A LITTLE DISCLAIMER: Most of the characters appearing in this fic are the property of Yoshihiro 
                     Togashi, Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV, and Shonen Jump Weekly. 

	I tap one finger against the polished wood of my desk, skimming through one of the many
papers that somehow always need my attention at once, immediately, or as soon as possible. Many
would find this monotonous routine boring, but not me; routine means that nothing is wrong, and
if there’s nothing wrong, it means I’m safe - and so are those I care about. I consider 
whistling some airy little tune, then decide it’s not worth the embarrassment or George or any
other passing worker to poke his head in and ask if I’m feeling all right.

	The pile on my desk slowly diminishes, my hands moving in a slow blur as I stamp them 
and toss them into another stack. When they’re finally gone, I lean back in my chair, propping 
my feet on the desk like I have seen so many humans do. It’s actually a rather comfortable 
position; one I could get used to. As I start to doze off, my mind wanders back on something 
that had happened, not two weeks ago, to a certain redhead that I had in my employment.
	
	The day had started a great deal like today; wake up, eat something quickly, and set 
myself to working. I was stamping papers, skimming the words briefly before tossing them into 
the "completed" pile. I had worked up a rather decent speed when a familiar name caught my eye, 
printed at the top of the sheet like any other deceased person’s name. But this one was 
different; it sent a small, warning chill down my spine as I read it.

	Minamino.

	No, it wasn’t Kurama, nor his beloved mother; apparently, a first cousin of his had 
been the victim of a car accident, one that had also come dangerously close to claiming the 
life of the youko. He had been sitting in the front seat next to her, when some idiot had 
slammed into the driver’s side, killing Naomi and sending Kurama to the hospital for several 
cuts down his rib cage and a broken arm. I was relieved, knowing that the wounds he suffered 
were minor compared the ones that could have happened; he could easily have been killed, as his
cousin was.

	I was about to bring the stamp down, when George burst in, brandishing a sheaf of 
papers. His voice was strained as he spoke, screaching to a halt before my desk and slamming 
the papers down in front of me. "Koenma-sama! Koenma-sama!" He shoved the notes into my face, 
and I noticed, when I took them from him, that his hands were shaking slightly; his skin seemed
rather cold to the touch - worse than usual. I frowned at his unusual behavior, then began to 
read. The more I saw, the more I began to understand.

	And when I reached the clincher paragraph, I felt like something inside me was 
freezing, slowly cutting itself away from the rest of me. I slammed the paper down, glaring at 
him, chewing furiously on my Fukuumen. "How did this happen?!" I demanded, glaring at him, 
gaining minor satisfaction for my anger as I watched him cower. "How the hell could this have 
happened - and to Kurama, of all people?"

	George hemmed and hawed, shrugging his shoulders. "I don’t know, exactly, Koenma-sama. 
Most are speculating that she was able to enter his body due to his weakened condition, but 
they can’t figure out any way to get her out! From the reports, it seems like she’s trying to 
push Kurama out of his body - that’s why he’s not recovering as fast as one would expect!"

	I sprang to my feet, making the change from the little boy-form I was more comfortable 
with, to the teenaged one I used before my Detectives. "Is there anyone with him, right now?"  
I snap, brisk and buisness-like as I push past George and into the eternally busy rush of the 
hallways outside my office. He follows me, wringing his hands.

	"Only Hiei-san, at the last report, Koenma-sama."

	That made me pause, surprised. Hiei? I ask myself.

	Well, why not? a part of me answed back, in a flippant tone. You know what the Books 
say about those two; why shouldn’t he be at Kurama’s bedside?

	I shrugged in return to myself, then sweep my cape around my shoulders. "George, take 
care of things while I’m gone," I said sharply, before vanishing outside and heading towards 
the Ningenkai.

	The hospital was eerily quiet, like a giant tomb. The light glancing off the polished 
whiteness of the floors and walls dazzled my eyes as I made my way through the soft-spoken 
crowds of nurses, probing for the feeling of Kurama’s you-ki. I found it easily, being the only
one of two in the whole place, flickering wildly, like a candle flame in the wind.

	The room was deathly quiet when I entered, and Hiei spared me a quick glance before 
returning an intense red gaze to Kurama’s still face. I stood behind him, noting the way the 
slender chest was barely moving, and the way the monitors that kept his heart from fluttering 
out entirely beeped crazily, keeping in time with the insane bouncing of his you-ki.

	"Do you know what’s happening?" I asked Hiei gently, watching him closely.  His 
shoulders were tense, and his hands were knotted in his lap, shaking slightly from the strain. 
He said nothing, but his voice was tightly controlled when he replied; curt and short, as if he
were clipping each word as it was spoken.

	"Yes. I do." His eyes slid up to entangle mine in their shadowed gaze. "Is there 
anything you can do?" 
	
	The openess of his request surprised me; Hiei has never been one to show his emotions 
so plainly. I guessed he was allowing this to show through because the one he was expressing 
concern over lay, still and too pale, in the bed beside us. I considered his words, then 
nodded, slowly. "Yes, there is."

	"What?" Again, he spoke with a startling openess, some of the feelings he had for 
Kurama showing through, like a brief flash of lightening. I surpressed a smile, then moved to 
stand beside Hiei, snagging a stool from nearby and seating myself on it. I watched Kurama’s 
face for a few long, tense minutes, before speaking.

	"You could go into his mind - his very soul, perhaps - and seek out the foreign 
presence inside him. His human cousin, Naomi, is trapped inside his body, and she probably 
thinks she’s still alive - therefore, she views Kurama as a pest to be exterminated, and is 
fighting him. He fights back, however, and that’s what’s still keeping him here." George had 
said it was only a rumor, but I knew that was probably the case. "Out of all of us, you’re the
most suited to the task - your Jagan is an extreme asset, of course - and out of the three of 
you still conscious, you’re the closest to Kurama." I folded my hands neatly and sat there 
calmly, waiting for Hiei’s reply.

	For a moment, I thought he was going to refuse, and then his shoulders sagged. "Okay," 
he muttered, under his breath. "I don’t know why I’m agreeing to this, but okay." He looked at
me sharply. "How do I get in, in the first place?"

	I smiled, glad my hunch had paid off, and instructed him in the process, watching as he
unbound the Jagan and opened it, closing his mental eyes as he laid one hand over Kurama’s, his
brow furrowing in concentration. Black light seeped out from their contact, mingling with the 
emerald of Kurama’s aura, until the two were so intertwined it was hard to tell which color
came from which. When the lights abruptly faded, I sat back to watch and wait - I’d done all I 
could, and everything else had to be left to Hiei.

	For hours, it seems, Hiei sat there, eyes closed, Jagan open wide, staring, unseeing, 
Kurama’s ki still fluttering like a terrified bird. Then, suddenly, Hiei’s eyes snapped open, 
his chest heaving as he gasped painfully. Kurama’s entire slender body began to spasm on the 
bed, and I rose to my feet, alarmed, only to be stopped my Hiei’s hoarse voice. "He’s okay," 
the Koorime told me, shakily. "His body is just purging the ningen woman’s soul now."

	Bile appeared at Kurama’s lips, bile mixed with blood, and I had to turn away, hating 
this, hating watching my friend in pain. Hiei said nothing, only gasped slowly, catching his 
breath, keeping his eyes trained on Kurama’s face.

	And then, again, it was suddenly over. I could feel Botan’s invisible presence nearby, 
could almost hear her voice, speaking in low, soothing tones as she coaxed the frightened 
spirit of the girl into following her, leading her off to the Reikai, where she should have 
gone a long time ago. I let out a breath I hadn’t been aware I’d been holding, then turned to
look at Kurama.

	Hiei was gently dabbing at his lips with the hem of his cloak, carefully wiping away 
the spittle and blood that had been coughed up during the ordeal. The look on his face was 
nearly impossible to describe, the look of almost-tenderness out of place on his hard features. 
He said nothing, only soothed Kurama by stroking the damp red hair from the pale face, passing
his palm over the frightened green eyes. I held myself completely still, waiting, waiting for 
him to say those three words, the three words that would bind those two together for eternity..
... but he said nothing. Once Kurama’s breathing had calmed down, his eyes loosing their wild 
gleam, Hiei stood, sparing only a brief glance in my direction before vanishing from sight. I 
stood there, my jaw hanging, looking like an idiot as I stared at the place where he had been. 
That little ... what a coward! I snorted in disgust, then turned to look at Kurama. He was 
staring at me, confused as any little child. "Daijoubu desu ka, Kurama?" I asked him gently, 
sitting back down beside him.

	He frowned at me, then nodded, slowly. "H-hai. I guess so ..." he shuddered slightly, 
closing his eyes. "That is something I never want to go through again," he announced in a soft 
voice, before turning to look at me. Color was returning to his cheeks; he was starting to look
like his normal self again. "Arigato, Koenma," he told me softly. "If you hadn’t shown Hiei who
to help, I might ... I might have ..." he shuddered again, then closed his eyes. "I think I’d 
like to sleep now, if you don’t mind."

	I nodded and got to my feet. "All right," I told him quietly. "I’ll leave you in peace
 - for now."

	He didn’t answer; his breathing was slow and deep and even, and a small smile twitched 
at his lips - it was a healing sleep he was locked in right now, one that made me feel better 
for watching him.

	The door bursts open, and one of the many faceless workers enters, carrying a large 
stack of papers. I sigh, taking myself out of the memory, and straighten at my desk. "What’s it 
this time?"

      	"New shipments of souls, Koenma-sama," the oni tells me, setting the papers down on my
desk before bowing respectfully. "George-san believes you should get these done before any new 
ones come in and pile the work up even more." He leaves, after another bow, and I sigh heavily. 
So much for a break.

	I return to my stamping, but my mind is elsewhere, thinking about those few scenes I 
saw between the two of them. There was such a look of protectiveness on Hiei’s face as he 
watched Kurama, such a look of almost-revealed feelings that the air nearly hummed ith tension 
between the two of them. I consider doing something stupid, like forcing those two together on
a pointless mission, and hope that they will reveal how they feel for each other, then shake my
head, amused at my thoughts.

	I know it’s only a matter of time before one of them says the words.

	I smile, and return to the paperwork.	

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* Next: Botan's Snapshot: The Fears of Death