Disclaimer: Don't…-blow-…own…-POP- anything.

Notes: Here's the fun chapter! (at least, I think it's fun)

Yeah, yeah, I know; pointless note.

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Memories of the Lost

Chapter 8

Memories Forbidden

-o-o-o-

Kurama had been watching Hiei for over a half hour now. Surprisingly, the fire demon was sound asleep on the fox's bed. He had, at first, fallen asleep half bent over in a chair with his head on the kitsune's bed, but Kurama had later moved him onto the futon.

The fox was sitting once more by the window, his legs tucked up around him and his arms on the sill. He was resting his cheek against the back of his hand and his gaze was focused on the fire demon, rather than the surrounding landscape.

He watched the quite rise and fall of the demon's chest as he slept peacefully away on his side and slightly curled in on himself beneath the covers.

When he had tried to move the fire demon, Kurama was greatly surprised to see that Hiei did not awaken. Having known the youkai for little more than a day (at least by memory) he was sure that the demon's natural survivor instinct would have woken him the second someone touched him.

But, then again, survivor instinct wouldn't have allowed him to fall asleep in Kurama's presence either.

Slowly, moving closer to the fire demon with the stealth of a thief but the style of a child (and in an adults body, no less) he knelt beside Hiei. He leaned over, tucking his long hair over his shoulder until he drew within a foot of the small youkai's child-like face.

"You are so trustful now, Hiei," he whispered to the unhearing ears of the fire demon, sleeping soundly after using so much energy on Syunsuke. He had, after all, needed a few hours of sleep long ago but wouldn't risk it without knowing that Kurama had gotten to the palace safely.

Said fox silently lay down beside the youkai, pressing his face into the pillow covered by the fire demon's wild hair. He breathed in the deep scent, his eyes scanning the soft-skinned face of Hiei. With a light finger, he traced the hiyoukai's jaw with an almost awed expression.

"I wonder…" he once more whispered to the air and suddenly, his voice no longer sounded like a child's. "If you are now so trusting…do you know?"

Only silence answered his question. But, instead of an answer, the fox happily lay as a warmth spread through his body, sending shivers down his spine every time his skin brushed against the fire demons.

He wasn't stupid; he knew what the feelings meant, though he definitely had not experienced them for himself, other than what Youko claimed he missed.

After more than ten minutes of the quite contentment had passed, Kurama gave a low chuckled and climbed back up to his knees. But before he headed back over to the his window, he smiled down at the fire demon in both childish love and a content known only to one who has given everything away and never had it returned, yet is happy because of it.

"I don't think you do," he whispered as he leaned down over the fire demon once more. Quickly and silently, he placed a light kiss on the youkai's cheek.

"And that's okay. Because I'll keep it with me until the day I die, Hiei…" With that, Kurama snuck back to the window, and resumed his quite observation of the surrounding Reikai landscape.

-o-o-o-

Koenma was sitting at his desk, blowing puffs of air randomly and watching his bangs shoot up then flat back down to a similar position. While doing this, his eyes half-lidded and head propped up by his hand, he continuously stamped papers, barely glancing at them before pressing on.

He was about to start his three hundred and fifty-seventh "puff" when the doors to his office slammed open. Koenma, junior lord of hell, toppled backwards in surprise and fell right out of his chair, hitting the top of his head on the floor.

"Ow, god damn it!" he swore loudly as he pulled himself up to a standing position, turning next to his chair that lay on the ground. He did not glance up as he grumbled lowly, attempting to maintain his calm (after all, Yusuke had been tying to get him to stop loosing his temper with his workers) "What do you want?"

"Sir!" the young oni that had burst into his office had a deep green skin and was wearing the standard Rekai uniform of navy blue. Only, Koenma noticed with surprise, it was soaked through.

Standing straight and righting his chair, he turned to look the oni up and down. His entire body was soaked thoroughly and he was shaking slightly. A bit rumpled (most likely from the run) his uniform stood out oddly against his forested skin.

All-in-all, there was nothing ordinary about this oni. But, Koenma noted with a frown, there was something wrong about him. Something…that he couldn't place, but had a feeling was obvious.

Sighing, he began to sit back down, waving his hand at the saluting oni to continue.

"Sir, I've come to inform you that an unidentified demon is attacking the Reikai Palace!"

This time Koenma caught himself before he fell out of the chair, but the rolling object didn't have such luck and crashed for a second time to the floor. The junior god, however, was unaware, as he had bolted up out of the seat.

"What demon?" he shouted out, loosing his calm but not to anger. He did not wait for an answer as he pressed the intercom button on his desk. When an oni answered, he immediately summoned Botan. "And tell her to wake up the tentai NOW! Syunsuke is attacking the palace!"

The oni in front of him was still standing stalk still, saluting, and Koenma spared him a brief, confused glance before he rushed out of his office.

Something was not right.

-o-o-o-

Hiei bolted up when the door was suddenly thrown open, a resounding slam echoing through the small room as the wood rebounded off the wall. Botan stood in the doorway, her oar in hand and a worried look of urgency on her face.

"Hiei, hurry, get up!" she all but shouted out as the fire demon was ready to send her to the Makai on a flurry of swear words and cusses. He stopped the mental train of insults, however, at the sound of her voice.

Something was obviously wrong.

Kurama, who was sitting on the bed looking at Botan through worried eyes (and Hiei noted that he was once more by the window and had obviously not gotten any sleep,) glanced at the fire demon. It was one of questionable worry and uncertainty.

"What is it?" Hiei asked gruffly as he pulled on his boots and strapped on his katana, all in the time it took the ferry girl to answer his question. With her reply, however, he froze.

"Syunsuke is attacking the palace!" Hiei all but bolted for the door, a hand already on the hilt of his sword.

Without glancing over his shoulder and with Botan already leading the way, he called out to Kurama, "Stay in that room, fox! And," he finally turned around, pausing only long enough to make eye contact with the young fox. His red eyes showed concern and sincerity for those few seconds, "do not let anyone else into this room unless you know them."

With that, he was gone and the door was tightly shut and locked. Kurama blinked after him, wondering (but already knowing) what could possibly be wrong.

-o-o-o-

"-to this room unless you know them."

Ocean blue eyes narrowed as they watched the dark figure and the blue-haired ferry girl moved down the hallway, disappearing at the other end to go and rouse the other tentai.

He had precious little time.

Moving quietly, he walked over to the door that the two had just walked out of. Pressing his ear gently to the door, he could hear the soft rustle of sheets on a bed and a small sigh.

Now…how to deal with the firebrat's warning?

Slowly raising a pale, long-fingered hand, he rapped gently on the wood of the door. There were several seconds of silence, broken only by the soft movement of sheets accompanied by near silent footfalls, before the door was cracked open.

He could easily see that a foot was bracing the other side, keeping anyone from trying to push in suddenly. A piercing green eye suddenly filled the small, inch wide crack between door and frame. Blocked partially by crimson colored hair, the eye narrowed slightly at the blue-robed man.

"Can I help you?" The voice was soft like velvet but held less years than he remembered. The demon before the door smiled: Kurama was but a child in mind now. He put on a friendly face, one presentable to a child, and placed a gently hand on the door, fingers curling around the edge.

"You are Kurama…aren't you?" his voice was soft and kind, the question filled with a sudden uncertainty even as he hitched his breath to make it appear as if he had been running recently. The eye behind the door lost a tiny bit of doubt at his kindness.

"Yes…" Though the beautiful green depths had lost their suspicion, the voice still held plenty of hesitation. The demon, however, gave no time for further thought.

"Oh, thank god!" he all but cried out in a voice filled with relief. "I was so worried I wouldn't find you! I'm a healer, Master Kurama, please let me in!"

The door did not budge, but the eye before him seemed confused and no longer suspicious of the man before him, though the demon knew that wasn't true. The fox before him was plenty mistrustful about him, and he had to keep that distrust back if he was going to pull this off.

He would soon be out of time.

"I-I'm not supposed to let anyone in…" Ah! There it was; the childish uncertainty that he knew would get him his prize. If he could just pull that out a little more.

"Please." He put just a fraction more weight into his hand pressing against the door. It began to move in increments so small that it wasn't visible to the fox holding it closed. "Master Hiei sent me. He said you might be hurt."

Shit, that was the wrong thing to say. The force holding him out of the room strengthened and that green eye, its beauty limitless, once more turned suspicious.

"I'm not hurt." The voice was no longer childish or lost in doubt. It was firm in its resolution and solid in keeping him out of the room.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he smiled as softly as he could, his eyes growing gentle and sweet. He pulled back on some of the pressure he was applying to the door.

"Please, Master Kurama," he whispered in a pleading voice. "I'm a healer. Master Hiei sent me to check on you and…to protect you. He said you could be…well…I'm not supposed to tell you…"

That eye widened slightly at the thought of the fire demon keeping something from him. The door cracked open to show the fox's entire face, open freely to childish worry.

He held back a very evil smile; he had found this young Kurama's weak spot in his defense.

"Tell me what?" the voice was back to its doubtful self. So…the fox did care greatly for the fire demon, and the opinion he held the kitsune in, apparently.

The demon's smile widened but he did not reapply his weight to the door. "He said you might be in danger…but don't tell him I let you know!"

Kurama frowned slightly, but no longer at the stranger before him. He was glancing at the ground near his guest's feet, a hand raised to rub his chin in uncertainty.

"W-well…I mean…if Hiei sent you…?" The last bit was a question for reassurance and the demon smiled happily at the (mis)understanding that showed in Kurama's eyes. The fox seemed to relax and he let the pale hand push the door open the rest of the way.

"Yes, yes, there's no need to worry…" the voice turned sultry as the figure walked through the door, hands clasped behind his back as Kurama motioned for him to enter his room. "…I won't hurt you."

The door closed slowly behind him.

-o-o-o-

Chapter 8

End

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…whelp, that was fun.

Author's Notes:

...The fire demon…sleeping soundly after using so much energy on Syunsuke… Hiei didn't use his dragon, if you'll remember, but he used a lot of his energy and sleeping after you use so much is a good idea no matter your race or power.

…"I wonder …do you know?"… Kurama is obviously wondering if his adult self has told Hiei that he loves him.

I do not believe in love at first sight. I think you have to get to know a person before you can love them, and everything they are. I think love at first sight is love of looks and nothing more.

And so, in explaining this, I see it very simply. Kurama loved Hiei (at the age of 10) in the manner which a child loves without knowing the one he loves to full extent: with innocence and never truly knowing what they're feeling. They love for the sake of being loved, and do not yet understand the complexity of the emotion.

Being a youko previously, I think Kurama may have immediately liked the fire demon for his looks, ill past, and tough attitude. But it wasn't love. Kurama liked him the way a child likes a playmate. They desire company and understanding that adults can't always have and love each other for that.

And so, half of Kurama in the above scene is acting out of childish love, and the other half is coming from the "emotions and things he shouldn't know but does" that comes as a side effect (see previous chapters)

…this oni…there was something wrong about him… Remember this in the next chapter, please, it has to do with …He (Syunsuke) had precious little time…

…The entire last bit… I didn't mention Syunsuke's name as the demon who was at Kurama's door because Kurama did not know who it was. Rather odd, but I just…didn't feel like saying it was him. A bit odd, yes, I know, but…MY STORY!

End Author Notes

Please review. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a Happy New Year!