Again, thank you for the reviews, I do enjoy them Yes, almost as much as I enjoy putting our dear Kurama in the most bizarre and awkward of situations... okay, I'll admit to being at least a little evil.
I believe you mayinterpret the following chapteras something unexpected butat the same time pleasant. Do review to share your opinions on it, won't you please?
"It's annoying," Hiei complained. "He can't change the misfortune, so instead he holds himself at fault."
"Yeah," the other agreed. "His true fault would be finding fault within himself where there was no fault to begin with." Having said his piece, he stretched out lazily and took another shot of sake.
Finally, Hiei could stand it no longer. "Why are you still conscious?" he demanded. His companion had already depleted six bottles, steadily draining the seventh.
The demon smirked from behind his glass. "Hm, an echo of my life. Always did take a lot to get me drunk off my ass. Used to play in those contests where the last drunk conscious wins. Won a lot of money that way. Though afterwards I'd usually stumble back to wherever it was we were staying and puke my brains out, or pass out, or do both." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Used to really piss him off. Once I'd sober up some he'd come bitching to me about how I was completely useless and nothing more than a smelly lump on the bed. Oh, but of course whenhe got plastered, I wouldn't dare comment.
"But then, that props an interesting question. Are either of us conscious right now? Being dead, are we conscious, or unconscious? Or are we neither? Or are we both? Think about that." He finished the bottle and noticed Hiei was giving him a blank stare. "What? Hey,there maycome a day whenmaybe I'll suddenly be reincarnated into anew body and have a new life and what not- but until that actually happens (of course, I suppose I really wouldn't remember any of this then, if only for a little while) I'm going to assume thatI have an eternity to do whatever- may as well spend it debating over matters like that. If I weren't doing this I'd have died of boredom already, if that's even possible now."
The Jaganshi stared for a full minute, unblinking, then shook his head. "Hn." Kurama had failed to ever inform him of this one's passion for philosophy. "If you find that sort of thing entertaining."
He earned a scoff. "And you? You spend all of your time talking about our dear Fox. That's all you do. It's pathetic. He'll move on."
Hiei furrowed his brow. "You think so? He never got over you."
"I never said he'd get over it. I realize he still misses me, that's only natural. But he moved on. He'll move on after this too.After all, what's the point of life if you spend its entirety mourning over those whose time has come and gone? Is that really what anybody wants?"
"Hn. He still feels guilty over your death and it's been ages. I died a few months ago."
"Yes," Kuronue replied airily, flexing his wings. "But this time he'll have children to look after. One hasn't much time to mope when there's squalling babes to care for."
"Hn." Hiei lay back, crossed his arms under his head, and stared up at the sky.
Since Botan had escorted him here he hadn't been able to leave, much to his frustration. He was stuck in a virtually uninhabited city made entirely of stone surrounded by a concrete wall reaching higher than the Jaganshi would see. In the middle of this city was a park composed of mainly a meadow, a small lake and a large Sakura tree. Hiei usually didn't stray too far from the Sakura, unless he was off looking for a way out of the city. It was strange, the tree was identical to the one his friends had buried him near. He wondered if there was a meaning to that.
Koenma himself had paid a personal visit to Hiei several days prior. It'd been the first time Hiei had seen a familiar face since being brought here. The godling had informed him that Kurama was aware he was expecting, and twins at that. But the redhead wasn't in the best shape. Since Hiei's death Kurama had grown sickly, his youki plummeting to the point no one could sense it, and he had obviously slipped into some kind of depression. Everyone knew it was from the grief, but all attempts to sit Kurama down and talk with him about it had been futile so far. The news had upset Hiei but Koenma tried reassuring him, saying Kurama was making a huge effort of turning around. Hiei felt he should remain optimistic, though something in Koenma's tone betrayed doubt.
"Is the sky always this color?" he asked Kuronue. Something else he'd noticed about this place, the sky was always set for sunset. It was as though Time had stood still.
"No," the Chimara replied. He didn't offer Hiei any explanation, just sprawled out and stared at the sky.
Botan had flown them in on that accursed oar of hers. The wall had opened up for them to just barely get through. He'd asked her to explain the place, but she merely shook her head and left without a word. For once he missed her bubbliness. The wall had closed then, and he hadn't found an opening since, not even when he tried to force it open. When Koenma had visited he'd appeared out of thin air and left in the same fashion. Then today he'd encountered Kuronue in the business district. The Bat had been simply strolling down the street, then didn't seem too shocked to find Hiei. He'd greeted him like an old friend, though in truth neither of them had ever met. Kuronue hadn't been too shocked either to discover Kurama's condition:
"Hm," he'd said thoughtfully. "Kurama was always full of surprises, doing things you'd least suspect. I suppose it's reassuring that Time doesn't necessarily change everything. So tell me, is he still the Devil in bed?"
Hiei detected movement out of the corner of his eyes. He looked over and noticed the lake was shimmering. Itno longer reflectedthe sky. When he realized what the surface was depicting, he sprang to his feet and rushed over to the lake's edge, unable to believe what he saw.
It was Kurama. The Kitsune was sitting at the desk in his bedroom, writing something down in a notebook and chugging a glass of milk. He appeared pale and fatigued, but his appearance had improved since Hiei's funeral- his eyes having regained some of their original spark.
"What are you looking at?" Kuronue inquired, approaching Hiei. Then he glanced at the lake and stared. He was quiet for a few moments. "Oh," he said softly.
Kurama put down his pencil and looked over what he'd written, checking for any grammatical or substance errors. No, everything was accurate. He closed the notebook and put it away, planning to add more later. Filling it out was necessary, plus it helped kill time. Shiori and Hatanaka had their careers, Suichi school and all that corresponded with it, Yusuke his ramen shop, and recently Kuwabara had gotten a job at the pet store in the mall. Though Kurama understood their demanding schedules, it meant that not only was he stuck home all day, it meant for the majority of the time he was alone.
Well, not entirely alone. His lips tugged into a small smile while his hands caressed his stomach. It was beginning to extend, giving him a little pot-belly. His family hadn't noticed, due to the layers of bulky clothing he'd taken to wearing, and he'd yet to show them. For now it was his little secret.
Alas, though technically he wasn't alone, it's hard to converse with four-month-old fetuses. But he tried. At times, for lack of anything else to do, Kurama would talk to his belly. Granted, it was completely one-sided, but it helped lessen the loneliness.
He sat back and stared idly at the empty glass in his hand, debating if he really wanted to get up and go downstairs to replenish his milk. He'd been drinking a lot of it lately, having recently realized just how much he enjoyed the cold, creamy taste of it- also, he was required to,to help stimulate his…lactation. The thought still made him shudder, but he knew he must allow Nature to take Her course.
Suddenly he shivered. Not because he was cold, no, he wore too much clothing and kept the thermostat on high to still be getting chills. He groaned and rested his head on the desk. This was another of those hormone rushes he loathed so much. The vibrator Genkai had brought him was still in the closet, untouched by Kurama since he'd placed it there. But these moments of passion had been plaguing him more frequently, and for longer periods of time, and it was driving him crazy.
The Fox remained in his seat for a few minutes, debating, then heaved a sigh and gave in. He rose, walked over to the closet, and brought out the bag. Looking in it he discovered Genkai had bought batteries also. Perfect, now he had no excuse not to use it. He placed the batteries in it, set it on the bed, then stared at it. He closed his eyes and let out a defeated sigh. "Hiei, forgive me" he said out loud. Then he began to strip.
He climbed on the bed and leaned against the headboard, his legs spread out. He picked up the vibrator and gave it a doubtful look, then positioned himself and slowly slid it inside himself.
As he expected, it hurt somewhat. Having abstained from sex for a few months, his muscles were a little out of practice. Rather amusing that this hurt; it was nowhere near Hiei's size. Though the Jaganshi was- no, had been- small in stature, he had more than made up for it between his legs. Kurama pushed the device further in, then turned it on.
It made a rather annoying buzzing sound, but Kurama tried to ignore it. Despite his doubts he could feel himself responding, sensation tingling through him as the contraption tickled his pleasure spot, soft moans escaping his lips. His body was being pleasured, but his mind was troubled. He'd replaced Hiei with this thing, just like that.
'No,' he told himself. That was impossible. It didn't have the killer Hiei personality and sucked in bed when compared to the Koorime. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend it was his lover, alive again, inside him rather than this toy. He imagined the soft black spikes, the white starburst, the glazed garnet eyes, the well-toned body gleaming in sweat, the hoarse whispers of 'Kurama,' and 'I love you'.
Soon he was ready. "Hiei, Hiei, Hiei…" he moaned repeatedly. A hand wandered down and formed a sheath for his person, began to pump himself. "Ohh…….HIEI!" he shrieked as he bucked his hips, shooting streams of climax over his thighs and stomach. "Ah, ah, Hiei, I love you…" He fell back on the sheets and looked at his cum-covered gut. He made a face and wiped it away. "I won't tell anyone if you don't," he said to the bulge, turning off the vibrator and concealing it under his covers. Right now he didn't want to look at it, he was starting to feel shameful over what he'd just done. Dirty. He needed a shower.
"Suichi?"He froze when he heard Shiori calling him, from right outside his door by the sounds of it. Shit, was it that late already? In a mad dash he grabbed his robe and had barely wrapped it around his frame when his mother came in.
"M-Mother," he stammered, trying frantically to tie the robe's belt but not quite succeeding. "Hello. Did you just get home?"
She furrowed her brow. "Yes. I called you several times, and when you didn't answer I was afraid something may be wrong. Are you okay?"
"Uhm, yes," he said, nodding his head and hoping she didn't notice the dishevelled appearance of himself and the area around his bed. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just, uhm…just…"
Then she noticed his uncovered belly. "Ooh!" she practically squealed, almost giving him a heart attack. "You're starting to show!" She promptly began to feel all over his belly. He stared at her, wide-eyed. He'd just cum all over that, and now she was running her hands over it…
"Are you getting in the shower?" she asked, realizing he was wearing his bathrobe.
He blinked. "Yes," he said hastily.
Shiori smiled. "All right. I suppose I'll go start dinner, how does chicken sound?"
At the mention of the poultry, his stomach churned a little, but he ignored it and smiled. "Uhm, great. Mother? Don't forget to wash your hands, okay? It's germ season after all." She nodded and, giving his stomach a final pat, left him.
Kurama shook his head and went across the hall to have his nice, long, hot shower.
Both Hiei and Kuronue had stared, completely silent, watching Kurama pleasure himself. The entire act had been, for lack of any better description,hot. Hiei ignored the little reproachful glares Kuronue would discreetly throw his way whenever Kurama uttered the fire demon's name. He became aware that he was drooling and felt warmer than usual.
"He don't look too bad like this," Kuronue commented. "Definitely more colorful-looking than he used to be. More feminine. Chubbier, obviously. But I like that belly, it makes him look innocent and sexy at the same time, wouldn't you agree?"
Hiei unconsciously nodded his head, still staring at the water's surface. Kurama was in the shower now, soaping up a washcloth, rubbing it all over his body…rinsing himself clean…massaging shampoo into his dripping wet hair…
The Jaganshi looked away. He'd washed the Fox's hair before; it was a rather nice experience. He sighed. Ever since arriving here he'd missed Kurama, and though he hated to admit his weaknesses, he was lonely. Was that why Kuronue had suddenly shown up? Another demon who'd been a close friend and partner to the Fox, someone who'd also been forced to leave him behind? And this lake-had Hiei's nostalgia conjured its surface to behave this way?
Movement next to him wrenched him from his thoughts. Kuronue had risen to his feet and was now walking away. "What are you doing?" Hiei asked, reluctantly tearing himself from the lake and its depiction of his beloved Kurama.
"I wouldn't become too wrapped up in that lake were I you" the Bat said. "If you will recall the Greek legend of Narcissus, I'm sure you will realize that such things usually prove to be merely traps."
He quirked an eyebrow. "I would imagine you'd enjoy seeing Kurama."
"Oh, I do. I miss him a lot. As with you, he was my closest friend." He smirked. "And he's still as hot as the Sun and cool as the Moon. But remember my warning, understood?" Then he got that strangely serene look on his face. "You know, how can we experience physical attraction to him, when we no longer live in the physical world? Hell, we no longer live period. So why am I drooling over our cute little Fox when technically I no longer have a body with which to produce drool?"
Hiei was about to snap at him, but stopped. Though he was annoying, his company was better than no company. Besides, though he hated it, the Bat was beginning to get him with his philosophy.