Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Hurricane preparations for me include writing a weather-related HxB ficlet. Just like the last chapter which I wrote during a blizzard X'D Ah, priorities. Enjoy!

*By the way, I did a massive overhaul of the story a while back, so if you reviewed on Chapter 22 originally, please feel free to review as a guest. Thank you ^_^


Thunder clapped overhead; the apartment building rumbled and shook. Or maybe, it was the vibration of the sound. Botan squealed and wrapped herself up in her blanket. There was a flash of white light soon after. She hated thunderstorms. Part of it probably stemmed from certain incidents of the past where Botan was shot down by lightning. Those traumatic memories haunted her every time a howler occurred. The wind made it sound like haunted shrieks.

A shiver ran down Botan's spine. Shaky hands reached for her cup of tea. What is wrong with me? she berated herself. This is getting out of hand.

It had been like this ever since that giant storm in Spirit World, the day the Netherworld demons attacked. Botan fought so hard that day and yet the storm took her down before the orb did. The ferry girl clenched her eyes shut. She tried to will away the memories when another boom of thunder shook her home.

Botan covered her mouth to muffle a startled scream, but then she nearly jumped out of her skin and yelped when a pair of hands grabbed her. The woman struggled against her intruder and tried to pry herself away.

"Ferry girl, it's me," Hiei's voice cut through her terror.

"H-Hiei?" Botan timidly called. Cautiously, she opened her eyes at met the contorted moue of her roommate.

Botan didn't expect the fire demon to show up today. He'd gone back to Demon World not too long ago. With this awful weather, Botan expected him to stay away from Human World. What was he doing here?

Hiei's arms were wrapped around Botan, and he tightened his hold to embrace her. The Jagan showed him her horrific flashbacks. Anger flooded Hiei at the images. Back then, he'd barely regarded the ferry girl as anything important. The only reason he involved himself was on account of his team. Additionally, the only emotional investment he had in the case was when his sister was assaulted. Aside from that, he really didn't care what happened to Spirit World. At the time, he really didn't give a damn about the ferry girl either.

Now, though, Hiei knew her. He shared a life with her. Albeit he was still tight-lipped about his activities. They didn't discuss their day or anything of the sort, aside from Botan's genuinely curious questions. She offered her lodging to him, and somehow it became both of their safe havens away from their responsibilities. A world where only the two of them existed.

Hiei had not planned to return to Human World so soon, especially not in this weather. It became a habit to check up on the woman while he was away. She had no idea he did so. In the beginning, he had no idea he was doing it on a regular basis. The woman had engrained herself so much into his life that engaging with her became a part of Hiei's routine, and he was a creature of habit. It was only natural to check up on Botan as much as it was for him to check up on Yukina.

When he checked on her today, he felt her fear and her pain. She wasn't in pain, but the pain from her memories was palpable. He didn't even think twice when he came to her. It didn't register to him that he was wet until he felt Botan shiver in his hold. In response, he raised his energy to warm her and dry himself off. Then, he cradled her and brought her to her room.

Hiei had only been in Botan's room one other time, a result of her alcoholic concoctions. It hadn't changed much since their tryst save for a few new chachkas on her shelves and dresser. The fire demon laid Botan down on her bed, and he was prepared to leave her to rest and go to his own room. Surprisingly to him, Botan refused to release him. When she felt him pull away, her arms wrapped around his neck hugged him tighter.

The fire demon sighed and gently pried her hands off of him. When he met her gaze, Botan looked hurt and frightened. Hiei took one of her hands and squeezed it, to reassure her, before he sat down at the edge of her bed and took off his boots. He then curled under the covers with the woman and pulled her close to him.

Botan's eyes filled with relief. She cuddled closer to him, their legs entwined and her head against his chest. Hiei wasn't normally a cuddler, but he made bizarre exceptions for the woman pressed up against him. She had so much pull on him now that he didn't even question his uncharacteristic actions anymore. In a way, he finally learned to go with the flow, something Mukuro desperately wanted him to learn. It did make him less rigid and aggressive, more settled and assured. It made him a better general. It made him a better man.

He jolted out of his thoughts when he felt Botan's cold nose against the hot skin of his neck. Her lips gently grazed his skin. Whether it was intentional or not, Hiei had no idea. His hold tightened around Botan, and she responded in kind. The woman still felt so cold and tense in Hiei's grip, so he took his hand and forced more energy to the tips of his fingers. He lightly traced those fingers over Botan's spine and felt her shiver pleasantly as she pushed further into him.

Her reaction took Hiei by surprise, and he became even more curious. Their alcohol-induced moment was hurried and frantic. This moment, not fueled by desire, was interesting, comforting. Hiei wanted to see what other reactions he could earn. He spread his hand to maximize their contact and gently rubbed her back. Moments later, he felt Botan do the same. He breathed out, and his warm breath fanned her face. Botan looked up at him, her eyes glossy and mouth agape. It was as if she wanted to say something, but her left her speechless.

Moments later, Botan stole Hiei's breath away when her hand traveled down to the hem of his shirt. She buried her face back against his chest and tentatively traced the lining of his shirt. Hiei tensed in anticipation, curious as to what she might do. After a while, Botan's fingers gently bunched up the hem, and soon Hiei felt her cool fingers against his skin.

Desire flooded Hiei's system in that moment, but he didn't want to engage Botan in carnal activities. Instead, he followed her actions and ran his hand under her shirt. A soft sigh left Botan's lips as she nuzzled his neck with her nose. His hand ran along the small of her back before he glided it up and was met with the fabric of her undergarment. A soft hitch of her breath egged Hiei on. He ran his fingers along the edge where the silk and skin met repeatedly, and Botan's breath became more ragged. After a time, he stopped the action and soothed her by rubbing her back again and burying his nose in her hair. He let her catch her breath before he toyed with her again.

His nose caught wind of her scent. She was enjoying this, but in no way did she try to push him into something more. The same went for him, even as Botan grew a little more daring. Her hand went up to the same spot on his body and where his hand was on her back. She gently kneaded shoulder blades, so he did the same for her. He felt her lips curve into a smile. She then let her fingertips travel until they made a journey around his back to the front of his body. His shirt was forced upward just a bit by the action, but she made no attempt to remove it. Her fingers landed on his clavicle and paused. Hiei waited for Botan to start exploring him again, but she didn't. Her soft breaths continued to fan his neck.

Then, Hiei had an idea. He mimicked Botan's actions, dragged his fingers along her smooth skin. He nearly grazed her breast as his fingers moved to her clavicle. Then, Botan began to move again. She traced his clavicle softly and gently. When Hiei copied her actions, her hand moved again, this time to his chest. Hiei had an epiphany; this minx was trying to communicate what she wanted without words. He awarded her cleverness with a kiss atop her head.

Hiei hesitated when he reached her chest. He was completely sober this time around and felt that he was crossing some invisible line he drew for himself. The ferry girl was always someone who was supposed to be out of his reach. They came from different worlds. She was light; he was darkness. Yet for so long, she began to award him her attention and affection. They'd shared several kisses by this point, and he'd even taken her to bed. There was no need to hesitate.

Botan's fingers hovered overtop his breastbone and then she traced towards the center of his chest. Again, Hiei mimicked her action on her body, never touching her breast. Surprisingly, he felt Botan's body relax more into his. She didn't seem to want much physical activity, so Hiei continued this action. For a moment, all was quiet, and Hiei thought Botan finally succumbed to exhaustion. He was strangely thankful he was able to calm her.

Hiei was about to remove his hand from underneath her shirt but was startled when Botan's hand left his body and joined his underneath her shirt. She moved his hand down to her belly and moved it back and forth. Hiei got the hint and felt a bit of pride in the woman for acting so assertively. His fingers stroked her abdomen. She let her hand fall away as Hiei got daringly closer to bottom swells of her cloth-covered chest.

As he rubbed her there, Botan whimpered. He stopped what he was doing and used his other hand to stroke her cheek. "Sh," he cooed. "It's okay. You're safe."

Botan's pink eyes opened and lit up with adoration. She realized Hiei must have thought she was trapped in a memory life before. "No, it's okay. It's not that. It…just tickled."

Hiei was about to withdraw his hand. "I can stop."

"No," Botan replied breathily. "I mean, I can tolerate it. You can…"

The fire demon understood. She didn't want him to stop. He continued to touch her in these intimate ways, but he never crossed over the boundary they set for each other tonight. Eventually, though, Hiei couldn't help himself. When he was satisfied with exploring her skin, he did remove his hand and run it up her back into her hair. He guided her into a lazy kiss. Botan's lips softly dusted his. They exchanged several kissed before Hiei settled Botan against him. He trapped her in his embraced and cuddled her close and he lazily traced circles on her arm. Botan, likewise, stopped her expedition and just listened to the sound of Hiei's irregular heartbeat. She was certain her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. She wondered if Hiei could heart it like she felt she could.

The two rested together in silence for what felt like an hour. Around that time, Botan stirred and moved to sit up. Hiei released her and followed suit. She met his gaze, hers saddened. Hiei wasn't certain what caused the change in her mood, but when he reached to move a strand of hair from the ferry girl's face, she smiled. Then, she took his hand and led him out of her room.


A while later, Botan was curled up on the couch in her fuzzy robe nursing a cup of lavender milk tea. She sipped the tea slowly and let its sweetness bring her its warm pleasure. She looked to Hiei who was holding a mug of steaming cinnamon wood tea. She didn't understand why he liked a tea that tasted like tree bark, but she wasn't going to challenge him on it.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," Botan softly spoke. "Is everything okay? Is Yukina all right?"

At that moment, Hiei was about to bring the mug to hip lips for a sip of tea, but the mug paused in midair at her question. He set the mug aside and said, "I didn't come for Yukina."

Understanding reflected in Botan's eyes. She realized that Hiei was there for her. The only reason she could think of was her trauma-induced breakdown. "Thank you," she whispered. "But you didn't have to come all this way. I would have been okay."

"I know," Hiei assured her. He picked up his mug again and drank from it. Then, he took Botan's hand and tugged on it gently. Botan to the hint and scrambled over to Hiei. He wrapped his arm around her. "A little rain isn't enough to take you down."

Botan laughed and then snuggled against Hiei. She loved his heat and his assuring presence. "I…" Botan began before she clamped up again.

Hiei was perplexed. "You?"

"Never mind," Botan replied with a shake of her head. She wore this knowing smile. "Just, thank you, Hiei."

Hiei didn't know what Botan was about to say, but he had his suspicions for a while now. She had yet to speak the words, and Hiei expected to be more upset that she felt towards him the way she did. Instead, he felt settled and calm. It's why he never pressed her for a confession. The ferry girl wouldn't keep her feelings hidden for long. And yet as another surprise to the fire demon, he believed those sentiments to be reciprocated.