“Let’s Fly as the Birds Do…” Chapter: Twenty-Four

8/22/01

E-mail: [email protected]

Notes: Music theme to chapter: “Romantic Soldier” by Ogatta Megumi as Kurama.

 

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            In sickness, and in health…

 

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            “What a mess…” Yusuke grumbled, sweeping the dead ivy vines and leaves into a dustpan. The brush was dry and brown- lost of all vivacity the instant Kurama had come to his senses. It was bloodcurdling. They had seen the way Kurama had done away with Karasu… the way he tortured Toguro’s brother with the hallucination plant...  Yes, they witnessed his Youko form at the tournament, and again with Sensui… It was a transformation- no; awakening that could never be anticipated. Now they understood fully, what Hiei had meant by not wanting to provoke him- it would only lead to some sort of demise. There was no concern as to who was involved if he was in irrepressible wrath… How fortunate, then, that Kurama’s humanly consciousness would internally soothe his demonic self… Then again, Youko and Shuiichi were one in the same… Because of this sole fact- he was irrefutably human, for all humans have anger inside, and once that anger reaches the peaks of intolerance, then Kurama’s second counterpart would permit his more powerful half to release hell… Hiei was right: Kurama was no monster…

 

            “The windows will have to be replaced…” Genkai avowed, cautiously picking up the shards of glass. “How are you doing, Yukina?”

 

            “Fine… Koenma-sama’s wounds have healed entirely… No scars…” She turned to the fairy. “Arigatou, Botan-san, for helping me…”

 

            Botan held up a peace sign. “No problem! It would have been bad to look at Koenma-sama’s molested face everyday…”

 

            “What is THAT supposed to mean?!” the prince yelled, pacifier in mouth having a Band-Aid of its own. The group laughed good-heartedly. There was no point in keeping a grudge; their friend had been pushed to the limit. He had endured such useless crap without much complaint, and he had been imprisoning the wish for comeback for the sake of pure morality. Ironic, then, that morality was whipping Kurama on the back with bigotry…

 

            Peering to a corner of the room, Yusuke spied Hiei and Kurama leaning against a wall. The redhead had fallen asleep on the fire demon’s chest- skin under his eyes still wet from tears. Hiei did nothing, but sat patiently while Yukina healed the slit on his lip. The manner by which she touched him was assuaging. Her cool fingers acted as ice to stop the swell and blood. No more than a minute had gone by when the abrasion had disappeared from existence- erased. Smiling sympathetically, Yusuke strolled to the two on the floor.

 

            “How is he?” He asked. The fire demon quaked in his place, when he stopped, he closed his eyes.

 

            “… Tired…” Hiei whispered. “…I suppose I will have to carry him home…”

 

            “You sure you can do that by yourself?” Evidently, the other observed the youkai’s wellbeing.

 

            Hiei sighed. “It will be difficult… But I won’t allow him to be at ends with his mother if I simply leave him here…”

 

            He blinked. “And to get him to his room?”

 

            “Hn. Climb the tree…” That reply came out too simply. His friend put one arm across his torso, other hand touching the tip of his chin in deliberation.

 

            “Hiei, I’d hate to say this… but you’re not exactly in ‘tip-top’ shape to do something like that- let alone bring Kurama with you… I mean look at you- you look like you’re ready to puke…”

 

            “I’m fine.” He said stubbornly. Too bad his argument was weakened, for he shuddered for the fourth time that day- Yusuke shook his head at that.

 

            “Don’t you think you need some help?”

 

            “No. I already have told you: I’m FINE.”

 

            His comrade shrugged. “It’s ALL up to you…”

 

*****

 

            Perhaps he should have acquiesced to Yusuke’s offer for help.  Kurama may be slim, but slim or not- he was cumbersome to the little demon’s back. ‘He’s going to make me shrink!’ Hiei screamed to himself, lugging the sleeping redhead all the way home. Damn pride. Always that damned pride of his. The hardest part of his journey was taking Kurama down the stone steps. Kuwabara and Yusuke saw his efforts, and decided to help him regardless of his swearing. Well, he allowed them to help that much, the rest of the way he had to deal with on his own.

 

            So now he was here, after walking for three long hours, he was here- standing in front of the tree that lead to his lover’s bedroom.  Lovely. Just lovely… Judging from his surroundings, it must have been close to dawn. By now, the skies had lost their gloomy shade, and were now being dyed hues of light violet swirled with baby blue. The stars had disappeared, and the moons beams were being overpowered by the rays that were leaking from over the horizon. Things- everyday things were becoming perceptible. It would not be long before horns would be honking, dogs would be barking, and birds would be chirping.

 

            Hiei raised one hand to rub his eyes… So very tired he was, and his headache made it more difficult to unwind. Adjusting the passenger on his back, he leapt for the lowest limb of the tree- then onto a higher one, and then eventually to the branch that made a bridge to Kurama’s window. As always… it was open.

 

            Getting inside was something he had to think about, however. True, it may be open, but that did not necessarily mean he would make it safely inside. As far as he could tell, there was only one method to cross the threshold his room, and that was merely walking along the length of the tree branch. It was dangerous, given the combined weight of both of them, but Hiei had to risk it. Timidly, he stepped forward- frowning and perspiring as the limb creaked and bowed. Carefully, he set forward his other foot- the branch lowered further. Slowly, the left foot again- sinking went the branch. Too hazardous. The demon would have to jump the rest of the way- lest the limb gave way from under him. Bending his knees, the youkai prepared himself.

 

            ‘THAA-SHAA!’ foliage broke free of their stems- the leaves showering down in the masses.

 

            Hiei opened his eyes. He made it. He sighed.

 

Now for the bed. Get the boy off his back– total relief for he fire youkai’s sanity, take off the shoes from his feet, straighten him out, and pull the blanket up to his chin. Done and done. Hiei could feel his spine elongate into a more proper posture, but that didn’t stop him from twisting around to crack some joints. Crossing his arms, he peered into Kurama’s sleeping face. For a moment he mulled over kissing his lover on the forehead, but decided not to. Rather, he best be on his way to his own room. The demon was exhausted- it felt as though his eyeballs were sagging. Quietly, Hiei tiptoed out of the room, cautious to open the doorknob and push it open. With equal caution, he shut the door behind him- startled when he turned and came into counter with Shiori. Shuiichi’s mother was dressed in a dark green blazer with corresponding pants- the office must have called her in for an early shift.

 

 She stood firm in her place, eyes stern and prying. “What were you doing?”

 

“…Tucking him in…” It wasn’t a lie at least.

 

“Did I give you permission to do so?”

 

Without fear, he answered. “No, you did not.”

 

“Did I not TELL you to ask for permission?”

 

No flinching. “Yes, that you did.”

 

Coldly, she pulled back her hand and slapped him hard on the face. Her strike made the demon see a fleeting flash of white- his head then swung to his left shoulder from the force. The pang against his cheek was so strong that a burning imprint of her palm had begun forming on his complexion, and his ears were later filled with sharp ringing. Ignoring all of this, Hiei raised his head- still having his dignity. 

 

“I don’t want you to be touching my son- NOT at this hour…”

 

“I did not touch him.” Hiei defended evenly. Shiori’s hand trembled, and the demon could see this, as her fingers were moving about on their own and fitfully at that.

 

“That is something you cannot prove to me…” In addition to her fingers, her voice lost confidence. This young man before her was… wholeheartedly adamant.

 

“I suppose not.” No anger in his tone either. “That subject is a matter of trust.”

 

He walked passed her and down the stairs. At this point, he could care less if she decided to cut off his hands, sew together his lips, or do whatever form of medieval torture she could think of, which, he knew, Shiori would not execute anyway. Hiei’s arms were pulsating, as were his legs, neck, and back. It was aching to move, and coming to his room- Hiei’s bed welcomed him with open arms…

 

The little demon tumbled down on it- his frame shivering on top of the blankets.

 

*****

 

            Verdant eyes opened steadily as warm light settled upon his cool face.  Kurama rose, and when the blankets slipped off of him, he was astonished to find that he was dressed in jeans and a regular shirt. Groggy, the redhead yawned unyieldingly- lashes batting once through. Glancing at the clock, he realized he was just in time to get ready for school. Thus, he started for his bathroom- brushing his teeth, washing his face, and brushing his gorgeous hair. Out of the ordinary, Kurama had virtually no thoughts circulating in his perpetually active head. It was only when he discovers some bloodstains inside his nails and a few drops on his clothing that Kurama evoked what had occurred merely hours ago.  He sighed and went to his walk-in closet.

 

After retrieving the garments and buttoning his uniform, a breeze hit him from behind- causing him to revolve on his heel and view the unbolted window. ‘He carried me home…’ 

 

 

Morning track went by without any sort of calamity. All they gave him was disregard to his existence. He said nothing to this act, just as before. There was no point in fighting, and Kurama fell upon this deduction by analyzing his actions the previous night. If the redhead wanted to, he could win so straightforwardly that it would be laughable to use such overwhelming power over people like THEM. Secondly, doing as so would go against his personal principals. Those around him were human. They weren’t perfect, and they had not seen the lapse of years as he had when he was the Youko. Therefore, he refused to take any form of life-threatening violence unless absolutely necessary. Of course, as with last night, he may lose his temper and check. From that incident, the redhead swore to himself to not let something like that to ever happen again, no matter what the situation- at least not when lower powers were involved. Thirdly, and finally, Kurama was sick of waiting for hope. No use in waiting for some wonderful ray of light to shine on him, no use in waiting for that bottle with the message of ‘help’ to be found, no use in expecting for the better because there WAS no better, there WAS no light or bottle- they had been destroyed by the roaring waves or swallowed up by the obscurity.

 

First period: Biology. Someone killed his plant by adding too much of the experimented chemical into the soil- Kurama threw the plant away and started again. Second period: English and Language Arts. The new teacher was a turn off. He didn’t care about literature- he just wanted his paycheck. Third period: World History. He was accused of cheating on his test, and was given an F- Kurama shrugged and worked on extra credit to compensate for it instead.  Break. A student stole his money, but the redhead knew about it beforehand. Truth be told, he humored the thief in letting him believe he was successful of the ‘Pick-Pocketry’- he wasn’t very hungry anyway. Forth period: Computer Science. Another student leaked a virus into his stationary computer- Kurama redid the system and improved it. Fifth period: Photography. His film was purposely overexposed by some unseen culprit- he retook those

photos, actually helping someone who had lost his project as well. Sixth period: Calculus. His peers bantered him for getting an extra ten points on the exam. The redhead offered to tutor them. They declined his suggestion, saying they didn’t want to become his new boyfriend- Kurama took this indifferently. Lunch. He didn’t have lunch- his money was gone. Kurama stayed at the school greenhouse and took care of the plants to kill time. Seventh period: Politics. No one wanted him on either side of the debate team. ‘That’s fine.’ The redhead said. ‘I will debate against all of you.’ Kurama won the debate. Eighth period: Home Economics. Someone turned up the heat of his oven- causing his food to burn. Kurama tossed the food and its burnt pan, cleaned the oven and stove, and made stuffed and buttered lobster in what time he had left- everyone wondered where in blazes he got that lobster.

 

            Then he went home. Today was moderately decent.

 

 

            “Kaasan?” No answer, she must still be held-up at work. He proceeded inside. Having been eight hours without food, Kurama went to the kitchen to prepare a simple dish. That was when something made his head spin- the scent of vomit. Looking around, he found nothing on the tiles. Depending on his nose, he followed the stink to the trashcan where he found paper towels entirely saturated with puke. Repulsive- the towels were dyed shades of yellow-green. Since there were no stains to be found anywhere in the kitchen, however, he assumed on thing: Hiei cleaned the mess himself. Question: Where was Hiei? Answer: In his room.

 

            Knocking on the door, there was no reply. Worried, he allowed himself in- paying no heed to his mother’s orders. The room was empty, but he took to account that the bathroom was locked-up. Walking further, he tapped at it lightly.

 

            “Hiei?”

 

            Still no response. He knocked again. “Hiei…?”

 

            This time, there was an answer, but it was not in words, but in sound- the sound of regurgitating. Kurama winced. “Hiei… Let me in… It’s Kurama…”

 

            More regurgitating- only stronger. Deciding not to wait for him, the redhead reached into his pockets in search for that piece of wire he used to break into everything. Finding it, he bent the wire and inserted it into the bathroom’s keyhole. Being skilled in the arts of thievery, the lock released more or less without delay. That’s when he saw him- the little demon huddled into the corner of the small quarters- between the tub and the wall, seated in front of the toilet bowl. Hiei looked up to him shakily- lips blue and eyes yellow. How ferociously he was shivering- as though he were in the remote northern latitudes with nothing on, but his skin. Contradictory to this, his body perspired profusely.

 

            “Oh, no…” Crouching on the floor next to him, Kurama touched his face. That was the wrong thing to do- his hands were instantly scalded by the demon’s heat. Biting back, the redhead stood and washed his palms at the basin with cold water. Eyes angling back on Hiei, he plugged the tub and turned the water taps. “Hiei, do you think you can stand?”

 

            He tried, but the most he could do was collapse over Kurama’s lap- face meeting with the top of his shoulder. “Daijoubu… Hiei… Just wait- you’ll be fine…”

 

            Compassionately, he removed Hiei’s shirt- dispensing the fact he was being burned from all directions of contact with his loved one. “Poor you…” The redhead whispered, sensing Hiei’s chattering teeth and deep breaths for air.

 

            “…Everything hurts…” the smaller rasped. “Everything is cold…”

 

            With one arm supporting Hiei by the shoulders, the other went to undo the belts to remove his pants. Kurama had to bear in mind to do this quickly; or else water might overflow from the tub…

 

            “SHUIICHI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!”

     

            He would have been frightened from the yelling, but what was important here and now was to make sure Hiei’s temperature would no kill him. Keeping a level head, he brought his vision to his mother. “He’s burning with fever… Please, could you get me an ice bag?”

 

            Shiori was hesitant, and was more so shocked when her son proceeded to take of Hiei’s clothes. Lovingly, he carried his lover to the tub and gradually lowered him into the cool water. He lashed at the temperature, feeling colder than he was before. From his fierce movements, water spilled from the tub and waterfalled onto the tiles. Kurama turned away from him briefly, angered to find his mother still standing at the door.

 

            “Kaasan! Please help me! Don’t just stand there! He’s sick!”

 

            Unable to enunciate anything, she obeyed. Comforted that she listened, the redhead whipped around in time to shut off the taps. Grabbing a glass from the basin, he filled it with water and poured it over the demons face by tilting his chin up and asking him to close his eyes. He was shocked when the water immediately transformed into steam upon contact with Hiei’s skin. Returning for the basin, Kurama opened the medicine cabinet and found a thermometer. Sticking it under the little one’s tongue, the digital numbers soared from ninety-nine degrees to one hundred thirteen point five. Because he was a fire demon, Hiei could tolerate the rise in body heat, but nonetheless it was not, by any means, healthy to be within that range of fever. ‘

 

‘I need to get him to at the MININUM, One hundred four… If his temperature continues like this… I’ll- I’ll lose him…’ Kurama’s eyes widened. ‘How could this have happened?!’

 

“Shuiichi…” She addressed him now, with a much gentler tone. Kurama took the ice bag from hand and smiled forlornly. Kneeling at the tub, he placed the pack on Hiei’s forehead.

 

“Shouldn’t you remove that band?” Shiori asked. Hiei jerked, irises moving to Kurama for obvious reasons.

 

“…I can’t… There’s a wound there that cannot be exposed…” His attention darted to the demon’s Kokuryhua. “…The same for his arm…”

 

A hand snuck to feel the water in the bath… It was no longer cool, but warm. It was a good thing he inspected this before the water would begin to boil- that would be something he could NEVER explain to his mother… “Kaasan, can you please hold this over his head? I need to change the water…”

 

Her head nodded in understanding, while Kurama unplugged the drain by pulling on a silver chain that held the cork. When the water level lowered enough, he turned on the cool taps. Comprehending that the osmosis between Hiei’s fever and the water was taking place quickly, Kurama decided to leave the tap on and the tub unplugged in order to speed up the process. After half an hour of waiting, tending to Hiei with ice, and watching- the demon’s shuddering had died to down to a small chill every one in a while and his temperature reduced to a stable one hundred-two. During that time, Hiei slipped into slumber.

 

Rolling up his sleeves, Kurama drew his bare body out of the bath by hoisting him up on either arm. Standing, he snatched a towel from its rack to dry him off softly from head to toe. Shiori watched silently, arm folded, but eyes feeling. 

 

“…Kaasan…?”

 

“…Mm…?”

 

“Do you think… you can get him some clothes for me…?”

 

“Of course…”

 

The redhead sighed, wrapping Hiei fully with the towel about the shoulders. The woman came back shortly, thin and cottony clothes ready at hand. Together, mother and son, they dressed him. When they were through, Kurama laid him on the bed- arranging a bowl and face cloth on a nearby dresser to wipe away the infrequent sweats the demon would stir with. Kurama sat at a corner of the mattress- close to Hiei’s side- and kept alert.

 

“Will you be staying with him all night?”

 

“…Yes… I don’t want to leave him- the fever might relapse…”

 

“I’ll bring you a quilt and some tea then… What would you like for dinner?”

“Anything is good…”

 

Shiori turned and was about to leave when her son stopped her.

 

“Thank you…” Kurama said to inform her of his sincere gratitude.  “Thank you for helping… it would have been harder otherwise…”

 

For once, she let herself smile at him. “You’re welcome.”

 

*****

 

            Hiei’s fever troubled Shiori. She remembered reading somewhere that nightly sweats, fevers, and shivering were symptoms to the HIV virus- in the window period, typically. Her thoughts were scathed as soon as her nose caught whiff of the mess inside the trashcan, and so threw away the bag and washed her hands before cooking. Knowing full well that when sick, the stomach could not take solids and not get jarred, she prepared the renowned chicken soup. For her son, she made tempura and soba noodles covered with her special sauce. As the aromas radiated into the kitchen from their pots and pans, the phone rang- interrupting Shiori in her taste testing.

 

            “Moshi Moshi?”

 

            “Minnamino-san, this is Doctor Yuka, Musashi…”

 

            Her heart skipped a beat. Had it already been a full week? She glanced at the calendar posted on the wall beneath the kitchen clock. Yes it had, it was Wednesday today…

 

            “You have the results?” Shiori jumped, grabbing onto her wrists to make sure hr own pulse would not burst from beneath her skin.

 

            “Yes, I do- and you will be happy to know that both of them have tested negative. Both are in perfect health…”

 

            Given the circumstances, that was sardonic.

 

            “You mean… No infection? No disease of any sort whatsoever?” Her heart slowed.

 

            “Not at all.” The doctor assured. “…They are both clean…”