Inner Needs
CHAPTER ELEVEN: UP FOR AUCTION
Kurama sat huddled in the corner of the cave. His thin frame was racked with shivers, tears streaming from his green eyes. Once beautiful silver hair now hung in dirty clumps around his face. His ears were pressed flat against his head from a mix of physical and mental pain.
Nori hadn't been lying when he said that he was putting him up for sale. Demons had spent the day poking and prodding at him. They had treated him like some kind of animal. Their dirty fingers had pried his mouth open and ran along his teeth. At one point he had to rip away from their groping and vomit violently, his body trying to purge itself of the grimy feeling.
There had been all kinds, ice demons, fire demons, animal spirits, and even other kitsunes. They had ran their hands through his hair, stroked the silver fur of his ears and tail. One had even gone so far as to slip his clawed hand into the waist of his pants. That has resulted in Kurama retching again.
Now he sat alone, feeling used. He curled into a tight ball, his whimper bouncing effortlessly off the stony walls. Just outside he could hear Nori talking to another demon, obviously his buyer. He shuddered when he felt the strength of the energy rolling off his new owner. This demon was strong, possibly even stronger then Hiei. A chocked cry escaped him when thought of his far away friend. He couldn't depend on the fire demon to save him now. This was his own fight and he was likely to lose it.
"Oh foxy boy!" Nori's voiced echoed loudly through the cavern, startling Kurama who jerked with a small cry. The black haired demon sauntered over to him, sharp teeth revealed in a jagged grin. Kurama pulled back with a weak whimper.
"Now don't fear me my beautiful kitsune." Nori chuckled, bending down and hoisted the trembling fox to his feet. "You are no longer in my hands. I can't do anything to you your master doesn't want me to. Now come along. It's time for you to go to your new master. And you better make sure to call him that as well."
Kurama put up no fight as he was dragged out to the opening of his once prison. There in front of him stood a tall demon with long silver hair. Red stripes zigzagged across his cheeks and a violet crescent moon was emblazed in the center of his forehead. He glared down at him with cold amber eyes. They were so similar to the eyes of Youko, eyes that Kurama wished he had at the moment. If he were in his full demon form he could easily defeat this has been demons. Casting another worried glance at the silver haired youkai he gained second thoughts.
"Here he is sir." Nori tossed Kurama at the demon's feet. "Like I said, his spirit seems to be attached to the Shikon no Tama that your brother carries. I'm sure you and your partner will find him very useful in your plans. Just remember your old friends when you get what you desire. I shall now leave you Lord Sesshomaru. Take care of my lovely kitsune."
With those final words Nori flitted off into the woods, obviously in search of his next weak demon to auction off. Kurama watched him go suddenly wishing to be with that crazed demon than here with this Sesshomaru. This powered up demon was looking at him as though he were nothing more then a piece of meat. He flinched and tried to scoot away.
"Don't bother trying to run." Sesshomaru spoke in a voice that was as cold as his eyes. "You won't escape me. You are too weak."
Kurama stopped in his tracks and turned his wary green orbs at his new owner. Fear raced up and down him, numbing his limbs. Even if he tried to run he knew he wouldn't get very far. Besides that, he had no idea where he was and where he could go.
Suddenly a tiny green frog demon burst free from the under brush and waddled over to Sesshomaru. He carried a large staff that was three times his size. There were two heads perched on the top, one the face of an old man, the other a woman's. The staff was clenched tightly in his webbed hands as though the frog would die if it were removed. He cast a glare at the kitsune before turning back to the taller dog demon.
"He's waiting for you Lord Sesshomaru." He spoke in a crackling voice that made Kurama wince. "Though I don't understand why you are working with him sire. Last time he tried to kill you with that jewel shard and ningen arm."
Kurama raised a brow at that comment and for the first time noticed that tall demon was missing his left arm under the long sleeve of his kimono. He didn't know whether to praise his captor's handicap or take his survival of it as a bad sign. But judging by the situation he was in he decided that it was the worst sign he could receive.
"Quiet Jaken." Sesshomaru growled. "He may have tried to betray us last time but he's the only one who helped me get the closest to my goal. This time we won't fail. Not with kitsune's help."
He turned his golden glare on the shocked fox demon and watched him for any sign of a retreat. But Kurama stood as firmly as his weak body would allow him too. His green gaze was fiery.
"What makes you think I will help you?" Kurama knew he was playing with his life but going against this angered demon but he no longer cared. "You may have bought me but I am no one's slave."
To his shock Sesshomaru threw his head back in sinister laughter. His tall frame shook slightly. Even the frog demon, Jaken, seemed taken aback by his master's sudden change in disposition.
"You honestly think you can defy me?" The dog demon chuckled. "In your weakened state? You're as a joke as my half breed brother."
The laughter stopped as the demon charged forward. He moved with a speed rivaled only by Hiei. Kurama gasped as he was slammed into a nearby tree trunk. His body gave way a pained crack and the fox felt his surroundings blur. A tiny sound escaped him.
"Don't cross me." Sesshomaru hissed, leaning in close to Kurama's voice. "You will do what you are told or I will hunt down everyone you ever cared about and kill them all. Slowly and painfully."
Kurama whimpered lightly. This wasn't happening. His situation assaulted him violently and bits of black dotted his vision. He let out a quiet groan and fell into a world of darkness.
~*~
Something large and warm was laying on top of him. Another soft and warm thing was wrapped tightly around his body, restricting him in a way that would normally drive him into a defense terror. But at the moment he was too weak to care. He groaned quietly and tried to roll over, but the surrounding warmth held him in place.
"So you finally decided to wake up."
Hiei jerked slightly at the soft voice of the demon slayer. If he had the energy he would have growled and cursed at her. Instead he settled on forcing his ruby eyes open. He immediately regretted the action as sunlight burned into the orbs, harsher then any fire he ever remembered feeling. Turning, he buried his face deeper into the soft warmth with a groan. A shudder ran through him, fighting off the last of the cold that had assaulted him.
"Are you okay Hiei?" This question came from the other ningen girl.
"Hn." He grunted, not feeling up to having a conversation with the two women. His mind was wrestling with itself, trying to remember every last detail from earlier. He remembered saving Kagome from an ice demon's attack and then killing creature. But everything between and after the fight was a complete blur to him.
He finally began to struggle against what ever bound him tightly inside of it. The odd cloth stretched slightly under his hands as he pushed out. Panic slammed into him suddenly when he found the wrappings were not giving under his force. He gasped and began to trash wildly. A tiny whimper escaped him when horrible thoughts ran through his mind. The ningens had finally become fed up and tied him up, and with the wards he was powerless.
Suddenly there was the sound of a zipper being pulled and his restraints loosened. With and excited gasp he rolled towards the freedom, breathes coming in deep pants. He felt a hand on his shoulder and quickly shook it off. The fire demon had already depended on ningen's too much since he awoke. It was something that shamed him to realize. Cracking his eyes open he glanced up into the worried faces of the two women and the kit, Shippo.
"What?" He managed to growl out.
"What was your problem?" The fox demon suddenly burst out, running up to Hiei and shoving his face close. "You got all pale all of a sudden and then started freaking. Kagome's sleeping bag won't hurt you. I sleep in it with her sometimes."
Hiei raised a brow and peered skeptically at the kit. "A sleeping bag?" He repeated. What the hell was a 'sleeping bag'?
"It's like a portable bed." Kagome interjected, in the process of rolling up said sleeping bag. "We needed it to keep you warm."
Hiei shuddered suddenly disgusted with himself. He had allowed that low class ice demon to make an ice sculpture out him. Being a fire demon he knew his only weakness were water and ice and still he had risked himself. And for what? That baka ningen girl? She had that stupid hanyou to watch out for her. Or the demon slayer. Sango made a living do just what he had done earlier and she wouldn't have been affected like he had been.
The fire demon suddenly realized that there was still an extra layer of fabric wrapped around his small body. He glanced down to see the half breed's bright red kimono wrapped tightly around his body. His eyes widened, terror spreading through him. His cloak, where was his cloak?! He was the only one who knew that the potion he needed for Kurama was in the pockets of the old black rag. His red eyes quickly searched his surroundings, landing on the black heap under a nearby tree. Shedding the red kimono he grabbed his cloak and pulled it back on. His hand darted into the pocket and felt the tiny bottles that rested there. He left out a soft sigh and relaxed with the encouraging relief that washed over him.
"I'll agree that Inu Yasha is somewhat of a jerk," Sango suddenly appeared at Hiei's side, "But I don't think you can catch it from his clothes."
"Hn." Hiei turned from the demon slayer. She had been acting weird lately, almost as if she pitied him. He didn't pity, he need help finding his way around this damn place. "I don't care about that damn hanyou or his clothes. Just a waste to me."
"WHAT?!" The voice exploded from the tree above them as said dog demon leapt from the lower branches. Inu Yasha grabbed Hiei by the front of his cloak and pulled him up quickly. He pulled back a hand and was fully prepared to knock the fire demon's lights out when a soft hand wrapped around his wrist. He turned and saw himself looking into Kagome's dark eyes.
"Leave Hiei alone Inu Yasha." She demanded. "He's been out for two days. I'm sure he doesn't have his strength back yet."
Hiei's eyes grew wide. Did she say two days? As in the sun went down and the moon came out twice? Who knew what could have happened to Kurama in those two days. Not bothering to remove himself from Inu Yasha's grip he turned to glare and the girl.
"If I was out for two days then we better start moving immediately." He said in a level tone. "Too long has passed."
Kagome blinked slowly. "Don't you think you should rest for just a bit longer?" She asked slowly. "You are still weak."
"No!" He cried. "Kurama needs my help as soon as possible and I will not let that baka kitsune down!"
Myoga suddenly appeared on the hanyou's shoulder and peered at Hiei questioningly. His beady eyes seemed to be looking for something that would prove betrayal if he gave to wrong information.
"A kitsune did you say?" The flea demon finally spoke. "I heard rumors of Lord Inu Yasha's older brother traveling with kitsune. He was said to have silver hair, ears, and tail and these vibrant green eyes. It was also said that he was in bad shape in looked to be in constant pain."
Hiei felt something tear inside him. Kurama was almost in full demon form and he still couldn't fight the hold the jewel had on him. If things kept going at this rate, Kurama would die before Hiei got the potion to him. Letting his eyes close he spoke in a deadly calm voice.
"Pack up, we're leaving immediately." He breathed. "We will find this demon and save my friend before it is too late."
The demon slayer sighed but nodded at the others. It was a sign that no matter what happened, the fire demon would be too stubborn to just sit around and do nothing while his friend was in trouble.
"We will leave." She set a deadly glare on Hiei who was still caught in Inu Yasha's grip. "But you are going to ride on Kilala."
Hiei's red eyes narrowed in his own death glare. There was no way he was going to take the help of this group of stupid ningens. He shrugged out of Inu Yasha's grip and turned his glare on the large feline like demon.
"I will not ride on that thing!" He snarled. "I am perfectly capable of walking."
He tried to take a step forward to prove it but his knees gave way and he crumpled to the ground once more. An angry growl escaped him when he could sense Sango's smirk. This just wasn't his day was it?
An hour later, Hiei found himself sitting on the large feline fire demon's back, arms crossed tightly over his chest. The demon slayer walked beside her loyal companion, a wild grin splitting her face in two.
"See," She chirped, running her fingers through the cat's fur, "Is this really that bad."
Hiei turned away from her smiling face and produced a one syllable response.
"Hn."
SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET THIS CHAPTER OUT!!!! Work and college has had me so busy lately!! I've worked every day, 9 hours a day for the past week, and when I'm not working I'm preparing for my move to college next month. (I know that seems drastic but you really DO need all that time.) I meant to get this out earlier but I just couldn't.
Oh, to answer a question that was asked by a bunch. NO! This WON'T be a Hiei/Sango fic. She only pities him because being a demon slayer she can relate to his kind. She feels bad cause she knows he's scared for Kurama but he's too proud to show it.
And speaking of Hiei, if you're a Hiei, Hiei/Kurama, angst-torture, fan fic fan you should check out my friend's (Hiei's Katana) fic Black Tears. Its very well written and I can tell you this, it's a great fic!! And very original. I think you'll like it. I'm going to put it on my favorite stories list. Go give it a try!!