That's right, thanks to the support I've been getting from you guys I managed to finish my second multichapter HieiXKurama fic! Thanks so much to those of you who have been pushing me- I honestly would never get anywhere without you. I hope you like it!
Let's bring the YYH fandom back to life! Keep sending in those requests via pm! I love writing for this fandom, so just tell me what you want and I'll get on it! Of course, those who review have first dibs!
Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or make money from it. But that would be cool.
He knew it had been too long since he had practiced his thieving arts when he found himself on the verge of being caught, hands the proverbial red, outside of the door he needed to gain access to. The footsteps coming his way had not been rushed, signaling that he hadn't been sensed, but they were mere moments away from rounding the corner when he finally felt the click he was looking for and slipped inside. He pressed his ear against the inside of the door, listening to make sure that he had entered unnoticed, before taking a deep breath. Well, at least I know what my next project is, he thought with a sigh, taking in his surroundings. It had been months since he had been here, and even then it had been brief. Carefully, as not to disturb any of the items in the room, he chose a shadowy corner, pushing his back against the wall and letting his energy drop to next to nothing.
And so he waited.
It had been his only option, to retreat. Since his usual solace happened to be where he was running from, he had taken the nearest portal to Makai. Not bothering to check in with the lord of Alaric, he had taken the opportunity to test the compound's guards, who seemed terrified at the least at his sudden arrival. A few of them needed beheading, he decided after seeing their performance, but he didn't feel like having to justify his kills. He'd deal with them when he felt capable of dealing with her. At least it had been a workout, a way to blow off some of the energy he had pent up after... that. The mere thought of it sent him reeling.
He retired to his room without bothering to clean the blood off of his sword first, closing the door behind him with an angry swing. It put up no resistance, and he sighed heavily, suddenly alone for the first time in a while. Or so he thought. There was a moment of silence in which he relaxed before the presence in the room made itself known.
"Your security needs updating." The voice immediately followed a spike in energy in the room, making him suddenly alert. He didn't, however, turn, knowing that it would give the other the satisfaction of seeing that he had been startled. Then again, the hairs which stood straight up on the back of his neck probably did that for him. "We need to talk."
"Haven't we done enough of that?"
"I did not realize you were the only one allowed to find our conversation inadequate." Hiei spat into the corner, blood mixed in with bile. He pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it blindly aside.
"What do you want Kurama?" He busied himself with his bootlaces, not bothering to grace the other with a look. The fox pushed off of the wall, stepping into the light.
"We need to talk." He repeated patiently. He was met with silence. The boots were thrown aside with the shirt, and the apparition sat, picking the blood out of his hair. The fox watched him for a moment, then continued. "You're determined, aren't you, to end this collaboration."
Hiei looked up at him for the first time, his eyes hard.
"It's not me wherein the problem lies." He shot back, his head beginning to hurt. He must have hit it, or perhaps the fox had a similar effect to a rock to his skull. That seemed more likely.
"Yes, Hiei. It is." His temper flared at the insinuation, and he glared at the kitsune, eyes lit with fire. The fox looked equally as miffed, which didn't seem to help his case. The hi youkai unbuckled his sword belt, placing it on the bed next to him, his grip shattering.
"I'm not the one being antagonistic here." He pushed, taking words from the other's vernacular and throwing them back at him. Kurama ran a hand through his hair, combing out red.
"Yes, you made that clear the other night." He said with the roll of an eye, something that was reserved for his hot headed partner. Hiei glared, weighing how much killing him would be worth the silence. Kurama's face said that he knew what was going through his head, and not very.
"And what revelation has brought you here tonight, then?" Hiei asked, wondering what could have changed in a day. The kitsune hesitated, saying more than words could have.
"Nothing you're ready to hear," he said softly, seeming to not know how to proceed. The fire demon stared, not sure whether to be infuriated by his companion's behavior of puzzled by it. His body language was closed off, arms wrapped around his chest, almost as if holding himself. Despite the harshness of his tone, he seemed almost vulnerable. Knowing that he was being studied, the kitsune shifted, breaking the other's thoughts. "There's something we need to get clear, you and I."
"What would that be?" The fire demon wondered if there even was a 'you and I' to worry over. The muscles in his arms were taut, clearly anticipating some sort of finalization to their discussion. The fox's state was similar, though he did a better job at hiding it, for the moment.
"That the comparison you seem to be wrapped up in is not one I ever thought to make." Hiei's eyes narrowed, clearly saying that he didn't believe it for a second. The fox shook his head roughly, a forelock that had been tucked behind his ear falling forward. "I have no reason to lie to you, Hiei. It's also why it took me so long to see what the problem really was between us, though I do admit I'm puzzled by that as well…" he trailed off, the look in his eyes dulling as he averted them, thinking of his next words. The smaller youkai let him get away with the evasive movement, not wanting to meet the other's gaze. Even if they had been true, the words felt like a fallacy.
"Do you actually expect me to believe that, or did you think I'd just play along for the sake of our partnership?" He said quietly in response, the animosity that he had intended missing the mark. He looked ready to continue, but the kitsune stepped forward.
"Hiei, I've already told you that it isn't like that," he began, desperation lacing his tone for the first time since that night. This caught the other's attention, though he hated to admit it. Catching the other's eye, he found in them a plea, one he did not quite understand. Taking his silence as invitation to continue, the fox jumped in again.
"There is… a variable. One that I never considered during the course of our partnership. If, in fact, my assumption was correct then I would have no basis upon which to compare you to him." Hiei noted that he had avoided the chimera's name. "But I'm beginning to think, well I don't know what to think. The only thing that makes logical sense is that this assumption was wrong, but that only leaves me with more questions than before."
"What are you getting at, Kurama?" He snapped, his patience at its end. He had no idea how much worse it was about to get.
"You love me."
The fox's voice held no room for argument, but his eyes spoke differently. Tell me you don't, they challenged, unsure. Just try to tell me you don't. Every inch of him was tense, waiting.
Hiei did nothing for a moment, sitting as still as he could, avoiding the other's eye. Then, slowly, he turned his face away, hiding his eyes in the shadows. His hand curled around the edge of the blanket he sat upon, forming a fist.
"No." He growled, the word like venom on his tongue. "I don't want this. I won't do this."
The kitsune took a step back, realizing how much he had invaded the other's space during their verbal spar. He watched as the other shook in what he presumed was anger, the temperature in the room seeming to grow warmer.
"Let's go back to before the final battles. Let's return to a time when we thought of ourselves as teammates."
Hiei's mouth was dry as he spoke, the words coming out without the emotion that triggered them. Risking the other seeing his eyes, he turned his head, trying to catch a glimpse of the redhead. He found himself looking up at a face far away, both in the sense that Kurama had planted himself against the wall again and that his mask was on.
"That's what I thought," he whispered, meeting the other's eyes with ones that held nothing. He broke the gaze quickly, letting his bangs fall in his face. This time, it was his turn for anger to coat his words, the hands clutching around himself in fists as tight as his counterpart's. "Then tell me, why? Why are you so bothered by him?"
The hi youkai couldn't respond, too wrapped up in the other's reaction to his words to form new ones. Kurama's voice changed with his next words, echoes of hurt that he did not want heard passing through his lips.
"Kuronue allowed me to love him, and chose to love me in return. That's why, Hiei, it never occurred to me to compare you." Taking his cue from the other, the fox sidestepped, looking to the window for escape.
It was then that Hiei realized his mistake. The kitsune had not been looking for a challenge- he had been looking for an admission. He had been looking for self validation. He had effectively told him, in his backward and manipulative way, that he loved him while accusing the other of the same.
All at once he began to panic, realizing that his answer had been the wrong one- that he was about to lose the fox for good. There had been two possible courses of action that he feared from the beginning: the first having already happened. Knowing that he would either have to acknowledge it or face the second, the fire demon sealed his fate.
It was the last thing Kurama expected, to find himself pulled off of the windowsill and pushed backwards against it. In the same second, a hand wove through his hair, the other wrapping around his back to support them. It was a moment before he realized that he was being kissed, deeply, by the same mouth that had served his rejection.
Shock turned to reaction, reaction to passion, and passion to relief as they finally broke apart, each equally as breathless as the other. Kurama let himself fall forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Hiei, who suddenly found himself supporting all of his weight. There was a small movement, a squeeze, then something resembling a laugh. The fire demon held him tightly through this, somehow still afraid of letting go.
"I never thought there was a chance," Hiei let his head fall to the other's shoulder at the heartbroken sound of his voice, sharing in his sorrowful relief.
"Me neither." The redhead pulled back, just enough so that he was supporting himself, his nose centimeters from black, dirtied hair.
"What fools we must be." He smiled, the first genuinely happy look Hiei had seen from him all night. He detached himself from the kitsune slowly, as if unsure how to be apart from him. The fox let him, though he didn't try to help. Hiei turned away, face warm, unused to the touch of another. Moving his sword, he shot a look over his shoulder.
"Don't think this means you can start comparing us now." The dark tone was back in his voice, but it was no different from usual, the deadpan having returned. Kurama beamed, his eyes bright, then walked over to join the other by the bed.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He picked at the other's hair playfully, earning him an annoyed swat before they bantered over sleeping arrangements, baths, and whatever else they could before falling asleep hand in hand. Life continued in much of the same way.
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