Trees towered around, tall grey oaks with wide, green leaves, shielding them from the cool refreshing rain that sprinkled from the semi cloudy sky. A cool, brief breeze blew past them, temporary ending the protection of the oak leaves and letting the rain sprinkle down upon their skin, soaking them briefly before the protection of the leaves was reinstated.

"Hm…." The red haired, green eyed spirit-fox stared up at the sky wistfully, sitting next to the red eyed fire-demon who studied him curiously. "I love days like this after summer's intensely hot ones—it's refreshing, like I'm being revitalized. What about you, Hiei?"

"It doesn't make a difference to me." Hiei muttered looking away briefly while Kurama glanced at him, noticing that the fox-demon's calm, tranquil expression waver for just a second to one bordering on sadness.

"Does anything make a difference to you?" Kurama asked calmly, with a barely noticeable undertone of anxiety and bitterness, which a stranger wouldn't be able to catch. Unnerved a little by Kurama's hidden sensitivity—the fox-demon was affected by everything the fire-demon did, though he tried so desperately to conceal that fact—Hiei glanced swift and briefly at Kurama, thinking quick but deeply about what he should say.

Of course Hiei wasn't positive he knew what to say—that is, he didn't know what Kurama wanted him to say exactly, though he knew Kurama wanted to hear the truth—the fox-demon would easily detect any falsity in the fire-demon's words and get upset just the same. So it must be the truth that he should say.

"No, Fox, nothing makes any difference." Hiei replied looking away as Kurama drew in a breath and then stared back at the cloudy sky avoiding the fire-demon's eye for a minute. Somehow Hiei felt as though he said something wrong, but he'd only said the truth—all his life he constantly suppressed all emotion that would attach him to anything else—you couldn't get the fire-demon not care about anything. 'What will be will be,' that aphorism suited Hiei just fine—it didn't matter what without having any affect on the fire-demon. "Nothing matters, Fox."

"Oh." The redhead replied, turning back to Hiei with a smile that seemed factitious, shallow. "I guess that topic is opened to discussion, it's up to every individual to decide what matters; it's just a reflection of one's character."

"Hn."

"I guess I should head back to Genkai's, Yusuke found out today's her birthday and is planning on throwing her a party. If you want you can join us, Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei shook his head, then walked away—he didn't want to hang out at Genkai's, all he wanted was to stay with Kurama, but if he couldn't he guessed it didn't really matter.

"Hiei…." Kurama muttered as the fire-demon walked away, his voice fading as darkness shrouded the surroundings and a new voice called out.

"Hey! Hey, wake up!" The new voice spoke louder and clearer than the previous one, shaking away the images of Kurama and the forest.

Feeling languid and tired as though zapped of all his energy Hiei lifted his heavy eyelids slowly, barely taking in the blurry shape he saw. Unable to even blink due to lack of energy, Hiei merely waited for the blurriness of his vision to go away, vaguely aware of someone staring at him as the fire-demon slowly regained complete consciousness. As his eyes focused and more feeling and strength reached his limbs, Hiei breathed deeply trying hard to recall where he was and what happened to him.

Ah, yes, he had been going to find that Akiko bitch and demand her to save herself long enough for the child to be born, but hadn't reached her before he collapsed—stupid, he didn't even know where he was now, come to think of it he hadn't even known how to get to the hospital when he set out to find Akiko. His emotion had gotten the best of him, like a stupid human.

Hn, I'm starting to act like those wretched creatures, stupid. Hiei narrowed his eyes, and then recalled the dream he had just awoken from—it wasn't a dream, it was a memory—a true memory unlike the nightmares he'd been having. During those nightmares he'd been Karasu's complete slave and couldn't escape no matter how hard he tried, and if he attacked the nightmare's Karasu changed into Ku-chan, and Hiei awoke abruptly, horrified by those dreams. Hiei was completely powerless in those dreams—so it was refreshing to have a different dream.

Though, recalling that memory of him and Kurama, Hiei felt a gnawing guilt plague him, displacing all pleasure he'd felt from that recollection. His fox had been so saddened by the fire-demon's answer, not surprised but disappointed—no it was more like Kurama's hopes had been banished and broken by Hiei's answer. At the time, due to how distant and lacking in so-called people skills, Hiei couldn't figure out why his honest answer affected his fox so—he Kurama wanted the complete truth. Of course, he must've wanted to hear the truth, but was hoping the truth was what he wanted it to be—a habit Kurama must've received from living with humans, to fill yourself with hope and expectation even though it left you no protection against disappointment.

Stupid fox, I didn't mean exactly that nothing matters—I meant that it's better to not expect anything; you can't be disappointed that way. Just deal with each thing as it happens, expect nothing and accept everything you can't change—that's what I meant. Hiei thought silently tears forming in his eyes as he realized just now why Kurama felt so hurt by the fire-demon's answer that day—the fox hadn't wanted to know what Hiei felt about other things, Kurama had wanted to know what the fire-demon thought of him. How could I have been so stupid? And how could you have honestly thought I didn't care for you? If I didn't care for you, I wouldn't've accepted your bite—you could've called to me that way. Why didn't you? Hiei asked in his thoughts, remembering how hurt he'd been when Kurama never use the demon bond bite to summon Hiei, just because he had held back on his bite to the fox didn't mean Kurama couldn't summon him with the bond. The fox had completed the bond and Hiei would've had to respond to any summon from Kurama, and though the fire-demon was reluctant to accept such a connection, Hiei felt distressfully hurt that Kurama hadn't summoned him from the Demon Realm. The stupid fox hadn't even used that power to summon Hiei when he needed the fire-demon most—during those depressions of his—but why not?

Had you wanted me to come to you on my own? Was that why you didn't summon me before you succumbed to that suicidal depression? We both fucked up then. Stupid fox, I wanted you to come to me on your own, that's why I held back on my bite—I didn't want the power to force you to come to me. I wanted you to do so, on your own. We were both idiots.

"I guess we were." A voice broke through Hiei's thoughts and the fire-demon bolted upright, surprised at the interruption—he had forgotten anyone else was with him, assuming that the figure he'd seen through his blurry vision wasn't there since he or she hadn't spoken anymore. "We were idiots, weren't we?"

"…wha…? Who…?" Hiei stammered, staring incredulously at the long blond haired human in front of him, female, eyes blue, skin overly pale—a stranger to him, though he thought he'd seen her before somewhere. This human seemed to have read his thoughts—impossible, no human could do such a thing—and very few demons could either, Hiei's Jagan offered a basic protection against mind readers, so how could this human know what he had thought? He hadn't spoken aloud, had he?

"No, you didn't."

"Wha…?" Hiei gasped, and then stood up on guard as he stared at the human, bristling and narrowing his eyes. "You can't be a normal human."

"Yes and no, this is a normal human body."

"Uh!" Hiei stepped back and observed the human girl more closely, this time taking in how blank her eyes appeared as though she wasn't conscious—but that wasn't possible, she was talking to him, how could she…of course! "Possession." Hiei grimaced eyeing the person in front of him suspiciously.

"Yes. I needed to find you."

"Me? Why? I don't know you." Hiei grumbled, annoyed by the slight smile appearing on the possessed girl's lips as though to say that the fire-demon was mistaken. "I do not know you; I don't know any demon who would possess anyone."

"Don't you?"

"Not anyone who's still alive." Hiei growled angrily, his thoughts on the only demon he knew who had possessed a human—Kurama had possessed an unborn human before it required a soul, but he was dead, so there was no way that what possessed this girl could know him unless…. No, it couldn't be, but what the girl said when she interrupted Hiei's thoughts—how she answered, saying 'we'—WE! "…Kurama…?"

The girl nodded in answer, sitting back to look at Hiei, a wistful smile on her lips. "It's been a while Hiei."

"But…but…why did you possess a human female? That body doesn't look strong."

"I had to, for protection."

"Protection? You couldn't be in danger, you're…."

"Not me, Akiko's child."

"Akiko's…." Hiei muttered eyes widening as he stared at Kurama in the human female's body. "You don't mean that this female you possessed is that bitch."

"I do."

"But…but….why her? Why help protect her child? She cheated on you, why would you…the child must be yours if you're protecting it."

"It isn't mine, but I do know whose it is—and I reincarnated part of myself into the child to prevent the father from doing the same."

"…." Hiei gaped at Kurama in Akiko's body unable to completely grasp what the fox-demon had said. "You possessed that bitch's child to protect it even though it isn't yours? I didn't know you'd become that kindhearted. Where's that ruthless Youko side of you?"

"He bolted."

"What? What do you mean 'he bolted'? He's you so how could…?"

"My soul's split in two, a side-effect of becoming so humane during my life as Shuuichi; I've become so different from my Youko side that that part of my personality split from me—so now Youko and I are technically two different people now. Though I thought he'd be the one to protect you—I guess he's not as attached to you as I am." Kurama replied, staring at Hiei then looked away for a brief moment, seeming as though he wanted to explain something to Hiei but couldn't figure out how. "And I didn't necessarily possess the child to protect it—not only it. I…."

"Who were you trying to protect if not the child?"

"You." Kurama replied pausing for a second as he studied Hiei's reaction and then continued before the fire-demon could respond. "You see…the child's Karasu's and I feared he might possess it himself and try to get back to you. I didn't want him to hurt you again."

"Fox…I…." Hiei mumbled unable to express how he felt—Kurama wanted to protect him, just to hear his fox say that—it pleased the fire-demon to hear that. "I…Kurama what's wrong? You look weak…you…." Hiei asked anxiously as the fox-demon suddenly gasped for air, sweat pouring down the human female's face.

"I've used too much energy finding you—I can't possess Akiko and the child any longer…can you get Akiko back to the hospital? Or to Genkai? I need to focus on sustaining the child—if I back off even a little bit on protecting the child, Karasu might possess it. I don't know where that bastard is." Kurama replied pausing for a few seconds as he gasped again for breath. "And just so you know…I love you, Hiei." The fox-demon managed to whisper before falling into unconsciousness, collapsing on the ground in front of Hiei, who rushed forward to hold Kurama, eyes moist.

"Fox…me too, I love you as well."

I'm sorry about not updating for the past few days, I couldn't think of how to write this chapter for a few days. So what did you readers think of that chapter? Did it answer some of your questions? What do you think of all these twists? Please review (One of these days I'll get to reviewing your guys stories, but right now I hardly have time to type my own stories—I have to share this computer with two computer hogs. Oh well, anyway please review!)