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 Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 2:18 am
Hiei had not realized Kurama so close to him and had started when his chin was grabbed and suddenly he saw green eyes and a message swimming in their endless depths. The Koorime made some kind of movement, a twitch, to show that he understood, though his eyes seemed distant. As he heard a ripping sound, he turned his head away. And without realizing it, his other arm grabbed onto Kurama's shoulder tightly—Hiei bit down on his tongue as the blade was extracted, though a well-strangled cry escaped him when the last bit came out. He panted a bit, holding his breath at points to try to breathe normal. Feeling the cloth on his arm, there was an involuntary jerk and he pulled away urgently. Blood flowed through his fingers as he gripped the misbehaving arm. Black, lightning-like sparks flickered and flashed around the arm, Hiei's breath seemed to hitch and the form of the Dragon appeared, sucking the light and warmth, hissing and baring teeth. With a hard expression, the Jaganshi muttered something and the arm was engulfed in flame. The Dragon recoiled and dispersed.
Hiei sat, gripping his arm, gritting teeth and looking at the ceiling—though he wasn't really focused, his eyes looked as though watching something far away. Then he shut his eyes, letting out a long sigh and looking relieved.
Wavering, he got to his feet. The demon managed to grab Kurama's gaze before his eyes felt heavy and he leaned against the bed.
"I—" a small yawn, followed by a pained hiss.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:06 pm
When the fire demon singed his arm, Kurama found himself worrying for a moment that he would further harm himself. It seemed that, again, he was trying to punish the Dragon. The fox couldn't say he understood the logic in that; he never would, no matter how long he got to know the Koorime. Every instinct of his was for self-preservation, even if his humanity forced himself into danger for the protection of another, usually Shiori. That was entirely different. Hiei was injuring himself in order to make the Dragon suffer—and... the creature had really done nothing wrong. It had been gentle with the kitsune, in spite of it's immense power. Was this kind of overreaction how he originally tamed the Dragon?
Shortly after the other, Kurama had risen, intent on making sure that he would make it safely to the bed. Finally finding his voice, Kurama spoke. "I know that I do not dictate what you do, but please rest. Build your strength."
Now that he looked more carefully at the arm, the bleeding had slowed considerably. He could now cleanse the wound, medicate it, and dress it. Looking at his tattered tunic, he realized that he would need to go through Kasai's things to find some kind of washcloth and, if he were lucky, some bandages.
"Will you be okay if I leave for a moment to find the materials to heal you?" Kurama asked with what might have been mild amusement. "Will you even let me help you?" It seemed as though the thought to ask had only now occurred to him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:37 am
Though he hadn't completely summoned the Dragon, it did take quite a bit of energy just to force it to show itself. Hiei was a bit drowsy, giddy even, and only offered a weak half-smile and a vague nod to Kurama's first words. When the fox spoke again, asking his careful questions, Hiei sat himself on the bed gently, leaning against the wall. He was still gripping the slightly charred and bleeding arm. He tried to disrobe from his usual sleeved cloak, but only managed to get it so far off—the cloth was a bit stuck to his skin from the flame. Finally he looked at Kurama and though he tried to hide it, pain and a bit of mortification was very clear in his red eyes.
"I'll be fine," he said, tilting his head back to endure a wave of burning hot pain as it seared through his shaking limb. He didn't, however, address the second question, but closed his eyes gently, showing exhaustion from the Dragon.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:36 am
After realizing Hiei's rather embarrassing predicament, the fox gave a nod at the words, hoping them to be accurate—not that he thought he wouldn't eventually be fine, but because the way he was reacting to the self-inflicted pain wasn't very reassuring. Moving automatically, he soon found himself in the restroom, gathering a few of Kasai's towels (he chose the white ones, knowing they'd be stained) and a medium-sided dish which he filled with warm water. Having no luck in finding bandages, Kurama returned to the bedroom and sat beside the Koorime, not making definite eye contact to help preserve his pride, but using body language to warn him. He set the bowl down and submersed a smaller towel in the water, wrung it out just enough to keep it from dripping, and placed it around the injured arm. Doing this would loosen the blood enough for the cloth to separate from the skin with minimal pain.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:43 pm
Hiei's eyes had remained closed and it wasn't until he felt the bed move that he opened them to see what the fox was going to do. He turned his head and prepared. Though when the towel touched his searing flesh, he was unable to hold back the twitch and slight hitched breath at the pain. But something else happened. Maybe it was from the exhaustion making him a bit unbalanced, but... He was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling he couldn't quite place. Kurama was helping him, as he had times before, but the fox was so careful and gentle with what he did so as not to hurt Hiei's body nor his pride.
He said something that probably would've made the Tantei think he were ill.
"Thank you, Kurama."
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:14 am
Green eyes that had been firmly fixed on the arm and his task moved to meet red, looking for some verifying clue, him wondering for the shortest of moments if what he had heard was a figment of his imagination. It was a silly thing to doubt himself, but considering Hiei's nature, who could honestly blame him? The fire demon was not one to thank, not directly—and the fact that he had... it meant so very much. Pondering, Kurama seemed to realize that it had been a general, all-encompassing statement. He was being thanked for this, but also for every time he had done similar. For some odd reason, it was second nature to care for Hiei in such a tender way. Quite possibly, and somewhat ironically, this cold demon was the main one to bring out Youko's humanity.
Not quite knowing how to voice how touched he was by the simple words, the fox settled for a cliche. "Hiei... you're welcome. Always," said Kurama, his expression and tone portraying the sincerity of the dull, overused words.
After a pause, he continued, taking extra care to minimize pain felt while he carefully tugged on the sleeve's fabric to remove it from the arm. Once loose, he aided the other in removing the cloak, but allowed him a level of independence, as well. He did not act as if he were helping a small, helpless child out of a coat; he treated him in a manner that allowed him his dignity. With the arm soon bare, Kurama took the washcloth over it once more before retrieving one of his seeds and manipulating it into a thick leaved plant, splitting it, and letting a liquid substance drain into his palm. Rather than stinging or further irritating the wound, the salve has a cooling effect while it mixes with the damaged flesh, repairing it, and coating that which is dead or raw to keep it from bleeding more or becoming infected.
Hesitantly, Kurama pulled the second seed from his hair. This was the one that would dull the pain... or numb it entirely, depending on the person in question's tolerance. "This," he began, rolling the seed between two fingers to bring attention to it, "will help numb the pain. I'm not sure if you want to feel it, but if you decide you want this, you'll have to take it orally."
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 1:12 am
Be it because Hiei was giddy or truly amused, the fire demon chuckled softly. His eyes had become a bit heavy, but he still managed to direct his gaze to the space next to him. A small smile.
"I'm glad," he said, lowly and barely above a whisper. He made sure to keep his gaze away from the other as he bit back hisses and winces. Even though Kurama was being gentle, it still hurt quite a bit. It was like a dull, hot throbbing in his arm once the fabric was removed. He allowed himself to be helped a bit with removing his cloak, which he was very glad to get rid of at this point. It was an uncomfortable thing and he felt much more at ease without it. Though the youkai had been surprised when the fox applied the washcloth once more and flinched away from the feeling., smacking his wrist against his belts, which caused a brief clinking sound and more pain. A light groan sounded from him and he shut his eyes, tilting his head back slightly to endure the after-pain.
He relaxed and allowed the washcloth, opening his eyes. He saw the seed then and watched as Kurama manipulated it and collected a liquid from the plant. He had expected it to sting or burn even more upon contact, much like ningen medicines he'd been exposed to. But this felt good and made an involuntary sigh escape from him.
He opened his eyes to find Kurama with yet another seed. He wasn't sure how to respond to the fox's words. Of course he didn't want to feel the pain, but he didn't want to seem weak. Weak? You're sitting in a bed being tended to, idiot. That's weak...
The Jaganshi nodded his head and leaned forward a bit.
Does it really matter? Kurama knows my dignity already.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:06 pm
With little hesitation, Kurama placed the small seed in Hiei's mouth, nimble fingers touching his lips lightly in the process and for just long enough to be noticed. If the Koorime caught on, he might think that Kurama was testing the softness of those lips—but surely he would think such a thought ridiculous and dismiss it immediately, blaming the entire thing on... something different than what it was. The fox wasn't ignorant of the fact that Hiei knew little of emotion and small hints. He could blatantly flirt if that was his style, with the fire demon entirely oblivious. Such things could be truly endearing, really.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:03 am
Hiei's tired eyes slid shut upon the contact on his lips. It was difficult to figure the reason. But he swallowed it just the same, turning his head slightly in a very slight grimace as his tongue tingled and began to sting. He felt a similar tingling in his fingertips and flexed his hand curiously, opening his eyes to look down at his wounded arm.
Suddenly he smiled an odd, drunken smile and relaxed slightly into the bed. "Does the condition of my lips have anything to do with the healing process or are foxes really so sly?"
And once again, it was hard to tell what was going on in the demon's head. One could blame the seed and exhaustion, since it seemed odd for Hiei to be capable of such a thought.
He chuckled slightly and closed his eyes again. "I wonder what the rest would say if they saw us in such pathetic states."
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:21 am
Kurama watched the other's reaction to the seed, making sure that it worked as intended. It seemed to, and for that he was glad; truthfully, it was something he'd only used on himself, and certain remedies can even be toxic to other demon species. Kurama was especially glad for the fact that the initial stinging was minimal.
To Hiei's first words, in conjunction with the odd smile and him looking plainly content, the fox could only smirk a few seconds, while formulating his next words. A part of him didn't want to be so forward, but he had a feeling he could get away with, "I don't deny being sly... and as much as I think my touch could make you feel better, it wasn't part of the intended process." There was a firm air of an offer in his words. Did Hiei want it to be part of the process?
Kurama again found himself pleased to see the Koorime amused. What would the others say? "Well, I imagine Kuwabara would take a stab at you, and Yusuke would... either make fun of the situation or sympathize because I'm sure he's been in a similar predicament."
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:05 am
"Your touch," Hiei said, though there was a slight inflection that made it sound like a question. The koorime was feeling playful. And numb. "Yes, with those delicate hands of yours, I'm sure you've made many feel better."
Another chuckle, quieter this time. He opened his eyes just enough to see outline of his companion.
"And Kuwabara would wake up the next morning to find his cat was missing."
Hiei shifted. The numbness was better than pain but he felt he needed to move in order to be sure that he was still alive.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:40 am
Kurama had easily caught on to the fire demon's mood, and continued to reciprocate. Maybe, with a little luck, Hiei would see through his teasing words and realize that there was a good amount of meaning behind them... and, of course, not take them in a negative way. It just wouldn't do to ruin their newly improved moods.
"You know, you could be among them," Kurama said, as if it were the most normal thing he could have chosen to say. He had wanted to flirt more strongly, possibly even actually touch him to make the point, but decided against that.
"That wouldn't be very nice of you." The fox gave a mock glare and moved away from Hiei, as if disgusted, before finally breaking the little mask and chuckling a bit himself. He slid closer to the koorime, close enough to lightly lean on him, with both hands on his shoulder and his head resting on them. A small idea nagged at his mind.
"Can I give you a back massage?" Surely it would relax his muscles a bit more, even if he was rather numb. The numbness would begin to ebb away and even if it didn't so quickly, the seed wouldn't have made his sense of touch disappear completely.
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