Chapter 8: Please wake up!
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own. Wish I did, though. *sigh* I DO own Tsuaigo, though. Wow… this is my longest story yet!
~NORMAL POV~
"Hiei? OH GODS! HIEI!" Yusuke cursed colorfully under his breath, while his companion checked the fire demon for a pulse and any sign of life.
The Jaganshi had collapsed and was lying on the floor in a loose fetal postion. He was unnaturally pale, his skin cold and clammy to the touch. Hiei's Jagan was open and glowing, but not the color either spirit detective had thought it would be.
"GREEN?!" Kuwabara had exclaimed upon sight. "His-His Jagan's glowing GREEN?!" Yusuke was just as confused.
"But… why?!" And there started the efforts of getting him to wake up.
"SHRIMP! WAKE UP!" Kuwabara shrieked in Hiei's ears. The Jaganshi didn't flinch. "COME ON!! YOU'VE GOT TO WAKE UP!" Nothing, no response at all.
"HIEI! COME ON! WE KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE!! WAKE UP!" Suddenly, Yusuke got an idea. Staring back at his friend's Jagan, he beckoned to Kuwabara. "Hey, lame-brain, you've got better spirit intuition than I do. Can you get into Hiei's head and drag him back out?" Kuwabara looked aghast.
"Get into his head? Like… zapping into his mind?" Yusuke sighed.
"Yeah, and I think the Jagan is your entrance." He patted his tall friend's back. "Good luck." There was no way Kuwabara could protest. He hesitantly stepped forward and put two fingers to Hiei's Jagan eye, and…
WHOA! I'm in Hiei's head!
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BACK WITH HIEI
There were voices. Hiei could hear them. He stirred from his spiritual sleep, groggily looking around the dark voids of his mind.
No… no more… no more darkness… He whimpered, holding his hands to his head. Where's the light? Where is it?! Hiei hysterically shrieked, jumping up. The voices… they were getting louder. Hiei jumped as high as he could, vainly trying to reach the voices. WHERE WAS THE LIGHT?! Hiei clawed desperately at the darkness, grasping nothing but air.
There was a loud voice.
SHRIMP! WAKE UP! COME ON!! YOU'VE GOT TO WAKE UP! Hiei stared around him, his head jerking as the yell came from all sides. Where was it?! Where was it coming from?! And suddenly, the voices stopped. Hiei let out a sharp breath, screaming his protest.
NO! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME, COME BACK! He had snapped from the insanity. He knew it. There were no more voices, and Hiei was, once again, lost in silence. No… no… don't leave… not yet… don't leave… don't… leave… And he collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.
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BACK WITH KUWABARA
Kuwabara walked around, amazed at the vastness of Hiei's head. He glanced at the memories as he passed by, surprised at how much Hiei had seen in such a short time.*
So many memories… He murmured, staring at a fight that almost cost Hiei his life. Doesn't he have any good ones? Not a single memory Kuwabara had seen held fun, playfulness, or even joy in it. In fact, it seemed every single thing Hiei had experienced had pain behind it, not allowing the fire demon to understand happiness, or even laughter.
Suddenly, Kuwabara ran smack into a barrier. He looked up, shocked at how high and strong it was.
So, this is the reason he can't wake up. This is why he's trapped. But a sly grin found its way onto his face… somehow. Heh. Nothing my good old Rei ken can't beat! Summoning the sword, Kuwabara ran and slashed it down the middle, breaking the two walls right in half. He wasn't ready for what he saw.
AH! SHRIMP!
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BACK WITH HIEI
It was cold. No, it was beyond cold. Hiei could feel his blood freezing, feel it slowly stop moving in his veins. He curled up, trying to provide warmth, but all he was met with was the cold. He shivered horrendously, his lungs ready to freeze and snap off. But he couldn't care less. After snapping from the dark, Hiei had given up; he had long since lost the desire to live. He was ready to go to Hell, literally. Hiei breathed out, using one of the last breaths he had, when miraculously, he felt something.
Hiei sat up from his position, welcoming the feeling with open arms. It felt so wonderful; it felt… warm… He stood up, staring with new hope in the direction where he felt it, and started to happily run towards it, but he was too weak. Hiei, instead, fell back, but didn't hit the floor. Rough hands told him who it was, and he didn't even try to fight.
Instead, he muttered something so soft; the owner of the hands had to strain to hear it.
Th-thank you…
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WITH KUWABARA
Kuwabara stared, shocked at what Hiei had just said.
He-He THANKED me?! That ungrateful little shrimp THANKED me?! How horrible was this place?! But he shook it off and returned them both to their bodies, with one last thought.
He THANKED me?!
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WITH YUSUKE
Yusuke paced around the crystal room, muttering to himself. Damn, they HAD to be back now! How long did it take Kuwabara to get to Hiei?! Suddenly, with a start, Kuwabara flew awake. Yusuke, seeing his friend was okay, stared at Hiei. Nothing.
"I THOUGHT YOU PULLED HIM OUT!!" Kuwabara, who was watching the fire demon, too, let his mouth drop.
"I DID! May-maybe he's just… having trouble moving… or… he could be asleep!" Yusuke cast a worried glance at Hiei's Jagan. It had not changed. But as Hiei slit his eyes open, just a millimeter, the Jagan returned to its normal shade.
"HIEI'S BACK!" Yusuke would've dogpiled him, had it not been for the fact his injuries still hadn't been tended to. Yusuke turned to Kuwabara. "We've GOT to get him back to the cave. We've GOT to." Kuwabara nodded, and gently picked up Hiei. As they walked out of the hut, however, he stirred.
"There it is…" He murmured. Yusuke stared with interest.
"There what is?" He asked.
"It… it's the light… there it is…" And with all of his last strength, Hiei pointed towards the cave.
Indeed, there was a light. Yusuke gasped as he finally realized what it was.
"KURAMA!"
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AN: There! Hiei's fine! Now, all we've got to worry about is Kurama! Anyhow, Merry Christmas, SilverKitsune568!
~Koganeiro Kitsune