Hiei was screaming.
It was a terrifying sound, more enraged and desperate and hurt than any scream Yusuke had ever heard from him.
The orderlies called for help, because frankly, no one could even get close enough to administer any sedative or to make any kind of difference; they didn't know what to do, damn it, they hadn't been trained for this kind of situation. Nothing in the regulations handbook mentioned anything about a demon that was so powerful that not even the ki limiters could keep him in check.
They were understandably relieved when Yusuke arrived, brought in by none other than the Prince himself. With such a royal escort, if anyone knew what to do, surely it would be the newcomer. Which was why no one attempted to stop him as said guest approached their raging ward. That, and a fear of being burned alive.
Yusuke knew he had to act fast. Volatile and dangerous, Hiei was breaking down, losing control and unleashing more ki with each passing second with no apparent intention to stop, forcing Yusuke to power up in tandem simply to protect himself. He couldn't maneuver his way out of this one; if he waited until Hiei's ki outstripped his, there would be nothing anyone could do. So with a ferocious shout, Yusuke gathered his energy and lunged.
He managed to knock Hiei off his feet and pin his arms down his sides. That terrifying fire surrounding them abruptly receded, but Hiei gasped and twisted and struggled, trying to escape Yusuke's grasp without success. Hiei's movements became weaker. One of the nurses, a young spirit with pink hair, quickly flew to them and stabbed Hiei in the shoulder with a needle containing a clear fluid.
It was less than a half-minute before the fire demon was out cold in Yusuke's arms.
...
Kurama was more difficult to locate and more suspicious of Koenma's intentions than Yusuke was. When he finally found the fox demon and brought him to the spirit ward, Yusuke was already sitting in an empty waiting room with his head in his hands. Kurama noticed a small leather-bound book near his feet. He nodded to Koenma in a thanks, I'll handle it from here, sort of gesture and the Prince disappeared.
Yusuke was a lot more distraught than Kurama expected him to be.
"Yusuke. Care to tell me what happened?"
Yusuke didn't even look up or speak for several moments. Then:
"How..." His voice was strangled. He'd been crying.
"Yusuke-"
He looked up with bloodshot eyes. "Just how did things ever get to be this fucked up?"
Kurama approached his friend, taking the chair that materialized conveniently across from him.
"H-here." Yusuke leaned down, picked up the book at his feet and gave it to Kurama.
Kurama handled the volume gently and turned through some pages. It was presumably a diary, written in a narrow, slanted script. Kurama didn't recognize the language.
"I'm not sure what you're trying to show me."
"If I had to bet money, I'd say it's Mukuro's journal. Turn to the back few pages."
There were two unbound sheets tucked in the back. This handwriting was different than the rest: messy, uneven, and frantic. Written in the common tongue, Kurama knew with a sinking dread exactly who the words belonged to.
...
I want to be burned - if I somehow fail to manage it myself- no ceremony, no remnants, just a simple incineration-
I know you would look upon me with scorn. You, born a slave, could stand proud and tall, could look down at anyone with that fucked up eye and carry more beauty and elegance and royal disdain than any queen- your name caused the strongest to tremble at its utterance and I dishonored it for failing even to die properly- You've accepted me, pushed me beyond my limits, shown me the power I could only taste in my most twisted of dreams, and still it wasn't enough - I could never be enough- I wasn't enough to save you from dying a warrior's death- I would seek out your spirit, but no afterlife exists for the weak and disgraced-
Yusuke - you've reigned as demon king longer than you've lived as a human, but at the core, you're still too soft for your own good- Don't be an idiot, for gods' sake, don't blame yourself, it's not worth the torture - this has spiraled out of my control for longer than you know and while I would be loathe to admit it in the past, you've been nothing but a good friend to me- I didn't want - damned if those morons aren't going to spread the news to you nevertheless - I never intended for you to find out this way -
Someone please tell Yukina that her selfish bastard of a brother is finally gone- I don't even expect her to believe it, not after all the times I've fucking lied to her face while she stood there, knowing who I was and letting me do it anyway- There aren't enough words for me to describe how much I regret leaving her without attempting to make amends - she's braved a fucking miserable existence in both this realm and that sorry mudball of the human plane- But this will only be yet another wound to bear which will shortly heal and fade - I'm sorry Yukina I am more sorry than you will ever know - call it a bitter irony that by the time I've stopped underestimating you and realized my own stupidity I am beyond the means to repent for it- all I ask Yukina is that you please remain as the strong courageous soul I've known you to be - I wish I could have seen you back when I still knew who I was - back when I was still strong - back when Kurama still loved me - back when your human was annoying and your garden teemed with life in the spring - back when the concept of 'being okay' didn't carry such a clusterfuck of stupid useless futile meanings – this is not who I was THIS IS WHO I WAS NOT I THIS IS NOT WHO I WAS MEANT TO BE-
I AM NOT AFRAID I AM NOT
AFRAID TO DIE
I AM NOT
AFRAID TO DIE