(This chapter has been edited and reposted)
I'd had enough of Hiei running away from me, from our love. I leapt out of the window after him, yet I did not have his agility and landed on my back on the ground. I lay there, trying to catch my breath, staring up into the tree. Suddenly, the fire demon's head popped out from between the branches. He glared down at me with a scowl and then hopped from the tree, gracefully landing on his feet. He stepped over my body and strode to the street. He began to walk down the road, in the immediate center, keeping his balance perfectly on the double yellow line. I scrambled up and hurried after him.
"Hiei, don't walk away from me!" I ordered, which was a mistake I realized a bit too soon. He continued his walk, and responded with an icy, detatched voice that brought about a flinch from me.
"Don't assume you have the right to tell me what to do, fox." I growled and sprinted to him, grabbing his arms and roughly spinning him to face me.
"My name is Kurama." Hiei glared.
"I know what your name is, Kuuuuraaaamaaaa," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Now, release me."
"No." Hiei scowled and pulled against me, but to no avail. I was applying every amount of strength I had into keeping him there, and deep inside I knew he didn't want to escape. He muttered and threw his moon-kissed face up to try and stare me down. But when his eyes met mine, his features softened and his body relaxed. I knew what he saw on my face; love. Nothing but true, fierce, undeniable love. He collapsed against me.
"Kurama," he groaned.
I didn't care what he said or didn't say, Kurama loved me. I could see it; somehow, I just knew. And I loved him. He took me by the hand and led me back into his house, and up the stairs to his room. When we entered his bedroom, I had barely closed the door behind me when he gathered me into his arms for an earth-shattering kiss. He walked me backwards to his bed and gently pushed me down, breaking our embrace only momentarily. He fell on top of me and, again, planted his lips upon mine. He yanked the hem of my shirt from my pants and slid his hand under the cloth to stroke my stomach. His cold fingers were a shock against my heated skin. When I gasped against his mouth, he went to take his hand away from me. I moved my arms between us and pressed his palm back to me.
He pulled his lips from mine and my eyes fluttered open. He stared down at me, with a loving smile on his beautiful lips, raw from my kisses. Then he slowly tugged my shirt away and threw it over his shoulder. He began to kiss a river down the center of my chest and I tangled my fingers through his gorgeous red hair and closed my eyes, completely absorbed in my ecstasy.
The next morning, I awoke to the rays of golden sunlight as it poured through my open window. Birds chirped and the wind blew through the brittle autumn leaves. My eyelids parted leisurely and I began to relive the events of the night before in my mind. I smiled and turned to bid my love a good morning, to find that the pillow on which he'd slept was empty. I sighed a little, then rolled from the bed and hurriedly dressed. I rushed out of the house, combing my fingers through my hair as I went. There were few places Hiei could be, and I'd search them all until I found him. Then, maybe we'd go get some sweet snow...Err, ice cream...
My lips twitched with amusement. I'd head to the park first. Hiei spent a lot of his time while visiting the ningen world in the trees at the park. Plus, it was closest to my house. As I wandered along, my hands deep in my pockets, I stared up at the azure sky, dotted with beautiful puffy clouds. I grinned because, to me, every single one looked like Hiei. Hiei kneeling, Hiei jumping, Hiei readying for battle-
My thoughts were interrupted by a slightly choked feminine voice calling my ningen name. I turned and saw a beautiful teenage girl from my school walking towards me. I waited for her to catch up, and then fell into step beside her.
"Hello Mariana-san," I said with a friendly smile. She looked up at me and tried to grin, but all she could manage was a strange sort of twisted grimace. I could see tears welling up in her eyes. By this time we'd reached the park and I sat her down at the nearest park bench. I put my arm around her and leaned in close.
"Mariana," I said comfortingly. "Something troubles you. What is it?"
"Well, you're the nicest guy I know, and all of my other friends are so shallow and would never understand this pain. I hate to burden you with all of this since we're not exactly close, but when I saw you there on the sidewalk, I felt relief knowing that I could talk to you and you would listen." I nodded understandingly. I'd always like Mariana. She wasn't like the other girls at my high school. She was quiet, and she didn't giggle. When she laughed, she really laughed; none of that high-pitched squealing. She was in most of my classes, and she always smiled at me. We'd had several conversations and I'd even had kind of a crush on her before I realized my love for Hiei. I suddenly remembered why I was in the park in the first place, but Mariana needed to talk, so I could be considerate enough to give her a few minutes of my time to get whatever was bothering her off her chest.
"Mariana, I'll certainly help you if I can. Never hesitate to come to me." She smiled.
"You're so nice." She laid her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "My parents are getting a divorce," she said quietly. "I thought everything was going great, but then, out of nowhere they announce that they just don't love each other anymore." Would that ever happen to me and Hiei? I wandered. No, it couldn't. Could it? How could two people as deeply in love as us ever just...stop? "I'm going to have to choose which one I want to live with, and I don't know how to make that decision. I don't want to hurt either of my parents." I rubbed her arm soothingly.
"I'm so sorry. It is a difficult decision, and honestly I'm not sure what to tell you." I was trying to wrap it up with her, even with my remorse for her situation. I had to find Hiei.
"Well, I guess I just needed a shoulder, not an answer. And I'm already beginning to feel better, knowing someone is there for me." She grinned up at me. It was the first smile I'd seen from her this morning and I returned it. She stared into my eyes. "Your eyes are such a beautiful color green," she purred. I smiled my thanks, and then, to my great surprise, she leaned up and pressed her mouth to mine. I heard a low whimper and pulled my lips from hers to see Hiei standing against a tree trunk, his eyes wide and his look wounded.
"Hiei!" I shouted. I turned to Mariana. "I have to go. I'm glad I could help you, and I hope it all works out." I said these words in a rush and then leapt up and chased after Hiei who was sprinting at top speed away from the park. I was sorry to leave Mariana in distress like that, but Hiei had assumed...How could he think we were together, when he knew the love I had for him? He was but a blur, much too fast for me to catch, but I ran until I thought my legs would collapse underneath me. Then I fell to my knees on the carpet of leaves that cushioned the forest floor and began to cry.
I ran blindly, my tears streaming down my face and flying behind me. How could he do this to me? I fell out of the thick forest and stumbled, dropping down onto a rock by the edge of a pond. I stared out over the glassy water, and it reflected the sun so beautifully. The green of the water and the gold of the sun mixed together made the surface look like Kurama's eyes. I crossed my arms over my knees and buried my face in-between them.
I might have been there for hours, maybe days; perhaps centuries I'd spent in that wood, waiting for Hiei to appear. Waiting for what I knew would never happen, not again. Not if he was gone into the Makai, not if he was out of reach. If I wasn't given a chance to explain, if he never knew the truth, then I wouldn't expect to see him reflected in my window pane another night. I laid on my back, staring blankly at the sky that peeked through the branches of the forest. Everything began to sharpen and blur in and out of focus until my head was spinning.
"Hiei," I whispered, laying an arm over my eyes and squeezing them tightly shut. Tears still trickled from them, but they came slowly now and without purpose. I'd shed all the blood my heart could beat, everything rich and flowing inside of me was gone, shrivled, had dried up in the winter of my sorrow. I knew that I couldn't give up, not until I knew for sure that Hiei was gone. I couldn't lay here until the earth beneath me fell away and I dropped into the fires of hell. I couldn't waste here. I needed to think, and such was impossible surrounded by the dying summer of my pain. Drying my eyes, I stood and began to walk, aimlessly. I could feel the water in the air as I approached a small pond that was shaded by weeping willows. The pure water cleared my mind. I thought I'd go for a swim; cool myself off. Then continue my search for my love. I just prayed he'd not gone for good. Sometimes he would disappear into the Spirit World for months at a time. He would struggle back to me, wounded or angry, or both, and I would care for him and shelter him until his strength and attitude was restored, and he would then flit away, and leave me all alone again. I shoved my hands deeply in my pockets and bent my head against the fierce wind. I could smell the storm brewing. I didn't care; I would not give up my search. I broke from the woods and the sun scattered over my face. I looked up and could see treacherous clouds beginning to sneak towards the fiery star. I stepped to the very bank of the pond and yanked off my shirt and pants and stared for several moments into the deep, dark water. Then I dove in with hardly a splash.
I looked up from my arms when I heard a rustle from across the lake. I stared in disbelief as Kurama undressed, and stood, basked in the gray sunlight, his beautiful skin reflecting the rays. Then he was gone, disappearing under the surface, as was I, running into the depths of the threatening woodland.