If Only Tears Could Bring You Back
by Momo no Hana
"You sure?" Yusuke asked. "I mean, I could just go back to my place…"
"Don't worry. My mother is recovering at the hospital, so I have the house to myself for a few more days." Kurama pushed his key into the lock and held the door open for his friend. "Besides, I've placed talisman cards over my windows and doors. Hiei can't do anything to us here. It's really in your best interest to stay."
Yusuke paused for another moment. Then he entered the house, slipping out of his shoes and kicking them toward the mat beside the door.
"Thanks, Kurama," Yusuke said. He cautiously moved Keiko so that her weight was easier for him to handle.
"It's no trouble." Kurama closed the front door behind him, nodding toward an open doorway. "You can put her on the couch in there. I need to do something about this hole in my stomach, but I'll be back in a minute."
Yusuke nodded and disappeared through the doorway. Kurama sighed deeply and leaned back against the door, letting his eyes fall shut. He felt shaky and weak from the blood loss. Worse, his wound had gone untreated for over an hour. If he got an infection…
Best not think about that. Yusuke needs you now.
There was a beeping sound. Kurama's green eyes opened a crack, wandering around as he peered through the dark cover of his lashes. A red number glowed on the answering machine. Stifling a groan, Kurama covered his wound with one hand and pushed away from the door. He pressed a button on the machine as he passed.
"Hey, it's Shuichi. My dad told me that I should call you." Kurama entered the bathroom, listening with half an ear as the message continued. "Dr. Kamiya says that your mom should be okay to leave the hospital on Tuesday. Your mom says to keep up with your homework and make sure you eat enough… Right, see you later."
Kurama took some bandages from the medicine cabinet and shrugged off his jacket. The magenta cloth was stained with blood, and there was a ragged hole where the Shadow Sword had stabbed him. Not worth saving.
Plucking a seed from his long hair, where he stored most of the seeds he used, Kurama gently pushed his energy through the outer shell. His gift—to make plants grow. There were so many uses for such an ability. He could make weapons from his plants, turns blades of grass into daggers or roses into whips. He could grow fruits and vegetables and never worry about going hungry. He could make poisons and medicine. It was very versatile, plant magic. The only drawback was his energy… Though he could use it in many ways, he had very little power. It had been so easy for Hiei and Gouki to take advantage of him…
As the plant grew between his thumb and forefinger, Kurama turned his hand so that his palm was facing the floor. The plant held fast, developing lumps that swelled up like bubbles. Kurama grabbed the soap dish with his free hand and placed the bar on top of the shelf, holding the plant over the empty dish. He squeezed gently, causing the dark blue flesh to burst and secrete a clear pulp.
Kurama clenched his hand and carefully squashed the pulp out of the plant and into the soap dish. When he was sure he had gotten as much of the pulp as possible, Kurama dropped the useless flesh of the plant into the garbage can and grabbed a cloth, dampening it.
He cleaned the blood from his abdomen and then scooped up some pulp. As soon as he spread the pulp over his wound, his flesh cooled and began to mend. Even if he was weak, at least Kurama could heal himself. For all the power of his Jagan, Hiei had been forced to rely on others for medical attention. He couldn't heal a paper cut on his own.
After he had wrapped some bandages around the wound, Kurama gathered up the materials he had used and left the bathroom, walking down the hall. He paused outside of the open doorway of the living-room. Yusuke was kneeling beside the couch, holding Keiko's limp hand and talking to her.
"I'm such a frickin' idiot." Yusuke clutched her hand more tightly. "I… I really screwed up this time. Now you're…you're a monster… And what am I supposed to say to Kurama? He trusted me to stop Hiei, and I just made things worse!" Yusuke brushed some hair away from Keiko's forehead. "What should I do, Keiko? I don't know what to do…"
Yusuke fell silent, and Kurama guessed that he was done talking. He cleared his throat, making the boy tense and glance over his shoulder.
"We can't reverse what has been done to her body, Yusuke. Suppressing demonization is one thing, but turning a demon into a human is another matter. You need strong, pure energy—something I have not had for many years." Kurama walked toward Yusuke, placing the dish and bandages on the arm of the couch. "But I can mend what part of her mind was damaged by the transformation."
"Yeah," Yusuke said. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Kurama."
A/N: Progressing slooowly, very slooowly. But we are making progress. Genkai enters the story next chapter, and so does Kuwabara. After that, prepare yourselves! The HieixKurama starts showing up.
