A light drizzle of rain had started to fall as Hiei walked through the streets of the human realm. The sun had already set on another brisk fall day, making the shadows grow long, and Hiei's patience grew thin. The cold nipped at Hiei's small, delicate nose as he once again decided to stop and open his Jagan eye. He found a human park, leaped into a tree, and settled comfortably into one of the branches, eager to find the source of his torment. This was his first visit to the human realm in many years; nothing was as he left it. After doing some "research," he discovered that all of his friends he hadn't seen since the tournament for control of the demon realm had moved on.
Yukina was doing well living with Genkai on her estate and warding off Kuwabara as best she could, but she was also thankful for his visits.
Kuwabara had graduated from high school and moved on to a college somewhere far away, and he was making a successful living, although his adoration for Yukina kept him tied down to his old hometown.
Yuusuke and Keiko had gotten married and were planning on having children, a thought slightly bothering Hiei. The thought of having little Yuusukes running around unsettled him a bit.
As usual, Koenma and Botan kept the spirit, human, and demon realms out of trouble. It even seemed like they had something going on between them.
The only one who had stayed behind, and the reason for his unending torment, was Kurama. He had, of course, moved out of his family's humble abode, but he had not moved far; he was still in the same town. He had graduated high school, attended college, and was doing well for himself. And Hiei was having the worst time finding him. Not wanting to be dragged back to the demon realm, Kurama had set up a type of ward to keep his home hidden from anyone who might try to find him, and it seemed that Hiei was no exception.
After one more futile attempt to find the source of his torment, Hiei closed his Jagan eye but did not give up his search for the elusive fox. 'I will find him one way or another,' Hiei resolved as he leaped from the branch he was perched upon and landed on the ground with a soft thud. He exited the park and continued to walk the empty streets, trying to sense even the smallest trace of Kurama until he got so frustrated that he decided to try his Jagan eye again. What he saw then made him feel a myriad of emotions that he couldn't explain. Wanting to confirm his vision as soon as possible, he closed his Jagan and headed toward what he had seen.
Running swiftly through the night, Hiei quickly reached the place his Jagan had indicated. He leaped onto the roof of the building and slinked silently down into the shadows. He watched closely and silently as the source of his torment appeared. However, as much he had wanted to see the fox, he watched the female the redhead was escorting with much more interest. She wasn't horrible to look at. In fact, she was quite fair but in no way a match for the fox. What Hiei couldn't understand, though, was how this female could wear such little clothing in such brisk weather, even though the light shower of rain had come and gone. She had a piece of clothing covering her torso that was quite short and a little more revealing, and the shoes she wore on her feet were obviously not made for walking.
Hiei quickly concluded that the reason Kurama was escorting the human female was simply out of pity-it was plain to see that she had no means to provide for herself, hence her skimpy clothing. The female was obviously delusional as well. She had the strangest look on her face, and it was easy to guess that she might also have something bothering her eyes because she kept batting them constantly. Hiei deemed the scene as an act of kindness from Kurama towards the female and concentrated his sights on the elusive fox. He watched as Kurama went up to another human behind a shield of some sort and handed the human pieces of paper through a hole at the bottom of the shield. The human handed him something in return, and then he steered the female to a door, opened it for her, and showed her inside.
After waiting for a short while and realizing that the fox would not appear anytime soon, Hiei decided to jump off the building and into a deserted alleyway beside it. He then proceeded to cross the street to see the name of the place where Kurama had taken the human female.
'S-ta-r-ple-x Ci-ne-ma,' Hiei read aloud slowly.
He had no idea what the words meant and decided not to stay around long enough to find out. The horribly strong smell of human food coming from that place was unbearable to his sensitive nose, and the bright lights of the sign were hurting even his closed third eye. Hiei decided to settle on a rooftop that was beside the dark parking lot belonging to the building where Kurama had entered and waited until the fox emerged from within.
About two hours had passed since Kurama had entered that place, or so Hiei figured, and he was about to barge inside and find the fox when he spotted the redhead and the female walking out of the building, talking and laughing. As Hiei watched them, they began to walk the way they had come. He followed silently close behind. They soon came upon a house where it was obvious that all its inhabitants were down for the night.
Hiei watched as Kurama took the human female to the front of the house. They started talking and laughing quietly so as not to disturb the slumbering inhabitants. He watched as the female stood higher on her toes and delicately puckered her lips. He watched as the female delicately touched Kurama's chest and leaned in. And he watched Kurama's surprised expression as the girl kissed him lightly on the lips and, with a flush, lowered her head and quickly went inside. After what seemed an eternity, but in reality, it was only about three seconds, Kurama composed himself and started walking away slowly in a different direction. "That's the last fucking straw!" Hiei muttered angrily under his breath as he moved in, like a panther closing in silently on its prey.
Without giving it a second thought, Hiei leaped out of the trees and onto Kurama's back, knocking the redhead face down to the ground and making him hit his head on the concrete in the process. There was an audible smack, and Hiei jumped off and went to stand in front of Kurama. The fox slowly lifted his head off the ground and quickly assessed the damage. Thinking that it was nothing severe, Kurama leaped back, searching for his attacker and preparing for a fight, but what he saw surprised and disarmed him. Hiei watched the redhead's sparkling emerald eyes grow wide with disbelief.
"H-Hiei…? Is that really you?" Kurama asked, a look of wonder taking over his delicate features. Silence was his only answer for a short while, then:
"Who was she?" Hiei demanded.
"What?" Kurama asked as he lightly held his head, which was now throbbing in pain. "Who was who, Hiei? And how did you even manage to sneak up on me like that? I must be losing my touch…" He said the last part more to himself than anything else as he dusted himself off.
"The human female," he said again, growing impatient. Kurama quickly realized what was happening. Hiei was jealous. He suddenly wanted to laugh aloud. Instead, he sighed.
"How about we talk about this later when we get to my apartment…?" Kurama suggested, looking at Hiei. The only answer he received was Hiei moving out of the way so that Kurama could lead the way.
The walk to the apartment was short, but the silence made it seem long. The only way Kurama knew that Hiei was following him was the sound of his soft footsteps echoing a few feet behind him. They soon reached the apartment, and Kurama let them both in. Hiei walked in, looking cautiously at his surroundings. He turned around to wait for an explanation and found Kurama locking the door securely. Somehow, this act brought a flush to Hiei's face, but he ensured the fox did not notice.
"Give me just a minute, Hiei. Make yourself comfortable," Kurama said as he made his way through the living room and into another room. Hiei heard the sound of running water and, curious about what the fox was doing, he walked to where Kurama was. He saw Kurama taking a piece of cloth, putting it under the running water spout, and gently dabbing his forehead with it. When Kurama pulled the cloth away from his head, it was covered in blood. Hiei's breath caught in his throat. It wasn't just a small patch of blood on the cloth; the entire piece was covered. Hiei quickly looked into the reflection in front of Kurama and saw that the fox had also turned pale. Hiei swiftly left the post where he stood watching and scooped the surprised fox into his arms.
"H-Hiei! What are you…?!" Kurama asked with slight alarm.
"Shut it!" Hiei barked back at him. He quickly found the fox's bedroom and deposited him on the bed. "Stay there," Hiei commanded.
Kurama could only sit in stunned silence as he watched Hiei exit the room and approach the kitchen. After a few seconds, he heard pots and pans clanking together and making such a loud noise that it hurt his head worse. Kurama got up slowly. "Hiei! What are you doing? If you're looking for something, I could get it for you. Wait right there, and I'll…"
"I said stay there!" Hiei yelled back at Kurama. He spat out a string of nasty curses only known to the demon realm, causing Kurama to head back to his bed in fear and amusement of what might happen if he disobeyed Hiei's orders. Then, for a while, everything was silent. Kurama heard running water and more things being moved around. Hiei returned with a basin of warm water and some more cloth. He put the items on Kurama's nightstand, sat down at the edge of his bed, and gently pushed Kurama to lie down. Kurama could only stare in wonder as he watched Hiei dip the cloth into the warm water and then wring out the excess. Then Hiei turned to Kurama and gently cleaned the wound he had unknowingly inflicted. "Kurama, I- I didn't… I'm-" Hiei sputtered out.
"It's okay, Hiei. I know it wasn't your intention to hurt me," Kurama said. "Really, it's more my fault for letting it happen. I suppose I've become too complacent."
Hiei stared Kurama in the eyes as he continued to dab the wound. Then Hiei's gaze faltered for a second. With a slight blush, Hiei leaned in and brushed Kurama's lips lightly with his own. He then put his forehead on Kurama's, mindful of the wound. "I'm sorry…" Hiei said so quietly that even Kurama's delicate hearing could barely pick it up.
Hiei got up quickly, gathering up the basin of now red water and the cloth and leaving in a hurry. Kurama could only stare at Hiei's retreating back as he closed the door behind him. He heard some noise in the kitchen and then saw the lights go out from under the door. Kurama lightly placed his fingertips on his lips and waited for Hiei to return. After waiting for a while and having no results, he settled into bed, convinced that Hiei had gone, closing his eyes and floating into a deep, dreamless sleep. The bleeding had stopped.