Sherkoni - Finally! Back from Camp Shinob! Internet! (glomps computer) I had my journal though, so I could write down ideas if they came. --;;; Not that they did.

Anyways, a very wonderful authoress who had the full capability of updating when she pleased made an effort to update before I got home late last night. THANK YOU SAEKA! This chapter is dedicated to you!

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Chapter 3

Shopping in Makai?

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"They're WHAT?!" Yusuke shouted.

"She didn't say why and it's only for a week!" Koenma snapped, rubbing his ears. "Show some self control!"

"But..." Yusuke couldn't stop the shock that filled him. "It's Hiei we're talking about here!"

"Yet again, she didn't say why..." Koenma ground out for the twentieth time.

"Ten bucks says Botan kills him with her bat before the weeks over," Kuwabara said with a cocky grin.

"Ten says Hiei barbecues her before the weeks over," Yusuke argued, giving his friend a challenging smile.

Kuwabara leapt to his feet and stretched out his hand. "I'll take that bet - only not literally. I bet Botan comes back because she gave up her cause and can't stand Hiei."

Yusuke clasped his hand. "Fine, and I bet she comes back because Hiei forces her to or she's scared."

Kuwabara released his hand with a cocky grin. "Well alright then." He turned to Koenma. "Want to join in on the bet?"

Koenma thought for a moment, remembering Botan's determined face. "Okay, I bet that she stays the whole week."

Yusuke busted into laughter. "It's a good thing you're rich, 'cause you're going to lose this bet!" He glance at a certain red-head that was seated in the corner. "Sorry Kurama...there isn't much left to bet on that would be a logical choice, but you can if you want..."

The fox demon twirled a rose around in his hand before glancing up at Yusuke. "I'll bet," he said smoothly, glancing at the other three. "I bet...." he paused, examining their curious faces. "That she stays the week because.....they fall in love."

Kuwabara and Yusuke stared at him with wide eyes before letting out large whoops of laughter. "Prepare to cough up 30 bucks Kurama!"

Kurama smiled softly. "We'll see." (1)

oOo

Botan groaned and stirred from her slumber, lazily rolling to her side. Where am I? she thought groggily, daring to open her eyes. She instantly regretted that action and clenched her eyes in pain. Stupid sun...

Carefully this time, she tried again. As her eyes adjusted to the light, an almost burnt out fire swam into her view and she began to recall exactly where she was and what she was doing. With a start she remembered the "well-executed" plan she had carried out to ease her demon trodden fears. She also realized she hadn't been holding Hiei's arm when she woke up.

Cautiously, she turned her head to the left side. There, laying peacefully on his side, face slightly ashen from the smoke, was Hiei. Botan was surprised he had stayed even though she had obviously released his arm. Or maybe he had just given up and fallen asleep.

Suddenly, his face twitched and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly in a concentrated frown. Before she could stop herself, she let out a giggle.

After her amusement died down, she gave the oblivious fire demon a soft smile. She turned away, starting to restless. She was tempted to wake Hiei up to ease her impatience, but another look at his peaceful face canceled out that desire. She started fiddling with her hands and finally noticed how dirty they were.

She raised them to her face, crinkling her nose in disgust as she observed her dirt-etched fingers. "Ew..." she muttered to herself.

Being as quiet as she could, she rose to her feet, facing the direction of the forest. She started to head towards the trees, intending to find a water source where she could clean up a little. Suddenly, she froze, remembering her fears of the ruthless demons that dwelt in Makai. She stood rooted in her position between Hiei and the forest, glancing uncertainly back and forth between the two.

Finally, she decided that she wouldn't go far enough to get lost, she definitely wouldn't talk to strangers and if something DID happen, she could scream and Hiei would save her. Or....she hoped.

Mind made up, she trudged into the forest, but she couldn't shake the nervous feeling that fluttered in her stomach. As she entered the dense tress, she tried to listen for the sound of water. To her surprise, she heard a soft bubbling noise. Filling with excitement, she ran towards the sound. She pushed her way through trees and bushes, straining her ears for the ever-growing sound.

Suddenly, she pushed through a tangle of vines and branches and came upon a small hot spring. Situated between hefty boulders and long grasses, the steamy water seemed to call out to her. Breathlessly, she bent low and ran a hand through the sultry liquid, wincing as the heat stung at her hand. She sighed. Relaxing in the beautiful spring would be very soothing...

She grimaced, running a hand over her pink kimono. She had nothing to relax in. Unless....

She blushed at the mere thought of bathing nude. With a defeated sigh, she quickly washed her hands and stood up to leave. She pushed blindly through the vines again and almost collided with Hiei. She let out a surprised squeal and clutched the blouse of her kimono. "Hiei! You scared the hell out of me!" She glared up at his face, surprised to see the definite relief that passed over his features. Had he been.....worried about her?

That look was quickly replaced by anger, however. "Baka! What in Makai's name are you doing out here?!" he snapped.

She straightened defensively. "I was finding water to wash my hands in, thank you!"

He growled angrily, but once again bit back the retort he desperately wanted to shout at her. "Whatever," came the toneless reply.

Botan's face suddenly brightened, as if she were getting an idea. "Hey, um, what are we doing today?"

Hiei tightened bitterly at the way she said "we". He gave an unknowing shrug and turned away.

If anything, the vague reply only made her face brighten more. "Nothing as of yet?"

He raised an eyebrow at her hopeful tone, but remained silent.

"I have something we can do!" she said happily, taking his silence as a no. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Come here, I have to show you something!"

Before he could attempt to resist, she dragged him through the tangle of bushes and vines, only stopping when they were both through. She grinned at the simple setting, the longing evident in her eyes. "Look, a hot spring!"

Hiei grunted. "So?"

"So," she said, turning to look at him with pleading eyes. "Doesn't it sound simply marvelous to just relax in it?"

He observed the steamy water with a bored frown. "No."

Botan rolled her eyes in irritation. "Well I want to, and don't try to tell me no. You just said we weren't doing anything today."

"Hn," he replied with a smirk. "Who said I was going to say no? I'd love to get you out of my hair." He turned to leave, but Botan quickly grabbed his arm.

"Wait," she rushed out, her cheeks turning a soft shade of red.

He glared at her in annoyance. "What?"

She lowered her eyes from his piercing gaze nervously. "Well, you see I...um, don't have anything to bathe in..."

Hiei snorted.

"It isn't funny!" Botan snapped, angrily releasing his arm. "I just want you to take me back to Ningenkai to go buy a swimsuit!"

Hiei's eyes widened in anger. "What? I'm not going all the way to Ningenkai for you!"

"You don't have anything else to do!"

He grit his teeth and glowered at her for a few moments, trying to think of a way out of going all the way to the human world while still ensuring that she spent a good few hours in the hot spring - out of his way. Suddenly, he got an idea. "So you need a swimsuit?" He smirked.

Botan placed her hands on her hips. "Yes!"

He gave her a devilish smile. "Say no more."

oOo

"The Makai Marketplace!" Botan shrieked as another demon bumped into her, knocking her off balance.

"Why not?" Hiei asked innocently, walking ahead of her. "They sell everything."

"I didn't know the Makai had a marketplace!" she yelled over the crowd.

Hiei grinned back at her. "They're scattered here and there."

Botan winced as another demon pushed by her. Manners were obviously not a big part of these demon's values.

Finally, they stopped in front of an elaborate tent. Hiei waved a hand towards the items displayed. "Knock yourself out."

Botan looked at the small head bands and scarf material. "I'm looking for swimsuits Hiei," she said skeptically.

Hiei gave her a sly grin. "Those are swimsuits."

Her eyes widened in horror. "W-What?" she gasped, giving the "swimsuits" a reprimanding look. Cautiously, as if the material were poisonous, she lifted up a scanty suit. "You can't expect me to wear THAT!"

Hiei shrugged. "I'm not saying you do. But I am saying you wear that or nothing because I'm not hauling your ass to Ningenkai."

Botan blushed hotly and looked back down at the scanty cloth she held in her hand. It was a vibrant mixture of blue - about the same color as her hair. Unfortunately she doubted if all the material sewn together would cover all she wanted covered. She gulped nervously, turning it over in her hand.

"It's not like any one is going to see you," Hiei said calmly, giving her a "hurry-up-already" look.

She stared at him. He would never admit to it, but his words were actually comforting. She gave a small nod and stuffed the swimsuit into her kimono. Hiei quickly gave the shop owner a few gold coins and followed Botan away from the tent.

An hour later, they were back at the same clearing. Botan had no idea how Hiei had found the same spot again so easily, but she wasn't going to ask questions. She turned to walk into the same spot in the forest, but paused when she realized Hiei wasn't following. "Hiei? Aren't you coming?"

Hiei looked like he'd rather tell Yukina he was her brother. "I told you - no. I don't want to relax in "

"Oh I know that," Botan interrupted. "I meant, aren't you coming into the forest with me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No. Why would I?"

She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, well....I sort of figured you'd stand watch..." Seeing his disagreeable frown, she tried again. "I just don't want some sicko demon walking in on me."

Hiei seemed to consider this option, a slight worry glinting in his red eyes. After a few moments, he rolled his eyes. "Fine - but don't expect me to stand right outside the bushes like some sort of body guard."

(Five Minutes Later)

I can't believe I'm sitting here like her bloody body guard! Hiei raged to himself, sitting angrily in front of the bushes and vines that blocked the hot spring from view. He fingered his sword, glaring at the ground furiously.

Suddenly, his demon hearing caught a soft splash and he knew Botan had entered the water. He tried to get his mind to think of how he could slip away without her noticing, but instead his elite demonic senses caught every movement she made. Every time she shifted, the water would roll onto the grass and he heard it. Damn ferry onna.

He growled, a nagging voice in the back of his mind teased him, taunting him with crazy ideas, each one more suggestive than the last. Frowning, he shook them off and verbalized his annoyance. "Hurry up. We don't have all day," he snapped, then muttered under his breath. "Just like a female to take forever."

"I just barely got in!" came the annoyed reply.

He growled again and folded his arms across his chest to restrain himself. "Then let me leave!"

"Don't you dare!" she threatened loudly. "This swimsuit is embarrassing enough without having some demon see me!"

Digging the heel of his boot into the soft ground, he kept back his riposte and held in his anger. But after another few minutes of blind torture, he lost his patience. "Get out NOW."

"No!"

He growled. "Yes!"

Suddenly, she let out a terrified scream. Her shriek became spluttered and Hiei was instantly at his feet. In seconds he had cut down the impending vines and was by the spring's bank. He nervously scanned the area for Botan, but he couldn't see her. Did she drown? Did someone take her? He looked at the other side of the spring, but there was just a moss covered boulder - no where for the culprit to escape.

Suddenly, two wet arms snaked around his waist and yanked him down into the hot water. Spluttering indignantly, Hiei resurfaced to the sound of amused laughter. "Now that you need to dry yourself off, maybe I can relax a bit," Botan said simply, sinking to the other side of the spring, the water up to her shoulders.

Glaring at the now relaxing Botan, Hiei silently crept up behind her, moving smoothly through the water without a sound. Placing his hands quickly on her shoulders, he hooked his right foot in front of hers. Pushing her to the side with his hands at the same time that he pulled his foot back, Hiei returned the favor as the maneuver had Botan pitching face forward before she could react, effectively dunking her.

Completely shocked, the deity came up spluttering, one hand coming up to wipe away her wet hair which was now plastered in her face. The growl she issued nearly matched Hiei's as she used her open palms to push the water from her side forward, causing a small wave of water to splash up and into the fire demon's face. Hiei was shocked to say the least.

Without pausing to think, Hiei copied Botan's move, using his arms to cause a larger wave of water to surge her way. She let out a surprised squeal as the wave drove her to step back a bit. His lip quirked in amusement as she retaliated.

"Stop it!" she gasped, spitting out excess water. Giving him a mischievous smirk, she took the silent opportunity to splash him again. A smirk crept onto Hiei's lips, as if he were beginning to actually enjoy their mock warfare, each bombarding the other with wave after wave of steamy spring water.

Finally, when Hiei had Botan's shoulders again, preparing to dunk her, she let out a delighted giggle. "Okay! Okay! I surrender, you win!"

Hiei smirked and let go, shifting through the water to where he was in front of her. "I always win," he replied slyly, his eyes sharpened with triumph.

Botan giggled. "You do not." She sighed and wiped the hair that was clinging to her shoulders. "I wasn't going to get my hair wet you know."

Hiei's lip curled and he splashed her again. As she looked up to glare at him he gave her a derisive smile. "And I wasn't going to get wet at all."

She smiled sheepishly. "I guess we're even then..."

"Hn."

Botan watched the water swirl around his chest, his black shirt clinging to his body with water-logged sultry. After she stopped pondering about how well defined his chest was, she began to realize that while he was fully dressed, she was only wearing that tiny swimsuit. "We are NOT even!"

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Wha--"

"You knew full well that Makai only sold skanky swimsuits, didn't you!?" she snapped irritably, suddenly making sure that her shoulders were covered by the water.

Hiei hadn't remembered. As much as he tried to stop it, images of Botan wearing said swimsuit were creeping into his mind. He blushed slightly and quickly stammered, "N-No.."

Botan glared at him. "Don't lie to me," she hissed, jabbing him forcefully in the chest. She let her finger rest on his chest before giving an annoyed sighed. "All guys are the same."

Hiei angrily snatched her hand away, giving her a bitter glare. "How dare you imply that I'm some kind of...." He glanced down at his hand, his thumb pressed against her palm and his fingers wrapped around her one. His mind screamed to release it immediately, but his body betrayed his thoughts. Instead of letting go of her hand, his fingers began to ghost a trail down her arm. He felt her body let out a soft tremor and he froze.

She stared up at him with wide eyes. "What....what are you doing?" She glanced at her own hand that had somehow found it's way to his arm. She choked, "What are WE doing?"

Hiei looked at her, his eyes glazed over, and his mind slowly absorbed her question through the slight haze that surrounded his head. She did it to me again, he cursed.

"Hn," he snorted as he removed his arm placidly. "You are washing. Hurry and finish," he growled out as he exited the pool of water.

She glared at his retreating back, blushing hotly. Hypocritical jerk... she thought, fervently rubbing the tingling spot on her arm where Hiei's hand had stopped. Hiei ignored her and proceeded to dry himself off. Grumbling to herself, Botan quickly finished and exited the spring as well, snatching up her kimono as she went.

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Sherkoni - Meh, that is a really crappy place to end it, but I can't type anymore. I wants to sleep...(sheepish grin)

1 - We're all rooting for Kurama, aren't we? n.n;;