Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Clean ❯ Down and Out ( Chapter 28 )

[ 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: 04.27.2005 | Updated On: 06.03.2007 | Pages: 7 | Words: 9.7K | Visits: 812 | Status: Completed

Kurama reached over to the nightstand and turned off his alarm clock. It had not yet rung, and would not for another seven minutes, but since the kitsune was still awake, he did not want the shrill buzz to awaken his lover. Very slowly, he withdrew from Hiei's embrace and slid out of bed. Dressing quickly, he went to the kitchen to leave a message for his sleeping lover.

The walk to school seemed longer then it used to be. Several times, the normally graceful kitsune had caught his foot on the pavement and nearly tripped. Stumbling slightly, he ascended the steps to the building, and proceeded to his first class.

The classes today seemed to drag on and on. Kurama had resolved to spend the entire day at school, to make sure he was keeping up. His grades were, as usual, As, even though his attendance had been practically zero for several weeks now. The principal had excused his absence due to 'family problems' as long as his grades remained consistent. Since that time, he had been showing up to school only for tests, and on those days he would attend only the class in which he was being tested. Today he had a major history test. Since Hiei was doing so much better, and Kurama needed the break, he had planned to be at the school the entire day.

Hiei awoke slowly. With a smile, he reflected upon his illness. He used to be awake with the first rays of the morning sun. He would sleep lightly, alert for danger, and spring to consciousness immediately. Since the ward incident, he slept much more deeply. His journey to wakefulness was a long one now. Eventually, when all of the residual power of the wards was gone, he would be able to resume his previous ways, but until then, he needed the rest. Rolling over, Hiei reached out to the other side of the bed. Finding it empty, he slid out from under the covers. His clothing was waiting for him on the back of the chair, just as it had been every morning since he had regained enough movement to dress himself. Smiling, he clothed his body, and ventured into the small living area.

"Kurama?" he called to his lover. When he received no reply, he recalled that the fox was planning to attend his ningen school again today. Making his way to the phone slowly, Hiei groped around the answering machine until he found the button he was looking for. Upon pressing it, he waited for the message to be revealed.

"Good morning, Love!" Kurama's voiced poured forth from the small machine. "I'm sorry I had to leave you, but I needed to get to school, and I didn't want to wake you. I hope you are feeling well today. I plan to be at school for the whole day, so I will be home around four o'clock. If you need anything you can call the school and ask for me, or call Mother. She knows I will be out.

"I hope you feel up to going out this evening, I would like to take you to dinner. You've been cooped up in that apartment for so long, I think an outing will make you feel much better. There is a new restaurant that opened, and I think you will like it. It has many types of cuisine. If you feel up to it, plan on going there tonight.

"Until then, just relax, and feel better. I love you, Hiei."

Hiei was about to turn and leave when the machine beeped and began playing a second message. "It's me again, Love. PS - I left your breakfast on the kitchen counter, to the left of the sink. It's covered in aluminum foil; I hope it's still warm when you get this. I think you'll enjoy it. Love you." Hiei smiled as he reflected on his fox's thoughtfulness. Kurama had taken care of his every need and every whim during his long recovery. Anyone else would have left the youkai to die. Hiei was grateful, and began wondering about ways to express his gratitude to his lover.

It was the third period of the day, when Kurama's friend Kaito approached him right before class. "I see you're here today, Shuuichi. You don't even attend class anymore, and you still achieve the highest marks in the school. I've given up wondering how." Kaito took the seat next to the kitsune, and continued in a much lower voice, "How is Hiei?"

Although the three territory masters no longer shared the missions of the spirit detective group, they knew them all, and kept loose tabs on their adventures. When Kurama had ceased coming to school, Kaito had asked Yusuke what was going on. Choosing to omit the details, Yusuke had merely replied that Hiei had fallen very ill, and Kurama was the only one capable of taking care of him. Kaito had been helping by dropping Kurama's missed assignments off to him at his apartment. The human had seen the toll this arrangement was taking on his classmate, and was worried, but he knew that nothing he said would deter the kitsune from his chosen course of action.

"Hiei is doing much better, thank you," Kurama replied, looking up. Kaito noticed that Kurama had dark circles under his eyes, much darker than they had been the last time he had dropped off the make up work. The red head also looked thinner. What alarmed the darker haired boy the most was the reaction of Kurama's eyes. Instead of focusing on him immediately, as they usually did, they took a few seconds to identify him, and lock onto him. The fox seemed utterly exhausted. Kaito took a moment to assess his classmate further.

"Shuuichi, you're shaking," he noted, looking at the withered hands on the desk before him.

Clasping his hands to hide the truth, Kurama simply replied, "No, I'm not. I'm fine." and plastered on one of his infamous smiles. Shaking his head, Kaito did not press the issue. As the instructor handed out their exams, the conversations ended, and all that was heard was the scratching of pencils against papers.

Hiei uncovered the dish on the counter, and sniffed, trying to identify what Kurama had left for him. Unable to do so, he touched the food with his fingers. It seemed to be something flat and fluffy. Thanks to the foil covering, it was still pleasantly warm. Feeling around the plate, Hiei determined the flat item to be round, and thin. What he was feeling was actually several of these things stacked on top of each other. Continuing to grope his breakfast, the hiyoukai was surprised to feel something slippery and wet on his fingertips. Tasting it tentatively, he recognized the substance as melted butter. Finally deciding that whatever Kurama left him would be fine to eat, the demon tasted one of the disk-like things. They had a consistency similar to bread, but were much sweeter. The butter on top complimented them beautifully. What Hiei like the most was the taste of chocolate in them. Sifting through his memories, he recalled Kurama talking about an American breakfast food called pancakes that occasionally had tasty items mixed in or served on top of them. Determining his breakfast to be pancakes with chocolate chips in them, he took the plate to the table and began to enjoy them fully.

As the bell rang announcing the end of third period, most of the students groaned as they were forced to hand in their incomplete tests. The instructor had been particularly vicious in making this test, since the majority of the students spent his class talking amongst themselves, doodling, or filing their nails. This exam had been designed to show them that paying attention in class would be to their advantage.

Two students had actually completed the work during the allotted time. Kaito had finished second, but turned in his test first. Kurama had finished a few minutes earlier, but found he simply did not have the energy to drag his paper to the desk at the front of the room. When the bell rang, he reached to pick up his completed answer sheet. As he did so, he pointedly refused to notice that Kaito had been correct, and his hands shook noticeably. Trudging up to the teacher's desk, he turned in the exam.

"Minamino," the teacher intercepted him. Without a verbal reply, Kurama simply raised his gaze to meet the instructor's and waited for the man to continue. The teacher was about to ask how the red head thought he had done. He knew that the test was unfair, and wanted to be sure that this young man wasn't having trouble with it. Instead, upon seeing the condition of the student before him, he changed his mind and continued, "Are you okay? I think perhaps you should visit the nurse. You don't look well."

With a weak smile, Kurama shook his head. "I'm fine," he replied in a barely audible voice, surprised to find that even the act of speaking seemed to drain what little energy he had. Shaking his head, the teacher watched the young man drag his feet back to his desk to collect his things.

As Kurama lifted his schoolbag, he suddenly felt his entire body slouch. The bag fell from his shoulder onto the ground.

Hearing the noise, Kaito turned just in time to see the red head slump from a standing position forward onto his desk, and roll off sideways to land, unconscious, on the floor. Several of the other students had also turned at the sound of the bag falling, and had seen their classmate collapse. The teacher ran to the fallen student and called to him. When he received no response, he sent one of the girls standing by the door to summon the nurse, and shooed the gawking spectators out of the room.

When the nurse arrived, she took stock of the situation. Kurama seemed to be breathing alright and appeared to be asleep. She wasn't sure if his collapse had been due to illness or injury, or if he may have hit his head or neck as he fell. Instead of trying to move him at all, she, too, tried to call to the unconscious youth. When he did not awaken, she instructed the teacher to call for an ambulance. Within minutes, two medics were gently loading the red head onto a stretcher to take him to the local hospital.

Shiori was dusting when the phone rang. She answered it cheerfully, "Moshi moshi, Hatanaka residence."

The voice on the other end of the phone asked briskly, "Is this Shiori Hatanaka?"

"Yes."

"This is the nurse at Meiou High School. Shuuichi had an episode in class this morning. He passed out. He has been transported to the local emergency room. Are you able to go there?"

"I'm on my way, thank you," she replied abruptly, hanging up the phone and dropping her dust cloth. Before she left, she picked up the phone again and dialed her son's number.

The answering machine picked up after four rings, and a cheerful voice instructed Shiori to leave a message after the beep. Instead, she waited for the annoying sound and said, "Hiei? Are you there? It's Shiori. Please answer the phone."

After a few moments, a deep voice responded on the line, "What is it, Shiori? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, Hiei. Shuuichi's school called, he fell ill in class and passed out. He has been taken to the emergency room. I am going there now. I will be over to pick you up in a few minutes."

"I'll be ready," Hiei replied. Both hung up, and prepared to go.

Hiei clung to Shiori's arm as they rushed through the blackness. The uncomfortable smells of the emergency room assaulted his senses. Abruptly, they stopped. "My name is Shiori Hatanaka. My son, Shuuichi Minamino, was brought in from school." he heard his guide saying to some unknown person.

A female voice responded, "Minamino, ah, yes. He arrived about twenty minutes ago. The orderly will take you to him, and the nurse can answer your questions." Then they began moving through the darkness again.

When the orderly drew back the curtain separating the cubicle from the rest of the bustling area, Shiori saw her son for the first time in awhile. He appeared to be asleep. There was no trace of pain, or any telltale sign of distress. His face was slightly paler than usual, with circles below his eyes, but his expression was peaceful. The even rise and fall of his chest was reassuring. When he had arrived, the nurses had removed his school uniform jacket and shoes before loading him onto the gurney. The jacket was laid neatly across the foot of his bed. The top two buttons on his white, collared undershirt had been opened to allow him more comfort. The blanket was drawn up to his waist. A nurse was writing in his file. Upon hearing the curtain pulled back, she looked up and greeted the visitors.

"Hello, you must be Shuuichi's mother. We are monitoring your son's vital signs, and they seem to be within normal limits, except for his blood pressure, which is low. He apparently passed out at school this morning. We have drawn some blood, and are awaiting the results," she said, as she drew over two small chairs for the visitors to sit in. "The doctor did a preliminary physical exam at triage, and can find no obvious injuries. He will be in again, when the blood results are in, to continue. Until then, please make yourself comfortable. There is coffee in the waiting room, if you want some." With that, the nurse concluded her notes in the kitsune's file and left, drawing the curtain closed behind her. Shiori settled Hiei in one of the two chairs, before seating herself in the other, and waiting for the doctor.

It was another fifteen minutes before the doctor arrived. He entered the cubicle with several sheets of paper in his hands. "Hello, Mrs. Hatanaka," he greeted. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long. Your son's blood results have come back." As he spoke, the doctor walked over to the unconscious boy, and lifted one of the closed eyelids with his thumb, using his other hand to direct a small light into the exposed eye. Nodding to himself at the response, he checked the boy's pulse.

"Your son passed out today at school. According to his blood results, he is not suffering from major organ problems; his kidneys and liver seem to be fine. There are no substances in his system such as drugs or alcohol. His blood count appears fine, but based on my physical exam I believe he is dehydrated. This could mask anemia in the blood results. Could you tell me, has Shuuichi been eating and sleeping normally lately? And are there any major sources of stress in his life right now?"

Shiori just shook her head slightly at the deluge of information being directed at her. One thing she would say, this doctor certainly seemed efficient. After a small pause, she responded softly, "I'm not sure. My son has his own apartment, and I have not seen him in about a week. We speak every day on the phone, but he has not told me of anything going on right now. Hiei?" she asked, directing attention to the fire demon.

The doctor was a bit confused by this. "Hiei, is it? And you are..." he inquired.

"Hiei is Shuuichi's best friend," Shiori interjected. "He has been staying with my son for awhile, since his...accident," she concluded. She was wary of revealing too much to the doctor, for fear of prejudice interfering with the care her son received.

"I don't think he has been eating or sleeping regularly," Hiei whispered softly, feeling enormously guilty about the condition his lover was in.

"Well," the doctor continued. "If it's just poor nutrition and over exhaustion, we can fix that easily enough. But, Shuuichi will have to maintain his health better to prevent this from reoccurring. I will send in a nurse to place an IV line. We'll get him rehydrated first, then plan our course of action from there. Mrs. Hatanaka, may I speak to you outside?" The doctor led Shiori out through the curtain to discuss treatment options with her. They both fell quiet as they heard a soft voice inside the cubicle.

Hiei turned in the general direction of the sleeping fox. He had no idea that the 'walls' were just thin material, or that his voice would be so easily overheard. "Fox, why did you do this? Your mother was always asking if you were eating and sleeping. All you would say is 'I'm fine.' But you're not. You're sick, and it's my fault. I shouldn't have been such a burden on you. I should have noticed something. You were so busy taking care of me, but you need to take care of you, too." Then the hiyoukai fell silent.

Motioning Shiori further away, the doctor found a relatively private section of the emergency room, and said softly, "What is the nature of the relationship between your son and Hiei? The boy seems very attached to Shuuichi, more so than a best friend."

With a sigh Shiori responded, "You're right, doctor. They are boyfriends. That is why my son lives in his own apartment. My husband, Shuuichi's stepfather, bought him the apartment when he found out, so they could 'pursue their different lifestyles in peace.' Even after that, Shuuichi was alright. He usually takes very good care of himself. This has been going on since Hiei's accident."

The doctor nodded. "Did the accident cause Hiei's blindness?"

"Yes, but it caused much more than that. For a long while, Hiei was completely paralyzed. His private doctor (She meant Yukina, but decided to refer to the apparition as a private physician to avoid any uncomfortable questions) said he would recover with time. He has been healing wonderfully. Now, only the blindness remains. That, too, should eventually go away. Shuuichi has been adamant about taking care of Hiei. I have tried to take this burden off his shoulders, but he refuses to allow anyone else to share it with him. Through all this he has cared for Hiei, maintained his grades at school, and kept up the apartment. They only thing he hasn't kept up is himself," she said, tears in her eyes.

Nodding, the doctor put a reassuring hand on her arm. "We'll get him back on his feet, and get him taking care of himself. He seems very capable, what with everything else he has been doing." Shiori nodded, and the two returned to Kurama's little 'room.'

The nurse had been in during their conversation, and a bag now dripped clear fluid into Kurama's vein. Hiei sat on his chair, sightless eyes staring straight ahead. When Shiori returned to the seat beside him, he asked softly, "What's going on?" Shiori quickly explained Kurama's condition and the doctor's plan of action to the fire demon. She described how Kurama looked, and what was going on around them currently. Movement on the bed cut off the end of her explanation.

Kurama shifted his head slightly. He opened his eyes, but closed them quickly when the bright white light seemed to pierce through his already throbbing head. A slight hitch in his breathing alerted his visitors to his wakefulness. "Shuuichi, it's Mother. I'm right here, Son," she said softly, grasping one of his hands in her own. The kitsune again opened his eyes, squinting against the pain, to look at the worried face before him.

"What happened? Where are we?" Shiori explained the events of the day to him. When she finished, he became very agitated.

"Oh no, Hiei. He's at home. What if..."

A deep voice cut off Kurama's worries. "I'm right here, Fox." Kurama relaxed a bit at this. When he looked at his mother, however, the relieved feeling faded. He could tell by her expression that he had some explaining to do.

Before Shiori could ask her son any questions about his condition and how he got that way, the doctor returned. "Hello, everyone. I see you're awake, Shuuichi. If you wouldn't mind, Mrs. Hatanaka, Hiei, I would like to have a few words with my patient in private." Nodding reluctantly, Shiori guided Hiei into the waiting room again.

Once they were alone, the doctor addressed Kurama. "Shuuichi, I understand you have had a lot going on in your life lately. Your mother told me some of it, but I would really rather hear about it from you. Anything you tell me here stays here. I will not tell anyone else, not even your mother. Now, let's talk about what's going on."

Kurama just looked at the doctor blankly, unsure what to say. The doctor prompted him, "I understand that Hiei lives with you in your apartment. It's just the two of you?" Kurama nodded. "Okay, and you have a relationship with each other, outside of friendship?" Another nod. The doctor just waited for Kurama to respond verbally.

In a very meek voice Kurama said, "We are lovers."

"I see. Hiei was injured recently, and was paralyzed for awhile. Tell me how you took care of him," the doctor prompted.

"I carried him when he could not move. I fed him, bathed him, and dressed him. I read to him, and held him when he..." Kurama stopped, unwilling to reveal the hiyoukai's weaknesses to anyone. The doctor kept staring at him, waiting for an answer. Finally Kurama continued, "Hiei would have horrible nightmares about the time he got...hurt. I would hold him and talk to him to calm him down."

"I see," said the doctor. "Did you get any sleep during this time?" Kurama shook his head. "Did you eat?"

"Some."

"Some. I see. Did you keep down what you ate?" the doctor queried. Kurama again shook his head. The doctor made some notes in his file. Kurama looked alarmed at that. He did not want his mother reading what he had said in his file. The doctor noticed the boy's discomfort and elaborated. "Don't worry, there are no quotes in here. These are all notes from a strictly medical point of view and reveal nothing of our conversation here. Besides, even if they did, I have been told my handwriting is so hellacious, no one could read it anyway." Kurama smiled a bit at this.

"Now, Shuuichi, how long have you been unable to get to sleep, or to hold down food?" The doctor continued asking questions of this type and getting a more rounded view of what was happening in Kurama's life. After many more questions and more scribbled notes, the doctor wrapped up his questions. He had asked very specific questions, and Kurama had answered each honestly.

"Shuuichi, do you mind if I call your mother and Hiei back in to discuss your treatment?" the doctor asked. Kurama shook his head, but seemed to pale a bit at this question. The doctor left for a few minutes, and then returned with both human and demon following him. When Shiori had settled Hiei and taken a seat herself, the doctor began.

"Based on our conversation and my examination, I believe Shuuichi has been having a very rough time lately. He has shouldered a heavy burden, and seems reluctant to let anyone assist him with it. I believe at first his lack of eating and sleeping was due to the stress and constant vigilance required in this position, but now I believe it has become worse. It seems that the actual stress is resolving with Hiei being able to walk again and gaining some of his independence back. But Shuuichi's body has degraded to a point that it cannot recover without help. I believe that in addition to the insomnia, Shuuichi is developing an ulcer. The good news is that all of this is treatable. I recommend short term admission, and reevaluation for either release or full admission."

Kurama began to protest, but the doctor silenced him by saying, "Or we can just skip to full hospital admission." When no further arguments arose, the doctor nodded. "Alright then, a nurse will be in in just a moment to get you into a hospital gown and give you some medication. It will alleviate your nausea. Once it has taken effect, I want to give you a mild sedative to help you get to sleep. It will only last about six hours, but your body can at least begin to recover during that time. When you wake up we will be able to determine if we need to admit you fully, or if we can send you home and work on an outpatient basis."

Kurama nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the blanket. It seemed he had no choice but to cooperate. He felt his eyes sting, and he found he could not raise his gaze due to the shame he felt in being such a burden to his mother and lover. The doctor flagged down a nurse and gave her a few instructions. He then motioned for Shiori and Hiei to follow him to an office.

Once they entered, the doctor closed the door. "I am not sure of the details of this situation, but Shuuichi feels very guilty for Hiei's condition. His guilt has been a major factor in his current condition. I have spoken to him, and I feel he is very mature and able to take care of himself, but he is blaming himself for everything right now. Please do not chastise or rebuke him for his failure in taking care of himself. He's been trying to eat, but he cannot tolerate food. He tries to sleep at normal times, but his mind will not allow him to rest. I feel his sickness is not due to any conscious decisions he has made. He needs support right now." Shiori nodded. The thousands of questions she wanted to ask her son (most of which began with 'why') faded away when she heard this. Kurama had tried to take care of everything, but he just couldn't control this.

When they returned to Kurama's cubicle, the fox was wearing a hospital gown instead of his school uniform. He looked absolutely miserable. The nurse paused before leaving the curtained area. "An orderly will be in in a few minutes to move Shuuichi to a private room upstairs. Please go with him." she directed Shiori and Hiei. Shiori nodded. Kurama had yet to raise his eyes.

"Shuuichi?" Shiori asked, approaching her son. Hiei remained where he was, holding the footboard and trying to listen to everything around him. "Sweetheart? How do you feel now?"

With his eyes still fixed on the blanket, Kurama replied softly, "Fine."

"No, Sweetie, you've been saying 'fine' for a long time now. I want to know how you are really feeling," Shiori said, gently brushing his hair back of his face. She could feel him shaking slightly as she did so.

"I'm sorry," the fox whispered. "I didn't mean to...."

"Shuuichi, no one is blaming you for anything. This isn't something you could control. Right now, all I want is to help you. Please let me help you, Son," Shiori said gently.

Kurama finally raised his gaze to meet his mother's. His green eyes were bloodshot and worried, and it seemed to Shiori that all of the fear and guilt her son had been feeling were pouring out of those eyes. She put her arms around him, and drew him into a light hug. "I just want you to be well, Sweetheart."

Kurama relaxed a bit into her hold. "I feel a little better. The nurse injected something into the iv line to get rid of the nausea, and it seems to be working." Shiori smiled. It was progress.

After a few more minutes and orderly entered the area and began to get Kurama's gurney ready for transport. Soon the kitsune was being wheeled through the hallways and into the elevator.

"Hiei, it's an elevator. Would you prefer the stairs?" Shiori asked softly. Hiei shook his head, and they accompanied the fox into the wretched little box. The ride up was only two floors, but Hiei got very dizzy from it. His legs felt like jelly and without his sight he couldn't seem to right himself. Shiori led him to a bench just outside of the elevator to let him recover. The orderly told her the number of the room to which they were transferring Kurama.

After a few minutes, Hiei felt ready to walk again. Shiori led him to the room the orderly had indicated. By the time they got there, Kurama was already moved to the real bed. The nurse was adjusting the iv bags and the covers so the fox could rest comfortably. When Shiori and Hiei entered, she introduced herself, and then returned to getting Kurama settled in. Once the fox was relaxed, the nurse took a syringe out of her pocket.

"Shuuichi, this is a sedative. It will help you go to sleep. You should sleep about six hours. During that time no one but your family, the doctor, and I will be coming in here, so you can just let yourself fall asleep without worrying about anything." With this the nurse injected the substance into the iv line. "Call me if you need anything before I return. I'll be back in about ten minutes."

Kurama laid in the bed waiting. The head of the bed was inclined, and Kurama laid his head back onto the pillow. After a few moments he spoke. "Mother, Hiei, I'm sorry I lied to you about my condition."

"Sweetheart, I'm not angry. I just want you to feel better. Try to relax," Shiori said. Kurama smiled and shifted his gaze to Hiei. The fire demon sat silently with a disturbed look on his face. Deciding it best to drop the subject, Kurama did not speak anymore. The fox looked back at his mother, but found that she looked fuzzy. He blinked his eyes a few times to try to clear his vision, but she only became more indistinguishable.

"It's alright, Shuuichi. Don't fight it," Shiori said, rubbing Kurama's arm warmly. The fox blinked a few more times before his eyes fluttered shut. Within moments his breathing evened out into a deep, restful rhythm. Finally, Kurama was able to sleep peacefully.

After a short time Hiei called out softly, "Kurama?"

"He's asleep, Hiei," Shiori informed him. Hiei just closed his eyes with a wistful expression on his face. "What were you going to say?"

"I just wanted to tell him that I am not mad at him, and I..." Hiei didn't finish. Shiori saw that Hiei was upset with himself for holding his response until Kurama was asleep, so she left it at that.

When the nurse returned, she quickly checked Kurama's vital signs and lowered the head of the bed so that he was laying down flat. She then took a few syringes and began adding various substances to the bag of clear fluid dripping into Kurama's arm, changing the liquid to a warm amber color. When she saw Shiori looking at her with a questioning glance she answered the unspoken question, "These are vitamins. We are supplementing him with intravenous vitamins along with the fluid. He will get quite a bit of the fluid today, and he will be asleep for about six hours. If you two wanted to go out and get some lunch or whatever, that's fine. Come back a little before five tonight; he should wake up then. The doctor will want to see him again before he decides whether to release him or admit him fully." Shiori nodded.

"Hiei, are you hungry?" Shiori asked. Hiei nodded. Shiori got up and guided Hiei out the door to the stairs. Hiei went down the stairs quite well for not being able to see them. When they got to the car, Shiori asked Hiei where he would like to go. When Hiei just shrugged, Shiori picked a place close by.

When they entered the restaurant Hiei was accosted with smells and sounds foreign to him. He smelled cheese, dough, meat, vegetables, tomatoes, and many other things he could not identify. Shiori led him to a table and settled him before she returned to the counter to place their order. When she carried the plates back to the table she sat Hiei dish in front of him.

"Hiei, give me your hands." she directed. The youkai complied. Shiori placed his right hand on something doughy, and his left hand on something warm. "The right side is where you hold it, and the left is where you bite it. It's wedge shaped." With that Shiori took her own seat and began to eat her lunch.

Hiei carefully sniffed the food. He could not recognize it, but the aroma was inviting. Tentatively he nibbled the end in his left hand. He found it surprisingly good. When he swallowed his first bite he asked Shiori, "What is it? It is not Japanese."

"It's pizza, Hiei," Shiori replied. "I believe it was first created by the Greeks. It's fast and requires no utensils." Shiori had chosen pizza because she wasn't sure how well Hiei would handle trying to eat blindly with chopsticks in public. Hiei was grateful for her consideration. All in all, Shiori ate two slices of mushroom pizza and Hiei ate seven slices, each with different toppings than the last. The two did speak during their lunch, and the meal passed pleasantly for both of them.

When they finished lunch they went to the supermarket. Shiori wanted to make sure that her son's larder was stocked with healthy, light, bland foods so he would not have to worry about shopping any time soon. When they got back to the apartment, she put away all of the groceries and tidied up a bit. She was determined to take the stress off Kurama.

Around four-thirty that afternoon, Shiori and Hiei made their way back to the hospital. Kurama was still asleep when they arrived. They resumed their seats and waited.

The bag that was dripping into Kurama's arm was again clear. Kurama had not moved since they saw him last. Shortly before five, the nurse returned with more medicine. She slowly injected it into the iv line.

"This will help Shuuichi to wake up more comfortably. It isn't a sedative, but it helps the sedative to wear off more quickly. He should be waking up very soon. If you need anything, please buzz. If he seems disoriented, buzz for me. Sometimes patients wake up very confused. This medicine should help with that, though." Shiori nodded her acknowledgment, and the nurse left again. After a few minutes, the doctor came in.

"Still asleep, Hm? He should wake up shortly. If you don't mind, I will sit back here. Just pretend I am not here. I want him to wake up before I start speaking with him," the doctor said, as he opened his file, and sat in a corner away from the bed.

After about ten more minutes, Kurama squeezed his eyes shut tightly and sighed. With a few small stretches he began to wake up.

Kurama felt like he was waking up from the most comfortable rest he had ever gotten. For a few minutes there was nothing wrong in the world. As his surroundings came into focus, he realized he was still in the hospital, and Shiori and Hiei were by his side.

"Hello there, Son," Shiori said softly, smiling. Kurama smiled sleepily at her.

"Hello, Mother."

"How do you feel?" Shiori asked.

"Good. I feel good," Kurama replied. The fox shifted his gaze to rest on Hiei. The fire demon was carefully expressionless. "Hiei?" Kurama asked timidly.

"Fox, I...I'm sorry. You have been such great care of me. I should have noticed something," Hiei admitted.

"You're not angry?" Kurama asked.

"Of course not. I just want you to feel better," the hiyoukai said. Both smiled.

"Well, Shuuichi, I'm glad you're feeling better," the doctor began. "While you were sleeping we pumped quite a bit of fluids into you to restore your hydration. You look better already. This should also have curbed your headache. We gave you more of the anti-nausea medicine just an hour ago, so you should not feel sick right now."

Kurama considered for a moment. "You're right. I believe this is the first time I have not felt sick in quite awhile," he agreed.

"Excellent. The nurse will be in shortly with your dinner," the doctor continued.

At this Kurama paled a bit. Not feeling sick and actually eating were two entirely different things. The doctor noticed this. "I want to make sure you can eat and hold it down. Getting sick again will undo everything we have accomplished today; you will dehydrate again very quickly. We'll just play it by ear when your food arrives, and see where to go from there. Relax, it's a light dinner, nothing scary." With that the doctor took his leave.

After twenty minutes, the nurse came in with a tray. "Well, it isn't much, but it will do the trick. Now, here you go, Shuuichi," she said, removing the cover. On the plate before him, Kurama saw a small mound of brown rice and a bowl of chicken broth. Even this meager helping seemed mountainous to the fox, who had been incapable of holding down very much at all for a few weeks now. Sighing, he turned a baleful look to his mother.

"Don't look to me, Shuuichi. You're the one who needs to eat," she protested. Glumly, Kurama fiddled with the chopsticks a bit. Finally he screwed up the courage to take a sip of the broth. He waited. Nothing happened. He sipped again. Feeling more confident, he ate a small bit of rice. Nothing.

It took the better part of an hour, but Kurama almost cleaned his plate. A small amount of rice was left, but the broth was completely gone. Kurama lay in his semi-reclined position waiting for his stomach to protest, but it never did.

When the doctor returned he was surprised that Kurama had eaten so much. Smiling, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out several dram vials. "Well, Shuuichi, based on your progress so far, I think we can let you go home tonight. But if you get this way again, I will be admitting you. I do have some medication to send home with you." The doctor then explained the medication to both Kurama and Shiori. There were some large, chalky pills that Kurama had to take three times a day, on an empty stomach. There were also pills for his headaches, and pills for nausea. Finally, the doctor handed him the last of the vials.

"This one is a sleeping pill. It's relatively new on the market, and the chance of dependency is practically nothing. You will take an anti-nausea pill every night at nine o'clock, and you will take a sleeping pill every night at quarter to ten. You will be in bed by ten, and you will start sleeping in a normal pattern again. You also have to force yourself to eat small amounts of bland foods frequently throughout the day. A big meal, or a spicy, greasy meal will make you sick. The only time I do not want you to take your pills is if you get sick. Then you have to fast for four hours before taking an anti-nausea pill. If that does not work, then come back and see me right away. Alright?" Kurama nodded. "Good. I'm glad you're feeling better, Shuuichi. I know you can beat this." With that, and a handshake, the doctor left Kurama to change back into his own clothing and go home with his family.