The Significance of Cherries

Chapter One~

Greens of Spring

AN:  My first Writing on Fanfiction.net.  This will be a Kuwabara/Hiei fic.

Disclaimer: Yu Hakusho is copyrighted to Yoshihiro Togashi. 

            Kurama and Yusuke were waiting patiently for Hiei and Kuwabara to return from their mission.  Well Kurama was waiting patiently while Yusuke paced back and forth angrily, informing Koenma from time to time what a bad idea it was to send the two alone on the mission.

            "Are you some kind of Idiot?"  He seethed for about the millionth time in the last half hour.  "They could kill each other!"  That wasn't entirely true.  If worse came to worse, and mortal combat ensued, one would walk away.  Though Hiei was not likely to get angry enough to want to do more than threaten Kuwabara with vivid descriptions of torture.  Kuwabara wasn't likely to say something to put him in that vulnerable of a position either.  The most likely thing to happen was Hiei unintentionally leaving Kuwabara behind.

            Koenma watched solemnly as Yusuke made his rounds.  "I'm well aware of their abilities Yusuke, that's why I sent them."  He said finally without much concern.  George came in with another stack of papers, and the prince once more resigned to reviewing and stamping away.

            "That's not the point!"  Yusuke wailed.  "What if Hiei just left Kuwabara…"  Yusuke stopped as the voices of his team members were heard approaching.

            "Stupid Human!"  Not a new phrase, but it certainly had some vehemence behind it today.

            "Let go!  I don't need your help you little elf!"  Kuwabara howled.  A scuffling sound was heard, followed by a loud "Oof!"  As Kuwabara stumbled and fell to the floor, apparently badly injured.

            "Idiot," Hiei said more mildly this time.  He reached down to pull Kuwabara to his feet, but Kuwabara swiped at him.

            "I," he panted, "do not need… your help!"  Kuwabara rose shakily to his feet on his own.  This accomplished, he turned to grin triumphantly at his nemesis.  Hiei however had walked ahead, and delivered the small parcel, presumably Koenma's artifact, without so much as looking back at Kazuma.  Kuwabara growled and made an attempt to walk, but fell to his knees with a groan, and doubled over.

            Yusuke rushed over to his injured friend.  Hiei and Kurama arrived behind him shortly.  Both Kurama and Yusuke eyed Kuwabara with concern, but Hiei just glared at him.

            "What the hell happened to you?"  Yusuke inquired with disdain as he inspected gash marks by Kuwabara's temples and two deep wounds in his left leg and abdomen.  It was obvious Kuwabara had been bleeding for a while.

            "This idiot decided that I couldn't defend myself, and jumped in the line of fire," Hiei seethed.  Hiei was without a scratch as far as Yusuke could tell, though that really didn't say much about the fight. Hiei was strong enough to avoid damage in extremely difficult situations.  Kuwabara on the other hand, was not a good way to meter a fight either.  Kazuma took to many hits needlessly to judge his fights without seeing them.

            "Ha!  You weren't even paying attention," Kuwabara spat back, "they would have skewered you if I, Kaz- unnnghn…"  His muscles contracted in pain, and Kuwabara was doubled over again.  Hiei frowned deeply and knelt next to him.  Yusuke figured there must be some truth in what Kuwabara had said, as he saw guilt flash briefly in Hiei's eyes.  'Or,' Yusuke thought eyeing Hiei, 'he just feels bad he couldn't keep a better eye on Kuwabara during the mission.'

            "C'mon," Yusuke sighed, "let's get him cleaned up."  Despite Kuwabara's protests, the three managed to get their tall friend to Genkai for healing.

 Genkai made quick work of the bruising and head wounds, but when she came to the deep gashes she frowned.  "There's a problem," Genkai informed the group as she tried in vain to close the wounds.

"What's he gotten himself into this time?"  Yusuke sighed glancing at the redhead lying on the floor.  Kuwabara was delirious, and long past anything remotely defiant, so the remark went unchecked.

"I'm not sure, but whatever caused these wounds was coated with a form of the 'Bane' plant."  Genkai concluded as she dressed the unresponsive wounds.

"Um…  And that means exactly what?"  Yusuke demanded.

"Bane as in Dragon's Bane," said Genkai, as she finished Kuwabara.  "Normally it would be worthless on a human, but it seems this concoction keeps he body from healing itself."

"Well so?  Can't you just heal him?"  Yusuke asked.

Genkai gave her former student an irritated look.  "I don't magically heal people Yusuke," she said lamely, "I use my spirit energy to speed up the body's natural healing process."

"Ah."  Yusuke looked from Genkai to Kuwabara and back.  Kuwabara had a fever, but besides that he seemed to be ok now.  He lay in a fitful slumber as the rest of the group tried to figure out what to do with him.

"The poison will work its way out of his system eventually," Genkai concluded eyeing their tall companion carefully.  "He will heal, but it may take weeks before he can walk without crutches."

"Like we'll get him to use those," Yusuke murmured.  He already had a plan in mind for his proud comrade though.  Convincing Kuwabara he needed a wheel chair, and then settling with him for crutches would probably work.  Hopefully he wouldn't wonder how they would get him down the long flight of stairs.  Kuwabara was slow, and he took things for granted, but he could eventually put two and two together.  He'd be most upset if he found out he was being deceived.

Kurama grinned knowingly at him, and Yusuke nodded back.  "Well it looks like we're going to be here for a while," his soft voice drawled matter-of-factly.

Yusuke looked to see how much light was left to the day.  Amazingly it was only noon.  "Why don't we go get some pizza or something and bring it back for dinner?"  He started to head out of the temple, "Nobody would deliver to this place, and I don't want to be stuck with Genkai's food again." 

Genkai snorted, but didn't say anything, as she retreated deeper into her temple.  Yusuke and Kurama walked out of the temple chattering, leaving Hiei and the unconscious Kuwabara alone.  Hiei walked around Kuwabara slowly, not making any sound.  Red eyes scrutinized all the places the injuries had been, and lingered on the now bandaged and yet unhealed ones.

Hiei knelt down beside him.  The oaf didn't appear to be in any pain, but still…  He cursed as he felt an odd tightening in his chest form at the sight of Kazuma's wounds.  The idiot's sacrifice wasn't necessary, so why Hiei felt guilty he wasn't sure.  'It was of the best intentions,' argued a voice not often heard in the recesses of Hiei's mind.  Hiei shoved the voice back into its respective room and locked the door.  The feeling went as quickly as it had come, and he thought no more of it.  He jumped to a windowsill to sit and wait for someone to take over babysitting.

It was early spring on earth, and the ground was softening again after a cold winter.  Hiei could smell the new green flora sprouting out of the ground and leaves budding on the trees.  It wouldn't be long before the Cherry trees leafed out and started to bloom.  Genkai's temple would be thick with petals of white and pink soon.  Hiei snorted at the thought, and turned his mind to more important business.  The earth continued to breath, like one awakening from a deep sleep, and all was normal.