It's been a while since I last posted anything.. BUT, here I am. Please excuse the cornyness of the fic, though. This is way corny. And the plot is pretty unoriginal (I suck at plots..) But I like this a LOT more than my other fic. It's longer, too! 1,645 words!

Please review! I also haven't been in the YYH fandom for a while, so could you tell me if you think I kept my characters in character?

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Not So Bad

"Hiei, will you stop scowling at the floor like it offended you in some way and just lighten up?"

"It's not like I wanted to be here in the first place."

An indignant huff came from the ferry girl, "Well, you SHOULD want to be here. Kuwabara's birthday is tomorrow. Must I explain the concept of getting people gifts for their birthday again?"

"Hn. Whatever. I shouldn't be here, I hate Kuwabara."

"Say what you want to say, but you're already here. Might as well get it over with."

Hiei just stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued walking alongside the diety, still scowling at the ground.

Silence passed between afterwards, and Hiei was very thankful for that. He noted that it was highly unusual that Botan wasn't babbling on about something or another and he turned to look at her, seeing that she was too busy looking around for a store to chat. And even though the mall was bustling and others around them were chattering away, at least none of their conversations were directed at him.

"So.. Hiei.. Do you see any stores that might have what we're looking for?"

Hiei inwardly let out an exasperated sigh. So much for the silence.

"No." Hiei answered, not even looking around.

"Oh, you're a lot of help." Botan muttered as she continued to scan for stores.

"I already told you, I never wanted to be here. Why are you dragging me along anyway?"

"Because Keiko, Yukina, and Shizuru already bought their presents for Kuwabara! As well as Kurama and Yusuke. Did you hear that? Yusuke already bought Kuwabara a gift, we're actually later than him! Anyways, you and me were the only ones who hadn't gotten him anything, so I thought we could go together."

"I wasn't planning on getting him anything at all."

"Exactly! I kind of figured that, so I decided to bring you with me!"

Hiei just let out an irritated sound.

He remembered (and tried to forget) how Botan had actually managed to get him to come to the mall with her. Botan had pleaded and pleaded and gave him a look that was so wishing and begging and so-dang-hard-to-say-no-to. Hiei had finally surrendered, but was still very unhappy about it so that he complained every chance he got.

Cursing his emotions and his slight (or he tried to convince himself that they were slight) affections for the diety, he spotted a store out of the corner of his eye that caught his attention. He stated to Botan while walking towards the store, "We're going in there."

Botan looked at his retreating figure quizzically before she just shrugged and followed.

"Hiei," she called to his back, "Why are we going into an office supplies store?"

About an hour later, Hiei and Botan strolled (well, Botan was strolling. Hiei was more like trudging) down the mall with gifts in their hands.

"You know, Hiei, it's not very thoughtful of you to get your friend a box of paperclips for his birthday," the ferry girl reprimanded.

"Hn. I don't care. I've already numerously stated that I didn't want to be here. You wanted me to buy him a gift, so I did. It's better than nothing."

"You could at least have gotten him a bigger box.."

That much was true. The cheap box of paperclips easily fit in the palm of Hiei's hand.

Botan, however, had been more generous with her gift. She was holding a bag that had an adorable sculpture of a cat in it (She knew how much Kuwabara loved cats) and also a decorative picture frame, in which she would put a picture of him and Yukina (She knew that Kuwabara loved Yukina even more than cats).

And speaking of cats...

Hiei only stared as he watched Botan race into the small pet store in front of her, squealing with excitement. He resisted the urge to slap his forehead, because he just didn't do things like that, and reluctantly followed after her.

Walking in, he scrunched his nose at the unpleasant smell and wondered why Botan would want to come to such a place. He looked around, and glared at all the tiny animals that dared to look at him. (Poor animals.)

Glowering, he met up with Botan who had her hands together in front of her joyfully and was prancing around, "aww"-ing at every animal her eyes met. Botan gasped in delight as she reached into a large plastic box, pulling out a tiny, brown kitten with blue eyes. It squirmed and meowed happily in Botan's hands and the diety let out an ungodly high-pitched squeal, much to Hiei's agitation.

"Isn't it adorable?" she chirped.

The only response she got was a raised eyebrow and a grunted "Hn."

Botan just ignored him as she put the hyper and active kitten back into the box. About to go and browse other parts of the store, she paused when she took notice of a tiny kitten lying in a tight ball in the corner of the box, away from all the others. She stroked its head lightly then picked it up and gently cradled it in her arms. The kitten was incredibly small and had very dark gray, almost black fur with a white underbelly and one white paw. It stared up at her with wide, amber eyes.

Botan turned when she heard a voice behind her, seeing the store owner who had a melancholy smile.

"That kitten is always so alone, and always in the corner. It seems as if none of the other ones like him or care about him at all. He never seemed to like anyone else either. Anytime someone tries to pick him up, he would squirm around and try to hop back into the box and would protest."

The owner's face lit up a bit, "But.. He really seems to love you! More so than anyone else!"

It was true. The kitten was purring softly in Botan's cradled arms. She looked down at the kitten with a small smile, briefly glanced at Hiei, then looked back to the store owner.

"I think I'll buy him." she declared softly somewhat to herself.

The owner's face lit up even more, "That's.. That's great!" she exclaimed excitedly. And then added, "He finally has a real home now, someone to love and be with."

The diety walked out of the pet store, with her new kitten in a carrying case that she held in one hand, and pet supplies and Kuwabara's birthday present draped around her other arm. Hiei followed after her, with a small box of staples limply hanging from his hand.

"I think I'll name him Hiei!"

Said demon with the same name stopped walking and turned to look up at her.

"Why on earth would you name that creature after me?"

"Because he reminds me so much of you!" Botan replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"..And what, pray tell, are the similarities between me and that thing?"

"Ah.. Well.." Color started to rise to Botan's cheeks. She tried to make something up some reasons that wouldn't embarrass her, because her real reasons would.

"He's umm... He's almost black! Like your hair! And all the clothes you wear! Although your hair and your clothes is black.. But, um, well, and he has a white belly! Just like the white part of your hair, I guess! And.." She stopped, realizing that she probably shouldn't say the next things she was about to.

And he was alone before, like you. And he's so adorable, like you.

And I love him... like I love you.

"Hn. Idiotic." the fire demon interrupted.

Hiei started to keep walking, only to stop a few feet away. Not bothering to turn around, he said something in a slightly gruff, but quiet tone.

"I know of another thing me and that creature have in common."

"Hm?"

"The store owner.. Remember what she said."

Hiei kept on walking, farther and farther away from Botan, who was quite confused about Hiei's words.

Suddenly, it clicked.

He really seems to love you! More so than anyone else!

He finally has a real home now, someone to love and be with.

Hiei did not expect what happened next, well, to happen. Hiei definitely did not expect this to happen. He expected to keep walking, and leave a shocked and disgusted Botan behind him. Or to keep walking, and have Botan chasing after him, yelling things like "Wait! What do you mean!" or maybe even laughing at him. He actually expected to walk right into a bottomless pit more than he expected this.

No, he did not expect Botan to run after his departing figure, wrap her arms around him, and lock him in a backwards embrace, still holding all her things. And he definitely did not expect her to inch her neck forward and to kiss him on the side of his forehead.

As Botan started the move her arms away, Hiei caught them swiftly and held them, and spun around so that Botan was hugging him the correct way, their bodies pressed together. The fire demon smirked, craned his neck higher, pulled Botan's head down to his, and his lips briefly met hers.

When he broke away, the two stood in a slightly awkward but somewhat comfortable silence until the fire demon took the carrying case from her hand and pulled out the kitten (also known as Hiei now). Amethyst eyes sparkled with amusement and the ferry girl laughed.

Hiei is holding a kitten. Hiei is holding Hiei. This is such a Kodak moment.

She grinned and slung her now free arm around Hiei's shoulders and they walked out together.

And Hiei thought that maybe this very unwanted trip to the mall wasn't so bad after all.

end.
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