FIK: Hey, sorry about the long wait, I got caught up in skating and school and totally didn't have any time to update Sacrifice. I've had this chapter sitting in the computer for almost a week and had thought I had updated, whoops! Gomen ne everyone, my mistake. Thank you very much for the wonderful reviews. (Blows kisses and tosses everyone big cyber cookies) Trully, they were up lifting. Unfortunately, I have another twist in the story coming, so Hiei and Botan aren't about to be in love... yet! Mwa ha ha, I'm trully evil! Geez, this thing is turning out to be a 'let's hurt Botan's feelings as much as possible' thing. Don't worry, she'll be all better in a few chapters. Love!
Hiei: Talk much?
FIK: (throws sweet cream out window)
Hiei: NOOOOOOOOOO! (jumps out after it)
FIK: wonder if he forgot I live on the thirteen floor?
Disclaimer: Nope, sorry, nothing up my sleeve! (Hiei plushie falls out)
FIK: Now how did that get there?
Chapter Eleven
A clock was chiming the sweet hour of eleven when they met again; feet sore, faces warm, eyes shining. For whatever reason, they had all forgotten what they had first intended to do when they came here, having been entranced by the world around them and the one lingering besides them. Kurama and Shizuru watched wordlessly as Yusuke and Keiko walked towards them, talking casually to one another. Kurama sipped at his drink, playing nonchalantly with a strand of hair that had fallen onto his face. Shizuru stole the drink from him, taking a swallow, smacking her lips at the amiably heady taste.
"Can someone explain to me how we all managed to forget what we said we were gonna do?"
Kurama looked up, catching Yusuke's exasperated look.
"Actually, I haven't the slightest clue, Yusuke. Where is Touya and Yukina-san?"
"I dunno. Probably still at the food table or something," Yusuke said shrugging.
"Or waiting for you to move so we could sit down, Detective."
Yusuke spun around to find the two mentioned ice youkai standing behind him, beads of sweat glistening on their faces from dancing. Stepping out of the way, Yusuke hurriedly took a seat next to Keiko, who was commenting about something to Shizuru. Touya, after helping Yukina into her seat, sat down besides her with relief, grasping her hand gently and grinning. She smiled back charmingly, a small blush flattering her cheeks.
Shizuru cleared her throat, bringing their attention to her.
"Has anyone seen Botan lately? Or for that matter, Hiei?" She asked.
They all exchanged glances, all of which held the same answer.
'Well... No.'
"How in the world can we freakin' lose both of them? I mean: Hiei disappearing is normal, but for Botan to go missing... that's just weird." Yusuke said, brows taking a plunge downwards as he frowned.
"To be brief," Kurama said, looking over their heads and towards the dance floor, "it seems that we weren't needed after all."
Five pairs of eyes joined his emerald ones in staring, coming to a rest on the plainly visible blue hair of their certain deity and the black of the said koorime. Indeed, there they were, standing totally unaware of the ballonish stares of their comrades and arguing about something.
'Or were arguing is more like it, 'cause there's Koenma-toddler intervening... Oh, wait a second, he left, (looking like he was about to pee himself in my opinion,) and... And... Yes, they're at it again.' Yusuke stopped thinking, slapping a hand to his forehead. And he thought him and Keiko were bad...
"What are they doing?" Keiko whispered, peering round Yusuke's shoulder to get a clearer view. He shook his head helplessly, wondering the exact same thing.
"Who really knows? How many things could they think of to argue about?" Touya said simply, resting his head on Yukina's from behind her (being taller and all).
"I could think up a good dozen, and then a few more." Shizuru murmured, eyeing the duo in amusement. "Something's going to happen soon."
"Really, you think so?" Yukina asked surprised.
Shizuru nodded, winking at her simultaneously. She did have that psychic feeling she got when something was going to happen, nagging at the back of her mind. Rubbing her elbow unconsciously, she stole a glance at the kitsune besides her. Emeralds met her tawny amber, blushes appearing mutually on their faces. He smiled softly, reassuringly almost, taking up her hand with his own, rubbing a thumb smoothly across the back of it.
"Had a 'feeling' did you?" He inquired in a low voice, catching her gaze once more.
"Hai... How did you know?" Shizuru rejoinders.
He smiled a bit, pulling her closer, settling an arm around her waist possessively. Shizuru blinked, but thought nothing of the action, opting instead to relax in his sudden embrace.
"From working with your brother I think, but you've always expressed signs of extrasensory abilities. Perhaps, one that is more subtle than a spirit sword, but impressive and useful nonetheless."
"Humph, is that so? Well, Mr. Thoughtful, do you think I'm right on this one?"
His stare transferred back to the dance floor, trembling reflections of vivid candles and dusky chandeliers mirroring in the glistening jade. As he watched, the deitress and youkai below spun their interlinking tales, an unstable mixture of fire and ice encountering a blend of thunderstorms and simple radiance. One would find no similarities in these fickle creatures; beyond understanding one another, and yet drawn to the flame each possessed in the essence of their fundamental nature. Such a strange pairing the Fates have conjured: utterly unforeseen and denied for the longest time. What their future holds is a mystery, but it seems that the two beings, arguing innocently with one another, had finally come to an understanding... a connection.
"Hai, Shizuru, but I'm not sure if it is for better... or for worse." Kurama murmured. He noticed suddenly that Yusuke and Keiko had departed, heading straight for the oblivious duo on the dance floor.
"And if I'm not mistaken, it's about to happen." He added, linking her arm in his, starting off after the spirit detective.
"Hiei, you can be so immature sometimes." Botan breathed, hands on her hips, lower lip puckering into a frown.
Hiei merely snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets. He had discarded the bothersome 'coattail' thing that Kurama had so courteously supplied, now only wearing a dark blue dress shirt with silver clouds and black moons embroidered into it. His sword was not present however, seeming strange in the eyes of those who knew him (and didn't know about the knife hidden in his boot) and wore black pants and a black belt with a silver tie string.
"That's an understatement compared to you."
"And what's that supposed to mean? Really, I don't know how you made it through Makai without some manners. For Kami's sake, that was Lord Aoshii, heaven forbid. What would Koenma say if he saw that?" She groaned, face in her hands.
"If he said anything I'd-"
Botan glared at him so darkly right then that even Hiei felt somewhat taken aback. He scowled back, tilting his head to the side.
"Fine, I'll try to be more... 'behaved' if you'll stop doing that."
"Not good enough; that was embarrassing!"
He growled: "Then what the hell do you want me to do?"
She smirked evilly at him.
'Oh, shit, I know that look anywhere.' He cringed inwardly.
"You have to do a dare. That way I won't be the only one embarrassed."
"Is that so? What's this mortifying dare, eh?"
Botan smiled sweetly, clasping her hands together in a happy manner.
"You have to tell everyone that you love sweet snow; a human food."
"No. Absolutely not. Not a chance in hell, onna."
She pouted, twisting a lock of hair. A sudden light gleamed in her eyes and without pause, pulled Hiei off the dance floor. Moments later, they arrived outside on a moonlit balcony, stars twinkling gaily in the cloudless sky. A gust of chilly, winter air washed over them, causing her to shiver, ruffling their hair simultaneously. She turned back to him, a mischievous air about her.
"Then you'll just have to do something else for a dare."
"Hn. As if I couldn't do anything you asked me to." He replied, wondering what in the world they were doing out here. He didn't mind though; it was quieter here anyways.
"Okay, but I'm warning you... You-" She exclaimed, poking his chest triumphantly,
"Have to ride on my oar."
"No."
Botan blinked,
"Nani? What do you mean no?"
Hiei frowned, crossing his arms stubbornly,
"What I said; no. There is no way I'm going to get on that accursed thing."
"But you said that-"
Meanwhile, just outside the entrance of the balcony, Yusuke and Keiko are listening intently, curious as to just what had happened.
"Is it me, or do they have a relationship issue. Seriously, one day it's 'I hate you, so get away from me.' And then it's 'I secretly like you, but I'm too thick headed and shy to say anything, so let's just be friends until I get the balls to tell you: hang on, I think I found them, oh, wait, nope, just some tennis balls, care to play?'" Yusuke muttered rambling on and on, that is, until Keiko promptly whacked him on the head.
"Would you shut up, Yusuke, I can't hear a thing over your mindless rattle."
Grumbling about moody girls in their 'periods', Yusuke quieted. Behind them, Kurama and Shizuru arrived silently, Touya and Yukina shortly after.
(A/N: Talk about nosy friends, ne? Can't anyone get some privacy anymore?)
"Forget what I said." Hiei growled, turning to leave.
"Please, Hiei, for me?" Botan pleaded, grabbing his arm. He paused, catching a
glimpse of misty amethyst peering at him, blue hair shinning silver in the moon light.
"Why should I?"
"It'll be fun! Besides if it doesn't feel right, we could do something else."
He thought for a moment. "...No." He said, though it sounded a lot weaker than before.
"Ahhh, come on, I've had lots of practice you know, and it makes you feel really good afterwards. I promise!" Botan chirped gladly, smiling brightly up at him.
Hiei sighed, something close to a smile flickering on and off his lips, "Fine, onna, if it pleases you or suchlike..."
Botan was about to call forth her oar, a silly smile plastered on her face, when...
"Whoa! Hang on you two! I know you guys have something for one another, but don't you think that's takin' it a step too far?"
Hiei and Botan shot around at the sudden shout, catching sight of Yusuke standing in the doorway. Behind him they could see everyone else watching wide-eyed, probably all thinking the same thing. Botan cocked her head to the side in confusion, while as Hiei simply raised an eyebrow, now feeling closer to annoyed than anything.
"What is that supposed to mean, Detective?" He spat, growling.
Yusuke looked alarmed when he heard Hiei growl at him, but continued what he had been saying, though, not so loudly thank goodness.
"Shouldn't you wait until, I dunno, after the Ball; or at least when you've spent some time together?"
He received blank looks at this, the wind picking up around them, sending another frigid blast onto the group. For a minute, the Hiei and Botan shared a mirrored look of puzzlement, utterly lost as to what Yusuke meant by that. In about a split second, both realized exactly what he was talking about. Hiei chuckled darkly, low at first, and then steadily grew into a medium, sort of snickering titter. Behind him, Botan's face was flaming a bright red, her hands coming up to cover her face as she tried (and failed) to hide her embarrassment. 'Really, they thought! Gosh, what type of girl do they think I am?'
Hiei was the first to verbalize his confliction,
"You think we're talking about mating, Urameshi? Sorry, but that's not going to happen, baka. She wanted me to go on that possessed oar of hers."
Yusuke blanched, nearly falling over.
"Y-You weren't... uhh... crap, I thought-"
"Something you don't do often enough apparently. Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no intention to 'take the next step' as you called it." Hiei snorted, scuffing his boots on the marble flooring.
Nothing seemed wrong with this statement to him, nothing at all, that is, until the crystal sound of something hitting the floor caught his attention. He shifted, facing where Botan was standing. To his bewilderment, tears were streaming bit by bit down her cheeks, amethyst red eyes disappointed and bleak. A singular tear fell from her chin, but before it hit the ground it had solidified, becoming a tear gem the same color as the one around his neck.
"How... how could you say that...?" She whispered dolefully.
Hiei said nothing, comprehension hitting him in the gut as would a fist during a fight when caught off guard. For a minute he couldn't breathe, a strange sensation yanking and twisting his stomach into knots, forbidding him to move. It was... guilt.
"I thought that you... after what happened... that you could think of me... differently, Hiei." She continued, not bothering to wipe away the continual stream of droplets, watching dismally as they hit the floor with a hard ring. He watched wordlessly, unable to say anything, stuck between wanting to calm her and staying where he was.
"I thought wrong, obviously. After all, who would want a ditzy ferry girl anyway!" Botan choked with fake cheeriness. The broken smile on her face made him wince, the guilt growing in his chest.
"Onna, I-"
"Yes, just a girl, that's right Hiei! Is that all you can call me, onna, or is it because others are watching that you can't even admit that you actually care about someone!"
He moved towards her, but her hand stopped him, halting him in his tracks. Never in his life did he feel as helpless as he did now; Botan's broken eyes mournfully staring at him, her shoulders slumped dejectedly in the dress she bought for the dance... for him.
"Don't... just don't." She whispered in a small, torn voice. "I'm done. I've had enough of this pain... Please, just leave me alone."
With that said, she summoned her oar, mounting it clumsily in the long dress, and then took off, soaring into the sky as a spirit of the night, the moon illuminating her form until she disappeared, lost in winter's stolid darkness.
His chest constricting into a thousand coils of pain and despondency, Hiei hit his knees, staring brokenly as Botan flew off into the moonlight, before becoming enveloped in the gloom only nighttime can give to those that seek it.
'Botan... What have I done to you?'
Never before, and probably never again, would there be a time that Hiei allowed the pity of others to affect him, for he too, pitied his obtuse-minded self. He had once more driven off the pure soul that gave everything to make others happy, asking nothing in return, and he had taken that for granted; the special, rare gift bestowed upon his hollow being, tossing it away as something that would always be there... And now it was gone...
He had lost little in his life, and gained greatly, but now it felt as if all he had was taken away from him, in those few moments of stupidity and selfishness. How could he have known that his words would affect her so, when he himself knew so little about emotions; feelings and sentiments still unspecified to him, and yet now, now that she was gone, he understood. He understood that he had wounded her, deeply, had taken her trust and care and compassion, stepped all over her weakened self, and broken the bond newly formed. They were still connected, undoubtedly, by the Jagan's sacrificial union, and through it he felt what she was feeling, dimly, but enough so that it showed him how much she could hurt, could accept, and could anguish.
And with every strand of his being, he wanted her: to hold, to soothe, to care for... to love? He wasn't sure, but inside himself he realized that he indeed cared for the docile, bubbly, joyous deity he had come to know in the few years as a detective. The problem was now...
... Could he get her back?
FIK: And the answer to that is... in another chapter!
Hiei: (still falling after ice cream)
FIK: he better look down or...
Hiei: (lands in a puddle of mud and Kuwabara plushies)
FIK: Oh... never mind.
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