Yelling greets Kurama and Kuwubara as they climb the last few steps to the temple. Exchanging a look the two enter the large welcome area, one of the aspects of the original design Yukina had convinced the boys to leave unaltered. As the fox pulls the heavy wood doors shut the two can hear the heated voices of their companions filtering through the walls. Removing their shoes and dripping outerwear they head to the source of the argument, Kurama stopping for a towel along the way. Padding through the halls the fox futilely tries to dry his thick mane. Eventually giving up and deciding to let it air dry he places the towel across his shoulders, flipping his flame colored locks so they rest on top of the towel and are no longer soaking his navy sweater. Watching the fox struggle with his unruly hair the carrot top shakes his head, glad he'd opted to keep his own curls short and manageable. As they approach the tea room the shouts become clearer.
"I don't give a damn about what you were able to find Koenma, that girl's more trouble than she's worth!" Yuske shouts. Presently he towers over the spirit prince who has returned to his toddler form and is currently surrounded by stacks of paper and rather large books. The prince in question pinches the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a headache from the former detective's yelling.
"You saw what she did to Botan, we don't know anything about her!" The former spirit detective adds, unrelenting. At the mention of the blue haired ferry girl he pauses. Noticing she's no longer in the tea room he turns back to the princeling, furiously pointing an accusing finger at Koenma. "What did you do with Botan anyways? What happened after we left Koenma, damn it all!"
"Calm yourself Yuske. Botan is fine," Koenma answers as he shuffles through papers. "Currently she's resting; or at least she would be if you'd stop all of your yelling."
"Will she be able to join us?" Kurama inquires, entering the tea room with Kuwubara in tow. The carrot top leaves the sliding door open as he takes a seat close to the end of the table housing the detective and prince. Hiei has abandoned his usual perch to lean against the inner wall; I wonder what happened on the way back that has Hiei and Yuske on edge? The fox ruffles his hair with the towel once more before joining taking his usual seat across from Yuske.
"Yes, Yukina will fetch her as soon as the tea is ready." Koenma replies, not looking up from the text he's currently thumbing through. It's clear the princeling is preoccupied with his task and unwilling to answer any more questions for the time being. Turning away from the spirit prince Kurama decides Yuske's answers will have to do for now.
"Will Yukina also be fetching our guest?" He asks, eyes narrowing when Yuske flinches at the question. The fox rests his hands on the table, lacing his fingers together so it's nearly impossible to see how tightly he's gripping his hands. I'm tired of these games. This girl has no reason to trust us and she'll continue to remain silent until we give her a reason. I don't know why, but I haven't been able to erase last night or the clearing from my mind… "Yuske?"
"No" The detective states, refusing to look anywhere but the table. This draws Koenma's attention.
"Yuske, Hiei, where's Mae?" The spirit prince had returned to spirit world in order to try to dig up some more information while the guys had gone to retrieve the girl. So far he'd been able to recover a slight amount of information, the ogers having found some more pieces of the file tucked away, but nothing about the girl being mute or her strange energy. The fire demon's jaw tightened at the question, while Yuske reacts as though he's been outright struck.
Kurama forces himself to relax, knowing if he reacts in defense of the girl it will only make things worse since as far as his teammates are concerned she's guilty of attacking one of their own. The silence in the room thickens as the two in question refuse to answer, just as it seems the tension in the room will drown its occupants a cheery voice slices through the air. "Hi there everyone!"
"Botan!" Kuwubara exclaims, jumping up to offer the ferry girl a hug. "What happened? What did Mae do to you, are you ok?"
"Woah, woah, one question at a time big guy!" She giggles, hiding behind her kimono sleeves, "besides, Yukina might get jealous of all the attention you're giving me!"
With a Cheshire like smirk she bounds away just as the candy eyed ice maiden enters carrying a steaming tray of tea. Blushing, Kuwubara takes the tea tray from the demoness and begins serving the fragrant tea. Scents of cinnamon and allspice fill the room, relaxing the occupants and warming them from the inside out. Plopping down beside the dark haired man Botan offers him a side hug and a reassuring smile. She winks at Kurama who smiles affectionately at the blue hair girl's antics. Noticing Hiei also looks relieved Botan's mischievous grin returns. "I heard you ran to de fend my honor, Hiei, I must tell you I'm flattered."
"I did no such thing," He retorts, not moving from his position against the wall "foolish woman."
"Oh, what a relief, I'd hate for you to make such a ruckus when I'm all fine and dandy!" She returns snarkily, sticking out her tongue at the fire demon. "But really, all jokes aside, I'm perfectly fine."
"We're all very glad to hear that Botan." Kurama offers, "but what happened? Can you tell us what Mae did to you?"
"Actually, no" the ferry girl replies, a small frown creasing her features. "I haven't the foggiest. One minute I was talking to Mae, asking her if we should watch a movie; the next I'm waking up to Yukina standing over me feeling like I got wasted on cheap tequila."
"How strange," the fox comments, a frown settling on his face.
"Yes" Koenma adds, "I haven't been able to find any explanation for what might have happened. It seems that unless Mae decides to tell us what happened then we shall remain in the dark…"
"It's really not that big of a deal" Botan pushes, propping her elbows on the table "a couple of aspirin and I was good as new. Can't we just forgive and forget? I mean I've already moved on."
"Botan, this is serious." Yuske says, swirling a finger in his tea. "We don't know anything about this girl-"
"Actually that's no longer true." Koenma interrupts, slurping his tea. "The ogers were able to find some more pages of her file. As I said before, we know there was some type of energy flare when she was six, so twenty years ago now-"
"Wait!" Kuwubara exclaims, shocked he almost drops his tea. "That means she's twenty six, but she looks like she's twelve! Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought she was twelve!"
"Actually I forgot this was supposed to be Sensui's case." Botan adds, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Mae does look very young, it'd be easy to mistake her age."
"Digressing" the spirit prince interjects irritated. "Her mother died for unknown reasons when Mae was seven, her father abandons her at an orphanage when she's eight. We were able to find out that the orphanage was Catholic, so she was raised in the Catholic Church."
"Hold on, what's kah-toe-lick?" Kuwubara asked, trying to form the strange sounds of the word, he earned a snicker from Yuske for his attempt. The large man huffed, "I'd like to see you say it."
"Actually, it's pronounced Catholic" Kurama intervined. "It's a western religion, centered on Christianity I believe. Basically they believe in one all-powerful being that rules over everything, he created everything to be good but one of his…angels I believe it was, turned against him and created evil. They believe that there's a spiritual battle for human souls and that demons are inherently evil; the religion also teaches that their God sent himself in human form to Earth and then died to allow humans to enter a type of paradise when they die. Catholics think if they believe this as the truth and live a good life they will live in…heaven is it called… If not they will burn for all eternity in a place called hell."
"What?" Kuwubara stares at the fox, uncomprehending of the strange ideas as western religions aren't something heavily studied in public schools. Kurama sighed at the blank looks of his teammates, but before he could continue Botan steps in. "Think of it like this: Spirit world determines where we send your soul. So in Catholicism they believe the person they call God sends them to where their soul will reside for all eternity. They believe the Spirit world and Demon world only exist on a spiritual level, not a physical one."
"What a load of bullshit, I mean who could seriously be stupid enough to believe that?" The dark haired man guffawed, shaking his head.
"Mae does" Koenma states blandly, shooting a look at Yuske and not finding the humor in the situation. "For now we should keep it that way. Though I am curious what she'll do when she finds out Hiei and Kurama are demons… Anyways, after Mae leaves the orphanage we know very little. So until we know how much Mae knows about her spirit energy and why she fled the United States I'd like to keep her in the dark about spirit world and demon world."
"That's gonna be kinda hard to do diaper breath." Yuske comments, leaning back. "Seeing as she saw you and Botan arrive by portal as well as-"
"Detective" comes the growl from Hiei, effectively shutting up the dark haired man. The sudden silence from Yuske rings in the air, earning questioning looks from the remaining five.
"Yuske," Kurama leans across the table, effectively closing the gap between himself and the detective. "You've yet to answer my question. Where is the girl?"
"Um, well you have to understand, I mean she, but you see…" Yuske stumbled over his words unable to find the right ones for his purpose. Kuwubara growled, finally losing patience with his childhood friend and slams his tea cup down on the table "Spit it out Urameshi we don't have all day!"
"She's in the closet at the end of the hall." Yuske muttered dropping his eyes; he began to fidget uncomfortably as Botan rushed out of the room yelling curses at him. How can she defend someone who attacked her just a few hours ago? The detective broods, staring intently at his half-drunk tea. They sat in silence until an unholy shriek rips through the air. All except Yuske and Hiei sprung to their feet; the former flinched in anticipation of what was coming while the latter was carefully neutral.
"Yuske Urameshi!" The ferry girl shouts, storming into the tea room. "I expect this kind of behavior from Hiei, but you! I- I don't even know what to say to you!"
"How can you defend her?" He counters, "She attacked you Botan!"
"Yuske Urameshi! I told you I'm fine, and even if I weren't how dare you treat someone, anyone like this!" She returns her volume rising with each word until the dark haired man seems to shrink to half his towering size. The blue haired girl spun on her heel and stomped back down the hall. Yuske glares at the doorway meekly, dropping his gaze after a moment. A soft murmuring could be heard as she spoke to the girl in the closet. Kurama turns away from the door, regarding Yuske with a raised eyebrow. "Well?"
Yuske sighed and dropped his head onto the table mumbling something that sounded like "Mmmtmmmzmmmd"
"I'm sorry, what was that?" But Yuske wasn't speaking to him, instead he sat up straight and turned coldly toward the fire demon. "I TOLD YOU IT WAS A BAD IDEA YOU STUPID SMUG FREAK!"
At the insult Hiei's eyes shot open, he snarled at the detective. "I'm not the one who was unable to keep a mere girl under control."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Kuwubara said unused to having to mediate between the two, usually it was Yuske doing the mediating. "What does that mean? What happened on the way back to the temple?"
Yuske only groaned and dropped his head back onto the table. Hiei sneered at him in disgust before explaining "It seems even a small child can outwit our spirit detective…"
"Hey she threw you too!" Yuske raised his head only long enough to counter the small demon.
"She ran." Hiei paused; his scowl deepened "The idiot threw herself off a cliff trying to escape. It was a two hundred foot drop into a shallow river."
The others in the room paled at this announcement. Kurama cleared his throat delicately "I'm assuming you prevented her from hitting the bottom."
"Yes. We brought her back to the temple. Since Yuske had so much trouble with her before I placed wards."
"No," Yuske stood, his voice eerily calm. Every bit of him looked ready to attack the red eyed demon. "No, no, no. You don't get to just sit there and pretend that everything's ok; because you dumped her in a closet and you didn't just put wards on the door, you bound her hands and placed wards on her. Y-you didn't even flinch when they burned her!"
The last words of Yuske's confession hung in the suffocating silence. Hiei's eyes flash dangerously at the announcement, knowing he'll catch hell for his actions. Still, he can't help but recall Mae's reaction to the wards.
He'd arrived back at the temple with the girl thrown over his shoulder unceremoniously. Almost immediately after the fire demon had snatched her from the air Mae had begun to struggle, causing the koorime to nearly drop her. Hiei had growled at the girl to warn her he was in no mood for this, but still she continued to twist and turn in his grasp pushing against his chest until finally the fire demon had enough. He released her for a moment, allowing the girl to free fall, before swooping down and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. After entering the main hallway Hiei had deposited her on the ground, making sure to keep a firm grip on her. She had returned his glare evenly, but was unable to fight as the Jaganshi had made sure to take hold of her good wrist.
As his hand wrapped around Mae's bare wrist Hiei felt the same inexplicable rage from the clearing. Stalking through the temple the fire demon dragged the girl behind him until he stopped in front of a closet. He pulled a chord from the top shelf and bound the girl's wrists, a grim satisfaction filling the fire demon when she flinched at the pressure on her broken appendage. For a reason he could not conjure Hiei then shoved her into the closet and began pulling wards from his cloak. When Mae turned to face him the koorime slapped one onto her upper arm. A sadistic smirk playing across his face when she gasped in pain, he knew there was no logical reason to place the ward directly on the girl, placing on the door would have served its purpose; but he placed another lower on her arm. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes glazed over from the pain of the ward burning her, but she did not scream.
Kuwubara began to quiver with rage, momentarily forgetting the injustice done to the ferry girl. "You twerp! You can't just do that to somebody, especially a girl! She's just a kid- I mean- Kami- it's no wonder she's scared of us with you pulling crap like that. I mean, if it were me, I'd attack us too…"
"You raise a valid point Kuwubara. It's very possible Mae's encountered demons before and was only trying to defend herself; she has no reason to trust us." Koenma said softly his gaze never leaving the accused fire demon. Hiei shrugged and closed his eyes once more, leaning back against the window. Kurama shook his head; this was uncharacteristically cruel, even for the small koorime. Before anything else could be said there was a soft padding of footsteps as Boton and Mae entered the room. Boton gently held the girl's shoulders, steering her into the room and shooting poisonous looks toward a certain fire demon. Mae stares blankly ahead, showing no signs of acknowledging her captors. Somehow she still manages an air of regal dignity despite the once beautiful kimono nearly hanging off her, splattered with dirt and blood and her white hair hanging around her head in a tangled mess. She stands tenderly; it's obvious the action is taking a toll on the young woman, though she refuses to let it show. Mae ignores the wandering eyes of the group as they confirm the story of her current state. What Yuske had said was true; the Jaganshi had placed the wards directly onto the girl, though Botan had since removed them. Blistered and charred skin covers her arms in patches leaving sickening black and angry red marks on her porcelain skin. Her kimono is riddled with holes, each presenting a different burn. The worst is on her neck, where the skin seemed to have cooked and melted away under the ward revealing raw muscle where the skin has sloughed away.
"Oh!" Yukina gasps, tears filling her eyes. She'd been with Botan when Hiei had returned and hadn't thought to ask about the girl. The ice maiden covers her mouth with one hand, the other she wraps around herself tight as she can. Seeing Mae like this surfaces memories of the ice maiden's own captivity. Taking a shaky breath she's able to calm herself. Turning to the fire demon, tears threatening to spill over once more, she asks softly, "Hiei, how could you?"
Her accusing words ring out, shattering the stunned silence of the room. Kurama's eyes narrow dangerously at the sight, pulling the damp towel from under his hair he stands. The fox approaches the women, carefully draping the fabric over Mae's shoulders to cover the worst of the burns. Much to his surprise she doesn't flinch when he approaches her. Her sapphire eyes, which had been so full of defiance and strength before, now seem as lifeless as a doll's.
"I'm going to see what Yukina and I can do for her." Botan doesn't even ask Koenma's permission to heal the girl; her voice containing barely suppressed rage. Koenma simply nods, knowing it's useless to conceal their true nature at this point. "I just thought Hiei might like a look at his handy work first."
Hiei had been desperately trying to ignore them, but his attention kept being dragged back to the girl. Pain rolled off her in tsunami sized waves, but he couldn't smell any fear. She should be afraid of me, why isn't she afraid? The koorime stopped avoiding looking at her and turned to face Mae directly. He took in the damage the wards had caused, his eyes slowly traveling the path of each mark left. Left by him, he realized and his ruby colored eyes widened slightly as a shameful blush tinted his cheeks. Before anybody could notice it was gone, back was the uncaring stone that was Hiei; he turned back toward the window finally able to tear his gaze away from the girl. He closes his eyes to steady himself only to see the garish burns again behind his eyelids. Disgust fills the koorime, what is it about this girl that causes him to act so rashly? He knew those images would haunt his dreams that night.
As Botan turned to leave, gently directing Mae, Kurama placed a hand over top of the ferry girl's. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance also."
Boton nodded, her blue pony tail swaying slightly, and continued down the hall, her face grim. The fox followed close behind, lips pressed to a thin line. I've trusted my life to him, what's changed in such a short amount of time he wondered. Yukina trails behind them pausing at the doorway to cast one last glance to the fire demon. She sighs when he refuses to look at her, opting to continue his one sided staring contest with the window. With a small shake of her head the ice maiden turns to follow the fox and ferry girl into the kitchen to try to help.
Botan pulls a stool from the breakfast counter as they enter the modernized kitchen, casting a worried glance at Mae when she doesn't budge from the doorway where she was left. Accept no kindness; they're only trying to fool you. You remember what happened last time. If you allow them to help they'll expect something in return. Don't let them win… Mae tells herself doing her damnedest to stand tall. She doesn't react as the blue haired woman pulls her over to the stool, pleading with Mae to allow them to help. The albino refuses to react, convinced that only false kindness is offered. Becoming desperate the ferry girl turns to Kurama, her bubble gum eyes filling with angry tears. "I don't know what to do Kurama! How can we help her if she won't even look at us?"
"I can draw the heat out of them" Yukina offered. "They'll be easier to heal that way, but the damage is too extensive for me to heal completely."
Kurama nodded grimly. "Heal her neck first; it's the worst of them and the most life threatening."
The ice maiden nods at his instructions before turning back to the stranger in her kitchen. The blue haired ferry girl pushes slightly on Mae's shoulders, causing her legs to nearly collapse under the pressure. Reluctantly the young girl allows herself to perch on the edge of the stool, still unwilling to believe these people wanted to help. Yukina dropped the temperature in the room and placed her hands on the burns, slowly drawing the heat from each. Mae felt as though all the warmth had been removed from her body and she began to shiver violently, her body twitching sporadically as she fought the impulse. The demoness's attention to the wound on her neck was the worst; the cold seeped into her blood which was fed directly into her brain. The edges of Mae's vision began to blur as the unbearable cold turned her to stone. Kurama placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to steady her, careful to avoid her bare skin. He offers a reassuring smile, feeling compelled to comfort the stranger and give their actions explanation. "It's ok, we just want to help. Yukina will be finished soon and you'll feel normal after. Do you remember who I am?"
Mae nodded fighting the fog in her mind, yeah I remember. You told the book keeper that I was your twelve year old sister, bastard.
"Good" The fox smiled, not missing the halfhearted glare thrown his way, but at least her eyes were focused and he knew she wasn't going into shock anymore. "Now, we're going to have to remove the kimono to properly care for the burns, not that it's in any condition to be worn at this point anyways. I'm going to use a topical ointment to help them heal. It's usually used in conjunction with an oral dosage which I will not force you to take but, you'll heal faster."
As soon as Yukina had finished her task, perspiration gathered on her brow from the effort, she stepped back, allowing the others to take over. Botan then moved to untie the obi chord, folding each piece of clothing and placing it on the counter. Mae sat motionless as the layers were pulled away from her upper half, the process seeming to take on a ritual like quality in the soft light filtering in through the kitchen windows. When the last layer fell away, leaving Mae in only a thin white tank top and exposing the scars that littered her skin, several of which hid beneath the thin material of her top Mae suppressed a shudder. She knew these strange people were claiming to help her, and the places she'd been burned from the wards were already beginning to ache less; but she still didn't trust them. Botan and Yukina gasped at the mutilated and puckered skin, but didn't allow themselves to react further for fear of making the small girl uncomfortable. Instead they helped her to her feet so the plethora of material bunched around her waist fell to the floor in a dirty, bloody heap. Once Mae's legs were exposed the trio could see that the marks of her previous injuries continued past her torso.
Kurama's mouth formed a thin line and his eyes darkened, the only signs of his displeasure at the sight before him. Mae attempted to wrap her arms around herself; uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gazes, though she was glad for the modesty of her underwear, but the red head caught her forearms managing to avoid the fresh wounds and lowered the limbs to her sides. "I need to be able to see the extent of your injuries."
The fox plucked a seed from his hair and fed a small amount of energy to the plant, allowing a strange looking bloom to appear. A small chuckle escapes him as he sees Mae cross herself, her eyes wide in disbelief. This is even worse than I imagined. Before when they bothered to heal me my injuries were only wrapped in bandages and smeared with antiseptic. Even though they never admitted it I knew they weren't human, what do they have planned if they aren't even bothering hiding anymore? Mae swallows thickly, locking her emotions away so she won't give in to whatever tortures have been planned. The teal colored flower begins to wilt in the red head's hand. Determination etched into his feminine features, Kurama turns toward the counter and squeezes a thick sap from the blossom before the petals turn to ash in his grasp which he then deposits into a separate bowl.
"This needs to thicken before application," The fox explains, preparing bandages and placing them within reach. "I must warn you though, this won't be pleasant. The sap of the kus flower is said to sting like a thousand bees, but it will draw out any infection and prevent scarring. The remainder of the petals can be steeped into a broth that will aid in the healing if you choose to drink it; it will also act similarly to morphine in terms of a pain killer. Botan, Yukina, if you wouldn't mind finding something comfortable for her to wear after this?"
At their dismissal the women exit the kitchen, knowing they will be of no more use and most likely only are in the way at this point. Yukina casts a worried glance over her shoulder toward the kitchen; she knows that Kurama would only dismiss her in such a way if the process would most likely be gruesome to watch. She is thankful to be spared the spectacle as her heart would undoubtedly break for the young girl even with the knowledge that the sap was ultimately helping. With the pair gone the fox turns back to Mae. He walks around her, taking note of all her injuries and the most efficient way to tend to them. He pushes her hair away from her neck, noting that the previously marred area is now only slightly pink with new skin.
The fox takes a deep breath as he kneels in front of the seated girl, preparing himself for the onslaught of rage he'd experienced back in the clearing. He then lifts her feet which have since stopped bleeding, but are threatening to split at the grime caked scabs. Kurama holds his breath for a moment, but much to his surprise the intrusive impulse never comes. In its place only a slight nagging pulls at the back of his mind, Interesting. Replacing her foot gently as he can the swelling and bruising of her left wrist catches the red head's eye. He tenderly lifts her hand to inspect the damage, recalling the sickening crack that had filled the alley when Yuske dropped her. She must have landed on her wrist. It's definitely broken and will need setting.
"My apologies for asking this, but I need to cut open the back of your shirt, there's a burn that I need access to." When the albino doesn't respond Kurama grasps the material and tears it easily, revealing her back. The plane is littered with multitudes of scars from years of abuse; there is almost no clean skin left. Shocked, he runs a finger over the puckered and poorly healed areas, noting where she shies away from his touch and filing it away to ask Yukina to mend later. He checks the bowl containing the sap, agitating it to test the consistency. With a nod and a grim set of his lips the fox dips his fingers into the sticky yellow liquid which begins to sting at his fingers almost immediately and smears it across the worst of the wounds. A sharp gasp escapes Mae at the initial heat of the salve. Within seconds the uncomfortable heat has turned into the horrendous stinging she was warned about. Kurama bandages each wound as soon as he applies the sap, careful not to smear it across the healthy skin.
About half way through she collapses from the stool, her body beginning to convulse under the agony of the demon medicine. Forced to hold her arms down to properly tend to them Kurama finishes as quickly as he can before turning to her feet. The bottoms are so abused he isn't sure cleaning them would help as the dirt is currently acting as a coagulant. Making a split decision he smears the salve on her feet more thickly than the burns, and makes sure that the bottoms of her feet are completely saturated with the sap before carefully bandaging them. Mae's convulsions grow worse, her muscles spasm under the effects of the plant. The fox clears the supplies from the floor and places folded towels under her head to keep her from giving herself a concussion before turning to was the remainder of the salve from his own hands. Moments later Mae stills, the pain becoming manageable. Kurama moves to check her bandages and lean her against the lower cabinets.
"I made the broth." He states, watching the uneven rise and fall of her chest. "You will want it before I set your wrist."
Mae doesn't bother refusing as the red head leaves no room for argument. She sips the broth, her nose scrunching slightly at the bitter taste. Be grateful for it she scolds, would you rather be left to suffer silently? She grimaces internally, still questioning Kurama's intentions; but applauds herself on managing to not scream during the entire ordeal. After finishing the disgusting broth Mae sets the bowl in her lap. She notices that Kurama must have left and returned at some point as there are more bandages and fasteners now. Turning away from him she runs the fingers of her good hand over the expert wrappings. A small smile crosses her face; I look like a warrior, that or a crappy mummy…
"I can see the painkillers have taken effect. Unfortunately that means I must set your wrist and wrap it." The fox states and places his hands in the correct position. Without warning he shifts the bones into their proper setting. Mae's eyes widen as she feels the bones shift, it should be painful, but she can't find it in herself to care. It seems as though the bees that had been relentlessly stinging her have moved under her skin and are buzzing around pleasantly. Kurama wraps the appendage firmly to keep the bones from shifting and steals a glance at his patient. "Better?"
Mae's eyes slide over to him, but she doesn't answer, it's not worth the effort. A small smile graces the red heads lips at her sluggish movements, perhaps now she would be more agreeable. Just as he finished returning the bandages to their rightful place Botan and Yukina return, clothes in hand. "Is she ok?"
"Yes Botan, she should make a full recovery. She should also be easier to handle while under the influence of the kus flower's broth." Kurama replies from his position on the floor, seated next to Mae should she need anything. A relieved smile spills across both Yukina and Botan's faces.
"Oh thank goodness." Yukina whispers, moving to join them on the floor. "Botan and I weren't able to find anything that fit in her clothing, but I was able to find this yukata, which should be comfortable enough. Also we brought a warm cloth to clean her face and a hairbrush."
"How thoughtful" he commends, offering them both a smile. He glances at his watch, it feels as though this day has been entirely too long seeing as none of them slept the night before; though it is only just before lunch. "Ah, Yukina, I hate to ask but it's almost lunch and none of us have eaten…"
"Oh!" She gasps, jumping up and scurrying to the oversized refrigerator. "Of course, I can't believe I'd forgotten! I'm so sorry!"
"Please don't worry too much, I'd be happy to assist while Botan helps Mae." Kurama states kindly, rising to help her. The two demons proceed to move around each other in the space, creating a strange dance in which one never touched the other as they prepare the afternoon meal. While they cook Botan moves to slip the remains of Mae's undershirt from her shoulders, careful of the multitude of bandages littering the girl's small form. The ferry girl glances at the dirty bra glad she brought a traditional wrapping to replace it with, personally she found the binding more comfortable than contemporary bras, though they were more troublesome. She wraps Mae's chest while Kurama is occupied dicing vegetables and secures the glorified bandage with a small pin. After finishing dressing Mae Botan wipes the girl's face, cleaning the harsh makeup lines and the black smudges from the younger girl's face and brushes her hair until the strands float around her head in a white halo. Mae dozes off before the ferry girl finishes, the effects of the broth taking their toll on her small form.
"Do you think I should braid it?" Botan asks, placing the brush on the ground. Yukina looks over to see her guest asleep in the ferry girl's lap. A small smile illuminates the ice maiden's features at the sight as she nudges Kurama so he will look over to the adorable pair on the floor. Kurama also smiles at the sight, noting how Mae appears even younger when asleep.
"If you braid her hair it will help keep it from tangling again." Yukina states, turning down the heat on a vegetable dish as it nears completion. "It will also keep her hair from hanging in her face and make it easier to manage."
Nodding in agreement Botan braids the silken strands while Kurama prepares another dose of kus flower broth. Finished, the ferry girl rests Mae's head on the stack of towels before rising to help Yukina finish lunch and set the extensive dining room table.
"Lunch is ready!" Botan announces cheerily, popping into the tea room for her announcement. The air in the room is thick with tension. Koenma, Yuske, and Kuwubara are pouring over a multitude of texts; the room more full of the dusty tomes and stacks of yellowed paper than when she'd left only an hour ago. She quirks an eyebrow when she doesn't see Hiei, but says nothing.
"Lunch?" Yuske asks, looking up from an especially thick text he's been studying. Dust is smudged across his face and his hair is in disarray from running his hands through it. His voice catches the attention of the other two who look equally exhausted by their work.
"Yup, lunch. In the dining room, but you should clean up first." She laughs, "all of you."
Without another word she saunters from the tea room to finish moving the food to the large dining area adjoining the kitchen. As she and Yukina place the last of the serving dishes on the table Koenma enters, once again in his teenage form, presumably to appear more authoritative to Mae. He is followed by Kuwubara with Yuske trailing behind, practically dragging a very unhappy fire demon with him. "Damnit Hiei, just cooperate. Stop being an asshole for two seconds and-"
"What did you just call me?" The fire demon growls, yanking his arm from the former detective's grasp.
"An asshole," Yuske replies, turning to face the difficult demon. "You need to pull your head out your ass, wipe the shit outta your eyes, take a breath of fresh air and calm the fuck down."
At this point Hiei is furious, but he knows starting a fight at this point will only alienate him further, so he says nothing only moving to take is usual seat by the window. The others move tensely to their respective seats. No one really looks at each other, and no one moves to serve the food until Botan breaks the tension. "Yukina and Kurama just made this fabulous meal and all you dolts can do is stare at it, no offense Koenma sir, but seriously!"
"Speaking of Kurama, where is he?" Kuwubara inquires, moving to help himself to the meal.
"He's trying to coax Mae to drink another dose of painkillers, something about staying on top of the pain." Botan responds, filling plates for both her and the ice maiden next to her. "Though she's much more agreeable on them, she even fell asleep while I was brushing her hair!"
"I should hope so." The fox says, entering the room carrying Mae bridal style. She seems frail in the strong arms of the red head, the carefully tied yukata arranged so it won't fall open and reveal her bare legs. Her head rests on his shoulder, his wild mane falling around her so it appears as if the two colors mix. "The broth is the demon equivalent to morphine so she is out of pain, but also unable to attempt another escape."
"Is it really that strong?" Yukina asks, glancing at the girl.
"Ah, well I've forbid her from walking for the next few days. I changed the bandages on her feet after waking her and the salve has already pushed out a large amount of dirt and infection, but I was also able to better see the state of the soles." He moves to sit, placing Mae in the seat next to him. She slumps slightly, as if unable to support her own weight under the influence of the drug. "They're worse than I originally imagined. Many of the gashes are deep and ragged, meaning if she puts weight on her feet they will most likely reopen."
"Is she coherent at all?" Yuske asks, "She's no use like that if she can't even talk."
"Yuske!" Kuwubara exclaims, "She couldn't talk before. She just waved her hands around to make words or something."
"Sign language." Kurama interjects, but is cut off by the former detective before he can say more. "Well I didn't just spend the last hour reading books older than fucking Koenma just to have her be even more useless than before!"
"Would she be of more use in agony?" Botan spit at the dark haired man. "I've seen that plant used before, it puts the patient in convulsions it's so harsh on the body!"
"I think you're forgetting that you're the one who was originally attacked!" Kuwubara argues, joining the heated discussion. "Why do you even care what happens to her?"
"Kazuma," Yukina scolds softly. "She doesn't know us, how can you expect her to allow us to simply step in and take over? She doesn't trust us, nor have we done anything to earn that trust."
"Trust? You wanna talk about trust Yukina?" Yuske turns, the ice maiden now in the direct path of his anger. "You say she can't trust us, well we can't trust her! The way demons react when they touch her? How can you say that's anything other than an attack?"
"Is that how you justify my actions detective?" Hiei says lowly. His entrance into the conversation takes the others by surprise. "If so that's an ineffective attack, as she is in no way able to control or over power me, or any other demon for that matter. I'll admit that I was influenced by whatever took place, but that makes me no less responsible. I still could have walked away."
"Hiei…" Kurama looks after the fire demon as he leaves the room, his food untouched. He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, knowing this is the closest to an admission of guilt Hiei will ever come. A movement in the corner of his eye catches the fox's attention, he turns to find Mae, legs drawn up to her chest hugging her knees. The others follow his gaze. They'd forgotten Mae was present as she hadn't uttered a sound since entering the room. Only Koenma seemed aware of her presence throughout the argument, as his honey gaze studied her reactions intently.
"It would be foolish to allow this matter to divide us until we know more." The fox states, pulling his hair into a pony tail, "after tonight I will lower her dosage so she is more coherent. It won't be a problem."
"I see." The spirit prince states, glancing at the girl in question, "well, we have much to discuss."
