Her eyes gazed at her brother lying before her. Shizuru's mind had a
hard time wrapping her brain around the concept of him in that hospital
bed, motionless. "Oh, Baby Bro, please pull through this," she prayed,
tears forming in her auburn eyes. "I know you, you've been through so
much, and all the fights you've been in. Somehow though, you Kazuma, you
have managed to survive." Her mind filtered back to when, during the Dark
Martial Arts Tournament, he fought bravely along side his friends in the
Urameshi Team. She recalled a couple times she watched him put himself in
harm's way, even with a broken body, all for the sake of his teammates.
Deep in her own thoughts, she almost failed to notice a figure standing
next to her. A man's arms draped around her, his soft familiar voice
whispering, "How are you?" into her ears, and the scent of a rose filled
her every nostril. She turned her head to him. "Kurama, I hate seeing him
like this. Always hate it. Wish there was something I could.I could," she
felt as if a pin was pricking her heart, and she turned around to return
his hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around his upper body, her face pressing
against his left shoulder, her eyes draining themselves onto his green
parka. He placed his bandaged hand on her back and his right hand fingers
combing through her coffee-brown hair. "You know, Hon, your brother has
been in tougher situations than this. The first time I met him, it was in
the Underground City. He was the most brazen among us, he put his life on
the line to fight and defeat Biakko." "Yeah, I remember him telling me
about it the day you and he brought Yusuke to the house. But he was just
fine then." She remained hugging him, clinging to him like a small child.
After awhile, Kurama noticed the sky, from out a window in the ICU becoming dark. He noticed the watch on his wrist read 4:30 PM. "Do you want to leave?" she asked him, noticing his action. He sighed deeply. "I wish to stay, but I know there would be no use. He will be fine; there are nurses everywhere. " "Yeah, but." "Are you hungry? I know I am, haven't eaten all day," he commented, trying to ease her mind. "Is there a cafeteria here?" "I for one know there is. I have been here before, once when my mother was dying." "Oh, sorry you lost her," she pitied him, as they left the room. "She didn't die, I wished her back to life with the Forlorn Hope mirror. Of course, if it hadn't been for Yusuke, I would have been dead." As they made there way to the cafeteria, they walked by the restrooms, she asked him if he wanted to freshen up. He agreed and asked her to meet him in the hallway afterwards. As she walked into the ladies room, she noticed Keiko on her cell phone. "Yeah, okay, thanks again Atsuko." "What's going on?" "Well, nothing, Atsuko brought the baby home. She and Botan helped straighten up your house." Shizuru walked into a stall and closed the door. "So, how is your brother? Is he doing okay?" Keiko asked, as Shizuru sat down. "He's okay right now," Shizuru answered, while she peed, "But that's all I know, I am still hoping he can pull through. This is a tough battle he's in." "Yeah, but he's been in worse situations. I remember the day when Yusuke and that giant muscle man were fighting." "You mean Otouto Toguro." "Yeah, him." "I remember that. That big oaf punched Kazuma so hard, his stomach and chest were bleeding badly, I was sure he was dead." Shizuru stood in the stall for a minute, her mind still racing about the day's events. The all-girl party at her house seemed like nothing more than a distant memory. She snuffed back, trying to swallow a lump in her throat. She flushed the toilet and walked out towards the sinks. She opened the hot tap, and immersed her hands in the water. The lukewarm sensation from the steam seemed to act as a source of rejuvenation. "Are you staying, or going home?" Keiko wondered. "I don't know. Kurama's starving, says he's not had anything to eat all day. We were heading to the cafeteria." "Think we will join you for dinner, and then head home. Megumi woke us up 5:30 this morning. The accident has taken its toll on his energy. He tried taking a nap, but he said every time he closed his eyes, he felt he was back with that car. For him, the accident felt like the first one he was in."
The two women walked out of the restroom. Waiting in the hallway were their guys. The group made there way to the cafeteria. The kitchen was open, so each person filled his or her tray with curry. After getting through check out, the four found a booth by a huge plate-glass window in the cafeteria. A question that had been on Shizuru's mind all day had resurfaced. "Kurama, when you and Kazuma were riding over here, you said that he stopped breathing. You said to me you blew something in his mouth." "Yeah." "What was it, exactly?" "It was a heal seed." "What does it do?" "The heal seed, actually it is a spore. The spores come from the Rei-moss, which is found along the banks of the River Styx." Yusuke perked up when he heard his friend speak. "The River Styx? You mean that river that's in Reikai?" "You know about it?" Silence fell across the black-hair boy's face as picked up a few pieces of the rumen noodles with his chopsticks and placed them in his mouth. "I have seen that river before, when Botan took me to see Enma, after I died." "You remember the yellowish-green stuff in the fields on both sides of the river. That's the moss." "Okay." "What did it do for my brother?" "The spore was breathed into his lungs. In the lungs, the moss sprouts, coating the lungs." "Wouldn't that cause more problems than it solves?" "Actually, no. The moss dissolves, creating moisture. This aids the breathing." "That sounds a bit like asthma medication," responded Keiko. "Sort of, except this moss also releases spores into the bloodstream, attaching to the platelets. I won't go into deals, but eventually, the spores help rebuild the rest of the body. This will allow him to heal faster." Shizuru became impressed by her fiancé's words. "You are very knowledgeable about plants and their medicinal uses. Have you ever thought about becoming a doctor?" "Actually, I have. Given it a lot of thought lately. After the wedding, I am planning on enrolling in Tokyo University. I am thinking about majoring in herbal medicine." "Guess I can tell my mother there will be a doctor in the family," Shizuru said in a quiet voice. Kurama began chuckling, keeping his mouth closed from having his curry spill out. He swallowed and blurted, "I guess so," nodding his head to her.
After a bit, Yusuke began rubbing his eyes. Shizuru had taken the soiled trays to the conveyor belt on the dishwasher window. As she was walking back to the booth, she suddenly felt a chill. A strange crunching sound, like snow, was heard where she stepped. As she sat down, she saw what looked like snow falling in her hands. "Did you open that window, or something?" she asked, nudging at Kurama, who was trying hard not to fall asleep. "What?" he yawned. "Did you or somebody open that window?" "No, it's shut, why." Then he noticed it too, the snow falling around them. "Unless a window is open, or the roof has a hole in it, why would there be snow in a heated building?" This peculiar quandary had Shizuru stumped. "Wait a minute, there is one more possibility," Yusuke recalled, "What if Yukina." "Hiei's sister? What would she.she's here to see him," Kurama realized. The four scrambled to their feet, heading for the hallway, trying hard not to run.
"Hey wait, I am not dead. Please come back." Kazuma suddenly found himself in a casket, his body being placed into an oven. He looked to see his friends' faces, only to see them blank, like sheets of white cloth. He felt helpless, unable to move. All he could do was watch himself being surrounded in flames. His screams fell upon deaf ears. Then just as he thought he was done for, the flames froze and became ice. To his side stood a blue maiden. "Yukina" he thought. Slowly he opened his eyes, to find her standing beside him. "Y-u-k-k-i-n-n-a." he said, surprised to see her. She said nothing, just smiled at him, rubbing her left palm gently over his forehead and through his hair. Yukina closed her eyes and began kissing him on the lips. Her icy breath seemed to help him rejuvenate a bit. Her eyes began tear. Ice pearls began to fall from them. "I heard what happened to you. I.I came over as soon as I could." She continued weeping, the thought of seeing him in this condition became too much for her. Kazuma reached his good right arm, trying his best to comfort her. Then he heard scuffling, and saw his sister and his three friends walk in. "Hey Sis," he said in a weakened voice, "have you been here this whole time." "Of course, Baby Brother, we all have." "Gee, am I popular," he joked. "What." "Maybe I should get injured more often." "What!" Shizuru pretended to get angry. He chuckled, through the twinge in his throat. "Hey Sis" "What?!" "Thanks."
After awhile, Kurama noticed the sky, from out a window in the ICU becoming dark. He noticed the watch on his wrist read 4:30 PM. "Do you want to leave?" she asked him, noticing his action. He sighed deeply. "I wish to stay, but I know there would be no use. He will be fine; there are nurses everywhere. " "Yeah, but." "Are you hungry? I know I am, haven't eaten all day," he commented, trying to ease her mind. "Is there a cafeteria here?" "I for one know there is. I have been here before, once when my mother was dying." "Oh, sorry you lost her," she pitied him, as they left the room. "She didn't die, I wished her back to life with the Forlorn Hope mirror. Of course, if it hadn't been for Yusuke, I would have been dead." As they made there way to the cafeteria, they walked by the restrooms, she asked him if he wanted to freshen up. He agreed and asked her to meet him in the hallway afterwards. As she walked into the ladies room, she noticed Keiko on her cell phone. "Yeah, okay, thanks again Atsuko." "What's going on?" "Well, nothing, Atsuko brought the baby home. She and Botan helped straighten up your house." Shizuru walked into a stall and closed the door. "So, how is your brother? Is he doing okay?" Keiko asked, as Shizuru sat down. "He's okay right now," Shizuru answered, while she peed, "But that's all I know, I am still hoping he can pull through. This is a tough battle he's in." "Yeah, but he's been in worse situations. I remember the day when Yusuke and that giant muscle man were fighting." "You mean Otouto Toguro." "Yeah, him." "I remember that. That big oaf punched Kazuma so hard, his stomach and chest were bleeding badly, I was sure he was dead." Shizuru stood in the stall for a minute, her mind still racing about the day's events. The all-girl party at her house seemed like nothing more than a distant memory. She snuffed back, trying to swallow a lump in her throat. She flushed the toilet and walked out towards the sinks. She opened the hot tap, and immersed her hands in the water. The lukewarm sensation from the steam seemed to act as a source of rejuvenation. "Are you staying, or going home?" Keiko wondered. "I don't know. Kurama's starving, says he's not had anything to eat all day. We were heading to the cafeteria." "Think we will join you for dinner, and then head home. Megumi woke us up 5:30 this morning. The accident has taken its toll on his energy. He tried taking a nap, but he said every time he closed his eyes, he felt he was back with that car. For him, the accident felt like the first one he was in."
The two women walked out of the restroom. Waiting in the hallway were their guys. The group made there way to the cafeteria. The kitchen was open, so each person filled his or her tray with curry. After getting through check out, the four found a booth by a huge plate-glass window in the cafeteria. A question that had been on Shizuru's mind all day had resurfaced. "Kurama, when you and Kazuma were riding over here, you said that he stopped breathing. You said to me you blew something in his mouth." "Yeah." "What was it, exactly?" "It was a heal seed." "What does it do?" "The heal seed, actually it is a spore. The spores come from the Rei-moss, which is found along the banks of the River Styx." Yusuke perked up when he heard his friend speak. "The River Styx? You mean that river that's in Reikai?" "You know about it?" Silence fell across the black-hair boy's face as picked up a few pieces of the rumen noodles with his chopsticks and placed them in his mouth. "I have seen that river before, when Botan took me to see Enma, after I died." "You remember the yellowish-green stuff in the fields on both sides of the river. That's the moss." "Okay." "What did it do for my brother?" "The spore was breathed into his lungs. In the lungs, the moss sprouts, coating the lungs." "Wouldn't that cause more problems than it solves?" "Actually, no. The moss dissolves, creating moisture. This aids the breathing." "That sounds a bit like asthma medication," responded Keiko. "Sort of, except this moss also releases spores into the bloodstream, attaching to the platelets. I won't go into deals, but eventually, the spores help rebuild the rest of the body. This will allow him to heal faster." Shizuru became impressed by her fiancé's words. "You are very knowledgeable about plants and their medicinal uses. Have you ever thought about becoming a doctor?" "Actually, I have. Given it a lot of thought lately. After the wedding, I am planning on enrolling in Tokyo University. I am thinking about majoring in herbal medicine." "Guess I can tell my mother there will be a doctor in the family," Shizuru said in a quiet voice. Kurama began chuckling, keeping his mouth closed from having his curry spill out. He swallowed and blurted, "I guess so," nodding his head to her.
After a bit, Yusuke began rubbing his eyes. Shizuru had taken the soiled trays to the conveyor belt on the dishwasher window. As she was walking back to the booth, she suddenly felt a chill. A strange crunching sound, like snow, was heard where she stepped. As she sat down, she saw what looked like snow falling in her hands. "Did you open that window, or something?" she asked, nudging at Kurama, who was trying hard not to fall asleep. "What?" he yawned. "Did you or somebody open that window?" "No, it's shut, why." Then he noticed it too, the snow falling around them. "Unless a window is open, or the roof has a hole in it, why would there be snow in a heated building?" This peculiar quandary had Shizuru stumped. "Wait a minute, there is one more possibility," Yusuke recalled, "What if Yukina." "Hiei's sister? What would she.she's here to see him," Kurama realized. The four scrambled to their feet, heading for the hallway, trying hard not to run.
"Hey wait, I am not dead. Please come back." Kazuma suddenly found himself in a casket, his body being placed into an oven. He looked to see his friends' faces, only to see them blank, like sheets of white cloth. He felt helpless, unable to move. All he could do was watch himself being surrounded in flames. His screams fell upon deaf ears. Then just as he thought he was done for, the flames froze and became ice. To his side stood a blue maiden. "Yukina" he thought. Slowly he opened his eyes, to find her standing beside him. "Y-u-k-k-i-n-n-a." he said, surprised to see her. She said nothing, just smiled at him, rubbing her left palm gently over his forehead and through his hair. Yukina closed her eyes and began kissing him on the lips. Her icy breath seemed to help him rejuvenate a bit. Her eyes began tear. Ice pearls began to fall from them. "I heard what happened to you. I.I came over as soon as I could." She continued weeping, the thought of seeing him in this condition became too much for her. Kazuma reached his good right arm, trying his best to comfort her. Then he heard scuffling, and saw his sister and his three friends walk in. "Hey Sis," he said in a weakened voice, "have you been here this whole time." "Of course, Baby Brother, we all have." "Gee, am I popular," he joked. "What." "Maybe I should get injured more often." "What!" Shizuru pretended to get angry. He chuckled, through the twinge in his throat. "Hey Sis" "What?!" "Thanks."