Bit of a shorter chapter that's mostly just fluff, but we should be getting back to the conflict part of the arc within the next chapter, hopefully, I'll have that one out somewhat soon. I hope you all enjoy this one!
Sundown came quickly, and everyone who was going out on the hike gathered together. Botan arrived with Hoku and Yato, as well as Ash who didn't seem at all worn out, despite Hoku and Yato playing with him for hours. Shortly after they arrived, Yusuke arrived alongside Hiei, followed by Yukina and Kuwabara.
"Cool, we're all here," Yusuke declared, "I have a special idea for this hike."
"This better not be another one of your idiotic games," Hiei warned sharply.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Yusuke stated, "I thought we might have a little competition to see who can find the cave first. If no one finds it then that's that, but we've searched for like, years."
"Yeah, one or two days a year for 4 years doesn't make for a lot of searching," Kuwabara stated, "And there's a lot of ground to cover."
"Yeah, and I sure hope you aren't suggesting that we all split up and go off on our own," Botan added.
"No not at all, I had an idea of splitting us into teams. Kuwabara and Yukina would obviously be a team, then Hiei and I, with Hoku and Ash as well to make things fair since we all know that Hiei isn't going to be any help at all," Yusuke began, "Then you and Yato as the final team."
"I'm fine with that," Kuwabara immediately said, "If you are as well my love."
"That sounds enjoyable to me," Yukina responded.
"Absolutely not," Hiei stated, "I came to keep an eye on the swordsman, I have no interest in your games."
"You can keep an eye on him with your Jagan anyway," Yusuke replied.
"Is that alright with you Hoku?" Botan asked.
"Sure, the competition sounds fun, even if I'm not with you two," Hoku responded.
"This all sounds fine to me, in that case," Yato voiced.
"Cool, so since Hoku and Ash haven't been here before, I think we should get to go first, then Botan and Yato, and finally after that Yukina and Kuwabara," Yusuke said, "C'mon Hiei."
Despite Hiei's earlier protests, he followed Yusuke, and Botan turned to Hoku, "Good luck Hoku!"
"Yeah, you too!" Hoku responded before quickly running off after Yusuke and Hiei.
Botan and Yato waited for a few minutes before they also went off into the forest. They went in a different direction than Yusuke and began following a trail. Botan didn't care all that much about winning the competition, but for whatever reason, she was very interested in getting the chance to hike alone with Yato. Botan carried a lantern as the two walked along the trail.
"I hope you know your way around this place because I'm already pretty lost," Yato chuckled.
"I have… a vague idea of where we are," Botan stated, though vague may have been an exaggeration.
"How vague?" Yato responded.
"I uh, vaguely think that I vaguely know where we are."
"Well, that's more than I know at the very least," Yato smiled and Botan couldn't help but smile back.
"I'm sure we'll be fine, you're here after all," Botan giggled a bit, "And compared to the demon world, this forest isn't so scary."
Almost as soon as Botan said that a twig snapped somewhere just off the path, too far for Botan or Yato to see. Botan jumped a bit thanks to being startled, accidentally bumping into Yato, who managed to steady her. Botan's face heated up a bit in embarrassment.
"You alright?" Yato asked, voice carrying a hint of concern for her, which made Botan feel strange things.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Botan took a deep breath and watched as a rabbit hopped onto the trail, within the radius of her lantern's light.
"Ah, just a rabbit," Yato spoke.
Botan felt Yato's muscles loosen up, and she realized two things. Firstly, she was still backed up against Yato and he had one of his hands on her shoulder to help steady her. And secondly, he'd actually tensed up as well, despite his calm demeanor.
"Yeah, false alarm," Botan laughed dryly, and Yato let go of her as the two resumed walking. Botan found herself missing the warmth of his touch, even though it was a warm night she still felt a different kind of cold now, one that was closer to a figurative cold than a literal one.
"Botan, there's something I've been wanting to tell you," Yato suddenly said. Botan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing these words, and she turned to look at him.
"Yes?"
"Thank you," Yato began, "Before I met you I was… I was a shell of a man more than anything else. I was consumed by hatred that was eating me alive. However, despite the fact that I was your enemy, you still showed me kindness. For the first time in my life, I had my views challenged by someone who actually made an effort to understand where I was coming from, and it's you who managed to pull me out of the sorry state that I was in. So I just wanted to say thank you, for everything."
Botan felt herself begin to tear up as Yato spoke, hearing him voice just how much she'd impacted him… she was so glad that her efforts to help him had worked. Botan wrapped her arms around Yato in a hug, unable to restrain the smile that crept onto her face, not that she had any desire to do so.
"You've done just as much for me as I have for you," Botan replied, "Even as unpleasant as being kidnapped was, I'd go through it all again without hesitation to end up where I am now. Thank you."
Yato hugged her back, and the two stayed embraced in silence for some time, neither of them having any more words that could sufficiently display their gratitude, not that it was needed regardless, Botan knew that Yato was thankful for her, and she knew that Yato was aware that she felt the same of him.
It was here that Botan finally recognized what her strange feelings for Yato were. No, it wasn't as if she was just now recognizing them, it was more that she was just now admitting to having them, at least to herself. She had fallen for Yato, she had come to think of him in ways that she never thought about other people in. She noticed subtle things about his appearance, about his demeanor, things that she would not have noticed if it had been anyone else. She found herself thinking about him, he was constantly in her head, and most of all, she found herself drawn to him. She wanted to be in his presence. The same could be said for all of her friends, but it was somehow different with him. She couldn't explain how, but it was.
.
.
.
Botan and Yato never did find the cave, no one had managed it this year, but Yato never really cared about the cave all that much, to begin with. For weeks on end, he'd been struggling with how to tell Botan just how grateful he was for her. None of what he'd said had been an exaggeration at all. It was entirely thanks to her, Hoku and Ash, that he was now in a place where he could truly say that he felt happy for the first time in centuries.
He had been shocked to hear her response to him, and it had evoked numerous strong emotions that he didn't entirely recognize. All he knew was that he liked the way it felt. And then there was the hug. He had found himself wishing that their hug could last forever, and the calmness he felt in that embrace was almost entirely foreign to him, with how strong it was. It was as if all of his worries were washed away by the embrace.
As the last day of the trip came, everyone was hard at work packing everything up. Even so, Yato could not get his mind off of that night in the woods. He realized that he'd been seeing Botan in a different way than he saw anyone else. He noticed things about her that he didn't notice about other people, such as her subtle body langue, or how her eyes always softened whenever she saw her friends getting along. He found himself paying more attention to her appearance than he did to others.
He also felt as if he had a responsibility to keep her safe. It was similar to how he felt about Hoku, though with Hoku it was part of his near-parental feelings toward the child. He felt a responsibility to watch over Hoku and ensure that he got the childhood he deserved, and he had to admit that he was fond of him. With Botan there were similarities, but it was also just… different. He didn't know how to put it into words, but it was just different. She was constantly on his mind, and he found himself unable to keep his attention away from her for very long.
Yato was so deep in thought that he almost didn't notice Botan calling his name. She was standing beside Hoku, Ash, and Yukina.
"I think we're all packed up! Are you ready to start heading back to the temple?" Botan asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready whenever you are," Yato responded.
The group piled into the car. Yukina sat in the back with Hoku and Ash, the two sitting on either side of the dog so that they could both pet him with ease. Botan took the driver's seat, of course, she was the only one who could drive. The car they were driving back was a different one than what they had driven there. Upon seeing how cramped they'd been, Yusuke decided to lend Botan his pickup truck so that they could have more space. Yato was skeptical of the belongings in the back of the truck staying in place, but he trusted Botan when she assured him that everything was strapped down tightly.
The drive went by quickly, and before Yato knew it, they were back at the temple. They unpacked together, and everything was soon enough just as it had been before they left. At least physically. The feelings that Yato had been feeling for Botan were not new developments brought about by the trip. Rather they were simply something that he hadn't acknowledged fully before. He wasn't entirely sure what they meant, but what he did know was that he saw Botan in an entirely different way than he saw anyone else and that whenever he was with her, he was happy. For now, that was enough. He didn't need to fully understand his emotions, he just needed to know that they were positive and that Botan was the main cause. That was enough.