Chapter One
Yuusuke loved these days. They were the best days of the week. The best days came on Fridays, when Kurama was just off school and he himself could finally escape the monotony of sitting and listening to teachers drone on and on about things he really didn't care about. Bells rang, signaling freedom for the entire school, and all he could think about was the bike he had sitting in the parking lot. His bike, and a certain red head's arms wrapped around his waist as they rode off, far from the school.
He took Kurama home every day after school, it'd become a ritual of sorts. But Fridays were special, because on Fridays Kurama wasn't in a rush to get home to see his mother, or to work on more homework. On Fridays the red headed honor student was free, and both of them rode off past the limits of town, up a winding road, to a nice little hill top retreat. It was nothing fancy, just an area that overlooked the city below. Yuusuke had escaped there all the time as a kid, but somehow the place became even more wonderful when he could bring Kurama there.
Yuusuke had no illusions. He knew exactly how he felt about Kurama, who was his exact opposite in every way possible. He, himself, wasn't really a good student. He kept his grades up enough to keep from being held back a grade, but never really more then that. If he could get out of attending class, he did, much to the principal's annoyance, and he certainly didn't associate with the other students at school. In fact, he was much more likely to start a fight, then he was to say 'good morning' to any of them. Yuusuke just wasn't a people person. He never really had been. Meeting Kurama hadn't really changed that. Instead it had simply given him one person he knew he cared about. The rest of the world could still go to hell, just as long as he could keep Kurama.
The road twisted and turned, and Yuusuke took a strange kind of familiar comfort in the fact that he could drive this road blindfolded if he ever needed to. He knew the tilt as they were moving up, he knew the sound of the trees flying by, and he knew the speed of the wind, as it grew just that much stronger the higher they got. But more then that, he knew the feel of Kurama's arms around his waist, and the weight of his helmet resting against his back. That's what he really loved, that feeling of being so close, of simply just being with him.
He lived for Fridays. Really, he did.
The road up to the hilltop was a winding road, twisting and turning between rocks and trees, made up mostly of blind turns and thin lanes, with a railing that overlooked a slight drop-off to the road you were just on a moment ago. The actual size of the landscape was trapped somewhere between a hill and a small mountain, with a cliff on one side that was usually found by students on weekend nights as a make-out spot. Yuusuke and Kurama were two of the only students who showed up there before the sunset, so they usually had the place to themselves.
Yuusuke felt Kurama's hold around his waist tighten just a bit as he made another turn, the road disappearing for a moment in front of him as he sped around the sharp corner. And then the strangest thing happened.
Suddenly he couldn't feel Kurama's arms.
Yuusuke's mind was confused for a moment, then panic hit him hard like a brick. He pulled his bike to a stop so fast he left rubber marks on the pavement and he nearly dropped the thing on it's side as he whirled around and stumbled off the bike, racing down the road to retrace his steps.
He hadn't felt Kurama let go, he hadn't heard him fall off. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was just one moment he was there holding on, and the next Yuusuke was alone, but himself. Kurama would have yelled if he'd fallen off, right? Right?!
Damnit where was he!?
Yuusuke raced up the road, looking around frantically for his friend, and finally found him… oddly two turns back from where he'd stopped feeling him sitting behind him. Yuusuke found the red-haired teen lying on the road side, his eyes closed and not moving.
It didn't occur to him to really think about the fact that there wasn't a single scratch on Kurama. And it didn't occur to him that Kurama was missing his helmet. All he cared about was the fact that his best friend was lying on the side of the road not moving.
A moment later, after sitting there staring at him, trying to figure what to do, Yuusuke remembered that Kurama had a cell phone in his pocket. Reaching over carefully he pulled out the phone and quickly called 911.
The hospital, to him, was a large building. Too large. The thick concrete walls reached up to the sky, high above the trees, and sported windows that reflected the setting sunlight back to blind passerby's. It stood out among all the other large buildings which ningen seemed to love to crowd their world with. It wasn't so much that he hated buildings, even though the distinct difference between this and the world he was born in really rubbed him the wrong way more often then not, it was more that this building in particular seemed to be standing in spite of him.
He'd walked around it for a good couple of hours and finding a crack or a hole to slip inside was nearly impossible. Nearly every other building that he'd ever had the need or urge to get into always had some form of open door or window where he could slip in unnoticed. But not this place. Not a single open window. Damn ningens and their screens.
It looked like his only choice was the front door.
Grumbling and already in a bad mood he shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way toward the front door, his eyes flickering around to all those who he passed as he slipped by.
It wasn't that he stood out, not really, it was simply more that he didn't like being in large groups. Had he been human he would have certainly been an out cast around his peers thanks to his height and odd hair style and deep red eyes. The fact that he was born non-human only added to his discomfort. He wasn't afraid of the humans, he was just hyper aware that he didn't fit in and didn't belong in this world.
Short spikey black hair covered his head, with a strange white set of highlights that crossed in a jagged line just above his forehead. His face, though small, was set out with eyes that were slightly larger and rounded then was normal, and a deep crimson color that often was likened to blood. His other, very non-human aspect, was thankfully covered by a simple white headband which crossed his forehead. The small white bulge was barely even noticeable, save if someone touched his forehead. And he certainly didn't let anyone get that close. The strange black dragon shaped mark on his one arm could be passed off as a tattoo, but at the moment he was wearing long sleeves so it didn't really matter.
In spite of the fact that he did stand out the crowd he looked mostly human, and perhaps that was the reason no one really stopped him when he stepped through the front door of the building. In fact, no one got close to him as he crossed the lobby and made his way down the hallway. Anyone who came close got an immediate death glare, and then they seemed to decide that the strange, short, gothy looking boy wasn't their problem, and left him alone. The boy, himself, simply walked down the hallway, lightly sniffing the air.
He had no idea which room he was in. But nothing in the ningen, not even their disgusting and overly scented perfumes and cleaning concoctions could cover up that smell. He could smell the fox miles away, and this hospital was no exception.
Down the hall, a couple of doors passes through and he came to another hallway that seemed to blend in with everything he'd passed through. The only difference was that the smell stopped here. And sitting, not two feet away, was a boy on a bench, his head in his hands as he fidgeted and waited impatiently.
He knew Yuusuke Urameshi well enough. This one was the unfortunate human boy who'd happened to stumble in on a fight he'd been having with the fox over some matter or another. And it had been the fox who'd saved the human, in spite of his disagreement. The demon boy didn't like humans knowing the truth about his kind, but he liked less the idea of losing the fox to the human, so he dealt with it.
To him, Yuusuke was like any other human. He was normal enough with his short cut hair that he usually kept greased back, and the strange green outfit he wore nearly every day. But, to the demon's surprise, he'd taken it pretty well when he'd found out that his best friend wasn't exactly human, but rather a demon hiding in a human's body. In fact, he'd seemed fascinated by the idea. For better or for worse the human was now on their side… and he still had no idea if that was good or bad.
The demon walked over and lightly kicked at his foot to get his attention.
Yuusuke looked up in surprise. "Hiei? How'd you get here?"
The demon, Hiei, simply tapped his nose and looked to the door beside Yuusuke. "He's in there? With who else?"
"The doctors. They've been in there talking to him since a nurse came out and reported he'd woken up."
Hiei leaned closer to the door, trying to listen in to the conversation inside, but even his ears couldn't make out the words through the thick walls. Damn ningens and their need to wall and close off spaces. "What happened?"
Yuusuke frowned and leaned back in the chair. "I don't know. One moment he was on the back of my bike and then he wasn't. And don't even say he fell off, because I'm sick of that. He did not fall off!"
"Kurama wouldn't fall off." Hiei continued to frown at the door, mentally willing it to open so he could go in. He considered just walking into the room, but there were others there and humans tended to be real touchy about people not doing things like knocking. Hiei hated to knock.
Luckily he didn't need to. In a few moments the door opened and a group of doctors dressed in perfectly bleached whites stepped out. Hiei stepped back and glared at them, simply because they kept blocking the door as they talked amongst themselves. Soon one of them turned to him and Yuusuke, Yuusuke quickly stood up.
"You can go in and see him now, he's doing fine. He doesn't seem to have suffered any trauma from the fall, but we'd like to keep him here for a couple more days."
"Huh? Why? If he's doing fine he doesn't need to stay, right?" Hiei watched Yuusuke protest, then looked back to the doctor. He agreed with Yuusuke, there was no reason for Kurama to stay in this place, he couldn't smell blood.
The doctor frowned a bit. "In spite of the fact that we couldn't find any trauma caused to his head, there is the fact that he was found without a helmet from the bike-"
"He did not fall off!" Yuusuke snapped out, obviously very sick of repeating that fact.
"Fall off or not, Mr. Urameshi, he is suffering from a minor case of amnesia. We would like him to stay for the next few days to determine the exact cause."
Hiei frowned as the room around him fell silent. He noted the shocked look on Yuusuke's face and the saddened look on the doctor's. He himself probably had a look of surprise too, how does one lose their memory? Especially when that memory is attached to a very old fox spirit? He was well aware of how fragile and picky human bodies were, but the memories and the mind, those were stored with the demon possessing the body, weren't they? Did that mean Kurama was faking it? Him losing him memory didn't make any sense.
Frowning even more, Hiei decided he wasn't that patient anymore. Using his lack of height to his advantage he ducked around the doctor and into the hospital room, leaving those two to discuss whatever they wanted. He wasn't interested anymore and he wasn't going to wait any longer.
Hiei stepped into the hospital room and made a small face. He'd thought the hallway outside was white, but the room itself was also white. Not just the walls, but every piece of furniture and little detail in the room was painted the same white color. The only little bits of color were the small buttons on the machines next to Kurama's bed and those were barely even noticeable. Compared to the walls and the entire room, Kurama's long red hair stood out almost like a physical blow. Hiei's eyes flickered around the room out of habit to know his surroundings, then he turned and focused on the boy laying in the bed.
Kurama was actually sitting up a bit, a confused look across his face. He met Hiei's eyes for a moment and Hiei noted that his eyes were a slightly duller color then usual. Kurama, in spite of being in a human body, still stood out from the humans well enough on his own. Whether it was a product of his mother's own uniqueness or his just hidden demon heritage, he managed to stand out among the humans in minor ways. His hair was a bright fiery red which, like most demons, refused to be tamed by any brush or concoction that the humans could come up with. If it wanted to lay smooth except for one area around his neck where the strands curled upward, then it did just that, no matter how he tried to change it. His eyes were the other noticeable factor, shining with an emerald green that carried far more hues and tones then any human eyes ever could. It wasn't the muddled almost mold color that most humans held, but rather a vibrant green which refused to be ignored.
Or at least it had been.
Now, Hiei noticed, Kurama's eyes resembled exactly that human color. That wasn't right. From the way Kurama was looking it was almost like he was completely human, but that couldn't be right at all… right?
Hiei reached up to pull away his headband, aiming to confirm his belief. However, Yuusuke burst into the room and immediately grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare."
Hiei shot a glare at the human boy. "Give me one good reason why not? There's something I need to check."
"Hiei, think, he's got amnesia," Yuusuke lowered his voice. "I think seeing a ten year old kid with a glowing purple eye in the middle of his forehead would probably send him running out of the room. Hold off, K?"
Hiei grumbled and let go of his headband. He hated it when that damn human was right.
As soon as Yuusuke was sure Hiei wasn't going to do anything else 'stupid', he turned back to Kurama. Both of them regarded the red head who was watching both of them curiously. Silence filled the room as none of them really knew what to say. Kurama was finally the one who broke the silence.
"Yuusuke, right? One of you is Yuusuke? That's who they said I was riding the bike with."
Yuusuke nodded and stepped forward as Hiei watched both of them carefully. He itched to pull off his headband and use his jagan, but he didn't. If the fox was now human by some impossible chance, then Yuusuke was right. But Hiei would die before he would admit that in so many words.
"I'm Yuusuke. How are you feeling?"
"All right, I suppose. Mostly just… hazy." The red head flashed a small smile. "I remember my name and my mother and living with her. But… nothing else. They said I fell off a bike."
Yuusuke sighed and took a seat in the chair next to the bed. "Something like that, we don't know completely."
Kurama nodded, seeming to ponder over that for a moment. Hiei had to admit he still acted like a demon. Any human would probably have dropped into hysterics, but Kurama was acting the same as ever. He was always calm and collected, thinking through everything. So maybe this wasn't so serious…
"And you are?"
Hiei blinked and met Kurama's eyes. "Hiei."
Kurama's eyebrows furrowed in deeper thought and soon he shook his head. "Sorry, I don't remember that name."
"You and him are old friends, since before you met me. It's a bit complicated to explain right now." Yuusuke looked ready to stumble over his words a bit more, but Kurama stopped him, which Hiei was thankful for. After all, there was probably was no real un-shocking way to tell someone that he was a demon from the demon world and was probably a good thousand years old. And that was just Kurama's simple history. Hiei's history… well, there was no simple version.
"The doctor said I should be able to go home soon." Kurama gave a helpless almost embarrassed look. "I… where am I staying right now? They said my records say my mother lives in another state."
"You're actually my roommate and um…" Yuusuke fidgeted, trying to piece some words together. Hiei just rolled his eyes, what was the big deal? He was sick of waiting.
"You two are a couple." He said, cutting off Yuusuke's helpless search for words. The room fell into another spell of dead silence as Kurama's eyes widened a bit. Hiei watched him look from Hiei, to Yuusuke, to Hiei again. Then Kurama did one of the strangest things Hiei had ever seen.
Kurama looked away from both of them and blushed.
"We… we're a couple?" He said softly.
"Among… other things." Yuusuke seemed to fidget more, still looking helpless. Hiei wanted to scream. What the hell was wrong with Kurama and why couldn't he use his jagan to find out? What was the point of all this questioning and silence? His eyes narrowed and he stepped toward the bed, just watching both of them. Unfortunately both seemed too occupied with the current discovery to pay any attention to the pissy looking fire demon at the end of the bed.
"It's not that I have… anything against it but… well umm…"
Yuusuke's expression actually fell, but he did a pretty good job of covering it quickly. Or rather he tried to. Hiei was reasonably sure that Kurama caught it as well. "I understand. This is me being good, I promise not to do anything… like that until you're feeling better."
Hiei had had enough. With this subject brought up he wasn't going to get any answers and more likely then not Kurama and Yuusuke were going to be talking about useless annoying stuff until they both fell asleep and Yuusuke had to leave. That's how it always worked. Turning away from them and jamming his hands in his pockets he walked out of the room. He didn't even care if they made any protest. He'd try and learn more tonight.
He hated wasting time.
Yuusuke loved these days. They were the best days of the week. The best days came on Fridays, when Kurama was just off school and he himself could finally escape the monotony of sitting and listening to teachers drone on and on about things he really didn't care about. Bells rang, signaling freedom for the entire school, and all he could think about was the bike he had sitting in the parking lot. His bike, and a certain red head's arms wrapped around his waist as they rode off, far from the school.
He took Kurama home every day after school, it'd become a ritual of sorts. But Fridays were special, because on Fridays Kurama wasn't in a rush to get home to see his mother, or to work on more homework. On Fridays the red headed honor student was free, and both of them rode off past the limits of town, up a winding road, to a nice little hill top retreat. It was nothing fancy, just an area that overlooked the city below. Yuusuke had escaped there all the time as a kid, but somehow the place became even more wonderful when he could bring Kurama there.
Yuusuke had no illusions. He knew exactly how he felt about Kurama, who was his exact opposite in every way possible. He, himself, wasn't really a good student. He kept his grades up enough to keep from being held back a grade, but never really more then that. If he could get out of attending class, he did, much to the principal's annoyance, and he certainly didn't associate with the other students at school. In fact, he was much more likely to start a fight, then he was to say 'good morning' to any of them. Yuusuke just wasn't a people person. He never really had been. Meeting Kurama hadn't really changed that. Instead it had simply given him one person he knew he cared about. The rest of the world could still go to hell, just as long as he could keep Kurama.
The road twisted and turned, and Yuusuke took a strange kind of familiar comfort in the fact that he could drive this road blindfolded if he ever needed to. He knew the tilt as they were moving up, he knew the sound of the trees flying by, and he knew the speed of the wind, as it grew just that much stronger the higher they got. But more then that, he knew the feel of Kurama's arms around his waist, and the weight of his helmet resting against his back. That's what he really loved, that feeling of being so close, of simply just being with him.
He lived for Fridays. Really, he did.
The road up to the hilltop was a winding road, twisting and turning between rocks and trees, made up mostly of blind turns and thin lanes, with a railing that overlooked a slight drop-off to the road you were just on a moment ago. The actual size of the landscape was trapped somewhere between a hill and a small mountain, with a cliff on one side that was usually found by students on weekend nights as a make-out spot. Yuusuke and Kurama were two of the only students who showed up there before the sunset, so they usually had the place to themselves.
Yuusuke felt Kurama's hold around his waist tighten just a bit as he made another turn, the road disappearing for a moment in front of him as he sped around the sharp corner. And then the strangest thing happened.
Suddenly he couldn't feel Kurama's arms.
Yuusuke's mind was confused for a moment, then panic hit him hard like a brick. He pulled his bike to a stop so fast he left rubber marks on the pavement and he nearly dropped the thing on it's side as he whirled around and stumbled off the bike, racing down the road to retrace his steps.
He hadn't felt Kurama let go, he hadn't heard him fall off. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was just one moment he was there holding on, and the next Yuusuke was alone, but himself. Kurama would have yelled if he'd fallen off, right? Right?!
Damnit where was he!?
Yuusuke raced up the road, looking around frantically for his friend, and finally found him… oddly two turns back from where he'd stopped feeling him sitting behind him. Yuusuke found the red-haired teen lying on the road side, his eyes closed and not moving.
It didn't occur to him to really think about the fact that there wasn't a single scratch on Kurama. And it didn't occur to him that Kurama was missing his helmet. All he cared about was the fact that his best friend was lying on the side of the road not moving.
A moment later, after sitting there staring at him, trying to figure what to do, Yuusuke remembered that Kurama had a cell phone in his pocket. Reaching over carefully he pulled out the phone and quickly called 911.
The hospital, to him, was a large building. Too large. The thick concrete walls reached up to the sky, high above the trees, and sported windows that reflected the setting sunlight back to blind passerby's. It stood out among all the other large buildings which ningen seemed to love to crowd their world with. It wasn't so much that he hated buildings, even though the distinct difference between this and the world he was born in really rubbed him the wrong way more often then not, it was more that this building in particular seemed to be standing in spite of him.
He'd walked around it for a good couple of hours and finding a crack or a hole to slip inside was nearly impossible. Nearly every other building that he'd ever had the need or urge to get into always had some form of open door or window where he could slip in unnoticed. But not this place. Not a single open window. Damn ningens and their screens.
It looked like his only choice was the front door.
Grumbling and already in a bad mood he shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way toward the front door, his eyes flickering around to all those who he passed as he slipped by.
It wasn't that he stood out, not really, it was simply more that he didn't like being in large groups. Had he been human he would have certainly been an out cast around his peers thanks to his height and odd hair style and deep red eyes. The fact that he was born non-human only added to his discomfort. He wasn't afraid of the humans, he was just hyper aware that he didn't fit in and didn't belong in this world.
Short spikey black hair covered his head, with a strange white set of highlights that crossed in a jagged line just above his forehead. His face, though small, was set out with eyes that were slightly larger and rounded then was normal, and a deep crimson color that often was likened to blood. His other, very non-human aspect, was thankfully covered by a simple white headband which crossed his forehead. The small white bulge was barely even noticeable, save if someone touched his forehead. And he certainly didn't let anyone get that close. The strange black dragon shaped mark on his one arm could be passed off as a tattoo, but at the moment he was wearing long sleeves so it didn't really matter.
In spite of the fact that he did stand out the crowd he looked mostly human, and perhaps that was the reason no one really stopped him when he stepped through the front door of the building. In fact, no one got close to him as he crossed the lobby and made his way down the hallway. Anyone who came close got an immediate death glare, and then they seemed to decide that the strange, short, gothy looking boy wasn't their problem, and left him alone. The boy, himself, simply walked down the hallway, lightly sniffing the air.
He had no idea which room he was in. But nothing in the ningen, not even their disgusting and overly scented perfumes and cleaning concoctions could cover up that smell. He could smell the fox miles away, and this hospital was no exception.
Down the hall, a couple of doors passes through and he came to another hallway that seemed to blend in with everything he'd passed through. The only difference was that the smell stopped here. And sitting, not two feet away, was a boy on a bench, his head in his hands as he fidgeted and waited impatiently.
He knew Yuusuke Urameshi well enough. This one was the unfortunate human boy who'd happened to stumble in on a fight he'd been having with the fox over some matter or another. And it had been the fox who'd saved the human, in spite of his disagreement. The demon boy didn't like humans knowing the truth about his kind, but he liked less the idea of losing the fox to the human, so he dealt with it.
To him, Yuusuke was like any other human. He was normal enough with his short cut hair that he usually kept greased back, and the strange green outfit he wore nearly every day. But, to the demon's surprise, he'd taken it pretty well when he'd found out that his best friend wasn't exactly human, but rather a demon hiding in a human's body. In fact, he'd seemed fascinated by the idea. For better or for worse the human was now on their side… and he still had no idea if that was good or bad.
The demon walked over and lightly kicked at his foot to get his attention.
Yuusuke looked up in surprise. "Hiei? How'd you get here?"
The demon, Hiei, simply tapped his nose and looked to the door beside Yuusuke. "He's in there? With who else?"
"The doctors. They've been in there talking to him since a nurse came out and reported he'd woken up."
Hiei leaned closer to the door, trying to listen in to the conversation inside, but even his ears couldn't make out the words through the thick walls. Damn ningens and their need to wall and close off spaces. "What happened?"
Yuusuke frowned and leaned back in the chair. "I don't know. One moment he was on the back of my bike and then he wasn't. And don't even say he fell off, because I'm sick of that. He did not fall off!"
"Kurama wouldn't fall off." Hiei continued to frown at the door, mentally willing it to open so he could go in. He considered just walking into the room, but there were others there and humans tended to be real touchy about people not doing things like knocking. Hiei hated to knock.
Luckily he didn't need to. In a few moments the door opened and a group of doctors dressed in perfectly bleached whites stepped out. Hiei stepped back and glared at them, simply because they kept blocking the door as they talked amongst themselves. Soon one of them turned to him and Yuusuke, Yuusuke quickly stood up.
"You can go in and see him now, he's doing fine. He doesn't seem to have suffered any trauma from the fall, but we'd like to keep him here for a couple more days."
"Huh? Why? If he's doing fine he doesn't need to stay, right?" Hiei watched Yuusuke protest, then looked back to the doctor. He agreed with Yuusuke, there was no reason for Kurama to stay in this place, he couldn't smell blood.
The doctor frowned a bit. "In spite of the fact that we couldn't find any trauma caused to his head, there is the fact that he was found without a helmet from the bike-"
"He did not fall off!" Yuusuke snapped out, obviously very sick of repeating that fact.
"Fall off or not, Mr. Urameshi, he is suffering from a minor case of amnesia. We would like him to stay for the next few days to determine the exact cause."
Hiei frowned as the room around him fell silent. He noted the shocked look on Yuusuke's face and the saddened look on the doctor's. He himself probably had a look of surprise too, how does one lose their memory? Especially when that memory is attached to a very old fox spirit? He was well aware of how fragile and picky human bodies were, but the memories and the mind, those were stored with the demon possessing the body, weren't they? Did that mean Kurama was faking it? Him losing him memory didn't make any sense.
Frowning even more, Hiei decided he wasn't that patient anymore. Using his lack of height to his advantage he ducked around the doctor and into the hospital room, leaving those two to discuss whatever they wanted. He wasn't interested anymore and he wasn't going to wait any longer.
Hiei stepped into the hospital room and made a small face. He'd thought the hallway outside was white, but the room itself was also white. Not just the walls, but every piece of furniture and little detail in the room was painted the same white color. The only little bits of color were the small buttons on the machines next to Kurama's bed and those were barely even noticeable. Compared to the walls and the entire room, Kurama's long red hair stood out almost like a physical blow. Hiei's eyes flickered around the room out of habit to know his surroundings, then he turned and focused on the boy laying in the bed.
Kurama was actually sitting up a bit, a confused look across his face. He met Hiei's eyes for a moment and Hiei noted that his eyes were a slightly duller color then usual. Kurama, in spite of being in a human body, still stood out from the humans well enough on his own. Whether it was a product of his mother's own uniqueness or his just hidden demon heritage, he managed to stand out among the humans in minor ways. His hair was a bright fiery red which, like most demons, refused to be tamed by any brush or concoction that the humans could come up with. If it wanted to lay smooth except for one area around his neck where the strands curled upward, then it did just that, no matter how he tried to change it. His eyes were the other noticeable factor, shining with an emerald green that carried far more hues and tones then any human eyes ever could. It wasn't the muddled almost mold color that most humans held, but rather a vibrant green which refused to be ignored.
Or at least it had been.
Now, Hiei noticed, Kurama's eyes resembled exactly that human color. That wasn't right. From the way Kurama was looking it was almost like he was completely human, but that couldn't be right at all… right?
Hiei reached up to pull away his headband, aiming to confirm his belief. However, Yuusuke burst into the room and immediately grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare."
Hiei shot a glare at the human boy. "Give me one good reason why not? There's something I need to check."
"Hiei, think, he's got amnesia," Yuusuke lowered his voice. "I think seeing a ten year old kid with a glowing purple eye in the middle of his forehead would probably send him running out of the room. Hold off, K?"
Hiei grumbled and let go of his headband. He hated it when that damn human was right.
As soon as Yuusuke was sure Hiei wasn't going to do anything else 'stupid', he turned back to Kurama. Both of them regarded the red head who was watching both of them curiously. Silence filled the room as none of them really knew what to say. Kurama was finally the one who broke the silence.
"Yuusuke, right? One of you is Yuusuke? That's who they said I was riding the bike with."
Yuusuke nodded and stepped forward as Hiei watched both of them carefully. He itched to pull off his headband and use his jagan, but he didn't. If the fox was now human by some impossible chance, then Yuusuke was right. But Hiei would die before he would admit that in so many words.
"I'm Yuusuke. How are you feeling?"
"All right, I suppose. Mostly just… hazy." The red head flashed a small smile. "I remember my name and my mother and living with her. But… nothing else. They said I fell off a bike."
Yuusuke sighed and took a seat in the chair next to the bed. "Something like that, we don't know completely."
Kurama nodded, seeming to ponder over that for a moment. Hiei had to admit he still acted like a demon. Any human would probably have dropped into hysterics, but Kurama was acting the same as ever. He was always calm and collected, thinking through everything. So maybe this wasn't so serious…
"And you are?"
Hiei blinked and met Kurama's eyes. "Hiei."
Kurama's eyebrows furrowed in deeper thought and soon he shook his head. "Sorry, I don't remember that name."
"You and him are old friends, since before you met me. It's a bit complicated to explain right now." Yuusuke looked ready to stumble over his words a bit more, but Kurama stopped him, which Hiei was thankful for. After all, there was probably was no real un-shocking way to tell someone that he was a demon from the demon world and was probably a good thousand years old. And that was just Kurama's simple history. Hiei's history… well, there was no simple version.
"The doctor said I should be able to go home soon." Kurama gave a helpless almost embarrassed look. "I… where am I staying right now? They said my records say my mother lives in another state."
"You're actually my roommate and um…" Yuusuke fidgeted, trying to piece some words together. Hiei just rolled his eyes, what was the big deal? He was sick of waiting.
"You two are a couple." He said, cutting off Yuusuke's helpless search for words. The room fell into another spell of dead silence as Kurama's eyes widened a bit. Hiei watched him look from Hiei, to Yuusuke, to Hiei again. Then Kurama did one of the strangest things Hiei had ever seen.
Kurama looked away from both of them and blushed.
"We… we're a couple?" He said softly.
"Among… other things." Yuusuke seemed to fidget more, still looking helpless. Hiei wanted to scream. What the hell was wrong with Kurama and why couldn't he use his jagan to find out? What was the point of all this questioning and silence? His eyes narrowed and he stepped toward the bed, just watching both of them. Unfortunately both seemed too occupied with the current discovery to pay any attention to the pissy looking fire demon at the end of the bed.
"It's not that I have… anything against it but… well umm…"
Yuusuke's expression actually fell, but he did a pretty good job of covering it quickly. Or rather he tried to. Hiei was reasonably sure that Kurama caught it as well. "I understand. This is me being good, I promise not to do anything… like that until you're feeling better."
Hiei had had enough. With this subject brought up he wasn't going to get any answers and more likely then not Kurama and Yuusuke were going to be talking about useless annoying stuff until they both fell asleep and Yuusuke had to leave. That's how it always worked. Turning away from them and jamming his hands in his pockets he walked out of the room. He didn't even care if they made any protest. He'd try and learn more tonight.
He hated wasting time.