dont own YYH

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Chapt. 39

Bloodlust

The figure just hangs there for a moment. Leaning, almost lifelessly, forward while his long, slender arms held him sturdily as he grasped the wooden frame for dear life. The scent of demon blood hangs about him. A dead, eerie aura floated about him in a sickening way. Never had I seen someone with such a deathly aura.

He moans.

I jump up, ready to fight. The tall, shadowed figure falls into the room. Fire red hair covered his face.

"Uh…Kurama?" I put down my guard and walk over to him. When I turn him over, I saw how pale his complexion was. He was so cold. "Hiei, come quick!" I yell. He did not come. "It's Kurama!" I add, removing the kitsune's shredded shirt.

"What the Hell happened to him?" Hiei gasped, kneeling beside his injured friend. Deep, red, bloody gashes covered his torso. Some were thin, like from a bladed weapon. Others were defined slashes from claws or a like weapon. But one caught my eye. The cut was deep and a hellish black color. I knew of no weapon that made such a wound.

"I don't know," I sighed. "But what do you suppose made that?" I ask, pointing to the black gash across his upper chest.

"Not sure, but it looks like it was poisoned."

I look a little closer at it. To me, it didn't look like poisoning, but I had never seen a poisoned wound. I lean closer to it and take a few sniffs. It smelled of a putrid odor. I pulled away from it sharply.

"What poison smells that bad?!" I growl, covering my nose forcefully. "It burns."

"I've no idea what poison it is. I'm not the expert. I only knew it was poisoning because I've been around when Kurama pointed it out. I'm not the go-to guy on this kinda stuff."

"Pain…Yusuke…help…" Kurama gasped. His eyelids started to droop shut again.

"Kurama, Kurama stay with me," I say, shaking him gently. "Where? Tell me where, Kurama."

Kurama pulls a sharp, painful breath. "Frank," he breathes painfully.

I look at Hiei. He just stared disbelievingly at his friend's condition. These two had been together for years uncounted and they'd never stopped being friends. But, just now, Kurama was being torn from Hiei. Soon, Kurama just might be flung into a place where Hiei can't follow. I knew the discomforting feeling, and I knew the pain that was breaking his heart.

"Hiei, go to them. If Mamoru's ok, send him here as fast as he can run."

"What about you?" he asks, looking at me for the first time. His face was no longer set in cold stone, but twisted with sadness and fear of loss.

"I'll stay here and do what I can. He won't leave you," I reassure.

"How do you know?" he snaps.

"Because I won't let him."

He sits there for a moment. His eyes penetrated my soul. He was so untrusting of my loyalty right now. The bond of trust that existed between us was ignored. Hiei looked through me, unsure if he should trust.

I rest my hand on his shoulder.

"I won't let him fall," I whisper.

He nods slightly and disappears from the room.

Please let them be ok.

"Kurama, hold on to your life. You can't die on Hiei, he needs you here. Just…just don't die on him…I don't want to lose the trust I've gained. The love." A tear hits Kurama's pale cheek and dots his face with tiny, salty droplets. A pained, small smile works its way onto Kurama's face. His jade green eyes open and look at me so sadly. The smile was solemn, like he knew a sad fate that I did not.

"Tell Hiei…I said good-bye," he whispers. Such a sad voice, cracking and burning with the pain of death. But he was so calm, like he knew that there was no other way. Nothing that could be done to save him now.

"Don't you dare, Kurama! Don't you dare leave us. Fight for me, Kurama! Fight for life," I sob, squeezing his cold hand.

"I can't, my time is now." He takes a sharp breath. "Be strong for me."

"I won't let you die, Kurama! You're going to live!" A bright light surges over his body. Death was not an option for me. A couldn't accept it. Not now, not ever again. Kurama was going to live, I'd make sure of it.

A scream burst from my mouth. Such pain he had endured to receive these unwanted wounds. I had this unwonted will to live. A primordial urge that shot through my body, giving me the strength to save him and myself. Never had I experienced such a thing: this exciting thrill of pain and bloodlust. It was unnerving.

The light fades slowly. Kurama's wounds were gone, but the poison was still within him…I could smell it. Kurama was still dying. I didn't save him. The demon thief fox, Yo-Ko, was slipping from this world. Shuichi Minamino was dying. His mother would never see her boy again, and it's all my fault.

"Kurama, please stay with me," I weep, but my plea went unheard. "You can't go, Kurama. Your mother will miss you terribly, Hiei will send me to follow you, and so many others will weep. Please, Kurama, don't leave." Tears fall freely from my eyes. Blood seeped from my wounds and stained everything. But he just lay there. He would not comfort me one last time, no smile would appear, and his eyes would never shine again.

"Kurama, Darkfire!" cried a child. I looked up at a blurry demon.

"Mamoru," I sob, "I can't save him. He's been poisoned and I can't help him!" I burry my face into Kurama's chest and cry forbidden tears.

"Let me," Mamoru whispers, laying a hand on Kurama's stomach. He says something in an ancient language and his hand begins to glow. A few more words and the energy began to pump into Kurama's body. It sounded like a steady heartbeat. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

Kurama breathes a deep breath.

"Kurama!" I yell, a smile cutting through my burning tears. He was alive.

"That should do yaaaa!" Mamoru yawns, stretching his arms into the air. "I think I'll take a nap now."

"Mamoru?" I question as he lies down.

"Hm?"

"What happened to the others?"

"I don't know. When they came, Kurama told me to find you guys." He falls to a deep slumber instantly.

"Kurama?"

"Yes?" he whispers.

"I'll be back. Be safe." I walk from the room, leaving Kurama and Mamoru to a quiet peace. Quickly, but quietly, I race for Frank's restaurant. The air began to smell heavily of demons and blood. Rei gun shots lit up the twilight sky. So there was a battle.

How many others are injured?!

I slid to a stop. Battle was an understatement, this was a war! A body came flying towards me. I got ready to beat it down when I saw it was Yusuke. He made contact with me and I flew back a few feet before hitting the ground.

"Mother…!" Yusuke yelled, rolling off me.

I coughed.

"Huh? Oh, Darkfire! 'Bout damn time you got here!" he grinned, pulling me to my feet.

"Thanks for caring," I smirk. "What happened here?" I ask, becoming very serious.

Yusuke turned back to the battlefield with the most serious face I've seen him wear.

"These creep demons just showed up and demanded the hanyou wolf girl and hanyou Forbidden Child. We knew they were looking for Hiei, but a half demon made no sense. Kurama said it probably meant half ice and half fire demon."

"And I'm the wolf girl. Half fox and half wolf demon. But what would panthers want with us?"

"I don't know. The moment we said you guys weren't here, they started to attack. Is Kurama…?"

"He's alive. Mamoru saved him."

"You must'a done something," he says, looking at my bloodied shirt.

"Avert your gaze elsewhere," I growl, pushing his grinning face to the battle. "Where are the girls and Frank?"

"Under the back room."

"What?!"

"In a secret tunnel," Yusuke adds.

"I'll get them outta here."

Yusuke nods and trots off.

"Yusuke!" I call.

He turns back.

"Break a few legs!"

He grins, nods, and busts up a demon.

I find the back room/kitchen and begin digging through the rubble. The smell of blood hung so heavy that I couldn't sniff them out.

"I found the hanyou wolf!" a brute booms from behind me.

I slide forward and avoid being pounded into the ground. Standing, I see panthers circling me. Smirking, I give them a 'bring it on' look. And they sure don't hesitate. Slashes from all sides come at me. Weaving between them, I avoid being injured further and kill them all.

"Now, to resume my search." I dig a while longer before coming across a small door. Upon opening it, a spear-like weapon jabs up continuously as I dodge.

"Hey, stop! It's Darkfire!" a peppy voice yells. The spear retracts and I see Frank standing with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry 'bout that," he laughs.

I shake my head with a smile.

After pulling them out one by one, I help them get safely to the hotel room. Leaving them in the safety of a spell, I race back to the battle. The same bloodlust returns as I get closer and closer. The savage wolf within me growls in pure anger and bloodlust. I was mad and I was dangerous; the panthers would hurt no more of my friends again. The panthers would die before the sun set on the western horizon.