Chapter two:

Stepping through the sliding wood door of the mountainside temple, having placed his shoes right by the door before entering, Kurama sighed running his fingers through his short red hair—he missed having long hair but that sort of style was not proper for a serious future med student. In order to have a future in the human world Kurama made sacrifices, sacrificing his hopeless dreams in order to pursue more realistic ones. However he couldn't help wondering how things would have turned out if it had been different—wondering if him and Hiei would ever had been true mates instead of just lovers.

"Kurama, is everything all right?" A voice to his right asked, underlined with a deep reservoir of worry and wonder. After receiving a nod for an answer, the voice spoke again, wonder still in its tone. "Are you staying here tonight or going home?"

"I think I'll stay for a few minutes, Master Genkai." Kurama replied gentle and reserved in his tone as he made his way to the living room of the house.

"Three years, eh?"

"Huh?" Kurama looked back at Genkai, staring into her wise eyes then quickly averting them at her next words.

"Hiei, he's been gone for three years and now just shows up." Genkai specified then turned serious. "Is everything truly all right? I know what there was between you and Hiei, so I know you must be having a hard time now, with him just reappearing only months after…." Genkai trailed off looking for a second to Kurama's left wrist before shifting her gaze elsewhere. "If you ever need to talk I'm here to listen, remember that Kurama." Genkai turned after a brief pause toward the kitchen, no longer looking at Kurama. "I'm making some tea, if you want any help yourself."

"No, thank you. I think I should head back now, you know surprise Akiko and maybe take her out for the night." Kurama replied smiling at Genkai before turning to leave, the smile fading as he stared at the night sky.

Twenty minutes later, glancing once more at the twilight sky, walking slowly to his apartment door, Kurama sighed, opening the door to the apartment he shared with Akiko, his girlfriend of four months. Quietly slipping off his shoes and putting on a pair of house slippers, Kurama glanced once at the platform where shoes were kept not realizing at first the meaning of what he saw.

"An extra pair of shoes?" Kurama mumbled, studying the foreign objects with curiosity—brown with tan stitches, beat up looking and clearly designed for a man. He could smell the man's scent as well.

Freezing his badly up, bracing himself for what he hoped wasn't true, Kurama followed the scent through the apartment barely taking in the little, telltale signs littered about: half filled wine glasses with an open bottle of wine next to them, a table set for two candlelit with food eaten off both plates. Each new object struck him as Kurama steeled himself in his fear while the foreign masculine scent, straight to his and Akiko's bedroom clothes tossed helter-skelter along the hallway leading to the room.

Right outside the bedroom door Kurama heard them; Akiko's all too familiar moans and giggles telling him what he would find.

Opening the door violently, slamming it against the wall startling the two people entwined, naked, together on the bed, Kurama glared at them, icy blood pounding through his veins, Akiko blanched covering herself with a white sheet, her blue eyes wide, her dyed blond hair sticking wildly out every which way.

"Shu…Shu-kun…I…." Akiko began, falling silent as Kurama stormed to the man on the bed with her, his hand grabbing the stranger's throat choking him without effort. Kurama's eyes narrowed, his mouth a rigid fine line of anger as he squeezed harder on the intruder's throat, his nails pressing closer to the man's jugular.

"Shu-kun, stop! You'll kill him!" Akiko pleaded, her eyes darting from Kurama, whom she knew as Shuuichi, to the man he held in his deadly grasp. "Please let him go." Akiko's fearful eyes filled with tears—she never saw her boyfriend this angry before, it seemed as though a savage monster possessed him.

Slowly Kurama released his hold on the human, but glared at him mercilessly—silent for a few seconds but then he spoke in a harsh cruel voice foreign to his normal one.

"Leave. If I ever see you again I will kill you, now go before I change my mind about letting you leave unscathed."

"Shu-kun, you can't force my guests to leave, you…."

"Your guest! Some hospitality to show to a guest, inviting them to your room for…for entertainment." Kurama seethed glaring at Akiko feeling the anger from his Youko side consume him. "You…you sl—" Before, however, he could finish his sentence Akiko stepped up to him and slapped him across the face, anger on her face mirroring Kurama's rage.

"Don't, don't you dare finish that sentence, don't you dare! After all I did for you, don't you dare call me that!"

Kurama, face turned away after the slap, growled listening to Akiko's words, anger rising up in him. "You? What did you do for me that's so special?" He seethed, forcing himself to remain staring at the wall away from her.

"I stood by you, that's what; I stood by you in the hospital—sacrificing my time to help you get better! I…."

"So did every single other girl from school."

"I was the only one to keep visiting you everyday for the full five months, don't you remember how much time…."

"Remember! Don't you remember those times? You promised me you'd stay with me. You promised but I see now that you're just a lying, manipulative bit—" Another slap to his face cut off his words, and this time he stood silent, never looking anywhere but at the wall, avoiding Akiko's eyes.

"Don't you dare accuse me when every night you're off at some friend's house doing who knows what! You never come home until midnight and sometimes stay away the whole night without telling me! I hate you Shuuichi Minamino, I hate you!" Akiko screamed trying to force Kurama to look at her, her face red from anger and shouting. Silence lasted for what seemed forever before Kurama turned, glanced once at Akiko then left the room, leaving the apartment in unending silence.

Aimlessly Kurama wandered the busy streets of the city, his exterior steeled against betraying any of the emotions inside him. What was he to do now? Akiko had been beside him throughout his crisis those five months—their relationship had progressed fast, becoming live-in lovers in just four months after his release, but now he could never go back to her—and Hiei wouldn't bother with him now, knowing he'd been with a human. Kurama felt sure he couldn't face Hiei now anyway, but he needed someone who would listen—but Genkai's was too far away and some of the others may be there—he couldn't stand to see their looks of worry if they saw him so distraught. No, he couldn't bear hurting them again with his selfish emotions nor could his prideful Youko side stand to fall into their debt again—he still hadn't paid them back for the last time they'd comforted him and saved him from death.

"Hey! Stop!" A voice yelled behind him strangely distant, but familiar in a way, however he ignored it and continued walking. He hardly stepped another inch when dainty but strong arms pulled him back just before a car zoomed by where he had almost stepped. "You dunderhead, were you trying to kill yourself? That car would've flattened you."

"Ah…oh, thank you, I was distracted, sorry." Kurama replied, surprised at how close that had been.

"That's apparent. What are you doing around here so late anyway?" The voice spoke curious, pausing shortly before speaking again. "Hey…I know you, you're Shuuichi Minamino! Do you remember me; I was in your class during eighth grade. I'm Hinansho Kakusareta, good to see you again." The voice, Hinansho's, spoke happily booming as he moved to stare into Kurama's green eyes with his matching ones.

"Hinansho? Yes, I remember you, you used to be all-quiet and shy around me. I see the years have changed you, personality-wise anyway." Kurama spoke hiding his anguish behind cheerful words of reminiscing.

"Actually no. I was always this way, most of the time anyway."

"Then why did you refuse to speak whenever I tried to make conversation during that year we were in the same class?"

"Well…actually, that was…that was because I liked you…you know, that way…." Hinansho replied blushing scarlet as Kurama stared at him surprised in awe. "But I'm a guy and I didn't know if you went that way. I barely understood my feelings myself that year so I didn't think you would either."

"Well, that's a surprise. I used to think you were jealous 'cause most of the girls liked me, I never thought…."

"Yeah well now you know…and well…I still do like you. But I'll understand if you don't, I'm certain a lady-killer like you doesn't go for guys so…." Hinansho rambled on, walking beside Kurama as he spoke, stopping in front of a lighted storefront when Kurama did, looking at him with an interested look in his eyes.

"Actually, Hinansho, I'm not solely into girls if you must know. And I'm technically single at the moment and the night's young so…how about we hang out together for a while, we can go wherever you wish."

"You mean it? As a date?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Kurama smiled looking into those excited green eyes accented by locks of deep black hair framing Hinansho's face. Well anything to forget the present, Kurama thought, walking again down the sidewalk Hinansho leading the way. What do you know; maybe time will ease my pain after all.

Meanwhile, watching them from a block away, concealed in the shadows, Hiei studied the pair silently wondering what would've happened if he'd got there a few seconds earlier and had been the one to stop Kurama from getting hit by that car.

Hn, what is he searching for with these humans? I can give him more than they can. Much more.