Chapter 3
Demon Dog Whistle
The Fox was...apologizing?
"You are not weak Fox, I can assure you of-" he started coughing, his throat was throbbing and he felt ill. He remembered the pain in his stomach when he sat down because it too began throbbing. He coughed hard and looked away from the Fox. He felt so weak, pathetic, afraid.
He wondered why the Fox was being so kind, was this all just a trick to get him to feel safe, and then banish him as all others had done to him at one point or another.
"You're not weak." He muttered when he stopped coughing.
Kurama sighed. He covered Hiei's mouth with his hand. "Let me take care of you. I am not the one harmed, my friend. My wounds I can live with. Yours, you can not." He muttered, taking the Kimono from him. "You need rest, and a few wraps. Will you lay down, my friend?" He asked, standing. Once Hiei was at least laying down, he figured he could talk to him properly.
The little demon seemed to be thinking. He wanted to trust the fox...but...he was too afraid.
Slowly he looked down and shook his head. "No but...you can do whatever you want, Fox." He whispered, looking at the floor.
The little demon knew he probably shouldn't be sitting up like this, it hurt so bad, but he didn't want to lay down, he wanted to be able to protect himself if those demons came back...he wanted to protect the Fox.
Kurama sighed. He started to tend to Hiei, wrapping his stomach up and creating a small saucer out of a rose petal with a few herbs he'd had on him. He gently put water in it and came to Hiei. "Here, drink this, it'll help your throat heal." He said, sitting and holding out the petal. "So...those demons...they...they raped you? He asked, watching him.
He drank the liquid and looked up at the Fox, nodding slowly after a moment. "Y-Yes..." He whispered, looking away from him. He was so ashamed of himself! How could he allow such a thing to happen.
"Hey Kuwabara! Apparently Diaper Breath says we gotta go find the shrimp and the princess. You're not busy are you?" It was Yusuke Urameshi himself, standing at Kuwabara's door just ten minutes before school started. He looked annoyed, and kind of tired. "Since you're always complaining about wanting to be a member of the Spirit Detectives, I figured; Hey, maybe Kuwabara would want to come along! It sure would make Yukina happy if Big, Strong, Kuwabara saved Hiei and Kurama.
Kuwabara gladly took up the offer. Hell, it got him out of studying, and he could impress Yukina at the same time! He walked next to Yusuke, looking around. "Hey you two, seems you're actually serious about this one." It was perky headed, cotton candy Botan. Wonderful this early in the morning. Kuwabara looked around again. "Is... YUKINA!" Kuwabara seemed over joyed and Yukina smiled a bit. "Hello Kazuma. You're gunna help find Hiei aren't you?" She asked, and Kuwabara nodded. "Uh-huh now don't you worry, I'll take care of it."
"Come on you guys, let's go, so I can go back to bed..." Yusuke muttered, walking off. "Hey Botan, do you have anything that will help us find them? Or maybe something that'll make them come to us?" He asked after a minute or so.
Botan nodded cheerfully. "This little gadget got hiei to come to us, very quickly last time." She said, holding up a small whistle. "Cover your ears Yusuke, and you too Yukina." Yukina covered her ears as Botan blew into the whistle long and hard. The call rang out everywhere, all demons could hear it.
Kurama woke with a start, covering his ears instantly. "Botan" He whispered after the ringing stopped. He remembered the whistle while they were tracking Hiei. God it was more annoying if you didn't have your ears covered.
"Fox! Find whatever vile creature makes my ears bleed...and kill it!" Hiei demanded as he quickly covered his ears. His head hurt too much to deal with such trivial matters. He knew it was Botan by the way it sounded, but he was sore, and he didn't want to move at all.
"GAH!" Yusuke covered his ears quickly and fell to the ground, his eyes going anime swirly. "Hey...look at all the little birdies..."
Kuwabara blinked. "I don't hear nuthin." Kuwabara muttered as Yukina waited till it was over. Botan blinked when she looked around. "Well no bodies dropping from trees" She muttered.
Kurama sat up, looking to Hiei. "It's over... Can you stand, my friend, or shall I carry you? It was just Botan I'm sure." He muttered, standing. "Or do you want to wait for them to come to us?" He looked to his friend. He looked concerned still, and he was still a bit dizzy.
"I can stand fine, fox." Hiei replied, standing. He was clearly in pain when he rose to his feet, but he refused to let the Fox know that it was help he needed.
Do not pity the beast...
"Yeah yeah Iget it, now shut up..." he whispered, walking out of the cave slowly.
"Excuse me?" Kurama muttered, following him out of the cave. Was Hiei talking to himself? This fact proved confusing. The fox didn't understand. He wondered if those demons truly had driven him insane? He let his mind wander a bit and he sighed. "I know you're in pain, are you sure you're not in need of my assistance, my friend?"
"Yes, Fox, I am sure that I am not in need of your assistance. Leave me be and I will be fine. Let's just go find the Detective before the wench uses that damned device again." Hiei replied, using the wall of the water fall to hold himself up.
Kurama sighed. Hiei could be so stubborn at times. He watched the little demon support himself. He was right, they needed to find Botan. The group was probably sent by Koenma. He half wanted to support Hiei anyway, but feard freaking the little demon out. He was already skittish and he didn't want to add to it. He assumed everything would be normal again. He figured this because the demons had said they'd leave... He hoped it was for good. "Hiei..., my friend...do you think, after we've met with the others, I may speak with you...alone?"
He listened to the Fox sigh as they continued to make their way down the path slowly, then the fox asked him if he could talk to him alone later.
"You may speak to me alone now if you wish." Hiei replied, not seeing the sense in waiting since they were already alone. "Or is there a certain reason you wish to wait?" He asked, looking up at he Fox for a moment before looking down at his own feet. He hadn't made eye contact, he COULDN'T make eye contact. He was so ashamed of himself.
"Well...I just wanted to talk about...that day..." Kurama muttered, following the demon down the path. "It's been on my mind ever since you left..." He looked to the sky for a moment. It was just blossoming morning. He wondered why Yusuke and the others would be up. He sighed once more. How to explain this... "I just...wanted to ask a few things, and in your current condition the only way I feel I'm properly talking to you is if you're laying down..."
'He wants to talk about THAT day? Wh-what for?" He asked himself mentally as he continued wondering. 'And why would he think he's only be able to talk to me if I'm down? I'm talking now, right?' he made no physical response to the Fox's comments, he only continued walking, wondering how he was going to make it all the way back without any help. His body was aching, burning, freezing, all at once, and for a moment he wondered if this pain could rival a Jagan implant. 'Hn. I doubt that.' He thought, looking over at the Fox again and letting out a sigh.
"I am fine Fox, and I'm not about to sit down any time soon, so start talking."
Kurama sighed a bit heavyer. This was more out of being nervous. He wanted Hiei to heal, that was all. "Well...that day...I had told you what I really felt...and..." His throat was closing. He mentally scolded himself as he hear Yoko chuckle. 'C'mon now Shuuichi, you did it once, you can do it again.' But Yoko wasn't helping. The first time was the first time, this time he had the fear of actually hearing Hiei turn him away... Or say that he wasn't gay, or that he hated him for it. This time, he could watch Hiei walk away...and that would hurt more then anything. "I wanted to know if...I mean...I just want to know what happened..."
"What do you mean, what happened, Fox? I walked of. I left. I needed time to think it over so I left. Would you like to know the details of everything after that as well, or is there something more specific that you would like to know?"
He hadn't meant to sound rude, and he wasn't snapping, either. He had the same, calm, apathetic tone that he'd always had, only this time there was a bit of pain showing through in his voice, which even he wasn't sure if it was coming from walking, or thinking about what Kurama had actually said.
It felt like he was going to cave in on himself. Like the walls he had built to protect himself from ever being hurt again were starting to crumble, and he couldn't bear that burden! He couldn't do it all again. Banishment was hard enough once. Twice killed him inside...he wondered what a third might do.
"Hey Botan maybe you should blow that thing again. Doesn't look like they're coming but uhhh...while you do that...just...let me and Yukina go hide WAAAAAY over here, okay?" The teen who looked disturbingly like he belonged in the "grease" movies suggested, pointing a thumb over his shoulder and beginning to back away.
Botan nodded, allowing Yukina and Kuwabara to move aside before she blew again. The whistle let out it's sharp call and Yukina covered her ears still.
Kurama had opened his mouth to speak, but the ringing came again. Hard, and it hurt. He covered his ears and looked down until it was over. Slowly he walked over to Hiei and took him into his arms. "Apparently we aren't fast enough." He muttered, holding Hiei carefully, but yet close. He looked around and ran down the path, toward the others, half relieved that Botan's whistle broke the conversation, for now.
