The Fox and the Phoenix

If only she hadn't made the mistake of meeting his eyes. If she had been content with the knowledge that Kurama had been fatally injured while defending his friend, then she might have been able to escape. Instead, reveling in the unexpected success of her attack, she glanced beyond the fallen youko at the fire demon staring back at her and froze. One second his eyes were blank with the shock of Kurama's fall, the next they were alight with the fire of his private anguish and pain. Yet, no one knew that his retaliation against the enemy youkai was driven by anything other than survival. The Seishi never would have guessed that something far stronger motivated his furious need for revenge. But *she* knew. She could see it in the snarl baring gleaming, white fangs.

With dizzying speed, Hiei flashed around the courtyard, dodging her poisoned darts and drawing her attention away from the others. Occasionally, Hiei would flit close enough to draw blood with his sword. Never enough to injure her seriously, just enough for her to realize that he could have done much worse. Finally tiring of toying with his enemy, the fire demon paused and eyed the panting, pathetic figure before him. They both knew that this fight could only end one way: in blood.

The youkai assassin flicked her eyes over to Kurama and then back to the small demon in front of her. Deliberately, she smirked, conveying all of her gloating triumph over the silver youko and her disdain for the friend who avenged his death. Then it was over, with her expression forever frozen on her face and the air echoing with her scream.

Hiei pulled his sword from her heart, wiped the blood from the gleaming blade, and resheathed it. It was over. His enemy was dead and there was only one thing left to do. He slowly closed his hand into a fist and called up the black flames that would burn away the stench of her presence and rid him of the last of his anger. He hurled the fire at the body and watched in satisfaction as it dissolved into ashes. With this last task finished, Hiei stood with his back to the others, unwilling to face Kurama's lifeless body lying on the ground. The fire demon had felt the last of his friend's ki leaving him and he knew that the kitsune was beyond hope. Besides, he couldn't bear to see the bright red blood from the small dart wounds that stained the youko's tunic slowly fade to brown.

Chiriko was standing with the other Seishi as he watched Hiei make the final killing blow and incinerate the body. He could tell by the stiffness of the small youkai's back that he had assumed Kurama had been killed and was reluctant to face the group and confirm it.

Knowing that the torment would only grow worse with every passing moment, Chiriko walked over to the fire demon and gazed at all that was left of the persistent assassin who had almost claimed Kurama's life. The ashes were beginning to drift away on the current of a playful breeze, and soon there would be nothing left to remind them of her presence, nothing except Kurama's battered body fighting to remain among the living.

The flautist searched for the words that would reassure the youkai that his friend was still alive, but his imagination failed him. In the end, just one simple phrase made its way past his lips, "He lives, Hiei-san."

Chiriko watched as his words impacted the grave figure standing beside him. Hiei tensed in disbelief and then whipped his head around to watch as Mitsukake and the others tended his fallen partner. Only the youngest member of the Seishi noticed the fine trembling that shook the youkai's small frame as he absorbed the truth of the words.

A second later he was gone, and Chiriko was left to wonder how long it would be until Hiei felt he had regained enough control to visit his friend.

Hiei glanced around the corner of the hallway and froze as he observed Nuriko emerging from Kurama's room. He knew that the strong Seishi had carried his partner to bed and made him as comfortable as he could be. Yet, when he noticed the pile of clothing in her arms, Hiei realized just *how* comfortable she had made the kitsune.

If Nuriko had the fox's clothes, then that meant that Kurama was as naked as the longing within Hiei's heart. Suddenly, he burned with jealousy that Nuriko had been the one to care for Kurama and was a witness to *his* fox's vulnerability and beauty.

The fire demon swallowed his anger and stood silently as the willowy Seishi paused in front of him. She couldn't help noticing his infuriated stare trained on the clothing she held and, not bothering to resist the naughty impulse, taunted him with, "Well, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Hiei's eyes flashed up to meet her smiling gaze, mildly shocked at her audacity. She gave a careless wink and then proceeded to sashay down the corridor on her way to take care of the damaged clothing and report to the others.

Snorting to himself, Hiei drew a deep breath and walked into Kurama's room. He made sure to secure the door after him so that no one else would be able to enter. The silver youko was lying in the middle of the bed, looking very pale and less than his energetic and playful self. Hiei sighed at the irony of the fact that just when the fox was being quiet for a change, he would have given anything for Kurama to open his eyes and start teasing him. It was, after all, the kitsune's favorite game. But not today. Today, Kurama was too pain-wracked even to be aware of the fire demon's presence.

Hiei could see the effects of the poison as he watched the fox shivering under the mound of blankets covering him. He knew that this was just a side effect and should pass as soon as Kurama's body had recovered sufficiently. Yet, the trembling soon became intense shudders, and Kurama began to moan slightly in his sleep.

The fire demon frowned as he watched. Should he go and get the healer or try to treat the symptoms of the poison himself? He was a fire demon, after all, and it was about time that the youkai nature he had been born with was useful for something.

Decision made, Hiei quickly shrugged out of the clothing which would only hinder his efforts. Then, being careful to jostle the fox as little as possible, he climbed onto the bed and slipped under the covers.

Hiei lay on his side with his head propped up on one hand as he watched the youko. Kurama's height had never impacted him as greatly as it did now. The kitsune was around seven feet tall and Hiei, well, he wasn't even close. Their disparity in size became a bit of a challenge as he contemplated how to warm the fox as quickly as possible.

Kurama, on the other hand, must have sensed that a source of heat was nearby, because he rolled over onto his side to face the fire demon and snuggled closer. Hiei's eyes widened. The shift in position had brought their nude bodies to within a whisper of touching, and the youkai could feel the call of his partner's body to his own for warmth.

The small demon knew that now was not the time to become distracted by Kurama's beauty or the strange feelings that he had been fighting during this whole bizarre adventure. He wrapped his arms around the fox and reminded himself that his friend needed his help and that was all that should matter.

Except...he couldn't ignore the smooth skin of the youko's back under his hands or the compelling musky, faintly herbal smell of Kurama's hair as the youko buried his face in Hiei's neck with a sigh. Hiei shivered as the soft exhalation of air ticklishly caressed his skin.

With nowhere to retreat, and having the object of his tortured thoughts nestled within his arms, Hiei forced himself to examine his feelings minutely. He recalled his awareness of Kurama's provocative sexuality at the temple pool and his own dismaying reaction to it. He also remembered his extreme jealousy over the time and attention that Nuriko had enjoyed with the fox and the possessiveness that he had desperately fought against. Lastly, he thought about the protectiveness that had surged through him when Kurama was attacked and his despair when he had believed the youko was dead.

It all added up to one inevitable and frightening conlusion. Hiei closed his eyes. Kuso! I *love* him!

Perhaps it wasn't so very strange that it had taken him so long to figure things out. It *was* the first time that he had ever experienced this frightening emotion that humans wasted their whole lives trying to find; although, after all of the suffering that he had endured so far, he would have been quite content to have avoided it altogether.

He opened his eyes and pulled back far enough to peer down into the face beginning to relax as the poison lessened its hold. Then again, perhaps not. Maybe it was worth all of the hurt, if only to hold the fox in his arms and know that he was safe within them.

A thought suddenly occurred to Hiei, and his whole body jerked slightly with the shock of it. What if Kurama didn't feel the same way? What had the silver youko ever done that might indicate that he was even remotely interested in a forbidden child like him? Okay, so the fox flirted with him occasionally, but then, the fox flirted with *everyone*! That was just his way. It wasn't as if Hiei had great beauty or power to attract the youko to him.

Hiei forced the disquieting thoughts away. No! He's *my* fox. I'll just *make* him love me back! Ignoring the small voice that questioned how long he could keep the fickle creature, he hooked one leg behind the youko's knees and drew him even closer. If *I* have to be this miserable, then so does *he*!

Kurama's shifting within his arms brought the drowsing fire demon back to consciousness. His internal sense of time told him that he still had the better part of the night to spend with his fox before Nuriko would be back to check on Kurama's health. He had awakened certain that he had dreamed everything and that he wasn't really lying in the same bed next to the slumbering youko. Not really wanting to waste this intimate time in sleep, Hiei lifted up on one elbow so that he could observe the youko.

Kurama had turned onto his right side so that he was facing away from Hiei, with his back snuggled up to the fire demon's chest, and the altered position allowed the small youkai to admire the kitsune's striking profile. The recent trauma had taken its toll on Kurama's body, and Hiei took note of the shadows beneath the silver sweep of the youko's lashes. Sleep was the best cure, however, and the kitsune seemed to be sleeping more easily now that Hiei had warmed him.

Taking advantage of the fact that Kurama was unconscious, Hiei permitted himself to stroke his hand slowly through the kitsune's lush hair. It was an action that Kurama probably would have welcomed if he had been awake. The sensual youko had always loved touching people and being touched in return. It was part of what drew others to him, and Hiei thought about all of the times that the youko had placed a friendly hand on the fire demon's shoulder. Yet, unsure of how a reciprocal action might be interpreted, Hiei had always ignored the tentative impulse to return the affectionate gesture. Of course, in the fire demon's case, just smiling at the youko was more than he was comfortable with.

Kurama sighed softly at the gentle massage, encouraging Hiei to continue. The fire demon lay back down and switched hands so that he could curve his left arm around the youko's chest and continued to comb the fingers of his right hand gently through the bright, silver strands. Some hours passed while Hiei allowed himself to fantasize about what he would do if, no, *when* he had the fox all to himself in bed with no injuries to distract them. He could feel sleep tugging at his control and, while he hated to give in to it, he realized that he, too, needed the rest. Hiei's last thought before sleep claimed him was to wonder what the youko's dreams were like and if they were nearly as satisfying as the fire demon's plans for their future.