Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Half-Breed's Curse ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three
"What's wrong?" Kuwabara asked. "Kurama?"

Hiei curled into a ball with a little moan. There was a large tear in the clothing on his back, revealing blood on white skin. He was still shaking and barely conscious.

Kurama didn't answer. "Get the first aid kit."

As Kuwabara rummaged through a bag, Kurama quickly removed Hiei's cloak, revealing the filled-out tank top Hiei was wearing beneath.

Yuusuke gasped and nearly dropped the flashlight. "He's a girl!"

"Yes." Kurama turned Hiei onto his stomach and checked the wound on the sanjiyan's back without removing the top. It was deep. "And his ki is ice instead of fire."

"Shit."

Kuwabara silently handed Kurama the first aid kid. Kurama took out some salve and began spreading it on the wound.

As soon as he touched the injury, Hiei regained consciousness and began to struggle. "No!"

"Hiei, you're injured. I'm trying to help."

Hiei's struggles died down. "Kurama?"

"Yes. Will you let me help?" Kurama was already spreading salve again.

Hiei jerked away, struggling again. "Get away!"

Kurama quickly grabbed a seed from his hair and grew a flower from it, then put it under Hiei's nose. The fire demon's struggles ceased.

"Kurama... What was that?" Botan looked concerned.

"Makai plant. Puts people to sleep." The redhead was busily working on Hiei's back. "Yuusuke, give Botan the flashlight and you and Kuwabara go set up camp. No fire this time. Leave the black bag and mine here."

"Right. C'mon Kuwabara." They tramped off.

"Botan, check the black bag. See if there's another shirt in there."

Botan held the flashlight in one hand and rummaged with the other. Finally she held up a white, kendo top. "There's an obi in here, too, but no bra."

Kurama stopped and blinked at her. "Huh?"

"We'll have to bind his breasts. Otherwise they'll hurt his back and get in his way. He's got at least a C cup."

Kurama winced. "We'd better do that while he's still unconscious." He quickly stripped off Hiei's tank top and bandaged the wound in his back.

"Sit him up. I found bandages to use."

"Right." Kurama gently moved Hiei into a sitting position, facing Botan.

"Hold his arms up, too." Botan worked quickly and effectively until she was satisfied. The result was almost like a bra. "And his pants are falling down."

"Tighten the belts, then."

Botan sighed. "Koenma told me I'd be useful on this mission, but I didn't think this was what he meant."

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Hand me the shirt and obi." He carefully dressed Hiei, looping the obi around his slender waist and securing it.

By that time, Botan had finished with all four of Hiei's belts. "We should join the boys."

Kurama nodded. "Grab the bags. I'll get Hiei."

Hiei didn't wake up for the rest of the night, barely moving under his cloak. When he did wake, he threw the cloak off and scrambled toward a tree, only to miss the branch he was aiming for and fall painfully on the ground. He lay there, stunned.

Kurama carefully approached. "You okay?"

Hiei sat up slowly, looking embarrassed. "What happened?"

"Which part?" Yuusuke asked from a distance. "We got attacked, you collapsed and changed into a girl, and we ran."

Hiei flushed angrily. "After that."

Kurama sighed. "You were injured, but when I tried to help you, you panicked. So I sedated you and dressed your wound."

Botan piped up. "I helped with... the other stuff."

Hiei pointed to his chest. "This?"

Botan blushed. "Yeah."

The sanjiyan rose and stumbled slightly. "Why?"

"It, well, supports them. Otherwise they hurt the back."

Hiei considered this, then shrugged. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and avoided looking at the others.

"We have some breakfast fixed up. Come have some and we can talk," Kurama said softly.

Hiei looked up at him, and Kurama was startled by the suspicion and tense apprehension in his face.

He tried again. "We need to know what's going on so we can help you, Hiei."

The fire demon - ice demon walked past him and sat down by his cloak. Kurama handed him several pieces of fruit and sat down several feet away.

Kuwabara spoke up. "Why'd you turn into a girl?"

Hiei cringed. Kurama shook his head. "Kuwabara-kun, let him eat first. It's been a bad night."

"I can talk while I eat, Kurama. We need to move on soon, anyway." Hiei bit into the fruit. "I'm a half-breed, and this is the half-breed's curse. It's not so much that I turned into a girl as my aura switched."

"To ice," Kurama murmured.

Kuwabara scratched his head. "But you changed into a girl, too. Why?"

Hiei winced. "I'm half fire demon, but I'm also half... half Koorime. All women. So when this happens, I also become female."

Kuwabara frowned. "Wait. Half Koorime?"

Hiei didn't respond, taking another bite of his breakfast instead.

"You're Yukina's brother, aren't you?" The tone was accusatory. Then Kuwabara stared at him, confused. "Why-?"

"None of your business. I'm not justifying myself right now," Hiei interrupted softly. "And you wouldn't listen anyway."

Kuwabara glared, but Kurama smoothly cut him off. "How often does this happen?"

Hiei shrugged. "About every thirty-four years or so. I checked it out, and it's something about two planets in opposition and lunar eclipses. Celestial cycles."

Botan frowned. "So how long does it last?"

"About a month. Worst part about it is I can't figure out how to use the ki."

Kuwabara snorted. "You should ask Yukina."

Hiei laughed harshly. "You're forgetting that she's a half-breed, too. I doubt she could help me right now."

Kurama sighed. "Can't you figure it out on your own?"

The sanjiyan flinched slightly. "Maybe, but I've never had the opportunity. Generally not being able to use my ki has meant I get captured. Especially since I don't know exactly when the change will happen. I was only able to do research on the change this time around."

"Captured for what?" Kuwabara asked hesitantly.

He looked away. "Tear gems, female body, slavery. If I couldn't escape during the month, when I changed the wards they used were worthless. And I killed whoever held me captive."

"That's terrible!" Botan looked horrified. Yuusuke and Kuwabara looked shocked as well. Only Kurama seemed to take the information in stride.

Hiei shook his head. "Part of living in the Makai, being youkai."

Yuusuke scowled. "So that's why the threat Koenma made freaked you out." Hiei didn't answer, but that told them enough. "Oh, he's going to get a nice little talking to when we get back."

"Doesn't matter." Hiei finished off a fruit. "I'm stuck here. Maybe I can figure things out along the way. Otherwise I'll be pretty worthless in battle. Can't even use the Jagan."

Kuwabara shook his head. "You're good with a sword."

"Not in this body," Hiei replied shortly. "My body moves differently, like the center's off a bit. I think it's the breasts, but the hips are weird, too. And the breasts are too big. They flop around."

Kuwabara and Yuusuke blushed deeply. "Too much information," Yuusuke managed.

Hiei rolled his eyes. Botan giggled. "Hiei, the binding should help with the first. And I'm sure along the way you can spar a bit to get used to the differences."

"In any case, we should get moving," Hiei said. "The fight last night means they're looking for us around here." He got up unsteadily and shoved the remaining fruit in his pocket. As the others packed up, he turned to Kurama. "Do you have any elemental wards? Or can you fix some up?"

Kurama frowned. "Elemental wards? I could, but why?"

Hiei held up his right arm, and Kurama noticed with alarm that it was smoking slightly. "It's the dragon. Fire and ice don't mix. The elemental ward should... do something..." He looked away.

"Oh, Hiei. Why did you get that move if you knew this would happen?" Kurama went through his bag, looking for the proper supplies.

"If I hadn't, I wouldn't have survived the tournament."

Kurama pulled out some ward paper and extra bandages and wrote on it, instilling some ki in the paper. "I'm making it fire specific, so it won't hamper you." He moved forward to attach the ward, and Hiei backed away slightly before letting him.

After that was taken care of, Hiei stuffed his cloak into the black bag and shouldered it. Kuwabara handed him his katana, and he attached it to his back as well.

They headed out toward the center of the forest.

Um, yeah. Referring to Hiei as "he" because Hiei is, ultimately, male. Physical sex doesn't matter. Plus he'd probably hunt me down and murder me if I called him "she." *shifty eyes*

As you'll notice, this chapter is mostly expository.

I did a lot of research for this chapter. Mainly on astrology. After all, the cause of Hiei's transformation is celestial in nature (if you hold with the InuYasha moon bullshit). So what better place to look than astrology? I quickly found that Scorpio is associated with fire (specifically volcanic fire) and attached to Pluto. Capricorn is associated with ice and attached to Saturn. Not only that, but Pluto is associated with transformation, while Saturn is associated with structure and boundaries!

So what is the relationship between Saturn and Pluto, according to astrologers? Well, the Saturn-Pluto opposition (with Saturn lining up between Earth and Pluto), happens every 33-35 years. It is supposedly a time of turmoil and transformation. One of the big theories is that 9-11 could be predicted by the Saturn-Pluto opposition that was going on at the time.

Of course, the line-up takes place for a full six months, which is not what I wanted. But a little research discovered that lunar eclipses take place about a month apart. And lunar eclipses signify a tug of war, of sorts.

Thus, Hiei's transformation occurs every 33-35 years during the Saturn-Pluto opposition, starting at one lunar eclipse and ending at another, for about a month.

I also had to do research on breast-binding as an alternative to bras. Don't ask.

Two updates in two days. Excuse me while I hide in my bunker.