Here's Chapter 5 of Before & After.  Constructive C & C are again welcome.
Thanks.  Enjoy.

--Shuuichi Minamino

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BEFORE & AFTER
Ch 5

"Tossing and Turning,
 There's a fever so deep inside,
 Fever is burning and I'm lying awake at night,
 How I want you to kiss, want your body to move,
 How I want you to touch, gonna break every rule.
 It can be wrong, to be in love,
 It can be wrong, so don't say no more,
 I have been waiting for so long...
 I can imagine how it feels, when we are lying skin to skin,
 Heaven is just one word away,  
 So can we do it now, do it now.
 Hungry for love...
 In the heat of the night,
 Hungry for love...
 Won't you to stay by my side.
 Tell me that I am just your loving man, cause all I want is you,
 Would you like to spend the night with me, tell me that you do.
 Cause I'm hungry for love."
					-"Hungry For Love" by Bad Boys Blue

	"I am a jerk." Kurama muttered, accusing himself while searching
through the woods. "I surely hope he doesn't hate me for this."
	Right after dinner, Kurama had told Shiori that he needed to go
see a friend of his, which wasn't a lie at all.  Shiori, being an
understanding mother, didn't try to get more information about this friend
of his. 

	*He is not a child anymore, if I ask him too many questions,
he might think that I don't trust him.* Shiori thought.

	"All right dear, just don't come back too late." Shiori called after Kurama.

	"Don't worry kaasan, I won't."

	So here he was, in the woods, where Hiei spended most of his
nights whenever he was in Ningenkai. Kurama had already been wondering
around for
several hours attempting unsuccessfully to locate Hiei by looking up from
tree to tree. And as he somehow expected, Hiei was either trying to avoid
him or was not even in this city at all.  

	"Ok, Hiei, I'm really sorry. I was an idiot. And I'll take any
punishment from you. Just please answer me if you are here." Kurama spoke
aloud into the darkness. After having waited for what seemed to be an
eternity, Kurama gave up, sad and self-hating. 

	"Now I've done it." He turned away and started to head back home.

	"What do you want !?" Hiei's voice suddenly came out of nowhere with his
usual tone of annoyance. Kurama jumped. He looked up at the tree
branch right behind him, about a foot and few inches above the
ground, and found Hiei.

	"Don't you ever do that to me again."

	"I asked you what do you want!?"

	Kurama hesitated for a minute, "Hiei, I'm sorry. I shouldn't do
this to you. But it's just...not the right time to let my mother know
about us yet..."

	"Hn! Don't worry, that won't happen again." Hiei snorted.

	Kurama froze for a moment, then looked down at the ground. "Hiei,
I know I've hurt you.  I wish there's something I can do to make it up.
I.."

	Hiei during all this time, kept his eyes closed.

	Kurama gently reached up and put one of his hands on Hiei's right
knee. 

	"You can beat me up if you want." He offered.

	"You and your stupid sense of humor." Hiei turned his head away.

	"Does that mean you will forgive me?"

	Hiei didn't reply.

	Kurama sighed, "What do you want me to do so you'll forgive me?" He
asked softly.

	Hiei remained silent.

	Kurama took Hiei's hand into his, "Hiei, please...." he was
begging.

	Hiei turned to look into Kurama's green eyes. His face had a look of
sadness that Kurama never imagined to see it on Hiei's usual expressionless
face. As gently as ever, being afraid that he would scare or offend Hiei, he
took Hiei into his arms.
***********************

	Kurama smiled.  One of his arms, which Hiei had used as pillow, was around
Hiei's shoulder while the other arm was also around Hiei, with his left hand
lightly playing with Hiei's hair. 

	After they've made love,  Hiei had curled up in Kurama's arms like a
small child, soundly asleep while Kurama found himself wide awake.

	*What will become of us, Hiei?* He silently asked the sleeping figure.
*What are we going to do about this?* His mother is the number one problem,
this would be way too much for her. Also, what about their friends? How
would they think about this new relationship between him and Hiei? The youko
side of him wants to take Hiei with him, away from all these people but the
human side will never just leave his family and friends behind.  The human
side has much more worries than the youko side.  And oh, he almost forgot,
one last and maybe the most disturbing problem. How was he going to explain
all these to Yomi?

	After all, he and Yomi had had a relationship.  Although so many things
happened and centries had passed. It't funny how they could still pick up
where they had left off after he arrived the Makai and became Yomi's right
hand, well, they didn't "pick it up" emotionally, but the physical
attraction was there.  He couldn't forget all those nights they spent together.
Despite the fact that he and Yomi disagreed on many things and despite the
fact that Yomi was always trying to control him, he had to admit that Yomi is a
far more skillful lover comparing to Hiei.  

	But the affair between him and Yomi involved too many agenda, too
many secrets.  It could no longer be called love.  That was long ago, when
he was still a youko.  The time with Yomi where he served as a right-hand
man was only ways to make sure that his family would be all right.  Sure,
Yomi no longer control his domain since the tournament, but Yomi was still
stronger than he was.  What if he suddenly decided to "do something" about
Kurama's change of bedmate?

	Yes, too many agendas, and too many secrets.  His affair with Hiei, on the
other hand, had remained mostly innocent and truthful.  Hiei had trusted him
that he was willing to give himself to Kurama.  That had not been something
easy to do for a member of a youkai race which has no concept of what love is.  

	*Gods, he trusted me, and in return I hurt him by driving him away like
he's my little pet or something.*  Kurama thought to himself. *Not to
mention I might have possibly gotten him an S-class love rival.*

	He recalled the first night with Hiei.....

-----------Chapter 5 End (TO BE CONTINUED)------------------

   --Shuuichi Minamino
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  * "J'aurais                            "I would have wanted                 *
  *           voulu ne pas mourir.                  not to die.               *
  *  J'aurais voulu                       I would have wanted                 *
  *           ne jamais grandir.                    never to grow up.         *
  *  J'aurais                             I would have                        *
  *           voulu me casser l'ame."             wanted to rend my soul."    *
  *                                                                           *
  *                ~Cirque Du Soleil                      ~Circus Of The Sun  *
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