CHAPTER 1 The Ice Dance

The wintry air hit his face as he stepped outside and into the gently falling snow. It was December and the first snow of the season was slowly making it's way out of heaven and to the living world below. Everyone else was asleep for the night but he wanted to spend a little more time outside. The others didn't bother trying to stop him, though they did warn him about frost bite, not that the cold bothered him much anyway. His body could take it. It always had.

Sighing he turned his head upward and let the soft flakes hit his face with soft kisses. It felt nice. For once it felt nice. Snow used to be something he loathed and tried to avoid as much as possible. It was like rain and he hated rain. Snow was just rain anyway, frozen rain. He no longer hated it but he wasn't a fan either. Snow and rain.. would always bring back horrible memories. Memories best left buried under years of penance. It had always been that way.

You no longer haunt me. You have no control anymore... he thought, feeling defiant.

The wind picked up as if disagreeing with him. He let if buffer him a moment, not letting the gales bother him too much. Wind wasn't his friend either but he could stand it. He always could.

Your heart is as cold as the ice you came from... a voice in his mind reminded him. Snow doesn't affect you because you're just as cold as it is. It's a part of you and you're a part of it. Remember that. The cold keeps anyone from loving you. You don't need love anyway. You're better than that...

He shook his head in disagreement. "I'm not better than that," he said. "I never will be."

Beware your feelings. the wind seemed to warn him.

"Who are you to tell me how I should control my feelings?" he demanded. "You are not my father." he glared off into the distance, the snow landing softly in his hair and clothes. "What do you know anyway?"

She will just ruin your life.

He chose to ignore the words of the wind. "She will not ruin my life," he muttered, thinking about the female the elements were talking about. "She's too afraid of me to do that."

The wind was talking about a certain blue haired grim reaper with captivating pink bubble gum colored eyes. When he'd first met her he'd had absolutely no interest in her but things between them started to develop when Hiei would start getting into her mind to make sure she didn't tell Yukina he was her brother. It had been fun making her squirm and he'd really enjoyed scaring the living daylights out of her. His interest in her matured even more when she proved she was smart enough to convince him to help her and the others find the spirit detective Yusuke when he'd been kidnapped. She's known just what to say to him and he'd agreed almost right away when she held out the right bait. Then later that night he'd had his first but not last form of physical contact with her, when he'd grabbed her hand to stop her from putting a stupid sticker on his cloak. He'd felt a spark of something when he'd touched her and even now he couldn't figure out what it was but when he'd taken her wrist and stared right into her eyes he'd felt something he'd never felt before and just recently he'd come up with a name for it. Attraction.

You will regret your feelings... the voice insisted. Something will happened and you will regret it.

She doesn't even know how I feel, he argued back. How can I regret something she doesn't even know about?

Beware your feelings, the voice in his mind warned one more time before fading away and leaving Hiei alone in the night. He looked back up into the sky, the snow gently resting on his face once more.

Botan also couldn't sleep so she'd wrapped a blanket around herself and stepped outside into the wonderland. She smiled in content as she watched the snow fall gently to the ground and onto her cotton candy blue hair. It was a lovely night. Once in awhile the moon would find a break in the thick clouds and cast its light down onto her. She smiled as she looked over the landscape before her.

Below was a frozen pond. The lake that had frozen over when the weather got cold. Nobody had bothered the lake since. It seemed to be calling to her. Begging her to step onto its frozen surface. The fact that the ice could still be too thin didn't even cross her mind as she stood and, letting the blanket drop onto the ground as she walked slowly toward the pond, as if in a daze.

Hiei decided to walk around the property for awhile to get his mind off the message in the wind. Before long he came upon the blanket Botan had left lying on the ground. "Huh?" he said, leaning down and picking it up. It was still warn so whoever had been wrapped in it was still around somewhere. He lifted his head and looked around. He wasn't expecting to see anyone but he did. Not too far away he spotted a figure step onto the frozen pond at the bottom of the hill.

"Who is that?" he asked himself out loud. "and what are they doing out here without a coat on?" he squinted against the falling snow trying to get a better look. After a moment he realized who it was. "Botan? What is that onna doing out in this weather without a coat?"

Botan's heart filled with music as she stepped onto the ice, ignoring the cold biting into her bear feet. The snow around her didn't even seem real. She felt as if she were in the middle of an ice show. The Nutcracker maybe. She closed her eyes and started to slowly move the to song in her heart.
Hiei reached the end of the pond and started to call out to Botan. The ice was still too thin for anyone to be on it but when he saw what she was doing he could only watch. She was moving gracefully over the ice as if she were dancing. The snow around her swirled with her movements and didn't seem real. For a moment he forgot about the danger and just watched her. This part of Botan he'd never seen. She seemed as if she was another person. Suddenly he noticed something else moving with her. He blinked but the image wouldn't go away. Bright lights appeared around her. Souls... he thought. Those are souls dancing with her...

Indeed they were. As the ferry girl moved gracefully over the ice the souls got brighter and brighter. Soon they moved with her then slowly rose into the sky. Hiei watched in fascination. She was sending souls to heaven without even having to ferry them. He didn't know she could do that.

Just as the moment was getting more magical there was a sickening crack and with a scream Botan disappeared under the ice.

For a moment Hiei stood frozen to hit spot not realizing what had happened. Finally reality hit him and he dashed over the ice then fell onto his stomach and crawled toward her. He saw her thrashing in the water trying to get out of it. Hiei reached her a moment later but couldn't reached her hand. He didn't know what to do. If he couldn't reach her she'd die. Finally he decided on one thing. He slowly slide off the ice and into the water, grabbing her around the waist as soon as he felt his body contract with hers. In her panic she grabbed onto him and almost pulled him under with her. He didn't let her. He swan as best he could back to the thicker part of the ice and heaved her out of the frigid water. She landed a few feet away. He pulled himself out and ran over to her. She sat there shivering. He quickly picked her up and ran off the ice, hearing it crack and break behind him as he ran. Once they were safely on land Hiei put her down and Botan sat on the ground shivering. Hiei watched her a moment then quickly retrieved the blanket and draped it around her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"I-I-I th-think s-so," she managed through chattering teeth. She looked up at him. "W-what a-are y-you d-doing h-here?"

"I was just going for a walk," he said looking away from her. "What are you doing out here? Why were you on the ice? You know it's not thick enough to stand on yet."

Botan looked back at the ice, not cracked in areas. "I-I don't k-know," she answered. "I-I J-just felt I had to..."

Hiei stared. She had to? He looked at the ice too. Something didn't seem right all of a sudden.

"I think we should get back to the house," he said, looking back at her. "You might need a doctor or something. Can you walk?"

She stared at him. She'd nearly frozen and drowned in that water and he wanted her to walk?! "No," she answered, holding in her irritation. "I can't. I'm too cold."

He stared at her a moment then reached down and picked her up, blanket and all. He moved quickly back to the house.

"Hiei," Botan said.

"Hn?" he replied, not looking at her.

"Thank you for saving me," she said.

"I just happened to be around," he told her flatly.

A/N

I was listening to a Christmas song (hahah it's April and I'm thinking about Christmas) when I got this idea. Funny. I can't remember what song it was anymore. Anyway, this isn't a Christmas fic it's just a winter fic. I hope you people read it anyway. It was going to be a one shot but when I listened to the song again I got some inspiration and it will be longer. I don't know how much longer but longer. I hope you like it. Let me know what ya think okay?

I suggest listening to "My December" "The Ice Dance" or "Eternal Snow" when you read this fic.

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