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He could hear heavy breathing, and warmth of another body near him. He could hear the small pain filled gasps, and odd grinding sounds of rock against rock. Something dropped on his face, and he opened his eyes.
"Ugh-get out of my face!" Hiei whispered hoarsely, noticing right away he couldn't snap back at the one hanging over him like he used to.
Kuwabara was on all fours just over Hiei, his face being far too close in Hiei's opinion. He was covered in sweat and grime, and his entire face was red. His eyes seemed to be bulging out of his head, making Hiei cringe even more. Something dripped off Kuwabara and on his lips. Opening his mouth to yell at Kuwabara, he couldn't help but taste the metallic flavor of the drop.
He looked at Kuwabara and saw blood dripping just below his eye. It looked like he was crying red tears. Hiei looked around and finally saw that he was surrounded by rocks. Looking down at his twisted legs he knew they were broken, and it was then he felt the pain. He pushed it aside, pain was nothing, being tapped in this tomb of falling rocks was something...especially when it was with Kuwabara.
"This is...really heavy."
Hiei turned his attention back to the red faced Kuwabara, who was trembling. Hiei finally noticed he was bearing something on his back. A large boulder that threatened to smash them both. Hiei had been knocked out for a who knew how long, if that boulder had hit him, it may not have meant his death, but it may have meant he'd never walk again. He looked at Kuwabara, and realized his whole body was red, and he was straining hard as he could to keep the boulder from coming down on Hiei, and it was then he uncomfortably realized, there may be more rocks on top of that boulder-Kuwabara was saving him.
Feeling guilty he looked at the human, he had come to reluctantly respect. Kuwabara swallowed and in a slow pained voice he asked, "Do you...remember what happened?"
Hiei did.
/FLASHBACK/
"KUWABARA-get the hell over here! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?" Yusuke shouted at his friend, trying to get up. His battered body however, was trying it's best to remind him he was injured, and should stay down. Hiei looked back at Kuwabara setting a limp Kurama next to Yusuke. "What the hell..." Hiei growled with annoyance.
The cliff, the four were currently on, was collapsing as a portal to demon world slowly opened. They had been given a staff and sent to close it before it could open, but those guarding the growing portal proved to be well opponents, and now it seemed too late. Kuwabara had snatched the staff, and was racing against the cracking ground towards the portal.
He ignored Yusuke and slammed the staff in the ground, just before the portal as he's been instructed. The copper haired teen whipped around to look at Hiei, who had angrilly come to retrieve him. Hiei was stopped by the desperate, and panicked looking teen. "Please Hiei, you know what you're supposed to say, please-SAY THEM! WE HAVE TO STOP THIS!"
They had been given a folded piece of paper, with a language that they couldn't understand. Hiei had remembered it, so they had wanted him to do what Kuwabara was trying to do. Sighing Hiei came behind Kuwabara, and firmly grasped their only hope to stop the portal from opening. When he finished muttering the strange language the staff shot him backwards and a dazed Hiei watched as the portal slowly closed, the staff going with it.
"KUWABARA!" Yusuke's voice rang out, reminding him that Kuwabara wasn't there. He turned and saw Kuwabara standing on trembling legs at the edge of the cliff. He turned, the shaking ground making his legs seem more unstable. He looked at Hiei with such a tired expression, and smiled. His eyes closed, and with that same smile, he fell backwards. Hiei reacted with out thinking, and jumped off the cliff to retrieve him.
He managed to grasp his wrist, and with the other hand he grabbed the side of the cliff, and completely dislocated his shoulder. As rocks narrowly missed their bodies, Hiei shook Kuwabara and called his name. Finally Kuwabara;s head came up and he looked up into Hiei's red eyes. Kuwabara looked so tried, leaving Hiei without a voice. He just couldn't find any angry words to say to Kuwabara.
It was then Kuwabara screamed his name, and after that...
Hiei recalled nothing.
/END OF FLASHBACK/
Kuwabara's grunting snapped Hiei out of it, and in sharp angry voice he asked, "How long have you been holding this up!" Kuwabara glanced at his watch on his wrist, which amazingly enough hadn't been crushed.
"Three...hours now..." Kuwabara gave a weary grin to Hiei, the blood under his eye dripping on Hiei's lips again, "Thanks for trying to get me." Hiei glared at him, and raised his hands up, placing them firmly on the rocks. "Lay down against me, I'll bear the wait for a while," Hiei ordered. Kuwabara shook his head, "No...I can-"
With one of his hands he forced Kuwabara down, crushing the human to his chest, and then quickly shot it back up to hold the boulder. He grunted, and felt slightly impressed. It was a little heavy, so for Kuwabara this must have been a terrible weight pressing against his back. He grimaced as the rock was sticky, and quickly looking at his palm, before hastily putting it back against the rock, he found the sticky substance to be blood.
He looked down at Kuwabara who lay on his chest, who neither moved, or protested, and saw the back of his shirt was completely ripped up, and stained with blood. His back injury wasn't serious, but it was a large bleeding scrape that went from his lower back, to the base of his neck. Hiei sighed, looking at the wounds, and looked down at Kuwabara. He lay there silently, head tucked under Hiei's chin. His face was still flushed from the strain of bearing that heavy weight for so long.
Hiei felt completely uncomfortably with the human he always yelled at, always cursed for being alive. Now he had saved his life, and made Hiei feel like an asX. "Thank you..." Kuwabara whispered wearily, "For trying to save me...for taking that weight off my back...thank you..."
"You're thanking me. You fool." Hiei snorted, feeling even worse. Kuwabara didn't respond, and Hiei sighed as he heard Kuwabara's soft breathing. Hiei lay there with the human curled up on his chest for hours, listening to the even breaths of Kuwabara. Strange thoughts rolled in his brain. Like how he had always pictured Kuwabara to be a drooler, with loud snores that could wake the dead. Kuwabara was quiet, and his lips were barely parted in sleep. He grunted sometimes, but they were not loud, and in fact seemed to be induced from a nightmare.
Kuwabara woke at one point, rose to quickly, and cried out in pain from the injury on his back; his head dropping down on Hiei's chest. "Get up too quickly?" Hiei asked, his usual sharpness not in his voice. Kuwabara looked at him, and rose slower, "Let me take over, you're been doing this a while now...I'm fine." Hiei gave him a sharp look, "Oh...so you're fine? Are you sure?" He glared at Kuwabara, and poked Kuwabara's back, who moaned and almost collapsed again. "You are not fine!"
Kuwabara glared at him his face red from anger and embarrassment. "You're hurt too ya' know! Let me help you." As soon as Kuwabara rose to place his back against the rock, Hiei snapped at him angrilly. "You stupid son-of a bitXh! I can hold it up my self"
Kuwabara glared at him, eyes filled with weariness, "Let me help you why do you have to be so stubborn!" Hiei glared back at him, and looked at the honestly hurt man before him.
"You've done much for me...you protected me. I will not let you suffer this terrible weight against your back again..." There was silence, and Kuwabara stared at him, and looked as if he understood Hiei. He looked him in his eyes and shook his head, "I want to help you Hiei-"
"Why?" Hiei asked interrupting Kuwabara, "Why help one who has shone you nothing but cruelty?" Kuwabara stared at him, shocked that Hiei honestly wanted to know. "Because...you are kinder than you think, and I know underneath all your pain and suffering, you are a good man...I know it Hiei." The two looked at each other for a long time when Hiei shifted his leg by mistake and cried out, surprising Kuwabara and causing him to be thrown off balance. Kuwabara fell, and his lips collided with Hiei's.
Kuwabara's eyes widened and he tried to move away when, a hand pressed itself to back of his head, and kept his lips there. Kuwabara' face burned red as the demon he always fought with, the demon he'd just had a heart-to-heart talk with, kissed him roughly, his tongue entering his mouth. Kuwabara did not pull away or respond, and shivered as that hand entangled itself in his hair. Hiei was quick to stroke the inside of Kuwabara's mouth with his tongue, not letting the human escape his kiss.
Finally Kuwabara did something, and pulled away looking at Hiei with a shocked expression. Hiei too looked a little stunned, and red face, even a little ashamed. 'Why the Hell I do that?' Hiei thought, the warmth of Kuwabara's lips still on his own. Hiei's hand awkwardly went back to the boulder, aiding his trembling hand in holding the weight of the rocks.
Hiei tried not to look at Kuwabara hoping he wouldn't ask him anything. Because if he asked something, then Hiei wouldn't know how to respond. Instead of saying anything, Kuwabara leaned down and placed a warm kiss against Hiei's mouth. Hiei melted against the warm, gentle kiss, and when Kuwabara pulled away, and placed his head under Hiei's chin, it took some restraint not to wrap his arms around Kuwabara-the thought of being crushed helped him contain himself.
"I'll let you do this...but...let me...let me help." Kuwabara's small voice reached Hiei's ears, and he looked down at Kuwabara who clung to his shirt. "I don't want you to die Hiei...not without knowing why you...and..." His eyes closed and hot tears burned his face.
"They say...you tease the one you love."
Kuwabara looked up at Hiei, his words startling him. Hiei refused to look at him, his face red. Kuwabara nodded, and stayed where he was, "I've heard that saying," he whispered. "I'm sorry..." Hiei snorted, "Why the hell are you apologizing!" Kuwabara clutched at Hiei's shirt harder, "For...pretending I was in love with your sister."
"...You know..."
"Everyone knows...even Yukina...she's just waiting for you to say it."
"I...I don't love her...but I didn't understand why I found myself attracted to...other guys...especially when I met you...then I saw her, and I knew instantly who she was-Your sister...so I thought...that maybe I was just confused...I'm not confused am I?"
Hiei stayed silent for a moment, before removing his hand, and placing it on top of Kuwabara's head. "You foolish Human..."
They stayed silent, Hiei holding up the rocks. Kuwabara at one point rose and helped Hiei letting the boulder rest on his back like before. Hiei glared at him for it, but Kuwabara just looked at him, helping Hiei hold the boulder up. after a total of ten hours of being stuck together passed, Hiei's arms dropped, and he gasped as his arms went numb. Kuwabara grunted but held the painful weight, his blood dripping off his back, and onto Hiei. Hiei's aching arms came up. and grasped Kuwabara's arms at the elbow.
"Kuwabara...if we get out of this...will you pretend this never happened?"
Kuwabara's eyes looked hurt, and he turned away nodding, "If...that's what you want."
Hiei's hands turned his face towards him, "It's not...What I meant was...you'll stay with me..." Hiei sighed red faced, he really wasn't good with words. "You want me to...to stay with you Hiei...are you sure?" Kuwabara whispered face flushed. Hiei looked at him, with his sharp red eyes, and nodded. Kuwabara looked away, and whispered, "Yeah...Yeah I'll stay." Hiei smirked at Kuwabara glared at him, a red blush in his cheeks. "Don't look at me like that-" Hiei had cut him off, by painfully rising and kissing Kuwabara. Kuwabara's eyes closed, as he let Hiei dominate his mouth for the moment. Later, when they got out of this, they could try this again, and Kuwabara intended to win the next battle for domination.
Just as Hiei pulled away, the rocks were gone, and Kuwabara collapsed on Hiei, knocking him to the ground. Hiei grunted as bright light filled his eyes, and instinctively he placed his arms around Kuwabara, ready to protect him.
"HIEI! KUWABARA! ARE YOU TWO OKAY!"
Both the injured Rekai turned seeing Kurama, and Yusuke, both with dirty faces, and sweat drenched bodies. They had relief in their eyes, but worry still remained. Yusuke came down, and lifted Kuwabara up as gently as he could. Hiei watched as Yusuke put the man on his back, Kuwabara squeezing his eyes shut from pain.
"Be careful...he's hurt bad." hiei said before he could stop himself. Kuwabara blushed, while Kurama and Yusuke stared down at him. Yusuke only nodded, and waited for Kurama to pick up Hiei. They turned to leave, walking towards home, and help. Yusuke stared at Hiei, and Kuwabara. The two kept looking at each other, and Kuwabara would get slightly red. And-even if it was a moment-he swore he could have seen Hiei smile at Kuwabara.
And smile just for him.