Fear of Fire

Do not own YYH.

21

Movies and Dating

XXX

"You're such an idiot!" She hauled off and slapped him, her eyes burning with anger. He recoiled, holding his face as he gave her a vicious glare. "Why can't you ever do anything right?" She stormed away, her chest heaving from screaming at him so much. Botan raised a brow as she stared after Keiko, the latter having just exploded on her boyfriend. Yuusuke muttered curses as he sat down, his chocolate brown eyes narrowing at Keiko's fading figure.

"Yuusuke, you really need to watch what you say to her." Botan reached over and touched his face, healing him with her Reiki. He sighed and crossed his arms, sinking down into his seat. They were in a coffee shop. Botan had wanted to ask them what to do about what Kurama had told her.

"I'm sorry I'm not much help." The detective said quietly. He looked pissed off beyond belief. "But as you can see, I'm probably considered the worst boyfriend in the history of the planet." The ferry girl pulled her hand all the way back and stared at him sadly.

"No, you're not, Yuusuke. It's just that your mouth is the worst boyfriend in Ningenkai. You really should stop saying such things around her. I don't mean to lecture you but girls aren't really attracted to a pervert...or obscenities." He gave her a look, which made her move her gaze to her tea.

"You're a great help, Botan-chan." She suddenly looked up, furious at him. She was trying to help him but he wouldn't listen to her.

"If you don't want help, then sit there and sulk. I'm going to find Hiei." He stared out the cafe window as she left, watching her walk away. She was right. She was always right about him...

Why do I feel like such a jerk...?

Botan walked down the street, her eyes narrowing at the sidewalk. How insane could Yuusuke possibly get? Then again, he was always that way and probably would always be that way. Her anger cooled off. Besides, that wasn't her main concern. Hiei was no doubt doing something stupid to avoid her.

He's always pushing himself too far. Always training to become stronger when he's already the strongest... Still, I hope he didn't do anything too uncharacteristically idiotic.

The park was filled with playing children, as it usually was. Only this time it seemed different to the ferry girl as she walked through it. Would she one day be able to see a smiling face that resembled hers...? Snapping out of her daze, she realized that she had stopped by a bench containing a slumbering koorime. A few little kids were playing ball near them, watching the demon curiously. She leaned over him and whispered his name. His eyes snapped open.

"Onna?" She grinned as she backed away a bit. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? Can't I come to see my favorite person?" He flushed and looked away, a miserable scowl adorning his face. "Oh, come now. Cheer up, Hiei! We've got a lot of stuff to do today so get your butt in gear!" He made a startled noise when she grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "I understand that this is hard for you. But I wanted to show you that we could do other things to take our minds off of that and just have fun being around each other."

She took him to the mall, shopping around for clothes for both of them and having fun trying on ridiculous-looking outfits and hats and such. Then Botan pulled him into the photo sticker booth and got a couple pictures with him. He nearly freaked out on her when she put one of the pictures on the top of her communicator. But she glared at him and told him in a cold tone that it was staying put, whether he liked it or not. Then they journeyed into the arcade. Botan tried out several games, winding up beating Hiei's scores mercilessly. Eventually, they got to the point where they were tied and the koorime gained his first virtual victory. He smirked at a miffed off ferry girl. Then she put her hand on her stomach and looked at her watch.

"Time to get something to eat. Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the food court. Hiei watched her as she led him through the crowd. Throughout the entire day, the smile had never left her face. And, even though he didn't want to admit it, he was having a good time. She was fun to be around in an insanely weird way. But he supposed that it was her attitude that drew him to her. She had him sit down with their things while she went and got them their food.

XXX

Botan entered her apartment and collapsed on the couch with a happy sigh. Hiei closed the door and dropped their bags on the floor.

"Tired?" He asked, smirking at her as she yawned. "Looks like you don't have as much energy as I thought you did." She covered her mouth and blushed furiously, standing and putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, keeping track of you is what made my energy fade!" He snickered before walking into the kitchen to fix himself tea. What made him want it, he had no idea. She picked up the bags and decided to put the things away. After finishing with her things, she went to her guest room and began to put his things into the closet.

"Onna?" She turned to smile at him when she noticed the expression on his face. "I can't stay here." With a soft sigh, she looked down at the clothes in her hands. "You know why I can't."

"I do know, Hiei. But I don't think that it will be a problem. You have the most restraint out of every one of the Tantei, except for Kurama. I just don't want you sleeping outside..." He stood there only a moment longer before leaving her to what she was doing. She pulled the black material to her chest and tried to stop the stinging sensation in her eyes. She just didn't understand what he wanted from her. Didn't he want to get to know her? How was he going to do that by avoiding her?

I wish... I wish that for once, things would go right. I don't like to see him like this...

She hated seeing him suffer from something she could do nothing about. The high-pitched whistle of the teapot made her snap out of her thoughts. So, she finished putting his things away and went into the kitchen to get herself some tea. She watched as he filled two cups of tea and took one, leaving the other behind.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly, her eyes downcast. He stared at her before rolling his eyes as his new-found, annoying emotions kicked in. Guilty as charged...

"What is it, onna?" Botan looked up at him and raised a brow. "You're sulking. What is it?" The deity didn't really feel like answering his question. In fact, she didn't even feel the need to look at him. "You need to understand what this does to me..."

"At least stay with Kurama, then. I just...don't want you out there." He sighed.

"I am fine with staying in my tree. It makes me feel...more comfortable." The look he received made him feel like she didn't believe him. "It reminds me of when I was in Makai." He supposed that she would have to know more about his past in order to associate herself with how he acted. Then they could possibly make a breakthrough with understanding. Perhaps she would even share some of her mannerisms, not that he didn't know some of them from situations before.

"Did you...only sleep in trees? Or did you sleep in a cave or maybe a home?" He sighed and sat down across from her.

"I didn't have a home. And I hated caves unless it was pouring or sleeting." She smiled at him. She could remember how she used to love the pouring rain. "Then, sometimes, I would visit with Kurama and Kuronue." His eyes dulled slightly.

"So, you were outside a lot. Did you train all the time?" He shook his head and took a sip of the warm tea.

"No, not really. A while after I got the Jagan implanted, I began to use it to watch over my sister. Before that, I couldn't be away too much for fear she would get harmed. The little fool liked to frolic with the animals but she never thought of the danger she put herself into." Botan smiled, watching as he reminisced and listened to his voice. She was content to know that he was actually opening up to her. "After I got the Jagan, I had more time to train. I had more time to myself. But, after a while, I got so careless that she slipped through my guard long enough to get captured by that slime, Tarukanei." He sipped his hot tea, smirking slightly at his ability. She watched him before pushing her tea towards him. He understood and heated it back up for her.

"I know some of your past, Hiei. But not all of it. I wanted to ask you so many times about it..." She smiled and took her cup back. "I just wish that we could've talked like this before." They were both silent for a while, not bothering to break it. Suddenly, she thought of something to say. "You know, I always wondered how you met Kurama." He raised a brow before shrugging.

"I was on a hunt and he stole my prey." She laughed. "It sounds funny but that bastard made me follow him back to his lair before I could even get my meal back."

"I could totally see that!" Her laughter echoed throughout the apartment, something that hadn't happened in some time. "Kurama always was a puzzle. Youko was never one to be easily figured out."

"He made it seem like a maze to get to his lair. Luckily I had my Jagan. Otherwise, I would've had to pretend to be his shadow." She continued her jovial laughter. He continued to recount the lighter tales of his past, while he left the darkest locked up inside the hidden room of his mind.

XXX

Botan woke up, slightly frustrated with the annoying ringing sound until she realized that it was her phone ringing. She jumped up and ran out of the room before diving at the device, tripping on the rug and falling onto her stomach, knocking the phone onto the floor. She grabbed it and answered it just in time.

"Hello?" The one on the other line muttered something and made her repeat herself. Then she found out that it was Yuusuke and he was asking her to meet him at the movies. Or, to be specific, a certain movie. She rolled her eyes and told him that she'd be ready in five minutes. He agreed before hanging up quickly. She couldn't help but notice that the movie that he picked was a hard-core action movie. "Big surprise there..." She groaned as she got up from the floor. She walked back into her room and rubbed her eyes.

Stupid Yuusuke... I wonder what he wants now...

She dressed in a t-shirt and jeans with her white sneakers. Pulling up her hair, she realized that it would be messy as a ponytail so she just left it as a bun. Then she grabbed her purse and jogged out the door. She got to the movie theatre and paid for her ticket before going in. She walked into the darkened theatre, having made it just in time for the movie trailers. Finding Yuusuke wouldn't be too hard, since the last time he had done it, he had been seated all the way in the back, in the corner.

"What do you want?" She asked quietly as she plopped down next to him. Luckily, no one was really in the upper level seats. They were mostly toward the middle.

"I was hoping to talk to you about Keiko." He said softly, pulling out a box of candy from his baggy pants. "Y'know, about that fight that we had."

"She'll get over it, Yuusuke. She always does. Just think for once, you idiot." He shot her a dirty look that she didn't pay any attention to. Her eyes were focused on the screen. "She knew what she was getting into when she agreed to go out with you. The only thing that's wrong with you is that mouth and your pervertedness." He scoffed, his eyes leaving the dark silhouette of the deity.

"I'm not that bad." He forced himself to watch the trailers, trying to find something interesting that was upcoming. "And she knows that it isn't my fault I'm like this."

"Just suck up your pride and apologize." They grew silent as the movie started.

XXX

"What do you find so interesting about these movie things?" Hiei looked at Botan as she picked through the movies. She would read the small words on the back before returning them to the shelves. "They're a waste of time." He picked one up and looked at the back of it. "They sound ridiculous."

"Some of them are really good. I just feel like watching a couple. Maybe we should have a movie night. I could pick a couple categories and then I could buy snacks and then we could stay up late watching them!" He sighed before rolling his eyes at her ever-present enthusiasm. He watched as she read one then kept it in her hand. "I guess...I'll get horror and action, then, since you wouldn't like the movies I watch."

"Get what you want, onna. It won't make a difference." He felt bored beyond belief, not even focusing on any of the movies. His eyes roamed over the interaction of some of the people. He could clearly tell which people were lovers, which people were mates, and which were only friends. He wondered if anyone even payed any attention to Botan as she appeared to be alone since he had walked off. He went back over but she wasn't where she had previously been. "Onna?" He asked, walking past the section that the ferry girl had been looking at. He tried to follow her scent but there were so many different ones, some even overbearing to his hyper senses. He tapped into his Jagan to locate her. She was by a different section, talking to some boy that was around Yuusuke's age. Well, he assumed that, anyway.

"Hiei, there you are!" Botan ran over to him when she spotted him. Then she turned around and thanked the boy before grabbing Hiei's arm and leading him to the checkout. "I got a couple more movies!"

It seemed as though the movie marathon wasn't a bad idea. The two sat on the couch together and watched the movies. Or...Botan watched the movies and Hiei sampled the snacks she had bought.

"None of this is like sweet snow..." Some of the snacks were sweet but he didn't like them as much as his all-time favorite snack. "Do you have any sweet snow?" Botan paused the movie before getting up and going to the kitchen. When she came back, his eyes went wide. She had two spoons sticking out of the gallon she had just bought on her previous shopping excursion.

"Are you okay with neopolitan?" He raised a brow. "It has chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry."

"Hn." She sat down next to him and held it so that he could scoop his spoon out and taste it. He had gotten a big glob of chocolate and strawberry. However, he really liked the mixed taste. So, he scooped out another glob. Botan laughed when some of the ice cream slid down his chin. She leaned over and playfully licked it off. Hiei went rigid for a moment before he took the carton of ice cream from her and set it on the table. Then he pulled her to him and kissed her roughly. She pulled away after a moment and stared at him in surprise. "Onna...don't tease me." He went to get up but she grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

"Hiei, we have to talk about this. You have to let me know what you want to do." She said quietly as he continued to stare at the paused movie.

"It's too early. I don't know what to do..." He was torn but he didn't want to show her that.

"You're right. It's too early. But how...how will we know when it isn't?" He looked over at her when she voiced the question. That had been something that he figured she would know.

"Whenever it happens, I guess." He shrugged and began to get up again when he noticed that she was still clutching his arm. "Onna..."

"Don't leave, okay? I... I just want to spend time with you. Maybe...it will bring us closer." She pleaded quietly. No matter how much she trusted him, she trusted his restraint even more. He was the trustworthy one in actually holding himself in check. She knew that Kurama was, as well. But...Hiei actually hated humans. He hated them a lot and yet he had never made a scene. He had never killed any one. He had even held himself back from killing Tarukane. That was a large step, since he absolutely loathed the man for kidnapping Yukina. "I know you won't do anything." She looked up at him before letting go of his arm in favor of holding his hand. "At least finish watching the rest of the movies." He sighed and relaxed back on the couch.

"Fine, onna."

XXX

He opened his eyes, half-way conscious at least. His sharp hearing caught the sound of breathing... In fact, he was rather warm and there was a weight on his chest. He lifted his head and looked down to see that he was holding Botan in his arms. The flickering light from the television was the only light in the room, causing him to believe that it was still pretty early in the morning. He grunted when he went to sit up after shifting the onna in his arms.

"Great..." His back was beginning to ache from the position he was in on the couch. He was half laying and half sitting against the arm of the furniture. He pulled her to his chest, cradling her as he sat up and attempted to stand. "Onna..." He walked her to her room and set her in her bed. As he pulled the covers over her, he thought about how much he had changed. He wouldn't allow it to show in his personality but he noticed that he was doing things that he never would've even thought of.

I don't want that...

He scowled darkly. Of course he didn't want to change. He didn't want to forget. He didn't want to push his past away. Yet...he did want to do just that. He leaned down, kissing her softly on her lips before going back into the living room and turning everything off. Then he left through the window.

XXX

Well, they have tried dating. Hiei's mind is finally registering the changes that have been made within him. And he hates it.

What will he do now?

-Angel