Morning Roses
Chapter 4: How 'bout an army of cats?
Disclaimer: I own four DVDS andeight manga. Doesn't that count for anything? (Mope)
A/N: Sorry it took so long…please hit me. Ow. LJ for responses, and onward we go!
.x.x.x.x.
Many days passed. Many things happened. None of these things, to Botan, had any significance. However, to Yoko, Hiei, and most of the citizens, these days and events brought the impending war ever closer and ever realer. Many were in a panic.
Botan was playing with her cat.
.x.x.x.x.
"Here, Ava! Oh, you missed!" she laughed, twisting her wrist to send the thin red ribbon flying (and the little white cat right after). Her candle flickered and she glanced up at the window to see a dark figure.
"Who…?" she began, starting over, letting the cat have the ribbon.
"Meet me at the bridge in the rose garden in five minutes," a familiar tenor voice intoned. "We need to speak."
"Lord Koenma, sir!" Botan cried, leaping over to the sill in a moment.
"And PLEASE try to be quiet…the LAST thing we need is that Hiei figuring everything out."
"What about Yoko, sir?"
"He's too much of an idiot."
She had no reply to this. "Five minutes, my lord?"
"Yes. And DO hurry, these midnight meetings take time up better spent sleeping."
Biting back a grin, she nodded. "Yes, Lord."
.x.x.x.x.
Wrapped tightly in her bright red cloak against the chill, she slipped out a back door and into the gardens. The moonlight pooled in watery puddles on the gravel paths, which her ashen shadow disrupted with dark ripples as she walked along to the rose bushes. She crept past the roses, uneasily feeling as though they were watching her. The tall shadowy form turned to face her, and its dark hood fell from its face. Botan lowered her head in respectful greeting. "Sir."
"Hello, Botan," Koenma replied briskly. "Well? What is your report?"
"Ah…well…"
He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
She scratched the back of her head. "I was too busy getting settled in to really notice anything…but…he likes food quite a bit. And women. Oh, and he hates cats!"
Koenma's face found its way to his palm in a gesture of utter exasperation. "Anything…IMPORTANT?"
She dug her toe into the dirt. "He…umm…well, wouldn't those be weaknesses?"
"What are we going to do, march into the castle with an army of CATS?"
Her face brightened. "With all due respect, sir, that might work!"
A moment passed while Koenma pried himself out of the nearest rosebush, the thorns seeming to lock into his clothes and only hinder his release, an action that Botan could swear they were doing gleefully.
"No, Botan, that was supposed to be sarcasm."
"…Oh."
"Anyway…" he said quickly, brushing himself off, "continue to gather information. Trust no one, least of all Yoko. But get THEM to trust YOU." He yawned widely. "I need sleep."
Botan's head shot up. "Sir?"
"Hmm?"
"I could poison him!"
"Who?"
"Yoko!"
"Horrible idea."
"Why?"
"We don't want him dead yet."
"…Oh."
"Wait!"
"What?"
"You could—not now, mind you, in the future—poison him!"
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
"That's what I said."
"Of course it isn't. Now Botan…another matter…" he leaned in slightly. "Don't get…well…ATTACHED to Yoko."
She blushed crimson. "Sir! That would most certainly NOT happen!"
Koenma frowned. "I just want to be sure, Botan. He IS known to be a bit of a lady-killer, and I don't want you falling for him. That would ruin everything."
"I know, sir."
"…And…uh…" he rubbed the back of his brunette head. "…We'd have to get rid of you. And I would not like that."
"May I ask why, sir?"
Briskly, he tucked his cloak closely around him. "That is all. Farewell, Botan, I shall contact you again in a few weeks."
.x.x.x.x.
Koenma stood in the dark, shivering. Botan had long since left, and midnight was fast approaching.
So was his second informant.
"Sir," the cloaked figure murmured, bowing.
"You're late."
"I apologize. I was…delayed."
He shuddered again and rubbed his arms under his cloak. "Any news?"
"Hiei is building up the fortifications by the Finma mountain pass. He expects us to attack there."
"Excellent. What about thePton River? Are we clear there?" he inquired urgently.
"Perfectly. There's one small guard unit that can be easily crushed."
"What would I do without you?" Koenma sighed.
The informant smirked. "Lose the war, of course."
.x.x.x.x.
The birds were chirping merrily as the sun peaked over the edge of the hill. Bees droned quietly among the dew-drenched blossoms of the garden as a butterfly flitted cheerfully among them. In the entire castle, there was but one person who would appreciate this lovely morning, and she was still asleep.
Shizuru was not that person.
"Hey, Hiei, what were you thinking, mouthing off at me like that yesterday? And then you just ignored me!"
"Hn." He glared at her.
She crossed her arms and glared back. "Don't you 'hn' at me, mister! I'm trying to HELP you with all this crap, and how do you thank me? 'HN'!"
"Hn."
"Bastard!" she hissed, trying not to yell at him.
"If you insist," he replied, and left the kitchen with a loud bang of the door.
Shizuru glowered at the wood, fists clenching and unclenching by her sides. Botan stumbled into the room, rubbing at her eyes. "What was that?"
The woman gave a strained smile and exhaled. "Nothing. Just Hiei."
"Whaddid 'e want?"
She sighed and cracked her neck loudly. "Ah, just breakfast. Man's a terror in the morning before his tea. You'd better get dressed and start cooking."
"M'kay…" Botan yawned widely. "What time izzit?"
"Too late to start breakfast by the time YOU'RE dressed. All right, how's this: I'll take care of food this morning, and YOU do laundry. That work?"
Botan nodded sleepily and headed back into her own room.
.x.x.x.x.
Dismayed, pink eyes wide in an indescribable display of dismay, she held up an undergarment with two fingers. Said undergarment belonged to Yoko. She swallowed uncomfortably and plunged it into the wooden tub full of hot, soapy water. It wasn't as if she had never washed clothes before, but a MAN'S UNDERGARMENT…
Botan moaned miserably when she looked down and realized that she had worn the fabric thin in several places from scrubbing. Or had that already been there?
"Enjoying yourself, I see."
She whipped her head around, redder than anything. "D-don't sneak up on me like that!"
Yoko grinned. "I enjoy sneaking up on you. Almost as I enjoy your face just now."
The girl glowered at him. "I hate you."
"You don't mean that, do you?" He pouted sadly.
Despite herself, she laughed. "No, I guess I don't. Well, not much."
"You didn't cook for me this morning," he said abruptly.
Botan winced. "Sorry…I just…I woke up so LATE…"
"Shizuru did it instead, am I correct? So THAT'S why you're doing the laundry…"
She stared at him. "How did you know that?"
Yoko wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I have my ways."
A laugh bubbled out of her lips and escalated to full-blown giggles, to the point where she had to clutch her sides to stay upright. He frowned, playfully offended.
"What do you find so funny, pray tell?"
"Y-you! Everything!" she giggled.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" With one swift movement, he shoved her shoulders so she fell back straight into the washtub with a shriek. Soaked and spluttering, she shook her head and sent water flying onto Yoko's silk tunic, permanently staining it with dark polka dots. He plucked at it in mock indignation. "How DARE you!"
Botan tried valiantly to get out of the tub and failed miserably. "How dare YOU! I'm SOAKED!"
In a very gentlemanly way, Yoko neglected to notice the way her dress was clinging to her most indecently.
Yeah. Right.
The man smirked and yanked her out by both wrists, pulling her close to him. "Why…you look so…COLD. Would you like me to get a towel?"
She glared without any venom. "That water was HOT! And I can get my OWN towel, thanks!" The girl twisted away from him, blushing, and ran to a cabinet on the wall, hiding her face from the man. He bit back a grin at her blatant avoidance tactics, happily eying her comely figure, only for his face to fall moments later as she wrapped herself firmly in a bulky pink towel. He didn't even know they HAD pink towels…
Well, one learned new things every day, right?
Like, for example, that when Botan's hair was wet, it draped over her shoulders in a very becoming way.
…Very becoming indeed…
.x.x.x.x.
"Don't trust Yoko. He's a horny bastard," Shizuru said bluntly.
"HEY! I finally tell you something and you respond with THAT?" Botan retorted playfully, feigning offence. "Anyway, I KNOW not to trust him. If I did, I would be an idiot!"
"You're an idiot anyway."
Shizuru rolled her eyes. "No one asked YOU, Hiei!"
The short man crossed his arms. "I need to speak to you, Shizuru."
She sighed loudly in annoyance. "This laundry won't do itself!"
"Of course not. The blue-haired woman will take care of it. NOW, Shizuru." He glared as fiercely as he could—and being Hiei, that was, to put it lightly, FREAKY.
"It's not my job to do laundry! I'm just helping Shizuru!" Botan cried, throwing her (pink) towel down in disgust.
"This is much more important."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "What? You need her THAT desperately? Waiting to propose, or something?"
Looks of disgust contorting their faces, the other two flushed pink across their cheeks and glared at Botan.
"That is NOT FUNNY, GIRL," Hiei spat, eyes shooting fire. Only not literally, of course.
"Botan, I love you dearly, but if you EVER so much as SUGGEST that EVER AGAIN, I will—(a/n: The completion of this line has been censored for the keeping of the rating below something very high for extreme violence)!" Shizuru said sweetly.
Botan busied herself in the laundry, somehow managing to suppress a smile. "Well, I need Shizuru HERE, Hiei, so unless it's VERY IMPORTANT…"
"This is VERY IMPORTANT," Hiei forced through clenched teeth, barely controlling his temper (and his blush).
"Fine, fine!" Shizuru allowed, standing up and drying her forearms on a towel (also pink). Her sturdy shoes thumped the flagstone as she carelessly tossed the towel away and linked arms congenially with Hiei, not helping his blush. "C'mon, shrimp, let's go."
"Let go of me."
"I don't feel like it."
"NOW."
"Nyah!"
They exited, and Botan, a small smile on her face, plunged her arms back into the soapy water.
"And now, the prey, alone, is captured by the skillful hunter…" a smooth voice, laced with teasing, purred in her ear as strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind. The girl squeaked loudly and jumped about a foot in the air. Yoko chuckled. "Hello, Botan!" He gave her waist a final squeeze and released her. "You ARE fun to frighten."
She sternly insisted that her heart stop beating so quickly and loudly, as it was drowning out her thoughts. The heart responded angrily, saying that she should listen to it much more often, and stop with all that following-reason nonsense. The brain quite firmly retorted that reason was better than following one's heart, as that led to nothing but trouble. Botan shook her head, ponytail flipping, and twisted more away from Yoko. "What do YOU want?"
The man shrugged. "I was hungry and bored. They led to the same place. Make me food."
Botan gestured helplessly at the laundry. "I have to do this!"
"Isn't that Shizuru's job?"
"She's attending to other business."
"What kind of business?"
"Ask Hiei."
He raised an eyebrow. "I think I'll do just that. But leave the laundry for now. Make me food."
A giggle bubbled out. "Fine. One moment."
.x.x.x.x.
"Mmph mm mmf mmmph mf mf…" Yoko commented, eating the stew that Botan had managed to whip up. She sweatdropped.
"Uh…glad you like it!"
.x.x.x.x.
Late that evening, Shizuru trudged back to the kitchen from finishing the laundry, which a certain young cook had left undone, even after supposedly working on it all day. She was about to leave when she heard muffled voices coming from Botan's room. Curious, she quietly crept to the door and pressed her eye to the lighted crack. Chocolate irises widened in shock at what she saw.
Botan was locked in a tight embrace with none other than Hiei.
.x.x.x.x.
A/N: (Grin) Ha ha. I leave it there, for your speculation as to WHY, precisely, Botan was with Hiei (IN HER ROOM, no less!). Review, and I might update faster this time! Cookies and cyber-plushies to reviewers!
