Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is the property of Yoshihiro Togashi; This Fanfiction plot, title, events, and time put into creation/writing are © Zelia Theb.
Hiei's Textbook Dates
By Zelia Theb
"What's up, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked the boy next to him. Yusuke had his head resting upon folded arms on his school desk in every class. He had spent all day thinking of the events of the previous night. Hiei kissed him, and Yusuke had led him on enough to let it happen. What's worse, is that the more he recalled the kiss, the more he wanted to feel it again just to make his memories more accurate.
Yusuke lifted his head when Kuwabara poked him with a pencil. He sent a nasty glare his way, and then rested his head back on its side and muttered, "I'll tell ya in two seconds when class…" Class ended for him mid-sentence, and students stood politely and then made their way out of the room. The two friends meandered out into the hallway with the herd and Yusuke continued, "I'm goin' to the roof."
Moments later, the boys arrived at Yusuke's favorite place to skip class; the school roof. Immediately, Yusuke took a liking to his pockets, looking for his nicotine fix. He found the cigarettes, and then lit one up, simply stating, "You were right."
Kuwabara just looked at him curiously and inquired, "I was right? Whaddya mean?"
Flicking some ashes and exhaling, Yusuke explained, "'Bout Hiei. Guess he thinks we've been dating."
"WHAT!" exclaimed the taller of the two, "Of all people…Hiei? Shrimpy? Hamster legs? He likes you?" Kuwabara began waving his arms frantically, trying to make sense of the whole thing, and asked, "How did ya find that out?"
Suddenly, Yusuke was upon him like a raging predator. Smoke rose into Kuwabara's nostrils, and Yusuke demanded, "You gotta swear not to say anything or I'll get you!" Kuwabara merely nodded, making a mental note to kick his friend later, and Yusuke sighed, dropping him, and answered, "He kissed me." It was said so quiet and secretive that Kuwabara wasn't exactly sure what he heard.
"…Uh…" Kuwabara's face contorted in bewilderment. If he had heard correctly, then Hiei had kissed Yusuke, which would mean that he was dreaming and could easily survive a drop from the top of the roof. Instead of going for it, he clarified, "Urameshi, what did ya just say?"
"You heard me," Yusuke stated monotonely as he paced, ashing his cigarette in Kuwabara's direction as a callous warning, "He. Kissed. Me."
"No way!" the teen exclaimed in disbelief, "This is just way too unbelievable!" Yusuke shot a threatening glance his way, and Kuwabara continued in a less proclaiming manner, "I mean, I don't get it! What's going through that guy's head, anyway?"
The rebelliously dressed one arched an eyebrow at the backhanded insult. After taking in another slow drag of smoke, he shrugged and listed, "Must be my handsome good looks, the fact I rock, and can kick anyone's ass to kingdom come." Yusuke halted his pacing and slid his back down the brick wall of the roof entrance, propping his arms on his knees and using the cement between his legs as a new ashtray.
"Ego much?" Kuwabara muttered, debating on whether or not to take a seat next to him and risk getting in major class-ditching trouble. The decision was made when Kuwabara felt 'the tickle' of an 'evil' presence; Hiei was nearby and he certainly didn't want to stick around for any fighting, loving, or anything of that sort. He bid Yusuke good-bye, claiming he wanted to go to class, and left hurriedly.
"Yusuke." Hiei had arrived, and leapt down from just above the doorframe, landing softly on the cement next to the boy. Yusuke looked up as the demon sat down next to him, and then twisted the cherry end of his smoke into the pavement to put it out. The taste of burning sat in his mouth, and he realized that perhaps everyone was right; cigarettes taste like licking an ashtray. Luckily for the rebel, he had stopped by the candy store on his way to school and procured some mint candies. He popped one in his mouth and waited for Hiei to get to the point.
Except he hadn't exactly responded to the stoic greeting.
"What's up?" Yusuke finally remarked; cautiously trying not to look at the one next to him. As the candy twisted with his tongue; kissing his lips with the rejuvenating cold of mint; thoughts of re-enacting their previous date slipped back into his mind.
Hiei's eyes held that 'We need to talk' look about them, and Yusuke finally looked at him and replied, "Yeah, we do."
Immediately, the shape of the demon's eyes changed. He wasn't expecting the boy to want to talk to him; and knew that it was most likely something he didn't want to discuss. Bewildered, Hiei asked, "We do?" That faint moment of vulnerability and unanswered questions swirled with anxiety and the result lay prominent in his eyes.
"Yes, Hiei…" Yusuke turned to rest on his thigh, catching that slight glimmer of lucid emotion in his companion. Time stopped in the most metaphorically literal sense for Yusuke then. He could not bring himself to 'break up' with Hiei. Memories that they shared together; from their first encounter till now; flew through Yusuke's head like posters plastered along the walls of subway tunnels. He didn't dislike Hiei, in fact he found his company rather enjoyable and often times humorous when they traveled as a team. Even back then, Hiei had always allowed Yusuke to be closer to him; much closer than any of Yusuke's other 'interests' would have permitted.
At the zephyr of the situation, lay the simple fact that Hiei was not unlike him. He had feelings, and he wanted to share these well kept secrets with Yusuke of all beings. It was inevitable; the urge to instigate another intimate moment had risen taller than the natural monument that bore the same name as the demon he wished to lay his lips upon. It poisoned the detective; and the antidote did not lie merely in act of amusing Hiei and playing along…no. Somewhere between here and there something real had been planted.
The truant student surrendered to himself; indifferent to his surroundings; and leaned forward to claim a tender kiss from Hiei's lips. The demon too, surrendered, albeit surprised that Yusuke's words had not been some sort of ill-foreboding conversation. The contact deepened, and when Hiei had thoughtlessly tried to pull away in order to avoid annoying the boy, Yusuke brought his palm to the demon's porcelain and dim-rose cheek and drew Hiei back in. The detective would not be afraid; even if such an action would have negative consequences. He was going to pursue what might have been a fleeting feeling instead of regretting it later in empty and somnambulistic thoughts.
A lightly entertaining notion made Yusuke slowly bring the intimacy to an end. He remained only inches from the other's face, dusting its cheeks with the aura stained fingertips of his right hand, and let out a satisfied moment of laughter from the idea. Hiei's eyes spoke volumes; never before had he been kissed in such a way; nor ever before last night; and never had he not wanted to utter the grunting phrase of ill-contempt at Yusuke's action.
"Hiei," Yusuke fondly murmured, "It's kinda funny, ya know?" Hiei revealed an unnoticeable yet indescribably beautiful smile at the irony of the relationship. Yusuke explained, "It wasn't until a moment ago that I realized just how much you mean to me."
The instinct to freeze dead and confine himself washed over Hiei like a tundra breeze over forgotten snow drifts. It didn't take clairvoyance to know that; while a compliment and indeed a deep flattery to him; their recent step up would soon bring the whole ladder down.
"What do you mean," he demanded quietly, copying the low tone of Yusuke's voice.
"I really didn't understand our recent time together until last night, Hiei," Yusuke said, seriousness and affection gazing out from his eyes, "I was taken off-guard and was just about to tell you that we couldn't-"
"A second ago you were going to reject me?" Hiei stood defensively, caring not to keep the calm demeanor of their discussion, and asked, "Do you mean to say that you had been playing me for a fool all this time? That you felt nothing until just now? That's impossible, Detective. Even I know that someone's feelings can't change in just an instant! Impossible, Detective."
"No!" Yusuke clambered for his bearings and stood, "That's not what I meant! I'm dumb, and kinda thick-skulled, remember?" He pointed to his head, all the while trying to contain the pain of being referred to as simply a title again; "What I meant is that I kinda figured out that I had liked you all along!"
"Feh," Hiei squinted in contempt, "Kinda figured out? You either decide or don't decide, Detective. It's not like you to stay on the fence, so don't keep trying to fool me!"
"I'm not…" Yusuke yelled, his voice going into a rapid decrescendo as Hiei leapt off the roof, "…trying to fool you." Angrily, he kicked the brick wall he had previously rested upon, and thrusted his hands back into his pockets to grab a cigarette and then jet out of school for the day.
"Where do you think he went?"
The long-locked fox-demon pondered the question his friend had posed to him. It was true that he had known Hiei for a mite longer than the rest of his allies, as was it true that he was often able to discern when Hiei was actually paying someone a compliment or respect. However, Kurama was unable to tell Yusuke where Hiei would be in an instance like this, or how he would continue to react if found.
"Kurama?" Yusuke prodded on, his feet kicking the air off the side of redhead's bed impatiently, "Is he gonna go on some sorta rampage to spite Koenma or me?"
"I'm afraid I don't have an answer, Yusuke," the fox replied, "Hiei can be terribly unpredictable at times, so you can only hope that you find him, or he returns to you."
"This sucks," Yusuke whined, folding his hands behind his head and flopping down onto the mattress, "Why the hell did I actually have to stop and think about something for once!"
"Because you care for him, Yusuke. I can see it in your eyes, and have always seen the same in his with regards to you." Kurama moved from his desk chair and laid himself next to Yusuke on the bed; "I know that he will not betray us, but I do not know if he will avoid this situation as he has with other personal ones."
"Aside from Yukina?" Yusuke inquired, hoping to learn a bit more about the psyche of his lost friend.
"I know little of Hiei's past…" Kurama admitted, "But I caught word of him; an unnatural child of the ice apparitions; as Youko in the Demon World, and then connected it when I learned who his sister was." Kurama sighed as he divulged his opinion of Hiei's life, and commented, "It doesn't appear to have been all that pleasant. When he hurts and loves, he becomes afraid. It is hard to believe that Hiei would be scared…but we must not be taken in by his façade."
"Believe me, I don't find it all that hard anymore," Yusuke acknowledged, "I didn't grow up all that swell either, at least in a human kind of way. I just wish he hadn't left before I could tell him."
Kurama smiled and propped himself on his elbow, then said, "You always wear your heart on your sleeve, Yusuke. That is why you are so likeable. Through and through, you're relentlessly honest, and that in itself has become your own personal shield. It's quite a charming quality." Yusuke blushed a moment, but allowed Kurama to continue, "In that sense, I suppose that I can assure you Hiei knows this as well, and perhaps the chance of him returning to you is far grander than we suspect."
Thunder echoed on the streets outside Kurama's window then, and a storm arrived so swiftly that the boys did not have a chance to see the sunlight fade to black (1). Raindrops fell at a rapid rate, washing the sidewalks and dark pavement vigorously. Yusuke's eyes rolled back, and Kurama noted this, then offered, "Would you like to spend the night? It will save you a walk home, and plus…sometimes Hiei absconds here to avoid the rain."
Yusuke smiled, accepting the invitation, and remarked, "Lemme guess. He doesn't verbally say that, but somehow when its thrashin' and crashin' out there he finds some sort of lame excuse to swing by your window and talk to ya."
"Exactly," Kurama chuckled, rising from the bed, "Let me just inform my mother. She has probably already started some tea and most likely has already thought of inviting you to stay the night. Would you like the cordless phone to call your mo-"
"Nah," Yusuke irresponsibly replied. Kurama shook his head in mocking disapproval and went to retrieve whatever his mother may have prepared for them. As he approached Shiori in the kitchen, he scolded his senses for not perceiving the surprise sight he received in there.
"Oh, Shuichi!" Shiori exclaimed excitedly; tea kettle in her hand, "Your classmate Hiei came just before the storm hit. I was just about to come to your room and tell you." Kurama glanced at the devious and coy Hiei seated at the small wooden table in the kitchen, wondering if Yusuke's presence had caused the demon to fabricate such a silly story to enter his house as normal humans would.
"Your friends are welcome to spend the night," Shiori suggested, "I can bring the VCR into your room and you boys can watch movies all night."
Hiei quickly learned of where 'Shuichi' learned his polite human mannerisms from firsthand; although he always suspected such anyway. Playing the role of classmate, Hiei spoke up, despite not knowing what a VCR was, and answered, "Thank you. It sounds like fun."
"Heh!" Kurama accidentally laughed. Hiei shot him a warning and murderous glance, which of course meant nothing to Kurama, but the redhead composed himself quickly and responded, "Thank you, Mother." He smiled and turned to Hiei, "You can go to my room. I'll just be a moment as I'm going to retrieve our guest futons and help my mother with the tea and electronics." He grinned once more, making a mental note to take his sweet time, and watched as Hiei nodded and walked to the bedroom.
"Hiei?" Yusuke exclaimed, surprised to see him so soon, "I want to-"
Hiei interrupted him with, "You said all along."
"Yeah," Yusuke inhaled steadily, "I did. I'm not the shifty type, Hiei. I mean, I might like to get a five-finger-discount now and then, but I'm not gonna lie. Especially not to my friends."
"Hn. Didn't you lie to that girl?" Hiei reminded him.
"That's totally different!" Yusuke defended from his perked seat on the bed, "You know that I couldn't just go telling everyone that I was resurrected from the dead to play Koenma's lackey." Yusuke patted the space to his right, hoping that perhaps Hiei would accept the offer, but he declined.
With a frown, Yusuke requested, "Please sit with me." After Hiei's second decline, the boy explained, "Listen. If I didn't care, don't you think I woulda given up and not tried to make this work? I mean, I know you get it. I want to…" He swallowed, unsure if treading these turbulent waters would get him into a situation with said 'girl'; "I want to be with you, Hiei."
To Be Continued…
(1) Weird tidbit on this exact line. I wear my headphones as I type to distract me from…outside distractions. As I wrote this, literally, I heard loud rain start pounding on my windows out of nowhere. I found the coincidence quite humorous so I had to share it with you all.
Author's Note
Sorry for the lack of updates (was sick (still am) and unable to focus for more than a paragraph or two a day). Check my story status link in my bio frequently in case you ever wonder what's been up.
To my hardcore fans: First off - thanks for your reviews and continued support! Secondly, those of you who review anon; consider getting an account. I'm going to put a halt on accepting anon reviews soon.
crazy-punk-gurl - There is a Kurama-Koenma one in the works already (Story status page again). I actually started it back in September 2004. Keep your eyes open!
The next chapter is the end of Hiei's Textbook Dates. I cannot guarantee its length, sorry!