He leaned forward. "Kaasan," he said quietly, "I need to tell you something." Shiori turned to look at him, a slight frown on her face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned. He shook his head.

"Not really," he said, "but I'd like you to sit down." She sat down across from him, regarding him solemnly. He looked into her eyes, could not help but smile; she had always loved him, had never given him reason to doubt it. She had taught him -- him-Kurama and him-Shuuichi -- to return her love, and to extend that love to others.

Part of love was honesty; and he had deceived her long enough.

"Kaasan," he said, frowning down at his hands on the table. "I --there's -- someone." He looked up at her through his hair. Shiori smiled, her eyes brightening. Kurama looked at his hands. Shiori said nothing. "Don't you -- want to know who it is?"

"Of course I do," she said softly, "but only if you want to tell me."

"It's Hiei," he blurted, and tensed, waiting for her reaction, eyes on his clasped fingers. Shiori was silent for several minutes.

"Yokatta wa ne, Shuuichi," she said. He looked up again. She was still smiling, her eyes still sparkling.

"You're happy for me?" he repeated. "That's it?"

"What did you think I would say?" she wondered.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head, watching her. "I guess...I guess I thought you'd be upset. 'Cos he's a boy."

"I never thought it was worth being upset over," she shrugged. He blinked, frowning.

"You mean, you _knew_?"

"I suspected," she nodded. His head spun a little. He'd done his best to keep it secret, had never been affectionate with Hiei in front of her.

"How?" he asked finally. Shiori laughed gently.

"Shuuichi," she said, "you've always been -- different. Special. I knew the day you were born that you were never meant to fit into any moulds. You're almost twenty and you're a beautiful young man, but you've never had a girlfriend. All of a sudden you were walking around the house with a smile in your eyes and I knew you were in love, but you never told me about any girls. So I assumed, then, that -- that it was a boy." Her cheeks turned pink. "I didn't know it was Hiei-kun, though." Kurama grinned at her.

"You're not mad?"

"Do you love him?" she wondered.

"Hai," he nodded emphatically.

"Does he love you?"

"Hai!"

"Then of course I'm not angry," she replied. "If you're happy then it's none of my business." She smiled sweetly and stood up, returning to the stove. "Now eat your breakfast and don't be late for work."

He looked at the time, started, and began to eat quickly. When he had done, he jumped up from the table, moved to where Shiori stood by the counter, and wrapped his arms around her middle, hugging her tightly. "Shuuichi," she laughed, patting his hands. "Run off to work. If you see him today, invite him home for supper tonight."

"Hai, 'kaasan," he said, letting her go and racing out the door. "Arigatou!"

"Reikaze-sama," he said, dropping to one knee and lowering his head. "We've found him."

"In the Ningenkai?"

"Sou."

"As I thought. Is he well?"

"Hai."

"Good. And has he -- taken another lover?"

"He has." She was silent a moment.

"Damn," she muttered finally. "Damn!" He remained silent, waiting for her command. "Go," she said. "I need to be alone."

"Hai, Reikaze-sama." He stood up and left.

When he had gone, she put her chin on one hand and stared into middle distance, lost in thought for some time.

"You can't hide from me anymore," she murmured softly.

At lunch he met Hiei on the roof of a nearby office building, as usual. They sat with their backs against the railing, and Kurama shared his lunch, though Hiei only nibbled out of what in another person would have been deemed politeness.

"I told her," Kurama said, immediately stuffing his mouth so he wouldn't have to speak again immediately. Hiei watched him a moment, waiting for him to chew and swallow.

"Told who what?" he spoke quietly.

Kurama took a deep breath.

"My mother. About us."

"Ah."

"That's pretty much how she reacted, too."

"Hn."

"She wants you to come for supper tonight."

"Do I have to?"

"I'd like you to." Kurama flashed his most persuasive smile. Hiei eyed him impassively.

"Who else is coming?"

"No one," Kurama laughed. "My stepfather's out of town on business, and Shuuichi-kun is having exams at his school so he won't be home, either. Just you and your manners." Hiei raised a fine eyebrow. "No, I_don't_ trust you to be on your best behaviour."

"Why not?" Hiei wondered, looking as innocent as he could. Kurama slid his fingers beneath Hiei's thigh, tickling behind his knee, making him yelp and jump away.

"Because you're rarely on your best behaviour, that's why not."

"I'll behave," Hiei promised, sitting down again, rolling his eyes.

"Arigatou." He slipped his hand into Hiei's, lacing their fingers together, and squeezed, affectionately.

"Yoi."

"Alive."

"As you wish, Reikaze-sama."

"I don't care if he's hurt, that's easily remedied. Do what you have to. He won't be willing, and he won't be easy to subdue. He's much more powerful than when I last -- saw him."

"Hai." He stood, turned, left. She watched him go.

He was getting so damned _predictable_! He wasn't sure if it was a _bad_ thing, though he'd avoided it in the past --

-- a flash of light, the searing heat of you-ki --

He ducked, rolled, bounded to his feet, drew his sword. His left arm had been scorched, but not badly; he'd been fast enough to dodge. He met the cold black gaze of a youkai, advancing on him, one hand outstretched.

"I didn't have to let you go," the youkai informed him in a monotone. Hiei watched, silent, teeth bared. The youkai took a step forward.

It was slashed to oblivion before it had set its other foot down, and Hiei raced away.

Too easy. Far too easy. He scowled, sheathing his sword swiftly as he ran. No backup, no accomplices, no traps laid out for him. Youkai didn't just jump out of nowhere to attack others; they usually had a _reason_ for doing so, in his experience.

He reached his new destination -- Kurama's home -- and slipped in through Kurama's bedroom window, conveniently left open for him. He peeled away the burned sleeve of his shirt and examined the damage; the shirt was ruined. His arm was bleeding, though certainly nothing worse than he'd ever had before. He'd have to bandage this one himself, or suffer Kurama's mothering later.

He ripped a few strips off the shirt and bandaged his arm roughly; it would do for now, until the night, when Shiori and Kurama were both sleeping.

He hopped outside again, and headed to where he knew Yukina would be, sitting out in the sunshine on her lawn, playing with her young daughter.

It would be nice to see him again, to hold his strong, slender body to hers, to have him in her bed.

Reikaze turned her head to watch as a delicate child entered the room. Despite her youth, the guards stepped aside respectfully, let the girl approach. "Dou, 'kaasama?" she asked softly.

"He's been found," Reikaze nodded in response. The girl smiled sweetly, happy at the news, a gentle flush colouring her pale skin. "He won't come willingly."

"He'll want to come, for me."

"Don't be so sure. He's selfish and arrogant. And he's found himself a new little playmate." The girl's smile faded, replaced by confusion. She pushed shimmering hair back from her face.

"But -- "

"Don't worry about it," Reikaze told her. "He'll come, one way or another." The girl nodded, solemn.

"He'll be happier," she said, "once he knows about me."

"We'll see."

He'd gotten so used to eating with his left hand, when he hadn't been able to use the right, that he'd never gone back to using the right; and so he kept hitting Kurama's elbow as he ate. This, combined with Shiori's conversation, Kurama's sly taunts, and the pain in his arm, drove him quite to distraction, though he did his best to keep his temper in check.

"...help Hiei with a bit of homework he's got," Kurama was saying, as the meal drew to a close. Hiei raised an eyebrow, looked sideways at him. Kurama smiled at him. Shiori smiled as well.

"I'll make tea, later," she suggested.

"Arigatou, 'kaasan," Kurama beamed, and stood to help with the dishes. Shiori shooed him away, affectionately, and Kurama dragged Hiei out of his chair and up the stairs to his room.

"Well," he grinned, shutting the door and turning to face Hiei. "Never come into this room the proper way before, have you?" Hiei snorted, and hopped up to sit on the windowsill, drawing one knee up to his chest, letting the other leg dangle inside. Kurama crossed the room, looked down at him.

He reached out and poked Hiei's arm, exactly where the youkai had hit him, earlier. Hiei yelped, drew back a fist, then halted. "What the hell did you do that for?" he demanded, sulking, lifting his left hand in his right, to ease the pressure. Kurama's expression was sober.

"What happened?" he asked, quietly.

"Nothing," Hiei grumbled. Kurama grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him to stand up, and began unbuttoning the shirt. "Not right now," Hiei protested.

"Shut up," Kurama snapped. "That's not what I'm after." He shoved the shirt from Hiei's shoulders, and examined the rough bandages Hiei had wrapped around his biceps. "What happened?" he asked again, leading Hiei to his desk, setting him down on the chair. He crouched, began unwrapping the strips of fabric, scowling.

"Nothing," Hiei replied again. Kurama pinched his arm; Hiei ground his teeth to keep from yowling. He settled instead for smacking Kurama's head.

"I asked you a question," Kurama informed him, ignoring the blow, inspecting the injury. "You-ki," he noted. "Who hit you?"

"Youkai," Hiei muttered. "How did you know?"

"I've watched you eat before, and I know how you normally lift your hand. How many youkai?"

"One." Kurama looked up with a puzzled frown.

"And you got hit?"

"I was distracted."

"Baka," Kurama declared. He stood and left the room, and returned in a moment with a damp cloth. Tenderly, he daubed at Hiei's arm, washing away the dried blood, and wiping away the fresh flow. "He must've been close," he noted.

"Appeared out of nowhere," Hiei sighed, resting his other elbow on the desk, and his chin on that hand. The youkai had spoken, a phrase that meant something to him, on some level --

_I didn't have to let you go._

They'd made a production out of seeing him off, earlier in the evening; and then Hiei had merely bounded up the tree outside and in through the window of Kurama's bedroom again, unknown to Shiori.

One thing at a time, Kurama thought; she knew, now, that he and Hiei were a pair. She would assume that they'd start sleeping together, eventually, but he didn't want to push her sensibilities too far, too fast.

Hiei had sat quietly, staring out the window, while Kurama did a bit of reading from some of the business texts his stepfather had recommended; nothing new, Kurama supposed, but there was something different about the silence tonight. It was more brooding than usual, much more the way it had been before --

He fingered Hiei's tear-gem at his throat, attached to a silver filament so fine it was invisible in certain lights. Before _him_. He smiled to himself, at the thought that he could have such an effect on such a closed, bitter person as Hiei had been, long ago.

Not so very long, he reminded himself; especially not for someone like himself, or even Hiei.

Kurama lay down on his side. He knew why Hiei had always been so angry, so defensive. He had been able to break through those defenses, had been able to soften the stone heart, even just a little, had been privy to Hiei's innermost thoughts. He smiled again, a little smug.

Hiei twitched, drew his knees to his chest, tucked his hands under his chin, folding himself into a tight foetal position. Kurama sighed, softly; this happened when Hiei's dreams started getting the better of him.

He closed his eyes, wrapped his arms and legs around Hiei, willed himself to sleep --

-- and into Hiei's dreams. He could make as much a difference there as he could in the waking world -- often more, because Hiei resisted less, in his dreams.

Kurama looked around, hands on his hips, and flicked silver hair from his face with a jerk of his head. The landscape was barren, not a single plant in sight. He would have to remedy that.

He marched in search of his little three-eyed youkai, and grass grew where he had walked.

"He sleeps, Reikaze-sama."

"So take him."

"His mind...is joined with the other's." Reikaze narrowed her eyes at him.

"Take them both, then. When they wake, dispose of the other. I've no interest in him." He bowed his head deeply, stood, and left. Reikaze returned to her work, scowling.

She found her place in the spell she was weaving, and continued from where she'd been interrupted. Red, for him; black, for her; and a shimmering white-silver for the life they had created together.