Yusuke straightened his jacket and checked his immaculately coiffed hair in the chrome on his bicycle before locking it to the pole and approaching the sprawling manor before him. It was a traditional-looking house with a wide roof overhang, an awning over the front door, and large windows on both stories. Sprays of flowers bordered the path to the door and the front and sides of the house. An old tree, twisted and knotty, leaned over the edge of the short stone fence, lending shade to the sidewalk. Yusuke straightened his jacket and rubbed the wrinkles from his nicest pair of blue jeans as he approached the gate. He fished the slip of paper from his pocket and punched the code written on it into the keypad. The gate emitted a quiet click, and he slipped in, careful to close it behind him. He stopped again to take in the beautiful garden and admire the flowers- orchids and rose bushes making up the majority. It had been a few years since he'd been here. He slowly made his way up the path.

The call from Kurama had surprised him when he received it four days before. Of course, they talked every few months, particularly when Yusuke needed to pick his brain for collateral information on some small case he was working as spirit detective. The calls were cordial, and Kurama always kind and considerate as usual, but they were short. And it was always Yusuke calling him. This was not some break down of relationship- both men were busy in their adult lives, though Kurama much more so. Yusuke had a wife, young daughter, ramen stand and spirit detective work to tend to; Kurama was some sort of big wig at a pharmaceutical company, and even though unmarried still, had his mother staying with him after the unexpected death of her husband some years before, his little brother being away at college. What had been surprising about the call four days before had been that Kurama had called him, and he was vague over the phone, and rather short.

"I need you, Yusuke." He hadn't even begun the call with his normal greetings or introductions, but Yusuke recognized the smooth tenor of his friend. "Come to my home, right up to the the door. Write down the gate code... Friday, 6pm. Can you make it?" Of course he could. Whatever it was, the tightness in his voice meant the Yusuke could make the time, no matter what.

Yusuke glanced again at the imposing house- Kurama's work definitely paid the bills. Yusuke smiled a little- he knew the house was more for Kurama's mother than for him. He knocked on the tall oak door before taking a step back and straightening out his clothes again. Why was he so nervous? Kurama and him had been through the dirt together, teammates during the most intense fights of Yusuke's life. Yet, they hadn't seen each other in person since the funeral for Kurama's step father three years ago, and their interaction had been short. Since Yusuke's return from demon world ten years ago, he hadn't seen much of any of the others, with the exception of Kuwabara. Maybe it was Kurama's wealth that intimidated him now, or the strange tension in his voice over the phone.

The door swung open to reveal Kurama's mother, a pretty, slender woman around 50 years old. Her face lit up as she looked over her visitor. "Mr. Urameshi! What a nice surprise!" She hugged Yusuke as he chuckled, "Nice to see you too, Mrs. M!" She shepherded him through the door. "You look so grown up! Do come in, I'll go get the tea and some snacks ready. Suichi is in his greenhouse in the back. Please forgive my hair, I just got up from a nap." Yusuke watched as she turned towards the kitchen. He made his way straight down the wide hallway lined with family photos to the glass doors at the end which led to the greenhouse. Stepping through them, the fresh air and fragrant scents filled his lungs. A few small trees were sprinkled throughout the large room, while tall, lush, leafy foliage filled pots in rows of tables and raised flower beds. A striking purple plant sent a vine creeping towards him as he passed, but froze in place when he stopped to look at it directly. There was a jungle like feel to it all, and Yusuke made his way carefully through as he looked for his friend. He glanced down at one of the potted plants, and feeling the soft leaves, discovered a small wilted branch. He frowned.

"Hey, Kurama!" Yusuke called out. "Where ya at?" He reached the back of the hall to find, among the many plants, a silver fox curled up and napping on a bed of lavender flowers, in a puddle of sunlight. It was quite large for a fox and had many curled tails.

"Kurama?" Yusuke called softly, crouching down and reaching towards the animal.

In an instant, the lavender plants shot up like a barrier, now covered in enormous black thorns. The fox leapt to it's feet and posed defensively, showing teeth and peering with big, red eyes. With a look of recognition toward the visitor, it seemed to relax and took a seated position before disappearing with a flash of light and a few whisps of smoke. Standing where the fox had been was Kurama, his red hair hanging over his shoulders onto his maroon blazer. He stood a little taller now and had filled out since their escapades as teens. He sported a goatee, lending a more mature look to his otherwise still youthful face. And yet... something about him looked much older than before.

"Yusuke," Kurama smiled, outstretching his hand. Yusuke swatted it to the side. "Get that out of here!" Yusuke pulled him into a tight hug. "It's been too long, man!" Kurama, tensed at first, relaxed and raised his arms to return the embrace, chuckling a little. "It has, Yusuke. I'm glad to see you."

Yusuke released him and stepped back. "Same here! How is it going?"

The smile ran away from Kurama's face. He was quiet for a moment, and looked to the floor. Yusuke studied him in silent surprise. It was rare for his friend to be lost for words. It was then that Yusuke identified what it was that made Kurama look so much older: two streaks of silver hair stood in stark contrast to the rest of his fiery locks, and a few silver hairs stood out in his beard and eyebrows, too. But these were not the most aging feature; it was Kurama's eyes that were most jarring. Still a brilliant green, deep bags had formed beneath them, quite dark in comparison to his otherwise pale skin.

Kurama shook his head and looked back up at Yusuke, forcing a smile. "We'll get to that in due time. How are you? I don't think you've aged a day since our last meeting."

"I wish I could say the same for you." Yusuke blurted. "That work must be something else, I could carry groceries in those bags under your eyes."

Kurama smiled weakly. "It's part of the reason I've called you here. But please, more pleasant talk first. Tell me how you've been."

Yusuke allowed the redirection and launched into his diatribe about Keiko's nagging, his daughter Gen's unreasonable number of school activities he had to attend, the rising costs at the grocery store he got his ramen supplies from, and the recent uptick in petty demons appearing in neighboring cities. "But honestly," Yusuke smiled, "I'm as happy as I've ever been. I mean, life's a struggle, but after the shit we've been through, this is living the high life."

Kurama placed his hand on Yusuke's shoulder, "You've come a long way, Yusuke." Yusuke shrugged the hand off awkwardly and muttered, "Well ya didn't have to make it all weird..." Kurama laughed. "And yet, you're still the same as ever."

Kurama led Yusuke over to a picnic-style table among a few rose bushes. Looking on the ground below them, Yusuke observed a few yellowed leaves which had fallen off.

"Kurama, good as it is to catch up, cut the small talk. Something is up."

"Of course. We must discuss the business at hand. I'm unsure of where to start-" Kurama's mother came in holding a tray, carefully placing a tea kettle, cups and a plate of cucumber sandwiches on the table. Yusuke gave her the thumbs up. "Thanks! These look great." She blushed. "Eat up, I'll be in the kitchen while you two talk business." Kurama smiled gently as he looked over at her. "Thank you, mother." There was something else in his eyes, Yusuke noticed. Something... desperate.

Waiting for Mrs. Minimino to leave the room, Yusuke turned back to Kurama. "Let's start with your face. What's up with it? You're too young to go grey."

Kurama grimaced. "As I feared, it's quite noticeable." He ran his hand absent mindedly through the long, smooth crimson locks. "But I'm not going grey, I'm going silver."

Yusuke stopped to consider for a moment. "It's a curse, right? Someone has cursed you and it's straining your spirit power. That would explain the plants, the silver-"

Kurama held up a hand. "No, Yusuke. There's no curse." He sighed and picked up the kettle and cups. "Will you lift those?" Kurama gestured towards the sandwiches. Yusuke did as he was asked. Kurama waved his hand over the table, soft moss covering it. He sat the kettle and cups down atop it. Then, he was quiet, contemplative.

"So what is it?" Yusuke cut in. "Something is sapping your spirit power. I can see it." He gestured towards the yellowed leaves on the rose bush.

Kurama looked deeply into his eyes. There it was again, the desperation.

"There is no curse, no sap on my spirit power."

Kurama broke the eye contact, looking now to some unspecific spot on the floor. "I'm tired, Yusuke."

That was not the answer Yusuke had expected.

"Tired of what? Is it the drug company?"

Kurama shook his head sadly. "This has nothing to do with work. As busy as it keeps me, it isn't overwhelming. It's a battle, same as the many I've fought with you. A different sort to be sure, but a battle all the same. What concerns me today is-"

"EEEEEEEEEEE!"

A blood-curdling scream and the sound of shattering glass from within the house cut him off mid sentence.

"Mother!"

Without another word, Kurama and Yusuke were on their feet and sprinting inside.

She continued to scream as the two rushed in. The kitchen looked like a crime scene; blood splattered on the white marble counters and floor, covering the jagged shards from a broken bowl in her hand. Mrs Minimino paced back and forth, holding her hand, dripping blood, and screaming: "SUICHIII!"

Kurama rushed to her, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her out to the dining room as she continued to scream. She struck him as he held her, blood splattering his blazer and shirt, "Where's my Suichi? SUICHIII!" Kurama took each blow, his face calm, his voice low, barely audible over the screaming. "I'm here, mother. I'm right here." Yusuke braced himself and scanned the room.

"I'll run around the house and find the intruder."

"No." Kurama commanded. He sat his screaming mother in a chair as she continued to strike him in the face, scratching and slapping, searching the room frantically as she continued to scream,

"Where is he? What have you done with him? My boy...SUICHIII!"

"I'm sure I can catch whoever-" Yusuke protested.

"No." Kurama said firmly again.

Mrs. Minimino spit on Kurama's face. "Fuck you!" He flinched. She tried to stand, to flip the table. Kurama held her down with an arm. She bit it. With his free hand, he reached towards an empty pot on the table, and swirling his fingers, an enormous poppy flower sprouted . He plucked it, and dodging a slap, placed it beneath his mother's nose. Yusuke stood frozen, shocked.

"It's me mother, Suichi, I'm here."

"SUIIICHIII! You fucker! Where is he? SUIIICHIII!"

"I'm right here."

A heavy slap across his face echoed off the walls. "Suichi!"

"I'll always be right here."

"Sui...chi..."

She inhaled from the poppy deeply and her muscles relaxed.

"I love you, mother."

She raised her hand weakly and caressed his face. "My... Su...Ichi..."

Her hand fell to her side and her eyes flickered shut. Kurama removed his arm and hung his head. The room was silent. Kurama stared quietly at his mother's now peaceful face.

Yusuke's stomach dropped. A few tears were streaming down Kurama's cheeks, creating a trail through the bloody handprint on the side of his face.

"There's no intruder, Yusuke. " He said unsteadily. He withdrew a white handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the spit, tears, and blood from his face.

"She has early, and aggressive dementia."