A/N: The end of this chapter is a genuine sobfest. Please do not send me any flames regarding Celestia! I won't say that what happens isn't her fault, because it is her fault. But she doesn't do it on purpose! Don't say I didn't warn you!
"So, can you find out what's wrong with him?" Celestia was beginning to grow worried. Hiei had been fighting a group of demons with her and Kurama, but had been hit with something strange. All his energy had been drained away. This wasn't too unusual, since he'd used his Kokryuuha on the leader, but he wasn't gaining any of it back, and he had not woken up since the battle. Apparently the whatever-it-was drained other people's ki as well, because every time they had tried to see what was wrong with their own power, their energy was sapped.
"Why don't I ask Yuusuke and Kuwabara to see if anything like this happened to them." "They were fighting the rest of them on the other side of the park." "Then maybe we could ask Koenma." The youko replied, equally worried.
"Okay, why don't you do that and I'll scan him with my microcomputer." As Kurama left, she pulled out the computer, trying to see where the Koorime's energy was being drained. She couldn't see where it was, which suggested a spell. 'Shoot.' 'Why can't I pinpoint this stupid thing!' The more she tried to help, the less good it did, so now twice as tired as she would have usually been, she went to rest.
"So you guys didn't see *anything* like what happened to Hiei?" The fox sighed. Yuusuke and Kuwabara hadn't found anything in their battle, except they'd fought the same type of demons.
"No. Why do we care about that shrimp anyway?" Kuwabara demanded. "It's not like The Great Kazuma Kuwabara couldn't handle anything that runt could!" Kurama resisted the urge to clutch his head at the impending headache.
"Ku-wa-*bara*." Yuusuke broke the name into three syllables, sounding remarkably like his girlfriend. "Get a grip." "But since we can't figure it out maybe we *should* go to Koenma." He decided. "Is anyone looking after him?"
"Celestia-san is keeping him at her house, since no one else is there, so lets go now." Kurama said.
"Hmmm…" Koenma mused once they had finished their story. "Now, I see only one thing that could be afflicting Hiei." Moving his pacifier to the other side of his mouth, he continued, "It's very rare, and the cure is very hard to get to." "It will take a lot of work to get him fixed."
"It's nothing *I* can't handle!" decreed Yuusuke boastfully.
"What *is* it he's got, anyway?" quizzed Kurama.
"It's the Two-Party Energy Drain," he replied.
"What party?" Kuwabara asked.
Kurama, becoming annoyed, said, "No party. It means that the person who was attacked, who is one party, had their energy completely drained. The more we try to help him, the more our energy is drained. We are considered a party."
"Oh, I see," Kuwabara remarked.
Celestia had just woken up when she heard voices in the living room. It was Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Koenma. She listened to the conversation for a while. Why are they talking about Hiei like he's hurt? She wondered. Then, the memories of the battle flooded back. I can't believe I forgot about that! I'm stupid. Oh well. All of a sudden, a recollection of what happened after the battle came to her mind. She thought about kneeling beside the couch where Hiei lay and crying while holding his hand. I must see him. I must! She got out of bed quickly and rushed into the living room. "Will he be alright?" asked Celestia. "We are not sure," Koenma replied. "I'll make sure he doesn't die," she said in a determined tone of voice. "He will live."
All of a sudden, Celestia had an emotional breakdown and began to cry. "Oh, Hiei, I won't let you die. I won't! You'll be safe here with me. I don't care what happens to me, as long as you live!" She repeated this over and over. Kurama realized that it would probably be best if he comforted her alone. He encouraged everyone else to leave. They left. "Look at me," he said. Celestia did as she was told. She saw the familiar green eyes staring back. "I'm sure that Hiei will be fine. I believe that you can give him the best care that can ever be given for this type of situation." She found herself smiling. "It is because we (meaning himself, Hiei, and Celestia) have a special bond with each other. If one of us becomes injured in any way, the others will be affected by it as well. They will be motivated to do everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, in their power to help them. He will survive." Celestia, no longer crying, said, "Yes. He will survive. I will make sure of it." She found herself staring into Kurama's eyes. There was a deep connection there. One that Celestia was sure hadn't been there before.
"Can……you…." Celestia started to say. "Yes?" asked Kurama. "Ummm, can you stay here for a while? I..uhhh…might need a little help. Plus, if I have another one of those breakdowns, I might need you to be there for me." "Of course! I would be glad to help you take care of Hiei!" The fox's face brightened, as well as Celestia's. "Thanks," she said. "You're very welcome," he replied. What happened there? Am I actually falling for Kurama? No way that could ever happen! She chuckled mentally. Celestia had the strangest thought. Too bad he's not injured. Then I'd have an excuse to cry over him. She was starting to scare herself. That's not a good thing, is it? If one of your closest friends got injured? I'm not sure what's a good thing and what's a bad thing anymore. That's a bad thing, right? Okay, I just need to quit thinking. I'm starting to confuse myself. Celestia smelled something…..could that be tea? Yes, it was definitely tea. She went to the kitchen.
There was Kurama, making his signature tea. He always made the best tea. Or at least Celestia thought so. He handed her a cup. "Hey, thanks!" She took a sip. "Delightfully wonderful as usual!" Kurama smiled. "I'm glad you think so." "So, what's the spell called?" "The Two-Party Energy Drain." "Hmmm. Interesting. You know what, it's driving me nuts." "What is?" inquired the green-eyed youko. "Trying to figure out who would do such a horrible thing to Hiei," Celestia replied. She thought back to him lying on the couch, hopeless, powerless, senseless. "I'm going to figure out who did such a dastardly deed and why," she said with reawakened ferocity. She felt a power awakening inside of her, a power she had never felt before. "Hiei will live! I must get started right away!"
She set the cup back on the table and ran into the living room. "VERCURY STAR POWER! Hiei mustn't die!" "Celestia, what are you doing?" Kurama asked as he rushed into the room to see what was happening. She transformed. "I felt a new power awaken inside of me! I can save Hiei with it! I felt it! I now have the power to heal!" "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" "I'm positive!" The youko wasn't sure she knew what she was doing, but he let her do it anyway. "Venus! Mercury! Help me to heal Hiei!" And she gave him a kiss. Not very long, but obvious enough to show she had feelings for him. Kurama gasped in surprise. "His energy is coming back, but slowly. He'll be fine in probably a week or so." Kurama was in shock. He couldn't believe she was in love with Hiei. Deep down inside, he was in love with Celestia, though he never told her. He felt horrible. REALLY horrible. I guess Hiei's the one she loves. We were probably never meant-to-be anyway. He saddened at the thought. I should be happier for her. After all, we are really close. We can always be friends.
"Celestia, will you please excuse me? I need to be alone for a few moments," Kurama said. "Which room am I to sleep in during my stay?" "Go to the third room on the left down the hall," she replied. "Thank you." "You're welcome." And with that, he went to the room that was to be his during his stay. What's wrong with him? Celestia wondered. She thought back to what the youko said earlier. If one of us becomes injured in any way, the others will be affected by it as well. The words echoed in her mind. Is that why he has to be alone? Because of Hiei? Suddenly, she remembered how Kurama had gasped after she had kissed Hiei. She also remembered the look of shock that was on his face while she told him that the small youko would be fine in about a week. Was he really that surprised? Or, is something more going on here? Like Kurama, I need some time to think. She went to her room and shut the door. Should I lock it? Nah.
Celestia thought back to how this all started. Hmmm. I decided to go for a walk and I ended up in front of Kurama's house. While I was there, he made tea. Then, he told me to close my eyes. When I opened them, he was holding a bouquet of roses. He had said that he had grown them just for me. Then there was a knock on the door. Hiei was there. He told us about the youkai at the park. We went to go fight them. I remember having the feeling that something terrible had happened to Hiei after he used his Kokryuuha. I didn't think I could sense stuff like that. Kurama's voice echoed in her head again. We share a special bond with each other. Is that why I sensed it? Because we're so close? Why does Kurama's voice keep ringing in my ears? I can't seem to take my mind off him! Have I really fallen for him? But I'm in love with Hiei! You can't be in love with two guys at the same time. Can you? I'm confused! Again! Celestia suddenly remembered the reason she had thought about all this in the first place. First, the roses. Then, the gasp of surprise after the kiss. After that, the look of shock on his face. Could it be that Kurama has been in love with me all this time? It all makes sense. All the encouragement during the battle when I was so worried about Hiei. All the "feel better" stuff after my breakdown. The way his face brightened when I asked him to stay for a while. She began to cry as she realized the reason why Kurama had asked to be alone for a while. I can't believe I did something as terrible as that! But, I didn't know. She didn't want to admit to what she had done. But, she had done it. Celestia had broken Kurama's heart.