Title: With you
Author: Sano
Series: Yu Yu Hakusho
Warnings: Yaoi and a bit OOC-ness
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: YYH is the product of Togashi-sensei's wonderful mind. I wish to keep Kurama and Hiei but unfortunately, they will sue me if I do. I am not making any profit of this; I'm still saving up for some of my anime needs so please understand.
Couples: Kurama x Hiei, Kurama Maya
Note: Wow!! I left this fic hanging for more than a year, and I am sorry [and ecstatic] to say that this is the final chapter of 'With you'. I had so much fun writing this multi-chapter!! Thank you for all those who supported me and gave those wonderful reviews!! I love you all!! And I guess this would be my goodbye to the YYH-fic fandom, I don't know if I'll be writing YYH yaoi again…but well, I guess this will be my last…but when the right idea comes, well, I'll write YYH again!! Thank you all and please enjoy!!
With you
Part 22: Tears of Goodbye
The cool summer wind blew through the open window, the cold draft tickled the kitsune's senses and his eyes flew open, revealing his expressive emerald orbs. A feeling of panic crept into his mind at the unfamiliar surroundings, then the events that happened earlier dawned on him and he relaxed.
Warm breath floated over his ears, stirring some of the scarlet strands. He shivered slightly and buried himself further into the tight embrace, the arms around him wrapping themselves around him snugly.
A smile lit up the kitsune's face, a true smile that wasn't showed often since Hiei left three years ago. Hiei's arms around him just felt so…right. He wanted to relish every moment of it, he never wanted to leave the solace of the half-koorime's arms again if he could help it.
He turned his body so that he was facing Hiei. The fire demon was sleeping soundly. For some reason they ended up sleeping on the sofa after their little confession, perhaps they just needed some well-deserved rest after the emotional roller coaster that they've been on for the past three years.
Emerald orbs intently studied Hiei's face, their green depths holding such wonder in them and a smile on his face. He lifted a finger and began tracing the delicate contours of the koorime's face, over the covered jagan, the delicate eyebrows, the crimson eyes that were closed in slumber…it was fascinating how much Hiei had matured over the years. The scowl was no longer on his face, as if he had found some peace within his soul. Kurama sighed contently and kissed him on the cheek, inhaling everything he could from this wonderful creature that held him.
He was so absorbed into his private thoughts that he didn't notice Hiei awakening and his crimson eyes opened, perhaps registering surprise for a moment then relaxing into relief. He buried his face into the mass of red hair in front of him, sighing contentedly.
Kurama smiled and lifted a hand to cup against Hiei's cheek. "So, you're awake." Hiei retreated from his hair and leveled his face with the kitsune's.
"Ah." He answered shortly.
The youko's eyes dropped down to Hiei's lips, they looked so soft and inviting, he was tempted to kiss the fire demon. But he couldn't, not until…
Hiei noticed his infatuation and made the first move, he was inching his face towards the fox's but a graceful finger stopped him, stopping on his lower lip. He tried looking down at the intruding digit, his crimson eyes crossed. Kurama just had to laugh at the half-koorime's confused expression. His handsome face scrunched together, it was just too cute!
But his melodious laughter died away when he focused at the matter they were facing. The emerald orbs fluttered close and he took in a deep breath. He opened them again and looked at Hiei solemnly.
"Hiei…I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life by your side…but the problem is, I have to break off my engagement with Maya…I just know it would hurt her…and that's the last thing I want to do to her…" Kurama whispered sadly.
"If you don't want to, I can go talk to her, Kitsune." Hiei replied while running his thumb over the bridge of Kurama's nose. He still marveled at the fact that Kurama was here in his arms, something that he had wished for in the last three years. Living in the Makai was incredibly lonely. Even though Mukuro had offered her companionship, he wanted them to remain friends. Just imagining Kurama's radiant smile in the loneliest of nights made him long for the fox so badly.
Kurama shook his head. "Iie, I want to explain everything to her…but I would want you to be with me then." He then settled into the crook of Hiei's neck, pressing their bodies together. It was a wonder how they managed not to fall off the sofa, the redhead thought, and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a small smile. It was good to stay like this…everything felt so peaceful.
He was about to settle in for some more rest when the sound of a key jingling into a doorknob sounded, then Yuusuke's booming announcing his arrival.
"Oi, Hiei!! Are you here? I brought some ramen!" Kurama rolled out from Hiei's arms so quickly that he may have injured himself, and then scrambled towards the stuffed armchair beside the sofa they were previously residing in.
Kurama settled himself into the sofa before Yuusuke entered the room and saw them in a much more compromising position. Yuusuke saw him and smiled. "Yo, Kurama! I didn't know you were coming. So you guys patched up things?"
The redhead nodded, "Um, yeah…that more or less sums it up." He glanced at Hiei and saw the youkai glaring at him. Uh, oh…he seems to be angry. He didn't want Yuusuke to see them together, not yet anyway while he hadn't told Maya yet. He would have to explain later.
"Actually, Kurama said he had some errands to do. I'm coming with him to help." Hiei said suddenly and both ex-tanteis turned to look at him. Yuusuke noticed the slightly miffed look on Hiei's face and decided not to know what happened. They seem to have made up already, but maybe there was another fight brewing in there somewhere.
Yuusuke took a step back and smiled hesitantly. "Uh, sure. Then I guess…I'll see you later, ne? Um, I have to go too and meet Keiko…" Then he zipped out of the apartment as fast as he could. Ch' you could almost feel the tension crawling against your skin in there!! Yuusuke thought as he closed the door. He just hoped that those two wouldn't end up killing each other.
Once Yuusuke was gone, Hiei fixed his glare on Kurama, and the fox gulped nervously. "What the hell was that?" His baritone voice held so much anger and pain that Kurama winced slightly.
Kurama sighed and fiddled with a lock of his crimson hair. "I'm really sorry, Hiei. I don't want anyone to know about us yet, at least not until Maya knows." He looked so sincere that the fire demon couldn't help but smile faintly.
"Hai, I understand."
The myriad of thoughts running through her head confused her. Anger…sadness…betrayal…but even if she felt all those things, she just couldn't get angry with Shuuichi. It pained her that the person that she had loved for the past two years didn't really belong to her…
Shuuichi was her fiancé and her best friend at the same time. The handsome redhead made her feel protected, happy. She thought that she had the perfect husband-to-be, all her friends and relatives thought so too.
Maya wouldn't exchange her experience with Shuuichi for anything in the world.
But now, staring at the apartment that she had lived in for over a year, she can't help but feel hurt. Nostalgia was nagging at her being, her mind was screaming at her to claim her fiancé for herself, to fight for what was rightfully hers. Of all the things that she wanted for her fiancé, Maya wanted him to be happy.
"I don't want to get in the way of his happiness…" Maya whispered brokenly to the empty apartment. Placing a lavender envelope on the top of her dresser, she picked up her suitcase and walked out of the apartment.
But before she disappeared from Shuuichi's life, there was one last thing that she had to do.
Kurama had already left to go to work for the rest of the day and Hiei was alone in Yuusuke's apartment again. He looked down at his calloused hands. The happiness bubbling in his chest was almost too much for him to handle. He wanted to shout out his feelings to the world.
Kurama loves him…
Youko Kurama, the most amazing and most beautiful creature in all the three worlds, loves him…
Him!!
Him, Hiei, the forbidden child of the Koorime, was loved by the enchanting fox demon. He had already tried pinching himself to know if it was only a dream, but it wasn't. Everything that the fox had said and done was really real!!
The half-koorime felt a genuine smile stretching across his face. But before he could show his obvious elation and excitement, he heard the jingle of keys and Yuusuke's ki tickled his senses. The raven-haired teen grinned at him then handed him a piece of paper.
"Maya-chan called earlier. She said that she wanted you two to meet at that address." His grin widened as he looked at Hiei naughtily. "You sly dog you, Kurama would have your head if he knows that his fiancée has the hots for you!"
Hiei looked confused as he regarded the piece of paper in his hand. "Sly dog? Hots? Is Maya-san going to cook something?" He was like a little child faced with long division as homework. Yuusuke boomed with laughter and grabbed Hiei's jacket.
"C'mon, Hiei!! I'll take you there, then I'll leave you so you and Maya-chan can talk, ne?" He dragged the fire demon out the door and before Hiei can offer a protest, they boarded a cab. In ten minutes or so they were standing in front of a coffee shop named 'The Beans house' not far from Kurama's apartment.
Smiling mischievously, Yuusuke pushed Hiei into the café, waving at Maya, he left his friend. "See ya later, Hiei!" Then he was gone.
Maya stood up and smiled as Hiei approached the table. She asked if he wanted anything to drink and Hiei shook his head, and immediately noticed her red-rimmed eyes and her flushed cheeks. "Maya-san, were you crying?" He asked gently. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt, if she was crying already, how would she react when Kurama broke their engagement?
She laughed, a bitter hollow laugh, and then she shook her head. "Oh, this is nothing, Hiei-san. Anyway, I really wanted to talk to you. Thank you for coming." She took in a deep breath, and then looked up, her brown eyes boring into Hiei's crimson ones.
"I wanted to talk about Shuuichi."
It seemed as if hours passed as they stared at each other. Hiei felt as if his heart had dropped to his stomach and that the room was closing in on the both of them. "M-Maya-san, I-I…" He started. Suddenly, the excitement that he'd been feeling before evaporated, he felt nervous and fidgety.
"Hiei-san…"
"I…love him…"
Maya smiled and a tear trailed down her cheek. "I know." She ran a hand through her hair. The tears kept falling, like miniature sprinklers. "I want to tell you something, Hiei. Can I call you that?" The fire demon nodded mutely, "A while back…I saw a photo of Shuuichi and his friends…you were there, thought I wouldn't have recognized you if it weren't for your eyes."
She took a sip of her coffee and set down the cup shakily. "He was mad at me for touching it…I asked him about you, and he said you were a friend he lost contact with. I never realized till now that…you were special to Shuuichi. So special that I knew that I could never replace you in his heart."
They grew silent, Hiei fidgeting with the napkin on the table and Maya crying silently. After a small eternity, Hiei looked up and spoke.
"I'm so sorry, Maya-san…" It was his turn to take in a shaky breath. "Three years ago…Ku-Shuuichi confessed his feelings for me. I wanted to return his feelings, but I didn't…I ran away…" Maya swallowed hard and listened intently to the man in front of him. Her heart was being torn in two, but she needed to hear this.
Hiei spoke softly, his words holding sadness. "The time I spent away from him was torture…my love for him grew each day…and before I could stop myself, I came here. I wanted to know if I still had the chance to be with him. But when I saw you and I knew your engagement…I lost hope…"
They looked at each other, both feeling the pain of loving the same person, one who lost before, and the other about to. With a smile, Maya reached across the table and held Hiei's hand in hers.
"Please make Shuuichi happy, Hiei." She stood up and walked around the table to hug Hiei. The fire demon smiled as he patted the woman's back gently.
"Daijoubo. I will make him the happiest person in the world, if I fail…I want you to-"
Maya shook her head at him, "No, I doubt it that Shuuichi will be sad when you two are together." With one last smile, she picked up her suitcase and walked out of the coffee house, she held up her hand to call a cab.
"Maya!" Kurama was running towards her, in his hand was the envelope that she had left in the apartment. She felt a fresh lump of tears rising up her throat.
She looked down at the ground. "Shuuichi…"
Kurama's emerald eyes darkened with melancholy. "Maya, I'm so sorry…I…" Maya shushed him with a finger on his lips.
Hiei meanwhile was watching them from the door, he had seen Kurama and had run out, but stopped. This was the chance for them to talk. He felt sad for Maya…
Maya spoke, her voice clear, she wasn't angry, she just felt a little sad. "I want you to be happy, Shuuichi. That's why I'm leaving." She brushed away a lock of crimson hair that had fallen in front of Kurama's face.
"I didn't want to hurt you, Maya…I shouldn't have asked you to marry me. I was wro-"
"Look over there, Shuuichi." She directed his gaze to Hiei. "Hiei is the person who will make you happy, not me…if we married, I know you wouldn't be truly satisfied. That's all there is to it." She called a cab and it stopped in front of them.
"Maya…"
The brunette smiled at him one last time. "You can talk to me at my mother's in a few days." She kissed him on the cheek and sat down into the plush seating. "Hiei loves you and you love him. Just be together, ne?" She closed the door and the cab drove away.
After a few moments of silence, Hiei came up behind him. "Kitsune…" He didn't know what to do in these kinds of complicated situations…he wanted to comfort Kurama…
Fortunately for him, he didn't have to do anything. Kurama turned around to face him. "Let's go home, Hiei." He took the half-Koorime's hand in his and tugged him to the direction of his apartment.
Hiei was silent for a moment, and then he smiled. He entwined their fingers together and let the fox lead the way. "Hai, let's go home."
Hiei was standing by the stove; he was looking down at the red…stuff that was floating inside the pot. Looking behind him at the kitchen table, he saw the mounds of piled vegetable peelings. He grimaced then looked down at the pot once more.
Today was Kurama's birthday. The kitsune would be home from work any minute and he was nowhere close to the surprise dish that he had planned for dinner.
He took a taste of the concoction he was cooking and his face scrunched up at the taste that spread on his tongue. Eck…it was too salty!
Before he could remedy his cooking, he heard the door opening and Kurama's shout of 'Tadaima!' echoing in the small apartment. Hiei lunged at the table to dump all the vegetable peelings in the trashcan when Kurama suddenly walked in.
A year had passed since Kurama broke off his engagement with Maya. He talked with her parents, though they were a bit angry with him, and apologized to them. Both he and Maya announced their cancellation of the wedding and explained to all their friends what had happened.
It was a bit hard on Kurama and Hiei. Some of the people who heard of their relationship looked down at them, even some of the people at Kurama's workplace were giving the kitsune a hard time. Hiei had offered to blast them all with his kokuryuhaa but Kurama laughed and told him that he would be just fine.
Hiei and Maya were still friends, and sometimes, she would come over to have dinner with them, with Kurama cooking of course. She no longer felt sad and even teased the two sometimes. The redhead was glad for her innuendos; it was such a rare occasion to see Hiei blushing every time Maya joked about their sex life.
And Maya was right. Hiei did make Kurama happy. She was glad for the decision she had made, or she would never have seen Kurama smiling so joyfully as he was with his beloved.
"What is that smell?" Kurama caroled teasingly. As every time that Hiei saw the redhead, the vision always took his breath away. Every day he would thank the Gods who gave him a chance to be with Kurama, he was grateful for every touch and every kiss from the youko.
Hiei hid the boiling pot from the kitsune's view. "Nothing." He tried to block Kurama but the youko was just too fast for him and had gotten a spoon of the…stuff…from the pot.
"No, Kurama! Don't!" But it was too late, as soon as the spoon was in his mouth; Kurama coughed and spit out the piece of meat…or was that a vegetable? Hiei handed him a glass of water and the redhead drank it greedily.
After Kurama got rid of the awful taste in his mouth, he sat down on the kitchen table. "What was that?" Hiei sighed.
"I was supposed to cook you a wonderful dinner for your birthday…"
Kurama smiled and walked up to half-koorime. "That's so sweet, Hiei. But you know, koibito. You don't have to do anything for me. Just having you here by my side is the most wonderful present that I could ever had." Holding Hiei's face in his hands, he kissed him on the nose and caressed his cheeks.
Hiei sighed and looked into his life-partner's beautiful emerald eyes. "Ai shitteru, kitsune…" he whispered softly.
Kurama leaned his forehead against Hiei's and answered, "I love you too, koibito…" He leaned closer and captured the fire demon's lips. Automatically, Hiei's hands tangled into his crimson hair and Kurama snaked his arms around his neck.
I don't need anything…I can be happy…as long as I'm with you…Owari
May 5, 2004Thank you to all who followed the story and reviewed!! This is for all you guys!!!