Heritage: The Path
Chapter 4
A/N: Thanks for the reviews and support, you guys! Special thanks to my beta Brokenshardsofmyheart99! And I'm sorry if there are any mistakes (more than usual) in this chapter. My glasses broke, and I'm practically blind. I apologize.
Kuronue laughed. "It's obvious from seeing what went on here. Though, you should know that the little demon you're looking for is staring at us right now."
At an instant, Kurama turned his back on the demon and looked. Hiei was leaning against a tree, weariness forcing his eyes closed. There was not a mark on him; no blood, dried or fresh, either. Hiei had survived the night. "You protected him?" he asked Kuronue, who was grinning and trying to hide it.
The demon nodded. "He was safe by himself, but he smelled like you," the wide grin vanished, replaced by a smaller smile. "He's very adamant about being by himself, though. Took most of my strength to sedate him." He scowled.
Detaching himself from his friend, Kurama went over to the prince's side. He looked into his ajar eyes, almost with coyness. Kurama raised his hand and slapped Hiei, sending weariness away. The smaller demon appeared stunned at first, not moving, eyes wide. When some time went by, he sneered and stood up to face Kurama, with an air of supremacy. The actions went ignored by Kurama, who turned his attention back to his friend.
"You should thank him, Prince Hiei, he did protect you after all," he said, expecting Hiei to scoff and mention some petty excuse. However, the prince walked over to the winged-demon and muttered words of appreciation, then he smirked at Kurama. While the gratitude was mere mockery, it seemed that Kuronue didn't mind. Not that the demon ever accepted thankfulness or debts from any of the beings he rescued. At least that was the way he had often seen Kuronue act like.
When the somewhat awkward moment had left them, the winged-demon turned to Kurama. "So are we going to your humble home, Healer?" he asked, grinning, which showed off his sharp fangs. The dark wardrobe and fangs did fit Kuronue perfect, at least in Kurama's opinion. They seemed to contradict his personality in a way, yet tune in to his nature just fine.
He nodded and lead the way, making sure to not fall into anymore traps concocted by demons or humans seeking revenge. The walk to his sanctuary was tranquil is not awkward. Several times he and Hiei began a walking race that neither knew they had started until the need to pull up ahead of the other arouse. Though they were oblivious at first, Kuronue was not. He was aware of it and often walked faster in order to defeat them. Aside from the walking races, it seemed they tried to make as little talk and insulting as possible. To Kurama, it was childish, yet he could not stop himself from acting the same way. He supposed some part of him was enjoying what he never had as a child. The past clouded with blood and secrets… That's what he wanted to escape, what he guarded with his life, and what he tried to deny ever had occurred in his life.
When they arrived at the simple sanctuary, Kuronue had ran to the door, touching it with his palm. "I win!" he shouted with enjoyment. Kurama and Hiei exchanged a small glance at one another, trying to think and process of everything that had happened. Hiei grunted and turned his back on the winged-demon while Kurama nodded at Kuronue, congratulating him in his own way. "Are we standing out here to gaze at nature's beauty or are we going in to relax after all we've been though?" Kuronue asked, eyebrow raised, and fangs glistening as he grinned.
"Like you did much, you useless demon," Hiei muttered. The insult never reached Kuronue's ears, though. He had been too preoccupied with looking at the exterior of the home of his friend with morbid inquisitiveness.
Kurama shook his head, amused by his friend's antics. "He won't hear insults you know. Yours is not nearly vital enough for him to hear," he clarified to the irritated prince. Hiei opened his mouth to ask something, but he kept going, already sure of what the question would be. "An insult directed at him won't do. It has to be someone close to him that you insult for him to focus attention at you."
The prince didn't respond back at all. He kept quiet and walked to the front door, halted, and then opened the door to let himself in. "Is he a patient of yours, or a hopeful lover?" Kuronue purred into Kurama's ear.
"The first," he answered, stepping away from the demon. "And you? How have you been?" Kurama sat down on the grass, looking up at his friend who was joined him seconds later. He watched as Kuronue made himself comfortable, which meant he had to move a couple of times to avoid getting hit by accident.
Soon after, Kuronue answered. "Well, I finally got a mate," he replied, voice dry and weary. From the look on his face, Kurama figured that this was a sore and sensitive subject. "It's not that I'm being man-handled around or anything. You see, Healer, he's not too fond of you," the winged-demon explained. "Before you even think about it, it's not Yomi. The demon doesn't like, but he respects and loves you." He shook his head, allowing hair to obscure the view that Kurama had of his eyes. "My mate loathes you very much. You rejected his proposal for a bond, and he's never recovered from that. I only made him my mate so I could keep in check. There's no love between us, but that's fine." Kurama was about to speak, but Kuronue interrupted him. "Out of all the humans I've ever met, you've been the single one that has given a damn about me! I know it's your duty as a healer to do so, but you care about me and that's what matters!"
He nodded, it was all he could after hearing the adamant words his friend spoke. "Yes, I am bound to my oath as a healer, but…" He faced Kuronue and grasped his face with kindness. "Kuronue, you are my friend, and you have helped me so much that it'd be immoral for me to not help you." Feeling rather odd, Kurama decided to do something he had not done in a long while. As careful as possible, almost as if he were handling glass, he brought his friend to him and embraced him for a long time. "Leave him, Kuronue. I wish for your happiness only, nothing more. Karasu will never stop hunting me. And even though your bond will bind him, he will look for a loophole to go through to get to me." He felt Kuronue start to back away. "No!" Kuronue froze in his grasp. "I will hold him at bay. Grant me one wish, my friend, leave him and be free."
The embrace was broken by Kuronue. "I knew you'd say that, Kurama." His gaze went from Kurama to the grass that was beneath them. "I refuse to leave him. There's a code I must follow. Forgive me, but I will not listen to your request." Kurama felt something within him break; like a seal that no longer captivated a part of him. "It's my life right? Then I choose to use it as I please. Besides, he's the key to gaining something back, something that belongs to you."
A shuddery breath was released. His pulse quickened and he felt nauseous at once. "Karasu is the key to… How are you so sure about it?" There was a battle within him. One side wanted to seek out Karasu and regain what he had lost, but the other wanted to run away from there.
"He revealed it to me when I got the bastard drunk." It was a blatant truth, yet hard to grasp. From all the time he had known Karasu, which wasn't much, he never saw the demon drink alcohol at all. "Yomi's on the trail of the Traitor, just so you know. Kurama, we want to help you… Well, I doubt Karasu wants to, but he's my mate and will do as I say, so that doesn't matter. Still, we do want to help you since you have helped us so many times." He raised himself, dusted off, and stretched his hand out for Kurama to take. Without a thought, he took it and allowed himself to be embraced by his friend. "There are countless demons that owe you something, you know? I know there are risks for us helping you, but you've made plenty of sacrifices to bridge the gap between some demons and humans. Kurama, you deserve this. Allow us to take care of it."
Shaking his head, Kurama muttered, "Not if it means putting all of your lives at stake. I value your work and devotion, but I decline help." Before he could escape Kuronue's clutch, the demon lifted his chin up and forced their eyes to meet. To Kurama, there were no emotions that he saw within his friend's eyes.
The taller one leaned down, almost brushing their lips together. "It's not merely for you that we do this for… Kurama, you know that the Traitor will come back. And when he does, we need someone to help us fight against him. Who will come to our aid, to the human's aid?" Kuronue's eyes were so intense, that for the first time, he found himself wishing h could look away. "Demons and humans do not work together! They will never unite unless someone unites them!" The grasp on his face felt more like hot iron on his skin. It was getting worse, but he could not escape. "Kurama, you're the only one who can do this! You must help us all or else the Traitor will destroy all of his adversaries!" Minutes passed before Kuronue's hand dropped from his face.
The door to the small dwelling opened, revealing Yusuke. There was a smile on his face until he saw Kuronue standing next to him. "What fuck is he doing here? Kurama, you know you're supposed to tell me if there's a demon nearby! You're still too tired from dragging Hiei-- Prince Hiei, I mean, here!" Yusuke held Kurama's hand and dragged him away from the winged-demon, who was now smirking.
"Well, we meet again… What was your name again? Oh, I guess it doesn't matter," he goaded. As usual, Yusuke went on a punching barrage that was far too sluggish for Kuronue to bother with.
Deciding to step in, Kurama coughed. Yusuke stopped at once and turned to him, eyes filled with the same expression he's always had for him. "We should go in and eat." The brown-eyed half-demon understood, since he went in and ignored all of the taunting Kuronue did. "You missed him," Kurama stated.
"Not every day I get to see him, right?" Kuronue smiled. "He's grown so much. Tell me, has he found a mate yet or his pinning for you? I won't mind, honestly. You're better than Karasu or anyone other demon."
"Would you like the truth?" The demon nodded. "Yusuke is interested in a mortal, a human to be specific." From his vantage point, he saw Kuronue's eyes widen for a brief second. He knew that Kuronue's visit would strain the situation already on hand, but that was not all that he had in mind. The shadows his friend had mentioned, Kurama guessed, would come soon. It seemed that his last chance to break away from his past was over now. The one vital thing he fought against was coming for him, firm and rapid.
A/N: Thanks for reading!