This chapter is titled The Resolution (Pt II) not because a conflict is solved, but because both Hiei and Botan settle on courses of action and resolve to see them through. Just thought I'd clear that up beforehand; wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea and thinking that all conflict will be settled in this chapter.

Without further ado, please enjoy!

Deep, crimson and narrowed eyes were glaring dangerously at her but Botan was used to being on the receiving end of Hiei's mood swings and as such, she was not affected by it. In times like this she had to be stern, but it was incredibly hard to do so when Hiei was being just as stubborn as she was. He had put up quite a fight about their seventh date, but in the end he was here and she appreciated him pushing aside his pride and doing something that he had previously written off as 'unbecoming of a warrior'. The class had yet to begin and the various couples had all claimed a table. She chose a table towards the back for Hiei's sake, figuring that he would not want to be in the limelight.

"I'm not putting that on," he declared finally, his unyielding gaze a testament to the sort of adamant will that only he was capable of exuding.

"But it's the rules!" Botan urged, pushing the aforementioned item into his hands.

He mirrored her actions, forcing the material back into her grasp.

"I told you that I would have no part in this class. I refuse to wear that degrading dress."

"It's an apron, not a dress, and it's not that bad! It's a lovely shade of–"

"Pink," he cut in flatly.

"No, it's more magenta! Like the color of Kurama's school uniform!"

"That doesn't somehow make it better."

Despite Hiei's agitation, she found an amused smile creeping its way onto her face. She tried to hold it in, really she did, but his frown looked more like an adorable pout to her and she had to admit that he looked extremely cute when he was all riled up and embarrassed.

"Hn."

He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the bag of flour seated in the middle of their table. Botan was almost certain that the poor bag would combust in a blaze of brilliant flames, so she purposely stepped within Hiei's line of sight and offered him a comforting smile.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. This will be a lot of fun, you'll see!" she promised.

"Fun for you," he bit out grumpily. "You seem to take pleasure in my agony."

"Maybe a just a little bit," she teased, pinching her thumb and forefinger together to emphasize her point.

"Laugh it up now, ferry-girl," he warned. "I assure you, the roles will be reversed when I've chosen the activity for our next meeting."

Botan's smile dropped at his last statement, his words having done a marvelous job of catching her completely off guard. Hiei had never ever made mention of choosing a venue or activity for their dates before; he had always preferred to leave the choice in her hands and he always begrudgingly agreed with whatever she settled on. To hear him say that he would be in charge of the next outing sounded somewhat surreal. It was as though he was taking a more active role in their friendship and becoming more involved. Perhaps, she thought hopefully, he was even becoming more attached to her. The thought alone tugged at her heartstrings and made her happier than she should have been. She really must have had it bad for him; after all, he had just promised a date of torture and agony and she was getting weak in the knees like a love-struck school girl.

Hiei must have realized the implication of his words during her silence, because his face contorted slightly and Botan was sure that he might attempt to take it back.

"Alright, that's only fair," she responded, before he had a chance to ruin the moment. "You have the grand honor of selecting our next date."

Hiei looked as though he was appeased and nodded.

"And don't forget, you get ninety percent of the proceeds. I'm sure that will make this worth it."

"Considering you're the one baking it, I'm not sure if that's any consolation," Hiei smirked.

Botan's hands met her hips and she gave him a displeased pout.

"We'll see if you're still so smug when I'm finished!"

Their instructor chose that moment to walk into the room. She was a jolly older woman, a bit on the plump side. Platinum hair framed twinkling blue eyes and rosy cheeks. She spoke in dulcet and honeyed tones and her words seemed to flow like a melody as she introduced herself and greeted them.

"Hello class, my name is Ryoko. It's nice to see such bright and lovely faces grace my classroom this evening."

Botan was immediately was drawn to the older woman's warm and jovial persona. Hiei, however, had grimaced the moment Ryoko opened her mouth. Botan supposed that their instructor's natural disposition was a bit too sweet for someone like him.

"Baking is a beautiful blend of science and art," the flowery woman said with a smile. "It isn't simply mixing ingredients and throwing them into oven. No, it takes much more skill and heart than that."

Hiei grunted disapprovingly.

"This is ridiculous."

"Shush!" Botan admonished, entirely captivated by the woman's speech.

"The ingredients come together, play off of each other and create a beautiful and delicious harmony," Ryoko sang. "It is important that you know how to maximize your ingredients to their fullest potential and I will help you get there."

Botan looked over at all of the ingredients as Ryoko listed them off: flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, eggs, oil, butter, milk and an array of fruits. There was a collection of baking tools laid out before her as well and she listened carefully as the instructor went over a quick explanation of each item and its purpose.

Truth be told, Botan was a bit on the nervous side. She was never that handy in the kitchen and she didn't seem to have the natural talent that Yukina and Keiko possessed. Being a ferry-girl, the need to eat and drink was more of a formality and routine habit than a necessity, but when she was in her human container it became a requirement. Although it would be nice to know how to cook like the others, Botan figured that baking was better than nothing.

She glanced around at the other tables and felt her confidence waver a bit as she saw that the other couples were all working together. She and Hiei weren't exactly a couple, but he could have offered to help her. Even if they weren't a couple, they were at least teammates and they had proven that they could work together fairly well in the past.

"Do you want to help?" she asked.

"No," Hiei answered, leaning against the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

Botan predicted that he would respond unfavorably and merely shrugged it off. It was a miracle that she had even gotten him here in the first place. She would just have to do this herself and prove Hiei wrong about her baking skills. Spurred on by the thought of besting the smug fire-demon, she reached for the bowl and followed Ryoko's instructions.

Everything was so foreign and unfamiliar to her, but Ryoko had gone through each step carefully with the class and Botan found it easy to keep up. The next few minutes melded into each other and flew by as Botan acquainted herself with the various materials. She followed the instructor's pace, cracking eggs, measuring the appropriate amount of ingredients and mixing the items together to create a smooth and even batter. Hiei was still in his earlier position off to the side of their table, watching her silently. If he had been watching her so keenly about a month ago, she would have been a nervous wreck, but after everything they had been through, she felt quite at ease. If she was being honest, she would even say that she liked the fact that his complete attention was focused entirely on her. Behind that bored countenance, something sparked within those ruby eyes. She briefly wondered what he was thinking about as he watched her so carefully and in her distraction, she nearly knocked down the bowl containing the eggs.

Her heart caught in her chest and froze when she realized what she had done. She had expected to hear the sound of the glass bowl clattering against the ground and the eggs cracking as well, but luckily enough, Hiei had caught it before disaster had struck. He rested it back on the table, pushing it out of Botan's way to ensure that it wouldn't happen again.

"Relax woman. You're working yourself into a frenzy."

"Well I wouldn't have to do that if a certain someone helped out," she mentioned.

"You're doing fine on your own."

"You're just saying that to avoid doing any work."

"No, I'm saying it because it's true."

She looked around at the others experimentally. She noticed that some of the batters looked too heavy and thick or too thin and watered down, while others were a shade too light or too dark compared to her own. Looking down at her own bowl, she noticed that there wasn't a single lump and the color looked the same creamy consistency of the instructor's. Botan was never one to gloat, but she felt a sense of pride as she looked down at her batter. She turned back to Hiei with a wide grin.

"I guess you're right!"

He looked away as though he was suddenly uncomfortable and Botan returned her attention to the batter. She was much more careful this time around as she poured the mixture into the buttered cake pan and then placed it into the oven.

As they waited, Ryoko gave them a quick lesson on various types of cakes and mixtures. Some took much more preparation and work than the simple yellow cake that they had just prepared and Botan resolved to try them one day. The sweet scent of their slowly baking cakes was beginning to waft from the oven by the time Ryoko's lecture had delved into the territory of icing and frostings. She gave them recipes to create three different types of frosting, encouraging them to choose the one they liked best. Botan had settled on the vanilla frosting and fruit toppings. As she glanced over at the fruits, an idea formed in her head and a devious smile played upon her features.

She picked up the knife and threw Hiei a challenging look.

"What?" he asked.

"This seems to be right up your ally, don't you think?" she replied, looking over at the fruits on the table and then towards knife in her hand deliberately.

"Cutting down opponents and slicing up fruits are two very different things," he told her.

"Ryoko said that this requires skill. I bet if you took care of the fruits, then our cake would be the best one in the whole class," she lured persistently. "Besides, someone's got to whip up the frosting and I can't exactly do two things at once. Would you please just help me out this once?"

Hiei watched her for a moment and she gave him a pleading look, pouting for good measure. She was just about to give up when he grunted and took the knife from her hand. He took a step closer to the cutting board, eyeing the array of fruits suspiciously. It was then that she remembered that was unaccustomed to human produce and probably had no idea as to how they should be cut, so she moved over to his side and gave him a quick run through of each of the items.

"This is a strawberry. You can cut it in half vertically and that will be fine."

Hiei nodded and she pointed over at the kiwi.

"Peel the skin off of the kiwi and then cut it into thin circular slices."

"Fine."

"And then do the same with the mango, but cut it into vertical slices."

"Pitifully simple."

"Good, then I'll leave it up to you!" she said with a grin.

The ferry-girl turned to face the ingredients for the icing and mentally ran through the steps for creating the vanilla frosting from scratch. Soon enough, they had both settled into their tasks expertly. As Botan measured and experimented with the various ingredients, she heard the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board at steady and controlled pace. She glanced over at Hiei and was pleased to see the concentrated look that had settled over his features. She shouldn't have been surprised; he never did anything halfheartedly, but it was strange seeing him engaging in such a domestic act. She quickly tore her gaze away from the scene, knowing that Hiei would get irritated or put-off if he found her staring at him. Refocusing her attention to the frosting, she began mixing and whipping it until it was the perfect consistency. Upon sampling a bit of it and letting out a delighted sigh, she realized that her work was done. Hiei had just about finished up as well and Botan set the frosting near the expanse of fruits. Stepping away from the table, she placed her hands on her hips and smiled approvingly at their combined efforts.

"The fruits look great and the frosting is finished. I'm absolutely certain that our cake will be one of the best you've ever tasted."

Hiei didn't appear to be as thrilled as her, but Botan could have sworn she saw his expression lighten a bit when the oven signaled that the cakes were completed. Throwing on her oven mittens, she pulled the door open, reached inside and procured the cake. The tantalizing scent of baked goods drifted through the air as their instructor spoke.

"Now don't get hasty and start digging in just yet," Ryoko warned. "If you tried to apply the frosting or cut the cake right now, then it would break apart and crumble. We wouldn't want all of your hard work to be in vain, so let's give ourselves ten minutes for it to settle before we move forward."

"We're almost done," Botan noted. "The class wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It could have been worse," was all he said in reply.

As she looked him over, she noticed something out of place.

"Oh, you've got some batter on your clothes," she said, pointing to the splotch of dried batter matted on his black shirt. Her expression became smug as she crossed her arms and taunted him. "You see, this is exactly why you were supposed to wear the apron."

"Hn. It didn't do you any good. You've got it all over your face."

Her hands flew up to her cheeks, dusting them off and frowning when Hiei shook his head.

"Come here," he said.

Botan leaned forward and he ran the pad of his thumb over the corner of her mouth, softly ghosting over her bottom lip as he wiped the batter off. Her eyes widened slightly at the contact and she noted that his ministrations were much softer than she expected. His touch lingered as they stared at each other wordlessly and Botan's mind went blank. Hiei was the first to snap out of it and he quickly pulled his hand away, shoving it into his pocket.

Botan cleared her throat.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Hiei looked away and only grunted in response.

Feeling her cheeks begin to heat up, Botan turned away from him to avoid any further embarrassment. Her gaze glossed over as she stared into space and let her thoughts wander. The overwhelming urge to kiss the fire-demon was still present. She hadn't felt it since the night of the baseball game and she thought that she had it under control. She wondered if he would have pulled away or insulted her if she dared to close the gap between them. They had agreed that they wouldn't do it again, but Botan was soon learning that the boundaries she had placed on her relationship with Hiei were becoming more of a hassle than a precaution.

"Alright, I think the cakes are just about ready to be frosted," Ryoko's voice rang out, pulling Botan from her thoughts. She carefully removed it from the confines of the pan and began spreading the frosting over the surface. When it was evenly distributed, she topped it all off with a beautiful arrangement of fruits.

"I wish I had a camera to take a picture of it. It's so pretty," she murmured, eyes bright as they wandered over the creamy smooth surface of the cake.

"I don't see why you put so much effort into the appearance. The taste is all that matters," Hiei said.

"You make a valid point, but still, I think it tastes better when it looks better," she said. Picking up the knife, she went about the cake into multiple even slices. A sliver of doubt ran through her as she realized that Hiei was absolutely right; while their cake did look like a work of art, the taste was what really counted in the end. Her fork hovered over the decadent slice of cake and she frowned. What if it was disgusting? What if she had mixed up the recipe and it tasted horrible? She found herself hesitating and looked over at Hiei tentatively.

"Is it any good?"

His mouth was full and preventing him from answering, but she noticed that he was already on his second slice. He swallowed and his gaze met hers.

"It's adequate," he said.

Her nose scrunched at his vague and base statement.

"Just adequate?" the ferry-girl echoed in disbelief. She quickly gathered a bit of cake onto her fork and brought it to her mouth. As the morsel greeted her taste buds, her eyes lit up in appreciation. It was much better than she expected and her mood brightened considerably. "It's delicious!"

Hiei smirked at her before shoveling another forkful into his mouth, a sign of his silent agreement.

As she watched him, she couldn't help the affection that swelled up in her heart. It had been harder and harder to quell lately. She thought that she would be content to just stay near his side, but a part of her would always want more and that worried her. They had just had a perfectly fine date and yet she still felt a sense of longing ebbing at her very soul now that their evening had reached its conclusion. It was almost disheartening to have him so close, yet so far. The distance felt as wide as the sea, yet he was only standing a few feet away from her. She wondered if this affliction would worsen over time. Being near him did all sorts of strange things to her emotions, but when they were apart she became anxious and longed to see him again. Botan wasn't sure how much longer she could remain suspended in this limbo, but she was certain of one thing: she had to find a way to overcome it.

Two days had passed since their last date and Hiei was supposed to contact Botan when he settled on their next outing. He didn't have anything in mind, but he did know that he had made the right choice in ending the ill conceived bet with the detective.

If this had been a short month ago, he would have never stepped foot into the classroom and participated in the baking class, but he had gotten through it all with ease. Neither the irritating instructor nor the other participants of the class bothered him in the way that they should have. A sense of ease had enveloped him the moment he set his sights and attention on Botan. Everything else became irrelevant.

Over time, his disdain for the world lessened. He no longer felt the desperate need for escape and he had gotten used to being confined to the city. He knew with absolute certainty that he could wait out his sentence and bide his time in this world so long as she was by his side.

He wanted to make things work with the ferry-girl. It would be difficult, but the things worth any value in his life never came easy and Botan should be no different.

The branch beneath his feet creaked and nearly snapped underneath the pressure of his weight, forcing Hiei back to reality. He expelled all thoughts of Botan from his mind as he focused his attentions on his surroundings lest he suffer an embarrassing fall. He was currently on his way to check in on Yukina. He hadn't seen her since the party a few days ago and he made it a habit of routinely checking in on her to make sure that everything was alright. He could have used the jagan eye, but he preferred seeing her in person if it was possible. Just one glimpse was all he needed and then he would be on his way, but as he raced through the treetops, he heard someone call out his name.

"Hiei!"

He stopped in his tracks and looked down to find Kuwabara standing at the base of the tree that Hiei was currently perched above. Hiei was unused to hearing his name come out of the psychic's mouth – uncouth monikers were more Kuwabara's style – and he was momentarily caught off guard. He should have sensed Kuwabara's presence, but he had been so lost in his own thoughts that he left himself open and unguarded.

"What do you want?" Hiei asked gruffly.

"I was on my way to visit Yukina," he explained. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"The trees are better here," he lied evenly.

Kuwabara muttered something about Hiei being weird and Hiei chose to ignore him. He couldn't very well go and check on Yukina now, not with Kuwabara on his trail, so he simply waited for the psychic to leave. They remained at a standstill, with Kuwabara occasionally looking up at Hiei with a conflicted expression before turning away. The process started several more times before Hiei became tired of it.

"Why are you still standing there?" Hiei asked finally.

"…I've been meaning to talk to you and I guess now is as good a time as any."

"Go talk with the detective or the fox, I lack the desire and the interest necessary to engage in frivolous and sentimental conversation."

"It's really important, though," Kuwabara insisted.

"I don't care," Hiei replied sternly.

"You should care because I came here to help you," he pointed out.

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction before returning to their narrowed position.

"What makes you think I need anything from you?" the fire-demon spat vehemently.

"Because," Kuwabara started with a grin as he puffed his chest out proudly. "Urameshi says you're emotionally retarded and I'm the warrior of love."

Hiei glared back at him.

"I fail to see what the detective's opinion and your own foolish self proclamations have to do with me."

"Wow, Hiei. You really are dense when it comes to this stuff," he said with a laugh.

There was no malice in the psychic's tone, but his simple statement was more than enough to anger Hiei. He was about to retort when Kuwabara threw his hands up and cut in.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue. I know how you feel about Botan and because she's my friend, I wanted to put some things in perspective for you."

"You don't know a thing."

"I do," Kuwabara said, with a calm confidence. "I know you think I'm dumb, and it might take me a little longer to catch on to some things, but love is my field of expertise. I know when it's there. It's like a sixth sense."

Hiei was silent.

"So, would you listen to me for once? It's in your best interest."

"You're a fool," Hiei said with less disdain than usual as he jumped down from the tree and landed on the dirt path. "And since fools can't be reasoned with, I'll let you say what you want to and then you will leave."

"Alright, but you better listen up, shorty. 'Cause I'm only gonna be this nice once," Kuwabara grinned.

"Hn."

"Okay, well, it's like this. Love is perfect and pure and beautiful. It's what led me to Yukina and it's just about the only thing that can tie a person like you to a person like Botan and I'm willing to bet that you're close to it with her, if not already there."

"I know exactly what it is that I feel for her," Hiei said. "I don't need you to pretend to understand and explain what is plainly obvious to me."

"If that was true then you wouldn't be involved in the bet!" Kuwabara accused.

"The bet is already over, you fool," he revealed. "I ended it."

Kuwabara appeared to be taken aback by Hiei's confession and he eyed him curiously.

"It's over?" he asked. "And …were you the one who called it off?"

Hiei nodded, gaze averted to the side.

The psychic grinned and took a step closer to the fire-demon.

"So you came clean and told Botan everything?" he asked hopefully.

Hiei hesitated and Kuwabara frowned.

"You know you have to tell her," Kuwabara insisted imploringly. "It's the honorable thing to do."

"Those are just empty words," he countered. "If you were in my position I highly doubt you would do the same."

Kuwabara stopped to contemplate it for a moment, rubbing a hand at his chin.

"Well, I wouldn't need a stupid bet to date Yukina. I've loved her from the moment I saw her and I wouldn't ever lie to her."

"That's not the point," Hiei gritted.

"But if I somehow got roped into the bet and I fell in love with Yukina over time, then I would tell her the truth," Kuwabara said. "Otherwise I'd be keeping this big secret from her and it the guilt would eat away at my conscience."

Guilt. It was such an unnecessary little emotion, one that he had come to experience firsthand over his dealings with the woman. He had done far worse than manipulate an innocent ferry-girl over his lifetime of crime and banditry, but this was the first time he had really felt the emotion firsthand. She wore her heart on her sleeve and had been honest with him at each and every turn. Every time she smiled at him, trusted in him or believed in him, he felt the underlying stirrings of it growing. It had been tugging at his chest for a while now, but he had never known that it was guilt until only recently.

"It would probably upset her for a little while, but I would do my best to make it up to her and prove to her that my love was real. I would owe her that much at least," Kuwabara continued. "Plus, it would be better than having her find out on her own one day. The truth always has a nasty way of coming out at the worst time and in the worst way."

Surprisingly enough, Kuwabara had brought up a few valid points for contemplation. Hiei thought that ending the bet would be enough to make things right with Botan, but perhaps that was only the start of resolving things. If he was truly going to make amends, then perhaps she needed to know the truth about everything.

Kuwabara coughed into his hand to break the awkward tension.

"So, yeah," he said. "That's all I came here to say."

"Good, now you can leave."

"You better not tell anyone that we had this mushy gushy talk," Kuwabara warned. "It'd ruin my reputation!"

"You're an obsessive romantic with a weak spot for tiny animals. I hardly think this conversation would do any damage to your already pathetic reputation," Hiei scoffed in return.

Kuwabara glared, having taken offense to Hiei's description of him.

"Yeah and you're an antisocial creep, but you don't see me pointing it out!" Kuwabara shouted in retaliation. His voice echoed loudly through the forest, causing the trees to rustle as a pair of birds flew away from the suddenly raucous scene. His expression sobered a bit after some time and he cast his narrow eyes on Hiei. "Just think about what I said."

Hiei crossed his arms over his chest, grunting noncommittally. He couldn't forget it even if he wanted to because he knew that the idiotic psychic was right.

Hinageshi's face scrunched up as she chewed slowly. Botan watched with baited breath as the younger girl swallowed slowly. The break room was bustling as usual, but Botan had drowned out the background noise and gossip, instead choosing to place her attention on her apprentice.

"Well?" Botan asked impatiently. "How's the taste?"

Hinageshi's pink lips pouted.

"Do you want the truth or…" she trailed off hesitantly.

"The truth of course!" Botan answered. It was pretty obvious what the girl's reaction would be; ever since she test tasted the first batch of cookies Botan had made, the redhead was suspiciously cagey. Botan steeled herself for the inevitable negative response.

"Well then in that case," Hinageshi paused for dramatic effect, drawing out Botan's agony with a sick sort of glee.

"Oh, just get on with it already!" Botan cut in, sitting on the edge of her seat.

"It's delicious!" the girl announced finally.

"Really?" Botan asked, unable to contain the triumphant grin that had overtaken her previously sullen expression. "You're not just saying that to be nice?"

"It was awesome!" Hinageshi reaffirmed, giving Botan a thumbs up.

"You honestly had me thinking that the cookies were horrible and all of my hard work was for nothing!"

"That was the point of the fakeout," Hinageshi said with a mischievous wink. "Where did you learn to make these?"

"I took an introductory baking class in the human world and ever since then I've been trying some other recipes. I made some for my favorite people," Botan announced, looking over the small parcels of cookies. They had little labels tacked onto them that read: Koenma, Jorge, Kasumi, Ayame and Hinageshi.

"And who's that one for?" Hinageshi pointed over to the largest portion that was set aside further from the rest.

"Those are for Hiei."

Hinageshi's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of Hiei, but Botan ignored it.

"Very interesting," the girl crooned.

"There's nothing interesting about it."

"Mhm…"

"Even if there was the slightest chance that I harbored even the slightest of feelings for Hiei, it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway," Botan said with a shrug.

"Why not?"

"Because," Botan started simply. "Hiei would never look at a woman like me."

"He wouldn't be spending all this time with you unless he liked you," Hinageshi pointed out.

"I suppose he likes me, but only as a friend."

"More than a friend."

Botan shook her head.

"I don't think so."

"Ugh, you're so stubborn sometimes."

"Hey!"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that after all these dates he hasn't shown even the slightest bit of reciprocation on his part?" Hinageshi pried. "No lingering touches, smoldering looks or sentimental words? Nothing at all?"

There were times where she thought that he could possibly care; instances when he looked at her with an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes, when his words touched her soul and when his actions were even more telling than his words, but she was sure she was reading into it and placing too much meaning on insignificant details.

"I appreciate the encouragement. It's sweet, really it is, but I just don't think Hiei will ever feel the same way about me."

Hinageshi slumped, a sure sign that she had given up for the moment and Botan took the opportunity to stand up and grab Hiei's portion of cookies.

"I should probably run these to him while they're still warm," she mentioned. "Would you mind giving the rest to the others?"

"Of course!" Hinageshi replied. "Have fun!"

Botan waved before making her way out of the room and summoning her oar. She flew out of the nearest window and descended through the golden clouds until she had reached the human world. After a few minutes of flying, she found Hiei settled into his favorite tree and she smiled. She hoped he would appreciate her gift.

"Special delivery," she sang as she hovered near the branch that he was settled on.

"What is it?"

"Chocolate chip cookies. I hope you like them," she said, passing them to the fire-demon with a cheery smile.

Hiei opened the container and tested one of the cookies. His expression was hard to read, but when he picked up another and ate it, she knew that he was pleased.

As he ate, her conversation with Hinageshi returned to her. Hiei was capable of loving another person, she had seen it with Yukina and she had been fortunate enough to witness the softer side of him, but she didn't think he would feel that way about her. She was completely unsuited for him. He was a warrior, someone who was strong and constantly threw himself into dangerous situations with an air of confidence because he had the power to back it up. She wasn't a fighter. Sure, she could wield her bat and use the detective items on lesser foes, but when it really counted, when it really mattered, she was relegated to sidelines. If she had somehow stumbled into dangerous territory, she had only become a liability and just another person to protect. A girl like her was hardly suited for someone like Hiei. She talked too much, she couldn't keep a secret to save her life, she nagged occasionally and she loved to meddle. Why on earth would he want that in a partner?

Why would he ever want a woman like her?

And yet, a small part of her still held out on the hope that maybe, just maybe, Hiei might feel the same as her. It was that inextinguishable optimism that caused her to feel so conflicted and out of sorts. What she needed was a surefire way of either stifling or confirming that flicker of hope. Ignoring and concealing her feelings proved to be futile, perhaps the only thing left to do was bare it all out in the open and confess.

Maybe once Hiei rejected her, she could finally move on and stop feeling so torn. Maybe the heartbreak was exactly what she needed to move forward with her life. Things were so much easier when she had only considered Hiei a good friend their dates were simply an innocent way of passing the time. She would gladly endure a bit of heartache if that meant that things would return to the way that they were. She only hoped that Hiei wouldn't push her away once he found out the truth. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Hiei questioned.

"I…"

She hadn't realized that she was blatantly staring at him and she immediately broke eye contact and shook her head.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about work related issues," she lied. She could tell that he was not entirely convinced, but he let it go, and for that she was thankful. She tried to divert the conversation by motioning over to the cookies with a grin. "So, how's the taste?"

"It's good," he said lowly.

She had vaguely heard him, but she wasn't really paying attention. The only thing she could hear was the sound of her pounding heartbeat as she tried to gather her courage and tell Hiei that she liked him. It was a simple thing to do in theory, but not in practice. She had been in much more fearsome situations before and she just needed to remember that and overcome this momentary fear. There was the close call during the mission with the Saint Beasts, there was the time they all got trapped in the stadium just a few seconds before it was set to explode near the end of the Dark Tournament and then there was the time she got caught breaking and entering Mukuro's castle.

…That was it! The hiruiseki stone was a perfect reminder of how brave she could be as well as the lengths that she was willing to go for Hiei. She only needed one glimpse of it and she would be fine!

She turned to Hiei and took a deep breath.

"Hey, Hiei," she began. "Would you mind showing me your hiruiseki stone again?"

Hiei lifted brow.

The woman had been acting extremely strange ever since she arrived. She was always somewhat of an enigma, strange in more ways than he could count, but her behavior today was a cause for concern. Asking to see his hiruiseki stone out of the blue was bizarre, even for Botan.

"Why?"

"Because it's really pretty and I like looking at it?" she answered lamely.

He eyed at her as though she had just asked him something unreasonable, but dug his hand beneath the collar of his shirt and pulled it out regardless. The stone sparkled brilliantly, catching the rays of sunlight that had managed to peek through the lattice of tree leaves. Botan leaned in and her eyes widened in fascination as though it were her first time seeing it all over again. A strange calm had settled over her features as she eyed the stone and he felt himself relax as well.

"I never thought it would be in my possession again," Hiei admitted as he released the stone and let it rest against his chest. "But you proved me wrong."

Botan leaned back so that she was no longer invading her personal space and gave him a self-satisfied grin.

"Never say never, Hiei! Anything is possible!"

He was never one to indulge in blind optimism and groundless faith and he still didn't entirely believe that anything was possible, but she made him rethink a lot of things lately.

This world wasn't as bad as he thought.

She wasn't the woman he had originally misjudged her to be.

And he was capable of feeling more than he originally thought.

These revelations had only come to him because she opened his eyes. He would have never known any of those things without her and it was his turn to start revealing the truth, no matter how hard that might be. It was the only way he could make things completely right between them. It was time to take responsibility.

He began speaking at the same time that she did, their words jumbling together as they tried to confess separate things.

"There's something you should know," he said.

"Hiei, I want to tell you something," she began.

They both paused, before Botan let out a small and amused laugh.

"You go first," she said sheepishly.

He swallowed hard, unsure of where or how to begin. He glanced over at Botan and found her waiting patiently for him to start. He wondered if he should tell her about the bet first or let her know that his feelings for her had changed. He didn't have time to decide, because the communication mirror went off, beeping at an incessant rate. He wasn't sure if he was feeling relief or regret at its sudden interruption, but he nodded nonetheless and signaled for her answer it.

"Botan, we've got a real problem here."

The ferry-girl on the other end of the line erupted into a rant about files and ogres and other inconsequential things that Hiei had mostly tuned out. He knew what this disruption would mean.

Botan clicked the device shut and frowned as she looked over at Hiei.

"Can this conversation be held within the next two minutes? That's about all the time I'll have."

He shook his head.

"I didn't think so," she replied apologetically. Her gaze drifted to the side before lighting up and retuning to him. "How about you come over later tonight? We can talk then."

"Fine," he conceded.

Something was telling him not to let her leave, to keep her with him until he had confessed everything, but he stubbornly swallowed the feeling and shoved his fists in his pockets, lest he give into the urge to grab onto her and make her stay. There was no reason for his sudden unease; he was being paranoid. He could wait until later tonight to tell her the truth.

"I'll call you on the communication mirror when the situation is all clear," Botan said, lingering near his side for a few moments as though she too had wanted to stay.

Hiei nodded in return and Botan granted him one last smile before taking hold of her oar and ascending higher into the air. He had watched her slip away in the same manner countless times before, but this time, he was transfixed as he watched her fly away. When she had disappeared from his sights entirely, he became all too aware of the heavy feeling that had taken residence in the pit of his gut.

Closing his eyes, he stubbornly forced the ominous feeling away. He did not have the same sixth sense that Kuwabara or other psychics did, but his senses sharpened and heightened as though danger were near. Something wasn't quite right, but he resolved to push the feeling aside and wait until he could clear the air between them.

Everything would be okay.

Everything would finally be set right…

…

…

…

His eyes snapped open at the sound of the communication device's relentless beeping. His eyelids were still heavy as he blinked away the remnants of drowsiness. He hadn't intended to fall asleep, but he supposed all was well, seeing as he had woken up in time for call. Reaching for it from within his pocket and flipping the top lid open, he was afforded a view of the ferry-girl. She looked a little weary, but the genuine smile on her face was a good enough of indication of her mood.

"We're just about finished here," she said with a smile. "If you want to come over, then now's the time."

"I'll leave now," Hiei told her. He was sure that she wouldn't like what he was about to say, but it was better to get it over with. It would take some time for her to get over it, but he could wait. She was a forgiving person and eventually she would understand. She knew him better than anyone else and she would believe him when he told her that the bet meant nothing to him now.

When he arrived in the Spirit World, he didn't find her in her room like he thought he would. He searched for her energy signal and realized that the trail lead straight to Koenma's office. He figured she was still working and turned to leave, but there was a strange sense of foreboding that prevented him from exiting. Something akin to instinct or a sixth sense told him to find her now, so his legs began moving on autopilot, carrying him down the winding pathways that lead to the Prince's office.

As he walked further down the hallway, the dark sentiment was building. He heard sounds coming from the office – it was Yusuke's voice. He heard Kuwabara and Kurama as well, but what startled him most was the sound of his own voice. The doors slid open automatically and he noticed that the large screen at the far end of the room was playing a recording. His blood ran cold when he recognized Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and himself conversing. He did not need to hear what they were saying to know what was going on, his memory of that day and that conversation was as vivid as ever. It was the moment that started it all: the conversation that led him to accept the bet. Hiei tore his gaze from screen, ignoring the prince and the blubbering ogre in the room, and instead focusing on the only one who mattered. Botan stood frozen in front of the oversized screen. He could not see her expression, and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to at the moment, but he could see the rigidity in her shoulders and he could sense the tension in the air.

The truth always has a nasty way of coming out at the worst time and in the worst way – Kuwabara's words returned to him with a startling clarity and he knew that whatever had formed between them in the past month had been effectively shattered in this one moment.

It was over, he thought darkly. It was all over.

Yikes! The truth has been revealed and it only took… 16 chapters. Heh. Next chapter will rewind a bit so you can see how Botan got her hands on the incriminating footage. And then the inevitable fallout will begin.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I love hearing from you all, so please drop a note and let me know your thoughts.