This chapter is a little wordier than the last. Lots of introspective thinking and some mushy gushy stuff too, so sit back and relax and enjoy.

Chapter 12

Kurama's steps were light and practiced as he meandered through the backyard, surveying the plant life with a pleased eye. He didn't want to alarm his mother, as it was late and he intended to keep this a private affair. Ever since they had returned from the Dark Tournament, there was something ominous in the air. Kurama couldn't quite place it, but it seemed as though trouble was imminent. He planted some seeds for protection and they were blooming nicely. Should trouble arise, he was sure that his mother would at least remain safe if she stayed within the vicinity.

As he made a mental note of the growth of his defensive plants, he felt a familiar energy close by. It had been steadily drawing near for some time now so he was not alarmed when he turned to find Kuwabara making his way across the area. He was surprised to see the psychic without Yusuke at his side, but upon noticing Kuwabara's troubled expression as he approached the garden, Kurama realized that he had probably intended for it to be that way.

"Sorry for dropping by without any warning… I just really needed to talk to you," Kuwabara started, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck as he looked over at Kurama sheepishly.

"There's no need to apologize," Kurama responded. "Is this about your spiritual energy?"

Unfortunately, their trip to the Spirit World was futile and Koenma had failed to produce any answers concerning Kuwabara's waning spiritual energy. The Prince told them that spiritual energy was unpredictable to begin with. It wasn't uncommon for things like this to happen, he informed while urging them to just wait it out. This only confirmed Kurama's suspicions that a new threat was steadily approaching this usually peaceful world. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but it felt like the calm before the storm so to speak.

"Nah, it's not about that," Kuwabara replied, his expression strangely serious. "It's about Botan and the Hiei."

"Did something happen?"

"You can say that…" Kuwabara answered. "I realized that you were right from the beginning. We should have never started that bet with Hiei. I don't really care about the shrimp's feelings, but I don't want Botan to get hurt."

So, Kuwabara had noticed the subtle changes in Hiei and Botan's behavior towards each other as well. Botan had quickly warmed up to Hiei's cold attitude and the fire-demon in turn seemed to do more than just tolerate her presence. It was not a bad thing, but under the false pretenses of the bet, their precarious relationship could take a drastic turn for the worse.

"I feared that this would happen," Kurama answered finally.

"I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it with my own two eyes… ever since I went on that double date with them, I couldn't shake the feeling that what we were doing was wrong," Kuwabara revealed worriedly.

"A double date, you say?" Kurama echoed, somewhat incredulously. "Hiei actually agreed to that stipulation?"

"Yeah, Yukina and I went out with Hiei and Botan. Urameshi set it up so we could keep an eye on Hiei; to make sure he wasn't cheating or anything," Kuwabara explained. "I thought it would be fun to see him messing everything up, but he didn't. They were both acting strange… they knew all these private things about each other and they just seemed to fit."

"I see," Kurama answered calmly. The sudden news was alarming, but he kept his expression guarded as he considered Kuwabara's words more carefully. Under any other circumstances, Hiei would have sought to kill Kuwabara for even attempting to take his sister out on a date. But instead, he managed to keep his rage intact and Kurama was more than willing to bet that Botan had something to do with that. She was a good influence on Hiei, even if he didn't realize it himself. It was a shame that she was being used so blatantly.

At that start of this fiasco, Kurama's biggest qualms about the bet were for Botan's sake; he did not want her to be used as a pawn to ease Yusuke and Kuwabara's boredom and grant Hiei's freedom. There was a very real chance that she would become wrapped up in the romantic undertones of dating and somehow end up falling for Hiei, but Kurama never considered the possibility of Hiei returning those feelings.

This was even worse than he thought.

"Urameshi won't believe me. So it's up to us to stop this," Kuwabara reasoned.

"I'm afraid it's far too late for that."

"But Kurama-" he protested.

"Hiei had made his choice," Kurama asserted. "He won't back down now."

"But Botan never had a choice in any of this!"

"On the contrary, she could have stopped any time she wanted to."

"For all we know, he could have been threatening her… or using his third eye," Kuwabara objected, his tone lacking the conviction it needed to be considered convincing.

"You and I both know Hiei would not resort to using underhanded tactics when he's entered an agreement," Kurama countered. "Botan has chosen to stay in his company of her own volition."

"Probably because he's lying to her and pretending to be something he's not…" Kuwabara grumbled.

"Did he give you that impression when you observed him during your double date?"

Kuwabara shook his head a bit reluctantly.

"He was still the same rotten and antisocial jerk he's always been, but Botan was able to get along with him so easily in spite of that," the psychic said as his brow furrowed and a worried frown tugged at his lips. "It sounds crazy, but it seems like she's actually starting to like him."

"Perhaps he is starting to feel the same as well," Kurama suggested. "Surely you've noticed it."

Kuwabara averted his gaze.

"I didn't want to believe it," the psychic confessed. "But I kinda got that impression from him, too."

"They do say opposites attract."

Kuwabara seemed disgusted at the thought as he involuntarily shivered.

"They're way too opposite… that's why I thought this bet wouldn't be a big deal. I thought he would fail."

"Hiei can be quite single-minded and determined once he commits himself to a task. I had hoped to dissuade him before their first date, but I was unsuccessful," Kurama said grimly.

Kuwabara looked over at Kurama guiltily.

"We really messed up, didn't we?"

"The situation is precarious, but not yet hopeless," Kurama enlightened.

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps they were meant to find each other."

"Wow, I never would have pegged you for a romantic," Kuwabara said, grinning slightly in surprise.

"I am not a romantic or an idealist," Kurama replied, looking up towards the darkened sky. "I don't really believe in fate, however, I've learned that some things have a strange way of working out for the best."

Kuwabara sighed.

"I really hope that you're right, Kurama."

The high pitched sound of the alarm clock pulled the ferry-girl out of her fitful sleep. With a groan, she covered her ears and reached over to press the snooze button and the offensive noise ended abruptly. As she concealed herself beneath the covers again and snuggled into the comfort of her bed, an undoubtedly satisfied feeling passed over her. Although she was usually in a chipper and bright mood, this feeling was completely new. She could only describe it as a soothing warmth that fed straight into her soul. When she realized that she couldn't discern the cause of this new and elated condition, she wracked her brain for an answer. Last night was a comfortably quiet one. She had been reading a new book from Hinageshi and it was getting to a really good part when…

Amethyst eyes snapped open and Botan sat up abruptly as the memories came flooding back in a rush of images and sensations. Hiei kissed her. A hand shot up towards her mouth, fingertips grazing lightly over lips as the truth settled in. It wasn't a dream or a figment of her overactive imagination; it actually happened.

She wasn't expecting to see him again and she remembered the way her startled heart sped up when she finally noticed his looming presence at her windowsill. Her heart began racing for an entirely different reason as he stalked over to her with a fiercely determined look in his crimson eyes. There was a tension in the air that she had never experienced before with Hiei. She was anticipating something, but she couldn't exactly place what it was that she had been waiting for. Before she knew what was happening, his lips claimed hers in a kiss that left her completely stunned and breathless. He was gone before she had a chance to make sense of it all and quite frankly, that was probably for the best. She wasn't sure that either of them really knew what they were doing at this point.

The alarm went off again, momentarily breaking her out of her thoughts and she hurried out of the bed. She moved on autopilot as she prepared herself for the day. Before she knew it, her mouth was tingling with a mint fresh flavor, her hair was tied securely in its place and styled into its signature ponytail and her kimono was wrapped securely around her body. She had gotten through her entire morning routine without any conscious thought, too preoccupied by the memories of Hiei that were currently spinning around in an endless loop.

Up until yesterday, it had been so easy to pretend like the feelings inside the deepest corners of her heart were nonexistent.

She had told herself over and over that their dates were just a platonic thing.

But then Hiei kissed her and everything changed.

It was like the gates of her emotions had been flooded and forced open; she no longer had the will or power to close them. She didn't want to lie to herself anymore. Even if she never told another soul, she could finally be honest with herself: she liked Hiei. Not simply as a friend, but as a man. The admittance washed over her like a peaceful rainfall, leaving nothing but a new clarity behind. Now that the weight of her denial had been washed away, she felt much lighter than before; freer than she had been in a long time.

Botan entered the break room, greeting the girls jovially, before moving over towards the counter to find something to drink. Various scents wafted through the area, and although they really didn't need the sustenance, it was more a force of habit and an indulgence. As much as she craved freedom beyond the borders of her world, this was always one of her favorite places. She loved engaging in the daily gossip with her fellow peers and venting about the woes of the job that only those in the same position of her could empathize with.

"There's something different about you…" Hinageshi said, sliding up next to Botan.

"Good morning to you, too, Hinageshi," Botan replied brightly.

"Morning," the redhead said sheepishly.

As Botan began looking through the beverage selection, she hummed a cheerful tune that she had heard before during her many trips to the human world. Hinageshi's teal eyes flickered over Botan's form, before narrowing suspiciously.

"You seem happier than usual. Not just cheery, but genuinely happy."

Botan froze in her ministrations of sifting through the selection of teas, coffees and juices, her frown hidden from view as she faced in the opposite direction of the other girl. Although she was finally able to admit to herself that what she was feeling for Hiei was not entirely platonic, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to let anyone else know yet. She quickly put on an innocent expression and shrugged, once again feeling the familiar weight pull down on her as she hid the truth.

"It's just a beautiful morning, is all," Botan deflected.

"It looks to me like you're on a natural high…" Hinageshi continued, before lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "The kind you get when you've fallen in love."

Botan could feel the panic creeping in and fraying at her nerves, but she pushed it away. She desperately needed a distraction; anything to get her nosy apprentice off of her back. Her eyes lit up when she found what she was looking for.

"Well, would you look at that? Koenma finally got around to ordering the new flavors I told him about. He really does listen when we make requests," Botan announced, laughing to herself as she reached out to give it a try. She pointedly avoided any eye-contact with Hinageshi as she brewed the concoction, adding just a hint of milk and sugar. "It smells delicious and there's only one left. You should try it before someone else comes along and claims it. You know how these girls get when it comes to good tea."

"You're doing that nervous babbling thing that you always do! I knew it!" the younger girl said. "Something big happened, didn't it?

Botan pursed her lips shut. She didn't want to say anything in fear of the others hearing. Word spread much too quickly in the Spirit World. When she noticed others starting to look over at her, she forced a smile onto her face.

"Nothing happened, everything is just peachy," Botan lied.

Hinageshi pouted and in that moment she reminded Botan of an adorable small child who wasn't getting their way. The girl opened her mouth with the intent of getting more answers, but immediately dropped the issue upon noticing three figures enter the area. The noise level in the room quieted considerably as Minako and her lackeys strode through the area until they eventually reached Botan, stopping directly in front of her path. For a moment, they all just stared at each other without saying tensely, neither side willing to bend.

"Good morning, ladies," Botan said politely, breaking the hushed silence.

"Hmph," Minako grunted, her disapproving gaze passing over them chillingly. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but held back and simply continued on her way.

Botan was unaffected by the exchange, finally getting used to Minako's antagonistic nature as she and Hinageshi claimed a small table.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when Minako learned to hold her tongue…" Hinageshi muttered, looking back in the direction that the woman went off in. "It's kind of nice not to hear her belittling everyone for a change."

Botan agreed with a slight nod of her head. As she thought back further on the matter, she realized that Minako had stopped verbally attacking her ever since the senior ferry-girl inadvertently ran into Hiei that night in her room. The mere recollection of it was enough to cause Botan to grin again, catching Hinageshi's immediate attention.

"See? There you go again with that lovey-dovey smile!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Hina," Botan maintained the lie smoothly, pausing to take a sip of her tea. "You should consider cutting back on all those romance novels; they seem to have warped your brain and caused you to believe all sorts of crazy notions."

"Fine, don't tell me, then," the girl grumbled, her cheeks puffed up as she pouted.

"Don't be like that," Botan urged.

Hinageshi turned away from Botan, stirring her hot cocoa with forced interest.

"Are you really going to give me the silent treatment?" Botan asked, before sliding a sly grin on her face. "And here I've been dying to know all about how your training is progressing. I've heard nothing but good things from the others."

The girl could barely contain her pride as she turned back to face Botan, her wide eyes twinkling.

"Really?"

"Of course. I wouldn't lie about your training, dear," Botan promised. "So, come on, tell me all about it."

"Well, I've really mastered flying. It's a piece of cake now…" Hinageshi started, the discontentment long forgotten as she recounted the many ways she had improved and Botan could only smile in return. She felt bad about hiding her true feelings towards Hiei, especially since she and Hinageshi had such an open and warm relationship, but she couldn't possibly let her secret out yet. It wouldn't do any good if even more rumors started spreading. She needed time to process everything, to figure out what her next steps would be and that would be quite impossible if the whole world was abuzz with the scandalous news of her crush. She needed to go to the source for answers and that was exactly what she would do the moment she had some free time.

Hiei was surprised when Botan paid him a visit not less than twenty four hours after their last encounter. He expected the ferry-girl to avoid him entirely and then perhaps a few days, the situation would diffuse. He would no longer be tempted to do strange things and they could continue on like nothing had happened. But the woman was curious by nature and he should have known that she would come to him seeking answers.

They ended up walking over to an area of the park that he had come to consider as their meeting place. The first time they came here was when he entrapped Botan with the temptation of freedom during their first date. On that day, time dragged forward agonizingly slow. Everything she did frustrated him and it seemed as though he would never find the leverage he needed to keep her coming back for more dates. It was only when he finally realized that they were both longing for the same thing – that on some level, they were the same – did the clock start ticking and the game begin.

They next time they returned to this area, Botan had unwittingly turned the tables by ensnaring him. He remembered that day clearly; time seemed to stand still without her and only when she arrived had things spun back into their proper place. As she blabbered on about the rules of baseball, Hiei realized that she wasn't even aware of just how much she affected him. The clock ticked on once more, but the game was forever altered.

As they took their seats on the bench and settled into the familiar spot for a third time, Hiei begrudgingly realized that now they were both entrapped by something as harmless as an innocent kiss that should have never happened. Time stretched on steadily and Hiei was painfully aware of each and every second that passed by without a single word exchanged between the two. He watched as Botan fidgeted in her seat, unsure of how to begin. She was searching for the right words to say and whenever it seemed like she had summoned enough courage to confront him, she would quickly deflate and settle for sending very unsubtle glances his way. He was beginning to get irritated with it, until she finally spoke.

"I ran into Minako earlier today and she didn't say a single word to me," Botan started, breaking the silence. "I think you might have scared her off permanently."

Hiei leaned back against the wooden bench, crossing his arms over his chest. If Botan insisted on pretending that the kiss didn't happen, then that was fine, he decided. He would much rather sweep it under the rug than deal with the real issue at hand.

"I didn't do anything to warrant such a reaction," he responded.

"You didn't have to. Even when you don't say anything at all, you still manage to look terrifying," Botan said.

The words rolled off of her tongue so easily, as if falling into conversation with him was second-nature. He supposed it was normal - they had been spending a lot of time together, after all - but he couldn't help the frown that tugged at his lips. It was still jarring to think of how far they had come.

"Not to say that you're scary looking," she clarified, laughing nervously. "I just meant that you give off a certain intimidating aura sometimes. That's where the whole smiling thing comes into play."

"Hn," Hiei grunted. "I'd rather give off an intimidating aura than one full of rainbows and smiles."

"When you put it like that, it sounds pathetic," she said. "But I can be intimidating, too! I just choose to be nice."

"I find that hard to believe," he deadpanned, completely unconvinced as he looked over the harmless woman seated beside him.

"You only say that because you haven't been on the receiving end of my oar or my trusty bat," she countered, turning her nose up in the air.

"Yes, because a splinter and a bat are so intimidating when being wielded by a pacifist ferry-girl," he taunted mockingly.

Botan let out a small huff and then drew her mouth into a pout, puckering out her lips in the process. That insignificant action was enough to draw his attention and he found himself staring at her mouth. She must have noticed where his attention rested, because her cheeks suddenly tinted with a rosy color and she purposefully cleared her throat.

"But I didn't really come here to tell you about Minako or squabble about our varying levels of intimidation," she began.

He knew that. It was obvious why she came here, but he still felt the need to ask.

"What is it?"

"You kissed me yesterday," she said, as though it were a question. As though she didn't believe it were true.

"I did," he confirmed.

"When I kissed your first, it was an accident," she started. "But you chose to come back and I wanted to know why you did it. It was sort of my first time and when you left so suddenly, I wasn't sure what to think."

Hiei showed no outward reaction, but he cursed mentally. He did not care about the sentimentality behind first kisses and other romantic gestures, but he knew that Botan did. For all he knew, she could have misconstrued his erratic behavior as a declaration of love. He needed to clear the air before things got out of control.

"I left because it was a mistake," Hiei said.

Botan flinched, as though his words had physically hurt her but remained quiet as she looked down at the grass.

"You didn't do anything wrong," he clarified. "It was my mistake. I should have never come back."

She still appeared to be troubled and he wondered why.

"Be that as it may, you still haven't answered my question," she maintained, looking over at him with eyes that were very clearly beckoning him to give her the answers she was searching for. "I wanted to know why you kissed me last night. I at least deserve to know that much."

Hiei tore his gaze away from hers, steeling himself as he looked out into the distance. The truth would surely shock her; after all, it was still hard for him to wrap his mind around it and process it fully. The truth shocked him enough to cause him to flee from Spirit World at an alarmingly high speed and he was thrown into a restless night of self-loathing and hatred. That damned kiss ruined everything.

"I had to try it again to see if it would be the same as the first time," he replied.

"Was it that bad?" she asked quietly. He could hear the trepidation in her voice, even though she tried so hard to hide it as she continued. "Was it so horrible that you had to do it again just to confirm it?"

"No."

"Then why did you..."

He paused, taking a moment to look at her. To really look at the woman who was so innocent by his standards. Her features softened as she waited for him to continue. She was apprehensive about what he would say next and he sighed. He stole her first kiss and he had been deceiving her for the past few weeks - the least he could do was be honest with her right now.

"I had to try it again because it was the best I ever had."

Botan let out a tiny little gasp as Hiei's words set in. His slanted eyes and crimson irises somehow seemed more intense now and she was unable to look away.

"Do you really mean that or are you just saying that to make me feel better?" she asked, once she found her voice again.

"I'm not the type to make up stories in order to spare someone else's feelings," he stated.

"That is true…" she trailed off. "Did you find the answer you were looking for? Was the second time around the same as the first?"

"It was."

She wondered how Hiei was able to speak so blatantly without a hint of hesitation or embarrassment. Then she remembered who she was dealing with: the confident, arrogant and fearless wielder of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame and the master of the jagan eye. It wasn't in his nature to backpedal or waver. Besides, he had probably been with many women and this sort of thing wasn't nearly enough to faze him. But even after the others he had been with, he said that her kiss was the best. Her heart might as well have been performing acrobatics inside of her chest at the rate it was fluttering and flipping and she couldn't contain the slow smile that stretched over her lips.

"Don't do that," he ordered, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Do what?" Botan asked.

"Don't grin like you've suddenly gained the upper-hand."

She looked at him confusedly before frowning.

"I'm not smiling because I won or because I've gained the upper-hand," she replied. "It was the only - and therefore quite literally the best - kiss I've ever had, so you might as well say that we're even. Besides this isn't a game and there's no need to keep a silly score like that in the first place!"

"You're right, woman, this isn't a game and we can't afford to play around anymore," Hiei asserted. "We can't let that happen again."

She knew he would end up suggesting something like that and she had expected to feel a pang of disappointment or twinge of sadness, but it never came. She felt completely fine - better than fine, actually. She was afraid that recent developments might have caused their friendship to become awkward or strained, but the air between them hadn't changed. As long as their relationship remained amicable, that was all that mattered.

"You're absolutely right," Botan agreed. "It would only serve to complicate things and we did decide that our dates would remain a platonic thing."

Hiei almost looked surprised by her ready acceptance but his eyes narrowed in suspicion when he saw the mischievous grin that Botan was currently sporting.

"So long as you can keep your hands and mouth to yourself, we shouldn't have any more complications," she teased with a wink.

Hiei looked her over and scoffed.

"Trust me, that won't be a problem."

"Hey, that's a little offensive, you know!" she shot back.

"Good," he said with a smirk.

Botan shook her head, although she couldn't help the smile that ghosted over her face.

"So, do you have any plans for today?" she asked. "I've got to go ferry some souls soon and then I have a date with some paperwork."

"Training," Hiei said. "And avoiding that annoying brat."

"What annoying brat?"

"Shuichi," Hiei bit out reluctantly. "He invited me to join him at Kurama's house for dinner but the thought makes me feel physically ill."

"I think it's cute that he likes you so much," Botan doted.

Hiei's face scrunched up in disgust.

"That kid is a pain."

"It wouldn't kill you to be more social. Widen your social circle. Expand your horizons and such," she advised. "It could never hurt to have more friends."

"That might hold true for you, but I'm completely satisfied with the people I have in my life. I don't need any more," he said.

She wondered if she was included in that special list of people, but she wasn't so sure if she should voice that particular question aloud. Eventually, the curiosity won out.

"Hiei?"

"Don't bother asking," he cut in, seeming to catch where her thoughts had off trailed to as he turned to look at her. "The answer to that much should be obvious by now."

She nodded in understanding as the warmth surged through her entire being. This was good, she decided. They had come so far and she was glad that they ended up here. It didn't matter if Hiei never reciprocated her feelings because this was enough.

When he was called to Genkai's temple the following day, he assumed that it was for another mission or procedure from the Spirit World. He didn't expect to see the detective's woman or the oaf's sister in addition to the rest of the team. The ferry-girl was missing and his eyes narrowed when he realized that he hadn't been called for business. The humans were all wearing loose fitting clothing, the type that was easy to move around in, and they were all carrying some sort of cleaning solvent or tool with them. He stood farther than the rest of the group, hands crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wall. He never inquired as to why they were cleaning the temple, but he got his answer soon enough.

"Are you going to just stand in the corner all day, shorty, or are you going to help?" Kuwabara asked.

"Hn, I'm nobody's servant. I don't see why I should clean the old woman's temple."

"Figures you wouldn't lift a finger to help out," Kuwabara grumbled. "This is a team effort you know. If we're gonna get this place ready in time for Genkai's party this weekend, then we've all got to help out."

"Tell that to the supposed team leader," Hiei countered, crimson eyes landing on Yusuke.

Yusuke, who was lounging out on one of the couches, suddenly sat up.

"How old is the old gal oing to be, anyway?" Yusuke smirked. "I'll need to know how many candles to get for the cake. A hundred? One-fifty?"

"That's no way to speak about your teacher, Yusuke!" Botan admonished, entering the room and making her presence known. "And besides it's improper to inquire a lady's age."

"Botan, you made it!" Keiko said with a smile.

"I had to sneak away from work, but I couldn't miss the chance to help plan Genkai's birthday party," she revealed.

"Where is she, anyway? She doesn't usually leave the temple," Yusuke asked.

"I'm not sure," Yukina replied. "She has been going out more frequently, but I don't want to pry."

"I'm surprised that she went along with it in the first place. Genkai doesn't seem like one for parties and celebrations," Botan noted.

"I only found out about her birthday by chance," Yukina informed. "I wasn't too sure about human customs, so Kazuma filled me in and one thing led to another…"

"Ah, so Kuwabara's the reason why we're all working our asses of a few short days before school begins," Yusuke smirked.

"It wasn't just me…" Kuwabara piped in. "I asked Shizuru and Keiko about it and they were the ones who suggested we throw a party."

All eyes turned to the two brunettes and Shizuru took a lazy drag of her cigarette before expelling the breath in a puff of spoke.

"After everything Genkai's been through, I think a celebration of her life is long overdue," she said calmly.

"I agree," Keiko supported.

Yusuke's expression turned somber for a brief instant, the words hitting him harder than he probably cared to admit. He hid it expertly, though, and in the next moment he was standing before them with a rag slung over his shoulder.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he goaded through a lopsided grin. "Let's do this thing."

Hiei watched with mild interest as they decided on an appropriate plan. They decided to host the party in the largest room of the temple and as an added courtesy to the old woman, they would give the entire temple a good cleaning. They would all tackle the largest room together and decorate it accordingly. Then, Kurama would use his special talents to clean the landscape surrounding the temple while the remainder of the group split up into various teams to handle the rest of the smaller rooms.

Hiei had no intention of lifting a finger – he was nobody's servant – but when Yukina caught his attention and started walking over to his corner, he knew that he was going to be roped into another one of their escapades.

"Would you mind helping me clean the weapons?" Yukina asked, crimson eyes darting over a box that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. "Genkai doesn't really use them, but I'm sure she would be happy to see them polished and in good condition."

Hiei resisted the urge to snort as his eyes passed over the various items. The old woman excelled in hand to hand combat and he had never seen her wield anything but her own two fists, so the question of why she had enough to supply a small army was beyond him, but as he looked at Yukina's hopeful gaze, he knew that he couldn't refuse. He nodded and she smiled graciously in return.

Yukina moved to drag the boxes closer towards Hiei, but he immediately stopped her.

"Leave them be," he told her. "I'll take care of it alone."

"Thank you," Yukina replied, smiling earnestly.

She left him with a few cleaning supplies, a couple of rags, a brush and some oil. He sat down on the floor and examined the various objects with a smirk. The woman had nearly every weapon under the sun holed up and hoarded in this room. He sat down cross-legged and began working. It was a monotonous task, but one that he was accustomed to as a fighter who favored weapons. Even as a child, he would be given the task of maintaining and caring for the various weapons of the bandits. As he went through each one at an alarming speed, he all but tuned the others out as they made themselves busy.

He was able to work in peace for about ten minutes, when his concentration was broken due to a childish competition between the detective and the oaf to see who could clean the most. The boys were making a ruckus and Botan was the first to admonish them. Her reprimanding tone somehow dissolved into lighthearted teasing and she must have said something embarrassing because Yusuke turned red and the girls began laughing. Hiei was just about to tune them out and continue polishing the sai that he was working on when he heard her cry out in alarm.

"Yusuke you jerk! That hurt!" Botan cried as her hands flew up to nurse the back of her aching head.

Something within Hiei snapped and almost immediately the sight of a pristine and shining sai went whizzing past them, catching hold of the side of the detective's shirt and pinning him to the wall. It happened so quickly that the detective had no time to avoid it and the others could do nothing but stop and stare.

"I'd advise against putting your hands on her again, or I won't miss the next time," Hiei threatened dangerously.

A familiar and burning rage swelled up inside as he stormed out of the room, his energy radiating off of him in waves. He didn't even see the detective hit the ferry-girl, but the thought was enough to make him bristle. The sound of the ferry-girl's light steps treading after him reached his ears distantly and he slowed to a halt in one of the rooms furthest away from the others. If he was going to have this conversation with the ferry-girl, then he would much rather do it without any prying. He didn't even bother facing her as he voiced the burning question on his mind.

"How many times?"

She stared back at him, confused.

"How many times has the detective put his hands on you?" Hiei asked.

"It was only once before. I was teasing him about Puu and I guess he couldn't handle the shock that his inner spirit beast was as cute and harmless as a stuffed animal."

"You shouldn't let him do that."

"I didn't let him," she defended. "Besides, you know that he didn't really mean it in a malicious or harmful way. Yusuke isn't that sort of person!"

"Hn."

"But, I appreciate your concern. No one ever stood up for me like that before. It was very nice."

"I wasn't-"

Hiei stopped himself when his eyes caught hers. He had defended her and it wasn't the first time. He did it at the movies, at the baseball game and finally with Yusuke. She didn't deserve to be disrespected by a prissy human, leered at by perverts, or mistreated by the detective. The fact that all three incidents bothered him so much indicated that he cared about her well-being.

It mattered to him whether she was hurt, mistreated or used, but if he continued with the bet, she would end up a combination of all of those things and more. So what did that make him? How was he any better than the detective or any of the others who had wronged her?

He swallowed thickly as he pushed those troubling thoughts aside.

"Just don't let him do it again," he finished lowly, turning his gaze to the wall instead of the woman in front of him.

"I won't, Hiei," she promised, placing a hand on his shoulder and dispelling the tension that had built up within him.

The group was left in a suspended state of disbelief as they watched the scene unfold. No one had moved an inch after Hiei's outburst, all seemingly too shocked to process what just happened. Yusuke on the other hand, was quite literally stuck, as the weapon was lodged into the wall with enough force to keep him effectively pinned.

Kuwabara and Kurama exchanged knowing glances after witnessing Hiei and Botan exit the room, and Yusuke eyed them curiously. He was just about to ask what their silent conversation was about when Kuwabara turned to face him with an accusatory glare.

"Serves you right, Urameshi!"

"Serves me right?" Yusuke echoed incredulously. "Hiei almost skewered me!"

"Well the shrimp must have a little bit of honor because even he knows that you shouldn't ever hit a girl!" Kuwabara countered.

"But Botan's not a girl... she's just Botan," Yusuke explained, dislodging the elongated prong of the sai from both the wall and his shirt, before dropping it to the floor in frustration.

"You better go and apologize right now, Yusuke," Keiko ordered, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

He grunted, but obliged nonetheless as he ambled out of the room and stalked into the hallways with a frown. He sure as hell wasn't one of those creeps who got off on harming women and he didn't appreciate being treated like one. Botan pissed him off, so he reacted the way he would with any of his friends. He obviously held back his full strength, so he didn't see what the big idea was. Plus, she'd hit him a hell of a lot harder than that with her oar and that damned metal bat of hers, he recalled.

Still, it couldn't hurt to clear the air and apologize. He didn't want Botan to think that he meant to hurt her or anything.

As he passed by many unoccupied rooms, he had to wonder why the old hag had such a large temple when she insisted on living alone. After a few more unsuccessful searches, he finally found the room he was searching for. He stopped at the threshold of the door, something holding him back from entering. He should have just barged in, apologized and been done with it all, but as he peered into the room, he froze. Hiei was standing there, fists balled at his sides, eyes narrowed and lips drawn into a tight frown. While it wasn't a big deal to see Hiei get all huffy and pissed off, it was strange to see him acting that way on behalf of someone else. He appeared to be genuinely concerned over Botan and that was a sight that Yusuke never thought he would see.

Botan moved to put a reassuring arm on his shoulders and the tension seemed to dissipate as his fists unclenched, his shoulders dropped and the angered look was gone. For a moment, there was this strange and conflicted look in his eyes. Hiei had only ever looked that way when he was around Yukina.

Yusuke turned away, the sounds of their voices nothing but a low mumble as he distanced himself from the jarring sight. Things were getting tricky now. He lingered near the hallway leading back to the main room and soon enough, Botan and Hiei reappeared.

"Can we talk?" Yusuke asked.

Botan stopped walking and stared at him expectantly.

"Of course we can," she said.

"Alone?" Yusuke emphasized, giving Hiei pointed look.

Hiei glared back at Yusuke, but complied as he returned to the main room where the others were still cleaning.

Yusuke cleared his throat awkwardly before turning back to face Botan.

"You know I didn't mean any harm when I did that, right? I mean, I don't go around hitting defenseless women."

"I'm not a defenseless woman, Yusuke!" she protested.

"That's exactly what I was saying!" he replied, chuckling.

"You might be a punk who lacks all kinds of manners, but you aren't a despicable and cruel person."

"Thanks, I think..." he replied, shaking his head. "Anyway, I had no idea that Hiei would throw such a fit over it."

"Me neither, he just keeps surprising me," she mumbled in a haze as her eyes drifted towards the room where the others resided.

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.

Botan seemed to catch herself, putting on a sheepish grin and waving him off dismissively.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Tell that to the guilty blush all over your face. I can see you bursting at the seams, so you might as well tell me while we're alone and no one else can hear," he implored.

Botan looked over at Yusuke uncertainly. He recognized that look; she had worn it many times before when she was privy to juicy information. With a little prodding, the tightly guarded secrets in her head would soon come spilling out of her mouth.

"Damn and here I thought we were pretty good friends," Yusuke said, shooting her a disappointed look. "But I guess I was wrong if you feel like you can't even talk to me."

"That's not it…"

"Then prove it," he dared.

She bit her lip as she contemplated his challenge, before casting her amethyst eyes at him beseechingly.

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell a soul. I'm trusting you with information that I haven't told anyone else."

"Hey, I'm not the resident blabbermouth of the group; that's your title. I can keep a secret," he reassured confidently.

She inhaled deeply and released the breath with a determined nod.

"Well, Hiei sort of kissed me the other night."

"He what?!" he spluttered in disbelief. His mind was reeling so quickly that it was difficult to string along more than two words in response to Botan's startling confession. He explicitly remembered Hiei saying that he wouldn't cross any lines while undergoing the challenges of the bet, so why in the world would he go back on his word and kiss her? Yusuke was sure as hell that kissing Botan constituted as crossing many, many lines.

"Yusuke please, be quiet. I don't want to make a scene!" she urged, her voice hushed. "And I suppose it was partly my fault. He only kissed me because I accidentally kissed him first."

"How do you accidentally kiss someone?"

"We were at a baseball game and ended up on that degrading kiss-cam. Everyone was pressuring us and they wouldn't stop until we took some kind of action," she explained. "I tried to give him an innocent and harmless peck on the cheek, but he turned his head at the last minute and well… we kissed. It was horrible! Well, it wasn't horrible, it actually felt very nice. His lips were incredibly soft and warm-"

"Ugh, stop it, I don't want to hear about you and Hiei like that!" he said, covering his ears as his face twisted into a grimace. Then his expression dropped entirely, as another thought occurred to him. "...So if you two were really at the game - you mean to tell me Kuwabara was right?"

Botan gave him a bewildered look as he continued.

"We were watching the game on TV. He saw it and tried to tell me about it, but I thought he was being crazy."

"Oh, how embarrassing!"

"Not as embarrassing as having to hear you talk about Hiei's hot and sensual lips!" he insisted, making a disgusted face.

"I didn't say all of that!" she protested. "And if you insist on acting like that, then I don't feel comfortable telling you the rest of the story."

He had completely forgotten that there was still the issue of how, when and why Hiei had kissed her back. Scratch that - he really didn't need to hear the "how" component, he thought with a shudder.

"You can't start a story like that and refuse to finish it. That's practically criminal," Yusuke told her.

"Just watch me," she said defiantly, moving to walk past him.

He caught her arm by the arm and guided her back to him.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I promise I'll behave," he said hurriedly. "Now would you finish the story?"

She stared at him for a few moments before relenting with a nod.

"Well, later that night Hiei just showed up in my room. It wasn't the first time he made a house call, but there was something different about him. He looked tense and conflicted. Then he kissed me and then he left."

Yusuke rubbed his chin. Hiei didn't do anything unless it was in his best interests to do so. Kissing Botan could have been a ploy to ensure that she would continue dating him, but from what Yusuke recalled, Botan didn't need that much persuading to begin with. Yusuke froze in horror as his mind connected the dots slowly. Hiei wanted to kiss her, out of his own volition, and if the fire-demon wanted to kiss her, then he was feeling something other than anger, annoyance or detest for the woman. Maybe Kuwabara was right all along; maybe something really was forming between them. He paused - no, that wasn't right. He was only sure of Hiei's strange behavior. He needed to figure out if Botan was going through a similar change.

"So, what did you do after he kissed you?" Yusuke questioned, raising a brow. "Did you hit him or push him away?"

"No..." she replied quietly.

"Why not?"

"I don't know," she answered uncertainly.

He could tell that she was lying and a creeping suspicious that she and Hiei were closer than they let on started to sink in.

"If I grabbed you right now and laid one on you, would you be submissive and let it happen?"

"Of course not!"

"Way to let a guy down easy, Botan," he snorted.

"I didn't mean it like that," she assured. "Besides, you have a girlfriend, mister!"

"Fair enough, what if it was Kurama instead?" he tried.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable if it was him, either."

"So, why is it okay with Hiei?" Yusuke probed.

"I," she started nervously. "I suppose it's only okay with him because things are different between us."

Her slightly ambiguous words coupled by the tinted hue that suddenly colored her cheeks were more than enough for the detective to draw a single, horrifying conclusion: the two most unlikely members of his team had fallen for each other and it was his fault entirely. He mentally cursed his own luck; this was not how he imagined the bet would end.

First off, let me say that your reactions to the last chapter had me rolling. Seriously, I have the best readers ever!

As for this chapter: there sure was a lot to process, a bunch of different perspectives and lots of emotional revelations. Hope it wasn't too jarring or overloading for you all, but I needed it all in order to set up things for the next chapter.

Thanks for the support up until now! Please let me know what you all thought!