Chapter Five
Yuusuke looked at his phone and blinked. “Enki?” he blinked. “What is it?” Keiko asked. Yuusuke shrugged and raised his hand in gesture to stop the girl’s training. The girls fell on the floor and heaved for air.
“Moshi moshi,” Yuusuke answered. “Yuusuke-san?” Enki asked. “Haha… drop the –san, Enki. What’s up?” Yuusuke tried to cheer things up, but he had a bad feeling.
“I’m afraid I need to see you and Kurama now, Yuusuke. And make it fast,” with that the line died away.
“You guys keep training. Kuwabara you keep in charge okay?” Yuusuke gestured the redhead. Kuwabara nodded and resumed the girl’s training.
“Kurama, come follow me,” Yuusuke told the redhead. “Where to?” Kurama asked. “Makai,” Yuusuke answered. “But why?” Keiko asked. “I’m not sure as well. But Enki sure sounded bad,” Yuusuke frowned. Kurama sighed and nodded.
Yuusuke and Kurama rushed as fast as they could, ignoring the snow; Enki greeted them at the entrance. “I’m glad both of you could come. I have something to show you two,” Enki told the guy as he brought Yuusuke into a chamber. “And I’m afraid that it’s a bad one,” Enki sighed.
Yuusuke saw a team of Makai doctors fuss on something on the operating table in the other side of the room, divided by a layer of this glass.
Kurama sensed a familiar youki. “Hiei?” he blinked.
“Yes, it’s Hiei,” Enki uttered.
Kurama frowned. There was blood everywhere and the doctors still can’t have body contact with the youkai. It was as if there was this layer of raw youki surrounding the boy just as you were 2 inches near him.
“How could this happen?” Yuusuke asked.
Enki sighed. “One hour ago, we sensed a sudden burst of youki near the southern territory. I sent a troop of soldiers there just to find a crowd of dead demons, a fairly burnt down torture lounge and the only thing alive in 10-kilometer radius was Hiei, shaking, bleeding and unconscious,” Enki paused for breath.
“He was carried here by the soldiers and into the rejuvenating chamber. But just after he was cleaned and the diagnosis was going to be done, he woke up and a force field like youki would surround him if someone gets around 2 inches near to him,” Enki sighed. Kurama looked at them, too stunt to even utter anything.
A doctor came out of the room. “Any progress?” Enki asked. “No Enki-sama. We can’t get near him and he kept uttering ‘I’m a dirty bastard of the glaciers’ over and over again. It doesn’t make quite sense but that’s what he’s doing,” said the doctor.
That phrase struck deep into Kurama’s heart.
“I’d appreciate if you bring him back to Ningenkai because he wouldn’t be safe here,” Enki requested. “Why? Can’t he stay here?” Yuusuke asked.
“Yuusuke-san… you know as well as I do that he’s famous all around Makai and he’d be in real danger if he’s left here. At least by bringing him back to Ningenkai you guys may work something out to cure him,” Enki looked at Hiei with sympathy.
“About his wounds, I’m sure Kurama’s Makai herbs could do miracles,” Enki regarded.
Kurama blinked. He was starting to blame himself for what he’d done. Maybe he was too harsh to the boy. He slid down to the floor when he remembered all the harsh things he did to Hiei, calling his bad names, treating him bad when the boy just learned how to love him whole.
Kurama started crying. “Kurama?” Yuusuke turned around when he heard the redhead cry. “Kurama, you okay?” Yuusuke lowered himself and asked the redhead. Kurama shook his head and cried on Yuusuke’s shoulder. “It’s all my fault!” Kurama cried. Yuusuke sighed and let the redhead cried on him; he himself bit his lips to suppress his own tears. “Don’t be like this Kurama,” Yuusuke could feel his own wet tears fail him as it fell on the floor. Kurama cried louder when he imagined Hiei yesterday leaving with pain in his heart and no shoulder to cry on.
“My poor Hiei,” Kurama cried. Remembering the painful smile on Hiei’s face before leaving the group.
“Enki-sama!” a doctor came reported. “Yes?” Enki blinked. “Hiei-san’s youki seemed to died down. He’s save to be handled,” he reported. Enki nodded. “So are you taking the fire youkai home?” Enki asked. Yuusuke thought for a while. “Home?” he echoed.
Kurama stood up and walked into the room. “Eh, Kurama-san! Matte!” the doctor tried to stop Kurama but Enki beckoned against it. “Let him be,” Enki uttered.
Kurama walked to the table where a naked Hiei was lying on. The poor youkai was shaking and uttering ‘I’m a dirty bastard of the glaciers’ over and over. From his fetal position, Kurama could see his anus were violently brutalized, his whole back were full of lashes and his face were more than just mere scratches.
Kurama reached out to touch Hiei’s long hair. “I’m a dirty bastard of the glaciers” the han-koorime uttered. Kurama saw a blanket nearby and carefully wrap the shaking han-koorime. Kurama carried the han-koorime and kissed his forehead. He slowly walked out of the chamber and met with Enki and Yuusuke.
“The doctor just said that Hiei might recover or not at all. Are you still going to bring him to Ningenkai with you or you can ask my doctors to kill him now,” Enki suggested.
Kurama looked at Enki with anger that’s as dangerous as standing near a volcano’s mouth just as it’s going to erupt. “No one touches Hiei,” he uttered. “Very well,” Enki sighed.
Yuusuke looked at the youkai solemnly. The han-koorime was only as good as a vegetable.
When they reached Genkai’s temple, everyone was there to greet them but when they saw the look on Yuusuke’s eyes and Kurama carrying a big bundle in his hands, they paused.
Yuusuke gathered them to his side while he left Kurama carry Hiei inside his room.
“Listen all of you. That was Hiei you saw in Kurama’s arms and I don’t think you would want to see him now. Hiei had turned in a vegetable and Kurama’s having a hard time to digest this piece of reality. So please don’t make him more upset than he is now,” Yuusuke pleaded. “I thought Kurama hated Hiei?” Reiko asked. “Of course he doesn’t! It’s just his ego and now when he knows that his ego would cost the life of his lover, he’d thrown it aside. Now you see Kurama just as he was 10 years ago,” Yuusuke uttered, sitting on the floor taking the tea that was given by Yukina.
Kurama pulled the sliding door shut and rested Hiei on his futon. He opened the blanket and found bloodstain near the part where it covers Hiei’s rear. Kurama felt himself in pain as he saw the still bleeding anus of the han-koorime. What sick monster would do such to his lithe fire demon; whose was once full of energy and strength, now lie limp and helpless.
Kurama cried as he made some herbal salve. He then rubbed the salve on Hiei’s anus and all around the body to speed the healing properties of the Makai medicine.
Kurama cradled the fire demon and kissed his forehead, ignoring Hiei’s continuos mutter.
He felt tired. So very tired.
After dinner, the girls went to wash up before sleep and heard Hiei’s continuous utter from within the room. “Poor Hiei-san. What happened?” Yume asked. They all shook their heads and headed for their room.
Today the girls were given a day off so most of them waked up after everyone else. They came out to greet the morning sun and saw Kurama drying the clothes under the sun, with Hiei sitting on the rock bench.
“It’s a nice day isn’t it, Hiei?” Kurama asked the han-koorime as he hung a piece of garment on the line. As usual, Hiei’s words were unvaried and the ‘I’m a dirty bastard of the glaciers’ phrase kept going on and on like a broken gramophone.
“No you’re not Hiei. You’re a precious fire demon, a sensitive koorime and a darling youkai,” Kurama forced a smile as he hung another garment on the line, suppressing tears as he remembered his own poisonous words that turned Hiei into this.
Kurama carried Hiei into the dining hall when everyone was having an early lunch. He sat the han-koorime and ignored the stare everyone was giving him. Yuusuke tried his best to tell them silently to look away from them. Kurama took Hiei’s lunch which he prepared separately (fish porridge) and tried to feed him.
But the food just wouldn’t enter. It just came out from the corner of Hiei’s mouth when the han-koorime kept uttering the same phrase over and over again. “Come Hiei, eat something… and don’t talk while you eat,” Kurama tried to smile, despite the tears that were rolling uncontrollably.
But the fire demon couldn’t.
“Maybe you’re full. We’ll eat later ne?” Kurama put away the porridge and carried Hiei in his arms. “I’ll come back to do the dishes,” Kurama told them. “It’s okay Kurama-san. I’ll do it,” Yukina said softly. “Doumo,” Kurama uttered his voice tearstained.
Day after day, Hiei was still in that particular state, if not steady, it was becoming worse. Sometimes Kurama would sit with Hiei in the garden with the redhead grooming his long black hair. Sometimes both of them would be in the kitchen and Kurama would talk to Hiei while he cooked. Sometimes Kurama would tell Hiei stories while tucking the fire demon to bed.
After 7 days, Hiei had gradually stop uttering the phrase. His voice was diminishing. It barely sounded like anything now. He was so weak. It couldn’t be helped. Hiei wasn’t able to eat normally, just some very diluted porridge that Kurama would feed him as much as he could with more than half of it wasted as it came out of Hiei’s mouth.
Kurama didn’t let anyone touch Hiei or leave him for a second.
The once strong Jaganshi was now weak and growing thinner.
Kurama brought Hiei out in the sun that evening to let Hiei watch the girls’ train. “They’re getting better now, aren’t they Hiei?” Kurama commented, running soothing circles around the youkai’s back while talking to him. Hiei was now even weaker; he couldn’t sit straight and was leaning fully on the redhead. Kurama was afraid that Hiei couldn’t hold on any longer.
Everyday the redhead would bathe Hiei near the stream and check his injuries. Nearly everything was healing but his ass was still ruptured badly. Kurama held the youkai tight and lulled the han-koorime, despite the sound made by the girls in practice. He felt bad, so very bad. If he hadn’t driven Hiei away that Valentine’s day, all this wouldn’t have happened.
They would have hugged, kissed, watch the sunset…
Ayami looked at Kurama on the stairs. They used to be so happy. Why must they go through this? She missed the energetic Hiei. The way he’d tease Kurama, the way he’d indulge on Kurama and be pampered unconditionally by the redhead, the way he’d ask the girls for advice on shoujo manga and stuff… she sighed.
Fate was really rotten to play such horrible prank on them.
“Ayami!” someone shouted as she turned around and managed to evade the ball, which would knock her unconscious if hit. But worse, it headed straight for Kurama and Hiei as the hard ball landed on Hiei’s face with a hard thump.
Out of surprise, Kurama accidentally let go of Hiei as the poor youkai tumbled down the stairs.
“HIEI!” Kurama shouted.
“Oh my god!” Yuusuke gasped. “Who threw the ball?” he asked. “I did,” Yuuki fearfully raised her hand. “And who was supposed to catch it?” Yuusuke demanded. “I was,” Ayami bit her lips. It was her fault. “Pay attention in your game!” Yuusuke exclaimed before running towards Hiei and Kurama.
Yuusuke frowned as he sensed something deadly wrong around. The atmosphere was thick and everything seemed to be in dead silence.
Did Hiei…
Kurama’s slow sobs could be heard as the youko clutched his fingers deep into the ground. Yuusuke cursed, did the force of the ball really had enough force to knock Hiei’s soul out of his body?
There were no more shakings from Hiei, there were no more phrases from Hiei. Hiei was just lying still on the floor.
“NO!!” Yuusuke lunged forward and tried to touch Hiei. “Don’t touch him!!” Kurama exclaimed. Yuusuke stopped short.
Kurama blinked, his body was heaving harshly. He just couldn’t perceive the fact that Hiei was dead.
Then there it was, Hiei’s eyes fluttered open. “He’s alive…” Yuusuke whispered. Kurama bit his lips. “Hiei?” Kurama called.
The youkai tried to focus his blurred vision when a perfusion feeling traveled up his spine to register something horrible. He shouted to the top of his lungs when the pain radiated from his backside started. It was really painful, indescribable but really painful.
Everyone rushed towards them. “What is it?” Kuwabara asked. “Something’s wrong with Hiei,” Yuusuke stated.
Tears flowed freely from his eyes. His hand tried to reach for his ass but it damned hurts when he touched it. He shouted louder.
“He must have felt pain now,” Kurama frowned. “Hiei, can you hear me? It’s okay,” Kurama tried to touch Hiei. There was no youki radiating from him but he still had strength to slap Kurama’s hands away when he tried to touch him.
“It’s so painful…” Hiei croaked. He was crying like a little boy who lost his mother.
“Pain!” Kurama dug into his hair and took out a seed. He pushed the seed into Hiei’s mouth and forced him to swallow it. Hiei nearly choked and coughed as the Makai seed took effect blocking the nerve cells from transmitting pain to Hiei’s brains.
“We have to carry him to the room,” Yuusuke told Kurama. Kurama nodded and tried to touch Hiei again but retreated when Hiei started to kick and swing his arms wildly. “Don’t touch me, all of you!” he shouted. Yuusuke sighed. He can kick all he wants but Hiei needs to be in a room and not in the open here.
“We have no choice,” Yuusuke turned around and called Kuwabara. “Kuwabara, you and me try to hold Hiei down and carry him in his room,” Kuwabara nodded and tried to block all Hiei’s assault and Kurama helped by supporting the back of Hiei’s body.
The poor han-koorime was trashing as hard as he could.
Hiei was practically thrown in the room. Hiei cried. He remembered the time when he was thrown in the torture chamber, The exact same feeling. “Please… don’t torture me anymore… let me die… please…” Kurama frowned. “You nuts? I won’t let you die!” Kurama scolded the fire demon. Yuusuke put a hand on Kurama. “He might be still in shock,” Yuusuke tried to calm Kurama down.
Hiei was shaking by the corner, knees drawn up to his chest, hugging it tight. Then Hiei’s white yukata was slowly stained with blood by the sides. “Gods! Blood!” Kurama rushed over to Hiei but as Hiei was about to kick, he felt so completely dizzy and felt limp all over. The youkai fell on the floor. Kurama guessed that the Makai painkiller had totally taken effect as the taker would sleep for some time.
Kurama checked Hiei as he turned the youkai around gently. The youkai couldn’t afford to be treated any worse than what had been done. His whole backside was bleeding. “His wounds must’ve opened up when he was trashing like mad just now,” Kurama started to open the obi of Hiei’s Yukata. Genkai hushed all the girls outside.
Kuwabara and Yuusuke watched as Kurama took off Hiei’s attire and laid him stark naked on his stomach. His round ass were stained with blood. “Why hasn’t it healed?” Kurama asked, mainly to himself. Yuusuke and Kuwabara came closer and observed as Kurama gently folded Hiei’s legs into fetal position. In that position, Hiei’s little ruptured hole could be seen. It’s was still bleeding. The wound was as if afflicted by putting something big and thorny inside the small pucker of gut tunnel.
Yuusuke went to the corner and took a basin of water and hurried over. “How in the three worlds that Hiei is being injured like this?” Kuwabara asked as Kurama took a towel and wet it in the basin. He then sighed and wiped off most of the blood with it.
“I don’t know what form of torture could he have taken, but this is real bad. And there’d nothing we could do because Hiei had killed all of them with his sudden burst of youki,” Kurama wiped away a forbidden tear off his cheek.
“Well at least he came out of delusional state,” Kuwabara shrugged. Yuusuke eyed him. “Well, maybe not completely, but it’s a progress,” Kuwabara tried to amend his sinful mouth.
Hiei looked so vulnerable in that state. Kurama applied more herbal ointments and salves on the injured hole to stop the bleeding and cure it. Yukina had come to give Hiei a fresh pair of Yukata and Kuwabara thanked her, sliding back the door shut.
Both watched as Kurama towel bathed Hiei gently. The touch was so soft and loving. Yuusuke sighed. He hoped the Jaganshi would be able to wake up and realized the love Kurama had showered to him since the redhead realized how an asshole he had been.
Kurama took the yukata from Kuwabara and dressed Hiei in it. “Would you mind supporting him up for me?” Kurama asked as Kuwabara and Yuusuke straightened up the limp sleeping han-koorime. Kurama ran to the dressing table and took a brush and a wad of white ribbon.
With Kuwabara and Yuusuke supporting Hiei, Kurama brushed the long black hair until he was satisfied that there were no more tangles and tied it up neatly with the ribbon. Hiei looked somewhat fragile and sweet. Kurama took hold of Hiei from his two companions and kissed the boy before tucking him back into bed.
“I’d really appreciate it if no one comes and scare him so that he wouldn’t move. His wound is a severe one,” Kurama wiped another unconscious tear off his eyes.
“We understand Kurama,” Yuusuke leaned down and gave the youko a supportive hug. Kuwabara joined in. “I’d tell them all not to come and see Hiei yet,” Yuusuke kissed Kurama’s cheek and got up. Kurama smiled at them both. “Only Inari knows how thankful I am to all of you,” Kurama moved and just as Yuusuke sensed that Kurama was doing a kowtow to them, he dropped to his knees and stopped the crying youko. “Kurama! Don’t do this! We’re his friends, we’re supposed to be responsible for what had happened. Don’t blame yourself already!” Yuusuke hugged the crying redhead. Kurama tried to suppress his tears no more as he cried freely on Yuusuke’s shoulder. Kuwabara wiped away his own tears and joined the hug again.
Both boys left Kurama to tend some things before resuming to slumber. When Kuwabara and Yuusuke entered the living room, everyone had this sad expression on their faces. “Hey, everyone. Don’t feel so bad. Hiei’s going to be all right, don’t worry,” Kuwabara smiled. Yuusuke looked at them and smiled. “Well, you all know what state is Hiei in now. He’s as fragile as a wild baby animal in the woods. He would have just the thought that any one of us would scare him or hurt him; and if so, the damage would be beyond repair. It’s best if we don’t see him for the time being and let Kurama tame him first. Understood?” Yuusuke looked at all of them.
The girls blinked. “In other words, no one can see Hiei-san?” Riko asked. Kuwabara nodded. “You cannot go near his room even. Who knows he might want to get some fresh air and when he sees you he’d be so scared,” Kuwabara explained.
“The mad trashing he did just now reopened his brutal wound. So we can’t afford anything of such to happen again,” Yuusuke sighed. Genkai nodded. “So, that part of the temple is off limits. Only Kurama could enter,” Genkai agreed.
“Wakatta,” the girls chorused.