Guardian Angel

"Don't worry koibito. I'll be okay, I promise."

That was the last thing he said to me before… before it happened. Before I let him walk out the door. Before he ended up where he was. Everything that happened to him was my fault, no matter what he says to make me think other wise.

That night, all I could feel was guilt. I felt self-hate, anger, and even sorrow. All of those new feelings to me. I said that I would never let feelings get in my way. This is different. This was my best friend, my guardian, my protector, and most of all… the only one who held my heart.

When he went out that night, and never came back, I probably felt worse than Shiori did. I can't help but remember every last detail of what happened to him.

That night, he went out in Shiori's car. He left at ten o'clock at night to get something for me. I thought that it would only take him a few minutes or maybe an hour. When two and three hours past, I got worried. I was sitting in the living room with Shiori watching television and praying that Kurama would come back safe.

As we sat, the news came on with a breaking story. They said that a car had crashed into someone else. I was praying that it wasn't the same car he was in. They got as close as they could to the scene and I saw that it was the same car Kurama was in. I couldn't stay down there any longer. I ran upstairs into Kurama's room and sat on his bed. I tried to hold back my emotions, but that was working as well as holding back a waterfall with a sheet of paper.

Less then ten minutes later a call came to the house. Shiori picked up the phone. It was the hospital calling to report about Kurama. She came upstairs right after she hung up.

"Hiei-kun, that was the hospital. They said that Shuichi-kun is in there. He was badly injured. They told me that it might take him a while to recover, if he can recover that is." She began to cry.

"Don't cry. That kid is going to spring back in no time." I said hoping to get her to stop. "Look, tell you what. I'll go to the hospital and check him out. I'll see if he is looking well enough for you to come and see him. Okay?"

"Thank you so much Hiei-kun." She said hugging me. I hugged her back.

Five minutes later I left and went to the hospital. I had to sneak in because they wouldn't let me in the door. I found Kurama's room and I sat at the window. I couldn't even look in. When I saw him I began to cry. I had never cried in my life and all of a sudden I cried now.

I finally got up the courage to go in and see him up close. I walked over to the bed. Kurama looked like he was in a fight and lost. I looked at his almost lifeless body. I wanted so much as to kill myself right on the spot for letting this happen to him. We promised each other that we would always protect the other, and then I let this happen to him!

I walked closer to the bed and grabbed his hand. It was cold and not as soft as it normally was. His hair was not as shiny and soft like it was before. I never felt so bad about myself in my life.

"Look, kitsune no baka, you need to get better. Shiori needs you, your friends need you, most of all… I need you."

After I said that he grabbed my hand tighter. I began to smile a little bit. Then I heard something come from him.

"Why must you call me that?" he forced out.

"Because… it's like… like a pet name for you. One that's all my own." I said holding back tears.

"Well, can you get something new to call me?"

"No baka. I like what I call you now. So deal with it. Now shut up and get better so Shiori can stop crying over you."

"And so you can stop too?" he said forcing a smile with his last bit of energy.

"Yea… so I can stop too." I said smiling a little.

I leaned over and kissed his forehead and then left. When I got back to his house, Shiori had fallen asleep on the couch. I picked her up and took her into her room. I walked into Kurama's room and lied down on his bed. I was just thinking about how I failed as a guardian.

"I hate myself! How could I have let that happen to him! I have to protect him! Then I just up and let him go out by himself! How could I!" I rolled over and faced the wall, "Koibito, if you can hear me, if you don't make it out of this alive; then I'm going with you! I won't let you go alone!"

"No! If I go, you have to take care of Shiori!"

I shot up out of the bed and looked all around.

"Promise me that you won't hurt yourself if I die."

"Don't even say anything like that!"

"You said it first."

"I know. But I shouldn't have. So don't worry about who's going to take care of Shiori okay!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, you're not going to die. I know you better then that. You wouldn't give up a fight that easy. I know that you'll recover… Kurama."

"You called me by my name!"

"Yea and? Do I get a cookie or something?"

"No you get better."

Just then, I looked over and saw Kurama standing in the room. I was shocked, surprised, and happy all at once.

"I thought you were in the hospital?"

"I am. This is my spirit. I just wanted to talk to you tonight."

"I swear, kitsune no baka, go lay down."

"I am. With you."

Next thing I knew, he laid down behind me. I just looked at him. I couldn't help but notice everything about him, from the redness of his hair to that little twinkle in his emerald eyes. Every detail was perfect and how I longed to see that again. I just wanted to reach out and touch him, but I knew that if I did, I probably couldn't again. I just stared at him until the sun rose. And as the sun grew larger, his form faded more. I didn't want him to go because I didn't know if I would ever see him again.

When he finally disappeared, I began to cry. I didn't want to, but I did. When Shiori came in, I quickly wiped my face. She came in to let me know that breakfast was ready and I could eat. After I ate, I helped Shiori get the house clean and chores done. After that I left for Kurama. When I got there, he seemed a little better. He had a little more color to him then before. He wasn't so lifeless and limp. His hair was beginning to look like its normal self. And he was able to open his eyes all the way.

When I looked into his eyes, I realized that they weren't big and shiny. They were dull. They looked as though someone had colored them in with a dull color pencil. I just looked at him as though he didn't look any different, though he saw straight through me.

"You think I look horrible don't you?"

"No. You still look like you did before." I panicked.

"Don't lie to me just to make me feel good. Tell me the truth. I want to know what you think of me right now. I promise I won't get mad."

"Fine then. Honestly I think that you look terrible. And if you want to see your mother you better talk to her in spirit form. I'm not letting her see you like this. So make a full recovery or the only visitor you get will be me!"

"Fine then." He said to me in a little baby tone.

"Well, look, I only came by to say hi and bye. So I said hi, now bye." On my way out I dropped a box on his bed.

"This is for the only one who ever really cared for me? What does he mean?"

I stayed to see his reaction to the gift I gave him. He opened the box and looked in. There was a kimono and a necklace in it. The necklace matched mine. Now I would always know he was with me. After I saw his expression I left. To see his eyes brighten up so much. And to see that bright smile I longed to see. All of that made my day.

For the next week I visited him. He was making a slow but sure recovery. He was looking better, so I finally let Shiori see him. When she saw her son, she began to bawl. She was crying so much, she had to leave. After she left I walked over to his bed.

"So, when's the farewell party?"

"What farewell party?"

"The party they'll throw when you get the hell out of here and come home baka!"

"Oh, I don't know. Why don't you ask the doctor who wanted to kick me out since I came here."

"I will, on the way out!" I laughed.

"Always the funny one?"

"Yep."

I stayed and talked with him for about three more hours. I finally left and helped Shiori clean up around the house. When I finished I went upstairs and went to sleep. When I closed my eyes, all I could see was Kurama. They weren't good pictures. They were ones I didn't want to see. For another week, I continued to visit Kurama. Then, one day when I was going to see him, I was hoping that he would look a lot better then when I saw him before, I ran to the hospital and walked to his room. I looked in the door and the bed was empty. I went to the nurse's station and asked for him.

"Oh, Mr. Minamino. He went to the cafeteria. He said that he was tired of the food they gave him in his room. And he also said that he was waiting for someone named Mr. Jaganshi Hiei. Would that be you?" I just nodded my head. "This is for you. It's the table number he is sitting at."

I looked at the paper and looked up. "Um… could you point me to the cafeteria, onegai?" I whispered.

"Certainly. It's down those stairs and to your right. After you turn just go straight. It's on your left-hand side. You can't miss it." She said smiling at me.

I walked all the way to the cafeteria. I looked at the sheet of paper that the nurse gave me. It said 'isle 2 table 12' on it. I looked up and from the ceiling, there were signs saying isle one, two, three, and four on them. I walked to isle two and looked for table twelve. When I found it, it was empty. There was only food on the table. I decided to wait for him, just in case he went to get something to eat.

I waited about ten minutes and he still didn't show. When I got up to leave, I heard someone call my name. I looked behind me, and it was Kurama. He was smiling and waving to me. He looked as though he was never hurt.

"Hey! Look at what I have on!" he said showing me the kimono.

"I know what it looks like baka! I was the one who brought it you know!"

"Now, I know what you're going to say. You are going to say," he tried to imitate me, "Kitsune no baka! You are supposed to be in bed resting so you can come home!" he stopped, "But, I have good news!"

"And what could that possibly be?" I said just looking at him. I was happy to see that he was up. I was happy to see that everything, from his smile to the way he walked, was back to normal.

"Well, the doctor said that I am well enough to get up on my own and walk around. And also," he sat down at the table and grabbed my hands, "The doctor also said that I could go home in three days."

He looked so happy. I was feeling the same way, but I didn't want to show it. "That's great."

"So now I can walk around a little bit until I have to leave. Then I can do whatever I want." He looked at me, "What's the matter? You don't look too happy."

"Would I ever look happy? You know I don't show emotion. Those things are useless to me!"

"Yea right. I know you show emotion. It's just that there are other people here, isn't it?" he said with a big smile.

"No! I just don't show emotion!"

"I just don't show emotion my foot! I know you do! I am there when you do you know!"

"My foot?" I started laughing. "What about your foot? It doesn't matter either!"

"Shut up!"

We both sat there laughing. Around three o'clock, we left the lunchroom. We walked back to his room and sat. I left around five o'clock to help Shiori cook. Well, it was more like she was going to help me.

"Bring me some of that food. Just sneak it in, okay?" he said grabbing my arm before I left.

"Okay. I will." I said smiling.

I went home and cooked some food with Shiori. After we finished eating and cleaning up, I left to the hospital with Kurama's food. He was upstairs playing video games with the children patients. I just left the food on his bed with a note.

I sat outside of his room until he came back. When he saw the food, his eyes lit up the whole room.

"Here kitsune no baka! Eat it and go the hell to sleep!" he looked at the paper and out the window, "I love you too." He said sarcastically.

I ran all the way back home. When I got there, I ran up to his room and fell asleep. I visited him for the next two days. On the third day, I went to the hospital to pick him up. He was standing in the visitor's lounge waiting for me. He looked as though he never got hurt. He had on another of the new kimonos I brought for him. He was standing there just looking around, like he was never there before.

"So, are you ready to leave?"

"Yes. Let's go." He said in a sad tone.

"What's the matter?"

"Well, when I told the children, last night, that I was leaving. They didn't want me to go."

"So, it's not like you can't come back and visit them."

"YOU'RE RIGHT! Thank you! You are smart." He hugged me and whispered, "That's why I loved you so much!"

"Loved?"

"Sorry. I meant love." He said laughing.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"No you won't! You couldn't."

"Can't I?"

We just started laughing and left. On the way home he asked if Shiori knew he was coming back. I told him yes. When we got there, Shiori was in the kitchen. I made him wait in the living room and not make a sound.

"Shiori, you might want to make enough for three tonight."

"Why?" she said looking confused.

I motioned to Kurama to come in; "This is why."

When he came in Shiori's face lit up. She ran to her son and hugged him tight. He hugged her back. She began to cry tears of joy.

"We have to celebrate his homecoming! You two boys call up everyone you know and tell them to come here. We are having a party!"

"Okay!" we said.

Both of us ran upstairs. We ran into his room and grabbed the phone.

"Everyone in Ningenkai okay! Except for Yukina. She's the only one from Makai you can call." Kurama said to me like I was stupid.

"She does live here now you idiot!"

"Oh yea. She does."

We called everyone we could. We had the biggest party ever. After the party, Kurama and I went upstairs. We went into his room and sat. I sat on the windowsill looking out. He was sitting at his desk. Just then he walked over to me and laid his head on my shoulder.

"So, when I was gone, did you cry?"

"Why would I…" he gave me an evil look, "Yes. Because I didn't know if I would ever see you again. I didn't know if you were coming out of the hospital alive or not."

"Well, like you said. I wouldn't give up a fight that easy. So now I'm here with you. And I want you to promise me something."

"Yea." I said looking at him.

"I want you to promise me that you will never let me go out alone. Ever again, my guardian angel."

"I promise. I will never let you out of this house alone."

I wrapped my arms around him. He climbed on the windowsill and sat between my legs. He laid his head on my chest and went to sleep. I wrapped my arms around him tight.

"I will never let you go again. As long as we are together, I will protect you with my life." I whispered. I was combing his hair with my fingers, "I wouldn't know what to do without you, my guardian angel." I fell asleep with him. My one and only.