Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Everyday Life? ❯ Necessary Compromise ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Kiru

Everyday Life?

Chapter 11: Necessary Compromise

-One Month Later-

"Robin!" Judy called frantically, drawing her best friend's attention from her fight with an invading demon, "Something's wrong with Kurama!"

"What?" Robin jumped out of the way of an attack, landing on one knee a few feet away. "What happened?!" she asked as she sent the youkai reeling with a blast of fire.

"I don't know," Judy answered, "He just started clutching his stomach!"

The demoness cursed, standing and following Judy inside. She called for Hiei to finish off the lingering youkai quickly. She rushed into the fox's room, where Kurama clutched his stomach, obviously in pain.

Kneeling next to him, she placed a hand on his forehead. The fox had a slight fever. She frowned, "Kurama, where exactly does it hurt?" Fairly certain she knew what was wrong with the fox, Robin needed to know a few things to be sure.

The fox opened pain-darkened eyes, staring at her helplessly, "Low in my stomach. Is something wrong with my baby?!"

"Shh," she brushed his hair out of his face, "I'll take care of you and your kit." Calling on her knowledge of this particular ailment, she asked a question that would determine whether she was right or wrong. "Kurama, any bleeding?"

He shook his head, but his eyes were now wild with panic, "What's wrong with my kit?"

Relieved she was correct; Robin smiled and asked Judy to bring her the box of herbs in her bag. "You'll be fine, I promise."

Shuffling through her box once Judy gave it to her, the demoness pulled out a velvet pouch. She reached inside and took out a single seed. Concentrating, she forced it to grow into a small sprout with a small chunk of youki. Robin pulled off a leaf and gave it to Kurama. "Take this, now." Think, think…what's a good cover-up?!

Willing to do anything to take care of his baby, he nodded and quickly consumed the bitter leaf. Almost immediately, the pain faded away. Sitting up quickly, Kurama stared at the demoness as she settled the sprout into a small terra cotta pot. "What is it?"

"Thanlyx," she said, settling the pot on a windowsill, "You are to take one leaf everyday at ten in the morning for the entirety of your pregnancy." She sat down on the bed next to him, "If you don't you will not carry to term. It's a disease that happens in crossbreeding sometimes. But you and your kit will be fine if you listen to me. " Yes…that's good enough to pacify him until I can speak with Koenma.

Kurama's eyes filled with fear, but he nodded, "I will." He looked around, overwhelmed by the need to be with his lover, "Where's Hiei?"

They turned when they heard the door crashing open, and a deep baritone calling out, "KURAMA!!"

Smiling, Kurama got to his feet and headed out to see his lover, pausing for a moment to look at Robin before exiting. "I am in your debt."

-Later That Night-

Judy closed the communicator after filling the infant ruler of the Reikai in on the situation with Kurama. She looked around; the apartment was silent. Hiei and Kurama were in Kurama's room, and it was too quiet for them to be doing anything but sleeping. Judy had no clue where Robin was, though. Shrugging it off, she decided to take a shower before heading off to bed.

Twenty minutes later, Judy headed for the kitchen for a glass of water before heading to bed. She heard the distinct click of a communicator closing as she sipped on the glass. Curious, she headed to the source of the sound. She stopped short in the darkened hallway when she saw Robin in her demon form placing the communicator back on the table. Judy's mouth dropped open when she turned, revealing long, furry fox ears graced with black tufts of fur at the end.

The ningen covered her mouth with her hands and ducked into the bathroom when her friend's gaze snapped to the dark hallway.

Looking into the hall, Robin narrowed her eyes. Who in kami's name is awake? "Who's there?"

"Ahaha…" Judy stepped into view, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace, "Don't attack me, okay?"

"Judy?" the demoness asked, "What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"I should ask the same," the ningen retorted, "Why are you awake, AND in demon form none the less?"

"I don't need a reason to be in demon form," Robin replied defensively, then sat down on the couch. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"Fine, but why are you awake?" Judy came to sit beside her. "It's late…"

"I know…"

"And more importantly…" the ningen grinned and batted at the black tufts of fur on her best friend's suddenly vulpine ears, "What's up with the ears?"

The demoness jerked her ear out of the way of Judy's hand and growled playfully, "Back off. This is my true demon form, and in it I'm a whole hell of a lot stronger than I am in human form."

"Truce…truce…" Judy's grin faded into a soft smile. "Seriously…why are you awake? With all the battles you've had recently, I would think you would want to sleep as much as you can." Her gaze lingered briefly on the demoness' trim waist, where she knew a wicked scar marred the pale perfection that once existed there, "And after that incident in New York…I don't want you taking any unnecessary chances."

"I'm fine, really," she gave a fanged grin. "I'm a demon remember? I don't need as much sleep as you. And concerning the possibility of another 'incident'…" she looked out the window at the starry sky, "maybe the time for me to die is near…"

"What?!" the ningen gasped, "No!" She bolted up, "Don't you even dare think like that!!"

"Why not?" The demoness replied, "All I've done is rule territory and obtain a small fortune. I don't have any kids, and I'm probably too old to find a mate… Most of my family is dead, and those who live are far removed from my life. I'm not really needed for anything. So if it winds up that my life is needed to save someone else's…someone who is needed…then so be it…"

Judy stared, speechless at her friend as she got up and walked towards the door. She felt like a truck had collided with her. Never… never had she had any idea that her seemingly confident friend harbored insecurities so…terrible that they would cause her to consider her life invaluable.

"But… but… what about Hiei and Kurama?!" Judy shouted. "They don't have mates, and they are much older than you are!!"

Robin turned to face Judy again, "It's different for males…" She smiled, "Don't worry about me okay? I'm alright. It's going to take a whole hell of a lot to kill me."

"Remember…you aren't allowed to die without permission from me. Got it?"

"Hey," the demoness grinned, "I did survive getting a sword thrust through me…I think I can put up with a few measly S-classes after that." She chuckled and opened the door, "See ya…I'm going to go for a walk in the park."

"What if someone spots you looking like that?"

"Oh…don't worry about it. I'm going to be in the trees."

"Alright," Judy smiled and waved, "Be safe. I'll see you in the morning." She headed down the hallway to her room, happy to finally be getting to bed after a tiring day.

Robin nodded, "Ja mata." She waited for the sound of Judy's door closing then bowed her head. "I'll see you…when I get back…"

-Reikai, Midnight-

Koenma looked up, meeting the serious gaze of his visitor. He had been expecting this particular visitor, and had prepared by changing into his teenage form.

"I know what you're going to say," the ruler stated, putting his stamp aside. "Please sit down."

Robin sat across from Koenma, "Then you know what I'm going to ask for." She too was prepared for a meeting of this magnitude, gracing Koenma by wearing her true demon form. "You know as well as I do that Kurama's 'infliction' isn't as simple as I pretended it was…"

"I know," he said, "but do you understand what closing the Makai would mean?"

"Yes," the demoness looked away, "All travel to and from the demon world would be halted. No one would be able to infiltrate the Ningenkai. Any events happening in the Makai would be confined…and would have to be controlled from the inside."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Koenma asked.

"Yes," she answered, her ears drooping momentarily before perking back up, "I want them to be safe."

"Very well," Koenma nodded, "You have 12 hours before the gate closes…Kiru." The godling put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly when she tensed, "I'll call them in the morning, and you can tell them."

She looked away, "I'll be gone by then…tell them yourself." She got up and walked out of the room, her cape fluttering behind her.

-Reikai, the Next Day, Noon-

Hiei, Judy and Kurama walked into Koenma's office, sitting down in the chairs across from his desk.

Judy wrung her hands, staring at the empty seat next to her. She had been worried when her best friend hadn't returned after their conversation last night. But when Koenma had called for them, she figured Robin would meet up with them there.

Kurama and Hiei mentally discussed what Koenma could possibly want with them that wouldn't include Robin. And where said demoness could be for that matter.

I don't know fox, Hiei was puzzled, this room positively reeks of her ki signature, but not her youki.

I know what you mean, Kurama looked over towards the door where the infant ruler was just walking in, I guess we'll find out when Koenma tells us, ne?

"Thank you all for coming at such short notice," Koenma said, sitting in his chair.

"Cut the bull," Hiei cut in, "What's going on?"

"The Makai is closed to all travel."

"What?" Kurama bolted up, "How can that be?"

Koenma sighed, "It was a necessity."

"But what happens if there's a revolt in the Makai or…" Judy paused in her rant, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicking in her mind. "Robin…is in the Makai, isn't she?"

"Yes," Koenma nodded, "She is."

"How could you close off travel while she was still in there?" Hiei slammed his palms down on the table. He growled, "How the hell is she going to get back, huh?!"

"She wanted to go…" Kurama said quietly, head bowed. "I had a feeling it wasn't that simple." His hand moved to rest on his stomach.

"What are you talking about fox?" Hiei asked, worry for both his mate and his friend clouding his mind.

"She volunteered to act as the control in the Makai for the period where it will be closed," Koenma told the fuming fire demon. "She recognized that Kurama had been stung by a wasp from the Makai…and the poison was interfering in the already unbalanced chemicals his system. That plant she gave Kurama is the only thing keeping your mate and your kit alive, Hiei."

Hiei stared, stunned at the infant ruler. He cursed quietly and sat down in his chair. "She's putting her life on the line…damn it…"

"Who's to say that I'm doing something that foolish, huh?"

Hiei bolted up and turned around, staring at the TV screen. Robin, in demon form, was displayed, an amused smirk on her face. She smiled at him gently, her eyes softening, "I'm quite capable of defending myself…"

"Robin…" Kurama said quietly.

She closed her eyes. "Kiru, Kurama. My name is Kiru."

He nodded, "I'm sorry…Kiru…"

"For what?" she looked at all three of them. "I made this choice on my own. I wanted you all to be safe. Our forces were down, and I'm the only real candidate for relocation." She looked at Hiei and Kurama, "You two have to look out for each other and make sure that little one grows up right. And you," she turned her gaze to Judy, "would be missed by your family. I have no such restrictions. I know what I am getting myself into."

"But what am I supposed to do without my BFF?" Judy asked, holding back tears.

"You'll survive," she grinned. "Hell, I have to survive the Makai on my own, I think you can survive the Ningenkai."

Judy giggled, "Alright…Stay safe. Remember, I haven't given you permission to die."

"Got it."

"Excuse me," Koenma said, "If you guys are done, I have work to do."

"Yeah yeah…" Kiru said, "You guys had better get back."

Reluctantly, the now three member team left the room one by one, each saying a personal goodbye to their friend in the big screen.

Hiei was the last to go. His gaze was uncharacteristically tender as he ran his gaze over every inch of the demoness he had come to respect. His eyes stopped on her face, and his intense crimson eyes stared into hers.

"You had better come back alive," he almost growled at her. "No way in hell am I going to find another sparring partner as good as you."

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, Hiei-sama."

"I…I'll miss you."

"Me too…I'll see you later Hiei…"

"Yeah, later…" he stared at the screen even after it went back, deeply absorbed in his thoughts until Judy called out for him. He started and shook his head before hurrying out to join the rest of his team.

Koenma, who had watched this whole exchange silently, raised an eyebrow. Could it be there was more going on between the two tacit warriors of his American tantei than he had originally suspected was possible…?

As soon as the team got back to Judy's apartment, they all sat down to try and relax and unwind from the traumatizing events of the day.

Kurama was feeling hungry so, in true pregnant-craving nature, he went into the kitchen and ate some pickles and peanut butter. He chewed on the chewy concoction and thought about the demoness, trying to think of someway to repay her for everything she was sacrificing for him.

Hiei perched in a tree near the apartment, watching out for any lingering Makai bees while morbidly dreaming up and dreading every possible thing that could go wrong while Kiru was in the Makai alone. Growling he cleaned his katana, while thinking, in vain, of ways he could get to the Makai to help…

Judy turned on the TV and curled up with a blanket on the couch. She perched a picture of her and her best friend on the table. After the New York incident, Kurama had taken a picture of the two of them just outside his territory. The demoness was sitting elegantly on a giant mushroom, her cape fluttering out behind her in the wind as she looked out over the scenery. Judy stood beside the mushroom, grinning up at her friend.

Sighing, she turned to stare out the window into space. She hoped that her BFF would be alright. Like Hiei, she was thinking of all the risks of being alone in the Makai, especially when you have enemies from both your past and your line of work. The knowledge that Robin…Kiru was a strong demon helped a lot, but Judy was still very worried.

Judy was submersed so deep in her thoughts, she didn't hear Kurama call that dinner was ready. She jerked into awareness when Hiei poked her.

“Oi, dinner is ready.”

“Oh,” Judy thumbed the remote, turning off the TV. “Thanks I'll be there in a second.”

She picked up the picture and carried it into her room before joining the boys in the kitchen for a silent dinner.

Later that night, Judy went to bed, feeling very unnerved by everything going on. She wanted only the best for all her friends, but it seemed that someone always had to sacrifice something. In an uncharacteristic gesture, she knelt beside the bed and prayed that everything would work out. She climbed into her comfy bed, and, after tossing and turning for awhile, fell into a light sleep, dreaming of happier times that would hopefully come in the future…