Light in the Shadow

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Disclaimer: I do not own Hiei, Yu Yu Hakusho or other related themes.

Warning: May have some disturbing images, adult language, and some as in a little bit not like heavy sexual content sorta kinda like kissy kissy stuff in later chapters. D

Author: ‡ Mercury Mechanics ‡

Authors Note: FINALLY. Its up! Thank you all so much for your reviews! And Thank you all for having patience with me!! AND Thanks to everyone of you who have continued to read my story!! I feel horrible at being so terribly slow at updating that some of you think I died. XP I hope you all can forgive me! ::bows:: I didn't forget, I promised to continue!

miyako14

Chrisoriented

animegrl15

Hieilover28

black-soul

Sanosuke Hidane

Rima

rokosho-13

MoonGoddessMononoke

Dew-Drop Viper

HieiFan666

Dragon Tamer103088

Stained Crimson

Crimson Alessa

KayHiei

Lil KaWaIi AzN PrInCeSs

Kanamey

Jaderabbit

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Chapter 7 "Into the Wood"

Awaking with a start Hiei sat up and looked about. It was dark now and the cold shadows cooled the heated rock that he had been laying upon for hours drifting deeply into the silhouettes of his mind causing strange images and foreign memories to flash before his eyes. Looking downwards the current events came back to him as he ran his hand down the bandages that covered his entire torso. He cringed as the skin underneath prickled and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His wounds were still quite sore.

As a quiet groan caught his attention Hiei looked to his side to see Kohana; her hand still in the same place where she had once been holding to his with the other drawn close and currently being used as a pillow. Slowly lying back down he looked at her, the shadows playing upon her face and the light breeze causing her hair to sway. Looking down at her hand Hiei watched as her fingers began to twitch indicating that she was waking up from her slumber. With curious eyes he observed as she rolled over onto her back, ending up closely tucked into him, her lips slightly ajar.

"Kohana?" Hiei prodded as he shook her shoulder gently while sitting back up, supporting himself by pressing into the rock with his forearm.

Humming lowly she mumbled a name he could barely make out as "Helios."

"Kohana wake up, we need to get a move on," Hiei said firmly in his monotone voice but held a barely noticeable gentleness.

Yawning Kohana rubbed her bandaged eyes as she leaned into his chest. "Hiei...You can just leave me here...Go on without me, I'll be fine," She whispered quietly not yet fully recovered from her nap in which her body had half way shut down to repair itself.

Hiei stared down at her with narrowed eyebrows as he said, "No. You're coming. There will be plenty of time for sleep later."

With a frown Kohana slowly sat up and said, "Why do we have to be leaving so soon?"

Just after she said those words a bristling howl tore threw the evening silence and caused both of the demon's hearts to race and their stomachs to turn. Whither the howls were from Hellhounds or from normal wolves, neither of the demons felt like sticking around to find out.

"That's why." Hiei spoke as he swiftly gathered Kohana into his arms and lithely bound away from their little utopia back into the cold forest where they would seek shelter from their enemies.

Almost as if right on cue, thunder caused the sky to quake and rain began to gently mist from the heaven above like cold tears. As Hiei made his way deeper into the forest he knew little to nothing about he found that with every turn he seemed to get more lost, causing him to feel as though he were a rat in a maze. It was a long evening to say the least. Thorny vines cut at his arms and legs and slick mud caused his feet to slip. As he neared a more mountainous region he set Kohana down and allowed her to walk, much to her pleasure. Though it was a slow process, the two found a hollowed out cave that was set in the mountain side and protected from the elements.

Sitting down on the inside to wait for the storm to pass Kohana and Hiei sat side by side, fingers entwined and heads hazy with a drowsiness the forest was so keen to inflict upon any outside demon. As a lightening bolt cracked across the sky, lighting everything just a bit Kohana jumped.

"Are you afraid of thunder storms?" Hiei asked his face turned away from hers and his hand wrapped with his companions.

"No I like them...the lightening just startled me," Kohana replied softly as she smiled lightly.

Shaking his head lightly Hiei watched the rain pour down over the land, giving everything a new since of cleanliness and fresh life. Everything was cast under a warm gray hue the only light coming from the lightening. Hiei could tell it was getting closer to morning yet the storm showed no sign of stopping. Slightly tilting his head he looked at Kohana who was boldly holding onto the hand he had nearly given to her and fiddling with her under robes.

To break the silence Kohana mustered up enough courage to ask a question she had been wondering for a while. "Hiei...Do you have a mate?" She asked in a quite voice. "Are you married?"

Turning his head more to look at her Hiei's eyes widened as he arched his brow at the curious question. "No." He replied simply. "Are you?"

"No," Kohana confirmed with a small smile as she reached up to touch the bandages on her face. "One day I'd like to be, what about you?"

Hiei hummed and shrugged.

Kohana smiled and nodded.

There was another short silence followed by the voice of Hiei who asked, "Why do you live in the middle of a forest all by yourself?"

With a sad sigh indicating of a not so happy memory Kohana replied, "It's a very long and complicated story." To retaliate to the question she asked, "Do you have any family? Any brothers or sisters?"

"That's none of your business," Hiei stated simply no anger or annoyance in his voice, just flat and involuntary. Then just a couple seconds later of remorseful silence he quietly said, "I have a little sister...You?"

Kohana smiled as she said, "I have three older brothers but...one I lost to shadow, one to death and the other to a curse..."

Humming Hiei nodded as he noted Kohana's behavior became quite somber. He could feel the inner chaos coming from her soul as her words sunk into his mind.

"I lost my mother when I was quite young along with my oldest brother Adonis...They were both murdered..." Kohana mumbled as she tightened her grip on Hiei's hand.

Hiei hummed deeply. "Do you know who it was that took their life?" Hiei asked in a calm voice.

Shaking her head Kohana spoke, "All I remember are fragments. I was still quite small...the shock of being lathered in his blood and that of my mothers was detrimental...I didn't understand why they were taken...I'd like to think that I do now."

Watching threw the dim light Hiei noticed that her shoulders were shaking and as lightening lit the sky he saw that the bandages around her eyes had darkened with a black liquid due to the poison. Opening his mouth to speak Hiei once again closed them as he thought of what to say.

"I'm...sorry that that happened," Hiei said in the calmest tone he could muster as he looked away from her, unbelieving of the fact that he was beginning to care. "Now let me look at your eyes..." He continued as he looked back to her, reaching for her face with one hand, "I think they've gotten worse."

Smiling Kohana turned towards him as lifted her hands while saying, "Don't worry...I feel fine."

"Never the less..." Hiei replied as he reached forward to untie the bandages from around Kohana's eyes. As he pulled them away he saw that the skin had cleared, much to his relief. With a quite "Hn" Hiei said, "Kohana open your eyes."

As Kohana attempted to do as he asked she found that they would not open and was painful for her to attempt to do so. Rubbing at them she whined quietly as a stinging sensation shot down the side of her face causing her to clasp the throbbing skin in her palm.

"What's the matter?" Hiei asked as his hand hovered on either side of her face.

Turning her head up Kohana said worriedly, "Hiei, my eyes, they won't open."

"What do you mean?" He said in a strait tone that held a twinge of surprise and worry.

With a hiss of pain Kohana continued to rub them as she said, "Hiei I cant open them...Ah, their stinging."

As Hiei reached to replace Kohana's hands with his he covered her eyes with his palms and extended his ki into the muscles around her eyes, warming and freeing them of their frozen prison that the poison had created to render them useless. As he stroked the skin beneath her eyes with the pads of his thumb Hiei said, "Try to open them now."

Slowly but surely Kohana opened them, to surprise Hiei with an almost frightening new addition. The whites of her eyes had been dyed black from the poison and the azure hue of her iris's intensified while a gray haze lingered over her pupils still canceling her ability to see. Arching his brow Hiei felt chills race up and down his spine. Watching as her gaze still wondered he listened as she spoke in a very self conscious tone,

"What's wrong Hiei, do-do they look bad?" Reaching out with her hand to find him, tears welled in the corner of her eyes from the stinging.

Putting out the hand she always held, Hiei shook his head as he said quietly, "No...Did you get the antibiotic cream?"

Patting around the small obi of her under robe Kohana shook her head no as she spoke, "I don't have it. It must have fallen while we were traveling."

Sighing Hiei rubbed his temple with his free hand, they both needed it to keep infection from setting in. Even if they were both demons their wounds were inflicted to counter their self healing abilities so that they themselves required the strength to overcome the sickness and or wound themselves. As he wiped the black hued tear from off Kohana's flushed pale face he said, "Do you know of any herb or plant that would help with reducing infection?"

Turning her head up Kohana's lips parted in thought as she blinked several times. With a slow nod as if she was trying to recall weather or not she knew Kohana finally spoke saying, "Yes, I think I do...but I don't know if it grows in this side of the forest."

"Then it would be best if we went to search for it as soon as the rain dies down," Hiei spoke with a firm nod.

Kohana agreed with a gentle shake of her head and a smile. "That sounds fine to me," she said as she leaned backwards against the cold wall, clasping Hiei's hand in hers. As she drew his warm hand to her she squeezed it lightly as she mumbled, "You're hand... is warm Hiei..."

Feeling the cool, smooth skin of Kohana's face brush against his hand, Hiei shivered lightly as a bristling sensation shot down his spine. As he turned his gaze towards her Hiei noticed that her face looked sickly pale. Listening as she breathed deeply he could hear a quiet wheeze as well.

"Kohana are you feeling alright?" Hiei asked in a quite tone of voice as he hid the concern in his voice.

Nodding simply Kohana replied in a voice that was quiet and sluggish, "Yes...I feel fine...Why do you ask...?"

Slowly sliding off the cold wall the grip Kohana had on Hiei's hand loosened as she slipped forward and blacked out. Jumping up to catch her Hiei held her from hitting the ground as he drew her close.

"Kohana!" Hiei cried as he shook her. "Hey, open your eyes."

Noticing that she wasn't breathing Hiei lied her down and put his ear next to her mouth confirming the dreadful reality of the situation. Looking down at her he saw that her lips were blue and the black virus that had first plagued the flesh around her eyes began to creep back. Placing his hands on her face he was shocked at how quickly the poison had set in to wreath her body in sickness and cold.

"I have to resuscitate her..." Hiei mumbled as he felt his heart being to flutter, a feeling he'd never felt before. "I've seen Kurama do this before...to that one girl at the beach..."

Leaning down Hiei tilted her chin up as he pressed his lips into hers while blowing into her mouth. As he drew away and saw that nothing happened he frowned. Moving over her he placed one hand on the opposite side of her head to support himself as he leaned back over and continued to breathe air into her lungs.

"Come on, Kohana," Hiei said as he breathed into her once again. "Demons don't die from a little lack of air..."

As Hiei brought his lips back to Kohana's he watched as she began to come back to life. The blackness around her eyes went away as she started to breath again. Coughing Kohan's hands went up to her face as she rolled onto her side, her eyes clamped shut, while she began to spit up thick black plasma causes by the internal effects of the poison.

Kohana coughed out a quiet and pain stricken "Hi..ei..." as she sat up onto her knees, supporting herself with her palms as black plasma dripped from her lips, blood leaking from the corners of her eyes. "Hiei," she managed out as tears began to well in her sightless eyes.

"I'm right here," Hiei said as he touched her hand with his own.

Lifting her hand she clasped it over Hiei's and squeezed tightly. As her shoulders began to shake Kohana listened as Hiei said,

"Kohana, I'll be right back, hold on."

Nodding she released his hand as she continued to sit where she was, shaking and dry heaving as she coughed up large amounts of black oozing plasma. As Kohana thought over what else the poison could also affect, she cringed as a searing pain ripped at her lower abdomen. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kohana could feel the heat of her tears mixed with the heat of blood run down her face and join the cold plasma that had come from her stomach, leaving her weak and unstable. To say the least it was looking grim for her. As a cool, wet compress touched with her hot forehead Kohana leaned into the hand that clasped the side of her face.

"Hiei..." Kohan mumbled as she reached out for him. "I'm s..."

"Stop talking," Hiei interrupted her curtly.

Nodding slightly as she moved away from where she had ridden her stomach of the propionate stash of poison in her system, Kohana reached out for Hiei as he wiped the blood off her face and the black substance from her pale lips. Gently brushing her hair from her face Hiei observed as she slowly opened her eyes to look up at him, though he knew she could not see. As a pain stricken cringe changed her expression into one of great pain Kohana doubled over and held her stomach.

"I...I don't feel well..." Kohana mumbled as she rested her head in Hiei's lap.

"Really?" Hiei asked sarcastically as he looked down at the lump of demon lying in his lap.

After several minutes of enduring an exceedingly painful sensation of a knife tearing her insides apart, it began to subside. Managing a small rather crooked smile as if to say it would be alright, she unwrapped her arms from around her torso and slowly sat back up as she weakly supporting herself with her palms. Shaking her head to clear an abiding since of faintness from her, she turned her gaze up, the blackened orbs burning into the fierce red of her companion's.

"Hiei?" she asked in a quiet voice as she forced out a smile that displayed a noticeably fake "I'll be alright" façade.

"Yes?" Hiei said as he leaned back against the opposite wall they had been sitting against.

"I'm cold," Kohana said as she shivered lightly from the cool kisses of the breeze that drifted into the cave.

Not saying a word Hiei stared at Kohana for a moment then with a quiet sigh he opened his arms and pulled her close, allowing her to sit between his legs and huddle close to him for warmth. He adjusted his back as she wrapped her arms around his torso and set her head against his chest...

"I can't believe I'm actually allowing Kohana to be this intimate with me..." Hiei grumbled to himself mentally as he looked down at the shaking demon he held in his arms. Though his head was screaming "What on earth are you doing?" his heart was whispering, "It's not so bad..."

Though it seemed that the drama for the day had ended, at least temporarily anyway, Hiei was unaware of the fact that Kohana's emotional strength was slowly beginning to wear away. She cried silent tears as they solemnly ran down her pale cheeks and dripped off her chin. As much as she would have liked to be alone to let go of the bottled up emotions inside of her, Kohana knew that she was best off staying by Hiei's side. Coming to a conclusion, she swore to herself that she would hold out for as long as she could. She had to be strong for both herself and Hiei.

Brushing aside the dramatics Kohana brought her fingers to her lips running them over the bruised flesh. She blushed as they tingled with the breath Hiei had gifted her and as she imagined what it would have been like to kiss him if she weren't unconscious and not breathing. As she felt Hiei's chest rise as he sighed she listened as he began to hum a soft tune whose familiar tune calmed her rattled spirit. With a smile Kohana closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into his chest. Being with him wasn't half bad...

"Hiei...thank you..." Kohana whispered as she squeezed him with what strength she possessed.

"Hmmn," Hiei replied in his customary manner, looking away with a weary gaze.

Two more hours pasted as they sat in the cold, watching and listening as the thunder clouds poured their cool tears over the earth, washing away the old and bringing in with the new. Finally after seemingly endless hours of waiting, the rain began to slowly stop and the wind began to die down. Sitting in the same spot they had when Kohana had lived threw the brunt of her poison attach she still remained wrapped in the now dozing Hiei's arms, playing with the fabric of his makeshift bandages...

Then that's when she heard it, a strange sound of heavy breathing. As she felt goose bumps appear on her skin she stopped moving as a gust of rancid gust of wind blew into her hair and caused her entire body to tingle.

"Hiei..." Kohana whispered in a low voice that only he could hear. "What is standing behind me?"

There was silence. Neither one of them moved. Kohana didn't even breathe.

Within an instant Hiei had sprung to his feet with Kohana in his arms. Flying across the cave to avoid the powerful jaws of the Hellhound that had uncovered their hide out, Hiei turned on his heal to watch as the thundering beast crashed into the wall and whined as it pawed at its now broken nose. Bounding out of the cave, Hiei looked up in time to dodge yet another set of jaws with a sharp turn that missed him but grabbed that which he held. He gasped as the hellhound ripped Kohana out of his grasp and yet another pounced on him causing him to slam into the ground and slide across the wet grass.

Kohana shrieked in pain as the sharp teeth of the hellhound sliced into her sides and back as it shook her. Striking it with her elbow she hissed at it as the poison inside her caused her to loose control of her darker self. Punching it in the nose she felt a sudden crave for blood as the creature began to bite harder, the teeth cutting deeply into her. "Let me go," she growled as she scratched at it with her nails. Stopping suddenly as the beast began to shake her and flung her down into a deep puddle of muddy water it held her there with its paw, growling and biting at her.

The sudden lack of air caused the borderline demon to snap back to reality as she began to panic. Blood colored the water a dark crimson color. Wiggling under the crushing force of the hellhound Kohana felt adrenalin rush to her head as she managed to push up enough so that she was able to breath and scream Hiei's name in a frighteningly horse and shrill tone. Not much less then a second after the hellhound locked its leg and pushed her back down rubbing her head into the ground, mud coating her head and coloring her once clean silver locks a blood red color.

As a loud bang sounded Kohana felt the weight lifted from off her back along with loud shouting she couldn't quite make out. Sitting strait up she coughed violently spitting up water and mud accompanied by black plasma that caused her body to tingle. As she tried to stand, she collapsed under her weak legs back into the mud puddle. Groping blindly Kohana tried to find something to help stand herself up with. With a gasp of surprise as a set of arms encircled her torso her heart skipped a beat as her savior jumped into the tree branches high above where the hellhounds could not reach them.

Running swiftly threw the trees Hiei held tightly onto the muddy bundle in his arms as he made his getaway from the demon beasts. Yet just as it seemed he had made it to safety, a beast leaped up and smashed into the braches Hiei was about to jump onto, causing them to fall. Landing on the creature's snout Hiei slammed his feet down into its eyes as he leapt away resting briefly on a large log.

Not bothering to acknowledge any of his newly opened wounds Hiei drew in a deep breath yet due to loss of blood, the rain and his pounding heart, his enemies had the obvious upper hand to his jumbled senses. As he heard a slight snicker behind him he turned but did not have to time to react before a spear was thrust threw his stomach. Cringing as he lost feeling in his arms he looked up to see a grinning demon, one who had not yet given up on finding them.

"I've come for the girl," the demon Hiei remembered to be called Takani said as he smiled sickly.

"To bad, you've wasted your time," Hiei hissed angrily as he tightened his one armed grip around Kohana and grasped the spear with the other.

Reaching out her hand Kohana felt tears spring to her eyes as she guessed what came of a sound one could only produce from slicing flesh with a blade. "Hiei, what happed?" she asked in a clearly very worried tone. "Who are you talking to?"

As Takani grasped a fist full of Kohana's hair he tore her out of Hiei's arm and yanked her over to him as he licked her face while whispering, "You are such a sweet prize...I can't believe the King would be so lenient to hand you over."

Kohana reached up and grasped his hand as she dug her nails into his flesh. "I am not a prize," she growled as she squirmed against his grasp. "Let me go!"

"Hahahaha," Takani laughed as he jerked the spear forwards and squeezed a trigger that released four spring blades from the spear head, slicing open Hiei's stomach even further. Hearing this Kohana screamed at the sound and covered her ears as she clamped her eyes shut.

Hiei stifled a cry of pain as the attempted to keep the blood from pouring from his mouth but failing as the warm crimson liquid colored his lips and drizzled down his neck. "Kohana..." He whispered as pain throbbed threw out his entire body.

As Takani shook Kohana's head with the grasp he had on her hair she dropped her hands as she listened to him whisper, "You're little boyfriend here has done quite enough to help you, you're mine now..." Jerking the blade out from Hiei's stomach Takani dropped it as he turned away from him while laughing. "Thanks for the woman..."

All the while that her captor dragged her to his trusty hellhound, Kohana screamed and tried to wiggle her way out his iron like grasp to get back to Hiei. "Hiei!" she cried as she hit and kicked Takani as hard as she possibly could. "Hiei! Please say something!"

Hiei would have spoken if he would have been able to get a word past the blood that took the place for air in his throat. Coughing violently Hiei collapsed onto his knees and slid sickly off of the fallen tree, the hybrid spear falling after clattering to the ground beside him. As he managed to roll over he saw Kohana's face flushed with anger and tears dripped from her lashes as she reached out to him, her voice becoming a quite whisper.

For the first time Hiei watched as he reached out to her, his hands dripping with blood. "Kohana...I'm..."

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Whopt te do. Cliff hanger. Aren't I mean. :D

Here's your long awaited Chapter! I hope that it lived up to your expectations! Tune in next time for Chapter numero eighto entitled: "Belonging."

• Mercury Mechanics •