In other words, it gave me another area in which I could play with ideas. I won't even tell you how many days I spent researching foxes while writing this story. J Though most of the research won't come out unless it's important for this storyline.

The bit about Hiei being a fire demon never even came into the story until much later… (if it did at all, I’m unclear on that part, not being able to read Japanese) (it might just be a ‘fanfic convention’ – but I like that idea J .)

There was a question about Hiei liking it ‘hot’… My take on it is that Hiei’s a fire demon, so how can anything really be hot to him? Kurama most definitely likes it hot! But if Hiei is feeling hot himself, then most everything he touches will feel rather cool to him, and he’ll associate the contrast with the sexual response. Actually, I doubt very much if he’d like anything much hotter than himself! J

Okay, okay, already… J ;-) I hadn’t actually intended that… ;-)

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He hadn’t lost control before. Not like what it takes for him to lose it like that. He’s had a thousand years to work on having his pleasure without killing. And… it’s not exactly a literal fire – he is a demon after all. It can be literal if he wants it, but… It’s not exactly the release either – it’s just his internal flames manifesting (which can be in the release, but…). Kurama wasn’t burned from the release but from earlier when he’d suggested Hiei taking him. Kurama took Hiei by surprise with the suggestion, and Hiei’s desire for the intense physical reaction overwhelmed his reason for a moment there. And, for a guy (even a demon)… it’s the thrusting more than the release that creates the main problem of losing psychic control. Though the release is a manifestation if it gets that far. But with Kurama, the few times before (and will be in the future) Hiei’s desire is mixed in with the trust he feels for Kurama and his love as well, so the physical, while intense, is tempered. And what gets burned, while it did show as a physical burn on Kurama’s skin, was actually the internal soul – the insubstantial fire, burning the insubstantial fuel.

Etc… ((I wasn’t about to get into it in detail in the story…))

Well, it’s life. There is no such thing in the animal kingdom about pairs mating for beyond life, though there are many animals that mate for life. Animals that form pair-bondings, foxes included, will stay monogamous to their mate while they live, but afterwards, they will take new mates. And quite honestly, I’ve about had it up to here with all the weepy stories out there about people who can never go on with their lives after a tragedy. The real heroes are those who will pick up the scattered pieces of their life, live that much of it, and then learn to love what’s left. The world will always hold delight for those who go on. And for those who truly care about another, they would not want to see them miserable for the rest of their life. Kurama said what he did for Hiei’s reassurance – he knew exactly what Hiei was thinking. Hiei would not want to see Kurama die because of him. He would rather that Kurama live and go on. Mourn, yes, for the love they shared and the loss of a friend by his side… but not the despair that drags one down and extinguishes all light. On the other hand, Kurama says nothing to Hiei about the knowledge that Hiei would die for him, because he knows that’s Hiei’s nature. Hiei’s love is that of the fire, burning and wild and when the fuel is gone, so will the fire follow. Kurama’s love is that of nature, growing, sharing, living, the tree that passes it’s seeds on for the new generation to follow (which get their nourishment from the ashes of the fire that remains…). ((Sorry about the last one – got caught up in my analogies!!!))

My response: Well, once they’re both over the age of 30 or 50, the age difference is negligible. They’re both adults… The only difference now is in experience and specialization. Hiei’s experienced in warfare, Kurama in love… Though in a way, Kurama’s not, since he’s never taken a true love before. But he does have the relationship part more-or-less down… though some of that is ONLY in reference to Hiei. ((i.e. Kurama still hasn’t quite figured it out about his mother yet.)) And he’s a bit over-smug in regards to Hiei. He is throwing Hiei for a loop, true – but part of that is because of how very much Hiei wants to trust him. If it was a ‘normal’ relationship by any definition, Hiei would have just as good a grip as Kurama. But this certainly ain’t normal… J They are such different personalities, and they are both so good at what they do (judging the opponent) (normally), and they both have their self-esteems firmly in place (when not being thrown by the other) that the confusion they cause each other is completely natural. And, yes, fun to work with J . I find it interesting how they actually work out their problems with each other – indicating their maturity and mutual awareness. ((I get driven up the wall by books where characters run around hiding everything from each other until they all fall down.))