Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Disease ❯ Chapter 14

As a warning, small bits of OOC-ness exist, especially with Kurama. And, on a different track, I can't believe how many -ly words I found in this chapter. It's horrible!

 

~*~

 

At school the next day, Robin didn't have a hard time tracking Yusuke down. “Have you seen Hiei recently?” she asked him.

 

“Yeah, he's still looking for that psychic demon,” he responded, more focused on his food than her question.

 

“Do you know where he is right now?”

 

“No, but Kurama could probably tell you.”

 

Sigh. “Can you tell me where he lives?”

 

He looked at her in surprise. “Um, yeah, but won't you see him after school?”

 

“No, he's been going straight home, then out to look for that demon, just like you and Kuwabara have been doing.”

 

He gave her the directions to Kurama's house after he wrote them down on a spare sheet of paper. She thanked him and waited impatiently for school to let out. Once it did, she ran for her locker, dumped everything, thanked God she didn't have any homework, and ran out the door. Michael already knew she probably wouldn't be walking home, so there wasn't a reason to tell him again.

 

After getting lost several times, she finally made it to Kurama's house. After ringing the doorbell, she waited a few moments and a woman Robin assumed was his mother answered the door. “Can I help you?” she asked.

 

“Um, yes, my name is Robin, and I was wondering if Ku--, I mean, Shuichi is home yet?”

 

The woman smiled. “I don't think he's left yet. Come in, come in.” The woman opened the door wider so Robin could enter, and then closed it behind her. “It's not often when Shuichi's friends come over. I'll tell him you're here.” She walked over to the stairs while Robin sat down in the living room. “Shuichi, a friend of yours is here to see you.”

 

“Coming, Mother,” his voice answered. Footsteps on the stairway signaled his arrival. When he saw who it was, he stopped. “Oh, hello, Robin, I wasn't expecting you.” He sat down in a chair next to hers, and his mother left them alone.

 

“I came to ask if you knew where Hiei was,” she said, getting straight to the point. Well, one of them.

 

“At this particular moment, no,” he admitted, “but he'll probably be over tonight.”

 

“Tonight?”

 

“Yes, he's taken to staying here with me since we haven't caught Gotenmaru yet.”

 

“Why hasn't he come home?”

 

“He doesn't want to relax while he's still on the job. It's not because he doesn't want to go home,” he quickly assured her. He paused. “Did you want to wait here for him?”

 

“Oh, no, it wouldn't be right if you went out and I stayed here,” she said, but he waved her words aside.

 

“No, I would stay with you.”

 

“Don't you normally go out to find Gotenmaru around now?” she asked, confused.

 

He smiled. “Normally, yes, but one day won't make much difference. We found him before; we can find him again. Besides, Hiei hasn't had much luck locating him lately, so odds are he won't find him again today. Once he gives up he'll come here.” His expression grew curious. “Why did you want to know where he is? I don't believe that he's been gone for longer than usual.”

 

“I have some news for him,” she said, unwilling to tell the redhead about their true relationship with the fire Koorime since he obviously didn't know about it. “Also, I have some news for you. I can tell you now or I can tell you when Hiei's here.”

 

He grew thoughtful. “Is it good news or bad news?”

 

“For him, it's both good and bad. For you…I think for you it's all bad news.” She looked down so she wouldn't have to see his now troubled expression.

 

“If it's bad, then I think I want to hear it now.”

 

Figures. Now I have to give bad news to two different people at two different times. She lifted her face so she could look at him. “The first one you might already know. Kagome is in the hospital because of some sort of illness that's been going around. She was one of the first people to catch it.”

 

“I'm sorry to hear that. No, I didn't know. I haven't seen Yusuke or Kuwabara for some time now. Was that it?”

 

“Unfortunately, no.” She looked at her hands, unable to look at him when she told him the bad news. “Do you remember Serena Tsukino? The one Hiei seemed close to, but she stayed in Makai?” At his nod, which she saw out of her peripheral vision, she continued. “She's back.”

 

His hand was suddenly grabbing her wrist, and she involuntarily looked up and met his gaze, green to green. “What did you say?” he asked.

 

“She's back. She followed a demon through a portal and came here.” She knew what was going through his mind; now she had to shatter his illusion. “Crystal and Jordan weren't with her.”

 

His hand tensed. “I see. I suppose this was a spontaneous thing, and she was alone.”

 

She shook her head. “No, this was planned. She had been watching this particular demon for some time before the portal opened.”

 

“She didn't tell them about it?”

 

“No, she did tell them. They didn't come because they didn't want to, or rather, Jordan didn't because Crystal didn't want her to.”

 

“And why was that?” His voice sounded as tense as his hand felt.

 

“It would've been dangerous for her in her condition.”

 

“What condition?” Looking up, she saw that while he looked calm on the outside, his eyes were filled with panic.

 

“There isn't an easy way to tell you this,” she started but couldn't go on. Kurama tightened his grip on her wrist and brought it up. Painfully. She gasped and met his eyes, but he missed the signs that he was close to breaking her bones.

 

“What happened to her?” His voice was deadly quiet. He didn't even use this voice on the demon back in Makai. I hope we have enough Hiruseki stones to pay for all the hospital bills we're going to have once he lets go.

 

“She's expecting a child any day now.” There. It was out. And, of course, she forgot to look away and saw what she dreaded seeing in anyone: despair; with no hope left and nothing to live for. “She wasn't able to come because her husband and Crystal were afraid that it might hurt the baby.”

 

Abruptly he let go of her and sagged against the back of his chair. His emerald green eyes, almost the same shade as her own, were distant and full of unfathomable hurt. “Why is Serena here, if Jordan was like that? Why didn't Crystal come?” She could barely hear him now.

 

“Apparently you forgot about the twin bond between Jordan and Crystal. If Jordan wasn't allowed to come, then Crystal wasn't about to go without her. Besides, she has an infant to look after now. Serena's here because she isn't needed in Makai anymore, and she doesn't have a child or husband to hold her back.” She paused, then asked hesitantly, “Did you want me to leave?”

 

He shook his head. “No, you need to tell Hiei still.” He put his head in his right hand so it covered his eyes. “I can't say I was expecting this,” he muttered.

 

“I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you, but I figured that I might as well since I had to see you anyway.” Robin leaned over and patted his hand. He only shook his head, not taking it out of his hand. Then the rest of him started to shake. Not wanting his mother to come in and see why her baby was upset, she tugged gently on his hand, urging him up. “Let's go somewhere else,” she pleaded with the distraught boy, not sure if he could hear her. Apparently she was wrong because he nodded and trudged up the steps with her in his wake.

 

After a few turns, he entered a door, and she followed him, closing said door behind them. Turning around, she wished she hadn't. They were in his bedroom. “Don't,” Kurama commanded when she made to reopen it. How he could see what she was doing with his back to her wasn't something she could comprehend. Not sure what to do next, she stood by the door while he sank down on his bed and covered his face with his hands. “You can sit on the chair,” he said, his voice muffled by his hands.

 

Assuming he meant the one by the desk, she sat down and looked around. It was orderly, even more so than Michael's room. There was nothing in here to suggest that this wasn't a human boy living here and a demon thief was. Well, there was an extra bed on the floor, but that was for Hiei, probably. Turning her attention to the desk, she noticed the unfinished math homework. I don't think he's going to be finishing this tonight. Looking closer, she realized that this was stuff she'd seen Michael do. “Um, Kurama? I don't think you'll be in any condition to finish your homework tonight, and since I'm the bearer of bad news, did you want me to do this? It would only be fair,” she added.

 

“No, I'll do it,” he sighed, dragging himself off the bed and to her side. “I don't think you would understand this.”

 

“Actually, I've watched Michael do this kind of thing, and he explained it to me, so I could do this for you.”

 

“No, it's better to keep busy when something's wrong.” He seemed to be debating something. Then, “Here. You can do this for me, and I'll do the rest.” He gave her half of what he had left and he took the rest back to his bed.

 

“Okay, we have Japanese and Chemistry,” she muttered under her breath. “Not bad. I can do this.” Within two hours she had completed the assignments. Pleased with herself, she turned around to see if Kurama needed any help. To her surprise, he was still staring at his math homework, and it didn't look like he even got to his English assignments. “Kurama?”

 

He looked up. “It's not making sense right now,” he muttered. In his eyes she could see unshed tears.

 

“Here, let me do it.” Ignoring his weak protests, she joined him and started working on his math homework. This took her a while because she wasn't used to this kind of math and he wasn't helping her at all, trying to get his work back and all, but she prevailed and hauled his English book over. This didn't take her long at all since she was very familiar with the language, both verbal and written. When she was finished, she lugged both books back to his desk and put them on top of his other textbooks. Once that task was completed, she sat down next to him on the bed again. “Now you're homework's done,” she stated.

 

“You didn't have to do that,” he said. “I would have done it.”

 

“But now you don't have to worry about it,” she pointed out.

 

“I also have nothing to distract me.”

 

I hope he doesn't take offense to this. Before she could lose her nerve, she leaned over and hugged him. That released the floodgates, and he crumpled against her, sobbing. She held him and rocked back and forth, just like she did with Hiei when he was younger. This is a bit strange, but I'm just glad he isn't trying to hold it in himself like he was earlier. This is probably going to last a while if this is releasing his pent-up emotions ever since the summer.

 

She was right; it did last for a while. It was surprising that his mother didn't come up. Even if she didn't hear her son crying, wouldn't she have wondered what she and her son were doing? They had been up here for quite a while.

 

She looked out the window and bit back a gasp. It was completely dark outside. How long have I been here? She was still holding Kurama, rubbing his back in small circles and making soft soothing noises.

 

He murmured something. “I'm sorry, what was that?” Robin bent her head down so she could hear what he was trying to say.

 

“The window,” he repeated.

 

Not sure she was hearing him correctly, she asked, “Did you want me to open the window?” When she felt him nod, she started to get up, but was yanked back down when he clung to her and refused to let go. “I guess you're coming with me,” she huffed. Pushing harder, she managed to stagger up and support both herself and Kurama. Hobbling over to the window, she used her free hand to open it. Anyone watching us is probably dying of laughter right about now. I bet this isn't something people see every day. Unable to support both of them, she half-lunged--half-fell back onto the bed and resumed soothing the still-distraught Kurama. This was how Hiei found them.