Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Tibby: This is my first Yu Yu Hakusho fan fiction, so it probably stinks. I haven't seen a whole lot of Yu Yu Hakusho, but I've read a lot. I've even learned from other fan fictions I have read, a lot of them are on my Favorite Stories list. I hope I get this right!

((EDITED: Going back through my older fan fictions and re-wording a few things as well as replacing & symbols with "and." It's a LITTLE better structured, but not up to par with my current writing skill.))

"Shuichi, time to wake up!"

Kurama opened his eyes and sat up in bed, "That was a nice sleep."

Shiori knocked on his bedroom door and opened it slightly. She poked her head in and looked at him with a warm smile, "Rise and shine sleepyhead!"

He looked at her and returned the same warm smile, "Good morning."

Shiori continued smile, "Good morning Shuichi. I'm about to fix breakfast, so hurry up and get dressed."

He nodded and she pulled back out and closed the door. Kurama quickly jumped out of bed and changed out of his pajamas. He pulled up his pants and started to reach for his long sleeved shirt when he heard a scream and loud bumping noises.

He dashed out and ran to the staircase, pausing at the top temporarily, "Mother?"

Shiori was lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs.

He saw her and leaped the rest of the way down, "Mother!" He knelt down next to her and shook her gently, "Mother, are you okay?"

She groans and opens her eyes, slowly turning her gaze to look up at him and became paralyzed from fear.

Kurama noticed the fear in her eyes and felt alarmed, wondering what would scare her so, "Mother...?"

She scrambled away from him and up against a wall, trembling terribly, "Who are you, you monster...!"

Kurama's eyes widened in both surprise and confusion, "Monster...?"

A mirror seemed to materialize right next to him and he saw his reflection. What gazed back at him was not the warm and friendly Shuichi Minamino, but instead the cold, ruthless thief known as Youko Kurama.

He winced and slowly faced his mother, "Please don't be afraid of me mother, please. It's me, Shuichi..."

He slowly reached out towards her, but she pulled away. This act from her startled Kurama and tore him apart on the inside. He rammed his fist through the mirror and fell onto his elbows and knees.

He clutched his head and began sobbing, though, no tears streak down his face, "I'm sorry..."

Kurama snapped awake and sat up, breathing hard. He glanced around the room and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand, "It was only a dream..."

He caught a scent in the air and smiled, "Smells like mother's making breakfast."

He got out of bed and dressed in his normal attire before quietly making his way downstairs, peeking into the kitchen at his mother. He's relieved to see her doing her normal routine and that she's all right.

She doesn't notice him as he walked up behind her and jumped slightly when he gave her a hug.

He smiled warmly at her, mentally pushing the nightmare away, "Good morning."

She gazed up at him and smiled, "Good morning Shuichi, I was just about to wake you. Breakfast should be ready in about five minutes."

He nodded, smiling a little brighter, "Great, thank you. I look forward to it, as always."

"Oh, can you go out and get the mail?" she asks, returning her attention to cooking.

The red-haired male nodded once again, the smile never leaving, "Yes, of course."

He walked out the door and towards the mailbox, opening the hatch and removing the mail. While rummaging through the envelopes, he sensed a familiar spirit energy while sorting through the mail and smirked, "Hello Hiei."

Hiei also smirked and hopped down off of a nearby wall, "Greetings Kurama, I see that your spirit awareness has improved. I also sense that your spirit energy is getting stronger and it shouldn't be long before you're at full power."

Kurama's smile faltered slightly, "Well, that also means that I'll revert back into my demon form. I can't leave my mother, but at the same time, I can't tell her what I really am."

Hiei scoffed, glaring lightly at the taller male, "You should be proud of your heritage."

Kurama shook his head, "I was, once, but having a mother who cares for me and loves me makes me want to remain a human."

Hiei shook his head as well as a response, but slowly, "You and your human emotions."

Kurama chuckled softly, "Perhaps you're more human than you think Hiei. You have feelings for your sister, Yukina."

Hiei's eyes darted off to the side, "Yes, you do have a point there. Well done ,Kurama. I'll leave you to fetching the mail. Until then, enjoy your time left as a human."

Hiei disappeared in a flash and Kurama slowly walked back towards his house.

Kurama entered and finds the dining room table set for breakfast. He set the mail down on a counter and looked around for Shiori, "Mother?"

Shiori poked her head out of the kitchen and looked at him, "What took you so long to get the mail?"

He scratched the back of his head, smiling oddly, "A friend passed by and we chatted for awhile. I apologize for taking so long."

She smiled brightly, "Not a problem. I'm glad that you have friends that you can talk to."

Kurama blinked, noticing that her smile seemed somewhat pained...

He watched her closely as she set his and her plate down on the table. He saw her wince whenever she moved her right arm, as if it were injured.

They sat down at the table and Kurama glanced around, "Where are Shuichi-chan and Hatanaka?"

"They went off to see a relative," Shiori responded.

Kurama nodded, sighing softly, "I was just wondering where they were because it seems odd not to have them around during a meal."

She nodded and went to grab her fork, wincing at the movement.

Kurama became concerned again, deciding to speak up about it, "What's wrong?"

She looked at him and smiled, "I'm alright. I just fell down while coming down the stairs this morning. My arm just got bruised, that's all."

His eyes widened and he thought back to his dream and how this morning's events are so similar to those in his dream. Well, at least he hadn't transformed in front of his mother and hopefully wouldn't ever have to.

Shiori noticed his panicked expression, "Shuichi...?" When he doesn't respond, she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and she stared at him, extremely concerned, "Are you alright, Shuichi? You zoned out on me there..."

He nodded after a few seconds, "I'm fine, I just have some things on my mind." He kisses her on the cheek and looks at her, smiling warmly, "I'll be fine, don't worry."

She smiled, "You better, because I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you. Promise you won't leave me, okay?"

He chuckles and nodded, "I won't if you won't."

She grinned and clapped her hands together once, immediately regretting that she had due to the injury, "Now that that's settled, lets eat!"

Kurama chuckled again, finding his mother humorous.

Shiori put her hands on her hips and looked at him, grinning widely despite the slight throbbing, "What's so funny?"

He smiled innocently, "Nothing,. You just looked hilarious."

She gave him a playful shove using her good arm, "Oh yeah?"

He grinned in return, which made him look somewhat disheveled since he's usually the calm, reverent type, "Yeah."

She shoved him lightly again and Kurama shoved her back, accidentally sending her toppling over.

He froze and looked at her through widened, panicked eyes, "Are you okay?"

She slowly got up, being careful of her injured arm, "I guess that I got off-balanced. Either that or you're getting a lot stronger."

Kurama knelt down next to her and gently helped her up. They take their seats at the table and begin eating quietly. Shiori watched him silently, sensing that he was distraught over something.

He stared down at the table blankly while eating, 'This isn't good...' He sighed and sat his chopsticks next to his plate, "I'm going to get some fresh air."

He stood up and Shiori did the same, starting to gather up the dishes. Kurama placed a comforting hand on one of his mother's shoulders, "I'll clean up, it's the least I can do for a wonderful breakfast."

Taking the dishes from her, he walked into the kitchen and got to work on cleaning. She appeared in the doorway and watched him silently. She gazed down at the charm bracelet fastened on her wrist and ran her thumb over one of the charms, which was a silver fox. Shiori also fingered the rose charm before unfastening the bracelet.

She looked at Kurama and smiled, "Shuichi."

He paused and looked over at her, curious, "What is it mother?"

She walked up to him and lifted one of his hands, "It's about time that I passed this bracelet on to you Shuichi..."

She began fastening it onto his wrist and his eyes widened, "But you loved this bracelet!"

She finished and smiled warmly up at him, "It's alright, besides, you've always been fond of this bracelet since you were little. This bracelet was given to me when I was around your age. My mother gave it to me for my sweet 16th birthday. I had always liked foxes, which is why she got the bracelet for me."

He stared down at the bracelet, shocked to finally own something he had been admiring for so long. He snapped out of it when she pulls him into a motherly embrace. He closes his eyes and rested his chin upon her head. He hugged her tightly in return, but made sure to keep his demonic strength in check.

Kurama realized at that moment that this could possibly be the last hug he'll get from his mother. This could be his last day as a human, and the last day that his mother will love him.

Kurama furrowed his brows and opened his eyes slightly, "I love you, mother..."

She nodded and pulled away, smiling, "I love you too, Shuichi. Now, go on your walk."

Kurama smiled, "Thank you." He walked towards the door and glanced back at Shiori, who has busied herself with something. "I'll miss you when I leave indefinitely..." he whispered, frowning. He reluctantly walked out and closed the door behind him.

Kurama decided to maybe discuss things with Yusuke, "It might actually help to talk to that goof."

He makes his way towards Yusuke's house, hoping to maybe get some weight lifted off of his shoulders.