Kurama first became aware of the stabbing pain lancing through his skull with deft, precision strikes. He could tell the headache had its origins at the back of his head judging from the tenderness there, but the pain encompassed his entire skull.

He cracked open an eye then immediately closed it tightly shut with a groan. Light assaulted him, intensifying the agony currently piercing his brain.

Then a wave of nausea overwhelmed him as he sat up, making him double over then promptly fall heavily back down into the downy, padded substance on which he lie.

"Rise and shine," came a high pitched voice filled with mingled amusement and concern. Kurama turned his head in the direction of the voice and squinted, shutting out as much light as humanly, or demonly, possible and still have his eyes technically be defined as 'open.'

"Koenma?" he greeted uncertainly. It was hard to make out his childlike form with his eyes slanted almost closed. The indistinguishable mass of royal blue was enough to confirm that the deity before him was indeed the young Reikai prince.

"I told you, Kurama…" His voice was smug, and Kurama could almost hear the smirk in his tone. Clearly he took Kurama's injuries as Hiei's adamant and violent refusal.

Kurama looked past the prince to the dark figure that suddenly caught his eye, one that sat across the room, leaning against the far wall. The black form appeared to be asleep, its shoulders slumped and head bowed.

"He's been here the whole time you've been unconscious. We tried to get him back in his cell after he attacked you, but he insisted he remain by your side. As the guards were too afraid to approach him now that he as free of the wards, no one attempted to force him to go," he explained after following the redhead's gaze.

"Hiei agreed," Kurama breathed, returning his stare to the kami.

Koenma look flustered and indignant, "What? And he attacked you still?"

"That's Hiei for you…" Kurama half-chuckled, half-sighed.

Koenma left soon after that, stating he needed to take care of some paperwork and legally change their status to 'paroled with community service obligations.' He retreated with an awkwardly muttered "get well." Kurama closed his eyes again after that, resolving to rest and aid the Reikai healers helping him to recover with his own energy.

When he next awoke, it was to find sharp, crimson eyes staring down at him. Hiei leaned over the prone fox and traced his fingertips lightly over the fresh bruises that had turned a magnificent shade of sickly green mixed with pale yellow when he saw the fox was awake. His touch tickled slightly, but Kurama remained still. As Hiei fingered them he spoke very softly, "I'm sorry for these…"

"Well, between the skewering, the concussion, and the bruises, I'd say we are even," he joked mildly, gracing the fire apparition with a warm if weary smile.

"Hn," Hiei replied, biting down an answering smile of his own, twisting it into a smirk.

Kurama tried to sit up, only to be forced down by rough, sword-calloused hands. He grimaced but let the hands on his shoulder push him back down.

"Kurama…I was wondering…how is…your mother?" He looked embarrassed by this question and refused to meet Kurama's eyes as he said it.

He frowned in confusion at the demon's sincere curiosity, his brow wrinkled in contemplation. Then seeing honest concern in the Imiko's expression, all suspicions vanished. Just as quickly as the frown was donned, it melted into a warm smile.

"She's doing well," Kurama replied brightly. Thanks to Yusuke, he added silently.

"It was foolish of you to attempt to give our life for hers, but… I applaud your nobility and am glad she came out the better for it," Hiei mumbled awkwardly.

He looked up curiously at the demon upon this unexpected reply, but chose not to press him. Naturally, he was surprised when the small demon continued without being prompted.

"My mother…she died before I got the chance to meet her," he admitted very quietly, red gaze burning a hole in the ground beneath him.

Kurama gasped at this revelation, his green eyes brimming with sympathy and understanding. He placed his hand over Hiei's own in a gesture of compassion. He received yet another shock as Hiei, who tended to immediately shy away from such intimate physical contact or any gesture of comfort, placed his other hand over the redhead's in turn.

"Hiei, I'm so sorry," Kurama murmured softly to the Koorime, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"Don't be. It's not like you had anything to do with it," his expression turned odd, emotions Kurama couldn't pin down fleeted across his face.

"I am merely offering my condolences to your pain. I would not be the person I am today were it not for Shiori's love," Kurama explained, shrugging. Hiei only nodded and released his hand, sitting back as his expression turned contemplative.

"You never told me why the Brat Prince agreed to let me out. You I understand, but why me?"

Kurama looked uncomfortable for several moments as he chose his next words carefully. "I may have told him I'd agree to take any punishment that you incurred along with you…"

"What?" He practically screeched, jumping to his feet.

"That's why I won't be allowing you to kill Yusuke, clearly…" Kurama hedged by way of attempted distraction.

"Why the hell would you do a stupid thing like that? What if I decided to kill anyway, parole be damned?" He growled, red eyes twin blazing infernos.

The fox spirit smiled serenely, effectively stunning the raging demon out of his mounting anger. "I have done this for you because you are my partner and more importantly my friend as I have said, even if the feeling is not reciprocated. You've taken me at face value, saw the real me, with what you've learned by fighting with me, against me, and the conversations we've had in our down time. You have come to know me more than anyone ever has. This is precious to me, and I will do what I must to protect it. If that means taking a risk and staking my life on your honor to show you I mean what I say and ensure your safety, than it is a small price to pay for what I may potentially gain. Besides, we work so well as a team, it'd be a shame to spoil it, wouldn't it? As for your returning to murder, I think you honor would not allow you to condemn an innocent man to be punished with you."

Hiei took several deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. "Why do you trust me so much?" Hiei asked, his voice laced with equal parts contempt and awe.

"We must rebuild our trust somewhere, so I thought I'd make the first push. You know my true name, the location of my school, and more importantly home, where my one weakness lives. You know how I fight and how I think. You have every tool you need to utterly destroy me. That fact that you have not so far gives me confidence that you will not in the future." He said all this with heartfelt, steadfast conviction, unwavering as if he had peered into Hiei's very soul.

"You are a fool, you know?"

Kurama's smile grew until it wrinkled the skin at the edges of his eyes. "Yes, a certain fire apparition often tells me so."

"He's a sharp one, and I'm sure he'd agree that you trust too easily," Hiei replied with an answering smirk that was far closer to a smile than the usual ones he affected.

Kurama's smile, if possible grew wider. "We may barely know one another, but I have seen qualities in you, your best qualities that you tend to hide, that I value. Your honor and even occasional compassion chief among them."

"Hn, whatever, sentimental kitsune," Hiei grumbled under his breath, but Kurama could hear the faint traces of embarrassment in his voice.

"It was actually fairly easy to convince Koenma. It seems he's desperate for any help he can get. Coupled with the fact that, out of the three of us, you really did the least lasting harm as the humans you enslaved recovered in next to no time with no recollection of yours and their former exploits. You were merely the security disabler in the vault; Goki did the real damage in slaying the guards, and I stole the objects. He had every cause to grant you clemency, and I reminded him of that fact." He expounded, changing the subject to ease his companion's discomfort.

"More like you conned him into agreeing, you wily fox. You are the one he needs to be concerned about, not me," Hiei muttered, eyebrows raised, though his tone suggested he was more impressed than reproachful.

Kurama's smile turning into a mischievous smirk was the only answer he received, but it was confirmation enough that he was correct.

"You never told me what our first mission will be. You said that His Royal High-chair-ness was desperate for aid. He must have something in the works for us."

Kurama nodded solemnly. "The Four Saint Beasts are making a bid to gain entry into Living World."

"Feh," Hiei scoffed. "That third-rate scum. Hardly worth the time it would take to nail them."

"Well, while that may be true, I fear the real trouble will come from getting close enough to…what was the word you used…? 'Nail' them?"

Hiei pressed his lips into a hard line at the jibe. Anyone else would have to be suicidal to mock him, but it was becoming a daily occurrence with this brazen fox. Suddenly his countenance changed. Kurama watched with interest as his expression turned to one of smug confidence.

"I seem to remember a little legend about a certain infamous youko thief…" Hiei began, and Kurama gulped audibly as his worst fear was confirmed."…This bandit led a spectacular failed robbery of the Saint Beasts' lair. Having lost all his men, he fled, defeated and empty handed, fluffy nine-tails (1) firmly between his legs."

Kurama's eye twitched in annoyance at the look of triumph on the fire demon's face. "Alright, you caught me. I must say, though, that the blame is not entirely mine. I had a rather hot-headed partner at the time that led me into trouble…that seems to be a bad habit of mine that I have yet to kick…"

He smirked as the triumphant expression was wiped off his friend's face, leaving a sneer in its wake. Kurama could throw thinly veiled insults around until hell froze over.

As suddenly as the smirk appeared it was gone to be replaced by a furrowed browed frown. Hiei looked curiously down at this odd change in expression, a question in his eyes. That was all the prompting Kurama needed to voice the question that had been gnawing at the back of his mind for five long months, its answer either validating or refuting the wisdom of bargaining for Hiei's freedom, the wisdom of risking his own on the treacherous demon before him.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

Hiei blinked a few times and shook his head in confusion, shrugging. "Earlier? When I had you pinned against the wall? I was slightly curious about your lack of resistance."

Kurama's frown deepened, and it was his turn to shake his head. "No. When I was impaled, if you'd only twisted, with a flick of your wrist, I would have died. Why didn't you?"

"You should know the answer to that, Fox."

Kurama's frown deepened into a scowl in answer. "Clearly, I don't."

"You truly are as foolish as I've always said you are if you really believe that your feelings aren't reciprocated."

For a moment Kurama's heart stopped. Did he mean..?

"You—"

"Look, I'm not saying you're my friend or anything, but I'd be an idiot to make an enemy of such a powerful ally. It'd take too much time to break in a new partner, anyway!" He snapped, mitigating his earlier earnest response with his customary surliness.

"Truce, partner?" Kurama asked, extending a hand towards the fire demon.

Without hesitation the youkai gripped the proffered hand. "Truce," he grunted lazily.

Though his voice had been waspish, his words had been sincere. Hiei had indeed vindicated himself in Kurama's eyes. He knew then that he had made the right decision. His gamble had paid off in the form of a jackpot. He and Hiei were sure to enjoy a stronger, tougher, and closer bond as partners…and, if Kurama got his way (which he always did), as friends.

A/N

(1) So I seem to remember the anime showing that he only had four tails when Kurama was telling his story to Yusuke, but the anime also said at that point that he was only 300 years old. Kitsune gain one tail every hundred years of life, so Kurama would have four (being born with one) if he was indeed 300. However, it is later stated by Yomi that he and Kurama were partners 1000 years ago. This means that Kurama is probably well over 1000 as he was a mature adult when he knew Yomi. Therefore, he would have the maximum amount of tails a spirit fox could achieve: nine.