Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Clean ❯ Reaching Out ( Chapter 4 )

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

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: 05.17.2004 | Updated On: 06.03.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed

Hiei stood frozen in the bright hospital room, back pressed against the wall, staring at his unconscious friend. He had no idea human healers used so many strange devices. His only healing experiences had been with reiki healers. When a spirit healer, like Botan, Yukina, and Genkai (who were all unreachable until who knows when) healed someone, they just focused their energy and the wounds were repaired. Then it was over, the patient was healed. He was completely unprepared for the sight of his fox among the machines and tubes. Shiori saw his discomfort and held out a hand to him. "Hiei, come sit down," she directed him gently. When he still did not move she called to him a bit more forcefully. "Hiei." The crimson eyes slowly turned towards her, wide and uncomprehending. "Come sit down," she said again, more softly this time. Hiei returned his bewildered gaze to the redhead in the bed and slowly slid a foot forward, towards the empty chair next to the human woman. After several tentative steps he reached the seat and sank down into it, never breaking his stare at the kitsune. Shiori had turned her attention back to her son and was gently rubbing his hand in hers, tears welling in her eyes.

After few minutes Hiei found his voice, and asked very quietly, "What the doctor said earlier, what did it mean?" He had dismissed the emergency rooms physician's assessment because he thought that the ningen would heal his fox, and they would be leaving that night. Apparently this was not to be.

Shiori's concern for her son was first and foremost in her mind, but she noticed how oddly the little fire demon had been acting since the ambulance ride. His normal, aloof demeanor was replaced by fear, something she had never thought to see from this being. She realized that Hiei was not of the human world, and many of the things that humans understood and took for granted were new and terrifying for him. His reaction in the elevator has startled her, and she was glad she could provide at least some comfort to him in return for the tremendous comfort he had unknowingly provided her when he came with her to the hospital. Shiori drew a slow breath and began to explain the doctor's assessment to the hiyoukai.

"Shuuichi is badly injured. He lost a lot of blood from his wounds, especially the one that went right thr..." Her breath caught as she tried to continue, the memory of the wound she was describing tearing at her heart. "...Right through him. His ribs are broken, making it difficult for him to breathe. If he continues to have difficulty, they will put him on a machine called a respirator. That would mean that they would put a tube down his throat into his windpipe and the machine would force air in and out of his lungs to keep him alive."

"That sounds...unpleasant," Hiei murmured, shocked by the barbaric nature of human medicine. "I don't think Kurama would appreciate that."

"Shuuichi won't know it's happening because he is in a coma," Shiori replied, the tears in her eyes finally breaking free and running down her face.

"Coma?" Hiei asked.

"It's..." Shiori struggled to find an adequate explanation for the demon. "It's a state of unconsciousness that's different from being asleep."

"He's been knocked out," Hiei concluded.

"No, it's different from that too. It's almost as if his body has shut down and he cannot awaken. Although he is alive, the doctors do not know how long it will take for him to wake up. People have remained in comas for years and never...never..." She couldn't finish. Shiori leaned forward and placed her forehead on the edge of the bed and began crying harder, forceful sobs wracking her small frame. The enormity of the situation finally registered in Hiei's mind. His fox may stay asleep for years, and even die in this unnatural slumber. This continued through the rest of the night, Shiori crying brokenly, and Hiei staring at Kurama's lifeless form.

When the sun's rays began peeking through the window, Shiori's tears finally ran out. She rose from the bedside. "I have to call my husband. He and my stepson were visiting his brother overnight, and he has no idea what has happened. They should be home by now," she said in a strange, detached voice. She slipped out behind Hiei's chair and went to the nurses' station to find a phone.

Before she called she rehearsed her cover story Hiei had given her right after the attack. When her husband answered, she tried to keep her voice calm, but he knew immediately something was amiss. "Yes, dear, it's me. No, everything is not all right. There was...a break in last night. Some street gang members tried to attack me. No, Shuuichi protected me; I'm fine. But Shuuichi...Shuuichi.... He's in the hospital, in bad shape. They don't know if he'll be okay. Yes. He's on the sixth floor. Critical care unit. Okay, ten minutes in the lobby. Yes, would you bring some things? Thank you." Shiori hung up and leaned heavily against the wall for a moment before turning to go back to her son's side.

Alone with his fox, Hiei reached out and gently picked up Kurama's hand in his own. He was shocked at its cold temperature. He held the frigid hand between his own two and slowly began feeding his ki into the unconscious fox. Hiei's healing powers were very limited on anyone except himself. He had the power to heal, but due to his fire demon nature, his energy was very hot. If he flooded the fox with the required amount of energy the wounds would heal, and the healing body would be engulfed in flames. The hiyoukai had no idea how to moderate his ki to heal without causing more damage, so he did what he could, trying to bring Kurama's body temperature back into the normal range gradually. He knew if he brought the fox's temperature back up too quickly the body before him would go into shock and die. He was so intent upon his work that he did not notice Shiori's return.

Shiori stood watching the small being in front of her holding her son's hand. She knew he was doing something, but being unfamiliar with ki and demon powers, she was not sure exactly what. It was obvious, however, that he was trying to help. When Hiei finally removed his hands from Kurama's, Shiori placed a gentle touch on his shoulder and whispered, "Thank you, Hiei."

Shiori did not resume her seat by Kurama's bedside. "Hiei, my husband and stepson will be arriving in the lobby in about ten minutes. I have to go down and meet them. Please come along, I would like to introduce you, since I would assume they will be seeing you often while they visit." Hiei looked up, startled. Someone -wanted- to introduce him to their family? That was one of the most welcoming offers he had ever received.

"Okay," He said softly, and with a quick glance back at his fox he stood and followed Shiori out of the room.

Shiori informed the nurses that she would be going to the lobby to meet her family, and that they would probably get some food at the gift shop/snack bar before they returned. The nurses agreed to page her immediately if anything changed. Shiori and Hiei walked slowly back to the elevator. Hiei looked at the box-room with disgust as he stepped in. This time, at least, there was no one else in there with them. He was in the middle of thinking that the box was a stupid ningen contraption, but at least it had moved upwards and not... His thoughts were interrupted as the floor seemed to fall out from under him, and he felt himself, not for the first time in his life, plunging downwards into the unknown. Hiei gave a strangled cry and flung himself backwards against the corner, grabbing the support rails until his knuckles were white. Shiori, shocked by his reaction, reached out instinctively and gathered the demon into an embrace.

"It's okay, Hiei, we're almost at the lobby," she murmured. Hiei sank to a sitting position on the floor, shaking. Shiori knelt with him, never letting go.

"Just like then.... they threw me.... I fell...," he muttered through ashen lips. Shiori heard the chime indicating they had reached their desired floor.

"Come on, Hiei, time to get up now." She helped the little youkai back to his feet quickly, and when the doors parted all that the waiting people saw was a human woman with her hand on the shoulder of a very pale looking boy. As they exited the elevator, Shiori wondered what Hiei had meant. She wondered what other secrets and traumas this small demon held concealed from the world. His rough attitude started making more sense to her.

Shiori's family arrived in the lobby only a few minutes after she and Hiei had. Her husband gathered her into a strong embrace, and the weariness that she had been ignoring rose to claim her. He guided her into the snack area and sat her in a booth. He looked up curiously at the boy in black with black spiky hair that had followed them. Before he could ask anything Shiori interjected, "This is Hiei. He is Shuuichi's best fiend. Hiei, this is my husband. Hiei was there when.... He came with us to the hospital." The human male turned to the small apparition and nodded his thanks. After a brief meal that Shiori barely touched, and Hiei didn't touch at all, they all rose to return to Kurama's room.

As they approached the elevator again Hiei stopped short. Noticing this, Shiori drew him aside and whispered, "The stairs are right through that door behind us. Sixth floor." Hiei half-smiled at her gratefully before turning and entering the staircase. Kurama's family was somewhat unnerved when the elevator doors slid open on the sixth floor to reveal Hiei waiting for them, not even out of breath.

After getting over the initial shock of Kurama's condition, the family and Hiei stayed by his bedside for the rest of the morning in silence. Around noon Shiori's husband remembered something and told her. "When we arrived home there was a message for Shuuichi from a boy named Yusuke. He said it was urgent." Shiori looked up at Hiei. She had no idea how to contact Yusuke, or what to tell him.

Hiei simply stated, "I'll talk to him." With a last look at his fox, Hiei slipped out of the room, and went up the stairs to the roof. He flitted across the rooftops to Yusuke's house.

Kuwabara had arrived earlier that morning, and was sitting on Yusuke's floor. Both of them felt the approaching ki and Yusuke opened his window before the fire demon had a chance to knock. "Good, you're here. Spirit World Intelligence found out that there are three more pumped up demon scum bags roaming around Tokyo. They were spotted over near the east side, near Kurama's neighborhood last night, but then they disappeared."

"Your information is old, Detective. They are dead," the hiyoukai said abruptly.

"Good. Then we can get on with the rest of the mission to find their boss. Now we just need to wait for Kurama to call me back...."

"He won't call," Hiei stated flatly, not making eye contact with either of the boys in the room with him.

"That's not like him, Kurama always returns his calls," Kuwabara noted.

"Kurama is unable to call anyone. He is in a ningen hospital."

Yusuke and Kuwabara both jumped to their feet. "What?" they yelled in unison.

"Last night the three demons attacked his mother. He tried to defend her, but was overpowered. I barely arrived in time." Hiei spit the last sentence out, full of self-contempt.

"Damn, I knew he was hurting yesterday after our fights, but I didn't think there were any other baddies waiting to attack," Yusuke said in a subdued voice.

"So, why don't we just go talk to him in the hospital?" Kuwabara asked.

"Talk to him all you want, you great oaf. He won't answer. He's in a coma," Hiei replied scathingly. This caught Yusuke and Kuwabara completely off guard. Yusuke leaned back against a wall with his mouth agape; Kuwabara actually sat right down on the floor again. They both knew that the fox spirit was very strong, and an ingenious fighter. They had seen him take many injuries, and he always smiled and pulled through. He had passed out a few times, sure, but a coma?

After the news had sunk in for a few minutes Kuwabara stood up. "What are we standing here for? We need to go visit our friend. His mom must be a wreck," the tall boy said. The trio left and began walking to the hospital.

When the three 'boys' entered the room, Kurama's family looked up in surprise. Two of the visitors were hunched over and out of breath. "Dammit, Hiei...why'd you make...us go up...the stairs?" Yusuke puffed out between gasps.

"Yeah, Shrimp...there's elevators...for a reason you know!" Kuwabara added breathily.

"Hn." (Guess who)

Kurama's stepfather rose to his feet and cleared his throat. "Shiori, you need some rest. I will take you and Shuuichi-kun home now. I'm sure Shuuichi's friends would like some time to visit." As he guided her out of the room, Shiori reached out a hand and placed it on Hiei's shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered. Hiei gave her a half smile and turned to face his fallen friend. Yusuke and Kuwabara watched in shocked silence. To the best of their knowledge no human had ever touched Hiei and lived. Realizing now was probably not the best time to poke fun they judiciously kept their mouths closed.

After a tense silence that seemed to last forever (but was actually only about ten minutes) the three were startled to hear a popping noise and see a teenage Koenma emerge from the corner of the room. The demigod began speaking without even noticing the fourth occupant of the room. "Well, it was certainly tough to find you guys! Spirit World is in shambles. Several demons broke into my office yesterday afternoon and messed up all my paperwork. They even smashed my television, so I have no idea what has been going on in the human world. To top it all off Botan has gone missing. I think it has to do with our newest enemy, so I need you guys to go find Kurama and track this demon scum down." The junior deity barely stopped for air until he finished, and when he did, he wondered why the three detectives were staring at him with such a look on their faces. "What?" he asked impatiently. "And what are you guys doing in a hospital?" he added as he turned to the bed. When he saw who was laying there he nearly fell back flat on his holy butt. "What the...Kurama?" He continued to stumble backwards, practically into Kuwabara. The tall boy grasped Koenma's shoulder and guided him to a chair. "What the hell happened to him?" Koenma asked incredulously.

"He was attacked, courtesy of our newest enemy," Hiei replied shortly.

"Oh my. He doesn't look too good," Koenma noted.

"Actually, for a guy who nearly died and is in a coma, he doesn't look so bad. Now that you're here we can just get some Spirit World style healing and we'll be on our merry way," Yusuke replied.

"Sorry, Yusuke, no can do," Koenma said quietly.

"Wha....why the hell not?" the spirit detective yelled.

"Urameshi, shut up, we're in a hospital. They'll kick us out if we get too loud," Kuwabara hissed.

"Fine," Yusuke replied, much more softly. "I am going to be very calm and quiet when I ask you: why the hell can't you get off your diapered ass and make Kurama better?"

"Yusuke, I cannot heal. Spirit World, as a general rule, has few, if any healers. We don't make people better; we collect their souls when they're dead. Why would dead souls need healers? Botan is actually our only trained healer. I convinced my father that if I was going to put you in danger in the first place, the least I could do was to provide you that. But, as I said before, Botan is missing. She never came back from informing you about the three additional demons yesterday evening."

"Great. This just gets better and frickin' better," Yusuke grumbled.