10 Years of Waiting
by Kurohi Tatsaki
Day 20 - Never to Wilt
Disclaimer - I don't own YYH, & never will. After all, I'm not Yoshihiro Togashi. Kurohi, Yamiryuinu, Shirokoori, & all the other original characters *I* & Kohaku Frost come up with are property of Beware of Mage & Tsuki Ryu Productions. Use our characters without permission & we will be pissed. One thing's for sure: I'm thankful for copy & paste! There's no WAY I'm going to rewrite this whole disclaimer over & over again!
I now highly dislike FF.Net! They banned the lemon series of this! If you want to read it, just tell me by review/e-mail, okay? Not only that, I can't update for a while, but I guess that once you're reading this, I'm no longer suspended, which means that it must be some time after: "07-27-03 06:59pm pst.," which is what I found in place of my Upload Chapter box.
Fanfiction.net wouldn't load up around 8:20PM on the 27th, so I apologize for the not-as-prompt-as-even-*I*-would-like update.
KT: "Hiei-san! Will you help me get revenge on ff.net?"
Hiei: *fang-showing smirk* "Sure! They had no right to ban that side-series of this fic!! & weren't you about ready to go into one juicy scene with me & My Fox?"
KT: "Yes! Don't kill me, Hiei!! It was gonna happen twice in this one chapter!! Waaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Hiei: *looking flustered* "Ah, ah, don't cry you baka ningen!!"
Kurama: *comes into the room* "Hiei, why are you tormenting the author of 10YoW?"
KT: "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--------------------- -------------------------!!"
Hiei: "Boku wa nai! She just burst out into tears like I was gonna use my Kokuryu!"
KT: *blinks* "Y-You weren't gonna kill me?"
Hiei: "Hell no! You're one of the only authors that don't put me through much in order to for me to get My Fox!"
KT: "Yay!" ^_^ *glomps Hiei*
Hiei: *thinking* (Get. Off. Me. You. Baka. Ningen.)
Kurama: "Not only that, she doesn't draw us half bad! She wishes she had a working scanner so she could show everyone how her drawing style is! It's constantly improving!"
KT: "You're too kind, Kurama!" *glomps Kurama* "I'm gonna put in extra effort in drawing you two and Kurohi!"
Hiei: "Hn."
Kurama: *grinning* "Thank you!"
Kurohi: *wakes up from a nap* "Huh? What did I miss?"
Kage Kitsune - Arigato for your undying support & listening to my rage! Things like this, when I was younger, would never bug me in such a short span of time, but because I'm a late teen... Y'get the picture.
JinE4 ... or was it "Who Cares"? - Unless I do a lemon scene, Botan won't be shoving her spoon up her ass any time soon. ;) I'm trying to get more Hiei/Kurama in here. I'll have to e-mail you about the dictionary stuff, as I have too much to fit in this chapter.
Black Magician Girl - due to a certain period of lack of inspiration and temporary banning from uploading on ff.net, I haven't been able to update quickly. That will most likely, soon change as soon as I get to my "remake of Poltergeist Report".
The-FOX - (from review of chapter one) Here is more Hiei and Kurama. I swear, there is NO appearance of Kurohi OR Koenma here, but maybe a mild amount of reference.
Anyway, first person to get the review counter up to 100 gets a character picture (from my fic) drawn by me!
//telepathy// [thoughts] (A/N: I decided to change it. It gets too confusing with quotation marks.)
Warning: There is slight sap in this chapter!
--------------------------------
"Hiei."
I shift in my sleep, turning to one side. The color I see behind my eyelids brightens a little. I must be facing the window...
"Hi~~ei~..."
I snuggle up into the cool sheets, chin almost halfway tucked against my collar and sigh.
"Wake up, Hiei. I have something for you."
I slide my eyes open and gaze into close twin pools of green and yawn. "Hai, kitsune...?"
He leans in and kisses me almost fully awake. I pull him a little closer around the shoulders and gently bite his bottom lip. I lick it afterwards in almost unnecessary apology.
Kurama purred and slowly pulled away from me. My groggy, but clearing brain finally realized what he was *wearing*!
"Kurama~...? What the hell...?" I frowned at his clothing - very tight black leather, and realized I wasn't drowsy any longer - almost bordering on the edge of hyper like I had consumed a large amount of sweet-snow.
Anyway, Kurama sat on the bed in a cat's pose, but his hands were outside his knees. Leather sleeves started at the elbow and stopped at the wrist; also, the same happened to his calves, starting at the knee and ending at the ankle. He wore a black choker with a leash-like chain attached to it around his neck. His face was flushed softly with arousal. The leather didn't even cover up his manly parts - which were slightly "perky"!
"Do you like what you see, koi?"
"Hnn......" [Why's he up earlier than me?] I smile nervously as I eye his "treasure".
"What's the matter, koi?"
"This is rather.. different of you, fox."
"When compared to my Youko side, it's not much of a change." He straddles my thighs. "Now, it's my turn to be dominant."
I grabbed the chain. "Not THIS time, fox!"
He pulled off the choker, which actually WASN'T fastened at all, and hooked it to my own neck. "You're not one to talk, Hiei-chan."
["Hiei-chan"?] I thought with confusion.
"Look at what you're wearing, you kawaii little neko-chan."
I looked down at myself. I wore black, just like Kurama. I had a cat's tail connected to my backside by green vines and a pair of ears in the form of one of those girlie headbands on my head.
"How the fuck did you... Mmmmmm..." I groaned as he kissed me. I would have to figure out how he got all this stuff on me *later*...
***
I opened my eyes and gazed at the ceiling. I rested on my koibito's chest, hearing his human heartbeat beat steadily near my ear. Carefully I toy with a tendril of my ebony hair, wrapping it loosely around my finger before letting it go. Cautiously, I rolled off Kurama's chest and stood up, away from my fox. I pulled my ningen clothes on, and walked downstairs. I was almost startled out of my wits as I walked down the stairs halfway and heard, "Shuuichi! We're home!"
I flitted up the stairs and was greeted by a waking Kurama. He rubbed his eyes, threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt, and dashed downstairs. I grabbed a rubber band on my way out of his room and followed behind him, tying back my hair as I went.
"Kon'nichi wa, 'Kaasan, 'Tosan, Shuuichi-chan!" greeted Kurama, hugging everyone at once.
"Ah, Shuuichi! You're up! Can you make lunch?"
"Lunch...?" he echoed. It seemed to dawn on him and he chuckled. "Oh, okay! Hiei, you want to help?"
I snorted with a "Hn," but nodded anyway. I had a feeling he would use this as an excuse to talk to me in private. After all, I couldn't really cook with ningen appliances.
"Hiei, do you think we should tell them about us?" he asked as he pulled out various goodies from the refrigerator to make sandwiches with.
I leaned against the side of the 'frige. "You're old enough to say that we're together, fox, are you not? In any case, if they love you, they should be able to accept you." [And me..] I added silently.
Kurama sighed. "All right. We tell them after we eat." He continued to make the sandwiches and when he was through, he gave me the plate, which I took without a word. He put away the goodies and took the plate from me. I pouted slightly but brushed it off a second later. I followed the crimson- haired beauty back into the dining room, the very same where we realized our love for each other. I seated myself next to Kurama as he set the plate down in the middle of the table and sat down next to me as well. We helped ourselves to the sandwiches.
"How was your vacation?" politely asked Kurama, swallowing a bite of his sandwich.
She smiled happily. "Oh, very pleasant. Shuuichi had a nice time at the beach in California, didn't you?"
"Ha ha!" He grinned. "I had dad rent a couple of boards and rode the waves! There was this pretty huge one and I almost got dunked!"
Kurama chuckled. "What about you, 'Kaasan?"
"I didn't do much, except for watch over little Shuuichi and chit-chat with your father."
"Okaasan, I'm not 'little' anymore!" protested Shuuichi.
She pouted a little. "But, you're still younger than your brother."
A bit of silence.
Shiori uttered, looking at my love, "So, Shuuichi, who's your friend?"
"Boku wa Hiei," I muttered.
"He's a friend of mine who needed a place to stay for a while," he answered politely, despite the fact I had said who I was. I also get the feeling he didn't want to reveal the truth just yet. "I hope you don't mind, 'Kaasan."
"Not at all. Where's he sleeping?" she asked sweetly.
"My room," he replied.
"Ah."
Some time passed and we polished off the abundance of sandwiches that Kurama had made. As he cleared the table, Shiori made a fuss on my hair. I bit back a shiver as she gently tugged at the ends. "My, my! It's so *long*! I would have thought that Shuuichi was the only one who liked his hair long. Is it a trend?"
"I guess, considering how popular Shuuichi is." [At least, in his school years while in what you humans call Junior High School.]
"Um, 'Kaasan?" uttered Kurama as everyone began to filter out of the room. They paused as Kurama spoke. "There's something I... no.. Hiei and I, need to tell you," he said as I strode over to Kurama.
"Shuuichi, nan desu ka?"
I wrapped both my arms around his right one and leaned close to him, closing one eye and keeping the other lazily open. My chin rested on his biceps.
"Hiei is more than a friend to me... He and I are.."
"Lovers," I finished for him.
Kurama kept an eye on his mother's reaction. She chuckled. "No wonder you never got a girlfriend! How long have you known him?" she asked good- naturedly.
Inside myself, I was surprised. So humans weren't ALL narrow-minded.
"Umm... Eighteen years. I met him when I was ten, but we weren't really friends back then."
[More like enemies,] I thought.
Little Shuuichi gaped at his brother. His face clouded with fury and fear as he yelled the one word, "FAG!!"
"Shu...Shuuichi!" uttered Kurama. "Naze..."
"Stupid fag! Don't come near me!!" He ran upstairs and slammed his door behind him. I frowned and pulled away from my lover, but I held his wrist in my left hand.
"*That* was unexpected," I uttered, frowning slightly deeper. "Shuuichi shouldn't care if Kura - er, Shuuichi-koi likes me or not. I sure wouldn't, if I were him."
Shiori sighed. "I'll go upstairs and try to talk to him. Shuuichi, are you happy with Hiei?"
Kurama looked at me for half a second, smiled and chirped, "Hai~."
She looked at me. "You like him too, right?"
I nodded once. Silence was more my forte than words.
"Treat each other well, then. As long as the both of you are happy, I don't mind that you're both men. You two actually look cute together!" She smiled.
I gulped and blinked. 'C-Cute?'
Kurama chuckled at my expression and I laughed slightly with him. Oh well. At least the majority didn't care that we were in love.
I felt a hand on my hair and turned my face up. His lips greeted mine gently, and I felt his other hand rest on my hip. His tongue brushed against my lips in passing as he pulled away after the quick peck. "Thanks for standing by me, koibito."
I snorted. "Anytime, fox. Y'know, Shuuichi's expression was priceless for a moment there."
"I know, I know," He smiled a moment, then the smile faded slightly. "I just wish he'd accept me."
"Oi," I replied, grabbing his hand in my own. "if he don't like it, it's *his* loss."
Kurama chuckled and tossed his head, fiery-red mane falling to his back and barely touching his buttocks where it belonged. His emerald eyes, too lively to be compared to a shiny gem, sparkled with mirth and a smile tugged his lips. His slack grip on my hand tightened gently and he led me upstairs. We rounded the opposite corner and stood near little Shuuichi's room. (A/N: I'm assuming he's still a minor!)
"So, how would you feel if you loved a girl and we called you names because of it?"
Silence.
"That's what I thought. Now you go and apologize to your brother, Shuuichi."
Silence.
"*Now*, Shuuichi. He's just outside the door."
I blinked. How did she know we were there? We were just as silent as two ex- thieves! How did she...?
The boy entered our field of vision. He eyed us with boredom. "Gomen nasai. Just know that I won't interfere with whatever it is that you do. It's none of my business, whether I like it or not." With that, he shut himself up back in his room.
Shiori entered our view again as soon as the door closed. She must have hidden behind it or something. "To pass the time, why don't you go out somewhere? I'm sure Hiei-san would like to go somewhere. Don't you, Hiei?"
I jerked slightly with a start at the sudden question and shrugged. "I go where Shuuichi-koi goes."
She smiled. "Now, Shuuichi, go on ahead. It must be pretty boring here. Go and have a nice time, okay?"
Kurama smiled so brightly the happiness embraced his eyes. "Arigato, 'Kaasan! Saa, Hiei-koi!" he chirped, tugging me by the hand. He led me out the front door.
We walked side by side; I followed Kurama. We soon came to a park I had never been to before.
"They created this park a few years ago, while you were away," he chirped, grinning. "When no one's been looking, I've been helping the plants grow, especially the flowers. You should have seen it all! It's the most gorgeous sight, especially in springtime!" he grinned and turned his head to face me. "I also created a sort of hidden area - one that only I could access, for now. This way." He led me through the trees on a detour from the paved path. He crouched down at what appeared to be a tree. I sat down on the ground next to him, folding my legs under me. He placed a few fingertips to a root and sent some Reiki into it. The illusion - to ningens and, somehow, to me - disappeared and revealed a rose. This was no ordinary rose.
Its petals were streaked with silver and red. The green stem had a few thorns on it, and the beautiful flower was in full bloom. The leaves were darkly tinted. He plucked the lone rose from the ground and, holding it with two fingers and his thumb, handed it to me. I accepted it graciously upon my palms and gazed at it. Slowly, I grasped it between my pointer and thumb, supporting diagonally with the rest of my hand. I felt my eyes water slightly at the precious gift.
"It's... beautiful, Kurama..." //But not nearly as beautiful as you...// My eyes slowly blurred the world to me.
"Hiei, are you all right?"
My heart pounded in my chest as I gazed at the pretty rose. "Ku-Kurama... how... why..."
"It took me eight years to nurture it to its current state. I grew it because I wanted to show you how much I love and care about you. This rose shall live as long as our love holds strong. If it does hold strong, the rose shall forever be in bloom and never wilt."
I looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Oh, Kurama... You didn't..."
"I wanted to, Hiei-chan." I felt him snuggle up against my side, resting his head against my own.
That did it. I felt them, warm and moist, fall from my eyes and slide down my face. They dripped off my jaw, taking all traces of themselves with them as they fled. I felt two hard, smooth surfaces collide onto my legs.
They stopped as soon as they came. I opened my eyes and saw two ebony gems resting in between my thighs. With my warded hand, I picked up the stones and eyed them curiously. I admit, I never cried before, as far as I could remember. I guess, because I'm part fire demon, my hirui-seki stones are not bluish-white, but jet black.
I felt a warm nose nuzzle my ear and I shivered slightly, eyes still fixed on those gems held by my fingertips. I blinked at them before pulling out a spare string that I keep in case the strings my mother's or Yukina's tear gems snap, and also pull out a silver, metal loop. I easily drill the device into the gem and thread the string through the loop. I let it hang in the air as I hold onto the untied ends and offered it to my fox, whose eyes widened at either the sight of a dark hirui-seki, or the fact I am giving him something in return. I looped the strings around the redhead's neck and tie the ends securely. "Now, when I'm away, you can look at this, and know I'll always come back," I murmured, gently hugging my kitsune as I quickly pocketed the other gem. I would find a use for it later.
"Hiei..." he uttered, gently falling back on the earth. I felt warmth against my chest as my weight settled on him. His arms enveloped my waist and hugged my hips to his. I used my own arms to hold myself up during such a fragile moment. I gazed at his soft beauty and gently set the rose to the side, near the tree's roots, where it originated. His crimson hair, spread across the ground like silk, still looked like freshly-spilt blood even though it had grown at least a foot or two.
His forest-green eyes were twice as lively as our surroundings. The light played even more delicately off the surfaces even better than shine on a gem. His face had lengthened, but barely. He still had his youthful looks even at the age of twenty-eight ningen years. Time had definitely been nice to him. No, "nice" wasn't the word. "Generous" more like it.
And I didn't have too much time left to be with Kurama-koi. I had to leave in ten days...
I frowned. Maybe I could convince Mukuro for more time! If I could...
I smiled mentally, but I still didn't like the fact I would have to leave within ten days, anyway, even if it was just to ask for more time.
"Hiei? What's wrong?"
"I loathe the idea of going back to Mukuro AND the Makai right now. I want to spend more time with you, fox."
He smiles, though his eyes are a bit sad. I think he will miss his human form very, very much. After all, it's a beauty beyond beauties, and its features touch the souls of any gender and race of demon, human, or otherwise. It makes baka shojo humans faint and swoon at his very presence and even takes the attention of some men. "And even when this human body of mine dies, I shall still live as Youko...-"
"Who said you were going to die at any particular time?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Eh?" The redhead looked positively baffled.
I grinned, showing fang. "So, Youko Kurama DOESN'T know about the Tsuki Ryu race?"
He blinks.
"We stopped aging the instant Koenma returned Kurohi's love, fox. So did Shiori, Shuuichi, Hatanaka-san, Yusuke, Yukina-chan, Keiko, Atsuko, Shizuru, Kuwabaka,-" Kurama frowned at me as I said that. I chuckled. "Kurohi, that Azura kid, those two dragon clones, and us."
"Really?"
"Really, and as long as those two's love doesn't let up, we'll never pass on. Not only that, all our future loved-ones will most likely stick around with us as well - as long as they don't get on our Shit List... Like try and kill us or something." I stifled some laughter and let my head rest against My Fox's heart. I let my eyes stray up to his face again.
Kurama gazed gently at me. "So, we basically have an eternity to show our love for each other?"
I nodded. "Yes, Kurama."
He smiled seductively and his hand trailed to my ass, simply waiting there. "Then let's make this the best darn eternity to ever grace the three worlds!"
I became rock hard immediately and captured his rose petal-soft lips with my own.
End Day 20
*********
I basically did this whole chapter in a day if you really think about it. I had major inspiration after I got a head start on Day 22, & it helped that I read a Vincent/Sephiroth, Selfie/Quistis, etc. fanfic where Vincent sometimes compared people to a certain kind of flower. (Sephiroth is a silver rose!) I got the idea of the silver & red streaked flower because of Kurama himself - Kurama's human side has red hair while the Youko has silver. The petals are darker because of Hiei's own aura!
We got a scanner on 7/28/03! Yay!! Now, anyone who wants to see any particular pics of just about any character from this fic or otherwise, just ask! I have more pics of Kurohi than any other character, a shot of his dragon, a shot of Shirokoori, and a bit of unfinished doujinshi for this fic...
Thank you for being patient with me, as I am still fuming mad about what ff.net did! I plan on submitting this story to Kage Kitsune's site that she is creating, as well as some fanart.
Anyway, so far, I think this is my favorite Kurama/Hiei chapter yet! As much as I like to write about Kurohi, this fic was SUPPOSED to be an all Kurama/Hiei (or reversed) fic, & writing solely about Kurohi can be a pain - especially his hairstyle! (I AM doing a doujinshi of this, after all!)
R&R!
Started 7/2/03, 1:15PM Finished 7/26/03, 2:01AM
1st Revision (before posting): 7/27/03, Sometime in the AM
by Kurohi Tatsaki
Day 20 - Never to Wilt
Disclaimer - I don't own YYH, & never will. After all, I'm not Yoshihiro Togashi. Kurohi, Yamiryuinu, Shirokoori, & all the other original characters *I* & Kohaku Frost come up with are property of Beware of Mage & Tsuki Ryu Productions. Use our characters without permission & we will be pissed. One thing's for sure: I'm thankful for copy & paste! There's no WAY I'm going to rewrite this whole disclaimer over & over again!
I now highly dislike FF.Net! They banned the lemon series of this! If you want to read it, just tell me by review/e-mail, okay? Not only that, I can't update for a while, but I guess that once you're reading this, I'm no longer suspended, which means that it must be some time after: "07-27-03 06:59pm pst.," which is what I found in place of my Upload Chapter box.
Fanfiction.net wouldn't load up around 8:20PM on the 27th, so I apologize for the not-as-prompt-as-even-*I*-would-like update.
KT: "Hiei-san! Will you help me get revenge on ff.net?"
Hiei: *fang-showing smirk* "Sure! They had no right to ban that side-series of this fic!! & weren't you about ready to go into one juicy scene with me & My Fox?"
KT: "Yes! Don't kill me, Hiei!! It was gonna happen twice in this one chapter!! Waaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Hiei: *looking flustered* "Ah, ah, don't cry you baka ningen!!"
Kurama: *comes into the room* "Hiei, why are you tormenting the author of 10YoW?"
KT: "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--------------------- -------------------------!!"
Hiei: "Boku wa nai! She just burst out into tears like I was gonna use my Kokuryu!"
KT: *blinks* "Y-You weren't gonna kill me?"
Hiei: "Hell no! You're one of the only authors that don't put me through much in order to for me to get My Fox!"
KT: "Yay!" ^_^ *glomps Hiei*
Hiei: *thinking* (Get. Off. Me. You. Baka. Ningen.)
Kurama: "Not only that, she doesn't draw us half bad! She wishes she had a working scanner so she could show everyone how her drawing style is! It's constantly improving!"
KT: "You're too kind, Kurama!" *glomps Kurama* "I'm gonna put in extra effort in drawing you two and Kurohi!"
Hiei: "Hn."
Kurama: *grinning* "Thank you!"
Kurohi: *wakes up from a nap* "Huh? What did I miss?"
Kage Kitsune - Arigato for your undying support & listening to my rage! Things like this, when I was younger, would never bug me in such a short span of time, but because I'm a late teen... Y'get the picture.
JinE4 ... or was it "Who Cares"? - Unless I do a lemon scene, Botan won't be shoving her spoon up her ass any time soon. ;) I'm trying to get more Hiei/Kurama in here. I'll have to e-mail you about the dictionary stuff, as I have too much to fit in this chapter.
Black Magician Girl - due to a certain period of lack of inspiration and temporary banning from uploading on ff.net, I haven't been able to update quickly. That will most likely, soon change as soon as I get to my "remake of Poltergeist Report".
The-FOX - (from review of chapter one) Here is more Hiei and Kurama. I swear, there is NO appearance of Kurohi OR Koenma here, but maybe a mild amount of reference.
Anyway, first person to get the review counter up to 100 gets a character picture (from my fic) drawn by me!
//telepathy// [thoughts] (A/N: I decided to change it. It gets too confusing with quotation marks.)
Warning: There is slight sap in this chapter!
--------------------------------
"Hiei."
I shift in my sleep, turning to one side. The color I see behind my eyelids brightens a little. I must be facing the window...
"Hi~~ei~..."
I snuggle up into the cool sheets, chin almost halfway tucked against my collar and sigh.
"Wake up, Hiei. I have something for you."
I slide my eyes open and gaze into close twin pools of green and yawn. "Hai, kitsune...?"
He leans in and kisses me almost fully awake. I pull him a little closer around the shoulders and gently bite his bottom lip. I lick it afterwards in almost unnecessary apology.
Kurama purred and slowly pulled away from me. My groggy, but clearing brain finally realized what he was *wearing*!
"Kurama~...? What the hell...?" I frowned at his clothing - very tight black leather, and realized I wasn't drowsy any longer - almost bordering on the edge of hyper like I had consumed a large amount of sweet-snow.
Anyway, Kurama sat on the bed in a cat's pose, but his hands were outside his knees. Leather sleeves started at the elbow and stopped at the wrist; also, the same happened to his calves, starting at the knee and ending at the ankle. He wore a black choker with a leash-like chain attached to it around his neck. His face was flushed softly with arousal. The leather didn't even cover up his manly parts - which were slightly "perky"!
"Do you like what you see, koi?"
"Hnn......" [Why's he up earlier than me?] I smile nervously as I eye his "treasure".
"What's the matter, koi?"
"This is rather.. different of you, fox."
"When compared to my Youko side, it's not much of a change." He straddles my thighs. "Now, it's my turn to be dominant."
I grabbed the chain. "Not THIS time, fox!"
He pulled off the choker, which actually WASN'T fastened at all, and hooked it to my own neck. "You're not one to talk, Hiei-chan."
["Hiei-chan"?] I thought with confusion.
"Look at what you're wearing, you kawaii little neko-chan."
I looked down at myself. I wore black, just like Kurama. I had a cat's tail connected to my backside by green vines and a pair of ears in the form of one of those girlie headbands on my head.
"How the fuck did you... Mmmmmm..." I groaned as he kissed me. I would have to figure out how he got all this stuff on me *later*...
***
I opened my eyes and gazed at the ceiling. I rested on my koibito's chest, hearing his human heartbeat beat steadily near my ear. Carefully I toy with a tendril of my ebony hair, wrapping it loosely around my finger before letting it go. Cautiously, I rolled off Kurama's chest and stood up, away from my fox. I pulled my ningen clothes on, and walked downstairs. I was almost startled out of my wits as I walked down the stairs halfway and heard, "Shuuichi! We're home!"
I flitted up the stairs and was greeted by a waking Kurama. He rubbed his eyes, threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt, and dashed downstairs. I grabbed a rubber band on my way out of his room and followed behind him, tying back my hair as I went.
"Kon'nichi wa, 'Kaasan, 'Tosan, Shuuichi-chan!" greeted Kurama, hugging everyone at once.
"Ah, Shuuichi! You're up! Can you make lunch?"
"Lunch...?" he echoed. It seemed to dawn on him and he chuckled. "Oh, okay! Hiei, you want to help?"
I snorted with a "Hn," but nodded anyway. I had a feeling he would use this as an excuse to talk to me in private. After all, I couldn't really cook with ningen appliances.
"Hiei, do you think we should tell them about us?" he asked as he pulled out various goodies from the refrigerator to make sandwiches with.
I leaned against the side of the 'frige. "You're old enough to say that we're together, fox, are you not? In any case, if they love you, they should be able to accept you." [And me..] I added silently.
Kurama sighed. "All right. We tell them after we eat." He continued to make the sandwiches and when he was through, he gave me the plate, which I took without a word. He put away the goodies and took the plate from me. I pouted slightly but brushed it off a second later. I followed the crimson- haired beauty back into the dining room, the very same where we realized our love for each other. I seated myself next to Kurama as he set the plate down in the middle of the table and sat down next to me as well. We helped ourselves to the sandwiches.
"How was your vacation?" politely asked Kurama, swallowing a bite of his sandwich.
She smiled happily. "Oh, very pleasant. Shuuichi had a nice time at the beach in California, didn't you?"
"Ha ha!" He grinned. "I had dad rent a couple of boards and rode the waves! There was this pretty huge one and I almost got dunked!"
Kurama chuckled. "What about you, 'Kaasan?"
"I didn't do much, except for watch over little Shuuichi and chit-chat with your father."
"Okaasan, I'm not 'little' anymore!" protested Shuuichi.
She pouted a little. "But, you're still younger than your brother."
A bit of silence.
Shiori uttered, looking at my love, "So, Shuuichi, who's your friend?"
"Boku wa Hiei," I muttered.
"He's a friend of mine who needed a place to stay for a while," he answered politely, despite the fact I had said who I was. I also get the feeling he didn't want to reveal the truth just yet. "I hope you don't mind, 'Kaasan."
"Not at all. Where's he sleeping?" she asked sweetly.
"My room," he replied.
"Ah."
Some time passed and we polished off the abundance of sandwiches that Kurama had made. As he cleared the table, Shiori made a fuss on my hair. I bit back a shiver as she gently tugged at the ends. "My, my! It's so *long*! I would have thought that Shuuichi was the only one who liked his hair long. Is it a trend?"
"I guess, considering how popular Shuuichi is." [At least, in his school years while in what you humans call Junior High School.]
"Um, 'Kaasan?" uttered Kurama as everyone began to filter out of the room. They paused as Kurama spoke. "There's something I... no.. Hiei and I, need to tell you," he said as I strode over to Kurama.
"Shuuichi, nan desu ka?"
I wrapped both my arms around his right one and leaned close to him, closing one eye and keeping the other lazily open. My chin rested on his biceps.
"Hiei is more than a friend to me... He and I are.."
"Lovers," I finished for him.
Kurama kept an eye on his mother's reaction. She chuckled. "No wonder you never got a girlfriend! How long have you known him?" she asked good- naturedly.
Inside myself, I was surprised. So humans weren't ALL narrow-minded.
"Umm... Eighteen years. I met him when I was ten, but we weren't really friends back then."
[More like enemies,] I thought.
Little Shuuichi gaped at his brother. His face clouded with fury and fear as he yelled the one word, "FAG!!"
"Shu...Shuuichi!" uttered Kurama. "Naze..."
"Stupid fag! Don't come near me!!" He ran upstairs and slammed his door behind him. I frowned and pulled away from my lover, but I held his wrist in my left hand.
"*That* was unexpected," I uttered, frowning slightly deeper. "Shuuichi shouldn't care if Kura - er, Shuuichi-koi likes me or not. I sure wouldn't, if I were him."
Shiori sighed. "I'll go upstairs and try to talk to him. Shuuichi, are you happy with Hiei?"
Kurama looked at me for half a second, smiled and chirped, "Hai~."
She looked at me. "You like him too, right?"
I nodded once. Silence was more my forte than words.
"Treat each other well, then. As long as the both of you are happy, I don't mind that you're both men. You two actually look cute together!" She smiled.
I gulped and blinked. 'C-Cute?'
Kurama chuckled at my expression and I laughed slightly with him. Oh well. At least the majority didn't care that we were in love.
I felt a hand on my hair and turned my face up. His lips greeted mine gently, and I felt his other hand rest on my hip. His tongue brushed against my lips in passing as he pulled away after the quick peck. "Thanks for standing by me, koibito."
I snorted. "Anytime, fox. Y'know, Shuuichi's expression was priceless for a moment there."
"I know, I know," He smiled a moment, then the smile faded slightly. "I just wish he'd accept me."
"Oi," I replied, grabbing his hand in my own. "if he don't like it, it's *his* loss."
Kurama chuckled and tossed his head, fiery-red mane falling to his back and barely touching his buttocks where it belonged. His emerald eyes, too lively to be compared to a shiny gem, sparkled with mirth and a smile tugged his lips. His slack grip on my hand tightened gently and he led me upstairs. We rounded the opposite corner and stood near little Shuuichi's room. (A/N: I'm assuming he's still a minor!)
"So, how would you feel if you loved a girl and we called you names because of it?"
Silence.
"That's what I thought. Now you go and apologize to your brother, Shuuichi."
Silence.
"*Now*, Shuuichi. He's just outside the door."
I blinked. How did she know we were there? We were just as silent as two ex- thieves! How did she...?
The boy entered our field of vision. He eyed us with boredom. "Gomen nasai. Just know that I won't interfere with whatever it is that you do. It's none of my business, whether I like it or not." With that, he shut himself up back in his room.
Shiori entered our view again as soon as the door closed. She must have hidden behind it or something. "To pass the time, why don't you go out somewhere? I'm sure Hiei-san would like to go somewhere. Don't you, Hiei?"
I jerked slightly with a start at the sudden question and shrugged. "I go where Shuuichi-koi goes."
She smiled. "Now, Shuuichi, go on ahead. It must be pretty boring here. Go and have a nice time, okay?"
Kurama smiled so brightly the happiness embraced his eyes. "Arigato, 'Kaasan! Saa, Hiei-koi!" he chirped, tugging me by the hand. He led me out the front door.
We walked side by side; I followed Kurama. We soon came to a park I had never been to before.
"They created this park a few years ago, while you were away," he chirped, grinning. "When no one's been looking, I've been helping the plants grow, especially the flowers. You should have seen it all! It's the most gorgeous sight, especially in springtime!" he grinned and turned his head to face me. "I also created a sort of hidden area - one that only I could access, for now. This way." He led me through the trees on a detour from the paved path. He crouched down at what appeared to be a tree. I sat down on the ground next to him, folding my legs under me. He placed a few fingertips to a root and sent some Reiki into it. The illusion - to ningens and, somehow, to me - disappeared and revealed a rose. This was no ordinary rose.
Its petals were streaked with silver and red. The green stem had a few thorns on it, and the beautiful flower was in full bloom. The leaves were darkly tinted. He plucked the lone rose from the ground and, holding it with two fingers and his thumb, handed it to me. I accepted it graciously upon my palms and gazed at it. Slowly, I grasped it between my pointer and thumb, supporting diagonally with the rest of my hand. I felt my eyes water slightly at the precious gift.
"It's... beautiful, Kurama..." //But not nearly as beautiful as you...// My eyes slowly blurred the world to me.
"Hiei, are you all right?"
My heart pounded in my chest as I gazed at the pretty rose. "Ku-Kurama... how... why..."
"It took me eight years to nurture it to its current state. I grew it because I wanted to show you how much I love and care about you. This rose shall live as long as our love holds strong. If it does hold strong, the rose shall forever be in bloom and never wilt."
I looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Oh, Kurama... You didn't..."
"I wanted to, Hiei-chan." I felt him snuggle up against my side, resting his head against my own.
That did it. I felt them, warm and moist, fall from my eyes and slide down my face. They dripped off my jaw, taking all traces of themselves with them as they fled. I felt two hard, smooth surfaces collide onto my legs.
They stopped as soon as they came. I opened my eyes and saw two ebony gems resting in between my thighs. With my warded hand, I picked up the stones and eyed them curiously. I admit, I never cried before, as far as I could remember. I guess, because I'm part fire demon, my hirui-seki stones are not bluish-white, but jet black.
I felt a warm nose nuzzle my ear and I shivered slightly, eyes still fixed on those gems held by my fingertips. I blinked at them before pulling out a spare string that I keep in case the strings my mother's or Yukina's tear gems snap, and also pull out a silver, metal loop. I easily drill the device into the gem and thread the string through the loop. I let it hang in the air as I hold onto the untied ends and offered it to my fox, whose eyes widened at either the sight of a dark hirui-seki, or the fact I am giving him something in return. I looped the strings around the redhead's neck and tie the ends securely. "Now, when I'm away, you can look at this, and know I'll always come back," I murmured, gently hugging my kitsune as I quickly pocketed the other gem. I would find a use for it later.
"Hiei..." he uttered, gently falling back on the earth. I felt warmth against my chest as my weight settled on him. His arms enveloped my waist and hugged my hips to his. I used my own arms to hold myself up during such a fragile moment. I gazed at his soft beauty and gently set the rose to the side, near the tree's roots, where it originated. His crimson hair, spread across the ground like silk, still looked like freshly-spilt blood even though it had grown at least a foot or two.
His forest-green eyes were twice as lively as our surroundings. The light played even more delicately off the surfaces even better than shine on a gem. His face had lengthened, but barely. He still had his youthful looks even at the age of twenty-eight ningen years. Time had definitely been nice to him. No, "nice" wasn't the word. "Generous" more like it.
And I didn't have too much time left to be with Kurama-koi. I had to leave in ten days...
I frowned. Maybe I could convince Mukuro for more time! If I could...
I smiled mentally, but I still didn't like the fact I would have to leave within ten days, anyway, even if it was just to ask for more time.
"Hiei? What's wrong?"
"I loathe the idea of going back to Mukuro AND the Makai right now. I want to spend more time with you, fox."
He smiles, though his eyes are a bit sad. I think he will miss his human form very, very much. After all, it's a beauty beyond beauties, and its features touch the souls of any gender and race of demon, human, or otherwise. It makes baka shojo humans faint and swoon at his very presence and even takes the attention of some men. "And even when this human body of mine dies, I shall still live as Youko...-"
"Who said you were going to die at any particular time?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Eh?" The redhead looked positively baffled.
I grinned, showing fang. "So, Youko Kurama DOESN'T know about the Tsuki Ryu race?"
He blinks.
"We stopped aging the instant Koenma returned Kurohi's love, fox. So did Shiori, Shuuichi, Hatanaka-san, Yusuke, Yukina-chan, Keiko, Atsuko, Shizuru, Kuwabaka,-" Kurama frowned at me as I said that. I chuckled. "Kurohi, that Azura kid, those two dragon clones, and us."
"Really?"
"Really, and as long as those two's love doesn't let up, we'll never pass on. Not only that, all our future loved-ones will most likely stick around with us as well - as long as they don't get on our Shit List... Like try and kill us or something." I stifled some laughter and let my head rest against My Fox's heart. I let my eyes stray up to his face again.
Kurama gazed gently at me. "So, we basically have an eternity to show our love for each other?"
I nodded. "Yes, Kurama."
He smiled seductively and his hand trailed to my ass, simply waiting there. "Then let's make this the best darn eternity to ever grace the three worlds!"
I became rock hard immediately and captured his rose petal-soft lips with my own.
End Day 20
*********
I basically did this whole chapter in a day if you really think about it. I had major inspiration after I got a head start on Day 22, & it helped that I read a Vincent/Sephiroth, Selfie/Quistis, etc. fanfic where Vincent sometimes compared people to a certain kind of flower. (Sephiroth is a silver rose!) I got the idea of the silver & red streaked flower because of Kurama himself - Kurama's human side has red hair while the Youko has silver. The petals are darker because of Hiei's own aura!
We got a scanner on 7/28/03! Yay!! Now, anyone who wants to see any particular pics of just about any character from this fic or otherwise, just ask! I have more pics of Kurohi than any other character, a shot of his dragon, a shot of Shirokoori, and a bit of unfinished doujinshi for this fic...
Thank you for being patient with me, as I am still fuming mad about what ff.net did! I plan on submitting this story to Kage Kitsune's site that she is creating, as well as some fanart.
Anyway, so far, I think this is my favorite Kurama/Hiei chapter yet! As much as I like to write about Kurohi, this fic was SUPPOSED to be an all Kurama/Hiei (or reversed) fic, & writing solely about Kurohi can be a pain - especially his hairstyle! (I AM doing a doujinshi of this, after all!)
R&R!
Started 7/2/03, 1:15PM Finished 7/26/03, 2:01AM
1st Revision (before posting): 7/27/03, Sometime in the AM