Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.
It was a few days still before Genkai would allow the guard duty to lax slightly. It was only when he slept that someone would keep vigil. This was usually Yukina or Kurama, who were most often at his side anyway. Yusuke and Kuwabara visited on weekends, as both had classes during the week. Kurama, fortunately, was finished with high school and had decided to take a year off before starting college.
When the pair of delinquents did come, they often flanked Hiei as he wandered the gardens or the forest, slowly building the strength in his muscles again. In their own way, they helped him most, made him want to move, want to grow stronger, want to recover. Yusuke was particularly interested in Hiei's recovery and on the fire demon's progress.
The pair would go out into the garden and carefully spar, gradually going through all of Hiei's muscles to ensure they stayed loose and functional. Every once in a while, Yusuke would help the apparition work his wings (they had managed hovering, briefly, twice), though this usually left Hiei's energy spent and his body aching.
It was one such afternoon that Yusuke and Kuwabara showed up at his bedroom door, all grins. He managed a smirk and stood, unfurling his wings from their scrunched position against the bed. He'd been reading a book on bats that Kurama had lent him. The fox had figured it would help Hiei understand how his wings worked and how he was meant to move them. He found it dry, at best. Tossing the text book aside, he followed the detective and the idiot out into the yard.
"Why don't we go to the meadow and spar for a while? After that, we can take a run around the mountain. You haven't run in a while, I bet its killing you," Yusuke piped enthusiastically. Kuwabara's face dropped a little at the mention of the run. He wasn't nearly as fast as Hiei or Yusuke.
Hiei noticed and chuckled. "I can't run like I want to, fool. We won't leave you behind this time." Yusuke laughed, nodding in agreement before leading the way outside. They waved to Yukina as they passed her in the garden. Kuwabara almost didn't leave with them, his goofy obsession with his 'beloved' rooting him to his place, but Yusuke managed to uproot the tall redhead and pull him away from the ice maiden.
As Hiei passed, she flashed him a kind smile and a wave. He raised two fingers in greeting and returned a slight smile in return before continuing on after the detectives.
It was an hour of slow walking before they reached the meadow in the center of Genkai's forest. In his peak, Hiei could have reached the clearing in less then five minutes. He grumbled about this fact as they walked, knowing Yusuke and Kuwabara both were moving slowly for his benefit. It was these small things that killed him most.
Once they did come to the clearing, Yusuke immediately initiated a sparring match with Hiei, getting him to dart side to side, testing his reflexes. The fire demon's speed was severely reduced, frustrating him as Yusuke easily darted away from his attacks, though he managed to get the detective on the defense soon enough. Kuwabara called out encouragement, standing at the edge of the meadow, watching the pair battle.
Yusuke grinned as he moved away from Hiei's swipes, moving backwards as the smaller man advanced. "Come on Hiei, you have to do better then that to hit me," he taunted even as Hiei feigned to the left and came to slam a solid fist into the detective's chest.
Winded, Yusuke fell back a few more paces, trying to escape the sudden relentless attack from Hiei, who had advanced when Yusuke's guard had been breached. The fire demon flew forward, low, and made to kick the detective's abdomen, only to be blocked and checked smartly in the shoulder.
Their breathing ragged, the pair separated, smirking. Yusuke stood up straight and walked the short distance to the fire demon, clapping him on the shoulder. "Good, really good. You're getting your reaction speed back. Are you tired?"
Smirking at the detective, Hiei shook his head at the question and said "No, I'm fine. I can still take you, Yusuke."
They were about to begin again when suddenly, Hiei's entire body froze up, his mind muddled as though he were suddenly thrown into a dense fog. In his mind's eye, he raced back towards the temple, sensing something incredibly wrong. The tranquil garden they had left only an hour or so before was in ruins, a blaze of smoke and fire. The temple itself was burning, completely in disarray.
He was brought back to reality by a slamming punch to his cheek, which caught him completely off guard and sent him flying back into the dirt. Wincing, he sat up slowly, feeling a pair of hands helping to prop him up. He was also dimly aware of a babbling array of apologies from Yusuke.
Waving the hands away, he slowly rose to his feet and looked towards the temple. "We have to go back. Something is wrong," he snapped, cutting Yusuke off mid 'sorry'. He watched the detective's eyes narrow and glance towards the direction of the temple then back towards Hiei. Kuwabara joined them then, so Hiei explained what he'd seen and why he hadn't reacted to Yusuke's assault.
The boys looked at one another, looking grim. Yusuke's expression had turned serious, obvious he was worried. Kuwabara nodded, looking distressed as well, his thoughts jumping to Yukina immediately.
"Alright, let's go. Hiei, you're going to have to let me carry you. Whatever is happening there, we can't afford a relapse from you after all this time." Swallowing his pride, Hiei agreed reluctantly. Crouching, Yusuke waited for the smaller man to climb onto his back before grabbing his legs securely. Hiei's arms gripped around Yusuke's neck as the detective stood. "Heh, I never thought I'd be giving Hiei a piggy back ride," he couldn't help but chuckle. Hiei rolled his eyes.
"Eh, the shrimp is light, its' not that bad," Kuwabara said as they took off in the direction they had come. They raced along the forest path, and sped up when they sensed smoke in the air. All three men shared a grim glance before Yusuke and Kuwabara sped up, Hiei gripping Yusuke's neck tighter in frustration.
The scene before them as they broke free of the forest stole the wind from their lungs, made the boys nearly stumble with shock. The temple was in a blaze, like a matchbox, just as it was in Hiei's vision. Kuwabara's eyes went wide, a pained expression adorning his features before he darted into the flames, Yusuke following suit, gripping onto Hiei tighter.
"Can you sense anyone?" called the detective above the roar of the flames. Concentrating hard, Hiei managed to clear them a path by forcing the flames aside with his mind. Kuwabara lead them through, franticly trying to sense anyone's spirit energy. He gasped, and dashed off to the right, Yusuke on his heels.
"Genkai!" the tall boy cried, brandishing his sword. The old psychic lay, unconscious, beneath a heavy support beam that had fallen from the high ceiling, flames crawling along the dry wood, inching their way towards her. Yusuke quickly slid Hiei to the ground and the pair darted to her as Kuwabara slashed the beam in half, making it easier to move. They managed to drag the old woman away from the flames before they caused her harm.
Swinging her up into his arms, Yusuke turned back to Kuwabara, an intensely worried expression adorning his face. "Can you sense Yukina anywhere?" Kuwabara shook his head, looking distressed, tears beginning to shine in his eyes. Hiei shut his eyes, searching the grounds for her energy himself. He growled, his brow furrowing in anger, his ruby eyes snapping open.
"She's gone, she isn't anywhere in here," he called, drawing the boys' attention to him. "We have to get out, before this whole place collapses." Yusuke nodded, gripping Genkai to his chest while Hiei leapt up onto Kuwabara's shoulders before they ran from the inferno, out into the open air. Once they were a little ways away, Hiei leapt down and Genkai was set gently on the grass.
The trio stood at the edge of the forest, looking on the ruin of the temple.
Half of it was completely destroyed, the wood and paper walls gone up in smoke, and the structural supports still roared with vicious flames. The gardens were charred, all the carefully tended flowers withered or completely incinerated. It was all be gone within hours.
With grim faces and heavy hearts, the trio of warriors turned away. Kuwabara picked up Genkai, cradling her in his arms like a child. She lay limp, looking a charred rag doll, but at the very least was breathing. Yusuke offered Hiei his hand, only to have the shorter demon ignore it and take the lead down the path to the temple's stairs. Kuwabara followed silently, his eyes glancing back to the wreckage only once.
Yusuke stood alone for a moment, watching his friends start to descend down flight of stone steps, before turning to face the ruins once more. A beam fell, toppling a section of the roof as he watched.
Inhaling sharply, the spirit detective turned away and followed the others, a throbbing ache spreading through his body, starting from his heart. He clenched his teeth and kept moving, descending slowly through blurred vision.
At times, he knew very well, the ache of loss could be even more painful then the worst of wounds.