Accidental Encounter
Summary: Chibi-Hiei and Chibi-Botan's accidental encounter in Makai.
A/N: Happened before Hiei met Shigure and got his Jagan. Since Botan's past is a big mystery, let's just say that she's still training as a ferry girl here.
-
In the heart of one of Makai's countless jungles, a little girl with light blue hair was sitting alone. She looked like a ningen, a much priced delicacy to most of the inhabitants of this world. Moreover, being young and tender made her an even more precious feast. It goes without saying that she would not last a day in this hostile environment.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid Botan!" came the girl's mantra as she hit her head. "If they found out I was sneaking out again… I don't know how many spankings I'll have! Lord Koenma will cut out my dessert rations for at least a year too!" She stood up and tried to summon her oar.
But alas! Nothing happened. "Darn it, I drained my Ki in Healing Class!"
Then it hit her… She was alone, with no means of communication to Reikai, no useful amount of Ki left in her tiny body, and stranded in Makai. Botan's eyes widened with each realization.
Her tear ducts opened like an inundated dam. "Sniff… sniff", slumped under an enormous tree, the pathetic sobs of the girl could be heard.
"Snifff…"
"Sniff… sniff"
"Snifff…"
"Eh?! That wasn't me!"
She slowly turned her head to her right, where the ominous sound was coming from. There, stood a few meters away from here, near the lush makai bushes, was a youkai roughly the size of three grown men.
Its beady eyes, all five of them, locked on hers. It grinned, giving her a full view of the jagged yellowish teeth that lined its huge mouth. That creature would have no problems chewing her flesh and bones as if it were made of gelatin, she thought in horror.
The giant youkai was slowly making its way towards her. Violet tongue licked its rough lips in an anticipation of a scrumptious meal. Botan tried to stand up and run, but her legs failed her. She gulped, cold sweat beading her forehead. Her heart was beating so fast and hard it was almost deafening. The youkai was only five feet across from her, within the reach of those giant arms and claws.
It raised one arm, ready to strike a deadly blow. "Oh, Kami!" She quickly scrunched her eyes, expecting the impact.
She waited, but fortunately for her, it didn't come. "Maybe it was too quick and I died without noticing it? Wait, do ferry girls even die?"
Botan didn't open her eyes for a full minute, until she was unceremoniously dropped on her butt.
"Ow!" Botan tentatively opened one eye, then the other. She looked at her body; there wasn't a sign of damage on it. When the bloody corpse of her predator came into her line of vision, she let out a gasp.
"Idiot"
She looked behind her, and there, stood in all his three and a half feet tall glory (plus another foot for his hair) was a boy—a youkai boy all in black. Black clothes, black cape, black boots, sword in black sheath, and black hair with a wisp of white, the only striking color was his eyes: deep red. It was like the color of blood when it crystallizes.
Then he blinked, which broke her blatant evaluation of him.
"You, you're the one who dropped me weren't you?!"
"I saved your sorry, idiotic ass and that's the thanks I get? I could kill you now if you're so eager to die" he sneered. His voice, she noticed, was deeper than she thought it would be.
Then she remembered her previous dilemma with the giant youkai. Her eyes widened, her face was quickly turning red in embarrassment. "Oh! Ooohhhh… yeah, um, thank you very much! I was almost a gonner there!" Botan didn't even feel it when he sliced the beast and carried her off—until he dropped her.
Her savior rolled his eyes and started to walk away.
Faster than she thought she could move, she reached for his cape. "Wa-wait! Please don't go yet."
He stopped, glared at her hand that had almost tore his cape and choked him.
"And why, stupid girl, shouldn't I?"
"Um, because… because we haven't introduced ourselves yet! My name is not 'stupid girl', its Botan. What's yours?" She then gave him a smile that caught him off guard. He couldn't remember anyone who had smiled at him like that.
When he didn't answer, she continued to talk, "You don't have a name? I could give you one if you want! I'm good at giving names. One time I…"
She didn't finish her babble when he answered her, "Hiei"
"Hiei, that's a nice name! You look very much like a Hiei."
He couldn't help but be intrigued at the blue haired girl that was sitting beside him, hands still clutching the end of his cape. He cocked an eyebrow, "Do you know any other Hiei?"
"No"
He scowled, "then why did you say that I looked like a 'Hiei', stupid girl?"
"Because it seems like an original name and you look, um, unique. Very Hiei-ish, if I do say so myself" Botan replied with a sage-like nod. "And I told you, I'm Botan. You're the one who's stupid if you can't even remember that". She immediately clamped her free hand to her mouth, realizing that she just insulted her rescuer.
Hiei glared at her. He couldn't decide whether to just kill her or leave her. On second thought, he didn't feel like killing the girl he just saved, that would defeat the purpose of saving her in the first place. Why did he save her? In all honesty, he didn't have a faintest clue. His body just reacted when the youkai was aiming at her tiny body. Perhaps it had something to do with him looking for his lost twin sister. Or maybe he just wanted to kill the stinky bastard, either way, he didn't feel the need to ponder on his actions.
If killing her was out of the question, should he just leave her? "No, that would mean instant death for her—same thing as killing her", the little voice in his head said. The one that he usually tend to ignore.
She was looking up to him with penitent eyes, "Bo-tan, the name is Botan, okay?"
"Hn"
When his glare abated, her smile once again took up its place in her charming features. Their moment of silence was only interrupted by a telltale growl coming from Botan's stomach. "I guess I'm hungry! Eheheh."
His smirked at the noise she made, she sounded hungrier than the slain youkai. "Obviously. Get up and follow me."
She happily nodded. The girl finally released her hold on his cape and tried to stand up. "Um, Hiei, there seems to be a problem… my legs aren't working yet"
With a heavy sigh, he sat infront of her then lifted her up in a piggyback. Without any warning, he quickly dashed through the forest and jumped from tree branch to tree branch with enough speed to make Botan feel as if she were flying. It didn't seem to affect him that he was carrying someone who was probably a little heavier than him.
After a few minutes, they reached a part of the jungle that has a clear spring and a cave with vines dangling on its mouth. Hiei put Botan down, a bit gentler than the last time.
"Are they working now?" he asked, pointing at her legs.
Botan tried to stand up, a little shaky but she seemed to have regained control of her lower appendages, "yep!"
"Good, you wait here." She looked surprised and was about to reach for his cape again. "I'm just going to grab something to eat, weren't you hungry?" he said in an impatient tone.
Her stomach answered for her. She nodded in aquiescence and he disappeared in a flash.
Botan was a curious creature by nature, that was what led her to this uncalled for adventure in the first place. So when her unlikely savior left, she decided to explore the cave. "I believe humans call this spelunking."
Once she reached the cave, she realized that it wasn't as big as she thought it was. The entrance was only about five foot high. Making her way through the verdant vines, she figured that somebody had been camping in it. "Bet its Hiei."
She saw a makeshift bed lined with fur, a hearth and beside it, some kitchen tools and a stool. It was warm and cozy that when she reached the bed, she fell asleep in no time at all. This day's activities had been a little too much for a sheltered ferry-girl-in-training.
Botan woke up at the smell of something cooking. "What? Where am I?" she groggily muttered, eye glazed with sleep.
"On my bed, drooling."
She looked at the person who answered. "Oh, yeah! Hey at least I didn't drool on it. How long was I out?" Her stomach roared from hunger, and since they were inside a cave, it echoed. "Eh heh heh!" she gave a sheepish grin. Botan noticed that even though they were inside a cave, it was still well illuminated with a couple of lamps. She then stood up from the bed and proceeded to walk towards Hiei.
"'Bout a couple of hours. Here." He handed her a fish on a stick about a third of her size. She eyed it suspiciously, "It's edible"
"No, no it's not that. It's just that I don't want to take all your food" She shifted her eyes and unconsciously licked her lips. The smell of the freshly cooked fish was really tempting her.
"Hn, I already ate while you were sleeping, Stupid Botan" he said with a smirk. "Take it."
The blue haired girl smiled at the way Hiei said her name, even if he had to include the word 'stupid'. She didn't mind it as much now. Botan graciously accepted the offered fish and immediately took a huge bite. "Thankshh, Hig-hey." She was pleasantly surprised at the taste. Even in Reikai, she had never tasted any fish as delicious as this. It could be attributed to her hunger; nonetheless, she still considered this the best meal of her life.
"Wow, this is delicious!"
He only nodded in agreement then handed her some fruits and a canteen of water, before making his way on a stump of wood that he used as a chair.
Botan finished about three-fourths of the fish and four different fruits that she had never seen before. She let out a burp that could rival the previous growl of her stomach.
"Excuse me" this time, Hiei noticed, she blushed.
Botan noticed that the sky was getting darker; she bit her lower lip in worry. She could only wish that her absence went unnoticed.
"Aren't they looking for you in Reikai right now?"
"Well, yea, they didn't even know that I'm here. How did you know that I'm from Reikai?" she tilted her head a bit in confusion.
"You're clearly not from here and you don't smell human, so that only leaves one other option."
"Great going Botan, as if he wasn't convinced of your stupidity yet, he sure is now", she thought gloomily.
As if reading her thoughts he added, "I doubt that the youkai who tried to eat you earlier noticed, probably thought you were a ningen. Your kind doesn't come here often. In fact you're the first one I've seen."
Not for the first time since rescuing her, she was amazed at the youkai boy she was with. He was definitely uncouth, dangerous, and arrogant, but he saved her life, gave her food, and even let her use his bed. "You're really nice Hiei, thank you."
He grunted and shifted his gaze, as if embarrassed. She giggled at his reaction.
After a minute of silence Botan stood up, dusted her kimono, and materialized her oar. Well rested and fed, she had enough Ki to make it safely back to Reikai. She then walked towards where Hiei was sitting and put her hand on top of his. He was clearly shocked by the sudden contact.
"I mean it Hiei, thank you for everything. Next time we meet, I promise to repay the favor" then without any hesitation she kissed his chubby little cheek.
Her action made the little fire youkai frozen on his spot. He could feel his heart jump a beat. Even the love-deprived youkai child could feel Botan's gratitude and affection in that little action. If he were frank with his feelings, he would have realized that he liked it—really liked it.
Not knowing what to do, he just remained seated and stared at her.
"Well then, I better get going. They probably found out that I'm missing and I could only guess at what kind of punishment my bratty boss would give me"
She dexterously hopped on her oar hovering a feet above Hiei. "Thanks again and take care, Hiei. Until we meet again! Bye!" she said with the biggest and brightest smile that she could manage.
Unexpectedly Hiei's lips mirrored the action, not as big and bright, but as best of a smile as he could manage. "Until we meet again, Botan."
With a healthy blush on her cheeks, the neophyte ferry girl flew out of the cave.
-Fin-