Enemies from the Start, Lovers Until the End

Me: Well, here I am, posting two chapters in one day. I finished the other one a week or so ago, but I just finished this one up. It's really long, a bit over ten thousand, so I won't be surprised if I get reviews saying it was too long. Originally, it wasn't going to be this long, and once I saw how long it was, I was about to divide it into two separate chapters. Hmm, I wonder why I didn't. Anyways, I hope you like this, and be happy! There's romance in this one. (I hope that this makes up for how long it is and how much a chore I am guessing it'll be to read it.) Ah well, on with the story!

Chapter 15

Hiei had Kurama pulled tightly against his chest, protecting him from the threat of being hurt again. He glared daggers at the two demons standing before them. It may have been a glare that could make any human and most demons submit to anything he ordered them to do, but Shin and Akushitsuko weren't the least but intimidated. He was even angered further when the dragon took a step towards them with a cruel smirk.

Hiei wasn't intimidated. He clutched Kurama even more tightly to his chest and got ready to run if it were necessary to for Kurama's safety. Even though it wasn't in his morals to run away from a fight, he was willing to. It wasn't safe to fight these demons while Kurama was around, possibly sick or injured, certainly in danger.

"Hand him over, Hiei. Would you really want to lose your life for such a worthless hanyou? There is no reason to protect him" It really pissed Hiei off how they judged Kurama so much. These bastards weren't interested in his well being or his health. They would kill him and gain their reward, or if they found the option of selling him off to some perverted demon to be the most lucrative, they would do that.

Kurama couldn't benefit, either way. He had so much potential, but what was the point if he was dead. Demons weren't supposed to kill humans; it was a strict taboo in the spirit world. It was said that once you killed a human, you were doomed to a horrible fate once you life ended. You would rot away in the darkest, worst, and most painful places in the entire universe for all of eternity.

From these rumors, it sounded as if it was even worse than the highly acclaimed to be deepest hell, Limbo. Now that he thought of it, the idea became more likely to occur to him. Knowing how the demons spoke and acted, they had already killed off numbers of humans. It seemed as if Akushitsuko was able to read his very thoughts.

"You know, I am not hesitant to kill Kurama, he isn't counted among the human-killing rule. Even if he was, it isn't as if I would care. I enjoy killing humans. They are a weak and pathetic species, you see, and I find it quite enjoyable to hear their screams of pain and their disgraceful pleas." Hiei's eyes hardened at him. Usually, such a comment wouldn't even turn his head. But for some reason, it made him unbelievably angry to hear people talk of killing Kurama in such a casual way.

Why should he care about it anyways? It didn't concern him if he left Kurama right now and he would have his wish fulfilled anyways, right? When he first came along Kurama, there was nothing more he wanted than the death of that redhead, but now the thought of Kurama lying motionless on the ground on his own pool of blood angered him.

Hiei looked down at the fox within his arms. Kurama clung to his shirt seeking safety and comfort.

There had been a time that Kurama would cling to him merely out of fear of the things around him and simply for the fact that he nothing else to latch onto and hide against. He could feel Kurama trembling in his arms; he desperately wanted that trembling to stop. It was sad in a way to see a being that was once the greatest thief in all of Makai this frightened of someone he could have surely killed if it hadn't been for the unfortunate event of his death years before.

Hiei turned to walk away, before saying "I'm leaving. You may choose to follow, but I swear, if I ever see you again, because I won't hesitate to kill you if you do." With that, he ran at top speed out of the cave before they were able o reply to what he had said to them.

However, Hiei's ears caught the sound of feet running behind him, and he turned around just in time to be able to dodge a direct hit from a chained scythe. That didn't come without a price, though. It had grazed his shoulder none to gently and he began to bleed.

He was thankful it hadn't hit Kurama at least, but he knew that this was going to be a problem. It looked like it was going to be a fight right here and now, and he couldn't just set Kurama down so he'd be able to fight. He debated about this and slowly set Kurama down, asking him if he was up to trying to fight.

Kurama looked a little shocked, and then motioned towards the ward on his arms that bound back his youki. Hiei growled. How had he not noticed those before? He put a hand up to Kurama's arm to try and take one of them off. A burning sensation traveled trough his entire arm, and his hand began to bleed, but he still kept his hand there in an attempt to still try and get the ward off.

A bright flash of light and a soft whimper from Kurama were enough to force him back though. Kurama's arm had begun to bleed rapidly, and Kurama looked very pained at his simple attempt to remove the ward. Shin laughed maniacally before informing Hiei of the ward.

"It's actually quite a useful ward, it originates from the original Megiru seal design. You know, the one that spirit world jails use? It will only come off if I try to take it off, and any other any energy signature it senses will earn a nice wound and a good deal of pain. I believe the more you try, the more you will just hurt Kurama as well"

Hiei wondered how he'd be able to get out of this situation. He couldn't simply ask for the ward to be removed. Not only would it be stooping to quite a low level, but also he knew very well that his wish wouldn't be honored. He growled and looked at Kurama

"Get behind me," He told him. Kurama opened his mouth to protest. It was unusual someone would turn down an offer for protection against a psychotic moron who wanted to kill you. He waited to hear Kurama's voiced protest, wanting to know his reason for refusing.

"But Hiei, I want to help you fight. I want to prove to you that I'm useful. Besides, how are you supposed to fight them? There are two of them and they're both strong enough, as it is. It isn't that I'm saying that you aren't strong enough. That was simply outrageous. Were two against one good? It's impossible Hiei. Please, I have to help you in some way." His voice was pleading, but still determined in the way of wanting to get across his point.

Kurama had always wanted to prove himself to Hiei. He wanted Hiei to know he wasn't weak, and that he could be strong for him. He didn't want Hiei to believe that he was useless, because for some reason, he felt bad thinking that he was completely dependent upon Hiei because he WAS useless.

"No. Just say behind me." He replied in a soft snarl-like whisper. Kurama opened his mouth again to protest, but Hiei interrupted before he was able to.

"You aren't useless, but you aren't very proficient in fighting and I'd rather you not get hurt. Besides, those wards aren't going to do you much good. I'm going to have to find some way of getting them off later, but I certainly can't right now." Kurama sighed and took a step behind him. He felt beyond weak having to rely on Hiei's help once again.

Hiei held his sword at the ready as a bone chilling wind blew across the sheer landscape. Behind him, the fox shivered, breath coming out in warm puffs. If he weren't in this current situation, he probably would have found some way to assure the fox's warmth. But given the circumstances, he probably shouldn't have his attention focused on the redhead. It could always prove fatal to him if he did; the last thing you needed in the middle of a fight was a distraction.

Hiei stood still, waiting for the two to come and attach. He wanted to protect Kurama as best as he was able to, and if he left where the kitsune stood, Kurama would be put in danger.

It wasn't long before another attack from one of those flying scythes came back at him, and he blocked it with ease. But it wasn't as if he was fighting just one, he received another attack from the other demon. He had leapt forward and grazed Hiei's shoulders with his sharp claws while dodging the sword at the same time. Akushitsuko gathered a bit of blood in his hands and slipped it quickly into a bottle in his pocket.

Hiei was suddenly hit with a large combination of attacks, and he found it that he was dodging the numerous attempts to hit him from the kusari-gama while fighting Akushitsuko in hand to hand combat at the same time. Kurama stood off to the side, looking horrified. He wanted desperately to rush into the fight and help Hiei, but he wouldn't go against what Hiei had asked him. He'd no doubt have to face Hiei's wrath later if he did.

His blood splattered across the pure white snow, yet Hiei still continued to fight. Kurama felt dizzy, like he was going to faint. Hiei was only doing this to protect him. Why did he do that? It wasn't like he was something worth someone spilling their blood over him. He felt the desperate need to cry out 'No Hiei! Stop fighting, I'm not worth it!' but it seemed as if his breath had caught in his throat and he was unable to speak. For now, he could only watch the battle unfolding before him with shortened breath and wide eyes.

Hiei was knocked down to the ground and Kurama felt the urge to throw up. Why did he keep getting up to fight, why did he have to do this? Pain like noting else overtook his being. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if Hiei died, much less, Hiei dieing before his very eyes. Who would teach him how to fight? Who would talk to him when he felt sad or scared?

Akushitsuko and Shin were getting sick of fighting the fire demon. He wasn't crying out in pain whenever he was knocked down to the ground, and he kept getting back up. Hiei reminded them of some annoying parasite that's hard to get rid of. With that, Akushitsuko drew out the bottle containing the mixture of his and Kurama's blood and poured some of it into his hands to throw at Hiei. He was sick of toying around with this. There were more important matters than this he had to attend to.

Kurama's eyes widened in recognition at this act, they were planning on killing Hiei. He gave a soft cry, and with out thing, in, launched himself in the direction of the three. His legs seemed to be going too fast for his body to keep up with and he tripped, knocking Hiei out of the way and getting splashed with the blood mixture instead.

As expected, pain traveled throughout Kurama's entire body, and he winced, trying to hold back a loud cry of pain he didn't want Hiei to hear. Hiei stood up and looked at the redhead on the ground, an angry glare on his face. Unbeknownst to him, Kurama had just saved his life.

"What the hell was that for, fox? I thought I told you not to interfere! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He asked heatedly. Kurama stood up, wincing horribly and closing his eyes so Hiei wouldn't see the painful look within his eyes.

"I'm sorry Hiei. I suppose that I'm not able to see you being hurt without acting. I won't do it again." He moved quickly out of the field of battle, although his instincts urged him to do otherwise.

He collapsed a few hundred yards away and opened his eyes, sending a smirk Akushitsuko's way. That had been the last of Kurama's blood he possessed, and if he wanted more, he'd have to come over here and get it. He guessed that their plans were probably to get rid of Hiei before doing anything with him, simply because anything they wanted to do to him was saved for after Hiei was out of the way.

Akushitsuko clenched his fist. Damn that fox, he'd known that was the last of the blood mixture he possessed. He didn't know any other way to get rid of the fire demon. He surveyed his surroundings. A plan began to formulate in his head, he informed Shin telepathically.

They continued to attack simultaneously providing Hiei a challenge. More blood splattered across the snow as he was slowly chased backward by a bombard of fits and kusari-gama. The attacks were coming so fast all he was able to do was block. He spotted Kurama a little ways away watching him with wide eyes.

He was lost on thought for a moment. Kurama was really a beautiful fox, and a really attractive one at that. He looked at the silky crimson locks that fell past his shoulders and the gorgeous emerald orbs. His distraction was a large mistake, because as he had stated before, distractions proved fatal in fights. He was hit right in the stomach with one of the kusari-gama; blood flew freely from the wound. Kurama's scream sounded far off as his vision blurred badly. He felt his body land hard against something cold and hard. A horrified realization came when he felt the ice crack beneath him and his body slip into the freezing water.

Kurama's eyes widened as he saw Hiei fall into the lake, fear consumed his very being. He forgot about what Hiei had told him to do completely and ran over, screaming his name hoarsely over and over. There was no answer within the lonely wind. He waited for Hiei to surface, it hadn't happened yet. Kurama felt his body begin to tremble.

Hiei felt himself fall through the water, but he was unable to move. He could feel himself tremble and his eyes widen considerably. This was the one thing he drew fear out of. Being part fire, he never particularly enjoyed water. He did have to take showers, and he'd grown used to it. But large bodies of water were one thing he couldn't handle; he always tensed up and was unable to move. He held his breath, knowing he wouldn't be able to do it much longer than a few minutes.

Well, maybe you could say that there was more there than the simple dislike of water. Well, as said before, he was a fire demon, so it wasn't a crime he didn't enjoy the water. There were rumors weren't true that water weakened or killed fire demons, but it was one of the only things fire demons were ever scared of. Hiei felt pathetic. This was even worse than Kurama's fear, it was one thing Hiei never enjoyed to admit.

He couldn't swim, and he had no idea in mind to struggle against the icy wet trap the large body of water posed. He could remember falling in the water when he was very little.

His mother had been very worried, and as soon as she had heard from the frightened and panicking Yukina that Hiei had fallen into a lake, she raced to the spot and scooped the little, sobbing child out of the water. She had been so worried about him, and he remembered her telling him to never go near any large bodies of water again, because water wasn't meant for fire demons, even if he was part koorime. He hadn't needed telling twice, he was too terrified to ever go near a large body of water again.

… It couldn't bee much longer now; there was only a specific amount of time he'd be able to hold his breath…

He almost laughed at the irony of this. He had never expected to die this way; destroyed by the one thing in the world he had ever been scared of. He felt fear and panic cross his being again. He was completely immobile; he was frozen in his original position. He only could see the light from the surface disappearing rapidly as he was almost pulled downwards by some invisible, malevolent force.

Kurama was on the verge of tears. He was pleading with thin air for Hiei to surface again. He didn't realize Akushitsuko and Shin had approached him from behind. Shin put one of his scythes to the back of Kurama's neck as a threat.

"He isn't going to come back. You mind as well accept the fact that he's dead and come quietly." Kurama shuddered as he heard this voice, but fear was replaced immediately with blazing fury. How dare they treat Hiei like that? He had only been trying to save him! He spun around, an odd aura growing around him. His eyes were colder than anyone had ever seen them in this lifetime. The emerald orbs flashed golden dangerously as his ki multiplied twenty times. Any demon within a fifty-mile radius must've cowered in fear at this moment, simply because of the shear size of ki being released into the air. If you were smart, you'd know he probably shouldn't be fooled around with right at this time.

"Get away from me," he said in a dangerous and fuming voice. The wards on his arms smoldered under the intensity of the ki. They weren't strong enough to withstand such power, and they were simply incinerated by the massive amount of energy. The two demons backed away at the intimidating ki. For the first time in Kurama's life, it seemed as if Youko's spirit was making itself known.

These demons had learned in their life that Youko Kurama was a dangerous creature, especially when angry. As if only acting on instinct, Kurama pressed his hands down into the snow and transferred his ki to a small seed that had lain buried. A long and thick vine shot out of the snow stabbed Shin right through the chest.

Kurama didn't even take a second thought towards the two demons. He took a deep breath and leapt into the dark water Hiei had fallen into. Shin coughed up some blood and collapsed onto the ground, a thin line of blood running from his mouth. Akushitsuko stared at his partner, stunned by the sudden turning of tables.

Darkness surrounded Kurama as he swam downwards. He had to help Hiei; he just had to, the urge was stronger than anything. He could feel the cold water biting at his skin like a sharp dagger, and the pain from the blood still remained, but he swan downwards still, kicking himself towards the black blur he saw several feet under him.

He coughed slightly. His lungs felt as if they were about to burst. Nevertheless, he sped up his pace and swam down to the unmoving black-clad figure and grabbed his body. One arm was placed around his waist, and another around his shoulders, he began kicking upwards towards the surface. He kicked desperately.

He didn't know if he would be able to survive much longer without breathing. He wondered if this would be his death right here. Still, he urged himself to keep going, for Hiei's sake.

His head broke the surface just in time; he coughed and gasped, happy to be able to breathe again. He hauled himself and Hiei up onto the ground and lying down on the ground to catch his breath. Sudden panic once again crossed his features, when he took a quick survey of Hiei and found that he wasn't breathing. "Hiei!" he yelled in a scared voice. He leaned down and yelled it in his ear, shaking him frantically. He received no reaction to this, not even a hn or a glare. Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he leaned down to the only thing he knew how to do in such a situation. He put a hand on Hiei's cheek. The skin was deadly cold to the touch. It couldn't be a good sign Hiei had always been warm.

"Please, Hiei!" he whispered before covering Hiei's mouth with his. He breathed lightly out into Hiei's mouth and drew back, repeating the process when he managed to get him to exhale. He leaned down and breathed for him again, his desperation growing and the tears increasing. A soft sob echoed as he gently pleaded between covering the demon's mouth and trying to get him to exhale. He had forgotten once again about the vanished demons, who had left when Kurama had dived.

"Hiei, please. You have to take a breath I don't think I can live without you!" he leaned down again and pressed his lips to Hiei's. He didn't hear Hiei cough lightly before his lips covered Hiei's again. He drew away a little, tears falling from his eyes as Hiei slowly opened his eyes. The crimson orbs looked very confused as he took a sharp intake of air and coughed up water he had swallowed. Hiei looked at the tearful Kurama in a surprised and shocked manner. He didn't say anything to him. Kurama unexpectedly threw his arms around Hiei in an almost strangling embrace, sobbing onto his shoulder.

"I thought you were dead Hiei!" he said in between his sobs. Hiei tentatively put his arms round the fox and squeezed him comfortingly. Kurama still cried. He had been so scared for him; he had really thought that he had lost the fire demon. A sudden question snapped into Hiei's mind.

"Kurama, where did those demons go?" he wondered why they had left. There was no way they should've left unless they took Kurama with them. He was their target, after all. Kurama trembled slightly and tried to regain a shred of self-composure.

"I-I don't know. It was all so strange. You fell in the water and I got really mad at them and those wards burned off. Then I summoned a plant I didn't even know was there. They were scared for some reason."

Hiei nodded and looked at the weeping redhead. He gently lifted his head and whispered reassuring words to him while stroking his cheek gently. Kurama was frozen. He wasn't even breathing. He found that the fact Hiei was stroking his cheek surprising, shocking, and frightening all at the same time. He trembled weakly, exhausted from lack of energy, swimming, and tears.

Hiei chuckled. "You truly can't keep yourself out of trouble, can you? You're exhausted and over half of your ki is gone." He gently stood and took and picked Kurama up bridal style. He gazed softly at the emerald-eyed kitsune and began to walk slowly. He felt freezing himself, and raised his ki so both he and Kurama would be more comfortable.

As they walked, Hiei spoke gently to the fox. They both had almost lost each other, and now Hiei knew the meaning of 'Tell him your feelings before it's too late.' He looked at the fox for a while before he finally began to speak.

"You know, fox. You're really quite odd. You make me feel weird and I can't help but worry about you. Do you carry some sort of disease or something like that?" His voice was uneasy. He'd never loved anyone in this sort of way before, and it made his confession harder to admit. It was only something he had just started to admit openly to himself, so how could he possibly explain this to the fox.

Kurama only blinked and tried to answer to what he had been asked. However, it didn't surprise the fire demon when he received no answer. He attempted again to correctly word this.

"Maybe when we get back we could go somewhere together. We could do something the ningens enjoy doing. Dinner, a movie, or maybe a walk if you would like?" Hiei suggested.

He mentally slapped himself. That had sounded so stupid. He was surprised when Kurama answered to his question with another question.

"Do you mean a date?" he asked in a soft sort of tone. Maybe that question hadn't been such a stupid thing to ask after all. This actually made things a lot easier for him to explain now.

"I guess that could be the way you could word it. So, what do you want to do tonight?"

Kurama blinked. Maybe it was just him, or he looked really happy at this they stared at each other for a little while without saying anything to the other. He replied a few long minutes afterwards in a different tone. "Maybe we could go and have dinner together at that restaurant in town. It has nice food, and I guess it's better than the leftovers we could have instead of that."

Hiei chuckled a little as they walked along at what Kurama had said.

Suddenly, he tripped. Although he didn't fall nor did he drop Kurama, he winced horribly at the pain in his wounds. Kurama had forgotten how much of a possibility there was Hiei was really seriously injured, and he regretted allowing Hiei to carry him now. He struggled a little in the Jaganshi's grip until he could find a place on the ground for his feet. He then stood up, freeing himself from Hiei's arms. He looked over at him apologetically, but he only received a glare from Hiei.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked. It looked like Hiei was half inclined to just pick him up again without listening to the answer Kurama had to offer.

"Hiei, you're hurt I don't want to have to trouble you with me when you're already in pain. If anything, I should be the one carrying you." He replied. He'd never worried about someone like this for such a long time. But Hiei was his only concern. It felt as if he could go through all the pain in the universe just so he could ease the injuries Hiei had.

"I'm not in pain, idiot. You need to be carried. The cold will end up getting to you if you don't have my help, seeing as you've probably already caught something out here." Hiei replied in a cold voice. He was truly lying to Kurama, his body seemed full of pain at the time, but he was too stubborn to admit the two demons had really inflicted damage on him. He believed that if he admitted it, Kurama would see him as weak for not being able to defend himself better than he had.

Kurama looked worried, but Hiei didn't care. Just because he liked the fox didn't mean that he needed any pity from him. He didn't want anyone's pity; it made him believe he was weak. Kurama's eyes stayed fixed on him in a soft and sad expression.

"Hiei, please. You're hurt and I don't want to hurt you more. I'm not stupid about this, and I won't allow you to pretend like everything's all right." Hiei's gaze hardened on the fox before he replied exactly what had been going through his mind.

"I don't need pity, much less, from you." Kurama looked hurt by those words, and Hiei briefly regretted saying them. Of course, he didn't say this to Kurama. Kurama only looked like he was about to cry, but he held back the tears.

"Well, I still want to walk. Please, I'm not so weak as to need someone to carry me." He said in a shaky voice, continuing to walk now with his eyes averted forcefully away from Hiei's, as if he wanted desperately to look, but someone forbade him from doing so. They walked down the path in silence.

They reached the town without another word. Hiei could feel Kurama's worsening mood even standing next to him. The fox gave off such a depressed aura you could have assumed someone had just died. He'd have to remember to talk to Kurama about this later. The look in his eyes was unbearable to see, even from Hiei's point of view.

As they walked, Hiei surveyed Kurama's form. He wondered if the fox would ever look or act completely normal. His thin body looked unnatural, and his eyes looked dead. He could see the beginning of the horrible whip scare Kurama had traveling from shoulder. It stood out oddly against the deathly pale skin amazingly.

He inspected the arms, torn sleeves revealed positively mangled arms that looked this they had been chewed on by a dog. Blood glistened on the open wounds and the skin was very red, with bruises beginning to form too, for some odd reason. It made the redhead look even sadder, for some reason.

How had he not noticed how sad this boy had looked when he first met him? He knew that sadness was probably been there ever since he was released from Karasu's grip. So why hadn't this been noticeable before?

Maybe it had been because all he could see in the fox's eyes when they first met was fear. Looking back on them, he could remember seeing a deep an unknown sadness engraved within the orbs, but he hadn't acknowledged this at the time. It was something he had only seen back then, because he had a different view on all humans. He had believed all humans were weak for the most part, and apart from being good mothers, they were useless. Perhaps that was why he couldn't see that Kurama needed more help than anger.

He looked back on how much Kurama had come along since they had first met.

Kurama used to be so scared, and only went out late at night or when he was forced out due to lack of food or other things. He'd willingly go with him on walks in broad daylight before, and he'd just agreed to go out to dinner with him that night. That didn't mean the fear in him had still been erased. From time to time, he'd secretly read his mind with the Jagan to see how he was faring.

Fear of darkness and hurt lingered there. Fear that if Karasu came back, he'd be taken again and what little bit of life he was gaining back would disappear. It was something he never voiced, and Hiei assumed that Kurama didn't even know he feared darkness. He could only think about Karasu's actions and Hikaru's 'betrayal'.

Maybe Kurama could never truly heal from this. It was a very logical thought. You always heard about those people who were pushed off the edge by a traumatizing event in life. He had never known one of these people, nor had he ever seen one. He did know, however, that these people were broken beyond repair, and it was impossible to ever truly help them, no matter how great the help was.

Secretly, he knew deep inside that Karasu had broken Kurama, and he'd never be the same again in any part of his life, no matter how many years later. It wouldn't be something he would allow out of his subconscious mind. The worry he held deep within the depths of his heart was that the prediction the two demons had made would come true, and Kurama would really commit suicide. He was not willing to truly admit this to himself, as it had been with his feelings for Kurama for a log time.

The thought of Kurama's dead body, as had been stated before, sickened him in a way. He no longer wanted Kurama dead. He wanted to see that smile stay and all the pain they had both experienced together to vanish. Oh gods, those smiles. It had a way of driving away any bad thoughts he had ever had. However, that wasn't enough, he wanted to truly be able to 'live happily ever after'

Yes, he knew it was quite a naive wish to hold. All demons knew that there was no such thing. There was never a truly happily ever after. They didn't deny it like so many humans did. They knew that although happiness could always come, it never lasted forever. Eventually, something would have to go wrong, and that event would drive one or both to the edge. They'd simply commit suicide, die of natural causes, or become some psychotic killer.

Kurama opened the door and let Hiei enter. He stared down at his porch with an empty gaze. It hurt so badly, this pain and fear within his heart. He could feel himself being smothered by questions about his feelings.

Why did he always have to cry? Why did he feel so empty inside, like a whole chunk of his being was missing? Why did he cry without reason sometimes, simply because the loneliness and fear overwhelmed him? His heart felt truly broken, his soul shattered into millions of pieces. Yet he didn't know why. He had a good life now, and the threat he'd ever be in a situation like the one many months ago, almost a year, would ever recur. Yet he still felt so scared and sad. Why? It was a really stupid question, but he couldn't help himself when he asked it.

Why did he feel so worthless? He felt as if he was just an insignificant speck, which was really deserving of death. He often told himself there was nothing he was good at. Kurama loved being around Hiei, but he felt that he wasn't worthy enough of him. It was how he felt with Hikaru too. He loved him so much, yet he really didn't deserve such a great person, did he? No wonder Hikaru had betrayed him, it must have been because he hated him and saw him as unworthy.

Why couldn't he just fall asleep and just never wake again?

He just wanted death to come. Maybe he could speed the process up. There were plenty of ways he could die. There was a mountain right to the east of here, and he could easily leap off a cliff. He could easily starve himself too, although it might not be possible with Hiei forcing food down his throat whenever he ate.

Cutting his wrists was also a good alternative. He'd lose blood fast and unless Hiei helped him immediately, he would die of blood loss. Maybe even an overdose on several medications. Unless Hiei took him to the hospital right away, he'd die from the effects of the medicine combination. Maybe that was better, Hiei may not even notice if he did it in the middle of the night. If he cut his wrists Hiei would surely be able to smell the blood.

He was jerked from his thoughts as Hiei pulled him through the door, inspecting his arms. The fox was still unable to speak as Hiei gently prodded a black and blue area near an open wound to test how much damage had been.

Kurama suppressed the cry that threatened to rise from his throat and make itself known. But he still couldn't help whimpering pitifully as Hiei's fingers remained on the spot. He slowly removed his hand and clasped Kurama's gently as he led him to the kitchen so they could both have their wounds taken care of. He may be denying the fact he was in pain, but the wounds were something that he wouldn't deny, because he knew Kurama wouldn't allow that.

He sighed, as he brushed antiseptic onto the quivering kitsune's wounds. It wasn't as if they specifically needed it, but Hiei wanted to protect Kurama as best as he could from infection he was prone to. Kurama still didn't like to be touched. Sure, he'd let Hiei carry him if he was weak or hug him if he was extremely sad, but for the most part he didn't like it.

He put gauze over each wound and wrapped a long bandage around each arm tightly. He removed the bandage on Kurama's wrist from earlier and discarded it in the trash.

Kurama sat down in his chair and looked quietly at Hiei with mixed emotions. He was just thinking for a minute, but was watching as Hiei turned to retrieve more bandages from the cabinet and remove his own shirt.

Kurama's eyes widened as he saw the torso. He well built, muscular chest had several deep gashes in it, and he was bleeding profusely. Sure, he had seen him be beaten around like that, but he hadn't expected to see Hiei so hurt. Maybe he thought that Hiei was immortal, and couldn't be hurt. He ran over to help Hiei bandage and disinfect. He gently drew bottles out of his cabinet and gently began dabbing creamy-like substance over the cuts directly.

Hiei winced this had a slight sting to it. He gave a half questioning, half angry glare, and Kurama quickly opened his mouth to explain.

"It's an herbal remedy. This will help your wounds heal faster, it will also prevent you from getting an infection." Hiei gasped. This was a surprise, he hadn't known the kitsune could do this, not to mention, knew what each herb was for what and what it could be used for. It was kind of reassuring in a way, that the fox knew how to do something outside of the department of taking care of the necessities you needed to know to be able to survive.

"How the heck do you know this? AND WHY THE HELL AREN"T YOU USING IT ON YOURSELF?" He said, angered that the fox had acted so foolishly as not to apply it on himself. Surprisingly, Kurama smiled at this as he gently tended to the wounds.

"My mother taught me everything about herbal remedies I know. As for me not using it on myself, I knew you were most likely going to need the entire bottle of this for all your wounds and I wanted you to be able to have it. It doesn't matter if I only use antiseptic on my wounds. It isn't as if they're as horrible as yours are." Hiei growled. How dare he go assuming that he knew the tool the wounds had taken on him! They were not severe he swore it!

This was outrageous. Why did Kurama think of him before he thought of himself? Youko Kurama cared only for himself, not others. Surely, his human counterpart should have inherited at least a sliver of that selfishness. Right now, though, it didn't seem as if he had.

Kurama gently dabbed a new substance across his wounds now. This one was more of a liquid than a cream. It didn't sting like the other one had. Instead, it brought a cool comfort to his skin. It wasn't like it was a numbing agent; but instead, the pain was disappearing completely with each little dab Kurama applied. He watched as the kitsune worked carefully. He was really good at this, making these herbal treatments and caring for his wounds with them. So it turned out that the one thing Kurama was really talented at was really useful as well.

Kurama quietly finished tending to the wounds and wrapped bandages around him. Hiei then pulled his shirt on without saying a word. He looked at Kurama, amazed by his abilities. Kurama looked down and kept his eyes off of him. He didn't look too happy, or too proud of himself. Hiei tentatively walked over and lifted Kurama's chin, staring into the almost shameful eyes.

"That was very good, Kurama. Why didn't you tell me you were able to do these things? It's really useful." These words were so out of character for Hiei, but he felt desperate to help him cheep up a little bit, and this was really the only thing he could think of. Kurama looked down again and pulled away from Hiei's grip.

"Yeah…" he muttered softly before he walked off to his room without any warning whatsoever. Why didn't the fox even take pride in his abilities? He acted all so down and gloomy because he claimed that he was useless, yet here you have a perfect example that he is the exact opposite here. And Hiei thought Kurama really had been desperate to prove himself.

Hiei glared past him as he went. He forced words out of his, mouth before he could think about what he said, but it surprisingly won Kurama's attention with it.

"You told me you were going to come to dinner. So, what are you going to do? Are you just going to stay in bed and mope pathetically, or you actually going to do as you said? I really wanted to go to dinner with you! Stop being a pathetic fox and come with me, because I know you want to. Stop being scared for once!"

Hiei's voice was rather angry and loud as he said this. Kurama looked utterly shocked as he did so, and blinked. His mouth opened and closed his mouth many times, as if he wanted to say something.

However, there was no sound that came out and his stare didn't provide enough information for Hiei to understand the point he was trying to get across. Finally, a voice came out, soft and choked. Kurama forced himself to look up at the angry demon standing before him.

"I'm sorry, Hiei. I do want to go with you, and I still will. That is, if you don't think I'm too stupid to be seen in public with." He replied sadly, turning his face away so Hiei wouldn't be able to see the really sad look within the depths of his eyes.

"Kurama, you're so stupid, of course I don't think you're too stupid to be seen in public with. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked. Now brush your hair, it's a mess. I'll take you out now if that's what you want. I don't really care."

Kurama looked slightly guilty for some reason for a minute, but then nodded his head and went to get a brush from his room. He came back a few minutes later, running a brush through the tangled mess. He winced in his attempts; he was probably hurting his arms trying to work out the tangles from his hair.

Hiei gave a frustrated sigh and grabbed the brush from him. "Sit." He ordered, pointing to the chair at the kitchen table. Kurama complied and Hiei began running the brush through the crimson mane himself.

As he gently worked the brush through the ends of the long tresses and worked his way up, he marveled the silky feel of his hair under his rough, calloused fingertips. Kurama didn't seem to mind the fact that Hiei was brushing his hair. He was relaxed and breathing softly for once, with his eyes closed softly.

Hiei wanted to be able to run his fingers though these soft locks. They felt so soft he felt almost comforted by it. That was something you could really love about his appearance, the beautiful hair.

Although many would prefer the prettier, and possibly even silkier silver hair Youko had, he'd choose this over the entire appearance of his past form. Not that his past form hadn't been handsome, he just preferred the human look more.

He finished and tapped Kurama's forehead lightly. He looked at Kurama's eyes before helping him out of his seat.

"Are you still sure you're up to going out like this. There'll be a lot of other people, and I can't guarantee that we'll be able to get a seat in the far corner away from people." He asked. Hiei truly wanted Kurama to be at ease and enjoy himself as much as possible. It would be easier to talk about his feelings later then. Kurama paused for a minute to think before he answered.

"I suppose. Please just promise me that you'll stay near me. Okay, Hiei? I don't want to be alone, and you're the only one I know who I can trust." Hiei nodded. It astounded him that he actually was showing signs of trusting him. Moreover, he had just basically said he'd feel safe when he was by him. It was an oddly pleasant feeling to know Kurama felt like that towards him. He should know by now that the trust, or what little he had from Kurama was a very hard thing to earn. He felt almost triumphant.

He reached out to hold Kurama's had, an innocent, gesture, but one that made them both blush as their fingers brushed lightly. Hiei clasped Kurama's hand lightly, while Kurama averted his gaze. Hiei knew that a light pink tint danced across his cheeks, but it didn't matter, for Hiei possessed that light pink tint himself.

They walked slowly together without words or eye contact. Each possessed his own thought separate from the current situation. Hiei's mind couldn't get off Kurama now more than ever. His eyes darted to Kurama's form more than once, marveling the sylphlike form before him, before his eyes darted back so that the fox wouldn't notice.

Kurama wasn't sure what to think. Here he was, going out to dinner with a demon. How was that possible? Sure, Hiei had called it a date, but it couldn't be possible. Hiei hated him, right? He'd been told that by the irate fire demon more than once. He was probably only doing this because Koenma had told him to. There was certainly no way the boy could truly want to go on a date with him.

People stared as they walked. It wasn't as if the two noticed, much less cared, so they continued to walk. There were whispers among the groups of people on the streets supposed to be going about their daily lives. Five young women, one sixteen, two fifteen, one eighteen, one nineteen stood in a circle whispering about the two. Hiei's attention was attracted to their words.

"Who is that black-clad man? I know I've seen the redhead before, but I don't know that this person has ever came here." Asked a woman carrying a shopping bag to her group of friends.

"Why is the redhead with him anyways? That poor boy is scared of anything, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's scared of his own shadow. He only comes out once a month, and from what I know, the kid lives alone. I always wondered where the parents were. I mean, he can't be much older than us, can he!" Said another woman to the first.

"Didn't you hear? That boy is supposed to be protecting the town." Said yet another woman among their small circle they had made. The town knew very well of the threat of demons. Well, who wouldn't if you lived in a place that was attacked by them? The woman gasped and started furiously whispering to one another.

"Where did you get that idea, Takehiko-san?" piped up a slightly younger girl.

"There was a young man that came around last time there was a demon attacking here. I happened to be right by that location, witnessing what it was doing, and I was too scared to move. So he dragged me to safety, and we talked. He told me that there wouldn't be attacks like that one anymore because someone a young demon was coming to protect us and we wouldn't have to deal with attacks like that anymore. Come to think of it, the attacks stopped right after that." She replied. The other women looked astounded.

"Was the guy cute?" another girl asked in a dreamy voice. Well, they were young women, looking for a nice boy, so of course they cared if he was cute.

"Oh, Hotaru-chan, he was so unbelievably cute…" she answered, getting all starry-eyed.

"I've always preferred that redhead. He's really cute. I wonder what his name is?" answered a black-haired girl with a blonde streak.

"Hehe, I think that you're in love, Haruko. You should ask his name. Who knows, maybe he'll want to go on a date with you!" replied Takehiko.

At this comment, Hiei gave a rather quick tug on Kurama's wrist and lead him towards he restaurant. He'd have to remember to chop that girl's head off if she ever came near his Kurama. Okay, so maybe he was being a bit possessive, but he'd still chop her head off.

They sat down quietly to face each other in the restaurant. They still couldn't say anything to each other, for fear of saying anything stupid. Both fiddled with the napkin on their place setting.

Meanwhile, Akushitsuko and Shin sat in a cave. Shin was bleeding horribly. Akushitsuko had helped him haphazardly wrap a bandage around his torso, but the blood seemed to continue to flow, no matter what either of them did to try and stop it.

"You've tried healing it with your energy, correct?" asked the dragon. The other demon shifted in his seat a little, winced, and nodded. Akushitsuko cursed under his breath. Neither of them was skilled in healing or taking care of wounds. They rarely needed it because nobody had ever inflicted such a serious wound on either of them. But Kurama had, both were shocked and angered at the same time. How had that hanyou managed too inflicted such a serious wound, and where had all that energy came from. That was almost par with Youko in his best form.

"Aku, I think I've lost too much blood. I'm probably not going to make it as it is…" The dragon glared at him, angered by this saying.

"You aren't supposed to let such a stupid hanyou beat you, remember? If you really aren't that strong of a partner, maybe I should just kill you on the spot." They'd been partners for years, not to mention, mates, but Shin knew very well that he was serious about this. They did have another partner once, but Aku had killed him. He insisted that he had been to weak, and anyone that weak deserved to die.

"No, I wouldn't blame you if you killed me. That was a really stupid move I pulled back there. I should have been able to block it, so naturally I deserve my fate. I suppose you'll kill me for this next foolish move I make." Akushitsuko blinked. He looked angry and confused, probably because he didn't like it when he didn't understand what someone meant.

Without giving Akushitsuko time to think or respond, Shin threw his arms around his and placed a quick, loving kiss on the lips. The single gesture was enough to inform Akushitsuko of what he had meant by his last statement. His eyes narrowed and he pushed away.

"You know very well that I don't accept these emotions, yet you choose to defy my wishes. You also know very well that the bond we share is primarily based upon lust, and I have no feelings towards you, whatsoever, right? Tell me that this is a joke and I'll spare you life." Shin smiled for once.

"No, I'm not joking, I really love you, Aku. Even of you don't love me back. I don't care if it earns my death either." Akushitsuko's eyes narrowed even more.

"Well, you shouldn't have been so foolish. I know that you knew better." He informed, before plunging his nails through the shadow demons chest. He coughed up blood for a moment, and then fell to the ground, still. As if it had been a regular kill, Akushitsuko licked the blood off his fingers and turned his back, and odd force compelled him to take a glance back, and he scowled at the corpse, cursing it for earning it's own death.

It was odd. He felt anger like none other at Kurama for stabbing him through the chest. Maybe if he hadn't done that, Shin might not have gotten so desperate and told him this. Then, he wouldn't be dead. If Hiei hadn't fallen under the ice, then Kurama wouldn't have gotten so mad. He felt undeniably angrier a them more than anyone (Except Shin, of course.) He clenched his fists. They would die a most slow and painful death now, the both of them. All he had to do was think of the worst way possible for each of them to die. They would be begging for mercy by the time he finished with them.

Hiei and Kurama were well underway with dinner. It was sort of odd, this date they were on. They didn't talk to each other a lot, besides the occasional comment or two. Often, Kurama would look up and make eye contact with Hiei before blushing and turning his attention back to his dinner plate.

"So…" said Hiei. He wanted to be able to start a conversation. The air was oddly tense around the two for a moment before Kurama continued the sentence for him.

"Why did you want to go on a date with me Hiei?" he blurted out before he could think. He couldn't have helped it. It was what had been on his mind for quite some time now, and in the tense moment they has shared, Kurama had drawn upon his thoughts simply because he lacked other ideas on what he should say to the fire demon.

An extremely tense moment passed between them, and Hiei found the urge to talk to Kurama outside. The fox was too confused at his puzzled and dazed expression. He waved his hand in front of the youkai's field of view to get his attention. Hiei nearly jumped, and got up quickly at this. He threw enough money down on the table to cover what they had bought and pulled Kurama out of the building by the wrist.

"Hiei?" he questioned in confusion. He was being pulled quickly along by a now sprinting demon into the forest, deeper and deeper.

They stopped an ancient oak tree, Kurama was panting and wheezing. Although he had always had been very good at running, the swift pace Hiei was used to was much to fast for the human body to be able to keep up with. Kurama looked confused "Hiei, what was that for?" he asked, the tone of voice as puzzled as he looked.

Hiei tried to think of what to say to this. Sure, he had his reasons, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell them to Kurama in a place full of people. He wasn't even sure if he could do it here.

"I suppose that's a question we shouldn't be talking about around other people. They might think we're odd, you know." He said in his regular voice. That didn't seem to work, the fox did not look very much convinced by this.

"Since when have you care about other people's opinions?" he asked doubtfully. Hiei growled while trying to think of another, more plausible excuse?

"Hn, it wasn't that I care what those stupid ningens think. I just didn't want to talk around them. They were getting on my nerves." That sounded a bit more in character for Hiei, and Kurama tried to reason with himself and figure out if he was lying or not. He finally shook his head and turned to look up at the treetops.

Hiei tried to sort out his feelings. It was all quite overwhelming for him, and he didn't know what to say to it. He wanted to tell Kurama about these feelings he felt, but he didn't know how to word it. It was true, he had never had to deal with these types of emotions before, and now he felt angered by them. If only they would go away, then he could go back to his regular life. He hated living like this, he felt impeded by something for an odd reason. He couldn't figure out what that something was.

He couldn't help but stare at Kurama, as always. His beautiful locks contributed to his thin, but still graceful form. He turned to look at him at that moment, eyes glinting oddly in the moonlight, capturing the almost innocent look of the young eyes, free of Youko's memories and attitude. Hiei felt dizzy. How could one person make him feel so many different things at once? He felt odd about that, it was ironic that the first person he had fallen in love with was none other than the reincarnation of Youko Kurama, his greatest rival. Had someone told him this years ago, he would have laughed cruelly and told the person they were foolishly mistaken.

Kurama walked over to him quietly, his eyes had so many emotions within them currently, and it was impossible to tell which feelings they actually were. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Hiei, what's really wrong? What you told me before couldn't have been the truth. Why did you really bring me out here?" Hiei sighed. He should have known Kurama would see through his lies. He was much too perceptive in that field that it was almost scary. He thought really hard about how he should tell him this. Tentatively, he reached his hands up onto Kurama's shoulders and tightened held them with a tight grip, looking the redhead directly in the eyes. Kurama looked confused, he didn't understand so far what Hiei meant by this.

He was swung around so that his back was pressing against the oak' s wide trunk. Still, he couldn't understand the meaning Hiei intended to get across. He blinked softly. "Hiei?" he asked, a soft red blush creeping across his cheeks. A feeling flared inside both their chests as they involuntarily leaned forward a bit.

Their noses touched each other's lightly, and they both blushed and blinked, lost for words, lost from the world. Kurama laughed nervously out of the blue as he looked deeper into Hiei's eyes and leaned in a tiny but more. He had forgotten his fears right now, all he could think about was Hiei, and how much he wanted to be with him.

Slowly, Hiei moved his hands from Kurama's shoulders to his forearms. As Kurama had done a few seconds ago, Hiei leaned in closer, so that their lips were only a few inches away from each other. He didn't know what he was doing; all he knew was that he was happier right at this second than he had ever been in the entire span of his lifetime. He felt like screaming his feelings out right now, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. He was too stunned by the beautiful green eyes he was staring into. Hiei leaned against Kurama softly, savoring the wonderful moment.

Hiei leaned against Kurama fully, and had the fox not been standing against a tree trunk, he would have toppled over right away, bringing Hiei with him. He was lucky though, they swaggered for a minute, but were steadied by a vine that had wrapped itself around the two bodies to steady them. Kurama wondered where it had come from. He had not summoned it, and he was pretty low on ki as it was. Maybe it was a way of a plant helping it's master, as a dog would for his owner.

Again, they both leaned in a bit more. They both closed their eyes and relaxed as they wrapped their arms around each other and rubbed noses, warming the other's face with their soft breath.

Hiei felt the urge to lean in the rest of the way and capture those petal soft lips for his own. A soft, cool night breeze picked up their hair lightly as it rustled through the trees. The leaves made an eerie sound in the lonely air, but neither cared, nor seemed to notice. It seemed to be urging them to muster up the courage to kiss. The Jaganshi's arms slipped around the other's waist before softly whisperingsomething to him.

Finally, capturing his lips in a heated kiss he wrapped his arms even tighter around the redhead's body and pulled him fully against him. Kurama kissed back fervently. The words Hiei had murmured were lost within the whispers of night wind.

"I love you, always and forever, my fox."

Me: Well, how did you like that now. I had a lot of fun writing the Hiei and Kurama romance in here, so I want to know how you think. Review, as always, because I appreciate it and it helps me improve.