AN: Mainly for Ciara, though I am posting a cleaner version here for my younger cousins and I have heard of the strictness of fanfiction on these matters. Only limish material will go on this site. Lemons will appear on livejournal under the name DarkSidheChild and adultfanfiction under the name Dark Sidhe. (If you are my younger cousins and go to that site, Ciara and I will personally beat you with sticks! ;) Don't go, please.) My attempts at a full romance story with the couple she requested.

Disclaimer: Standard

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Tender is the Night

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Between the darkness on the street
And the houses filling up with light
Between the stillness in my heart
And the roar of the approaching night

Somebody's calling after somebody
Somebody turns the corner out of sight
Looking for somebody
Somewhere in the night

-

A crash broke through the semi-deserted streets, causing the girl who walked there to jump. Her heart was pounding furiously as her head turned, following the sound like a startled deer to the source. Golden eyes stared back at her, before turning away to more interesting sights.

Only a cat. It was only a cat rooting through the trash, nothing to be worried about. Not when what awaited her was a demon.

Botan shivered as she continued on her way, pulling the jacket in tighter around her. There was no protection this time, no backup, no gun, no badge. Anything that could give away the reality of what she was had been striped of her before she had boarded the plane, left behind in moldy old England, with the rain and the fog. It had no place being in windy, brisk spring-time Japan. Interpol was a bitch when it wanted to be. Why she had been chosen for this job in the first place-?!

But she knew why she was the perfect candidate. Her blue hair did nothing to detract from her attractiveness as an undercover operative, it wouldn't really matter as much anyway, and if push came to shove, she could always dye it again. No, it was the fact that she was a native of Japan. Her parents had come from this productive island country in the seventies, when it was still facing depression, to settle in another island country, the British Isles, London, to be exact. She could move freely in the Asian countries, she knew the language fluently, if with a small accent, and she was loyal to England first and foremost, followed shortly by Interpol itself. One of their youngest yet brightest members, or at least that's what they had told her before sending her off on this trip.

Another shiver ran through the girl as she recalled her commander's final statement, given with warning eyes. "It doesn't detract any that you're a woman as well." And the eyes had traced her figure with a silent message. Watch yourself. Reports had come in that he was not a womanizer, he traditionally avoided contact with people, though he was slightly more courteous with women, and that no one had gotten close enough to gauge if his preferences even lay that way. Anyway, they were only rumors, right?

The problem was, there was so little information on him that rumors were clung to. That he showed any bias at all towards women had probably made Interpol begin screening their candidates to match that one requirement. And in an organization overwhelmingly dominated by men... Well, let's just say they didn't have to narrow it down as much after that. Botan, by default, became the obvious choice.

"Akira!" A voice rang out across the street as a woman leaned out a window. Her eyes flew to a small group of children playing along the edge of the road. "Akira, get in here now! Your supper is almost ready!"

Botan watched as regretfully a black haired boy separated from his playmates and hurried in side, amid the soft scolding of his mother to hurry and clean himself up.

It was like stepping back in time.

Hadn't her own mother done that? Scolded gently in Japanese before rolling her eyes and smiling at the tomboy she acted. Oh, Botan could always act proper when required, she donned the traditional kimono with ease, but when left to her own devices, she would wander off and play, somehow always ending up following the rougher boys around. It had caused her father no end of worry, but the boys thought of her as a younger sister, and even away from the expensive preparatory school that her parents worked hard to send her to, among the slightly run down neighborhood that they lived in, she never was hurt because of the protective gang that guarded her like eager puppies.

Slowly, the girl sighed, lost in memories. Some of the boys had grown up to lead normal lives, bankers, shop workers, some of the rougher ones joined gangs, became involved in crime, some even died, but only one had gone into Interpol, and he was the one who had gotten her involved too. Her cousin, who had followed her family shortly after their move to England. He was slightly older than her, but he never had the build of a rough-houser, and she always wondered how he had managed to become one of their leaders in the group. For his moderate stature, he had a commanding presence. Koenma.

She giggled slightly at his name once again. His parents had been more than a little presumptuous, a strange trait in a collectivist culture, naming their child as the son of a god, but she supposed it suited. He was now the commander of her division, looking after all of London and reporting directly to the man in charge of England, and he was also the one who sent her off.

'Koenma,' Botan thought ruefully at her absent leader, 'couldn't you have argued a little more against sending me here?' But there was no response to her silent inquiry, and no escape from the duty.

Soft footsteps fell as she continued on her way, hands stuffed into the pockets of her long jacket and the wind blowing her hair lightly around her. Dusk was fast approaching, and she could see the lamps beginning to turn on inside the houses. Evenly her heart beat, belying her rising panic as she walked, growing closer to her destination. Years of practice, she thought with irony. She had spent the last two years flying through the ranks, quickly showing her expertise in an area she had only begun in, international police control, and the four years before that going through Interpol's rigorous requirements in college. She had a bachelors in Electrical Engineering already, and her night classes were slowly advancing her to that of a master's degree. At the age of twenty four, she had turned out much differently than what her parents had expected, had planned for, a marriage off to one of the semi-nobility of Great Britain, impressing them with her well mannered Japanese soft spokeness. Instead their daughter was a genius in law enforcement.

Not that they weren't proud of her. Her mother boasted everyday to the neighbors down the street, inviting them for tea and chatting happily. Her father bragged to his coworkers down in the bakery where he made thousands of treats. And nobody who knew them did not know that their daughter had become a very important person with international associates. Of course, they couldn't reveal which institution she worked for, nor what she most commonly did, got the inside scoop on crimes in order for preventative measures, so instead they told stories that she worked as a secretary in the UN.

What stories, Botan wondered idly, would they tell if they knew what she was doing now? She sighed again. Only Koenma and those higher up knew where she was at the moment, and her purpose. The blue hair shook. 'Great, so if anything happens, no one will know. Because I know Koenma, and if those idiots above him are anything like him, my parents will think I'm being overworked twenty years after I'm in my grave. He'll never tell.'

Sharply, she shook her head. 'Stop scaring yourself, old girl.' Her heart had never changed it's steady beat as she continued along the street, turning the corner into a small alleyway, hard to find if you hadn't been looking. Carefully, she matched up the number she had memorized with the one atop the door, knocked in a specific pattern, then waited. It had taken her over three months to get information on this lead, and the places she'd gone to get it weren't really that nice, so she prayed that everything was correct...

A slat slid open almost imperceptively above her head, only the fading sunlight allowed her to catch it, before it whipped closed again, without a sound. A few seconds and then the door in front of her was opening.

Brown eyes met her lavender ones with faint intrigue, a mocking glance thrown back into the shadows, before a grin was summoned to the man's face. "Well, what a surprise! Entertaining women, I see?" Rough muttering answered the obvious joke from further inside the room. "She certainly is a looker, I'll give you points for good taste." The roguish grin turned full force on the woman. "Yo, name's Yusuke." His eyes flashed for only a moment. "And you are?"

"Botan," the blue haired woman replied evenly, lavender gaze never moving from his own. She knew who he was, Yusuke Urameshi, currently wanted for all sorts of criminal dealings across Asia. Neither gave last names. They knew the rules.

The black haired man tilted his head, highlighting the slick upon it. "Can't say I've heard much about you."

Then again, Yusuke was also well known for breaking the rules. Botan refused to let her mind falter at his change in track. Usually, you did not ask questions that could find you with a gun barrel at your throat for prying. Deciding to play it low, she answered. "I work in Europe."

"But you're Japanese," he pointed out, noticing her ease with the language and natural looks.

Her voice never faltered. "I'm returning home for a visit. Sentimental value."

"And work, if you came here."

The lavender eyes flashed. "I wish to settle." A pause. "Yusuke."

The warning was clear enough, and Yusuke backed off, laughing with his hands held up. "Hey, I get the message. Backing off." That raking grin was back. "But if you ever need someone to show you around the town-"

"You're married." A mysterious voice from the back growled it out, from the area Botan still couldn't see in the dim lighting, and it sent more shivers down her spine that were hastily squashed. Show no fear.

Yusuke gave a long suffering sigh, but was smiling anyway. "Don't remind me. And don't you dare tell Keiko!"

"...hn."

"Yeah, yeah, 'hn' to you, too." He smiled at Botan again as he imitated the other man, then easily shifted her to the side before moving out the door. "Well, I'll see you later then!"

"Don't forget to tell the oaf."

Brown eyes rolled. "I know, Kuwabara dies if he goes near your sister again. La de da." Yusuke reassured that he would tell his long time friend/enemy and sometimes partner, then shut the door quietly. The lock slid automatically into place with it's closing.

Standing still and feeling somewhat foolish but also slightly frightened to be in the presence of a man she couldn't even see, Botan waited for her eyes to adjust. Slowly, things began appearing in the darkness. The room was small but comfortable, the entrance way to the side and a wall partitioning it off. The woman moved further inside, stepping softly on the tatami mats, and looking around at the deep red painted on the walls. Pictures hung without care, a few maps, some obviously up for decorative purposes, to give the place a homey feel but the subject matter truly not an issue to the owner, and one small photograph on a bookshelf of a smiling girl with turquoise hair and an innocent demeanor.

It was what the English would call a drawing room. Furniture was rich, but based on functionality. Everything had to have a purpose, the sofa for sitting, the coffee table for an easy spread of papers, light chairs for drawing up to it, a large desk for filing, and the chair behind it for executing the administrative work.

Which currently involved sizing her up. Botan drew in a quick breath as she noticed the man sitting there, finally, blocking out the light of a low banked fire behind him. His arm was resting on a knee that he had brought up, making his appearance slightly less formal, but nevertheless intimidating. Stature was short, if he wasn't slouching, which it didn't look like he was, and the air he gave off was feral. Without a doubt, Botan knew who sat before her.

The Flying Shadow. The Night Hunter. The Demon.

He was known by several names, but few knew his real one. Hiei. The thief that had plagued Interpol's Eastern resources for the past several years in efforts to capture him (all failed attempts) and who had ransacked several museums, palaces, and vaults taking priceless vases for the black market, but overwhelmingly jewels. Gems, the darker the better. He was the reason she was here, Interpol's latest plan that had been months in development. Chances of it working were slim to none, but still, it was her job...

"Well?" His voice was growling as he watched her eyes dance along with the small firelight across her face.

It startled her out of her reverie, and she dropped the comment without thinking. "Your eyes are red."

There was no answer, and she winced and bit her lip, remonstrating herself internally. 'Oh, please, Botan, of course they're red. Contacts are cheap, and no wonder people call him The Demon! Stupid, stupid-'

The voice broke through again, deep. "You'd better start explaining why you're here, or I'm kicking you out. Gouki said you would be worth my time."

"Ah, oh! Okay, um, sure," Botan replied quickly, her nervousness overpowering her for a second before she could regain control, straightening her shoulders and nodding forthrightly at him, noting the name of the man who had given her the information on where to find Hiei only briefly. "I am a Japanese native who's been keeping a good record over in Western Europe, but I've wanted to move back to Japan and live over here." Effortlessly she repeated the story she had told Yusuke. It was something she had drilled into her brain for quite a while now.

He stared at her longer, speculatively, before speaking once more. "Why?"

"Sentiments." She never hesitated. Honestly, she doubted her would believe her if she said she preferred the weather. France had some lovely beaches, after all.

"And you came to me...?" he prompted, growing impatient.

The lavender gaze never fell. "I'm good at working with other people, I've made quite a few heists that would have failed without my expertise, but I'm afraid I'm not good enough to work on my own."

Hiei was irritable in reply. "I'm not looking for an apprentice-"

"I'm offering myself as an assistant," Botan broke in, cutting off his dismissal. Risky move, but she really needed to stay, it had taken so long to get to this position!

His response was still annoyed. "You could have gone to Yusuke."

Botan stayed as straight as a streetlight. "You're the best."Flattery was always the best choice. When in doubt, flatter, she had been told this over and over.

The red eyes watched her for a moment more, before they narrowed. "Hn. What jobs?"

"The Copenhagen Lift, the Duchess of Burgandy Scandal last June, The Pieta theft from the Louvre-"

"That was found and returned."

Her chin lifted in response. "For an undisclosed price, quite a nice sum in a Swiss account. The painting was too famous to keep." She took silence as her cue to continue. "Pearls from the halls in Jordan, and several crosses encrusted with diamonds from the Vatican."

She had saved, if not her best for last, at least the one she had been forced to work the most. That was when her teacher had almost cast her off to work by herself. The thefts were real. What the man sitting in front of her didn't know was that the items were currently sitting by safely in the dusty halls of London's museum waiting to be returned to their owners after she completed what she came for.

The knee was down now, and he was leaning slightly forward in his chair. She had caught his interest. A small frown tugged his features. "Some of these jobs were rumored to have only had two people on them."

Botan shrugged. "I don't need too much assistance, and neither do you."

"I need none," he replied, face hardening, and she quickly moved her posture into an unassuming one as she gave quick apology. Her heart was beating. She could have, no, probably just lost him there...

Hiei leaned back in the chair, tapping his fingers against the cherry wood in front of him. His gaze never moved from her face as it became obvious he was thinking. Finally, the thief stood up, sharply, no movement wasted, and paced to stand in front of her. He was short, the hair spiking on his head in messy formation only adding a few inches and still he only reached her chin. But his black outfit rippled in a way that let her know there were muscles underneath, tightly compact and swift. He was not one to be trifled with.

Red eyes were examining her as well. Of average height, but thin, lithe, she moved with a natural grace when she wasn't startled or nervous. Clothes were nondescript, a pink shirt and skirt covered by a jacket, nothing flashy, she knew how to keep low. Though that hair of hers was certainly out there. But there were wigs. She probably knew how to use them. Fingers were made for that quick turn of the wrist, long and slender, and her eyes showed a spark of quick intelligence before she masked it over again, acting subservient. And she was. Acting, that is. He could tell, there was something she wasn't saying. His voice finally emerged, breaking through his contemplation for a moment. "What is this 'expertise'?"

She took a deep breath and started speaking as he circled her, examining her with every tone of impersonality. "I'm very good with electronics, one of the best in the field, and given time I can crack any security code."

"So can a computer."

Her fingers twisted together as she turned to look him in the eye, arms moving along with her. "I can make it go faster, and I don't need to hack the system directly to figure out how to get by security. The chance of detection falls greatly."

The Demon waited, then nodded once and continued his circling. "And?"

Botan calmed her nerves, summoning up more. "I know people in Europe-"

"This is Japan. They're useless."

She finished her statement unwaveringly. "-that you don't know, and who might have good connections here."

The eyes met hers once again. "Possibilities will not convince me."

Her next breath shuddering, she pulled herself back together. To be so intimidated by one gaze! And yet, there was also something... She pushed it away. "I have done jobs on site and am not a hindrance." The arm moved again, slightly as she stepped closer, bravely facing him. "And I can make a good lift-"

Suddenly, his hand was like steel on her arm, stopping it's aim at his waist. Eyes looked back at hers firmly. "Onna, I'm not about to lose my pants just for your enjoyment." Hiei watched the slow flush of her face before moving his left hand to relatch his belt. Without warning, he jerked her left arm down so that she was eye level. "Your first one was good, I barely noticed it, but the second was sloppy. You were pushing your luck, I knew where you were going the third time."

"Ah, I see," Botan's voice was small as she stared back at him, biting her lip. Her hand went quickly to inside her jacket, into the pocket there, only to come up missing. Eyes widened.

Hiei only smirked. The left fingers came up, holding a small gem on a necklace. "Looking for this? No one is allowed to take this from me. Be glad I didn't kill you."Quickly, it looped around his neck again, as if she had never flipped the catch when his back had turned as he was circling her.

He had stolen it back without her even noticing, and from her own jacket pocket as well! That was speed, and talent! Slowly, Botan flushed as she realized where his hands would have had to have gone to get that. Her voice came out in a gasp. "You-!"

"You're in no position to complain, onna. You took it from me in the first place." The tone moved into a petulant growl. "And I don't really want to answer the question of 'boxers or briefs' for you." His hand released her as he walked off, moving to tap against the desk with his back towards her for the moment, while Botan hurriedly clutched the jacket tighter around her and cutting off any view to her flowing top and short skirt.

She knew it. She was losing him. Speaking quickly, she pulled out everything she could give. "I'm sure you've heard of the blue-haired avenging angel that's been making the circuit over in Europe. She's been making quite a name for herself, and if you added-"

"Shut up," Hiei said, cutting her off easily and never turning. Fingers beat out a nameless rhythm on the desk. "For your information, I'm more concerned with your abilities, not your reputation. You can get one of those for simply being bad at what you do or sleeping around." The crimson gaze returned, chiding her. "Baka onna."

This time, Botan remained quiet.

But her heart was pounding as he finally gave a soft sigh, shaking his head. The shoulders rolled briefly before he turned to her. "Honestly, I don't have any use for you. I've always done things alone, I think you'll be better off going to see Yusuke. He's got the whole 'team' idea working for him. I'm feeling charitable today, amazingly, so I might even give you a recommendation..."

Botan had tuned him out after the very first sentence, not needing to hear anymore. She had made it this far, found him, even had him considering the idea, and still he wasn't agreeing to taking her on. She couldn't blame his instincts, but there was no way in hell she was giving up now! And hauntingly Koenma's warning ran through her mind 'It doesn't detract any that you're a woman as well.' She was a woman, which was why Interpol had selected her. Hiei might never have shown it, but rumors were out there that he had a soft spot for the females, refused to hurt them, some kind of honor code. Maybe, maybe it passed over into liking them for other reasons than just the platonic as well? And if ever she were going to use that in her favor...

The coat dropped with a soft thump to the floor, causing Hiei to glance up, distracted, from riffling through his desk. An irritated frown crossed his face as he looked towards her. "What do you think you're-?!" His eyes shot wide in surprise as she suddenly grabbed his shirt and yanked him to her, pressing her mouth firmly to his across the table. In contrast, hers were squeezed tightly shut, unwilling to look at his reaction. But she was moving her mouth in all fashions in order to convince him. Hard, soft, firm, pliable, and enticing. Her tongue licked daringly across his lips and it was all Hiei could do to not respond involuntarily to that invitation. Attraction surged.

As it was, he still kissed her back for a moment before managing to loosen her grip and pull himself away. Breathing was heavy. "Baka - onna! What the hell - do you think - you were doing?!!"

Frightened purple eyes stared back at him for a moment, innocent and scared, unsure. It didn't look as if she understood what had just happened either. Hiei cursed internally. She was reminding him of his sister, he had to fight down on the automatic protective urges at seeing her afraid. She shouldn't be afraid, at least of him. With effort, the thought was crushed. 'Let her be afraid,' Hiei thought defiantly, 'I am a dangerous thief after all.'

He wasn't moving, and Botan had the chance to recapture her wits. Well, to a certain amount. She surged without thought around the desk and clung to his arm. "Please don't! I'm quite good, I won't be a liability at all!"

An uncontrollable shiver ran up his arm at the touch. "Onna, get off. I said no."

"Please!" She was begging.

"The answer was no!"

She was quiet for a moment, the shoulders moving softly, before she finally looked up again, tears in her eyes. "Please, just give it a shot, for me? Only one try." Her whole body was shaking as she wept silently.

Hiei stared down at her, before finally turning his face away in disgust at himself. "Fine. Whatever. But only one try! You get one shot before I tell you to get the hell out of my life! And there will be no recommendation to Yusuke either if you fail!" He watched her nod softly against his arm, then, with a rolling of eyes, reached down and started to pull her up. "Get off of the floor, you don't belong there."

Standing up with his assistance, Botan never looked him in the eyes as she moved to retrieve her jacket tiredly. She never noticed his carefully averted face as she bent over.

Grumbling softly, Hiei resumed his seat at his desk. "Now, questions, onna? I'm only asking you once."

Her voice was soft back. "Why do you have a real person watching the front and not a camera?" At the silence, she lifted her head, blinking. "I had wondered."

An eyebrow was raised as he finally just shook his head. "Hn. Stupid question. Eyes are more trustworthy than cameras. Don't think I didn't know your talents. Especially with electronics."

Botan's jaw fell open. "Then... you made me do that whole spiel for nothing?!"

"I had to be sure you weren't lying to me." Hiei's eyes were level. He was insuring that she was trustworthy as well. Lying would have immediately terminated her chances, slim as they were anyway. "Is that all?"

Slowly, Botan nodded. That was it.

"Hn. I'll see you the day after tomorrow, here, three o'clock, to discuss your job. Don't be late or you'll get no job at all." His face sharpened. "And if you see Yusuke, tell him to mind his own damn business, he's got no reason to be in mine."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded firmly. "Right." Her eyes met his before turning behind her and looking towards the door. Slowly, she began pacing out.

Hiei's fingers were up, speculatively, unconsciously tracing his lips where he still felt a tingle. Yusuke. Yusuke had said that he had good taste in women? Good taste. She tasted...

"Onna..." Botan paused on the way out and looked back to find Hiei hastily glaring at papers and maps on the desk as he shuffled them around. She hesitated, confused, only to hear him say, "Three, onna, don't forget. You can go." Puzzled, but nodding again, she left the room, going out the door into the night and disappearing.

Staring hard at his desk, Hiei let his hands still. He hadn't been about to ask that, had he? Ask if she had really meant that kiss? Idiot, of course she was just trying to distract him! Convince him. And he wasn't sure if he was yet. But if she was as thorough in everything else as she had been in that... Cursing, he pushed it out of his mind and shoved away from the desk. A coat was grabbed from behind the sofa and donned quickly, and the picture on the bookshelf tucked away. It was the only thing important to him in the building. Glancing briefly at the ladder he had climbed earlier to spy on his front door, he smirked faintly at it, then opened the door itself and walked out. It was time to visit his sister. And if the oaf was lurking around her house again, he might just have to kill somebody.

-

Botan walked swiftly back to her hotel, her mood ironic. That had not gone at all like she had expected. All of the training her teacher had given her, to be smooth, cool, and overall in control of her emotions, had flown out the window. She lived on emotions, and when it came to push and shove, she'd fall back on them in a crazed effort to pull through. Luckily it had worked this time, but she knew it probably was just dumb luck. Something in Hiei had shifted enough, thank goodness, to give her at least one try to stay on and work with him. She hoped maybe to get more, but one was enough, technically.

She had come here with the intents of getting undeniable proof that he was the man stealing these things, that he really was The Demon. There were no witnesses to testify, and he had a clean record under a court of law. Unless they found some stone cold proof, they'd never be able to convict, and he'd be able to disappear in seconds. So just one time working with him would do it. Though, really, she hoped to have a few more. To help her case! But also, she had to admit, to feel the thrill of working on something that big, to have the chance of being caught. Interpol had told her flat out that they would not be assisting her if she got caught in a job. Koenma had said he was working on that, but honestly...

Well, it was the thrill she wanted. Her teacher had taught her that, a master thief himself and now helping Interpol in exchange for parole. It had been exciting when she had been technically doing it legally, how much more of a jolt would she get by working with Hiei instead of the almost legendary Kurama? They were, in actuality, almost equal in fame, only in different circles. And she couldn't wait to find out.