Kurama's steps started lagging as they approached his apartment. He was getting nervous. Well, more nervous than he was. Yusuke, sensing this, wrapped his arms around the redhead. "We don't have to do it tonight," he said softly.

"I want to, I'm just nervous," Kurama returned, letting his head rest on Yusuke's head while his eyes sought out Hiei. "I really do want to, but…I'm afraid it'll hurt. I've…I've heard it does…"

Hiei wrapped his arms around the two. "At first, a little, but not for long," he reassured the redhead. "And, we'll do everything we can to make sure it's only a little and doesn't last long." His hand came up to caress Kurama's cheek as Yusuke's mouth went to his neck, "We'll make you feel good, we promise. And if you want us to stop at any point, no matter what, we will."

"We promise," Yusuke murmured against his neck.

Kurama stood there a minute, letting the two comfort him while their words reached his brain. After a moment, he took a deep breath, the nervous feeling moving from his stomach lower. "Okay," he said at last and they resumed their walk, hands entwined, Kurama in the middle.

At the door, they reluctantly released their hands, allowing Kurama to open the door. When they were inside, Kurama stood nervously, looking between the other two, waiting. Yusuke took the lead, as he and Hiei had discussed, gently pulling Kurama's hand, leading him to the bedroom. When they were in the room, Hiei wrapped his arms around the redhead, kissing a trail up his neck, along his jaw and finally to his lips while his fingers threaded through the crimson locks. Yusuke pulled the supplies out of his pockets, setting them on the bedside table before pulling the blankets to the foot of the bed. He walked over behind Kurama, who was moaning slightly in his kiss with Hiei, and pressed his body up against the redhead's back, moving his hair out of the way so he would have access to the graceful column. Kurama moaned louder in his kiss, one of his hands reaching around to hold Yusuke's hip. Yusuke licked the flesh before his mouth and began sucking on it in earnest, drawing more groans from the trapped redhead.

Hiei broke his kiss with Kurama and began pulling the redhead's shirt out of his pants. Yusuke took the opportunity to claim that delectable mouth before it could protest its abandonment. Hiei pushed the shirt up, his hands caressing firm muscles under soft skin. Hesitantly, remember, he's only had one lesson, he brought his lips to Kurama's chest over his heart. Kurama moaned and Hiei felt more confident. His lips trailed over to the darkened circle of flesh. Kurama broke his kiss with Yusuke to cry out. Hiei was about to pull back when Yusuke's hand held his head in place and the brown eyed boy asked, "Is it good, Kurama?"

Whimpering, Kurama answered, "Y-y-yes."

Confidence restored, Hiei began sucking harder, drawing the nub into his mouth, letting his tongue taste the flesh, enjoying Kurama's cries now that he knew they were pleasurable noises. Yusuke's hand left his head and pulled the redhead's shirt off. One of Kurama's hands went to Hiei's head while the other draped behind him, holding Yusuke's head. "Do you want more, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

"Please," Kurama moaned as Hiei's teeth brushed against his nipple.

Yusuke pulled Kurama's hand off his head and kissed the palm before stepping around and beginning with the redhead's mouth, kissed a trail down his neck to his other nipple. Hiei watched as well as his position on Kurama's chest allowed. Kurama laced his fingers through Yusuke's hair, holding both boys to his chest, lost in sensations he didn't know could be elicited from his body. Sure, he'd jacked off. I mean, what guy hasn't? But, this…this was completely different. He could feel his pants growing tighter and the nervous tension becoming almost unbearable in his groin. He let his head fall back, trusting Yusuke's arm around his body to hold him upright, giving himself up to the sensations coursing through his body, starting at the mouths on his chest.

Slowly, Yusuke trailed kisses back up the way he'd come, Hiei following him, until they both reached the redhead's mouth, sharing a sloppy, tongue-y three way kiss. Yusuke and Hiei pressed their bodies against Kurama's and he could feel that they, too, were enjoying themselves as hips pressed together. Yusuke's mouth remained on Kurama's and Hiei trailed kisses over to Yusuke's ear, nibbling on it slightly before gently threading his fingers in Kurama's hair and encouraging him to do the same on the other side. A little bemused, Kurama followed suit, leaving Yusuke's mouth free to encourage the two with moans of pleasure and whispered words of encouragement that are better imagined than written.

Hesitantly, Kurama slid his hands down out of the hair they held. Remember, he really hasn't touched either of his lovers other than their heads or hands, while awake, that is. Nervously, he began pulling at their shirts, sliding his hand under the hem of each. Yusuke rolled his hips in him as moaned when he felt the redhead's hand against the bare skin of his back. "So good," he whispered. Thus encouraged, Kurama began caressing the skin his hands found, seeking to draw out more pleasurable noises. Hiei, his mouth otherwise occupied, moaned and massaged Kurama's head with the hand that still held the red locks. Hiei slid his hand under Yusuke's shirt, joining Kurama's in caressing the smooth skin and he felt Yusuke's hand against his back, as well. After a long minute, more like three or four, where Hiei and Kurama explored his back and neck with hands and lips, Yusuke managed to suggest, "Why don't you take off my shirt?"

Kurama moaned, lifting his head away from Yusuke's neck. "And Hiei's too…I wanna…I wanna try what you did to me."

Yusuke caressed his cheek, murmuring, "You can do whatever you'd like to, or not, it's up to you." He looked Kurama in the eye, a serious expression under the glaze of lust, "And, if we're doing anything that bothers you, tell us, we'll stop, okay?"

Kurama returned the serious gaze, "I will. I will, I promise." He kissed Yusuke on the lips and then pulled his hand out from under Hiei's shirt to removed Yusuke's shirt with Hiei's help and then Yusuke helped him remove Hiei's shirt. Kurama stood staring a moment before placing one hand on each boy's chest. They watched as he slowly traced their chests, his fingers light, almost tickling. For a moment, he looked torn, as if he couldn't reach a decision. Hiei made a move toward Yusuke and that seemed to make the decision in Kurama's mind. He moved, bringing his lips to Yusuke's shoulder, mimicking Hiei's actions and kissing along the collarbones. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Hiei and followed his actions. Hiei was aware of this, and it made him both nervous and hot. Nervous because he felt like he was putting on a show and he didn't feel entirely confident with the whole touching thing yet, hot because he was getting to practice the whole touching thing with the redhead that inspired him to try it in the first place. Aren't we all happy for that inspiration?

Yusuke moaned in appreciation, his hands slipping into his lovers' hair, encouraging them as their arms wrapped around him and each other. Hiei and Kurama kissed along his collarbones from shoulder to center. When they reached center, they shared a kiss with each other then continued down Yusuke's chest. When they reached his nipples, both paused a moment, looked at the other and, while looking at each other, licked Yusuke's chest. Yusuke, watching them, groaned in appreciation Hiei and Kurama broke their gaze and began to earnestly devour the peaked nubs. They could both feel Yusuke's moan of pleasure rumble past their lips, and they both liked it.

After a long moment, during which Yusuke could feel his knees protesting and threatening to go on strike, he suggested, "Why don't we move to the bed?"

Slowly, with the popping noise of released suction, Kurama looked up at him. "Can we do this to Hiei, too?" He thought that moving to the bed would end their foreplay fun and that made him nervous again.

Hiei groused, "You'd better, I don't want to be left out."

Yusuke, whose mind reading skills went a little farther than he thought, caressed Kurama's cheek, "That and much more before we even take off our pants."

Kurama smiled, relaxing again. "Good, I'm glad," he murmured, leaning into Yusuke's touch.

Yusuke rubbed his thumb over Kurama's cheek a moment, looking into his eyes. He bent in and claimed a quick kiss before taking the redhead's hand and leading him slowly over to the bed. Kurama pulled on Hiei, encouraging him to follow, not that he needed the encouragement, really. Yusuke took Hiei's hand and guided him to sit on the bed first, kissing him before he let go of his hand so that he could scoot back from the edge. Kurama glanced at Yusuke nervously before crawling next to Hiei, his hand trailing over the bare abdomen. Yusuke settled on the other side of Hiei, his hand caressing Kurama's arm. He would wait for the redhead to feel more comfortable and make the first move. Hiei brought his hands up and caressed his lovers' arms, also waiting. He and Yusuke had talked about everything they could think of under that tree, and they both agreed that pressure would not be something they did. They would stop immediately at any point Kurama was unwilling and leave. There would be no "seduction"…either Kurama was completely willing or it wouldn't happen, that's the way it would be. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," Kurama returned in the same tone, "I'm just getting used to this."

"We can stop…"

"No…no, I don't want to stop. I like it…I just need to get used to it."

"Take your time, love. We have all the time you need," Yusuke answered, smiling softly.

"So, you have forever?" Kurama asked, his eyes dark with emotion.

"Twice over," Hiei returned, his voice heavy with that same emotion. "And that still may not be enough."

Kurama drew the two into a hug, a bit awkward on the bed, but that didn't matter, what mattered was he hugged them, "I love you two so much…it hurts almost."

Yusuke and Hiei caressed his back. "We love you, too…I love you," they answered, their voices hitched.

Kurama pulled back, smiling softly. "I'm ready," he murmured, bringing his lips to Hiei's and kissing him fully, his tongue slipping between his lips to touch the other boy's. Hiei's hand squeezed his arm gently as he opened his mouth, inviting the questing appendage in. Shyly, Kurama took that invitation, enjoying the sensations that coursed his body when Hiei's tongue met his. Actually, that goes without saying, doesn't it? Kurama explored Hiei's mouth slowly, eventually the need for air becoming too persistent to ignore anymore. He pulled back and hovered over Hiei a moment, panting, uncertain what to do before he remembered what they'd done to him and what Hiei had guided him to do to Yusuke. He pressed his lips chastely against Hiei's and began trailing kisses back to his ear. Yusuke kissed Hiei on the lips and mimicked Kurama's actions on the other side of his face. When Kurama reached Hiei's ear, he whispered, "I love you," before taking the sensitive lobe into his mouth. Yusuke did the same on the other side.

"I love you," Hiei answered, his voice full of passion. He felt both of the others moan around his ears and tightened his hold on their arms, frustrated that his arms were trapped by his sides instead of wrapped around his lovers. "I wanna hold you…please," he moaned.

Both Yusuke and Kurama pushed their bodies up from the bed, Yusuke surprised and gratified he didn't have to prompt Kurama to move. Hiei only cared that he could move his arms to wrap around his lovers, his fingers toying with their hair. The two, once they were sure Hiei was happy, moved down his neck, Kurama watching Yusuke for cues as well as listening and paying attention to Hiei's actions, wanting to learn as much as he could for later. His nervousness was being replaced with desire, though it still remained, almost fueling his desire at times. He could feel the weight in his groin growing heavier and was looking forward to what would happen next, even if it scared him a little, too. He pushed that thought from his head and concentrated on making a mental map of Hiei's body. He blushed slightly as his lips touched Yusuke's over Hiei's voice box, eliciting a moan from Hiei. His eyes met Yusuke's and the look in those brown eyes…y'know that kick Yusuke's been feeling? Kurama felt it…both in his chest and lower. They stared into each other's eyes a long moment before Hiei's whimper brought them back to the physical world. They kissed briefly before returning to pleasuring the boy under them. Blindly, their hands sought out each other and their fingers laced together as they continued down Hiei's neck and chest.

You'll remember, of course, that Hiei really liked it when Yusuke played with his nipples, right? That was nothing compared with how he felt when Kurama's and Yusuke's mouths took the peaked flesh into them. He cried out, panting, moaning, as his hips thrust against his lovers' bodies, seeking release in the most expedient manner possible. Kurama's eyes went wide and he would have pulled back if the action hadn't required squishing his skull. Yusuke squeezed his fingers reassuringly and he sought out the brown eyes again. This calmed him and he smiled as well as he could around the flesh in his mouth. Yusuke returned the smile and slowly slid their hands down Hiei's stomach, giving Kurama every chance to protest, to stop their motion. Kurama blushed when he realized their destination, but made no move to stop or protest. Yusuke stopped at Hiei's waist band, a questioning look in his eyes as he waited. After a moment, Kurama closed his eyes and slid their hands lower, hesitantly caressing Hiei's erection through his pants. Hiei's moans began to sound like whimpering please as he bucked into their touch. Yusuke untangled his fingers from Kurama's and began working on unfastening Hiei's jeans. He was surprised when he felt Kurama's hand slide past his and under Hiei's waist band. He looked at the redhead. Kurama's eyes were closed and his cheeks matched his hair color, but what Yusuke could see, before Hiei's movement demanded his attention, was a mixture of embarrassment, determination and desire.

Now, Kurama had been thinking about this all day. Not in quite as specific terms as Yusuke and Hiei had discussed, but he did have some idea what to do. I mean, he was a guy and they were guys. He knew what felt good to him. He felt an odd mixture of shyness, boldness, certainty, nervousness all suffused by desire and love. He could tell Hiei and Yusuke didn't want to pressure him and that helped him feel bolder. He was about to complain that Hiei was pulling his hair too much while his hand massaged the other boy's erection when Hiei's hands flew to his mouth and his shaft pulsed in Kurama's hand. Wide eyed, Kurama looked at Hiei, Yusuke, Hiei…you get the idea. Yusuke didn't know what to say, or do, and Hiei was not really thinking at the moment. Softly, Kurama asked, his voice slightly awed, "That good?" To which Hiei could only nod, dazed. A smile appeared on the redhead's lips and he murmured, "I'm glad," while moving up to kiss Hiei.

Yusuke released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and continued working Hiei's pants off his body. When Hiei's legs were free, he pushed the redhead back, breaking their kiss long enough to whisper, "Are you ready for your turn?"

The two then proceeded to show Kurama just how loved he was in ways better imagined than read, I'm sure, my dear readers. Needless to say, they all enjoyed themselves greatly.

As their bodies relaxed, Hiei fell forward onto Kurama's chest and Yusuke sat on his heels, his head resting against Hiei's lower back and Kurama just collapsed into the bed. All three remained still for a long time, overwhelmed by emotion, by fatigue, by everything. After a long moment, Yusuke moved to crawl up onto the bed next to Kurama and Hiei moved to the side. With delicate care, Yusuke removed the spent condoms from the three and shoved them into the empty box he'd set near the redhead and dropped it onto the floor before nuzzling into the redhead. "I love you so much," he mumbled as he let himself relax again, his eyes drifting closed.

Hiei reached over Yusuke and pulled the blankets up over them, wondering if he should suggest they move more properly onto the bed. He ruled that idea out when the simple act of trying to cover them left him fatigued. "I love you both," he murmured as his eyes drifted shut.

Kurama wrapped his arms around the two. "Thank you," he whispered, his arms tightening as he said, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

A small chuckle rose from Yusuke's chest as he tangled his fingers with Hiei's on the redhead's chest. "Good, I'm glad," he yawned out, letting himself fall asleep.

Well, my dear readers, it's been six months since the events I've chronicled for you. Do you wish to know how things are going for our boys?

Kurama is back in aikido classes, working on his godan belt. He's also teaching a beginner's class. He has two extra special students in that class. Yusuke and Hiei wanted to learn aikido after seeing what it could do. Yes, all three are still together, very happily so. Yeah, they have problems. What couple…err…trio doesn't? But, overall they're happy together. Yusuke lives with Kurama, and Hiei mostly lives there, but Sensui won't let him move out completely. There is no more microwave crap allowed in the apartment.

Shiori is doing well. She's allowed to go on day passes, to leave the hospital for a couple of hours at a time. The doctors are fairly certain she'll be able to spend Christmas out of the hospital, maybe even be discharged by then. Hatakama proposed, and she accepted with Kurama's blessing. They also decided that when she gets out of the hospital, Kurama would still be allowed to live on his own, well, with Yusuke and Hiei, provided his grades stayed up. She has heard her son laugh many times.

Kuwabara walked Yukina home almost every day, but had yet to ask the girl out. He was too shy. Kinda funny isn't it? And she was too shy to ask him, so they walked home together almost every day, both wanting to say more, but too embarrassed to.

Itsuki actually listened to Sensui and stayed home. Actually, that was also part of the reason Sensui wouldn't let Hiei move out. He was afraid of loosing both of those he cared deeply about. He was more open about his feelings and had actually been heard to say "I love you" occasionally.

So, my dear readers, was the ending worth the bad beginning, and the rough middle? Or is this, in itself, really only the beginning?

A/N Well, my friends...I hope. Are you satisfied with the ending? If not, the full version of this chapter can be found at my homepage. I kept wanting to go back and tweak things, but kept telling myself "No, you've got good insticts for this, stop it!"...at least I've been told I have good insticts for this...I hope so! I've started my next story, which was inspired by the lines "You've never really let anyone in" and "what about the green ones?" and is just as odd as the inspiration. I may have something Friday...or not...it's not a rush job like this one was...it's strange...I just said that. Anyways, my dears, as always, I love reviews ;D

Well, even though my tale has come to an end, please continue to review as reviews make me happy and happiness encourages me to write more for your amusement :D