Hiei often enough spoke of Kurama as if partnership with him was a necessary preventative measure. As if keeping the spirit fox allied to him was the only way to avoid the inevitability of coming up against him down the line. For his part, Kurama didn't discuss why he'd accepted such a position, transactional as it sounds. Perhaps the notion that he simply enjoyed the fire demon's company was unfathomable to anyone else. Hiei had been set on power and eliminating obstacles in his way and the redhead had spent his time and energy conditioning the younger apparition to find himself more accepting of warmth and affection, without his awareness or permission.
The accusation has him tensing again, starting to wonder if he shouldn't give up on this whole exchange. Maybe Hiei had been right to leave before digging himself any deeper and now here they stood, instead. Hiei should know better than anyone that he isn't lying, after what the fire demon just revealed. The kiss had been a misstep, a regression on their progress into friendlier territory, but that fragile moment of weakness had demonstrated without a doubt just what the fox was hoping for, he couldn't pretend otherwise if he wanted to. Still, Kurama got this far in life by being pragmatic, and his expectations have not changed since his arrival back on Earth, he hadn't returned with hopes of gaining anything for himself.
“If you used the Jagan, you must know I am not.” it was true that they knew each other too well, and that Hiei's accusation was more multifaceted than that was obvious enough, but the fire apparition continues before he can say more.
Even after all this time, it seems that Hiei doesn't understand him as much as he thought. Troubling after they'd spent a better part of a century together, but still not surprising considering how much of their relationship had hinged on their unspoken nature. Kurama doesn't even have a moment to process the news that even after all this time he still couldn't understand, when Hiei moves on to the next grenade launched into this conversation.
“Forced you-?” This, he had no context for. Why would he? Hiei went off to serve under Mukuro the same as he'd gone to deal with Yomi and no discussion had come of his time there. “What on Earth are you talking about?”
Of course, he doesn't know. Kurama lacks the context for when this happened, considering how much time he knows Hiei spent in Mukuro’s company after his departure, as well. From his end of things it was equally possible that Hiei had intended to die far more recently than before they'd even been involved with each other. The idea that it was so long ago and that the fox's affection was the tether keeping him invested in staying at all, back in those days, is not the immediate direction his thoughts go.
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The accusation has him tensing again, starting to wonder if he shouldn't give up on this whole exchange. Maybe Hiei had been right to leave before digging himself any deeper and now here they stood, instead. Hiei should know better than anyone that he isn't lying, after what the fire demon just revealed. The kiss had been a misstep, a regression on their progress into friendlier territory, but that fragile moment of weakness had demonstrated without a doubt just what the fox was hoping for, he couldn't pretend otherwise if he wanted to. Still, Kurama got this far in life by being pragmatic, and his expectations have not changed since his arrival back on Earth, he hadn't returned with hopes of gaining anything for himself.
“If you used the Jagan, you must know I am not.” it was true that they knew each other too well, and that Hiei's accusation was more multifaceted than that was obvious enough, but the fire apparition continues before he can say more.
Even after all this time, it seems that Hiei doesn't understand him as much as he thought. Troubling after they'd spent a better part of a century together, but still not surprising considering how much of their relationship had hinged on their unspoken nature. Kurama doesn't even have a moment to process the news that even after all this time he still couldn't understand, when Hiei moves on to the next grenade launched into this conversation.
“Forced you-?” This, he had no context for. Why would he? Hiei went off to serve under Mukuro the same as he'd gone to deal with Yomi and no discussion had come of his time there. “What on Earth are you talking about?”
Of course, he doesn't know. Kurama lacks the context for when this happened, considering how much time he knows Hiei spent in Mukuro’s company after his departure, as well. From his end of things it was equally possible that Hiei had intended to die far more recently than before they'd even been involved with each other. The idea that it was so long ago and that the fox's affection was the tether keeping him invested in staying at all, back in those days, is not the immediate direction his thoughts go.