Anata no Egao. (Hiei)

[Hime]

Silent night. Hime's head rose from her folded arms from sleeping on the bedside table. When she looked around the well-lit room, she caught a glimpse of the calendar. The current date was January 27, 2007, four nights after the very incident after she was kidnapped with Rage, and in that four nights, Hiei remained unconcious. When they went back to the academy, she got Hiei's wounds treated by the nurse. She said Hiei was going to be fine, but there he was, still lying on the bed, asleep.

She gazed at him with teary eyes, feeling all the guilt. He was covered with bandages, portions of his arms and his torso. On top of all that, his eye was patched too. She was afraid that he would lose his vision.

Unconciously, she shot her hands towards him gently. At that time, she wanted to give him an embrace, or even a word of apology. Because of her, he became like this.

Realizing that, she pulled her arm back closer to her chest and looked down.

She wanted to protect everyone she loves, especially him, but she couldn't. Her hands were full just protecting herself--no, she couldn't even protect herself. In the end, she was the one who needed protection. Her father? Her lost memories? None of them mattered anymore. She just wanted Hiei to wake up.

"Forgive me, Hiei..."She whispered on his unconcious body.

[Hiei]

Fire. That was what many people considered Hiei's Alice to consist of. Partially true, but this kind of fire was different from what Hiei could create. There was a different name for this kind of fire. It was called unbearable pain. Hiei wished he would die just there and end this torture. He couldn't move, he couldn't feel. Hell, he couldn't even think straight. And yet, he could feel this pain. At the back of his heard, he heard two different voices, both familiar yet stranger at the same time. What had happened, anyway? Why was he in such pain? Where was he? Why did he feel so... Soft?

Then, with whaever energy he had left, he tried to move, only to gain the action of a single twitch of his right index finger. He couldn't even open his eyes. Where was he? And why does his right eye feel that it was... Covered? Wait, he could feel? And then, he remembered Hime. THe girl who was kidnapped and taken away from him. The girl who Hiei had stayed up for every single night, only to fall asleep one night and wake up here. What had happened?

And then, he was given back his throat, and with whatever breathe was left in his burning lungs, he let out a very very soft moan.

[Hime]

The last sceneries looped inside Hime's memories. She remembers everything clearly. from the moment she opened her eyes, finding herself tied up in a dark mysterious place, from the time she took the last breath from Rage. Tears flooded her eyes again as she stares blankly at both her hands.

They were stained with the sin. She simply mercy-killed him, without even saying a word, without even thinking, wityhout even trying to save him. Not only that she couldn't protect anyone she loves, but she can't save them either.

The thoughts cut short when she heard Hiei's moans of pain. Wiping her tears away with her hands, she tended to him. She placed a hand over his cheek gently like she always does. He felt warm, no, burning, like he was having a high fever. He looked really pained too...She just couldn't stand seeing him like this.

"Hiei...Hiei, are you okay?" She whispered. She tried to stay calm but tears just wouldn't stop falling.

[Hiei]

Another fire came up. No, wait... This wasn't a fire. True, it was warm, but considerably comfortable at the same time. What was it? He could not open his eyes. He was lacking too much energy. All he could do was let out another moan, and then found himself unbelievably tired once more. Darn this. Then, suddenly, his body sort of cooled down. Not technically, but for Hiei, it felt as if the heat that was burning in his body was gone, replaced by the new heat. The body warmth. Body? Once more, his curiousity was aroused. Though he knew of who it was, he couldn't quite place it, his head still dizzy and all. And then, her voice entered his ears, then into his tense head. The voice that would have made Hiei fly to the moon just to hear again. And then, he spoke his first word for the day.

"Hi...Me...?"

It was soft and jagged, his breathe irregular and deep. His eyes stayed close, his mouth feeling dry as he once more tried to speak, but to no avail. His lungs were screaming for him to just pass out so that they could rest, but no. Hiei wanted to see her. Hiei wanted to touch her. Hiei wanted her.

[Hime]

He called her name...

A great burden inside her went away suddenly just as her prayers were answered. She grasped his bandanged left hand gently and held it closer to her chest. Hiei doesn't move much, and he sounded like he was still in pain. He still felt hot, but she doesn't mind. If her hands were to burn by touching him, she wouldn't mind. It just breaks her to see him like this.

As she waited for him to open his eyes, she wondered if he knew about the Rage's death, and that she was the one who killed him. How would she tell him if he didn't? How could she tell him that the hands that are holding him are the very hands who took Rage's life?

[Hiei]

Just as Hime touched Hiei's hand, he soon felt another wave of heat surging through his body from his arm to the rest of his aching body. This made his back arc slightly, his other hand clenching into a tight fist as he let out a pained groan, his eyes closed so tight as tears unconciously rolled down from the edge of his eyelids. And soon, he relaxed, his body dropping onto the bed, his breathe heavy and jagged. The pain was evident on his strained face, his eyes closed tight and his mouth wide open, his breathe slightly visible with traces of blood. His grip on Hime's hand loosened, as he felt his body temperature decrease. And as such, his body started shivering slightly. What the hell was happening to him?

Inside, Dark Dragon and Chaos were yelling and roaring, trying to keep Hiei awake. After all, if Hiei died, they too would cease to exist, and Hiei was indeed dying. If one were to fall asleep at the brink of death, there would be a lower chance of them surviving. Hiei felt their encouragement of sorts, and held on to hope. To Hime's hand. He let out another grunt of pain, trying to slow down his breathing and heart rate. If this went on, Hiei wasn't going to be alive for soon.