Alright! I finally got around to updating this. Sorry, I know it's been a while. I'll try harder next time!


"Fox?" Hiei whispered, feeling the redhead's chest shuddering as he took deep breaths. Hiei sat up, squinting his eyes in the darkness to see Kurama's face. He was clenching his eyes closed. "Fox." He said, pushing the fringe back and gasping at the surging heat of his forehead.

"Hi…ei…" Kurama muttered, and Hiei pulled Kurama into his arms, leaning down.

"What is it?" He asked urgently, and Kurama lifted a shaking hand, putting it to Hiei's cheek.

"Got to… rest now... Don't let me… hurt any… people…" He managed, and Hiei looked at the closing eyes.

"I don't understand, Kurama!" He shouted, pulling the fox closer. "Please! Don't go yet!" His shouts bought Shiori running into the room, closely followed by her husband. Hiei watched with heightening concern as a soft red glow pulsed over Kurama's body. He felt the demon energy surge, but didn't recognise it. He turned his attention to the woman Kurama called Mother, knowing he'd kill himself if he ever hurt her. "Go!" He shouted, making Shiori jump. He looked back at Kurama as he felt the energy increase, the glow becoming more intense. "Now!" He shouted, and Shiori was pulled out of the room by her husband. Hiei heard the door slam and an argument ensue, slowly diminishing as they got further down the stairs. He put his full attention onto Kurama's body, having to let go and shield his eyes as the light continued to intensify.

"What the hell?" Hiei whipped round to the window to see Yuusuke.

"Detective!" He shouted, and Yuusuke waved a hand.

"We set up a watch, alright? We were worried." He said, running forward from the window and taking Kurama's pyjama collar. "Kurama! You gotta snap out of it." Yuusuke let him back down to the bed under the watchful glare of Hiei. Neither knew what to do. "Hiei, can't you do something with your Jagan?"

"What would you suggest, Detective?" Hiei asked testily, and Yuusuke had to shrug. Suddenly the glowing stopped, and they both waited in silence and darkness. From the open top, they could see small bubbles of red energy materialising. Hiei felt their energy. Each was the same signature, but different in small ways. Like… "Eggs!" Hiei shouted, and quickly unsheathed his sword. He sliced them in half, and they burst into small fires before disappearing. "Kill them all." Hiei said, stepping back and glaring at Yuusuke, who nodded.

"Got ya." He answered, punching one with a spirit energy-filled hand and crushing it on contact.

After several minutes of the two running around like maniacs trying to catch the bubble-like eggs, Kurama's body stopped producing them. They leant on their thighs, panting.

"What the hell was that?" Yuusuke asked, looking to Hiei for an answer.

"The energy flux from the portal must have been a parasitic demon crossing in energy form to infect a new host. In Makai they tend to only hunt in forests, and Kurama was in the forest when this one must have stumbled across him. I suppose the forest could feel its presence and called for the manipulator to get rid of it. Only thing was, Kurama didn't know it was there until he was infected with it. Now, it's trying to reproduce using his energy. That's why he's been so ill. It's living inside him, feeding off him." Yuusuke's mouth was open as Hiei finished. He was surprised enough to hear the root of Kurama's problem, but to hear Hiei talk for so long was just as shocking.

"Uh, yeah." Yuusuke finally said, and Hiei rolled his eyes. "So what do we do to get rid of it?"

"No idea." Hiei stated, and Yuusuke slapped his forehead.

"Well I'll go get Botan, maybe she knows." Hiei barely acknowledged him as he left, and sat on the bed beside the still Kurama, watching him intently.

Hiei felt the familiar energy of Kurama return, and watched as green eyes fluttered open. Kurama instantly tried to sit up, but Hiei held him down.

"It's alright. Nothing's happened. You knew you were going to do something though, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Hiei sounded almost hurt. Kurama reached out, taking Hiei's hand in a tight but shaky grip.

"I wasn't aware until the other energy began fighting for control. I could barely control my own limbs by the time you were awake. I'm sorry." Hiei shook his head, knowing it wasn't Kurama's fault.

"The Detective's gone to get Botan. She'll help you." Kurama shook his head, and Hiei looked at him questioning.

"I don't think it can be removed by a healer." Kurama said, taking a deep breath to steady his already quaking voice.

"Then how?" Hiei demanded, and Kurama smiled up at him. He was instantly suspicious, he knew that seductive smile. "…What?"

"The energy has to burn itself out." Hiei was surprised by the simplicity of the answer.

"…And…" He prompted, expecting more. He knew that smile. He knew Kurama needed something Hiei was probably not prepared to do.

"There are only a few ways to achieve such a thing." At Hiei's blank stare, Kurama continued. "First is to let it keep making eggs until it can make no more."

"But it's feeding off you; it'll kill you as well." Hiei stated incredulously, and Kurama nodded.

"I never said you would like them." Kurama ignored Hiei's complaints and continued. "The second is for me to expel it myself, by using my energy to burn it out."

"That would also leave you dangerously close to not coming back." Hiei commented, but was ignored as Kurama pressed on.

"The third way is for the demon to willingly leave." Hiei rolled his eyes. Like that would happen. "And the fourth and last way is for…" Kurama stopped, and Hiei watched the internal argument his fox was having.

"Is for…" Hiei encouraged, stroking his arm gently.

"Is for you to use your Jagan, enter my body, and force it out yourself." Hiei regarded Kurama silently.

"That's what the look was for." Hiei stated blandly. "You want me to do it. Well, I can't exactly leave my partner alone in the middle of a fight." Kurama smiled, and the two shared a brief hug before the door burst open and Shiori ran in, panting and red-faced. At the same moment, the window was shoved open and Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Botan and Yukina all piled inside. There was a tense silence.

"Mother." Kurama said quietly, addressing the most obvious issue in the room. Shiori walked forward with a surprising calm and knelt by her son's bed, taking the hand which Hiei released. "I need you to listen to Hiei, mother. Please do as he says, for me." She nodded, and Kurama's eyes met Hiei's for a moment before starting to slip shut.

"Wait, Kurama!" Hiei called, and grabbed Kurama's shoulders tightly. Green eyes opened in the darkness. "You have to direct me, alright?" He asked, and Kurama nodded.

"I will…" He muttered, giving way to unconsciousness, eyes slipping closed. Botan and Yukina ran forward, and Hiei tried to shove them off.

"We need to it differently, you two can't help." They adamantly refused to listen, so Hiei leant back against the wall as they tried everything they knew. Satisfied that they had giving up, Hiei spoke again. "I need to go into him and help." He cut across the hum of objections "And you need to listen to what I have to say." Hiei looked around the silent room, and walked to the door. Flicking the switch, everyone blinked in the new light. "Let me explain." Everyone settled down to listen to Hiei's explanation.


Well everyone, that's another chapter up and complete! I'l try to get the next one done quickly, and it may be the last, or at least the second to last! Please please pelase review, it inspires me to write, so then you'll get your update quicker!