Notes: It's been too long since the first chapter; if you, the reader, should really care, please re-read the first chapter again. Thank you. Oh, I have changed the rating. An M will probably be too much for this.
Summary: The 'Get Together' until Hiei's return ten years later, as told in Kurama's POV.
The Past
It took a few days to placate the shock, to quell the victorious lightheadedness that infected the gang, and to heal the wounds. However, as Yusuke, Kuwabara-kun and I attended to human responsibilities, the human order of things quickly took over, and Hiei absolutely hated it. Even with his staggering contribution in the Dark Tournament, Hiei and I knew that Koenma could not afford to uplift Hiei's sentence in the Ningenkai, for two reasons: the Dark Tournament was part of it, and letting him roam about the city was already better than detaining him in a Reikai jail cell. But Hiei did not fare well whenever inactivity and boredom was concerned. As much as I loved his company (with nothing to do, Hiei often skulked in the school vicinity, walked with me to home, and stayed the night), Hiei complained about his domestic Ningenkai plight bitterly and loudly, like a petulant, snooty child, that even I could not stand it sometimes.
After a week of exhausting the resources in my room to entertain himself (he had rummaged through my things, had a grand time laughing at my books and photos, and almost incinerated a critical report I slaved over for three nights), he sat on the windowsill, brooding against the chilly night air about how boring Ningenkai was. He recited his disapproval in low, smothered grunts that they sounded like a dismembered chant, and amidst a particularly puzzling homework, I found it maddening, despite knowing of his efforts to keep it to himself.
"Ne, Hiei, can you please shut up?"
He looked taken aback for a second. Then his face hardened. "Oh, you heard me?" he asked, sarcastically.
I gave him a look and pointed to my virtual fox ears. Really. Hiei could be such a tempestuous little shit sometimes.
"Homework is what you get for being a human!" Hiei indignantly huffed, jumping off the window and bad-temperedly diving to the bed as if he owned it. "I'm going to bed!"
Hiei pulled the covers over himself, in an 'angry' sweep that the sheets made a crisp 'whish.' He usually didn't, for the cold never fazed him, and I knew he knew that I knew he only did because of his twisted sense of propriety. I smiled, shaking my head at Hiei's cute wildness, and returned to my work, relieved at the quiet that descended in the surroundings. I told him, as I did every night, "Make yourself comfortable. Good night, Hiei."
I finished up at around 2 in the morning, and when I lifted the covers to put myself to bed, I saw Hiei, wide awake, glowering. It would have been a frightful sight - his bright red eyes gleaming thoughtfully in the shadows of the comforter - if he were not dear to me.
He made room and I settled next to him, on my side, pulling the covers over my head as well. I liked humoring Hiei's unusual games; part of the reason was I knew I was the only one who could get away with it - alive, that is. "Why Hiei, I believe that's how the 'monster under the bed' looks like..." I teased, grinning.
He glared at me. "I can't sleep."
I yawned; I would get up in five hours, after all. "Why?"
His eyes dropped their guard. "I don't know..."
Unabashedly, as sleep claimed me, I invested the last traces of my consciousness into pulling him against me. The last things I felt were his nose bumping ungracefully against my throat, my mouth splitting into a sleazy smile. The last thing I did was kiss him lightly - so lightly that it would seem rather duty-bound to Hiei's critical ego - on his forehead. The last thing I told him was another "Good night, Hiei."
The last thing I heard was Hiei whispering to himself, "You are so cold to me, Kurama."
Although I promptly fell asleep after that, my slumber was altogether short-lived, if not turbulent, and I suspected that it was because of what Hiei last said. I hovered between sleep and awareness; it felt like I had been awake the whole time when my 7 o'clock alarm rang.
As usual, Hiei was nowhere to be found (I could only speculate that he's very particular about being caught defenseless), but for the first time, I was glad he was, because I would not know how to approach someone I'd been 'cold' to. I could never be deliberately cold to him; he's very dear to me, that if he asked, I'd say yes, granted that it would not interfere with my obligations to my human family, of course. If Hiei meant my reluctance to start us off, then I really had been 'cold' to him, but that's also because I would never jeopardize my friendship with him in exchange for something I was not entirely sure of. I could not be so clueless as to not feel that it had been a mutual thing for the longest time, but Hiei and I never expressed our sentiments conventionally. We flirted a lot with each other, but I never brought it up, and neither did he.
Then I blurted the most uncharacteristic thing during breakfast with Mother, it seemed, for when I told her "I might bring someone for dinner one of these days," Mother looked at me as how I imagined she would if she found out about Youko Kurama. I was so thankful that my stepfather had to go to work earlier than usual, and that Shuichi-kun was sleeping in for the day. Before I set out for school Mother gave me her approval, a kiss, and her blessing, for 'whoever it is.' I just had the feeling that Hiei would finally ask, one of these days, and maybe I did feel a bit excited to say yes, although the mirror did not betray any of that. It was perfect.
That night, we found ourselves in an arrangement reminiscent of last night's; the only difference was that Hiei sat on the windowsill calmly, and his aura exuded resignation. It was so unsettling that I had to swivel away from my desk, face him and ask, "Is something bothering you, Hiei?"
The fluid way Hiei craned his neck to my direction was haunting. "Was something supposed to bother me?"
Yes! You think I'm being cold to you just because I won't... "I suppose it depends whether you'd actually let yourself be bothered by a something..." I returned. No one played this game better than Hiei and me.
Hiei almost sighed. "I'm just bored. I can't help thinking I'm doomed to this place forever."
I stood and climbed on the bed. I looked up at him. "And I'm just concerned. I'm sorry you're bored, Hiei, and I'm sorry I can't make the Ningenkai more interesting for you. I'm sorry our heist for the three Reikai artifacts ended the way it did."
Hiei looked a bit irritated. "All that's over now, Kurama."
"Yes, so I don't understand why you still keep insisting that you're 'bored.'" I put a hand on his knee to remind him that I did not mean what I said harshly.
Hiei glared at me, accusing. "That's because I am. Why are you turning this conversation against me?"
"Because I feel this is about something else, something that you're not telling me and keeping it inside." Hiei, the least I can do is push you to ask. You can't say I'm still 'cold' to you after this.
"What of it?"
I faltered at that. "I... it's not... healthy?"
Hiei laughed, sardonically and condescendingly. "Kurama, are you hearing yourself speak this nonsense? Do you know what you sound like right now? A preaching hypocrite!"
"And do you know what you sound like night after night since the tournament? You sound like the biggest coward, Hiei, the biggest coward! You can't stop yourself from moaning and complaining about how dull your life is here in Ningenkai, but that's only a cover-up, isn't it? You want to leave so badly because you're avoiding something else! Why are you avoiding me?!"
I felt Hiei's heart stop beating for a moment as I saw his eyes dilate - in sheer horror. I was sorry, but I couldn't help taking it further. There was no turning back. A heavy, nervous silence followed.
"I..." Hiei started, but he couldn't follow anything up, so he prepared to take off. Having anticipated it, I latched my hand onto his, making our fingers lace through each other's. I gave him a rueful smile and a decisive tug. "The room's become quite cramped, ne Hiei? Let's get some fresh air in the garden."
Before he dumbly nodded, Hiei gawked at me for the longest time. We jumped down to Mother's garden, stealthily, and I lead him to the area with the densest foliage - behind the big sakura tree. How romantic, I scoffed to myself, and saw the lights in Mother and Stepfather's room turn off.
I sat on the grass, and pulled him down with me. I stared at him and smiled, in the most assuring way I could manage. While Hiei glared at me with all his might, I could feel him cowering inside.
I let the night air cool his head before I spoke. "Now, there's something you want to tell me, yes?"
Hiei struggled to free his fingers, but I knew it was just for show. Despite his hand being smaller, he was undeniably the stronger of us, and if he really wanted to, he could bolt from sight right then and there. I still held on to him, with all the strength of my left hand, because I knew that he would interpret something less than that as insincerity.
Eventually he realized that resistance was futile, so he resigned. With a deep breath he drawled, almost agonizingly, "I want you, Kurama."
"I think you mean 'love,' Hiei," I told him in jest; he, of all people, should know that it was useless to outfox a fox. I knew he was proud and couldn't bear the word and it just amused me to no ends. Hiei buckled and glared ferociously at me.
"No, I...--!!!"
"I love you too, Hiei."
And to suspend any more needless nonsense from his potty and volatile little mouth, I kissed it. Lightly.
Then I beamed at him.
Still too dumbfounded to do anything on his own, Hiei just sat there motionless like a rock, skittish like a butterfly, and nervous like a first-timer. I was a first-timer too, but unlike Hiei I knew how to assert my rights. I pulled him close and started to undress him. As I was unwinding his scarf I felt his qualms ebb away. It was so ironic.
His scarf, cloak and boots had gone and all, and I had already set aside his katana. When I moved to unbuckle his belts he told me, "You can't do that."
I looked at him, confused. "Huh? Why not?"
"You're a minor." Hiei replied, matter-of-factly, and the next thing I recognized was his hand firmly clamped on my guffawing mouth, and he himself trying to suppress his own chuckles. "I'm serious, Kurama!"
"Then I'll turn into Youko."
"You can't do that too."
"Why not!"
"That's pedophilia. I am half Youko Kurama's age, after all," Hiei smarted off smugly.
My stomach hurt from laughing. "I can't believe you, Hiei!"
"This is what you get for turning the conversation against me earlier."
I pounced on him, closing in on his face - until our noses bumped at each other - and pinning my whole weight on him. "But it did produce some interesting results, ne?"
"Sure, but you still can't do that."
"And why is that this time?"
In a blink of an eye, Hiei had our positions reversed, and he was looking down at me lecherously with a very handsome smirk. He bared his teeth, and their whiteness glinted seductively in the deep night. "You're bottom."
As though to silence the imminent protests, he bent down and kissed me. Long, deeply and confidently. My heart fluttered. Of course, I did not have any 'imminent protests' in the first place, but I had no objections to what he did, either. I smiled against his kiss.
When he pulled back he rested his head under my chin, refusing to meet my eyes. Well, that's all right, I thought, We have time to learn about this. Then I found his spiky hair surprisingly soft.
The wind blew, the sakura petals fell, and I stroked the skin of Hiei's back to warm it. "Isn't this romantic, Hiei?" I whispered.
"Whatever you say."
I couldn't help smile. "Still think you're 'doomed to this place forever'?"
"Perhaps. But at least it won't be that boring anymore."
Then he fell asleep, on top of me, on the grass, and the work I left unfinished mattered little to me as I succumbed to sleep as well and cradled him a bit closer.
The next morning Hiei and I went in through the front door. Mother was thoroughly baffled. "Shuichi! And Hiei-kun?! What... Why, how... Weren't you upstairs...?"
"It's too early for dinner, Okaasan, but... We're home." I smiled, perhaps a tad too big for my face, and Mother understood. Tears welled up in her eyes as she put her arms around my shoulders and drew me in for a motherly hug.
"Oh, Shuichi! I'm so happy for you! I can't imagine anybody more perfect!"
"Arigato, Okaasan."
Mother then shook both of Hiei's hands. "Welcome to the family, Hiei-kun!" She exclaimed, hugging him as well. Hiei went still and taut at the contact and it was funny as much as it was adorable.
"A-arigato... Sh-shiori-s-san," he could only stutter.
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The days quickly passed. An enigmatic character, Sensui, wanted to destroy the world, and we thwarted his demented plans successfully, albeit narrowly. But it was not just that: the more the Ningenkai and the Makai intersected, the more jittery our relationship became - after all, demons and humans could never coexist, and Hiei and I were too aware of that. We knew that our days were numbered when we started being too frequently cross with each other. After Sensui's defeat, Hiei regained consciousness in the Ningenkai. He apparently hated Ningenkai more than he let on.
"Why didn't you just dump me there, Kurama?! I don't need to be trapped in the Ningenkai again!"
"I'm sorry, Hiei, but you had to be taken care of. We couldn't just 'dump' you there; you were unconscious and unfit to fight. What if demons devour you while you were out of it?"
"Didn't it occur to you that I'm standing here in front of you because I've survived far worse than that? To start coddling me now is seriously ridiculous!"
"You're right. It's ridiculous to care for you and I couldn't be more wrong for it. I'm sorry for trying to push what we have beyond the barriers between our worlds. I assure you, I learn well from my mistakes."
With that I turned my back on him, and he fled out the window. I didn't see him for a couple of weeks, until the day he sent me a signal of his whereabouts. I masked my presence and sneaked up on him. He sat under a tree and was leaning on it; he held the video tape of Chapter Black and was looking intently at it. When he spoke to recognize me, I then knew that what we had entirely depended on a precarious ultimatum - which we were likely to fail to meet.
"I've missed you, Hiei."
"Hn."
"If you really want to go back to Makai, why don't you strike a deal with me? I want to return the tape to Reikai. Give it to me and I'll try to bribe Koenma with it."
He replied by slicing the tape in pieces. I didn't know what he meant by doing that, but the ultimatum remained unsatisfied until the Makai Tournament came.
He entrusted Yukina-san to me. I would've done the favor for him, even if he did not ask it of me. There was one thing in his request I refused to see to, however - to lie to Yukina-san about his death. I returned his tear gem to him in resignation, for I didn't dare imagine we would be meeting again. He took it, and, to my surprise, made a very bold promise, which sounded like crap to me at that time.
"If I return to you in the Ningenkai, it will be to share and see through the remaining years of Shuichi's life with you."
I wanted to slap him. How dare he?! Instead I gave him a tight nod and went on my way; I resisted looking back. Of course I didn't count on it - not with everything that was said and done - yet in the abyss of my heart I held him on it. It had been seven years before I took another lover, and ten years before I married.
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Ten years later, on the very day of my marriage to Hibi-san, he did return. I impregnated my wife that night, out of duty, but I slept with Hiei the nights that followed.
Nine months later, Hibi-san gave birth to our daughter, and despite Hiei's insistence, I refused to be present by my wife's side. Hiei punched me in the face, took my keys, locked me up in my apartment and left. Later that day, my mother called to say that she had named the child Makoto.
Makoto. Little faithful. Hiei returned that night, with take-out, and I forced him to make love with me. He did oblige, but at the height of my desire for him he just looked at me with level red eyes, burning with contempt and resentment. I broke down, and if he had not taken me in his arms and comforted me, I didn't know what I could have done to myself.
"I shouldn't have returned."
"Please don't say that, Hiei. I love you."
"Don't you love your wife?"
"No."
"Then why did you marry her?"
"There was nothing to divert my feelings for you after the Makai Tournament! There's nothing more important to me than my family, but there was nothing for the longest time! It made me so lonely, then I met Hibi-san. Hiei, I thought she was you!"
TBC
Yes, Kurama is crazy. And if anyone should notice, yes, I did work my way around the loopholes of YYH episodes. Timelines mentioned are the post-Dark Tournament, post-Sensui, post-Makai Tournament. Particular episodes mentioned are 94 and 112. Lastly, yes, the events that follow the 'get-together' are told merely in passing.