Despite Hiei's reassurance that his ankle was okay, Kurama gently held his partner's elbow for support as they descended the stairs. Once outside, the redhead took a breath of fresh air, "Mmm, seems like it will be a nice day today." The redhead smiled and led them in the direction of his workplace. A few blocks later he stopped to pick them up some sweet rolls for breakfast.

"Three sweet rolls please," the redhead asked with a winning smile.

"Ah, Minamino-san, how are you this morning?" the man behind the counter asked as he fulfilled the request.

"I'm doing well, and yourself?" Kurama reponded as he handed over the correct change for the pastries.

"Good good. You and your brother have a good day now." The old man smiled before waving the next customer forward.

"You'll have to forgive him Hiei," Kurama said, "I'm pretty sure he's senile..." The redhead chuckled and handed his partner two of the sweet rolls. "Here you go, two sweet rolls, just like you wanted." Kurama waited for Hiei to take his portion before unwrapping his own and biting into the doughy concoction.

Hiei allowed the fox to hold his arm as they traversed the stairs, less because he needed the help and more because the redhead's gentle touch was simply nice. When they reached the building's ground floor, he fire demon transferred the hand on his arm into his hand so he wouldn't lose that connection to his fox now that there was no longer any pretense of helping.

The fire demon ignored Kurama's comment about the day. It was impossible to judge whether a day was nice or not until one had finished it and nice was such a subjective term, Hiei didn't understand why humans insisted on using it.

The shorter demon walked alongside the fox with only a slight shift in his balance to compensate for his injury. His ankle ached slightly when he put his full weight on it, but that was to be expected and he knew it was well on the way to being back to normal.

The fire demon was pleasantly surprised when they stopped at the sweet roll shop. He glared at the old man as the shopkeeper once again seemed to think he was a child, but he nodded in agreement to Kurama's statement about the man's mental state. Through his jagan, Hiei could see that the elderly shopkeeper's mind was a mass of dark patches where information had once been and what was left was somewhat jumbled. Hiei had seen such things a few times before, though dementia was a distinctly human ailment. The petite demon wasn't sure if that was because demons were more resistant to the effects of aging or because most demons died violent deaths long before they became elderly. Either way Hiei felt a small amount of compassion for the old man and was able to push away his annoyance at the small insult.

He turned his attention to more important matters as they continued their walk, sacrifice his hold on Kurama's hand to take possession of his breakfast. Hiei focused on enjoying the gooey pastries and then cleaning the sticky residue from his hand efficiently with his tongue before drying the now clean appendage on his pant's leg.

He spotted the redhead's workplace up ahead and an idea popped into his devious little head. "Don't bother signing me in." He told the fox with a small amount of amusement on his face. The short demon felt his offer to work for Yamata would have more impact if it came with a little demonstration.

Unable to match Hiei's pace, Kurama polished off his single pastry just as Hiei finished licking off his sticky fingers. The redhead used a small towelette that the pastry shop owner had provided in the bag and discarded both items in the next trashcan they passed. "Are you sure that is wise Hiei?" Kurama asked, easily recalling last friday's disaster. Looking down at his partner, he noticed a devious glint in the fire demon's eyes and changed his question. "What are you up to?" the redhead asked, green eyes narrowing with suspicion. Shuichi was not sure he would appreciate whatever his boyfriend was planning.

Hiei did his best to look innocent. "I plan to offer my services to help improve the place's security." He explained with the humor still linering in his eyes. "Wouldn't it increase my chances of geting the job if I first demonstrate the need for those improvements?"

The fire demon hoped the fox would not spoil his fun. It was a relatively harmless way to get a bit of revenge on the security team for what they had put him through and it really would help his chances of convincing Yamata to hire him as more than a mere guard.

"Don't worry. I'm not the oaf. I know how to be descreet." Hiei hoped the reminder would soothe the redhead's nerves. After all the fire demon had lived for several years in Ningenkai with only a handful of humans even noticing his presence. He was certainly capable of sneaking into an office building without causing a stir. He didn't even plan to use any of his superhuman skills because that would make the test unfair. If the guards caught him he would simply ask to speak to Yamata so there was little risk of a repeat of the previous disaster.

Kurama stopped walking and stared hard at his partner, gauging his intent. He didn’t find the humor in Hiei’s eyes or his innocent act very reassuring. Still, he knew he could not be too overbearing, lest he drive his partner away before their relationship could go any further. ”I hope you know what you’re doing…” he sighed, reluctantly giving into Hiei’s idea at last. ”Just remember, everything you do now also reflects upon me.” With that, the redhead shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking again. It was clear he wasn’t thrilled with Hiei’s idea but his words said that he trusted his partner enough to go along with it.

Hiei frowned at the warning but he really did think that his plan would be helpful...as well as entertaining. He fell into step beside the redhead with a huff. He didn't want Kurama to be angry but he did want Yamata to see the potential of his idea. T "Forget it." He bit out finally, trying not to sound hurt by his love's mistrust. "I wouldn't want to do anything fun, it might damage your reputation." He grumbled sourly, lashing out with anger to cover his pain. He regretted the words immediately but it was too late to take them back and he looked down and away from the fox feeling guilty. It was just so much easier to get mad, than to be hurt by the idea that the fox thought he was stupid enough to do something that would get either of them in any sort of trouble.

Now it was his turn to shove his hands in his coat pockets since the fox's posture clearly did not invite any sort of contact between them. Hiei was mad at himself but he was also more than a little disappointed by Kurama's reaction to his harmless idea. 'He used to be more playful than this, even when he was at school.' Hiei thought, frowning a yet another change the ten years apart had wrought.

He pushed down his anger, ashamed of himself for his cruel words. "It wasn't like I was going to set fire to the building or anything." He offered in an apologetic tone, though he still refused to look at the taller demon. "I merely intended to reach Yamata's office without anyone knowing I was there." That simple act of stealth would have made his point about the poor security without being overtly threatening. Still, if it was going to upset the redhead, it wasn't worth it.

Hiei’s words lashed out like a slap in the face, causing Shuichi to set his jaw in as his own temper rose in response to the short demon’s anger. He hasn’t explicitly told his partner “no”, and on the contrary had left the decision up to Hiei’s best judgment while reminding him about the side effects of their new status. Refusing to allow his emotion to cloud his thinking, the redhead sought out the root of his partner’s bitterness.

His thoughts tumbled around, searching for reasons and Kurama found himself dismayed by the numerous possibilities. Sorting through them, the fox decided that the most likely candidate in this case stemmed from his inability to trust his partner. On the battlefield, the fox knew he could count on Hiei to guard his back, but in normal circumstances, he found himself failing to provide that same level of trust. Shuichi had carefully built his existence over a period of 25 years and the thought that Hiei could instantly break it all down left the redhead feeling insecure.

Kurama silently reminded himself of the huge sacrifice Hiei had recently made for him and realized that the decision must have required an immense amount of trust and also recognized that he was already dealing with his own insecurities. The fox felt his anger begin to dissipate and when the raven-haired demon spoke up again, he also sounded calmer. ”Do what you think is right,” the redhead answered, ”I trust your judgment.” The fox sincerely hoped he could live up to that statement.

As they approached the building, the redhead turned to face his partner. "Will you meet me out front for lunch?" he asked, saving Hiei from responding to his earlier statements if he didn't feel comfortable doing so. "I usually take a break around one o'clock," he added, aware that Hiei should be able to keep track of time now with his pocket watch. He hoped the fire demon would agree to eat with him, he didn't want to leave their tensions hanging for the rest of the day.

Hiei turned back to face the redhead cautiously at the offer of trust. Kurama could lie as easily as he breathed but Hiei knew his love well enough to know when he was being sincere. He was trying to decide how to respond when they arrived at the building and the fox changed the subject.

"Kurama..." The fire demon's voice was laced with the apology he couldn't find words for. Instead he simply nodded his acquiescence to meeting the redhead for lunch. He also reached out a hand for the redhead to hold if he wanted to.

Hiei pulled his pocket watch out with his other hand and looked it over thoughtfully. "What does one o'clock look like?" He asked sheepishly, holding out the timepiece.

Kurama heard the apologetic note spoken in his name and took the offered hand as they stood beneath the shadow of the building. Clenching it tightly, the fox decided winning Hiei’s trust was more important to him than whatever his colleagues might think at this point. Loosening his grip, the redhead continued to hold Hiei’s hand as he motion with the other. ”This is one o’clock,” he said, marking what the arrow’s path would be with a long, slender finger. ”The short one points to the hour, and the longer one points to the minute. I finish work at 4:00,” he added, also showing the path the hands would make at that time.

Hiei was relieved when the redhead took the offered hand. Despite their disagreement the fox didn't push him away and that gave the little fire demon a warm feeling inside that had nothing to do with his elemental affinity. He listened attentively to the redhead's explanation about the hands on his new watch. He would learn to read it properly later but for now he knew enough to get through the day.

He nodded his understanding to the brief tutorial on telling time. "One o'clock." The fire demon confirmed, pointing at the watch face as Kurama had. He then pocketed the watch and reached up to pull the redhead down for a chaste kiss in parting. "See you then."

Kurama allowed Hiei to pull him down and returned the kiss his love offered. ”See you later,” he said, hoping his partner didn’t catch him blushing as he turned and entered the building alone. ’That will be common knowledge before noon,’ the redhead thought nervously as he waved at the receptionist on his way to the stairs. The young woman was quick to yell out ”Badge Minamino-san!” The redhead just shook his head and held up the plastic card, though she surely couldn’t see it clearly from where she was seated some five feet away.

Reentering on the sixth floor, the scientist made his way to his office. He would have a lot of things to catch up on today and was determined that no matter what, he finish this work day properly. ”Good morning,” Kurama greeted his assistant as he took his lab coat off the hook by the door. Hana returned the greeting with a shy smile before handing him a clipboard and moving into the next room to set something up. The redhead scanned the list briefly before making his way over to the computer desk at the far end of the room to check the results of the tests that he had missed from the week before.

Hiei watched the fox enter the building and waited for several minutes for an opportunity to make his own entrance. Finall, the receptionist answered the phone and then leaned down to grab some papers from one of her drawers. Hiei used the distraction to slip silently into the lobby and then ducked behind a pillar. A guard was making his rounds and the fire demon waited patiently for him to pass before he moved to the stairwell.

The fire demon listened for a moment to ensure the stairs were clear and then he made his way down the stairs onto the basement floor that contained the security team's offices and interrogation rooms. He suppressed a shudder as he skirted past the room he had briefly been trapped in a few days earlier and continued down the hallway towards the conveniently labeled offices.

Hiei ducked into a closet as a small group of guards came out of some sort of break area. He clenched his eyes shut against the small space and focused on listening for the men to pass by his hiding place. As soon as he could, the fire demon darted from the closet and hurried at a quick walk to the office marked "Security Chief Yamata".

The dark haired demon tested the door and found it locked but that was only a minor impediment to the skilled thief. He entered the empty office a few moments later and left the door standing open as he moved to sit on the edge of the desk to wait for Yamata to arrive.


Yamata pulled into his parking spot and got out of his company car, mentally going over the tasks he needed to accomplish for the day.

Green eyes flicked back and forth as Kurama took in the figure and notes Hana had imputed to the system Friday night. The late time stamp made the redhead wince and guilt for his chain of absences washed over him once again. 'At least she wasn't in this weekend,' Kurama thought, mostly to ease his guilty conscious. If his timid assistant wasn't compelled to quit after hearing the news that the redhead assumed was already beginning to circulate the building, he would try to make it up to her.

Pushing away from the computer screen, Kurama stood and went into one of the quarantine rooms to take care of the first item on his list. At the entrance, he stopped at a station just inside the door to wash his hands and don a mask and gloves before passing through to the next chamber. The plants inside stood in rows, each pot clearly labeled with a specimen identification number.

Hiei crossed his arms as he waited patiently for the human to arrive. He watched with a mixture of disdain and amusement as a pair of uniformed guards walked past the open office door without so much as interrupting their conversation to glance in his direction.

Yamata flashed his badge at the receptionist who waved him past without ever looking up from her computer screen as she continued to deal with other matters. He nodded to the guard who was walking the lobby and then entered the elevator. He pressed the button marked "B2" and the metal box slid smoothly down to the desired level.

The middle aged man exited the contraption and started down the hallway. He could smell the coffee from the open break room as he passed by and he heard two of his security guards talking animatedly from inside. As Yamata pressed on towards his office he suddenly became aware that something wasn't right.

'I know I locked my door...' He thought suspiciously, pulling out the collapsible baton he carried for defense. He slowed and moved against the wall next to the door as he crossed the last few feet to peer into the small room.

"We need to talk." Hiei said calmly, as the human finally made his appearance. The fire demon was a bit relieved that Yamata at least seemed to have some skill at his job. His little test had made Hiei very glad Kurama was capable of defending himself, because the security measures were utterly useless. He reached out and touched the redhead's mind at the thought, sending his love a brief image of Yamata's dumbstruck expression when he had spotted the waiting fire demon in his office. He thought the fox might find the humor in it now that he was sure it wasn't going to cause an uproar.

Yamata lowered his weapon almost at once, noting that everything in his office appeared to be untouched and the short man didn't sound appear threatening. "How did you get in here?" He asked curiously.

Hiei shrugged. "I walked." He said honestly. "I heard you offered me a job." He elaborated quickly, before the human could respond. "I thought you might appreciate a demonstration of my qualifications before we talk terms."

"Hmph." Yamata snorted in amusement at the shorter man's cockiness, but he had to admit he was intrigued. "Okay, Hiei-san, ne?" At a nod from the dark haired man he pressed on. "Let's talk."

OOC: That was quite a bit of talking to myself. lol. I did trying to work in some interaction with Kurama though. ^_^'

This batch of plants was very special. It was recently discovered that the specimen may harbor anti-cancer properties. Kurama was growing the plants under various circumstances to see if different growing methods could affect the potency of the extract. Once the specimens reached maturity, they would be shipped off to a lab where they would be administered to mice that grafted with cancer cells to test their efficacy.

The redhead made his rounds, observing minute changes in each plant throughout the growing process. It was clear that specimen 259 and 274 were definitely not going to make it to the testing stage. The first was beginning to develop yellow spots that the fox easily recognized as the beginning of a death sequence for the plant and the second was already shriveled and dry.

An image of Yamata’s shocked face popped unexpectedly into the fox’s mind and Kurama chuckled to himself, wondering if the security guard had accidently bit off more than he could chew with his job offer. Still, he was sure Hiei would behave and the two would be getting along soon enough.

Turning his attention back to specimens 250 – 275, the Shuichi marked his last notations on the clipboard before setting it aside to provide each pot with its specified needs. He probably could have designated that task to his assistant but the redhead enjoyed doing some of the more basic aspects of his job, including caring for the plants. Many scientists saw themselves above performing menial duties such as this but Kurama found it relaxing. His green thumb was often the butt of jokes among his colleagues but Shuichi didn’t mind.


((That was a pretty sneaky way of adding in that bit of interaction. ^_^))

Hiei stood from his perch on the edge of the desk and approached the door. "Good. Let's go then." He said as he brushed past the human into the hallway. The short demon headed for the stairs that would get him out of the suffocating basement and he was pleased that Yamata followed after only a moment of hesitation.

Yamata was confused by Hiei's exit for just a moment until he considered the severe claustrophobic attack he had seen the man suffer. 'I'm actually amazed he can stand it down here at all.' The middle aged man thought to himself with growing respect. "There's an open air cafe just down the street that's usually pretty deserted by this time of day." He offered pleasantly. "We can talk there if you like."

Hiei nodded and lifted the location of the restaurant from the man's surface thoughts easily. "I know where it is." He said in agreement as the human gamely followed him up the stairs to the ground floor. Hiei breezed past the receptionist and the lobby guard both of whom seemed to be trying to figure out when he had arrived.

Kurama pushed a cart that Hana had assembled for him over to the rows of plants. Bright sunlight streamed in from the large windows at the far end of the room and added to the brightness of the artificial sunlight radiation down from the ceiling as the redhead administered carefully measured beakers of water to most of the specimens. Some of them also received things like fertilizer or growth hormones, which were traditionally used to give plants a boost during their growing cycles. Others however received specialized concoctions that the redhead had formulated himself. One of them had been a failure (as in the case of specimen 259) but at least two of the other formulas seemed to be doing well.

Outside the quarantine chamber, Kurama removed his mask and gloves. Tossing them into the nearby trashcan, the redhead washed the smell of latex from his hands and realized suddenly that Hiei was no longer on the premises. ’I wonder how his meeting with Yamata went…’ Shuichi thought curiously. The last he had heard from the fire demon was the mental image of Yamata's comical expression upon finding Hiei unexpectedly inside his office. He was looking forward to their lunch date, not only to get the scoop on Hiei’s possible employment, but also to spend a bit of time with his love before he went back to work, even if only for a brief hour.

Yamata was content to let the shorter man lead the way to the quiet cafe. Once they were seated, the security chief ordered himself a cup of coffee and sat back to hear what his most unusual new acquaintance had to say.

Hiei glared at the cheerful waitress and waited silently for her to go away before he spoke. "Your security is pathetic." He began harshly. "I was able to infiltrate without any special equipment beyond a basic lockpick, no alarms were raised by my movements and I sat in your office, in plain view of the open door and not one of your people even bothered to glance inside."

Yamata bristled at the insult to his staff but it was hard to argue with the truth. "What would you suggest? Firing my staff?" The man snapped irritably.

"No." Hiei replied simply. "They just need proper training and discipline." The fire demon's calm, even tone seemed to soothe the human's ruffled pride so he continued. "I can provide both. For the past several years I've worked as head of security on the largest border crossing in the world." Hiei chose his words carefully to let the human draw his own conclusions about just where that border was. He knew Koenma's records would back up the half truth. "Nothing was allowed in or out without my approval and my team had a nearly ninety percent success rate." The dark haired demon could not help a small amount of pride that crept into his voice as he relayed those facts.

Yamata was impressed by the qualifications. 'Provided they're legitimate.' He thought warily. Still, he had some concerns. "Why would you want to give up such a prestigious and successful position to work for me?"

HIei hesitated, fighting a blush as he tried to figure out how best to respond. "I...I've recently..." He lost his fight against the redness that stained his cheeks. "My personal situation has changed." He finally said stiffly. "I'm looking for a position that will allow me to remain closer to...home." Hiei stumbled over the word and found himself looking out at the traffic going by rather than face the human he was talking to. The petite demon wasn't even entirely sure why he was telling the human so much but he did need the man to trust him.

Yamata's stern features softened at the halting admission. 'Of course. Now it makes more sense.' Out loud he merely cleared his throat. "I see. So...since you are obviously overqualified for a regular guard posting, what sort of position were you looking for?"

Hiei looked back the human, relieved that the human had not attempted to pry further into his reasons for changing jobs. "I was thinking of starting a security consulting service for the local businesses. I would like to start with yours." He said, thinking once more about his ulterior motives for choosing Kurama's building.

Yamata nodded thoughtfully. "That could be workable." He said slowly. "Of course, before we go any further I'll need to see your credentials." He said pleasantly. "Then I'd need to know exactly what sort of services you are offering and how much you were planning to charge."

Hiei nodded. "I can have all of that prepared by tomorrow morning." He said confidently, thinking that he might need Kurama to assist him in sorting out the details.

"Sounds good." The middle aged man nodded and stood, finishing off the last of his coffee. "Just do me a favor and speak to the receptionist when you come back, ne?" He said with a wry smile.

Hiei smirked in return. "Hn."

After once again consulting his clipboard, Shuichi returned to the main lab room to find a steaming cup of coffee waiting on his desk. The beverage didn't affect Kurama the way it did humans but the redhead appreciated Hana's gesture. Picking up the styrofoam cup, the Shuichi sipped the strong liquid that had been slightly dulled by added sugar and cream. He took a minute to appreciate the flavor and wondered if Hana had heard the news yet. If she had gone down to the break room to fetch the coffee, it was entirely possible. The generic disposable cup was the same sort that the company used but the fox couldn't be sure.

Pushing aside the distracting thoughts, Shuichi took his coffee and clipboard over to the microscope that had been set up to observe recent clippings from another study. Hana had neatly sliced the samples and placed them under glass slides for him to view. Clipping the first one of the microscope's tray, the redhead bent over to peer through the lens at the plant life that had been sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Kurama found this exercise especially interesting. In all of his 1,000 plus years, he had never been ale to view plants at a microscopic level before his tenure in the human realm. He could certainly feel the inner workings of his plants but never before had he actually seen them. The fox couldn't count the number of times he had stayed late at school to slip slides he had prepared with makai plants under the microscopes in the Biology lab.

Hiei watched Yamata as the human paid for his coffee and left the cafe. The fire demon checked his pocket watch curiously. The short hand was pointing to the eleven and the long hand was pointing to the six so he still had time to wait before the fox would be free.

Hiei left the small restaurant and made his way to the park with the large oak. Casting a glance around to ensure he wouldn't be noticed, the small demon hopped up into the canopy and settled comfortably on one of the larger branches.

Reaching out with his mind, the fire demon lightly touched his love's thoughts. He let the fox share for a moment in his general satisfaction with the way his day was going but didn't intrude further. He didn't want to disturb the redhead's work. Still, Kurama knew he was listening if he had time to talk and if not, he was content to simply sit back and ignore the flow of humanity for a while from the seclusion of his leafy perch.

Red hair streamed down on either side of the microscope as Kurama pressed his one green eye up against the microscope’s lens. The beauty of the artwork on the other side of the glass always took his breath away. The first slide reminded him vaguely of a kiwi with a dense inner core and concentric ring attached by the tiny channels in the plants structures that transported nutrients among the cells. The stain that had been applied to made the veins easier to view and Kurama noted their structure. Each line was intact; this plant was a perfect specimen. He compared this one to two others of the same species and noted the differences. It was clear that the structure of the others was breaking up. The test on this particular group had obviously been a failure, with only the control plant showing normal structure. The redhead noted this and took another swig of coffee before clipping in a new slide.

As he hunched back over the equipment before him, the fox felt Hiei’s light touch on his mind and smiled. He had never realized how lonely he had been, holed up in this lab before Hiei had come back. His work still satisfied him but it also felt nice to know that someone was waiting for him outside. As he observed the next slide, Kurama sent a message through Hiei’s telepathic connection. ’It went well?’ he asked, though the feelings of satisfaction he had received a moment earlier seemed to provide the answer to his question. At the same time, he took notes about the more fibrous structure he was looking at. This test group seemed to be doing better than the last. There were still a few hitches but the redhead could tell they were getting closer to the results they were looking for.

Hiei felt Kurama's thoughts towards him and replied easily. 'Hn. I will need you to help me gather the right documents and figure out an appropriate salary tonight.' He told the redhead calmly. 'Yamata is expecting me tomorrow.morning with them.'

The lounging fire.demon pulled out his watch but the small hand had only moved a little past the twelve. 'What are we having for.lunch?' He asked curiously. It was harder to remain aloof through telepathy so his words were lacking the usual facade of indifference he projected to the world. His question was therefore.laced with eagerness.to see the redhead again.

Kurama’s smile widened at Hiei’s response and gave the mental equivalent of a nod. As he heard footsteps in the hallway, Kurama quickly wiped the expression off his face and switched slides. By the time Hana entered the room, the redhead was once again hunched over the microscope. He did not look up but his ears followed the movement of her footsteps as she sat down at a nearby computer.

’I was thinking we could get bento boxes and eat in the park,’ the redhead responded belatedly before turning his attention back to the slide he was looking at. This one looked almost like a child’s scribbles and the redhead took his time deciphering the cell structure. Once he was finished, Shuichi took down the last of his notes and finished off the rest of the coffee. Rising from his chair, the redhead tossed the styrofoam cup and picked up his clipboard.

Hiei gave a mental smirk at the suggestion and opened his eyes so he could get a good visual pf his surroumdings. The fire demon then projected the image to his love. 'Hn. I'm already there.' He thought back contentedly. The park was still nearly deserted with only a couple of mothers with very young children on the play equipment nearby and a couple of elderly people practicing tai chi for exercise on the other side.of.the park. It would be a very pleasant and peaceful place to spend the redhead's lunch break. "Where do you get bentos from?' The short demon asked curiously. He recognised the word.because.that was what Kurama called.hos.box.lunches in school but he had thought they were.something people.brought from home. He didnt know you.could.buy.them premade.

Kurama smiled at the refreshing image of greenery and open space of the park. He could even get a faint impression of the light breeze the played through Hiei’s hair. It would be a nice day to eat outside. ’We can get them from one of the convenience stores nearby,’ Kurama responded. ’I should give him some spending money…’ the redhead thought to himself suddenly. Hiei could probably easily steal whatever he wanted but it would be best if he could legally purchase small things he might want on his own.

Shuichi approached Hana. The small woman jumped slightly as he tapped her on the shoulder and he could see a faint blush staining her cheeks as she turned to look at him. ”Thank you for the coffee," Kurama said with a smile, ignoring the sudden redness of her face. "Ah-it was nothing!" she responded, her blush deepening as she refused to meet his gaze. "Here are the notes from this morning,” he added, handing over a small sheaf of papers. Hana took them after a brief moment of hesitation. ”Ar-arigato Minamino-sempai,” she said, still without looking at him. The petite woman quickly added his papers to the bottom of the stack she was working on and turned back to the computer screen.