Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Best Thief is Love ❯ The Best Thief is Love ( Chapter 1 )

The Best Thief is Love

Prince Hiei of Alaric, heir to Mukuro's third of the Makai, stood in a glade in the center of the forest looking at the fallen obelisk stone grave marker of his former mate, the Toushin Yusuke. One hundred years had past. In that time, the name had faded and vanished, and the obelisk had weathered into a pile of stone that simply looked of out place in the beauty of the forgotten glade, instead of revered place.

Hiei gently put his hand to his left shoulder where the bite mark of their mating had been. That too had faded, like most of his memory, and all of the feelings.

"So long ago, I killed you, Yusuke, you bastard," Hiei said aloud and bitterly to the grave. "And you almost took me with you. I thank Yukina in my thoughts every day for not letting me kill myself as you died in my arms. I even know why she did not heal you as she could have. She knew what you were, but has always believed there was good in everyone, and hoped what she knew to be true was a lie. She never told me because I was happy and truly happy for the first time in my miserable existence life. She believed in my love for you, and not for your sake, you selfish bastard, but for mine."

Hiei lowered his hand back to his side before he continued.

"Yet, even now after all that pain you caused me, all the lies you told me, all the betrayals you did, and all I learned about you since your death, I still can't forget those few months we spent together and those few nights we held each other in our arms in love."

"Yet even fate spited you in the end, for you left me one thing Yusuke, something I will always be grateful for, something I will always cherish and love, and that is our child Ryuu. Though I doubt you would be happy to know that Raizen eventually chose your son as his heir, you selfish prick. You never wanted to share anything, even after you finished playing with it, and you would kill it rather then let it go, like you tried to do to me.

Raizen, he never did find anyone to replace you, someone strong enough, smart enough, lethal enough, or good enough to replace you. You might be proud of that but I am not. However, I am proud, my sister is proud, Mukuro and Yomi are proud, and even Raizen, your Lord, is proud of my son, Ryuu, for he is better then you. He will make a great ruler someday.

Surprises you, huh, that there could be someone better then you, well let me tell you, Ryuu is much better then you, Yusuke, and that is what I am the most proud of. I am also proud that something as miserably cruel as you were did not taint his genes, either.

I found out through my gypsy friends, Jin, Touya, Rinku and Suzuka, that you paid that red haired monster of a bounty hunter Rando to fake your death. He did knock you a bit too hard on the head and gave you concussion, which explains why you did not remember me at first. Yet when you remembered me, I guess you were horrified. Horrified that I might expose you and spoil your pathetic life with my love for you, so you kept me away from everyone, isolating me, and destroying me a piece at a time. When that was not working fast enough, you tried to kill me outright instead while pretending to be jealous of the cursed boy Prince Shuichi Kurama, making me think you cared even then, even as you cruelly destroyed the bonding earring I gave you taking your love and mate bond from me. That is when I knew, that is how I knew that you were lying to me, and that your love had been and had always been a lie. I knew the instant you destroyed my bonding earring.

I could have never killed you had I ever been your mate, Yusuke, even without the mating bond, did you know that."

Hiei laughed humorously at that.

"That was the terrible truth I faced, as you tried to blast me into oblivion with your rei gun. I was never your mate. You were mine, but I was not yours. Even the mark you claimed with me would have faded had I ever once thought, had I ever once doubted the lies you told me. I believed in you, I loved you, and my own bond to you was what kept your bite mark on my flesh. I could feel you because of it, and you knew it the second you saw me. You had never suspected that the bond I gave was as binding as it was until you saw me again. Then you knew. You felt I know, and that's why I had to die. You were far too selfish to share yourself with anyone and too selfish to let me go after you had saw the boy Prince yearning over me."

Hiei paused for a moment then said, "Fool, I told you Koormie mated for life. What did you think I meant. I know you felt it in your blood when you saw me again, I saw it in your face, and I can only presume it was something you had not felt before. You thought you could walk away in a faked death and you would never see me again, I know now. However, a Koormie mating bond will eventually bring the two together again, whether they wish it or not. Death is the only way to break it, and you died, by my hand, and you deserved it.

I loved you even after you broke my heart, even after all you said, even after the cruel betrayals you gave to me, even after you died. I loved you. But I was only bonded to you until the very last breath you took."

He then fell silent for a time, looking up from the marker to the gathering rain clouds in the sky and felt in the cool wind the storm coming before continuing once more.

"It is going to rain, Yusuke, and I will stand here and let it fall on me. Rain hurts me, did you know that, I am a fire demon after all. Our first time together was in the rain, and it hurt more then I ever let anyone know, especially you. Yet I never cared how much pain it caused, I loved you that much. Even now, I treasure that memory, and that pain. It was the first time anyone besides my sister had ever given a damn about me, and though you were lying, my love was real."

The rain came across the glade in a sheet. Hiei hissed as the hard rainfall hit, and Hiei finally felt where his watcher was when his watcher moved unconsciously at his pain. More then Hiei's clothes became to steam and sizzle in the drenching downpour as the water burned and muted Hiei's fire.

His watcher was Prince Yoko Kurama, the white kitsune, heir to Lord Yomi's third of the Makai, his curse broken by his unrequited love for Hiei. Hiei had first met Kurama when he, Yukina, and Ryuu had stayed at Lord Yomi's palace when they had been traveling with the gypsy entertainers, Jin, Touya, Rinku, and Suzaku. One hundred years ago, Yoko Kurama, the kitsune, had been put under a curse for his uncaring licentious ways and was changed into a red haired, green eyed gentle natured human boy, who called himself Shuichi. That human Kurama was the Kurama Hiei had first meet. Hiei though never realized Kurama fell in love with him at first sight, since he was still mourning and hoping for the return of his lost mate Yusuke.

When Yusuke arrived quite unexpectedly into their lives, Yusuke destroyed both of their hearts.

In desperation against Yusuke's abusive accusations, Hiei told Yusuke all Kurama reminded him of was Rando and the pain of thinking he was dead. Kurama had meant nothing to Hiei then. His red hair was only the agonizing reminder of Rando, the bounty hunter who had supposedly killed his mate, and Hiei barely tolerated Kurama's presence. Without realizing it, Hiei's accidently broke Kurama's heart, and ultimately Kurama's curse. Yet Yusuke had known of Kurama's love and had chosen to destroy Kurama through Hiei's desperate, blind, but truthful words.

Yusuke, of course, broke Hiei's heart in the cruelest way possible, first with accusations and curses, then with denial and betrayal. The memory of their last fight, their last words, the hysteria, the confusion, the panic, the betrayal, and the pain washed over Hiei as the rain did, and flowed away into nothingness. There was no emotion left, only a vague memory dimmed with each passing year and eroded into nothingness with each passing rain.

As the rain continued, Hiei's fire dimmed and smouldered. He could feel Kurama fretting anxiously in his hiding place, torn between dragging Hiei in his warm and very dry hiding place and letting Hiei finish his yearly ritual.

Yet Hiei did not acknowledge Kurama, he never did. Kurama had been watching him do this probably for the entire time Hiei had been doing this. It had been a hundred years since Yusuke had died, and a hundred years since Hiei had made a promise to Kurama.

Kurama, his curse now broken and returned to his kitsune form, had asked Hiei if he trusted him. Hiei had said yes. Then Kurama had asked if there was any chance of winning of Hiei's heart. Hiei had been flattered, but Yusuke's betrayal and death was still fresh, so Hiei had told Kurama maybe in a hundred years.

Hiei looking up at the sky feeling the rain making rivelets through his hair and down his face, smiled about Kurama.

The kitsune always thought he was being so clever, with his wily ways, and for half a century had been clever, very clever. However, fifty years ago, Kurama had given himself away, on accident, because of something Hiei had said. Hiei had told Yusuke's grave that maybe by the time the marker had become nothing but a pile of unrecognizable stone he might he able to love again. Kurama had been so startled, Hiei felt his ki, and felt the change in his breathing. Then knowing Kurama was there had added, probably a one hundred years after Yusuke's death. As Hiei searched for the hidden Kurama with his ki and scans, Hiei spoke his heart about his long friendship with Kurama for the first time.

Until now, Hiei had never been able to find Kurama. In all the times Hiei had come, he had never found Kurama, only felt his comforting presence. Hiei had found happiness in that and did not reveal he knew Kurama was there.

However, today he knew where Kurama was. He could feel him, almost see him, and felt how anxious he was over the rain. Kurama was concerned about Hiei's flame and how diminished it had become. Kurama, in fact, was restless and frightened seeing Hiei's skin was actually becoming soaked from the rain.

Hiei smiled forlornly about Kurama's fretting, and his own lack of caring about himself. However, today was a special day. It had taken Kurama a hundred years to mend Hiei's heart. Yet, being able to find Kurama made it even more special because Hiei knew he could finally be free of Yusuke and would never again have to stand in the rain.

The rain stopped and Hiei sighed with contentment. As he scanned the sky he started to laugh, a truly happy laugh, the first Kurama had ever heard, and the first Hiei had uttered in over a hundred years. Not even his child, Ryuu, could make him laugh as he laughed now.

Hiei pointed to the sky, "Look Yusuke, a rainbow. Kurama told me about rainbows, and how they always form after the rain into different colors. I have always found the sight of them pleasant especially after the pain of the rain. If you were still alive, you might have had a right to be jealous of him now because all you gave me was rain, but Kurama gave me rainbows."

Then he lowered his hand, and said serenely with nearly a child's wonder, "Come look, Kurama. Come look at the rainbow you gave to me."

Kurama actually came out of hiding to stand beside Hiei. Kurama towered over Hiei looking up at the rainbow, before sitting down without hesitation on the wet ground next to Hiei so they were nearly the same height. Kurama sitting cross legs was actually shorter then Hiei. Kurama for some reason always made sure he was the same height or shorter, most of the time. They said nothing to each other until the rainbow had faded from the sky.

"Kurama" Hiei said softly. "I never thanked you for burying Yusuke and erecting this obelisk. Thank you. I also never asked why you did it. Tell me why."

Kurama remained quiet for a time then answered, "I did it for you".

Hiei simply nodded before saying calmly, "All that is left now is an out of place pile of rumble in a forgotten glade in an abandoned forest."

Kurama looked at Hiei, the emotion in his eyes open yet masked hiding others, and looking deeply into Hiei's soul.

Hiei found himself smiling, as he looked just as deeply into Kurama's loving eyes.

"You once asked if I could love again," Hiei said.

Kurama unconsciously bit his lip and the emotions in his eyes wavered but he did not look away.

"I answered maybe in a hundred years. That hundred years in up, and I would like to love again," Hiei said softly.

Hiei reached out his hand touch Kurama's cheek. Kurama swallowed hard as Hiei leaned forward.

"I want to love you", Hiei whispered softly.

Kurama enfolded Hiei into his arms.

"I will love forever and always, Hiei, and gave you as many rainbows as you want." Kurama whispered back.

The kiss was soft and gentle, binding and ensnaring, and all had within all the things both of them wanted and needed from the other.