"Was I supposed to?" the black-haired boy asked, confused.
The first two boys buried their faces in their hands.
"Yuusuke," the redhead started, pointing to the piece of paper in front of them. It was filled with the neatly written steps to an algebraic equation. "We just explained the entire thing. Didn't you learn anything?"
"Ch'," Yuusuke muttered, leaning back on his arms. "Only that math is just as dumb as it ever was."
"This is almost pointless," the blue-haired boy sighed, glancing at the redhead. "Shu was a faster learner than he is!"
That won him a dark glare from Yuusuke.
The redhead smiled grimly. "Don't lose hope in Yuusuke just yet, Touma."
"At this point, I'd make a wager on the side, Shuuichi," Touma replied with a laugh.
Shuuichi turned to Yuusuke again. "Do you want to pass this test or not?"
Yuusuke frowned. "Yes."
"You know you'll get held back if you don't."
The boy's brown eyes narrowed. "You've only told me at least four times in the past hour and a half, Ku...Shuuichi! Damn it, I'm trying, alright?!"
Touma blinked at the outburst. He glanced at Shuuichi. His friend was staring hard at Yuusuke. Finally, he turned his big green eyes away.
"Gomen ne, Yuusuke. I just don't want to see you get held back."
"Ch'," Yuusuke said, a little guiltily. "I know. Look, try explaining it to me again, okay? I'm not promising results though."
Shuuichi smiled at Touma who sweetly returned it. Together they began to explain the problem again.
The sun was starting to set as Touma and Shuuichi left Yuusuke's house. The autumn air was warm, sending brightly colored leaves dancing around them. The two began walking to Touma's home. Even though Shuuichi's house was closer to Yuusuke's, the boys took turns walking each other home. As they went, Touma slipped his hand into Shuuichi's. Shuuichi smiled.
"At least he finally learned somthing," he said cheerfully.
"I was afraid I had lost my touch," Touma mused with a mock-wounded look.
The redhead laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. It'll just take some time. Yuusuke's never been under this much pressure. I know he wants to pass, but he's slacked off so much, the reality's a real wake-up call."
"He's an interesting challenge though. Shu was a little more willing to cooperate and understand. He and Yuusuke are a lot alike."
"Don't let Yuusuke hear you say that! They hate each other!"
Touma laughed. For some of the walk, the pair was silent.
"Seen Hiei lately?" Touma suddenly asked.
Shuuichi's smiling face disappeared and Touma regretted asking the question.
"No, it's been a week."
Touma gave Shuuichi's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, he'll come back. He's probably taking care of something important."
Shuuichi wasn't convinced, but he smiled for Touma's benefit. "You're probably right."
They reached Touma's front porch and Shuuichi turned to face him.
"See you tomorrow," Touma said, waiting a moment before releasing Shuuichi's hand.
"Bright and early, ne?" Shuuichi teased.
"That'll be the day," Touma laughed. He leaned forward and kissed Shuuichi's cheek before turning to unlock the door. "Goodnight, Shuuichi."
The redhead smiled, his green eyes shining. he turned to go.
"Goodnight, Touma."
With that he headed home.
"Okay Urameshi, you want this spot, you're gonna hafta fight fer it!"
"Whenever you're ready, Huang! I hope the nurse is expectin' ya!" Yuusuke called to his opponent.
"Not in this lifetime!" Shu Rei Huang called back. "But I'm sure she'll have plenty of room for you and your little boys!"
Yuusuke growled an obscene response. He was flanked by Kuwabara and another of their gang. Shu was with two other boys that Yuusuke knew as Riyo and Seiji. They faced off, a scene that was familiar to just about everyone at their school.
"Yuusuke!" a high-pitched voice called into the crowd.
Yuusuke turned his attention away from the fight to see Keiko and Botan walking out onto the grassy field, searching him out. He scowled. Those two had the worst timing of anyone he'd ever known.
"What are you doing here?!" he demanded. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of a fight?!"
Keiko frowned and stomped right up to Yuusuke. She grabbed his ear so hard he winced. "You have no business fighting when you and Shuuichi should be studying!"
Shu burst into laughter and Yuusuke's cheeks went red. But he noticed that one of Huang's companions, Seiji, was quickly detaching himself from the other two to approach Botan. He bent in a gracious bow, taking her hand in his. He murmured something incoherant that Yuusuke immediately recognised as a pass. He glanced at Shu and smiled to see the boy become angry at Seiji. The one named Riyo was laughing uncontrollably and so was Kuwabara. At that moment, he noticed one of the deans stepping around the corner. He was aware that Keiko still had his ear and he smiled foolishly for her.
"You're right, Keiko. I should be studying right now. Just let me go and I'll go find Shuuichi, 'kay?"
She glared at him doubtfully before finally releasing his ear. He looked over at Shu, who was fuming, yelling for Seiji to leave Botan alone. She was giggling sweetly over Seiji's fawning, like most girls did.
"Next time, Huang!" Yuusuke called smugly. "If you can tear your lover boy away!"
With that, he turned away. Keiko went to go rescue Botan from the school's biggest flirt. He headed away from the field, not knowing where to go. He really didn't want to find Shuuichi yet. He and Touma were coming to his house again after school. He groaned, wishing, only for a moment, that he hadn't blown off his two years of high school. He wouldn't need those two bookworms if he had. But the fights...the power...the freedom of his chosen lifestyle...being a spiritual detective... It wasn't so bad. He only had to pass one test, and even though nothing Touma or Shuuichi tried to teach him made sense, he would pass it anyway. He was sure of it.
Kurama set his pencil down on his desk and leaned back in his chair. Now that his homework was done, he could move on to more important things...Like what? His nightlife had become pretty dull since Hiei had stopped coming. Not that the relationship he was hoping to create was all that physical yet, he enjoyed the youkai's presence. After being "Minamino Shuuichi" for an entire day, Hiei would come along at dark and remind him that he was still Kurama...a youko...a stupid fox. He wondered if it was because of him that Hiei had kept his distance. They hadn't had any fights before the fire demon disappeared, but Hiei was a tricky demon to figure out.
Kurama leaned forward, putting his elbows on his desk and cupping his chin in his palms. Touma had tried to get a lot closer to him in Hiei's absence. Kurama didn't mind, his heart was a big enough void to accomodate the affection Touma was so ready to give and still leave room for what he hoped to receive from Hiei. He returned his best friend's affection with as much enthusiasm, appreciative of the personal relationship they had. Touma was the only one he could confide in when it came to his feelings for Hiei. They were closer than anything Kurama had seen in friendship in all his years of life. He was deeply grateful, trying to think of ways to return the favor.
"Kurama."
The redhead blinked, his eyes becoming wide at the low voice that called him. He lifted his head and swiveled in his chair. He smiled to see the youkai he had so greatly missed.
"Hiei!" he said, not worrying that he was giving away his emotions easily.
The fire demon was perched in the window, sitting with one knee up, the other leg dangling inside his room. The ruby gaze was fixed on Kurama, his mouth set in a deep frown. Kurama got up from his chair to embrace Hiei. The other stayed stiff in his arms, not bothering to return the gesture. Kurama pulled back and studied him. There was worry in the demon's eyes and Kurama knew something was wrong.
"What is it?" he asked softly.
"Yukina."
Kurama's breath caught. In one instant, he was relieved that Touma was right about Hiei being away on "important business," but in the next, he regretted the selfish thought. Anything that involved Yukina was very serious to Hiei, and to mock it was to ask for death.
"Is she...?"
"She's very sick. Genkai told me she was close to dying when she came to the temple. Her condition has improved, but...she doesn't know if..." Hiei paused, and Kurama could hear the catch in the youkai's voice.
"Oh, Hiei," he murmured, sweeping him into his arms. This time, Hiei didn't refuse the gesture. He leaned against Kurama's chest, pressing him tightly to him. "I'm sorry. I know everything will be okay."
"No, you don't," Hiei muttered against his shirt. "You don't know everything, Fox. Don't even try to play an optimistic god."
Kurama pressed his lips together tightly. He wanted to cry for Hiei, but he knew the smaller demon wouldn't appreciate it. He settled for kissing the bandaged Jagan lightly, rubbing his palms against Hiei's back.
The demon pair wasn't sure what happened next. They were only aware of the blinding flash before everything went black.
Kurama groaned as he opened his eyes. His head hurt and the arm he was laying on had gone numb. His other arm was holding a still-unconscious Hiei to him. He glanced around him, shifting to free his pinned arm, trying hard not to jostle Hiei. They were still in his room, although a considerable amount of time had passed. His clock read twelve-thirty a.m. Gods, no wonder his arm was prickling with needles of sleep. They had been laying there for nearly four hours.
Kurama looked towards the window. It was wide open, the curtains tossing in the cool night wind. What had that strange light been? It was definitely strong, Kurama decided. He grabbed for any traces or remnants of the power, but came up only with the constant pulse of Hiei's ki.
Hiei. Kurama shifted so that he was sitting up, his free arm gaining enough feeling to cradle Hiei in his lap. He felt absolutely awful. He knew that the youkai was hurting at his sister's illness. Kurama knew what that was like. He had been an emotional wreck when Shiori had been sick. Kurama prayed for Yukina's health. It was the best he could do for his youkai. He looked down at Hiei. The fire demon's face was tender, innocent, his thin lips parted in a tiny "o." His breath was a deep whisper. Kurama smiled, brushing his fingers across Hiei's lips.
Deciding that the youkai was going nowhere for the night, Kurama got up, lifting Hiei with him. He carried him to his bed and tucked him under the covers. Kurama then turned to close the window, drawing the curtain so that he could change for bed. He did so, quickly, not wanting to leave Hiei alone for long. Once done, he slipped under the covers, sidling up beside Hiei. Yawning, he slid his arm around the fire demon's waist. Hiei groaned and shifted.
"Yukina...Kurama..." he murmured.
Kurama pulled him close. "Shhh. I'm here, Hiei." He pressed his lips against Hiei's neck. "Just sleep now."
Before long, the youkai's deep breathing resumed. Snuggling closer, Kurama was soon asleep as well.
Touma walked up Shuuichi's front porch and knocked on the door. He smiled to himself, knowing that his friend would be extremely surprised to see him on time.
Shiori Minamino opened the door, drying her hands on her apron.
"Ah, Touma," she greeted. "What a pleasant surprise to see your face this morning."
Touma grinned, understanding her meaning perfectly. "Where's Shuuichi?"
Shiori glanced over her shoulder. "I don't think he's up yet, dear. I was about to wake him up soon. Would you like to come in?"
"Thank you," Touma said politely, stepping inside.
"You're welcome to go ahead and get him up. The shock might be better if you greet him yourself." Shiori winked at him, indicating the stairs before returning to the kitchen.
Touma raised an eyebrow as he headed up the stairs. The tables had turned. For once, he was the early riser while his friend was still sleeping. He laughed softly to himself. He stopped in front of Shuuichi's door and knocked lightly. There was no response.
"Shuuichi," he said quietly as he turned the latch.
He peered inside. He had been in Shuuichi's room many times and knew where to look. There was a slowly rising and falling mass of blankets at the center of the bed. Touma smirked. Now he knew how he looked when Shuuichi came in to wake him school day after school day. Sprouts of bright red hair stuck out from between the blankets and pillows, glinting in the morning sunlight.
Grinning again, Touma approached the bed. Dreams of Shuuichi as his "sleeping beauty" came back as he got closer. Placing one knee on the bed, he closed his eyes to savor the moment he was about to make. Bending over, he gently pressed his lips to Shuuichi's warm cheek, reveling in the delicious feelings it stirred in his body. The boy under him stirred and Touma opened his eyes so he could see Shuuichi's reaction to his presence.
Instead, his gaze was met by a pair of startling ruby eyes. Touma sucked in an unsteady breath as he stared straight into Hiei's smirking face. Stricken with embarrassment, Touma got off the bed and backed away. He knew he was bright red and he didn't want to be seen like that. Even with that in mind, Touma found himself rooted to his spot, blinking in horror. He wished that he was anywhere but there as he saw Hiei wriggle up to look over Shuuichi's shoulder at him. He was still smirking, and Touma wished he had the guts to smack it right off Hiei's face.
Shuuichi stirred again and Touma heard him mumble Hiei's name. As the smaller boy looked down, Shuuichi reached for his face to kiss him. Hiei stopped him and pointed silently at Touma. Shuuichi rolled over to look at his friend, his cheeks becoming as red as Touma's.
"T...Touma..." Shuuichi faltered for something to say. "Are you early...or am I really late?"
Touma blinked, trying to force his cheeks to stop burning. The kiss was nothing unusual, Shuuichi wouldn't have minded. But Hiei...he had kissed Shuuichi in front of Hiei, knowing full well how his friend felt, unsure if the smaller boy returned the affection.
"Touma?" Shuuichi said, worriedly.
Touma snapped from his thoughts and looked at Shuuichi, avoiding those beautiful green eyes. "Actually, you're kind of late, Shuuichi."
Shuuichi looked shocked, then turned to check his clock.
"K'so!" he hissed, throwing back the covers.
They landed in a pile on Hiei and the two boys could hear him scowl underneath them.
"Gomen ne, Hiei!" Shuuichi quickly apologised. He unburied Hiei and kissed him quickly. He whispered something that made Hiei respond with a "Hn!" He then grabbed his uniform off of the chair and darted out of the room to go change down the hall. Touma met Hiei's eyes for a moment, sensing the mockery there, and went downstairs to wait for Shuuichi.
Kurama managed to make it through the school day, trying to keep his mind on his work instead of Hiei. He was absolutely thrilled that his youkai had returned and had every intention of making him feel welcome and try to take his mind off of Yukina's condition for awhile. It would be difficult, but Kurama was going to try very hard to keep Hiei's spirits up.
When the final bell rang, he grabbed his books and shoved them into his bag. He headed to meet Touma and Yuusuke at the usual spot under the school's old wysteria tree. Kurama thought about Touma on the way. He was sure that it was his friend and not Hiei that had kissed his cheek that morning. Although he hadn't seen who it was, he could easily distinguish between the fiery touch and the warm feather-brush. He wondered if Hiei had been aware of Touma's presence. He bit his lip, wondering how it would complicate things if he had been. He didn't dwell on it long as he approached the tree. His two friends waited for him, chatting about the events of the day.
"Hey, Shuuichi!" Yuusuke called, smiling at him.
Kurama returned the smile as they began walking. He silently praised Yuusuke for his efforts. He knew it wasn't easy to keep his youko identity from slipping, as the Reikai Tantei was more used to that name. Hiei didn't acknowledge his human name at all. Kurama sighed with minor relief that the youkai hadn't had the chance to use his real name that morning. It would have raised questions in Touma he wouldn't have felt like answering.
Before long, they reached Yuusuke's house and went through the usual ritual of picking up muffins and soda on the way to Yuusuke's room. There, they shut the door and began the two-hour task of teaching Yuusuke everything and he learning nothing. Well, not nothing. He would do fine in the literature and grammar portions, but his math needed a lot of work. Once more, the intellectual pair found themselves in a pointless explanation of algebra. Kurama was figuring one out in his head when he felt a familiar youki. He and Yuusuke looked up to see Hiei sitting on Yuusuke's window sill in much the same manner that he perched in Kurama's.
"Hiei!" Yuusuke said, more surprised than Kurama to see the youkai at his house. "What are you doing here?"
"Hn."
Hiei hopped from the window, not bothering to take off his coat or shoes. He knelt down at the low table the other boys were working on and took the paper that sat before Kurama. The youko blinked as he watched Hiei study the algebra. As far as he knew, the Hiei couldn't read more than simple sentences and math wouldn't be understood, much less an interest to the youkai. After another few moments, while Touma, Kurama, and Yuusuke stared in shock, Hiei set down the paper. He grabbed the nearest pencil and began scribbling a short, but nonetheless correct, solution. He made another little snort and shoved the finished problem in front of Yuusuke.
Yuusuke still regarded Hiei with the best look of shock he could muster. Kurama knew that he and Yuusuke had to be sharing similar thoughts about Hiei's strange behavior. Finally, he looked down at the work the fire demon had set before him. After studying it for a moment, something crossed his face that Kurama had been hoping to see when he and Touma first started this "mission." Understanding. Complete comprehension.
"I don't believe it!" Yuusuke beamed. "I understand this now!"
Kurama and Touma exchanged doubtful glances. Touma reached for the paper and checked his answer with Hiei's. The stormy blue eyes that looked back at Kurama were full of shock.
"He's...he's right. Hiei's answer is right. And it was done in a much simpler manner than I learned."
Yuusuke turned happily to thank Hiei, but the demon had already vanished.
Kurama watched Touma leave for his house as he unlocked the door. He knew his mother would still be at work and he would have some time alone with his youkai. Hiei's behavior that day had perplexed him and he wondered when the fire demon had become so knowledgeable, especially in a ningen academic subject. He pushed his way inside, dropping his bookbag on the couch. He looked forward to seeing Hiei and that thought made him climb the stairs quicker.
"Hiei, I'm home," Kurama announced cheerfully as he walked into his bedroom.
Hiei sat on the futon, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was stern, lips drawn in a tight frown. Kurama assumed he was just worried about Yukina. He put on his best smile and approached the youkai. Leaning down, he made a move to kiss Hiei's lips. His world exploded into colors and dizzying swirls of pain as Hiei's palm made a harsh crack across his cheek. Kurama lost his balance and fell to the floor on impact from the open-handed punch.
It took a moment for things to fall back into focus and Kurama sat up. He was glaring at Hiei, but it didn't matter because he was met with an even harsher glare. The ruby eyes were intense, furious for a reason Kurama was still in the dark about.
"Take it back, Kurama," Hiei growled, a menacing tone in his voice.
Kurama lost his glare in the confusion that flooded his features. "Take what back?"
Hiei sprang up from the futon, his arm pulled back for another hit. His fist was balled and Kurama knew that if this one connected as the first had, he would be taking a very painful nap. Kurama backed up, crouching on his toes, ready to jump if Hiei assaulted him again.
"I'm not playing games, Kurama," Hiei hissed, his patience slipping away with each passing second. "Take it back before I knock your fucking head off!"
Kurama flinched. Behind Hiei's obvious anger, he could hear the hurt in the youkai's voice. Whatever he had said, it wasn't settling very well with Hiei.
"I...I don't know what you're talking about, Hiei," he said, making his voice as gentle and honest-sounding as he could.
"Oh, you don't?" Hiei mocked viciously. "'Hiei, it'll be better for both of us if Yukina doesn't recover. Then there'll be nothing standing between us.' Ringing any bells yet, Fox?!"
Kurama bit his lip. Hiei was delusional. "Hiei, I never said anything like that! I care about Yukina just as much as you do! Why would you accuse me of saying something so insensitive?!"
Hiei scowled. "Maybe for the same reason you said it to begin with!" The youkai had lowered his hand in the transfer of words, but was now hauling back to hit again.
Kurama couldn't understand what Hiei was talking about, but he also couldn't let Hiei deck him for no reason. He jumped forward while Hiei was off his guard, pinning the fire demon to the floor, clutching the small wrists in one fist.
"Listen to me, Hiei. I would never say anything like that. You've known me too long to think I would. Besides, I wasn't here all day to even say something so horrible. Unless you're going to say that it was said while you were at Yuusuke's. Then I'd have to point out that there were two other people who would say I didn't make such a remark, so cool it!"
Hiei struggled beneath Kurama. "What the hell are you talking about, stupid fox? I never left this house the entire day. What's this about my being at Yuusuke's?"
Kurama froze and the slack in his grip allowed Hiei to slip free and perch on the futon. For a long time the two demons remained in a stare that was ridden with a nagging distrust and an even stronger longing to know the truth.
Touma unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt as he flopped on his bed to watch TV. It was a brand new episode of Fushigi Yuugi and he had finished his homework in record time to be able to watch it guilt-free. He almost regretted his enthusiasm as the show ended with Chiriko dead. Tears had fallen as the young boy met his death. He had been one of Touma's favourite characters. He sat up, wiping the tears off his face.
A knock came to his door.
"Yeah?"
"Yo, Touma, it's Shuuichi! You're mom said you'd still be up. Can I come in?"
"Sure," Touma replied, delighted that his friend had come to see him.
The door opened and Shuuichi stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and approached Touma with a worried look.
"Are you okay, Touma? You look like you were crying." Shuuichi reached out to touch Touma's cheeks, wiping away the tears that Touma had missed.
"Oh, it's nothing," Touma quickly assured him. "I was just watching a sad episode of anime."
"I see." Shuuichi nodded, then smiled at Touma, his green eyes bright.
Touma was about to ask what his friend had come for, but he didn't get the chance. Before he could even blink, Shuuichi had taken a hold of his shoulders, closing the distance between them. Their lips pressed together and Touma's heart nearly stopped. They had kissed before, but only tiny ones on the cheek. He had never truly been kissed by Shuuichi, but he wasn't going to complain. He closed his eyes, trying to hold on to every precious second of the kiss. After a moment, Shuuichi pulled away, still holding his shoulders tightly. Touma opened his eyes, ready for some kind of statement, some expression of his happiness.
Every last word caught in his throat, however, as he stared into eyes that were not the beautiful green he was used to. He found himself staring into small, narrow slivers of gold. A mop of the most beautiful silver hair framed a pale face and shoulders. Touma sucked in his breath at the sight of the strange man before him.
His eyes traveled over the twitching, delicate ears at the top of the man's head. A long, silver tail swished the air behind him. His mind was a jumble of possible explanations for his best friend becoming a...silver-haired...fox person. The most recurring thought was that he was hallucinating...he'd fallen asleep watching TV. But there was no way that his subconscious could have created the feelings that kiss had, no matter how distorted Shuuichi had become now.
"Shuuichi..." he murmured.
The new form before him smiled, a wicked smile that showed a pair of sharp fangs.
"No, Touma. Kurama. There is no Shuuichi."
Touma felt his stomach twist sickeningly. All coherant thought left his mind as he became aware of a movement by...Kurama's forehead. He gasped as a third eye opened from the marble-white flesh and glowed a bright green. At that moment an explosion of excruciating pain racked his body. Kurama covered Touma's scream with another kiss as the boy pushed against him. The Jagan glowed brighter and, soon, all movement beneath him ceased.
Kurama stood, looking down for a moment at the now-pale human sprawled across the bed. He was useless now. Kurama turned away, locking Touma's door, chuckling as the Jagan resealed itself. With a flash of silver, he was gone in a rush of displaced air.
