So I realize that pretty much half of these are Botan/Hiei. I always liked the idea of them together. I mean Botan is my favorite female and Hiei is my favorite male. But I always liked Hiei and Mukuro together more than anything. I just have a hard time being happy with what I've written down when I write using Mukuro.

-0-

Reflection

"I see what you did there….that's a shame."

Looking back on it all he isn't sure he would have done anything differently, he isn't sure it would have made a difference even if he did. If there is one thing Hiei has it's time. Time to sit back and think. Think over everything and sometimes he does. He mostly thinks about what if's or how come this and why did that happen….he is always thinking about one of them.

The one he's known for just a little bit longer. The one that isn't very strong and also not very smart but has an amazing personality and the cutest quirks. The one that always was trying to get him to try new things and opened his mind to things he thought he would have never liked. Things like cuddling and just being close, showing affection. Hiei is always thinking about Botan and her smile.

And if he isn't then he's thinking about Mukuro. He's thinking how much he and her are alike. Affection to her is the same, holding onto each other's bodies and being absolutely bare and open with one another. He thinks about how powerful she is and how much he likes fighting her in every way and then when it's the days' end everything is just how it was. He thinks about how he started treating her like Botan did him….

But that was all over quicker then he liked. He knew he couldn't keep it up forever and sooner would come before forever anyways. So before picking one over the other he leaved them both. He tells himself he couldn't pick, anyways. And it's true, he really could never had picked between them. In all truth he loved them both but for very different reasons that were maybe close to being the same.

For years and years he is gone from everyone. From Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, Yukina, and Mukuro. He is gone for so many years that he's even lost count, he knows he has been gone long enough for Yukina to have had her child by now. It's better he isn't around to influence it with his wickedness he tells himself.

And then one day he hears it. He's sleeping up in a tree when he's woken up by a group of Demon's talking. They talk and say the latest new about what Shura's plans for trying to take over the Demon World as a the one and only ruler. He hears one say he's just like his dead Father, Yomi. Another says it will never happen. And a third says it just might, now that Mukuro is dead.

Hiei wonders when….how long ago….why didn't he know sooner? He finds out later it was two months before he learned about her death. He stalks her grave for days waiting for it to be quiet and unoccupied before he drops down from the buildings around it. The truth was he really was only trying to get up the nerve to stand in front of it. He brings a flower he picked fresh four days ago and places it off and away from the others already there. He doesn't say anything, not a sorry or forgive me, nothing. To be truthful he doesn't know what to say. But he does finally think of one thing to say.

"Sorry the flower is welted and dying…."

And so he leaves the Demon World for awhile. He thinks he's stayed away too long but really he knows why he's coming back. He doesn't want to be alone. Not anymore. So he uses the excuse of time and goes back to the Human World, to Kurama's childhood home; he knows Kurama will be there, he knows Kurama would never sell that house.

When he does get there he isn't a bit surprised that there are two small cherry blossom trees in the front yard, or that his house has the best garden on the block. He is a bit surprised to see a swing set in the front and from what he's seen in the back a play ground and even a sand box. He is even more surprised when he sees that the mailbox to the house next door has 'Kuwabara' printed across it….and that there is also a play set in their backyard.

But he is shocked when Botan answers the door to Kurama's house. If Hiei wasn't Hiei his jaw would have hit the welcome mat under his feet. Before he can speak to say anything or turn away and vanish again Botan is on her knees with her arms wrapped around his waist. She is sobbing and holding onto him so tight he couldn't over power even if he wanted to. When she finally gets control of herself she invites him in for tea or coffee and against his better judgment he follows her in.

He knew it was a bad idea. At some point Botan went to Kurama and found comfort in him. It's obvious by the pictures on the wall and around the house, the pictures of the two here and there, smiles on their faces. Pictures of Kurama, Botan, and three children; two with red hair and one with blue. She brings him tea and some kind of sweet bread and they sit in silence. He doesn't touch the tea or bread, he just looks at her. She looks right back at him. She tells him after he left she waited for him for years until one morning she woke up and there was Kurama. And after time they got closer than ever before and one thing lead to another and now this is where she has ended up.

A wife and a Mother. Kurama's wife and the Mother of his children….

He lies and says he is happy for her and stands up abruptly and heads for the door. She asks if he will stay the night, or at least until Kurama gets home from work; doesn't he want to see his old friend….met her children? He says he is going out for a bit but will come right back. He is lying but she believes him. He calls himself a fool and laughs.

He is never seen again after that. No one has ever been able to track him down, in Human World or Demon World. Hiei hears rumors that Kurama and Yusuke and even a woman with blue hair are searching for him. He wonders sometimes if the woman with blue hair is Yukina or Botan….

Botan hears rumors, too. About Hiei. They say he's changed, changed so much that no one would ever recognize him. They say he's gotten scares on his face or that he's lost an eye or arm. They say his hair is so long is drags on the ground and is no longer black but pure white. She hears he's gotten much more taller or even that he's just as short as ever but much more handsome. She's even heard that he's a hermit now living in a rock far away from everything.

Botan isn't sure which, or if any, is the truth. But she knows she has stopped searching for him….

_1_2_3_4_5_6_7_8_9_10_

Perfection

"You don't want what's best for me-You want me to be the best."

She's always been watching him. Ever since she first saw him she knew she was going to be watching him for a long time. She just had this feeling about him. She first met him when she transferred to his school in High School. Her first day she saw him.

She was sitting in the office waiting until someone came for her. In all honesty she thought they forgot about her, she'd been there for almost an hour. She probably could have walked the halls and found her classes and lockers herself. And just when she was ready to get up and leave and do just that, in he came running. He was out of breath and hunched over and just the tiniest bit sweaty.

"Tanaka Kimiko I'm guessing?"

He pointed at her with his head still down looking at the ground, he'd almost caught his breath. She nodded and managed to say yes. After a few more seconds he stood up straight and looked down at her, he was taller than her….but then again at 4"10 almost everyone is taller than her….

"I'm sorry, you must have been waiting long. There was a mix up with some other students and well, sorry about that."

She only nodded and followed him out of the main office and around her new school. She almost felt like a stray cat or a new puppy as she followed him down the halls and up the stairs and around corners. She listened to everything he said, she liked how his voice sounded when he talked. If you were to ask her though what he had said she wouldn't be able to tell you.

That was her first meeting with him. And sadly enough for her it was also the last. They never talked again. She didn't count passing him in the hall, or watching him from across the room, or even her failed attempts to talk with him by asking a question….no, she didn't consider those meetings.

So instead she continued to watch him from across the classroom and stretch her neck as he passed in the halls and only thought about what kind of topics could hold his interest. He probably liked to talk about smart stuff, like politics and college. Or maybe he was just a regular guy and liked to talk about the latest games or celebrity news.

But probably not, she thinks. They are too different, they don't have enough in common. They have different group of friends, they live in different neighborhoods, they are just too different. So she gives up, in a way. She tries to stop thinking about him, stop looking at him every chance she gets, stop wondering about him. And after awhile it started working, in all honesty she knows it was because of Keisuke.

Keisuke was her long time best friend. They use to be neighbors when she was younger and when she moved back to Japan and came to Meiou High School he was there. He had changed so much from when they were younger. He'd grown taller and his hair was a little longer and his glasses were switched out for contacts. He was now pretty popular and captain of the basket ball team. When he asked her to be his girlfriend she said yes, it was just what she needed.

The change did good for her and she could honestly say what's his name was the farthest from her mind. And then she ran into him. It was after school and she had her arms full of boxes of papers and pencils. The door to the class room was open so she walked in and right into him. She fell down to the ground and so did he, along with the boxes. When she saw who it was her heart dropped and she got on her knees and apologized every way she could think off.

When he said her name she finally got the nerve to look at him in the face he smiled and said it was okay, she could tell he wanted to laugh. She could hear it in his voice. He turned to her and just smiled, helping her pick the mess. It was at that moment that she knew she loved Yu Kaito. Even if he had no idea.

_1_2_3_4_5_6_7_8_9_10_

Everyday Magic

"I'll apologize but I'm not sorry."

It's been ten years now. Ten years since the first Demon World Tournament, and him losing. It's been ten years with four more Demon Tournaments, and four more loses for him. Four more loses meaning three years of Human Patrol. Ten years of the same thing. Hiei rarely leaves for Human World but every so often he goes to visit and check up on his friends.

Surprisingly enough Hiei runs into Humans he 'knows' all the time. Humans that have mistakenly gotten sucked up and spat out in Demon World. He smiles and laughs a little inside because he thinks it's funny; they never have a clue who he is.

Until one day that he meets someone who does remember.

He's dragged to Kuwabara's birthday party, Yukina begged him to show up at least for cake. He really doesn't want to show up but he does anyways. It's just as bad as he thought it would be, the Kuwabara house is crowded with people he doesn't know and wishes he didn't know. Half of the people there he knows. Like Yusuke, Kurama, Botan, Yukina, Shizuru, and Keiko. The others are from Kuwabara's school, that's what he's told.

He really doesn't care, he's only waiting around for his piece of cake. He's all the way in the back, mostly by himself except for Kurama making small talk or Yukina asking if he needs anything. The only other person in the background is a girl, there is something off about her but he just can't place it. After awhile of him glancing her way and trying to think where he has seen her he's caught and she looks his way.

He's surprised when she gets up and walks right over to him. She asks the question that's been on his mind since he's seen her. He does his best to play it cool though.

"Where have I seen you before?"

"How the hell should I know?"

She tells him she knows she has seen him somewhere, at sometime….this déjà vu feeling she has is too strong to be a mistake. And then after another minute she turns to him telling him she remembers now. She tells him about strange creatures she knows are Demons and that strange world she knows is real. She says meeting him again must be fate or some kind of magical event.

She says she thought it was all a dream, he tells her no, no dream. He explains his job and erasing her memory was just business. She narrows her eyes and points her finger telling him that was unfair and he should apologize.

"I'll apologize but I'm not sorry."

_1_2_3_4_5_6_7_8_9_10_

Umbrella

"Of course you wouldn't have a shirt on in the rain…."

It amazes Kuwabara how much things have changed in such a short time. Thousands of years ago Demons and Humans lived side by side, before the barrier was put into place by Spirit World. But that was in Ancient Times. He always knew that some kind of other life creatures where out there though. How could he not think so, growing up with sleep paralysis, disembodied voices, moving shadows and other little things like that. And plus the family cats always chasing and following things he couldn't see….

And then at 14-years-old he can't control his powers and ends up jumping feet first into a whole new world because of Yusuke Urameshi and meets so many Demons, good and bad. Never in anyway did he think he would fall in love with a Demon, but he did. Maybe it was because they were so similar.

Her entire life she was told males are horrible and awful beings that will do nothing but rape and rob her of her innocence. Years later she is told this again, and that is why her twin Brother was thrown from the island when they were only days old. So she leaves her homeland and finds it true when she is captured not only once or twice but three times before Tarukane holds her against her will. But she still doesn't believe that all males are evil.

After meeting the love of her life she settles down and never talks about her life on the floating island. Sometimes, late at night, when she wakes up from a terrible memory in a dream, she talks and tells Kazuma what she went through. But he never pushes her and he is always there for her. She is grateful and carries on with her life as a wife. But that all changes one day.

One day Botan shows up out of the blue, Yukina can tell something is not right by the way her friend is acting. When Kazuma gets home he can tell something has happened. With one look she tells him about her visit today and the news that she was given today. Rui has died and she is planning on going to the Demon World to pay her respects….and she wants him to come with her. She tells him she wants him to see where she was born and grew up for her childhood….she wants him to meet the others. She isn't sure why, she tells him, it just feels right.

It amazes Kuwabara. How he can be hated by so many for doing nothing but being born a male, like he had control over that. It amazes him and he wonders how Yukina can be so much different than all the others of her race. He can understand how Hiei is more like an Ice Maiden than the real thing, but Yukina was raised by these women and yet she is nothing like them.

Sure, she looks like the other Ice Maidens. And she walks like them. Speaks the same way. But somehow she doesn't fit in with them and it's so obvious to him and he wonders if anyone else can see it, too….

"Yes, she is nothing like them at all." Hiei's voice says next to him. Kuwabara didn't notice him, ever since he stopped fighting Demons his senses have been getting rusty. He only nods his head and tells him yeah while continues watching from his place. He can see Hiei's silhouette walk away from his side and towards his Sister.

Yukina never doesn't turn away from Rui's grave marker, it's next to her Mothers'. Her eyes are shut so tight it hurts and she is holding onto her bamboo umbrella so tightly her finger nails are digging in.

As Kuwabara looks at her he can't help but think how beautiful she looks, here in Demon World at her Birth Place. He holds out his hand to catch the snow, it takes longer to melt then the kind in Human World. He thinks he understands now what Hiei meant when he said this place was better….he thinks it is almost a sin to take Yukina back to his Birth Place….

Kuwabara Kazuma has a code after all, and he is a man that follows that code.

_1_2_3_4_5_6_7_8_9_10_

Party

"This Birthday Party has no cake or alcohol. Just hot guys without shirts on….none the less I was lied to…."

On nights when she's home alone Yukina is never bored. She misses Kazuma but sometimes a break is nice. On nights when Yukina is home alone she can always find something to do. She's always bright eyed while learning something new about Human World. She loves reading all the different books there are, even though mostly she just looks at the pictures. She can get the idea of what's going on in plot. And recently she's loving the new flat screen t.v. in the living room…..

Botan loves the cold winter nights. She isn't sure why. She often gets lonely and wishes someone was there with her. But she is thankful that she's easy to make feel better. On cold winter nights when Botan is alone she loves nothing more than to cuddle up in a warm blanket and sit by the window and watch the snow fall. Somehow, even though she is alone, she doesn't feel so empty.

Keiko never has day to do what she wants to so at night it's all her time. On nights when she is alone in her room she sits at her desk and pretends to study math or memorize flash cards. But really she is just looking at her reflection, wondering what's wrong with her and why she waits for Yuskue. Is he okay? Where is he? What is he doing? When is he coming back? Does he think about her….

On nights when Atsuko is home alone she leaves home. Ever since she was a little girl she's hated to be home alone. Ever since she could sneak out she left to the party scene and became the center of attention. Atsuko is never home alone. So she leaves her 'home' and follows the partying crowd and drinks until she doesn't feel sad anymore. And by the time noon comes and she's up again she's happy, as long as she doesn't remember the night before. Atsuko thinks she would be an alcoholic if she were to be home alone at night.

On nights like these, with rain and wind, Genkai wonders why she is alone. She remembers her Mother telling her that she was born on a rainy night. And every birthday she's had it has also rained at night. She realizes that when she first met Toguro it was a rainy night and when she said goodbye to him for the first time it was also raining. And when she said goodbye to him for the last time it rained and the wind blew….

On nights when Shizuru is home alone it's usually because her plans caved through. Either a date with that really cute guy who works at the super market and asked her to thump his melon or a night out on the town with her old school friends. And of course it always happens when it's too late to make new plans and there is nothing on t.v. and her Brother and Yukina are out….so she curls up on the couch next to Eikichi and falls asleep watching some kind of rerun on t.v.

Mukuro is always alone at night. She enjoys the quiet and comfort of her bed, or a tleast she did before. Before Hiei. Before she knew that Hiei slept in trees she loved nothing else more than her bed. But now, at night-any kind of night, she searches for trees he's been in. When she finds one she will know because above a branch there will be a slash, a mark for him to remember. On night when she has found a tree she sits and looks out trying to see what it was that made him mark this tree to come back too.

So far, on nights like these and those, they haven't changed at all.

_1_2_3_4_5_6_7_8_9_10_

-0-

My Quotes: Umbrella.

I once knew this guy who would never wear anything but a tank top under his jacket during winter. He just never got cold I guess. It amazed me because I always am getting sick when it rains outside and all during winter when it snows. And I'm always outside when it rains and I love the snow so I'm sick pretty often. And one time I saw him taking out his garbage during the rain and he had on a jacket and that was it, no tank top. And when we passed each other I just remember thinking of course he wouldn't have a shirt on, why would he? Haha.