Taykayo looked at Kurama and smiled. "Yes, I suppose it would be best not to skip on school." He said as he got to his feet carefully. Taykayo kind of wanted to go back to his house anyway to get changed. Remembering the mud and muck that had clung to his clothes last night was not something he wanted his mother to see. Not that she ever really took notice of his clothing anyway, she was always too preoccupied vying for the attention of her husband. Taykayo wanted to laugh at the memories of what his mother sometimes looked like when she still fauned over her husband. "I'd kind of like to get home soon as well." He said, all thoughts of his dream gone, all he was worried about now was a change of clothes and getting to school on time.

Kurama nodded, happy that Taykayo had decided to go to school. It was quite selfish of him but Kurama knew it would make things easier for what he had planned however he truly did believe that the school atmosphere would help Taykayo relax as well. Kurama watched as Taykayo slowly got to his feet and then expressed his desire to return home. It was true that he would need to go back to his house to change into his school uniform and given their rush through the darkness only hours prior, it was likely that Taykayo wouldn't recall the way. "I'll accompany you down the path," he responded, with just enough firmness to imply that he wouldn't take "no" for an answer. "Would you like to change back into your clothes before we leave?" he added. It would likely look odd if the boy returned home in a yukata however he would leave that choice up to Taykayo.

Without waiting for his classmate's response, Kurama turned his head to look down at Hiei. He severely regretted that he would have to leave the weakened fire demon. Still, Genkai and Yukina would both provide excellent care should the need arise, and should Hiei allow it. Kurama didn't plan on letting his absence last any longer than necessary but still found it difficult to pull away from the demon beside him. "I have to go now Hiei..." he said as he gave a gentle squeeze to the fire demon's hand before disentangling his hand from the other's. He gently pushed the demon off of his shoulder and back against the wall, mentally praying that nothing more would occur in his absence. <Don't hesitate to contact me if anything happens,> he said, looking into the fire demon's deep red eyes before pulling himself away and standing. He hoped Taykayo would be ready to depart quickly so that he could return as soon as possible.

Taykayo smiled and nodded as he walked out of the main room and found the room where he'd gotten changed last night. He found his clothes piled on the floor and begrudgingly changed out of the white yukata and into the muddy clothes. They weren't as wet as they had been last night, but they were still relatively damp. He would certainly have something to explain when he got home and he sighed as he walked back to the main room. "Alright, umm, I'm ready." He said mostly announcing it to Kurama.

"Are you going to school too?" Hiei asked the fox doubtfully. Kurama was up to something, he could feel it in the faint touch of the redhead's mind that came through even when he wasn't using the jagan.

Kurama shook his head "no" in response to Hiei's question, "I'm going to enlighten Yusuke as to the current situation." Kurama responded only half truthfully. It was true that he was going to see Yusuke however that was not his only purpose for leaving. He was quite certain that Hiei wouldn't want Spirit World involved in his case though and so the fox conveniently failed to disclose that information to the fire demon for what he deemed would be a greater good.

As he finished, Taykayo reappeared, dressed miserably in the damp and muddied clothing he had worn earlier. Kurama didn't envy being in Taykyao's situation but was happy that he had decided to change back into normal clothing for their trip back down the mountains for the sake of appearances. Kurama was all too aware of his own current state of dress but was certain that he would be able to conceal himself much more easily than his classmate would. He had after all spent hundreds of years as a thief in the Makai...

Kurama walked over to the door and slid it open. Fortunately for him, a pair of wooden getta had been left outside, likely a pair that Yukina used on occasion. The fox slipped his feet into them and was not surprised that they didn't fit all too poorly. Stepping to the side, Kurama gave Taykayo the room he would need to put on his own shoes and looked into the dojo one last time, seeking Hiei's gaze, "I'll be back as soon as I can, take care." Although he spoke mostly to Hiei, the phrase could apply to all who were present in the room.

Hiei eyed the fox suspiciously, but decided to trust that the redhead wasn't going to do anything dangerous. Hiei didn't know what the fox had in mind because without full use of the jagan he could only get general feelings from people he was near. He did know that the fox wasn't telling him everything. "Hn." He said to the admonition that he take care, in his own way it was like saying, 'You too.'

Yukina bowed to Tay, "I hope you can come back and visit some time, Taykayo-san." She said with a smile smile. "Perhaps under better circumstances."

Taykayo followed to the door and stuggled only a little bit to put on his shoes. They too were still quite waterlogged and he actually found he'd be glad to wear the school uniform after he got home and changed. He noticed Yukina bow to him and smile, and he smiled back immediately in response. "Yes, I'd like to come back next time." He said warmly. "Maybe next time I'll have better luck with the situation." He sighed as he bowed slightly to her and then turned away. He was more than ready to head home, it would be good to get into his house, take a shower, and be changed for school. It was so normal compared to the night he'd been through.

Taking note of Hiei's displeasure, Kurama could only give him one last reassuring smile before turning to lead Taykayo back to town. Kurama slowly lead the way away from the dojo, calculating Taykayo's physical energy level without the boy's notice. He hoped that Taykayo would fare better than he had on their trip up but was certain that he would. The way was mostly downhill after all...

It didn't take long for them to reach the grand staircase. Kurama hesitated, slightly wary due to his classmate's previous reaction upon laying eyes on it. The redhead cautiously began his descent, the wooden getta making a faint clunk each time he planted his foot down upon the next step. "I'm sorry to have gotten you involved in our current situation Taykayo, he said, cautiously glancing behind him to asses his classmate's progress thus far.

Taykayo was following along well enough, trying to watch his feet, yet at the same time watch where he was going. He really hated tripping, but more than half the time it was unavoidable. Taykayo sighed as he began descending the staircase, hoping against all hope that he did not trip and fall the rest of the way down. Sure he believed that Kurama would do something to help him if he started falling, but he didn't want it to come to that. Taykayo heard the comment and he smiled, shaking his head softly.

"No, it's alright, really. I probably would have gotten involved one way or another. The dreams I keep having might have eventually led me to this anyway." He replied, still smiling as he carefully took each step. He didn't want to slow the other down, but he also didn't want to risk falling and hurting himself. Taykayo was really only a couple of feet behind Kurama, not for lack of stamina, but simply because he didn't want to rush taking these stairs. There were a lot of them, and falling down them would probably really hurt.

Kurama didn't respond right away. It was possible that they could have crossed paths differently but at this point it didn't really matter. What happened had happened and there wasn't anything that could be done to change it anyway. As they continued down the staircase, Kurama resisted the urge to speed up. Normally he ran up and down them like it was nothing but he didn't want to coax Taykayo into going to fast and falling. "Don't hesitate to contact myself or the others should something arise," he responded at last. His mother had presented him with a cellular phone not too long ago so that he could let her know when he needed to stay late at school. The device proved quite useful in helping the fox demon live his double life. He would offer Taykayo his number as soon as he found something to write it down on...

Taykayo merely nodded at the statement, not sure what to say about it. If he needed help, he would certainly try and contact them, if it was demon or vision related. Otherwise, he hoped there wouldn't be too much need for any of that. As he slowly made his way down the steps, he thought a little bit more, but thankfully it was school related thoughts and not vision related. "Thank you, Shuichi." Somehow he felt it was all he could really say to his classmate.

Yukina turned away from the door after Kurama and Tay disappeared down the stairs. She spotted Kuwabara still sitting there and a thought occurred to her. "Kazuma-kun, don't you have school today as well?" She asked innocently.

"Its nothing," Kurama responded quite truthfully, it was likely that Taykayo could be more useful to him than Kurama would be his classmate. It felt almost as if he was taking advantage of the other... Still, Kurama would uphold his promise if the need arose. It felt strange dealing with a demon locked away inside of a human body. For once Kurama could vaguely understand what it might be like for the others to ponder at his double existence. What did Patronis think of him? Kurama could read Taykayo well enough but the demon inside still remained a mystery.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs at last, Kurama knelt to pick up a wilted leaf that had fell upon the ground. Also plucking a dark weed from the surrounding area, Kurama used the two like pencil and paper and carefully scrawled out the figures of his cell phone number. When Taykayo dismounted the last step a moment later, he handed the leaf to him along with the brief explanation, "This is my cell phone number."

Kuwabara looked at Yukina quickly, a shocked look on his face. "Oh yeah, I forgot." He jumped up and ran off into another room, finding his clothes and getting changed. Thankfully they were only a little damp. "I'll come back after school, Yukina." He said giving her a warm smile. "I gotta get home quick, feed Eikichi, let Shizuru know where I've been and then school." He practically ticked off a list using his fingers, the same relatively doofy expression on his face as he did it. "Anyway, I'll be back later!" He exclaimed as he bowed to her and Hiei and was out the door, swiftly putting his shoes on.

Taykayo smiled sweetly and took the leaf with the number. "Um, thanks again. I guess I'll see you around school sometime as well." He was careful not to crush the leaf as he took it. He paused and turned around to look up the steps, seeing a figure rapidly coming down the vast staircase.

"See you later, guys. Gotta go to school. Bye!" Kuwabara exclaimed quickly as he ran by them quickly. He could be fast when he wanted to be, and certainly, he was much faster than Taykayo.

Kurama mentally sighed when Kuwabara went whizzing on past them. The oaf could have potentially helped lead Taykayo the rest of the way so that he could go see Yusuke sooner. Apparently it was just not meant to be an easy day for the fox. Still, he had offered to lead Taykayo on his own and so he could not fault Kuwabara for not sticking around. But really? Where did the oaf have to be in such a hurry? His classes began at the same hour as Taykayo's and the boy would likely be on time himself without the rush.

Pushing these thoughts away Kurama responded to Taykayo, "That's true but I'd like you to have my number just in case, I tend to...disappear from time to time." The fox gave a mischievous smile before continuing along the path, following in the direction that Kuwabara had taken, "I'll walk with you a little further, our paths will part just before the outskirts of town," Kurama informed him nonchalantly. He had no intention of walking though the streets when he went to visit Yusuke.

Taykayo wasn't really sure he understood what Shuichi meant about disappearing from time to time. He couldn't quite place any time he'd been missing from school, but he pushed the thoughts away and simply nodded. He had always thought of Shuichi as a decent person, and he could see it. Taykayo was kind of surprised to find that he hadn't tripped yet in a while, which was unusual for him. Sure he could sometimes go without being clumsy, but never for this long, not normally.

Kurama didn't mind when their conversation fell to silence. In his mind he was mentally composing what he should tell Yusuke when he found himself in the presence of the delinquent. Yusuke could sometimes be thick-headed like Kuwabara but he hoped that in this case the Spirit Detective would realize the gravity of the current situation...situations? It would be up to the fox to impress upon the black-haired boy the seriousness of the recent events that he had up until now been completely unaware of.

Hiei was rather relieved that Kuwabara left, though he was a bit shocked that the oaf actually bowed to him as well as his sister before he went. 'The idiot is really taking this attempt to be...civil to me seriously.' He mused silently. 'Perhaps I could try to goad him less.' He decided reluctantly. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, not sleeping but the light was hurting his eyes. His head ached and he felt stiff all over.

Yukina smiled and turned to Hiei just in time to see him close his eyes. "Oniichan, don't fall asleep, okay?" She pleaded softly. Even with Genkai to help heal him, Yukina was terrified that Hiei would die from one of his dream/visions before they could find a way to stop them.

Hiei opened bloodshot crimson eyes slowly. He nodded to the worried ice demoness. He was awake, and likely to stay that way for some time yet unless they found a solution to his problem. He shoved himself to his feet without his usual speed and wandered out onto the deck surrounding the temple. Sitting down on the edge of the raised wooden platform that held the building, he pondered the night's events thoughtfully. There had to be something more in play here than the jagan. What was he missing? He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but at some point Yukina returned his cloak to him and he put it back on, the healed wound on his side pulled as he raised his arms. He did some light stretching to try and train the new muscles, but shied away from his usual strenuous training for fear it would lead to him passing out from exhaustion.

Yukina busied herself with her usual chores. She also finished washing Hiei's cloak and returned it to him once it was dry. She was thrilled by his gruff thanks, knowing he rarely bothered with such pleasantries. He must have been making a special effort for her. She then made some rice balls and other delicacies because she knew that the temple would likely be even more full that evening. It was a convenient place to meet since Genkai knew everything the four detectives were involved in and she didn't mind the risk to her house (which was often more from Yusuke and Kuwabara then from demons coming after them).

Their conversation had fallen into complete silence, and Taykayo wasn't too bothered by that. He spent most of his free time studying, reading, or simply being alone with his thoughts, apart from his conversations with Patronis. He was glad that the stairs were done with for now, but he didn't really know how much farther it would be. Sure he could find his way back home, he wasn't completely hopeless, but it would take him longer than other humans who had more sense of direction and less clumsiness than himself. It felt a little strange to think of himself in that way, but it was true.

A sort of mental cue sounded in Kurama's mind and he brought his concentration back to the path seeking what had cued him to do so. Briefly taking note of his surroundings, Kurama noted that they were approaching the end of the path and that they would soon be within sight of the city. It seemed they had progressed much more quickly given the time of day. The sunshine that shone through the trees from above was illuminated the path much more efficiently than the cloud-covered moon had the night prior.

As they rounded the final bend in the path, Kurama paused when the city came into view. He bowed slightly to Taykayo, I'll leave the rest of the way to you. From here you should be able to find your own way." And with that, Kurama slipped back into the forest without another word. Nothing further needed to be said and should Taykayo require something of him, he had already given the boy his cell phone number, granted the device was still sitting on his desk back home... Kurama knew that he would have to return soon enough or his mother would start to worry but he had some business to take care of first.

Kurama doubled back into the woods only a short way to lose sight of Taykayo before taking off in a slightly different direction. He followed the woods for a short while longer before cutting into the outskirts of town. From there it was only a matter of a few leaps and the fox found himself on the rooftops. It was Hiei's signature to use the roofs of buildings as a mode of transportation however Kurama would borrow this method for the time being. It would be much faster and he wouldn't have to deal with any strange looks from passerbys.

It didn't take long for the fox to reach the delinquent boy's house only to find the door left unlocked. Atsuko either didn't see the necessity of locking her doors or she just forgot to lock them at whatever wee hour of the morning she came stumbling in. Slinking into the building, Kurama entered Yusuke's room without a sound and rummaged though the boy's clothes until he found something he deemed would fit well enough. After donning the skinny jeans and a slightly too big white tee that he found, Kurama then took up the task of waking Yusuke. "Good morning Yusuke," he said, towering over the boy's bed. He wasn't sure if a mere greeting would wake the Spirit Detective as the boy could often be a heavy sleeper but it was a start.

Taykayo nodded as Kurama left him to find his way, he sighed as he walked on into the city. Finding his house proved to be easier said than done, but after nearly ten minutes, he found his way. He walked to the front door and silently made his way into the house and to his bedroom. He sifted through his closet, found a clean school uniform and set it up so he could change into it after a quick shower. After he handled that, he headed into the bathroom, and not even five minutes later, he was getting into his school uniform when he could hear his mother waking up in the room across the hall. Taykayo smiled lightly as he came out of his room at nearly the same time, gave a brief greeting to his mom and grabbed his school things to go.

Yusuke had struggled to fall back asleep following his early morning fumble and outburst. On one hand, he was pretty tired but on the other he knew the beating that was waiting for him the second he dozed off. So, he wasn't fully awake or asleep when Kurama entered his house. The resting detective wasn't quite functioning enough to notice the slight noise Kurama made as he borrowed his clothes either. It was when a masculine voice called for him that Yusuke finally stirred slightly. However, instead of recognizing the voice's owner, in his odd mental state, Yusuke thought it was dream Keiko and his mind playing bizarre tricks on him. His brown eyes blinked open slowly, his vision thoroughly blurred as he began to wake up."What the? Keiko? Man I must be really tired, because for a second there she sounded just like Kur--KURAMA!" The teen suddenly wide-awake as he flew off his bed in total surprise over the fox's sudden appearance in his bedroom. "What're you doing in my house? And...why are you wearing my clothes? Not that I mind.. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Yusuke spoke from the floor, for the second time this morning.

Kurama stepped back out of the way as Yusuke flew out of bed and landed with a thud on the floor. Kurama likely would have chuckled at the boy's antics if he was in a better mood, however the restless night had left the redhead in a not so pleasant mood. "It's a long story," Kurama stated wearily, dropping a pair of clean clothes in the black-haired boy's lap before catching sight of a hairbrush. Kurama took hold of the object, sat down on Yusuke's bed, and began carefully pulling it through his tangled locks. "There were a series of incidents that occured last night," the fox began vaguely before abruptly stoping. "Do you still have the Spirit World communicator Botan gave you?" he asked suddnely; there was no point in telling the story twice. It would be more efficient for Yusuke to learn about the issue as he explained things to Koenma.

"Uh, yeah, is everything okay?" Yusuke asked, he could tell from the sound of his friend's voice that something must have happened during the night. He climbed to his feet quickly, clutching the clothes Kurama had dropped in his lap loosely in hand. "I haven't used it in a while, so I hope the battery isn't dead or something. Not sure how well AA's would work in this thing.." He mused as he walked across his bedroom and up to his dresser. He shifted the clothes to just his left hand then pulled the top drawer open with his right. "Here, catch." Yusuke slipped the communicator from its hiding place beneath several t-shirts and tossed it over to Kurama. "You think binky breath'll be up this early?"

Kurama ignored Yusuke's question as that one would probably answer itself later. Kurama also ignored Yusuke's joking about the batteries as the fox knew for fact that Spirit World did not use the same energy source as humans. The redhead caught the device that Yusuke chucked at him and deftly opened it. It turned on without a hitch and Kurama responded to Yusuke's final question, "I'm quite certain he will be..." The fox doubted that the Spirit World Prince required sleep but he had not yet confirmed the hunch. As he finished his statement he activated the signal that would connect him to the communicator's twin and waited rather impatiently for some sort of response from the other side.