Lands Lost: Chapter 14

By Soyokaze

In addition to Koenma, Botan, Yusuke, and Kuwabara, Shishi had joined them in Koenma’s office, his wounds healed cleanly but the blood on his kimono drying to a sickly brown. Rinku had brought some food and Botan provided some recuperative drink while they recanted the events of the mission. Shishi filled in the holes of their story, telling of the deaths of Momorenjya and Akarenjya with gruesome detail, and how Touya had shut the portal as soon as they were through to ensure that no one would follow. After that, Yusuke described their battle, eliciting looks of horror from Botan, Koenma, and Shishi when he told of Kurama’s transformation.

Koenma had folded his hands beneath his chin. He was sitting behind his desk, while the three fighters sat in the upholstered chairs and Botan perched on the edge of the wooden desktop. There had been silence for a few moments; it was as if no one remembered whose turn it was to speak, and no one wanted to assert their own account over anyone else’s. Botan finally made a move, pushing herself off the edge of Koenma’s desk and stepping lightly towards the door.

“I’m going to go look in on Yukina and Keiko,” she said, avoiding eye contact with anyone as she exited. Koenma rose shortly after the door shut behind her.

“Thank you all for what you’ve done. I can’t say I expected everything to go perfectly, but I count us lucky that so many survived.” His voice grew somber. “There will be a memorial for Akarenjya and Momorenjya. They were only here for a short time, but no one will forget them.” The prince forced a weary smile as he looked up at the soldiers, all sitting solemnly, sipping at the restorative. “You should all go and rest. I know you two will be wanting to visit Kurama,” he said, indicating Yusuke and Kuwabara, “and that’s fine. But I want you to take care of yourselves. Thank you again. You’re dismissed.”

No one said a word as they exited the office. Suzuka was waiting in the central chamber for Shishiwakameru. There were some silent words exchanged between the two, but Shishi only turned away and headed towards the residential area, intent on resting. The strain on his body had been heavy, but Shishi held his head high as the other demons, who had undoubtedly heard news of the mission, turned to unobtrusively stare at the two. Yusuke and Kuwabara broke from them, heading for the hospital wing.

---

All the beds in the long room were full. The dark-haired man that had assisted them in releasing the other prisoners was the only one sitting up in his bed. He had been cleaned up and given a white shirt and pants that hung on him loosely, and a ceramic cup most likely filled with the medicinal drink was in his hands. Next to him laid the blonde boy, also washed and dressed in clean clothing, but unconscious. He looked more sickly and emaciated without the dirt coloring his pale skin. Yukina was watching over him, shadows already beginning to form on her white cheeks. On the other side of Hagiri was an older man with brown hair. A pair of spectacles, one of the lenses cracked, laid on the table next to his bed. At the far end of the room, past several other patients, beside a bed with a red-haired occupant, sat Hiei.

He was looking down at the foreign face of his lover, his red eyes surprisingly calm. His hand was on top of Kurama’s, but his fingers only laid there lifelessly. He was still covered in dirt, grime, and blood, and his clothes were tattered. Kurama looked to be sleeping peacefully. Yusuke and Kuwabara approached him carefully, ready to back away if his body language signaled that he was not yet comfortable with their intrusion. Hiei neither acknowledged his presence nor moved, besides blinking, as they came to the bedside.

“How is he?” Kuwabara asked quietly. Hiei pressed his lips together.

“I don’t know,” he replied, his eyes downcast. Yusuke’s eyes moved forlornly from him to the figure on the bed. Kurama’s head fell to one side as he stirred slightly. His now olive fingers twitched beneath Hiei’s white ones. Yusuke glanced cautiously up at his teammate.

“How are you?”

Hiei exhaled, his large eyes sliding closed. “It doesn’t matter how I am.”

There was a cry as the blonde woke up, the bright light and whiteness nearly blinding his sun-starved eyes. Yukina immediately put a hand on his shoulder and handed him a cloth to cover his eyes, coaxing him with her soothing voice. Yusuke was reaching for another chair when Kurama awoke as well.

His eyelids snapped open, revealing bright green eyes instead of the previous golden. One slender hand grabbed the edge of the bed, the fabric gathering in his frantic grip, and his other hand tightened around Hiei’s, feeling the warm touch of another body. His breathing was rapid, and his eyes darted about until they found the dragon.

“Hiei,” said a new, lighter voice urgently, “Hiei, what’s wrong with me? What happened? Where are we? How did-”

“It’s all right, it’s okay,” Hiei told him, reaching over to take hold of his other wrist. The fox felt like his entire body had suddenly shrunk, as if he were trapped and moving in slow motion. Kurama pulled his hand away and brought it up to his face, plunging his fingers into his hair and moving his hand over his shoulders and face while Hiei tried to still him.

“My head feels like it’s going to split apart, my body- what’s wrong with me?”

“Sh, it’s okay,” Hiei assured him, trying to get him to calm down. Kurama sat up, his head buried in the hands his partner still had a grip on. “You... you fell into that fountain.”

Kurama’s head snapped up and wide green eyes stared at Hiei, horrified. “What?” Kurama stammered, not believing. “I- I-”

“You’re human.”

Hiei’s stern voice was earth-shaking. His eyes watched for a show of a violent reaction, but Kurama only stared at him, green eyes in an almost childishly attractive face, then tilted his head to watch as his hands lowered. He seemed to be in shock. Yusuke and Kuwabara watched as Hiei wrapped his arms around his unresponsive lover.

“I’m sorry.”

The fox went limp in his lover’s arms, and no more words were spoken.

---

Even though a night of much-needed rest and an event free morning had transpired, Kuwabara’s head was still spinning from what had happened at the palace of the Urhad Sakyo. He and Yusuke had been spending an uncomfortable amount of time away from their counterparts; after all that had occurred and what it meant for them, he found it unsettling the sort of rift that had been forged between he and Yusuke and the two demons. After a solemn dinner, Kuwabara left Yusuke and Keiko to their conversation and decided to take some of the Makai fruit to his friends still in the infirmary in an attempt at cheering them up.

The core of his discomfiture was perhaps the fact that while he was feeling guilty and wrathful at seeing what horrible machinations his own race could concoct against another, he was also a little confused as to why becoming human was such a terrifying prospect. He knew in his heart that he could never know what sort of a change it was, never feel his identity stripped from him in a single instant, but that did not stop him wanting to empathize and feeling a kind of wall between him and the sort of empathy he desired to have with his partners-in-crime. He figured that he could only be a friend to Kurama, offer his support, and let Hiei do his part, which was undoubtedly much larger. Hiei was Kurama’s lover, and Hiei was a demon. He would know what to do for Kurama more than anyone else.

Kuwabara pushed open the door to the infirmary to a heartening sight. Kurama was sitting up, looking tired but awake, his hand firmly locked in Hiei’s as they talked about something quietly across the room. Kuwabara even thought he saw a weak smile flash across the fox’s face as he approached.

“Hey guys!” the hulking human said, walking up to the edge of the bed as the two demons turned their attention to him. Kurama tilted his head, though Kuwabara was unsure if it was a greeting or a product of exhaustion, and managed a small smile.

“Hello, Kuwabara,” he offered carefully, while Hiei nodded in an amicable manner. Kuwabara grinned in return.

“I brought you guys some snacks,” he said, offering up the fruit to the two. Kurama let go of Hiei’s hand in order to take a piece. Kuwabara thought he saw a small tension fall from Hiei’s shoulders as his hand was freed. It was probably a relief to him that Kurama could interact without physical contact with him. Every time he or Yusuke had been in to visit, the fox had kept a vise-like grip on the fire demon’s hand.

“Thank you,” Kurama replied, taking the fruit but not eating any of it just yet. Hiei took the offered fruit also, biting into it eagerly and nodding again in gratitude. Kuwabara pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down, leaning back in what he hoped was the most appropriately casual manner possible.

“So, ah, how’s everything going?” he asked. He was pleased to see that Kurama came close to laughing at him.

“As well as could be expected, Kuwabara, thank you,” Kurama said, reaching back over to take Hiei’s hand, which was offered freely. Kuwabara reflected that if anything good had come out of the experience for them, then perhaps it would awaken Hiei to the fact that Kurama wasn’t invincible, physically or mentally, and he should allow his feelings to show more in the time he had. “We were just talking about how we must have upset the Urhad’s household. That fountain was definitely irreparable.”

Kuwabara snickered. “Yeah, I bet they’re pretty pissed off up there.”

“Down there,” Hiei corrected. “We’re in Makai, remember?”

“Whatever. But, yeah, you definitely destroyed that thing. That was a pretty huge bonfire, man!” The orange-haired man chuckled.

Hiei’s eyelids fell slightly closed; he looked very tired suddenly. “Yes, that it was.”

The fox leaned forward, placing his forehead against Hiei’s in a surprising show of affection. “I’m glad you held back.” Hiei nodded absently, his mind elsewhere.

"Me too, I suppose." Kurama's eyebrows furrowed.

"You suppose?"

Hiei avoided his lover's eyes, anger building sharply in his own red ones as he stared at the bedsheets. "I just keep thinking . . . I wasted our chance. That might have been the one chance we had to destroy them. And I held back because I was afraid."

"Hiei," the Wraith said softly, and then paused, wanting to choose his words carefully. Kuwabara took the opportunity to add his own thoughts to the conversation.

"Man, you can't control it yet," he said simply. "If you had let it go, especially with how angry you were, it could have eaten up and scorched not only that palace but the people we're trying to help. Our little raid was not the right time for that big of a step, at least, I don't think so." He poked a thumb over his shoulder at the blonde boy Yukina was approaching with a tray. "We did what we were supposed to do. We got them out. You can unleash the fearsome might of the evil Black Dragon thing when you're ready."

Hiei's big red eyes blinked as he looked at the bulky human. "Kuwabara, that was strangely . . . helpful."

Kuwabara pursed his lips, displeased at Hiei's version of gratitude. "Well, thanks. I'll try and dig up some more thrilling philosophy for our next talk."

This time, Kurama did laugh. It was soft, but it was real, and it made Hiei smile. Kuwabara grinned, experiencing a little pride despite himself. While Hiei provided the intimacy and companionship the fox needed, the human could help out in his own way, even if it was only to provide him momentary respite from the solemnity of their current situation.

Their attention left the current conversation as a bowl clattered to the ground behind them and caught Hiei's eye. Kuwabara turned around to see Yukina retrieving the bowl from the floor, looking disapprovingly at the spilt food at her feet. The blonde boy sat limply in his bed, barely acknowledging the outside world. Yukina bit her lip as she placed the bowl back on the tray.

"Mitarai, you're in a very dangerous condition," she explained gently, placing her hand on his much thinner one. "If you don't eat something soon, you could die."

"Why shouldn't I die if I'm in a state like this," he muttered to himself, completely hopeless and drowning in misery. Hiei was about to make a comment when he noticed a sudden change in Kuwabara's face, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and a wrinkling of his brow; subtle, but suddenly intimidating. Kuwabara left the chair he had taken next to Kurama's bed and marched over to where Yukina was trying to coax Mitarai to eat and be healthy again. Yukina saw him coming and looked puzzled at his expression.

"Kuwabara-san?" she inquired quietly, but Kuwabara only halted at the foot of Mitarai's bed and surveyed him with narrow eyes. The blonde demon-turned-human took no notice of him, only continued staring at his own knees, wishing for death.

"Mitarai," the orange-haired human addressed him in a commanding tone. "That's right, isn't it?" Mitarai's eyes drifted upwards slightly, but that was the only sign that he had even heard Kuwabara. The human suddenly pointed in Kurama's direction. "Did you now that that guy over there got turned from a demon to a human, just like you, just so you could be freed from Sakyo's little dungeon?"

Mitarai's head tilted in Kurama's direction, but he looked away immediately, as if struck by some pain. Kuwabara crossed his arms over his broad chest. "And we had two guys die that night, too. Really bad stuff. Yeah. Do you know why?"

The answer was finite. "No. I really don't."

"It might be so that Keiko can turn you back with the serum she's working on. It might be because he felt sorry for you. It might be so we can set you free into the outside world and never see your pathetic face again. But I know for a fact that Kurama did not lose his demon-ness and we did not lose two team members so that you could sit here and be a self-pitying wimp!"

Yukina was holding a hand over her mouth, to prevent herself from interfering it seemed, as she watched the effect Kuwabara's words were having. The younger demon's head was suddenly upright, and there was a spark of something in him, a reaction to Kuwabara's harshness, be it regret, shame, anger, or annoyance. At least it was something.

"You wanna die so bad? I could help you with that. And I would, too, if I didn't see all the people around here who want you to survive, who want you to be cured, and who want you to be a part of the success of this fight! If you give up now, you give up on everyone here, you give up on the people who made sacrifices so that you could sit in this bed, safe, and you give up on every demon who was killed because of that rat bastard in his palace on a hill! Do you wanna be a part of the success, or a part of the failure, kid?"

He waited for a moment for Mitarai to answer him. The demon's hand had tightened around Yukina's, and his eyes were bright with fury or tears. Kuwabara put his hands up in a dismissive gesture, coming to the conclusion that he did not really need a verbal answer; what he needed from the kid was action, and a force of life invested in that action.

"That's all I have to say."

The human left, waving a good-bye to his friends in the corner. Hiei and Kurama stared at the exit for a moment before blinking back into normality. Kurama's eyebrows rose for a moment and then returned.

"Kuwabara's on a roll today, isn't he?"

"So it seems."

Yukina, on the other hand, smiled luminescently after the human and his display of valiance. After a few moments, her attention was drawn by the sound of a utensil on a hard surface. When she turned back, she saw that Mitarai had taken up a spoon and was trying to eat, but his hand was shaking so badly that he could hardly hold it. Yukina was quick to assist him.

"I'm sorry," was his instant reaction.

"It's all right. Here," she said with a happy smile, as she took the spoon, "let me."

---

Hello? Is anyone still reading? Please, please review!

KyoHana: Thanks so much for your review! Yup, he's human now . . . and we've got to get him back to being a badass demon! Course he's badass as a human, too . . . hm.