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Standard disclaimer. The characters belong to their respectable owner, Monsieur Yoshihiro Togashi. The title is a jazz song which belongs to whoever it belongs to. Only the story belongs to me!

Hello, everyone, I am back. *grin and wave* This is the sequel to Springtime in Paris, continuing in the same timeline and setting. Answer the unanswered, finish the unfinished, and begin the unbegun are my goals. If you enjoy the story, send me an email. If you do not, still send me an email. If you have C&C, also send me an email. If you want to know me, have to send me an email. In any case, email-me!!

The shameless, email-loving, Moondance.

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Chapter 1

"Hmm...¨ The owner of the hair-bush moaned and nestled closer to his lover in reply.

"I know you are awake, and ready to get up.¨ The redhead coaxed, kissing Hiei's Jagen lightly. Hiei suppressed a shiver, but stubbornly refused to budge one inch.

"Don't want to."¨ Even Hiei knew it was childish of him. He could not help it.

"We'll be late.¨ Sitting up, Kurama deprived Hiei of his favorite pillow. This action was not very appreciated.

"And who's fault is that?? Thanks to you, we fell asleep only before dawn!¨ Crossly, Hiei complained, and it was not because that he objected to this particular type of insomnia.

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault.¨ Good-naturedly, Kurama smiled and cuddled Hiei close to show his apology, not feeling a bit sorry. After all, that was the only way he could think of keeping Hiei with him for the whole night, and more importantly, till the next morning.

"Hm.¨ In Kurama's arms, Hiei felt too comfortable to argue.

"But if we don't start dressing now, we'll be late.¨ Giving the beauteous neck one last lingering kiss, Kurama pulled Hiei up with him.

"Hey!¨ Shaking Kurama¡|s hand off, Hiei proceeded to look for his clothes and weapon. The damn fox hid them somewhere, and even Hiei was not brave enough to venture out into the big wide world, only dressed in his original package.

"Oh no, you don't.¨ Grabbing Hiei by the waist, Kurama knelt down before him, and laid his head against the taunt stomach. "It is crucial for everyone that you be there today. Besides, you promised me that you'd go.¨ Kurama whispered, scattering kisses randomly as he spoke.

"Don't threaten me, Kurama.¨ At the sound of the word 'promise', Hiei froze. He hated being reminded of his promises, since they usually involve quite unpleasant circumstances for him. They were restrictions, when he wished to be free. This time, the promise he made was not an exception, even if it was a misfortune on a smaller scale.

Thinking fast on his feet, Kurama sought to make up for his rare slip of the tongue. Well, he was always prepared.

"I don't, my love.¡¨ Looking up at Hiei with his huge green eyes, Kurama witnessed the devastating result he wreaked upon Hiei by calling him ¡¥love¡|. As usual, Hiei¡|s expression softened, albeit looking a little troubled. His hand began running through Kurama's luxurious curls, and Kurama purred in pleasure. Now, Kurama unleashed his most potent weapon. "Please, come with me¨ He pleaded, in a voice filled with hope and vulnerability, like a lost child asking to be taken home, tinged with the fear of refusal and disappointment.

Hiei sighed, and nodded reluctantly. Combine 'love' with that pleading tone, Hiei had no chance at all. Walking toward the bathroom, Hiei could feel the fox¡|s little triumphant smile on his back. Before he could burst out in a torrent of cursing, however, he was scooped up in Kurama's arms.

"Care to have company?¨ The mischievous smile and wink dispersed Hiei¡|s displeasure as easily as sunbeams melt snow.

Hiei only grunted in reply. Really, it¡|s impossible to stay angry at that fox for long.

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Hiei stared at his reflection in the mirror in disgust. Kurama, on the other hand, looked very pleased with his handiwork.

"This is ridiculous.¨ Hiei declared, then added several choice Makai curses to describe in detail what he felt about his outfit. The terms he used were unflattering, the tone insulting, and the words not only colorful, but also very spicy. Arms crossed, Kurama listened on in interest. Ever a diligent student, he was eager to learn what were the more up-to-date Makai curses. Of course, Hiei¡|s disapproval was completely wasted on him. Finally, Hiei ran out of breath, and had to pause to rest. Kurama grabbed the opportunity and jumped in.

"Really, I don't see what got you so upset.¨ Kurama remarked mildly, knowing that his manner would annoy Hiei even more. Kurama was like that sometimes.

"......¨ Hiei spluttered, too outraged to make an appropriate retort.

"The embroidery is exquisite, the jewel perfect, and the color is, indeed, as you insisted, mostly black, so what are you complaining about?¨ Once Kurama was in his teasing mood, not even the end of the world could sober him up.

"I said black!! Not "mostly" black!!!¨ Hiei roared. One might be reminded of his Kokuryuuha. Indeed, Hiei's hands were itching to untie the warding.

"You didn't say "completely" black.¨ Perversely, this phrase was even logical. Tired of this line of argument, Kurama challenged Hiei. "If you can truthfully say the cloak is not beautiful, you don¡|t have to wear it.¨

Nothing would please Hiei more at this moment than throwing a "it's ugly" back to Kurama, but he could not, not truthfully. He was forced to admit that the cloak did look nice after Kurama¡|s modification, but it was so...embarrassing!

Trying to be fair, Hiei stared into his reflection once more. Black top, black pants, a narrow white belt bound his narrow waist. All as usual. The resemblance to normality stopped here. His plain old cloak was replaced by one of silk, and a breathtakingly detailed dragon in various shades of black spiraled from the helm, ending with a magnificent gaping jaw over his right shoulder. It was entirely satisfactory, and appealing to Hiei¡|s vanity, not that he had much, except for one thing--the fist-size cloak brooch. Human craftsman could break their fingers with hammers and bleach their hair with sweat yet never achieves a percent of the skill used in crafting the rose brooch. The reason was simple: Kurama used a real rose. However, the flower was hardened till rubies could be attached on the velvety petals with a big diamond in the shape of a dew resting on one of the petals, and emeralds upon leaves. What made it so unique were not its beauty, nor its value, but its perfume. Natural rose fragrance wafted from the blossom, till the room was bathed in a faint sweet smell.

Deliberately, Kurama arranged the rose to be clasped directly below the fore-claws of the dragon, so it the whole effect was of a fearsome dragon holding a fragile rose and guard it with its body. The significance was not lost upon Hiei, especially it frankly screamed out his relationship with Kurama. He was not sure that he wanted everyone to acknowledge them as a pair, when he himself was not ready to do so. It was true that for the past three months, they lived together as lovers, but Kurama never forced the issue of love, giving Hiei the time and space he promised. Now it seemed that Kurama was taking advantage of this unique situation to force Hiei into declaring certain things, and this created a certain degree of nervousness in the Koorime. A rustle caused Hiei to turn.

Kurama was stunning. Not that he was less than perfect in daily life, but when he took care to dress up, he could steal your soul in a glance. As usual, he wore the long Chinese style robe that he adored, a side slit to the thigh showed the flowing trousers beneath. The fabric was a mixture between silk and gossamer, with a metallic silvery sheen that played flitted coyly whenever Kurama moved. A belt of wine red with Sakura blossoms embroidered all over emphasized the slender waist.

"What do you think?¨ Smiling sweetly, he executed a full turn, showing off his immaculate posture.

"Vain¨ was Hiei¡|s only muttered response.

"Well, if you don't like the rose, I'll wear it.¨ Pouting a bit, Kurama reached out and plucked the rose from Hiei's cloak. Carefully, he fixed it on his belt, ducking his head to cover a rending flash of disappointment. Maybe he was pushing things a bit, but fortune had no leniency for slackers. Time was running, and he had no choice. "Come on, let's go. You don't want to be late for Yukina's wedding, do you?¨

From Hiei's expression, one would have thought he was facing the most horrendous torture imaginable in a Koorime's darkest nightmare.