Kurama leaned against Nanashi's bookshelf stiffly, looking down at her bed. Nanashi lay down on the bed, sweating, breathing heavily, moaning intermittently, and yet unconscious. Her wind serpent would flash up on her shoulders on and off a few times an hour for a span of a few seconds.
From what Yusuke had told him, she fell ill after being exposed to close to the tunnel in Mushiyori City. She was going through a second spiritual awakening based on the nausea and headache symptoms she had been quietly dealing with the past two days. Yet a second awaken should have been impossible. When she was attacked by the Doctor's virus, it must have weakened her, making it all the more difficult for her to push through the awakening. By the time Yusuke got her back home, the wind serpent had tried to attack him twice, even though she was unconscious. Another seemingly impossibility. Kurama had come over to try to help, but nothing he gave her was working.
"Dude, isn't there something else we can give her?" Yusuke asked, sitting in Nanashi's desk chair by her bed.
Genkai stood near him, shaking her head. "If the herbs Kurama gave her don't work, not else will. Some humans can take up to a week to finish awakening or..." she went quiet.
Nanashi's Aunt Astuko sat on the bed next to her, holding her hand. The faint smell of cheap cigarettes rolled off of her. "A week? She's feverish and in pain. You can't expect her to suffer that long without trying something else."
"Mom," Yusuke jumped up, pulling Astuko away from the bed.
The wind serpent appeared around Nanashi's neck, its length three times what it had been the last Kurama had seen it. From what Kurama could tell though, Nanashi was still unconscious. It tried to lunge at Yusuke, who pulled his mother back behind him when he backed away. The wind serpent looked desperately around the room before conjuring itself away.
"Can you send her to the Spirit World, like when she got the flu?" Astuko asked.
Kurama shook his head. "They were able to treat her because they know about such humans diseases and because Prince Koenma called in a few favors to get her aid. She absolutely could not be allowed to die then."
"Besides," Genkai added in, "there isn't any cure or preventative to stop an awakening once in process. Symptoms can be eased, but the human being put through the process either has to accept it or reject it. Two of the other humans awakened by the tunnel that came to me died from it."
Astuko whimpered, leaning against Yusuke. "I can't call off work tonight. One slip up and I could be done in," she grumbled. "I'm still stuck on night shift. Even if the world is ending."
"It's alright, Mom. Go," Yusuke said soothingly. "She'll survive it. She already did apparently."
"If she survives the night, she'll be more likely survive the process," Genkai observed.
Astuko looked at her phone, checking the time. "I have to go," she grumbled. She went back over to Nanashi, cautiously at first, then in a rush. She kissed her niece's forehead motherly before hugging her as best she could on the bed. She rose up then. "You call me if anything changes with her, anything at all," she demanded, poking Yusuke in the chest.
"Of course," he promised. "Besides, she already survived this the first time, why should the impossible second time be anything different?" he asked. "If she dies before the world ends, I will kick her ass for the rest of the afterlife."
Astuko left, with minutes after minutes ticking by with no change in Nanashi's condition, for better nor for worse. Genkai went to bed first, using Astuko's bed since she was gone to work the night shift.
Yusuke sat in the desk chair, watching over Nanashi intently, as if trying to will her to wake up. Kurama had seen such a stubborn looked etched on Nanashi's face before during training. It did not take much longer though for his head to start to nod involuntarily.
Kurama felt pity for him. "Go get some sleep, Yusuke," he offered. "I'll watch her."
Yusuke shook his head at first. "I can't," he said. "If something changes, I need to text my mom."
"We'll take shifts," Kurama compromised. "When I am far too tired to stay awake, we can switch."
Yusuke looked up at him, a worn look in his eyes, as if the weight of the world laid upon his shoulders. "Can you give her something else, just for the pain? She's miserable."
"If I do, will you let me take the first shift?" Kurama replied.
Yusuke rattled his head, blinking heavily. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly.
It did not take long for the cup of hot water to be boiled and then mixed with painkilling herbs. Yusuke sat Nanashi up against him on the bed, helping to ease the drink in her mouth. The drink was almost finished when the wind serpent appeared again, lashing out at him, fangs bared.
Yusuke rolled off the bed and away from her and it in a rush. It still had him by the forearm, fang sunk in. It made a disgusting sucking sound. Yusuke swore, yanking his arm down and away from it. It stayed up, half hissing, half roaring at him. Yusuke still had the cup in his hand, spilling the remaining contents down his shirt. He threw the cup down to the ground in frustration. When it shattered, the silence that came before it did as well.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" he shouted down at the wind serpent. "She's suffering, might be dying, and you keep trying to attack all the people who care about her! If she dies, you die, you know! I would rip you out of her if it wouldn't kill her in the process!" The wind serpent disappeared back into her soul at that. "Yeah, you better run, you fucking coward," he spat. He looked down at his arm, grimacing. "Fucking vampire snake or something. I swear it was trying to drink my blood."
"Go sleep, Yusuke," Kurama bid once more.
"What about the glass," he said groggily, looking down at his feet embarrassed.
"I will clean it up," Kurama promised. "It's nothing. Not a big deal."
"Two hours," Yusuke bartered. "Wake me up then, or sooner if anything changes. Please."
Kurama nodded, not saying much else. He cleaned up the broken glass, checked on her, and took the chance to brew a cup of green tea before settling down for a long night to watch her. He sat in her desk chair, looking over her as he sipped from the cup. Once he finished it, he sat the cup down on her desk. He grabbed one of her books from the book shelf, attempting to read from it. He could hardly focus or make sense of the words on the pages. His gaze kept slipping back up to watch her.
Over an hour ticked by, still no change. She sounded tired, wheezy a bit. She lay on her back. Her right hand was balled up on her chest. Her left hang lay outside the sheets at the edge of the bed where her aunt had been holding it earlier. It was balled up on the sheets beneath it as well. The wind serpent popped up again. It lunged for him, but he was a safe distance away from it. It bit at the air and lashed out at him.
He watched it curiously. "What is it you want?" he asked, voice raspy. He shook his head, determined not to wake up Yusuke as long as he could manage it.
He tensed up, hearing the window unlock and open from behind him. "It wants spirit energy," he heard an annoyed voice behind him.
He turned around, feeling more alert. "Hiei?" he said in surprise.
Hiei slipped in through the window, bristling. He brushed passed Kurama, commenting harshly, "are you all so mentally deaf. Even that damned human psychic you found in the other city." Hiei stepped over to Nanashi, standing over her as she struggle slept. He pushed the blanket down from her chest, placing his left hand on the top of her chest between her breasts and neck. "Come on, yours for the taking," he taunted.
The wind serpent came up around her neck. "Hiei, be careful," Kurama warned, watching the scene. The wind serpent wrapped its way around his forearm, fangs sinking deep. Hiei grunted, but let it bite him. Kurama came over, "stop, let him go," he said to it, reaching to pull Hiei away.
"Keep back," Hiei said, raising his right hand up to stop him. "How did none of you realize that it wasn't her going through a spiritual awakening, but rather the wind serpent. You're supposed to be the clever one and the hag supposed to be the wise one. It was created to grow stronger when exposed to demons, but it's also a creature born of man. There's far too many demons its been exposed to from the tunnel opening, forcing it not only to grow stronger, but forcing it to go through its own human like spirit awakening in tandem. Yet it's attached to her soul, so it's had no choice but to drain her energy to survive and grow. It's been trying to hold back from taking her life force, but it can't refuse to grow much longer. It's been trying to latch onto one of you for hours to take energy from one of you instead. It's been screaming at all of you mentally for it. It doesn't want to kill her. It finally called out for me. Lucky for it I was close enough to hear it."
"What?" Kurama asked, shaking his head groggily in effort to understand his explanation.
Hiei turned back to Nanashi and the wind serpent. Kurama looked down at Nanashi, noticing she was stiff and stiller. Black flames danced on his left forearm unexpectedly. Nanashi winced, face scrunching up. She whimpered, trying to pull away. Hiei laid his right hand on her forehand. She relaxed and went comfortably still, sighing deeply. Her right hand by her chest reached up, coming up to clasp his hand on her chest.
Kurama watched the whole exchange. The wind serpent rolled away off him contentedly and disappeared down under her neck and shoulders. Hiei kept his hand on her chest still, plying spirit energy into her still. "It's sated for now, but she's nearly out of spirit energy. When it needs more energy in a few hours, she won't have enough." He pulled his hands away from her slowly and cautiously. He watched her still, hands held up in midair to hover above her. He pulled his hands back down to his sides. "If she reaches to the point of struggle like she was earlier, give her spirit energy. It will be at least a few hours for her to reach that point though, so you might as well rest. She'll wake when its awakening is finished."
He turned away, walking briskly towards the window. "Wait, why did you help her?" Kurama called out. "Help us stop the tunnel from opening. Or else more humans like her will die. She could still die. There are demons that will sense her strength and the... the bite... and attack her for it."
Hiei did not even turn around. He perched on the ledge, looking back slightly long enough to say, "if Yukina were laying there, what would Yusuke do?" He jumped from the wind at that.
Kurama rushed to the window, looking out at it, trying to see or sense where Hiei went. He sighed, annoyed with his sudden appearance and disappearance. He went back over to her on the bed, looking and sensing her over. She looked peaceful in her deep sleep, now that she was pain and strain free. A few hours, she would need more energy in a few hours. He felt worn out from such a long past few days. He was beyond tempted to sleep, even with the caffeine stimulating his system. He considered sleeping on the floor, but if she started to struggle, he feared he would miss it. He felt a new temptation rise up, and he gave into it. He rolled her over on the twin bed, guiding her gently to lay on her side by the wall. He then climbed into the bed with her. He laid on his side, pulling her over to him, missing holding her more than he realized. The way she smelled and felt in his arms brought back unbidden yet pleasant memories.
He leaned against her neck, whispering, "when you need the energy, just take it from me."
He closed his eyes, holding her close, and trying to keep his mind from wandering. A few hours later, he woke up with an unexpected shout. He pulled away at first, but then noticed the wind serpent, larger and longer than he had ever seen. It had a more draconian and less serpentine look to it. It bit his forearm, but with one fang only now. He felt it drain his energy from him, whether he wanted to give it any or not. He channeled more into, allowing it to take what it wanted and then some. Nanashi was shaking painfully in his arms, panting like she was air hungry. She settled down in his arms relaxing. When she was completely still, he allowed himself to fall asleep once more.
When he next awoke, it was to her aunt coming in the room early in the morning. She shook his shoulder first, waking him up. He rolled up, climbing out of the bed. "How is she?" she asked in a rush.
"Better-" he started.
"Mother?" Nanashi's voice cut his words off. Her aunt looked just as confused as he was. They both looked down at her worn out form. She sobbed, reaching up not for Kurama, but for her aunt.
Her aunt looked down at her for a second's pause, but sat herself down on the bed next to her. Nanashi was on her in haste, hugging her and trembling as she cried. Her aunt looked up at Kurama, nodding her head sideways towards the door to him subtly, looking almost apologetically. Kurama left the room, taking his cup with him.