Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

Thank you for all the wonder and encouraging reviews! Sorry it took so long to update. I looked at my story list recently and thought for sure I'd updated all my stories. I guess I'm just imagining it. That can't be good…..

Comforting Heat

Chapter 10

Hiei raced through the Makai, his mind focused on one single person: Yusuke. It had been over two months since they'd kissed and parted ways and he had hoped the time away would have dulled his feelings for the toushin but as soon as Mukuro said he could leave his stomach fluttered and his chest tightened at the mere thought of seeing Yusuke. I wonder how he's going to act. Is he still mad? Have I ruined our friendship?

He arrived home late at night and wasn't surprised to find the fortress quiet and dark. He was thankful because he was tired and didn't feel like dealing with anyone. Despite the turmoil going on within his mind, Hiei's body was tired and sluggish and it didn't take long for the fire demon to fall asleep.

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Hiei sensed a strong ki signature and his eyes shot open. He sat up and stretched out his senses, quickly realizing it was Yusuke broadcasting his presence. He slumped back into the deep pillows and sighed. He was dreading facing his friend from the moment Yusuke walked out of his room after he brushed him off.

As quickly as Yusuke's ki appeared, it was gone and this had Hiei's curiosity. As he made his way to the bathroom he could hear Yusuke's voice drifting in through the windows.

"Oops! Sorry guys! Sometimes I don't know my own strength!"

Hiei peeked out the window and saw Yusuke standing tall rubbing the back of his head, a pile of white stuff bigger than the toushin sitting in front of him, surrounded by a large charred area of ground and several dozen stunned oni. What is he doing?

"Alright! Dig in guys, it's great! Hey, did anyone bring the salt and butter?"

Hiei shook his head and continued on his way to wash up and get dressed. He would find out what the commotion was later.

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By the time Hiei made it downstairs, his breakfast was waiting along with his second in command.

"Good morning, Master. It's nice to have you home again."

"Good morning."

Hiei acknowledged the bowing oni and took his seat. He ate a few bites and when it appeared that it would only be the two of them for breakfast, Hiei inquired about their absent third member.

"Where is Yusuke?"

"He's outside with the others, Master."

"Won't he be joining us for breakfast?"

"No, Master. "

Hiei ate his breakfast in silence and then made his way outside to locate Yusuke. This proved especially easy considering the uproar that greeted him as soon as he stepped outside. Hiei found Yusuke and five oni sitting in the walled fighting grounds playing poker and shoveling the previously noted white stuff in their mouths.

"Good morning."

The oni immediately stood and bowed in greeting to their master. Yusuke remained seated and just smiled up at Hiei.

"Morning. Welcome back, Hiei. Care to join the game?"

"No. What is that white stuff you're eating?"

"Popcorn. Want some?"

"No."

Yusuke shrugged and looked around at his poker buddies.

"Uh, Hiei? Do you mind?" He gestured around the circle of bowing oni and Hiei sighed.

"You may continue with your game."

"Alright you losers, I'm done being Mr. Nice Toushin. Prepare to lose your pants! Read 'em and weep!"

Hiei heard groans as he walked back into the fortress. That wasn't what I expected at all. He seems…..normal. But what does that mean? Hiei looked back at the gambling ring and he felt a split second pang of jealousy. But why? Yusuke is happy living in the Makai and he's my friend. This is what I want, right?

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Yusuke couldn't believe he managed to fool Hiei. Ever since he got home two months ago he'd managed to project his normal friendly, happy persona and not give any indication of the agony he was experiencing within. He decided not to take Genkai's advice fully, opting to be Hiei's friend instead of going back to the way things were before they kissed. Being around Hiei was difficult enough without the added pressure of flirting and touching and acting like it meant nothing. So Yusuke stopped making playful comments and stopped hanging over Hiei and he was in pure hell.

The only good thing to come out of this mess was the knowledge and contacts he was gaining in the Makai. Hiei had started to show him around quite a bit. But Yusuke needed some time away from Hiei to keep himself sane so after about a month, Yusuke started going out by himself and investigating the surrounding cities and meeting youkai of all sorts. He'd gotten into some fights, some good, some bad but all had taught him a lesson of some kind so he never saw them as a waste.

But for all the focus and understanding he was gaining about the Makai and the path his life might be taking, there was one thing that kept eluding him and threatening his very sanity.

"Hiei."

"Yes?"

"Huh?"

"You said my name."

"I did?" Yusuke cursed himself for his carelessness and the blush he could feel creeping along his cheeks. "Must have been daydreaming. Guess that's my cue to get to bed."

"But it's barely dark."

"Hey, I can't control these things. The body needs rest, Hiei. Goodnight!"

Hiei let Yusuke retreat to his bedroom, preferring the mild agony of missing the toushin' presence to the overwhelming agony of having him by his side. Ever since he'd returned from Mukuro's he'd been fighting to remain in control of his emotions and actions. Once he saw Yusuke and realized the toushin wasn't angry with him and had moved on past the kiss and was his friend again, he was relieved.

However, his relief was short-lived the more time they spent together. Yusuke was his friend yes, but Hiei hadn't realized how much physical contact there used to be between them and he missed it. He found himself wanting to be close to Yusuke even though he knew he shouldn't. He fought every desire to be close to Yusuke and kept his distance.

Hiei wondered at how well Yusuke had recovered from his rejection and wondered if it was just a passing thing. Did he realize that it was just an infatuation? Am I doomed to desire him even as he smiles at me, completely unaware of my torture? What am I supposed to do?

Hiei decided the best solution was to get Yusuke embedded into the workings of the Makai so he could find his path and follow it, out of his fortress. The less he was around Yusuke, the easier it would be to deal with his feelings. And the faster he could rid himself of the constant torture.

In a desperate move two weeks ago, Hiei had gone to a brothel in a nearby city. He's been so worked up after watching Yusuke fight some youkai who thought the smaller toushin was a pushover, that he'd quickly abandoned Yusuke and raced to the brothel and let his frustrations out on a beautiful redheaded fire demon. He'd managed to release some tension, but it hadn't rid him of any of his desires.

I can't take this much longer. He's driving me insane. I can't sleep, I barely eat. My whole body is on edge to the point of it being painful. Yusuke….

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Yusuke had reached his limit. He'd tried. He'd tried and succeeded for two months to fool Hiei into thinking everything was alright. Well everything was not alright. For the past two months he'd been consistently waking up with painful erections. All the fault of a certain repressed fire demon and the erotic dreams he inspired. Yusuke lay in his bed, small shockwaves washing through his body as he stared at the ceiling, hand still in his pants. He was tired of having to take care of himself. He was tired and horny.

"I have to do something about this now."

He jumped out of bed, took a quick and very cold shower, and headed out to find Hiei.

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The fire demon proved easy to find. Yusuke found him out in the stonewalled battlefield, letting off some tension by sparring with several demons he didn't recognize. Yusuke couldn't help but smirk. A little tense, are we? Join the club, you bastard.

Yusuke jumped up and stood on the stone wall making his presence known. Two of the six demons sparring with Hiei looked in his direction. He nodded a silent greeting knowing they would pay for their mistake. Sure enough, both demons soon found themselves eating dirt after taking energy blasts from Hiei. Yusuke chuckled. You never take your attention away from your opponent during battle. Especially when it's a hotheaded fire demon.

Yusuke waited patiently as Hiei dispatched his adversaries and very slowly made his way over to where Yusuke was now sitting, legs dangling over the edge of the high stone wall.

"Good morning."

"Hn."

Hiei flitted up and sat down beside Yusuke, making sure to keep a safe distance between them. Despite his "workout" he was still feeling charged up and being close to Yusuke wasn't helping.

"I was hoping I could give you a workout today." Crimson eyes flashed dangerously but Yusuke just continued. "I know you're frustrated, Hiei. But I can help you with it if you'll just let me."

"Yusuke, you shouldn't---"

"No."

"No?"

"No. I'm tired of waiting around for you to admit you have feelings for me and I've decided that I'll beat you into submission if I have to."

Hiei couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yusuke was sitting no more than two feet away, talking as casual as if they'd been discussing the weather, telling him he would force Hiei into….into….it didn't matter! No one forced him to do anything. Not even Yusuke. Hiei stood up and glared at the toushin.

"You're taking our friendship too far, Yusuke. If you dare to attempt to force me into anything, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Yusuke shivered at the very real threat, but he smiled and felt the charge of the challenge kicking in as his heart began beating faster at the mere thought of fighting Hiei.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me, Hiei? Do you know how I lay awake at night, dreading falling asleep and dreaming of you, knowing I'm going to wake up hard and not have you there to help me release all that pent up desire?" Yusuke stood up, his eyes never leaving the stunned crimson orbs before him. "I know you've been suffering too, Hiei." He took a step closer and as Hiei backed up, Yusuke grabbed his bicep and held him in place. "You're not eating and you're chewing everybody's head off and now you're bringing demons here for sparring practice instead of using me." Yusuke reached out to run his fingertips over Hiei's lips, but the fire demon growled, shoved him away and disappeared.

"You're not getting away that easily."

Yusuke may not possess Hiei's speed, but he was fast enough to keep on the fire demon's trail. Even with Hiei masking himself, Yusuke could track his movement using his keen eyesight and sense of smell. The pair zigged and zagged through the Makai for hours with Yusuke trying to herd Hiei back towards the fortress. Surprisingly he was successful and he could tell Hiei was surprised when he saw the stone structure come into view because the fire demon almost slipped on a tree branch as he pushed off.

"Just stop and talk to me, Hiei!"

Yusuke saw Hiei flit into the fortress and he knew exactly where to find the fire demon. Yusuke entered Hiei's quarters with a soft knock and found the fire demon pacing his room, chest heaving, eyes wild with emotion.

"Hiei…"

"Shut up, Yusuke! This needs to stop! Now!"

"Ok, ok, I'll stop. When you admit you have feelings for me." Hiei stopped pacing and let out a strangled cry as he looked at Yusuke as if the demon had three heads. "Hiei….I tried to wait for you to come to me, but I'm weak. I admit it, ok? I'm weak and selfish. I want you and I know you want me too. So just stop fighting me, Hiei. Stop fighting yourself."

"I can't gods damn it! Please, Yusuke….for the love of Kami, just stop! It's so hard being with you…..not being able to…..touch….." Hiei dropped to his knees and hung his head, his anger spent and the stress of the past few months finally catching up with him. He was tired, so very tired. "…you're killing me, Yusuke."

The stunned toushin slowly approached the fire demon, almost afraid that any sudden movements would spook the black clad creature. He kneeled down facing Hiei and reached out, tipping the youkai's face up to meet his.

"Does my love hurt you that much, Hiei?"

"You can't love me, Yusuke, because I can't love you. It's impossible. I'll just end up…."

"You'll just what, Hiei? Tell me. What's this horrible thing that could happen if you let me in?"

Hiei was mesmerized by the soft voice and the big amber eyes and the longer he gazed into them, the more he felt his soul being stripped bare. How do you do this to me, Yusuke? How many years have I survived without these feelings? Why now? Why you? You're nothing like her. How did I fall in love with someone like you? And how could you possibly love me?

Yusuke saw Hiei getting lost in his thoughts, his eyelids drooping slightly. He let one hand caress a pale, warm cheek, but instead of bringing him out of his thoughts, it seemed to send him deeper.

"Hiei?"

Hiei gazed further and further into the amber pools mere inches from him. He felt his whole body relax. It was as if Yusuke were hypnotizing him. Then a soft caress sent him over the edge and all his thoughts and feelings that he'd kept locked up just came pouring out.

"I've cared for you for years, Yusuke. But I knew we could never be together. Even if Keiko wasn't in the picture and I thought I stood a chance, I would have never told you how I felt. I can't be with anyone, ever again. They'll just end up dead. And I couldn't live with myself if……I killed you."

"Hiei, what are you talking about? Who have you killed and what does it have to do with us?"

The fire demon hung his head and sat back on his heels.

"I can't….I have to be careful when I…." he took a long deep breath before continuing. "…it's very dangerous to have sex with a fire demon, Yusuke."

"Dangerous?"

"Only another fire demon….or Koorime….is guaranteed to be able to withstand having sex with a fire demon. The energy, the heat, we expel during sex can incinerate our partner."

Yusuke's hand slipped from the warm cheek and fell into his lap as he absorbed what he just heard.

"Well, if you gotta go, that's one hell of a way to go."

Before he knew what was happening, Yusuke was thrown back by a fist to his face. He looked up to see Hiei on his feet, purple flames surrounding his body, crimson eyes blazing, ready to fight. When he spoke, his deep voice projected his anger and Yusuke winced as he felt the wave wash over him. Is he projecting his energy through his words?

"Don't you ever joke about that! She was the first creature who was ever kind to me and I loved her. She didn't deserve to die! I should have died! Not her!"

Yusuke spit out some blood and stood up to face the enraged fire demon.

"I'm sorry, Hiei. I didn't know. I swear I'll never joke like that again. Now please calm down and just explain all of this to me, because you still haven't convinced me to give up on you."

"This will not happen, Yusuke. I will not risk your life."

Yusuke slowly approached Hiei, his body tensed and ready for another attack. "But it's my life Hiei and I think you're worth the risk."

He was only a few feet from Hiei now and he could feel the heated energy radiating from the fire demon. But he didn't stop. He kept closing the distance until finally he was mere inches from Hiei, his body being enveloped by the purple flames. He brought his hand up to the pale cheek again and leaned in, his eyes never leaving those of the stunned youkai.

"See, I'm fine."

His words were whispered against slightly parted lips before he kissed Hiei again, his tongue instantly finding a home in the depths of the fire demon's mouth.

Hiei was too shocked to do anything until he heard Yusuke's words. And when Yusuke kissed him again and that skillful tongue entered his mouth, massaging his own, it spurred him into action. He raised his ki even more and he heard Yusuke gasp, but the determined toushin only pulled him into a tight embrace. Hiei moaned despite himself but he still released more and more ki trying to discourage his would-be lover, but Yusuke still held tight, deepening the kiss.

Yusuke refused to let Hiei drive him away. He was going to prove to the proud demon that he could be just as stubborn and he clung to Hiei for all he was worth. He wanted to cry out in pain, but he fought the urge, instead just letting a few gasps and whimpers escape. Suddenly Yusuke realized that he had protection from Hiei's ki. He smiled against the kiss-swollen lips and let his own ki free to combat the fire demon's energy. The room sparked with energy as black flames fought with white.

Hiei's eyes flew open as Yusuke let his own ki run free. He broke the kiss and pulled back to see that smirk he knew so well. He'd seen that smirk enough through the years to know that he didn't stand a chance. Yusuke had made up his mind and he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

Hiei pulled his ki back and the black flames disappeared, quickly followed by the white flames. He searched the warm amber eyes and saw his defeat.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Yusuke."

The toushin scoffed and put his forehead against Hiei's. "Of course I don't know what I'm doing. C'mon Hiei, you know me better than that."

Hiei let out a growl and tried to push away but both efforts were half-hearted and they both knew it.

"You idiot."

"But I'm your idiot, right?"

"Gods help us both, yes Yusuke, you are my idiot."

Yusuke kissed the tip of Hiei's nose before embracing him. "Good."

To be continued…..