m-d: crying

Hiei: What? You finally realized your writing skills.

m-d: No. My idea for the chapter I'm about to write is so bad!!!

Hiei: THE WHY THE HELL AM I IN IT?!

m-d: because…evil look at Hiei…

Hiei:…….

The whole gang - being Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, Koenma, and Genkai were at Genkai's temple, discussing different subjects. They were expecting Hiei to drop by after a while, and were still in the waiting.

" So, does anyone know where Hiei is?" Keiko asked out of the blue. No one knew.

The Koorime awoke slowly from his slumber in his tree at the park, opening his ruby eyes to a snow covered world. He hadn't really been sleeping - he hadn't really been sleeping for the past month - and he was glad they hadn't been sent on any new missions during that time. Sitting up, he looked around and noticed what time it was.

" Damn!" he stood sharply and sped off into the afternoon wind, rushing to the Genkai household where he should have been hours ago. They were all going to spend their Christmas Eve at a sleepover at the elder's temple, and they had somehow convinced him to join them. As he flitted through the trees his dream returned to his mind.

His dream was the same he had been having over the past month. It was mostly memory from his childhood - memories that usually made him cry at the mere thought of how intense they were - but he had stopped the tears a while ago. Probably because his body couldn't produce that much stress anymore.

After a few minutes of flitting quickly, Hiei arrived that Genkai's temple, landing on top of the stone steps. Slowly, the fire youkai walked his way to the main building, looking at the soft snow under his black covered feet.

The Koorime stepped up into the porch and made his way slowly to the door.

From inside, Kuwabara heard faint footsteps from the porch - being as he was the closest one to the door. " Hiei finally showed up." he announced loudly as he got up and opened the door.

Hiei stood ready to open the door when it flew open before him, presenting a very annoying nigen that was eager to make fun of anything the youkai did. Kuwabara opened his eyes to spy down on Hiei. He held in a gasp.

" What?" Hiei asked in defense. Getting no answer, he stepped inside - keeping his eyes on the strange behavior of Kuwabara.

" Hiei! What happened!?" Kurama asked as everyone else thought the same question at the sight of him. The fire youkai looked deathly pale, and anyone could tell he wasn't alright by the essence of him. Hiei's ruby eyes widened.

" What are you talking about kitsune?"

Yukina rushed over to him and gently led him into Genkai's guest room. " I want you to lay down Hiei, while I go get you something to eat." Yukina ordered and left the room - leaving everyone else in the room with him.

Suddenly, a beeping noise erupted from Koenma's pocket, and he pulled out a communicator device, flipping it on quickly. After a few minutes he shut it off and turned to leave.

" I'm sorry everybody, but I have to get back to work. I'll be back as soon as possible." And with that statement he left back to Spirit World. The group all took seats - except for Hiei, and they all sat pensively.

" So…" Yusuke started, " What happened Hiei? You look terrible." The nigen was determined to get an answer from the youkai that stood in the middle of the room.

" Nothing." Hiei replied. He could feel the gazes of everyone on him. Heads turned as the door opened.

" Hiei, I told you to lay down." Yukina said as she placed her tray of food on the table nearest and walked toward him.

" I'm fine! Why does everybody think that I'm not?!" The fire demon said in annoyance - not aiming it at Yukina at all. Kurama stood slowly, making Yukina stop and the others turn their attention.

" Hiei.." he said and looked at him with his stern emerald eyes. "You're not fine. I can tell. And unless you tell me what you did to make you this way I'm going to keep asking. And so is Kuwabara, Keiko, Yusuke, Yukina, and Genkai. So tell us exactly what happened today - everything- and then we'll leave you alone." At this point the rest of them stood and circled around the red eyed demon.

" Fine. You want to know what I did today? I'll tell you." Hiei started, too annoyed to care about anything else but getting them off his back. "This morning I woke up, then I walked around the park and had some sweet snow. Then I went into a tree and slept until I woke up and noticed what time it was and rushed over here. Happy?" he announced. With a nod, everybody left the room - leaving Hiei alone with his twin.

" Now that wasn't so hard now was it?" Yukina asked with a smile. " Could you please at least sit on the bed while you eat Hiei- san?"

With a sigh of defeat, the fire youkai took his seat slowly on the soft bed. Yukina handed him a steaming bowl of soup and sat in front of him as he took it. He swirled the contents as he looked at them as if in a daze, taking sips very now and then.

When he had eaten about a fourth of it, the ice maiden took the bowl and placed it on the table once again. Gently, she pulled him off the warm bed and pulled back the sheets.

" You should get some sleep Hiei." she said with a smile. Hiei, his senses dulled by the warmth the soup filled him with, sat on the bed slowly. Yukina pushed him down to lay on the bed and pulled the sheets over him - giving him an even warmer feel. He felt his ruby eyes start to close slowly, and the last picture he had before he was off in his dreams was his sister smiling warmly at him.

The door to the guest room was opened, revealing Yukina carrying the bowl of soup that was for Hiei.

" So?" Keiko asked at the sight. Yukina smiled.

" He's asleep." The group collectively sighed. They never thought that even one of them would be able to get him to sleep, let alone eat. Yukina headed to the kitchen with the bowl and rinsed it out after disposing of the remaining soup. When she returned and took her seat Yusuke began the conversation.

" What could've made him like this?" he asked mostly to himself.

" Well, he only mentioned eating some sweet snow today. Maybe he just didn't eat enough." Keiko reasoned. Kuwabara and Yusuke nodded in agreeing.

" That can't be it." Genkai said from one of the corner chairs. " I know for a fact that most demons can go for at least a day without food and still be energized. There's something more."

" I agree." Kurama interjected. " Maybe he hasn't been resting. I mean, he did have tired eyes." The group nodded. Everyone knew that Kurama was the only one that ever understood the fire demon - or at least he was the closest that they could get.

" Kurama's probably right. So now our next question is, why?" Kuwabara piped in.

" Maybe we should go check on him - to see if we can find anything wrong." Yusuke proposed. Kurama was the first to head in, followed by Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, and Genkai. Yukina slowly entered last. The group circled the bed and watched Hiei sleep. He didn't look like the arrogant demon they knew him to be, but instead like a small boy. There were no anger filled or pain filled marks on his face - and he looked like he was at peace with the world. They stood there for a few moments watching his slow breathing - looking for anything out of the ordinary.

" Um… guys?" Kuwabara started. " It's kind of warm in here, don't you think?" he asked. Everyone turned their attention to the room. He was right. The wooden room was much warmer than the rest of the house - and it had been rising in temperature while they were watching Hiei.

" I'm going to open the window to let some of this heat out." Yukina declared as she made her way to the window above the bed. As she approached there was an enormous explosion from the wall. As the dust cleared they found that one of Genkai's writing desks had exploded. Then followed a pot from the other side of the room. Kuwabara held Yukina tight from the shattered pieces - not wanting her hurt.

" What the hell just happened?!" Yusuke shouted as the dust cleared.

" I'm not sure." the kitsune said, examining a piece of the shattered pot that he had picked up.

" It was the demon." Genkai said sternly.

" What? What demon? Where!?" Yusuke shouted, ready to pulverize his next escaped demon victim.

" I don't understand Genkai." Kurama said as he walked to Hiei's bedside - gazing at the sleeping demon who hadn't even noticed the explosions around him.

" Wait. Are you saying Shorty did it?" Kuwabara asked from beside the elder.

" Yes."

"But how? He's asleep."

Genkai paced up to the other side of the bed - opposite of the kitsune. " Yes, you are correct Dimwit, Hiei is asleep. Even if I yelled at him he wouldn't awake. But yet even if he is asleep, his power may not be." she explained. Hiei turned in his sleep to face Kurama - his hand landing on Kurama's tiredly.

" But, Genkai - sama, this has never happened before. Why does his power all of a sudden stay awake?" Yukina asked softly from her place in Kuwabara's arms.

Genkai sighed.

" Maybe it has to do with his age." Keiko suggested. "Like how an old man needs medication and stuff. Maybe Hiei is too old to control his powers when he's not awake." she finished, quite proud at her thought out assumption.

" That's probably it." Yusuke said , earning a smile from Keiko. " He has lived for more than 500 years."

They heard rustling from the bed and turned to see Hiei sitting up in bed, his eyes not fully awake. He looked around the room at everyone. Then at the shattered pieces of pot an desk.

" What the hell happened?" he asked sharply to Yusuke.

" Well, as you can see, the desk and pot exploded." he replied with a fake smile. Hiei glared.

" Why?" the demon asked further. His glare deepened as he watched the nigen try to think of an answer and the wood behind Yusuke started to break. Yusuke jumped. Hiei's eyes widened.

Kurama placed a hand on Hiei's shoulder, trying to calm him down. The Koorime turned to face him curiously. The two gazed into each other's eyes, and the kitsune studied the look in Hiei's ruby eyes to try and find something wrong - a reason for his loss of control. " That can't be it." Kurama said, turning to face Keiko as he let his hand fall from Hiei's shoulder. " He isn't that old. I would dare to say that it is the opposite of your proposition in age."

" Are you saying that instead of being too old he's too young?"

"What the hell are you morons talking about?! I am right here!" Hiei asked in rage. He hated to be clueless for long. Especially when it involved him.

" Hiei." Kurama said. " How old are you - demon years."

"Why?"

" Just answer the question."

" 530." Hiei said, studying Kurama carefully.

" Then Keiko must be right! I don't think 530 is too young Kurama." Yusuke retorted.

" But think of what that is in human years if you consider how long fire youkai tend to live." the kitsune counteracted.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!! TELL ME!!!!" Hiei shouted. He couldn't stand being clueless about a conversation on himself.

Everyone in the room except Hiei paused and looked at him.

"What?" he said defensively.

The group burst out laughing. Hiei-the great and feared demon of the Makai- was whining like a little kid. Yukina was the first to recover, closely followed by Kurama, then the rest.

" I think you are right Kurama." Keiko said and walked over to the other side of the bed since Genkai had left.

"Right about what?" Hiei asked as he looked at the kitsune curiously. Kurama smiled.

" That you are very young." he answered.

" I am not!" Hiei said. " I've lived longer than everyone in this household!!"

" Yes, that is true." Kurama started calmly. " But how old are you in human years?"

Hiei paused - staring at Kurama for a few moments.

"Kuwabara! How old are you!?" Hiei shouted quickly at him.

" Why?"

" Just tell me!!"

" 16..."

Hiei thought for a nanosecond. " Damn…" he said and visibly sagged on the bed. "I hate you." he said to Kuwabara, Kurama chuckling.

" You need your rest." Keiko interrupted, pushing Hiei down onto the bed. Kurama kept him down as Keiko pulled up the soft blankets. Everyone except Kurama left the room, expecting the kitsune to get Hiei to sleep.

The two stared into each other's eyes, both of them relaxing from the excitement. Hiei felt his eyes start to slowly droop in exhaustion. Kurama found himself giving the fire demon a soft kiss and watched as Hiei gave him a genuine smile before sleep took him over.

"Good night Hiei." Kurama whispered as he left the room, savoring the taste of spices that Hiei had given him as a good night present.

m-d: I can't believe where this went!!

Hiei: sweat drop

M-d: Well, I didn't really have a plan for this story, but now I do!! So tell me if you want to continue, and if you do tell me if you want more HxK!!

Hiei: please tell her….

M-d: Do you want more HxK?

Hiei:………..blushing…….

M-d: Thought so…annoying laugh