Summer's here, updates will be more frequent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 9: The Eldest

The next day, I fell asleep in the forest. I hadn't meant to, but by the time I woke up, I had to lie still and eavesdrop or risk being discovered by Karasu, who had come to visit Kurama.

"Hello dearest" he seemed to purr, stroking Kurama's arm. This was nothing at all like Kurama's confrontation with Kuronue. The redhead was so frightened that I could see him trembling even from a distance.

His eyes deliberately avoided Karasu's face, and seemed fixated on his hands. His whole reaction gave me chills. I'd heard about the bombs the crow made with those hands, and I'd seen Kuronue just as terrified by his brother's touch, even though the two seemed to sleep together quite often.

"Our wedding day is approaching, love." The crow crooned, seemingly unaffected by Kurama's fear. "And then, Yomi will allow me to touch you to my heart's content. I do so want to hear you scream for me…" he trailed off, running his bony fingers through Kurama's hair.

All of my muscles were tense, ready to spring if the crow did anything to act on that promise.

"Aren't you excited?" Karasu asked, the hand in Kurama's hair grabbing him tighter.

Kurama's eyes trembled, clearly knowing there was no right answer. They seemed to flash briefly in my direction. "No." he whispered meekly, as if acting submissive would distract the crow from his answer.

Karasu laughed softly, but pulled Kurama's hair hard enough to make him wince. "Good." He whispered, "It wouldn't be any fun if you didn't struggle. I do so like it when they squirm." He licked Kurama's neck then pulled away.

"Until then." He murmured with a flick of his wrist as he walked away.

Kurama stood there trembling until Karasu was out of sight. Then, both of us moved at the same time. Kurama would have fallen to the ground if I hadn't caught him in my lap.

He turned into me and wrapped his arms around my back, trembling silently. How long was it? I couldn't help but wonder. How long had it been since Kurama had somebody to hold him like this?

Instead, every time Karasu visited, did he actually fall to his knees? Did he wrap his arms around himself and cry silently. Or did he cry out loud? Whatever it was, Kurama didn't deserve to do it alone.

I tried to ignore the traitorous part of me that enjoyed having the younger demon's arms around me.

We stayed like that for a long time, and he was the first one to actually speak up. He asked me to stay with him. "Please stay with me, Hiei." He pleaded, "Until that day, please stay by my side."

Did he actually think I wouldn't try to save him? I grabbed him harder at the thought of losing him. "Of course."

The next day, it was Yomi's turn to visit. True to my promise, I stayed to watch over him.

The blind demon walked steadily, confidently towards Kurama. He didn't act like a demon who was blind. Kurama had warned me in advance about Yomi's hearing. I was high above in a tree, lying flat on a branch and moving as little as I could. It was windy, so the sound of my heartbeat would be lost. Plus, any assassin knows how to be quiet.

I was curious about this encounter, since Yomi was mysterious even to me.

He paused in his approach, tilting his head to the side. "Kurama, your heart is already beating so fast. Are you really that frightened of me?"

Kurama took a deep breath. "That day is coming soon, as I'm sure you're aware." Apparently, Kurama wasn't afraid of Yomi.

"That it is." Yomi stated, sitting down and patting the ground next to him. Kurama sat down. "Anything requests?" Yomi asked. Kurama shook his head automatically. It seemed to be a formality.

"Has anything interesting happened to you lately?" Yomi questioned innocently.

Kurama shook his head wryly, even though Yomi couldn't see him. "Just more of the same." The red head murmured. "It seems there are a lot of edible plants in bloom right now."

"Ah!" Yomi exclaimed, "You should enjoy them while you have the chance. After the wedding, I think you'll find that eating plants is worse to you than eating living creatures."

"Plants are living creatures." Kurama stated. "They just don't scream when you pick them."

Yomi chuckled. "We'll see about that. More importantly, has Kuronue been to visit you lately?" Kurama informed him that Kuronue hadn't been visiting on his days. "I see…" Yomi murmured. "I'll talk to him about that. After all, we don't want you to run away again."

"Why can't you just let me go?" Kurama asked softly, not really expecting an answer. I tensed, ready for an unpleasant reaction.

"Because in our own ways, all three of us love you very much." Yomi stated. "It was a promise, after all." He patted Kurama's shoulder affectionately.

That was what surprised me the most- that simple, natural attempt to comfort Kurama. That was the first kind gesture I had seem from any of the three brothers. That must have been why Kurama wasn't afraid; Yomi was capable of expressing genuine fondness for Kurama.

Kurama sighed forlornly. "Don't worry, I won't allow Karasu to use his bombs on you." Yomi assured. "That should make it at least tolerable, right?"

Again, Kurama sighed. "I'm afraid that nothing can make it tolerable."

Yomi hesitated, dismayed. "May I… hold you?"

Kurama glared at him. "Why bother asking?" he whispered. "It's not as if I can stop you."

"You should have control over something." Yomi stated. "I'm your eldest fiancé, it's my duty to see to that."

With that, he walked away as smoothly as he came.

Apparently, Yomi had a sense of responsibility.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Next chapter, The morning of the wedding day arrives.