The two were silent as they cleaned up and bandaged Mrs. Minimino's wounds, until Kurama excused himself to carry her, still asleep, up to her bedroom. Yusuke leaned against the marble countertop in the kitchen, staring at the floor that just a few minutes before had been splattered with blood and broken glass from her ... episode. Something about the scene he had witnessed disturbed him more than anything he had seen in quite sometime. It meant something about him, about his life, but he couldn't put his finger on it; and he couldn't imagine the agony Kurama felt. His mother- she had...

"Yusuke," Kurama had returned. "I'd like to go back to the greenhouse. She'll be asleep for a few hours."

They returned to the moss-covered picnic table among the jungle of the greenhouse, where the tea and cucumber sandwiches remained untouched. Yusuke studied the sandwiches, which had their crusts carefully cut off, and tried to reconcile it with the violent, confused and scared creature in the kitchen. He could not.

"Please, eat." Kurama encouraged. "She worked so hard on them."

Yusuke nodded and popped one into his mouth- it was delicious. He nodded appreciatively. "Damn, not bad for..." He didn't finish the thought.

"I know," Kurama began.

Silence settled on them again. Kurama placed his hands on the table, feeling the moss between his fingers. His nails- they were longer. It was nearly imperceptible, but definitely longer.

After a full minute, Yusuke could take the quiet for no longer.

"What do you need from me, Kurama?" He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled, "This is not my typical case."

Kurama leveled his gaze at Yusuke. "I'd like to begin by assuring you, old friend, that I have done everything in my power before I called you to fix this. I'll spare you the litany of experimental drugs we've tried, of demon-world plants I've concocted into countless elixirs, of doctors between all three realms I've called on and brought her to. None of them had any effect. It is as if this malady was written in her genetic code to occur. To steal her from us. I've even called on Genkai- her spirit wave techniques accomplished nothing."

Yusuke's eyes widened. "You're shitting me."

Kurama shook his head, "She said this is the curse of the human existence. Sickness, loss. She encouraged me to make her comfortable and..."

Kurama stared at the moss on the table. Quiet again.

Kurama held his hand up and studied the nails. "They're longer" he said to no one in particular. "Of course they are."

"Why?" Yusuke questioned. "Those are Youko features, right? I thought you were done with that part of yourself."

Kurama shook his head again. "Youko is inextricable from Suichi. We are merged, Yusuke. I realize this now; but at one point, during the tournament in demon world, I could feel the old nature threatening to erase all I've gained in my human existence. I could not allow that. Although I confess, this ordeal has led me to question those priorities." He clasped his hands. "No, Youko and Suichi are one. But this appearance of features is not welcome. It will make it difficult for my identity as Suichi to continue in this world if it progresses." He clicked his fingernails together. "Which it has."

Yusuke studied him, perplexed. "Why is it happening, though?"

"Since I entered this empty vessel, my spirit and demon energies have at times battled within me, but as I grew older and matured as a human, they reached a sort of homeostasis. Spirit energy, you see, is the product of mortal life, of living. The older I got, the more my human spirit energy could match and mix with what remains of my demon energy, of Youko. This may be something you could relate to." He glanced at Yusuke.

Yusuke shrugged, "I don't think about all that. Whatever pops up in a fight or training, I go with."

"Of course." Kurama chuckled a little. He continued, "This ordeal with my mother, it's been going on for six months, Yusuke. As it gets worse, it's harder for me to handle, something which I'm not too keen on admitting out loud. It drains my spirit, and hence, my spirit energy. As a human, I am weakened. Youko's energy increases to maintain homeostasis, the change affects the body. Spending time in my fox form seems to slow my physical changes, as if it appeases Youko, but seeing her this way, being powerless this way," he hung his head before locking his eyes again with Yusuke's. "It is literally killing Suichi."

The spirit detective stared in stunned silence. He could see it- the weary eyes. He'd never seen Kurama so low, so close to lifeless. There was a gray pallor to his face; he almost didn't want to look at him.

Kurama went on without a response from Yusuke. "And within me, my natures disagreed on courses of action. Suichi can't bare to lose her, but can't survive watching this dissent. Youko wishes to end her misery, but cannot lose Suichi, which he would. I am not strong enough to end her life, which would have been the only way out."

Yusuke threw his hands up. "Whoah, dude. That is not something I can do. I feel for you, I'll help any other way, but mercy killing is not in my list of services."

"No. This is not my request," Kurama began calmly. "Even if I asked you too, I fear I'd step in and kill you on instinct."

Yusuke gulped and laughed nervously, "Well I'm glad that option is off the table."

Yusuke swallowed before rubbing his chin, deep in thought. "So we need to stop this- for you and for her. What's the plan? It's not like we can just kick dementia's ass. That's usually what I'm called for."

Kurama seemed to perk up a bit at the mention of a plan. He poured himself and his guest a cup of tea, summoning a trumpet vine up from the dirt floor, which curled around the table leg before quickly growing a flower. The flower positioned itself above the tea cup and dribbled a few drops of nectar into it. It then pointed towards Yusuke's. Kurama gestured towards it, "It's quite delicious."
"Sure," Yususke shrugged. "I'll try the flower juice." The flower deposited a few drops into Yusuke's tea as well. Yusuke took a swig and nodded appreciatively before continuing his questions. "What else is there to try?" He ticked off the options on his fingers, "You've tried doctors, drugs, spirit techniques, every plant in your arsenal..."

Kurama took a sip before stating flatly, "The plan is sorcery."

The Spirit Detective knitted his eyebrows and leaned forward. "Sorcery?"

"Yes, Sorcery."

"You're being serious?"

"I'm rarely not."

Yusuke leaned back and glanced around the glass hall, studying the vines which crept up the windows and canopied the room, then looking down at the speckles of sunlight that made it through to the dirt floor. He searched his memories for his encounters with sorcery, realizing they had been few. Rando had used some form of sorcery, which in light of more recent foes, did not make a good case for its usefulness; there was the demon painter Kurama had faced- it's application was limited too. Could Itsuki's magic be counted as sorcery? Koenma's Mafuuken? Even so, how would it translate to this very human problem? He gave up.

"Explain."

Kurama took another sip of tea. "Of course. You haven't seen many examples of sorcery. You haven't, because nobody has."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow as Kurama continued. "You see, Yusuke, Sorcery is perhaps the most powerful weapon known to any of the three plains. Demon energy and Spirit energy have hosts of applications, but sorcery in the hands of an experienced practitioner can do tenfold the damage," he turned his hand over on the table to illustrate. "And tenfold the good."

Yusuke popped another sandwich into his mouth absentmindedly, "So why haven't we seen much of it then?"

"Because, Yusuke, King Enma is a jealous deity," Kurama explained coolly. "The other, well, I suppose you could call them gods- were threats to him. He seduced one of the most powerful sorceresses in the feudal era into casting a spell which deceived the other deities and the most powerful demon and human sorcerers into a deep dimension of demon world. He knew the threats they posed to him, and to the balance between the worlds, so he removed them thoroughly and effectively. They are quite deep,and have been unable to surface for many hundreds of years now. But I am confident that they, like the most powerful demons in history, still exist in those deep dimensions of spirit world."

Without realizing it, Yusuke had drank his entire cup of tea as he listened, enthralled. Deep dimensions of demon world? King Enma manipulating his way into power? He lifted the empty cup to his lips and scowled at it when nothing came out. He set it back on the table and Kurama refilled it.

"King Enma... cheated?"

"Yes, Yusuke. It is something he may not be proud of now, but he cheated. In honesty, it was probably for the better of all three realms- those enormous powers trivialized the lives of most other creatures, and destroyed human villages and civilizations so effectively that it stunted their advancements. It was a dirty way to reach his goal, but it is done now."

Yusuke grappled with the information in his mind, but was not entirely surprised by the revelation. He chose to set the internal debate to the side. "So if sorcery is so powerful, why haven't they escaped those deep dimensions then?"

"Sacrificial Kekai barriers. They are nigh unbreakable spells, and self-repairing when set with a parisitic spell. King Enma sacrified powerful demons and deities to erect them, and attached them to his own energy to replenish them should they be weakened or injured. There are three of them, one for each level between the first demon plane and the fourth, where the first group was deposited. While information is understandably limited- nobody comes out that goes in- it does not suggest they have gotten past even the first barrier."

"So we are breaking into the hell of the hell of the hell of the hell?" Yusuke questioned.

"Yes."

"To find beings so powerful that even King Enma is scared of them?"

"Yes."

"And ask them for help?"

"Essentially yes."

Yusuke crossed his arms and thought for a moment before looking back up at Kurama.

"How do we know they'll help us? That the spell exists, even? And-" Yusuke rubbed the back of his head and broke eye contact. "Why me? You know I'm not the strongest. Yomi beat me, fair and square. He's your friend, why not ask him?"

Kurama reached over and put a hand on Yusuke's shoulder. "Because Yusuke, you are my friend. I trust you. Yomi has no interest in helping me save Suichi or his mother. He has only ever cared about Youko. You are perhaps the only other person who can truly understand my plight. And of the many warriors who have fought by my side, my faith in you is as great as any of the others."

Yusuke was unsure of how to respond. "Thank you, Kurama."

"And Yusuke, during that same fight with Yomi, you displayed an energy type totally unique to you, nobody, not even Koenma had ever witnessed it before. I doubt any of those demons would have witnessed it either. It could take them by surprise."

Yusuke nodded.

"As for the spell, I have my sources. I know what I need to collect. And, I have an offering."

Yusuke perked up, "What is it?"

Kurama held his hand up. "I hope you can trust me, Yusuke, it's not something I can tell you right now."

Yusuke mulled this over. "How do we get in and past the barriers?"

"You're the first person of the team I've asked. I suspect you know the next one."

Yusuke nodded. He wasn't sure if Kuwabara would go along- like Yusuke, he'd gotten a straight job. He knew he'd stayed in shape, though. Like Yusuke, he moonlighted at Genkai's training camp, and the two sparred from time to time to keep their skills sharp. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Yusuke took another swig of tea. "I'll have to ask Keiko. And the ramen stand- we need the income. I could see if Marasu will cover for me. He's still on break from school for some time."

"Of course."

"Who will be with your mother while you are gone?"

"I have another old friend of ours who has volunteered. I have faith that she can handle it and treat my mother with kindness even in her horrible moments."

Botan, Kuwabara, Yusuke and Kurama- if all went to plan, nearly the entire team would be working together again. Yusuke's felt a flittering of butterfulies in his stomach. Something about the potential mission excited him- and something else about it gripped him in fear. What was it? He had faced the strongest enemies known to his realm, and yet something about Kurama's sudden challenge sent chills down his spine. He couldn't put his finger on it...

He was yanked from his contemplation by the sudden ring of the communication mirror in his pocket. He slipped it out and flipped it open- Koenma, in his baby form at his desk surrounded by towering stacks of papers. He appeared irritated. "Yusuke, I don't have much time, but we have another D Class gang raising hell in Raiki City. Can you get there in the next two hours?" His voice was staticky.

"Yes, sir. Do you uh... have the advance?"

Koenma's eyes narrowed. "Yes, Yusuke. Botan will have it with her when she comes to pick you up."

"Thanks, sir, I'm at your disposal." Yusuke grinned and flipped the mirror shut. Kurama gave him a puzzled look.

"What?" Yusuke asked. "A guy's gotta eat."

Yusuke and Kurama shook hands before he departed, with the spirit detective swearing to call before the end of the next day. As Yusuke walked down the path to his bike beyond the gate, he looked back to see Kurama still waving out the window, his smile fading and the exhaustion returning in full force to his face.

Hang in there, Kurama.