CHAPTER 2 What Were You Doing?

When Hiei arrived back at the house he carried Botan into the living room and set her down on the couch. Then he turned to the fire place and started a toasty fire. "Now," he said when he saw Botan wasn't shivering anymore. "Can you explain to me why you had to dance on the lake when you knew the water wasn't completely frozen yet?"

Botan looked out the window at the still falling snow before she answered. "I just felt like doing it," she replied her voice a little far away sounding. "I heard a voice in my head telling me to, telling me it would be okay. I thought it would be all right. "

"But-," he began.

"It was just so beautiful," she cut him off, as if that would explain things better. "I couldn't help myself." she stared off into space for another moment then said. "I always loved winter. It's my favorite season. I guess I just wanted to be part of it."

"By doing a ballet dance on thin ice?" he demanded.

"So you were watching me?" she said looking right at him.

"Of course I was!" he shot back. "I didn't want you to fall in!"

"But I did!" she retorted, feeling angry herself. "You were watching me and you didn't say anything! You didn't bother warning me that the ice was too thin!"

"I thought you knew!" he shouted back just as angrily. "I didn't know you were this much of a baka!"

"I am not a baka!" she growled. "I just felt caught up in the moment!"

"What moment?" he said. "the moment before or after you fell through?!"

"Why would I tell you which moment I mean!" she yelled, getting up with the blanket wrapped around her. "Why should I tell you anything!? You just think I'm stupid!"

"You are stupid!" he said before he could stop himself. "You are very stupid! You went dancing on thin ice for goodness sake! With nothing on but a thin night gown! And on top of that you didn't even have any shoes on! Who did you think you were? Yuna?"

Botan glared at him. Why should he care? He didn't even like her. "I'm not Yuna!" she shouted sitting back down, "I just wanted to dance!"

"You keep repeating yourself," he said. "I know you wanted to dance. I know you felt like you had to but why did you feel like you had to? What was it that made you feel that way?"

"I don't know," she said, defensively. "I just did."

He sighed and shook his head. This was getting him nowhere. There had to be a reason. She'd said she'd heard a voice in her head telling her to dance so she'd obeyed it and almost got herself killed. But was the voice even real? Was it just her imagination? Was something or someone else? He wasn't sure he'd ever find out. But why try to make the ferry onna fall into a frozen lake? he wondered. Why persuade her to go onto the ice? Why? He looked out at the still falling snow. Whoever or whatever it was it can probably hide itself easily in this weather. Maybe tomorrow I'll look for it. It hit him then that he seemed to want to desperately find whatever had been the cause of Botans weird dance. It might be nothing but he wasn't about to let whoever it might be get away... if someone was involved.

Hiei noticed Botan staring at him. "What?" he demanded.

"It's not a big mystery, you know," she said, getting up again. The blanket swished against the floor as she headed for her room. "I was just a little careless, that's all."

Hiei wasn't so sure.

The next morning Botan seemed to have forgotten about the incident. She was too excited about something they'd planned for the next day. Hiei didn't want to go but the others seemed to like the idea, especially Kuwabara, who thought the idea would be a great way to reviel his love for Yukina, Hiei's sister.

"Hey," Yusuke said, looking out the front window of the house. "How come the lake is all broken up? Did someone try to do some ice fishing on it or something?"

Hiei and Botan glanced at each other but neither gave any explanations.

"It's probably nothing," Keiko told him, also looking out the window. "the ice wasn't thick enough to skate on anyway."

"Yeah but still," he said. "I was hoping to do some ice fishing when it was thick enough. Now I'm going to have to wait longer."

"All well," Keiko said, going back to the table to finish her breakfast. "That just means you can go on the sleigh ride with us later on."

"I can't wait," he said sarcastically as he followed her back to the table.

"What are you planning on doing today, Hiei-San?" Yukina asked, looking over at her brother.

The Koormine looked at his twin sister and shook his head. "I'm not planning on doing anything," he told her. "I was just going to stay here."

"Why?" Yukina asked.

He didn't have a good enough answer so he said nothing.

"Hey, Hiei," Botan said. "Why don't you go on the sleigh ride with us?" she asked.

"Why would I want to do that, onna?" he questioned, looking right at the ferry girl with annoyance.

"It's better than staying here all day," she replied, shrugging. "I just don't want you to be bored."

"I don't get bored," he informed her.

She sniffed. "Still," she said. "it couldn't hurt."

No, it couldn't hurt but Hiei was never a very social person nor did he like doing things that he thought was pointless. That's why he never played Rich Man Poor Man. A sleight ride was definitely within those lines. Besides a sleigh ride was stupid. Why would anyone want to ride in a sleigh in the middle of winter with cold air blowing in your face? What was the point? It was like the perfect scene for getting frost bite, not that Hiei had ever had any.

"C'mon, Hiei," Botan pressed. "It'll be fun."

"Hn," he said, getting up from the table. "I think I'll pass."

A/N

I am going to keep trying to update this fic and "Nocturne" (Which nobody reviewed when I put up my most recent chapter) as much as possible. Sorry if this chapter was short. I have a slight case of writers block. Just to let you know, they are spending the winter at Genkais' house since she's on vacation. It's kinda like they are house sitting, lol.

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