Disclaimer: I don't own YYH
Why Not
Chapter One: Burn
X -x-x-x-x- X
"What?!" Koenma screamed, papers flying everywhere. "What do you mean she's not here?!"
"I mean she's not here...Sir..." George whimpered covering his head just in case Koenma decided to throw something.
"That's impossible! Botan's NEVER late! Where is that girl?!"
Botan groggily woke up to birds chirping and sun in her eyes. Normally this would be a happy occasion and Botan would spring out of bed... But not this morning. His words still rang in her ears.
"Don't ever come back." And just like that, he was gone. She rose up in her bed and let her feet play with the wooden floor. She could hear someone in the kitchen and could smell something cooking. She was still in her jeans and T-shirt from last night. She stood up and walked out like a zombie.
First. she hadn't had more than three hours of sleep, and second, she was depressed.
"Oh, good morning, Botan." Her usually cheerful angelic voice was tired and soft.
"Hi, Yukina." The two just stared at each other. And Yukina burst into tears.
"Yeah, I know...Keiko said something was off...Both of them?...I'd kick his ass, Kurama...Yeah, I know...Yeah..Bye." Yusuke hung up the phone and slicked back his hair. Ever since a week ago Botan and Yukina have been acting strange. Kurama and him figured it had something to do with Hiei. Yusuke knew it had to be when Kuwabara slammed into his room screaming that Yukina had told him her brother was dead. Yusuke went from confused to pissed in two seconds straight. "Damn it," he whispered. "That bastard."
Kurama was sitting at his desk when a familiar tapping came at his window.
He simply looked at the figure in black and nodded. He stepped in and Kurama sighed. It was three am in the morning. Kurama had been up due to insomnia and it appears that it was a good time for it. Hiei sat down on Kurama's bed, which was unusual for him. A few minutes went by and Kurama spoke.
"Is there anything in particular I can do for you Hiei, or are you just here to watch me read?"
"I'm leaving."
"Well...That was a nice visit."
"I'm leaving for Makai, and this time I'm not coming back."
Kurama shifted in his seat. "Hiei...How many times have I heard you say that?"
"I mean it this time."
"So, I'll see you in a few months." Kurama was expecting Hiei to flare up and call him a stupid fox, but Hiei remained still.
"You...need to forget about me. You all need to forget about me."
Kurama stood up and walked over to the bed. "Hiei, what's wrong?"
Hiei looked up at him and Kurama was shocked. Kurama blinked and Hiei was gone.
He could have sworn that Hiei's eyes were...red and swollen...from crying...
The wind whistled in the tree's and tickled the hairs on his neck. His scarf flailed in the wind and whipped around his head. His sword covered in the blood of innocent low class demons. 'Innocent' meaning they didn't do anything to him they just existed. He scowled and jumped to the forest below the mountain. He ran through the forest making the trees blur into black. He stopped and sniffed.
Alcohol.
As he walked in he swore almost every eye was on him. He walked up to the bar and glared back at the man that was glaring at him. "Whiskey." His low voice scraped and dripped with murder. The man poured the whiskey spilling it all over the glass and slammed it on the counter.
"Can you pay?" The man asked.
"Of course I can." He sneered.
"Good." The man flashed an evil grin before turning around.
He knew what was coming from all the snickers and growling from the other customers.
He downed the drink in one gulp letting it burn the inside of his throat down to his stomach.
"You paying now?" The bartender asked.
"Sure. How much?"
"Your life."
The rest of the bar crowded up on him. Yep. He knew it. "Hn. The prices are outrageous here."
Botan sniffed the air and walked down the street. Her communication mirror keep going off.
Damn it. She told him she needed a week off. Why won't he just leave her alone?! She sat down on a park bench and watched the children across the street get some sweet snow.
Sweet snow. Oh, God. She bit her tongue to hold back the tears. That was the fourth time this week!
Why won't it go away? Why won't it stop? When will she get to go to sleep without crying herself there? When - why? Why?
There was that word again. Why. She remembered saying that as she ran back to the temple. She reached in her pocket and grabbed the small gem that she had put in there a week ago.
It was black like onyx but in closer view in the sun, it also had a slight blue hue to it. And sometimes it was purple...And sometimes it was red...Come to think of it, the thing changed colors! And it was always random too. What did that mean? Was it like a mood ring or something?
But if that was the case it wouldn't be Botan's emotions showing up in it...It would be Hiei's.
She looked at the children buying the sweet snow and remembered the first time she got Hiei to try some.
"What?"
"Ice cream. Don't tell me you've never had any."
"I've never had any. And I don't want any."
"Oh? Okay, then."
She watched as he bristled the branches and moved ever so slightly. His shadow was moving over her to get a closer look. She continued licking and moaning gently.
She stuck out her tongue and slowly licked the melting ice cream off the cone. "So good." She teased.
He 'hnned' and jumped out of the tree. "I don't want any." He stated.
"I know. Mmmm..." She licked again. "So delicious. Too bad you're afraid to try new things, Hiei."
"That's it." He snatched the cone from her making her fall over.
"Hey!" Before she knew it, Hiei was licking her cone. He was like a child discovering candy for the first time. In a matter of minutes, that cone was gone.
"Did you like it?"
"No. I just wanted to make you shut up."
"Uh huh."
"Now go get some more."
Suddenly Botan felt a surge of rage mixed with determination. She stood up and squeezed the gem in her fist. She would get him back. How she didn't know, but Kami as her witness, she would get him back.
"Please d-don't..." The bartender begged. Tears were falling down his face mixed with snot and blood.
"Don't what?" His sword was inches away. "Don't gut you like I did them?"
It was truly an incredible sight. In mere seconds, entrails were all over the floor. Blood had splashed on the liqueur running down the walls. They were all dead.
"I-I..." The man stuttered.
"Say it." He flashed a cruel grin.
"I'm sorry..."
"Wrong."
He charged at the man sticking the sword directly into his neck blood squirting out on his face matching his own eyes. His thrust the sword up, slicing through his head as the man was still alive.
"Uh-uh - " The man choked in vile pain as his eyes rolled back before his forehead was cut in half. The limp body slumped to the floor and he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror behind the liqueur. He had blood on his face and the white part of his hair was red.
He scowled and summoned his flame.
"Burn."
Botan looked at the gem that she was holding. It was red now. "Hm. I wonder what red means?"
~To Be Continued