Chapter 5: Finding the Cure

Hiei bit his lip as the door shut behind him. The room was dark and it felt cold since Akamery wasn't there. It was always a little bit warmer when she was around. He nearly found himself thinking that this was a dream, that the real Aka was in bed sleeping or was off somewhere in her gardens. Not lying on a bed, thinking of death and if she should fall or hang.

He glared, why did his feelings have to be with her? He knew why. She was tough, strong, wasn't afraid to speak her mind, never fearless and never feared death itself.

She was amazing in all other words.

Climbing up the staircase, he felt as if he was on death row, that once that door opened he was sentenced. Sentenced to at least a poison death or maybe just drowning.

If he would die he rather die in a fight, not with his hands tied behind his back. Is that how Akamery was fighting the poison? Did she really want to come back to him at all? Didn't she even care about what was going on?

As he walked down the hallway he focused his mind. He was looking for books that told about the poisons and the cures to help Kurama find them a lot quicker and so she wouldn't die.

Such a strange thought: wouldn't die. How could he even think that? He knew that she wouldn't die without a reason not to live. If there was a reason, he just hoped that it wasn't because of him that she was dying.

Going to the right, he opened the double doors and walked swiftly in. The books were lined up in categories and the author's first name on each shelf. He was looking for herbs and poisons. That should be easy to find.

…

Each shelf was marked with the category so when she cleaned the shelves and the books she knew what shelf to put them back on instead of mixing them up to confuse someone that she cared about with her books.

Thank god she was organized.

Hiei went to the third to the last shelf on the right; it clearly said on a plaque that it was all about Plant Healing and Poisoning. Knowing her the herbs would be right on top and the poisons would be on the bottom shelves. She once told him that even though each book held many sorts of poisons the dangerous poisons were going to be further down the shelf.

As he walked he noticed that one of them said in clear words on the spine : Dokudokushii Yuki: This must be about what other poisons were related to it and why it was so lethal. Picking it up he lightly flipped to the index of the book and noticed that it also said the antidotes. This book might just have killed two birds with one stone.

Kurama was going to be pleased.

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Meanwhile, Kurama and Yukina were taking turns in watching over her. She was moaning and her breathing was coming out and in short gasps. Occasionally she let out a groan of pain and sometimes took in a sharp inhale.

It worried Kurama dearly. This slowing down method was causing her more pain then it was healing. Then again, it was only slowing down. Maybe it turned more lethal when slowed.

He prayed that wasn't the case.

Yukina walked out to start making lunch for everyone and to keep them form finding out about Aka. They didn't need any questions at the moment and Jin would be hurt worse then anyone besides Hiei.

Akamery was his sparring partner and a friend. They were close enough to be siblings they were that close. It was pretty tight relationship and since Jin was sensitive to energies he would feel as if he should have felt it first before anyone and blame himself.

Kurama didn't want to place a burden like that on the Wind Master.

Touya and Yukina on the other hand were going to be affected since it was Akamery's doing that they were together. She'd actually done a good job of bringing the two ice demons together. It was impressive how much they cared for each other and how fast they knew if one was hurting.

Akamery always said that it was a match made in heaven and that she was only trying to push them to see their feelings for the other. Even though she didn't know it, she'd done more then that. She got them connected and they always used her as an advice type of person or to ask about the other instead of talking. She knew how to break the silence since with Hiei, it was a challenge.

Damn it, Kurama only wanted her to be okay, that was all. Now he was feeling as if he was causing her more pain then healing her. It was making him feel as if he could do something more then find an antidote, but to actually stop the poison without it.

It was impossible he knew, but he couldn't just keep doing it. He couldn't! He wanted to see her okay. He wanted to see her smile. He wanted to see Hiei and her together. It was only right. 'My suffering is connected to your suffering. I just hope that you're not in much pain as me.'