Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Torn Apart ❯ Family Relative Again ( Chapter 9 )

Torn Apart by: Sakura

A/N Ahh, the pain, the agony of it all! Why, oh why did I have to bring yet another character into the plotline? And why does it have to be the one with the silly name? Wait, you're saying I named him? Oh, well in that case... ^_^

~*~*~*~*~

The demon was tall and very well-built. He looked down upon Hiei with what appeared to be a loathsome stare. But if this was truly who Raizen claimed him to be... Was it possible to hate your own offspring?

Yes, yes it was. If Raizen could hate Yusuke, then most definitely would this stranger hate his own son. His eyes were cold; Hiei had obviously received his father's eyes-maybe not the color, but the shape and ruthlessness.

"Don't you remember me? I was the one, in fact, that raised you." This was the first time he had spoken since he had arrived. His voice made the hairs on the back of Hiei's neck stand on end. He had chills. This stranger was terrifying.

"Y-you couldn't possibly have raised me. I was brought up far from the Koorime islands; Far from the volcanic palaces that most fire demons have the pleasure of living." As Hiei spoke, his voice gained strength, and it was no longer wavering.

Raizen chuckled from the side.

"As a child, you suffered from amnesia; No one quite could understand why; most say it was Hina who erased your memory. I, on the other hand, believe that it was youwho wanted to forget your horrible past," the stranger informed.

At Hiei's stunned expression, Raizen spoke, offering to lighten the mood....

"Now that Kuro-sama and I have joined forces, our damage will be much worse than originally intended. And with you-unexpected by your team-will also help me accomplish my goals. It'll be wondrous!"

...Through his lighthearted explanation, Raizen did nothing but worsen the already bad atmosphere.

~*~*~*~*~

The team was up all night, settling on whether or not to refuse Hiei's case. It was confirmed that he was, indeed being controlled by Raizen, but Koenma was still uncertain about things.

They now sat, lazily and sleepily, on the porch of Genkai's temple, waiting for further verdicts. Botan had returned from her duties late that evening, and was now helping Yukina prepare snacks for the tuckered out friends.

"This is starting to get ridiculous," Kurama said, leaning his head against a nearby railing. "We all know what Raizen's trying to do: he wants us convinced that Hiei's on our side."

"But Hiei is on our side," Yusuke snapped.

"While that may be partly true, you're forgetting that Raizen can control Hiei when and wherever he so desires. Letting your friendship get in the way is exactly what he wants to happen. He knows that--"

Kurama next words were muffled, as a loud scream emitted from inside the temple, and the crash of a clayed mug shattering followed suite. While Kuwabara had been taking a small catnap, the loud sounds caused him to jerk awake and slam his head against the wooden sliding doors.

The trio leapt up, rushing inside to see what had caused Yukina to scream. They came into the shrine room, where she had been sent to sweep. What she found, sleeping fitfully behind a giant statue of Buddha, was none other than Hiei. The Koorime had her hands clamped over her mouth, as to avoid waking her brother.

Yusuke reached out to touch the fire demon's shoulder. His hand quickly recoiled, and he held it close to his chest for better examination; there was a slight burn mark.

"He's raised a barrier, and it's sizzling to the touch," the ningen commented.

Why Hiei would raise a heat barrier around him was unknown. Heat was trapped inside with him and he seemed to be sweating it off.

"That barrier-Hiei won't be able to hear us. He'll need to wake up on his own," Kurama said, sitting Indian-style on the floor, just a few feet from the sleeping sanjiyan. There was silence, and it looked like Kurama was trying to think of something. Then finally he said, "Yukina, do you think you could try your Koorime healing powers on Hiei's barrier? The major difference in your `attacks' can weaken it; it'll be easier since he's asleep."

Yukina looked puzzled, but knew that the fox's judgment was rarely miscalculated. So, she nodded and crawled over to Hiei. She placed her hands just inches from the barrier and began to concentrate. Just after a few seconds, and she could already feel the intensity of the heat. Though her ice powers were strong, Yukina didn't quite know if they were strong enough.

Hiei's barrier flickered, which was a good sign. The girl gave one last burst of her power and the shield diminished. The small room was hit with a strong wave of heat, before Kuwabara ran to open the doors. Hiei curled into a tighter ball, opening his eyes just barely.

His eyes then jolted open, as he realized his company. After saying a few colorful words, Hiei stretched himself out amongst the giant Buddha. He then, only now, realized that his barrier was gone. He was freezing cold. But that's when his interrogation began.

"Hiei, did you really kill those people in the city?"

He obviously said something wrong, because when he shook his head, everyone attacked him.

"Oh, so you're a liar now?"

"We know you did, so why didn't you just answer truthfully?"

"Hiei!"

"Koenma's dealing with your case now, and your lying didn't help."

Hiei had no memory of killing anyone, so he didn't know why it really mattered. Yukina was the only one kind enough to see the problem. He was shivering. Badly.

"Are you cold, Hiei-san?" she asked.

Hiei looked into his sister's tender eyes. She hadn't used that honorific with him for some time. Since before Raizen returned.

He was indeed very cold, not that anyone had taken notice of. They were all too busy trying to chew out information from him. Information that he didn't know anything about. He nodded at Yukina's kind words. She, in return, brushed hair away from his face, nudging her fingers to touch his forehead. She took her hand away, looking concerned.

"Hiei-san, you have a fever," she said a bit louder than her usual tone. She wanted to inform their friends.

It worked, because they stopped their bickering and looked over to the siblings. Their angry faces fell as they saw Hiei's condition. He was breathing heavily; he was covered in warm sweat, and was shivering violently.

Hiei closed his eyes, trying to clear his vision. All he could see, at the moment, was a bunch of blurry, swirling people sitting before him. He also felt dizzy.

What had caused him to become ill? He wished he could answer promptly, but he could only think that it was caused by all the stress he was going through. What, with Raizen taking control every so many hours a day, and then introducing him to his father. Hiei couldn't handle it anymore.

Someone was calling his name, but they seemed so far away, and whenever they spoke their words made his head pound. He felt someone touch his shoulder softly. But even that seemed distant.

He opened his eyes, only to close them again as he collapsed heavily into Yukina's lap.

~*~*~*~*~

Hiei recollected his thoughts as he sat up slowly. He had had another nightmare-no, it was the same nightmare that had plagued him since the day he was born. His mother, Hina, the tears she cried for him, Yukina and her never-ending quest to find her brother, and the cliff; the cliff that was supposed to have been his end.

But it wasn't. He was found by his father, who raised him to be the cold, horrible demon that he was today. The demon that, unwillingly, was returning to help his father and Raizen take control over everything. Hiei ran a hand through his mangled hair. Why couldn't he been born a ningen? His life would have been better.

He put his hand on the side of the bed, but when he felt skin, he looked down, shocked. It was Yukina. She had obviously stayed with him while he was sleeping; while he was sick. He placed his hand on her head. She was so good to him. Why couldn't he return the favor and just tell her his one, remaining secret?

He was sure she had been the one that removed his heat barrier. He could hear it in one of those distant voices. But, her hands were burned because of it. She shouldn't have done that; it was a waste of her time, and she had suffered the consequences.

Hiei removed the ragged wards from his right arm and took Yukina's small hands into his. The least he could do now was to make sure that they didn't get infected and scar worse. He wrapped her hands, and then laid them softly on his leg.

The room began spinning, so Hiei laid his head back against the soft pillow. Apparently, he was still weak. He closed his eyes, allowing his uncovered Jagan to glow angrily.

~*~*~*~*~

A/N Man, where's the love? I can tell you this: it's not between Hiei and Yukina. What you read was sibling love, something I would know nothing about, seeing as I am sibling-less. Aww, boo-hoo, right?

Okay, ladies and gents, I have decided to change the summary of this fic, because, well, it doesn't even fit the story plot anymore. But, fortunately, I'm going back to the original storyline in the next chapter. Yay! I decided to take a break for my little fire-baby.

I also need to work on a DBZ sequel before Badi gets tired of waiting and tries to *choke* me. That wouldn't be good, would it? Review, for me, `kay?