Chapter 3: Tears
Kurama
I hurry to my apartment with Hiei in my arms. He is unconscious. Yukina really did a number on him. I can't believe she tried to kill him. She often said that she wished that her brother, when she found him, would be just like Hiei. She doesn't know that he really is her brother. And, after this, she's not likely to find out.

Finally, I get to my apartment and lay Hiei on the bed. I carefully remove his cloak and soaked clothes, along with his boots. Then I check him for injuries. The first thing to catch my eye is the huge greenish-purple bruise on his side. I probe the area gently and find a broken rib. I tightly wrap bandages around his chest, holding the rib in place. He also has the cut on his cheek from the beer can, and another near his temple, probably from Yukina. I carefully clean and bandage the wounds.

Then I put him in some dry clothes and cover him with a blanket. I change from my own soaked clothes to dry ones and towel dry my hair. Then I crawl under the blankets to curl around my lover. Eventually, I fall asleep.

I awake as the body next to me stirs. I put my arms around my fire demon and pull him close, nuzzling his cheek lovingly. "Hiei? Are you okay?"

"Hn..." The fire demon pulls away from me. Frowning, I move closer to him and hug him. He shoves me away irritably. "Don't touch me." His voice holds no emotion. He's closing himself off again...

Persistently, I hug him again. He growls his `Do-you-want-to-die?' growl. I am startled. Hiei hasn't done that since before we became lovers. "Don't growl at me! I'm on your side!"

My lover pulls away and gets out of the bed. "Why did you bring me here?" Still no emotion. Nothing in his voice, his face, or his beautiful ruby-red eyes to show the hurt and sorrow that I know must be there.

Hiei will get pissed if I beat around the bush. And he's upset enough as it is. I sigh. "Because Yukina was going to kill you."

I flinch at his next words. "So what." Finally, he shows emotion. Bitterness. He turns away and whispers, "Why didn't you just let her kill me? Everyone would be happier then. The Koorime, Yukina...Hell, even Kuwabara would have-"

At that point I grab him and pull him back onto the bed. Hiei struggles, so I roll on top of him and straddle him, holding his arms at his sides. He tries to squirms away, to no avail. I lean close to my lover's face, forcing him to make eye contact. "Why didn't I let her kill you?!" My voice cracks with emotion. "Because I love you, Hiei," I whisper tenderly. Then I lean down and kiss him passionately. After a few seconds, he relaxes, and I pull away, breaking the kiss. "You know that, Hiei. Don't push me away." Tears spill down my cheeks as I release him.

The fire demon just lies there for a moment, then closes his eyes. A single black tear gem falls to the mattress. I gather him in my arms and hold him close. "Why did I do that? Now she hates me..." he says after a while.

I pull him closer. "Kuwabara was stupid to say something like that...drunk or not." The ningen hadn't known Hiei's past. He was a bit smarter than Hiei gave him credit for and knew that if he happened to say something that did have a connection to Hiei's past, it would be dangerous for him. So he usually steered clear of insults like that, sticking with things that insulted Hiei's height or just the fact that he was a youkai.

Hiei speaks again, so softly that I can barely hear him. "How could I have known..?" He trails off.

My curiosity is stirred. "Known what?" I ask. What did Yukina say to him?

He flinches and is silent for a while. I start to think that he might not answer when he finally speaks. "Kuwabara asked Yukina to marry him. She accepted. That's what he came to tell us...and that's why he was so drunk...It's also why she hates me..."

I stare at my lover in shock. "Great Inari-sama! This is getting complicated..." I run my fingers through Hiei's hair thoughtfully. Then I get an idea. "You have to tell her who you are."

The little youkai cringes at the thought. "She wouldn't believe me...And even if she accepted me, I'd know it was only because I'm her brother..." Another tear gem falls to the blanket. "...Deep down...she'd still hate me..."

I kiss the top of his head. "I'm sorry, Hiei. I don't know what to do."

"I messed up," he says bitterly. "It's not your problem. I always screw things up..."

I nuzzle him, trying unsuccessfully to comfort him. "It's not your fault. It was an accident. And you don't always screw things up." He doesn't respond. "It is my problem because you're hurting. And that hurts me." He flinches. "You really should tell Yukina..."

He is silent for a moment. "After what I did...she'd just reject me...and..." He trails off. But I know what he is thinking. He can't stand another rejection. He's dealt with too many of them already...

I kiss him gently. "I'm here for you. I'll never leave you..." My fire demon relaxes against my chest. I run my fingers through his hair comfortingly. His breathing slows as he drifts off into an uneasy slumber. I continue to hold him for the rest of the night.

I'm so mean to poor Hiei-san...Oh, well. Makes for a good story. Be warned, I know exactly where this story is leading...Be afraid...Be very afraid!!

On to Chapter 4

Back to Chapter 2

Back to the Fanfics

Back to the Main Page