Genkai stepped further into the room when Taykayo finally awoke. "Yukina, why don't you start making some tea? I'm sure it will be good for calming the boy's nerves." She said as she glanced at Yukina for a moment. "He's been through a lot, he might not want to talk about it just now." She looked towards the door, sensing that Kurama and Hiei weren't too far away, even if they weren't moving any closer just yet.

Yukina nodded and went to the kitchen to do as Genkai suggested. She put the pot of water on to heat and brought down the canister of tea leaves. She carefully measured the fragrant leaves into the small decorative tea pot and then filled it from the pot of hot water. Setting out a tray, she placed six cups and the steeping pot of tea on it. Lastly she added a small plate of cookies and another with rice balls she had made the previous day. Since no one seemed to be getting much sleep, she thought the food might give them all some energy. Carrying the tray back, she smiled sweetly and set it on the low table where she and Kuwabara had eaten supper earlier. She politely began to pour the tea in the cups and serve it to everyone, while offering the food.

When Hiei offered him a hand, Kurama puzzled over the action. Hiei knew he was perfectly capable of rising on his own, what was Hiei seeking from the contact? The events from the past few minutes whirled through his head in an instant, replaying themselves for the fox to examine. Hiei's fear of death, his stillness as Kurama held him tightly, his words of thanks, his reluctance to move away, and finally the hand held out before him. Was it that Hiei needed the physical contact?

The fox gently took the hand and rose to his feet without placing any stress on the fire demon. Even after standing however, Kurama was reluctant to let go and kept a light grasp on Hiei's hand. More incidents, older ones, played over in his head, Hiei's presence as he did his homework, Hiei sleeping peacefully in the corner of his bedroom, Hiei eating dinner with his human mother. At the time, Kurama had accepted these events without further inspection but he now began to question them. What was it that kept the fire demon around? If the sole reason had been Yukina, why had Hiei not found some place to camp in the woods near the dojo?

In the The Makai, demons fended for themselves and relationships usually arose only out of need. 'What does Hiei need from me?' Kurama asked himself, then looking down at their clasped hands, the answer came to him, 'My physical presence..." There were plenty of girls at school who longed for just that but Kurama couldn't see himself with any of them. He pitied those females who were unaware of who he really was. Hiei on the other hand understood him, and as Kurama thought of these things, he suddenly realized that he too required Hiei's presence.

Hiei was pleased when Kurama took his hand and felt oddly warm when the fox didn't let go immediately. "We should get back." He said slowly, not really wanting to break the moment but unable to say any of the other things he was thinking. "Yukina might worry." The idea of anyone worrying about him was an foreign one, but he was concerned enough about Yukina that it occurred to him and it was easier to say than any of the thoughts he was having about the demon beside him. They needed to start walking but he didn't want to pull away from the redhead's loose grip, and Hiei's own hand remained open so the fox could easily pull away if he wanted to. Hiei still wasn't certain what to make of Kurama's actions and he didn't want to misread the situation. The fox could have just been making sure Hiei wasn't going to fall over from exhaustion. That logic rang false in Hiei's mind but he had low enough self esteem to be unable to dismiss the notion entirely. He stared at their entwined hands with slightly wide crimson eyes, as he stayed still and waited for Kurama to make the first move.

Kurama nodded when Hiei suggested they return but couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed for some reason. "I agree," he stated simply, then blushed slightly as he realized their hands were still connected. He gently pulled his hand from the other demon's grip and then rather spontaneously lifted Hiei onto his back. Although Hiei was severely weakened, Kurama was certain the other demon could make it back on his own. Still, he liked the sense of closeness with the other demon and had a hunch that the other wouldn't mind terribly. Once Hiei was in place, Kurama began calmly walking back in the direction of the dojo, pacing himself. He didn't want to tire himself by running and it would be nice if they could have just a few more moments alone together...

Hiei was more disappointed than he would ever admit to being when Kurama pulled his hand away. It confirmed his suspicion that he had misread the fox's intentions. Hiei was so busy mentally berating himself for being an idiot he failed to react as Kurama scooped him up for a piggy back ride. Hiei put his hands on the fox's shoulders out of reflex and clung there, feeling very confused and a little nervous. Kurama was sending some very mixed signals and Hiei wasn't sure how to respond. His emotions were confusing enough without the redhead's natural subtlety muddling them up even more. As Kurama started moving back towards the temple, Hiei came to the conclusion that he was thinking entirely too much. He would just take Kurama's lead and see where the fox wanted their relationship to go. It would be easier than trying to court the fox with his limited knowledge of the process. If Kurama was interested in him as more than a friend and ally, he was going to have to make that abundantly clear before Hiei would act on his own emotions. With the matter temporarily settled in his mind, Hiei relaxed and leaned against the redhead's back, enjoying the ride despite feeling a little silly. Hiei rested his head on Kurama's shoulder and wrapped his arms the rest of the way around the fox's neck. It would make him easier to carry and it also allowed him to smell the rich natural scent that always clung to the plant user's hair, which was also very soft despite the deadly arsenal of seeds concealed in it. Hiei was rather glad Kurama couldn't see his face because he had a feeling he was blushing.

Kurama tried to rid his mind of all of the emotions that were swimming around in there and focused instead on the feeling of Hiei against his back. The fire demon was pleasantly warm and a smile came to his face when Hiei relaxed and leaned fully against his back. He was especially pleased when Hiei brushed against his hair. Although he would never admit it, Kurama loved the sensation of having his hair played with. When he was younger, his mother would gently stroke his red locks but since he had aged, no one dared to touch that place save for one other demon. Karasu had come all to close for Kuarma's liking and even now he occasionally had nightmares of the black-haired demon caressing him.

As they walked though the dampened forest, Kurama reveled in the earthy smells. It had been quite a while since he had gone for a walk in the woods just for the sheer pleasure it brought him. Since their return to the Ningenkai, he had been more focused on his mother and obligations at school. As they rounded a bend, the dojo finally came into sight and Kurama felt slight disappointment as he realized just how close they had been. It seemed his concern for Hiei was making him lose focus. Normally he would have mentally calculated the exact time it would have taken them to return however this time he had failed to do so.

Kurama gently lowered himself down on one knee for Hiei to dismount. He was quite certain the fire demon wouldn't have it if Kuawabara witnessed them as they were and for some reason Kurama also felt that he would like to keep their time together private. After the fire demon slid off his back, Kurama turned to look at the sky and noted the sun beginning to rise just above the horizon. The night had been both physically and emotionally difficult and Kurama sincerely hoped that the sunrise could only mean that the worst was over, at least for now. Still, he would not be letting his guard down anytime soon.

Kuwabara was a bit confused by Taykayo's sudden alertness and how he seemed so lost, but Genkai had said not to push it. So Kuwabara waited restlessly for Yukina, and when she came back, he gladly took the cup of tea, even if only to calm his mind from all the questions that were still rolling around in there.

Taykayo didn't want to reach for the cup of tea, too afraid to reveal that his hands were shaking terribly now as the images flashed through his head again. That dream had started so differently than normal. It was the vision of the black hole, but then it had gone into the past, revealing something even worse. Something he had done to his father, to himself, and all those other people, those demons that died in the blast. How was it possible for someone to destroy everything like that? It was normal, especially not for a little boy. "What does it mean?" He quietly asked himself, trying to make sense of the beginning of the dream. Who had been tied-up in that boat below the black hole. Was it even a black hole if demons were trying to come through from the other side? He was grateful that Genkai had said it wasn't necessary to ask, but he felt like he wanted to talk about it, even just a little bit. But he didn't want to put his fears onto everyone else.

Hiei was startled from a pleasant stupor when Kurama knelt to put him down. He looked around as he stood and realized they were just out of sight of the temple. The fox obviously didn't want the others to see them and Hiei could agree with that. It would be embarrassing if the oaf saw him being carried like a child. He felt a little unsteady on his feet so, though he was sure he could manage alone, he hesitantly leaned against the taller boy for support. "I'm tired." He said simply. It was a lame excuse, even if it was true. This position preserved more of his dignity than being carried, but allowed him to stay close to the redhead.

Kurama grew concerned when Hiei expressed his fatigue and leaned against him for support. "Don't push yourself too hard Hiei..." he urged, steadying the demon with his free hand. He considered lifting the demon back onto his shoulders but knew that the situation could prove awkward when the entered the dojo, unless everyone was already asleep. Reaching out to feel the energies within the room beyond, Kurama sensed Yukina, Kuawabara, and Taykayo as before, but also Genkai's energy. If the old woman was there, then the people inside were likely awake.

Deciding against carrying Hiei, he instead did his best to nobly support the other demon towards the dojo and upon reaching it gently pushed the sliding door aside and allowed Hiei to enter before following him inside. As he stepped into the room himself, he felt a wave of warmth greet him and was thankful for the shelter. He turned and slid the door closed behind him to prevent the warm air from escaping and helped Hiei to lower himself down into a sitting position. Sitting down beside him, Kurama noted the dismal atmosphere of the room and from it he could easily tell that again, something had gone amiss. 'So much for a break...' he thought to himself wearily.

Hiei released his hold on the fox and sank down against the wall, grateful for the support of it. Maybe he had needed Kurama to help him after all. Yukina looked at him in concern but he waved her off as politely as he could. He was as fine as he could be under the circumstances. He was distracted from his sister's concern as the redhead sat down very near him. He scooted a little closer because the fox seemed chilled by the time they'd spent outside and Hiei always had body heat to spare. Hidden between them, his hand brushed against the redhead's hand , seeking contact without conscious thought on the part of the exhausted fire demon. Without the jagan he wasn't as observant as he usually was, and it took him a moment to notice that much of the attention in the room was on Tay and the boy looked visibly shaken. Hiei sat up straighter and eyed the boy, catching the trembling hands and the confused and horrified expression. "What happened?" He asked flatly.

Yukina hurried to Hiei's side as soon as she saw him return. She was concerned to see him leaning on Kurama for support but Hiei was quick to wave her away. She was puzzled until she saw him move closer to his best friend, so that they were actually pressed against each other. Her eyes lit up with comprehension and she suppressed a smile. It became easier to keep her expression serious once Hiei's question reminded her of Tay's problem and she turned her attention back to the feminine boy with concern evident all over her face.

Taykayo slowly turned his head to the side to see Kurama and Hiei were back. He smiled warmly but then looked away from the door, his expression blank again. He took one of the cups of tea after a moment and held it, his hands still shaking slightly. The warmth of the tea was spreading through him even though he hadn't taken a sip, and that alone was comforting enough to him. He felt terribly cold since he'd woken from the dream, still not wanting to remember the details of the second half. He was trying only to concentrate on the black hole, but the image of the father racing to protect the little boy kept replaying in his mind. The blast, the explosion, still those images raced through his head, as he tried to block them; but the recent dream had reawakened the memories, and he couldn't completely deny them. All of it kept replaying in his mind, mostly the memories, but even the vision of the black hole continued to flash through his head. He simply closed his eyes and tried to ignore it.

Kurama was grateful when Hiei moved closer to him as his body heat quickly worked to warm the skin that had grown chilled out in the cold of the night. Feeling the other's hand brush lightly against his own, Kurama gently slipped his palm into Hiei's, their clasped hands hidden from sight between their bodies. As Hiei spoke up, Kurama couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible. Although his duty was to his friends first and foremost, he had left Taykayo alone with others the boy did not truly know. Granted that he and his classmate had not often spoken, it was likely the human felt awkward surrounded by those he didn't know, especially in a time of weakness.

"I'm sorry for leaving you Taykayo," Kurama said, keeping his concerned gaze fixed on his classmate despite the distraction of a rather warm hand clenched at his side. Perceiving the boy's outward appearance he could tell something was greatly bothering Taykayo but didn't want to pry. Sometimes things needed some time before the right words could be found. "Another vision?" he asked hesitantly, already somewhat sure of the response. "We're here if you'd like to talk about it but I won't force you." Kurama hoped that it was not another vision about Yukina as Hiei needed to rest, not to worry further about his sister. Despite his curiosity however, the fox would hold true to his words and not pry unless Taykayo wished to speak with him about the matter.

Taykayo turned and looked at Kurama, shaking his head but smiling. "No, it's alright. I'm sorry for worrying everyone." He said softly. He knew that he really had nothing to apologize for, but he felt compelled to do so anyway. "It was partly a vision, but nothing like before. It's actually something I've been seeing for weeks but can't figure out what it means." He said, taking a sip of the tea after. When he felt his nerves were calmed a bit more he took a deep breath. "I keep seeing this black hole, but I'm not really sure that's what it is, because it looks like demons are trying to come out of it. It's part of a dream I've been having a lot lately, and it worries me." His voice was a bit firmer from the tea, though he still sounded rather feminine, especially with his accent. "The first part has me worried, because it feels more like a vision. But... the other part was more of a memory." And again, he couldn't help but gently glide his hand over the subtle scars on his arms. He could never remember where he'd gotten them, at least until now. And the memories were not something he wanted to get into just yet.

Kuwabara didn't notice anything with the two demons, he was worried more about what Tay had said about his vision. "Some kinda black hole? What the HELL?" He exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "It sounds really creepy though... a black hole with demons coming out of it. Not sure I'd ever want to see one of those." He said in a relatively stupid manner.

"I don't think any of us want to see one of those, baka." Hiei snapped at the oaf tiredly. He was cranky and tired and wished nothing more than to lean his head over on the fox's shoulder and give in to his need to sleep. He leaned his head back against the wall instead, not wanting to press his luck with Kurama. The fox seemed receptive to his meager advances but Kurama could be a very touchy-feely person and he might just think of the touch as friendly. Kurama had put an arm around him on several occassions and even grabbed his hand a time or two, but there had always been a good reason for it. This was different but Hiei still wasn't taking anything for granted.

Yukina frowned at Hiei's harsh words to Kuwabara and looked imploringly at Kuwabara, hoping he'd remember his promise to try and be nice. She'd talk to Hiei later when there weren't so many people around.

Kurama listened intently as Taykayo described what his vision. 'A black hole from which demons are trying to escape...' Kurama muddled over the information. He knew that in ages past, the Spirit World had put borders in place to prevent the crossing of most demons from one realm to another. Exceptions arose often, as seen in the need of a Spirit Detective, however Kurama could not foresee any great changes to barrier happening over time. More information would be needed to puzzle out that mystery.

Kuwabara was as dramatic as ever however the orange-haired boy had definitely hit the mark. If a breach in the barrier between demon world and the human world occurred, it was likely their small group would have more on their hands then they could handle... "Thank you for that information Taykayo," Kurama replied, bowing his head slightly to show respect for his classmate, "It could prove useful if more clues arise." 'The boy could prove to be a very valuable asset indeed if he chose to align himself with the group...' Kurama thought idly. Though Taykayo did not posses physical strength, the information from his visions could be useful, provided they were accurate.

"Oh yeah, Shri-!" Kuwabara had risen from the floor ready to confront Hiei when he remembered his promise to Yukina and he sat down looking miffed. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, which wasn't the easiest thing to do considering he could get mad pretty easy. "You know what, nevermind, Hiei." He said it as calmly as he could manage, not bothering to use the bad nickname that was more of an insult. "I'm not gonna fight with you." He added in a whisper.

Taykayo nodded slightly at Kurama and watched as Kuwabara nearly started a fight with the fire demon. "I've been having that dream for over a month now, not sure what it's trying to tell me." He said softly. He watched as the orange-haired boy calmed down. Taykayo would have stood up and gotten in the way if he had gone through with the insult. Not for Yukina's sake, but simply because he didn't like to see people fighting, especially not amongst themselves. "Please, don't be like that, it's not right to argue this way." He looked down at his hands holding the cup of tea. "I'm sorry, it's really all my fault." Taykayo said even softer. It was just one of those things that he usually did all the time, apologize and take the blame, even when he had never done anything wrong.

Yukina smiled sweetly at Kuwabara. At least he was making an attempt to get along with Hiei and she wanted him to know it meant a lot to her. She didn't expect them to become best friends or anything, but she rather hoped they could find some common ground if they'd just stop fighting long enough to look for it. They could at least learn to be civil if nothing else.

Hiei blinked at Kuwabara in confusion. He couldn't understand what had stopped the oaf from proceeding with their usual argument, until he looked at Yukina. He frowned, arguing with the oaf was one of his favorite forms of entertainment because it was so easy to get the idiot riled up. He was actually rather impressed at the oaf's willpower. He never would have thought the boy would calm down so quickly. 'The idiot must really care about Yukina, to stop fighting with me for her sake.' The little demon frowned thoughtfully. "Hn." was all he said out loud. Obviously the revelation of his kinship to Yukina was going to cause some restructuring of his comfortable animosity with Kuwabara. He wasn't sure he liked the idea but Yukina looked so happy when the oaf backed down. He was willing to try if the baka meant that much to her. Tay on the other hand was being an idiot, trying to take the blame for the fight. Hiei and Kuwabara fought, it was the foundation of their working relationship. Hiei couldn't say that however, mostly because it was none of the boy's business. So instead he simply rolled his eyes and gave in to the urge to lean his head over an inch or two to rest on Kurama's shoulder. He would have to be careful not to fall asleep, but the wall was proving an unappealing pillow, especially since he had a much nicer one so conveniently placed near his head.

Kurama was just as confused as Hiei when Kuwabara backed down from fighting with Hiei. Was it to spare the weakened demon the effort of arguing or did Kuwabara have some ulterior motive? And Taykayo's reaction to the bout was also slightly unexpected. It seemed his classmate was more of a pacifist than he had originally presumed. The redhead was used to the bickering but did his best to relieve Taykayo's worries, "It's not your fault Taykayo, these two are usually at each other's throats. It's a personality clash and although it might not be necessary for the two of them to argue in such a manner, it helps both of them relieve pent up steam from time to time." As Kurama finished, he smiled slightly. He wasn't condoning that the two fight, he was just merely reassuring Taykayo that the outcome of their fights had never been anything but harmless.

Kurama caught sight of smile Yukina flashed at Kuwabara. It seemed she approved of the way he had backed away from the fight. Kurama couldn't say that it wouldn't be bad if the two of them stopped fighting but personally he found their bouts quite amusing and mostly harmless. Lost in his own thoughts, Kurama blinked in confusion when Hiei leaned over onto him. He didn't mind the gesture but wasn't sure how he felt about it in front of Kuawabara's gaze and it surprised him greatly that it didn't bother Hiei either. Still, he couldn't deny the fact that he enjoyed the sensation and so he allowed Hiei to remain comfortably pressed against his shoulder.

Hiei didn't care at the moment what the oaf thought of his choice of pillow. He was too tired to worry about it. If the idiot said something, then Hiei might still get the fight he'd been fishing for. It would be good to let off some of his frustration with the situation right now, even if Yukina didn't like it. It wasn't like he actually hated the oaf or anything. He actually had quite a bit of respect for the boy's honor code and his devotion to those he cared about. Those were things they had in common, though Hiei's idea of honor sometimes contradicted the orange haired baka's ideals and Hiei had a much smaller number of people that qualified as important to him. Hiei didn't often think about the personality traits he shared with the large human, but he could admit to himself that the there were a few. He just wasn't going to admit it to anyone else. He fought the urge to fall asleep by musing on how long it would take him to get the big moron to blow up at him. Not that he had any plans to do so right now, not in front of Yukina. As for Tay, Hiei could live with Kurama's explanation if it would get the feminine boy to quit blaming himself for something he had absolutely nothing to do with.

Yukina looked thoughtfully at Kurama. She hadn't thought of the fighting in that way before. Was it really just a way of relieving stress? She thought back over all the fights she'd seen the two most important men in her life get into and she realized she had never seen them actually come to blows, no matter how angry they seemed. She began to doubt the assumption that they really hated each other as much as either professed. Maybe it was harmless....she frowned. Maybe she shouldn't have interfered. What if they really started to hate each other now that they couldn't fight? She have to tell Kazuma-kun it was okay to argue with Hiei if it helped them get along. She blinked, that sounded weird in her mind.

Taykayo looked at Kurama, thinking about it a little. He didn't know any of them very well, so he hadn't known anything about that. "Oh, well I guess I can understand that. I'm sorry." This time it wasn't a way of blaming himself, he was simply apologizing for earlier. Even if there was still nothing to apologize for, he simply couldn't help it sometimes. He gazed at the cup in his hands, still thinking about the memory-dream, but still not wanting to talk about it.

Kuwabara noticed the strange motion of Hiei leaning against Kurama, but said nothing about it. He actually kinda liked the idea of not fighting with Hiei. In the past, he would get so riled up, it was usually best for those kinds of arguments with Hiei when he was about to fight someone, because then he would take out his anger on the bad guys. Though he thought it would be a good idea not to fight with Hiei when there was no need for it, and especially not with Yukina around.

Kurama could tell that Hiei was doing his best not to fall asleep and cursed that fact. What the fire demon needed most of all at the moment was rest to heal his wounds and give his mind a break from thinking about everything. The fox was quite fed up with his inability to do anything to ameliorate the situation and wanted some answers, and soon. As much as Kurama's pride hated to admit it, Spirit World Intelligence would likely be the best place to go for more insight on the matter. In all of the years Kurama had spent in both the Makai and the Ningenkai, he had never heard of the phenomenon they were currently dealing with. And despite the fact that Taykayo claimed it was possible, he seemed unable to provide furhter information as how to prevent the damage caused by these dreams. Perhaps even Patronis himself didn't know the answers...

Kurama vowed to himself that as soon as the chance presented itself for him to slip away, he would return to the Reikai to find some real answers. Until then however he would stay by Hiei's side in case he was needed. Catching Taykayo's words, Kurama simply nodded in response. No further explanation was required. In an attempt to help steer his classmate's thoughts away from the memories that still seemed to be plaguing him, he asked, "Do you plan on attending school today Taykayo?" It was a simple enough question but hopefully it would do the trick.

Taykayo looked up when Kurama asked the question and he sighed, the thought of school interrupting his memories. In a sense, he was glad that Kurama had asked, school would be a good way of getting the dream off his mind, even if only for a little while. "I don't know, I suppose I really ought to go to school." He said softly, finally ignoring the images that had begun to stop flashing through his head. "I really hate missing class and falling behind." He said it in a whisper, softer than before as he continued thinking about whether he should really go to school or not. If he was going to, he'd have to run home just to get ready. That wasn't something he was looking forward to, but simply thinking about school was taking his mind off of other things.

The sun was beginning to rise in earnest and fill the room with dim morning light. Kurama nodded and replied, "You wouldn't want to fall behind with the test coming up soon. I suggest you go; any semblance of normalcy after tonight would likely be relief." Kurama was certain that Taykayo would feel more comfortable at school, surrounded by those he knew in a familiar setting. He would be able to pretend nothing had happened, at least for a few hours, and it would likely help the boy relax. As for himself however, Kurama's plans had changed. His original plan had been to go to school given that Hiei's condition was stable, however things seemed to have changed. Kurama hoped that Shiori would not notice his prolonged absence. Usually he urged her to sleep late when he got ready for school in the morning however on rare occasions she would wake early to make him breakfast. Kurama hoped that this morning wasn't one of those rare events...

Shiori was naturally an early riser, and today that was a good thing. She had an Italian cooking class to go to and then some shopping to do. She had also been trying to get more exercise, so she planed to take a long walk before she had to be at her class. Thus, she slipped quietly out of the house, hoping she didn't wake Shuichi. He was a light sleeper and she knew he didn't need to be up for school for another hour. He'd be gone before she got home, and she hated not seeing him off, but she'd see him after he got home. She smiled, she was going to try making some of the food from her class for supper tonight. Lasagna sounded very exotic to her and she hoped Shuichi would like it.