A/N: Long time no see everyone! Finally done with anime conventions for the year so maybe I'll have more free time to write...that is if college doesn't kill me first. I'm down to my last little bit of classes and then I'll have my associate's! Woot.

Thanks again for all the reviews! Just to generically answer most of my reviews since I'm pressed for time, sorry for the long-ness of the last chapter but it had to be done. Also, glad to know that my extra scene additions sound like a good idea! Thank you!

Keiko Tomoe...was that Hotaru's mother? The name sounded familiar and Hiei found it fit the part quite well due to the size of the bandaged body. But just why was he being shown this? Why here and now? The brunette and blonde he'd met in front of Hotaru's old home had mentioned that her father had passed away, and the house she'd lived in before that one had burnt down...it wasn't hard to connect the pieces from there. If this was Hotaru's mother, then the woman more than likely died in the fire that consumed their home...but why was she in a hospital bed? He failed to understand what good it would do to put a corpse on a gurney, much less attach it to wires and machinery. Perhaps she had lived some moments before her death? Or perhaps...this was a spirit.

"Hiei..." a voice, cracked and dry, resounded from the body, mouth contorting around the tube inside of it to speak properly. "I've been waiting to meet you...for a very long time."

"Are you...Hotaru's mother?" he asked flatly, hands still in his pockets. Regardless of what he was looking at, this was still all just a dream. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"I am..."

"Sorry, if I'm supposed to know then I don't. My memories have apparently become toys for those who try to play God." he answered sharply, after all, it was true. Hiei didn't enjoy the idea of a world without Hotaru, but the idea that his memories and mind could be messed around with so easily didn't sit right with him either.

"You don't...really hold malice towards anyone...for that."

He growled, the motionless body neither flinching or shrinking back, "And what would you know? You're no more than a ghost."

"...so I am. But Hotaru has kept my memory safe all these years..."

That's when it really hit him. This wasn't some strange spiritual visitation, no, this was just more of Hotaru's memories. He'd already seen some of her home life, her happy memories and the not so happy ones...it would only make sense for him to be privy to this one as well. Back on Hanging Neck Island for the Dark Tournament, the dream he had about the captive girl there must have been because of Hotaru as well. He wasn't sure if it was accidental or what, but when Hotaru came back, he'd have to teach her to control her emotional thoughts a little better and not be such an oblivious transmitter. It wasn't easy being a telepath when the people you constantly were around could be read like open books...it wasn't always their fault, and sometimes it could even be the telepath's fault if their mental walls weren't strong enough, but...she'd been seeing some of his memories as well so maybe it was his fault somewhat too.

To be honest, the memories that were returned to him were returned in full...but, he didn't actually remember them all at once. Certain things were still coming back to him albeit slowly.

"So you're a memory then..." he murmured, it was actually a rather sad sight that this was the only explicit thing Hotaru remembered about her mother...that she was burn victim who'd died during treatment in a room called O.R.T. "I'm sure you have some other reason for addressing me, but...O.R.T...what does it stand for?"

A bandaged hand rose slowly off the bed and extended a finger to the best of their ability, aptly motioning towards the clipboard that hung off the side of the bed. He grabbed it and thumbed through it. It was odd and yet not quite so strange; the sheets that were on the clipboard were incomplete and some lines of characters even looked made up. If this was Hotaru's memory, then must have meant she couldn't really remember what was on the sheet or that she didn't understand it at the time considering her age. Still, what he was looking for was clearly there. O.R.T. was a shortening of a treatment called Oral Rehydration Therapy; the short description telling him that this treatment was for burn victims, normally administered through a tube inserted into the mouth...that explained what he was seeing here.

The few times he'd been to a human hospital, he'd always noticed a piece of machinery with a small bag and a noticeable drip. That machine was obviously missing here though seriously doubted it would be of much use considering the woman's flesh was charred beyond measure.

...just how long had Hotaru been in this room waiting for her mother to get better? A long time? Only a short while after her mother had passed on?

Hiei put the clipboard back onto the bed, "Why are you showing me this? I don't understand any of it...Hotaru may be accidentally transmitting her memories and I'm picking up on them but why these? Answer me." It was a demand, but not a harsh one.

"Hotaru never told you...about these things. She was scared...scared that you would judge her...or scared...that she would hurt you..."

"Hurt me...?" the fire demon echoed unsure.

"The happy times with her friends...losing her father and myself...the times she was outcast...she wanted...she wanted you to be happy...and therefore didn't...want to place any burden on you."

Damn her...that sounded like something she would do. Hotaru always thought about others more than she did herself, even going so far as to bury her own pain deep down. That's right, he recalled, Hotaru had never told him about her classmates at school or the times she felt so alone while sitting in that old house, waiting for someone to befriend her. There wasn't anything he could have done at the time, given that they hadn't met yet, but the fact that Hotaru chose not tell him...and then try so hard to hear his past...It almost made him angry but he supposed he could see her reasoning. They were going to have a long talk when she got back.

"I'm glad...that I got to meet you. You're...a very kind...person."

"Believe whatever you want." he replied solemnly.

"It's not hard too...I've seen for myself. I may just be a memory...now, but I'm so happy...happy that Hotaru isn't alone in this world. I won't be around much longer...Hotaru will have to let...go of me...eventually. But I am glad...I got to meet you.

"...Thank you." Hiei answered quietly, face rigid as he did so. He wasn't quite sure what to say really, but it seemed appropriate. After all, she had cleared up this memory transmission business for him. "Wait, you said you're not going to be around much longer...why? Memories may just be memories but...they don't always have to fade." What he said was true and he definitely meant it. Just because some time had passed as well as the emotions that went along with it, he still remembered his mother. One day, he promised himself he'd even go back there and try to make amends with her, but that day was still far off for him...not even Kurama knew of that plan.

"I resurface sometimes... when Hotaru is in stress...she copes by remembering us. The parents she has lost. But we don't...need to stay in the forefront...of her mind...forever. Hotaru has to move on...not just from this. You can help her...if I happen to fade away...that's okay too."

"Believe me, Hotaru's not the type to forget. I understand what you're saying but I can only do so much. Hotaru has to want to overcome the feelings she buried down inside of herself. I may not even be the person who's supposed to do that..." he trailed off, casting his eyes away as he remembered the Saturnian warrior. Did Hotaru's human mother even know that the within her human child was another spirit?

It didn't matter though, the dream was ending...the corners of his eyes were starting to lose vision.

He jolted awake, his entire body lurching forward in an attempt to catch the fleeting dream. When his red eyes adjusted to his scenery, everything came rushing back to him. The fire demon was still underneath Hotaru's home inside of the training room; a place that had no windows or any concept of time. How long had he been asleep? What did the outside world look like now?

When he'd returned to the human world, the rain had ceased but the sun refused to shine. The only way to tell it was morning then was thanks to his internal clock. Right now, he'd have to go outside and see things for himself. Looking over to his right, he spotted the Orb. Well, it was safe for the time being...that was really all he could remark about it. The green artifact was still as cold and lifeless as ever, and not even a slight blip of aura could be detected from it. Collecting it, he stored it carefully within his coat pocket and exited the room, following the short staircase back up into the home.

The entire house was bathed in darkness, just as the outside was. He could only assume it was nighttime...that meant at least 24 hours had to have passed since. Surely those damn Reikai idiots had made some progress, if they weren't completely finished by now. It wasn't hard to tell that things were only going to get worse the longer they took, and without the lives of the humans in the human world, then Reikai had no purpose in even existing.

Still, if the house was dark then that meant Hotaru's family must have been asleep for the night. He was definitely skilled enough to sneak out on his own, but something was bothering him...he couldn't leave for Reikai just yet. There was someone he needed to talk to...

"Good evening, Hiei. Or maybe I should say good morning?" greeted Setsuna Meioh, no longer in the senshi garb that marked her as the guardian of Pluto. She was still in her day clothes despite the time of night (or so he could only assume thanks to the absence of the sun), and was seated almost pristinely at a desk with a multitude of open books in front of her. "I'm actually a little surprised you decided to make yourself known. You know, I can't imagine sleeping down there was comfortable...I'm sure Hotaru wouldn't have minded if you wanted to borrow her bed."

The fire demon merely scowled at the older woman's attempts at being humorous. He didn't really have time for this, and neither did she. How could she sit so calmly and read while the world was close to falling into chaos? Wait...did that mean...?

"I'm afraid not," Setsuna supplied without turning to look at him, almost as if she'd read his mind, "Reikai has made very little progress with creating Hotaru's body. It's taking much longer than I expected too."

"Damn it..." he growled, clenching a fist to keep himself from knocking down the adjacent wall. Only 24 more hours remained before Hotaru's soul dissipated...not even the Orb of Baast would be able to trap her soul to keep it from vanishing then. "Alternatives...there must be some."

"I'm afraid there aren't any...and even if there were, do we honestly have time to try pursuing them?"

Hiei knew just as well as she did that the answer to that was no.

"Honestly," the senshi of time continued, "you're acting more childish than I expected."

"I'll ignore that comment if you'll answer something for me." he threatened, "When I was asleep, and earlier when I was collecting the soul fragments, some of Hotaru's memories were projected to me. Any special meaning to that?" he may as well reaffirm his suspicions. Dreams could only be trusted to some degree.

Setsuna's body halted and went rigid before she finally turned to face him, "Depends on what those memories were I suppose..."

And so, Hiei went on to tell her about the temple, Hotaru's old house, and the classroom scene. He felt the need to mention the captive girl in his own dream during the Dark Tournament along with the others. And of course, he couldn't leave out his dream about Hotaru's mother.

"I see..." Setsuna began then trailed off, "you say you saw a memory of Hotaru's mother in your dream. That one is rather easy to explain; since you're carrying around Hotaru's soul, it's only natural you'd pick up on such things...what with your abilities as a telepath and whatnot. Being around Hotaru's soul will only cause more of her memories to be projected onto you although I doubt Hotaru realizes she's doing it herself."

"What about my other dream?"

"I suppose that was just a byproduct of your past memories slipping through the mental barrier I placed on them at the time. Either Saturn or Hotaru must have told you about Saturn's time of captivity during the Silver Millennium which is why you remembered it."

Hiei was silent after this...so, it wasn't anything too important. No great revelation now that the fact of the matter had come to light. Still, he valued the idea of teaching Hotaru to keep her memories and thought transmissions in check...at this point, he just wanted to see her again.

"You're free to stay here for the night if you want," Setsuna started as she rose, calmly closing the notebook in front of her and grabbing a hold of a tea cup that had strangely gone unnoticed by him. "I realize you're rested, but until Reikai sends for us, we're pretty much helpless. All we can do is wait. If you're willing...perhaps you could channel some of your energy to the Orb? I'm not quite sure what would happen though...you might end up with more memories than you want. You might even be able to talk to Hotaru. Just a thought..." the green-haired woman trailed off as she shut off the desk lamp, bathing the room in darkness. She left immediately, as quietly as she could, ascending above his view as she climbed the staircase.

In the darkness, he remained as still as stone. It was a thought, definitely, one he hadn't thought to try as he'd already assumed the Orb blocked out other energies since Hotaru's aura couldn't be felt through it. Silently, he pulled the artifact out of his cloak again and stared down at it; red eyes easily visible through the darkness. Should he...dare he try it? What if something happened? What if he exerted too much force and the Orb exploded? No, there were too many risks in doing that.

Besides, he could wait until Hotaru was face to face with him before they spoke again.

For the remainder of the night, he sat solemnly by a window with the Orb clutched in his bandaged hand. Honestly, he really didn't have any other idea of what to do. He had nowhere else to go, and venturing outside could have proved even more dangerous if other demons picked up on the artifact in his possession. This really was the epitome of being tied down to this city.

Morning came quickly but it did little to console him; 24 hours had already passed which left them an even smaller frame. At best, they now had only 18 hours or so before the soul dissipated. Setsuna must have informed Hotaru's 'parents' of his presence as they showed neither alarm nor concern at seeing him when they came downstairs...his only actual indication that the morning had actually come.

"The sky...it's still so dark." the aqua-haired woman remarked, pulling her shoulder-length hair into a ponytail, topping it off with a nondescript, red ribbon. "I can feel the sea roaring in my ears, Haruka. With the sun unable to break through those clouds, the tides are out of control...I can't imagine that anyone who lives on the coast is having an easy time of it right now."

"Same here," Haruka echoed as she took a seat at the nearby table, promptly setting her chin onto her hand, "The wind is filled with nothing but turmoil. I can only imagine the destruction its caused by now."

Hiei had no idea really what either woman was talking about. He knew that as Celestial Warriors each one of them presided over a certain element...he supposed that meant the sea and the wind fell to them. Still, he could connect the pieces. Since Hotaru was gone, the element of destruction and rebirth were completely out of balance. The other elements were basically going haywire and causing destruction aimlessly, and with no 'rebirth' to correct the catastrophes...the world was literally coming to an end. But these two didn't seem all that concerned...more like they were...mildly irritated at the fact.

"Sorry if our conversing is bothersome," Michiru piped up, a tray filled with a tea pot and cups adorning it within her hands as she walked over to the table. Dammit, had he been staring? It was the only reason they should have acknowledged him. "Setsuna told us about everything last night. I know it seems like we don't care or that we're not taking things seriously, but..."

"It's not our first time around the block, if you know want I mean." Haruka smirked, handling a recently filled cup of tea and taking a sip.

"What Haruka means is, we've been in situations similar to this before. There have been plenty of times when it seemed the world was going to be destroyed and just slip out from underneath us. But...if we were in any real danger, Setsuna would have told us."

"You make it sounds like she-" Hiei stopped himself when he realized exactly what was close to coming out of his mouth.

"Sometimes I like to think Setsuna really can't see the future...just for simplicity's sake." Michiru began, taking a seat at the table along with Haruka. "And it's not just Setsuna, our princess has overcome every calamity that's befallen us so far. It was Hotaru who always told us to believe and have faith in the princess. We've just started applying that to other things as of late." Michiru smirked around the rim of her own tea cup, dipping a hand below the table to grab a hold of one of Haruka's, causing the adjacent blond to flush and turn her head.

'Believe and have faith, huh?'

Hiei stared down at the Orb in his hand. That was definitely something he could picture her saying.

A few more hours had passed with the fire demon doing nothing of particular interest. Setsuna tried to entertain him by keeping his attention with little chores and tasks, most of which he did without arguing simply because it gave him something to do and kept his mind off of Reikai. It was unreal just how badly he wanted to storm into Reikai and demolish that annoying toddler's workspace...he was almost certain it would make him feel better. However, if they couldn't get Hotaru back then really all of that would have just been for nothing.

Hiei wasn't the type to hinge on things...rarely did the fire demon ever keep a grudge. The situation with his mother...he'd let that go long ago. He held no grudge against the man who implanted his Jagan and ultimately forced his silence towards Yukina. Hell, he'd even marked his hiruseki stone as completely gone after losing it over the cliff side that day. If something was lost, then it was destined to be lost and that was it. That was all there was to it. If Hotaru wasn't meant to come back then she simply wasn't. It was strange how easy it was to tell himself that...believing it was the hard part.

"Hiei."

The fire demon rose to his feet soundlessly, face blank and eyes cast slightly downward as he did so, assuming the Time Guardian had yet another task for him to do. Anything to keep his mind occupied, right?

"Let's go. It's time."

That was all the Time Guardian said before a portal suddenly opened up beside her, her senshi garb instantly appearing over her civilian clothes. The portal was sizeable, a mass of swirling purple vortexes.

Strangely, he had no excitement to contain, nor did he rush towards it like an idiot. All would be settled in time, it would be senseless to rush into things now. After all, just because the body was ready didn't mean there was any guarantee that she...following the senshi, the two of them stepped through the portal into the realm of spirits, Reikai.

The trip was almost instantaneous, the two appearing somewhere inside Koenma's offices. There, a young but wise-looking woman dressed in a black kimono greeted them. "We've been expecting you. This way please..." Ayame whispered, giving a small bow before heading off down a corridor. The two unlikely companions followed suit as they rounded corners and hallways until reaching a certain door, discernible from the rest with its metal covering. "This room is rather special. It's meant for experimentation so please be careful once inside." Ayame gave another small bow before leaving them to enter.

Inside, the room was nearly pitch black. The only light coming from the assorted machinery's blinking lights and the appropriately placed overhead light that shown down onto a platform. The platform was shaped more like a bed although it lacked the niceties of such an item; no pillows or blankets, just a flat surface that didn't at all look comfortable. On it, lay a single occupant. The lifeless body of Hotaru Tomoe. The tiny body was like anyone would have remembered...the tiny, almost too thin frame, the pale complexion of her beautiful skin, the chin-length, oddly-colored purple hair...and behind those closed lids were surely her same purple eyes. She dressed in a simple white shift that looked rather familiar.

Off to the side, once the fire demon reminded himself not to stand and stare, he saw Kurama and the blue-haired reaper. She must have went off on her own to retrieve him, assuming he'd be at Kurama's residence...that would explain their presence here. Floating in mid-air off to the other side of the metal bed was Koenma along with his team of ogres and other spiritual workers who were likely in charge of the various equipment.

It was now or never.

He pulled out the Orb and held it calmly between his hands. Almost, as if in response, a strange aura appeared as an outline around Hotaru's body. Not long after, the orb followed suit and glowed just as brightly. The aura was warm, not painful in the slightest so he continued to hold onto the Orb. In a matter of moments, the 6 fragments of Hotaru's soul emerged from the Orb of their own accord, each tiny circle outlined with its own thin, purple aura. They rose slowly into the air, remaining in a perfectly circular formation as they did so. Once they'd risen far enough, the orbs floated in mid-air before swirling in a tiny tempest. The fragments continued to spin until a bright light sparkled and the fragments rejoined as one. Hotaru's soul was complete again.

Dropping the now useless orb without a second thought, Hiei watched closely as the soul meandered slowly over to its body. Hesitant at first, as if inspecting, the soul hovered warily just overhead before quickly being drawn inside, the aura surrounding Hotaru immediately vanished.

Strange...nothing happened. At least, nothing like he expected would happen. There was no immediate stirring, no loud or popping noises or body convulsions to mark that the once soulless body was now alive. Nothing. The room was just as silent as it had been when they'd entered, not even the machines daring to make any noise. Hiei forced himself to move forward and absentmindedly latched onto one of the girl's thin, pale wrists. It was cold...so terribly cold.

"She's..." he wanted to voice his discovery, he did, but the words simply weren't there. It was almost as if he was refusing to believe what he was experiencing. Why was she so cold? Her soul had returned to her! She should be a mass of living, breath flesh once more! But more than that, she should be Hotaru again! She should be moving and smiling and...doing something other than just laying there like a corpse! They couldn't have been too late; the soul was absorbed so the timing wasn't the problem. "Why isn't she moving?" he snapped, releasing her wrist and turning towards the toddler who was still off to his right side.

"Hey, calm down! These things aren't always instantaneous! Give it just a few more minutes, Hiei!" Koenma barked back, the junior ruler missing a couple hours of sleep in own right; they'd been working day and night to make things right. "Her soul's been bodiless for almost two days AND this is an entirely new body even though it looks like Hotaru's original..."

The fire demon growled in anger but stood down...that was logic he couldn't really refute. He didn't understand how all of this worked and probably never would. At least he could take solace in the fact that they'd manage to get to her in time, but more waiting...he honestly couldn't imagine waiting any longer.

Time slowly began to pass, until a full 30 minutes had crept by them, every room occupant waiting with bated breath.

"Well?" Hiei demanded, now leaning up against an empty wall with his arms crossed.

"Um...well...I'm sure it'll only take a few more minutes. We've only really done this once, not counting the time we brought Yusuke back." Koenma stuttered slightly, looking rather unsure which didn't look good on any account.

"Wait a minute, that's it!" Botan piped up cheerfully from the corner, "If Hotaru needs energy then all Hiei has to do is kiss her! Just like when Kayko so bravely saved Yusuke's soul! Right?"

Before Hiei could reprimand her for saying something so idiotic, Koenma did his own interruption, remarking that the situations were entirely too different. Yusuke didn't lose his body, just the soul that was occupying it.

"So what then? What if she never wakes up?" Hiei looked around the faces of the room's occupant, the majority confused and unsure while others looked scared. Ultimately, the room remained silent. "Goddamit, answer me!" the fire demon shouted, flash-stepping forward and grabbing the junior ruler by his collar.

"I-...I don't know, okay?! There, I said it! I don't know!"

With another growl, Hiei loosened his grip and sent the toddler flying a short ways before the boy caught himself and righted himself in mid-air.

"At best, if her soul never re-aligns with her body then the soul will just leave the body. I don't really understand how Celestial souls work but Hotaru's soul is human so...she may just end up coming through the Reikai gates and I'll have to issue judgment and send her somewhere. I'm sorry but that's the rules...we can't make an exception for any single human, I'm afraid. I've already made all the exceptions I can by doing this. If it doesn't work then we'll just have to let Hotaru go-"

"Don't say another word if you value your voice box." Hiei threatened lowly, his back to the room's occupants with his hands stuffed inside of his cloak for good measure. He was practically itching to grab his sword and take a swing at something...regardless of whether it would do him any good.

When 45 long minutes had passed, Botan, Koenma, and a good majority of the ogres and other reapers excused themselves to get back to work; the only remaining ones in charge of the technology of the room. Noticeably, the Orb of Baast was also scooped up and carried out of the room.

An hour passed and Setsuna also had to excuse herself due to her duties as Time Guardian...she could only be away for so long in situations like this. Not to mention, she had to check on the condition of the human world and see if the other senshi's powers were needed to keep calamity in check as best they could. The older woman requested to be told of Hotaru's awakening before anyone else if at all possible to the scientists before finally leaving.

Another hour passed, and then another, and not even a stir from the small body of the girl.

"You don't have to wait with me, Kurama, I'm not going to do anything foolish." the fire demon announced to the kitsune who had thus remained with him in the room since, standing off on his own with his arms crossed as well.

"Maybe I have my own agenda by waiting here." the kitsune joked in order to lighten the mood and provoke his long-time friend...it worked like usual.

"Very funny, Kurama. When I am ever in a joking mood?"

"More often than you think. Anyhow, I'm sure we're all over-thinking this. Give it a few more hours and she'll be alive and well, I'm positive of it."

Kurama was probably right. Although the fire demon would never admit it, he had a tendency to ignore or brush aside things told to him unless they specifically came from the fox demon's mouth. He wasn't quite sure why, other than the fact that he simply trusted Kurama.

Just how long had he been waiting here...huddled into a mass on the floor with his arms and head resting against his knees...was it 3 hours? A day? He couldn't even remember anymore. All he knew for certain was that the body of the girl in front of him hadn't so much moved an inch, much less breathed or radiated some form of life to him.

What sat before him was a corpse. The only thing lacking was the scent of decaying flesh and the rotten smell of death that should have, by now, permeated the area like a thick, disgusting fog. It was this fact alone that gave him the tiniest sliver of hope although right now it was too small to been seen or recognized by the fire demon.

"Hiei,"

A voice broke him from his reverie, his tired eyes tracing the sound of the voice to see Kurama some feet in front of him.

"You need to leave this place."

For a moment he wasn't sure if what he was staring at was real or just an illusion created by his tired mind. No...this was real. It had to be. Although his eyes were in pain from having stared into the darkness for so long, this was no illusion.

"It's already been 3 days...at least come back with me and take a break. You've barely left this room at all."

Just because the Kurama in front of him was real didn't mean he had to acknowledge him...he could just easily ignore him and keep sitting here.

"Although I'm sure I can't understand the extent, I do understand that you want Hotaru back. We all do. Sitting around here doing nothing is not the answer to that problem."

Hiei was silent for a moment, his eyes that had been staring off into the distance finally blinked and closed, his red pupils hidden behind closed eyes for a good long while. "Kurama...do you know how pointless it all is?"

"What do you mean?" Kurama asked calmly, deciding to entertain the fire demon's thoughts for just awhile longer before forcibly dragging his friend back into the light of day and towards his human home.

"These memories. That woman gave those memories back to me...but for what? Here I am with all these memories I never wanted in the first place while she can just easily sleep over there...with no worries whatsoever. It's almost like she's trying to avoid them...and me."

"Hiei, you know that's not true." Kurama said, a hint of exasperation in his tone. It was extremely unlike Hiei to behave this way...was it really just because of those memories? True, his own memories were still sealed by Pluto so he didn't have the slightest idea of what Hiei was experiencing. Setsuna promised that once Hotaru returned, everyone's memories would be restored but until then...

"It doesn't matter what I think, I suppose." he stated, climbing to his feet, reattaching his sword to his waist while holding his cloak with a free hand. Without another word, the fire demon calmly exited the room without so much as a glance over his shoulder.

Kurama sighed, turning his own green eyes towards the ground in disappointment. He could only imagine the memories Hiei had seen and the feelings invoked because of them. These mustn't be just simple memories for them...after all, it was practically another lifetime full of memories for those two. Two halves of a whole with one piece missing, huh?

The kitsune took his own final look at the motionless girl before taking his own leave.

At long last, an entire week had come and gone. It was at this point that Hiei no longer bothered to check in with her, not even for a moment or two. To everyone around him, it appeared as if he'd given up on Hotaru and marked her as dead...which he pretty much had. It was pointless trying to delude himself otherwise, he decided, aptly throwing himself into as many training sessions as his body could handle. After that 3 day dry spell of doing nothing, he was feeling weaker than ever before. Just because Toguro was gone didn't mean some other battle wasn't just on the horizon. Even that damn toddler kept talking about how the barrier between the demon and the human world was going to collapse sooner or later...and when that happened, he would finally be free to go back to Makai, no strings attached. After all, who could stop him? There wouldn't be a way to bolt him down to this city anymore if all the barriers were going haywire.

It wasn't until later that he found out that the blue-haired reaper had taken it upon herself to visit Hotaru every day in his absence and do mundane things such as talk about her day and what had happened with everyone else. If Hotaru was conscience enough to hear everything the damn reaper blathered about, she must have been quite bored indeed. He didn't envy her in the slightest...well, he shouldn't any way. He shouldn't be envying anything about a corpse.

Botan, on the other hand, took quite a delight in talking to the girl, almost like she were a flower waiting to bloom with Botan's conversations her only nourishment. It was silly to think about, but the oar-riding girl had convinced herself otherwise that what she was doing was actually helpful. It didn't feel right to keep Hotaru, someone they cared about and trusted, locked away in this room all by herself. Even Hiei had stopped coming to visit her.

During that 7th day, at the end of the week, the reaper actually happened to notice something quite wonderful. Hotaru's pale complexion seemed a bit rosier, as did her entire body. She quickly called the lab techs in to confirm her suspicions, and things were made even better when they aptly discovered a pulse within the tiny body.

Hotaru Tomoe was alive.

...but only just. As much as Botan shook her, much to the lab tech and scientists' chagrin, the girl refused to awaken. As happy as they were with the discovery, they decided to tell no one outside of Reikai although Setsuna would more than likely be able to tell after awhile.

Botan danced around despite the machinery and dangerous utensils around her...Hotaru was alive and was going to wake up soon! That's what this all must of meant! Then she and Hiei could get together and their reunion would rival even the biggest of human soap opera finales! The idea nearly made her squeal out loud.

As with everything that had transpired, it was another matter of waiting.

Just when would Hotaru wake up?

The time when I start sweating nervously because I'm having trouble deciding on a good ending...yeah, that's not too far away. Another chapter in which nothing really significant happened...I really wanted to make Hotaru's mother a more relevant plot point but the memory transmission scenes had to be explained in some way. I've at least got 2-3 more chapters planned out...how depressing is that? Ugh I'm really gonna miss writing this story once it's over! ;w;