Adult-FanFiction.org : YuYu Hakusho

Compromised	By : Dementian Category: Yuyu Hakusho > Yaoi - Male/Male > Kurama/Kuwabara Views: 2033 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
It was not often that in his adulthood Kazuma felt like a child, but he certainly was having the feeling now with Yusuke before him badgering him to repeat information and Kurama watching him with a slightly sour expression as their portal glowed and swirled expectantly. For the past three days, Yusuke had ground into his brain every topic of demon world society that he felt Kazuma needed to know before heading there with Kurama. Normally, Yusuke admitted, he would have left Kurama to make the niceties and keep them from starting a third war, but Kurama was indisposed and Kazuma would have to do. Yusuke did not feel that Kazuma fully understood the complexities of demon world politics, and Kazuma had to agree. He didn't know demon world, had only been there once, and he'd certainly not interacted with other demons while he was there. He'd merely helped to defeat Sensui, ride on Puu's back, and returned home to a scrumptious double cheeseburger.
Now Kazuma had no idea how long he'd be staying in demon world, with a small pack slung over his shoulder and a communicator stored in his jean pocket. It was a plan B, and one that Kazuma prayed he wouldn't have to use while he was abroad. Despite his anxiety he was resolved to stay until Kurama was better, ready to return. Until Kurama said he wanted to go home, they would not be leaving... and Kazuma knew the difference between an actual eagerness to go home and an eagerness to avoid pain. Kurama would not be able to fool him into magically thinking he was better, not when his eyes were sunken in and his choppy hair stuck out at wild angles.
"Okay." Yusuke braced his hands before Kazuma. "Run by me one more time, all that I told you-"
Kazuma groaned aloud, bending his knees a little as he looked away. Dear God, Yusuke could be annoying.
"Goddamnit Urameshi!" Kazuma cursed. "I'm not gonna fuck it up-!"
"Dude, last time I was there, there was a huge demon war!" Yusuke reminded him for what was no doubt the twelfth time that day. "Mukuro was in the middle of it! Please do not invoke a fucking demon war and make me have to come back and deal with it-"
"Okay, okay-!" Kazuma parried him down, eager to have Yusuke shut up and feel content. "God, you're worse than my sister. Do you have Eikichi and-"
"We've got that fur ball," Yusuke assured him. Keiko smiled behind his shoulder, giving him the thumbs up. Frankly, Kazuma would not have entrusted Eikichi to Yusuke unless Keiko was involved... hopefully Keiko remembered Eikichi liked to eat white fish tuna as a treat. Kazuma felt a pang in his heart as he briefly thought about his cat.
"And the plant-!" Kazuma added warily, suddenly remembering about Kurama's mirror plant that was naturally looking glum what with Kurama being indisposed and not feeding it bits of ki.
"And the plant." Yusuke nodded; the mirror plant now sat on the third floor in their kitchen, where it would hopefully receive plenty of warm sunlight and food.
"And don't feed it table food!" Kazuma warned, for he had a feeling Yusuke was going to be giving the plant cool ranch Doritos and Hot Pockets every chance he got.
"I won't feed from the table!" Yusuke scowled, now suddenly under the spot light as Kazuma hassled him. "Either of them!" he added as Kazuma opened his mouth again.
"'Cause Kurama told me never to do that, so you can't either-"
"Are you done naggin' me?" Yusuke demanded angrily with his hands on his hips.
"Well are you done naggin' me?" Kazuma parried back, mimicking Yusuke's pose. Keiko watched the entire interaction with dulled interest.
"You know, this break is probably what both of you need," Keiko mused aloud.
Kurama looked at the portal, his ashen face even more ghostly in its pale blue light.
"This is ridiculous," Kurama whispered, his own bag hanging limply from his fingers.
"It's just a trip," Kazuma offered, hoping to give Kurama a positive edge before they got there... a high goal, to be sure. "You need a vacation."
"To demon world," Kurama finished wryly with a knowing look.
"Yeah!" Kazuma would not be dissuaded. They were going; he'd already made up his mind. Kurama could cry about it all he damn well wanted. "So you can... just..." He shook out his limbs as if he were a palm tree swaying in a gale force wind, "let your vines loose."
Yusuke snorted, but Kurama did not look amused.
"Come on." Kazuma extended his hand; Kurama took it on reflex alone. "Let's go visit Hiei."
"Say hello to the little fucker for me!" Yusuke joked. Kazuma and Kurama stepped forward towards the portal, now on the threshold together. "And?"
"And be respectful to Mukuro," Kazuma growled, hoping Yusuke was not going to detain them any further with more bullshit.
"Unless you got a damn death wish," Yusuke warned. "'Cause she can kill you very easily."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kazuma sneered. Mukuro was no doubt as short tempered and rude as Hiei; if they were in love they had to be similar. They'd probably be arguing within five seconds of seeing each other, but damnit Kazuma was determined to make this work if only for Kurama's sake. He'd just have to put up with both Hiei and Mukuro's bad attitudes while he was their guest. He was damn lucky they'd even agreed to let him come.
"You need me, you call me," Yusuke assured him. "Any time of day or night."
'I will," Kazuma said, patting his jean pocket where his communicator lay. "God damn," he cursed at Yusuke's nagging. "Goodbye!"
And with that, he stepped forward into the portal.
"Bye, man-"
"Bye, guys!" Keiko's voice sounded so very far away as they jumped.
For a moment, they were completely surrounded by white light. There was nothing, they were in a void, but the faint odor of rotting corpses was growing stronger by the minute and Kazuma's grip tightened around Kurama's hand as he saw a pin prick of bright crimson light flash before him. Suddenly the hole was widening, opening up like a gaping mouth, and with very little warning both of them were shot out of the other end of the portal to buckle against the ground of demon world.
The smell of rotting corpses was thick in the air, lighting flashed in the dry heat above them, and a hot wind blew across the black earth. Kazuma slowly staggered to his feet, helping Kurama up, his eyes roving about wildly as he tried to take in every detail.
"Holy shit!"
Kazuma was thrown completely off track upon seeing a truly massive metal... thing in front of him. It had ten pairs of legs, each as thick and wide as a house, with a strangely bug like shape to its body; it was enormous, like a small mountain before him, and it gleamed in the lighting of demon world's skies.
What on earth was that thing?
They were by a forest, or at least on the edge of one, and everywhere Kazuma looked he saw soldiers decked in hues of grey-blue, a strange steely armor upon each of their scaled, fury, or winged bodies. These men were all a part of the same unit, or at least they dressed like they were, but one or two stood out to Kazuma such as a man who was coming forward with a helmet on his face that utterly disguised his appearance beneath. He was tall, about Kazuma's height, but he was strong and clearly held some authority on the men around them who backed up as he walked past. A breast plate of whitest bone covered his strong chest, and a slit in his heavy mask showed two dark eyes peering down. His gray hair spilled out from around the straps of his mask, making him a truly bizarre character to Kazuma who had never seen someone so oddly dressed before. As the man walked up, he inclined his head to both of them.
"Welcome to demon world," the man said. "You're the pair Mukuro is expecting?"
"That's us," Kazuma said, glancing at Kurama for a minute who was watching the man dully. "Uh... Who are you?"
He just felt so damn out of place all of a sudden. He wondered if this man could take them to Mukuro or at least point the way.
"I am Kirin. Mukuro's former second in command." Kirin inclined his head ever so slightly again.
"Well, uh... hey." Kazuma didn't know whether he should shake this guy's hand or not. Did you shake hands with a demon when they greeted you? If only Yusuke had mentioned this in his rants! "I'm Kazuma Kuwabara, and this is-"
"Kurama," Kirin finished.
Kazuma looked over at Kurama and found him glaring at Kirin in such a way that Kazuma suddenly doubted they were strangers.
"I am aware of your names," Kirin said, not unkindly. "Follow me."
Kirin turned and began walking toward the metal behemoth that had so captured Kazuma's attention. Kazuma glanced once or twice at Kurama, realized that Kurama was not following, and grabbed Kurama's hand to pull him along after Kirin. Kurama was wary and tense, his eyes darting about as he took in each of the men who watched them pass, but no one said anything to them as they approached the under belly of the iron beast. Kazuma looked up over his head, utterly shocked at how large this contraption was. He wondered if it could move; it certainly seemed to be able to, what with its ten legs. How had it been built, and who had built it? The architect in him had a million questions. He wondered what its wiring system looked like and if it had any weaknesses.
"What is this thing?" Kazuma asked, unable to keep quiet as Kirin threw up a hand; a lift from the underbelly began to lower with the sound of deep metallic gears. Kazuma could now see that up inside there was some sort of open aired space, well lit and deep maroon in color. As the lift touched the ground, Kirin stepped on and silently gestured for Kazuma and Kurama to do the same. Kazuma stepped on, bracing Kurama a little as the lift began to rise again; it was unnerving, to go so very high into the air on such a small platform.
"This is the bug," Kirin explained, "Our roaming center of operation and where Mukuro resides."
"It's huge," Kazuma gushed. "How did she build this?"
She was probably an asshole, but damn Mukuro had an eye for architecture.
"Mukuro's connections are wide and deep. She has procured this beast through centuries of diligent discipline and intelligent contacts."
As the lift stopped, Kazuma looked around and beheld a wide cavernous hallway filled with remaining soldiers; one of them was at a control panel, no doubt used to activate the lift. Kirin paid them all very little mind as he stepped off and starting walking left down a large hallway. They followed, Kazuma still holding Kurama's hand to make sure he kept up. Kirin took powerful strides, and Kazuma wanted to make sure they didn't get left behind. Mukuro's bug was oddly lavish despite being bare. The walls looked like muscles ribbed and lined, with fires lighting the way overhead in deep hanging domes. Stairs lead up all around them, but Kirin took them all the way to the end of the hall where a seemingly bare wall greeted them. Kirin's touch, however, revealed a hidden door and a set of stairs. They went up, the door closing behind Kurama's back. Kazuma wondered how Kirin had activated the door, and why these stairs were hidden. He wondered where they were going, and who was waiting for them at the other end. Was he going to meet Mukuro today? Maybe they were just being taken to Hiei. God, it was all so damn confusing.
At the top of the stairs, they reached another hallway, but it was much quieter and only a few soldiers were here. None of them wore the gray uniforms, yet Kazuma could tell they were still in rank... after all, when Kirin past they stepped aside.
"So uh, does Hiei live here?" Kazuma asked.
"Unfortunately yes," Kirin ground out, sounding thoroughly annoyed by the name. Kazuma could not help but feel sorry for Kirin.
"Oh, he get on your nerves too?" Kazuma joked.
Kirin made a deep noise. "If there were a word for it, I would proclaim it before god like a prayer."
"I feel you man. I really do." Kazuma snorted. Kirin shot him a look, and Kazuma could tell he was smiling beneath his mask. Kirin seemed all right for a demon, a little odd in uniform but... all right. They reached the middle of the hall and stopped before a pair of large double doors.
"Behind these doors is the hall on which Mukuro resides," Kirin explained, gesturing to the doors. "You will find her at the end, waiting for you."
"... Thanks," Kazuma said, now feeling very apprehensive. He took the doorknob in hand and opened it to look around inside; it was disturbing. The walls were made of teeth, compact into tight little rows in macabre fashion. There was a rug beneath his feet, old and worn, and at the end of a short hall stood a pair of dark double doors... once again, they were alone. Kirin did not follow them down the hall.
"... This is disturbing," Kazuma murmured as he looked at the teeth and skulls.
"This is nothing," Kurama muttered back.
Kazuma felt incredibly nervous as they walked and stopped before the doors of Mukuro's room. Kazuma knew she would be mean, probably snide and shitty like Hiei... but he would hold it in. He would be civil, pleasant, and thank her for her hospitality. He would do it not because he hoped to become Mukuro's friend but because he truly wanted Kurama to get help from Hiei. If that meant dealing with this bionic bitch then...well... that was what he had to do. He was a man, after all. He would stand by his partner.
Kazuma reached out, took the door knob in hand, and pulled it open.
Inside lay a very large purple cloaked bed that was tilted so high up it could have been a chair or a throne. Upon it was a woman, crossed legged and reading a large aged document. A set of chairs and a shallow table were part of the bare furnishings of this room; a wardrobe stood on the far side, hiding a slim door that Kazuma could only just see. He was shocked to find Hiei in the room, though Kirin hadn't mentioned it. Hiei was by the bed, leaning against it and looking very sour indeed as he glared at Kazuma.
Clearly somebody was in a peachy mood to be pickled with.
Yet Kazuma could not look at Hiei, not when he could instead observe the woman upon the bed... a strange creature with a vivid roving white eye and a gentle grin upon her oddly pretty face. She had auburn hair, half of which was short and frayed against her burnt skull and the other half of which was down to her shoulders, thick and slightly curled at the end. Her one good eye was deep blue, almost purple, and it held an ancient wisdom in its depth that could not be denied even by a stranger. She wore rather odd clothing too, with a red sash about her waist and a purple vest with gold trim over her shoulders. The cybernetic lens that covered her roving eye was slightly see through, hidden only barely behind a scrap of deep cloth that tied a hearing piece to the side of her head. She was truly damaged, with a bionic arm that she laid casually over her chest.
Kazuma was speechless, but not in an unflattering way.
She didn't look... mean.
"Welcome to the bug," the woman said; her voice was deep and smooth, almost like Shizuru's but without the rasp of a smoker. "You must be Kuwabara."
"... Are you psychic, too?" Kazuma asked, gesturing over to Hiei who he knew had telepathic powers due to that weird third eye of his. Hiei let out a loud, angry scowl, throwing his hand up in the air irritably.
"Oh my GOD," Hiei spat, crossing his hands over his chest and looking away.
"... You're Mukuro," Kazuma continued on. Mukuro bowed her head once, a smile playing upon her face.
She seemed so calm so... relaxed. He'd been expecting someone with a temper, someone who had a sharp mouth and a knack for picking out their opponents weak spots... but.. Mukuro seemed pleasant. Relatively at ease, even.
"Uh... Hello," Kazuma said, still quite flabbergasted with this sudden change of tune in plans, "My name is-"
"Kuwabara," Mukuro repeated, her smile widening. Kazuma realized Mukuro had already addressed him. Damnit, now he was going to look like an idiot. God only knows what Hiei had said before he'd gotten there.
"Yes," Kazuma flustered, gesturing to Kurama. "This is Kurama, my partner. Kurama isn't feeling so great so I thought I'd take him here to get some R and R, you know?" Kazuma tried. Mukuro just smiled demurely. "He and Hiei are best friends, so-"
"What the fuck does this look like to you?" Hiei snarled from the corner. "A god damn bed and breakfast?"
"Hiei." Mukuro said his name, and Hiei seemed to be jilted back from his tirade of insults. He looked away with a dark scowl.
"Urameshi said there was a death, a rather prominent one." Mukuro spoke to Kurama now. "I am sorry."
She did not sound insincere.
Kurama swallowed, grinding his teeth a little before he spoke up for the first time.
"Thank you. For your hospitality."
Mukuro shrugged. "You're tired and I have a bed," she said. Hiei glared at this, as if wishing they didn't have a bed. Some best friend he was! It was starting to get on Kazuma's nerves, but Kazuma was determined not to let Hiei get to him as he focused on Mukuro instead. He couldn't believe this calm and even charming woman was dating Hiei. Did she not realize she could do better?
"Yeah, I mean, I know this is weird," Kazuma apologized. "I don't want to bother you guys or another-"
"No, no... don't fret," Mukuro waved it off with another simple smile. "There's more than enough room in the torture dungeons."
Kazuma did a double take, suddenly imagining them sleeping on a dirty cot in a pool of blood- but Hiei sneered loudly and he looked up to see him walking behind the bed. As he did so, Kazuma noticed his fingers trailed ever so gently across the length of Mukuro's shoulder, behind her neck, and then to the other side.
Kazuma would not be forgetting that detail; he had never seen Hiei touch someone in that way. Yet Mukuro didn't look about it, it seemed almost to be normal or even expected.
"Honestly," Hiei jeered, "are you so dense?"
"I'm not stupid," Kazuma growled, his teeth clenched. "I'm ... a little outnumbered."
This was, after all his first true trip into demon world. Hiei smirked, his hand still absently touching Mukuro's shoulder.
"Difficult to hold your own when Kurama's not holding your hand?" Hiei sneered.
"I'm gonna pound your fuckin' face in!" Kazuma snarled, his anger leaping up in a way that it hadn't done for quite some time. God, Hiei knew how to rub him raw! "You know that?!"
"You do realize I'll be pounding back?" Hiei observed his fingernails absently.
"Shut the fuck up, Hiei!" Kazuma roared, throwing an arm out wide in an attempt to face off with the runt. "I can take you on any day, any time, any place! Right now!" He pointed to the ground. "Right here, if you want!"
He stretched out a hand, testing for his spirit sword- god it felt good to let the energy pump into his palm again-! But a tinkling laugh came from Mukuro and Kazuma's energy was completely thrown off as he found her... happy at their squabble. She was smiling, beaming even, as she looked at the sour expression upon Hiei's face.
"You are a treasure indeed," she mused with a comical air. "I may just keep you around if only to rile Hiei up. I'm the only one brave enough to do it here, but I admire your spunk on the subject." She folded her arms over her chest.
...Were they... dating or not? Kazuma found it hard to believe that Mukuro was okay with him cussing Hiei out if they were dating.
Did she just not care?
But then, Kazuma remembered how Hiei had lain upon Yusuke's restaurant floor, broken and bloody, dying-... the memory left him suddenly very tense before this woman.
She didn't care if Hiei got hurt, and that did not set right with him.
"Hiei." Mukuro turned. Hiei looked at her, and she gestured to Kurama. Hiei scowled at her. She glared at him reproachfully.
"This is ridiculous," Hiei muttered underneath his breath.
"What is so ridiculous about me needing aid Hiei?" Kurama asked, weary from the bickering already.
"From me?" Hiei gestured to himself.
"Drop this pompous act," Kurama commanded. "I do not have the energy to spare for it. Who is it even for, Hiei? Mukuro or Kazuma?"
"You knew this was going to happen," Hiei growled, glaring now intensely at Kurama as if Kurama had inconvenienced him; such a thought made Kazuma see red. Dammit, he'd thought Hiei would help Kurama. But if this was all he was gonna do then-
"Why has it shocked you so much?" Hiei demanded. "You look ready to fall over."
Kurama just stared.
"... The fuck did you do to your hair?!" Hiei gestured harshly. "Did you lop it off with a sword or something?!"
Once again, Kurama just stared.
Hiei looked away, shaking his head. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, turning back to glare coolly at Kurama as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"There's a room down the hall. Take it or don't. I don't give a shit," Hiei growled. He headed for the door, brushing rudely past Kazuma and jerking the door open with some force.
"Hiei," Mukuro warned.
Hiei stopped, looked over his shoulder at her, then slipped out the door with a much more somber air. It closed again behind him. Suddenly they were alone with her, and Mukuro looked slightly less happy.
"He'll get your room ready," Mukuro assured them. "We have one that'll suffice. I usually have it around for diplomatic guests. I'm no longer a member of demon world politics but still people come to ask me for advice. The idiocy of it is staggering. They'd rather deprive themselves of oxygen than admit I care nothing for the state of affairs. With you taking the room, I can avoid their hassles and claim I'm entertaining you instead. I thank you for the excuse."
"We are ready made," Kazuma mumbled, still thinking about how Hiei had been so beaten upon that restaurant floor. Hiei had touched her, stood beside her, but she didn't seem to care if he stayed there or what he did when he left. Was that really love? Were they just... lusting after one another? Dammit, all of a sudden Kazuma felt like Hiei could do better. Hiei might have been an asshole, but he deserved someone who would care for him and love him, not beat him up and leave him to die.
No one deserved that.
"Urameshi told me that you shared a life in human world," Mukuro said. "Once again, I thank you for the entertainment since Hiei is utterly spited by it. I'll have much fun calming him down." She smiled again, even chuckling a little.
Kazuma found none of it funny.
"He needs to shut the fuck up," Kazuma grumbled.
"Leave that to me." Mukuro laughed with dark intent. "Hiei knows better than to rile me up."
Kazuma did a double take, looking back at Mukuro with great alarm. That hard edge in her voice, so clearly insidious, unnerved him greatly.
It alluded to pain, should Hiei ever cross her temper.
"He loves you," Kazuma said. "Why would you say something like that?"
Mukuro was shocked, and suddenly a very tense silence fell upon them. Kurama grabbed his elbow, leaning into his ear.
"Be careful what you say." he whispered softly.
Kazuma suddenly felt very uneasy in Mukuro's presence and wanted Hiei back. Thank god, Hiei appeared, as if called forth from Kazuma's need alone. Entering the room, Hiei glared at them before coming to stand beside Mukuro again and refolding his arms.
"Make yourselves comfortable... fourth door on the right." Mukuro tried for a smile but Kazuma did not share in it, despite her easy air, he no longer found her charming. He almost found her frightening, to know that she could turn from being so calm to a killer. He would honestly prefer someone like Hiei, who raged in the open and the clear. "Why not rest and relax? It is a hassle to travel through portals, I feel. Hiei and I work on the upper terrace. Should you ever go searching for us, you will find us there."
Kazuma nodded, noticing Kurama was turning to leave, but as he touched the door knob, he stopped.
He stopped, and he remembered.
Hiei had been nearly dead in his arms, broken like a twig, and his ashen face had been utterly wrought with pain upon waking... not entirely the physical kind.
"I'm not enough!"
Hiei's words haunted Kazuma. He turned around, looked at Hiei... saw him skulking by Mukuro's bed. Did he honestly feel that he was not enough? That he was not worthy of love or affection from another unless pain was involved. The thought sickened him.
"Before I leave," Kazuma said, looking up at Mukuro, "I have something I need to say to you."
"Kazuma-" Kurama grabbed his elbow, but Kazuma did not stop.
He could not stop; not when he knew he was right and it needed to be said.
"You don't hit what you love," Kazuma said, Mukuro was immediately taken aback. "It isn't right to beat up the person you're in love with-"
Hiei let out a noise like an animal, whirling about with piercing red eyes on Kazuma.
"Have you lost your goddamn mind?" Hiei snarled.
"Thank you for the insight," Mukuro replied, that casual smile still upon her lips. Kazuma shook his head; she didn't seem to understand, or maybe she just didn't care. Either way he wasn't finished.
"What you did that day was wrong!" Kazuma continued. "Hiei may be a jerk but he doesn't deserve to get beat up by the person he's in love with; I know it's probably really difficult to deal with him when he's got an attitude- trust me I know-!" Kazuma snorted; Hiei was still snarling, "But you can't use that as an excuse to hurt him, not when he loves you-!"
"Get out!" Hiei roared. "Get out now or I'll kill you!"
Mukuro carried right on with their conversation, unperturbed by her lover's violent rage.
"I confess I lost my temper that day," Mukuro said. Kazuma could feel Kurama's grip numbingly tight upon his elbow. "It is a rare event, I assure you."
"When he arrived to us, he was nearly dead-!" Kazuma began, "I cradled him in my arms, his body felt like it was snapped in two-!"
"All for his pride," Mukuro assured him. "Had he returned to me, given that I was only a half a mile away, he would not have been so grievously injured-"
"You-" Hiei frothed and foamed, pacing back and forth as he spat out venomous words, "You dare to assume that you can speak on such matters!?"
"Well you guys are in love, right?!" Kazuma demanded. Hiei paled, looking up at Kazuma with such an expression that Kazuma felt certain a fight was about to break out. Reckless and proud, he poured through: "Why is it such a problem to say that out loud? Why are you pretending you don't love her when you do? You need to be more open about it, it's not like someone's gonna hurt you-!"
Those words seemed to trigger a wild animalistic response in Hiei. He lunged forward, sword whipped up, but even as he made to rush Kazuma, Mukuro reached and grabbed him deftly by the arm yanking him back to the bed. Hiei nearly fell onto it, seething with rage, but he did not move to strike Kazuma twice.
It was odd. Both Mukuro and Kurama were holding them by their elbows.
"I can see why you make him so uncomfortable." Mukuro smirked, glancing down at Hiei. Was it Kazuma's imagination, or was Mukuro stroking the inside of Hiei's elbow with her thumb in an almost soothing manner. "You aren't afraid to show you care. He despises that."
Hiei jerked his elbow hard out of Mukuro's grip and sheathed his sword. He stormed back over the door, not touching Kazuma as he made to wrench it open-
"Hiei..." Mukuro called out. Once again, Hiei stopped. So close to him, Kazuma could see the fine sweat upon Hiei's bandaged brow, could see the muscle jumping in his jaw. Hiei looked almost... afraid. "Come back here; I want to talk with you some more."
Hiei looked at Kazuma. Those eyes were murderous, so full of rage; Kazuma took an instinctual step back, blocking Hiei's path to Kurama in case Hiei whipped out that sword again.
But he didn't.
Hiei let the door stay open, and suddenly Kazuma was being pulled through it by Kurama who seemed quite eager to get them away from Mukuro before Kazuma could say anything else.
Kazuma still had no idea what to make of that parting comment "You aren't afraid to show you care. He despises that-"
Why was Hiei so afraid to show he cared? What honest good did it do him to lie all the time? Hiei closed the door to Mukuro's room in Kazuma's face, and though the barrier was firm he could still hear the snarling coming from the other side.
"If you think for one god damn minute-"
"Shut up, Hiei. You're fooling no one."
"You're speaking out of your ass, and it's starting to piss me off-!"
"Why did you ignore him, Hiei? You had every opportunity to express your condolences but you-"
Kurama was pulling him away, down the hall. Even as they walked, they could still hear the faint echoes of the shouting. Kurama took them four doors down on the right, and he opened the room to find it small but comfortable with a good sized bed and a trunk at the end of it. It seemed relatively nice, with a bed almost like Mukuro's. Or had it been a chair? Kazuma still wasn't sure. It was a weird ass chair if that's what it was.
Kurama closed the door as soon as Kazuma was over the threshold, leaning against it and rubbing his face with his hands. He looked utterly exhausted.
"Kazuma..." Kurama murmured warningly into his palms before dropping his hands and looking at him.
They were about to have a fight, Kazuma could tell, but god, he wished they weren't. Not when Kurama was so weak already and Kazuma had just been trying to do the right thing-!
"I agree with your words," Kurama said, giving him a warning look. "But if you love Hiei as a teammate and a friend... do not ever say them to Mukuro again. They are private people. Their love is likewise just as hidden, and I know for a fact that Hiei is terrified of admitting his love for her openly."
"But why?" Kazuma demanded. Kurama groaned, looking away.
"Imagine every time you said the phrase 'I love you', that person died," Kurama replied. Kazuma waited, unnerved by the very concept. "After a while, you'd stop saying it. Wouldn't you?"
"I mean... I don't see how the two are connected-"
"Well, they are," Kurama growled. "In demon world, they are. There is a lot to lose when you play your hand so openly. Especially when you are dealing with love."
Kurama sighed and looked away again, rubbing his eyes.
Kazuma could not help but agree.
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