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~~STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY!!~~
Chapter Two
Boton sped through the Ningenkai toward Genkai's temple, cursing herself. If only I'd gotten that new oar instead of a makeover last paycheck...
Finally, she reached the temple. Yukina was outside in the garden. Boton landed in front of her. "Yukina-chan!"
Yukina smiled. "Konnichi wa, Boton-chan!" The Koorime frowned. "What's wrong?"
"You have to come with me, Yukina-chan!"
Yukina blinked. "Why?"
"The boys went on another mission. Something went wrong and Hiei was badly injured. They can't move him. I thing...I think he's dying!"
Yukina gasped. "Oh, no!" She jumped up. "Let's go!"
Boton pulled her up onto the oar and sped off. Please don't let him die! I don't want to ferry one of my friends!
Yuusuke sat beside Kurama. "How bad is it?"
Kurama sighed. "We need Yukina, Yuusuke. He's dying..."
Hiei's breath caught, pausing for a few moments before resuming, slower and more labored than it had been.
A cold chill came over Yuusuke as Kurama spoke again. "He hasn't finished his parole yet. If he dies, his soul will be sent to the Reikai prison to carry out the sentence that he would have been given."
Kuwabara spoke hesitantly. "What was his original sentence?"
Kurama paused, swallowing hard. "Two millenia. Then he'll be reincarnated without any memory of his past lives." The fox looked away. "We'll never see him again."
Yuusuke growled. "Koenma wouldn't do that! Hiei's saved his sorry ass too many times!"
Kurama shook his head sadly. "Yuusuke, Hiei's just a felon to Koenma, and to Enma. They won't help him, no matter how much he's done."
Yuusuke frowned. Kuwabara stared in shock. "N-nani?! He's saved our lives more than once! And without him, Koenma would have melted in that damn volcano! We never would've gotten there in time! He's risked his life for us more than once. And he didn't have to..." The ningen scowled. "If Koenma pulls something like that, I quit! Enma and his prissy little son can go demon-hunting on their own!"
Yuusuke nodded vigorously. "Yeah! I don't owe him shit if he does that!"
Kurama smiled weakly. "I'd join in your boycott, but I'm in the same position as Hiei. I'm still on parole too..."
They fell silent, the only sound being Hiei's labored breathing. Suddenly, there was total silence. The three looked at Hiei, waiting for him to start breathing again. It didn't happen.
Kurama checked for a pulse, then turned to Yuusuke. "His heart stopped..." The redhead's voice cracked. "I won't let him die!"
Kuwabara stared in shock as Kurama's ki flared. A second later, Hiei took a tentative breath. Kurama's using his ki to keep Hiei alive! The ningen put a hand on Kurama's shoulder, giving him extra ki. Kurama didn't acknowlege him.
Yuusuke watched, confused for a few seconds until he noticed that Hiei was breathing again. He poked Kuwabara. "Take some ki from me too." I hope we can sustain him 'til Boton gets back.
Kuwabara nodded, taking Yuusuke's hand. The black-haired ningen felt his ki begin to drain away at an alarming rate. Dammit! This better work! Hurry up Boton! We can't keep this up forever!
After a few minutes, Yuusuke began to feel lightheaded. He could see Kurama shaking with the effort of keeping Hiei alive. We can't do it... "Kurama, it's over. We're almost out of ki."
Kurama glared at Yuusuke. The ningen was shocked to see that the redhead was crying. "Give up if you want! I won't let him die!"
Kuwabara shook his head in amazement. "He's using his lifeforce!"
Yuusuke shook Kurama. "What?! You'll die too!"
Kurama didn't even look up. "If he's imprisoned, at least he won't be alone."
Suddenly, a sonic boom sounded. Yuusuke sighed in relief. "Boton."
The ferrygirl landed. Yukina jumped off and ran to Hiei's side. The fire demon's injuries quickly mended as the Koorime used her healing power on him.
Then came the moment of truth as Kurama stopped giving Hiei ki, and they waited with bated breath to see if he could breathe on his own. There was a collective sigh of relief as the little Jaganshi continued to breathe without their help.
Kurama sagged against the boulder, exhausted. He's alive...
Yuusuke helped the fox up. "You okay?" Kurama nodded. The black-haired ningen looked away. "Look, Kurama, I'm sorry about..." He trailed off.
"Don't worry about it, Yuusuke. I understand."
Yukina looked at them. "How did Hiei-san get so badly hurt?"
Kurama flinched. "He was hit head-on with a full power ki explosion." The redhead frowned. "With a blast of that magnitude and how hard he must have hit this boulder, it's amazing that he wasn't killed instantly."
Yukina looked away. "I'm glad he wasn't," she shispered softly.
Kurama gently lifted Hiei into his arms. "I think we all are." They headed toward Genkai's temple. I just hope Hiei doesn't have any lasting damage...
Well, I've finished typing this chapter. Unfortunately, Beseen is having issues, so this won't be going up as soon as I'd hoped. Bear with me. D'ya think they'd pay any attention to a really nasty flame?
On to Chapter Three
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