Sorry if the wait was long, I wanted to make this chapter longer because you have all been begging for some youkai ass kicking. So here it is, I hope you enjoy!
Inner Needs
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: YOU WON'T GET AWAY
"Kurama?"
Hiei stared at the fox with a mix of confusion and horror. There was his friend kneeling in front of him. But something was different. Something was…wrong. Was the kitsune growling at him? What was going on?
"Is that your friend?" The monk asked, pushing himself up from the spot where Hiei had knocked him down. "The demeanor seems the same."
"I remember him." Inu Yasha stepped between the fire demon and Miroku. "The kitsune that hides in a ningen body."
Hiei still had yet to say a word. His attention was fully captured by Kurama. The fox's green eyes were dull, seeming to stare not at Hiei but through him. It was like his mind was being run but something other then himself.
Throwing caution to the wind, Hiei took a step towards Kurama and held out a hand. His red eyes had softened and all those around him could see his true concern. He felt almost lightheaded at the thought of the kitsune having finally been broken by the damn shards.
"Fox," He spoke softly, as if talking to a frightened animal, "What is wrong with you?"
A growl rumbled deep from with in the kitsune's throat. His ears pressed flatter against his head as his tail began to swish from side to side. Hiei knew these as obvious signs of defense in the youko. For some reason Kurama was threatened by them. Was it because of the new comers, the monk and the demon slayer? No that couldn't be it, Kurama was always up for meeting new people. And besides, as soon as the fox had seen him he would have instantly calmed.
But instead he seemed to pull more into himself. The fire demon felt a brief flash of panic before Kurama lunged with an angry howl. All the members of Inu Yasha's team pulled back with a shocked cry.
Hiei on the other hand braced himself and caught the kitsune in mid air. The two demons crashed to the ground, the fire demon let out gasp as Kurama's weight knocked the wind out of him. Kurama on the other hand wasn't affected. He raised one of his clawed hands and tried to slash Hiei across the chest. But wards or no wards, Hiei moved quickly, grasping the fox's wrist and halting his assault.
"Kurama!" He forced out between clenched teeth. "What is wrong with you?"
Kurama snarled again and tried desperately to pull out of Hiei's hold. The fire demon furrowed his brows. Now he knew something was wrong. Kurama was in his demon form yet was weaker then his ningen form. Not only that, but the spirit fox hadn't said word since his attack, opting only for growls and snarls. And that wasn't like either Kurama or Youko. Both, as kind as they could be at times, enjoyed talking to their prey. Not exactly taunting, but furthering the death they would bring. So something was defiantly wrong with his fox friend.
"He has a Shikon Jewel!" Kagome's cry startled Hiei and Kurama was given enough time to pull his arm away. With another howl he slashed down, ripping the cloth and flesh of Hiei's chest. The fire demon let out a startled cry and bucked the kitsune off. Kurama rolled a few feet before stopping and turning once more on Hiei.
Suddenly Inu Yasha was at Hiei's side, hand resting on the hilt of his own sword. He cast a glance over his shoulder at the ningen girl.
"Where is it Kagome?" He snapped. "Tell me so I can cut it out."
"His right shoulder!" She called back obediently.
Inu Yasha pulled his sword out. It transformed into a large fang looking sword, which seemed to be surrounded by a strange pulsing aura. Hiei pulled back slightly and looked from the katana to Kurama and suddenly understood the plan. When the dog raised sword high over his head, Hiei let out a small scream and launched himself between his friend and the sword wielding dog demon.
"Don't you dare!" He panted, pain flashing in his chest. "I already told you I came here to save my friend, not watch you kill him!"
"Moron!" Inu Yasha screamed back, ignoring the fact that the small demon was in pain. "He has a jewel shard! Unless I cut his damn arm off he'll kill us!"
Kurama snarled behind him, but Hiei ignored him. The second he diverted his attention from the hanyou would be the last second the kitsune would have among the living. Instead, the fire demon dropped to his knees, pain and blood loss taking their effects. His bright red eyes wavered as he gave Inu Yasha a pleading look.
"Don't kill him." He cursed himself as he was reduced to begging. "There has to be another way."
"Hiei…"
The fire demon jerked and whirled around. He had heard Kurama's voice, the one that belonged to his foolish ningen body. The fox was bent over, struggling for air. Sweat was breaking out all over his skin. He took quick gasping breaths as one of his clawed hands wrapped tightly around his shoulder. Kurama turned his dulled green eyes on his friend. The pain was evident in them.
"Hiei," He whispered again, "S-stop it. I-it hurts. It makes me w-want to hurt you."
Hiei wasn't sure how to respond to his friend. He didn't know what was hurting the Youko, but he was almost positive it had something to do with the shard that Kagome had spotted. His hand quickly darted to the pocket of his shredded cloak and he lightly fingered one of the vials that lady Kaede had given him. Now was his chance to help.
"Kagome!" He called to the startled ningen girl. "Can you find the exact spot of the jewel and remove it?"
The young girl's features grew serious and she nodded. She quickly bolted over to Hiei and the crippled fox and noticed the shard was right on the joint of his shoulder. Reaching out carefully, she plucked the shard from the fox's body and gave Hiei a reassuring smile. But the short fire demon didn't return the gesture. Instead he knelt down beside the fox.
Kurama let out a cry and latched on to Hiei. Hiei hissed lightly when the kitsune's claws lightly grazed over his already open wounds. But he still held his friend close. He knew that the cursed shard that had started this whole thing was among them which meant his pain wasn't gone fully. At least not until he drank the potion. Reaching into his pocket, Hiei removed a vial and easily popped the top.
"Drink this." He ordered, bringing the bottle down to Kurama's lips. "It will help the pain."
Kurama whimpered but obeyed and parted his lips. With an unmatched tenderness, Hiei poured the old lady's concoction into Kurama's mouth. He made sure that Kurama closed his mouth and then gently rubbed his throat to induce the fox into swallowing when his tired body no longer wanted to.
Suddenly a faint pink light surrounded the kitsune. Hiei gasped and brought an arm up to shield his eyes. He faintly heard Kurama cry out and then all faded and went quiet. Hiei slowly lowered his arm and saw that the fox had collapsed in his arms. But for the first time in the past few days his sleep actually seemed peaceful, no longer disturbed by the pains of jewel.
~*~
"It seems our pawn has been taken from us Sesshomaru." Naraku bowed his head, the baboon masking sliding a bit forward.
"Yes." The silver haired youkai spoke slowly. "Seems we'll have to go in and do this ourselves."
The dog demon started to stalk towards the clearing when a fur covered arm shot out and gripped his own tightly. Sesshomaru looked down at Naraku's hand and growled lightly.
"Remove yourself from me." He kept his same monotone voice. "If we wait any longer they will get away."
"Then take this." The baboon masked demon raised yet another ningen arm with a jewel buried within it. "You know that once again you can't touch the blade you so desire and it will be so much easier to rip them apart with two hands."
Sesshomaru looked down at the arm, his golden eyes staying indifferent. He had seen this before, and the plan hadn't worked. But then again, there was no harm in trying accepting a gift that could help him in his task. Reaching down he grabbed the dead arm and gently slid it into place. The jewel flashed a bright pink before the old skin and the new skin melded together and he slowly bent this elbow. Fingers wiggled as he tested his new limb. He held up his real arm and watched as a green glow surrounded his fingers.
"Shall we?" He asked his unwanted partner.
"One more thing." Naraku paused briefly before continuing speaking. "In the short fire demon's pocket are four vials. If you get the chance, see to it that he drinks them all. His powers are unimaginable. You need to do this to keep him out of the picture."
Sesshomaru stared at the empty baboon eyes for a second before nodding again.
"I will see to it that the short one is put out of the way." He turned back to the clearing and raised his glowing hand again. His golden gaze locked on the small black haired demon. So the little one would go first. Raising his hand above his head, he took aim and fired.
~*~
"HIEI, SIT!"
Hiei didn't have time to compute the command before he was slammed face first in to the dirt near Kurama. He was about push himself up slowly when he felt a tremendous energy hit him. Gasping slightly he shuddered. These demons were powerful. Quickly scoping out his chest injury he saw that Kurama had sliced through one of the wards that bound him. The only question was which one was it. Pushing himself up off the ground he set his ruby orbs on Miroku.
"Monk!" He had to smirk when he saw Miroku jump out of fear. "Quickly, remove the remaining wards. You can trust me that much! You need my help in fighting the two that are approaching fast. They are too strong for a half breed and a couple of humans!"
Miroku nodded and started towards Hiei, who was, at the moment, refusing to leave Kurama's side. Inu Yasha was somewhere in the background barking in snarling that his half could bring down Hiei's full in no time. But neither monk nor fire demon were paying him any head. Suddenly the demon slayer was on her feet, eyes wide.
"Miroku! Hiei! Look out!!"
A sudden blast of green like energy slammed into the ground between Hiei and Miroku, sending them both flying. Inu Yasha caught the monk and easily set him down. But Hiei wasn't so lucky. He slammed hard into a tree, gasping as he felt the cracking of a few ribs. A tiny burst of blood oozed out from the corner of his mouth and trailed down to trickle off his chin.
"Hiei!" Sango and Kagome yelled at the fire demon, terrified by the sight they saw.
Said demon groaned as he tried to push himself up off the ground. Pain flashed through his chest but he pushed it aside. He could handle pain, it was death that frightened him. And with the wards still in place he was pretty sure death would be in his near future. He ran his fingers over the tightly wrapped talismans. Which ones were they?! Hiei knew he could hurt another demon, but he'd need the power of his black dragon to beat this demon.
"M-monk." Hiei called again, cursing the pain that managed to leak into his voice and weaken it. "The wards. You must re-"
Hiei was cut off when a silver haired demon stepped in front of him. This demon reminded his of Youko, minus the ears and tail. His eyes were narrow, sparkling a cold golden. Silver hair fell around his face in thick waves. But his face remained impassive. Holding up a clawed hand, Hiei noticed that the hand was surrounded by that same green aura.
"You've taken my pawn away from me." He spoke slowly. "And that doesn't make me very happy."
The words took a second to set in, but when they did the fire demon's eyes grew wide. Hiei snarled as his managed to force himself to his feet. His red eyes narrowed and sparked with a dangerous fire. Even Inu Yasha, standing across the clearing, allowed his golden eyes to widen as he took a step back. The look on Hiei's face was enough to scare even the strongest of demons. But the youkai in front of him didn't falter or even flinch. His golden eyes turned to the hanyou across the clearing.
"Brother, do you care for this powerless demon?" The silver haired youkai asked in a taunting tone.
Hiei growled and raised a hand up in front of his face. This guy had tortured Kurama, and was now taunting him. It was time to test the missing ward. He only hoped that Kurama had taken the right one. Holding a hand out in front of him, he reached deep inside and called for the dark fire of Makai. A brief spark flickered in his palm before a blinding pain flashed through his skull. Hiei cried out and dropped to his knees. It was the wrong ward.
"Oh no!" Kagome cried. "Hiei!"
The young ningen girl tried to take a step forward to help him, but the dog demon stuck his arm out to keep her from going to the injured fire demon. Hiei grinned when he saw it. So they really didn't care. They stamped him with wards and then were going to throw him away to dogs, quiet literally in his book. He grimaced. If that was the way it was going to be, so be it. Pushing himself up on to his knees, Hiei growled lightly.
"D-don't wait for him to answer." He snarled at the silver haired youkai. "It doesn't matter if he cares for me or not. My fight's with you, and yours' with me. You hurt my only friend, and whether or not I have the use of my powers, I'll kill you for that."
The silver haired youkai turned his golden eyes from his brother back to the smaller demon. This was something he hadn't expected. The fire demon, even with out the use of his powers, was actually going to try and beat him? Maybe Naraku had been right about using the potion to kill off this one. But before he could do that, he had to get the old lady's concoction.
Reaching down, he went to grab the fire demon by the front of his shirt. But he gasped slightly when he realized Hiei was no longer there.
"Looking for me?" The voice was from behind him, taunting him. He turned and found the fire demon standing behind him. "You need to watch things more carefully."
"Hey half-pint!" Inu Yasha yelled from the side lines. "Don't underestimate Sesshomaru! He's not an easy opponent!"
Hiei rolled his eyes. Why should he listen to a half breed? Any full blooded demon would be a hard fight for him. But Hiei had taken on many demons that were supposed to be more powerful then him and slaughtered them all. Then again he had had his demon powers and sword those times. But he had no choice but to use his bare hands to kick this guy's ass.
"I will kill him!" Hiei shouted at the angered hanyou. He cast his ruby eyes at the limp form of Kurama. Sango had pulled him away from the fighting and rested his head in her lap. Her fingers slowly worked through the silver strands of his hair, in a soothing manner. Anger flared through him, fueling the power he felt. "I will not allow him to live. Only a coward hides behind those who can't defend themselves or uses others to do their dirty work. People like that, whether demon or human, don't deserve to live."
"Hiei, I know you're mad," The monk shouted, "But you can't take on Sesshomaru with out-"
"You know nothing!" Hiei screamed back at them. "I don't care about myself! I'd give my life to see that those who care for me safe! Kurama was always there for me, and I won't allow those who hurt him to live on with out punishment."
"How sweet." Sesshomaru taunted, sauntering up to the fire demon. "But now it is your life that ends."
From the tip of his finger, Sesshomaru lashed out with a bright yellow whip. Hiei jumped back, dodging easily but he wasn't ready for the speed that the full dog demon possessed. One second he was standing in front of him, the next he was behind him lashing out once again. Hiei cried out as the whip dug into his back. The force slammed him into the ground and back against another tree. He gasped lightly, trying to push himself to his feet again.
Suddenly a hand wrapped around his throat. He gasped at the feeling. The hand was cold and reeked of death. It was almost as if the arm itself was already dead. He shuddered and tried to worm away.
"It's of no use." The dog demon laughed. "You meet your end here."
He raised his other hand and Hiei saw that odd green glowing again. The fire demon furrowed his brow and growled lightly. Wasn't that was caused the explosion before?
"No!" Sango yelped, her grip on the unconscious fox tightening. "It's Sesshomaru's poison claws! Hiei! Get the hell out of there!"
Hiei felt his stomach drop at the words poison claws. Were these people serious? With an angry growl, he wrapped both hands around the silver haired youkai's dead arm. Well there was no way that he was going to allow this freak to do anything to him. He began pulling, trying desperately to remove the creature's arm. But he was stronger then Hiei would have ever given him credit for. He let out an angry snarl and allowed his eyes to furrow.
"It's no use." Sesshomaru taunted him. "You're too weak and powerless to put up a fight. Now just surrender. It will only hurt a bit."
He raised his clawed hand and gripped one of Hiei's wrists. Suddenly a harsh pain flashed through his wrist, drawing a scream from the tired fire demon. The skin on his wrist began to go raw and then finally peel back away from the muscle and bone. He gasped and tried to pull away from him again. But the dog demon refused to release him from his hold. The burn traveled down his arm, burning more skin and muscle as it went along. Another cry ripped his way from his throat.
Sesshomaru grinned and released Hiei's throat. But the fire demon was to busy with the throbbing pain in his arm to realize that he had been freed. The demon lord easily slipped the mortal hand into the pocket of the demon's cloak and dug out the four extra vials that Naraku had told him of. He opened one of them and instantly was shocked by the pungent order. He winced and quickly pulled away. Thankfully he wasn't the one that had to drink the unusual potion. He let go of Hiei's smoldering arm and wrapped his deadly fingers around his throat. Popping the top off the first vial he grinned.
"Open up." The demon lord taunted.
Hiei gasped when he felt the same burning pain flash across the length of his throat. Sesshomaru took the chance to dump the first vial down the struggling fire demon's throat. Hiei made a choking sound and tried desperately pull away once more. The old lady's words came back to haunt him with a vengeance.
"One will save him, two will kill him."
When Sesshomaru poured the remaining vials down his throat, Hiei could almost feel his heart stopping. With a desperate cry he bucked against the trunk. But it still didn't remove the dog demon from him. He drew in gasping breaths as his struggles weakened. The potion was running rampant within his veins. With a weak gasp, he slumped back against the trunk. Sesshomaru released him with a light chuckle.
"One out of the way." He turned and set his cold gaze on Inu Yasha. "One to go."
Hiei grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. No, this baka was his and his alone to kill. After everything he had put Kurama through there was no way he would give that pleasure to anyone else.
"N-no." He choked out. "I won't be out of the way until I've stopped breathing."
Sesshomaru chuckled and flipped another yellow whip at the shaking fire demon. Hiei cried out as the lashing energy slashed his already wounded chest and knocked him backwards. His breath came in labored pants as he tried desperately to pull the air into his lungs.
"Have it your way." The dog demon shrugged. "I will kill you then."
"NO!"
Hiei froze when he heard that cry. A green whip snapped through the air and wrapped itself around Sesshomaru's yellow one. It pulled back and kept the weapon from making its killing blow. Hiei turned his blurring vision over at the source and saw the startled demon slayer staring at a weak spirit fox. Kurama's large ears were pressed flat against his head as he struggled to keep his rose whip in control. But his body was beaten and his energy low. Hiei didn't know how long he would be able to keep up with his attack.
"I-I won't let you kill him." The youko snarled. "I'm not your puppet anymore, so I'm free to kill you."
Sesshomaru grinned and turned his attention from the rapidly weakening fire demon to the bristling kitsune. The fox was kneeling, both hands busy holding his own whip at bay. A thin layer of sweat was breaking out under the silver bangs on his brow. His green eyes were sparked with flecks of gold. So his transformation was trying to complete itself. But the demon was too weak and wouldn't be able to do so. The kitsune was stuck at the point where he was. Too far to fade to human, but took weak to complete things. The dog demon grinned and allowed his whip to evaporate. This released Kurama's rose whip and the fox pulled it back with a quick snap.
"I won't let you hurt him." The fox snarled once more and ran a finger through his hair. He pulled out a small seed and held it in his open palm.
"What the hell?" Inu Yasha blanched. "What's he going to do? Grow him a damn flower?!"
Miroku could only shrug as he glanced at the tiny seed. Who knew what was going on any more? These two new demons had powers unlike any he had ever seen.
Hiei stiffened from where he was. He knew exactly what Kurama was going to use. He also knew that the fox didn't have enough energy to do it.
"Kurama, no!" He shouted. "You know you can't! Now stop and let the others take him!"
"No." A tiny sprout popped out of the seed and began to grow. Kurama winced as it pulled at his depleted spirit energy. "He's put me through so much, and now going after him. I won't allow this anymore. He must die!"
The plant suddenly grew, forming into the kitsune's famous Death Tree. Inu Yasha and his friends all gasped and took a surprised step back. The red branches snapped out, the mouths on the end dripping with their acidic saliva. Even the always calm Sesshomaru seemed to grow a bit frightened and took a step back. Kurama was now trying to keep himself from collapsing as he directed his tree at the silver haired youkai.
"I-I won't let you get away…" He panted. "With hurting me…o-or my friends."
The mouths snapped forward, lunging at the dog demon. Sesshomaru had only a split second to dodge and one of the mouths clamped down on his arm. He grimaced as the acid burned into the flesh. Kurama grinned from his spot, but was suddenly shocked by something.
Sesshomaru was smiling.
The dog demon suddenly jerked to the right and his entire left arm came off. Kurama faltered. Since when did this bastard have two arms? He felt ice run through his veins as the last of his spirit energy faded and the Death Tree melted back into its seed form. The kitsune let out a tired cry and fell forward, barely catching himself with his arms.
"Kurama!" Hiei cried. He some how managed to rise to his feet and glare daggers at Sesshomaru. That was it. He ran his hands down his battered chest and let out a tiny chuckle. The potion was mixing in his veins, morphing into a poison, but it wouldn't act quick enough to stop this final attack. He raised a hand in front of his face and allowed the dark Makai fire to form in his palm.
"How is it you can access your powers?" Sesshomaru frowned slightly. "I thought they were warded."
"They were." Hiei taunted, pointed a finger at his chest. "But you see, with your little whip you managed to cut the wards from my body allowing me to call upon the dark flame of Makai. This ends now you worthless fool."
The dragon on Hiei's arm came to life, wriggling around on the pale flesh. Kagome let out a shocked cry and buried her face in Inu Yasha's chest. Shippo had wrapped his small body around Miroku's head. While Sango had pulled Kurama close again, and away from the battle. The fox looked at Hiei with exhausted tear filled eyes.
"N-no Hiei," He whispered. "You don't have enough energy…you'll die."
But the fire demon wasn't paying attention. His entire focus was on the demon in front of him. He raised his arm as the dragon squirmed it's way free of Hiei's flesh imprisonment. With a tremendous roar Hiei launched it high into the air. They dragon cried out and curled high into the air. Sesshomaru followed it with narrow golden eyes, not for a second believing this small demon was capable of such power.
When the dragon turned back on them, Kurama slammed a hand into the ground. Vines broke free from the ground and formed a barrier around Inu Yasha's group. The hanyou and his ningen friends quickly turned shocked eyes on him. Drawing in a deep panting breath, Kurama explained.
"Hiei's Black Dragon is dangerous." He said in a strained voice. "It devours whatever is in its sight and very few have the strength to pit themselves up against such a creature. These vines are saturated with my energy and will work as a barrier against the attack."
His body went limp against Sango's as he turned his focus on powering up the bars of his cage. He had to keep the others safe. Hiei was too angry to know what he was doing. And besides that, he'd probably take Inu Yasha out on purpose and say it was an emotional accident.
Meanwhile Sesshomaru was following the movement of Hiei's black dragon with narrow eyes. He could feel the power coming off it in waves. This thing was dangerous, but the demon lord didn't know how he could control it, being as weak as he was. But he wasn't about to question the powers that be. All that mattered was he got out alive.
Hiei gritted his teeth as he tried desperately to control the fiery dragon. The potion was pumping through his veins, pounding in his head like hammer on a nail-head. His knees grew weak, turning into water before buckling completely. He landed on them hard, grunting as the rocky ground bit through the thin material of his pants.
The dragon was taking so much of his energy, but that didn't matter. The same image kept replaying in his head. It was the dream he had had back in the old lady's hut. The one where Kurama had been crying, calling for Hiei to come and save him, but the fire demon couldn't reach him. All the pain the fox must have gone through in these few short days.
That was the final straw. With an angry roar, Hiei pumped the last of his energy into the dragon. It reared its black head, screeching its acceptance of his command. Snapping like a whip in mid air, it redirected its aim for the silver haired youkai. It slammed down into the dog demon, seeming to pile drive it into the ground. But Hiei was blinded by a momentary flash of bright light. He quickly jerked an arm up to cover his face and before he knew it, things were over.
Dropping forward onto his hands and knees, he drew in a gasping breath. It had been too much. He should have listened to Kurama's warning. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching and looked up to see the weakened fox standing over him.
"K-Kurama?" He stuttered, somehow not believing this whole vendetta had finally come to an end.
"Yes Hiei," The fox whispered, dropping to his knees beside the fire demon, "It's me."
Hiei, despite his weak body, managed to smile. It had worked out. He had saved his only friend. Slowly pushing himself up off his hands he reached out and pulled the kitsune into a tight embrace. One tiny tear leaked out of the corner of his eye and turned into a hard black pearl before plinking to the ground.
"Thank god." He muttered, his muscles starting to go slack. "Thank god."
Hiei's body finally gave out. With a groan he sagged against the fox's chest. Kurama, being too weak himself, fell over backwards with the fire demon's extra weight. He let out a tiny shocked noise as the group Hiei had been traveling with surrounded him.
"Hiei!" He cried desperately. "Hiei, what's wrong?"
The fire demon drew in a gasping breath before coughing lightly. He pointed to a patch of dirt a few feet away where the empty vials lay. Kurama recognized them as the same thing that Hiei had given him early to cleanse his spirit of the jewel's power. But Hiei had only given him one, why where all five bottles empty?
"O-one will s-save you," Hiei managed to gasp out. "T-two will k-kill you…"
After that the entire fire demon's body went limp. Kurama gasped and latched onto his shoulders, shaking them violently. What had he meant, one will save you, two will kill you? Did he mean the potion that was in the vials? And if that was case, Hiei had been forced to drink…four!
"NO!" Kurama let out a feral cry and shook Hiei harder. "You can't die! You're supposed to die in battle, not by some damn potion! Damn it Hiei, wake up!"
But Hiei's eyes remained closed, his head tilting limply to the side. Tears poured down Kurama's cheeks as he watched this action. This wasn't right. Hiei couldn't die saving him. He wasn't worth it. He wasn't able to defend himself against Sesshomaru or Naraku, Hiei should have just left him to die. He wasn't worth death.
"Kurama?"
The kitsune looked up to see the woman from before, the one who had held him. Her eyes watched him softly and he was almost disgusted by the pity he saw deep in her orbs. Another cry caught itself in his throat as he quickly looked away.
"What?" He asked weakly.
"Kurama, I think we can help." She spoke softly. "Or at least know someone who can help."
The kitsune's eyes widened and his gaze snapped back to her face. Someone could save Hiei? He crawled to his hands and knees and grabbed her hands.
"Please," He whispered, feeling the last of his strength beginning to fade, "Get him to this person, quickly."
She nodded and pointed at Inu Yasha.
"You can move faster then any of us." She stated. "You carry him to Lady Kaede's hut, as fast as you can. Me and Miroku will bring the kitsune back on Kilala and Kagome and bring Shippo on her bike."
The half breed opened his mouth for what seemed to be a retort. But after seeing the look in the fox's eyes, he sighed deeply.
"Damn you half pint." He growled. "You're a royal pain in my ass."
The half dog demon scooped Hiei up off the ground and in a flash, was gone. Kurama was able to follow his path with blurring vision and let out a soft sigh. He wished God's speed to the hanyou.
"Help him up Miroku." The lady ordered and the monk flinched, quickly making his way over to the kitsune's side. "We need to get him onto Kilala's back."
Kurama winced when the monk hoisted him to his feet. His whole body was weak, and aching. When he spotted the large feline fire demon, he instantly thought of Hiei. He found it hard to think of anything else. A few more tears leaked down his face. The young woman was perched atop the cat and reached down to help him on. She gave him another sad grin before instructing Miroku to sit behind the fox, forming a sandwich like seatbelt.
But Kurama was no longer paying attention. Words were lost in a loud roar that had built up in his head. He slumped forward, leaning all his weight against the girl's back. The kitsune was vaguely aware of her letting out a shocked noise before he allowed the darkness to reach up and swallow him whole.
There was only one image burned into the darkness like a morbid slide show. It was of Hiei holding him gently while he feed him the potion with an almost tender love. He whimpered slightly and gave into the abyss.
Hmmm…that was a long chapter. I'm sorry that Inu Yasha and the others really weren't in this chapter but I wanted it to focus solely on the strong friendship between Hiei and Kurama. And just to avoid questions, this is not a Hiei/Kurama fic, but I'm thinking of a sequel that might be. Let me know what you think. (and yes, the sequel will have the Inu Yasha bunch in it!)
But before I do that I'm thinking of adding onto my song fic, "I Forgot to Tell You". I'm thinking about adding 5 more chapters to that one. I already have it all planned out, I just have to write them. But that will be a side project.
My next fic will be a "what if" fic called "Growing on Me" and it WILL be a Hiei/Kurama fic. I'm already working out the first chapter.
As for this story, I think it will have one or two more chapters, depending on how long I want to make the next chapter. But for a preview of the next chapter…
Will Hiei be able to survive the deadly potion that Sesshomaru has forced him to ingest? And what will Kurama do, knowing that he hurt the little fire demon and basically caused his aliment (or so he thinks). Can the two over come the obstacles that stand in their way? And what the hell happened to Sesshomaru and Naraku? Have they gotten away? All that in the next exciting installment of "Inner Needs"!
Hmmm…I sounded like the announcer at the end of Yu Yu Hakusho…hehe.
Anyway, please review and it's on with next chapter!!!