Enough with the world of the living for now- I'm sure people are interested as to what Kurama is going through right now, eh? And what will happen when he is met with both Hiei and Kuronue?

Inside the being that was Kurama raged a variety of conflicting emotions. He didn't know what to do. He'd left behind his family, his friends, his children… should he cry? Could he cry? Soon he'd see Hiei. Perhaps he should smile. Oh man, he was going to see Hiei. He should probably be nervous.

To ensure that he didn't make a mistake, Kurama sat completely still. A hard task to achieve, considering he was astride Botan's oar, and the ferry-girl didn't appear to understand what a smooth ride was. Botan had made a feeble attempt to strike a conversation, but Kurama was too confused to string two words together.

He started when he felt something beneath is feet; they had landed. "Where…?" he murmured, looking around.

Botan shrugged. "I was told this was where I'm supposed to bring you." They dismounted and wandered about. They had landed in a forest, in a little clearing. Kurama stared when he noticed a tree that looked suspiciously like the Sakura at the Temple.

"At least, I thought I was supposed to bring you here." She gave him a sheepish look. "Maybe I followed the directions wrong?" Kurama smiled. Apparently, the recent event hadn't affected her too badly.

"Perhaps we should look again?" he suggested.

"That won't be necessary."

The ferry-girl and the Fox turned in the direction of the voice. It'd come from one of the trees. Neither was able to identify it, as it was muffled, yet Kurama felt it was familiar to him.

The rustling of leaves, and the owner of the voice descended form the tree, landing on the ground for them to see.

Kurama gaped. "K-Kuronue?" Indeed, that was who it appeared to be.

The Bat smirked. "In the flesh. Well, not really, but you know what I mean." He looked him over, a sly smile creeping across his face. "It would appear that Heaven has sent me one of those sexy little redheaded angels."

He was giving Kurama a look so suggestive it made both him and Botan flush deep red. "I-I…" he stammered. It'd been awhile since he'd been paid a compliment like that. "It's good to see you too, Kuronue."

Suddenly another voice made itself known, sputtering a series of menacing words. "Death threats hold no value here," Kuronue called up the tree nonchalantly. "What's the worst you can do to me?"

Now the owner of the second voice appeared. "How dare you!" Hiei snarled. "You've no right-"

"What?" Kuronue asked innocently. "I'm not allowed to greet a dear old friend with a flattering comment?"

"NO!"

"I see." He absently swung his pendant about his fingers. "So then, what am I permitted to do?"

"NOTHING!"

"Nothing," he repeated in a calm tone. There wasn't a hint of malice in his voice. "Well then, that should be easy for you to top. Though I notice you haven't said a word to Kurama. He's standing right there in case you haven't noticed."

Kurama's face grew hotter when Hiei directed his attention toward him. The Koorime's stare bore into him, as though analyzing. He couldn't recall Hiei looking at him in this particular way before. It made him uncomfortable. He shifted on his feet, unsure of what to do.

Hiei stared at him, watching the slightest of movements made by the Fox. "You're nervous," he stated flatly. "Why?"

The redhead swallowed, his throat suddenly parched. "I-" he broke off, unsure of what to say. He hadn't realized how hard it would be to simply talk to the Jaganshi. It hadn't been hard to talk to him in the delivery room. That night they'd discussed everything concerning Kurama's choice and their children. What should he say to him now?

Hiei could see that Kurama was at a loss for words. So he took the first step. The next thing Kurama knew, his mouth was giving shelter to the shorter demon's tongue. His body tensed momentarily out of surprise, but then he softened and leaned against Hiei. It had been so long, and he'd been too tired after the birth for it to register. Only now did he realize just how much he had missed the feel of Hiei's warm skin, his soft spikes, his satin lips. He shivered when he felt Hiei's arms tighten around him, old sensations shooting through him, making him tingle. He gave a little groan, one he hadn't uttered in months, and mimicked Hiei's action, loving the feel of the fire demon's figure beneath his cloak.

Hiei lazily opened one eye and looked about. Botan and Kuronue were both staring at them, the ferry-girl apparently unsure of how to react, the Bat completely engrossed by the display. He broke away form Kurama and glared at them. "Are you enjoying yourselves?" he demanded. "Do you find this entertaining?"

Botan blinked. "Uhm…" she muttered uneasily.

"Yes," Kuronue said shamelessly. Hiei's glare grew steelier.

"I- I should probably be returning to the Reikai," Botan said hastily. She smiled uncertainly at Kurama. "Uhm, good-bye for now, I suppose."

"For now," he agreed. Botan nodded, mounted her oar, waved to them, and disappeared.

Kurama felt Hiei's arm encircle his waist and pull him closer in a possessive manner. "It didn't hurt, did it?" he inquired, concerned.

He shook his head. "No. Not at all. In fact, I died while with Mother." Kurama donned a sad face. "She was talking to me. And when she was done, she didn't realize at first that I was gone." His vision grew blurry. So, he was capable of crying still.

Kuronue cleared his throat. "Yes, well…." He messed with his hat, and then tried to smile. "I wouldn't worry about that mother of yours. I wager she'll be fine once the shock wears off." His gaze moved about this way and that, not really looking at any distinct thing. "I, uhm, I suppose I should take my leave now, hm?" He found the Fox's eyes. "I enjoyed seeing you again, Kurama." Without waiting for him to reply, the Chimera turned and melted into the surrounding forest.

The Fox stared after him until he had disappeared completely. He felt strange again. He had to admit, he'd been looking forward so much to seeing Hiei again... It was a complete shock when Kuronue appeared.

Kuronue… Kuronue, his friend. Kuronue, the one person from his life as Yoko Kurama whom he'd actually loved. Kuronue, who had died so that Kurama may escape and live. It came to his attention that he had bad luck where those he fell in love with were involved. Kuronue's and Hiei's ends were rather similar. They both involved him.

"Hn." Hiei rubbed the redhead's back. "And I was concerned he would try to take you for himself."

It dawned on Kurama. "You two are acquainted with each other?"

The Koorime nodded. "He's kept me company for the majority of the time I've been here." His lips pulled into a scowl. "And he's made plenty of comments about you I should kill him for. Then he points out that we're already dead. I believe he must have been here by himself for a good amount of time; it must have screwed with his mind. He spouts philosophical bits at random; it's quite annoying."

"I see," he murmured. Had Kuronue really been alone this entire time? And if so, did he intend to remain as such now?

"Go to him if you wish," Hiei said suddenly. "It makes little difference to me what you choose."

"What?" Kurama blinked and gave him a startled look. He didn't care if Kurama stayed with him or not? The Fox furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?" he asked carefully.

"He evidently cares for you too," the fire demon continued placidly. "I see no harm in you spending time with him, so long as you return to me."

He raised an eyebrow. "You aren't offended if I am with him?"

Hiei shrugged. "Why not? He may be annoying, but he isn't so bad." He snorted. "No worse than the clown by any means."

Kurama smiled. "Speaking of which, Yusuke and Kuwabara both say hello."

"Hn."

He chewed his lip. "You're absolutely positive that you don't mind sharing?" he pressed.

A flash of black- and Kurama found himself pinned to the ground, Hiei crouching on top of him. "I never said that."

"Hiei?"

The Jaganshi put a finger to Kurama's lips, loving their soft feel. "Talk later," he said gruffly. "Before you even think of going to see that damn Bat, I want to make one thing clear." He messed with the belt to the robe his Fox was clad in. "I have no intention of sharing you." The belt came undone, and Hiei was delighted to discover Kurama was nude underneath. "You're mine, Kurama" he panted. "Always."

Kuronue took another shot of sake, cursing his inability to get drunk. He had anticipated this, but when the moment had actually come, he hadn't been ready.

It killed him, were that possible, to do this. But he'd decided he had to, to keep the peace. He knew that in time he'd become accustomed to viewing Kurama solely as a friend rather than the lover he had been. It would be painful, he knew that, but however painful it would be for him, Kurama's happiness would be more than worth it in the long run.

A purr from behind him alerted him that he was no longer alone. He turned his head and quirked an eyebrow when he saw a certain tall, slender, silver Yoko standing before him. "Hello," he said cautiously. What the hell was Kurama doing here?

The Fox didn't return the greeting. Instead, he crouched down on the ground next to Kuronue and leaned against him in an overly friendly manner. "What of Hiei?" he inquired, smelling his companion. Kurama's scent was mingled with the muskier, spicy scent of the Jaganshi. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the two had been doing.

"What of Hiei?" Yoko echoed in a crooning voice, rubbing his head against the other's neck.

"Well, I'm sure that if he saw this right now, he'd somehow find a way to kill me."

"He knows," the thief said with a shrug. He repositioned himself so that he straddled Kuronue's hips.

"W-What?" Surely Hiei hadn't permitted Kurama coming to do… this.

Yoko stopped his groping and gave an impatient flick of his silver hair. "Hiei acknowledged that you love me too. It doesn't upset him." He smirked. "However, he said that if you lay a hand on Suichi's form, he will blow your ass across the three worlds and back."

Kuronue was fine with that. He loved Yoko Kurama. The humanoid alias he didn't know so well, let alone love. "Kurama?"

"Hm?"

"Do you still do that thing with your tail?"