There was a Kurahi cinematic parallel in the finale. Keiko runs to Yusuke, Yukina runs to Kuwabara, the two couples are shown together in one frame, then the camera pans to Hiei looking in their direction, lastly, Kurama approaches Hiei, and they have their conversation. Their dialogue was not only "private" (Kurama fulfilling his promise of helping to find Yukina, Hiei granting his wish of handing him the sword, a deal concerning only them), there was also the accent on Kurama looking softly at hiei. So we got three couples in a sequence shown in a romantic light.
There was no need for Kurama and Hiei to have a scene together at that moment instead of just standing up or going towards Yusuke. The sword could have been passed to Koenma directly or with the help of Botan later. Or the exchange take place on the boat.
agreed!! the live action, in the limited amount of time it had, did a wonderful job on portraying hiei and kurama's relationship in the few scenes they shared and through the subtext.
in contrast with kurama cooly watching yusuke kill gouki, kurama asks hiei to give back the sword to prevent another fight. this can be viewed as protecting yusuke from fighting hiei who's much stronger and smarter than gouki or protecting hiei from the wrath of the spirit realm (something kurama is familiar with having been killed by the spirit world's special defense force).
either way, this shows kurama cares for hiei and although hiei is very stiff and aloof and straight up annoyed -
(some may say, i may say, he's pouting, thinking kurama is playing with him from his line 'stop playing around' which insinuates kurama is playful with hiei)
-and rebuffs kurama's attempt at giving back the sword, he does show he trusts kurama by his act of picking up his own sword when he thinks he's being intruded on and then puts his sword back down once he realizes it's kurama.
and to further add, with kurama asking for the sword, there's a subtext of mutual respect. there's no fight. kurama isn't forcing hiei to give it back. hiei never draws his sword on kurama. in fact, hiei leaves after being asked the first time and intends to leave after kurama stops the second fight with yusuke. kurama is certainly strong enough to go against hiei, but he doesn't and neither does hiei. he asks. hiei refuses. that's the end of it for the moment.
hiei's trust in kurama is also shown when kurama stops hiei's second fight with yusuke and announces he knows where hiei's sister is, hiei then stops when kurama tells him to and he trusts kurama's intel.
the other side of this coin is that kurama knows about yukina -> hiei told him, a huge sign hiei trusts kurama enough to know his connection with yukina, something that could be held against hiei or yukina herself, putting her in possible danger from anyone else.
this really does culminate in that moment after the fight with toguro. hiei gives kurama the knife, acknowledging kurama is right and, once again, doing as he's asked - only when kurama asks, as hiei said after his fight with bui, 'i don't like being told what to do' [paraphrased] - and after long moment of looking and watching hiei, kurama takes the knife back. surprised. touched. proud, even, of hiei. that hiei has no interest in fighting yusuke over the knife or the spirit world.
the way kurama smiles at hiei after receiving the knife - it's fond. there's no other way to describe it. kurama is very fond of hiei in that moment. he's found his sister. he's not interested in causing another fight, in possibly killing yusuke. kurama seems genuinely happy at hiei's growth and happy for hiei to finally have found his sister after, possibly, years of looking for her in the human world.
while it's likely not meant to be romantic, i do think having kurama and hiei have that moment post toguro fight is such a lovely bow on their relationship.
kuwabara is falling over himself in love with yukina. yusuke gets to reunite with keiko. and kurama and hiei get to have their moment, whether it's romantic or platonic, it's undeniably deep and filled with understanding and happiness. while hiei sighs and huffs and looks away from kurama's very soft gaze, damn near beaming in his own way, it fits hiei's character and it feels familiar (after all, hiei has never done well with sentimentality). it's their dynamic through and through. and the show did such a beautiful job with them~
(not to mention kurama sticking up for hiei and telling kuwabara and yusuke hiei is worried too and to 'please bear with him' and the moment on the ship where kurama trails after hiei, ready to put out the fire hiei is deadset on setting with kuwabara)
kaledo-art
romaincrisis
vaporwave
jacobvanloon
turnnoffyourmind
germansingergirl
