Well here it is, as I promised, my next chapter. Sorry it took so long to update but I didn't realize how long it would take to get twenty reviews so I've given up on that idea. Most of the main plot is now written in my notebook and I now know what's wrong with Kurama, all I need to do is figure out how they're going to get out of the mess I put them in. Well happy readings.
Chapter Seven
Spirit World, Koenma's office
Koenma, Yusuke, Hiei and Botan watched in amazement. The fox they had all grown to know and love was actually transforming into a fox. Kurama's hair turned silver, he body shifted, he bones lengthening and his ears moving to the top of his head. Hiei, of course, was the first to recover.
"Yô-ko" he acknowledged. The fox opened his eyes, sharp, calculating golden orbs.
And instantly flinched and squeezed said eyes closed to even the almost nonexistent light in Koenma's office. His head felt as if it had split in half, he groaned and curled into a ball, shifting himself under the blanket covering his thin frame. Agony coursed through his arm and shoulder for this action the second he moved.
A high, ear peircing whine left his mouth, not expecting the sheer level of pain that radiated throughout his body. His battle wounds seared his skin, his migraine destroyed his thought process, his stomach revolted despite the lack of food it contained and his fever made him feel as though he'd been thrown into an oven but left him freezing.
Yô-ko felt as though someone had just run over his head, shot his arm and threw him into a vat of boiling acid. How did Shuichi go through all this for so long without complaint? Even the fever would have put most humans into a state of comatose.
Soon enough, Yô-ko's whine died down to a low, constant whimper. That too also faded after a time and the four others in the room watched worriedly through the process until the spirit fox stilled and quieted.
Botan was the first to recover this time, gently setting a cold, wet towel on the kitsune's forehead.
"Oh Kurama." she sighed, trying to forget the fox's cries of misery. She felt the water on her cheeks but it didn't register as tears until Koenma handed the ferry girl a tissue. She turned to say her thanks but all that came out was a started gasp. Koenma and Yusuke were standing next to one another, that was normal, but their proximity was surprising as well as their connected hands were unusually. But the greatest shock wasn't either of these.
They were kissing.
Botan fainted, caught by Hiei.
Botan woke slowly, the voices around her muffled at first but soon enough words were beginning to make sense to her.
"Wow Hiei." Yusuke mocked, "I would have thought that you would have let her crash to the ground for sure."
"Hn." Hiei grunted, "She's the only one who can help that fool fox."
"I can't believe she fainted at all." Koenma muttered sullenly. Yusuke patted his back for comfort, "It's not like she's never seen two people kissing before."
"She's awake." Hiei announced.
Botan sighed to herself, knowing she wouldn't get anymore chance to sleep and sat up. She was surprised to find herself on the couch Kurama was on. She blushed, then wondered how she fit on there with Yô-ko at all.
He answer came the moment she looked toward where Yô-ko had been before. He was no longer in his humanoid form, he had reverted to his purest form, a silver fox with multiple tails.
"Is he getting any better?" Botan asked hopefully.
"Shortly after you fainted he changed forms, you could see that he was in agony. He hasn't moved from that position since." Koenma answered, looking at her pointedly when he mentioned the ferry girl's fainting spell.
"Oh," Botan said simply, unconsciously putting her hand on the fox, stroking his fur. Yô-ko shifted his body to cuddle up to her cooler skin, his own temperature far above the healthy level.
"Can't you do anything to help him." Yusuke asked.
"I tried, Yusuke. His body is refusing my healing energy." Botan said helplessly. "Kurama's condition is unlike anything I've ever seen. Maybe if we could wake him up and get him into a form that could talk, assuming he had the strength to, and he told us his symptoms we could have a chance of figuring out what's wrong with him."
For all of two seconds they thought in silence before Botan jerked her hand away from the silver fur.
"He's slipping, he's dying." she whispered.
"Kurama! Hey buddy, come on, wake up!" Yusuke shook the fox until Hiei pushed him away and Koenma put a restraining hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.
"Yusuke, don't. You're just making him worse." Koenma warned, "Let's look at this from a calm, organized point of view."
"Now you're starting to sound like Kurama, Koenma, sir." Botan sniffed, trying to choke back a sob and a flood of tears.
"Don't cry, Botan, he's not dead yet." Koenma snorted, "With all that Kurama's been through I doubt that he's going to let himself be done in by some mysterious illness. So what do we know?"
"Kurama's been sick since Monday." Yusuke offered.
"Thank you, Yusuke." Botan said dryly.
"Would you two concentrate?" Koenma asked exasperatedly, "What are his symptoms, that we know of?"
"Sorry sir." Botan immediately looked back over to Kurama's shivering, shuddering, shaking form. "Well he seems cold but his fever's up so high that it doesn't seem possible."
"I can't feel his energy either. And as we saw earlier light hurts his eyes and loud noises pain him." Yusuke thought for a second, "Probably a huge headache."
"Okay," Koenma breathed deeply, "Let's take this one step at a time. His headache, we can't do much about that, right Botan?"
"I could numb it a bit but it wouldn't last long." she answered.
"No, what else? He's cold right?" Koenma turned to Hiei, "Can you warm him up? Maybe give him some of your demon energy?"
"Pardon me?" Hiei snorted, "Why would I forfeit my energy to that foolish kitsune?"
"Well, you're the only full demon here, plus you're strong enough that giving away some won't affect you too much." Yusuke smirked evilly, "I know you want to do whatever you can to save him too."
"Hn." Hiei grunted, neither agreeing nor denying, "The fox is the only good conversation I get. If he dies, I am stuck with you and that fool."
At that point Kurama finally moved in Botan's arms. He whimpered, struggling to his feet, and forced himself to change forms once again. revealing his lack of tails and human ears out of the cloud of smoke and white lightning.
Vain fox. Hiei couldn't help thinking, though the overall quickness and thin fog made him worry. Kurama shouldn't have even been moving let alone expending the energy necessary to transform.
"I (cough) want to (cough,cough) go home." Kurama pushed out his words between fits, unable to stop his shaking body as it fell in the end.
"Kurama!" Botan caught his fall , letting the sick kitsune rest on her much cooler skin.
"Please (cough) Hiei." Kurama opened his green eyes, begging the fire demon, "Take me home, my (cough, cough) mother will (cough) worry." Kurama's eyes closed again, relaxing as he fell asleep. Koenma watched helplessly as Hiei took the motionless boy in his embrace, hardly noticing as Kurama reformed into his smallest form.
"Hiei? Are you sure you should be taking him anywhere?" the toddler asked, concern washing through his voice. Yusuke stopped his interference, putting his hand on his shoulder and pulling him into a tight hug. forcing his gaze from the departing demons.
"Let them go." Yusuke whispered in his ear, "Hiei will take care of him."
"But Yusuke. We still don't know what's wrong with him." Koenma protested.
"No, but we can still ask Yukina to help." Yusuke suggested.
"Bingo!" Botan exclaimed, "Yusuke, you can really be smart once you get through you tough-guy crap act."
"Thanks," he muttered sarcastically.
"Go get Yukina to Kurama" Koenma ordered, "Yusuke and I...have some things we have to...discuss."
And seeing the almost feral desire between them, Botan snapped to attention, "Yes sir, Koenma sir."
So there you have it, Yukina will be in it and, as you've undoubtedly noticed, Yusuke and Koenma are now together. If anyone can guess what's wrong with Kurama feel free although I'm sure no one will get it until later and if anyone actually gets it right then....cookies and hugs for them.
Please review. Flames accepted, comments, constructive critisms and ideas preferred.
