Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho.
Warning: May be OOC at some point but I'm going to try REALLY hard to make sure that they're all in character. There is NO Kuwabara bashing in this story unless it's just Yusuke or Hiei being themselves.
I hope everyone likes it so far!
I really can't keep secrets when it comes to pairings in my fanfiction but at the same time I don't want to tell my readers directly. Therefore, I will be content to say that the main pairing of this story is an ALTERNATE ONE. Tee hee... so now you all know.
OH. And I'm tweaking some of the canon to fit my needs. Tweaking not complete canon-rape.
:3
Bold aresentences in Botan's book.
Italics are Botan's....interesting comments.
Hiei's research notes are in bold italic.
You'll see what I'm talking about.
Emotional Distress
by bittersweet-memory
The next few days passed in a blur for Botan. Her things were delivered via portal courtesy of the still-reluctant Koenma and she spent most of her time getting reacquainted with Yusuke and the gang. Her emotions were still ranging in extremes. There were no "moderate" feelings. She attributed it (as Yusuke did Keiko's) to pregnancy hormones. Of course, there was no keeping the secret from the two former delinquents of Sarayashiki Jr. High. Yusuke was in shock and it took Keiko three slaps to get him back. Kuwabara responded in almost the same way except he recovered quicker and once again, Botan was swept up in a literal rush of emotion. She didn't give them the details as she had to the girls but they simply assumed that the child was indeed Koenma's and left it at that. Much to Botan's appreciation, no one asked what she would do after the child was born. She wasn't quite sure of the answer herself at the moment.
Keiko had just gotten up to make breakfast and Yusuke was in the process of nursing a fresh red handprint for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Koenma had provided for all four Spirit Detectives to live in splendor for the rest of their lives after they unofficially "retired" so he didn't really have to work. But as Yusuke was the restless sort, in addition to opening his own ramen stand with Keiko, he worked with Kurama part time at his father's company. Kuwabara was still studying. His dream to become a scientist was only encouraged by the supernatural phenomenon he had seen first hand as a tool for the Spirit World. She noticed that Hiei had been hadn't gone back to the Makai yet but simply attributed his decision to stay to keeping further watch over Yukina. She sighed wistfully at that. She wished she had someone to love her the way Hiei obviously loved Yukina or the way Yusuke loved Keiko or....
Oh hell.
She was depressing herself again.
After waving Yusuke off, and making sure Keiko took her morning nap (to help with the crankiness), Botan settled down for a day of relaxed reading. She perused the shelves for something that would take her mind off her troubles.
Ah ha!
A flash of pink had caught her eye. She pulled out an extremely worn paperback with a picture of a very handsome man holding an equally beautiful woman in his arms. She raised an eyebrow at the character's hair colors. The woman had blue hair, not unlike that of Botan's and the man...
Well he had black hair.
At the sudden thought that passed into her mind, she dropped the book and almost choked on her own laughter. For a moment there...
It was too ridiculous a thought to even voice out loud. The thought that she and...
She picked up the book and walked over to the couch, arranging the pillows to form a protective cushion around her. She never noticed the sound of the door unlocking or the slight shuffling of wood on wood as a familiar black blur settled himself in one of the dining room's comfortable chairs.
Hiei pulled out the notebook he had "borrowed" from Kurama's stash and the pen he'd found on Yusuke's table. This would be the easier part of his observations. The more extensive part would come once the child was actually here. For now, it was enough to note her general behavior and emotional state. He used his Jagan to see what she was reading, and more importantly to see what she was thinking. He mentally snorted as he discovered it was one of those "romance novels". He delved into the mystery that was Botan's mind (discreetly as not to alert her to his presence), almost having a conniption at what he heard and definitely at what he saw. At first all he could hear were the sentences in the book. Wither she was an extremely fast reader or she had skipped ahead to the more interesting parts. Along with the sentences, he heard her little side comments.
"'...Hiyoshi, drown me in your kisses!'"
Snort. As if. More like drown her in your saliva! If there's one thing I've learned in this entire fiasco, it's the fact that men can't kiss worth a damn...
"'Oh Benika...I love you more then anything in this world!'"
This time, Hiei could hear the edge of cynicism in her thoughts.
Yeah right. Then abandon her after you promise to love her and only her forever...
Oh boo! The point of this is to forget all my problems!
After a few moments, his eyes widened and his pen would have clattered to the floor had he not reacted so quickly.
Botan was thinking about him....
After a few more adjectives like "lip-locking" and "tongues battling for dominance", Botan heaved an angry sigh and looked for a more interesting paragraph. Idly, she thought to herself how similar the personality of the hero was to a certain fire demon. They were both cold, calculating bastards. But they were also loyal, protective of those dear to them and...and...
Botan sucked in a much needed breath.
Her thoughts were taking a very dangerous turn. She had just gotten out of a relationship with Koenma where the only thing she had left to show for it was a broken heart and a baby who would never know his (or her) real father. She had absolutely no business thinking of someone else like that so soon. Especially not Hiei. Why, he was her complete antithesis! Stoic where she was bubbly, brooding where she was happy...not to mention the fact that the only women he'd likely ever have any affection for were his sister and maybe Mukuro. A stab of pain hit her for a moment but she shook her head, as if that would rid her of the ludicrous thoughts.
The last thought she had as she hovered between reality and dreams were that her hormones were more out of whack then usual if she ever thought of Hiei like that. She could only be thankful that he couldn't hear her right now.
After a moment spent gaping in absolute shock, Hiei began the slow process of mentally raising his lower jaw from where he was certain it had fallen of the floor and shutting his mouth. He made sure to note the possible hallucinations one went when one was undergoing pregnancy:
Day One:
Subject seems more hallucinatory then usual. Thinks of nonsense. Possibly permanent damage if she honestly thinks what she just thought might stand a snowball's chance in hell of actually happening.
He capped off his pen with a flourish and made move to go outside but before he could get to the door, he heard slight whimpering coming from the couch. Against his better judgment, he turned around to see what was wrong. She was writhing and moaning though whether it was due to pleasure or pain, Hiei wasn't sure of yet. After a few moments, she calmed down but did not stop the shivering. He walked up the stairs and after checking on Keiko (because he didn't want Yusuke coming after him if he found out something had happened to her while he was there), came down with a soft blanket. He draped over her quivering form and once again, made way to go to the door. But he didn't miss the name she whispered.
"Hiei..."
He raced through the city, his form only a mere blur to the normal human beings around him going about their daily business. After checking on Yukina, he planned to bother...er....help Kurama and Yusuke at their..."job". He nearly chuckled at the irony, before remembering that he wasn't the chuckling sort. Two men who could have controlled the other two-thirds of the Makai and they instead chose to live in this forsaken world. He'd never understand their decision. His mind wandered, floating through his many memories and finally focused on one particular one. It had been the first official case for the young Reikai Tantei. The four Saint Beasts had been defeated and they were standing in the remains of what used to be their impenetrable fortress. Well sort of. Kurama and Hiei were standing. Kuwabara was wobbling. Yusuke was in a dead faint, his life energy exhausted after using it to save the life of his woman. He heard himself asking why their unofficial leader would sacrifice his own life to save that of someone else's. That damnable Kurama had simply smiled in that enigmatic way of his and said that "there are reasons". Now, a few years later, he found himself agreeing. Though he worked in the Makai, the fact that his beloved sister was here beckoned every so often and whenever he could get away, he found himself visiting her or, as per usual, just watching from the shadows as the oaf got to love her in a way he could never hope to. She'd taken the news of their sibling relationship quite well. He suspected that she probably already had inkling. Her...husband...wasn't surprised either and had actually been quite mature about the matter, insisting on shaking his hand and asking him for Yukina's. Looking into her hopeful eyes, how could he refuse? But that didn't stop him from doing his duty and checking on her whenever he could.
Yes....it's out. But it's shorter! I'm so sorry! I will try and make it better and LONGER next time!
Review Responses:
(prods fellow authors to update) prodprod
(hands out plushies)
tuathafaerie: glad to see you haven't lost interest yet! ;3 teehee. As to whether Botan will tell Koenma, we shall see....I'm a bit miffed at him right now. And you're right, Ayame isn't a bad character! Maybe I'll have her break up with Koenma and be with Jorge....just kidding! Since I don't think I'm spoiling any surprises, Ayame's not pregnant. I'll give Koenma a little credit. I don't think he'd....well....yeah...with her if he just did ....erm...that with Botan. Teehee! I'm glad you're enjoying it! coughcoughupdateTtRDtFcoughcough
Pocky-and-Fred: where's my update? (shakes angry fist) Just kidding! I'm glad this fic relaxed you after an evil day at the universal hellhole. School should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. -.-
BlazingBotan: Your name makes me giggle....just because I'm weird like that ;3. I'm glad you're enjoying the fic!
Robin Autumn: She of the HB fics! Tee hee! Heights is great! And it should be updated (hinthint) Ahhh...yes I am irritating! This story is kind of a love triangle because of the fact that Botan isn't quite sure of her feelings yet. But I'll fix her wagon... (cackles insanely)
AriyanaAhhh! I am a really bad editor...(considers finding a beta...) but I'm glad you took the time to read my story and I'm even happier that you enjoyed it!
Grim: yes. Seeing how he reacts will definitely be amusing...er....intriguing.