Bandages… By Tara Hendy
Silently I take a step forward, my eyes tightly closed as I reach forward helplessly, my hands grabbing nothing but air. I take another step forward, my eyes opening, the darkness greeting them, as I call out asking for help. I put my hands to my face, my fingers inching slowly towards my eyes. I hear myself gasp as I feel the bandage covering them. No, what happened? I question myself trying to recall the even that had taken place. Slowly my eyes close beneath the bandages, my mind going blank as I'm pulled further into the darkness around me.
The young teen sat up in bed, his white streak standing out amongst his ebon spikes. "I can't see!" His hands immediately bolted to his face, his fingers slowly caressing the bandages over his eyes. His breathing quickened and he strained his ears for sound. "Where am I!"
He froze, he was positive he had heard a door close, and he was positive that he could hear footsteps coming closer to him.
"Hiei…" A hand on his shoulder; caused his breath to catch in his lungs, "It's alright Hiei… It's me, Kurama" The little fire demon relaxed, allowing his breath to escape, "how do you feel?"
"Alright…" he fingered the bandages, a sigh escaping his lips, "I keep forgetting…" He stated sadly, his fingers now running through his ebon spikes.
Kurama smiled warmly, "Hiei, you remember what Genkai said, right?"
The demon nodded, "She said I should have my sight back in a couple of months…"
"And until then you should rest , regain your strength… You'll need it for what Koenma has in store for us," He laughed slightly, "Our assignments just keep getting harder."
The fire demon cringed, reaching forward to touch the kitsune in front of him.
Kurama met Hiei's hands with his, "You should sleep, I'll be sure to bring you something to eat later…"
Hiei shook his head, "I want to go outside…" He began, slowly, "I'm tired of being confined to this house…"
Kurama smiled again, his long red hair falling in front of his emerald green eyes, "Alright… We'll go out later when Yusuke and Kuwabara are here…"
The fire demon smiled slightly, his pride had long since diminished when he gave into them, finally allowing them to help him, even though every fiber in his body despised the thought of assistance.
"Kurama , I'm here!" Yusuke called into the house, quickly abandoning his shoes in the doorway.
"Good, Hiei's been eager to leave the house since he woke up…" Kurama stated, staring into his black-haired companion's light brown eyes. "Kuwabara isn't with you?"
"Nope, he decided to take Yukina out for the day…" Yusuke said smiling, "So where's Hiei?"
"He's in the kitchen…" Kurama smiled, "Why don't you go greet him, while I get ready to go?"
Yusuke nodded, "Sure…"
I could hear him as he slowly approached, the sound of his footsteps were unmistakable against the cold tiled floor. I heard him sit down, the chair creaking beneath his weight.
"Hey Hiei…" His voice stuck in my ears, so familiar yet completely unknown, "How are you doing?"
I sat in the silence of the room for a while before replying, "Fine…" I kept my harsh tone with him, not wanting to be pitied, "Where's the stupid oaf?" I kept a low growl to my voice warning him not to touch me, sure I had agreed to Kurama's help, but not to anyone else's
"He's out with Yukina…" I could hear the sympathy in his voice, the tone burning through me, my temper beginning to rise.
"Why! How could you, let him touch her!" I could hear myself yelling now, the thought of Kuwabara being with my sister was disgusting, never would I let that happen.
"Hiei calm down, he's just trying to cheer her up, she's worried about her favorite little demon…" I could tell he was smiling, and I turned away, at least I think I turned away.
"As long as she doesn't find out about me…I don't want her to know that her brother's a criminal…" I could hear his short laugh, my head turned towards him again. "What, might I ask, is so funny!"
"You are…" he began slowly, "You act like such a tough guy, but deep down inside you're nothing but a protective older brother, afraid of getting hurt!"
"And what brings you to that idiotic conclusion?" I ask dully, hoping I was facing him.
"Nothing really, I was just trying to make you laugh, or at least smile…" his tone was quiet and slightly saddened.
"Why do you care it I smile or not?" my question seemed to have hit him like a brick wall; for he was silent for quite a while.
"Because…This might be my only chance to see a smile on your perfect face…"
I sat in silence not saying a word, the shock of what he had just said clung to me, paralyzing me and making me unable to stop the burning in my cheeks.
He chuckled, obviously laughing at my rosy cheeks. Still too shocked to speak, I turned my head towards the floor not expecting to feel his hand on my cheek, forcing me to face him again.
"Hiei, why hide your face?" I could feel his breath against my ear as he whispered into it. Another laugh escaped his lips assuring me that he had moved farther from my ear and closer to my lips.
The sound of feet against the stairs; caused him to back away, his hand dropping from my cheek. "Sorry it took me so long…" Kurama's familiar voice was a relief to hear, "I was trying to find a jacket that would fit Hiei…" I could hear the red-head's chuckle as he walked towards me, draping the jacket over my shoulders. I gladly stood up, easily putting my arms into the sleeves.
"Hn…" A frown crept over my lips, as the sleeves of the jacket draped slightly over my hands.
"Hmm… it's still a bit big…" I could hear Kurama sigh as he knelt down to do up the jacket, "Oh well it'll have to do for now…" I could feel the kitsune's soft hands, as they rolled up the sleeves, stopping them just after my hands.
"Well then Hiei, shall we go?" this time it was Yusuke's voice I heard, nodding my head to answer his question, I could feel Kurama's fingers intertwining with mine. Relieved that it wasn't Yusuke I carefully followed them out the door, cautiously crossing the threshold into the unpredictable world.
Two months had passed since he had seen Yusuke last, but the events of that day were still clearly etched in the little fire demon's mind. "Hiei, why hide your face?" His cheeks began to grow hot as the words replayed in his mind. "This might be my only chance to see a smile on your perfect face…"
"Perfect?" he questioned himself, his fingers running over the bandages and soft skin of his face.
"Yes perfect…" Hiei froze at Yusuke's familiar voice, "Is it really that hard to believe?"
"What are you doing here!" Hiei questioned, knowing that his cheeks were a bright red.
"Kurama had to go see his mother, he asked me to look after you 'til he got back…" Hiei's voice caught in his throat, and he sat in silence, his mind running wild as the taller teen walked towards him.
"Why didn't he just take me with him?" Hiei questioned, forcing his blush to fade from his cheeks.
"He didn't want Shiori to worry… you know the way she is, if she sees even the smallest cut on Kurama or any of his close friends she expects the worst…Imagine what she would do if she saw you blind…"
Hiei turned his head to the floor, embarrassed that he hadn't realized this sooner. "I see… That would be rather disastrous…"
Yusuke smiled, "It's alright, Hiei… I'm here to keep you company…" Yusuke stated, placing a hand on Hiei's cheek, "Or is it that you don't want to see me?"
Hiei didn't answer, even though Yusuke had turned his head, making Hiei face him. They sat like that for a long time before Hiei felt Yusuke shift of the edge of the bed.
Hiei held his breath, as every muscle in his body tensed, the relaxed, under the light pressure of Yusuke's lips against his. "Well Hiei?"
Hiei sighed, finally giving him an answer, "It's not that I don't want to see you…"
"Good…" Yusuke's voice was soft when he spoke, but the kiss that followed was more forceful than the last had been.
Hiei hesitated for a moment before kissing back and destroying all the protective walls he had built up throughout the painful years of his life. Unknowingly he wrapped his arms around the teen's lean, yet muscular figure.
"Hiei?" Yusuke's voice was barely a whisper, even in the dead silence of the room.
"What?" Hiei replied, pulling his arms away.
"Do you trust me?" It was now that he realized Yusuke's hands were lightly pulling on the bandages around his eyes.
"Hiei placed his hands lightly on top of Yusuke's and shook his head, "I trust you, but if I take the bandages off too soon, my sight will never come back…"
"If you trust me Hiei, You'll let me take them off…"
"But-" Yusuke put a finger to Hiei's lips.
"If you can remember, Genkai said that if you left them on too long your sight would diminish again…" Hiei nodded, moving his hands away from Yusuke's and the Bandages around his eyes.
Yusuke smiled slightly and without hesitation began to remove the bandages covering Hiei's lovely crimson eyes.
"Well?" he questioned, watching as the little fire demon attempted to focus his eyes.
He lunged at Yusuke, tackling him to the ground as a single black tear gem hit the soft white carpet of the room. Yusuke smiled knowing that the room around him had been ridden of darkness.
"Hiei, I love you…" Yusuke whispered softly, to the small fire demon, hugging him tightly.
I looked up at Kurama, his green eyes shimmering in the suns warming rays. He smiles at me as he pushes a strand of his red hair over his shoulder; I turn my head away this time my eyes landed on Yusuke.
I lightly bump him, watching as he smiles down at me, letting me know that our kiss wasn't just a dream. I smile quickly making sure that Kurama didn't notice. I look towards the sky for a second then back at Yusuke, my crimson eyes landing on the black gem in the shape of a tear that hung around his neck.
Smiling within my heart I begin to wonder when we'll tell the others, or if they'll find out on their own. Slowly the thought fades from my mind, my thoughts settling on the world around me, the world that I had once taken for granted…