WARNING: Not responsible for any cases of shortness of breath, constipation, heart attack, blindness, AIDS, cancer, deftness, ADD, ADHA, loss of erection, stunting of growth, broken bones, dry skin, water eyes, thinness of blood, dyslexia, loss of hair/baldness, death due to shock, loss of bladder control, premarital sex, an erection that lasts more then 4 to 7 hours, heat stroke, gas/flatulence, D.U.I, Murder, herpes, sleep deprivation, nausea, a sudden urge to dance like a white guy, heart burn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea, crabs, yeast infections, warts, acne, pimples, zits, puberty, unexpected pregnancies, and any other sexually transmitted diseases.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the YYH characters mentioned here because they belong to Yoshihiro Togashi-sama.

I own nothing, but the non-YYH characters mentioned and the all around plot. Everything else is strictly borrowed for mere entertainment.

Well this is the beginning of a new and great (at least I think it's great) Fic. This will be a very different fic in that it does not survive off of suspense of drama, as my other fics do. This is more of a comic relief fic, one that make the read go Awww.  Was the reaction my test readers gave. There were two females and one male and they both thought that the concept was "cute" and "addictive" so I hope all of you enjoy it too. This story does involve an original character of mine. It is the female from my other fic The Scarred, just because it is easier to write with a familiar role. I never mention her name for two reasons, I have yet to think of a creative name and most readers enjoy the feeling of imagining that they are the character and as such, a part of the story. I will try to use this format until a good name arises. Please be aware that the first chapter of any of my fics is very hard to get through. I am sure you will like the others though! ~^_^~

Enjoy!

Stages and Changes!

~Cue Theme song! ~

It was a standard covert mission within demon world. Koenma had divided the team into two groups: One group would be responsible for invading the fortress and weakening its bases and pull out to allow the second group to take down the three beings in charge. The entire mission should have taken three weeks. Group one consisting Kurama, Hiei, and yourself, worked quickly and completed phase one within the first week. They were taking down an undercover corporation that was working in conjunction to the black market. The job seemed to be progressing quite well. They returned to their headquarters, a simple building, where they met up with Yusuke and Kuwabara. After relaying the necessary information, the two groups were again divided. Hiei let his body fall onto the couch and Kurama left the room, only to return a minute later with supplies under his arm.

"I might as well treat our wounds as we wait for confirmation," spoke Kurama as he sorted through the bandages and creams.

There was a long moment of silence. Kurama continued to bandage Hiei's arms, but he had no reaction. Everyone in the room was quiet; perhaps no one had enough energy to speak. They all had pushed their limits to complete their part in the mission. Kurama finished with Hiei's wound, stood and crossed the room. He gently shook your shoulder and your eyes peeled open. You blinked a few time before you knew what the fox wanted from you. You stood and removed the top half or your cheongsam robe, (It's sort of like what Kurama usually wears) leaving you fully exposed from the abdomen up. Although Kurama had not expected this forward reaction, he proceeded to treat the medium sized gash. The action in itself for you was an innocent one and you had no intention or idea of the possible misconceptions or interpretations. To you, it was just another body part, like your arm or leg. Kurama understood that because of your scarred past, you did not understand what some of your actions might mean. When he finished, you replaced your tattered clothes.

"Kurama, how are your own wounds?" you ask as you finish tying the sash around your waist.

"My leg is fine," the demon smiled, "It stopped bleeding before we even returned."

After he finishes cleaning out his own wound, you helped him to collect the soiled and bloody bandages and cloths. Afterwards, there was nothing much else to do but wait.

"I don't understand how the detective and the idiot could stand waiting here for a week when they have shorter attention spans then our own." mumbled Hiei as he shifted positions on the couch to get more comfortable.

"You do have a good point." replied the fox, "Now we will have to wait for the others to return before we can leave demon world and go back home."

Hiei's eyes opened again, "I don't mind being in demon world, I'd prefer it, but I can't stand waiting for them to finish and I do nothing the whole time."

"I am beginning to think that you are just jealous that they get to kill the people in charge and we had to do all of the hard work." you smile a little.

"Hn." and Hiei went back to closing his eyes.

"Now that I think of it, I haven't felt this weak in a while." you bend and flex you fingers and hands in front of your face, "I hadn't realized how difficult this mission would be."

"Yes," agreed the Fox, "That was something I too did not expect. I am beginning to think that there was information about that place that we were not told. Why were they protecting it so much?"

"Pif, you are both pathetic. That was nothing compared to what I am capable of." boasted the koorime.

"That's funny because, right now you look the most tired of us all,"

The demon throws you a dirty glare and you are again silent. The silence is only broke by the sound and vibrations of the communicator on the table in the middle of the room.

~~ Running in a crowd in a faceless town I need to feel the touch of a friend. On the countryside….~~

The three of you dive to answer it.

Kurama flips it open.

Both you and Hiei silently curse yourselves for having shorter arms.

"Ah, Kurama, it's so good to see that you and the others are well. I am contacting you to see how your part of the mission went."

"Well, we were successful in elimination of the enemy posts to the west and north, and found that there was also on to the east. Everything has been done according to plan. The detonators have been placed in accordance to the ones described on the blue prints, and are ready for detonation whenever Yusuke and Kuwabara-kun are finished."

"Good, they should be just reaching that location right about now, so you should be scheduled to leave within the next one to two weeks. Pending then, hold your position, until the others have returned. When this is over, you can all return for quick examinations"

"Oh, Koenma your squid is ready!"

"Shut up Ogre, I'm busy…"

"Uh, Kurama, I have to go now, very important work is left to be done."

"Yes Lord Koenma.," Kurama sweat dropped as he closed the communicator.

"So, basically we are back to where we were in the beginning." spat Hiei.

"I suppose so." replied the Fox

"This is ridiculous! I am not waiting here for those idiots!" with that, Hiei rose and grabbed his cloak.

"Hiei, you can't leave yet…." Kurama tried to say

"Says who? That brat in Spirit World? He doesn't know what he's doing!" yelled Hiei

"Hiei, what if the others need you?" you question standing up as well.

"The detective and the Idiot don't need any one! Even if they did, you would be able to handle them yourself! I am not needed here, so I'm leaving." shouted Hiei.

"Hiei, wait," Kurama called out as Hiei ran to the door.

All of a sudden, Hiei felt a lump in his throat and his legs stopped with his back facing the others. He didn't move for a moment.

You take a step forward, "Hiei… are you ok?"

Hiei fought to move his hand to the door handle and it was shaking mid air. His vision was blurred and the sounds he heard were distorted. He tried to focus, but slowly his eyes rolled back and…

"Hiei!" Kurama rushed to catch the falling body of his teammate, "Hiei, wake up. Hiei can you hear me?

The Jagan atop his head frantically darted left and right trying to realize what happened and then seemed to just darken and dull and finally started to close all together.

You were by his side instantly. "Kurama, he burning!"

"Yes, I know, this does not bode well. I'll take him to the beds; you go get ice water and a towel." Kurama ordered.

You nod and rush to get what's needed.

Kurama looks down on the smaller demon, "Hiei."

Saying nothing else he slides his arms underneath the demon to lift him. He carefully carries the smaller to the room where there are four small beds and lays him on the closest one. You return with everything and place it on the table to the left.

"What do you think is wrong with him." you ask.

"I'm not sure, but this fever is not natural, not even for a demon. This is a secondary autoimmune response, so what ever it is, it is progressing rapidly and is not going to be easy to get rid of."

"So is there nothing we can do?"

"All we can try to control right now is his body temperature." replied the fox standing and placing the cool cloth on the small demon's brow.

"Fine."

You look at the demon on the bed and you feel a small pang of sympathy. You decide to get to work and to do your best. Your nimble hands quickly snatch away Hiei's katana and place it aside. Next you untie and remove his cloak only to place it where the katana sits. For a moment, memories flash back to you of your encounter with Hiei after you were captured. He was harsh and cruel, but nonetheless you owe your existence to him.

For hours the both of you took turns and watched the unmoving body. Around twelve o'clock, Hiei's condition began to worsen. His body temperature shot up and every so often the nerves of his skin would twitch. His body was drenched with perspiration. Sitting by his side, you wipe the hair that was sticking to his forehead and replace to cool cloth.

"It's progressing," you say as Kurama enters the room for his own shift.

Kurama looks distressed, "He won't last much longer if he remains in this state."

Seeing Kurama like this made you feel a little panicky yourself, "There is no other choice then." Straddling Hiei's limp body, you begin to tear away at his shirt. After it's off, you move down to the three belts above his waist. For a moment you struggle with undoing them all, but you manage and you begin to pull off the soaked black pants. Kurama helps you and when you realize that Hiei does not have anything underneath the pants, you hold back a blush.

"Follow me!" you order as Kurama once again picks up Hiei, this time without any clothes on.

You lead the Fox and the unconscious one to the bathroom. You kneel and turn the handle to its coldest setting and water begins to shoot from the tap. You stand and leave the room.

"Quick in the tub!" you call as you fumble with another container.

Kurama obeys and places Hiei into the water. You return with a pot full of ice and you quickly dump its contents into the water.

Your eyes meet Kurama's and you both notice the worry in each other's eyes, "This is our only chance to help him."

Slowly the night drew on and on. You constantly brought more ice to the tub until there was no more and Kurama had to keep draining and filling the water in the tub because Hiei's fever would heat it up to an inhuman temperature. It was late morning before it was safe to remove Hiei's body from the water. Finally, he stabilized and the two of you could at last exhale after holding your breath the entire time. Kurama redressed his wounds and you pulled the covers over his nude body.

"I am getting this bad sensation that this is far from over." you say

"As do I."

You both give Hiei some privacy to sleep and you walk downstairs to the main room. Kurama makes some tea and you curl yourself into a ball on the window sill. The Fox hands you a cup and the warmth of the ceramic startles you, thinking again about Hiei's episode. You rest your forehead onto the glass. The day is darker then it normally is, even though it is Demon World. The clouds are so heavy with rain; they seem to hang lower in the skies.

"I am not very acquainted to Demon World. It always has this ominous feeling that makes me uneasy." you say just to break the silence.

"You grow accustomed to it I suppose, but most people who grow up here do tend to be paranoid and live more off of instinct than thought process." acknowledged Kurama.

After checking Hiei one last time, you both go into the entrance room. Kurama casually sits on the couch and you sit to the left of the door, on the floor. From where you both are, you can hear the soft fall and gentle sound of the rain from outside. It's a soothing sound that lulls you into a false sense of security and sleep.

S.l..o…w….l…..l…….y, t….i..m…e….. p...a…..s…s….e…..s………. b…..y……….

~gasp!~

Your body leaps up and you immediately take a defensive pose. Realizing you are not being attacked, you shake your head and try to focus. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you try to think of what time it is.

"Oh my gods, how long were we sleeping…" you mumble, "Kurama…"

You shake the comatose body on the couch, calling the Fox's name. Suddenly, he has you by the neck, pinned between his body and the couch. You hadn't even time to blink.

"Oh! It's you! I am so sorry!" Kurama instantly released you. You try to sit up and rub your throat.

"I told you this place is making us all a little jumpy." you say as you stand up and follow the Fox into the kitchen.

Kurama stopped and his ears twitched for a moment.

"What is it?" you question.

"I'm not sure."

Suddenly, you realize that you did not wake up without a reason. Something else woke you up. That sensation returns to you and you feel the hair on the back of your neck rise.

You look at the Fox for a moment, then dash to the stairs, "Hiei!" You falter on the stairs and curse your lack of mobility because of drowsiness. Kurama agilely is ably to beat you to Hiei's room and you both burst through the door. The bed appears empty with the sheets draw to the opposite side.

"Where… did…where did he go?" you manage out.

The fox took a step forward, "He has not left yet; I can still sense his faint energy signal."

You follow him and both look onto the ground, beside the bed. Your hands clasp around you mouth and Kurama cannot hold his own gasp.

"Hiei, what has happened to you!?"

~cue end theme!~

Cliffhanger on the first chapter, yes, I am ashamed of myself. Yay, I did chapter one in one night! I hope you enjoy this very different fic. Well, it is very different for me at least. I am trying to widen my repertoire by using a slightly different style of writing. It may not seem so, but it is very difficult to write stories, so I hope that you all enjoy reading them, so that I know that the product is worth the labor. Please review! Tune in to find out what this crazy authoress has done to poor Hiei!

-Your Humble Authoress

Jessie Lee