The song I was listening to when writing the dance scene was the theme to Final Fantasy X-2 'Real Emotion'. If you have it, listen to it during that part, because it is hard to write about music, something you have to hear and feel.
Also, if the designs of their kimonos seem familiar, it's because I used the same colors and patterns featured in an official Yu Yu Hakusho group picture.
****
Day Three~~
"So then the man goes, I know, I was talking to the duck!" Kyo said, finishing the punch line of the joke she had been telling, causing herself and Kurama to laugh wildly. Hiei did not laugh, obviously.... He had not been listening, concerning himself more with how Kurama had convinced him to spend a day doing the most feminine and possibly most pointless thing ever imagined, shopping. They were not even running errands or shopping for the week's food, that he could have lived with. No, the three of them were to spend the entire afternoon at the shopping mall, which was hopelessly crowded with people. Everywhere Hiei looked there were dozens of strangers. He felt extremely trapped.
"Kurama, look at these shoes, you should get them for your mother!" Kyo said excitedly, dragging him by the hand over to the window of a designer accessory store.
"What do you think of this scarf to go with them?" He asked, pointing.
"Hm... I don't know, I think the blue one might actually look better on her."
"Yes, but I'm not particularly fond of the sequins."
"Wait, here's one without sequins, isn't the pattern beautiful?"
"Oh, and what about--"
"Is this REALLY your idea of fun!?" Hiei roared, making several shoppers stop in their tracks and give him an awkward stare.
"Mother's gone far too long without a new pair of shoes," Kurama said simply. Kyo was blinking with surprise and was inching extremely close to Kurama, for Hiei still frightened her considerably.
"Do you have to TALK about everything you buy so much?" He snarled, folding his arms across his chest and glaring.
"Well how is one ever to develop a decent sense of fashion without discussing the matter first?" He said. He placed his hand on the Jaganshi's shoulder and grinned. "You could do with a new wardrobe yourself."
"I don't care about clothes..."
"Surely you must admit all black can be tiresome after a while?"
"I said I don't care about clothes."
"Then why wear any at all?" Kurama winked and took Kyo by the hand, leaving Hiei to stand in the middle of the tier feeling perplexed. He clenched his teeth and looked at the floor. Why did the object of his desires have to be such a hopeless flirt and tease?
"Is he angry?" Kyo asked, looking cautiously back at the fire demon, who had begun following them again.
"No, Hiei is just feeling irritable this morning. Much like every morning..."
"He doesn't like people very much, does he?" She said, holding tightly onto Kurama's hand. She could almost feel Hiei's red eyes staring a hole in her back as they walked.
"He keeps mostly to himself," Kurama said. "I'm actually a bit surprised he decided to come with us at all today."
Kyo suddenly felt a bit more at ease and smiled. She stood on tiptoes and whispered into Kurama's ear.
"It's because he loves you," she said so quietly that he could barely hear, and giggled.
Later on came another tense moment. Kurama had entered the changing room of a high class clothing store to try on some new outfits for himself. Throughout his long life, he had always prided himself on being beautiful, and did not let a change of body keep him from looking as lovely as possible. It may seem vain to some, but it was not as if anyone could put up much of an argument, he was beautiful.
This, of course, left Kyo and Hiei alone together. They stood a few feet apart, not speaking. Hiei was staring off into the corner with a sour expression on his face. Kyo kept her eyes on him the entire time though, afraid that if she looked away even for a second she may regret it. She also knew by now of Hiei's incredible speed, and was subconsciously worried that if she did so much as blink, he would be gone.
She was not a timid girl, far from it, but being in the presence of someone as intimidating as Hiei was nerve-wracking. She tried the best she could to be as friendly as possible to whoever she met, and never judge someone based on appearance or lifestyle. But what could she say to a demon? She supposed one should not be in the habit of judging demons any more than they would humans. Kurama was not entirely human, and she never had any trouble talking to him. Maybe all she needed to do was get to know Hiei a bit better, but that is a task easier said than done....
"It's a nice day out today," she said, figuring he could find nothing offensive about the weather.
"Hn..." So the weather was of no interest to him
"Kurama told me all about how you rescued him, that was so brave of you." She rocked back and forth on her heels and waited. He appeared to be ignoring her now.
"Um... It must be fun having a third eye," she said, noting his headband and remembering what Kurama had told her.
"I don't think 'fun' was what I had in mind when I endured the excruciatingly long hours of red hot searing pain to get it..." he replied.
She sighed, looking down at the floor and toying with the ends of her pigtails.
"I wish there was something I could say to show how much I like you," she said.
He turned slightly and glanced at her.
"How could you like me? You don't even know me."
"Well Kurama likes you, and he's told me so much about you, so..." she tried her best to smile at him. "So, I like you too."
He turned away and went back to glaring into the corner. She furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lip with frustration. She knew he had the ability to be friendly in him somewhere.
"I know you don't think very much of me, but I really admire you. The way you and Kurama are so close and the way you protect your sister," she was met with a low growl upon mentioning Yukina.
"Oh, Kurama told me a little about her, too..." She confessed.
"Kurama has a big mouth."
"But I really do admire you!" She said quickly, trying to erase any mistake she had made. "Maybe we could even be friends someday, and you could teach me martial arts so we'd have something in common."
"Why would you have me teach you?" He said, scoffing at the mere idea of it.
"Well... Kurama would go way too easy on me, and Kuwabara wouldn't want to hurt me because I'm a girl. As for Yusuke, I don't think he'd take me seriously."
"What makes to think I'd take you seriously?"
"Well, I don't know--"
"Done!" Kurama announced, flinging the doors of the dressing room open with clothes draped over both arms. "I hope you two have been getting along well," he said cheerfully.
"Aren't you going to try something on, Kyo?" He asked, placing the clothes he hadn't liked back on the racks.
"I'm not sure I have enough money for a store like this..." She said, looking around at the high price tags.
"Pick out something you like and I'll loan you any extra you need," he said. "Perhaps we can even get Hiei to try something on." He grinned sultrily down at the Jaganshi and was met with a sneer.
"Don't count on it."
Day Four~~
"I think Hiei wants to kill me...."
"Believe me, if Hiei wanted to kill you he would have done so long ago," Kurama said while tying Kyo's long hair into a tight French braid.
"That's not very reassuring," she sighed. They both looked across the sand at Hiei, who had been perched on the same rock overlooking the ocean all day. The entire group, excluding Botan, who was very busy in Spirit world, had gone to the beach to spend a day in the surf before their short vacation from school came to an end.
"Kyo! Come play volleyball with us!" Keiko called. "Yusuke thinks he and Kuwabara can win in girls verses boys."
"Yeah, come and get pounded!" Yusuke invited, waving his arms and receiving a death stare from Keiko.
"Coming!" she called. Kurama hurried to tie a ribbon in the bottom of her hair and she ran through the sand to the volleyball net they had set up.
"This should be interesting," Kurama said to himself. He rose and walked gracefully along the shore, then climbed up onto the rock where Hiei was sitting. The sun was already going down and the entire ocean looked to be on fire. He sat beside his partner, who was staring out into the vast sea.
"Care to watch Yusuke and Kuwabara make a mockery of all mankind?" He asked.
"Not particularly," Hiei answered, not looking up. He sat with his knees to his chest, arms folded, and his head lowered down so that only his red eyes were showing.
"You've been very quiet today," Kurama said, tucking his hair behind his ear, which was blowing in the gentle wind.
"I'm not used to... this."
"Having a good time, you mean?"
Kurama moved closer and rested his head on Hiei's shoulder. He tensed up at the fox's touch, keeping his gaze focused on the horizon.
"The sunset is very lovely this evening," Kurama commented.
"I suppose."
The redhead closed his eyes and breathed in the salty air, the faint scent of the demon beside him mixing in and adding to the enjoyment of it all.
"Kyo is quite fond of you. You shouldn't be so cold to her," he said.
"Why are you so drawn to that girl, anyway?"
"She's a very understanding person." He wrapped both of his arms around one of Hiei's and latched on to him. "If you're worried about competition you needn't be jealous," he added. "My affections are for one alone."
"As are mine..." Hiei thought, and wished he had the courage to say out loud.
Once it had gotten too dark for sports and the moon and stars were their only source of light, the small group took to writing messages in the sand. Kuwabara had spent at least ten minutes writing a giant message reading 'I love Yukina' and was quite satisfied with it, until Yusuke pointed out that the tide would come in and wash it away forever within the hour. Keiko had written a small note to Yusuke, but scuffed it out with her feet quickly before anyone could lay their eyes on it. While Yusuke was busy writing 'Kuwabara is a doofus' in eight foot tall letters, Kyo had sat down away from the surf and was neatly writing her own words.
"If you have any secrets written, you best bury them or I may be tempted to read," Kurama teased, walking over and kneeling down beside her.
"Not a secret, exactly..." She said. He looked down and saw that any messages that had been there were scratched out, all but one. Written carefully and clearly in the middle of all the chaotic mounds of sand read the words, 'Kurama + Hiei'. He blushed slightly, reading over them several times.
"Funny how it's so easy to see it written there, but so hard to say," he said.
"Don't worry, he'll open up eventually," Kyo responded.
"Hiei is no more guilty than I of hiding his feelings," he sighed. "If I had been completely honest with him from the start, this would have all been said long ago..."
"I have a hunch that before summer is over this year, you two will be together," she said.
He stood and shook his head. "I suppose greater miracles have happened." He walked off towards the more isolated end of the beach to clear his head, leaving Kyo sitting in the cold sand. She beamed down at the words before her, feeling a great warmth in her heart.
"I wonder if I should tell him it wasn't me that wrote this..." she whispered.
Up on the rocks above the beach, Hiei looked intently at the sand covered stone in his hand, sighed, and held it tightly against his chest before flinging it into the sea.
Day Five~~
"Rise and shine...."
Hiei opened one eye sleepily and saw Kurama smiling down at him. He had opted to sleep inside the night before, and was sprawled out ungracefully in the youko's bed.
"Go away..." He groaned, rolling over and covering his head with a pillow. For some reason, a few hours spent on the soft mattress made him never want to leave bed again.
"It's past nine already, I was hoping to be gone by now," Kurama said, yanking the pillow off his head. Hiei snorted and glared up at him.
"Gone where?"
"I planned a trip to the arboretum today, I thought you may enjoy a calm place with not too many people," he said. He rolled Hiei out of bed and began returning the sheets to their proper spot and folding the quilts neatly.
"A garden?" Hiei wiped the sleep from his eyes and yawned. "Anything is better than the mall..."
"You may want to take a shower, you still smell of salt and sand," Kurama advised. They had both immediately collapsed into bed after returning from the beach the night before.
"What about breakfast?"
"Mother and I have already eaten," the redhead answered. He walked past Hiei and into the hall, where he opened the upstairs linen closet and pulled out a fresh towel. "I can find something for you while you're showering, if you like."
"Hn," Hiei snatched the towel from Kurama's hand and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
He removed his belt and let his clothes fall to the floor, then carefully removed the bandages from his arm that covered the mark of the black dragon. After setting his headband on the counter, he stepped into the shower and turned the water on until it was very hot. Shiori and Kurama shared the bathroom, and the small shelves in the shower stall were filled with bottles of every type. Different shampoos, conditioners, floral moisturizers, half a dozen types of soap, perfumes, some were human products and others were Kurama's own mixtures, containing herbal ingredients one can only imagine.
"No wonder he always smells so..." Hiei blinked. He very much liked the way Kurama smelled, but was not sure how to describe it. Like an earthy bed of flowers, only with several other accents mixed in that have no name but made the scent entirely beautiful and his own.
After he had bathed, he walked downstairs to the kitchen, feeling completely starved. He stood at the foot of the stairs looking adorable in Kurama's red bathrobe, which was so many sizes too big for him it nearly touched the floor.
"I love your new style," Kurama said when Hiei had walked into the room and sat down at the table.
"Shut up, my clothes are dirty," he said, already filling his mouth with food.
"Actually I have some new clothes laid out on my bed for you," Kurama told him, seating himself and beginning to re-wrap the tattoo on Hiei's arm with new dressings while he ate. "I bought them when we were out the other day, after you had run off to brood on the roof."
"I wasn't brooding, I just hate that mall place. There are too many people."
Kurama finished with the bandages, giving the Jaganshi back the use of his other arm.
"I just hope they fit, I had to find the smallest men's size possible."
"Is that an insult?" Hiei said, glaring and taking a drink of tea.
"Of course not," Kurama said, smiling and flipping his hair playfully. He rested his chin on his hand. "I quite like you the way you are."
Hiei dressed in the clothes Kurama had bought for him after he'd finished with his breakfast. Tight, stone washed jeans, a navy blue tank top and pinstripe dress shirt over top fit him well enough but he was not entirely sure how much he liked them. He supposed Kurama knew best though, and did not care about his appearance enough to worry about it for more than a few seconds.
They normally would have taken the bus, but Hiei insisted on walking. As a result, it took nearly an hour to get there, but avoiding having any public transport vehicles being set on fire was worth the walk. Kurama had visited the indoor gardens many times before, it was one of his favorite places to be in his human home. It was, of course, Hiei's first time there, but the natural beauty that surrounded him when they entered the doors was a pleasant surprise. Kurama had grabbed a hold of his hand, and though he did not care much what anyone's opinion was of him, he felt uneasy displaying affection where any stranger could see. But he did not pull away, or make any comment, he merely let the redhead hold his hand and paid attention to his explanations of every single plant and flower they passed.
"These are my favorites," Kurama said, as they approached the back end of the gardens. Before them was a gorgeous display of huge, full roses. All the flowers in the arboretum were painstakingly grown by professionals, but the roses were surely the most popular. Featured in magazines and winners of first place in hundreds of flower shows, the roses there were by far the best in the country.
Hiei looked over the display, and even he could not deny how astounding it was. Kurama then leaned over a tiny bud in the midst of full blooms, and reached his hand towards it. The fire demon could feel his partner's spirit energy start to rise, and the rosebud began to slowly spin and open up. It displayed its petals and bloomed into the most deep and brilliant shade of red he had ever seen. Kurama plucked the newly blossomed flower from the rest of the plant, mindful of its thorns, and handed it to Hiei.
"Isn't that stealing?" The Jaganshi mocked, accepting the rose.
"Well, I was a thief most of my life, after all," Kurama said, smiling. Hiei spun the rose around carefully in his hand, looking over every inch of it. Kurama bent down very slowly, closed his green eyes, and placed a tiny kiss on Hiei's cheek, making him blush furiously. Their grip on each others hands tightened, and as Hiei admired his rose, he was sure it was the most beautiful of them all.
Day Six~~
"I'm home!" Kurama announced, stepping through the front door and removing his shoes. His hands were full of shopping bags, and when he entered the living room, he was greeted with the delightfully domestic sight of Hiei and Shiori watching television.
"Welcome back, Shuuichi," she said. Hiei said nothing, his eyes were still focused on the TV screen.
"Would you be able to pull yourself away long enough to come to my room with me?" He asked Hiei.
The Jaganshi blinked and looked at him, then got up from the couch. They walked up the stairs to Kurama's bedroom and he sat down on the bed, while the redhead began removing things from his shopping bags.
"How are you enjoying television so far?" Kurama asked.
"It's confusing..."
"How so?"
"Tell me," he said. "What exactly is a 'soap opera'?"
Kurama laughed and shook his head.
"I think I'll explain that to you another day," he said. He pulled a box from one of the bags and set it on the bed before Hiei.
"I have something for you," he told him, sitting and waiting for him to open his gift.
Hiei pulled the top off the box and looked at the contents, it was more clothing.
"What is this for?"
"It's a suit," Kurama said. "I got you a tie to go with it as well, though I doubt you'll agree to wear it."
"What is it for?" He repeated, pulling the black jacket from the box and examining it.
"It's for you to wear tonight."
"Why would I wear something like this?" He asked.
"Tonight we are going dancing," Kurama announced happily. Hiei dropped the jacket and glared at him.
"I do not dance," he said firmly.
"Of course you do," Kurama said, taking the jacket and folding it neatly back into its box. "Dancing is just like fighting, only much more slow and sensitive."
"How are the two anything alike?" He said, still glaring distastefully at the redhead.
"You step to the music instead of the pounding of your own heart. You follow your partner's movements with the same grace and precision as any fighter would in battle."
Hiei's glare softened, what Kurama was saying actually made more sense than he would have thought.
"Whenever I fight at your side it's like a dance, moving as one and playing off whatever you do. When we dance, all we must do is follow each others movements as we would in any battle, but tonight there will be no danger."
Hiei picked up the jacket of the suit again and stared at it with no hatred this time. He suddenly was looking forward to dancing with Kurama, just as he loved the thrill of battling alongside him. They anticipated each others moves exactly, and fought so flawlessly as a duo that watching them attack together was like a violent ballet.
"You're right, I'm not wearing the tie," he said.
That evening they sat in the establishment Kurama had chosen that featured fine dining and dancing. There were other couples and groups of people everywhere, but Kurama had specifically requested a table in the most remote corner of the dining area, so Hiei would feel more isolated and comfortable. He looked very cute in his new suit, but of course had not worn the matching tie. They were both dressed in black, and Kurama had on a black turtleneck on under his blazer instead of a dress shirt. His hair was tied back with a green ribbon to match his eyes, and he now watched Hiei as he munched on one breadstick after another.
The music was soft and slow, perfect for a romantic dance. They had not hit the floor yet, Kurama was waiting until after the fire demon was satisfied with a full stomach. When their meals arrived, the waiter placed down glasses of champagne that had come with the orders. Hiei picked up his glass and sniffed the contents suspiciously.
"What is it?" He asked.
"You won't like it," Kurama answered. Ignoring the warning, he took a sip and Kurama laughed when he immediately spit it back into his glass.
"Disgusting..." he mumbled.
Luckily the food was more appealing than the champagne, and Hiei had finished almost his entire plate before Kurama had even eaten half.
"You're going to get fat the way you've been eating this week," the redhead noted.
"I doubt it."
When they had finished eating, Kurama noticed a song start to play that would be very simple to dance to and stood from his seat.
"May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand to Hiei. The Jaganshi rolled his eyes but accepted the offer, taking Kurama's hand and walking with him to the floor.
"I'll lead for now," he said, placing Hiei's hands in the proper places and stepping close to him. He watched Kurama's feet for a moment until he had picked up the pattern of his steps and was able to follow along without trouble.
"I told you it would be easy," Kurama said, moving closer than before. They pressed together and Kurama rested his chin on the top of Hiei's head while they danced. Hiei sighed, he could hear the fox's heartbeat, his hand was on his hip, and he wanted to say something to him, but he could not find any words. He felt Kurama gently squeeze his shoulder.
"There's no need to be so tense, you're doing splendidly," he said.
"That's not the reason..."
Kurama stepped back to look into his face. He wished the fire demon would not constantly trouble himself with matters that should be no trouble at all.
"What then?"
Hiei opened his mouth to say something to change the subject, but he was saved the trouble when the change of music caught Kurama's attention. The beat had quickened considerably, and he grinned down at his partner.
"Care for a bit more of a challenge?" he asked.
Hiei, of course, was the type who could never resist a good challenge, and he smiled back and nodded. The song was fast paced with pounding rhythm, the kind of song that real dance was all about. They joined hands, Hiei taking the lead this time, and began to step in sync with the music. Their perfect anticipation of each other made it looked like the dance was rehearsed, and they were soon spinning across the floor together, other people moving back to watch. Hiei's hand was low on the youko's hip, gripping him tightly while they moved to the resounding bass. The music had totally absorbed them by now, Kurama was grinning down at the Jaganshi, who was suddenly in such a good mood, he smiled deviously and licked his fangs. They stepped away, hands locked, then tipped back forward. Kurama flipped his hair and leaned back, Hiei's other hand on the small of his back, holding him up. Back and forth, they were close again, face to face, Kurama placed his hand on Hiei's cheek and was infinitesimally close to touching lips with him, until they swung apart again. Then, at the climax of the instrumental rift, Hiei dipped Kurama so low his hair brushed against the floor.
When the song stopped, Kurama was glowing with happiness and took Hiei in his arms to hug him. Then they noticed that there was no one else on the dance floor, everyone had stepped back to watch their performance. People clapped and nodded their approval, making Hiei so embarrassed he wanted to shrink into nothingness. Kurama was overjoyed though, simply by the fact that Hiei had not attacked every living thing in attendance and took the unwanted attention in stride.
After paying for their meal, they exited the restaurant into the night to walk home by the light of the starts and street lamps. Kurama had taken to holding Hiei's hand regularly now, and he had all but forgotten the urge to pull away. But why did humans hold hands anyway? It seemed such a pointless custom, but Hiei had to admit he enjoyed the fox's gentle touch.
"I get the sneaking suspicion you enjoyed yourself tonight, Hiei." He said pleasantly.
The Jaganshi smiled slightly and looked down at the sidewalk ahead of him. He had enjoyed it, more than he ever would have expected. Could it be he was actually coming to tolerate this world infested with humans? Of course, the only reason he had seen the good was because Kurama was here, this was his home. Hiei thought then that he could quite possibly spend the rest of his life here, as long as the Youko was by his side.
Day Seven~~
They had both slept in Kurama's bed again that night, Hiei not even making an attempt to leave his side. The air had been chilly despite it being summer, and they lay curled up together until the quilts. Both awoke rather early for whatever reason, Kurama was blinking at the Jaganshi beside him when he started to stir.
"Nn..." Hiei yawned and opened his eyes groggily. The first thing that could be seen was Kurama's green eyes staring back at him. He fluffed his black hair out of his face and rolled onto his back. He could see the sun had not even risen through the window above the bed.
"What time is it?" he groaned.
"I'm not sure, I haven't gotten out of bed yet, as you can see." Kurama replied.
Hiei rolled back onto his side to face him, blinking away fragments of dreams and trying to return to an awakened state.
"Doesn't Shiori mind you sleeping in the same bed as a man?" he said, knowing humans were very intolerant when it came to other people's relationships. "You're a child in her mind, after all."
"Mother doesn't intrude into my private life very often, I doubt she even knows." He reached out and ran his fingers over the white star burst in Hiei's hair. "She trusts that I have good enough judgment to keep myself out of trouble."
"You're the perfect son, aren't you?"
"I owe her my life," Kurama said. "I try to show her as much respect and love as a possibly can."
"I like her." Hiei admitted.
"Why Hiei, who would have ever thought you'd befriend and simple human woman," the Youko laughed, shifting closer to the little demon and resting his head on the same pillow.
"What are your plans for us today?" Hiei asked, taking a few strands of long red hair into his hands and twirling them around. In just that one short week, he had grown increasingly comfortable around Kurama, and almost felt like he had lived in this human house with the boy and his mother forever.
"I take it you haven't been paying much attention to Yusuke and the others recently," Kurama said. "Tonight is the summer festival, we've all been planning to go together."
"Will it be crowded?" he said apprehensively.
"Most likely, but I'm certain everyone there will be too concerned with their own amusement to bother you," Kurama assured, although no one had actually bothered Hiei before, he seemed to have an odd fear that some human stranger would walk up and confront him with their stupidity.
"I have another gift for you, by the way," he said, sitting up and stepping out from under the covers. He leaned down, reaching under his bed, and Hiei was extremely tempted to reach out and grab his rear end, wishing there was still a tail to hold on to. When he sat back up, he placed another clothing box in front of Hiei, but it was carefully wrapped this time in magenta colored paper and ribbons.
"This one is a bit more special than the other outfits," he said as Hiei started tearing the paper off. He lifted the lid, and inside was a beautiful blue men's kimono.
"It's for tonight, I knew you wouldn't have anything traditional to wear so..."
Hiei held it up and then ran his hands over the silky material. There was an emblem of a dragon on the sash, and it seemed to be custom made in just his size.
"It like it..." he said softly, still admiring the kimono.
"I thought it was perfect, but it will look much better once it's on you, of course...."
The fire demon blushed and laid the robe back into the box. It seemed that something he normally would have not cared a bit about had made him very happy that morning. Kurama was so thoughtful when it came to his needs, he wished desperately that he could return the favor by giving the fox all the love he deserved. It was just so difficult to show that kind of deep emotion, all the things he was feeling inside, fighting to get out and be said, would not come. The words never seemed right, the moment never seemed good enough. He wanted to break down and hold Kurama in his arms as if it were their last moments together, tell the world that he loved him and never let him go. All he could manage though were small smiles and half caring remarks. He had gone so long keeping his feelings inside, centuries of loneliness with no one to care for. It had been so long, in fact, he worried he was simply not able to let out everything he felt.
"Mother usually sleeps in on Saturday," Kurama said. "We can stay in bed for a while if you like."
Anything to stay in bed with the lovely fox was fine in Hiei's opinion. He did not know why he had been so afraid before to lie next to him. He laid his head back down on the pillow and Kurama placed the box containing the kimono on the floor. He slid up next to the Jaganshi and smiled at him. Hiei had removed the wrappings on his arm before bed, and Kurama traced over the marking of the black dragon with his fingertips. Hiei shivered, the touch was sending chills all over his body. Though his own hands were rough and calloused from wielding his sword, Kurama's somehow remained perfectly soft.
"I knew this week would be good for you," Kurama said. He dragged his fingers all the way up Hiei's arm to his shoulder, and then to his chest. "You've opened up considerably, I'm proud of you..."
All of his wit had vanished, Kurama had the amazing ability to make him melt into a pathetic nothing with a simple touch or glance. It made him angry, actually, he wanted to be the one in control, to overtake him and seduce him. The only time he had managed that was the night they had spent together, Kurama had completely given himself over that night. Hiei began to run through those events in his mind, but he became so overwhelmed he had to sit up and escape the youko's sensual stare.
Kurama sighed and stayed where he was as Hiei exited the room.
"Too much at once, I suppose..." he thought.
That evening, when the sun had gone down, the Urameshi team and acquaintances had all gathered at the summer festival. Kuwabara was still attempting to catch a goldfish, but after seventeen tries he had still had no luck, and Yusuke mocked him by holding up the full bag of four goldfish he had won for Keiko. Kurama had offered to catch one for Hiei, but when informed by the Jaganshi that fish were for eating, he had opted to give the little creature to Kyo instead.
Hiei looked simply perfect in his new kimono in Kurama's opinion. He himself had his hair tied back and was wearing a very expensive kimono Shiori had gotten him the year before, which was black and grey with leaf prints. Kuwabara was dressed in light blue, Yusuke had white with a blue checkered pattern, Keiko had worn orange and Kyo green.
"Kurama look at the dancers, they're so pretty," Kyo said, pointing to the female dancers in their fantastic costumes, performing on a stage surrounded by lanterns.
"They're very lovely," he agreed, as the six of them stood to watch, although Hiei wasn't paying much attention and Kuwabara was still complaining about his fish.
"I like that one," Kyo said, pointing to one of the dancers. "She's the best out of all of them, don't you think?"
"I'm particularly fond of the one with the roses in her hair, actually," he replied, of course he was bias.
"Look at the boobs on that girl," Yusuke remarked, and was quickly slapped by Keiko, almost making him drop his bag of fish.
"Man, I'm really hungry...." Kuwabara moaned when his stomach growled loudly.
"We have five goldfish to divide between us," Hiei said, and Kyo tucked her bag protectively into her sleeve.
"Shall we go find something to eat then?" Kurama said. They walked through the festival, past booths and vendors. It took longer than it should have to find food, because Kuwabara insisted on picking out a gift for Yukina at every single stall. They eventually found someplace selling hot food, and all sat down underneath a large tree in the grass to eat.
"They're going to be setting off the fireworks soon," Keiko said, looking at the watch she had brought in her pocket.
"I've heard it's gonna be really good this year," Yusuke said, burping and leaning back against the tree.
"I wish Yukina was here to watch them with me..." Kuwabara sighed. "Do you think she likes fireworks?"
Kurama leaned to the side and rested his head on Hiei's shoulder. Kyo grinned at the sight, not thinking Hiei would allow his feelings to show even the tiniest bit. Instead of bolting for a tree, though, he just looked tenderly at Kurama, and a small hint of a smile could be seen on his lips.
Kuwabara crawled behind the two, who were blissfully unaware of anything but each other at the moment.
"Urameshi," he whispered. "Are they, like... you know?"
"Define 'you know'" Yusuke said, glaring slightly at Kuwabara.
"You know as in... yeah."
"Sadly I think I actually know what you're getting at," Yusuke groaned at Kuwabara's vagueness. "And I dunno, but it sure seems like it."
He leaned to his right and whispered in Keiko's ear.
"Kuwabara wants to know if Kurama and Hiei are... you know." he said, finding himself doing the exact same thing Kuwabara had done a few seconds ago.
"Are what?" she said, looking at him, puzzled.
"You know..." he groaned. "Are they like... together?"
"Why are you asking me?" she said. "Why don't you just ask them, they're right there."
"Do you really want to ask Hiei something like that?" he said. His statement was fairly self explanatory.
"I see your point," she said, looking over at the redhead leaning on the fire demon. Keiko leaned forward and tapped Kyo on the shoulder.
"Psst, Kyo."
The pigtailed girl turned around to face Keiko, who whispered to her softly.
"Are Hiei and Kurama... you know?"
"Yes!" Kyo giggled quietly, apparently the meaning of Keiko's question was quite clear to her, and she was so happy her close friend and his little Jaganshi were finally becoming, well, you know!
****
'You haven't said anything in a while, sir.'
'I'm just trying to figure out what "You know" means.'
'Ugh...'
****