Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Botan's oar sat between them on the deck. Yukina perched primly, kimono clean and neat, while Botan was sprawled on her belly with her head propped up in her hands. As a ferry girl, she'd seen plenty of death, and she knew how hard some people took it. She'd seen the ranters, the ravers, the screamers and dreamers, the ones who tried to kill themselves to be with their loved ones and the ones who actually succeeded. And she knew by now that the death of a twin was the worst.
It didn't matter how close the siblings were, how alike or different. It was always the same. The twin left behind simply shut down, like they just couldn't function without their better half. The twin who'd died refused to leave, always knowing intrinsically that they were still needed, still wanted.
Botan reached out and tugged on Yukina's sash. The young ice maiden looked back at her friend, sadness and a question in her eyes. Botan grinned cheerily. "Aw, don't cry, Yukina. It's okay. Hiei's alright now. He won't have to fight anymore. He can be free, you know?" Yukina simply gave a polite nod and returned her gaze to the heavens.
Stars spangled the sky like so many teargems on black velvet. It was a cold night, more so than usual, but Yukina refused to leave the porch. Well, it wasn't that she refused, exactly; she just studiously ignored anyone who suggested she come inside. She'd been sitting on the porch for hours now, apparently deep in thought.
"He's alright," repeated Botan, still trying to get a reaction from Yukina. When the young ice maiden still didn't respond, Botan sat up and sighed in exasperation. So much for the gentle approach.
Swinging off the deck, she drew her hand back and smacked Yukina across the face. "Yukina, you have to get over it. He died a week ago. We get that you're still mourning him - he was your brother, we get that. But you can't block us out like this. Please, Yukina. Let us in." Botan peered in close, searching for some sign of emotion in Yukina's pallid face. There it was, just the tiniest flutter of the eyelashes, a softening of the jaw, and a tear welling up in the corner of one eye.
Botan brought her finger up and gently pushed aside the tear, and the glossy gem dropped to the grass. The ferry girl gave a reassuring smile, and swept her friend into a tight hug. This seemed to be all Yukina needed - she buried her face in Botan's deceptively slim shoulder and sobbed deeply.
Teargems scattered over the deck and tumbled through the grass and down Botan's kimono, but they were payed no heed. The two girls simply stood together, taking comfort in each other's presence.
Finally, Yukina pulled away, brushing the last few gems from her eyes. "Oh, no," she fretted. "I've gotten them everywhere." She dropped to her knees and scrambled around trying to pick up as many of the precious stones as she could. Botan smiled contentedly and crouched down to assist in her effort.
When most of the gems were collected, Botan sat back down on the porch, leaving Yukina to pick up the last few. Yukina turned around at a slight tug at her waist, and found Botan pulling at her sash again. The ferry girl just grinned brightly. "Missed you."
