Reciprocation

It was midnight, and Kurama sat at his desk reading, letting the rhythmic sound of Hiei's breathing soothe his ever calculating brain.

Hiei had been spending every night that week in Kurama's bed since it was raining, and the fire demon didn't want to sleep in the park. Even though that meant he wouldn't be sleeping, the fox didn't mind. He'd certainly suffered worse over the centuries than a few days of sleep deprivation.

He wouldn't sleep with Hiei there. Not until he knew a few more things about him. Kurama wasn't really expecting the fire demon to stab him again, but Kurama was not a being who took chances.

It was peaceful in the dark room, so the redhead allowed himself to focus on his book.

"You're awake." The soft, cold voice cut through the silence in the bedroom.

"I am." Kurama darted a glance from his book to the small demon in the bed.

"And is that normal for you?"

The fox sighed. "In a way."

Hiei frowned. It had been several months since he had met this fox spirit in human form. Several months since he had heard that name of legend slip through the lips it belonged to. A lot had changed since then. For instance, there had been the altercation with Yusuke, and they now worked for Koenma.

It was surprising to the jaganshi that they had reached such a stable understanding. He was surprised at himself most of all. There had never been anyone who could betray him and live to have the chance to do it again. But there was something about this humanoid fox with the large eyes. Well, something other than his ability to con his way through life.

"You're practically a human, so I know you sleep. I've seen you sleep in my presence before," Hiei said.

"You haven't," Kurama murmured.

"I have a Jagan, fox. I see everything."

Kurama smiled to himself. "You assume, and incorrectly at that. Neither of your eyes has seen me sleep because I don't when you're here."

"And why is that?" Hiei demanded.

Kurama gave him an unfriendly look. "Do not be fooled by the boy you see before you, Hiei. I am older than you can imagine, and one does not achieve such a feat by sleeping."

"But you sleep here."

"It's safer here."

"Except when I'm here, apparently." Hiei narrowed his eyes when the fox didn't respond. "You don't trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone. Not really."

"No one but a world full of humans!" Hiei snapped. "And what about the detective?"

"Yusuke is something of an anomaly, to be honest," Kurama replied. "And I owe him my life, as well as my mother's."

Hiei didn't want to hear about that. He got to his feet and flickered over to the window. "If anyone should be mistrustful, Kurama, it's me. Or have you forgotten the heist you ruined?"

Kurama glared. "All the more reason for my caution. How do I know you don't want revenge?"

"Because you're so good at your human act, that Koenma would have me arrested if I killed you," Hiei spat.

"I'll consider that a compliment. Now lie back down. We have to go deal with the Saint Beasts soon enough, and you'll need the rest."

"Why the hell should I trust you?"

"Because I could have left you to rot in that cell. Make no mistake, Hiei, I didn't have to work it so we both got our freedom. In fact, it would have been easier for me not to have done it. I didn't try to kill Koenma's new pet detective, after all."

"And I should just trust you because of that?"

"You do trust me, and rightly so. I've expended too much personal effort on your behalf to harm you now. You already know that, since you've been sleeping here all week."

Hiei snorted, but he knew when he was beaten. So he got back in the bed. "Unless it furthers your own goals to betray me again, of course."

"Yes, well…that is always a risk with me. I am a selfish creature by nature."

"And I suppose you think I should just accept that."

Kurama shrugged. "It is your choice."

"Is it worth it?"

"Perhaps. I can be a very good partner when it suits me to be so. The longer you stick with me, the more I'll be inclined to make your affairs my own. You have to decide how much that means to you."

Hiei sighed and closed his eyes. "You never lift a finger if it doesn't suit you, do you?"

"Why should I? You're only helping Yusuke because of Yukina."

"Fair point." The pair fell silent, then: "Fox?"

"Hm?"

"How will I know when we've reached whatever we need to reach for my affairs to become yours?"

Kurama smiled at that. "You will likely feel the same way, and I'll be in that bed beside you. It will be very clear. Now go back to sleep; I need to finish this book for school in the morning."

Hiei shook his head and allowed himself to drift back towards sleep. He could see now that the arrogant fox was going to be a hypocritical pain in his ass. He was far too perceptive for his own good and apparently followed a set of rules that only he knew. It was going to be maddening. It was going to be exciting.

A/N: This one shot was born from a review I got from darknesspirals about my story Small Hours. One of the sentences in the first set of that story is about the nature of Kurama and Hiei's sleeping arrangement, and that was one that darknesspirals liked the best of that set. The comment stuck with me, so I wrote this little thing this morning when I should have been listening to a lecture about Enlightenment Literature. Enjoy!