Inner Needs
CHAPTER EIGHT: DEMON AUCTIONS AND POTIONS
The world came back slowly, washing up on his like waves on the shore. Kurama groaned lightly and cracked an emerald eye open. The sight of a thick forest greeted him. Where was he? All he remembered was a fierce pain and then someone or something standing over him. He was glad that the pain had finally gone away. But it had left him feeling weak.
Kurama groaned, his fox ears laying flat against his head. He tried to push himself up and saw that his hands were tied behind his back. His green eyes shot open wide. Tied up! Why was he tied up?
Rolling over he found the right position to sit up with out the aid of his arms. There was no one around him and he couldn't sense any demons near by. God, where the hell was he? And who had tied him up?
His thoughts roamed to his friend. He remembered Hiei for some odd reason. Had Hiei been there? If so, could his three eyed friend save him from whatever he had gotten himself.
A sudden flare in energy caught Kurama's attention. His captors were coming back. A soft whimper escaped him as he waited to see what he was going to have to deal with. A demon stepped out of the tree line, his black hair hanging straight to the middle of his back. His skin was pale, eyes ice blue. His clothing was also a dark blue, almost black. When he grinned, he revealed rows of sharp teeth that reminded Kurama of a shark. He whimpered again and tried desperately to scoot back from the new creature.
"Poor little kitsune." The demon hissed. "Have I frightened you? I did not mean to my beauty."
Kurama raised a thin brow. Was this demon coming on to him? A shiver ran slowly down his spine, sending tremors through out his entire body. No. No, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be. He curled into himself.
"W-who are you?" The fox stuttered slightly.
The demon laughed lightly and settled down on rock across from his captor. He flicked a strand of his black hair over his shoulder and grinned. His sharp teeth gnashed together.
"Does a name really matter my sweet kitsune?" He chuckled. "All you need to know is I'm an auctioneer. And you will make me a ton of money at the next auction. With your beautiful silver hair and deep green eyes. Truly a rare prize."
Kurama's eyes widened. If he was in his Youko form why were his eyes still green. That couldn't be right. Slowly the other demon's word sunk in to his foggy mind. Auction? This creature was going to sell him?!
"You want to sell me?" He choked on the words. "You can't do that!"
The demon shrugged carelessly and rose to his feet. The grin never left his face as he walked back to the tree line. He winked at Kurama before disappearing into the thick woods.
Kurama let out a strangled cry and collapsed back into the cool ground. The last effects of the pain that had flashed through him rose again, causing him to grit his teeth against the racking pain. Help. Some one had to help. Tears tracked down his cheeks, leaving streaks in the dirt that had clung to his soft features.
"Hiei." He murmured to no one. "Hiei please help me."
~*~
Hiei jerked awake on the windowsill of Lady Kaede's hut. The horrible dream was still fresh in his mind. It was of Kurama in his Youko form, all except the eyes. He still had the soft green eyes of his ningen form. But they were sad, almost terrified. The greens shimmered, tears brimming in them while he begged Hiei for help. But each time the fire demon took a step closer to his kitsune friend, he seemed to fade farther and farther away.
His breath came in quick pants as he gazed at the sleeping forms spread through out the hut. The monk lay near the slayer, but her hand lay squarely across his face. The ningen girl was curled with a new creature. It was tiny child with a bushy tail and pointed ears. Hiei's eyes widened for a moment. It was a fox demon, yet still only kit. He could smell the dog demon just outside and spotted his silver hair in the low branches of a nearby tree. The only person who was missing was the old lady.
Hiei jumped from the window, landed lightly on the ground. He held still for a moment, making sure that he didn't wake any of the others sleeping around him. When he was sure the ningens were still trapped in their world of dreams, the fire demon crept into the room he had originally woken up in. Their sat the one eyed woman, slaving over a boiling pot. Hiei cringed as his sensitive nose picked up a horrendous smell.
"Come over here Hiei." She suddenly whispered, startling the fire demon into obeying. "I will not bite ye."
Hiei grunted but still stood by her side. The stench was worse closer to the pot and his gag reflex was triggered slightly. He quickly turned away from her and her odd stew and drew a deep breath of some what clean air. When he was finally able to turn back to her, a scowl was etched into his features.
"What kind of shit are you cooking old lady?" He barked, rubbing at his nose.
Lady Kaede had no reaction. She continued to stir her concoction and add a different herb or seasoning every once and a while. Finally she sighed and answered the gagging fire demon.
"Ye are more like Inu Yasha then you two wish to admit." She spoke slowly. "Both have no respect for their elders and very unclean mouths. But I will ye anyway. This potion is for ye friend."
This caught Hiei's attention. The smell was forgotten as leaned closer to the old woman. His eyes grew wide as he looked into the clear liquid. It looked like boiling water. He furrowed his brow and leaned back with a grunt.
"What is it?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.
"I listened to what ye said yesterday and figured out ye friend's aliment." She continued to stir the pot, looking oddly like a haggard witch. "It seems the power of the Shikon no Tama is attaching itself to the demonic power that resides with in your friend. The jewel needs an evil power to harness its full potential. So if he's close enough to the shard that he found it will feed off him."
Hiei nodded and turned to look away. He frowned to himself. That would explain the pain and the slow transformation of his friend. Kurama was stronger in his fox form then anything other. The jewel would force him to change, causing the pain. It would also explain the usually calm and collected kitsune's erratic behavior. It was the jewel talking through him, demanding to remain with the powerful fox demon. A pang shot through his heart as the fire demon realized he felt sorry for his friend.
"Damn you Kurama." He muttered, hating the foreign emotions that were wrapping themselves around him. "You'd better appreciate all of this."
"I'm sure he will child." The old women handed Hiei a few vials of the mixture. "Make sure he drinks just one of those vials. Too much can turn into a potent poison that few demon's can fight against. One bottle will cure him, two will kill him."
Hiei nodded slowly and slipped the five small bottles into the pocket of his cloak. They made a light clinking noise when they bumped into one another. He winced, fearing the delicate bottles would break before he was able to give one to the kitsune.
"They won't break." Lady Kaede startled Hiei again, sounding as though she were reading his mind. "Ye can trust me on that child."
"Hn." Hiei grunted and turned towards the door. "Why do you keep calling me child? I'm older then probably everyone in this house put together."
The old chuckled and turned towards Hiei. She reached up and patted his cheek lightly. Hiei jerked away from the touch his whole body stiffening at the unfamiliar contact. This was getting to be too much. Didn't these ningens realize he was a friendly 'hi-would-you-like-to-join-me-for-tea-and-a-chat' type demon? Those bakas Yusuke and Kuwabara were lucky that he treated them the way he did. This whole affectionate ningen act was getting old fast.
"You look no more then sixteen, child." She answered with a grin that caused wrinkles to crimp at the corner of her good eye. "If anything I look older then you by the hundreds of years you claim to have on me. But if ye disapprove I shall ye something else."
Hiei shrugged and fingered one of the bottles in his pocket. It didn't matter to him. They'd be gone by that night, out looking for Kurama. So what she called him didn't really have any effect on him.
"Call me what you wish." The fire demon shrugged, his fingers now rising to play with the necklace that he had been cursed with. "As long as no one says that cursed word to me you can consider me your best friend."
The old lady laughed. "Only when Miroku speaks that word are you affected." She chuckled. "So don't upset him and you'll be fine. Besides, he's a good man, a man of the cloth. He won't cause ye harm for no reason. Feel lucky ye aren't Inu Yasha."
The fire demon grunted and looked away. He peered out the door and saw the men of the village working in the fields again. Children ran through the dusty streets, their mothers following them, heads thrown back in gales of laughter. Hiei sighed. This world was such a peaceful place. How could something so beautiful be teeming with so many demons? He spoke from experience when he said he knew the damage that an angry demon could bestow on a ningen village.
"How do you put up with the hostilities of my kind?" He asked suddenly, turning his blood red eyes on the old woman. "We can be blood thirsty and uncaring. We are not bogged down by the emotions you ningens are, therefore aren't tied to any of the sappy sentiments that you are. Why do you put up with someone such as myself? A demon you know absolutely nothing about."
Lady Kaede seemed unphased by the fire demon's sudden bashing of himself and unknown depression. She had seen many a demon allow his past to suddenly catch up with them. Glancing at the distant look in Hiei's eyes, she figured it had something to do with Miroku's comment about his mixed blood. But before she could respond, Sango and Kagome popped into the room.
"Morning!" Kagome called almost too cheerfully. "Who wants breakfast? Miroku's cooking!"
"Hn." Hiei walked past the two women and leapt onto the windowsill again. "I'm not hungry."
Sango narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. Kagome took a step back, knowing that look and stance. The demon slayer was not one to take shit from anyone. Even a dangerous demon.
"Well we aren't going to leave here until you have something to eat." She snapped at the fire demon. "We have no idea how long it will take to find your friend and you need strength."
Hiei turned to look at him from his lounged position on the window sill. He growled and pointed to the dragon that twirled up his arm. The corner of his lip quirked when a quick flash of fear snapped across their faces.
"I'm a full blooded demon." He yawned as though the conversation was boring him. "I don't need your pathetic food to keep me going."
Kagome pursed her lips into a thin line. There had to be something that would catch Hiei's attention. There was always something she had that caught a demon's attention. For Inu Yasha it was Ramen. So what was it for Hiei?
"There must be something you want." Kagome called up at him. "Ramen?"
Hiei grunted and Kagome continued to think.
"Potato Chips?" She tried.
"Hn." Guess that was a no.
"Cookies?" Another guess.
"Hn." Another no.
"How about," Kagome stopped to think harder. Finally she could come up with her last resource, "A chocolate bar?"
This time Hiei perked up. He cracked open when red eye and turned it on the questioning ningen. He raised his brow and answered her slowly.
"You have chocolate?" He asked, cursing his weakness for ningen sweets.
"Sure." Kagome dug through her bag and suddenly pulled out the prize. A chocolate bar wrapped in a shiny foil. She held it up and was about to say something to Hiei when there was a suddenly blur in front of her. The candy bar was suddenly gone. She let out a yelp and looked back at Hiei who was lounged on the windowsill now munching happily on a chocolate bar.
"How does he move so fast?" Sango asked in complete amazement. She had seen many demons move faster then imagined, but none as fast as this tiny fire demon. Hiei smirked and polished off his stolen treat. Sango had to grin at that. The act made him appear childish, almost cute.
The fire demon dropped down and stood in front of the two ningen women. He cocked the side when he noticed the two girls staring at him with something akin to wonder.
"What?" He asked slowly fearing the answer.
"Nothing!" Kagome chirped as she and Sango turned and left the fire demon blinking dumbly. "After breakfast we'll head out."
Hiei watched them leave and gently slipped his hand into his pocket. His fingers brushed over the five small bottles once more and sigh escaped his lips.
'I'm coming Kurama.' He thought softly. 'Please hang on where ever you are.'
Another update!!! Uh-oh, Kurama was taken by an evil demon. Don't worry he will receive a name. He just didn't feel like giving it out at the moment.
And I know that this whole auction thing steers off the plot, but don't worry, Kurama's sudden split personality will give his new captor some problems. I couldn't make his finding Hiei and the others to easy now could I?
In the next chapter we'll learn more of Kurama's predicament and there will be more comedy between Hiei and the Inu Yasha crew. (despite their personality similarities, Hiei and Inu Yasha will not get along) And will Miroku slip and say those words to Hiei?
So please review!!