Chapter 4: Informing the Fire Koorime
After making sure that he was not needed anymore, Kurama carefully shut the door behind him and sighed. How would Hiei react to this? He had some thoughts but, none were...stable. After all this was Hiei he was thinking about.
He walked into the main room where Hiei was sitting on the couch instead of the usual windowsill. The only time Hiei ever sat down on a couch was when he was worried about Yukina if she ever got injured or Aka.
"Hiei," Kurama said gently as he sat down next to him, "Are you okay?"
"Hn, I'm fine fox," Hiei didn't sound at all fine like he promised. In fact he sounded shaky and nervous about the news Kurama was going to give.
He hated bring the carrier of bad news when he didn't know how the other was going to act. Trying to come up with the gentlest thing he said, "Hiei..."
"Let me guess," Hiei said, "Aka isn't going to make it or is she already gone?"
Kurama sighed, "She'll make it. Once I get the antidote but, the poison could only be slowed down for a week."
Hiei closed his eyes and took a relieved breath, "Do you know where to find the antidote?"
"That is the problem," Kurama said, "I have to research what it is and where it could be found."
"And how long will that take?" Hiei asked looking at him squarely in the eye.
Kurama frowned, "Even I don't have an answer for you on that one, Hiei. I can give you an estimation of five days...yet it depends on where it could be found."
Hiei thought for a moment, "Aka's plant gardens..." he said aloud still in thought. Then he looked at the fox demon, "What are the poisons?" he asked. Akamery had told him that she had any and every Makai poisonous plant in one garden on one side of her home, and their antidotes in her herbal garden on the oposite side of the she-demon's mansion.
"Dokudokushii Yuki and Mugen Ankoku," Kurama said looking at him.
Hiei scowled, "She took me through those gardens of hers, and she didn't have those poisons..." then he remembered, "but she does have books on every poison and herbal plant imaginable in both Nigenkai and Makai in her library."
"That makes searching a lot easier for me," Kurama said looking relieved, "Yet I'm sure that it's going to be a challenge getting the antidotes. Do you think you could go to her library and find the books?"
"Yes, their sorted easily so even the detective could find them. What are you going to do in the meantime?"
"Isn't it that simple?" Kurama asked Hiei wearily, "I as well must find ways to slow the poison down so if Yukina's method fails there's a second one in place."
Hiei nodded, "Alright," he said, and then flickered away to Akamery's home in order to find the books needed to save her life.