A/N: Late in the day it might be, but it's still the day I said it would come out!

Upload Date: 5/5/12

Next Upload Date: 5/12/12

Chiryo

Chapter 38

"We're here!" Botan announced as she threw open the door with one hand. In the other one, which was also outstretched, she held a grocery bag bulging with snacks and drinks. "And we're ready to celebrate your first – Oh no!" Botan dropped the bag and rushed over to the couch, kneeling by it and its inhabitant. "What did you guys do to Riko?"

"We didn't do anything, Botan. She's just asleep," Yusuke snapped as he walked over and rummaged through the bag on the floor. "Oh, yes! You got more senbei crackers." He grabbed a handful and plopped onto the end of the wraparound couch without Riko. "Oh man," He mumbled around the crunching and wrapper crackling. "These are so good."

Keiko frowned as she walked in and carefully placed her load on the coffee table. "Yusuke. Try to be a little more polite."

Around another bite, Yusuke said, "Hey, I just spent an hour watching Riko, Hiei, and Kuwabara beat up demons while I steadily got hotter and hotter in that little glass bubble, and I still haven't been able to throw off any of that stress." He emphasized the last word with another ginormous bite.

"Yukina!" As soon as the ice demoness walked in, Kuwabara sprang up immediately from the floor, where he'd been sitting near Riko's head. "Hi! How are you? Did you see me fight? Wasn't I cool? Ow –" Kuwabara winced as his arm jarred against the coffee table. With Riko still out, all he'd been able to do was to create a sling around it.

Concerned, Yukina took his arm. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?" She turned and rummaged in her own bag, pulling out some bottles with herbs in them. "Here, I'll make you some pain relief tea."

"Ah – I'll come with you," Kuwabara said hurriedly, flowing Yukina as she walked to the kitchenette.

Shizuru, who had followed Yukina in, suddenly shivered slightly and looked around. "I think I'll go with them," She announced, before striding after her brother. Something very bad is about to happen in that room, She thought.

"…Hiei," Kurama said, his voice mildly resigned. "Please try not to set fire to the place. I don't think that the administrators are going to cover that and I would rather not explain to Koenma why he's getting a bill for a burnt hotel room."

Next to the window, Hiei released his tight grip on the windowsill, which had, for a few moments, been so powerful that it had caused the aching pain in his right hand to disappear.

"And Botan," Kurama added after a moment's assurance that Hiei wasn't going to explode at the sight of his precious sister walking off with someone he highly disapproved of. "I don't believe that shaking Riko will wake her up."

"Eh?" Botan paused in her motion, looking at the dangling Riko she was holding by the shoulders and then back at Kurama. "But –"

Swallowing, Yusuke waved a cracker around and snapped, "Just let her go, Botan. She's not going to wake up right now."

A bit worriedly, Keiko perched on the couch next to Yusuke and peered at Riko. "What's wrong with her? Is she alright?"

Shaking his head, Yusuke crunched, "She just pushed herself too far, the idiot. I don't think there's anything actually wrong with her." He peered at Kurama. "Is there? 'Cause I'm pretty damn sure that she was not in pain when she was still awake."

Like Yusuke, Kurama shook his head. "It's unlikely. Based on what I've seen, Riko's healing powers act involuntarily on herself, which means that in times of dire wounds, as a protection mechanism, her body will just shut down for recuperation and self-healing." He gestured at the sleeping Riko, who had flopped lightly onto the couch once Botan had let her go. "Such as now." He checked his watch. "Still, she shouldn't be sleeping for too much longer."

As if on cue, Riko twitched and rolled over. Unfortunately for her, she rolled towards the side where the couch ended. Luckily though, Botan was kneeling next to the spot where her head had lain, so, although the rest of her body got quite a jolt, Riko's head received a relatively soft landing. Unluckily, the place where it landed belonged to a very jumpy girl.

"Ah! Riko!" Botan yelped, jerking up. As she did so, Riko's head bounced up and then rolled onto the ground, facedown.

There was a pause and then, "Ow."

Another moment passed as Botan started fussing and then Riko managed to get one arm under herself and push herself to a slightly upright position. Very slowly, she turned her head and looked around. "Where am I? What's going on? What happened to the match?" And then, suddenly, as if her own words had sparked a light in her mind, she sat bolt upright, almost knocking over the table. "Hiei! Where is he? Where –"

Riko fell silent as Kurama nodded towards the window, where, surprisingly, Hiei still sat, one arm in his pocket, the other one resting casually on his knee. He looked at Riko and then grunted and looked back out the window.

I couldn't heal him. I couldn't even make a dent. I couldn't -

Struggling, Riko got to her feet and then plopped onto the couch, stomach first, arms dangling over the back. "Come here," She ordered, body weak, but voice still strong.

"Riko," Kurama began, a worried look crossing his face. "Maybe you shouldn't…"

"Yeah, Riko," Yusuke said as he offered the girl a cracker and scooted over so that Keiko would have more room. "Remember the 'I don't faint'?"

After directing a light scowl at Yusuke, Riko shook her head. "I can do this –"

"Oh yeah!" Yusuke interrupted. "I've heard that one before." He waved his hands dramatically in the air to add emphasis. "'I'm fine. I don't faint. Neh!' Hey!" Yusuke ducked as an embroidered pillow came flying his way. "Those pillows are probably very expensive!"

Grabbing another one, Riko hugged it to herself. "Yeah, they probably are." She sighed. "I'm fine. It's been – what?" She looked around. "A couple hours?"

"Barely an hour," Kurama replied. "Would you like something to drink? I believe Yukina and Kuwabara are making some pain relieving tea."

"No, I'm fine." But she was now frowning slightly. Barely an hour… She sighed mentally. That probably means that I haven't finished recovering yet. But still. Riko looked up at Hiei, who was still determinedly looking outside. I bet that my thing from before will have worn off. "Hiei, come here." She paused. "Or you know, Kurama, you could carry me over."

For a moment, Kurama considered further talk to try to dissuade her from the task. After all, she had just gotten up from a very deep sleep by falling onto the floor after having been in what looked to be a very draining fight. And she wasn't even a fighter, so it had probably taken even more out of her than it would have taken one of us. The thought seriously drifted in Kurama's mind for a moment, but then he remembered the fainting incident. It was unlikely Riko would listen.

Turning, Kurama looked at Hiei. "Hiei," He said, voice very patient. I know what you're thinking. Go to her.

"It's useless," Hiei said coldly. "I do not need a healer."

…Okay, let's see. How do I get a prideful demon to let me heal him? Riko wondered. Well, last time I threw an orange at him, but somehow I don't think it'll work quite as well this time…

As she pondered the problem, Keiko leaned over to Yusuke and whispered, "What's going on?"

"Well," Yusuke began. "You see, you know how during Hiei's fight, he…"

His voice gradually faded to Riko's ears as she focused on the problem at hand: how to deal with Hiei. There were numerous ways that this could go from her using force – very unlikely given both her weakened state and the fact that Hiei was a fighter and she was far from one – using diplomacy – also unlikely, given past results – or…

What else could I do? Riko wondered. Pride comes from having a reputation. And having a reputation comes from what others think of you, so…

Riko cleared her throat. All heads – except of course, for Hiei's – turned to look at her. "Keiko?" The school girl blinked in surprise. "Would you mind helping Yukina and Kuwabara with the tea?" She paused. "And take Botan with you, please." She paused again. "And don't come back in until you either hear me collapse or I call you."

"Uh…" Keiko said as she got up. "Sure. Come on, Botan."

As the two walked towards the kitchenette-dining area, which was separated from the living room by a slim door, Riko looked at Yusuke and Kurama. "You, too. Go have some tea or something."

The two looked at each other. "Do you think they'll kill each other?" Yusuke asked.

Without the slightest hint of a smile, Kurama replied, "Possibly, but unfortunately, I believe there's a greater risk that Riko will kill us if we continue to stand here talking about them like they aren't in the same room listening to us."

Yusuke looked at Riko, who gave him a very dry look, and then Hiei. "Okay, let's run." He got up, tossed an extra cracker to Riko and then scurried out with Kurama, the door closing behind them with the smallest click.

After a complete silence broken only by Riko's crunching, Riko tossed the wrapper over her shoulder onto the coffee table and dusted the crumbs from her fingers. They landed on the carpet, somewhere, Riko noted, that they were very unlikely to appear from again. Oh well, She thought, dismissively. I'll take care of the cleaning later. She looked at Hiei.

He hadn't moved from his position at the window, and was still sitting there, one knee bent up, his left arm resting on it, the other leg stretched out, and his right hand in his pocket, completely hidden up to the elbow. His head had turned to face the outside again, and there was no hint that he was going to turn back anytime soon.

Still, Riko thought. Just the fact that he's still here means that he has to be in a lot of pain, or he would have never stayed this long. She looked at her legs. It was much more laziness than anything else, but she still really didn't feel like walking. I wonder if I could just shoot my power into him. Turning her head, she judged the distance between her and the window. …No. I don't think so.

"So." Riko folded her arms over the back of the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I can either crawl over to you, because I don't feel like walking, or you can come here." She paused and then added, "As a side note, pain and injuries are a sign of weakness, so if you want to be seen as weak, you should stay where you are. If not, then you should let me heal you and then you can become your normal, tough, strong self."

"I don't need a healing. Pain and injuries are only weaknesses if you let them affect you. They mean nothing to –"

With a sigh and a slight movement, Riko tilted half her body over the couch, leaning precariously over the edge. Hiei's eyes flickered to her, and the slightest frown crossed his face. His eyes widened as Riko pushed herself just a little further and tumbled over the edge. She landed with a loud thump on the floor, and all conversation in the other room suddenly paused.

"I'm fine!" Riko yelled. "I did not collapse."

"Then what's with the thump?" Yusuke yelled back.

"I don't like walking!"

"…Keiko, I want more tea."

Riko waited until the conversation restarted before turning her attention back to Hiei, although she kept her eyes lowered so as to seem unthreatening. She laced her hands under her chin and examined the fine carpet thread. There was a very long silence, and finally, Riko sighed. "I can't do this," She muttered as she forced herself into a sitting position and crossed her legs. Tilting her head up, she caught Hiei's gaze. "My back hurts. And I don't feel like rolling or crawling any closer. So –" Breaking off, Riko raised her eyebrows and stared.

After a moment of long silence, Hiei disappeared from the windowsill and appeared in front of Riko, his right arm extended.

It seemed like the darkness had spread and become deeper. There was something almost petrifying about the black fire, as if it was still alive, still trying to eat away at Hiei's arm.

For a moment, Riko could only stare. It was strange, the feeling that the wound conjured in her heart, something much darker than disgust or dislike, something almost like –

Fear? Riko's eyes widened, and then, forcefully, she closed her eyes, reaching out blindly to grab Hiei's arm with both hands.

Purple sparks trickled from her palms, and clung to the black sparks –

Riko flinched back, eyes flying open, as the blackness attacked her, sending a spark of pain straight into her mind. What the fudging crap – Grinding her teeth, Riko closed her eyes again and bore down on the darkness. She could see where it was slowly eating away at Hiei's nerves, keeping him both from utilizing the arm properly and dipping him in a large pool of pain.

Once again, Riko first coated Hiei's nerves to prevent the pain from harming Hiei. Then, she glared at the black sparks again. After a few deep breaths, she sent another pulse of purple into Hiei's arm, attacking the darkness with a vicious air that gradually ate them all up.

Yes. Riko leaned back, sweating slightly from the exertion. Her vision blurred briefly and then slowly returned. Yes, that's –

Her eyes widened. Damn. I missed one. Riko sent one purple spark after the black one, and after a brief contest, the purple one swallowed the black and –

Another one?

Sweat rolled down the side of Riko's neck as black sparks began to reappear, one by one, sparsely at first, but gradually, as her power slowed down, growing thicker and thicker. They began to attack the purple coatings over Hiei's nerves. Hurriedly, Riko reinforced the painkillers. It would last for at least a few hours, while she dealt with the main issue.

Purple sparks flew around Hiei's arm until finally, dizzy and half-blind, Riko realized something that she had been completely sure was impossible.

I can't do it, She thought, the world spinning around her.

I can't heal him.

End of Chapter 38

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