The Dating Game

I don't own YYH!

Chapter 7

A/N: At the very last minute, I decided to add Kurama's future step-brother to this chapter. I read that he is a cheerful character who looks up to Kurama. His name is also Shuichi (which is weird as hell, if you ask me) so I hope you guys don't get too confused during that scene.

Darkness shrouded over them as they sat in comfortable silence. The only source of light present was streaming in faintly from the moon and stars, as well as the occasional firefly that flitted past them. Botan could hear the others in the distance, still chattering on animatedly. Genkai had even joined them, and from the sounds of it, she and Yusuke were having one of their infamous arguments. A week ago, she would have been in the center of it all, enjoying the lively interactions and conversations, but this was a nice change of pace, too.

Botan snuck a glance over at Hiei, who seemed to be at peace for once. When his jaw wasn't tense with anger, his eyes weren't narrowed in annoyance and his lips weren't twisted into a scowl, he almost didn't look like himself at all.

Seven days ago, she would have never expected to find herself sitting so close beside the dangerous fire-demon, nor would she even dare to imagine that she could feel so comfortable and serene in his presence, yet here they were. He didn't push her away or ask why she had chosen to accompany him when the others were off in the distance. He simply accepted her presence and together they watched the time pass by languidly.

As she glanced up at the darkened sky, she realized that she should have headed back to the Spirit World hours ago, but she felt inclined to stay just a bit longer. When she returned home she would no doubt be bombarded with more work, on top of her new task of compiling a report on Hiei, Yukina and Kurama. She frowned when she thought of the new ruling. It was absurd. She appreciated how benevolently the others had acquiesced and followed through with the procedure, but she realized that it just wasn't fair.

"Say, Hiei, is there anything you would like to know about me?" she questioned suddenly, breaking the silence.

Hiei sat up and turned to look at her through narrowed and suspicious crimson eyes.

"What?"

"Well, you were forced to reveal information about yourself for the sake of the official's political agenda in Spirit World. It might not be much of a consolation, but if you'd like, you can interview me."

He was still staring at her strangely and she took his silence for confusion, so she continued.

"Aside from being a ferry-girl, there isn't much else you've learned about me. So, you can ask me almost anything and I'll reveal it free of charge!" she explained with a playful wink.

"Are you inviting me to pry into your personal life?" he asked slowly, raising a brow for good measure.

"Bingo!"

"Hn, I don't need to," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the large oak tree.

Botan was at a loss for words and she tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. She knew that Hiei wasn't the prying type, but she was surprised that there was honestly nothing the man wanted to know about her. It was a bit offensive, to be honest.

"I don't need to because I know enough," Hiei continued.

"You do?" she asked, perking up slightly.

Hiei turned to face her, his expression neutral as he began speaking.

"You're a ferry-girl employed by Koenma who spends her time moonlighting as the detective's assistant and team trainer. Despite your lack of battle experience and strength, you insist on being useful and aiding the team in perilous missions. You proved that during the bout with the Saint Beasts, the mission to rescue Yukina and the most recent case to reclaim the artifact. You care too much, even when you shouldn't, and you concern yourself in the affairs of others without expecting anything in return. You proved that with your ridiculous attempts to shield Yukina from Kuwabara's view of me. You are quick to trust others and you attempt to see the good in them. You proved that by sitting here with me despite knowing fully well the type of man I am and the crimes I am capable of committing," Hiei said. "You're an idealistic optimist – the type of person I understand least in this world."

Botan could feel the tears prickling behind her eyes and she willed them not to fall as the weight of his words set in. She didn't know why she had suddenly felt so emotional, after all Hiei had simply listed off a set of her characteristics monotonously, but there was something about his words that resonated with the very core of her being. She couldn't shake them off or dismiss them.

"Hiei, I…"

"What is it?"

The strange heaviness residing in the center of his chest slowly began to spread outwards and made it hard for her to at least pretend that she was completely unaffected. She blinked away the last remnants of tears that threatened to spill over and quickly forced a cheery smile on her face.

"I should probably go," she said hurriedly. "Lord Koenma wanted to have the reports completed today and I've only got a few hours until the deadline is up."

Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly, as though he was confused by her sudden change in demeanor, but he said nothing as he stood up and watched her mount her oar.

She gave him one final smile and then shot off towards the clouds, completely forgetting to let the others know that she was leaving. Truth be told, she didn't want Hiei to see her so vulnerable and exposed like that. She hoped that he didn't notice the degree to which his words had affected her.

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she remembered exactly what he said. It was strange; something so simple could bring her such joy. She knew they were probably just meaningless words to him, merely objective remarks, but it made her feel as though she wasn't just a ferry-girl or the spirit detective's assistant. She was her own person, separate from her alliance with the spirit world, with her own feelings, her own emotions and her own purpose. Hiei had paid enough attention to notice her efforts - to notice her - and that touched her in a way that nobody else had ever done.

She quickly got lost in her own thoughts and before long, she found herself at the gates of the Spirit World. Upon entering, she made her way to the file room, where she knew she could work uninterrupted and began compiling the reports. They were easy enough to complete and even though she was certain that they wouldn't be read, she made sure that they were perfect.

"Sir, here are the reports you asked for," Botan announced.

"Good work, Botan," Koenma said, taking them in his hands and glancing them over briefly. "You're free to go now."

Botan remained rooted in her spot.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Koenma said, not bothering to look away from the new stack of paper work he had shuffled over to his side.

"I was hoping to get your opinion on something…" she started, teetering around the subject hesitantly.

He looked up from his work, giving her the courtesy of his full attention now.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, I was just hoping to hear what you thought about my decision to spend more time with Hiei," she started. "As I was filling out the reports, I could only imagine what the officials would think if they knew the truth and I already know how everyone else around here feels about it; you're the only one who has refrained from saying anything on the matter."

"My job is to govern the souls of the departed and maintain the safety and security of the living world. So long as you and Hiei don't plan on overtaking the worlds, enslaving the people and bringing about chaos, I think you'll both be fine," Koenma replied with a small smile.

"How do you feel about it on a personal level?" she probed.

"If we're being honest here, I can't say I understand the situation completely. Hiei has always been a bit of a mystery to me and last time I checked you were still afraid of him."

"He's come a long way since we first met him," she supplied.

"I know," he replied self-righteously, nodding his head. "That's precisely why I recruited him."

Botan scrutinized the prince through narrowed eyes as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I thought it was because you were low on man-power and Kurama and Hiei were your only available options?"

"I am an excellent judge of character, I knew that he would be a valuable ally one day," Koenma maintained stubbornly, before breaking into a sly grin. "But I had no idea that you would end up dating him."

Botan's confidence stance was broken and she laughed nervously.

"When you put it like that, it sounds strange. It's really just a platonic thing…" she attempted to tell him.

"There's no such thing as platonic dating, even I know that," Koenma corrected. "But, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I trust Hiei to an extent and I trust you even more so. As long as you know what you're getting yourself into, I'm fine with it."

"Thanks sir. I'm glad to hear that," Botan said. "I'll be on my way, then."

As she exited the office, she couldn't help but mull over Koenma's last words.

There was no such thing as platonic dating - she wondered if that was really true. Her feelings towards Hiei certainly hadn't evolved into something romantic over the course of their time together. A few things had changed though; she felt more comfortable in his presence, she liked spending time with him and she wanted to get to know him better. There was nothing strange about that, though, right?

Her cheeks flushed as she remembered all of the times when her heartbeat quickened during one of her unusual encounters with Hiei; the first time they touched, the incident they shared in the photo booth and their most recent encounter earlier, when he took her by surprise with his profound description of her.

She shook her head and let out a sigh. It was late, she was tired and she was most definitely over-thinking things. Her meetings with Hiei were just a pleasant way of spending time with a good friend. They were a distraction from work and a chance to experience something new. Koenma didn't know what he was talking about; after all, he had never even been on a single date himself.

She put a smile on her face as she walked down the hallway that led towards her room. Things with Hiei were going just fine and she decided that she would not worry about it any longer.

Hiei did not know how he had ended up seated at a table in the local café with Kurama and his soon to be step-brother, Shuichi, but as he watched the humans scurry about and chatter on aimlessly, he realized that he had been getting roped into an increasingly large amount of scenarios that he would rather not be a part of. If possible, his mood soured even more as he listened to the sounds of murmured conversations, whirring machines and clanking cutlery.

He had only gone to visit Kurama in order to speak with him about Botan's strange behavior last night, but when he arrived, Shuichi enthusiastically invited him to join them for lunch. Before he had the chance to decline rudely, Kurama had accepted on Hiei's behalf, possibly to spare the boy's feelings from being hurt.

Although Hiei hadn't spent much time in their presence, it was obvious that the boy idolized Kurama and Kurama, in turn, harbored some sort of familial affection for the boy. Shuichi was an overtly chipper and fairly innocent boy, who got easily fascinated in the lives of others. Hiei scowled as he watched Shuichi chatter away with the cashier, before turning to face Kurama, who was seated across from him.

"Shuichi has expressed his desire to meet my friends for some time now. When you showed up unexpectedly I didn't have the heart to turn him down," Kurama explained, although he hadn't been prompted to.

"I don't know what's more ridiculous: the fact that you two share the same embarrassing name or the fact that you both so willingly and easily fell into your respective roles as the upstanding older brother and the enthralled younger runt."

Kurama only smiled knowingly. He must have realized that Hiei was not ready to talk about what was on his mind. The fox always knew.

"Yes, our shared name does make things a little complicated. But I truly have grown to think of him as a brother, so I hope you will at least attempt to be civil towards him. He is only twelve and as such, he is still very impressionable."

"This world is making you softer than you realize," Hiei pointed out, deciding to avoid his problems once more.

"Perhaps, but I am happy with what I've gained in spite of that."

Hiei scoffed at his confession, but Kurama's calm smile did not falter.

"We should probably discuss the real matter at hand, though. You hardly make social calls and such, there must be something weighing on your mind."

The fire-demon hesitated, wondering if Kurama would truly be of any help. The ferry-girl was a strange woman, but there was a chance that perhaps even Kurama's sharp wits could not decipher the rational behind her actions.

"It looks as though you're having more trouble than you'd care to admit," Kurama replied.

"Don't patronize me, Kurama," Hiei warned.

"Why does he always call you Kurama?"

The two demons turned to view the new voice. Shuichi returned to their table with an assortment of pastries and muffins to go along with their drinks, completely oblivious to the tension in the air.

"It's merely an old, meaningless nickname," Kurama supplied.

"Oh, I see," he said, sliding into the booth next to Kurama and opposite from the fire-demon. "So how long have you two known each other?"

"Longer than I care to admit," Hiei grumbled.

"How old are you?"

"He is the same age as I am," Kurama inserted smoothly, no signs of deception in his expression or his tone.

"Cool, so that means I'm only three years younger," Shuichi noted. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No," Hiei lied.

"Me neither, not until I met Shuichi."

Hiei rolled his eyes and was just about to leave, had it not been for Shuichi's probing.

"Hm, you're clearly not very into this "answering" thing, but... are there any questions you have for me?" the young boy asked before taking a hearty sip of his drink.

"What?" Hiei asked, a creeping sense of déjà vu sneaking up on him.

There was foam left behind on Shuichi's upper-lip but he didn't seem to notice as he grinned over at Hiei.

"Besides the fact that I will be related to Shuichi, there isn't much else you know about me. If there's anything you were curious about, you might as well ask it now. I'm sure we'll be seeing lots of each other in the future."

Hiei's thoughts were jolted back to last night, with the ferry-girl. She had given him the same offer, with the same amount of good-natured enthusiasm. He thought that he knew everything he needed to know about her and as such, a sentimental waste of words and time in order to get to know each other better was the last thing he wanted to indulge in. He only did what he thought was logical; he decided to list all of the facts he knew about her in one go, hoping it would be enough to satisfy her.

He had told her exactly what he thought of her; exactly what he knew about her after all they had been through. He wasn't praising or belittling her character, but when he was finished, he noticed that there tears in her pink eyes. He wondered if he had been too harsh in his assessment but before he could even think of a plausible way to salvage the situation, she did something unexpected: she smiled.

Although her tears bothered him – Hiei had never done well around sentimental women – it was the look of pure gratitude and joy she had returned to him that bothered him the most. Even in the darkness, he could see her eyes shining brightly, conveying the sentiments that she felt no need to hide. She had always been like that, unabashed and unashamed to let her emotions run unfiltered.

He didn't like it.

"He's zoning out again, do you think he's thinking about the girl that he likes?" Shuichi whispered to Kurama.

"I didn't say he liked her, I said that he was dating her," Kurama corrected amusedly.

"Oh, well I still think it's strange for him to be dating someone if he doesn't like them."

"Hiei always was unconventional…" Kurama mused.

"Unconventional, huh?" the boy echoed. "You have the coolest friends!"

It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the two fools before him, especially when he was the focal point of their conversation. He growled and narrowed his eyes dangerously, but Shuichi merely smiled on, completely unfazed.

"If he keeps thinking about her so much, maybe he actually does like her?" Shuichi whispered again to Kurama.

"I can hear you, you fool," Hiei announced.

"Good, then maybe you should give her a call and talk to her," he suggested.

Hiei looked down at his pocket where the communication mirror resided. He could call her and demand that she explain why she acted so strangely last night, but that would mean that it bothered him enough to ask her about it.

"You look troubled," Kurama pointed out.

"I'm not troubled, I'm baffled," Hiei said bluntly. "The ferry-girl is a strange woman."

"Ferry-girl?" Shuichi mumbled to himself.

"Another one of his strange nicknames," Kurama mentioned before returning his attentions to Hiei. "While I don't advocate the agreement you've entered, I'm inclined to agreeing with Shuichi's proposal. If there was some sort of misunderstanding between the two of you, then you should speak with Botan about it."

Hiei didn't like following orders from others, but he dug in his pocket and retrieved the communication device, regardless; calling the woman because he was advised to talk to her seemed like a much better option than calling her because he wanted to. He flipped open the lid and pressed the button on the right.

"Hello?"

Hiei immediately regretted calling her when he saw her image flash onto the screen. He noticed Shuichi urging him to speak up and say something, but he ignored the boy.

"Hiei?"

There was only one thing left for him to do, he realized.

"The things I said last night," he began. "I want you to forget them."

A look of shock briefly crossed over her features as her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. Then, it vanished as quickly as it appeared, and was replaced by a look of determination.

"But I don't want to forget them," she said quickly. "I was surprised to hear you say the things you did and I didn't know how to react. I didn't even think you remembered who I was half the time, but you did. And you said such wonderful things about me."

"Don't get sentimental," Hiei advised, shifting his gaze to the side. "They were just observations."

"I know that, but I'm still very grateful for what you said. It meant a lot to me and, as my friend, you deserve to know that."

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked suddenly, intent on changing the subject.

"Well, I heard that there's a fireworks show going on nearby. I wanted to go and see it; maybe you'd like to join me?"

"Say yes!" piped Shuichi, who was nodding eagerly over at him.

"Shut up," Hiei gritted, sending the boy a discouraging glare.

"What?"

"Not you, I was talking to that menace, Shuichi."

"I'd hardly call Kurama a menace."

"Not him," Hiei replied agitatedly.

"But you just said-"

"Never mind what I just said," he growled. "I'll go with you tonight."

"I was hoping you'd say that," she beamed, unmoved by his harsh tone. "I'll call you later with the details, then."

He hung up and tried to ignore the thumbs up that Shuichi was giving him.

"Stop that," Hiei demanded, casting a dark look in the boy's direction.

"Looks like things worked out for the best," Shuichi grinned.

"Yes, I guess they did," Kurama agreed with a slight nod of his head.

Hiei ignored the strange look Kurama was giving him. It was as though the fox had just picked up on a crucial bit of information, but Hiei could not figure out what it was. In any case, he would have to subject himself to the third date with Botan tonight. It wasn't much, but it was progress.

The rest of his day was uneventful and he soon found himself meeting up with Botan at the appointed place and time. She led him to a tall building, promising that the flat rooftop would present the best view in town. She had offered to give him a ride to the roof on her oar, but Hiei refused. He told her that he didn't trust that her stick could support the weight of them both but the truth was: he would have had to sit closely behind her and he did not want to engage in any further physical contact with the woman. He had learned his lesson during the incident they shared in the photo booth. She only insisted on helping him one more time before giving up and going on ahead without him. It wasn't difficult to scale the building and by the time he had reached the top, Botan was finished setting out a red and white checkered blanket with a little wooden basket on top of it. He walked over to her and sat down.

"I'm not much of a chef, so I visited Yukina earlier today and she gave me a hand," Botan said as she pulled out two bento boxes. "I did add a little creative input, though."

Hiei wondered why she suddenly had that cat-like grin on her face, but he ignored it as she passed a box to him. He slid the lid off and froze when he saw the contents.

"What is this?"

"Aren't they adorable?" she gushed.

Hiei stared down at the five rice-balls, all fashioned in one way or another to look like the faces of the Spirit Detective Team.

"We've got Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Koenma and that one with the angry expression is you!" she said, pointing to each one.

She used side dishes and ingredients to give each rice ball the characteristic expressions of the group, and as such, Hiei's was glaring menacingly.

"Give me yours," he ordered suddenly.

"What?"

"I refuse to eat anything that resembles Kuwabara," he said, motioning over the grinning rice ball.

Botan put up a hand to protest, but she went completely ignored as Hiei leaned forward and snatched her box out of her grip. He opened the cover and peered inside before turning his glare towards her.

"I tried to warn you," she said sheepishly. His eyes roamed over the batch of rice balls made to resemble Yukina, Kuwabara's sister, the detective's woman and the ferry-girl before handing it back to her without a word.

She accepted it gleefully and began eating. Hiei thought she was extremely deranged to even be enjoying such a bizarre meal, but Botan was unaffected by it. She only paused to push his box closer to him.

"Yukina's cooking is absolutely wonderful; you really shouldn't let it go to waste."

"It's not the cooking I'm repulsed by," Hiei deadpanned.

"At least try your own," she urged, pointing over to the rice ball.

"Get that away from me, it's disturbing," he said, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

"Here, you can have one of mine," Botan offered. "Maybe you'll have this cute little one of Yukina, seeing as she's just about the only person you actually like."

"No," he gritted out, turning his head so that he wouldn't have to see the offensive item.

Botan stifled a giggle as she placed it back inside of her box.

"Fine," she said, picking apart at each feature with her chopsticks. "There, plain and boring rice balls with side dishes. Is that better mister grumpy pants?"

"Hn."

It was infinitely better, but he refused to tell her that as he picked up the bento box and began eating.

They ate in silence and once they were finished, Botan began packing up the boxes and returning them inside the picnic basket. As she was doing so, he noticed a slight change in the atmosphere. There was a strange noise in the distance and he felt a slight vibration in the soles of his feet. Hiei immediately jumped up, ready to take action when he felt something tug at his hand.

"No, it's just the fireworks!" Botan said, pointing towards the sky. "They're starting!"

The ferry-girl was completely enthralled by the display, and by the sounds of the cheering in the distance, so were the other spectators. He sat back down and turned towards the direction of the commotion. His eyes followed the bright lights as they sailed through the sky, bursting and sparkling as the various colors lit up the dark area. The sight wasn't something he was unaccustomed to; spirit and demon energy came in many different colors and flashed in similar ways. Botan should have been accustomed to it, too, but there was something about watching them on a quiet and calm night, without the threat of danger or the thrill of battle. He couldn't quite place the right word to but it was different. He glanced over at Botan one last time, before turning away completely.

"I think there is supposed to be another wave of fireworks by a different team in a few minutes. Did you enjoy it so far?"

Hiei didn't answer and she only smiled in return.

"I think you did and you don't want to admit it," she teased.

"And I think you're delusional," he replied.

"Were you always this disagreeable?"

"Were you always this nosy?"

"Hm, I suppose so… I can't really say for sure."

It was a strange answer, but he decided not to dwell on it.

"What was your past like?" she asked suddenly.

"I thought the point of our arrangement was to familiarize yourself with the human world and not with me," Hiei reminded her. "Besides, you already agreed that you wouldn't pry."

"Oops, I forgot about that. I wasn't prying intentionally, though. I was just curious because I don't even have a past, you know. Or at least, I can't remember it," she revealed as her expression took on a distant and saddened look. "I've always just been a ferry-girl and I can't recall ever being anything else. My past is nothing but an empty, blank void."

After a few moments of silence, he looked away from her, instead choosing to set his sights on the darkened sky.

"Would you rather a past filled with abandonment, betrayal and violence?" he asked, in a tone far too casual to be taken seriously.

Botan blinked before frowning.

"You certainly have a way with words. Kuwabara told me all about your penchant for dark humor, but I just don't get it."

"That's because it wasn't a joke," Hiei responded evenly. "I was cast out from the ice village on the day I was born. I was abandoned by the bandits who I had come to think of as family when they realized that I was too strong and too violent for them to control. Since then I lived only for the thrill of besting my opponents."

"Oh, Hiei, I'm so sorry," she apologized, her tone laced with regret. "I didn't mean to bring up such a sore subject."

"Don't give me that look. I've made peace with my past and I expect you to keep it between us."

Botan nodded.

"I promise that I won't tell another soul."

He turned away from her, but from the corner of his eye, he could see that she was still looking over at him and smiling.

"What is it?"

"For someone who has mastered the art of intimidation and scare tactics, you're a lot nicer than you let on," she concluded, her pink eyes shining brightly.

His eyes widened a fraction before immediately frowning at her.

"And you're even more delusional than I could have ever imagined," he answered back, averting his gaze as an unnerving feeling started to wash over him. "There is nothing nice about me."

"That's not true. I wouldn't be sitting here with you like this if you weren't nice," Botan said.

Hiei scoffed.

"I'm serious!" she insisted, her voice rising higher to match her zeal. "I like spending time with you. In fact, it may come as a complete and total surprise to you, but I do actually like you as a friend, you know. And I'm not saying that because you're here with me right now. I've always thought you were brave and strong and confident, even when the odds were stacked against you. You have a nasty little habit of being rude and harsh sometimes, but I've seen the gentle way you watch over Yukina. You would do just about anything to ensure her safety, even if you get no recognition, no love and no gratitude in return. And for that, I think you're a great guy!"

Her speech was delivered in the same manner she used when trying to convince the team of the importance of one of the spirit detective items. She had always gotten excited when she could potentially sway their opinions and get them to acknowledge something that she had taken great pride in. But he was not an object that she could market and sell to others. He was the type that was never coveted or sought after and with time, she would realize why.

"Are you finished?" he asked a little impatiently.

Botan flushed.

"Was I rambling?"

Hiei nodded.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, looking down at her folded hands, resting in her lap.

Silence enveloped them for a short while, until she refocused her attention towards him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say Hiei, is that even if you can't see it, I can."

Her voice lacked the fervent emotion it held earlier, but the conviction was there. The atmosphere shifted once more and there was almost a kinetic feeling in the air. His senses sharpened, signaling a sudden spike in his adrenaline that left him feeling on edge and uneasy. All of his instincts pointed to danger, but as she smiled gently at him, he couldn't understand why.

"You're a good soul and I pity those who abandoned you," she declared softly. "They really missed out on knowing an amazing man."

The tension that had been steadily building culminated when a loud crackle shot off in the distance. Botan turned her attention towards the fireworks show, her smile extending into a full on grin as the display restarted. The various colors stained her profile and illuminated the area around them, but Hiei hardly noticed it this time around. Her voice was as light as air, but the words weighed him down so much so that he couldn't find the strength or the will to turn away.

Uh oh, is Hiei starting to get hooked? Nah, not yet… but at least he's feeling something, right? His fight or flight instincts kicked in back there since he doesn't know how to react to the sudden onslaught of emotion he experienced due to Botan's sudden confession. He better get used to that emotion, because he's going to experience it a few more times before this story is over.

As you can see, this chapter was the transitioning point. From here on out, both Hiei and Botan will start rethinking their earlier notions as their attitudes towards their arrangement starts to shift. It only took me seven chapters. Heh.

Hope you guys liked it! As always, thank you for the kind reviews I've received so far. Please drop a note and let me know your thoughts on this newest installment!