Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Requited Fluff ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter 2

“Do you want me to go with you?” Hiei asked.

“No, love,” Kurama said gently. “I think…I need to do this on my own.”

“All right. But if you need me, you know how to reach me.”

“Of course I do. So…what do you plan to do while we're gone?” Kurama asked, a little too flippantly.

“I don't know. Sleep, probably. You do realize that you didn't sleep at all last night, don't you, fox?”

“I know. I couldn't.”

“And did you also know that when one is tossing and turning all night, the guy trying to sleep as close to him as possible can't, no matter how hard he tries, actually go to sleep?”

“Oh…sorry, love.”

Hiei smiled. “Don't worry about it. You just think about what you have to do right now.”

Kurama took a deep breath. “I'm going in.”

“Good luck.”

XXX

“Mother?”

“Good morning, Suichi!” Shiori said brightly. “Just in time for breakfast!”

“Mother, we need to talk.”

She turned her head slowly to study him. “All right, shoot.”

Kurama paused. “Could…could we walk? Or…roll? Outside? At the park?”

“Suichi, it's freezing outside! And it's only eight o'clock in the morning! And the park is two miles off!”

“I know. But we could bundle up. I really just want to be outside for this…please, come with me?”

So they went. They put on coats, scarves, hats, and gloves, and then Kurama pushed Shiori out into the cold, cold morning.

They were silent all the way down to the park. It was, of course, completely empty, and silent.

Kurama wasn't eager to begin, so he just pushed his mother's wheelchair, still in silence. After about five minutes, though, Shiori said, without looking at him, “You're finally going to tell me your secret, aren't you?”

“S-secret?” Kurama stuttered, shaken out of his usual calm, cool mannerisms by surprise. “W-what secret?”

“The secret you've been hiding from me for a very long time.”

Kurama sighed and stopped, setting the brake on the wheelchair deftly with one hand. “I should have known.” He walked around in front of his mother and crouched down. “Kaasan, you're right. I have been holding something back. I don't know how to tell you this, but I…I…well…that is…oh, this is hard…I guess it's best to just say it. Mother, I'm not—”

But Shiori didn't hear the rest of the sentence, because Kurama froze.

“Suichi? Suichi, is something wrong?”

Kurama didn't answer. Instead, he shot to the side and pulled Shiori's wheelchair over on its side, just as a bolt of ki shot over their heads. Shiori fell to the ground in a heap, and lay still, shocked at what her son had just done.

Kurama stood swiftly and said, loudly and coldly, “Show yourself, you cowardly bastard.”

He heard a chuckle, and a figure dropped out of the trees. “Now, now, it does not do to call names…”

Kurama growled low in his throat. “Who are you, and how did you get into the Ningenkai?” he demanded in the Makai language.

The demon smiled without mirth. “I think that should remain unknown. All you need to know is that I am here to kill you.”

Kurama weighed his chances. This youkai, from his ki, was a Quest class. In this form, he had very little chance of winning. But he had to protect his mother. He made up his mind.

//Hiei!/ He yelled, opening the link he, as all the youkai did, shared with his lover. /Hiei, I need help! Hurry!//

Then he closed off the link again, unleashed his Rose Whip, and prepared to fight.

XXX

Hiei had been just about to doze off when he heard Kurama's desperate call. His eyes snapped open. ::Kurama!::

He grabbed his katana and bolted out the window, feeling fear rise in him. If Kurama was hurt…

XXX

Shiori was confused. What the heck was going on? Who was this freak who was attacking her son? Why was his skin blue? And why did he want to kill Suichi? And why was Suichi holding a whip with thorns on it?

If her leg didn't hurt so much from her fall, she'd have been convinced that she was dreaming. As it was, she knew she wasn't, and so she wouldn't wake right at the bad part.

She watched in horror as the fight began.

XXX

Hiei was relieved beyond words to see Kurama alive and well when he finally tracked him down, which took a surprising amount of time. Well, alive, anyway. Fighting frantically for your life cannot be categorized as “well.”

From his vantage point, high in a tree over the park, Hiei could see that Kurama was already losing the fight. This demon was a Quest class, like Karasu—damn his soul to hell for hurting Kurama so long ago—but was, apparently, even more skilled in fighting.

A few feet from the fight, Shiori was lying on the ground, completely still. And from the way the demon moved, she was his first target.

Well, that just wouldn't do. Shiori was Kurama's mother—no matter what the race difference was—and he would be devastated if Shiori was killed. And no one—but no one—hurt his fox and lived to tell the tale.

The demon was the first to get a hit in. A ki blast hit Kurama in the shoulder with the force of a bullet. He gasped as his arm went slack and dangled, useless, at his side. His dominant arm was not the one that had been hit, but the pain was making his vision go black. He didn't even move as the demon took out his own whip and leapt in to deal the second and final blow.

Then Shiori screamed, “Suichi!” And at the same time, Hiei called, “Kurama, you idiot, you are not going to die on me now!”

Those words drove through the momentary fog around Kurama's brain. His vision cleared, just in time to see the whip cracking toward his neck, flying with enough force to crush it. And then, surely, the demon would—

NO! A stubborn voice in his head said. Absolutely not! I won'tlose!

“ROSE WHIP LASH!” he bellowed, bringing his whip up just in time to block the blow. Well, not really block it—but he slowed the other whip's progress enough that it just flicked his neck gently and snapped away from him. The youkai grunted, and Kurama smiled, slightly, in relief.

And then Hiei dropped in. And he looked angry. He was glaring at the demon, his body tense and ready. His hand rested on the hilt of his katana.

::Are you all right?:: He asked Kurama telepathically, without looking at him.

//Fine. What took you so long?//

::Well, you didn't exactly tell me where you were going, stupid kitsune!::

//Oh. I'm sorry. But Hiei?//

::What!?::

//I think you should block the whip hurtling at your head now.//

XXX

Shiori had found out that going from dazed, to confused, to shocked, to having the fright of your life, then straight back to dazed, was not good for your heart.

When she had fallen, she had been dazed. When the demon had dropped in and sworn to kill her son—well, that was the gist she got from the psychobabble-gibberish language—she had been confused. The shock had come when Suichi hadn't looked surprised or afraid. Just determined. Then, when she had seen Suichi get hit, and nearly killed, she had been frightened out of her wits. Then her dazed confusion had come back when Suichi had skillfully blocked the whip at the last possible second—indeed, blocked it at the last impossible second.

And then Hiei had dropped into the fight, and Shiori went from dazed to amazed.

She had always taken her son to be a kind, gently person who wouldn't hurt a fly. But now, he had transformed into a deadly killer. Anyone could tell that he and Hiei had fought side-by-side before. They struck and blocked with ease and deadly precision, always protecting each other, but never getting in each other's way. They were never on one side together unless one was saving the other from a deadly hit; they always surrounded the enemy.

It was…oddly beautiful. Like a dance.

With Hiei and Kurama able to fight together, the youkai suddenly found himself outnumbered and outclassed. His eyes grew wider and more panicked as the fight went on, and finally, he dropped his weapon and yelled, “Please, don't kill me! I was only following orders! And surely that human would have been no problem! She's of no use to the world! What…”

“Shut up,” Hiei growled. “You may have been following orders, but anyone who would kill an innocent woman does not deserve to live.” He walked slowly up to the cowering demon. “And you hurt my fox,” he added, his voice holding a chilling calm. “I cannot forgive that.”

In less than a second, the demon's head and body had parted ways, and his blood blackened the snow. Hiei spat on the body, and burned it, melting the blood-blackened snow, until only ashes were left, drifting away in the wind.

“Who are you two?” Shiori asked, staring at Kurama. “What was that all about?”

Kurama sighed. “This was not the way I would have chosen for you to find out…are you all right?”

“Am I all right? Am I all right?!”

Kurama sighed. “I mean physically.”

“I'm not hurt. What I am is confused, and demanding an explanation out of you right now, young man!”

“And you'll get it,” Hiei interrupted. “But your son is hurt, and we need to get back to your house before people come to find out what all the noise here was about.”

“But I'm fine,” Kurama protested, cradling his arm.

“Like hell you are. You can barely stand on your own two legs. Shut up,” he advised as Kurama tried to speak. “Don't even bother faking when the two people who know you best in the world are the ones you're faking with.” He turned to Shiori, whom Kurama had managed to help back into the wheelchair. “If I help him, will you be able to wheel yourself in the snow?”

“Yes. Just make sure Suichi is all right.”

“I'm fine!” Kurama repeated as Hiei slung one of his arms over his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, so we heard,” Hiei muttered. “Let's go.”

XXX

Back at Kurama's house, Hiei made him sit down in a chair, and then he sat next to him, stretched out his arm, and began to examine it, from wrist to shoulder. Shiori rolled her wheelchair up to the table and watched with a worried frown.

“So,” Kurama said to his mother, wincing when Hiei touched a sore spot. “I guess you're pretty confused, huh, Mother?”

“You could say that,” Shiori said. “I always knew you were hiding something, but…who the heck are you?”

“My name is Yoko. Yoko Kurama,” Kurama said calmly. He had decided that he would just tell her everything and get it over with as quickly as possible, like a shot. “I think it's best if you just let me get through the whole story before you say anything, all right?”

“All right,” Shiori said, looking confused.

Kurama took a deep breath. “I'm not actually human, first of all. Well, that's not exactly true, I guess—I am human, in this form. You see, I used to be a youkai. A thief, in Makai—Demon World. I was your typical youkai—cold-hearted, cruel, and ruthless.”

“And cunning. Don't forget cunning,” Hiei chimed in. “And brilliant, and hot, and absolutely perfect in every way, and…”

“Okay, we get it already,” Kurama muttered. “And watch what you're pushing on, Hiei…that hurt!”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway,” Kurama continued. “Those things Hiei said were quite wrong. I was actually quite cocky. And that proved to be my downfall. I was on a thieving job one night when it all went wrong. I had quite a price on my head, and someone must have tipped off the Reikai hunters about my robbery. On my way out, I wasn't watching myself closely enough, and was glimpsed by a hunter, and, as a result my carelessness, I was shot. I was fatally wounded, and would have died. But I am stubborn, and I escaped into the Ningenkai instead—into the body of an unborn human child.”

Shiori gasped as the truth dawned on her. “M-my child?”

“…Yes.”

“Then what happened to…”

“Your child was not harmed. Our souls simply merged into one. However, it was still wrong of me. I hope you can forgive me.”

“You'd better,” Hiei snapped suddenly.

“Hiei…” Kurama said warningly.

“No, listen. You had better forgive him, because he gave up going back home so he could stay with you. His life has been hell, so that you could be happy. He had saved you from a painful death three times to date—that I know of. And the only reason he has kept this secret for so long was because he was afraid of hurting you. Afraid of losing your love. So if you break his heart now, after all he's been through, by telling him that you won't forgive him, I will kill you.”

“Hiei!”

“No, Shuichi. He's right,” Shiori spoke up.

“He is?”

“I am?”

“Yes. I'll admit that when I learned that you had stolen my child, I was angry. In fact, I wanted to toss you out into the street. But then, as I listened to Hiei, I realized that you are my son. You're still the one I raised. You're the one I talked to every night, told stories to, taught to ride a bike, cried over the first day of school, tucked in every night…I bandaged your scraped knees when you fell on the sidewalk, and made your favorite dinners when you were sad or lonely, and you, in turn, comforted me when I was sad. You're still the son I have always loved. And nothing can change that. Nothing…Suichi.”

“R-really?” Kurama gasped.

In answer, she rolled around and put her arms around him. He lifted the arm Hiei wasn't holding, and hugged her.

Hiei smiled slightly and moved his hand up to Kurama's shoulder.

Kurama yelped in pain. “Ouch! God, Hiei!”

“Sorry,” Hiei said softly. “I had to find the worst of the damage…” He probed Kurama's shoulder, gently. “Well, at least it didn't make you bleed…seems to be only deep bruising—deep enough to hurt you bad enough to make you fall, which you nearly did, but not enough to do any damage to your lungs or muscles. I think it'll just be sore for a day or two, but just to be on the safe side, you shouldn't put any strain on it, and keep it iced.”

Kurama looked surprised. //You sounded like Yukina just then,// he sent to Hiei.

::She taught me the basics of caring for an injury,:: Hiei answered. ::I don't know much, but I can tell if something broken or just badly bruised, and if there's any damage that could pose a threat.::

“So,” Shiori said as Hiei got up to go make an ice pack for Kurama. “Why didn't you leave when you could have? And what other times have you saved my life?”

So Kurama explained about the Mirror of the Forlorn Hope—leaving out the whole life-sacrifice-that-never-actually-happened thing, of course—and about the time he saved her during the Dark Tournament—leaving out the potential danger to him, personally.

There was another round of hugging then, of course.

“And how did you meet Hiei?” Shiori asked.

For some reason, Hiei chuckled. “He beat the crap out of me, that's how.”

“Well, you shouldn't have attacked me,” retorted Kurama.

“I didn't know you were…you!” Hiei argued.

“Okay, I think you answered my question,” Shiori said, smiling.

XXX

All Christmas day, Shiori, Kurama, and Hiei sat in the living room and talked. Shiori wanted to know everything about…everything, and Kurama was happy to tell.

Watching him as he talked nonstop, Hiei couldn't help but notice how joyful Kurama looked. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and tossed aside. He had seen Kurama happy, but never like this. And that made Hiei happy, too.

“I'm glad you told her,” Hiei said later, when he and Kurama had gone to bed.

“I'm so glad she knows,” Kurama answered. “I can't believe I don't have to keep anything a secret anymore!”

“I know. I'll have to tell her about me, too, sometime, if it makes you feel that good.” Hiei raised his hand to play with Kurama's hair, and the other reached down to adjust the ice pack he insisted Kurama keep on his shoulder. “You scared me today, you know.”

“Really? When?”

“When you were attacked by that demon. When you called…I was scared you'd be dead when I reached you. And when you got hit—I was sure I had lost you.”

“Oh. Well, you didn't. I'm fine, love.” He winced and shifted.

“Sure, as long as you keep all weight off your shoulder,” Hiei retorted. “Moron…”

XXX

The next day was spent on a delayed Christmas. Kurama got up early to fix Hiei and Shiori a huge breakfast, and, after they ate, they went to unwrap the gifts under the tree.

“Now, Suichi, I hope you won't be too disappointed, but I only got you one gift,” Shiori said, bringing out a large package.

“I always tell you I don't need any,” Kurama answered. “You and Hiei are so much alike that way…” he added as he ripped the wrapping off the present. “Um…you got me a…leather case?”

“Look inside.”

So Kurama opened the packing case he help…and let out a yell, and tackled his mother in a hug. She laughed and hugged him back, while Hiei pulled out the contents of the bag. “Um…what is this, exactly?”

“A laptop,” Shiori explained. “It comes with everything, even wireless Internet access and pop-up blocker.”

“Well…I have no idea what you just said,” Hiei told her, “but it sounded nice.”

“I've wanted one forever!” Kurama said. “Thank you so much, Mother!”

“It's already ready to go. All you have to do is turn it on.”

“I love it. And for you…”

He had gotten his mother a big double frame. It was made out of smooth, polished wood, with a gold pattern of winding leaves and vines around one side's edge, and a pattern of stars and moons on the other side. Inside the left-hand frame was a photo of Suichi's father, and in the right frame was a picture of his stepfather.

“I had the frame made with that book you love so much—The Outstretched Shadow—in mind,” Kurama said. “Do you like it?”

“Oh, Suichi, I love it,” Shiori said, with tears in her eyes.

“And now you,” Kurama informed Hiei. “I had to take a midnight trip to Makai months ago to get your gift started—I picked it up a couple nights ago—and this one's from Yukina.”

The one Yukina had given him was a new ward for his Jagan, embroidered with a silver dragon, with eyes of black opal, breathing flames of red and orange threads. Every detail was perfect, right down to the tiny teeth made with shining white thread.

Hiei, turning his face to the wall, replaced his other ward with the new one right away, and then turned to receive his gift from Kurama—a new katana and sheath, to replace his old, battered, broken-too-many-times sword. The sheath had a dragon carved into it—apparently, that was his symbol now. It was just he right length for his height. The blade itself was so knew it shone, diamond hard, thin, and deadly sharp. He tore off a strip of his shirt and lowered it to the point. It shattered when it had barely touched the steel. The balance was absolutely perfect, and the hilt seemed to be made to fit in his hand. Hiei knew of only one swordsmith who could make a blade this fine, and he charged a fortune for even a sheath.

“Do you like it?” Kurama asked anxiously, when Hiei had sat in silence for a few minutes.

In answer, Hiei took off his old katana, belted on the new one, and then shot across the room to kiss the fox.

“I have no idea how I can top that, but…well, here. I had this made in record time by paying in gold—lots and lots of gold.” He handed Kurama a small, messily-wrapped package.

Kurama took it and ripped off the paper, and opened the box. He pulled out…a locket, on a fine silver chain. He drew in his breath. It was beautiful. Each side was crafted to look like a rose, perfect in every detail, that sparkled and shone in the light. When he opened it, he found a picture of he and Hiei together in one side, with their arms around each other. Where he had gotten it Kurama didn't know, and didn't care. In the other side was a picture of Shiori. Kurama smiled and put it around his neck, right next to his Hieroseki. “Thank you, love.” It was all he could think of to say.

“It's not as good as your mother's, I know,” Hiei said quickly. “But…well, I figured now you can have both of us close to your heart.”

Kurama shook his head and smiled. “It's absolutely perfect.”

“I have something for you, too, Shiori,” Hiei said, looking embarrassed. “And I think you'll love it.”

“You didn't have to get me anything…”

“I know, but I wanted to. I just…didn't know I could.”

“What are you talking about?” Shiori asked, mystified.

“Let me show you,” Hiei said with a small, fanged grin.

“What are you going to do, Hiei?” Kurama asked.

“You'll see. I didn't know I could, like I said,” Hiei told him, walking over and crouching down next to Shiori's wheelchair. “Now,” he told her, “this may feel a little strange, but I promise you, you will love the result, all right?”

“Um…okay, I guess…but…?”

“You'll see,” Hiei repeated. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the air grew warm, filled with Hiei's ki. Ki shone on his palm, but it wasn't the black or red of his usual ki. This was icy blue stuff.

Kurama was confused. It looked like Hiei was…but no, he couldn't be…

XXX

Hiei was tired. He had never used his healing power—he hadn't even known about it until recently—and he was shocked at how fast it took energy.

The thing he had been most worried about was not knowing when to stop the healing. What if he stopped too soon and Shiori's leg didn't heal? Yukina had warned him, while teaching him to heal, that this could result in worsening the condition of the person being healed by making them much more fragile. Or what if he kept at it too long and used up his energy? That could be bad, too.

But it turned out that his concerns were pointless. He somehow knew exactly when to stop. He didn't know how he knew, and he didn't care.

When he felt that Shiori's leg was fully healed, he slowly began to draw his power away, as Yukina had taught him. The power in the room lessened, and vanished, and Hiei stepped shakily away from Shiori, feeling exhausted, beyond even the exhaustion brought on by the Dragon. He stumbled backward and leaned against the wall. “G-go on,” he gasped. “G-get up.”

“What? But I…I can't.”

“Yes, you can. That's your gift.”

Shiori stared at him, and so did Kurama. “I don't understand,” Shiori said, at the same time Kurama asked, “Hiei, did you…?”

“Just try it.”

So, Shiori, looking completely disbelieving, took off her leg brace and pushed herself out of her wheelchair, balancing on one leg. Slowly, she shifted her weight to the other leg. Her eyes widened when she felt no pain or weakness. “I—I don't believe it,” she gasped. “It's not possible…” She took a hesitant step, looking as if she was anticipating a fall any moment. Then she took another, and another, and then, suddenly, she broke into a run. Hiei yelped as she grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug. “Thank God for you, Hiei…” she whispered in his ear, which he took as a “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I'm glad I could help…” He found it hard to concentrate on her words. He was so tired that as soon as she let him go—which took a long time, if you care to know—he slid straight to the floor.

“Are you all right, Hiei?” Shiori asked, alarmed. “Hiei?”

“He's fine, Mother. He just needs to sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course.”

After that, everything became a sort of blur. The voices became just a dull murmur in the background. He felt quite content not to move for the rest of his life, however long that may be.

Luckily, he didn't have to try. Kurama scooped him up in his arms, and after carrying him a short distance—the couch, Hiei realized dimly—set him down and covered him with a blanket, and then he dropped off to sleep. He didn't even notice when Kurama removed his katana and boots, and he also missed the gentle kiss on his cheek, just before Kurama left.

Outside, a black figure watched from a tree. “Your happiness will not last, Forbidden Child.”

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Author's Note: Okay, so it took a while to post this chap. Gomen. But those lovely people at my school have decided that since a break is coming up, why not pile on the homework? So it's been a while since I could actually type this up. I have the next chapter done, but it's short, and I also have to update two chapters on Soul War, so just so you know, it may be a while before very short chapter three comes out. Once again, my apologies.

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Reviewers' Comments:

Khory: Thanks for the review, and here's your update! And I do plan on finishing this thing. I neverabandon a fanfic.

ForeverFornever: Thanks so much for the review! I'm not sure how accurate the danger part is, but thanks for the compliment! As long as you actually dothink that, and aren't just trying to be nice. And I have to admit, I do work hard on the fluff parts, and on my grammar and spelling. Once again, thanks for the review and compliments, and keep reviewing!

IceDragonKatana: Merry Christmas to you, too. Hey, do you think the gifts in this chapter were all right? I was writing this chapter in class and my teacher got mad at me and I got flustered and just kind of went blank on gift ideas. (Damnyou, Mrs. Cronin…) I hope they are appropriate…well, whatever, too late to change it now, I guess…Thanks so much for the review!

Lady J: Well, there's your update! Not a quick one, but oh well…thanks for the review!

MikaSamu: I'm sorry there wasn't more information on the capture in this chapter…I'm kinda big on setting the scene, and sometimes that requires waiting for a bit…I'll start going into that more in the next chapter, I promise. Thanks for the review!

StormAZ: Thanks for the review! Yes, I know, Hiei isOOC, and I'm sorry about that, but no matter how hard I try to keep him in character, he never stays that way!!! EVER! So I gave up on keeping him in character a long time ago. I'm sorry…