Fox: Well since you asked so nicely...I present you with the last chapter!
Kyff: Fox does not own--
Fox: We get it already!
CHAPTER 5:
Is Love Forbidden?
Hiei opened his eyes in time to catch a smile playing on Touya's lips. His gaze was soft and kind, and Hiei felt a light warmth spread through his body. He was blushing! He, Hiei, the forbidden child with a heart of stone, was blushing!
Irritated and surprised by his body's obvious betrayal of him, he did the only thing he could do to make that stupid smile disappear. He lashed out.
"What?" he snapped. Croaked would have described it more accurately. His eyes widened at the sound of his own voice.
Touya erupted into laughter, falling onto his back in the grass and gasping for breath. Hiei's face burned. When the giggles died down and he was able to speak again, Touya turned onto his side to face Hiei, his head propped up on one hand. It was a very seductive pose. Hiei clenched his teeth. He must be fairly glowing by now.
"How do you feel, Hiei?"
"Fine," he ground out.
"Oh?" Touya arched one delicate eyebrow. "So you do not feel as if your insides have been ripped out and shredded? I was not aware that any demon could handle poisoning wards so well," he teased.
"Hn." No, Hiei thought, if my insides feel that way it is because of you, Touya. Why is it that you unsettle me?
For several seconds, neither spoke, but it was a comfortable silence.
Hiei stretched out on his back, enjoying the soft ground more than he would have liked to admit. It was peaceful by this river, but he was still troubled.
"Touya?" he called.
"Yes, Hiei?" the silky voice responded, heavily laced with exhaustion.
Hiei glanced over in surprise. "Haven't you slept at all?" he asked in disbelief. Touya hadn't moved, but his eyes were half-closed and his head was sinking slowly to the ground.
"No, not yet," he murmured. "I wanted to make sure you were healing well first."
Hiei looked away, overcome with an unexplainable guilt. "Why did you bother coming after me? You couldn't possibly have gained anything by helping me."
Ice-blue eyes opened sleepily. "I was not expecting to gain anything, Hiei. I came after you because I knew you needed help, whether you will admit that or not."
"You looked so angry. Why were you angry?"
"I..." Touya sighed and shifted a little. "I was angry because they hurt you."
"But why did that make you angry?" Hiei persisted, sitting up once again. "No one's supposed to care if I'm hurt. I am...unimportant."
Touya bolted upright. "How can you say that?" he snapped, eyes blazing with fury.
Hiei tried to keep the pain from his voice and expression as he spoke, carefully avoiding the ice master's eyes. "Have you forgotten what I am, Touya? I'm the forbidden child. I'm not even supposed to exist."
To anyone else, Hiei would have seemed apathetic, but Touya felt the pain hiding beneath the emotionless mask. "I'm not even supposed to exist."
Touya's anger drained away, and he was left with a deep pain in his heart. Is this how Hiei feels? To his immense surprise, tears welled up, threatening to overflow.
He stood and walked the short distance to Hiei, dropping to his knees beside the forbidden child, the body in which fire and ice defied all natural laws and became one. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around Hiei's shoulders and pulled him to his chest. Touya felt Hiei's fear as he tensed, but after a few moments he relaxed against Touya's body and returned the embrace.
At that point, the only emotions Touya could feel were his own. He buried his face in Hiei's neck, not caring in the least if his tears were trickling down the other's soft skin. "Perhaps the reason you are forbidden, Hiei," he said through his tears, "is because you are so perfect. I...I love you, Hiei."
"I love you, Hiei."
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Hiei gasped and his eyes widened in shock. He loves me? But...how? Why?
Touya continued to cling to him, oblivious to the flood of emotions rampaging through the fire demon.
Dammit! Who cares why or how? What does it matter? I didn't ask to be the forbidden child, I didn't ask to be hated for the crime of existing! I deserve love as much as anyone else!
And he felt it, too. He knew that now. He loved Touya.
Hiei swallowed hard. "Touya...I..."
He tried again, but found he couldn't speak. The words wouldn't come.
"Dammit!" He growled savagely. Touya jumped and pulled back to look at Hiei with concern. Hiei tore off the ward over his Jagan, forcing the eye open even though he was not yet fully healed. He sent everything he was feeling directly into Touya's mind, something he had never done with anyone before.
Touya would, if he desired to do so, be able to see everything in Hiei's mind, not only his emotions, but his thoughts and memories as well. For the first time in his life and completely of his own free will, Hiei was letting down every last one of his barriers for someone. And he was terrified.
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Touya yelped in pain and shock. The strength of Hiei's emotions dizzied him and made his vision hazy. He started to slump sideways, but Hiei caught him and held him upright.
He felt Hiei's doubt, pain and fear. But more powerful than even those emotions, he felt Hiei's love for him. It was intoxicating, and he drank it in, drowning in the sea of it. His mind brushed Hiei's and he picked up a single thought from the fire demon. I love you.
The emotions faded as Hiei's Jagan eye closed, but Touya could still sense them. He opened his eyes. He was still in Hiei's arms, and he met the crimson-eyed gaze without fear.
For several long seconds, they sat in breathless silence, lost in the depths of each other's eyes. Touya leaned forward and pressed his lips against Hiei's. He draped one arm around Hiei's shoulders and stroked his neck, putting just as much emotion into the kiss as he had felt from Hiei's mind. Hiei responded by tightening his arms around the ice master, pulling him closer.
They finally broke apart, needing air. Touya rested his forehead against Hiei's, and smiled. There was plenty to be done, of course. He would eventually have to return to the Ningenkai to complete various tasks, most of them for Master Genkai, and Hiei would have to report back to Mukuro, but he decided not to worry about any of that just yet. He was with his Hiei, his firefly, and nothing else mattered
His Hiei.
He liked the sound of that.
-Fin-
Fox: Thanks for staying with my pitifully short story. I realize now that I didn't make the POV switches all that clear in the other chapters. My apologies. I meant to, and I kind of...forgot. Oops. Hehe.
Until we dream again, ta!
