The first thing that Hiei became aware of was Kurama's scent. He knew the fox was close and the thought did more to soothe his fear than he wanted to admit. Kurama would not let him remain imprisoned. The fox hadn't let him rot in jail when the Reikai authorities had captured him, so he definitely wouldn't now.

The next thing he noticed was the concern in the redhead's voice as it called out to him. 'I must look like hell.' The random thought bubbled up from the corner of his mind not consumed by his claustrophobia and he latched onto it frantically.

The feeling of strong, familiar hands shaking him, gently but insistently, made him blink his eyes open to see his fox crouching before him looking worried. It took a few seconds for Hiei to come back to himself from the dark places his mind had wandered and he processed his surroundings. He was safe. The door was open, the guards were mostly gone. Most importantly, Kurama was there.

"What took you so long?" He finally managed in a voice that was almost steady despite the way the edges of his vision flickered with blackness. He felt as exhausted as if he had summoned the Kokuryuha but the obvious lack of destruction made that theory seem decidedly unlikely. Without waiting for an answer to his sarcastic question, and secure in the knowledge that Kurama wouldn't let anything happen to him, he did the only thing he felt up to now that the adrenaline of his panic attack was ebbing away.

He slumped unconscious into his love's arms.

Yamata was waiting for Hiei to come around, hoping to have the chance to apologize for the misunderstanding. He was pleased that Minamino-san seemed to be having better luck than he had at pulling the shorter man back from wherever he had gone in his mind. However, he became exceedingly concerned as the smaller man slumped into complete unconsciousness. "Is he okay? Should I call for a doctor?" The middle aged man asked nervously, edging forward to see the collapsed young man better. He was struck by the peaceful look on the dark haired man's face. It was completely unlike the tension that had been there earlier. Yamata got the feeling that more was going on than either of the young men had let on. The way the redhead had fearlessly touched the panic stricken martial artist and the fact that the obviously mistrusting little man was able to give in to his need to rest in Minamino's arms. Yamata had seen trust like that before and it didn't come from casual friendship. He'd seen it between war comrades...and between lovers. Still, he couldn't imagine what the two men could have been through together to create such profound trust. Though Hiei was obviously well versed in fighting of some kind, the slender redhead didn't look like a soldier...which left the other possibility looking a great deal more likely.

Kurama was thankful when Hiei's eyelids finally fluttered open to reveal the crimson irises beneath. Even so, it took Hiei more than a moment to come more fully back to reality and Kurama kept his grip firm on the fire demon's shoulder during that time for reassurance. Worried brows relaxed at Hiei's sarcastic question though only for a moment before the claustrophobic demon slumped heavily in Kurama's waiting arms. "Hiei!" he called in a moment of panic before noticing the peaceful expression on his lover's face. Despite Hiei's calm, Kurama felt nothing of the sort himself. His own neglect had led Hiei to such a state panic that he had literally exhausted himself to keep from giving away his identity. All of that for him; Kurama hardly felt he deserved it at this point.

Momentarily pushing his guilt aside, Kurama forced himself to take control of the situation at hand. The least he could do to make up for his lapse would be to stay by Hiei's side until he awoke. Turning to look at Yamata, he spoke up in answer to the larger man's question, "He's just passed out," he stated in a voice that was by far more clam than his heart at the moment, "A doctor will be unnecessary but it would be wise for me to take him home." Kurama cursed the need to leave work early a second day in a row but he knew he had no one to blame but himself. Carefully lowering Hiei's unconscious form to the floor, Kurama stood and green eyes scanned the room, looking for something specific. Spotting what he had been searching for the redhead asked, "May I use the phone?" he asked, "I should inform my assistant of my absence."

Yamata wasn't sure a doctor would be a bad idea, but presumably the red haired scientist was familiar with his...friend's reactions and knew what he was talking about. He nodded quickly at Minamino's request, even going so far as to grab the phone from it's place on the table so the younger man wouldn't have to release his hold on the unconscious man he was cradling to go get it. The tenderness Yamata caught sight of when the plant specialist looked down at Hiei made the older man somewhat uncomfortable but he wasn't one to judge. The two were obviously very close and the older man was of the opinion that being happy was far more important than what anyone thought of you. "Here." He said quietly, placing the phone on the floor near the pair. "Do you have a car, Minamino-san? I would be honored if you would let me give you a ride wherever you need to take him." He offered with a sheepish smile, wanting to make up for his unwitting role in putting the dark haired man into such a state. 'It isn't your fault.' He told himself. 'This could have been avoided if the guy had just spoken up and admitted his problem.' Still the guilt lingered.

"Thank you," the words flowed smoothly from the scientist's mouth as he carefully shifted Hiei in his arms before picking up the receiver. Yamata's question interrupted him before his fingers could reach for the numerical buttons however and Kurama paused to consider the chief of security's offer. It wouldn't be a difficult matter for him to carry Hiei on his back the short distance to his apartment but the scientist reasoned that the action would likely draw more attention to the situation than necessary. "No, I don't," Kurama admitted, "A ride would be most appreciated, thank you." With that, the plant specialist dialed the number to the lab and waited patiently for his assistant to pick up on the other end, uncertain how to tell her that she would be working alone again for the second day in a row.

Hans was in the process of finishing the solution Shuichi had begun work on before being called away when the phone rang. Slipping the goggles from her hazel eyes, the young girl raced to answer the phone. The voice that answered however wasn't what she had been expecting. She listened carefully as her boss explained that a friend of his had fallen ill and, being the only one able to take care of him, would need to leave work early again. The selfless young girl thought nothing of it, "Okay Minamino-sama. I wish your friend a speedy recovery. And don't worry, I'll take care of things on this end." Hana waited for Shuichi to hang up on the other end before putting down the receiver and returning to work. There was lots to be done now that her work load had been doubled but the young woman didn't mind.

Kurama hung up the phone and handed it back to Yamata. The guilt was piling on like mud that weighed heavily upon the half-human's heart but he didn't allow it to show. Half standing, Kurama shifted Hiei to his back as he had done on other occasions in the past and turned to Yamata. "I live on block forty in building number eight," the fox was a bit leery about giving out his address but decided that it was a better than the alternative, "Thank you again for the offer." Kurama shifted the burden on his shoulders slightly as he made for the door, attempting to look as week as his fragile human frame made him seem yet at the same time capable of carrying the light male who rested unconscious on his back.

Yamata was about to offer to help carry the unconscious young man but something in the redhead's eyes told him the offer would not be welcome. He nodded in acceptance of the address, surprised the redhead had admitted that he was taking the unconscious man to his own home. Yamata could have just as easily pulled that addrress from the redhead's company file but he had thought he'd be taking the shorter man somewhere else.

'Unless....' He eyed the pair thoughtfully as they left the small room but kept his mouth shut. 'None of my business.' He thought firmly. 'I keep the building safe and secure. The lifestyle choices of the employees are not something I need to know.' He still wanted to ask though. The young redhead was the heartthrob of every woman (and some of the men) in the building and the old security captain could admit to being awfully curious if the dark haired martial artist was the reason Minamino never showed any interest in any of them. As he led the way to the company car that was set aside for emergencies, the curiosity grew even stronger and he began thinking of ways to ask without offending the young man.

Finally he opened the back door to let them get in, guessing that Minamino would want to sit with his friend. He couldn't contain it any more. "So...uh...Hiei-san lives with you, ne?" He asked, the question relatively safe since the redhead had already pretty much admitted it.

With the warmth of Hiei's body pressing against his back to distract him along with the heavy burden on his heart, Kurama didn't realize his mistake until the stocky man asked if Hiei were leaving with him and resorted to a half-lie to cover, "Yes, temporarily." The lie only made the fox feel even guiltier recalling the words he had spoken to Hiei that morning and Kurama longed to be within the confines of his apartment where he might hide from further disappointments.

Settling Hiei into the back seat of the car was a bit awkward but Kurama managed it without assistance. As he scrunched his tall frame into the back to sit next to the unconscious demon, Kurama prayed that Hiei wouldn't wake up before they reached their destination. That was all he would need to send him spiraling further into the deep pit of guilt that was already churning his stomach. The scientist's gaze shifted to look outside the window as the car began to move and he sat in silence as they rode, lost mostly in his disappointment with himself for the eventful morning.

Yamata read the distracted half truth for what it was, but refrained from further questions as he shut the door once the odd pair was settled in and then went around to the driver's seat and headed unerringly for the address he had been given. The ride was silent, though the older man longed to say something to the redhead. The poor young man looked worried and guilty every time the security captain glanced at him in the mirror. The dark haired guy had shifted to lean comfortably on the young scientist's shoulder as they rode but he showed no inclination to wake.

At last he pulled to a stop outside the apartment building and hopped out to open the car door. Spotting the strange guilty look on the redhead's face again, he cast around for something to say. "Your..um...friend must really trust you a lot." He finally said gruffly. "He doesn't strike me as the trusting sort, so you must have earned it somehow." The middle aged human smiled sheepishly. "Now, you don't have to listen to me and I apologize if I seem presumptuous or if I got the wrong idea here, but I can tell you from personal experience that trust like that is too precious to be broken over what a bunch of idiots will think of you." He thought back over his own life, to the woman he would have married if he hadn't been to much of a coward. He had given in to his mother's insistence that she was an unsuitable choice for a wife. He had lost her forever in the end by trying to hide their continuing relationship, unwilling to give her up but too afraid to go against his family's wishes. He knew he had just set himself up for trouble if he had read the young scientist and his short friend wrong, but he couldn't keep quiet and let Minamino make the same stupid mistake he had. Besides, he watched people for a living and he wasn't immodest in admitting he was pretty darn good at it.

Hiei slept on unaware; his angular face looking much younger in peaceful, exhausted sleep.

Kurama disentangled himself from Hiei's dead weight and extracted himself from the confines of the back seat when they reached the front of his apartment complex. As he stood, the guard spoke. Kurama listened impassively to what the older man had to say but was surprised by how closely the gruff man had hit home to what he was feeling. The usually well guarded fox let his expression soften in front of the observant human and his tensed body relaxed somewhat, "Thank you Yamata-san, for everything." Kurama looked deeply into those human eyes and hoped that Yamata could read the truth in his own. He hadn't been lying when he'd said that Hiei's living arrangements with him were temporary but he had been purposefully rearranging truths and regretted it now. He held the the human's gaze for a long moment before turning to duck back into the back seat to retrieve Hiei's sleeping form. Shrugging the demon onto his back, Kurama lingered a moment longer.

((I'm going to pretend Kurama knows his name from somewhere. It makes things easier that way. >.<))

OOC: That's fine. I'm sure he might know the head of security's name. It seems like a good thing to know. ^_^

Yamata smiled fondly and nodded. The younger man hadn't come out and admitted anything, but he hadn't refuted the advice either. Maybe he would take it to heart. "No need for thanks." He waved off the gratitude, as was polite though in this caswe he really meant it. His smile grew slightly sad as he climbed back into the car. "I just can't stand to see anyone making my mistakes." The last was said so softly it was nearly lost in the rumble of the engine starting, or at least it would have been so for someone with normal hearing. He brightened as he looked back at the odd pair again. "Take care of your friend and please tell him I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." His smile grew more genuine. "And tell him I might have a job for him if he's interested. I could use someone skilled like him."

Kurama smiled in turn. Though the guilt remained, Yamata's words managed to put him more at ease. He was sure the senior guard had picked up on the nature of his relationship with Hiei but seemed to respect what they had, at least enough to call Kurama's own attention to protecting it. The sad tone and quiet words were not lost upon the fox but he made no inclination to show that he had heard and stepped away from the car as it's engine revved. "I will," he called over the noise. A smile spread across the fox's face at the offer, "I can't vouch for my partner but he might be. Thank you, I'll let him know." With that, Kurama stepped away from the car and started for the main doors of the apartment complex with a new found respect for a man he had never bother to speak with in the past.

Kurama entered the building through the double doors with his load and made for the elevator, again hoping that Hiei wouldn't wake. There was no one else riding however so the ride went by fast enough and upon exiting the tiny metal box, Kurama was relieved to find the hallway also empty. He made straight for his apartment before realizing that he'd forgotten one crucial item in his coat back in the office. With no one in sight however it was an easy matter for him to pick the lock to his own apartment and enter unnoticed by the rest of the floor. Slipping his shoes off at the door, he wandered through the empty rooms and made his way to the bedroom in the back. Allowing Hiei to slide from his shoulders and onto the bed, Kurama tugged off the demon's black boots and set them on the floor before sitting down lightly on the bed next to him.

Hiei awoke a couple of hours later in his usual fashion, abruptly and completely. He did not move at first as he felt out his surroundings with his senses. He smelled Kurama and Makai plants mixed with ningen ones. 'I'm in the fox's apartment.' It disturbed him slightly that he wasn't sure how he had gotten there. 'The last thing he remembered...

He mentally cursed fluently in several Makai dialects as his embarrassing meltdown came back to him in disjointed snatches. Crimson eyes flew open and surveyed the falsely mundane room, feeling oddly comforted by the familiarity despite the self-loathing he felt at having shown his most crippling weakness to a bunch of humans... 'and to Kurama as well.' He realized as a memory of the redhead shaking him out of his panic floated from the recesses of his mind.

The bedroom door stood open and he knew the balcony doors would be unlocked as well and the thought made the small apartment seem less confining.

OOC: Short but I wanted to give you a chance to say what Kurama is doing before Hiei spots him. ^_^'

Kurama watched the demon sleep for long moments, amazed by the utterly peaceful expression on his partner's face. Eventually the temptation became too great and the redhead tugged off both his lab coat and his tie before laying down next to the sleeping demon. His eyes traced the angles of Hiei's face, the soft spikes of his hair, and the white band across his forehead. After some time he decided that just looking at the fire demon wasn't enough and he reached tentative fingers out to caress Hiei's hair. Eventually his arm grew tired of the movement and came to rest beneath his own head as he stared sadly at the precious jewel sleeping next to him.

---

When he awoke some time later, Kurama couldn't recall dozing off. Bright green eyes took in the sight of the dark demon still sleeping beside him for a moment before carefully pushing himself up off of the bed. Wandering into the kitchen for a drink, the redhead poured himself the last of the apple juice and carried the glass out onto the balcony, leaving the door open behind him. Leaning his forearms against the railing, Kurama allowed the cool sensation of the wind to wash over him, tugging at his hair and refreshing his senses. Dark clouds rolled quickly by overhead and the smell of rain was in the air.

It took Hiei only a moment to notice he was alone in the room. He reached out with his jagan as he sat up slowly and slipped into his boots. He could feel the redhead's presence and tracked it out onto the balcony, braving the impending rain to join his fox at the railing. He said nothing, waiting for Kurama to speak first. Hiei didn't want to discuss the relatively new depth his fear of confinement had reached, but he would tell the redhead if he asked. The crippling fear was an intolerable weakness as far as the half koorime was concerned but he trusted Kurama to know his weaknesses, even if he didn't like letting the fox see them.

Kurama heard the rustle of fabric as Hiei approached from behind but didn't turn his head to look at the demon beside him as he took up a place at the railing. The rustle of leaves sounded noisily on every side as gusts of wind buffeted the apartment building. The redhead continued to stare silently off into the distance, afraid to speak. Eventually the stormy silence became unbearable and Kurama decided to confess the guilt that was crushing his heart. Staring straight ahead he said, "What happened this morning was my fault. You suffered because of my negligence, I'm so sorry Hiei." The fox couldn't hide the pain in his voice and in fact didn't even try. He hoped that Hiei might find it to forgive him despite the fact that he he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Hiei blinked at the sudden apology, stunned into silence for a moment. "Hn. Baka Kitsune." He finally muttered with an odd fondness. "My..." He struggled for a suitable word or phrase to describe his crushing phobia, finally giving up on finding one he liked and settling for one he hated less than some of the others. "My issues with confinement have nothing to do with you. It was my own fault for letting those fools lock me in that room." He shuddered as the memories washed over him again.

The fire demon hastily changed the subject, conflicted between hoping Kurama would care enough to ask him what had caused his claustrophobia to go from the minor inconvenience of ten years ago, to the crippling, panic attack-inducing terror that he'd shown today; and almost equally hoping the fox would not ever mention the embarrassing incident again. "So am I banned from walking you to work now?" The question was asked flatly. He wouldn't have blamed the security team from barring him from the building. "I may have dislocated that human's shoulder..." He admitted with neither regret nor pride. He fully expected that the redhead wouldn't want him having further interaction with his human coworkers after the scene he had caused anyway.

Surprised by the endearing tone in Hiei's voice rather than the angry one he expected, Kurama turned to face the shorter demon. The wind whipped red streaks of hair across his face but he paid them no heed. Hiei's mane also ruffled in the breeze as Kurama stared into those deep red eyes and tried to think of a situation that could have caused what was once discomfort to turn to paranoia. He could not invent one however and decided he would have to turn to Hiei to fill in the blanks. The redhead framed the question in his mind and was about to ask it when Hiei abruptly changed the subject. In response to Hiei's question Kurama replied, "No, though it might be best if you don't enter the building, unless you want to work there that is. The chief of security has offered you a job." Kurama allowed himself a brief smile, "He was quite impressed by the way you dealt with his guard." The taller male watched his partner's face intently, uncertain of how the shorter demon might react to the news.

"Hn." The noise held enough humor to almost qualify as a laugh. "It was hardly impressive. The pretentious fool over reached his balance grabbing for me, it was a simple matter to subdue him after that." Derision for the incompetent human guard dripped from his voice. He discarded the idea of accepting the job offer almost immediately but a small part of him held onto the thought for later. It bothered him that the redhead's place of business was so poorly defended and he set about thinking of ways to remedy that problem...preferably ways that did not involve him taking Yamata up on his offer.

Having nothing else to say, Hiei went back to staring out across the gray city. It was probably close to midday but he was loathe to make the trip out to the temple in the storm that was clearly imminent. He sent a telepathic message directly to his sister, his jagan glowing through the headband for a moment as he used it to bridge the distance between them. 'Delayed by the storm. Be there once it ends.' Feeling the gentle Koorime accept the message without any sign of distress at his delay, he felt a bit better and started to relax.

OOC: lol, leaving a perfect opening for Kurama to pounce him with uncomfortable questions...should the redhead so desire. lol

Kurama withheld from commenting on Hiei's rendition of the human guard's mistake and turned to face the wind once more. It was customary of Hiei to focus on the weakness of humans rather than their strengths. The redhead was not surprised by the way Hiei had pushed the offer aside, neither accepting nor rejecting the job. Hiei's speech pattern often seemed to be that of avoidance and Kurama had wished on more than one occasion that he could read the fire demon's cryptic thoughts. Without a Jagan of his own, the task was often difficult but the fox stood more of a chance than anyone at guessing the inner workings of Hiei's mind.

Kurama felt a twinge of energy from the demon beside him and easily guessed what Hiei was doing. Despite the morning's events he had not forgotten Hiei's engagement with his sister and planned on accompanying him to the temple. It seemed the storm would delay them however as the clouds continued to darken overhead. 'My plants could use the rain.' Kurama took in the moist scent of immanent rainfall that was mixed with the familiar scent of a few of the Makai plants beside him. There was something about his time spent in Makai that Hiei wasn't telling him and the fox wanted to know. "Please Hiei, I'd like to know the reason for your neurosis."

((The last line sounds kinda lame I think. Sorry!))

Hiei immediately tensed at the soft spoken request. He mentally cursed himself for not working harder on his distraction, but in his heart he knew it would have merely delayed the inevitable. The fox was tenacious in his need to know everything, especially when someone did not wish to tell. He fought back the urge to sigh and blurred back inside the apartment as the first raindrops hit the small jungle on the balcony. He cursed Kurama's timing, since he knew the redhead was perfectly aware that he would be reluctant to leave the shelter of the apartment during the storm. Hiei and rain were not something that mixed well. In a flicker, he had seated himself on the comfortable couch and sat waiting for the redhead to figure out where he had gone, taking the brief time to think of what to say.

((Gasp! Le suspense me tue... >.<))

As Hiei's image blurred away, Kurama failed to detect the direction of the fire demon's flight. He stood at the railing for a moment longer as the rain began to drip down from the sky and sought the speedy demon's familiar energy signature. He hadn't expected to find it coming from the room behind him but was pleased that that was the case. The fox lingered on the balcony a minute longer before heading inside. Raindrops glistened in his scarlet hair as he pulled the balcony door half shut and approached the shadow that had seated himself on the couch. Kurama chose the chair for himself to give Hiei some space and made himself comfortable before tuning his gaze expectantly to the other man in the room. Hiei's actions had told the fox that he would willing to offer an explanation to appease his partner's concerned curiosity.

Hiei steeled himself for a discussion he was not entirely ready to have. He had already decided that he would not keep secrets from Kurama so it was only a matter of time before the topic of his increased claustrophobia came up but his episode had obviously forced the issue. 'It's for the best. The fox should know how screwed up I am before we take this relationship any farther. Now, while he still has the option to back out.' He ignored the little voice that insisted the fox wouldn't leave him over the indignity he was about to reveal and cast a glance up as the redhead settled himself in the chair. The fire demon was grateful for the space, just as he appreciated the half open door. It was going to be difficult enough to have this discussion without feeling boxed in.

Casting his crimson gaze down at the floor, he started talking. "It was about five years ago." He said quietly, knowing the fox could hear him well enough regardless. "I had grown overly confident in my own strength and in my position as head of the border patrols. I often went out alone and I hadn't run into anything I couldn't handle. S class demons do not usually bother trying to cross into the human world." He frowned. "I came across an unfamiliar type of demon. I should have been more cautious but I was confident his power level was too low to threaten me." He grimaced at his own foolishness. "He had the ability to suppress demons of the elemental subtype. With my dual heritage he knocked me unconscious before I could get anywhere near him."

He took a deep breath and pressed on. "When he let me wake up, I was in an underground room so heavily warded even the slightest movement brought pain." He paused as the memory of that first moment of awareness washed over him, temporarily stealing his voice. "He...he left the lights on once he realized the walls bothered me more than the darkness." Shaking his head the dark haired demon moved on quickly. "He hadn't been trying to cross the border. He intended to capture me from the start."

"I was there for six months before my patrols were able to locate me." Red eyes were glazed as he relived the many torments he had endured during those months. "I...he..." The half Koorime shook his head, unable to speak further on those subjects. "It was...unpleasant." He finally managed to whisper, trembling as his mind locked on to some of his sadistic captor's more vicious moments and replayed them in vivid detail. The extreme understatement in his word choice was obvious as he struggled to shove the emotions and memories from that time period back where he usually kept them; so deep in his subconscious they could only rise up to plague him during his bouts of crippling panic inducing claustrophobia.

Hiei closed his eyes and waited for the rejection he suspected would come. He had pulled his feet up in front of himself on the cushion and wrapped both arms around them, unaware and uncaring that the pose made him look rather childlike and vulnerable. He knew he was hopelessly broken and fairly worthless, and Kurama would be better off giving up on him and finding someone more worthy of his attention. It was just going to hurt like hell to hear the fox say it.

OOC: It isn't quite the same as my first version but it's as close as I can get it. *shrugs*

((That's alright, it looks really good to me. ^_^))

Kurama listened intently as the story began. It wasn't often that he was able to get Hiei to speak at such length and he was extremely curious as to how the fire demon had spent his time in Makai since his departure from the human world. As Hiei spoke, Kurama turned his own gaze to the floor and sight gave way to imagination as he envisioned what the demon reluctantly described. The fox looked up when Hiei paused and noticed the faraway expression on his face. He remained patient as the other male struggled to find his voice before continuing. Kurama's brow furrowed when Hiei mentioned that the strange demon had sought him out specifically. It was natural for demons to hold a grudge but the way Hiei described it, he had never met the demon before. This detail bothered him greatly but not as much as the words to come would.

When Hiei mentioned the duration of his confinement, Kurama's mind reeled. 'Six months...' The fox couldn't begin to imagine the torture the dark demon had been forced to endure during such a length of time. As Hiei folded in upon himself, Kurama's heart longed to reach out and warm the fiery demon's icy one. Uncrossing his legs, the tall human moved over to sit on the couch next to the one he loved. Wrapping a steady arm around the trembling demon's shoulders, he gently coaxed Hiei to lean against his shoulder and held him loosely, not wanting to add to the suffocation he had already forced his love to relive. The pained expression on Hiei's face made him feel guilty but morbid curiosity egged him on. One question in particular formed on his lips and he couldn't prevent himself from speaking it aloud. "For what reason could he possibly have wanted to keep you for such a length of time? Why not just kill..." The fox could understand torture but six months seemed excessive for all but the most twisted demons. What Kurama's mind failed to find was motive and the mystery bothered him.

Hiei was only peripherally aware of Kurama holding him but the gentle touch helped to drive away the images that plagued him. The fox's question brought them all rushing back but Hiei managed to choke out an answer. "He...was a collector..." He said, so low it would have been almost inaudible to human ears, even as close as the pair was sitting. "He told me...I was the masterpiece of his collection. Nothing is rarer than the Forbidden Child."

Hiei had never before spoken of his time in that cell, not even to those who had found him in it. "He left me alone for days at a time, though days had lost all meaning to me, and the closeness of the room nearly drove me mad..." His eyes were glazed again and his voice carried a note of detachment, obviously too lost in his memories to even realize he was still speaking out loud. "But it was worse when he was there. Much worse." He shivered but the comforting arm around him did much to dispel the phantom memory of other, less gentle hands.

Hiei did not like to be touched, as a general rule he never had. It was a rule he could stand to break for only a handful of people before he had been kept as a toy by an insane demon. The list had grown considerably shorter after he was rescued. Kurama and Yukina were two of the very few people in the three worlds with whom he felt safe enough to allow physical contact and even then it made him nervous. Anyone else trying to hold him as Kurama was doing would have found themselves severely injured the minute they attempted it, but the fox was not trapping him...the embrace was loose and he could leave through the open balcony door any time he wanted to. Those factors combined with his deep affection for the redhead to keep him rooted to his place like one of the fox's plants.

He had reached his limit. He couldn't speak of it anymore but he still sort of wanted the fox to know...to really understand so the curious demon would know never to mention it again. Hiei reached a shaking hand up and pulled the white cloth away from the jagan. Closing his normal eyes wearily, the third eye opened and he did the only thing he could think of...

He showed Kurama what he could not tell him.

Not everything mind you. He would not heap his months of horror on the redhead, no matter how nosy Kurama might be. The fox was only prying because he cared and he didn't deserve to be punished for it. Hiei would not wish his experiences on anyone; except maybe the one who had inflicted them upon him. He showed flashes of his long days: feeling the room close in; forcing himself to move around despite the agony it caused, just to distract himself from the terror of his trapped state for a few minutes or, if he was really lucky, to make himself pass out. Shuffled in were the memories he could not begin to put into words: savage beatings to punish him when he was caught trying to escape his cell and much worse things that happened when his captor decided to 'reward him' for various reasons; mostly fabricated excuses for what the demon really wanted. He was careful to keep the memories to images only. He would not make Kurama feel as he did when he thought of them.

Exhausted, Hiei let his head fall onto his knees as the jagan eye closed. The painful memories were hastily shoved back into the depths of his mind to rot and fester; so he could deal with Kurama's reaction, much as he didn't really want to face the fox after what he had just shown him. Hiei was not a coward though, so he took a deep breath and raised his head to meet the redhead's green eyes with his weary red ones.

OOC: That's a really serious PG-13 but I think it's safe enough. Wonder if I should request a mod to read it over just in case... O_o' What do you think?

Kurama nodded to himself when Hiei revealed the vital piece of information his analytical mind sought. He had heard of collectors and even witnessed the end of one firsthand. The fox listened as the fire demon continued though the glazed look in Hiei's eyes told him that he was no longer speaking for his benefit; it was as if the memories were speaking for themselves. As the shadow folded up beside him shivered, the vibrations of the moment swept up his own arm and Kurama resisted the urge to tighten his grasp. He wished he could dispell all of Hiei's bad memories and the fear that they caused but knew he could not and that knowledge frustrated him.

The fox watched Hiei's unsteady hand reach up to reveal his third eye and braced himself for what he guessed was to come. At first the images were what he would have expected, confined solitude, the feeling of suffocation that accompanied prolonged imprisonment, and the fire demon's attempts to break free. The beatings were to be expected as well but the images that followed made his stomach churn and left a nasty taste in his mouth. Anger rose up inside of him. Torukane almost seemed a saint in comparison to what Hiei's captor had put him through.

Just as he was beginning to think he'd had enough, Hiei's psyche separated from his own leaving Kurama feeling almost winded by the emotions that followed. He regretted dredging those memories to the surface but at the same time was glad that Hiei had shared them with him. It certainly explained Hiei's reluctance the evening prior and would be worth knowing in furthering their relationship. Kurama felt Hiei's gaze upon him and emerald irises locked onto the pale face beside him.

"Oh Hiei..." was all he could manage at first as he searched for the right words to say. Kurama suddenly felt very angry with himself for not being there when his partner had needed him the most but the only thing that showed on his face was sadness. The redhead reached his hand up to caress Hiei's face with the gentlest of touches, "True love waits," he said, his voice as gentle as his touch, "I will never force you."

Hiei shuddered at the gentle touch on his cheek and a ghost of his usual smirk found it's way onto his face as he finally managed to push the memories completely back into their box in his mind. He leaned into the slender hand and let his eyes slip closed. "Hn. I know that." His tone was dry, as if what Kurama had said was totally unnecessary, which in a way it was, though it was still nice to hear it said. "I would never have started this if I had thought otherwise." He gestured vaguely between them, the word 'this' meaning the relationship they were trying out. The fire demon finally noticed his defensive posture and forced himself to unfurl from the tight ball he had become. He leaned sideways hesitantly until he was resting against the redhead, basking in the smell that was uniquely Kurama.

"He's dead." Hiei said after a moment, lest the vicious fox start planning some elaborate revenge. He could still see the demon's crazed grin as several of Hiei's best officers cut him down ruthlessly, on the fire demon's rasped orders. The fire demon's only regret was that he had been unable to do it himself. He had burned the mangled remains to ash after the anti-elemental was dead, despite the fact that in his weakened condition at the time the black dragon might well have turned on him. He had needed to do it and he had passed out, supported by the arms of two of his most trusted officers, satisfied that his tormentor was completely obliterated from the world. It was the only thing that let him sleep at all for several years after the incident.