Hey everyone! I am sooo sorry that I haven't updated. Things have been crazy for me here lately. I had time to work on this chapter today. I wasn't doing much. As of two days ago, I am officially a blood donor. We had a blood drive at my school. Anyway, on to the story. This chap is really long but it covers a lot. It's come up that my time frame is a little confusing. Hopefully this chapter will clear a few things up. If anything else comes up, let me know. Thanks!
Speak softly and carry a big stick.
-Theodore Roosevelt
December 16
The apartment door was locked when she reached it. The large bags of groceries weighed heavily in her arms; a lock of aqua hair got caught and tugged against her scalp. Through the walls, her ears could detect the severe tones, the defensive and offensive sides of an ongoing argument. For a long moment, she rested her head against the smudged wooden door.
"Hello?" she called and tapped the toe of her shoe against the door. "Yusuke? Kuwabara? I know someone's in there. Please open the door."
In a swift movement, she yanked her head away from the front door of her two bedroom apartment, now home to six people, and caught the toppling box of pasta with the bridge of her nose. She kicked out with her foot again. "Help!"
Her salvation came from behind her. "Botan?"
A hand came out and removed the precarious weight from the bag of groceries. She shifted her pink eyes to Kurama. He did his best to smooth away his smile so she wouldn't see. "Thank you."
He nodded and lifted himself up to reach the key; he held the door for her. Kuwabara poked his head around the corner, a sandwich hanging out of his mouth. "Botan? Where have you been?"
She smiled. "Just outside, trying to get someone to open the door."
Faye emerged from the kitchen, wiping dampened hands on her skirt. There was a smudge of flour on her pale cheekbone. "Oh, Botan, I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you at the door, I – "
"It's fine," she shook her head. Kurama hefted the two bags into his own arms despite her protests. "Kurama opened the door for me. And it's not your fault you couldn't hear."
She shot a glare at Yusuke. He stood in the corner of the living room, aiming his loud voice at the phone. "Keiko, come on, cut me some slack! It's not my fault that Koenma wants me to stay here!"
Faye lowered her gaze and turned away from the living room. "Koenma is coming over for dinner. He says he has something he needs to tell everyone."
Botan nodded, "It's about time. He's left us hanging for over a month."
She stepped into the kitchen and paused. The subtle scent of baking cinnamon filled her nose. She flipped on the lights and opened the oven. A loaf of bread was centered on the rack. Faye twisted her golden brown locks into a bun at the base of her skull. "Smells good, doesn't it? The phoenix before me came up with this recipe. It has cinnamon and honey and ginger. It's a lot like pumpkin bread, only different."
Botan began lifting groceries out of the shopping bags and onto the counter. Ever moment or so, she paused and filled her lungs with the soothing aroma. "What's it like? To know the things that all the other phoenixes knew?"
Faye opened her mouth to answer when Yusuke's voice rose up again. "Keiko, how many times do I have to tell you that I can't come on that date I promised you?"
Botan giggled. "He would have found an excuse anyway."
Faye smiled. "It's not a big deal. I'm not any less "me" because of it. It's just a part of who I am, a sixth sense of sorts."
"Could you get out the pans please?" she asked. "I know you love to cook. Do you want to make this and I'll make the sauce?"
"Of course, Botan."
Kuwabara came into the kitchen, holding his plate out. Faye took it and brushed the crumbs into the sink. The tall teenager stood there for a moment, awkwardly taking up space. "Kurama's gone out again to find Shortie. Koenma wanted everyone here tonight."
"What are Yusuke and Keiko arguing about?"
He rolled his shoulders and disappeared. There was a thud a moment alter and a crash. Kuwabara called, "Sorry, Botan! I'll clean this up."
"Kuwabara, what was that?"
"A picture frame!"
"Would you go put the picture in my room, please?"
Faye slid across the cramped space on her socked feet. "I'm sorry, Botan. I really am. This is unfair to you."
"Faye, none of this is your fault. We've been doing things like this for years. Yusuke and Kuwabara are just too hard to handle. They're too much like little kids."
Faye laughed, a small bubble of guilty sound. "I think Hiei feels the same way. He doesn't seem to like being around here, too much. Kuwabara especially makes him angry."
Botan lifted a soap bottle and squirted some into her hands. There was a small pop when her hands came together to lather it up. "They've never gotten along."
"You and Hiei, on the other hand, seem to be getting along better than Yusuke says you used to."
Botan turned. There was a small curve to the phoenix's glossed lips. A teasing light had flooded her sapphire eyes. "What does that mean, Faye?"
The barest of laughs slipped out, but was caught when the phoenix lifted the back of her hand to her face. "It didn't mean anything. It just meant that you're getting along better. That's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Yusuke's voice shattered the air again. "Kuwabara! What are you doing?"
Botan brushed the fallen strands of her hair behind her ears. She filled a sauce pan with oil and set it over an eye on her stove. She turned the dial to medium-high and the coils beneath the pan glowed red. "I guess you're right."
December 2
It was exactly one week, three days, and six hours after Hiei's impromptu arrival that Botan stumbled into Spirit World to visit their recuperating phoenix. Faye smiled up from her cross-legged position on the bed. Her head was bent over a thick novel from Koenma's personal library.
"Kurama sends new reading material," Botan smiled and lifted her shoulders. The books pulled her arms to the ground. "Where can I set these down?"
"Anywhere's fine," she said. "I should be finishing this one pretty soon."
A peeling scab dotted her cheekbone. Her collarbone was a yellowing green, surrounded by splotches of purplish red. She looked like she'd been attacked by a toddler with a paintbrush. Her sapphire eyes sparkled. "How are you, Botan?"
The aqua-haired spirit guide seated herself at the foot of the bed. She stared at the vase of flowers in the window sill, catching the light filtering in through the pane. The smile faded from the lines of her mouth, but the contentment still flashed in her eyes. The past ten days had been some of the strangest in her life, filled with extra laundry, awkward silences, a board game, and a bout of the stomach flu. She blinked. "I've been fine."
Faye dog-eared the page she was reading and set the book to the side. She kicked her legs over the edge of the bed and hoisted herself onto unsteady feet. "I'm glad to hear it, Botan. I like to hear that my friends are all doing okay."
And just like that, they were friends. Botan whispered to her side, taking the better portion of the phoenix's slight weight. Her left ankle was still healing.
"Let's go see when Koenma's gonna let me go."
The metal spoon scraped against the bottom of the pan she was using. Steam curled up into the air, burning her hand. Botan reached over the skillet and turned down the dial on the stove from high to medium-low. The insistent crackling decreased its tempo.
"How's that coming over there?" she twisted to look over her shoulder.
"I'll be ready to put this in the oven in just a second," Faye replied.
"Has Kurama come back yet?"
"I don't think so."
December 6
He flitted from tree branch to tree branch, a swirl of shadow in the surrounding dark. There were no lights shining through windows of her apartment. He stepped out of the night, onto the balcony. His sharp eyes spotted the thin crack she'd left for him in the window.
"Hn," he said to himself. "She should know better than to leave her window open."
He raised his hands to pry the window upward enough for him to enter.
The living room carried her scent, a calming medley of strawberries, honey, and lilies. He let his eyes fall closed as his lungs filled with the soothing air. On light feet, he moved to her kitchen. He'd wait for her there. He licked his parched lips. She wouldn't mind if he helped himself to a glass of water.
The cold liquid ran down his throat and shot icy tingles through his body. He hopped up onto her countertop in a single movement. He turned his gaze to the daisies by the window over the sink. The world beyond the glass had deprived every other home of such a natural beauty; of course, Kurama could make any plant grow in subzero temperatures. A groan gathered in his mouth. He downed the remaining gulps of his drink to swallow the sound. A mask of annoyance settled on his features at the thought of what the dawn would bring.
The phoenix was being released from Koenma's immediate supervision the following afternoon. Botan was taking her in and with the phoenix came the rest of the little team of which he had somehow become a part. Botan, the phoenix, and Kurama weren't a problem. If he had to have someone around him, they wouldn't annoy him. He would add Yusuke to that list begrudgingly but the last member of the team…he couldn't get past it.
Kuwabara was the culmination of everything he hated about the humans: loud, bragging, lacking in intelligence. Hiei would have been thrilled to lob off his head but for one setback. Somehow or another, the moronic idiot of a human had captured his sister's attention.
The fire demon threw himself off the counter and dropped the cup into the sink, ignoring the loud, clanging protest of the glass. "What could Yukina possibly see that she actually likes?"
Stalking out of the room, a glimmer in the darkness caught his attention. He turned toward it and ruby eyes widened at a sight they'd missed before.
He approached her small table with the same caution he would give an opponent. In the flickering glow of three little tea candles, he stared at the cupcake. The muffin-shaped sweet was vanilla, decorated with swirling blue icing. A single candle stuck out of the middle. There was a matchbox nearby on the white tablecloth.
Hiei blinked.
He reached forward and lifted the note she'd left so he could read it in the dim light. Her elegant script slanted across the thick piece of stationary.
Hiei, I'm so sorry I couldn't be here to celebrate with you. But, regardless, Happy Birthday! Yes, I know it's your birthday. I was putting some files away in Spirit World the other day and somehow yours had gotten tangled up with them. I should be home pretty soon but, for now, enjoy the cupcake. It's birthday tradition for you to light the candle and make a wish while blowing it out. It'll come true! There's ice cream in the freezer. And don't think you can get away with not opening your present.
Happy Birthday, Hiei. I hope it's a good one for you.
Love, Botan
He picked up the box that had been lying on the other side of the candles. The deep burgundy paper appeared the color of blood in the candlelight. It wasn't heavy in his hand. With a single yank of the ribbon, the bow came undone. He slid a finger under the tape and peeled away the paper.
Beneath was a small, wooden box. It easily fit in his palm. There were designs, though not intricate or ornate, carved into the wood. A slip of paper twirled in the air, onto the table. The same script adorned this sheet: Hiei, only the owner is able to open this box. It is protected by one of Spirit World's strongest enchantments. You'll never have to worry about losing your mother's tear gems again.-Botan
He swallowed and filled his lungs with a deep, calming breath. He felt suddenly warm inside, his face flushed and tingled. When he doubled back to the freezer, the cool air felt good to his face. The carton of ice cream was his favorite.
"Are you going to stay up there all night, Hiei?"
He shifted his eyes away from the light in the window of her apartment building. Kurama was encompassed by the shadows at the base of the tree. He turned his face back. "Hn."
"You've been avoiding me all afternoon."
A figure passed by the window, temporarily casting the light into darkness. "You don't have to say anything, just come on back inside. Koenma's up there. This isn't socializing time; you'll need to hear whatever he has to say."
"Fine," Hiei stated. Against his better judgment, he stalked after his long time friend. Just one small step past the entryway of her apartment, there was a state of organized disaster. Kuwabara was engaged in some sort of dispute with the ruler of Spirit World. The fire demon was surprised to discover that the second party involved in the confrontation was a recently healed phoenix, rather than the delinquent-turned-detective. Botan placed a heaping plate of food in his grasp and motioned to the empty seat to her left.
"I don't want to be a trouble to you all anymore," Faye said. Her hair tumbled down over her shoulders. The eyes like liquid sapphires fell on each of them before she looked back to Koenma. "My being here has put all of you in danger. I've interfered with your lives."
Koenma nodded, not bothering to deny it. He met her gaze with solemn eyes, and replied in a hushed tone. "Avoiding the alternative makes up for any inconvenience."
The phoenix gestured with her hands. "Forcing Spirit World's best to be cooped up in an apartment for nine straight days, at each other's throats because they can't leave, all to protect me – that's an inconvenience. But this, this is asinine. There is no reason to send Hiei and Kurama into the heart of Demon World because of me."
His gaze flickered to Kurama, who showed no surprise at the statement. He had obviously had proper warning. Yusuke kicked his feet up onto Botan's coffee table. His muscles were clenched, eyes tight, despite the relaxed posture. In a low voice he whispered, "I really am sorry 'bout that, Faye. I had no right to – "
"Don't worry about it Yusuke," she assured him. "Will you tell Keiko that I'm sorry about all this? I would really hate to be the cause of some sort of argument between the two of you."
The dark haired spirit detective shifted his stance, as if he were about to offer some sort of rebuttal to her claim. A moment passed and his shoulders slumped. The denial left his eyes. He didn't bother to refute what she had said.
Koenma sighed, "Nevertheless, I feel this is something that must be done. The people who took you, Faye, are not going to stop. They had a reason for capturing you and their purpose is not finished. By sending Kurama and Hiei to Demon World, we might be able to figure out exactly who 'they' are. It's not something I feel comfortable doing, but I know it has to be done."
"The fact of the matter is, Koenma, you know more than you are letting on," she hissed.
Hiei narrowed his eyes at the ruler.
"My father – "
Botan rose to her feet in a single, fluid movement. Her aqua ponytail swung behind her and she walked out of her apartment without looking back at its new occupants. He followed her slender form with his eyes.
Koenma took a deep breath. "I can't say what's going to happen next. And I'm not going to deny that Kurama and Hiei will be in danger. The important thing is that we figure out who captured you and why. As soon as we figure that out, we'll be able to prevent it."
"Hn," he said and darted out of the room in a blurred shadow.
Botan ran pale, slender fingers over her face. The breeze that sliced through the chills bit at her cheeks. Sporadic flakes of snow stuck to her clothes and hair. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Koenma was keeping things a secret, just as Genkai had told her. This wasn't going to be resolved without something bad happening. She looked out into the black sky; tiny pinpoints of light were hidden by the moving clouds.
"You shouldn't worry," his voice was flat. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I know," she smiled. A bubble of laughter came forth again. "Be careful, Hiei."
He nodded once, eyes blank. A momentary hesitation passed and he stepped closer to her to place a small item in her hand. "Would you keep this for me?"
Then he vanished into the shadows again. In the dim moonlight, she saw the smooth wood of the gift she'd given him for his birthday. A smile worked its way onto her face.
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