There was a deathly silence on Kurama's end of the phone. For a second Hiei was worried if Kurama would ever reply. After a few more seconds of the eerie silence, Hiei hung up the phone and flitted back to Kurama's room. He paled and his heart twisted painfully at the sight of his friend. Obviously it didn't take long for Kurama to react to the sudden news. Tears were streaming freely down his face, though his body wasn't shaking with sobs. The tears were constantly dripping onto the floor. His green eyes were wide, still, looking straight across the room to the picture of his mother sitting on his desk.

"Are you still there Shuichii?" Hiei heard the doctor question.

"Oh, um yes. I'm sorry, that's just not... quite what I was expecting..."

Hiei was surpirsed at the fox's strength, once again. His voice did not waver, it did not shake. It sounded like it always did, every day that Hiei would speak to him, and he would answer back.

Hiei strained his ears to pick up the doctor's other words. "So what do you have to say about that?"

"Is she doing all right?"

"Yes, she is actually quite fine. Probably stronger then before this little... mishap," the doctor replied, annoyance clear in his voice.

With the tears still falling, Kurama replied fiercly: "I will tell you the truth doctor: I did not try to kill my mother. I would never do such a thing. You know how much I love her."

"Yes, and I also know that your mother would not lie about such a thing Shuichii."

"I agree doctor. That's what I thought." And with that, Kurama hung up the phone. He stood still for quite some time. Hiei dared not speak until the fox did something.

Kurama finally collapsed on the floor; the phone was flung across the room. He started to sob uncontrollably. This was only the second time Hiei had seen him cry, and only once seen him cry like this.

Hiei took two steps towards him, for that was all that was needed to be close to him. Hiei knelt down so he was eye-level with the fox. Kurama's head was bent and his shoulders were shaking. His hands were clenched in fists against the carpet. Hiei leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him tight. After a while, Kurama seemed to melt into Hiei's arms, and he fell down on his side, his head in Hiei's lap.

Hiei felt like a mother, and it disgusted him, but he felt that this was the right thing to do in a situation with the fox like this, so he did not try to stop.

Hiei looked towards the window as a cold blast of air hit his side. Kurama hadn't shut the window since Hiei had arrived, and the weather was turning cold again. He would have gotten up to shut it, but unfortunatly, Hiei was between the ground and the fox, and getting up would unsettle the boy, so he left the window.

Kurama had calmed down somewhat, but the sobs were still strong, the gasps still short and uneven, and his breath ragged.

"Shh... it'll be fine.." Hiei soothed, much to his surprise. Now caring for the fox in this sort of way seemed to come naturally to him, and as another surpise, he realized that he really didn't mind.