Okay, I don't really have anything to say, except I'm sorry I took so loooong. I hope you like this chapter.
Go Arayal, It's your birthday, we gonna party like like it's your birthday... who got a distinguished on their writing portfolio? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you. ME! Does a happy- just- scored- the- winning- touchdown- in- the- Superbowl kind of dance. Woo- hoo!
Chapter 4
Just who the hell did the runt think he was anyway? Enma-sama? He had not stopped nagging her since they'd commenced this little arrangement of theirs. Sure, she'd agreed to care for him, but she had never said anything about being a maid. Or a slave.
"Onna, I want a glass of water,"
"Where is my food onna?"
"Where were you, onna?"
"Why are you not with me every second of every minute of hour of every day, onna?"
Okay, so she'd made that last one up. But seriously, did he have to act like such a big baby? He'd done nothing but gripe for three day's straight. If it wasn't too cold it was too hot. If the food wasn't too done it was too raw. If she wasn't paying too much attention to him, she wasn't paying enough. She couldn't remember a time she had ever seen him act in a way even close to this.
Which was exactly the reason she simply hadn't reneged on their deal. He dropped his guard completely when it was just the two of them, which it was all the time. He was by no means open with her, but he obviously felt comfortable in her presence. It was ironic that the very reason she could scarcely tolerate him was the same reason she stuck around.
"Onna!" came a roar from up the stairs. Keiko and Yukina, who were helping her peel potatoes, almost jumped out of their skins.
"Coming, Hiei!" she called back sweetly, as she rolled her eyes at her two friends.
"Why do you let him control you like that, Botan?" Keiko asked, having never seen the ferry girl let herself be pushed around by anybody.
"Sometimes a person's pride has to come second to another person's well being," Botan replied softly.
"Is he threatening someone?"
Keiko nearly took offense at the other girl's spontaneous peal of laughter. "I don't see what's so funny," she huffed.
"Oh, Keiko, don't be that way. He isn't threatening anyone or anything. Except my sanity. No, I made a promise, and I'm simply carrying it out. Nothing more, nothing less, okay?" 'Liar,' her subconscious whispered.
"I suppose..."
"Don't worry about Botan, Keiko," the two looked on in surprise as the normally quiet Yukina spoke up, and even offered a smile. "Botan seems perfectly able to handle herself around the one with the gifted eyes," Her smile was such that it made Botan wonder if Hiei's sister was as innocent to the big secret as everyone believed.
"ONNA, what the hell is taking you so long?!"
"I'm coming," Botan flashed up the stairs and burst into her room.
"Where have you been?" he asked in a surly sort of way.
"Finishing supper. What is it?"
After a long pause, while the Jaganshi seemed to be searching her for something, he said in a lower, calmer, sort of voice. "The damn cut in my side is bothering me."
This made Botan's forehead wrinkle in a worry. The wound should not have still been causing him pain. In fact, her healing powers added to his youkai regeneration properties should have made the sore nothing more than an uncomfortable twinge every now and then.
"Let me see," she commanded. Instead of waiting for him to comply, she slapped his hands out of the way and dropped to her knees. All professionalism, she only briefly noticed the way his lean muscles rippled when exposed to the cool air when she tugged his black slacks down to see the wound. She sucked in a breath through her teeth as she got a load of the reason it was giving him trouble.
The skin around it was swollen and shone an angry red. "Hiei... WHAT DID YOU DO!?" she cried up at him. The tic in her brow would have made Yusuke duck for cover. Hiei merely Hn'd.
"I did not do a thing, baka onna. As you know I haven't left this room in three ningen days.
"Then it's infected," she stated blandly, as if she hadn't just had an outburst. Hiei sweatdropped.
"It's not an infection,"
"I don't know how to fix it." she admitted steamrolling over his words. "My powers only work on external boo-boos,"
Now it was Hiei's turn to get a twitch in his eyebrow. "It isn't infected, onna,"
"I wonder if Genkai has any herbs for infections," she pondered aloud,"
"I SAID it wasn't an infection, Botan!"
"Oh, then what is it?"
"My sword was forged in the Makai. Who know's what kind of properties were given it."
"But wouldn't there have been evidence of something like this happening before now if that were the case?"
Hiei smirk had a distinctive trace of proud nefarious mischief, "No one I've used it on has lived long enough to find out,"
"I should have known you'd come up with an answer like that. However untrue it is. Both Kurama and Yusuke have been exposed to that blade."
"No they haven't. That was a different sword."
"I see. Do you know who forged your current one?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
"Well? Who was it?" Botan asked when it appeared he wasn't going to elaborate any further on his own.
"A demon called hitsukurite (hi-fire; tsukurite-maker) A brief grimace of distaste flashed across his face. "He was a... distasteful yet necessary aquaintance I tolerated because he is an excellent sword maker. He is of low rank, as far as fighting ability goes, but his wit has made him somewhat of a legend."
"Then why do you speak of him with such disgust?" Botan questioned curiously. To her surprise, her companion turned a shade of red she had never seen on his stoic face.
He hid behind an indifferent façade, and searched for a delicate way to phrase his answer.
"His, ah, preferences clashed with mine." he explained, hoping she would get the hint.
At first her expression remained blank and he feared he would have to further embarrass himself. Then understanding dawned in her expressive eyes and she burst into uncontrollable giggles.
Hiei winced at the high pitched gleeful noise and tried to shush her ineffectively. Finally she gasped through her breathlessness. "Let me get this straight. A master swordsmith hit on you?"
"He made advances," the uneasy koorime hedged. Botan shrieked with her insane chortles once more.
"Quiet down, onna. You're making a fool of yourself."
"Oh, Hiei, don't be cross with me. It just seems so funny. Although, I don't really blame him, you are one cute little fire demon" Botan admitted slyly.
Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. All three of them. She was laying on the floor from her earlier giggle-fest, now propped up on her elbows. Desire stabbed through him at her provocative position. It was his turn to smirk devilishly.
Before she could so much as take a startled breath, he covered her and pinned her shoulders to the carpet. Her expression had lost its mischief, and she now regarded him warily.
He bent down and whispered in her ear, "Do not play with fire, onna, lest you get burned,"
Botan noticed the seductive tone of his voice. "I wasn't-"
"Liar," he interrupted and kissed her full on the lips. It was the most electrifying sensation either had ever experienced. After a dazzling eternity while sensation passed from one to the other, Hiei lifted his head and stood briskly. He took in her dazed irises and witless demeanor and cursed to himself. Perhaps it was he who was playing with fire.
Next chapter is a lemon. I'm not even taking a vote. I will have a link to it up shortly, probably in the chapter after, if not in an intermission chapter. I've already got it all planned out, and boy will it be a doozy.
Go Arayal, It's your birthday, we gonna party like like it's your birthday... who got a distinguished on their writing portfolio? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you. ME! Does a happy- just- scored- the- winning- touchdown- in- the- Superbowl kind of dance. Woo- hoo!
Chapter 4
Just who the hell did the runt think he was anyway? Enma-sama? He had not stopped nagging her since they'd commenced this little arrangement of theirs. Sure, she'd agreed to care for him, but she had never said anything about being a maid. Or a slave.
"Onna, I want a glass of water,"
"Where is my food onna?"
"Where were you, onna?"
"Why are you not with me every second of every minute of hour of every day, onna?"
Okay, so she'd made that last one up. But seriously, did he have to act like such a big baby? He'd done nothing but gripe for three day's straight. If it wasn't too cold it was too hot. If the food wasn't too done it was too raw. If she wasn't paying too much attention to him, she wasn't paying enough. She couldn't remember a time she had ever seen him act in a way even close to this.
Which was exactly the reason she simply hadn't reneged on their deal. He dropped his guard completely when it was just the two of them, which it was all the time. He was by no means open with her, but he obviously felt comfortable in her presence. It was ironic that the very reason she could scarcely tolerate him was the same reason she stuck around.
"Onna!" came a roar from up the stairs. Keiko and Yukina, who were helping her peel potatoes, almost jumped out of their skins.
"Coming, Hiei!" she called back sweetly, as she rolled her eyes at her two friends.
"Why do you let him control you like that, Botan?" Keiko asked, having never seen the ferry girl let herself be pushed around by anybody.
"Sometimes a person's pride has to come second to another person's well being," Botan replied softly.
"Is he threatening someone?"
Keiko nearly took offense at the other girl's spontaneous peal of laughter. "I don't see what's so funny," she huffed.
"Oh, Keiko, don't be that way. He isn't threatening anyone or anything. Except my sanity. No, I made a promise, and I'm simply carrying it out. Nothing more, nothing less, okay?" 'Liar,' her subconscious whispered.
"I suppose..."
"Don't worry about Botan, Keiko," the two looked on in surprise as the normally quiet Yukina spoke up, and even offered a smile. "Botan seems perfectly able to handle herself around the one with the gifted eyes," Her smile was such that it made Botan wonder if Hiei's sister was as innocent to the big secret as everyone believed.
"ONNA, what the hell is taking you so long?!"
"I'm coming," Botan flashed up the stairs and burst into her room.
"Where have you been?" he asked in a surly sort of way.
"Finishing supper. What is it?"
After a long pause, while the Jaganshi seemed to be searching her for something, he said in a lower, calmer, sort of voice. "The damn cut in my side is bothering me."
This made Botan's forehead wrinkle in a worry. The wound should not have still been causing him pain. In fact, her healing powers added to his youkai regeneration properties should have made the sore nothing more than an uncomfortable twinge every now and then.
"Let me see," she commanded. Instead of waiting for him to comply, she slapped his hands out of the way and dropped to her knees. All professionalism, she only briefly noticed the way his lean muscles rippled when exposed to the cool air when she tugged his black slacks down to see the wound. She sucked in a breath through her teeth as she got a load of the reason it was giving him trouble.
The skin around it was swollen and shone an angry red. "Hiei... WHAT DID YOU DO!?" she cried up at him. The tic in her brow would have made Yusuke duck for cover. Hiei merely Hn'd.
"I did not do a thing, baka onna. As you know I haven't left this room in three ningen days.
"Then it's infected," she stated blandly, as if she hadn't just had an outburst. Hiei sweatdropped.
"It's not an infection,"
"I don't know how to fix it." she admitted steamrolling over his words. "My powers only work on external boo-boos,"
Now it was Hiei's turn to get a twitch in his eyebrow. "It isn't infected, onna,"
"I wonder if Genkai has any herbs for infections," she pondered aloud,"
"I SAID it wasn't an infection, Botan!"
"Oh, then what is it?"
"My sword was forged in the Makai. Who know's what kind of properties were given it."
"But wouldn't there have been evidence of something like this happening before now if that were the case?"
Hiei smirk had a distinctive trace of proud nefarious mischief, "No one I've used it on has lived long enough to find out,"
"I should have known you'd come up with an answer like that. However untrue it is. Both Kurama and Yusuke have been exposed to that blade."
"No they haven't. That was a different sword."
"I see. Do you know who forged your current one?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
"Well? Who was it?" Botan asked when it appeared he wasn't going to elaborate any further on his own.
"A demon called hitsukurite (hi-fire; tsukurite-maker) A brief grimace of distaste flashed across his face. "He was a... distasteful yet necessary aquaintance I tolerated because he is an excellent sword maker. He is of low rank, as far as fighting ability goes, but his wit has made him somewhat of a legend."
"Then why do you speak of him with such disgust?" Botan questioned curiously. To her surprise, her companion turned a shade of red she had never seen on his stoic face.
He hid behind an indifferent façade, and searched for a delicate way to phrase his answer.
"His, ah, preferences clashed with mine." he explained, hoping she would get the hint.
At first her expression remained blank and he feared he would have to further embarrass himself. Then understanding dawned in her expressive eyes and she burst into uncontrollable giggles.
Hiei winced at the high pitched gleeful noise and tried to shush her ineffectively. Finally she gasped through her breathlessness. "Let me get this straight. A master swordsmith hit on you?"
"He made advances," the uneasy koorime hedged. Botan shrieked with her insane chortles once more.
"Quiet down, onna. You're making a fool of yourself."
"Oh, Hiei, don't be cross with me. It just seems so funny. Although, I don't really blame him, you are one cute little fire demon" Botan admitted slyly.
Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. All three of them. She was laying on the floor from her earlier giggle-fest, now propped up on her elbows. Desire stabbed through him at her provocative position. It was his turn to smirk devilishly.
Before she could so much as take a startled breath, he covered her and pinned her shoulders to the carpet. Her expression had lost its mischief, and she now regarded him warily.
He bent down and whispered in her ear, "Do not play with fire, onna, lest you get burned,"
Botan noticed the seductive tone of his voice. "I wasn't-"
"Liar," he interrupted and kissed her full on the lips. It was the most electrifying sensation either had ever experienced. After a dazzling eternity while sensation passed from one to the other, Hiei lifted his head and stood briskly. He took in her dazed irises and witless demeanor and cursed to himself. Perhaps it was he who was playing with fire.
Next chapter is a lemon. I'm not even taking a vote. I will have a link to it up shortly, probably in the chapter after, if not in an intermission chapter. I've already got it all planned out, and boy will it be a doozy.