On My Honor

by Momo no Hana

Part Two

Kurama lay on his side, contemplative. The lights were turned off, and the harsh white of the room had become a wash of pale gray. His long, too-thin body was curled toward the open window and the flowers in front of it.

A nurse had brought him the flowers an hour ago—an anonymous gift. Now they were displayed on the bedside table, elegantly arranged. They were the only variety of roses that could be found in Makai. The flowers were white and fragrant, while the green-black stems were armed with large, sharp barbs. Those cruel stems were visible through the clear glass of the vase.

Kurama stared at the flowers, playing with one of them absently. The sharp thorns didn't worry him; he couldn't remember having ever seen one of these flowers before, but it felt right in his hand. He wondered if he grew roses back home. How nice.

He brushed the petals over his cheekbones, letting out a soft breath. The silky touch felt good on his face. It was so familiar. Kurama traced his lips with the rose, and then he lifted the petals to his nose, breathing in its fragrance. A memory swam just beyond his grasp. If only the scent were stronger, he might remember…

He let out a sigh and dropped his hand and the flower to the mattress. It was no use. He lay there, languishing, until he heard the door open.

"Koenma-sama?" Kurama asked, not looking. There was no response, and Kurama frowned as he glanced at the door. Two strangers stood in the doorway. Pushing himself into a sitting position, Kurama clasped a hand over the wound in his chest and stared at his two visitors.

"Who are you?" Kurama asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The two demons shared a glance. An entire conversation seemed to pass between them, but Kurama caught none of it. The corners of his mouth turned down in a frown. He hated being kept out of the loop like that. How rude. I'm sitting right here, and they're using telepathy. They could be less obvious, at least…

The demons turned to him again, and Kurama stared at them levelly. Then the smaller one vanished. Kurama blinked, eyes wide in shock, and gave a nervous jerk when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced to his side warily.

"Kurama," the small demon said clearly.

"Yes," Kurama answered, a bit annoyed that he had been caught off his guard. "And you are…?"

"No one you need to worry about," he said. "I am your examiner."

"Why?"

"Because Koenma asked me to."

"Wh—"

"Enough," the examiner said, looking like he was trying to hide some exasperation. "I realize that you don't like not knowing what's going on. You're trying to get answers, but don't bother trying to get any from me. You probably know more about the situation than I do."

"But I don't know anything," Kurama said quickly. "I don't remember what happened."

"That suits me just fine. I'm not a psychiatrist, and it's none of my concern what you do or do not remember. All that interests me is your physical health."

The examiner suddenly placed a leather bag on the bed, making Kurama jump in surprise. He snapped open the bag, and the next thing Kurama knew, his chin was being held firmly between a thumb and forefinger. The beam of a small flashlight shone in one of his eyes as the examiner peered at him.

"I thought you were going to look at my wounds," Kurama commented, staring at the examiner, trying not to be intimidated. Catlike red eyes stared back at him, and Kurama had the odd feeling that he had looked into those eyes before.

"I've already seen them," the examiner returned curtly. "Have your eyes been hurting at all? Do they seem sensitive, maybe to light or color?"

"A little," Kurama answered. The light moved to the other eye. "My eyes are fine. They're just tired."

The examiner clicked the light off and replaced it in his bag. The hand holding Kurama's face steady moved a bit, and his thumb brushed the outline of Kurama's jaw. Kurama flinched.

"What?" the examiner asked sharply.

"Nothing," Kurama answered. "Your hands are a little rough, that's all."

The hand quickly left his face.

"Hn." The examiner pulled out a small packet and tore it open, removing a tongue depressor. "Open your mouth."

Kurama obeyed, and the flat wood pushed down on his tongue. The press moved around, prodding the inside of his mouth a little, moving his tongue this way and that.

"Does that hurt?" the examiner asked, pulling the wood out of Kurama's mouth.

"No," Kurama said. He rubbed his tongue against the roof of his mouth to dampen it again. The examiner tossed the used press into the garbage, and Kurama blinked, some of his worry fading away. "Are you really a doctor?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Your hands. They're so rough… Not a doctor's hands." He heard a low, amused snort from the larger demon and pressed on. "Am I right?"

"…Damn fox," the little demon grumbled. "Learn to get a handle on your curiosity. It's probably what landed you here in the first place." He paused, and then admitted, "No, I'm not a doctor. I'm studying to become a coroner, but for now I'm just an apprentice. That guy's supposed to be a doctor," he jerked his head at the other demon, who was smirking from his place by the door, "but he's too full of himself to bother with his patients anymore, so he lets me do all the real work."

Kurama's lips twitched up in a smile. He couldn't help it. The demon sounded so sulky, annoyed that he had been caught. Now he was sure he had talked to this demon before, though he couldn't say when or under what conditions.

"That's rude of him," Kurama said lightly.

"Examining you isn't so bad. Try having to tell an ogre that he's got fungal growth in his toenails, then you'll see rude."

Kurama laughed softly, and the examiner glanced up at him, a slightly strained smile on his face.

"Come a bit closer. I need to have a look at your ears." Kurama leaned forward and turned his head, and the examiner brushed some of his hair out of the way. The examiner pressed an otoscope into Kurama's ear, looking inside. He made a soft sound before checking the other ear. "Good. Looks like it's supposed to."

"What are you looking for?" Kurama asked. The examiner shrugged.

"Just checking to see how well they healed you," he said. He shoved the otoscope back in his bag and brought out some plastic gloves. "So far, I haven't found any scarring. That's a good sign."

"Do you know what happened to me, then?" Kurama asked.

"Mm. I came here a few days ago, when they first brought you in." That wasn't quite an answer.

The examiner snapped on the gloves he had previously taken from his bag.

"I'm curious," Kurama said, "as to why you put your gloves on now, when you've already touched me."

The examiner blinked and turned to him.

"What?"

"Just now." Kurama lightly touched his ear. "And here." He traced his jawline, where his face had been held in place. The examiner's eyes widened. "You forgot?"

"I… No, I didn't…" He paused. "You said my hands were rough. I thought this would be easier on you." The demon standing beside the door coughed loudly, and for a second the little demon looked almost flustered. Kurama tipped his head to the side curiously. "I need you to remove your clothes."

Kurama obeyed unquestioningly, pushing the blanket away and loosening the knot of his sash.

"Are you very good at reading a person's body?" Kurama asked, parting the front of his thin robe. The examiner stared him in the face for another moment, almost hesitant, and then his eyes swept over Kurama's body.

"I'm…not too bad," he said, with definite discomfort. He swallowed, looking at Kurama's body more closely, and his gloved hand touched Kurama's shoulder. The hand moved down, grazing Kurama's stomach, and then the examiner laced his fingers with Kurama's, pulling him forward so that he could brush his fingers against Kurama's back. "Hn. Amateurs."

"What?"

"Here." The examiner touched Kurama's shoulder again, his red eyes darkening. "When you were fifteen, you were badly burned by an energy blast. I know for a fact that it left a scar. And there, on your stomach and through to your back, you were impaled by a sword. The old scars are gone."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kurama wondered aloud.

"They were supposed to heal only the new wounds and leave the rest of your body as it was," the examiner told him. "Your healers are strong, but they lack control—they just poured their ki into a general part of your body and let it do the work. Effective, but sloppy. Explains why your brain didn't regenerate properly."

Kurama blinked, glancing down at himself. His body, though entirely too skinny, was nearly flawless. The only wound he could see was hidden by the red-stained bandages wrapped around his chest.

"Why is this still bleeding, then?" Kurama asked, touching the bandages. The examiner frowned.

"They can't heal that yet," he said. "Your heart was badly damaged, and it won't last for more than a week. They'll be giving you a replacement nucleus tomorrow. It would be pointless to fully heal the wound in your chest when they have to reopen it for surgery."

"I see." Kurama stared up at the examiner, who looked back at him calmly. Finally, the examiner broke the staring match with a slight clearing of his throat.

"You can put your clothes on now," the examiner said, tugging off his gloves and tossing them in the garbage. "Exam's over."

"Thank you," Kurama murmured. He pulled his robe closed and tied the sash, watching as the examiner snapped his bag shut. "Good luck with your apprenticeship, examiner-san."

The examiner glanced at him for a moment, and then nodded slowly.

"I hope your surgery goes well," the examiner returned. Kurama nodded at him politely, and the examiner took up his bag and left the bed. The two demons shared another quick glance before leaving the room.


A/N: Yes, the demons were Hiei and Shigure. Next chapter should be interesting, and we get to focus on Hiei.