Kuwabara lay in bed coughing and choking. Energy blasts, bombs, people screaming, and much more were going on outside his tent. But he was aware of none of this. He heard and saw nothing. Trapped in a deep sleep, where he wandered the realm of the dead...searching for someone. Someone who he knew wasn't too far...

It was black inside, and Kuwabara, gratefully, felt no pain. Kuwabara, looked around the darkness, following the presence of a familiar soul he recognized. There were other souls there, all from the war. They were here, waiting to get into Spirit world...

'Kuwabara.'

He stopped and turned, his curls brushing his face. Kurama stood in front of him. His read hair was flowing with a breeze that did not exist. He was frowning. 'Leaving your body like this, is not helping your injuries, if anything it's making them worse. This could kill you for sure.'

Kuwabara smiled happily as Kurama lectured him. It was Kurama. He was here...

'I know.' Kuwabara replied. He blinked realizing his mouth wasn't moving. He was thinking all this. Tears slipped down his face, as he remembered that once he left his dear friend would have to stay.

Kurama smiled sadly and wiped his tears away. 'Come, come Kuwabara...it's all right...tell me why your here! You know you shouldn't be!'

'But I need to know...do you know the outcome...everything that will happen? Who will win?'

'Yes, now that I am dead.' Kuwabara smiled and asked, 'Can you tell me what will happen in this war? If we'll win, if we can succeed.'

Kurama smiled, 'Kuwabara do not tempt fate. If I tell you anything, it could change, for the best or for the worst. You know that...'

Kuwabara nodded, and approached Kurama. He wrapped his arms around Kurama, who blinked with surprise. Kurama hugged him back and smiled, 'I miss you too, Kuwabara.' Kuwabara pulled away. 'That was from everyone. Especially Hiei, he...I don't think he's doing so well.'

Kurama nodded gravely, 'Your correct, he is not taking this well...if you can tell him, even if he doesn't believe you I'm watching him. Please?' Kuwabara nodded, and smiled, 'You can count on me.'

'I know I can.'

Kurama looked at him.

He frowned once more, 'It's not good I can see you so clearly...Your fuzzy but easy to recognize...your close to death. Leave Kuwabara.' He placed his hand on Kuwabara's shoulder, 'We will meet once this is all over.' Kuwabara nodded.

He looked around the place and smiled, 'This isn't the first time I've done this...' He looked around. 'The very first time I did this was at Genkai-San's tournament. I was laying on the ground, and I heard Yusuke's soul cry out. Not him, his soul.'

Kuwabara looked back at Kurama, a puzzled look on his face, 'I don't know how I did it...I just knew I needed to help him.' Kurama smiled, 'Your spirit sense is greater than I've ever seen. Much greater than a demons. If your feelings are strong enough you can do this.' Kurama smiled at him, and began walking away.

'Kurama...we'll win this war and bring you back...'

Kurama looked back sadly, 'I'm afraid...that one of you may be coming to see me even before this war ends..." He turned walking away again, with a bitter smile. He hummed the song of death he had heard from those white dragons.

Kurama froze. He was hearing that song clearly, and looked back to see Kuwabara leaving. 'Oh no...' Kurama ran back, still able to hear the music, 'WAIT! KUWABARA!'

Kurama reached where Kuwabara was, just as his friend disappeared. 'Kuwabara...please let my suspicions be wrong...'

'Kurama.'

Kurama turned, and his face went from surprised, to happy, and finally to relieved.

'I can't believe it's you.'

A soft smile and a weak tired face. 'I'm so happy to see you...'

~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~**********~~~~~~~~~~~~*******

Kuwabara's eyes fluttered open and he felt a cool rag being placed on his head. He looked up and saw Yusuke. Fresh blood was on his face. "Ur...Urameshi." Kuwabara croaked. Yusuke looked down at him and smiled.

"Hey...you've been out of it for almost two days." Yusuke rubbed at his eyes. "Glad to see you awake." "So he lives. Joy." Kuwabara looked over seeing Hiei. He couldn't look over that long, feeling incredibly strong pain in his head. He had to turne his head back to where it was, and grunted with the coursing pain running a marathon through his head. Hiei drifted over so Kuwabara wouldn't have to turn to look at him.

Hiei looked like hell.

His skin was ashy, and his eyes bloodshot. Kuwabara wondered if Hiei had been eating, for his small friend's cheeks were sunken in.

"How you feeling?" Yusuke asked. Kuwabara ignored Yusuke and whispered, "Kur...Kurama's watchin' you...you Hiei..." Kuwabara passed out again, Hiei starring in shock at him. "Fool..." Hiei growled. "Maybe not..." Yusuke whispered.

Hiei turned to look at him. "As much as I wish it weren't true...he...Kuwabara is very close to death...maybe....he talked to Kurama...and...Kuwabara...will goto...goto meet him...so...soo..." Yusuke couldn't finish and Hiei turned away. "He's not that close to death Yusuke. His spirit it actually stronger than the other day."

Hiei left the tent and slowed his walk once he was far off. He could feel the happiness coming off Yusuke from what he said, "I'm sorry Yusuke...I had to lie to you..." Kuwabara *was* close...far too close.

He was dead, only his friendship for Yusuke, and not wanting to abandon him was left clinging to his corpse.

'But the fool always seems to come out on top. Not dying by broken bones and a twisted body, not dying by his energy being drained or being plummeted towards lava, not dying fighting after getting deadly wounds, not dying when a hand was in his chest, and not dying when he was kidnapped....and there are always more occasions soon after those...'

Somehow Kuwabara always seemed to survive, he was as stubborn as a mule. "Phe...he'll live." Hiei's thought drifted to what Kuwabara had said. He felt his temper rise. "Sick or not he didn't have the right to say it. Dam* you human, mocking me with petty words of kindness!" Hiei growled and smashed the ground.

He looked out towards the battlefield. That was his only reprieve from the memories of Kurama. From the memory of Kurama's face paler than the moon, and the blood dripping through the hole on his back. Hiei growled again, cursing Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Koenma, this stupid war, but mostly himself.

He marched towards the battle field. It was the only place where his mind was not consumed with thought, and his heart with hate. It scared him how angry he was.

Hiei made a whining sound as he remembered the horrible mistake he had almost made. He'd...he had tried to something awful. Something he knew would haunt him until he told Kuwabara...what he almost did to him.

Hiei had almost smothered Kuwabara.

He had tried to kill Kuwabara, for no reason. He went into his tent with intentions to smother him. Hiei gripped a pillow in his hand. Kuwabara was suffering...and he thought he'd help end it. He had also thought after Kuwabara he would kill Yusuke, and so on. He'd keep killing until the pain went away. Until their pain was gone, and his own had faded away.

And if his pain hadn't faded away, then he could easily take his life. He knew just how he was going to do it. Something simple...he was going to throw himself in the water and stay under until his lungs burned. Until he couldn't breathe. Until he'd drowned.

But something stopped Hiei.

He want in the tent, pillow in hand, and saw Kuwabara laying there, his chest struggling with each breath. His lips pale, and cracked so badly they bled. Cold sweat soaking his hair, and moistening his skin. His hands clenched the sheets, as if, even in sleep, he could find no peace from the pain. There was even dried vomit in the corner of his mouth.

He looked lonely there, and the pain of his ailment caused tears to stream down Kuwabara's pale face. He looked incredibly alone.

But he was not alone.

Yusuke sat next to him, his head laying near his, and one of his arms gripping onto Kuwabara's shirt. It was a very uncomfortable position yet he slept there, looking as peaceful as could be. Yusuke's face was dirty, and white bandages wrapped around his head, black hair hanging off the bandages, and making him look younger. His hands were black from dirt, mud, and blood. Harsh conditions making his hands coarse.

His dark, battle damaged hands, held onto Kuwabara's pale fragile hand. The hand that had gone thin, and faded burns, from the weapon Rhim used, stood put on the hand. The two hands completely different, clung onto each other, as if they both belonged to the same person.

Hiei froze, fell to his knees, and cried silent tears. He lay curled up in a ball for an hour in that tent, crying in the pillow he had brought with him. What had he been thinking? He wept everything coming to him. Kurama, Mali...he didn't care if he was crying, if his mask hiding his emotions had broken. He didn't care. He just knew he was sad, crushed by the weight of two dead loved ones, and was no longer himself.

When he left, it was almost morning.

Now, Hiei looked out at the battlefield and saw a young boy die in a demon's arms, and he watched as the demon wept; the bitter sobs sounding loud to Hiei's ears. "This is my Hell..." Hiei whispered, "But it won't take me...they will pay...pay for what they did to Kurama, and Mali...and every other death. Every death that has dug into my heart making me weak..."

Hiei rushed forward.

"THEY WILL PAY!"

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...Okay I feel bad...Maybe I should be nicer....no, no...can't do that now. Oh well....PREVIEW FOR NEXT CHAPTER:

Yusuke has an anxiety attack, and Kurama sings the song of death to....we're getting close to the end....I had so much fin writing this....