Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ That Which Remains Unspoken ❯ Chapter II ( Chapter 2 )

That Which Remains Unspoken:

Chapter 2

Kurama stood and stretched as the little "team meeting" ended. They were leaving for the Makai tomorrow and he wanted to go home and sleep as much as possible before the mission began. Kuwabara shouted his goodbyes and dashed out the door into the whirling snow, jacket pulled tight over his strong, muscular chest. Hiei snorted and stood by waiting as Kurama said his goodbyes to Yusuke, Keiko, and Koenma. As soon as his beloved kitsune was ready, he fell in step beside him as they left Yusuke's house and headed towards Kurama's.

But as they were leaving, something caught Kurama's eye. At the very corner of his vision, he saw Keiko, looking serious, draw Yusuke aside and say something to him. But before he could strain his ears to try and catch what she was saying, Hiei had pulled the door wide open and he was hit with a blast of snow and frigid air. Gasping softly as the cold air washed over him, he momentarily forgot about the scene behind him and ducked out the door behind Hiei.

Wrapping his arms tightly around himself for warmth, Kurama quickened his step and glanced at the silent fire demon beside him. Hiei was wrapped securely in his black cloak and staring up at the winter night's sky, seemingly lost in thought and oblivious to the real world. The wind died down some as they walked, and the snow no longer roiled around them. It spiraled lazily down and came to rest upon the little demon; it dusted his hair and caught in his eyelashes, it painted his shoulders and coated his nose. His ruby eyes seemed to burn holes in the canopy of clouds and stars above him and his lean chest rose and fell softly in time with the clouds of breath coming out of his slightly parted lips. All in all, he was a breathtaking sight. Hiei may not have known it, but other people, looking at him, noted his looks and many of them found themselves (if unwillingly) attracted to him.

Kurama found himself staring at this ethereal beauty and getting lost in wonder. He had never noticed Hiei in this way. Of course, he had acknowledged Hiei's looks, how could he have not, but he had never really and truly looked at Hiei until now; his mind having been filled with a certain Spirit Detective. His breath misted out in front of him, as he looked sidelong at his best friend, eyes occasionally flitting back to the path ahead. Yes, Hiei was a marvel; Kurama learned something new about him everyday.

Hiei stared up at the veiled stars as he walked, his Jagan keeping him safe from obstacles on the path, even through its ward. He breathed the cold night air in deeply, filling his lungs and then deflating them. It felt so good to be out of that stifling room where he was forced to watch the man he loved stare at another. It had been hell for him the past year or so, as he watched Kurama slowly turn his attentions to Yusuke. Sure, Yusuke was a close friend of Kurama's, and sure as heck he was good-looking, but overall, Hiei just didn't see what Kurama saw in him. Maybe he was just jealous that Yusuke was getting the love he felt he himself deserved, but he let it be. It was none of his business and he had no right to intrude upon Kurama's innermost feelings.

Feeling the tingles up and down his spine that usually meant he was being watched Hiei took his eyes off the sweeping expanse above him and turned his face upwards towards Kurama's. Kurama's glittering jade eyes gazed back down into his blood-red ones.

Hiei's eyes met his and once again, Kurama thought he saw something. Yes! It was there, veiled as before, but this time he would find out what it was. Buried in the depths of those ruby eyes, those bottomless caverns that Kurama felt he could drown in if he stared long enough. A person could know everything about Hiei and then take one look into his eyes and feel like he was a complete stranger that they had only just met. His eyes revealed everything and nothing, were cold and warm at the same time, glittering and veiled, furious and subdued. But this emotion was hidden beneath all that, covered in layers of shadow and mystery. So once again Kurama leaned

in slightly and peered deeply into those depths for the second time that day.

And, like before, he blinked . . . and it was gone. And all he saw was a pair of blank, fiery eyes staring back up at him. "Kurama? What are looking at?" Hiei asked in his usual sharp tones.

Kurama jumped slightly and straightened up. The two of them had stopped walking in those few shared moments between them, and he quickly resumed the pace. What was he thinking anyway? He liked Yusuke! Hiei was his best friend, and only that. Besides, Hiei never let himself get close to anyone, not in that way and wasn't it worse having no chance, instead of a slim one? He avoided looking at the black-clad demon beside him and instead stared at the fast approaching house ahead of him. His house, his sanctuary.

Hiei watched Kurama closely and noted how his step quickened and his eyes stared fixedly in front of him. "I've managed to do it again," he thought sadly to himself. "I've managed to scare him away . . . Just like everyone else who ever meant something to me . . ." His thoughts wandered and he only stopped by instinct when Kurama did. Slightly surprised he looked up and found intent green eyes upon his slight form once more. "Hn," he said. "Good-night." And using his unearthly speed he left Kurama standing there, mouth slightly open, one hand slightly raised in the air.

"Good-night . . . Hiei," he said to the freezing air around him. And as he turned and went into the warm recesses of his house one thought swirled in his mind: "What did I do now?"

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The next morning dawned cold and clear. Weak sunlight streamed in through the frosty glass pane and colored the face of the sleeping fox. It prodded his eyes and painted the insides of his lids bright gold. He stirred, mumbled something, and threw an arm over his face. Then remembering what he was supposed to do today, Kurama sat up straight in bed and looked at the clock hanging on his wall. Good, only 8:00. He didn't have to be at Yusuke's until 9:30. A small smile caused his mouth to twitch. He would be willing to bet anyone any amount of money that the Spirit Detective would still be asleep when the rest of the team showed up.

He stretched and got up quickly, changing into warm clothes and tossing a few things into his backpack. He had learned from previous experience to always pack for the unexpected, especially where Demon World was involved. One night of bone-chilling cold, hunger, and bloody clothes was enough for him!

He quietly cleaned up his room and was in the process of writing a note to his mother when there was a tap at his window. He glanced up sharply at the misty pane and saw a black blob apparently standing on the tree right outside. Grinning, he opened the window and ushered Hiei in before the heat could get out. "Ready to go?" he asked the fire demon. Hiei shrugged and sat down on the floor, his back against the wall, waiting.

"I'm almost done," Kurama told him and quickly finished up his note. Walking downstairs, Hiei a silent black shadow following, he taped it to the fridge and grabbed his winter coat. Slinging the backpack over his shoulder he softly opened the front door and stepped out into the icy winter morning.

Hiei closed the door behind them and watched as Kurama began to stroll towards Yusuke's house, going slowly and seeming to enjoy the frigid dawn. The weak yellow light lit his hair on fire and tinted his pale skin a golden-brown. His cheeks were already pink from the cold and his green eyes shone. That was one of the many things Hiei loved about Kurama, he was always so colorful, so full of life. He loved life itself and just being able to live; this seemed to be something he had learned from his years among the humans. His step was always springy and he always radiated energy and light. Yes, the Gods smiled down upon Kurama and blessed him in many ways, even though Kurama seemed not to know it.

Kurama breathed deeply, filling his lungs. It was a gorgeous morning and the world seemed to sing around him. He was going to see Yusuke and spend some time with him for the next few days. Everything was perfect. Unconsciously a grin spread across his face, causing his eyes to glow with an inner light and his whole face to shine. Hiei, watching, was entranced by the play of light, both inner and outer, on the smooth plains of the fox-boy's face. If he didn't know better, he would have said Kurama was a god.

The warded Jagan screamed in his head and he snapped his eyes forward in just enough time to avoid running into a lamppost. Sighing inwardly he kept his eyes off Kurama and on the sidewalk in front of him, determined not to run into anything else and make a fool of himself in front of him. His concentration caused his face to tighten slightly and his jaw to take on a set look of determination. Kurama, looking over, thought he seemed angry, or upset with something and wisely decided not to say anything, for fear of invoking his wrath.

A few minutes later they stood in front of the Spirit Detective's house. Knocking lightly on Yusuke's front door, Kurama turned to Hiei and raised an eyebrow when he got no answer. Knocking harder this time, he frowned at the door, as if trying to see through it. He banged one more time, this time the loudest of all, and shouted, "Yusuke! Are you there? Open the door!" The two demons waited a few more minutes then gave up in defeat. Kurama sighed and Hiei echoed his exasperation. He strode up to the door and kicked as hard as he could, forcing it to swing open. Tossing a smug grin over his shoulder, Hiei sauntered into Yusuke's house. Kurama followed, shaking his head slightly and trying to hide the grin that was threatening to spread across his face.

Hiei moved deeper into the warm recesses of the small house and Kurama followed, pausing to quietly shut the door behind him. Kuwabara was obviously not here yet and the two demons knew it would be a good idea to have Yusuke awake and on his feet before the loud carrot-topped boy arrived. Hiei moved stealthily, his slight form never making a sound as he seemed to skim over the floor. Kurama followed, almost as quiet, and entered into Yusuke's small room right behind his friend. Yes, it was just as he expected. There lay Yusuke, tangled in his blankets, mouth wide open, snoring to wake the dead.

The sun fought its way through his partially closed blinds and made stripes across his sleeping form. Kurama watched silently as his chiseled chest rose and fell rhythmically beneath the twisted sheets and as his fingers twitched slightly, as if he were reaching for something, something he couldn't quite catch. Kurama began to find that his chest hurt; it felt like someone was slowly squeezing all the air from his lungs. Yusuke seemed so pure when he slept, like a child almost, and this was the only time anyone would ever see him so. His soft brown hair fell messily onto his closed eyes and forehead; the absence of the usual hair gel making the hairs seem to glow softly in the dim light.

Hiei looked over and found Kurama's eyes locked intently on their leader's sleeping form. He seemed mesmerized and Hiei cursed silently, wishing it were he that held that emerald gaze so. Those eyes that could pierce your soul . . . Shaking his spiky head slightly, Hiei snorted softly and kicked Yusuke none to gently in the ribs. "Yusuke!"

With a loud cry the Spirit Detective shot straight up in bed, the rumpled bedding falling around his waist. "What the hell?!" He looked up at the two demons standing above him. "Oh, it's you guys. . ." He looked over towards the small clock on his dresser and Kurama chose that moment to send Hiei a silent reprieve. "9:25, you guys are early," Yusuke commented in his usual manner.

"We wanted to make sure you were vertical for the mission," Hiei answered, making no pretense of disguising the sarcasm in his voice. Yusuke grinned up at him. "Sorry, I . . . didn't sleep real well last night . . ." Hiei raised an eyebrow and Kurama voiced the fire demon's unspoken thought. "Everything alright?"

The chocolate eyed youth looked up at him. "Well, it's just . . ." He paused, put his head in his hands and mumbled something even Hiei's super sensitive ears couldn't quite catch. "What, Yusuke?" Kurama asked, concern coloring his eyes.

"Keiko broke up with me last night."