Kurama slowly went to his bedroom. Even after four days of
sleep, he was still tired. He entered his room and frowned faintly
when he noticed that the light on his desk was on. He remembered
turning off the light days ago. He shrugged and went over to turn it
off. Then he noticed the piece of paper lying there. He KNEW that he
had not left anything on his desk because he had cleaned it before
Koenma had called them. He picked it up and began to read:
'The Jungle
Lost.
Ever so lost.
In this jungle.
It is maddening.
I cannot get out.
I am trapped.
Doomed,
To forever wander,
This jungle.
It is a maze,
That has no end.
I shall always be here.
My sentence has begun.
But it was always there.
I was always trapped,
In this jungle.
From its darkness,
I must find,
A way out.
To my freedom.
I must search,
In this jungle,
For the right path.
For there are many paths,
And I must find the one,
That will lead me out.
Home.
No one will come for me.
I am alone.
Utterly alone,
In the dark.
I search.
I seek.
But I do not find.
Should I give up?
Should I end this madness?
Should I sit upon the jungle floor,
And wait until it consumes me?
Maybe if I did,
I could escape this jungle,
Through death.
Yet I wish to live.
Even though I will surely go mad,
I still wish to live.
I do not want to be in this jungle.
I want to be free.
So I desperately strive,
To find that one way out.
I may never find it.
This is my fate.
A fate which I do not wish to have.
So I fight it.
And this madness consumes me.
It takes me away,
Or am I just imagining it?
Could this jungle be a dream?
Or nightmare?
Could it be that I am not lost?
No.
It could not be.
I know I cannot get out.
And this jungle knows it too.
And it mocks me,
It tortures me with the truth.
I am lost.
It whispers to me.
In my mind while I sleep.
In my ear while I search.
I will never find my way.
Or will I?
Probably not.
But I must keep looking,
For the way out.
And sometimes,
When I get close to what I think is the end,
The jungle comes and trips me.
Then I lose the way.
The jungle has grown thicker around there,
And it has moved the way out.
And I would cry out in anguish,
For I had lost again.
I would lose again and again.
Until I died!
Yet there way always,
This voice in my mind,
This tiny, quiet voice,
That said I would make it.
That I would escape the jungle,
And return to where I belong.
And I had blind faith in that voice,
And it kept me going.
It made me search for the end,
And all the promises that came with the end.
The way out!
Sweet victory was mine.
It would whisper that over and over.
And I would believe it.
And I would look for the end.
I would escape the trap,
The jungle,
Of my doom.
I would be free!
I would survive the jungle,
I would come home.
The voice would guide me,
And I would follow that voice to the end.
And again the jungle,
Would defeat me.
But each time.
The voice would keep my hopes up,
And again I would look for the exit.
My escape was possible,
I could do it!
Time would tell.
Yet there is one doubt in my mind.
Once,
When I almost got out,
I heard something that I never forgot.
The voice said "How is.....?"
Another voice, the jungle's, answered,
"I don't think Hiei will make it."
"Hiei has to...I lo-we need Hiei to live."
Then I fall as the jungle catches me,
In a moment of weakness,
Where I was uncertain,
Of what the exit meant.
But again,
The voice urges me on,
And I seek,
The next path to the outside
And to the voice,
That knows I will come back,
And eagerly awaits me.
To enfold me,
And take me away,
From the jungle.
Even though I want to escape this jungle,
I fear what home will be like.
I fear that the thoughts of the jungle,
Could be my own.
The jungle has a hold on me,
And I will never be able to escape it,
No matter where I am.
Not even death will save me.
For my death will leave me,
In the jungle.
Doomed,
Tortured,
Forever.
And beyond that,
There is no hope.
I think that I used up all my hope a long time ago.
But I will still try.
I still want freedom.
Even if it means death,
In the end,
My freedom will rule.
It can triumph.
I will escape this jungle.
I will regain my life.
I will win if I try.
I can break free.
I will shatter the jungle,
Kill the insanity,
I will be myself,
I will meet the voice,
Who has helped me,
Who prays at home,
"Come back. You can."
The voice repeats.
"You will. I know you will.
I-I love you."
So I follow the last echoes,
Of the voice.
While being chased,
By the jungle.
I fear my mind is this jungle.
And I fear,
That I cannot destroy it,
Without killing myself.
I do not think I can rule it,
Without losing a part of me.
I do not think I can rule it at all.
It whispers to me at night,
And I toss and turn in pain
The pain that I will lose.
The pain that the voice is really gone,
And the pain of the truth.
That this jungle rules me.
And is my mind.
And what hurts the most,
Is the possibility,
That I will never escape.
Or see who,
The voice is.
I think I know who it is.
It sounds familiar.
Yet,
I do not know who it is.
But,
Then again,
I do not know who I am anymore.
So how could I know,
Who the voice belongs to,
If all that I am now,
Is a thing,
Who has no home,
Or any sanity.
I,
Will not exist in my life.
Instead,
I will remain in the depths,
Of this jungle.
The heart of this jungle,
Where no one,
Not even myself,
Can save me.
And I will exist here,
Only to live the rest,
Of my existence,
In,
The doom,
The insanity,
The despair.
And,
Worst of all--
The Jungle.
(But thankfully,
I made my way out of this jungle.
And to you,
The voice,
That I believed,
And even...
Loved...
Though I would not admit it,
For the longest time.
I loved you.
You saved me.
You're my voice,
My sanity.
You pulled me from,
The darkest part of the jungle.
You helped me,
Conquer the jungle of my mind.
And now,
I am alive.
And you know,
That I love you.)'
Kurama set the paper down, tears in his eyes. He had known that Hiei
was forever warring with himself but he hadn't realised the
seriousness of the fight. For Hiei to admit that he loved Kurama was
enough to destroy the jungle and free Hiei from all his doubts.
Strange how Hiei needed to be ill before he was able to combat his
darker side.
"Are you going to cry?" a voice asked.
Kurama looked around to find Hiei sitting on the bed. He hadn't been
there a moment ago. Then again, a moment was all Hiei needed.
"No." Kurama replied.
"Good. I hate tears." Hiei grumbled.
Kurama sat down near Hiei, but not too close.
"I didn't think you would be here." Kurama said.
"Hn. Why not?" Hiei asked.
"Well, I didn't think you would...admit these feelings. I didn't
think that I would. And technically, I didn't." Kurama said.
"Hn. Always underestimating me." Hiei growled.
"I...love you Hiei." Kurama admitted slowly, reluctantly, only doing
so because Hiei had admitted it.
"Hn. Stupid human. I was merely writing a poem." Hiei said.
Kurama stared at him, shocked.
"You mean you don't really--It was all just a..." he trailed off,
blushing furiously.
He turned his head away to hide his embarrassment.
"Kurama?" Hiei said.
"I'm sorry, Hiei. I didn't mean to blurt out the truth. I'll
understand if you're disgusted and never want to talk to me again. I
jus--"
"Kurama."
Kurama stopped his babbling and turned to find Hiei's face only
centimetres from his.
"I, uh, am so--urk."
Kurama was silenced as Hiei lips met his and he fell backwards with
Hiei on top of him. At first Kurama was stunned as Hiei continued to
firmly kiss him. Then he released himself to the wonderful kiss.
Finally, Hiei came up for air, gasping and propping himself up on
Kurama's chest.
"Hiei, I..." Kurama trailed off. "I never thought you felt this way
about me."
"I don't." Hiei growled. "It's the disease. Once it's completely out
of my system I'm going to regret this."
"The disease? I don't want you to do anything you're going to
regret." Kurama said.
Hiei sighed, exasperated.
"You have no sense of humour." He said before covering Kurama's mouth
again.
Kurama let himself be swept away by the intensity and passion of the
kiss. Hiei caressed Kurama gently and then broke the kiss.
"Hiei, this is completely out of character for you." Kurama said.
"Hn. What do you know about me?" Hiei demanded.
"Um, well, I thought I knew a lot about you." Kurama admitted.
"Hn. I though so. You have always underestimated me." Hiei said.
"I have?" Kurama said.
"Yes. Just because I normally am gruff doesn't mean that I'm always
gruff." Hiei said. "I happen to have a part of me that's quite open,
but I would never let anyone know my true feelings. It's too easy for
people use the ones you love to hurt you and if they don't know who
you love, they can't hurt you." Hiei said slowly.
"That's true." Kurama agreed. "But letting me know now, does that
mean that you didn't trust me?"
"Hn. Stupid. I just didn't know if you felt the same way about me."
Hiei replied. "If I had told you and you hadn't felt the same way
about me, then you might have used this information to hurt me or
Yukina.
"So you actually love me too?" Kurama asked uncertainly.
"Let me show you that I actually love you." Hiei said in a sly tone.
Kurama's eyes widened as Hiei proceeded to show him.
"Just out of curiosity." Kurama said a while later. "Is there
anything else I should know about you? I mean, you're not going to
change genders or grow taller or turn different colours or
something?"
"Hn. You like to tease." Hiei said with a small smile.
"Of course, that's why everyone likes me the most." Kurama replied.
He gently nibbled Hiei's ear while Hiei sat in his lap.
"If you say so." Hiei said, then gasped as Kurama licked his ear.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Kurama looked at Hiei and
frowned. He was sure that his parents weren't going to be back
anytime soon.
"Who is it?" Kurama called out.
"You disgustingly cute son." came Bingyow's voice.
Hiei started to get off Kurama.
"Don't bother." Kurama said, holding Hiei tight. "He already knows.
Come in."
Hiei relaxed against Kurama and scowled as Bingyow entered.
"Hello, Bingyow, how was your trip?" Kurama asked.
"Good. I think most of them have forgiven me." Bingyow said. "At
least, I hope they have."
"Hn. He probably annoyed them to death with his cute-ness and they
ran." Hiei mumbled.
"I'm sorry, Mother, but I can't help it if I'm cuter than you are."
Bingyow said, fluffing his tail.
"What?!" Hiei growled, annoyed.
"Now don't be jealous, Mother, it's perfectly natural to be jealous
when your child is cuter than you." Bingyow said in prim tones.
"Hn." Hiei scowled. "I don't hear you saying the same things to your
Father."
"That's because I'm not cute." Kurama replied.
"You're not?" Hiei asked.
Kurama shook his head.
"Well, what are you then?" Hiei demanded.
"I'm beautifully handsome." Kurama said with a superior sniff.
Bingyow giggled. Hiei glared at the two of them.
"Admit it, you both hate me." He said.
"Of course we do." Bingyow said, leaping on to Hiei's lap. "That's
why we lavish so much attention on you. Right, Father?"
"Right." Kurama agreed.
Hiei crossed his arms and scowled. Bingyow nuzzled Hiei's arm. Hiei
reached down and stroked Bingyow's ears. Bingyow purred happily.
"Hey, that looks comfortable." Kurama noted. "Me too."
"But you can't change." Bingyow protested.
"Actually, I can." Kurama admitted.
"You can? Then why didn't you earlier?" Bingyow asked.
"Well, the truth is...I wasn't immune to your disease." Kurama said.
"Every time you touched me I was in horrible pain. I didn't want to
go through that again."
"You were in pain?" Bingyow said in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell
me Father? I would've stopped touching you."
"I was afraid of you." Kurama admitted. "I'm not now. I've come to
love you now. But then I was a selfish youko who cared about himself
only."
"Hn. Nothing's changed." Hiei muttered to Bingyow.
Bingyow giggled as Kurama gently hit Hiei on the head.
"Can I see you in the form I knew you in?" Bingyow requested.
"Sure. Then, maybe, Hiei can rub my ears." Kurama agreed.
Hiei got off Kurama and set Bingyow on his shoulder. Kurama changed
into his youko form. Bingyow's eyes widened as he recognised the
tall, silver-haired, gold eyed youko.
"Father." Bingyow said, leaping into Kurama's arms.
Kurama gave Bingyow a hug. Bingyow gasped suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Kurama asked, concerned.
"I don't know, I just felt like throwing up for a second." Bingyow
said. "I-oh."
"Bingyow?" Kurama asked, panicking.
"I don't feel so well, Father." Bingyow said weakly.
A few minutes later, Bingyow screamed.
"Bingyow!" Kurama said, truly scared.
Bingyow fell unconscious and began convulsing.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had the disease." Hiei
said.
"Oh no." Kurama said suddenly. "He does have the disease."
"What? How's that possible?" Hiei demanded, scowling.
"I'm carrying the disease." Kurama said.
"Nonsense." Hiei snapped. "We've all touched you in your youko form
before."
"Yes, but not Bingyow. You see, his body is what produced the
disease, so the disease is attracted to his body. However, now that
Bingyow's cured, he no longer has his natural immunity and therefore
the disease is hitting him full force." Kurama explained. "Get the
cure, quickly. It's in the fridge."
Hiei raised an eyebrow and then fetched the syringe. Kurama quickly
injected Bingyow and himself with it. A few minutes later, Bingyow
was normal.
"That was horrible." Bingyow said in a small voice.
"I know." Kurama said, hugging Bingyow to his chest.
"I'm sorry Father, I had no idea." Bingyow said, crying. "I didn't
know."
"Shh. It's alright, I know." Kurama soothed.
Bingyow cried himself to sleep. Kurama set him down on the bed and
then he and Hiei quietly left the room. They went downstairs and sat
on the couch.
"Will he be alright?" Hiei asked.
"Yes." Kurama replied, stroking Hiei's hair. "He'll recover."
"What are we going to do about us?" Hiei asked.
"What do you mean?" Kurama asked, pulling Hiei onto his lap.
"I mean, we're not going to tell the others, are we?"
"No." Kurama admitted. "Kuwabara would never understand and Yusuke
would accidentally tell. He's never been good at keeping secrets."
"Hn. He told you about Yukina." Hiei grumbled.
"Ah, that's different. People tell me everything, it's part of my
magnetic personality." Kurama informed.
"Hn. If you say so." Hiei said.
"The girls will probably figure it out themselves, eventually."
Kurama said. "They're sharper than the guys. But they won't say
anything about it. They'll respect our privacy."
"Hn. Human males are so dense." Hiei said.
"Yes they a-hey! I'm a human male too." Kurama protested.
"Really?" Hiei smirked.
"Oh, you'll pay for that little remark." Kurama threatened.
"Oh, you're soo scary." Hiei muttered sarcastically.
"Well, I may not eat nails for breakfast but I can be quite dangerous
in my own way." Kurama said slyly.
"Hn." Hiei snorted disbelievingly.
Kurama grinned and did something that made Hiei gasped in surprise.
"Well." Kurama said. "The kid's in bed, which means we could...you
know..." he trailed off suggestively.
Hiei stood up suddenly and grasped an ear. Kurama growled contentedly
as Hiei caressed it.
"That feels good." Kurama said, closing his eyes.
Hiei pulled on the ear with his mouth. Kurama growled again, deep in
his chest. Hiei could feel the vibrations go through him. Hiei kissed
his way down to Kurama's face before they shared a long kiss. Then
Hiei continued to kiss his way down, until Kurama slumped bonelessly
against the couch.
"Mmmph, stop it, Hiei!" Kurama inhaled sharply.
Hiei merely snorted and continued with whatever it was that he was
doing.
Bingyow awoke to find his 'parents' staring at him.
"How are you feeling?" Kurama asked.
"Much better." Bingyow replied. "I honestly didn't know that I did
that to people."
"Shh. You don't have to explain." Kurama said. "I know how you feel.
I used to be a very selfish, mean youko. I've changed now. So have
you. It's a part of growing up."
"He hasn't grown up yet." Hiei muttered to Bingyow.
"At least I'm tall." Kurama shot back.
"Hn. So what? I'm still faster." Hiei replied.
"You two are awful." Bingyow complained, not really meaning it.
"We love you too." Kurama said.
"Hn."
"Yes. You do too." Kurama said, nuzzling Hiei's ears.
There was a knock at the door. Kurama got up to answer it. It was
Yusuke.
"Hey, Kurama, what's up?" he said.
"Not much, you?" Kurama replied.
"I just wanted to let you know that Koenma wants us now. I'm getting
Kuwabara. We'll meet you there? Oh, and if you find Hiei, tell him as
well." Yusuke said.
Kurama nodded.
"See you there then." He said.
Yusuke grinned and walked off. Kurama closed the door and went
inside. Hiei and Bingyow looked at him.
"We've got work to do." Kurama said.
"Hn." Hiei said. "What else is new."
"Not much." Kurama said, quickly kissing Hiei on the lips. "Come on
dearest."
"You'd better not call me that in front of them." Hiei threatened.
"Or what?" Kurama taunted.
"Or I won't come home." Hiei replied.
"Oh my, then I'd best keep quiet then." Kurama said with wide,
innocent eyes.
He scratched Bingyow's head.
"See you son." He said, pulling on a coat. "Come on darling, let's
roll."
He walked out the door. Hiei looked at Bingyow.
"I think he's getting more annoying." Hiei said as he got up and
headed out the door.
Bingyow grinned. He liked his family.
The end
sleep, he was still tired. He entered his room and frowned faintly
when he noticed that the light on his desk was on. He remembered
turning off the light days ago. He shrugged and went over to turn it
off. Then he noticed the piece of paper lying there. He KNEW that he
had not left anything on his desk because he had cleaned it before
Koenma had called them. He picked it up and began to read:
'The Jungle
Lost.
Ever so lost.
In this jungle.
It is maddening.
I cannot get out.
I am trapped.
Doomed,
To forever wander,
This jungle.
It is a maze,
That has no end.
I shall always be here.
My sentence has begun.
But it was always there.
I was always trapped,
In this jungle.
From its darkness,
I must find,
A way out.
To my freedom.
I must search,
In this jungle,
For the right path.
For there are many paths,
And I must find the one,
That will lead me out.
Home.
No one will come for me.
I am alone.
Utterly alone,
In the dark.
I search.
I seek.
But I do not find.
Should I give up?
Should I end this madness?
Should I sit upon the jungle floor,
And wait until it consumes me?
Maybe if I did,
I could escape this jungle,
Through death.
Yet I wish to live.
Even though I will surely go mad,
I still wish to live.
I do not want to be in this jungle.
I want to be free.
So I desperately strive,
To find that one way out.
I may never find it.
This is my fate.
A fate which I do not wish to have.
So I fight it.
And this madness consumes me.
It takes me away,
Or am I just imagining it?
Could this jungle be a dream?
Or nightmare?
Could it be that I am not lost?
No.
It could not be.
I know I cannot get out.
And this jungle knows it too.
And it mocks me,
It tortures me with the truth.
I am lost.
It whispers to me.
In my mind while I sleep.
In my ear while I search.
I will never find my way.
Or will I?
Probably not.
But I must keep looking,
For the way out.
And sometimes,
When I get close to what I think is the end,
The jungle comes and trips me.
Then I lose the way.
The jungle has grown thicker around there,
And it has moved the way out.
And I would cry out in anguish,
For I had lost again.
I would lose again and again.
Until I died!
Yet there way always,
This voice in my mind,
This tiny, quiet voice,
That said I would make it.
That I would escape the jungle,
And return to where I belong.
And I had blind faith in that voice,
And it kept me going.
It made me search for the end,
And all the promises that came with the end.
The way out!
Sweet victory was mine.
It would whisper that over and over.
And I would believe it.
And I would look for the end.
I would escape the trap,
The jungle,
Of my doom.
I would be free!
I would survive the jungle,
I would come home.
The voice would guide me,
And I would follow that voice to the end.
And again the jungle,
Would defeat me.
But each time.
The voice would keep my hopes up,
And again I would look for the exit.
My escape was possible,
I could do it!
Time would tell.
Yet there is one doubt in my mind.
Once,
When I almost got out,
I heard something that I never forgot.
The voice said "How is.....?"
Another voice, the jungle's, answered,
"I don't think Hiei will make it."
"Hiei has to...I lo-we need Hiei to live."
Then I fall as the jungle catches me,
In a moment of weakness,
Where I was uncertain,
Of what the exit meant.
But again,
The voice urges me on,
And I seek,
The next path to the outside
And to the voice,
That knows I will come back,
And eagerly awaits me.
To enfold me,
And take me away,
From the jungle.
Even though I want to escape this jungle,
I fear what home will be like.
I fear that the thoughts of the jungle,
Could be my own.
The jungle has a hold on me,
And I will never be able to escape it,
No matter where I am.
Not even death will save me.
For my death will leave me,
In the jungle.
Doomed,
Tortured,
Forever.
And beyond that,
There is no hope.
I think that I used up all my hope a long time ago.
But I will still try.
I still want freedom.
Even if it means death,
In the end,
My freedom will rule.
It can triumph.
I will escape this jungle.
I will regain my life.
I will win if I try.
I can break free.
I will shatter the jungle,
Kill the insanity,
I will be myself,
I will meet the voice,
Who has helped me,
Who prays at home,
"Come back. You can."
The voice repeats.
"You will. I know you will.
I-I love you."
So I follow the last echoes,
Of the voice.
While being chased,
By the jungle.
I fear my mind is this jungle.
And I fear,
That I cannot destroy it,
Without killing myself.
I do not think I can rule it,
Without losing a part of me.
I do not think I can rule it at all.
It whispers to me at night,
And I toss and turn in pain
The pain that I will lose.
The pain that the voice is really gone,
And the pain of the truth.
That this jungle rules me.
And is my mind.
And what hurts the most,
Is the possibility,
That I will never escape.
Or see who,
The voice is.
I think I know who it is.
It sounds familiar.
Yet,
I do not know who it is.
But,
Then again,
I do not know who I am anymore.
So how could I know,
Who the voice belongs to,
If all that I am now,
Is a thing,
Who has no home,
Or any sanity.
I,
Will not exist in my life.
Instead,
I will remain in the depths,
Of this jungle.
The heart of this jungle,
Where no one,
Not even myself,
Can save me.
And I will exist here,
Only to live the rest,
Of my existence,
In,
The doom,
The insanity,
The despair.
And,
Worst of all--
The Jungle.
(But thankfully,
I made my way out of this jungle.
And to you,
The voice,
That I believed,
And even...
Loved...
Though I would not admit it,
For the longest time.
I loved you.
You saved me.
You're my voice,
My sanity.
You pulled me from,
The darkest part of the jungle.
You helped me,
Conquer the jungle of my mind.
And now,
I am alive.
And you know,
That I love you.)'
Kurama set the paper down, tears in his eyes. He had known that Hiei
was forever warring with himself but he hadn't realised the
seriousness of the fight. For Hiei to admit that he loved Kurama was
enough to destroy the jungle and free Hiei from all his doubts.
Strange how Hiei needed to be ill before he was able to combat his
darker side.
"Are you going to cry?" a voice asked.
Kurama looked around to find Hiei sitting on the bed. He hadn't been
there a moment ago. Then again, a moment was all Hiei needed.
"No." Kurama replied.
"Good. I hate tears." Hiei grumbled.
Kurama sat down near Hiei, but not too close.
"I didn't think you would be here." Kurama said.
"Hn. Why not?" Hiei asked.
"Well, I didn't think you would...admit these feelings. I didn't
think that I would. And technically, I didn't." Kurama said.
"Hn. Always underestimating me." Hiei growled.
"I...love you Hiei." Kurama admitted slowly, reluctantly, only doing
so because Hiei had admitted it.
"Hn. Stupid human. I was merely writing a poem." Hiei said.
Kurama stared at him, shocked.
"You mean you don't really--It was all just a..." he trailed off,
blushing furiously.
He turned his head away to hide his embarrassment.
"Kurama?" Hiei said.
"I'm sorry, Hiei. I didn't mean to blurt out the truth. I'll
understand if you're disgusted and never want to talk to me again. I
jus--"
"Kurama."
Kurama stopped his babbling and turned to find Hiei's face only
centimetres from his.
"I, uh, am so--urk."
Kurama was silenced as Hiei lips met his and he fell backwards with
Hiei on top of him. At first Kurama was stunned as Hiei continued to
firmly kiss him. Then he released himself to the wonderful kiss.
Finally, Hiei came up for air, gasping and propping himself up on
Kurama's chest.
"Hiei, I..." Kurama trailed off. "I never thought you felt this way
about me."
"I don't." Hiei growled. "It's the disease. Once it's completely out
of my system I'm going to regret this."
"The disease? I don't want you to do anything you're going to
regret." Kurama said.
Hiei sighed, exasperated.
"You have no sense of humour." He said before covering Kurama's mouth
again.
Kurama let himself be swept away by the intensity and passion of the
kiss. Hiei caressed Kurama gently and then broke the kiss.
"Hiei, this is completely out of character for you." Kurama said.
"Hn. What do you know about me?" Hiei demanded.
"Um, well, I thought I knew a lot about you." Kurama admitted.
"Hn. I though so. You have always underestimated me." Hiei said.
"I have?" Kurama said.
"Yes. Just because I normally am gruff doesn't mean that I'm always
gruff." Hiei said. "I happen to have a part of me that's quite open,
but I would never let anyone know my true feelings. It's too easy for
people use the ones you love to hurt you and if they don't know who
you love, they can't hurt you." Hiei said slowly.
"That's true." Kurama agreed. "But letting me know now, does that
mean that you didn't trust me?"
"Hn. Stupid. I just didn't know if you felt the same way about me."
Hiei replied. "If I had told you and you hadn't felt the same way
about me, then you might have used this information to hurt me or
Yukina.
"So you actually love me too?" Kurama asked uncertainly.
"Let me show you that I actually love you." Hiei said in a sly tone.
Kurama's eyes widened as Hiei proceeded to show him.
"Just out of curiosity." Kurama said a while later. "Is there
anything else I should know about you? I mean, you're not going to
change genders or grow taller or turn different colours or
something?"
"Hn. You like to tease." Hiei said with a small smile.
"Of course, that's why everyone likes me the most." Kurama replied.
He gently nibbled Hiei's ear while Hiei sat in his lap.
"If you say so." Hiei said, then gasped as Kurama licked his ear.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Kurama looked at Hiei and
frowned. He was sure that his parents weren't going to be back
anytime soon.
"Who is it?" Kurama called out.
"You disgustingly cute son." came Bingyow's voice.
Hiei started to get off Kurama.
"Don't bother." Kurama said, holding Hiei tight. "He already knows.
Come in."
Hiei relaxed against Kurama and scowled as Bingyow entered.
"Hello, Bingyow, how was your trip?" Kurama asked.
"Good. I think most of them have forgiven me." Bingyow said. "At
least, I hope they have."
"Hn. He probably annoyed them to death with his cute-ness and they
ran." Hiei mumbled.
"I'm sorry, Mother, but I can't help it if I'm cuter than you are."
Bingyow said, fluffing his tail.
"What?!" Hiei growled, annoyed.
"Now don't be jealous, Mother, it's perfectly natural to be jealous
when your child is cuter than you." Bingyow said in prim tones.
"Hn." Hiei scowled. "I don't hear you saying the same things to your
Father."
"That's because I'm not cute." Kurama replied.
"You're not?" Hiei asked.
Kurama shook his head.
"Well, what are you then?" Hiei demanded.
"I'm beautifully handsome." Kurama said with a superior sniff.
Bingyow giggled. Hiei glared at the two of them.
"Admit it, you both hate me." He said.
"Of course we do." Bingyow said, leaping on to Hiei's lap. "That's
why we lavish so much attention on you. Right, Father?"
"Right." Kurama agreed.
Hiei crossed his arms and scowled. Bingyow nuzzled Hiei's arm. Hiei
reached down and stroked Bingyow's ears. Bingyow purred happily.
"Hey, that looks comfortable." Kurama noted. "Me too."
"But you can't change." Bingyow protested.
"Actually, I can." Kurama admitted.
"You can? Then why didn't you earlier?" Bingyow asked.
"Well, the truth is...I wasn't immune to your disease." Kurama said.
"Every time you touched me I was in horrible pain. I didn't want to
go through that again."
"You were in pain?" Bingyow said in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell
me Father? I would've stopped touching you."
"I was afraid of you." Kurama admitted. "I'm not now. I've come to
love you now. But then I was a selfish youko who cared about himself
only."
"Hn. Nothing's changed." Hiei muttered to Bingyow.
Bingyow giggled as Kurama gently hit Hiei on the head.
"Can I see you in the form I knew you in?" Bingyow requested.
"Sure. Then, maybe, Hiei can rub my ears." Kurama agreed.
Hiei got off Kurama and set Bingyow on his shoulder. Kurama changed
into his youko form. Bingyow's eyes widened as he recognised the
tall, silver-haired, gold eyed youko.
"Father." Bingyow said, leaping into Kurama's arms.
Kurama gave Bingyow a hug. Bingyow gasped suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Kurama asked, concerned.
"I don't know, I just felt like throwing up for a second." Bingyow
said. "I-oh."
"Bingyow?" Kurama asked, panicking.
"I don't feel so well, Father." Bingyow said weakly.
A few minutes later, Bingyow screamed.
"Bingyow!" Kurama said, truly scared.
Bingyow fell unconscious and began convulsing.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had the disease." Hiei
said.
"Oh no." Kurama said suddenly. "He does have the disease."
"What? How's that possible?" Hiei demanded, scowling.
"I'm carrying the disease." Kurama said.
"Nonsense." Hiei snapped. "We've all touched you in your youko form
before."
"Yes, but not Bingyow. You see, his body is what produced the
disease, so the disease is attracted to his body. However, now that
Bingyow's cured, he no longer has his natural immunity and therefore
the disease is hitting him full force." Kurama explained. "Get the
cure, quickly. It's in the fridge."
Hiei raised an eyebrow and then fetched the syringe. Kurama quickly
injected Bingyow and himself with it. A few minutes later, Bingyow
was normal.
"That was horrible." Bingyow said in a small voice.
"I know." Kurama said, hugging Bingyow to his chest.
"I'm sorry Father, I had no idea." Bingyow said, crying. "I didn't
know."
"Shh. It's alright, I know." Kurama soothed.
Bingyow cried himself to sleep. Kurama set him down on the bed and
then he and Hiei quietly left the room. They went downstairs and sat
on the couch.
"Will he be alright?" Hiei asked.
"Yes." Kurama replied, stroking Hiei's hair. "He'll recover."
"What are we going to do about us?" Hiei asked.
"What do you mean?" Kurama asked, pulling Hiei onto his lap.
"I mean, we're not going to tell the others, are we?"
"No." Kurama admitted. "Kuwabara would never understand and Yusuke
would accidentally tell. He's never been good at keeping secrets."
"Hn. He told you about Yukina." Hiei grumbled.
"Ah, that's different. People tell me everything, it's part of my
magnetic personality." Kurama informed.
"Hn. If you say so." Hiei said.
"The girls will probably figure it out themselves, eventually."
Kurama said. "They're sharper than the guys. But they won't say
anything about it. They'll respect our privacy."
"Hn. Human males are so dense." Hiei said.
"Yes they a-hey! I'm a human male too." Kurama protested.
"Really?" Hiei smirked.
"Oh, you'll pay for that little remark." Kurama threatened.
"Oh, you're soo scary." Hiei muttered sarcastically.
"Well, I may not eat nails for breakfast but I can be quite dangerous
in my own way." Kurama said slyly.
"Hn." Hiei snorted disbelievingly.
Kurama grinned and did something that made Hiei gasped in surprise.
"Well." Kurama said. "The kid's in bed, which means we could...you
know..." he trailed off suggestively.
Hiei stood up suddenly and grasped an ear. Kurama growled contentedly
as Hiei caressed it.
"That feels good." Kurama said, closing his eyes.
Hiei pulled on the ear with his mouth. Kurama growled again, deep in
his chest. Hiei could feel the vibrations go through him. Hiei kissed
his way down to Kurama's face before they shared a long kiss. Then
Hiei continued to kiss his way down, until Kurama slumped bonelessly
against the couch.
"Mmmph, stop it, Hiei!" Kurama inhaled sharply.
Hiei merely snorted and continued with whatever it was that he was
doing.
Bingyow awoke to find his 'parents' staring at him.
"How are you feeling?" Kurama asked.
"Much better." Bingyow replied. "I honestly didn't know that I did
that to people."
"Shh. You don't have to explain." Kurama said. "I know how you feel.
I used to be a very selfish, mean youko. I've changed now. So have
you. It's a part of growing up."
"He hasn't grown up yet." Hiei muttered to Bingyow.
"At least I'm tall." Kurama shot back.
"Hn. So what? I'm still faster." Hiei replied.
"You two are awful." Bingyow complained, not really meaning it.
"We love you too." Kurama said.
"Hn."
"Yes. You do too." Kurama said, nuzzling Hiei's ears.
There was a knock at the door. Kurama got up to answer it. It was
Yusuke.
"Hey, Kurama, what's up?" he said.
"Not much, you?" Kurama replied.
"I just wanted to let you know that Koenma wants us now. I'm getting
Kuwabara. We'll meet you there? Oh, and if you find Hiei, tell him as
well." Yusuke said.
Kurama nodded.
"See you there then." He said.
Yusuke grinned and walked off. Kurama closed the door and went
inside. Hiei and Bingyow looked at him.
"We've got work to do." Kurama said.
"Hn." Hiei said. "What else is new."
"Not much." Kurama said, quickly kissing Hiei on the lips. "Come on
dearest."
"You'd better not call me that in front of them." Hiei threatened.
"Or what?" Kurama taunted.
"Or I won't come home." Hiei replied.
"Oh my, then I'd best keep quiet then." Kurama said with wide,
innocent eyes.
He scratched Bingyow's head.
"See you son." He said, pulling on a coat. "Come on darling, let's
roll."
He walked out the door. Hiei looked at Bingyow.
"I think he's getting more annoying." Hiei said as he got up and
headed out the door.
Bingyow grinned. He liked his family.
The end