Nanashi felt exhausted over the course of the next few days. She, her wind serpent, and Asa had gotten rid of the bone infection in Hiei, but he still slept on, resting and recovering for his whole ordeal. Asa kept giving him broth to drink to help build up his strength. She had even bathed his unconscious form in Nanashi's bathtub with Nanashi's help.

Kurama and Yasha meanwhile kept combing through book upon book about the cape of no return. Kurama took detailed notes, while Yasha merely scribbled down short sentences and page numbers, much to Kurama's annoyance. Nanashi did make an effort to write down notes she thought might be helpful for Kurama.

Kurama and Yasha had been given the rooms next to Nanashi's by the queen, but they hardly spent anytime there. They spent every waking moment in her rooms with her and Asa. The king and queen had been in to visit them. The queen seemed keen to spend time with her half brother, but the king seemed more interested on checking up on her spending so much time with three men in her rooms. It was not like she would be doing anything inappropriate with either of them, especially with Asa right there. Besides, Hiei was no condition to wake up, let alone anything else. She even slept on her couch instead of in the bed with Hiei.

When he finally did wake up after three days, Nanashi was glad for it. Had they not been around the others, she could have kissed him. She threw her arms around him in relief. The others rose to stand up, all speaking at once to address him in their relief.

"Shut up," was all he told them in response.

Yasha laughed at him jovially. "Oh yeah, he's feeling better."

Hiei pushed himself up to a sitting position on her bed. She sidled away from him so he would have more room. He turned and looked at her with a studying eye. She could tell he was trying to catch a glimpse at her wings. She shifted so he could see his back. She felt a quick shiver go down her spine when she felt him stroke the top of one.

She turned back to face him, feeling slightly flushed. "It's a long story," she preambled, not sure quite where to start. "I'm not sure where to start..."

"I've been filled in," he said cryptically.

She looked up at his head band, which now still covered his Jagan Eye. She blushed crimson. "Multitasking in your sleep?" All the things she had been through since she had last seen him, he now knew. He had to know about Jin as well...

"You two would make a good picture," Yasha teased. Kurama shushed him.

"Hard not to when you've got the wind serpent of yours in my bones," he admitted. She felt the uncomfortableness of the idea of him knowing everything slide. She felt glad he knew.

Kurama spoke up next. "You both do realize now that Hiei is awake and recovering, the king will want to question him."

Nanashi felt her grow somber at the thought. Nanashi remembered now. Hiei had killed the man who bought him out of his debt and out of the fighting pits. Rumor had it Hiei had made a pass at him and killed him when he was rejected. Then fled south. Which was why Sakyo had come after him. How she had gotten King Hayate to agree to rescue him, but only if she let him question Hiei first about his crime.

"You didn't really kill that man, did you?" she asked, afraid almost at what the answer might be.

"I didn't intend to," he confessed to her soberly.

She gasped at his answer, not liking it very much.

Kurama spoke up again. "I think what she means to ask is, you didn't try to make a pass at him."

Hiei hissed through his teeth. The sound made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "He was drunk. He tried to overpower me-" He paused as Yasha gave an ill timed laugh at he idea. "-when he was stabbed, I fled."

Yasha commented, "the king will still look in your mind to see that."

Nanashi cringed at the memory of when he did that to her. "It's not as bad as it sounds," she told him.

Hiei looked up at her ruefully. "You could hardly handle it. You nearly passed out from it."

She hummed under her breath, bringing a shy hand up to her mouth. "It will exonerate you," she promised.

Hiei clicked his teeth in response.