10-Jan-2002

Seasons of Ice and Fire
A Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfic by Nixers and bonnejeanne

Contact: nixerchan@aol.com and bonnejeanne@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: YuYuHakusho characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here.

Warnings: yaoi, some lemon

Time: Three weeks after Part One, same setting.

Part Two: Winter

The howling wind sounded too much like taunting voices but the thick gusts of snow were welcome as a near-perfect camouflage as he fought against the opposing blasts. He was running... that in and of itself meant nothing, running to hide was as much a part of his instinct as stealing was his pleasure and vice. But this time what he ran from was bound in emotions that felt alien, faces washed of color which should have been meaningless, and something turning inside that seemed to defy his own clear choices. Fighting uphill into the thicker part of the wide track of evergreen woods, the cold began to eat at him and he sought some cave, fallen tree or even a depression to curl into to hide and wait the storm's end.

In the end it was just a depression after all, a small rock at one side and snow drifting to pile, where he curled tightly, shivering, as a strange fever came and went, bringing memories and emotions, that seemed to ebb with each return of the shivering cold.

Within the city itself, Hiei stood balanced on a stretch of wire fencing, obscured from sight by the shadow of the house he observed with growing unease.

He had been across the city, watching the other two Reikai Tantei. Nearly as bored as he was, both Yuusuke and the Oaf had left their classes early, and had predictably gotten into a fight over something trivial. Watching Yuusuke give the Baka a solid pounding or two was entertainment enough, as well as good practice in keeping his youki invisible to someone who had gotten as strong as Yuusuke. Kuwabara hadn't even twitched unexpectedly. Wincing at one of Kuwa's near sonic shouts of protest, both Hiei and Yuusuke's attention had snapped in unison as a near explosion of incredibly strong, and very familiar youki radiated from the other side of the city in waves. The usual scents of age, power, and plants had a tint of desperation and overwhelming anger.

The difference was Yuusuke getting charged and distracted by Kazuma from an aura he'd only felt twice, and Hiei darting across the rooftops faster than the human eye could see.

Obviously too late, the Minami residence was liberally ... decorated... with the results of the kitsune's anger. Over two score, Hiei could estimate from the various parts remaining, and all ranging from middle to upper C class. Wincing more than once at something new, a mess composition of a common potted plant and some would be assassin, Hiei firmly decided not to piss off the red-haired man around any begonias.

Walking carefully into the inner room of the apartment, it became a little more clear what had happened. A dropped backpack lay on the kitchen floor, and beside it a shattered vial, empty of anything but the withered leftover of a dried out fruit. In the midst of it all was Shiori, a woman he vaguely recognized in his times watching Kurama, his human mother.

She sat in the middle of the stained kitchen floor, hands almost primly folded on her knees. Her face was absolutely pale and her eyes seemed to register nothing. Glancing at the shivering woman amongst the worst of the impromptu battle field, he still couldn't quite see the value that had been placed on her, enough to outwardly change the most notorious thief in the Makai.

Even when a subtle flare of his own youki curled around the interior of the apartment, devouring the bodies in black fire, the woman didn't respond at all. Satisfied that the obvious traces were removed, he crouched in front of the woman, removing the headband in a quick tug.

Pulling back delicately from the memory, he simply gave one command, wrapped around the same power as his Jagan, "Forget."

Before the dazed woman could blink off the fog he'd left her in, the fire demon had snatched the signs of Kurama's visit, the broken vial and backpack, and darted off on the unmasked trail of the power that still saturated the very walls of the Minamo residence.

The snow had stopped falling at least, but it covered everything in a thick blanket of cold. Curled under several inches of its covering, the demon fox curled in a sleep near hibernation, slowly loosing energy.

Snow hissing into steam and retreating rapidly from each fall of his boots, Hiei took the forest at a full speed, something he hadn't done in many years, spurred on by the waning sense of the fox even as he opened up his own power more and more.

Barely able to feel anything from irregular lump beneath the snow and the rock on which he'd perched, a quick summoned flame and the resulting waves of heat melted away the layers of frost, revealing a form almost as white as his previous covering.

Almost nothing, barely a flicker of consciousness, buried as deeply if not more than his own unwilling hibernations. Cursing at his lack of forethought as he saw the water he'd created beginning to solidify again into ice, he leapt down from his perch to the side of the curled fox demon.

Too pale, and breathing too shallowly, the simple proximity of heat wouldn't work fast enough, he decided, nor could he waste the time moving the other. Sitting beside the fox, he pulled him out of the protective posture, and pulling the same arms around himself, it took more than a little maneuvering to put as much of himself into contact with the much taller demon. Finally settling himself, he closed his eyes, pulling his senses inward and then out, wrapping around the other demon carefully. Shifting to put both hands against the cold skin of Youko Kurama's broad chest in an unconscious symmetry with his mind's wishes.

It took a much different and more complex energy to send a type of heat not meant to wound, but it soaked through small hands and spread throughout every pane of the smaller demon, and in turn into the kitsune.

After a time, he felt that chest move under his hands. Once, again. A trembling through still limbs. Then a harder shudder. A gasp for air, which knifed coldly through reluctant lungs. A restless twitch of silver-furred tail, and slowly gold eyes opened, not seeing anything at first, blind in a world of white. Long-fingered hand moving, cold slender fingers curling around the fire demon's wrist. Gold eyes fastening on his face, and blank non-recognition. Slow gathering of barely present energy as if trying to form a defensive attack...

Red eyes blinked once at the contact, even as the rest of him was purring at the obvious recovery. The build up he felt beneath his hands was strange, a little confusing and dangerous. Not looking up from where he concentrated on his task single mindedly, he simply said, "K'rama. Stop," in short, clipped syllables, not sparing enough energy to put the usual tone beneath it.

Gold eyes closed and the grip around one wrist tightened, but something else relaxed and the threat dispersed. A moment later his eyes opened again, this time clouded with some confusion. "Cold... who... where..." he whispered with precious breath.

The demon he was wrapped around didn't answer, face drawn tightly as red eyes flicked up to him quickly and back. The waves of warmth permeating Kurama's skin began to dim. "Baka," Hiei mumbled, then looked up to meet golden eyes with some ill-hidden concern. "I can't carry you. Here will have to do until you can walk."

White brows drew together, grappling with circumstances and too little information, so much missing that should be there. The openness of the place around was making him uneasy. Patrician face pulling into a frown of effort, he fought with his body to get it to move. Not out in the open... Touching some reserve marked and hidden for survival, he moved, one arm wrapping around the small, warm body next to him, surging to knees, then feet, lifting the fire demon as if carrying a child. Tail lashing is he fought for balance, the exhausted kitsune began to move, blindly seeking the deeper shadows under thicker stands of trees.

Absolute surprise and stunned outrage paralyzed the Kourime for a couple of steps, before the fire demon, with a curse, struggled in the other's grip, one hand falling on the Kitsune's bare shoulder to try and lift himself out of the other's hold. "What are you doing?" the displeasure raising the pitch of his voice.

The hold loosened easily, letting the other drop to land on his own feet. The shift caused a stumble, then a return to hands and knees, but the white-furred demon ignored his companion as he crawled forward, obeying only a deep instinct to find better cover. Somehow he'd accepted the other as not-foe, but his consciousness was in shreds and little else was reachable. A hard longing for a deep, dark quiet cave to burrow into kept hands and knees moving blindly.

Kurama could barely register a flicker of black before a pressure had settled on his shoulders and pushed him back and over to the small cover of the rock with dizzying speed. Another hard shove and the kitsune was staring up at the grey skies and a sudden warm weight had settled firmly on his stomach. Perched heavily, Hiei was glaring down at him with folded arms. "Hn," the other said, scowl deepening at the uncognicent look on the Youko's face. "You're supposed to be the clever one."

Focusing on the red-eyed demon, the kitsune's gold eyes blinked. "Move or die," he said, the low voice, weak but cool.

The fire demon glanced at Kurama again, studying the other. Hiei turned his head back to watching the surrounding area with a slight smirk. "You'll die moving," he corrected. "And if you die," he said, "I'll drag you straight out of Koemna's office, back to the land of the living, just so I can kill you."

"Koemna..." almost a parroting of sound, reaching for meaning. Frown. A pale hand drifted higher, and slender fingers brushed upwards through dark hair. Deeper frown. Eyes close. Slow shudder. Eyes open. Something clouding the fine gold depths. Memory.

"M..Mother..." a whisper, same voice, somehow less cold. Repeated, a touch of urgency, "Mother...?"

Relief flashed across the fire demon's face and he looked back down at Kurama, the gesture and word dispelling a doubt and suspicion that had been building. "She's fine. I checked," he said quietly, turning to his previous watch he said, "Go to sleep, fox. I'll make sure you wake up."

The flash of relief at Hiei's answer was followed by a troubling. "Arigato... Hiei..." He shifted, limbs drawing up to curl, tail tucked around feet. "Better go... might not be me... waking up," he said softly as his eyes began to close.

Staring at the kitsune for a moment, Hiei didn't budge. Without a reply, he simply settled against the other, and concentrated on making a circle of summer in the middle of the snow, and waiting for when and who to open their eyes again.

The dreams were memories, slowly filling in gaps. Many remained unfilled, the others almost random. The second waking did not begin with open eyes but senses gathering information before revealing his conscious state. Slowly reaching towards the center of warmth as slanted eyes opened.

The grass around and beneath him was completely dry and unseasonably warm, as were his own clothes. The source of it a small black and white shape nearly out of his line of vision. Hiei's attention was either inwards or outwards, but none of it was obviously on Kurama at the moment.

The kitsune sat up slowly, and began carefully stretching each limb. A sparing brush at mane and fur. A more intent study of the surrounding area, wide ears twitching slightly.

"Still in the ningenkai..."

The movement drew the fire demon's attention towards Kurama instantly. Listening to the statement, the Kourime closed his eyes. "If you know a way back, I'd be interested. Otherwise, yes, as trapped here as I am."

Gold eyes fixed. "You're the dragon-caller."

The demon nodded, still not opening his eyes. "Jaganshi Hiei," he responded. Whatever he felt at introducing himself didn't register across the rounded face.

"Hiei..." a spasm of inward-directed anger crossed the kitsune's features and then hands pressed over eyes. The next words seemed to have a change of tone. "Why am I still... " A low canine growl. "Oi.. it should be over..."

Red eyes snapped open at the subtle change. Listening, he nodded and stood up moving quickly to the top of the rock. Snow drift blown by the wind had settled over the items he had brought, but it didn't stretch out the search too long. Finding the clear, shattered glass, Hiei returned to the small circle, holding up the vial for examination.

"Last I saw it, it was half full." Glancing at the silver fox with concern he asked, "How much did you drink?"

"The rest," the kitsune answered, hands still resting over his eyes. "There was no time. They were coming through five at once." The silver tail lashed with agitation.

Letting the useless container fall to the grass, Hiei shook his head. "Half an hour to a small sip. It could be days." Looking back at Kurama uncomfortably he added. "The ningen twit mentioned Suzaki saying something about side effects...."

"It's hard to remember," Kurama murmured. "Easier to think like... like I used to. The longer it is, the further away... it's a cold life..." There was an obscure dread mixed with longing that seemed to echo on the last words.

/It was just about a cold death as well,/ Hiei thought wryly. Instead of voicing those words he said, "Maybe Genkai can write a ward for the time being."

"Wrap me up like your arm, little one?" the cooler amusement was there, another tone shift. "Why do you care?"

Hiei glanced back again, caught off balance by the sudden shift. He shrugged. "Better than that excuse for clothing this time of year," he replied.

"You want to ward me, maybe you should get to know me better instead," the golden eyes fixed on the fire demon.

Red eyes met golden for a long moment, steadily. Breaking the lock first, Hiei glanced back to the copse of trees. "Where were you going?"

A shrug. "Someplace dark. Defensible. There was... a cabin somewhere... a memory of warmth. Where is that?"

Hiei stood up again, this time fishing out the abandoned backpack, holding it carelessly in one hand and making no move to give it to Kurama. Pointing towards the northeast he said, "About three miles ahead. You were headed in the right direction."

The silver haired kitsune stood, steadily enough. He seemed to watch Hiei curiously, as if mildly puzzled by something. Turning in the indicated direction, he began moving, ears turning to track the fire demon.

The movement of the other behind him was not difficult at all to trace, the fire demon made no effort whatsoever to hide his presence or aura. Quiet footsteps were interrupted by the demon's deep voice, "I'm still dodging questions from Koenma," he said offhandedly, "Apparently, under pressure from his father. You'll probably get the same soon."

The silver tail lashed. "Questions? About what?"

There was a sigh that edged on inaudible. "We're both on Reikai probation, with the other option of a good 1000 years solitary," he said. "Yesterday, you rather neatly carved up quite a few demons in front of a human and gave off enough power to give the next three blocks around the house nightmares." He shrugged. "I covered what I could."

The wide ears twitched angrily. There was a time of silence from the other. Then when the conversation was all but forgotten, a soft sigh. "Gomen nasai, Hiei," the kitsune said quietly. "You should not have gotten involved."

"Hn," Hiei responded, eyeing the broad back in front of him as he tried to gauge the tone. "You shouldn't have helped me with the dragon, mentioned something about risks," Hiei said. "It qualified as reasonable."

There was a flash of gold over one shoulder but the other continued to walk.

Falling into a more customary silence, Hiei remained a few steps behind as they walked, studying the fox demon that he had professed a wish to emulate in the Tournament. Despite the prevalent stories in the Makai, the fire demon hadn't really thought there was a dividing line between Minimo Shuiichi and Kurama. The idea itself left him with more confusion than he thought he would have had from it.

The cabin was unchanged from the last time Hiei had seen it. Which in itself was odd, it seemed to indicate someone was visiting occasionally to keep it from falling into disrepair. Kurama's actions upon reaching it were also a bit odd, whatever normal might be considered in this situation. He uncovered the window Hiei had first discovered on their previous visit, and perched in it, staring outside as if traveling in thought.

Leaning against the closed door, Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly at the others actions, a vague urge to contest his spot quickly discarded. Instead he moved toward the stacked pile of wood next to the fireplace and began methodically setting up a small pile, from tinder to actual logs on top, negligently lighting the underside of the pile on the ironwork rack before letting the deliberate drain on his own heat dissipate with a sigh.

Sitting as close to the gaining blaze as he could without being /in/ it, he set his arms on his knees and rested his face in the crook of his elbow.

When there was no light left outside, only the light of the fire, the kitsune seemed to magically materialize a few feet from Hiei. He sat with his back to a wall, watching the fire with gold eyes that seemed to be unfocused.

A little while later he spoke.

"Help me remember..." the voice did not have the cool arrogance, it was a little strained as if with concentration, but with an undernote of warmth.

Lifting his head, Hiei's brows drew together. "What do you want to remember?" he asked, trying to find a foothold in what seemed a daunting request.

Hands came up to cover gold eyes. "Why I want to remain me. Why I don't want to give me up. Why I have to find me again. What I lose if I lose me..."

Hiei put his head down again, silent for a little while. "You have a mother," he began quietly, focusing on the floor between his feet. "You willingly gave up your life to the Mirror of the Utterdark for her, and your freedom. I can't say I know why... when I took the memory of what happened to her yesterday, when she knew you were in the house, not a drop of her fear was for herself..." he offered. "Like this, you can't go back to her."

"She saw me..." the words were soft. "And staying just brings more danger to her..."

Hiei returned the first comment with a shrug. "She won't remember seeing you." Another pause, then, "You have friends, who you in a past life won't glance at twice."

Hands lowered and gold eyes stared. "Friends..." He watched Hiei for a few long moments. Then the hands returned. "I'm afraid I *will* look more than twice."

Lifting his head again and uncurling to stretch a moment, Hiei set more fuel to the fire and return to his assumed stance. Shaking his head, face lined with frustration, he was realizing he didn't know much about the other's life. "The tree outside your apartment has a really comfortable nook, I'd hate to lose my excuse to be there."

Silver tail twitched. "Why would you be there?"

Hiei frowned, realizing he didn't have a particularly good answer for that either. "I want to be."

"Tell me why you are so alone?"

Hiei's eyes closed as he struggled with the answer to the question. "Habit," he said finally, voice a little muffled.

"How did it start?"

He glanced back up at Kurama, a wry smirk replacing his earlier frustrations. "Was dropped a good mile or so when I was three days old. It set a trend," he shook his head. "Next question, why do you care?"

"I'm trying to remember," came the soft answer. "Where the feeling comes from."

Hiei frowned, considering. "We first met a few years ago while I was looking for my sister," he said slowly, a slightly fond expression as he continued. "We nearly killed each other, found out it was a misunderstanding and decided we made a good team."

"Yes..." There was a strange sound, a foxy laugh. "Perhaps it's enough."

Listening to the crackle and snaps of the fire behind him fill the silence, Hiei gave Kurama a sideways glance before schooling his expression into neutrality again. He waved his bandaged hand vaguely in the direction of the other room, "And besides, if you ever got around to trying 'that' again, I'd think you'd want to be around to enjoy it."

Another odd laugh. "Without me around, there would be nothing to stop me from trying it."

That received an odd glance in return and in a more familiar, irritable tone Hiei replied, "That better be enough motivation right there."

A feral chuckle replied. "Chaste little demon."

Hiei crossed his arms and gave Kurama an all out glare. "Hn."

Gold eyes flickered. "Go to bed, Hiei-chan. I have work to do."

A thin black eyebrow disappeared under the warded headband. "Work?"

The kitsune stood and his hand flickered out. *Plop* something fell in Hiei's lap.

A rose.

Moving to the window, the kitsune perched on the sill, long legs reaching the ground outside. A sliver of moon made it through the trees and turned the figure to a sculpture of ice.

Staring at the flower a moment before picking it up between the thorns, Hiei gave a mental shrug at it. Pretty, but botany was Kurama's deal. He glanced at the fox in question, eyes lingering. Shaking his head he stood, and moved toward the other door. "Close the window when you're done. I'm not defrosting your furry ass twice."

A gold look over one shoulder and a swish of tail.

Setting the gift of the flower on the floor next to the cot, Hiei draped himself across the surface of it, not bothering to shed any layers tonight. The cold crept in through the walls and wasn't so well warded as in the other room. Wishing summer would get here faster, that the silhouette in the window had the red mane he'd run his fingers through before, and that all the best branches weren't covered by a foot of snow... Then let all of it go and sleep snuck in around the edges.

Once the fire demon left the room, Kurama turned and watched the empty doorway for a long time. Then he closed the canvas cover over the window. Curling into a ball on the floor, he began his 'work'. Sometime close to dawn, exhausted, cold and silently shedding tears of frustration, something inside suddenly released its hold over his heart and he felt everything collapse. After a little while, he crept closer to the dying fire and tucked his face into his arms, red hair falling to cover his face, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

At dawn, light footfalls made their way into the adjoining room as the smaller demon reentered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The sight there caused a complete stop as Hiei froze, simply watching the curled red-head beside the embers.

Even making an effort to breath quieter for fear of disturbing the other, Hiei pushed his feet out of his boots and padded quietly back into the bedroom, returning on bare feet to drape the blanket he'd collected from the other room. After another long pause of just watching the other breathe, he smiled slightly to himself and walked back to the doorway.

Some hours later, Kurama woke, still feeling tired but unable to sleep longer on the wooden cabin floor without at least a stretch. Holding the blanket around him, he got up and looked in the other room to see if he was alone in the cabin.

Curled on his side, more like a feline than a fire demon, Hiei had taken to another decidedly catlike pastime, napping simply to pass the time. At Kurama's entrance, two red eyes opened a little, followed by a yawn. With a stretch he slid off the cot again. "It's free if you want it," he said, brushing past the kitsune, with one hand straying to the hidden hilt of his katana. It was his turn to get a meal, anyway.

Kurama perched with the blanket on the cot, watching as the fire demon left the cottage. With a sigh, he rubbed the blanket over his face and propped himself with his back to the wall, drowsing until he heard any indication that the other had returned.

Outside and standing in the windblown snow, Hiei was faced with a dilemma that to this point had never come up; mainly that being he had no idea what to hunt. Rabbits and the like, if he used his sword there wouldn't be enough left of them to eat, deer and bigger game was simply too big for the cooking methods he'd seen Kurama use the last time they were there, and though raw was fine by him, he'd heard something about human stomachs not handling it well.

Running back to the city and demanding that someone make a meal for two was just ridiculous.

Shaking his head, he crept up to an oblivious doe, deciding that he'd worry about it later.

It was half an hour later that Kurama was roused to a rather loud curse that managed to bridge the dictionary of two worlds.

Coming in from the small second room of the cabin, Kurama leaned in the doorway, watching the entrance with curiously tilted head. He was dressed in the white pants and yellow tunic that seemed to make itself available somehow when he was in his human form. Where it had been the night before was one of those odd questions it seemed pointless to ask.

Fastidious in nature, Hiei had opted to do the cleaning and cutting of the prey outside, and then the cooking, as the sheer size was too much for the petite fireplace to handle. He'd given the traditional ways two or three attempts before cooking the chosen selections of muscle from the ningen animal, only to find his frustration had leaked a little too much into the task, and like most of the creatures in this plane, they were too fragile.

Having taken his frustrations out vocally, he finished the rest of the task, albeit more carefully, entering the cabin to scoop up the two plates, a glance up at Kurama and away with some embarrassment before returning with the veal.

He simply shrugged in an explanation, not waiting for a question.

The kitsune came forward to accept a plate, making no comment about the noises, though green eyes seemed to soften a little with affectionate warmth. Settling cross-legged in front of the small fireplace, he ate the offered food neatly and quickly, grateful for the material replenishment for an overtaxed body that still seemed somewhat less settled than he would have liked. "Arigato, Hiei," he said softly as he cleaned the little bit of grease from his fingers with a pink tongue.

Watching the movement a little more intently than was usual, Hiei frowned slightly and shrugged. "Better?" he asked, making it a question and an excuse for the prolonged regard.

Kurama set the plate down and looked at his hands for a moment. "Better," he nodded. Looking up, he added, "I may be staying here a little while though. There's nothing to worry about, but I'm not certain how stable things are right now. I think it's best if I not go back home until I am sure..."

Hiei nodded, pushing his own, untouched plate in front of the kitsune. "Sensible," he commented. "Yuusuke can probably be contacted to deliver whatever excuses you need to for that institution you attend."

Kurama nodded, glancing at the fire demon's untouched food. "Not hungry?" he asked with a note of concern.

"Fire takes the flavor out of this type," Hiei said. "I'll find my own."

The red-head watched Hiei for a moment and then nodded, accepting the plate and making its contents disappear quickly. "So much trouble," he murmured. "I'm sorry to have caused it."

"You apologize too much," the fire demon stated. "This just makes things more interesting. By now I'd imagine even Enma-daoh has noticed us," he smirked a little at that. "You can't tell me that you've been content with this other life."

Pulling his knees up, Kurama wrapped his arms around them and rested his chin for a moment before looking back. "Content... I don't know..." he said, some of the uncertainty finding its way out. "It has its own challenges and rewards..."

The fire demon made no comment, but looked at Kurama with visible interest. Last night had served as a bit of a reminder, for all he'd watched the red haired boy, he didn't understand much of what he saw. Like watching a familiar play in an unknown language.

Kurama's attention turned inwards for a little while, then he looked up and smiled slightly. "I think I'm as uncomfortable with needing help as you are."

Hiei simply picked up both plates, the motion intended to give him time to think of a change of subject as well as the other privacy.

The kitsune was also looking for something to focus on besides the unresolved confusion the recent events had left him with. "Hiei... you haven't called the Kokuryuuha since that time before?"

Glancing down at his hand unconsciously, he shook his head. "No reason to yet... What I was trying for can wait," he said.

Kurama nodded. "And you haven't felt anything... different?"

He gave Kurama a sideways glance. "Like what?"

The red-head shrugged. "Nothing." He let his eyes touch the warded bandage for a moment. "For a little while I worried that I had set that correctly. I was surprised not to see the dragon mark on your arm."

Red eyes flashed briefly before Hiei's expression clouded over. "It'll come back," he muttered, though the typical note of confidence in the deep voice wasn't as noticeable.

The red-head frowned. The spark of worry that had been suppressed in the intervening weeks grew into a small blaze, giving the kitsune something to focus on besides himself. He recognized the temptation and his desire to go with it and fumbled for a while with internal discipline.

"The question is when and under what circumstances," he said finally, and then stood up. "Not unlike my problem." He paced for a moment and the impression of a tail lashing from side to side was all but tangible.

"Che'. When I want it to," Hiei insisted. He had turned to look towards the canvas covered window, debating.

Kurama nodded almost absently. He smiled. Of course, when Hiei wanted it, he didn't even bother to contradict this rather shaky premise. It led his agile mind to another thought. "Hmmph," he murmured, the soft sound an almost canine expression of inquiry.

Hiei looked back at Kurama sharply at the tone. "What?" he asked, tone matching his expression.

Attention still inwardly focused, the kitsune stopped his pacing and placed his hands over his face for a moment. "When I want it to..." he muttered softly. "The first time, I was surprised... the second, at the mercy of the fruit..."

"And the third?" A sort of curiosity had replaced the waspishness.

"The third even more so," the red-head answered with a touch of self-derision, still not looking up. "But it shouldn't have even been possible the first time. To go beyond this body's memory... perhaps once... but to go back..." he shook his head. Glancing up at Hiei finally he looked quickly to make sure the little fire demon was armed. "I don't like feeling afraid," he said, his tone picking up a touch of the smooth confidence that Hiei could now recognize as somehow related to another cool arrogance.

"Then don't," Hiei said, as if the matter was one of simple logic. Despite the casual tone, red eyes had sharpened on Kurama. "Find another emotion for it instead."

"I need something to cover..." the red-head walked to the door and out it, pausing for a moment to look around the snow-covered cabin and its surroundings. Regarding it as if it were a difficult school problem, he knelt by one of the cabin walls, hands burrowing into the snow to reach the earth beneath.

The release of spirit power was so focused that it was barely detectable a few feet away. The results however were quickly apparent. Something with dark green leaves began sprouting and then crawling on rapidly growing vines up the side of the wall, spreading to the right and left, clinging to the cabin.

Inside the cabin, Hiei suddenly shifted, giving an alarmed look towards the doorway Kurama had exited, as suddenly his sense of outside narrowed, dampened, then cut off completely. Settling back as he realized it wasn't just his sense of Kurama that had disappeared, he set his chin on his tucked knees and simply waited for the other's reappearance.

The red-head moved around the cabin, guiding the vines to leave the window and door relatively free of covering. When the structure was completely covered, he surveyed the results for a moment and then returned to the inside.

He looked at Hiei for a moment. "Stay or go?"

In response, the fire demon pulled the katana free of its concealment, laid it across his knees, and resumed his silent observation.

Kurama smiled slightly and nodded, then his expression turned inward, deeper and deeper, eyes lidding but not completely shut, hands rising to cover his face and then drifting down again, as he reached for the source of the instability he'd been feeling through the morning, fighting his way backwards through a process that had cost all his strength and willpower just the night before.

The balance tripped almost instantly, a stronger spirit rising as if eager, the surge of youki moving up and out, peeling Minamino Shuuichi away like a layer of clothing. Soft thunder and a breath of a stronger scent and gold eyes opened, looking down and around from the taller figure with cool surprise.

That surprise did not stay, a mix of emotions swirled and then was quickly hidden behind a mask of distant calm.

Hiei watched the taller, silver figure quietly for a moment, his observations unfettered now by concern and unusual exhaustion of the night before. "Irrasshai."

The sound caused gold eyes to sharpen and focus on the fire demon. "Peculiar," Youko Kurama said.

The regard was met steadily by red eyes. Above them, a single eyebrow rose to question the comment.

"The emotions associated with you," the answer was casual. "Some of them not beyond comprehension..." There was a glimmer of a rather predatory appreciation. "Others..." One shoulder lifted in a negligent shrug.

The fire demon didn't miss the flash. It resembled, in a way, the expression Kurama had favored him with a few weeks ago. The only outward sign of his recognition was the tightened of the hand on the hilt of his sword before he put the katana away again. As the weapon disappeared, he glanced back up at the silver fox. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

A cool laugh answered this inquiry. "There's nothing in this little ningen world worth taking, apart, perhaps, from you... and you say, and my memory confirms, that it might not be so easy to leave it."

Hiei shrugged. "I've nothing worth taking either," he said. "I'm surprised you managed to pass the barrier in the first place to get here. Why is another mystery."

The tall figure took a step towards the fire demon and then another, silver tail swishing slightly. "My tricks are my tricks," he said with a smile. "As to whether you are worth taking... it seems some part of me thinks so... yes, thinks a lot..."

A small, sly smile curved at the fire demon's mouth. "So you'd steal from yourself then?"

The gold eyes blinked. Then Hiei was answered with a return smile as sly as his own, if cooler. "That might be an interesting new trick to explore."

The fire demon scowled before his expression returned to neigh indifferent. "You'd be in more danger than I would, in that case."

The silver-maned head tilted. "Why?"

Hiei shrugged, looking more at ease now. "He's much more dangerous when he's fighting for someone," Hiei looked up at Youko Kurama, red eyes studying the taller demon. "I don't know how similar you are yet."

The other came to a graceful crouch on his heels, evening the level between them. There was a slight crease between his brows as he studied the fire demon. "Kourime..." he said. "Fire and ice..." a low chuckle followed that, with a touch of appreciation. "You think of this part of me as something... real?"

It was the fire demon's turn to look curious. "Are you going to tell me otherwise?"

Instead of answering, the kitsune reached forward and touched Hiei's cheek with slender fingers, trailing them along his jaw. There was something working behind the gold eyes but it was difficult to tell what. "Just feelings... odd feelings..." he murmured, a hint of puzzlement in the low velvet voice.

Hiei remained both silent and still during the touch, unsure exactly where this was leading and finding the golden eyes fascinating. There wasn't much of a difference in the set of them from when they were green, simply narrower. Either way, in his experience, anything he'd had to worry about in his experience either was proceeded by a flare of dangerous youki or those hands in his hair.

Hiei put aside those musings under a mask of impatience. "Well?" he asked, prompting for the unanswered question.

The fingertips did not withdraw, but rather followed the line of his neck to his shoulder. Almost absently, the answer came. "It's my choice to let it be, just as it was my choice to return."

The reaction to the words was a strange one - a thoughtful glance towards his bandaged arm before returning to the longer face of the kitsune. "It seemed like," he said slowly, eyes flicking down to Kurama's hand quickly, unconsciously, "His choice played more of a role this time."

The glance to his arm caught the kitsune's attention. A delicately lined nose flared slightly. "Letting it out for some air?" he murmured with a curve of his lips. "As for this 'he'... I'm still deciding if its real. Memory and emotion... do they mean so much?"

Hiei had leveled a withering stare at the kitsune at the first comment, though the second offset the effects a little. He shrugged. "Hn," he replied.

The fingertips trailed over Hiei's shoulder and then down along his arm, as if testing the texture of his skin and the body beneath. When they reached the wrist, they encircled it, turning the hand over, palm up. The kitsune's thumb brushed over the inside of the wrist and his attention sharpened. A pink tongue moistened pale, beautifully shaped lips. "Yes..." the low voice purred softly. "It would be..."

The fire demon's expression had changed to a mix of confusion at the words and unease at the actions. Every muscle int he compact frame tensed subtly, ready to move if needed. "You're making no sense," he stated, voice flat.

Gold eyes raised to meet Hiei's.

"Worth stealing," he said, something like heat rising behind the cooler surface. But there was something else as well, something troubling the confident surface. The kitsune's eyes lidded, masking the conflict, but he drew Hiei's hand up and placed it next to his cheek, the action smooth and graceful yet somehow oddly out of sync with the demon fox's expression.

An unreadable look that edged on open crossed the smaller demon's face as his fingers brushed along the smooth skin. After a few moments, the expression hardened, shuttering in sync with the faint rasp of steel half drawn from an unseen sheath, the hilt visible in one hand. "Find another toy," Hiei growled, pulling his other hand back.

The gold eyes stayed lidded and the fire demon's hand was released without demur. Ignoring the implied threat of the weapon, the kitsune placed both hands over his face, head bowing. "Gomen, Hiei," he whispered, an odd timbre. Standing without uncovering his face, the pale figure turned to pace a few steps, facing away.

The tension and concentration were apparent.

The sound of the sword returning home was audible over the footsteps of the other. "They're not you know," Hiei said quietly, but clearly. "Emotions and memories. They're not you. I could take them both away without scratching the soul. And have. New ones just come in to fill the gap. They just shape."

Still facing away, the other was silent for a moment as if considering the words. Then softly, "You asked if I was content... here... the truth? I've never been content anywhere... never... not for centuries, not ever..."

Silence stretched out before there was the soft rustle of clothing - a shift of movement. "You don't have to tell me... you don't owe me anything."

The concentration increased and there was a flare of youki, a sense of something intangible shifting, and with a shiver of energy, the white image seemed to peel away just as the previous one had, leaving Kurama standing in his human form again. Still facing away, he said, "She taught me to think of something besides myself. But even that didn't bring contentment. Until something happened, just once."

Wide eyes watched Kurama's back mutely, not quite understanding what had prompted the newly smooth shift. Who she was was immediately apparent, but his curiosity couldn't find the word to be voiced or the certainty that they should be.

Turning around, Kurama pushed his hair back with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry, Hiei," he said. "It's getting easier, but perhaps you should leave. There's no real reason for you to stay. It's not all worked out yet. I need to do this while the substance is still in my system."

"'Should' doesn't bother me," Hiei replied, standing up and brushing off his clothes. "Do you want me to leave?"

The wide green eyes dropped for a moment. "No. But I'd rather you leave than for me to drive you away. I'll just... try to be more careful then."

There was a soft sigh from Hiei as the demon's face wrinkled with concentration. It hadn't been until he'd met the kitsune, and subsequently Urameshi that he regretted his deficiency in conversational skills. With a slight growl of frustration he let it go, giving up on that method of communication entirely.

It was two short paces to bring him even with Kurama. Studying the other's face for a moment, he reached up with both hands, both curling around a forelock and pulling, not hard, but insistently, until Kurama's face was even with his, and kissed the other man.

The gesture was short, and with a closed mouth, but with a gentleness and warmth not normally associated with him. He let go of Kurama's hair and stepped back, not looking at the other. "Do what you need to. I forgive you in advance."

Kurama's eyes opened wide in surprise, his breath stopping for a few moments. Abruptly, his knees bent and he slid down onto them, wrenching his gaze away from the averted eyes of the fire demon. Unconsciously, one hand rose and pressed against the left side of his chest, where he was absently aware of a fast pumping of the organ beneath. He forced his mouth to close even as something inside him reached around the moment and carried it away to the deepest, most guarded recess of self and placed it in the securest spot, so long empty and only recently becoming ready for habitation. "Oh... okay," he managed, trying not to sound breathless.

Hiei blinked once at the reaction, catching it in the peripherals of his vision. Looking back, he gave a tiny smile that disappeared as quickly, and ran his fingers once down the length of red hair, now suddenly easily in reach.

Kurama's eyelids fluttered at the brief, soft touch. He looked, then smiled, then looked down. The strange energy in his chest didn't seem to want to settle and he concentrated on breathing slowly and deeply. Perhaps it was some late after effect of the fruit. That was probably it.

The fire demon's face wrinkled again, this time in awkwardness and an inwardly directed frustration. Another glance a way and a step backwards brought him back to his previous seat, taken again in a controlled collapse. Folding his arms over his chest, he fished for another subject, looking somewhere off to Kurama's right. "So the fruit is still working," he said, gaze flickering back to Kurama, "And you managed to go back to human form?"

Kurama settled, clasping his hands. He glanced at the fire demon wondering for a moment if the other had picked up the thought. "There's something lingering. But yes. The Zense no Mi unlocks an energy binding. It can be reset, with some effort, just hard to hold while the fruit is still effective," he answered, focusing on the practicalities of the question gratefully. "Working with it... I think it's possible I could do it without the fruit."

"Might be useful. Better than tracking down Suzaki," Hiei said the demon's name with a roll of his eyes. "He and Kuwabara could trade notes about stupid speeches."

The red-head smiled. Then a more serious expression - he shook his head. "It's a crutch," he said with a touch of self abnegation. "I need to handle things better. It's too great a temptation."

"So's the Jagan," Hiei said. "The only problem with this is its unpredictability."

Kurama tilted his head. "Why did you choose it?"

Hiei frowned. "The Makai is too big to search on rumors, and what I'm looking for is too small."

The red-head nodded. "And when you find it?"

Hiei blinked again, then looked thoughtful. He shook his head. "There's nothing beyond that. It doesn't matter anyway. I can't get back yet."

The kitsune tried to cover the deep chill that Hiei's first words set. "You will." He had no doubt that the Kourime would accomplish his task, whatever obstacles might appear in his way.

The fire demon didn't respond, not bothering to dispute the statement. With a small chuckle he said, "Too bad your other side is possessive about his methods."

Kurama blinked. "Um, about crossing the barrier?"

Hiei nodded once. "Though if it involves dying, I'll pass."

The red-head smiled slightly. "See, not much of a secret. You've guessed it already. Transmigration. This isn't the first time, just the first to a human body. In the Makai, I shaped what I wanted to my needs. Here, it shaped me."

An annoyed look crossed the other's face. "It has a habit of that."

Kurama simply nodded. "For all it's so fragile, there's a subtle power here. There's some logic in protecting it."

Hiei frowned at the statement before making a minor concession, "It has ice cream."

Kurama laughed, surprised. "Do you have a favorite flavor?"

"Not yet. I haven't tried them all," Hiei said, as if it were obvious.

The red-head nodded quickly. Trying to keep the smile in proportion, he carefully tucked this item away in the secret place. Somehow it made the deep chill of earlier all the more sharp.

"Do you?" Hiei returned, glancing back up at Kurama.

"I haven't tried them all either," the kitsune answered seriously. "But I am fond of pistachio."

"Hn," the typical remark had a note of disapproval. It was after a long stare at the kitsune that he elaborated. "You've had the time."

Kurama chuckled. "I got distracted?" he offered. "Hmm... there's a new shop around the corner from school. They advertise 62 flavors..."

Hiei nodded, filing away the information quickly. It would bear later... investigation.

Kurama found himself clasping his hands a little more tightly, the exchange causing a bittersweet throbbing somewhere inside.

"Hiei... I have a request. When you find what you lost... when it... doesn't matter any more. Find me. So I can see you before... whatever comes after."

A crease appeared between the fire demon's eyebrows as a slight scowl settled itself on his features. The pause lengthened until it became obvious the diminutive demon wasn't going to answer.

The red-head didn't follow the pause with any other comment.

After a while Kurama reached over and brushed a light touch through Hiei's hair. Then he smiled, a gentle, unneedful expression. Getting gracefully to his feet, he moved into the next room. Finding a place on half of the cot, he stretched out, lying on one side, and closed his eyes, seeking the restorative of sleep.

Hiei watched the doorway long after the red-head had disappeared beyond its threshold. The scowl set deeper as his thoughts turned inward, trying to solve a puzzle he had no reference for and no certainty of all of the pieces. Nothing stayed long enough to focus on anyway, as a certain nagging feeling of the room being *empty.*

Almost unconsciously, he stood up and padded into the other room, half unaware of what he was doing until he was looking down at the sleeping fox spirit. With a mingled sigh of relief and frustration, he toed off his boots and sank down next to the other.

It was easier to be alone back when he didn't know what company was.

At some later point, the red-head turned, nuzzling silently into the warm scent beside him. His dreams, as they often were, were full of sensations of running, chasing, escaping, resolving into a wild dash after a dark shadow that moved too fast to see, but which he found he could follow unerringly, through cold, heat, wind, rain, deep forest or flat ground. But the urgency to catch the flitting shadow seemed to grow until he realized he would never be fast enough. Abandoning the chase, he found himself cresting the tallest cliff he could find and launching himself at full extension through the air, somehow certain that if he could reach the destination first, he could catch the dark shadow before it was gone forever.

It was a quiet waking, silent, nothing to differentiate the dream from the reality save a sense of warmth radiating beside him. Eyes opening, he was not surprised to find himself curled a little around the little fire demon, his nose an inch from the smooth line of a pale neck. Laying quietly for a little while, he took in the scent, submerging in it, pulling it around him. Many things were clearer on this day. What had begun in part as an adolescent reaction was shifting smoothly into something being bound into every part of him.

After a while he moved back, just a little, rasing his head to prop on a bent arm. A little inward concentration revealed that almost all of the essence of the fruit was passed from his body. The bindings were back in place securely.

Still deeply emmersed in whatever jumble Hiei's subconscious had arranged for the backdrop of sleep, the shift and slight loss of heat caused the smooth expression to scrunch a little in consternation, on hand finding the fabric of Kurama's sleeve after a few misses. Small fingers curled into the fabric with determination, not allowing the other to retreat if he tried.

The captured arm moved softly over, not clutching but resting lightly, easy to escape but gently present. Bending his head slightly, the kitsune tickled his own nose with the dark brush of dark hair. The sensation was enough after each time, to almost bring out a quiet purr.

The fingers on Kurama's arm uncurled slowly, as if under protest, and the hand slid limply between them, releasing their hold as he felt the kitsune relax. Behind closed eyelids, Hiei fought off awareness futilely under the half formed thought that he'd have to get up if he opened his eyes. Instead, he simply curled himself a little more into the warmth beside him.

Kurama relaxed a little more, content to stay for as long as he could. Content... it was recognizable. What had he said? 'Never until...' Until those two days, he told the sleeping Kourime silently. This is what I could not tell you. I didn't even know what it was myself.

Cognizant of the finite nature of this moment, he simply accepted it. Eyes open, he lay still, memorizing every input from eyes, ears, nose.

The fire demon finally stirred, breaking the quiet observation as he inevitably lost the battle against himself. Opening his eyes slowly he gave a soft, nearly inaudible sigh. The curve of his own position just gave him a good if an appreciable view of the kitsune's chest.

Not pausing, he sought to move without waking the still figure beside him, in hopes of disappearing long enough to solve the problem on his arm. He'd been storing the slow trickle of energy for it the past few weeks. The movement froze as he lifted his gaze and found green eyes already open.

A flash of emotion crossed his face before he ducked his head again. "Ohayo," he mumbled, voice low.

The kitsune watched it all and then lifted the fire demon's chin with a brief touch. He gently kissed Hiei's mouth, almost as chaste a kiss as the one the other had given him the day before, with only a bare promise of parted lips and warm breath, quickly gone. "Do what you need to do. I'm over it. It's almost time for me to go back."

The Kourime nodded once, laying absolutely still as two impulses warred - one an irrational urge to touch his lips. His fingertips itched. The other to return the gesture. Giving in to neither, he gave the red-head's shoulder a feline-like nuzzle before moving to get his feet on the ground again.

"I'll be around," he offered, simply.

"I know," The kitsune nodded, sitting up and stretching. He smiled. "Perhaps I'll see you at the ice cream shop one day after school." Wide green eyes meet Hiei's steadily. "If you have need of me, don't let it pass. And thank you." The smile returned, lightening the last words to remove an uncomfortable weight.

Hiei had listened quietly, replacing his boots and then wrapping the warding carefully. The last words caused the winding motion of his hands to pause, still in the air. After a moment, he smiled slightly and continued his work. "After dark," he corrected, finishing. "No ningen to compete with that way."

"After dark," Kurama agreed. He slipped to his feet and reached out, taking the fire demon's bandaged hand and dropping a kiss onto its back, then turning away to stretch and brush his hair back.

By the time the whisper of displaced air brushed his skin, the fire demon was already gone, but the rose Kurama had given him lay neatly on the bunched covers.

The red-head regarded the flower for a long moment, his eyes mirroring all the emotion he'd kept from reaching them earlier. When he left the cabin, he left it there on the cot, as if leaving behind a memory of hope.

THE END OF PART 2

Seasons of Ice and Fire - Part 3: Summer

Love & Gundams