Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters.
I wasn't going to start on the next chapter now, but middlekertz gave me an idea and I got all excited and had to get up to that point :D I hope you enjoy this.
When Botan showed up at Genkai's compound, everyone felt relieved. No one, except for Kurama and Yukina, knew the reason she came back. They hadn't known what had been said, but they knew Hiei had to have gone to Botan and apologized…or what comes close to apologizing.
Botan was her usual cheery self, and the melancholy feeling that had surrounded Genkai's temple was gone, mostly because Hiei wasn't brooding in Botan's room anymore. No one had told Botan about his presence in her room, but she knew just as soon as she found a picture of hers missing from her dresser. It was of both her and Yukina, but she assumed that Hiei only took it because of Yukina. She didn't know that it had something to do with her too.
Hiei sat in a tree and stared at the photo in his hand. He was confused at the foreign emotion he was feeling when he saw this picture of his sister and the ferry girl both happy and laughing. It was clear that Yukina felt close to Botan. Hiei didn't understand why he felt the need to be close to her too.
Everything was strange for Hiei right now. His sister knew the truth, though Kuwabara was still being kept out of the loop. They would tell him soon, but they wanted Hiei to get used to the idea of sticking around first. They were all afraid he'd take off if Kuwabara flipped out on him. But Hiei didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. He kept quiet about his intentions, however, because that just meant more peace for him before the idiot found out.
He focused back on the picture. How was it possible for him, a fire demon bent on destruction, to feel calm and peaceful just by looking at a picture of his sister and a girl he wasn't really sure if he hated anymore? An unusual warmth flooded his chest as he let out a contented sigh.
He froze with his eyes wide when he heard the sound. He was never content; it was against his nature and he felt he didn't deserve it. Yes, since the secret came out and he spoke to the ferry girl, he felt like a different person. He had already been protective of Yukina, but he felt a similar feeling for Botan. Shaking his head, he put the photograph back in his cloak and rested his head against his hands. He didn't want to think about it now. Emotions confused him and were definitely not his strong suit, so he was done thinking about them for the day.
The next morning, Hiei was woken up by the sound of glass smashing, a scream, and his sister crying out Botan's name. He didn't have time to register anything except for the need to defend. His speed allowed him to appear in the kitchen seconds later. Nothing seemed amiss except for a broken teapot and Botan on the ground grasping her foot.
"What the hell happened in here?" Hiei growled slightly, ready to attack whatever caused the girls to scream out.
Yukina frowned sadly at her brother. He always seemed to assume that they were all under attack. She looked back to Botan and said, "I'll go get some warm water and soap. Don't do anything."
"Alright, Yukina," Botan said with a smile. "I'll wait right here."
Yukina smiled and left the room, and Botan looked to Hiei apologetically. "I'm sorry I worried you. Nothing happened. I'm just clumsy. I dropped the teapot and stepped on a piece of glass. That's all."
Hiei let out what sounded like a frustrated breath, but in reality he felt relieved that she was all right. "You are clumsy," Hiei agreed. He didn't like Botan frowning at him, but he ignored it. Instead he got down next to her and forcibly took her foot. Botan let out a small yelp, but let Hiei continue whatever he was doing.
"This will hurt," he told her. Before she could respond, he yanked the piece of glass out and quickly replaced the wound with his hand, warming up the cut to slow down the blood loss until Yukina returned or the ferry girl healed it herself.
Botan had cried out as the glass was pulled out, but relaxed when she felt the warm sensation of Hiei's hand. She looked over to him thankfully, but he was not looking back at her. He was concentrating his energy on her cut. It was so warm that Botan found herself drowning in it, relaxing as she laid her head against the cabinet behind her.
Hiei looked up to see if her expression reflected pain, but was surprised to see her with her eyes closed and her guard down. She was in such a vulnerable position and he grew worried. Surely she wouldn't give anyone, let alone him, the power to harm her. He had already come to terms with the fact that he would not hurt her, but she couldn't know that. Hiei had never given her a reason to believe he wouldn't harm her. How could she be so calm around him?
Yukina returned with the bowl of soapy water and a cloth. She smiled at her brother who was studying Botan, seemingly perplexed by something. She walked over to the two, making sure to avoid the glass, and knelt down. Hiei was brought back to reality by his sister's hand on his shoulder. He looked to her and then back to Botan, carefully removing his hand from her foot.
Yukina worked on healing the wound and washing the blood off of Botan's foot with the cloth before taking her brother's hand and cleaning off the blood. Hiei wasn't used to anyone being so gentle with him, but it made him feel another emotion he was unsure of. He was…happy…that there were no hard feelings between them because of his lie. Yukina never brought up the lie again, even when he had returned her hiruiseki stone. She just continued to treat him like a brother, with a kind and gentle respect.
"I think you made her feel too relaxed, Hiei," Yukina said with a faint smile. "Could you bring her back to her room?"
"Hn," Hiei replied with a nod. Yukina just kissed his cheek and moved to get a broom and dustpan to clean the glass.
Hiei brought Botan to her room and placed her on her bed. Botan really did look relaxed. He brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and she nuzzled into his hand. He quickly pulled away after feeling that same spark he felt when he took her hand in Spirit World. What are you doing to me? he thought to himself. He knew he wouldn't get an answer now, but he hoped to understand it better soon.
Later that night, Hiei was dismayed that there was a small party at Genkai's. He didn't know why the old woman constantly let everyone in and out of her temple, but it was not really his business to know.
He remained outside resting against a tree. Crowds, even small crowds, frustrated Hiei and with Kuwabara there, he did not want to be a part of their festivities. It was much more peaceful for him outside, away from everyone.
He sensed someone coming, but kept his eyes closed. He heard the sound of a dish being placed in front of him and cracked his eye open. He closed it again and asked, "What do you want, ferry girl?"
Botan smiled at him and said, "Well, I just thought you might be hungry. And I also wanted to thank you for earlier."
Hiei opened both his eyes this time. "No big deal," he said with a shrug.
"Do you…want to come inside?" Botan asked. "For the party, I mean." Hiei just shot her a glare and shook his head. "Oh, I see. I just thought that, with it getting cold and all, you would want to come in a warm up."
Hiei snorted at her comment. "I'm a fire demon," he reminded her. "It's fine."
Botan didn't know why she wanted him to come to the party, but she really did want him there and decided to take matters into her own hands. While Hiei wasn't paying attention, she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him from his spot. He hadn't expected it, so he was pulled to his feet.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped at her while trying to resist.
"Just come to the party," she said in a cheery voice. "We're having so much fun."
"I'd rather cut my own eyes out with my sword than go in there," Hiei growled as he attempted to pull away from her without injuring her.
"Oh, don't be silly, Hiei," Botan said as she started to drag him along with her. However, she tripped backwards on a log and pulled Hiei down with her, their bodies crashing into one another.
Both hers and Hiei's eyes widened as their lips met. They were lying on the ground, Hiei on top of Botan with his arms at either side of her and hers stretched out, just staring into each other's confused faces. Neither pulled apart nor did they kiss each other back; they simply stared attempting to reign in their own thoughts and emotions.
Botan couldn't believe this was happening, however accidental it was. She always imagined this feeling, but she couldn't bring herself to kiss Hiei back when he looked like a dear caught in a headlight. Hiei was going through some inner turmoil. Firstly, this couldn't be happening. He had already admitted that he cared about the ferry girl, but he refused to admit that it was anything more than that. And now…now so many issues and memories were cycling in his mind. This was not okay, especially when she was a pure ferry girl and he was a dangerous imiko. But if he felt that way, why couldn't he pull away? They heard the door to the temple slam shut and gasped as they pulled apart from each other.
Hiei didn't know what to say or do. Botan noted the fearful look on his face before he sprinted away. She wasn't insulted, though. His face clearly told her what just happened. It was both hers and Hiei's first kiss, and it was definitely unexpected.
"Botan, what are you doing out here? It's cold out," Kuwabara said making Botan jump. She looked over to him and saw a cell phone in his hand. Apparently he had come outside to make a phone call.
"Nothing," Botan replied hastily. "Just admiring the night sky."
Kuwabara just stared at her strangely. "You're weird, Botan."
Botan just laughed at his statement and watched him go back inside. She moved to sit against the tree Hiei was leaning against earlier and waited. She couldn't even begin to understand what had just happened. All she knew was that she felt something. No, it wasn't the fireworks everyone always talked about. It felt more like a kindling flame, and it felt wonderful. She knew she was in trouble now.