(A/N: I've changed the title. False advertising and all that lot - I haven't been writing drabbles at all! These are too long to be drabbles. Anyway, I'm sorry that this story is unbetaed, but, since these fics are dedicated to my beta, it's quite unfair to have my beta beta a fic for her to enjoy, don't you think? So, I found that the entire time I was typing this down I was shamelessly squealing (well, inside. I type quietly) in fangirl pleasure. It's a cute pairing, it really is. Now enjoy, you Touya/Kurama starved readers.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Confused, Kurama looked up to see a shame-faced Touya unable to meet his eyes.

“For this?”

Oh. This.

He raised his left arm out into the light, scrutinizing how the sun warmed his otherwise numb arm. It told the sad yet amusing story of how flesh met meat grinder and, well… lost. A veritable laundry list of injuries: torn muscles, a wrist that was probably broken (he wondered if he could move – oh! hmmm… it was broken alright…), and enough lacerations on his skin to put a masochistic cutter to shame.

Touya, Kurama mused, was a messy fighter.

A very messy fighter.

The onslaught of razor-sharp icicles sawing him from nearly every direction, cold and brutal, did not hurt as much as he though it would after the fight. Then again, one had to take the damaged nerve endings into account.

“It will scar.”

What exactly was Touya talking about? The clean slices from Touya’s ice would heal like brand new, but his arm… Kurama closed his eyes and remembered how the living plant exploded from underneath his skin. It was a last resort, since demonic vines harvested from the Makai were not supposed to be used in one’s body, unless its intent was to kill. Most demonic vines could not distinguish which was its host and which was its prey.

That reminded Kurama. One of the vines had spasmed and tightened around his muscles, attempting to burrow deeper and feed. He would have to remove that one – all of them actually – soon.

The matter of urgency it entailed, well… if the plant extraction was not performed quickly, then Touya would emerge as the luckier of the two at the plant’s hands.

Kurama decided that he would need privacy: Yusuke and the others had been partially convinced that he was not in immediate danger (although he felt Hiei’s sharp eyes following his every move, rightfully expecting him to keel over).

He would also need help. Someone to hold him down, while he ripped the plant’s possessive hold on his body.

“It’s feeding off you,” Touya observed.

Kurama smiled wanly. “Oh really? I hadn’t noticed.”

“I want to…” the ice demon’s voiced trailed off uncertainly.

“Yes?” Kurama encouraged.

“Is it appropriate for me to offer my services? I would like to help you.”

Kurama stopped eyeing his injuries, stiffening in surprise.

“I see no problem in it, but it really wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it is,” Touya insisted. “I’m not ignorant. I apologize for forcing you to do it.”

“These tournaments usually have unexpected outcomes, mostly resulting in a lot of pain and gore. Nonetheless, it was my decision to use my plants, even though I knew the repercussions.”

And again, Touya retaliated with that same sentence, like a mantra encumbered only by disbelief:

“It will scar.”

Finally, Kurama understood.

Touya was that type of man after all.

As gently as he could, he answered: “It’s ok. Really. I’m ok.”

“But – “

“Don’t worry. At the very least, it will remind me of our battle.”

“I doubt I could ever forget.” For the first time, Touya tore his eyes away from Kurama’s battered arm. “Do you want to remember?”

“Of course.”

“Fox.”

The two looked up simultaneously and saw the dark fire demon suddenly appearing beside them.

“Hiei,” Kurama greeted warmly. “You don’t have to bother.”

“Hn.” The disgust in his red eyes, and all that worry underneath it, was enough to make Kurama melt.

“Apparently, you’re a lot more stupid than you appear to be.”

Touya bristled as Hiei walked away, the fire demon muttering that he would be waiting in Kurama’s room and how the Fox should hurry his ass up.

“It seems that Hiei has volunteered himself as my caretaker. He can be very stubborn about getting his way, I hope you understand.” The warmth in Kurama’s verdant eyes that Hiei’s brief appearance caused still hadn’t waned. “He’s adorable in that manner, don’t you think so?”

Touya ignored a curious pang of something bothering his chest, nodded, and prepared to leave.

“Perhaps you can come by at another time. I still haven’t heard your reason for fighting and seeking the warmth of the other world.”

“I…”

“It’s the least you can do after giving me this scar,” Kurama teased. He couldn’t help it. Touya had no idea how endearing he looked with his turquoise eyes enlarged in surprise, mouth half open, and cheeks adorably flushed, before agreeing that, yes, they should meet again sometime.

An hour later, after Hiei helped Kurama fix his arms, the fire demon could not resist commenting.

“You’re irritatingly cheerful for someone who’s nearly had his limbs torn off.”

“It’s this tournament, Hiei. Don’t you just find it interesting?”

“Don’t you mean the people?”

Hiei smirked at Kurama’s secret smile, remembering the ice mage who had given him a steely glare for calling Kurama stupid.

Che.

Just another guy who couldn’t stand seeing a pretty face get hurt.

(A/N: Reviews and comments and nearly anything under the sun are appreciated. I'm not sure if the story flow is smooth enough for me, but I haven't posted in months, so I just wanted something up.