Warning Label
chapter 1
by Talya Firedancer
Hi everyone!
I just dashed this off REALLY darn quick at two-three in the morning, so if it's incoherent let me know, ne? C & C welcome, and let me know if I should finish it...
Ja ne!
Talya
Warning Label!
Copyright 1998 by Talya Firedancer
Standard disclaimers! These characters were created by, and belong to, Yoshihiro Togashi. They ain't mine! So don't sue. (Deja vu, ne?)
Author's note: Hahaha! My first non-yaoi Hiei-Kurama fic! Let's see if I can actually do it
Hiei : Let's place bets.
Kurama: Nah, you'll probably win.
WARNING LABEL!
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Youko Kurama was dreaming. . .about stealing something. He twitched, curling up in the sheets, a delighted smile crossing his face as he contemplated the wonderful Makai treasure chest he'd just opened. Deep red rubies. . .gleaming black onyx statuettes of exquisitely sculpted dragons. . . smooth marble ridges of. . .
"SHUUICHI! Shuu-chan, are you awake!"
Kurama started, blinking wildly, and sat up. Dream. He'd been dreaming. He frowned in disappointment. His stealing days were over, for now at least. But what a lovely treasure it had been. . .
Casually he glanced at the clock. Shouldn't be too-
Shimatta!
Seven-thirty!!
He leapt out of bed, gripped with fear. Sure, it was just the everyday fear of being late to school, but it spurred him on nevertheless. He scrambled into his clothes, gave his hair a lick and a promise, grabbed his school bag, and sprinted out the door before Shiori could toss out a demand that he sit down and eat breakfast.
Outside, it was a lovely day. Surely the kind that Yuusuke and Kuwabara would spend ditching school, running around town, relaxing in the park, stealing ice-cream. . .
If his ears could've twitched, they would have.
Firmly he put the thought of stealing behind him. That dream had reawakened the youko part of him, and now he was positively itching to just spend this day outside, maybe rolling around in the grass. But no. He was Minamino Shuuichi, the model student. He repressed a sigh and hurried to class.
The school day was long and boring. It dragged unbearably, each class period stretching out ad infinitum as Kurama struggled all at once to concentrate on whatever it was sensei was saying, ignore the lovestricken stares of the teenaged girls around him, and try *very* hard to not just stare out the window with a faraway expression on his face.
Today was a beautiful day for a mission, he found himself thinking wistfully. Anything to get out-of-doors.
Inari-sama wasn't that kind. He had to suffer through the entire suffocating day in the stuffy classrooms, while girls around him giggled from time to time and tried to pass him love notes. He could just picture Kuwabara and Yuusuke smirking as they ditched class, too.
It was on the way *home* that trouble struck.
Kurama had decided to take the long way home, part of the route he had devised to escape the swarms of girls that inevitably mobbed him every day after school. He especially liked this route, though, because it went by the park. The greenery and fresh earth never failed to brighten his spirits and this time of year something sweet-smelling was always in bloom.
He had just rounded the corner when there was a rustle in the tree he was approaching. He frowned, then. . .a flicker of youki. . .
A slight body tumbled from the tree.
Eyes wide with shock, Kurama sprang forward to catch it. He grabbed Hiei in his arms and eased him to the ground. The little youkai was badly hurt; bleeding from a dozen different wounds, and at least two or three dark purple patches indicated internal bleeding. He cracked open his dark red eyes.
"K'rama?" he slurred from bruised lips.
"I'm here," Kurama responded instantly, "Hiei, what happened!?" But his question fell on deaf ears. The fire demon had passed out cold, once he realized he had made it to the one person he trusted.
"Kuso," he whispered. They were too far from Genkai's; Hiei was too badly hurt. He was just going to have to take him home, and make sure Shiori didn't find out he was harboring a nasty-tempered, antisocial little fire demon who would undoubtedly be torching things in his frustrated invalid state. . .
He picked Hiei up in his arms; the youkai was surprisingly heavy considering his size. His wiry frame was compact with muscle. And right now, a mass of blood and bruises - he grimaced, imagining the damage Hiei would do to his pristine white sheets. How would he explain *that* to 'Kaasan? Che, Hiei looked as if he'd gone up against two or three S-class youkai. . .
Knowing Hiei, he just might have.
How on EARTH would he manage to get Hiei into his room, past 'Kaasan?
* * *
"Tadaima!" Shiori heard her son call out, the door shutting a moment later.
"Welcome home, Shuuichi!" Shiori replied, turning to greet him.
Shuuichi was making a fast track past the kitchen, something bundled up in his arms. Shiori's eyes widened.
"Ne. . .Shuu-chan, matte! What is that!? Is that a *body?*"
Shuuchi turned to her, wide green eyes bright and sparkling with amusement. "Iie, 'Kaasan - it's a mummy! It's for a school project I'm working on."
"Eh?" Shiori replied, noticing a seeping red stain on one arm-shaped wrapping. It dripped to the floor. "Well, hurry up and get it out of my kitchen! You're dripping that corn syrup on the floor!"
"Sumimasen!" Shuuichi replied, backing out quickly. "I'll clean it up!"
Kurama exhaled a nearly soundless sigh of relief as he hurried to his room with the deadweight in his arms. Hiei was still blankly unconscious; he must've released the Kokuryuuha not too long before finding him near the park. It was a wonder he'd remained conscious long enough to seek out Kurama, actually.
He snagged a dark-colored towel out of the bathroom, juggling Hiei's heavy little body in his arms, before bringing him to the bedroom. The dark towel, combined with the wrappings he had wound around Hiei to simulate the mummy effect, should keep all the blood off his sheets. That made *part* of his job easier.
"Dammit, Hiei," he scowled at the prone Koorime. "Why can't you be more careful?"
Secretly, though, he was pleased that the recalcitrant little fire demon considered him a close enough friend to even *come* to him when he was hurt.
He rummaged around, pulling out his useful bag of first-aid items and other healing assists. Quickly he pulled out a salve that he had found was particularly effective on him. Botan had given it to him recently, and he'd tried it out not too long ago.
Kurama took care of Hiei's visible wounds first, spreading the salve carefully over the wounds and bandaging them up. There were a *lot* of cuts, scrapes, slices, gashes. . .nothing that would require stitches, with his youkai physiology, but enough to be irritating until they healed. There were a few more deep gashes that worried him a little, so he used what power he could to aid their healing process. Then he began to fret over the internal damage.
Finally he gave up. There was nothing to be done but have Yukina or Botan heal that, and it could probably wait until Hiei woke up. Which didn't seem like it would be anytime soon.
Now, how to steal some *food* for the surly little youkai before he woke up, so that 'Kaasan wouldn't suspect. . .
* * *
Hiei was still deeply asleep when Kurama returned from helping his mother clean up from dinner. He shrugged, set aside the plate of food he'd managed to scrounge, and started in on his homework.
The problem of where to sleep baffled him.
With Hiei in his bed, not even threats of rampaging flesh-eating horses could drag him into that futon. The thought of waking up to a possibly homicidal, disoriented, wounded fire demon who was normally bad-tempered *anyway. . .* He shuddered. He would probably wake up as Youko Kurama, in the Makai, having miraculously left his Shuuichi body behind due to. . .hem. . .unnatural causes.
Finally, he sighed and changed into his pajamas, and went hunting for a blanket to sleep on the floor with. Normally he wouldn't have minded sharing the futon with Hiei, but considering the state he would probably wake up in, it was just *not* the best of options.
"Good night, Shuu-chan," Shiori's voice startled him.
He whirled, clutching the blanket to his chest. "Ah-good night, 'Kaasan," he replied quickly, giving her a smile.
Shiori looked curious. "Shuuichi, are you cold?"
"H-hai," he responded weakly, unable to think up a better excuse.
Shiori frowned. "But it's so nice out. . .are you getting sick?" She reached out to put a hand to his forehead. He blinked but accepted the gesture.
"I feel fine," he replied. "Just a little chilly. I had the window open all day, I guess all the heat must've gotten sucked out of my room."
*Kurama, that is the most pathetic excuse for a lie you have EVER had the temerity to use. . .* he scolded himself. Another portion of him snarled back, *Oh, shut up.*
"Okay," Shiori said, giving him a doubtful glance. "Sleep well, Shuu-chan."
"You too," he replied, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't opened the door before Shiori had come by. A mummy was one thing. . .an actual body looking fresh out of the emergency room was another. . .
He folded the blanket in half, draped part of it over him, and tried to fall asleep. Tomorrow would be interesting. . . He wondered if perhaps he *should* pretend he was sick, to stay home and care for Hiei. But then where would he stash Hiei while his mother was fussing over *him?*
He kept fretting at the problem, until sleep claimed him.
* * *
"Kuraaaaama-chan. . ."
Kurama twitched his nose irritably. Who. . .?
"Kuraaaaama-chan!" The voice was petulant now. Something tickled his nose again and he sneezed, flopped over, and stuffed the pillow over his head.
"Oh, so THAT'S how you wanna play it!" the deep voice caroled, sounding ecstatically amused. "Kurama-chan! Wake up! I didn't come here to watch you sleep!"
NANI!? Who was that!? It *couldn't* be Hiei. But no one else in the house knew his right name.
He sat bolt upright, clutching the pillow. His red hair stuck out in wild tufts.
Hiei was perched practically in his lap, regarding him with wide, bright eyes. He took one look at Kurama's unruly morning hair and shrieked with laughter.
"Hiei! Shut up!" Kurama hissed, clamping a hand over Hiei's mouth. "My 'Kaasan could hear you!"
Hiei bit him. Hard.
"Ow!" he yelped, releasing the fire demon, who was looking immensely pleased with himself.
"Hiei!?" he demanded. He had never seen so much expression on the youkai's face in the entire time he'd known him.
"Ohayo, Kurama-chan!" Hiei chirped (as Kurama nearly choked - Hiei? Chirping!? -when had he gotten to Oz!?), throwing himself into Kurama's arms and giving him a huge hug.
"Hiei!? Are you feeling okay!?" Kurama exclaimed. Was he sick? Did he have the Makai flu? Quickly he pressed a hand to the Koorime's forehead, feeling the skin around the headband. Nope, perfectly cool.
Hiei pulled back, sitting in his lap, regarding him with a lively expression. Kurama couldn't stop staring. It was like seeing someone who *looked* superficially like Hiei. . .but definitely was NOT Hiei. . .
"Who are you and what have you done with Hiei!?" Kurama demanded.
"Kuraaaama-chan!" Hiei wailed, thrusting out his lower lip in a pout. "I AM Hiei! Want me to prove it? I can unleash my black dragon. . ."
"No no, that's all right," Kurama said hastily, waving his hands madly. That gleam in Hiei's eye was. . . hyper. . .manic. . . The only thing he could think of was one of his wounds must've been infected. "Um. . ."
"I'm hungry!" Hiei announced, squirming on his lap and looking around. "I want food! Now!"
Kurama sweatdropped. He got up, pushing Hiei off his lap, who bounced to his feet, wincing a little but otherwise limber, and dug up the plate of food he'd set aside last night.
Hiei blinked.
Then he tilted his head, looking up at Kurama. "Kuraaaama-chan! I'm hungry!"
Kurama gritted his teeth. "This is food," he told the little youkai, who folded his arms obstinately and. . .pouted. Kurama sweatdropped again.
"I want the sweet stuff!"
"Huh?"
"You know!" Hiei pursed his mouth tightly, glaring at Kurama in a look that *almost* rivaled his normal self, except for the screwed-up little frown. "That sweet snow!"
"Ohh. . ." Kurama frowned, too, trying to remember if they had any ice cream in the fridge. They didn't.
"Hiei, I don't have time to deal with this right now. . ."
"I'm HUNGRY!" Hiei began to raise his voice, stamping his foot.
Kurama's eyes widened and he pounced on the smaller demon, clamping a hand over his mouth again. Hiei struggled to bite him, then started to growl. He broke away, eyes glassy and wide. He already looked like a child who'd had WAAY too much sugar.
"Shuu-chan? What's going on? Is that your radio?"
"Ah-hai, 'Kaasan!" Kurama called back, entertaining the fleeting notion of telling his mother the "mummy" was fighting back.
Hiei shook his head, then blinked, then started bouncing up and down with impatience. "Hungry-hungry-hungry!" he chanted, and Kurama groaned, burying his head in his hands.
"I have GOT to get you some help," he muttered.
* * *
---To be continued!---
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~-*-~~-*-~~-*-~~-*-~~-*-~Talya Firedancer~-*-~~-*-~~-*-~~-*-~ ~-*-~~-*-~~-*-~
Guardian of the Watchtower of the South, Fire and Feeling....Miko to many!
