Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters
So far, it's looking good for weekly updates. That's actually really exciting for me :D Thank you to everyone who is reading, reviewing, adding to favorites/follows, etc. I'm really excited about this story, and I'm happy to see that you are too. I don't really have much else to say today, so let's just get into it.
~Chapter 4 – The Apology~
Not much time had passed since Hiei had banished Botan from his sight, and thankfully so for she was not training as much and didn't need to lose the progress. With nothing to do, she sat around her room, still doing the pushups, sit-ups, and punches while practicing the defense moves and adding her own flare. No, she couldn't give up the training fully, not when she was expected to join the army. But all it served to do was make her think of Hiei and how he had sent her away. His dismissal saddened her, and she was still no closer to figuring out the perfect way to apologize and how to make it clear she would never try to overstep again. She hadn't meant to in the first place.
"Ah, Botan," Chief Cameron greeted, and Botan felt herself freeze on the inside. Sometimes she was still nervous around the generous chief, probably due to his position of authority. It was silly. He was such a kind man.
She offered the chief a smile and welcomed him to join her. "Good morning, Chief Cameron. How are you, today?"
The chief smirked at the teenager, pretty pleased that he appeared to have already sparked loyalty and admiration in her. "I am well, child. It is good to see you. I haven't in so long. How is your training coming along? I'm sure Hiei has kept you busy."
Botan's face turned red, mainly from fear and embarrassment. That was right…the chief had ordered Hiei to train her, and now the fire demon was breaking his mandate because she had hurt him. "It's going well," she lied, wanting to protect Hiei and not make things any worse for him. "He's teaching me so much. Actually, I just finished my warmup in my room and decided to get breakfast before going to meet him."
"Very good," Cameron replied. "It makes me happy to see the two of you getting along so well."
Botan ignored the longing in her core, but she was reminded that she and Hiei had gotten along for a moment, and that moment was when he actually told her about the water tribe and the attack on the chief. "I have a question," she timidly uttered.
Chief Cameron eyed her curiously before smiling. "Speak, child, for you have nothing to fear from me. What troubles you?"
"Well…" she murmured, tapping her fingers together as she thought of the best way to broach the subject. "Hiei told me about the water clan, how they tried to hurt you. I was hoping you could tell me more. Why would anyone want to assassinate you? You were offering them peace… Why?"
The chief sighed, but in exhaustion and not in anger. He offered the teenaged demon a sad grin. "It is a very long story," he explained. "You see, the water clan leader was once my most trusted friend. We are actually distant cousins. A misunderstanding led him into a heated rage, and his sanity was lost that day."
"What was the misunderstanding?"
He shook his head. "It's not important, my child. It was petty, and I hardly remember it. He destroyed our village. We once lived side by side. Luckily, none of my people were hurt, only displaced. We lost almost everything. Our homes, our possessions, but not our spirit and our cores. We fought to find a new home and got busy on the construction right away. Other villages assisted us in the beginning, villages who ended up losing themselves to the water clan armies. I will never forget their aid or sacrifice. I knew my cousin needed to be stopped once they attacked a random village, the place where I found Hiei."
Botan's eyes went wide. She thought for sure when the chief said villages had aided him that Hiei's was included, but it wasn't. "Why would he…?"
"I don't have the best answer," the chief settled, though he knew that somehow his cousin had learned of the existence of the dragon master. He could not mention this detail to Botan in case it would reignite her memories of her own dragon. He planned on telling her gently in the future, once he knew she was loyal and once he had her trust. It would then be her choice, if she remembered or not, whether or not to stay on their side. "This war has been going on for centuries. After Hiei's village was wiped out, I knew it needed to end. I offered a peace deal, but my cousin would not hear of it. No side is any closer to victory."
"I'm sorry," Botan offered. "I…don't know if I can be of any help, but I want to. Your people and Hiei did nothing to deserve this. It isn't fair."
Chief Cameron smiled at the girl. "Nothing in life ever is. I only hope that on day my cousin can find peace in his mind and core. This has gone on for far too long." A wistful gaze was cast on the wall before Cameron sighed again and pat the head of the teenager. "You are a very kind child, and I appreciate you listening to my tale."
"Thank you for sharing it, Chief Cameron," Botan responded, offering him an empathetic grin. "Maybe, one day, your cousin will find peace."
The chief nodded to her and excused himself, leaving the mess hall. He looked back over to regard Botan. He had lied when he told the girl that no side was any closer to victory, and his expression grew grim. He had, in fact, found a way to bring an end to the war, by having both Hiei and Botan on his side, and the two of them together could bring about the end of the water tribe. A part of him wished it had never come to this, but it was his only option. His cousin needed to be thwarted once and for all.
After Botan had spoken with the chief, her emotions had weighed heavily on her. She couldn't really stay to train in the mood she was in, so she decided to go out into the village. No one paid her any mind as she headed to the outskirts by the stream. She had hardly come out there, but just being by the water served to make her feel much better. She took off her moccasins and allowed her feet to touch the water. Her whole body flared with energy, and she heard herself sigh in contentment. She would have to remember this. She wished she had some memory of who she was before all of this. Maybe then she could understand why the water only served to relax her and settle her core. It truly felt like home.
Her eyes shifted to a tree, white flowers growing up its bark. They were quite beautiful, and Botan pulled out of the water and went up to the tree to get a better look at the blossoms. Gently, she touched the pure white petals, mesmerized by their softness. She decided to pick a few and bring them back to the water's edge. Her feet were submerged once again, and she took out a needle and thread she had in her pack to mend her clothing. She decided to sew the flowers together to create a large ring, a wreath. All of a sudden, her core made a connection.
Something inside her told her that wherever she must have come from, these wreaths were seen as a symbol of unspoken apology. Botan had been trying so hard to come up with a way to express her sorrow to Hiei to which he would be willing to listen. A spoken apology would not help. She needed to show the fire demon her sorrow and her desire to go back before her mistake. She had to bring this woven ring to her friend.
Smiling brightly, Botan returned to the stronghold and went directly to the training ground. There Hiei was in all his dedicated glory. His eye caught her, and she knew he probably muttered a curse, but it was okay. Her gift to him, this pure apology, would show him that he was not alone and that she would never again push him.
She walked right up to him, ignoring the distrust gleam in his eyes, and presented the white wreath to him. Botan felt such joy when he looked down at his hands at the string of garland. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he burned her apology to cinders right in front of her. Her expression faltered, and her head dropped in defeat.
Hiei smirked at the woman's fallen, crushed expression, but shock took over when Botan started crying right there in front of him. Tears poured from her eyes as horrible wails shook him to his core. The fire demon was paralyzed, his mouth dropped open in his daze. Botan fled from him, not that he could move to stop her, and left him alone in silence in the middle of the training grounds.
He was at a loss of what to do, just standing there while trying to process what had just occurred.
Once Hiei's thoughts had calmed enough, much later in the day, he traversed to Botan's room hoping to speak with her. The reaction she had upon him burning the flowers was not what Hiei had expected. He had no idea why she'd be so distraught over something so trivial. Upon reaching her room and finding it locked, Hiei was faced with the harsh reality.
Botan was still crying horrendously.
He could feel his insides twist painfully. Just how much had that simple wreath meant to her for her to be acting this way? She was unbearably upset about flowers? Why? It didn't matter. What mattered was that he didn't like it.
For the first time in his life, Hiei actually felt regret over being the cause of another's pain, and he wanted to make it better. He had no idea how to make it better. Even if he knocked, he was certain she would not permit him to enter or speak. And then it hit him.
Hiei disappeared from the stronghold that night, desperate to find a way to apologize. He could only hope that his gesture would reach through to her.
The next morning, Botan decided to leave the room. Her eyes were red, but she had no choice. She had skipped lunch and dinner the day before, first by going out to the stream and then by getting so upset. Breakfast was needed, but she planned to return to her room. It seemed that Hiei would never accept her apology.
A sick feeling washed over her as she opened the door. Now that she was eating the way she should, she felt it more when she skipped meals. She couldn't do this too often. She nearly stumbled, grabbing onto the doorknob, but she frozen when she felt something soft touch her arm. Her eyes shot to the structure, eyes widening in surprise.
There, on the doorknob, was a wreath of white flowers, sloppily strewn together into a ring. The wreath fell to the floor, the flowers a little dirty and burnt. A smile graced her features at the worn-out wreath. Hiei must have worked hard to try to make this for her, offering her his own unspoken apology for upsetting her. She went to breakfast feeling lighter. Hiei had really made her day.
Hiei did not know what to do. He had made the ring of flowers for Botan as she had him, but he knew he ruined it. It was nothing like the one she made for him. The fact that he accidentally burnt the petals in his irritation only made it worse. But he was meant to be a destroyer, not a creator. He was certain his gesture would be empty on the woman. It was already late in the morning, and she still had yet to come to him. She probably saw him as a monster, sullying the purity she created that he had ultimately wrecked.
"Good morning, Hiei."
His breath nearly caught in his throat when he heard her kind, sprightly voice. He turned to see the blue-haired woman smiling at him, her eyes closed. She was standing tall and happy in front of him, beaming so brightly. The woman was ready to train with him again. His broken gift had actually brought her to him again. "Sorry I'm late."
Instead of giving her grief like he normally did, Hiei actually found himself speechless and shy. He never felt this way around anyone at any point of his life. What made this woman any different? It didn't matter that she noticed his gesture. He expected that, and yet he felt tense, like he needed to be guarded around her, like she could tear him apart with just her smile.
Why the hell was she still smiling at him?
"Shall we get started?" she questioned, her voice still light and airy, though there was a hint of determination, and Hiei felt his body reacting to that fire in such a strange way. "I've been doing those exercises on my own, and I think I'm ready for a good spar."
She was challenging him, and oh was it making his blood boil, but not in rage. Something less sinister and more dominating. The feeling threatened to overpower him with its allure. A smirk appeared on his face, their previous interactions pushed from his mind. He wanted to fight this woman. He was ready and eager to see what she could accomplish.
The two stood across from each other, both falling into a defensive stance. Hiei observed Botan's form and had to admit he was pretty impressed. Of course, she still had a long way to go. He noticed several openings. Still, he refused to underestimate this woman. After all, she was his student.
Hiei sprang into action, moving so swiftly Botan could hardly see him. She felt a sensation behind her, and she managed to dodge a hit from behind. She grinned. She had known she was open there, but she hadn't expected Hiei to attack from behind. He was too honorable for that. She realized, though, that she had fallen into hi trap. It was a feint. He wasn't behind her. He was actually in front of her, ready to show her his true strength. Botan narrowly evaded a hit to her gut, and she found taking the time to center her breathing was not wise. Hiei was not going easy on her or letting up. She smirked and charged at the fire demon.
The two kept exchanging blows, some hitting, some missing, and both were actually finding enjoyment, the two sharing laughs over the exchange. It was like this strange energy had erupted over them and filled them, egging them on. Eventually, Botan was tired of the exchange, but she didn't necessarily want to deal a finishing blow, at least not in the traditional sense.
The wind was knocked out of Hiei as he hit the ground hard, Botan's arms wrapped around him. The demon looked up at the woman with wary, distrustful eyes, but her warm smile settled him. "I win," she chimed happily.
Hiei was paralyzed beneath her, not understanding what she was doing as she tightened her grip and lied her head on his chest. His arms were pinned down on the ground by some intensified gravity. He could not move. All his muscles were active and tensed beneath this woman, and yet he couldn't even attempt to push her away and force her off of him.
"Hiei," she spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper, but he couldn't find his voice. What was happening? Why couldn't he push her away? "I just want you to know I forgive you too."
Somehow, her words made the fire demon less rigid, but he was still as stiff as a board beneath her. Still, he made no move to pry the woman off of him. Actually, he hated to admit, that it actually did feel kind of nice. He had never been touched in this way before in his life. That should have been reason enough to get her off of him. He couldn't trust that there was no hidden agenda, and yet he could not sense any malicious intent. Botan was not even trying to move away or do much of anything else.
After they had stayed like in that position for quite some time, Hiei finally moved his arm, his hand beating the heavy weight and settling on her, weakly touching her shoulder. Botan's smile did not go unnoticed by the fire demon. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. Her expression had become rather peaceful, a stark contrast to what Hiei was feeling in that moment.
Botan sighed as she stepped out of her bath and dressed in her clothes for the night. She was actually feeling so much better than she had in a long time. She was still in awe that Hiei had accepted her apology and forgiven her, his unspoken apology hanging on the knob of her armoire. She smiled at the wreath.
The heavy haze of anxiety was finally gone, and between that and a full day of training and sparring, Botan was exhausted. She practically fell into bed, comfort washing through her. Her mind was at peace again. Hiei had forgiven her. Everything was as it should be, and Hiei had actually responded to her hug. The thought alone had brought her such joy. Her fire demon friend didn't hate her. That made her happy.