PLEASE NOTE: Yomi is not blind in this story.

The next morning, Hiei awoke from a dreamless slumber, a little disoriented at first. This wasn't his apartment! And this bed was bigger and comfier…ah, yes, he must be at Yukina's. But why did his stomach feel so weird? It felt like there was some weird energy inside of him, bouncing around and trying desperately to get out.

And then he remembered. Today was his business lunch with Kurama.

The business lunch was at noon, and Hiei saw that the sun had barely risen. He was one of those people who got up at five-thirty in the morning so he could catch the six o'clock train to work and get to the office early. At this point in time, his brain just woke up at that time, and he didn't even need an alarm clock. But that meant he had over five hours until his business lunch. How was he going to pass the time until then?

It was impossible to try to get back to sleep, but he didn't want to wake Yukina and Kuwabara. So he quietly snuck out of bed, put on his bathrobe, and went downstairs to make himself some breakfast. Most of the time he just ate sugary breakfast cereal with milk, like a schoolchild, but he liked the sweet taste.

When the hours had passed some, with Hiei quietly working on his laptop, Kuwabara got up at nine, while Yukina still slept, and cooked some pancakes, which Hiei was too nervous to eat. Around ten o'clock, Hiei felt like he should finally start getting ready.

What he didn't understand was why he was feeling so nervous. Usually he felt confident before a business lunch. This was what he had gone to school to do, after all, and he was good at it. He'd gotten into college on a track scholarship, but he had studied business. Then it was a six-month internship with the company he worked for now, and they'd kept him on ever since. By now, he should always be confident of his skills. Surely Hiei could cinch this. If Kurama's business was truly floundering, finding an investor would only be the smart thing to do.

Stepping into his bedroom wearing nothing but a bathrobe, Hiei couldn't help but look through each of the suits he'd brought, struggling to come to a decision.

Hmm…which one would Kurama like the best?

Woah! Where did that come from? Who cared what Kurama liked best? Hiei barely even knew the guy! And he wouldn't know him, after this one-and-done business lunch. That was it. Yes, it was important to make a good first impression if you were trying to make a deal, but there was no other reason why Hiei would worry this much about how he was presenting himself!

Hiei finally chose a suit in gray, with a navy-blue tie. Usually he preferred a black suit with a burgundy or red tie, but black seemed a bit too severe for a meeting like this, and he thought the navy blue went better with gray. Hiei used his phone to find Urameshi's, and soon found himself outside a medium-sized, delicious-smelling ramen restaurant around half-past eleven. He couldn't wait for Kurama to arrive…but only so he could go in and eat.

"Hiei!" Kurama showed up around 11:50. "You're early."

"Being late is unprofessional," Hiei replied, reaching out to shake Kurama's hand.

When they got into the restaurant, they went to order, where a young man with black hair and brown eyes was cleaning the counter. He was taller than Hiei (most people were), but shorter than Kurama.

"Good morning, Yusuke," Kurama said politely.

"Morning, Kurama," said Yusuke with a smile. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Hiei, Yukina's brother," Kurama explained. "He's in town visiting her for Christmas."

"Oh, yes." Yusuke nodded, his smile fading slightly. "It's too bad what happened to her. I just moved here last summer to start a new life with my wife and kid. But the people here are so friendly, I got to know them all so soon. We come from Kyoto, and Keiko says this makes a nice change from the city life." He paused and laughed. "So, what would you like?"

When they'd ordered their food and headed to a table, Hiei decided to start with the small talk. It would be best, he knew, if they started things off friendly. But every time Hiei looked into Kurama's beautiful green eyes, he found himself losing his train of thought, and what was in that rosy cologne? It made Hiei's knees collapse, landing him less than gracefully into a wooden chair.

"How do you like Kosetsu so far, Hiei?" Kurama asked.

"Well, it certainly is different, like Yusuke mentioned," Hiei said slowly. "I'm not used to being waved at by people I don't know."

"It's just what folks do around here." Kurama shrugged. "Have you thought any more about taking Yukina's place on the Christmas Festival committee?"

"I know she would be disappointed if the festival didn't go off," said Hiei, trying not to look into Kurama's eyes. The redhead's body language betrayed that he was perfectly calm; his hands were clasped in front of him, and his elbows were not on the table. Hiei could sense that he was smiling warmly, despite trying as hard as he could not to look into that handsome face—Wait, what? No! Why would I notice something like that?

"Is that a yes?" Kurama's voice was hopeful.

"Um, maybe." Hiei was frustrated that his cheeks felt a little hot. Just talking to Kurama made him feel so strange. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, just…just so different. It was that little swoop in his stomach, as if he'd missed a step going downstairs.

One of the waitresses came by with their drinks (hot chocolate for Hiei, tea for Kurama). Hiei figured he had to be more conversational with Kurama. That way, he would be more willing to cooperate in the business deal. But it was still too soon to bring it up. He would have to make Kurama want to work with him first, then bring up the suggestion.

"I think you'll enjoy working on the Christmas Festival committee," Kurama was saying happily. "You'll especially love setting up Kosetsu Park, where we hold so many of the festivities. You know, maybe you could press the button to make the giant tree in Town Square light up."

"Perhaps."

They chatted mildly about this and that, Hiei deciding to bring up the investment once the food got there. Kurama did most of the talking; Hiei didn't mind, because that way he got to listen to Kurama's voice, and just look at him, all of him…

Hiei shook his head. These thoughts about Kurama were going to have to stop.

It seemed like forever until the food came, but when it did, Hiei was very relieved to find himself regaining some of his confidence. Now was when he would do what he had done plenty of times before—score a business deal where he and his company came out on top.

"So, Kurama," said Hiei, lifting up his mug of hot chocolate and taking a casual sip. "I was quite impressed with your business. You really started it with two friends from high school?"

"I did," said Kurama proudly. "First we used my late father's land to start a miniature Christmas tree farm, and then we started the store after graduation."

"But it's just you now?"

"Yes."

"But sometimes, a good business can become even better." Hiei took another sip of hot chocolate, this time making direct eye contact. "Have you ever thought about finding an investor, Kurama?"

"Oh." Kurama gently set down his teacup. "Is that what this meeting was about?"

"If you're asking whether or not I'm interested in investing in your company," said Hiei, "the answer is yes. We could schedule a follow-up meeting with my boss and some corporate lawyers, and—"

"I'm flattered by your offer, Hiei." Kurama smiled slightly. "Really, I am. But I'm afraid I must decline. You're not the first investor to approach us, and we agreed the business would always be completely ours."

Decline? He didn't even want to consider it?

"It will help in case you fall upon hard times," Hiei reminded him. Needless to say, Hiei didn't think it would be a good idea to mention that not only had Kurama already fallen upon hard times, but apparently he was also up to his eyes in debt. "If a family-owned business is ever struggling, finding an investor is the smart thing to do."

"Hiei…" Kurama's eyebrows furrowed just a little. "What did you hear?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Kurama's tone wasn't harsh, but it was firm. "Did you hear anything about me or the business last night?"

How did he know? But lying wasn't a good idea, even if it was just lying by omission.

"Yukina told me after you left that your business wasn't doing so well," Hiei admitted, lowering his voice. "So I thought—"

"So you thought you'd take advantage of my situation," Kurama finished, "and try to get me to sign away part of my business in exchange for what would essentially be a bailout. Is that it?"

"I-I…" Kurama's words seemed to punch Hiei in the stomach. "That's not…"

But however Hiei's mouth tried to protest, he knew in his heart that what Kurama said was true. He was taking advantage. It was something he had done before, with two major differences—one, usually the family business owners he spoke to were all to eager to sign the contract, and two…Hiei actually felt bad about what he was doing this time.

"Hopefully, you understand now." Kurama hadn't raised his voice at all, but Hiei would have preferred it if the man had hit him. The disappointment in his tone was unbearable. "I can manage on my own."

"Yes, I understand." Hiei cleared his throat. "My apologies."

Neither of them said anything for a minute after that, but the silence was soon broken by their waitress, coming to make sure everything was okay.

"You know, Kurama," she said warmly, "it's just so nice to finally see you here with a date again."

Hiei's entire body suddenly felt hot, and he knew without looking that his face had turned the color of tomato soup. He couldn't have spoken for the life of him, but Kurama laughed mildly.

"This isn't a date," he corrected her. "We're just two businessmen meeting for lunch."

Somehow, that little "just" snarled in Hiei's stomach, but he wasn't sure he wanted the waitress to think they were on a date, either. Did he?

"Oh!" cried the waitress in embarrassment, straightening up. "I'm sorry, I just thought—"

"That's quite all right." Kurama smiled. "It has been quite some time, hasn't it? Say, do you think we could have more napkins?"

"Absolutely," said the waitress, scuttling off at a pace that would have made Hiei's old track coach proud.

"Why would she think we were on a date?" Hiei could barely even get the words out. "Do I look like a woman to you?"

"No, but I've enjoyed dates with both men and women," Kurama explained.

Hiei stared at him, mouth open. Wow.

"And…and everyone knows?" he said finally.

"Well, I'm not going to hide such a big part of who I am," Kurama replied casually. "And it couldn't be a big secret anyway, considering I used to be engaged."

"Used to be engaged." Hiei laughed sardonically. "Bastard left you at the altar, huh?"

"No." Kurama's face suddenly looked almost stony. "He died in an accident, a few days before the wedding."

Hiei had never wanted so much for the earth to open up and swallow him whole.

"Would…would you excuse me a minute?" said Hiei, standing up to make a quick getaway to the restroom. But in his haste, he accidentally swatted his mug, spilling scalding hot chocolate into his lap and onto the floor. Kurama gasped, but Hiei didn't hear it over his own scream; his world had suddenly been reduced to a torrent of blinding pain. Then his foot slipped, something hard hit his head, and everything went black.

...

"This is the last straw, Mr. Koorime! You have to stop getting yourself into fights!"

"Yes, I think he should have detention for a full month this time around."

"Stay still, child!" This time it wasn't a teacher, but the infirmary nurse. "Your arm is already broken. If you move around, you'll damage it even more."

"I don't give a damn!" Hiei shouted. "All I care about is those assholes getting what they deserve!"

"Those older boys had a lot worse injuries than Koorime," Hiei heard one of the teachers mutter to another. "It's a good thing they've got no parents to sue us."

"Working at an orphanage sure has its perks," the other agreed.

Hiei wrinkled his nose in disgust at their words. This wasn't an orphanage at all. It was prison. Each day he awoke to the same thing, being a captive, stuck with thousands of other kids who had lost or been taken away from their parents, all with one thing in common: No one wanted them enough to give them a good home. Hiei was now almost eleven, but nothing around him ever seemed to change as the years went by. The only good thing about being injured was that the infirmary was a better living situation than the filthy room he shared with four other boys, none of whom he was on good terms with.

Someday he would get out of this shithole. As soon as he was old enough for high school, he would emancipate himself and start a new life somewhere, anywhere else. Someday, this whole nightmare would be behind him. And someday, maybe, just maybe, he could be reunited with his sister, and show her adoptive mom just how right she was about all boys growing into abusive, violent men…

"Look, he's waking up."

Hiei knew that voice. Without even thinking about it, he reached out his arms and grabbed Kurama, squeezing him tight—but then he let go, because since when did Kurama smell like sweat and ramen? And the voice that cried out in shock didn't sound like Kurama's. Hiei shook his head, disoriented, but everything was fuzzy.

"Can you hear me, Hiei?" This time it was a soft female voice.

"Yukina?" said Hiei weakly, throwing one of his hands over the side of the bed, and she held it.

"Yes, good!" Yukina replied, sounding relieved. "Everyone's here, and we'll stay as long as you want us to."

As silence fell, Hiei tried his best to concentrate on his surroundings. The hospital smell was still there; it hadn't disappeared with the dream. But as he fully regained consciousness, Hiei realized he had just been reliving a memory. There were a few familiar faces: Yukina, Kuwabara, Kurama, and the ramen guy, whose named escaped Hiei at the moment.

"What happened?" Hiei mumbled.

"You spilled hot chocolate in your lap and on the floor, and then you slipped in it and hit your head quite hard on the table," said Kurama, looking concerned. "You had a concussion and a first-degree burn. Luckily, neither was serious, and you're expected to make a full recovery within a few days."

"I-I know I'm liable for this," said the ramen guy with a nervous laugh.

Hiei gave him a dismissive grumble. What good would it do to sue him, anyway? Money wasn't really the issue here.

"Kurama and Yusuke came along to the hospital to make sure you were all right," Yukina added, "and Kazuma and I came too, as soon as we heard. The doctors treated your burn, and I can help you manage it at home if you need it."

"Thanks." Hiei shifted around in bed. At least the pain had stopped, although he had always hated those hospital gowns. "Did I do anything strange while I wasn't fully conscious?"

"Well, when Kurama told us you were waking up, you reached out and grabbed me pretty hard," Yusuke said. "I'd call that strange."

So I grabbed the wrong person, Hiei thought. That's probably a good thing.

…

It was almost time for bed by the time Hiei was discharged from the hospital, and he spent most of the next day recovering, with Yukina making sure his burn was treated correctly. Although it was sort of in an embarrassing location, he was still glad his sister was a medical professional. He kept telling her not to overexert herself in her condition, but she was more determined than ever for him to heal.

Physically, Hiei felt much better after he'd rested some, but what didn't go away so easily was the memory of what had happened before. Nobody had thought to ask how the business lunch went before the accident. Hiei was lying on his back in the guest bed that evening, thinking about this, when there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Hiei called.

"Kurama. May I come in?"

About a million thoughts were racing through Hiei's head all of a sudden. Who allowed Kurama up here?! Hiei did not want him to come in, especially because he happened to be wearing those embarrassing red Christmas pajamas Yukina bought for him. But still, he couldn't really turn Kurama away, not if he was already standing there.

"Fine," said Hiei, drawing the covers up to his neck so Kurama couldn't see what he was wearing.

"Good evening, Hiei." Kurama stepped into the room, holding a beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas and daisies. "Are you feeling any better?"

"You all are acting like I was in some horrible accident," Hiei said in reply, gesturing for Kurama to set the vase on his nightstand. "I'm mostly recovered already."

"I'm glad to hear it." Kurama sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure not to sit on Hiei's legs. "Listen, I want to talk about what happened at the restaurant yesterday—before you fell and hit your head."

"What about it?" Hiei asked nervously.

"Well, I don't think it went the way either of us wanted it to," Kurama said gently. "I didn't mean to get so offended by your offer. Like I said, I've turned down investors in the past. As for what you said about my ex-fiancé—"

"I'm really, really sorry about that," Hiei said earnestly. "I had no idea he died. I'm sure he was a great guy."

"Indeed." Kurama still looked a little sad. "In fact, he was one of the business partners."

"Really?" said Hiei in surprise.

"Yes," Kurama replied, nodding slightly. "His name was Kuronue. The whole thing happened a few years ago, some time after the other partner, Yomi, left the business."

"And where did you say Yomi was now?"

"He's the bank manager now." Kurama sighed. "If I thought you were taking advantage of my financial situation…well, I think Yomi just sees it as revenge."

"Revenge?" Hiei asked. "Did you two have some kind of falling-out?"

"Well, you may not believe this, but he wanted to be romantically involved with me, too," Kurama answered dryly. "When I told him I wasn't interested, he was so angry that he resigned that very day. I suppose it only added insult to injury that Kuronue and I became a pair around the same time."

"So let me get this straight," said Hiei with an incredulous laugh. "He left the business because you rejected him, and now he's working at the bank, harassing you about the debt, all because he's still bitter? Don't you realize how pathetic that is?"

"Pathetic it may be, but he's still in a position to ruin me," Kurama said heavily.

Hiei was curious about how Kuronue had died, exactly, but he knew better than to ask. This was already more information than he ever should have been privy to, and asking for more would just cause trouble. So he decided to steer the conversation into less dangerous waters.

"I've made up my mind about the Christmas Festival," he said.

"Oh?" Kurama lit up like a candle, and Hiei knew he had made a good choice.

"Yes." Hiei nodded. "I-I guess I want to make it up to you, and like I said, it would really mean a lot to Yukina. So I'll join the committee, if you still want me there."

"Of course I do, Hiei," said Kurama happily. "You'll love it. Nobody does Christmas like Kosetsu."

"I don't doubt that," Hiei replied, but that was when Kurama's watch beeped.

"Where does the time go?" Kurama wondered aloud, glancing down at it. "I've got to get back to the store. I'll see you around, Hiei."

"Bye," said Hiei, waving, as Kurama saw himself out.

Hiei had a hard time getting to sleep that night. Kurama didn't hide the fact that he was bisexual from anyone. But then, why should he? The only thing that changed, probably, when he came out, was that guys started asking him out in addition to the girls. Kurama radiated a level of confidence and self-assuredness that made him seem indestructible—something Hiei could only dream about.

But Kurama didn't know what Hiei knew, and he hadn't seen what Hiei saw. And that was why Hiei could never have him.

…

Hiei was fully recovered by the next day, but he realized he was almost out of cash, having spent most of it on snacks at the airport and paying the cab fare. His plan was to use the ATM, but he found, to his chagrin, that the bank in Kosetsu didn't even have an ATM. So he had to go inside, just to withdraw some cash.

Unfortunately, he was caught in line behind a woman who was making a very big stink about something minor.

"I want to speak to the manager!" she shrieked.

"Yes, hold on a minute, please, ma'am," said the frightened-looking teller.

But then Hiei was interested, realizing that he was going to get to see the man Kurama had turned down—the man who was trying to put Kurama out of business, too, he remembered, wondering why that angered him so much.

Yomi was tall, even taller than Kurama, essentially dwarfing Hiei. His hair was straight, thick, long, and a shiny black. Hiei's eyes followed him as he strolled over to the angry customer and began to try and calm her down. Truth be told, he didn't look like a bitter ex-business partner who had been rejected, but people put on charades like that all the time. His voice was surprising too; it was deep and even, his tone very take-charge. It reminded Hiei of a radio announcer's voice.

"Can I help the next person in line, please?" said Yomi, moving to an open window next to the teller who was helping the now-calm customer. Hiei was next in line, so even though he didn't really want to interact with Yomi, he did want to get this transaction done.

"I'd like to make a withdrawal, please," he said coldly.

"And will that be checking or savings, sir?"

"Checking," said Hiei, still suspicious of Yomi. He made sure not to touch his hands as his cash was handed over. Before he left, he decided to test him. "Say, I'm new in town, and I'm looking for a Christmas tree. Is that Minamino's place any good?"

The rest of the world seemed to go silent as Hiei and Yomi stared into each other's eyes.

"No, his trees are never any good," Yomi finally said. "You'd have better luck getting one from a bigger company. Minamino's is on its way out."

Hiei didn't say another word, just turned around and left. He did not like Yomi.