WAITING FOR YOU

Okay, this is something new for me because I in no way shape or form approve of rape. In fact I usually don’t even like reading it but somehow I ended up writing it. I guess because it was Hiei and not someone gross and because Kurama would have said yes anyways I’m putting it in my story.

I’m glad you’re all liking that I put a little Yusuke/Kuwabara in this. I’ll get back to them soon. I got a good response the last time I put them together so I thought I'd try it again but give them a little more story time.

Thank you all for the reviews. I get so excited when Yahoo chimes in indicating I’ve got mail. Like my kids say, I’m a big dork.

WAITING FOR YOU

Chapter 8

Still holding Kurama’s hand and stroking his soft red hair, Hiei closed his eyes and allowed his mind to replay the images he’d seen when he’d used the jagon to enter Kurama’s mind.

MEMORY

Botan looked worried as she led Kurama down a long corridor. The redhead held an unconscious Hiei against him, while trying to keep pressure on his bleeding wound at the same time. “Kurama, you should have let one of the ogre’s take him. Carrying Hiei like that isn’t allowing your wound to close.”

Giving her a weak smile, Kurama shook his head. “It’s alright Botan, Hiei wouldn’t like anyone else carrying him.”

Stopping before one of the cells, Botan took out a set of keys and unlocked the door. “Bring him in here and set him on the cot. Then I’ll take you to your cell.”

Doing as she said, Kurama carefully lay Hiei on the cot before turning back to her. “I’ll be staying here with Hiei. I will not leave my partner unconscious and defenseless in a jail cell.”

Botan looked as if she would argue, but seeing the determination in Kurama’s eyes she just shrugged. “Why you’d put yourself out for a guy that tried to kill you, I’ll never understand. I hope you’re not hungry since you missed dinner and breakfast isn’t for several more hours.”

Kurama looked around the almost sterile looking cell. Other than a narrow cot, a sink and a toilet, it was devoid of anything else. There wasn’t even a window to offer any relief to the stark bareness of the room. “We’ll be fine Botan. You should go before Hiei wakes up.”

Eyeing the fire demon nervously, Botan nodded before hurrying from the cell. Kurama flinched slightly as he heard the lock click into place. Turning back to Hiei, Kurama sighed before whispering to his partner. “I’m sorry Hiei. It was the only way I could protect you. Even if Yusuke didn’t kill you, you would have been sentenced to death if you had killed him.”

Sitting on the floor not far from the cot, Kurama stripped off his uniform jacket and t-shirt to examine the wound on his abdomen. Trying to avoid getting blood on his pants, Kurama unfastened them, pushing the waistband further away from the wound. Tossing Hiei’s bloody scarf aside, Kurama reached for his t-shirt.

Sparing a quick glace at Hiei, who lay quietly only a few feet away, Kurama gave a sigh. He didn’t look forward to dealing with the angry fire demon when he woke up. Not only would he wake to find himself locked in a jail cell, he was there because of his partner’s betrayal. Sighing again, Kurama turned his attention back to his wound.

The bleeding had just about stopped but he was still in no condition to heal it himself. Though he had begun to regain his demon powers, his teenage human body didn’t have the strength yet to sustain his demon energy when he was wounded. Tearing his t-shirt into strips to use as bandages, Kurama didn’t see Hiei move until the fire demon was at his side. With a gasp, Kurama remained still as Hiei bent over him to sniff at his wound, before leaning down to lick it clean. “Stupid Fox, I should have killed you for your betrayal.”

Knowing that killing him would be within Hiei’s right, Kurama held his breath waiting for Hiei to decide what he would do. With as low as his ki was, Kurama just hoped he would survive should the fire demon attack him. When Hiei moved away, Kurama released his breath. Thinking Hiei had spared him, Kurama continued tearing his shirt.

A second later Kurama knew he’d made a mistake when his hair was suddenly grabbed from behind, yanking his head aside. Before Kurama could react, Hiei sank his fangs into the juncture between his neck and shoulder. Kurama was helpless as Hiei fed on him before withdrawing his fangs to growl. “That mark will ensure you never betray me again.”

Before Kurama could comprehend the implications of what Hiei had done, he was turned and shoved forward until he knelt on the ground with his head and chest forced down onto the cot. When he felt his pants pushed down to the floor, Kurama realized Hiei’s intentions. Desperately, Kurama turned his head to plead with him. “Hiei, no please! Not like this! I’ll give myself to you willingly, just… AHHH!”

Kurama cried out when Hiei pushed forward, brutally claiming his body in a single thrust. Not wanting Botan or the guards to hear his cries and investigate, Kurama buried his mouth in the crook of his arm. Knowing that struggling would only make it worse, Kurama tried to relax as Hiei’s vicious thrusts continued.

Tears dampened the course blanket covering the cot as Kurama’s body betrayed him. Hiei’s huge cock brushing his secret spot and the friction of his own length rubbing against the mattress had Kurama hardening against his will. Behind him Hiei moaned and panted as he neared his release. A few hard thrusts later, Hiei climaxed with a groan. “Damn you’re a good fuck Fox. Now that you belong to me, I’ll enjoy having you often.”

Kurama thought he was being released when Hiei pulled out of him. A moment later he was grateful he hadn’t moved because his scream was muffled as searing pain gripped his shoulder. The smell of burning flesh filled Kurama’s nostrils. When Hiei’s hand left his shoulder the pain began to ease. The hand fisting Kurama’s hair tightened as Hiei leaned close to his ear. “That brand will serve to remind you that it is me you will belong to until the day you die.”

Releasing Kurama, Hiei shoved him aside. Falling back from the cot, Kurama turned to watch Hiei adjust his clothes. Terrified green eyes widened seeing not Hiei’s red eyes watching him, but the glowing purple jagon. Seeing Kurama’s still semi hard erection, Hiei smirked. “For your betrayal you deserve to be denied. Be a good little fox and eventually I’ll allow you your release.”

Without another word, Hiei lay on the cot and turned his back on Kurama. Now that it was over, Kurama began to tremble. With shaky hands he reached for his pants. Standing, Kurama stumbled to the sink and attempted to clean himself up. After his pants were securely fastened and the wound on his abdomen bandaged, Kurama turned his attention to his neck and shoulder.

Using a scrap from his t-shirt, Kurama first washed the blood from Hiei’s mark. Though he couldn’t see the brand beside the mark, Kurama held the cool wet cloth over it for several minutes. With no way to bandage it, Kurama reached for his uniform jacket. When he was fully dressed Kurama turned back to see Hiei sleeping on the cot. With nothing to do but wait, Kurama moved against the far wall before gingerly sliding down it to sit the floor.

Between his crimes against Reikai and Hiei’s anger, Kurama’s future had never been so uncertain. With a sigh, the redhead closed his eyes and, still leaning against the wall, fell into an exhausted sleep.

PRESENT

Hours passed as Hiei kept watch over Kurama. In his mind he went over the events from that fateful night again and again. The answers he sought weren’t in those memories however. They lay hidden with the redhead sleeping beside him. Even though he knew Kurama wanted to keep his secrets, Hiei was determined to unveil the truth.

Racked with guilt, the question that plagued Hiei the most was ‘why’. Why had Kurama betrayed him with Yusuke, only to protect him once they reached Reikai? Why didn’t he have a memory of that night? Why hadn’t Kurama told him what happened? Why the hell did he mark and claim Kurama? Why hadn’t Kurama sought revenge against him? Why, after raping him, had Kurama been such a good and loyal friend to him all these years? Why, why, why?

Seeing the sun had risen, Hiei looked down at Kurama and saw green eyes gazing back at him. “Thank you for staying with me last night Hiei. I was able to sleep soundly and recuperate knowing you were here to protect me.”

Squeezing the fingers of the hand he still held, Hiei nodded. “If you feel better then we need to talk.”

Almost before Hiei could finish, Kurama pulled his hand away and rolled to the other side of the bed. Sitting up, Kurama sighed. “Nothing has changed between us Hiei. We’re friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be. As for what happened in the past, forget it. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened. Now I’m going to go take a shower and join Yusuke and Kuwabara for breakfast before I go home. As usual, you can do as you please.”

Faster than Kurama could retreat to the bathroom, Hiei flew off the bed, grabbed him by the arm and growled. “If you think nothing’s changed, you’re dead ass wrong because I can’t forget what happened! Go take your shower, then we’ll join the guys for breakfast before I escort you home. Understand this though Kurama, when we get there I will get answers.”

Pulling his arm away, Kurama didn’t respond as he went to take his shower. An hour later they were in the dining room with their friends. At first the conversation was mostly about how Kuwabara was handling being a demon. It wasn’t long though before Yusuke looked at them worried. “Is everything alright between you two? A lot’s happened and I’m worried about you.”

Kurama glanced at Hiei before giving Yusuke a smile. “Everything’s fine Yusuke. Hiei and I will have a talk when we get home, then we’ll put the past behind us and move on. I hope we’ve been friends long enough not to let mistakes from our past come between us now.”

Nodding, Yusuke accepted his answer without question. Kuwabara frowned however. “I know what happened between you was personal, so I won’t ask, but how come Hiei didn’t remember it?”

If the conversation weren’t so serious, Kurama would have laughed at the three pairs of curious eyes watching him so intently. Especially Hiei’s. With a sigh Kurama decided to answer. “I wondered that same thing for a long time. I finally concluded it was because of the jagon. When Hiei and Yusuke fought in that warehouse, Hiei was forced to use the jagon’s power in order to try and defeat Yusuke. Because of my interference, Yusuke was able to knock Hiei out. Once we were in the cell in Reikai, I think the jagon regained consciousness before Hiei did and decided to teach me a lesson.”

Sadly, Kurama noticed that Hiei wouldn’t even look at him. Feeling the tension between them, Yusuke tried to help. “I knew Hiei would never… hurt you. Not intentionally anyways.”

Kuwabara agreed. “Yeah, no one looks out for you more than Hiei. Kurama, aren’t you worried the jagon could do something bad again though?”

As he shook his head, Kurama saw Hiei turn as if wanting to know his answer. “No Kuwabara, I’m not. After that, I strengthened the ward Hiei used over the jagon. Since then, Hiei has become much stronger and has much better control over the jagon. Besides, I’ve made it a point to never get on Hiei or the jagon’s bad side ever again.”

Though Yusuke and Kuwabara laughed, Hiei found no humor in the thought that Kurama had lived in fear all these years of him losing control and hurting him again. With even more ‘whys’ to be answered, Hiei got frustrated and pushed his plate away. “Are you done Kurama? We need to get going.”

Nodding, Kurama rose from the table to say goodbye to their friends. Their trip to the Ningenkai was a quiet one. Not wanting Kurama to over do it so soon after being injured, Hiei didn’t rush him and even stopped several times to let him rest. It was early afternoon when they finally reached Kurama’s house.

Looking at the house as they approached it, Hiei wondered for the first time if he were one of the reasons Kurama had chosen to live here. It was isolated, away from the noise of the city that Hiei hated and near the forest where they could train. It was situated near several portals that gave him easy access when he came from Makai. Then there was that bay window in the bedroom. Kurama had teasingly told him once that he’d bought the house just so Hiei could have that window to sit in when he visited.

Guiltily, Hiei wondered what other things in Kurama’s life he had unknowingly had an influence on. Once inside, Kurama went to the kitchen and reached for the phone. “Hiei, I promised Kuwabara I’d call Shizuru and I want to check on my mother. After that I’ll fix us something to eat. Why don’t you go upstairs and relax? I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

Leaning against the counter, Hiei crossed his arms and ankles, stubbornly refusing to move. With a sigh, Kurama dialed Shizuru’s number. “Shizuru hi, it’s Kurama… Yes, Kuwabara’s just fine… He looks quite cute actually, with fuzzy little ears and a long sleek tail… No, he’s going to stay with Yusuke for a while… He’ll be fine, Yusuke’s not letting him out of his sight… I think things are progressing quite nicely between them… Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

Seeing that Hiei hadn’t moved, but continued to watch him intently, Kurama dialed his mother. “Hello Mother… I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner… Yes, I’m fine, and you… Oh really, that sounds good… Tomorrow? I’m not sure I can… Actually, Hiei’s here for a visit and I’m not sure what our plans are… Oh, yes I guess I could. I’ll ask him… Alright, I’ll talk to you later… Love you too. Bye.”

Hanging up the phone, Kurama turned to see Hiei eyeing him curiously. “You told her I was here?”

Kurama smiled. “Of course I told her you were here Hiei. There’s no reason not to. She knows we’ve been friends a long time. She thinks you work in another city but that you come to visit some times. Actually, she asks about you quite often.”

Going to the fridge, Kurama began looking for something to fix for dinner. He didn’t see Hiei’s surprise that Shiori even remembered him. “What did she want you to ask me?”

Hiei could tell that Kurama was hoping he hadn’t heard that part. “Um… she has a new recipe she wants to try and invited me to dinner tomorrow. Since she hasn’t seen you in a while, she included you in the invitation. Don’t worry, if you’re still here, I’ll call her in the morning and tell her we have other plans. Now what do you want for dinner? I have pork chops, or there’s a frozen lasagna I could throw in the oven.”

It didn’t take Hiei a moment to decide. “Lasagna, then we can talk while it cooks. Kurama, we might as well go to your mom’s tomorrow, then we can tell her about us.”

At Hiei’s words, Kurama almost dropped the lasagna. “Us? Hiei, there is no us.”

Hiei raised an eyebrow at Kurama as turned the oven on, then pulled out things to make a salad. “That mark says there most certainly is an us.”

Drawing a deep breath, Kurama replied. “That mark is nothing more than an old scar Hiei. It means nothing.”

As Kurama tore the lettuce, Hiei withdrew a knife from the drawer and began slicing the cucumber. “Tell me Fox, how many lovers have you had since I marked you? I’ll bet the answer is none. That behavior isn’t normal for an adult male Youko. Hell, that’s not normal for an adult male anything. Save your breath Fox, even human males take lovers. Now put the salad away, put the lasagna in the oven and let’s go talk.”

Turning, Hiei left the kitchen. Kurama had no choice but to do as he was told. When he joined Hiei in the living room, Kurama went first to a cabinet and poured them both a drink. Even though he knew Kurama rarely drank, Hiei didn’t question his action but took the offered drink.

Hiei didn’t comment when Kurama took the chair instead of sitting bedside him on the sofa. “Kurama, you explained why I didn’t remember anything about that night but there are a lot of things I still don’t understand. With the jagon, I heard you tell Botan you wouldn’t leave me unprotected while I was unconscious. I also heard what you said to me in that cell, that you were trying to protect me when you betrayed me. You knew I’d be angry, why did you put yourself in harms way by staying with me?”

After taking a sip of his drink, Kurama met his gaze. “You’ve really already answered your own question. You are my friend and my partner Hiei. Even though it meant betraying you, even though you would be angry at me and have every right to seek revenge, I will always protect you at all costs.”

Tossing back his drink, Hiei rose to refill both of their drinks. “Too bad the one you were protecting is the same one you needed protecting from. Why didn’t you ever tell me? Why the hell didn’t you exact revenge on me for raping you?”

When he answered, Kurama’s voice sounded sad. “There was no reason to tell you. What happened didn’t mean anything Hiei. You were simply demonstrating you strength, not marking a mate. I betrayed you and you were within your rights to punish me for that betrayal. Therefore I had no right to seek revenge.”

Losing patience, Hiei growled. “How the hell can you say it means nothing? I marked and claimed you Kurama! That makes you my mate. You can’t tell me that mark has had no influence in your life. Look at this house, you could have lived close to that ningen mother you love so much but no, you chose a house away from the city and ningens I hate. You chose to live near the portals I use to move between worlds. You even told me once that you chose this house so I’d have that bay window to sit in when I came. Since moving here, you have a spare bedroom but you’ve never asked me to leave your bed. You’ve also never shared it or yourself with anyone else.”

There was too much truth in Hiei’s words and Kurama wouldn’t even look at him as he continued. “Then there’s the issue of what happened in Reikai with Koenma when you negotiated my parole.”

Startled green eyes turned on him. “How do you know about that?”

Hiei smirked. “I’ve been talking to anyone I had to, trying to figure out what happened to you back then. Yusuke knew nothing, but Koenma’s story was quite interesting. He told me you threatened to kill him if I was harmed. Then you tied your life to mine to keep me from being executed. Why the hell would you do something so stupid Fox? Especially without telling me the consequences. What if I had killed one of those stupid ningens?”

When Kurama remained silent, Hiei answered for him. “When Koenma told me all that, I didn’t understand. I think I do now. You weren’t just protecting your friend Kurama, you were protecting your mate.”

Angrily, Kurama slammed his drink down on the table beside him to shout at Hiei. “I don’t have a mate Hiei! A mate would have marked and claimed me because he wanted me, not because he demanded my loyalty! A mate would have been here to share my life, my bed and my body, not gone on to another lover so he could advance his career! A mate would have taken me home with him, not abandon me here in this god forsaken place, only to remember me when it was convenient for him!”

Suddenly, all of Kurama’s anger evaporated. His voice when he continued was filled with sadness. “A mate would have known how lonely I was. A mate would have seen how much I needed him. A mate would have known how long I’d been here waiting for him.”

Just as Kurama finished, the timer went off on the stove. With a sigh, Kurama rose and went to the kitchen. For several minutes, Hiei sat in shock absorbing the meaning of Kurama’s words. For the millionth time in the last twenty-four hours Hiei was riddled with guilt. He was guilty of everything Kurama had accused him of and more. Not sure how to make it right, Hiei rose and went to the kitchen.

As if nothing happened, Kurama filled their plates and set them on the table, as he had so many times in the past. He then filled two glasses with juice before taking a seat at the table. “Come on Hiei, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Sitting beside Kurama, Hiei looked at the food but didn’t know how he would eat it. For Kurama’s sake though he tried. After sharing a silent meal, Kurama cleaned up, surprisingly with a little help from Hiei. When they finished, they stood staring at each other a moment. When Kurama would have walked away, Hiei took his arm, stopping him. “I didn’t know Kurama. If I had known…”

Pulling his arm away, Kurama shook his head. “It doesn’t matter Hiei. As I said before, it would be best to forget it ever happened.”

Hiei glared at him. “That’s my mark you bare Kurama. That’s not something I will ever forget.”

When Hiei walked away, Kurama sighed sadly and withdrew a seed from his hair. Feeding his ki into it slowly, so Hiei wouldn’t notice, Kurama followed the fire demon into the living room. Walking up to where Hiei stood looking out the window, Kurama moved behind him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Kurama leaned close to whisper in his ear. “Don’t worry Hiei, I will always protect you, even from this.”

Something in Kurama’s sad voice alerted Hiei, so he was ready when the hand holding a small purple flower moved in front of him. Grabbing Kurama’s wrist, Hiei spun around and wrestled the redhead to the ground. Though Hiei had grown over the years he was still a couple inches shorter than Kurama. Kurama however wasn’t nearly as strong as Hiei was physically.

Before he knew what hit him, Kurama found himself on the floor with Hiei straddling his waist. The purple flower had been torn from his grasp and thrown across the room. Hiei identified it from Kurama’s arsenal as a flower who’s pollen can be used to erase memories. Angrily, Hiei glared down at him. “Damn it Kurama, I will not allow you to do this! I will not allow either of us to hide from the past any longer. We have to face what’s happened and work this out if our friendship is going to survive.”

Looking down at the redhead beneath him, Hiei just stared at him a moment. Red hair fanned around him like a flaming halo. Green eyes flashed with anger, fear and a hint of excitement. Red lips were parted as Kurama tried to catch his breath. Giving in to an almost uncontrollable urge, Hiei swooped down and claimed the soft red lips with his. Not allowing Kurama to turn away, Hiei’s tongue pushed past his lips to plunder his mouth. Within seconds, Hiei heard Kurama softly moan and surrender himself to the kiss.

Enjoying the power of making the beautiful creature beneath him writhe in pleasure, Hiei stretched out, covering Kurama’s body with his own. When one of Hiei’s knees nudged between his legs, Kurama willingly spread them. Both men moaned at the friction the new position was affording their growing erections.

They stayed like that, kissing and rubbing against each other for several minutes, before Hiei slowly raised his head. Panting, their eyes each held a bit of uncertainty as they looked at each other. Both men were more than a little surprised that one little kiss could contain so much passion.

Nervously, Hiei released Kurama’s wrists and sat up. Adjusting so he now knelt across Kurama’s thighs, Hiei held out his hand. Hesitantly, Kurama took the offered hand and sat up facing Hiei. There was no anger in Hiei’s voice as he nodded to the flower that lay abandon on the floor. “Get rid of that thing Fox and promise me you won’t ever try anything like that again. Whatever happens between us from this point on will happen. We have to deal with this and not hide from it any more.”

With a flash of ki so small that Hiei might not have felt it if he weren’t waiting for it, Kurama reduced the purple flower back to a seed. Unable to hold Hiei’s gaze, Kurama looked away. “I’m sorry. I just thought it would be easier if I could make it all go away. I promise not to do it again.”

Hiei sighed. “I think the stress of this whole thing is starting to get to us both. Let’s back off for now and do something to take our minds off this for a while. Why don’t you go make us some tea while I set up the chess board?”

Standing, Hiei again held his hand out to help Kurama up. Turning to go to the kitchen, Kurama felt Hiei tug on his hand and looked back to see Hiei smirk. “On second thought Fox, I’ll get the tea and you set up the chess board.”

Feigning insult, Kurama grinned. “Hiei! I promised didn’t I? Don’t you trust me?”

Shaking his head, Hiei grunted. “Hn! Maybe I’ll trust you tomorrow. Now go set up the chess board.”

A few minutes later they sat in the library drinking tea and playing chess. Neither was totally engrossed in the game but it did serve to ease the tension between them. For the first time their game wasn’t a test of skill or strategy. In fact both of them played as if they wanted the other to win. Eventually, wanting to bring the long game to an end, Hiei finally claimed victory. After Hiei put the chess board away and Kurama rinsed out the tea cups they both headed upstairs.

When they entered the bedroom, Kurama paused. “Hiei, thank you for the game. You were right, it was just what we needed.”

As Hiei pulled of his t-shirt, Kurama moved to his dresser to get his pajamas. Hiei’s hand on his arm startled him and he looked up into sparkling red eyes. “You don’t need those Kurama. You have nothing to hide from me anymore.”

Swallowing, Kurama stared nervously at Hiei but didn’t move. Releasing his arm, Hiei reached for the buttons on Kurama’s shirt. As each button slipped from it’s hole, Kurama’s heart beat faster. When Hiei pushed the shirt from his shoulders, Kurama bit his lip and looked away. Knowing the cause of Kurama’s nervousness, Hiei decided to tackle the issue head on.

Kurama gasped when Hiei turned him around. Squeezing his eyes shut he tried not to flinch when his hair was pushed aside and Hiei’s fingers grazed over the marks on his shoulder. “Do they hurt Fox?”

Unsure of his voice, Kurama just shook his head. Leaning closer, Hiei examined them both thoroughly. “Have you seen these Fox? The mark is perfect and the other isn’t just a burn like I first thought. It’s actually a small dragon. I didn’t even know I could do that.”

When Kurama remained silent, Hiei could have kicked himself. Here he was almost bragging about his work when Kurama had been the one to suffer the pain of receiving them. Burying his fingers in Kurama’s hair Hiei massaged his scalp as he leaned forward to gently lick and kiss each mark. Hiei’s warm breath and tongue caressing his flesh made Kurama shiver. “I’m sorry you were hurt because of me Kurama.”

Giving them each one last kiss, Hiei released him. Feeling Kurama’s tension, Hiei took him by the hand. “Let’s brush our teeth and go to bed Fox.”

The menial task of brushing his teeth helped Kurama to relax, even without his shirt on. Back in the bedroom he saw Hiei reach for his belts and remove his pants. “Take them off Fox, or I’ll do it for you.”

Blushing like a virgin, Kurama quickly removed his pants and crawled into bed. Beside him Hiei settled back against the pillows and held out his arms. Kurama shook his head with a growl. “Hiei, just because I bear your mark…”

Hiei cut him off. “Relax Fox, I was just offering to hold you like I’ve been doing for the past few weeks. That would be alright, wouldn’t it?”

Feeling stupid for making assumptions, Kurama nodded. Moving closer, he lay beside Hiei, resting his head against his strong shoulder. “Kurama, we talked about being lovers once before. It was because of the mating that you thought you’d be vulnerable to the jagon. Now that I know your secret you wouldn’t have to worry about the jagon if we become lovers.”

Kurama drew a deep breath. “That’s not the only reason I said no Hiei. As you know, Youko’s are very affectionate demons. That only becomes worse when we mate. I’m afraid that if we were to become lovers I might develop ‘expectations beyond sex’ that you said you didn’t want and become the ‘love struck fool’ you’re so afraid of getting ‘stuck’ with.”

Closing his eyes, Hiei flinched as Kurama quoted his own words back to him. “I’m sorry Kurama, those words must have hurt you knowing that we were already ma…”

Hiei stopped when Kurama pulled away from him. “Enough! I told you that the mark means nothing and we are not mated! Just leave me alone Hiei. I’m tired and I want to go to sleep.”

Without waiting for him to respond, Kurama rolled over giving Hiei his back. Swearing to himself, Hiei stared at the ceiling. How many more times would he hurt his fox before this was over?