Boton eyed Hiei and his sudden interest with suspicion. She wasn't quite sure what had provoked it, and therefore, wasn't sure whether or not to humor him. But Kurama had told her to give their "guest" whatever he asked—barring the key to the door—so he might allow it. Still, it was far more difficult to take back words better left unsaid.

"No."

He blinked slowly. She wasn't sure whether in surprise, or contemplation. But then again, trying to read his emotions was like trying to read invisible ink. Impossible without the right tools; so she might as well have been trying to read a blank page.

He interrupted her train of thought to ask, "Who are you?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. Was he just being difficult now? "I already told you," she said patiently, "I'm Kurama's secretary."

"And you live with him."

It wasn't a question. But then again, she'd told him she wasn't going to answer his questions. "Yes."

"Does anyone else?"

Boton sighed, resigned. "I suppose that information's harmless enough. Of course there are others. The cook, for one. And the maids. His bodyguard."

Hiei grimaced. Like the man needed bodyguards.

Boton continued, warming to the subject. "Actually, it's like a private city. Anything that needs to be done can be done by someone who lives here. It's terribly convenient…is something wrong?"

She stared as Hiei suddenly lunged toward her and snatched the tray out of her hands, scattering soup and carrots everywhere. She barely had time to blink in surprise before the shining sheet of silver came smashing into the side of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.

Hiei stood still for a moment, forcing down the panic that had her innocent words had triggered. He still wasn't sure why they made him so uneasy. A fuzzy idea began to form in the back of his mind, but vanished the moment he tried to grab hold of it.

He decided to let it alone for the moment, and concentrate on escape. He searched the unconscious girl for a key, and came up with several. He tried them all, pocketing even the ones that didn't work. Who knew when they might come in handy?

The moment his hand touched the doorknob, vines from the potted plant nearby came flying and encircled his wrists. Disgustedly, he ripped them off and practically flew out the door. He should have remembered who he was dealing with.

The attacks from random plants continued as he ran down the hallway. He knew there was no way he could keep them off for much longer. Soon enough he'd get assaulted by something deadly. But neither was going back an option. Inspiration hit when he glanced up in order to dodge a falling clay pot. Three minutes later the hallway was once again empty.

A very confused orange haired teenager stared as the hallway on a video screen began to blur, and then was replaced by crackling black and white lines. He flipped open his phone and called his boss.

Meanwhile, Hiei was busy crawling on his hands and knees through the mansion's ventilation system. It was incredibly dusty up there. And dark, except for the small slits of light that shone out through the open vents. The back of his neck was beginning to cramp up from the awkward position in which he was holding it.

"…nothing else I can do." Hiei paused to listen to the voices floating up from the room beneath him. "Your mother has a fatal disease; she has less than a year to live."

Whose mother?

"Thank you for coming doctor." That was Kurama's voice. Hiei leaned forward, straining to catch every word.

Kurama has a mother? Hiei wondered, then immediately felt stupid. Everyone had a mother. That Kurama was taking care of her personally was what was unusual. Weren't there people one could pay to do things like that? It wasn't as if money was an issue.

The other man spoke again, "Son, my advice to you would be to spend as much time with her now as you can. I know someone like yourself doesn't have much down time, but someone like her doesn't have much life time left. She'd be glad to see you more often."

"I'll take that into consideration."

Hiei caught the muffled sounds of a coat being pulled on, and hard shoes clacking away over wood floors. He heard Kurama sigh.

"Come down from there, please. It was not built to support people."

Hiei froze in astonishment. Kurama was bluffing. He had to be. At least, that's what Hiei thought until the grate was ripped off right before his nose, and a pale arm reached up and grabbed him. Hiei obediently descended, then rounded on the man.

"How could you tell I was up there?"

Kurama smiled, his eyes glinting, "I could smell you."

Hiei choked. What? Kurama pretended not to notice. He went over to a large wooden desk opposite the door and began to sort papers. "I heard you were causing some trouble this morning."

Hiei said nothing. He had figured Kurama would be first to know when the camera's went out. Or had Boton revived yet?

"Was there something wrong with your room? Do you need a new one?"

Hiei laughed. Kurama stared, his face carefully maintaining an indifferent expression, but his eyes showed irritation. Good. So there was a way to get under his skin after all.

"What do you want with me?" Hiei decided to get straight to the crux of the matter, "Why am I still here?"

Kurama only looked at him for a long moment. "You're not ready to hear that yet."

Hiei could only stare in frustration as Kurama gathered up his papers and exited, stony faced. It seemed he would have to seek his answers elsewhere.

Kurama walked quickly down the hall, annoyed with himself. That little conversation hadn't gone at all as planned. But it was beginning to seem impossible to control anything involving that thief anymore. Then again, Kurama specialized in impossible.

Now, however, he had other things to deal with. Four flights of stairs and two doorways more and he found himself facing a stainless steel door. It looked incredibly out of place in the wood paneled, carpeted hallway. That inconsistency bothered Kurama. But it was necessary.

He typed in the seven letter password and stepped back as the door slid silently open. He made sure it shut just as quickly once he was inside.

"…Suichi?" a weak voice asked from the bed. She had always insisted on calling him by his childhood nickname. It didn't bother him when she did it, though were anyone else to try it they would find themselves with a black eye.

"Yes mother."

"What did the doctor tell you?" She struggled to sit up, and he rushed over to help her.

"There's nothing to worry about. You'll recover soon," he promised.

She smiled wryly. "He didn't say that."

Kurama looked at her. Her skin was so pale, and he could clearly see each one of her ribs through the pajama top she was wearing. She was so fragile. But her eyes hadn't yet lost their light. "No, you're right. He didn't phrase it quite like that."

She laughed softly, until it turned to hacking coughs. He rushed to get her a glass of water, which she sipped gratefully. "Thank you dear. Now come, tell me about your company. Is it doing well?"

He entertained her for a while in that manner, describing deals, stuffy meetings, and interesting co-workers. She especially liked to hear about the people he worked with. The ones he lived with interested her too.

"How is that pretty brown-haired girl, the one who brings me soup and crackers?" She inquired, smiling sweetly. "I haven't seen her lately."

"Shizuru had a cold. I was worried she might infect you; and your immune system isn't up to taking that kind of strain just yet. I'll send her in as soon as she's completely healed." Kurama promised.

"Good, that's good. And is her brother still here as well? He is such a gentleman," Shiori said, giggling like a tenth grader.

Kurama couldn't help but smile back. "Yes, he's been busy lately too."

"Helping you?"

"Yes. Have you taken your medicine yet?" Kurama asked, turning this way and that, searching for the bottle.

"I never forget," Shiori joked, waving the small container in front of his face. "You'd think my life depended on it or something."

"Yes," Kurama agreed, "You do have a good memory. Especially when it comes to moments I'd much rather forget."

"Ah, but that's the fun of being a mom. You can still blackmail your children, even when they're grown up." Shiori smiled proudly, but her eyes were sad as she tucked a lock of red hair behind Kurama's ear.

Kurama felt the sudden need to reassure her, "You're going to be all right."

She withdrew her hand. "Of course I will be. Now run along, you've spent more than enough time here with me."

Kurama knew a dismissal when he heard one. He gathered up his things and stood to leave. She lay her head back on the pillow, staring restlessly at the walls. It was good to see the spark in her eyes. It meant she hadn't yet given up yet. But neither had he.