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For the third year in a row, Hiei accompanied Kurama for his customary first shrine visit of the new year. The fox of course went to the nearest Inari shrine, the one Shiori used to take him to when he was a baby. It was something that Hiei used to observe from the treetops curiously, but now he walked beside Kurama, glancing around the place.The smaller demon did like shrines; they were one of the few places in the Ningenkai where it was quiet and devoid of people. There were usually large, old trees that made proper places to nap. Many shrines had some connection to the Reikai or the Makai, and lingering around them usually boosted his youki. Of course he wasn’t blessed like Kurama, who had told Hiei the story long ago about Inari ascending from Youko form to a celestial fox and becoming a deity the humans worshipped.The weather was cold, and the late hour meant nobody was around. Even the light in the caretaker’s home was off. A quick search with the Jagan revealed that the closest human was wandering down a darkened street, a few blocks away.Hands in his pockets, Hiei was silent as Kurama did what he usually did: the redhead tended to all the plants first, checking their condition and feeding them his youki; after that he approached the shrine proper. Kurama didn’t pray the way the humans did, Hiei noticed, but he did put a coin in the offering box. Kurama stood for a long time after that, looking at the supposedly sacred structure and the two small fox statues flanking it. In these moments Hiei knew Kurama was talking to Inari; when he tried to touch the fox’s mind with the Jagan, a strange energy blocked him from doing so. In the meantime, Hiei stared at the small fox statues, convinced that one of them had moved.“Well.” Kurama finally said, the conversation apparently over. He turned to Hiei with a smile, the chill in the air making his breath come out in a puff of white. Kurama always looked the most human in the wintertime, bundled up in layers.“Thank you for coming with me. I’m glad it’s quiet here this year.” Kurama said, looking around. It was clear he felt at home in this kind of place, but was ready to leave due to Hiei’s usual impatience and dislike of the cold weather.“You didn’t get your paper.”“What?”“That.” Hiei pointed at a hollowed-out tree trunk to their left. He knew there was a box inside filled with small slips of paper, and that Kurama always chose one after he talked with Inari at the shrine.“Oh! Yes, the omikuji. It’s a fortune for the next year.” Kurama explained, though Hiei had guessed as much. He’d spied humans crowding around the tree trunk before, comparing their papers and jumping up and down when it said the littlest positive thing.Kurama approached the tree, paused for a moment, and then reached inside. He pulled out a small piece of paper, unfurling it and scanning the contents with an arched eyebrow.Strangely, Hiei couldn't see what was written on the paper with the Jagan. At other shrines, he could. The smaller demon assumed Inari was obsessed with mystery, for some reason, and could obscure the information from him. It wasn’t like Hiei actually cared what the papers said, though Kurama did look a little paler than he had a moment ago.“Bad luck?”“No, actually.” Kurama glanced up at him, still looking surprised. He folded the paper carefully and put it in his pocket. “Give me a coin.” Hiei said suddenly.“What?”“I don’t have any human money.” Hiei muttered in explanation. Kurama looked him over suspiciously, but retrieved his wallet and dropped a shiny gold coin into Hiei’s hand. The smaller demon turned on his heel and darted over to the offering box, throwing the little bit of metal into it.He swore one of the fox statues smiled at him.Having nothing to say to Inari, if the thing was even listening, Hiei just stood there for a moment and then moved back by Kurama near the hollowed-out tree trunk. He reached inside, picking an omikuji at random, and then opened the paper.Allow yourself to love him back.
The words weren’t printed, but written, the ink fresh and even a little smudged. As if that wasn’t disturbing enough, the language was not the one the humans around them always used, but the strange dialect Hiei knew from when he was a child in the Makai.Hiei stared at the small paper, knowing he probably couldn’t incinerate it safely while standing on the shrine grounds.“Hiei? Is it bad?” Kurama asked, getting his attention. When Hiei said nothing, Kurama continued. “If you don’t want the fortune to follow you home, you put it over there.” Kurama said, pointing to a small metal grate. People had already tied numerous fortunes to it, hoping to leave the message at the shrine if it contained bad luck. The smaller demon remembered seeing this before but not understanding the custom at the time.“Hn.” Hiei looked down at the paper, folding it back up. He shoved it in his pocket, then looked at the shrine entrance. “Let’s go.”One fox in his life was chaos enough; Hiei didn’t need to stay here and have Inari getting in their business. They walked together to the shrine entrance, passing underneath the vermillion gates. As soon as they did, Hiei glanced over his shoulder back at the shrine.Near the hollowed-out tree trunk, a dark silver and black fox curled up in the frosted grass. It looked at Hiei, and then disappeared.“Hiei?”Again, Kurama’s voice pulled him out of distraction. The fox actually looked worried now, like he did when Hiei was injured in battle.“You’re strange today.”“I guess.” Hiei answered, quiet. They walked in silence, slowly, and Hiei felt better once there was distance between them and the shrine grounds. It was more than unnerving, the fox god’s attention. He thought again about incinerating the paper, but decided against it. Instead he walked back to Kurama’s home with him, grateful that the fox’s human mother was gone somewhere. Hiei didn’t plan on spending the night outside in this kind of cold, and he was much more comfortable settling on the couch in the living room.Kurama brought him a mug of the chocolate drink he liked, which Hiei drained in less than a minute. The fox sat next to him and sipped at his own drink, though he seemed distracted. The liquid was too hot for him, and he winced at the flash of pain, setting his mug back on the table.“Burn yourself?”“A little.”For some reason, Hiei grabbed Kurama by the chin, trying to verify the damage. The redhead’s bottom lip was slightly swollen, but that was it. Kurama was staring at him with wide green eyes, eyes that only appeared bigger as Hiei closed the distance between them and licked at the damaged flesh. “Hiei-”“Shut up, fox.” Hiei said firmly, kissing Kurama properly.After an unknown amount of time - Kurama’s cocoa had gone cold, he knew that much - they separated. Kurama seemed at a loss for words, for once, and Hiei found he quite liked being the cause of that.“... Are you going to let me read your omikuji?” Kurama finally asked, idly rubbing at a little mark Hiei had left on his neck. He was going to have to cover it somehow, Hiei knew. The smaller demon didn’t care.“Someday.” Hiei answered, crossing his arms over his chest. He would protect the little paper as he did the few things he cared about, but he didn’t want to show it to Kurama right now. “What about yours?” The smaller demon asked, curious. Kurama blushed - actually blushed - but stood up and retrieved the piece of paper from his jacket hanging in the entryway. The fox handed the paper to Hiei, almost like he was shy. It was written in smudged ink, like Hiei’s had been, but the language was an even older dialect from the Makai. Hiei suspected it was probably something meant for only Youko to see.“I can’t read it.” Hiei admitted, glaring. “What does it say?”Kurama smiled at him, the blush still on his face. The sight of it made Hiei forget everything around them, feeling captive to the fox.“It says ‘your dreams will come true tonight.’”Hiei dropped the paper. Instead of scolding him about it, Kurama kissed him.