Disclaimer: YYH belongs (C) to Yoshihiro Togashi and company.
Category: First Time, Episode-Related (well kind of), a snippet of what's to come ^^
Spoilers: Episode 6 -The Three Thieves: Hiei, Kurama and Gouki (but not really since it happens while Yuusuke is fighting Gouki but it will become so when I complete this fic)
Rating: PG for now
Pairings: Hiei x Kurama

Synopsis: What happens when Yuusuke showed up, Kurama declared he was not a part of the alliance anymore, and Hiei flickers out to chase him in the dark assess of the forest? Well, this is my intake of what could of happened when Hiei caught up with his red-haired friend. ^^

An Understanding is Made
Chapter 01 by Silver-blue

Kurama was thrown to his back as he was hit across the forehead with the hilt of the fire demon's sword. He held tightly onto the mirror as his back crashed into the hard earth. If he broke it now, his mother would surely be doomed and he didn't think he could handle that. He grunted as Hiei landed painfully on his stomach.

"Do you remember where the tip of my blade pierced thru you?"

"Very," squeezed out Kurama, his voice husky.

"Was it here?"

"Yes," Kurama bit out, breath painful, "Right there. Exactly." he gasped out raggedly as Hiei pressed harder into the healing wound with the jut of his fingertip.

He let go of his friend's forelock, and watched disinterestedly as the back of Kurama's head fell to lay against the rotted leaves of the cold musty ground. Folding his arms across his chest, he asked aloud, "Why are you letting me do this?"

Painstackingly drawing his upper body up to support on his elbows, the red-haired kitsune laughed small, answering his spiky haired friend's question, "Because...because it's your right, Hiei..." he gasped, finding it very hard to breathe air into his lungs.

"My right?" the fire demon mouthed, puzzled. He took a fist of Kurama's school uniform and drew the fox's face closer to his own. Green and deep crimson stared back at each other. One pair with rage, the other with calmness. "So you're saying I can do whatever I wish?" he asked, finding what the fox had said untrue. Their distance from each other was barely a centimeter apart.

"Hiei, you don't have to ask that. I betrayed you. I deserve whatever punishment you bestow upon me. I deserve death, really..." trailed off Kurama, emerald eyes glowing serious.

Hiei's anger flared at the fox's self-condemning words; the smirk on his lips growing in depth. "That's true." he said after a moment, caving in.

Kurama tensed up but remained quiet, accepting. Hiei could kill him but after he saved his mother, except that wouldn't be possible either since the trade off of using the forlorn mirror was giving a life to save a life.

"I should kill you like you state," whispered Hiei, trailing a finger across the kitsune's healing scar. When his finger started to tremble on him, he clasped his fist tightly, agitated. He snarled down at the calm profile of his friend's supple form, brow twisted. He decided to punctuate his next words with a punch to the fox's gut, to emphasize and hide the hurt he felt inside by the whole ordeal. He thanked Kami he had enough sense to keep his closed fist clear of the wound, "but I find you too important as a fighting ally to do that," he scoffed, "I'll just have to keep all 3 eyes of mine more closely on you," declared the fire demon, eyes shadowed from the kitsune's face. From his one and only friend in both the realms.

Kurama coughed, not able to agree or disagree. His arm snaked instinctively around his waist to hold his stomach. Tightening his abs, he found that enraging the little koorime was a big mistake, for afterwards, reconcile dearly hurt. His body jerked back unconsciously, trying to pull away as Hiei took his chin in between his forefinger and thumb. Disgracefully, he shivered in fear in Hiei's presence.

Hiei laughed, voice sounding brokenly as well as amused. "You're frightened of me?" mocked the fire demon, disbelief crimson orbs were kept hidden by eyelids that fluttered shut. Looking up at the sky, he snorted softly to himself.