Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Hey all, I'm back with another chapter, and also with some news. A friend of mine recently joined Discord to advertise her art. I've been using my DeviantArt account to advertise my stories and give updates, but I've decided to use Discord to do so as well. I'm still getting set up on Discord, but if you want to get updates on stories, access to future content, fanfiction and fandom discussion pages, a private grief/emotional recovery group, and more. If you're interested, you can PM me for my account name to add me or give me yours, and I'll invite you to my channel. I look forward to hearing from you ^_^

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!


Hiei watched with disinterest as the ferry girl decorated the apartment he'd come to frequent. Crimson eyes narrowed at the greenery and lights. All throughout Human World he had seen many of these gaudy branches. For the life of him, Hiei couldn't figure out the purpose or intent. He'd simply race by, unaware that the ferry girl would also partake in such a strange custom.

"Why, hello Hiei,"she greeted warmly, welcoming him in as always. "Merry Christmas Eve."

The fire demon didn't know what Christmas was or what kind of wishes she was giving him, so he just grunted and made himself comfortable. He watched the woman struggle to put together a tree and then decorate the whole apartment with plants, lights, and figurines. She didn't ask for his help, even the moments where it looked like she needed it. When she was fully covered in glitter and surrounded by empty containers, she wiped her brow and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned to and smiled at the demon.

"Well, I was certainly cutting it close," she stated, and once again, her statement was lost on him. "I'm surprised to see you here. Did you come to visit Yukina for Christmas?"

There was that word again, and Hiei's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Botan's bright smile faded for a moment before she laughed at herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. It's a Human World tradition, a holiday. Slowly, all the cultures have been adopting similar customs and such. We've been celebrating in Spirit World too. In the past, it was never really a time we took off. Tragedy never ceased. This year, though, I was given a break, and I decided to race here and decorate."

Hiei looked around again before he smirked. "Does the fox know you go around parading the corpses of precious trees?"

Botan giggled at that and took a seat beside Hiei. "I'm sure he does. He's celebrated since he was born to Shiori. I guess it hasn't reached Demon World, yet, though, so that's probably why you didn't know."

"Hm," Hiei acknowledged. The ferry girl was probably right. He looked around, and then looked up seeing another strange plant above them. "And what's that?"

Blushing, Botan looked up to see the plant she had conveniently placed above the sofa. Honestly, she had hoped Hiei would show up sooner or later. Even if she expected him to know what Christmas was, she didn't think he'd know about certain traditions. Maybe, just maybe, he'd buy that this was an accident.

The truth was she hadn't been able to get their kiss out of her head, and she wanted to partake in another. Of course, Hiei had not made another move, and Botan was afraid if she tried that the fire demon would reject her. If she presented the idea to him, Hiei could either scoff and say how ridiculous the tradition was, and she would have her answer. Or she could receive another amazing kiss from the demon. Secretly, she hoped with her entire being for the latter.

"It's mistletoe," Botan revealed. Hiei appeared bored and slightly perplexed. "I-it's a Christmas tradition that if two people end up under the mistletoe that they share a kiss. I forgot I put any up, to be honest…"

Hiei blinked at the ferry girl for a moment as if running the information through his mind. Finally, he said, "What an idiotic and pointless tradition." Botan deflated slightly, but Hiei wouldn't have noticed. Surprisingly to the woman, the demon added, "But it is a tradition, nonetheless. It would only be proper to follow through."

Botan's heart thumped rapidly in her chest, and she swallowed down her nerves and nodded. "You're right," she agreed, her voice breathless from anticipation. "I guess we should—"

The fire demon didn't let her finish. Instead, he gently grabbed her chin and guided her lips to his. His kiss was soft and surprisingly chaste. It still filled Botan with such fire; the woman felt like she was burning in a raging inferno. She moved her hand to Hiei's hair and played with the feathery strands. Hiei groaned his approval, then deepened the kiss.

Truthfully, the fire demon wasn't as clueless as the woman believed. They had already gone through this whole ordeal once before, although Botan had no recollection of it. It was a year ago, when he showed up at the apartment around Christmas. Botan had already downed too much of an 'egg nog' concoction she whipped up. Apparently, she used way too much alcohol, and she had many drinks before Hiei arrived. She explained it all to him then, and Hiei found drunk Botan to be a pretty fun and indecent companion.

He got plastered alongside her, but not so much that he wasn't aware of what occurred. Hiei remembered playfully wrestling with the ferry girl. The woman used all of her might only to be stuck under him. He remembered her joyful face growing red as she looked up at something on the wall. Hiei's eyes then shifted to some plant. He asked what it was that it stole her attention, and the ferry girl explained the tradition.

Hiei had been drunk, but he was aware of his desire to kiss the woman. The two shared a kiss that they both, supposedly, vaguely remembered. But Hiei did remember, and he wanted it to happen again.

The woman didn't need to know she gave this whole spiel for nothing. Well, not nothing. Giving into his attraction for the woman was definitely more than that.