Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Hey everyone :D I got some great feedback on the first chapter and decided it was time to update. I'm currently working on Chapter 4, though the majority of the story is planned out and playing scenes through my head daily. I really need to get busy with the writing...

Anyways, enjoy!


It was the day Botan had been waiting for, but for some reason her alarm hadn't gone off. Thankfully, she had gotten up early enough and found that she was still on the couch. The television was off, her laptop was on the coffee table, and she was covered by a blanket. The girl smiled as she realized that her mother must have let her sleep in the living room, and that she did have plenty of time to get ready since her mother would never let her sleep through her first day of class.

She could both hear and smell breakfast cooking, which lured her out of bed. When she made it to the kitchen, she could hear her mother laughing. Her bedhead must have been really bad that morning, but she had slept on the couch so that was expected.

"I hope you slept well," her mother said softly. "You looked so peaceful; I didn't want to wake you."

Botan stretched out her sore muscles and then smiled. "Yeah, I slept well." She looked over to the clock. "How long before breakfast is done? I need to go get ready for school."

"Oh!" her mother exclaimed before putting her spatula off to the side. She pulled Botan into a hug. Botan's brow quirked in confusion. "My little baby is growing up so fast. I still remember the day I could finally see you…and now you're a senior in high school."

"Mom," Botan laughed while prying herself out of her mother's grip, "where I love a good trip down memory lane, I really need to get showered and changed. I slept way longer than I should have."

"Fine, fine," her mother replied, "but Botan…"

"Yeah?"

"You don't need to be up and ready three hours before you leave for school. It's not that far away."

Botan knew her mother had a point, but she usually used that extra time to get more work done if she could. It probably wasn't the healthiest thing, especially during the year when homework already kept her up until the early hours of the morning, but she didn't think she could change herself this late in the game. Plus, her mother usually had to go to work early. "Right."

Choosing what to wear was difficult. Since it was the first day of school, Botan knew she had to somewhat dress up. If she tried to weasel out of it Keiko would have her head. She ended up settling for a light pink blouse and a white skirt that cut off above her knees. Now, normally Botan wasn't one for bright colors, or pink, but there were occasions where she didn't mind being girly. The first day of school was one of them, and she always went all out.

She quickly applied some light makeup and chose to wear a necklace of a silver globe. She quickly got into her white sandals and grabbed both her backpack and large handbag. Her next activity would be watching television until she needed to meet Keiko and they'd walk to school together.

It was just another day, and yet somehow she knew it would be different.


Hiei glared at his outfit. His mother had bought him clothes for the first day of school, and it was not something he would be caught dead wearing. It was business casual, khaki pants and a deep, dark red button-down shirt. She has got to be joking, his thoughts said, though he knew it wasn't true. He didn't care what she picked out, though, as he tossed the clothes aside and went for a pair of black pants and a light blue tank top. He knew his mother wasn't a fan of his almost colorless wardrobe, but he was not letting her take it away from him. She already had put them all in a crappy situation when she accepted Tarukane's invitation. They had been perfectly fine before this entire mess, or at least that was what Hiei told himself.

"Hiei?" his sister called softly as she knocked on his door. "You need to come down for breakfast. Shuichi will be here soon to show us the way to school."

Hiei sighed in frustration, but went to answer the door. He found his sister standing there in a teal dress, her hair pulled back the way she usually did. He always admired her natural beauty that came off with her innocence, but he always hated when she dressed up. Every time he did, he ended up in detention after beating some of the guys at their school for attempting to get with her. She never knew their full intentions, but Hiei had heard it enough in the locker room or from his classmates. It was another reason he was happy they were out of that school, though he didn't expect this one to be any different.

"I'm not hungry," Hiei told her, though he was lying. He knew Tarukane was at the table, and he'd rather hold off until lunch than sit and dine at the bastard's table. He turned away from her to shuffle stuff around on his desk to appear like he had other things to do.

He heard his sister sigh. "Please, Hiei," she pleaded. "I don't want you to make yourself sick again just because you're avoiding him. Mother worries, and so do I."

The teen bit back a slightly insulting retort. He loved his mother and sister very much, but they were always so overbearing. If he wanted to skip a meal, then it was his own business. If he got sick, he'd deal. He wasn't a child, and he refused to let either of them treat him like one.

"Fine," he grumbled as he threw his backpack over his shoulder. He glanced in her direction, and then said softly, "Let's go."


Hiei could hear the voice of the man he detested, clearly amused by something, all the way from the staircase. The teenager sneered and clutched the strap of his schoolbag tighter. Yukina didn't seem to notice as she led him into the kitchen. When they got there, Hiei could see his mother preparing breakfast while their host was on the phone.

"Ha ha ha," he laughed his moronic laugh. "You say he actually begged? How the mighty have fallen. You know what to do with guys that don't pay. Yeah. Call me when it's done."

Well, that didn't sound like a hit at all.

Sometimes Hiei really couldn't understand how his mother could allow her children to be around a mobster like Tarukane. If he ever commented on it, though, Hina would defend him and pretty much say he was only hearing what he wanted to hear, that Tarukane was a legit businessman. It sucked that he really had her snowed.

"Ah, Hiei," Tarukane greeted smugly. "Look who finally decided to join us."

Hiei's lip curled back in a sneer before he hardened his expression and took a seat at the table. He looked directly into his dish, his armed crossed as he leaned against the table. His mother turned to bring plates of food to the table. There was a smile on her face until she took in the sight of her son. "Hiei, why aren't you wearing the clothes I bought you?"

Normally, Hiei would be honest with his mother, when they were in private. His eyes quickly flashed to Tarukane before he closed them and shrugged. He heard his mother sigh, but was angered when he heard the mobster's boisterous laugh. "Boy will be boys, yeah?" he teased ruffling Hiei's hard, though, unbeknownst to his mother, Tarukane was gripping Hiei's head a little to forcefully for the teenager's liking. Yukina seemed to be the only one to notice her brother cringing and trying to move away from her mother's boyfriend.

"Oh!" she called out. "I just remembered. Hiei, I need your help with something in my room. Can you help me quick before we eat?"

Hiei understood what Yukina was doing. Just as he would protect her, she would protect him. He was able to push Tarukane's hand away as he stood up. "Sure."

The two of them left the room leaving Hina confused. Tarukane just chuckled. "It's good he at least helps out." He waited for Hina to put his plate of food in front of him before she sat in the chair next to him. "So, my dear, what are you doing today?"

Hina flashed him an awkward smile and, like her son, shrugged. Truthfully, she planned to catch up with Shiori later while the kids were at school and Tarukane was at the office. There was quite a lot she needed to talk to her friend about.


Tarukane was off to his place of business when Hiei and Yukina returned to the kitchen to eat, and shortly after there was a knock on the door. "Shuichi, it's so good to see you," Hina greeted as she let the boy in. The redhead simply smiled and looked around the house, eyes widening in surprise at how large the living space was.

Yukina rushed over to the redhead and threw her arms around him for a hug. "We missed you!" she said happily. "How have you been?"

"I've been well," Kurama replied looking over to his best friend with a smile. "What about you two?"

"Fine," Hiei replied, though his eyes told a different story. He got up from the table and put his and his sister's empty dishes in the sink before grabbing both of their bags. Yukina smiled and took hers from him, and the two of them followed Kurama out of the house.

"Have a good first day, you two," Hina said as she waved them off.

"We will," the twins said simultaneously, though Yukina's response was genuine and Hiei's was grumbled.

Kurama chuckled and shook his head as they left the house. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

A smirk appeared on his friend's face as he said, "You don't want me to answer that."


"Wow, you look great today, Botan!" Keiko exclaimed excitedly. "Doesn't she boys?"

Kuwabara chuckled nervously and nodded his agreement. Yusuke just rolled his eyes. It was no secret in their little group that Kuwabara had had a crush on Botan in middle school, but it was just that. Still, he was usually too shy to comment on her wardrobe whenever Keiko brought it up. Honestly, it always felt like he knew something they didn't when it came to her choice of outfits, but no one ever really asked him about it.

"We don't need to drag more attention to me, Keiko," Botan huffed indignantly. "So, do you think we'll run into Kurama and his friends?"

"Probably not," Kuwabara returned. "He said they needed to go in early to get their class schedules and figure out where everything is. We probably won't see anyone until lunch unless we happen to be in the same classes."

Botan nodded and left it at that. She spent the rest of the walk smiling and nodding to everything going on around her, laughing occasionally at her friends' antics. Truthfully, though, she felt pretty exhausted, and soon she'd be even worse off throwing herself into school. It was best for her to play off her nerves, or else she'd be bombarded with questions. She didn't want her friends to know what was going on.

So what was going on? Botan didn't even know anymore. It started when she was little and actually met her father. Somehow, her mother found him, and from day one the man lied to his daughter. Her mother always raised her not to lie, and then she had to call him out on it. After that, the relationship that could have been was shattered. It wasn't her fault, though. She had only been eight years old. He couldn't carry a grudge for almost a decade, right?

But he could, because that's what he was doing. They had still talked, and Botan would give her father detailed reports weekly of everything going on. She was young at the time, so there wasn't much to tell. She never wanted to voice her feelings, but truthfully she wanted him to be there for her more. He never came to school functions, and he never came to her birthday. Yes, he had lived far away, but she wanted to see him. She wanted to feel like her father truly cared and wasn't just saying words to appease her.

He also carried a grudge towards the rest of his family. Her grandparents had become an integral part of her life, and her father didn't like that. He never wanted her to go to family functions outside of the immediate family and, in his mind, she could only go if he took her. But he never took her. She found out about important family events from her grandparents, important traditions from her uncle, and she wanted to be a part of it. They were her family, and she loved them as much as they loved her. She had missed out on eight years of memories, and she wasn't going to waste any more time.

That's when her father stopped talking to her, not before calling her manipulative and saying she held no respect for him.

He stopped calling her, and then reached out to her sending flowers for her sixteenth birthday. She was so excited when she got them and called him right away to tell him he could still come to her birthday, not that she had uninvited him, but she didn't want him to feel like the fight was lingering between them. He continued to ignore her calls. She tried to talk to him every day, but the phone kept ringing until she was forced to either leave another message, which she assumed would annoy him, or hang up and accept defeat. The worst part was it hadn't gotten any better between them. He was still ignoring her, and she was still trying. There were a few times in between, though, where they had talked, but it was distant because he wouldn't really talk to her and she was afraid to trust him. He continued to hurt her, especially when he came out one time and told her that he refused to deal with her emotional outbursts because he didn't like them. He told her he didn't have to put up with her, and when she said he did because he was her father, he darkly said, "I really don't."

Botan wouldn't even be an emotional wreck if he would just talk to her kindly and not attack her character all the time. Nothing she did was ever right for him, which is why she put all of her energy into being the best she could be at everything she did. Getting low grades dampened her spirit, even when her mother assured her that it was okay since she did her best and it was only one test grade. Her mother was always proud of her, but Botan convinced herself that if she brought home news that could even slightly make her mother disappointed in her that her mother's pride in her would disappear. It wasn't a justified thought, but she couldn't help it.

The only two people who knew any of this, other than the therapist she went to way back in the beginning, were her mother and Pyro. Her mother didn't even know the true extent of her feelings because Botan didn't want to worry her or stress her out. She had enough stress working three jobs. Some of the people her mother worked with made the woman even more stressed. Talking to Pyro always helped, though, so Botan believed she could handle it. She was stronger than that, or at least Pyro had told her that once when she went down the road of self-pity. She still remembered the speech he typed to her explaining why she was better than her father ever could be. She didn't even know the guy in real life, and he was already so proud of her. The concert couldn't come quick enough.

As she smiled at the thought of the concert and meeting her online friend, they came up to the school. "Take it in, guys," Yusuke had said, surprising everyone. "We only have one more year of this hellhole."

Botan laughed as Keiko reprimanded her boyfriend. It was certainly going to be an interesting year.


Botan was sad to find out that she only had lunch and gym with her friends, though she was unsure about Kurama's schedule. She hoped she'd be in similar classes to him. She, Keiko, and Kurama always took AP or honors classes, and this year was no different, but her schedule differed from Keiko's because of electives. The electives were only offered at certain periods and, unfortunately, she shared no electives with her highly artistic friend. She definitely wasn't going to take wood shop with Kuwabara and Yusuke.

She looked around her homeroom class when she got in and saw many familiar faces of students she rarely ever spoke to. They were all catching up with their friends about the summer break and interesting trips they took. If people got out of town in the summer, everyone wanted to know the stories. The one thing out of the ordinary was a new face, a boy she never saw. Her expression livened up. He had to be Kurama's old friend. Giving up her normal front seat, she decided to sit next to the boy who was glaring at his desk.

"Hi," she greeted cheerily. He flashed dark eyes to her, silently asking what she wanted. "My name is Botan. I'm one of Kurama's friends. You must be his friend. Hiei, right?"

Hiei's glare hardened when the bubbly girl used his nickname for Shuichi. He figured that Kurama had told his friends to call him that, but it still felt weird to him. Who was this girl, and why was she so happy? Also, why the hell was she talking to him? Did she not understand the subtle social cues of his brooding? He wanted to be left alone.

"Go away."

Botan's face fell and shock replaced her cheeriness before the smile reappeared and she giggled. "You're messing with me now, huh? Well, Hiei, it's great to meet you. If you need any help navigating around the school or need help with classes, I'm your girl."

"I have Kurama for that," Hiei shot her down. "He already showed me this place. I don't need, nor do I want, your help."

Botan was about to retort when the bell rang and the teacher came into the classroom. It kind of shocked her, the way he spoke to her, but maybe it was just because it was his first day and he was new. Botan remembered when she was new. Yes, she had been in the town nearly all of her life, but her mother had moved them there when she started kindergarten, and the kids who knew each other in pre-school really stuck together. Botan was the outsider then, and the other kids were too young at the time to be interested in strangers instead shunning them. If it hadn't been for meeting Yusuke at the park, the boy who didn't go with the crowd, she most likely wouldn't have had any friends in her present. A smile adorned her features. She wouldn't let that happen to Hiei. Yes, he had Kurama, but she would be there for him too. Hopefully his sour mood would leave him after he adjusted to the school.


By the time lunch came around, Botan had already gotten the shock of her life. Hiei was in almost every single one of her classes. The only class that differed from her schedule was that Botan took music theory and Hiei took some other elective. They were even in AP Biology together, and that class took place right before lunch. She helped guide him to the cafeteria, trying to engage him in conversation. She even tried to ask what his chosen elective had been, but he remained silent. Botan tried not to feel dejected at being ignored, but it did tear at her slightly.

Meanwhile, Hiei was getting frustrated. He had just wanted to get through the first day of school without being bothered, yet this Botan girl had no respect for boundaries. She even questioned him about how he felt about the area, if the move went okay, and what his personal choice of a class was. Truthfully, that one marital arts class he had settled for taking happened to be the one reprieve he seemed to have with this girl. He still had three classes to go after lunch and, unfortunately for him, he had yet another two classes with her, gym and band. He couldn't catch a break.

At lunch, Botan led Hiei to the table Kurama always sat at, and he was surprised to see it already full. Kurama and Botan took the time to introduce him their friends, Yusuke Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, and Keiko Yukimura. They all annoyed him somehow.

He saw a pile of books on the table at an empty spot and looked to Kurama questioningly. His friend just smiled and said, "Yukina had AP Chemistry with me and Kuwabara. She's already getting her lunch."

"Hn," Hiei grunted out before he dropped his books on the table, a loud noise resounding, and left to hit the lunch line.

When he was out of earshot, Kuwabara frowned and watched him. "What's with his attitude?" he snapped. "He acted like he was superior to us all and pretty much ignored everyone. You sure that guy's your friend?"

Kurama chuckled and shook his head. "Hiei has always been like that. I know how to read him. He's not exactly happy being moved her for his senior year."

"I can understand that," Yusuke said leaning back in his chair. "I mean new place, new people, last year. It would be hard for anyone to move to any town, but he came here. You remember how tough it was your first year here, Kurama."

Kurama hadn't really had a tough year, but it was also the year his mother gotten sick for a second time. Botan's mother happened upon her since she was her assigned nurse. When she had learned she had a son, she made sure that everyone she knew and had befriended, Yusuke's, Keiko's, and Kuwabara's families, could help care for Shuichi while his mother recovered as well as getting the boy to school and keeping the house clean. Kids had been a little curious about him, but their middle school had been very cliquey, and Kurama didn't really fit in any of the cliques. So he joined their group of kids who met by happenstance. He never really had a complaint about being "the new kid."

The redhead's expression darkened, but only Botan noticed before a forced smile appeared on Kurama's face. Having been one to act that way herself, she could read the signs. "It's different for Hiei. I cannot say more than that."

"Way to be cryptic," Yusuke teased the same time Kuwabara grumbled out the same words.


After lunch, everyone met up in gym, which didn't have much going on for the first day save for locker assignments and signing up for activities for the year. Then, once again, everyone went their separate ways for electives. Then they would see each other after school.

Botan had been looking forward to band all day. Music had always been her outlet when she was stressed, which is why all of her electives focused on music. She thought it would help her in the long-run especially since good grades in music classes would be easily attainable. Besides, her old therapist always said she needed to incorporate an outlet into her daily life.

Another thing that made this band class better was that Hiei was also in the class. She had overseen the rest of his schedule when he was looking up his next classes. She tried to find out what instrument he played, but he never answered her. No, she would have to see him in action.

Hiei got himself settled in the band room. Truthfully, he hated band class, but only because he couldn't play the drums the way he wanted to, unrestricted. Even at that, he only played the drums because Shiori recommended it to him after his mother forced him into therapy. She had suggested the martial arts, too, both so that he could get out his aggression. He understood the concept, but he would have rather just stuck to martial arts. Still, he needed another elective and it was either band or home economics. He didn't want a class where they taught students to "be a family" when most of them would fail in the real world anyway.

He wasn't shocked to see Botan there since she had chattered on about her schedule when she saw his, nor was he surprised to see her playing something so stereotypical and bland, the flute. She probably played it since it mimicked her light and upbeat nature. It sickened him.

Hiei was thankful when they barely did anything and packed up quickly. He paused at the door when he heard the teacher talking to the girl of his annoyance. "I was surprised to see you switched from the sax over to flute," the teacher said. "Why the change?" Hiei was stunned to hear that Botan could play the sax, but he mentally scoffed at his own thoughts. What did he care, anyway?

"Oh," Botan had replied hesitantly, "well, I just wanted a change." Hiei picked up on the falter in her voice, but thought nothing of it. He just went on to his next class. One more period until he was done with the first day of hell.


The first thing Botan did when she came home was grab a snack, a nice big bowl of cheese puffs and soda, before heading up to her room. She went straight for her computer since she didn't have any homework and saw that Pyro was online.

So how was the first day? she asked him. It surprised her when she got an instant response, almost as if he had been waiting for her.

Unbearable, he admitted. My old friend had this one friend that would not take the hint. She wouldn't leave me alone all day.

Botan chuckled and shook her head. Maybe she was trying to be welcoming. You are the new kid in school.

I know, Pyro responded, but I wanted to be left alone. I already had a bad morning. That bastard tried to crush my skull.

Are you okay? Hiei read on his screen. He didn't know how to answer that without being honest, which wasn't as big a deal when he talked to Rocker Girl. For some reason, she was easy to talk to. She was the perfect blend of optimism and realism, definitely not like that oblivious girl who was friends with Kurama.

Not really, he answered after a while. That creep is stronger than he looks. I've had a headache most of the day, but more from stress than anything else. He didn't really want to talk about his problems anymore, so he asked about hers. What about you? How was your first day?

Not too bad, Rocker Girl told him. I tried to befriend this new guy, but he didn't seem too interested. I think I made him hate me more than anything else.

Who could hate you? Hiei was genuinely surprised when he read the words. He didn't understand how anyone could hate someone who had been through as much as she had. She was so friendly and down to earth.

Well, my father for one... she replied. I tried to call him yesterday, left a message, and still nothing. I'm starting to get tired of it all. Sometimes I don't know why I even bother. It always leaves me feeling anxious. If he answers, I worry about what to say so that he doesn't belittle me or make me feel bad, and when he doesn't answer, I just feel ignored and unimportant.

Hiei frowned and nodded when he read her response. This was not the first time he had heard about her father's treatment of her. He remembered every word she had told him her father had said to her. She was continuously trying to make things work between them, but her father continued to blame her for his own shortcomings and made her feel less of herself. He had tried to convince her that he wasn't worth it, but Rocker Girl loved her father and she really wanted to work things out.

You've been to good to him, Hiei typed. He doesn't deserve these second chances you give him. Just stop contacting him and see what happens.

He'll just turn it around on me. Hiei could almost sense her sadness. If I ever do something he deems wrong, he always twists my words or actions. I sang a song playing on the radio once and he asked if that's how I felt about our relationship because I sang it with so much emotion or passion or whatever that it had to be what I felt. I don't know if he really believed that or if he was just trying to make me feel bad.

Hiei's lips curled back into a sneer. Moron, he wrote. Making something out of nothing. You're better off without him. I know he's your dad and that you love him, but this isn't good for you.

But I want things to work out, was the response he got before his mother called him down for dinner.

I know, he answered. I just got called down for dinner. I'll be back on after. This discussion is far from over.

It took a minute for him to get a response, but he waited. Thanks, Pyro, for caring I mean.

He quickly responded before leaving his room. Anytime.