A Forest on Fire (KuramaxOc)

Ch 36: Detonation

He glanced around, trying to make sense of the scene. Piles of ash litered the ground where the corpses had stood during the attack. Kurama knelt on the ground. He was singed, but not badly burned. Then there was that bird... it was trying its hardest to put distance between it and the smoldering girl, it's wing clearly torn.

As it hopped along, a glint of black caught Hiei's eye, and he darted forward for the stone. He grabbed the bird by the throat, ignoring the garbled squawks and pleas Daramel made, and plucked the stone from his talons. Then, with a careful glance to the two kitsune, he shattered that accursed stone.

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Kurama gasped as the darkness shattered around him, the pressing weight in his mind easing at once, but the nightmare didn't end! Yumiko still hovered in front of him, trapped within that inner orb of flame. He watched in horror, images of her flesh searing from bone flooding his mind, the nightmare still potent.

Hiei bared his teeth, and gripped the fox-boy's shirt, yanking him up as high as he could.

"SNAP OUT OF IT YOU DAMNED FOOL!!!" He snarled, then did something he never thought he would have the nerve to do as Kurama's fear-scent settled over him. He raised a hand, and struck the redhead hard across the face.

Shuichi blinked as if waking from a dream. He stared at Hiei... Hiei??? He blinked again. Hadn't he just been in a field? And Yumiko was.. and Yumiko... wait, no... that couldn't be right. Yumiko wasn't screaming. As he glanced at her again, he confirmed it. She was not melting within that orb, she just stood perfectly still, eyes burning blue as her energy spilled into the fire.

He swallowed hard, trying to force down the panic as the fire began to roar again, raging within itself as Yumiko struggled to keep it from releasing completely. He turned, trying to take in everything around him. The smell of burnt flesh and ash was everywhere, the cultivated humans being destroyed with ease. The bird demon, which was trying desperately to free itself from Hiei's grip, was singed badly, but would survive its wounds.

Yumiko was surrounded by that inner orb, and they were trapped between it, and the outer wall of flame. As he studied that outer wall, it dipped inward, then expanded again at an alarming rate. Her energy would start to run out soon, and he didn't want to weigh the odds of survival when those walls met.

He breathed out, long and slow, then rose to his feet. He pushed every scream from the nightmares back, locking them behind doors in his mind, even as a whimper came from somewhere deep within. *Were you effected as well, Yoko?* He tried to ask, but the only response was a vicious snarl, and he resigned to give the demon his space.

He studied the girl in the orb more closely as he approached. Even just drawing near, it was clear that without the completed bond, that fire would certainly melt his flesh, so walking through it was not an option. He didn't exactly relish the idea of allowing Yumiko to collapse once drained, either.

With a few reservations, he reached a hand into his hair, and drew out a particular grey seed. He considered it for a moment, whether or not he, or even Hiei would be able to survive the blast if he grew the fire-eater bulb. With a sigh, he nodded his decision.

"Hiei, I will need your assistance to grow this. Be careful, with this much fire, if we release the plant inside too quickly it could likely kill the three of us with ease. Do you have enough energy left for a shield?" He asked, trying to think back to what he had seen of Yumi's fight with Maru.

Hiei huffed, but reached out a hand for the seed. "That depends on how much this plant of yours takes. What do you need me to do?"

Kurama didn't relish the thought, but continued anyways, seeing no other option. "Just feed your energy into it evenly, I'll do the rest. When I tell you to throw it, be ready to shield us afterwards"