A/N: Thanks to everyone for your kind words and for favoriting/following my story! I appreciate it! I'm hoping to post another update later this week so be on the lookout for that! Also! The icon picture of the story, is kind of what I imagined Hikari to look like! So just to give you a better sense of the character! :)
Enjoy!
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Chapter 03:
"Wake Me Up"
Although I didn't want to begin this walk at first; I will say that I did end up enjoying it. The gentle caress of the weeds against my bare ankles and the slap of my feet upon the ground were almost liberating. When was the last time I had actually been outside? When I came to the temple and that had been nearly four months ago. It was now spring and the plants and flowers were beginning to bud anew.
Master Genkai was right to kick me out I haven't seen the sun in months. I smiled at the memory as I picked up my running pace. She barged into my room early this morning without warning, "You might be royalty, but this is no way to live. Get outside and don't come back until the color returns to your cheeks!" Genkai had chucked a pair of old running shoes at me before stalking off, her irritated grumbles echoing down the hallway. I was hesitant at first, but the shoes fit like an old glove. I didn't have any clothes specifically made for running so I chose a light summer yukata. Traditional dress seemed to be my more preferred style these days. The long layers were able to hide a great deal of the scarring, but the most important part was that my figure was hidden from prying male eyes. It had been four long months and yet I still was uncomfortable around any male presence. I wouldn't even allow Lord Koenma to be alone with me, and he was allegedly my brother.
I didn't need a watch to know I had been out here a long time. My sweat soaked yukata and exhaustion told me that. I ran for a few more miles before coming to an abrupt stop. I had finally made it to the edge of the property. The rocky shore line stood out against the edge of the forest scenery bold and beautiful. I could hear the loud crash of the waves as they beat upon the rocks below me.
I crept closer and closer to the crumbling edge of the cliff. The salty sea air invaded my nose. It was wonderful; but it wasn't good enough. I wanted to be down there. Without so much as a second thought I opened my arms up and launched from the cliff.
I submerged myself into the rolling waves without a passing thought. I wasn't sure whether it was the spray of the salt water or the sweat in my eyes that was causing them to sting so viciously and at that point I didn't care! I tilted my head back in the water and let the waves float me out from the shore.
A slew of curses interrupted my tranquil thoughts. Before I had time to comprehend what was happening I was snatched out of the water by two calloused hands. I opened my mouth to release a scream, but just as always, no sound came out. I was tossed roughly onto the grass. I didn't need to open my eyes to see who was responsible for plucking me from the water, as his muttered curses revealed his identity. Hiei, my breath hitched in my throat.
"Goddamn Koenma! Goddamn woman!" He spat as he wrung the water out of his shirt, his bare chest gleamed in the sunlight. "Just what the hell did you think you were doing anyway? If you're trying to kill yourself, then do it off my watch!" He chucked a dry cape at me which promptly hit me in the face. I looked at him confusedly before he turned away and said, "Put it on human." I looked down at my drenched yukata. The pale pink was completely translucent. I shrieked. A real shriek. Hiei turned back around looking alarmed. Was that me? I hid my face in my hands. Since my voice wasn't used to producing sound, the shriek came out sounding more like a strangled wail. It reminded me of a baby's gurgles. Finding this and the situation I had placed myself in, impossibly funny, I tilted my head back and did the one thing I had been aching to do since before my abduction. I laughed.
I laughed so hard salty tears oozed from my eyelids. I delighted in each strangled laugh that escaped my lips. I laid down on the smooth grass as another bout of giggles overwhelmed me. Hiei peered down at me, his usual stoic demeanor took on a hint of genuine concern. This of course only intensified my laughter.
Muttering another swear, Hiei bent down and scooped me up off the ground. I laughed a few more times into his chest, before pushing him away.
"N-n-no!" My voice came out small and unsure as my tongue maneuvered through the unfamiliar syllables, "I-I...I can walk!" Hiei shrugged his shoulders. I placed his cape around my shoulders, trying to salvage one scrap of modesty before I took off in a dead run to the house. In a flash Hiei appeared in front of me. I smiled. I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun him, and I didn't have any intentions of doing that, but some friendly competition would be fun. It had been ages since I had last competed. I dashed around him, sprinting the next few hundred feet. Once again he lazily flashed in front of me halting my path. I grinned wickedly as I ran around his left flank.
"So it's a chase you want then," I could almost hear the smirk in his voice. He gave me a thirty second head start before appearing in front of me, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "Child's play," He scoffed. I ignored his taunts as I dashed around him once more. My heart thrummed in my chest as I pumped my legs and arms faster. Just a little more. The house was in sight now. My lungs were scorching for air as I rounded the corner. I ignored them. The only thing in my sights was the back door to the house. I suppose in hindsight I should have also been considering the terrain underneath me.
My ankle snagged a fallen branch which tossed me violently into the ground. I must have completed two full rotations before coming to a skidding halt on my face. I appraised the cuts and scrapes. It wasn't the worst I've had, but it wasn't pleasant either. More troubling than minor lacerations, was the powerful throbbing in my left ankle. I stood up and immediately my efforts were rewarded with another face plant into the ground. I breathed in taking a noseful of dirt with me. Coughing out the muck, I wiped my face.
"Foolish woman, you should know better than to run from me," Hiei remarked, finally catching up.
"I...wasn't…" my throat was raw. "It was..f-fun!" I tried standing once more, this time taking much more care to avoid my injured leg. "Thanks!" I tossed over my shoulder. Without so much as a glance behind him Hiei sprinted into the house. I had nearly made it into the threshold when the shōji door flew open to reveal Genkai.
"You idiot," the small woman said, "Kurama, help her get inside. She'll never make it at this rate." Even through her reprimand I could see a glimmer of a smirk on her aged lips. Kurama appeared besides her his, his large green eyes stricken with concern.
"N-n-no," I said as he motioned to help me. I was determined to make it through that door on my own. Kurama gave me a wide berth as I continued my ascent. I tried to ignore the looks the pair were flashing between them. Three steps from the door I fell again. Pain radiated throughout my entire leg with the shock. I winced as I peeled off my sweaty shoe and sock to appraise the damage. A large shadow was casted over me, halting me from inspecting my leg.
"Hn, get up human," Hiei said impassively. I tried standing, but gasped when more pain shot throughout my leg. I fell down once more. Kurama darted towards me, but was met with two frightening glares; one from a crimson set of eyes, the other from my blue ones. I shifted my weight onto my forearms. I can do this. I dug my hands into the cool grass, using the spongey surface as leverage to hoist me up.
I stood on unsteady legs and limped the last few steps to the house, turning over I made eye contact at the threesome who stood there with wide open mouths. "Are you coming?" I took a few more uneasy steps before collapsing on the floor. This time when Kurama came to collect me I didn't protest. I had made my point.
Kurama carted me to the kitchen. He set me down gently on the counter before dashing off to his room to gather a few herbs. Hiei flitted past, presumably on his way to his own respective quarters. I tried to ask him to wait, but it mostly came out as a frustrated moan. In any case the goal was achieved because he stopped in to see what I needed.
After many moments of sitting in impatient silence he gritted out, "Well?" He crossed his arms, waiting expectantly for me to speak.
"T-t-th-tha," I cleared my throat, "ank y-you." He nodded his head before disappearing off again. I could have sworn I heard him mutter something to the extent of, "pathetic human," but one could never be sure with him. At any rate I was pleased with the days performance.
"Lady Hikari," Kurama greeted, "May I?" He held out his hand for my injured leg and I willingly obliged. His cold fingers groped my tender flesh, but surprisingly I only shuddered for a moment. Usually by now I would be a nervous wreck, but I was feeling surprisingly good, even despite the sprain.
"It's good to see you smile my Lady," Kurama said with a slight chuckle. He liberally applied a salve to my ankle. I hissed in pain. "I'm sorry, I wish there was something else I could do, but this is it for now. Perhaps Kuwabara will return with Yukina soon. I'm sure she wouldn't mind lending us her healing powers. A sprain such as this should be no problem for her." He finished tying the bandage around my leg. I shook my head. No, I thought to myself, I can live with this pain. I've been numb to the world so long. I closed my eyes sighing as I remembered the spray of the ocean and the roar of the waves carrying me out to sea. It feels good to be back.
Kurama held up his arms, "May I?" I shook my head yes, although I wanted very much to use my speech, my throat was beginning to ache. Once more, he gathered me up into my arms and carried me to my room. Once the door was secured behind me I grabbed everything I needed to bathe and set off in search of the wash room. Kurama's salve was indeed working, my ankle already felt much better. I could tell the swelling was receding.
Once I settled into the large tub I began to massage my aching muscles. I passed over the puckered lines of scar tissue in an attempt to soothe my aching muscles. Six months prior to this I was in the prime of my life, but now...I looked down at my slender frame with mild disgust. It's true I had put on weight, but the muscles I had worked so hard in gaining were mostly all gone. Which explains why I'm so sore after a slight jog like that. I tried to push the thoughts and the aches out of my body. To the average person eight miles would seem like much more than a slight job, but for an accomplished long distance runner eight miles was just a job. Child's play, I could feel my lips turn upwards at the corners as Hiei's taunt floated through my head.
I exited the tub, but only after my body had pruned. The bandages Kurama had so carefully wound around my injured leg had mostly come undone. Perhaps I could persuade him to rebandage them after dinner. I wrapped a white robe around my shoulders, drawing it tightly closed. I wasn't quite clear on how to dress myself. After several months of wearing kimono, you'd think I would have become better but I really hadn't. Usually I required Yukina or Genkai's assistance.
I threw open my closet peering curiously at all the garments. I grabbed the juban, yukata, and outer kimono. I was determined to keep my independent streak going. Slipping the garments on wasn't the challenging part, by far the hardest part was tying that damn obi! I could feel myself growing frustrated as my hands moved clumsily over the fabric. I threw the cloth down on my bed with a frustrated, "hmprphh!"
"Lady Hikari," the voice was followed by a soft knock. Kurama's green eyes peered at me through the screened door. "Is everything going okay?" Even though I knew he meant no harm, I could feel myself growing anxious. I wasn't ready for a man, even one I trusted, to be in my room with me. Kurama appeared pensive for a moment before a wiley expression overcame his features.
"Do you require assistance tying your obi?" I nodded my head once. I could feel the air sticking to the back of my throat. I coughed nervously as he approached me. He picked up the plum colored obi and began to quickly secure it.
"I've often helped my Mother with her formal dress. It can be a bother to do by yourself," He whispered into my ear. Shivers ran down my spine. I tried to cool the roaring fires in my cheeks. He gently patted my back signaling he was finished with the task. Lacking the strength to summon my voice I mouthed a thank you.
He offered his arm, "It was no trouble. May I escort you downstairs?" I gazed carefully at both him and his arm. I must have looked between the two a dozen times before my resolve settled and I clutched onto his sleeve. Kurama had been nothing but kind to me, I had no reason to distrust him. He lead me gently down the stairs. I beckoned for him to walk me towards the back gardens. Genkai was already seated in the seiza position, a steaming mug of tea beside her, her eyes were closed, and her breathing was still. She was so peaceful that at first I thought she was asleep.
"It's high time we see some color return to those cheeks, your highness," Genkai spoke, although her eyes remained closed. "Would you like to continue running?" I was fervently shaking my head yes, but she was not able to see the gesture behind her closed lids. "Well, are you going to speak or aren't you?" She chastised. I cleared my throat loudly, several times trying to soothe the ache in my vocal cords. "I'm waiting," Genkai's tone took on a hint of annoyance.
"Y-yes!" I all but choked on the words. Genkai opened her eyes, the faintest trace of a smirk on her lips.
"Tch, took you long enough," She slurped her tea back loudly. "Kurama, please bring another mug for Hikari. I'm guessing her throats a little sore." I looked down in my lap trying to hide the glow in my cheeks. It was embarrassing to not be able to do that which people did everyday.
"I'll send for Botan," Genkai once again closed her eyes again, "If you're going to continue running, you'll need some actual clothes." I bowed my head in thanks. A slight tinge of anxiety was beginning to tug at the corners of my mind at the thought of going into the city. I hadn't been near civilization since that day…
Kurama handed me a piping mug of tea. I swirled the contents back and forth, inhaling the scent, before taking a tentative sip. An interesting arrangement, I thought. I took another sip, the flavor of the tea was something I couldn't quite place. Almost as if sensing my curiosity Kurama smirked, "I've paired the usual green tea leaves with a plant of mine from the demon plane. The plant is known for its medicinal purposes. It should continue to reduce the swelling in your ankle and also help with that pesky sore throat."
"Thank you Kurama," I could definitely tell the medicine was working. I could feel my throat beoming coated in a gelatinous substance. Although it felt foreign, it was not entirely unpleasant and I was feeling much better.
"Your vocal chords were heavily damaged from your," Kurama cleared his throat noisily, "Uhm, from your past experiences, so you must take it easy. In my professional opinion, I'm recommending you drink three to five cups daily. I'll leave the leaves here with Genkai."
"Are you le-leaving?" I sputtered, suppressing a coughing fit.
"Yes, I will be leaving tomorrow for a few weeks. I need to catch up with my studies, but I might come check in on your progress this weekend though!" I tried to hide my crestfallen expression. I had grown used to the red head's company. Feeling the scorching heat of my throat threatening to come back I downed the rest of my tea quickly. Kurama was right, I needed to rest my throat.
Genkai and Kurama retreated to the kitchen to begin dinner, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I watched the colors of the sky bleed from blue to pink to orange as the sun disappeared behind the trees of Genkai's forest. I was feeling a sense of calm that I hadn't felt in a very long time.
