Pacing is a bitch. I can't let the things I'm really excited about happen too soon.

I wrote a good part of this while at school. That was an interesting experience…it's just strange to write fluffy scenes and naughty words on a public computer.

I really like this first scene here.

Complete silence. A silence so deep and so dark, it seemed to breathe, as if somehow it had become a creature of pure darkness – a creature ready to devour them both.

Two figures alone in an inn room. The room itself was in complete disarray, for the moment the taller boy led the smaller into the room, the smaller seemed to have fallen into some mad rage, completely decimating most of the furniture in the room, lashing out blindly through his fury, tears streaming down a pretty, vulnerable face as he shredded the furniture, the flooring, the wallpaper.

The taller boy allowed his companion's rampage, staying in the doorway and out of the path of destruction until he companion at last fell to the floor, shoulders shaking with sobs.

Only then did Yusuke Urameshi move forward, sitting down on the floor beside the small little demon. Hiei threw himself on his neck, a broken man.

They had been like that now for several hours.

Hiei was a fierce warrior, a merciless killer, a ruthless opponent. But now he sat held tightly in the arms of his lover's other lover, as quiet and hurt as a child who had awoken from a nightmare.

Or so Yusuke was thinking before the small demon spoke.

Hiei did not pull away – if anything, he snuggled even closer. But his voice was the same quiet, deadly tone it had been since the day they met, filled with the same disdain for life it had always held.

"I hope you don't think that I plan to listen to what that idiot fox has said," he stated, voice thick and heavy, "Whatever he thinks he's doing, I won't allow it."

"Me neither." Yusuke promised quietly.

"Good." There was some strange satisfaction in his companion's voice. Some hint of pride.

"But there's nothing we can do until that weird dust he hit you with wears off. We can't track him without the jagan."

Hiei was silent for a long time, seemingly unconcerned with the dried tears streaking his face, the tiny black jewels forming themselves on the carpet from where those tears had fallen. Though even his normal eyes were sightless, they glared at nothing with his old intensity, a scowl twisting his lips.

Finally he nodded.

Seemingly having recovered his composure, Yusuke expected his companion to get up, perhaps make him swear never to reveal his moment of weakness to anyone.

Instead he elbowed Yusuke in the ribs.

"Hold me tighter," he commanded, "Fool."

On Hiei's instruction (and threats of dire consequences should he fail to perform his duty in a manner satisfactory to the diminutive demon) Yusuke gathered up the tear gems into a small bag and went out the next day to sell them.

"You're doing an errand for your master; that's all you need to say." Hiei had informed him, resolutely ignoring the breakfast Yusuke had handed him. "If anyone tries to give you trouble, make up a story about your master's power."

He didn't seem overly concerned with the idea that a human walking around a demon town with a bag full of extremely rare jewels would be in danger. He wanted the tear gems gone, and with them all evidence of his breakdown. Perhaps, also, he did not want to be reminded of what caused said breakdown. Hiei would not cry again. Yusuke knew that he had witnessed something that had probably only happened once or twice in all of his companion's rather long-spanding life, and would likely never happen again. And now that is had happened, Hiei would be more impossible to deal with than ever.

Yusuke went along with it.

The last thing he wanted to do was spend the day locked up in the inn room with Hiei.

He indeed had had a few run-ins with creatures who thought him to be easy prey. A few had actually attacked him because of the mark on his arm, seeming to think it would be amusing (and perhaps make his reputation better) if he managed to steal away something owned both by the infamous youko Kurama and by the greatly feared forbidden child.

It would take days for whatever sanitation committees demon towns used to clean up all of that guy's remains.

By the time Yusuke returned that night, he had sold the treasure and bought supplies for their journey. He had kept for himself one of the gems, wanting a memento of what had happened. Foolishly sentimental, and if Hiei ever found out he would, no doubt, be furious, but it wasn't often one saw one so strong brought so low, and Yusuke wanted to remember that Hiei had accepted comfort from him. That, as Kurama had so often promised him, there was more to the little demon than strength and hatred.

The innkeeper confronted him at the door, demanding recompense for the room Hiei had destroyed, which had apparently been found by one of the maids. He also wanted to be reimbursed for said maid, who had ran out of the inn in tears after whatever Hiei had said to her, and refused to return to work.

Yusuke paid him with a glare that made the creature pale and tremble, then headed up to the room.

Hiei was as he had left him, sitting on the bed, glaring blindly at nothing as if trying to force his sight to return. He had, at last, eaten the breakfast Yusuke had left him, though Yusuke very much doubted he had tried to get up and find anything else.

"It's done?" He asked.

Yusuke nodded, realized he couldn't see it, and answered aloud.

"Yes." His voice sounded strange in his own ears, hoarse from talking all day, hoarse from emotions he had not allowed himself to release. Bad enough the way Hiei had reacted. Worse if they had both began to cry. Someone needed to keep a calm head and be rational. Yusuke was unfamiliar with the role, but he was certain he didn't want to leave any kind of responsibility up to Hiei.

He dropped the various bags and parcels he carried to the ground and went to sit on the bed, swiping furiously at his eyes. The moment he thought he had everything under control, he would end up thinking about Kurama again, damn it.

He gave a jump of surprise as Hiei reached for him, and was, in fact, so startled that he was on his back in the bed, Hiei over him, before he even realized what was going on.

"What the hell are you doing, Hiei?" He demanded as the small demon's fingers began to tentatively search his face for his mouth.

"It's going to be a while until we find the fox." He answered gruffly, leaning down. Yusuke managed to jerk away as Hiei tried to kiss him, and was rewarded by an annoyed look from his companion. "I'm going to need something to entertain me until then," Hiei told him impatiently, "And you're the only one here."

"Real romantic. Get the hell offa me."

"Perhaps you misunderstand." Hiei's hand found his wrist and pinned it down as he quickly shifted his body to stifle Yusuke's struggles. Somehow Yusuke got the feeling the small demon was quite experienced at holding people down. "I'm willing to forgive the fact that you're a stinking human for this. We're both going to need it, anyway."

Staring at him in disbelief, Yusuke suddenly realized his companions true motives.

"Bullshit." He stated as Hiei's lips found his jaw.

Hiei pulled back, unamused.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't care about sex. You just want to get back at Kurama."

"You do live in your own pretty fantasy world, don't you?"

"He wanted us to get together. Your sick little mind sees it as perfect revenge that you would wait to do it when he's not here because you know how much he wanted it."

His lip curled, but he didn't deny it.

"I'm sure the fox's reasons are nobel." He spat. "He has become quite disgusting that way over the last few years. But the fact remains that, whatever his reasons, he rejected me. After everything I've done for him. And he's rejected you, too Yusuke. He doesn't deserve to be here for this if he's going to behave that way. He knows perfectly well that we could help him."

"No."

"You're being stupid. He'll be upset he missed it, but then he'll just be happy that he's finally gotten what he wanted." He snorted, turning his head away. "Even as furious at him as I am, I still want to make him happy."

"Get. The hell. Off. Me."

Hiei seemed truly startled as Yusuke at last managed to buck him off, standing quickly and taking several steps away from the bed. The expression on Hiei's face was one of pure shock.

"Detective…"

"I don't want any stinkin part of this game, Hiei. Whatever little things you have planned for Kurama, they're only because they're what he wants."

"And not what you want, detective?" A snort. "I know what you want. You want me."

"Maybe I did; I hadn't quite figured it out yet, to tell you the truth. But I will tell you one thing – right now I sure as hell don't."

"Why not?" Hiei demanded, offended.

"Why? What are you, some fucking idiot? You want me because Kurama wants you to want me. Fine. Yeah, that sounds good. Let's do that." Yusuke wanted to hit something, to throw something. This wasn't fair. It was too much, all at once. "The last thing I need is a lover who doesn't care if he's got me or not."

"Why do you smell like tears, detective?"

Yusuke spun and left the room, slamming the door closed after himself.

Whatever Kurama had said, it took a full week for Hiei's jagan to recover from whatever it was the fox had done to it, though the small demon's regular sight returned somewhat earlier. Hiei was nearly literally climbing the walls to leave, but he knew doing so without the jagan would be worse than foolish. Who knew how many miles they could go in the wrong direction before they discovered they were wrong? That could set them back even more than waiting would.

Yusuke refused to talk with him, and that was fine. If the human brat wanted to be a stubborn idiot, then Hiei would let him. He had practically thrown himself at the human, after all – what more could he do? Surely he could see how much Hiei needed him to feel as if, despite Kurama cool rejection, he was still worthy of affection. Surely Yusuke understood how much Hiei had needed his comfort.

Yet he had still denied him.

So fine. The last thing he needed was to be the babysitter of some stupid, stubborn (strong, desirable) completely idiotic human.

The day he woke to find his jagan once more working properly, Hiei considered leaving without the detective.

Yet despite his annoyance with him, Hiei didn't want to see him end up in the belly of some demon who had surprised him or, worse, the plaything of one. And Kurama would certainly not thank him for abandoning his pet human – and neither would Spirit World, for that matter. Hiei thought he was in enough trouble, so he forced himself to break the silence first.

"Pack up. We're leaving."

Yusuke blinked at him, surprised. Hiei was fairly certain it was the first time the human had met his gaze since he had regained his normal sight.

"It's better now? Just like that?"

"Why would I tell you we were leaving if it wasn't?"

Yusuke grinned. That full-out, ferocious grin that meant he knew he was about to do something dangerous and stupid and he couldn't wait.

"Great! Let's go then!"

"Fool."

"Bastard."

"Incompetent fool."

"Don't use big words I don't know, really really big bastard."

A sigh. "Useless fool, then."

Silence a moment. Finally:

"I hate you."

"I despise you."

"Well, I hate you more than you despise me."

Another stretch of silence, an exchange of glances.

Yusuke shrugged.

"At least we're talking again, right?"

A snort that may have been interpreted as amusement was his only answer. Hiei looked away first.

Moments later they were both laughing.

That night they went back to sleeping in each others arms. The comfort they had began to develop wasn't quite as strong as it had been, but then, it hadn't been all that strong to begin with, anyway. Neither apologized for the argument back at the inn – neither wanted to think about it, or why it happened.

But neither wanted to sleep alone.

"I think he's with a large group." Hiei said, covering his jagan once more as they prepared to set out the next morning. "Army-sized, maybe."

"And you just now decided that telling me would be a fun idea?"

He cast him a don't-be-an-idiot look.

"There were a few before, but not many. Not enough for me to be able to tell if he was actually traveling with them or if they were just nearby. The numbers changed every day." He hesitated, as if fearful of putting what he wanted to say into words. "But the groups been joined by a lot of people in between the time I last looked before we saw the fox and now. I think…it's definitely a small army."

"What does that mean?"

Hiei shook his head, troubled.

"Kurama hates politics."

"So what does it mean?"

An impatient glance. "It means we keep going."

"Thank you, captain obvious."

"Excuse me?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind."

Hiei hesitated a small moment.

"If they are an army, then I think I know where they're headed." He said finally. "They're going in the right direction, though they're taking a rather round-about path. My guess is that they don't want to be seen."

"And where are they going?"

"Sha'kinn. It's one of the largest demon cities on this plane – and its completely under the control of the Spirit World."

"How large we talking here?"

"About three Tokyos? Maybe more."

Yusuke began to cough.

"Excuse me?"

"If…if they were to attack and take the city, then Spirit World would loose one of its greatest handholds on the demon plane. Once Sha'kinn is taken, the others would fall easily. Demon world would belong to the demons again."

"And that would mean…?"

"We could do whatever we wanted. Including invade the human world."

"Kurama wouldn't help with that!"

Hiei shot him a furious glare.

"Don't you think I know that?" He snapped.

Yusuke pursed his lips together, but decided, reluctantly, not to argue.

"So what are we going to do, then?"

"There's a road that leads to Sha'kinn. If we take it, we'll get there before them. Then we can sneak into their camp, find the fox, and take him. However…"

"Yeah?" Yusuke prodded.

"If I am mistaken, and they're going somewhere else, we're going to be even more behind than ever."

"Why is this even a question?" Yusuke demanded. "We take the road, you keep an eye on them along the way. If it looks like they're changing plans, then we leave the road."

Hiei glanced at him, and smiled – a feral bearing of teeth.

To Be Continued

Hm. I didn't plan this at all. Oh well. Least now I know what I'm doing…

Yes. Hiei does use the word "fool" a lot. I just like it. (shrugs)

Response to Unsigned Reviews:

kit-kit - giggles at choice of descrptive words I'm so hentai sometimes...Okay. Most of the time.

Abi - Thankies! So glad you liked!

Curry - I'm trying to find a way; I liked that part too. We'll just have to see.

cryptic.kitsune - Ah, the dreaded term paper. Yes, fanfiction is much more enjoyable. Well, good luck, anyway!