Hikaru smiled as Yurei got up. Yurei had that silly, dazed face again. "Did you have a good sleep?"

Yurei smiled widely. "Hai." It was so great to wake up to Hikaru. Maybe he had a chance now - now that there were no more obstructions. He padded over to his friend and glanced at what he was cooking. It smelled good - one of the dishes that were both their favorite.

Hikaru grinned. "Remember this dish?"

"How could I forget?" Yurei said with a chuckle. "Remember the first time we tried to make it?"

"Yeah." Hikaru said with a sigh. He then looked at the sleeping forms of his two sons - Kajiko and Hiei. Kajiko - he was so glad to see him again, alive and well. Hiei, someone hard to figure out, someone untrusting and very angry. But he had every right to be. If only things could have been different.

Yurei followed Hikaru's gaze and smiled as well. Hikaru's sons - so beautiful like their father. If only...

Kajiko woke up next. He stood up and went near his father and his uncle. "Ohayo."

"Ohayo, Kaji-chan!" Yurei told him.

"Ojisan, don't call me '-chan'." Kajiko requested.

"Oh, but you are Kaji-chan. Always will be." Yurei insisted.

"Hn." Kajiko muttered. He then perked up as he smelled what was cooking. "You're cooking-?"

"Yeah." Hikaru answered with a smile.

"Kaji-chan, could you excuse your father and I for a moment? There's just something we have to talk about." Yurei then said.

"Sure." Kajiko answered.

The two elder fire demons walked not so far away.

"What are we going to talk about?" Hikaru asked in confusion.

Yurei was silent. What should he say? That he loved him? Would he even believe him? Also, would Hikaru even consider him?He knew Hikaru inside-out and knew for a fact that he had never been with a male before.

"Yurei?" Hikaru asked in concern. There was a tiny bit of panic in his friend's features.

"Hikaru, for years, since we have been so young..." Yurei hesitated. Was what he was doing right? He hoped so. "I've loved you since."

Hikaru's eyes widened and at that instant, Yurei knew what was next - rejection. He had always been rejected, though not knowingly.

"You...loved...me...then?" Hikaru asked.

Yurei hung his head. Pain was coming.

"If only I knew."

Yurei looked up in surprise.

"I loved you too."

"But Makoto." Yurei queried.

"I loved you before her but I was scared that you would reject me. Besides, I didn't want to risk our friendship." Hikaru explained.

Yurei smiled widely, feeling joy, feeling blessed, feeling so complete. "So could we love each other now?"

"Hn." Hikaru said in amusement. "Hai, koibito."

Then they kissed, sweet and sincere.

When they got back, Kajiko was already finshed with his meal. Hiei was still asleep.

"Kajiko." Hikaru then told his son. "Yurei isn't your uncle anymore."

Kajiko looked at his father in shock. Did he hear him correctly?

"He's now your other tousan."

A smile of amusement was then on Kajiko's face. "Hai, okay."

Then they heard a rustle of clothes. It was Hiei. Hiei was breathing rapidly, his head moving from one side to the other. He was clearly having a nightmare.

Immediately, Hikaru went by his side. "Hiei, wake up!"

Hiei gasped as he suddenly sat up. It had felt so real - hands on him, using him as their tool once again. He eyed the fire demon in front of him with a glare. "Get away from me, bastard!"

Hikaru sighed. What should he do to get Hiei to trust him?

Slowly, Hiei stood up and walked towards the lake. He could still smell their scent on his skin and it was terribly making him ill. He needed to cleanse himself.

"What did you dream about?" Kajiko asked in curiousity as he followed him. "The...incident yesterday?"

"No." Hiei answered. "A different one."

A different one? Had Hiei experienced those things before? Thankfully for Hiei, he shut up about it.

"What's he like?" Hiei suddenly asked. He was surprised himself why he had asked his newfound brother that question.

"Who?"

"Hikaru."

"You should call him 'Tousan'."

"He should have called me son the first time he saw me."

"But he didn't know about you then."

"Whatever."

A brief pause.

"You know, Hikaru and Yurei are now together." Kajiko said.

"So?"

Kajiko shook his head. Hiei was sure hard to please. Maybe he could tell him about the past and other things. "Have you ever heard of the legendary Youko Kurama?"

Hiei looked at Kajiko with interest. Kurama? Hn, this was interesting. "Hai."

"I know him." Kajiko declared with pride. "I've met him once. He looked imposing but he was my father's acquaintance so we were on good terms."

"Hn." Hiei said in amusement. "You'd be surprised if I told you that I know him pretty well."

"You?"

"He's a Reikai Tantei like me."

"How the hell would he be a Reikai Tantei?" Kajiko asked in wonder. "Youkos aren't supposed to be-"

"It's a long story." Hiei interrupted, suddenly not wanting to talk about the youko's job. Because it would lead back to him. "Hn, did you trust him?"

"Trust?" Kajiko asked. "No."

He was right. Kurama shouldn't be trusted.

"But that was because I didn't know him. You only trust a person if he really is a friend."

"How would you know if he was a friend?"

"You know." Kajiko said with a smile. When he saw the look of confusion on the young demon's face, he continued. "You trust people who trust you back. If they don't trust you then you don't trust them. It's a give and take situation. If he's willing to die for you-"

"Okay, I get the point." Hiei said, stopping near the lake. He kneeled down and scooped up some water.

Kajiko smiled. Hiei was better now. It even almost seemed as if the violence commited against Hiei yesterday had never even occured.

As Hiei went for another scoop, he stopped. On the back of his reflection...was...was Honshu!

"Missed me, little one?" Honshu asked with a smirk.

Hiei stood up immediately and saw that some guards were holding a squirming Kajiko. Then suddenly, he was made immobile.

"My, my." Honshu said in amusement. "Who is this?" He turned to Kajiko.

"Don't touch him!" Hikaru and Yurei both screamed in unision as both flitted to Honshu and his guards.

Immediately, Honshu made them immobile. "Of course, I wouldn't. I'm only interested in my little fire demon." He turned to Kajiko and made him immobile as well. Then he came by Hiei's side and touched his head.

Hiei couldn't flinch away from the touch. He felt something. "Damn you." he whispered before he succumbed to darkness, falling to the ground.

"Hikaru, had you accepted him yet?" Honshu asked in wonder as he easily picked up Hiei's limp form and ran his tongue on one side of Hiei's face.

"Don't touch him!" Hikaru snarled in anger.

Honshu smiled at that and in an instant, woke Hiei up. Hiei squirmed in his grasp but then he made him immobile again.

Hiei stood up at Honshu's silent command. He glared at the brown-eyed being with disdain and loath. He hated him - for doing what he did yesterday, for bringing him here, for causing him to meet his father, for inflicting new
scars.

Honshu waved a hand and the surroundings suddenly changed. They were indoors,  probably inside the castle once again...in a fighting arena?