All right, notes for this installment: Um. . . . .oh, as I said last
chapter, I'm thinking about turning this into a huge multi-crossover after
I finish with the main plotline; sending my little group to any other world
I can think of just to see what would happen. If you're completely adverse
to the idea, let me know before I finish this. If you have a request or
suggestion, let me know and if I'm familiar with the world (and like it
enough) I'll do it. If not, after the whole Kurama thing, they'll probably
have one or two more little adventures (maybe something to do with Yusuke's
demon blood and Hiei's prophecy) and it'll be over. Well, I'm going to go
into the other stuff anyway, I just think it would be more fun if I did
some crossovers while I was at it, but let me know.
Warnings: 1. Yaoi 2. I own nothing 3. Kurama's rescue might be a little anticlimactic 4. Mushy-stuff
~
Hiei held the sleeping cat demon securely in his arms, luxuriating in the scent of him as he idly ran his fingers through the long, silky black hair which had earlier been loosed from its usual leather tie and now flowed like some dark river over pale, well-muscled shoulders.
It felt natural having Yusuke there with him; natural and right. It was something he had waited for, anticipated, for a very long time. Too long. And it was such a comfort to be near another person again, separated only by skin, listening to a strong, steady heartbeat and knowing he was not alone.
He wasn't sure what had pushed Yusuke into taking that final step and allowing their feelings for one another to progress to the point they had both yearned for, without being willing to admit it, almost since the moment they had meant. Hiei was willing to admit that, from his side anyway, there had always been attraction. He knew he would forever be grateful for whatever had finally pushed the beautiful detective he had so long admired into his arms. If he had had to wait much longer he was sure he would have done something. . . .desperate and regrettable.
Laying there with Yusuke clutched tightly to him, Hiei was suddenly nearly overcome with a deep, intense longing to have Kurama back. Quite suddenly he missed his vibrant, red-haired fox more than he had since the object of his first love had been stolen from him. It had been one of Kurama's fondest, deepest wishes that Hiei and Yusuke accept each other as lovers so the three of them could all be together. If Hiei hadn't been so selfish and stubborn, they could have had more time together.
Why had he waited? He had always wanted Yusuke; why had he let his own pride keep him from the human boy and from Kurama's deepest wishes?
He loved Kurama; had loved him for a very long time - one injured soul reaching for another. He loved Yusuke just as much, he realized, although he couldn't understand the connection, or how it had happened without his noticing it. He could have been in love with him for months without ever noticing it.
Nestling his nose in Yusuke's hair and pulling him even closer to him, Hiei closed his eyes and smiled. No more needlessly wasting time; tomorrow they would take back their fox, and then the three of them could spend their lives together for real. Yes, that's what he needed. What they all needed.
Hiei drifted off to sleep.
~
Kurama sat on the small step that lad up to Medu's overly ornate jewel studded throne, impassively watching a farmer - a particularly ugly demon in warn, rugged clothes - plead for the cold-hearted demoness to release his family from the dungeons. They were being held because the farmer had gotten into a fight with one of Medu's favorite nobles over a pretty daughter the noble had taken an interest in.
The farmer's lands had been seized, his daughter passed around the nobles, and the rest of his rather large family imprisoned.
As she listened to his heartfelt pleas, Medu idly reached down and patted Kurama's head as if he were her loyal hound. He permitted it, past the point where he would have tried to remove the offending hand. Medu would never allow the farmer or his family to go free, Kurama knew. She just enjoyed watching people grovel.
Gibbering, the man crawled forward on his hands and knees, kissing the hem of her dress and begging her mercy.
Medu laughed, kicking him away with a daintily slippered foot.
"You're beginning to bore me, peasant." She said lazily, long fingernails combing idly through Kurama's hair. "Shall I have my youko here take care of you and your loved ones? Would that solve your problem? It would certainly solve mine." She began to scratch behind his ears and he tried not to think about all the innocents he had already been forced to slaughter. There was a time when his actions wouldn't have bothered him, not even when they were at another's urging, but he was a different youko than he had once been. He detested the thought of using his power purely for her amusement. But what choice did he have, really?
Fear filled the farmer's eyes as he turned his stare on Kurama, who up until this point he had avoided looking at. With an alarmed cry, he staggered away from the throne.
Before Medu could give the order for him to attack, a guard stumbled into the throne room, bowing low. "You're majesty," He panted, eyes wide and desperate, almost mad. "F. . . .Forgive my intrusion, but there's. . . there's some intruders at the gates. They. . . .they're very insistent about seeing you!" Before he could say more he gurgled suddenly, eyes going wide, as a sword unexpectedly protruded through his chest.
"I hope you don't mind, but we let ourselves in." Hiei said with a smirk, withdrawing his blade and wiping it unceremoniously on the guard's uniform. "Your servants here are somewhat less than competent. Don't worry though, we've taken the liberty of dispatching them. Good help is so hard to find these days, unless you steal it, that is. Hello Kurama."
"You'd almost think those guys out there didn't wanna' let us in." Yusuke laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. He exchanged an amused look with Hiei, as if the two of them were enjoying themselves.
"Imaging that." Hiei commented dryly.
"What are the two of you doing here?" Medu demanded shrilly, standing abruptly. "Guards! Guards!"
"Sorry, they had a little. . . .accident." Yusuke answered darkly. "Or didn't you get what Hiei meant when he said that he had dispatched them?" Once more the shared glance of amusement.
Meanwhile, Kurama's heart was a lead ball inside his chest. They had come, dooming themselves. Everything he had done to ensure their safety was a waste because they weren't smart enough to just stay away. Noble-minded fools, couldn't they have gone home and consoled each other, forgetting him eventually in safety?
But it was so good to see them. He couldn't, in fact, tear his eyes away; he had never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. Hiei, dressed in his usual blacks, the glare in his eyes a direct contrast to the amused twist to his mouth. And Yusuke, hair a little longer and glossier than he remembered, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a green shirt, a fuzzy belt around his waist and a yellow and green bandana covering the top of his head. A trick of the light made his eyes appear strange, but Kurama didn't care.
Seeing the two of them standing before them was better, far, far better than staring at the illusions Medu provided to remind him to behave. His heart wrenched at the sight of them.
"Why are you here?" Medu demanded. "Surely you know that it's useless. Youko is loyal to me now. Even if you could, miraculously defeat me, he wouldn't want you anymore anyway."
Kurama lowered his eyes in shame, unwilling to see their expressions.
"We came t' take back what's ours," He heard Yusuke say defiantly. "If he don't wanna come, that's fine, but we're not letting you have him, either. You can make this easy or hard, but we ain't leaving without you."
"He would never go with you. He doesn't want to. Tell them so, Youko."
Kurama flinched, forcing the lie from his mouth. "Yes, that is true." He said quietly. His head shot up as he heard a furious growl and he barely had time to register that it came from Yusuke before the tough little human launched himself at Medu.
Hiei was suddenly at Kurama's side, pulling him to his feet. "Come on, we'll leave her to the detective."
"But Yusuke has no chance of winning . . . ." He protested weakly.
"He can handle it. Besides," Hiei scowled darkly. "He won the right to be the one to kill her. I think he cheated, but he won anyway. Don't worry, he knows where to meet us." His arm slipped around Kurama as he began to lead him away. "Damn, what happened to you, fox?"
"Hiei, you know how dangerous Medu is. It would take all three of us - "
"Yusuke can take care of her on his own; his anger fuels him. Besides, you give that bitch more credit than she is worth. She may be a dangerous adversary, but her power itself isn't very impressive. You, of all people, should have realized this. Has she drugged you?"
"I. . . ."
Hiei turned and embraced him suddenly. "No matter, we'll deal with it once you're out of here. You'll see, Kurama. So much as changed." He smirked as he pulled away. "You'll see." He repeated, pulling him down the long corridor. "I would rather be fighting Medu myself, but I have complete confidence in our detective. That, in itself, is a large enough change, don't you think?"
A scream ripped through the throne room.
"We should hurry." Hiei decided.
The haze around Kurama began to clear a little, and he squeezed Hiei's hand. "I had thought to protect the two of you." He chuckled helplessly, running alongside his longtime love. His feelings of powerlessness slowly began to diminish with the exercise. Had he been drugged? "I did not expect my departure from this place to happen, much less so easily."
"Medu makes herself appear more powerful than she really is." Hiei said, tone of voice relaying his hatred toward the object of their conversation. "When you get rid of all her little soldiers and refuse to let her catch you by surprise, she really isn't all that impressive."
"Yet, how did you arrive here so quickly? With Yusuke with you, I imagine you couldn't travel nearly so fast as you normally would. Medu wasn't expecting a rescue attempt for at least another month. Shje would have been ready for you then, and I. . . .I may have not been in much of a state to be rescued. She almost forced me to be a monster again. You remember how it was when I had no hope, do you not?"
"You were never a monster." He snorted.
"Never mind that, we can argue about my past later. Yet once more I must ask, how did you arrive so swiftly?"
Hiei scowled. "My mother gave us a lift."
Kurama came to an abrupt stop, forcing Hiei to do the same, to turn and face him. "You've seen your mother?"
Hiei took his face in his hands and kissed him soundly, surprising him. "There will be time for explanations later, fox." He said, tone scolding, as if Kurama had forced him to kiss him rather than continue with the escape. "Right now we run. I won't take the risk of losing you again."
Screams were now coming more frequently from the throne room. Kurama sent up a quick prayer that they came from Medu, and ran.
~
The campsite Hiei let him to was small, the snow cleared away and the ground dried by Hiei's power. Wood waited for a fire, and the bedrolls were already laid out and zipped together so they would hold more than one person. It was a good, well-hidden and quiet spot.
Hiei started the fire and began preparing items for cooking as if he weren't the least bit concerned for Yusuke's well being. Kurama took a seat on a fallen log and reverted, thankfully, back to his human form, tired and content merely to watch Hiei move. He had decided that he definitely had been drugged, which made sense, but not knowing what it had been, we wasn't willing to take the risk and create a possible antidote. The effects would have to wear off on their own.
"Was she much trouble?" Hiei asked suddenly, not bothering to turn around.
Kurama sat up straighter, twisting around in his seat as he head Yusuke's answering laugh. Confident and familiar and. . . . .how had he missed his arrival?
"Course not." Yusuke answered, leaping agilely off the rock outcropping that the camp was sheltered under. "I guess maybe there's some advantages to what happened after all." He took a delicate sniff of the air. "What'cha cooking?"
"Food." Hiei grunted.
Yusuke's response was dripping with sarcasm. "Gee, I had no idea." He examined his nails with a grimace. For some reason, he had grown them out so that they greatly resembled claws, and filing them to sharpness. They were dripping with what he was sure was Medu's blood. "Can I have some water?"
Barely pausing in his cooking, Hiei scooped snow into a bucket and melted it, passing it over.
Yusuke took a seat next to Kurama on the log and began carefully washing his hands. Kurama wondered why his newest lover seemed to be ignoring him.
"It's good to see you again, Yusuke." He said quietly. Yusuke didn't answer, seemingly intent on his nails. Hurt, Kurama tried again. "Did you not miss me, Yusuke?"
He flexed his right hand, and Kurama watched in amazement as the nails retracted into a normal length and shape. The boy grimaced and retracted the others before hesitantly meeting Kurama's stare. His eyes flickered from the beautiful brown Kurama had dreamed of for so long to yellow. From his normal warm, human eyes to liquid cat-slit. Kurama couldn't stop himself, reaching out to touch the precious face that seemed slightly. . . .different.
"Yusuke? What. . . .what happened to you?"
Yusuke lowered his eyes and turned away. "I had a little accident." He grumbled. Hiei snorted and the boy's head shot up. Yellow eyed, he glared furiously at the small demon. "Well, how would you explain it then, mister I-know-everything-and-so-everyone-else-is-stupid?"
Hiei glanced up from his cooking calmly, eyes dark. "Kurama, Yusuke was hit by a kokoro ball."
"WHAT?!?!"
He nodded. "We are not sure what happened, but somehow. . . somehow Yusuke has become a demon. A very powerful, full-blooded demon."
"How?" Kurama rasped uselessly, staring.
Yusuke shrugged miserably, and the "belt" around his waist unwound itself to reveal itself to be, of all things, a tail.
"Show him the other." Hiei commanded with an amused smirk.
"No."
"What other? There's more?"
"Do it, Yusuke. It' my favorite part."
"That's because you're a sadistic bastard." He grumbled sullenly, reluctantly reaching up to pull the bandana off his head, revealing two fuzzy black ears. "There, satisfied, ya jerk?"
Hiei actually went so far as to smile slightly, giving a slight nod before returning to his task.
Kurama couldn't pull his eyes away. Yusuke had always been pretty, but now there was just something more. He seemed more natural, and that brought out an undeniable beauty that Kurama had never before imagined.
"You wanna touch them, don't you?" Yusuke sighed.
He hadn't thought about it, but not Kurama realized that he did, indeed want to. "May I?"
Yusuke scooted closer and nodded. Kurama was struck by a sudden realization. "You do not like your new form, my dear? It's very attractive." He let his hand drop from the satin ear to the silken hair, which he gathered up and kissed lightly.
Yusuke's ears flattened. "Hiei won't quit calling me Kitten." He grumbled.
Kurama heard a strange noise, and realized that Hiei was laughing. Yusuke's scowl grew and his cheeks became red. He fidgeted uncomfortably.
Kurama smiled. "Well, I think that it is very. . . . ."
"Don't you dare say cute." He growled.
Hiei only laughed harder.
The moment was almost enough to make Kurama forget where he had been, what had been done to him. He was with the two people he loved most, but everything was different. Did he even fit here anymore?
Suddenly, Yusuke's hand covered his own. The boy was blushing lightly, refusing to meet his eyes. "I missed you, Kurama." He said quietly.
"And I, you." Kurama squeezed his hand and tilted his face up so he could look into his eyes. They were yellow now, he noticed. "I thought about you all the time. Both of you."
Hiei smiled slightly over the cooking food. "Out kitten needs your assurance more than I, fox."
"Quit callin' me kitten, three eyes."
"Make me."
"Screw you!"
"Later."
Yusuke's face immediately grew bright red. "Th. . . .that is not what I meant and you know it, Hiei."
"Still. The offer stands."
"You better apologize first then."
"No. You know you can't resist my sexy body."
"That's beside the point! If you don't apologize - !"
Yes, something had definitely changed. As the two continued to bicker, Kurama found himself smiling for the first time in a long time.
~
To Be Continued
Man, it's really hard to find really good yaoi on ff.net. If anyone knows of any, please let me know. Maybe I'm not looking right.
Warnings: 1. Yaoi 2. I own nothing 3. Kurama's rescue might be a little anticlimactic 4. Mushy-stuff
~
Hiei held the sleeping cat demon securely in his arms, luxuriating in the scent of him as he idly ran his fingers through the long, silky black hair which had earlier been loosed from its usual leather tie and now flowed like some dark river over pale, well-muscled shoulders.
It felt natural having Yusuke there with him; natural and right. It was something he had waited for, anticipated, for a very long time. Too long. And it was such a comfort to be near another person again, separated only by skin, listening to a strong, steady heartbeat and knowing he was not alone.
He wasn't sure what had pushed Yusuke into taking that final step and allowing their feelings for one another to progress to the point they had both yearned for, without being willing to admit it, almost since the moment they had meant. Hiei was willing to admit that, from his side anyway, there had always been attraction. He knew he would forever be grateful for whatever had finally pushed the beautiful detective he had so long admired into his arms. If he had had to wait much longer he was sure he would have done something. . . .desperate and regrettable.
Laying there with Yusuke clutched tightly to him, Hiei was suddenly nearly overcome with a deep, intense longing to have Kurama back. Quite suddenly he missed his vibrant, red-haired fox more than he had since the object of his first love had been stolen from him. It had been one of Kurama's fondest, deepest wishes that Hiei and Yusuke accept each other as lovers so the three of them could all be together. If Hiei hadn't been so selfish and stubborn, they could have had more time together.
Why had he waited? He had always wanted Yusuke; why had he let his own pride keep him from the human boy and from Kurama's deepest wishes?
He loved Kurama; had loved him for a very long time - one injured soul reaching for another. He loved Yusuke just as much, he realized, although he couldn't understand the connection, or how it had happened without his noticing it. He could have been in love with him for months without ever noticing it.
Nestling his nose in Yusuke's hair and pulling him even closer to him, Hiei closed his eyes and smiled. No more needlessly wasting time; tomorrow they would take back their fox, and then the three of them could spend their lives together for real. Yes, that's what he needed. What they all needed.
Hiei drifted off to sleep.
~
Kurama sat on the small step that lad up to Medu's overly ornate jewel studded throne, impassively watching a farmer - a particularly ugly demon in warn, rugged clothes - plead for the cold-hearted demoness to release his family from the dungeons. They were being held because the farmer had gotten into a fight with one of Medu's favorite nobles over a pretty daughter the noble had taken an interest in.
The farmer's lands had been seized, his daughter passed around the nobles, and the rest of his rather large family imprisoned.
As she listened to his heartfelt pleas, Medu idly reached down and patted Kurama's head as if he were her loyal hound. He permitted it, past the point where he would have tried to remove the offending hand. Medu would never allow the farmer or his family to go free, Kurama knew. She just enjoyed watching people grovel.
Gibbering, the man crawled forward on his hands and knees, kissing the hem of her dress and begging her mercy.
Medu laughed, kicking him away with a daintily slippered foot.
"You're beginning to bore me, peasant." She said lazily, long fingernails combing idly through Kurama's hair. "Shall I have my youko here take care of you and your loved ones? Would that solve your problem? It would certainly solve mine." She began to scratch behind his ears and he tried not to think about all the innocents he had already been forced to slaughter. There was a time when his actions wouldn't have bothered him, not even when they were at another's urging, but he was a different youko than he had once been. He detested the thought of using his power purely for her amusement. But what choice did he have, really?
Fear filled the farmer's eyes as he turned his stare on Kurama, who up until this point he had avoided looking at. With an alarmed cry, he staggered away from the throne.
Before Medu could give the order for him to attack, a guard stumbled into the throne room, bowing low. "You're majesty," He panted, eyes wide and desperate, almost mad. "F. . . .Forgive my intrusion, but there's. . . there's some intruders at the gates. They. . . .they're very insistent about seeing you!" Before he could say more he gurgled suddenly, eyes going wide, as a sword unexpectedly protruded through his chest.
"I hope you don't mind, but we let ourselves in." Hiei said with a smirk, withdrawing his blade and wiping it unceremoniously on the guard's uniform. "Your servants here are somewhat less than competent. Don't worry though, we've taken the liberty of dispatching them. Good help is so hard to find these days, unless you steal it, that is. Hello Kurama."
"You'd almost think those guys out there didn't wanna' let us in." Yusuke laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. He exchanged an amused look with Hiei, as if the two of them were enjoying themselves.
"Imaging that." Hiei commented dryly.
"What are the two of you doing here?" Medu demanded shrilly, standing abruptly. "Guards! Guards!"
"Sorry, they had a little. . . .accident." Yusuke answered darkly. "Or didn't you get what Hiei meant when he said that he had dispatched them?" Once more the shared glance of amusement.
Meanwhile, Kurama's heart was a lead ball inside his chest. They had come, dooming themselves. Everything he had done to ensure their safety was a waste because they weren't smart enough to just stay away. Noble-minded fools, couldn't they have gone home and consoled each other, forgetting him eventually in safety?
But it was so good to see them. He couldn't, in fact, tear his eyes away; he had never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. Hiei, dressed in his usual blacks, the glare in his eyes a direct contrast to the amused twist to his mouth. And Yusuke, hair a little longer and glossier than he remembered, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a green shirt, a fuzzy belt around his waist and a yellow and green bandana covering the top of his head. A trick of the light made his eyes appear strange, but Kurama didn't care.
Seeing the two of them standing before them was better, far, far better than staring at the illusions Medu provided to remind him to behave. His heart wrenched at the sight of them.
"Why are you here?" Medu demanded. "Surely you know that it's useless. Youko is loyal to me now. Even if you could, miraculously defeat me, he wouldn't want you anymore anyway."
Kurama lowered his eyes in shame, unwilling to see their expressions.
"We came t' take back what's ours," He heard Yusuke say defiantly. "If he don't wanna come, that's fine, but we're not letting you have him, either. You can make this easy or hard, but we ain't leaving without you."
"He would never go with you. He doesn't want to. Tell them so, Youko."
Kurama flinched, forcing the lie from his mouth. "Yes, that is true." He said quietly. His head shot up as he heard a furious growl and he barely had time to register that it came from Yusuke before the tough little human launched himself at Medu.
Hiei was suddenly at Kurama's side, pulling him to his feet. "Come on, we'll leave her to the detective."
"But Yusuke has no chance of winning . . . ." He protested weakly.
"He can handle it. Besides," Hiei scowled darkly. "He won the right to be the one to kill her. I think he cheated, but he won anyway. Don't worry, he knows where to meet us." His arm slipped around Kurama as he began to lead him away. "Damn, what happened to you, fox?"
"Hiei, you know how dangerous Medu is. It would take all three of us - "
"Yusuke can take care of her on his own; his anger fuels him. Besides, you give that bitch more credit than she is worth. She may be a dangerous adversary, but her power itself isn't very impressive. You, of all people, should have realized this. Has she drugged you?"
"I. . . ."
Hiei turned and embraced him suddenly. "No matter, we'll deal with it once you're out of here. You'll see, Kurama. So much as changed." He smirked as he pulled away. "You'll see." He repeated, pulling him down the long corridor. "I would rather be fighting Medu myself, but I have complete confidence in our detective. That, in itself, is a large enough change, don't you think?"
A scream ripped through the throne room.
"We should hurry." Hiei decided.
The haze around Kurama began to clear a little, and he squeezed Hiei's hand. "I had thought to protect the two of you." He chuckled helplessly, running alongside his longtime love. His feelings of powerlessness slowly began to diminish with the exercise. Had he been drugged? "I did not expect my departure from this place to happen, much less so easily."
"Medu makes herself appear more powerful than she really is." Hiei said, tone of voice relaying his hatred toward the object of their conversation. "When you get rid of all her little soldiers and refuse to let her catch you by surprise, she really isn't all that impressive."
"Yet, how did you arrive here so quickly? With Yusuke with you, I imagine you couldn't travel nearly so fast as you normally would. Medu wasn't expecting a rescue attempt for at least another month. Shje would have been ready for you then, and I. . . .I may have not been in much of a state to be rescued. She almost forced me to be a monster again. You remember how it was when I had no hope, do you not?"
"You were never a monster." He snorted.
"Never mind that, we can argue about my past later. Yet once more I must ask, how did you arrive so swiftly?"
Hiei scowled. "My mother gave us a lift."
Kurama came to an abrupt stop, forcing Hiei to do the same, to turn and face him. "You've seen your mother?"
Hiei took his face in his hands and kissed him soundly, surprising him. "There will be time for explanations later, fox." He said, tone scolding, as if Kurama had forced him to kiss him rather than continue with the escape. "Right now we run. I won't take the risk of losing you again."
Screams were now coming more frequently from the throne room. Kurama sent up a quick prayer that they came from Medu, and ran.
~
The campsite Hiei let him to was small, the snow cleared away and the ground dried by Hiei's power. Wood waited for a fire, and the bedrolls were already laid out and zipped together so they would hold more than one person. It was a good, well-hidden and quiet spot.
Hiei started the fire and began preparing items for cooking as if he weren't the least bit concerned for Yusuke's well being. Kurama took a seat on a fallen log and reverted, thankfully, back to his human form, tired and content merely to watch Hiei move. He had decided that he definitely had been drugged, which made sense, but not knowing what it had been, we wasn't willing to take the risk and create a possible antidote. The effects would have to wear off on their own.
"Was she much trouble?" Hiei asked suddenly, not bothering to turn around.
Kurama sat up straighter, twisting around in his seat as he head Yusuke's answering laugh. Confident and familiar and. . . . .how had he missed his arrival?
"Course not." Yusuke answered, leaping agilely off the rock outcropping that the camp was sheltered under. "I guess maybe there's some advantages to what happened after all." He took a delicate sniff of the air. "What'cha cooking?"
"Food." Hiei grunted.
Yusuke's response was dripping with sarcasm. "Gee, I had no idea." He examined his nails with a grimace. For some reason, he had grown them out so that they greatly resembled claws, and filing them to sharpness. They were dripping with what he was sure was Medu's blood. "Can I have some water?"
Barely pausing in his cooking, Hiei scooped snow into a bucket and melted it, passing it over.
Yusuke took a seat next to Kurama on the log and began carefully washing his hands. Kurama wondered why his newest lover seemed to be ignoring him.
"It's good to see you again, Yusuke." He said quietly. Yusuke didn't answer, seemingly intent on his nails. Hurt, Kurama tried again. "Did you not miss me, Yusuke?"
He flexed his right hand, and Kurama watched in amazement as the nails retracted into a normal length and shape. The boy grimaced and retracted the others before hesitantly meeting Kurama's stare. His eyes flickered from the beautiful brown Kurama had dreamed of for so long to yellow. From his normal warm, human eyes to liquid cat-slit. Kurama couldn't stop himself, reaching out to touch the precious face that seemed slightly. . . .different.
"Yusuke? What. . . .what happened to you?"
Yusuke lowered his eyes and turned away. "I had a little accident." He grumbled. Hiei snorted and the boy's head shot up. Yellow eyed, he glared furiously at the small demon. "Well, how would you explain it then, mister I-know-everything-and-so-everyone-else-is-stupid?"
Hiei glanced up from his cooking calmly, eyes dark. "Kurama, Yusuke was hit by a kokoro ball."
"WHAT?!?!"
He nodded. "We are not sure what happened, but somehow. . . somehow Yusuke has become a demon. A very powerful, full-blooded demon."
"How?" Kurama rasped uselessly, staring.
Yusuke shrugged miserably, and the "belt" around his waist unwound itself to reveal itself to be, of all things, a tail.
"Show him the other." Hiei commanded with an amused smirk.
"No."
"What other? There's more?"
"Do it, Yusuke. It' my favorite part."
"That's because you're a sadistic bastard." He grumbled sullenly, reluctantly reaching up to pull the bandana off his head, revealing two fuzzy black ears. "There, satisfied, ya jerk?"
Hiei actually went so far as to smile slightly, giving a slight nod before returning to his task.
Kurama couldn't pull his eyes away. Yusuke had always been pretty, but now there was just something more. He seemed more natural, and that brought out an undeniable beauty that Kurama had never before imagined.
"You wanna touch them, don't you?" Yusuke sighed.
He hadn't thought about it, but not Kurama realized that he did, indeed want to. "May I?"
Yusuke scooted closer and nodded. Kurama was struck by a sudden realization. "You do not like your new form, my dear? It's very attractive." He let his hand drop from the satin ear to the silken hair, which he gathered up and kissed lightly.
Yusuke's ears flattened. "Hiei won't quit calling me Kitten." He grumbled.
Kurama heard a strange noise, and realized that Hiei was laughing. Yusuke's scowl grew and his cheeks became red. He fidgeted uncomfortably.
Kurama smiled. "Well, I think that it is very. . . . ."
"Don't you dare say cute." He growled.
Hiei only laughed harder.
The moment was almost enough to make Kurama forget where he had been, what had been done to him. He was with the two people he loved most, but everything was different. Did he even fit here anymore?
Suddenly, Yusuke's hand covered his own. The boy was blushing lightly, refusing to meet his eyes. "I missed you, Kurama." He said quietly.
"And I, you." Kurama squeezed his hand and tilted his face up so he could look into his eyes. They were yellow now, he noticed. "I thought about you all the time. Both of you."
Hiei smiled slightly over the cooking food. "Out kitten needs your assurance more than I, fox."
"Quit callin' me kitten, three eyes."
"Make me."
"Screw you!"
"Later."
Yusuke's face immediately grew bright red. "Th. . . .that is not what I meant and you know it, Hiei."
"Still. The offer stands."
"You better apologize first then."
"No. You know you can't resist my sexy body."
"That's beside the point! If you don't apologize - !"
Yes, something had definitely changed. As the two continued to bicker, Kurama found himself smiling for the first time in a long time.
~
To Be Continued
Man, it's really hard to find really good yaoi on ff.net. If anyone knows of any, please let me know. Maybe I'm not looking right.