Disclaimer: I do not own anything of importance in this story.

Chapter 7

The sun began to sink below the horizon, lighter shades of red and orange streaking the sky. Hiei stared unseeingly at the sunset, the dead hiryuu laid out on the ground around him. It took much longer than I had anticipated to collect everything, he thought, going over to the head that was still connected to the body and pushing it over so he could reach his sword. Surprisingly, the katana was not there. Looking back along the skid mark left by the large creature, Hiei saw the weapon. He limped over to it slowly, his entire body aching from the abuse he had put it through. He cursed as he drew nearer the sword. Apparently, the hilt had caught on something, snapping the blade off five or six inches from the base. The weapon was useless.

Spotting the scabbard a few feet away, he placed the sword in its sheath anyway, noting his belt was missing, as well. He sighed, tiredly, slipping the saya through his belt loop out of habit more than anything else. The sword hung at an odd angle and was all but useless in its condition, but Hiei felt naked without it at his side. It will take too long to run all the way back to Kurama's lair to retrieve the rest of the items. But, what other choice is there? he wondered, feeling in his pocket to make sure he still had the fairy drop. His fingers found the now brittle leaf, but brushed against something else, as well. Closing his hand around the second object, Hiei pulled out the communication mirror. He stared at it for a few seconds, debating what to do. As much as I'd rather not rely on anyone else, I don't have a choice. Botan can transport me faster than I can travel at this point, he thought, flipping open the lid and calling the ferry girl.

Botan answered almost immediately. She opened her mouth, but Hiei spoke before she could. "I need you to come and pick me up," he said, tersely. Oh, how hard it was to utter those words! "I'm in the Sekiryou Mountains."

A look of surprise crossed Botan's face, but she nodded, breaking the connection. It was only a minute or two before the ferry girl landed next to him, wide eyes staring at the dead hiryuu. Hiei thought it almost comical how her eyes widened even further as she looked at him.

His shirt was torn to the point of barely hanging on his body and his pants weren't much better. Black strips of cloth, all that remained of his cloak, were tied around his right arm and leg and he was covered in dirt and blood. Several wounds that were visible through the holes in his shirt were still bleeding, sluggishly. Noticing her eyes staring pointedly at his left shoulder, Hiei looked down. Two inches of the fang still embedded there was visible. Wincing as he raised his right arm, he grabbed it and pulled it out, tossing it away from him. Looking back at the ferry girl, he was surprised to see that she had closed the gap between them and was already starting to heal him.

"Don't use all of your energy," he warned.

"I realize time is of the essence, but I'm not going to just stand by and let you bleed to death! At least, let me close the wounds, all right?! We can't lose you, too!" she said, angrily, although she was rapidly blinking back tears.

Hiei resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't need her to tell him how badly he was injured. Besides, she was overreacting. None of his wounds, though painful, were fatal. The infections could become a problem, but even they could wait. "Can you open a portal to a different part of Makai?" Hiei asked, ignoring her lecture.

"Yes," she replied, not looking up. "I can open a portal to pretty much anywhere in the three worlds. Why?"

"I need you to take me to the forest just east of the northern part of the Kinmotsu Marshes," he said.

"Why do you need to go there?" Botan asked.

"That's where I left the rest of the items," he said, simply.

They were both silent for a few minutes more before Hiei angrily pushed her hands away. "Alright, you've stopped the bleeding and we've wasted enough time. Let's go."

Although looking as though she might argue for a few seconds, Botan finally nodded, mounting her oar. Hiei sat behind her, gingerly putting his right arm around her waist. He bit his lip in pain as he was forced to tighten his grip when she took off.

Botan opened a portal and flew through it. Coming out on the other side, she hovered, waiting for Hiei's directions. He looked around, getting his bearings. "Head north, following that stream until you come to a waterfall," he instructed, not daring to remove his arm from her waist long enough to point. They were very high up and he wasn't exactly feeling acrobatic right now.

She did as she was told, flying as fast as she could. Spotting the waterfall, she dove, landing next to the crystal water. Hiei dismounted, his left leg almost giving out on him before he caught himself. The hiryuu's venom is still spreading-- it figures that the leg that doesn't have an infection is the one that's going numb! I need to retrieve the rest of the ingredients quickly, while I can still walk! he thought. Aloud, he said, "I'm going to go get the items. Stay here until I get back."

"Now just a minute, Hiei! Why don't you just tell me where to go and I'll take you there? It'll be a lot faster," Botan argued.

"No. I have them hidden in a secret place and I wish it to remain that way," he replied, walking carefully towards the trees.

"I can't believe you! Kurama's life is at stake and you're worried about someone finding out about your secret hiding place?!" Botan practically yelled, incredulous. She followed him, determined to help whether he liked it or not.

He stopped her cold with a glare. "It is because of the kitsune that I refuse to show you where it is," Hiei replied. I will not reveal the location of one of his dens.

"Look, Hiei, I promise I won't tell Kurama about your hiding place. He rarely comes to Makai, anyway," Botan argued, exasperated.

"Hn." Shows what you know. "We're wasting time," he pointed out.

Botan opened her mouth to reply, but Hiei had disappeared into the trees. Mentally raging about selfish fire demons, she paced back and forth on the bank, waiting for him to come back.

It wasn't more than a few minutes before Hiei returned, limping slowly towards the waterfall. He clutched a bag in his right arm, being extra careful not to jostle it too much. His left arm swung limply at his side. Botan mounted her oar, flying over to meet him.

"Can you fly with one arm?" he asked, panting.

"Yes, I--" she started, only to be cut off as Hiei shoved the bag into her arms.

"Good. Be careful with that-- you really don't want to break anything that's inside," he cautioned. Hobbling past her, Hiei plunked down on the oar, his left leg almost completely numb. Perfect. I can't stand for very long on my injured leg and pretty soon I won't be able to stand at all. I didn't realize I had gotten that much poison in my system. It should wear off in a few hours, but in the mean time... I'll have to have someone help me, he thought, ruefully. He hissed softly as he slid his right arm around Botan's waist, signaling he was ready.

Gingerly holding her new burden, the ferry girl flew into the air, opening a portal and exiting the Makai.

. . .

Genkai, Yuusuke, Kuwabara and Yukina were sitting in Kurama's room, resting after the most recent attack. Yukina cocked her head to the side, listening. Pretty soon, everyone else in the room could hear the voices that were steadily growing closer.

"Leave. Me. Alone."

"Quit being so stubborn! Just let me help you--"

"I don't require your assistance! I can walk by myself!"

"Honestly, Hiei! You're barely managing to remain upright as it is!"

"Even if I did need help, you wouldn't be able to do so. You are holding a bag containing very fragile items vital to Kurama's survival. It took me five days to get everything and I do not want to have to replace anything you accidentally break!"

"I'll be careful. Just let me help me you!"

"No."

"Hiei!"

"Hn."

Four heads looked up and four pairs of eyes widened as Hiei hobbled into Kurama's room, closely followed by Botan. The fire demon was using his sheath as a cane, almost dragging his left leg behind him. The pain was visible on his face with every step he took and it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to remain standing for much longer.

"Man, Hiei! What happened to you?!" Yuusuke asked, openly staring at the fire koorime's disheveled appearance. "You look like you got in a fight with Toguro and lost!"

Hiei ignored everyone, making his way to Kurama's futon. His energy is so weak. I'm surprised he's still alive. "He hasn't received any energy since yesterday?" he asked, looking at Genkai.

The psychic nodded. "We tried to give him energy today. He has rejected it from all of us," she said, gesturing to Kuwabara and Yuusuke.

"Hn." Hissing softly as he sat down, Hiei set his sheath beside him before placing his hand on Kurama's chest. He flinched involuntarily as the sweat burned his fingers; but he ignored the pain, pressing his hand firmly against the redhead's skin. He closed his eyes, concentrating as he tried to give the kitsune some of his energy. The fox seemed reluctant at first, but then the barriers dropped slightly, allowing a bit of energy to flow past.

"He's doing it," Kuwabara said, his rough voice breaking the silence that had descended upon the room.

As soon as the words had left the tall teen's mouth, Kurama's barriers snapped back into place, closing himself off from any more energy. Hiei concentrated hard, trying to coax the fox into accepting more, but the kitsune refused. Deciding to try a different tactic, the fire koorime forced his way into the kitsune's mind, hoping to be able to reason with Kurama's subconscious. Immediately, Hiei was assaulted with pain beyond anything he had ever experienced before. He cried out involuntarily at the intensity of it, momentarily losing himself within the agony. Something threw him back, breaking the connection.

The next thing Hiei knew, he was lying on his back, breathing hard. It took his mind a few seconds to realize what had happened. That is what Kurama is feeling-- the reason he couldn't keep his promise to me. I didn't realize how bad it was. He must have forced me out of his mind. Hiei shuddered. That pain was worse than when I received the Jagan, he thought.

"That didn't happen when I tried it," Kuwabara said.

"You also didn't get Kurama to take any of your energy," Yuusuke replied. "Not sure why there was a backlash like that, though..."

For the first time, Hiei noticed everyone was gathered on the floor around him. Yuusuke waved his hand in front of the fire demon's face. "Yo, Hiei!"

The fire koorime glared at the ningen teen. "What?!" he demanded, angrily. He did not like showing weakness in front of anyone.

Yuusuke rolled his eyes. "He's just fine, guys," he said, a little sarcastically.

As everyone backed off, Hiei painfully pushed himself into a sitting position, checking Kurama's energy again. The small amount of energy he'd managed to give the redhead had strengthened him, buying them some more time. Hiei looked at his right hand, opening and closing it a few times. The fingers and palm were a little red from the burns; but, although moving it was a bit painful, he could still use his hand. He picked up his sheath and began struggling to his feet. He sensed more than felt someone grab his left arm. "I said, I don't need any--" he stopped himself as he saw who it was.

Yukina looked at him, pleadingly. "You're badly injured, Hiei. Please allow me to heal your leg, at least," she pleaded.

"It's an infection. You can't do anything about it," he said, mentally cringing at his rude tone of voice.

Yuusuke's eyes widened at the fire demon's admission. Hiei let one of his wounds get infected? And it must be a pretty bad infection if it's affecting him that much. He didn't even take time to tend to his own wounds while he was looking for the stuff. It is important to help Kurama quickly, but I can't help but wonder how many other wounds he has that he's not telling us about? After all, I've never seen Hiei injured this badly before... his thought trailed off as he studied the fire koorime intently.

"What about your left leg?" Yukina asked.

"Paralyzing venom. It'll wear off in a few hours."

"Oh. Well, will you at least let me help you walk to another room?" Yukina asked, large crimson eyes staring into his.

He looked away. "Fine. I need you to assist me in creating the antidote, anyway," he said, trying not to lean too heavily on Yukina as she helped him from the room.

The ice maiden looked at Genkai as they passed her. The psychic nodded her approval. "If I need your help, I'll come get you," the old woman said.

"He's trying to steal my Yukina away from me, I just know it!" Kuwabara mumbled, miserably. Everyone ignored him.

Botan followed the twins out of the room, still carrying the bag with all the ingredients.

The ice koorime supported Hiei as they walked slowly to the kitchen. Botan set the bag down inside the door before leaving to retrieve the ea-sakusei.

Yukina helped the fire demon sit down on a mat before his leg gave out completely. She bit her lip as she pulled the low table over to him before retrieving the bag from where Botan had left it on the floor. Placing the bag on the table, she grabbed a large bowl from the cupboard before kneeling on a mat opposite Hiei. "What would you like me to do?"

"Start pulling all the vials out of the bag and line them up on the table. I don't want to have to fish through the bag every time I need something else," he instructed, watching her carefully.

She did as she was told, carefully reaching into the bag and pulling out a vial, holding it with the tips of her fingers as she set it on the table. Hiei flinched as he reached up and caught her hand, turning it over. Her fingers and palms were covered in blisters. He met her eyes, questioningly.

"Oh, these are just from Kurama's sweat. The continual burns have been accumulating and haven't had enough time to heal in between the attacks. It isn't serious, so I didn't want to bother Genkai or Botan with it..." she trailed off, avoiding Hiei's eyes.

The fire koorime shook his head, laying her hand palm up on the table. "Hold still," he commanded, placing his hand over hers. He stared at it for a few seconds, his brow furrowing in concentration. Yukina opened her mouth to ask what he was doing when a soft green light enveloped her hand. She gasped as she felt the blisters shrinking and fading as they were healed.

Hiei looked up at her. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No, it's just-- I didn't know you had healing powers," Yukina replied, looking at Hiei strangely.

He avoided her eyes, gritting his teeth as he reached for her other hand, placing it on the table. "It's something I inherited from my mother. I've rarely had the occasion to practice them, so my skills are meager, at best. Actually, this is only the second time I've ever used them," Hiei explained, healing her other hand. Please don't ask any questions I cannot answer, he pleaded mentally.

Yukina nodded. "My mother was also a healer. She taught me everything I know," she said.

"Is that so?" Hiei asked, a twinge of remorse shooting through him. He shook off the feeling. "We'd better get started," he said, gesturing to the bag.

"Oh! Right. Sorry," Yukina said, blushing slightly in shame.

Hiei shook his head. "Don't apologize." He read the names on the vials as she set them on the table, looking for the one he needed first. His senses reached out to the only other occupied room in the temple, feeling the kitsune's feeble energy. Please hold on just a little longer, Kurama...

. . .

Morning dawned, bright and merry. The sky was clear, the birds chirped cheerfully in their nests--

"Rei Gun!"

-- and a beam of light obliterated both birds and the tree they were sitting in. Yuusuke stood, holding his hand in the shape of a gun, breathing heavily.

"I think...that's the last...of them," Kuwabara wheezed, walking over to his friend. Together, the two tired ningen made their way back into the temple.

"Man, Hiei had better hurry it up-- I didn't get more than two hours of sleep last night. And having to fight off plants every two or three hours-- I'm beat!" Yuusuke complained.

"Yeah, what's taking the shrimp so long, anyway?" Kuwabara chimed in, never missing an opportunity to insult the fire demon.

"It happens to be a delicate process, not that I would expect either of you to understand that. One wrong step and it would be fatal to the kitsune."

The teenagers turned around. Hiei was standing behind them, holding a steaming cup. He had apparently regained the use of his left arm and leg, although it looked like he had traded his energy for them. His shoulders were sagging and his back was slightly bent, as if he was remaining standing by force of sheer will alone. The dark circles under his tired eyes testified to his sleepless night. He mustered enough energy to glare at them as they stopped walking.

"I would appreciate it if you would move your carcasses out of my way. You're blocking the hall and I need to get through," he said. His voice was tired, lacking its usual insulting tone.

Yuusuke stepped to the side, laying a restraining hand on Kuwabara's arm as the orange-haired boy opened his mouth to retort. Hiei walked past them without a backward glance.

Genkai looked up as Hiei entered the room, Yuusuke and Kuwabara trailing behind him. "I take it that's the antidote? Where's Yukina?" she asked, looking at the fire demon.

"Asleep. I let her get some rest after the poison wore off. And yes, this is the antidote," he replied, gesturing to the cup.

"Good. I--" Genkai paused. She leaned closer to the cup, sniffing delicately. "Is there black altheas in this?" she asked.

Hiei thought back over the list. "The roots, yes. Why?"

Genkai closed her eyes, pensively. "One of the side effects of that plant is making nerve endings extremely sensitive. This is a strong poison and it's attacking Kurama's body directly. Once he has the antidote..."

"It will begin attacking and destroying the poison, causing Kurama's sensitized nerves as much pain, if not more, than the poison did by itself," Hiei continued.

"And, even though it is no longer attacking Kurama's body, I don't know if he can withstand that in his weakened state," Genkai finished.

Hiei was silent for a moment. "I'll act as his support," he said, resolutely.

Genkai looked at him critically. "You might be able to help with your Jagan, but you don't have much more energy than he does, at this point. Not even your evil eye will be able to save you if he dies with you inside his mind," she warned.

Hiei returned her gaze, coolly. "I am well aware of my limitations, both for myself and my Jagan," he replied, icily.

Genkai shrugged, indifferent. "Suit yourself. Come on, you two," she said, walking past Yuusuke and Kuwabara.

Yuusuke looked confused. "Uh, I didn't understand most of that. Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

"You two are going to help me outside," Genkai replied, not turning around.

"Outside? What do you need us to do outside?" Kuwabara asked, just as confused as Yuusuke.

"If I'm correct, we are about to experience the largest wave of plants that we've had yet. And I need you two to come outside and help me keep them from this room," she replied.

"What?! You've got to be kidding! We just finished fighting the stupid plants! Don't we get a break?!" Yuusuke yelled.

Genkai looked at him coldly. "The best time to administer the antidote is when his body is the strongest. His demon form will be even more sensitive than his ningen form, so it is best to do it now while he is still completely human," she explained. Yuusuke and Kuwabara looked at her, blankly. "Forget it. Just come on."

Grumbling, Yuusuke and Kuwabara followed Genkai out of the room. Hiei stood at the window, waiting until he could see them in the courtyard below. Turning back from the window, he knelt next to Kurama's futon.

Please forgive me for what I am about to do, he thought, looking at Kurama sadly. Just know that you will not go through it alone.

Tilting the teen's head back, Hiei poured the remedy into his mouth, massaging his neck muscles to make Kurama swallow reflexively. He repeated this procedure until the kitsune had drank the entire cup. Kurama's breathing quickened and he moaned, tossing his head from side to side.

Sitting down on the floor next to the redhead, Hiei grasped Kurama's wrist tightly. I'm sorry...my friend. Preparing himself for the excruciating torture that was to follow, Hiei closed his eyes and entered Kurama's mind.

. . .

To Be Continued