The walk to Genkai's temple was long, and strenuous. I was in good shape, so it wasn't to terrible for me. Kurama and I kept chatting all the way there. I quite liked him. But Hiei…He was a whole new level of intriguing. I wondered if Yukina was anything like him…
And she wasn't. The only things they had in common were red eyes, their body types, and their masterful skill at hiding their emotions. Yukina was truly a delight. She was so sweet and kind, it was hard to remember she was a demon.
Genkai was brimming with strength and wisdom. She was old, about seventy, and sarcastic. She was very likeable, as well, but in a different way than Yukina.
I sipped tea from a cup Yukina had brought out. "This is strange," I commented. "I've never tasted this tea before."
"It's made from plants that only grow around this temple," Genkai explained in her raspy voice. She looked up as the door behind us slammed open.
I blinked in surprise to see Hiei standing there, looking angry as usual. Maybe he really was keeping an eye on Yukina.
"Kurama!" Hiei snarled. "Outside. Now!" Hiei spun on his heel and stalked away angrily. Kurama sighed, then followed him out, shutting the door behind him. Ignoring Yukina and Genkai, I snuck to the door to eavesdrop.
"What are you doing here?" Hiei hissed angrily.
"Visiting," Kurama replied calmly.
"Then what is she doing here?!" I had no doubt Hiei was referring to me.
"I wanted her to meet Yukina and Genkai. Why do you have such a problem with her?" Kurama almost sounded like he was teasing Hiei. I held my breath, desperate to hear the answer.
"That's not it," Hiei huffed. "I don't trust her. We only met her a few days ago."
"I know. But I think she's trustworthy. She's on our side, at least."
"She's weak," Hiei growled, "I have no patience for weaklings."
"I'm not weak," I mumbled, my ear still pressed against the Japanese-style door.
"Then how do you explain your relationship with Yukina?" Kurama retorted coolly. I glanced back at Yukina to see if she'd heard him say her name, but she was chatting with Genkai, ignoring me and the conversation outside.
"Shut up, fox!" Hiei snarled. "She's got nothing to do with this!"
"You don't think so?"
I felt an aura join Hiei and Kurama's outside. They continued talking, so I don't think they noticed it. But it felt like the same aura as the demons who had chased me days back. I blinked.
The demon emerged from the woods surrounding the temple, his eyes focused on Hiei and Kurama. Both still went on arguing, not noticing the newcomer. And they wouldn't, not until one was seriously hurt. I screamed, throwing open the door. Both boys were alarmed, and looked at me, away from the monster. The gruesome being (couldn't tell if it was female or male) charged, and there was a flash of blood.
I was shocked. I threw open the door, surprising both Yukina and Genkai. I yelled a warning at the two boys, and, just like in my premonition, they looked the wrong way. I leapt at them, landing on Hiei, and managing to catch him off balance enough to topple us both to the ground. I felt the fire of pain as something sliced my left arm.
"Tera!" Hiei gasped in shock. "What the hell do you think you're-"
"Hiei!" Kurama yelled. "Attack!"
With Kurama's shout, Hiei threw me off of him and was on his feet before I could blink. I rolled over, trying to move my injured arm as little as possible.
Kurama and Hiei were both attacking that large, slimy demon. To be honest, it looked like someone had taken a statue of swamp mud, and had charred it with a flame-thrower until it could hold its shape. Ugh. And don't get me started on the smell.
I felt a pair of small hands on my waist, and then Genkai was pulling me to my feet. She and Yukina helped me into the temple, where a pile of bandages a sewing kit, and a bowl of water were waiting for me. Genkai ripped the sleeve off of my shirt, ignoring my little squeak of protest. I didn't exactly have many clothes. But my destroyed clothes were shoved from my mind when I saw the extent of my wound.
My arm seemed to have gone mostly numb, but if I could feel it, I'm sure I would have been screaming in agony. The wound stretched from inches above my wrist, all the way to my shoulder. It was gushing blood sporadically, matching the stuttering beating of my heart. Below all the red, I could see the white of my bone. I felt faint, although I didn't know if it was from the loss of blood, or the sight of so much blood.
"Whoa, there." Genkai pressed both of her hands on my back to stop me from falling as I passed out. Yukina was grimly working on my wound. She tried her best to wash the blood off, but it kept surging out, ruining her efforts. She finally gave up and began to deftly sew the wounds closed. I could feel the needle pierce my skin. I turned away, finding the sight of the thread sticking out of my skin rather disgusting. As if the wound wasn't gross enough as it was. Finally, Yukina bit the thread off and began to wrap the cloth bandages around my arm.
Hiei and Kurama walked in from outside, covered in some sort of smile that I thought was that ugly demon's blood. Hiei wrinkled his nose, probably because of the smell of my blood. Kurama knelt beside me.
"Tera…Are you alright?" He asked, his voice soft.
Hiei also dropped to his knees. I blinked in surprise. "Look at the blood. What do you think, Kurama?" Hiei replied quietly. I was surprised by this sudden act of kindness to me. I tried to concentrate on his face, but the more I tried, the darker my sight became. My head felt light. I fell against Hiei's way-too-warm body, and finally fainted.
**************
"…lost a lot of blood…"
"…amazing she's still alive…"
I opened my eyes, blinking away the blurriness. I felt weak and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but something told me that wasn't a good idea. Might've been my empty stomach.
I tried to use my hands to prop myself up, but my left one gave out. Pain shot through it, and I gave a cry, which cause the people talking about me to shut up and look over. Now that my vision was clearing, I recognized Yukina, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama. I wondered what Kuwabara and Yusuke were doing here. And, where Hiei had gone.
"Hiei?" I asked in confusion.
"Right behind you," his deep voice said. All at once, Hiei was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. I was laying against Hiei's body, his legs spread out so that I was settled in between them, and his arms wrapped around my waist. The moment I noticed this, I tried to struggle out of his grasp, but his arms held tight.
"You've lost a lot of blood," he explained, his warm breath tickling my ear. "You aren't able to maintain your own body temperature."
"You might have suffered hypothermia if not for Hiei," Kurama said. I wasn't sure if he was teasing. Hiei snorted.
Genkai got to her feet. "Well, she could probably rest at her home, if she wants now. There's not much else we can do." She looked pointedly at me. "Just try not to move your arm much until it's healed."
I tried to get up to bow to her in thanks. But Hiei wouldn't let me go. "Take it easy," he muttered. I relaxed against him.
Yukina knelt down in front of me. "You should come here every day, Miss Tera," she said. "I can make your wound heal faster."
I smiled sweetly at her. "Thank you, Yukina. I will try." Of course, I didn't know if I could. It's not like I remembered the way here, and I couldn't bother any of the boys to bring me here.
Genkai and Yukina left. Hiei slipped his arms under my knees and my back so deftly that I barely even noticed the change until he stood up.
"I can walk," I insisted.
Hiei scoffed. "I don't want to get blamed when you faint and hurt yourself."
I frowned. "Are you that scared of what the others will say if I get hurt?"
Hiei smiled, his first smile since I had met him. "Believe me, you don't want to see Kurama angry."