Fear of Fire

Disclaimer - Don't own YYH.

Chapter 16 - Conclusion

XxXxX

Botan walked out of the bathroom, the steam playfully following her until it vanished. She dried off her hair while staring at the white robes. Something seemed odd... She turned her head to dry off her hair when she noticed something gleaming on her dresser. Drawing closer, she realized what it was almost instantly.

Hiei...what is going on in that head of yours now?

She was staring at the necklace that he had sent her before, in a form of apology. Only now, it was just the necklace with the Hiruiseki stone on it. Maybe he was apologizing again? She shook her head. For what? He hadn't done anything wrong. She looked at her door, realizing that it was locked. How, then, had he entered? The window? She whirled around to see the curtains billowing lightly. That damnable koorime! She smiled and closed her fist around the stone, placing it against her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart.

She stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself in the gleaming robes. Then she lifted the necklace and placed it around her neck. Hoepfully, they would leave the castle after the ceremony and...then what? Did Hiei want to be free of the prospect of a relationship? Or did he still want to be with her? She wasn't so certain but she did know that she loved him. She also knew that, no matter what became of them, she wanted to be part of his life, even if he was only her friend.

"Well...here goes..." She turned around and left, slipping on a pair of zori on her way out the door. The strange thing was, with as important as the ceremony seemed, no one was in the corridors. Not a single person was to be seen. She made her way to the hall and hesitated at the doors. Why had Eien wanted her there early? Was she going to have a part in it? The thought scared her but it also intrigued her. She set her hand on the doorknob and twisted.

XxXxX

(Time difference!)

Yuusuke let out a yawn, his eyes gazing tiredly at the clock. Quarter to midnight... What did Kurama want at a time like this? The kitsune had entered through his window, which made Yuusuke awfully jumpy. He nearly screamed at and clobbered his friend and partner until Kurama turned on the light.

"I can't find Hiei." The little koorime had always pulled vanishing acts. What was so different now? "And Botan is missing, as well." That really woke the detective up. "I tried locating their Reiki but couldn't find it. And I called Koenma but he wasn't awake."

"I know the feeling..." Yuusuke held up his hand and left his room to go to the bathroom. Kurama sat down on the bed, eager to hear what the detective was going to say to his plan. Hiei just might have gone back to Makai and, knowing Botan, she might have followed him. What bothered him was that neither of them had tried any form of contact in the past...five days. "So, why are we really concerned about this...at midnight?" The kitsune gave him a dirty look. "Look, Hiei can take care of himself and sometimes Botan gets those stupid assignments for Reikai that she has to deal with. My point is, why do we have to worry about this now?"

"Because one of them would have tried to make contact after the first two days. Or maybe I'm assuming too much." Who knew that Kurama could be so short tempered? Maybe the fact that it was midnight had something to do with it...

"What difference would it make if we worried about it now instead of in the morning? Keiko will find me to blame for this and she will make it out to be a reason to kick my ass for sleeping in class." Yuusuke stated with a long sigh. "But, since I'm awake, I guess I'll hear out what you plan on doing while Koenma is sleeping."

"I want to sneak into Reikai and take a portal to get into Makai." He paused to wait for a reaction. The detective stared at him tiredly for a few moments before slapping him across the face. "What the-" Kurama tried to hold in the curse that was trying to escape his mouth as he stared back at Yuusuke in shock.

"Listen to yourself. Let them deal with whatever problem they're having. Besides, how do you even know they're in Makai? Where would they be if they were? Now stop waking me up in the middle of the freaking night for stupid impulses! Go home and get some sleep. You said yourself that you trusted them. They'll call if they need help." Yuusuke climbed back in bed and hid himself under his covers. "I assume you can find your way back out my window in the dark..."

"Yes, Yuusuke, I can." The kitsune left but did not return home. Something wasn't right. He could feel it in the air.

XxXxX

Botan opened the door and noticed immediately that there was not one person wearing a kimono. They were...wearing robes. Robes of onyx black and scarlet red... It seemed as though she was...out of place. Why was she the only one wearing white? Her eyes sought out Eien and found him standing by an alter that was being set up. He noticed her and gestured that she join him. She walked in and closed the door behind her, nervously trying to evade being the center of attention.

"Botan, you look simply lovely! I knew that the white would look best on you." She blushed slightly then let her gaze wander back over to the alter. "Ah, an inquiring mind you have, lovely deity!" For some reason, the way he spoke to her gave her the chills. "The ceremony will commence at midnight tonight. Though, there will be speeches and a lovely feast to cover the rest of the evening."

"Why midnight, Eien-san?" She asked quietly, hoping that her fear would vanish with the answer. However, she was so far from the target that she couldn't even see it. He put his arm around her shoulder, his crimson red robes billowing. A chuckle left his lips before he even thought to answer.

"Why, aren't most sacrifices better when the full moon is high and everything becomes much more powerful? And isn't midnight such a lovely time to die?" She couldn't breathe... Her lungs wouldn't accept air and her eyes were beginning to water. Finally, she drew in a shaky breath and pulled forcefully away from Eien. "Oh, didn't I tell you? You are tonight's sacrifice! You are going to help me gain my freedom from this foresaken hell! Aren't you happy?" No! Of course she wasn't happy! She was mortified. How in the hell was she supposed to get out of... Wait a minute! Hiei was edgy when the ceremonies first began. Had he figured it out then and neglected to tell her? Had he known all along?

"You will...surely die if you sacrifice me." He smiled and flicked his wrist as though it were no concern of his. "Please, Eien-san...don't do this..." Why was it always her? She would probably have better chances if she were a tainted being. Then she wouldn't be so pure and wouldn't be used in such situations.

"Well, you will be pleased to know that I will not be sacrificing you." She almost breathed easier, except he didn't say that she was going to live. "My son will be the one holding the blade." An image flashed in her mind, one that made her want to cry. Her chest began to ache and she brought her hand up, her fingers absently brushing against the bump in her robes, indicating the surface of the Hiruiseki stone. She could almost feel the coldness of it against her fingers. The stone was eminating such coldness that it gave her the chills. However, it calmed her down and forced her to have faith in her feelings. She had to trust in Hiei. She had to believe that he would keep her out of danger. She had to find him. Turning around, Botan began to run back to the doors. However, darkness engulfed her before she could even cry out his name.

XxXxX

Hiei was pushed rather forcibly into the hall by the ones that had been watching him all along. He growled at them but they didn't seem to care. Following their gazes, he found himself staring at the same alter from his dream, along with the same pure deity in white robes... He was 'escorted' to the alter, where he was 'helped' up onto the rise. He found himself staring at the lovely woman, like he had in his dreams. Only, along her delicate neck, he could see a chain and knew what rested beneath the robes. She had worn it... It brought to him the reality and the identity of the woman suspended before him. A dagger was resting in front of him and he figured that he would have to pick it up. As his father spoke lies to the crowd, he inspected the words carved onto the blade. However, he didn't have time to inspect them for very long because the young maiden from his dream placed a large decorated bowl beneathe Botan's feet. Her chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm, something he wanted to keep happening. His eyes went to the small bump at her chest, where the Hiruiseki stone rested. He had reached a conclusion. He couldn't kill her. No matter what she did to him, he couldn't do it. Even though she made him lose concentration, made him weak with emotions he hated, made him depend on her... He couldn't kill her.

"And now...it begins." He looked around, expecting eveyone's faces to be distorted. Though, he was surprised to find that they were not. "This is the new beginning of freedom. Let the ceremony come to an end with the final act." Damn him and his dreams. If he made it through this, he would probably never want to dream again. However, if he stalled the ceremony, he feared that she wouldn't live to see consciousness. So, he would fake the entire thing. He lifted her chin so that he had a clear view of her throat.

Onna, I hope you can act...

He placed the dagger where the cut should be made and dug it in gently, enough to only leave a red line. Then he looked up to see that she was waking up. Her eyes snapped open and she stared down at him with wide eyes. He gave her a stern look before moving his hand down and slicing his palm so that the blood was plainly visible only to her. After all, his back was to everyone and he was up higher than they were. But she was up higher than he was... Oh well. Then he carefully put his hand on her neck, over the red line, letting his blood drip down her skin. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. He narrowed his eyes at her and she gazed at him with a pain-filled expression. Then she let her head fall forward limply, right after he removed his hand, which he closed as he knelt down. He placed the dagger in the bowl and made sure to get a puddle before he hid his hand in his robes. The words he had spoken in his dream left his lips before he stood again, staring at the deity, who was a surprisingly good actress. Eien was soon next to him with that cup from his dream. The thought of what he was about to do made the koorime sick to his stomach. So, he closed his eyes and waited. He heard the incantation and then there was a pause.

"With the deity now sacrificed and the ceremony now complete, I will now bask in my new-found...freedom..." Hiei took it upon himself to use the sacrificial blade to stab his father in the back.

"How does the blood taste, father?" He asked as he pulled the blood-drenched dagger out of Eien's back. The fire demon looked at his son in horror. "Does it taste like demon blood?" The koorime revealed his sliced hand. "Next time you force me to sacrifice someone, make sure it is someone I don't know." Eien's eyes narrowed in anger.

"You fool! You stole freedom from this entire castle! From everyone in this room! Do you expect to get out alive with your deity?" He made a motion at Botan, similar to the one in Hiei's dream, when he engulfed her in...

"Don't you even consider it, old man. Do you believe I am without the means to defeat you?" His body temperature began to rise and his form began to glow with the blackest fire. "Do you think I am so stupid that I would pull something like this without the confidence of a greater power; perhaps the greatest power?" The older demon watched as the bandanna across his son's forehead burned away to reveal the Jagan eye. "I'll send you to the black abyss from which you came!"

"You cannot defeat me with a false Jagan, my son. I will always overpower you." Eien straightened his back as though he had never been stabbed in the first place. "I will always be on top because I do not have a weakness to drag me down." He launched an attack at his son before following up with some physical blows. Hiei blocked every one without moving from his spot in front of Botan. However, he was too late when the fire demon launched two attacks, one at him and one at the deity. She felt the heat and tried her hardest to form a barrier against it. The coldness of the Hiruiseki stone increased, giving her the chills instead of feeling the effects of the fire. It was protecting her...

"Such a low-class thing to do. I actually thought that you were better than that, Father. But how childish of me..."

XxXxX

Kurama shivered, his emerald eyes narrowing up at the full moon. He still had that horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen. Perhaps sitting on the roof of the highest building in the city was a stupid thing to do. Nothing was going to make that feeling go away. Stupid Yuusuke...

He didn't have to slap me...

Damn that unpredictable detective. He made Kurama seem stupid for worrying. However, the kitsune knew better. Something had gone wrong. Something bad had either yet to happen or already did.

"Stupid Kurama..." He heard a voice behind him mutter. Kurama turned his head and saw Yuusuke standing there, dressed and wrapped up in a jacket. "Why is it so damn cold?" The detective complained as he sat down next to the kitsune. "Thanks to you, my hands are gonna have frostbite."

"It isn't that cold out here." The boy rolled his eyes and muttered something undoubtedly stupid before making a face, crossing his eyes and everything. Kurama became increasingly interested in what the idiot detective was about to do.

"It isn't that cold out here." His voice was high-pitched and mocking to the highest degree. "Listen to yourself! I dragged my ass out of my nice warm bed after you disturbed my sleep at midnight because I felt bad for slapping you. And this is the thanks I get? It isn't that cold out here, he says! The least you could do is humor me since I'm worried sick about my assistant and teammate!" With a sigh, the kitsune agreed with his rambling friend. Perhaps he should have let Yuusuke sleep...

XxXxX

The fight was intense as onyx flames collided with natural flames. Hiei was fighting fire with fire...even if his was from the deepest pits of Hell. His eyes were pure black as hatred consumed him thoroughly. Botan was watching with wide eyes, still suspended on the wall. A small barrier was now visible around her, since the temperature of the air in the room was too hot for everyone except for the two fire demons that were trying to kill each other. The ferry girl would've liked it better if she wasn't still tied up and she was able to run whenever fire got close to her. She didn't know how long the barrier would hold up. All she knew was that she was grateful to Hiei for lending the Hiruiseki stone to her. Flames once more collided with the barrier, making her heart race and her fear skyrocket. But the barrier continued to hold strong. She had tried to go into spirit form but something was keeping her from doing so. She had long since stopped trying to struggle against chains.

"Hiei..." Her eyes followed him, even when he disappeared in bursts of speed. In her mind, she knew that he was not himself. He was that hate-filled demon from before, the one that had coldly pushed her away, the one that had fled from Ningenkai because of her. She wanted to protect him from being hurt anymore than he already was. She wanted him to be happy. "I promise that...you'll be free..." Her eyes went to her chains. She had to get out of them. The battle would only keep going until one of them died or both passed out from exhaustion, which wasn't likely. The chains were too tight to let her slip her hands through and even her feet were chained. She would only be a distraction for the koorime if she remained in the room.

"What are you thinking of, deity?" A very familiar man appeared in front of her, looking down at the sacrificial blade he held in his hand. "You cannot break free on your own and your koorime is locked in battle with...me." Her breath caught in her throat. Standing in front of her was one of Eien's dopplegangers. Obviously, he knew the art and that was how he had contacted Hiei. But to do it in the midst of the battle... Her eyes widened. She looked around frantically to see that Hiei was kneeling on the ground, panting and facing the real Eien, who was just recovering from being hit.

"Stay away from me, you sick-" He laughed quietly, amusement dancing in his eyes. He noticed the chain leading down into her blood-soaked robes. Without so much as a word, he ripped the top of her robes to see what it was that rested beneathe. Botan let out a surprised yelp and tried to twist away from him. She noticed then what he was looking at. The blood-soaked Hiruiseki stone. It was slowly turning colors, bonding with Hiei's blood and drawing from it. "What..."

"I never thought that my son could be such a stupid whelp. Emotions are for the weak and defenseless. Do you realize that you are dragging him down?" He cut her chains and pulled her close to his body. "I have orders to kill you. Since they are from myself, I cannot disobey." His face was set in a malicious grin. "I had forgotten how beautiful purity could be." The blade was suddenly pressed up against her throat, right on the red line that Hiei had made. "Time to finish what my son started..."

"Hiei!" His name left her lips without even a second thought. Her fear made her heart race, made her body grow cold. Her barrier had only protected her from the heat... She closed her eyes, praying that something would happen soon, something that wouldn't leave her dead. "Hiei..." Her body trembled as tears escaped from her tightly closed eyes. Suddenly, she was thrown hard into the wall, leaving her completely knocking the breath from her body. With brief hesitation, she opened her eyes to see what had happened. But all she saw was black... Looking up, she realized that Hiei was standing in front of her.

"You are dead." The words were bitter as they left his lips. His voice was dripping with anger and resentment. Those were his only words as he released his most feared attack...

The smoke was thick and it made her eyes water if she tried to look around and see. She knew that he was carrying her to safety. After his attack, the room began to collapse because of the power of his Dragon. Then...it wasn't just the room collapsing but the entire castle. Leaning her head on his chest, she let her tired mind rest.

XxXxX

Warmth and comfort... Where was she? Opening her eyes and sitting up, Botan realized that she was back in her apartment, in her own bed. Glancing over at her digital clock, she also realized that she must have slept a good long time because it read 2:04 PM. She threw back her covers and blushed so red that tomatoes would have been jealous of her.

Hiei must've taken those robes off...

She was only in her bra and underwear. How...embarrassing. Getting quickly out of bed, she decided that she needed a shower. She stunk of blood and smoke. Grabbing some clothes, she ran to her bathroom for a long hot cleansing.

While brushing her hair after her shower, Botan decided to see if Hiei had stayed in the apartment or if he had left her there. When she got out into the living room, she knew that her couch had not been used.

I guess that I'll go and find him after I eat something... Or maybe I should wait and make him eat with me... I think I'll go with that. Perhaps...he went to Kurama's. I know that he was wounded so he had to get them treated, right?

She pulled her hair into a sloppy bun before grabbing an apple and slipping on her shoes. There weren't very many places that he would go to so it wouldn't take her too long. At least, she hoped not.

XxXxX

"Hiei was here?" Botan felt instantly surprised that the koorime had gone to Yukina instead of Kurama. "It could be because Kurama would've asked questions..." The kitsune was ever curious and it probably bothered the hell out of Hiei.

"I asked him about it but he...wouldn't really say." The young koorime looked upset. "He only asked that I heal his wounds. Then he left..." The ferry girl sighed and shook her head. That sounded like Hiei. "I am worried about him. Will you please tell me what happened? He seemed...different."

"Yukina, I would if I could but...what happened is better left alone. He just didn't want to worry you more by telling you." She set her hand on Yukina's shoulder. "I think...that he'll be fine. Hiei is stronger than anyone I've ever met so don't worry so much." The ice maiden hesitantly leaned forward and hugged Botan.

"Thank you so much for...being there for him." After that, they said their good byes and Botan set off to find the koorime. She had no idea where he was. He wasn't in the park; that had been the second place she looked. Kurama hadn't been home so option one had been eliminated.

If I were an angry, irritable fire demon, where would I be?

She almost laughed at herself for thinking about such things. Then a thought crossed her mind. Why not ask a detective? Surely Yuusuke had time to spare and if he didn't, there was no reason why he wouldn't clear his schedule to look for a friend and teammate. With a grin on her face, she headed for Yuusuke's apartment.

XxXxX

I'm cutting you all off right there. So...how did I do? Once again, I apologize for not updating... Work is such a pain. But I'm on more nights! Not to mention that some time is spent with the boyfriend...

I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I tried my best for my current situation of being dead tired... -- At any rate, please drop me a review now and then...or maybe all the time... Thanks!