Conversations: Hiei and Kurama, Cracking through the Shell
by Ren'ai chan

Kurama and Hiei: Cracking Through the Shell

Ren'ai-chan

"Hn," was Hiei's only response to Kurama's offering. He pushed the corn dog away crudely. "I would never poison myself with that crap."

"It's called fast food," Shuuichi returned good-naturedly, taking a bite out of the refused corn dog. "You learn to get used to it eventually."

"I'm not as tolerant of such things as you," Hiei muttered. The screams and loud music that surrounded him at this city fair were making his head pound. The bright colored lights and those idiotic looking humans with red noses and white makeup on their faces weren't helping things any.

"I don't get you," Kurama told him, still smiling. "You can't even enjoy one night of fun? Yuusuke-kun and Keiko-chan left us a long time ago to try all the rides. Kuwabara-kun took Yukina-chan to the game booths." Hiei glowered at the last remark. "And even Koenma went off with Botan-chan. I would think you would be able to have fun if it was just me who was with you." He raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

The Koorime grunted again. "But what humans call amusement is so...dumb."

"Well, that's the point," his redheaded companion answered. "Everyone needs to laugh sometimes, and what better way to do it than through stupid things?"

A clown that had observed Hiei's trademarked scowl rushed over to the two in a hurry. With a maniacal laugh he whipped out a bottle of water and closed his hand over the clamp, spraying water all over the little man in black.

Kurama did all that was in his power to keep from laughing out loud at Hiei's wide-eyed, opened-mouth expression of shock. Nevertheless, one or two smirks escaped. He grabbed the Koorime's wrist and dragged him away before the clown ended up critically injured.

When they had reached a safe enough distance--safe for the clown, that is--he saw Hiei was drenched, still wearing that shocked expression that made him look like a complete jackass. He couldn't hold it in anymore, and burst out laughing.

That snapped Hiei out of his stunned state, and he narrowed his eyes at the redhead youkai that was clutching his stomach and howling with amusement. He wrung out the hem of his cloak, wishing it were Kurama's neck instead, and shook out his dripping starburst of hair.

"I'm so glad I'm giving you such a good time," he growled.

Shuuichi shook his head, wiping tears out of his eyes. "That," he began, gasping for air, "was a classic."

"Hn. Stupid fox." He turned on his heel and stalked away, but the other soon caught up.

"Sumimasen," Kurama apologized, still chuckling every now and then. Hiei still wouldn't cool down. Kurama patted the Koorime's head, and received a squirm in response.

"Let's get on a ride. That'll cheer you up," he declared. Hiei looked as if he didn't believe him.

They found the entrance to the ferris wheel. Looking up, Kurama smiled and waved back to Botan, who was frantically waving at them from the top basket. She was having the time of her life, but her escort was clinging for dear life onto the side. Kurama laughed softly at the terrified look he could see on poor Koenma's face.

He turned his attention back down to earth, wanting to suggest this ride to Hiei, but his friend was nowhere in sight.

"Miss, miss," the attendant repeated several times before Kurama figured out she was talking to him. Yet another human that mixed up his gender. "If you're looking for your boyfriend, he's over there.

"Are you getting in or not?" he demanded hotly.

Kurama shrugged nonchalantly, irritating the black-clad youkai immensely, and sauntered over and gracefully got in the basket.

"You two have a good time now," the attendant said, smiling sweetly at the adorable couple in the basket. The girlfriend smiled back politely, but the boyfriend refused to look at either one of them. Figuring he was impatient for privacy, the attendant quickly latched the door and the wheel began its rotation.

As their basket slowly ascended and Botan and Koenma's drew nearer and nearer to the ground, Kurama could feel Koenma's energy become steadier. However, as the wheel carried the basket back up, the Reikai prince's energy started zigzagging wildly again.

After a second time around Kurama learned to ignore the fluctuating pattern and focused on Hiei. The little Koorime was sitting fully back on the bench, so his feet were barely touching the floor of the basket. He seemed completely intent on studying the world below, that stupid, insolent Ningenkai he always viewed with contempt.

"So, 'honey,'" he began with a grin, "do you feel any better?"

"What did you call me?" Hiei inquired darkly, turning to face him. Kurama only chuckled, but gave in after Hiei demanded a thousand times over that he explain. Hiei looked ready to kill when Kurama finished his tale about the attendant and the mistaken identities.

"What--Who would--" he sputtered. "A *couple*!?"

Minamino Shuuichi settled his elbows back on the rim of the car. "What's wrong with that?" he joked, frowning like an insulted female. He eyed Hiei intensely, and Hiei wondered if he had really heard some defiance in his voice. But defiance to whom?

"There's no big deal if people think we're a couple," he continued. "So long as they think I'm female, they won't have any problem with it."

"You sound like we're dating," Hiei spit out.

Kurama smiled, his white teeth bright even with only the faint light from the fair below.

"Are you saying I'm not attractive to you?"

Hiei snorted loudly. "I don't dwell on nonsensical sentimental things. And what the hell kind of question is that?"

The wheel stopped then, interrupting their discussion, and Botan could be heard trying to persuade Koenma to stay on for another ride. Koenma adamantly refused, but the persistent Botan soon recovered and dragged him over to the scrambler ride.

Yuusuke's reiki soon came into range, and he and Keiko got on the wheel. It wasn't long before the couple began bickering.

"Teme--Yuusuke, if you try to touch me *one* more time, I will toss you over the edge without any regrets!!"

"Aah, Keiko-chan..."

*PON* "YUUSUKE--!!"

"What's the point of their relationship?" Hiei mused. "There's certainly no "love" involved."

"No, I think you're wrong," Kurama argued. "Sure, they sound like they want to kill each other, but there's definitely affection between them. You just have to look deeper within.

"Of course. If we didn't look deeper within *you*, we wouldn't know you really care for all of us!"

Hiei narrowed his eyes. "Who ever said I--"

"If you don't care about Yuusuke-kun, Kuwabara-kun, me, and everyone else like Botan-chan and Keiko-chan, why do you stick around?" Kurama interrupted quickly before Hiei could sputter any more.

The Koorime opened his mouth, closed it, leaned back, and shrugged. "I hate to see good fighters die pointlessly."

It was Kurama's turn to snort. "Hiei...Is Kuwabara really *that* good a fighter?" he inquired, knowing Hiei would never openly praise Kuwabara.

Kurama was feeling a hint of frustration. Getting through those barriers Hiei had erected around himself were difficult. He wanted to get to know his mysterious companion better, to find out what he was really hiding in that shielded heart of his.

"--and that doesn't even *count* those horrible roller coasters you forced me to ride!!" came Keiko's screaming, furious voice. Yuusuke stammered and sputtered at the attacks she was showering him with, but she cut him off with "No! I don't want to hear it!"

Kurama stuck his head over the edge and faced upward, trying to catch a glimpse of the sulking Koorime. He finally spotted a flapping piece of dark fabric, practically invisible against the night sky.

"Hiei," he began solemnly, hoping frankness would get him where good-natured conversation didn't, "come on back in."

Hiei turned and looked at Kurama's face, that inviting face with the bright green eyes and flowing mane of red hair that was at that moment flapping gently with the wind. The fox shook his head slightly to move some strands of that hair from his face. Hiei sighed, giving in to the inevitability of it all, and re-entered the car.

"I'm sorry I made you angry," he apologized.

Hiei shrugged. "I'm not mad. I just don't like talking about things like that."

"You have to learn to. It's not healthy to contain your emotions."

Hiei shrugged again. "I think humans are too wrapped up in their feelings. *That's* what's not healthy."

"I used to think that too," Kurama admitted. "Then I spent time with people like Yuusuke-kun, Kuwabara-kun, and Kaasan, and I learned that companionship is invaluable in one's life. It actually makes life worth living. Especially our hundred-year lives," he added slyly.

"Maybe," Hiei muttered, and Kurama saw a crack in his armor of ice.

"Yukina-chan! Yukina-chan!" Keiko called excitedly. "Up here!"

The two youkai peeked over the rim and saw Hiei's twin sister waving up to the ferris wheel with a sweet smile. She seemed to be having the time of her life with Kuwabara, and Hiei wished that he could be that close to her. Watching her hope that each day would be the day she found her brother, and having to keep the fact that it was *him* she was searching for, was like twisting a knife into his chest.

"Why don't you tell her and end both your suffering?" he asked quietly.

Hiei turned his gaze over to the fox, the glaze over his eyes slowly disappearing. He frowned halfheartedly.

"You're just like the humans, trying to meddle in affairs that don't concern you at all," he snapped.

Kurama didn't falter in his stare. "This has to do with you," he replied. "It very much concerns me."

Hiei almost blushed (almost) and lowered his eyes. The attention he was receiving from Minamino Shuuichi on this particular night made him extremely uncomfortable. Having someone empathize with his problems and bond with him was a completely new experience for him. Whether he liked the feeling or not was a question left unanswered for now.

He continued to complain about those who belonged to the Ningenkai.

"And another thing about those humans," he said gruffly. "When one shows concern for another it's automatically assumed the relationship is romantic. And when it's two of the same gender they're so apalled and disgusted. It's stupid and ignorant. Homosexual relationships aren't any different. They still involve two people and... affection..."

Hiei trailed off, already having said more than he was accustomed to, and Kurama smiled mischievously.

"Is that your way of saying you're interested, Hiei?"

"Hn. Stupid fox."

Kurama smiled slightly as he watched his Koorime friend. He had made a lot of progress with Hiei this night, even more than he'd expected. This little fire demon, who was closer to him than anyone, even his mother, was becoming something totally different altogether.

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