So yeah.. I can't really decide if this story is AU or not... 'Cuz it kinda is.. But not really... Hm... Well, whatever! People seem to really like this! It makes me soooo happy! Squee! So, I was thinking about it, and I have so many firsts with this fic. This is my first Yu Yu Hakusho fic that I've written by myself, my first slave fic, my first time writing for Yoko, and my first fic with a mute character. It's strange, really... But it's kinda fun! I just hope I'm doing a good job with it...

The Lord of Roses and the Shackled Dragon

Chapter 2: The Lord and the Slave

Kurama led Hiei to the room they would be sharing. In anticipation of the new slave, the servants had furnished the room with an extra bed, but the added furniture did nothing to cripple the size of the room. Though the slave's bed was not quite as exquisite as his master's, it was grand enough to make any commoner drool with envy. Kurama gestured to the room at large. "This is where you will be staying," he told Hiei, before going to his oversized closet. He began gathering articles of clothing in his arms. "I'm not sure that these will fit you, but I'm positive that almost anything is better than what you have on now."

He turned once more to look at Hiei. The little demon's clothing was in, perhaps, a worse state than the demon himself was in. What once may have been proper clothing had been reduced to mere rags. The red-headed fox wondered vaguely why Hiei was in such horrible shape compared to the other slaves he had seen at Fantasy Island. When he realized he had been staring, though, the fox quickly forced himself to come back to reality as he smiled at Hiei. "I released your chain, and you didn't run away. Thank you."

Hiei gave his master a look that clearly stated that he wasn't staying put for the fox's benefit. Yoko chuckled at this. 'You better keep an eye on him, Kit. He doesn't want to be here.'

'Yes, I know,' Kurama replied cheerfully. Yoko smirked at him.

'It would seem that he has quelled your boredom as well.'

Kurama just continued to smile as he gestured for Hiei to follow him. He led the slave to his own personal bathroom, and began filling the tub with hot water. "You'll have to forgive me, but I feel that I must stay in here while you bathe."

The master and slave stared at one another as the water slowly filled the tub. They were studying one another, trying to determine just what kind of demon the other was. Soon enough, though, the bath was full, and Kurama had to break the gaze in order to turn off the water. He gestured for Hiei to get in the tub, and then turned his back on the slave. Kurama felt Hiei staring at him in confusion. "I won't watch you undress," the fox stated simply. "It is against my morals."

'No matter how curious we are...' Yoko added.

Soon Kurama heard the sound of Hiei's descent into the water. The fox slowly turned around, smiling when he saw Hiei staring blanking at him. "There are various soaps over there," he said, motioning to a small shelf just in Hiei's reach. "Feel free to use whatever, and as much, as you want."

Hiei didn't verbally answer, but Kurama saw him reach for a small bottle filled with a deep purple liquid. Yoko smirked at that. 'That's our stuff isn't it? He has good taste.' Kurama couldn't help but agree, although he wasn't certain Hiei had picked that particular bottle on purpose. Inside the bottle was a special blend of nectar and ground flower petals that Kurama had mixed up himself. It was nearly guaranteed to soften the skin and turn the hair into silk.

The fox was still smiling as he settle himself on the floor, resting his back on the side of the tub. "So I've been told that you are a fire demon. I can't help but wonder how you were captured." After a long period of silence, Kurama glanced over his shoulder at Hiei. "You're not going to talk to me, are you?"

Hiei, who had been busy massaging the purple liquid into his hair, paused long enough to glare at Kurama. The fox sighed, and turned back around to stare at the opposite wall. Everything was quiet for a long time before the fox broke the silence with his soft voice. "You know, I never actually wanted a slave.. But I can't argue with my uncle. Today is the day I come of age, so I had no choice. You should know that I only picked you to get you out of that horrible place."

A wet finger touched Kurama's shoulder, and as he turned, he realized that Hiei wanted to get out of the tub. He also discovered that the little youkai had been listening to him, because there was a hint of some emotion in those large crimson eyes. Hiei's gaze was softer than before, perhaps a bit more trusting, but not much. Kurama smiled as he got out of Hiei's way, keep his back turned as the slave dressed himself.

Kurama smiled when he took in the sight Hiei in his new clothes. The black fabric was so much better than the rags he had been wearing previously. The clothes were a little big, but that was to be expected. The fire demon was not only naturally petite, but also obviously underfed. The pants he wore did well to cover his various wounds, but the sleeveless shirt he wore did not. All of the cuts, gashes, and bruises on his arms were quite visible. This did nothing to prevent Kurama from noticing the slave's good looks, but still, the fox frowned. "I can treat your wounds if you would like."

Hiei gave Kurama an 'Are you stupid?' look. The fox didn't seem to notice as he continued to stare at the smaller demon's arms that were beginning to turn the sickening colors of infection. He could only imagine how many of the other wounds were as bad, if not worse than, the ones visible. He looked back into Hiei's eyes. "If you'll allow me to?"

The fire demon's seemingly permanent glare only intensified. He violently shook his head in denial. Kurama frowned sadly. "Then you must forgive me for this.." Hiei's eyes barely had time to gather the light of confusion before a thorned vine pierced the pale skin of his neck. He immediately lost consciousness, and Kurama caught him as he fell. The vine retreated in the same movement.

'He's not going to be happy when he wakes up,' Yoko said in amusement.

'Yes, I know..' Kurama replied as he carried Hiei back to their room. He gently placed the fire demon on his bed, before leaving to gather some medical supplies.

'You better hurry, Kit, or he's going to wake up.'

'I know how long the plant's effects will work,' Kurama replied, mildly irritated. He hurriedly gathered what he needed before returning to his room. He quickly set to working cleaning and dressing all of his slave's many injuries. The fox had flipped the now shirtless fire demon onto his stomach to treat the injuries he couldn't get to before when he noticed a warn sewn into the small of Hiei's back. "So that's how they did it.." Kurama whispered softly before setting back to work, ignoring the ward.

The fox finished quickly enough, and had redressed the slave. He took a seat in a chair out of Hiei's reach as he waited for the fire demon to wake up. This did not take long as the vine's poison slowly wore off. Blurry crimson eyes slowly opened to meet shining emerald orbs. The smaller demon blinked twice as he ever so slowly sat up.

"You may feel a little drowsy for a while," Kurama said softly, so as not to frighten Hiei. The lord soon fell victim to a fierce glare that he just smiled at. "Don't worry, I haven't taken advantage of you."

Hiei's eyes widened ever so slightly before his glare intensified. He carefully examined his body, surprised again once he found that his injuries had been treated. He looked curiously at Kurama, who simply continued to smile. Hiei frowned, crossing his arms and looking away. "Are you hungry?" The question brought the fire demon's attention back to the fox, and he nodded once.

Kurama walked over to Hiei, holding out his hand. Hiei ignored the offered hand, standing on his own, and swaying almost immediately after losing the support of the bed. Kurama chuckled softly. "It seems the poison has yet to wear off completely." Hiei's glare was accusatory as he gazed at the fox lord. Kurama brushed off the look he was receiving, and began walking, leading Hiei to the kitchen. "You can't blame me, you wouldn't cooperate, and your wounds needed to be healed. I did what I needed to."

It took a few seconds for Kurama to realize that Hiei was no longer following him. He looked over his shoulder at the fire demon. "Is something the matter?" Hiei shook his head, and the two began to walk again. The slave was careful to remain a few steps behind his master, and Kurama couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed by this. 'I thought I told him I didn't want a slave.'

'And yet that was a command very much like one a master would give to his slave.; Kurama mentally growled, and Yoko laughed at him. 'You need to figure out what you really want, Kit.'

The demon pair arrived at the kitchen, and Kurama had Hiei take a seat on a stool set up by the long, bar-like counter. "Is there anything you would prefer to eat?" Kurama asked hopefully, but only got a blank stare in response from Hiei. The fox sighed. "Someday you will have to speak to me. Come here."

The fox motioned for Hiei to come closer, and the fire demon did so reluctantly. Crimson eyes quickly swept the kitchen, most likely searching for plants, as he moved towards Kurama. The fox frowned slightly. "I'm not going to attack you," he said softly, a hint of sadness in his voice from being distrusted. Predictably, he got only a glare in response.

Kurama gently pushed Hiei further into the kitchen. "Go find something to eat. You can have anything you find." The fire demon looked up at him in confusion. Kurama smiled. "Don't worry, this isn't a trick."

Uncertainly, Hiei searched the kitchen for something he deemed good to eat. Frequently, he looked over his shoulder at Kurama in suspicion, clearly expecting some sort of trap or trick. Kurama quietly released an exasperated sigh. 'It's too early to expect him to trust us, Kit...'

'Yes, I know that, but this is all rather frustrating.'

Yoko chuckled. 'That's part of what makes it so interesting.'

Two objects were suddenly thrust into Kurama's line of vision. He blinked down at an annoyed looking Hiei, though the fox lord couldn't imagine why the little demon was in such a mood. Hiei was holding out a medium sized package of meat, and a rather large piece of chocolate cake on a tray. Kurama supposed the cake was a leftover from the party the servants had thrown for one of their fellow's birthday. Morie was her name, if he remembered correctly. The fox took note of how Hiei had not only taken leftover cake, but also one of the lower quality pieces of meat in the household's possession. The fire demon was still testing the limits of what his master would allow.

Hiei's eyes had avoided Kurama's for a while, but garnet-crimson eventually met emerald, and the fire demon silently asked what would happen next. Kurama took the food from Hiei's hands, and the crimson eyes quickly filled with bitter disappointment. Kurama just smiled at him, placing the items on the counter, and watching as Hiei's eyes once again lit with confusion.

The fox got a pan from one of the many cupboards in order to heat the meat with. Hiei glared at the small flame that soon burned under the pan, and Kurama could only assume that the fire demon was angered that he could no longer produce flames, with that ward in his back. The fox lord ignored his slave's anger, and finished heating the food. He set a plate of meat, and the cake, in front of Hiei, seating himself across from the other demon to eat. "Enjoy your food," the fox said, still remaining cheerful and polite, while his slave was anything but.

Urgh! I hate the ending of this chapter! It makes me go rawr. Aaaaanyway!

I just luv how amused the foxes are by Hiei in this chapter. Especially Yoko... Of course, he seems to find EVERYTHING rather amusing in this fic..

...I enjoy feedback. -hint hint nudge nudge-