Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Clean ❯ First Impression ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Original chapter posted May 16, 2004. Edited for grammar June 3, 2007.

Disclaimer: This story was written by me, mhmartini, for enjoyment purposes only. All characters taken from a show/series/book/etc. are property of their respective creators; I am only borrowing them. Original characters are mine. The storyline is mine. I am making no money from this endeavor. The only �profit� involved is the joy of writing and the reviews of my readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.16.2004 | Updated On: 06.03.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Completed

Kurama awoke to find himself lying on the floor with a blanket tucked around him and a pillow slipped under his head. As he slowly regained consciousness, he became aware of a rustling sound near him. He turned slightly towards the noise to find Shiori setting up a spare futon on his floor. He watched her for a few minutes before she realized he was up. "You seem to prefer the floor, while letting your friend stay on the bed, so I am making you a spot to rest," she answered his unvoiced question. Kurama smiled his thanks and took a deep breath. He turned to the window and noticed the sun was high in the sky. He realized he must have slept through the rest of the night and well into the next day. A groan issued from the bed above him. Kurama fought his way to a sitting position to check on Hiei.

Just as the fox had found himself, Hiei was tucked under a blanket, his head resting on a pillow. The fire demon looked anything but comfortable, however. His face was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and his head moved right and left slightly as his eyes (the two he was born with) seemed to roll under their lids. He began to moan again as he moved.

"Hiei?" Kurama inquired, concern building inside of him. This was not the deep, restful hibernation Hiei usually experienced after using his darkness flame technique to its fullest. This seemed more like a nightmare, and Hiei was not able to wake up. Kurama heaved himself up enough to lean on the side of the bed and reach out to his friend. "Hiei, wake up," he called gently as he softly shook the pained hiyoukai by the shoulder. The troubled demon would not awaken. Although Hiei remained unconscious, Kurama's touch seemed to lesson his discomfort, and he once again slipped into a more peaceful slumber. The small movement drained what little energy the kitsune had recovered and he slumped back to the floor, watching Hiei nervously.

"He was moaning before, while you slept. That's why I got up. He seemed to calm when I covered him and gave him the pillow," Shiori said softly as she approached her son. "Now it's your turn to rest in a bed." She led Kurama slowly to the waiting futon and tucked him in. She then sat by his side and played with his hair. The gentle touch of her hand was soothing and Kurama felt himself drifting off to sleep again.

When Shiori roused Kurama it was near dusk. She helped her son into an upright position and passed him a tray with some soup on it. She sat by his side as he ate quietly. When he peered towards the bed to check on Hiei he noticed the little demon looked much cleaner and more comfortable than he had before. Shiori had taken off Hiei's cloak and tank top, and bathed his face and chest with a towel, removing the worst of the caked on blood and grime. Kurama silently passed his empty bowl and tray back to his mother. Shiori placed them on the desk and started to help Kurama to his feet.

"Mother, what are you doing?" the tired fox asked curiously. He had fully intended to go right back to sleep.

"You need to get cleaned up, and I need to dress your wounds, Shuuichi," Shiori replied as she slowly guided him towards the bathroom. Kurama found that she had already drawn him a bath. She helped him to remove his shirt; only gasping quietly when she saw the long gashes that crossed his chest and back. One wound in particular stood out to her, a large, gaping stab wound on Kurama's right shoulder. This one was, by far, the deepest wound, and from the rivulets of dried blood tracing down his arm, it looked as if it had been reopened after it had clotted. Kurama stopped disrobing after his shirt was removed, waiting for his mother to leave the room. One glance from Shiori told him that was not the plan.

"Mother, I haven't bathed in front of you since I was a small child," Kurama protested weakly. Without a word Shiori simply let go of his arm. Kurama nearly fell flat on the floor. Before he had fallen too far she grabbed him and held him up, but her point was made.

After helping him into the tub Shiori cleaned the wounds on her son's back, chest and shoulder carefully. After seeing that he was steady enough to not slip under the water and drown, she excused herself from the bathroom leaving his robe beside the tub. When he was finished cleaning Kurama put on his robe and managed to stagger his way to the bedroom. He looked down at the futon with a smile. The sheets he had slept on, which were now nearly as dirty as he had been, were gone, replaced by fresh, new ones. There was a small tray next to the futon with a glass of water on it, and the first aid kit was out. As Kurama settled himself on the futon again, Shiori reappeared and started dressing his wounds. When she was satisfied that all of her son's injuries had been tended, she helped him get resettled under the covers. Kurama drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

Thus passed the next four days. Shiori would awaken her son to take some food and water, check his wounds and sit by his side as he fell back to sleep, usually playing with his hair or rubbing his back. Each day Kurama was able to stay awake longer and move around more. Hiei, on the other hand had yet to awaken. Several times Kurama saw him experience another nightmarish spell. Each time Kurama would call his name gently, and lay a hand on the fire demon's arm to calm him. What Kurama did not see were the many episodes Hiei went through while the fox slept. Shiori was never far from the room, and during these times would do the same as her son, calling to Hiei and stroking his hair until he calmed back down. She noticed the erratic changes in Hiei's temperature as she did this. Kurama had told her that his small friend was part fire demon, and as such could change his body temperature with his energy, but she was concerned nonetheless.

Finally on the afternoon of the fourth day Shiori walked into the bedroom, which was quite stuffy after housing two injured demons for so long, threw open the window and took out fresh clothes for her son. Kurama looked at her, slight confusion registering on his pale features. "You're getting up and getting outside today, Shuuichi. The fresh air will do you good. You need some movement and some sunshine," Shiori announced cheerfully.

"But Hiei..." Kurama started, but was cut off.

"Will be just fine right here. I'll get you settled in the garden and I will come back and sit with him." Kurama knew it was pointless to argue, and he did miss the outside. Now that he could walk with little difficulty the garden was sounding more and more inviting.

Kurama got off his futon, changed, and went downstairs without his mother's help, even if it was incredibly slowly. Shiori sat with him in the garden for a while, talking and laughing, and generally feeling good. She and her son had talked several times about his demon past, and she was curious what other skills he had that she did not yet know about. Kurama reached out and picked a flower bud from the garden and held it out to his mother. With a little of his rapidly returning ki he caused the tiny bud to burst into bloom and handed the flower to his mother. She smiled. "So now I know why you always were able to save my garden just when I thought I had killed them all!" She chuckled. Hearing the genuine laughter in his mother's voice reassured Kurama that she had truly accepted him and still loved him.

They had talked for a long while, and then fallen into a comfortable silence when Shiori excused herself to make good on her promise to watch over Hiei. When she entered the bedroom she saw the small form tangled in the covers, as if he had had a terrible nightmare. His face was covered in sweat and he cried out softly, almost whimpering. She quickly grabbed some cool water and a cloth and began dabbing his forehead over the ward. She had already seen what lay under the small bandage, and after that, was too afraid to remove the similar bandage on the apparition's right arm. Kurama had informed her that she was very right in not removing it, but had not elaborated on what it kept hidden. She laid the cool cloth over the ward on Hiei's forehead and began to call to him, stroking back his hair as she did.

Hiei had been locked in a dark prison for who knows how long. To him, it felt like an eternity. He tried to call out, but his voice was muffled and his movements slow. He drifted in and out of this state for an unknown amount of time, until a sensation outside of the void finally made its way through to him. He felt something cool on his forehead and felt something moving his hair. He slowly became aware of a soft, feminine voice calling his name. He tried to make his way towards the voice, towards something solid in his dark, shapeless world. When he opened his eyes he was shocked to see bright sunlight illuminating a face right in front of him. The face was female, wearing a look of deep concern, and above all else, was human! Hiei tried to spring to his feet in a defensive stance, not taking his eyes off the face while searching for an escape route. In theory, that is exactly what he would have done. In his weakened state, all he did was shift a little in his attempt to sit up.

Drawing a deep breath, Hiei eyed Shiori suspiciously and croaked in a raspy whisper "Where am I?" Shiori drew back from his burning gaze and could not answer. Hiei struggled into an upright position, ignoring the dizziness that swept over him as he did so. He looked around, and recognized this place as Kurama's room. He looked again at the startled, terrified human in front of him and realized that this was Kurama's human mother. Wondering why she would be at his side, and not Kurama, he sniffed the air curiously. He smelled the unmistakable scent of the kitsune, along with the fading smell of blood. Although Kurama's scent was recent, the blood smelled old, three, maybe four days.

"Where is Kurama? I know he has been here. Why are you here?" Hiei asked with a cold tone. He would never let anyone know, especially the pathetically weak human before him, but he was genuinely concerned for Kurama's well being. The fox had always been so cautious to hide the small fire demon from his human family. Kurama's absence and Shiori's presence could only mean that the youko had been in a condition that left him unable to hide from his mother. Hiei recalled their fight, and recalled seeing his friend take many wounds.

The small apparition turned his deepening concern into the only emotion he was comfortable expressing: sheer anger. Shiori's infuriating silence prompted him to snarl, "I asked where Kurama is, ningen!" Shakily, Shiori backed slowly away from the being in front of her. She had assumed that since this demon was a friend of her son, that his disposition would be similar. Now, looking at his cold expression and hearing his angry tone, she was more frightened than she had ever been before.

A gentle voice from the doorway broke through her haze of terror. "I am right here, Hiei. Calm down." Shiori turned to the door to find her son smiling at the smaller form on the bed.

"Hn." was the only reply.

Kurama stepped towards his mother and took her arm. "Mother, meet Hiei. Hiei, this is my mother, Shiori. She had helped tend to you for the past four days."

"Hn."

Kurama shook his head as he guided his trembling mother out of the room. "Hiei needs some time to adjust, Mother," Kurama whispered after he had closed the door to his room. "He is not used to being cared for, and he hates to be vulnerable." Shiori nodded numbly and turned and went to the kitchen. Kurama went to the get some water for his friend.

Shiori rambled around the kitchen in a daze. She was still quite shaken from the experience of an angry demon. She was concerned for her son. He had confided in her his feelings for the small apparition. She had never dreamed that her son would start to fall in love with a cold-hearted beast. Her desire for her son's happiness warred with her fear and slight revulsion at Hiei's mean nature. Of course, being a loving mother, Kurama's happiness won. For this reason she decided to try to like the fire youkai, albeit from a safe distance. As she began to prepare a light meal Kurama entered and got a glass of water. As he started to take it back to his room Shiori stopped him.

"Shuuichi? Don't you want to take him something to eat?" she asked quietly as she placed the food she had made onto a plate.

Hiei looked around the room again once he was left alone. He saw the futon on the floor. So that was where the fox had been sleeping. He noticed the first aid kit nearby, and realized that his wounds did not hurt as badly as they should. He looked himself over and found that not only were his wounds tended; he was cleaned up a bit. His cloak and tank top were clean, hanging over a nearby chair. Tentatively Hiei raised the covers draped over his waist and peeked under. He was relieved to note that his pants were exactly where he had left them: on his body. He picked up the wet cloth that had fallen from his head when he sat up. 'Hn, maybe humans are good for something after all,' he thought wryly to himself. He was about to attempt to get to his feet when the door opened. Kurama entered with a glass of water and some food.

When Hiei had finished eating and drinking Kurama took the tray and said softly "I think you scared Mother half to death."

"Hn. Humans are weak."

"Hiei, she cared for you and looked after you when I certainly could not." Hiei looked at his friend with no shimmer of emotion on his childlike features.

"How much does she know?" he asked in a very matter of fact tone.

"Pretty much everything. She knows what you are, and...and what I am." Kurama's voiced trailed off into a barely audible whisper as he finished, and he stared down at his hands. Although he was relieved at how easily his mother had accepted him, he still felt enormous guilt when he thought of all the lies he had given her in return for her selfless love. For the briefest of moments a flicker of sympathy flashed over Hiei's face. By the time Kurama looked up, however, the impassive mask Hiei always wore was firmly back in place, and a brief, "Hn." was his only response.

Hiei remained in Kurama's room for one more day before he was strong enough to flit out the window and into the distance. He had thought of visiting Yukina to be healed the rest of the way, but his sister had been in Ice World for several weeks, and was not expected to return for several more. Instead, Hiei chose to recover in the trees outside Genkai's temple.

Shiori could not say she was upset to see the small demon with the abrasive personality leave her house. She had tried on two occasions to speak to the fire youkai, but both times he simply gave her a disdainful look and replied with a brisk "Hn." She was beginning to think that was the extent of his vocabulary. Kurama was more concerned about Hiei's sudden departure, but he was relieved that he had left before Shiori's husband and stepson had returned from their trip. He knew his friend needed more time to recover. His own wounds were not healed yet. He recognized the tension between his mother and Hiei. He hoped that they would eventually become closer. It was difficult when the two beings he cared most for in the three worlds could not even hold a conversation.