Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Suicide ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter Fifteen
Atsuko, thankfully, had been drunk when Yuusuke called. He told her they were spending the weekend with friends and hoped she didn't realize it was Thursday. She hadn't, and had wished them, in a very slurred voice, a good trip.

Then he'd grabbed some food and relieved Kuwabara on watching-Hiei-sleep duty. Kuwabara had gone to take a nap in another part of the temple. Yuusuke was worried, now, about the arm, which was badly swollen in places, despite being elevated on a pillow. It was obvious that Yukina had rewrapped his arm several times, and several melted ice packs lay alongside the limb. Even so, Yuusuke was shocked that Hiei managed to sleep through the pain.

Then Hiei's breath caught, and his body tensed. He took in a breath between clenched teeth.

"Hiei?"

The fire demon's eyes opened slowly, and he moved slightly, then made a very soft, pained noise in the back of his throat. "Yuusuke? Okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't move. You're still hurt." Yuusuke moved closer. "I can get Yukina if you need her."

Hiei shook his head. "My arm."

"It's pretty bad. Yukina's healing it, but she says it was shattered. How?"

"Ki blast. Close range. Broke through the kekkai."

"It broke through the kekkai?"

"Not strong enough. Jagan focuses..." Hiei's left, undamaged hand fisted in the blanket, and his breathing quickened with pain.

Yuusuke winced. "I'm going to get Yukina. She can give you painkillers, I hope."

"Nnngg..." was Hiei's only response.

Yuusuke found Yukina in the kitchen and quickly brought her to Hiei. The fire demon was only half-conscious by the time they got back, his breath coming in little pants.

"Oniisan!" Yukina hurried to him and put his head in her lap, carefully giving him some medicine. "I'm going to heal you more, Hiei. I'm sorry it's taking so long."

Hiei just groaned softly. Yukina touched his arm gently and a blue glow surrounded her hand. The swelling went down a little. Hiei was unconscious by the time she finished.

Yukina was breathing heavily when she finished. "I put something in the painkiller to knock him out," she said softly.

Yuusuke nodded. "Better that he's not awake during this, anyway. How much more damage is there?"

She gently lowered Hiei's head to the pillow and moved to check his arm. "Three more healings, I think. Another day?"

"That's good. Lasting damage?"

Yukina shook her head. "Nothing major. Maybe some pain during bad storms." She refroze the ice packs. "Keeping the swelling down helps with healing."

"He said it happened because he can't use the Jagan."

Yukina frowned. "That's dangerous."

"I know." Yuusuke watched Hiei for a moment, then headed for the door. "Is Kurama around?"

"He's in the garden." She moved some hair from Hiei's face. "I can stay here with Hiei. Are you going to talk to Koenma-sama as well?"

Yuusuke's face darkened as he paused in the doorway. "You could call it that."

Kurama was fiddling with several flowers when Yuusuke found him. "What're you doing?"

The redhead glanced at him. "Aiding the fertilization process so I can harvest more seeds."

"Oh." Yuusuke watched him.

Kurama let the blossoms go and moved on to the next set. "Is there something you need?"

Yuusuke sighed. "We need to talk." He leaned against a tree. "You know more about what's going on with Hiei than you're letting on."

Kurama frowned at him. "No, I don't."

"Really? Because I overheard a very interesting conversation between you two when we were shopping."

The fox glared at him, dropping the plants he was working with. "That was none of your business, Yuusuke."

Yuusuke matched his glare. "As I see it, it is my business. It seems to me that I'm the one taking care of Hiei, something you didn't volunteer for." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm his friend, and I care about him. I want to know what's going on."

Kurama looked angry. "You have no right to intrude."

"Given that your rejection is at least part of the reason Hiei attempted suicide, I think I do."

Kurama flinched and looked away. "Was I supposed to lie to him?" he asked softly. "How would that have helped anything?"

Yuusuke watched him for a while. "No. You were supposed to tell him the truth."

"It was the truth."

"Then why do you always watch him and follow him around?" Kurama didn't answer. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did yesterday. We'd have been screwed. But there's a reason you're watching out for him. You always have. Hell, you're the one who found him in the first place."

"He's a friend," Kurama whispered.

"You love him."

Kurama stood. "But he doesn't return it."

Yuusuke snorted in disbelief. "Could've fooled me."

They glared at each other for a while. "I've known Hiei longer than you have, Yuusuke. He transferred his affection to me after he gave up on- ...someone else."

Yuusuke noticed the omission, but decided not to pursue it. "So what was the problem?"

Kurama toyed with a lily for a moment, thinking before he answered. "He would've been content for a while, but I'm not the one he wants. In the long run, it would've been worse for him." The redhead looked at Yuusuke. "I want him to find happiness, and he wouldn't with me."

"You don't know that."

"I would regret having let him give up on it." Kurama looked away. "I wouldn't be happy."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he changed tracks. "Who, then?"

Kurama shook his head. "I've already said too much."

Yuusuke scowled. "Like to Koenma?"

"Oh, grow up. Koenma's just as involved in this as we are. This isn't a mission with someone to blame, Yuusuke." Kurama bent back over his flowers. "I don't have time for this. If you're that interested, ask Hiei."

"Fine," Yuusuke said. "I need to go have a talk with Koenma anyway."

Kurama frowned. "About what?"

"Unwarding Hiei's Jagan. The ward's the reason he got hurt."

Kurama nodded. "Then it's important to get the ward removed. Good luck. See if you can get Botan to help Yukina with the healing."

Yuusuke wanted to stay mad at Kurama, but found that the anger was gone. He sighed. "Yeah. Good idea."

See. Kurama's not evil. He's just looking out, to a certain extent, for his own feelings. Welcome to humanity. Note that Hiei omitted several things himself, which is something that Yuusuke doesn't know. Kurama did tell Hiei that he didn't know what love was, but in a very different context. It was more along the lines of, "If you're giving up, you don't know what love is." But, see, Hiei's keeping secrets, just as Kurama is. Miscommunication.

Have I mentioned that this fic and Half-Breed's Curse have recently taken over my mind? What the hell? Seriously, I was going to spend my summer finishing a screenplay and writing new short stories! Maybe even do a novel. First summer in five years that I've had no classes!

It doesn't help that these two are the fun fics. Like at the end of this one- oh, wait. Spoilers are bad. ^_~