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Tall Blue Drinks 

Part II

By Windlily
* * *

	Hiei was dozing in the middle branches of one of the ancient trees
that shadowed the back garden of Genkai's Temple. This was his favorite
perch in the whole area because he could sit and watch Yukina unobserved.
His sister had taken over tending the garden and seemed to love messing
around with the plants as much as Kurama. And she would sing when she
thought no one was around. Simple little tunes that wove the bird songs
together or just a random series of notes that made her smile. It was
lovely. He was fascinated by his twin and could not imagine how she could
have tolerated sharing the close quarters of their mother's womb with him.
She was such an amazing creature. She took the world in with wide and
wondering eyes, still believing the best of everyone and everything even
after her horrible abuse. She was everything he was not and for that one
thing and that thing only, he thanked the Gods.

	He had dozed off just after sunset when Yukina had gone in and now
the hushed whisper of voices snapped him awake. He relaxed a little. The
tones were unthreatening and familiar. Yuusuke and Keiko heading for the
little hidden nook between the trunk of his tree and the wall. They had
been coming here more and more often and it was starting to become
annoying. He had almost fallen out of the tree the first time they had
discovered the little hideaway. He had leaned forwards trying to figure out
why they were mashing their faces together like that and overbalanced a bit
and had to make himself very small in the shadows as Yuusuke glared up at
the rustle of leaves. Much to his relief, Keiko had distracted him with
what he now knew was called a 'kiss'. He didn't remember what Kurama had
said he'd told him THAT night but he had listened carefully when Yuusuke
and Kuwabara had exchanged what he was sure were very exaggerated tales.

	Hiei closed his eyes, determined to ignore them. It was his tree
after all, he had been here first and damned if he was going to vacate it
just because two humans had decided they were going to kiss and drool all
over each other under it. He now considered Yuusuke's attentions to Keiko
an absolute waste of time. The purpose of this exercise was to procreate.
Yuusuke and Keiko had been going at it for months now and she still wasn't
pregnant. Maybe she was barren. He frowned as a blur of memory flashed
through his mind, chaotic impressions of heat and pleasure...and Kurama. He
shook his head a little to dispel them. That had to have been a dream
spawned by those damned drinks. It had to be! Nothing could feel that good.
And besides, why would Kurama wish to attempt to procreate with him? That
made no sense at all.

	Something...a tension in the air caused him to glance down. He
blinked, surprised. The embrace was familiar, that they were both naked was
not. They moved apart and Hiei blinked again and his Jagon opened as he
studied the scene below him. The thing that marked Yuusuke as male was so
swollen that it was enormous and stiff. It looked very painful and Hiei
winced inwardly as Keiko reached to touch it. Instead of the flinch of pain
he was expecting, Yuusuke actually seemed to enjoy it. A lot, if the colors
of his aura were to be believed. Then...if anybody had been there to see
him they would have told him he had done an excellent impression of his
sister's wide-eyed astonishment. He had never, ever had the inkling that
two bodies could fit together like that.  And at the end, Yuusuke's aura
had gone berserk.

	He scowled as he reached up to rub the throb behind his scrunched
shut third eye. The couple was long gone but the headache promised to
linger for quite a bit longer. The Jagon was still dazzled by Yuusuke's
reaction to whatever he had done to Keiko. Or what Keiko had done to him.
He still wasn't sure what had happened. It certainly hadn't looked very
comfortable but they both had seemed to enjoy it. Though Yuusuke much more
that Keiko. He grumbled and hissed at an owl who mistook him for a shadow
and landed on his branch. It launched with silent wings and a startled
'hoo-hoo'. He wanted to know what was going on and could only think of one
source he could ask to explain it to him who would not go into fits of
laughter at his ignorance. At least he'd better not...

* * *



	Kurama knew that Hiei was following him. He put his head down to
hide his smile as the slight flicker went from branch to branch at the edge
of his vision, barely disturbing the thick new coat of spring leaves. To
any other, it would have been the nothing more than the errant whisper of a
breeze. Well, Hiei could follow all he wanted. He lifted his head and
breathed in the heady smell of awakening plants that hung on the heavy air.
The clouds were brooding and threatened rain soon. He didn't care. In fact,
that sky had kept most of the visitors to the gardens away and he hadn't
passed another human soul in the last fifteen minutes.

	It was bliss. He had really needed to get away. Sometimes being
Minamino Shuichi was more than he could stand. But after an afternoon in
the Tokyo Botanical Gardens the Youko and Human parts of him would once
again reach a truce. He often wondered what was going to happen to that
human part of him when this body died and he went back to his Youko form
full time. Would it stay with him, like a habit? Or would he wake the cold,
selfish creature he had been?

	*Carefree! And happy!* the Youko part of him snarled.

	He soothed it as he took another deep breath. His steps hesitated a
little as he sorted the scents, identifying each one. What was that? He
lifted his eyebrows as a breeze sprang up and blew more of that sweet smell
into his face. Foxbane? The human part of him commanded turn and run as far
and fast as possible. The youko part of him wanted to find the source of
that mouth-watering scent as quickly as possible.

	*No! No!* he screamed at his youko self as his body turned of it's
own volition and headed off the path.

	The youko part laughed and the human was lost in the overwhelming
desire to find those flowers. He was going to lick the pollen out of each
one of them, then he was going to just wallow in them for a while. A long
while.


	Hiei wondered a little at Kurama's goofy grin as his friend turned
off the path and slid into the wilder underbrush without so much as a
whisper of disturbed vegetation. That bothered him a little. Normally when
Kurama went into 'sneak mode' there was a good reason for it. Normally a
very dangerous good reason. But that expression was not at all threatened.
Hiei changed course to follow and within ten meters felt his skin prickle.
There was something with a lot of Power here, close. He hung back a little,
every sense alert as Kurama continued to weave his way through the forest
below him like a ghost. A glade opened before them carpeted with small,
amethyst colored flowers. Kurama gathered himself and leapt. Somewhere in
that arc, he changed and a silver fox landed in the middle of the flowers
leaving a trail of discarded clothing to flutter down.

	Hiei perched and watched with a scowl as Kurama bounced in a
chaotic pattern from one part of the glade and one flower to another,
pausing only long enough to poke his nose into each lily-shaped blossom.
Then with a huge sigh, the fox tucked his front paws and flopped half onto
his side and scooted himself along with his back feet, crushing some of the
delicate plants and releasing a sickenly sweet smell. What in hell was he
doing? Kurama swapped sides and squashed another swathe, then rolled onto
his back and wiggled. There was a prismed flare of light, an invisibility
spell being released, and Hiei got his first look at the author of the
power in the area.

	It was a female Youko, her long hair and the fur of her tail and
ears a golden blonde. She looked young, but then again, Kurama in his Youko
form looked young and he was ancient. She slammed a smallish, bottomless
bamboo trap over the prone silver Youko with a, "Hah! Gotcha'!"

	Hiei waited for Kurama to escape and couldn't believe it when the
fox form of his friend just kept wallowing, totally unconcerned that he'd
been captured. And the possessive smile on the female Youko's face as she
leaned forward to watch Kurama through the bamboo bars raised his hackles.
He dropped noiselessly out of the tree to land with his boot tips just shy
of the cage. The female Youko let out a startled yip and leapt backwards a
good fifteen meters. Hiei reached down and picked up the cage by one
corner. He narrowed his eyes but didn't wince as the wards scalded his
hand, adding the smell of burned flesh to the nauseating aroma of the
flowers. He tossed it away as the female Youko narrowed topaz colored eyes
at him and put her hands on her hips. Hiei felt a chill run through him,
one that a creature such as she should not rate. Hiei kept all three of his
eyes on her as he prodded Kurama gently in the side with the toe of one
boot.

	"Kurama, get the hell out of here!" he hissed.

	"What are you doing here!" she demanded.

	Kurama seemed to focus, finally, and managed to get up onto his
paws. Hiei just fixed her with his best 'don't screw with me' stare as
Kurama staggered away. It didn't seem to intimidate her in the slightest.
Well, he could fix that. She glanced beyond him and giggled. He risked a
fast glance and growled in disbelief. Kurama was busy running in a tight
circle, trying to catch one of his tails. He blinked in reaction to
Kurama's high and pain-filled yelp as he finally managed to latch onto one.
Kurama let go of that tail and started a dizzying spin in the opposite
direction, going after a different one. He drew his sword as the female
tried to flank him and moved to put himself in front of Kurama.

	"Come on," Hiei bid with a venom filled smile.

	She backed off and pouted prettily at him. There was a boom of
thunder that vibrated his teeth and a hard wind whipped whipped through the
glade, tangling her hair. One ear flicked, then she shrugged and the wind
was gone. She gave Hiei a small, secret smile.

	"I'll get him eventually, you know. But for now, he's all yours."

	She blew him a kiss as she swirled out of existence in a sparkle of
golden twinkles and he twitched as the whisper of cold lips brushed against
his cheek.

	*He's mine? What the hell does that mean?*

	He kept his sword up and at the ready as he scanned the area, but
the power was fading fast. The flowers around him dissipated, taking most
of that horrid smell with them, leaving only grass. Only when the last
taint of it was gone did he sheath his sword and dared look at the damage
to underside of his throbbing hand.

	*Shit. Why do I do these things?* he wondered at himself as he
glared down past the blackened and charred skin of his fingers and at the
Youko who was now curled up between his feet with his nose buried under his
second tail, sound asleep and reeking of those flowers.

	He nudged Kurama with his toe again and his glare turned into a
full fledged scowl as the body moved limply against his prodding. He
squatted down and almost gagged at the smell of the flowers that clung to
the Youko's fur. He stood up rapidly and retreated a step. An evil gleam
came into his eyes as he focused on the burble of water. He picked Kurama
up by the scruff of his neck and held him down-wind and at arms length as
he stalked for the stream. He had to follow it a slight distance to find
what he was looking for. The shallow stream ran into and out of a small
pool which had been created by human hands and held six fat carp. Yes, this
would do nicely. He dunked the fox and swished him around under the surface
for a moment then brought him back up. Kurama sputtered and thrashed
weakly, then went limp again.

	Hiei wrinkled his nose and clamped down on his stomach as he
brought the Youko's face up to his own. He still stank.

	"Kurama! WAKE UP!" he bellowed into the fox's face.

	That earned him the barest crack of one eyelid and a glimpse of the
honey-colored iris under it.

	::yummmm...:: whispered in his head and the Youko's red tongue
darted out to lick him on the end of the nose.

	Then that eye slid shut and the mental touch was gone.

	"Kurama!"

	Hiei gave him a few firm shakes, but could not rouse the Youko
again. He moved Kurama back out of nose range as he debated what to do.
Well, Kurama had taken care of him enough times after he'd released the
Kokuryuuha, he could return the favor, just this once. But first off he had
to get that smell off of him. He changed hands, his damaged fingers were up
to keeping a firm grip on the scruff of Kurama's neck but not much else.
Then he dunked the Youko back in, careful to keep his head above the water,
and scrubbed his fingers through his fur. He lifted a very sodden and
bedraggled Kurama out and brought him near and took a tentative sniff.
Kurama went back into the pond and Hiei went over him again. This time he
was tolerable. The smell still lingered, but it wasn't overpowering. He
headed back for the glade still holding Kurama by the scruff of the neck
and at arms length because now he was dripping wet.

	A stiff, chill wind had come up as he'd washed Kurama, the Spring
storm that was hovering getting ready to release it's fury soon. Hiei put
Kurama down in the grass, then went to collect the Youko's cast off
clothing. Well, most of them. He was not going to chase after the socks
that the wind was playing with. He wadded them up and cursed as he had to
use his bad hand to tie the shirt around them to get them into a carryable
bundle. He took it back to were the Youko lay and frowned.

	Because of what he was, Hiei had never been cold. If anybody had
been there to explain to him that if you dunked a warm blooded creature
repeatedly into a stream fed by snow melt-off and then left it exposed to a
cold wind it's core temperature would plummet, he would have stared at them
in incomprehension. But he did know that shivering meant that someone felt
cold. And he had watched his humans enough that he had figured out that the
harder and faster the shudders, the colder they felt. Kurama was feeling
very, very cold. He put the bundle of clothes down and unbuttoned the top
half of his coat, then gathered Kurama up and stuffed him down the front of
his shirt, tails first and buttoned his coat back up. That also solved the
problem of how he was going to carry the Youko and have his good hand free
just in case something or someone decided to take a whack at him. He tucked
the bundle under the arm with the damaged hand and flicked off into the
branches, on the way to take Kurama home.

	The storm announced it's intentions against him with a snarl of
thunder. It was one of those full of lightnings and treacherous winds that
drove the rain in horizontal sheets and whipped and twisted branches. By
the time Hiei reached Kurama's house he was a sodden as the Youko he
carried. He crouched on a swaying branch in the tree outside Kurama's
window and pushed the bandana up to scan the house. The woman wasn't there,
which was the first break in the foul luck he'd had all day. He opened the
window and climbed over the sill.


	The first thing Kurama became aware of as he drifted up out
pleasure filled dreams was the sensation of extremely wet and ruffled fur.
It was an unpleasant shock and he voiced his displeasure, loudly.

	::I'm WET!::

	"So Am I," Hiei's voice snarled back at him.

	The next thing Kurama became aware of was that he couldn't move.
His whole body was unresponsive. He fought the instinctual panic of feeling
trapped and realized Hiei's scent was all around him. That implied a degree
of safety and he relaxed a little. He also discovered that though he
couldn't move, he could feel, acutely. He was very conscious of the
discomfort of his wet fur, most of which was ruffled the wrong way.

	There was another scent, very faint and sweet. Even as faint as it
was, it still made his mouth water. Foxbane. He'd come across a wild growth
of Foxbane in full flower, he remembered that. But how had that Makai plant
gotten into the Ningenkai? He thanked every deity he could think of that
Hiei had been following him. If he hadn't...he shuddered mentally. Foxbane
was narcotic and slow acting poison all in one pretty package. It trapped
the Youko in pleasure and sweet dreams, paralyzed for the hour the flowers
needed to recharge their pollen, then the youko would repeat the pattern
until enough poison was in it's system to kill it. It took no more than
four doses, and then the Foxbane would have it's meal.

	He had another unpleasant shock as fingers closed on the scruff of
his neck just as he figured out that he must be in Hiei's shirt and pulled
him out.

	::Put Me BACK!:: he demanded as the chill air instantly found it's
way through his damp fur.

	Hiei held him up to eye level and fixed the still limp fox with a
glare.

	"Stop screwing around. Change."

	::Can't,:: Kurama glared back.

	"Why?"

	::The flowers. They mess up Youko powers.::

	"Is that why you're all limp?"

	::Yes,:: there was embarrassment in the Youko's voice.

	"How long will you be this way?" Hiei asked as he put Kurama on the
floor out of range of the puddle that was seeping from the bundle of
clothes and his waterlogged coat.

	::'Till it wears off.::

	"And just how long will that take?" Hiei added acidly as he
finished getting out of his wet clothing, dropping his shirt and pants onto
the top of the pile.

	Kurama took in Hiei's natural state with a repressed sigh of
appreciation and annoyance. Of course this opportunity would have to come
when he was helpless to do anything about it. He closed his eyes and
concentrated.

	::Did anything move?::

	"One of your ears twitched."

	Kurama's mental sigh was frustrated. ::A while still. Hiei, I'm
cold and very wet. Would you mind getting a towel and drying me off?
Please?::

	Much to his surprise, Hiei picked him up carefully and held him
against the warmth of his chest as he padded to the bathroom. Hiei wrapped
him in one of the towels and set him on the counter then took another and
went over himself with a quick efficiency, ending with a fast and furious
toweling of his wiry hair which even the fury of the storm hadn't been able
to flatten. Even after that toweling, it was still in place. Amazing. Then
he picked up Kurama and sat them both on the floor. Kurama managed a feeble
yelp since he couldn't scream as Hiei repeated the fast and furious part on
his drug sensitized body. He was still somewhat dazed as Hiei unwrapped him
and it took him a second to place the look on Hiei's face. It was
definitely amused.

	::What?:: Kurama managed to get out as the daze slipped into
definite discomfort.

	"You're all fluffed up like a scared cat!"

	Then the amusement fled to be replaced with a scowl as Kurama
whined softly.

	"What?"

	::My fur! It's all ruffled and standing on end and it's driving me
CRAZY!!!::

	The distress in Kurama's mind touch and the tone of his whine made
Hiei do something that he would never have let himself do under any other
circumstances. He ran the fingers of his good hand through the Youko's fur
and began combing it back into place. It was incredibly soft and felt
wonderful as it slid through his fingers. He had always wondered what
Kurama's fur would feel like to pet.

	Kurama sighed in relief, and pleasure, and relaxed.

	Hiei blinked in mid stroke as Kurama changed. His fingers were now
in red hair as soft as Youko fur.

	::uuum...don't stop!!!:: Kurama half purred/half pleaded, then
frowned as he realized his mind touch hadn't...touched.

	That meant he had changed back into his human shape. He opened his
eyes and gazed up at Hiei who was looking at something with a strange
expression.

	"Kurama, why are you like that?" Hiei sounded truly puzzled.

	"Like what?" Kurama wondered back.

	"All swollen and hard," Hiei answered as he leaned and stretched to
touch, innocent in his curiosity.

	Kurama jerked like he'd been hit by lightning as he connected. Hiei
flicked his hand away, still puzzled. Kurama had responded like he'd been
hurt but his aura had flared with pleasure colors. It just didn't make
sense!

	Kurama gritted his teeth as he teetered on the edge of
mind-exploding pleasure. Gods! Now he knew why Foxbane was forbidden to the
Clans. That one touch had just about sent him over the edge. He took a deep
breath as the sensation faded into something he could deal with and opened
his eyes once more. The expression on Hiei's face was for once unguarded
and Kurama thought he saw concern there. He stifled a growl of frustration.
This was definitely not the way he had planned on explaining the ways of
sex to Hiei.

	"It's called an erection, Hiei. Males get them when they are
sexually aroused," Kurama's voice was low and husky as he replied.

	Hiei figured it was from forcing it to work around the paralysis
that held the Youko as he blinked and puzzled over that last bit. Why was
Kurama sexually aroused? That didn't make any sense either. There was no
female here. Well, now that he had broached the subject, he might as well
find out all he could.

	"You're aroused? Why?"

	"What you were doing to my fur felt very, very nice."

	Hiei's fingers came out of Kurama's hair and he felt a flash of
guilt. He hadn't meant to do that to Kurama. He was surprised that
something so simple could create that reaction in his friend. And surprised
at this strange feeling that he couldn't quite figure out. It had something
to do with the fact that he HAD created that reaction. And he couldn't
quite figure out how to ask the next question. It wasn't really what you
did with it. He had seen that. It was why? So he settled on the one that
had been troubling him the most.

	"Does it hurt?"

	Kurama barely managed to repress his chuckle. "No. In fact, exactly
the opposite. When a male's member it like this, gentle," and he stressed
that word, "stimulation of any kind feels better than anything you can
imagine."

	He sighed and closed his eyes as Hiei scowled. Here he was, with
his head pillowed in Hiei's naked lap and helpless. So close and yet so far
away. He worked very hard on trying to get anything to move.

	Hiei mulled that over. Well, that explained it. Better than
anything he could imagine? Well, that had to be an exaggeration. Now that
he had an answer, time to move on to other business. Like that female Youko.

	"Who was that Lady Youko?"

	"What Lady Youko?" Kurama echoed, not paying much attention.

	He'd gotten his toes to wiggle. Now for the fingers.

	"The one who had you in a cage back there in those flowers," Hiei
elaborated in an unconcerned tone.

	Kurama tensed and forgot about fingers and toes as that registered.
"What are you talking about, Hiei?"

	An amused gleam came into Hiei's eyes and the barest touch of a
smile turned one side of his mouth. Kurama didn't remember!

	"She was very pretty. Prettier than you! And Gold colored. Another
of your old enemies?

	Kurama's eyes narrowed. "Golden? Hiei, are you sure?"

	Hiei gave him his best 'why am I surrounded by idiots' expression.

	"Did she touch you?" There was true fear in Kurama's voice and
panic in his eyes as one of his hands moved slowly and closed on Hiei's
wrist.

	"No. Why?"

	The adrenaline surge left in the rush of relief and a wave of
weakness and drowsiness swept in to take it's place. Kurama tried to fight
it off. The chances he got to be alone with Hiei were few and far between.
He was not going to go to sleep now.

	"Who is she?" Hiei demanded as Kurama's eyes slid shut and his head
got very heavy in his lap.

	"Someone I hope you won't met again for a very, very long time,"
Kurama mumbled back.

	Hiei's eyebrows came together and he reached down and tugged firmly
on a bit of red hair.

	"Hn."

	Asleep again. Hiei lifted Kurama's head and slid out from under
him, then with a bit of tugging and a few curse laden grunts, got him up
and settled over his shoulder.