Here's the next chapter as promised! xD I might update in another two weeks, it depends xD
I'll skip over my rambles and go straight to the thank yous xD
Thanks again to my beta-reader: phoenixfirekitsune (Hehe, I suppose but your still awesome:glomps: xD) and my reviewers: kahuffstix(Yeps, he sure is all though his problems are far from over xD), Alexisminamino(hehe again, for now xD), Inu.Roxs(hehe, all will be resolved soon enough! hehe some more fluff in this chapter xD), Rasha12(lol thanks... and should I wait a year to update?... that will definitly give me time to finish it... lmao j.kxD), ShadeSpirit(hehe thanks and as for the fool part well... Why does she call Yusuke dimwit other than a term of an odd friendship? hehe), Maki Totakiyami(Wow, thanks so much for reviewing each chapter:hugs: I'm really happy you like it. Here's the next chapter, enjoy xD),and Kitara Jaganshi(lol Here you go xD)
Also, on my page there's a drawing I did of Hiei and Kurama... it's kind of lime and badly drawn... hehe well. that's it thanks!
Chapter 21: Continuing To Protect
He crept alongside his sitting teacher to watch the two boys battle against each other; Kuwabara with his kendo sword and Yusuke with a water gun
"That's two points for Dimwit!" Genkai called before paying mind to the redhead, "So?"
"He's resting... No, I wasn't able to pry anything from him–Must I do this?"
Nothing needed to be said because her eyes said everything, "Another two points to Dimwit–Kuwabara get some points in damn it!"
"I'm trying!" he shouted just missing a squirt of water, "But he has a long distance weapon!"
"You hear this, fool, I'm trying but he has a long distance weapon," she mocked, "You've never had a problem with that."
"My weapon is different then his also–"
"You've used the sword before, don't use that excuse. Dimwit, another two points–Four more points and you lose Kuwabara!"
It wasn't long before the match ended and the two were up to a different type of training while Kurama was sent back inside to tend to the his chores.
"What are you doing now?"
He didn't bother to turn around as he scrubbed the floor more, "It's quite obvious what I'm doing."
"I mean why?" Hiei asked from the doorway.
"If I am to live here for a bit than I have to work for it. It wouldn't be right if I were to just move in, eat her food, and sleep in her bed without paying somehow."
"Whatever..."
The boy sat up with a sigh and tossed his hair over his shoulder, "Would you like some lunch? It's about noon now..."
"I don't care...but it needs to be bland, can't eat much else."
"Alright, I'll make some salad, Kuwabara and Yusuke probably won't like it but it regenerates energy especially with some of Genkai's garden herbs."
"I don't eat damn salads..." he grumpily mumbled to himself.
Shuichi turned to gaze at him, bringing a soft hand up to wipe away some sweat beads, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said."
Red eyes blinked blankly before turning their attention somewhere else, "Nothing."
He pushed his sleeves further up his arms and went back to scrubbing at the wooden floor, "If you'll give me half an hour to finish this I'll get to making lunch, alright? In the meantime you can go outside and watch the others train..."
Hiei expressed his indifference and just stayed where he leaned, intent on looking out the window.
Again his friend paused in mid-scrub, "Is there something else you would care for?"
"No," was the response before Hiei slide down to sit in the doorway, "Just don't like the cold."
Kurama chuckled and shook his head in amusement, "I can only wish to be anything less than sweating right now."
Hiei quirked an eyebrow and looked down to his friend, "From doing this one room?"
His green eyes laughed as he held his own chuckles in, "No, I've scrubbed the hallway and three other rooms to the right"
"Mhm..."
Some time later the scrubber was tossed back into the bucket, the splash sprinkling the now sun-sparkling floor. With a now relieved sigh and smile the boy stretched and looked over his shoulder at his friend who seemed to have dozed off.
His smile widened as he strode over and pat the surprisingly soft hair, "Hiei, I'm done. Ready for lunch?"
He got a grumble while his hand was smacked away, "Don't touch me with you dirty hands, baka."
The boy frowned, his smile quickly dashed away by his friend's moodiness, "I'm sorry. Would you prefer me to wear gloves and tell you to bend over so I could check your temperature?"
"What did you just say?" Hiei's eyes went wide, not quite taking in or believing what Kurama had said.
He smirked and walked past him, "Well, that certainly got rid of your grumpiness, ne?"
A small chuckle later he had the shorter teen running after him growling out curses.
"Calm down Hiei, it was a joke! Be mindful of your injuries!"
The boy's red hair streamed behind him as he ran from the other who was quite fast despite being recently released from the hospital and missing part of his liver.
"Why don't you stop so I can beat the shit out of you then?" he yelled back, still on the other's tail and ignoring the throb of pain he experienced every now and then.
A soft lip was worried between teeth as it's owner did as advised. Only instead of surrendering he waited for his opponent to get close enough for him to catch...At least that was the plan before the dark haired went to stop but his inertia was too much for the recently cleaned floors, sending him crashing straight into the redhead.
Green eyes could only watch as it played out in front of him; Hiei trying to resist the force and keep balance by sending his arms out, him then losing balance and beginning to fall forward and then–He got a strike, knocking Kurama right into the wall behind him.
They both released a few well earned pained-filled groans after all motion stopped. Shuichi leaning forward in exhaustion and Hiei doing the same. It was only then realized how close they were to each other; both of their pants of warm air hitting the other's neck.
The taller one was the first to move, trying to untangle them but being stopped by another pain-laced groan, "Are you alright Hiei? Did I hurt you–"
"Don't move..." was all that was panted out as he laid his head on the other's shoulder, "Just give me a damn moment for the pain to go down...then I'll move."
His face heated up with embarrassment as he absently nodded his head. Unaware of his own body's movement, his hand came up to rub Hiei's back soothingly, leaving the other to sigh into his neck as some tension left.
"Feel better now?" came his soft whisper as his hand stilled.
Hiei fought not to stiffen in the embrace as he came back to his right frame of mind. He just nodded and carefully lifted himself off of his friend.
"Shadow, wait."
He turned his head back to the other only to find Rosey holding out his shirt that held a stain.
"It looks like your stitches opened up..." the teen pointed out and turned on his heel, "Follow me, let's see what we can do..."
Reluctantly the dark clad boy followed his friend.
"Sit," came the next order as so he sat on the directed table.
"She has a medical room?..."
Skilled hands opened cabinets, retrieving the needed material before turning back to his patient, "I'm going to need you to lay down and lift your shirt."
"Who the hell made you the doctor?"
A smug smirk glowed on his face as he pointed his hand to the far wall and red eyes followed finding some type of certificate, "Certified junior nurse. Not quit the best training mind you but Genkai has taught me more than they could after their three month summer program. That was about...four years ago, if I must guess. Now I can probably be ranked between a nurse and a doctor."
"Isn't a nurse a woman's job? Aren't only fags nurses?" he teased as he laid down and pulled up his shirt.
"You know, you're a real asshole," Shuichi stated as he purposely applied more pressure than needed on his dabbing cotton ball, "I only did this to help my mother just incase something happened."
He tossed the now blood soaked wad into the trash and looked over the wound, "I'm surprised they let you out when it was still inflamed. They also did a half-assed job on the stitching..."
"Shut up, just clean it and be done," he hissed out, still pissed about the extra pain his friend caused.
Another more painful sting alarmed Hiei and he jerked away from it, "Calm down, it's just hydrogen peroxide–"
"Yo Kurama! Where are ya? Kuwabara here has an owie he needs you to fix!" Yusuke laughed from the hallway.
"One moment Hiei," he chuckled lightly and popped his head out of the doorway, "I'm in here, bring him in."
A moment later a huffing orange headed teen came in, "I'm not hurt! The almighty Kuwabara is never–"
"Yes, yes, of course Kazuma. Just wait a moment and I'll get to you," he returned to his healing duties and patched Hiei back up, "There you go Hiei, good as new."
"Alright Kazuma, you're next," the taller teen walked over and plopped on the medical table, "So what seems to be the problem?"
"That fuckin' asshole Urameshi is the problem! We had ta climb up that...uh waterfall and the baka tripped me and–"
"Okay, I see, so your back, correct?" he tapped there lightly and received a loud exclamation of pain, "Lay down on your stomach."
"How did ya–"
"Call it a lucky guess," he smiled and wrapped the boy's back.
"So Hiei, how have ya been?"
"Hn. Have any recent encounters?"
"What's with you and fighting? Can't ya just..." Yusuke trailed off as the fire set aflame in Hiei's eyes directed their torches to him. He frowned and kicked at the floor, "Shuichi told me you got that message...Sorry man, it's just–"
"If I wanted you dead, you would be, as for Rosey, I can't kill him...His mother would miss him too much," he smirked, a dark shadow casting itself over his eyes.
"Baka, knock it off. If you can't tell the dimwit's mind is already overtaxed; he can't tell if you're being serious or not," came a raspy voice that held hints of humor.
"I suppose a thought would send him into overdrive," he snorted and turned to walk out the temple door.
"Where do you think you're going boy?"
Hiei shrugged and leaned against the door's frame, "Hn,"
He made to move again but when his gaze looked up, they met with those of green, "Everyone hungry for lunch?"
"Yeah! What's on the menu today?" Yusuke grinned and took the shorter teen next to him by the shoulders, guiding him into the dining room.
"Nothing big. Just some salad and perhaps some rice balls on the side..."
After much complaints about the salad, lunch was made and eaten.
"Alright dimwits, back outside–" Genkai announced to only be rudely cut off by Yusuke.
"Look outside! It's snowing guys!"
Shuichi turned to gaze out the window as well as everyone else, "That's quite bizarre...It didn't even feel that chilly out, plus it's only the beginning of November..."
"The small stream did look about ready to freeze over–I'm glad Urameshi didn't push me into the waterfall..." Kuzuma shivered as if playing it over in his head.
"Better get moving you three, don't want to get caught in this storm," the woman warned, her old eyes gazing over them.
"You're nuts! You expect us to–" Yusuke exclaimed and in mid-complaint was elbowed in the gut.
"Leave, unless you'd rather be walking in snow when it starts to stick," Hiei growled before shoving open the door to the outside.
"Wait! Hiei, do you have any jacket?" called a concerned redhead who only just looked away from the specks of white.
The black figure kept walking, soon blocked from view as the snow flakes fell faster.
Seeing the hesitation in her student, Genkai barked out an order,"Fool, don't let your friend become a popsicle, fetch him a blanket or something."
The boy didn't need to be told twice,"Yes, Genkai-sensei."
The white puffs of snow descended gracefully, causing no sound as they landed. The crunch of them beneath feet, on the other hand, caused the solitary feeling to be left behind as the feet kept up their motion.
A calloused hand crept into a dark jean pocket, pulling out a small device which soon was held to the ear as it rang, "At the entrance?"
"Yes. I did see it start to snow and knew you'd need a ride," came the snide reply.
"Hn. Let me stay in your hotel room and I'll fill you in on what Koenma failed to mention to you..." he grumbled as a shiver racked his system.
A laugh made it over the line, "Cold kid?"
Hiei scowled and flipped the phone shut, having had enough of her already.
Suddenly warmth enveloped him in the form of a small fleece blanket, causing him to spin around, though he already had a feeling he knew who it was, "Rosey."
The boy smiled brightly down at him. His red hair sprinkled with droplets and cheeks burning from the wind that was starting to pick up, "You should have allowed me to give you this before you left..." he then frowned and stuffed his hands inside his jacket, "It would be terrible if you were to catch a cold along with having to deal with healing..."
"Thank you...uh, I suppose I should tell you I gave your cell to your mom."
His frown stayed in place, "How will I get in touch with you then?"
The passive face of his friend turned towards his destination, "783-6505, don't give the bakas my number or I'll make sure to change it."
"783-6505...Got it, thanks," he paused for a moment, "Hiei, be careful alright?...And don't forget to visit. Oh, and call your–"
"Yes, mother," he scoffed, a small smirk playing on his lips, "I'll call her and you tonight, is that alright?"
Kurama laughed lightly with his friend, "Okay."
Hiei again went to walk away but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, "Yes, was there something else?"
"I nearly forgot to give you some herbal paste–for your stitches..." the redhead fiddled with his jacket before pulling out a large tube, "Put it on in the morning and at night; rub it in lightly and after an hour and a half wash it off."
With a nod the boy took it and drifted into the slowly forming hills of snow.
"Did you catch up with your friend?"
"Yes..." Shuichi shivered out as he removed his coat and placed it on a hanger to dry.
"Here, warm up a bit," Genkai held out a cup of tea for him that he gladly accepted.
Hiei's frozen hands opened the sleek black car door. Right away he was hit by a welcomed blast of heat. Once seated, he strapped himself in and turned towards the redheaded girl.
"So, Hiei, who's the cute redhead you were chatting with?"
"Red hair..." he scanned around the car before getting his answer, "Why the hell do you always have to spy on me with your binoculars?"
Mukuro shrugged and switched her car into drive, "So who was she? She supported quite a blush, so is she your new girlfriend or something?"
Hiei growled, "Baka! First off; he–it's a he–"
"Ahh...So a new boyfriend. Damn, thought you would have learned by now–"
"Shut up and let me finish asshole," he growled before continuing, "He's an old friend from years back and part of Koenma's group."
"About that, I think you should discontinue your services with him–"
"What? But didn't you force me to join them?" he asked in his usual passive tone.
"No, who told you that? I said that it was your choice to join–By the way, why haven't you called me since the move?" she hissed out and glared at him from the corner of her eyes.
"The bastard said it was an order from you..." Hiei mumbled out before sighing, "First off, you had my cell phone–it belongs to the gang and secondly–"
"You left it at base and you are still part of Torture Reborn," she stated, once again cutting him off.
He scowled and looked out the window, "As I was saying, secondly I've had no access to a phone other than Shuichi's...Tian and Ping are like hawks. They made sure I couldn't gain access to their phones."
"So why did you leave the cell at headquarters then? And who's this Shuichi? Was he that redhead?"
"It was for Yukina's safety...The Dragons are still after my head for leaving them and you know they've got my number as well as the ability to track its whereabouts," he huffed and pulled the slightly damp blanket tighter around himself.
The girl smirked as much as her half scarred face would allow, "Technically, you joined them only to get information for us. So it's their stupidity of not doing background checks on their members."
"Well, at least I got a nice tattoo out of the deal..." he murmured to himself as the car pulled to a stop.
"Well, here we are, one of the many Khaki Palaces–Now under my control. You see, my father died a week after you left so naturally I inherited his property," she handed her keys to a man that had run out to assist her as she explained.
Hiei blinked widely as he followed her through the doors and to the elevator.
"So we shall be staying in the penthouse. I'll get some people to get you more clothes. If I had known it was going to snow I would have also given you a jacket."
He nodded, still a little stunned about what had happened, "So why did he croak?"
"A heart attack. He was always stressed since mom died last year; said having to take care of a kid and the hotels was too much," she snorted and stepped out of the elevator when it dinged, "He never took care of me so I can safely say all that stress was in his head."
The boy shrugged and followed, "So...Anything else I missed?"
She looked over her shoulder at him, a huge grin forming, "Why, you're quite the talkative one now. Most of the time it was either a grunt or just a nod, if anything at all."
He gave her an irritated look and shoved past her once the door was opened, "And you're still as annoying as ever. Now did anything new happen?"
His red eyes scanned the large dwelling slowly before turning towards her, expecting an answer.
With the closing of the door came silence from both candidates; Mukuro staring at the short black haired teen fondly and Hiei tapping his foot impatiently.
"Are you done staring!" the boy finally growled out.
Her contorted grin spread on her face as she leaned back on her left heel, "My, I believe you've grown a bit, kid. You also don't seem as arrogant as you once were. What changed?" she paused a moment, her grin becoming wider if possible, "Wait, it was that Shuichi character you mentioned before, right?"
Heat rose to his cheeks, "Shut up, baka! Don't speak; you're only spreading your stupidity."
Her dark chuckle lingered for a moment as she went further into the dwelling, "So that's what happened. You started speaking so much that your arrogance just spread out to those around you."
Hiei growled out a warning while his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.
"Alright, baka, I'm sorry that you're so touchy about your feelings for your new boyfriend," she chuckled and spun on her foot to catch his fist that was aimed for her head.
"What a back stabber you've become. Where's that old honor, hmm?"
His fist jerked and pulled for freedom as his eyes grew more narrow, "Back in China where you left it! You know, after you fucking cleared me of all gang standings; of my co-leadership! How can you act so chummy with someone you–"
When he went to pull again she let go, sending him off balance. Right away a smirk lit up his face as he quickly used his hands as a tool of balance and his feet as his weapons. A swift, unavoidable kick was sent to her face and immediately she slammed against the wall.
Slowly the boy stood, making sure her eyes were looking into his own, "You knew I was better...That I was a threat to your own standings. But did you ever stop to consider that if I wanted to lead the Torture Reborn, I would have... For it was you who helped me, so I helped you remain in power..."
Hiei huffed and did all he could to insure his wound's pain did not show, "I've done plenty of things that I can safely say weren't the wisest...But, that's in the past now, this gang of your's is too. I have a chance to make amens and actually live...I don't have to struggle to stay off the streets now..."
Mukuro smiled softly, something uncharacteristic to her person, "I could tell from the moment I saw you again that you've moved on, Hiei. Don't expect your past to understand that though. It will come back and it will Hunt. You. Down. Also, you're misinformed about me lowering your rank. I just needed you to step to the side for a bit while I prepared your new position."
His jaw tightened, refusing to inquire about such things; he felt it wasn't any of his business now that he thought himself to be out of the gang.
The redhead stood, not in the least affected by what had previously occurred, "The moment I heard you were going to move I arranged for a few lower ranking members to recruit some willing people in Japan. They followed their orders and with my help came here to train those said teens...So Hiei, are you up from the challenge? Are you going to bring about the Torture Reborn's new age in Japan?"
Through the little speech the boy had stiffened and his hands fell to his side to clench, "I can't. I've promised my sister–"
She laughed and walked into a rather large den area, "Hiei my boy, you can promise her the riches of the world and she won't be happy. It's not the fact that you're apart of us that frightens her, it's the fact that you may get hurt, perhaps even die. But it's too late to back out. Almost every cop and every gang knows your name–You must continue if you are to protect her."
Her good eye cast over her shoulder but still saw the defiance in him, "You must keep her from the Koorimes if you wish her to live a safe and successful life."
Immediately he spoke, "Who told you? No one knew!–"
"Sit," she commanded, her hand tapping the seat beside her, "It would be for the best if you weren't standing. I know you'll be in shock."
A chill crept up his spine, a forlorn feeling flooding through his system as he followed orders, "Who?"
"Understand that it was told so you wouldn't do anything drastic, okay?"
His head lowered, his long spikes drooping slightly forward from the action, "Don't say any more...Do you have an extra room or will I be sleeping on the couch?"
Mukuro's ever present smirk returned, "Why, of course...Right through the second door on the left."
With some effort on his part, Mukuro had noticed, Hiei pushed open said door and slammed it shut behind him. It was only after he grabbed at his stitches and turned that he noticed someone else was here with him, staring at him with concern and sorrow.
The boy breathed out in utter disbelief, "Yukina..."
"Genkai-sensei, is there anything I can do for you before turning in for the night?"
The woman's eyes flickered along with the fireplace's flames, hiding or perhaps just distracting the boy from reading them, "A week from now I expect you to have solved your friend's problem, fool."
Shuichi nearly chocked, "You must be jesting! I cannot–"
"Well figure it out! You had the perfect opportunity to work it out today...She'll be here for awhile seeing as the storm has made the roads less than bearable. Good night."
Before leaving, he whispered his own farewell for the night.
"Stupid boy...If that friend of his had been his foe he would have found out all that was needed already," she huffed and rubbed at her temples, "I'm getting too old for this...To think I usedto believe he could have been a spy if need be..."
An airy sigh departed the redhead's lips, fogging up his window's pane as he watched the snow continue to fall. His reflection, though transparent, showed his sadness or perhaps disappointment in something.
Long, soft fingers touched the chilled glass but relaxed to allow the palm to recline against the same slick glass, "Who's side am I on?...Yusuke's? Hiei's? Mukuro's?..."
He smiled ruefully and his forehead soon joined the hand on leaning against his room's window, "It started off with Yusuke...but then a month before summer ended some member of Mukuro's group recruited my help–I refused then too but...made a deal. If ever they were in dire need they could ask for my help..."
Kurama pulled back from the window all together, "Only because Mukuro offered to pay me for my services...How did she ever find out about me?" His green gaze turned to his bed then to his bag in the corner, "God...Hiei once said something to the effect that he could see through all my lies, can he possibly see this? Can anyone?"
A hand on reflex lifted out his cell, displaying the time, "I guess...it's for the best he didn't call me tonight...I dread feigning my innocence with him...I feel like he sees right through me...To think...this all started because of my father's dealings...and of course me finding out about it."
He settled the device on the night stand, plugging it into the charger before shifting through the drawer for his journal and a pen.
"I wonder if I actually wrote down the truth if it would be believed?"
A quick scan to the previous entries made him shrug, "My story wasn't going too great anyway...quite boring and lacking any form of plot other than that of 'training to become a world class doctor'."
Shuichi flipped to a blank page, dated it and began anew, "Now...how old was...Ah yes, I was a child of ten when I discovered my father's little secret..."
Hehe, here are the teasers, have fun! xD
"Never, where I go, you will. We'll stay here, together. We'll fight them in court, Yukina. I-I'll testify that they forced me to make the gems when I was younger."
"I'm a fool for getting you involved Yukina... I'm sorry you got stuck with me as your brother..."
"I would like to take you up on that offer one of your members gave me, I'm Kurama by the way."
by the way, I am aware that in Japan the seasons are basically opposite of our own but I didn't realize my mistake until too late and the weather conditions play a part in the story so I couldn't very well change it, sorry xD