Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ FRIENDS & LOVERS ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

FYI: I’m going to change the way I do the marking and mating thing in this. I decided to try to make it a little more interesting.

It’s funny, most of you think that Kurama should be pissed and deserves better than two lovers that cheated on him and forced their mark on him. I was expecting everyone to think that Kurama’s been kind of wimpy and that Hiei and Yusuke should be pissed at him for running away and hiding. Go figure. Either way, your comments are appreciated and I love reading all your reviews. Thanks.

I’m glad everyone liked what I did with Yomi and Aya. I like Yomi and tend to write him as Kurama’s friend the way he comes off in the series. I read a lot of fics where Yomi goes after Kurama in a not so nice way but I see him as sophisticated, cultured and suave not mean and vindictive. I know people like Yomi x Kurama but being a huge Hiei x Kurama fan with an occasional taste for Yusuke or Kuronue I do my best to give Yomi a little sexy Youko loving without it being Kurama.

Standard disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Yu Yu Hakusho and it's characters are property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Fugi TV, Shueisha, Jump Comics and Studio Pierrot. The only thing I own is a love for Yu Yu Hakusho and it's characters.

FRIENDS & LOVERS

Chapter 7

Kurama lay sprawled out on his stomach fast asleep. The morning was warm and he’d long since kicked the sheet aside. Sitting beside him Yusuke leaned against the headboard grinning down at him. Kurama’s usually perfect hair was fanned across the sheets in a wild red halo. On his back were several fading scratches his lovers had given him in the heat of passion. When Yusuke’s eyes reached Kurama’s firm ass his smile grew. Once cheek bore a set of his teeth marks, the other a perfect hand print. Judging from the size it must be Hiei’s.

Looking up, Yusuke saw Hiei had finished washing and dressing and was headed for the bed. “Hurry and wash Detective before the water gets cold.”

Hiei crawled onto the opposite side of the bed to lean against the headboard. Yusuke leaned down and kissed Kurama’s temple before doing as Hiei said. “Do you think we should wake him Hiei?”

Shaking his head Hiei looked down at their lover. “No, he needs the rest. I thought we’d never get him to sleep last night.”

Hiei smirked as he remembered their lovemaking the previous day. After he and Yusuke had properly marked and claimed Kurama they had all napped for a little while then started again. It was well after dark before they slept again but Kurama hadn’t stayed asleep. The redhead had woken suddenly, crying out Hiei’s name into the dark. Kurama had clung to him, frantically needing to be nearer to him. When Kurama had softly begged to make love to him Hiei had willingly submitted to his fox.

A few hours later Kurama was whimpering Yusuke’s name in his sleep. Though Yusuke had slept like the dead through Hiei and Kurama’s lovemaking earlier, the redhead’s soft cries of his name had woken the Toushin instantly this time. Hiei secretly watched as Yusuke comforted their fox. Though he’d gotten rock hard seeing Kurama make such sweet love to their former leader Hiei had not interfered.

A couple hours before dawn Kurama had woken them again. Before they were even fully awake Kurama was on his hands and knees begging them to take him as they had earlier when they’d claimed him. This time with Hiei on his knees roughly taking Kurama’s mouth and Yusuke behind him giving the orders they had finally managed to tire out the redhead enough that they could all sleep awhile.

Seeing Yusuke had finished dressing Hiei rose from the bed. Hiei had barely opened his arms before Yusuke was in them. The two held and kissed each other for some time before pulling apart. “He’ll be waking soon Yusuke. See if there’s anything to eat while I get him some fresh water.”

Reluctantly moving apart each man went about his appointed task as they waited for Kurama to waken. An hour later Hiei and Yusuke pulled way from another kiss as Kurama stirred. Remembering how desperately Kurama had needed them near each time he’d woken last night Hiei and Yusuke crawled on the bed on either side of him. Yusuke pulled his hair back to kiss his neck as Hiei leaned down to kiss his cheek. Green eyes fluttered open and looked back and forth between them. “I was afraid last night was just a dream.”

Yusuke’s voice caressed his ear. “If it was Kurama, then I want to sleep forever.”

Hiei shook his head. “No dream Fox, you belong to us now.”

Kurama shivered at the possessive tone in Hiei’s voice. Turning he saw the same possessive gleam in Yusuke’s eyes. “What happens now?”

Even though he was nervous about what was to come Kurama couldn’t help but smile as Hiei and Yusuke took turns answering. Hiei’s nose wrinkled as he spoke. “First you get cleaned up. Your hair’s a mess and you smell.”

Yusuke rubbed his stomach. “Then we eat because I for one am starved.”

Hiei picked up his katana and strapped it on. “After that we go get that old goat to remove the barrier that’s keeping you here.”

Yusuke gave him a huge grin. “Then we get to go home.”

Looking at his lovers Kurama knew there was still a lot for them to work out but for now he was content.

XXXXX

Sensing their arrival Yomi went out into the garden. He knew this was a dangerous thing to do if Kurama were angry but knowing he had betrayed his friend’s trust Yomi would take any punishment the fox chose to deliver. He didn’t have long to wait before Kurama, flanked by Hiei and Yusuke, came through the garden gate. “Since you’re all here together I’d say things went well.”

Yomi couldn’t see Kurama’s expression but the angry flare of his energy was impossible for the blind demon to miss. “Now Kurama, is that really necessary? I don’t smell blood but the obvious scent of your mating tells me that things couldn’t have gone too bad.”

Several of Kurama’s plants had reached out to take hold of the demon lord as Kurama stepped closer. “Your senses must be off Yomi because I am not mated to them, only marked by them.”

The pleasant expression that had graced Yomi’s face suddenly fell at Kurama’s cryptic words. Yomi’s sudden anger made Hiei and Yusuke glad that Kurama had restrained him. “Marked? You bastards, I thought you loved him! With your filthy marks on him you’ve made him little more than a slave to you!”

At this accusation Hiei stepped forward and growled. “Hn, fool! You think we did this without thinking it through? Kurama is not some weak demon to be dominated against his will. His power is equal to ours and his skill far exceeds ours. Therefore his acceptance of our marks is voluntary not forced. Kurama knows his options and when he’s ready to make a decision we will accept it. Until then the marks give us control allowing Yusuke and I time to make things right with our fox without him getting hurt.”

Understanding the reason behind their decision Yomi relaxed. “Kurama, are you really alright with this? I won’t allow them to do anything to you against your will.”

An elegant red brow rose over intense green eyes. “The only thing that was done against my will Yomi was when you warded me and allowed them to take me. Therefore the only one I am angry at is you. Thanks to you now I’ve been betrayed by all the men I once trusted.”

As Kurama spoke he reached into his hair and withdrew a rose. Yomi immediately caught the roses beautiful scent and began struggling against the plants that restrained him. “I understand your anger Kurama but I just had your best interest at heart. I don’t want to fight you old friend but I will defend myself if need be.”

Yomi heard Kurama’s rose whip snap and raised his energy preparing for Kurama’s attack but before anyone could move Aya came running into the garden with a cry. “No Kurama, please!”

Everyone was shocked when the beautiful red Youko rushed between Kurama and Yomi and used himself as a shield to protect his lover. They were even more surprised when they heard the sound of metal scraping as he drew a sword out before him. Taking a fighting stance he made it clear that he would fight to protect his lover. “Please Kurama, I won’t allow you to hurt my Yomi!”

Beside him Kurama heard Hiei draw his sword and quickly held out a hand to stop his lover. “Hiei, no! Aya may be a skilled swordsman but he doesn’t have your strength, speed or power and would be grossly out matched. Please Hiei, I’ll take care of this.”

Hiei lowered his sword but did not sheath it. Kurama however did return his whip to a rose before tucking it back in his hair. “It’s alright Aya, no one is going to hurt Yomi. I was just letting him know I wasn’t pleased with his recent actions.”

With Yomi behind him Aya didn’t see that Kurama’s plants had released him until the demon lord wrapped his arms around the startled Youko. “This is quite a feisty little Youko you’ve given me Kurama. Every day I am more and more pleased with him. Now Aya love, put the sword away before I have to kill the pesky fire demon for skewering my sexy little pet.”

Wide golden eyes looked back at Yomi for reassurance then the sword hit the ground as Aya turned to throw his arms around Yomi. Confused, Hiei and Yusuke glanced at each other and shrugged. Kurama and Yomi however smiled and laughed. “Alright Yomi, for Aya’s sake I’ll let you off the hook this time. Now release whatever barrier Hiei thinks is keeping us here so we can go home. My mother was expecting me first thing this morning and I don’t want her to worry.”

Kurama felt Yomi’s energy shift and turned to Hiei. There was a brief glow of the jagon and Hiei nodded before turning away. “Go get our fox Yusuke and let’s get out of here.”

As Hiei left the garden Yusuke went to Kurama’s side. “Hey Fox, who’s the new redhead? Didn’t we see him here yesterday?”

Aya turned slightly in Yomi’s arms. Wide golden eyes peeked shyly at Yusuke making Kurama smile. “That’s Aya, Yomi’s new lover. Aya this is my… friend… Yusuke and the grouchy one that just left is Hiei.”

Yusuke almost flinched at the way Kurama called him his friend. Then he turned to smile and wave at Aya. “Nice to meet you Aya. Sorry, we have to run but we have to catch up with Hiei. See you Yomi. Come on Kurama.”

With that Yusuke grabbed Kurama’s hand and pulled him along behind him, barely allowing Kurama to turn and wave. “Bye Aya. Talk to you soon Yomi and… thanks.”

XXXXX

The trip from the Makai should have been a quiet one but Hiei and Yusuke seemed to have some pent up energy and managed to find several bands of demons to fight. For the most part Kurama had stayed out of their fun but had helped out where needed. Now as they made their way through the city to Kurama’s apartment things had gone quiet again.

When the apartment was in sight Hiei flitted ahead to the tree outside Kurama’s bedroom window and waited. Yusuke followed Kurama up the stairs and waited for him to unlock the door. When Kurama stepped inside Yusuke waited to see if he’d be allowed to enter. Looking back Kurama hesitated a moment before sending his energy to the plants at the door then, leaving the door open, continued inside. Cautiously, Yusuke entered the apartment closing the door behind him.

Kurama went straight into the bedroom to peer out the window at Hiei. After a moment the vines barring the window withdrew and Kurama released the latch. Hiei barely waited until the window was open before hopping inside. Together they joined Yusuke in the living room. They all stood there in silence for a minute before Kurama finally spoke. “So, what now?”

Hiei and Yusuke glanced at each other before Yusuke answered him. “You should call your mother Kurama. You’ve been gone a long time and you know how much she worries.”

When Hiei nodded his agreement Kurama went to the phone and dialed the number. The first two words he spoke however had his lovers at his side. “Hello Father… Yes, I’m finally home.”

When they saw Kurama stiffen at something Hatanaka said Hiei growled and Yusuke reached out to take the phone from Kurama. Seeing his intention Kurama pulled back and continued speaking. “If you don’t mind Sir I’d rather not discuss that with you. May I speak to my mother please?”

When Kurama’s posture relaxed Hiei and Yusuke moved away. From their position on the sofa though they could still hear him. “Hello Mother… Yes ma’am, I’m finally home… It’s a little complicated… No, I’d rather not come there… That’s not necessary… Mother, please…”

Kurama hung up the phone with a sigh. Seeing his lovers’ anxious looks Kurama sighed again. “My mother is on her way over. She’s worried and wants to know what happened with us.”

Yusuke turned to lean over the back of the sofa to look at Kurama. “What are you going to tell her?”

Whatever Kurama was going to say was lost as Hiei cut him off. “We are going to tell her the truth.”

Kurama’s eyes widened but he was pleased with Hiei’s answer. Nodding his acceptance Kurama headed to the kitchen. “I’m going to make some tea.”

When Yusuke turned around to turn the TV on Hiei rose and went to the kitchen. After Kurama put the water on the stove Hiei reached for him. Kurama went willingly into Hiei’s arms. After holding him a moment Hiei whispered in his ear. “Everything will be alright Kurama. She’ll understand and accept this, she always does.”

Kurama nodded holding Hiei tight. When the teakettle whistled Kurama moved away. After taking out the teapot Kurama scanned his inventory of teas. He was reaching for one when Hiei came up behind him and looked over his shoulder. “Is that the one I like Fox?”

Kurama couldn’t help but smile at his big innocent look. “Yes Hiei, it is. I’ll even make yours sweet the way you like it.”

Brushing Kurama’s hair aside Hiei kissed he side of his neck before going back to join Yusuke on the sofa. Kurama shivered at the brief caress before finishing the tea. A few minutes later Kurama had the tea ready and was taking it into the living room. Jumping up, Yusuke took the tray from him and placed it on the table.

Before Kurama could sit however there was a knock on the door. Hiei and Yusuke stood as Kurama opened the door for his mother. “Shuuichi darling, I’m so glad you’re back. I missed you Son. You look healthy enough even if you are a little thin.”

After hugging her son Shiori suddenly saw the two men behind him. Pausing only a moment to get over her shock Shiori went first to Hiei, giving him a warm hug. “Hiei-Chan, it’s been too long. Welcome back. I hope you apologized to my son for your behavior.”

After scolding him Shiori didn’t wait for Hiei to answer before turning to Yusuke. She didn’t hug him though but shook an accusing finger at him. “Yusuke dear, you need to learn to control your temper. Kazuya was so mad it took me a week to convince him to drop the charges against you.”

Yusuke’s eyes widened thinking she was mad but a moment later she giggled and reached out to hug him. “I know I shouldn’t say this but it’s about time someone told him to shut his big mouth. Thank you for standing up for my son.”

Confused, Hiei looked at Kurama. “What’s she talking about Fox?”

Kurama tried not to grin. “A few months ago Yusuke asked Mother if she would help get me to talk to him. Father overheard them and had a few nasty things to say about our relationship. Yusuke took offense and punched him.”

With his hands on his hips Hiei glared accusingly at Kurama. “Damn it Fox, how come Yusuke got to hit the bastard but you always stopped me from doing it?”

Yusuke and Shiori both laughed at Hiei’s indignant look. “Hiei, I’m sure I only got to hit him was because Kurama wasn’t there to stop me. Besides, you would have had a hard time explaining why you have no ID and three eyes when you got arrested.”

The moment the words were out of his mouth Yusuke’s eyes widened and he stared at Shiori. Yusuke nearly jumped when Kurama placed a hand on his arm. “Relax Yusuke, my mother knows we are demons. It upsets her a little and we don’t want Hatanaka to know so it’s something we don’t talk about often. You saw how he reacts to me liking men and he had you arrested just for hitting him. You can imagine what he could do to us if he knew we were demons.”

With that worry over Shiori changed the subject. “It looks like Shuuichi has tea ready. Why don’t we all sit down where we can talk?”

When Shiori would have taken a seat on the sofa Hiei stopped her. “Shiori, you take the chair. Kurama sits with us.”

Shiori was a little surprised at Hiei’s order but didn’t question it as she sat in the chair and Yusuke took a seat at one end of the sofa. Hiei then indicated for Kurama to take the seat in the middle of the sofa. Only after Kurama was seated next to Yusuke did Hiei sit beside him.

Conversation was light for a moment as Kurama served the tea. Once everyone was settled Shiori looked at the three men before her. “Well, it seems you boys have finally talked. Have you worked things out?”

Kurama gave a nervous smile at her directness. “Yes mother, we have spoken but there are still a few things still unresolved.”

Shiori looked at Hiei then Yusuke. “Shuuichi, I’m a little confused as to why Hiei and Yusuke are both here with you. Is one of them your boyfriend again?”

Swallowing hard, Kurama glanced at the men beside him before looking back at his mother. “That’s the part that gets a little complicated Mother.”

Before he could continue Kurama flinched when Hiei reached up to grab a hold of his collar pulling it back. Shiori gasped when she saw the bite marks on his neck. “There’s nothing complicated about it Shiori, Kurama belongs to us.”

At his words Shiori’s eyes got wide as saucers. She stammered a few times before she finally managed to speak. “Shuuichi, this is a demon thing isn’t it? What does this mean?”

Kurama managed to pull his shirt from Hiei’s fingers before answering. “Yes Mother, it is a demon thing. Both Hiei and Yusuke have marked me and for now it means just what he said, I belong to them.”

They could see Shiori trying to comprehend what she was being told. “You said ‘for now’, clarify that.”

After thinking a moment Kurama finally found a way to try and explain it. “The easiest way for me to explain is to compare marking to a human engagement and mating to a human marriage only the demon version is much more involved. A demon who marks another is indicating his intent towards that demon. They can stay together in a marked relationship or they can become a mated.”

Up until now Yusuke had remained silent but seeing that Shiori wasn’t fully understanding he finally spoke up. “Kurama, you’re sugar coating it too much. I think Hiei was right earlier when he said we need to tell her the truth. Shiori, in the Makai by marking Kurama we have made him only a little more than our slave.”

Agreeing with Yusuke’s assessment of the situation Hiei continued for him before Shiori could overreact. “We didn’t mark Kurama to make him our slave Shiori and he is too powerful a demon to be ours against his will. What we are giving him by marking him is time to consider his options.”

Watching and listening to them Kurama was surprised by how well his lovers worked together as they spoke, almost like how well they all worked together when they fought. Knowing that it was easier for them to explain things to his mother than it was for him Kurama just listened as Yusuke picked up where Hiei left off. “Kurama has several options at this point. He could leave things the way they are and remain our lover. He could chose to mark us and become our mate or he could decide to end the relationship all together. He also has to decide if he wants a relationship with both of us, only one of us or neither of us.”

When Yusuke finished Kurama almost smiled when Shiori’s attention automatically returned to Hiei. “This is the part Kurama’s been trying to avoid. If he remains marked by one or both of us it means he is willingly submitting to our dominance. If he decides to mate with one or both of us he has two options. If he marks us without resistance he will become our mate but we maintain dominance. If he wishes to become an equal partner in the mating he must mark us in a show of strength to earn that right.”

Once again Kurama watched silently as Shiori’s gaze moved to Yusuke. “There are also two ways the marking can end if that is what Kurama chooses. If he expresses a desire to end the relationship between one or both of us the next choice becomes ours. We can release him willingly or if we don’t want the relationship to end then Kurama must fight for his freedom. That fight, unless someone concedes defeat, is a fight to the death.”

When they finished there was silence for a moment as they waited for Shiori to absorb everything they had told her. Deciding it was time to speak up Kurama looked at his mother. “I’m sure by now you must be thinking all of this is barbaric. I realize you don’t like hearing this Mother but we are demons and these are our customs. As Hiei said earlier, I am powerful enough that if I objected to this I could end it at any time. But I love them so if there is any way for us… me… to get over what’s happened between us then I want to try. If it means I belong to them for a while so we can work things out, then so be it.”

Shiori seemed to be accepting what they told her but still had questions. “Shuuichi, I know you love them, that’s why all of this had been so hard on you. And I’m guessing they’ve been trying so hard to get you back because they love you too. What isn’t clear is how Hiei and Yusuke feel about each other. Is this just you being both of their lovers or will they be each others lover as well?”