CHAPTER 9

Sometime later Hiei was sitting in the hotel lounge, glaring at anyone who bothered to look at him, when he felt a presense behind him, a familiar presense that only belonged to only one person.

"What do you want Kurama?" he demanded, not bothering to turn around to look his friend in the eye.

Kurama stared at the back of his friend's head a minute in surprise then walked around the sofa and sat down beside the fire demon. "I want to talk to you," he said.

Hiei looked at him. "About what?" he asked.

"About how you've been acting lately," the fox replied, leaning forward. "Is there something wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"

The fire demon glared at him. "Why are you suddenly so interested, fox?" he demanded. Are you going to lecture me about my attitude again? Just give up. You won't change me.

"Because I'm your friend and I'm worried," Kurama replied, as if that was reason enough.

Hiei knew better. "You're lying," he said flat out.

Kurama looked away. Guilty as charged.

"Now why are you asking me?" the fire demon demanded, giving his friend a suspicious look. "You didn't hear anything you shouldn't have by any chance."

Kurama wouldn't look at him but he did admit. "I heard you talking to Botan."

"So you were poking your nose where it didn't belong?" Hiei snapped. Dumd nosy fox! Mind your own business!

Kurama looked bact at his friend and saw something in Hiei's eyes. A warning. The fox had better be careful. "Y-yes I was," he admited. "I didn't mean to," he added quickly when he saw the look get worse. "I just couln't help overhearing."

Hiei looked like he wanted to cut Kurama up right there. Run his sword right through the foxes beautiful red head. Instead he thought better of it. "So you know then," he said looking away. Damn fox! You always hear the wrong things at the wrong times. It that your gift or something? Meddling?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kurama wanted to know.

Why should you care? Hiei looked at him sharply. "You're not my mother fox," he snapped.

"I know but I am your best friend."

"That still doesn't mean I have to tell you everything," the fire demon shot back. Stupid fox! Stupid stupid fox!

Kurama nodded. "You're right," he said."I'm sorry."

"You better be!"

About that time Botan walked through the lobby. She was wearing a light blue coat and white pants, slung over her shoulder was a white pair of ice skates. She didn't notice them as she headed toward the exit. Kurama noticed Hiei watched her the whole time. When she was gone Hiei looked back at his friend and saw an amused look on his face.

"What?" the fire demon demanded.

"Oh nothing," Kurama said, looking innocent. "But I was wondering why you were watching Botan."

"Because I can!" Hiei replied, standing up. "Why don't you mind your own business?" he hurriedly walked away, muttering something about 'stupid foxes' under his breath.

Kurama watched his friend go, noticing the fire demon head in the same direction Botan had gone. He shook his head. Now what do we have here...?

Botan sat down on a fallen log by the skating pond and to put on her skates. As she did, she looked over the frozen water, admiring the way the ice sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. She couldn't wait to get out on the smooth surface and push all her troubles out of her mind. When she finished lacing up her skates she stood up and stepped out onto the ice.

Unknown to her, Hiei was watching from a small hill overlooking the pond. He'd only really gone outside for some fresh air but when he spotted the blue haired ferry girl glide onto the ice he couldn't help but watch her. He soon found out she was pretty good, she even knew some of the jumps and spins. But just as his interest was peeked, Botan disappeared behind some trees and he had to move to get a better angle. He really wanted to watch her skate. Too bad he wasn't watching where he was going. His foot stepped down into the snow and the earth underneath gave out under his weight. He flailed his arms for balance but it was no use. He pitched forward and lost his footing. He fell forward and slid down the snowly bank on his stomach, right onto the ice. Just as Botan was coming by!

"Whoa! Look out!" she screamed as she flew toward him.

A split second before she would have crashed into him she threw herself into the air and sailed over his head. The jump would have been impressive if she hadn't of landed on her rump when she came down.

"Nice landing, graceful," he said to her from his spot on the ice.

Botan glared at him as she stood up, red faced. "What's your problem?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"What?" he asked from his spot on the ice.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" she wanted to know. "I could have seriously injured you!"

He shrugged carelessly as he got up. "It was an accident," was all he said.

"Accident?" she said, raising a blue eyebrow. "What kind of accident?"

He nodded to answer her first question. "I tripped," he said simply.

"Tripped from where?"

He didn't show her by pointing toward the location. All he did was move his eyes upward toward the slope where he'd fallen from. Her own eyes followed his gze then she asked. "What were you doing up there?"

He refused to answer.

That made her assume things. "Were you spying on me?" she questioned.

"No."

"Then what were you doing up there?"

"Getting some air."

She gave him a Who-do-you-think-you're-kidding? look. "Somehow I don't believe that," she said, folding her arms.

"Hn," he snorted, turning away from her. "I don't care what you believe," he retorted, annoyed. "It's the truth."

Before she could snap at him he walked back up the hill, muttering to himself and completely ignoring her. She watched him go, getting the sneekingest suspiction that he was lying. When she couldn't see him anymore she just shrugged it off and resumed her skating.

Hiei stomped away from the skating pond, muttering to himself. "Stupid onna. Why does she always have to ask such dumb questions? It wasn't like I was spying! I was just watching!" he looked into the sky and sighed. Who am I kidding? I was spying! And I thought those feelings were more in check now. Guess I was wrong. I'm going to have to avoid her from now on.

With that descition made, the fire demon headed back into the ski lodge. If only he knew what someone else had planned for them...

Unknown to Hiei and Botan, Kurama and Shizuru had decided to discuss what was going on between their two friends. Since the fox and the brown haired smoker had the same suspicions, and since they were going out, which was really no real reason to tell anyone anything, they figured Hiei and Botan's problems was their problems too.

"So something did happen between them in that cave," Shizuru said, after Kurama told her what he had over heard. "I was right after all."

"But what are we going to do about it?" Kurama wanted to know.

"Maybe we could try to hook them up," she suggested.

Kurama stared at her. "How?"

The brunnette took a drag of her cigarette and smiled. "Like this," and she began to explain.

A/N

I don't have much to say about this. Someone here, (Who shall not be named) who likes to give me constructive critisism will probably ask me questions about it and I'll have to explain it to her(him). I just hope she doesn't. All well. That's it for now.