Chapter Text
Hiei hasn’t thought about Kurama for sixteen weeks and three days.
If anything, Hiei was happy to have regained his solitude in the demon world after so much time fighting alongside Yuusuke and the others. None of them knew how to keep out of trouble, and none of them shared Hiei’s common sense to keep out of things that didn’t concern them.
And if he and Kurama had gotten close during that time, well, it was a matter of proximity. A convenient truce between two otherworldly monsters, not worth a second thought. Which is why he’s been so concertedly making sure not to waste precious brain cells on that fox.
Hiei is far better suited to solitude, patrolling these red-tinged and feral woods. He spends his days returning the occasional disoriented human traveler, but more often napping atop a gnarled tree branch. What’s past is past, a closed chapter in the book of Hiei’s life.
Or so it was supposed to be, until he gets a visit from Koenma concerning a certain redhead who is, Hiei is certain, the furthest possible person from his thoughts.
“I thought there was an agreement in place,” Hiei says, not opening his eyes. He doesn’t know why Koenma has come to the demon realm to see him, but he can sense that meddling toddler’s presence by energy alone.
“That’s between the human realm and the demon realm. There are no limits on where I can go,” Koenma replies matter-of-factly, in a deeper voice than Hiei was expecting.
Hiei leaps down from his perch, landing lightly on his feet. Sure enough, the bureaucrat is in his teenager form.
“What do you want?” Hiei asks curtly, but still a little more politely than he’d prefer. He knows from experience that it is far better for his quality of life to stay on Koenma’s good side.
“You could stand to be a little nicer,” Koenma says, assessing him casually.
OK, maybe not as politely as he’d thought.
“I’m here with an assignment,” Koenma breezily continues. “It’s important enough that I wanted to give it to you in person. It’s about Kurama.”
So much for Hiei’s not-thinking-about-Kurama streak.
“What kind of mess has that fox gotten himself into this time?” Hiei asks, more to himself.
“Oh good. So you’re interested?” Koenma says with relief.
Hiei’s ears immediately go red. “I never said that.”
“For this mission, you’ll be monitoring Kurama for any unusual behavior,” Koenma continues, as if Hiei hadn’t said anything.
“I didn’t say I’d take it!”
“I’ve gotten a tip that despite his insistence that he went back to the human world to live an ordinary life, Kurama has been engaging in illegal spiritual activities. I need somebody who knows him well, and who won’t raise suspicion, to keep an eye on him for a while.”
“So that’s what Kurama is up to,” Hiei muses. “He’s always been a sneaky one.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Koenma says. “But when I asked him to explain himself, he said he had nothing to explain. So I need somebody, you explicitly, to figure it out.”
“And I need you,” Hiei says, “to find somebody else.”
“Hmm,” Koenma says, chewing on his pacifier. “Yes, you can start tomorrow. We wouldn’t want to have to dig up your considerable list of spiritual crimes.” He narrows his eyes. “You may be off parole, but there’s still a lot you could be tried for.”
That complete brat.
“I’ll see if I feel like it,” Hiei tries.
“I’m sure you’ll feel like it tomorrow evening,” Koenma replies cheerfully.
***
The tree branch outside of Kurama’s window is unfamiliar. It’s taking Hiei a while to get comfortable.
At least the address is the same. Kurama still lives with his adoptive parents, that mama’s boy. What he sees in those two humans Hiei has no idea. Once he even betrayed Hiei in order to save his mom. It wasn’t ideal, but Hiei still respects Kurama for managing to blindside him.
Hiei hears a click as Kurama opens his bedroom door. He notices Hiei immediately, and moves to unfasten the window.
“Missed the human world?” he asks pleasantly.
“You must be joking,” Hiei says detachedly.
“Missed me then?” comes the reply.
“Again, you must be joking.”
“Silly me then, to see you waiting for me to get home, for hours no doubt, and jumping to the wild conclusion that it meant you wanted to talk,” Kurama concludes.
“Not when you make it sound weird,” Hiei says with resignation.
“OK then, if it’s not a visit to see your old friend Kurama, then why are you outside my room?”
Hiei has been ready for this question.
In his years working with Kurama, he’s figured out two things. First, it’s better to act early to avoid suspicion later—which is why this was his first stop. And second, better to tell a half-truth than a lie. Kurama is too clever to be fooled for long, but as long as he keeps some elements of the truth in his explanation, it’ll take the fox a lot longer to unravel the whole story.
“Koenma gave me a mission,” he says with real resignation. It’s true he isn’t happy about it. “It involves—”
“You don’t need to tell me,” Kurama interrupts smoothly.
Hiei is surprised but doesn’t say so. “Fine then, suit yourself.”
It’s strange though. Kurama is usually quite inquisitive, exacerbating so. Even if he suspected Hiei was lying, he’d normally relish a chance to hear the excuse and poke holes in it.
“Will you be staying long on this mission?” Kurama asks lightly. “If so I wouldn’t be a proper host if I didn’t offer you a place to stay.”
Hiei looks at him doubtfully, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I’ve only got the one bed, but making room for somebody as little as you should be no problem.”
There it is.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” says Hiei, dryly.
Kurama smiles his fox’s smile, innocent and knowing at the same time. He is about to say something else—teasing, incorrigible, no doubt—when a call for “Shuichi!” comes from downstairs. Grateful for the interruption, Hiei swiftly takes his leave.
He reflects that in all of the years he has known Kurama, he has never really understood him. He suspects that Kurama has never been fully honest with him. But Hiei is one to talk—he has never been fully honest with, well, anybody. Not even his own sister.
But if he can be honest with himself for a minute, he and Kurama stopped being uneasy allies a long time ago. How long ago was it when he realized that Kurama would not only have his back in a fight (not that he’d ever need it) but help him to his feet when it was over?
It had been a relief to leave behind Kurama in the human realm, and along with him, a muddle of unprocessed feelings. Hiei isn’t in the business of becoming close to other people. But there’s something about Kurama that gets under his skin. Even worse, Kurama seems to know it.
This mission is going to be terrible.
***
For the next four days, Hiei tracks Kurama.
It is pretty boring. Kurama’s life is incurably routine. Every day, he goes to work at his stepfather’s company, doing some undoubtedly pointless thing with computers. He seems to be good at whatever it is and well-liked. A goody-two-shoes, just like he used to be in school.
After work, he goes straight home, has dinner with his family, reads a book, and goes to bed. It never changes. Once he ran into Kuwabara and Yusuke, who invited him out for drinks, and Hiei would have liked to overhear them, but Kurama declined even that.
Hiei doesn’t know how much more of this he can take.
He’s sitting on Kurama’s roof trying to figure out how he can get out of this early when, before he even realizes it, Kurama is sitting next to him.
“You must have missed me a lot to be back here again,” says Kurama.
“You can think what you want. It’s just a coincidence,” Hiei replies automatically.
“Really?” Kurama says innocently. “Because I’ve noticed your presence all week.”
That’s impossible. Hiei has been intentionally masking his yoki. There’s no way Kurama could have sensed him. Meaning this is a mind game, intent to get Hiei off his guard.
Or, maybe Kurama has figured him out. That would explain his lack of questions, his unearned confidence. No, Hiei shakes away that thought. That’s exactly what Kurama wants him to think.
He notices that Kurama, for his part, seems to be enjoying Hiei’s careful consideration. He’s not even hiding his smile.
“Thinking has never been your strong suit,” Kurama says.
“And honesty has never been yours,” Hiei replies.
“Lately it hasn’t been yours either.”
“You think you know everything, do you?”
“I’m not looking for a fight,” Kurama sidesteps. “And unlike some people, I’m able to admit that it is nice to see you again. You’re prone to solitude, and I’d been wondering if you are doing OK.”
Kurama’s expression seems to be genuine, his green eyes shining brightly in the moonlight. He’s looking straight at Hiei with real affection, and Hiei isn’t accustomed to it. Most people either look like they’re scared of him or like they are sizing him up as an opponent. But Kurama never has. They’ve never even fought.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Hiei mumbles, turning away.
Kurama takes that opportunity to peck Hiei on the cheek. His lips are soft and completely unexpected, and Hiei’s eyes go wide with surprise.
“What was that for?” Hiei sputters, blushing furiously.
“Just testing a hypothesis,” Kurama says, the playfulness back in his tone. “If you hadn’t liked that, I might be dead.”
For the first time, Hiei thinks Koenma had a point. Maybe Kurama has turned evil.