Thank you all so much for supportive reviews. I didn't mean to sound brash when I wrote that but I had just read the e-mail as I finished the chapter and I was still furious with the unnamed person. And since I was so pleased with the feed back, I'm going to respond to all of those who reviewed after the last update…
Rath: I can't promise I won't kill them. That's the beauty of me being the writer and you being the reader. I know but you have to wait to find out!! BUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!...hehe…n.n
Kuramagal: Thank you! I will tell them!!! Because it is my story and I will do WHAT I WANT!!! And thank you on the comment, I'm glad you enjoy this story and I hope it continues to please you in the upcoming chapters.
Chisara Notell: I hope this update was fast enough for you. And thank you, why can't they just leave us yaoi lovers alone?! ARGH!!!
Son Cara: Are Hiei and Kurama really a couple in the manga? That's something I did not know. I thought it was undecided, or never said. I always thought it was left up to the reader? That's really cool. And I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. And poor Hiei?! What about poor Kurama?! Lol, j/k. I know, I'm horrible to them. But then, this fic wouldn't be any fun if I just let them escape.
Also, don't worry. I'm not going to get mad and stop writing. If any thing it fuels me to write faster so I can rub it in the yaoi-haters-wasting-my-precious-damn-time-people!! HAHAHAHA!!!!
HellFireFanatic: I think Hiei and Kurama are a cute couple as well! All you yaoi haters can just BITE ME!!!
((It's 1:30 in the morning and I'm on a major sugar high. Can you tell? Lol
Hiei: No, I think you're this much of a baka all the time.
Grrr…
Kurama: Hiei, love, I think you better start running now
Hiei: *disappears in a black blur*
Grrr…
Kurama: Uh…*sweatdrops* HIEI WAIT FOR ME!! *chases after Hiei*))
Saelbu: I'm sorry if it's getting depressing, but I'm an angst fanatic. I love writing and reading it! But I hope that you are enjoying the story otherwise.
Koritsune Dragonrider: Hehe…yes, I hurt Kurama AND made Hiei cry. *BAM* DOUBLE ANGST!!! BOO YAH!!!
((Hiei: You need to give me those peanut butter cups right now. You've had too much sugar.
*growls*
Hiei: *sweatdrops* Or not…))
Mocha Cocoa: Thank you. I didn't want to seem like a ranting fool. I was trying to be diplomatic. And I'm glad you like this story enough to be twitching in anticipation. So I hope this chapter was fast enough and you enjoy it!!
Sato Takai: I'm sorry that person wasted my time as well. Lol, anyways…I'm glad you like my story and I hope it continues to thrill me!!
Kitjx(): YEAH! I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO A DAMN THING THEY SAY!! IT'S MY STORY GOD DAMN IT!!! SO YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH WHAT I WRITE!!! Anyway, thanks for the good review and I hope you like this chapter!!
Kodackrocker: If those stupid people (as you put it) can't hold their tongues then there is no reason why you should either. And I started laughing with that Yusuke comment too. As soon as I read that it struck me and I was rolling on the ground with laughter. Maybe it was all those peanut butter cups I ate though…lol, who knows. And I plan on using this story to piss them off, as they say…The pen is a greater weapon then a sword.
((Hiei: *draws katana* That's what you think.
*stabs Hiei in hand with pen and starts running like hell*
Kurama: *laughing* I think she's got you beat there Hiei.
Hiei: *growling and nursing bleeding hand* Hn.))
Alright, now it's finally on with the chapter! Oh, and one more question. Does anyone know of a web site that has good doujinshi and manga pictures of Youko Kurama? I draw manga pictures and I can't find any manga pics of the Spirit Fox. SOMEONE HELP!!!!
((Hiei: *wacks Katana upside the head with the hilt of his katana*
@.@
Hiei: Finally!
Kurama: Hiei! Now she can't write the next chapter!
*jumps up* YES I CAN! *brandishes pen with Hiei's blood on it*
Hiei: Damn…))
Black Tears
CHAPTER SIX: YOUR TEARS
Pain. That was the only thing Kurama was aware of as he slowly came to. His arms, legs, and chest throbbed from the vicious burns and his back was still humming with a faint pain. He wearily forced his eyes open, their normal green luster now dulled. The blank ceiling of the cell glared back at him, mocking his predicament. He growled angrily and tried to force his body to sit up.
That was when Kurama noticed a warm pressure on his chest. Glancing down he saw Hiei's face buried in his chest, fingers laced loosely around the torn fabric of his shirt. His features were wrinkled in a deep anguish that tore at the kitsune's heart. Kurama knew he was the cause of his little fire demon's sadness. But he knew that was better then watching his love in physical pain. He would take on the entire Makai if it meant Hiei would remain unharmed.
Kurama shifted slightly so Hiei's head rolled gently to the side and landed on the pillow. Once the fire demon was removed from his chest, the fox painfully pushed himself into a sitting position. It was then something rolled off his chest and made a soft 'plip' as it landed on the sheets below him. Kurama felt his heart freeze as he reached down to pick up the object. He slowly raised a black pearl up in front of him.
'No!' Kurama's mind screamed at him. Hiei was crying over him, shedding his secret and placing himself in danger. The fox shook his head violently from side to side, ignoring the pain that flashed through his battered body. With an angered cried, he hurled the gem across the cell, hearing it shatter as it hit the far wall. Once his anger was spent, he collapsed onto the mattress, the pain taking over as the burns cracked open to bleed once more.
The kitsune was vaguely aware of a quick movement at his suddenly. Suddenly Hiei's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, trying to coax him into a more comfortable position. But there was no comfortable position, there was only pain. He weaved his fingers through his red locks and pulled, another cry wrenching itself through his raw throat.
Hiei was now panicking. His red eyes were opened wide, his breath coming in quick pants. Kurama's own eyes were shut tight, the features of his face tight. The fire demon was frantic. No matter which way he shifted the youko, a noise of displeasure would bubble up from his throat. The bleeding had resumed, which worried Hiei more. The fox had spent too much of the past time bleeding.
A sudden thought struck Hiei. Although he knew it would upset Kurama, but it was the only way to save his fox from the anguish. Laying the shivering kitsune full out on the bed, he tried to pull away. But Kurama clutched at Hiei's shirt and pulled him back down weakly.
"I-I know what y-you're thinking." His fox gasped out. "D-don't do i-it. They'll f-find out."
Hiei snarled and untangled Kurama's fingers from his shirt. Damn the fox and damn his desires. He was sick of this. There was no way he was going to sit around and watch his love suffer when he didn't have to. Who cared if they figured out who they were? He'd kill them before they got a chance to lay another finger on his fox.
"Shut up." He growled at Kurama. "I can't just sit here and watch you in this shape. I know you'd do it for me."
Kurama's protests stopped when he heard the bare emotion in Hiei's voice. The three eyed demon hardly ever showed emotion in his voice, even with him. He laid still and reached out, sensing that Kakuzo's ki was far enough away for them to be safe. He turned his green eyes on Hiei and nodded slightly.
Hiei gave him a small, fanged grin and placed a hand on either side of the fox's face. He closed his eyes tightly and focused on the Koorime blood that flowed through his veins. His hands started glowing an icy blue as the healing power flowed through his fingers and into Kurama. The fox stiffened slightly and let out a small noise as he felt a tingling sensation ripple through the burns. A slight pleasure ran through him as the skin stitched itself back together and the blisters faded back into his smooth pale skin.
After a few more seconds, Hiei pulled back with a gasp. His entire body slumped back against the cell wall, drained of ki. Lids drooped slowly over his crimson eyes as Hiei began to feel himself drift off. A light chuckle escaped him. Now he knew how Yukina and Botan always felt after one of their missions. He shuddered once as his eyes closed and he prepared to slip into hibernation.
Suddenly a pair of pain free arms wrapped around his waist and drew him close. With a soft sigh, he laid his head on Kurama's warm chest. He was much softer then the wall. He let out another soft sigh as he felt his eyes fill up with tears. Kurama's arms tightened in their hold and Hiei couldn't help but wince.
"Don't cry love." He spoke the words softly but there was an undertone of demanding there. Hiei looked up at Kurama, tears forgotten, and yawned before speaking.
"I don't cry." He grunted, allowing his eyes to slip shut again. "I just had something in my eye."
Kurama had to laugh at Hiei's stubbornness. Looked like he had gotten playing Hiei down to an art. He ran a hand gently through the fire demon's hair, trying to lull him into sleep. Kurama knew the little demon's body was begging for it, crying out to every cell in Hiei's small body.
"Whatever you say." Kurama chuckled deeply. "You don't cry. But at least get some sleep. You shouldn't have done that."
Hiei mumbled something into Kurama's tattered shirt. Kurama, even with his sensitive kitsune ears had to strain to hear what the fire demon was saying.
"No," His voice was strained. "I did just what I was supposed to do."
With those words Hiei drifted into a deep sleep. Hibernation as he called it. Kurama felt his own fill with unwanted tears. From somewhere in the far corner of his mind the familiar chant started up again. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry! Blinking away the tears he reached out and tried to sense Kakuzo's ki. The shadow demon was defiantly getting closer. Kurama shuddered as he looked over at the far wall. Hiei's tear gem lay in tiny shards on the floor. It had been too close. If Kakuzo had returned before he was given the chance to destroy the gem, he knew that both he and Hiei would have been in serious trouble.
Closing his eyes, Kurama sank down on the mattress beside his sleeping fire demon. He had no idea how long he had before the torture would start again, or how much longer he could last through the punishment. But he had to as long as he could. The moment he shed a tear was the movement he failed Hiei. With a shaky breath, he drifted off into dreams beside his lover.
~*~
Hiei looked around him. He was in the dark and even using all three eyes he couldn't see where he was going. Taking a deep breath, he ventured into his inky surroundings. In the distance he could see a faint light. With out so much as a second thought, he stumbled towards it. In a far corner of his mind he told himself to wait for a voice that would chant… "walk towards the light". But he shook the thought out his mind. He was a demon, and demon's were never allowed to "walk towards the light".
That was when a scream pierced through the darkness. Hiei jerked back, the sound seeming to echo through out the dark. Fighting off shock, he ran towards the light. Just as he reached the brightness something snaked out of the darkness and wrapped around his wrists and ankles, stopping him in his tracks. He let out a tiny cry of shock and looked down. Vines, they were vines! His brows furrowed as he spoke out into the darkness.
"Kurama?"
That was when the scream snapped out again. Hiei jerked back to look at the light and letting out a hissing breath. That scream was his lovers. He fought against his bindings. He had to get to his fox…save him. He could feel the dragon start pulling at its wrappings. That was another voice sliced through the darkness.
"Give me those tear gems Hiei! Give them to me!"
There was a grunt that sounded a mix of pain and pleasure. Hiei pulled at the restraints again, letting out a frustrated cry when he couldn't break loose.
"I'm right here!" He screamed out. "Get the tears from me!!"
But the person ignored him. Kurama screamed again and Hiei felt the tears begin to roll down his cheeks and form the tear gems.
"Cry for me!" The voice screamed again, bringing more tears to Hiei's eyes. When Kurama let out another cry, he finally broke of the vines just in time to catch Kurama who was falling into his lap. The fox was beat up beyond belief, bleeding and shaking. Tears streamed down his face.
"Why fox?" He asked in a cold voice. "Why are you taking this punishment?"
"F-for you." Kurama whispered before everything faded away and Hiei was slammed back into reality.
Hiei sat up gasping, clutching at his chest. What a nightmare. He shook his head violently from side to side, determined to rid himself of the vicious images. He knew someone was torturing his fox, but it couldn't be because of him. A defiantly not because of his tear gems. No one knew he cried them. With a heavy sigh he turned to look at Kurama and gasped.
His fox was gone.
"No…" Hiei rasped, red eyes shooting around to scan the cell. But it was true. Kurama was missing again. His dream came back viciously and he leapt from the bed. His knees buckled slightly, still weak from using so much energy to heal the kitsune. Energy he hadn't touched upon since he was born. He had thrown away his Koorime heritage, just as they had thrown him from their lives.
He ran to the bars of the cage. Remembering to be careful about touching them. The wards were still there, he could hear their crackling as his ki approached them, snapping out to try and grab him, pull him into their painful grasp. He pulled back with a hiss. He needed to see outside this hellhole.
With an angry growl he reached up to pull the bandana from his forehead, intending to use his jagan to see the true lay out their prison. But just as his fingers brushed the white cloth covering his third eye, Kurama's pleas floated back to him. He growled and ripped his hand away. If his fox was handing himself over to these twisted fiends he wouldn't go against his wishes. Leaning as close as he dared to the bars, he snarled loudly.
"Let him go!" He shouted, hearing his voice bounce off the stone walls. "You want me! ME! Let him go! Let him go!"
When his last cry went unanswered, Hiei leaned against the wall and slid down until he was curled in a tiny ball on the floor. His tiny body was racked with shivers and tiny pains clenched his muscles, as he was sitting too close to the warded balls. He buried his face in his knees and drew in a gasping breath. His eyes filled with tears, but he fought them back. He couldn't cry.
His fox had asked him not to.
~*~
Kurama cried out again as Kakuzo buried another pin firmly beneath the nail of the index finger on his right hand. His left was already punctured, blood oozing out from underneath every nail. It was amazing. This seemed the least of the torture he had received from Kakuzo, yet it also seemed the most painful. He bit his lip as the shadow demon twisted the pin, driving pain deep into the core of his mind.
"It really is amusing." Kakuzo chuckled, pulling the pin out and stringing a cry from Kurama along with it. "Ningens always look at youkai as these horrible blood thirsty beasts. But everything I have put you through is a form of ningen torture." He grinned as he slammed the nail underneath the index nail again. "Really they are the more horrible creatures."
Kurama chocked on another scream. He bit his lower lip, the fangs that were forming easily cutting through the soft flesh. Youko was so close to breaking. Kurama was sure that if Kakuzo wasn't so interested in his pain, he would see the gold flecks in the fox's eyes and the oddly sliver shimmer his red hair had taken on. But he dug the stubby fangs deeper into his lip and fought back the aggravated kitsune thief. When Kakuzo yanked the pin back out, Kurama's left hand reflexively tightened around the arm of the chair he was strapped into, sending more bolts of agony through his arms to wrap around his brain.
"N-no." He hissed between clenched teeth. "You truly are sick, using these tactics on one. Ningens gave up these practices years ago. You're the only asshole left practicing in these twisted arts."
"Watch it Hiei." The shadow demon growled, bringing the bloodied pin up near one of his emerald orbs. "Or the next time it's your eye."
Kurama pulled his back and snarled, baring his newly forming canines. He allowed his lids to drop and hide his eyes. He didn't know when it was coming but he felt the pain when Kakuzo stabbed him with the pin. Flinching, he fought back a scream. Tears pricked at his eyes, burning as he fought to hold them back.
No crying!
His mind screamed at him, his own mental voice twisted in a mocking tone. Kurama screamed at himself, told his own mind to shut up and leave him be. Was this the point of Kakuzo's torturing? To drive him into a mental oblivion so he was nothing more then a shivering, crying mess, terrified by the even the thought of pain? If it was, then it was working.
"G-go to hell." He growled, keeping his green eyes closed. "Burn there."
Kakuzo snarled back, and with a fanged grin, dragged the pin under the kitsune's nail, splitting open the sensitive skin. Kurama threw his head back, a scream rushing past his lips. He could feel the blood pouring out from underneath his nail and whimpered. He managed to force open an eye and glare at him.
"Hell." He repeated in a shaky voice. Closing his eye again he begged for the darkness to consume him. Agony was pulsing in his hands, shooting up his arms like lightening. He wanted a way out, and unconsciousness seemed the only way. His head feel limply against the chair, a moan working its way out of his throat.
Kakuzo could only laugh at the kitsune's plight. He traced the pin across each of Kurama's finger tips. The fox shivered and moaned again. No more, his mind begged, but his mouth refused to voice the words, no more.
"You want to know real pain, you worthless Forbidden Child?" The shadow demon taunted, leaning close to Kurama's ear, his sour breath filling the kitsune's nostrils. "I can show you."
He called on Hiei's power of fire again and heated the pin. The metal turned a red hot, steaming slightly. He crushed his palm down on Kurama's right hand, flattening it and forcing the fingers to stretch out. Kurama whimpered, too weak to curl his fingers back against the arm of the chair. Kakuzo grinned and leaned close to him again and spoke one word in a low voice.
"Scream."
With that final word, he jammed the red hot pin back into the torn skin of his right index finger. Kurama's whole body jerked, a scream erupting from his throat. His vision went fuzzy, as he went limp against the chair. In the back on his mind he was able to form one complete thought before drifting off into the inviting darkness.
"Hiei, for you…"
Argh, what a crappy chapter… Oh well, I wrote it to show you the ties between Hiei and Kurama and just how much they are willing to give up for one another.
And yes, these bad guys are dumbasses. Hiei cried and no one noticed and Kurama almost changed into Youko right beneath Kakuzo's nose!! What loser bad guys…
Okay…question. Does anyone no where I can find good manga pictures of Youko Kurama? Not anime, manga. Please let me know!!
And in the next chapter, Yusuke and the others enter the shadow territory and realize some frightening things. And secrets are revealed in the most unpleasant of ways. How will certain changes affect every ones' favorite youkai? You'll just have to wait and read to find out!!
Now please review!!! =^.^=