Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Freedom ❯ Chapter Fifteen ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter Fifteen

Author's Note

I am sorry for the long time span that has passed since I last did anything with this story. I am even sorrier to say that I can not promise that this will not happen again. Real life is at times a bitch and my muses are temperamental and have the attention spans of hyperactive ADHD goldfish at the best of times. It also does not help that right now my attention is split because this fanfic and six others none of which have seen the light of day anywhere. If you wish to motivate me to update this sooner leave a review. For status on this or any other fanfic I am working on, check out my LJ, my name there is the same as it is here, unless you don't want to risk seeing spoilers.

 

Yusuke's nervousness and fear had reappeared almost as soon as Hiei was out of sight. He tried to hide it, but Ariana was still holding him and could feel the way that he was trembling.

 

Puu landed behind Yusuke who went to his spirit beast the moment he was fully settled on the ground, the close proximity to the large blue feather phoenix calming him quite a bit. Puu made a trilling, almost scolding sound before using one wing to shield Yusuke from the rain. Yusuke ignored the sound, wrapping his arms wound Puu as best he could and hiding his face in his spirit beast's fur.

 

Genkai gave Ariana a strange look before disappearing inside her temple.

 

“She hates me doesn't she?” Asked Yusuke.

 

“No, I think she's just in shock.” Said Ariana. “Even as edited as it was I think that it was too much for her to take in all at once.”

 

“That was an act.” Said Yusuke. “She's disgusted with me. I saw it in her eyes.”

 

“Then not only is she a better actress then I gave her credit for being, but it seems that I overestimated her intelligence. Only an idiot would blame you for something you could not have prevented.” Said Amy.

 

“Can we not come here for a while?” Asked Yusuke, his voice sounding small and timid. “I...I don't think that I can handle being around her again.”

 

“Then we won't come back here until you tell me that you can handle it.” Said Ariana. She hugged him from behind and couldn't help a small smile when he didn't tense up or try to move away from her.

 

“What if that day never comes?” Asked Yusuke.

 

“Don't worry about it Yusuke-kun.” Said Ariana. “It's not like this is the only portal into the Ningenkai in the area so you'll still be able to see the people that you want to see whenever we come to this dimension in the future. Can't say how often those visits will be right now or even when the first one will be but we'll work something out soon enough.”

 

The rain began to pour down quite hard but it didn't fall on Ariana or Yusuke because Puu's wing was big enough to shelter both of them from it. The harder rain only lasted for about a quarter of an hour and it went back to the light drizzle just a few moments before Hiei reappeared.

 

Hiei walked out of the trees, his usually spiky hair weighed down by how wet it was and his clothing absolutely soaked but he had the back-up katana that he had gone for securely fastened to his belt. He was also walking a little on the slow side, well it was slow for him and that worried Ariana. Water was often said to be a fire elementals worst enemy and it seemed that the Hi-Koorime's half ice elemental heritage was giving him little protection against the soaking that the still falling rain had given him. Water in a bath or a shower was one thing as long as the water was warm, but chilly rainwater was an entirely different story.

 

Ariana mentally kicked herself for letting Hiei stay in such weather for so long when she really did know better. If she was really lucky and got him warmed up fast enough than Hiei would be fine, but the odds said that her stupidity would lead to one very sick Hi-Koorime and it would all be her fault. If she had left Yusuke with Puu and taken Hiei herself than he would have spent a mere fraction of the time he had taken in this inhospitable weather.

 

“Yusuke-kun, see if you can get Puu to switch to his smaller size.” Said Ariana. “The rooms in my apartment are small enough that he'll be more than a bit cramped if he stays in his current form.”

 

Ariana let go of Yusuke and walked up to Hiei who had stopped walking when he saw him moving towards him. She placed a hand on his cheek and frowned when his skin barely felt warm against her hand and she could feel him shivering ever so slightly. This close she could also see that he was a bit pale. Both were not signs that a quick warm-up would be all that was needed to keep him from becoming sick.

 

“Shit. You're freezing cold.” Said Ariana. “We need to get you out of the rain and warmed up immediately.”

 

When Hiei didn't respond she picked him up, cradling the shivering fire demon hybrid close in an effort to share as much body heat as possible. She turned towards Yusuke and was relieved to see that that he was now holding Puu in his arms, having already coaxed the blue feather phoenix into its smaller form.

 

“What's wrong with Hiei?” Asked Yusuke worry filling both his voice and eyes as he looked at his friend.

 

“He spent too much time in the rain.” Said Ariana. “Fire elementals and cold water aren't exactly the best of friends. Come on. We need to get back to my place so that we can get Hiei-kun warmed up as quickly as possible.”

 

Not even twenty minutes later, Ariana had Hiei in her bathroom. The large bathtub was rapidly filling up with water so hot that steam was coming off of it and she was quickly pulling the shivering and barely responsive Hi-Koorime out of his freezing cold, thoroughly soaked clothing. She knew that the water was hot enough that she would barely be able to stand it, but the heat was exactly what Hiei needed and he was going to get it even if she had to make herself sick in the process.

 

Once Hiei was out of his clothes, Ariana laid him on a bench in the bathroom and quickly shed her own clothing. Then she picked Hiei back up and went straight for the tub.

 

Hiei started to become more responsive almost as soon as he was in the hot water. He laid his head on Ariana's shoulder, looking around sleepily until his eyes landed on Yusuke who was now sitting on the bench and giving Hiei a very worried look.

 

`Just tired.' Said Hiei, to Yusuke telepathically. `I shouldn't have stayed in that rain as long as I did.'

 

~*~

 

Kurama found Jin along with his ever-present partner Touya in a small home on a patch of land that Yusuke had given the two in Northern Toranin. His senses told him that the two of them were alone meaning that either Kagura and Kana had not found them or they had found them and had been defeated by Jin and Touya.

 

The front door was opened by Touya before Kurama was close enough to knock.

 

“What brings you out this far, Kurama?” Asked Touya. “Does Yusuke require our assistance with anything? We've been rather crazy rumors about him and Hiei being captured and Mukuro being outright slaughtered by one of Koenma's adopted sisters.”

 

“That's just it.” Said Kurama. “They aren't rumors.”

 

The ice wielder paled as he realized that what he had thought nothing more than tall tales being spread as fact were in fact real facts. He stepped out of the doorway.

 

“You might as well come inside.” Said Touya. “We have plans to make, friends to rescue, and peace to maintain.”

 

“I truly wish it could be that easy.” Said Kurama right before he walked into the small home. He, Jin, and Touya spent the night talking, then planning, and then deciding that they needed more information and scrapping all of their plans before they all went to bed at almost six the next morning. Kurama got the guestroom which was right across the hall from Jin and Touya'' bedroom.

 

~*~

 

The next morning Ariana woke almost a quarter of an hour before the time she had set her alarm clock for. She had Hiei in her arms and Yusuke, worry for his friend overriding his fears, was stretched out along Hiei's back.

 

The fact that Hiei had beat the odds and was still perfectly healthy was something that no one was going to take for granted. The night before it had taken three hours and two water changes before Hiei no longer needed the heat to keep himself from getting sick. But even after they had him out of the woods so to speak the Hi-Koorime was still utterly exhausted and had fallen to sleep the moment that his head had hit the pillow.

 

Ariana reached over and turned off the alarm clock, having no further use for it that morning.

 

That movement it seemed was enough to wake Yusuke who looked at Ariana over Hiei nervously, but considering what he had been through recently she really couldn't blame him for it.

 

“Did you sleep well?” Asked Ariana.

 

Yusuke hid his face in Hiei's hair and mumbled a response that Ariana could not understand.

 

“What'd you say?” Asked Ariana.

 

Yusuke looked at her for a second before once again hiding his face in Hiei's hair.

 

“Too early to be awake.” Said Yusuke.

 

“Actually it's almost time to get up.” Said Ariana. “I really don't think you want to see what happens when my father gets pissed off.”

 

Yusuke reluctantly sat up and that motion was enough to wake up Hiei who mumbled something about the bathroom before disappearing from the bed and reappearing at the bathroom door.

 

“I think that I'll take that as my cue to start breakfast.” Said Ariana, She leaned over Yusuke and quickly kissed his forehead before heading to the kitchen.

 

Yusuke followed Ariana into the kitchen, sat at the table, and then started to glare at it as if the table could be held responsible for the fact that he wasn't going to get anymore sleep.

 

A few seconds later Puu flew into the kitchen and landed on Yusuke's head. He didn't look any happier to be awake and promptly fell back asleep.

 

Ariana just turned around and got to work on breakfast. Even if neither of them seemed optimistic about it, she knew that Hiei and Yusuke needed a good breakfast. Besides, Saiyans never skipped meals when they could help it. To do so went against the grain on what was probably a genetic level and. even if it wasn't, no one was going to worry overly much on it.

 

It wasn't long after that that Hiei entered the kitchen and took a seat next to Yusuke.

 

About an hour later Ariana, Hiei, Yusuke, Puu, and Vegeta stepped through a portal in front of the Reikei Castle and into another dimension. Once there Ariana and Vegeta took to the air along with the now much larger Puu who was carrying both Yusuke and Hiei on his back. Not wanting to fly faster then the blue feather phoenix could keep up with, Vegeta and Ariana kept their pace down to half of what they usually would have flown at. If there was any conversation during the flight it was only between Hiei and Yusuke and probably telepathic because Ariana didn't hear either of the two say anything out loud.