Tori the Hanyou: Ok! I really wanna get on with this next chappie! So
please hang in there!
DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, YuGiOh, or Inuyasha.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fighting Back
Chapter 13: Alive
Wincing from the pain in his shoulder, Hiei opened his eyes. The area was flooded with water. He lifted his head, and saw the girl laying a ways away. He crawled over to her, gritting his teeth angrily for letting this pain hinder him. He spoke softly to her.
"Tori? Tori, say something."
Tori heard the voice; it seemed to come from far away. She opened her eyes with great difficulty, and saw the demon kneeling next to her.
"Hiei..." She tried to sit up, but fell again. Hiei held out his good arm, catching her and drawing her close.
"Don't move, your leg's badly hurt," he whispered. Tori looked up at him. His face was wrought with pain. She looked for the source of it, and gasped. His shoulder was ripped open.
"Hiei...your shoulder...those are...my claw marks..." she whispered with horror. "Oh, Hiei, I've hurt you! After you trusted me to take control of the ligress, and I...I let you down! Hiei!" She buried her face in his shoulder, her warm tears mixing with the cold rainwater pouring down her face. "How could I?"
"Tori...it wasn't your fault," reassured Hiei quietly.
"Yes, it is! I did that! I couldn't stop her! You trusted me!" she sobbed.
"Tori, stop it," Hiei ordered, a stern tone to his voice. Tori looked up at his face, silencing herself, but still making a small gulp every now and then. He was giving her one of his stares. "It's not your fault. I want you to stop beating yourself up for not stopping the ligress in time. Not many people would even be able to stop her at all. I'm...proud of you, Tori," he said softly.
The look in his eyes made Tori believe him. She relaxed, resting her head on his shoulder as the rain continued to pour.
Kurama looked back up from under the awning they'd found for shelter. He noticed not two bodies lying flat, but one cradling the other, sitting up.
"Kagome, look," he said, nudging her from her doze in his arms. Her face was tearstained from Tori's downfall, but she looked anyway. She saw them sitting together.
"Oh...my...gosh..." she whispered. "I'm seeing things. Kurama, are they sitting up?"
"It appears so," he said, with a smile. "You just can't destroy those two, no matter what."
Kagome got to her feet, and tried to hurry out to them, but she nearly collapsed from her mental and physical fatigue. Kurama caught her and placed her back on the bench. "You'd better stay here. I'll take Yusuke and go get them." Kagome weakly nodded, and leaned back against the wall, looking at the Hyper Bow that she still clutched in one hand.
Yusuke walked out with Kurama to the couple. "By the way, Yusuke, sorry for roughing you up like that back there," said Kurama, noting the bruise on Yusuke's eye.
"Aw, it's ok. It was for love, anyway. I did something like that for Keiko. Remember how I nearly killed myself in Saint Beast Castle to save her?"
"Yes. You worried us half to death. Good thing Kuwabara was there."
"Yeah."
They approached the two on the ground, who were nearly asleep from their exhaustion. Kurama picked up Hiei, and Yusuke took Tori. They headed back to the awning, telling Botan and Kuwabara to help Kagome back to their hotel. Kuwabara stood, rubbing his nose where Hiei had punched him in his fury to get to Tori.
After getting off the elevator, they headed into their rooms. Kurama was about to take Hiei into the boys' room, and Yusuke was taking Tori to her bed, when Hiei awoke, and reached out weakly to Tori with his good arm. Kurama motioned to Yusuke to bring Tori into the boys' room. He did, and Kurama laid Hiei down on his bed, and Yusuke placed Tori next to him. They covered the two, and went into the girls' room, closing the door behind them.
Hiei immediately moved closer to Tori when they were gone, wrapping her in his embrace, ignoring his shoulder. Tori responded by nuzzling into him, and both quickly slipped into a deep sleep.
Kagome sat on the couch, Botan wrapping her forearm in bandages. Kurama came and sat down next to them, waiting until she was finished.
"There," said Botan, fastening the end. "That'll work. Now, what about Hiei and Tori..."
"We'd better leave them alone until they get some rest. Then we'll tend to their wounds," said Kurama quickly. Botan nodded.
"Hey," she said, "What ever happened to those boys we met? The rude ones?"
"Hmm...not sure. They must've left during Tori and Kagome's battle," said Kurama.
"What boys?" asked Kagome.
"We met those awful boys who caused Tori to run away," said Botan. Kagome's eyes widened.
"You mean...that guy Tori used to be with...her ex?" asked Kagome.
Kurama nodded. "Wait," continued Kagome, "this can't be good. If that guy's here, what about Hiei? What if all that work we did to get him and Tori together'll be for nothing?"
"Don't worry!" said Botan in her usual optimistic mood. "I'm sure Hiei and Tori will work this out with...whoever that guy is."
"I suppose..." said Kagome. She blushed when she felt Kurama against her. She turned to look at him, and he was giving her one of his heart- melting smiles.
"Plus, Kagome," he said quietly, "How can they split apart if they've got us?"
"I agree! You two have got to be one of the most influential couples there is!" said Botan. They gave her a look. "Oh...and it's time to leave! Look at that! My laundry MUST be done by now! Tootles!" She leapt up hurriedly from the couch, and ushered Yusuke and Kuwabara out the door with her, promising she'd let them go and slink around town for a small time while she got her 'laundry'.
Kagome shook her head after them. Kurama was still gazing at her. Meeting his gaze, she stared inquisitively into his emerald orbs.
"You must be exhausted, Kagome," he said quietly after a little bit. Kagome nodded slowly.
"I guess so..." she responded.
"You'd better lie down," continued Kurama.
"Um, okay." She got up from the couch, and went over to her bed, lying down on it. Kurama sat down next to her, gently stroking her cheek.
Kagome watched him for a time, and his green eyes just seemed to go deeper the more she looked at them. Soon, she'd become lost in them, and drowned in the warm feeling she got from his gaze. It wasn't long before she felt both arms around her and a body lying next to hers. She and Kurama drifted away into sleep.
*A couple of hours later*...
Tori snapped awake to a high-pitched voice calling her. She nearly forgot about Hiei, and tried to sit up, triggering his possessive instincts. His arms nearly constricted her to keep her down, and she could barely breathe enough to speak.
"Hiei! Hiei, you're choking me!" she gasped. Hearing her, he awoke, jumping at what he was doing, and immediately let her go. Catching her breath, Tori sat up, blushing as she remembered where she was. She looked to see Botan rushing in the door, still practically yelling her name. "What is it, Botan?" she asked irritably. Hiei glared, rolling his eyes as the blue- haired girl came flying into the boys' room, out of breath.
"Tori! Tori, it's those boys! They're back!" she exclaimed.
Still slightly asleep, Tori started to think she was dreaming.
"What? What boys?"
"Your friends...oh, what were their names...Joey, I remember, Triton, Tristan, one or the other, and the other guy, I think his name began with a Y or something..."
"Joey, Tristan, and Yugi?" asked Tori suspiciously.
"Oh, yes! That was it!" said Botan. Tori's eyes widened, and fell to the floor.
"You found them?" she asked.
"Yes, and that Yugi character was quite eager to know your whereabouts," continued Botan.
"I bet he was," Tori said quietly. Hiei looked at her. The pain had returned, and her angry gaze was back, too. She sat up, putting on her shoes. Forgetting about her leg, she toppled to the floor. Hiei watched her with worry as she struggled to stand up.
"Um, I think we'd better bandage that up," said Botan after watching her. "You, too, Hiei. Both of you are a mess! Come on!" She helped Tori up and over to the boys' couch, and Hiei followed, his shoulder striking a memory chord.
After finishing with Tori's leg, Botan turned to Hiei's shoulder. An idea suddenly flashed into Hiei's head, and he stopped her.
"I think Tori needs to do this," he said, smirking in Tori's direction. Tori blushed, and Botan looked at him with slight puzzlement, before he gave her a look.
"Oh, right! Of course!" she said. "Well, I guess I could just go shopping or something! Now don't be too long, Tori. And don't forget to go speak to your friends!" She hurried out the door, leaving poor Tori alone with Hiei.
Tori glared at him as she took the wet cloth and started cleaning his wound. Hiei just sat there, that sly smile on his face the whole time. He could see her trying to hide the tinges of pink on her face, and he finally spoke when she was nearly finished cleaning.
"Don't tell me you're not enjoying this," he muttered. Tori looked as if she was ignoring him. He raised an eyebrow at her. Tori finished off with the cleaning, and stood to put the bloodstained rag in the sink in the bathroom. She hopped on one leg all the way there, dropping the rag in the sink and filling it with warm water. She came back in, and sat down next to him again, and began wrapping his shoulder. She was as gentle as possible, though she doubted if she could ever have caused Hiei to flinch. Tori noticed him close his eyes, and he seemed to relax. When she'd finished and tied the bandage securely, she stood on her good leg.
"I'm gonna go see my friends now," she said.
"Fine, but I'm coming with you," said Hiei quickly.
"Why?"
Hiei froze. He wasn't about to say that he was suspicious of her friends; that would get her angry.
"You need someone to help you walk," he said simply. Tori nodded, and reluctantly let him put one arm around her waist, while she looped hers around his shoulders, being careful of his injured one. They walked out into the hallway, heading down towards the elevators, when she heard a voice that made her heart stop.
"Long time no see, Tori." She turned her head to see the three boys she had run away from standing in the hallway. She distinctly felt Hiei's arm tighten around her. For the most part, she was slightly grateful he'd offered to come.
"Um, hi guys," she said. She avoided Yugi's eyes, knowing full well what he was capable of if he had eye contact, though she could feel the heat of his gaze on her. Hiei gave a slight glare at the three boys. Yugi walked forward, telling Joey and Tristan to leave. He obviously expected Tori to dismiss Hiei, but it didn't come.
"Do you mind?" he asked the demon. Hiei's glare increased.
"Yes, I do," he responded coldly. Tori could definitely sense invisible sparks flying. She turned into Hiei's good shoulder to try to make him quit it.
Hiei sensed her urgency, and took his attention off his new unofficial rival to see if she was alright. She wasn't, especially not with Yugi boring into her with his eyes.
"Tori, could I speak to you alone?" asked Yugi.
"No," snapped Hiei.
"I think I asked her," Yugi snapped back. Tori looked from one to the other, and sensed a deep feeling of hate from each of them. Yugi turned to her. "Who is this guy?" he asked.
"My name is Hiei," said the demon with pride.
"Hiei, huh? What the hell are you doing with my girl?" asked Yugi. Tori forgot all pain in her leg as she angrily tried to attack him. Hiei was the only thing between her and the source of her fury.
"Don't you...DARE...call me yours...you insensitive...freaky...wacko jerk!" she gasped out from pain and the effort of trying to free herself from Hiei. Yugi took a step toward her, but Hiei gave him a warning glance, stopping him. Tori stopped, too, but continued to glare at him. Yugi seemed unaffected by her words. He was giving her a steady look. Once more, Tori kept away from eye contact.
"You fear me," said Yugi in a low voice. "You're afraid of my power. You know what I can do, don't you, Tori?" Tori withdrew from him, burying herself in Hiei's arms.
Hiei once more stood in front of her, shielding her from this threat. Yugi gave him the threatening glare, and Hiei confronted it with his own fierce look.
"Tori doesn't truly fear anyone," he growled. Yugi smirked.
"That's where you're wrong. Didn't you hear me? Look at her. She's terrified by my very presence."
"She's in pain is what it is. If her leg wasn't hurt, I'm sure not even I could stop her from tearing you to bits," snapped Hiei.
Yugi kept that look on his face as he stalked toward the elevators.
"This isn't over...Tori," he said, his gaze and tone turning evilly seductive. Tori tried to shut out his voice, but her ears wouldn't quit hearing things. When Yugi was gone, Hiei turned to Tori, worried. She was trembling furiously, and he could hear sobs.
He didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life, Hiei felt at a loss for actions. All he could do was wrap Tori in his arms and take her back to the room.
He set her on the couch, and cradled her in his embrace. Tori was grateful for the small comfort, but her mind was lost amid horrid memories and Yugi's voice echoing through her head. Hiei had an idea to help, but he needed her to calm down. Gently, he took her off his lap, and rubbed the area on her neck underneath her ear. Slowly but surely, Tori's sobs quieted, and she started to relax.
Hiei waited until she was fully calm before he called on the power of his Jagan Eye. He slowly went into her mind, closing his eyes.
He found her on the floor of her chamber, and she was definitely a wreck. After seeing what the problem was, he came forward towards her inner self, and using his Eye, cast a sleep charm.
When he'd come out, sure enough, Tori was sinking into the couch, slowly falling under his spell. He gently stroked her hair, taking her tightly in his arms again. She was soon fast asleep. He put a mental barrier around her as well, so that Yugi couldn't haunt her with any nightmares. He rested his head on top of hers, feeling her snuggle into his neck sleepily. Smirking softly, he drifted off to sleep.
Kagome awoke to a boom of thunder. She looked outside to see that the rainstorm had become a rather violent thunderstorm. She sighed, getting a feeling of content, as the world outside was cold and wet, and she was inside, warmly snuggled in the arms of one of the dreamiest guys she had ever met. Her heaven couldn't possibly be any more perfect. She saw Kurama's sleeping face, and sighed happily.
Kurama awoke to Kagome's sigh, and opened his eyes to see her looking out the window. He noticed the thunderstorm, too, and watched the girl in his arms with the utmost serenity. He wasn't sure how he'd come across her, but Kagome had become the girl of his dreams. She was beautiful, kind, cheerful, and tended to get hyper out of the blue. He loved everything about her. He remembered their meeting, Kagome's fiery attitude, her defiance towards Koenma, and her need to help Tori when she was in trouble. He nudged Kagome with his nose, and she turned to look at him.
"Sleep well?" he asked. Kagome nodded sleepily. "It's quite violent out there, isn't it?"
"Yeah, no thanks to the ligress," said Kagome. Kurama smiled.
"Hey, Kurama?"
"Yes?"
"You never explained to me why you're a half-demon. You said you would after we faced Sesshomaru, remember?" asked Kagome, sitting up. Kurama remembered.
"Oh, right," he said. "Well, I'm not sure if you'll believe me or not..." he said.
"Try me," said Kagome.
Kurama smiled, that was yet another of the things he loved about her.
"Okay, okay. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm actually a lot older than I look. In reality, I used to be known as Yoko Kurama."
Kagome's eyes widened.
"I heard something about him. Yoko's that demon who was a bandit, wasn't he?"
"Yes, he was also very powerful. But, many people sought his life, for a great bounty had been put on him for his death, or proof of it. He came to the human world, and hid himself in the body of a boy named Shuiichi Minamino. That's what my mother calls me. I grew up with him as kind of an alter ego. So, now only a precious few humans know my true name, Kurama. I try to keep a name in each world. In the human world, I'm Shuiichi, but in the demon world, I'm Kurama."
"So, you're not really a hanyou, but you're also not really demon or human..." said Kagome.
"Yes, it's quite confusing. Sometimes I don't even know the difference," said Kurama. "I just refer to myself as half-demon to keep from getting too mixed up."
Kagome giggled. They sat there for a while, listening to the soft rumbles of thunder. Kurama soon noticed the weather getting worse. He didn't care; he was happy where he was. Kagome snuggled up to him more as she noticed the roughening storm outside. They were both nearly asleep, until a huge lightning flash; followed by a practical roar of thunder made them both jump awake.
Tori's eyes shot open at the giant crash. She immediately clung to whomever was holding her in their arms, trying to shut out the noise. When it cleared, she opened her eyes to see Hiei's staring down at her.
"You ok?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, just a little jumpy, that's all," replied Tori, sitting up. Her leg definitely felt better now, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Hiei saw that his shoulder was almost completely healed, thanks to his demon blood. There were slight white marks where the claws had dug, but he suspected even those would go away soon.
"It's really quiet in here," said Hiei.
"Yeah...I wonder where everyone is?" asked Tori.
"Beats me," said Hiei.
Tori stood, and she found she only had a slight limp, but at least she could walk by herself now. She went to the door leading to the girls' room, and saw Kurama and Kagome looking at her.
"Hey, guys," she said. Kagome smiled and stood up.
"Thank God you're ok, Tori, we thought you and Hiei would be asleep forever," she said.
"Heh, if that storm hadn't woken us, we probably would've," replied Tori.
"It's getting pretty bad out there," reported Kurama. Everyone looked out the window.
"I hope the others are okay," said Kagome as another lightning bolt flashed and thunder rolled.
"I'm sure they are, Kagome. Now, who wants something to eat? I'm starved!" said Tori cheerfully.
Hiei went to the door first, and peered out to make sure Yugi wasn't in the hall. He motioned for them to follow.
They went downstairs into the lobby of the hotel, where dinner was starting to be served.
"Didn't realize it was this late," said Kurama.
"How long were we up there, exactly?" asked Tori.
"No idea, probably a few hours, at the most," responded Hiei.
They went to the dinner buffet and got plates of spaghetti, penne pasta, or whatever they wanted. Hiei, of course, didn't want any of that. He went straight to the ice cream. Kurama shook his head.
"Uh...doesn't Hiei know ice cream's for dessert?" asked Tori as she watched him.
"No, not really," said Kurama with a small smile. Hiei came back with a cone of vanilla and sat down to eat it. Tori looked at her plate of penne pasta with butter sauce.
"Hiei, why are you eating ice cream now?" she asked.
"It's called sweet snow," said Hiei, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Tori gave him a really weird look.
"That's what he likes to call it," explained Kurama. Tori blinked and shook her head. 'Whatever floats his boat,' she thought, and dug in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tori the Hanyou: Wow, ok, I'm SO SORRY for not updating earlier! I've just been so out of it! Cheerleading tryouts are this week, and I'm working my poor head off trying to learn the dance and cheer that we need to know for the tryout part.
I also have a few questions about FanFiction. First off, what does AU mean? And also, what's a lime? I know what lemon is, but not lime. Can anyone answer these, please?
Also, there's another matter I'd like to bring to your attention. (Talking fancy are we?) A friend of mine just got a REALLY bad flame on her story, and it talked about her story being a Mary Sue or something (what is that?), and I got a review similar to that a while ago (Don't bother looking, I deleted it). Do you guys really enjoy my story? Or do you just read it to find out what's gonna happen between Kagome and Kurama? I'm not so sure about it anymore, but please tell me.
~*Tori the Hanyou*~
DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, YuGiOh, or Inuyasha.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fighting Back
Chapter 13: Alive
Wincing from the pain in his shoulder, Hiei opened his eyes. The area was flooded with water. He lifted his head, and saw the girl laying a ways away. He crawled over to her, gritting his teeth angrily for letting this pain hinder him. He spoke softly to her.
"Tori? Tori, say something."
Tori heard the voice; it seemed to come from far away. She opened her eyes with great difficulty, and saw the demon kneeling next to her.
"Hiei..." She tried to sit up, but fell again. Hiei held out his good arm, catching her and drawing her close.
"Don't move, your leg's badly hurt," he whispered. Tori looked up at him. His face was wrought with pain. She looked for the source of it, and gasped. His shoulder was ripped open.
"Hiei...your shoulder...those are...my claw marks..." she whispered with horror. "Oh, Hiei, I've hurt you! After you trusted me to take control of the ligress, and I...I let you down! Hiei!" She buried her face in his shoulder, her warm tears mixing with the cold rainwater pouring down her face. "How could I?"
"Tori...it wasn't your fault," reassured Hiei quietly.
"Yes, it is! I did that! I couldn't stop her! You trusted me!" she sobbed.
"Tori, stop it," Hiei ordered, a stern tone to his voice. Tori looked up at his face, silencing herself, but still making a small gulp every now and then. He was giving her one of his stares. "It's not your fault. I want you to stop beating yourself up for not stopping the ligress in time. Not many people would even be able to stop her at all. I'm...proud of you, Tori," he said softly.
The look in his eyes made Tori believe him. She relaxed, resting her head on his shoulder as the rain continued to pour.
Kurama looked back up from under the awning they'd found for shelter. He noticed not two bodies lying flat, but one cradling the other, sitting up.
"Kagome, look," he said, nudging her from her doze in his arms. Her face was tearstained from Tori's downfall, but she looked anyway. She saw them sitting together.
"Oh...my...gosh..." she whispered. "I'm seeing things. Kurama, are they sitting up?"
"It appears so," he said, with a smile. "You just can't destroy those two, no matter what."
Kagome got to her feet, and tried to hurry out to them, but she nearly collapsed from her mental and physical fatigue. Kurama caught her and placed her back on the bench. "You'd better stay here. I'll take Yusuke and go get them." Kagome weakly nodded, and leaned back against the wall, looking at the Hyper Bow that she still clutched in one hand.
Yusuke walked out with Kurama to the couple. "By the way, Yusuke, sorry for roughing you up like that back there," said Kurama, noting the bruise on Yusuke's eye.
"Aw, it's ok. It was for love, anyway. I did something like that for Keiko. Remember how I nearly killed myself in Saint Beast Castle to save her?"
"Yes. You worried us half to death. Good thing Kuwabara was there."
"Yeah."
They approached the two on the ground, who were nearly asleep from their exhaustion. Kurama picked up Hiei, and Yusuke took Tori. They headed back to the awning, telling Botan and Kuwabara to help Kagome back to their hotel. Kuwabara stood, rubbing his nose where Hiei had punched him in his fury to get to Tori.
After getting off the elevator, they headed into their rooms. Kurama was about to take Hiei into the boys' room, and Yusuke was taking Tori to her bed, when Hiei awoke, and reached out weakly to Tori with his good arm. Kurama motioned to Yusuke to bring Tori into the boys' room. He did, and Kurama laid Hiei down on his bed, and Yusuke placed Tori next to him. They covered the two, and went into the girls' room, closing the door behind them.
Hiei immediately moved closer to Tori when they were gone, wrapping her in his embrace, ignoring his shoulder. Tori responded by nuzzling into him, and both quickly slipped into a deep sleep.
Kagome sat on the couch, Botan wrapping her forearm in bandages. Kurama came and sat down next to them, waiting until she was finished.
"There," said Botan, fastening the end. "That'll work. Now, what about Hiei and Tori..."
"We'd better leave them alone until they get some rest. Then we'll tend to their wounds," said Kurama quickly. Botan nodded.
"Hey," she said, "What ever happened to those boys we met? The rude ones?"
"Hmm...not sure. They must've left during Tori and Kagome's battle," said Kurama.
"What boys?" asked Kagome.
"We met those awful boys who caused Tori to run away," said Botan. Kagome's eyes widened.
"You mean...that guy Tori used to be with...her ex?" asked Kagome.
Kurama nodded. "Wait," continued Kagome, "this can't be good. If that guy's here, what about Hiei? What if all that work we did to get him and Tori together'll be for nothing?"
"Don't worry!" said Botan in her usual optimistic mood. "I'm sure Hiei and Tori will work this out with...whoever that guy is."
"I suppose..." said Kagome. She blushed when she felt Kurama against her. She turned to look at him, and he was giving her one of his heart- melting smiles.
"Plus, Kagome," he said quietly, "How can they split apart if they've got us?"
"I agree! You two have got to be one of the most influential couples there is!" said Botan. They gave her a look. "Oh...and it's time to leave! Look at that! My laundry MUST be done by now! Tootles!" She leapt up hurriedly from the couch, and ushered Yusuke and Kuwabara out the door with her, promising she'd let them go and slink around town for a small time while she got her 'laundry'.
Kagome shook her head after them. Kurama was still gazing at her. Meeting his gaze, she stared inquisitively into his emerald orbs.
"You must be exhausted, Kagome," he said quietly after a little bit. Kagome nodded slowly.
"I guess so..." she responded.
"You'd better lie down," continued Kurama.
"Um, okay." She got up from the couch, and went over to her bed, lying down on it. Kurama sat down next to her, gently stroking her cheek.
Kagome watched him for a time, and his green eyes just seemed to go deeper the more she looked at them. Soon, she'd become lost in them, and drowned in the warm feeling she got from his gaze. It wasn't long before she felt both arms around her and a body lying next to hers. She and Kurama drifted away into sleep.
*A couple of hours later*...
Tori snapped awake to a high-pitched voice calling her. She nearly forgot about Hiei, and tried to sit up, triggering his possessive instincts. His arms nearly constricted her to keep her down, and she could barely breathe enough to speak.
"Hiei! Hiei, you're choking me!" she gasped. Hearing her, he awoke, jumping at what he was doing, and immediately let her go. Catching her breath, Tori sat up, blushing as she remembered where she was. She looked to see Botan rushing in the door, still practically yelling her name. "What is it, Botan?" she asked irritably. Hiei glared, rolling his eyes as the blue- haired girl came flying into the boys' room, out of breath.
"Tori! Tori, it's those boys! They're back!" she exclaimed.
Still slightly asleep, Tori started to think she was dreaming.
"What? What boys?"
"Your friends...oh, what were their names...Joey, I remember, Triton, Tristan, one or the other, and the other guy, I think his name began with a Y or something..."
"Joey, Tristan, and Yugi?" asked Tori suspiciously.
"Oh, yes! That was it!" said Botan. Tori's eyes widened, and fell to the floor.
"You found them?" she asked.
"Yes, and that Yugi character was quite eager to know your whereabouts," continued Botan.
"I bet he was," Tori said quietly. Hiei looked at her. The pain had returned, and her angry gaze was back, too. She sat up, putting on her shoes. Forgetting about her leg, she toppled to the floor. Hiei watched her with worry as she struggled to stand up.
"Um, I think we'd better bandage that up," said Botan after watching her. "You, too, Hiei. Both of you are a mess! Come on!" She helped Tori up and over to the boys' couch, and Hiei followed, his shoulder striking a memory chord.
After finishing with Tori's leg, Botan turned to Hiei's shoulder. An idea suddenly flashed into Hiei's head, and he stopped her.
"I think Tori needs to do this," he said, smirking in Tori's direction. Tori blushed, and Botan looked at him with slight puzzlement, before he gave her a look.
"Oh, right! Of course!" she said. "Well, I guess I could just go shopping or something! Now don't be too long, Tori. And don't forget to go speak to your friends!" She hurried out the door, leaving poor Tori alone with Hiei.
Tori glared at him as she took the wet cloth and started cleaning his wound. Hiei just sat there, that sly smile on his face the whole time. He could see her trying to hide the tinges of pink on her face, and he finally spoke when she was nearly finished cleaning.
"Don't tell me you're not enjoying this," he muttered. Tori looked as if she was ignoring him. He raised an eyebrow at her. Tori finished off with the cleaning, and stood to put the bloodstained rag in the sink in the bathroom. She hopped on one leg all the way there, dropping the rag in the sink and filling it with warm water. She came back in, and sat down next to him again, and began wrapping his shoulder. She was as gentle as possible, though she doubted if she could ever have caused Hiei to flinch. Tori noticed him close his eyes, and he seemed to relax. When she'd finished and tied the bandage securely, she stood on her good leg.
"I'm gonna go see my friends now," she said.
"Fine, but I'm coming with you," said Hiei quickly.
"Why?"
Hiei froze. He wasn't about to say that he was suspicious of her friends; that would get her angry.
"You need someone to help you walk," he said simply. Tori nodded, and reluctantly let him put one arm around her waist, while she looped hers around his shoulders, being careful of his injured one. They walked out into the hallway, heading down towards the elevators, when she heard a voice that made her heart stop.
"Long time no see, Tori." She turned her head to see the three boys she had run away from standing in the hallway. She distinctly felt Hiei's arm tighten around her. For the most part, she was slightly grateful he'd offered to come.
"Um, hi guys," she said. She avoided Yugi's eyes, knowing full well what he was capable of if he had eye contact, though she could feel the heat of his gaze on her. Hiei gave a slight glare at the three boys. Yugi walked forward, telling Joey and Tristan to leave. He obviously expected Tori to dismiss Hiei, but it didn't come.
"Do you mind?" he asked the demon. Hiei's glare increased.
"Yes, I do," he responded coldly. Tori could definitely sense invisible sparks flying. She turned into Hiei's good shoulder to try to make him quit it.
Hiei sensed her urgency, and took his attention off his new unofficial rival to see if she was alright. She wasn't, especially not with Yugi boring into her with his eyes.
"Tori, could I speak to you alone?" asked Yugi.
"No," snapped Hiei.
"I think I asked her," Yugi snapped back. Tori looked from one to the other, and sensed a deep feeling of hate from each of them. Yugi turned to her. "Who is this guy?" he asked.
"My name is Hiei," said the demon with pride.
"Hiei, huh? What the hell are you doing with my girl?" asked Yugi. Tori forgot all pain in her leg as she angrily tried to attack him. Hiei was the only thing between her and the source of her fury.
"Don't you...DARE...call me yours...you insensitive...freaky...wacko jerk!" she gasped out from pain and the effort of trying to free herself from Hiei. Yugi took a step toward her, but Hiei gave him a warning glance, stopping him. Tori stopped, too, but continued to glare at him. Yugi seemed unaffected by her words. He was giving her a steady look. Once more, Tori kept away from eye contact.
"You fear me," said Yugi in a low voice. "You're afraid of my power. You know what I can do, don't you, Tori?" Tori withdrew from him, burying herself in Hiei's arms.
Hiei once more stood in front of her, shielding her from this threat. Yugi gave him the threatening glare, and Hiei confronted it with his own fierce look.
"Tori doesn't truly fear anyone," he growled. Yugi smirked.
"That's where you're wrong. Didn't you hear me? Look at her. She's terrified by my very presence."
"She's in pain is what it is. If her leg wasn't hurt, I'm sure not even I could stop her from tearing you to bits," snapped Hiei.
Yugi kept that look on his face as he stalked toward the elevators.
"This isn't over...Tori," he said, his gaze and tone turning evilly seductive. Tori tried to shut out his voice, but her ears wouldn't quit hearing things. When Yugi was gone, Hiei turned to Tori, worried. She was trembling furiously, and he could hear sobs.
He didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life, Hiei felt at a loss for actions. All he could do was wrap Tori in his arms and take her back to the room.
He set her on the couch, and cradled her in his embrace. Tori was grateful for the small comfort, but her mind was lost amid horrid memories and Yugi's voice echoing through her head. Hiei had an idea to help, but he needed her to calm down. Gently, he took her off his lap, and rubbed the area on her neck underneath her ear. Slowly but surely, Tori's sobs quieted, and she started to relax.
Hiei waited until she was fully calm before he called on the power of his Jagan Eye. He slowly went into her mind, closing his eyes.
He found her on the floor of her chamber, and she was definitely a wreck. After seeing what the problem was, he came forward towards her inner self, and using his Eye, cast a sleep charm.
When he'd come out, sure enough, Tori was sinking into the couch, slowly falling under his spell. He gently stroked her hair, taking her tightly in his arms again. She was soon fast asleep. He put a mental barrier around her as well, so that Yugi couldn't haunt her with any nightmares. He rested his head on top of hers, feeling her snuggle into his neck sleepily. Smirking softly, he drifted off to sleep.
Kagome awoke to a boom of thunder. She looked outside to see that the rainstorm had become a rather violent thunderstorm. She sighed, getting a feeling of content, as the world outside was cold and wet, and she was inside, warmly snuggled in the arms of one of the dreamiest guys she had ever met. Her heaven couldn't possibly be any more perfect. She saw Kurama's sleeping face, and sighed happily.
Kurama awoke to Kagome's sigh, and opened his eyes to see her looking out the window. He noticed the thunderstorm, too, and watched the girl in his arms with the utmost serenity. He wasn't sure how he'd come across her, but Kagome had become the girl of his dreams. She was beautiful, kind, cheerful, and tended to get hyper out of the blue. He loved everything about her. He remembered their meeting, Kagome's fiery attitude, her defiance towards Koenma, and her need to help Tori when she was in trouble. He nudged Kagome with his nose, and she turned to look at him.
"Sleep well?" he asked. Kagome nodded sleepily. "It's quite violent out there, isn't it?"
"Yeah, no thanks to the ligress," said Kagome. Kurama smiled.
"Hey, Kurama?"
"Yes?"
"You never explained to me why you're a half-demon. You said you would after we faced Sesshomaru, remember?" asked Kagome, sitting up. Kurama remembered.
"Oh, right," he said. "Well, I'm not sure if you'll believe me or not..." he said.
"Try me," said Kagome.
Kurama smiled, that was yet another of the things he loved about her.
"Okay, okay. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm actually a lot older than I look. In reality, I used to be known as Yoko Kurama."
Kagome's eyes widened.
"I heard something about him. Yoko's that demon who was a bandit, wasn't he?"
"Yes, he was also very powerful. But, many people sought his life, for a great bounty had been put on him for his death, or proof of it. He came to the human world, and hid himself in the body of a boy named Shuiichi Minamino. That's what my mother calls me. I grew up with him as kind of an alter ego. So, now only a precious few humans know my true name, Kurama. I try to keep a name in each world. In the human world, I'm Shuiichi, but in the demon world, I'm Kurama."
"So, you're not really a hanyou, but you're also not really demon or human..." said Kagome.
"Yes, it's quite confusing. Sometimes I don't even know the difference," said Kurama. "I just refer to myself as half-demon to keep from getting too mixed up."
Kagome giggled. They sat there for a while, listening to the soft rumbles of thunder. Kurama soon noticed the weather getting worse. He didn't care; he was happy where he was. Kagome snuggled up to him more as she noticed the roughening storm outside. They were both nearly asleep, until a huge lightning flash; followed by a practical roar of thunder made them both jump awake.
Tori's eyes shot open at the giant crash. She immediately clung to whomever was holding her in their arms, trying to shut out the noise. When it cleared, she opened her eyes to see Hiei's staring down at her.
"You ok?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, just a little jumpy, that's all," replied Tori, sitting up. Her leg definitely felt better now, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Hiei saw that his shoulder was almost completely healed, thanks to his demon blood. There were slight white marks where the claws had dug, but he suspected even those would go away soon.
"It's really quiet in here," said Hiei.
"Yeah...I wonder where everyone is?" asked Tori.
"Beats me," said Hiei.
Tori stood, and she found she only had a slight limp, but at least she could walk by herself now. She went to the door leading to the girls' room, and saw Kurama and Kagome looking at her.
"Hey, guys," she said. Kagome smiled and stood up.
"Thank God you're ok, Tori, we thought you and Hiei would be asleep forever," she said.
"Heh, if that storm hadn't woken us, we probably would've," replied Tori.
"It's getting pretty bad out there," reported Kurama. Everyone looked out the window.
"I hope the others are okay," said Kagome as another lightning bolt flashed and thunder rolled.
"I'm sure they are, Kagome. Now, who wants something to eat? I'm starved!" said Tori cheerfully.
Hiei went to the door first, and peered out to make sure Yugi wasn't in the hall. He motioned for them to follow.
They went downstairs into the lobby of the hotel, where dinner was starting to be served.
"Didn't realize it was this late," said Kurama.
"How long were we up there, exactly?" asked Tori.
"No idea, probably a few hours, at the most," responded Hiei.
They went to the dinner buffet and got plates of spaghetti, penne pasta, or whatever they wanted. Hiei, of course, didn't want any of that. He went straight to the ice cream. Kurama shook his head.
"Uh...doesn't Hiei know ice cream's for dessert?" asked Tori as she watched him.
"No, not really," said Kurama with a small smile. Hiei came back with a cone of vanilla and sat down to eat it. Tori looked at her plate of penne pasta with butter sauce.
"Hiei, why are you eating ice cream now?" she asked.
"It's called sweet snow," said Hiei, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Tori gave him a really weird look.
"That's what he likes to call it," explained Kurama. Tori blinked and shook her head. 'Whatever floats his boat,' she thought, and dug in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tori the Hanyou: Wow, ok, I'm SO SORRY for not updating earlier! I've just been so out of it! Cheerleading tryouts are this week, and I'm working my poor head off trying to learn the dance and cheer that we need to know for the tryout part.
I also have a few questions about FanFiction. First off, what does AU mean? And also, what's a lime? I know what lemon is, but not lime. Can anyone answer these, please?
Also, there's another matter I'd like to bring to your attention. (Talking fancy are we?) A friend of mine just got a REALLY bad flame on her story, and it talked about her story being a Mary Sue or something (what is that?), and I got a review similar to that a while ago (Don't bother looking, I deleted it). Do you guys really enjoy my story? Or do you just read it to find out what's gonna happen between Kagome and Kurama? I'm not so sure about it anymore, but please tell me.
~*Tori the Hanyou*~