Bffimagine: I knew I'd have to get around to one of these sometime. I love Hiei and Kurama!
Hiei: I knew authors were insane, but this is ridiculous…
Kurama: Lighten up, Hiei. She's not… that… bad…
"Kurama…"
"Hiei?"
Hiei shifted uncomfortably.
"This wasn't how I'd pictured you'd find out…"
"Find out what?"
Sharp, deep inhale.
"I need you, Kurama, in more ways than one."
Kurama smiled.
"Believe me, Hiei," he whispered into the smaller demon's ear, wrapping his arms around Hiei's slender waist, "I need you just as much."
'Ba-bump.' 'Ba-bump.' 'Ba-bump.'
Hiei's heart pounded uneasily against his ribs.
To put it simply, he was in pain. Pain so intense, so unbearable he couldn't even sit up.
'Waking from a dream like that…'
Hiei coughed and blood spattered into his hand.
'What happened?'
Tricklings of memory began to flow as Hiei tried his hardest to grasp the events from the day before…
(Flashback)
"Damn. So many of them…"
Hoards of demons surrounded Kurama, and he backed into a tree, no way of escape. A wound was oozing through the cloth of his clothing, and the other demons were at least quintuple his size and strength.
Just as he was about to submit, a black flash, a black shadow, shot past him in a dark blur.
Instantaneously, every demon lay on the ground in pieces.
"H-Hiei?" Kurama looked up at his rescuer.
Hiei fared no better than he. His right wrist was twisted and his left are was obviously broken in two places. Blood trickled from his half-slit neck, and cuts covered the entirety of his body. His hair—normally jet-black with blue tips and a white starburst—was matted with still-wet blood. Face covered in blood and various cuts, Hiei's eyes had competition—crimson against crimson—with his blood to see which made his pale skin stand out more.
Though Hiei was normally thin and pale, he looked almost skeletal, his features slightly gaunt from blood loss.
"Get up, fox. More are coming."
Nodding quickly, Kurama stood. He noted a few breaks in Hiei's right leg, and a swollen, badly bruised left knee. By the way Hiei breathed, labored but as calm as he could muster, he could tell there were at least five broken ribs.
Fire incinerated the demons before they could step more than twenty meters within the perimeter of Kurama and Hiei.
Ice froze and killed the rest that were farther away.
Kurama noticed Hiei's youki was weak, flickering like a dying candle, just able to stay alight. He knew he had much more reserve of energy, but couldn't seem to move.
"We… have… to get… out… of… here…" Hiei quickly picked Kurama up and leapt off, flittering swiftly from tree to tree, light as a shadow on the ground.
Next thing Kurama knew, he was in his room. He heard the soft sound of Shiori's relaxed, sleeping breathing.
And Hiei was an exhausted, bloody body on the floor.
(End Flashback)
"Awake, Hiei? I told Yukina you were here."
Hiei could barely summon the energy to look at Kurama. He was so weak.
"A-Arig-gato, Kurama."
"Just rest, Hiei. You took quite a bashing yesterday."
"Kurama?"
"Yes?"
"Are you alright?"
Kurama chuckled. 'He's always trying to be tough. But when it's just the two of us, he's so… cute.'
"Of course. I just had a minor cut. It's almost healed already. It's you I'm worried about. You were quite badly injured last night, not to mention you'd lost a lot of blood."
"I'm"—wince—"alright." Hiei pushed himself up, much to the consternation of his aching body, and managed to keep a straight face.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, Kurama gently pushed Hiei back down. He remembered how one night he had awoken after a battle…
(Flashback)
Kurama's emerald green eyes opened, red locks of hair in a mass of silken strands all over his face.
He felt less severe pain than the day before, and when he touched his face he felt soft bandages wrapped tightly over his skin. His fingers eventually checked to find out the extent of his injuries, only to find they had all been tended and neatly bandaged.
So to Kurama's delight, he could sit up without any agony.
Hiei's long, thin, pale fingers lay delicately on the side of his bed, and the little demon's head was resting upon his arms. He was kneeling at Kurama's bedside, sleeping soundly.
Running his fingers through Hiei's silky soft hair, he gently stroked the younger demon's face.
'Hiei did all of this… for me.'
(End Flashback)
Smiling slightly, just the upturn of the corners of his lips, Kurama pressed his palm flat against Hiei's chest, applying gentle pressure, until Hiei would stay down without struggling to get back up.
"KURAMA!"
Yusuke was knocking on Kurama's window and yelling frantically.
"Yusuke! You're so lucky my mother is out… otherwise she might've gone after you with the broom!" Kurama laughed light-heartedly as he opened the window.
"Kurama…" Yusuke gasped breathlessly, "We… can't… find… Hiei…"
Almost laughing at how Yusuke's words came between pants, Kurama motioned for Yusuke to climb through the window.
Strangely enough, Hiei had fallen asleep after he struggled against Kurama's hand, simply too tired and weak to keep fighting.
"What's he doin' in YOUR room, Kurama?" Yusuke asked sarcastically, as if he thought something was going on.
"Hiei always visits me during the evening, before I go to bed. Only this time, he carried me to bed…" Kurama smirked at his choice of words.
Yusuke raised an eyebrow.
"Remember the scuffle we got into last night? I was injured and Hiei had to practically DRAG me home." Kurama felt like he was spelling out the word 'orange' to an adult.
"Oh. So there's nothing… between you two, is there?"
"Not that I know of."
"Righty. Well, the toddler needs us at the old hag's place, so you two'd better hop to it!" Yusuke bounded out of Kurama's window and off into the distance.
Shaking his head and smiling, Kurama gently brushed some stray strands of dark hair from Hiei's face.
"Looks like I'm going to have to carry you this time, Hiei."
Carefully picking up the younger demon, Kurama shut his window with his foot and scribbled at note to Shiori, which he left on the kitchen counter on his way out the door.
On the beginning of the rather long walk to Genkai's, Kurama felt Hiei snuggle closer into his chest and nuzzle his nose into the crook of his neck. Kurama smiled and continued walking. 'Hiei is just so cute…'
Around three o'clock, Kurama and Hiei finally reached Genkai's, Hiei still in Kurama's arms, face nuzzled into the kitsune's neck.
"KURAMA! HIEI! WHAT TOOK YA?" Kuwabara yelled over the others' heads.
Hiei stirred. And Kurama gently relaxed him, and approached the group slowly.
"Is Hiei in bad condition?" Botan inquired thoughtfully. Although she should've known the answer with just one simple glance at the small, injured demon in Kurama's arms.
"What's with carrying the lil' shrimp anyway?" Kuwabara scoffed rudely.
Kurama's hair seemed to stand on end for a moment.
"Hiei is injured," Kurama said dryly. He sat with the utmost care, crossing his legs in front of him. Very slowly he shifted Hiei so his friend's head was resting in his lap, and the Jaganshi's sleeping face was looking up at Kurama.
"We can see that," Koenma rolled his eyes at Kuwabara's stupidity.
"Alright, pacifier-kid, hurry up and explain everything already." Yusuke was eyeing Kurama and Hiei almost… suspiciously?
"Well," Genkai began, "Obviously, Yusuke has improved greatly from when I first began training him. And now it's time to put his improvement to the test with a more… challenging mission."
"Though I believe Kurama and Hiei can sit this one out, seeing as they're both injured quite badly…"
Hiei seemed to have heard this. His blood red eyes shot open, and he blushed very slightly at his position. He sat up, stood, and looked down at Koenma.
'Ah, he's so cute when he blushes,' Kurama thought.
"I won't be sitting ANYTHING out, as long as blood runs through my veins and life flows through my body." Hiei had an air of defiance in his ki, making his aura turn a shade more orange.
"Uhm… I'd advise you do sit this one out, since Kurama had to carry you here…" Koenma was flustered and obviously scared, even though he and the others knew VERY well Hiei would never even BREATHE betrayal. He had proved his loyalty in Suzaku's lair, and again during the Dark Tournament. And his loyalty ran deepest with Kurama, whom he wouldn't dream of betraying.
"Kurama need not have… exerted himself," Hiei blushed slightly again, making Kurama smirk in the least, "He could've just woken me up."
'But you're just so ADORABLE when you're sleeping…' Kurama's smirk became a little bit more prominent.
'Kurama really does do too much for me… His kindness will prove his demise someday, though it won't if I can help it…' Hiei sighed and sat back down.
A moment of silence washed over the small ruler, elderly trainer, and team Urameshi.
'If you only knew how much I loved you.' Hiei and Kurama thought simultaneously as their eyes met, blood crimson to emerald green.
Yusuke looked slightly upset. He stood up abruptly and walked out of the room.
Kuwabara watched in wonderment as Yusuke left. His gaze fell on Hiei, then averted to Kurama, then eventually panned over the other occupants of the room, and fell on Yukina. Then all the rest of the people fell away in the human's mind.
"Brother… I want you to listen to Koenma-sama," Yukina tugged at Hiei's sleeve.
Hiei's head lowered, but he didn't respond.
"I think Yukina is right, Hiei. You're just not up to fighting." Kurama gently raised Hiei's gaze to match his own by putting two fingers underneath the hiyoukai's chin.
"Hn. I'm fine." Hiei pushed Kurama's hand away weakly.
Again, Kuwabara looked from Kurama to Hiei, then back again. He blinked oddly and shrugged.
"The shrimp can take care of 'imself," he finally implored.
"I don't doubt that," Botan uttered, "But I do doubt he can fight in his weakened state."
"That's enough," Hiei snapped, stalking out of the room.
"Just like those baka ningens," he muttered on his way out.
"HIEI!"
Hiei whipped around at the sound of Kurama's distant voice. Instantly, the kitsune was beside him.
'Why are you so kind, Kurama?' Hiei sighed.
"You aren't up to this, Hiei, and you know it." Kurama pulled Hiei into a nearby shelter of foliage. In it was a small clearing full of fragrant flowers and blades of lush green grass.
"No, I—" Hiei mentally cursed as he felt his broken leg give way beneath him and his body fall forward.
Kurama caught him quickly and lowered him slowly to the ground before sitting down beside him.
"No, you're not going to fight or take on this mission with Yusuke. I'll make sure of that." Kurama absentmindedly stroked the bandana covering Hiei's Jagan.
"But…"
"I won't let you kill yourself." Kurama smiled despite his words.
"Ano… Thank you, Kurama."
"Daijobu. Do you need anything? I would understand if you were hungry…" Kurama reached into his pocket.
"No. I'm just… tired…" Hiei gave up. The strength he tried with much difficulty to have left him in an instant, and he fell against Kurama, head pillowed on the taller youkai's shoulder.
"Hai… then rest."
Instead of food, Kurama pulled out a book from his pocket and began to read as Hiei's labored breathing became slightly more relaxed and even.
bffimagine: I thought that was a one-shot there… dun dun dun duuuuun… What will happen to Hiei? Why won't he and Kurama stop being FOOLS? C'mon, you and I BOTH know they're just GUSHY over each other!
Hiei: How would any of you have found THAT out?
Bffimagine: -.-' Wow… we're all SHERLOCK HOLMES! (sweatdrop)
Kurama: Ah, the famous detective. I read all the books about him! It's great to meet you all in PERSON!
Bffimagine: -.-' Ah well. REVIEW.