Disclaimer – "Yu Yu Hakusho" and all known related characters do not belong to me. Batsukuno, Bokuma, and Dog are the only characters I own. If you want to use them for your own fic, I probably would not mind but please ask. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"What Goes Around . . . "
by DragonDancer5150

Chapter 6 – Triage

Hiei managed to reach the blank rock wall without further incident. Only with the Jagan or other magical means of sight could one locate the hidden keyhole. Hiei inserted the key. He could not see but sensed the change. Still holding the key in front of him, he stepped forward, pushing through the stone like water. The tunnel within was pitch black. Pocketing the key, Hiei counted steps along the wall until his foot bumped something that fell over with a soft metallic ring, rolling slightly. He crouched, carefully balancing Kurama's weight as he retrieved the lamp, then walked on for several more yards before stopping, assuring himself that he had not been followed somehow.

He set Kurama down prone, mindful of his bloodied back, then whispered a word to the lamp. It lit itself, glowing faintly in the darkness. Hiei paused just a moment to stare at the tiny flame dancing within. The Spirit and Demon Realms had technologies that mirrored those of the Human Realm but ran on magic rather than science. He allowed himself a brief grin. It's probably best that humans don't have magic. They're a nuisance enough on their own.

At last, Hiei could take a good look over his injured friend, outrage mounting as he realized the extent of the damage. It seemed that not an inch of flesh was not burned or bruised to some extent, the skin beginning to turn the most interesting shades of black, blue, and green. Swelling in joints and along various muscle cords suggested sprains and other trauma. Hiei quickly realized that Kurama's right shoulder was dislocated, all the fingers on the same wounded arm mangled and swollen beyond anyone's ability to even move, let alone use. Kurama's crimson hair was matted with blood from his wounded back, which had been torn to ribbons by barbed whips, exposing the muscle tissue beneath, the white of bone peeking out conspicuously from between muscle cords here and there. Hiei shook his head inwardly. His ribcage. He's so slim to begin with . . . He brushed back the tangled hair from Kurama's face, tracing one of the claw gashes, assessing its depth and checking for signs of infection. Hiei snarled silently. Bokuma will pay for this! He felt his throat close as something stung strangely in his eyes, causing them to water. Dust, he thought as he knuckled the moisture from his vision. Pulling off his cloak, he spread it on the ground and shifted Kurama's body onto it, getting him off the heat-leeching stonework. That accomplished, he sat back in dismay. He could reset the shoulder and bind the arm with his scarf but that was about it for the time being. He had been unable to get into any places where he could obtain a washrag or even clean water, let alone bandages or anything else he needed. There were simply too many guards even for his skills to get past.

A sensation from his Jagan alerted him to a presence even before he noticed the point of light far down the corridor opposite the way he had come. Muttering a curse under his breath, he extinguished the lamp and prowled down the tunnel, one hand on his sword hilt. He recognized the intruder long before he himself was detected and the identity stopped him in his tracks.

A cautious Botan inched her way down the corridor, one hand on the wall, the other cupping a sphere of pure light. Hiei recognized the technique, aware that ferry girls had several spell-like abilities they could perform with their spirit energy. He noted the psychic spyglass hung from a cord around her neck and the backpack she wore over her customary kimono. He took his hand from the hilt of his sword and let her approach.

She spotted him as soon as the light of her glow-sphere touched him. "Oh, Hiei! There you are! Wonderful! Lord Koenma said you might be in here somewhere. Have you - ?"

"How did you get in here?" he demanded.

"With a key, silly! Oh, you don't think that Lord Koenma gave you his only copy? After all, he couldn't know if you'd ever return the one he gave you. You are the one who was arrested for theft, remember? Really, breaking into the Imperial Vault - a supposedly impossible task, I might add!"

"Not for Kurama," Hiei smirked.

She smiled. "Yes, well . . . speaking of Kurama, where is he?" She looked past him down the corridor and began to step around him.

Hiei caught her arm. "You shouldn't be here."

"Oh? Well, Kurama's my friend, too, and I came here to help."

"You'd help best by staying out of my way."

She crossed her arms, looking at him in mild annoyance. "You know, Hiei, you really can be rude sometimes. I do have some healing ability, remember? All ferry girls do. Pneumapathic medicine, it's called. Just your basic Western white magic, very - "

"Can you mend broken bones?" Hiei interrupted her, the harshness of his tone warning her that things were worse than she seemed to think.

The question caught her off-guard. "I - well, yes, but . . . Oh, is it really that bad?" she murmured fearfully, one hand over her mouth in shock.

Relenting, Hiei led her back down the passage to his wounded partner, relighting his lamp. He was half surprised the girl did not scream at the sight but her gasp of horror echoed down the tunnel all the same. "What . . . h-how . . . B-bokuma?" Hiei nodded. "How . . . ?" Her voice failed her and she had to try again, collecting her scattered thoughts. "How can anyone . . . be so cruel? Even Bokuma? How can he do something like this?"

Hiei snorted at her. "Hmph! Welcome to reality."

"What do you mean?"

"You really don't know what goes on down here, do you?" he uttered incredulously.

"I-I . . . no." She shook her head miserably, turning back to Kurama with tears in her eyes. She knelt down beside him. "He's so . . . pale. He's sheet white - and cold." Gingerly, she pressed her fingertips into the side of his throat, feeling for a heartbeat. "It's not very strong," she fretted.

"It's strong enough," Hiei asserted stubbornly, kneeling next to her. "He's going to be fine." He paused, then looked up at her. "We can't stay here. Obviously, this passage is not very secure after all."

"Why is that?"

Hiei growled at her. "I have a key. You have a key. How many others have keys? How many know about this 'secret' passage?" Botan merely frowned, unable to argue. "I need to get his shoulder reset, then you'll help me carry him."

"Where?" When Hiei did not respond right away, Botan gasped in sudden inspiration. "I know! We'll take him to Master Genkai's."

"Who?"

"Master Genkai. Oh, don't tell me you've never heard of her! She's a powerful human psychic and a stellar fighter. Yusuke trained under her for six months, right before you all went to Maze Castle as a matter of fact."

Hiei glared at her. "What? That Master Genkai? The demon hunter? Not a chance. She'd as soon kill the both of us than help - "

Botan huffed at him in irritation. "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong. She's not a demon hunter. She just happens to have a reputation for being one because she's had to fight so many youkai in her life and she happens to be very good at it! It's not that she goes out of her way to find them or anything. Really, she just wants to be left alone, only there are a lot of people - mostly youkai - who want the secret of her powerful Spirit Wave technique. Anyway, I've already talked to her and she said we might have to bring him to her, depending on how badly hurt he was." Hiei was less than convinced. She frowned. "Unless you have a better suggestion - ?"

Hiei only growled. No, he did not.

Botan nodded, satisfied. "Right. Now, first, we need to clean those wounds."

"With what?" Hiei muttered irritably, indicating the empty corridor.

Botan slipped off her backpack with a flourish. "Well, it just so happens that I brought a care package - from Master Genkai herself, no less. A good detective's assistant always comes prepared."

"Yusuke's not here," Hiei pointed out.

"Yes, I know but you're a detective, too - still a detective, in my book - and right now, you're the one I'm assisting, like it or not," she added with a sassy grin.

Hiei did not bother to respond, only rolled his eyes at her before turning to the contents of the backpack.

"B-bo . . . tan . . . ?"

"Oh! Hiei, he's awake."

8 8 8 8 8

Botan could not be sure if she were glad he was conscious . . . or sorry.

As Kurama tried to shift so he could see her, she gently brushed the hair from his face and leaned over him to make it easier. She tried not to react visibly to the sight. His left eye was swollen shut, dried blood from the gashes further sealing it. "Yes, Kurama, it's me. Y-you're going to be all right. Just relax. It's okay. You're safe." Tears of empathy springing into her eyes, she petted at the top of his head in reassurance, thinking it was probably the only place he was uninjured.

"W-where's Hiei?"

"Here." Hiei had pulled several items from the backpack and was sorting through them - a large flask, a bowl, rags and bandages, a bottle of strong painkillers, and splints of various sizes and shapes.

Botan brushed the wetness from her eyelashes and looked over at the pile, maintaining her chipper mood if only for Kurama's sake. "Master Genkai said that should be enough to start with. She's a better healer than I am, even healed a broken arm and shattered ribs on Kuwabara once - I don't imagine he would have lived without her help, in fact. Once we get Kurama to her, she can take care of the rest."

Hiei handed her a rag. "Give him this to bite on. Kurama, your right shoulder is dislocated. I'm going to reset it." He took the arm in both hands and set a foot gingerly into Kurama's ribs as Kurama accepted the rag from Botan. "This will hurt. Prepare yourself." With that, he slowly pulled until he heard a loud snap as the ball popped back into the socket. With a muffled cry, Kurama lost consciousness again. Botan felt the color drain from her face but she willed herself to be strong for her friend's sake. "Before I bind his arm, his back needs to be cleaned." He searched the bag again, then uncorked the flask and sniffed, noting the varied scents of an infusion. "Hn. Nothing to heat the water. What's in this?"

Botan shrugged. "Herbs to heal and prevent infection, I suppose. As for heating it," she added with a wink, "just pour it into the bowl and let me take care of the rest." Hiei did so and Botan touched her fingers to the rim, the tips glowing with Reiki. After several seconds of concentration, steam rose from the water. Hiei nodded his approval. Botan watched as he wrung out a rag and began to soak and clean the whipwounds, working with a gentle care she never would have guessed of him. He then applied a salve from a small jar he pulled from a pocket. Botan smiled. "Lord Koenma told me that he gave you one of Medusa's ointments."

Kurama came to again as Hiei spread the salve, holding himself as still as he could manage, hissing in pain. Per Hiei's direction, Botan helped Kurama to turn over and sit up, letting him lean back into her as Hiei threw the edge of the cloak up over his lap to cover him. Hiei then bound Kurama's arm against his chest, straightening the broken hand into a splint. "The muscles are strained," Hiei explained, his voice softer than usual. He seemed consciously to avoid Kurama's eye as he knotted the bandages. "They need to be immobilized so they don't come out of position as they heal."

Kurama nodded slightly, vertigo obviously still a companion. With a very small grin through the swelling, he commented softly, his voice a rough whisper, "Thank you, Hiei. I have to say - I have never been happier to see you, my friend." Hiei paused, then grunted in acknowledgment.

Botan glanced at Hiei, observing his reaction, and smiled secretly to herself. Even without Kurama's confirmation, she knew they were close friends. She also knew better than to comment, at least in front of Hiei. She refrained from commenting, too, on the rose she noticed tucked behind Hiei's ear, assuming it was meant for Kurama. She took up the rag from the washbowl and squeezed it out one-handed, her other arm around Kurama's lacerated shoulders. Blood and ointment soaked into her kimono but she did not care. She cleaned his face, then set the rag down and gingerly placed her palm against his cheek and brow, closing her eyes in concentration. Reiki glowed from her hand, slowly closing the gashes, the swollen redness receding. Color returned to his lips and the rest of his face as her healing began to spread. He opened both his eyes and twisted carefully to look at her in appreciation. She moved her hand to his, then grimaced. The glow of Reiki brightened steadily for a moment, then faded completely. She opened her eyes with a shake of her head. "I-I'm sorry," she murmured, a tear slipping down her cheek. "There's . . . too much. My poor ability i-isn't enough . . . " She trailed off, closing her eyes again as more tears fell.

8 8 8 8 8

Hiei cleared his throat, which had closed on him again. "Botan, keep your eyes shut. Here, put this on." He helped Kurama into the pants he had taken from the guard, wrapping his cloak around Kurama's shoulders. "Botan, can you carry him on your oar? You can open your eyes now." She looked at him and nodded somberly. "Then we need to move. We've been here too long already." He repacked the backpack and tied his bandana in place over the Jagan.

Botan stood and summoned her oar but they found that there was no comfortable way for her to hold Kurama in front of her and he was still too weak to support himself. Hiei climbed aboard behind her and they put Kurama between them. He reached around Kurama to grip the sides of Botan's kimono, helping to hold his friend in place. He did not like the idea of leaving their escape to the flighty ferry girl but saw no other way. He could carry Kurama himself but then could not fight if needed. Botan could simply fly over any obstacles they encountered.

Botan glided to the end of the corridor and pulled out her key but stopped when Kurama, struggling to maintain consciousness, pointed out that the dampening field preventing magical or dimensional travel through the prison might have ended somewhere back behind them. Before Botan could react, Hiei held out his hand, activating his periphery key. When a portal manifested in front of them, they all breathed sighs of relief. They had no idea where they would end up, nor even in which realm, but they would not have to deal with the guards combing the main fortress looking for them. Botan sailed quickly through and all three were glad to see a human city spread out before them under a star-filled sky.

Author's Notes: Please be sure to check my bio page for any updates, etc. Thanks!