Kaimono
"O I could have married the king's third son,
And he would have married me,
But I forsook a crown of gold
And it's all for the sake of thee."
Botan sang as she finished dressing for the morning. She twirled around once to make sure that her obi was securely in place and then headed downstairs for breakfast. There was a small bounce to her steps. It was the last day of the first week. After that, the real courtship would begin. The first week was really just a trial. They'd survived the first week. Now it was onto the second week.
The week with gifts!
Of course, she had no idea what to give to Hiei, but the curiosity of the gift that he would give her made her tingle with anticipation. She couldn't wait to see what item Hiei would give her. She half hoped that it wouldn't be a sword. She didn't know how to use one and she had no real use for it except for decoration. Daggers would be used as paperweights. She's been a ferry girl for so long that weapons were useless for what she did.
Then again, if she and Hiei mated, weapons wouldn't be a bad idea to have. Maybe she should ask him for two swords. And since she was a ningen spirit currently having a ningen body, maybe she should buy another three or four swords. Just to be on the safe side. Plus, with the added protection that Hiei would provide for her, she felt almost impenetrable.
The thought of Hiei protecting her as his mate made her stop dead in her tracks. Her heart pounded furiously. The past week with Hiei had been a once-in-a-life-time experience. She had seen something in him that was hard to believe, but true. He was patient with her during training and made small jokes by teasing her. Years ago, she would have died, again, from disbelief and shock if she saw him the way she saw him now. She supposed that it was part of courting that made one open up a little more. But she couldn't help what she was feeling for him.
She cared about him. A lot.
It would explain why she thought about him a lot. Why else would she worry that she might let him down when they trained or that she would embarrass herself at the same time in front of him? Okay, maybe she was afraid being teased by him or of him thinking that she was noting but a weak little baka onna, but still. She knew that she cared for him. Love was still a far way off.
"Ohayou-gozaimasu!" she said brightly as she usually did while entering the dining room where breakfast was cooling off on the table.
"Good morning Botan-san. We just received a call from Keiko-chan. She'll be here in a few minutes," Yukina said with a smile.
"Keiko-chan is coming!" Botan said happily. It'd been a while since she had last seen the young woman and she had a lot of things to tell her.
"I think that she's going to be here the whole day. She said something about not having classes today and also not needing to work in her restaurant."
"That's great! I can finally tell her about me and Hiei!"
"Girls, not that I'm not happy to see that you two are happy about Keiko coming here, but can we please eat before the food gets cold?" Genkai said.
"Sorry Genkai-san. Let's eat!" and with that, Botan sat down and began eating breakfast.
After the food was gone and the dishes were stocked up in the sink, Keiko arrived.
"Keiko-chan! I have lots to tell you!" Botan said happily, all the while hugging the other girl tightly.
"I'm sure that you do," Keiko said and was released from Botan's arms. She then hugged Yukina less tightly. "Do you have a lot to tell me as well?"
"I have the same news as Botan-san," replied the small demon.
"Sit, sit," Botan patted on the mat that was on the floor and the girls sat down. "First off, I'll be staying here with Genkai and Yukina for while."
"Koenma gave you time off?" Keiko asked hopefully.
"Hai."
"That's great! That means that we could go shopping and hang out more! Do you want to go shopping this afternoon? We could invite Shizuru."
"Keiko… I can't go shopping with you," Botan said almost hesitantly.
"Why not? It there something wrong, Botan?" Keiko asked worriedly.
"Iie." Botan shook her head. "It's not that. It's just…" a light blush appeared on her face. "Remember when Hiei asked to talk to me before last week?" Keiko nodded her head. "Well, he asked to court me. And I said yes."
"Court? Don't you mean date?" Keiko asked confusedly.
"No, she means courting," Yukina corrected. "Hiei is demon. Demons do not date as ningens would."
"So, Hiei wants to court you, counterpart of ningen's dating?" she pointed to Botan.
"Hai. But actually, we're already courting."
"How long?" Keiko's eyes were wide with curiosity.
"Seven days now."
"A week! And you didn't even tell me!" Keiko was hurt that the person whom she considered a best friend hadn't told her something as important as this.
"Gomen nasai. Demo, it just happened. And when it did, it seemed like the only ones I could talk to about it were… well, demons. Because human dating and demon courting are different. I'm so sorry Keiko-chan!" Botan hugged the other girl tightly again.
"It's okay. I forgive you." Keiko patted Botan's back. When Botan finally let go, she sat back down and smiled at Keiko.
"So tell me about this courting."
And so Botan told Keiko about courtship and the difference with ningen dating. She also told Keiko what she and Hiei did together. Like training. Hiei liked training her. Botan told her it was because so he could tease her about being fat and her suspicion about him not wanting a defenseless mate. Along with Botan's account of what they've been doing, Kurama appeared without anyone's knowing and listened as well.
"It's strange that Hiei would ask to court you. Didn't he always say that he hated ningens?" Keiko mused to herself.
"Feelings can change, Keiko-san," Yukina said.
'But she does pose an interesting question,' Kurama thought to himself.
Botan stayed silent.
Keiko had a thoughtful expression. "Do you like him in a romantic way?"
"I care for him. I know that. I don't think that I love him," Botan answered truthfully.
Yukina had a thoughtful expression as well. Though her thoughts were different from Keiko's, and had eyes that regarded Botan with something that Botan couldn't quite place. Kurama's eyes were guarded, concealing his thoughts.
"Since you can't leave in the afternoon, how about we go shopping now?" Keiko asked, breaking the silence.
"That's a great idea!" Botan exclaimed. "And while we're at it, Kurama could help me find a gift for Hiei!"
"So you are planning to continue with the courtship?" Kurama asked.
"Hai."
"You understand that your relationship with Hiei will be brought to another, higher level. Breaking it off in the middle will have some damaging effects to not only Hiei, but to you as well. Now is one of the crucial points in courting. This is the determining point in which courting can become serious and gives a true affect in the lives of both people. Have you thought about this carefully?" Kurama's eyes were grave.
"Hai. I've been thinking about it for a while now. And I've decided that if Hiei still wants to go through with it, then I do too."
Kurama nodded his head and closed his eyes.
"So if we're going to go shopping, we should go now," Keiko said and got up.
"I'll go ask Genkai if she would like to come," Yukina said and went in search for the old woman.
"We'll wait for you in the car," and then Keiko led Kurama and Botan to the car.
They got to the mall a couple of minutes later. Genkai politely declined going. Their first stop was a clothing store in which Botan and Keiko spent over an hour picking out what to buy. Both came out with two large bags each, Yukina with one bag, and Kurama with a small bag that he said was for his mother.
"If you don't have classes today, don't Yusuke and Kuwabara have free time as well?" Botan asked.
"No," Keiko shook her head. "They still have classes. If they know what's good for them, they better pay attention to the professors. This is our last year at college, and I refuse to wait for Yusuke for another year to get married. I made sure that they'd be in class today." Keiko had fire in her eyes upon mentioning her fiancé.
"I don't think that I want to know what you did to them," Botan said with a slight smile.
"That store looks lovely. Can we go in there next?" Yukina pointed to a store where the displays showed small crystals.
"That's a new store. I've never been there before. Okay, let's go," and Keiko took the lead.
Inside, the store was cozy looking, lit with small chandeliers. An old woman greeted them by the doors as it made a soft chime because of the bells. Crystals varying from as small as a finger nail to as big as a full-grown man, shined the room with rainbow colors. The crystals were made in many forms; animals, humans, objects, and even houses. The biggest one was made in the form of a Sakura tree that showed all of its grandeur in the middle of the store.
While Yukina and Keiko admired the cherry blossom tree, something else caught Botan's eyes. It was a small dragon that was big enough to fit in the palm of her hand.
"Do you like it? It took me months to do it."
Botan looked up to see a middle aged man smiling kindly at her.
"You really made this? It's beautiful."
The man laughed quietly. "Thank you."
"Did it really take you months to make this?"
"Yes. If you look closely at it, you'll notice that I paid a little too much into making the details of it."
She looked more closely at it. Indeed he had paid attention to detail quite a lot. She could see the scales and feel each ripple. The tail was made in a curved position, as if it coiled to strike. She half expected it to. The eyes were colorless, but she could practically see the fire raging behind them. The dragon was alive. She looked up at the old man and smiled.
"How much?"
The man's eyes twinkled. "Are you sure that you want to buy this? It must be for someone special." He never lost his kind smile.
Botan shifted her feet, unsure. Finally she said, "I'm sure."
After the crystal shop, Yukina and Botan went into a kimono shop. Keiko declined from going.
"I don't have any money for a kimono. Besides, I don't need a new one," was her reply.
Inside the shop, one particular kimono caught her eyes. She immediately went up to it and touched its fabric. Yukina, seeing that Botan was busy looking at one kimono with her full attention, went up to her. She smiled.
"Hiei would love it."
"You think so?" Botan asked vaguely.
"Hai."
"I have a ribbon that matches with this. I've had it for years."
Yukina nodded her head in acknowledgment.
With the morning gone, it also meant that the shopping trip was over. Back at Genkai's, Botan quickly went to her room to dispose of her new belongings and changed her clothes for the afternoon. By the time she was done, lunch was ready to be served. Genkai had cooked for them.
"Itadakimasu!" they all said.
"Kurama, what kinds of gifts do demons exchange?" Botan asked the kitsune before putting rice into her mouth.
Kurama thought for a moment before answering. "Nothing really trivial. It's not the same with ningens who give gifts out of the kindness of their hearts or for no reason at all. With demons, there is always a reason behind a gift. But the gift does not always have to be a material object."
"What do you mean?" Keiko asked.
"Well, the gift could be a great act of kindness that one would not normally do. A simple gesture that is never done, words spoken that are never said, or…. make a proclamation to retrieve the head or heart of an enemy so that the other could eat it," he mumbled the last part so low that Yukina was the only one to hear it. And maybe even Genkai.
"It figures that demons would consider that a gift," she muttered.
"What was that last part?" Botan asked.
"What do you mean by that, Genkai?" Keiko asked.
"Don't worry. It's not something that you should worry yourselves over,"
Yukina said.
The two confused girls just looked at each other and shrugged. If Yukina said so.
"Gochisosama deshita!"
The plates were collected after lunch and Kurama, Yukina, and Genkai went to wash them while Keiko and Botan sat on the porch.
"Does Hiei train you hard?" Keiko asked.
"Not really. But it's enough that all I want to do afterwards is sleep. That's why I'm so glad that after tomorrow I won't be training anymore."
"But if you mate him, doesn't that mean that you would have to live in Maikai?"
"I guess I would have to, wouldn't I?" Botan said quietly, her voice far away.
"What's the matter, Botan? Is there something wrong?"
Keiko's concerned voice snapped Botan out of her thoughts. "No, no. It's nothing. Sorry to worry you."
Keiko wasn't convinced with Botan's smile and light voice. But she let it go. They talked more for a few minutes, just catching up on lost time that they hadn't spent with each other. Then Hiei came. He only nodded his head in acknowledgment to Keiko. She smiled at him, excused herself, and went inside.
"Running?" Botan asked as she got up.
He nodded his head.
"Um, Hiei?" He stopped half way to his tree were he usually slept while she ran. "Can you run with me today?"
He looked at her with only one of his eyes showing from the side of his head. He nodded. "Hn."
Botan smiled wide. "Great!"
The run was different when Hiei ran with her. She went on a faster pace so Hiei wouldn't feel so bored. She felt the need to improve her speed. To become better. Not to be weak. She didn't want Hiei to have a mate that was weak. Her heart quickened. She refused to follow where that train of thought led. It would only confuse her.
After the run, they did some practice fighting. Botan punched, Hiei blocked. Then he hooked his left leg around hers and brought Botan down.
"Never look solely at your opponent's face. Look at their chest. You'll see movements of whether they are going to use their arms or legs. Now try again." He brought her up and went back to his stance.
"Tell me why again are we doing this?" she dusted off some of the dirt from her clothes. Her sweat made her skin feel sticky.
"You are out of shape."
"Right." And then she practically threw herself at him. He flipped her in the air and brought her down to her back in one fluid motion. She moaned in pain. "Ow. I can't wait until tomorrow."
A couple of hours later, Botan was once again on her back catching her breath. Hiei sat by her watching her face. He looked away when her eyes reached him. She sat up and thought of what to say.
"Today Keiko, Yukina, Kurama, and I went to the mall. It was the first time that I actually got to spent some time with Keiko in a long time. It was fun. I bought a new kimono to wear and some other stuff like this crystal peony that I saw in this really nice crystal shop. Yukina bought some new ningen clothes for when she goes into the city with Kuw—" Botan stopped and added quickly, "Genkai! You know how much those two love watching those ningen movies. Hehehe?"
Hiei growled low in his throat. Botan started to panic. She and her big mouth! This was what it was going to be like for the rest of her life. Her saying something stupid and wrong to Hiei!
But instead of Hiei saying something about Kuwabara and how he hated him, he asked, "Do you spend a lot of time with Kurama?"
Botan was stumped. She definitely wasn't expecting that. What was she supposed to say? This was one of those things that Kurama had warned her about. Competition. Did Hiei feel like Kurama was trying to steal her from him? But that was a stupid idea. She only saw Kurama as a friend. And he the same way. Right?
"Only in the mornings. I tell him what we do and—"
"You tell him what?" Hiei yelled. He got to his feet so fast that Botan never saw him move.
"I tell him what we do only because—" She tried explaining as she got to her own feet.
"Onna! This is our business!" he grabbed on to her arm. "Not his. If he wants a mate, then he can go out and find his own woman to court. He has a damn fan club devoted to him! You," he pulled her so close to him that her body was pressed against his. "You belong to me."
He let go of her so quickly that the only thing as evidence that she had been so close to him was the heat of his body that was still coursing through her own. Her heart beat wildly. Her legs felt a little weak.
"At least you will be," he said quietly.
"Hai," she replied just as softly, not really noticing what she was saying. She was still in shock over what happened. And what she saw. The possession in his eyes. It made her shiver. Half in terror and half in delight. Maybe their courtship wouldn't be as long as Kurama thought it would be. Maybe it would be shorter. That thought sent warning bells in her head to go off. Loudly.
But she couldn't dwell on that thought more because Hiei was speaking. And chances were that he wouldn't repeat himself.
"Do you still want to continue with this? With our courting?" He looked at her straight in the eyes. He wasn't one to back down from challenges and that habit wasn't going to end any time soon.
There was no doubt in her mind what her answer was. "Yes."
He nodded his head and sat back down on the grass. Botan watched him for a moment and than she too sat down. Next to him. Close to him. Together they watched the sun set. Neither of them saying anything. Botan, because she had nothing to say. Hiei, because he was Hiei. Plain and simple as that. And that was what attracted her to him the most. The silence that he offered and the calm that his mere presence demanded when he was in a good mood. Not everything about him was about chaos and fighting.
"Tomorrow, I will bring you a gift," was the last thing he said to her before leaving.
Botan got ready for bed and brushed her hair. She looked out the window and imagined Hiei running free. No one was able to catch up with him. In her dreams, she dreamt about fire. Each flame had its own meaning. Its own purpose for being. And she also dreamt how angels were not the only beings with divine beauty. She didn't wake up once during her dreams.
Her morning, however, did not have the same feeling of wonder and tranquility. Upon opening her eyes, she saw ruby red. And then she opened her mouth and screamed.