Yusuke was sitting at his desk. His shirt was back on his shoulders, buttoned partially. The top four buttons were still undone, revealing a large portion of his chest. He looked up when Kurama entered the room, smiling when he saw Hiei following the redhead, a confused glare on his face. "Kurama, omoimono, it's good to see you." He smiled when Hiei stalked across the room to take a seat without invitation. Kurama glided to stand behind him. Hiei glared at the redhead, his expression still confused. "What happened?"

Hiei only growled, so Kurama answered, "He was talking and I was so moved by his story that I kissed him." When Yusuke looked at him, he tipped his head and added, "Lightly, once on the forehead and once on the lips."

Yusuke smiled, "As much as I'd like to explore that, dawn presses against us."

"What is this business with marking me?" Hiei growled out. "I don't want to be a vampire."

"The marks will not make you a vampire, omoimono. They are a way to share my strength with you, my lifespan, but you will remain human."

"What's involved? What are the consequences?"

"The first mark is a sharing of life force and it allows me to enter your mind, to speak with you mentally. The second is a joining of souls…"

"Vampires don't have souls," Hiei growled

"Whatever it is we have that resemble souls," Yusuke corrected smoothly. "It allows me to draw sustenance from you in times of need. It also allows me to enter your dreams." Hiei pulled a face but remained silent. "The third mark is where you share your blood with me…"

"I don't think so!" Hiei moved to get up.

"Please, Hiei," Kurama said.

"If it weren't needed, I wouldn't suggest it, Hiei," Yusuke added.

Hiei was tense, his body half raised. He waited.

"The third mark establishes a direct link between us. It allows you to enter my mind. The marks also make you harder to kill and help your body recover more quickly." Hiei sat again. "The fourth mark, where I share my blood with you, cements our bond."

"Are they reversible?" Hiei spoke through clenched teeth.

"No." Hiei's eyes traveled to the corner of the desk. Yusuke added, "If it helps, we can only perform the first two tonight anyways. It takes a little while for you to recover from the third."

"I don't want to sleep with you," Hiei growled out, his voice soft.

"I didn't ask you to." Hiei's eyes returned to Yusuke. "I want to, but this is very serious, Hiei. This is not just another attempt to get you to sleep with us."

"It will give you the opportunity to avenge your parents," Kurama added softly. Both Yusuke and Hiei looked at him. "As I said, Bui will be there."

"As will Karasu," Yusuke added softly, wrapping an arm around the redhead's waist as he shivered.

"I didn't want to be reminded," Kurama murmured.

"If we're pulling up ghosts, Kurama, everyone's ghost is pulled up."

"And Toguro will be there," the redhead countered.

Yusuke leaned his head against Kurama's stomach, "I know." Kurama's fingers came up and ran through Yusuke's hair in apology. Yusuke grabbed his wrist and pulled him into his lap. He kissed Kurama's cheek and then faced Hiei. "We really do need your help, omoimono."

"Who are Karasu and Toguro?" It disturbed him deeply to see the vampires afraid.

"Karasu wants Kurama. He wants the same privileges Kurama gives me and doesn't care if he is willing or not. Toguro used to be one of my masters until I got away."

Very softly, Kurama added, "Karasu prefers if I'm not willing. It gives him more reason to beat me." He buried his head in Yusuke's neck a moment before turning to Hiei again, "Karasu was my patron a while after Yusuke left." His eyes were haunted.

Hiei found himself walking around the desk before he'd realized he'd gotten up. He was angry, but not at the two before him. He ran his fingers through Kurama's hair, his mind almost too distracted to notice the silky texture. "I won't let them," he said softly, almost unaware of the words, of his tone. All he knew was the redhead was afraid and he couldn't stand to see him afraid. His mind no longer labeled Kurama a monster.

Very softly, Yusuke asked, "Will you join us?"

Hiei turned to meet Yusuke eyes, surprised that his mind didn't label him 'monster' either. "Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna sleep with you."

Yusuke smiled a little, "I didn't ask you to."

"Yet, tonight."

With a final squeeze, Kurama slid off of Yusuke's lap. He hugged Hiei, flustering the smaller man briefly, and left the room. "Dawn is approaching rapidly, omoimono. Shall we?"

Hiei nodded, stepping back, only to be stopped by Yusuke's hand on his arm. "What?"

"May I have the same liberties you granted Kurama?" Yusuke asked softly.

Hiei looked away. His chest was tight, his throat constricted. He stood there a moment until Yusuke's hand came to his cheek, then he spoke, "He barely touched me."

"I know," Yusuke murmured as he brought his lips to Hiei's forehead, touching the same place the redhead had, where the white lock began. He used this motion to give Hiei the first mark. Hiei gasped slightly as he felt something within him shift, but didn't have time to fully appreciate it before Yusuke brushed his lips. He saw two points of fire, strangely brown, felt them enter his eyes and suddenly became more aware of Yusuke than he'd been before.

Hiei stood there, still, a long time. Finally, he opened his eyes, though he didn't remember closing them. Yusuke was standing still, watching him, his hand still on Hiei's arm. Heat burned through his body from where Yusuke's lips had touched him, tension sang through him from Yusuke's hand. He understood how much Yusuke was holding back just standing there. And, strangely, it comforted him, almost as much as it scared him. He stepped back slightly, "Good night, Yusuke."

Releasing the arm he held, Yusuke returned the greeting, "Good night, Hiei. Sleep well. Be here just after dusk."

Hiei nodded and fled up the stairs. His heart was pounding in his chest so strongly he could hear it and feel it in his head. When he got to his car, he rested his forehead against the cool metal for a while, just breathing, until he was back in control of his body. His hands still shook when he put the key in the lock, though he tried to stop them. He could feel the tremors through his body as he drove home.

He sat in the parking lot of his apartment for a long time, trying to stop the shaking in his limbs and to settle his mind. Somehow, he felt the dawn, felt it press against him, and his body calmed. He was able to breathe again.

A/N Whee…another chapter! Yays! Aren't you all happy? Or is your brain fried from what you just read? ;) Poor poor Hiei…don't you feel so badly for him? I forgot to say in the last chapter that the quote "The heart has reasons that Reason knows not" is from Pascal. Not that that matters really, but…oh, wells.

This chapter is severely edited…I couldn't find a good place to trim the scene, so it was completely cut…full version on my homepage (I cut two pages off this…such a nice scene between Yusuke and Kurama…including mention of broken coffins and dirty minds).

Hugs to all my readers/reviewers. Oh, before I forget again...I was asked if "omoimono" had more of a meaning than sweetheart...not that I can find, but I only looked in one dictionary.