As the Reakai Tantei dug through Paulita's garden, memories of the girl floated through Hiei's head. He remembered how he and Paulita had spent hours playing under her sunflowers; eating the sweet peas she tended laughing as the picked form her vegetable garden. The flame koorime remembered how Paulita had trusted him fully and he had trusted her in return.
"Some trust" Hiei muttered under his breath." "It got her killed.
"Hiei let me show you something" The flame koorime had snuck away from his group of bandits and was helping Paulita tend her garden.
"What, What What?!!!" Hiei demanded, sounding like the child that he was.
"This!" the garden immediately became sunny and Paulita admired her handiwork. "I don't have to use that old rock for light anymore.
"Really!? That's great!!"
Hiei had seen the rock Paulita used for light. Both children often had to struggle under the wait of the stone and Paulita had so many scars from it that they looked like huge tattoos.
"I can show you how" It was a few minutes before the boy and girl could both control at least a little but of light and warmth.
Hiei grimaced as he remembered the next week, when he had once again snuck away from the thieves. This time he and Paulita were just laughing as kids do. The bandits had come towards them with weapons in the hand. Hiei heard them and tried to push Paulita out of the way, and hide himself. But of course the kids were caught. The bandits dragged Paulita away. "Take care of my garden for me" she whispered to Hiei.
Hiei had never gone back to the place where he had spent so many hours of fun, friendship and laughter. After the scare of losing Paulita, of having her killed to punish him, Hiei had pulled away from everyone and become a hard shell. The flame koorime had never even let himself laugh or smile though sometimes he couldn't help smiling around Botan and the other team members he trusted.;I'll just get them hurt Hiei thought to himself. He hadn't even tried to cherish Paulita's memory. And he had let the garden die in the years afterwards and could almost hear her angry voice shouting
"Hiei Hiei Hiei HIEI!!"
The flame Koorime Jumped when he realized that he did hear someone screaming his name. "We found a way down." It was Botan who had been calling, she pointed toward an area that had once grown carrots in abundance. Hiei acted like he didn't feel a thing as he entered the tunnel. But he was quite relieved to hear Botan say softly, "I saved the sunflower patch, and some of the flowers are still alive.