Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Clean ❯ Family ( Chapter 8 )

[ 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: 07.18.2004 | Updated On: 06.03.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Completed

When the next nurse came in to check on Kurama, he opened his eyes again. Hiei looked up and saw it was the same nurse that had given him the hot chocolate. She noticed her patient was awake and smiled at the two sitting on the bed, and asked gently, "How are you feeling, Schuuichi?"

"Horrible," he replied softly.

She smiled again and said, "That's to be expected. The painkiller we gave you should be wearing off about now. I can't give you your next dose this early; it's too strong, so you may be uncomfortable for a little while. As soon as we can, we'll get you some more medicine, and you'll feel better." Kurama nodded slightly and closed his eyes against the growing pain all through his body.

The nurse checked the readings on the machines hooked up to him and recorded what was indicated in Kurama's chart. When she looked up again, she saw that the kitsune's breathing was becoming faster and shallower, and his face obviously showed that was hurting more and more. Hiei looked down at the body resting against his with concern clear in his features.

"I'll call the doctor and see if we can bump up the next dose," the nurse whispered as she hurried out of the room. About five minutes later she returned with a syringe of clear liquid, and injected it into the IV line. "The doctor said to go ahead and give the medicine now when I told him Shuuichi was having trouble breathing again. It should take effect pretty quickly, but he'll probably fall back to sleep soon after, and remain asleep for the better part of the morning. I'll go gather some pillows so you can move to get some breakfast."

"I'm fine," Hiei replied.

The nurse smiled at him. "Now you are, but in a few more hours you may want to move. Especially when his stepfather comes to visit." The nurse had recognized that while Hiei and Kurama's mother seemed to get along very well, he and Kurama's stepfather did not know each other well at all. She was correct in guessing that the older man would be displeased to find his stepson in the embrace of the smaller boy. She gathered some pillows from unoccupied neighboring rooms, and returned to help prop up her patient.

Hiei roused Kurama gently. "Fox, I have to move before your stepfather sees us like this, unless you want me to stay?"

"No, you're right," Kurama replied weakly. "He already thinks I am too feminine. To find me in the arms of another male...." Kurama chuckled a bit at the thought, but his chuckle turned to a moan of pain.

Hiei lifted him gently and slipped out from behind him, holding him up while the nurse arranged the pillows. The demon gently laid his fox backwards into the fluffy mass and took a seat beside the bed, still holding Kurama's hand. Hiei had sat behind Kurama the whole night, and hadn't seen his face since shortly after the attack. As the morning sun began coming in through the window, Hiei saw the kitsune for the first time in the light.

Kurama's face was eerily pale. Even his lips looked white. The bruises from the attack had formed and darkened overnight, and stood out against his white skin. Hiei was certain that the bruises across the red head's chest and shoulder were even worse than the visible ones on his face. Without thinking, he reached out a brushed a few stray strands of Kurama's hair back behind his ear. The nurse smiled knowingly as she left the room.

Kurama felt the painkiller again start to affect him. Although he was becoming more comfortable, he was getting that vulnerable feeling again. Sensing his friend's growing fear, Hiei squeezed his hand gently. "I won't leave you alone, Fox. Sleep," the hiyoukai whispered. Kurama smiled at him gratefully, and eventually sleep claimed him again.

When Shiori's husband returned home the next morning, he knew instantly where his wife had gone. He changed quickly and set off for the hospital, oblivious to the events of the previous night. When he arrived at his stepson's room he was shocked to find it closed off by yellow police tape, and soaking wet. Confused, he turned to the nurses' station. A young nurse, preparing to go off shift, saw him coming and recognized him quickly. She greeted him, and quickly explained what had happened as she led him towards the boy's new room.

As they approached the door she said, "He's right in here, sir, and your wife is with him," loudly enough to be heard by the occupants of the room.

"He's right in here, sir, and your wife is with him." Hiei heard these words from the hallway and disengaged his hand from that of the sleeping fox. He sat back in his chair and assumed his usual, impassive expression just as Shiori's husband walked through the door.

The human man stopped short when he saw his stepson's condition. Slowly he approached the bed. "Shuuichi?" he called.

"He's asleep," Hiei responded. "The nurse gave him something for pain, and it made him fall asleep." The man nodded and pulled a spare chair over, next to his sleeping wife. He reached out and took her into his arms, and leaned her against him. She snuggled closer, without waking.

"Poor, Shiori," he said softly. "Two days with barely any sleep, following four days of constant stress." He rubbed her back, and she smiled without waking. Hiei realized that he, too, had passed two days with no sleep, and no food. His concern for his fox had caused him to forget the little things, like eating. After a while, Shiori's husband began dozing lightly, still holding his wife.

Around nine in the morning three figures entered the room. All three stopped short when they saw their companion's bruised and battered face. "That bastard is toast," said the shortest of the newcomers, running his hand through his slicked back hair angrily.

The tallest narrowed his dark eyes and said, "They attacked him in the hospital, when he was helpless to defend himself. They have no honor."

The third visitor simply nodded, sucking thoughtfully on his pacifier. Hiei looked up at his companions that had entered the room. "I trust you have come for a reason, not to gawk at him," the fire demon said coolly.

"Actually, we need to talk to you, Hiei," Koenma said softly.

The small apparition was somewhat surprised by the teenaged toddler's gentle tone. "Would you step outside for a moment?" the demigod continued.

"No," was the only reply.

All three were somewhat surprised at that response. Being on parole, Hiei usually did whatever was asked of him with little more than a "hn" in response. This time he had not hesitated; he simply said no and turned from the three to face the unconscious fox.

Koenma closed his eyes and tried to compose what he wanted to say. He hated to have to order Hiei out of the room, but they needed to speak to him immediately, and speaking in front of Kurama's human family was not an option. As the Jr. Lord of Hell drew a breath to command Hiei to follow, a voice from beside him cut him off.

Yusuke was not the most sensitive person in the world, nor was he the smartest. But he was loyal and protective, and recognized these traits in others. "Hiei," he started. "I'll stay and watch over him while you talk with diaper-boy."

The hiyoukai seemed to consider this for a moment. While he knew he could not ignore a direct order from Koenma while on parole, he wanted to be there to ease his fox's fears, should the kitsune awaken. Realizing that this was the best offer he was likely to get, he sighed and stood.

'I'll be right back,' he thought to his sleeping fox, as he turned to leave. As Yusuke passed the small demon to take over his chair, he could have sworn he heard a very slight "thank you." When the detective looked at Hiei, however, the fire youkai was walking away, ignoring him completely.

Once in the hallway, Hiei glared at Koenma. "Not here," said the demigod. "Where can we go that is more secluded?"

Hiei turned and led his two companions to the staircase, and up to the roof. Once the door closed behind them, Hiei whirled to the two in front of him and snarled, 'This had better be important, Toddler. If Kurama wakes up when I am not there, I WILL burn down your palace."

Koenma took an involuntary step away from the sanjiyan, holding up his hands in front of him, his eyes wide. "Hiei, we would not have called you away if it was not important. George got my new television installed early this morning. We have a fix on the demon's lair, and we know where Botan is being held. We need to make arrangements to go and rescue her."

Hiei looked at the speaker with pure malice in his eyes. "Make your arrangements then, I will be guarding Kurama," he said in a low voice, with a tone that left no room for argument.

Koenma gave a small sigh. He had known that the fire demon would insist on staying with the kitsune. In addition to seeing Botan on his new television, he had also checked on Kurama. He had seen the freshly bruised youko resting in the arms of the hiyoukai. He had seen the soft look on Hiei's face when he looked down at his sleeping friend. He had also seen the hiruseki around Kurama's neck the moment they had entered the room this morning. He knew that the two demons were growing closer, and that they would each become more and more protective of the other as things progressed. He had planned on having Hiei stay behind. He motioned to Kuwabara to give them some privacy, and the taller teen wandered away and began inspecting the door to the staircase.

"Hiei, I understand your need to protect Kurama. I know you have been growing closer to each other..." A feral snarl cut him off, and Koenma swore he saw flames dancing in Hiei's eyes as the fire demon approached him. "Hiei, wait! It's my business to know these things! As ruler of Reikai, I HAVE to keep tabs on my detectives!" Hiei still snarled at the invasion of his privacy, but stopped advancing on the terrified teen before him. Koenma sighed in relief that his throat was going to remain attached to his body, at least for the time being.

"I want you to stay and protect Kurama. This demon seems bent on some type of revenge, and he seems to be focusing on Kurama. We still haven't figured out who he is, or why he wants revenge, but I need someone strong to stay with the youko while we rescue Botan. We're going to get her tomorrow morning. We just needed to make you aware of the plan."

Still angry, Hiei growled out, "Fine!" and turned and stalked back to the staircase, to return to his friend's side.

As he passed Kuwabara, the taller teen noted, "The locks and the bar on the inside of this door were melted. I wonder how that happened."

Hiei smiled slightly and said simply, "I don't like being locked out."

"One more detail, Hiei," Koenma called to the retreating figure's back. The youkai paused, but did not turn. The demigod continued, "I found Yukina with my new system, and called her back. She should be back in Ningenkai by this afternoon. We can have her at the hospital by this evening to heal Kurama."

Although relief flooded through the fire demon, he chose not to show it to the two with him, and simply grunted his trademark, "hn." before continuing down the stairs. Back in the hospital room, Hiei reclaimed his seat by the kitsune's side, noting that Kurama's family had slept through the entire morning.

In the early afternoon, Kurama's pain medicine began wearing off again. As he awoke, he slowly became aware of Hiei sitting by his bedside, leaning in to look at him intently. Kurama tried to speak, but his mind was too fuzzy to form words. "Shh." the fire demon chided softly. Glancing to his left Hiei directed the kitsune's somewhat blurred vision to two other people in the room. After a few moments their forms became clear enough to recognize.

Kurama saw his mother, still asleep, in the arms of his stepfather. The man stirred a bit and looked at the form in the bed. "Shuuichi, you're awake," he said softly, so as not to wake his wife. In Shiori's exhausted state, a bomb could have gone off three feet from her, and she would not have noticed. But being a concerned mother, those words, no matter how softly spoken, pierced through her sleep and she awoke to turn to her son.

"Shuuichi, how are you feeling?" Shiori asked gently. Kurama smiled, but did not speak. His throat was terribly dry, and he was still groggy from the painkiller. Before he had a chance to try to ask for a drink, he became aware of a straw in front of his mouth. Shiori smiled warmly at her son, as she held the cup of water before him. With a grateful smile, Kurama took a few sips of the cool drink and relaxed back into his pillows.

After a few minutes a nurse came in to check on the patient. This was a different nurse than they were used to seeing. She was older, and very squarely built, with broad, square shoulders and a broad, square jaw. The narrow, wide set eyes that appraised the room were not cold, but were not warm either. She spoke as she checked Kurama's vital signs. "You're awake, good. Your medicine should be wearing off soon. Your next dose isn't due till after supper, and we can't give it early. I know they did this morning, but tonight you're going to have to wait it out. Buzz if you need anything." With that she left abruptly.

The time passed terribly slowly. Kurama's pain grew more intense as the pain medicine wore off. Hiei hated watching his kitsune suffer. Around five in the evening a loud grumbling noise from Shiori's direction caused all occupants of the room to look at her. Flushing in embarrassment, she held a hand to her stomach and giggled. "I guess I'm hungry."

Kurama smiled weakly at his mother. "Go, eat dinner. I'll be here when you return," he said softly.

Reluctantly, Shiori allowed her husband to lead her from the room. "I'll be back soon, Shuuichi!" she called as they left for dinner.

Alone with his fox, Hiei sat on the side of Kurama's bed and gently laid his hand over the red head's. When Kurama grimaced in pain, he asked, "Fox, do you need anything?"

With a small smile Kurama replied, "I am rather thirsty."

Hiei reached for the small water pitcher on the tray by Kurama's bed. "You're out of water. Will you be okay while I get you more?"

"Of course, Hiei. Thank you." Satisfied with that response, Hiei slipped out of the room to get his fox some water.

About three seconds after Hiei left two figures appeared in the doorway. Entering the room, they approached the bedridden boy slowly. Kurama looked up, and recognized the newcomers.

"Kurama!" a soft female voice whispered. The small koorime rushed to her friend's bedside.

"Hello, Yukina, Koenma," the kitsune replied with a slight smile. Koenma nodded. Yukina looked at the red head in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked the fox anxiously.

"I've been better," he replied dryly.

"Let me heal you." Yukina reached for Kurama's arm, but stopped short. Her eyes grew wide, and her breath caught in her throat. "What....where...," she stammered, staring at the kitsune's throat. "Where did you get that?" In his pained haze it took Kurama a few minutes to realize what she was staring at. Suddenly it dawned on him. The color drained out of his already pale face. "Kurama, where did you get that gem? Only one person can cry a colored tear gem. You know my brother! Who is he? Where is he?"

As Hiei approached the room, he heard Yukina's questions. He realized that she had seen his tear gem hanging at Kurama's throat. Nervously he continued to approach the room. Standing just outside the door, he heard Kurama's soft reply. "I'm sorry, Yukina. Your brother cannot reveal himself to you now. I cannot betray him. Please do not ask me again."

"Why? Why will he not tell me? Is he ashamed of me? Do I dishonor him? I know I am not strong, but I want to make him proud!" Yukina's voice was heavy with emotion.

Kurama responded, "No, Yukina. You do not shame him. Please trust that his judgment is sound, and never doubt yourself."

Anger replaced the desperation in the ice maiden's voice. "Tell me, Kurama! Tell me what you know, or heal yourself."

The injured fox made no sound. As much pain as he was in, he would not betray the one he loved.

Tearfully, the little koorime looked at the kitsune once more. "Please, tell my brother that I love him."

Kurama nodded slightly, instantly regretting the action when pain lanced through him. "I think you should go now, Yukina. Return to the temple."

Nodding, Yukina left the room with Koenma escorting her. As she walked through the door, she saw Hiei waiting to enter. "Hiei, please convince Kurama to tell me who my brother is," she whispered as she walked past him and down the hallway.

"Fox, you sent her away without healing you," Hiei whispered as he placed the now full water pitcher on the tray. Kurama just smiled.

"Hiei, I cannot betray you. I love you too much." Both demons stopped and looked into each other's eyes. Without realizing it, Kurama had just verbalized what the two of them had been feeling. Hiei was surprised at the rush of feeling these words inspired in him. He was also wary of saying these same words to his fox, no matter how true they were.

As he poured a glass of water and held the straw up to Kurama's mouth, all he could say in response was, "Thank you."