Disclaimer: Yu*Yu*Hakusho and all its characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Rapunzel: (Cough, cough) Wait a minute! (Sniffle) I can't have another cold! I just got over the last one!

Blue Jeans: Tis the season.

M.E.: (Hack, hack) I told you I'd get you sick.

Rapunzel: What, is there some law that says I have to get sick at least once a month?!

B. Jeans: Look on the bright side; you can skip school.

Rapunzel: No I can't. I have all honors classes! Do you have any idea how much make-up work I'd get?! (Cough, cough) Besides, I'm not that sick, and I don't try to get out of my classes, unlike some people! (Stares pointedly at M.E..)

M.E.: What?!

Rapunzel: Oh, she who ran to the nurse's office to see if she was running a fever and could go home early the moment I told her our History test was worth eight grades!

B. Jeans: Yeah! You tried to abandon us!

M.E.: What?! It didn't work anyway.

B. Jeans and Rapunzel: That's not the point!!

B. Jeans: (Achoo!) Now look! You guys are getting me sick too!

Rapunzel: Are you really sick, or is it just that you're in my house and you're allergic to cats?

M.E.: How can someone who's allergic to cats have a cat demon for a cousin?

Rapunzel: Hey, it's a story; she can do whatever she wants.

(A W.S.T.™ opens and the Urameshi Team appears.)

Urameshi Team: We beg to differ!

Hiei: Why did you have me getting Mandy boxers in your last fic?!

M.E.: Yeah! Why was that?!

B. Jeans: Be careful, Hiei, or I'll sic YuChan on you.

Hiei: ...

Rapunzel: (trying to change the subject) Speaking of your cousin, where is he? (She looks around hopefully.)

B. Jeans: How should I know? Probably out climbing a tree somewhere.

Rapunzel: Heeyyy... (An evil gleam appears in her eyes.)

M.E.: Uh oh! I know that look. That's the look she had before she wrote 'Is Mandy Jealous'?

Everybody: RUN FOR COVER!!!!!

Rapunzel: (Tee hee) Oh, you guys don't need to worry. I've got a very different target in mind...

Hikaru sighed. It was a perfect day. The sky was clear and very blue. The sun was shining, so it was not too cold, and a breeze was blowing, so it was not too hot. Plus it had rained for the past week, so everything was green.

Yes, a perfect day. And where was he at such a time? Stuck in an office doing paperwork!

"I hate working overtime!" he growled.

Touga spoke up from next to him. "Hey, at least you don't have to go to school like most of the other employees."

"I almost wish I did; at least then I could see Anne," Hikaru grumbled.

Touga looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I wonder how Valerie is fairing. Oh well. I've been in here for two hours straight, so I say I've earned a break. See ya!"

"Deserter!" Hikaru called after him, but it was no use. Touga had the scent of freedom in his nostrils, and Hikaru knew from experience that nothing he could say would convince the young man to come back.

Hikaru sighed again and went back to the paperwork. Almost involuntarily, he glanced at his watch. It was 2:30. "Hm..." he said to himself. "Anne's school gets out at 2:30."

Then he noticed that the window was open. That was all the encouragement he needed. Hikaru changed into cat form and leaped out of the window to find his girlfriend.

Hikaru glanced around him. If he was right, he was somewhere near Mandy's house. He decided to climb a tree to get a better look around. Going over to the nearest tree, he dug his claws in and climbed.

He had been right; he was near Mandy's house. In fact, he could see it from his treetop perch. Now that he knew where he was, he was pretty sure he could find Anne's house. Hikaru turned around and prepared to climb back down.

Suddenly his head swam. Hikaru noticed that the ground was at least eleven feet below him. There were no branches lower than the one he was on.

Hikaru had never had much of a head for heights and straight drops. He had never liked flying on a spatula, even with Anne, to say nothing of going alone. Nothing any of the girls could say could convince Hikaru that the spatula was just a spatula, and did not have a mind of its own, and did not harbor ill designs on him, and was not waiting for the first opportunity to buck him off and kill him. As long as there was something between him and the ground that he could grab if he fell, he was fine, but here there was nothing.

Hikaru trembled and backed as close to the tree trunk as he could get. He began to meow piteously, but all he got were some shoes chucked at him for the effort. Soon, he hoped, Mandy would come along and get him down.

As it turned out, all three of the Weird World guides came along, chatting about what objects they were planning to enlarge for their math projects. Hikaru yowled, but they didn't seem to hear him. He changed back to his regular form, and called to them.

"Jean, Anne, Mandy, HELP!!" he cried.

They looked up. Mandy was the first to spot him. She took one look at Hikaru the bishonen clinging to the tree trunk, and burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Hikaru yelled. "I'm stuck!"

"My own cousin! I'm so ashamed!" Jean wailed.

"Help me get down," Hikaru pleaded.

"Geez, Hikaru, for a cat demon, you sure are a sissy when it comes to heights," Mandy said.

"Jeeaan..." Hikaru whined.

Jean shook her head. "You got yourself up there; you get yourself down."

"I can't!" Hikaru wailed. "I'm scared!"

Jean grumbled something about scaredy cats.

"Mandy..." Hikaru turned a pleading look on the carrot demon.

"No way!" Mandy said. "I think I like you better up the tree."

Hikaru knew it was no use, but he still tried. "Anne," he begged, "please help me."

Anne sighed. "I'm sorry Hikaru, I really am. I'd help you if I could, but I'd end up getting stuck too."

"Get yourself down!" Mandy said, and went into her house, dragging Anne and Jean after her.

Over an hour had passed, and Hikaru was still up a tree. What's more, it was getting dark and the temperature was dropping. Hikaru decided to try again.

"Jean, Anne, Mandy, HELP M.E.!!" he cried.

The door opened and the three of them emerged.

"You can't just leave me up here all night!" Hikaru yelled.

Anne looked worried. "Guys, we should get him down..." she said.

"What are we going to do, call the fire department?" Jean asked.

"Hn. What do you mean by fire department?" a voice asked.

"Hiei!"

Sure enough, there was the little fire demon standing in the tree behind Hikaru. He wore his usual black clothing and a scowl on his face.

"Hiei, you can help get Hikaru down, can't you?" Anne asked hopefully.

"Hn."

"Please?" Anne begged.

Hiei looked down at the trembling cat demon clinging to the tree. He had little or no sympathy for him; Hikaru had gotten himself into this mess. On the other hand, if he left Hikaru in the tree, Anne would get upset, and Hiei still owed her a favor for unplugging Mandy's computer.

He grumbled and picked up Hikaru, who had changed back into cat form. Quickly he jumped to the ground and handed the cat to Anne, who hugged him happily.

"Oh, thank you Hiei!" she said, squeezing Hikaru.

"Hn."

Hikaru glared at his girlfriend. "Why didn't you come up and get me on your spatula?"

"Since when have you willingly climbed onto a spatula?" Anne demanded.

"Good point," muttered Hikaru.

Mandy glared at Hiei. "Why did you bring him down? He was better up there!"

"Hey!" Anne and Hikaru yelled.

Mandy ignored them and started to pound Hiei.

"Hn!"

"Anne, translate," Jean said.

"He said 'Help me!'" Anne translated. She turned to Hikaru.

"Don't look at me!" Hikaru said.

"He did get you out of the tree," Anne said disapprovingly.

"I've no wish to be turned into a carrot!" Hikaru countered.

Anne sighed. "Must I do everything myself?" She strode forward, grabbed Mandy, and hauled her away towards the house.

"Hn," said Hiei before he vanished.

"You're welcome!" Anne called after him, dragging a still kicking Mandy away.

Rapunzel: See? I told you guys you didn't have to worry.

(The Urameshi Team, M.E., and B. B. Jeans peer out from behind the furniture.)

Hiei: Once again, I get beat up by Mandy.

M.E.: You got a problem with that?! (Proceeds to pound Hiei.)

Kurama: Like author, like character.

M.E.: (to Rapunzel) I wouldn't have thought that you, of all people, would pick on Hikaru.

Hikaru: Yeah!

B. Jeans: Speak of the devil...

Rapunzel: (to M.E.) You are hardly on to talk about beating up and picking on boyfriends.

M.E.: (innocently) Who, M.E.? Whatever are you talking about?

B. Jeans: (Pointing down at a bruised and battered Hiei) You have to ask?

Hikaru: Hey, Rapunzel, am I invisible? You're not listening to me.

Rapunzel: Hm? Oh, I'm sorry, were you saying something?

Hikaru: Why are you picking on me?

Rapunzel: Because it's so much fun. Besides, if I didn't, someone else would have.

M.E.: (Grinning evilly) Someone else is still going to.

Hikaru: (Hiding behind Rapunzel) Help me!

Rapunzel: I just had you get stuck up a tree for several hours, and you're asking me for help? Hikaru, are you feeling all right?

Hikaru: You'll protect me from M.E., won't you?

Rapunzel: Hey, my character may be a cat demon, but I'm only human.

M.E.: (hee hee) I'll make you suffer.

Hikaru: *Gulp!*