Morning Roses

Chapter Seven: What goes around…

Disclaimer: Thus disclaimed.

A/N: …Yes. It's a new chapter. Aren't you excited? (Grin) And I have given into the pressure and am using the response system (mostly because I backed up reviews…two months? And had to respond to all of them…(SWEAT) ). ANYwho, to continue with this SHOCKING plot twist!

.x.x.x.x.

"So…here we are. In absolute honesty," Botan finished softly.

Shizuru and Yoko were silent.

Hiei turned to look at Yoko. "I assumed you thought something much different, so we felt the need to come up with an excuse…but you found out, thus rendering it moot."

Botan tilted her head and her eyebrows furrowed. "What 'different' would they think?"

Yoko looked at Shizuru. Shizuru looked at Hiei. Hiei looked at Yoko. Botan looked confused. "What?"

"Well…I believe Miss Shizuru should explain that," Hiei meanly directed at the brunette. Shizuru flushed.

"Hiei—"

"Because, after all, it was certainly not a demon lord presence I was continually feeling trailing me the last two days," he shot, crimson eyes narrowing. She twisted uncomfortably and wrung her hands.

"Hiei—"

Hiei's eyes flashed angrily and he slammed his hands on the table in front of him leaning right into Shizuru's face, spitting out each word with venom. Botan's eyes widened in alarm. "Well, one can't blame you. I would probably do the same thing if I were jealous. However, now there is no reason for me to be, as I could never dream of being jealous of any man together with such a suspicious harpy—"

Yoko stood sharply and wrenched Hiei back by his shoulder. "As interesting as this little lover's spat is, I would prefer that my head of household is NOT reduced to tears, Hiei!" And, indeed, Shizuru was visibly shaking, holding back the inevitable flood.

The fire demon pulled away harshly, glaring at both of them. "Well, Miss Shizuru, are you satisfied now? You know for certain that dearest Botan and I were not together. But this jealousy is a bit hypocritical, I must say. After all, it was you who was kissing our Lord Yoko here. Not that I care. I hope you two are happy." Hiei was gone before any of the others could so much as blink.

Shizuru abruptly stepped back from the other two, staring at the floor. "If you would excuse me, my Lord, Botan…" she fled the room in as controlled a manner as she could, but Botan nevertheless noticed the tear sliding down the older woman's cheek. She didn't even bother to excuse herself to Yoko as she ran after Shizuru.

He blinked at the cat.

The cat blinked back.

He sat heavily in a chair with a sigh.

The cat leapt heavily into his lap with a sigh.

He glared at the cat.

"Mrow."

"I know what you mean."

.x.x.x.x.

Shizuru grabbed her plain brown cloak and ran into the rose garden, staring up at the bright warm sun, still determined to hold back as many tears as humanly possible.

"Shizuru! Shizuru!"

She turned, briskly scrubbing at her eyes. "Yes, Botan?"

"Are you all right?" the blue-haired woman asked, out of breath

"Perfectly fine!" responded Shizuru. "Really. There's nothing to worry about." Her smile was forced, and her lip trembled.

Botan hugged Shizuru tightly. "I'm sorry."

Her laugh came hoarsely, almost a bark. "For what, Botan? It's that rat Hiei who I want to apologize—going off like that."

"W-well…for Hiei and I not telling you sooner. But…I didn't think you'd think anything, and…well, I thought you didn't…like him. I guess I was wrong."

Shizuru jerked away. "I DON'T like him. I never did and I never will."

Botan frowned. "But…you're always…he's always…"

"I'm always WHAT? He's always WHAT?" Shizuru snapped, a few tears leaking out.

She shrank back. "It's just…you two are so close…and…you were so upset, when you thought he…and…I…I mean…"

Shizuru laughed darkly. "You don't understand at all. Maybe you think you do, but you DON'T, Botan. So please…just…stop trying." She pulled her cloak closer, despite the comfortable warm breeze, and started off towards the bridge.

"Shizuru! Then what IS your relationship with Hiei?" Botan called to her.

The woman whirled around. "I told you! You can't understand! I can't TELL you! Don't you GET it? I CAN'T!" She fled down the path and away from Botan.

The cook turned and walked slowly back to the castle.

.x.x.x.x.

Yoko was roaming the castle, searching for his lost vassal.

That is, Hiei was having a temper tantrum, and he needed to find him before the castle burned down.

"Hiei! HIEI! Get out here! I command it!"

"I don't wanna," came the muffled voice of Hiei. He sounded just like an ornery fifteen-year-old boy. Except that fifteen-year-old boys aren't generally ornery up in the general ceiling-ish area.

Yoko rolled his eyes, for once feeling like the responsible one. "Hiei, get down! I hate having to run the country by myself! It's far too stressful! And on top of my personal life falling into ruins, I really don't think I can deal with Taijir!" A crocodile tear rolled dramatically down his cheek.

"What if I don't feel like it?" Yoko could swear that Hiei stuck his tongue out.

He threw himself to his knees. "Hiei! You don't understand! I…I can't handle being the most mature person in the room! It's bad for my constitution! I feel myself breaking out…my perfect skin! Oh no! My hair…it's falling out in CHUNKS! Hiei, you must stop this at once, or I shall die and the country will dissolve into ANARCHY!"

The mention of "anarchy" made Hiei lift his head and gaze down calculatingly upon Yoko. "Anarchy, you say?"

His head jerked back up from the flagstone that his nose had just been making good friends with. "Yes! Anarchy! Bad, bad state of affairs! Total mess for you!"

Hiei jumped down, landing about ten feet away. "So…burning villages, pilfering and plundering, death and mayhem, etcetera?"

Yoko nodded vigorously. "Yes! Horrible, horrible, horrible chaotic ruin!"

The demon pondered for a moment, before leaping back up onto his wooden beam. "Sounds like fun. Have someone wake me when you're dead."

.x.x.x.x.

"…Mrow?"

.x.x.x.x.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Do you like Shizuru?"

Ruby eyes stared. "What do you mean?"

"Please?"

Ruby eyes blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Please?"

Ruby eyes narrowed into annoyed slits. "I'm not responding in the same way, thus your responses in the same way are not covering your previous question. So I ask: what do you mean?"

Yoko crossed his arms and pushed off from the wall he had been leaning on. "I mean what I asked…do you like my manager of household affairs?"

Hiei's eyes remained narrowed. "Do YOU like BOTAN?"

"Yes. Now answer MY question."

Hiei fell off the rafter and landed on the hard floor in a cloud of dust. He managed to right himself and brush the white powder off his red silk tunic, but his exasperation was vividly evident. "My point was that it was none of your business, but your intellect obviously isn't high enough to pick up on such sarcasm."

"But we should tell each other everything about girls! We're best friends!"

Hiei stared.

"Right?"

Hiei raised an eyebrow.

"…Right?"

Hiei raised the other eyebrow.

Yoko hung his head. "You are cruel to me."

"It's what I'm here for."

.x.x.x.x.

Several hours later, the occupants of the castle still hadn't figured out the twists and turns of the various relationships. However, Koenma knew nothing of this. He just knew that he was cold and his informant was late.

The garden was very empty. Stars twinkled in a dark, clear sky. Rosebushes stood as silent sentinels, rustling menacingly in the breezeless night air. He looked around, searching, and could not catch sight of the merest flap of a cloak.

"Where is that little…?" he muttered at a rosebush that looked just as chilly as him. It waved its leaves a little. His eyes widened. He blinked a few times. He licked a finger and held it up to try to find wind. There was none.

No. Of course the rose didn't wave. And it most certainly hadn't gestured in the direction of that cloaked figure hurrying towards him.

"You're late," the brunette man complained.

"I am sorry, my liege…" the figure replied, bowing at the waist. "I was delayed."

"And I am in a hurry. What else is new?"

"Well, I've learned an interesting tidbit…"

Koenma's ears pricked up. "Indeed? Of what matter?"

"Affections."

He leaned in a bit. "…You don't mean…? Hiei and Yoko…?"

"NO! Of course not!" the informant spat, appalled. "I think you've smelt a bit too much of these roses, my lord!"

Koenma crossed his arms under his red velvet cloak. "Hmph. What is the news?"

"It seems the little cook—Botan, is it?—is developing a little crush on Yoko."

He started. "…Oh…indeed…? …Well, what of Hiei?"

The dark form straightened a bit stiffly. "He doesn't seem to be interested in anyone. At ALL."

"Not really speaking of which…" Koenma looked up at the moon nonchalantly. "When are you going to tell me who you really are?"

A small smile was visible from under the shadow of the hood. "When you are no longer useful to me. How's that?"

Koenma tried to stammer a reply, but the informant had already slipped away. He sighed and turned to leave the gardens, making a mental note not to hire nameless spies at smoky, darkened taverns at midnight ever again—no matter HOW good their references were.

.x.x.x.x.

Hiei slipped back into the castle through the back door. He preferred to take his walks at night. The dark helped him think well, or so he believed. Mentally preoccupied with ponderings about how to deal with his castle-mates, he didn't notice the white blob of fur until he stepped on it. Said white blob complained loudly and Hiei winced, his demon ears ringing. In an attempt to silence the mewing cat, he stooped down and scooped it into his arms, wincing at all the white fur it was getting on his nice black silk shirt. The feline purred happily and rubbed into his chest, leaving even MORE fur on the shirt.

He wasn't really mad at it, as Hiei quite liked cats, but he glared anyway.

The cat naturally ignored him.

"I suppose I should take you back to Botan now, hmm?" he asked it softly.

"Mrow."

"All right."

He slipped down the corridors like a small black shadow, the cat obligingly staying silent. Quietly he crept into her room, keeping to the edges of the kitchen on the way there. Hiei gently opened the door and stuck his head in. The bed was still neatly made. Curious, he squeezed through and went to look around the room. The pink rose was floating serenely in its bowl, still as fresh as it was the first day she arrived (thanks, no doubt, to a bit of Yoko's mischief, he thought). Everything was in its proper place except the girl.

Hiei frowned and set the cat down then turned to leave the room. However, once he reached the door, he stopped.

There,softly lit bycandlelight, Botan was asleep at the table, head lying on loosely crossed arms. This wasn't odd. What was odd was that there was candlelight toby whichthe scene might be softly lit. The reason for this was immediately obvious. The demon lord himself entered the kitchen from the opposite entrance. Hieiquickly drew back into the shadows.

Yoko was soon revealed to be carrying a blanket, which he draped gently around Botan's shoulders. He softly brushed a stray strand of cerulean hair back from her cheek and nearly smiled before shaking his head and stepping back.

With a soft meow, the cat flew between Hiei and the doorframe and took a flying leap off the chair, then table, onto Yoko's shoulder. He expected the lord to drop kick the cat at the very least, but no! The surprises hadn't yet ended! Yoko stared at the cat for a moment, sighed, and flicked it gently before picking up his candle and leaving the room as silently as he had come.

Hiei watched the pitch darkness for a moment before exiting the kitchen himself, frowning in consternation. Yoko had a sleeping woman before him and didn't take advantage? What new madness is this?

.x.x.x.x.

A/N: What new madness, indeed? Well, you'll find out next chapter of Morning Roses! Until then, see ya! (Grin)