Ode to the Scorned

Chapter 5: And Now the Wait

.-.-

"Dammit! If there were anymore weeds that could possibly get in my way!" Yusuke raised his arm, extending his index finger with intentions to blast away the swaying vines obscuring their path until his wrist was snagged by Kuwabara. "What the-"

"Hold on a minute." He instructed while taking a couple of clumsy steps. "Ga!" Kuwabara dragged Yusuke behind him, both ducking behind the safety of a tree.

"Do you mind?" Yusuke pulled himself away from the spontaneous teen, bestowing a glare in response to the unwarranted escape. "Would you just tell me what the hell you're doing?"

"Look!" Kuwabara leaned against the tree, then covered his mouth as laughter threatened to expose the two of them.

"Is that-?"

"Yeah!"

"Where is-"

"I think he ditched the little punk."

"Should we-"

"Definitely."

It took only a moment before both of them realized that the fire youkai was no longer asleep. Once they were close enough to see him clearly, their fun was immediately ended. Hiei had certainly always looked angry, but never so much as he did then. Yusuke and Kuwabara continued towards him cautiously, aware of the sheer power emanating from the demon. Whatever it was that Kurama had done had managed to really piss Hiei off. Instantly, it became obvious what his transgression had been. As cruel as it had been for Hiei and Kurama to leave Yusuke and Kuwabara behind, they could hardly imagine how Hiei felt being treated just the same.

"There was a reason you were left behind." Hiei spat angrily.

"Likewise, Hiei." Yusuke responded. "It's not as though Kurama's trying to disappear. I can still feel his energy from here."

"It's not my business anymore. If he comes back alive tell him not to bother wasting my time anymore."

"Hey, I though you two were close. Don't be like that." Kuwabara defended the kitsune youkai. "He must've had a reason for what he did."

Silently, Hiei agreed with Kuwabara. Kurama had to have known for some time that Hiei was only getting in the way. He was forever planning within his complex mind. Even with years of human training, he remained the youkai he had always been. Hiei had admired his fabled strength as a child and was slightly intimidated by his determination to regain that power, even at the cost of his life. But the truth was Kurama held no alliance with anyone when he had a mission.

.-.-

Botan had fallen back into her deep slumber after her wild outburst. He propped her against the wall to keep her wound from touching the filth of the ground. Even in her weakened state, her slap had been more than enough to make Kurama much more cautious about lifting her again. He was content with explaining her actions as a survival instinct. She was in obvious pain, probably did not know where she was, and he had been less gentle than he had hoped considering the situation.

Still, it was unlikely that her captor was making an empty threat. If he had gone through the trouble of taking her and risking an encounter with Reikai officials, he wouldn't just hand Botan back without having done something to her.

His emerald eyes strained to see past her frail appearance. It angered him that anybody would want to hurt Botan. Just the thought of someone's hands on her... hurting her, or possibly doing something much more sinister than that brought out the feral being within him. He had been a monster in his past but never sullied his name by relying on another person as bait.

Just as his anger threatened to envelop him, a small moan from Botan drew his attention back to their dilemma. Her teeth were chattering and her body shook as a cool breeze brought the threat of rain. Kurama stood slowly, deliberately taking his time to sort through his options. He knew he was traveling on borrowed time, however, the barrier that had separated them from the rest of Makai had long since dissipated, leaving even the slightest twinge of his power detectable by other demons. That eliminated any hope of drawing Hiei or Yusuke's attention towards them. Yet, he could feel the growing restlessness of the demons who were following the short disturbance and knew it was only a matter of time before the smell of fresh blood would lure them right to Botan and him.

He lifted his jacket from his shoulders and wrapped it around Botan. Kurama carried her on his back in order to move at a faster pace and until that moment, he hadn't fathomed exactly how much blood she had lost. Her body shivered in a vain attempt to regain some heat as her frozen fingers clasped around his shoulders.

"Itai..." Botan cried in a whisper, her breath trailing across Kurama's neck.

She inhaled in his unmistakable scent with her head resting against his shoulder. He was so warm and she only wished that she could hold on a little more tightly. But it hurt to move just as much as it hurt to think and breathe. Why was there so much pain? Botan winced as she recalled her last memories. It had been Kurama. Kurama had tried to kill her.

Her heart began to race once her eyes snapped open. Where was he taking her? There was only one choice left. Kurama would never let her escape alive and there was no hope left for him. The Kurama she knew no longer existed, of that she was sure.

"Please forgive me." She said hoarsely, drawing her arm back as far as she was able to.

"You're awa-"

Before Kurama could finish his sentence, the air escaped his lungs and his throat coated with thick blood. He reached behind him to snatch the object that had been forced through his back and instead grabbed Botan's wrist. Everything seemed to move slowly as he fell to his knees against the grass. His eyes shot back at her for some sort of explanation. Her face was expressionless and never before had he ever seen Botan look as distant as she did right then.

The metallic clanging of the blade which had been pulled from his back as Botan fell backwards preceded the rushing footsteps of his partners.

"Hey, they're right there!" Kuwabara's voice drifted in from the coverage of the forest.

Botan scrambled to her feet, intending to run in the opposite direction until she was seized by the waist. Hiei's hand rested uncomfortably close to her open wound.

"Let me go!" She continued to struggle until she succumbed to her own pain.

"We need to get moving. Now!" Yusuke ordered.

"Wait a minute you guys." Kuwabara knelt in front of Kurama, whose eyes were frozen on a knife in front of him. He didn't even notice the others had arrived. "Kurama, it's us." He received no response. "Are you alright?"

"Kurama!" Yusuke called as he ran up beside the two. He extended an arm to shake Kurama from his dazed condition and found blood running down his arm. "Were you attacked?"

"No." He responded flatly.

"Then who did this to you?"

"We don't have time for your mindless interrogations." Hiei interrupted when he became aware of Kurama struggling to find a reasonable account for his injury. "Can you still walk?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let's get the hell outta here." Yusuke led the way in front of the group.

.-.-

"I'm not going to sat I'm not glad you found her," Koenma said as he stepped out of the back room where Botan was being treated. "But I'm also not happy that you broke as many, if not all, my rules to get into Makai. Just because I asked for your help doesn't mean to get special privileges."

"It's a good thing we don't depend on your thanks." Yusuke remarked.

"Yeah. How long were we supposed to wait for you to get yourself together?" Kuwabara added.

"There are protocols that must be taken. Who knows how many demons were able to sneak through when you all busted through without permission? That's just more work that needs to be done in the meantime."

"Koenma," Kurama said just above a whisper as he folded his beaten and stained jacket across his lap. "There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Sure." Neither of the men moved and the room fell into an unsettling silence.

"Geeze, if you two could be any blunter." Yusuke complained after giving an annoyingly loud sigh. He and Kuwabara filed out of the room discussing their endless discoveries of new tactics in the latest video game they had purchased.

"Is she stable?" Kurama asked when the door was shut.

"Well, physically, yes." He took a seat beside the red-head. "You had to have noticed by now, the way she's been acting. Has she said anything to you?"

"No, nothing."

"She has calmed down a few times in there, but those are short-lived. My only guess is that she's been having nightmares and can't really get out of them."

"You have the realm's best medical staff and that's your diagnosis?" Hiei scoffed. "She would have been better off in Makai."

"I have no doubt now that he was telling the truth. I had no other choice but to leave as soon as possible." He retrieved a small dagger from the pocket of the jacket that had been tucked away in a piece of cloth. "I wasn't able to decipher who kidnapped her, however."

"Let's just take one thing at a time. We have her back and that means he doesn't have any leverage against us."

Kurama nodded silently and started towards the door. "I need to be sure that he will not target my family."

"I understand. Take your time, Kurama; we have everything under control now." As he disappeared through the hallway, Koenma turned his attention to Kurama's seat. There were few times he had ever had to worry about Kurama because he had a way of taking care of himself, but even Kurama was often a victim of impatience. "How badly is he injured?"

Hiei looked towards Koenma, and then exited without a word.

.-.-

The walk home was hardly eventful, at best. It was still early in the morning as the sun struggled to rise above the horizon. A steady wind pulsed over the cooled surface and shook the morning dew from their resting spots atop various plants. A single breeze was enough to break the fragile bond between the life-sustaining moister and the waking shrubs.

As life rushed on, school becoming more intense and Koenma's tasks taking more precedence, Kurama found an easy solution to prevent the inevitable confrontation with his mother; bury himself in work. He had been gone for several days now without a word and returning with yet another wound on his human body. Kurama had seen the look in her eyes, the worry and fear that her son would no longer return to her that she could no longer find in herself to hide.

With every mission he could feel his human life drawing to an end. It wasn't as though he feared death, just that he had grown so attached to the woman who had shown him nothing but patience. Never before had Kurama been so driven to stay alive for a purpose other than him. Time was so precious. But here he stood, in front of his home that was unlit and lifeless. There was no better reason for him to risk his life than the sight of his family at rest.

He made his way across the living room and quietly pushed the door open. A note had been neatly folded and placed on a table next to Shiori's bed, indicating an urgent business trip for Kazuya. Kurama inched forward and reached out for her hand. She grasped his hand in an unconscious response.

"I'm home, mother." He murmured, kneeling next to the bed. The attacker had not lied about any of his other threats, but he couldn't afford to endanger Shiori or Shuichi. He still had work to do and now he had peace of mind that nothing had happened at home. "I won't be gone long."

"Shuichi?" Shiori felt his hand slip away from hers before she could even open her eyes. She briskly sat up in her bed, searching for her son or anything to prove that he had just been next to her. Unable to actually see him, disappointment settled on her heart and she sank back into her pillows.

She had felt for some time that Shuichi never really belonged to her or to anyone. Lately, he had disappeared for days at a time and she had become accustomed to going on with life and focusing on other insignificant tasks, yet there was nothing that could ever prepare her for the pain of not seeing Shuichi every day. Shiori couldn't relate with other parent's of college bound or departing children because she couldn't have the guarantee that her son would return alive. The scars on his body told a horrific story of Shuichi's hidden life, one of which she would never have the chance to share with him.

He came home every time, as beaten as he was. Her duty was to be there for him, to wait for him to return.

Kurama stepped out the front door when he felt Shiori relax in her room. He hadn't intended to wake her, but he knew she at least needed to know he was alright. Hiei stood by the mailbox, his arms crossed with his eyebrows furrowed with irritation. It didn't take long to notice why Hiei had tracked him down as blood unwillingly dripped from his fingertips.

"They'll be asleep for a couple more hours." Kurama said, retreating back into the house.

Kurama pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a deep gash just under his shoulder blade. Hiei held his breath in for a moment, and then looked up to Kurama. His strength was almost amazing considering the wounds inflicted on his mortal torso. He had been traveling for hours without hindrances while all along leading the others to believe it was little more than a small cut.

Kurama threaded a needle with a material similar to ordinary sewing thread and placed it on the table. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to reach it on my own."

"Feh. You had all the doctors in Reikai around you and didn't ask them to stitch you up?"

"I didn't have time then. Besides," A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "If I had known you were incapable of helping me do such a simple task, I would have asked them."

"If you continue to speak," He snatched the needle out of Kurama's hand. "I'll lose my concentration and with this needle so close to your heart, I can't ensure that my hand won't slip."

"Of course." Kurama enjoyed a brief laugh.

Hiei brushed Kurama's thick red hair out of the way and, without hesitation, pushed the tip of the needle beneath his pale skin. Kurama didn't so much as flinch. Hiei could only surmise how he had obtained such an injury after their enemy had departed. He was sure that Botan had been the cause, though he could obviously sense that Kurama didn't want to discuss it. Kurama was usually good at hiding his emotions, but even his laugh dripped with anger. Hiei chuckled in his mind and almost felt sympathetic for the person who thought they could survive after crossing paths with Kurama.

"What next?" Hiei asked after tying the thread securely.

"We sit in Reikai," He sighed. "And wait for his next move."

With his wound repaired, he was able to reach Spirit World in less time than it took to leave. Yusuke and Kuwabara easily tied up Hiei in Koenma's office. Kurama took the moment of reprieve to visit Botan.

She looked much better regardless of the machines attached to her. Botan's face was full of color as it should have always been and she seemed to be sleeping in an undisturbed sleep. She livened up Spirit World, however ironic it may have been in regards to her job specification. The remembrance of the look on her face after she struck him and then again after she stabbed him still haunted his thoughts. He ran his palm across her blushing cheek and lost his thoughts in the continuous sounds of the monitors surrounding her.

"How do I... even begin to apologize for any piece of my past that he made you witness of?" He asked quietly. He suddenly felt ashamed. There weren't many people left who understood the full extent of his murderous existence as Youko Kurama and could easily forgive him for his heinous actions. "As good-hearted of a person as I know you to be, not even I can expect you to condone the behavior you must have seen." He stepped away from her.

Unless there was a way to explain her demeanor aside from the accepted dream justification, then she would certainly be volatile around him. Kurama closed his eyes as he reopened the door. Her smile was one which could soften almost anyone's heart, yet he couldn't help but envision her trying to pass any future smile, which would certainly be hiding a horrific moment in time where Youko Kurama had inflicted pain on her, as a genuine one.

.-.-

Itai- Ouch or 'It hurts.

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Anichan: Thanks for sticking with the story. You're right, reviews aren't everything, but I'm trying to get a feel for writing YYH fics and it's been a difficult transition from DBZ… there's aren't as many people interested in YYH, you know? In any case, I appreciate your review.

Lord of the dark Fluffiness: Thank you, that's very kind.

Christina Gomez: I had to stop at a cliffie otherwise I wouldn't have anything to write about in this story. And I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I had a bit of trouble with this chapter.

MikaSamu: I tried to make a believable past for Youko without actually killing Botan as I'm sure he probably would have done in the past. Thanks for sending a review, it means a lot.

Archangel Rhapsody: Indeed. I imagine everyone would have a part of their past they wouldn't want to share with anybody else, especially Kurama.

Licensed to Kill: Thank you.

JDFielding: I couldn't think of any possible way that Youko Kurama would actually be kind to Botan since that really isn't his character. I think I have this all planned out; Kurama has to try something to prove that he isn't like he use to be, but that is where I get caught up. He has always been caring to Botan… I'll find a way, I suppose. I am grateful for your time and your review and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

A lilmatchgirl: I'm happy for the reviews that I've received, though I didn't really show that in the last chapter. I couldn't just let the villain not accomplish something with his plan, and doesn't Botan make a great victim. Lol. Thanks for reviewing.

Kari Ishikawa: I felt bad for making Botan slap him, but I'm sure what she did in this chapter was much worse. It will all work out in the end, I promise. I'm glad that you enjoyed reading my story. Lol, yes, Kuronue is cute.