After the carabao riding, where Teryo won from Hiei, they had three other battles. The next battle was arm wrestling where Teryo won through his strategy. The next one was a tournament for five minutes where Hiei won. The next tournament was…
"Courting." Botan said simply.
Hiei's mouth dropped open. Teryo looked at Botan calmly. Hiei wanted to protest but then his pride held him on so he said, "Hn."
(((With Shara and Kurama)))
Shara wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was sweating so. Shara sighed. Three days ago while training with Kurama, she wanted it all to end. She wanted to see Hiei already. But she like Hiei, she also had a little bit of pride that she can't accept losing.
Not that she was losing to Kurama. True she could not defeat him but then she was losing to another battle. She was wondering but she was not missing Hiei that much anymore. In fact, she was enjoying every moment that she spent with Kurama.
Kurama walked to her tossing a hand towel. Shara (the real Shara) caught it.
"Er, that was some hard training was it?" Kurama said uncertainly.
The real Shara nodded trying to hide the blush that was forming in her cheeks.
(((Shamel)))
When Hiei won against Teryo in the tournament, Shamel left. She was so confused that she did not know what was happening.
She could remember how Hiei looked like when he won…
Hiei dealt the final blow to Teryo and Teryo flew off the ring. Botan and Yukina ran to Teryo who had a dazed expression in his face and kept saying, "Fish sticks" for no reason at all. Shamel giggled.
Hiei looked at Shamel and watched her giggle. She was wearing a t-shirt that was white and blue shorts until her knees. She was wearing slippers and her hair was tied to a ponytail. To Hiei, she looked like an angel who descended from Heaven.
Shamel (the real Shamel) suddenly stopped giggling because she noticed a weird pickling sensation from behind her back as if someone was watching her. She looked to Hiei and he turned away. Shamel was not sure if he was looking but he looked sure proud that he made her giggle…
"Hiei…" she muttered. She knelt to the ground and using her pointer, she traced the name in the ground. Shamel shook her head and stomped on Hiei's name. If there was one thing that she knew was that, she should be strong because Hiei will never like her. He loves Shamel so much that he would not be able to find the time to look at a girl like her.
Tears threatened to form in her eyes but she stopped herself because there was nothing tears could do. She stood up and then climbed to the nipa hut (bahay kubo). To those who do not know what a nipa hut is, I'll do my best to explain. It's made from palm leaves and they look brownish in color. It's a little elevated from the ground so you need to use small steps. You can see them in the middle of the fields and they do not cover that much space. The floor is made of wood drawn together. There are at least an average of four rooms. But it's not a treehouse.
Anyways, she climbed the nipa hut and then stayed in the eating area. Since the place was small, you had to Indian sit to be able to eat at the table. Shamel sighed. She did not want that. So she went to the women's room. It was just a room with flat wooden floors. There were mattresses at the side and it was small. She opened the window and stared at the horizon.
(((Hiei and Teryo's job)))
Hiei's mind was dizzy. Court… The only way I can win is to court… Court… Shara (who really is Shamel)… your eyes are the magic that brings the light into my life- what? Did I just do poetry???
"-as I was saying, Hiei, before you went into that reverie," Botan said to Hiei. Hiei popped to reality.
"Hn." Hiei said as if nothing was happening, as if he never was in a reverie.
"Here is the flower." Botan said as he handed a gumamela to Teryo and Hiei, "The first one whom Shara (who really is Shamel) accepts the flower will get to bring her to the Fireworks Carnival.
"Hn." Hiei said. "Why bother give her a flower?" Hiei said as he looked at the gumamela flower. It was pinkish-white. It reminded Hiei about Shamel and her pinkish glow. Hiei sank into a reverie staring at the flower.
"So, Hiei," Botan said as she snapped her fingers in front of Hiei's face. "While you're staring at the flower thinking that the flower is Shara (who really is Shamel), we will discuss why we need to give her the flower."
Hiei broke from his reverie. "Hn." he said as if he was never in a reverie.
Teryo grinned, "Let me tell you Hiei," he said, glad that he knew something that Hiei did not know. To him, this was a great advantage. "Women are people who want to be sure that the person that they are with are true to them. If the woman accepts the flower from the man, then they trust you. They know that they will be happy with you. If you give her the flower, somehow, she will know that she will be happy with you. We are going to court her right?"
Hiei clenched his fist angrily as if angry at himself for not thinking of that sooner. But that struck Hiei down, he did not know that much about women. He did not know what they thought or wanted. He did not know what to do. He was at loss. How was he supposed to court Shamel if he did not know what to do during courting. He wished that he watched his former comrades when they were courting the girl they wanted to court. Some of his comrades got the women that they wanted and some did not. He did not want to be in line with his comrades who did not succeed in courting the woman of their dreams.
He wanted to ask Kurama's help but that would mean facing Shara. He remembered the way she looked like when he said that he did not want the marriage to go on. Everyone thought that the two of them did it voluntarily but what everyone did not know was that Hiei backed out.
When Botan had told where Shamel (whom everyone thought was Shara) was, Teryo and Hiei headed to the path direction where she was. Hiei was still in reverie.
"It's better if you quit now." Teryo said, his hands in his pockets looking cool as if confident that he would be the one who would bring Shamel (he really knows she's Shamel) to the Carnival.
"Hn." Hiei said, bored with Teryo. He was half-awake, half in LaLaland.
"You don't deserve Shamel- I mean Shara." Teryo said.
That popped Hiei to his daydream and he clenched his fists tight. "I deserve her much more than you do." he muttered and prepared to leave Teryo lest Teryo might cheat.
As Hiei was leaving, Teryo said, "You can't make her happy Hiei. You don't know anything about making a woman happy. You only know about torturing them or hating them. You know how to make them feel bad. You can't bring her to the Carnival. You will only make her cry. You'll only make her sad. If you love her Hiei, back out before you would be the cause of her tears."
Teryo smirked and then walked away. Hiei was just up in the tree staring absentmindedly at the root of the tree. Something that Teryo said had struck deep inside him.
Is this love? Hiei thought, This is not right… I fell in love with Shamel (who really is Shara) devoted my life to her… and now I just back out when we could have been together? What do I know about love? How can I deserve Shara (who really is Shamel) How sure am I that I can make her happy? I have made Shamel (who is really Shara) cry with tears. I have made her angry when I didn't want to continue the marriage no longer. Who am I to be with Shara (who really is Shamel)? Who am I to bring her to her dream fireworks? A Forbidden Child to bring a happy woman?
No… she does not deserve that…Hiei stared from the tree, watching everything that Teryo was doing. He really did know what he was doing because he was making Shamel (whom he thought was Shara) laugh. He cursed to himself.
Then as he was watching, he saw that Teryo had handed Shamel (whom he thought was Shara) the carnival ticket. Hiei stood up from the tree, his heart pounding, wondering if Shamel (whom he thought was Shara) would accept it. The two of them were just talking and Shamel was not yet accepting it and yet Hiei was hoping with every fiber of his body that she would not think of accepting it.
He was tempted to search into Shamel's mind to ease his confusion. He was tempted to know if Shamel had any reason to accept the ticket from Teryo. But he did not. He respected Shamel (who he thought was Shara) so much that he did not dare to come inside her mind.
But if he had, every confusion that had happened would have been done. If he had searched into her mind, he would have known that all Shamel was thinking was Hiei, Hiei, Hiei. If he had searched her mind, he would have known who was the real Shara and who was the real Shamel.
Hiei looked at Shamel (whom he thought was Shara) and his eyes widened as Shamel took the ticket that Teryo gave her. His heart was pierced and he felt weak. He used the tree to support himself. Without knowing what he was doing, he cried as the black pearls from his tears fell to the ground.
Hiei walked inside the nipa hut. Everything that was there was the color of the soil. Dull but lively because of the wind that was passing through the walls. Hiei went to the men's room that was only bare floor and a creaky, musty-smelling cabinet for their clothes. The mattresses where on the other side.
He did not like sleeping there because Yusuke and Kuwabara were loud sleepers. Every night, he always was alone in the tree ever since Shara left with Kurama to go training in the forest.
Hiei opened the window and stared at the horizon. There was a soft breeze blowing in his face that seemed never to stop. He heard something moving at his back and Hiei quickly turned around. He saw Shamel (whom he thought was Shara) in a pause motion as if looking at him, Hiei, not believing.
Hiei would have said, "Hn." and went away. But this time, he said, "Hn." and continued looking at the horizon continuing to feel the gentle breeze in his face.
HIEI??? Shamel thought, Oh I know, he's thinking of Shara who everyone thinks is me. Hmph! I'll ignore him. That meanie, cheater, bull-head, guy-who-had-a-nuclear-bomb-dropped-on-his-head…
So Shamel went on like this as she placed the newly washed mattresses beside the others. When Shamel looked at Hiei, she saw that Hiei was red. So red.
Sh-sh-sh- Hiei kept on thinking while staring at the horizon, knowing that Shamel (who he thought was Shara) was a meterstick away from him. Even in his mind, he couldn't even get to say Shara (who was really Shamel). He felt the color rising to his cheeks and he did not trust himself to move in fear that he might suddenly jump to Shamel (who he thought was Shara) and hug her then he might suddenly confess his love to her. He suddenly had the feeling of acting like Kuwabara. He felt like saying, "Shamel my love, oh accept this ticket that I hold on my hands. I have feared that you might reject me but take heed that you will be kept inside my heart never fading!" but Hiei Jaganshi restrained himself because he knew that the Hiei Jaganshi everyone knew did not do that.
Suddenly he felt a warm hand touching his forehead. Instantly, Hiei jumped- yes, jumped- said "Eeek!" before slipping and falling on his back. He looked up using his hands to move his upper body to face her. He was blushing hard. He was blushing pink. He had a scared look in his face like wondering what made Shamel (who he thought was Shara) made him touch him like that, on his forehead! On his forehead!
Shamel, who was kneeling down, looked surprised with Hiei's reaction. She blinked innocently, wondering what the fever had done to make Hiei act like that.
Hiei saw her blink innocently and all he could think was how cute she looked like. Suddenly, his scared and confused expression changed to that of a dazed expression.
Shamel, suddenly alarmed seeing Hiei in a dazed expression, took a thermometer and not knowing that Hiei's dazed eyes were following her. She shook that temperature and placed the thermometer in his mouth. Hiei suddenly woke up with the sudden movement in his mouth and seeing Shamel, (who he thought was Shara) so close to him, he fainted.
Shamel caught Hiei before he fainted. Even Shamel was blushing red. She was blushing pink. Never having Hiei so close to her arms, she fainted.
Hiei and Shamel were sitting together in the steps of the nipa hut, both not knowing what to say. Hiei was the first one to wake up and seeing Shamel so close to him, he fainted for the second time. But when he woke up again first, Shamel was stirring awake and when the two of them saw each other, they scurried away from each other lest that they faint again.
So they were just there staring at the sky. Tomorrow will be the fireworks carnival and both of them were thinking of the same thing.
I have to ask her out to the Fireworks carnival… Fireworks carnival… Hiei thought, mustering all his courage and strength to just say those words.
Why didn't Hiei ask me to the Fireworks carnival? Fireworks Carnival… Shamel thought, mustering all her courage to not feel pity for herself.
But nothing happened that time. Soon, tomorrow came and it was the day of the Fireworks Carnival and Hiei sorrowfully watched Teryo happily lead Shamel to the Fireworks Carnival…
Wheee! Me am done! Don't worry everyone, Shamel will be going out with Hiei in the Fireworks Carnival. Just wait for the things that will happen. Sorry for not updating soon.