Chapter Four: A rose wilts eventually

"Kurama! Hiei!" Yusuke called while searching the rubble of the town. Everything was silent and still. It was almost if… everyone was dead.

Keiko screamed from several feet away after lifting some rubble. "Yusuke!"

Fearing the worst, Yusuke jumped over some broken concrete and made his way through the pieces of buildings, twisted cars, and other things. Keiko stepped back to let Yusuke see. It was an innocent civilian that had been crushed by the debris. "No wonder it was so quiet…" Yusuke uncovered more and more bodies. "Everyone is dead…"

Keiko started to cry on Yusuke's shoulder. Kuwabara started to panic. "What about my older sister?! Or Kurama and that shrimp?!"

"Fool, we're still alive." Hiei muttered. Kurama had his arm around Hiei for support. They were covered in dust but otherwise looked okay. Kurama on the other hand looked even paler than before and coughed a lot. "It's a pity you didn't get crushed though." Hiei growled at Kuwabara.

"You are seriously starting to piss me off!" Kuwabara yelled.

Yusuke was patting Keiko on the back. "Kurama? You look like you could croak any moment now."

Kurama laughed lightly. "I've certainly felt better…" He started coughing uncontrollably and covered his mouth with his right hand. When he stopped and pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood. Hiei's eyes widened.

"Such a pity; looks like poor Kurama has caught the disease that's killing off everyone else. Maybe I should kill him now and end his misery."

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei looked around for the voice until a shadow on what remained of a building sprang out into a physical form. "Shaid, you bastard!" Yusuke growled. "Stop this now!"

"Ah, but what would the fun in that be?" Shaid asked in a mocking voice. "I think I'll get rid of your two demon friends first." Shaid was sucked into the ground and the shadow slinked across the ground only to reappear behind Kurama and Hiei. Everything seemed to slow down and Hiei watched in horror as Shaid sprung from the ground, drawing a long twisted blade, raising it up to stab him first. Kurama grabbed Hiei by his black T-shirt and shoved him out of the way. The deformed and warped metal blade was forced down into Kurama's spinal column. The ill fox demon yelled in pain and choked slightly. Shaid then pulled the blade out of Kurama's back and was engulfed by darkness again, cackling madly.

Kurama's limp form fell onto the crumbled ground and Hiei grabbed Kurama's cold hand and held up his head. "Kurama!" Hiei cried. His body lay on the cold concrete below them, blood dripping out from his wound forming a puddle underneath them. He gave a violent cough and more blood dribbled from his mouth. The very light and energy was fading from his green eyes. By the second his body grew colder. Hiei squeezed Kurama's hand reassuringly and through his tears choked, "Kurama… don't die…"

Kuwabara and Yusuke kneeled down beside Kurama and Hiei, Keiko still sobbed on Yusuke's shoulder.

Kurama's eyes fluttered open briefly to look up at Hiei. "I was… dying… anyway… Hiei…" Weakly he raised his hand to brush the tear off of Hiei's cheek.

In anguish Hiei gritted his teeth and yelled, "No! Please don't go!" The once cold hearted and distant fire demon collapsed into tears and rested his head on Kurama's chest.

Kurama took a sharp breath and Hiei could feel his body shudder as it became too painful for Kurama to even breath. Hiei's chest and throat tightened. Even though Hiei had yelled at him, Kurama laughed lightly. "Hiei… I'll be waiting… for you… I promise…" Hiei looked up into Kurama's dark and hazy eyes. The fox demon's body relaxed and became stiff.

"NO!" Hiei screamed in agony. "NO!" He repeated over and over. The truth being too painful for him to bear… Hiei laid his forehead on Kurama's cold flesh, stroking his soft red hair.

The other three mourned silently. The darkened night sky changed to a pale gray, sunlight starting to creep up over the ruined city and shine on the destruction. Yusuke pried Keiko off of himself and rose, approaching his distraught friend slowly. His palm was laid onto Hiei's shoulder. "Hiei?"

Releasing Kurama's hand, Hiei folded his beloved's arms across his chest, took off his leather jacket, resting it under Kurama's head like a pillow and stood. With almost no expression on his face, and his eyes cloudy, Hiei turned and walked away from the corpse. The sorrowful sunshine peeked over a crumbled building and shone on Kurama's form. There was a small smile on his face as he rested in peace.

TO BE CONTINUED

Another short chapter I know… but now that Kurama is dead, will Hiei be able to press on and fight?