A/N: Happy New Year!

This chapter was originally a lot longer, but I decided to split it in half because I wasn't feeling the flow. There's a lot of internal revelation and resolution on Hiei's part in this and the next chapter and I just felt like it was way too overwhelming if I kept it all as one chapter.

Nevertheless, hope you all enjoy this installment.

The sun was only starting rise, casting small rays of light into the dark atmosphere as Hiei exited the temple. The others were still asleep after a night of partying and it would be a few more hours until they awoke, but despite that he still needed to remove himself from area and put some distance between himself and the ferry-girl. The small weight of the hiruiseki stone against his chest was enough of a reminder of her and what she had done for him.

He took one last look at the temple before shooting off into the forest that surrounded it. Jumping high enough until he had reached the tops of the trees, he began sprinting through the area at a relentless speed. His thoughts were racing a mile a minute as every encounter he had ever had with the woman flashed through his mind. After all they had been through, it had only taken one simple party for Hiei to discover what Kurama, Yusuke and even Kuwabara had known all along: he cared about her as more than just a friend. It had probably started during the night of the fireworks, when her words reached him for the very first time, awakening the emotions he didn't know he had. From then on out, she had begun to unravel his tightly coiled emotions, slowly and effortlessly, with each kind gesture, soft smile and comforting touch.

She was a genuinely good person and he supposed that many people were drawn to her light. A soul as dark as his should have shirked away, but he was caught by her radiance long before he had a chance to realize it, and now he was too far gone to retreat back into the shadows.

But for all of her kindness and goodness, the woman was by no means perfect. She was over-emotional, loud, ditzy and quick to anger in certain cases. She cared too much, she trusted too easily and she believed in all of the things that he thought were foolish and naïve. Despite all of that, he was still drawn to her by some inexplicable force and gravitated towards her when he should have been pulling away.

The ferry-girl was almost too much for him to handle. She possessed a stubborn backbone and a feisty spirit that challenged him in ways he hadn't imagined. She voiced her opposing opinions and argued with him when it was necessary. She wasn't afraid to push a topic, yet she knew when it was best to bite back her innate curious nature.

She knew him on a deeper level than anybody else and they had fallen into sync with each other, a synergy that sparked when they were together. He did not think that he was in love with the woman – after all, he had never experienced such a sentiments before and as such, he had no idea of knowing what exactly his affection was towards her was – but he figured that he was as close to love as he could get and he couldn't help but wonder if that made him weak.

He had seen firsthand what sentiments as strong as love and affection did for Yusuke and Kuwabara. It was that intense emotion that pushed them forward when the odds were stacked against them, bolstering their strength and pushing their powers to new levels. But they were humans and as such, it was natural for their strength to be tied heavily to their emotions. He was not an emotional creature. In his case, caring about someone made them a liability; he had witnessed it during the Dark Tournament when Roto attempted to use Kurama's human mother as leverage over the fox during the first round. A threat of that magnitude would have been the undoing of a lesser demon, but Kurama managed to easily overcome it and Hiei was sure that he could do the same as well. He wasn't weak by any means; not in body, mind or spirit. In theory, he could commit to the woman without losing himself, without jeopardizing his strength and without discarding his pride.

He came to a halt and found himself now standing on top of a building and staring out at the city. It was still fairly early, but that did not hinder the sounds of traffic, beeping horns, tires screeching against asphalt and humans murmuring in every which direction. His thoughts seemed to be running in tandem with the chaotic nature of the city and he looked at his surroundings in an attempt to figure out where he had wandered off too, before it hit him. He was currently standing on top of the very same building where he and Botan shared their third date; the place where things started to change between them.

An image of the smiling ferry-girl flashed before his eyes, smiling softly at him like she had done countless times over before the vision disappeared.

He could have her if he wanted to, but the fire-demon had no idea of what he truly wanted and the mere fact was driving him insane. He wasn't sure if these newfound affections were enough to warrant losing the very freedom that he had been so desperate to achieve. He had always been so sure of himself, so sure of his motives and desires, but for the first time in his life he was completely and utterly torn.

Botan awoke the next morning feeling tired, dazed and out of place. The irritating ring of her alarm was replaced by the sounds of bickering voices. She groaned, moving her hands to pull her plush covers over her head in order to drown out the noise and frowned when she found nothing. Forcing herself into a seated position, she opened her bleary eyes and quickly realized that she wasn't in the comfort of her own room, sprawled out on her bed; instead she was on a couch in Genkai's temple. As she stretched and let out a quiet yawn, the fog brought about by sleep was slowly lifting from her mind and recollections of the night before returned to her in quick succession.

She remembered the lively party they had thrown for Genkai, the unforgettable look on Hiei's face as she returned his stone to him and the subsequent warmth and happiness she felt as the night progressed, but she had no idea of how she ended up on the couch. The last thing she recalled was comforting Jorge, who was drunkenly complaining about Koenma's mistreatment of him. They were over by the table that contained the birthday cake and she could have sworn she had fallen asleep there. Koenma and Jorge were still in their same positions, both rubbing their eyes groggily as their sleep was no doubt interrupted by the sounds of Yusuke and Kuwabara's arguing. Had she somehow moved away from that spot during her sleep?

Botan looked around the room, mentally counting the various members of their group. Everything was in place, except for the fact that Hiei was gone. She hadn't expected him to stay the entire duration of the party, but he must have at least stayed until she fell asleep, because she remembered him being there before sleep had taken over.

The soothing scent of green tea wafted in the room, pulling Botan out of her thoughts and she turned to find Yukina offering warm drinks with a polite smile. Kuwabara instantly broke away from his fight with Yusuke in order to run over to the ice-maiden's side and greet her enthusiastically.

Botan was just about to get a cup of tea for herself, when Genkai entered the room.

"If you kids are finished trashing my temple, then the least you could do is clean up the aftermath," she advised in that gruff tone of hers.

Botan watched as Genkai threw a small knapsack over her shoulder and allowed her soft brown eyes to wander over at the group one final time. There was a hint of a smile playing at her lips and Botan knew that the older woman had appreciated all of their efforts to make her birthday a special one.

"I'll return later this evening."

"Hey, where are you always running off to lately?" Yusuke asked.

"That's none of your business, dimwit," she replied, turning to exit the room.

Yusuke ran out after her, probably with full intentions of pestering her and Botan smiled. There was something special about the relationship between master and student. Yusuke returned a moment later grumbling something about slave-driving, secretive old ladies, before setting his sights on the rest of the group.

"So, how are we gonna do this thing?" he asked, seeming to understand that there was no point in arguing against Genkai's orders.

"Sorry Yusuke, but I've got a world to govern," Koenma said matter-of-factly, straightening out his outfit in an attempt to look more presentable. No one had told him that he had icing from the cake smeared onto his left cheek and both Botan and George Jorge amused glances as they pursed their lips together in a lame attempt to suppress their laughter. He turned to give them both stern looks. "What are you two giggling at? You've got work too!"

"Lord Koenma's right," Jorge replied wistfully. "I'm sure there's a lot of paperwork that must have accumulated since last night."

"Oh, and I've got the morning rotation," Botan pointed out.

"Alright so the Spirit World goons are out," Yusuke said, turning to the rest of the group.

"Wish I could help you kid, but my shift started about," Shizuru paused to check her watch with a small frown. "…two hours ago."

"And I already promised my parents I would be home in time to help them with the lunch rush," Keiko added.

Yusuke let out a disgruntled sigh, turning to face the remainder of the group.

"I guess it's just us guys, then?" he tried.

"Actually, I've committed to plans with my mother," Kurama explained. "With the upcoming wedding, we still have much to do."

Yusuke's gaze rolled over to Kuwabara, pinning him with an accusatory look.

"Don't tell me, you conveniently forgot to feed your little fur ball or something equally lame?"

Kuwabara's eyes widened in horror as a realization dawned on him.

"Oh no, Eikichi!" he shrieked. "I didn't think we would be here all night and I didn't leave anything for her to eat or drink this morning!"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Yusuke groaned, throwing his hands up in defeat. "You guys are seriously going to leave me to handle this mess on my own?"

"You always pull through for us in a pinch and I'm sure this time will be no different," Koenma professed tauntingly as he made for the exit. Jorge trailed behind him dutifully, casting a slightly sympathetic look in the detective's direction.

"Happy cleaning Yusuke!" Botan sang, unable to pass up on the chance to tease the mischievous detective.

"I'm sure you'll do a great job," Keiko supported with an amused smile.

"Yeah and you better not let Yukina lift a finger!" Kuwabara warned from his position halfway out of the door.

Botan heard Yusuke mutter some very colorful curses and she felt slightly guilty for leaving him to shoulder the weight of the cleaning duties. She quelled the remorse by reminding herself that this was Yusuke they were dealing with and he probably deserved it somehow. She was sure he had done something or would do something worthy of retribution, so it all evened out. Besides, they all had valid excuses for leaving while Yusuke's schedule was completely free.

Still, it was a beautiful Saturday morning and Botan did not intend to waste it. She decided she would visit Hiei later on in the day, once her work was completed. She had a feeling she was forgetting something important and maybe he would be able to tell her what it was. Her head was feeling awfully fuzzy and she remembered having a few drinks last night, but she could only hope that she didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

The birds were tweeting incessantly, chirping out high pitched tunes and beating their wings against the lazy wind as they flew among the trees in the park. Children were playing, chasing each other and kicking around balls as they giggled with glee. It was a normal afternoon in the park and while Hiei normally chose to separate himself from the throng of people, he found himself seated on the bench in the middle of it all as he half heartedly listened to the rambling ferry-girl at his side. She was completely unaware of what had transpired between them last night and he intended to keep it that way.

"Hiei, are you listening?" Botan asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her, realizing that she had probably been trying to catch his attention for a while now.

"What is it?"

"I was saying that I feel like I'm forgetting something important, like my mind is out of sorts and there's a detail or something missing."

She was referring to the last conversation that they had towards the end of the party - the one that he had hidden. It was too risky to allow the memory to remain free in her mind. He had said far too much, hinting at the inevitable conclusion of the bet and the ways that he could end up hurting her. The weight and implications of his words were lost on her tired and drowsy mind, but in the light of a new day when the recollections returned and she had time to process everything he had said, she would realize that their conversation was a cause for suspicion and she would investigate. She had already begun to suspect that Yusuke was up to something and had even gone as far as accusing Hiei himself of knowing or somehow being involved. She had proven to be more perceptive and resourceful than he had given her credit for in the past and if she had the chance to do a little detective work, there was a very good chance that the secret of the bet would be uncovered. Removing all traces of that last conversation was the only way to ensure that she still remained in the dark.

But tampering with her memory didn't solve the problem; it only bought him more time to contemplate what his next steps would be. He didn't expect that she would feel the effects of his interference, but he supposed it was a bit harder to manipulate the mind of a spirit than a normal human or demon. Either way, he was sure that he had done a sufficient job with her memory last night and she would never be able to uncover what he had hidden.

"I know things got a little crazy during the part, but did something important happen last night?" she asked.

"Too much happened last night," he replied, diverting the course of the conversation. "None of which was important or relevant."

Botan stifled a giggle beneath her hand.

"Still, it was a lot of fun and Genkai really looked like she was enjoying herself."

"Hn."

They settled into a comfortable silence for a while. Hiei noticed that Botan continually glanced over at him, a sure sign that she had something that she wanted to say, but the woman kept faltering. He was just about to ask her what she wanted when a ball went whizzing in the air, hurling towards them at a quickened speed. Hiei caught it effortlessly just before it made contact with the ferry-girl's face and she let out a small squeak in relief.

"That was a close one," she said, placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart. "Thanks Hiei."

"Hn."

A small child ran up to them, reaching his hands out expectantly.

"Can I please have my ball back, mister?"

"No," Hiei replied gruffly.

Botan's mouth fell open in surprise and she stared at him in shock.

"Please?" the kid asked once again.

Hiei only continued to glare at the child.

"No. You should have been more careful with it."

The kid's lip began to quiver and tears welled up in his eyes as he sniffled. Botan let out an indignant huff and promptly snatched the ball out of the demon's grip.

"Oh, don't listen to Hiei, he's just a huge grumpy pants," she said, holding the ball out in front of the boy. "Just promise to be more careful next time, okay?"

His big brown eyes lifted to view Hiei cautiously, awaiting his response and Hiei nodded.

"Do as she says and you can have it back."

"I'll be more careful, I promise," he said, with his hands outstretched. With the ball back in his possession, he was instantly pacified. He grinned up at both of them and then returned to his friends.

"We really need to work on your people skills, Hiei," Botan said. "You almost made that poor child cry!"

"Good. Maybe next time he will be more mindful and less careless."

"He's just a child!"

"He's learned a lesson nonetheless."

Botan thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"I guess you're right. But you didn't have to be so stern with him."

"That's just your opinion."

She was going to object, he had known her well enough by now to see the telltale signs of disagreement written all over her face, so he decided to change the subject.

"You were going to say something," he cut in. "Before we got interrupted."

"That's right. I was thinking about our next date," she began with a hopeful grin. "I think we should do something special."

"Why?"

"Because it's our seventh date and I think we've reached a milestone!"

"You've been keeping track," he replied lowly.

"It wasn't an intentional thing, but yes, technically I've kept track," she answered.

He supposed it was a normal thing for the woman to do, but considering their circumstances, it troubled him. He did not need to be reminded that the bet would be over soon and he would have manipulated her for his own needs.

"I was just counting the things we did. The park, the carnival, the fireworks, the double date, the baseball game, the party," she said, counting them off on her fingers. "The next event we choose will be lucky number seven. We should make it count!"

Hiei grunted noncommittally. He already made it clear that the party wasn't to be considered a date, so technically this would only be their sixth date. However, everyone was insistent on assuming that the party counted and he supposed he would just be wasting his breath denying it.

"Maybe we can take a class together!" she said excitedly. "One that teaches a skill, like a painting class or a music class!"

"The only artistry I care for is the physical kind."

"We could take a martial arts class, but that would be no fun since you're already an expert at that," Botan pointed out. "Besides, don't you think it would be nice to learn something new?"

Hiei gave her a look that indicated otherwise, but she brushed him off as she strummed her fingers against the wooden bench and hummed thoughtfully. After only a few short moments of deliberation she turned to face him once more, pink eyes lit in joy as her mouth split into a grin. She hadn't even spoken yet, but Hiei had a feeling that it was something he would be averse to.

"What about a baking class? Then you could have all the sweets you'd like!"

"No."

Her shoulders slumped and her grin quickly dissolved into a displeased pout.

"Why not?"

"Baking is a pastime for housewives and teenage girls, not warriors who pursue strength," he replied.

"That's incredibly sexist!" Botan accused hotly.

"I don't care."

"Hiei!"

"I didn't say that it was exclusive to women," he countered, crossing his arms over his chest. "You assumed that's what I meant."

"So what did you mean?"

"I meant what I said. I refuse to participate in any baking class. It's degrading and unbecoming of a warrior."

"I bet Mukuro would bake if she had the chance," she instigated.

Hiei resisted the urge to snort at her incredulous and unfounded claim.

"I doubt it."

"Well, you've never met her so you don't know what she's like," Botan huffed haughtily. "She could very well be a master baker."

Crimson eyes rolled at the insinuation and the ferry-girl continued.

"I heard baking is supposedly very therapeutic, maybe it would do you some good since you're always so wound up," she said.

"No."

She lifted a finger.

"But-"

"Why are you so insistent on this topic?"

"Well, to tell you the truth," she started, pausing to pull a piece of paper out of her pants pocket with a sheepish grin. "I received free vouchers for an introductory class and I thought it would be a waste to pass them up."

"Take someone else," Hiei grunted.

"But it's a couple's class!"

"That's not my problem."

"What if I promise to give you seventy-five percent of the baked goods?" she said slyly.

"I'm not that petty."

"Eighty percent?"

"No."

"Eighty-five?"

"No."

"Oh alright, ninety! But that's my final offer!"

Hiei looked at her with an unimpressed scoff and she frowned pitifully.

"Please Hiei!"

He was starting to lose his thinly veiled patience as he gritted his teeth together.

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No, woman."

"Pretty please with loads of confectionary goodness on top?"

"No."

She opened her mouth to counter him once more and he cursed when he realized that she wouldn't quit bothering him over it until he gave in.

"Fine," he nearly growled out, effectively shutting her up. "I'll go, but don't expect me to participate in the class."

She let out an exclamation of joy and Hiei was beginning to wonder how he had fallen for such a pestering and irritatingly persistent woman in the first place. He didn't have time to ponder it because a pair of arms encircled him and promptly derailed his train of thought. He froze at the initial contact, but as the seconds wore on he found the tension in his shoulders releasing as the warmth of her body and her unmistakably sweet scent overloaded his senses. The sudden proximity had caused the hiruiseki stone to press against his chest at an almost uncomfortable pressure and suddenly, all of the reasons he cared about her had returned to him with a startling clarity.

He knew exactly what he wanted and he knew exactly what needed to be done. The doubts and uncertainties he held over his future and the outcome of the bet had vanished. The decision resounded firmly in his mind and he realized that there was never any contest: in the choice between gaining his freedom at the expense of the ferry-girl or forfeiting it all for the sake of doing right by her, he would always choose her.

Yusuke's black shoes stomped against the pavement as he strode forward purposefully. He, Kurama and Kuwabara agreed that they would give Hiei a chance to do what was right before they intervened, but that was four days ago and Yusuke hadn't seen the fire-demon once since the night of the party. Unfortunately for all of them, school had started the following Monday and Kurama and Kuwabara had no doubt gotten distracted with the start of the new semester. Yusuke seemed to be the only one who remembered that this was Hiei's last week to complete the required amount of dates and as such, time was running out. School be damned, they had more pressing matters to worry about. Yusuke figured that this was exactly why he was team leader; he was able to see the bigger picture. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was feeling extremely guilty over the sudden turn of events and needed to make amends. Nope, he was just doing his duty as team leader.

He ditched the rest of his classes for the day in lieu of visiting Koenma to do a little snooping. The toddler confirmed Yusuke's suspicions when he said that Botan had been meeting up with Hiei within the past few days. Yusuke had no idea if she had only gone to visit him or if they had gone on any actual dates, but something had to be done. Obviously Kurama's method of doing nothing was going to bite them all in the ass. Yusuke resolved to confront Hiei with a more direct approach. After all, he thought with a smirk, subtlety was never his forte.

And that was how Yusuke found himself sprinting through the middle of the park on a hot Tuesday afternoon instead of catching a few z's on the school rooftop. He forgot how restricting these damn uniforms could be as he searched for the fire-demon. It was like they made these things to restrict movement and the material was a huge pain in the summer heat. Keiko, Kuwabara and just about all of his teachers made it a point to berate him over wearing the wrong color earlier on this morning, but Yusuke shrugged them all off with the same excuse: green suited him best and they were all lucky he showed up when he did anyway. But that was neither here or there, he reminded himself as he searched for a familiar black clad form.

He found it odd that Hiei wasn't in his usual secluded corner, resting in his favorite tree. He had been searching around the park for ten minutes and still found no sight of Hiei. Upon venturing further into the park, he was surprised to finally find him in the middle of a clearing, seated on a bench. The demon wasn't even doing anything; he was just sitting there with a frown on his face.

"What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I was thinking," he said simply. "Something you surely don't indulge in."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Yusuke frowned.

"What do you want, detective?"

Yusuke took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"I want you to end things with Botan."

To the untrained eye Hiei might have seemed unaffected by Yusuke's sudden declaration, but Yusuke knew better. He saw the momentary shock that reflected in his features: crimson eyes widened a fraction and his eyebrows lifted slightly before returning to their neutral positions.

"This has gone on long enough. You need to stop jerking her around," Yusuke pressed.

"You don't know what you're talking about, detective," Hiei replied dismissively, standing up with the full intention of leaving.

Hiei was quick, but Yusuke had expected as much and was two steps ahead of him. He stood in Hiei's direct bath and shook his head.

"If you're going to continue seeing her, I'm not going to let you use the bet as an excuse."

The fire-demon looked up at Yusuke defiantly through narrowed eyes.

"You started this and now that it's become uncomfortable for you, you want to end it?" Hiei countered.

That little menace was taunting him and, yeah, Yusuke guessed he probably deserved it a little bit, but this was no time for jokes. He was being completely serious here and he needed Hiei to see that.

"I screwed up, okay?" he admitted. "We all did, but Botan shouldn't be the one to pay the price for it."

When Hiei did not outwardly react, Yusuke chose to continue. His tone was less reproachful this time and he rubbed at the back of his neck as he spoke.

"I think you guys had a pretty good thing going. It was weird as hell to see at first, but it worked."

"Detective-"

"But if you don't want to be with her, then you've got to stop pretending that you do," Yusuke instructed. "She's got other options, like that Yuuto guy who was checking her out all night at the party. If you're not interested then maybe you should let him have her."

"Don't talk about her like that," Hiei warned. "She's not a possession for someone to claim."

"Yeah and she isn't a tool for you to win your freedom with."

"I know that."

"Or an outlet for your sexual desires, either."

"I know."

"Or-"

"We can do this all day, but I prefer to cut this conversation short," Hiei announced. "The bet is over, not because you say you're done, but because I'm choosing to forfeit."

Yusuke paused, wondering if he heard correctly.

"Are you serious? You're not pulling my leg?"

"You know I don't speak in vain, detective," Hiei answered.

"And here I had the second half of my compelling argument all ready to be articulated and everything," Yusuke lamented with false remorse, before smirking.

"Hn, what a shame."

Yusuke's smirk fell into more of a genuine smile as his expression softened.

"You're doing the right thing, Hiei," he commended.

"I don't need your validation," Hiei replied stubbornly, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking away.

"I know that. And I can still talk to Koenma for you," Yusuke suggested, as an afterthought. "Try to cut your sentence, if that means anything to you."

"Don't bother," Hiei ordered. "I didn't complete the bet and as such, you are no longer liable in upholding your end of the bargain."

Yusuke resisted the urge to point out that Hiei could have completed his seven dates with loads of time to spare, but he decided against it. Hiei was choosing to do the right thing for once and for someone other than himself; there was no point in taunting the temperamental demon, not about this.

He gave Hiei a nod before turning around, placing his hands in his pockets and walking away. The spirit detective whistled a catchy tune as strolled through the park, feeling a whole lot lighter without the weight of guilt pressing down on him at every turn.

Everything would be okay now, he was sure of it.

(FYI: Hiei was in his and Botan's "spot" at the park, instead of in his usual tree. Of course Yusuke had no way of knowing that, so it went completely over his head.)

The bet might be over, but this story is far from it. I expect at least five or so more chapters before The Dating Game reaches its conclusion. We're not out of the fire yet, folks.

As always, thanks for the sweet reviews! I really appreciate them and I'm so encouraged by the tremendous support I've received so far. Thank you!