Kurama sat under in a park bench under the shady oak tree in the park. A cold wind blew, sending his scarlet tresses flying all over. He automatically reached up and brushed his thick hair out of his face, unwavering from his trace. His emerald green eyes had a distant, shimmering look to them, and they held a far-off look. He gave a loud sigh that sent the nearby sparrows flying off.

"What's the matter with you, fox?" Kurama mumbled something incoherent. "What? Speak up."

"My 'Kaasan's sick, again. The doctors have been trying to diagnose it for weeks, and they still haven't succeeded. I've tried everything, and nothing's working! I still don't even know what this is! But this time, the Forlorn Hope's destroyed, and there's no other way. She's been sick before, but this time it's really serious. It's only been a few weeks, and I think she's going to die. Tonight." Kurama let his head drop again, averting his gaze to the ground once more.

Hiei looked at the fox, before mumbling something and taking off. Kurama looked at the direction he went in.

"Bye, Hiei." He whispered. Kurama stood up, and began to walk towards the hospital.

"Suuichi?" His mother slowly opened her eyes, so she could just see her son.

"Yes, it's me, mother. Go back to sleep. You need to rest."

"Suuichi Minamino?" Kurama looked up, to see the doctor.

"Yes?"

"Please step outside. I'd like to talk to you."

"Certainly." Kurama and the doctor walked outside the room, and the fox closed the door.

"I have both good news and bad news," the doctor informed him.

"What's the good news?" Kurama asked.

"We've just discovered that her illness is a new form of Pneumonia."

"So what's the bad news?"

"We've just discovered that her illness is a new form of Pneumonia. It'll take at least three months to discover the cure. And let me tell you, your mother does not have three months."

"Well, how long does she have?"

"I'd say twelve hours at the most." Kurama was dumbfounded.

"T-twelve hours?" He managed to stutter.

"Maybe less. It'll depend on her. I'm sorry, Suuichi. We did everything we could."

"And I thank you for that." The doctor walked away, and Kurama reentered his mother's hospital room, only to find that her mother had fallen asleep again. He sighed, and sat back down.

A few hours later, Kurama stood up again, and decided to take a walk, while it was still light out. He had no destination in mind, he just walked. He walked into the park, greeting a few classmates.

"Hi, Suuichi!"

"Hello, Mezura."

"Hi Suuichi!"

"Hello, Ryoka.

"Hi Suuichi!"

"Hello, Suzura."

"Hello, Youko Kurama."

"Hello-" Kurama froze in mid-sentence, and whirled around to face the speaker. He turned to see a tall man, with narrow crimson eyes. He had pure black hair, and wore a brown trench coat with a blue shirt and denim jeans. "Who are you?"

"The answer to your problems," the man replied. Kurama's eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Kurama. I-," Here, he took out a small bottle and shook it. "-just happen to have the antidote to your poor mother's disease." Kurama was not convinced.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Would you like me to prove it?"

"Yes." The mysterious man led Kurama back to his mother's room. He mixed it with some water, and handed the glass to the fox. "Wait, how do I know it isn't poisoned?" Kurama was still cautious. He did NOT trust this man.

"Go ahead, check it for any type of poison, it's going to come up negative." He spoke with such confidence. "But don't take too long, or your poor mother's going to die." Kurama's eyes widened, and decided to trust the stranger.

He held the cup up to his mother's lips, and she woke up briefly to sip it. After the first few sips, however, she opened her eyes and began to drink normally. By the time she had finished drinking, she had enough energy to sit up again.

"Why, Suuichi, what was in that drink? I feel so much better." The doctors came in, and after taking a few blood samples, declared her cured. She just needed a few days to recuperate. For the second time in one day, Kurama was dumbfounded. His mother was healed.

"But-but how...?" The stranger chuckled, and stepped outside. Kurama followed him.

"Kurama," He said. "You're mother is healed, for now, but if you want the full antidote, you're going to have to give something to me. This is an extremely complex potion to create, and an even more difficult task to obtain all the ingredients."

"What?"

"But first, how far are you going to go to save this woman?"

"As far as I need to, and possibly more."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Because, I happen to be a doctor, and I happen to have a particular interest in Kitsunes."

"So?"

"I want to use you for a little experiment, to test a potion to force out the demon half."  Kurama growled, remembering the evil Dr. Ichigaki from the Dark Tournament. "Ah... you're reluctant, are you not? Well, I suppose you value your own health more than your mother's. It seems to me that you'd rather let her die than be a test subject for just a little experiment." Kurama clenched his fist, letting his fingernails dig into his palm. "I'll come back in a week, and then you can tell me your decision. Meet me at the fountain in the park. Make up your mind." And with that, he was gone.