"What did you do to me...Kurama?"

Kurama could feel the blade against his throat. He could feel the skin give and the first drop of blood stain the blade.

Hiei glared at him. His whole body was shaking now. His eyes burned into Kurama.

But even Kurama didn't understand the emotion there.

Not hate.

There was no hate in those red eyes of this fire demon.

"Hiei..." Kurama breathed and reached up to touch the demon's face.

Hiei jerked away from the touch. His eyes closed, his teeth clenched.

"What did you do?" Hiei demanded again.

"I..."

"What did you do?" Hiei's eyes were open now. The blade, which had been slackening, once again pressed against Kurama's throat. "You...I look at you...and I don't understand...I look at you and I want...I want..." Hiei visibly swollowed the words. The one hand that had been at Kurama's throat now brushed his lips and suddenly Kurama understood. "What is this in my mind....a memory that never was....?"

The flower.

That little flower...

How could Kurama ever have believed that Hiei remembering him would be a good thing?

Why...

Why in the end did it always turn out like this?

"Hiei..." Kurama whispered. "I'm sorry....I'm so sorry..."

When had Kurama's eyes gotten hot? When had the tears started to fall down his cheek? And for whom were those tears? For Hiei? For Kurama?

Kurama couldn't say.

He hated that he couldn't say.

So he said nothing.

He reached out and with his two hands, he touched Hiei's face.

This was better than words.

Hiei didn't fight him. The sword at his throat slipped. Kurama reached up and gentle as the fall of snow or the light of the moon, he kissed Hiei.

Hiei sighed against his mouth.

"Kurama..." Hiei said.

Perhaps the moment, strange as it was, dangerous as it had seemed, had been too nearly perfect. Perhaps Kurama was right. Perhaps things, in the end, truly did, always turn out for the worst. Or perhaps, it was the feel of the Jaganshi and the smell of blood that caused it.

Perhaps.

Wasn't it blood and a kiss that had begun everything?

Perhaps it was merely what was meant to happen at this moment.

Perhaps.

But whatever it was, Kurama had lifted the hand that had rested on Hiei's chest and his green eyes slipped closed.

Hiei moaned in his throat now and pressed closer to Kurama.

Then Kurama opened his eyes.

They peered over Hiei's shoulder at Tohru where he stood, looking as incredulous as Kurama had ever seen him. As hurt as he had ever seen him...And for once, the look didn't make his heart ache.

This human didn't make his heart ache.

Human.

Kurama wasn't human.

And when he opened his eyes, they were not human.

Tohru saw that.

His eyes widened.

He stepped back.

But that didn't matter.

Kurama's gold eyes settled on the Jaganshi holding him and Kurama smiled against that small mouth.

"Fool." Kurama whispered and the hand hovering over Hiei's chest suddenly moved.

Hiei cried out.

"Minamino!" Tohru shouted.

From the roof of the school, eight grey birds suddenly took flight into the grey, endless sky.

...to be continued...