Kurama quickly washed and dried the dishes before returning each item to it's designated spot. It took some time to clean the roasting pan but Kurama didn't sacrifice thoroughness for speed. In the end he poured the small amount of sake left in the jar down the drain and stored what remained of the bottle in a cupboard. Once satisfied that everything was put away and the kitchen was spic and span, the redhead doused the kitchen light and walked through the darkened apartment to his bedroom.

Nighttime thoughts invaded his mind as he entered his sleeping quarters but he pushed them aside telling himself thoroughly that that wasn't going to be the only thing their relationship was about. Still, it was impossible to deny that he was attracted to the demon and Hiei's confession likewise had opened up his mind to the possibilities he had been unwilling to explore before. They had plenty of time however to grow accustomed to the changes in their relationship before adding anything more to the mix.

Kurama smiled Hiei as he walked past the bed on his way to the closet to fetch a pair of pajamas before exiting the room once more to brush his teeth and dress for bed. Once finished with his nightly routine, Kurama reentered the bedroom clad in a tee shirt and simple cotton pants. Posing one knee on the bed, he leaned over to kiss Hiei's cheek and whisper a hushed "I love you" before settling down on the side of the bed that had been left for him.

((Ten pages! \X/()()+!))

Hiei eyed the redhead as he reentered the dark room in his sleeping clothes. He was glad the fox's choice of sleepwear was modest, though his mind supplied numerous images that were much less so, as he watched Kurama approach. He hoped the redhead couldn't feel the elevated temperature of his skin as he fought to keep his thoughts under control. Seeing the fox crawling towards him across the bed was incredibly appealing and he froze as the fox kissed his cheek, to keep himself from reaching out and turning the goodnight kiss into something more.

The fox's soft declaration of love melted the fire demon's immobility and a small smile slipped onto his face. "Hn." He replied affectionately. Finally allowing himself to relax back into the head board, he pulled his knee up towards his chest and let his eyes slip closed as sleep claimed him.

Kurama lay awake unconsciously listening to the rhythm of Hiei's soft breathing as he let thoughts of their eventful first day together for the first time in ten years roam through his mind. Eventually however, he too fell prey to exhaustion and drifted into a light sleep.

Waking to darkness, Kurama glanced at the fluorescent green of his digital alarm clock. It was early yet. The fox rested his head back against the pillow and willed sleep to come but it would not. Carefully shifting his position, Kurama studied the black shadow that sat in bed beside him. It felt incredibly surreal that the demon who had been missing to him for so long was merely inches away and he longed to reach out and touch him as if to confirm that he wasn't merely dreaming. Kurama forced the urge away knowing that the gesture would surely wake the sleeping demon.

Eventually sleep came, this time deeper and more restful, and when he woke again he found himself nestled closely next to Hiei. Apparently his subconscious had perused his waking desire to touch the demon. Kurama tried very carefully to slip undetected from the mattress and disengaged his alarm clock before the noise could wake the sleeping demon. He dressed quickly in the darkness of early morning and exited the bedroom to finish his morning preparations.

Hiei woke only once during the night, as Kurama snuggled up to him in his sleep. The dark haired demon draped his bandaged arm over the fox and absentmindedly rubbed his hand over the impossibly red hair. He sat for long moments watching the sleeping demon before he closed his eyes again, adjusting to the presence of the fox pressed against his side and half draped across him. He fell asleep utterly content.

Hiei's eyes opened as soon as the redhead left the room. Kurama's stealthy movements had awakened him the instant the fox had awoken, but he had remained still as he surreptitiously watched the fox dress. 'It was worth the small deception.' He decided as he stood and removed the oversized shirt he had slept in. Quickly putting his cloak on and hiding his sword beneath it, he made his way out of the room in search of the fox.

((Aw, they're so cuddly! ^_^))

Using an elastic band, Kurama tied his hair back with a flick of his wrist before turning on the hot water. He washed the sleep from his face and pressed it dry with a towel. After freeing his wild hair, the half-demon took a brush to the snarly mane. It took him a few minutes but when he exited the bathroom his red hair had been reformed and it's natural sheen restored. He paused when he felt Hiei's energy nearby and peering through the darkness caught Hiei lurking nearby. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Hiei shrugged. "It's fine." He eyed the fox's appearance. 'It's no wonder women throw themselves at him.' He mused, a spark of jealousy and pride glowing in his heart as he realized the fox didn't care what those silly humans thought. "I could walk you to work." He offered. "If you don't mind your ningen coworkers seeing us together." He looked away at that, still uncertain about how public the redhead would want their relationship to be. Humans were not as accepting of gay relationships as demons tended to be. He didn't want the fox to have any trouble at work over him.

Kurama perceived the hesitation in Hiei's eyes as he looked away. The look of doubt he read there bothered him. In a sudden movement, Kurama placed himself in front of the shorter demon and using a finger lifted Hiei's face to meet his own steady gaze, "I will not be ashamed to be seen with you," he said forcefully. He slowly searched within those crimson depths for confirmation that the fire demon understood him perfectly before letting go of his chin. Then with a more gentle tone he added, "I'd like it if you would accompany me Hiei."

Hiei held his breath as the fox moved his head so their eyes met. The redhead's words washed away his momentary doubts. The fox had said much the same thing the night before but Hiei found it hard to believe. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kurama, it was that he couldn't comprehend anyone caring that much for him. "Hn." He managed to grunt an acknowledgment. He blurred out of the redhead's gentle grasp and retrieved his boots. He was back in front of the taller demon in mere seconds, fully dressed and ready to go. "You should eat breakfast." He said flatly. He wouldn't be around at lunch time to make sure Kurama ate something, so he was going to make sure the fox ate before they went their separate ways for the day.

Kurama sighed when Hiei blurred away. He was glad that Hiei was taking precautions to protect his human profile but it was difficult for Kurama to watch Hiei beat himself up over the preliminary challenges in their relationship. When Hiei returned dressed in his own clothes and obviously ready to leave, the redhead turned and started towards the hallway to put on his own shoes and coat. He didn't bother to turn around as Hiei reminded him of the first meal of the day. "I'll buy something on the way," he said, waving his hand dismissively. In the entryway he slipped his feet into the black dress shoes and shrugged on his coat before exiting through the door and locking it behind them.

OOC: *looks at Zig's avi* *nosebleed*

Hiei followed the fox silently, like the shadow his name implied. He waited with his arms crossed as the redhead locked the door. He didn't like the long, narrow hallway with it's many doors and no windows. It made his breathing start to quicken and his temperature fluctuate with the urge to blast a hole in the nearest wall. He controlled his reactions through force of will. There was a reason his claustrophobia wasn't common knowledge after all, but resolved to take the balcony exit whenever possible.

Kurama lead the way through the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door. Their exit went surprisingly smooth and Kurama rationalized that Machi either be too nervous to approach them after the previous night's encounter or was at that very moment telling all of the neighbors about Shuichi Minamino's boyfriend.

Outside the air was crisp and cool but not unpleasant. The sky was beginning to lighten but clouds had settled in overnight and it wasn't likely that the weather would be as nice as the day before. The redhead remained silent as they began the short walk to his workplace. Though he said nothing, he did enjoy the company. Rather than joining in the brisk pace of the small crowd in rushing to work, he walked slowly and focused on the warmth he was picking up from the demon beside him.

On the second block, Kurama stopped at a tiny street stand that sold a small selection of breakfast foods to go. Kurama waited for the customer before him to finish his order before approaching the man inside the stand, "Ohayou, two sweet rolls please." He handed over the requested sum and took the food that was offered in exchange. As he handed one of them to Hiei, the man said something about "little brother" but Kurama just pretended not to hear and kept walking.

"That's a sweet roll," he explained to Hiei, "Try it, if you don't care for it I'll have yours too." The redhead licked off a bit of the clear glaze before taking a bite of his own doughy pastry. "Mmm," he said with a smile before looking down to see how Hiei was doing with his own.

Hiei walked beside the redhead but did not try to touch him, though he noted many of the humans they passed giving the fox appraising stares. They all backed off when they met his cold stare so he was able to control his instinct to demonstrate his claim on Kurama more physically. Demon instincts were sometimes....very inconvenient.

The fire demon scowled as his sharp ears picked up the shop keeper's comment. However, before he could respond to it, Kurama had handed him a pastry, distracting him with the explanation of what it was. He hesitantly tasted the sticky concoction, his eyes widening in pleasure. By the time the fox had taken a bite and looked back at him, the bun was gone. Leaving only sticky fingers that the little fire demon was fastidiously licking clean.

Kurama had to do a double take to realize that Hiei's roll was gone and that it had in fact found it's way into Hiei's greedy stomach. He chuckled loudly, drawing more than one stare from a the group passing them on the right. "So much for eating your share!" he said, both serious and joking at the same time before setting to work on finishing his own pastry before Hiei could pilfer it. He wondered if the fire demon might not insist on accompanying him to work every day just to get his hands on the sticky treat. After a few blocks they turned and began walking on the road perpendicular to the one they had been following. Off in the distance he could see the tall form of the lab and found himself wishing it were further away.

Hiei watched Kurama with well concealed longing as the fox finished his pastry. He couldn't decide which was more appealing, the sweet treat, or the redhead eating it. At last it was gone and he regained his ability to think clearly. "Next time I want two." He said firmly, arms crossed and ready to defend against any argument the fox might have.

He eyed the buildings as they walked. The massive constructions of glass and metal rose all around them, so different from buildings in the Makai. It made him itch for the familiarity of his homeland. However, catching a glimpse of their reflections in one of the windows they passed, he was caught by the beauty of his companion. He was a dark smudge next to the redhead's vibrancy and he once again wondered what in the three worlds the fox saw in him to love. Still, as he tore his eyes away from the pale reflections and eyed the beautiful creature that had agreed to consider being his, he felt the home sickness fade away.

'I could do it.' He mused, astounded at the feeling of love that grew to replace his longing for his world. 'I could stay here, if he was with me.' He wasn't sure how he felt about the new revelation. Kurama would make the human world bearable but would the fox be enough. Hiei didn't know the answer to that and he shelved the thoughts for later. 'I don't have to decide right away.'

((Great. I stayed up late just to make this post and the stupid thing got lost on me. Sorry if this second rendition is ****. I'm so not a happy person right now.))

Unaware of Hiei's thoughts, Kurama continued to lead them to their destination rather unwillingly. It was unlike him not to be excited by the prospect of scientific discovery but today he found that he'd rather study a certain individual instead. 'Hiei has other obligations as well...' Shuichi reminded himself. It would not do for him to shirk his duties a second day in a row. Kurama hoped that once the two parted ways and he donned his lab coat that he would be able to focus on the job at hand and that the work day would pass quickly. Soon enough the couple reached the main entrance to the lab complex and Kurama paused, unsure of whether or not Hiei would want to accompany him up the stairwell to the plant biology section where he spent most of his time. "This is where I work," he said, motioning to the tall building before them, "I run studies on ninegen plants," he explained, realizing that he hadn't yet told the fire demon what he did for a living.

Hiei studied the tall building critically. His trained eyes marked every flaw in the security, every structural detail. "Hn." He acknowledged the redhead's profession with a grunt. It was hardly surprising that the fox had found a human way to pursue his passion for plants.

The fire demon knew he should go but he was reluctant to leave the redhead. "Can I walk you up?" The request spilled from his lips before he could really think it through and he fought the urge to grimace. 'I just voluntarily asked to enter a building full of ningens and play nice...what in the three worlds was I thinking?' Still, the words were said and he would not be a coward and take them back. He consoled himself with the knowledge that he would know precisely where the fox was should he need to find him quickly, ignoring the sly little voice that pointed out he could do that anyway with the jagan. 'Shut up.' He snarled mentally at the exceedingly annoying voice of reason he had developed. 'It will be a good test of my skills at subterfuge.' He told the little voice stiffly.

OOC: Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I had to cook supper once I got home from class and then I watched the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. ^_^' It's pretty good for fake anime.

Kurama took Hiei's grunt to mean indifference and stood silently, pretending to study the structure before him while he was really debating how to say their first goodbye. They had spent the entire evening together and the fox was now finding it difficult to contemplate their parting. Though he knew that Hiei would be staying for the wedding, it wasn't easy to push away the irrational fear that the flighty demon might disappear again, and without a Jagan of his own, it would be difficult to find him.

He was sparred their parting for a few more minutes however since Hiei asked to accompany him inside. The red-haired male merely nodded in response and lead the way through the double set of doors. He steered them to the left and opened the door to the stairwell with a click. He had never been very fond of elevators and almost always used the stairs. Their climb came to an end upon reaching the sixth floor landing where Kurama opened the door and allowed Hiei to pass through before following him out into the sterile hallway.

"Here we are," he stated simply, motioning to the hallway with it's numerous doors on the left and set of windows on the right. During the course of a day he would spend at least a short amount of time in each of the rooms though most often he did most tests from the largest lab room. He was hesitant to show Hiei around however due both to time constraints and the questions the cloaked male's presence might arouse. "I should get started," Shiuchi said with a bit of a grimace, "Give Yukina my regards." Although he said this, Kurama lingered in the hallway, unwilling to part ways with Hiei.

OOC: Not going to bring any coworkers in? I would have thought Hiei would need a visitor's pass from the front desk or something. lol. It'd be funny if he got in trouble while trying to leave for not having one.... :twisted: In fact, if it's okay with you, I might have to do that. ^_^'

Hiei was somewhat relieved when the redhead took the stairs. He had spotted the bank of elevators as they entered and knew from experience that the windowless metal boxes would have been an incredibly unpleasant experience for him. Upon reaching the six floor, he followed the fox out into the sterile hallway. He found the view from the large windows quite soothing after the enclosed stairway.

Kurama's words washed over him and pulled his attention from the windows. He nodded in understanding. Humans were expected to keep a certain schedule of work or they would get in trouble with their bosses. He understood the concept of clocks and could even read one if he needed to, though he had never bothered to acquire a watch during his previous time in the human realm. 'If I stay here I may need to remedy that. It would be wise to learn to function on Kurama's human schedule.'

"When will you be finished here?" He asked quietly. "I can meet you."

Kurama was very pleased when Hiei offered to meet him at the end of the work day. "Four o'clock," he responded automatically, wondering if his long evenings in the lab would be over now that he had something more interesting to occupy him. Hearing a loud ding at the end of the hallway, Kurama turned to see a coworker step out of the elevator, a coffee cup in hand. As he approached, Kurama noted the badge clipped to the man's lab coat and remembered his own tag abandoned in the right pocket of his jacket. Normally the front desk attendant would have chided him for not wearing it but she had been occupied that morning, allowing the two of them to slip past undetected. He wondered if Hiei might not have trouble exiting the building but decided that they would seek him out if there were any problems.

As the man with the coffee passed by on the way to this own post, he spared a glance at the oddly-dressed man that stood with the plant specialist. He said nothing more than a quick good morning however and Kurama offered him a nod in return. The redhead watched the man's back until he turned the corner then bent down to give Hiei a quick peck on the cheek before straightening. "I'll see you later then," he offered before turning away from the short demon and entering the nearest door. Once inside, Shuichi reached a hand inside of his pocket to retrieve his badge and clipped it on his lab coat before swapping it with his jacket. "Good morning Hana-san," he greeted his assistant who was already hard at work. Hana turned and smiled when she heard Shuichi step inside, "Good morning Minamino-sama!" she responded brightly, "I'm glad to see you feeling much better."

Hiei acknowledged the answer with a nod, and resigned himself to getting a watch before the end of the day so he would know when four o'clock came around. The elevator chime set him on edge and his hand twitched almost imperceptibly towards his concealed sword before he realized what it was. The fire demon watched the human go by with an mild glare to hurry the man on his way. Kurama's quick kiss caused Hiei's insides to flutter and he he merely grunted his goodbye as the redhead ducked through a door.

Turning to head down the stairs, Hiei kept to a human pace, taking the time to consider the possible implications of his new relationship with Kurama further. He was lost in thought as he exited the stairwell on the ground floor and started across the lobby. "Hey!" A voice broke through his reverie as he felt someone closing in from behind him. Instincts came into play as he turned and caught the large hand that had been reaching to grab him. In a moment the security guard was flat on his face, his arm twisted painfully behind him. Hiei reigned himself in as he realized the guard was unarmed and human. The secretary at the nearby desk looked terrified and had her phone to her ear, frantically calling for more security.

'Damn.' He fought back a sigh and did something that went against everything he'd ever learned. He let his attacker go and backed away with his hands tucked behind his back. 'I can't fight here.' He scowled sullenly at the uniformed man as the human angrily shoved himself to his feet. 'Kurama will get in trouble.'

"What the..." The man was furious at having been thrown around like a rag doll by such a small person. He reached out to grab the oddly dressed boy by the arm but thought better of it as the little weirdo glared at him. He had never seen eyes that cold and he was suddenly rather nervous.

Hiei was pleased that the human did not attack him again. He wasn't sure what to do about the stand off he now found himself in. 'I can't fight this pitiful human...but I will not let him touch me either.' Hiei was keenly aware of more guards pouring into the lobby and realized he had no choice if he wanted to ever walk the fox to work again. As much as it galled him to do it, he raised his hands in front of him and surrendered silently.

The new guards encircled him and led him to a small room off of the lobby. They did not try to touch him after the first guard warned them off, still rubbing his arm and glaring nervously at the dark haired intruder. One of the newly arrived guards, obviously the leader, introduced himself as Yamata and directed the volatile young man to sit down.

Hiei defiantly stood and leaned against the wall instead.

"Who are you? What is your business here?" Yamata demanded.

"My name is Hiei." He answered boredly, seeing no reason not to tell them. "I..." He hesitated, showing uncertainty for the first time. "Shuuichi Minamino." He said simply. "Ask him who I am." He shrugged and studiously ignored the human's continued questions. Hiei focused instead on keeping his breathing even and his temperature low. The room was small and windowless, and the knowledge that the metal door was locked made the confinement worse. It didn't matter that he knew he could melt the stupid thing off it's hinges in under a second. He couldn't blow Kurama's human identity and so had to keep up the illusion of humanity for himself. His actions in the lobby could be explained away as training in martial arts and furthermore be excused as a reflex, though the guard he had thrown was still glaring at him sullenly.

Finally, Yamata gave up and gestured for one of the other guards tiredly. He hadn't wanted to disturb the redheaded researcher if the situation could be sorted out without him, but the oddly dressed young man left him with no choice. "Get Minamino-san down here, ASAP. I want this sorted out now." He ordered, frustration leaking into his voice. The guard nodded and took off immediately.

The sound of the door closing and locking again was loud in Hiei's ears. He closed his eyes to alleviate the illusion that the walls were moving towards him. He flashed back to other times he had been held prisoner and held his breath to keep from hyperventilating. He would not give these pathetic humans the satisfaction of seeing him lose control. 'Kurama will be here soon.' He told himself. 'He'll explain and they will let you go.' He focused on that thought as everything else was pushed out by his irrational fear. The room had no windows and it felt like it had no air at all. Hiei strangled the sound that threatened to escape him as he took a harsh breath after holding his for too long.

"You okay?" Yamata was asking him, seeing the young man was beginning to show signs of distress.

Hiei did not acknowledge him. Most of his thoughts were no longer even in that room. He was back in Reikai's prison cell after Yusuke had defeated him. Warded so heavily he couldn't even move and trapped in windowless darkness for days before he and Kurama were sentenced. His mind wandered to his more recent incarceration and his temperature fluctuated slightly as he fought to keep control. 'I shouldn't have surrendered. I should have run.' His panicked mind screamed at him and it was all he could do to keep from using his powers to get out of that room. Unwilling to reveal himself as a demon, especially after verbally tying himself to Kurama, he slid down the wall as he pulled in on himself.

The guard that had been sent to retrieve Shuuichi Minamino opened the lab door and hurried over to the man he had come to find. He didn't know everyone in the building by sight but Minamino was a striking individual so he was easy to recognize. "Minamino-san." He said hurriedly. "I'm sorry to pull you away from your work but we have a small problem downstairs that requires your assistance." He bowed.

OOC: Really big post. ^_^' I'm thinking Hiei's claustrophobia wasn't always quite this bad but maybe something happened that made it worse. Something he hasn't told anyone about. He's always had the phobia though, and I think Kurama would definitely know about it even if Hiei didn't come out and tell him. Meh, I just wanted to explore Hiei having a panic attack. He seems like the sort who would fight it to the point that he'd just shut himself down. *shrugs*

Kurama smiled weakly, "Hai Hana-san, thank you very much for helping out yesterday." Although he hadn't told any lies regarding the situation, Shuichi still felt guilty for unnecessarily burdening the shy woman with his workload while he spent the afternoon playing a city-wide game of tag. Turning away from the young woman, he picked up the clipboard and checked over what his assistant had completed in his absence. He was not surprised to see that she had finished everything though she must have stayed late to do so and that made him feel even guiltier. Still, he did not betray himself by showing this emotion and instead turned his attention to what would need to be done that day.

The redhead had just begun preparing a solution that needed to be made in advance for a test later that afternoon when he heard the door open behind him. He resisted the urge to turn away from his work as he carefully stirred the acrid liquid but as heavy footsteps approached from behind it was obvious that it wasn't another scientist seeking advice. Setting the beaker down on the table before him, Kurama slipped the safety glasses from his face and turned to confront the approaching man. His stomach sank when he realized the visitor was in fact a security guard. The fox immediately sought out Hiei's energy and was not surprised to discover his signature was still on the premises.

The hurried tone the guard spoke to him in set the fox on edge as he realized what must have happened. The real question wasn't whether Hiei was in trouble but rather how much trouble he had gotten into and Kurama grimaced when he realized it was likely his fault for allowing the demon to enter the building. Shuichi stood immediately and followed the junior guard without question or hesitation. It didn't take them long to reach the ground floor via elevator and a minute later Kurama found himself ushered into a confining room. His gaze fell immediately upon the demon crouching near the wall and his thoughts went out to him, 'Don't worry, I'll sort this out.'

His face gave no inclination as to what he was thinking but Kurama longed to reach out and comfort the nervous fire demon. He never had done well with confined spaces and it was obvious that he was suffering now. The fox tore his gaze from the black-clothed demon to look at Yamata expectantly. He would wait for the head guard to explain the situation before deciding upon a suitable excuse for Hiei's presence. He merely hoped that Hiei hadn't done anything too unusual or it might be hard to play things off as a casual mistake.

Yamata sighed in relief when the redheaded scientist finally arrived. He had been growing increasingly concerned over the behavior of the man they had detained. The dark haired man had not responded to any of his questions after the first two and then he had started acting rather strange. Yamata had passed it off as nervousness that he'd be caught in his lie about knowing Minamino but it became clear that it was something more than that. The middle aged security captain's questions had gradually turned into inquiries as to whether the Hiei was all right but it was like the guy couldn't even hear him anymore. 'Poor kid.'

"Ah, Minamino-san. I'm sorry to have disturbed you but as you can see we have a situation here. This young man was in the building without a pass." He neglected to mention the way the petite man had thrown his guard around. From the way Hiei had reacted after he had done it and from the guard's own description, it sounded like it had been a reflexive response and so didn't bear mentioning. The guy was obviously a trained fighter; the fact that he had come quietly spoke volumes about the legitimacy of his claims. The whole situation could have been sorted out easily if the stubborn guy had just been willing to answer a few questions but... "When we detained him to discuss his reason for being here, he would only say that we needed to ask you." His eyes flicked over to the almost catatonic young man, full of concerned sympathy. "For some reason, Hiei-san then started to become distressed and well....I can't get him to calm down at all." The words tumbled out nervously, before Yamata remembered that Hiei's mental state was not the primary issue. "So, do you know him? Who is he and what was he doing here?"

Hiei showed no reaction to Kurama's arrival, nor was he open to receive the mental reassurance. His mind was turned inward almost completely as he fought to control his fear and keep from doing something that would reveal him as a demon. He sat against the wall, curled up with his arms around his knees and his eyes clenched shut against the tiny room. Unfortunately, that left his mind to replay every other time he had ever been confined in perfect clarity. Sometimes having such a good memory was a curse.

Kurama listened with a seemingly casual demeanor as the head guard spoke, although the fact that his eyes remained unblinkingly fixed on the guard's face might have cued those who knew him to think otherwise. It was obvious that the guard was nervous about his detainee though not in the frightened way Kurama might have expected and the fox planed on using this to his strength. "Hiei-san is a friend, yes," Kurama replied calmly in answer to the guard's first question. It seemed odd to both hear and use the honorific with the small demon's name but formality required it. "He accompanied me to work today and I carelessly forgot to register him with the front desk. I do apologize for the trouble." Kurama turned his gaze away from the guard for the first time and focused on the obviously agitated demon, "I do hope you won't be keeping him," Kurama said, turning back to Yamata, "He's extremely claustrophobic you see."

Comprehension lit Yamata's eyes as he glanced over at Hiei. "Is that what got him so upset? Why didn't he say something about being claustrophobic? We could have taken him somewhere else to talk..." He shook his head as Minamino-san's question registered. "No, I don't need anything other than you to vouch for him and you've done that. He's free to go....if you can get him to move. None of us have had any luck....though we haven't tried to touch him. He...ah..." The middle aged man scratched his neck sheepishly. "One of my men was a little over zealous in getting Hiei-san's attention earlier. Apparently, your friend flipped my guy with some sort of kung-fu move when he tried to grab him." He laughed, only sounding slightly forced as his eyes wandered once again to the dark haired youth huddled on the floor. "He let him go when he realized what was going on so I think it was just a reflex. Heh, I ought to have him train my guys. Moves like that would be darn handy, ne?" He gestured for someone to open the room's door and ushered the rest of the guards out. "Alright, you lot. Get back to work, nothing to see here." He said brusquely. He leaned against the wall beside the open door and waited for the redhead to do something with the small dark-haired man.

Kurama didn't answer Yamata's rhetorical question although he knew the reason was due to Hiei's inability to show weakness. Shuichi was more than relieved when the chief of security gave permission for Hiei's release. It seemed it was all Hiei could do to close his eyes against the reality to prevent himself from revealing his true nature. The scientist stood dutiful listening to the chief's banter though all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around Hiei and apologize over and over. What Yamata said was interesting however and Kurama envisioned what must have happened in his mind as he waited impatiently for the security guard to finish speaking. In the end Kurama wasn't obliged to respond to anything Yamata had said and he watched the other guards issue through the door before turning to the frightened demon at last.

Kurama crouched down next to the crumpled demon on the floor. "Hiei-san?" he called gently, barely remembering to use the honorific. He hoped his voice might be enough to break the spell the fire demon seemed to be under. When he received no response however, the redhead cautiously reached out to take hold of the pale demon's muscular shoulder, fully aware of what had happened to a member of the guard for doing the same thing earlier. His grip slowly tightened against the muscle beneath the black cloak before giving Hiei a gentle shake. "Hiei!" he called more loudly as nervous doubts began to seep their way into his chest. He couldn't stop blaming himself for Hiei's current distress and cursed both himself and Yamata's presence which prevented him from using more effective means of pulling Hiei from his panic.