Nanashi did not think she could have run as fast as she did just then. She kept trying to remind herself that Hiei was alive and his injuries, well major, could be healed or at least recovered from. But what if he could not shake them? That thought hung in her mind like an unwanted weed.
Izo out ran her about half way to the tent. She could hear Hikari panting behind her, but she did not slow down for her. As the three of them hit the stretch before the healing tent, she saw Hayate standing outside of the main tent where Hikari and Izo had been healed earlier. That had to be the tent Hiei was in because it would have been Hayate who brought him there. Hayate stood there with a shorter, but stocky blonde male demon and one of Minha's guards. The pretty one with long brown hair. Nanashi recalled that her name was Ayane. She also remembered like a side thought that Ayane was almost Hiei's mate once. She tried to check herself for the out of place jealousy she felt welling up in her.
When Izo reached the tent, Ayane went to stop him, but Hayate stopped her first. "No, let him in," Hayate told her. "His son is a healer. Minha will need all the help she can get right now." To Izo, he instructed, "keep your wits about you or leave the tent." Izo nodded briefly and politely before rushing inside the tent.
Nanashi reached them next. Ayane stopped her, grabbing her and locking her arms around her in a similar way to Yusuke earlier that hour. Nanashi struggled against Ayane as she pulled her back away from the tent. Her strength was impressive to say the least.
"Let me go," Nanashi demanded as she kicked and tried to pull away from her. Ayane was stronger than Nanashi realized.
Hikari had reached them by then. "Takashi," Hayate said, with a nod to the young, stocky, blonde demon with a long braid.
This Takashi grabbed at Hikari, catching her by the arm and tried to pull her over to him. "Get off of me," she demanded. She was actually managing to drag him behind her as she pulled against him.
"Stop," Hayate boomed down at her. Hikari turned to face him, freezing in mid-step. She seemed a little spooked by Hayate. "You both can go in there when Minha, Yukina, and now Izo are finished. Right now, they need to not be distracted since they have to heal his back injury and reattach his wrist. Both are complex injuries and our healers need to focus."
Hikari pulled herself away from Takashi, but otherwise, stayed there, standing limply. She looked like she could not figure out what else to do.
Nanashi stopped struggling against Ayane, going limp herself. Ayane let her go and stepped away from her. Nanashi dropped down to her knees without much effort. "You saved him," she thought out loud. "You didn't have to." She looked up at Hayate in that moment. "You could be disqualified for interfering like that. Yet you risked that for him." She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards him with a dash of guilt for slapping him earlier over his fight with Izo.
"I was desperate," he admitted down to her. She gasped, making connections based on his words in her mind. He nodded down at her. "Hiei sought self preservation when he cauterized his wrist. Yomi was angry when he strove to kill Hiei brutally and painfully."
He stepped over her, offering his hand down to her. "Thank you," she managed to stutter out, taking his hand. She rose up and hugged him unabashedly. She felt a request hanging on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back with Hikari being close by.
Izo popped his head out of the tent. "We need Hikari," he dead panned. He looked paler, but more determined.
"Why?" Hikari asked as she went paler herself.
"You have the same blood type as Father. He needs a blood transfusion right away and you're the best candidate. I do too, but I need my strength to heal his back," Izo explained in a rush.
Hikari nodded stiffly and then followed Izo through the tent. Nanashi desperately felt the desire to follow Hikari, but understood why she should not.
When she felt sure Hikari was out of ear shot, she pulled away from Hayate. She looked up at him, requesting, "kill him." He looked at her, only half shocked by her request. "In the tournament. Kill Yomi. Please."
He sighed heavily, looking down at her. He brought his hands down to rest on the tops of her shoulders. "That's not the purpose of this tournament," he told hers softly. "I will not do that unless it's absolutely necessary."
She looked downcast, not sure what else to do or say. She felt exhausted just standing there. She walked over to the tent, and sat down by the edge of it. She brought her knees up in line with her chest and rested her forearms on them.
"I know this is a bad time," Hayate started. She looked up at him and kept her eyes on him as he sat down next to her in a mirror image position. "But that is my son, Takashi," he said, gesturing up at the blonde haired boy, no, young man, standing near Ayane.
"Pleasure to meet you, my lady," Takashi said with a polite bow to her. "I- I've never met a human before," he blurted out nervously. "I thought humans were weaker... Scrawnier..." Hayate clear his throat loudly next to her. "My apologies, my lady. Do excuse my rambling."
Nanashi looked up at Takashi. "Apology accepted," she said, not really sure what else to say him.
She glanced over at the silent Ayane. A sound demon. The one Mukuro had chosen for Hiei to mate claim, but Hiei took her instead. Nanashi wondered vaguely if Hiei had not taken her, then who would have? Yomi did want to mate claim her for the political advantage of it. Jin had been in love with her; might even be still. He and Ruka had skipped this tournament. Neither would have been much of a choice compared to Hiei for her though. According to Kurama, Yomi would have probably kidnapped her and taken her against her will. She shuddered involuntarily.
"What are you-" Hayate started asking a question, but stopped himself. He did not want to question her right now, nor force her answer any questions with his gunju influence that made people tell him the truth. "You look like you are thinking about something hard," he changed his words into a comment.
"I am," she groggily. She looked over at the closed flap of the tent, wishing it would open and Hiei would pop out.
She near jumped when Izo popped his head back out. "Mother," he said, closing the tent flap behind him and stepping over to her briskly. Nanashi near panicked at his tone and movements. He picked up on it as he kneeled next to him. "Sorry," he murmured. "Father is stable, but needs more healing. I'm healing his back while Aunt Yukina is assisting with the blood tranfusion from Hikari. Lady Minha is healing his hand back on. With his back, I need more spirit energy to do it. You haven't fought or anything today. I was wondering if I could have some of yours?"
Nanashi shot her hand out, reaching over and clasping Izo's firmly. Her wind dragon rushed down to her hand to help the process along. Izo gasped, nearly shaking at the feel of her energy rushing from her right into him. Nanashi transferred as much energy as fast as she could into him.
"Enough," Izo half panted, pulling at his hand ever so slightly to get her to stop. She and the wind dragon did so, letting him go. "Thank you," he said shakily. He rose up, going back into the tent determinedly.
Nanashi wanted to run into the tent after Izo, but stayed rooted to Hayate. "Do you want some energy too?" she asked half sheepishly. She held out her hand in offer. He did use his own energy in saving Hiei and she did have plenty left over.
Hayate shook his head, scooting away from her a little. "I'm not cheating in this tournament. Taking energy from someone else like that is a rule violation."
Nanashi frowned at him, adding, "so is interfering in other matches."
Hayate stared down at her ruefully. "I thought you were grateful for that. Interesting thing for you to become frigid about all of a sudden." She felt her nose twitch as she looked away from him and his guilt trip. "We both know had I not shot a crater in the ground nor Hiei's sword, Hiei would be dead right now. I did what I could without touching either of them purposefully so that I still have a chance to fight rather than be disqualified myself." He paused, as if waiting for her to say something. "Widowhood would not become you."
She could sense he was right, but did not want to admit that right now. Instead, she asked, "what happens if you are disqualified? Or you lose, and Yomi becomes king?"
Hayate took a terse sigh. "Flee to the Human World," he instructed her somberly. "Take your family and run. To Japan, Ireland, or wherever it is you go now."
"Northern Ireland," she corrected off topic.
"Same thing," Hayate shrugged off.
"No, it's not," she corrected.
"The point is," he turned the topic back on track. "I don't know exactly what Yomi plans, but I don't think his threat to kill Hiei or take away your lands, or whatever else he wants to do."
"He did threaten to kill you too," she added in.
"He won't succeed," Hayate said determinedly.
"Hiei said the same thing," Nanashi said somberly.
"If I get to fight him, I will try to win. And in the mean time, I will question him," he replied.
"Break his mind," Nanashi hissed in low, harsh whisper.
Hayate looked ready to say something, but caught himself when he heard the tent flap open. Izo came out, carrying a passed out Hikari in his arms in the princess carry. Yukina came out with him as well, leaving Hiei alone with Minha. Yukina closed the tent flap behind her.
Yukina explained, "Hikari is okay." As she spoke, Izo settled Hikari down on the her side near Nanashi. "She gave as much blood as she could. Izo has healed Hiei's back while Minha is still working on his hand. She asked for us to step out of the tent while she finishes."
Nanashi felt uncomfortable about Hiei being left alone with Minha. It did not end up being a long wait though. Within ten minutes, Minha opened the tent flap and told Nanashi she could come in. She stumbled a little bit, getting her feet untangled beneath her as she rushed her way passed Minha and into the tent.
Minha backed out of her way, going over to a counter at the back part of the tent. Nanashi half paid attention to what she was doing as she froze in the entrance of the tent, looking over at Hiei laying propped up on a cot near the left side of the tent. His hands lay on stomach. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing deeply and steadily. Every scrape and bruise that had decorated his body was healed away. She looked down at his right hand, seeing it reattached and no longer mangled. It was as if he never lost it nor had Yomi step on it.
She stepped over to him, barely breathing as it seemed to noisy to her. She reached her left hand over to grab his right hand, wanting to make sure it was there and it was real. She interlaced her fingers with his, feeling the warmth underneath his skin. She observed his skin, seeing no bruising, no bleeding, or anything else that showed the hand would not last its reattachment.
"He's hibernating right now, isn't he?" Nanashi asked over to Minha. She just wanted to make sure. "My lady," she added in respectfully.
Minha nodded over to her, stepping in front of the bag on the counter. "Yes, my lady," she added back respectfully. "He was half awake earlier when I was finished healing his hand. He was asking for you, which is why I called you in."
"Thank you," Nanashi breathed, not sure what else to say, but feeling like she should say more. "I don't know how I- we could ever repay you or your mate, otherwise... I... umm..." she hummed out the end of her sentence.
Minha nodded over to her. "Our fates, families, and territories are bound together. Besides, I would never let him die like a butchered hound. Ever." Her voice had a low, almost ominous tone. There was a chair over in the right corner of the tent. Minha grabbed and brought it over to Nanashi. "Sit down," she instructed. "I have a feeling that you're going to be waiting in here with him awhile.
"Thank you," Nanashi said numbly, feeling like she should say so much more.
Behind her, she heard Minha zipping up her bag, but she did not bother looking behind her. She kept herself focused on looking Hiei over, hoping he would wake up soon. She promised herself that if Yomi won against Hayate, be it in the ring or by disqualification, that she would get him, Minha, and their son out of the Demon World with her as well. It was a small price to pay for how they saved his life.