Kurama watched with half-lidded eyes as the teacher wrote on the chalk board. He found the occasional squeak hurt his sensitive ears, but the connection place of the chalk rubbing across the board was somehow mesmerising. His page was blank, not that it mattered. He'd receive high marks regardless of what he wrote down, as his age gave him an incredibly unfair advantage. Still, to make his grades more acceptable to teachers and students alike, he was always careful to write very precise notes. He felt his eyes closing and lean onto one hand lazily. Why was he feeling so nonchalant? He was usually very careful to keep his posture straight and his mind sharp.

"Suichi!" Kaito hissed from behind him, and Kurama blinked, looking up to see the teacher staring down at him.

"That's very unusual, Suichi. Are you feeling alright?" Kurama looked around to see many faces on him, and then down to his blank page. He wasn't sure how to answer her. Maybe he wasn't feeling alright.

"No, Sensei. I'm very sorry, but may I take my leave to the nurse's office?" Kurama asked as politely as he could manage. The teacher nodded and Kurama gathered up his belongings, walking from the room. As soon as he passed the threshold he was already thinking to himself once more. In his daze, he walked completely past the nurse's office and his legs subconsciously led him out of the school towards his home. Kurama blinked, realising he was already half way home. Putting a hand to his head, he sighed. He couldn't turn up home now without his mother worrying about him, but where else could he go? He turned away from his original path and headed towards the woods. Maybe that would help him think. Being surrounded by plants always made him more at ease.

As Kurama reached the forest, however, he felt a buzzing in the back of his mind that refused to let him be. He held his head as it intensified, stumbling on a particularly jutting piece of earth. The trees around him bent to stop his fall, and he let his weight rest on the branches, unsure about what to do. Looking before him, he saw his path was wavering as if under intense heat. Kurama realised that it was his eyes with the problem. He shut them, the buzzing biting into his mind as he sought out a plant remedy that could help. The buzzing intensified, and he found himself unable to think of any plant's names or functions. He could barely remember his own name. He let his hands drop from his head, opening his eyes wide and then blinking in an attempt to clear the haze that was starting to distort his vision. He tried to take his weight back onto his own feet, but was quickly caught by the trees once again as he fell. That was no good, he thought to himself, he couldn't pass out here; there could be any number of problems. Seeking out his last hope, he pulled the rose from behind his hair and plucked off a petal with difficulty due to his shaking hands. He pulled a single hair from his head and wrapped the petal in it. Inscribing a mental message into it, he let it go. The wind blew, taking the petal high above the trees towards town. Kurama's main concern now was to stay conscious. If he could just do that much, then everything would be alright. That much, though, seemed too much to ask. His body was already sagging in the branches of the trees, which refused to let the precious plant manipulator fall to the floor. He was of trees and plants, not of soil and dust, they whispered with rustling leaves.

"Thank you… Friends…" Kurama whispered, hearing their silent voices. He knew he was safe from anything but stronger demons. The trees would see to that. He turned his dimming mind to what was wrong, but soon even that was driven out by the maddening buzz. He just let himself rest in the branches, preying that his message got through.

Hiei was sitting on the tree outside Kurama's window, waiting for him to return from school. He leant back against the trunk and sighed. Kurama was always late home, doing some project or essay in the classrooms until he was forced out by the janitor's impatience. A wind 

blew around him, and he saw something flying towards with surprising speed and accuracy. He moved to unsheathe his sword, but somehow couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he reached out and snatched the petal from the air as it came close enough. He knew instantly that something was wrong. The petal was from a beautiful red rose – just like Kurama's. And there was a single, beautiful red hair wound around it. Unwinding the hair gently, the petal fell open in his palm. "Woods" it said. Hiei looked around. There were several woods around Kurama's home, which did he mean? It was obvious that there was a problem. The petal in his hand radiated panic. For his fox to be panicking, it must have been bad. He pulled his headband up, his Jagan eye glowing. He scanned all the surrounding forests, but found no trace. Why? This was unmistakably Kurama. Frustration overcame pride and he leapt off towards the town centre. There was only one thing that would track Kurama down now.

The trees blew in a sudden wind, and Kurama smiled. Hiei had got his message. He felt the Jagan activate a few miles away. Had he really wandered that far? To his horror, the energy suddenly shot off in the opposite direction, and Kurama tried to stand up. Again he just sagged into the branches. He looked up to the ancient trees and realised his mistake. They were protecting him. Hiei wouldn't be able to sense him against their wishes. Still, that was what the hair was for. He preyed that Hiei would understand as his vision blurred, his head sinking only to be caught and held gently by a branch padded with moss. He could feel his legs being lifted from the floor, the branches making themselves into a net around him. He knew he was being lifted off the floor, and reached towards town with a shaking hand.

"H-Hiei…" He muttered, his hand falling limp over the side of the net as his eyes closed.

Hiei felt a shiver run down his spine and looked impatiently at the team assembled before him.

"Detective, you wasted time!" Hiei almost shouted, catching Yuusuke by surprise. Was Hiei really that worried about the red-haired demon? "We don't need a team meeting; you need to use that thing!" He pointed to the watch in Boton's hand.

"Well really, Hiei!" Boton huffed "You don't have to be like that. I was repairing Yuusuke's watch for him, so he had to call me."

"While I was waiting, I figured I'd call the others. If he really is in trouble, then we need all the help we can get. Think about it. Someone strong enough to beat Kurama?" He shivered exaggeratedly to make his point, but Hiei held out the long red strand of hair to Boton impatiently. So what if Yuusuke was right? He just had to find the fox. Then he'd deal with what was going on. Boton took the strand and placed it into the watch as Hiei caught a glimpse of the petal he'd been holding in his hand. It was black and dry. As he opened his fist, the petal flew off as dust. Hiei grabbed Boton's arm in his rush to see where the compass was pointing. He needed to find Kurama, and fast.

"Let's go!" Hiei pulled Boton as gently as he could while leaping along. She slowed him down too much. He needed to find his fox right now. He picked Boton up in his arms, ignoring her complaints, and glanced at the watch. This time when he leapt off, he was much faster. Yuusuke, with his demon-side energy, caught up easily, while Kuwabara seemed to be using all his strength to keep moving. Hiei glared at the compass as it swivelled, constantly rotating, and Boton looked at it questioningly.

"That's odd…" She said as Hiei put her down. He grabbed her wrist again. Why wasn't it working anymore? He looked around, maybe Kurama was nearby?

"What the hell is that?!" Kuwabara shouted, pointing up into the high tree's branches. They all looked up but saw nothing, so they backed up to where Kuwabara was staring awestruck at something. Hiei was up into the treetops before anyone else could even blink. Wrapped in a cocoon of braches, and only just visible from that angle, was a hand. Hiei quickly caught 

the hand in his own, and recognised the touch immediately. It, however, didn't squeeze back. Hiei froze. What was he going to do if he opened this tree only to find that Kurama was… No, he couldn't think like that.

"Holy shit!" Yuusuke swore, standing beside Hiei on their precarious perch. The tree shuddered and Hiei leapt on top of the cocoon as the branch Yuusuke was on collapsed to the floor, holding onto his ankle. Yuusuke coughed as air was forced from his lungs on the painful impact. The others were quickly at his side, looking up to Hiei, who shrugged. The message had been sent to him, so he was accepted. The others had not been invited. He quickly took out his sword, but stopped short of striking. He couldn't tell where Kurama was inside. What if he hit him? Doubt flooded his mind, so he knelt down and pressed his hands to the knot of tree branches. It parted just enough for Hiei to see inside. Kurama was lying peacefully on his back, his head resting on its side. Hiei was, for a moment, tempted to just leave him there. Then he noticed the look of agonizing pain that was creasing Kurama's features. Hiei tried to prise the branches apart, but they surged against him, throwing him off and to the floor. He landed on his feet, trying to leap up again only to be stopped as a tangle of branches whipped around him, trying to swipe him out of the air. He landed just out of its range, where the others had already gathered, and looked around for an idea. Staring into blank faces, he grasped his sword hilt instinctively. He didn't want to fight the trees that were obviously trying to protect the plant wielder, but he had to know what was wrong!

"Kurama!" Hiei's shout made the other three jump, and then look at him as if he was an alien. He was usually so quiet. "Kurama! Get down here you rose-wielding fox!" Hiei was shouting at the top of his voice, and suddenly the dangerously swirling branches stopped, and began to dance in the gentle breeze instead. Hiei tried jumping forward again, and found he was once again able to get atop the cocoon. He looked down into the hole. "Kurama!" He said urgently, and green eyes flickered slowly open.

"H-Hiei…" Kurama mumbled, confused eyes gazing out into red ones. Suddenly his eyes widened and he sat up, reaching his free hand to grab Hiei. Hiei shoved his hand down the hole to close the gap, their fingers just sweeping the others'. Hiei reached further, his shoulder complaining.

"Please Kurama, just a little further!" He begged, and felt Kurama's fingers strain to get a little higher. Hiei shoved himself further down and the branches gave a little, allowing him to grab Kurama's hand tightly. Hiei noted with concern the weakness of the hold. Kurama was in a bad way. Though now he had his hand, he had no idea what to do. "Kurama. Make the trees put you down." Hiei said, squeezing Kurama's cold fingers gently. "Please." He added, when he got no reply. There was a long silence, but just as Hiei was about to say more, the branches creaked and groaned, widening the hole just enough to allow Hiei to pull Kurama through. With Kurama safely in his arms like a sleeping child, Hiei stumbled as the tree moved, letting them slowly back down to the ground. Hiei climbed unsteadily to the floor, carrying his burden and then setting him down, holding up his torso and looking into the pale face. He looked up to the others desperately. "What do I do?!" He asked, almost distraught. Boton realised that he must have some serious connection to Kurama to be so discomposed in front of them. She leant down and checked Kurama's neck for a pulse. Finding it, she smiled to Hiei.

"He seems fine, Hiei."
"He is not fine!" Hiei cried, clenching Kurama to his chest and hugging him tight. "Look at him, he isn't fine at all!" Boton looked down to Kurama. That look of pain on his face was indeed unmistakable, but what else could she say?

"His life isn't in danger is what I meant, Hiei. Let's get him home before he worsens." Boton suggested, and at the thought of Kurama being worse, Hiei immediately stood up, cradling the larger boy to him.

"Where to?" Yuusuke asked, knowing that Shiori would be far too concerned to leave her son alone. Hiei's Jagan eyes glowed brightly before it dimmed again.

"She isn't home. Let's go." He stated, jumping towards the house with difficulty. The others knew better than to ask if he wanted any help.

They were soon looking down onto the deathly still and deathly white Kurama, who was lying in bed with the covers pulled up to his chin. Hiei was kneeling over his side, gripping his hand.

"What happened?" He asked, more like his old self as he demanded an answer that none of them could give. A click of the door downstairs told them that Shiori was back home, and they shared glances. If they all trudged downstairs then she'd know something was up.

"Let's go." Kuwabara said, grabbing Boton and jumping from the window. Yuusuke climbed up onto the ledge as Shiori called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Suichi, I'm home!" There was a moments silence.

"Hiei…" Yuusuke began, but Hiei stood up and glared over to the detective.

"I'm staying. I'll tell his mum exactly what we know – nothing. Quit worrying and leave." He said, opening Kurama's door to go to the inevitable confrontation with his mother. Yuusuke said no more and leapt down to the floor, the three exchanging glances and then sauntering away. They'd find out something… somehow.

"Oh, Hiei!" Shiori smiled as he leant around the banister. "It's good to see you again." She was used to seeing the short black haired boy by now, so frequent were his visits. He often joined them for dinner and sometimes even stayed the night. She was glad that Suichi had made a proper friend, despite the roguish look Hiei held. Catching that something wasn't quite right with the boy, Suichi was soon on the top step.

"Shiori-san, Suichi isn't feeling well so I set him to bed a little while ago. Please don't wake him." His words weren't all true, but he wasn't lying either.

"Not feeling well? Does he need to go to the doctor?" Shiori asked, looking longingly at her son's door.

"Please Shiori-san, let me take care of him. If he gets any worse then I'll call you right away." Hiei was telling the truth. If Kurama was seriously ill, there was no way he was going to keep it from his mother. The sincerity in his words obviously helped, and Shiori nodded.

"Okay then, Hiei. Would you like something to eat?" Hiei shook his head.

"No thank you Shiori-san, I'll be fine. Is it okay if I stay tonight though?"

"Of course. If you need anything then please just let me know." With that Shiori left her son in Hiei's hands. Hiei, with a sigh of relief, entered back into the room and took up his place by Kurama's beside. He'd stay there until Kurama was awake.