Author's Note: Hello everybody! Ok, first off, I'm really sorry that it's taking me so long to update. School starts in a week and things are getting pretty hectic. I'll try and update as often as possible, though. Thanks to all who reviewed! On with the story!

'I hate the Makai!'

I nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with Kuwabara's cry of frustration. After a day of traveling, my friends and I found ourselves in a rather large expanse of boggy hills. Since there was no way around them, we were forced to try and cross.

It was a disaster.

Struggling to lift my foot from the mid-calf deep muck, I overbalanced and fell forward, landing with a squelch on my face. With difficulty, I raised my head, spitting out the gritty mud. Yusuke reached down and pulled me up by my collar.

It was not the first time one of us had fallen. Both Yusuke and Kuwabara's hair was the same dull brown, their clothes and skin caked with mud. Hiei was the worst off. Kuwabara had actually fallen on top of him at the beginning of our trek, pressing the poor demon into the sludge. It had taken all three of us to pull him back out.

I looked past my friends toward the other side of the bog. About a mile off was a belt of trees, signaling firm ground. I smiled.

'Look,' I said, pointing north. 'We're almost out of here.'

Yusuke sighed in relief. 'Good,' he said. 'I was starting to think this was a bad idea.' I snorted derisively, ignoring his comment. Hey, he was the one who decided to come, right?

Suddenly, Kuwabara cried out as he tripped. He fell headlong, splattering the rest of us with mud. Hiei glared at him.

'If any of you fall one more time, I swear I'll make sure you don't get back up,' he spat, his words dripping venom. I stared at him in shock. He had never been so angry over things like this. Usually it was a sarcastic comment or scathing remark, never an outright threat.

'Hey, Kurama,' Yusuke whispered. 'Don't fall down.' I managed to laugh nervously at his weak attempt at a joke. Something was wrong with Hiei, but what?

I trudged my way over to the demon, leaving Yusuke to pull Kuwabara up. Hiei looked away as I came to his side.

'Inari, Hiei, what's wrong?' I asked. He 'hned' at me, not replying. I sighed.

'Come on, little dragon,' I implored, using my nickname for him. He hated that name with a vengeance, and I knew it. I only used it when I needed his attention.

It worked. He turned, glaring at me. 'Won't you tell me what's bothering you?' I asked.

Hiei just sneered and kept walking. I sighed again, my patience wearing thin. Shaking my head, I let it go. He'd talk later.

That evening we made it to the trees. Luckily, there was a small stream running through it. We all washed off, grateful to be clean. I made a fire, and soon we were lounging around, taking a short reprieve.

'So, Kurama,' Yusuke asked. 'How far to the ice plains?' I pointed farther north.

'It's just a little farther,' I replied. 'We should make it by morning.' Kuwabara groaned.

'What?' he complained. 'We're gonna travel through the night?'

'Yes,' I answered. 'But you two can sleep for a couple hours. We'll go when the moon rises.'

Kuwabara seemed happy with that. He promptly rolled over, falling asleep amazingly fast. Yusuke followed suit, and soon the two humans were snoring quite loudly.

Shaking my head in amusement, I turned to regard Hiei. The demon was sitting with his back against a tree, his eyes closed in an uneasy sleep. Standing up, I made my way over to him quietly.

I started in surprise when I got a closer look at him. He was very pale, and cold sweat beaded his brow. I placed my hand against his forehead, being careful not to press on the Jagan eye.

'Inari, Hiei!' I exclaimed, jerking my hand away. 'You're burning up!'

My cry woke up the little demon. He glared at me through glassy eyes.

'What do you want, fox?' he growled. I shook my head in surprise.

'Hiei, you have a fever,' I said. He shook his head stubbornly.

'You forget that I'm a fire demon,' he snapped. 'I don't get 'fevers.''

He shivered abruptly. I grabbed a blanket from my pack, handing it to him.

'Face it, Hiei,' I said. 'You're sick.'

Sick. The thought brought Dr. Ryo's words back.

'Well, it mostly starts with a fever and chills. The person then experiences severe nausea. After that, they usually lose consciousness. They then slip into a coma, and are dead by the next day.'

'Hiei,' I said urgently. 'Now is not the time to be stubborn. Be honest and tell me how you feel.'

He glared at me yet again, but hesitated when he caught the pleading look in my eyes. He resisted for a moment, then sighed in resignation.

'I feel cold,' he said. 'But my skin is warm. I can't eat, either. It won't stay down.'

I closed my eyes as sick fear washed over me. 'All right,' I said. I tried my best to keep my voice steady. 'You just wrap up and go back to sleep, ok?'

Hiei looked at me doubtfully, but nodded. Easing down, he covered himself with the blanket and once again fell into a restless sleep.

I moved over to the fire, the situation overwhelming. I drew a shuddering breath, fighting down panic.

Yusuke woke up at that, looking over at me in bleary concern. Shaking off sleep, he came and sat next to me.

'What's wrong, Kurama?' he asked. I looked at him, unshed tears shining in my eyes. I said only two words, but Yusuke understood perfectly what it meant.

'Hiei's sick.'

To be continued…

Author's Note: Well, there you have it. First Kurama's mother, now his best friend. Time suddenly just got a lot shorter. What will happen to Hiei? What's going on in the Human World? Will anyone survive? So many questions. Hehehe. I just love cliffhangers, don't you? Please review! Until next time!