Reflection

Standard Disclaimers: Yu Yu Hakusho and all its characters are not mine. This is just my small, literary attempt on writing a fanfic ^-^

Chapter Two: Heaven's Apparition (Botan's POV)

His breathing was so slow, and deathly shallow. He made it seem as if he wasn't breathing at all. Or if he ever needed air.

Silence filled the empty room. The place was just an insult to my feelings. I felt so low and desperate, and here it was, dull and just as low. What, is it trying to shove the sadness into my face? I had to roll my eyes at that. I'm being too melodramatic. But I can't help it.

I sighed as I looked at him. He was so pale, a light hue of ghostly white covered him, his skin was almost blending with the hospital gown he wore. The usual warm tan of his body was gone. His bright hair was disheveled as his head lay in the pillow, single strands stuck to his sweat stricken features. I moved closer to brush them away, clearing his face from any burden. My eyes softened as I touched his smooth cheeks with my thumb before letting my fingers shift down his neck, lightly touching the clear marks of his wounds.

It was I who had found him first in the dark room of his home in my usual rounds in Ningenkai, around early midnight. It was a dark mist of irony that I was in a happy mood, only to have it replaced suddenly as I saw him lying half dead on his own home. Everything was still in place, and that cleared any thought that he was violently attacked. Everything, but him and a broken mirror that still stood erect in the middle of the room. It took me a few seconds to take everything in. As my brain worked itself again, I jumped off my oar and ran to him, turning him around to see if he was all right. He was still breathing. Relief ran through me as I let out the breath I had unconsciously held in anticipation.

He was hurt badly, little specks of glass cut through his limbs and body as he laid on one corner. Besides the glass cuts, there were also other gashes in him that I doubt came from the broken mirror. He had bloody handprints on his wrists and neck. He was bleeding on the shoulder and temple, and little drops of blood went sliding down from little cuts from the side of his neck. I panicked. He may be breathing, but it might not take him long if I don't move. And that made me so nervous and confused. I didn't know what to do. I felt like crying.

It was lucky that it was near midnight, not much people could see me hover lowly to get Kurama to a nearby hospital. Stopping in a dark, deserted alley, I kept my oar and carried him to the emergency room. They treated him there, asked a few questions which I found hard doing alibis for. It was only until dawn did they bring him to a room.

I've called Yusuke a few minutes after sunrise and I'm just waiting for him now. I'm sure he'll bring Shiori-san with him, since Kurama, or Shuuichi, is her son and she has all the right to know what happened to him. It's just a shame that she had to end her vacation too quickly. After all, it was Kurama who had given her the chance to go somewhere with her new husband, Hatanaka-san. Always the thoughtful son.

I sighed and just regained my position beside the bed, resting my head on my arm. After a few seconds of staring, I felt my eyes grow wet. I was crying. And with only the painful, sinking feeling in my chest, I cried myself to sleep.
==

I was roused by the gradually loudening knocks on the door. I rubbed my eyes to clear out any more sleep, or tears, out of me as I stood up. Only one person crossed my mind. Yusuke. And thank goodness as well.

I opened the door, and sure enough, Yusuke was there. He also had Keiko with him. Both looked extremely worried. I let them both in, a smile that I seem to have forgotten since last night came back to me.
"Kuwabara would be here later" Yusuke said as they entered.

After a quick hug, Keiko looked at the man in the hospital bed. Her eyes quickly welled up in tears. "What happened to him?" she asked as she turned to me, her hands clasped up to her chest.
My smile faded as I took a glance at Kurama as well. I shook my head. "I don't know" I replied, my eyes low. I looked up to see Yusuke walk up to the side of the bed, examining Kurama's state.
"Was he attacked?" he asked as he stared at the minor wounds and a few bandages.
I sighed. "I don't know. By the time I arrived, he's already unconscious. No one was in the room," I said. I watched Keiko hold Kurama's limp hand. She looked afraid. Who wouldn't be? Remembering Kurama's strength, not just anybody could've done this. He's not so weak as to have let anybody just do this to him.

The day had passed really slowly. Kuwabara, Yukina and Shizuru came an hour later after Yusuke and Keiko. Kuwabara had broken down by the sight of Kurama (baka Kuwabara-kun, I almost cried again myself just looking at him), and had said things I doubt he himself understood, throwing insults at Kurama ("I thought you were the feared Kurama of the Makai!? You're just another one of those weaklings who can't fight for himself!") and then breaking down again later on saying…other things ("Kurama, you're our friend. You can't leave us. We love you so much, and what would happen to your fan club that hadn't given up after all these years!? You can't disappoint them! Be strong!!!"). That made a lot of eyebrows rise.

Yukina was just silent, sympathy clear in her eyes as she watched Kuwabara. Shizuru was neither amused nor as sympathetic. She just came forward and dragged Kuwabara off by the collar, saying that he might just worsen Kurama's condition. Yusuke and Keiko had left soon after because they needed to attend to the shop they've been running. Shizuru left with them as well, warning me about her brother, which I nodded with a sweatdrop.

The three of us left have been pretty silent, except for Kuwabara's usual sobs. He was sitting on the couch in one corner, while Yukina and I sat side by side on a chair beside Kurama's bed.

Two hours later, Yukina had to drag Kuwabara out of the hospital because he had to go to class (and because the doctors and other patients have been annoyed with the wailings).

I was just about clearing my headache when Koenma-sama came. He wore human clothes, with the headband to cover up the mark on his forehead. He was pretty surprised at Kurama's state, just as everybody was, but he took it rather quietly, much to my gratitude. Maybe he noticed that I was tired. He just stood there, which I wasn't exactly sure what for. But I had to thank him for keeping me company.

Shiori and Hatanaka, together with Kurama's younger stepbrother, Shuuichi, came a few minutes after Koenma-sama. Surely enough, Shiori broke down crying, asking hundreds of questions. At first I was afraid to answer them, scared that she might accuse me. But Kurama's stories about how kind his mother was were really true. Shiori just looked at me through her tears, taking all of my answers in sincerely, tightly holding her son's hand in hers. Hatanaka held her by the shoulders as she cried.

Shuuichi was on my side of the bed, looking at his older stepbrother. He was just as gloomy as the rest of us. I knew he and Kurama had a quick bond after their parents married, and that they've been treating each other like real siblings at a very short time. Which was maybe the reason why Shuuichi looked so lonely.

It was late evening when Hatanaka said that they had to go. He and Shiori had argued about it, Shiori not wanting to leave. She calmed down soon after I've assured her that I can be left to care for Shuuichi (or Kurama). She left with a heavy heart, followed by Hatanaka. Shuuichi bid Kurama a, "Take care of yourself, oniisan" and sent me a grateful smile before going out of the room. There may not be any blood connection between him and Kurama, but he's just as sweet as his older brother was. And I had to smile at that.

Koenma-sama was silent the whole time as he watched Shuuichi leave. He sighed and looked at me after the door closed. "I trust you'd be okay. Or would you like me to send someone to keep you company?" he asked. I merely shook my head as he nodded. He stood up and left for the door.

I sighed as I sat by the bed again. The guys have been nice to pay a visit, at least I'm not so bored watching doctors and nurses coming in and out of the room.

Suddenly, as I stared at Kurama's placid face, watching his chest rise and fall as he breathes, I felt like crying again. I haven't seen my friends for months over the past year and I have missed them. But seeing Kurama like this…it made me miss him more. He was right here in front of me, and yet I can't talk to him or joke around with him. Although physically close, I feel so distant.

He had always been smiling. And I miss that. Right now he just lies there looking like as if he was dead. That's one reason why I want to stay. I want to know if he's still alive. I don't think I could allow him to die. And I won't allow any other ferry girl to go here to fetch him as well.

With every heart breaking thought, I felt my eyes turn watery bit by painful bit. Through all the years I've watched him fight, this was the only time he had a hard time recovering from. He never even lost consciousness for more than a day. But I convinced myself that he'd go through this one easily. Just like the other times.

I wiped my tears and walked to the window, watching lights being turned off from homes around the hospital. Then a thought struck me. I knew I missed somebody. Everybody had come except him. I cleared my eyes, opening the glass window as I stuck out my head. My eyes scanned the whole street, the tress, the roofs. Why hadn't he come? Did he know?

Oh just great. Kurama's here lying in a coma and he's out there jumping on roofs. What kind of best friend was he? Nah, I was kidding about the best friend thing, I just hope Yusuke had told him already. But where was he?


End of Chapter 2