Kurama stared into the glowing, malevolent purple eye that bulged in his friend's forehead. Hiei's other two eyes were closed, blind to the world around him. And the horrific events that were transpiring. His face looked soft and peaceful, as if he were just sleeping. Kurama found himself hoping that the fire demon was truly sleeping, unaware of the horror that his small hands had wrought.
"Hiei?" Kurama asked, his voice trembling slightly. He still held out hope that the little demon could be reached. That he was still capable of coming back from this.
Hiei's energy roiled around them, as dark and menacing as the grey storm clouds blanketing the sky above them. Rain dripped from Kurama's hair and into his eyes. It wouldn't be enough to wash away the blood soaking into the ground beneath his feet. Nothing would ever be enough.
Kurama slid his hand into his hair and withdrew a small seed. Roundish and brown, it sat between the pads of his fingers, looking just as innocent as the rose seeds that he favoured so much. This wasn't the seed of his rose whip, however. This was a seed that he'd never had occasion to use before. He'd obtained it through the Makai black market at an exorbitant price after the first Makai tournament. Kurama liked to plan for every eventuality, even the worst. But he'd hoped that this would never be necessary.
King Enma had finally found the perfect tool to wrest control of Spirit World back from his son. He'd taken advantage of a vulnerability in Hiei's mental defences created by the implantation of the jagan eye to turn him into a mindless slave who would attack any living being that he encountered.
With all the devastating powers his demon heritage granted him, and none of the compassion he'd learned over the last few years, Hiei was the perfect weapon.
Hiei's sword dripped with both rain and blood as he approached Kurama. His face was completely blank, giving no sign that he heard or recognised his old friend.
Under normal circumstances, Kurama would have been a match for Hiei. They'd sparred many times before, both for practice and for fun. Hiei's yuki was stronger as Kurama was still hampered by his human body but his intelligence and versatility brought him up to Hiei's level. He might have had a chance.
But for the rain.
It sheeted down, soaking through Kurama's clothes and into his skin. None of them had realised what it was at first. They'd noticed nothing unusual. Until Kuwabara had tried to use his Spirit Sword. All he'd been able to form was a glowing ember in the palm of his hand. As a weapon, it was useless. No matter how much Kuwabara had strained, he'd not been able to strengthen it.
The rain was a Spirit World weapon. It was infused with something that dampened both yuki and ki, making it impossible for the detectives to mount a concerted defence. Taken by surprise and impaired by the rain, they'd been left floundering like fish out of water.
The rain was almost an insult. As if the fact that they were forced to fight their own comrade wasn't impairing enough, King Enma had saw fit to further cripple them.
Yusuke had fared little better than Kuwabara. He'd actually managed one weak Spirit Gun attack before giving out. Unfortunately, that attack had missed its mark. Hiei's superior speed had allowed him to dodge the shot.
Kurama had watched, helpless as his friends fell. He was already injured, his blood seeping out from his abdomen, the result of Hiei's first attack. For some reason, the little fire demon hadn't finished the job right then, though Kurama had been so startled by the attack that he probably could have.
Yet, Hiei had left him for last. Maybe a small part of him was still fighting King Enma's control. Maybe he was still hoping that Kurama could figure out a way to save him.
Hiei's sword swung in a graceful arc towards Kurama's chest. Kurama barely managed to dodge, but his feet slid out from underneath him on the uneven, rocky ground. He fell backwards, desperately clutching the tiny seed in his clenched fist. He couldn't lose it. He couldn't.
He landed hard on his back, the impact jarring every bone in his body and causing him to cry out in pain.
Hiei was on top of him immediately, his knee pressing cruelly into Kurama's bleeding abdomen. The pain was so great that Kurama's breathing actually stopped for a moment.
The jagan stared down at Kurama, it's pupil focused on his face. The purple iris seemed to expand, to breach its physical bounds and spread across Hiei's forehead.
Hiei's hands closed around Kurama's throat. He choked as they tightened but he didn't resist. This was okay. This was what he'd been hoping for.
This was his last chance.
Kurama's sharp nails cut into the skin on Hiei's arm. He tried to make the action look desperate, as if he were struggling against Hiei's hold. He didn't want the fire demon to realise that he had a plan.
Hiei was unaffected by the small injury, giving no sign that he'd even noticed. He continued to squeeze Kurama's throat mercilessly, crushing his windpipe. He needed both hands to accomplish the task as his fingers were too short and stubby to fit properly around Kurama's slender throat.
The seed slid into the cut easily, becoming coated in Hiei's blood. Kurama couldn't feel it but he knew that the seed was leeching up Hiei's yuki. It was growing, a flower planted in fertile soil. But would it grow quickly enough?
Kurama couldn't find it in himself to care. As long as he could somehow end this nightmare for Hiei, he didn't care about what happened to himself.
Black clawed at the edges of Kurama's vision, darker than the deepest pit of hell. Kurama couldn't even feel the rain anymore. The purple eye grew to consume what was left of his vision.
Kurama?
The voice startled him, bringing him back from the edge of death. It had been clear. Too clear to be anything but a telepathic communication.
Hiei?
Kurama sent his own call out, hope surging inside him as he renewed his struggles. Maybe the seed wouldn't be necessary.
Where are you?
Pain flooded Kurama. Not the physical kind of pain. This was purely emotional. Hiei sounded so lost and confused.
I'm here, Kurama said. I'm right here.
Hiei's face gave no flicker. His twin red eyes remained firmly closed. Kurama wished that he could see them one last time. His hands were steel bonds around Kurama's throat.
You're not here. I can't find you.
I'm right in front of you.
There was a pause. A long pause. Kurama struggled to stay conscious.
It hurts, Kurama.
Hiei shouldn't be in pain. He shouldn't feel anything. That was part of the hypnosis. What good was a soldier if he could be hampered by such a weakness?
I'm sorry, Hiei, Kurama told him. Because he knew why Hiei was in pain. It had nothing to do with the hypnosis. It was his own doing. And it was too late to stop it now.
Why?
The last word was small and uncertain. Kurama couldn't give an answer. His soul was separating from his body, sensing its impending death.
He floated above his own body, watching as Minamino Shuichi's emerald eyes closed for the last time.
Hiei lifted his fingers from his victim's throat. For a moment, he did nothing, his purple eye fixed on his friend's slack face. His fingers were still curled, as if they were still locked around Kurama's throat. Then he tried to stand.
His legs gave out beneath him, bringing him back down atop the body of Minamino Shuichi. He tried again but once more failed.
Kurama's human heart ached as he watched Hiei struggle. Watched his breaths grow shallow and harsh. Watched as his yuki began to collect in the air around him, like storm clouds gathering. It crackled and fizzed, making Minamino Shuichi's wet red hair stand up with the electricity. If Kurama had still been able to feel anything physical, he would have felt the heat radiating in the air. It was so hot that even Hiei's tanned skin, resistant even to the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, was beginning to burn. It reddened and blistered, the skin peeling away.
Hiei made a sound, a wet, pained noise. Tears started to slide from beneath his closed eyelids, but they were not clear. They were blood-red, leaving thin trails down his cheeks.
Hiei's fingers clenched in the stained fabric of Minamino's shirt. His back arched. Kurama heard the crack as bones broke.
And then the world turned white around him. Kurama blinked his intangible eyes, trying to clear them. When the scene resolved itself, he wished that he were still blind.
There was nothing before him but a burned crater in the earth. Rain puddled into it, starting to form a small lake. Even the body of Minamino was gone.
Kurama searched desperately for any sign of Hiei with both his eyes and his spiritual senses. All that remained were thin traces of Hiei's yuki, floating on the wind. Soon it would be gone entirely, scattered by stronger forces.
That was the true horror of the seed Kurama had used. That was why he'd been so reluctant to use it. It used its victim's own yuki to kill them. There would be no second chance for Hiei. No coming back from this. He was gone, lost to the pages of history kept in Spirit World's files.
Lost to Kurama.
Desolate, Kurama floated, unwilling to leave the place he'd last seen his friend.
That was where Yusuke's spirit found him, an indeterminate time later. He'd faded so much that he was barely visible. His golden eyes were lifeless and dull, resting on the crater beneath his translucent form. By now it had entirely filled with water. The clouds overhead had broke, letting a shaft of sunlight set the surface aflame, the earth's own little sun.
Kurama?
But it didn't matter how much Yusuke prodded his friend, Kurama did not respond. He remained where he was, as if he were tethered to the spot by an invisible leash, unaware of his friend's presence.
It took a while for It to sink in. It took even longer for Yusuke to accept it.
He'd not lost one friend that day. He'd lost two.
