Hiei gritted his teeth and waited with slightly smoldering patience for the toddler to quell his laughter. He did not find the situation particularly humorous. Still, blowing up the brats office would not be useful for his needs so he shoved his pride and his temper down and answered Koenma's poorly disguised curiosity. "Kurama." He answered flatly.

Shiori was hanging on her son's every word but it still took her a moment to process what he was telling her. "Hiei? Like the mountain?" She mumbled before the pronouns could register. "Wait...he...Shuichi...Are you telling me you are in love with a man?" She asked, wide eyed with shock.

Though as she considered the idea it did explain many of her dear child's eccentricities. He had always politely dismissed the idea of dating when she had suggested it before. 'And he does spend more time on his hair than I do.' She thought to herself fondly.

Fantasizing about the type of human woman that could possibly both attract and appreciate Hiei’s attention, Koenma almost didn’t catch the name at first. ’Kurama.’ The name resounded blankly in his head for a moment before his mind latched onto the significance behind it. When it did, his pacifier nearly dropped out of his gaping mouth. It only took him a moment to reel himself back in however. It was hardly surprising; those were as thick as, well, thieves.

”I trust you two will behave,” he said at last. ”I suppose I could fill out the required forms for temporary immigration… Provided you do me a favor first.”

---

Kurama’s heart squeezed painfully at the shocked expression on his mother’s face, unable to tell if it was merely surprise, disgust, or both. ”Yes,” he said simply, forcing the word out of his lungs. ”Hiei means a lot to me. I hope you can find it in your heart to accept this…” he said, his voice only somewhat strained. Looking down at the porcelain cup still cradled between his hands, he noticed the ripples marring the tea’s green-tinged surface and forced himself to relax the iron grip he had on the object.

((I recall you mentioning ideas about having Koenma ask Hiei to do something in return for filling out his papers. I'm really not sure what you had in mind so you'll either have to give me some ideas for that part or just disregard that line and pretend it isn't there.))

Hiei watched Koenma's face as the godling registered the name he had supplied. . Shock and then understanding played across the childlike face before the toddler's eyes took on a calculating gleam.

The offer that followed was not unexpected. The toddler rarely did anything without some benefit to himself.

"What sort of favor?" The fire demon asked warily. 'What price would you have me pay for this request?' He thought bitterly.

Shiori could see the tremble in her son's hands as he made his plea and she could not stand to see her child in such pain.

"Shuichi." She said gently. "If this is what makes you happy, of course I can accept it." She rose and moved around the table to pull the redhead into her scarred arms. "I love you and I only want to see you be happy."

A smile spread across her face as she looked down on her sons red hair. "Of course I must meet this young man who has managed to steal your heart. I thought you were going to save that only for me." She was trying to lighten the mood with her little joke.

Hiei looked reluctant but Koenma wasn't concerned; his subjects were hardly ever eager and he had long ago gotten used to this fact. "Though things have been relatively quiet this past decade, we could still use a more qualified replacement for Yusuke's old job." Koenma said slowly, "It would be convenient if you could take over the position of Reikai Tantei during your residency in Ningenkai." Things had been almost the past 10 years but it was better to be prepared with these things.

---

Kurama looked up as his mother spoke his name, her gentle tone of voice coaxing him to relax. The words that followed put him at east at last and a sheepish smile spread across his face. Warm arms wrapped around his shoulders and Shuichi melted into them. "Thank you mother," he said, the gratitude clear in his voice.

Kurama slowly pulled away from his mother. Though the thought of presenting Hiei to his mother caused another round of butterflies to flutter in his stomach, the smile on his face refused to disappear. 'One thing at a time...' he told himself.

The redhead laughed lightly at his mother's joke, "So did I," he said fondly. "When would you like me to bring him to visit?" he asked. Weekends were likely the best bet unless she planned to have them over for dinner. He left the choice up to her however.

OOC: I thought it had only been ten years? O_o' And didn't Yusuke retire from being a tantei?

Hiei was unable to hold back his scowl and the room grew noticeably warmer. "I hardly think that is a fair exchange." He growled, remembering how much time he had already spent playing policeman for Reikai. The toddler was abusing his position to expect decades of servitude for half an hour of paperwork. The fire demon suppressed his anger at the situation and tried to think of some sort of compromise to offer. Perhaps if he showed a willingness to negotiate Koenma would be reasonable. "Five years, nonconsecutive." He offered, not wanting to be away from his fox for half a decade chasing Spirit World's criminals but finding it preferable to taking on the chore for however long they remained in Ningenkai.

Shiori was pleased to feel her nervous child relax into her embrace. She allowed him to pull away and look into his green eyes, now alight again with joy. His expression of gratitude was entirely superfluous and she waved it off. If all it took to keep her son happy was accepting his life choices, she was more than able to do so. She did regret letting go of her dreams of grandchildren with fiery red hair and green eyes but it was a small price to pay.

Her smile grew at his fond admission in response to her joke. It was nice to know her son loved her. When he was very young she had actually wondered if he'd ever show her any sort of affection at all but such fears were long in the past.

She pondered his question for a moment. She would need a few days to talk to her husband and her step son about the situation. She wouldn't have them react poorly in Shuichi's presence and drive him away from her. Still, she was fairly certain she could have both of them wrapped around to her way of thinking by the end of the week. "How about Saturday lunch?" She offered with a smile. Lunch was more casual than inviting someone to dinner and if this Hiei was going to be joining her family, she wanted him to be comfortable.

OOC: Fat chance of Hiei actually being comfortable during the visit but Shiori is nice to try, ne? lol ^_^' You can feel free to have Koenma offer a different deal or a counter offer along those same lines. We can just go back and forth until we hit upon something that will be fun to play with. If that's okay with you. ^_^

Koenma couldn't help but notice the sudden change in climate and resisted the urge to pull at his collar. "I suppose you're right," Koenma conceded, though he didn't find Hiei's counter offer to his liking. He considered having the fire demon give their current recruit some in-depth training, but knowing Hiei's methods, decided that he preferred the current Reikai Tantei to remain in one piece.

Not willing to dismiss taking advantage of Hiei's talent just yet however, he made a different offer. "Ten years, and I'll only call you for the cases that our new recruit can't handle." The length of time was double, and the work likely harder, but the number of actual cases would be significantly less.

---

Knowing that Hiei had already agreed to their meeting, Kurama nodded. "Saturday should be fine," he replied. That would give them both time to prepare. "I hope Shuuichi and Kazuya won't mind..." he said thoughtfully. Aware that he hadn't yet touched his tea, Kurama raised the cup to his mouth and took a long sip. The tea was fragrant and smooth, just the way he liked it.

((That she can. ^^; Not sure if Hiei will like that offer but it offers us more liberties in terms of the story. *Shrugs* It's up to you...))

Hiei pondered the offer thoughtfully before responding. "I'll take care of cases the new tantei can't handle, without a time limit." The fire demon knew that was a dangerous offer to make but it would leave him with more free time than set years of servitude would allow. "However, I warn you not to waste my time. If you call me for anything lower than an A class demon I will not be pleased." The short demon finished qualifying his offer with a dark scowl and a trace of menace in his tone. It wasn't enough of a threat for the brat to take offense but Hiei thought his point was made.


Shiori smiled. "I will be looking forward to it." She began planning the luncheon in her mind "Is there any special food he might like?" She asked thoughtfully.

Koenma listened to Hiei's compromise. Finding the arrangement to his liking, the toddler replied, "Deal." he thought to call in George with the necessary documents but hesitated. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss before we fill out the paperwork?"" he asked. It was so rare that the ex-convict came to visit and the ruler of Reikai wanted to make sure that they had covered all the bases before he sent Hiei on his way.

---

Kurama took another sip of tea as he contemplated his mother's question. Hiei wasn't too keen on rice, usually preferring meat-based dishes whenever possible. "Hmm...Maybe nikujaga?" he suggested, "Or tonkatsu? I'm sure whatever you make will be fine though." That last part wasn't exactly the truth but he was sure Hiei could manage to eat enough of his plate to please Shiori. The redhead didn't want his mother to stress too much over what to cook.

Hiei nodded once. "In order to maintain Kurama's human disguise I will have to be able to function among the humans as if I were one of them." The fire demon frowned out of habit but the idea did not disgust him quite as much as it once would have. "I will require the appropriate papers to verify my identity and whatever else humans have to have to live their pathetic lives." He shrugged, not entirely sure how much identification he would need to pass as a human but assuming the Reikai prince would be aware of anything he might need.


Shiori nodded, mentally planning her shopping list. "That sounds simple enough." She said with a smile. "So what else can you tell me about this young man of yours?" She asked pleasantly. She was eager to learn more about anyone who could break through the walls her son built around his heart. Shiori loved her boy dearly but he had trouble connecting with people on anything more than a superficial level. Hiei would have to be very special indeed.

Koenma nodded as Hiei commented on his need to be identifiable as a human. The ruler of Reikai was glad that the fire demon seemed to have thoroughly thought things through. "I will prepare all the necessary documents," Koenma reassured him. "It will take some time however. Do you plan on waiting here while I make the arrangements?" he asked. "It should only take an hour or two," the toddler added, aware that patience wasn't exactly one of the fire demon's virtues.

---

Kurama blushed at the way his mother phrased her question about Hiei. "I guess you could say he's the dark and brooding type..." the redhead mused, smiling fondly as an image of Hiei popped into his mind. "Hiei's a bit rough around the edges," he said, trying to diplomatically elude to some of the fire demon's coarser habits by human standards, "But he means well." Finished with his brief description, Shuichi studied his mother's face to gauge her reaction.

Hiei nodded stiffly. "I'll wait." The fire demon blurred and was suddenly leaning against the wall out of the way so Koenma could do what needed to be done. He did not entirely trust the Reikai prince to stick precisely to there deal unless he stayed to oversee the paperwork. In a show of nonchalance he didn't really feel, Hiei closed his red eyes and crossed his arms. Anyone looking at him would have thought him utterly bored but Hiei was actually using the jagan to monitor just about everything around him. Koenma would not be able to snare him with any fine print so long as he remained wary.

Shiori listened carefully to her sons description and a flash of memory niggled at the back of her mind. "How long have you known him?" She asked trying to decide if her suspicion might be correct.

Shuichi had hung around with a boy similar to his description when he was younger. The few times she had seen them together the shorter boy had given her the impression that he was little more than a shadow beside her vibrant son. She had gotten the impression that Shuichi did not want her to see them together because anytime she came near the black haired boy seemed to have just left. Shuichi had never introduced the dark clad child to her and had brushed off her question the one time she had asked about him. She had thought little of it at the time thinking the boy just another of her sons tutoring students but now she wondered if she had been wrong to dismiss the child so quickly.

OOC lol. Yep Shiori isn't as naive as Kurama might wish. lol

Koenma blinked and when he reopened his eyes found that Hiei had moved back against the far wall to wait. Seating himself behind his desk once again, the Reikai prince pushed a button inlaid in the wood. A moment later, George reappeared to do his master's bidding.

"I'll need a full set of ningen identity papers, ID, social security, birth certificate, medical history, and the like."

"But sir..." the ogre began to protest.

"I said do it!" Koenma snapped, "But before you go, move some of these papers off my desk." The toddler waited for his assistant to clear some room on his desk before dismissing him. Pulling a clean sheet of paper out of his desk and taking his fountain pen out of it's holder, Koenma began carefully drafting Hiei's work contract.

---

Kurama noticed his mother's eyes take on a thoughtful gleam and felt his defenses raise. "I've known him for some time now," he responded vaguely, unwilling to mention just how long he had known Hiei. He knew he was being circuitous but the look in Shiori's eyes made him wonder if she knew more than she let on.

He had always been careful to hide Hiei's presence in the past. Despite their precautions however, Shiori had seen them together a time or two, and had even once asked him about the strange boy. Kurama had successfully deterred her from thinking too much of his black-clad friend, or so he had thought. Was it possible that she still remembered that brief encounter?

Calculating, Shuichi realized he and Hiei would have to get their stories straight before next Saturday. Details like how they met and how long they had been together would need to be consistent so as not to make his mother suspicious. Background information about Hiei's human persona would also need to be sketched out and once again, Kurama was glad that his mother had chosen their meeting for next week.

((Let's just say that for the sake of simplicity, Japanese identification documents work the way US documents work. >.>))

Hiei outwardly ignored the blue oni even as he used his jagan to skim the uses for the various documents Koenma had rattled off from the flustered creature's mind. He was once again baffled by humans' faith in paper records but in this case it was to his advantage. He was satisfied that he would be able to acquire a job with the papers they were drawing up so he remained silent and let the toddler and his minion do their work.

'Perhaps I should consider taking that human up on his job offer. It would allow me to remain near Kurama during the day and am sure Koenma's tasks will keep my skills from growing dull.' He pondered the idea thoughtfully as he waited.


Shiori noted her son's somewhat vague answer but did not press the issue. She would find out if her suspicions were correct soon enough. "Well, I certainly can't wait to meet him, dear." She said with a smile. "So what does he do?" She asked cheerfully, her mind still half focused on other mysterious friends from her son's past.

'I remember thinking one of his friends might have been homeless.' She thought back. 'I used to hear Shuuichi talking with someone in his room on rainy nights. Someone with a deep voice. I think he he must have let the person in trough the window.' She wondered if that was why her son had kept her from meeting that friend back then. 'Did he think I would turn his friend over to child services perhaps?' That idea sounded somewhat logical though she wasn't sure if this new man in her child's life would be the same person he had hidden away in his room, or if it might be the dark clad child he hadn't wanted her to meet. Both memories gave her an odd feeling.

'Though if Shuuichi was hiding his preferences from me back then, he might have simply been hiding his first boyfriends.' The new thought sent her mind spinning into areas she didn't particularly want to study so she cut it off rapidly. A blush stained her cheeks as she couldn't help but consider other reasons her teenage son might have been sneaking a boy into his room at night. 'No, Shuuichi wouldn't have been doing anything like that back then. He was barely even starting to have friends.' She admonished her runaway imagination.

OOC: Edited a little. I wanted Shiori to think the two memories she has are of different people, since she never heard Hiei speak when she could see him and never saw who Kurama was sneaking into his room. It should make her reaction to him very interesting. lol

With a sound of annoyance, Koenma crumpled up the piece of paper he had been writing on and threw it in the direction of the trash can. The small wad of paper bounced off the rim and rolled across the floor but the prince didn't seem to notice or care.

Pulling a clean sheet of paper out of his desk, he began a second draft. It was important to get the working just right on these sorts of things. The second draft turned into a third, and at last Koenma was satisfied with his fourth draft. Replacing his pen in its holder, he set the document aside to ensure that it dried without smudging.

Around this time, George reappeared looking rather sheepish. "What is it ogre?" Koenma asked, crossing stubby arms across his chest.

"We'll sir, we were about to start printing the documents but well..."

"Go on..." Koenma grumbled, not in a patient mood.

"Well it's just that Hiei will be needing a last name," he whispered into Koenma's ear, "I didn't want to put just anything, I'm sure you understand..." he added with a nervous glance towards the fire demon.

"Hmm..." Koenma squirmed as he thought about the question that the blue ogre posed. "Isn't Jangashi the equivalent of a ningen surname?" he asked George without really expecting his assistant to respond. "It should do in any case..." He added to himself, "See to it ogre." As he watched George leave, he hoped the Jagan user would find his choice of family name pleasing.

---

Kurama smiled at his mother's enthusiasm, the fact that he had feared her rejection only a few minutes ago still weighing on his mind. He realized his fear had prevented him from truly thinking things through. Normally he should have had answers to all of his mother's questions prepared in his mind...

"He works in security," the redhead responded truthfully enough, unaware of his mother's secret musings. For the past ten years, Hiei had worked as a security guard of sorts and Yamata's job offer still stood, even if Hiei chose not to take it.

((Oops, I didn't see your edits before posting with Kurama. Her thoughts were so cute!))

Hiei opened his eyes at the small noise of the paper ball rolling across the floor but otherwise didn't move. He waited patiently while the Reikai prince wrote and rewrote the contract.

He turned his head to glare impassively at the nervous looking ogre until the creature got his question out. The oni severely underestimated his hearing. The stage whisper was as clear as a shout in the quiet office. Hiei had no answer for him though, so he remained quiet. He didn't really have a surname. Koenma's suggestion that they use Jaganshi made him smirk but he nodded once to the pair in acquiescence. The oni looked like he was going to wet himself, which was a small source of amusement for the bored fire demon. He thought he had been particularly polite on this visit. He let his eyes fall closed again as the oni left to continue working. It was better than looking at the four white walls of Koenma's office. He knew the door was unlocked but he itched to be back outside. Still, he didn't leave. To do so now would show weakness and that was unacceptable.

The word Jaganshi was actually a title rather than a name, but it would do as well as anything else. In fact it would be better because he was already used to hearing people call him that.

He idly wondered what Kurama would think when he showed the fox his new residency papers. He hoped it would alleviate the redhead's fears about him not returning.

Shiori nodded, glad her son had not caught her blush. "Oh that's nice. You must feel very safe with him around, ne?" The woman smiled pleasantly. 'I'm glad Shuichi has someone strong to protect him. He's always been such a delicate boy. I've been worried about him out there alone.'

"So where is he from? Does he live near you?" She asked curiously.

OOC: lol, Kurama is getting all the difficult questions. I think that will be the last one she has for now though. lol So, I guess it has been at least a few hours since the pair split that morning, right? So it should be around lunch time?

Koenma retrieved his stamp and got back to work as he waited for George to complete the printing off all the necessary documents. Humans used very complicated machinery to produce the intricate designs that to prevent forgery. Little did they know that there was a realm outside of their own that could recreate these documents perfectly and sneak a demon into their midst.

”You’re lucky to be getting these papers so quickly,” Koenma commented as he worked, ”Normally these things take at least a week to procure in Ningenkai.” Looking up at the lounging demon he genuinely smiled, ”I’m actually glad you came to me,” he said, ”It saves us both a lot of trouble.”

---

Kurama laughed at his mother’s comment. ‘She doesn’t know the half of it...’ he thought fondly. ”You could say that,” he said, still smiling. ”A friend of mine has been teaching me martial arts on the weekends,” he said, referring to his sparring sessions with Kuwabara. ”It’s great exercise.”

Shuichi had to think a moment before responding to his mother’s next question. This one was a bit tricky... If his mother knew Hiei was living with him already, she might think it impulsive and imprudent of him. On the other hand, to respond otherwise might be cutting it too close to a lie...

”I believe he’s from town but I might be wrong. It hadn’t come into conversation yet...” Kurama responded feigning a thoughtful voice. ’I’ll have to come up with a better response than that before Saturday...’ he thought to himself. ”He lives quite close to me actually...” Kurama added in a more confident tone despite his hesitation. The questions were getting to be a bit specific... His mother’s curiosity was a good sign but the fox could feel himself getting a bit tense.

”Are you hungry mother?” he asked, noticing her untouched cup of tea. ”I can take care of the dishes while you prepare something for lunch if you’d like,” he offered, hoping to change the subject.

((Yeah, I was thinking they might want some lunch soon...))

Hiei shrugged. "It was easier than finding a decent forger." He explained flatly. "I also assumed you would try to get in my way if I didn't make the situation clear from the beginning." His tone implied that he doubted the toddlers ability to stop him if he had chosen to do otherwise, but he had decided it was not worth the energy.

Shiori found her sons answer entirely too vague but she could not pin down why. She thought of trying again but his question about lunch distracted her. "Oh my dishes!" She shook her head in dismay. "I completely forgot about them." She admitted sheepishly. "I can make us some sandwiches if you like. Shu-kun is suppose to pick up the groceries on his way home."

Koenma made a nondescript noise in the back of his throat and went back to stamping papers. Hiei was probably right but the toddler wasn't about to say so. His vision of the black-clad demon was slowly changing based on his new life changes however he kept his feelings on the matter to himself.

---

Kurama nodded, happy to have distracted his mother at least momentarily. "Sandwiches are fine," he said, unsure of whether or not he would be staying for dinner. Rising from his chair, Kurama carried his now empty teacup to the sink and donned the rubber gloves his mother had previously been using to wash the dishes. His hands were small and effeminate enough to fit inside. "How is Shu-kun?" he asked as he lathered some soap on the sponge and began thoroughly cleaning a glass he had plucked from the now cold water.

((Unless Hiei has anything else to say, I think we can drop the Reikai scene for a few posts.))

OOC I was actually wondering if we might want to skim over a bit to the end of these visits so we can get our two heroes back together sooner. I am running out of things to do with Shiori since I want to save some of her questions for when Hiei is there too.

Hiei hid his amusement behind an impassive facade as Koenma made an inarticulate sound in response to his arrogant statement. Still, he was grateful for the speed with which the toddler had agreed to a deal. If the paperwork took only a couple of hours, as the prince had claimed, then the fire demon would be home before dark. The thought brought a small smile to his face as he settled back to wait.


Shiori bustled around her kitchen and soon had the ingredients for turkey and cheese sandwiches laid out on the counter. "Oh he's doing well. He has a new girlfriend that he doesn't think I know about but as long he's home by curfew and his grades don't suffer I won't tell his father." She chuckled. It still amazed her the secrets teenagers tried to keep from their parents. Shuichi had never been much good at it either despite his skill at bending words to his will. She couldn't always tell what he had been up to but she knew when to expect trouble to follow. She had lost count of how many school uniforms her boy went through.

((Okay, I'll speed things along a bit then.))

Two hours later, George returned carrying a small portfolio. "The documents are ready sir," he said as he presented the item in his hands to the prince.

Koenma set down his stamp and accepted the object from George's hands for inspection. Removing the paperwork from the protective envelope, he quickly looked everything over for possible discrepancies. Finding none he replied, "Thank you ogre. That will be all." Taking the hint, George backed off to the far corner to await his master's bidding.

"These are all the documents you should need," he said to Hiei, indicating the portfolio without immediately handing it over. "The only remaining detail is the signature of this contract." He pushed the document he had previously drafted towards the fire demon. "Here within are the aforementioned terms we have verbally agreed upon in writing." The prince of Spirit World handed the ex-convict his pen and waited for the demon to sign.

---

Kurama smiled at Shiroi's comment on his step-brother's dating habits. 'At least he will be able to provide mother with grandchildren,' he thought to himself. The small talk turned to Kazuya and his job and soon the dishes were clean, dried, and neatly stacked in the cupboards and sandwiches waiting on the table. Shuichi gratefully ate two; his mother's cooking always pleased him. As they ate, he told her about the results of some of his tests at the lab and others that he would begin conducting in the upcoming week.

Almost without realizing it, the afternoon quickly slipped away and Kurama decided to take his leave before either of the house's other two inhabitants returned. There were also a few things he planned to take care of before returning home.

"Lunch was delicious mother," he commented as he took their plates to the sink. "I have some errands to take care of unfortunately so I should be going," he said, a bit remorseful to be ending their visit so soon. "I will be looking forward to next Saturday," he added. Taking his jacket from where he had left it on the back of his chair, Kurama gave his mother a kiss on the cheek.

Hiei took the contract and read it over carefully for any trickery but he found none. He would serve as back up for the spirit detective on cases involving demons of A class or higher. His period of service would end when he returned to living in Makai. It was written very straightforwardly without much room for the prince to ensnare him. Koenma must have known he would be wary. The fire demon finally nodded and took the proffered pen. He signed his name in a blink and pushed the completed document back towards Koenma.

"My papers." He requested flatly, holding out one hand for the packet of documents. He was more than ready to be out of the stuffy office and away from the smell of ink and onis.

Shiori listened happily to her son's voice as he discussed his work. She didn't always understand exactly what her brilliant son was doing but she liked the way his eyes lit up with excitement when he discovered something or a test had promising results. 'Shuichi has always had such a way with plants. My rose bushes haven't been the same since he moved out.' She thought fondly. She could never figure out what her son did to the flowers to make them so lovely.

All too soon the afternoon was winding down and her boy was leaving her again. She smiled sadly but his reminder about the upcoming meeting the next weekend lifted her spirits. "Of course. I can't wait." The woman agreed, accepting the kiss on her cheek and pulling her tall son into a tight hug for a few moments before turning him loose. "I love you. Be good. Okay?" She told him with a bright smile. It was the same thing she had told him everyday when he went off to school as a child. She could still remember the first time he had told her he loved her back and the memory brought a warm feeling to her heart.

OOC: I assume since you didn't mention it, Koenma didn't try anything funny. ^_^' I don't think he's that suicidal.

Koenma gratefully accepted the signed contact and placed the closed portfolio in Hiei's hands in return. "I know we haven't always been on the best of terms," he remarked, "But I'd like to think we're getting off on a better foot, so to speak." The prince smoothed a wrinkle in his tunic. "Well anyway, good luck. Hopefully we won't be seeing each other again for awhile..." he added, implying that he hoped that Hiei would keep himself out of trouble and that no A class demons would try to wreak havoc on Ningenkai.

---

Kurama held his mother gently while she hugged him tightly. He breathed in Shiori's unique scent and allowed the moment to stretch on longer than it usually would. "I love you too Mother," he said fondly, "And I will."

With that, Shuichi let himself out the front door and began walking in the direction of the bus stop. He allowed the emotions from his brief visit to filter through his mind, re-experiencing them for a moment before allowing them to dissipate. His morning had been emotionally exhausting but the redhead was satisfied with how events had turned out.

The ride back to town was uneventful and Kurama got off one stop early to pick up a few things from the local supermarket. Loaded with shopping bags, the fox walked the rest of the way to his apartment with thoughts of a certain black-haired demon on his mind.

Shiori watched from the window until her vibrant and sweet son was out of sight before she returned to the kitchen and took a seat. She rested her head on one hand thoughtfully.

“Hiei-san” She mumbled, rolling the name around in her mouth curiously. “Hmm...I wonder how you did it...” She eyed the scars on her arms from the day ages ago that had marked a turning point in her relationship with her boy. It was like that was the day he had decided to love her back because he finally understood just how far she would go in her love for him. “What did you have to sacrifice to gain his trust, ne Hiei-san?” She mused out loud to the empty house. Her son might be perfect in many ways but he was slow to trust and even slower to open up his well guarded heart. “I promise whatever it was...he’s worth it.” She smiled as she shook off the sentimental mood and went to clean up the few lunch dishes.

Hiei took the documents and listened to Koenma’s words impassively. A better foot then the first time they had met. “Hn.” Yes. He supposed this was better than his trial for stealing the three treasures (along with several counts of attempted murder). ‘That really isn’t saying much.’ He mused with one raised eyebrow.

“I will no doubt see you at my sister’s wedding.” He pointed out drily, having spotted both the Reikai prince and Botan on the guest list while his sister was trying to get him to help with the planning. “I’m staying with Kurama if you need to find me before then.” With his business completed, Hiei was gone with only a gust of wind to mark his passage through the bustling outer office and the throat-like corridor beyond.

He burst through the imposing gates and paused to enjoy the lack of walls around him before he began creating his portal back to Ningenkai. It took only a few minutes but it felt longer to the suddenly impatient fire demon. He darted through as soon as he had the portal stabilized.

The fire demon landed roughly and rolled to a stop after a couple of yards in the woods near Genkai’s temple.

‘Should have taken the extra time to prevent the disorienting effects.’ He scolded himself as he shook his head to clear it and stood gingerly. His rush to get back had resulted in a sprained ankle and he put pressure on it carefully.

The black clad demon let out a small hiss of pain but decided he could make it back to Kurama’s apartment if he didn’t try to run. He briefly considered going to his sister instead but dismissed the option almost as soon as it crossed his mind. Kurama always tended his wounds. The fox had done so for as long as they had been friends.

Annoyed with himself, Hiei began the long walk back to Kurama’s home, tucking the documents into his cloak’s inner pocket for safekeeping. He had landed near his stashed loot so he picked it up on the way and tucked it under the black fabric as well.

The cranky fire demon couldn’t travel at his usual speed so he had to resort to walking along the street level lest he get spotted traversing the rooftops. He shoved his hands in his pockets, clenched his jaw and tried not to limp as he walked. The last thing he wanted was some overly solicitous human trying to take him to a hospital.

As Hiei walked, he thought about the differences between the world he was now officially a resident of and Makai. A sprained ankle there would have been a life threatening injury and anyone approaching would have likely tried to finish him off rather than offer assistance. ‘Here it’s just annoying.’ He brooded,not sure whether he was talking about the injury or the helpful people. He scowled away another human that tried to approach, silently berating himself once more for the imprudence that had caused the injury.

He was nearly back to the fox’s apartment and he was debating how best to get in without being spotted. It wasn’t like he had a key and the balcony entrance would be slightly risky on one foot, though that was more due to the nosy neighbor than because he thought he’d fall.

His dilemma was solved as he spotted Kurama’s distinctive figure coming around a corner not far ahead of him. The fox was facing away from him and rather than call out, the fire demon chose to ignore the shooting pain in his ankle and catch up to his love. He was at the redhead’s side in a matter of moments.

Hiei’s face was even more pale than usual and his features were drawn as he tried to cover how much the movement had actually hurt. He didn’t want his fox to think he was weak after all and it wasn't as bad as other injuries he had dealt with in the past.

Still, as he fell silently into step beside the redhead, he was forced to favor the injured limb more than before and he could not help but clench his fists at his sides and let out an occasional wince as each step sent nauseating waves of pain traveling through him. He was fairly certain the long walk had aggravated the injury from a mild sprain into a much more severe one but it didn’t matter. He was a fast healer and it would be fine in a day or two even without Kurama’s help.

OOC: That's it for Shiori for now. ^_^ I'm not sure why Hiei got hurt. My brain just decided that needed to happen. lol. I'm a big meanie I guess. ^_^' Hubby and I rescued a kitten from the middle of the road this morning. Now it is living in a box in our bathroom until we can find someone to take it. lol. Oh and sorry for being long winded. I was typing this up on the computer at home to copy and paste and I got a bit carried away. ^_^'

As if by magic, Hiei suddenly appeared next to him. Kurama was so surprised by the fire demon’s sudden appearance that he nearly had to do a double take. ”Hiei!” he said, a wide smile spreading across his lips. ”I wasn’t expecting…” he began but immediately cut himself off. ”You’re hurt,” he observed almost instantly, taking in the fire demon’s unusual parlor and pronounced limp.

The redhead quickly moved all of the plastic bags to his left hand to support Hiei with his right. The combined weight of the bags was probably more than most humans could carry that way and the plastic handles bit into his flesh but the fox didn’t care. Despite his worry, Kurama refrained from pestering his partner with questions and instead steered him towards his apartment. Shuichi debated the best way to get the injured demon into the building with Machi in mind. The ningen woman was for too nosy for her own good…

Deciding that an encounter in the hallway would be more undesirable than the chance of her seeing him on his balcony, Kurama gathered energy beneath them and made the leap to his fourth story lodging easily despite Hiei’s added weight on one arm and the myriad of bags on the other. Careful not to disturb the small garden there with his extra packages, the fox led Hiei inside and gently deposited him on the couch. Letting his purchases drop haphazardly onto the floor from his other hand, Kurama knelt down next to his lover. ”How bad is it?” he asked at last as he began to remove the boot on Hiei’s injured leg.

((Aw, poor Hiei. V_V Isn't that Kurama's thing, getting hurt all the time? XP Aww! I'd totally take the kitty, if you weren't so far away. I've been thinking my cat could use a friend.))

Hiei allowed the redhead to take his arm reluctantly. From anyone else, he would have refused the assistance but Kurama was special. 'How did it take me so long to notice it?' The fire demon pondered for the hundredth time since they had begun this new stage in their relationship. He allowed his love to support some of his weight and aid with balance, as they made their way to the apartment building. The dark clad demon followed Kurama's lead and together they made the leap up to the balcony easily, with the deceptively delicate redhead's hand at his elbow to steady him so he didn't have to put his weight on his throbbing foot.

Entering the apartment, the fire demon flopped onto the couch with a sour expression. He was still angry with himself and the pain was making him doubly cranky. He crossed his arms on his chest and scowled at the injured limb as if it had purposefully been disobedient to his will.

Hiei winced as his boot pulled on the swollen ankle despite the fox's effort to be gentle. He took a moment to breathe through the sharp pain before he focused on Kurama's question and shrugged nonchalantly. "Just sprained, I think." He answered quickly, hoping to put the fox's concern to rest. He didn't want the fox asking how he had managed to injure himself, it was embarrassing to even think about his foolish mistake.

OOC: Yeah, I suppose it is. lol. Well, Hiei needed a turn I guess. ^_^ Yeah, the kitten is super cute. We're still trying to find it a home.