MnS: I'm back!! I just saw the episode of Kurama vs. Karasu, and so, I'm ready to write a few chapters!! ^_^!!
KnH: Hiei, do you want to do the disclaimer?
Hiei: No.
MnS: But Hiei!!
Hiei: Leave me alone, baka onna.
MnS: :P Kurama, will *you* do the disclaimer?
Kurama: sure. Megami no Shi doesn't own Yu-yu Hakusho or any of it's affiliated people, places, or things.
MnS: Thank you!! ::sticks tongue out at Hiei as she starts to type::
Chapter 2: Kurama's Questions
//
"Come up here. I won't let you sit down there for the rest of the night." This time it was me who wanted to protest, but instead, I compiled, again, frighteningly, not able to refuse the fox anything. Kicking off my shoes, I slid onto the bed next to Kurama, and, being very mindful of his inured arm, laid on my back. I was surprised when Kurama slid closer to me, laying on his uninjured right arm; he was still shivering, and I couldn't spend anymore of my ki unless I wanted to fall unconscious. Slowly, thinking of no better way to keep the fox warm, as he already had two comforters and all the spare blankets that there were, I turned to my side and put my right arm around his waist, mindful of his left arm, and shared body heat with him. To my most utter shock, he scooted closer, rather than further away. Of course he did; he's incoherent, just moving towards heat because he's cold, I thought, scolding my self for my thoughts. It just felt as if the kitsune had somehow……accepted me, in that gesture. Shaking my head to clear those thoughts, I was about to back to musing, but found myself unable to. Drifting to sleep against my will, I made sure that my body would keep giving access ki to the fox before I shut my eyes, sleeping for once, peacefully……
//
Following Hiei to the hallway outside of the now empty ring minutes after Yukina had come looking for him, I imitated him, leaning on the wall, hands in the white pockets of my pants. I had also been looking for him, finding him seconds before his sister had. The demon had been avoiding me for some reason or another; I'm sure of it. At least, as sure as you can be with the fire demon. And so now, that is what's on my mind, along with a small interrogation for a small hi oni [1].
I think it has something to do with the night following my matches with Gama, Touya, and Bakken. At the time I had been barely coherent, falling in and out of blackness after being placed in a bed around four o'clock in the afternoon and not getting up until eight o'clock the next morning. Now comes the part where my suspicion grows it's roots from. Under normal circumstances, had I been left to heal myself, I'm not sure I'd have been on my feet, let alone able to defend myself by the semi-final match. Enter Hiei. The death plant had been doing it's job painfully well; it had been trying to suck all of the warmth and life out of me, and therefore, made me extremely cold. The first two times I had come to, someone had retrieved six spare blankets to add to my 2, and a second comforter. The third time I had awoken from the shock of freezing that my body was going through, I am sure, no matter how fuzzy the memory seemed, someone gave me whatever energy that they could spare in the form of heat alone. It had warmed my body down to my toes and straight through my bones, mostly removing the bulk of the effect of the death plant, though only for a short while. Dealing in heat alone; that is Hiei's specialty.
I'm also sure that the few times that I had drifted into the coherent world that I had seen someone there beside me; someone with a very familiar aura. It had for certain not been Yusuke or Kuwabara, because they hadn't gotten up until a few hours after I had, and the masked fighter had been nowhere to be seen. I asked Botan and Yukina if they had at all helped me to heal, and they both had responded with a confused 'no', and obviously Shizuru and Keiko could do nothing. Why is this relevant you ask? Well, for me to have healed so well and so quickly, someone had to have given me enough to sustain more than another B class youkai. When this energy was given, it wasn't all at once; it was given to me in 'doses' every hour on the hour, and I knew this because I had felt it. The pain recede, the death plant loose it's hold on my body little by little. I could still feel the warmth from the power - raw, igniting power - that had been given to me almost as fast as it cold be created. All ki has it's own little bit of a 'tweak' about it if you will; sort of like a signature, or a ningen fingerprint.
The only way for this much energy could be transmitted at a time, for me to physically feel it in my half to unconscious state, someone had to come in contact with my skin; even if only laying hand on my wrist or something of that caliber. But they had be within arms length. When I asked, I was told that no one had come even as near as my bedroom door for at least 16 hours, which is about how long I was out.
Of course, the energy had been readily accepted by my body, but it mixed with mine so well that it must have been the energy of a demon; and besides, it wouldn't have taken so much ningen energy to accomplish what it had, and so, it wouldn't have been given to me every hour for sixteen hours.
Also, that would explain why Hiei had not been in top form for the semi-final match, when he should have been more than ready to take on the majority of our opponents.
So many fingers pointing his way; so many confirmations and yet…… I was still afraid to ask him about it. It was petty, I know, but there was a great reason for it. I had to be certain that it was true though, true that Hiei had helped me in such a self-sacrificing way; I had to hear him admit it himself without any provocation. Had to be sure, because I albeit with defeated spirits admit that I have a growing crush on the koorime. I've tired to ignore it and just be friends with him as always; I really have, but this development has stirred 'wistful thinking', and I either have to squelch it or confess to the fire demon. Either way though, I had to know why.
It had only been around half a minute that this had flowed through my mind in less than that, but I was so lost that I was surprised as his voice, in a more or less differential tone, cut through the slightly confusing, very depressing thoughts I had in the silence, and said,
"Hn. What do you want fox?" Closing my eyes and leaning back on the wall, I tried to figure out how to phrase this so that the smaller demon wouldn't get defensive when he learned that I recognized the charity that possibly kept me alive as his, and perhaps explain himself. Opening my eyes and looking up at the ceiling, I finally said,
"Hiei, you weren't in your best shape for the semi-finals yesterday." I decided that that was common and unsuspicious enough ground to start on.
"Hn. What's it to you fox? I'm alive, aren't I?" Hmmmmm. A general answer. He didn't make an excuse pertaining to where his missing ki had gone to, and if I thought about it for a second, that really wasn't his style anyway. If he didn't deny anything, that would make this encounter a whole lot easier on both of us. I answered with,
"I was just wondering why that was, because after Ruka healed your arm accidentally, you had around a day and a quarter to heal. That's 30+ hours, and it should have been more than enough to heal what was left of your injury and bring you back to full power at your recovery rate." This time, it took him a bit longer to come up with an answer.
"It's none of your business fox; what's done is done, and that match is over." And now, I had him. He turned to the left and began to walk away, but he only got about 5 steps before I said,
"I believe it becomes my business when it involves my health." That stopped him dead, and after a second, he cocked his head halfway around, looking to his right, and, half closing his eyes, he asked suspiciously,
"What do you mean, Fox?" Closing my eyes again, I smiled a half smile, the Youko blood in me showing past my ningen features for only a second before I looked at the fire koorime's profile and said,
"You gave me energy enough to recooperate for the first 16 hours that I was recovering from the death plant. I just wanted to know why." At this he half-smirked as he barely shrugged his shoulders and said,
"You and I both know that if you didn't receive any extra energy, you might still be unconscious now, and we needed at least 3 people at the semi-finals." He started to take another step as I said casually,
"Yes, but really, if you only gave me enough energy so that I could get by, then I shouldn't be able to do this." Turning, I faced the fire demon and held out my right had, palm up, and easily summoned some of the energy that I had been afforded that night. You see, I had kept it, and instead used my own to recover and to fight in the semi-finals; I sill had most of what was given to me then. And the energy manifested into it's proper form at it's release; a bright red, strong and stead flame. Barely flickering, I could feel the warmth, though it did not burn me; I had been able to do it since the morning I woke up. Not strong enough for an attack or anything of that calibur, as I didn't know how to manipulate it to make it do what I wanted, but enough for it to manifest and be seen.
Hiei didn't even need to turn around to sense it; I know that he did though, because his left foot, which was poised in the air, fell heavily to the ground, the 'thud' echoing through the hallway at a deafening tone. Relinquishing the fire and stopping the energy flow, I took a few steps toward Hiei, out of striking distance, but closer to him. Then, I said easily,
"You gave me enough energy to sustain another youkai of the same level as myself; surely you didn't need to spare that much." He still didn't say anything; he seemed, stunned, shocked if you will, and unable to speak. His body was rigid, as if ready for attack, though he knew that I would never; and so, what was he so afraid of? Taking myself away from my thoughts, I tried again to get him to say it himself. I had to hear him say it; I had to hear it from his mouth of his own free will.
"I just wanted to know why. You didn't recover to your full power as you should have, and it put you at a disadvantage in the ring." To this, he again remained silent; he barely breathed. Saddened slightly that he still refused to tell me the reason for his uncharacteristic charity, I attempted one last time.
"Please Hiei. Why would you do that to yourself?" then, I muttered half to myself, "especially for me, of all people." And then, he was gone. Dammit! Just what I didn't want him to do, though I knew that eventually, he'd do it, I thought to myself, a tear manifesting in the corner of my eye. Turning angrily in the opposite direction and scrubbing the offending eye with the back of my hand harshly, I fled into the forest, where I could be among friends. I had to get out……
MnS: So, how was it?
Hiei: Hn.
KnH: It was alright……as good as the last one…
MnS; ^_^!! YAY!!
Hiei: Not that the last one was any good….
Kurama: A…hehehehe…. ::sweat drops and scratches head::
MnS: Well, fine then! We'll see what the reviewers think! R'n'R plz, and think I'll have another chapter up by Sunday, if all goes according to plan….^_^!!