InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ The Rescue 8 - Guesswork and Arguments Get Us Nowhere ( Chapter 30 )

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Summary: None of this makes any sense!

Chapter Rating: T for LANGUAGE. XD

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. OCs are my own. I make no profit from this piece of fiction.

Arc 4 - The Rescue 8 - Guesswork and Arguments Get Us Nowhere

the present

"Finally! What took you two so long to get here?" Koenma paused only long enough for Yusuke to open his mouth in response before starting his brief. "A human with trace amounts of holy energy has gotten into the Makai. Kurama was dispatched almost twenty..." he glanced at his watch, "Twenty-two minutes ago. You need to rendezvous and attempt to bring this human safely back to the Reikai for memory clearing and minor tests so we can accurately verify and catalogue this instance of energy."

A portal appeared beside the pair as Koenma gave them the last of their instructions. "Kurama hasn't been there long, so it should be easy to catch up. This portal will take you to the location the human passed through. Contact Kurama upon your entry. We're still trying to reach Hiei, but this mission shouldn't take long."

Yusuke (uncharacteristically silent during Koenma's short brief) rolled his eyes and sighed before turning toward the glowing portal. A thought crossed his mind before entering, and he turned toward the demigod. "This doesn't have anything to do with that chick Kurama said had been kidnapped, does it?"

Koenma gave the detective a strange look. "I've had no reports of human kidnapping come across my desk today, Yusuke."

Yusuke shrugged. If Kurama had been pulled from his self-proclaimed rescue attempt to hunt down another hapless human, he doubted the kitsune would be in the best of moods. "Let's get this over with," he muttered, and the two stepped through the temporary portal into the Makai.

The two found themselves in the middle of a silent wooded area with no evidence of Kurama or the human's presence. "Damnit, the stupid teen-toddler didn't even bother to tell us whether we're looking for a girl or a guy."

"A girl was kidnapped? When did this happen?" Kuwabara stretched his shoulders before looking to Yusuke.

"Some girl was eating at Keiko's just before I got there, and just after she left, Kurama came in apparently looking for her. We followed her trail to the park and any trace of her vanished. Kurama seemed concerned that she'd been kidnapped." He paused and made a strange face as the thoughts matched up. "Come to think of it, that timing is awfully coincidental to when our communicators went off."

"But the Reikai didn't say anything about the human being kidnapped, so maybe Kurama was... wrong?" For Kuwabara to even suggest Kurama might be wrong about something was laughable, but Yusuke couldn't argue with the strangeness about the situation.

"Well, we'll never figure out what's going on if we stand here and talk about it all day." Yusuke pulled his communicator out of a pocket and contacted Kurama.

The redhead's face appeared briefly in the small monitor before the angle changed and bounced slightly. Kurama had apparently placed the device on his knee as his attention focused on something nearby. "Yes?"

Yusuke got right to the point, "Where are we meeting?"

"Meet?" The kitsune avatar brought his attention to the communicator for a moment and must have noticed where the pair of humans stood. "Head west until you find the spider carcass, then travel northeast."

"Right. How far ahead are you?"

"Not far. This mission isn't as simple as Koenma may have described."

The two stopped at the mentioned spider, and both were quick to notice the clean cuts that had severed the monstrous youkai's jointed legs. "This human isn't toting around a sword, is he?"

"The human is a she, and Hiei killed the spider earlier. Skirt around any corpses ahead, as they will have likely drawn the attention of crowds you don't need to bother with." His attention went back to whatever he was working on.

Kuwabara pressed his face close to Yusuke's to see into the communicator screen. "Have you seen the shrimp, then? Koenma couldn't reach him." Yusuke roughly elbowed his partner in his ribs to get some space between them.

"Not yet. Hiei has probably taken his leave within Mukuro's fortress if the Reikai hasn't already retrieved him. You should NOT approach this girl before we meet up. She might have picked up a weapon of sorts that can quickly prove lethal to any of us."

"But Koenma said she only showed trace amounts of holy energy. That couldn't be-"

"True, but whatever the Reikai might have detected isn't the real danger I'm talking about. Just avoid the corpses she's left in her wake and work your way in this direction. If I find a familiar landmark I'll contact you, but her trail is fairly obvious."

Corpses left in her wake? Yusuke didn't bother to hide his near-skeptic grin. "But why are we avoiding -"

"If you find one, you'll see why. Make haste; I am not waiting for you two to catch up." The communication abruptly disconnected and the two detectives shared a look.

Kuwabara knelt to double-knot his left shoelace and grinned over at Yusuke, "Guess we're running, then."

Yusuke grumbled in annoyance before leaving his tall friend behind.

"Wait up, man!" Kuwabara nearly tripped over his hands in his haste to stand and catch up.

-o-

'Youko, I understand you know your herbs, and are skilled in concocting antidotes and remedies for many different situations, but...' Kurama grimaced as he squashed a handful of slimy newts' eyes over a small bowl. 'Tell me again why it has to be eyes?'

~They contain a unique enzyme that helps prevent paralysis, and we don't have the time to dry and powder them in the common fashion.~

'Common. Right.'

The communicator trilled softly at his side as he cleaned his hand on a scrap of cloth. It was opened with a deft flick of his fingers and settled upon his knee before he turned his attention toward stripping apart a selection of fibrous plants. "Yes?" he asked briefly. He pinched several budded seed pods between his fingertips, breaking the thin membrane which released a sticky, bitter-smelling liquid.

When the detective mentioned that they meet, he squashed the stir of annoyance and gave a measure of his attention to the conversation with the detectives. There was no way he'd backtrack that far to collect the latecomers, so he gave them decent directions to speed their rendezvous and decrease their chances for violent (and wholly unnecessary) encounters with the frenzied low-level youkai along the path.

With a final set of warnings about the impending danger surrounding their quarry, he snapped the communicator shut and picked up where he'd left off. He pressed the sticky liquid from the crushed seed pods into the torn herbs and crushed eyes, mashing the ingredients into a lumpy, greenish-grey paste.

'That was, perhaps, one of the more disgusting salves we've put together.'

Youko chuckled darkly in Kurama's thoughts. ~I've made worse, and besides, it's not a salve.~

Kurama swallowed in apprehension and refrained from asking for further details as he scooped the grainy goop into several mid-sized leaves and folded each into small green packets.

~Let's get going. There's no telling what kind of troubles lay ahead of us.~

-o-

A plastic bag containing what appeared to be a change of clothes fell to the dirt below, but Hiei ignored it in his haphazard search for answers. A side pocket drew his attention; he opened it and found a toothbrush along with other... things... human females required. The pocket was hastily sealed as his fingers found another zipper. *Useless junk.* A moment later, Hiei paused with his hand still buried in the girl's backpack. *Fox.*

'Fancy meeting you. I don't suppose you're here on business?'

*Maybe I'm just bored.* He extracted a small bag of dried food from the backpack, turned it over in brief examination, then stuffed it back into place before fishing around some more. He glanced down at Kurama. *...And you?*

'Maybe I'm just curious,' he replied nonchalantly.

Kurama leapt and landed silently upon a branch near Hiei's location. ~And such a curiosity this eve...~ Youko murmured, glancing at the objects scattered on Hiei's lap. He watched in thinly veiled amusement as the dark youkai continued to extract and examine various objects that very clearly belonged to a human female. The scent he'd tracked from the intersection in the Ningenkai was strong in this area. Kurama had the distinct impression that the girl had lingered nearby for some time.

*Please tell me you aren't here to chase some tail.*

Kurama's lips twitched as he withheld his smile. 'Now, why would you think such a thing?'

*Why else would you be following a girl in the Makai?*

He shrugged with feigned indifference. 'Youko came across something impossible and inexplicable, and his curiosity has rubbed off on me.'

*Like a kitsune with tentacles?*

Kurama -and Youko- did a double take before meeting Hiei's level gaze with one of confusion. 'A what?'

Hiei smirked and shrugged lightly, turning his gaze back to the pack in his hands. *Never mind.*

Kurama narrowed his eyes in slight suspicion as the hybrid pulled a beaten-up first aid kit from a side pocket of the pack. 'Where did you find that, anyways?'

*Right there.* He motioned with a slight nod of his head to indicate the area next to him in the trees. Kurama frowned. Why had the girl's belongings been left up in a tree? Surely she would not have left it behind in such a strange location, and if Hiei had knowledge of a human running around in the demon realm, then surely he wouldn't just sit there and waste his time being nosey. He wasn't like that.

'You didn't happen to see where the owner went, did you?'

*She ran that way.* He absently waved a hand north as he unwrapped a small chocolate bar he'd just found. *Some orloes chased her off, and she left this behind.*

Kurama nearly lost his balance on the limb as Youko practically bristled with outrage. ~You allowed a human girl to be chased off by a pack of orlo youkai so that you could paw through her backpack?!~

Hiei glared at him. *That girl was not human. With as much damage as she's caused this evening, surely she could handle a few orloes.*

'What do you mean, not human? I started tracking her in the Ningenkai. Keiko and Yusuke both saw her and didn't mention anything out of the ordinary.'

*She was in the human realm? Does Koenma know of her presence there?*

'Of her presence there? What about her presence here? Of course he knows; he sent me to bring her back.' Kurama had the strong impression that he and Hiei each held half of a very confusing puzzle, and none of the pieces wanted to fit together to form the whole. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration before deciding to continue his pursuit without the hybrid.

He turned and hopped down from his branch, but didn't make two steps before Hiei appeared before him, the backpack slung easily over his shoulder. *Wait.* His eyes lost focus as he used the Jagan to locate the void of energy. *She has already crossed the bridge to the north. We can save time if we take the southern crossing, and she'll be less likely to spot us if we approach her position from the woods rather than a rickety old bridge.*

Kurama nodded in agreement, and the two slipped silently into the dim forest.

It wasn't long before they crossed a sturdy, well-traveled bridge spanning one of the narrowest sections of the chasm. *She's stationary again. When I found her earlier, I think she might have been resting before the orloes attacked.*

~Is that a bite I see?~

*It's healing.*

'If she has traveled this far in such a short time, she's bound to be worn out.'

Hiei leveled a serious look at his partner's concerned expression. *You seemed to be under the impression that this girl is human, yet you didn't seem surprised when I told you about this girl causing damage here. Is there something I should be aware of?*

'Here, keep this.' Kurama tossed one of the small leaf pouches to his partner, who snatched it easily out of the air.

*What is it?*

'Preventative measure.'

*Alright, fox. Spill it.*

'As I said before, we found her in the Ningenkai. I was out running an errand for Mother when Youko recognized the scent of the plant-'

*A plant?* Hiei had seen many strange things within the demon realm, but it was far too coincidental for Kurama to have tracked a plant from the Ningenkai all the way to this point, where he himself had just seen an odd youkai/blue plant flee for safety. Those odd blue vines might be what Kurama had ended up tracking, but what had happened to this human, if she'd even been human to begin with? He turned his thoughts to what little he'd caught of the girl's appearance and was quite certain that she had to be a youkai of some sort.

~Yes. I am quite certain that this species has been extinct for some time.~ Youko related the short story of how his search had crossed Yusuke's path before Koenma pulled him in for his current "mission." ~Had the idiotic bastard not interrupted my progress at that time, she might not have gotten so far ahead of me.~

'Hiei...' Kurama seemed almost hesitant before continuing, 'you mentioned a 'kitsune with tentacles' earlier. Does that have something to do with this girl?'

Hiei shrugged and stopped at an open patch of dirt to remove the backpack from his shoulder. *What does this human look like?*

Kurama gave the hybrid an odd glance. 'Surely you caught a glimpse of her as she fled from the area?'

*Humor me.*

Kurama sighed and ran a hand through his red locks in a rare show of impatience. 'Dark hair, grey shirt, backpack, and unmistakable blue vines that-' Kurama trailed off as Hiei carelessly upended the contents of the pack across the bare ground.

*Maybe you can make sense of this mess she was carrying around.*

~Excellent.~ Kurama knelt to sift his fingers through the various articles strewn about, then took the nearly empty pack from Hiei.

The kitsune reached for a zipper before Hiei stopped him, *Girl stuff. Don't bother with that one.*

Another pocket revealed an empty to-go box that Hiei hadn't gotten a chance to find earlier. Both males stared at it for a moment, but the simple label of 'Yukimura Noodles' spoke volumes of where this girl had recently been. The last unopened pocket contained a single piece of jewelry, which was out of place for a backpack seemingly stocked with supplies the girl might have needed for a camping excursion. Hiei gave him a dry look. *It is a girl you're tracking.*

Kurama pulled the thin band of silver from the pocket and examined it carefully. ~The details on this are too exact to have been crafted using normal human methods.~ Youko's extensive past experience in thievery and valuables helped him to identify the lingering trace of kitsune magic that had crafted the piece, but it was just faint enough that the age of the silvery band...

*She's moving again.* Hiei's thoughts interrupted Kurama's examination, and he slipped the bracelet into his shirt before stooping to assist the hybrid in replacing the strewn-about items.

'Damn, I forgot about Yusuke and Kuwabara.' Kurama snapped open his communicator and relayed their current location between the two bridges spanning the Great Ravine.

*Those idiots are coming, too?* Hiei glowered as he jerked the worn straps into place.

~This mission has Koenma all hot and bothered because she set off that device.~

*Which one?*

'Supposedly measures holy energy. She showed trace levels, but it was enough to activate a sensor that set everyone on duty in the Reikai into frenzy when she entered this realm.'

*Holy energy... hard to believe this is all connected.* Hiei slowed and motioned ahead of them to the right. *She is making slow progress along the road beyond those trees.*

Kurama swiftly and stealthily took up residence in the branches of a tree near the road, followed shortly by his partner. The sight that met Kurama's eyes bore little resemblance to the blurred image of the dark-haired girl as she had appeared prior to her crossing into the Makai's borders. ~A vixen...~ Youko seemed pleasantly surprised as they laid eyes on their quarry. ~Her coloring is familiar, similar to that of my extended family.~

*Family? I thought that as a youko, you would not have had a family.*

Kurama glanced away from the strange girl to meet his partner's gaze. ~While that is normally the case, my childhood was a bit more complex than that. I attained my youko status while I was still quite young, and was adopted by an older silver male who had mated with a red... But that is another story. This must be the same girl we saw on the Reikai video feed. She is wearing the same clothes, and you found her backpack. It must be an illusion to ward off youkai. The lower leveled ones would certainly flock if word spread about a female human hiking alone through the Makai.~

*If she is using an illusion, it must be very powerful and well-concealed. I cannot detect one, nor can I gain access to her thoughts.*

The girl slowed, then paused and glanced around at the woods. The two froze in the branches as her gaze swept the trees nearby, but she soon continued on the path as though she hadn't found anything of interest.

'She must know we are here.'

~No, I think she may have noticed Hiei's attempt to probe her mind as something amiss, but I doubt she can sense our presence.~

*You still think you're chasing after a human, Fox?*

~A youkai couldn't possibly carry around one of those vines and survive for this long.~

Hiei gave the kitsune a hard stare from the corner of his eye before daring to suggest the thought on his mind. *Perhaps the plant in her possession isn't what you thought.*

Kurama stiffened suddenly as Youko bristled with outrage. ~You dare question my knowledge of -~

*You arrogant bastard, look at her! She's killed scores of youkai along her path and caused confusion and mayhem amongst the damned denizens of this territory, and you still think she's some helpless human?*

Kurama took a steadying breath before speaking. 'I believe Youko is right in his identification of the plant, but from what I've learned, it seems impossible that any creature could survive what we're seeing. We must also keep in mind that Koenma sent us -'

*Sent you.*

'Sent me to retrieve the girl with holy energy. Whoever heard of a youkai with holy energy?'

*Maybe she has a trinket or spell as a safeguard and it triggered the sensor.*

~Perhaps.~ Youko sounded thoughtful and much calmer as his avatar stroked a finger along the 'borrowed' bracelet. While he had no intention of keeping it, it did warrant a closer examination when he could find the time. But for the moment... a distant memory teased his thoughts, of his strange cousin and their search to find an old mirror.

Hiei sidled a glance at his partner as the kitsune slowed his pace. *What's on your mind?*

~Old memories.~

*And this?* Hiei held up the small leaf-packet Kurama had tossed him.

~Ah, that is most necessary if we are to approach the girl safely. That vine can be remarkably dangerous in a number of ways, so we must be sure to take this, but only if it looks as though imminent contact will occur.~ Kurama fingered his packet thoughtfully. ~This stuff can have certain negative side effects that we should try to avoid.~

*Such as...?*

~The vine's poison can cause clots in the victim's blood, leading to heart failure, stroke, or death, and so one of the ingredients acts as an anticoagulant to prevent clotting. The effect lasts a bit longer than an hour, so we must be mindful to avoid any serious injuries, as blood loss would be substantial.~

*You said side effects, as in more than one.* Hiei turned his gaze toward the strange girl ahead of them as Kurama fingered the girl's bracelet in silent contemplation.

~The others are inconsequential.~

*Hn.* Hiei narrowed his eyes at the girl as she moved off of the path to the right. *So you think she's using an illusion to disguise herself?*

~It must be an illusion; no kitsune strong enough to take a humanoid shape like that would only have one tail. An accurate form requires at least two...~

*If it's truly an illusion, then what she's about to do will almost undoubtedly kill her.*

Kurama jerked his attention back toward the girl in time to see her pop a small berry into her mouth. Hiei barely grasped his arm in time to prevent him from running to her aid. The kitsune turned blazing eyes toward his partner and hissed in rage, "What have you done?! Only a human would be so ignorant as to eat those; we could have stopped her!" The berries of the blood shrub were rumored to be as sweet and tempting as the most succulent fruits in any of the three realms, but the skin of each berry held a terrible poison that could leave a youkai in a helpless stupor, easy pickings for wandering scavengers. As scavengers devoured the defenseless victim, the blood that spilled would nourish the shrub. The poison loses toxicity shortly after ingestion, but once damage was done, an afflicted youkai could need several days to fully recover.

And as Hiei had just mentioned, the poison from one of those berries would outright kill a human. Kurama held his breath and watched in sick fascination as the girl consumed them, one by one. ~Well, if she dies... at least we'll still have the vine to play with.~ Kurama scowled at the thought but did not respond otherwise as the girl made some strange motions. Hallucinations before death...? Kurama stared in morbid fascination as she stood to hop around on one foot.

*If that vine is as dangerous as you have said, then she is not long for this world anyways.*

The girl picked another few handfuls and stuffed them in a pocket before continuing along the path - apparently in perfect health. ~Unbelievable. Perhaps she has some rare immunity...?~

They followed in silence as she walked along the path, apparently engrossed in her surroundings. The forest began to lighten as morning approached, and Hiei slowed to scan the branches ahead. Kurama had sensed it as well: two moderately strong beings had taken up position somewhere ahead. The trees whispered their secrets to the kitsune, and he frowned at the deadly fire licking at his thoughts. Both Hiei and Kurama saw the woman first. Her position in a tree just off the girl's path was exposed, but her entire appearance allowed her to blend into the ashen surroundings as though she belonged there. The vine-toting girl ahead apparently noticed and then completely disregarded her presence with nothing more than a curious glance.

Hiei visibly scowled at the girl's apparent lack of self-preservation. *We're going to end up bringing this girl back to the Reikai in pieces.*

~It is wise, my friend, to wait and see what she's capable of before we attempt anything rash.~

Hiei made no further comment as the two watched the female youkai leap from her branch to follow the girl into a clearing, where another youkai had made his appearance.

'This is going to be trouble.'

Hiei examined the two youkai for a moment. *I've heard of these two. She is a seasoned fighter, while he is still young and somewhat inexperienced. They are a mercenary pair of fire youkai that lend allegiance to individuals with motives similar to their own.*

'A mated pair?'

*Likely. They work in tandem, but I cannot see why one such as she would tolerate his behavior unless they were fucking.*

Youko smirked at Hiei's assessment of the young fire youkai. The ensuing fight unfolded quickly after that, and Hiei was somewhat disappointed to see a complete lack of anything interesting, which came as a surprise after he'd sensed the carnage left in her wake.

She apparently possessed no close combat skills or abilities, and as it became obvious that the fight would end in the younger male's favor, the two decided to step in. ~Swallow that packet before you approach her,~ Youko reminded his partner as Kurama tossed the small pouch into his mouth. Hiei nodded just before intercepting the deadly blow. The fight was over quickly, for as soon as Hiei made his presence known, the silent female sprayed a cloud of ash into the clearing to mask their quick departure.

Kurama leapt ahead and dropped into the path of the now-retreating girl. She was so intent on her escape that she barely missed running into him only to collide with a tree nearby. As she attempted to flee again, he reached out and caught hold of her arm to prevent her escape. She immediately tried to stand and pry her fingers from his grasp with a few words of panic, but his grip was strong and his attention unwavering. He smiled down at her before speaking quietly. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you."

She finally looked at him with clarity in her gaze, and the way her eyes widened in disbelief quickly led him to believe that she recognized him. Her attempts to pry his fingers loose became feeble with her surprise, and she stammered a few incomplete phrases that sounded like attempts at excuses.

"Whatever you're thinking, it won't be necessary. They were expecting a fight with just you, and our presence surprised them. They'll most likely regroup and return, but in the meantime, you can relax." He eased his hold on her as she slowed her struggle, but then she unexpectedly jerked her arm free from his grip and fell back into the dirt.

The girl was still scrambling backwards when Hiei arrived a moment later. *They've completely fled the area, but I do not doubt they'll return.*

The two looked down at the girl, who looked every bit like a cornered rabbit. Kurama watched with veiled suspicion as she glanced apprehensively between them. 'Is it just me, or does it seem like she knows who we are?'

*Hn. We are rather notorious.*

'But not to humans...' This certainly didn't support his theory of her being a human in disguise...

The girl licked her lips nervously before speaking. "Um, thanks?" Kurama held out a hand to help her to her feet, and she hesitantly accepted his help as he perused her condition. Her journey through the Makai had definitely been unpleasant for her. He noted her slim body had been marred with a few recent wounds. Her clothes were torn and caked with various types of mud and grime, and her dirty face was streaked with the dried evidence of shed tears.

~Lovely.~

'And in need of a bath.'

~Yes.~ Youko laughed. The kitsune avatar drank in her appearance with languor. ~And we can accommodate that need alongside our own need for some playtime.~

'She doesn't look like she's in the condition to play, let alone trust us enough for that.'

He wasn't paying attention to the words flying nervously between her pink lips, so he felt somewhat caught off guard as she unexpectedly snatched the worn backpack from Hiei's shoulder to rummage through its contents. She was apparently very hungry...

"Woman-" Hiei growled out.

Seeing a potential conversational catastrophe, Kurama quickly leapt in with a gentle inquiry. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

The girl seemed surprised as she responded around a mouthful of food. She swallowed in haste and cast her eyes about in an obvious show of looking for an escape. "Um..." Her glance fell momentarily to the thin vines of blue hovering at her sides. They looked decidedly limp, and her pleading expression did not go unnoticed by either male.

Hiei glared angrily at the girl. "It won't."

"What?" She stared at the hybrid in confusion.

'You can't read into her thoughts now, can you?'

*No, but it's quite clear what she wants, and I'm sure you know enough about plants to see that if she had direct control over that vine, it would have attacked us by now.*

Voicing his thoughts aloud, Hiei stepped closer. "You have no control over that, do you?"

She immediately shrank away from him and attempted to talk her way out of their presence. "So... thanks. I'll just be going now-"

Hiei's irritation was a nearly tangible thing. "No, there are questions to be answered. You have caused chaos in this territory-"

"Hey, those jerks attacked me first!" The girl took up an outraged stance and stomped a small foot into the dirt. "I have every right to defend myself. I'm not traipsing around this horrible place for fun!"

~Oh, she's fiery,~ Youko chuckled. The red-haired avatar's eyes softened as he looked her over more carefully. "You are injured." It was a statement, not a question, and she looked down at herself in confusion. Her right side had been soaked in blood from a previously unnoticed gash on her shoulder.

"Oh..." she muttered, staring at the wound in concern. "Is there a source of clean water anywhere nearby? I need to clean and dress this."

"No." Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. "That wound is hardly serious." Hiei glanced at his partner in veiled disbelief. *She even smells like a kitsune. I've never seen an illusion that can fake scent like this.*

The girl scowled at him and pulled her pack around to her front, wincing as she knelt. "Are you alright?" Kurama asked in concern. She bore no evidence of other serious external injuries, but internal injuries could prove to be potentially fatal if not treated immediately.

"I think it's just bruised ribs. I'll be okay," she muttered, withdrawing a bottle of water and bandages. She pulled her sleeve aside and took a careful moment to rinse the wound of blood before applying some antibiotic salve. When she attempted to tie on a bandage with only her left hand, Kurama knelt and brushed her fumbling fingers away from the effort and easily wrapped the injury. "Thanks," she mumbled, putting away her supplies. They watched as she carefully stood and shouldered her backpack with a sigh of resignation. "Okay, so what do you want?"