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

8/29/01

By: Hikari

Notes: Special thanks to Benishouga-san for her lovely drawing on chapter 14!

Music theme to chapter: “Frightening Face-off”, “Messiah”, “Sanctus”, and “Katan’s Theme” from Angel Sanctuary. Yes, I love the series’ music with a passion.

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The damned are the damned, but self-damnation is a destruction set by the heart. How sad it is when your heart turns against you…

~*~*~*~

“Shuiichi… Shuiichi… It’s time to wake up and get ready for school…”

“Mm…” Kurama’s eyelids fluttered, head emerging from its leaned position against the headboard of Hiei’s bed. He had been sitting upright for hours… Ameliorating Hiei’s sweating fits with a damp cloth sporadically. The redhead wasn’t sure at what time he had dozed off, all he could recount on was his dinner and seeing the numbers twelve-thirty and four-thirty… following that he drew a blank. “…What about Hiei…?”

“I’ll take care of him… Don’t worry… Besides, it seems his fever has subsided significantly thanks to you…” Shiori commended. “…Perhaps you shall become a medic…”

Poignantly, he smiled. “Minnamino, Shuiichi… M.D…”

“It has a ring to it…” his mother remarked. “Hurry now, and get dressed… I promise to call the school if Hiei needs you…”

Kurama blinked, speechless. “…You mean it…?”

“Yes…”

*****

‘Click- click- click’. Yatori recorded everyone’s sprinting time using his stopwatch and ever-faithful clipboard. His team had been improving in speed and endurance ever since day one after tryouts, and this included Shuiichi. Hating to admit it to anyone, the coach knew that the boy would be the key player. Over and over again he had regressed to his world of denial, and yet over and over again, the cold reality smacked him in the face like a blizzard. The team needed Shuiichi, and Shuiichi needed the team. If you Yatori wanted to be a prominent athletics leader, he had to win games and tournaments. To do this, Shuiichi must be placed at more respectable ranks… He didn’t like it. Not at all. He might as well recruit girl runners while he was at it.

“That’s enough boys!” He yelled, blowing his silver whistle. “Great job! Everyone increased by two minutes, that’s excellent…” For a second he looked up to see everyone’s mug. They all appeared proud of themselves, while the redhead seemed quite preoccupied in the mind. Maybe the coach could make use of this and instigate something to get the boy off his team for good and perhaps he may win without the fag… “Minnamino…”

“Yes?”

“So far the charts are telling me that you’re number one… You finished the dash in under twenty seconds- that’s phenomenal!”

The atmosphere dimmed. The pride they once had mutated into jealousy. Kurama sensed this air, and took caution in his appearance. Don’t look smug. Don’t look surprised. Don’t look happy. Don’t look shoddy. Be vigilant and expressionless.

“Anyway,” the coached continued. “You all better hit the showers- you don’t want to scare away the misses now!”

Some of them snorted; for Shuiichi that would not a problem to contend with.

*****

The water drizzled on him from the shower- making his thick hair clump together and stick onto his smooth back. Since the rubber track was undergoing maintenance, they all had to run on the grass for the normal drills. Early in the morning, the soil would not only be slippery, but soggy with mud. The result of trampling on the ground led to sludge that glomped onto the shins, calves, and knees. Taking a shower was necessary.

Kurama hummed to himself, raising his head so that the water could river down his lengthy neck and trace his bare chest. The water from there created a sheet over his torso, which sheathed his legs as the gravity pulled the streams downward. The mud on his powerful legs fell onto the tiles and went down the drain in brown rivers. He spun the valves when he thought himself to be fully clean. As the shower stopped running, the haze of moisture in the air departed in opposite ways- much like the drawing of curtains to reveal the stage of a play. Turning away from the showerhead, he discerned into the miasma. There appeared to be shadows surrounding him- ethereal presences, swaying from side to side in sinister movements.

‘CRACK!!’

He hit the floor- his head pounding in agony. His fingers trembled with helplessness as they reached to touch his temples. Sticky and wet… Evergreen eyes widened at discovering thick blood pouring from his forehead. The red dripped from the tip of his chin and fingers- falling densely onto the soaked tiles… The crimson diluted into pink when it mingled with the water.

“That was for my ribs!”

Bewildered, he flipped from his prostrate position on the floor- his grip sliding and failing. His vision cleared after Kurama squinted hard, and he was then held vulnerable. They were towering over him- his team, Kao, and his brother Tetsuji. Kao had bandages banded all around the trunk of his body- clearly he had just been released from the hospital. At his hand was a steel bat- the round of its end painted with Kurama’s blood. Kurama tried to stand, but Kao hit him ruthlessly with the bat again- cracking the redhead’s jaw and causing his cheek to swell.

“That was for my brother!”

He was seeing stars- millions of them. Kurama shook his head- drops spraying in all directions.

‘CRACK!!’

His chest met with the ground solidly- pain electrifying his body in front and in back. He had been beaten on the spine- a marvel nothing was broken. Using his arms, Kurama pushed himself up. Biceps shaking- his legs tucked under his frame as he set himself to crouch. Back arching, blood exploded from his mouth. He coughed and coughed, choking on his own loss. It made tears rise to his eyes- the stinging, the hurting. When he breathed, blood went up his nostrils. Kurama would cough more, and the red would exit through his nose.

“And this is for the team!”

‘CRACK!!’

They struck him on the chest, forcing him to stumble backwards and hit the wall. Blood escaped from the back of his skull- coating the blue tiles with a shade purple. Tetsuji strided towards him disdainfully, though he WAS grinning to himself at seeing this boy before him in such a mangled shape. Cruelly, he turned the valve for hot water- rotating it until the water was searing enough to make Kurama’s skin blister.

“AHH!!”

He screamed and screamed. Chunks of his own flesh were peeling from his body. Kurama’s face had gone pale- his state in complete shock. The redhead couldn’t move. He was fully aware of everything that was happening, but his body wouldn’t obey his mental commands to defend himself. Literally, Kurama was paralyzed. The whole groups crept towards him, laughing quietly when they turned off the boiling water and saw his body tremble with damaged nerves. There was crimson everywhere. On his arms, his face, legs, shoulders- he was drenched in blood.

Heart beat. Kurama could hear his hear beating; along with it he heard his pants for air. All his senses were amplified- even his vision. The surroundings had somehow enlarged. The people, the walls, everything was enormous… and he was insignificant.

“Eww… You got some blood on your dick…”

“Hard to believe he ACTTUALLY has one, ne?”

They crowed.

“Uhn…” Kurama tried to talk, but his tongue felt detached of all words. “Uhn… uh… Mou…”

“What’s that?” Kao mocked, cupping a hand around one ear and bending down. “What ya say?”

“Mou… Ma…”

“Hey, I think he’s calling for his mama!”

More laughing.

“Ma… may… guh… gah…”

Tetsuji kicked his crotch. The other winced, but refused to give any more than that. Kurama would not flatter them with his misery to any further extent of what he could withhold.

“Speak louder! I can’t hear you! Here maybe this will help…” He kicked him in the stomach, and two of those in his team spat at him. “Again!” Tetsuji yelled, his voice echoing within in the moderate confines. “Tell us again!”

“May… May God…”

Their jeering grew silent. The group was compelled to listen to his words of pleading, of remorse...

“May God…” It was tiring to talk. Doing so made him extremely dizzy. “… May God… ha-have mer-mercy… on your dirt- dirty souls...”

Jaws dropped.

Infuriated beyond control, Kao knelt next to Kurama’s nude and broken form, hit him across the face with his rigid knuckles, and spat on him. The spit had phlegm in it, and it washed itself upon the redhead’s brow- dripping into Kurama’s eyes like sap. Kurama blinked vigorously, not only out of stun but also as a means to keep from going blind. The perceptions through his right eye were suddenly becoming clouded. His pulse pounced. Was he dying? No… not dying… the left eye was fine… Brain damage? He could think properly… however…

Someone split his legs open, this expose his most private part in the most immodest way. Kurama tried to move his limbs, yet the most he could achieve was bending his knees. Tears dripped from his face. He couldn’t move… he just couldn’t move…

Another person forced his mouth open, inserting a raw hot dog into his mouth- sending a more than subliminal message to everyone.

“Suck it! You know you want to!”

He lost all sight through the eye; Kurama only had his left to depend on. With it, he glanced at his attacker by merely moving his iris. His stare was firm- a tacit answer that he declined to do anything they decreed. In reply, they forced the cold meat deeper into his mouth- enough to make him gag on it.

“Mm!”

They pushed it in further. His eyes broadened, more salty tears erupting.

“MM!”

Kurama’s senses insisted him on screaming, kicking, any sort of movement or action that would level the torment. In spite of such simple desires, he could not do as such.

“Hey! Let’s take a picture! Get the camera!”

Leaving the meat in his mouth, it hanged from his lips in a vulgar mess. When they brought out the camera, Kurama turned away from the shutter- this motion taxing all his reserved strength. It was in vain. Another teammate turned his head back the other way and held it there until the pictures were taken. Pictures of him, a human being, naked, doused in his own blood, cheek swollen, skull fractured, flesh blistered, sexual organ exposed, and decorum destroyed. To top it off, they positioned his limbs in various provocative positions. His hand to his groin. Legs split a part. Tongue pulled out of his mouth. The cold meat placed in crude places- from his mouth to his inner thighs. All of this they took pictures of. In between they kicked and spat on him more. If they didn’t do that, then they were forcing him to masturbate. Kurama made that difficult for them, however, and this angered them obstinately. To appease themselves, they would turn on and off the hot water- scalding him severely. As they grew bored of doing this, they replaced the raw meat into his mouth and abandoned him in the showers- taking his only clothes with them.

Kurama shivered with cold and stinging- eyes dead in appearance, but very much alive.

‘Hiei…’ he cried to himself. ‘…Hiei… help me… Where are you?… Please…’

He began to sob, still paralyzed.

‘Hiei…’

He bawled.

*****

“KURAMA!” Hiei shot out of bed like a bullet, and he was captured by a pair of long comforting arms. At first he thought it to be a dream- that was until he saw it was Shiori holding him in place- NOT his lover.

“Kurama! Where is he?!” His eyebrows had furrowed intensely, eyes almost shaking.

“At school…” She answered quietly. “Hiei, calm down… You had a nightmare…”

Sweat enveloped his body, and his breathing was abnormal. The demon shook his head. “No… Something is wrong… I feel it…”

“Hiei, what are you talking about…?” She was still hugging him maternally, and his face had pressed closely to her bosom. Hiei blinked rapidly, eyes wide in fright.

“…He needs me…”

“What…?”

Escaping from her embrace, he jumped off the bed and grabbed his old coat. Shiori was astounded, one hand touching her collar in surprise. “But… where…? Hiei, matte, your fever… You’re still recovering…”

The demon didn’t hear her; instead he ducked down to retrieve his katana from beneath the bed. Upon pulling it out, Shiori released a loud gasp. Before Shuiichi’s mother could supply more questions to his ear, Hiei had already bounded to the top of his bed, onto the windowpane, and out of the house. The window was left open with its blinds flapping soundly as Hiei had created an amazing gust of air upon departure. Shiori crawled on top of his disheveled sheets, hands settling on the pane and eyes searching woefully for the little youkai. Beyond belief, he was nowhere to be found.

*****

“…So stupid…”

Shidou held onto the volleyball, rolling his eyes at his team for intentionally hitting it from the court and into a puddle. He sighed. Sometimes he wished he could resign his position as captain, but he knew his squad meant well. A joke here and there was harmless. Daily drills did get quite repetitious, a bit of rough housing or pranks were inevitable. The boy smiled slightly, remembering the time it was his birthday and his players threw a party at ‘Fun Town’. So vividly he recalled the taste of cherry pie as it met with his face in a humongous clobber. After that there was silly string everywhere. To top it of, a cake in the form of a volleyball court- designed by Shuiichi and Arisu themselves.

He frowned. For a while now he had been contemplating his attitude towards his old friend. He reacted too harshly when unraveling the truth. Shidou was dumbfounded, that was all. The reputation of having a homosexual for a friend wasn’t exactly the type of thing he wanted either. He didn’t want anyone to think HE was gay… but… what had he to worry in if everyone knew he was going steady with Arisu…?

Shaking his head, he opened the metal door to the locker room in order to hose off the mucked up ball. It had been so soiled, that it looked like a giant candied malt. ‘Malt balls…’ he mused. ‘Sweet on the outside… bio hazard in the inside…’

Making a turn for the showers, his complexion lost color. Immediately he threw the ball to the side and ran, kneeling down next to his old friend and pulling out the gag in his mouth.

“Oh shit… What have they DONE to you?”

Kurama peeked up from his drooping eyelids, smiling when he saw help finally came.

“…Shidou…” the redhead flinched. “Agh…”

The other patted him on the shoulder gently. “This is screwed… Here, I’ll get you some wet paper towels to clean you off…”

Standing, he left for the stalls and sinks situated at the corner of the vicinities. Pumping one of the knobs to the towel dispenser, he soaked a long sheet with cool water and carried it back to Kurama. “Can you move at all?” he inquired.

“A… a little… but it hurts….”

Using the towels, he got rid of as much of the red and dried smears as possible. Darting his head around, he scowled. The bench that normally held Shuiichi’s clothes was totally bare of garments. “They took your clothes too… didn’t they?”

His irises lowered. “Mm…”

The doors bursted open, making Shidou jump in his place. The footsteps against the tiled floor were hasty and indomitable. Being the only two people there, Shidou rose cautiously, fully aware that he was now in the same predicament as Shuiichi- whether he liked it or not. Fortunately for them, who appeared was not an enemy, but a friend. Shidou’s eyebrows rose upon recognition. The small frame, the fair and attractive skin, keen red eyes, and the scruffy black hair; it was HIM.

“…You…” the boy whispered. Hiei glared and went straight for Kurama’s other side- disgust and resentment filling up his disposition. One look at the redhead told him everything he wanted to know.

“I will get him clothes… You stay by him, and don’t you dare to leave.”

Shidou swallowed. This young man may have been small, but he radiated an aura that foretold of the kind of danger one does not want to play with. “Where will you find clothes?”

Hiei merely walked to the aisle of lockers, unseen Jagan peering through the metal in inspection. “Here.” He stated blandly.

Scoffing at that, Shidou shook his head- long green bangs swinging. “From the lockers? But you don’t even know the com-”

One of the demon’s hands reached for a steel handle and wrenched at it so forcefully that the door ripped off the cabinet. Bolts and screws hit the floor with sharp clings.

“-binations…” He finished.

Flinging the torn out door to the side recklessly, the metal scrap clanged loudly and scratched its bent edges along the floor. Hiei reached into the now open cabinet, taking out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Drawing the clothes to his nose, he smelt them- not wanting Kurama to wear anything filthy. “They haven’t been used. Hn, good to know…”

A corner of Shidou’s eye twitched, as he didn’t know whether to be awed by Hiei’s strength or to be scared shitless. The other looked at him coldly while returning to his lover. “Here.” He pitched the shirt at the boy brusquely. Shidou caught it, almost getting the article caught on his head. “Put it on him.” The demon ordered. “I will do the pants…”

In the process of doing so, Shidou’s eye kept an intense vigil on Hiei’s hands. The initial motive for this was to ensure that THOSE hands would never find their way to his own throat, however, his attention was no longer focused on self-defense, but in the special care Hiei took. The shorter made sure to not graze any of Kurama’s sores with the rough jeans- spending what seemed to be five minutes just to get each pant leg around the ankles. Warily, then, he hoisted the hem until it met with the waist- zipping up slowly from there.

“We need to get him to the hospital…” Shidou whispered. “He suffered from concussion…”

“That I know.” He snapped bitterly. “The blood on the wall told me…” The demon raised his clear crimson eyes- they somewhat flickering with fire. Hiei knew he couldn’t do what he did last time- that being carrying Kurama from one place to another. The other night taught him that lesson, he would need assistance regardless of liking it or not. It priced the pride in his heart in order to accomplish what was needed next. For Kurama, a friend, pride needn’t be afraid of the blow of humility. “I… need your help.” Hiei began. “You’ve been kind enough a person to not abandon Shuiichi here… But I cannot take him to the hospital myself…” The demon paused, thinking of what to say in following. “I take it you still mind about your friend… Do you think you have enough of that consideration to also take care in his lover as well?”

“…Lover…?”

“I understand how you think of it…” Hiei pursued. “It doesn’t please me, but I cannot find it in myself to blame you…” His eyelids dropped- shielding half of his irises. “We are, indeed, guilty of a lecherous crime… Even then, do you believe that someone as charitable as Shuiichi should undertake this kind of penalty?”

Shidou’s throat went dry. He tried to swallow for the second time, yet there was nothing in his mouth to quench his peculiar thirst. “…No, he DOESN’T deserve this… No one does…”

“Then will you help me?”

Bowing his head, he replied: “Yes.”

*****

Each of them had one of Kurama’s arms over their shoulders. The redhead did what he could to move, but the feeling in his legs was still numb with deadened nerves. The double doors slammed behind them as they advanced outside- facilities seemingly vacant of all persons. This was opportune; slipping off campus should be easy.

…Or so they thought…

“Haha! Look at this one! He looks like a whore!”

Hiei’s ears twitched.

“Oh man, give me that Polaroid! Bitch! We oughta get paid for this…”

“Maybe we can put it up on a gay website and fix it as porn!”

They stopped in their tracks, Hiei shifting Kurama’s weight to Shidou’s side. “What are you doing?” The boy asked. The smaller said nothing, only taking slow condescending steps on those huddled in a loose circle by the gym wall. One of the group took another picture from his deck- flaunting it by waving it about like a flag in the air. Hiei’s vision snatched what was on the laminated sheet, and his teeth gritted audibly with hatred.

“Saa…” Hiei hissed, just above a murmur. It was enough to draw attention from the students. “Saa…” he said again. “…If you were not only human, Shuiichi would have destroyed all of you…”

They recognized who this stranger was, and welcomed him with boorish faces as well as spit to the concrete. Kao lifted a leg to rest it on a trashcan lid, arm draping lazily over his knee- arrogance dripping out of ever cell of his body. Hiei held himself unmoved.

“You think so, pimp?” Kao teased.

“He broke your ribs, did he not?”

Losing his poise, the boy straightened. “Lucky hit…”

“Not so lucky for you… And now you have me to contend with…” He withdrew his sword, unsheathing it gracefully to display he had unmatched skill in such arts. From behind, Tetsuji was tiptoeing with a steel bat at grasp in preparation to strike. Not blinking, not moving, Hiei placed his weapon to his side, quickly revolving it around to level the hilt. Tetsuji ran now, bat caked with Kurama’s blood plummeting downward… The bat never made contact with a single hair on Hiei’s head.

Tetsuji clutched his stomach, crimson matching the demon’s deepening eyes flushing out of his mouth. The hilt of Hiei’s katana had jabbed into his abdomen, so overwhelmingly that his internal organs were ruptured. All it took was a slight reversal move of the wrist and forearm- the rest of the smaller’s frame made no motion.

“How does it feel?” The youkai questioned, not turning around. “How does it feel to be lost of all air? Drowning in your own vitality?”

The remainder of the group was frozen, all but Kao who was boiling. “Kisama!” He yelled, snatching a glass bottle and breaking it against the wall. “No way I’m going to be on knees to a fag like you!!”

Hiei smirked. “Hn. Interesting. Do you believe you have the ability to defeat me? Let’s see…”

Kao lunged forward, holding onto the neck of the bottle while using the shattered end to rip a part the little demon’s face. He missed, as the shorter simply stepped to the side. “Too slow… Try again.”

Another lunged. Another step. Hiei found no point in blurring- he merely needed straightforward repositioning.

“What’s wrong?” Kao tormented. “Afraid of being stabbed?”

“You asked the wrong question, at the wrong time…” Hiei jumped high into the air, drawing his adversary’s attention in the same direction as he had intended. Upon landing, he grabbed Kao by either shoulder and slammed him onto the concrete. The boy tried to get at him by assaulting with his broken bottle, but the demon halted the stir with a tight hold onto his wrist. Kao tried slugging him across the face, but with his right forearm, Hiei blocked it. “You are pathetic… You wish for a battle when you have no sense of it…”

Adjusting his legs, Kao kicked. To this, Hiei evaded most of his violent protests. He was hit, however, where his wound lay, and weakened for just enough time to allow Kao to get out of his pin. Not at all disturbed by this, he stood quickly. The fool this human boy was, he ran at the demon with full force, aiming to give a drop kick in the same area he had struck before. ‘Foolish, foolish move…’ Hiei thought, snatching Kao by his flying ankle and then swinging him against the gymnasium wall. Kao’s body stiffened when his frame racked against it, sliding down and laying flaccid on the ground. The others made haste to save themselves from Hiei’s cold rage- deserting Kao on the spot.

Perilously, Hiei strided toward him- sword tempting the demon to be put to use. “Never attack the same place twice… If you choose to do so, make sure to not make a pattern of it…” He held him with one hand around his collar, threatening to throttle. “Secondly… never hit the same area in such a short gap of time- that will only prepare you for the worst…”

Kao’s feet were leaving the surface now, as Hiei was raising him high above himself. With the other hand, he pressed the blade against Kao’s neck. The boy shivered from the rapiers chilling cold. The demon pressed slowly… very slowly- taking pleasure in the little drops of blood that spurted from his minor cut. More blood oozed as he applied more pressure. Kao muffled a cry for help.

“STOP! HIEI PLEASE DON’T!”

Easing off, Hiei settled his eyes on Kurama, who was practically trying to break free of Shidou’s support to endeavor for concord. ‘…Kurama…’

“YOU CAN’T! IF YOU DO THIS NOW, YOU WILL BE JUST LIKE THEM! DON’T BECOME A MONSTER, HIEI!” His friend cried, tears becoming pink from shedding over wounds. “DON’T DO WHAT I DID! PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU…”

Hand quaking, Hiei dropped his katana- gradually lowering the person in tow. Looking down on him, the demon sneered. “…I’m already a monster… I’m already like you- a human.”

Kao’s eyes shook in their sockets- tears terrorizing to breach, but not quite making it.

“…That’s what I hate the most… Knowing that I am like you…” The demon softened. “But if I chose to kill you, it would be too easy for all of us… Shuiichi knows this better than anyone…” Glancing back, Kurama had limped completely. “I suspect for such strength and wisdom, you envy for such things and have fallen to no more an emotion than hate from jealousy… How odd then, that I am just as jealous as the rest of you, and yet I treat this person as I would a treasure…”

The smaller seated him gently on the ground. “Hn. I still hate you as I hate myself… You had better remember that it was Shuiichi who saved you- not me…”

Leaving him, Hiei re-found his place under one of his lover’s arms. He gave one final, meaningful stare, and they departed.

*****

After resting Kurama in the backseat of Shidou’s car, they drove straight for the hotel- paying no heed to the blaring of horns that warned them of their reckless driving. Entering the tall building, a nurse brought out a wheelchair for the redhead, and they wheeled him away to be x-rayed. Hiei sat in the waiting room patiently, while Shidou called for Shuiichi’s mother. Without delay, she arrived promptly and in wild hysterics. Shidou gave effort to calm her, and Hiei went lost within his own darkened thoughts. The demon sat in his chair- body curled forward with his elbows against his knees. Forearms raised, he had his mouth hidden behind his cupped fists.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he whispered: “…What shall I do now…?”