Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Clean ❯ Awakening-Feelings and Friends ( Chapter 6 )

[ 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: 05.23.2004 | Updated On: 06.03.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed

Hiei had just fallen asleep on the foot of Kurama's bed when an annoying ringing sound jarred him back to consciousness. "Damn ningen devices," he muttered angrily. He heard Shiori's soft footsteps pass hurriedly down the hall. Her voice was tense when she answered the phone. The brief moment of silence was broken by a thud and the sound of running feet.

Hiei sprang to his feet, ripped open the bedroom door and practically flew down the stairs to find Shiori struggling into her shoes. The phone dangled by its cord, forgotten in her haste.

"What is it?" the hiyoukai asked, dreading the answer.

Not even slightly surprised to see a fire demon in her living room at three am, Shiori responded, "It's the hospital, it's Shuuichi. I don't know what's happened, but I need to be there now!"

Hiei nodded and accompanied her out the door. In the driveway she looked at her car, then at Hiei. "You travel very quickly. How long will it take you to get there?" she asked him.

"Twenty-five, thirty seconds," he replied.

"Can you carry me?" Hiei looked at her in surprise. He knew she didn't understand him, and he could sense her fear of him underlying the trust she was beginning to feel. Yet her concern for her son outweighed all of that. He nodded and picked her up, then flitted off into the night.

The two figures raced into the hospital. Shiori gasped for air at the admissions desk. "Shuuichi...Minamino," she managed to spit out between heaving breaths.

"Yes," the woman behind the counter replied. "They told me to expect you, you may go right up."

Shiori pushed the button to wait for an elevator, but Hiei simply scooped her back up and blurred up the stairs. When they reached the nurses' station Shiori tried to speak, but couldn't. She was sure she had lost her son. One of the nurses, the one who had called her, recognized her immediately and rushed to her side.

"Shiori! You dropped the phone before I could finish. There's been a change in Shuuichi's condition." Shiori braced herself for the bad news to come. "When I went in to check on him he seemed to stir a bit."

Shiori released the breath she had been holding as her legs gave way, and she plummeted towards the floor. Only a pair of strong arms from behind her kept her from hitting the tile. Hiei raised her to her feet again, unconscious of his actions; his mind was a blur.

The nurse led them to Kurama's room, where they sat by his side, unsure of what to do. "Try calling to him. Use the buzzer to call me if there's any change," the nurse directed gently, stepping out to leave them alone with the patient.

Shiori grasped her son's hand and began talking immediately. "Shuuichi, it's Mother. I'm here; can you hear me? I'm by your side. You need to come back to us now." She repeated these things over and over. Hiei, on the other hand, was unable to speak. His hands were shaking visibly from the duress he was under. He did not trust his mouth not to betray him, not to tell the fox everything he had been feeling during the past four days. He stood by the foot of the bed feeling helpless and lost in a whirlwind of unfamiliar emotion.

Shiori, suffering no such affliction, kept coaxing her son awake, and was finally rewarded by the small movement of Kurama's eyes beneath his closed lids. After what seemed like an eternity, the red head's eyes pinched shut tightly, and he turned his head towards her voice. Soundlessly he mouthed the word "mother."

Tears fell unheeded down Shiori's face as her son opened his eyes for the first time and focused on her. "Mother." he managed to say in a dry, hoarse voice.

Shiori shushed him, "Yes, I'm here, Shuuichi. I love you so much! Thank you for coming back to me!" she cried softly, caressing his cheek with her hand.

Kurama turned his eyes and his gaze fell on the diminutive figure dressed in black standing at the foot of his bed. "Hiei?" he croaked. Hearing his fox speak his name was too much for the small fire apparition. He collapsed to the floor, shaking violently, overwhelmed with joy that his fox was awake, and consumed by a rush of feelings he had never thought possible.

Kurama had awakened from a dark nothingness to find himself in a strange bed, his mother crying by his side and Hiei watching over him. He tried to speak, but his voice would not cooperate. His throat felt unbearably dry, and his limbs felt like lead. When he saw Hiei slump to the floor he tried to sit up, but sharp pain lanced through his chest, and he drew his breath, causing more discomfort. He leaned back onto the bed for a moment, trying to figure out where he was and what had happened.

Again he tried to sit up, this time attempting to brace himself with his arms; only to find his right arm and shoulder were heavily bandaged and completely immobilized. Feeling helpless he looked to his mother for answers.

Shiori was helping Hiei into a chair. The little youkai was still shaking visibly. When Shiori turned her happy, tear-streaked gaze back to her son, she saw the confusion in his eyes. "Shuuichi, Sweetheart, you've been asleep for four days. You were in a coma. You are in the hospital, dear."

Kurama's eyes widened at this news. He recalled the fight in front of his house; the third and final demon had suspended him off the ground and was beating him relentlessly. He recalled Shiori's voice, and then great pain. Everything else was blackness. One tiny memory wriggled its way to the surface. In the blackness he had felt Hiei's presence. It was a fleeting feeling, lasting only a few minutes, and then it was gone. But that brief contact had roused Kurama from his black sleep, and urged him to the surface, to consciousness.

As Shiori described to Kurama what had been happening to him in the past four days, the nurse returned to the room with some water for the guests. She was startled and pleased to find her patient awake and rushed to call the doctor with the good news.

Kurama listened to his mother's account of the better part of the past week, but very little of what she said registered in his still groggy mind. One thing that did remain in his thoughts was Hiei's look as he tumbled to the floor: relief, surprise, and a touch of guilt. Kurama tried to wonder about this, but the sudden rush of sensation from awakening prevented him from following one train of thought for very long. Slowly, as time progressed and dawn approached he became able to think more clearly and to understand what was going on.

Miles away, the first rays of the morning sun crept into the cave and illuminated the interior. The fire had burned out, but the day dawned warm. One of the two figures sleeping in the blanket on the floor began to awaken. Yusuke sighed sleepily without opening his eyes. His body felt like he had been run over by a whole convoy of trucks. He recalled the fight last night.

As he moved slightly, his mind registered a weight on his arm. He opened his eyes to find Keiko still asleep, cuddled up beside him resting her head on his arm. He leaned towards her and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

He had always thought Keiko to be conservative, withdrawn, and meek. Not anymore. He barely believed the events of the previous night. If she hadn't been lying beside him, both of them naked in a gentle embrace, he still wouldn't believe. He had told her to tell him when to stop, and he was still waiting. As best friends they had shared everything with each other, and last night they had shared themselves. He tightened his arms around her slightly and felt, for the first time, that he was where he belonged.

When Shiori's husband awoke, she was gone, the phone was dangling by it's cord, and the front door stood ajar. There were no signs of a struggle, but the car was still parked in the driveway. He called the hospital, and the admissions staff confirmed that Shiori was there, and had been through most of the early morning, but would give no reason. Fearing the worst he arrived at the hospital as fast as possible (for a human).

Upon entering his stepson's room he was surprised and delighted to find the red head propped up into a sitting position, wide awake. Upon his entrance Kurama tried to sit up again out of instinct, but the pain in his chest forced him to lean back into the pillows, a grimace on his face.

"Shuuichi, please stay still," Shiori chided him gently, reaching out for the umpteenth time to stroke the hair back off his face.

"Good morning, Shuuichi!" Hatanaka greeted him warmly. "Please, listen to your mother and relax. I am glad to see you're awake." Kurama's relationship with his stepfather had never been "close," but he could hear genuine relief in the man's voice now. The sound comforted him beyond words.

Shiori excused herself to the ladies' room, and Kurama's stepfather waited until she had left before he looked at the boy in the bed before him. "Shiori told me what happened, about the break in and the thugs." Kurama kept his face completely neutral at this news, since no one had told him about that version of the incident. "I am very proud of you for saving your mother's life, and I want you to relax and recover."

The human had always thought of his stepson as overly feminine, and part of him had trouble accepting that. His stepson's courage in the face of danger impressed the man greatly, and he decided to try to get closer to the red head. The rest of the morning was spent in comfortable conversation among the family, interrupted only once by a visit from the doctor to confirm that his patient was, in fact, awake again.

After a brief examination the doctor informed them all that as soon as Kurama's shoulder wound healed and they made sure there was no lasting damage from the coma, he would be able to go home. Shiori beamed at this news. Hiei sat to the side silently, still uncertain of what would come out of his mouth if he dared to open it.

Shiori noticed Hiei's discomfiture. She recalled her son's confession of his feeling for the demon, and recalled seeing Hiei place a soft kiss on the sleeping boy's lips the day before. Realizing the need for the two to talk uninhibited, she waited until around noon to rise and say, "Shuuichi, darling, your stepfather and I will go to lunch now. I am sure Hiei would like some time to catch up with you. We'll be back in about an hour."

She rose to her feet and led her husband from the room. Hiei was grateful for the time with his fox, but had no idea where to begin. He knew he had to share the feelings he was having with Kurama. Maybe the fox spirit would be able to help him sort through these new emotions. But where to start? Hiei looked up at Kurama, who was patiently watching him.

"Kurama. I have something to tell you," the fire demon began so softly that Kurama could barely hear him.

"If you are going to speak that softly, you will have to lean closer. I can barely hear you," Kurama whispered in his hoarse voice, still unaccustomed to use.

Hiei stood and leaned towards his friend. "I have to....confess something...something I did while you were asleep," Hiei started, not making eye contact with the red head.

"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama was getting worried; he had never seen the hiyoukai like this before. Hiei seemed almost scared of something.

"I....I..." the small demon stammered as he leaned closer to his companion. When he looked up he was startled at how close he was to the fox. Without another word Hiei leaned in the rest of the way, closed his eyes, and pressed his closed lips against Kurama's. After a few moments the hiyoukai pulled away slightly, less than an inch and opened his own eyes to find startled and confused green ones staring back at him. He was certain he had destroyed the friendship he valued so very much, and shifted his eyes downward, away from his fox.

He was therefore considerably surprised to feel soft lips against his own again, and looked up without breaking away, to find Kurama leaned forward as far as he could manage, eyes closed, returning Hiei's chaste kiss, a grimace of pain marring his beautiful face.

Kurama had been shocked at Hiei's kiss. He had felt his love for the little demon growing, but had never dreamed that the cold apparition could ever feel the same for him. In the moment that Hiei's lips had been pressed to his he could barely register what was going on in his mind. When Hiei pulled away slightly Kurama had still been in shock. When Hiei turned his eyes away, Kurama knew his pause had been misinterpreted. Words failed him, and he did the only thing he could to show Hiei how he felt. Against the pain raging in his chest when he moved, he managed to lean front and close the small distance between them to return Hiei's affection.

Hiei recognized the discomfort his fox was in, and pressed his lips harder against Kurama's, pushing the kitsune's head back onto the pillows behind him. Kurama's face relaxed again, and Hiei closed his eyes and enjoyed the shared feeling between them. The kiss was tender, but tentative. Both kept their mouths closed. This was new to Hiei, and he was not sure what to do next. Kurama had had lovers before, in his other life as Youko Kurama, although nowhere near as many as the legends claimed. His human form, however, was virgin, and unfamiliar with the sensations now stirring in him.

Neither wanted to rush, both wanted to experience each other's affections to the fullest. Passionate, frantic kisses and caresses could come later. For now, they just basked in the fact that they shared this fledgling love.

When they finally broke free Hiei leaned back and sat in his chair again. No words were needed; their eyes communicated their mutual acceptance of this new development in their relationship. Hiei reached out and took Kurama's hand in his own. They sat silently for a while before Hiei seemed to remember something. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and withdrew something concealed in his fist.

"I have something for you, Kurama." he said softly. He withdrew his other hand from the fox's and held up a cord between his fingers. Suspended from the cord was a perfectly round gem of such a deep red color it appeared at first almost to be black. Kurama's breath caught as he looked at it; it was magnificent. It reminded the former thief of something he had seen before.

"It looks like.....a hiruseki," he began. "But I have never seen a tear gem that is not white."

Hiei looked downwards, almost ashamedly. "It is...impure," was the only explanation offered.

Kurama realized the significance of that statement, and the origin of the gem. "It's perfect, Hiei, unique and beautiful," he murmured. Hiei looked up at his friend and smiled. The genuine smile on the face of the hiyoukai stole Kurama's breath, just as the sight of the gem had a few moments earlier. "Why for me?" he asked when he again could speak.

"It is customary to give a tear gem to the one who inspired it," Hiei replied, then stopped, realizing what he had just confessed.

Kurama could barely believe what he had heard. "You cried...for me?" he asked gently. Hiei closed his eyes and nodded ever so slightly. Kurama was stunned, and flattered. Hiei's feelings for him must truly run deep if the immovable half koorime had shed tears on his behalf. "I would be honored to wear your gem, Hiei," Kurama whispered. Hiei thought his heart would burst. The kitsune knew the significance of the gem, and realized the depth of feeling that would bring forth such a treasure; he accepted this from the small apparition, from the Forbidden Child.

"May I?" Hiei asked his bedridden friend.

"Of course."

Hiei leaned forward and reached around Kurama's neck to fasten the cord in place. Before he leaned back he placed his hands on either side of Kurama's face and kissed his forehead gently. The gem hung perfectly in the hollow of Kurama's throat. Hiei then resumed his seat and held Kurama's hand again, only letting go when he heard Shiori and her husband approaching.