Disclaimer: If Yu Yu Hakusho belonged to me, I would take Hiei-and Kurama-and then, I would-well, you don't need to know. xD
Warnings: Shonen-ai/yaoi : boys liking boys. Yum.
Well, I've thought it over and I agree that it was indeed incredibly mean of me to leave you hanging like that. BUT I feel no regret. Muhahaha...yes I am evil. -hangs head- Thanks again to those who reviewed, even if it was just to tell me how terrible I am. xD As compensation, ta-da! The next chapter. I had originally planned to give it to you yesterday (you know, a new month, a new chapter!) but uh...I was too excited about having no school because of election day so yeah, you get it today. And if you're in the USA, go vote. xD
Kurama could hardly believe his eyes. He blinked as if to clear his vision, once, twice. No, he was still there.
"Hiei?" he whispered tentatively, still uncertain that it wasn't just a hallucination.
The black-clad figure leaped nimbly from the windowsill. In a blur of speed, it vanished to reappear behind Kurama, the keen edge of Hiei's katana held to his throat. Kurama tensed, remembering the cold ruthlessness of his dream.
"Who else would it be, baka?" Kurama relaxed. Lowering the blade, Hiei reappeared in front of Kurama. He carefully slid the katana back into the sheath. "It's been a while."
Kurama struggled to keep his elation from showing up in his face. It almost seemed like too much of a coincidence, what with the dream and the ensuing distracting thoughts, but he shrugged it off. He smiled casually, heart fluttering all the while.
"Yes, it has." He motioned for Hiei to sit on the bed, he himself straddling his desk chair. Chin resting on his arms, he asked, "So what have you been doing these past three years? We haven't heard from you at all."
Hiei was silent for a moment, and Kurama fancied he noticed a guarded look coming into his eyes.
"Nothing," Hiei grunted. Kurama raised an eyebrow. It wasn't exactly strange for Hiei to keep secrets, but usually he was a bit more verbose with Kurama.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing," Hiei repeated, a touch of finality in his voice. Despite his surprise and natural inquisitiveness, Kurama shrugged. It was Hiei's business after all.
"Did you enjoy working under Mukuro?" A glimmer of cynicism appeared in the blood-red eyes this time, and the earlier wariness was clear.
Hiei stood up and leaned forward, looking Kurama squarely in the eye.
"It was to die for," he whispered cryptically. Face unreadable, he sat back down.
Kurama blinked. Where had that come from? Hiei wasn't one for riddles and strange phrases like that. If anything, Kurama would say that he was one of the most straightforward and frank people he knew, besides of course the many hidden mysteries that made Hiei such the enigma he was.
Squashing his curiosity, Kurama shrugged again, mentally noting not to ask about the Makai again. It was obviously a topic Hiei did not want to discuss, and he wondered why. Something must have happened during those three years, something Hiei didn't want known. Kurama shoved this idea into the back of his brain to ponder later, and pretended to let the matter pass.
"Anyway, Hiei, can I get you anything? You must be hungry after coming all the way from the Makai."
Hiei shook his head, seemingly himself again. "Don't bother. I doubt I would like ningen food anyway." Kurama chuckled at Hiei's notable dislike of anything human, edible or otherwise.
"Well then, can I offer you a place to stay the night? It's not every day your long-lost friend comes back from far away." Especially not a long-lost crush, Kurama thought giddily. He'll be staying in my house overnight! Inwardly, Kurama felt like jumping up and down in the manner of any excited fangirl. Outwardly, however, Kurama's face showed nothing but friendly invitation.
Hiei hesitated. Hoping to convince him to stay, Kurama added, "It'll be a lot more comfortable than sleeping in a tree outside. Safer, too."
Hiei snorted. "As if I need comfort." He looked at Kurama. "Or friends." He paused. "I'll stay."
Kurama hid a smile. "Okay, then. Go ahead and settle yourself while I get ready to sleep. You can have the bed if you want."
"Hn."
Smiling to himself, Kurama headed towards the connecting bathroom, pajamas in hand. As he changed and began brushing his teeth, he pondered Hiei's strange behavior. There was something different about him. It wasn't a very noticeable change; Yusuke or the others probably wouldn't detect anything. It was hard for Kurama even to pinpoint. But somehow he felt that things weren't quite the same, and this nagged at him. Kurama realized that he had been brushing his teeth for over five minutes now. Hurriedly he spit and rinsed, reaching for his washcloth. Hiei was probably wondering what he was doing. Feeling refreshed and ready for bed, Kurama opened the door to the bedroom.
At first glance he didn't see Hiei at all. He certainly wasn't on the plush red bed. Then Kurama noticed a small curled shape huddled in his desk chair. He shook his head, rolling his eyes. Trust Hiei to pick the most uncomfortable place to sleep, with a soft bed less than three feet away. Sighing, Kurama considered simply picking Hiei up and placing him on the bed, but wisely decided against it. Instead he retrieved a spare blanket from his closet and gently covered the sleeping form with it. Hiei muttered and shifted slightly, but did not wake. Kurama smiled.
"Oyasumi nasai, Hiei," he whispered tenderly, before burrowing into the soft scarlet nest of his bed. Within moments his breathing evened, and he fell into a contented doze.
See, it wasn't that bad of a cliffhanger now was it? -beams- Now you just have to wait until I write the next chapter! Yay -cough- But at least I do have a plan to this story so it's not just random fluffy stuff about how Hiei and Kurama are perfect for each other...although really that's not that bad either. You may notice that everything is written in Kurama's point of view. Unlike a lot of other fics, I won't be switching back and forth from Hiei and Kurama's viewpoints. There is a reason for this. But what it is, you shall not know. -evil laughter- Until next time, my readers!
Oyasumi nasai - Good night
