Let's Fly as the Birds Do...
chapter 26
by Hikari
“Let’s Fly as the Birds Do…” Chapter of Love
8/31/01
By: Hikari
E-mail to: elvina99@hotmail.com
Notes: Contains adult content. Don’t read if you know you will be offended,
although I DO encourage you try. I will accept no flames for this chapter.
‘Love’ replaces chapter 26.
Music themes to chapter: “The Encounter” From Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
& “Memories of the Times” From the anime, Please Save My Earth &
“Woman Warrior” from Vampire Princess Miyu.
*****
“Well, YOU look worried…”
“Hn. Kudaran.”
Yusuke grinned. That was typical of
Hiei, when he was concerned denial was at its best. Kuwabara was growing tired
of waiting for their companion, thus allowing himself to sit on the forest floor
cross-legged and busying his hands with dead twigs and fallen leaves. Their
leader blinked at his friend, strapping his arms behind his head and yawning
with no shame. The fire demon stood as a statue, eyes closed and arms folded
over his chest. Kurama had been gone for more than three minutes past, and Hiei
was becoming uneasy with such timing. His partner was not one to take sweet time
in thievery, nor was he stupid enough to rush through his task and get in
trouble. Originally, Hiei had wanted to go down with him, in that chasm where
supposedly an underground ruin lay. Instead he found himself here, standing
among imbeciles who, the demon knew, were a lot more useful than they made
themselves out to be. If only Kurama hadn’t ordered him to stay behind. It had
been a long time since Hiei had stolen anything of worth, and there was a
burning desire within him to experience the thrill of thievery again. Alas, the
redhead knew Hiei would be needed on the surface- should the prospect something
wrong would occur and he would need Hiei to think quickly in order to fish him
out of the ground.
His boot kicked some of the debris on
the terrain, causing Yusuke and Kuwabara to look up from their daydreaming
state. Not only was he uneasy, but he was also bored as hell. Koenma had told
them that what they were after was so precious that should it fall to Reikai
hands, then for certain the fate of mankind would be preserved for the better.
The prince was quite vague with the details as to what this object actually was,
but from old legends and common folklore in the Makai, Hiei was able to piece
together the mystery.
An elixir- cased in blue crystal and
hidden in the underground tombs of the destroyed city called: “Ambrosia.” It
was named so because the city flourished with what theoretically was ‘food for
the Gods.’ Hiei scoffed at such romanticism. Surely, all great empires meet
their downfall once making themselves that kind of flamboyant name. Given the
title’s meaning, it was obvious ambrosia existed in the Greek Era of Ningenkai.
It made the demon wonder, for a time, just how related man and demon were. At
any rate, the city was lost in, what could have been, an earthquake. It sank
into Makai’s thick earth just as Atlantis sank into the deep ocean.
Locating the city was a conundrum in
itself. Of course, being one with the Jagan, it would only be natural that HE
would lead the team to where they needed to be. ‘Easier said than done.’
Hiei had said, rolling his eyes at Koenma’s simple proposal. The prince had
declared the fire youkai in charge of navigation- thinking that the third eye
would be enough to uncover an entire lost civilization. As you would expect, he
and Kurama knew otherwise. His accomplice was kind enough to offer him aid in
the research of Ambrosia. Weeks before the assignment, they were in the Reikai
archives- flipping through indexes and whatnot to get the information they
needed. It went to the extents of recovering old maps translating ancient
writings, and so on and so forth. The two hard nearly sacked out amongst the
pile of dusty books and manuscripts, when Kurama found an aged document
containing the entire blueprint to the city’s architecture. From there, Hiei
matched the buildings to their noted location thousands of years ago. With
exhausted eyes and wasted energy, they fell asleep together at one of the wooden
tables- books and scrolls creating a fortress for them to hide behind. It seemed
as though their problem was solved, when it dawned on them the city was STILL
submerged, and therefore, could not be found by appearance or location. At this,
they were stumped, until Kurama suggested the idea that perhaps Hiei could sill
locate Ambrosia by memorizing the architecture. Once they followed the
directions to the city’s location, he may use his third eye to detect the
ruins from above ground.
Problem solved.
The fruits of their labor waited
beneath. The elixir- able to cure whatever ailment or disease that existed.
Perhaps it was the medicine that deserved the esteemed name, NOT the city.
Hiei started fidgeting.
“I still say you’re worried…”
Yusuke monotoned.
He rewarded his comrade with
deafening silence. Worry? Why should he worry? Kurama knew how to take care of
himself… It wasn’t as though he would get lost, fall into some God forsaken
trap, be eaten by subterranean carnivores, slip and break something, run out of
light, get caught in between boulders, or be attacked by some unknown force. No-
nothing like THAT was going to happen…. Everything would be fine.
Hiei started pacing.
“I hate being forced to do
NOTHING…” the demon claimed. “It’s not like him to this long…”
“Maybe he lost his touch…”
Kuwabara offered, still sitting on the ground. “It must have been a while sine
he last did something like this…”
That was a possibility. Kurama
hadn’t stolen in sixteen years. Then again, the number was out-ratioed by
Kurama five HUNDRED years of thievery as the Youko. Hiei shook his head, being
logical. “No, you fool…. Kurama’s craft at such things is quite
untainted…”
Recently it was getting easier and easier to compliment his friend. In fact he
had been doing so from the start. On their first, and surprisingly, successful
mission, Kurama defeated one of the four beasts in style and grace. Hiei chided
himself now, realizing how much he actually displayed admiration in the redhead.
‘The thorns on his whip act as individual knives…’ he said without a
second thought. ‘How skilled he is! Watch as he manipulated his plants –
there is no question that he cannot be underestimated…’
Admiration. Him having admiration. That wasn’t the first time either. The
demon publicly admitted that he wanted to be as strong as his friend, when he
had transformed into the Youko in the battle against Ukaurashima. Hiei kicked
himself. All those times he slipped with his tongue…
A pebble rolled. Hiei looked down.
“…Kurama…?”
A hand exploded from the soil,
probing for something to pull the rest the body up with… it grabbed the little
youkai by the ankle.
“Nani?!” The fire demon fell on
his rear as he was abruptly being dragged to the crevice Kurama slipped through.
Yusuke and Kazuma were actually helpful, as they seized Hiei by the arms and
pulled in the opposite direction. Poor Hiei, he felt like a rubber band…
At last a patch of familiar red
appeared- slightly covered with dust, but nonetheless striking/ When Kurama had
come out all-together, they released Hiei, who was launched forward by the
force- causing him to collide with the other on the chest. His friend caught him
inside his arms, smiling mischievously.
“Why Hiei… Did you miss me?”
The smaller pushed him away
aggressively. “Hn! Baka! If you’re going to grab onto something, use a rock,
NOT me…”
“I don’t know, Hiei…” Yusuke
dared. “…Your body is pretty elasticky… Kinda like Gumby… You know?”
“Kisa-”
“Now, now…” Kurama soothed,
being the usual intermediary. He reached into his clothes and pulled something
out of his pocket- the crystal bottle. They hushed. “I found it inside one of
the tombs… It took a while to figure out how the stone wall opened, but…”
“You succeeded no less…”
Kuwabara finished. The redhead grinned.
“Not to brag…” For a moment, he
looked up to the skies. “It seems night is approaching…”
Yusuke sighed. “I guess we’re
gonna have to camp out then…”
“I sense a brook close by…”
Hiei perked up his ears. “I suppose I can bring fish…”
Half of the team was taken aback by
the shorter’s generous offer. Kurama only nodded.
“Mm… I can prepare the fire and
cooking…”
The other two looked back at Hiei,
who peered at them in his normal way.
“How much do you eat?” He asked.
“I’m sure to catch more than needed…”
“Uh… whatever you can carry is
fine…” said carrot top.
“Hn.”
Eyes back on Kurama.
“There are plants here I may use as
seasoning… We may clean some lean branches to use as the skewers…”
To Hiei.
“Yes… If, by chance, the catch is
poor, then I may resolve to the forest…”
On Kurama.
“Sounds like a plan…”
“You guys do this a lot, don’t
you?” Yusuke had one finger up in the air, thick eyebrows spasming curiously.
“Well… if you want to know how we
grew up in the Makai…” the redhead reminisced. “…This is it…”
*****
They made camp a distance from the
brook. Since it grew amazingly nippy a night, they decided to not settle too
close to the water source, and yet not too far to make it a nuisance for Hiei to
bring back food. In the water, Hiei had removed his black boots, cloak, and
scarf- sword ready at hand to pierce an unsuspecting victim. Holding onto the
hilt steadily, he aimed at some fish doddling around the shallow end among the
river stones.
‘BA-SHAA!’
Water went flying up in thin
transparent sheets, when it hit the ground- Hiei was revealed with four fat fish
struck straight through their midsections. He smiled conceitedly, and leaned his
sword against his bare shoulder on his path back to the others.
Kurama tended to the fire, while
Yusuke searched for more wood to burn, and Kuwabara… went to take a leak
behind some bush.
“That was fast…” He spoke.
Moving around the sticks to keep the fire from going out.
“No, that was EASY.” Hiei handed
over his sword. Kurama accepted it carefully- pulling out the fish and fastening
them onto a quickly made skewer. The demon sat on a nearby rock. “...Will it
be enough for them?”
To this question, his friend smirked
all-knowingly. “Concerned?”
Damn him. “No.” He retorted
shortly. “I despise their whining.”
Justification for kindness was his
forte, and Kurama knew it. “Oh…”
For a while they were quiet- nothing
making noise, save for the crackling of the warm fire and the hoots from owls
and singing crickets. All these usual things of a tranquil Makai. The natural
light was gone, now they had a blanket of stars and darkness to cover them.
Hiei’s white face was illuminated by the fires glow. Kurama glanced at his
solemn visage. Fine skin… smooth… The fire was trapped in his ruby irises…
The type of rubies they were… Pigeon’s Blood- most precious of its kind. His
lips were soft and small- hair weightless to the wind… the demon was
beautiful…
“Is something troubling you?”
“Hardly… I’m just wandering as
to how your venture went…”
“Quite dull…” Kurama replied
with what could have been an ejection of a sigh. “…You would have been
disappointed if you came with me…”
Rotating the fish on the skewer, he
added seasoning. “Why don’t you sit closer to me, Hiei? Tell me how crispy
you want your fish…”
Seeming to hesitate, the smaller
complied against his first judgment. He sat next to his friend, watching him
cook with skill. “Not burnt…” the demon said finally. “…I don’t like
the taste of char…”
Laughing lightly, Kurama handed him a
fish.
“Not that raw either…” Hiei
voiced flatly.
‘More spices then?”
“If you will…”
The demon’s attention was lost on
the cooking. Somehow his eyes crawled their way up to his friends dazzling
profile. How gentle he appeared… Deep green eyes- so elusive… Slender nose,
petite lips. Such a breathtaking face to look at- sly, foxy, but handsome as
well as pretty. Kurama was quite the looker.
“It’s not nice to stare…” His
friend said out of the blue. Hiei tore his eyes away, smiling funnily.
“…Hn…”
“This better be enough firewood!”
At the hollering, they looked up to
find Yusuke bumbling about the clearing with his arms full of dry branches and
sticks. Lazily, he tossed the unkempt bundle onto the ground. “Hey! That
smells good!” The boy closed his eyes to take pleasure in the aroma. “Oh,
man… When Keiko cooks fish, it smells like rotten squid!”
Kurama sweat dropped. “Make sure
not to say that if she’s ever around… Anyway, don’t give me all the
credit- it was Hiei who caught them… after all…”
It was at this instance the shorter
wished he hadn’t seated so close to him. Hiei felt awkward being seen shoulder
to shoulder with Kurama in front of Yusuke. He lowered his face. “Don’t
glorify anything simple…”
There was some rustling in the brush,
and Kuwabara tumbled out, leaves stuck in all places- from his hair to his
socks. His face and hands were bright red. The redhead’s jaw slipped down.
“Eh… Kuwabara-kun, what bush did
you use?”
Not stopping from scratching, he
pointed to one with glossy leaves that had arrowhead figures. Hiei rolled his
eyes. “You idiot…”
“What?!” He scratched more,
causing his skin to inflame. Kurama stood, raising his hands in caution.
“You really shouldn’t be
scratching yourself like that… The plant you were in… was Poison Sumac…”
“WHAT?!” additional scratching,
the poor young man went so far as to gnawing on his arms. “AHH! My teeth itch
too!”
Yusuke sat on a tumbled log and took
his meal. “Idiot is RIGHT…” Almost as a toast, he bit his fish, glanced at
Hiei, and winked.
The demon ate his own bit of food,
acknowledged the wink, and beamed evilly as Kurama tried to simmer Kuwabara down
and apply ointment on his skin.
‘You care too much…’ Hiei
thought. ‘Your food will be spoiled…’
*****
The fire died. They left it to burn
out while they lay to sleep. Kuwabara laid himself on the log, often rubbing his
back against the bark amidst his monstrous snoring to fight the itching. Yusuke
was snoozing with his arms tucked, evidently combating the cold by keeping his
circulation close and tight. The last pair leaned against their own boulders,
waiting for the sun to emerge.
“Thank you for brining me and
Kuwabara another fish…” Kurama whispered.
“I was anticipating the need for
it…” Hiei retorted quietly.
“…Sou…” A shadow rose, and
walked soundlessly to he fire youkai. Hiei moved to the side, making room for
the other to settle.
“Lean on my shoulder?” His friend
asked.
No answer, he did so. The other
leaned his own head against the little demon’s.
“I’m not tired…”
“Me too…” Kurama put an arm
around Hiei’s waist, he jerked, but later relaxed into it. “You don’t like
being touched…?”
“It’s entirely new to me…” He
disclosed.
“But I’ve held you before…”
“…Yes, but that doesn’t mean
I’m accustomed to it…”
From his waist, the redhead’s hand
searched for his friend’s- fingers independently enlacing together with his.
“You seem to take holding hands
well…”
Shutting his eyelids, Hiei
automatically squeezed Kurama’s entwined fingers. “It… feels good to
me…”
Towards the arrival of dawn, they
arose from each other’s arms before the other two would awaken themselves. If
they wanted to get home, in Ningenkai by at least the evening, then there would
be no time for breakfast. They must depart now. The journey to get to Ambrosia
took six hours, and it would take another six hours to reach the temporal gates
in order to pass through Reikai and the Gate of Judgment. The process of going
through these worlds would acquire another two hours. Kurama groaned. He
abhorred having make excuses to skip school and leave his mother all by her
lonesome at the house. There must be a quicker way to get back…
“Kurama, look!”
Hiei was huddled behind a bush,
peering through the foliage by means of a hole he created with both hands.
Gesturing for his friend to come next to him, Hiei increased he hole by moving
his arms either direction.
His partner crouched beside him, eyes
rather camouflaged by the lush leaves. There was a breeder of horses passing
through a trail in the thicket. The animals were plentiful, and strong by
appearance. All of them looked to be stallions meant for battle and chase. Some
were dark blue in coat, other black. A few were brown, and even fewer were
white. The rarer ones- gold and silver- were kept in the middle of the herd to
prevent them from theft or fleeing.
“He must be a seller to the bounty
hunters…” Hiei explained. “When I was young, I used to be chased by them,
and the hunters rode on such horses…”
Pausing bitterly, he forced himself
to continue. “These creatures are fast. I know because I was captured once,
but I managed to escape… There are about twenty or twenty-five stallions here.
It would not hurt to steal four of them…”
“And it would cut our traveling
time in half…” Kurama added. “But do Yusuke and Kuwabara know how to
ride?”
Hiei considered it. “Yusuke is a
fast learner… He will not be a problem… I don’t know what to say about the
fool, however…”
“He will have to go with the flow
then… From the pace this breeder is going, we should have no difficulty in
taking a few of his horses…”
“Hn… We will take the animals
from the rear of the herd…”
Kurama approved. “And quickly…
More likely than not, the horses will stir…”
“Since I have a sword, I will be
the first to go- to cut the ropes tied to the reins… The rest is up to you
three…”
Agreeing upon this, they returned to
camp to find Yusuke and he taller stretching groggily. Before they could say
anything, Kurama and Hiei were already pushing them in the direction of the path
from the thicket. Forcing the two boys to hide behind the brush, Hiei readied
himself to attack from he back end of the herd. When the trotting of hooves
milded, he leapt from the brush and landed on he back of the closest steed.
Funny as it was, by luck he wound up on a black one with a white diamond on its
forehead. The horse neighed and whined loudly, making the breeder stop from the
front. Hurriedly, Hiei withdrew his katana and snapped the ropes of the three
horses closest to him.
“Let’s go!” Kurama jumped out
from the bush, towing the oblivious with both hands by their wrists. They
blinked vigorously, and were swiftly swung onto the spines of two animals.
Because his brown steed reared, Yusuke reacted with instinct and immediately
gained control by holding onto the reins and squeezing with his legs. Carrot
top, on the other hand, came to rest on his blue horse backwards. Hiei had
predicted correctly.
The redhead cantered on his white
stallion, heading for the depths of the forest where Hiei was waiting visibly.
He looked back and found Yusuke trailing behind him with Kuwabara’s reins tied
onto Yusuke’s harness.
“Hurry! The breeder is bound to
follow!”
To his call, Yusuke kicked his horse
a tad by the heel, racing to meet with Kurama. Kuwabara held on securely with
one hand- the other palm blindfolding his eyes.
Once reaching Hiei, the fire demon
started his horse and led the way out of the woods as fast as his ride could
take him. He was glad that there was no saddle; extra weight would affect the
horse’s speed. The scenery blurred as he and his animal dashed forth- Hiei
ducking whenever needed to avoid being whipped in the face by looming branches.
Not far ahead, he observed there was a deep ravine just ready to trap an
imprudent passer byre. The demon kicked his horse to accelerate ten fold his
speed. Holding tightly onto the reins and putting trust into the animal- they
leapt over the deep rift. The horse’s legs were outstretched completely- its
tail propped high in the air- wind blowing the silky black strands as a thick
ribbon. As they were in the air, the gloss of the stallion’s coat shone in the
shattered light of the forest- lines of muscle carved all over. Reaching the
other side safely and with hard pound, he turned in time to see Kurama leap over
the inverted obstacle in a similar fashion… only HIS steed was white…
Kurama’s long dashing red hair flew lightly behind him along with his
horse’s shiny platinum mane- tail on horses rear propped up as well, elegant
and proud.
Going further into the wood, the demon slowed when he thought it safe. Kurama
rode next to him, face bright with exhilaration. Hiei smiled at him, and nearly
liberated a laugh upon seeing Yusuke exhausted, and Kuwabara thrashed with
branches and twig. There was even a bird s nest on the top of his head.
Trotting to the redhead, Yusuke took
him by the collar. “Don’t EVER make us do that again!! It may be normal for
YOU TWO, but we’re human and drive CARS!! That have PEDALS and STEERING
WHEELS!! NOT a mind of their own!! When we went over that DAMN RAVINE my horse
put on it’s BRAKES and Kuwabara’s HORSE slammed from behind me! DON’T EVER
MAKE US DO THAT AGAIN!!”
Pleasantly, Kurama chuckled.
“You’ll thank us later…”
Which was true. With the horses it
was a lot easier to climb and descend the mountains they went through. Rather
than going around the river, they went straight through it. The obstacles such
as boulders, logs, and rock were no longer a dilemma- they leapt right over
them. It was not long when they proceeded through the desert. Yusuke sighed to
himself. The horses were a God snd, and he had to pay gratitude towards the
ingenious thieves who came up with the idea.
The travel through the desert was the
longest. Even though the deserts expanse wasn’t large, the sun was merciless
and it only helped to amplify the slowness of time.
In addition, the scenery itself was
disheartening. Tumbleweeds were everywhere. The soil parched and cracked.
“Only a little further…” Kurama
said. “I estimate five or ten more minutes… we should reach the valley to
the Temporal Gates by then…”
RATTLING. Sharp intimidating
rattling. A three- headed snake with a tail resembling to a rattler was at feet
of Kurama’s horse. In fright, the animal neighed and reared far back. It
jumped and kicked powerfully, sending Kurama flying off its back and landing him
on the hard earth. Shaking his head in disorientation, his face later filled
with terror when the horse’s hooves came crashing down on him. ‘Watch
out!’ Yusuke cried, his voice sounding long in distance.
He moved, slid, but not under his own
will. He was SHOVED.
Time was even slower now. Hiei seemed
to be levitating over where Kurama used to be, then it happened. The
stallion’s hoof dug into Hiei’s side, the kick hurling him meters away.
Blood showered like rain, the marks of which leaving tracks to where the
smaller’s body hit.
“HIEI!!”
Scrambling up, Kurama ran and rolled
his friend over to his back. His eyes widened at the horror of blood completely
saturating his clothing, making his black cloak blacker. The demon’s mouth
trembled, one hand touching the cut on his side- under the fold of his right arm
and directly on top of his ribs, where nerves were most sensitive. Yusuke and
Kazuma dismounted their horses, sprinting towards them in panic.
“He’s bleeding PROFUSELY!”
Kurama cried, applying pressure to Hiei’s side. “We need help!”
Yusuke knelt down. “Hiei, can you
hear me?”
“Argh…” He winced and clutched
his ribs where Kurama’s hand was. “It’s … hard… to breathe…”
Taking Hiei’s sword, his friend
sliced where the source of bleeding was. There, he inserted two fingers.
Quietly, he gasped. The hoof stabbed roughly an inch into the demon’s flesh
and it tore to around four inches in length. He felt around. Good, at least
nothing was broken.
“We need to get him to a
hospital!” Kazuma affirmed, upset as well.
“We can’t! They’ll find his
Jagan!”
“Reikai, then!”
“The hospital in Reikai will take
forever to reach! I doubt even Botan could heal his wound!”
“He’s coming with me.”
They turned to the determined answer.
“It’s because of me he’s
injured, and it’s my duty as his friend and partner to make up for this…”
Ripping the legs of his pants, Kurama made a bandage around Hiei’s small
torso. It wasn’t much, but it would have to hold until he would take him to
his home.
“You sure of it?” Yusuke
inquired. Kurama gave a single bow of the head, taking Hiei into his arms.
“Trust me… I will not allow Hiei
to bleed to death from such stupid accident…”
“SHIT!”
Their heads flew to Kuwabara, who was
standing by an array of shattered blue crystal. Absently, Kurama felt around his
pocket… and swore.
“The elixir!” Yusuke shouted.
“FUCK!”
Looking away, Kurama focused on Hiei
who was cuddled up in his hold- one arm behind the shoulders, another beneath
the bent knees.
“…It’s all my fault…”
*****
A thin needle went in and out of
Hiei’s flesh, pulling surgical thread along with it. The demon’s eyes
twitched open from that peculiar sensation- vision blurred at first, but then
clearing to see…
“Kurama…”
Discovering he was awake, Kurama
smiled sadly and quickly finished his handy work by cutting the thread and
spreading peroxide with some cotton to disinfect. Through with that, he pulled
down Hiei’s tattered shirt.
“Good as new…” He joked dimly.
It was a bad cover up; the redhead almost shed tears at the saying of it.
Tranquility dropped on them. Kurama remained kneeling on the carpet by the bed,
fingers and hands drained from tedious nursing. Hiei watched him intently,
eyelids batting so slowly it seemed like he had no energy to even blink. “I
will… sleep on the floor, Hiei… For as long as you’re wounded, my bed is
yours…”
It took a while for Hiei to absorb
this. “You speak like a diplomat.” He half-snapped. “I hate it when you do
that…”
“You hate a LOT of things, Hiei…”
“But I DON’T hate YOU.”
His heart leapt to his throat. It was
like Hiei read his mind.
“If you think I would hate you for
this, then you still have to learn more about me…” the smaller went on.
“I’ve had much worse than this, and you KNOW it… Therefore, I won’t
allow you to punish yourself merely because I got you out of harm’s way…”
“Don’t put it so blandly… You
saved my life…”
“And wasn’t it you who said it is
the duty of a friend to do as such?”
Pause.
“Kurama, I’ve seen you bleed like
a carcass hung in a butchers mill… And I’ve never found the valor to help
you out of that blood… I was too blind- too perplexed with whatever friendship
is to know what to do. Now that I do this, you repay me by punishing yourself?
What kind of partnership is that, Kurama?”
“But you…”
“Could have died?” He lifted a
fine eyebrow. “Yes, I know… But I also know you could live through many
things… Experience is a cruel teacher…”
Gentle sound. Light Sobbing.
“Kurama…” The youkai softened,
reaching to touch his friend’s face. “Kurama… get off he damn floor…”
The redhead stood.
“Good, now get next to me… just
as before- like always…”
Order obeyed. Hiei twisted to look
toward him, wincing again, but giving effort to ignore the stinging. Some blood
smeared on the bed sheets as he moved.
“Hiei, I’m still sorry about
it…”
“Hn. You’re sorry about
meaningless things…”
“But it ISN’T meaningless… Hiei,
what you did for me… You hurt yourself!”
“Sshh…” He placed a finger on
Kurama’s lips. “I always hurt myself… If it’s for someone, at least it
has value…”
“You believe in that?”
An all-knowing smirk. “You TAUGHT
me that… Don’t be hypocritical by not practicing what you preach…”
Chuckling now, as the despondency had
vanished, the redhead countered the argument playfully. “I’m not a priest,
Hiei… But if I were- I would have you baptized…”
The demon snorted, crossing his arms
melodramatically. “And blind my third eye? Huh!”
The chuckling turned to light
laughing. “You deserve to be… You’re very selfless…”
Without force, Hiei punched him on
the shoulder. “You don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Yes, I do…” Kurama said
earnestly- glowing smile played upon his lips. “I know because I can see a bit
of myself in you…”
His eyebrows went up. “How do you
mean…?”
“Well… When I first looked at
you, I saw… Pain. I don’t know why, but I knew it was there… The way your
eyes would darken at thought of the past- I saw it when it seemed that no one
else could… And, I believe it was the same connection that went from you to
me…Wasn’t it, Hiei…?”
Musing over it, he closed his eyes
and bowed his head only slightly. “…Pain… Yes, I saw it too… As much as
you cherished your mother- you knew you could never have her the way other
children do… You were left so lonely because of this… just as…”
“Just as you could never have the
kind of relationship you desired with your sister… You could not have her as a
normal brother would… You may only watch from a distance because…”
“We live in different worlds… You
and your mother… me and my sister…”
“It was hard… No one knew
anything about us. No one knew how it felt to be so isolated while being mocked
with the fact we were surrounded by people everyday… No one could have
bothered to care, because no one knew- no one could ever comprehend-”
“-The kind of life we have led…
Fighting for the sake of living without a sole purpose to live, save for caring
for those who cannot return the gesture the way we wish it…”
“It hurts… It hurts so much to
not be able to touch anyone- not even our own flesh and blood…”
“…And yet we found one
another…”
Words ceased there.
Friends. They were friends. It was
out in the open now. Close, trusting, and dependable friends. When one was hurt,
the other healed. One spoke, the other listened. One needed counseling, the
other advised. One in heed, the other was there. One in pain, the other
comforted… Close, loving friends…
Was here any hope to be closer?
Hiei touched his face gently, pulling
away the curtains of red hair to see those big green eyes. Kurama smiled weakly,
allowing his eyelids to shut as the demon proceeded to stroke him along the
cheek with the back of his hand- lightly with his fingers and knuckles. Leaning
toward him in the bed, Hiei gave him a soft kiss. Thick lashes fluttering open,
the redhead’s smile strengthened when the smaller kissed him twice. And
again… And again…
“…Hiei…”
Kurama suddenly reclined to lie on
his back, while the other went over him. The redhead shuddered feeling Hiei’s
hands slowly undo the buttons of his shirt- it sliding from his perfect chest
smoothly. Bending over, Hiei kissed his now exposed skin and continued doing so
until his wet lips crept up Kurama’s neck and reunited with his mouth. The
next kiss, however, was different. It was yearning, searching, desiring… Their
lips slid open gradually, allowing each other to taste. Breaking away, Hiei sat
up with his legs straddled around Kurama’s torso. His breathing had escalated
dramatically…
“I don’t… understand what I’m
doing… I can’t help touching you…””
Equally jagged in breathing, Kurama
responded dazedly. “…You’re kissing me…”
Worry- concern drenched the demons
irises in dark colored blood. “Why…” he asked. “… are you letting me
do that…?”
For this, Kurama could only give one
answer: “Because… I feel the same way…”
Sitting up wit Hiei on his lap,
Kurama wrapped his arms around him- holding him more tightly than ever before.
Hiei closed his eyes, sensing the other’s cool hand slide under his torn shirt
and raise it up over his head. In short, but savory time, the black shirt found
its place on the carpeted floor. Hiei’s chin was rested upon his friend’s
bare shoulder, and he sighed deeply at Kurama’s subtle stroking along his
back. The demon shifted his head to kiss the other on the cheek… Kurama gave
him another in return.
Their lips wandered about, never
failing to serve affection on any part of skin. Someone, they descended onto the
bed- still entangled in each other’s amorous embrace. While having their lips
locked together, Hiei’s hands fingered at the knot of drawstring of Kurama’s
pants. He tugged and jerked with a hint of excitement, but did so carefully and
at leisure. When the knot had come undone, his hand groped all the way down
Kurama’s torso until finding the hem of the garments. He stopped, however, in
the process of pulling it down when they gasped for air in the middle of their
necking. No matter, they had all of tonight, and they would use every bit of it.
His pants made it off his legs, and
it fell to the right of he mattress delicately. Hiei drew his fingers to outline
every curve and detail of his friend’s body- almost memorizing him entirely by
the sense of touch. The redhead squirmed faintly, but with obvious delight that
made the demon grin peacefully. As the top part of Kurama’s body had already
been given much praise, Hiei sought to it that the bottom half would be treated
equally.
Hence, he started dragging his lips
down Kurama’s abdomen… and lower. As he did this, his tongue would be a
little naughty and it stole the chance to take kitten licks every now and then.
When Kurama quivered in surprise, he ceased doing this- subconsciously afraid to
disappoint him. Therefore, he went on with tickling kisses- light and sweet,
never selfish. Lower and lower he sank, until he met him there lovingly.
Kurama moaned.
Head immediately jerking up, his eyes
found his friend holding onto the sheets avidly, as if to restrain himself from
reacting with excessive passion. In regards to his face, he appeared thirsty,
but at the same time, quite contented. His cheeks… they had blushed.
“I’ve… never done this
before…” Hiei confessed. “Do you… want me to stop?”
The manner by which he spoke and
asked touched Kurama profoundly. His eyes began to well with hot water, but his
head shook faintly.
“No…” he replied airily.
“…Everything feels so light- so wonderful…”
To this, he caressed him there once
more, being braver and more daring with every stroke of lip and tongue. Artful
hands, belonging to Kurama, delved into the demon’s raven black hair- fingers
trapping themselves within the damp strands…
“…Hiei… Hiei please… let me
feel for you too…”
Obeying his words, he ceased and
hoisted himself over the other’s face. Kurama tapped at his cheek, thumbs
roaming all around and stopping at the ward covering Hiei’s jagan.
“You don’t need… to hide your
scars from me…”
With his fingertips, Kurama gingerly
removed it from Hiei’s forehead- revealing the third eye. Rising slightly, he
kissed it. Hiei gaped from the other’s action, a tear forming at the corner of
his eye and splashing on his friend’s cheek as it was released. Kurama
blinked.
“What’s wrong?”
The demon’s jaw quaked. “No one
has ever dared to touch me like that…” His face abruptly twisted in anguish.
“This new feeling I have… I don’t know what to think of it… I’ve seen
this sensation in the faces of other people… and they’re always bright and
filled with… with something I’m not sure of…” Clutching onto Kurama’s
shoulders, he seeked shelter in nestling within the crook of his friend’s
neck. “I feel cheated!” He cried, innumerable tears flooding out- some of
them transforming into pure and sparkling diamons, and others absorbing into the
blankets of Kurama’s flesh. “I feel cheated! Why is this only the first time
I’ve ever felt this way? …It’s not fair… I’ve lacked this emotion for
all my life, and now that I have it… I don’t know what to do with it…”
Kurama pressed him close to his body,
arms encircling the smaller and moving up and down in comforting massaging
motions. “…Daijoubu…” he whispered. “…You needn’t be afraid…
I’m right here, WITH you…”
He persisted in his consoling, and
the moment Hiei had calmed, he kissed him fervently by raising the other’s
chin with his fingers. One hand deftly commenced unbuckling the demon’s belts.
When they were unlatched, they were later pulled from their pants. Each belt
made a short ‘clink’ upon hitting the floor… and the pants… they came
off by themselves, landing on top of all four belts.
Their skin, bare and truthful now,
made contact no matter where they caressed one another. One of Kurama’s arms
draped around Hiei’s neck as they shared very close lips. They rolled in bed,
jolting from never being naked and so close together before. Now Kurama found
himself on top, thin sheets swathing about his long legs- completely entwined.
He was more than glad to please the other- for a change. With his irises focused
only on Hiei, his hands took the liberty of fondling. He too, wanted to learn
his friend for everything he was… and this meant physically as well…
“Kurama…”
“Hm…?”
Hiei’s entire body was shaking, it
didn’t understand the pleasure it was experiencing. “I…” He was
breathless. “I want us…”
“Yes?” His hands went lower-
stroking all the way which resulted in the other rubbing against his palm. Not
vacillating, Kurama lowered himself and his mouth, stroking Hiei with his
movements and finally sucking. He parted briefly to examine the stitches on
Hiei’s right side… and went up to it to kiss it… “If only I could make
this wound go away… Every time I look at it- this ugly scar, I see your body
flying through the air- blood coming out of you in waves…” Kurama choked on
his tears, suddenly hugging Hiei tightly from he waist. “…I’ve never been
so scared for anyone in my life- not even for my mother…” Those tears he
released rolled from his face and onto Hiei’s smooth stomach… Hiei felt it-
felt that small bit of hot water striking gently against his skin like the
raindrops of spring onto summer…
“Kurama… I need to see you- your
eyes, your face…”
He rose, and the other instantly
welcomed him in a hug. Kurama hugged back, smile on his visage widening to
never-before-seen lengths. Then, Hiei spoke: “Make me a promise…”
“…What’s that…?”
“…Never let me go… I’ve never
been held before… Not like this. The way you touched me everywhere, and kissed
me as I cried… How you stroked my lips with your fingers, and then embraced me
as we possessed each other. I’ve never felt this attached to anyone in my
life… If you dare to throw me away, I will never forgive you... Do you
promise?”
Kurama framed Hiei’s features with
his hands. “… A promise such as that does not need words… It has
tonight…”
All at once they began to move. It
was peculiar… having their most private and sacred parts touch... But the
feelings it sent them were indescribable. When they pushed or rubbed they would
gasp at the stinging- he heat building between them. Their legs had already
wrapped around one another- efforts to becoming as close to each other as
possible growing and growing. For some reason, they both started to shed tears
quietly- no sobs. The tears would burn down their cheeks, splash, and mingle
with each other- ultimately becoming one. But for them… they couldn’t get
that close… It was impossible…
“I-I want to be with you…”
Kurama panicked. They pushed still harder- to no avail.
“It’s cruel…” Hiei spilled.
“…This is the most we can offer one another…”
His friend tried to maintain the
bliss that was still there. “Hiei… If this is the most we will ever have…
let it be ours…”
They beated with each other
rhythmatically. Their skin had completely washed in perspiration, likewise their
hair – drenched all throughout. Their rhythm was slow… gentle… However it
rose in intensity, in intimacy… After a while it became doubtlessly painful-
yet they kept going. Rubbing, moving… hands exploring… touching the face…
touching the back… the far lower back… they blushed with shyness…exchanged
small smiles… Panths escaped their breaths- as did moans, cries, and each
other’s name. Hiei soaked up Kurama’s evocative breath as he kissed him
deeply- it scented of fine vanilla, cool and sweet. Kurama buried his nose in
the demons hair... inhaling the natural scent of cinnamon…
“Hi-Hiei…” Kurama tightened
their embrace.
His friend did the same- eyelids piercing each other agonizingly. “Kura-
uh!”
Suddenly it became a lot hotter than
could have ever imagined… It was not only hot, but wet…
The redhead blinked rapidly, trying
to make the stars he was seeing disappear. The smaller, in contrast, was
becoming limp in his arms. Loosening his grip, Kurama turned anxious. “Hiei…
daijoubu…?”
Feebly, he raised his head, eyelids
lifting in sync. The little demon smiled- some pink powdering his face.
“I’m… fine… I’m… happy…”
Kurama sighed in the relief of both kinds. His eyes then broadened at the most
stunning sight he’s ever witnessed… “Hiei… your smile…”
He blinked. “What about it…?”
“…It’s soft…no hurting beneath… it’s real…”
“Hn…” The shorter sat up
momentarily, to get the blanket. Once having it, Hiei tidied it as best he could
and rejoined Kurama’s lay- tugging the comforter over them both, but to be
more personal, he made sure to have one arm around Kurama’s hip.
“Thank you…”
He smirked. “No need for that…”
After this gap, they enjoyed gazing.
Red eyes met with green. Green with red. Although Hiei had his lover by the
waist, he- in turn- had Hiei by the shoulders.
“There’s something about your
face that I love…” Kurama whispered.
“Oh…?”
“Yes, I believe its familiarity…
And being so close to you like now makes me feel as though I can still delve
deeper into your breath…”
“Would you like that then…? For
us to breathe together?”
“Yes…”
Nodding, they sealed this with a
final kiss they fell asleep to- fingers and hands intertwined, never letting go.
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