*Anemone's room...listening to Powerman 5000's "Action"...Hiei and Kurama are singing along, don't notice readers.*
Hiei: the sky is fallin' it's a curious condition...
Kurama: it ain't a falacy it ain't superstition...
Hiei: you live your life like you're some kinda actor...
Kurama: but the scenario you cannot manufacture...
Hiei: ...we're gonna need some action...we're gonna need some action soon...
Kurama: ...trapped in a world of ordinary madness...it's all the same, yeah, there's nuthin' new...
Anemone: boys!
Hiei: hn?
Kurama: yes?
Anemone: the readers are here...
Kurama: oh...^_^' heh...
Hiei: *blush, angry glare* hn...*pretends not to care, flops on couch* is the next chapter done yet, ningen?
Anemone: almost, but we need only one thing...and only Fox can provide...Fox!
Kurama: hmm?
Anemone: it's line time, sweety.
Kurama: chapter 26, enjoy.
Chapter 26: From the She-Fox's Eyes
"So that last attack was angled just so he'd hit his head at the right position to destroy the controlling device?" Hiei inquired softly for Kurama as the humanoid fox began a slow trudge from the cavern.
"Exactly," Kurama's tone was purely lacking in all emotion. A tight wince snarled at his features, distorting his expression for a brief instant. He quickly laced his arm about his chest, spurts of redness staining to the bare flesh of his forearm. 'Oh my...I've suffered much blood loss...' he examined himself slightly, realizing just how many wounds he had.
"Kurama?" Yukina's tiny voice piped softly from several yards behind.
"Yes, Yukina?" Kurama slowly twisted on his heels to face the group standing behind him. Yusuke stood with his left hand intwined with Keiko's, Keiko appearing to be tired from her worry. Yukina was slowly being released from Kuwabara's firm hug and smoothly stepped towards the fox.
"Maybe I should heal your wounds..." the mint-haired aperition suggested shyly as she walked forward. "You're very hurt."
"Heh," Kurama managed to force his trademark Suichi grin, though a sprained wince tweaked it slightly. "I am fine Yukina..."
"No you're not!" the fragile little demonness countered half-sharply, surprising all of the group.
"Wow, Yukina..." Kuwabara stuttered faintly, slowly approaching his girlfriend from behind. "Calm down, sweety..."
"Kurama can't fight Grapko in his condition!" Yukina threw a half-narrow, yet stern glare over her shoulder. She instantly whirled back to face Kurama, and ordered sternly, "Sit down and relax, Kurama! You have to be healed!"
Kurama and Hiei stared at Yukina with wide eyes of emerald and ruby...shock had stunned them both into silence. Slowly the two managed to side-glance each other in confusion and awe at her new-found stubbornness. In the look the two exchanged, Hiei eyed the fox with a slow shrug accompanied with a grunt of 'I dunno', and Kurama shifted in a weighed, reluctant sigh, slowly slumping to an Indian style sit to the ground. "Very well, Yukina."
The mint-haired demonness grinned in her success, calmly setting herself to her knees by his side.
"How come she didn't offer...excuse me...DEMAND, to heal any of us...?" Yusuke whispered faintly to Kuwabara...
"Yusuke!" Keiko puffed at the insensitive boy.
"What?!" he eyed her in confusion and defense...Kuwabara, though, seemed somewhat hurt that his girlfriend didn't even suggest healing them...of course, now that he thought about it, he realized that Yusuke hadn't been that hurt, but there was a curse implanted into his arm that Yukina's powers wouldn't overcome...and, she didn't even see Kuwabara's fight...she was unconscious...not to mention that she DID offer to help Hiei after his acid demonness battle, but he shrugged the offer off...as these excuses came to mind, Kuwabara slowly became more and more understanding, until he randomly wailed a soft "Yes!"
"What's your problem?" Yusuke eyed him strangely. Kuwabara chuckled happily as he turned to face the Detective.
"Cuz, stupid...!" Kuwabara grinned broadly, slowly fading to a romantic behavior. "...she simply didn't know of our plight..." Yusuke inched away in awkward fear, slowly stepping to guard Keiko from the weirdo. Suddenly, Kuwabara's expression flashed to pure defense and rage. "...and DON'T go about acting all mean about it! Poor little Yukina is simply trying to assist one in need!"
"Jeez, Kuwabara calm down," Yusuke wrinkled his nose at the red-head's freakish antics.
"I mean it, Urimeshi!" Kuwabara quickly knotted his fists to Yusuke's shirt, jerking the stunned boy an inch from the ground. "Don't go pissin' me off by dissin' my girl!"
"I wasn't dissing her-"
"-stop lying, you idiot!"
"Stop talking, both of you," Hiei seethed sharply, jerking the boys to attention. "You two morons are giving me a migraine..."
Kurama smiled faintly at the boys with a look of 'as usual' at their behavior as Yukina's gentle energy surged within him, slowly stitching the fibers of his skin together over the broad slices and closing each wound. Blood still soaked deep into his shirt and pants, but the blood currently slipping from each gash was slowly being sucked back into it's escape route. And finally, after each little slit was sewn back together, Yukina began work to the wound at his chest and the stab in his back. Sharp winces stole to Kurama's face as her energy touched to the fresh injuries, but as his torn muscle began to intertwine together again, and his ripped flesh began to knot back into place, the pain that smoldered his half-exposed heart soon eased into nothingness. As Yukina slipped away from Kurama's side, his every injury re-sealed, the fox half-greedily sucked in the first deep breath he could grasp since before that first arrow to the heart. A relieved sigh escaped his swelled lungs, bliss tainting his features. "Ahh," he breathed happily, pressing his eyes shut. "the first decent breath in ages..." his eyes slowly pealed open, faceted with brilliance. "Thank you, Yukina."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
The she-fox rushed from cavern to cavern, heavy breaths swelling her lungs with every step she sprinted. "I must find Kurama..." she stuttered quietly. "I must find him...!" she pursued further along, rushing in and out of shadows as to avoid any of her mate's henchmen. "This blasted mountain is far too large! How am I to find him?!" she cursed herself, and slowly calmed her frazzled senses. With a deep, low inhale, the she-fox almost instantly caught his scent. "Blood! Kurama's blood!" she whimpered in fear at the immediate realization. "My God, no!"
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Let us go, then," Kurama motioned for his company, the fox slowly staggering to a stand. "But first..." the fox's tone was soft and faint as he pursued through the wall of peers and towards Ryooki's limp form. Kurama gazed down at his brother for a brief moment, and crouched to the demon's side. Ryooki was sprawled against the rubble and debris, his body hardly in a comfortable position. Kurama slowly laced an arm beneath his brother's tattered figure, dragging Ryooki from his wedged spot to the crumbled ground. Ryooki, being a good foot taller than his human brother, was rather difficult to move, but Kurama did so without a blink of emotion to his tired, calm expression. The Kitsune slowly lay Ryooki to the canter of the cavern floor, a smooth surface of ground. With great care, Kurama made sure not to position him to bring pressure to his wounds. When Kurama was content with the way Ryooki was set, he briskly turned to go, not a motion to the others.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Please, no! Don't let Kurama be dead!" Jiaanti sprinted through the linking caverns of the bowells of Mount Shiverku. "He can't be! My Lord, he can't be!"
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Kitsune," Hiei grunted softly into the piercing silence that had for so long since leaving Ryooki cursed the team. "Do you sense any more henchmen to get in out way...?"
"Not a one, Hiei..." Kurama responded faintly, not a glance to his side where the Koorime stalked along. "I imagine we killed them all."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Jiaanti pushed harder and harder along as her fragile steps began to waver beneath her. "I'm so close...his scent is getting stronger! Hold on Kurama...don't be dead!" Hidden among the shadows moved the slick figure of another demon...an enemy to Jiaanti, stalking after her in the caverns.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Hm?" Hiei pricked slightly, his Jagon having swelled briefly in a pained sense.
"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama halted in his stride, blinking a calm gaze to his side at the frozen flame demon. Yusuke stepped up to Hiei's side, the shorter of the two ignoring him and the others completely.
"Kistune..." Hiei breathed slowly, having been able to determine the demon instantly. "...do you smell someone familiar to you...?" Hiei remained unmoving, let his gaze shifting to face Kurama at a side glance and his eyebrow tugging upward.
Kurama breathed a soft murmur of confusion before pressing his eyes shut and swelling his lungs with a deep inhale. A light scent swarmed within him, a scent with a distinct blood to it...it was similar to Ryooki, but, different, too...it lacked the blood of the wolf...it was all fox. "Mother!" Kurama's eyes flashed wide in surprise, kicking off into a bolt further into Mount Shiverku, Hiei's speed in sync with the fox's and the remainder of the group dashing after them.
"Is this about Botan...?" Yukina asked meekly, having haven't heard the fox's breath of a cry,
"I didn't hear him...did you two?" Yusuke turned to Kuwabara and Keiko in search for an answer as he jogged along.
"I didn't either...and at the way Hiei was acting, I think he was the only one that did..." Keiko deduced quickly.
"Yeah, Urimeshi..." Kuwabara huffed as he ran. "I guess we'll just hafta run after them to find out what the comotion's about..."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Jiaanti, now fully aware of her pursuer, was straining in desperation to escape from the new demon's clutch...he was a weakling, with no real power but engulfing his axes with energy and never missing his targets...though he was lowly in the midst of Grapko, he could easily be the delicate Jiaanti's assasin.
The she-fox sprinted in pure desperation and fear further along into the caverns, trying not to look back. Fear and exhaust chaffed her throat parched, each step of her forced run a struggle to remain alive as her assasin moved in on her.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"She's in trouble!" Kurama explained desperately through his spry dash into the caverns.
"Obviously...I can sense the beast pursuing her...he's a lot stronger than she, Kistune..." Hiei countered faintly as he continued to run in step with his humanoid companion, the rest of the Urimeshi team trailing far behind.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Ahhh!" Jiaanti wailed, having been cornered by her pursuer. "Please! Don't!"
"Grapko has demanded your demise, Mistress," he smirked in response, slowly drawing back his blood-stained ax to strike the fox down.
"AHHH!"
Kurama skid to a halt in the clearing, and there stood...his mother. He yearned to pause, but a creature's weapon was slicing the air to slit into her fragile form. "Mother!!" he called in fear and shock, sprinting for her instantly.
"Kurama...?" she breathed softly as her emerald leers cast over the assasin's shoulder. She pricked in shock and immense joy at the sight of her humanoid pup. "Kurama!!"
Hiei slurred into the air, his form locked in his god-like speed, and rushed to slice the assasin down with his un-sheathed Katana. Kurama pounced for his mother, guarding her from the collapsing ax...though at this point the demon had been killed, courtesy of Hiei. The stunning blade fell for the two foxes, Kurama gripping Jiaanti tight, shielding her with his body, and kicking away in a flash, the ax just barely grazing his shoulder. He collapsed to his hip, Jiaanti in a firm hold against his chest.
"Kurama!" she wailed in terror and happiness swarmed in one emotion, binding her son's neck in a tight hug. "You're alive, my son!"
"Mother..." he smiled softly, allowing his frazzled mother to break down in horrified sobs against his good shoulder once he had managed to sit up. "It's been a long time."
Hiei slowly stabbed his blade back to it's sheath, a new corpse bubbling of it's blood at his feet. "Hn..." he grunted harshly at the unworthy assasin. "Are you alright, Kitsune?"
Kurama, still hugging his sobbing mother, had just now noticed the graze to his shoulder, stinging in freshness. "Fine, Hiei...how is it you notice whenever I am hurt?"
"I can smell blood, Kitsune...and you've been leaking of much of yours," Hiei smirked softly.
Yusuke, dragging along Keiko by the latch to her hand, and Kuwabara, escorting little Yukina a little less forcefully, had finally managed to rush for the cavern.
"Eww!!" Keiko winced hard at the leaking corpse by Hiei's feet, ducking behind a defensive Yusuke. Yukina stared in fear and discomfort, nestling against the protective Kuwabara, who instantly laced his arms about her fragile form.
"It's alright mother..." Kurama cooed a soft murmur into his frightened mother's flicking fox ear. "Hiei killed that demon..."
"Mother?!" Yusuke and Kuwabara wailed in shocked unison.
"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, Hiei..." Kurama smiled faintly at his companions, gently calming the she-fox down. "This is my demon mother...Jiaanti."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Anemone: hey there! yesm, Kurama's demon mother ran into 'em...if you don't remember, at the start of Kurama vs. Ryooki, she managed to break away from Grapko and she said somethin' along the lines of "I have to help Kurama...his father's mad"
Kurama: indeed...thank you Mones...I was wondering when she would be back.
Hiei: *cough* momma's boy *coughcough*
Kurama: am not!
Hiei: haha ya you are...
Kurama: hmpf...
Anemone: say your degrading-er, I mean, perfectly fine line, Flames...
Hiei: did you just call it degr-
Kurama: *veeeeeeeeeery threatening look* say the friggen line!!
Hiei: *long pause, staring at Kurama* er...anywho, please review...
Anemone: *gasp* wow!!! That was GREAT, Fox!! I should have you do that more often...
Kurama: *bows* I know, I'm good...
Hiei: *pissed off* hn...Red is gonna pay...
Anemone: latr, my loverly readers!!
Hiei: the sky is fallin' it's a curious condition...
Kurama: it ain't a falacy it ain't superstition...
Hiei: you live your life like you're some kinda actor...
Kurama: but the scenario you cannot manufacture...
Hiei: ...we're gonna need some action...we're gonna need some action soon...
Kurama: ...trapped in a world of ordinary madness...it's all the same, yeah, there's nuthin' new...
Anemone: boys!
Hiei: hn?
Kurama: yes?
Anemone: the readers are here...
Kurama: oh...^_^' heh...
Hiei: *blush, angry glare* hn...*pretends not to care, flops on couch* is the next chapter done yet, ningen?
Anemone: almost, but we need only one thing...and only Fox can provide...Fox!
Kurama: hmm?
Anemone: it's line time, sweety.
Kurama: chapter 26, enjoy.
Chapter 26: From the She-Fox's Eyes
"So that last attack was angled just so he'd hit his head at the right position to destroy the controlling device?" Hiei inquired softly for Kurama as the humanoid fox began a slow trudge from the cavern.
"Exactly," Kurama's tone was purely lacking in all emotion. A tight wince snarled at his features, distorting his expression for a brief instant. He quickly laced his arm about his chest, spurts of redness staining to the bare flesh of his forearm. 'Oh my...I've suffered much blood loss...' he examined himself slightly, realizing just how many wounds he had.
"Kurama?" Yukina's tiny voice piped softly from several yards behind.
"Yes, Yukina?" Kurama slowly twisted on his heels to face the group standing behind him. Yusuke stood with his left hand intwined with Keiko's, Keiko appearing to be tired from her worry. Yukina was slowly being released from Kuwabara's firm hug and smoothly stepped towards the fox.
"Maybe I should heal your wounds..." the mint-haired aperition suggested shyly as she walked forward. "You're very hurt."
"Heh," Kurama managed to force his trademark Suichi grin, though a sprained wince tweaked it slightly. "I am fine Yukina..."
"No you're not!" the fragile little demonness countered half-sharply, surprising all of the group.
"Wow, Yukina..." Kuwabara stuttered faintly, slowly approaching his girlfriend from behind. "Calm down, sweety..."
"Kurama can't fight Grapko in his condition!" Yukina threw a half-narrow, yet stern glare over her shoulder. She instantly whirled back to face Kurama, and ordered sternly, "Sit down and relax, Kurama! You have to be healed!"
Kurama and Hiei stared at Yukina with wide eyes of emerald and ruby...shock had stunned them both into silence. Slowly the two managed to side-glance each other in confusion and awe at her new-found stubbornness. In the look the two exchanged, Hiei eyed the fox with a slow shrug accompanied with a grunt of 'I dunno', and Kurama shifted in a weighed, reluctant sigh, slowly slumping to an Indian style sit to the ground. "Very well, Yukina."
The mint-haired demonness grinned in her success, calmly setting herself to her knees by his side.
"How come she didn't offer...excuse me...DEMAND, to heal any of us...?" Yusuke whispered faintly to Kuwabara...
"Yusuke!" Keiko puffed at the insensitive boy.
"What?!" he eyed her in confusion and defense...Kuwabara, though, seemed somewhat hurt that his girlfriend didn't even suggest healing them...of course, now that he thought about it, he realized that Yusuke hadn't been that hurt, but there was a curse implanted into his arm that Yukina's powers wouldn't overcome...and, she didn't even see Kuwabara's fight...she was unconscious...not to mention that she DID offer to help Hiei after his acid demonness battle, but he shrugged the offer off...as these excuses came to mind, Kuwabara slowly became more and more understanding, until he randomly wailed a soft "Yes!"
"What's your problem?" Yusuke eyed him strangely. Kuwabara chuckled happily as he turned to face the Detective.
"Cuz, stupid...!" Kuwabara grinned broadly, slowly fading to a romantic behavior. "...she simply didn't know of our plight..." Yusuke inched away in awkward fear, slowly stepping to guard Keiko from the weirdo. Suddenly, Kuwabara's expression flashed to pure defense and rage. "...and DON'T go about acting all mean about it! Poor little Yukina is simply trying to assist one in need!"
"Jeez, Kuwabara calm down," Yusuke wrinkled his nose at the red-head's freakish antics.
"I mean it, Urimeshi!" Kuwabara quickly knotted his fists to Yusuke's shirt, jerking the stunned boy an inch from the ground. "Don't go pissin' me off by dissin' my girl!"
"I wasn't dissing her-"
"-stop lying, you idiot!"
"Stop talking, both of you," Hiei seethed sharply, jerking the boys to attention. "You two morons are giving me a migraine..."
Kurama smiled faintly at the boys with a look of 'as usual' at their behavior as Yukina's gentle energy surged within him, slowly stitching the fibers of his skin together over the broad slices and closing each wound. Blood still soaked deep into his shirt and pants, but the blood currently slipping from each gash was slowly being sucked back into it's escape route. And finally, after each little slit was sewn back together, Yukina began work to the wound at his chest and the stab in his back. Sharp winces stole to Kurama's face as her energy touched to the fresh injuries, but as his torn muscle began to intertwine together again, and his ripped flesh began to knot back into place, the pain that smoldered his half-exposed heart soon eased into nothingness. As Yukina slipped away from Kurama's side, his every injury re-sealed, the fox half-greedily sucked in the first deep breath he could grasp since before that first arrow to the heart. A relieved sigh escaped his swelled lungs, bliss tainting his features. "Ahh," he breathed happily, pressing his eyes shut. "the first decent breath in ages..." his eyes slowly pealed open, faceted with brilliance. "Thank you, Yukina."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
The she-fox rushed from cavern to cavern, heavy breaths swelling her lungs with every step she sprinted. "I must find Kurama..." she stuttered quietly. "I must find him...!" she pursued further along, rushing in and out of shadows as to avoid any of her mate's henchmen. "This blasted mountain is far too large! How am I to find him?!" she cursed herself, and slowly calmed her frazzled senses. With a deep, low inhale, the she-fox almost instantly caught his scent. "Blood! Kurama's blood!" she whimpered in fear at the immediate realization. "My God, no!"
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Let us go, then," Kurama motioned for his company, the fox slowly staggering to a stand. "But first..." the fox's tone was soft and faint as he pursued through the wall of peers and towards Ryooki's limp form. Kurama gazed down at his brother for a brief moment, and crouched to the demon's side. Ryooki was sprawled against the rubble and debris, his body hardly in a comfortable position. Kurama slowly laced an arm beneath his brother's tattered figure, dragging Ryooki from his wedged spot to the crumbled ground. Ryooki, being a good foot taller than his human brother, was rather difficult to move, but Kurama did so without a blink of emotion to his tired, calm expression. The Kitsune slowly lay Ryooki to the canter of the cavern floor, a smooth surface of ground. With great care, Kurama made sure not to position him to bring pressure to his wounds. When Kurama was content with the way Ryooki was set, he briskly turned to go, not a motion to the others.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Please, no! Don't let Kurama be dead!" Jiaanti sprinted through the linking caverns of the bowells of Mount Shiverku. "He can't be! My Lord, he can't be!"
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Kitsune," Hiei grunted softly into the piercing silence that had for so long since leaving Ryooki cursed the team. "Do you sense any more henchmen to get in out way...?"
"Not a one, Hiei..." Kurama responded faintly, not a glance to his side where the Koorime stalked along. "I imagine we killed them all."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Jiaanti pushed harder and harder along as her fragile steps began to waver beneath her. "I'm so close...his scent is getting stronger! Hold on Kurama...don't be dead!" Hidden among the shadows moved the slick figure of another demon...an enemy to Jiaanti, stalking after her in the caverns.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Hm?" Hiei pricked slightly, his Jagon having swelled briefly in a pained sense.
"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama halted in his stride, blinking a calm gaze to his side at the frozen flame demon. Yusuke stepped up to Hiei's side, the shorter of the two ignoring him and the others completely.
"Kistune..." Hiei breathed slowly, having been able to determine the demon instantly. "...do you smell someone familiar to you...?" Hiei remained unmoving, let his gaze shifting to face Kurama at a side glance and his eyebrow tugging upward.
Kurama breathed a soft murmur of confusion before pressing his eyes shut and swelling his lungs with a deep inhale. A light scent swarmed within him, a scent with a distinct blood to it...it was similar to Ryooki, but, different, too...it lacked the blood of the wolf...it was all fox. "Mother!" Kurama's eyes flashed wide in surprise, kicking off into a bolt further into Mount Shiverku, Hiei's speed in sync with the fox's and the remainder of the group dashing after them.
"Is this about Botan...?" Yukina asked meekly, having haven't heard the fox's breath of a cry,
"I didn't hear him...did you two?" Yusuke turned to Kuwabara and Keiko in search for an answer as he jogged along.
"I didn't either...and at the way Hiei was acting, I think he was the only one that did..." Keiko deduced quickly.
"Yeah, Urimeshi..." Kuwabara huffed as he ran. "I guess we'll just hafta run after them to find out what the comotion's about..."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Jiaanti, now fully aware of her pursuer, was straining in desperation to escape from the new demon's clutch...he was a weakling, with no real power but engulfing his axes with energy and never missing his targets...though he was lowly in the midst of Grapko, he could easily be the delicate Jiaanti's assasin.
The she-fox sprinted in pure desperation and fear further along into the caverns, trying not to look back. Fear and exhaust chaffed her throat parched, each step of her forced run a struggle to remain alive as her assasin moved in on her.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"She's in trouble!" Kurama explained desperately through his spry dash into the caverns.
"Obviously...I can sense the beast pursuing her...he's a lot stronger than she, Kistune..." Hiei countered faintly as he continued to run in step with his humanoid companion, the rest of the Urimeshi team trailing far behind.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Ahhh!" Jiaanti wailed, having been cornered by her pursuer. "Please! Don't!"
"Grapko has demanded your demise, Mistress," he smirked in response, slowly drawing back his blood-stained ax to strike the fox down.
"AHHH!"
Kurama skid to a halt in the clearing, and there stood...his mother. He yearned to pause, but a creature's weapon was slicing the air to slit into her fragile form. "Mother!!" he called in fear and shock, sprinting for her instantly.
"Kurama...?" she breathed softly as her emerald leers cast over the assasin's shoulder. She pricked in shock and immense joy at the sight of her humanoid pup. "Kurama!!"
Hiei slurred into the air, his form locked in his god-like speed, and rushed to slice the assasin down with his un-sheathed Katana. Kurama pounced for his mother, guarding her from the collapsing ax...though at this point the demon had been killed, courtesy of Hiei. The stunning blade fell for the two foxes, Kurama gripping Jiaanti tight, shielding her with his body, and kicking away in a flash, the ax just barely grazing his shoulder. He collapsed to his hip, Jiaanti in a firm hold against his chest.
"Kurama!" she wailed in terror and happiness swarmed in one emotion, binding her son's neck in a tight hug. "You're alive, my son!"
"Mother..." he smiled softly, allowing his frazzled mother to break down in horrified sobs against his good shoulder once he had managed to sit up. "It's been a long time."
Hiei slowly stabbed his blade back to it's sheath, a new corpse bubbling of it's blood at his feet. "Hn..." he grunted harshly at the unworthy assasin. "Are you alright, Kitsune?"
Kurama, still hugging his sobbing mother, had just now noticed the graze to his shoulder, stinging in freshness. "Fine, Hiei...how is it you notice whenever I am hurt?"
"I can smell blood, Kitsune...and you've been leaking of much of yours," Hiei smirked softly.
Yusuke, dragging along Keiko by the latch to her hand, and Kuwabara, escorting little Yukina a little less forcefully, had finally managed to rush for the cavern.
"Eww!!" Keiko winced hard at the leaking corpse by Hiei's feet, ducking behind a defensive Yusuke. Yukina stared in fear and discomfort, nestling against the protective Kuwabara, who instantly laced his arms about her fragile form.
"It's alright mother..." Kurama cooed a soft murmur into his frightened mother's flicking fox ear. "Hiei killed that demon..."
"Mother?!" Yusuke and Kuwabara wailed in shocked unison.
"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, Hiei..." Kurama smiled faintly at his companions, gently calming the she-fox down. "This is my demon mother...Jiaanti."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Anemone: hey there! yesm, Kurama's demon mother ran into 'em...if you don't remember, at the start of Kurama vs. Ryooki, she managed to break away from Grapko and she said somethin' along the lines of "I have to help Kurama...his father's mad"
Kurama: indeed...thank you Mones...I was wondering when she would be back.
Hiei: *cough* momma's boy *coughcough*
Kurama: am not!
Hiei: haha ya you are...
Kurama: hmpf...
Anemone: say your degrading-er, I mean, perfectly fine line, Flames...
Hiei: did you just call it degr-
Kurama: *veeeeeeeeeery threatening look* say the friggen line!!
Hiei: *long pause, staring at Kurama* er...anywho, please review...
Anemone: *gasp* wow!!! That was GREAT, Fox!! I should have you do that more often...
Kurama: *bows* I know, I'm good...
Hiei: *pissed off* hn...Red is gonna pay...
Anemone: latr, my loverly readers!!