WAITING FOR YOU

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Chapter 2

Waking the next morning, Kurama wasn’t surprised to find Hiei sitting in the bay window watching the sun rise. The fire demon had put pants on but his torso remained bare accept for where it was bandaged. Without turning from the window, Hiei growled. “It’s about time you woke up Fox. My bandages are falling off and I’m hungry.”

With a laugh, Kurama rose from the bed. “Well, you do know where both the first aid kit and the kitchen are Hiei so it’s your own fault if you’ve suffered by waiting for me.”

Kurama heard Hiei grunt as he went to the closet for clothes, before heading into the bathroom to shower and change. A few minutes later Kurama turned off the shower and pulled back the curtain only to gasp and whip the curtain closed again. On the other side he could hear Hiei laughing. “Hiei, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Hiei laughed harder when a wet arm reached through the shower curtain for a towel. A moment later that same arm came out again searching for another towel. With a smirk, Hiei moved the second towel out of reach. Only when the curtain parted to reveal wet red hair and furious green eyes did Hiei hand it over. “Relax Fox, I was just using the mirror to check my wounds since you said you wouldn’t do it.”

When the shower curtain finally opened, Hiei frowned. He’d expected to find one of the towels around Kurama’s waist but was surprised when the second one wasn’t around the long, wet, red hair. Instead it was draped over Kurama’s shoulders with a hand clutching it together across his chest. “Come on Kurama, modesty is one thing but you look like a damn female guarding her virginity.”

Green eyes flashed gold as Kurama’s free hand pointed at the door. “OUT! It’s rude to walk in on someone taking a shower! The closed door should have told you I wanted privacy! And for your information, I am not a virgin!”

Red eyes were wide in surprise as Hiei exited the bathroom. He jumped when the door slammed shut behind him. Not only was it unusual for Kurama to lose his temper, Hiei couldn’t remember the fox ever yelling at him before. Ignoring his unbandaged wounds, Hiei dressed and flitted out the window.

As he expected, when Kurama came out of the bathroom, Hiei was gone. Walking to the bay window he slowly gathered up the first aid supplies. With a sigh Kurama glanced out towards the trees and whispered sadly. “I’m sorry Hiei.”

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By the time Hiei was in Makai he regretted his hasty departure. He’d ignored Kurama’s right to privacy then laughed at him for being modest. Berating himself, Hiei realized the fox had every right to be angry at him. Kurama had never been anything but good to him and deserved to be treated better than that. He had work to do when he got back to Alaric but as soon as he could he’d take leave and go make things right with Kurama.

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Two weeks later Hiei headed up to his room wishing he’d just stayed in the Ningenkai. Never in his life had anything plagued him the way he and Kurama had parted did now. Day and night his mind was filled thoughts of Kurama. First and foremost he couldn’t seem to get the thought out of his head that Kurama had a lover. ‘How the hell didn’t I know he had a lover? Why didn’t he tell me?’

Hiei knew that in the past the Youko had had many lovers but somehow he knew that wasn’t what Kurama meant when he’d said he wasn’t a virgin. The part that confused him however was why it bothered him so much. Kurama was his friend, he should want him to have found someone and be happy. Why wasn’t he happy about it?

He’d also spent a lot of time thinking about Kurama’s behavior. He had finally managed put together a time frame for when Kurama had changed and become so modest. Thinking back to the night before they broke into Reikai to steal the artifacts, Hiei could clearly remember Kurama having showered, then drying his hair with one towel while wearing another around his waist.

As they made plans for the heist, the then fifteen year old redhead hadn’t hesitated to toss both towels in the hamper before walking naked to his dresser for a pair of pajama pants, leaving his torso bare. That was the last time Hiei remembered seeing the redhead in any state of undress. Since then he couldn’t remember Kurama taking so much as his shirt off in front of him.

After racking his brain, Hiei finally remembered the next time Kurama would have undressed in front of him. It was a few weeks later, right before they went to join Yusuke and Kuwabara at Maze Castle. It was the first time they’d been together since getting out of Reikai jail.

Though Kurama had welcomed him as always, he hadn’t been himself, in fact he had seemed almost nervous. Hiei had thought it was because Kurama had betrayed him and now they were being forced by Reikai to be partners again. He hadn’t paid any attention when Kurama had gone into the bathroom to change, nor had he cared when he wasn’t invited to spend the night like he usually was. By the time they got to Maze Castle two days later everything seemed to be back to normal.

Something had happened to Kurama in the weeks between the heist and the mission, he just had to figure out what. Hiei’s mind was reeling with possibilities. Suddenly, one horrible possibility crossed Hiei’s mind. What if Kurama didn’t have a lover? What if he’d had been raped? That might explain why he’d never had a girlfriend, or boyfriend. It would also explain his becoming so modest when previously he’d never been bothered by his own nudity. What other reason could there be for such a beautiful and intelligent creature to be alone?

Kurama had been alone with Yusuke more than once after the heist, could he have hurt the redhead? Hiei knew Kurama had negotiated their release with Koenma, maybe the Reikai lord had done something to him. There was also the fact that they had been imprisoned for several days before Kurama had been released. One of the guards could have hurt him while Hiei was unconscious on that first day or after Kurama had been taken from the cell while he’d been left behind.

Realizing he was finding more questions than answers, Hiei sighed in frustration. First thing in the morning he would tell Mukuro he was taking leave. He’d start in the Ningenkai and work his way up to Reikai if he had to but one way or another he was getting to the bottom of this. Someone had hurt Kurama and he wasn’t going to rest until he had someone to kill.

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In a cloud of dust, Kuwabara hit the dirt before rolling to his feet and charging his opponent. Yusuke took a swing at his advancing friend then turned in surprise when the taller man dodged the punch. “Damn Kuwa, you’re getting pretty good at that.”

Resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, Kuwabara laughed. “Maybe you’re just getting slow Urameshi.”

Grinning at each other, they would have gone at it again but an annoyed voice brought them up short. “You’re both idiots. Now cut it out and get in here Kazuma. The timer’s going off on the stove.”

Brushing himself off, Kuwabara sprinted past Shizuru on his way into the temple. “Hey Urameshi, you’d better be staying for dinner since I went to all the trouble of cooking it.”

Yusuke would have followed his friend inside but was stopped by Shizuru’s words. “After you see what Hiei wants, why don’t you see if he’s staying for dinner too.”

As Shizuru went inside, Yusuke turned to see Hiei jump down from a nearby tree. Wondering what the fire demon could want, Yusuke walked to where he waited at the edge of the forest. “Hey Buddy, what’s up?”

Yusuke couldn’t help but think Hiei looked more serious than usual as he regarded him. “I need some information Detective. After we stole the Reikai artifacts, you and Kurama were alone at the hospital. I want to know what transpired between you.”

Of all the things Yusuke expected Hiei to want to know, that would have been almost last on the list. “Damn Hiei, that was a long time ago. Let’s see, he took me to meet his mom, then we went up on the roof of the hospital. He made his wish on the mirror, I yelled at the mirror, there was a huge flash and then his mom was cured. After that I took him to Reikai where he was charged.”

Hiei watched Yusuke intently. “After our fight, what happened between you and Kurama when I was knocked out?”

In an attempt to lighten Hiei up, Yusuke couldn’t resist a little teasing. “You mean after you lost to me? Nothing happened between me and Kurama. He used your scarf to try and stop his wound from bleeding, then he went to you. He hauled you up against him with his free arm and Botan took you both to Reikai.”

Hiei frowned. “You mean you didn’t take us to Reikai?”

Yusuke shook his head. “Hell no. I picked Keiko up and carried her home. Hiei, what’s with all the questions about the past? I’m sure the jagon has told you that I’m telling the truth. Just what is it you’re looking for?”

Hiei wasn’t surprised to hear that Yusuke had been aware of him monitoring his aura with the jagon to see if he was telling the truth. When Hiei would have just walked away, Yusuke grabbed his arm. “Oh no you don’t Hiei. Obviously something’s wrong and it involves Kurama. He’s my friend too Hiei and if something happened to him I want to help.”

It was obvious that Yusuke wasn’t going to be put off easily. Hiei usually liked taking care of things himself, but decided it might be beneficial to confide in the detective. “I don’t really know what, if anything, happened Yusuke. Kurama’s been acting strange and I’ve pinpointed the time between us braking into Reikai and going to Maze Castle as when it started.”

Yusuke growled. “Something might have happened to Kurama over ten years ago and you’re just noticing now?”

Sighing, Hiei turned away. “I already know that I’m a selfish ass and that I should have known sooner. What matters is that I know now and I’m going to do whatever I can to make it right.”

Nodding, Yusuke frowned. “Hiei, does this have anything to do with Kurama being alone? I’ve been worried about that myself.”

Looking back at him, Hiei nodded. “I think it’s worse than that Yusuke. I think someone hurt him. I intend to find out who and make sure they pay.”

Hiei could almost feel Yusuke’s anger. “Count me in Hiei. What did Kurama say when you asked him about it?”

Shuffling his feet, Hiei didn’t meet Yusuke’s gaze. “I haven’t asked him. Kurama’s kind of mad at me right now. I… um… hit a nerve. That’s how I figured out as much as I have.”

Startled, Yusuke looked at Hiei amazed. “Kurama’s mad at you? Kurama’s never been mad at anyone, especially you Hiei. Are you sure?”

Hiei rolled his eyes and Yusuke snickered. “How do you know he was mad? Hiei, he never even raises his voice.”

When Hiei still didn’t look at him and remained silent Yusuke laughed. “He actually yelled at you? What the hell did you do to make Kurama of all people lose his cool enough to yell at you Hiei?”

When Hiei glared and growled at him Yusuke held up his hands in defeat. “Fine, so don’t tell me. Why don’t you tell me where you’re headed next then?”

Grateful for the change of subject, Hiei let Yusuke in on his plans. “I’m headed to Reikai to talk to Koenma. You took Kurama there to be charged, then he was imprisoned there with me for several days before negotiating his release.”

Yusuke looked skeptical. “Hiei, you can’t possibly think that binky sucking baby could have done anything to him. Koenma was still in his toddler form back then.”

Annoyed, Hiei growled. “If it wasn’t him then maybe someone else in the palace. I was unconscious when we first got there and was still locked up when he was released.”

Hearing Kuwabara bellow from the temple, Yusuke knew he had to go. “Let me know what you find out, then we’ll see what needs to be done next.”

Hiei would have flitted away but turned back. “Yusuke, I want you to make a trip to Makai. For some reason Kurama thinks you need some demon time and is planning to accompany you the next time you go. I’ll be at Kurama’s by tomorrow. If you set it up now we can all go back together. Though I doubt he’ll talk, that would give us a chance to try and get information out of him.”

With a grin, Yusuke nodded. “I’ll call him tonight. He’ll think the whole thing is his idea. Be careful Hiei and don’t hurt Koenma too much. He cares about Kurama too, I can’t see him hurting your fox.”

As Yusuke turned and headed towards the temple, Hiei frowned. Why the hell had Yusuke called Kurama his fox? Dismissing the comment, Hiei flitted away.

As Yusuke climbed the porch steps, Kuwabara came out the door. “Where the hell were you Urameshi? Dinner’s ready.”

Grabbing Kuwabara, Yusuke put him in a head lock and gave him a noogie. “Damn Kuwa, you sound like a house wife calling her man to dinner.”

Kuwabara struggled to get away until Shizuru’s voice interrupted them. “If you two want to make out, why don’t you get a room.”

Springing apart, both men looked away uncomfortable. Shizuru just smiled noticing that neither of them saw the other blush. Deciding to give them a break, she turned to go inside. “You two play around if you want, I’m hungry.”

Yusuke smiled when Kuwabara glanced at him before rushing after her. “Damn it Sis, why do you have to say shit like that? We were just messing around.”

Neither of the Kuwabara’s noticed Yusuke’s shoulders slump at the casual comment. Heaving a sigh, Yusuke went to join his friends.

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In Reikai Koenma sat at his desk doing his paperwork. Just when he was thinking he needed a distraction there was a loud commotion outside his door. He could hear Jorge’s annoyingly loud voice trying to deter someone from entering the office. “You can’t just barge in on him like this, Lord Koenma’s very busy right now.”

A moment later his office door crashed open to reveal that it was Hiei the ogre had been speaking to. Deciding it was useless to protest, Koenma held up a hand. “It’s alright Jorge, let him in. I could use the break anyways.”

As Hiei stepped forward, Jorge closed the doors. Curious as to the reason for the fire demon’s visit, Koenma indicated he should take a seat. “So Hiei, what brings you all the way up here?”

Declining the offered chair, Hiei moved forward, resting his hands on Koenma’s desk. “Tell me what happened when Kurama and I were arrested for stealing the Reikai artifacts.”

Koenma frowned. “That’s still a touchy subject around here Hiei. Exactly what information are you looking for?”

Annoyed, Hiei sighed. “Let’s start with what happened when Yusuke brought Kurama here to be charged.”

Deciding it was better to answer his questions, Koenma shrugged. “Not much actually. He waited in the outer office for a while we pinpointed your location so I could send Yusuke after you. After Yusuke left he came in and confessed to his involvement in the crime. When my monitor flashed that you and Yusuke were fighting, he offered to assist in you capture. Then he left.”

Hiei nodded. “Tell me what happened when he was released.”

Red eyes narrowed when Koenma hesitated. “I’m assuming you have a good reason for wanting this information Hiei. I don’t think Kurama ever wanted you to know the details of that conversation.”

Remembering Yusuke’s comment that Koenma cared for the redhead too, Hiei relented and answered. “Something happened to him back then. I think someone hurt him, and I intend to hurt them.”

Brown eyes widened in surprise. “Alright Hiei, since it’s in Kurama’s best interest, I’ll break his confidence. He appeared here before me, Botan and several other officials for judgment and punishment. As a human it made it hard for us to punish him since no human was harmed by his direct actions. His aiding in your capture spoke highly of his integrity so it was decided that he would serve his parole assisting the spirit detective when needed. You however were another matter.”

Hiei rolled his eyes but remained silent. “When we were finished with him, Kurama refused to leave. He insisted on knowing your fate. You attempted to take over the human world and zombify Keiko and several others. Your sentence was to be death. Kurama stood there a moment before he spoke. When he did his voice was calm and deadly cold as he told us that if you were harmed in any way, all of Reikai would feel his wrath.”

Startled, Hiei moved to take a seat as Koenma continued. “He told us that if you died, we would all die, and that if we attempted to imprison you, he would break you out. Then he calmly informed us that you would serve your parole with him helping Yusuke.”

Knowing Hiei had never heard any of this, Koenma gave him a moment to absorb everything. “That’s not all Hiei. We all knew that Kurama was very quickly regaining his demon powers and would very soon be able to fulfill those threats. In the end we gave him his way, with a few conditions. You were to be released into his custody and he was entirely responsible for your actions while you were in the Ningenkai. Any crimes you committed, he would be punished along side you. Lastly, if you killed a human, you would both be immediately sentenced to death.”

Jumping up, Hiei slammed his hands down on Koenma’s desk. “How the hell could you allow him to make a deal like that? Do you know how many times he and the others have kept me from killing one of those worthless humans? Now you’re telling me he would have died with me! You bastard!”

Koenma didn’t flinch as Hiei shouted at him, maintaining his composure as he fired back. “Hiei, do you really think I could have stopped him? He was determined to protect you at any cost. The only concession he gave was to allow us to keep you in jail for the next week or so it took him to get his mother out of the hospital and settled at home.”

Hiei was speechless for a moment before growling. “You’d better tell me those conditions ended with our parole.”

Sighing, Koenma nodded. “Yes Hiei, they did. Kurama is in no danger from Reikai unless he himself commits another crime. The same applies to you. Now is there anything else you want to know?”

Hiei shook his head. “Not unless you know what happened to Kurama.”

This time it was Koenma that shook his head. “Sorry Hiei, I wish I did. If there’s anything I can do to help though, just let me know. Kurama’s a good man, so I hope you’re wrong, but if your not, I’m here if either of you needs me.”

At first Hiei only grunted as he turned to leave, but at the door he paused. With Hiei’s back to him, Koenma could barely hear his quiet words. “Thank you Koenma.”

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It was late the next night before Hiei found himself in the forest near Kurama’s house. He’d spent the time trying to figure out why Kurama would risk his life for someone as insignificant as the forbidden child. After all the things he’d heard and thinking about nothing but Kurama for the past two weeks, Hiei realized he almost needed to see the fox.

Flitting up to the bedroom window, he wondered what kind of reception he would receive. Seeing the window was slightly ajar as usual, Hiei figured he must have been forgiven. Pushing it open, Hiei climbed in. A quick scan of the room showed him that Kurama was already in bed. Quietly he stripped off his clothes and pulled back the covers. As he lay down and pulled the sheet up there was a soft whisper beside him. “Hiei?”

Turning, Hiei whispered back. “Who else would it be Fox. Now go back to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Soft fingers reached out to touch his shoulder. “I’m glad you came Hiei. I wanted to apologize for snapping at you last time. I didn’t mean for you to leave, I just…”

In a rare show of affection Hiei reached out to stroke Kurama’s red hair as he cut him off. “Don’t apologize Kurama. It was my fault. I should have respected your privacy, and I shouldn’t have teased you. Now let’s get some sleep Fox.”

Hiei was surprised when Kurama seemed to lean into the caress. He held his breath as Kurama’s fingers slid off his shoulder and down to where his arm rested on the bed, but he didn’t remove them. “Good night Hiei.”

With Kurama still holding his arm, Hiei continued to stroke his hair as his friend fell asleep. Laying there, Hiei couldn’t remember either of them showing any kind of affection towards each other before. Deciding that giving the lonely fox a little attention wasn’t such a bad thing, Hiei fell asleep with his fingers still buried in Kurama’s hair.