Disclaimer: Since my name is not Yoshihiro Togashi, I suppose it would be a tad presumptuous to tell you YYH was mine.
Warnings: Boys. Love. Boys. Yes.
Rejoice!
You are the first in Ningenkai to experience this new chapter! (Or
something like that)
-Taken from the English dub of YYH in episode 30
when Hiei releases the Kokuryuuha (spelling?) on Zeru. Yeah.
A jumble of voices roused Kurama from his sleep. He blinked sleepily, starting to rise from the bed. Who was talking? He scanned the room, still muddled with sleep. There was nobody but Hiei in the room…it must have just been part of a dream. He sagged back onto the bed. A dream…Hiei…something triggered in Kurama's drowsy mind. The events of the previous night tumbled into his thoughts. Hiei had returned, and it wasn't a dream. He sat up, fully awake. His gaze focused on Hiei's back, standing in front of the desk.
"Ohayou, Hiei," he said, propping himself up on one elbow.
Hiei turned. "It's about time you woke up."
"How long have you been awake?"
"Since dawn."
Kurama checked his watch. Eight twenty-three. "That's a long time. What have you been doing?" he queried.
Hiei's gaze shifted past Kurama, through the open window next to the bed.
"Training," he said distantly.
Kurama rolled his eyes. "What a surprise." Still questioning Hiei's strange behavior the night before, he paused before carefully remarking, "You never did tell me why you came back last night." His sight fixed on Hiei, still staring out the window, Kurama observed him stiffen slightly, then relax, as if holding something under rigid control. After several seconds of silence, he probed again. "So why did you?"
There was a faint edge to Hiei's voice as he responded, "My time with Mukuro was over. There is something I need to do here."
"And what is that?"
Hiei swung to face Kurama, red eyes narrowed.
"Himitsu."
Kurama sighed inside. It was painfully clear that Hiei would reveal nothing, and there was nothing to be gained in prying more. But there is something different, Kurama affirmed. Something…missing.
Realizing that Hiei was glaring at him, he once again pretended to set the issue aside. Let Hiei think he was the soft-hearted ningen he believed him to be. But he would find out what was amiss.
"Your mysterious dealings aside," he said with forced casualness, "what do you want to do today? I don't have school."
Hiei shrugged.
"Does anybody else know you're back in Ningenkai?" Kurama asked.
"No."
"Well then, why don't we go visit everybody and have a reunion? Like I said last night, it's not every day your friend comes back from far away."
"Everyone?" Hiei raised an eyebrow. Kurama found this expression adorable and almost comical, and had to restrain a laugh.
"You know, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, Botan, Yukina…" As he listed their companions, Kurama watched with interest and amusement the alternate looks of disgust and revulsion on Hiei's face as Kuwabara's and Botan's names were mentioned, and the passiveness at hearing Yusuke and Genkai's. As he said Yukina's name, the expression changed to something entirely new, something that Kurama could neither describe nor decipher.
"Yukina…" Hiei repeated softly and almost gently, staring into space. Kurama watched him for a moment, then stood up.
"I guess it's decided then. I'll get dressed and then we'll go out." He ambled into his closet for clothes and then headed toward the bathroom. "Amuse yourself while I'm gone," he called over his shoulder.
As he had the previous night, Kurama made use of the time it took for him to make himself presentable and contemplated Hiei's latest demeanor. Most of the time it seemed that Hiei was himself, the way Kurama knew and remembered him, but on certain subjects he would change. Subjects like Mukuro, the Makai…almost everything that had happened in the three-year gap in the partners' contact with each other. And Yukina. Kurama was still puzzled about Hiei's reaction to the mention of his twin. He knew that Hiei cared for Yukina more than he would care to admit, but the expression on his countenance wasn't one of tenderness or love. Nor was it one of indifference. It was something different altogether.
Kurama sighed. He should really stop bothering about how Hiei had changed and be glad that he was here with him, now. He came to see you first, too, he admonished himself. Stop trying to analyze him and just have fun together! Nodding resolutely, Kurama firmly pushed all negative thoughts out of his head and replaced them with more positive ones.
He stepped out of the bathroom, looking as immaculate as always. Hiei was right where he had left him, standing by the bed with a bored expression on his face. Kurama smiled.
"So, who should we visit first?"
"It doesn't matter to me."
"Okay then, how about Yusuke?"
Hiei scowled. "I don't care."
"Yusuke's it is then," Kurama announced, ignoring Hiei's customary irritability. "Let me call him first." He picked up the phone resting on his desk and dialed a number.
"Moshi moshi? Is Yusuke there?" He paused.
"Good morning, Yusuke…No, I'm not sorry I woke you up. It's nine o'clock on a Saturday morning and you should be up by now…can I come over? I have a surprise…well, if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? …yeah. Go ahead and invite Kuwabara-kun if you want…all right, I'll see you soon. Bye." He hung up and turned around to find Hiei glaring at him.
"What?"
"A surprise?" Hiei asked skeptically.
Kurama suppressed a smile. "Yes, you're a surprise." Hiei scowled again. Glancing at his watch, Kurama decided it was time to leave.
"Let's go, Hiei." He started for the door, then stopped. "Wait. Okaa-san might see you if you come downstairs with me. Why don't you go through the window like you usually do and I'll meet up with you outside?"
Hiei nodded, and disappeared out the window. Kurama watched him leave, then proceeded down the stairs.
Is it just me, or has Kurama been doing a lot of sighing and smiling? Bah. I've been feeling kind of icky lately and I think that might be starting to show up in these latest chapters. -bows in apology- Sorry if they seem to be deteriorating slightly…this chapter is actually just kind of a filler chapter. And these things seem really long when they're on my computer and saved into Word but once they get onto somehow they end up being short. So if you like longer chapters, oh well. Two pages in Word is long to me.
I couldn't help but put in little random tidbits about Hiei's weirdness and I may end up overdoing it a bit. -sigh- I'll come up with a good chapter later, I promise. Once I start feeling a little bit better and the plotline gets to the good part. XD
Ohayou - short for ohayou gozaimasu, or good morning
Himitsu - secret
Moshi moshi - what you say when you pick up the phone. I don't know if you say it when you're the one calling, but whatever.
Edit: 1/30/05 - Oh em gee I just looked over this and realized there was a big chunk missing! The horror of it all...well it's in there now, anyway.
