A LITTLE DISCLAIMER: Most of the characters appearing in this fic are the property of Yoshihiro 
                     Togashi, Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV, and Shonen Jump Weekly. 

	I storm into my room, past my sister in the hallway, fuming to myself. That arrogant 
little shit! He always finds a way to get on my nerves - and it’s usually whenever Yukina-san
is involved. Why does he care so much about if I want to take her to the movies? It’s not one
of those gore-fests horror flicks that Urameshi likes to take Keiko to - it makes him feel all
manly and proud whenever she shrieks or cringes into his chest. I’d never do that to Yukina-
san... I wanted to take her to a nice movie, maybe a romantic one ... heh heh ... maybe she’d 
even let me hold her hand!

	But no! Hiei had to interrupt us just as I was about to ask her, with hell in his eyes
and a threat on his tongue. He told me once that if I laid a hand on Yukina, he’d rip my head 
off and get Kurama to create some sort of plants to use the body parts as fertilizer. And then
Yukina, poor, sweet, naive little Yukina, said she was glad to see him, and he almost melted 
on the spot! One could see his face softening and almost smiling at her. Damn! Why’s he always
so nice to her? Could it be that ... that ...

	No, it couldn’t be it ... if he liked Yukina-san, then what the hell is going on 
between him and Kurama? I know I can be dense at times, but Hiei, for all his strength, is 
pitiful when it comes to dealing with his feelings. And Kurama ... hell, Kurama is an open book
to anyone with a psychic sense like mine or Shizuru’s. There’s a bond of empathy between them; 
companionship and friendship ... and maybe more.

	I close my eyes and pursue that little gem of a thought, following it through the 
corridors of my mind, watching as it grows bigger until it’s something I can probe, turn over 
in my mental hands and examine closely. I can see the two of them during our numerous missions
for Koenma and the Reikai, and I notice how they are always together, helping each other, 
racticing, talking, fighting ... and I wonder how come I never noticed the feelings between 
them until recently.

	My mind sees the few times when Kurama - who is perhaps one of the most physically 
affectionate people I know - hugs Hiei, or touches the smaller youkai’s hand, and isn’t met by
the cold, red glare; he is the only person, aside from Yukina-san, whose touch Hiei will 
willingly tolerate. That just says something to me, and there are times when I wonder if I’m 
the only one who notices.

	I’m afraid to ask Urameshi about it; he would probably make fun of me, claim that I was
actually worried over Hiei. Brr! I don’t give a damn about that little shrimp, but Kurama has
become something like a brother to me; out of all my teammates, he is the only one who is 
continually polite to me, who always remains respectful and good-natured in his teasing.

	My eyes pop open of their own accord; apparently, my brain is through with that topic
for the day. I shrug, then head out of my room, down the stairs and into the lazy afternoon. 
The sun is bright and very hot on bare skin, but ignore it, directing my gaze downwards, 
watching my feet as I trudge along, with no particular destination in mind. I am content to 
let my feet carry me where they will, looking up only to avoid other people and inanimate 
objects.

	As I draw closer to a park, my ears catch the sound of some strange, hauntingly 
beautiful music. I stop, surprised and confused; I can feel Kurama somewhere in this very park,
and very close to where the music is drifting from. Intrigued, I follow the sweet sound, until
I come upon my redhead companion, who is seated under a large, shady oak tree, long legs 
crossed and his slender fingers playing over the cut holes of a small, strange-looking set of
pipes. He opens one green eye briefly and sees me; the music stops instantly as he lowers his 
instrument and waves me over with a friendly smile.

	"Konnichi wa, Kuwabara-kun," he says gently, in his usual, terribly polite way, cocking
his head to one side, one hand loosely grasping his pipes and resting on his knee. He scoots 
aside a little, making more room for me, and I squat awkwardly down, feeling that same little 
twinge of self-consciousness that Kurama always inspires in me; he is always so graceful, so 
self-assured and confident, he makes me feel like the clumsy oaf I am. His smile is the same 
sort that have sent dozens of girls swooning over him, but different; this one is a smile of 
true warmth, not one of those trained, false smiles he gives to throw the girls off his trail.

	I gulp nervously, my train of thought for the past half hour or so making itself known
again. Perhaps I’m not done with this idea yet. I want to ask Kurama about it; get the news 
straight from him, but when I try to force the words out, they lodge in my throat, forcing me 
to cough so that I can breathe. Instead, I point to the pipes he holds with a casual, but
reverent, air, sticking with something a less intimidating subject. "I didn’t know you played," 
I tell him, holding my hand out. "May I see?"

	He blinks, then shrugs, carefully handing the instrument to me. I cup it in my large 
hands, studying it closely. It is fairly small, bright silver in color, with strange characters
running down the sides, characters I have never seen before in my life. I turn it over slowly, 
running the very tip of my finger over one of the many patterns. "Where did you get this?" I
ask, awed by the beauty in such a small object.

	He takes it back and studies it for a long time before replying. "When I was very 
young, a ... very good friend of mine gave this to me. She taught me how to play, and told me
that it didn’t matter how good or bad I was; after all, I was really only playing to please 
myself. It didn’t matter what the rest of the world thought." His eyes and voice are distant, 
lost in the past, reliving the moment he was given this precious item. Shaking himself, his 
eyes clear and fix on me again. "I’ve had it for a very long time, and shortly after I was 
reborn in my human body, I returned to the Makai and retrieved it from where I hid it. It was 
too precious for me to easily let go of." He sighs, then lifts it to his lips again, coaxing 
that same haunting, bittersweet melody that could bring tears to the hardest of hearts.

	I had planned to handle my words tactfully, but like always, my mouth takes over my 
brain and speaks before I can think of what I’m about to say. "Have you ever played this for 
Hiei? I’m sure he’d like it."

	Kurama stares at me, blinking, seemingly shocked by my words, the tune trailing off 
once more. I am afraid that I’ve angered him, and tense my body to run, if I have to, when he 
laughs. It is a sweet, warm sound, almost as pretty as Yukina-san’s delicate laughter. There is
real amusement and warmth in his voice, strong enough to bring a small answering smile to my 
face. He grins at me and shakes his head, before setting the pipe neatly in his lap. "Kuwabara-
kun," he says, calmly, eyes boring into mine, "it appears you’re a lot smarter than anyone ever
thought."

	I flush at his words; somehow, he has managed to insult me and compliment me at the 
same time, but like always, his teasing is light-hearted, without spite, never with the 
intention of hurting feelings. "Well," I stammer, trying to hide the fact that blush creeping 
up my face, "I - I’ve noticed the way you ... that you always help Hiei ... and that he’s 
always lettin’ you, and ... and ..." I trail off. "And stuff."

	He notices my embarrassment and chuckles again. "Kuwabara-kun, you don’t have to worry.
I’m not angry or anything; I’m just surprised you noticed." He leans back a little against the
rough bark of the tree, closing his eyes. "I don’t know when my feelings began," he tells me 
slowly, seriously, as if it were all coming to clear to him as he speaks, "but it feels like
I’ve ... cared about Hiei ... forever. This body was only twelve years old when I first met 
him, and I decided I was going to make him mine the minute he appeared before me. Of course, I
had Maya to worry about, but still ..."he shakes his head ruefully. "Funny, how these things 
turn out. When I met you and Yuusuke, I never thought you two would figure out how I felt, and
for whom ... it appears that two fourteen-year-old boys can teach a five-hundred-year-old youko
a thing or two about observation."

	One eye opens and winks at me, impishly, and I find myself grinning like an idiot. But
then, he sobers, sitting straight up, opening both eyes fully and hitting me with the green 
glow of his stare. "You have problems accepting this, don’t you?" he asks me gently. "You’ve 
been raised, all your life, to believe love between two men is wrong, evil, weren’t you?"

	I blink, open my mouth to deny it, then realize he’s right. My father is strictly 
against homosexuals, openly condemning them everytime he was questioned on the subject. 
Okaasan, Oneechan, and I ignored his ranting for the most part, but now, I discover, he has 
instilled those same prejudices in me. I frown, upset at this revelation of my character, and 
glance at him apologetically. But he, unlike most others I know, doesn’t condemn me for 
anything, just smiles and pats my arm. "Kuwabara-kun, there’s nothing wrong with not liking 
something," he tells me softly, "but in order to survive in this world - in any world - you 
need to be able to accept the things you don’t like."

	I nod my head, still miserable. "I know," I say unhappily, "and I want to be able to 
accept you and Hiei, and the possibility of a relationship between you two ... but I don’t 
know. The very idea makes my stomach queasy." As if in proof, my stomach growled angrily, 
making a loud, unpleasant sound that sent bright red streaking up my cheeks. "I’m sorry."

	His eyes crinkle, narrow slightly, then open again in that same infectious amusement.
"I think you’re a lot closer to accepting the idea than you think," he tells me, drawing his 
knees up to his chest and hugging them there, resting his chin on the top. "If you truly were 
against it, you wouldn’t even want to be able to approve of it." He winks at me. "It’s just
going to take you a little time, that’s all."

	I nod, thoughtful. "I suppose you’re right ..." I saw slowly. "But still... I hope you
don’t mind if I ask for help?" I shake my hands frantically, trying to dispose of any hentai 
thoughts the suggestion might have dragged up. "I mean ... I’ve never known anybody who’s gay, 
before. If you two ever do end up involved, could you take it slow, getting me adjusted to it?
I’d appreciate it a lot."

	Kurama smiles again, and nods a little. "Of course. I’d probably have asked the same 
thing myself. And Yuusuke will be able to help you, too. He knows, and he seems to have 
accepted it."

	"Urameshi knows?" I ask, surprised. I had always thought he was too involved with 
Keiko-chan to be able to notice other couples forming around him, but Kurama never lies about 
this sort of thing. He nods slowly, his eyes full of that solemn hardness that he gets on rare
occasions, then lightens up again.

	"Yes, he does, actually. But I wasn’t all that surprised; Yuusuke has got something 
close to empathy in his skills; he would probably be able to Feel another’s emotions if they’re
not shielding properly." He shakes his head, then lifts his pipes again. "Would you like me to
play something for you?"

	I consider the offer, then nod a little. "I’d like that. I’d like that very much."

	I settle onto my back, staring at the bright, cloudless blue sky through the leafy 
greeness of the trees spreading branches above us. I close my eyes and allow the music to 
carry me away, to another time, far in the future. I see myself, married to my Yukina-san; I 
see Yuusuke with his Keiko, and three children who strongly resemble them. We are sitting
together, under this very tree, waiting for the last couple to show up.

	And when they do, I am the first to greet them. I am met by Kurama’s warm smile and a
sullen glare from Hiei - the usual thing. They sit with us, and I notice those two are holding
hands.

	But instead of making me ill this time, the image makes me smile, full of approval for
what they have together. Kurama notices my smile and winks playfully, dropping a quick kiss on
Hiei’s cheek - much to his protest -and still, I have no qualms about seeing this.

	I think Kurama’s right. I really think I am closer to accepting those two together than
I had originally thought.

=================================================================================================

* Next: Koenma's Snapshot: A Matter of Time