A faint rustle grabs my attention, the movement of cloth on cloth.  I turn to the bed - and its single occupant.  He stirs, just beginning to wake.  I sit on the edge of the bed, leaning over him to brush his bright red hair away from his forehead…

His emerald-green eyes flash open, his fear and apprehension apparent in them.  He sits bolt-upright, the sheets sliding away from his bare chest, which I observe with carefully concealed appreciation.

"Easy, Kurama," I soothe him in a gentle voice.  "You’re safe now."

He blinks at me uncertainly, and my throat tightens as tears slowly seep from his eyes.

"What - ?" His voice is hoarse.  He clears it, and tries again.  "What happened?"

I gaze solemnly at him.  "What do you remember?"

"I remember - " He falters.  I nod sympathetically, encouraging him.  "I remember - "  His eyes widen once more, his breath catching in his throat, and he crumples onto the bed.

I gather him into my arms, stroking his hair, rocking him gently as he cries into my shoulder.

"Hiei!" He gasps out between sobs.  "Hiei’s dead!"

"I know, I know."  I hold him gently, letting my actions convey my sympathy, and my understanding.  I do know exactly what is going on, after all.  I understand far more than anyone else could - for I have orchestrated most of it myself.

"She killed him!  She killed him before I could tell him!  I had to -! "  He freezes suddenly, drawing back to look intently into my eyes.  "You do believe me, don’t you?  She killed him!"

And don’t I know it.  She was such a pleasure to observe, the way she got rid of that brat of a brother of hers.  I might have even kept her around if she hadn’t been after you!

"I believe you,"  I assure him.  "I know what she did.  But I found out too late to stop her…"  I hang my head as if in shame.  "You were right to kill her.  She had to be stopped.  She would have killed you all, eventually…  I’m so sorry, Kurama.  This is all my fault…"

The lies drip so easily from my tongue.  After all, I’ve had plenty of practice.  And they’re not all lies, just - alternate ways of looking at the truth.

I slump my shoulders in apparent despair.

"No."  He shakes his head, wide eyed.  "It’s not your fault."

"Then whose fault is it?" I ask him heatedly.  "I’m the god of death!  Who else is responsible?"  I slam my fist down on the bed, making it tremble.

I close my eyes and sigh.  "I’m sorry, Kurama," I tell him.  "I’ve lost so many friends over the years…  That’s the big downside of being what I am.  And I’m always left alone…" I trail off.

I can feel his burning gaze resting upon me.

Fingertips brush my cheek, and I open my eyes.  His green eyes are full of mingled pain and compassion.

"Not at the moment, you’re not."

"No," I answer, breathing heavily.  "Not at the moment."

I reach for his face, pulling his head towards me with both hands.  He blinks, stiffening a little in surprise, but that soon fades as my lips meet his in a binding kiss.  Tentatively at first, the with true hunger, he returns my offering of companionship.

I lean forward, pushing him back down onto the bed, as his hands roam my body, tugging at my clothes.  I shrug out of them swiftly, grateful that I had removed his earlier.  I don’t want him to have a chance to even think about not following this through.
 

We lie together afterwards, and I hold his body comfortably pressed against my own.

"What happened to the others?"

The question startles me.

"The others?"

"They came in after - " he breaks off.  "They didn’t believe me - "

"Hush!"  I tighten my grip on him momentarily, comforting him with a hug.  "You can’t help that they will not listen to us."

"’Us’?"

I sigh heavily into his hair.  "We tried, too, Botan and I.  They wouldn’t listen to us, either."

"But, what about Kuwabara?  I think I hurt him…"

"You did."  I hear his swift intake of breath.  "But not as much as he hurt himself."

Kurama tilts his head back to stare at me.

"He’s dead, too,"  I tell him sadly.  His eyes widen, and start to glisten once more.  "And Yuusuke has told us that he wants nothing to do with any of us, ever again."

Kurama’s face twists, and he buries his head against my chest once more.

"They’ve left us both alone, Kurama, but at least we still have each other."

I hear a shaky affirmative amidst his muffled sobs.

I smile, and hold his shuddering body.

We will always have each other.  I will always have him.

Just as I planned, all along.

Go to Evil fic 6