~Once Burned~

Chapter three is here! I hope I'm still doing good with the IC; it's getting harder and harder the closer Hiei and Kurama become. Anyway, this is a pretty short chapter, mostly because I didn't want to cram too much into it.
The purpose of the title should be cleared up in this chapter. Just pay close attention to Hiei's parts of the dialogue. n_n;


Four days. It should have been a short time to someone as old as Kurama, but in light of recent events it seemed much longer. He suspected Hiei was angry with him. Why would he not be, after all? It had been the “most-likely scenario” whenever he had thought about doing what he had done. The fire demon had a temper to say the least, and Kurama had expected this sort of reaction from him. Well, to be honest he had expected Hiei to fry him on the spot for daring to touch him, but the more optimistic side of his brain (not the more realistic one) had anticipated a long disappearance while Hiei went someplace else to think about the kiss, and possibly brood. All things considered, this was probably the best reaction the kitsune could have reasonably hoped for.

So Kurama did what he had become quite good at over the past three-and-a-half years: he waited.

His mood had taken a slight turn for the worse during the last four days, but he would be damned, skinned, and used as a rich woman’s neck accessory before he would let it show. He had vowed to himself that he was not very well going to sink into a depression over this; he did not even know what conclusions Hiei might have made while gone, and he wasn’t going to jump to any himself. It was too early to become disheartened. He would have faith in the Koorime halfbreed’s ability to reason things through, and trust that when Hiei was ready, the fire demon would come to him for answers. And he would be ready to give them. No hesitating, no veiled romanticisms, just the pure and simple truth.

Still, he very nearly swallowed his tongue when there came a loud ‘TAP’ at his bedroom window that evening.

Kurama smoothed his undoubtedly startled expression and turned toward the window. Crimson eyes gleamed expectantly at him out of the dark outside. The fox boy unlatched the window and pushed it up, then stepped back to admit the diminutive apparition.

“We need to talk.” Hiei said as his feet touched the floor.

Kurama nodded. “Yes. I believe I ought to explain myself, oughtn’t I?”

Large eyes stared impassively at him. “So explain.”

Well, here went everything. “We’ve been partners for a long time, haven’t we?” he began, feeling that a casual start to the conversation would be best, “And we know each other fairly well?”

“Hn.” An affirmative, Kurama hoped.

The kitsune took a moment to collect his thoughts, and continued. “In the time that I’ve known you, Hiei, I’ve come to value your friendship, and before you say anything I truly do consider you a friend, whether you believe it or not. Sometime during the Dark Tournament, though, I found myself feeling more. I wasn’t certain what I was feeling at the time, so I tried to ignore it. By the time we battled Sensui, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. The fact is,” and here he had to steady himself with a deep breath (this was nowhere near as easy as it should have been), “The fact is, I’m very attracted to you, Hiei. I have been for a long time.”

Hiei’s face gave nothing away, his countenance completely unreadable. “What is it you’re trying to say.” It was not really a question, not from the tone of it. Hiei might as well have said “Well!? Out with it already!” rather than his actual words.

“I’m trying to say that I lo—”

One of the fire demon’s hands shot up. “Stop.”

Kurama blinked in confusion, then thought he realized what Hiei had meant and lowered his eyes. “I apologize; I shouldn’t have—”

“Will you shut up?” Hiei barked, “Honestly, ningens and their unnecessary emotional complexities!” He gritted his teeth and willed his rising ire back down. “I just meant…don’t say that unless you’re prepared to take responsibility for it.”

“Hiei, of course I am. I’ve thought long and hard about all of this.”

The fire apparition shook his head slowly. “I know what you’re thinking, and that’s not what I’m talking about. I don’t want you to have some silly human bonding ceremony with me, take care of me or hold my hand in public. I don’t want flowers or poetry, and I’m not the sort to believe the words you say on faith alone. I haven’t got faith, Kurama, not in people or anything else.”

Kurama took a small step toward him, a little wary that Hiei might decide talking for this long was too much, and leave. “I don’t understand. If you can’t believe what I say, what can I do?”

“I don’t know,” Hiei admitted, “I’ve never trusted anyone before I met you. I’ve never been accepted because of what I am, so I have a hard time believing you when you say you’re attracted to me. ‘Once burned, twice shy,’ isn’t that how the human saying goes?”

“Yes,” the kitsune answered, “That is how it goes.”

“Well, I’ve been burned more than once.” Hiei glanced up at Kurama, then away. “I suppose what I really mean is, don’t say it unless you’re ready to convince me.”

At last, Kurama was able to smile. “I was ready for that this whole time. Whatever it takes, Hiei, I’ll make you believe it. I love you.”

Hiei made a face that was not quite a scowl. He seemed unsure what expression those words warranted, so he settled for something noncommittal, yet characteristically stand-offish. “Hn.”

Kurama’s smile widened a little in amusement. He had expected nothing more and nothing less from the grouchy little demon. He could wait as long as he had to for Hiei to say the words back.



Wow, so many reviews! I was shocked at how many people actually left one; none of my other stories on this site got nearly as much attention. I'm so sorry I can't reply to them all, but it would take me forever and wind up longer than the chapter itself, and that wouldn't do anyone any favors. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to hearing how this one came out!