Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

The next day, Botan seemed to be out of sorts. With Hiei and her mother, she seemed fine, but when she got to school she was bored and unfocused. It was so unlike her to zone out in classes out of sheer boredom. Unfortunately, she couldn't snap out of it, and she humiliated herself when the teacher asked her to read the next chapter in the book and she started reading from three chapters behind. Thankfully, Mr. Akashi's replacement didn't make her feel worse, and Hiei aided Botan showing her where they were. She corrected herself and began reading the passage wondering what exactly happened over the last few chapters.

Throughout the day she remained unfocused despite Hiei's best efforts to keep her engaged. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep up with their workload since the end of the year was rapidly approaching. The good news for Hiei and Botan were that their AP exams would be coming up soon. They had been preparing, doing the practice tests their teachers gave them. Botan liked to treat them like the real exams, timing herself as she took them, just so she could see what it was like and how she faired even with the dyslexia.

Hiei had secretly helped Sakura pay the fees for the exams where Botan had B's in the course. The teenager still felt it stupid that Botan needed to pay to take the exams, but apparently nothing could be done. The guidance counselor had in fact discounted the fees for one of the exams, but there were still another they needed to account for. Botan had been very upset by it, but Hiei reminded her it wasn't her fault.

A lot was changing all around them that it was overwhelming. Because of the AP exams, they were stuck studying quite a bit. Taking a break was hardly an option, but Botan didn't seem to mind. She was drowning herself in schoolwork as a distraction. Hiei attempted to steer her away from it when she started to use it as a crutch.

Another distraction eventually made itself known. It had been about a week since Yusuke had taken Keiko to the doctor's, and at lunch one day they decided to tell their friends what was really going on. "Well," Keiko began to say, "I'm just going to get out with it. I'm pregnant."

"Really?" Botan asked in shock before smiling at her friend. "Keiko, that's wonderful!"

"Um, yeah, but shouldn't they have waited until the school year was over?" Kuwabara asked earning Hiei's glare. "What?" he asked nervously.

"I swear if you get my sister pregnant once the school year's over-"

"Brother, relax," Yukina laughed lightly. "There's no need to be concerned."

"Yes, let's just focus on our group's newest addition," Kurama stated rationally. "How far along are you?"

The two teenagers turned to each other, blushed, and then turned away. "Uh," Yusuke muttered as he scratched under his nose. "Since I proposed?"

Keiko smiled and took Yusuke's hand, and for the moment their friends didn't register. Yusuke kissed her forehead before turning back to the group. "So yeah, that's why Keiko had been feeling sick. They said it would get easier for her to handle."

"Which is good because my teachers are starting to give me grief," Keiko sighed. "The guidance office is already trying to mandate I don't walk at graduation." Seeing her friends alarmed faces except for Kurama's irritated gaze and Hiei's angry one, she added, "But Principal Koenma told them to back off, so we're good."

"It shouldn't matter to them, anyway," Yusuke grunted. "I mean, we're engaged. Sure, we're young, but even so we're more ready for this than anyone else."

"You guys are going to be excellent parents," Botan agreed not noticing Hiei steal a glance. "So, when do we find out the gender? Do you want a party? What about when you're due?"

Yusuke just laughed while the other guys except Hiei chuckled. "See, Keiko, I told you she'd have a million questions."

Botan stuck her tongue out at Yusuke who only winked at her. It had been the most relaxed Hiei had seen Botan for quite a while. She was happy for her friends, but she was also very excited that a baby would be coming into their lives. He could see it in her eyes. She really wanted children. He was aware that when they finally did get married, Botan would already be three steps ahead in their future. To be honest, he didn't mind it, but he knew he would not be able to bring a child into a world where Tarukane still existed. Despite everything Botan was going through, Hiei hadn't forgotten that the mobster was watching them. He just didn't want to scare his girlfriend. She was already dealing with enough.

"It's been quite a while," Hina said to her old coworker.

"It has," the redhead replied. "What are we doing here in a therapist's office?"

"This is my friend, Shiori's home," Hina explained before she sighed. "We'll be safe here. Mukuro…"

"Hina, don't," the woman, Mukuro, snapped harshly. "I don't want to be dragged into this. I told you that before when you-"

"Tarukane has gone after Hiei."

Mukuro looked to blue-haired woman and frowned. Shiori had been Yukina's godmother, but Mukuro had been Hiei's. She was the one who got Hina the position as bartender in the gentleman's club where they worked. She had been there the day that Tarukane showed up threatening Hina. Unfortunately, before Mukuro could go to the cops, she had been attacked by one of Tarukane's men, her body marred which led to her losing her job. She had been willing to try to speak with the police again, but then Tarukane himself showed up not only threatening Mukuro, but Hina's life as well as her son's. In fact, his exact words had been that he would leave Yukina orphaned and brotherless and keep her as his slave for the rest of her life. Coming from a household where her own father treated her like a slave, she couldn't do it.

She had never told her friend the horrid things Tarukane had said. It was something she still worried about, yet when Hina said that Hiei was being targeted, her mind shut down. There had to be something she could do. "What do you mean by that?"

Hina sighed and said, "He always wanted Hiei, said he had his father's skills. Hiei had been angry and got into fights quite a bit, and Tarukane wanted that. He…he fell in love, Mukuro, with a wonderful girl, but Tarukane tried to kill her…multiple times. Hiei is panicking. You had to hear him the last murder attempt. He sounded so distraught. If anything happens to her, he'll never be the same."

Mukuro's features softened. She honestly loved Hina's children like the ones she wished she could have. "What can I do? Tarukane threatened to hurt you and the kids."

"If that happens, any evidence I've collected so far will go to the police. Now, we're taking the evidence to them, unbeknownst to Tarukane. One of my son's and daughter's friend's has a family member on the force. She and her police chief are willing to work with us and offer us protection. As long as we keep gathering evidence and statements, we can finally put Tarukane away."

"Do you honestly think he's an idiot?" Mukuro scoffed and crossed her arms. "He's a fucking mobster, Hina. He'll find a way."

"He's only human," Hina countered. "He's bound to slip up sometime. As long as the kids are safe, everything will work out."

"I hope you're right about this, Hina…"

"So, what did you think?"

Botan was walking on the rocks in a small creek while Hiei walked on the grass next to her. They had decided to go to the town where they'd be going to college for the weekend. They were searching for a place to live.

After seeing a small cottage, Botan voiced her question. Hiei wasn't sure how he felt. It was quaint, next to a creek, not too far from the school, but it was also in the middle of nowhere. He didn't want to live feeling isolated, nor did he want to be far away from civilization. He couldn't be certain that Tarukane would be dealt with. There wasn't even a security system there. He'd be alone with Botan, could picture a lot of nice moments with her there, but he would not risk her safety from these random thoughts, these futuristic moments.

"I think we should look closer to town, maybe some of the apartments. There were a few luxury ones that seemed nice, gated to add extra protection."

"Hiei, they're expensive," Botan complained with a frown. It was bad enough any rent would fall on Hiei until she found work, and yet her mother was trying to convince her to focus on her studies. Annoyingly enough, Hiei was trying to convince her of the same thing.

Her boyfriend heaved a heavy sigh. "Are we on this again? You know I don't care about that. My father…he left Yukina and I well off. Really well off. He'd want us to use the money to stay in the safest place possible. In a gated community with a security system. Tarukane isn't going to stop coming after us, even if we leave for school. Don't you see I'm trying to protect you?"

"I don't need to be protected," Botan huffed, getting a bit loud. Her words took Hiei by surprise. It took herself by surprise and it showed on both of their faces before the two of them grew silent and then started heading back to Hiei's new car. His mother was really lucky the insurance had paid for a replacement vehicle. She didn't need to spend even more money because a mobster tried to murder her son's girlfriend.

Each time they got to the car, Hiei began searching the vehicle. He had the feeling Tarukane wouldn't try the same trick twice, but he couldn't be too careful. The two got into the car and shut the doors remaining silent as Hiei drove them into town.

Botan felt so nervous. What she had said had been uncalled for. Hiei loved her, and he was only looking out for her because an evil man targeted her because of him. She knew he felt guilty, and to throw it in his face like that…it had been cruel and she regretted saying it. She understood, she really did, and she wasn't mad at him. Lately, though, she had been saying hurtful things to Hiei or her mother, and it left her feeling angry with herself and guilty, feelings of self-loathing creeping into her heart. She and Hiei even had a fight over something as stupid as food one night, and she had said something so hurtful to him that she couldn't even remember what it was. She was certain he did. She had begged his forgiveness admitting that she couldn't remember, but also how horrible she felt. He forgave her, of course, but how many more chances did she have with him before he'd just be done.

She hadn't even realized she'd been crying until she felt wet drops on her hand. She attempted to get rid of the evidence, rubbing her eyes discretely so that Hiei wouldn't notice. Unfortunately for her, Hiei did notice. He wasn't surprised. After she had made that remark, Hiei knew she was going to go through her own berating session. He had wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say. He had been smothering her. He knew he was, but Botan always understood why. Right now, Botan was going through something so soul-crushing and painful that there would be times she got angry or snapped at people she was close to. It wasn't like she could direct her anger to her father yet. She had gotten to the point where she could recite everything he did to her, still bringing tears to her eyes, and how it was all wrong and he treated her horribly, yet she could not bring herself to be angry at the man who was already dead. To be honest, Hiei believed she was afraid of her anger.

That's why he didn't say anything back when she said something hurtful. He was used to fighting back, but he wasn't angry at Botan at all for her moments of lashing out. To be honest, he'd rather her lash out at him than at herself. Eventually, she'd be able to break free of it, but for now he wanted to work with her. "I'm not upset," he assured her. "I understand, Botan."

"I shouldn't have said that," she argued. "It wasn't right."

"You don't need to do what's right, right now," he told her. "You need to realize that you're going to have moments. It's not your fault, Botan. You're hurting, and you barely have an outlet besides schoolwork. Believe me; I can take it. I know it's not your fault."

But Botan didn't agree, and that's when she started crying harder. "What's wrong with me?" she sobbed.

Hiei sighed and pulled the car over so that he could hold her. This was not the first time that he had to try to calm her down as her body wracked with sobs. She could hardly breathe, nearly choking on her tears as Hiei softly whispered in her ear that nothing was wrong with her and that she would get passed everything. He knew right now she didn't believe it, but he had to keep saying these things to her for her and his own sanity. He simply needed her to be more understanding of herself and what she was going through.

Botan continued to cry, but her sobs began to subside and now she was only slightly shaking in Hiei's arms. She felt his hand comfortingly gliding up and down her back. She attempted to pull away, to withdraw inside herself, but Hiei kept a firm grasp on her. He refused to let her deal with any of it alone. She needed his strength and rationale. She needed someone to cling to who would reassure her that everything was going to work out.

She didn't need her phone to ring in the middle of her breakdown.

Botan gasped when she felt her phone vibrate, and she immediately pushed herself free from Hiei's hold to answer it. Surprisingly, it was her stepmother. She tried to steel herself, to make sure she didn't sound like she had been crying. Hiei's brow raised in inquiry since he had no idea why she was behaving so strangely.

"Hello, Ayame," Botan greeted into the receiver. Hiei instantly understood her strange actions. "No, I'm fine. Hiei and I are apartment hunting today near the school." She was silent for a minute. "No, we haven't found anything, though we're most likely going into town to look. We want to be as close to the school as possible." Where that was partly true, it was more for the security, but Botan couldn't tell her stepmother that Hiei had a mob boss after him or was left an astronomical amount of money by his deceased father, the enforcer. She also couldn't say that they were looking into luxury or gated apartments for her father's words about her poor spending choices and only caring for him about his money left her heart feeling hollow and strained.

Hiei watched Botan carefully and noticed that the girl's eyes widened. Clearly, her stepmother had said something to silence her. Her jaw kept opening and closing. She clearly wanted to say something, but she couldn't. Hiei's eyes narrowed. What had the woman done now?

"H-He did? I-I don't…" Silence again before Botan admitted, "This is a lot to take in. Can…can we talk about it another day? Y-You have my address if you want to send the paperwork. I'll take a look at it." There was a pause before Botan said, "I love you too. I just…I can't think about this now. I never wanted this."

Botan hung up the phone and nearly threw it to the floor before she started sobbing once again. Hiei had reached out to her, but with the position she was in, he would frighten her and do more harm than good. He decided that his best option was to start driving again. He opened the windows slightly letting in some fresh air and wind. He and Botan both seemed to enjoy driving along with windows open and rock music playing. For Hiei, it always made him feel alive, and for Botan, it made her feel free.

Once she started calming down, they were getting close to the town, and the beach. He decided they should go there first and enjoy the sound of the waves. After he parked, he moved to open the door for Botan. She seemed to understand what he wanted to do, so she just went through the motions of getting out of the car and walking with him.

They found a spot near the beach where there was a beautiful, white gazebo where they could rest and enjoy the scenery. Hiei still hadn't asked Botan what Ayame had said. He was honestly afraid it would set her off again. She needed to tell him on her own.

"Dad…left me money."

That took Hiei by surprise, and he didn't hide it, either. "What?"

Botan's eyes watered again and shook her head. "He…he left me money. He had taken out a life insurance policy. She said…she said that he had always wanted me to learn how to live on my own, be an independent adult, but in case something ever happened to him he wanted me to be okay. She even said that they always made sure to pay it, even if they needed to forgo other bills."

"Bullshit," Hiei growled out. Botan nodded in agreement. She couldn't deny that knowing all she did about her father's and step-mother's lives. They both were managers for companies, both made six figures on their own. They owned businesses, went on trips, had a house with a pool, and Botan couldn't forget than gym membership…the one they put her name on for the times she would have seen them, which had only been once. Her father accused her of having bad spending choices, but she didn't have the money to spend, and then he attacked her for that as well because she never had a paying job. She shook her head again. There had to be more to this insurance policy.

"I know from some of the kids I went to school with," Hiei started, "that when their parents split up, the child support paying parent can sometimes be mandated to have a life insurance policy in case something happened to them. It's possible that your father didn't have a choice and that your stepmother is once again painting him to be the hero."

"I can't stand it," Botan muttered, gripping her arms tight. "I loved my dad, and now I know he loves me, but I can't stand her stories. I really, truly can't. He was horrible to me. Just because that dream…just because I know now, it doesn't change…"

"No, it doesn't change anything," Hiei agreed. "I get why you're upset."

"That's not even the half of it," Botan stated earning Hiei's undivided attention. "She's suing the guy's insurance, the one who caused the accident."

"The diabetic?" Botan nodded. "The insurance was going to pay anyway. Why…?"

"She wants to get his license revoked, and she wanted to make sure the insurance paid the fullest amount. The lawyer is going to get in touch with me sometime this week to discuss how it will be split between her, Amanuma, and me."

"I get that she's pissed at the other driver," Hiei remarked, "but I think this will do more harm than good for her. Most likely, he'll never be allowed to drive again because he won't be able to get affordable insurance."

"If it were me, if I knew that I caused an accident that killed a person, I'd never want to drive again," Botan whispered. "I…the guilt he must be feeling…and I'll never know who he is to be able to tell him that I at least forgive him. How was he supposed to know he'd go into shock while driving?"

Hiei shrugged. "We don't need to make sense of it, but at least she's including you in the lawsuit, though she's probably doing it partly so you won't go after the estate."

"You're talking about your grandmother now, aren't you?" Botan questioned. Hiei nodded once. "I still can't believe she tried to keep your mother's inheritance from her. It's just so-"

"Don't even get me started," Hiei interjected, keeping his anger at bay. "I don't even want to think about that woman, all the bullshit she said."

Botan smiled sadly, taking her boyfriend's hand to show him she understood. "Man, we have such great family stories, don't we?" she teased wryly. Her sarcasm made Hiei chuckle quietly. "I'm just glad we have our mothers and siblings."

"I am too," Hiei agreed.

The couple looked out into the waves, Botan leaning her head on Hiei's shoulder. He adjusted so that he was holding her. Everything she was going through was so tough on her, and Hiei wished he could do more. Today, there wasn't much he could say, but he knew eventually she would be receptive to whatever he had to say. Honestly, where she hated that all of this was happening, where she didn't want the money, she was going to get it anyway. She'd feel better about getting a safe place to live because they'd be able to share expenses instead of it falling on him. He had originally planned to do that. To be honest, he didn't care about the money. He wanted to make his own way, so using his father's money to pay for a safe place to live didn't faze him. Once she got used to this idea, she'd most likely have the same mentality. It would make things easier for her, and the father that loved her would not want her to feel bad about it.

They returned home and met up with Yukina and Kuwabara at the club. Keiko and Yusuke were going to join them at some point, and Kurama said he had some news. "So, how did apartment hunting go?" Kuwabara asked, striking up conversation.

Botan frowned and Hiei remained straight-faced. "Well, we found a place that we both approved of about three miles from campus. We put a deposit down."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Yukina inquired, not understanding the heaviness between the two.

"Yes," Botan sighed. "It's just…we agreed on it because it was the safest with a lot of amenities, and we both could picture us making a home there, but it was so expensive."

"And you feel bad about that because you don't have a job yet?" Kuwabara pressed gently, his voice understanding. Botan shook her head. "Then what?"

"My stepmother called and told me my dad had a life insurance policy and that she's suing the other driver's insurance for the full amount we can get…" Botan explained, her voice void of emotion.

"That's…" Kuwabara started. "You okay?"

Botan shook her head and chuckled. "I'd love to tell you all I'm fine. I'd love to reassure you, but I can't."

"It's not your job to reassure us," Hiei reminded her. "It's ours to reassure you. I know it's upsetting, but everything is going to be fine. We found a nice place."

That made Botan smile a little. "Yeah, we did. You guys will have to come visit. They have a lot of stuff there. There's a pool, screened-in porches, a really nice club house and gym, private studios which is great so I won't have to worry about playing instruments and angering the neighbors, and there's a great computer center where Hiei can go to write. It's also a gated property with a security system already installed. You need a special code to get in that we get to choose."

"Good," Kuwabara replied. "Until that creep is in jail, we all need that. Yukina and I started our online search today for a gated property. My parents saved a lot of money for my sister and me so that we'd be prepared for school. I'm already scheduled to interview with a professor to be their research assistant once I get past the first semester."

"That's really great," Botan replied. "Can you believe we're all graduating soon?"

"And we're all starting new chapters of our lives," Kurama spoke up having just arrived.

"Hey, man," Kuwabara greeted. "So, what's this news of yours?"

"There's two things actually, but we should really wait for Yusuke and Keiko. We all need to hear this."

"Well, look who just made it," Botan pointed out, their other two friend's joining them. "How are you two?"

"Doing well," Yusuke answered. "Sorry we're a little late. Our doctor was running late."

"Of course," Hiei murmured. "So, what's this news, Kurama?"

"Well," their redheaded friend began, "I decided that I wanted to get involved with the criminal justice system. I met with Officer Genkai today at the bowling alley, and I will be staying here, studying at the community college while working as an intern with them."

"Nice!" Yusuke cheered. "Good for you! Does my mom know?"

Kurama smiled and nodded. "She was the one who asked Genkai to speak with me."

"What's the other part of your news?" Yukina asked. Kurama flashed a questioning look to her. "You said there were two things."

"There are," Kurama relayed. "This isn't the best news, though, I'm afraid. At the bowling alley, I saw Sakyo."

Botan's eyes widened as Hiei's narrowed. Kuwabara also looked bothered, as did Yukina and Keiko. Yusuke just looked pissed. "What the hell was he doing there?"

Kurama shrugged. "I saw him with two men. One was pale and skinny, and the other was tall and wore sunglasses."

Hiei gripped his glass hard. "The Toguro Brothers," he growled. "So Sakyo is still working for Tarukane."

"I didn't say that," Kurama remarked sternly. That alone earned Hiei's attention. "I couldn't hear everything being said, but I could read their lips a bit. I think they're going against Tarukane. Both the brothers are double agents. I think Sakyo only got involved with Tarukane to take his territory."

"Son of a…" Yusuke started, but stopped when Keiko flashed him an admonishing look. "Why does it feel like we're getting involved in a mob war when none of us are freaking in the mob?"

"Because we could get caught in the crossfire," Botan answered. "We all know Tarukane has a one track mind right now." She cast a fearful glance to her boyfriend who seemed calm despite what they were being told. "He still wants Hiei, and your mother and Genkai are investigating him and the shooting. Even if he wasn't after Hiei, just that alone puts a target on your back, Yusuke, and all of us, but because Tarukane is after Hiei, it puts a target on his back and by extension all of us."

"She makes a valid point," Kurama stated, "but the other factor is Sakyo's involvement with Shizuru." Kuwabara's eyes narrowed. "After she broke up with him, he decided to begin the workings of his plans. That part I got quite clearly, for when I walked by them to leave, I heard the taller of the brothers ask what took him so long."

"Weird," Yusuke muttered. "Seriously, though, why did they come to this town? What's to gain? We're in the middle of nowhere. Everyone knows each other, so trying to set up a drug ring was stupid. All of this is stupid."

"I can't even guess what the motive is," Hiei grunted. "I asked him once before, when he was trying to get me involved. He said he didn't care if the students got caught, that the reason he brought the trade here was because the students were curious. Then he dragged Botan into it and I saw red. Mom interrupted the conversation."

"That still doesn't give us any information," Yusuke huffed. "This guy is just a creep. We have all the evidence we do and it still seems like we're missing something."

"My mother told me to trust her," Hiei stated, "so that's what I have to do."

Botan flashed him a reassuring smile. "She wouldn't have said that unless she had something. Everything is going to work out."

Hiei nodded but he still felt overwhelmed and powerless. He could only imagine that that was how Botan was feeling regarding her father's death and everything happening around her. Their future was the thing that kept Hiei calm, for he knew they'd be safe in a great place together while studying. He needed to focus on that picture, for if he focused on Tarukane in the present he was going to lose his mind.