Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ When Morning Comes ❯ Because You Live: Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything `cept the plot. Never will. You all know that. Why is this required again?

 

AN: I'm sorry for the wait! This chapter took freakin' forever to write and I have no idea why!

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart,

It's the end of the world in my mind.

Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call.

I've been looking for an answer somewhere.

I couldn't see that it was right there,

But now I know what I didn't know.

 

* * *

 

Kurama honestly could not believe what he had just heard. The words rang through his head, over and over, even as he tried to deny their meaning. He stood in the doorway, wanting so badly to step inside his own room and afraid to. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, and finally managed to work out one word. “Hiei…”

 

“Go away,” Hiei repeated, his voice soft, but strong. “You aren't real.” He wouldn't look directly at Kurama, or even indirectly; he just kept staring out the window.

 

Understanding crashed down on Kurama, and his heart leapt painfully. He felt tears spring to his eyes as he realized all at once exactly what Hiei had been going through.

 

Koenma had been wrong. Hiei did realize that he was going insane. Oh, he didn't know it all the time, but that only worsened things. It meant that he couldn't stop it, couldn't bring himself back. He was forced to just let those blank periods come, and there was nothing he could do about it. But now he must have begun seeing Kurama's image, alive—begun recently, if the sight still shocked him—and been perfectly aware that it was just in his mind.

 

He must be so terrified…

 

“Hiei, turn around,” Kurama said, pitching his voice so that it was soft and reassuring, yet commanding. Hiei did not move, but Kurama knew he was listening. “Turn around and look at me.”

 

“I don't want to. It hurts,” Hiei said matter-of-factly. “It makes me crazier. Every time.”

 

“Hiei. Please. I promise you, this isn't your imagination.”

 

“You always say that. But I'm not listening anymore. Yusuke and Kuwabara are worried about me, Kurama. I can't let them worry anymore.”

 

“Hiei, stop this. Look at me.”

 

And now there was a sharp bite of fear in his voice. He hadn't foreseen this…he had very little idea what to do.

 

That fear must have been what caused Hiei to turn quickly. “You're afraid…” he said slowly. “You've never…been afraid.” He sounded hesitant now. “But…that doesn't make any sense…you're just a ghost…”

 

“Hiei, you know that isn't true. I know you don't want to risk believing it, but you can tell I'm alive.”

 

Hiei edged slowly away from the wall. “No…it…it isn't possible. Please, just…leave me alone.”

 

“It's possible. You should know better, Hiei. You've seen it before.”

 

“But…that was only because of special cases…you just died on a job. You couldn't come back.”

 

Kurama was starting to get a little annoyed. Here he was, trying to pull Hiei from the brink of insanity, and Hiei was being singularly uncooperative. He was trying to save Hiei, and instead here they were arguing over whether he was dead or alive!

 

It made Kurama's head hurt.

 

I thought he'd be glad…

 

But even as he thought the words, Kurama knew they were ridiculous. Hiei was glad—so glad he was frightened. He was frightened that if he allowed himself to believe in happiness, it would be taken away again, leaving him in the dark once more.

 

There's only one way to settle this.

 

Hiei was still watching him, but his eyes were uncertain and as Kurama took a step forward, he flinched as the soft shuffling sounds his shoe made on the carpeted floor. Kurama noticed this, but he only moved faster, crossing the room at a run to reach the little demon.

 

He stopped right in front of Hiei, who stared silently up at him, eyes wide, clearly not expecting this. Kurama reached out and hesitantly touched his hand. He flinched and tried to flatten himself back against the wall again, but Kurama only pulled him closer, and crouched slightly so that they were on eye level and their faces were only about an inch apart.

 

And kissed him.

 

He felt Hiei's muscles stiffen in shock, but he didn't pull away. He seemed to be in shock, and Kurama was rather close to that condition himself, stunned by his own daring. But he had been waiting to do this for years, and dying had done nothing to improve it.

 

It was only a few moments before he pulled away, but due to time stopping it had seemed like forever. Hiei's mouth had dropped slightly open, and he stared at Kurama's chest, which was again on his eye level. He seemed to be too surprised to even raise his head.

 

“There,” Kurama said, his voice harsh with sudden, unshed tears. “Has my ghost ever done that?”

 

Hiei made a few incoherent noises, his hand squeezing Kurama's so tightly it hurt. Kurama squeezed back, feeling something that was not exactly fear of what he had done, but something akin to it. “Hiei?” he said softly, questioningly.

 

Hiei looked up at him then, his chest heaving with emotion. He stared into Kurama's eyes for a long moment, and then he seized Kurama by the shoulders, turned him around, shoved him against the wall hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs, and got right up in his face. “You're such an idiot, you stupid fox,” he whispered, the tears falling hard and fast now. “You're such an idiot.”

 

And then suddenly Hiei was kissing him in a very different way than before, pressing him back against the wall, one hand wrapped around his waist and the other tangled in his hair. Kurama's lungs screamed for air, but his mind kept saying, What's the point of oxygen, really?

 

It seemed only natural that he kiss Hiei back, of course. And after that, it was only natural that they find a more comfortable position…on the floor.

 

And after that…

 

Well, after that, things got naturally hazy.

 

* * *

 

Because you live and breathe,

Because you make me believe in myself

When nobody else can help.

Because you live, girl

My world has twice as many stars in the sky.

 

* * *

 

—Flashback—

 

“So how do we do this?” Kurama asked, with an admirable show of calmness.

 

“It is risky. But not so much to you. I have no doubt that you're willing enough to return to life. Still, it won't be easy.”

 

“How does it work…exactly?” Kurama asked.

 

“It's a spell,” Koenma explained. “A fairly simple one, but it requires very strong will. Now, this spell hasn't been used in hundreds of years, and usually it wouldn't be used now. But I'm going way outside the realm of protocol, because it's what you deserve. My dad says it's completely ridiculous, but at this point I don't really care.”

 

“But you aren't telling me how it really works,” Kurama said.

 

“I'm a little fuzzy on that part,” Koenma said a little sheepishly. “I only know how to set it in motion. The rest is up to you.”

 

Kurama sighed. “How delightfully vague.”

 

Koenma nodded. “Now, the first part will be only me. It involves getting your old body back. Since it got left in Makai, it will have…well, it won't be usable anymore. So the first part of the spell involves regenerating it so you'll have something to come back to.”

 

“And this is how difficult?”

 

“Not very. Just involves some chanting and et cetera. All you have to do is stay next to me. Once I finish getting you a body, I'll send your soul back to it. That's where the problem comes in.”

 

“What does that mean?” Kurama asked suspiciously.

 

“It means that your soul will be very disoriented on the way back to your body. You will have to find your own way—I can't help you. But if your will is strong enough, you can get there.”

 

Kurama had no idea what to say to this, so he said nothing at all. Koenma seemed to take his silence for understanding, and said nothing more.

 

The next few minutes went by so quickly that Kurama later wondered sometimes if they had actually happened and were not just figments of his imagination. Koenma took a large book out of his desk, riffled through it, and, with no warning, began to speak in a strange language. Kurama had an odd feeling that he should have recognized this language, but he didn't understand a single word. It was eerie and beautiful and dark and dangerous, and it made Kurama want to scream and run even as he stood next to Koenma and listened, enthralled.

 

He had the impression that a very long time passed while Koenma read, but in reality, it was only a few minutes before Koenma fell silent. Kurama staggered. He felt as if he had been sealed up in a tight jar without realizing it.

 

He glanced at Koenma, who was clutching the book with white-knuckled hands, gasping as if he had just run miles, and opened his mouth to ask if that was it. But Koenma dragged in a breath and barked a single word in that odd language, and suddenly Kurama wasn't in Koenma's office—maybe not even in the Reikai. In fact, he wasn't sure he was anywhere at all.

 

His surroundings had no color at all. He was enveloped by gray on all sides. It looked as insubstantial as mist, but it exerted such enormous pressure that he felt himself being pressed in from every side. It hurt.

 

He stood for a long time—was he standing, or floating?—trying to figure this out. Koenma had said that this part was difficult—was this what he meant? Kurama did feel a little disoriented, but at the same time, he felt that something was drawing at him, trying to show him the way.

 

My body.

 

Well, that, at least, made sense. His soul and body belonged together, and if his body were actually alive after being regenerated, of course it would pull at his soul. So if he followed the call, he would, beyond doubt, end up back where he should be.

 

But the moving part would require some effort, it would seem.

 

Because he couldn't do it.

 

The most he could do was twitch his limbs a couple of times. He couldn't even take a step. The sheer pressure had paralyzed him. Not only his soul, but his mind, so that he could barely form coherent thoughts. He could only stand there like an idiot.

 

He had a sense of time passing, but he had no idea how much. He tried to think, to steady his swirling mind, but it was like holding back the tide—the water that was his thoughts slipped through his fingers faster than he could hope to catch them. He started to forget his purpose—where he was supposed to be going, and why.

 

But another part of him, the part that was still able to reason, fought, hard, to remember. His will battled with his senses, pulling them back to the surface of his consciousness, and slowly, his will began to triumph, until at last reality smacked him in the face.

 

Hiei. I have to go back. He's waiting.

 

When he regained his senses, he was lying on Koenma's office floor, with the prince himself bending over him, looking concerned but very happy at the same time. Kurama blinked in confusion, but he didn't have to ask what had happened, or if it had worked. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest and in each wrist. He was warm and wonderfully alive.

 

He felt a smile spread across his face, but the words he spoke were commonplace.

 

“How long?”

 

Not exactly what one expects to say after rising from the dead, but Koenma acted as if this was the most obvious and natural question in the world. “About three hours. I was beginning to worry,” he replied as he took Kurama by the shoulders and raised him gently into a sitting position. “Careful, your muscles will be a little weak…”

 

But Kurama would have none of this. He pulled himself to his feet over Koenma's protests, and steadied himself with only moderate effort. He took a few steps, and his spirits soared as his feet made actual sound when they hit the floor and his heart sped up just the slightest bit at the movement. He stopped and raised his hands up in front of his eyes. They were no longer semi-transparent and pale, but strong and dark and healthy.

 

“I'm alive,” he whispered. “I'm alive…” With a sudden whoop of laughter, he turned and grabbed Koenma in a huge, joyful hug.

 

—End Flashback—

 

* * *

 

It's all right, I survived, I'm alive again.

`Cause of you, made it through every storm.

What is life, what's the use if you're killed inside?

I'm so glad I found an angel,

Someone who was there when all my hopes fell.

I wanna fly, looking in your eyes.

 

* * *

 

“Are you going to be all right now, Hiei?”

 

Hiei didn't have to ask what Kurama was talking about, or how he had known. As soon as Kurama asked the question, Hiei knew that that was why Koenma had brought the fox back.

 

He automatically opened his mouth to give some generic reply, but then he realized that he simply didn't know the answer. He was certainly happier at this moment than he could ever remember being, but did that meant the voice would leave him alone? Would it stop recounting all his failures, showing him all his ghosts, and let him be at peace?

 

Then he felt the warmth of the living Kurama lying next to him on the extremely comfortable carpeted floor, felt Kurama's arm around him, holding him close, and remembered what had just happened to change his life, and what it meant, and he knew the answer.

 

“Yes, fox. I'm going to be fine.” Better than fine.

 

He felt Kurama smile at the old nickname and drop a kiss on the top of his head, and he snuggled closer to him. This act, which once would have seemed so degrading a show of vulnerability, came as naturally now as breathing, and he loved the thought that Kurama would hold him like this as often as he wanted from this moment on.

 

“I keep thinking that this is all a dream. That I'm going to wake up and find out you're still gone, and I can never be happy. But that's not true, is it?”

 

The confession tumbled out before he could stop it, but he realized that he needed reassurance, no matter how embarrassing the words were.

 

Kurama's arms tightened around him. “It's not true. I'm here. Neither of us is dreaming. I know it for a fact, because I've pinched myself so many times that I think my arm will turn black before long.”

 

Hiei couldn't help it—he laughed. This shocked him so profoundly that he stopped quite quickly. He couldn't remember having ever laughed. Not happily. Sadistic chuckles, sure, he had those in plenty, but actual laughter was something quite new.

 

“That's a good sound,” Kurama said quietly.

 

“Well, maybe now you'll hear it more,” Hiei countered.

 

The two of them fell into companionable silence after this, and Hiei turned slightly to press his ear against Kurama's chest. His heart thumped against his rib cage, the beat regular and steady, and Hiei felt his eyes begin to close, his mind lulled by the sound.

 

He had fallen into a light doze when Kurama's voice interrupted the cadence, vibrating through his chest.

 

“Mmm…what?”

 

“I said, what am I going to tell my mother?”

 

Hiei replied without missing a beat. “The truth.”

 

All he heard was silence to that, and he turned over to see Kurama gazing at him with his mouth hanging open.

 

“Well, I think she'd take that best. If you say you his your head and lost your memory and forgot everything, she'd want details and then take you to one of those human healers, who of course wouldn't find anything and that would be impossible to explain. If you tell her you were kidnapped she'd still want details and a doctor, but this time there'd be what you humans call cops, which would only make things even worse. She knows you wouldn't just take off on some kind of trip and not call for four months and she knew you'd never skip out on classes. Plus she was told of your death only hours after it happened, so she will have guessed that someone was with you when it happened, so that can't be explained away. The only option is the truth, really.”

 

Kurama was still staring at him, and Hiei let out a disgruntled sigh. “Or not. It was just a thought.”

 

“No, no, it makes perfect sense, but…Hiei, I can't tell her I took her real son's soul and made it my own. She would never understand that. She would despise me. And that would be perfectly reasonable, but I don't want it to happen.”

 

“I think you're wrong. She isn't the kind of person who could hate her own son, and you know that, deep down. I think you're just afraid of changes. Because things will change between you, but isn't that what humans say life is about?”

 

“I don't think those philosophers were talking about a change of this magnitude,” Kurama said with a sigh. “But you're right. I have to tell her. And soon. I just…I don't know how.”

 

“I do. I don't think it should be you who tells her you're alive. She deserves to hear the rest from you, but humans are fragile, and if she sees you standing in your kitchen—when you're supposed to be dead—without any warning or explanation, she may just suffer a stroke and take your place in the Reikai.”

 

Kurama laughed at that, and Hiei felt something unidentifiable surge through him at the sound. “So how should I go about it then?”

 

“Get Kuwabara to talk to her,” Hiei suggested instantly. “He's good at talking to people, and I think that'll be required to keep your mother from shipping the three of us to a mental institution before she actually sees you. And to keep her from checking herself in while she's at it. Yusuke and I would only bungle it, and a visit from anyone from the Reikai would only send her to the institution faster, but Kuwabara was the one who broke the news to her in the first place, and he seemed to do it well enough…I think. He won't give details, see.”

 

After a pause, Kurama said, “I think you're right. I have to avoid Mother until I talk to him.”

 

“Your mother is on a business trip until late tomorrow night, so that should be fairly simple.”

 

 

“How on earth do you know that?” Kurama asked in amazement.

 

Hiei shrugged. “I lurk.” When Kurama simply raised his eyebrows, he explained, “Don't worry, I'm not a stalker. She never even knows I'm there. I've just been…watching out for her.”

 

“…Thank you, Hiei.”

 

“Don't be a sap.”

 

“Oh, and you spying on my mother to keep her safe when you've never met her isn't sappy at all.”

 

“I'm going to regret telling you that forever.” But Hiei's voice was utterly unconvincing.

 

After another moment's pause, Kurama said, “I want to see them, Hiei.”

 

Hiei knew instantly who he was talking about, and he was rather surprised to realize that he didn't mind the thought of relinquishing the time with Kurama all that much. Of course he would prefer having the fox all to himself, but Yusuke and Kuwabara had been unhappy, too—though neither of them had lost their minds—and they had as much right to see him as Hiei did.

 

“All right. We'll go over there now. They'll be home. Yusuke won't want to go out in the rain. He's a real wimp about getting wet.”

 

* * *

 

Because you live and breathe,

Because you made me believe in myself

When nobody else can help.

Because you live, girl,

My world has twice as many stars in the sky.

Because you live, I live.

 

* * *

 

Despite Kurama's eagerness to see his friends, he and Hiei walked slowly to the apartment, because Kurama said that he just wanted to look.

 

Rain was still turning the world gray and muddy, but it was lessening now, and even as they walked it stopped completely, and the clouds began to clear. In some parts of the sky, they had already cleared away completely, so that patches of sun shone in the sky. The says reached down to touch the earth, and spread their warmth to dry the land.

 

“I love April,” Kurama murmured, his arm around Hiei as they walked. “It smells of spring. And I love spring.”

 

“You love all the days and all the months and all the seasons,” Hiei said, smiling as he watched Kurama watch the sun.

 

“That I do. There are very few things I love more.” And here he gave Hiei a sideways look that made him go red and duck his head, and change the subject abruptly, lest it move on to…other areas.

 

“So did Koenma tell you what's been going on? What's happening with us?” he asked, artfully steering the conversation away from topics that made him want very much to return to Kurama's house.

 

Regardless of the fact that Kurama's room had no furniture.

 

Kurama's face turned serious. “He didn't say a lot, but what he did say…didn't sound good. For instance, he says the group has split apart. That no one can seem to stand to be in the same room anymore.”

 

“He's right,” Hiei admitted reluctantly. He hadn't counted on this—he had been thinking of light subjects.

 

“I don't understand. Why would that happen?” And under that, another question that Hiei decoded easily: what happened to you?

 

Hiei sighed. “I don't know. We were fine that first night…” He looked at Kurama and saw to his relief that he didn't have to explain that last part. “…and we were fine the next day, too. We were all just kind of hoping that you'd…come back, I guess. But…I think after a couple days, we began to realize that it wasn't some cosmic joke or nightmare. You were gone. Really gone. And that realization was like losing you all over again. I think that's when it started. When we all began to close ourselves off from each other. Most of us, anyway. I stayed with Yusuke and Kuwabara. That seemed…right, somehow.” He took a deep breath and plunged on, determined to finish the whole thing. “That's when I started to lose it.” His voice cracked, but he ignored both that and the growing lump in his throat. “At first it was just an episode here and there, ya know? I would talk about you every once in a while, just as a memory. But after a while, it got…worse. You were in my head all the time, talking to me and…and hurting me, until I had to say what you were saying or explode. I didn't even realize it was happening until about a month ago—it happened so slowly. As soon as I figured it out, I tried to fight it, but…it was too strong. I was going crazy and I knew it.” A tear rolled down Hiei's cheek, and he caught the gem deftly and pocketed it without conscious thought. He was well used to his own tears by now. “And the worst thing is, a part of me didn't care. Part of me wanted it to happen, because I was always happy while I said what the you in my head was saying. It convinced me that you hadn't ever left at all. I didn't ever feel the pain of it until after I came out of an episode. And every time, I swore I would just ignore your voice next time. But always, the next time it came, I was never able to resist. I would try to remember the pain I must have brought to the others, and I would try to remember my promise to you, but…the thought of being happy, even for a little while…it was so strong. And I was so selfish, and weak…gods, I was pathetic…”

 

Hiei yelped as Kurama suddenly stopped dead and jerked Hiei around to face him. “You listen to me,” he said, his voice low. “You are none of those things. You cared far too much about my death to ever be selfish. If you thought only of yourself you would have either let yourself sink into false happiness without trying at all, or you would have killed yourself. But you tried to come back. You tried so hard. And the fact that you couldn't doesn't make you weak. Don't ever think that. You've gone through so much in your life. You've lost family, friends, homes; you've been uprooted every time you tried to make a life for yourself. It's enough to drive anyone with any spark of feeling at all mad, and most would have been incapable of holding on half as long as you did. But not only did you stay sane for all of your life but the last four months, you actually managed to love again, and trust. That doesn't make you weak, Hiei. It makes you the strongest person I know.”

 

Hiei looked utterly shocked for a moment, and more tears glistened in his eyes, but then he regained himself and muttered, “I thought I told you not to be a sap.” But he was smiling, and almost before he finished speaking he pulled Kurama down for a kiss.

 

* * *

 

Because you live there's a reason why

I carry on when I lose the fight.

I want to give you what you've given me,

Always.

 

* * *

 

“This is Yusuke and Kuwabara's new place?” Kurama asked.

 

“Yeah,” Hiei replied. “It's nice, isn't it?”

 

“How did they afford this?” Kurama looked around in awe at the beautiful apartment complex around him, complete with pool and fountain.

 

Hiei shrugged dismissively. “I've been saving and selling my gems.” He said it casually, lightly, but Kurama felt his pain and squeezed his hand gently. Hiei smiled reassuringly at him. “I figured they might as well have some use. Besides, I'm living with them instead of in trees now, so it actually matters what the place is like.”

 

An odd look passed over Kurama's face, but it was gone before Hiei could identify it, and Kurama asked, “Are you sure they're home?”

 

“Yes. They'll be waiting for me to come back.”

 

From what he didn't say, he knew, Kurama would know that this kind of thing had happened before, many times. No need to dwell on the matter.

 

As they reached the apartment on the ground floor of the building, Hiei took a key out of his pocket. Sliding it into the lock, he said to Kurama, “They'll be sitting on the couch in the living room, which is right through the kitchen. I know their routine by now…” He swore as he had to pull the key back out, having inserted it upside-down. “Never saw the use of these things…breaking the lock is so much simpler…”

 

“It's also against the law here,” Kurama reminded him.

 

“But I never used to follow the rules, until you came along and changed my nice law-breaking life,” Hiei countered good-naturedly, finally getting the door unlocked and pushing it open. “Come on.” Kurama followed him into the kitchen, looking around him with interest.

 

Everything was far cleaner than one would have expected, knowing that two college boys lived here, but it still bore the mark of some laziness. A box of cereal still stood on the counter from breakfast, there were a few dirty dishes in the sink, and the coffee in the pot had been sitting there at least since morning. But the countertops and table were scrubbed clean and the floor was spotless. And somehow it was doubtful that Yusuke and Kuwabara had done that.

 

Man, who would ever have pinned Hiei as a neat freak?

 

“I'm back,” Hiei called as he led Kurama to the door separating the kitchen and living room.

 

The other two members of the team were sitting on the couch as Hiei had predicted. Kuwabara sat upright, the TV remote in his hand, flipping through the channels. Yusuke had taken up the rest of the couch, lying against the arm across from Kuwabara, his long legs half-curled in a V in front of him. As Hiei and Kurama walked into the room, Kuwabara spoke without turning. “Hi, Hiei. Angel's on, if you want to watch.” His voice was determinedly relaxed, but the underlying concern was detectable. “It's the one where Cordy gets turned half-demon.”

 

Kurama smirked and mouthed, “Angel?”

 

Hiei silenced him with a glare and said, “Sure, but don't you want to see who I brought with me?”

 

It was Yusuke who spoke this time. “What? Who in the world talks to us anymore?”

 

And then he and Kuwabara turned and saw, quite clearly, who.

 

Kuwabara's jaw dropped, and the remote slid through his fingers and crashed to the floor, the batteries rolling off in opposite directions to be found the next day by a very puzzled Hiei. Yusuke sat straight up, his legs swinging off the couch as he stared at Kurama. Slowly, he reached over and grabbed on to Kuwabara's arm. “Do you see him, too?”

 

Kuwabara gulped. “Yeah, man, I do.”

 

Both of them stood slowly, cautiously, as if afraid of scaring Kurama away. Kurama grinned at them and said, “You two look like you saw a ghost.”

 

He only realized how lame the words sounded after they left his mouth, but he didn't have to worry about anyone making fun of him. Both Yusuke and Kuwabara seemed to be in identical states of shock and unable to even hear him.

 

Kurama was beginning to worry that they were all just going to stand there and stare at each other until they all dropped dead of old age. But then, quite suddenly, Yusuke just sort of jumped, leapt across the room, and threw his arms around Kurama, hitting him so hard that he almost fell over. Kuwabara stood nearby, seemingly unable to move, until Kurama reached out and pulled him into the hug. He tried to grab Hiei, too, but Hiei ducked out of reach with the ease of practice. Things may be easier between him and the others now, but that did not mean he was willing to hug—or even touch—any of them except Kurama.

 

None of them had any idea of how long they stood there in the living room in utter silence, but finally, Yusuke pulled away, though he kept one hand on Kurama's shoulder. He wiped the wetness from his cheeks and spoke in a choked voice. “I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but…how?” As he spoke, he guided Kurama to the couch and sat him down. Kuwabara sat, too, and Yusuke was about to sit on his other side when Hiei brushed past him, sat down, curled up next to Kurama, and slid an arm around him with a look that said, very clearly, “Mine.”

 

Yusuke looked at him for a moment, eyes slightly wide. Then he slapped his knee and began to laugh. The sound was almost foreign to Kuwabara and Hiei—they hadn't seen the leader of the Reikai Tentei so much as smile in so long. Not that they had been exactly “the hills are alive with the sound of music” themselves, of course, but Yusuke used to be so full of good humor that the change in him had been much clearer than in all the rest.

 

“Why are you laughing?” Kuwabara asked even as he chuckled himself, though his laughter was more at Yusuke.

 

Yusuke's mirth died down and he said, “Nothing's funny. I'm just…happy.” He grinned at Kurama. “Well, I did tell you to go for it. You're a little late, but…”

 

It was Hiei's turn to look shocked. “Wait…what…how…you knew?”

 

Yusuke seemed rather gratified to have surprised Hiei so thoroughly. “Yeah. Kurama told me, and I told Kuwabara. But it hasn't gotten outside the three of us…well, four now, I guess.”

 

Hiei turned an accusing gaze on Kurama. “You told him before you told me?”

 

Kurama nodded sheepishly. “Well, I had to tell someone, or I would have exploded!”

 

“Hmm…how about, oh, say…ME?!”

 

“Well, I didn't know you felt the same way!” Kurama protested defensively.

 

Hiei rolled his eyes. “Your mind works in strange ways.”

 

“And before you two get to the make-out stage of this thing, I repeat my earlier question: how?” Yusuke broke in.

 

Kurama smiled at the flash of Yusuke's old humor and said simply, “Koenma. He…didn't like the direction things were going.” That was putting the situation on a rather small scale than was realistic, but it was true enough. “Technically, bringing me back is against all Reikai law.”

 

Kuwabara slapped his hand on the arm of the chair in delight. “So he finally decided to stand up to his dad.”

 

“I guess so,” Kurama replied, shrugging. “He mentioned something about Yama saying that the whole thing was ridiculous. From his tone, I gathered that he was lucky not to be arrested for returning me to life. And he was even luckier not to die during the spell.” Kurama decided not to tell them how close he'd come to losing his soul.

 

Yusuke, who was still crouched in front of them on the floor, having forgotten to move, reached up to give Kurama's hand a quick squeeze. “Forget everything I ever said about that guy. In fact, disregard anything I say about him in the future, too.”

 

“Get…your…hand…of…my…fox,R 21; Hiei growled, but there was absolutely no anger in his voice. Rather, to Kurama's immense surprise, his tone was…joking?

 

“Oh, and Fool, if you know how to dial a phone, call the rest. They'll want to know and he wants to see them.”

 

Kuwabara slapped a hand to his forehead. “Right! Duh! Okay, I deserved the `fool' comment this time…”

 

“Don't you always?”

 

“Shut up, shrimp.”

 

The entire exchange, which had taken place so many times before in front of Kurama, was…different, now. This time, both Kuwabara and Hiei were actually smiling, though the former's smile was rather wider than the latter's.

 

My God, Hiei's learned to banter…things have changed…

 

* * *

 

Because you live and breathe,

Because you make me believe in myself

When nobody else can help.

Because you live, girl,

My world has twice as many stars in the sky.

 

* * *

 

Botan, Shizuru, Yukina, Keiko and Genkai did not appreciate being roused from their homes after dark—which is the time it was by the time Kuwabara actually got the calls made—but the fact that he had called at all surprised them enough to get them to come with little complaint, even though Kuwabara hadn't actually told them anything except they needed to get to his apartment, right away.

 

They arrived at different times, of course, being rather far-flung as a whole. Botan arrived first, being able to navigate by portal. She was the only one who had an idea of what she was walking into, because Koenma had told her only fifteen minutes before Kuwabara's call. But it seemed that she hadn't let herself believe it, because the moment she set eyes on Kurama she burst into tears that threatened to flood the apartment, and nearly knocked Hiei off the couch completely with her hug.

 

The rest of them hadn't a clue.

 

Keiko got there next. She seemed uncomfortable at being in such close proximity with Yusuke after so long, but her feelings were quite forgotten when she set eyes on Kurama. She managed to keep her iron composure—there was very little that could provoke any sort of emotion in Keiko anymore—a result of all the shocks she'd received in her life combined with the fact that her boyfriend was away on Reikai work so often—which was one of the reasons she and Yusuke hadn't been able to make things work—but it was a near thing, and as it was she let a tear or two escape as she ran over to hug him, though she didn't say a word and asked no questions.

 

Shizuru was again different. When she set eyes on Kurama for the first time since his death, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she murmured, “I knew my little bro was sitting on something big…” Then she took out her pack of cigarettes, seemed to think better of lighting one, put them back, and walked calmly over to pick Kurama right up off the couch with the force of her hug.

 

The last two arrived together. Yukina knocked on the door—the only one to do so—and, when Kuwabara shouted, “Come in!” she walked softly through the kitchen as though afraid to make any noise at all. When she got to the living room they all saw that she was supporting Genkai on her arm. The old lady, once so strong and healthy, had become thin and frail over the past months, and now she could barely put one foot in front of the other without help. But the moment she set eyes on Kurama, she let go of Yukina and stood on her own, rigid with shock. Yukina was the exact opposite of paralyzed, though. She shrieked at the top of her lungs and crossed the room in one bound, leaving diamond-hard tear gems in her wake, and flung herself on both Kurama and Hiei, hugging them both so hard that Hiei's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

 

“By all the gods of ice and snow, how did this happen?” she demanded, without letting go of either of them.

 

But Kurama didn't answer. Instead, he gently disentangled himself from her grip and got up to walk over to Genkai, who had not moved an inch. He crouched in front of her, reached out, and took her hand. “Are you all right, Genkai?” he asked softly.

 

She simply stared at him for the longest time, and then murmured, in a voice cracked and aged ten years, “It's about time that prince came to his senses.”

 

Kurama looked rather taken aback, but then his face broke into a grin, and he hugged her tightly. After a moment, he pulled away, and led her carefully over to the others, sitting her down on the chair, before going and sitting back on the couch again. Hiei immediately resumed his position of sitting practically in Kurama's lap, and this time, the others noticed.

 

There was a silence in the room, and then Yukina suddenly said, “I'm so happy for you, brother,” and came forward to hug them both again. Hiei flushed with embarrassment but permitted it, Yukina being his little sister and all.

 

Everyone else seemed to think this pretty much summed it up, and they all seated themselves on the floor around the couch. Kurama smiled around at them all and said, “You have no idea how much I missed you all.” He watched them in silence for a bit, then suddenly said brightly, “So tell me things! What's new with all of you?”

 

And just like that, the awkwardness that was only to be expected when one's friend has appeared after four months of being dead was gone. No one had been quite sure what to say a moment ago, but with Kurama's question suddenly everyone had something to tell.

 

New classes for Kuwabara and Yusuke, new boyfriend on the part of Shizuru, work for Keiko, Yukina's training in healing from Genkai, and the everyday ferrying of souls that had Botan buried in jobs—none of them were of any importance to the world and would have bored most to death.

 

Kurama latched onto every word, asking a million questions and extracting every detail of the four months he'd missed.

 

Hiei, for his part, just lay on the couch with his head on Kurama's shoulder, wrapped in the fox's arms, half-asleep, and let the words wash over him, bring a contentment he never would have thought possible. It didn't matter what they were saying, really—only that they were saying it while in the same room together.

 

The Reikai Tentei, only a day before fractured and broken seemingly beyond repair, was whole again.

 

* * *

 

Because you live and breathe,

Because you make me believe in myself

When nobody else can help.

Because you live, girl,

My world has everything I need to survive.

Because you live,

I live.

 

- - - - - - - - - - -

 

AN: Okay, so it's you guys who get to decide whether or not there will be one more chapter to this story or not. If you vote yes, then I'll write the reunion with Shiori in an epilogue. Review, please!!!

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Reviewers' comments:

 

Catie-brie: Well, your question got answered—I'm hoping it was satisfactory. And as an answer to your question about the updates—well, as I said in the Author's Note, that's up to you readers, whom I love and adore! Thanks a lot!

 

Darkness Child: Yeah, sorry about the cliffe! I normally don't like to leave them, but sometimes the muses force the issue. I hope the chapter makes up for it, and thanks for the review!

 

Deannamay: Thanks for the review, and you turned out to be right about the reunion—I hope. That's what I was going for, anyway—sweetness. I liked what you said about Kurama, too—you put my thoughts of him in words the way I was never able to. Hope you liked this chapter, too!

 

The Dot Army General: LOL, hey there! Thanks for reviewing! And yes, I do know that you don't like Hiei/Kurama fics, but hey, I needed the feedback! Thanks for that, by the way. Now, let's try that maniacal laugh from the top, shall we? raises conductor's stick thingy One and two and three and four and…laugh maniacally now, please…goes off to capture your army while you're busy practicing

 

T.K. Yurikoto: Don't kill Hiei, now that you know why he said that! If you kill him I can't put him in any more stories! feeds you chocolate to pacify you Thanks for the review, even if you DID go rabid on one of the most important characters!

 

Kooriya Yui: Thanks for the review! I'm glad it's different—I don't like to be too ordinary. Actually, I don't like to be ordinary at all. Also, I'm sorry about the typos. I don't have anyone proofing my stories, and I often overlook things no matter how many times I check my chapters. Tell me if they get too bad, would you? Thanks!

 

Kikira-chan: I hope that was happy enough. I didn't want to go overboard on the fluff, but I wanted to have it, obviously. And I thought that this was the way Hiei would most likely react to Kurama dying—I mean, he's so unpredictable that anything's possible, but this just seemed…right, somehow. Glad you thought so, too! Thanks for the review!

 

KyoHana: Well, everything's resolved except Shiori! Thank you so much for your compliments! I normally don't take them well at all—I tend to get all red and have to run away—but even I like to know that I don't suck at least once in a while. It means a lot to me, really! Thanks again!

 

Shiva-iceflame: Well, I wasn't able to follow the instructions to hurry up, and I'm sorry about that, but I did my best, I promise! I hope you liked it, and thanks for the review!