Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Knowing (My Kitsune p2) ❯ Knowing ( Chapter 3 )

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

Knowing 3 (Hong Kong 11-18-02)
"Hiei!" I caught him in my arms and I knelt with him
on my lap, he'd bound his chest with his scarf and the
scarf is soaked with dark blood that bubbled out of
his chest. It's dark and smells deeper, richer, than
regular blood from superficial wounds. I put my ear to
his nose while I pressed on his neck pulse with my
sticky, bloody fingers. His breath is very shallow and
I could hear the blood in it, his left lung's been
punctured, his heart is laboring, beating irregularly,
so weak I could barely hear it.

I have to work fast! I tore his clothes off with a
grass blade, exposing the bubbling entry wound and
exit wound. The spear passed between his ribs where it
nicked a major pulmonary vein. I took a twig from my
hair and made it leaf, then I took the sundew root and
made it grow a little so I can use it's sticky sap to
glue the 2 sides of the leaf over his wounds leaving
one side open. It formed a seal over his punctured
lung letting air out but not in. I did the same for
his exit wound. That done, I laid him flat on his back
then I tilted his head back, pinched his nose and gave
him a slow deep breath through the mouth.

I watched his chest fall after I let his lips go, I
gave him another slow breath before I put my hand over
his wound and focused my youkai on the vein pouring
it's contents into his lung cavity.

I barely remember what I did. All I remmeber was Hiei
calling my name and then the sight of that mangled
body hanging from my fingers. I was shocked, then I
saw his hand over a blossoming red patch that meant
his death. Then I remembered who this was and I was
angry all over again so I crushed the skull and
growled my frustration at the empty night.

I tried to approached him, I wanted to help him but
he went into a defensive stance. One foot forward
sword raised... Then I remmebered, I am Yokou, I
looked at my hands, pieces of flesh clung to my nails
and between my fingers, I can taste blood in my
mouth... I was practically soaked in it.

I was disgusted, I wanted a bath, I wanted to take my
clothes off right there and then. But my ears told me
how Hiei's heart was laboring to supply blood to all
his parts and is practically flooding his other lung
because his punctured lung was soaked and had shrunk
from lack of negative pressure.

I was relatively alright. Yoshira was aiming at my
parasite, but Hiei's warning saved me. Nothing vital
was hit, it was a clean wound, that pierced me just
under my ribs.

I did what I could to distract him, I needed him to
calm down, I told him about Yoshira and asked him to
burn the remains of the poor mortal to keep his mind
off me and my size. I knelt down and tried to make
myself as small and as unthreatening as possible
without using fox magic. I saw the battle in his eyes
then, I pleaded with him to let me heal him. His lips
are ashen, I could see very well in the dark and I
could see his nails are turning blue.

Gods Hiei please, I can't loose you! Shuiichi will
become impossible if I let you die. Yoshira I'll
hound you to the ends of the Earth! I swear I'll
contain your foul spirit and kill you over and over!

Then he did as I asked, he burned the mess and spared
the grass and dirt. That is something ordinary fire
nor my fox fire can't do. My ears strained to hear his
fading heart beat, my nose was assulted by the smell
of charred flesh. When there was nothing left but the
clean scent of ashes, I was on the verge of panic, I
have my hands clenched together trying to keep myself
from jumping to his side.

He wavered, his sword came down point first to prop
him up and he began laughing. I don't give a damn! I
stood up and I heard him say "I trust you." before he
fell forward. I caught him in my arms then.

He brought me back to myself by calling my name. I...
I went berzerk because he'd been harmed. I actually
lost it... What if he had died? What would have
happened to me? What would have happened to Hong Kong
if the object of my fury is nothing more than pulp and
I look around for a new target? Dammit I cannot let
that happen again!

I felt drained but Hiei's heart was returning to an
even rythm, and that's good. The vein is closed now
and his breathing is shallow but at least he's
breathing on his own. I need to move him because he's
cold, and my youki is low from treating him and
myself. I put his katana back into it's sheath secured
to his belt, then I stood with him cradled in my arms
wrapped in the remains of his coat .

I made my way as swiftly and as safely as I could
back to the hotel. Yoshira is weakened everytime her
host flesh dies and she won't be able to go after us
for at least 4 or 5 days. Unfortunately that's when
she's hardest to find because her... essence? Well
what ever it is it's scattered all over place, she's
everywhere so to speak and her core is very difficult
to find. Perhaps Hiei with his Jagan can find her but
I can't. I tried but I can't.

I have to work fast, I have to leave Hong Kong my
delay has hurt Hiei already.

How the fuck did that bitch escape?

I planned my route so that I was soon jumping on
building's rooftops, when I reached our hotel I
realized I was several floors above our veranda. I
wrapped Hiei closer to me and with one arm around him
used my other hand to help me descend. I lept from the
rooftop catching myself on veranda railings until I
got to our floor. I left our window partially open and
stuck parts of the curtains out so in case we came
back in this way we'd have a marker.

When I finally got to our window, it was freezing
inside our room. I closed the sliding door and taking
extra care not to stain the carpet, carried Hiei to
the bathroom. I took towels and pressed them to his
wounds before I laid him down on one of the bed under
the comforter, I propped him into a semi sitting
position and tucked him in. He'd stopped bleeding and
his vitals were stable, but his skin is cold and still
ashen.

Taking him to a hospital is out of the question.

Taking ME to a hospital is even more out of the
question.

I went to the bath and turned the shower on hot I
stripped my clothes off and scrubbed myself until my
skin felt raw. I want to soak in the hot water I
wanted to shampoo and soap my self over and over until
I'm sure I'm rid of that filth, there are so many
things coming back to me right now things I'd rather
not remember.

Hiei needs me right now, I have no time for this.

I got out of the toilet in less than 10 minuites. I
felt in my now wet hair for a particular twig I hid
there from the Makai. When I got it out I put it
between my lips and made it leaf, while I briskly
dried myself. I shook my tail out, glad of the
airpockets that kept it just damp and not soaking wet.
I'll have to deal with my hair later.

I wrapped a towel around my head and wore the
complimentary terry cloth bathrobe. My blood soaked
clothes separated from my body returned to their
normal state, that is, the clothes Minamino was
wearing. I pushed them under the sink, I'll have to
deal with that later too.

I got a basin and filled it with hot water and taking
more towels returned to Hiei. I touched his skin, he's
cold and clammy. I threw the comforter off and began
taking his clothes off. I pulled several leaves off
the twig and put them in the water.

His coat I threw into a neat pile on the floor,
making sure the bloody part does not stain the carpet.
That would be very hard to explain. I cut what
remained of his sweater off his arms with his tanto
and began washing him clean.

He's so... small. How could someone harm something
as, as, I can't say helpless because I've seen this
Koorime in action. I can't say weak either because I
know my chances against him in an all out battle is
pretty grim. But, he is no more than a child next to
me, both in age and in size.

I gave him the kiss of life. I chuckled and laid my
head next to his. I had wanted to kiss his lips, I do
not consider CPR a kiss, so I guess I get another
chance at his first kiss ne? I can smell the scent of
his own blood in his breath and it's... it would have
smelled good and sexy if his life wasn't on the line
when said blood got there.

Hey I' m a youko, a carnivore, the scent of blood
exites me it's in my nature.

And yes, Hiei is out of danger, he's one strong
little bastard.

Guess I should put some antiseptic on his wounds,
I'll just re-inflate his lung if the wound is too
fresh. I smiled, hm, hm, I get to kiss him again.

I bit off several of the antiseptic Hunter's leaves
and began chewing it. This is nasty stuff I tell you,
it's bitter and it leaves a disgusting coating on the
tounge that reminds me of eating rusty iron and moldy
woodbark in my childhood but I swear by it. It's a
Makai plant known to the head hunters of the western
jungles, I can't count how many times this plant had
saved me. It's antiseptic, anesthetic and helps wounds
heal faster. The head hunters had been growing this
plant for centuries increasing it's potency with each
generation.

I peeled back the leaf over Hiei's sucking wound and
hurriedly licked his wound with the bitter mash of
plant leaves on my tounge. That done I replaced his
dressing of the same leaf glued on by sundew sap. How
lucky was that? I bought that plant for a completely
different reason, if I used the other sticky plant in
my arsenal I would have had to tear his skin to get
the leaf off, because the leaf would have been bonded
to his skin permanently.

I am reminded suddently of the reason why I was doing
this in the first place. I knew that youki anywhere,
how did she slip past my defenses? I remember Hiei and
I were arguing about something, dammit was she hiding
her youki waiting for us to get distracted before she
struck? I will never forgive her, next time she takes
a form and come after us I swear I will contain her
and find a way to deal with her permanently.

But how did she escape the Janen-ju?

I made him sit up and did the same on his back. He
had bled into the towel at his back and I'm glad
because that meant the dirt had been washed out a
little. I replaced his dressing when I was done and
laid him back against the pillows. I listened to his
breatheing and decided he needed a deep breath to
force some more of the air out of his lung cavity. I
tilted his head back pinched his nose and covered his
lips with mine.

Hey, the guy is wounded, I'm not taking advantage,
I'm just making sure he'll breathe better sooner.
Besides, error on the side of caution cannot be
censured (1). I gave him a deep slow breath and I was
satisfied when I heard the air bubble out of his
wounds. The next breath he took was deeper. I sat down
besides him and ran a finger along his smooth
shoulder. He's silk over steel you know and I find
that so sexy.

Dammit I'm in denial aren't I?

I've been with a couple of fire demons before,
they're brothers and they're literally hot. I thought
I was going to die of a heat stroke when I visisted
them and their families in their volcanic caves. Hiei
got their spiky black and white hair but not the
stature, they're all as tall or taller than I am. And
big huge muscular bodies, nothing delicate or fine
about them, hair everywhere and dark complexions. But
the most beautiful thing about them is their attitude.
Once you get pass the natural hostility towards strangers
they'll take you in and make you honorary members of
their family, they share their brew, their women,
their food, their homes, everything.

If they offer you their home made brew, politely
decline, it's as powerful and as nasty as jet fuel. If
we weren't drinking from the same cup I'd have thought
they were poisoning me.

Hiei's reaction to beer is interesting, must be
Koorime because his paternal relatives would have
given that as juice for their kids. Hmmmm, I wonder If
Hiei inherited that particular part of the anatomy
from them? Koorimes do not have that and I'd be... I
dunno dissapointed if I don't see a male organ there.
I know he's male, no doubt of that scent. But his body
is Ice demon through and through. Down to the silky
nature of his skin and the sparseness of body hair.

I will not take a look. I will not take a peek. I
will not touch....

I sighed, I need to change the topic or my curiosity
will overcome my common sense.

The cave must have killed her, the earthquake must
have crushed her body releasing her foul spirit. That
means I killed her 3 times already. The old one must
have closed his roots to seal the cave, I heard his
cry as I slipped into the portal between worlds. He
was crying in pain. I wonder what that old tree did to
himself? Then there was the earthquake, I wonder how
he survived that? I hope that earthquake dosen't harm
him, he's a really kind old tree once you get to know
him better.

First time I killed Yoshira was in my youth he was a
hunter sent to take down the alpha of our tribe my
father the nine-tailed Youko. I didn't do it all by
myself of course, I helped my packmates kill him and
his hunting party. I was a three tail back then, a
free male, too young to fight for the alpha position
in our clan and too old to stay with the women. Only
the alpha is allowed to mate with the women and us
young males sparred and had sex with each other to
forge bonds and learn about our future competition. We
came and went as we pleased visiting our mothers and
our sisters and cousins.

It's like this, there's this huge territory my sire
won after he defeated the last Kyubi right? And in
that territory are many dens where the females lived,
when you fight the old man, you fight for that
territory and the 30 or so breeding females in it. We
live in our mom's den till we're old enough and strong
enough to live on our own and that depends on the
mother actually. My mom never kicked me out of her den
I moved out myself. If your a female you get automatic
den rights in his territory once you go in heat. If
your male like myself you are not welcome there
anymore.

Of course we sneak in every now and then too to try
and mate with the females behind the bastards back,
and generally we're successful. Ususally the female is
already pregnant with his offspring but that dosen't
stop us, and that dosen't stop them either. I love
mating with females of our kind, they focus more on
the sensuality of the act rather than the main course
itself which they get a lot of from my sire who I
resemble so much it's sickening.

It's the fact that I resembled him too much that made
me his target. Everytime we meet he attacks me. Even
as a kit, he'd toss me over with a paw and roll me
around till I get so dizzy I couldn't move anymore. He
never bites for real, and he never hurts me too much
but if you grew up dreading your father's visits to
the den, your not really going to like him even as a
grown up. I understand now that what he was doing was
grooming me to take his place. Testing my strength,
training me, my comrades and my half bothers were
envious because the Kyubi himself will get out of his
way to attack me.

I fucking hate him for that.

I remember I went off on my own back then, to get
away from that bastard, I wandered around learning the
world and I found out my interests is in the trade of
seals, locks, and keys. But every year without fail, I
came home during the vernal equinox as was our custom
to renew the bonds of our clan.

Ummm, basically it's a big orgy with lots of food and
sex and wine, it lasts all night followed by the
bastard fighting the newest challenger to his position
the next day.

Can you tell I'm not that fond of my father? Good,
then I won't have to repeat myself.

Anyway that bastard failed to protect my mother when
the hunting party did attack. Those demons attacked us
at our weakest. Can you guess when? You got it, the
night of the feast/orgy when the males are spent on
each other and the Kyubi had fucked his females.

We fought, we we're exhausted, but we won. My
arrogant sire followed the females to the main den to
protect them and he failed. They took his tails and
killed our women. We found them tailess... and some of
them skinless...

My mother... she was pregnant, her pelt... I... I
can see... I would have had a sister if she had
survived...

Th-there was a class S in their party and that demon
killed the Kyubi and his harem. We got rid of Yoshira
and his party but we were barely able to, the party we
destroyed was a distraction.

Pregnant and nursing females can't defend themselves
that well. I beat my self over and over with guilt
because I wasn't there for my mother but then... I
would have died there too... I wanted to back then...
but...

But that's the past, I want to leave it there.

For that alone I want to destroy this spirit demon.

The class S demon who killed my mother? He got killed
by Reizen himself shortly after, I didn't get my
chance. I did get the honorary position of Kyubi
because my father favored me but that honor is
tainted. If I was going to take the territory I want
to earn it. I left my brothers to fight over the
title, I didn't really want it to begin with.

Then I met him again when I stole that treasure from
a powerful demon Lord. My client paid me handsomely to
get a certain helmet from this guy and he was there I
knew him because he said "Well, well, if it isn't
Youko Kurama. Told you you can't kill me." He got me
back then, outnumbered, outclassed, I had to run to
the ningenkai to save myself.

And then Yoshira, his latest possesion... an
extremely good upper class A huntress. Dammit, as long
as he dies and takes over a new body this cycle will
keep going on. But how do you stop a spirit? I can't
use wards on him, because I react to it myself, I
tried traps and the Janen-ju failed. And I don't know
a priest with enough reikai to subdue such an angry
soul.

Oh yes he/she is a bitter, bitter spirit. She hates
me, I don't know what his grudge is against me and why
we keep running against each other. I mean I should be
the one with the grudge right? He destroyed my clan,
he forced me to become human... But I'm more laid back
about it because I understand life is like that.
Sometime you get it good sometimes you get it bad.
Being angry at her won't bring back my mother, killing
her won't take back my years in the human world. I
survived and I learned my lessons that is what
mattters. But if I had known...

I didn't even know it was him until I heard her tell
me in the old tree's caves that I should have ran to
the ningenkai. I thought she was just jealous because
Yomi had eyes only for me. Whenever I spar with her I
have to give it my all and no quarters because she is
usually serious. She wouldn't think twice about
running me through with her javelins.

I thought it was too bad that she hated me because
she's very pretty, with extremely long black hair
braided and bound around her waist. She's the same
kind of demon as Yomi, with many ears and horns. Her
eyes are that lovely shade of lavander that makes you
miscalculate her. You wouldn't think something as
lovely as her could hold so much spite and malice
inside. I would have seduced her if she wasn't so
hostile.

She followed me when I went to the Reikai to steal
Enma Daiou's treasure. And when she found out I wasn't
going to surrender it to Yomi she started hunting me
down.

I smiled, proud of the sneak work I did in Enma's
palace, they wouldn't discover the loss until they do
their bicentennial inventory. Or Enma himself looks
for it for whatever reason he wants it. They hid it
carefully in the open gathering dust and forgotten. An
item with a power akin to Yoshira's and Hiei's Jagan.
And much more from the stories I've heard...

I'd get the death sentence for this if Enma finds
out. Well, better I keep it than give Yomi a chance to
get it. I won't use it, no, I don't want to add
another mistake to my already impressive repertoire.

Why don't I surrender it? How do you think I got it
in the first place? I had inside help, someone in
Koenma's palace cannot be trusted.

Besides, I want to see Yomi suffer first. He screwed
me over, took advantage of my weakness and fractured
my mind. I will not let him get away with it. I have
blown his plans to take over Yusuke's territory
averting war amongst the three kingdoms. I'm going to
dissapear so he can't find me, and I'm going to wait.

I want to see his eyes when he's down to his last
ounce of youki years from now, he will die a very
slow, humiliating, painful death and he'll know only I
could have done it to him. That if anything else is
why I chose to do this. I am not running, I am merely
biding my time, patience is a virtue I have in good
measure.

Speaking of revenge, I just realized I can't leave
Hiei.

Yoshira can use him against me. He can't posess Hiei,
that's impossible because of his strong will and his
Jagan, but he can bring him harm and I won't be there
to watch his back. Yoshira has him marked as a target
because I'm sure in her non-corporeal form she has
seen how much I care about him.

Well even if she didn't see that I'm sure he saw me
hug him and kiss him and fall on my knees in front of
him. Dammit, sometimes Shuiichi can be so
melodramatic...

I was tipsy from his blood and the bitter medicine. I
took Hiei's boots off, then his belt , I loosened his
pants and taking his arm ward off staggered into the
bathroom to wash it and dispose of the stained water I
used to wash him.

I didn't wash all of it, just the stained parts, I
combed my hair out while I was there and patched my
own wounds up really quick. I tucked the leafless twig
back into my hair along with the rest of my botanical
arsenal and pharmaceuticals which the comb pulled out.
I passed by the fridge and took a bottle of juice
before I made my way back to him. I rewrapped his ward
despite it being wet, I'm not sure about the nature of
the Kokuryuhaa but I know better than to play with
fire.

The room is warmer now and my little dark demon, the
great thief who stole my heart is like a helpless
child trusting me with his safety. I closed my eyes,
could I still deny it? No, I can't anymore. He's
charmed me with his brusque concern, he threatened
Narita just to follow me, he knew I was in trouble and
forgave my words and actions. He saw right through me
and Shuiichi's love for him infects me.

I find his arrogant little self so cute, his taciturn
attitude endearing, he's wormed his way into our
hearts, I'm sure even the silent one would approve.
Centuries of falling in love and getting hurt can be
tiresome after a while. I had decided against falling
in love because it's a major inconvenience. It's been
a long time but there it is again that same old giddy
feeling.

How I missed this.

I ran my fingers over his ashen lips and with the
same fingers touched my lips. Hints of blood, a taste
of my own kiss. Such a tiny nose he has, I opend my
palm over his face and found I could encompass his
head with my two hands. What cute little ears...

I don't know how long I spent touching him, watching
him. feeling his legs one by one under the sheets. The
thing is I can't let him go now that I know he loves
me too. Well, he hasn't said it yet but his heart
knows that. His body does too but...

Hiei is a warrior with a warrior's trained reflexes.
His body's trained to act or react without needing to
pass through his cognitive processes. That is what
makes him so much faster than Yusuke and even me. He
says to himself, avoid that attack and his body
responds without him having to lay out what to do.

It's that reflex that's acting on Hiei's subconsious
fears. His mind knows I would never harm him but his
body dosen't. He's wary of people larger than himself,
and I can see only one explanation for it. I don't
know the extent of the abuse he went through as a
child but I'm positive that is the reason for his
walls and barriers. But I don't like making
conclusions without hard evidence, I'm not going to
pry either because this is something deeply personal.

He has to reconcile that conflict between his mind's
concept of me and his body's instinctive reaction to
my size. Minamino Suiichi is deemed not threatening
enough but...Yokou Kurama is.

I finished the juice and sat on the bed next to him,
I placed my hand on his wound, he'd stopped bleeding
already but I'm sure he'll appreciate it if I bandaged
his chest. I stood up and searched for the room's
first aid kit. I found it following the scent of
rubber latex and that chemical from the bandaids.

I made him sit up and wrapped him up with the gauze
bandage. That done I laid him back. His waist is so
small I can enclose it with my hands loosely. My hand
could cover his face from the chin to beyond the
hairline, his delicate hand made me feel like I was
holding on to a 7 year old. I lined our hands together
wrist to wrist and his fingers barely made it pass my
knuckles. He weighed almost nothing when I had him in
my arms leaping from roof top to roof top.

I pressed my cheek to his callused left hand. So
small and seemingly fragile this demon, the master
thief who stole my heart from right under my nose, but
what a will he has! He survived his abuse by seeking
power. He was relentless in this pursuit, risking his
life for his Jagan, summoning the black dragon,
stealing the treasures of the Spirit world, fighting
Mokuro herself...

That would also explain why he values his life so
little. He cares for nothing and no one cared for him,
his life is a singular pursuit of power to escape his
helplessness as a child.

So he was never really loved at all. He could have
died not knowing this beautiful human burden called
love.

And he enjoys being hugged...

I kissed the palm of Hiei's hand and tasted the salt
of my tears on it. "I love you Hiei. I will love you
even if you don't want me to, I will care for you, I
will teach you how to love." I moved over him
carefully and laid down behind him, spooning him into
my warmth my arms around his waist. I nuzzled the back
of his neck cursing Shuichi and his human heart, and
remebering the many loves I've had and failed to
protect.

I almost lost another one, I almost lost my Hiei, my
little thief, I can't let that happen again. I have to
be here to watch over him. I'm sure we'll all agree if
I say we should let him follow us. But still, that
decition is his to make. He has to know all this... I
have to tell him soon.

I have no future Hiei, I have just about as much time
as Yomi. I can't ask you to run with me and I will
tell you all tomorrow.

So for now, let me have this little piece of heaven,
let me hold you while you sleep. I almost lost you...
my little one, a part of me is still screaming with
that thought and it's making me want to go out there
and kill something, anything just to assuage the pain
that thought causes.

Please don't be angry when you wake up and find me
here holding you like this, please....

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(1) Frank Herbert - Dune