Title: On Beauty and Trust
Summary: It wasn't that Kurama was pretty. (HieiKurama, introspective)
Notes: Well, I was poking through my LiveJournal and found this from a month or so ago and thought, "Well, I posted that one about Kuwabara and Yukina..." And I thought it was fairly decent. And I find Hiei to be a very fun point of view to write from. And 'cause HieixKurama is just ohsofun. Oh, and the title? Totally pulled out of my ass. Heh.
Disclaimer: あのう。。。えとう。。。えいごで はなしません。。。(Translation: "Um... eh... I don't speak English..." 'Cause I don't. Clearly. And therefore... Er... runawayrunaway!)
On Beauty and Trust
It wasn't that Kurama was pretty.
Though he was, in both human and youko form, the former of which Hiei found curious. As a youko, Hiei knew that Kurama was basically genetically engineered to be beautiful, but he was equally lovely as a human. Perhaps Kurama had some sort of influence on his appearance in the womb, Hiei supposed. He didn't look much like his human mother, after all.
But that wasn't the point. Because it wasn't about how Kurama looked.
Hiei had seen plenty of demons of many shapes and sizes, some hideously ugly and some stunningly beautiful, though most Hiei passed by without thinking much on the matter. Beauty was something that tended to lose its effectiveness when one obtained a third eye; typically, it really was only skin deep, especially where demons were concerned.
Kurama was different.
He didn't use to be, this Hiei clearly knew; Kurama was a Youko, a Prankster, a malicious fox-spirit who stole and took pleasure out of playing vicious games. Hiei admired this about him; Kurama didn't have qualms about much of anything, with the exception of killing humans. And that was because of his abrupt run-in with human emotions, where Youko suddenly grew aware that there were more feelings than anger and lust.
And now he was Youko, he was Minamino Shuuichi, he was Kurama.
He was all three.
And he was the closest thing that Hiei had ever had to a partner.
No other creature had ever come so close to Hiei's secrets. Hiei wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't let them, or they hadn't cared. But Kurama had cared, and he was stubborn and patient enough to gently press through Hiei's reservations and paranoia. And he hadn't betrayed Hiei, despite his knowledge. He had never betrayed his secrets, though he easily could.
But that wasn't the odd part.
What confused Hiei was that he got the feeling that Kurama never would. It wasn't a business partnership entirely, because Kurama wasn't gaining from keeping his silence. It would ruin the partnership if he did, but it wasn't as if Kurama couldn't take Hiei in a fight, or at least get away successfully. But if nothing was at stake -- if Hiei hated Kurama, if they were no longer Tantei, if Kurama had nothing to lose --, it didn't seem like Kurama would tell.
This was an enigma; this was an oddity; this was unprecedented, and this made Hiei nervous.
Especially since he didn't know why he kept telling Kurama his secrets, allowing the youko closer, finding himself increasingly comfortable when Kurama was with him.
It wasn't because Kurama was pretty.
It was because Hiei trusted him.
And Hiei wasn't sure if he could believe that.