Kurama sat on the shore of what was once part of Genkai's temple estate. Now that she has passed away, the entire property belonged to ex-members of Team Urameshi and has been reverted to a sort of safe haven for apparitions in the Ningenkai (it had been a final request of hers). Yusuke and Kuwabara had put many hours into the task, building several small 'dormitories' and a 'cafeteria', careful not to disturb any of the surrounding nature. A total of fifteen apparitions currently resided within the property.
A large wave of icy ocean water splashed against Kurama's bare feet, instantly jerking him from his book. He looked out at the horizon, squinting slightly at what little sun still showed. His nerves seemed to have calmed down greatly after the short while he'd been there. A soft, sad smile played at the corner of his lips as he stood and brushed sand from his clothing.
Kurama took his time putting his socks and shoes back on and shoving his small book into the over sized pockets of his jacket. He glanced at the watch gangling loosely around his wrist. It'd take nearly three hours to get back to the nearest town by car, then another two hours to get home by train. The hospital would be closed by then, he calculated, so he figured he would just get up extra early in the morning to visit his dear mother. She had taken a small tumble down the stairs and suffered a minor concussion earlier that week, but was in overall good health. The doctors said it would only be a few days before she could be released, but Kurama was still at his wits end throughout the whole ordeal.
By the time Kurama finally got back to his new apartment, it was almost midnight. After making sure the door was locked, he quickly traded his white tennis shoes for the house slippers, too tired to notice the set of black boots already in the corner, and shuffled to the living room. He removed his jacket and slung it over the back of the couch and continued onward to his bedroom.
He fell silently onto the mattress and buried his face in one of the pillows with an exhausted groan. It felt good to be back in bed. After a few seconds, however, he began to feel another presence some where else in the small apartment and immediately shot back to his feet. The demonic ki was some what familiar, but very different from any other's he had encountered before.
Kurama slowly made his way back into the living room, looking for any signs of the intruder. And, with little light the new moon gave through the glass patio door, he was able to make out a small outline sitting on the floor, its back pressed up against the couch with its knees pulled up to its chest and its face buried in its arms.
"Hiei?" Kurama sputtered.
The figure's head turned over so slightly in response, exposing one large, red eye. Kurama felt his entire body relaxing as he reached over to the wall to click the light on. Many question's flooded the kitsune's mind as he stared down at the bruised and bloodied fire demon. Hiei, on the other hand, made neither an attempt to stand nor speak. He just lazily stared up at the kitsune, as if drunk and on the verge of passing out.
"What are you doing here?" Kurama finally asked, his own exhaustion suddenly dissappearing.
With a stubborn snort, the small demon lifted his head and let it fall back against the couch cushion with a sickening series of small popping sounds. His eyes shut and his face momentarily scrunched up as if trying to hold back a sharp pain. He lifted his eyelids halfway and forced himself to follow Kurama's movements without moving his head, though the action made him dizzy. He drew in a deep, hissing breath as the kitsune placed a hand under his jaw to better examine some of the wounds on the half koorime's neck.
"How long have you been here?"
"Awhile." Hiei muttered in a sharp groan. His voice was brisk. No doubt it pained him to speak.
The kitsune nodded faintly and helped his old friend to his feet and helped him onto the couch. He figured that was all he was going to get out of the smaller demon and didn't press any more questions, at least until morning.
It took more than two hours for Kurama to properly dress all of Hiei's wounds, who had passed out half way through. Most of the gashes were deep enough to be near, if not, fatal and others were infected with some sort of seeping yellow chemical, which was eventually deemed harmless. In worst case scenario, Kurama figured, it would hinder the healing process greatly, though he would take any risks. Just to be on the safe side, he added a few of his floral concoctions to the bandaging.