Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Akambo ❯ Ch. 1 - May I? ( Chapter 2 )

RING. RING.

 

“Mmmph, go `way...”

 

RING. RING.

 

“Mmmhmm...damn ningen...”

 

Kurama chuckled as he climbed off the sofa, where he and Hiei had fallen asleep together the previous night, making his way towards the phone.

 

“Leave it, Fox. Come back to bed,” Hiei muttered. Although the demon was usually up at dawn, Sunday was his day to sleep in with his mate. He resented being disturbed at six forty-three in the morning. Besides, Kurama's recent insomnia had limited the couple's sleeping time together. Even scrunched together on the couch, Hiei wanted whatever time he could have with his fox.

 

“Relax, Love. I'll be right back,” Kurama whispered as he tucked the blanket more closely around Hiei and hurried to answer the phone.

 

“Moshi moshi, Minamino Schuuichi speaking,” the red head answered, hoping to make the conversation short.

 

Hiei lay nestled in the blanket awaiting the return of his lover. As he woke up fully he began listening to Kurama's half of the conversation.

 

“Yes...Really? That's wonderful...I'm sure it will be okay...I don't understand, what EXACTLY do you want me to do?...I see...No, I'm pretty sure most life insurance covers death by fire...No, perhaps not black flames...I'll do what I can...yes...No...Calm down...Yes, alright...This afternoon...Goodbye...No, goodbye...Yes, now goodbye.” Kurama hung up the phone shaking his head. Hiei could not see the sly smile on his face. When he turned to face his mate, all traces of the grin were gone, replaced by a much more seductive smirk.

 

“What was that about?” Hiei asked.

 

“It was Kuwabara. He would like to come visit this afternoon, and I told him that would be fine,” Kurama explained, climbing predatorily onto the sofa. “And don't think about flitting off, either; he's coming to visit us both,” the fox added, leaning over the smaller demon. Without waiting for a reply, the kitsune began kissing Hiei's neck, never giving him a chance to ponder why the human would want to visit him.

 

--

 

Yukina listened to Kazuma's end of the conversation with mild interest. She knew the tall human was speaking to her brother's lover, but had no idea what he was talking about. She had entered the room halfway through the conversation. Kazuma had asked Kurama to try to keep Hiei in a good mood today, and then blushed at something the kitsune had said in response. He had then asked the fox if death by fire was covered under most life insurance, specifically death by black flames. He had again asked Kurama to try to keep Hiei in a good mood, and then they had hung up.

 

When Kazuma turned and saw Yukina he was surprised, but greeted her warmly, in his usual fashion. He had been visiting every day, but he was at the temple early this morning, and seemed nervous about something. Not understanding what was going on, Yukina just smiled back at him and they began to feed the birds outside together until the human said he had to run an errand and left the temple.

 

--

 

DING DONG.

 

A black blur careened through the house, exiting the master bedroom, leaping swiftly over the railing, and dropping silently to the living room floor below. Within three seconds of the bell ringing, the front door opened, revealing the visitor.

 

Kuwabara looked down at Hiei nervously. He had called earlier and spoken to Kurama. The fox had agreed to make sure the hiyoukai was in a good mood, but even Hiei's best moods could be scary. Summoning all the courage he could muster, the carrot top spoke.

 

“Do you mind if I come in, Hiei?”

 

“Hn.” was the response as the demon moved out of the doorway, turning his back to the human and walking away. Kuwabara was at a loss for words to prevent the fire demon from flitting off, but he had to speak with Hiei. Before he could say a word, however, a soft alto cut the silence.

 

“That's no way to treat a guest, Love,” Kurama said with a smile, stepping out of the kitchen and putting one hand on Hiei's shoulder, practically steering him back towards the living room. “Welcome, Kuwabara. Come in; sit down.”

 

The taller human removed his shoes and took a seat on the couch; the same couch that had been well used that morning (keeping Hiei in a good mood, no doubt...). No evidence of the morning's activities remained, however, and both demons were awake, cleaned, and dressed. As he was corralled into the living room, Hiei tried to glare at Kurama, but he could never glare at his mate for long.

 

Kurama walked over to the chair beside the sofa and gently prodded Hiei to sit. “So, what brings you to our humble home?” he asked his larger teammate in a curious voice. Kuwabara was a bit disconcerted, as Kurama knew exactly why he was there, but he just took a deep breath and began to speak.

 

“I, um, I need to ask the Shri..uh, Hiei a question,” the young man stammered, his eyes downcast, playing nervously with the bottom hem of his shirt.

 

The fire demon looked at the two in the room with a suspicious glance. Although Kurama's voice held nothing but curiosity, he had the impression that the fox knew much more than he let on. Shifting his gaze back to the human, Hiei fixed him with a malevolent stare and said, “Continue.”

 

Blanching under Hiei's glare, Kuwabara stuttered a few times before he took a deep breath, composed himself, and asked the one question he had wanted to ask for so long, and yet was so afraid to speak aloud. When he responded it was without fear or hesitation, like a condemned man giving his last statement.

 

“I am asking for your permission to court your sister.”

 

Nothing happened.

 

Kuwabara swallowed nervously, waiting for a sign that Hiei had heard him. The hiyoukai just stared at him. “I, uh. I want to marry Yukina, and I want your permission to ask her,” the human clarified.

 

“I know what it means to court someone,” Hiei responded in an even tone, not blinking. Then silence again descended upon the room.

 

“Um, Hiei? May I have your permission?” Kuwabara asked again. He did not want to push the demon to kill him, but he did want to ask Yukina before nightfall. Hiei continued to stare at him. Kuwabara had changed only a little since their days as members of the spirit detective team. He had graduated high school and was studying at the university. He had not grown taller, nor had he grown broader, but he had kept his fit physique and filled out a bit. The effect was the loss of his awkward looks, replaced by a more mature appearance. Despite the form of a man, Kuwabara was still a touch clumsy in certain social settings, specifically this one. His personality, however, was exactly the same as always. After a very long, very uncomfortable silence, the youkai finally spoke.

 

“You have my permission to ask her. The decision to mate with you or not is completely up to her. If she accepts you, then I will accept you as well,” Hiei said, never breaking eye contact with the taller human.

 

Kuwabara sat, unmoving for a few minutes to let the words sink in. He had permission. He was free to ask Yukina. Taking a deep breath, he replied, “Thank you, Hiei. I promise she'll be happy.”

 

“Hn,” Hiei replied, looking away from the carrot top. After a handshake from Kurama, Kuwabara left to prepare to ask the question. Kurama slipped his arms around Hiei and hugged the smaller demon to him.

 

“No threats?” the fox asked quietly, his breath ghosting over Hiei's ear.

 

“No, Fox. Not this time,” Hiei said in an unusually subdued tone. Kurama released his mate and circled the chair to kneel before Hiei.

 

“What's wrong, Hiei? Why are you so sullen right now?” the fox asked, gently brushing a hand through the soft, black spikes of hair.

 

“He promised she'd be happy. I may not like the oaf, but he will protect her, and he will make her happy. I've found so much happiness with you; how can I deny my sister the same?” Hiei asked softly, barely meeting Kurama's gaze. In response, Kurama just pulled Hiei into a fierce embrace, crushing his lips to those of his mate.

 

When they parted, Kurama whispered to Hiei, his breath puffing across the hiyoukai's still parted lips, “Let me show you what happiness truly means.”

 

--

 

Kuwabara sat in his chair uncomfortably. His suit was itchy, and he had dropped his fork three times already. The bus boy now carried an extra set of silverware in his apron so he could replace the fallen pieces without having to run back to the kitchen. Several of the waiters and workers eyed the young man curiously. He was incredibly awkward and stuck out like a sore thumb in their upscale, western-style restaurant.

 

The young lady sitting opposite him was the exact opposite. She was gentle and graceful. Her soft voice was so different from his booming laughter, and her smile was much more reserved than his giant, almost goofy grin. The workers wondered what brought the two together, and kept an eye on this table, interested in seeing how the mismatched couple got along.

 

After the main course was finished, before the dessert was served, the tall young man with the carrot colored hair cleared his throat (far too loud for the romantic setting, causing the workers and several other patrons to glance his direction) and began to speak to the girl with him. His voice, which had been loud and unwieldy until now, took a soft tone, but his motions still betrayed his nervousness. Silently, the staff watched to see what he would do.

 

“Yukina,” Kuwabara started. “I think you look very pretty tonight.” `What a lame start!' he mentally chided himself.

 

“Thank you, Kazuma. You look very nice, too,” Yukina replied with her sweet smile. The smile seemed to encourage Kuwabara.

 

“Are you happy right now?” he asked, still not sure how he would finish this conversation, just hoping he had enough courage to ask her the important question.

 

“Yes, very much. I enjoy spending time with you,” the ice maiden replied.

 

“I'm glad you're happy,” Kuwabara continued, sliding off the chair onto one knee beside Yukina. “I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy. Will you let me make you happy? I mean, forever. Will you marry me?” Kuwabara finally got out. Yukina just looked at him for a moment.

 

Nervously, Kuwabara continued blindly, terrified that she would say no. “I will make you happy. I'll always make you happy. I'll protect you and keep you safe. And I love you, you know. You make me very happy, and I, uh, would always, uh, keep you, uh,” Kuwabara trailed off, trying to find just the right words. He knew he was lousy with speeches, and he felt he had just blown the most important speech of his life. The feel of a small finger shushing his lips silenced him. He looked up to see Yukina regarding him with a warm expression.

 

“Marry you? Like Kurama and my brother?” Yukina asked in a voice so full of innocence it rivaled Kurama's from that morning. She knew what marriage was. She had done some research on human customs, and was far more observant than most people gave her credit for. But she thought Kazuma looked utterly adorable when he was trying to woo her, and wanted to hear it just one more time before she answered.

 

“Yes, like them. Um, we would live together, and we would, um, well, um,” the young man trailed off, not wanting to explain the birds and the bees in this swanky restaurant. A soft giggle caught his attention.

 

“Kazuma, you're so funny. I understand what marriage is. I would love to marry you,” she responded merrily.

 

“You, you would?” Kuwabara stuttered in shock.

 

“Yes,” Yukina repeated.

 

“Yes!” the young man yelled, as he stood and picked up his fiancé, twirling her around once before placing her back onto the ground. Only when Yukina's feet touched the floor did either of them hear the applause of the patrons and staff around them. Blushing, they both resumed their seats. Kuwabara pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it for Yukina. A beautiful diamond engagement ring was inside. Looking into her crimson eyes, the young man slipped the ring onto her finger, and kissed her hand gently.

 

When the waiter brought out the desserts, he shook Kuwabara's hand and kissed Yukina's hand. He also noticed that the clumsy young man ate his dessert with a much steadier hand than he had had all evening, and did not drop anything else.

 

--

 

It was close to eleven o'clock when the doorbell to the Minamino house rang again. Wrapped in his robe, Kurama answered the door. To his surprise, Yukina and Kuwabara were standing there, beaming. Immediately the sparkle of jewelry caught the fox thief's eye, and his glanced at Yukina's hand, smiling when he saw what rested on her ring finger. “I take it congratulations are in order?” the kitsune asked.

 

When Hiei entered the living room Yukina was hugging Kurama and Kuwabara stood behind them with a big, goofy, proud grim on his face. When Yukina saw him, she released Kurama and launched at the hiyoukai.

 

“Brother! Kazuma asked me to marry him!” she announced as she hugged her brother tightly. Although he was at first startled, after a moment, Hiei wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace.

 

“Does this make you happy?” he asked her.

 

“Yes, very, very happy!” she responded, her eyes glittering. Hiei looked to the taller human and gave him a small nod of acceptance. When Yukina finally released her brother, Kurama brewed some tea for their guests and Yukina proceeded to tell her brother and brother-in-law all about her proposal and engagement. It seemed that human or demon, any woman was excited when she agreed to be married.

 

After a few hours the four sitting in the living room finally realized how late it was. With some final handshakes and hugs from Yukina, the fiancés left to go to the temple and Kurama closed the door. Turning back, he saw that Hiei had quietly resumed his seat on the chair.

 

“Love,” the kitsune asked, approaching his mate. “Are you alright with this?”

 

Hiei looked up at Kurama. “I don't know,” he replied softly. “I said he could ask her, but there was always the chance she would say no. Now that she agreed it feels so...real.”

 

Gathering Hiei into his arms, Kurama slipped into the chair with his mate and replied, “It is real now, Hiei. They are going to get married. They will live together and start their own life together. Someday they will have children together.” Kurama fell silent at the shudder that went through Hiei's body at the mention of children. “Don't you like kids, Hiei?”

 

“I've never been close enough to one to find out. The ningen young I see generally disgust me, so I keep my distance. I knew she would have offspring. All koorime reproduce whether they have a mate or not. Our mother was an exception, and look where it got her.” The chill in Hiei's voice when he spoke the last sentence was unmistakable. He still harbored resentment of his mother's people, even if he could not bring himself to destroy them. Kurama just held his mate closer, letting Hiei talk out his reservations. As the sun began to peek over the horizon, the two demons were still sitting on the chair together.

 

--

 

A/N-I will take some time with this one and let it flow however it wants to. Don't worry; the angst will arrive soon enough. Have I totally confused anyone yet?

 

I was really flattered at the immediate response the introduction got, and I want to thank my reviewers:

 

KitsuneSilver-Thank you. I'm glad you came back to read this one

 

ShadysGothicBabe- Thank you.

 

SweetMisery1-Glad you liked it, and thank youf or coming back to read this one.

 

**I understand mediaminer has been...less than accommodating when it comes to leaving reviews. Thank you if you tried to review and could not, and thank you very much if you e-mailed me. Hopefully it (mm.org) will straighten itself out like it usually does. ^_^