Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Disease ❯ Chapter 16

I am such a lazy person. I am also a bad person, letting this story sit here and not updating. Well, today I finish it. This is the penultimate chapter; after this, I'll post the last chapter. I'm working on the final story to end what turned into a mini-saga, and once I have time to finish and edit it, I'll post that, too. I've been at school, so I've been studying. I do have a somewhat valid excuse, but I will try to do better.

 

Serena SilverMoon: You are so patient. This will finish up the story for now. I'm semi-almost done with the last one, so please bear with me. Kurama's brother and step-father are pretty brave to face Hiei down, I agree. I don't remember where I saw Serena's last name, but it showed up in a lot of sites I looked at. It's here Japanese last name, but that's good enough for me. Kagome's sickness probably has something to do with the demon…I'm not sure ^_^. The STN won't find who they're looking for, and the other questions must remain unanswered for now, I'm afraid. Still, enjoy the last couple of chapters!

 

~*~

 

Kurama woke up the next morning feeling drained still. I wish yesterday was just a dream. Why did it affect me like that? I knew she asked me to move on, but I didn't think she'd forget me so quickly. Rubbing his eyes, he swung his feet over the edge of his bed, looked down, and stared. Now this wasn't something you saw every day. Hiei was still on the bed. Asleep. In Robin's arms.

 

“Did I miss something?” he asked aloud.

 

Unfortunately, his question woke up Robin. Still halfway asleep, she raised her head and looked up at him. “Good morning,” she said, smiling.

 

“Good morning,” he responded. “What happened last night?” he asked, indicating her and the still sleeping Hiei.

 

“Oh.” She blushed. “He needed some comfort after his bad news, just like you did.”

 

“How did you get him to stay on the bed with you?” he asked.

 

“We came up with a compromise. He wanted me to stay on it, but I wanted him to stay on it, so we both just decided to stay together.”

 

I never would've guessed that Hiei would fall for a ningen. That's the only explanation I can think of to explain this. I would've thought he'd die before sleeping in the same bed as a ningen, and a female one at that! I'm afraid that he's become a little too attached to the residents of the Higurashi Shrine.

 

“Um, Kurama? Do you mind if I change really fast?” Robin was asking him.

 

“Oh, no, go ahead. Would you like me to leave?”

 

“No, I'll just change in the bathroom. Tell me when it's safe to come out.”

 

“Of course.”

 

He watched as she tried to get Hiei to let go of her and failed. “Here, let me help,” he offered. Kneeling beside her, he carefully slid her shirt out of Hiei's fists. This isn't the shirt I gave her last night? Did she not like it? “He looks so peaceful when he sleeps,” he commented as Robin got her clothes together.

 

“Yes, he does,” she agreed. Once she closed the bathroom door he quickly go out his school uniform and put it on. He was just running a comb through his long hair when Robin called him. “Kurama?”

 

“I'm decent,” he replied, not looking away from the mirror. He heard her open the door.

 

“Thank you for letting me use your clothes,” she said.

 

“Thank you for staying,” he responded. “I needed you yesterday.”

 

“I know.”

 

When he turned around, she was looking at Hiei with a somewhat tender look on her face that disappeared when she noticed him looking at her. Deciding to ignore it for now, he stood up and started getting his homework into his backpack. “I'm surprised he's still here,” he said conversationally. “Most of the time he's already gone by the time I'm awake.”

 

“He had a rough day yesterday,” Robin reminded him. “Besides, I think he needs this extra rest.”

 

Kurama was about to say something else, but movement on the bed jerked his attention back to Hiei. The small demon was just beginning to stir. Kurama was surprised at how innocent he looked when he first woke up; he reminded him of a child, almost. The fox observed how Hiei slowly opened his eyes, and how his face transformed when the first thing he saw was Robin. Love and trust were shining on both their faces. Interesting. I'll have to remember this.

 

Then they noticed him watching them and the emotions vanished instantly, like they never existed. “I'm glad you're finally up,” he said to Hiei's glare and Robin's neutral glance.

 

Hiei gave his usual “Hn” and got up. Robin moved to give him a hand, but he ignored it. “Shouldn't you two still be asleep?” he asked.

 

“It's 6:30,” Kurama informed him. “You slept late.”

 

Hiei's eyes darted to the alarm clock. “How is that possible?” he asked more to himself than either Kurama or Robin. “I never get up this late.”

 

“You've been running yourself ragged ever since we started looking for Gotenmaru,” Kurama reminded him. “I think all the lack of sleep has been catching up to you.”

 

“You needed the extra sleep,” Robin added. “But enough of that. We need to get to school.” That last comment was directed at Kurama.

 

“You are correct,” Kurama agreed.

 

She smiled. “Shall we?”

 

“If you want to go down, go ahead. I'll join you in a second.” Once she left, he turned to Hiei. “Care to explain?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.

 

“No.”

 

“I don't think a `no' is going to cut it, Hiei.”

 

“I do.”

 

“Hiei.” He had a warning note in his voice. “You know you can't get emotionally attached to these people. If Koenma finds out just how attached you are, he'll put someone else on the case.”

 

“I've had this case for two years,” Hiei reminded him.

 

“That's an awfully long time to have found out as little as you have. I know you've found the fossilized power and the well, but what else? You haven't told Koenma that the well connects the past with the present or that people actually use it.”

 

“So?”

 

“You'll have to tell him eventually.”

 

“I can't do that. He'll close the well.”

 

“Why would that matter? If demons come through, then he'll find out. Besides, what happens if Tanner finds out? There won't be anything you could do then. And you can't be on this case for the rest of your life.”

 

“I don't plan to,” Hiei said curtly. “I just haven't found the real source of power.”

 

“It isn't the well?” Who does he think he's talking to? He can't out-lie me.

 

Hiei shook his head. “It's something else. The well may contribute to it, but I think it's the combined power of the fossilized power and someone.”

 

“Kagome?”

 

“No,” he said, a little too quickly. “She doesn't have enough power for those blasts, even combined with her ancestors' power.”

 

“Robin, then? She is quite extraordinary. Especially getting you to take comfort in her.”

 

“No, she has no miko power at all. Even you would've felt it if she did. It might be Kagome's brother, Sota.”

 

“It's a start, I suppose,” Kurama sighed. “I can't believe you haven't found out more. As you said earlier, you've been on the case for two years, and that's all you've come up with.”

 

“I'm working on it,” the fire demon snapped. “I have to walk carefully around Tanner, and I keep getting called off the job to do something else, like hunting for Gotenmaru.”

 

“I would love to continue this conversation, but I'm afraid school calls, and my mother will probably want an explanation as to why Robin is still here.” Kurama rose and, grabbing his schoolbag, sauntered out the door. He didn't hear any screaming coming from downstairs, so he didn't think things were going too badly. He poked his head in the kitchen and saw Robin talking amiably with his mother at the table. “Good morning,” he greeted Shiori as he sat down.

 

“I didn't know she was spending the night,” Shiori commented as she passed him an egg omelet.

 

“We didn't know, either, until later,” he said, accepting the plate. “She and Hiei stayed in my room.”

 

“Oh, I didn't know Hiei was here, too,” his mother remarked.

 

“He left earlier,” he informed her, eating his food. “Robin, we need to go or we'll be late.”

 

“Have fun you two,” Shiori called after them as they walked down the driveway and towards their schools.

 

“I'm sorry to hear about Kagome,” he said. “I guess Hiei took it hard.”

 

She looked down. “Yes,” she replied.

 

“Do you know why?” he prodded.

 

“He seems to be closer to her than the rest of us,” she answered. “Not that he's very close to any of us,” she hastily added.

 

“That's odd,” Kurama murmured.

 

“Why?”

 

“Hiei doesn't care about anyone except Yukina.”

 

“Who's Yukina?”

 

“His sister, though she doesn't know it yet.”

 

“He has a sister?” She sounded surprised.

 

“Yes. She left her home to find him, but for some reason he refuses to tell her who he is.” Now why didn't he mention Yukina to her?

 

“I'm…sure he has his reasons,” she said doubtfully.

 

They came to their intersection. “I guess I don't know when I'll see you again,” Kurama started, “but don't be a stranger. I can't guarantee that I'll be home, but feel free to drop by any time.”

 

She smiled. “Same to you,” she said, “though I probably will be at my home. Unless I'm at the hospital.” She dropped her smile at that last bit. “Anyway, take care.”

 

~*~

 

“Where were you last night?” Michael demanded once he saw her.

 

“At Kurama's,” she replied. “I needed to tell him about Jordan, and he knew where Hiei was.”

 

“That still doesn't explain why you stayed all night.”

 

“He needed me.”

 

“He needed you,” he repeated, like he wasn't sure he heard her correctly.

 

“Yes. He asked me to stay, so I did. It was a good thing I did, actually. Hiei needed someone to comfort him also, and I couldn't have done that if I was at home.”

 

He looked like he was going to scold her more, but the warning bell sang out, so he just stalked to class. She slid into her seat a before the tardy bell rang, so she had some extra time to breathe and get herself back into the mindset of `school'. Unfortunately, before she could even start, Yusuke and Kuwabara came in and sat down next to her. “So, I heard Michael was in a tizzy about you not being home on time,” Yusuke started out.

 

“Kurama wanted me to stay, so I did.”

 

“He's never done that before,” Kuwabara said.

 

“I gave him some distressing news, so I was there for moral support more than anything else.”

 

The final bell sounded, so they went to their assigned seats. Looking around the room, Robin noticed how many people were missing due to the sickness that was going around. So many are gone, and the doctors still don't know how to cure it, or even what it is.

 

At lunch Michael refused to even look at her. The four of the just sat there, not saying much. Once he was finished, Michael stood up and left for class early, leaving Robin to stare after him. Kuwabara followed her gaze and said soothingly, “He was just worried about you. Don't worry about it; he'll forgive you.”

 

“I hope you're right,” she said, packing up her stuff. “I'm going to class early, too, so I'll see you guys tomorrow. Good luck looking for Gotenmaru,” she called over her shoulder.

 

At the end of the day, Michael was there waiting for her like he usually did, but he still didn't look or say anything to her. They walked halfway home in silence before Robin broke it. “I'm sorry for worrying you, Michael,” she said.

 

“I know,” he replied to the white fence they were passing.

 

“Then why won't you look at me?” she asked, frustrated.

 

He turned to her. His eyes were filled with worry and hurt. “You could've at least called,” he reprimanded her. “What was I supposed to think, anyway? How was I to know that something didn't happen while you were on your way back?”

 

“I'm sorry,” she repeated softly. “I was busy yesterday, but I'll try to call next time.”

 

“I guess I'll have to accept that,” Michael said. “Alright, you're forgiven now. Happy?” He smiled to show he actually did forgive her.

 

She smiled back at him. “While I'm thinking about it, how have the interviews been?”

 

They chatted away the rest of the walk. Robin learned that he was done with everything, and they would start work during the summer. “That's good,” she said. “I'll be glad to have a break every now and then. How many days do they work?”

 

“Just three times a week.”

 

Their chatter wandered from subject to subject, not settling on any particular topic for a long period of time. They were just happy to be on speaking terms again.

 

Upon entering the house, they were greeted with an unexpected sight. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall of the kitchen while Miroku and Sango were sitting in two of the chairs, watching their children crawl around. “We weren't expecting company,” Michael said. “Nice to see you guys again.”

 

The married couple stood up and Inuyasha leaned away from the wall. “Sorry to barge in on you like this, but Kira started bothering us again, and when Inuyasha told us what happened to Kagome, we couldn't stay away,” Miroku explained.

 

“Feel free to stay as long as you like,” Robin said politely. “I'll go set up the beds.” Turning to Inuyasha, she asked, “Are you going to want a room, too, or are you just going to use Kagome's room?”

 

He blushed and muttered, “I'll just stay in her room.”

 

She smiled at the embarrassed hanyou and left them. No rest for the weary. Oh, well, they're family. It shouldn't be bad.

 

~*~

 

Kurama smiled at a random girl in the hallway as he headed out the door and watched her swoon. There's not much point in doing that. It won't make me like her any more and probably less. At least my friends don't do that. Jordan didn't do that, either. No! Stop that right now! She's married now, and won't think twice about you again. You just need to move on, like she told you to.

 

He stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the lights to turn along with a crowd of other people. I don't know why I couldn't focus in school today. True, yesterday was trying, but I've had more trying days. This just isn't my week. He saw the people around him start to cross the street, so he moved also. I can't afford to be distracted, especially if I run into Gotenmaru. A rush of dizziness came upon him once his foot touched the curb. What's this? No, it can't be! I refuse to believe it. He was still arguing with himself when blackness covered his vision. I can't be sick…

 

~*~