Author's note: Thanks to everyone who supported the new style of writing Hiei and Botan stories. Change might be good. Please be patient with the next chapter, for with Hurricane Rita heading towards Texas and then moving north, if the worst happens, my main concern will not be with writing a story chapter. It would be on where my Pringles went, of course. Uh, duh, you can't stop the pop.
Kidding of course, but let us hope nothing drastic happens. If it concerns any of you, which of course it does, my lovable fans, I will not be evacuating until it is mandatory. Where it stands when I write this, Rita is a level five hurricane. I'm excited, my experience might trigger a whole line of great plot ideas, you know? That's great and all, but I'm also worried of what should happen if the worst. So please hope for the best. This has been a personal and very long Author's note.
DONE IN YUSUKE URAMESHI'S POINT OF VIEW.
Yusuke's view
I cannot tell you how wasted I was the next day. Of course, Keiko did find them, but thanks to my wonderful boyfriend skills, she reluctantly gave in after a few spiked drinks. We may have gotten rid of the bottles, but so help me, she never said get rid of the liquid. It just so happened we didn't find a container…and the punch bowl was just sitting there, you know?
Well, moving on, I couldn't even blink without turning on a drummer in my head. Keiko was next to me, she was out like a light, she doesn't hold alcohol well, and that's why she doesn't drink. I assume we didn't do anything; both of our clothes were still on, and thank god. I'm not ready to have a miniature me running around. God, I'd even admit this, I'm an annoying jerk. Well, you never know, with Keiko's brains and maybe her soft brown hair… Whatever, I'm not having this discussion.
Once I managed to roll myself out of bed, pitiful, Keiko has woken up, her headache just as bad as mine. "Yusuke…" She moaned, her eyes squinted, eyebrows furrowed, head rolling on the pillow. "My head…"
"Yeah, I know, Keiko." I managed to stutter out, standing up. I wobbled at first, but I got use to it and made my way to the kitchen. Keiko before me, of course, her health will always be placed before mine. It's always been that way, ever since we were little. There was like this crackling sound drumming in my head when I entered the kitchen. I would be more then glad to say it was just my empty head, but sadly it wasn't. Oh, and my head isn't empty. It's filling with hot spirit gas and a lot of dead cells from being knocked around.
Genkai was cooking eggs, the old hag. She didn't drink, she rather drink tea. When we tried to slip her something, she knocked me out. No wonder my head hurt more then usual. "Meds, you idiot?" She asked, pointing to a big bottle of head relief on the counter. I didn't find it shocking to see Kurama, Kuwabara, Yukina, and Shizuru already popping pills like crazy.
"Move it, I need this whole thing." I muttered, still good enough to make jokes. They winced and glared at me, as if I was speaking through a microphone. Don't they know I sound like a lion in my head? I grabbed a handful, taking two glasses of water and getting a heart warming death ray from Genkai when I got in her way. Just as I was going to return to my room, Botan came out of from the hallway, and if you guessed George the ogre was behind her, you were so wrong. Yeah, once again, it was Hiei.
HA. No one can tell me now that there's nothing going on! Feel the burn of my correct prediction. Everyone except Genkai happened to glance up at that time, watching as Botan and Hiei both aimed for the white bottle on the table, both touching it at the same time. We all watched the scene; it was like a horror movie. You want to avoid your eyes, we're in their personal space after all, but you're so damn attracted to watching such a thing. Botan withdrew her hand, turning pink and watched at Hiei dumped a handful in her outstretched palm. He himself took some and swallowed it, without water. The crazy guy, apparently he's a little bit too drunk. Botan happened to realize this herself, setting out two glasses and pouring water, taking her own while Hiei quickly grabbed the other.
"Uh," I said, interrupting the crazy scene. Everyone glanced at me, including the two. "Good morning."
"Morning," Botan said simply. "My head hurts, what did you do to us?" She clutched her head as she spoke.
"Nothing much, just the usual drunk 'til you drop stuff," I glanced at them, until a loud moan came from the hallway. "Oh shit," I said out loud. Obviously, I forgot about Keiko. Well, so much for her over everything else, right? Before I could do anything, I needed to deliver and receive. After all, I was wasted too. As I expected, I received no sympathy when I returned. Do you wonder why Keiko isn't given much alcohol? She can't hold it well for one-
"YUSUKE took you long enough!"
-and she has a horrible temper afterwards.
"Sorry, Keiko, here," She hastily grabbed them all. "There's enough for both..." She swallowed them all and drank her water. "…for the both of us." She laid back and glanced at me.
"Sorry." She said apologetically, a mere squeeze of the hand for all my hard work.
"Yeah...no problem," I replied, taking the rest that were still in my hand and washing it down. "You know what I saw?" I asked. If anyone can get Botan to crack, Keiko was the girl. One of her very many skills, by the way, I heard she handles a janitor broom with ease. She muttered a reply back to me. "Hiei and Botan came out of the hallway together."
"I know I could see them through the door, you left it open." She said slowly, rolling on her side.
…Wait, that's not the answer I was expecting. What the hell…?
"Well, why are you so calm about it? Don't you think they might be doing something…bad?"
"No, Yusuke, they left from different rooms. Botan came out first, and then Hiei from another room." Keiko explained, turning to him aggravated. "What's with the questions?"
"Nothing, Keiko, go back to sleep, I guess." I replied, frowning. So once, again, I was being shot down about it. Seriously, how can she be sure? She's wasted like there's no tomorrow. Then again, I can say the same about myself. Damn this unclear thinking! I flopped to my side and drifted slightly. I don't know what the hell I was doing, or maybe I was just brain dead for the moment, but the next thing I remembered was hearing two foot steps, and a familiar bubbly voice.
"Hiei, don't you think you should take some more water? You swallowed without drinking again." I blinked. I was ease dropping, and I couldn't help it. I blame this on Keiko; she's always the gossip mouth in the relationship.
"Hn, I don't need water." Dark, mysterious, cold voice…oh yeah, that's Hiei alright. No doubt about that.
"Are you sure? The medicine works faster with water though."
"I'm fine."
"Hiei…" There's no way Hiei could fall for that. Botan was one of those she-demons, except she wasn't a demon. With that kind of voice, she could make anyone do anything. She was a vixen! Well, of course, so was Keiko, and don't you even think that I'm betraying Keiko. I have a fool proof way of finding you and making sure you suffer. Women are trouble you know, it's crazy what they can make a man do…
"…Hn, give it here." I swear I went numb after that. Hiei…Hiei fell for her vixen trap! He apparently drank it all and gave it back to Botan, because then she giggled and said, "Thanks, Hiei."
I didn't take action until I was sure Hiei and Botan were long gone, and by the way, they left together. Yeah, you heard me alright. Were they that close and all of us never realized it? No way, through all of our journeys, I never saw Botan and Hiei talk much. Strike much, at all. I shook Keiko awake, she was grumpy, yes, and who cares right now, and told her the whole thing. She merely shrugged it off again.
"Botan is just concern with everyone's well being. She's always like that."
"No, Keiko, you don't understand…"
"I know Botan, Yusuke." She said, frowning. Her expression softened and then she said, "But if you're so in to all of this, I'll talk with her later."
Oh yeah, score for me. By then, Keiko was still sleepy and I was too excited to stay in the same room without waking her up, so it was time for brunch. God, I was hungry. I don't even remember if I ate last night. I could have gone for some bento…
Genkai had just finished serving breakfast when I entered. Shizuru had left along with Yukina and Kuwabara, which wasn't surprising. Kurama was eating, he apparently is better at hangovers then any of us, lucky kitsune. Maybe Yoko is having a splitting headache inside of him. "Good morning, Yusuke." He said when I sat down next to him. "How is Keiko?"
"Better than she was the first time she woke up." I replied. Let me just tell you, I never gave Keiko anything alcoholic after that. I was happier, she was happier, and the world kept on spinning. "How about you?"
"I'm fine, however Yoko is not. He has taken the toll from the alcohol." He explained cheerfully. "After a good nap, I'm better then before."
I glanced at him. I won't lie; it took me a while until I got a great idea. I usually take choices based on what I think will work. However, when it comes to my assistant and a good friend, I needed deep worked out plans, because at least one of them will kill me. "Hey, Kurama," I said, lowering my voice so Genkai wouldn't hear, "Have you noticed that Hiei and Botan have been spending lots of time together?"
Kurama paused while buttering his toast, but nodded after a while. "I think now that Yukina has been placed in the hands of Kuwabara, Hiei has taken a liking in Botan, since she is a familiar resemblance to Yukina."
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
"Hiei's okay with Yukina and Kuwabara?" I asked. It was like finding out my mother had cancer, which thankfully she doesn't.
"Hiei has learned to accept his sister's happiness."
How come I didn't know this? I guess it was because I didn't keep up with everyone's life. Most missions only took me to do it, but when it required all of us; our small talk was based around the mission and that only. My god, it was like we're work crazy. The reunion was something I wished I never forgot, but it was only filled with booze. Not like that's a bad thing. "But are you sure it's not something more?"
"Hiei and Botan, probably not, Yusuke."
"So he's gay." Genkai concluded, busting the two people conversation. Kurama jerked his knife hard, buttering himself. He chuckled, shaking his head.
"No," He said, shaking his head. "It's depressing to say this, but I believe he would have made some kind of move on me if that was the case."
This conversation had just gotten really gross.