Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Hiei's Mistake ❯ Chapter eleven ( Chapter 11 )

Yusuke looked up from his bottomless pit of sorrow when a voice called his name. When he saw that it was the usually hyper, happy Botan was looking grim and sad, an extremely bad feeling washed over him. Was he to late? Was Hiei dead? Is Kurama dead? Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes.

"Botan, what the hell are you doing here?" Kuwabara asked her, fearing she was here to take away the souls of his two friends.

"I have come to help," she replied, a single tear rolling down her face. Her hand rose to angrily wipe the tear away.

"Help...but…how?" asked a very quiet Yukina. It appeared that she had simply run out of tears, because she was now in a kind of stupor, not crying, but her eyes spoke volumes of a mute agony.

"Spill it, Botan." Yusuke said, sounding like he was getting ready to punch her. Well, he was ready to punch her. He was mad and felt as though he needed to punch something- or someone- to release that anger.

"Well you see. Koenma has found a way to stop the poison." Yusuke's eyes danced with a kind of desperate hope at that statement. "But we only have," She then looked at a watch on her arm, "two hours and forty-five minutes."

"Out with it!! What can we do?" Kuwabara asked her almost dancing in his spot for joy at the prospect of Hiei's recovery. Yukina seemed to come out of her former stupor and a fragile flame of hope burned in her crimson eyes.

"Only Yusuke and Kurama can actually help," the two deflated a bit at that. "Though we will need you and Yukina to watch over Hiei while they are gone," she quickly added, knowing they wanted to help however they could. They nodded, small smiles curving their lips.

"Man, I hate all this beating around!! Just tell us what we have to do!" Yusuke shouted at her.

With a heavy sigh, Botan began to explain to the three of them what needed to be done. Two people who love to the person that is dying need to find the `Fountain of Dreams.' This fountain would allow one person or demon that proved itself to be worthy to make one wish. That wish would be granted, no matter how outrageous. "But there are a lot of traps and the place is heavily guarded by a tribe of warrior youkai that have protected it since the beginning of time," she finished, releasing another heavy sigh.

Yusuke cracked his knuckles gamely, ready to go after the cure no matter what he would face. He didn't want his friend to suffer anymore. Not when he could help him.

Even if it meant that he would die.

Kuwabara and Yukina led the way towards Kurama and Hiei's door. No one said a word, yet all four made their way to the door at the same time. The door was unlocked. That told both Kuwa and Yukina that Kurama had never made it from the bedroom. Even if he was frazzled, he would never allow anything to enter that could hurt his koibito. Kuwabara gently pushed open the door.

A soft whining could be heard coming from their bedroom. The whole place had the feeling of mourning and death. It would make even a sugar high person depressed in mere seconds.

Deep sadness rested in the heart of everyone that was present. When they walked in the room they saw a silver youko with his arms around his lover. They were holding on to the other person so tightly, they all knew he was afraid to let go, for fear that if he did- the other would die. His furry, normally perky ears were pressed against his head, and the tail lay limply on the bed. His legs were wrapped around the smaller form's, also quite tightly. All in all- Hiei had a live fur `blanket' wrapped around him. It was so… bittersweet to see. The action was touching, how Kurama seemed to be trying to protect his lover from everything, but sad in that they knew that he simply couldn't protect Hiei from death.

Getting the overprotective fox's attention away from his mate proved to be quite a chore. First, they tried calling out to him, doing little more than making an ear twitch slightly. Yusuke then went to touch Hiei, hoping to not only draw attention to himself, but also to check on Hiei's temperature and vitals. Kurama growled at him, sounding very similar to a mother wolf protecting it's cub. It scared them all so badly, they all moved *far* away from the bed.

Then, without warning, the kind ice maiden made her way slowly to her brother's life mate. She laid a hand gently on the fox's head.

Kurama did not growl.

Instead, he flinched when she touched him. Animal spirits behaved similarly to animals in the Ningenkai. With this in mind, Yukina began to softly pet the silver head. The fox started to relax slightly after a few minutes.

The youko then looked into her big, soft, kind eyes. Eyes so similar to the now closed ones of his beloved. His own eyes seemed to shine with unshed tears. He lowered his head to rest it on top of her brother's head, a small tear falling onto the white starburst in Hiei's hair.

In dulcet tones, she explained why they all where here. The more she said, the more the Kurama they knew came back. A calm mask was put on his face as the panic faded. Soon, almost no emotion was shown on the formerly mournful and tortured face. But his eyes showed hope.

Yes, it was reflected in the very depth of his soul, a flame flickering against the black agony of his sorrow. He kissed his koi's disturbingly cold lips. Then he moved towards the door, then turned to face his friends.

He uttered his first words since their arrival.

"Yusuke, let's go." Yusuke nodded and walked towards Kurama.

With that, the conflict of the past over the dying fire demon was put aside and the bonds of friendship were renewed between the two. Kurama quickly opened a portal and gathered up a few last second supplies.

As they left, Botan wished them much needed luck. Then she remembered something she had forgotten to tell them. She hoped it would not matter much.

After all, if it was that important, she would have remembered it.

…

Wouldn't she have?