Before we start, I just want to mention that I've introduced a new character in this chapter. He's an OC named Haru from one of my old fics: Everything I'm Not. Everything that you need to know about him is stated in this chapter.

Koenma took in a deep breath, no longer bothered by the scent of cigarettes, perfume and alcohol, before depositing another gold coin into the slot machine and pulling on the handle. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation at the chance of seeing three of a kind pop up on the screen, but he was not disappointed when the reels slowed to a stop and displayed three different symbols. Yusuke, who was at Koenma's side, let out a gratified whistle at about the same time, having amassed a small earning with his latest spin.

A place like this would have been considered a regular den of iniquity by many of the citizens of his world and the first time he had ever ventured upon the casinos, he very much felt like a rebellious teenager who had snuck out for a night of fun. But now he was accustomed to the overwhelmingly fast paced atmosphere and dangerous personalities that lurked around the area in search of naïve or dimwitted souls that they could possibly dupe. Koenma had never been much of a gambler, but he had gotten a taste of it during the first demon world tournament and found that he liked it. It was a temporary form of entertainment and excitement for the Prince, one that was entirely different from his routine life in the Spirit World. The thrill of it all was new and exhilarating and for once the consequences of his actions had no bearings on the lives or afterlives of countless others. The risk was his alone to take and he loved it.

So far he was breaking even, which wasn't bad considering the fact that the guy to his left looked like he had just lost his life savings. He gave the demon a sympathetic look before pulling his gaze away to see what Jorge was up to. It had been a while since he had seen the ogre and if he didn't keep an eye on him, then the other man would surely get into some sort of trouble. Koenma sighted him near the roulette table, watching on anxiously as others placed outrageously high bets. Koenma had purposely refrained from allowing Jorge too much spending money, so he was sure that he ogre would not find himself in any trouble. The only member of his team left to worry about now was Botan and he had yet to see her as of this morning.

"What's up, you look like you have gas or something," Yusuke voiced. "Need Jorge to burp you?"

Koenma glared at the teen.

"I'm fine," he replied. "I was just wondering what Botan was up to."

"She's probably with Hiei," Yusuke filled in with a sly smirk.

Koenma raised a suspicious brow.

"Why do you look so smug?"

"No reason," Yusuke said as he leaned back on the hind legs of his stool and crossed his arms behind his head. He paused to view Koenma for a moment before raising a brow. "Why do you look so bothered?"

"I'm not bothered, I'm just concerned. There's a difference."

"Well don't be," Yusuke urged. "They're both adults… they can handle themselves."

"I know that, I just worry for Botan," the Prince admitted.

"At least they aren't fighting anymore," Yusuke said, pulling on the lever of his machine and watching the reels spin. "That's gotta count for something right?"

"I suppose," he reluctantly agreed, as he turned back to face his machine once more.

It wasn't that he didn't like Hiei; he just couldn't figure him out. Koenma could not doubt that the fire-demon cared about Botan, sure, but in the same vein, Hiei had also hurt her deeply. It was the first time that the Prince had ever seen her so completely and utterly heartbroken and Koenma never wanted to see her put in that position again. It worried him that there was absolutely nothing he could do about it other than offer support and advice and he hoped that they were at least being sensible this time around.

He reached out and pulled on the lever of his machine with a sigh as his thoughts dwelled on his top ferry-girl and the former object of her affections. If only he could get some sort of reassurance that things would be okay. What he needed right now was a sign-

The machine suddenly started ringing and lighting up, indicating that he had won the jackpot and the Prince stared in shock as others came to his side to view the spectacle. It was spewing out gold coins at a faster rate than Koenma could handle and Jorge was immediately at his side with a bucket to contain the small fortune. As patrons and workers of the casino congratulated him, Koenma couldn't help the widespread grin that overtook his expression.

"There you are Yusuke! How many times do we have to tell you not to go gambling with our treasury funds?" Hokushin's voice yelled out, cutting Koenma off from his thoughts.

They looked over to find three angry monks advancing towards Yusuke with varying degrees of deep set frowns etched into their faces and Yusuke laughed.

"It's been real, but I gotta go!" the teen grinned, jumping out of his chair and speeding off in the other direction.

Koenma watched the comical chase ensue for a few moments, before shaking his head and facing his machine once more. Well, this was as good a sign as any and the Prince decided to leave the issue of Hiei and Botan up to the fates for now as he collected his winnings.

Botan was pacing around in the lobby's waiting area, a frown etched onto her features. She was supposed to meet up with Koenma in a few minutes and, although she had ransacked her entire room, she still could not find her ticket. She was going to have to come clean with the Prince eventually, because she was a horrible liar and she knew that he would find out someway, somehow.

"You'll wear a hole in the floor at this rate."

The ferry-girl did not even have to look to know who it was as she continued pacing restlessly, her thoughts racing as she answered.

"Very funny Hiei, but I've got an actual crisis on my hands!"

"I know I'll regret asking this, but: what is it woman?"

"It's horrible," she cried in distress, turning to view him. He was dressed in his usual attire, sword strapped to his back and frown on his face. There was something off about him, but Botan couldn't quite place it, especially since she had her own issues to deal with at the moment. "I still haven't managed to find my ticket!"

Hiei scoffed.

"You've faced the possible destruction of your world, your friends and you own life; I'd say that this hardly classifies as a crisis in the grand scheme of things."

"It's a personal crisis," she clarified. "If Koenma learns that I lost it, he won't give me any freedom for the remainder of the trip or quite possibly the rest of my afterlife."

"You're being excessively dramatic. Even for you," he noted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Botan shook her head. Hiei simply didn't understand.

"Lord Koenma is the worst when it comes to losing things. And it might just be a ticket to you, but it's what the ticket represents that is the real issue here."

"The ticket is just a ticket," he deadpanned.

"No, the ticket symbolizes my responsibility!" she filled in. "I made him promise to give me some freedom and space and he's upheld his end of the bargain. But if he thinks I'm irresponsible and can't even keep track of a simple ticket then it's goodbye freedom for Botan."

"Hn."

"So, you see, I need to find it at all costs or at the very least figure out a way to buy some time."

She started pacing again, wondering what she could possibly do when Hiei spoke again.

"Watch the matches with me," he said bluntly, making it sound more like an order than a suggestion or request.

Botan froze in her spot, looking over at him through slightly narrowed eyes framed by crinkled brows. Were her ears clogged? Did she eat something funny that was known to induce hallucinations?

"Huh?" she asked lamely, absolutely certain that Hiei did not really just say what she thought he did.

"You won't need a ticket if you're with me," he asserted.

So she wasn't hallucinating, Hiei had actually offered his assistance to her again. She was almost at a loss for words. It would be so easy to join him once more, but the last time she did that, she was sure that she had put Hiei in a tight spot and couldn't do that to him again.

"I would love to," she started, immediately shaking her head. "Although I doubt Mukuro would-"

"She won't be an issue."

"But..."

"I'm only asking once: make your choice while I'm still willing to extend the offer."

Botan looked at him hesitatingly. She didn't know why he had offered and she was taken aback by his request, but it was rare that Hiei offered to help someone else and so she nodded.

"Thank you, it looks like I'll have to owe you again," she accepted.

"Hn."

As they walked further towards the lobby, Botan saw Koenma waiting for her in their designated spot. She steeled herself as she approached him, knowing that he would not be pleased with the recent developments.

"Ready to go?" Koenma asked obliviously.

"Uh, well," she started nervously, a bit apprehensive having already known that Koenma would not be happy with her decision. She brought her gaze up to meet his slowly. "I was going to watch the match with Hiei."

There was no apparent change in Koenma's stature or expression, no passing wave of disapproval creasing his features or sighs escaping from his lips, instead he simply nodded as he eyed them both.

"Alright, that's fine," the Prince said as he regarded the both of them.

Botan's eyes widened in disbelief as Koenma threw his blue scarf over his shoulder and called out for Jorge.

"Come on ogre. I want to get some squid on a stick before the match starts!"

Botan watched as they headed towards the dining area a little confusedly.

"Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be," she noted, putting her hands on her hips.

"He finally learned to stop meddling in the affairs of others," Hiei scoffed with an unimpressed air.

"Hey, Lord Koenma isn't nosy, he simply takes a healthy interest in the lives of his friends and likes to be well-informed," she defended.

"I'm beginning to think intrusiveness and incessant curiosity are traits that all beings of the Spirit World share."

"And I'm beginning to think that I should have tried to view the matches with Yusuke or Kurama," Botan huffed, crossing her arms underneath her chest. "I'm sure they wouldn't make fun of me like you do."

There was a flash of something within his crimson gaze that Botan could not pinpoint, but it made her feel extremely guilty.

"No one is keeping you here," Hiei said stiffly.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said hurriedly. "I could always join Yusuke or Kurama, but I would rather watch the matches with you."

His eyes widened slightly, just enough for her to know that her words had been unexpected and she could see him trying to process what they meant.

"You're free to do what you want," he told her, averting his gaze slightly. "Come with me or go with one of the others. I don't care either way."

Botan smiled in relief.

"If you don't mind, then I think I'll stick with you."

Hiei nodded and they continued walking towards the arena at a leisurely pace. Things with him were still tenuous and uncertain, but they were moving towards a solid friendship, she could feel it. His piercing gaze and blunt words still held a strange power over her, but she supposed that it was due to Hiei's imposing and strong presence. He gained her attention without intending to and she paid close attention to his actions and his words without realizing it. He was still so much of a mystery to her and she supposed that was partly why she had paid so much attention in the first place. In any case, they seemed to be doing okay, all things considered and she was glad for that.

Hiei had originally gone to the lobby to return Botan's ticket, but when he saw her pacing in the lobby, another idea occurred to him. She would be more inclined to view the matches with him now that she did not have her ticket, and if that bought them a little bit more time together, then he would be able to discern whether his inclination towards her was due to Yusuke's meddling or not.

He should not have gotten so angry over Botan's meaningless bluff to join Yusuke or Kurama, but it bothered him. It was hard for him to invite her to view the matches with him in the first place and the idea that she would have rather been with someone else ignited a flame of anger that he could not extinguish easily. But she had managed to quell the burning and somewhat embarrassing feeling with a few simple and honest words. He looked into her eyes and he knew that she wasn't just lying to appease him; she really did prefer to be with him and the knowledge alone did something strange to his insides.

They entered the stadium and made their way into Mukuro's designated area without any trouble. Botan greeted the two fools whose names he still hadn't bothered to remember and then she looked around curiously.

"Where is Lady Mukuro?"

"She's been called to participate in the first match," the red skinned one filled in.

"I wonder which unlucky soul will be pitted against her," the other crooned.

Hiei was slotted for the final match, so unfortunately it wasn't him. It was an unspoken rule between the contestants to keep their places a secret, the thrill of battle that much more enticing and unpredictable when neither opponent had the chance to prepare in advance.

"Well, she can't be going against Yusuke," Botan announced.

Hiei shot her a questioning look and she clarified.

"I saw Yusuke yesterday and he told me that he was in the second bout today. He also made me promise not to tell anyone, but I don't think it matters now."

"There's a possibility that she and Yomi could face each other. Two kings duking it out is sure to be a good match," the red-skinned idiot predicted.

"I don't know about that," his green companion returned. "I heard Yomi was going to be in the third match."

If what the surly demon said was true, then Hiei was going to be fighting against one of the rookies. His frown deepened until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Botan smiling at him comfortingly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that you'll have your chance at a challenging match soon," she assured quietly.

Before Hiei could answer, a very familiar and very annoying member of Mukuro's group barged in the area. Just the sight of the taller, tanned skinned man who always seemed to have a mischievous glint lighting up his green-eyed gaze was enough to make Hiei bristle in irritation.

"Hey guys, miss me?" the demon asked, leaning against the threshold of the door with a lopsided grin on his face.

"Who is he?" Botan asked quietly, leaning in a bit closer towards Hiei to get an answer.

"The bane of my existence," Hiei muttered, tearing his gaze away from the orange-haired man.

"I'm Haru," he said, walking in and extending a hand towards the ferry-girl.

Botan smiled pleasantly as she mirrored his actions and they shook hands.

"Botan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Haru insisted, releasing her hand before glancing over at Hiei. "And I'm not the bane of anyone's existence. I'm actually a fellow member of Mukuro's camp and an advisor of sorts."

"An advisor of sorts?" Botan echoed.

"Well, it's less from a political standpoint and more of an emotional one. I've got a knack for figuring people out quickly and reading their emotions and intentions. It's my specialty. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I've already figured out that you're a pure soul. The genuine article. You don't find many like them, eh, Hiei?"

Hiei refrained from answering but he didn't miss the sparkle of wonder in Botan's gaze.

"How remarkable!" she admired. "Can you read people's thoughts, too, like Hiei does?"

"Nah, it's a more abstract than Hiei's skill," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it does come in handy."

"I can imagine! It must be great having such an extraordinary ability like that."

"It's not extraordinary," Hiei insisted. "I can tell what you're thinking half the time without my jagan in the same way I'm sure you can deduce what I'm feeling by an expression or stance."

"It's goes a little deeper than that Hiei," Haru interjected. "Hidden emotions, disguised intentions, things that you might not even be aware of yourself. I can sense it all. Each emotion is like a color on a spectrum that only I can see."

"That's really amazing," Botan commended.

"Thanks," he grinned proudly. "And what about yourself?"

"Me?" Botan pointed to herself. "Oh, I'm a ferry-girl from the Spirit World. I also moonlight as the spirit detective's assistant from time to time."

"Sounds pretty impressive to me," he replied. "I never did understand how you ladies flew around on those oars like that. Must take a lot of energy and concentration."

Botan smiled.

"It does take quite a while to learn, but once you master it, you can't ever forget it."

"Like riding a bike?"

"Exactly."

Hiei didn't know why Haru knew what that flimsy human contraption was, and he was doubly sure that neither Botan or Haru had ever ridden a bike to know if the claim was true, but he didn't dwell on it any further. The two seemed to get along easily, which wasn't a surprise, but it was a little jarring to see the two of them together as his worlds bled into one. As much as the taller man got under his skin, Hiei had to admit that his sudden appearance could prove to be advantageous. There was a question burning on his mind, one that only Haru could answer.

"Well… I guess I better go if I want to try catch Mukuro before her match starts," Haru announced. "Nice meeting you Botan!"

"You too!" Botan called out with a wave.

Hiei stood up wordlessly, feeling Botan's gaze on him as he exited the room as well. He trailed Haru until they were far enough away from the others, before stepping in front of the lackadaisical demon.

"Something the matter?" Haru asked.

"I want you to put your abilities to the test and tell me what exactly it is that I feel for the ferry-girl," Hiei instructed bluntly, without any prompting or further clarification.

Haru's eyes seemed to bug out of his head at the question and it took him a while to regain his composure.

"But you hate it when I detect and pinpoint your emotions," he recalled. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Hiei?"

"I don't have the time or energy to spend deliberating over these confusing sentimentalities and I refuse to go on any longer in this haze of uncertainty. You're here and you can tell me exactly what it is with one-hundred percent certainty."

Haru shifted to his left, looking Hiei over with a critical eye. Hiei could almost see the cogs turning in the tanned skinned man's head as he deciphered and classified emotions into quantifiable amounts and definite truths. At the last moment Haru's concentration broke and he was grinning widely.

"I think I'll pass," he announced teasingly.

"What?" Hiei barked, wishing he could permanently get rid of the smiling idiot without any repercussions from Mukuro.

"I think that you know exactly what you feel. And if you really haven't realized it yet, then it really isn't my place to enlighten you," Haru paused to clap a hand on Hiei's shoulder and Hiei swatted it away. "You'll get it eventually. I have faith in you, buddy!"

Hiei growled as Haru sauntered off ahead without a care in the world. He should have known that the other man would be of no use. For all his intrusiveness and meddling, he did have a habit of pulling back when he felt it was necessary. Hiei scowled as he returned to the sectioned off area for Mukuro's camp and reclaimed his seat next to Botan. He glanced over at her for a brief moment, before setting his sights on the ring. If Haru's words were any indication, then Hiei was slowly starting to realize exactly what it was that kept drawing him to the woman beside him.

After a victorious match on Mukuro's part, Haru and Mukuro both returned the area and Hiei left the premises. Botan was fine with Hiei's departure, as she was sure that he needed some privacy before his match started. Besides, things were moving along swimmingly; Haru was such a sweetheart and Mukuro was even indulging herself in a bit of pleasant conversation.

With Mukuro's match over, there were only a varying handful of contenders left after the battles that had raged on in the past few days. Many had sustained injuries, and many more had met their unpleasant end. The four who claimed the victory today would participate in the semifinals tomorrow and the remaining two victors would duke it out in two days. Yusuke's match was unfolding before her very eyes and the uncertainty in it had her heart racing. He was fighting against an older and more experienced, and relatively unknown contender. He looked mostly human, from Botan's perspective with his shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes and lack of horns or fangs. He appeared to be completely unassuming and easy to write off, and that had been Yusuke's downfall. All it took was one unguarded moment and Yusuke was down for the count. Botan was eager to go and help him afterwards, but Haru assured that Yusuke would not even need medical assistance. Sure enough, he had awoken and walked off of the field a little disappointed, but in good physical condition. Haru explained to her that the demon used an ancient technique that momentarily overwhelmed the senses and caused their opponent to blackout. It was relatively harmless, but effective.

Yomi's battle ended even swifter than Yusuke's had, and he had predictably won his match. Hiei was the last bout of the day and Botan was sure that his mood had soured considerably when he realized that all of the strong contenders had already been paired up with others, leaving him to fight against another novice.

She watched as he stepped into the ring, crimson eyes taking over his opponent and sizing him up. The other man had a medium build and carried a few weapons attached to his clothes, but Hiei was a master swordsman, well versed in hand to hand combat and had the elemental advantage of fire. Botan willed herself not to worry and she let out a deep breath at the same time that the announcer gave the signal to begin. Hiei's opponent charged at him with lightning speed and accuracy, but in a contest of speed, Hiei was never outmatched. He avoided the other demon's blows successfully, smirking when the other became enraged. The next few moments passed in the same fashion and Botan noticed that the horned opponent's movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. He continued his assault but was easily sidestepped or countered by Hiei. Finally, when the fire-demon seemed to be tired of toying with his opponent, he landed a powerful punch in his stomach. The blow knocked the wind out of him, bringing him to his knees. As he struggled to overcome the pain, Hiei executed a swift blow to the back of his neck, knocking him out for good.

Botan let out an enthused cheer as Haru whistled. She was glad that he had advanced so easily and could not contain her excitement, despite fully well knowing that Hiei would be disappointed that once again, he faced what he considered to be a weakling.

Mukuro, who had been standing a few feet behind, uncrossed her arms and turned to Haru.

"The odds are in our favor. With Hiei and myself in the finals, there is a good chance that one of us might actually win."

Haru nodded.

"Fate is on our side this time around," he beamed.

Botan said nothing but she could see the slight excitement in Mukuro's visible eye.

"I'm headed back, ferry-girl, feel free to come along. I doubt Hiei would appreciate us leaving you to fend on your own," Mukuro announced.

Botan sat up a little straighter in her chair, with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, thank you for the offer, but that's alright. I'll just wait here for Hiei."

"You sure?" Haru asked. "Hiei might just head straight back to the hotel."

"Well, in the off chance that he does think to return here, I'd like to wait for a while," she maintained.

Mukuro nodded, exiting the room after her two lackeys. Haru remained, his gaze seeming to cut through her and she wondered if he was using his special ability because his next words were very perceptive.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"And there's something you want to tell him, isn't there?"

Botan's gaze dithered towards the floor. She did want to tell him something important. She wanted to let him know how much she valued their newfound friendship, how happy she was that they could be more than just civil to one another, how good it felt to be reunited after three years, but every time she thought she wrangled up the courage, it left her. Besides, it wasn't something that you could just spring up on a person, especially a person far removed from his emotions like Hiei was.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, sometimes I overstep my boundaries. It's easy to do when you've got abilities like mine," Haru admitted, rubbing a hand through his wavy orange hair. "I don't mean to pry, I just think that maybe he needs to hear those words."

"…He does?" she asked.

Haru regarded her with a soft nod of his head, a silent understanding passing between them.

"I suppose I could tell him," Botan reasoned. "I just haven't found the right time."

"There's no better time than the present," Haru advised with a wink.

And then he was gone.

The crowd was demanding bloodshed even after the announcer had dubbed Hiei the victor, but Hiei ignored them as he left the stadium and entered the arena. He didn't care about their opinions, seeing as they knew nothing about the true honor and dignity applicable in battle.

He walked down the winding lower level of the stadium, rounding the corner and sensing the presence of someone familiar trailing him. He turned around and even in the darkness of the dimly lit area, he knew who it was.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were going soft," a sultry voice echoed. Ruka stepped closer to him, a smirk on her face as she spoke. "If this was the Dark Tournament, your opponent surely would have been disposed of permanently."

"Everyone wanted us dead during the Dark Tournament – I was only returning their sentiments," he returned evenly.

"I see."

Hiei made to move on, but a manicured hand grabbed a hold of his arm.

"We've been playing this game for three months now and I still can't figure you out, Hiei. But now that we're alone, I want to talk to you."

Hiei paused to look at the enchantress, noting that something was off. Her hair was impeccable, red lipstick highlighting the fullness of her lips and her clothes fit like a second skin. The woman was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, but without the presence of her playful smirk or the teasing lilt in her voice she seemed like a different person entirely.

"I may come off as overconfident, but even I have my sensitive moments," she revealed deprecatingly. "I need to know what our time together meant to you. And if it still means something to you now."

Hiei was not expecting her to ask such an emotionally charged question, but he answered nonetheless.

"You and I entered a mutually beneficial agreement," Hiei told her. "That's all it was."

"Why are you talking in the past tense?" she asked, brow crinkling slightly as she frowned. "We can still make it work."

"No," he denied. "You had to get emotional. You made things complicated."

"And you and the ferry-girl?" she mentioned, an accusatory look in her ruby colored eyes. "That isn't complicated?"

"You don't know a thing about it," he snarled.

"That's precisely why I'm asking you about it now. Tell me, Hiei, once this tournament is over, will things return to normal or will you still be hung up over her?"

"I'm not hung up on her," he insisted.

Ruka laughed mirthlessly.

"You're either deeply deluded or extremely daft if you think I believe a single word coming out from your mouth right now."

Hiei's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched at his side.

"You don't even realize it yourself, do you?" Ruka asked, almost pityingly.

"Realize what?"

"How pathetically in love you are with her."

Hiei growled, but the sound was overpowered by the wry laughter emitting from the enchantress.

"I thought I had it bad while I was pining after you, but your situation might be even worse than mine," she revealed. "I thought I could somehow decipher your code, but it was a useless endeavor in the end. After all, how could I possibly hope to figure you out, when you can't even seem to understand the obvious truth about yourself?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," he snarled.

"Oh but I do," she drawled, placing a hand on her hip. "It's about time you stopped fooling yourself and came to terms with the fact that you do have a heart and subsequent feelings."

"I find it ironic that a woman as guarded as you would presume to lecture me about feelings," he bit out.

She smiled pensively at him and, for the first time, Hiei thought he was seeing a glimpse of the woman behind the façade. There was an uncharacteristic sadness in her eyes as she stared back at him.

"Maybe it's time we both stopped acting like we didn't care," she mused.

She was quiet for a while, until the sounds of others advancing brought her out of her thoughts. In a matter of seconds her impenetrable guard had returned. She flicked her hair over her shoulder, her red lips extending into a smirk as she cast a detached look upon Hiei.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," she noted. "But I was never the clingy type and I don't intend to play second fiddle to anyone."

Hiei watched as she walked away, not bothering to say a word. He frowned as he contemplated the validity of her accusations, his feet carrying him towards his destination without any conscious thought. Koenma, Mukuro, Kurama, Yusuke, Makoto and Ruka; they all assumed to know him, but they were all wrong. He might have felt a certain attraction towards Botan and that was why he was continually drawn to her, but to go as far as to say that he had fallen in love with her all over again was absurd. If he was still in love with her, he would know. If he was still in love with her, it would be plainly obvious. But he couldn't be. It wasn't possible. He definitely was not-

"There you are!" Botan's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife.

-in love with her.

As she walked over to him, beaming the entire way, he felt something light up inside when she directed all of that warmth and excitement at him. He was standing in the middle of Mukuro's viewing area, the place was empty save for himself and the ferry-girl. He should have left the stadium entirely, seeing as the matches were over, but he returned to the area on autopilot. He knew that the others would have already left, but he also knew that the woman would have insistently waited for him to return. Ruka's words were resounding lucidly in his head, and for the first time since they had reunited, everything was so clear.

His behavior, his actions and his confusion – they all stemmed from one very irrefutable fact: even after three years, he still hadn't properly erased her from within.

Hiei and Botan had returned to the hotel in tension saturated silence. It was plainly obvious that Botan wanted to tell him something, but he did not pry. He couldn't focus on her issues when his own mind was twice as troubled.

Had he been in love with her this entire time? Were his quite frankly pitiful and unproductive feelings for her stifled only by their distance, his stubborn insistence that they no longer existed and the knowledge that he would never see her again? If his sudden revelation were any indication, then he could only assume that it was just as Ruka had said and he had never really gotten over her.

He supposed that he had only fooled himself in these three years, though not for lack of trying. He threw himself into every rigorous training exercise that he knew. He focused on his new duties and responsibilities and he had done an exceptional job of keeping her out of his conscious mind. But then the nights would come and she would appear in his dreams, triggering memories that he would rather forget. He supposed that her appearances in his subconscious should have been enough of a sign to see that he had never truly moved on. He was foolish to think that it was that easy, but he was a master of the mind and not the heart. He did not know how it worked or why it clung to a simple ferry-girl so stubbornly, but she had started these unnecessary feelings within him and it seemed as though only she had the power to revive the spark that was blown out.

They entered the crowded elevator together and Hiei couldn't help but feel like a fool. Everyone had picked up on the things that he could not. The fact that he was the last to know what the others had seen all along was downright pathetic and embarrassing.

A quiet ding signaled that they had reached their floor. As the doors opened, one of the demons who had been waiting beside them spoke.

"Good luck tomorrow. I'm rooting for you!"

Hiei grunted, exiting the elevator without giving the demon a passing glance. He had received a few well wishes along the way, ignoring them all in the same fashion.

"I know that you're not one for manners or civility, but you've practically got your own fans cheering for you and haven't even bothered responding to a single one!" Botan berated.

"They aren't fans," Hiei corrected, stopping in the middle of the hallway by her side. "They only want a good show tomorrow, but I don't care for theatricality."

"Well, it's still very exciting! The semifinals are a big deal!" Botan maintained. "If you end up winning, you'll move on to the finals. And if you manage to win the finals, you'll be the ruler of the entire demon world!"

"I'm not interested," he replied simply.

Her excitement dwindled a bit.

"But…"

"I didn't enter this to win possession of the demon world; I entered to face a strong opponent. Something I have yet to achieve."

"Well, you should be a little excited after making it this far, regardless," she said. "I am."

"You get excited over everything, woman, it's in your nature," he scoffed.

"That's not true!"

He gave her a look that indicated otherwise and she deflated somewhat.

"Okay, so it may be partly true," she admitted before regaining some her original vigorous energy. "I may always get excited over things, but this time I'm genuinely happy for you and you look like you couldn't be any more bored."

"That's because it's nothing worth mentioning," he gritted.

"Why do you always do that?" she accused.

"Do what?"

"Downplay your accomplishments, like they're not good enough," she said, her voice raised a little higher than necessary. "Stop and smell the roses, take in the sunshine. Bask in the glory a little, Hiei!"

The last thing he wanted to do was be commended for breezing through a couple of easy matches, especially not when he had felt so foolish for not recognizing his own feelings for Botan from the start.

"I don't want to."

"And that's your problem, mister grumpy pants. You never just stop to appreciate the moment!"

"I'd appreciate the moment more if you stopped talking and pestering me all the time," he snapped more harshly than he had intended to.

Botan frowned, looking more deflated than he cared to admit and he immediately regretted those words.

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" she asked. "Pestering you?"

He refused to answer, partly because the uncertainty she made him feel muddled his mind and jumbled his thoughts and mostly because his stubborn pride would not allow him to admit that she had stopped truly bothering him long ago. She must have misunderstood his silence, because she nodded to herself and sighed.

"I understand," she relented a heavy sigh. "The last thing I wanted to do was bother you, so I'll just go."

She began moving towards her room and Hiei sighed.

"I never asked you to leave," he corrected, his voice tight as though his throat was constricting to prevent him from admitting the truth. "I only wanted you to stop talking about sunshine and rainbows."

She looked at him, purple eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and confusion as her brows rose higher.

"Really?"

He nodded once, crossing his arms over his chest as a strange sensation blossomed there.

"You really don't want me to go?" she asked, perking up with each passing second.

"That's not what I said," he rectified.

"It all equates to the same thing, though, doesn't it?" she reasoned, a smug grin spreading over her features.

She looked like the proverbial cat that got the cream, which wasn't much of a stretch, seeing as she did have a habit of reverting into that strange feline-like expression all the time. Her sudden change in demeanor was lightening the dark mood he had been indulging in and soon enough he found himself falling back into their playful banter.

"Don't get so complacent, woman," he warned, a hint of a smirk playing at his features. "The night is young and I can assure you that I'll be wishing you were gone eventually."

"I think you're lying," she teased.

"Hn."

Botan smiled at him fondly and a sense of dejavu washed over the fire-demon. An electric and entirely unidentifiable element rushed through the air and beat in his pulse as she looked at him through thoughtful and nostalgia colored eyes. He knew that once again she was going to shake him up, but rather than resist it, he let it overtake him.

"...I'm happy that we've managed to reach this point," she admitted quietly. "I didn't think that we ever would."

The declaration was a simple one, but it was enough to shift the mood between them as Botan's expression softened slightly.

"When I learned the truth about the bet, I nearly hated you," she continued. "I tried to make you out to be the villain, to be the bad guy, but no matter how much I tried to convince myself, I knew that it wasn't true. You said that I should forget our time together, but I couldn't forget about the things I had learned about you, the real you that was hidden somewhere beneath that cold exterior and hardened heart. You really are a good soul Hiei, no matter what others may think or feel, I know you and I know that you are. I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to get along like we did in the past, but I'm glad that we can do that now. I've always cared about you … even when I was mad at you, I don't think I ever stopped caring. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it means a lot to me that we can really be friends this time around."

Those flowery words and bare sentiments were reaching a dormant part of Hiei's psyche; lighting a fire in the inner trappings of his soul and awakening the parts of his heart that he thought he had discarded when he chose to let her go.

"I had intended to tell you those things when we first met up again, but we both got caught up in being so argumentative that the words never came out. I'm glad I can finally say them now, even if it is a little late," she finished.

She gave him a slight smile, before averting her gaze. He never understood how she was able to voice such sentiments so easily. He never understood how she could affect him so, with minimal effort; without even trying to.

The depth of emotions that Botan had managed to pull from the chasms of his soul would never be unlocked by anyone else and, much like the first time she had told him what she truly thought of him three years ago on the night of the fireworks festival, he found himself fighting a losing battle. Only this time, he knew how things would end. He would fall for her and he would ruin it all again. It was an inevitable disaster; a crash course that would end up hurting them both, but he tenaciously gravitated towards that road anyway.

He never learned.

Finally, Hiei comes to terms with the truth! Next chapter will wrap up the Tournament Arc of this story. Really didn't expect it to stretch out this long, but oh well!

Thank you for the encouraging feedback so far. I hope you guys enjoyed Hiei's emotional journey this chapter, it took me forever to complete. Please let me know what you thought of this one!