Chapter 24

Recovery

Yukina woke up to find herself in Riku's room. She was seated in a chair and her head lay on his bed. She looked at Riku only to find him still unconscious. Why couldn't it all have been a bad nightmare? she thought. She stood up and stretched. Well, at least he looks like he'll live. She kissed his forehead. "I'll be back" she said as she headed for the living room.

Kurama and Boton were both awake and shared a chair, Yusuke and Keiko were cuddled on the couch, Hiei was awake in the corner, and Kuwabara was snoring on the floor. "How is he?" Boton asked. "He'll live" Yukina replied. "How was Muraku so much more powerful than Riku?" asked Boton. "Dark sides tend to be that way" Hiei said from the corner. He looked a little tired. "Did you get any sleep?" Kurama asked. "How can anyone sleep when the ape sounds like a freight train" Hiei said. Kuwabara started to snore louder.

Keiko shot up and knocked Yusuke off the couch. "What's wrong? Have a bad dream?" Yukina asked. "I thought I heard a bear in here" Keiko said looking around. "It was just Kuwabara's snoring" Yusuke said as he stood up. He walked to Kuwabara and kicked his side. He didn't wake up. "Let me try" Yukina said as she kneeled next to him. "Breakfast's ready" she said close to his ear. He shot up. "Where, where, where, I'm hungry" he said as he ran in circles looking for food. Everyone sweatdropped. "I'll make us some ramen so Yukina can look after Riku" Keiko said as she headed into the kitchen.

"Speaking of which, how are his wounds?" Yusuke asked. "I haven't checked yet" Yukina replied. "I'll help you change his bandages" Boton said as she took Yukina's hand and dragged her to Riku's room.

When they got their, Riku was sitting up in bed and rubbing his head. "My poor body" he groaned. "Riku!!!" Yukina cried as she rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck. He yelped in pain. "Ribs" he said. "Oops, sorry" Yukina said as she let him go. She was blushing. "How long have I been out?" he asked. "All night" Boton replied.

"Take off the bandages, I need to check your wounds" Yukina said as she sat next to him. He slashed his bandages off. Yukina started to inspect his wounds. His shoulder wound had completely healed, as did the impaling wound. All he had were a few bruised ribs. "Your almost comely healed" she said happily. "Well wolf demons do have one of the best healing systems of all demons" Riku said.

Yukina got up and helped him to his feet. He was a little shaky from his wounds but seemed all right. They made their way to the living room. Everyone was eating ramen.

"Hey Riku's back up" Yusuke said as the wolf walked in. "He's healed already?" Kuwabara asked amazed. "Well I'm not 100% yet" Riku said smirking. "Well at least you'll be okay" Boton said as Keiko handed her a bowl of ramen.

Riku sat on the couch and Yukina sat next to him. "So what do we do about Muraku?" Yusuke asked. "I think we should find him and take care of him for good" Kuwabara said. "No, we won't have to worry about him for now" Riku said. "Why is that?" Hiei asked suspiciously. Riku knew he and Muraku were to far from the others for them to hear what would happen in three days. "Muraku told me he'd give me three days to train. On the forth, I meet him at high noon for a final showdown. I also have to come alone" Riku explained. Everyone gasped. "Well then don't go" Keiko said. "He said if I didn't arrive at noon sharp, he'd kill all of you one by one until I face him" Riku said. "Then I'll just kick his ass" Yusuke said confidently. "What you saw yesterday wasn't even the tip of the iceberg. Muraku has a lot more power than that. And because he's my dark side, I'm the only one that can kill him" Riku replied.

"Your going to face him I take it" said Hiei. "I have to" Riku replied. "But… he'll kill you" Boton said. "At least you all will be safe" Riku replied.

"When will you start your training?" Kurama asked. "I'll start later tonight when I heal completely. I won't be back till the afternoon of the third day" Riku replied. "Well at least we'll have one more night with you" Yusuke said sadly. "Well the first thing I need is a lot of food. If I eat enough, I won't need to eat until I get back" Riku said. "I'll fix you something" Yukina said getting up and heading for the kitchen.

Later that day

Riku strapped his sword on as he stood in his room. He had spent most of the day eating. The fridge was devoid of any food now. He'd finished two hours ago and had spent those hours preparing his mind for the training that lay ahead. Muraku knows all my moves so I'll have to come up with new ones. That'll mean I can't eat, sleep, or rest until I return he thought. He walked out and into the living room.

Everyone was waiting for him. "Good luck Riku" said Yusuke. "You'd better be way more powerful when you get back" said Kuwabara. "Be careful out there" said Boton. "Be ready for a party when you get back" said Keiko. "Don't overdo it" Kurama said. Hiei merely nodded at Riku. "Where's Yukina?" Riku asked looking around. "Haven't seen her" Boton replied. "Oh well" Riku said as he walked outside.

He saw Yukina waiting for him. "So there you are" Riku said walking to her. She threw her arms around his waist. "Riku, please come back in one piece. I don't like seeing you hurt because of me" she said. Riku hugged her back. "It's not your fault" he replied. They stayed like that for a few more minutes before separating. "See ya in two days" he said as he ran into the forest.

An hour later

Yukina was in her room combing her hair in front of a mirror. She was thinking only about Riku. I have to tell him how I fell when he gets back. It may be my last chance Yukina thought. Then the event before Muraku made his appearance came to mind. What was he going to tell me? She thought as she set her brush down. She crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Next morning at some temple ruins

Muraku was leaning against a wall. His eyes were closed in concentration. Being a dark side meant he didn't need food or sleep. He was immortal. The only thing that could kill him was Riku and he knew it. His concentration was lost when the sounds of chirping reached his ears. He looked up and saw a birds nest with four blue chicks in it. Their mother was feeding them and their father sat on the nest's edge. "Pests" Muraku mumbled. He pointed two fingers at them .Out of them shot a number of small purple energy blades. They shredded the birds to pieces. Nothing was left of the nest. Muraku smirked and stood up straight. No doubt Riku's training now. He healed faster than I thought. I knew I shouldn't have held back that much. Oh well, that's all in the past. He can train all he wants cause I still have two trump cards. If he thought my Dark Wolf Claw was bad, he's in for much worst. I think I'll have some fun today he thought. He wind morphed and headed off for some "fun."

We won't hear from Riku till he gets back. Next chapter, we see just how evil Muraku will be. It will make you hate Muraku more than any other villain on the show. I might even get flamed for what he'll do. Just wait and see. Review please.