Abbu jabbu-Yeah, I'll admit updating so fast is incredible, especially me! Sorry but I don't expect much updating that goes exactly that fast! Thanks for reviewing!
Crystal Koneko-That line just sort of came to me! 4,0 is a good number? Was there something behind that, sorry my mind's drawing a blank! You'll have to tell me what line you liked best in this chapter!
LivingImpared-Hahaha! I'm psychic! Well, it probably was a pretty big thing to be astounded about, I'm known for going months without updating!
Miss Kyoshi-Yeah poor Kuwabara, but he gets Yukina soon, so soon he'll be happy as well! You're very welcome, how was your b-day by the way? Good I hope!
RitSuYue-It's a deal, I'll update if you review! Yes, mini fluff! I think there'll be more as the chapters go on. We don't want anything too major too soon or else it would be out of character and not exactly believable.
MystiKoorime-I think the updating that fast was like a fluke, but I shouldn't take as long as the Will of the Fighter to update, knock on wood. Did you knock on wood? You didn't? Well, go do it! You don't want to jinx me do you? Lol, but seriously, knock on the wood!
Kaori-Angel-Thank you for your lovely comments! Is this update soon enough?
Kuwabara99-Hiei mentioned Yukina? I think I missed that, when did he say something about Yukina? Heehee, I'm just curious! Yukina should be coming along in a couple chapters.
Kuwabara99-He's not exactly going to switch, he's just going to like both of the girls. I think it'll be pretty humorous but in the end he'll decide he loves Yukina more. Glad you like the fights, their too irresistible to leave out!
Kuwabara99-Thanks for reviewing all the chapters! It's pretty rare for someone to do that and I appreciate it! Happy birthday! Cool, you're ten years older than me! I bet you're all smart and I'm not even in High School!
Heartluv-thank you for taking the time to read it! Lol, I cracked up when I read 'Hiei the jealous one'! Yeah, but soon Botan will have the choice to go back to her old home and stay on the Jagan, guess what she picks!
Darkgarent-Heehee, in all honesty I'd still be using the stars, the one that's on the 8 key right? But has to be a stinker and now they don't show up so I had to use the OOOOOs. I'm glad you like this one; I think this one is more popular than my other fic, so I might update this one more. And don't worry, I like it when people talk a lot in their reviews, it makes it more fun to respond! I may do some other POV besides Hiei and Botan, but those will be far and few I think.
Aiiro-bara-I still don't know exactly how to right this chapter, but I got a review with someone wanting me to post a chapter before they went on vacation which gives me two days. If I think the chapter is to horrible I won't post it but I'm going to try to do it! I just hope it turns out ok! Besides, it kinda like a ritual to post a chapter before you go on vacation! I did that two years ago and it turned out well!
StupidKitten-You are smart! Thank you for reviewing!
Emma-Not to worry, as of now I have 71! I think when you reviewed I already had more than 61 so don't worry it's not that long! Thank you very much for contributing a review!
J.J. Banks-Wow, this is an awesome review! I'll tell you a secret; I like pirates, Hiei/Botan, and alternate universe fics too! They're even more fun to write! I don't blame you for not wanting to read it before, I was planning to finish the Will of the Fighter first, and it's still like possibly only halfway through. So I'd decided I'd just try to do both at the same time. I'm glad you like my writing style and if this is your dream fic, well I can't just not continue can I? It's more motivation to go by! Thanks for your support and inspiration! And you better work on your fic too, it's awesome! Hey cool, I just noticed we have the same number of chapters! Ha, this is my chapter 5, where's yours?
Sakina B.N. Vega-It's summer, you should be taking some lazy time! Well last time was a bit of a fluke, I don't normally update that fast and I honestly don't intend to, but because you're going on vacation, I had to get this chapter out! I'm going on vacation in two days, and wouldn't be back until you had already left! I hope this chapter turns out ok!
Vindiya-I apologize for taking so long but I was gone for 11 days because of vacation and then another 5 because of soccer camp. And just so you know, when I get the desired number of reviews, that means I just start working on the chapter, it doesn't mean it will be immediately posted. Sorry for the confusion on that, I just use the review quota to take a few days off from writing and not feel guilty about it. Thanks for your review and sorry that vacation and camp got in the way!
Rekka88-Thanks for your support! I'm glad you like it!
Gab- Thanks for taking the time to read my humble fic, I'm glad to see you like it!
Kaorie-Thanks! I appreciate all the nice comments, and it gives me more initiative to keep writing!
H/B always- They fed us crap at camp, I'm sooo happy to be back! And I'm online now and you're not! The horror! Wow, you must know all the best H/B fics if you've read almost all of them, you'll have to help me with the recommendation fics!
Kitsune Kit-Thanks for reviewing and not forgetting my fic! I'm glad your computer was fixed!
Kitsune Kit-Thank you!
Kitsune Kit-Heehee, thanks again!
Kaorie-Forgive me for making you wait but I had to go to soccer camp and went on vacation for 10 days. Thanks for reminding me though! It means you really want the next chapter!
OOOOO
Tales of the JaganChapter Five
The First Argument
OOOOOBotanOOOOO"A demon ship?" I repeated.
Kayko nodded.
"Yes, this ship is a demon ship. You'll find demons are in most ways, superior to humans. Even in shipbuilding. The Jagan was created by demons and is one of the best ever built. This ship is technologically advanced in most aspects," Kayko summed up.
It didn't come as much as a surprise to me. I had never been on a ship before, but I was pretty certain most ships were inferior to the Jagan. In my village, electronic lights were rare and expensive; most people just used candles as a source of light. In the Jagan, one of the first things I noticed was how many lights were run by electricity. I had seen a few candles, but on the ship they were more used as decoration than a source of light.
"This ship is also more sturdy than those made by humans. It can withstand more attacks and hits without so much as a dent," Kayko continued.
Somewhere during the conversation, I realized how smart Kayko was. She was remarkably bright and I could tell she had quite a bit of schooling, compared to me. I only had lessons from the Timons as tutors, which covered just enough to be considered basic.
Kayko had come by this morning after breakfast to see if I wanted to go with her to the bath room. I had eagerly accepted. Now, the bath room is not a bathroom. A bathroom is a place where there is a toilet and a sink. A bath room is a place where you bathe. I haven't seen it yet, but I am pretty excited to see it.
I looked around and once again noticed how terribly lost I was. I'd need a guide with me forever!
"You know, it's really nice to have another girl here. The guys are nice and all, but there are just some things you can't do together, like bathing. And you can't always talk to them about everything either. I was here for a couple months and I'll admit it was kind of lonely," Kayko admitted.
I felt a twinge of pity for the lady. A whole ship filled with guys and she was stuck as the only girl. Guys were great and all, but as Kayko said, there are some borders you just can't cross.
I noticed one of the crewmembers staring at us oddly, and sent him an odd look in return. On his face was a look I had never seen before, but there was a suspicious glint in his eyes that unnervingly made me wary. Kayko caught the looks he was sending us, and her eyes turned from warm and content to stony and hard. I trusted Kayko knew what his look meant, and by the looks of it, it was a bad thing.
The crewmember smirked, revealing crooked, sharp teeth. He began walking toward us confidently, like we were no threat to him at all. I knew this was a demon; he had gray skin and malicious green eyes. His head was bald except for a pink tuft in the center of his head. I could tell he was well muscled, if he were to attack us, Kayko and I would probably have to make a run for it.
"Hey sweeties, whatcha doing all the way out here," his grin widened, "Alone?"
Kayko narrowed her eyes in a glare.
"That is none of your business. If you don't get out of our way this instant we'll call the captains," she threatened.
"Hey, I know Urameshi's got you all claimed up and everything, but what about blue head here?" His index finger jerked towards me. My eyes widened in confusion. Claimed? I'm guessing Urameshi is Yusuke since it seems he was the one who brought her aboard. Then if that were true then I was claimed by…
"Don't even think about it. Touch her and your life is forfeit," Kayko pointed an accusing finger at him for emphasis, "She's Jaganshi's."
The demon's eyes widened in shock.
"That can't be true. Jaganshi ain't interested in protecting anyone but himself," the demon argued bewildered.
"Touch her and you'll see if I'm lying or not, but I don't recommend it if you like breathing," Kayko snapped.
I suddenly realized what this was all about. The demon was more or less trying to make a pass at me and Kayko was defending me saying Hiei'd kick his ass if he tried anything. I guess that makes me like his ward or…something.
The demon weighed both sides in his head for a few moments and then backed out of our way. Kayko moved immediately forward and brushed right past the demon like he wasn't worth the time and I hesitantly followed her, glancing back at the demon until he was out of sight.
"Sorry about that Botan. Some of the demons on this ship can get a little rowdy at times. As long as you say you're Hiei's no one should bother you. He's the one that most fear anyway," Kayko murmured.
"Why do they fear him most?" I wondered.
"Well, him and Yusuke, when he's in a bad mood, which is pretty common. Hiei and Yusuke can be very irritable and they can be pretty intimidating when they're angry. They fight when they're pissed off and more than not, someone or multiple things die when that happens. Yusuke is just temperamental and hot tempered. Hiei has this…dangerous aura you can call it. He's pretty much the silent and brooding type unless you bother him," Kayko replied.
Hiei did have a commanding personality that reeked authority and had the whole 'don't mess with me attitude' down to a tee, but he didn't come off to me like a bad guy.
"He doesn't seem that vicious to me," I said honestly.
She giggled and I felt myself blushing.
"You wouldn't. For some reason he seems to have quite the soft spot for you."
I shook my head to signal a 'no', my blush deepening even though I disagreed with her.
"That's not true, he just feels responsible for me is all."
"It takes a lot for Hiei to accept someone and he seems to like you already, which is quite a feat. You're lucky he didn't just kill you for the gem."
"We kind of did have a weird sort a meeting," I admitted.
"Well, you must have done something right. On this whole ship I bet he only considers Kurama and Yusuke to be his friends. He hates but respects Kuwabara and I'm pretty sure he only puts up with me because of Yusuke," Kayko explained.
She stopped talking to open a door and I realized we must have gotten to the bathroom. The door seemed to be made of oak and had a double door entrance. We entered and I saw that the floor was made of stone, as were the walls. There was a huge, bowl-like, half circle in the center of the room with a changing divider in the center, probably to separate the girls' bathing side from the guys'. I noticed the large tub had suspicious little holes in it, but didn't say anything on the matter. The sides stuck out like a bench all around the rim of the tub, minus the part that dipped in to make stairs, that I supposed were there so that you could sit down while you bathed. Convenient.
I scanned the room, which was pretty large but didn't have much in it. There were bars attached to the walls that towels would hang from and there was something that looked like a bookcase, but instead of shelves it had many small squares, one on top of the other. When I asked later, Kayko said it was made for stuffing your clothes into.
There were a couple lights that hung from the ceiling and I learned you could adjust the light to be as bright or dim as you wanted to be. I thought it was cool; it must have been one of the demon features of the ship, because I have never seen or heard of it before.
Kayko knelt down to the side of the tub where there were two metal handles sticking out, that obviously started the water. I walked over to examine them with her and she explained how to use them. She turned the one on her left.
"This one means that hot water will come out." Immediately steaming water poured forth from a large spout a few feet away that I hadn't noticed before.
"But you have to turn the right one too, which controls the cold water, or else the water will be unbearably hot."
I nodded in understanding. I looked at the tub as the water filled up quickly. This ship was amazing, with all its gadgets and trinkets! At home we'd either have to bathe in the lake, which was normally freezing cold might I add, or carry water in buckets from the lake, heat it over the fire, and then pour it into the bathing tub in our house, then repeat the process about forty times! It was more hard work than relaxing, which was the reason Sayaka and I normally opted for bathing in the lake.
Almost as an afterthought I dipped my hands into the water to test the temperature. Kayko was right; it was just warm enough to not be scorching, yet comfortable. By now, the room was starting to haze up with steam and the room was becoming increasingly hotter. There were some other buttons on the side of the tub, which Kayko explained while we were waiting for the tub to fill. She pressed one of the buttons and the tub began to bubble.
I stepped away in shock, but Kayko only laughed.
"I was like that too, the first time I saw it. The bubbles come out in jets in the tub, you saw the holes I expect, and the feeling is incredible. I think the demons call it a Jacuzzi or something. Basically, it's like a hot spring. Have you ever been to a hot spring, Botan?"
"N-no, I haven't. I've heard of them though," I added.
"Well then, you're in for a treat," Kayko replied.
We stripped off our clothes and grabbed towels from the walls, wrapping our bodies in them and taking the stairs, submerged ourselves into the tub. Kayko and I sat on different sides of the tub so we were facing each other. I could feel the steaming water all around me, the jet streams gently hitting on my back, causing me to moan. The feeling was simply glorious. I never knew one could feel so relaxed and content at the same time.
Kayko handed me the bar of soap so I could begin washing. I did so, humming merrily and happily, idly wondering what the scent of the soap was, but glad that it smelt wonderful.
"I've never been in water this warm before," I commented.
"Neither have I. This tub's the only one I know of that has hot water. Either that or you'd have to get Hiei to warm it up," the brunette replied.
I didn't understand.
"What?"
"Oh, Hiei can control fire."
Really? That was interesting.
"Mmmhhhmmm. It's actually pretty cool, but I've only seen him do it a couple of times," she continued.
I grabbed the bottle that contained a thick, gooey, liquid that was labeled shampoo and poured some onto my hand. Kayko had instructed me to rinse it through my hair and it would help clean it. I sunk deeper in the tub to wash it out and then repeated the same thing with the conditioner.
"So do you mind Hiei?" Kayko asked.
"No, why would I?" I asked in return.
"Well, I just think it's cute, how protective of you he is and all. It's really uncharacteristic of him. What do you think about it?" She wondered, looking at me while rubbing her body with the soap.
I shrugged, my cheeks reddening.
"It's a little weird. I'm not used to the attention and all, but I don't really mind. I am his ward after all, I'm sure he just thinks he's responsible for me."
"Yeah, probably," Kayko agreed, "Though I've never seen him that possessive of anyone before. Especially around Kuwabara."
"Oh really?" I mumbled. I didn't really want to talk about this, though I had noticed. I made me uncomfortable thinking about it. In the village, boys never really paid me much attention, and I had never paid much attention to them.
I'm sure Kazuma was a nice guy, but I had never had someone come on to me so fast and so bluntly that it kind of scared me. What's even weirder was that I was more comfortable with Hiei, who was even more controlling than Kazuma. We had our awkward moments, but I never felt anxious or uncomfortable in his presence like I did with Kazuma. When I was with him everything just felt…right.
Now that I was completely washed I decided to spar a few moments and just relax and soak in the tub a bit more, not thinking about anything or worrying, just relaxing and enjoying the feel of the pleasantly warm water against my skin.
OOOOOHieiOOOOO
All of my duties were done, the ship was in tip-top shape and everything was in good order. The sun was just beginning to set and I was aware that I was instinctively going to check up on Botan. I figured it was her first day here and I just wanted to make sure she got back all right, and left it at that.
I knocked on the door, and heard her fiddle with the lock and then open the door. She smiled and stepped aside so that I would have room to enter. I did so and noticed the door to her balcony was opened; she must have been watching the sunset again.
Upon inspecting her further I noticed she must have just gotten back from the bathing room because her hair was still wet and she had a towel wrapped around her shoulders.
She pointed to the balcony and I nodded, following her back out. She was leaning over the railing again and I was leaning a few feet behind her on the door, just observing her, and the way her hair blew in the wind.
I realized then that neither of us had spoken the entire time.
"Can you really control fire?" Botan asked. I thought it was an out of the blue question, but was glad the silence was broken.
"Fire demons normally can," I snorted.
"Can you show me?" She was looking at me eagerly with excitement and I resisted the urge to show off.
"Not here. Once we land, maybe," I replied.
She nodded and seemed content with that answer.
"Which reminds me, what are you going to do here? You can stay for free but it is required that you have to do something on your time here, you can't just wonder around forever," I brought up.
"I figured something like that. Kayko cooks, so I think that while I'm on the ship I'll help her if that's ok, but I think I'd really like to see the world and new kinds of places, so I'll go with you to find the pieces of the Treasure of Mortar," Botan answered.
I almost spluttered.
"What? You can't do that! That would be much too dangerous for a girl like you!"
She narrowed her eyes at me but I didn't feel threatened in the least. More amused, here was this slip of a young girl trying to intimidate a demon. Not an everyday occurrence.
"What do you mean a girl like me?"
"Exactly what I said. A naïve little girl who is a human above all else. Whether you like it or not, humans are weak, fragile things," I elaborated for her, very aware she was getting more annoyed with every word.
"I'll admit that I may be a little on the naïve side concerning that I don't know a lot of things out there, but I am not weak!" Botan defended, "That's why I want to go out there and see the world! To learn what I don't know!"
"You're better as you are," I argued. It would be better for her to stay on the ship, where her and her ideals would be protected. I knew that it was a cold, vicious world out there and she would learn all too well what it was like if she didn't remain here. Bright, optimistic people like her could easily be crushed when facing the reality of the world and I didn't want that to happen to her. Not to Botan.
"That's not for you to decide," she muttered angrily, her eyes flashing.
"Actually it is," I snapped, fixing my eyes into a cold glare. It seemed to shock her a little bit, she had never been on the receiving end of my glares and it seemed to make her lose her confidence, like I wanted. She could have her own opinions, but she would not argue with me. My decision was final, and the sooner she learned that, the better.
"Well, I'll have to go with you at first," she said a little softer than before, as if she was treading on eggshells but determination was still hidden in her voice, "I have to buy some clothes and you wouldn't want me to get the wrong size. Kayko was nice enough to lend me this one."
I looked over her small frame.
"I think I can remember you size," I said evenly. Botan blushed a bit when I ran my eyes over her body to memorize her size and her cheeks puffed out indignantly.
"No you can't! You wouldn't want to waste your money, would you?"
"Who says I'm going to pay for it?" I asked smugly.
"You'd steal it?" She asked horrified.
"Pirate," I said simply, smirking.
"That settles it, I have to go with you to make sure you don't rip some poor merchant off," she resolved.
"Fine, you can come to buy you're damn clothes but after that you're staying here!" I was mad that she pushed me to actually give in and have her way. I stalked off the balcony and shut the door harshly behind me, still angry with myself at letting her win. There was something about this girl that made me do things that I normally wouldn't, and it aggravated me to no end.
I stomped up the stairs, fully intending not to see her until the next morning at breakfast; too bad that's not the way things turned out…
OOOOOBotanOOOOO
I was upset. Ok, upset was an understatement. I was completely distraught. But can you blame me? I hadn't asked for much, just to go with him to search for the pieces of the Treasure of Mortar and he had completely flipped out on me.
I was lying on my bed; face down, burying my head into one of my pillows. My eyes had long since been watery, but I simply refused to let them fall. I tried to tell myself that I was being stupid, we had only had a simple disagreement and already I was in tears, but that train of thought only made me feel even more horrible about myself. I was a sensitive girl; it was just too much too fast.
Did he really think I would want to spend the rest of my life on a ship? No matter how grand and majestic it was, I wouldn't condemn myself to a life separated and shielded from the rest of the world. No, that wouldn't even be a life.
And the Treasure of Mortar is my only hint about my mother. Maybe since she had it, she possibly knew something about the treasure piece? It was unlikely, but it was still a lead. I can't remember much of my early past, but even as a child I had the fleeting suspicion that mom had been running from something. But from what, I don't know. And damn if I let Hiei get in my way!
I realized I had fallen so hard was that I had used Hiei as the pillar of support to keep standing. I had relied on him and depended on him to keep me stable and now that he left, the rest of my restraints crumbled.
I gripped my pillow tightly and hugged it to me. My burned village, homesickness, and the mystery of my mother all bled together in my head despairingly and I choked on a sob.
I was so caught up in my troubles that I never heard the door open and never saw the imposing figure that loomed in the doorway with a sinister grin.
OOOOO
Sorry for taking so long everyone! I had a vacation in Canada and Chicago that lasted about 11 days and then a week of soccer camp directly after that, so I was kind of between and rock and a hard place. Because of the long wait I made this chapter especially long! The quota for this chapter is 95 reviews before the next chapter! The sooner you review the sooner the chapter! Which I must say you guys are reviewing splendidly so don't expect a long wait for the next chapter, the reviews build up faster than you might think!
My recommendation fic is:
As Lovers Go by J.J. Banks!
The story is fairly simple; Botan is a maid who just starts working as a personal maid for none other than the millionaire Hiei Jaganshi! Both of the characters are incredibly in character and Hiei has this devious air about him that is just adorable! It's awesome so go read it!
If you have any more free time while you are waiting for the next chapter can you take my quiz? Have any of you guys ever heard of quizilla? If not now's a great time to check it out and you can start by taking the quiz I made! You don't have to rate or message or anything, it's new and I just made it and no one has taken it yet and it's driving me crazy! So be a friend and take it will you? Thanks! The link is: