Chapter 9: Heart of Light
Hiei rushed over to the temple and got inside when he noticed a change of aura. Everyone inside were tensed, nervous, scared, even some were trying not to show sadness.
Kurama must have told them the dire truth; there was no doubt about that one. Hiei frowned. There had to be a reason to why he did so.
Kurama entered the hallway and Yukina was going in to check on Akamery. He noticed Hiei and also noticed the book he was carrying. Walking over he bit his lip, "Mugen Ankoku seems to be taking effect faster then what we thought," he told him, "She's been tossing and turning like she's in a living nightmare."
Hiei shoved the book at him and went into her room, he didn't care anymore. He had to see her. He wanted to see her. He knew that he couldn't stand around and do nothing. Yes he got the book that may save her life; yes he did care about her. But, he wasn't going to go back to the main room like a good little boy and wait for news to reach him. He wanted to find out first and actually be there with her. It was at least the only way to repay her for what sacrifices she did for him.
Kurama tenderly sighed as he walked into his room. When he passed Akamery's room he could hear her screaming, but since Hiei was in there, he knew that the screams weren't going to reach the main room.
Once he got into his room he opened the book. In her neat cursive handwriting, she had written who it belonged to and what shelf number it was on and what category it was placed under.
Akamery was a sticker for being neat. She couldn't stand it when the temple was a mess so why should she stand having her mansion in a mess? He chuckled darkly to himself. He was going to do all that he could.
Flipping to the index he looked to see where the Dokudokushii Yuki was located as well as the Mugen Ankoku was as well. If they were related and in the same book like the title suggested witch wasn't much but, the name, then they must have the same cure.
Common logic it was.
Kurama finally ran his finger down the page and tapped it twice, Dokudokushii Yuki was on page 80 and the Mugen Ankoku was on page 90. That was good. Ten pages apart.
Flipping to the page, he read about it. It came from the Forest of Fools, it was lethal. It paralyzed the victim so that the poison could work at its fastest. The poison also made sure that it brought the pain of the past. If you were shot, you could feel it. If you were cut, you would feel it. Stabbed all the way to being poisoned from a different poison.
Yet, it was lethal because of two things. It burned the blood in a way to make it stop flowing and it destroyed what the body needed. Blood cells, white cells, even tissue form the muscle. No one could live for very long when the blood was at the worse taint.
Mugen Ankoku was the worse. It was only lethal because of the dreams it gave to its holder. Once you got it in your bloodstream the memories become altered and fear begins to take over. If you remember meeting someone for the first time, you remember them killed when they were alive. The worse thing was that if there was a lover involved it leads the person to go insane.
Kurama bit his lip, these poisons weren't to be taken lightly but, he didn't know that slowing it down only brought it to its full strength. The more it slowed the more damage it does.
He quickly scanned the page for an antidote and groaned. Neither had one. Until he read the italics on the Mugen Ankoku.
When both poisons are together the only antidote there is would be Pectus Luminarium (1), found in the Mountains of Fire.
Mountains of Fire. That was were the Helder Ontslaan tribe was. This antidote was a sacred flower among them. The only way they were /ever/ going to give it up was if someone that belongs in their tribe or even part of their tribe or element asked for it.
There had to be a price.
The only way to give it up was to offer them that was of higher value of the flower. To them, that was impossible since the flower was the only herb that grew in the mountains.
Time was running out, and they had no way to stop it. It was now or never. Hiei was going to have to bargain with them. Kurama knew they would slaughter everyone else, but if Hiei went.
He was sure they would listen to his reasoning and hoped that they were going to get it.
They were going to make it. They were.
'Just keep holding on for us, Aka. I promise everything is going to be alright.'
1: Latin for: Heart of Light (get the chapter title?)