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: A lot of you have been asking how/why the little green thing healed Hiei. Well it goes much –much- deeper than just a random green thing that caused his flesh wounds to heal. All I can tell you that doesn't reveal some of secrets in the plot line is that you'll just have to wait and find out. I guess the best thing you could associate it with is if you've seen Spirited Away when the little girl feeds a small green medicine ball to Haku in dragon form so he'll spit up the thing he stole and to heal his wounds. :3 And yes, the whole ordeal of Kohana being ravaged will also play in as a shock later on. :3 I know, I think I enjoy putting my characters threw hell a little to much.

Thank you all SO SO SO much for continuing to read and comment on my story! I really appreciate it! -sobs- I feel so loved. Now that its summer and I've got time to try and murder with the dullness that is my life, I will try to be better at keeping up with my story! -slaps self- Thank you all so much once again, I love you guys! XD

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Chapter 9 "Trust"

Stopping mid stride Hiei watched as blood dripped from the rim of Kohana's shirt and splashed onto the emerald carpet of the forest floor. He observed as she continued limping until she noticed that he had stopped. With concern he took a step towards her and letting go of her hand, began to pull up her shirt. This sudden movement startled Kohana causing her to cry out in surprise and push him away as she tripped over her own feet and fell backwards onto the grass. She yelped in pain as she clasped her hands onto her side.

Kneeling beside her Hiei reached out to touch her shoulder to settle her nerves. He watched as she cringed in pain and shifted her weight as she spoke, "Hiei, you startled me…I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you…"'

"Hmmn," Hiei hummed in a quiet voice trying to pass off as if he didn't care when the truth of the matter was quite the opposite. As he looked down he found that a thick patch of her clothing was smeared with the crimson liquid. "I'll find a pool for you to wash off in…" Hiei spoke softly as he looked up at Kohana. "What does the herb we need look like?"

Kohana frowned lightly, her head turned away from his as she spoke in a tone of voice that was a cross between anxiety and nervousness, "No, Hiei, it's alright we don't need it." She shook her head no and smiled in attempt to cover her fright.

Grasping her chin with his hand Hiei pulled Kohana's face up to meet his searing gaze with her blind one as he spoke in a low voice, emphasizing his words, "Kohana, what does it look like?"

Shivering slightly she placed her warn hand over Hiei's as her expression softened to one of melancholy. "It's a small flower…It has white petals with red tips and grows on trees," she spoke softly.

Hiei's dark crimson eyes warmed as he nodded making a humming nose as if to say he understood. "Come on, lets get going," he said as he reached out and grasped her hand, helping her to stand from the ground.

As they continued on with their quest Kohana walked close to Hiei, using him as her crutch and guide. Though in normal circumstances he would have made her walk by her own strength, Hiei succumbed to guilt and allowed her to use him as such. Though he was not the kind of person to be overly emotional or concerned for any single person, besides his sister, he ignored the fact that he had gotten used to Kohana's presence and the pleasant sent of flowers that loomed about her, even when she was smothered with her own blood. He'd had the debate in his thoughts, more than once you know, were his mind would be screaming at him to forget her when his heart would whisper a quit reminder that her company wasn't so bad.

Yes, even though the cold hearted, "I hate everything" façade was that which he was infamously known for, Hiei had begun to realize things he hadn't before. Take caring for example. He found that it doesn't hurt as much as he thought it would. Though, he wouldn't lie to himself by saying that he didn't need to work on expressing it outwardly. First, he had to convince himself that he actually cared enough to do so.

The day had dragged on for seemingly endless hours until the sun finally set behind the tree line in a bed of shadow. The gloomy rain clouds that had once overwhelmed the bright sky with its blanket of dark gray hue had dispersed and now and again Hiei would look up to catch a small twinkling star set against the black of the vast night sky. As he looked back at Kohana he could feel her shivering from the shaking of her hand that was clasped delicately yet tightly in his own. With a small frown he became flustered when an irrepressible guilt began to eat away at his heart. Knowing that he should do something to help her, Hiei began to ponder over what he could do. Seeing that he had lost his coat to taters long ago and could find no warm pool or even the herb he was to be searching for, he wasn't sure if his presence was any help at all.

As he decided to take a rest Hiei lead Kohana to a large tree whose roots grew out of the ground entwining together like the intricate weave of a basket and soared into the heavens for hundreds of feet. With a sigh Hiei looked at Kohana as she sat down and leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder. As he felt the soft, cool flesh of the tips of Kohana's fingers run over the back of his palm he looked down. Lifting up her hand he found that her flesh looked pale and sickly.

With a sharp turn of his head he reached up with his hand, turning Kohana's face up so that he could see it clearly in the small amount of light that the moon let linger into the shadows of the trees. He hadn't noticed it before due to the darkness of the forest and his steadfast concentration on how to help her he had neglected her current state all together. Seeing now how badly she was fairing, Hiei felt a sudden painful emptiness strike at his stomach. Gently setting her head against the tree stem he moved in front of her, one hand on her shoulder and the other loosely wrapped in her fingers.

"Kohana, you fool," Hiei spoke in a stern almost angered voice. "Why didn't you tell me you were so ill from loss of blood?"

Kohana parted her blue lips to speak but no words would come. As she tried again she spoke in a small, cracked voice, "I didn't want to bother you…" Slowly she opened her eyes, revealing that their awkward hue had faded into nothing but a dull blind gray. "You know I've almost forgotten what you look like Hiei…" she said with a small smile, her voice dull with pain.

Clamping his teeth together Hiei frowned deeply as he looked away from Kohana, her hollow gaze causing him to feel as though he were attempting to save someone who was already lost. As he dropped his hand from her shoulder, it instantly balled into a fist at his side. With a turn of his head upward Hiei looked into the stars as if he were searching for an answer to all that had happened to him. Then that's when it caught his eye. A small white flower with curled crimson red tips crawled up the side of one of the neighboring trees in thick bristly vines, wrapping itself in long fingers around the entire girth of the tree's trunk. With an arch of his brow Hiei's anger melted away as he quickly stood and whispered, "I'll be right back."

As he released Kohana's limp hand he jumped from their resting place to the base of the tree. Reaching up Hiei broke off several flowers, bringing them to his nose to inspect. Quickly he removed the flower from his face as the potent sour smell violated his nose. Shuddering Hiei tore off more of the flower and turned back to where Kohana was sitting. With a small sigh he ran and jumped, landing before his wounded and weak companion. As he knelt in front of her he spoke, "Kohana smell this. Is this the herb?"

With a shaking hand she reached out to feel the herb with her fingers. As she brought it to her nose she drew in a breath of the flowers sent. Attempting to contain her disgust of its odor she cleared her throat and handed it back to Hiei. Nodding she smiled as she spoke quietly, "This is it…but it must be ground in order to be used properly."

Nodding Hiei moved forwards as he gathered Kohana up into a one armed embrace. Jumping from the roots of the tree they had been resting against to the tree that bore the herbal flower, Hiei reached up and tore off an entire vine. Stepping away from the tree he thought worriedly, "I need to find a pool of water so I can wash these wound of hers and I need to do so swiftly…"

Frowning as a thought came to him, Hiei reached up with the hand that held the flowers and did something he hadn't yet. As he pulled the soiled piece of cloth off from around his forehead it revealed his jagan eye. Slowly as the evil demon eye opened Hiei's line of vision expanded into an entirely new realm of viewing. Though the strength of his third eye was greatly decreased by the ancient power that loomed in and about the demonic forest, Hiei would not allow that to stop him from pushing past his physical barriers and searching throughout the contour of the forest in order to find a safe place for himself and Kohana to rest.

The third eye's sight began to swim and the images began to mesh, turning all that he saw into a blur of colors. At this Hiei became frustrated and tightly closed his fingers around the vine he now grasped. Digging into his palm the thorns caused blood to drip from his curled fingers. A slow swelling stinging began to cause his jagan eye to twitch and as a result a terrible throbbing pain struck his head. Clamping his jaw shut Hiei growled stubbornly as he fought back against the pain. Reaching up he lightly pressed the aggravated eye with the back of his bloody palm. He frowned deeply.

"Hiei, are you alright?" Kohana asked softly as she lifted her head from his shoulder.

Hiei looked down at Kohana and sighed. As his frown slowly straitened, he nodded slightly. "I'm doing better then you are," he stated bluntly with hidden worry in his words. Shaking his head he knew what he had to do.

As he bent down Hiei placed the crook of his arm at the back of Kohana's knees and scooped her up into his embrace. Walking off into the dark night Hiei meandered onward deeper into the seemingly never ending forest. Though he hated to admit that he had actually failed at something, Hiei knew that instead of relying on the advantages of his false appendage he would have to continue to search for a place for them to rest on foot.

Wobblingly over a large fallen tree whose trunk was worn away by the gnawing of the wet wind and the insect that had mad it their home, Hiei casually dodged debris in his path. Hanging veins whose limbs were riddled in thorns and brush adorned with bristled leaves were also things he tried to avoid. With wild Thrashing Roses and gigantic Venus fly traps whose diet doesn't consist of bugs yet demons who find their way into its perilous jaws, made the scenic rout ever the more dangerous.

Though paying no heed to the horrors around him Hiei had managed to mentally sever Kohana and himself from the disgusting macabre things about him. Dragging the flowers beside him and carrying Kohana in his arms, Hiei tirelessly trudged on through the forest and into the arms of the welcoming death that could be found there. As he felt Kohana's warm breath against his neck he found himself wishing he was back in her blasted home and in her uncomfortable bed, sleeping. It was rare he would admit his weakness but this was one he was so irritated with that it nearly killed him not to voice his opinion on the matter. Though knowing the woman in his arms was in a lot worse shape then he, Hiei kept his lips closed and his feet moving.

Through monstrous bushes that functioned as homes to various wild animals, over jagged rocks whose points were as sharp as a blade, across rushing streams infested with piranhas, and under fallen, rotten out trees, Hiei soon began to hear the sound of rushing water, feel the warm stickiness of steam, and smell salt in the air. He had finally found a hot spring. As Hiei peeked over a ridge of rock he felt a sigh of relief wash over him as he saw the rock lined pools of salt water lathered with steam and replenished by a surging spring of naturally heated water. For the first time in a long time, a small crooked grin crept onto his face.

Looking down at the sleeping Kohana in his arms, Hiei shook her gently to stir her. As her eyes opened and she moved sleepily, Hiei spoke, "Slept enough?"

She smiled and nodded as she whispered in a voice that still half belongs to sleep, "No quite…"

Rolling his eyes Hiei continued down a rocky drop off that sloped into the pools below. As he neared the water's edge, Hiei dropped the herbs from his hand and kicked off his boots. Gently setting Kohana's worn feet down onto the soft grass, Hiei grasped her hand to steady her steps. Guiding her towards the water, they strode slowly in together. As the salt and minerals in the water began to douse their wounds, Kohana's grip on Hiei's hand tightened and Hiei moved closer to Kohana. The hue of the water around them began to turn a light crimson color as the blood was swept off their skin.

Cringing at the intense stinging that Kohana held in the sounds of pain that threatened to escape from her lips. With shaking legs, Kohana's weak grasp was so tightly wound around Hiei's bloody palm that her knuckles were white and the joints of her fingers had frozen. Tears of pain began to swell in the corner of her eyes and her blue lips were turned down in a struggling frown. In an attempt to hide her effort from her accompaniment, Kohana unclasped her hand from Hiei's and stepped away from his supportive arm. Forcing out a smile, Kohana wore it in an attempt to tell him she was fine, when in the stark reality she was fading.

Slowly ducking under the surface of the water, Kohana closed her weary eyes and hummed to herself in pleasure. The water lured her with open arms into the womblike warmth and security of the still silence and shadow there. Tearing herself from it, she weakly stood up from under the water. Her long silver hair clinging to her face and her shoulders, the shirt tightened against her thin body showing the dip of her collarbone and the flat muscles of her stomach. Running her bruised fingers through her matted hair, Kohana worked out the knots and twisted it tightly to squeeze the water from it. Shaking her head to allow the curled tresses to fall free around her face and shoulders, Kohana sighed.

As Kohana began to peal the wet cloth away from the flesh on her side, she jolted to a stop as it began to uncover hidden wounds that had yet to be attended to. Clamping her jaw shut, she turned her head up when Hiei's voice caught her attention.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he began to walk towards her.

Reaching out a hand to keep him from her she spoke, "Please turn around, Hiei, just for a moment."

Listening as the water swished and she felt Hiei turn away from her, Kohana slid her shirt up a bit to expose the wound on her side and tenderly felt the torn flesh with the pads of her fingers. It had begun to heal but still required attention. Biting her lip with frustration, Kohana was not sure of what to do. Though she knew he could smell the blood, she did not wish for Hiei to worry for her or bother him with her problem.

"Kohana," Hiei spoke, grasping the smaller demon's attention. "Your wound is deep. You will allow me to attend to it."

As Hiei began to turn around he was stopped when Kohana pushed her hand into his back. "No, Hiei, It's alright, I'll do it," she spoke as she herself felt how wobbly her hand was against his steady back.

Turning his head Hiei looked over his shoulder and arched his brow at what he saw. "Kohana, you can't see how badly it looks," He stated simply in a flat tone.

Shaking her head Kohana pushed her blood stained cloth down as she said as independently as ever, "It doesn't matter, I can manage, truly."

After remaining quiet for some time and remaining in the same position, Hiei could not help but let his lingering eyes study her downcast countenance. He could clearly see there was more to her not wanting him to tend to her wound. Though he could barely believe what he saw, in her faded eyes a fear that was unplaced and unmeasured was present. She was afraid of him and in seeing this new development in the behavior of his companion, Hiei's mind began to wonder. Turning his body slightly Hiei spoke, "Kohana, are you afraid of me?"

At hearing this Kohana pulled her hand away from Hiei's back as she whispered, "No...What makes you think so, Hiei?"

As he turned fully around Hiei took several swift steps towards her, coming close enough that their body's touched. "The nervousness in your tone, how you wont turn your head up to me when I speak to you," as he said this he bent his head sideward to look at her, causing Kohan to turn away from him yet again and take a step back. "The way you're shaking…and the way you cringe…has lead me to believe the above."

Kohana found that she was at a loss for words and said nothing. Staring blindly downwards into the dark shadows that made her line of vision, she sought out an answer to his inquiry but found none. Wringing her hands she frowned and nervously bit at her lip. She tried to speak but was betrayed by her own tongue and could say nothing.

Waiting a few moments to see what she would do, Hiei, with no further objections, reached out and pulled the side of Kohana's shirt up to reveal the large gash that had been sliced into the flesh of her hip. It had long since stopped bleeding but was far from being healed. The wound was swollen with infection and was blue and black around the edges of the tattered flesh. The pale skin that was still intact around it was caked with blood that had regained its liquid form from the warmth of the water that lapped just below the wound.

Hiei looked down at her and frowned as he observed the shame on her face. "Kohana…this laceration is severe," Hiei said as he placed his hand sheepishly on her side, rubbing away the blood and dirt from around it.

Kohana, who had allowed Hiei to look at the wound without moving, did so now by wrapping her fingers around his wrist lightly and saying quietly, "Is it really that bad?"

The emotion slipped form his face as his head tilted to the side. "You're lucky you haven't already died from infection," Hiei said in a sharp tone laced with annoyance.

Frowning Kohana nodded as she gently touched the wound on her side, tracing the pads of her fingers over the skin. She was quite sore from everything that had happened especially the rough way that Takani had handled her. Though she found in her the strength to suppress it as much as she possibly could without hurling at the mere thought of it, she found that her heart hurt worse than her body. She thought that if she allowed Hiei to tend to this wound he wouldn't bother about the ones he couldn't see. As she nodded again, she spoke softly, "Fine…Do what you believe is best…"

Looking down at her face Hiei frowned. It seemed as though it had been years that they had been stuck in the god forbidden forest, and a lifetimes since he had last seen her face clean and brightly lit with her azure eyes that had long since hollowed and her skin roughened with her own blood and dirt. With a quite sigh Hiei spoke as he turned, "Stay here, I'll be back."

Wading threw the water back to where the herbs lay on the ground, he stripped off several of the flowers. As he turned towards the water he watched as Kohana gently rubbed at the dirt and blood on her face with the pads of her fingers. Looking down at the flowers he frowned deeply and his eyes became dark and filled with sustained fierceness. "I dare you not to work," he thought in a grumbled tone as he held the now partially wilted flowers in his palms.

Walking back into the water, he soon reached Kohana's side. Reaching out he gently touched her shoulder to let her know that he was about to begin cleaning the lesion in her side. Cautiously he began to lift up her shirt, pealing the rag away from the bloody gash. Reaching for her hand, Hiei placed it over the upturned piece of cloth to keep it from falling. Kneeling into the water on one knee Hiei stuffed the flowers into his mouth. Chewing up the herb until it caused his tongue to stick Hiei pulled his lips apart and scooped it from the inside of his mouth with his fingers. Spitting the excesses from his mouth, Hiei began to smear the paste of ground up herb onto the contaminated skin and into the torn tissue. Hiei watched as the infection began to wreath under the medicine's grasp.

With a sharp gasp of air Kohana tried her best to keep her body from jerking under the intense grasp of a tingling pain that ate away at the infected nerves and muscles on the left side of her body. As she clasped the hand holding the fabric tightly into her side she forced back the tears that sprung to her eyes. She had to be strong. Ignoring the lightheadedness she pushed the nausea that threatened her into the pit of her stomach. With a sharp inhale of breath, Kohana's hands began to shake.

Stopping his ministration, Hiei looked up to find that Kohana was trembling. Her lips were blue and pressed tightly together as her eyes were filled with tears. Seeing this he stood upright as he reached to grasp her shoulder only to have her crumble under the shadow of his fingers. Before he could think, Hiei moved instinctively to catch her only to have to her cry out in pain and tightly grasp hold of him. Embracing her to him gently, Hiei held her for a moment before moving. He could feel her skin twitching under his touch and in doing so he lifted up a hand to find that it was covered in blood. Looking over her scrunched shoulder Hiei's eyes narrowed at what he found.

In the cloth he could see stripes and patterns were blood had been drawn and smeared. Piquing his curiosity, Hiei used one arm to hold the shivering bunch of limbs to him and the other to pull the soiled cloth away from her back. Though his hand's excursion was short lived as Kohana twisted out of his arms and held the cloth down. Though she had brushed him aside Hiei found that his worry was not easily removed.

Frowning Hiei watched the nervous young woman wring her hands and shake like a frail leaf in the dry winter wind. "Kohana what is on you back?" Hiei asked as he took several steps towards her.

She shook her head as she stepped away. Smiling in an attempt to tell him nothing was wrong Kohana said, "I'm fine. It's nothing, really, just some scratches."

Not convinced in the least at her sad attempt at a diversion Hiei reached out and grasped her wrist. As he took several steps towards her, Hiei was surprised to find that she pulled her hand free from his fingers and moved away from him. This caused him to scowl as he said in a low tone, "Kohan, what are you hiding?"

She shook her head as said, "Its nothing."

"Stop saying that," Hiei said as he felts sparks ignite under his words. "You're hurt, aren't you?"

Kohana didn't know what to say. Yes, she was in fact hurt but she didn't want Hiei to see…She would much rather bleed to death then let him see what happened to her. Shaking her head Kohana knew she couldn't avoid him. "Hiei, please don't," Kohana whispered as she felt emotion begin to close its fingers around her throat and tears to well in her eyes. "I don't want you so to see…"

Blushing Hiei was taken aback and spoke quickly, "You don't have to get out of the water."

Turning her head down Kohan laughed lightly as she could hear the embarrassment in his voice as she replied quietly, "No, that's not what I mean…"

Wading towards her Hiei reached out and gently touched her hand, "Kohana…you are one of the few who I wish not to be frightened of me. Did you not say you trust me?"

Shaking her head yes Kohana spoke, "No, no, it's not that I don't trust you…" She looked away as she tried to speak. Dripping down her cheek, Kohana whipped away her tears as memories of what had happed in the shadow of the forest caused her head to swim, her ears to ring with the sounds and her body to heat under the ever present touch of Takani's rough, calloused hands. She tried to sniff the tears back but failed as several dripped down her cheek.

"Kohana, what's wrong?" Hiei asked in a confused tone. He didn't know what to do.

After several long moments of silence Kohana was able to make her lips form the words she could barely croak out, "I…I'm scared." She sniffed and wiped away the tears that dripped down her flushed cheeks. "I don't want you to see what he did..."

Hiei felt himself pale sickeningly. He immediately knew what she spoke of and for a moment his numbed mind couldn't register anything she had said. Shaking his head Hiei couldn't find a single word that he could use to respond. Without any thought of what to do he did the thing that Kohana had influenced on him. Stepping forward, Hiei took Kohana into his arms and held her gently.

Hiei cast his gaze to the ground as he spoke quietly, "Kohana, don't be afraid, you don't have to be afraid of me…" As he grasped the end of her shirt he began to peel it upwards, frowning as he listened to it pull away from torn flesh. "I want to see it…I want to see what that bastard did to you." Stopping mid way up her back he asked, "Can I see it? It's the only way it'll heal…"

Blinking back tears Kohana began to fidget with her hands that were lightly wrapped around Hiei's waist. She knew his words were truer then even he understood. With a shaky sigh she nodded slowly in response, a single tear dripping from her lashes. She had to trust that Hiei would not reject her, she had to trust him now not physically but emotionally.

With a nod of his head Hiei pulled the shirt up over her shoulder blades, carefully removing it over her head. Gently threading her hair through the neck hole, he held it as Kohana reached up with shaking bruised arms to clasp the bottom of the shirt to her chest in order to conceal the flesh there. Hiei watched as the stressed emotion on her countenance melted away and in its place her cheeks warmed with a rosy blush. Gently setting his hand on her shoulder, Hiei moved around her side to find a horrid sight etched into the very skin of her back.

Hiei's lips fell apart and his stomach filled with disgust at what he saw. He swallowed hard as images of what must have happened to her swelled in his mind and caused his blood to boil with a fierce anger. Not only did she have a gash on her left side, there was a twin torn into her right. Across her back were deeply drawn long finger nail like scratches and on her shoulders were numerous bite marks. Large dark bruises spotted the tender flesh accompanied by blood and dirt.

Looking away Hiei pursed his lips together in a grimace, his hand sliding off her shoulder. He couldn't believe what had happened. Reaching up with his hand, Hiei ran it through his hair. As he turned his countenance up to see that Kohana was shaking with fear, he sighed as he listened to her small muffled sniffling noises. Suppressing his emotion under the knowledge that she needed his help and not his anger, Hiei felt the violence stirring inside him slowly dissolve. Hovering his palm over the wounds, in a calm voice Hiei spoke, "Kohana…"

She hummed in question, her frail arms clinging to the shirt that hid the mounds of flesh on her chest behind a shroud of gray.

Holding out his right hand, Hiei said, "Give me your hand."

As she pulled her left hand free from its place at her chest she allowed it to fall to her side, only to be swept into Hiei grasp. Holding her hand tenderly yet tightly, Hiei turned from her as he said, "Follow me, I'll clean you up."

Guiding Kohana to towards the shore Hiei sat her down in the shallow water. Jogging towards the pile of vines he gathered them up and returned to her side. Sitting down behind her, Hiei smoothed the fallen tresses of silver hair out of the way, draping them over her left shoulder. Quickly picking off the flower petals Hiei pushed them into his mouth and began to chew.

Dipping his hands into the water, Hiei reached up and began to clean the dirt from each wound, gently, carefully. As he pressed the torn flesh together, he could feel her muscles twitch under his fingers and hear her restrained sounds of pain. Parting his lips Hiei scooped the herb from the cavity of his mouth and applied the paste to the bite wounds on her shoulders. Retracing every bite and scratch Hiei repeated the process until all wounds from her shoulders to the middle of her back were lathered with the warm salve. As he began to near her lower back he noticed that instead of abrasions he found large bruises that continued well beyond what the water allowed him to see. Softly running his fingers across the abused skin Hiei watched as Kohana shivered, her shoulders quivering.

"How does it look?" Kohana asked in a quite whispering voice.

Hiei gazed at the tattooed designs torn into her flesh and said, "You'll have scars…" Touching a cross like wound in the middle of her back he continued, "Though, these scars will simply remind you that this horrific ordeal was indeed real."

"Yes, they will…" Kohana said in agreement. As she reached up with her left hand, she gently touched the largest of the bite marks on her right shoulder. She could feel the indentions in her skin and the sticky salve that covered it. Kohana frowned as she thought, "I can only imagine how I must appear." Allowing her hand to slide lazily off the curve of her shoulder, she sighed.

After several moments of sitting in silence, neither moving nor speaking, Kohan pulled the shirt from her chest and laid it on her knees. Quickly pulling it apart she slid her arms in. As she raised it above her head to slide it on, Hiei's hands stopped hers.

Guiding her arms back down at her sides Hiei shook his head. "No you mustn't put it back on, it's too dirty," Hiei said in a soft voice.

Once again returning it to her chest to hide herself, Kohana said as she blushed, "What am I to do then? I cannot very well stay naked."

Thinking for a moment Hiei said, "I'll wash it." Reaching around Hiei took the corner into his hand as he continued, "Once I am finished you will be able to wear it again."

As a blush caused her cheeks to flare with color Kohana said, "How will I know you won't look at me?"

Hiei restrained a smile. Looking down at her hands he said, "We'll walk into deeper waters and you can keep a hand on my back."

Nodding, Kohana agreed as she made a small noise of embarrassment.

As he stood from the shallow water Hiei walked before Kohana. Grasping her hand, he assisted her onto her feet, her feeble legs supporting an even weaker frame. Slowly as he began so take steps backwards directing her deeper into the pool, Hiei brought Kohana to a place where the water lapped just below her collar bone. Placing the hand he had captured onto his chest, Hiei reached out and took hold of the tattered shirt. Removing it from under the arm that struggled wordlessly to keep it Hiei turned, feeling her palm slide across the muscle carved structure of his abdomen, over his upper arm, and onto his back. Frowning he could feel how weak her shaking hand was against his skin.

"This will only take a moment," Hiei said as he began to rub the ragged shirt together under the water, dirt and blood being released from the dark gray woven fibers.

Pressing her trembling hand into the slick warm skin of Hiei's back, Kohana closed her soar blind eyes as she felt the curves of his muscle tone. She wished she could drown herself in the water that felt so much like his arms. Sliding her palm up his spine to his neck, Kohana's fingers moved over strands of his thick black mane of hair. She smiled as she felt him shiver. Allowing her hand to drop away from his back Kohana opened her eyes as she said, "I trust you, Hiei. I know I don't need to touch you to feel you."

At her words Hiei gazed over his shoulder at her downcast face half hidden by rivulets of silver hair. Her eyes cloudy with an unnamable emotion and her lips turned up in a small smile. He admired how the warm steam of the water rolled her skin leaving behind kisses in the form of watery tears. Turning towards her, Hiei restrained his hands that protested against the reason his mind inflicted upon him.

Watching her he could think of nothing else to say but, "I'm finished."

As she looked up Hiei slid the shirt over her head, cautiously pulling it down over her shoulders. Slipping in her arms she reached up to pull her hair through, allowing it to fall at her back and float upon the water. Kohana smiled as she said, "Thank you Hiei."

Shrugging Hiei hummed as he cast his gaze askance to the steam that danced atop the water. Watching the gray smoke glide about the rocks and into the dense surrounding forest he listened as the sounds of the deep wood stilled. As he glanced back at Kohana he saw her reach out for his hand. Feeling her fingers glide into his, Hiei squeezed gently.

"Hiei? What's wrong?" Kohana whispered.

Taking several steps backwards, closer to Kohana he replied in a hushed tone, "It's too quiet…"

Breathing in to speak Kohana's words fell from her tongue as the ground began to shake beneath their feet, the water sloshing about. Tightening her grasp on Hiei's hand Kohana's body filled with shock as she whispered, "Are you kidding me..."

"We have to leave this place," Hiei spoke as he turned towards shore. As they quickly made their way through the water, Hiei kept Kohana at his side to keep her from being swept away by the large waves that now ravaged the pool.

Whatever was coming, it was heading strait for them, hard and fast. The trees began to shake and the rocks crumble, sending small showers of stone into the hot springs. As an ear splitting "boom" bounced off the moss covered tree trunks, it swept over the two with a powerful gust of wind. Guttural shrieking echoed through the thick air, followed by the splitting of trees and the cry they made as they slammed into the floor of the forest.

Turning back towards the hot springs Hiei held Kohana behind him, his hand still wrapped in hers. As he watched the scene unfold before him Hiei felt shivers crawl up his spine and spread into the tips of his fingers. A hellhound came crashing into the pool, bloodied and battered as it paddled threw the deepest part of the water in attempt to make it to the other side. Looking up Hiei felt himself pale as a golden dragon came from the dark pit of the forest, hissing as it landed on top of the struggling demon, tearing into it like paper.

Petrified at the sounds that overcame her senses, Kohana clutched Hiei's hand as she began to shake, her breath quick pants. "What is going on?" she questioned in a frantic voice, her eyes wide with fright.

Hiding Kohana behind him, Hiei watched the dragon shred the flesh of the demon dog with claws the size of his forearm. Though he felt as if he should flee from the impending danger, there was a voice inside his head that told him to stay. Moving back several strides, he spoke to Kohana in a soothing voice, "Stay behind me."

As the dragon stood over the hellhound's motionless body it barred its teeth with triumph. With curiosity Hiei furrowed his bows, examining its behavior to be oddly human like. Observing as the golden creature looked upwards towards the edge of the forest and bowed its head as though it were telling its master it had caught the prey. Following its gaze, Hiei was surprised to find a man of great stature appear there. Though, this was no ordinary man. This was one Hiei knew very well.

"Master Hiko?" He mumbled in shock.

At his words, the dragon's eyes turned upwards towards Hiei, fierce gold searing into weary crimson. Watching as the dragon transformed into a young man with golden hair so long that it touched the back of his thighs, Hiei turned his attention to the elder man that came to stand by his side.

"Hiei, is that you?" the man said in a deep voice that held somewhat of an astonished tone. "Kohana, is that you I see? What in god's name are you two doing out here?"

"Master Dylon?" Kohana spoke as she walked out from behind Hiei. "I had no idea we had wondered this far north."

"My god," voiced the young man, his handsome countenance contorting with alarm. "Kohana you look awful, what has happened?"

Arching her brows in surprise Kohana mumbled, "Helios?"

As the man they called Master Dylon Hiko and his pupil Helios made their way across the rocky edge of the hot springs towards the two, Hiei released the breath he had captured in suspense. He was so relived to see a familiar face that he forgot that he still held to the hand of the blind Kohana. Turning towards her he said, "Kohana, do you know Master Hiko?"

Nodded with happiness she smiled widely as she said, "Yes, yes, I do."

As Master Hiko approached he opened his arms to Kohana as he said, "Come here child!"

Kohana simply smiled and turned her gaze about blindly as she dug her bare feet into the soft grass.

Turning his gazed up to Hiko, Hiei shook his head as if to tell him with silent words that Kohana could not see him. Holding out her hand, Hiei guided Kohana towards Hiko and into his Fatherly like embrace. Watching as she grimaced when his arms unknowingly pressing against the deep wounds on her back, Hiei saw her face twist with discomfort as she tried to laugh to cover her noises of pain.

As Hiko released Kohana from his arms, he watched as she stumbled away with a smile still on her face. With confusion he turned his gaze down at his forearms to find stripes of blood drawn across them. Looking up he asked immediately, "Kohana, what has happened to your back?"

She simply smiled as she said, "Nothing, I'm fine really…" As Kohana's knees collapsed under her, she reached up to search for her ever faithful guide as she mumbled, "Hiei?" Finding him at her side within several seconds she leaned into his chest, her breaths shallow. As she attempted to continue to smile she drew in a deep breath and exhaled sharply.

Kneeling next to Kohana, Helios grasped her hand as he brought it to his face. "What on earth has happened to you two?" He asked his golden eyes aflame.

Gazing up at Helios then to Master Hiko, Hiei could read their confused questions strait from the emotion displayed on their countenance. With a deep sigh Hiei looked down at Kohana as he said, "You could say that we've had a rough time…"

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Thank you all for reading! You all are the best! I feel so special! XP Anyway, I will try my hardest to have the next chapter up as soon as possible. I beg for your forgivenessat being so horrifically bad at updating! See ya next chapter!

MercuryMechanics