The Lock and Key : Dreaming Reality
A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I've been busy, so sorry for the strange and erratic updates. Thanks for staying with me. Read and Review!
I
"What's going to happen to my sister?"
The sun was high in the sky, insects buzzing in the air. Nearby, a stream whispered over the ground. The short demon had lured the blue-haired woman away from the camp that Yusuke had set up.
"Protocol for demons found in Human World is to send them back to Makai."
"I know what the protocol is."
Death shifted. She knew the question that hung in the air. Silent, but both knew it was where. 'Are you going to let that happen?'
Hiei would not.
Botan... Botan would... do the best that she can to...
"I'll talk to Koenma." Running fingers through her hair, pink eyes met crimson orbs. "Yukina could be my roommate. I've always wanted to live with someone."
Botan blinked. Her adrenalin was triggered by the sight of the three-eyed man, but her memory was the only thing that stopped her running out the window.
"H-Hi."
"Hn."
Kurama drifted to the side, letting the supposedly dead ferry girl and reclusive fire demon stare at each other.
"I... I know your face."
Demons were screaming all around her, wanting to see the short man slaughtered in the ring. Ice dripped down Botan's back as she stood up, cheering for the man whom everyone else had condemned to death.
"Come on, Hiei!"
"Hiei. That's your name, isn't it?" He nodded. "You..."
She could not continue. Kurama took this time of silence to pour more tea.
"Botan, though you may not believe it, we have met before."
The young woman sighed, her eyes staring into her tea.
"I would like to agree, and a part of me does... but... but why do I have memory of... my life? From when I was small, highschool, and college? I can remember so many things, and none of you are in it."
Kurama felt his hope dim as Hiei frowned. The short demon sat down in a chair.
"Do you...?" Hiei's voice faltered. "Do you sometimes feel like your dreams are more real than when you're awake?"
Botan did not meet his eyes as she smiled.
"You sound like Morpheus from The Matrix." She chuckled to herself, but quickly silenced her absurd outburst and continued. "I... I should get back to the Temple. I have to call my friend Shizuru to let her know that I'm okay."
Both Kurama and Hiei exchanged glances.
"You know Shizuru Kuwabara?"
"Yes. You two do?"
Kurama did not answer her question.
"Do you know Kazuma?"
"Her brother? Yeah, I grew up with him."
II
Seeing Botan again was like being set on fire for eternity and then being covered in ice. It was painfully relieving to see her body flush with life, her eyes full of color, her face still innocent. Clean.
The Forbidden Child watched as her eyes stared at him, her lips falling open in a hazed recognition.
Folding his arms, Hiei leaned back in the chair.
"Do you know my sister Yukina?"
A strange expression flickered across Botan's face.
"Yes, I just met her a few days ago. She's Kazuma's fiancé." Pink eyes, so deep, locked with Hiei's. "She didn't mention that she had a brother."
Hiei Jaganshi remained silent, his eyes leaving hers. He sipped his tea. Kurama folded his hands in his lap. Botan rested her head on her fist.
"How old are you?"
Kurama's silky voice washed the stress away. Botan smiled.
"Twenty-three." She sighed, her shoulders sagging forward, her smile disappearing. "I really wish that I could honestly say that I remember you, but... it would be like saying that people from my dreams are real."
"But you remembered me." Hiei bit his lip. "Why do you remember me?"
They all could hear a clock ticking. Tick. Tick. Tick. Time was ticking away, slowly dissolving the normalcy in Botan's life. She had begun the day as a simple caretaker and ended it as a confused woman who could fly.
She had met... herself and now had memories resurfacing like foggy dreams. The problem was, they felt more like fantasies than reality.
How could she be certain that these men were not con artists? What if she had fell, hit her head, and while she was unconscious, dreamed all this up?
"I'm not sure. I-I'm not sure what to make of any of this." Botan took a deep breath. "If this isn't some scam and what you're telling me is the truth... why did... I thought we were friends." Hiei broke eye contact, not responding. "At least, that's what I've been told..."
"Have some more tea." Kurama took her cup, refilling it. "There is no need to rush."
III
Green eyes watched as the blue-haired woman drank her tea. His focus was rewarded when she shuddered, her eyes flickered as they glazed over. Hiei bristled.
"What did you do to her?"
"Relax. We're not going to get anywhere with this Botan. She's tricked her subconscious, but that two are starting to blur together in what she thinks are dreams. I've given her a mild sedative." Botan's eyes closed, her breathing slowing. "In REM, we'll get the answers we're looking for."
Hiei shook his head.
"There was a time when you'd never do something like this."
"Yeah, well there was a time when you kept in touch." Both men put their thoughts on hold when Kurama turned back to the former ferry girl. "Botan, can you hear me?"
Her lips opened, her eyes moving under their lids.
"Yes."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Kurama. You're a store owner, and you make good tea."
Her face twisted, contorted, and she held her breath.
"Botan, are you alright?"
"No."
"Do you want to continue?"
"Yes."
"Who am I?"
"Y-Y-Youko." She spat the confession out like she had been choking. "A fox."
Tears rolled down her cheeks, her breathing hissing out between her teeth. Hiei said nothing.
"Do you know who Hiei is?" At his name, Botan lowered her head, her mouth opening. "Did you hear me?" No answer. "Botan, are you there?"
"You should let this lie, Kurama." Her eyes opened, though her pupils remained dilated. Kurama sat back in his chair. Hiei could smell the spike in his friend's adrenalin level. "There are some doors that should stay closed."
Those familiar words made Hiei sick to his stomach. Though his mouth was dry, Hiei spoke.
"Why did you leave?"
Her pink, glazed eye locked with Hiei's. Awake, yet not.
"Because I had to."
Hiei saw tears well up in her eyes. When they fell, Hiei looked away.
"Why are you crying?"
"Every time I think about you, I cry."
Pain flooded Hiei's soul.
"W-Why?"
She smiled, the same smile she wore when she died.
"I can't tell you." Botan, the Botan that Hiei and Kurama knew, closed her eyes. "I have to go. Goodbye." She blinked rapidly, exhaling sharply. She yawned. "It's late, I should go. Shizuru is probably worried."
The new Botan was back.
Kurama sighed and nodded.
"Of course."
IV
Leaving Kurama's tea and herb shop was like waking up. When the door shut behind her, Botan began the long trek back up to the Temple. This time, however, she was able to climb the stairs without much effort.
Her mind was elsewhere.
That man... Hiei was his name. She knew that a part of her knew him, but no the majority. And that part that did know him was severely torn in two. Some of the memories were terrifying, and others were strangely calming.
Botan opened the doors and walked to the bedroom, falling on the bed.
He thought he killed me. Why would he... do that in the first place?
Sighing, Botan decided that Shizuru was more important than this madness. Pulling out her cell phone, Botan began to dial her number.
V
Hiei left through the window as soon as Kurama led Botan to the front door. He soared back to Makai, back to his room, and back to his misery.
There was another note from Mukuro, this one a complaint about the injuries that Chuu and Jin suffered. Hiei tossed the letter in the fire.
He opened a dark cabinet, pulling out a round bottle. In Botan's video, music, and novel log, she sporadically wrote about her personal life. One thing that came as a surprise to Hiei was Botan's recent alcohol consumption.
It wasn't dangerous, but it still made Hiei wonder why she felt a need to drink. He himself had not previously indulged in the beverage, but after reading about her... the happy, perfect spirit drinking alone... it struck a chord that, ironically, made her seem more human.
Flawed.
So Hiei opened the bottle, the sweet smell of raspberries raising into the air. From his reading, this was the drink that the ferry girl had consumed for the last twenty years.
Bringing the bottle to his lips, Hiei let the sweet drink burn a path down his throat. He immediately felt a strange sensation take hold of him. His head began to get a bit light, and he felt relaxed.
Tears fell from his eyes, but he did not care. For some reason, his mind and body were no longer in agony. Hiei sat down on the cold floor, drinking the remainder of the night away.
Is this why she did it?
Hiei's face was wet, but he did not feel like he was crying.
Was she in pain?
His eyes faded to black as he passed out, the bottle falling form his limp fingers.
VI
A/N: I know that this chapter is short, but I had to cut it off! Read and Review!
-mia
p.s. Dark Knight has officially consumed what little I had of a soul.