Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters
So I'm a little behind on Hiei X Botan week (2018) XD It's supposed to have started, yesterday, March 12th, but I didn't get around to working on anything. So, I decided just to do some drabbles. I had a couple ideas that could be used for the prompts. This one was actually inspired by jtdarkman. Thanks for the idea!
Today's (well, yesterday's) Prompt: Gift
Hiei was never one to care about the exchange of gifts. He had been around his teammates long enough to see how they were on holidays and birthdays of others. In Demon World, it was a common practice, but having anything of value could be one's undoing. Hiei knew that much with his hiruiseki stone he now proudly wore now that the truth was out about him and Yukina's siblingship. At least the fire demon could defend himself.
Giving someone a physical gift was pointless. They'd like it, sure, even the thought that counted, but after a long time, gifts would just sit at the sidelines and rarely ever be looked at or thought of again. Hiei's eyes narrowed. Pointless.
Of course, it didn't mean he wasn't still thinking about gifting something to someone. Hiei just didn't know what to get. It had been a little over a year since he began frequenting the ferry girl's apartment, or rather Spirit World's safe house. In that short time, his life changed drastically. He participated in activities he never would have, learned to relax, got some dirt on the fox he could hold in his back pocket, and now he and Yukina both knew the truth and he received her utmost acceptance. There was only one person to thank for all of that.
Botan. And today was her birthday…or spirit rebirth day… He wasn't sure, honestly.
Everyone was celebrating at the hag's temples. Yukina baked a cake. It did something to Hiei's insides to see how well the ice maiden got along with the ferry girl. The two were very close and became even closer once the truth was out.
Botan was just about to open her gifts from all their friends. Hiei didn't get her anything. Nothing he could pillage from the Human World stores did his gratitude justice. A useless trinket couldn't capture just how much of an impact she made on his lift.
It wasn't until they returned home to the apartment around sunset that Hiei had an idea. Who said his gift needed to be of monetary value? All the ferry girl did for him was more meaningful than that.
"Well, that was really fun," the woman chimed. Her blue hair shifted as she turned to face him. "I hope you had a nice time too."
A shrug was her answer, and she just beamed one of her bright smiles. Once again, something happened to Hiei's insides, and he wasn't sure how to react to this. Why would it matter to her that he had a good time on her rebirthday…or whatever it was? His answer seemed to satisfy her, and she walked towards the window, knelt down, and looked out towards the colorful sky. She took a deep breath and sighed, relaxed. It was then the idea took root in his mind.
"We should go," he stated, earning two confused, fuchsia eyes. His cheeks grew a little heated, but thankfully no color would show. He was a fire demon for crying out loud and able to control his emotions better than most. Still, he couldn't help but cast his eyes to the floor, looking bashful. "There's something we need to do."
Botan blinked twice, not at all understanding Hiei's words, but she had long learned to stop questioning her occasional roommate. "Alright," she replied monotonously as she got up from the floor. "Um, where to?"
Crimson met amethyst, Hiei's gaze completely unreadable.
"Follow me."
Botan happily skipped in the park and admired the peaceful scenery. She was surprised Hiei brought her here, especially since he was leading her so deep into the wooded area. Though she had no clue what they were doing there, it was definitely nice and warm out, and the ferry girl loved being outside. What a perfect way to end her birthday.
Eventually Hiei stopped, and Botan practically crashed into the immovable fire demon. She was worried he'd be cross with her, but he just walked a few feet further to a large tree. Botan eyed it curiously, and then shifted her gaze to Hiei. "Why'd you stop?"
"We're here," he told her. He then looked up and pointed. "Up there."
Her head tilted, and Botan appeared completely lost. Her doe-eyed expression made Hiei swallow down the nerves that bubbled up out of nowhere. "Just fly up, ferry girl," he growled.
"Alright, alright," Botan pacified. "No need to be grouchy."
Botan manifested her oar and started to rise up, and Hiei released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He wondered how she always managed to do that to him, especially as of late. It was starting to become worrisome for the fire demon. Could he perhaps be sick? No, that was ridiculous. The only time he was sick was usually when water was involved.
He flashed out of sight and joined Botan at that top of the tree. She was already sitting on a high branch high. When Hiei joined her, he stood on the edge of the branch. Botan finally questioned him. "Not that I don't enjoy the park, but what exactly are we doing here?"
Hiei's eyes met hers again, this time more forceful and guarded. He then shifted his gaze to the clouds above them. "Look up," he told her.
Botan did, and her eyes widened and the beauty surrounding them. They had a much better and clearer view of the sunset clouds than they did from the apartment, and Botan was just in awe by all of it. The hues of pinks, purples, blues, and oranges mixed and blended together is such a gorgeous array. Her mouth dropped open before she looked to Hiei again. He still wasn't looking at her, but he eventually sat down beside her to enjoy the scenery. Botan understood his silence, understood what all of this was.
To show him she was truly thankful for his unspoken gift, she took his bandaged hand in hers. The fire demon flinched slightly before he awarded her a cautionary glance. Botan simply smiled, moved slower this time, and wrapped her soft fingers around his tensed fist. Surprisingly enough, Hiei warily outstretched his palm and allowed the woman to hold his hand. Something he would have never allowed before; something she never thought to do before.
The two continued to enjoy the solace of each other's presence when Hiei looked to Botan once more. Her attention was on the glowing sky, yet to him she was the radiant one who stood out. The second she took his hand, his core palpitated in such a bizarre way that he had never felt before in his life. That tumultuous sensations he felt any time she flashed him a smile or bonded with his sister seemed to strike him again, and this time settled as he allowed her to take his hand. His thoughts were in such disarray that it was laughable. He was thankful he was the only mind reader of the group, though the fox did give off the strange ability comparable to mindreading.
As if sensing his gaze on her, Botan cast hers to Hiei and became completely baffled. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked nervously, feeling a bit self-conscious.
"Like what?" Hiei spoke, his voice sounding far more distant and deep than he intended. His mind was already clouded with this random desire he couldn't explain.
"Like…like…" Botan tried to think. She put her finger to her chin and looked up, trying to come up with the words to describe the look in her friend's eyes. It finally came to her, and she whispered out, "Like I'm something you want to steal."
Hiei smirked like the deviant he was. So that was the look she thought she saw. Well, she wasn't that far from the truth, at least in that moment. He guessed it was hard to kill old habits, but he was pretty sure despite the veracity of her words that there was something much softer she overlooked. Perhaps she was more innocent than she seemed to be regardless of her voyeurism.
"You are a conundrum."
"What?" Botan questioned, even more confused. Hiei just snickered, and Botan's temper flared up. "Now you're just being me—"
And seconds later, she was silenced in a way that neither of them ever thought possible.
The fire demon didn't know what overtook him in that moment, but after all of the moments he spent with her—their discussions, her pushing the normal boundaries of what he was used to, and even their almost kiss from her pesky truth or dare game—Hiei finally decided to give into one, singular impulse. He kissed her, plain and simple, and to be honest it felt like nothing he'd ever experienced. He wondered why he became so paralyzed when she met him on his challenge way back on Halloween.
When he pulled away from her, that pleasant feeling left, and he was met with the reality of the situation. His expression grew nervous, his cheeks flushed red as Botan gaped at him like he kicked her. Eventually, her expression matched his—well, the color of her cheeks. She simply flashed him a sheepish, shy grin before she turned her gaze back to the cloud. Hiei looked down between them, her hand still on his. She may have been surprised, may have looked away, but seeing her entwine their fingers told him that she was not completely opposed to what he just did.
Meanwhile, in Botan's mind, she was already on cloud nine. She never expected Hiei to get her anything. Honestly, he had no currency for this world. Him showing up to her birthday party had been enough, and she was already at peace with that. Bringing her to the park just because it was her birthday made Botan feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The even more surprising turn of events was the kiss he gave her. She vaguely remembered a time before when she accidentally got the both of them drunk, but this was different. This, Hiei chose to do. It wasn't a dare or accident. If she was being honest with herself, it was the best gift Hiei could have given her.
She closed her eyes, smiled brightly, and mentally hummed to herself and lightly kicked her feet back and forth.
Me and Hiei, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-
Woman… Hiei growled through a telepathic connection. Botan's eyes shot open as she froze. Shut up…
A/N: And there you have it, jtdarkman. Your review inspired this one XD So, I will be working on the next Hiei X Botan Week post in just a few minutes, but I figured this is a good start :) Hope you all enjoyed! Look out for another update today!
