J.J. - We all knew it was going to happen, didn't we? Sorry for the late update, it is here at last. We shall now take a delving plunge into Hiei's mind and a good-sized stab at the plot. w00t!

Update-note-thingy: As you might have noticed, I changed the title. I know this is annoying, and even I get agitated when I get used to seeing a story as a certain title, and someone changes it. But this title fit so much better! It was inspired. Of course, with my luck, it was inspired five chapters into the story, but what can you do? Please head to the first chapter to see the tiny moderation I made at the beginning of the chapter... for further explanation. ;


Chapter Six

Demons?

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The keys under his hands depressed gently, the chords wavering in the air, quiet, barely reaching beyond his own ears. But he didn't even hear them.

It was difficult to hear beyond one's own thoughts when demons were howling to be released.

Hiei's hands clenched into fists, so tightly he could see the knotting of the veins across the tops of his knuckles. It was so frustrating. No, she was so frustrating. What delusional fantasy had possessed him to believe that this unnerving want for her would just go away?

It hadn't gone away.

It had intensified.

It wasn't like he hadn't tried to get rid of it. He'd kept his distance ever since he'd driven her out of his room. He had purposely avoided her. He'd stuck mostly to his room, his mind hovering between an obsession with Botan and an acute wish to be free from his inner torment. The only time he wasn't preoccupied with this woman who had invaded his mind, was the time he spent doing his job, which at the moment meant worrying and stressing over the events of the bomb. His mind constantly felt like a tangled mess.

Late one morning, after dragging himself out of a hot bath that had turned cold, him fuming his own revenge and wondering how his greatest enemy could have broken through his barriers, he saw her. She had been poised on a ladder in the library, foot elevated for balance, apparently lost in her own world. Just seeing her made him somehow believe she could be the link to his sanity, and his feelings for her became consuming.

And then today... when he'd walked out of the hall and seen her...

He'd been sunk. In his entire life, no woman had ever completely taken the breath out of him in one go. Until then. His body had warmed, starting in his lower regions and spreading, and he'd barely had time to cover it. She had the damnedest effect on him, and she didn't even know it. Or she didn't seem like she knew.

They'd locked eyes and his pulse had suddenly felt the need to race out of control. Apparently, five days of absence did not quell desire in the least. It had been worse than he'd remembered it. He'd needed to escape and he had. Leaving the room so quickly had been the coward's way out, but he didn't care.

Getting too affected by a woman was a definite weakness, one which he was grudgingly admitting he might have. Even Kurama had started to get on him about his brooding mood and distracted attitude. He wasn't placing his job in top priority anymore and that was a problem. A very large problem.

He needed to destroy this weakness.

He closed his eyes to savor the silence. This was how Hiei Jaganshi lived—pragmatically, logically, with no room for sentiment or regret. He could forget capricious emotions. He had the strength and the will to go through with it, and to endure his pain alone . . . as he always had. But that was the problem. He didn't know how to rid himself of this problem, as much as he'd like to.

And he did want to.

Didn't he?

He paused, if only for a moment, to imagine acting on his feelings. The clear, delectable image of Botan came to his mind from this afternoon. Every part of her had been very much kissable. He let his fantasies run off with him for few moments before snapping out of it with a scoff of disgust. He was no better than a drunken college student with an erection larger than his I.Q. It sickened him.

Turning back to the keys, he depressed them gently once more, just barely playing the mournful opening strains of Mozart's Lacrimosa. Music had always been something to calm his nerves, oddly enough. His mother had made him take lessons when he was younger. Where she usually hired professional tutors, she had chosen to teach him herself instead. He supposed that's why he had stuck with it, even though he had hated it with a passion at the beginning.

She'd sat at his right side, coaxing him through the notes. On the piano bench, with him, she was different. Outside their cozy lessons, she was cool and indifferent, always drinking and running off to parties to satisfy her lusts since his father was never around. But during lessons she was caring, understanding even.

They were the only good memories he had of her. Tight with emotion, he began to play Requiem in D Minor, a piece that reflected his inner feelings at the moment. Confused, dark and out of control. He had started playing soft, but the notes crescendoed louder and louder, growing with intensity and rage until he had to stop, lifting trembling fingers away from the keys. The music left a dull echo, leaving an empty ache in the air, so he could only hear his breathing...

...and someone else's.

He whipped his head around to the door. He saw no one, but was shocked to find that it was open a crack. He always locked it. He must have forgotten this time, but that meant that ... someone could have seen him. Eyes narrowing suspiciously, he slowly stood from the piano bench. He walked the door and pulled it open, stepping into the hall.

He half-expected to see the culprit in the hall. If they had just been at the door, there was no way they could have made it to the staircase in that amount of time. Unless they have my speed. Not likely.

Not liking the fact that someone might have discovered his secret, he let a low growl of anger rumble from his throat, but nothing more. He was in no mood to go chasing after someone that might have only been his imagination.

Yeah, right. He wasn't the kind of person to have an imagination. He was the kind that had very fine-tuned senses, the kind that could hear when someone else had been outside that room. He'd tell Kurama to check security cameras tomorrow. For now, he was going back to his room to try and get some much-needed sleep. He'd been living off a few hours a night alone and exhaustion was bound to catch up with him sometime. He took one last look down the hall before walking into his room.


She couldn't get her heart to get back under control. It was pounding so hard she thought Hiei would be able to hear it in his room. Her hand was placed, quivering, over her mouth, in an effort to suppress her quick breathing.

She'd come back to hear the music again tonight, just like the two nights before, but this time she was met with an unexpected twist. The door had been opened, only a crack.

She was a little frightened, but not enough to stop the insatiable curiosity she felt. Carefully, she pushed open the door, only a few inches... just enough that she could see most of a black grand piano and the person playing it. Hiei.

Her heart stilled in her throat, transfixed by the mere sight of him. He stopped playing and for a moment she thought she'd been caught, but she relaxed when she noticed the glazed, far-off look in his eyes. He was lost in his own thoughts. With no music being played, she had nothing to do but stare at him.

And stare she did.

Something stirred in her lower stomach, like a thousand butterflies taking flight. There was a window on the far side of the room, with moonlight streaming in through the curtains, lighting his face in just a way...

She barely suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape. He looked beautiful.

She felt shocked at her own thought. Where had it come from? She'd never been attracted to Hiei before now. But still, she couldn't deny that the odd sensation she felt was attraction, especially as she continued looking at him. His dark hair was cast rakishly over his eyes, making him look like the villain she always seemed to compare him with. And his eyes... oh his eyes. She lost her poetic train of thought. He had gorgeous eyes.

She'd never really taken the time to notice before, but he was very well built. A lean, slender waist and a muscled chest she could see through the loose, unbuttoned shirt he had on that made even her feminine side purr in appreciation.

Was it the music that had her in this sudden, outrageously hormonal mood? It had to be. She froze in anticipation as his hands came over the keys again, his lips curled downwards in a concentrated frown.

Lips that brought to mind drugged, heated kisses...

She couldn't believe herself. She couldn't even look at him without thinking some sort of thought like that. Perhaps it was because she was too tired, perhaps it was because of the romance novel she'd been reading... but the only thing she wanted to do right then was march into the room and kiss the man.

She hoped it was a one night fling. She knew Hiei was far out of her league, at least in romantic aspects. She worked for him, for one thing. And for another, he was one of the most sought after bachelors in the country. A millionaire, attractive and unattached.

He was alluring, and out of reach, the perfect combination. She sighed and watched as he began to play again. Immediately, her heart picked up it's pace and her toes curled. She was spellbound. Watching him play was like watching the most intimate of acts between he and an unseen presence. He rode the notes, his body surging with each reach of his arms, his head bowed, his eyes closed. When the music would crescendo, his back would arch, shoulders and arms so tense it almost pulled her own muscles to watch him. And his hands, dear God, his hands. They stroked the keys, caressing them, as he would caress a fond lover. She was almost jealous of them.

The music began to grow, higher and higher, stronger and stronger, and he moved in time with each stab of the notes. All she could see was him. Her senses were overwhelmed, drowning in the sound, in the sight. She'd wanted to grab a hold of him, touch him, taste him, touch his music, taste his music. He was the music.

Then he stopped and real world came crashing down around her. She caught her breath, not even knowing she'd been holding it. She knew he had heard her by the way his eyes suddenly sharpened. That was all the initiative she needed to tear away from the room. The end of the hallway seemed like such a long way away, but she ran towards it anyway.

She turned to see the door opening. Panicked, she dove into the closest room, which happened to be the other guest room besides her own. She backed up against the wall, trembling slightly. It wasn't just the fear of getting caught, it was what that music had done to her. She hardly moved a muscle until she heard the distinct sound of his room door closing.

And now hear she was, pulse beating out of control, not daring to move. Was it her fear, Hiei... the music? Yes, the music still played, loud, powerful, compelling, inciting in her head even though his fingers no longer moved upon the keys. The notes were burned into her soul and they pounded incessantly there, the pulse points of her body still alive with them.

Her reaction to it is what scared her the most. It still seemed wound around her brain, holding her captive like a mindless slave. But was it the music that held her... or the person playing it? She didn't know and she didn't want to find out.

She let out a shaky breath and rested her head against the wall in defeat. She would wait a few more minutes until heading back to her room. Then she would fall asleep, wake up and not have this very weird feeling about Hiei. Her exhausted brain, the music... it was playing tricks on her mind, that was all.

That was all...


Botan's next conscious thought was that of someone gripping her shoulders like a vice, shaking her awake. "Botan!"

Her eyes snapped open. Was she dreaming... or was that Hiei three inches away from her face? His face was etched in worry, something she'd never seen before, but the second he realized she was awake and fine, his features shifted into an angry scowl. He released her immediately.

"What the hell were you doing?" he snapped.

"Well, I believe I was sleeping..." she admitted dazedly.

He straightened from his crouched position, the anger evident on his face. He drew his heated gaze to her again. "On the floor? In a room not your own?"

She realized where she was, and in remembering why she was there, a hot blush came across her cheeks. She looked down, thinking of nothing to say. His anger was evident. It wasn't something she'd never seen before, but this was the first time it had been directed at her. Well, she thought with a detached air of amusement, he did say that he'd really get mad at her one day.

She'd just like to know why he was mad. "Look, it's not a big deal–"

"Not a big deal?" he snarled in such a way that made her immediately regret her words. "I thought you were. . ." He didn't finish his sentence, growling angrily. He tugged a hand through his hair. "Get back to work. You're late as it is."

He turned to leave, but Botan wasn't going to let their one encounter in nearly six days end on a sour note. She came to her feet and hurriedly grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "Hiei, wait."

He turned towards her, eyes turning feral. It scared her enough to want to release him, but she didn't. She loosened her grip, moving it tenderly down his arm. "I'm really . . . sorry . . ." Her voice grew soft before she fell silent all together. The instant her hand had moved, his eyes suddenly changed, growing dark with an unnamed emotion. She was unable to take her eyes away from him, as his own drifted down to her mouth. Her lips parted of their own volition and she felt her limbs grow heavy as demons she didn't know she possessed began clamoring for attention.

His head lowered, his eyes drifting closed, and she dropped her gaze to his mouth, his lips parted, nearing hers. He was going to kiss her and she was going to let him. There was no turning back now.

Then, in front of her, he stilled and she heard his quiet curse. In an instant he jerked his arm out of her reach and stormed from the room. She felt the sting of disappointment.

She'd wanted him to kiss her. Badly. She'd almost grabbed him and pulled him to her to speed up the process. She let a choked noise of despair pass through her lips. Apparently, these feelings weren't a one night fling.


Botan found Kurama seated at one of the pool chairs, surprised that she wasn't alone. She'd gotten done with work early today, despite her late start. The past couple of days if she'd gotten done early, she had gone to the entertainment room, just in case Hiei might come back to watch Afternoons of Our Lives, but today, the last thing she wanted was another encounter with him.

She was hiding from her emotions, and she knew it. But it was only fair to Hiei and to herself that she sort them out before she tried to talk to him. Kurama glanced up as she came over, gracing her with a pleasant smile. "Hello, Botan."

"Hi." She took a seat next to him. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

Kurama looked apologetic. "It's the events of the bomb, it's keeping us really busy."

She raised a concerned eyebrow. "I thought you said it was no big deal."

"Well," she didn't miss how he averted his gaze. "A bomb is never really no big deal."

"How true."

In the light of current personal trivialities, she hadn't given much thought to the bomb. Her wrist was now healed, leaving only a small scar in it's wake. But now that she thought about it, she'd noticed that security seemed to be on high alert, and more than once she'd seen a swat member outside.

It seemed odd to her. They seemed to be defending against something physical. But this was a company, an incorporated business. You'd think they'd be protecting their computers, not the home of the president of said company. This wasn't where the business was ran anyway, this was Hiei's home.

With her new found discovery in mind, she lightly asked Kurama, "The people that placed that bomb, they're not the company's enemies..." He looked at her in surprise. "They're Hiei's enemies. Aren't they?"

Kurama paled a little, but he quickly tried to cover his evident shock. However, Botan wasn't going to give him the chance to think up a logical excuse. "This isn't even about the company, is it?"

"In a way," Kurama interrupted tensely. "It is." He'd unknowingly agreed with her, which assured her of her suspicions.

She sighed. "Kurama. Please tell me what's going on. I'm just concerned–"

"But it doesn't need to be your concern. Trust me when I say you'll be fine." The look Kurama gave her clearly stated that the conversation was over.

I'm not concerned about myself, she thought, but chose not to say anything further. She would find out, even if Kurama wouldn't help her. Leaving Kurama to his work, she left the pool in favor of her room instead.

Once inside the cozy sanctuary, she sat at her desk, opening her laptop. Apparently, as she'd found out, they came complimentary in every room. She'd never be satisfied with a mint on her pillow again.

She searched Hiei's name and got the same list she did on the first day she'd came here. She didn't know which link to click. They all looked the same to her. Figuring she had to start somewhere, she pulled up the first site.

Having already read the article before, she could only stare at it in frustration. She didn't know what she was looking for. Just a lead... anything that could help her figure out what was going on. Something that was serious, she glanced subtly to her scarred wrist, that had nothing to do with business.

Or did it? In a way... She recalled Kurama's words.

She began reading the article again.

Hiei Jaganshi, new found owner of the alleged weapons industry, previously owned by the Toguro brothers, has made yet another. . . .

She didn't read the rest, her eyes fixed on two words. Toguro brothers. She quickly typed that into the search box, glad for the high-speed internet that ensured she didn't have to wait long. She glanced over the list of sites. Many of them had to do with Weaponry Inc., older, but looking like much of the sites about Hiei.

She was about to the bottom of the list when one of the titles seemed to jump out at her.

Are the Toguro Brothers demons?

Hardly daring to click, but curiosity overwhelming her, she entered the site. It was basically the news coverage about how a tabloid had claimed the Toguros were demons. Tabloids were tabloids, meaning that they usually weren't true, but the possibility still left a quivering feeling in her stomach.

Rumors had been circulating for over ten years now that demons walked among people, looking exactly the same, but holding extraordinary powers. At first, people had been frightened by the idea and had started something like the witch burning era. If people thought you were a demon, you were thrown in jail. Mutants, they'd been called. Dangers to society.

Of course, much like the witch era, there had been no way to prove that anyone actually was a demon. And living with the government the way it was now, most of the accused had gone free and the craze had subsided.

Could the rumor of ten years earlier be true?

She bit her lower lip, typing DEMONSinto the search box. She eagerly clicked the first site on the list. The page didn't load up because of an error. Confused, she read what the problem was.

THE LOCKS ON YOUR COMPUTER PROHIBIT YOU FROM VIEWING THIS SITE.

It was only a block. Perhaps it had been a porn site in disguise. She went back and clicked the next site. Again, she was faced with the same block. Frustrated, she tried the next one. Again and again... Every site that had information on demons was blocked. The only things she could pull up were more tabloids, but of course those were hardly informational.

Thwarted, she closed the laptop with an irritable frown. The fact that demon information sites were blocked on her computer only fueled her suspicion that it held significance. She supposed she could wait until a chauffeur could take her to a public library and she could use those computers, but the only one she trusted enough on an expedition like that was Yusuke and he didn't have time off until Saturday.

She knew she couldn't wait that long.

She was pondering about how long it would take her to walk, when another idea came to her. The library. She wasn't sure if it would have anything, but it couldn't hurt to try. Excited again, she ran out of her room, sprinting down the hall towards the library. She nearly knocked into a very disgruntled caretaker, but she was in too much of a hurry to stop and apologize.

She entered into the large, dusty room, staring at the numerous shelves. It was much bigger than the one she was used to cleaning. She sighed, realizing how her futile her search could end up being, but began looking over the many volumes anyway. She ran a finger along the titles. Some were new and shining, others were peeling off. She turned the corner and started along the north wall, but something drew her back.

She paused, slowly turning around. It was the corner. There was something in the corner. She bent down, eyes narrowing as she searched. Sticking out of the farthest end was a very old looking brown book. She pulled it out, coughing as clouds of dust came with it. She was going to remind Keiko and Shizuru not to cut corners in their cleaning, this was ridiculous.

She pulled the book into her lap and gazed down at it. Her heart quickened. It had no title. Never taking her eyes off of it, she slowly walked to one of the large armchairs, sitting down slowly, as if too sudden a movement might break the spell that had her transfixed on this book. Cautiously, she opened the first page.

Demons are creatures of destruction and horror that have lived for many centuries, far surpassing the weak human race. Most demons are ugly cretins, monstrous looking, and resemble goblins and other mythical beasts, varying in looks almost as humans do.

Botan grimaced at the ugly picture that showed a demon below these words.

However, there are demons that breech a certain amount of power, and are thus able to look like humans. Many of these powerful demons plague the human world, finding the riches and technology more suitable then the grotesque and bloody life that dwells in the demon's natural home. A place known as Makai.

Demons are naturally predators and will destroy and kill anything that poses any sort of opposition for them. Bloodthirsty and cutthroat, they desire nothing above their own needs and wants. The more powerful, human-looking demons, are less crude and can exhibit more control, but still have the same passions as their lower-classed brethren.

A full moon is when a demon reaches the height of his power, where as the new moon diminishes a great deal of his strength.

A sudden noise made her stop reading, glancing up in surprise. Kurama was standing in the doorway. Her new knowledge was swimming rapidly through her head, making words difficult to come by. She shook her head in an effort to regain her composition. "Kurama?"

"Hi, Botan. I just wanted to apologize," he said. "I didn't mean to brush you off like that before..."

She smiled. "It's alright."

Especially since I'm close to knowing what you wouldn't tell me anyway.

"No hard feelings then?" He smiled in return.

"Of course not." She tried not to sound impatient, but she wanted to get back to the book.

"Good. Well, Keiko is out by the pool. She wanted to speak with you."

She frowned. She hated to say no. It certainly would sound suspicious if she deliberately avoided her best friend to read a musty old book. Sighing, she stood to her feet. "Okay."

Kurama laughed at her dismal tone. "Don't sound too excited."

Botan sent him a pretend annoyed look before walking out of the library, swatting at his head as she went. She would go see what Keiko wanted and then come right back.

After she left, Kurama walked curiously to the seat she had just vacated. What book could have held her so interested? He paused upon seeing the old brown one, a coil of fear developing in the pit of his stomach. Cautiously, hopefully, as if not wanting to believe himself, he opened it.

He sucked in a breath. The girl was smart. Too smart. He quickly picked up the book and walked out of the library, debating on telling Hiei or not. He wasn't sure it was something he wanted to hear just now.

Hiei was his friend, not just as an employer, and Kurama knew how pulled against the ropes he was right now. Hiei knew as well he did that they needed to find the Toguro brothers before they could strike again, and that meant preferably before the full moon, when all of their powers would be blown out of control.

Himself, he'd be too busy dealing with keeping his inner demon inside of him. Hiei would too of course, but his situation was different. Hiei didn't have a separate being living inside him, clawing for release even when it wasn't the full moon. Kurama did. He usually holed himself up the nights of the full moon, but this time, he didn't know if he could. The Toguro brothers had been out for revenge ever since last year when Hiei had taken over the company.

Unfortunately, they didn't take revenge like normal business rivals did, with undermining and viruses. They threw bombs into people's houses. And lately, Kurama felt like he was taking more of the responsibility because Hiei suddenly seemed so distracted and moody all of the time. He'd asked him about it, but he'd refused to say anything other than he just didn't feel well.

Right. Kurama snorted. He suspected it had something to do with Botan, but he wasn't going to voice his opinions out loud. He just hoped it didn't interfere with Hiei's judgement too badly. They had three days left to track down the Toguro brothers until the first full moon night of three would hit, leaving both him and Hiei incapacitated. Yusuke was always a help, but even he and Kuwabara couldn't fend off the forces of the Toguros alone.


Hiei seethed quietly to himself in his library. Why had he almost kissed her? At the time, the need had been so strong, it seemed like the only right thing to do. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he had given in to it. He committed his weaker than usual feelings to being scared something had been wrong with her. He had felt the same feeling of protectiveness he had when the bomb went off.

Kurama came into the room, shaking him out of his thoughts. In his hand was a book that looked vaguely familiar. He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"One of your staff members was reading this," he replied. Hiei frowned, trying to analyze Kurama's expression, but as usual, it appeared nothing short of indifferent and calm. Hiei hardly let that relax him. Kurama could be dying and still manage of visage of composure.

Cautiously, he took the book from Kurama's hands. It had no title so he flipped it open to the first page. He sucked in a sharp breath when he began to read. "Perhaps they were just interested in the subject..." he muttered, desperate for any excuse not to add more stress to his life.

"Perhaps," Kurama said. "But do you really think that?"

"No," he admitted.

He swallowed tightly before scrutinizing Kurama. "Who?"

He didn't miss how Kurama deliberately broke their eye contact. "I'm not all that certain I want to tell you... I think you have different feelings towards this particular person."

Hiei visibly tensed. "No different then I do with each different person."

Kurama sighed as if annoyed by Hiei's ignorance before slowly stating, "It was Botan."

Kurama could feel something churning inside of him, but he gave no visible signs of discomfort. "And what makes you think I would feel differently towards her?"

"Take for example this morning," Kurama said. "For the first time ever, I heard you actually yell, and this because, for the first time ever, I saw you actually flustered. And secondly, it's not like you to care enough about someone to purposely go out of your way to avoid them."

Hiei stared at him hard and unblinkingly for what seemed like an eternity before he finally growled in defeat and slumped further into the chair. "Who let you into my mind?"

"You did."

Hiei stood to his feet, not bothering to even face his assistant. "Just leaveme alone. It will go away."

"It had either better go away, or you'd better do something about it, because I need you to have a clear head," Kurama said.

Hiei didn't answer, walking out of the door before he would be forced to think anymore over the issue himself.


Botan dangled her feet in the water, waiting for Keiko to become undistracted enough to talk to her. She and Yusuke were splashing playfully around in the pool. Botan smiled warmly as she watched them. Despite their arguments and disagreements, the two actually went together really well. And she couldn't deny that Keiko's glowing face resembled anything short of happiness. She wondered dismally if she'd ever share a moment like this with someone...

"Sorry, Botan," Keiko finally said, swimming to the side of the pool Botan was on, panting for breath.

"Quite alright," Botan replied with a giggle.

The brunette shot Yusuke a glare. "He was trying to dunk me."

"Succeeding!" Yusuke argued before diving back into the water.

Keiko rolled her eyes and looked at Botan. "Anyway, we were just headed to the kitchen to play some cards. Wanna come?"

"Sure!" Botan replied happily, momentarily forgetting about demons and bombs.

After waiting for the two love-birds to dry off and change, they all threeheaded to the kitchen where they stayed up late with intense rounds of Old Maid and Go Fish. Botan won several times. By the time she left, her side literally cried for relief from laughing so hard.

She stumbled to her room, easily collapsing against her bed and crawling into the covers, thoughts of an old brown book forgotten. Her exhausted body allowed her to drift into sleep almost instantly.


J.J. - I hate exiting a chapter on such a flimsy scene, but I needed it out of the way... >>;

(Next Chapter: Sleeping Troubles)