Of Demons and Crafts

Summary: Two opposing thieves are forced to be mated as a result of a bargain for truce between their competing groups. Of course, nothing is as sweet as it seems as both assume false guises in order to catch the other off guard. Under strict orders to eliminate one another, Youko Kurama and Tsubaki Botan begin to endorse a pretend life of a happy couple. Except... falling in love was never part of the plan.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.


Chapter 2

"Did you get the herbs I asked for?"

Keiko's voice resonated in the midst of the sounds of birds chirping in a jovial tune as she spun her head around to level the approaching bakeneko behind her with a questioning tilt of her head.

"Yup! I've got them here," came Botan's answer, her voice perking up in a rather pleased way with herself.

Her arm was wrapped around a medium-sized basket as support, various kinds of leaves and flowers evident inside the wooden container as she hoisted up her free arm to maneuver her fingers into an impertinent peace sign. Her mouth slanted upwards into an impudent, cheshire-like grin for added effect as the bakeneko expelled a cheeky meow before taking a seat between the inugami, Keiko and the oni, Shizuru, who was more or less more interested in smoking through her kiseru pipe on the grass. Botan handed the basket filled with herbs to Keiko as she sat down, bringing her knees to her chest in the process.

"I heard from a little birdie of mine about last night," Shizuru's teasing timbre started once a shuffling sound echoed between them as Botan perched herself on an unoccupied space on the grass. She directed her hazel orbs to the bakeneko at her right, a note of mischief twirling around in her pools of light brown as she regarded Botan's confused blink with a taunting smirk. "Sounds to me you got into a little heated encounter with Youko Kurama."

Long, thick eyelashes fluttered once more as Botan motioned another baffled blink before recognition flitted over her features, bewilderment melting with embarrassment as her eyes widened into the size of saucers and a rose-colored flush crept up her cheeks in slight shame. Her jaws nearly collapsed on the floor as the brewing shock invaded her system, her mouth opening and closing like a fish as she intervalled between sputtering out incoherent stammers and clamping her lips shut. Her mind was reeling with the possibilities of how the news about her meeting with Youko had reached the oni's ears.

After a while though, she seemed to calm herself. "For some reason, I have a feeling that your little birdie is Atsuko," she murmured, her words rumbling through a defeated sigh as she let out the vanquished suspire.

Inwardly, she delivered a sharp, mental kick at herself on the chin for having requested for Atsuko's help the night before as her kimono had been adamantly stripped off of her. Youko had yanked at her obi hard enough to rip through the fabric, thus not allowing her to reinstate the grace of coverage over her mild nudity and forcing her into enduring the humiliation of asking for one of her friends' assistance. Keiko would have probably showered her with incessant, scolding lectures that Botan would rather not listen to at the moment and she was pretty certain of the high chances of Shizuru already in a deep slumber at the time. So that left her with Atsuko.

Although she had kindly explained the situation, Atsuko appeared to still harbor some misconceptions of her own over the understandably misleading incident. It didn't help that the older mazoku demon kept laughing for a good fifteen minutes before finally deciding to lend her a hand. And she proceeded to muffle her own snickers the entire time on their journey back home whilst Botan tried to disregard the obviously amused chortles coming from Atsuko in favor of keeping the last remaining shred of her dignity intact. It was all Youko's fault - she swore he was out to make her life miserable.

She could feel the inquisitive, almost steady pairs of orbs that didn't belong to her sinking into her flesh as Shizuru and Keiko both directed seemingly curious stares at her. Silence hung painfully in the air before restlessness gripped at Botan's sides, the girl unable to take the tension in the air surrounding them any longer as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Believe me, nothing happened," she eventually supplied in a grudging tone before she paused for a moment to take in the motionless dubiety she could sense radiating off of her two friends. Their patently suspicious gazes implored her to go on, her voice utterly horrified as the letters bubbled out of her, "and no, Shizuru! We didn't have sex, if that's what you're thinking. It was far from that. You should have seen the perverted look on his face when he mangled my poor obi! It was horrid."

It took her a moment to realize that the awkward silence shrouding all around them wasn't due to the other girls waiting to hear more of her elaboration. She watched in a petrified gawk as Shizuru raised a single, well-sculpted eyebrow at her in a mocking manner and Keiko flushed a deep hue of scarlet from the blood rushing to her head. It took her another second for the rather repulsive revelation of what went through their minds to dawn on her as the misguiding implication in her elucidation eventually hit her like a ton of bricks.

Her arms began to wildly flail around in the air in the way they habitually would whenever she got flustered. "Wait, that's not what I meant!" she tried, her own features matching Keiko's as her entire face tinged into a ruby imbue once the surge of embarrassment washed over her.

"Uh-huh, sure, Botan. And I'm not an avid smoker." Shizuru's snide remark was heavily laced with sarcasm, the sardonic hint in her timbre further intensified by the playfulness latent beneath as her expression contorted into a jeering look to suit the tone of her voice.

The older demon gave out a lopsided, nonchalant shrug of her shoulder, though a satirizing smirk lingered at the corners of her lips. "Well, I don't really give much of a damn about your little rendezvouses with him. I figured you guys would fuck once a while considering you two were always fooling around everytime you run into each other. Go ahead and have fun, you only live once anyway. As long as you don't get too attached to him, everything's a-okay in my perspective."

An offended yet repulsed gasp rippled out of Botan's throat as she shot the oni a withering glare. "Well, Shizuru, between all of us, I think everyone here has a long lifespan. I'm pretty sure we'll live for a few centuries more so I don't think we have to worry about not living our lives to the fullest." Her lips tugged down into a single, thin line indicating muted chagrin as she continued, "Youko Kurama isn't exactly my definition of 'fun', mind you. And it's not 'fooling around', as you would call it," she paused to curl both of her index and middle fingers as if to imply obnoxious quotation marks in the air. "It's sparring, okay? I'd rather die than be associated with the likes of him."

"Says you," came Shizuru's scoff before she instantly escorted the sound with a witty response, "Doesn't sound too convincing when he was peeling off your clothes."

Botan's snarl drummed out of her in barely curbed vehemence, fermenting irritation building in her gut as she verbalized out a string of protests, "That's because he's a certified lecher! He can't keep his grubby hands off of me for some reason."

A puff of smoke intruded her nostrils as Shizuru inhaled once from her kiseru pipe before exhaling the cloud of grey vapour into the bakeneko's face. "And you're not enjoying it?"

"No, of course not!" Botan angrily denied, her annoyance fueled from her friend's constant jibes as her cheeks colored a light, salmon pink in infinitesimal displeasure.

"Never mind the nature of your relationship with him, Botan," Keiko slowly alternated the subject in order to alleviate the rather uncomfortable situation as she discerned the furious fumes Botan was emitting, the tension in the air smothering as the bakeneko's level of indignation heightened her demon energy into enraged spikes.

"I'm more curious about how he got through your Phantom Dolls. I've never seen or heard anyone succeeding to get rid of them and not to mention, in such a short duration of time as well. Up until last night, I was pretty convinced that they were invincible," she eagerly remarked, the dog ears at the top of her head perking up in piqued interest as she proffered the bakeneko an inquiring gape.

Botan's flattened cat ears twitched once more in slight surprise as Keiko's question startled out a befuddled gasp from her throat, her aggravation quickly dissipating to give way to a rush of stumped shock. "I thought Atsuko was being an insensitive jerk and was spreading inaccurate rumors about me due to her tendency to misunderstand everything again," she pronounced the moderately honest riposte in a barely audible murmur.

Her surprisingly straightforward answer brought a bout of gladdened laughter to pass through Keiko's lips. The inugami wisely chose not to voice out her own opinions that it would be difficult not misinterpret Botan's relationship with Youko as she didn't want to ignite her friend's raging ire. Youko was a sensitive topic for Botan.

"Well, while I do second you with the fact that Atsuko might get easily swayed with misperceptions, but she does disclose the important details once a while," she started once the fit of chortles dwindled, leaving in their wake only an enlivened, toothy grin as she proceeded, "I think she's just having a blast teasing you about Youko, really, because she seemed to pay attention to what you were saying the night before."

The bakeneko expelled a frustrated sigh, but her shoulders slumped down in slight defeat as she muttered under her breath, "Figures she'd be a dolt about it. I knew I should have asked for Koto's help instead. At least she's capable of keeping secrets despite the gossip she keeps indulging in."

A couple of infuriated-sounding complaints followed soon after before she schooled herself, her visage now sporting a stern guise as she solemnly retorted, "I guess he found out the limited amount of times my dolls are capable of regenerating before you're able to, you know, actually kill them. I expected he would since he's so smart," she briefly halted mid-sentence as she harshly spat out the word, almost as if it physically pained her to acknowledge Youko's keen intellect before she went on, "but I didn't think he would finish them off so easily."

"Well, last time I checked," Shizuru's voice chimed in the conversation before pausing as the oni exhalled yet another puff of smoke from her lungs, "he's about twice as fast as you, B. Maybe it's because of that? And you can't deny that he's pretty strong and agile too when it comes to delivering the final blow."

"Whatever. He's still a jerk." Botan huffed in mild outrage, somewhat displeased that her peer was offering her arch-nemesis a downpour of compliments.

She knew that Shizuru wasn't really the type to easily praise someone. If anyone were to receive her commendation, it would mean that they were deserving of her respect, which was a rather arduous feat to accomplish to begin with. To think Youko Kurama, of all people, was one of the few handful that achieved Shizuru's admiration not only struck a nerve but also dealt a critical blow to her inflated ego.

"A pretty lame retaliation," and Keiko just had to make it worse, "but I suppose I would be at a loss for words too if I were you."

Botan drew her lips tight to muffle the snarky remark that threatened to roll off her tongue as she suppressed the budding irritation striking at the middle of her chest. She was aware that it was a harmless attempt at a quip, but she couldn't help but feel as if her two friends had taken her pride, flickered it into flames and poured the remnant of ashes into the deep ocean. Really, Youko Kurama was such an immensely sensitive topic for her to reduce her into such a snippy state.

"I'm going to go hunt some meat for tonight," Botan abruptly declared, voice tart as she spoke. She didn't wait for the other two to respond as she placed both hands on her knees and pushed herself off the grass to assume a standing position.

Keiko and Shizuru remained silent out of their uncertainty over how to reply as they sensed an inkling of her ill-temper through her dry exclamation, and simply observed her as she whirled around and in a black blur, dashed out of view. They understood completely that what their friend really referred to was that she needed some time to cool down.

"I told you that talking about Youko was a bad idea," Keiko mumbled after a while of the air around them circling with a rather deafening silence, the edges of her lips wrenched into a rather disapproving frown. "I knew we shouldn't have probed into the matter too much. Now we made Botan upset," she continued to murmur as she released a heavy sigh.

"Relax," came Shizuru's snort as she shrugged her left shoulder in an uncaring manner. "She's just sulking again. She'll come back like nothing happened by the time the meeting starts."

There was a fleeting pause before Keiko spoke again. "She doesn't know yet that they're coming to join us, does she?"

"Nope." A burst of laughter left Shizuru's throat in high-pitched notches as she mischievously replied, "Can't wait to see the look on Botan's face when she sees him again. I bet she'll flip."


Botan continued to seethe with anger all throughout her hunt for animal meat to serve as tonight's dinner, up to even the point of her washing her hands at a nearby river to rid herself of the crimson ichor tainting her fingers. She took a few moments to recoup her presence of mind, inhaling a slow intake of breath before steadily exhaling the inspired bit of oxygen out of her lungs. She heaved a soft and relieved sigh as she felt her composure returning, her tense shoulders slacking in time with her regained tranquility as she eventually relaxed.

It hadn't been her intention to snap at Keiko and Shizuru. It was just that Botan harbored a bit of an inferiority complex when it came to Youko Kurama, and not to mention, the hatred simply uplifted to newer heights by the undeniable notion that he was a treacherous pervert who persistently made flirtatious-congested advances towards her. In fact, just the mere prospect of being rumored to have friendly relations with him made her blood boil, much less when she was constantly coupled with him in regards to her peers' frequent fallacies that they were splurging in their own sexual escapades.

No matter how many times she divulged the truth to them, they wouldn't listen out of their own personal yet mistaken verdicts that she was obstructing her 'indecent' conduct to avoid stirring trouble in their group. In all truth though, it was merely an endless web of misconstrued conclusions. Then again, looking back at the fashion in which Youko inclined to treat her, Botan was able to comprehend how such inaccurate conjectures could be made from a third party's standpoint. Really, none of her friends were to blame. If anything, it was Youko who deserved to be condemned - at least in her outlook anyway.

Sparing a brief glance at the bloodied, cut up meat in the wooden basket at the side of her hips, the girl decided that she would head back and apologize to Keiko and Shizuru, seeing as her pursuit for meat was over. They had never eaten humans as Botan deemed it revulsive to consume them, but the occasional deers were good enough.

Hooking her fingers into fists as she clasped her hands around the handles of the timber-materialed case, Botan went to get up on her feet when she detected the faintest slivers of demon energy approaching her. She lifted her head as she caught the distinct sensation, her ears tweaking twice in piqued alarm as she raised her guard up and proceeded to place the basket back to the stone-covered ground. Bracing herself for an attack as she adopted a fighting stance, the bakeneko narrowed her eyes into slits, her pupils dilating and sharpening as she waited for any signs of upcoming assault. Seconds passed before the sound of shuffling reached her ears, followed by the sight of razor-sharp leaves lunging at her direction before she immediately leaped out of the way.

They striked at the wooden trunk of the tree behind her when she dodged, and Botan caught another noise coming from the other direction, turning in time to see familiar locks of lustrous silver hair and equally recognizable pair of molten, rich gold. A startled, horrified gasp thundered from her chest as she met face to face with the last person she wanted to encounter at the moment. He wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her to him, closing the distance between them before she could prance a few steps away. He crushed her into a tight embrace, the small of her back pinned against the hard contours of his chest and Botan could have sworn the hairs at the back of her neck bristled.

"Youko Kurama!" she snarled, the sound feral and animalistic as she swivelled her head around to shoot him a deadly glare. "What the effing, loving hell are you doing here?"

Vibrations rumbled against her back as he expelled a low, amused chuckle at her hostile acknowledgement of his presence. Botan quickly quelled the shivers of delight that involuntarily racked down to the base of her spine at the surprisingly pleasant sensation, clamping her lips shut to stifle a quiver as he lowered his head, fox ears brushing against her cheeks as he placed a set of demure, soothing kisses on her bare shoulder.

"Goodness, my pretty peony," His laugh was warm as he trailed his lips upper still to the side of her neck, purposely letting his hot breath fan over her skin as he scraped his teeth against her supple flesh, "I would have expected a warmer welcome, but then again your unfriendly reaction comes as predicted regardless."

He darted his tongue out to lick along the shell of her ear, relishing in the trembling whimper that he elicited from her as he caught the flap of skin of her earlobe between his teeth, nipping lightly and tugging it back before letting go and watching it snap. "Meeting you firsthand before the others was not a part of my plans for today, though I would be lying if I didn't anticipate to see your pretty face." He delivered a tender, featherlight peck at her jawline before verbalizing his next words in a low and husky whisper, "Did my little kitten miss me?"

Botan's whole body was convulsing in ways that were unwelcome as she shivered under his teasing ministrations, the seductive undertones of his touches causing her knees to wobble before she regained herself and attempted to propel her elbow to his gut in order to get him to let go. The fox demon, however, seemed to discern her intentions before she could initiate her little scheme as he reluctantly released the hold around her, letting her and eyeing with a touch of hilarity in his aurelians as she briskly leaped away from him a good few feet away.

"As if I'd miss you," she hissed, the sound vicious as it erupted from her throat before she levelled him with a deep, aggravated scowl. "Why are you here? Do you really think you can take on all of Mukuro's henchmen?"

Youko jutted his lower lip in a form of an admittedly endearing pout, the feigned disappointment in the childish expression on his handsome visage perceptible as he sounded a disenchanted riposte. "Always so antagonistic around me, aren't you? I'd like to see you greet me in a nicer manner once a while, but I feel like such a thing will only occur when hell freezes over." The light frown on his lips dispersed from his face, taking its place was a tantalizing smirk as it tilted at the corners of his lips. His deep, smooth timbre was equally provocative as he cocked his head slightly to the side before asserting a teasing remark in a charming purr, "Well, I must say that I do relish in the chase once a while. You are quite the catch, after all."

She wasn't sure what she hated more: the fact that he was hungrily ogling down at her, his gaze so intense that she could almost feel him stripping her naked, or that the lower half of her body began to heat up in a way that implied that she didn't fully detest the rather shameless attention.

Her hands clenched into angry, little fists as her sides, furious at herself for letting him get to her and at him for evoking such a sluttish reaction from her body as she savagely barked, "A million years would go by before I'd let you anywhere near me, Youko."

"Yes, yes, we both know that you absolutely despise me with all your worth," he gave out a derogatory scoff as he rolled his eyes in slight exasperation before directing an unreadable stare on her form.

His eyes flashed dangerously at her as a wild grin spread on his lips, the particular grin baring a single, pointy fang at her as he took calm, daunting steps towards her. Botan took a few steps back which each stride he assumed, panic rearing its ugly head and weirdly blending with an abrupt ripple of arousal as her back collided against tree bark behind her. She was about to sprint at the other direction when he suddenly slammed both of his clawed hands at either side of her head, his looming form pinning her against the tree as he nudged his knees between hers and greedily peered down at her. The lust clouding his vibrant gold into a darker shade of yellow distinguishable kept her rooted on the spot, the puddle of warmth building up in between her legs as his thigh drifted upwards to brush against her dampening centre.

"Although, for someone who abhors me with all her life, you're giving off quite the intoxicating scent. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're enjoying this as much as I am," he growled in a breathy pant, a guttural, nympholepsy-filled chuckle bubbling from his chest as he drank in the way she threw her head back in surprise and the adorable pink hue of shame adorning her cheeks as he teasingly grinded his thigh against her, the bleached fabric of his pants gnashing against her slick sex through the leather material of her black tights. "And you must realize at this point that I harbor different perceptions towards you, my lovely kitten."

"I'm not yours," Botan snappily spat out even as her knees quaked, her neck and face hot as blood rushed to her head before she felt one of Youko's hands trudge down her back, teasingly gliding lower to her hips and cupping one cheek in his palm before squeezing his fingers around her plump ass.

He began guiding her up and down his leg, his muscles flexing against her currently wet pearl as her spine gave out an inadvertent arch at the heightened pressure, her breasts bouncing pleasantly in the air as her mouth parted in a silent moan, her eyes wide in startled pleasure before she shut them tight again. She knitted her brows into an embittered frown, her teeth gritted against each other as she sought to push down the flow of sexual desire pooling in her gut. But Youko was undeterred; he leaned closer to steal her lips in a hot, bruising kiss, pushing her head further back against the bark as he shoved his tongue into her slightly opened mouth, the wet appendage streaking across the roof of her mouth before trailing along her pearl white teeth and meeting hers. His tongue stroked fervently against hers, mutedly coaxing her to respond. In her partially rapture-induced state, the bakeneko almost did before she reclaimed a scrap of her self-conceit, ire stewing within her and prompting her to dig her fangs into his tongue. There was a tiny flinch as a mildly angry snarl blared from the back of Youko's throat, the metallic taste of gore dissolving and filling her taste buds as he tugged the wet appendage out of her mouth.

Her half-lidded, partially ardour-laced dark violets glared daggers at him as he licked his lips, painting them red before he gathered the blood back into his mouth and she observed the perforated holes on his tongue inch close, his wound healing almost immediately as he regarded her with a bizarre look bordering between an irritated glower and a wanton gaze.

"That was uncalled for, wasn't it?" he murmured, though a splinter of mirth remained in his rather raunchy voice. "Now I feel inclined to punish you for that little stunt."

The subtle threat induced a strange thrill along her spine as bubbles of trepidation mingled with a sloosh of salacity in the pits of her stomach. She exhaled a quivering breath, a hot, puff of air leaving her lips before she pinned him with yet another cold, icy stare.

"Whatever. You should be thankful you got off the hook with only that," she growled, low and dangerous, before she collected the remnants of her tattered pride and residues of her fragmented dignity to impel her right leg to the left side of his abdomen.

To her utter dismay, he swerved his body just in time to evade the small ambush, and with a smooth, graceful jump, leaped a good distance away from her. A self-satisfied smirk loitered at the edges of his lips, the smug nuances underlying beneath the slant of his mouth fueling the furious fire in her gut as she yanked her lips downward into a tight frown of hushed rancour.

"Is that a new outfit of yours? I must say, I prefer this one better than your old one," he remarked as he nodded once at the kimono that she was clad in, voice casual as if he hadn't just showered her with an onslaught of amoral gestures.

The robe tightly hugging her curves were embroidered in similar, colourful patterns of the flowers, camellia, but the once gradient mostly-black and a little bit of white at the hem of her kimono was no longer there. Instead, it was replaced with a snowy shade of ivory, the tiny slope of blue only a tad bit visible at the frill of her kimono. The cotton article of clothing was held together by a pitch-black obi, her prior unsullied socks now a dark imbue of coal as her wooden geta sandals supported the soles of her feet. There were the added accessories of inky-shaded and short-length fingerless gloves shrouding up to her wrists, along with the addition of a soundless bell around the tip of her long tail. He would admit that her newfound attire suited his pristine garbs a lot better than her previous ensemble, now that he took the time to appreciate her renewed appearance. Fortunately, her latest garment had the delicious effect of accentuating her well-endowed bosom and made the alluring curve of her ass more prominent all the same.

"Oh, my god! You're a disgusting pig!" Botan let out a petrified, embarrassed shriek as she finally noted that he was unabashedly leering at her breasts, her arms instantly flying to cover her chest from his field of vision as she swivelled her body around to turn her back on him.

"I can still see your hips," came his instant reply, the well-articulated syllables escaping his throat in an appreciative, lubricious purr and she could just feel his eyes hungrily taking in everything that her voluptuous rump could offer and his hands on her derriere.

"I'll have you impaled on a stick for your-your inappropriate behavior!" she vehemently stammered with an underlying hint of shame, involuntarily expelling another startled shriek as he lunged forward towards her in a black blur, his motions in breakneck speed as he hooked his arms around her waist once more, bringing her into his embrace again as he buried his face into her hair.

"You have no idea how much I want you." His guttural groan was heavily dripping with raw, suppressed desire as he quelled the tempting impulse to rip off her clothes and have his way with her. Inhaling the scent of her vanilla fragrance into his nostrils, he growled, spurred on by her sweet smell as pent up lust was salient in his voice.

"How much I want to touch you and taste you." One of his arms loosened a little around her to trail his hand along her inner thigh, skirting teasingly slowly upwards to her pelvis, though not brushing against the spot he knew she wanted him to stroke the most. "I yearn to see you writhing and screaming beneath me as I take you over and over again." This time, he dragged his claws up the sides of her slim waist, the contact tickling her as his fingers swept between her cleavage through the textile of her kimono, brushing against her luscious mounds and wooing her with his touch. "Crave to hear you beg for more as I overstimulate you and deny you of your impending release…" he trailed off, his timbre seemingly dream-like and sounding faraway as his hand ambled upwards to her slender neck, coiling around her throat and choking her only briefly before he tilted her chin upwards to force her head back and meet his gaze.

The ardent dance evident in her pools of lavenders rivalled his lustful aurelians as he hungrily peered down at her as he uttered, voice low and raspy and in a breathy pant, "I could undress you right now and give you what you deny that you want. Would you like that? Because I'd like that very much."

Botan wasn't sure what worse: the fact that he kept rubbing his hard on, constricted painfully in his pants, against the crease of her ass or the fact that she didn't really mind it, the sensations instead evoking a rush of primal desire instead of the hatred she hoped it would bring. And god help her, she was tempted to just let him do whatever he wanted, to make her feel good and bend her over like a bitch a heat and teach her a good lesson - but she held back, because this was Youko and she would rather slit her own throat than succumb to him.

Pride resurfacing, the bakeneko hoisted one arm out to elbow his chin, once again displeased with him and herself as he avoided the attack once more. The tip of her tail heated up in flames before she aimed the flickers of fire at his direction and shot fireballs his way. A howl of laughter left his throat as he side-stepped all of her assault, one hand curling into his fist as his side as he manifested his trademark Rose Whip in his hand.

"I honestly don't understand why you're so ill-tempered," he feigned ignorance in the way he spoke as he not so subtly flicked his wrist to the hem of her kimono, intentionally ripping the right side of the fabric to shreds and exposing more of the flushed skin of her coquettish thigh. His ears twitched in delight, amusement fluttering in his molten gold irises as he eyed her features contort into a cute mixture of wrath and embarrassment. "You didn't seem to hate it. You never know how to take a joke."

"A joke?" she shrieked at him in disbelief, the taunting tone in his timbre acting as a propellant to her budding irritation as she lurched her body forward to tackle him to the ground. Then came her angry, animalistic holler, "You won't be laughing anymore once I'm done with you, Youko!"


"Hey, Youko. Stop dawdling your stupid ass and-"

Hiei's growled out remarks died down in the air as he rounded a corner and was greeted by an unexpected sight.

Botan straddled Youko's hips, her clothes in a disheveled mess of blackened fabric he could only assume was the byproduct of fire and snippets at her garment baring almost the full entirety of her chest and her buxom hips. Dirt tainted her pretty face and at various parts of her petite figure as she gritted her teeth and glowered down at Youko, who more or less seemed as if he had been as badly mangled as her. One sleeve of his chalky white tunic was thoroughly burnt to a black crisp, while the other one slid down the strong muscles of his left arm. Youko had grime blemishing all over his countenance as well, his appearance not really anywhere better than Botan's as he was apparently covered with sludge from head to toe. The trees all around them had either been reduced into nothing but sliced barks, burning in flames or left with nothing at all.

And here Hiei had reckoned that his friend was a zealous nature enthusiast.

"Oh, Hiei," Youko regarded with an offhand greeting as he caught Botan's fists in both hands before she could batter his poor face with another set of punches, effortlessly flipping them around until she was under him again and ignoring her savage curses as he turned his attention to the Jagan user. "It's not very polite to interrupt on a passionate moment between two doting lovers."

Hiei wasn't sure if Youko was serious or not, nor was he certain if he should burst out laughing or projectile vomit as he noticed the fleeting, indulgent glance the fox aimed at Botan's heaving chest before the girl proceeded to hurl her left leg forward to deliver a sharp kick at his chin. He eluded the attempted strike in the nick of time, granting the bakeneko the freedom to freely move again as he darted off of her. Youko seemed disappointed, whilst Botan, on the other hand, was on the borderline between disappointment and relief.

Hiei was almost curious - almost - how things ended up like this, but like most things in regards to the pair who were both enemies and more than that at the same time, he favored not knowing at all.

"I can't really tell if you guys are fucking or battling to death, but I don't really feel like finding out," he scoffed before swerving his gaze to Youko once more. "But all I can say is this: you are repulsive as ever, Youko and I don't even know why I keep you around."

"Well, that's because you love me," Youko vainly responded as he gestured a hand to himself, inclining his head back in an arrogant manner as he continued, "No one alive is capable of resisting my godly charms."

He received disgusted snorts from both Botan and Hiei at the clear exhibition of conceited posturing, but the former opted to keep her mouth shut whilst the latter proceeded with his condescending rejoinder, "You wish. Always such a narcissistic asshole, aren't you?" Hiei rolled his eyes slightly to the side in moderate exasperation before levelling the fox with a neutral expression. "Yomi's calling so you couple of freaks or whatnot might as well head back inside."

Youko was as collected and elegant as always as he dusted off the debris from his pants. "Very well then. We wouldn't want to be late, now would we? Come here, little kitten, I'll let you hold my hand while we go back inside. Here, let me help you stand." His stoic voice took on the more playful approach as he outstretched a hand at Botan's direction, to which she swiftly slapped it away before getting to her feet by herself. The uncharacteristically cheerful grin on his visage didn't waver though, seemingly accustomed to the cold reaction.

He was promptly ignored as Botan pointed a sharp response at Hiei. "I don't answer to Yomi. And what's this about going back inside? You talk as if you own the place. This is Mukuro's domain, in case it slipped your mind."

The withering glare that Hiei adopted resembled hers as he quickly shot it her way, his heated, slightly frustrated blood-crimson orbs shooting daggers as he threatened to burn holes into her head from the intensity of his glare. "Well, unfortunately for you then because Mukuro's demanding your ugly presence at the conference room as well."

Botan's scowl intensified, the baffled frown marring her forehead deepening as more bewilderment puddled at the recesses of her mind. Usually, Yomi's henchmen and Mukuro's subordinates tended to be at odds with one another. The fact that they were going to have a meeting with a pair of rival groups were odd and befuddling at best and simply insane at worse.

She parted her lips to sound out a protest, but the words failed to drum out her throat as she caught a glimpse of Shizuru's silhouette strolling from the corner.

"Hey, Botan, where are-" the oni in question cut her own sentence short as her gaze trudged to the left where the other three were. An awkward, tense silence hung painfully in the air as she paused for a fleeting second and studied Botan's and Youko's unorthodox appearance, opting to and fro between them in a mixture of kindling interest and sprouting perplexity before she then pinned a light-hearted smirk at her friend. "Well, well, B. And here I thought you said you weren't into the guy."

"W-what? I-I am not!" Botan sputtered before stomping in her direction, her march in furious and humiliated strides before she collected herself and asked, "What's this about them joining in our meeting, Shizuru?"

"Oh- that." Shizuru gave out a flippant shrug of her right shoulder. "Dunno what it's about but Mukuro said it's something important so yeah, they're our guests for the day."

"Ugh! And you didn't think to tell me first?" came Botan's slightly incensed yelp before Shizuru waved her off with a dismissive hand.

"You were busy fighting with Youko over the necklace last night, remember? That's when Mukuro told us the news. Not really my fault," the brown-haired oni apathetically replied before enfolding an arm around the shorter girl's shoulder. "So what's this about?" she inquired with a roguish note in her voice, an equally exuberant grin spreading on her lips as she gestured a finger at Botan's slightly exposed chest. "You're pretty much in your birthday suit. Last night and now this? If this is how you guys fight every time you see each other, then I guess it's no wonder there's so much sexual tension between the two of you."

"I'd rather dig my own grave before letting myself be related to him as more than a formidable foe," came Botan's growled out, impulse-like answer in return to the playful jibe.

Youko was brisk to chime in. "I can't say the feeling is mutual. If I can get you alone, I'd rather push you up against the wall and kiss you all over instead of trying to feed you to my plants." He expelled a deep sigh of mild distress, the exhaled breath obnoxiously forged. "But of course, you're too obstinate to acknowledge the undeniable attraction between us. I wonder where you got your stubborn streak," he feigned innocence as he thoughtfully cocked his head to the side at her, his motions and his words frisky and taunting all at once as they blared in her ears.

Botan stumbled over her words, blood rushing to her cheeks and turning her face as scarlet as a tomato as she pointed a finger accusingly at him. Incoherent half-attempts at insults erupted from her throat before Shizuru pulled her to the other direction, dragging the bakeneko away with her as they left the scene before Youko and Botan could get into another bloody fight.

They heard Botan's horrified gasp from afar. "H-he's such a pervert, Shizuru!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Come on, let's get the deer meat and head back. Ignore the scumbag," Shizuru's laughing response sounded a little obscured as their figures stalked further and further out of their line of sight.

"She called you a scumbag," Hiei echoed with an amused smirk latched on the corners of his lips. "Can't say I don't agree. You're sickening."

"And yet you still hang around me, Hiei," came Youko's witty remark as he proffered the fire demon a patient smile. "What does that tell you?"

Hiei wasn't Botan, but he could understand her frustration over Youko's harmless but ridiculing wisecracks. The fox would always observe everything, take in the truth around him and utilize his profound knowledge to his advantage before lashing out his share of sneering interposes. It was annoying as hell.

Regardless, Hiei sounded out a scoff in return. "If you weren't so pathetically thirsting over a dumb catgirl like her, I wouldn't be inclined to keep you in check. Careful, Youko, you're treading on thin ice over here. Your powers are still needed and I can't exactly have your pitiful ass catching feelings for an obstacle. I don't even know what you see in her."

The silver-haired demon wisely chose to disregard his snobbish comments in regard to Botan as he opted to poke fun at Hiei instead. "Hm, you always like to keep your concerns for my well-being clouded in insults and disdainful remarks. You and Botan both suffer from a serious case of denial."

He knew he struck a nerve when Hiei shot him an icy glare. "I swear I'll kill you before she does and serve your head on a silver platter for her if you say another word."

Youko's triumphant grin remained on his lips for only a few moments before it took on a friendlier approach as he raised both arms in defeat. "Yes, yes, I suppose I'll continue making fun at your inability to admit that you care some other time," was his final jeer before he sent a tauntingly playful smirk at the fire demon.

Hiei was tempted to just gut the fox to death, but controlled himself at the last minute as he opted to grumble incomprehensible curses under his breath instead.

There was a pause as a comfortable, companionship-congested silence engulfed the two for a few moments. Until Youko decided to ruin everything with the unsurprisingly genuine confession:

"You shouldn't have approached me so soon, Hiei. I was this close to using the scuffle to my advantage and as a direct excuse to see her in all of her naked glory." And the fox had the audacity to inch his thumb and forefinger closer until they were barely touching for emphasis.

Hiei perceived the serious hint in Youko's voice and couldn't help the defeated, exasperated sigh that rippled out his throat as he murmured, "Sometimes I really can't tell if you're just vapid or really smart, Youko."


A/N: Well, quite the long chapter lol. And the rating is changed to M because of the rather suggestive content in this chapter.

Some Japanese terminology:

Bakeneko- a type of Japanese yokai, cat-species.

Kiseru- japanese smoking pipe, traditionally used for smoking.

Inugami- dog spirit.

Oni- demon, ogre and troll. A type of Japanese yokai.

Rad1anceU- I'm glad you enjoyed it hehe! Nothing pleases me more than making Botan and Youko have exciting banters to be honest, lol. Well, she is literally a cat demon in here. And cats are known to be mischievous, nya! :3

AnnKirra- I haven't gotten your reviews as of late so I was wondering where you've been. I'm happy to know that my stories are bringing you joy and I'm hoping this one will earn your favor as well. Thanks for the support and hope you'll enjoy this update!

saillovelypines- You're very welcome! I had to repay the favor considering you mentioned me in a story of yours. And also because I know you've been dealing with a lot of stress from work lately. Lmao, to be honest it was actually inspired by Mr. and Mrs. Smith but I changed the assassins concept to demons and took liberties on designing my own take on the story lmao.