AbhorsenSabriel87: Damn cliffies! --starts cursing up a storm in Japanese--
Hiei: --looks at her funny, then looks back at readers and shrugs--
AS87: I am so fucking sick of having to write stupid little cliffhangers so that my damn audience will want to read more! I mean, why do we need suspense in a damn story? What is the appeal? As long as we transition smoothly from one part to another, does it really matter how we do it? Think here people!
Hiei: ……
AS87: God damnit people! How much of this crap do you need? I don't need your fuckin' advice on what to do next, and I certainly don't care. I have this whole damn story planned out exactly how I want it, and nothing is going to change that. So lay off!
Hiei: --stares over at AS87-- What the Hells got into you?
AS87: … Crap. --pulls off mask to reveal that she is in fact Your Lord and Master, Foamy the Neurotic Squirrel-- Um, bye! --darts off--
Hiei: …I need to get better writers.
AS87: --comes out of closet with a giant rubber mallet-- I'm gonna kill fucking squirrel! --runs off after him--
Hiei: --sighs-- AbhorsenSabriel87 does not own Neurotically Yours or Yu Yu Hakusho. Now, onto the fic as soon as she returns………………………
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…………………………… Where the Hells- --hears explosion and mass amounts of painful yelps-- …Never mind.
AS87: --comes back-- Reviewer responses. Now.
Hiei: --hands list over immediately--
AS87: Thank you. Ahem…
KyoHana – Why thank you. You are one of my most articulate reviewers yet. I thank you very much for the support. --bows--
KayHiei – I'm doing so now, fellow Hiei fan!
Trenity170 – Of course you know what happens, you fruit and nut cake. I've told you already. Now, fetch! --sics her pygmy's after Trenity while cackling evilly--
Hiei: --sweatdrops--
Tsume-Hiei luver – Yes to both questions; Yukina will appear randomly sometime during this fic, and the temple is that place on the side of your head that has no bone behind it. It is located near your ear and really hurts if you press too hard on it.
Hiei: …Or get shot in it.
Sabriel: I get it already! You're pissed! I understand! GET THE HELL OVER IT!
The Takaeda Girls – As Foamy so wonderfully put it, I hate doing cliffies. But thanks for the review and the support girls! --happy dance--
Hiei: --sighs and looks up as if praying some god to strike him dead so that he doesn't have to listen to this anymore--
killerangel666 – I'm finally updating now. Have fun.
Sabriel: That's all of them, so here's the damn fic.
Hiei: --scoots away--
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---"Everybody move!" Kurama turned to see what Hiei was yelling about when he felt his body being shoved away from the windows and further towards the door. When he heard the gunshot and felt Hiei's hands leave his shoulders, he finished turning and saw the look of shock and fear on his best friend's young face before he flew to the other side of the room and landed on the floor hard. "Hiei!" the three boys shouted at the same time, the two ningens looking out the window for the source of the attacks as Kurama ran to his fallen comrade. Relieved that he was still breathing, he picked up Hiei's shoulders carefully and looked into his friend's frightened eyes, his own heart racing. Fear; and emotion never known to shine on Hiei's face, ever, but now it shined in his ruby toned eyes almost brighter than his pain.
---"We're going to get you out of here," Kurama consoled to him, picking him up carefully but swiftly. "You're going to be fine; we just need to get you to the Spirit World." A slight smile came from the little demon in his arms as well as a quiet laugh. "You're such a pathetic liar Kurama," he whispered, barely audible over the shots now being fired and Yusuke and Kuwabara's warnings that they needed to leave. "I'm going to die and you know it. I just say it's about… bloody… time…" Hiei's eyes fluttered closed as his sentence drifted off, his ki energy dropping to an almost deathly level.
---"Hiei!" Kurama shouted again, tears in his eyes that refused to fall. Enraged and afraid, Kurama rushed out of the room and down the stairs, only to find them blocked by a fallen part of the stairs. Now completely hopeless, he looked for any way out at all, finally settling his eyes and thoughts on a window that looked out to a building across the street. Making up his mind faster than ever, he darted at the window and jumped through it, smashing the glass as he leapt over the astonished crowd below.
---Surprisingly, the kitsune managed to make his jump, landing in the building across the street. Feet aching from the impact, he ran as fast as his long legs would carry him out of the building and through the streets. With the desperation of a criminal and the stealth of a thief, he ran until he reached the forested park, the only place he could ever feel safe with his mortally wounded friend. Slowing to a walk, he stopped under a tree, panting hard and clutching his comrade to assure him that the fire Koorime was going nowhere. Fortunately, Hiei was still alive, if barely. The blood had stopped flowing as quickly, so it seemed that his demonic healing had finally started to kick in. But his skin had gotten noticeable paler, and his breathing slowed down considerably. Stay alive, Hiei, Kurama thought desperately. Please. We need you here.
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---"Kurama!" Yusuke called, walking through the woods. Kuwabara and he had tracked Kurama this far, the only place in Chicago he would feel remotely safe. "Getting anything Kazuma?" he asked the boy behind him.
---"Nuthin'," he replied, looking around. "Wait! There, towards the lake! That's him, definitely." Yusuke nodded and stopped walking to face that way. "Let's hurry up then!" he shouted. The two ran as fast as they could with their various ailments in the direction Kuwabara had indicated.
---Please stay with me Hiei, Kurama thought desperately, feeding his ki energy into his fatally wounded friend. She'll be here soon, just hold on for a little bit longer. His head knew that Hiei probably would not survive the injury, as he had already lost a lot of blood and energy just trying to stay alive. "Just hold on, okay?" he whispered, holding the fire Koorime close to his chest as if letting him go in the slightest would kill him. "Botan will be here soon, just… just stay with me, okay?" His entire body was shaking as if cold, his heartbeat like he'd run from Marathon to Rome in four minutes, and he felt as if at any moment someone would come out and attack them while Hiei was defenseless. This is no time to be paranoid! he scolded himself, looking around with his fox ears at perfect attention on his head. Just stay cool for a bit and- Suddenly, he sensed two powerful human auras coming his way. Panicking, he placed Hiei in the cradle of the tree roots gently and withdrew the sword at his friend's waist for protection, as a sword would be more useful in the forest… even if he didn't know entirely how to use it. Sensing the perfect moment, he stepped out in a flash of silver hair and slashed neck height at the ningens.
---"Whoa! Jeez Kurama, it's us!" Yusuke shouted, jumping backwards and hitting Kuwabara in the chest accidently. The kitsune looked back and forth between the humans for a moment, then straightened up again, apparently convinced. Yusuke let out his breath and looked over his ally for a moment. Kurama was about to speak when a flash of blue-white light appeared behind him and Botan called out, "Hurry! We don't have much time!" In an instant, Kurama dropped the sword and picked up Hiei in his arms again, dashing through the portal. "Come on!" Botan called over to the other two, turning and darting back in herself. Kazuma snatched Hiei's katana up from the ground and ran after Yusuke as he entered the portal.
---Kurama ran through the halls of the Underworld Palace, only instinct and Botan's half-shouted directions guiding him towards the infirmiry. "Hurry, it's this way," she called, flying her fastest to keep up with him. "Stop!" Kurama skidded to a halt and looked around. This area did look like a hospital waiting room; a two-way window held the barrier between the room Kurama was in and what appeared to be an O.R. Two demonic doctors came over with half a dozen nurses of the same genetics and a cart. Kurama stepped back away from them, his gold eyes flashing menacingly. "Give him to them Kurama," Botan said urgently. "If you don't, he will die." The kitsune glanced over at her with a questioning and fearful look on his face before hesitantly handing over his dying companion to the doctors. The groups immediately sprang into action and wheeled him into the other room on the cart. Impatient and anxious, Kurama stood in front of the window, watching as the doctors started machines and began trying to save his best friend's life.
---Yusuke and Kuwabara ran in a few moments later, their breath slightly heavy from having to run after Kurama so far. "Wh-where's Hiei?" Yusuke asked, trying to catch his breath.
---"In there," Botan replied, motioning towards the window. Kurama's tail flicked anxiously as she continued, "They're doing what they can right now until a Spirit Healer can get here. Right now, we just have to hope she gets here soon."
---"Who, Genkai?" Kuwabara asked, leaning against the wall and holding his left arm. Botan shook her head. "We couldn't find her," she answered solemnly. "And I don't know this new person very well because I haven't seen her in over five years." The door to the operation room swung open and a nurse dashed out, brining with her the hurried and urgent voices within. "Where's that damn Healer?" one voice said bitterly, another shouting, "Where's that blood we need damnit? Hurry up and fetch it!" As the door swung closed, the two ningens turned their eyes back to their fox demon partner. He stood ridgedly, as if ready to jump in at any time to help, his gold eyes narrowed and his silver tail flicking at erratic intervals.
---The door swung open again, this time revealing a woman with white hair and pale skin. "I'm here," she said icily as the door started to swing closed. "What have we got?"
---Then, the door closed and the rest of the conversation was cut off as the woman stood by Hiei's head and placed her hands (which had now started to glow with energy) at his temples. Now only time could tell whether or not he would survive.
---"I need some answers here," the new doctor said angrily, healing Hiei's head wounds by focusing massive amounts of human energy into them. "What happened to him?"
---"Apparently they ran into trouble with human authorities while dealing with a small demonic army and he was shot by a sniper," the demon doctor replied, continuing his work on Hiei's abdomine without looking up. "He's also got plenty of injuries from the initial fight, so it'll be plenty diff-" He stopped as the demon opened his eyes again, the garnet orbs slightly glazed over as they looked directly up at the teenage human doctor. He blinked slowly and turned his eyes to the window, catching Kurama's gaze in a second. "Kur…ama…" he whispered, only loud enough for the human to hear before the glint left his eyes and a long steady tone filled the room.
---His heart had stopped.
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AS87: I know, it's shorter than usual, but I wanted to stop in a spot that would leave you hanging. --bashes Foamy over head again--
Hiei: o.O You think he's dead enough?
AS87: Eh. Maybe. Are you?
Foamy: Squirrely wrath on you! ...After I heal…
AS87: Heh, that's not gonna be for a while you little rat.
Hiei: --sighs-- Review please. I would like to live to see the end of this.
Foamy: GET AWAY! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! --blood-curdling scream--