genkaitemple | Kurahi Catch-All: Unspoken Thing

Kurahi Catch-All: Unspoken Thing

Unspoken Thing

The hardest thing about life is
when the person who gave you the most memories
becomes a memory.

CODE

how odd it is to be

date chronologically pending

haunted

visuals blank playlist

by someone that is still alive

Date
※ 01/27/24 Injured: ⋙ Dark Tournament
※ 01/29/24 Insomnia: ⋙ Dark Tournament
※ 02/11/24 Intimate Bathing: ⋙ Post Series
※ 02/25/24 Loss: ⋙ Post Series
※ 03/04/24 Unspoken Thing: ⋙ Resurrection [completed]
※ 03/19/24 Defrosting: ⋙ Post Series
※ 04/17/24 Garden: ⋙ Resurrection [completed]
※ 06/03/24 Kurama's Return: ⋙ Resurrection [completed]
※ 08/06/24 Picnic: ⋙ Post Series
※ 08/22/24 Domestic Fluff: ⋙ Post Series
※ 09/20/24 Sickness*: ⋙ Resurrection
Chronologically
※ 01/27/24 Injured: ⋙ Dark Tournament
※ 01/29/24 Insomnia: ⋙ Dark Tournament
※ 02/11/24 Intimate Bathing: ⋙ Post Series
※ 02/25/24 Loss: ⋙ Post Series
※ 08/06/24 Picnic: ⋙ Post Series
※ 03/19/24 Defrosting: ⋙ Post Series
※ 08/22/24 Domestic Fluff: ⋙ Post Series
※ 03/04/24 Unspoken Thing: ⋙ Resurrection [completed]
※ 04/17/24 Garden: ⋙ Resurrection [completed]
※ 06/03/24 Kurama's Return: ⋙ Resurrection [completed]
※ 09/20/24 Sickness*: ⋙ Resurrection
Pending
※ MM/DD/YY Kissing Scars: ⋙ Timeline
※ MM/DD/YY Eating Together: ⋙ Timeline
※ MM/DD/YY Swear To Me: ⋙ Timeline
Blank

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For the most part, Kurama keeps his distance. Partially to give Hiei space, partially needing it for himself. There was a limit to his ability to remain open and vulnerable while being met with little in return, that calm collected demeanor that came so effortlessly more of a facade than he cared to admit, sometimes. Especially these days, lacking in other outlets for his attention and focus. He has no interest in pursuing the topic, content with the fact that Koenma is appeased for now, even if neither of them is.

The fox smells the blood before anything else, and he's out of his own room to investigate the source almost immediately. He pauses in the open doorway, seeming to consider before stepping over the threshold into the room, not yet approaching but making his presence known.

“Hiei-”

The fire demon can't possibly think he'd be better off doing this alone, he didn't believe that.

Red eyes flicker over for only a moment to check who is approaching, confirming more than suspicion. He is far more focused on getting the injury at least stabilized to start pissing and whining about the fox's presence in his space or to pick another fight. For the moment, anyway, he is more focused on keeping tension on the bandage he is attempting to sling over his shoulder one-handed as a makeshift sling to immobilize his arm. At least until Yukina (or Kurama, if he'd like to) can take a look at it.

There is only so much he can see with how the injury falls.

After a moment he seems to understand that Kurama may want a prompting of some kind, doing his best to talk out of one side of his mouth. "I'm trying to sling it until Yukina can heal me."

He won't assume that Kurama would like to be put to the task, of course, content enough to nap or distract himself otherwise until his sister returns from her errands.

Small mercies that Hiei isn't interested in trying to fight him through this. As soon as the fire apparition starts to explain he steps in to help, figuring if he wanted him gone, the intent of that retort would have been far more clear.

“Don't be ridiculous.” The fox moves to take the bandage that Hiei is struggling with, elaborating as he works. “She may be quite a while, let me.” He's not interested in making this about anything other than assuring Hiei is properly healed and not struggling with it on his own, but he's aware the fire apparition may expect an ulterior motive in his intentions.

In reality, the redhead's focus is so completely on the task at hand - concern overriding everything else - that he'd even forgotten about tucking away the hiruiseki stone that had been found left at his grave.

Kurama's nose wrinkles at the poultice being used as he inspects the injury, certain he's going to need to get his own supplies once the arm is stable enough to retrieve them. “What is that?”

"- Kurama -" The fire demon begins to do something akin to talking Kurama down from swooping in to help, but the bandage is out of his hand so quickly he opts to let it go. After all, he hadn't specifically asked for further assistance, and if Kurama wanted to give it, it meant relief a bit quicker than waiting for Yukina. It also risked less blood on the floor and less chance of shocking the kids when they all trundled back to the temple. "It wouldn't be the first time I've waited."

And for long periods, too, while the fox spirit had been dead. Or in limbo, though Hiei doesn't know that detail just yet.

Red eyes turn down as Kurama fusses, left unsure how to behave with the fox's focus so singled in on him at the moment. It.. leaves him feeling warm in that pleasant, cared-for way.. at least until his eyes alight on that stone. Suddenly there is a cold pit in his stomach, the realization that Kurama had that stone, had maybe always had it through everything before.. It takes the wind out of him, and for a moment Kurama's words are lost in the flurry of thoughts and sudden cold stone in his belly.

The realization that he's being spoken to suddenly sinks in, but the fire demon sounds distracted. "It's.. I don't know. I got it in Demon World."

For the most part, he was planning to patch everything up just enough to hold the fire demon over until his sister's return. After all, he doesn't imagine that Hiei wants him around any longer than necessary, but the wound is more severe than he expected from the doorway. He brushes off the protest without a thought - again, certain that the fire demon would find himself able to put more bite into it, if he truly meant to stop him.

Kurama doesn't quite get the reference, too caught up in his task to think about reading between lines and certain there was no point in waiting if he didn't have to.

“Yes, well I am capable of helping you myself, so there's no need this time.”

The fox is entirely oblivious to whatever feelings Hiei is going through, so focused on the task in front of him until he's finished, sitting back on his haunches to inspect the work. The way Hiei sounds so distant has him turning abruptly to look at his face instead, with concern.

“Are you feeling alright?” The injuries didn't look that serious.

"I know.." He knows that Kurama is capable of helping, but at the same time... why? That's also an easy question if he considers the details, considering that Kurama had already said he piece so far as to why he had come back. He lets Kurama finish up with what he wants to do for his shoulder, feeling numbed but not in the way that would be advantageous when it comes to think kind of injury.

Yes, he would heal up physically in a matter of hours, but the idea of being so exposed as Kurama having the only hirui he has ever made, to his knowledge, now hanging around his neck...

It's worse than any other potentially embarrassing first experience that Kurama had been with him to fumble through. He wouldn't be able to explain why if he tried, but suddenly Hiei very much regrets showing up here when Yukina's energy was not around very much. His response to Kurama is probably not very encouraging, not with the few moments it takes him to, again, realize he's being spoken to, too busy being caught up in his own head about the stone around his neck.

"I'm fine." A lying liar through and through it would seem.

"You -" You have it, he means to say, but then stops, shaking his head. "Nevermind."

Hiei is acting particularly strange and it's especially concerning after how he'd been acting since Kurama's return, almost as if all of the posturing about not wanting him around had never happened in the first place.

He's about to instinctively reach to check Hiei's temperature - a habit ingrained in him from a lifetime of humanity - when the fire apparition finally speaks.

“Hiei..." The fox is prepared to call bullshit on that claim when he realizes that it may overstep. This situation had created a false sense of intimacy he was no longer allowed, and the last thing he wanted was to turn the little peace between them into another argument - especially if he wanted to keep an eye on the other demon.

Green eyes search his face again as he trails off, exhaling softly before pushing himself to his feet instead. “Don't move, I'll get something to properly dress that wound-”

Kurama froze as the stone swung back against his chest with the momentum, only now realizing it wasn't safely tucked beneath his shirt as he typically kept it - especially during the fire apparition's visits.

There was no possible way he'd missed it, with the fox so close this whole time.

Don’t worry Kurama - he wouldn’t be moving. He's too busy being frozen to the spot trying to think of what the hell to do with himself, with this new development. All at once he has to wonder how long Kurama has had that stone - and who the hell gave it to him.

There are two options he is willing to bet on, one of which was his leaning.. but that is something to note for later. A suspicion that he could confirm another day, another time.

Hiei notices when Kurama freezes, rising up from his seated position a little as if he’s expecting someone unexpected to have arrived. No one is there, and it doesn’t take long for Hiei to connect the dots once he notices the fox’s expression.

“… you’ve had that the entire time, haven’t you?” He doesn’t know how he feels, now, knowing this. That Kurama had every bit of evidence of how deeply he felt his loss from the start. Enough that Hiei, a demon who did not cry, had left an extremely rare and valuable trinket for a dead man.

That makes two of them currently, as Kurama realizes that not only did Hiei see it, he'd recognized that Kurama freezing meant he was also now aware of that fact. The fire apparition has his theories but it wasn't as if the information was a secret, he'd tell him if asked.

The fox doesn't look back at the question, doing damage control to contain his own emotions as quickly as possible. Now, it's his turn to take a moment to respond, cautiously as if afraid to set the other off with his answer.

“Since my return.” Kurama isn't even sure what the ‘entire time’ was, how long ago it had been left at the grave or when it was found there. It had been used as bait to ensure he came back, and it had worked. That was the extent of his knowledge of the timeline.

If he knew just what was bothering Hiei, he might have pointed out that he should be more concerned by who else knew - considering he left it at his grave stone to be discovered in the first place.

“Perhaps... I should have thought to ask if you wanted it back.”

Hiei had thought, perhaps foolishly, that no one who knew the value of that stone would be going by Kurama’s head stone enough to notice it or even take it for safe keeping. A stupid thought, apparently, even when he’d been careful to wait a few years. He’d thought it would mean a faded memory for a human lifespan, a piece of stone for someone whose name hadn’t been his true one in the first place.

And now here he was, wearing it, but also mentioning if he wanted it back. Hiei blinks, then, but he already knows the answer. Hirui are meant to stay with the ones they were made for. Only in his own odd case had Hiei’s ended up and stayed with Mukuro, Yukina’s becoming his by her refusal to take it back.

“No. I don’t want it.” If he had wanted to keep it he wouldn’t have left it at his headstone, he thinks.

“They should stay with who they’re made for, anyway.”

Apparently, it didn't occur to Hiei that Yukina and the children would think to visit his grave. Yusuke should have been a given, the obvious answer to the question of who would be likely to take it from there and give it to the person it had been made for. Alongside a lecture about the fox's stubborn streak, for waiting so long to return in the first place.

He asks, but in reality he already expects the answer. Another way of confirming for himself that Hiei didn't care as little as he tried so hard to project since Kurama's return to the living.

He does glance over his shoulder finally, at the last thing the fire apparition says. While it was common sense that the situation had been exactly as they'd suspected, the surprise came in hearing Hiei so readily admit it like that.

Instead of responding, the redhead finally leaves the room. Taking the time to regroup emotionally as he gathers the supplies needed to address the fire apparition's wounds before returning, hirui no longer visible over his clothing.

He sets everything on the bed before setting to work again, explaining as if the topic had never changed in the first place. “That wound will need to be cleaned properly to heal.”

Hiei sits alone in the silence Kurama has left behind for a long moment. Every bit of this he has made himself, he is aware, his bed to lie in. But knowing now that Kurama has held that single, precious hirui the entire time had thrown Hiei off kilter badly.

Perhaps for the better in the end, but in the moment the fire demon almost curses himself for leaving it in the first place. To be fair, he had never expected Kurama to return in the end. To have another chance to blow it so spectacularly.

Unsure if Kurama has left him for just a moment or considered this part of his day complete and left him to wait, Hiei grabs the elbow of his injured arm to hold it at just the right angle, sighing at even the slight relief of the pain and tension on the wound that motion gives.

For a moment he’s almost surprised as he hears Kurama’s footsteps coming back, eyes closed in focus as he very literally attempts to hold himself together.

Talking about he practicalities on his injury is easier than trying to inquire further about the stone, and Hiei jumps at the chance.

“Mn. Do what you need to.” It’s an easy enough agreement to make. How many times now has Kurama patched him up?

Kurama knew what he was willing to go through to prove himself to Hiei, the trick was determining how tolerant the fire demon would be of his efforts. That accidental slip of the hirui had clearly shaken them both up, revealing more than either had truly intended, and he needed some time to regroup emotionally before returning. He'd be surprised to know the fire apparition wasn't expecting him to come back at all, as he’d said he was going to get supplies to help, but perhaps he expected the realization of what Hiei had been reacting to, to change his mind on that front.

Once he was back, the fox sets to the task, doing as much as he can around the makeshift sling before having to remove it as he cleans and dresses the wound more appropriately - working in uncharacteristic silence after that initial explanation - while replacing the poultice with something up to his own standards, instead.

He'd even brought an actual sling from the temple's medical supplies. An extra measure in an establishment where most of the residents could set bones with their energy, Botan and Kurama both particularly mindful of the more mundane health care options for emergencies when advising on how to keep things stocked as a precaution.

Hiei sits through Kurama’s care of his injury as quiet as ever. Of every injury he had sustained over his life this was far from the worst, and so it is easy to close his eyes and simply allow Kurama to show and tell him how he needed to move to help him in what he’s doing. After the Jagan implant all of it just seems like a dull throb, and Kurama is as careful as he’s always been.

The fire apparition’s miscalculation lies in something simple - shutting his eyes. Here, at Genkai’s place where he knows they are guarded, where Yukina will eventually return and Kurama’s energy and scent can surround him, Hiei finds himself nodding off rather easily.

As well versed in cat napping as he is, Hiei doesn’t necessarily need something or someone to rest against in order to nap, and at first manages to maintain his upright position with his best effort.

It isn’t until Kurama is attempting to wrangle Hiei in to a proper sling that his upright position fails, the fire demon’s solid weight rocking forward to rest against the fox’s shoulder. He doesn’t start awake again, quietly and solidly asleep against his former partner as if nothing had ever happened between them.

.. He did, after all, have quite the habit of sleeping on Kurama in the past.

It's almost easy to fall back into the motions without thinking about everything else between them right now, letting muscle memory take over as he worked. This was familiar, and the silence allows little room for added tension, saying the wrong thing or setting each other off in some unintended way.

At first, Kurama doesn't really notice, it had been quite awhile. Hiei stays mostly upright and any movement is initially dismissed as discomfort. The fire apparition's weight shifts in a way that is familiar just beneath the surface if the fox was presently aware to notice. He's securing the sling in place when Hiei starts to lean into him, realization hitting about a split second before that dead weight does.

For a moment he stays perfectly still, as if concerned about waking him. This wasn't exactly the most comfortable position though, so after a bit of emotional juggling - and knowing Hiei's abilities to sleep through much worse - Kurama shifts onto the bed. He sets things aside with his free hand to get settled with the fire apparition rested against his shoulder. If Hiei wanted to be angry with him later about it, he was more than welcome.

The fox pulls out a game to entertain himself in the quiet meantime - perhaps selfishly - taking the time to enjoy this moment while it lasts. That is until the sudden awareness of sounds within the Temple drags him awake before he'd even realized he was falling asleep in the first place. The children were home and he had neglected to get the hall cleaned as he'd expected to do once dismissed from his duties dressing wounds - not that he'd been dismissed.

The blood has Yukina stopping the children from barging into the room, at least. Insistent on checking herself to ensure it was safe, first. Which, at least, means they're quiet enough not to wake the dead as they all clamor in behind her to the view of the spirit fox trying to carefully extract himself from the situation.

Comfort isn't usually Hiei's primary concern when it came to sleep - and particularly not now. Since Kurama's passing, he's slept little more than periodic cat naps throughout his days - some longer than others, and some simply to pass the time when he had nothing to currently occupy him. It had become apparent very quickly that Kurama's presence, and activities with the other demon, had taken up much more of his time than Hiei truly understood. Sleep, for a little while, became his way to deal with missing him.

But it was never true sleep, always fitful and filled with dreams he would call 'nightmares' if only because they usually involved the redhead, only to wake up without his familiar presence in the world at all. It would seem pitiful to mention, so of course Hiei had avoided it, only stopping the practice when Mukuro happened to mention that she had noticed the frequency of his napping since he'd returned nearly exclusively to demon world. It was her way of expressing concern, of course, but to Hiei is had been a signal to change.

Settled against Kurama as he is, Hiei sleeps deeply again. It will take a few hours before this little 'nap' comes to an end, and when he wakes it takes him a moment to truly come to in the stricter sense of things. He sits up slowly, blinking and attempting to rouse his mind from a true and deep sleep for a few minutes before getting up. His shoulder is mostly healed, that much he can feel, but above all, he's now hungry.

Still rubbing at his eyes Hiei appears in the main living area of the temple, immediately soliciting shouts of excitement from the children and sending Hiei grimacing.

'You slept for so long!' Hiei huffs a chuckle, jokingly asking as if he doesn't know that Yukina would absolutely save him a meal:

"Did you leave any dinner for me or eat it all?"

Kurama, of course, did not know the extent of what Hiei went through in his absence. It wasn't as if he could watch him full time from Spirit World, but had he known, it might have prompted him to act sooner. What he does know is that the fire apparition slept against him like a stone - and he wasn't a stranger to Hiei's sleeping habits, or the fact that he slept much harder the more he needed it.

He was also no stranger to the smaller demon's habit of talking in his sleep, a fact that had always made it easier for the redhead to get the smallest insight into whatever was bothering him. He'd be lying to claim it didn't feel invasive and wrong this time, but he wasn't about to dwell on that now.

For the most part, he keeps his distance, allowing the children a moment to crowd their uncle in excitement over this surprise visit. Something that seemed to be happening with increasing frequency, not that his nieces and nephews seemed aware of it.

“Yukina set a dish aside for you,” He offers with a knowing smile, when the children were clearly not going to give him a straight answer - too busy trying to share stories they were excited about and talking over each other as if they hadn't seen him in years.

“Did you sleep well?”

A combination of wound healing and his terrible sleeping habits, to be sure. To Kurama's credit, there may even be a bit of an indent of a pillow crease in the fire demon's cheek still slowly going away as time passes. They may have to become cautious of just how much time they spend close to one another for a little while, at least, lest Hiei become the constantly napping uncle instead of the always awake uncle fairly quickly.

The sudden flurry of children talking over one another, crowding in as Hiei takes a seat both to ask if he was alright and tell him about all of their errands. For once it isn't wholly by choice that he doesn't respond to Kurama as Yukina surreptitiously disappears to warm Hiei's plate again as well as give them all a little space.

"I don't even remember falling asleep..." Hiei says it with a bit of shyness edging in to his tone, an immediate mistake in front of his nieces and nephews. Kazuma Jr immediately pipes up, the intonation and cadence of how he speaks immediately reminiscent of both his father and his honorary Uncle by the name of Urameshi.

'You were dead asleep on his shoulder when we got back-' Hiei immediately turns with a raised brow to his nephew, challenging him to continue on this path if he wants to.

"Remember that we'll be training, since I'm here, before you decide how to continue, Kazuma."

Kurama is not expecting a single moment of weakness to become habit any time soon, more likely to bet that Hiei will be back on the defensive once he's feeling better. It isn't something he can safely even guess at with the children present, for now, just observing how things play out and content not to interfere in their socializing.

Without their company, several things could have been said to that borderline shy response, most notably that he'd also somehow fallen asleep without realizing, but Kazuma starts instead - his uncle’s face with his father's personality - and that shuts the fox up before he can even think to speak.

Hiei had the excuse of exhaustion and his injuries, at least. Kurama was the one called out by that announcement, having been fully awake and able to do something about it at the time, yet allowing it to happen, despite this.

“Yes, his day has been taxing enough.” Kurama adds, shooting Kazuma his own warning glance at the increased discomfort in the room with his remark.

Hiei, for once, doesn't find a moment to blame the redhead for much of anything. It had been Hiei who had fallen asleep in the first place - and he knows Yukina and Kurama too well to think that they would attempt something like waking him after an injury. So far as allowing him to sleep on his shoulder where he'd fallen asleep... well. There's no use in protesting now that it's already done and over with, is there? Beyond that, he had needed sleep enough to fall out like that, both for his healing and lacking the ability to sleep enough to upkeep both the Jagan and the Dragon as he had been.

Kazuma, ever undisturbed by his Uncle's vague threat of harder training, seems to only smile harder. A born shit-stirrer, it would seem, though it doesn't really amuse either of his demon elders currently seated in the room. It doesn't stop him, though, of course beginning to snicker.

'That's all I have to do for you to go a little harder on me? I should-' Yukina re-enters the scene with a tray of food for her brother and a silent, admonishing stare for her son that is all that's really needed to shut him up. Hiei has never had to be an 'enforcer' sort of presence for the children, if only because Yukina is so efficient at expressing her annoyance even without words. She sets a tray of food in front of Hiei gently, taking his glance of thanks with a sedate smile.

'I want to check your shoulder, once you're done.' Hiei nods his agreement easily enough, already digging into his rice with the fire demon's typical abandon.

"It's mostly healed.. Kurama's medicine is more potent than what I had on hand."

Is that.. a compliment, even?

Hiei needed his rest, and Kurama was perhaps more aware of that than most, considering the decades of feeling the fire apparition asleep against him. The fox is far more concerned with his healing than whatever blame he may have escaped, regardless.

On any other topic, Kurama would be amused by how Hiei held Kuwabara responsible for his son's behavior, but that gleeful shitstirring was his uncle through and through. Being a target of his antics, regarding a rather sensitive subject for both of them, was more sobering than he'd care to admit though, keeping his opinions to himself for now.

Yukina's presence was a welcome interruption. While living at the temple meant that Kurama had never shied away from discipline with the children when called for, it was only in their mother's absence or in support of her. Something that didn't seem necessary in this instance, at least.

He is, of course, pleased that Yukina will take a look with her own abilities to account for. While Kurama is not expecting to be involved in the conversation, Hiei's remark brings that automatic smile, that had been lacking as of late, to his features.

It's not until the children have gone to bed that he surfaces again, having distracted them long enough to give the twins an opportunity to speak without interruption. Considering the nature of his visit, Kurama wasn't sure how long the fire apparition intended to stay this time.

“I take it that went well.” It's redundant by now to ask about the injury, but he was still trying to approach with caution, considering they hadn’t had a moment alone since the incident that started the day.

The conversation between them had been quiet, simple, really. There hadn't been very much for her to look over or finish up healing, but it had been a convenient excuse for them to have some time alone. Time alone in which she reminded him, lowly, to give Kurama a chance. To not throw up his defenses so quickly with Kurama, for the sake of reaching some peace between them. As much as Yukina too held some small bit of her own feelings about how Kurama had chosen.. she wanted their happiness. Together or apart.

For how many years now had they been each other's only moment of peace in the storm since their partners had died in short succession of one another? Even if Hiei simply quietly listens more than he says very much, she at least makes the point to ask that he employ some patience. Some kindness, even if he felt some way or another about how things had happened.

Hiei's shoulder is unwrapped when Kurama surfaces again, the new skin shiny and pink as it finishes healing, a simple snack in hand that Yukina had left for him as extra fuel for his healing. More than likely she had picked up this particular natto rice ball with Hiei specifically in mind, hoping he may stop by in time to eat it.

Twin senses, and all.

"Mn." Hiei grunts his agreement through a mouth full of said rice ball, already eager to eat it so soon after he'd shoveled down dinner. Of course, there is no way of knowing how a conversation may go between them... but at least this visit had been largely easier to cope with.

"I've been told I'm expected to stay here for a few days so that she can make sure it's healed." Hiei does his best to make it seem as though she is putting him out with this request, of course, even as he keeps polishing off the kindly offered snack.

"It's healed now, but she'll complain if I'm up early and even training tomorrow.."

For his part, Kurama remains oblivious to the nature of their conversation. Though, Yukina had pulled him aside for their own versions of a similar talk before now so he knows she must have also addressed her thoughts with her brother at some point. Not that the fox needed to be advised on patience or forgiveness, even if he felt there should be a need for it. He would not hold Hiei at fault for his feelings, he was the one responsible for fixing this and intent to do so on the fire demon's terms. At least as much as possible.

The fact that he'd missed Kuwabara's passing had not been lost on him, but the reality of how close together their deaths had been - especially by demon standards - and how the siblings had no one else during that time to truly understand those losses, were details that hadn't fully sunk in, yet. Yusuke had never told him the extent that he'd been shunned in the fox's absence, after all.

Yukina, at the very least, was the one he'd been the most honest with regarding his intentions. A strategy he shouldn't need to keep quiet, except that he knows Koenma wouldn't trust it to work and Yusuke might say something too revealing in front of him. Still, the one he'd wanted to know least of all, was Hiei himself. Certain that the fire demon would really push back if he gave him any more reason to think this was all some attempted manipulation on his part.

Of course, the food doesn't surprise him, after healing a wound like that Hiei would need more help to maintain his body than usual, and he already burned through more calories and sleep than the rest of their group on a normal day.

“The children will be delighted to have your attention at their disposal for that time.” Always about the children, the one safe bridge he can typically maintain a conversation through to ward off awkwardly fumbling into perceived offense. “It is another important lesson for them to learn as part of their own training, giving your body ample rest after such an injury. Especially as their abilities are nowhere near your own.”

Lead by example, Hiei.

Yukina had become the keeper of many secrets, at this point. The two of them, despite never addressing the open secret of their relation, had occasionally fallen in to reminiscing together. Had spoken on things that Hiei wouldn’t dare to expose to anyone other than his own flesh and blood, and even then she’d had to prod it out of him.

If nothing else, Yukina is the perfect repository of information if she chooses to be. If he stone walls enough to justify it, more than likely. She knows, after all, how much time he spent missing the fox while he had been gone from the mortal world. No matter how much bluster he put in to his rebukes for the same man in front of him now.

Kurama mentions the children’s glee at having him at his disposal, and Hiei sighs around his next mouthful. Yes, they would be delighted to have his undivided attention, he’s sure. Especially if their mother has her way with making sure that he stays put and not training with the sun rise. If he weren’t so naive about Yukina and her intentions, he might suspect it was also to try and have him sit still for Kurama as well.

After all, Hiei is just as chastised by his sister as her children are.

“My ability is exactly why I don’t need it.” Well, and that compared to some of Yukina’s children, he is fully demon instead of half. Another bite of his rice ball, and Hiei at least offers some tether back to a snarky earlier comment.

“At the very least I owe Kazuma an ass kicking...” For teasing his uncle at the very least, despite that snark being entirely his own in nature. At least these goals seem to push out his time frame for being here.

It occurs to him that Kurama being back here to check on him is a possibility, but .. considering how they’d left off, he isn’t so sure. The fire demon pauses for a moment but then asks -

“Did you forget something?” In the scramble of it all, he couldn’t say he’d blame him.

Without Yukina, things would have been even harder on the fox and he's well aware of that. She'd certainly done enough to ensure any of this was possible, hearing out his side of things and offering unique insights that may help manage the situation. Yukina's awareness of Hiei's true feelings being motivation enough to assist where she might not have, otherwise.

“Perhaps you don't, but it is something they should be mindful of. How else will they learn?” Not that Hiei is a shining example of not pushing oneself to the limit, but perhaps he'll think better of it concerning the children, at least.

“I'm sure he'll be just as ready for his punishment when the time comes.” This is said dryly, emphasis on punishment, Kuwabara's son clearly not viewing it that way, similar to his father as he is. Despite whatever outcome Hiei might intend.

He blinks, a flicker of confusion across his features with the momentary uncertainty prompted by that question. Of course, realization has green eyes widening as it occurs to him that yes, actually, he'd left those supplies behind in the rushed effort to keep the children from catching him unaware.

Still, he's not entirely sure that Hiei isn't looking for an out, subtly directing him to get his things and leave, lacing his own response with uncertainty, “It would seem that I have.”

Kurama doesn't move to retrieve them, instead adding evenly, “If you're attempting to tell me to mind my own business, I'm afraid you'll need to be more direct.”

Kurahi Catch-All: Unspoken Thing

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