I've gone on a Kurama/Kuwabara kick lately. Very odd considering I've never thought they go good together, but I see images in my head that puts strength to their relationship, whether it is love or friendship.
Kuwabara panted harshly. The air sawing in and out of his lungs tore his throat. His ribs screamed every heave of his chest. Cramps from his stomach tried to fight their way into spewing its contents onto the battlefield. Despite the pain, he choked down breath after breath trying to suck in the air that just wasn't reaching his brain. Maybe it was the adrenaline running rampant through his bloodstream, but lightheadedness fogged his mind. Everything he saw was flickering, the images doubling or tripling. He watched as two Yusukes rushed three enemies. A cry of warning stuck in Kuwabara's throat as the realization of there being only one Yusuke and one enemy clicked in his sluggish mind.
Kuwabara didn't know how many more hits his body could take. Already his body was lit up with various pains. His ribs were the most excruciating, but the broken bones weren't his most fatal. Blood poured into his right eye, casting a red hue over half his sight and further dizzying him. Though the gash on his temple trickled a steady flow of blood and left a good size goose egg that was pushing his brow down to obscure his already touchy vision, it was more superficial than anything.
No, those two, in addition to the multitude of bruises blackening his skin and scratches from being thrown on the rocky terrain, were not what had Kuwabara worried. It was the huge wound on his torso Kuwabara was sure to be fatal. The slice started at his belly button, leaving behind jagged, torn flesh as it swept down to his hip. Kuwabara was thankful that he still wore bandages around his hips cause he was positive that they were the only things keeping his teammates and that bastard demon fuck from getting an eyeful of his lower intestines. In a frenzy to prolong his life long enough to help his friends take down the maniac demon terrorizing the three worlds Kuwabara spent a grand total of five minutes turning his own heated spirit sword on himself and trying to cauterize the gaping wound, then salvaging what he could of his bandages to bind the still open slash. The pain was Hellish but with each tightened pull of the binds it had dissipated.
Thinking back on the situation, Kuwabara held no regrets about diverting the large amounts of his energies that usually went to rapidly healing and protecting his body form fatal blows. He needed the energies to fuel his attacks, not his defenses. Kuwabara hoped like Hell that his stomach injury wouldn't be what took him down. Every single other injury plaguing his body resulted directly from fighting their opponent. But his life on the line was brought about by friendly fire.
Or friendly hacking, Kuwabara thought as he summoned the strength to push himself out of the resting crouch he'd been in off to the sidelines. He was careful to stay clear of the swing of Hiei's blade as he backed up the fire demon for a double attack on the enemy's turned back. He would not be swiped at again. The first time was a mistake thankfully overlooked by the others in the heat of battle, but a second would send his body to the grounds and his spirit to Botan's always waiting oar side. Hiei may be a hardass motherfucker, but Kuwabara knew he cared for the little group of friends he'd accumulated during his short stint in the human world. And Kuwabara was proud to say he knew he was one of the few included in that exclusive friends category. His already devastated heart couldn't withstand the overwhelming guilt and self-hatred if he knew he'd slain a friend.
The split second of satisfaction Kuwabara felt rush through him as he and Hiei landed a spectacular blow to the middle of the demon's massive exposed back was cut short as the demon retaliated with a swinging back hand. Ducking in time to just be knocked to his knees from a brush of monsterly knuckles against his should, Kuwabara winced at the sound of Hiei's body flying several hundred yards away. The crash as Hiei collided with the ground at such a high speed was brutal. Kuwabara regained his footing to watch Hiei skid a further hundred yards halfway buried in the unyielding rocky ground. Worry fired through him when Hiei didn't immediately jump back into action. In fact Hiei wasn't even moving at all. From where Kuwabara stood, he could just make out the limp half bandaged arm from the rubble burying the fire demon.
"Hiei!-" "No!-" Kurama and Yusuke cried out at the same time. The two weakened warriors vented their rage on the demon enemy, picking up on the tag team strategy that he and Hiei had left off on. Working together they drove the enemy back, giving room for Hiei's hopeful recovery.
Kuwabara ran to Hiei's side, stumbling to his knees several times but always moving forward towards his fallen friend. Blood pounded in his head. His heart was tightening painfully at the thought that someone as absolutely needed in his life could be dead. Kuwabara didn't know a lot of things, academia being a large portion of things that were altogether lost on him. But when he was fighting by the sides of Hiei and Kurama and Yusuke, he knew all he needed to know. Even if he had to learn it on the spot. Kuwabara hated Hiei for trying to fuck up his sense of right by up and dying like an asshole.
Kuwabara knelt by Hiei's hidden fallen form. Ragged rock bit into the hardened flesh of his palms as he scrambled to dig up Hiei. Pain exploded in his chest at his desperate movements. His arms trembled with exhaustion, the effort of getting air to his friend quickly wearing thin what little energy he's gathered from his previous rest. Kuwabara felt the pain and exhaustion. His body was practically screaming it in his ears, but he paid the sensations no mind. He relied on his will to keep him going. Physical limits weren't gonna stop him from helping Hiei.