AN: chapter 2 finally done and posted. sorry about the delay, but there's little i can do about it.
as always, massive thanks go to my beloved beta reader, who by the way aced her exams. congrats!
"Master Genkai, Kurama. There's something wrong. Seriously wrong"
There was a brief pause before Genkai sprang into action, barking out orders to everyone.
"Yusuke, go tell Yukina to prepare a room for these two, and help her while you're at it." Yusuke nodded and took off as soon as Hiei let him. "Hiei, find out what happened from these other two lunkheads." Hiei inclined his head, only slightly annoyed at being ordered around. Genkai turned to Chuu and Suzuka. "You two, Kurama, follow me." She turned and walked in the direction Yusuke had taken, fully expecting the three to follow her obediently, which of course, they did, not wanting to risk her wrath.
Hiei turned to Rinku and Shishiwakamaru. "Talk," was all he had to say.
They glanced at each other before Rinku spoke. "Well, it kind of happened like this."
Back in the temple, Yukina and Yusuke had managed to get two futons ready for Touya and Jin. Genkai knelt by Jin's side, while Yukina knelt by Touya's, ready to act. Genkai put her hand on the wind master's chest and manipulated her energy to match his, allowing for easier healing. Or so she thought.
As soon as the healing energy encountered Jin's body, it was reflected. Jin screamed and his back came off the futon before he began thrashing around, clearly trying to get away from Genkai. Yusuke leapt forward and grabbed Jin, holding him down to prevent him from injuring himself.
"Damn it, Grandma, what the hell is going on? Why can't you heal him?" Worry for his friend was evident in his voice and gaze, and no one could really blame him. Yusuke and Jin had become almost like brothers they were so alike.
Genkai snatched her hand away from the demon the instant that she felt her energy being repelled to minimize the damage, only to find that she'd been burned. "Yes, well, it appears that there's something preventing me from doing so, you little ingrate." She turned to Yukina. "Would you like to make an attempt at healing Touya? Being an ice demon like him, you should have an easier time getting him to accept the healing."
Yukina nodded and leaned down to begin the healing, only to be stopped by the most unlikely of people.
The door suddenly slammed open as Hiei practically blasted his way through it. "Yukina, Kurama, get away from them now!" When they failed to obey him immediately, he stalked over and grabbed both of them, dragging them with him back outside the room while completely ignoring their protests.
For a moment, everyone else just stared in blank puzzlement before someone cleared their throat.
"Ahem. So," Suzuka tilted his head after the three demons. "You think the little one had a good reason for doing that?"
Yusuke scoffed, instantly ready to defend his friend and old teammate. "Oh please, Hiei always has a reason for everything. Just 'cause you don't get it doesn't mean anything."
Genkai leaned over and clocked him over the head. "Like you understand either, moron." Yusuke just pouted and glared at her, unable to argue that point and get away without more pain. Genkai nodded in satisfaction, before returning to the subject at hand. "As for Hiei, he must have figured something out. Although," She turned her head to look in the direction the fire demon had fled. "Why he just took Yukina and Kurama is a mystery. What I want to know is what he figured out."
Hiei refused to release Kurama and Yukina until he judged them to be a safe distance from the temple. It wasn't until Kurama threatened to use his fire-proof vines again that Hiei released them.
Yukina rubbed her wrist, causing a twinge of guilt to run through the fire demon's mind. Mentally shaking his head, he knew that she'd thank him once she found out the truth.
Kurama, on the other hand, wasn't being so understanding. He'd risen to his full height, fairly towering above Hiei, and the glare on his face was a good indication that he was close to losing his temper, an act that was almost impossible.
"Hiei, you better have a good reason for dragging the two of us out here. And I mean a damn good one. Those are my friends and students back there." He finally gave into his anger and grabbed Hiei by the front of his cloak, lifting the smaller demon off the ground until they were nose to nose.
Yukina just watched, hoping that Kurama wouldn't attack Hiei. She knew that Hiei didn't do things without a good reason, so she trusted that the fire demon had acted in their best interest.
Hiei met Kurama's gaze evenly, refusing to show throat to the fox demon holding him. Judging from the fact that Kurama's eyes were beginning to bleed from green to gold, if Hiei showed the slightest sign of weakness then Kurama would most definitely overwhelm him. Hiei had to play it carefully if he wanted to explain what was going on before Kurama decided to put him down. He knew that Kurama wouldn't kill him, but there were some things that Kurama could do that Hiei had absolutely no desire to experience.
"I found out what happened."
Kurama's eyes widened briefly, before narrowing. He slowly lowered Hiei to the ground, but didn't release his cloak. "So talk already." He growled. "Tell me before I beat it out of you."
Hiei raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do you have any idea how much you sound like Yusuke right now?" He knew he was pushing his luck, but even in this situation he couldn't resist. He barely had time to hear Kurama's answering snarl before he was punched in the face, the force sending him skidding along the ground into a tree.
Yukina gasped and raced over to him, kneeling by his side. She turned to face Kurama, her powers already at work on the bruise on Hiei's cheek. "Kurama, please calm down! We won't get anywhere by fighting like this!"
Kurama blinked before closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Only when he felt he was in complete control did he reopen his eyes. They were once again a clear emerald, although they were still narrowed.
His voice also retained the signature chill that Youko was famous for. "Speak Hiei. Tell me… tell us what you know."
Hiei was silent for a moment before he stood up. Yukina went to stand up with him, but he signaled her to remain where she was. What he was about to unveil would only make her collapse again anyways. Looking up, he met Kurama's gaze once again.
"When I spoke to Shishi and Rinku, they told me of the strange phenomenon sweeping across Makai. It seems that demons of every power level are collapsing everywhere."
Kurama's eyes grew narrower, while Yukina's widened. "But only Jin and Touya appeared to be affected. The others seemed fine." Yukina said. "Why would only the elementals-" she gasped suddenly, cutting herself off, realizing in an instant why Hiei had acted the way he did when he'd forced them from the sickroom. Judging from Kurama's own expression, he'd figured it out as well.
Kurama's insides were cold. "So that means-"
Hiei nodded solemnly. "Only demons aligned with elements appear to be vulnerable to this. Which also means there must be someone behind all this. To be able to target just one type of demon takes someone intelligent." He frowned, turning to Yukina. "If you had used your powers on Touya, you would have contracted whatever this is as well." Her stricken face tore his heart, but she needed to know the danger she'd been in so she wouldn't put herself in danger. Turning back to Kurama, he continued. "The three of us are the only elementals here. If we keep ourselves away from the two already affected, we should be fine-" He was surprised when Kurama suddenly grabbed him again.
"Are you saying we should just abandon them to save ourselves?" Kurama was enraged by the very idea. These were people he'd trained himself, people he considered comrades. He wasn't about to let them die so easily. Even if he had to search for an antidote himself, he'd do whatever it took to ensure their survival.
Caught off-guard for only a moment, Hiei quickly regained himself. "If you'd shut up for a minute and let me finish, you'd know that's not what I meant!" He wrenched his cloak out of Kurama's hands. "I was going to say that we could stay away from contact with those who are affected while searching for the bastard who did this."
This time it was Yukina who interrupted. "But if you stay away from everybody, how will you get the information you need? You'll have to talk to someone sooner or later."
Hiei nodded slowly. "Yes, but I also have the Jagan. I don't actually need to talk to anyone physically to get the information I need."
Kurama's eyes lit up. "Of course." He breathed. "And with my sense of smell, we can avoid any places where it's likely that someone will go to get away from whatever this virus is."
Yukina stood up. "What about me? What should I do?" Her voice was eager, like an innocent child. Unfortunately, that was exactly why Hiei refused her. "You won't be doing anything. You're not coming." He turned away, unable to look at his sister's face. If he did he'd probably give in, and right now he couldn't afford that. To do so would be to put her in grave danger. He only hoped the fox wouldn't do anything rash. Kurama had been acting strange the last few days and Hiei had never been able to predict what he'd do.
Yukina gaped for only a moment, before demanding answers. "Why not? I may not be a fighter, but I can heal. What if something happened to you while you were gone and you couldn't get back here? Then how would we get an antidote?"
Kurama looked between the twins. Hiei's back was stiff, a sign that he refused to back down, while Yukina's eyes were determined, a strange look for one normally so gentle. He sighed, deciding to step in. Now that he'd regained his calm, he could try and sort out this mess.
"You know Hiei, she has a good point. There's no guarantee that we won't run into trouble while we're gone, and there may be instances when we need a healer." Hiei whipped around to pin him with a deadly glare, but Kurama continued before the fire demon could start ranting. "But Yukina, Hiei has his reasons for wanting you to remain behind. He doesn't want anything to happen to you, and so wants you to remain where he knows you'll be safe." Yukina lowered her head, but there was still a stubborn set to her chin.
A wave of amusement swept through Kurama. Despite the fact that Yukina still didn't know what Hiei's relationship to her was, there were still some things that were alike. Both of them could be just as stubborn as the other. It was quite endearing actually.
/Watch it, fox./ Hiei's sudden mind-voice startled Kurama. /Yukina and I are nothing alike. I am not as innocent as she is./
Kurama forced down the chuckle, but allowed his amusement to leak over to the younger demon. /Oh I wouldn't be too sure of that, Hiei. There have been several instances where your own innocence has been revealed./ Hiei's wide-eyed look nearly had him burst into laughter. /Like right now./
Yukina looked back and forth between them, knowing that they were speaking to each other silently. Still, she was beginning to get upset at being left out. "I appreciate the fact that you want to protect me, but who will protect the two of you? I know that you're used to fighting together, but you may need someone with a different set of skills." When they both looked at her, she continued gamely. "If you don't let me come, I'll just follow you on my own, whether you like it or not."
All it took was one look for Hiei to know that she was serious. She just wouldn't take no for an answer this time. He sighed, already knowing that he'd regret this.
"Fine."
AN: so how do you like it so far? i'm trying to be original, but with the insane amount of stories i read and have zipping around my head it is a little dificult.
anyways, please leave a lovely review. who knows, i may get some ideas from them and get the next chapter up that much sooner.
for all those adamant readers, i also have several more YYH stories in the works, one of which is the sequel to Sheer Embarrassment.
enjoy!