The Sea Prince
Chapter 18

CW: *peaks from the corner* PLEASE HALT UR SHOES!

NT: Shoes, be worried about boulders at this point. Not to mention beds blankets and the whole room.

CW: Alright sorry sorry, I've no excuse.

NT: Stop ur apologies and get on with it.

CW: Right TT_TT

"Talking"

'Thinking'

'Telepathic'

"Sign Language"

Note

Sunlight broke threw the slightly parted curtains, making a sleeping redhead roll over, face down in the mattress. It was just a little over six in the morning, and the young redhead, also known as Kurama, just wanted a few more minutes of sleep. Even if sleep involved lying horizontally across the edge of the bed with an arm and a leg dangling off the side.

This morning however, his friend/ caretaker would not allow it. Perched on top of the dresser was a very ticked off white crab, clicking his claws angrily. Yes, Youko Kurama was indeed pissed off that morning.

'Not only did he arouse suspicion with that stunt he pulled on the princess, but he also revealed his ability last night.' The fox turned crab thought angrily. 'If Mukuro becomes suspicious of Shuichi's intentions, then she might banish us away from the kingdom. If this happens then he'll lose the deal for sure.'

Youko glared at the sleeping redhead as he shifted again, causing another arm to fall off the bed. 'Looks like he's starting to wake up; I better rouse the kit before he falls asleep again.' Youko thought before scuttling closer to the bed. "Hey Shuichi; It's breakfast time." He called from the edge of the dresser.

There was a brief moment where none of the occupants in the room moved. Then, Kurama slowly rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed, facing Youko. 'Breakfast?' Youko shook his head at the boy's simplicity.

"What the hell were you thinking last night?" Youko asked, his stern tone waking the boy even more.

'Last night?' Kurama tried to think back to the previous night's events, only receiving a headache for his efforts.

"Let me remind you then; you got drunk and decided to join the party. So you came back up here and tried on that lovely costume the clown got you, the one that looks exactly like me…well, the me before I was cursed by your sorry people!" Youko explained.

As if on cue, images suddenly started flashing through the prince's mind, and he covered his face in embarrassment.

"Oh there's a lot more Shu-chan. After slipping in with the clown (Suzuki), you went straight up to princess Yuri and prince Hiei, and guess which one you flirted with?" Youko asked with a cheerful voice. "That's right, you chose the princess."

By now, Kurama's face was doing a fine impression of a tomato, and was trying to cover it up with his hair and hands.

"Come now Shu-chan; don't try to hide when the best is yet to come." Kurama peeked through his fingers to see Youko's infamous evil smirk. "After sweeping her off her feet, and quite literally might I add, you were able to convince her to have a chat with her on the balcony."

Youko laughed at the mortified expression on the boy's face before continuing. "Oh don't worry kit; you didn't do anything that inappropriate. You just lured her away so you could reveal her evil plot; after which she tried to kill you."

By now Kurama had turned crimson from the thought of his previous behavior. The thought of disappearing became euphoric.

"So then a fight broke out, and for some unknown reason you decided to challenge her. So now your abilities with water are revealed. People are aware of your intellect and Mukuro along with half a dozen other people, have grown suspicious of you." Youko finished, his fake grin finally melted away to reveal his glare.

Kurama had become beat red by now as he remembered last nights past events. He was so mortified that he refused to move his hair or hands from his face. 'Why does it feel like I forgot something important?' As if answering the boy's question, an image of him kissing Hiei flashed through the young prince's mind. Kurama felt his face (if possible) grow redder at the thought. 'No! There's absolutely no way I would be so forward and k-kiss Hiei!'

Youko watched the mortified child with an amused, yet stern expression.

"So, if there is anything good or productive that will come from this, please inform me now."

Kurama stayed silent not being able to think of anything. Then, a thought occurred to him, and he raised his head weakly. 'I changed the name of the shard whip…it's now… the aqua whip.' He replied, telepathically, looking into the crab's eyes.

The crab was silent for a moment, before he started trembling in frustration. "I see, so that's what we get out of this mess… a new name for an old attack." There was a tense silence before Youko continued. "Shuichi… we're about to be kicked out if we don't do something soon. So either you get in Hiei's good book today, or we're history."

Shuichi willed himself to calm down, once that was accomplished, he tried to think of ways to become less suspicious, so Hiei wouldn't be so tense around him (He forced himself to believe that the kiss was just a dream.). Suddenly he had an idea, and he quickly ran to the desk, opening all the drawers until he found what he needed.

Youko, who was refusing to look at him, finally got curious and turned around to see what the redhead was doing. "May I inquire why you are producing such noise, little kit?"

Kurama just smirked as he twirled a pen in his fingers, the parchment waiting patiently on the desk. 'I think its time to write Hiei a letter.'

"A letter," Youko asked raising a questioning brow.

It was mid afternoon as Yusuke walked slowly behind Hiei. Very slowly as he was sore from all the punishment he had endured.

After the incident at the ball, Hiei had forced the other prince to confess his shenanigans concerning his part in getting the redhead intoxicated. After which, Yusuke agreed to take any punishment that Mukuro ordered. The queen only smiled at the honesty, and left all punishments to Genkai.

Yusuke never knew before that day, that such evil existed.

First came repairing the whole ball room, including the walls, floor and ceiling, while wearing seventy pound weights on each arm, and double the amount on his legs. After which, he had to become the artists 'assistant' (slave), who were in charge of repairing the portrait on the ceiling. He had to retrieve their brushes and mix the paints, while spirit cuffs were added to his weights.

As a final punishment, all the repair bills came from his pocket money.

"I swear man; one of the bastards had me mix the paint eight times, just so he could get the perfect shade of rose pink! If I ever see those damned artists again, I'm gonna"-

"Remember to tip them extra!" Hiei said without looking.

"DAMN YOU HIEI!" Yusuke shouted at the shorter prince. It was then that Pu landed on his head, cooing as he did so. "Not now Pu…" He said tensely, not in the mood for his cuter self. The spirit beast only cued affectionately again before looking up. Suddenly its mood did a complete 180 as it freaked out, tugged Yusuke's gelled hair and flew off. "OW! What the"- it was then that Hiei looked just in time to see a load of sheets covered their world.

Kurama inwardly groaned as he slowly made his way down the stairs, a load of laundry in his arms. He didn't understand why he was being punished for his acts last night as it wasn't his fault; his boss disagreed. Not only was he to do his normal chores, but he had to help the maids with the laundry. Afterwords he'd wash the halls, while somehow keeping up his expectations in the kitchen with his dishes. 'I swear, I have the worst boss in history! Though this has to be partially Yusuke's fault since he forgot to fess up.' Kurama glared at the thought of Yusuke chickening out, he thought the prince was better then that. Apparently he was wrong.

Suddenly, the boy's stomached growled loudly, reminding him of his meal he was forced to skip. Never in his life, had he missed breakfast and he was suffering because of it. He swayed in a moment of weakness and bumped into the side of the railings. In that frantic movement he dropped the load over the edge, sending it spiraling on unsuspecting victims. Kurama panicked and looked over the edge, seeing to figures trying to escape the confines of the fabric while Pu cried out, flying around them.

Kurama ran down stairs, jumping over the last 5 flights as he head towards the struggling bundle. He could guess by the constant swearing and the presence of Pu that one of the victims was Yusuke, than the other had to be-

'Hiei!' Kurama thought as he reached for one of the sheets. He tore them off, just in time for his neck to meet Hiei's Katana. There was a tense moment as no one moved; Yusuke had stopped cursing, Pu stopped shrieking, and Hiei had stopped the lung before he skewered the redhead. Green eyes were wide as a bead of sweat made its way past his temple.

Hiei's eyes widened when a drop of blood slid down the pale throat. Vaguely he wondered how he and the redhead kept bumping into each other, despite the difference in their social classes.

After a few more minutes, Kurama slowly lowered his arm, letting the sheets rest on top of the two again before he backed away from his near death experience. Blindly he stumbled as his legs gave out. He rested his back on one of the many pillars before a familiar sound snapped him from his trance.

"Pu~" Kurama stayed still as the bird landed on his head, before he allowed himself a small smile. Gently he took the bird and placed it on his lap, while waiting for the two princes to untangle themselves once again… without his assistance.

"Minamino, what's taking you so long? Get over here?" Kurama's eyes widened before he glared at the end of the hallway. With one last apologetic glance at the two forms under the sheets, he turned off and ran down the hallway, Pu trailing behind.

Yusuke grumbled again after they got untangled from the blankets. "God damn it Hiei, you didn't have to scare the kid off; I mean he was just trying to help." Yusuke complained as they walked through the halls.

"Shut up detective!" Hiei retorted.

"Grr… I wonder what he was even doing with that laundry. Last time I checked dish washers only had to use the towels to dry, cleaning them was the maid's duty." Yusuke thought out loud.

"Shut up Detective!"

"… He also wasn't looking the best. Not that any one is suppose to look good when they're that close to death but" –

"Shut up Detective!" Hiei hissed again before walking faster. Yusuke glared at the others back before trying to catch up to the smaller one. Upon doing so, he grabbed the fire demon's shoulders and forcefully turned him around. "Okay what's your deal Hiei? I know you're always a cold and heartless bastard, but when I merely mention Shuichi you freak out and want to go on a murder spree."

"I don't 'freak out' detective," Hiei said with an icy glare before swatting away the boy's hands. "And while we're on it; I'm always ready for murder! Do you want to next?"

"What the hell Hiei! What's up with Shuichi that's making you react weirdly?" Hiei's glare suddenly intensified before he disappeared, only to reappear with his katana aiming to cut the other in half. Yusuke gasped as he dodged the well aimed hit, along with all the other strokes that came afterwords. To a normal human the sword was invisible, but to Yusuke it was as clear as his impending doom. Finally, on one of Hiei's down strokes he was able to grab the blade, stopping Hiei's movements for a second. "Damn it Hiei…what the hell did he do?" Yusuke asked concerned.

"…He violated my personal space, and then had the gull to say I owed him one!" Hiei seethed before withdrawing his sword from the boy's hands, and slamming it in his sheath. "I can't stand cocky idiots like him."

Yusuke looked confused before thinking it over… the wheels hadn't been used in a while so it took some time. "But Hiei…I'm a cocky idiot!" He responded, getting a raised eyebrow. "So, why can't you handle Kurama when he's drunk? I mean how much personal space could he have 'intruded' upon?"

Hiei shifted in embarrassment making Yusuke's eyes widened; Hiei only did that when he got seriously embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"Come on, it's not like he kissed ya or anything." Yusuke said with a laugh. He stopped when he saw Hiei growl and look away. "No way; how wasted was he!"

"Enough so apparently that he can't remember," Hiei spat. "Lucky for me."

"Yeah, lucky for him too, I wouldn't want to remember kissing you either." Yusuke said with a laugh but stopped when he felt cold steel against his neck. "It was a joke, I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Yusuke said his voice a bit higher then usual as Hiei let the tip touched his sensitive skin.

"Hn!" Hiei said, not moving the blade away. "Yes, kidding. Especially since it never happened, right detective?" Hiei asked with a murderous smirk.

"Happened? Something happened, what could it be?" Yusuke said fearfully catching on.

"Good idiot…" Hiei cooed as he sheathed his sword again. Once removed, the other sighed and massaged his neck.

'Maybe he likes me because he likes to control these situations (editor's line XD)…' Yusuke thought. "Still, I wonder why he was doing the laundry." He thought out loud. Hiei gave him an exasperated look before sighing.

"Who knows, maybe the news that it was you who unleashed the party crasher hasn't made its way around." He said tiredly. 'Hanging out with this fool can't be good for me; I'm already starting to speak his language after only a dozen years of knowing him. Any longer and my hair might start abiding gravity.'

"Hey, you might be right! We gotta help him!" Yusuke said dramatically.

"We," Hiei asked. "Why should I help? It has nothing to do with me." Hiei stated. Yusuke just pulled off his famous rat face, and laughed behind his hands.

"Oh I don't know; it's just that idiots have a hard time keeping their lips sealed at times. Things have been known to pop out." With that, Yusuke was once again thankful that looks couldn't kill.

Kurama glared at his boss as he just droned on about discipline. Pu however, appeared to be confused, as if not able to understand the words coming out of the nerd's mouth (Which was a good possibility actually).

"Discipline separates the level of hierarchy. The serfs, peasants and aristocrats each has a level of discipline, but you out stepped your role yesterday. As the weakest link, the dishwasher, you should have just been proud to stand in the aura of excellence. However blah blee blow yadda yadda crown blob blip bloop- ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?" Kurama nodded his head; facial expression stern, making it look like he cared about his boss's rant. Truthfully however, he wondered what the man's expression would be if he knew that not only was he a prince, but his kingdom was more superior then all the continents combined.

Besides he already got this lecture a long time ago when he was a child. He never liked nor listened to the lecture, but he understood.

"Listen Minamino; the only reason I've kept you employed is because you're good at washing dishes, that's all. However if Queen Mukuro even considered firing you, I'd kick you out faster then you could utter a syllable." Kurama raised an eyebrow at that threat.

'Not too hard considering I'm a mute.' He thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Also, now that you've revealed your ability, it's obvious how you could get your chores done so quickly and efficiently. Though I've never seen anyone manipulate water like you, it's clear that you've been using this ability to cleanse the grime from the dishes. However this ability can't help you with other tasks, such as folding and washing the laundry. Therefore I'm going to punish you for a month with these extra chores. With all the time you spend on work, it'll be amazing if you have time for anything else. No lunch today as well. For those who spit in the face of royalty don't deserve the food that they provide." Kaito finished at last.

Although Kurama's face was void of all emotion, inside he was silently raging. Not only was Kaito so high and mighty that he couldn't see that he protected Hiei from a horrible suitor, but he also made the princess confess her crimes of attempted murder and assassination. Sure there were damages, and the party did have to be canceled but Queen Mukuro didn't seem to mind that much. If she had cared, she probably would have had him executed.

Still… the work he might have been able to handle, however the lack of nutrition was getting to him. Without sustenance how could he possibly find the energy to manipulate water, let alone continue his chores for a day? Besides that he gained a nasty temper when he got hungry; the same with any type of man really. If his employer truly meant to make him starve, then he would get a 'say' in this.

"Pardon my rudeness, but how will starving me solve this predicament. By stopping me from having breakfast, my body is already not at its full capacity. Take away another meal and you might as well let a rag doll do my job." Kurama explained.

"Well that's just too bad. Maybe you should have considered your stomach before you acted with disobedience." Kaito said with a smirk.

"Or maybe you should get your story straight four eyes!" Kaito's eyes widened and Kurama dropped his hands, unable to respond as Yusuke walked up the halls. "Got it creep; just leave Shuichi alone. It's basically my fault anyway that he smashed the party." He stopped in mid step when he saw a green eyed glare directed at him. "Okay completely my fault. But that doesn't matter right now."

"Lord Yusuke, as touching as it is watching you stand up for this lowly servant; I must protest. If it wasn't for him, lord Hiei-"

"Leave me out of this fool!" Kaito and Kurama whipped their heads around, revealing a black figure leaning casually against the wall. Kaito merely glared at the smaller figure before raising his glasses.

"Lord Hiei if he didn't act upon reckless impulse, then your ball wouldn't have been interrupted. Therefore could have spent more time entertaining your guests and increased your reputation throughout human and demon world." Kaito explained.

"Get real for eyes, Hiei was getting ready to murder the guests if Shuichi hadn't interrupted the party. He probably saved them all just by giving Hiei and Mukuro a show. Now since you were so focused on hierarchy or whatever, I might as well use some of that influence you were blabbering on about earlier." Yusuke said with a smirk. "Now, Minamino won't get punished for anything, and I want to hear you apologize to him, and Pu, for boring them with your crap ass lecture." He said with as much authority he could muster.

"For you to order me around, you'd have to be a ruler of this country. However you're just a guest." Kaito said with a smirk. "In conclusion to this, it means that you have absolutely no power over me."

"You bas-"

"Listen to the Detective," Hiei interrupted, regaining everyone's attention (besides Kurama who never looked away). "Stop hiding behind technicalities and out of date mannerisms. For the record I couldn't have cared less if all those guests burned in a freak fire. The only thing that matters to me is being the strongest and becoming lord of the three worlds."

Kaito gave the lord a calculating look before looking back to Shuichi. "Then shouldn't this boy worry you? He did keep his abilities a secret, and he refuses to reveal the location of his origins. Isn't that suspicious?"

He finally gave Shuichi a glare before turning away. "It's none of my concern. Whatever he is, it isn't an assassin. He doesn't have enough blood on him for that." Hiei said before walking away, leaving Yusuke in charge.

"Yeah four eyes, stop this stupid act. Shuichi you're coming with me; we're getting lunch!" Yusuke exclaimed before dragging the red head off. Kaito had no choice but to hold his tongue and glare at the retreating princes and his employee.

Hiei glared at the mountain of paperwork that found itself on his desk. He looked at the three stocks of paper he had to sign, before glancing back at his six inch tax report, which still needed to be completed. He had the urge to massage his temples but refused himself the moment of weakness.

'This day has been one annoyance after another.' Hiei found himself thinking. 'First with Yusuke, then I get a bundle of laundry thrown over my head, quickly followed by the biggest loudmouth in the country gaining some blackmail on me, who forced me to save the damned dish washer who put me through hell and back since he got here. If he's not copying my eating style then he's steeling a kiss. Then, I had to share a lunch with him AND Yusuke. This Minamino had better not be the death of me.' Hiei found himself thinking before he grabbed another piece of plain paper. 'Now I'm stuck on this tax report. I'll just finish it before moving onto the signature work.'

As Hiei started working, he let his guard down. It wasn't until a cup of tea was placed on his desk did he snap out of his stupor and reacted to the potential threat. With a glance up, he went for his sword, but stopped when he saw who it was.

"What are you doing in here?" He said, his hand staying on his partly unsheathed sword. Green eyes looked down at him and back to the tea. "Speak up Minamino!"

Shuichi smiled nervously, resisting the temptation to scratch his left arm as he got out a pen and paper. After finishing a small message, he placed the note in front of the prince, knowing that the man was ready to decapitate him.

Hiei glanced down at the note, raising a brow.

After I had enough time to regain my strength and rest in my room, I decided to go exploring. On the way, I ran into Keiko, and noticed that she seemed a bit over worked. After chatting with her, I agreed to help her by bringing your afternoon tea.

Hiei raised a brow at the explanation but accepted it none the less until finally he let go of his sword. "Well, now that you're finished with your business you can leave." He said, taking a sip of his tea. He raised an eyebrow when the boy offered him a note, rather then picking up the hint in his voice that said 'beat it.'

Who said anything about being finished? The real reason I took this job is because I wanted to say thank you.

"Couldn't you have said that at lunch?" Hiei asked.

"You disappeared before I had the chance." Hiei grunted in annoyance with the sudden change to sign language. "I was also getting over my near death experience from earlier, so thank you Hiei for getting me out of that situation."

Hiei observed the redhead, watching the twitching right hand and slight apprehension in his seaweed green eyes. Finally the young prince relaxed and nodded at the redhead, accepting the courtesy. Shuichi smiled in return. After a brief but comfortable silence, Kurama finally noticed the six inch stack of paper, and reached to pick up a sheet. He stopped and looked at Hiei, as if asking permission. Hiei just went back to work on his report. Shuichi took that as a 'whatever' and picked up the finely organized sheets, before reading them.

'It's not like he'll understand it anyways. These tax forms are difficult to interpret; he'll probably get bored and leave it after the first paragraph.' Hiei thought, noticing the furrowing eyebrows.

What Hiei didn't take notice of, was the rapid movement of Shuichi's eyes, scrutinizing each clause and taking in every punctuation as if he was the editor of a famous writer. He also would have never guessed that the red eyebrows were furrowing with irritation, not confusion. Shuichi quickly picked up the pace, reading through the pages at rapid speed.

Hiei got bemused at the flipping of the pages, but didn't lift his head from his work. He was jolted awake when Shuichi suddenly slammed the document onto his desk with a stern expression aimed towards him.

"What on earth is this crap?" Shuichi suddenly asked. Hiei went back to glaring at the redhead. "What kind of report is this? It's completely unbalanced, with huge holes and writing errors! Haven't you ever done something like this before?"

Hiei put his hand on his sword before responding. "What would you know about this kind of work anyway? I refuse to be spoken to like that by someone who's under me. Just because Yusuke's an idiot who mingles in with common folk, doesn't mean I am as well. Besides, its better then anything you could ever complete."

Shuichi resisted rolling his eyes, and actually had the guts returned Hiei's glare. "Is that a challenge, my lord?"

"Depends on how badly you want to humiliate yourself, dish washer." After a brief moment Shuichi pulled up a chair on the other side of the desk and sat down. He gently reached for a piece of paper, and took out his pen from his pocket. Hiei's eyes widened a fraction before taking his own quill, getting it prepared for the challenge ahead.

'This is the boldest he's ever been around Hiei, and there's a huge chance that it will end up back firing and send us back to square one. However…' Youko took a glimpse at the princes from his hiding place (gotta love Shuichi's pockets). 'This is a good opportunity for them to grow more comfortable around each other, and the competition might be a good thing. Hiei doesn't look the type to enjoy the company of imbeciles, so Shuichi's intelligence might make him more interested in my little red head; if he doesn't get turned off by his brash behavior.'

"At 5:00pm the competition ends. You have until then to try and beat me. Go!" With that, Hiei and Shuichi started writing. Although Shuichi's printing was still a bit scratchy, but he was still a fast writer and used the first page as notes to organize his thoughts. Even though Hiei's report was mixed up, it did give the prince a feel on what the country was really like, and allowed him to consider a plan for the island based country. Meanwhile, Hiei just started working on his ending for his report.

When ever Hiei looked up,Shuichi always seemed to have finished a page. Although the speed was unexpected, he was more worried about the quality of the work. Because of this, he often took small glances at the red head's work, and each time, he was both surprised and impressed with the red head's thoughts. It also fueled his competitive spirit, and made him strive to defeat his new rival. If there was one thing Hiei didn't know, it was defeat.

Shuichi was also working hard on his report, never once looking up at Hiei. Still, he once in a while felt eyes on him, but tried not to match them. This was a test of wills and knowledge, and he would be damned if he lost to Hiei. Love or no love, Shuichi had pride in his tax abilities, and he wouldn't lose to the likes of some beginner.

They continued on like that for a while, both forgetting the timer and drowning in the challenge. It wasn't till Shuichi noticed that Hiei's quill stopped moving that he dared to take a peak at his smaller love. He almost laughed when he saw Hiei, and realized the problem. 'He's stumped.'

It was true; Hiei was still new to this sort of formal write out, and found that the more he tried to concentrate, the less he could think of any solutions for any of his problems. After a while, he tried to stop and reread what he wrote, only to find that he couldn't think of anything else to write.

"I can't really be done this, can I?' Hiei asked himself before glancing at the ten pages he had just completed. 'No, there has to be more, I just can't stop now when I'm so close' He thought with gritted teeth. When he glanced up again he saw the seaweed green eyes looking back at him, far too smug for Hiei's liking. "What," he asked impatiently.

Shuichi just smiled back, before shrugging. He finished another page before writing a quick note before going back to his work. Hiei gave another glare at the redhead before moving his gaze to the note. He picked it up before reading it, and then looked cynically at it before returning his eyes to the redhead.

"What do you mean add up the pricing on housing mortgage or rent?" Hiei demanded. Shuichi looked up and slowly stretched his arms before answering in sign language.

"I mean it's hard to pay hydro, electric and the HST if you can't afford your mortgage." Shuichi explained. He noticed Hiei's blank stare before he wrote the whole message down for him. He had to remember that Hiei's comprehension of sign language was at a completely different level then his. Hiei's eyes actually widened a bit as he checked over his report. "You mean you didn't think about that earlier?"

"Shut up Minamino!" Hiei said as he started scratching some of his report out and writing over it. 'I'm just glad this is a rough copyl.' Hiei thought to himself. He looked back up at Shuichi who was simply smiling at him. "What is it now?

Shuichi just shook his head and started writing some more of his own report. Hiei watched him for a while before returning to his own work.

From there on, the competitive aura that surrounded them thinned, into a more relaxed and compatible silence. From time to time, Hiei would get stuck on another topic, and Shuichi would just leave him some hints for Hiei to figure out and get back to his report. Both of them just relaxed into this pattern for a while and for the first time while working on this report, Hiei actually felt calm.

It wasn't until the buzzer rang while Shuichi was mentioning something to Hiei that they realized how much time had passed. Hiei almost fell like sighing in annoyance as his work was interrupted. "Just ignore it, we're almost done anyways." Hiei said as he turned off the clock and returned his gaze downwards. Shuichi at first was shocked by the suggestion, but went along with it immediately with a secret smile on his face. He'd be damned before he left Hiei's side when the stubborn prince actually desired his company.

Inside the castle was a room hardly anyone knew about, and fewer who had the jurisdiction to enter legally. That room was Suzuki's main laboratory, full of heinous but powerful inventions, most made to enhance Mukuro's army. As it was very unusual for him to have any visitors, Suzuki was mildly amused when he heard a knock on the door.

"Who dares to interrupt my genius?" He yelled as the door slowly opened. He raised his eye brow and chuckled when her majesties adviser appeared. "Ah, Urashima-chan; what brings you to my halls of wonder?"

'Halls of wasted money in my opinion.' Was what the smaller man thought. "Just coming to check on some of your more recent inventions; Mukuro gets tired of waiting after all. She also wishes to know the progress on those dumplings you've reacquired."

"Oh, those things." Suzuki said, seemingly bored. "I've got the materials compiled, but have all but scrapped the project."

"WHAT!" Urashime yelled, outraged. "That device was outstanding! It gave unspeakable power to the user, and made him or her resistant to the opponent's attacks. Why on earth would you scrap it?"

"It's useless to the army. Each dumpling must be specifically adjusted for each body type, attribute, and make up for it to be absorbed and digested properly. There also has to be a proper chemical reaction within the body, or the effects become deadly. From the test subjects I acquired, it appears that most symptoms if applied incorrectly include shredded organs, clogged liver, exploding and/or imploding bodies." Suzuki explained. "Trust me; scrapping it and using the funds towards my new project will be much more enjoyable, and realistic."

"Okay, and what would this 'new project be -'"

"Let me just ask you a question first; have you ever heard of 'the time ebb flower."

Hiei finally put down. There was a big sigh heard as Shuichi stretched the kinks out of his back. It was the first time that he had sat in place for so long.

'It's finally over.' Hiei thought, straightening the documents and using a special wipe to wash the ink off his hands (made by Suzuki of course). 'Its taken me forever, but I can finally say that this stupid tax report is finally finished!' Hiei opened his eyes, to reveal a smiling red head, resting his head on his own document. After a second, the charming smile filled with mirth, as he tilted his head slightly on his work.

"You do realize I won right Minamino." Hiei stated, making the redhead glare at him.

"What, you're so cocky my lord that you don't even think you need to read it." Shuichi challenged, making the fire demon smirk.

"No, I just know that its incomplete. Even a beginner knows that it takes at least a month to complete a final report." Hiei stated, enjoying the sulking redhead.

'Two months in my country.' Shuichi thought darkly, forgetting the small detail. He knew his own report wasn't finished, but at the same time, he had completed a lot of work in his short time. 'Though to be fair he never said I had to finish.' Instead of informing the prince though, he simply held up his hands in surrender and smiled. "Fine, you win this round lord Hiei."

Hiei just grunted and looked away. Glancing at the clock in the process.

"Aren't you late for work?"

The reaction was instant; two fists landing on the table trying to see the clock better before panicked eyes froze and turned around, heading towards the exit in a hurry. He would have slammed the doors open, but at the last moment he felt something coming at him and his hand went to the back of his head to grasp the small missile. A brief flash of confusion ran over his face as he stared at the small lump of paper in front of him. He looked over to Hiei to ask what it was about, but only received silence. Sighing, the redhead turned to leave.

"Give that to Kaito if you want him to shut up."

Shuichi paused briefly, his hand on the door handle and his back to the demon lord. Quickly, a small smile made its way to his his facial features before he left. He did not thank the young lord as he probably had enough of Shuichi's gratitude for one day.

Hiei watched from the corner of his eye as the red head left. it was only when the the boy left his view did the intruding voice return.

'Well, that seemed like fun.' it said, not surprising Hiei in the slightest.

'What do you want you coward.' Hiei snapped, having enough of the intrudion.

'Coward? It seems you misunderstand my intent. It's not my fault that you can't see what's right in front of you. Besides, if I could have,I would have met with you by now; Hiei-chan.'

Hiei saw red at the statement, but kept his anger in check. 'Just leave me alone already; unless you prefer being skinned alive.'

A laugh interrupted his thoughts. 'Trust me little one, there's not enough of me left to skin." Hiei's eyes rose at this comment, but he didn't question. "Still it was an interesting battle of wits. Hopefully you reward little red properly for the help you received."

With that last note, Hiei felt the connection break. He gritted his teeth in anger, and brought his hand to his head, gripping the ward in a vice grip before stopping himself. Releasing the Jagan would be both reckless and dangerous. Besides with the connection broken, it would be unlikely he would find the perpetrator who continually sought him anyways. Taking a break, he attempted to cool down, only to hear an annoying tapping noise. Feeling his final nerve snap, he slammed open the window and was about to go for his katana, when a familiar screech stopped him. Looking straight at his prey, he felt his rage disappear at the terrified face in front of him.

"P-p-p-...Pu~" The poor beast said as it fainted in mid air.

Hiei quickly reached out and caught the bird by its ears. "What the hell are you doing here."

The bird said nothing and Hiei sighed before dropping it on his desk, making sure it didn't hurt itself further. He was about to sit down when his eyes widened in shock as he saw something attached to Pu's feet. It was a letter, with the same neat hand writing he had grown accustomed to.

"Kurama," He whispered before untying the letter from the bird's leg. He was about to read it when he realized the parchment was different then usual. Before, the paper had an almost rubbery texture that made it appear water proof, while now it was just plain paper and pen. Moving on from the unusual materials (from Kurama that is), Hiei gently unraveled the paper and began reading that nicely formed hand writing he had come to get use to.

Hello Hiei-kun

Are you doing well? If not then rejoice for I am. Though recently I've had new... developments that had halted me from writing. However, now that I've finally caught my first taste of fresh air in along time, I can finally start writing again. Now, I know there's usually a clue that forces you to read through the lines and make a guess, but not today. Instead, I'll tell you something far more interesting. I've recently found a place that's closer to you. One might say its just under your chin (or was it tongue? I can never remember all your human sayings). Unfortunately, its only temporary so I'm only staying a week. However, if you can find me, without searching for me, I'll come clean and tell you everything. Either that, or you can guess as usual. You still have three tries, and you'll probably need them considering I'll never openly reveal myself to you. Use your head, and not your eyes (that includes all three you cheater) and come find me. Until then I'll be right in front of you waiting.

Your pen pal,
Kurama