Peneia Teke: Hi, again! I'm back with the next installment.

Thank you so, so much for the reviews! They're part of what motivates me to continue.

Now, go read, and just to make sure we're all on the same page, this takes place the morning after the mission.

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah. We all know I don't own it.


Chapter Two: Other Forms of Communication


And so, the night drew on until shadows covered the length of the yard outside and a chill settled in the air.

I'm thirsty. Why don't you make yourself useful and bring me a glass of water?

Botan started awake and glanced around at her surroundings in confusion. Somehow, at some point in the night, she'd fallen asleep in the living room fully dressed with the TV still on. The old grandfather clock in the corner read 4:47 AM. Botan stretched groggily and rubbed her still sleep deprived eyes, not completely unconvinced that the order she'd just heard mentally wasn't part of some weird dream. Unfortunately, she could feel a tickling in the back of her mind that demanded her immediate attention.

Reluctantly, Botan stood and headed for the kitchen. She found the switch to the light after much groping around and grabbed a cup from one of the cabinet drawers. Still half asleep, she poured the water, absently watching as it swirled and sloshed around in the glass and then turned to deliver it to her very temperamental albeit sick patient.

Did you get lost? Or are you incapable of granting a simple request?

Botan stiffened as Hiei's haughty remarks echoed throughout her mind. Why that little… He doesn't have to be so rude about it! She stopped and took a deep breath, unwilling to let her temper slip out unchecked. After all, he could probably read every thought going through her head, right now. Instead, she pasted on a fake smile and blocked out the rest of his comments as she made her way up the stairs, being careful not to spill the water.

"About time," Hiei remarked, watching her enter the room. "Seems the service around here is a bit lacking." He looked more awake than someone should at such an ungodly hour.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Botan grumbled hoarsely. She never had been much of a morning person.

"Yes, and on any normal day I'd be out training by now."

"Fine. Here's your water, Hiei," Botan forced through clenched teeth. She thrust the glass into his hands.

To her annoyance, he peered down at the water suspiciously, placed the cup over on the bedside table, and went back to staring out the window. "Is there a reason you're still here?" he finally asked.

"Aren't you going to drink it?"

Hiei smirked at her. "No."

"Then why did you wake me up, if you weren't thirsty?"

"I was thirsty," he replied haughtily, "but you took too long, and now I'm not. Besides, I don't think I trust my care in the hands of someone with your level of competence."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she replied hotly, "I could take a sip if it'd make you feel better."

Instead of answering, he flicked the glass with his finger and sent it crashing to the floor. Water splashed everywhere, some pooling around Botan's feet. "Oh, how clumsy of you," he said, looking directly in her eyes. "Clean it up."

Botan's mouth dropped. "…Why you little ingrate!" she shouted, clenching her hands into fists. "The least you could do is show a little appreciation once in a while! I'm trying to help you out here!"

"And you're doing an excellent job of it, I'm sure," he said sarcastically.

She ground her teeth, barely holding back a growl of rage, and continued her rant. "I can't believe you! Here I am going out of my way to make you comfortable when I could be sleeping, and are you grateful for it? No! You're such a selfish little brat! I know you've had a bad past, but that doesn't give you the right to go around treating perfectly decent people like dirt."

Hiei narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his lips turned down in a frown. "Are you finished? It's obvious you weren't thinking straight when you got yourself into this mess, but that's not my problem. Don't expect any sympathy."

"What?" Angrily, Botan marched around the side of the bed to block Hiei's view of the window. "Hiei, this isn't about sympathy or pity... or whatever! You saved my life, ok? And it almost killed you in the process. If there's anything I can do to pay you back I'm going to do it," she said boldly. "Isn't that what friends do?"

Hiei glanced at her in surprise then frowned. "This is ridiculous. I've put up with your antics for long enough." He got up and phased to the window.

"What are you doing?" Botan asked hotly, hands on her hips.

The fire demon glared back at her. "It's a fairly simple concept. I'm leaving."

"Oh, no you're not," she snapped, "I have strict orders to keep you here, and that's what I intend to do." She took a step forward but hesitated when Hiei turned to face her, drawing his katana.

"Unless you have a death wish, I suggest you stay where you are," he hissed, narrowing his eyes coldly. He'd obviously had enough.

"I…" Botan blinked and took a step back, not quite certain about her next action. Hiei smirked and opened the window, preparing to leap. "Ok, Hiei," the blue haired ferry girl said finally, "I didn't want to do this, but if you leave now, I'll have Koenma extend your probation." She'd already tried the nice approach; now, she'd just have to keep him here by force. It served him and his stubbornness right!

Hiei whirled around, eyes wide with shock and fury. "What! You can't do that!"

"Oh, yes, I can!" she said firmly. "You'll be restricted to this city, unable to make contact with your native homeland. Is that what you want?" She knew she was really pushing her luck, but it didn't matter. The cold wind blew in through the open window, but neither seemed to notice, so caught up were they in glaring the other down. Finally, Botan broke the silence. "Is it really worth it, Hiei? Giving up your freedom for your pride?" Hiei's body began to tremble in anger, and he strode over to Botan, reaching his hand out as if to grab her neck. She took a step back, flinching away in fear.

"…When I'm released, I will kill you," Hiei growled, barely managing to suppress his rage. He sheathed his sword and turned away, but Botan relaxed only after he'd slumped back down on the bed, staring moodily at the wall.

"Well…" she said finally, breathing out a shaky sigh. "That wasn't so hard, right?" Hiei remained silent, and Botan bit her lower lip nervously. "At least we agreed on something."

Hiei snorted. "What? That I'm going to kill you? I'm here against my will. I didn't agree to anything."

She felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her face. "R-right, my mistake." she said, correcting herself. "…Um, now that that's settled, I should probably give you your first round of therapy. Otherwise I'll end up forgetting about it until later." Or putting it off, whichever comes first.

"Why?" Hiei asked shortly. "What do I need therapy for?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you," Botan said brightly, sticking her pointer finger in the air. "Kurama told me to give you small doses of spirit energy every couple hours for the remainder of your recovery time. It'll encourage your body to create demon energy on its own, naturally."

He gave her a deadpanned look. "No."

"But, Hiei, it is part of the healing process. I have to do it! Besides, Kurama-"

"I don't care what that bastard says. You will not touch me."

Botan sighed loudly in frustration. "It'll make you better faster!" she coaxed. "And the sooner you're better, the sooner you can leave!"

"…Fine. But I already told you, I'm not sick! At least in the way you seem to believe."

"Whatever you say, Hiei," Botan smiled. He glowered at her, and the ferry girl gulped, quickly deciding it would be easier to work with the hot-tempered demon if she was alive to begin with. "Oh, Come on. Cheer up!" she exclaimed, bouncing next to him on the bed. "This won't be so bad! Now, just lay back and relax."

Hiei grumbled but complied, and Botan gently placed her fingers to each temple, barely touching his skin. She focused her energy to her hands until she felt them begin to tingle, and then with one final push, she felt the energy jump from her fingers to him. Hiei's body absorbed the energy greedily, and Botan felt herself beginning to tire more quickly than she'd initially thought. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated harder as her forehead broke out in sweat, pushing more energy into her hands.

"Continue going like that," Hiei finally muttered, grabbing her wrists and pushing her hands away from his head, "and you'll be dead before the sun rises."

Botan's eyes fluttered open and she tensed, feeling an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach. She quickly pulled her hands away from him. "I-I'm, sorry." Her breathing was erratic, and she wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "I guess I do tend to get carried away."

"That's reassuring," Hiei smirked, "though I'll admit, I do feel a little rejuvenated. Maybe, you aren't so worthless, after all."

Botan's eye twitched. "As much as I love your bad attitude, I'd really appreciate it if you tried to be a little nicer, ok? It'll make this so much more enjoyable."

Hiei moved his head away and said stubbornly, "Maybe I don't want it to be enjoyable."

She sighed in frustration and threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, Hiei, I don't feel like arguing with you, anymore." Suppressing a yawn, she added, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed. Most normal people are still asleep at this hour." Hiei watched as she stormed from the room, holding back an amused smirk. If he'd learned anything from this encounter, it was that Botan definitely wasn't a morning person.


Back in the living room, Botan lay wrapped in a blanket on the couch, but no matter how comfortable she got, she couldn't get back to sleep. Finally, at 6:30 AM she gave up and headed for the kitchen, set on finding something for breakfast. She settled on a bowl of cereal and sat at the kitchen table, listening to the early morning silence. It was still dark outside and very cold, something Botan didn't like about the winter season.

After she'd finished her breakfast, she rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Then she began wandering around, wondering what else she could amuse herself with. It was odd really, this feeling of independence. Botan was so used to working long hours for Koenma that she wasn't quite sure what to do with all her free time. Granted, she was supposed to be looking after Hiei, but he didn't require much care so, therefore, didn't really count as work. At least in her opinion.

She eventually found herself at the base of the stairs again and fidgeted nervously, debating whether to peek in on him or not. She wasn't sure how civil he'd be after their previous encounter. A glance at a clock on the opposite wall informed her it was now 9:05 AM. She'd have to face him eventually.

"Hiei?" she asked, poking her head into the room already knowing he'd be awake. "Are you feeling better?" What she meant by better, of course, was 'are you in a better mood'? Hiei stiffened but offered no response, so she took his silence for a 'yes'. "Would you like breakfast, then? I could make you toast…" He made a low sound in his throat in agreement, though it sounded more like a growl to her. "O-okay," she replied nervously. "Do you want butter or jelly on it? Or how about cinnamon and sugar?"

Hiei looked over at her oddly. "…What's… cinnamon?"

"Hm?" Botan looked confused for an instant and then brightened. "Oh! Just something that'll make the toast taste better. It's a spice, actually." Not that that had much to do with anything.

Hiei grunted. "Sure. Whatever."

The blue haired deity smiled happily. "Ok, I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Hiei was staring at the wall by the time she'd returned, eyes glazed over in disinterest. His arms were wrapped securely around his knees. Botan felt a pang of guilt and sympathy when she saw him. He must be so bored. I wish there was a way I could…

Just then, her communicator went off, and she pulled it from her pocket, flipping it open. "Oh, hello, Koenma sir!" she said, turning her back on the fire demon. "How are you this morning?"

There was a pause, and Hiei could make out the murmuring of the toddler prince, though he didn't care enough to listen in on the conversation. However, Botan's sharp nods and reluctant replies of 'yes, sir' throughout the conversation told him she wasn't happy about whatever her boss was telling her.

After a few minutes, Botan had finished and turned back to Hiei. "Well, I need to run some errands for Koenma, and I probably won't be back for a few hours. Here," she pulled an extra communicator out of her pocket and gave it him. "I'll call later to see how you're doing, but don't hesitate to call if you need something, ok?" He gave her a deadpanned stare, causing her to smile. "Ok. I'll see you later, then."

Hiei was out of bed even before her scent had vanished and only faint traces of her spirit energy lingered in her wake. Yawning in boredom, he wandered out of the room and toward the stairs. There had to be something in this house that would hold his attention until the girl returned. Then he could amuse himself by making her angry, his only way of venting the pent up frustration and restlessness he felt.

Of course, that didn't satisfy his inner turmoil like training always did, but in his pathetic state of being, he was reduced to obeying orders like a small human child. It nearly made him sick. He was Hiei, the Forbidden Child of the Glacial Village, sole wielder of the Darkness Flame! He'd always lived and survived on his own, pushing himself to become stronger. He didn't need anyone watching over him or telling him what to do. He neither needed nor wanted to be cared for.

This incident had obviously caused everyone to believe he was weak, and that was something he couldn't afford.

Hiei stalked quietly into the kitchen and stopped near the sliding glass door to look outside. It had started snowing, and the ground was covered in a soft, white blanket. Droves of snowflakes swooped and twirled pass the window, blurring his view of the forest beyond.

Hiei shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the door, once again considering the idea of leaving. It was so tempting to just walk away from the house and disappear into the forest, leaving all these problems behind. Honestly, what was another few years in human world when he was already tied down until Koenma gave him leave? He didn't belong here…

A loud buzzing snapped him out of his muses, and he jumped back before pulling the communicator Botan had given him out of his cloak pocket. "What do you want?" he hissed after her face had come into view.

She looked slightly taken aback before remembering who she was talking to. "Hello, Hiei! It's good to see you too," she grinned.

Hiei gritted his teeth, trying to keep his temper under control. "Unless you have something important to say, I don't want to talk to you."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Actually, I just wanted to tell you that there's leftover soup in the refrigerator if you get hungry." As an afterthought she added, "You do know how to use the microwave, right?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes, and I know where Kurama keeps his food, you incompetent! I don't need you to tell me that."

Botan frowned on the other end. "Ok! Sorry. I was just making sure. I wouldn't want you to go hungry."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Botan shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You're out of bed aren't you? Oh, when I get back you're in serious…"

The fire demon closed the communicator before she could finish and tossed it into the garbage. It began ringing again as he closed the lid. Stupid girl, he thought angrily, she's treating me like a helpless child.

His patience was tested further when the kitchen phone began ringing. Now, having hung around with Kurama as often as he did he'd picked up some things on humans, and he knew that the 'telephone' was a way they communicated with one another. However, he had never actually used one before and didn't plan on using one anytime soon, especially since it was most likely Botan. Unfortunately, the insistent ringing tone was getting on his nerves.

He finally picked it up and held it warily to his ear. "What the hell is it this time?" he growled angrily.

"… Hello. Is your refrigerator running?" asked a voice on the other end. It wasn't Botan, and Hiei could hear soft sniggering in the background.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced at the large, white appliance, unsure of the intended meaning of the question. "…No," he replied coldly. "…It hasn't the ability to move. It's an inanimate object."

There was a pause on the other end, a click, and then the dial tone. Hiei hung up after shooting the phone a nasty look. Stupid humans. He assumed this was what Kurama had meant about humans "prank calling" each other, though he couldn't understand why they'd waste their time in such a useless manor. If demons were allowed into Human World, the disgusting creatures wouldn't have time for such witless acts of stupidity.

Suddenly, feeling very drained, Hiei wandered into the living room, wrinkling his nose as he settled on the couch. It smelled like Botan… too much so. She must have slept there recently. He grabbed the remote control from between the cushions and switched on the TV. He didn't like the television much, but Kurama seemed amused enough by it, so he figured he could deal with it for an hour or two. There wasn't much else to do, after all.

He surfed from channel to channel, finally coming across a program he vaguely recognized. He'd seen one or two episodes of the anime, InuYasha, with Kurama and had been mildly entertained by the antics of the perverted monk, though he'd never admit it aloud. Instead, he'd mocked the recklessness of the half-bred and his obvious affection for his spirited female companion. Kurama had merely rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Hiei leaned back against the couch, snorting softly in remembrance. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and settled in to watch the chaos unfold.


The sound of something scratching softly against glass caught Hiei's ears, and his eyes snapped open. He glanced around the room, quickly accessing the situation as he sat up straighter on the couch. The InuYasha episode had long since ended and a talk show had taken its place. From the odd scent wafting in from somewhere near the front hall (that wasn't Botan's), he'd already determined there was someone else here. The trouble was he couldn't tell whether it was a human or a demon… which was very disturbing. Hiei didn't bother with the TV, not wanting to alert the figure of his presence, or if the figure already knew, not wanting him to know he knew he was there.

Very quietly, Hiei crept through the kitchen and toward the staircase near the front door where the scent was the strongest. The entrance was empty, but he noticed a hole in the window big enough for a fist to fit through, confirming his suspicions. It was obvious the intruder had cut out a piece of the window and unlocked the door from the outside.

At the sound of a squeak on the tiled floor, Hiei's fingers twitched eagerly, and he was back in the kitchen a moment later, katana raised. There was no one, but the silence of the house pressed around him. Hiei growled softly in irritation. "I know you're in here," he taunted, deciding to throw caution to the wind. "Come now. Why don't you show yourself so we can end this properly?" He began moving through the kitchen toward one of the other rooms, purposely extending his stride to make the intruder nervous. He'd always enjoyed intimidating his opponents. "I've been bored lately, and you'll provide the perfect entertainment." He smirked, catching sight of a shadow out of the corner of his eye. However, when he turned to regard it fully, it had already vanished. He frowned. "I see. Why don't we play a little game? If I find you, I get to kill you. Doesn't that sound fun?"

He suddenly felt a strong presence in the corner of the room and spun on his heel when a deep, raspy voice asked, "…And if I find you first?"


PT: Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review!

Chapter revised 3/30/08