"Man, this is good!" Yuusuke said. Actually, what he said was "Mmmpth...thsrsshhtht gsthtt..." But Kurama understood. They had been friends for long enough that Kurama could decipher what he meant.

"Arigato. I'm glad you like it. Hiei, do you want some more?" Hiei looked up from his bowl from which he was assiduously trying to pick up the last bit of rice. He nodded shyly. Hiei still hadn't gotten over his embarrassment over mistaking Kurama for a girl.

"Onegai..." Hiei held out his empty bowl. Kurama spooned rice and curry into it and handed it back.

Kuwabara let out a loud burp, startling Hiei into a laugh. "Boy that was good. Can I have some more? Please?" Kuwabara asked.

"Hey, you pig! That was your third helping! Leave me some, why doncha?" Yuusuke complained, apparently forgetting that he had eaten four helpings already and didn't seem inclined to stop anytime soon.

"There's plenty for everyone," Kurama announced calmly. "Stop fighting." He stood and picked up the empty serving bowls to refill. "I'll be right back." He left for the kitchen.

Hiei looked after the departing Kurama. Then, with a voice full of curiosity, he murmured aloud, "That is really strange..."

"He's not that weird. Sure, he looks like a girl, but Kurama is all man. If you get him angry, you'd better hide because he can kick ass." Kuwabara mumbled through his food.

"No. That wasn't what I meant." Hiei clarified. "I mean, when look at Kurama-kun, I see something else too." He wrinkled his brow, "I see..."

"What do you see, Hiei?" Yuusuke asked, his voice encouraging.

"Umn.... I see a tall man. But he isn't really a man. He's got silver hair and gold eyes. He's really pretty. But he has a fox tail and fox ears." Hiei shivered. "And his eyes are cold and mean. Not like Kurama-kun's eyes. His green eyes are so pretty. And he's nice." Yuusuke nodded, as if this confirmed something in his mind. "Do you see other things when you look at us?" Nodding to himself and to Kuwabara.

"Sometimes. Sometimes I get flashes of things. It's really weird. "

"Oh? Like what?" Kuwabara was curious. :Maybe this means that Hiei is getting some memories back...:

"Weird things like... Like Yuusuke-kun shooting light from his finger. And you have this big shiny fire sword thing. Sometimes I see another person too... He looks like me, but... I don't know." Hiei was frustrated, trying to explain a nebulous feeling. : How do I say that the other figure, who looks like me, _isn't_ me. Couldn't possibly be me? He had dragons. He was mean. And he didn't like Kuwabara-kun. That can't be me...:

Kuwabara looked concerned. "Oi, Urameshi. Stop grilling the kid, eh? He's gonna get a headache. And you might make his problem worse. You okay, Hiei?" Kuwabara surprised all of them when he rumpled Hiei's hair. Which of course did nothing to rearranged the spiky black mass.

Hiei looked up at his champion, and smiled gratefully. Kurama re-entered the room, carrying more food.

"Yes!" Yuusuke crowed with delight, jumping up to help the overburdened Kurama. "FOOD!!!"

Kurama rolled his eyes in exasperation, and turned to Hiei. "How's you head?"

"F-fine thank you." Hiei looked down on his bowl.

"Hiei," Kurama said quietly under the noise that Kuwabara and Yuusuke were making. "What's wrong? Why won't you look at me?"

"Umn...." Hiei couldn't explain it exactly. He had this strange feeling whenever he was around Kurama. It was this sense of awareness. Not entirely comforting, but not bad either. It was just strange. :weird...:

"Hiei..?" Kurama asked gently.

"Nothing is wrong, really." Hiei looked up into Kurama's gentle green eyes. "Really." Then the world spun, rocking dizzily on its' axis.

Hiei found himself looking through a mirror. He saw "not-him-yet-him" look at him with cold red eyes. Then "not-him" said something. But Hiei couldn't hear. The glass was too thick.

Hiei strained to read the words that not-him's mouth formed. Then, apparently disgusted with Hiei's incomprehension, "not-him" turned away. And Hiei was terrified that he had lost something very important with that slowly disappearing figure. Then he woke.

"Hiei? HIEI??! Wake up!" Kurama was holding him, supporting his body. Kuwabara had run in with a wet towel to sponge Hiei's face. Hiei blinked as the world steadied around him.

"Wha... What happened?" Hiei didn't feel like moving at the moment. He felt very strange. Sorta like how he felt after beating up spotty-boy. It was like something was trying to break free of his mind, but couldn't. :Well.... it's not like it couldn't. I don't want it to. I don't want it to break through...:

"You passed out. Your face would've landed in your curry, but Kurama grabbed you in time." Kuwabara looked shaken, yet trying to play it off. "You made this funny little growl, then your eyes rolled up in your head, then splat-city. You were gone."

Yuusuke looked at Hiei closely, seemed ready to say something, but decided not to. Kurama shot him a glance. "You know something, Yuusuke. And i want to know what.:

"Umn. I think I'm fine now. Please let me go." Hiei struggled into a sitting position, embarrased that Kuwabara had seen this unmanly display. :..how embarassing...:

Kurama tightened hishold for a second, then helped him up. Hiei looked up at his face and saw something that bothered him. Then, realizing that "the not-him feeling" in his head was clamoring, Hiei looked away towards the comforting face of Kuwabara. Hiei smiled shakily. "I'm fine now. Thank you." Kuwabara flushed and looked away from that hero-worshipping gaze.

Hiei missed the look of hurt that flashed through Kurama's face. Yuusuke didn't. :hmn. This could be a problem...: