Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance in this story.
And, as always, I'd like to include a special thanks to Anony and neko kitkat for their reviews for chapter three, and Astarte for reviewing chapter two. Thanks!
Chapter 4
Shiori chewed on her lip nervously as the rental car pulled into the Kushiro General Medical Center parking lot. A pit had formed in her stomach since landing in the airport and had only continued to grow as they drew nearer their destination. Although relieved beyond measure to find out her son was alive, she was dreading how he would receive her after what she said the last time they had spoken.
Kazuya parked the car and opened his door. Shiori grabbed his arm. "You're sure we're not forgetting anything?" she asked.
He gave a long suffering sigh. "We called as many people as we could and told them the funeral was canceled, and we left a note taped to the front door explaining what happened for everyone flying into town. It's all been taken care of," he said reassuringly. Her behavior was baffling to him. She held on to the hope that they had survived longer than anyone else. Why is she so reluctant to see them now? he wondered, getting out of the car. Shiori followed his example and they both went inside.
They asked the receptionist which room Suuichi was in and she gave them the room number and directions. They found the room, arriving just as an older man dressed in hospital scrubs covered by a white lab coat closed the door behind him.
"Excuse me, is this Hatanaka Suuichi's room?" Kazuya asked as he and Shiori hurried over to the doctor.
"Yes, it is. Are you his parents?" the doctor asked. They nodded and the doctor continued. "He's awake right now, so you may both go see him."
Kazuya paused. "Um, how is he?" he asked.
The doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair. "To be honest, I am quite baffled by his case. I've never seen anything like it before."
"Is he going to be alright? Is it that bad?" Shiori asked.
"Quite the opposite! The boy as been floating around in the ocean for the past two weeks, correct?" the doctor asked. When the couple nodded, he continued. "Chances of survival in such situations are minuscule, at best. Once the person was rescued, he would be severely dehydrated and undernourished, among other things. Your son might have just come up from an afternoon swim. He isn't even sunburned!" The doctor shook his head. "He has quite a collection of bruises and cuts, more than a few of which are showing signs of infection, but is healthy in all other respects. To be blunt, I don't believe that boy has been floating in the sea for the past fourteen days. It is just not possible."
The couple both looked more than a little shocked. Kazuya found his voice first. "Did he tell you what happened?" he asked.
The doctor shook his head. "No, he doesn't remember anything."
"Thank you, doctor," Kazuya said, moving past him to the door. He opened it and Shiori followed him inside.
Suuichi was sitting in a hospital bed, bloodshot eyes glaring at the plain salad in front of him. He had a square piece of gauze taped onto his cheek and both of his arms were wrapped in bandages. His face lit up when his parents entered the room. "Dad! Mom!"
Kazuya rushed over to his son. "Suuichi-kun, I'm so glad you're alright!" he said, hugging the boy tightly.
Suuichi flinched, gasping slightly and causing his father to release him immediately. "Sorry, you found one of my cuts," he said, gesturing to his side.
Shiori walked over to the other side of the bed, giving him a much gentler hug. "You have no idea how worried we've been," she said.
"Sorry," he apologized again.
"It's not your fault," Kazuya said soothingly. "We're just glad that you're okay."
"Hey, where's Shuichi-san?" the teenager asked, looking at his parents. "Can't even visit his own brother in the hospital?" he said jokingly.
Shiori froze. "You mean, he isn't here?" she asked, her voice faint.
"No. Why would he be? I mean--" Suuichi trailed off, his eyes widening. "Did he go overboard, too?!"
Shiori closed her eyes, holding Suuichi's hand tightly in her own. Maybe there's still hope... He could have washed up somewhere else... she thought, desperately. The doctor's words echoed in her mind. "Chances of survival in such situations are minuscule, as best..."
Kazuya answered for her. "Yes, he did. The same night as you. You didn't see him at all?"
"No, I-- I had no idea. I remember looking up after I fell off and seeing him standing at the rail, but..." Suuichi shook his head, trying to process the fact that his brother was gone.
The room was silent for a few minutes, everyone lost in their thoughts. "So, do you remember what happened after you fell over?" Kazuya asked, trying to change the subject. Not the best distraction in light of the previous conversation, but it was the only topic he could think of.
Suuichi thought for a moment before looking up at his father, as if trying to gauge what his reaction would be. "Well, kinda..."
Kazuya was a little surprised. "The doctor said you didn't remember anything."
"I didn't tell the doctor."
"So, what happened?" Kazuya asked as he leaned forward, curious.
Suuichi's eyes dropped to his lap. "After I fell over board, I think I hit my head and passed out. When I woke up, I was on this weird boat-ship thing with a... a demon fox," he said, firmly refusing to make eye contact.
Shiori's head snapped up at the admission, new hope filling her. Could it be...? I mean, who else would it be? You don't exactly have many kitsune running around in the ocean... Yes, it must be him! Oh, Shuichi is alive! She opened her mouth to ask for more details, but her husband beat her to it.
"You... think you were rescued by a youkai?" he asked, the skepticism easily recognizable in his voice. "How hard did you hit your head?"
Suuichi seemed to withdraw into himself. His gaze was fixed on his hands twisting the sheets in his lap.
Kazuya sat on the edge of the bed. "Son, I'm sorry, but you know demons don't exist," he said, almost apologetically.
"I know, dad. That's why I didn't tell anyone about it," he replied softly.
There was an awkward silence between them before Shiori spoke up. "Dear, the doctor said there was nothing wrong with Suuichi-kun. Why don't you go and find out when we can take him home?" she suggested.
"I'll go do that," he said standing. He walked to the door and paused, looking over his shoulder. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but thought better of it and silently left the room.
Shiori waited, making sure he was gone, before speaking up. "So, kitsune don't generally live in the sea," she said. Suuichi didn't respond. She paused, chewing on her bottom lip. "What did he look like?"
The teen was a little annoyed at being patronized. He opened his mouth to retort, but saw the pleading look not quite concealed on his stepmother's face. She wanted, needed to know. "He was... tall. Long silver hair with a silver tail to match. Fox ears on top of his head and amber eyes. Said his name was Youko Kurama," he replied. That's weird. I never knew mom believed in demons. Of course, I can see why she would want to keep it a secret from dad, he thought.
Shiori allowed herself to smile. It is him! she thought excitedly. "Tell me what happened," she asked eagerly.
"Well, I woke up on his ship-- oh, it was the weirdest thing I have ever seen!" Suuichi smiled, becoming more animated as he shared his experiences with the older woman. "He said he grew it from a seed! I know it sounds impossible, but I saw it, he could control plants! He kept all kinds of seeds in his hair, and he would grow stuff for me to eat! I had a lot of watermelons and grapes, and stuff like that to keep me from getting dehydrated, but he grew salads and stuff for me, too. Oh, mom, the ship! I guess it was pretty small, but there were three rooms below deck and I slept on a bed of flower petals. They were huge! The ship itself had one mast and-- get this --the sail was a humongous leaf! He had it tied to the rail with vines and he would shorten them and lengthen them to change the direction we were heading in! Expect when there was no wind," he said, thoughtfully.
Shiori was listening raptly. "What did he do then?" she asked.
"He made oars grow out of the side of the ship and started rowing, of course! He only did that a few times, though. He had to conserve his energy towards the end," Suuichi said, his voice dropping.
The older woman didn't like the ominous ring those three words had. "Why?" she asked quietly.
"Well, I noticed it a few days before the storm. He was only using his energy when he absolutely had to. Something about foxes being omnivores and not being able to catch any fish. He said he was using more energy than he was regaining, so he had to be careful. And then the storm came," he said, his eyes focusing on the wall behind Shiori.
"What happened in the storm?" she asked, her anxiety rising.
The teenager scratched his head. "I don't remember too much of it, but we could finally see land. The storm got worse the closer we came and eventually we crashed on the rocks. I think Kurama had been using his energy to keep the boat together before we crashed. Anyway, we jumped off and he told me to hold on to him no matter what. The waves kept pushing us into the rocks, which is how I got these," he said gesturing to his arms. "I can't remember it too clearly, but I think he pulled me up on shore. But, when I woke up the next morning, he was gone," he said, his voice dropping even lower. His sad gaze rested on his lap.
"Gone?" Shiori asked breathlessly. "Gone? As in, he left before you woke up, or..." she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
The boy shook his head. "I don't know. I looked for him, but I couldn't find him. I'm pretty sure he pulled me out, but..." he looked up at his mother. "He seemed really sad when I asked him where he was gonna go once we got back to land. He said there was no place for him in the human realm."
Shiori felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart and twisted. Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find something to say. No place in the human realm? Oh, please, no...
"Do you think there is a demon world or something out there that he went to? Or, do you think he..." Suuichi trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud.
Shiori shook her head. "I'm sure he just went to a 'demon world,' as you put it. After all, if demons lived here, more people would know about them, ne?" she said, trying to be optimistic as she lightly pinched his un-bandaged cheek. The quiver in her voice betrayed her fears.
Before Suuichi could respond, the door opened. "Alright, are you all ready to go?" Kazuya said, oblivious to the somber mood of the room.
Shiori looked a little surprised. "Just like that? He can go?" she asked.
"Yup. Doctors can't find anything wrong with him, so he's free to go, although we'll need to pick up some antibiotics for the infections. It's too late to catch a flight back, so we'll find a hotel to spend the night in and fly home in the morning. Come on," he said, gesturing to Suuichi.
"Did you bring me any clothes?"
Shiori blinked. "What...?"
"Clothes." He looked back and forth between the blank looks on his parents' faces. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, come on! I haven't been able to shower for the past two weeks! The hospital probably burned my clothes as soon as they took them off me!"
"Well, what about the hospital gown?" Kazuya suggested.
Suuichi grabbed the blankets, pulling them protectively up over his chest. "I am NOT going out dressed in this!" he practically yelled, scandalized.
Kazuya laughed. "Alright, alright. We'll go get you some clothes, and then we'll go, okay?"
. . .
A demon, with a nose that was almost the same size as his head, closed his eyes as he sniffed the early morning air.
Hiei glanced at his companion. "What is it? Another ningen?" he asked disdainfully.
"I'm not sure. There is a faint scent of a kitsune being overridden by that of a human's. He may have run into a fox demon before we found him," the demon replied, gesturing towards the direction it was coming from.
Turning his head, the fire koorime used his Jagan to locate the ningen. His normal eyes widened as he recognized Kurama's energy. "I'll take care of it," he said, jumping off the Mukade and quickly making his way towards his old partner. The note Yuusuke left said he was dead, although he didn't give the supposed cause of death. Did he just underestimate Kurama's abilities? No, the toushin should know better than that, Hiei thought. He stopped a little ways in front of the redhead, studying him as he approached. It was the kitsune, all right. Hiei hailed him. "So, I see you didn't die, after all," he said by way of greeting.
Kurama was obviously distracted and hadn't even noticed the fire demon's presence until he had said something. The redhead stopped, bloodshot green eyes meeting his friend's crimson gaze. "Hello, Hiei."
The fire apparition looked at the ningen closely. His soft voice carried a melancholy undertone and his cold eyes, normally glinting with mischief, were dull and distant. It was as if he had closed himself off from everything around him and was just stumbling blindly wherever his feet would take him. Hiei crossed his arms, a slight frown marring his brow. "I didn't think I'd see you back in Makai so soon," he commented, wondering what could have brought about such a severe change in the kitsune's eyes. The fox was not one to allow himself to be distracted easily. "Although you will have other patrol units trying to escort you back to Ningenkai if you remain as you are now."
Kurama looked around, as if only just then noticing he had entered the Demon Realm. "The Makai is where I belong," he said, his body shifting to his demon form.
Hiei's eyes widened marginally as he took in the silver youko's appearance. His long hair was tangled and dull, looking as though it hadn't been brushed in many days. His face was gaunt, the now prominent cheekbones making his eyes seem as if they had sunken back into his skull. The top of his tunic was torn to the point where it no longer stayed on his body, the remains of the material hanging from the sash around his waist. His pants were in better condition but just barely, numerous tears in the fabric making the garment beyond repair. All of his clothes were covered with what appeared to be dirt, blood and salt stains. However, what really caught Hiei's attention was Kurama's chest. His skin was stretched taut over his ribcage; making the bones stand out and giving the undernourished fox a skeletal look. He was also covered in the telltale red marks of fading scars, which stood out vividly against his pale skin. Overall, he looked rather haggard and worn, a far cry from the vain fox that took pride in his appearance at all times.
Kurama continued walking, brushing past Hiei. "Forgive me for inadvertently drawing you from your duties. I shan't be returning to Ningenkai," he said. His deep voice was low, making the koorime strain to catch his words.
The Jagan glowed faintly as fire demon tried to peek into the kitsune's psyche. He was considerably surprised to be met with no resistance. Kurama was too deep within his mind for the fire demon to pick up any of his actual thoughts, but an overwhelming wave of despair washed over him. What is this?! It's almost as if he no longer has any motivation to continue living! And not only was he too preoccupied to realize he had crossed over into Makai, he didn't even notice when I entered his mind! He'll be dead by the end of the day for sure if he stays like this! Hiei thought, grabbing Kurama's arm before he was out of reach.
The silver haired youko stopped, startled by the action. He turned his head slightly, silently asking what the fire demon wanted.
"Weaker youkai prey on those that cannot adequately defend themselves," the shorter demon stated.
Kurama stiffened at the insult. "Are you suggesting that I am incapable of protecting myself?" he asked, his voice deceptively soft.
The tone reminded Hiei of the calm before a storm. "When you are too distracted to notice you've entered the Demon Realm, yes. You would be wise to take an escort," the fire demon replied, ignoring the danger of putting himself in such a perilous position with the emotionally unstable fox.
The youko turned his head further, one narrowed, bloodshot amber eye practically glowing with rage as he met the crimson gaze. "Do not seek to counsel me, child. You have not yet survived half as long as I have been alive. If you wish to keep your hand, I suggest you remove it from my arm," he growled. His voice was cold, a dangerous edge lurking within it.
Afraid that he may have crossed the line, the fire demon released Kurama's arm, relieved when the kitsune continued walking. Hiei watched the fox leave, wraith-like as he glided through the trees, seeming to blend into the forest around him and disappear from sight. Incurring his ire may not have been the best idea, but the end result is the same. He's now much more aware of his surroundings and probably on the lookout for anything that wants to fight. The fire demon stared after his friend, his expression thoughtful. What could have happened to the fox? I cannot imagine what ordeal he must have endured to have left him in such a vulnerable condition. And the fact that he plans on staying in Makai... What force, in all the three worlds, could keep Kurama from returning to his human mother? Not even King Enma has enough power to enforce such a rule. Hiei shook his head, walking back to join his patrol unit. It is pointless to worry about it. I will give the fox time to sort out his feelings before I approach him again. If he asks for assistance, I will help him. If not, so be it.
. . .
To Be Continued
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