Let's Fly as the Birds Do...
chapter 24
by Hikari
“Let’s Fly as the Birds Do…” Chapter: Twenty-Four
8/22/01
E-mail: elvina99@hotmail.com
Notes: Music theme to chapter: “Romantic Soldier” by Ogatta Megumi as Kurama.
~*~*~*~
In sickness, and in health…
~*~*~*~
“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 steel 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 he 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 saying 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…”
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