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Episode 5

"Push it in," Yusuke huffed. "Just push it in."

"I can't – it's too tight," Sam panted.

"Then stretch it first. Put your fingers inside slowly."

"Okay, but it's so hard already..."

"Here, let me," Yusuke breathed.

Yusuke grabbed Sam's hand and helped shove it inside the boxing gloves.

"There, see, it fits."

"Never thought it'd be this hard to put these things on," Sam sighed. He put his hands up and started punching at the air in front of Yusuke.

"Arms up. Extend your reach," Yusuke advised as he ducked and flit out of the way.

"This is great," Sam panted. "A few more days and you figure I can take on Finn?"

"You guys have a fight or something?" Yusuke said as he moved back and forth.

"Not really, just in case," Sam panted.

They resumed the spar in silence.

It was midnight already by the time Kurt dropped Kurama off at the Tantei house.

The redhead opened the door slowly so as not to wake anyone inside. It was pitch dark, but he stood still for a while, knowing that more or less his eyes will start to adjust and soon, he can navigate through the shadows.

"Stop pretending you're human, fox," a voice from within the dark said. "Or, are you practicing?"

Kurama sighed.

"How nice to see you too, Hiei."

The mood was off. Kurama blinked and used his demon powers; immediately the shadows started to define themselves furniture. Kurama made out a chair and he sat on it slowly. He felt Hiei move to follow him.

"You've been busy the past few days," Hiei accused quite accurately.

"Just talking to people," Kurama said slowly, looking down quite uncomfortably. He knew Hiei was staring at him.

"That's it?"

"Yeah," Kurama whispered.

"You've been hanging out with someone quite... often," Hiei pointed out hesitantly.

"Just gathering information," Kurama snapped. He was suddenly annoyed – why was Hiei suddenly acting like his mother?

"And, I enjoy his company," Kurama added... as bait. He wanted to know how Hiei would react to that statement.

Well, there was silence. Kurama wanted to smack his head. He should've known.

"I have information," the dark demon said slowly after a while. "I've been observing people closely and there's someone who stands out."

The fox narrowed his eyes. Could he and Hiei be thinking of the same person?

He's been eyeing someone as well. If there was one reaction to the bane, it was that she invited them to join Glee club. He's been suspecting her as soon as he heard her voice inside the cafeteria. Because, it was just impossible for a human to have that pitch unless...

He finally looked up at Hiei and nodded.

"A mark of someone raised in water," Kurama agreed. "What do you want to do?"

"We're not sure yet," Hiei hinted.

Kurama understood. Damn it, he just naturally spoke Hiei. Even if they're not talking, even if just looking at Hiei fucked with his mind and kicked his heart, it was impossible to deny that they just, simple, worked.

"I'll have an answer by end of this week," Kurama spoke. "If Rachel Barry is indeed the newt."

"Japanese songs," Mr. Shcuester declared in Glee club practice. "Since our exchange students have been so nice as to sing English songs with us and give everyone kung fu lessons, we should return the kindness and sing some Japanese songs with them."

"But Mr. Schue, we don't even speak Japanese," Santana replied in a deadpan tone. "In case you haven't noticed."

"I can say Honda," Brittany piped up.

"We don't need to," Artie rescued the blonde. "Have you ever noticed how Amy Winehouse drops her British accent whenever she sings? Anyone can speak a different language when they're singing."

"And there are lots of songs from Japan that have English in the lyrics," Tina volunteered. "They like sort-of, mashing them up."

"You don't have to do this Mr. Schue, really, we're fine with the English songs," Kurama said.

"I miss some of the songs at home we rock out out too, though," Kuwabara muttered.

"Well, how about if everybody get used to Japanese songs first," Yusuke stood up. "And the perfect way is to watch some good old Japanese cartoons!"

"Are you out of your tucked-in mind?" Quinn rolled her eyes. "We're losers as it is, and now you want us to turn into some otaku?"

"But we know how to defend ourselves now," Sam looked at Quinn. "If anybody bullies us, we'll just show them some Japanese kung fu and they're done."

There was a buzz of agreement from all over the room.

"In that case," Mr. Schue smiled. "Everybody's assignment this weekend is to watch a Japanese cartoon and sing the best song they've heard out of it on Monday."

Kurt approached Kurama after Glee club dismissal.

"Well, now you have to help me here," he said while grabbing Kurama's arm.

The fox laughed at his gesture. "I can give you private tutors, but there's just one thing I'm asking for in exchange."

Kurt raised his eyebrows. "Uh-oh, I mean I like you, Kurama, but I don't like you like you."

"The thing I was going to ask for," Kurama ignored Kurt's comment altogether. "Is if you could bring Rachel over, too."

"Easy enough," Kurt smiled. "Though may I ask why? Is your boyfriend getting jealous about us spending too much time together?"

Kurt swore, if he saw someone turn red faster than Kurama did, he'd chop his hair off.

"He was at it again today," Kurt added, just to see if Kurama can turn any redder. He was quite enjoying this. "Staring at you for the whole Glee club practice. Frankly I don't know why you haven't noticed it all this ti- YEOUCH!"

Kurt found his foot being stomped on by the redhead.

"WHAT THE F-"

"Hey Kurama, wanna ride with us or what?"

Kurt turned around and found Yusuke and Kuwabara approaching them.

"Thankbutkurtwilldropmeoffbye!" Kurama waved, and practically shoved the two boys outside the room.

When Kurt and Kurama found themselves alone in the choir room, Kurt put his hands on his hips.

"These are expensive, Jimmy Choo shoes," he said. "And, why are you so defensive about you and Hiei, anyway?"

Kurama sighed audibly. "Sorry about the boots, it's just- please don't let anybody know about me and Hiei."

Kurt sat down and looked at Kurama, and for the first time since they met, he realized that the redhead looked... possibly shaken and quite unsure.

"Hey, remember what I told you in the cinema? Our deal? I didn't offer it just because I want to gossip," Kurt smiled, hoping Kurama would recognize that he really cared. "I, well, I just felt like you could use someone to know."

Kurama sat in front of him and took a deep breath.

"I, well, Hiei and I aren't really friends, but we're partners," the redhead began. "In Japan, the four of us belong to this group and we get assigned certain... projects. And Hiei and I always team up, mainly because we're from the same... hometown, and well, we're sort of doing it as punishment for something we did. But we've learned to trust each other, read each others minds in ways even I can't imagine."

Kurt nodded, urging the redhead to continue.

"Well, after this stint in your school, we're actually not bound by our contract to stay in the group anymore," Kurama looked outside the window. "I think, well, I think Hiei was expecting me to go back to our hometown. But I'm not yet sure... I mean, I like what I have here. My friends, my family."

Kurt nodded, then prodded Kurama. "So, you and him are having this... misunderstanding?"

"I wouldn't even call it that," Kurama turned his head to look at Kurt. "We're having... tension. I think- I think he's upset now that he's realized that I might be staying here, and as for myself I think I'm upset because, because..."

"... because you want him to stay here too, but don't think you have the right to ask him to?" Kurt finished the sentence for him.

"Oh, I don't want to ask him. I just wish he'd... realize it himself."

"Kurama," Kurt smiled and took the redhead's hands. "You are, for someone so smart, one hell of an idiot."

The aforementioned idiot took his hands away and raised his eyebrows at Kurt,who smiled and smacked his head.

"God, I can't believe it! You're both obviously so in love with each other, you can't even realize it!"

"In love? You," Kurama cleared his throat. "You don't know Hiei. I don't know if he's even capable of that."

"Well, what is he, raised by ice maidens or something? Of course he's capable, everyone is, he just might not know about it."

"How do you know?"

"Kurama, the way he looks at you in Glee club practice, he looks like he wants eat you," Kurt rolled his eyes again. "At first it was really scary, quite demonic in fact, but then I realize he was just looking at you with such desire."

Kurama's eyes widened, quite bigger than a saucer.

"And, I have a hunch he's... upset, you might say, that you're making friends here not because he wants you to go back but because, well, he's jealous."

Kurama clammed up and just looked at Kurt. Just, steadily, looked at Kurt.

The green eyes boring into him were a little bit too much, so Kurt averted his eyes.

"Thank you," Kurama finally stated. He then stood up and grabbed his bag, then started to walk away from the room.

Kurt, knowing that his friend might need a moment to absorb everything he just said, let Kurama go in peace.

In love. In love.

He was in love? With Hiei?

Just saying the word inside his mind made his gut churn!

Kurama ducked his head in the water and submerged himself.

He went straight to the school pool after his talk with Kurt. Swimming always helped him think, at the same time just distract himself, from whatever chaos was going on inside his head.

He's been swimming laps for half an hour now, but this one just refused to go away.

In love. In love!

How long has it been since his youko self fell in love? Ages. Ages! In fact, he's only been in love twice and look where that ended up; one, he killed and the other one, he blinded.

And now he's in love with the forbidden child!

And, and, there's a chance Hiei might also be in love with him... didn't Kurt say so?

Impossible.

But... but that made sense, didn't it?

The way Hiei trusted only him, the way Hiei only let Kurama hold him, not just touch him, mind you, but really hold him, when he's wounded after a battle...

Kurama rose up to take a breath, and very quickly submerged himself in water again.

Damn, it was true.

And now that he's recognized it, it was pretty easy for the fox to realize that he wanted to be with Hiei. That he wanted to own the demon, possess him, to just lay beside him and whisper into his ears.

You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Once again Kurama rose up to the surface, short of breath. When he did, his eyes made out a shadow watching him from the sides of the pool.

The fox shook his head and swam closer to the figure. He looked up and blinked his eyes.

"Apparently, I love you," he said.

"Took you long enough to realize," Hiei replied matter-of-factly.

"Somebody had to point it out to me."

"Hn," Hiei knelt down such that he was closer to the fox. "And what else did he point out?"

"That," Kurama breathed and looked into Hiei's ruby eyes. "You love me, too."

"The boy has good sleuthing skills-"

Hiei had no time to finish his statement as Kurama pulled himself out of the water and pushed his lips to crash into Hiei's shocked ones.

Kurama felt like melting. Like everything he's waited for, like everything he wanted in this world, has just come home.

He pulled out of the kiss and sank back into the water.

Hiei nodded at him and flitted away.

As mentioned, he spoke Hiei. This was just the way his demon was, and for Kurama, he'd have it no other way.

The chase was on.

Kurama submerged himself in water once again. He'd have to thank Kurt.

But first, he had to know the boy's story.

Author's Note: Okay, I know kung fu isn't Japanese, but I'm writing this from the perspective of the Glee teens who might not necessarily know better. Just thought I'd point that out.

Also, apologies to Klaine fans if this is a bit too Kurama-Hiei centric. Next episode will be almost entirely Kurt/Blaine. Plus, a little bit of Kurama/Hiei action.