The mine field between them, aside from the tactical nuke in the center, seems to grow wider and more full by the day. Try as they both might to avoid things that may set them back, or make things worse… it still happened. Unknowingly, with the most innocuous little movements or sentences that seemed neutral enough in the moment only to be proven wrong.

Treating him as a squirrelly wild animal seems to be the correct track at the moment, the fire demon’s tense body language easing slightly as the fox lays back. Slowly but surely his careful treatment as well as the flowers’ effects are working. It was not a fast process, but nothing with Hiei ever had been.

Hiei ought to be thankful for the fox’s determined, gentle care. And yet …

Yet here he is, huffing some sound of joint amusement and agreement. Perhaps it was unwise to come here and sit among the memories of them and their past. The fire demon misses the other implication entirely of course, eyes turning up again as his hands meet the flowers and dirt, digging in ever so slightly.

“Many things along the way were unwise.” Perhaps even his allowance of this at all, giving Kurama the lenience that he had not given others.