Hello and welcome to the last chapter of my little story here. Yes, it seems I'm finally done. ::sigh:: What will I do now? Write another one, of course! Enjoy!

- Her Word -

"Shuuichi?" Kurama looked up at Shiori as she sat down at the table.

"Yes, mother...?"

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No..." he said, stirring his rice a little. He picked some up with his fork. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem a bit depressed suddenly." Kurama smiled and shook his head.

"No..." he said. "I'm just tired. I'm...trying to catch up on some rest before I go back to school and everything. I...I miss it, sort of." Shiori smiled.

"I remember my first summer out," she said. "Me and a big group of friends traveled south to this amusement park. It was the first time a lot of us were away from home, and I loved it, being away. I did miss my parents though, but I knew it was my time to shine. I was very excited about going back to school and finding myself, you know? I knew that it was my time, just as I know that it's yours now." Kurama smiled and sat down his fork.

"I...never thought of it that way." Shiori nodded.

"Your grandmother was very adamant about me going out, and studying abroad. By the time I finished school, she was well in her sixties. She had me very late in life, remember?"

"I do."

"I wish you could have seen her before it happened."

"I wish that as well," Kurama said. "I really...would have liked to get to know her." Shiori smiled and ate a little before she stopped.

"I've...lost my train of thought," she said. "I've been doing that a lot lately..." Kurama looked up at her. It hurt him to hear that.

"You were saying that grandmother wanted you to get out and study abroad," he said.

"Right, right..." Shiori said. "She wanted me to enjoy life, and the world. She said that it was important for all young people to do that before their time passed. I...I don't want you to miss your time, Shuuichi. I want you to enjoy your time as much as you possibly can." Kurama looked down. He was going to cry again. Why was she saying that then? It was as if she was reading his mind.

"Mother...if you had to chance to relive that...your youth...would you?" Shiori shook her head firmly.

"No," she said. "My memories are all I need." Kurama nodded and stood up.

"Do you...think I could be excused from dinner tonight? There's something I need to do and it might take a while to complete." Shiori smiled at him knowingly and nodded.

"Yes, Shuuichi," she said. "Take all the time you need." Kurama nodded and left the table. He went up to his room, and sat at his desk. He wrote a letter to his mother and slipped it in his top desk drawer. He retrieved the five remaining bottles of youth serum and took them with him. He gave his mother a kiss on the forehead before he left, and told her he loved her and that he hoped to be back soon. Then he went on his way.

"Good evening, I'm so glad you could make it," Shiori greeted. Hiei looked at her strangely as he, Yusuke and Kuwabara came through the threshold. He looked around, surprised and slightly annoyed to see a small group of socializing ningens around the room.

"Are...we interrupting something?" Kuwabara asked.

"Oh, no," Shiori said. "You're here to see Shuuichi, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Yusuke said. "He around?"

"He's up in his room at the moment. He's a little exhausted after helping me set up for this evening." Kuwabara nodded.

"Thank you," he said. The three young men headed for the stairs and Shiori watched them go. She went over to the window and opened and closed the shades a few times, then went back to entertaining. Hiei opened Kurama's room door and went inside as if he owned the place. He looked around very shortly, then opened the bathroom door.

"He's not here?" Yusuke asked, closing the door behind him. Hiei went over to the window.

"Must have snuck out," Kuwabara said.

"Smells like the makai in here," Hiei said. "Smells like kitsune does when he comes back."

"So that's where he went..." Yusuke said. "Wonder what for?"

"He had a big decision to make," Hiei said. "He probably went through with it."

"But he came back so soon," Kuwabara said. "To take all the serum, and then to be reborn so young...you'd think he'd stay there and enjoy it." Yusuke reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial of serum he'd taken.

"This is all my fault," he said. "It wouldn't have been such a big deal if I hadn't taken this."

"It's too late for that now," Hiei said, still looking out the window. "There's no sense in acting pitiful about it."

"Can't you locate him...?" Yusuke asked. Hiei shook his head.

"Don't wanna," he said.

"Hiei's right..." Kuwabara said. "I mean, even if we knew where he was, we shouldn't interrupt whatever he's doing." Not liking how they all stood around in the dark, Kuwabara took a step towards the desk, leaned over and flipped on the light. There were plants all around the room. Startled, Kuwabara made a nervous noise and moved back. Yusuke looked around at them all.

"It's so weird..." he said. "They're all moving as if Kurama's doing it, but...I can't sense his energy."

"And I can't smell anything," Kuwabara said. He pointed at the roses strewn about the bed. "See. We should all be able to smells those, at least."

"It does smell a little plain in here," Yusuke said.

"Should we be worried?" Kuwabara asked, sounding as if he was already worried. He looked over to Hiei, who'd placed his arms on the window sill and was staring out into the night. Where are you...kitsune? Hiei thought.

"Nah," Yusuke said. "He's got to be alright if he was here helping Shiori-san out not too long ago." He sighed heavily and went over to Hiei, then lifted his hand to place it on his shoulder. That was when he noticed the vial was missing. Shocked, he turned to see if he might have dropped it. Hiei made a sharp noise and pulled away from the window. He waved his hand up and down as it hurt, then grabbed it.

"Kuso!" he said, sounding a little confused. He made a noise and looked at Yusuke.

"What happened?" Yusuke asked.

"Felt like I burned myself," he said.

"Oh..." Yusuke said.

"What's your deal?" Hiei asked. "You're all pale..."

"I can't find what I did with that bottle..." Yusuke said, looking around again.

"It's gone..." Kurama said, walking into the room. Yusuke and Hiei looked over to him. Kuwabara had sensed him coming while Hiei and Yusuke were talking, and had opened the door as Kurama approached. "It's in the hands of the only being that should ever hold it." The plants in the room began to sink back underneath the bed from all around the room. Kurama made a satisfied face and wavered a little. Then he looked up and whispered 'thank you.'

"Kitsune...?" Hiei asked, still holding on to his hand. "Everything...alright?"

"I believe so..." Kurama said. "It wasn't easy, but I do believe he has been gracious enough to grant me his forgiveness. Please..." Kurama held his hand out towards the bed. "...you must take one. They were the first he allowed me to grow after he'd taken my powers away." Hiei and Yusuke moved towards the bed, and they each, along with Kuwabara, took a rose from the bed. "I created them with you in mind. Mother already has hers."

"So...what's going on?" Kuwabara asked, inspecting his rose as if he'd never held one before. "What did you do, I mean?"

"Well...it's a little complicated..." Kurama said.

"Who's got all night?" Yusuke asked, and then raised his hand. Kuwabara, as if on cue, raised his as well. Hiei shook his head at them.

"Well, alright, but don't say I didn't warn you..." Kurama said. He sat down on the edge of his bed and scooted back so that he rested against his pillows. Hiei sat down on the end of the bed and looked at Kurama expectantly. "I went back home, and I gathered each and everyone one of my most prized possessions and took them with me to the hill."

"The hill?" Yusuke asked, leaning against the window wall with his hand in his pocket.

"Yes...that's where we make our sacrifices. I also brought along each dose of the serum I had with me. You see...I wanted to make an offering. And so I gathered everything I thought he would accept from me to give to him. When I got there, there was a lot of concentration and meditation I had to undergo to prepare for my offering. I laid everything out for him, and prayed for his attention. When he came, I pleaded with him, and begged him that he could have anything and everything from me, but for him to please spare my mother. I offered everything, even myself.

"He...He contemplated it for a long time and then explained to me that Yusuke had taken the sixth bottle, and that the seventh bottle had been destroyed. He said since I used neither bottle and had no intention of using any of the remaining six, he would accept them and my treasures. I, of course, thanked him for such a light punishment, because I know it could have been much worse.

"He told me that I had to get the person who'd stolen the sixth bottle, Yusuke, and the person who'd destroyed the seventh bottle, Hiei, together in a special field created by my newly restored powers. I created the roses in test, to see if I really could do it. He...he had given me back my powers...and for that I'm so grateful.

"When...I returned, I knew it was just a matter of getting you two here, and so I disappeared for a while, until earlier today to help mother prepare for her party. I told her a very vague version of what I had been up to, and she told me that I didn't have to say anything, and that whatever I'd done, she was sure I'd done for a good purpose. I told her that I had a feeling you guys would come over sometime looking for me, and that when you did, to signal me of your arrival and send you to my room, which is where I created the field as he'd asked. Then I prayed for Inari's attention again, and he took the serum away."

"So...that's where it went..." Yusuke said, looking down at his hand.

"Yes," Kurama said. He sat up. "That's the extent of it, really. Once I filled the room with the field, and you guys stepped into it, everything was ready. It was just a matter of him being aware. Once he took them, it felt like a big weight was lifted from my shoulders." Hiei nodded.

"So...everything will be okay, then?"

"Yes," Kurama said. "I do believe it will." Hiei let out a heavy sigh.

"You gonna let your mother grow on her own now?" he asked.

"Yes. We talked about it, and after she told me that she wouldn't want to regress in years, and why she wouldn't, I felt so enlightened. I knew what to do then. I think I've mended my error." Hiei smirked at him.

"Good," he said. "Does this mean you'll stop acting crazy?" Kurama chuckled at him.

"I sure hope so," he said. He sat up. "So?" he asked. "What shall we do on my first night of sanity?"

"Eat," Yusuke said, rubbing his stomach.

"Yeah..." Kuwabara said. "We...really haven't been eating lately... We were kinda worried about you."

"You never know how much you care about someone until they up and disappear on you," Yusuke said. Kurama smiled at them.

"You guys are so sweet to care," he said, getting up from the bed. He gave Kuwabara a tight hug, then went around the bed to hug Yusuke. When he pulled away and didn't hug Hiei, Hiei gave him a scowl.

"What about me?" he asked. "I was worried about you, too."

"Since when do you like to be touched?" Yusuke asked, pinching Hiei's cheek. Hiei's scowl grew.

"Not by the likes of you," he said, smacking Yusuke's hand away. Kurama chuckled at him.

"But by the likes of Kurama?" Yusuke asked. Hiei folded his arms and looked away.

"You're lucky I don't kill you for that."

"If you want a hug, Hiei, I'll definitely give you one," Kurama said.

"No," Hiei said. "Let's just go get something to eat." Yusuke nodded and stood and stretched.

"I'm too hungry for words," he said. The four guys walked to the door, and Kurama let Kuwabara and Yusuke walk out first. He placed his hand on Hiei's shoulder to stop him.

"What?" Hiei asked. Kurama leaned to whisper in his ear.

"I didn't hug you because I have a better way to show my appreciation to you for all that you've done for me." Hiei gave Kurama a confused look. Yusuke peeked at them from the doorway.

"You guys coming or what?" he asked. Kurama nodded and Yusuke moved away.

"That, my demon, is for when we're alone," Kurama whispered. Hiei's eyebrows raised in surprise. Kurama smirked and pressed his hand to Hiei's back to motion him out the door. He flipped out his desk lamp and closed the door behind him.

Thanks for reading guys! You all rock! I want to thank everyone who reviewed, and for making me feel oh so very rich!! Please review and peace out! Hope to see ya in another story and I sure hope you enjoyed this one! Latah!

J3