saying that would do nothing.

"Preferable, I assume?" Minamino said, finding Hiei easily out of the shadows.

Whether Hiei's slow nod was seen through the dark, he neither knew nor cared. He wasn't quite ready to be around anyone else quite yet. Not Minamino. He needed to be alone. He needed time to recover, to rediscover his surroundings, and to remember who he and people around him were again. He needed to run forward, not back.

Not unexpectedly, Minamino went on talking. "Parties are not particularly my area of inclination either," he said, wedging the stopper underneath the door. "I never stay more than an hour."

"Then why did you go? Surely you could've talked yourself out of it."

"I have, many times before. However after giving so many rejections, I find it necessary to indulge their invitations once in a while to maintain favorable social relations. A goodwill mission of sorts, if you will."

"Was I a part of your goodwill?" Hard anger lined Hiei's voice. If Minamino had just used him to gain some sort of favor among his peers…

"It is easier to bear a weight on two shoulders than one."

Hiei still didn't like his answer but at least he hadn't dragged Hiei into his scheme just to impress his admirers.

"If you didn't want to go, you should've said no. Or are you capable of that?" Hiei sneered.

"I believe I have already mentioned how I wish to keep favorable relations," Minamino said.

Hiei scoffed, "Because that is so important."

Minamino smiled. "Relatively minor, yes, but necessary."

"You also could have declined my invitation," Minamino said as he sat down beside Hiei.

"How astute of you to notice."

Feeling the need to distance himself and to give Minamino warning that he was not that comfortable with his closeness, Hiei scooted away, adding another inch to fifteen-inch gap between them.

"But you did not," Minamino said.

"Unlike you, I don't make a habit of it."

"That is true," Minamino nodded. "I am grateful to be graced by such an infrequency. You have earned your cake tonight."

"Damn straight," Hiei said. "It won't work a second time."

"No requirement for it and I already surmised it would not," Minamino said. "Frankly, I am amazed it worked as well as it did this time."

"Everything was in my favor."

"Of course, I intentionally tipped the scales to your benefit."

"I knew that." Hiei snorted arrogantly. "How else would I have came?"

"Out of friendship," Minamino said.

"If I did it for that, you wouldn't have needed to bargain with cake."

"Not unless it serves as a thank-you for you to attend a party in which you knew you would be uncomfortable at, as you revile the existence of all other humans and refuse to play our social games, however you endured it anyway just to offer your support, to prove you are intent on making our friendship work."

Through the dim light, Hiei could see the fine green shine of Minamino's eyes and felt his smile. Though his smile was warm and pleasant as any other, it was not without a hint of self-satisfaction, an all-too-knowing that he was right and there was nothing Hiei could do or say that would change that. Minamino was annoying enough when he was right. He was downright insufferable when he knew he was right.

Hiei turned his head to the other side. "…You're lucky it's damn good cake."

Minamino did not reply. No, he seemed too absorbed and amused by his own thoughts. Not like Hiei minded the silence. He knew Minamino well enough to know it would be brief. In a minute, Minamino would figure out something else to prattle on about.

The breeze blew by and Hiei now hated it, for two reasons. First, the cool air threw chills across his sweaty skin and second, the stupid wind carried a faint smell Hiei could not discern or ignore. Hiei was not certain what the scent was. There were a lot of scents in the breeze, one leading into another and coming together to form a new final fragrance. It started off sweet, sugary sweet. It smelled the way cream cheese frosting tasted. It was thick, silky, and satisfying, with the underlying scent of pineapple adding its own sweet tartness.

Sweet led into spice. Warm and savory aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice stirred the air. While the sugary frosting dealt its own subtle punch, the spices struck strong and sharp. They were hot and invigorating. With the familiar scent of vanilla to smooth everything out, he found the contrasting but complementing blend of scents pleasing and comforting, and even though he never had a childhood or a home, he knew this would be a scent that would have reminded him of those times, of home.

And though Hiei started to enjoy the aroma in the air, one thing still bothered him—he could not determine where it was coming from. There was no way the air lifted it off someone from the party. No, the scent was too strong, too clear. The source had to be close by.

Minamino, Hiei begrudgingly realized. It had to be coming from Minamino. Hiei cursed to himself. He wanted to hate the scent now, but could not force himself to—he liked it too much. So instead, he blamed Minamino. He blamed Minamino for wearing this scent, for wearing other scents Hiei enjoyed, for being such a perfectionist, for having meticulous cleaning habits, and for seemingly being obsessed with smelling good.

And damn did he smell good.

Hiei drew his legs close to his body, wrapped his arms around them, and pulled them in. He curled his body into a tight, tense ball and brooded and cursed.

"This cake you owe me…" Hiei at last said. "Can I get any kind of cake I want?"

-o-

Hiei's rush from the party caused absolutely no change in the Academy's opinion of him. They still thought of him as a foul-tempered antisocial freak whose only redeeming quality and value to the Academy was his exceptional running skills. The only sort of change his so-called freak-out created was a new steady stream of gossip, each story wilder than the last.

It was lunchtime and Hiei sat at a longtable, Yusuke sat across from him. Briefly eyeing Hiei's lack of a lunch, Yusuke appeared to think about commenting on it but wound up shrugging it off in preference to cramming his own face.

Minamino arrived a minute later, effortlessly managing to hold his lunch tray, his school briefcase, and a thin white box in balance. He sat down beside Hiei and laid the box in front of him. Hiei wasted no time in flipping open the lid. It was exactly the cake he had asked for—a carrot cake.

"Why the hell is Minamino bringing you cake?" Yusuke demanded to know, clearly confused. He had the kind of shocked look on his face that wouldn't be out of place if Keiko had given him permission to skip all his classes and didn't mind anymore if he fondled her or looked underneath her skirt.

"None of your business," Hiei snapped back and dug into his carrot cake.

Minamino offered Yusuke an explanation, even if it was a complete cover of the truth. "As embarrassing it is for me to admit, I lost a bet."

Yusuke narrowed his eyes. "Yea, right, Minamino. Like you lost a bet," he snorted in disbelief. "Gonna stick with that one, aren't ya?"

Minamino gave no other justification and simply smiled back.

"I earned it," Hiei said in a voice that said that was all he was going to say and no, Yusuke wasn't getting any.

"Really?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow incredulously. "You're not gonna eat all that yourself."

"He can and he will," Kuwabara said as he sat down with his tray beside Yusuke. "I watched him eat the rest of that chocolate cake in one sitting. He's like a locust for sweets. Personally, I don't see where he puts it all."

"Yea, come to think of it…" Yusuke said, holding his chin and looking at the ceiling in consideration. "You do eat a lot of sweets."

"And your point?" Hiei said before piling in a forkful of just cream cheese frosting.

"Just answer me. And make it honest," Yusuke said, leaning toward Hiei. "Are you the one that's been eating everyone's desserts in the dorm fridge?"

"Finally learned to put two and two together," Hiei said, smirking. "You should be a detective."

"I knew it!" Yusuke shouted, grinning and snapping his fingers in recognition. "Keiko blamed me for eating her adzuki bean buns but it was you."

"You ate my friend Okubo's pineapple cheesecake!" Kuwabara squawked. "His mom hardly ever makes it!"

"Yea, I could tell that," Hiei said derisively. "The graham cracker crust tasted too much like butter."

His face growing hot and pinched, Kuwabara looked ready to grab Hiei from across the table. "Why you—"

Some mediation and rational words from Minamino and Kuwabara at last calmed down. He still looked sour and refused to look at Hiei but did return to his usual obnoxiously exuberant self and proudly grinned and shouted as Yusuke spat out the extra sandwich filled with wasabi paste he had stolen from him.

"Hiei, you really should not be eating other people's food," Minamino said in a mildly reprimanding tone.

"Why not? It was in the fridge."

"Yes, however it is not for you. It belonged to someone else. The little names and room numbers somewhere on the containers should have alerted you to that…"

"Hn, not my problem. They left it in the fridge. They run the risk."

"So you're not gonna stop and you're not apologetic at all," Yusuke leaned back and smiled wryly. "Doesn't surprise me."

"Y'know, for a guy that inhales sugar, it doesn't sweeten you up at all," Kuwabara said.

"The crust sucked, but the rest was good."

Kuwabara's hands curled into fists as a flicker of anger rushed through him but another consideration of Hiei's words caused a pause and then a wonder if Hiei had just given a compliment. Hiei supposed he might have accidentally said something that could be misconstrued as nice, that once in a while he could make such a mistake and say something that could be inadvertently interpreted in a positive light. It was a very, very rare mistake, one that Hiei was not convinced had actually happened. In fact, he decided it did not.

Hiei did not dwell on it for long. He had cake to eat.