A/N: Sorry it took me a little longer this time. This is the last chapter, and it might be a little on the long side. I really hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I will never own Yu Yu Hakusho, no matter how much I dream...

Journey of the Magi

Ch.4

Kurama lay on his side in a sleeping bag on his living room floor, staring at the opposite wall. The porch lights cast thin shadows around the room, and every now and then a car would drive past, the whir of its engine echoing strangely in the otherwise silent night.

The others were all asleep by now. Kuwabara's snores rang through the room at regular intervals, and Yusuke occasionally muttered something such as, "Keiko, give...me a break, I'll study later...still fifteen minutes...till the test..." before rolling over in his sleep.

The evening had been enjoyable enough. They had watched It's A Wonderful Life and made up their own version about Yusuke. They had drunk egg nog. They had even played spin the bottle--however, since everyone seemed to feel that there was too much risk involved with actual kissing (what if the bottle landed on Kuwabara?), they contented themselves with spinning the bottle and simply laughing at whoever it landed on.

Kurama sighed and shifted his position. It had been fun, but the entire reason he had thrown this party had been to prevent Hiei from being alone on Christmas morning, and he hadn't even been able to find him to tell him about it.

It figures, Kurama thought as his eyes began to close. Hiei must be able to sense when someone is trying to do something nice for him so he can avoid it.

Kurama rolled onto his back and allowed the gentle rhythm of the ceiling fan to put him into a dreamless sleep.

****

Yes, Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. Yes, snow covered the ground. Yes, the gift exchange was fun and touching and just generally an enjoyable time.

No, Hiei did not show up.

Kurama was beginning to get a little concerned. Hiei's tree had not been slept in the previous night--Kurama had gone there as soon as he'd woken up in one last attempt to find Hiei, and the fire demon's scent had been slightly faded. The one thing that kept Kurama from being truly worried was that he knew Hiei often left for days at a time for reasons he wouldn't tell anyone. He hoped, as he helped Kaasan set the table for breakfast, that this was all it was this time.

****

"And so then--" Yusuke took a huge bite of pie and continued, "And so then I said, 'Yeah, after I knock you out!' And I punched all three of them till they fell over. And then I stopped possessing the girl's body and she suddenly found herself in the middle of three knocked-out guys with bruised knuckles and no idea how she got there."

Everyone at the table burst into laughter. It was Christmas afternoon, and Yusuke was telling them about his exploits as a ghost.

"So let me get this straight," Shizuru grinned. "You were a ghost for over a week and it didn't occur to you to phase into Keiko's bedroom while she was getting dressed for school?"

Keiko choked on a handful of M&Ms. "Oh, Yusuke, you didn't, did you? How could you?!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Yusuke protested. "I didn't! I didn't even think--I had other stuff on my mond, OK?"

"Sure, Yusuke," Botan said with a laugh, "and I'm sure the fact that if you did anything bad your spirit beast would bite your head off when it hatched did nothing to influence your decision."

"All right, you can all shut up now," Yusuke said as everyone started laughing again.

"Hey!" said Kuwabara suddenly. "Midget! What's up?"

Kurama turned his head sharply. Hiei was standing on the window sill looking awkward.

Yusuke beckoned him inside. "Come on, man, sit down, have some pie, join everyone in TAUNTING THE HECK OUT OF ME WITH CLAIMS THAT HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO BASIS IN FACT!"

Everyone started laughing again. Kurama watched Hiei jump into the room with a "Hn," then turn around and attempt to pull a sack through behind him.

"Do you need help?" Kurama asked.

"No, I do not need help," Hiei snapped.

"It's just that that bag is as big as you are."

Hiei glared at Kurama, making him laugh. He was glad Hiei had finally shown up.

"What's in the bag?" Yusuke asked curiously.

Hiei shifted uncomfortably. "...Presents."

Kurama blinked. "Really? You bought things, Hiei? By--by yourself?"

"Yes," Hiei glared. "I can do anything ningens can do."

Yusuke was rippping the paper off his gift. "Wow! A monkey! And he's got chocolate! Thanks, Three-Eyes!"

Kuwabara was holding his new shirt. "Cool! A picture of my kitty! I'll put it on right now!" He began to take off his shirt, and everyone else in the room cried out and covered his or her eyes.

"I'm glad you like it," Hiei said dryly.

"Yeah! Wait, where'd you get the picture?"

Hiei pulled out Kurama's gift and, with a jerky movement, as if he were having a seizure, shoved it into his hands.

Kurama raised his eyebrows. "What is this? Hiei, I'm touched." He gave Hiei a mock bow.

"Just open it, kitsune," Hiei grated.

"You did a good job wrapping this."

"The woman at the store did it."

"Ah."

Kurama carefully removed the paper as Hiei stood watching nervously. He opened the little box and revealed a beautiful engagement ring with a diamond on it. He blinked, somewhat at a loss.

"The ningen at the store said it would make you happy. She said it was good," Hiei said, watching Kurama as Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, and Shizuru doubled up with silent laughter in the background and Keiko glared at them, her face twitching, and put a finger to her lips. Yukina stood, looking lost..

"it's very good," Kurama said quickly. "Thank you, Hiei."

Kurama smiled as he slipped the ring into his pocket. Someday, when Hiei knew more about the human world, Kurama would take this out and tease him mercilessly. But not today. The infamous thief Youko Kurama simply felt, as he watched Hiei's anxious eyes, that he didn't have the heart.

****

After the meal, Hiei had taken Kurama aside and asked him if he could borrow his handheld telescope. Kurama had looked puzzled at the request, but had agreed without asking any questions. Now, as the sky began to darken, Hiei stood and made his way over to Yukina. He managed to get her away from Kuwabara, who was trying to impress her by butchering out "O Holy Night" on Kurama's piano, and asked to speak to her alone.

"Yes?" Yukina asked, looking at Hiei with polite interest.

Hiei swallowed. "I have a gift for you."

Yukina's eyes widened. "Oh, Hiei, you didn't have to do that!"

Yes, I did, Hiei thought, but said nothing. He beckoned Yukina over to the door, and they walked outside into the cold evening air.

Hiei took a deep breath, his palms sweating. "Yukina, I ...there's something you can do where you--you can get a star named after a person and I--I named one for you." There. He had said it.

Yukina's crimson-brown eyes softened even more than usual. "Hiei...Thank you. I am touched."

Yukina's habit of bluntly, clearly stating her emotions was not shared by her brother. Hiei gazed up at the stars that were just beginning to appear. His grip tightened around the telescope Kurama had given him, and he raised it to his eye almost subconsciously.

"Where is it?" Yukina asked softly, leaning close to Hiei and pressing her eye against the glass as well. Her hair fell across his shoulder and stood out against the black of his clothes.

"There." Hiei pointed. Yukina searched until she found the star he meant. She looked at it for a long time, her eyes reflecting genuine wonder. When she gave the telescope back to Hiei, she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Hiei," she said, and squeezed his hand before turning and walking back toward the house.

Something painful was happening inside Hiei as he watched her walk away. The hand clutching the telescope trembled.

"Yukina!" he blurted, much more loudly than he'd intended. "Wait!"

Yukina turned.

"I have something to tell you," he said, his voice shaking.

Yukina waited, the light from Kurama's house illuminating her childlike features. She could not know that Hiei's soul was teetering between life and death. He felt as if he couldn't breathe.

The stars shone in Yukina's eyes. Hiei could not look away.

"What is it, Hiei?" Yukina asked after a few moments' silence. Hiei blinked, and the tension he had felt in his body slowly faded.

"Never mind," Hiei said quietly. "It wasn't important."

Yukina nodded. "Merry Christmas, Hiei."

****

Christmas evening saw a rare moment of peace for the Rekai Tantei.

Botan and Shizuru sat on the couch playing with Yukina's hair. Keiko was curled up in a blanket by the fire reading the book Hiei had given her. Kurama was drinking hot chocolate and listening to the radio. Yusuke and Kuwabara were sitting cross-legged on the rug beside the television set playing video games, but even they kept their insults and victory shouts to a minimum. Everyone seemed to be in a quiet, reflective sort of mood.

Hiei sat in his usual place on the windowsill. He stared out the window and watched the cars drive by, an unreadable expression on his face. He was grateful for the fact that the others knew him well enough not to try to start a conversation. He was content to simply watch Kuwabara and Yusuke as they played Star Wars games, or to listen to Christmas carols on the radio.

Eventually, however, Yusuke looked over to where Hiei was sitting and asked lightly, "So, Three-Eyes, how'd you like Christmas?"

"Stupid ningen holiday," Hiei responded automatically. "I'll never understand why you do these things."

Yusuke grinned and returned to his game. Botan leaned over onto Shizuru's shoulder and yawned. The radio played "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and Kurama sang softly in Latin.

Hiei turned back to the window and watched the last bit of daylight fade from the sky.

****

Night had truly fallen by the time everyone left Kurama's house. Hiei had changed windowsills and was now in Kurama's bedroom, halfheartedly looking through his textbooks. He turned a page, and found himself looking at a piece of ningen poetry. He paused, mildly curious, and skimmed through a few lines.

He then stopped, went back, and read the entire thing slowly and carefully.

When he was finished, he sat staring at the page for a long time. Paper rustled as Kurama went through his notes, reciting mathematical formulas to himself. Hiei stood.

"I have to go," he told Kurama.

Kurama looked up from his notes. "It's cold outside tonight," he said. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here?"

"I'll be all right."

Kurama nodded. "I'm sure you will be."

Hiei climbed out of the window and disappeared into the night.

****

Kurama glanced at his clock. 11:07. He yawned and stood, stacking his papers and returning them to their folders. He walked across the room and started to gather his textbooks. His English book was open to the poetry section. Kurama paused, curious as to what Hiei had been reading.

Journey of the Magi

by T. S. Eliot

"A cold coming we had of it,

Just the worst time of the year

For a journey, and such a long journey:

The ways deep and the weather sharp,

The very dead of winter."

And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,

There were times we regretted

The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,

And the silken girls bringing sherbet.

Then the camel men cursing and grumbling

And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,

And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly

And the villages dirty and charging high prices:

A hard time we had of it.

At the end we preferred to travel all night,

Sleeping in snatches,

With the voices singing in our ears, saying

That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,

Wet, below the snowline, smelling of vegetation;

With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,

And three trees on the low sky,

And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.

Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,

Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,

And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.

But there was no information, and so we continued

And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon

Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,

And I would do it again, but set down

This set down

This: Were we led all that way for

Birth or Death? There was a birth, certainly,

We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,

But had thought they were different; this Birth was

Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.

We returned to our palaces, these Kingdoms,

But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,

With an alien people clutching their gods.

I should be glad of another death.

Kurama closed the book and stacked it neatly with the others on his desk. He walked over to his window, to close it, and paused with his hand on the pane. It occurred to him that the tree Hiei slept in was an evergreen.

Despite the cold, Kurama decided to leave the window open that night. He climbed into bed and turned out his lamp. Nothing was visible but the stars.

You'll be all right.

Kurama closed his eyes, and Christmas night faded into the starlight.

****

A/N: What do you think?... Did I overdo it? I won't be offended if you tell me so.^_^

I hope you enjoyed this story; I had a lot of fun writing it. Thank you to everyone who read and I appreciate the reviews. I'd still like more people to review if they want, though. Thanks again for reading to the end and, even though it's late, Merry Christmas! ^_^

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