Fear of Fire

Disclaimer - Don't own YYH.

Chapter 15 - Indecision

XxXxX

If I continue being stupid and acting stupid, then I am bound to make fatal mistakes. Eien already knows how I feel about her and if he is planning to do what I think he is, then...

Hiei still couldn't believe that he had allowed himself to kiss her, much less to tremble as he had. Emotions were evil. He was beginning to believe it. They made him vulnerable and weak, made him lose focus and concentration. His crimson eyes narrowed at everyone he passed in the hallways.

Everyone is a suspect... Especially my father. How am I supposed to figure out what he is planning when I can't even go anywhere without being watched...or followed?

The koorime knew that his father had sent someone to keep track of him. It would have been stupid not to. After all, Hiei could be a threat to the plans Eien had made. He couldn't exactly tell for sure if it was as he thought. But if he remembered anything at all about learning about his heritage...then someone was to be sacrificed on the last day of the ceremony. If Hiei could guess, then he would have to place his bet that Botan had been named the sacrifice. After all, how often would opportunity present a pure deity such as the ferry girl? He sighed. The things he had to go through. But with the way Eien was pushing the two closer, he guessed that he had been marked with the 'honor' to sacrifice her.

Demon logic... Who would be able to live without it?

He smirked. Perhaps this ceremony thing wasn't so bad after all. If the deity were no longer around, he couldn't possibly have feelings for her. Perhaps he could play his father's game...

XxXxX

The second night of the ceremony had come and almost gone. There were only four nights and on the fifth, the true celebration would take place. Botan looked around for Hiei but he was nowhere to be found. She had not seen him since... Trying to push back her furious blush, she focused on finding Eien. Maybe he knew where his son was. After all, Hiei was an important asset to the event. Eien stood by himself, watching as a few young demons paired up to dance, a sign that they had found their life mates. She smiled at him when he noticed she was walking up to him.

"You have a question to ask me, I assume?" He chuckled at the expression on her face. "It is quite obvious that you are looking for my son. But I have not seen him since the start of tonight." His voice was calm, signalling that he didn't really care what Hiei was doing. "Perhaps he grew bored. The evening is almost through. You may leave, if you wish." She nodded.

"I am a little tired. Thank you and good night, Eien-san." She gave him a respectful bow before turning and leaving. He followed her form with his eyes until she had left the room. She was a nice girl...

Perhaps she could have made my son happy...if I didn't need her for my freedom.

He smirked before shifting to make himself more comfortable. He had to thank his son for the wonderful opportunity. The deity was so pure and practically glowed with unbridled Reiki. Of course, since she was a deity, she had one of the purest souls in the three worlds. Any other deity in Reikai would have been perfect, as well. But the fact that his son loved this girl...and that she loved him in return was what made the difference. He had to be weary, however, because he knew his son wasn't stupid. Hiei had probably figured something out because of the change in the barriers.

"My Lord, are you feeling well?" He looked over at the maiden that had spoken to him. She was one of his servants for a long time. He nodded and smiled, his good mood shining in his eyes. She flushed with embarrassment when he pulled her closer and laughed.

"I couldn't be happier, my dear. Soon, I will be free of my prison and then..." He laughed, figuring that he would leave the rest to the imagination. "It has been so long since I have last tasted freedom." She stumbled when he gave her a little shove. He then returned to his plotting, planning to smile the whole night through.

"Freedom... Why, Father, that seems like such an insane ambition. You were sealed here by Reikai, were you not?" Eien looked back to see Hiei leaning against the wall, his blood red eyes glittering with what looked like bloodlust. "Should you really try to use such a powerful method?" For a long while, father and son glared at each other. "And with such a pure deity? You'd go straight to Hell." Eien chuckled, more or less because he knew that already or to ease the tension.

"I know that, Hiei. That is when I die. Until then, I will be free." The fire koorime stood up completely and began to walk past his father. He paused only a moment in his steps.

"If you use her, there is no doubt in my mind that you will die. I will give your project an incomplete, since you failed to do part of your homework." With that, Hiei left the room and returned to his. He was becoming anxious and restless waiting for the last day to arrive. He locked his door before falling onto his bed. There was no doubt in his mind that his father would die if he went through with the whole ordeal...but what about him? He would be part of the ceremony and he had to sacrifice her. Would he be killed, as well? If not by that then definitely by Yuusuke and the others. Koenma would be so pissed off that he would sentence him life in a worse place than Hell.

"Hiei?" He heard someone knock on his door. It was Botan, there was no doubt in his mind. "Hiei, are you there?" He didn't wish to answer the door. Seeing her made him weak. His feelings for her needed to vanish. They made him so uncomfortable that he couldn't deal with himself. Guilt settled over his mind. It wasn't her fault so why was he doing that to her? He wasn't about to deal with emotions like that when he had so much on his mind. He heard her suddenly in the next room, closing her own door. With a sigh, he got up and undressed. Sleep was the only thing that would clear his mind. Sleep was the best thing for him.

XxXxX

He stood in front of an alter, a dagger in his hand. It was polished beautifully and had ancient markings all along the edge of the blade. His eyes went to the alter, where a woman, a deity, was chained to the wall. She appeared to be unconscious, her head hanging low and her hair covering her face. Her body was wrapped in what appeared to be ceremonial robes. A shining white, the robes flowed to just past her bare feet, which didn't even touch the small rise that was before her. Her cerulean blue curls hung loose, cascading down her shoulders. Her chest slowly, rhythmically, rose and fell; another indication of her unconsciousness. A large bowl was placed beneath her by a young maiden dressed in a robe similar to the woman's, except the fabric was black instead of pure white. The maiden bowed and left the alter, never once lifting her head. Then, a man's voice rang in his ears. He had a deep, booming voice that penetrated the silence. His words didn't even seem to be in a language he recognized. However, that could have been because the ringing in his ears made it hard for him to hear anything else.

"And now...it begins." He looked around at all of the distorted faces, not even able to make out one of them. "This is the new beginning of freedom. Let the ceremony come to an end with the final act." They were all staring at him. He felt eyes...so amny eyes watching him, waiting for him to do something. His body began to move freely, without his given consent. He raised the dagger in his fist and watched through wide eyes as his other hand lifted the chin of the woman suspended before him. The blade sliced her delicate skin, shallowly, at first. Her eyes opened and she stared at him through large pools of amethyst. The first drop of crimson blood left her body, running down her neck to stain the shining white robe. Her pink lips moved but no sound came from them. The dagger slowly sliced deeper, until the blood was pouring from the wound.

"Hiei..." The whispered word left her lips as the light faded from her eyes. Her body went limp as he let go of her chin. Her head forward and the blood began dripping into the bowl. He placed the dagger into the bowl so that the blood that the blade would drip off. Words he didn't know left his lips as he kneeled there. The words he spoke...sounded strangely like an incantation. He stared at the slowly growing pool of blood in the bowl. His mind seemed foggy but he felt anxious and impatient, as though he were waiting for something else to take place. The woman's blood seemed to let off a faint glow. Then, a man stepped up beside him and bent down, filling a small decorated cup with the crimson liquid. He stood before lifting it to his lips. Before it fully reached his mouth, he paused and began a new incantation. Then he put his lips on the cup and drank the blood...

"With the deity now sacrificed and the ceremony now complete, I will now bask in my new-found freedom!" With that said, he whirled around to face the woman. He smirked before completely engulfing her body in flames...

XxXxX

Hiei's eyes snapped open and he sat straight up in bed. His mouth was dry, as though he had been eating cotton. His body was glistening with sweat and his breathing was quick and irregular. He had kicked off his blankets during his nightmare so they resided in a pile on the floor. He got out of bed and threw open the window, the brisk morning breeze calming him down considerably. It had to have been a nightmare. The ceremony was still a few days away. He remembered it so vividly, just like the nightmares before that turned out to be memories... He shook his head and threw on his clothes, determined not to let his nightmares get the best of him. He still had to figure out what his decision would be. The nightmare of the designated night scared him half to death... But the concept of a relationship scared him even more. And he didn't like to be scared because it never happened. It wasn't supposed to happen.

This is ridiculous. I should not be scared of killing someone, even if it is...her. But it would be my first sacrifice... How am I even considering this? I am the Forbidden Child. I can love no one. I can be with no one... The decision is really obvious.

He pushed open his door and slammed it shut.

Botan has got to die... But it has to happen before the ceremony or else my father will gain his freedom.

He was not going to let Eien have his way. The events that would unfold after that... Hiei wasn't even sure if he was powerful enough to kill his father at his full potential. If Eien gained his 'freedom' then he would have access to all of his powers.

That old man is pretty clever to lure me in here with her. But to do this, I have to surpass him...

If Hiei killed Botan before the ceremony was over, he was sure to be killed. If his father dropped his guard, thinking that Hiei would go along with him and sacrifice her, then it was possible that he could kill them both. A different kind of thought crossed his mind as he walked the halls. If the rest of the Reikai Tantei knew what he was plotting, they would surely kill him. Kurama would hit him upside the head and ask him how he could even be considering the idea of killing Botan.

"Hiei!" He froze, his whole body going stiff. Her voice... She sounded so happy to see him. What the hell was going on with him? Why couldn't he make one simple decision and stick with it? "I was looking for you last night. Are you okay? Listen, it's okay if you need your space but...I wish you would tell me." She turned him around and made him look at her. "I'm really worried about you."

"I know, onna. But I need my space...and right now, you are invading it." He pulled away from her grasp. "I have things to do." Turning around, he walked away as quickly as he dared.

XxXxX

For the last few days, it remained that way. Botan didn't know what to think of it. Hiei was avoiding her and snapping at her every time she ran into him. It was hurting her but she knew that he was new to those types of feelings.

"Eien-san!" She smiled at him when he entered her room through her open door. "What are you here for?" He smirked at her before handing her a delicately wrapped package. She looked up at him when he closed the door and took a seat in the chair by her bed. She went over and sat on the edge of the bed, placing the package in her lap. "What is this for?"

"Tonight's celebration. After all, it is the last night. I will need you there a few hours early. Will that be all right?" He asked softly. She nodded before turning her attention back to what he had given her. She gently tugged at the ribbon keeping the wrapping in place before unfolding it to reveal a pure white robe. She stood up and unfolded it, putting it against her body. It seemed almost like it was made for her. It differed from kimono in that it had no layers. The sleeves were a bit long and it seemed a little long. However, it looked like it had purposely been made that way. "What do you think?" She turned to look at him.

"I cannot accept this." She stated with a feeble smile. "Someone else should wear it. Someone who deserves it more." He stood up and laughed, startling her with his abruptness. He gave her a slap on the back.

"So modest! The true sign of a pure being! Anyway, I expect you there a few hours early, as you promised. Oh, and...leave your hair down. It looks lovely that way." She flushed at his brazen declaration. But she continued to hold the robe against her, this time gazing at herself in the mirror. What would the evening bring...?

XxXxX

Sorry about the wait on this chapter. I'll try my best to get the next one out so I'm not leaving you too long with an ending like that:)

And thank you so much for being so patient with me. It isn't easy for me to write anymore. I work mornings now and still using my brother's computer so...not working too well there. But I'm trying my best and you are giving me wonderful support!

Just like before, I tried to prevent too much OOCness. I know Hiei was a little OOC at the end of the last chapter but think about it... He had never been in that type of position before so... there isn't any telling what is actually OOC, right?

Thanks so much for reading! Love you all!