Embracing a Knife of Ice
by Morgan D.

Part One

Frowning at the mirror, Kurama smoothed the sleeves of his shirt. He had spent a shameful forty minutes, just deciding what he was going to wear, and still he wasn’t pleased with the results. When he invited Hiei to his home for lunch, he intended for once to let go of the attempts to look human, and assume more of his demonic identity before the only friend he had now that would welcome the change and accept him completely.

Furthermore, he guessed that the Fire Demon seldom felt much at ease seeing the Youko wrapped in all those human clothes, human manners, human speaking, and general human affectations. And after the mind touch they had shared the previous morning, after reliving those disturbing memories of their encounter in Makai and comprehending that Hiei didn’t hold any resentments about it — And for Inari, he should! — Kurama decided it was time to indulge his friend a little. For a few hours, Shuuichi Minamino would be forgotten in a drawer of the desk in his bedroom, while Youko Kurama offered a proper treat to a fellow demon, to express his gratitude for a friendship he couldn’t be without anymore.

Easier said than done. For starters, there was nothing left of the potion Suzuki had given him to summon the Youko aspect. Besides, Kurama wasn’t all that sure that Hiei would enjoy bonding with the same brutal demon who had beaten him up when the Fire Demon was just a four or five year-old infant, no matter how categorical he had been about "no debt, no compensations, no rematches and no regrets".

Then, he soon realized his mother’s kitchen wasn’t designed to cook real Makai meals, and that the human supermarkets lacked somewhat in imported products from the demonic world. He was forced to compromise at every step of the way, except for the herbs, legumes and spices he could create with his youki. He couldn’t even broil the meat over live coals as demon thieves usually did in the camps; it would make a mess of the garden, and Shiori would be coming home from her trip to Kazuya Hatanaka’s parents’ country house the day after.

Trying not to think of the implications of his mother being introduced to her boyfriend’s family, Kurama glowered at the mirror again. None of his beautiful tunics survived the ruthless fights of the Dark Tournament; hence the shameful forty minutes trying to pick up the least human of his very human clothes. That green silk shirt was not particularly beautiful; but it suited him with elegance. He smirked at the memory of the salesgirl’s astonishment when that expensive piece of ugly dark green cloth actually looked good in someone. Apparently the shirt had been one of those unsaleable merchandises every shop seemed to have, and that forced the salespeople to come up with the most ingenious tricks to convince the buyers to give them a try.

The girl didn’t have to make such a big effort to convince Kurama. Silk was his fabric of choice, always, and only the more vibrant shades of green were discordant to his skin and hair color. Getting a discount on the final price hadn’t been difficult either. But green wasn’t Youko Kurama’s color. The more the redhead frowned at his reflex on the mirror, the clearer it got that Shuuichi Minamino had escaped the drawer and was right there, frowning back at him.

The doorbell interrupted his sulking, and he sighed. It couldn’t be Hiei, of course. The Fire Demon never knocked, and never used the door. He hoped it wasn’t Yusuke or Kuwabara, who lately got in the habit of visiting him unannounced. Sorry, guys, this is a private demon party...

It was probably a broom seller, or perhaps the lady next door trying to catch Shiori’s perfect son doing something he shouldn’t, so she could have the pleasure of telling his mother. Some people were like that. That’s why Kurama didn’t bother hurrying to the door.

But his visitor wasn’t very patient. Soon the doorbell was screaming hysterically, causing a moody Youko to run towards it. Now there wasn’t much doubt about the identity of the caller. "All right, Yusuke, hold your horses! I’m coming!"

But the boy standing on the porch, even if dressed very much in Yusuke’s style, was definitely not Yusuke. "Hi-hiei?"

"Why the surprise?" the youkai scowled, taking out his sunglasses. "You invited me, didn’t you?"

"Ahn, yeah," Kurama confirmed, blinking away his confusion. "I just didn’t expect you..." At the door? In human clothes? Looking so damn cute? "...so soon."

A ningen would have apologized for the inconvenience of arriving before the proper time. Hiei’s transformation didn’t go that deep. "You didn’t mark an hour," the youkai shrugged. "I waited until you got dressed. And you sure made me wait a lot."

Kurama gaped. "You were watching me getting dressed?!"

"Yesterday you were complaining to Kuwabara about how the girls take too long to dress up," Hiei smirked. "You, of all people..."

"Kuwabara-kun was the one complaining," Kurama corrected him, although the youkai wasn’t all that far from the truth.

"He certainly never had you as roommate..."

The Youko glared down at him with faked hostility, while thinking back if he had done something too embarrassing while choosing his outfit, besides taking a ridiculous amount of time. Having a Jaganshi as best friend proved to be greatly awkward sometimes. "Who are you to complain about me? I’m not the one who spends hours in the bathtub."

"Hot baths are therapeutic," the youkai argued.

"Falling asleep and almost drowning yourself aren’t."

Hiei looked away, rubbing a sneaker on the doormat. "I was a little tired, that’s all," he mumbled.

A little tired... Kurama suppressed a chuckle. That incident occurred right after the semifinals, when Hiei spent a lot of energy and blood — quite literally speaking — to defeat Kuromomo Tarou. If the Youko hadn’t lost his patience and invaded the bathroom to complain about the long wait, he might have not succeeded in pulling the little demon out of the water in time. "That would have been priceless. Winning all your matches in the Tournament, then drowning in the tub of the hotel..."

"Are you letting me in or not?" Hiei growled, clearly stating his dislike for the topic of conversation.

With a sidelong grin, Kurama stepped aside. "I’m not used to have you asking me permission."

"Hn." The Fire Demon entered the house, but not before leaving a bottle between Kurama’s hands. "You better be a good cook, coz I’m hungry."

The redhead stared at the bottle in surprise. They haven’t spoken about Hiei bringing anything. The gesture was so human; the wine was not. "Where did you get this?"

"One of those street venders in the Ankoku Island. It’s dry, but I thought you’d like it."

Many meaningful bits of information in a few short sentences. Hiei wasn’t fond of dry drinks, so he really bought it — or stole it — having someone else in mind. Me? But I only invited him to lunch when we disembarked here in Tokyo... Kurama had planned the feast as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds between them. Had the youkai made some plans of his own?

And a subtle detail: in Makai, it was the host’s prerogative to determine how strong were the beverages served in his or her party, thus stipulating in advance if the said party would be a refined, jolly get-together or a wild, impudent, unrestrained orgy. By subverting the tradition and bringing the wine — something Hiei probably learned from ningen movies, since it was not a Japanese custom — the youkai informed Kurama of his expectations.

The tiny numbers in the label of the bottle had a clear message to the Youko. Hiei wasn’t here for an orgy.

Was Kurama disappointed? Of course not! I didn’t bring him here to seduce him. He’s just my friend, for Inari’s sake!

So the two of them would have a refined, jolly get-together. They would eat and talk and laugh and that was it. Period.

"You must be glad, being back to your own home and bed," Hiei commented casually.

What an unfortunate moment to mention a bed, my friend... "I am. It will be better when Kaasan comes back tomorrow. I really miss her." Closing the door, Kurama walked to the kitchen, to see how his roast was doing.

Hiei followed him. "At least you had a chance to spend time without pretending so much."

For a change, there was no criticism in Hiei’s tone. In kind, the Youko didn’t feel the need to be defensive about his choices. "Yeah. But I could have lived without the crowd calling me a traitor to the demonic race."

"Calling us traitors," the youkai added with a snort. "It was the first time I asked myself if it wouldn’t have been better if I had just let Koenma send me to prison, instead of accepting this parole."

Let Koenma? What choice did you have? Kurama grinned. Or Koenma, for that matter? The Prince of Reikai would have loved to throw the impertinent Jaganshi in jail and lose the key in the depths of the Styx River. "I’m sure you are glad of being back. You looked like you couldn’t wait to get out of that island."

Hiei shrugged. "I guess."

The redhead turned to face him, incredulous. "You guess? After calling me nuts a thousand times just because I said I liked there?"

"You are nuts. But maybe I started having some fond memories of that place after all..."

Kurama’s heart jumped. "Of your fight with Bui?" Of our hug last morning?

"Of the bed."

"The bed?!" Now Kurama was disappointed. At least he could have said it’s about Bui...

"First time I got to have one for so long," the youkai explained.

The Youko bit his lip, giving his back to the short demon to check the rice, and also to hide his consternation. Hiei had grown up in a thieves camp, and traditionally only the chief and his second-in-command had the luxury of sleeping in beds. The others were left to provide their own comfort: sleeping bags, rugs, pads, thin futons, whatever. Anything too comfortable would be immediately confiscated by the leaders.

And after being banned from the gang, the Fire Demon had become a killer for hire, living a nomad life. Probably jumping from tree to tree, Kurama sighed. It was hard not to go back to the same brooding that afflicted him since the previous day: What if I had adopted the baby demon I met all those years back? What if I had taken care of him, giving him food and comfort?

Usually the "what if" questions offered no practical answers. But this time Kurama knew too well what would have happened. That Hunter would have still shot him a few months after, forcing him to send his spirit to Ningenkai, and little Hiei would have been either killed or left alone. Not much of a solution.

Crouching down before the oven, Hiei tried to peek through the dark glass. "What are you cooking?"

"Get out of there," Kurama slapped his back playfully. "It’s a surprise."

The youkai stood up and scowled. "Hn. Rabbit."

I should have baptized him Wet Blanket instead of Flying Shadow, Kurama muttered to himself. "Guessed from the smell?"

"Didn’t have to," Hiei grimaced. "You’re too predictable."

"I thought it would be appropriate," the Youko shrugged.

"We had a deal," the short demon groaned. "No compensations."

As if one rabbit could compensate what I did... But Hiei didn’t want any apologies, and Kurama understood why. "You’re paranoid, my friend. It’s just that that flashback reminded me of my old recipes. I bet you never ate anything like my Roasted Rabbit with Tsujira Sauce."

"I knew I’d regret showing you that stuff, I just didn’t know how much," Hiei moaned scornfully.

The redhead laughed. "Get out of my kitchen! I set the table in the garden; just go there and wait. As soon as you taste my food you’ll have nothing to sulk about."

"Since I’ll be dead then," the youkai amended, and turned to the door before Kurama could see him smiling. "I’ll open the wine."

As he left, the Youko noticed Hiei still had his sneakers on. Taking them off to enter a house wasn’t something that would occur to someone who never lived in one.

With Hiei it was always hard to tell, but Kurama could swear the short youkai was having fun. Even if the redhead was doing most of the talking, for once the Fire Demon refrained from criticizing him and scowling at every ten words. He listened attentively to the Youko’s tales and opinions, and when questioned, didn’t refuse to answer.

Of course, Kurama knew he shouldn’t push it. He carefully kept all the sensitive topics safely away: koorime, sisters, taboos, nasty youkos... all forbidden subjects. Instead, the redhead widened surprised eyes when he realized that the young demon understood a lot more about Makai politics than he’d have ever suspected. The tenuous balance of power between the three kings of the demonic world inspired an animated discussion that lasted more than Kurama’s roasted rabbit, which Hiei devoured mercilessly.

The garden proved to be the right choice for sheltering this friendly meeting. Not too sunny, not too chilly, the plants’ presence soothed the Youko’s ki, and guarded the Jaganshi from the oppressive reminder that he was in a world he didn’t belong to. An oasis stolen from reality, inside which Kurama felt very close to being complete.

And because of the wine, a little lightheaded too. "C’mon, Hiei, admit it! I’m a great cook."

"You don’t totally suck," the youkai agreed.

"Why thank you!" the redhead exclaimed with a chortle. "That’s probably the best compliment you ever gave me."

"So don’t make me take it back."

Kurama got on his feet, taking the plates. "No, I’ll make you repeat it. Time for dessert."

Bewitched by the magic word, Hiei obediently followed the Youko to the kitchen. "Dessert? What is it?"

"Didn’t you say I’m predictable? You guess."

The youkai moaned. "I knew you’d say that."

Kurama laughed. "So predictable, ain’t I?"

Hiei stuck out his tongue, causing the Youko to laugh harder.

Leaving the plates in the sink, Kurama opened the freezer, pulling out two small cups of solidified dark cream and gave one to the little youkai, along with a small silver spoon.

"What is this?" Hiei stared at the cup suspiciously.

"Chocolate mousse. It tastes a little like madousha cream," said Kurama, naming a popular fruit of the east regions of Makai.

The Fire Demon prodded the brown cream tentatively with the spoon, testing its consistency. It didn’t look like madousha cream at all. He glanced up at Kurama.

"Trust me," the redhead soothed. "You’ll love it."

Hiei seemed to consider the issue for a moment before grabbing a small bit of the mousse and taking it to his mouth. The Youko tensed. Since that shocking experience the day before, he feared to end up losing the little youkai’s confidence in him.

Hiei’s eyebrows arched in surprise. That stuff was really good!

Kurama was about to suggest that they returned to the garden or moved to the living room to watch TV, when the youkai, in a swift graceful move, leaped back and sat on the kitchen table, right in front of the redhead. An arm’s length apart, they faced each other for a second before Hiei turned his devoted attention back to the cup of dessert.

Kurama suppressed a smile, looking down at the tiny feet hanging on the air, covered by the white sneakers. Their model was intended for children, with blue and purple laces, probably stolen from some shop in Ningenkai. The Youko breathed in, amazed with the diminutiveness of those delicate feet. It had nothing to do with the mighty muscles of his legs, now exquisitely outlined by the light jeans. Hiei’s astonishing speed was part characteristic of his father’s race, but mainly the result of hard constant training. Every morning for the past month, when they shared a room in the Kubikukuri Hotel, Kurama would wake up to find a sweaty Hiei warming up with some exotic kata with the sword, stepping in cautious balance on the windowsill, after having run twenty laps around the whole island.

He fondly remembered one of the few times Yusuke convinced Hiei to ease down his alertness during their stay in the hotel, when the team leader used all his authority to drag the Fire Demon with them to the hot springs. Well, either it was Yusuke’s authority — which Hiei clearly abided to, despite his stubborn denials — or Kuwabara’s mocking tirades about the short youkai’s general size. Poor Kuwabara. The look on his face when Hiei undressed the yukata, showing he had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of...

But Kurama had to admit he had been surprised as well. It wasn’t just his height; the curved silhouette of the half-koorime’s body didn’t quite suggest an impressive manhood. And Hiei’s choice of clothing, although practical for combat, was definitely... alluring. How could one not notice that delicious and decidedly feminine waistline when he danced so gracefully in his fighting, wearing those four-belt pants as if they were a corset? Kurama once even overheard Botan and Keiko commenting in sorrow how they envied the Fire Demon’s shape...

However, they probably didn’t mean envying the brawny arms. It was left to him, Kurama, to envy those. When Yusuke drained himself to defeat Suzaku, the last of the Four Beasts, and Kuwabara fainted after using most of his reiki to save his best friend, Hiei and Kurama had to carry the two human boys back to Ningenkai. And guess who carried the heavy Kuwabara?

It had been a hysterical sight, the short slim childlike figure carrying a lad almost twice his height and weight. He did it for me, to spare me, the redhead mused, remembering the concerned, almost scared way Hiei had looked at him when he saw the wound in the Youko’s chest after the combat against Genbu. Of course, the youkai was still pissed about the Mirror of the Utter Darkness issue, and Kurama’s interference in his fight with Urameshi, so all he did was to growl moodily, "You’re weak, take Yusuke. I’ll take the dumb elephant." Hiei sure had a cute way of expressing himself...

And since his eyes had taken such a pleasurable trip from the youkai’s toes to his arms, the Youko guided them on to the narrow bare shoulders, the slim neck, the triangular chin, the small tempting mouth, the tiny pointy nose...

And two ruby eyes staring straight at him.

Kurama flinched, realizing that he had been gazing fixedly at the Fire Demon for some considerable time, studying his body in such a way that could hardly be classified as a ‘casual glance’...

You're pathetic, Kurama, he sighed. Two days ago Hiei would have been the last one you’d consider as a potential lover. Now you keep drooling over him like a... like a...

"You look like a hound that’s ready to jump over a rabbit," Hiei hissed, his tone a mix of confusion and amusement.

Yeah, like that, the redhead moaned to himself. "I was just thinking of how much you have grown since... you know."

Hiei smiled mischievously, taking one more spoonful of mousse to his mouth... and licking the spoon. Licking it very slowly. Very deliberately.

Kurama’s head spun, his eyes grew impossibly wide. Another spoonful found its way between the youkai’s reddish lips, his little tongue insisting on cleaning the metal thoroughly, taking care in checking that there weren’t any bits left on the handle. But his eyes were still locked on the Youko’s burning face. What the fuck is he doing?!

Technically, the Fire Demon was eating chocolate mousse, and visibly appreciating it. But it also seemed that that spoon was having the time of its existence, being the target of such an enticing attention. All the spoons in the three worlds would want to be that spoon. Kurama wished badly to be that spoon.

Get a hold on yourself, Youko, Kurama ordered himself. You have a looong list of reasons why you should not seduce him, remember? He’s your best friend. He’s too young. Too complicated. Too short. Too weird. Too delicious.

Okay, so "delicious" shouldn’t be in the list. But the Fire Demon was getting to the last bits of mousse in his cup and that spoon just had to be sighing in ecstasy, and "delicious" was automatically added to the list of adjectives about Hiei that could come after a "too". And when the youkai cleaned the cup with his index finger and licked that finger with a sweet smile, "delicious" started a fast climb on that list.

But since that bewitching hug in their room in the Kubikukuri Hotel, Kurama was becoming less and less willing to listen to any scolding from his cautious side. Was it possible to have your soul hugged? Because that was how it had felt; as if the Fire Demon had cuddled the Youko’s old and tired spirit in his arms, singing gentle lullabies with his low deep voice and rocked him to sleep. Now Kurama longed for more of that. And for more than that.

Resting his empty cup on the table, Hiei smirked at the redhead. "You’re just gonna stay there staring at me?"

No more encouragement was necessary. Kurama literally jumped over the demon, pinning him on the table and devouring his mouth.

He heard the distant sound of objects falling from the table to the tiled floor. Mostly plastic pots, no glass. Fine. He had better things to think about now than cleaning the kitchen.

"Think" was not the word for it, though. Kurama didn’t want to think at all. Squeezing Hiei’s shoulders against him in a frantic embrace, he chased the youkai’s tongue with his own, slightly biting his lips to force them open. "Kiss" was not the word either.

The Youko couldn’t keep his hands still. They massaged Hiei’s back, slid up to rub the slender neck, then one would continue the way up to pet the black fluffy mane, while the other ran down to pinch the demon’s chest and roam inside his tee-shirt. Usually Kurama wouldn’t hurry like that. Usually... he groaned in sarcasm. Back when I had a sex life, I should say. Then, he enjoyed making the feelings last. But this time, he couldn’t be sure if his partner would allow him more than a few seconds of fooling around. And the redhead wanted to be able to claim that at least he had come very close of breaking his long period of abstinence.

This is it, he sighed inside Hiei’s mouth. Today I have my fill. Either you stop me fast, Hiei, or I’ll eat you alive. With this thought, he left the Fire Demon’s lips to attack his earlobe, fondling the skin with his teeth, and send an order to his right hand to be more straightforward and go directly to the point. Obeying instantly, the hand quit toying with Hiei’s nipples and sought refuge between his thighs, taking care of informing the youkai of its presence with a tight grip on the crotch of his jeans.

The small body flinched beneath him, and Kurama uncomfortably remembered having done the same with an infant Hiei. A baby... I touched a mere baby... He couldn’t decide what had been worse: beating him up or... or... Molesting him. That is the right word.

Dangerous memories. That line of thought could easily ruin his mood and spoil his fun. That incident had taken place too long ago, literally in a different lifetime. The proof was in his hand. Hiei was not an infant anymore, as he was fairly equipped to the game.

Equipped, yes.

But also totally unresponsive. Despite the Youko’s passionate caresses, Hiei remained impassive, his sex limp and indifferent.

I don’t believe this! That whole show with the spoon... He practically begged me to fuck him. Surprised and annoyed, Kurama did what he could to slow down his enthusiasm and try to put the youkai in the same eager and wild state he was.

First step was reducing the layers of cloth between their skins. Unbuttoning his own shirt, removing Hiei’s and sending it flying to the other side of the kitchen, unzipping those jeans and getting the underwear out of the way... What underwear?

Well, Kurama grinned ecstatically, one less problem.

Now the trick would be feeling their bare chests rubbing against each other without coming right there and then... Kurama could hear every cell in his body screaming for release, and the idea of Hiei’s bewitching hug without any clothes in the way was creating short-circuits in his brain. Skin... warm... flesh... alive... so long... delicious... need this... want this...

Slowing down his enthusiasm was proving to be just as hard as holding a comet with his teeth...

Kurama brushed his fingers along the small demon’s ribs, learning the contours of the strong torso, looking for sensitive spots. Hiei’s reaction was shy but instant, as he raised his hands to place them carefully on his friend’s back. The youkai didn’t go farther though, just held the Youko close and breathed calmly.

Too calm for Kurama’s taste. The redhead groaned his impatience, nuzzling Hiei’s chest over his demonic heart, then pulling at one of his nipples with the teeth. Hiei gasped, his nails scraping Kurama’s back in reflex. Smiling against the warm skin, Kurama flicked his tongue around the soft nub, sucking it hungrily.

What that youngster was thinking? Kurama had stayed too long in the dark, waiting for the chance of letting himself explode into his own self, plummeting back in the bonfire of lust and passion he never really wanted to leave. It would be unthinkable having a Fire Demon, of all people, ruining his glorious return to the pantheon of the Makai creatures that have a sex life...

When Kurama shifted his attention to the other nipple, Hiei arched back slightly, enough to let the redhead sneak his hands under him to cup his buttocks. The Youko was rewarded with a deeper slash of the youkai’s nails carving up along his spine. Liked that, Hiei? Me too.

Hiei’s skin tasted differently from what he expected; spicy, not so salty... It reminded him of some exotic fruit he had tasted centuries ago. Dimly, he wondered how his new human skin would taste to others. More specifically, how it would taste to Hiei, if the Fire Demon bothered to try it... Come on, Jaganshi, loosen up... before I reach the point of spontaneous combustion here.

Kurama decided it was time for another not-exactly-a-kiss and searched blindly for Hiei’s mouth, finding less resistance when his tongue intruded between the youkai’s stiff lips. More daring this time, the redhead played with the small fangs, licking the sharp points. You won’t bite me, will you?

Hiei opened his mouth to the invasion, but his surrender was nothing more than an illusion. Even if the little demon’s hands still pressed Kurama’s back, now the nails disappeared inside tight fists, making the Youko realize that the scratches weren’t meant as pleased caresses, but as defense reflexes.

The Youko also realized that the body beneath him had far too many sharp bones, very differently from how it had felt in the hotel... All Hiei’s muscles were painfully tense.

Breaking the kiss, Kurama gazed down at his friend. The red eyes were open, but blank. "Hiei... what are you doing?"

"I’m doing nothing," the youkai replied with a hoarse murmur, his eyes slowly focusing on the Youko’s face. "What are you doing?"

Kurama slid down the table, his head in a cloud of daze. All the possibilities he could think of swept his mind as he watched the Fire Demon slowly sitting up. He’s impotent. The Koorime ancestry made him frigid. I traumatized him when he was a baby. He’s still too tired from unleashing the Black Dragon two days ago. I gave him too much wine to drink. That thing with the spoon was completely innocent and I misunderstood him. He’s just toying with me.

He prayed to Inari that it was either the wine or the Dragon. Because he didn’t know how to deal with any other of the possibilities.

They kept staring at each other, and Kurama forced his face to remain as still and expressionless as Hiei’s. But he would have felt better if the Fire Demon had zipped back his fly.

On the other hand, if he didn’t, it might be a good sign.

"Why you keep looking at me like that?" Hiei asked at last.

The Youko scowled. "What do you think?" Is that it? I misunderstood the spoon play?

"Aren’t you eating your cream?"

Kurama blinked. He gazed down at his own cup of mousse, untouched and forgotten on the counter beside the freezer. "You’re just gonna stay there staring at me?" the little demon had asked.

Of course. Would he just stand and stare... or would he eat his share of the mousse? A totally innocent question.

Kuso... "No," he sighed, taking the cup and putting it between Hiei’s fingers. "You can have it." Probably that was all he wanted the whole time... Kurama no baka!

He felt ridiculous. Jumping over his best friend like a... a hound over a rabbit... If he were lucky, Hiei would only spend the last of his days mocking him mercilessly.

But the youkai just eyed the cup in his hands with a look of... disappointment? "You sure?"

"Yeah."

"You won’t even taste it?" Hiei insisted, spooning a generous part of the brown mousse and offering it to the redhead.

Kurama frowned slightly. He saw the spoon close to his face, the stretched arm that held it, the ruby eyes silently asking that he accepted the offer, but the picture made no sense to him...

Hesitantly, he opened his mouth, letting the other feed him.

Hiei didn’t smile. But he came as close of smiling as it was possible to get without curving his lips.

Distantly, Kurama recognized that that mousse wasn’t as good as Shiori’s. He also pondered that being fed like this by Hiei now didn’t make him feel as stupid as he had felt eating the pap his mother made for him when he was a baby. Far-away thoughts. The disturbing question was, What does this Fire Demon have in mind?

The question became more urgent when Hiei offered him a second spoonful of chocolate mousse... this time without stretching his arm so much. Kurama had to lean forward to eat from the spoon.

"There’s something I always wondered about," the youkai commented casually.

He’s cooking something, Kurama guessed. I don’t know what, but I sense the smell. "What?"

"Back then..."

The redhead gulped. At this point "back then" had become a synonym to "back when we first met in Makai", and the subject wasn’t pleasant to Kurama at all.

But Hiei seemed so tranquil, extending a third spoonful of mousse. The arm stretched even less, forcing the Youko to step forward to get it. "Did it hurt much when I bit your tail?"

Kurama arched his eyebrows. "Yes." Is he going to apologize? He hoped not. After all, if Hiei didn’t let him apologize in the hotel...

"I supposed it did," the short demon sighed, going for the fourth spoonful. This time he just raised the spoon, without unfolding his elbow, setting the bait to have Kurama moving nearer him once again. "But it’s not like I really could tell. I don’t have a tail."

I don’t mind that, the Youko almost said. He was confused. Hiei had a crush on him. But he didn’t want him. Now the youkai was setting an obvious trap for him with chocolate mousse. Do you want me near you or not, Jaganshi? Make up your mind!

"You asked me then who was the imbecile who put that leash on my feet," Hiei continued. "The idea came from a female Gurokya that made part of the gang of thieves that raised me. Have you ever met a Gurokya?"

What in the worlds a race of scaly six-eyed two-tongued demons was doing in the middle of a chocolate mousse trap was an enigma. But Kurama nodded anyway, taking one more spoonful of cream and one more step near Hiei. It was getting hard to keep his attention focused on his friend’s face, and not on his bare chest. Or his open flier, for that matter.

"They’re so full of shit," the youkai scowled.

The ones Kurama had met were too. He smiled, waiting for the cage to fall over him.

"Once, many years after I met you, she told me that what she loved most was having her scales scraped..." Hiei told him, his eyes focused on the cup.

"Did you?"

The youkai eyed him questioningly, offering the spoon again. "Did I what?"

The Youko accepted it, coming to stand between Hiei’s thighs. "Did you scrape her scales?"

Hiei grimaced, disgusted. "You’re nuts?! Those scales are filled with sticky oil..."

"Then why are you bringing this up?"

Lowering his eyes, the demon let go of the spoon and used the finger to get the mousse from the inner walls of the cup. "Because I don’t have scales either."

Against the redhead’s expectations, Hiei didn’t offer him the chocolate-coated finger. There was a veiled message there, and the youkai would wait until Kurama grasped it before closing the fox-trap on him. I’m not a Fire Demon, is that it? So I don’t know what you like.

It could be so much easier if Hiei would just get to the point... He didn’t like the way I touched him? Kurama wondered. But I’ve been with fire demons before, and they never complained...

But one, When was the last time I jumped over someone as desperately as this?

And two, Hiei isn’t a thoroughbred Fire Demon. His ancestry made him unique. Maybe he was unique in his tastes two. But what did that mean?

Well... there weren’t many ways to find out.

Taking Hiei’s hand in his, Kurama gently pulled it up to his mouth and licked the chocolate from the chubby finger. "What would you like me to do?"

Simple. Frank. Uncomplicated. Direct. Hiei almost choked in shock. "You know."

I know? That took the Youko aback. For a moment he wondered if they were even talking about the same thing. The whole point was that Kurama didn’t know what was going on, didn’t know what the little demon had in mind, didn’t know how to please him and didn’t know what he, Kurama, was doing anyway.

But whatever it was that he knew, he had to find out pretty soon, because standing between Hiei’s thighs and seeing so much of his skin was making him ache all over. Also, those mystical crimson eyes and that little delicious mouth were just too close.

As they were, they had approximately the same height. Just as it had happened the day before, when Kurama had sat on the low windowsill of their room in the Kubikukuri Hotel...

Kurama... you’re an idiot! He hesitated between cursing and congratulating himself. Of course you know!!!

Opening his arms, he brought the Fire Demon to a strong warm hug. And for many years to come, Kurama would wonder if that had been the second worst mistake that he had made in all his past lives.

Finally, like the first time, Hiei melted in his arms. He clung to the Youko’s body as pine-scented vines curling around a tree, tight and strangely protective. Burying his face on the crook of Kurama’s neck, he slid closer to the redhead, closing all the gaps between their bodies.

See, mama? No bones! The little youkai had again turned into a fluid hugging creature, whose main purpose was to imprison Kurama inside a bell jar made of heat, perfume, and spicy flesh... Is possible to orgasm with just a hug?

But luckily for Kurama, Hiei didn’t intend to let him find out. Tightening his arms and legs around the Youko, he slowly lay back on the table, dragging Kurama with him. "Is this a fox in rut?" the Jaganshi whispered.

"Respect," Kurama groaned in Hiei’s ear, laying on him. Just because the Fire Demon was driving him deliciously crazy, it didn’t mean he could talk to him like that.

"You want respect?" Hiei flexed and stretched his muscles in languid moves, making the Youko quiver inside an embrace that touched him everywhere.

"Hmmmm... yeah... Respect is good." Kurama tried to understand what the youkai was doing to him. Hiei kept holding him tight, his limbs crawling around the Youko’s torso like snakes, enclosing him fiercely and still managing to rub sensuously all the sensitive parts of their bodies. And to Kurama’s delight and despair, that human body had lots of sensitive parts. By now the only parts that weren’t aching for release were his tongue and hair, and Inari knew for how long those would be able to stand Hiei’s attack with some dignity.

"I’ll respect you," Hiei hissed, and Kurama felt the shortest hairs around his ear being softly blown by the demon’s breath.

The redhead shivered. "...good..." Okay... so now my hair is excited...

Hiei caught the collar of Kurama’s shirt between his teeth and pulled, leaving the Youko’s shoulder temptingly bare. "If you prove yourself respectable, of course."

"I’m very respectful," Kurama mumbled, only vaguely aware of what he was saying. The Fire Demon was wiggling beneath him, somehow making their pants slid together down their legs.

"I hope so," said the youkai, holding the Youko in place. Undressing like that was tricky. "I’d hate to see you screaming like an animal."

Kurama, who was making a huge effort not roar in both frustration and delight, clenched his teeth against the malignant curse threatening to explode in his throat. "You don’t like screamers," he groaned.

"I despise screamers," Hiei corrected him. "Pitiful creatures who can’t keep control of themselves."

Please tell me you’re kidding... From Hiei’s tone it was hard to guess if the youkai was serious or just inviting him for a sexy game — in other words, if he really despised screamers or was in fact suggesting that he’d love to hear Kurama scream. Hiei had that low vibrating voice, and when he whispered hoarsely like that... "I’m always in control."

The youkai licked the Youko’s tender earlobe with a smirk. "Good. Because that makes the difference between men... and foxes."

Kurama sighed, and replied with soft smooches on Hiei’s neck. It was a game, he was sure of it now. The certainty came in good time, for the long caress of the youkai’s legs on his as their pants slipped down was demanding immediate action from his vocal chords. As a compromise, the redhead delved his teeth on Hiei’s shoulder to muffle a moan.

For a moment he feared biting would be in the list of things the Jaganshi didn’t like so much. Despite the obvious preference for hugs instead of fervent assaults — Go figure! —, Kurama wasn’t sure yet of why the short demon had remained so indifferent before and showed himself so interested now. Apparently he liked taking things slowly, very slowly, too slowly to a Youko who had been chaste for sixteen years.

On the other hand, there was something almost artistic about the way Hiei led their bodies into the wild friction dance they were doing. As he felt their pants being kicked away, along with their socks and Hiei’s sneakers, Kurama understood that his friend’s every move was completely deliberate, and very complex. The youkai bent his legs just in the right angle to stroke the redhead’s — which were a lot longer — in their full length, and still rub their groins together in the most alluring way.

But to Kurama’s dismay, Hiei took care not to spread his thighs too far apart, just enough so the Youko’s shaft brushed temptingly between the demon’s buttocks. As Kurama dreamed of how it would feel to be inside such a diminutive lover, he couldn’t get near his main goal yet. His patience was dropping, the heat was becoming unbearable, and the redhead started to doubt he’d be able to penetrate his friend’s small body as gently as common sense prescribed. "Hurry up, Hiei..."

The Fire Demon arched his back, a simple move that shove Kurama into frenzy as the millimetric change of position turned into a massive caress all over his body. "Why?"

"Because..." Kurama gulped, taking a second to breathe and get the strain out of his voice. "...I’m about to cut your fun really short."

Hiei thought about it for a moment, than shook his head. "Didn’t get it."

The redhead frowned. Didn’t get what? Do I have to spell it out for you? Maybe that was what Hiei wanted. As part of the game. "I can’t hold much longer," he told him, with as much calm and composure in his tone as he could manage. Almost none. "Hurry up or I can’t wait for you."

Kurama cringed for the mockery he was sure it would come about his so-called control, but Hiei surprised him again. "You’re waiting for me?" The youkai’s voice sounded as shocked as if the house had turned into a pumpkin garden. "What for?"

The house did turn into a pumpkin garden for Kurama. "What for?! Hiei!" he gasped. If he had to stop to explain the basic rules of etiquette in sex between civilized beings to Hiei, the Youko was sure that his blood would start to boil and his neurons would pop one after another.

Thankfully, the Fire Demon seemed to comprehend Kurama’s dire situation and saved his questions for later. Arching his back again, he pulled up the Youko, whose chest was now resting helplessly on the lips of a hungry youkai. Kurama propped on his elbows, giving Hiei space to breathe and move his head. Which Hiei did. Not only lips, but also fangs and tongue and nose and cheeks were now taking turns in teasing Kurama’s nipples — and also testing Kurama’s endurance. "Hiei..."

Could the youkai had found a worst time to decide to move slowly? Kurama doubted. And as much as he wanted to tease Hiei back, covering his brawny body with kisses, bites, caresses and pinches, he was also afraid that again he wouldn’t know the right way to arouse the Fire Demon. Or that his actions might interfere with the delicious dance Hiei was performing, having the Youko’s skin as stage floor. I gotta learn what he likes, fast!

"Fast" was the first word in Kurama’s mind right now, and the last in Hiei’s. The Jaganshi held the Youko firmly by the waist as he explored every pore of Kurama’s chest. His body seemed unable to stop moving, writhing under and around the redhead, contorting in impossible manners to grasp the redhead in a snake embrace. At least I learned that I like this a lot, Kurama mused with the five or six neurons of his that hadn’t short-circuited yet. The rest of his brain was totally focused in overloading its synapses with lust and pleasure.

He rubbed his hips softly against Hiei’s, wondering if it was time already to quit that magical and exasperating foreplay. If the youkai liked hugs, that was okay with him; he would hold Hiei close as he thrust inside him, he would hug him tight all the way through. "C’mere, Hiei..."

"Okay..." But instead of laying back and letting Kurama "work", as the Youko expected, Hiei slid even more towards the edge of the table, hiding his head between Kurama’s thighs.

"No, I said, come here, you little... anrffff..." A swift lick on the head of his cock, and Kurama decided Hiei was quite better where he was.

"You’re not going to scream, are you?" asked the youkai, offering a second lick right on the tiny oozing slit, while massaging the Youko’s hips with callous hands.

Not just yet... "Not a screamer, told ya." The image of Hiei devouring spoonfuls of chocolate mousse danced in his mind, and his whole body quivered. Supporting his weight on his knees and elbows, Kurama dimly condemned himself for letting the little demon work so hard to please him and doing so little in return... But it had been long sixteen years since the last time he had been touched like this. All his self-control was now focused in not screaming too soon, and there was nothing left to anything else. Suck me now, little one, and in one minute I’ll be teaching your cute butt the Youko version of the Tantric Arts...

Kurama closed his eyes tight. He knew what Hiei would be doing next and it would be too hard to stand it; if he actually saw Hiei doing it... then his part in that game would be prematurely over.

He didn’t scream. His throat ached immensely, but his mouth was firmly shut when the youkai took his whole shaft in his mouth, sucking it hungrily. Only an unintelligible groan came out as he felt his sex imprisoned by the wet pressure of those lips and the menacing hardness of the demon’s sharp fangs. Hiei’s hot saliva burned lusciously on his tender skin, and the small narrow tongue flicked around the stiff member as snakelike as the youkai’s hugs.

Kurama banged his head on the table, unwilling to accept that the Fire Demon could be that good, or that he had considered allowing a spoon to be happier than him. No more spoons for Hiei, he promised to himself. Next time I’ll just dip into a giant pot of melted chocolate and let him clean me all over.

Apparently it hadn’t escaped Hiei’s notice how close to climaxing the redhead was, for soon Kurama felt the youkai’s strong fingers circling the base of his shaft, clutching it tight. A dirty old trick to keep him playing the game, at the cost of driving the Youko insane with frustration. Especially when a hot hungry mouth was letting his now aching member in and out, with fast deep sucks. "So now you decide to move fast, you miserable vicious sexy bastard..."

Hiei immediately rested his head on the table, letting go of the Youko’s cock to smile evilly. "I’m going fast? Sorry." And with that he went back to the slow teasing of Kurama’s penis, swirling his tongue around its tip, without removing the painful grip on the base.

Kurama’s legs began to tremble, and he made a huge effort not to thrust against his friend’s mouth. Some people considered it horribly offensive, as if they were being told how to do a proper blow job. Others would take it naturally, and even enjoy the play. Kurama had no idea of what Hiei would think, and it was his policy never to try that in a first time.

But he would be screaming in a second if the youkai didn’t hurry. "Don’t tease, cutie... Make me come... OUCH!"

He bit me! Hiei seemed to enjoy biting him. First his tail, now...

"Don’t call me cute," the Fire Demon warned, offering just a quick lick in apology. "Ever." And with that he slid down the table again.

Kurama tried to reach him, but only got to brush his fingers briefly through the soft dark hair before the youkai disappeared between his legs. "Hey, where are you goi... owwwww..."

Hiei had knelt on the table to bite the Youko’s inner thighs, slowly guiding his lips and fangs up... and abruptly Kurama understood his vulnerable position, on all fours with a horny demon behind him. Kuso! I let him turn the tables on me again! "Hiei... wait... hmm... no, wait!"

The youkai showed no intention of waiting for anything, pressing his hips against Kurama’s rear, sliding his cock along its crevice, back and forth. "I thought you told me to hurry."

"You were supposed to be down here," the redhead protested, wondering just why he didn’t stand up and teach that naughty demon who was the boss here.

Maybe because the naughty demon was stroking his butt in such a warm, enticing way.

"Says who?"

"I’m saying it... hmmmffff..." Unconsciously, he started to swing his hips to meet Hiei’s caresses. "Stop it..."

"I already did," Hiei chuckled. "You’re the one rubbing your butt on me."

The Youko banged his head once again on the wood, this time harder. His pride was lost forever and he knew it. "I’m gonna kill you."

"Now or later?"

If the loss was done and official, it didn’t matter anymore, right? "Later..." Now Kurama was going to let himself drown in the pits of indignity and wild rapture.

"Good. Now, if you have a lube or something, hurry up," Hiei hissed between clenched teeth. "In ten seconds it will be too late for that."

"Wait!" Kurama cried out, trying to convince his body to move. "I can’t..."

"Nine..."

"What?! I said, wait!"

"...eight..."

To be fair with Hiei, he was counting slowly. Even if the tip of his sex was shamelessly making a false start. That’s not fair! I should be the one in charge here!

"...seven..."

If the youkai’s hands had remained quiet, Kurama might have had a chance. But they kept wandering by the Youko’s waist, hips and groin, cupping his testicles, toying with the sensitive folds of his skin...

"...six..."

A lube! I need a lube! It was the first time of his human body after all. Kurama had no idea of how it would feel, but he had the sneaky suspicion that Shuuichi’s body was smaller than the Youko’s in every way except for the size of his green rounded eyes. And Hiei’s proportions, if not overly astounding, were not to be depreciated.

"...five..."

The voice of the youkai was becoming raspier with every number, signaling the total inability to hold his arousal for longer than those promised last seconds. Kurama wouldn’t have enough time to find the right seed in his hair and grow one of his special plants. He’d have to improvise.

"...four..."

Thankfully, they were in the kitchen, and not every pot and vessel had fallen from the table when Kurama jumped over the Fire Demon. One of those vessels contained a substance that would smooth the now inevitable invasion of his body. But the last drops of the Youko’s pride would be gone if he chose to...

"...three..."

K’so! "Here!" Kurama shouted, grabbing the bottle of sunflower oil he had used to grease the rabbit, and rolling it down to Hiei. "Use this."

Very reluctantly, the youkai retreated. Kurama found himself moaning in disappointment when he felt the hot pressure gone from his rear, then growling in excitement when careful fingers touched his crevice, gently spreading the oil around his anus. The odd combination of Hiei’s callused skin with the lubricant caused goose bumps on Kurama’s thighs, and the Youko forced himself to relax and open his legs a little more.

The fingers disappeared for a second, instantly returning with a bit more of oil and cautiously trying the Youko’s entrance. They slipped in with some difficulty, even if Hiei was doing his best not to hurt him.

The redhead cringed. He was definitely tighter in this ningen form. He tried to ignore the pain by swaying his hips towards the intruding fingers, which moved inside him in gentle in-and-out jabs.

Hiei didn’t go far with that exploration though, either because his fingers were too short to reach the spot in Kurama’s passage that would send the redhead floating over whirls of sensation, or because the Jaganshi simply wasn’t in condition of holding back anymore. The fingers vanished again, and this time were replaced by a larger and more anxious volume. Kurama moaned the name of his god, at first pleading his protection, then thanking him for the granting of a long dreamed wish, and finally begging him to turn his divine eyes away from the shameful situation the Youko had slipped into.

"You look like a tasty piece of meat, Kurama," Hiei panted. "And I’m still very hungry."

I hate him. From the bottom of my heart. "I hope you get an indigestion," the Youko groaned in annoyance.

Kurama expected one more smart-ass retort, and almost choked when Hiei thrust his shaft inside him, impaling him to the hilt. The penetration had been slow and careful, but too resolute to the frail resistance of the Youko’s throat.

Kurama didn’t scream. He roared.

Hiei paused. "Did you just scream, Kurama?"

Please don’t stop now please don’t stop now please don’t stop now... "No."

Hiei’s tone was kittenish. "I think you did."

"I’m gonna scream if you don’t move," the redhead panted, trying to swing his hips against the spearing shaft.

The youkai held him in place, passing his left arm possessively around the Youko’s waist, his right hand still enclosing the base of Kurama’s cock. "I knew it... You’re just an ordinary fox pretending to be a man, aren’t you?"

At this point Kurama wouldn’t mind being called anything, as long as he was given quick release. The pressure on his balls became unbearable, and having Hiei so deep inside him but totally immobile was so despairing that he was about to eat that table, nails and everything. "Hiei..."

The youkai began to withdraw slowly, just keeping his hands in place. "You tried to trick me, naughty Fox."

Kurama screamed again, in frustration for feeling Hiei leaving him, and in hatred. He detested being called "fox".

"Go on, Fox, scream," the youkai mocked, his voice coated by heavy hoarseness. "You’re nothing but a wild animal in heat." As he said the last word, he thrust back in again.

"Aaaaaaahhh..." The Youko’s body was seared by explosive sensations that burst his nerves as swift lashes of fire. All his muscles contracted at the same time, his legs were failing to support him. Only Hiei’s iron grasp kept him on his knees.

This was so damn good that he wondered if he would ever have the guts to face himself in the mirror again.

"Bad Fox," Hiei chided, slipping out again. "This was all a set up... you just wanted me to come and be your toy. Right?" He drove his shaft through the tight ring, faster this time.

Kurama was literally pulling his hair in despair, and not enough of his mind was in shape to ponder if his friend’s accusation had been serious or just part of the game. The sensitive spot inside him was burning in flames with the fierce stimulation, and the grip on his penis imprisoned him in that shattering hell of passion and helpless yearning, like a hurricane in a bottle.

Hiei’s thrusts finally established a steady pace, as his voice began to break. "You thought... I’d let you ride me...? An... ordinary fox... like you..."

The redhead moaned and whimpered with each one of those long slow stabs, his own erection jerking and throbbing frantically. "Hhhhieeeeeeeii... please..."

Without warning, Hiei let go of the Youko’s shaft, opening the cork to free the lusting hurricane. It happened so fast that Kurama was coming and screaming long before understanding what the youkai had done. The orgasm reached every inch of his body with the force of a nuclear shockwave, his blood rushing through his veins at dizzying speed. Two, three gushes of whitish cream spurted on Hiei’s fingertips, forming a small warm puddle on the wooden table.

His legs gave out, but the youkai still held him up by the waist, still thrusting in his own firm rhythm. Hiei brushed his damp fingers along Kurama’s back in the sweetest of caresses. "Stupid Fox..." he whispered softly. "You didn’t... have to wait..."

As his mind slowly started to clear, Kurama noticed it was just getting blurry again. His member didn’t give in and was still frighteningly hard, ready to a second round. Oh Inari... how much this body can take? For his Youko spirit, once given a glimpse of heaven, would now try to drive it to the borders of insanity, no questions about it. "Hiei..."

Deeply immersed in his own sea of blazing sensations, the Jaganshi only heard him when Kurama called him the third time. His small body seemed to sway in a will of its own, while his mind drifted to enthralled dimensions. "Not... done?"

The Youko was light-years away from done. Unable to speak, he just shook his head, hoping Hiei had his eyes open.

The youkai bent over to murmur on his ear. "As you... can see," he chuckled, "...me... neither..."

For unexplained reasons, Kurama wanted to laugh with him, if his lungs weren’t working so poorly. They were best friends sharing an awesome intimate moment, knowing their relationship would be forever changed by that instant of passionate need, and still they couldn’t keep up with the solemnity the situation required.

Kurama and Hiei were improbable lovers, no matter how perfectly they seemed to fit now. They found impossible to take themselves too seriously.

The Jaganshi wrapped the Youko’s shaft with his fingers again, this time pumping it in the same rhythm of his thrusts inside the redhead’s constricted entrance. Hiei didn’t take long to come, jolting his too hot seed deep in Kurama’s hole. The clash of the burning fluid against his inner tender flesh was enough to send the Youko spinning into another brain-ripping climax.

There was nothing left to support Kurama’s weight on his fours now, and he fell prone on the hard wood of the table, spent and delighted. For the first time in his human existence, he felt completely, maddeningly alive. The taut muscles on his face relaxed in a goofy smile. How did I get to live sixteen years without this? he wondered.

Careful hands made him turn and lay on his back, gently brushing his red fringe away from his sweaty brow. Hiei lay on the Youko’s chest, facing him with amused glinting eyes while their breath gradually returned to normal.

"This is insubordination," Kurama mumbled at last, wondering if his mouth would ever stop smiling again.

Hiei exposed a fang in a lopsided smile. "Insubordination? That’s what they call it here in Ningenkai?"

"No, that is how youkos call a petty flunkey claiming the reigns over a higher-ranked elder." At the end of the sentence, Kurama was out of breath again.

"Petty flunkey, huh?" Hiei snorted. "Was that why you were moaning so loud, Fox? You were begging me to stop?"

"Stop calling me that, I hate it. And I never beg," the Youko retorted defensively. "I only decided to be generous and spare you from the usual punishment reserved for insubordinate pets."

The youkai bit Kurama’s chin playfully. "And what’s the usual punishment, oh mighty Youko?"

"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth," Kurama announced solemnly. "Butt for butt."

Hiei laughed. "Sounds like Youko laws alright."

"I was sure you’d appreciate it."

Part Two
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