It was night.

Kurama arrived home, set his key on the hanger and went upstairs. He hadn't removed his shoes.

His mother was gone. She wouldn't be back for another night. Business trip.

The house was still.

From outside he heard the trees move in the wind. He heard a truck passing by. He heard on the horizon, a storm.

What had he done?

Genkai's laughter had sobered quick enough. "Do you understand, now, fox?" she had concluded.

He understood.

When Kurama opened the door to his room, he wasn't suprised to see Hiei. He must have been waiting in the tree outside the window. He stared at Kurama hesitating by the door. "What's wrong, fox?" he asked.

Kurama just peered back at him with wide eyes, then turned and closed the door behind him.

"Kurama?" Hiei said.

Genkai had been adament. "Don't you know anything, fox?" she had said.

Had he? Had Kurama known all along and yet he had let things continue? He looked up at Hiei who was crossing the room.

The light wasn't on. It didn't need to be on. Even had the moonlight, now disapearing behind rain-clouds, been completely absent, Kurama could have seen Hiei's face. Those red eyes were narrow enough to be alouf, concerned enough to have changed from a few months ago. Kurama had done that to him. Looking into that worry now, he felt ashamed.

"Hiei..." Kurama began and looked up.

The Jiganshi was a lot closer than he had been moments ago. He had reached out and taken a hold of a strand of Kurama's hair and was turning it over and over in his hands. Kurama tried to pull away and Hiei suddenly reached out and grabbed his chin, brushing their lips together.

"Stop!" Kurama gasped.

Hiei didn't listen. "I went to see Koenma, Kurama." he said as he kissed Kurama's neck. "He told me he knew nothing about jagans." Hiei laughed. "Obviously, he was lying."

"Hiei..." Kurama was trying to push Hiei away, but he couldn't. His mind whispered that he should protect this, his friend, but another part of him, darker and crafty, whispered that this wasn't his friend, this demon before him, touching him, was simply his. His. His what?

"He knows something." Hiei was saying, his tongue licking Kurama's lips. "I don't need my jagan to be working to know that."

Kurama barely heard him.

"You know the only way to help him, Kurama." Genkai was saying in his mind. "If it isn't too late."

"And if it is?"

"You know what that means, too."

Hiei had wrapped his tongue around Kurama's and Kurama could feel Hiei's teeth pressing, flirting against his tongue and despite himself Kurama gasped. Hiei leaned into him and Kurama lay back until he was supporting the full weight of the fire demon. His breaths were coming too fast. His crafty, clever mind was failing him.

When had things changed?

Why did that thought come through his mind again?

What, he asked himself, had changed?

What, he asked himself, hadn't?

He could feel Hiei's hands on his chest, feel his hips against his own. He was responding to that kiss and on their own violation, his hands were reaching up, brushing against the bare skin of Hiei's arms.

"Stop." he was whispering, fooling no one.

Had he always been this selfish, he wondered, or was this human body, this human soul and mind, the first that had made him realize it? Perhaps that is why he stayed here with his human mother, deceiving her just to feel her love a little longer. Perhaps that was why he was deceiving Hiei. When, he wondered, had he gotten so lonely?

He smiled against Hiei's mouth. That was the human. There. He had isolated the problem. It was simple now. Once confronted, his fear would vanish along with his doubts. Genkai was wrong. It couldn't have been Kurama who had caused the problem with Hiei's jagan. It couldn't have been his kiss, his blood.

But, it was.

Hiei's teeth had been pressing down, Hiei was moaning in his throat. Kurama closed his eyes and with every ounce of will left inside of him pushed Hiei away.

Hiei fell onto the floor with an undignified thud.

"What the hell are you doing, fox?" Hiei growled.

Kurama didn't answer. His breathing was too fast. He lay upon the bed with his hands over his eyes. Such a childish tactic, his mind chided, it isn't true that if you close your eyes the world disapears.

"Kurama?" Hiei whispered from closer and Kurama felt him touch his arm.

Kurama pulled away, but Hiei's grip grew stronger, pulling his hands off of his eyes.

"Kurama. Kurama." Hiei was saying and kissing Kurama's closed eye-lids.

He tried to tell him. Tried to open his mouth and say the words. "It's my fault." Those were easy words. Monosyllables.

He should never have helped the Jiganshi. He should never have unsealed the jagan. He should have told his mother he was a demon. He should have left when he had the chance.

"Hiei..." he whispered and when that mouth sealed over his own, he didn't make a sound because being so smart, he knew when you don't want to tell the truth or a lie, the best thing to do is say nothing at all.

...to be continued...