Three variables of desire

'There are three reasons why anyone does anything,' Kurama instructed as Hiei watched the chessboard intently, waiting for his move, learning his strategy as he learned the game. The fox was mildly amused; Hiei was behaving like he did when he watched a new enemy – noting down style, actions, tactics, fiercely focused on the battle despite all the swagger that accompanied his fighting. There was a tiny furrow in his brow, and his incongruously childlike features were suddenly years older. Chess suited Hiei, he decided. Battle suited him; chess was battle, and he had no doubt that Hiei would be a formidable player once he got over his initial dislike of the apparent frivolity of the game.

Hiei understood battle. It was his life, in more ways than one.

'Three reasons?'

'A broad definition, that is,' Kurama noted. 'This is a perfect example, really. First comes desire. What you want to achieve. In this case, you're trying to checkmate my king. And leaving your rook here,' he gestured at Hiei's end of the board, where the rook lurked behind a row of three pawns, 'is not going to help, because in three moves I'll be taking your white bishop unless you get the rook over there to support it.'

Hiei glared, but moved a pawn two places forward.

'Which brings me to the next move, and the next reason.' Kurama castled, leaving Hiei's bishop with an empty line of fire and foiling Hiei's strategy. 'Necessity. In this case, mine. I have to protect the king, even though he's the weakest of the pieces, and that dictates my choices and forces me to make less than optimal decisions about what I want to do.'

'The third?' Hiei asked, shooting him a brief look before his eyes returned to the board.

'Destruction,' Kurama replied. 'Everything alive knows instinctively what can destroy it, and avoids it. Destruction, also, dictates choices. In our case, it is the first, although it is normally necessity that motivates most people.'

'You think too much,' Hiei said dismissively, but he looked intrigued by the idea, and Kurama knew he'd bring it up again when it had made its way through the various filters of his complex set of principles. Hiei had the most rigid ethical code of anyone Kurama knew, even if the code itself was warped at best and utterly irrational at its worst.

'Do I?' Kurama enquired, and placed Hiei's king in check.

They played four games, all of which Hiei lost; Kurama knew better than to allow Hiei the luxury of a less than genuine victory, and Hiei would probably have taken his head off if he'd tried. It was typical of Hiei, though, that he simply took the defeats in stride and forged on, relentless.

He was, in that, much more graceful than Kurama had ever been.

When they finished, Kurama began gathering up the small magnetic pieces, clicking them into their slots in the chessboard. He looked up at Hiei, who was sitting at the opposite end of his bed. 'Are you just going to sit there staring at me, or should I give up and ask you to tell me whatever it is that's troubling you?' he asked calmly.

Hiei continued to stare. Kurama huffed and returned to putting the pieces away, tucking the cheap chess set away next to the pretty jade dancer on his mantelpiece.

Hiei let him finish, let him return and pick up a book before he kicked his leg lightly.

'All right. What is it?'

'Come here,' Hiei ordered.

Perversely, Kurama snuggled into the pillow at his end and refused to comply.

A small but insanely strong hand clamped around his wrist, and yanked. Kurama found himself sprawled across the bed, on his stomach; his face next to Hiei's leg. 'I said, come here.'

'You squished my book,' Kurama complained, rolling over.

'You didn't listen.'

'I'm under no compulsion to listen to anything you say,' Kurama said, the playfulness vanishing in an instant.

'No,' Hiei agreed. 'And I'm under no compulsion not to…squish…your book.' His face twisted lightly at the word squish, it being terribly unmanly and all.

'Possibly,' Kurama agreed brightly. 'So, since I'm here…' he trailed off and gave Hiei his best youko eyes.

'Whose move is it?' Hiei asked in a low voice. It was, Kurama had realised over the past weeks, his version of an invitation.

'Mine,' Kurama purred and pounced.

A while later, once his head had cleared, Hiei frowned. 'It wasn't your move.'

'So I cheat. You're surprised?'

'Maybe. A little.'

'That I cheated?'

'That you didn't wait for my move.'

'You'll make it all the faster if you feel off-balance,' Kurama smirked. 'You're terribly scrupulous that way. It's quite endearing.'

Hiei hit him with a pillow. 'You're an unwholesome creature.'

'I know. And it's your move now.'

Hiei watched the redhead as he lay sprawled half over him, half beside. Eyes half-closed, looking utterly pleased with himself. That simply would not do.

'You said you'd tell me one true thing you felt for me,' Hiei said slowly.

Kurama's eyes narrowed fractionally. 'Yes…'

'Tell me.'

'It's not my move, Hiei.'

'Asking you is mine.'

There was a long silence. 'Clever,' Kurama said finally. 'I hadn't thought of that. But it's not fair. Unfair to make the actions of others your move.'

'So I cheat. You're surprised?'

Kurama laughed. 'You're too sharp for me at all the wrong moments.'

Hiei waited. Kurama was quiet.

'One true thing,' he mused finally. 'There are so many.'

'There's nothing stopping you at one,' Hiei observed.

'True,' Kurama said. He watched Hiei lazily, one leg ticking back and forth, brushing Hiei's foot with every move. 'You know, I do believe you're flirting.'

'So do I,' Hiei said wryly.

'You don't seem too comfortable with it.'

'Deliver me,' he murmured, deadpan.

'All right.' Kurama took in a breath. 'Is it sappy you're looking for?'

'Sappy?'

'Because if you expect me to call your eyes garnet orbs that capture my soul, you will be disappointed.'

Hiei looked faintly sick. 'Er. No.'

'Or I could do cute. Tell you how you look when I brush your hair down, like a little drowned rat. Or when you eat ice-cream.'

Hiei gave him a Look that said exactly what he thought of that.

'Then wild and passionate wouldn't cut it either.'

'Try for truthful.'

'Hush! Such language.' The serious façade broke, and Kurama began to chuckle. 'The children might hear you.'

'You already did,' Hiei retorted.

Kurama pouted. 'You don't appreciate me.'

'You're trying to evade. Obviously, I don't.'

'Then I suppose I could say that you were a desire.'

Hiei lifted an eyebrow at the tense.

'Then,' Kurama continued, closing his eyes, 'you became a necessity.'

'Kurama…' Hiei said quietly, and ran a hand down his cheek, the other laid on his hair. The fox's eyes opened at the unaccustomed gesture, light and slow and almost tender. It was the second time Hiei had openly initiated any touch, and he savoured the feeling before he took a deep breath and finished.

'And now, I'm afraid you've become rather tangled up with my destruction.'

The hand in his hair tightened even further, and Kurama couldn't look up, as much as he wanted to, and the minutes ticked by.

'……Hiei?'

'That's extraordinarily indiscreet of you,' Hiei said, voice strained.

'I'd be a fool for that no matter what the situation was,' Kurama replied honestly. 'It's not a very rational or sensible decision. Unfortunately, it's not something I can help anymore. You'll just have to put up with me now.'

'Not if I decide not to.'

'Then I'll just have to kill you,' Kurama said and let Hiei decide how serious he was. 'I'm very fond of pretty, shiny things. I don't share, and I don't let go. And the definition of a thief is that he doesn't care if the prey is willing.'

'I'm your prey, then?'

'An objective, perhaps,' Kurama corrected. 'You're entirely too dangerous to be prey.'

There was a smile in his voice when he countered, 'And you're calling me pretty and shiny?'

'Or should I be going for the garnet orbs angle instead?'

'No,' Hiei said after a pause. 'No, I think this was better.'

'Hn.'

'I thought that was my line.'

'Sorry,' he said insincerely. 'I'm entitled to your lines now.'

'You came up with that conclusion all by yourself?'

'You are in my bed,' Kurama pointed out.

'I suppose it's only fair,' Hiei allowed.

'Clearly.'

'But you can't use it outside the bed. In the interest of fairness.'

'But the room's mine too.'

'Shut up, fox.'

Kurama grinned, rubbing his victory in. Hiei snorted, acknowledging it, and pushed off the bed, heading for the window.

'You're not staying?' Kurama asked, even though he'd expected this. When it came to emotional matters, Hiei preferred flight to fight.

'No,' Hiei snapped curtly. Then he hesitated. 'You are, you know,' he said.

'What?' Kurama asked, because he wanted to hear it aloud.

'Destruction.'

'Yours?' Kurama said quietly.

'Mine.'