Hey, guys! Long time, no . . . read?:P Haha, well, I won't bother with a huge Author's Note because nobody will even bother to read it anyway, you're just too excited with the update, right? So, anyway, enjoy, guys!:D
Kurama shifted his weight uncomfortably in the green chair, arms crossed over his chest. He hadn't gotten very much sleep; he had spent most of his time watching over Hiei in the waiting room. Kurama squinted out the window to see the sun beginning to rise off in the horizon. He groaned and rubbed his face. It had been a very long night.
After Botan had left them, Hiei had become belligerent and violent. Kurama and Yusuke had to chase the short man around the hospital for about an hour and a half before they finally caught him and dragged him back to the waiting room. Yusuke had given Hiei a cup of water and Kurama had been the only one who had seen Yusuke slip something into Hiei's drink. Hiei passed out about twenty minutes later and Yusuke snuck off to hang out with Kuwabara in his hospital room.
So Kurama was all alone. He had read all the old issues of "Home and Gardens", "People", and some fishing magazines that were scattered over the coffee table in front of him about twenty different times. The remote to the television was missing and channel buttons on the TV were broken and Kurama was sure that even if he had decided to turn the TV on, nothing would be on but horrible infomercials about male enhancements and exercise equipment. That was the last thing Kurama needed at six AM – to feel he was morbidly obese and that his penis was small.
"I should have brought a book." He grumbled, getting up and stretching for the fourteenth time. Those chairs were so damn uncomfortable; they were certainly doing some major damage to his back.
He thought about paying a visit to Kuwabara's room to see what he and Yusuke were doing, but he knew that if Hiei woke up and nobody was there to watch over him, the demon would wreak havoc upon the hospital.
No. Kurama couldn't leave the waiting room in fear of Hiei waking up. He couldn't even go to the bathroom, which was only five feet away from him! He was confined to the small room, completely bored out of his skull.
"Do you need anything?"
Kurama looked to the doorway of the waiting room to see the petite blonde nurse standing there, a blush on her face. He gave her his signature calm, friendly smile, which made her blush harder.
"No, I'm all right."
"Are you sure?" She asked, cautiously walking in. "You've been here for hours, just waiting. You must be going crazy with boredom."
"Well . . . a little." Kurama admitted with a shrug.
"Would you like anything?"
"Well . . ." Kurama repeated being interrupted by a growl coming from his stomach. "A sandwich and a phone?"
The nurse chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand. She noticed Hiei, curled up into a ball, asleep in a chair.
"I'll be right back with your sandwich and a blanket for your friend." The nurse reached into the front pocket of her uniform and pulled out a small pink cell phone. "As for a phone, here you go. It even matches your hair!"
"Thank you."
The nurse nodded energetically in a reply as Kurama took the phone from her. Kurama could hear her high heels clacking against the linoleum when she left the room as he flipped the phone open and dialed his house number. Riko answered after the fourth ring, her voice groggy and fatigued.
"Hello, Riko Miyamoto Photography." She said, her voice as automatic as a recording.
A smile played at Kurama's lips; his fiancée thought she was still at work. He glanced at his watch to see that it was almost time for her to indeed get up and get ready for work.
"I'd like to speak to Riko Minamino, please."
He heard her sigh deeply; in his mind he could picture her rolling over onto her side to check the clock on the bedside table then rolling back onto her back, her free arm draped over her eyes. She hated it when people mispronounced her last name – and even though she knew Kurama's last name was 'Minamino' and that it would also be hers in a matter of a few months, she was just so tired to realize it.
"I'm sorry, there's no one named Riko Minamino here." She answered. "You have the wrong number."
"But, darling, it's me!" Kurama protested before she got a chance to hang up. "It's Kurama!"
"Kurama?" Riko repeated, sounding as if she had never heard that name before. It took her a full minute to recognize his name and his voice. "Oh, Snuggles! What's going on?"
He smiled at the sound of the pet name she had given him. It was always such a comforting thing to hear.
"Still nothing new. Would you mind dropping by for a few minutes before you go to work?"
"Sure, why?"
"Well, Hiei has been passed out for a few hours and Yusuke is off watching TV with Kuwabara in his room,"
"And what is Snuggles doing?"
"Snuggles is doing absolutely nothing productive." Kurama sighed; when he was frustrated and tired, he began to talk in the third person. "Snuggles has read all the crappy back issues of "Beautiful Homes and Gardens" from 1993 and can't watch television. Snuggles has to pee like a racehorse. Snuggles needs a good novel and some human companionship for an hour or two."
"Oh, honey." Riko cooed sympathetically. "Have you eaten anything?"
"I will in a minute, I'm getting a sandwich."
"Oh, you poor thing. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"All right, I'll see you then."
"Bye-bye, Snuggles, love-love."
"Love-love."
With that, Kurama hung up the phone. He closed the phone then turned to look back at the sleeping form of his short demon friend. If Hiei had been awake, he probably would have given Kurama crap for acting cute and lovey-dovey with his fiancée over the phone in public. And if that had happened, Kurama would have retorted back with an example of Hiei doing the same thing with Shizuru and that would have shut Hiei up for a moment before he would grumble a few mean things under his breath. Kurama turned back to the entryway of the waiting room to see the petite blonde nurse standing there again, a thick pale orange blanket draped over an arm, a soda in her left hand and a sandwich in the right.
"Here you go." She smiled cheerfully, handing over the soda and sandwich to him.
"Thank you so much." He said truthfully; he had never been so happy to see a sandwich and a Diet Pepsi in his entire life.
The nurse nodded politely then went to Hiei and covered him up with the blanket. Hiei snorted and grumbled something but did not wake. Kurama mentally let out a sigh of relief then handed the nurse her phone.
"Thank you again, for your phone."
"Oh, don't mention it really." Her cheerful smile never left her face. "Do you need anything else?"
"No, that's all. Thank you."
"Oh," Her smile faded slightly in disappointment. "All right, take care then."
"You too."
Kurama watched the nurse as she left the waiting room again. He sat down and began eating his sandwich. The nurse, sometimes with other nurses in tow, would occasionally come back to check on him. He would smile politely and tell them that he was fine.
A few minutes after the nurse had left the room for the last time, Kurama heard someone behind him clear their throat and he turned to see, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest and dressed in her signature black attire, Riko.
"Flirting with other women, Kurama?" She asked jokingly. "Aren't you about to get married in a few months?"
"I wasn't flirting, my sweet chrysanthemum, I swear." Kurama stammered, suddenly becoming flustered as Riko got closer and closer to him.
"I love it when you get flustered like that, Snuggles." She said before, putting her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss.
"Oh, wow, should I leave you guys alone?" The two turned to see Yusuke in the doorway of the waiting room, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand.
"Oh, hello, Yusuke."
"I can't believe you're still here." Yusuke chuckled, walking into the room. "I thought you would have left a long time ago."
"Oh, sure. I would have left and left Hiei here all alone in the waiting room while you and Kuwabara sit in Kuwabara's hospital room, watching Robot Chicken."
"What're you trying to say about Robot Chicken?"
"Nothing, Yusuke."
"Kuwabara finally fell asleep a few minutes ago and there's nothing good on TV so I thought I'd see how you were doing out here."
"Kurama's great," Riko said, patting Kurama on the shoulder while giving Yusuke a sarcastic smile. "He's just going to have back problems for the rest of his life from sitting in these uncomfortable chairs but other than that, he's okay."
Yusuke laughed then glanced at the sleeping form of Hiei in the chair. He looked back at the sleep deprived Kurama and gave his friend a reassuring smile.
"I'll take it from here, you go home and get some sleep."
"Are you sure?" Kurama asked through a yawn he tried to hide with his hand. "I'm not tired, I can still –"
"Kurama, you're going home right now." Riko said, grabbing her fiancé by the hand. She gave Yusuke a little wave. "Thanks, Yusuke."
"No problem, seeya."
He watched the couple leave the hospital before taking a seat in a chair across from where Hiei was sleeping. He sighed then picked up a random magazine. He made a face as he flipped through it, the red pulsating glow of Hiei's Jagan eye going unnoticed.
In hospital room 186, the monitors that were hooked up to Shizuru's body beeped. Her chest rose and fell as the oxygen mask covering her face helped her breathe. A large bloodstained gauze bandage covered the left side of her forehead.
Shizuru's eyebrows furrowed suddenly and she let out a little groan, as if she were dreaming.
Shizuru stood against the tree, the wind blowing through her hair and rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She inhaled deeply, a smile slowly forming on her face as she took in the fresh clean air. Of course, she knew exactly where she was; she had been there millions of times.
She felt weightless and when she looked to look herself over, she saw that the weight she had gained from Hiei's hair-brained scheme was gone. She wore tan slacks with a matching vest over a long-sleeved white shirt and red tie; an outfit she had grown out of years before.
Sensing something familiar coming from her left, she turned and, knowing full well whom it was, smiled happily. She could see the black form in the distance, his hair dancing like a candle in the wind. He seemed to stop for a moment and Shizuru's smile faltered; suddenly she was unsure if this was her husband. The form started walking again then began jogging then suddenly broke out into a full-blown sprint. She pushed herself off from the tree and stood in the clearing for a moment before running to meet Hiei halfway. She could feel the hot happy tears forming at the corner of her eyes as she threw her arms around him and pulled him to her in a tight, loving embrace.
"Oh, Hiei!" She sobbed, kissing his face.
"You're okay, you're okay." Hiei repeated softly in disbelief, as he looked her over for cuts and bruises and broken bones. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I –" She took a step back. "I was in an accident, I was looking for the boys . . ." She slumped down to the base of a tree and sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. "Am I dead?"
"No, you're in the hospital." Hiei said calmly, sitting down in front of her and cupping her face in his hands. "We don't know much about the condition you're in, but I'm sure you're going to be all right. I'm asleep in the waiting room, I haven't left the hospital since you were admitted."
"So, I'm dreaming?"
"I think so."
"But I don't –" Shizuru stopped herself in the middle of her sentence, seeing something in the corner of her eye.
She turned her head to the direction where Hiei had come to see two little figures heading towards them. She stood up and squinted, trying to get a better look at the approaching forms. Hiei stood up slowly and stood next to her, a faint smile on his face as the husband and wife watched the figures. Shizuru, looking confused, glanced at Hiei then back at the figures. They looked like . . . children! They were - two little children holding hands as they came down the side of a grassy hill. They seemed to see Shizuru and Hiei and began waving and calling to them, but they were still too far away for Shizuru and Hiei to be able to hear them. As the two little children began to get closer, they began to grow from children to preteens to teenagers. The two teenagers started running to them, waving their arms in the air and shouting happily. As they neared, Shizuru could make out that they were a boy and a girl.
Shizuru saw something sparkle on top of the girl's head; it looked like a crown or a tiara.
"Who are they?" She whispered.
"Mom!"
The boy shouted and Shizuru gasped, feeling new tears welling up. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock.
"My babies!" She exclaimed then turned to Hiei, a tear rolling down the side of her face. "Our babies!"
"Mom!"
"Mommy!"
Shizuru had a split second to turn back to her first-born children before they tackled her in a hug.
"Mommy, are you okay?" Sumi asked, looking up at her mom.
"Yes, honey, I'm fine." Shizuru said, smoothing the curls away from her daughter's face and looking at the sparkling tiara on her head.
"Mom, I'm so sorry. It's my fault. Kuya and I were just out visiting dad and my phone was dead and –"
"Where is Kuya?"
As soon as Shizuru asked her question, the little boy's figure appeared at the top of the hill. He waved then lay down and rolled down the hill; his high-pitched laughter carried by the wind. At the bottom of the hill, the boy got up and ran the rest of the way. He jumped into the air and threw his arms around his mom's neck.
"Mama, you're okay!" He started crying. He reached out to Hiei and pulled him into the hug he shared with Shizuru. "You're both here! We can be a big happy family again!"
The little boy looked up at his parents.
"Let's go home, please? I wanna go home."
Shizuru gasped, her eyes popping open. She struggled to sit up but stopped when a sharp pain ran up her side. She looked around the sparsely decorated hospital room, taking it all in. She hated that horrible hospital smell; the smell of sickness and disinfectant. She, then, looked herself over and saw the tubes and IVs sticking in her. Her left eye squinted as the left side of her head throbbed violently. Wincing in pain, she shakily lifted a weak hand to her forehead and felt the gauze pad. With her other hand, she pulled the oxygen mask from her mouth and let it hang around her neck. Reaching over, she pressed the button on the side of her bed that called the nurse.
She waited for what seemed like twenty minutes to her before pressing the button again. She waited again for another twenty minutes before pressing it once more. She groaned in frustration and struggled to sit up without disturbing her IVs and monitors when she heard someone gasp from the doorway then rapid footsteps.
"What're you doing?" Botan asked, trying to get Shizuru back into bed. "Stop it, stop it! You're only going to make your situation worse!"
Shizuru let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back into her bed, her arms halfheartedly crossed over her chest.
"I wouldn't be trying to get out of bed by myself if the nurses had come the first time I pressed the button."
"Silly woman," Botan chuckled, fluffing her friend's pillow. "This is a hospital, there are tons of patients and a limited supply of nurses."
"You make them sound like packaged meat," Shizuru grumbled. "'We're running low on our supply of rack of nurses, try selling the nurse chops.'"
"Oh, settle down." Botan pulled up the chair to Shizuru's bed. "Are you okay? What did you need?"
"I want to go home."
"You can't leave yet."
"Why not? I'm obviously okay!"
Botan bit her lips, suddenly avoiding eye contact with Shizuru.
"What? What is it?"
Botan's eyes flitted over Shizuru's legs and hoped that her friend hadn't seen her look. Shizuru had and quickly pulled back the blankets to discover both of her legs in casts. She felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach and knocked all the air out of her. She fell back into her pillows, breathing heavily.
"Why? What . . .?" She whispered.
"You were in a car accident, your car is completely totaled." Botan said, her voice calm and soothing as she brushed the hair out of Shizuru's face. "You're lucky to be alive, you could have died."
"Will I ever . . ." Shizuru swallowed the hard lump growing in her throat. "Walk again?"
"Of course, you're just going to need some physical therapy."
Shizuru grabbed a hold of the collar of Botan's uniform and pulled her friend's face close to her.
"Bring me my husband."