The next chapter of Home isn't quite ready yet, but I figured I could at least release a scene that never made it into the main storyline. It takes place while they are still in the AU and was inspired by a sketch from LonelyDreamer7 (otherwise known as littlegreenstrawberry on Tumblr). FFnet keeps eating the link, so if you want to check the pic out please go to littlegreenstrawberry's tumblr and attach the following to the link:

post/165033154255/littlegreenstrawberry-the-couch-scene-from-home

Hiei lay on the couch, glaring up at the ceiling with a frown. Botan had locked him out of the room after one of their many, petty spats and he had no choice but to spend the night here. Though it wasn't the worst place he had ever slept by far, it still did not compare to the comfort of the mattress he had gotten so accustomed to. He shifted his position a few times, before ultimately lying on his back and resigning himself to his fate. He screwed his eyes shut - determined to fall asleep - when he felt a familiar weight sink into one of the cushions.

It was obviously Botan, but it was utterly embarrassing that he hadn't managed to detect her presence at all. His instincts must have waned and softened much more than he realized.

"What do you want?" he grumbled, still annoyed that she had locked him out of the bedroom.

She did not say anything, instead choosing to advance towards him slowly. The furrow in his brow deepened as he slowly processed what she was doing. Crawling towards him on all fours like some sort of deviant, she proceeded to cross into his personal space. Something strange was going on and when she settled down in his lap, he lost all coherent thought.

"Woman-"

"Shh," she hushed, pressing a finger to his lips to silence him. "Just relax."

"What are you doing?" he asked after she removed her finger.

"I'm doing exactly what you want me to."

The ferry-girl had never been so brazen before. What happened to the naively innocent and prudish woman who got flustered over a little skin? He swallowed thickly as she placed both hands on his chest and dragged them downwards at an agonizingly slow pace. An embarrassing noise nearly made its way out of his mouth, but he gritted his teeth together and forced his lips shut. Grabbing her wrists in his hands, he glared at her.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," he warned. "If you keep playing games like this, I won't want to stop."

Botan smiled down at him, before lowering herself to whisper in his ear.

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for, Hiei."

Her voice had taken on a breathy quality, causing all of the blood in his body to flow south. He swallowed thickly as she sat up again and her pink lips curved into a smirk. As his gaze traveled upwards, he was surprised to see a haze of lust clouding her amethyst eyes in the same way that he was sure it was shadowing his. It was clear that she wanted this. He did, too.

There was no need to fight it - not when she was willing and ready - so he released his hold on her wrists and fixed his crimson eyes on hers challengingly.

"Then do what you will, ferry-girl."

She wasted no time slipping her hands underneath his shirt, fingers lightly caressing his abs. It was such a minimal bit of contact, but the ferry-girl's touch was infinitely better than anything he had ever felt before.

"Botan," he groaned out.

"I knew I could get you to say my name," she teased. "Now let's see how many more times I can make you say it like that."

-x-

Hiei jolted awake, sunlight streaming through the windows and casting a soft glow over the living room. Botan was standing in the threshold of their bedroom door, staring down at him in concern.

"You were making all sorts of noises. Were you having a nightmare?"

This fucking reality is a nightmare, he thought to himself as he dragged his hand over his face in frustration.

"Hiei?" she pressed.

"I'm fine," he dismissed as he sat up.

"You look a little flushed," Botan observed as she advanced upon him.

She reached a hand out to check his temperature and in that moment detailed flashes of his dream bored into his mind with a vengeance. He shirked away until his back hit the armrest.

"Don't touch me," he cautioned abruptly, his voice coming out more strained than he would have liked.

"Hiei, don't be silly-" she insisted.

"I mean it," he growled, his heart racing beneath his chest and pounding in his ears. She was too close and he did not trust himself right now. "Leave me be, woman."

"Alright, fine," she relented, hands raised in defense as she turned away from him entirely. "No need to be so testy!"

Hiei ran a hand through his hair, releasing a deep breath as he stared at her retreating form. She was venting about fire-demons and their mood swings as she stomped away, but he couldn't hear any of it. Instead, her sultry voice and inviting eyes entered his mind once more and he felt another part of him awakening.

He cursed as he glared down at the growing tent in his boxers.

The blue-haired, doe-eyed ferry-girl would surely be the death of him.

Poor Hiei.