A.N.--- Last chapter for awhile, "Prince of Dreams" is writing itself and being selfish about bandwidth...Gomen nasai minna.
As always, feel free to point out my many errors, review constructively!

Days turned into weeks, and then a month. Hiei hadn't had this much time on his hands since joining up with Yusuke. He kept up with his training, but he found himself spending more and more time meditating by Akikaze's cocoon. He even took her cocoon outside from time to time, resting her under a tree as he trained. The dreams continued each night, more of her arms and legs showing each time.

He began to realize that her earlier kimono was one of the changes that Gaia was undoing, and a few words to Boton and Yukina led to him receiving several outfits that he hoped Akikaze would like. He talked to her in the dreams, describing things he wanted to show and share with her, and telling her how his day had gone.

But tonight was different. It had been two full months since Gaia had swathed Akikaze, and although the dream began as it always did, she was nowhere to be found. He spent the night searching for her, calling out to her and finally waking troubled as the sun rose.

He had slept next to her cocoon every night, bared his soul to her as he had never done before during their shared dreams. And now he couldn't find her. One cold dreadful thought began to coalesce...

"NO!" He thrust that thought from him before it could do more than half-form. "What if...?"

The feeling was back, a cold lump congealing in the depths of his stomach, growing as he reached out with his senses. 'Thump-thump. Thump-thump.' Her heartbeat was still there, slow and steady as she slept. Slept, but even that was different. He could sense her tamashii, her spirit now.

She was dreaming, but a normal dream, unlike the ones they had so recently shared. He could sense her wariness in the dream...

Akikaze had wandered the forest for what seemed like hours. She was looking for Hiei, but she couldn't find him anywhere. Always, just about when she was ready to give up, she'd see a flash of black among the green. It kept just ahead of her, leading her on, leading her deeper into the darker portions of the forest. She slowed, not knowing where she was, not liking the hungry sensations she felt emanating from the trees surrounding her.

A bloated sickly vine wrapped around her suddenly. Slime oozed like pus from every crevice, burned like acid where it touched her skin. She screamed, a wordless shriek of pain and terror, cut off suddenly as the vine wrapped itself around her throat and constricted.

Stars burst in her vision as it grew dim, and she could feel herself slowly losing consciousness from lack of air. 'Hiei! Hiei, help me! I can't breathe!'

'Hiei, help me! I can't breathe!' Her panicked sending spurred him into action.

'Hold very very still. I don't want to hurt you by accident, and it is wrapped tightly about you.' He drew his katana as he carefully planned where to slice. Gaia had not left him much room for error, but it would have to be enough.

'Hiei...hurry...' She was growing weaker at an alarming rate. He made a rapid series of precision cuts and the cocoon split open into several pieces, releasing her limp naked form.

He pulled her from the remains, wrapping her in his sheet. Her lips were blue, her face slightly grayish, and when her heart stumbled in its steady pace, he nearly panicked.

Kurama or Yusuke would help him. He lifted her unresponsive form and vanished, rapidly heading for Yusuke who slept just down the hall. He burst into the room jerking Yusuke out of his sound sleep with the noise of the door slamming into the floor. "Hiei wha...?"

"She isn't breathing Yusuke!" As Yusuke came fully awake, he realized that Hiei was cradling Lady Koe's body in his arms, a helpless look filling his eyes for only the second time since Yusuke had known him.

"How long?" Yusuke leapt out of the bed and laid Lady Koe out on her back starting automatically through the ABC's of first aide. He tilted her head back to assist her Airway, then listened for any Breathing. He could see the flutter of her heartbeat in her neck, so her Circulation was fine.

"Only a minute, two at most." Yusuke pinched Lady Koe's nose and placed his other hand under her jaw to maintain the proper tilt. When he took a deep breath and bent over her to begin mouth-to-mouth, Hiei interrupted. "Just what do you think you're doing?! You have no right to kiss her! Help her!"

"Hiei, there's no time to argue! She isn't breathing on her own, so one of us has to breathe for her! I'm trained..." Hiei took over the position that Yusuke had adopted.

"Tell me how." Hiei's eyes brooked no argument. Daring Yusuke to cross that invisible line, Yusuke did the only thing he could, he backed down.