After Hiei was newly dressed in his black outfit it felt like every ounce of his energy and strength was gone. It took everything he had just to crawl back into the hospital bed. Since no one else was in the room he put the breathing mask back on in hopes that he'd stop breathing so heavily.

A few minutes later Koenma reentered the room and said, "Your passage to human world is ready. Hiei?"

"I'm not returning there," Hiei said, taking off the mask.

"Right now your energy levels are that of an out of shape human," Koenma explained coldly, "even climbing stairs will be difficult. You can't stay here forever and going back to demon world is out of the question right now."

Hiei drew his sword and said, "Are you underestimating me?" It felt heavier than it ever had before. He struggled to level it at Koenma.

"Don't be stupid, Hiei," he said, "even if you could withstand demon world's rotten winds do you really think you could protect yourself? I can tell you're stuggling to even hold your sword." Hiei glared at him and returned his sword. "You know I'm right, Hiei," Koenma added. Hiei growled at him out of anger. Koenma continued, "The portal to human world is open. Genkai is waiting for you. Yukina knows to try and use her healing energy on you. Try not to kill anyone or take over the world while you're there this time." He lead Hiei out of the room and down the hall to a small portal to the human world.

The opening lead straight to Genkai's temple in the middle of nowhere. Yukina and Genkai were waiting outside for him. "Hiei!" Yukina said, "I'm sorry to hear what happened to you. I'll lead you to your guest bedroom while you're staying here."

"Don't worry," Genkai said, "you'll be safe here."

"I wasn't worried you old hag," he replied hastily. Why am I so tired? he asked himself as he walked to Yukina, Even after the jagan eye implant I could still walk just fine. It's like all of my life energy has been sucked out of me.

Yukina opened the door to his room. It didn't have much, a fire place, a small bed, and that was about it. "You'll be staying here until you recover," she said, looking at him.

He didn't pay attention and slumped over to his bed and passed out before hitting the covers. "Hiei?" she asked. She walked over to him and saw that he was already sleeping.

Genkai said from the doorway, "Don't worry about him. He'll be awake and getting on our nerves sooner or later."

Sick of sleeping, Hiei went back outside and tried to muster a flame, even a small one. Those fools in spirit world were right, he confessed to himself, I can't even muster a small fire from my demon energy. Nothing is happening! Even after the jagan eye I had some fire left. He took his sword and tried to cut down a small tree.

He glared at it after only seeing a small cut had been made. He knew deep down that it wasn't the sword that was the problem, it was him. He was too weak to even weild his sword.

"Maybe the blade is dull," Yukina said from behind him.

Hiei turned around he saw her standing on the porch of the temple. "It's not the blade," he confessed, "dammit." He put his sword away and walked toward the temple. He could see his breath as we walked up to her. His body started to shake uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" Yukina asked nervously.

"Don't ask," he replied coldly.

"Why don't you come and eat with Genkai and I?" she asked, "It beats standing around out here alone."

Just the thought of eating made him want to throw up. "I can't eat anything now," he replied.

"Here," she said as she took his hand. She tried putting her healing energy into him. She couldn't sense anything healing, or anything happening really, but Koenma insisted that her energy would help since she's a demon.

After a few minutes Hiei pulled back. He asked, "What did you just do?"

"I put my energy into you like Koenma told me to," she replied, "why?"

His stomach calmed itself down and he felt like he could breathe normally again. Perhaps he wouldn't be stuck here for months after all. "Let's eat," he replied, avoiding the question.

They sat around a table on the floor in the traditional Japanese sense, only Hiei didn't sit on his legs, but with his elbows on his knees. Genkai confessed while drinking tea, "I'm surprised you're staying here so willingly, Hiei. I thought I'd have to force you to stay here."

"I don't have much of a choice," he replied angrily, "my sword can't even cut through a tree right now." He took a bite of some rice. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop shaking.

Yukina asked, "Are you okay Hiei?"

His teeth started to chatter. He asked, "What is this?"

"You're shivering because you're cold," Genkai replied, "Yukina, get him a few blankets." She stood up and left the room.

"Nonsence," he replied, "I've never been cold in my entire life." He had a hard time holding the glass in his hand and put it on the table.

Genkai replied, "You've always had an internal flame to keep you warm no matter what but now it's gone. You're going to need more blankets." Yukina returned with a few and Hiei wrapped himself up in two of them. They were certainly warmer than his jacket.

Yukina said sadly, "It's starting to snow."

"I'll go make sure my pipes don't freeze," Genkai said, standing up, "excuse me." She left the room.

Hiei asked, "You don't like snow? I thought you were an ice maiden."

She explained, "The animals go to hide when it starts snowing. Before I met everyone here, animals were my only real friends." She took a sip of tea.

"I don't like snow either," he confessed unwillingly. Just thinking about that snowfall before he was dropped off that cliff by Rui made him sick to his stomach again. That old feeling was returning.