Reviewer Responses: (Yes I put them at the top again! That's because I did them before actually writing the fic!)
Sakina B.N. Vega-Now that I'm thinking about it, 30 chapters does sound a little long doesn't it? Maybe 25? Somewhere in there, actually I'm trying to finish this to get on to the sequel of this and TofJ. And nope, you're perfectly right, my chapters are getting shorter! I had one chapter over 9,000 words and now I post like 4000 word chapters, it just took too long writing up, and I'm not cutting anything out, I just decided to make more chapters with less in them. That's why I'm at a loss on how many chapters there are actually going to be. I'm not the most organized person, if you couldn't already tell, lol. Besides that this is my first fic and I'm still relatively just a beginner at this!
Crystal Koneko-I don't think we'll get to the ball in this chapter sadly. In fact I don't even think we'll get to it next chapter, but the one after that! But we'll get there somehow! Thank you for reviewing!
Ryukotsusei-I've been meaning to ask what your penname means? Does it have a special meaning? Yeah, Hiei's not exactly a partygoer so he will be amusing to write about in a high social class event. Not even I know how much havoc he is going to devastate on the unsuspecting party, but prepare to laugh anyway!
Kuwabara99-I have noticed you are a big Kuwabara/Yukina fan! I also support that couple and absolutely love Kuwabara himself; he's just too funny for his own good! So if you think I tease him too much, it's not because I don't like him, I really do! Unfortuneatly, in order to write Hiei in character, I must make references to Kuwabara as a fool sometimes. Also, I will warn you in both my fics, Kuwabara will have a crush on Botan and doesn't know whether he likes Botan or Yukina more, while in the anime Kuwabara flat out dropped Botan when he met Yukina, but I think it will be fun this way to have BOTH the twins jealous. And rest assured, Kuwabara will end up with Yukina because Botan is already head over heels in love with Hiei and he will realize he and Yukina were meant to be.
Kiss-me-kitsune- Thank you very much! Even if you don't write much I still appreciate it a lot!
Asanisan-Let me tell you how utterly remarkable you are! You left six reviews! And that's a lot to write, trust me I know! Ok to answer your first review, yeah there are one heck of a lot of fics where Hiei is training Botan, and they all are astoundingly different. I've noticed most go into how he trained her, while mine starts pretty much after the initial training. Really, I don't think I would be able to write that training stuff very well, I find it hard to write even battle scenes. I have literally no martial arts experience though I try to hide that as much as I can.
Asanisan- Your second review! Ok thinking back to chapter 2, I don't even remember anything. I honestly don't remember having Botan mistake Hiei's head for an alarm clock; did I do that in a blooper? I don't remember the sit thing either, sorry if that was a bit off.
Asanisan-I'm pleasantly surprise that you think I write Botan in character, I think I do a decent job on Hiei, but I tend to write Botan as a more serious character that we only see glimpses of in the anime, not that I'm sure she doesn't have that side to her. I just think she might have changed like that dramatically after being betrayed by Koenma. That really hit her hard. And this is the first fic I ever attempted to write, I wasn't positive of what couples to write, but now I'm sure so no worries!
Asanisan-I'd most certainly give you the pictures if I had them! But sadly, Hiei burned them…I'm a little hesitant to do the bloopers anymore because made a new rule that said we are not to write bloopers anymore, they were fun and I enjoyed writing them, but I don't want my fanfic taken down because of it. If you hear anything different about anything concerning bloopers, please tell me and I'll start doing them!
Asanisan-Yes Hiei is going to be upset when he figures out who is actually shadowing Botan! It brings up a huge twist to the story!
Asanisan-And don't think you're lazy, most people don't even review, much less every chapter, so really, I was quite impressed with your dedication! It's heartwarming! Never fear, keep faith, I will keep updating this story! It just might take longer than you might appreciate! I'm going to start wrapping up this story soon after the ball incident, and I'm still not positive how everything will end besides the general idea! That's amazing! How long did it take to read all the chapters? I'm curious, it must have taken a very long time, I'm happy you liked it enough to continue reading! The ball will be…amusing to say the least.
H/B always-Nope, I'd definitely race Hiei and trip him as many times as I had to in order to reach a cookie before him! Nothing strange about it! And I wish you the best on your report card, you didn't sound very excited about it, perhaps you were pleasantly surprised? I know my parents would kill me if I came home with anything less than an 88, and even then they're disappointed! Perhaps it's the same with you?
Kate326-Which review are you talking about? If I knew, I'd try to add it in lol! Thanks for reviewing!
Kate326-Ok, I'll try to add more fluff for you! Sorry I'm not an expert fluff writer, and this fic probably will not be loaded with fluff, but the sequel and the other fic I'm working on with have hopefully more than this. I'll try to get this fic to have their moments as well!
Aiiro-bara-Up the whole day huh? I've done it a few times so I can relate! Thanks for reviewing when you were sleep deprived!
The Will of the FighterChapter 16
Someone's Sick?
OOOOOBotanOOOOOI closed my briefcase and moved to the phone stationed on the wall. Dialing another number, I waited patiently for the person to pick up.
"Hello?" There he was!
2
"Hey, Kurama," I chirped.
"Botan? You sure are up late!"
I looked at the clock. 2:40. Yikes! I guess I had talked to Ayame longer than I thought!
"Sorry Kurama! I didn't realize it was so late!"
"It's alright, Botan. I was waiting for Hiei to return from training anyway. He's been gone all day."
So Hiei's been training all day? Can't say I'm not surprised, training is probably the first thing on Hiei's list of enjoyable activities. But the fact he left alone does. Hiei's always been more of a solitary figure, but when he trains he normally takes me with him for 'improvement' or Kurama as a spar partner. When he went alone it normally meant he's frustrated with something and is training to escape the stress. Otherwise known as a killing spree in Makai.
I don't really care, it's not in the human world and Hiei normally only kills vast amounts of brainless demons in C classes or lower who normally initiate the fight. If he does fight some demon of a higher class, they were looking for a fight and probably want to be defeated by someone stronger than them anyway.
The lower class demons that are normally subjected to Hiei's wrath hardly have souls anyway, but if I read tomorrow that humans or animals have mysteriously been slaughtered, penalties will be made.
"I'm guessing by the time, you have something you want to talk about?" Kurama's voice snapped me into reality.
"Umm, yes, Kurama could you attend a ball in Reikai this Saturday? I know this is sudden, but it's Hiei's request! Since Hiei's decided to go I need help to make sure her behaves himself! He listens to you better than he does to me." I heard Kurama chuckle on the other line.
"So will you go?" I asked.
"Yes, I'll drop by tomorrow for the specifics. Just tell me one thing, how the hell did you get HIEI to go? He hates those kinds of things with a passion."
"You're not going to believe this, but he wanted to go. The reasons for it are unknown to me, you'll have to ask him yourself!"
"How intriguing," Kurama murmured into the phone. I nodded, realizing he couldn't see it.
"Quite," I said to show him I was still listening, "Oh yeah, you'll need a date so I'll set you up with Shizuru! Bye!"
I slammed the phone down before he could try to answer. If Hiei and I play our cards right, Kurama and Shizuru might realize their feelings for each other. No doubt Hiei'd rather not interfere with their romance problems, but I could try to persuade him.
Now I had to call Shiz. Rather than staying with me at the apartment, Shizuru had been at Kazuma's house. I had been told Kazuma had a high fever and the Kuwabara parents (are his parents dead? I don't know and I don't recall the anime mentioning them, so I'm just going to say they're out of town for now) were not in town. Shizuru had been the dutiful older sister and left right away, without even telling me where she was going. Luckily, she called me later and informed me of her whereabouts.
I dialed the last number and listened as the phone started ringing.
"Hello! Just who is this, it's freaking three in the morning! What could you possibly want at this indecent hour!"
"It's Botan, Shiz," I said as calmingly as I could, wincing at how my poor ears where now aching terribly. Apparently, the Kuwabara's didn't have caller ID.
There was a distinct oh and an apology.
"I'm sorry Botan! I didn't mean to blow up at you! I haven't been able to take a break all day. I think it's taking its toll on me." I could hear her voice laced with fatigue and I knew her words were true.
"No problem! You didn't know it was me and you have had a pretty stressful day from the sound of it. How's Kazuma?"
I began calling Kuwabara by his first name a little while ago, especially with Shizuru because she always referred to him as Kazuma. As we spent more time together, I mean we did live together, you begin to rub off on each other and that's one example.
"He's fine. I think. His fever hasn't broken, yet. It's stayed exactly the same, 105 degrees. To top it off he sometimes is delirious but it's ok besides that."
"Hmm, I'll come over tomorrow with Kurama to check his fever. He may have gotten a disease or some demonic fever in Makai. If nothing else it will give you a break."
"Kurama was already coming anyway, I thought maybe he would have a plant that could cure him, or at least determine the problem, so I called him earlier today," Shiz explained. I raised an eyebrow. I knew a lot about medicine and healing, but of course she would ask her lovable fox friend, not her dear roommate. Not that I blamed her, in that type of situation I'd probably lean on Hiei before going to anyone else.
"I'll bring you a change of clothes tomorrow, sweetie. You just take it easy," I soothed.
"Ugh, thanks Botan. You're a saint," Shiz replied gratefully.
"Yep, I know, I'm an angel," I joked, "But would you be free this Saturday? I'm inviting you to a ball hosted in Reikai! We'll have a blast!"
"Sounds fun. Will we need to get dressed up?" the elder Kuwabara questioned.
"Yeah, it's old fashioned that way. Prepare to waltz too."
"Ok. My mom made me take dance when I was six and it covered waltzes. Not that I actually ever expected to use it…"
"Great! You will need an escort so I hooked you up with Kurama! You can thank me later! See you tomorrow, bye!" I said speedily, not giving her a chance to talk her way out of it.
I had used the same tactics on both Kurama and Shizuru, but they were both in denial and were embarrassed when people tried to get them together, and I wanted to avoid an earful.
OOOOOHieiOOOOO
I walked glumly, yet quickly to Botan's apartment. Upon reaching the building, I kicked into my demon speed, hopping from each balcony, two at a time, until I reached the one that belonged to her. It was easy to locate because potted plants surrounded the railing. Big and small, they dominated most of the balcony save for a swinging bench that could sit three comfortably, four if you were squished and none of the four was considerably overweight.
From the bench there was a thin trail that leads to the inside of the apartment. Kurama had dropped off a few plants as the 'garden' was being built and only I knew that they weren't entirely innocent. They carried toxins that could probe fatal to enemies seeking to get a cheap shot at the inexperienced detective. Kurama had consulted me of the idea and I quickly agreed. If the girls had been attacked or physically injured, the designated flower would explode, alerting Kurama, who would feel the loss of their energy.
My jagan eye would also pick up their diminished existence as well, and I would be able to rush to Botan in seconds to find the source of the problem. Besides alerting us, Kurama could control the plants no matter where he was, and could use them to fight any demons that tried to harm the girls while not even having to be present.
The plants had an assortment of different uses, they could strangle the enemy, stun them with their toxin, and I even tuned up one flower myself. I took a plant that came from the human world, one that obviously was not donated by Kurama, and transferred some of my energy into it. Now if anyone triggered the plant's sensitivity it would alert me, and if I deemed it necessary, if anyone brushed up against it, it could inflict nasty 2nd degree burns.
The girls had no idea the plants were not harmless, and thought them a sweet gift from Kurama to decorate their balcony. I didn't see the need to tell them, it was for their safety and benefited them in the long run. If they were aware, they would probably insist on getting rid of them saying we were being overly cautious. Yet, Kurama and I were not naïve, and knew differently.
Last night I had stayed up until four in the morning in training. Working out my frustrations is a luxury training allows me. That damn ball was still in my head. I had half of my mind screaming at me to cancel.
I was never a party animal that loves bars, loud music (heck any kind of music really), and club dancing but I did not enjoy the fancy, soft, regal looking balls either. Everything was delicate and expensive, filled with nonsense small talk and chatter.
I was not social. Never was, never will be. I only choose to talk to a select few who I deem worthy or those who I only wish to aggravate to the extreme. Shizuru's brother was a prime example.
Also required was a suit, another form of idiocy. The tux prevented movement and was uncomfortable. Ties were twisted around the neck and neatly fitted under the collar. The jacket was only slightly better for it could be made a solid black. And I intended to make certain it was a solid black.
In other words, I had taken a first class trip into hell.
Quietly, I slipped the door open and stepped inside. I was surprised to see Botan up and moving about in the kitchen. I was only six, way too early for her to be up.
"Hiei. Couldn't sleep or something?" she greeted, "I'm sorry, but I can't train with you today."
I frowned. I planned to wake her up and take her to the park or Genkai's to squeeze some extra training in. I didn't want her to become lazy or rusty and she still had a heck of a long way to go. In my book she wasn't past the rank of amateur.
"What is more important than getting stronger?" I growled.
"How about having a life outside fighting," she giggled and smiled, signifying she was only teasing but I still glared at her nevertheless, "Kazuma's sick with a fever and Shiz is stuck taking care of him. Kurama should be here in a few minutes, too."
The moron, figures. Kazuma? I almost forgot Kuwabara was his last name. Not that I used either of his names, I think insults suited him better. And Kurama? What the hell was going on? Was the fool on his deathbed over a simple fever? Humans can get so worked up sometimes.
"Why the hell is Kurama going? And since when did you start referring to the weakling as Kazuma?"
"Kurama thinks he might have picked up something in Makai. Umm Kazuma? I guess because Shiz calls him that and she lives with me. We've talked a few times since I moved in," Botan said sarcastically, "And Kazuma's not a weakling! He's stronger than I am."
Have I missed something or is she defending him?
"Hn. If that is the case then it really is important for you to train until you can beat the fool," I replied lowly.
"I did not say I could not beat him. You, yourself told me there were more elements to the battle then strength alone," she shot back.
As much as I hated to admit it, the fool did have my apprentice in the strength category. Botan had him in the smarts department though, and maybe she could pull a win off of him, but who knows? They never fought and the idiot had this annoyance with fighting women. I personally think he's just too afraid to take the humiliation of losing to one.
"So I did. Lord knows a chipmunk could win a battle of wits with that fool."
"That's not nice, Hiei! Kazuma's your teammate and has helped you many times before!"
"Hn. He's more of a hindrance than a form of aid."
"Ah, speaking of the ill Kuwabara, I see. You know Hiei, when people are sick, the decent think to do is to think nice thoughts of them," Kurama said, strolling through the doorway, pocketing the key into his jacket pocket.
"Who gave you that key, Kurama?" I asked.
"Shizuru gave it to me the last time I saw her."
Botan giggled and winked.
"Met on a private date you mean?" the bluette taunted.
The fox's complexion almost turned to match his hair.
"That's not what I meant at all! Shiz just finally got around to getting another key, at the PARTY with you guys."
My, fox boy was getting defensive.
"How come I don't get a key and fox boy does?"
Botan shrugged.
"Well, I've never actually seen you sue the door coming in. The window in my room seems to appeal to you more than any other entrance."
It was true, I hated to be seen or talked to by the other wretched that occupied the building so I took the round about route to the window where I was sure not to be bothered by anyone but the birds. If I could not get in I had no qualms about using brute force on the shiny glass windows that prevented me from entering.
"So are we going then Botan?" Kurama asked, but his gaze was on me instead.
"Will you be joining us, Hiei?" My best friend asked.
"Is Yukina going to be there?"
"She might make an appearance later this afternoon, but we aren't sure. Genkai's temple is a decent ways from here though and Genkai does not own a car. Not that Yukina knows how to drive anyway."
"Kuwabara may have come across some demon originated illness. If that is the problem my plants might be useful. Botan has healing powers that rival Yukina, I dare say may have even exceeded her limitation on the art," Kurama complimented.
Botan blushed modestly and beamed at the red head.
"Hiei, your power to control fire covers temperature, does it not?" I turned to Botan and nodded. She smiled brightly.
"That's great! If Kazuma does have a fever, you could raise his temperature high enough to kill the virus and then cool him down after!"
"Come on, come on, we're late as it is!"
The bluette firmly grabbed the fire demon's arm and dragged him out the door with them, ignoring his protests.
"Come on, Hiei! Kurama wants to see his girlfriend!"
"HEY!" was the fox's indignant reply.
OOOOOOOOO
Hey guys, sorry this took slightly longer to update, but I have been updating Tales of the Jagan, I actually got three chapters up within a week! As for this fic, thanks to the new hits feature, I can tell just how many of you have actually read this fic and I was pleasantly surprised. Like to know how many people read it? Over 400 people! Which is good, but do you know how many reviewed? 15! 15 out of 400 people! I mean I'm happy and all you guys are willing to read it, but can't some of you leave a review? It doesn't have to be long, three words is enough, and I do respond to everyone so I'm giving back just as much time as you did to write it. I'm not trying to sound unappreciative, I'm glad a lot of you are reading it, but 15 out of 400? Come on, you guys can do better than that! It would mean a lot to me if I got to 500 reviews!
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to write bloopers anymore, one of many new rules, or I'm just not allowed to write a whole chapter on bloopers? If anyone knows, please tell me and I'll begin doing bloopers again. I know this chapter was kind of boring, but it had to be done to set up the next chapter.
Because hardly 4 of the people who read the fic reviewed so I'm back to requesting a certain number of reviews again. Let's see, if over 400 people read the fic, I don't think 15 reviews is an unreasonable amount. So I'll update once I get 425 reviews.