The following day found Hiei sitting in the stadium's locker room, having won another dull fight without any effort on his part. He scowled at the power-sealing talisman wrapped around his arm; even this was not enough to produce a challenging match. The others had all been pitted against opponents worthy of a great battle in the second round of the tournament, but Hiei was somehow stuck with all of the amateurs.

As he walked back towards the room designated for Mukuro's camp, he noticed Botan in the distance. They had spent a good portion of their night together, drinking and talking. The woman was at ease with him, as she had always been, and he would be lying if he said he did not feel the same with her. But that was not due to any romantic sentiments, it was simply a result of experience. They had spent a good deal of time together in the past and, as a result, it was only natural for them to be able to get along easily now. That's all there was to it, he told himself as he continued walking down the path. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he noticed the hefty usher extending an arm out to halt Botan from entering the area designated for the Spirit World citizens.

"But I was just inside with Koenma," she complained. "In fact, I'm pretty sure you saw me exit from here five minutes ago when I stepped away to go the ladies room!"

"Sorry toots, no ticket, no entry," he said unwaveringly, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at her.

"You didn't ask me for a ticket when I entered with Koenma two hours ago!" she countered, throwing her hands on her hips defiantly.

"I don't recall that," he replied.

"Fine," the ferry-girl relented as she rifled through the small bag she carried with her. As the seconds wore on her search became more frantic and a frown furrowed her brows and tugged at the corners of her mouth. Pink eyes rolled upwards to view the demon with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "It's gone… My ticket is gone! I kept it in this bag the whole time; it should have been in here."

"That's too bad," the demon sympathized, his stony expression falling into a look that Hiei considered to be one of false sympathy. "I like to think of myself as a fair guy. I can overlook this whole matter and let you back inside."

"Really, you will?" Botan said, perking up as a grin spread out on her face.

"Of course," he promised with a smirk. "On the condition that you can convince me that you really were here earlier,"

"I can always just call up Koenma and have him verify," Botan suggested obliviously as she began digging through the folds of her kimono sleeve.

"I think I'd much rather have you convince me yourself," the demon leered, moving a bit closer to illustrate his point.

Anger flared up within Hiei and the thirst for blood was growing rapidly as the scene unfolded. The guard was a lecher and Botan was naïvely unaware of the fact that his newfound benign nature was just a façade to cover his untoward intentions. He took a step forward to make himself known when Botan's knowing tone of voice halted his actions.

"Is that so?" she asked boldly.

From his position behind her, Hiei could see that the woman had already summoned her metal bat. It was held firmly in her grasp behind her back where the other demon could not see. The guard was completely ignorant to the danger that awaited him, and Hiei was not surprised in the slightest: the woman was always a feisty one. He toyed with the idea of watching Botan enact her due justice, but then decided against it. Her actions would probably cause more of a commotion than necessary if and when the others found out that a citizen of Spirit World had bludgeoned one of the guards, so he stepped in.

"She's with me you lecherous fool," Hiei announced.

The usher immediately recognized the fire-demon and took a step back, muttering an apology in a muted tone.

"If you so much as look at the woman again, I will personally see to it that you have no means of enacting your depraved thoughts," Hiei threatened, crimson eyes glancing down towards his sword and then snapping back to the guard. "Understand?"

He paled visibly and nodded.

"Serves you right, you pervert," she huffed. "Now, will you please let me in?"

"I am under strict orders not to allow entry to anyone unless they have a ticket or are with the Prince himself," the demon recited nervously, looking at Hiei rather than Botan as he spoke.

The ferry-girl opened her mouth to protest, but Hiei cut her off.

"It's no use," he told her. "Just follow me."

He continued his trek towards his destination, trusting the ferry-girl to follow his lead.

"Hiei, wait!" she called out, trailing after him. "I'm pretty sure this isn't the way back to Koenma."

"You won't be allowed into that area unless you have your ticket or unless Koenma comes out himself to verify your entry. They increased security ever since a prostitute managed to sneak her way inside two years ago and proposition the Prince during the first tournament," Hiei informed without bothering to stop walking to address her directly. "You will have to stay with me in Mukuro's section until the matches are over."

Botan suddenly let out a horrified gasp and the spike of worry that had shot through Hiei was so intense that it nearly felt like a physical blade cutting through his chest. He turned sharply to view her, hand curled around the hilt of his sword as he prepared himself to dispose of whatever it was that had bothered her so deeply, and froze when he noticed that she was unharmed and unprovoked. He looked her over quickly, gaze ascending from her sandaled feet, roaming upwards from her ornately colored kimono and finally landing on her face. She was fine and the dread he was feeling was quickly dissolving into a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"That guard thought that I was a prostitute?!" she echoed in disbelief, looking down at her ornate kimono. "And I dressed so tastefully today, too!"

Hiei's expression dropped and he rolled his eyes as he stared back at her crossly. He had worried over absolutely nothing.

"That's all you got from that conversation?" he gritted.

"Oh no, I appreciate you allowing me to stay with you," Botan said, looking back at him with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

He grunted noncommittally as they continued their advance towards Mukuro's section.

"I really don't know how I could have misplaced my ticket. It's so unlike me… I never lose a thing!" Botan mentioned, a frown tugging at her features.

"If that was true, then we wouldn't be in this situation right now," Hiei pointed out.

"I'm really not the airhead that everyone things that I am. I'm extremely responsible whether that be with my duties or my belongings," she defended. "I still have things from my days as an apprentice ferry-girl, I've never lost a single spirit detective item and I even have those mementos from the carnival we attended a long time ago!"

When Hiei's gaze landed on hers, she immediately covered her mouth as though she let a huge secret out. While he no longer thought that she was an airhead, he could not deny the fact that she always was (and most likely always will be) a blabbermouth. He refocused his attentions on their destination, pressing his lips into a firm line as he refrained from responding. Bringing up the past was the last thing he wanted to do when he was in her presence.

"Not that I kept it for any sentimental reasons," she covered up quickly. "I just thought it would be a waste to throw them out…"

"Hn."

"Do you still have yours?" she asked shyly.

Hiei paused to consider her question. He had only brought a few things with him to Mukuro's castle and the pictures had inadvertently been one of them. He hadn't seen it in a while – he was never one for romanticism – but he knew that it was somewhere in his room, a stark reminder that he never bothered to let go of. It would do no good for her to know that, so he merely faced away from her and shook his head.

"No," he finally responded as they continued down the winding halls.

"Oh," she answered.

Even without seeing her face, he knew that she was probably disheartened by the news. He ignored it for now, as they shuffled into the private room wordlessly. Hiei watched as one of the demons from Mukuro's camp viewed the ferry-girl appreciatively and he bit back a snarl. They had all done the same to Ruka on numerous occasions and it hadn't bother in him the least, so he pushed it out of his mind in an attempt to temper his rage.

"Picked up another woman?" an annoyingly high-pitched voice asked.

Hiei ignored the comment as they took their seats.

"Actually, she seems pretty familiar," the demon noted as he nudged his companion.

"Yeah, she does," the other agreed in a low grumble.

"I hope I do, seeing as we met that last time I was in Demon World," Botan mentioned. "You two were the first ones that I came into contact with."

The green skinned one – Hiei had never bothered to learn their names – leaned in closer to get a better look, before the realization dawned on him.

"Oh yeah, you're that strange ferry-girl who trespassed that one time. Remember Ryu?"

The red one blinked.

"Small world, I had no idea that she and Hiei knew each other. "

"We go way back," she informed.

Hiei had almost forgotten that she infiltrated Mukuro's castle once, in search of his stone. The weight of the hiruiseki always felt heavier when he was around her and this time was no different. It was somewhat unsettling to have the woman from his past and the soldiers in his present suddenly collide like this.

"How do you two know each other?" the green buffoon inquired.

"Well, we-"

"That's none of your concern," Hiei interrupted, ending the conversation effectively.

"Touchy," he muttered as the both of them returned their attentions back to the match.

Hiei could hardly stand the two hooligans on a good day, and the less they knew, the better. The more he thought about the past, the harder it became to find his bearings. He glanced at the woman from the corner of his eye, ignoring the foreign sensation that was welling up. The mere sight of the colorful and excitable ferry-girl from the Spirit World stood out like a sore thumb amongst the myriad of bloodthirsty demons. She didn't belong in this world, but having her near his side strangely did not feel out of place in the least and he could not understand why.

"Hiei, is everything alright?" she asked, apparently having noticed his change in disposition.

"It's fine," he lied.

He could feel her eyes on him, filled with concern and much more caring than he deserved. It was almost too much for him to bear and he was not sure how much more of this he could take. Luckily for him, fate seemed to be on his side today, as Botan's attentions soon drifted elsewhere.

"Hello, Lady Mukuro, it's good to see you again," Botan greeted, sitting a little straighter in her chair as the demoness entered the area.

"I wish I could say the same," Mukuro said dismissively. "What is she doing here, Hiei?"

Botan's expression dropped a bit and Hiei's gaze moved from the slightly deflated ferry-girl to the unaffected King.

"I brought her here."

His words were brief and curt to the others, but Mukuro immediately understood that intent behind them: he was taking the blame for Botan's presence and had made it clear that the ferry-girl had neither asked nor suggested that she join them.

"I see."

Mukuro did not say anything further, but the way her gaze lingered on Hiei's indicated that they would be talking about this later. He was hardly looking forward to it, already knowing what she would have to say about this incident.

Botan could sense some tension between Mukuro and Hiei, so she decided to keep quiet for the most part, focusing on the matches instead. She had a feeling that she was the reason behind it and she hoped that Hiei would not get into any trouble because he allowed her to stay with him. She even tried to call Koenma to alert him of her situation – after all, she would rather face Koenma's wrath than linger here and have Hiei get into trouble – but the Prince refrained from answering.

The sound of the announcer giving a play by play of the most recent action brought Botan's attention back towards the ring. Yusuke was currently fighting an elemental demon with the power over lightning, but they were simply moving too fast for her to see. After one last attempt to make sense of what was going on, she turned to Hiei, leaning in slightly towards him.

"I can't see a thing!" she whispered. "They're both moving so quickly. Would you mind filling me in?"

"The detective is losing speed. He can't keep up," he replied, eyes trained carefully on the ring below.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"Does Yusuke look troubled or do you think he has a plan?" she asked quietly.

He peeled his eyes away from the fight, raising a brow as he looked at her.

"Why are you whispering?"

Botan's gaze briefly drifted over to Mukuro before returning to meet Hiei's eyes.

"I thought that maybe Lady Mukuro would like to watch the match in silence. I don't want to disrupt her."

"You can speak normally. Mukuro does not care either way."

"But she-"

"-Can hear everything you're saying ferry-girl," the King inserted. "There's no need to be discreet, although you were failing miserably. Unlike the last time we crossed paths, you are an invited guest and as such you are free to do as you like."

Botan gave Mukuro a sheepish smile, hoping that her cheeks hadn't flushed in embarrassment.

"Thank you, Lady Mukuro, that is very generous of you."

Hiei crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

"And you can drop the overwhelming politeness," Hiei told her. Botan noticed that his voice was a bit lower this time, as if he were trying to spare her from any further discomfiture. "It isn't necessary here."

"I just want to leave a good impression," she explained softly, although it was probably in vain.

This time, Hiei looked at her with an unreadable expression. His gaze seemed to be searching hers for something, but she did not know what. Finally, he let out a slight sigh.

"You don't know," he stated ambiguously.

"Don't know what?" she echoed uncertainly.

"You've already made your desired impression," he informed.

Botan blinked.

"…What do you mean?"

Hiei shook his head, setting his sights back towards the fight.

"If you haven't figured it out by now, then it isn't important."

Botan thought otherwise and judging by the tightness in Hiei's features, he must have secretly felt the same as well. The ferry-girl wanted nothing more than to pester the fire-demon until she was blue in the face, but words failed her. Something told her that this wasn't the time or place, so she catalogued this particular conversation away for future reference and returned her attention to the ring.

Her eyes followed the flashes of light in the distance and she squinted as she tried to make out what was going on.

"This match will be over shortly," Hiei suddenly announced, most likely for her benefit.

"A little help for those of us who can't follow?" she asked.

"They are both engaged in hand to hand combat," he filled in simply. "The detective favors his right side and the opponent recognizes that by focusing his attacks on Yusuke's left. He's faster by a fraction and Yusuke is trying to keep up, but his body isn't used to this speed and as a result, he's been slowing down."

"So you're saying that Yusuke will lose?"

"Yusuke may be slower, but he is far from weaker. If he can manage to land one powerful attack, then he has a chance for victory."

"Do you think he can do it?"

"I've learned by now not to underestimate him."

Botan nodded, wringing her hands nervously as she waited for the inevitable conclusion. After a few more moments of pulse pounding attacks, she saw the red light of Yusuke's demonic energy come into view. True to Hiei's prediction, Yusuke was able to create an opening for himself, allowing him the time to unleash a massive energy blast that resembled a large spirit gun. His opponent was thrown far into the stands, the impact of his crash destroying the stone seats entirely. Botan cheered when Yusuke was announced as the winner.

The proceeding ten minutes went by quickly as the arena was cleaned up for the next match. Kurama was up against a large and muscled demon that had primarily human features, save for the tribal markings on his tanned skin and the prolonged fangs. Botan had great confidence in Kurama, but her confidence waned when she saw just how outmatched he was in terms of physical strength and demon energy. Her hands were clasped tightly together, brows drawn into a frown as she reluctantly watched on.

She heard Hiei grunt disapprovingly and glanced over at him. He looked just as distressed as she felt, his shoulders squared and his jaw clenched tightly.

"Why isn't Kurama dipping into his demon energy?" she asked. "It's almost as though he's content with just letting this guy win!"

"He no longer intends to use his demon energy," Hiei informed her through clenched teeth. "He's decided to live out the rest of his life as Shuichi and has resolved to let go of any and all links to Youko Kurama."

Botan felt a sense of worry rush up within her, but she quickly pushed it away. She had to believe in Kurama, there was nothing more she could do at this point. Hiei, on the other hand, seemed to be more affected than she was and she wasn't surprised in the slightest; she had seen him worry over Kurama in a similar manner during the Dark Tournament. Her heart bled for him in moments like these. It must have been hard for him to cope with feeilngs like this, especially since he was usually so closed off.

"I told him his insistence on remaining in that weak human container would be the death of him," he gritted angrily.

"Hey," Botan soothed, placing her hand over his tightly balled fist without really thinking. "It will be okay, you'll see. Kurama won't go down that easily."

Hiei did not respond, but he did not pull away from her hand either. As the demon continued his relentless assault on Kurama, Botan's features became more pinched and her grip on Hiei tightened. Although Kurama was teetering on the edge of consciousness, his gaze held a concentrated and resolute glint that spoke volumes. He had a plan, he always did. Moments later they witnessed one of his specialty plants bloom and take the shape of a monstrously large venus fly trap. Kurama let out a victorious smile, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell unconscious. The plant continued to advance on Kurama's opponent, despite the redhead's comatose state. The ten count was long over and Kurama had lost, but that did not stop the man-eating plant from trapping the victor within the confines of its mouth and chewing him up. The entire stadium was quiet as they watched the scene unfold and Kurama's opponent was spit out promptly after, completely bloodied and motionless.

"That fool."

Botan looked over at him curiously as he continued.

"He never intended to win. He just wanted to take his contender down with him. Yomi must have told him to."

"Really?"

"He's been doing it this entire tournament," Hiei informed. "Disposing of threats to Yomi's kingdom under the guise of the tournament."

"Wow, he takes his job seriously."

"The ring is no place for hidden political agendas," Hiei sneered.

"I don't know, it seems pretty smart to me," Botan said as she thought it over.

Hiei scoffed, but said no more on the topic. Instead his eyes drifted downwards to their hands, and it was then that she noticed that their fingers were somehow intertwined. Botan pulled away immediately, ignoring the loss of warmth when the contact ended. She stood up and cleared her throat forcefully.

"We should see if he's okay."

When Hiei made no move to advance, she beckoned him.

"Well, come now, we don't have all day. Don't you want to make sure he's alright?"

"He won't fall to such minor injuries."

"Those were hardly minor injuries!" Botan retorted. "In fact, he could probably use some of my white magic right about now."

"We have regeneration tanks and a hospital. Let the doctors do their job."

"Regeneration tanks could take days and recuperation at a hospital could take weeks," she reasoned. "My way is much faster. And besides, I've been practicing and I've gotten a lot better at it."

When Hiei didn't respond she sighed and turned around, coming to terms with the fact that he would not be joining her.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Mukuro," Botan said.

Mukuro afforded Botan with a curt nod in response and the ferry-girl cast one last frustrated look in Hiei's direction before exiting the area. She was disappointed that he still remained so stubborn in his refusal to show any signs of outward concern for his friends. She didn't know why she even bothered in the first place, Hiei had always claimed that he didn't care for any of them and his behavior was to be expected. She had hoped that he would have learned to be more honest and truthful with himself, but she supposed she was asking for far too much.

"Slow down, woman."

The familiar voice halted her in her tracks and she turned around slowly to see the fire-demon standing in the hallway, hands concealed in his pockets and eyes averted. Botan had to bite her bottom lip to stop from smiling as he walked up to her.

"There is no rush; Kurama will still be an unconscious mess no matter how quickly you rush to meet him."

"The faster I get there, the faster I can help to heal him!" she clarified.

"Do you even know where the medical wing is?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "I was just going to ask for directions."

"Typical," he scoffed. "You shouldn't be so trusting here."

"That's sweet of you to worry, Hiei, but I'm sure not everyone is as untrustworthy as you make them out to be," she said.

Hiei did not respond as he took the lead, but he did not have to speak at all: his actions spoke volumes, they always did.

The trek to the medical wing was a good distance away, past many corridors and turns and hidden in an inconspicuous area of the stadium. It was a good thing that Hiei decided to join her, because otherwise she would have gotten lost. The area contained both demons who had fought in the tournament as well as innocent bystanders and audience members who were caught up in the onslaught of the matches. It was a few degrees colder than the rest of the stadium, and the unpleasant smell of antiseptics assaulted her nose. She cringed in disgust. Botan never liked hospitals despite the frequent amount of time she had visited them collecting souls. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she searched the area and spotted Kurama, who was flanked by both Koenma and Yusuke. She noticed a few of the demons from Yomi's camp standing off to the side as well.

"There you are, Botan!" Koenma cut in exasperatedly. "You can't just wander off like that!"

"I didn't wander off. I was with Hiei," she explained.

Koenma's face fell from its previously angered state, lost in confusion as he eyed the two of them. The Prince was undeniably thinking of what had occurred three years ago and she wished he wasn't so obvious in his suspicions. She noticed the way Hiei glared back at him, no doubt having figured out Koenma's train of thought for himself. Botan contemplated telling him that the only reason she was with Hiei was because she lost her ticket, but she decided against it in the end. It was probably just somewhere inside of her room and there was no reason to rile the Prince up any further.

"So you see," Botan started, stepping between Koenma and Hiei. "I was perfectly fine. I even tried calling you on the communication device, but you didn't answer!"

Koenma opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.

"All's well that ends well," Yusuke cut in. "It's not like she was alone, she had Hiei with her. I'm sure the little guy wouldn't let anything happen to her, right?"

Yusuke shot a cheeky grin in Hiei's direction, but Hiei just looked away with a grunt, choosing to focus on Kurama instead.

"In any case, I thought I may be of use," she announced, walking over to Kurama and examining his current condition. She sighed when she noticed just how beaten up he had gotten. "Why do you boys always insist on getting so torn up? Sometimes I think you're all secretly masochists."

They all watched as she concentrated on the injured redhead, setting her hands in front of him and drawing out her advanced curative energy. The white light engulfed his form, washing over his injuries and healing them. Everyone was silent as she worked her magic and she concentrated on expending as much energy as she could without going overboard and causing a strain on herself. Kurama had regained consciousness during her ministrations and after a few more seconds of silence, she dropped her hands and took a step back.

"There, good as new."

"Thank you," Kurama said, sitting up on the bed and examining his torn clothing. His skin was smooth and unharmed once more and he smiled. "You've improved greatly. An impressive feat, considering white magic is one of the most advanced healing techniques."

"I thought it might come in handy," she replied proudly. "Even so, your body still needs its rest. Take it easy for the remainder of the day, okay?"

"Understood."

"Come on, I think there was one more match after Kurama's. Hopefully we haven't missed it," Yusuke said.

They all dispersed the area and started making their way to their designated areas. Hiei had exchanged a few words with Kurama on his way out, but Botan could not hear the muted conversation. The fire-demon went on ahead, presumably returning to Mukuro as Kurama returned to Yomi with Jin and Touya at his side. Yusuke hurried off after them, leaving Botan to trail behind Koenma. The atmosphere was tense between them as they exited the medical ward, not a single word exchanged between them. The Prince was never one for holding his tongue, so she was surprised that she was getting the silent treatment. She almost wished he would say something; this silence was eating away at her.

Soon enough, her wish was granted. Koenma suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway, causing Botan to come to an abrupt halt as he turned to view her.

"What exactly are you getting into with Hiei?" he asked bluntly.

Botan blinked.

"Absolutely nothing," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I just find it strange that you two were watching the matches together."

She frowned in confusion.

"Well, why wouldn't we? We decided to forget about the past and treat each other kindly. We're just two people who are having a nice and friendly time together."

"This sounds a lot like three years ago."

"I promise you, nothing of the sort is happening," she said seriously.

Koenma almost looked convinced as he turned back around and continued the trek towards the seating area. When they made it to the entrance, Botan hoped the perverted guard would not ask for any tickets, seeing as she was with Koenma. She really did not want to have to tell the Prince that she lost her ticket; he would surely force her to stick with him for the remainder of their time in the demon world, when all she wanted as a little freedom. The guard nodded at Koenma, allowing them entry and she followed behind him with a relieved smile on her face. The demon barely made eye contact with her, and she supposed she had Hiei to thank for that.

Jorge was seated in the stands, eating some sort of demon world delicacy when they took their seats.

"How is Kurama?"

"He's fine," Koenma said. "Botan healed him."

"That's great! Speaking of, where did you disappear to for so long, Botan?" the ogre inquired.

"She was with Hiei," Koenma cut in. "Though I can't seem to figure out why."

"I told you, sir! We were just watching the matches together. Nothing more!" she defended.

"I find it hard to believe, considering your past history."

"Well, you should believe it because that's all that happened. We are trying to put everything behind us."

"It's your life and I can't tell you how to live it, but I do hope that you're being careful this time around."

"I am," she reassured him. "There is absolutely nothing to worry about."

The conversation ended there and Botan pretended to focus on the match. Truth be told, she was tired of having to walk on eggshells around the topic of Hiei and what happened three whole years ago. They were both mature adults and they had both decided to move on. She found nothing wrong with spending time casually with him and she refused to justify it any further.

For the remainder of the second round, Botan she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she would much rather be back with Hiei right now, rather than amidst the tense atmosphere that Koenma's suspicions had created.

Hiei held Mukuro's blue gaze with a hint of irritation passing over his features. The matches were over, but the moment Hiei had gotten up to leave, Mukuro had pinned him with a pointed look.

"What is it?" he asked finally. "You clearly have something you want to say."

"I don't usually care to pry into your bedmates, but seeing as she is Koenma's right hand woman, I have to ask: is something going on between the two of you?"

He had expected it all along, but the question still caused him to stiffen.

"No."

"Are you sure?" she inquired.

"I don't like repeating myself."

"You two looked fairly cozy together," she said casually.

"You were imagining things," he retorted. "She didn't have her ticket and I was there."

"So you were simply being the good Samaritan," she mocked.

"Aw, Hiei's got a heart of gold, doesn't he?" one of the idiots cooed.

Hiei shot him a glare that promptly shut them both up and had them scattering out of the arena. He had killed others over far less and they both knew that very well.

"Is that all?" Hiei asked.

"Just be aware that your actions have consequences," Mukuro said sternly. "I don't know what happened between the two of you before, but things are different now. You are no longer an ally of Spirit World and your relations with a ferry-girl could garner unwanted attention for the both of us."

"That won't be a problem," Hiei replied. "There is nothing going on between us."

That was the end of their conversation, but it stayed with Hiei long after he left the stadium. He thought back to his time with the ferry-girl, noting that while nothing of significance had occurred, the others had become suspicious. For reasons he could not see, they questioned his motives and watching his every move. He could sense it in Koenma's expression and in Mukuro's words and it was driving him insane. When he fought with her, he was discouraged; when he treated her with civility, he was bombarded with cumbersome interrogations. It was unbelievable.

It was as if they all expected him to regress and start harboring feelings for the woman again, but that was illogical and unproductive. They had both moved on and there was no sense in reminiscing over or revisiting the past.

Although, he thought bitterly, he could not ignore the fact that there was something intangible and undefined between them. Hiei never understood the unnecessary complexities that lie in relationships and emotional ties, so simply wrote it off as a result of the brief affair he had with the ferry-girls years ago. The strange undercurrent beneath their every interaction was simply what happened when two people shared a messy history. He could not do anything about it, so he continued to ignore it. After all, he had no intentions of dwelling on it and working himself up over it. If the others wanted to speculate and wonder whether or not he and the ferry-girl were starting up the beginnings of that foolish dating game, then they were free to do so, but Hiei knew where he stood and nothing and nobody would change that.

"Hiei," Ruka nearly hissed. This was the third time she called his name and he had yet to respond. He was stalking through the lobby, wrapped up in his own thoughts. Words were lost on him now and he was too far away to pursue.

Ruka rolled her eyes and went in the opposite direction. She was rightfully pissed. Hiei had been avoiding her ever since that fiasco with the ferry-girl two days ago. She had attempted to catch his attention and favor, but he brushed her off each time. She had reached her breaking point when she accidentally ran into him last night at the bar and saw him there, with the ferry-girl, no less. He disregarded her completely and, although she was meeting with a few of her own companions and should have been fine in their presence, seeing the fire-demon with that woman was more than she could bear.

He was different around that woman, in a way that Ruka had never experienced herself or expected to see. For all intents and purposes, he was completely at ease. It was almost as though the stone cased walls around his heart were thinned out and lowered slightly. His crimson gaze - usually detached and cold - was alight with something else as he watched at the blue-haired woman babble on and on. When she talked, he listened. When she laughed, Ruka could have sworn that she saw the slightest hint of a smirk ghost over his lips.

It was infuriating. And the fact that Hiei refused to have any sort of interaction with her was causing the woman to lose her carefully composed cool. She knocked on the door of the one person who she knew could provide her with some answers and moments later, she was greeted with the sight of red hair and all-knowing green eyes.

"Youko," she greeted. "Or is it Shuichi now?"

"Kurama is fine," he replied. "To what do I owe this visit?"

He opened the door wider for her, allowing her entry.

"I wanted answers and you something told me that you would be my best bet."

"If this is about Hiei, then perhaps you should go directly to the source."

Ruka's gaze dithered for a moment, before returning to Kurama's.

"I can't do that just yet."

"I see."

Kurama immediately understood without her having to fill in the blanks. This was why she came to him and not the former spirit detective.

"I want you to tell me exactly what is going on between Hiei and the ferry-girl," she instructed.

"As of right now, there is nothing going on between them," Kurama answered easily. "Am I correct to assume that you already know of their past?"

"Yes, I'm well aware," she said, a bitter edge encasing her words. "But I find it hard to believe that everything was left in the past when Hiei is acting so strangely."

"It's a complicated and touchy subject, one that I do not feel comfortable speaking of openly with you. If you desire substantial answers, then you will have to meet with Hiei himself."

"Just tell me one thing," she urged. "Does he still care about her?"

Kurama paused and those unwavering green eyes rested on her sympathetically.

"I think you already know the answer to that."

And she did.

If she was being honest with herself, she had known that there was something deeply profound between them the moment the other woman appeared in front of Hiei's hotel room and blindsided him into silence. She had seen the way the ferry-girl looked at Hiei in the lobby after the first round had ended. And she had seen the two interacting again at the bar later that night. She was losing him and there was only one thing left to do now.

Hiei was surprised to see that he had made it back to their floor at around the same time as the ferry-girl. Although she was a factoring component to his foul mood, he was not displeased to see her. In fact, the mere sight of her was doing a strange job of quelling his irritation entirely. It was an adverse effect that he did not understand at all and he decided not to dwell on it as he made his way down their shared hallway.

Botan lingered near her own door as she watched him advance. She appeared to be troubled and he briefly wondered if Koenma had pestered her in the same manner that Mukuro did with him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"That depends on what it is," Hiei replied honestly.

"You said something before, about me making an impression," she started. "Will you tell me what you meant by that?"

"It's nothing," he said dismissively.

"It obviously isn't."

He moved to open his door, but halted when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt and, despite being a fire-demon, her touch seared into the exposed skin of his shoulder.

"Please tell me."

Hiei turned to face her when she released him, crossed his arms over his chest. She was naturally curious, she always had been and he should have known she would push for more information. He had hoped he never would have had to explain this to her, but seeing as she had asked and she technically deserved to know the truth, he relented.

"The only reason Mukuro sought me out three years ago was because of you."

"Me?"

"She was impressed by your bravery and your loyalty," Hiei revealed. "It's highly uncommon for a being of the Spirit World to risk their safety for the sake of a demon, but you did it for me when you infiltrated her lair in the hopes of finding my stone. Mukuro's interest was peaked. I don't know what you told her about me, but it was enough for her to want to meet the owner of the stone to see what the forbidden child of the ice village was truly capable of."

"Really?" she asked.

Her eyes were gleaming with such pride and joy that Hiei found himself averting his gaze.

"Hn. So you see why I was reluctant to admit it. The only reason I became what I am now is because of your meddling."

Botan shook her head immediately at the thought.

"That's not true at all!" she countered. "While I'm thrilled that Mukuro thought I was loyal and brave and I'm even happier that I may have helped you, my role was very small in the grand scheme of things."

Hiei stared back at her wordlessly. The woman still had no idea how much her actions had affected his life; how one small act on her part rippled and became a part of something much greater in his world.

"All I did was trespass and then ask for your stone. You're the one who impressed Mukuro enough to become her general," Botan said with a soft smile. "Your strength and resolve pushed you to the top. It was all you, Hiei."

She was telling him what he already knew, but hearing her declare it so openly was another matter entirely. If someone had told him what she had said, he would have written it off as overt flattery or brownnosing and it wouldn't have affected him at all. But with her, it was different. She meant every word that she had said. She believed in him and that knowledge alone caused that anomalous feeling to rise up and threaten to overtake him.

As Hiei stared back into those inviting eyes and took in the warmth of her smile, Hiei begrudgingly came to the conclusion that perhaps Mukuro and Koenma's suspicions weren't as unwarranted as he originally thought.

In any case, he had to figure out exactly what this pesky feeling amounted to, because the tournament would be over in a few short days and he and the ferry-girl would once again be forced to go their separate ways.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the outpouring of support, it really helps keep me on track and motivate me to continue with this monster of a story.

Let me know what you all thought~

See you all next week!