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Encouraged by the lack of blood, Kurama gently probed the injured limb to assess the damage. Hiei’s ankle was already quite swollen and the skin was beginning to bruise, a detail that informed the redhead that it was a recent injury. The fact that the fire demon had been able to walk on it however was a good sign. ”I think some ice and a wrap will do for now,” he said, refraining from asking the origin of the injury for now. Hiei had only just returned and Kurama didn’t want him to feel unwelcome with too many questions. His partner had previously been quite secretive about his mission besides, and Kurama was sure that he would have the details in due time if he was patient. If not he could do a bit of prying later on to see if he couldn’t fulfill his curiosity.
Rising from his crouched position, the redhead grabbed the bags from the floor to deposit them in the kitchen and returned a moment later with an ice pack and an elastic bandage. Sitting down on the couch beside his lover, he lifted Hiei’s leg into his lap and began gently but firmly wrapping up the injury. ”I can give you something for the pain if you’d like…” he offered hesitantly with certain plants in mind. Hiei wasn’t usually one to shy away from pain however and he doubted the fire demon would accept his offer. Once he finished tying off the ends of the bandage, he gently pressed the ice pack on top to help alleviate at least some of the pain and swelling. ((Hehe. I remember when he passed out during the Dark Tournament. That part was pretty cute. ^///^ Awww, poor little kitty. Is it hurt at all? Or just lost?)) |
Hiei grimaced as Kurama gently prodded the injury but showed no other sign of pain. He nodded in agreement with the fox's assessment and waited silently for the redhead to retrieve his supplies.
Hiei allowed the fox to carefully wrap up the swollen ankle in order to immobilize it. He consciously lowered his body temperature as the redhead applied an ice pack, in order to allow the ice time to work on the swelling before it melted. The fire demon shook his head at the offer of pain killers. It wasn't that bad now that he wasn't walking on it. He didn't need anything dulling his senses. Pain was how the body informed you when you had done something stupid. Circumventing that system made no sense to him. "How did your visit go?" He asked, hoping to prevent Kurama from asking further questions about his mishap. |
Feeling the slight drop in temperature of the limb propped up on his leg, Kurama smiled. ’I missed him,’ he decided looking over at the somewhat grumpy face of his boyfriend. ”It went well actually,” he said with a smile, ”Mother took it much better than I had expected.” The redhead paused for a moment, ”She wants to meet you of course,” he added, doing his best to hide the small amount of nervousness he felt regarding the future encounter.
He wasn’t so afraid of presenting his love to his mother as he was of Hiei’s conversational skills. As his mother demonstrated earlier that day, she had many questions regarding the man who had stolen her son’s heart and though he was sure Hiei would do his best, he feared any inconsistencies or other slip-ups that might arouse her suspicion. He would obviously need to speak to Hiei regarding the upcoming visit but knew it would be best to save that talk for later. |
Hiei nodded to acknowledge the redhead's words, his features relaxing somewhat as the ice numbed the aching joint. His esteem for the human female rose at the good news. It seemed that his fox's fears of rejection had been unfounded.
The next sentence was met with equal aplomb. They had already discussed the high likelihood of Shiori wanting to meet him and he was prepared. In fact, he was surprised to find himself cautiously looking forward to it. Hiei had finally given in to the emotions he had been denying for so many years and he did not do things halfway. He wanted to be part of Kurama's life and that meant accepting everything about the fox in human clothing. Meeting Shiori was symbolic somehow. It was like the fire demon was being allowed through the last of the barriers between the redhead's dual lives. Barriers that Kurama's fear and Hiei's own arrogance had allowed to come between the two demons. "When?" He asked simply. |
Kurama noticed Hiei's tense muscles begin to relax but wasn't sure whether he should attribute it to the effects of the ice or of his good news. "Saturday," the fox replied. "For lunch. I believe my stepbrother and father will be dining with us," he elaborated. The redhead wondered how his two other relations would take the news. Shuuichi was part of the younger generation and Kurama therefore hoped his brother would be more accepting of his same-sex choice of relationships. His stepfather on the other hand was more traditional but the redhead held out hope that his mother could smooth things over with him.
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Hiei nodded. One day was as good as the next. He trusted Kurama to keep him apprised of trivial human things like days of the week, at least until he got used to them. The news about meeting the rest of the redhead's human family was interesting but not cause for distress as far as the fire demon was concerned. Shiori was the key.
Hiei hesitated for a moment before pulling out the two bags of loot he had retrieved from Makai and pushing them towards the fox. "My share of the expenses for now." He explained. |
Kurama's eyes widened as Hiei extracted two fabric sacks from within his cloak. The noise of precious gems and metals sliding over one another clued him in on the contents even before he could ask or look inside. The ex-thief's ear easily appraised the worth of the valuables and Kurama's expression softened as he realized his new housemate's intent.
"Hiei... This is worth a lot in ningen currency," he said slowly. If it wasn't for Hiei's pride he probably would have outright refused the offered treasure. "We can exchange some of this for Yen," he added, "But the rest you should keep safe for now." The redhead smiled in appreciation at the fire demon's gesture though he knew they would have to go through some illegal avenues to make the necessary conversion. |
Hiei nodded but made no move to take the treasures back. They weren't really that important to him. "You can have them." He told the redhead seriously. "I have more."
Hiei hesitated for a moment before pulling out the envelope containing his new papers and holding it out to the fox as well. "I also got these." He said carefully, trying to make it sound like his decision to move to the human realm officially wasn't as difficult for him as it had actually been. "I may need you to explain some of them to me." He added reluctantly. The fire demon wasn't satisfied with the very basic information he had been able to skim from Koenma's head lackey. |
Kurama didn't the small fortune that Hiei had pushed on him but did not refuse it out of politeness and a deep understanding of his partner's pride and code of honor. The shorter demon never could stand to owe a debt...
What Hiei offered him next however made the fox more than curious. Taking the offered envelope, the redhead picked the scent of Reikai off the paper, which only served the pique his curiosity even more. After carefully pulling away the string that bound the object, he removed the contents. Passport, ID card, birth certificate, and other human identity papers spilled out into his lap. Kurama's throat constricted with emotion as he looked down at the documents that would permit Hiei to live a perfectly legal existence with him in Ningenaki. The redhead waited until he could trust his voice before responding. "I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me Hiei," he said at last. This above all things proved the fire demon's intent to stay by his love's side. Among the documents, he found one that seemed slightly out of place. Pulling the sheet of paper from the bottom of the stack, he studied the colored seal and recognized it as Koenma's personal chop. "What's this?" he asked, holidng up what appeared to be the copy of a contract. |
Hiei looked away in slight embarrassment as the redhead expressed his gratitude. Therefore the next question caught him slightly off guard. He looked back to see the redhead holding a copy of his contract with the toddler and he cursed silently. He had intended to mention that detail later but it seemed that was not to be. "The brat's new spirit detective is weaker than Yusuke was. I'll be taking care of things he cant handle while I'm here." The fire demon explained simply. He rather hoped the redhead would not read the contract and find out that was his payment for the residency papers.
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Kurama listened to Hiei's explanation for the contract. It made sense that it would be difficult to find someone as powerful and as driven as Yusuke. Though the youth had his moments, he had generally been dedicated to protecting the human race, with his girlfriend being first and foremost of course. Still, Keiko had given the Spirit Detective necessary motivation in times of need and some could say she had actually played an integral part in the success of more than one mission.
One detail in particular seemed to be lacking in Hiei's explanation however - why he had taken it upon himself to fulfill this role. It wasn't terribly hard for the fox to formulate a guess however. The Reikai-scented papers, Koenma's seal, Hiei's usual reluctance to work with the Spirit World, and Koenma's "no such thing as a free lunch" attitude easily led Kurama to the correct conclusion. The redhead wasn't thrilled about the idea of Hiei running around doing the pacifier-sucking prince's bidding. Though he had a certain understanding with the higher-ups in Reikai, Kurama couldn't say he always agreed with their methods. "Just be careful," he said unnecessarily. There were plenty of other things he could have said regarding the matter but refrained from speaking them aloud. 'Perhaps Koenma's missions will keep him from getting restless...' he thought, seeking the silver lining rather than dwelling on his worry that things were never so simple where the prince was concerned. |
Hiei nodded, pleased the redhead had not pried further into his sudden altruism. It was not important what the papers had cost him and dwelling on that would only serve to sour their evening. Casting around for something else to discuss, the fire demon remembered the job offer he had gotten from the human at Kurama's work. "That human...the one in charge of security...Did he really offer me a job?" He asked thoughtfully. It really did bother him how lax the security was for the fox's building. They had walked right in, and he had not been confronted until he tried to leave. Not to mention the pitiful level of training those guards had. He had disabled the first one on instinct alone and that was without even using his full speed. It made him concerned for his love's safety. 'Especially now that I will be working for Reikai again. That brought us many enemies last time.' He thought ruefully.
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Kurama nodded once in response to Hiei’s question. ”Yes, he was quite serious. Yamata-san is a good man. I think if you met under different circumstances you two could get along…” he said, not quite so shocked at Hiei’s mentioning the offer now that his intent to stay had been proven. Kurama silently chuckled to himself as he imagined the shorter demon making rounds in his building wearing a guard’s uniform. The idea seemed almost too ridiculous but he couldn’t deny that he rather hoped Hiei would seriously consider the position. Assuming Koenma didn’t give him too much work, Hiei would likely have a lot of free time on his hands that could be put to better use than just sitting around thinking about his dark past.
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Hiei thought over the offer again. "Would it bother you if I took the job?" He asked carefully. The redhead had kept him out of his human life for so long, Hiei was hesitant to involve himself further into any part of it without his love's permission. The last thing he wanted was to blow their human covers now that the fox had finally trusted him this much. Plus, Koenma would be a huge pain to deal with if Hiei's demonic nature caused any trouble. Still, Hiei was fairly certain he could pass among the humans as merely eccentric, rather than completely inhuman. 'But only if Kurama trusts me to do so.' He thought to himself.
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Kurama smiled, happy that Hiei seemed to be considering the job on his own. ”I rather like the idea of you working so close to me,” he said without hesitation. He couldn’t deny that the job was very convenient. If he took the position, Hiei would be able to skip the usual interview process that most jobs entailed and it was work he would be well suited too. It would also allow them to see each other quite often during the day which the fox saw as a big plus.
Part of himself cringed slightly at the thought of all of his colleagues soon discovering that he didn’t quite “swing” they way they had assumed but quickly brushed away his trepidation as he recalled Yamata’s words. Hiei was worth a lot more to him than a handful of superficial work friends. ’Poor Hana…’ he thought suddenly. The girl had held a secret crush on him for over a year now. He hoped the young woman wouldn’t take the discovery too poorly. |
Hiei relaxed as the redhead didn't hesitate in his answer. "I'll speak with him tomorrow." He said simply. He didn't want to be a security guard really but he had some ideas that he thought Yamata would be interested in. 'An alternative position of sorts.' He decided. After all he needed a job that would allow him the freedom to leave for missions without arousing suspicion. "Provided I am still permitted to walk you to work, after what happened last time." He allowed a faint self-deprecating smile to creep onto his face.
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Kurama nodded. The weekend had gone by so quickly… The fox didn’t smile at Hiei’s second statement however. ”I told you that was my fault,” the redhead said with a sigh. He still felt quite guilty about that event, though it had resulted in at least one good opportunity for them. ”Of course you can walk with me,” he said, ”And besides, I’m sure every man on security will be able to recognize you now so there shouldn’t be any trouble if they know what’s good for them.” The fox gave Hiei a sly smile.
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Hiei smirked at the redhead's words. "Yes. I guess I do have a way of making an impression on people."
The fire demon noted that the ice pack on his ankle had melted while they were talking and he reached down to remove it. The swelling was not as severe as it had been, though the flesh had turned into a mottled palette of purple, blue, and black. Still, he was fairly certain of his earlier assessment. "Hn." It would be tender but he knew he would be fine to walk on it by morning. Hiei still felt stupid for allowing the injury to happen in the first place. 'Affection can make people careless.' He decided. No matter how worthwhile his time with Kurama might be, he could not allow himself to fall into such traps. 'I will have to be more vigilant against such foolishness in the future.' |
Kurama watched as Hiei removed the melted ice pack. It looked like the swelling had gone down a bit beneath the wrap. ”I should put this back in the freezer so you can use it again later." Taking the gel pack, he gently extracted himself from beneath the fire demon’s leg. "Do you think your ankle will be okay for tomorrow?” he asked. It wouldn’t do for Hiei to walk to work with him if his ankle was still bothering him. ”I have to go to Genkai’s to meet with Yukina in the evening,” he added, reminding himself of their meeting to discuss Keiko's condition and his need to see to a bit of gardening before then.
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Hiei nodded. "It will be fine." He said confidently. "I will go with you to see Yukina as well."
The fire demon reached for the sheaf of documents and looked them over curiously. 'Identification card, passport, birth certificate, medical records...' Those made him snort. 'Tax records?' He still did not entirely understand why it took so many papers to verify who you were in the human realm. In Makai, you were who you said you were and anyone who thought otherwise had better be prepared to fight you for the right to hold that opinion. OOC: Sorry it is short. Is Kurama going to meet with Yukina after work the next day or did he mean he had to go see her tonight? |
Kurama nodded and left in the direction of the kitchen. He slid the ice pack back into the freezer before sorting through the bags that still waited to be unpacked on the table. He put the refrigerator items where they belonged and the pantry items in their designated cupboard. That finished, he balled up the plastic bags and threw them in the bin for recycling. Taking the last two items that rested on the table, he returned to the living room.
"I took the liberty of picking up a few things for you while I was out," he told Hiei, holding up a plastic-wrapped package of pajamas and another containing socks. ((Tomorrow evening. Sorry it wasn't clear, I mentioned it because we were talking about stuff for the next day. ^^;)) |
Hiei took the cellophane packages and examined them. He had never actually owned pajamas before, though he had borrowed them from Kurama many times. Memories of long, rainy nights, watching the redhead do homework or listening to him talk about whatever he was thinking, played in the fire demon's head. "Hn." He offered as his thanks for the thoughtful gesture. He stood carefully and moved towards the bedroom to change. He was cautious to keep his weight centered on his other foot and not to bend the injured ankle as he walked.
OOC You missed my edit I think. Sorry aboit that. I can fix it later to take it out. |
Kurama watched Hiei move slowly towards the bedroom with his packages. Not quite sure what his partner was up to, he chose not to follow. It was starting to get late so Shuichi decided to start dinner. Even if Hiei wasn't hungry, he could save him something for later.
((Oops, sorry. When I looked at it there was just the one line and the OOC so I thought you had finished. >.>)) |
OOC It is fine. I will just have Hiei think that instead of ask it out loud.
Hiei changed clothes quickly into his new sleepwear. He took a moment to inspect the fit and found it adequate. The soft pants and loose fitting shirt were more comfortable than his Makai clothing and they didn't have to be rolled up like Kurama's castoffs. Satisfied with his new attire, the limping demon made his way back to the couch, swinging by the laundry area on his way to throw his Makai cloak in a heap beside the washer. Settling onto the comfy couch and propping his injured limb on the cushions, Hiei let his other leg dangle. It was rather nice having a home, he decided cautiously. If he closed his eyes he could smell Kurama's makai plants and the redhead's own distinct scent amidst the more typical smells of a human dwelling. The homey smells soothed his nerves and Hiei let himself rest, secure in the knowledge that his fox was nearby and would watch his back. |
Taking out the fresh fish he had purchased at the supermarket earlier, Kurama carefully cleaned it before placing it on a sheet of tinfoil. He then covered the fish generously with lemon juice and a mixture of herbs from his garden as well as a few spices from the pantry. Satisfied with the combination of flavors, the redhead closed the foil securely around the catch and slipped it into the oven.
With preparations for the main dish complete, Kurama began on the rice and vegetables. Soon the rice cooker was set and a mixture of legumes was cut and ready to be cooked. These he transferred to a hot skillet and fried simply with a bit of oil and soy sauce to give them flavor. The entire meal took about thirty minutes to complete and after setting the table, Kurama sought out Hiei. The fire demon wasn’t hard to find. ”Dinner is ready if you’re hungry,” he said to the fire demon lounging on the couch in his new pajamas. Kurama waited to see if Hiei would join him for the meal before returning to the kitchen. |
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