Here we go, onto chapter 30!

"So, what was the demon world like?" Hinageshi questioned, jumping onto Botan's bed and making herself comfortable.

"Yes, I'd love to hear all about it," Kasumi piped in, taking a seat on the other side of Botan.

The blue-haired ferry-girl was once again donned in her signature pink kimono, thick white socks and sandals as she sat at the edge of the bed. Ayame had dragged a chair over to sit in front of the girls, expression impassive, but Botan could see the hint of interest swimming in those purple eyes.

"Well, it's a lot different than our world," Botan replied. "The sky is red and the atmospheric pressure feels heavier. Oh, and there always seems to be some sort of storm out in the distance full of lightning and thunder, but no rain."

"Sounds spooky!" Hinageshi bemoaned.

"You get used to it after a while," Botan said. "There were also many strange plants and wildlife habituating the place and lots of things aren't what they appear to be. But in spite of that, it really is a lovely world."

"Maybe next year Lord Koenma will take me along!" Hinageshi hoped.

"If you continue to work hard, like you've been doing lately, I'm sure that he will," Kasumi encouraged.

Botan smiled happily. She didn't realize it until now, but she had missed the small talk with her favorite ferry-girls.

"I heard that Hiei won the tournament," Ayame spoke for the first time.

Botan's smile dropped at the mention of the fire-demon, her expression becoming almost wistful.

"He did."

"I only met him once, but he doesn't seem like the diplomatic type to me," Hinageshi noted.

"He certainly isn't," Botan agreed fondly. "In fact, the only reason he accepted the title in the first place was out of respect for Mukuro's wishes. I could see that he was struggling with the decision, but once had made up his mind, I couldn't be any prouder of him for it."

"Sounds like you both were getting along nicely," Kasumi mentioned.

"It was completely horrible at first," Botan admitted, gaze lowering in embarrassment as she remembered how awful they had both been to each other. "All we did was fight and argue in the beginning. We both got caught up in our animosity. It's almost a surprise how well we got along as soon as we decided to stop the fighting."

"Is that so?" Kasumi prodded interestedly.

"Yes! I was a little nervous about seeing him again and our first meeting was less than ideal, but after that initial rough patch, we picked up from right where we left off."

"You mean you two are dating again?" Hinageshi asked, brows raised and eyes wide with curiosity.

"Goodness no, we're just friends!" Botan said. "Good friends."

"It all sounds like it worked out then," Kasumi said.

Botan nodded.

"Has anything happened while I was away?" she questioned.

"It was a quiet week," Ayame replied. "There was the occasional hiccup, but it was fairly peaceful on our end."

"Yes, nothing worth noting, but I'm sure Hinageshi will be more than happy to update you on the latest turnings of the rumor mill…" Kasumi said, hiding a giggle behind her hand daintily.

In the past, Ayame would never have indulged in such idle chatter, but the dark-haired woman seemed to be amused this time around. Perhaps they had rubbed off on her a bit.

"Yes, why don't you fill Botan in," Ayame encouraged.

Hinageshi's teal eyes lit up in excitement as she scooted closer towards Botan.

"Rumor has it, Captain Ootake…"

Botan smiled as she listened on to the outrageous claims. It was great to be back in the comfort and familiarity of her own home, but for some reason, she couldn't help but wonder how Hiei was faring.

Hiei had just finished what seemed like his thousandth boring meeting; fortunately for him it was the final step of the unnecessary induction ceremony. It was finally over, after a week of nonsensical protocol and procedures. The very first thing he did with his reign was to dub Mukuro as his official spokesperson, meaning he would no longer have to do much of anything in the limelight anymore. She would get what she wanted and he could return to life as it used to be.

The meeting was held in Mukuro's fortress along with the media and Yomi and Raizen's camps. Kurama had since returned to the human world, but Yusuke had surprisingly attended with the monks in tow. He had noticed the black-haired teen dozing off during the assembly and Hiei couldn't blame him. As the guests began to disburse, the former detective straggled behind, presumably to bother Hiei with his presence.

"Man was that boring," Yusuke said, as he stretched and cracked his back. "Glad it's over."

"Why are you even here?" Hiei questioned.

"It was my last favor to Hokushin. He wanted me to save face before I left, I guess."

Hiei supposed that it made sense. It was expected that all of the influential leaders of the demon world attend such matters.

"Regardless, it was a massive waste of time and I blame you for that," Hiei accused.

"Me?" Yusuke asked incredulously, crossing his arms over his chest and awaiting an explanation.

"You were the one who proposed this ill-planned tournament in the first place."

"Hey," Yusuke started, uncrossing his arms to point at Hiei. "My idea was genius and nobody forced you to enter."

"Hn."

"But I get it," he conceded. "I didn't want to take over for Raizen when he passed away and the official business was my least favorite part. Now that it's over, though, it wasn't so bad."

"Ruling over a territory with the monks watching your every move and ruling over the entire world with all of its inhabitants watching are two very different matters," Hiei told him.

"So the scale is larger, but it's the same in theory," Yusuke reasoned with a dismissive wave of his hand

"It is of no consequence now," Hiei dismissed. "I've handed the reigns over to Mukuro. This will all be her problem now."

"Sounds like it all worked out, then," Yusuke shrugged.

Hiei grunted in response, footsteps echoing around the dark and empty hall as he trudged ahead.

"That reminds me, I needed to ask you something," Yusuke said in a moment of uncharacteristic seriousness.

Hiei stopped walking to view the other man.

"What is it?"

"Since I'm going back home, do you need me to pass any love letters onto Botan?"

There was a moment of silence between them, before Yusuke busted out in a fit of chuckles and Hiei stalked down the hallway angrily. His raucous laughter could be heard even after Hiei had rounded the corner and treaded down another corridor.

The ex-detective was still nothing but an immature delinquent, but he had brought up a subject that had been weighing heavily on Hiei's mind in the last few days. It had only been a week without Botan, but he craved to be near her presence again and his mind did the best next thing by tormenting him with images and memories of their time together.

Everything about her was etched into his memory and his subconscious simply refused to let her go. Perhaps it was time that he paid her a visit.

"SHORTY'S THE NEW KING?"

Kuwabara's voice echoed loudly, disrupting a pair of birds and causing them to shoot out of the branch they had been perched in. Genkai, who was meditating in a corner of the garden, opened a single eye and it was more than enough for Kuwabara to take the hint. He muttered a sheepish apology and returned his attention to Kurama.

"Please tell me this is just a bad joke. Is he really the ruler of the demon world now?" he asked, his voice lowered his in volume, but persisting in its previous intensity.

"Technically, yes."

"I thought Urameshi was just pulling my leg when he told me..." Kuwabara said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"He was being truthful," Kurama accounted. "Hiei won the tournament due to a double knockout in the semifinals."

Yukina, who was seated near Kuwabara's left, appeared to be conflicted. A slight frown marred her smooth, porcelain skin as she looked over at Kurama.

"I suppose that means he will be very busy for the remainder of the year. He probably won't return anytime soon then, will he?"

Kuwabara didn't understand why Yukina cared whether or not Hiei ever returned, and when he saw a look of sympathy pass through Kurama's eyes, he became even more confused. He had a feeling that he was missing something, but before he even had the chance to inquire, Kurama shook his head and spoke.

"Not at all," he denied. "I'm sure Hiei has already passed all of the responsibility onto Mukuro. Once the initial week of induction ceremonies are completed, he should be free to resume his regular duties."

"Figures he would shirk out of the work in the end," Kuwabara grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hiei doesn't seem like the type who would neglect his responsibilities or duties," Yukina defended softly. "Perhaps he simply was not interested in ruling the world."

"Yes, it wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities. He only accepted to appease Mukuro, which in and of itself was a rather selfless thing for him to do."

Alarms rang off in Kuwabara's mind. The only person he had ever seen the fire-demon go out of his way to be nice to was Botan. His brow crinkled slightly at the thought.

"Does that mean he likes this Mukuro lady or something?" Kuwabara asked, wondering how Botan fared in the demon world if Hiei was flaunting around his new girlfriend. "Are they in that kind of a relationship?"

Mirth filled Kurama's emerald eyes as he shook his head.

"He cares for Mukuro in a strictly platonic sense and that is all."

"And how were things with Botan? Was she okay seeing him again?" Kuwabara continued.

Kurama looked mildly amused and Kuwabara found himself wondering what exactly had happened during the tournament.

"They spent a great deal of time together," Kurama revealed. "I'd say their relationship is leagues better than what it was before he left this world."

Yukina's expression brightened and a beautiful smile lit up her face in a way that warmed Kuwabara's heart.

"That's wonderful," she expressed. "I had hoped that the two of them would reconnect. They seemed so happy together before."

Kurama nodded wordlessly and Kuwabara had to bite back his response.

His first instinct was to deny their claims; to say that it was far from wonderful because Botan could do better than the grubby little shrimp, but something stopped him. Maybe it was a shred of guilt or maybe it was his uncanny ability to understand and empathize with the emotions of others. Either way, it prevented him from saying what was otherwise natural to him. Kuwabara knew that Hiei was in love with Botan before and he had most likely left the human world with those feelings in tact. They could have very well disappeared over time, but Kuwabara knew that the power of love could not be weathered by time or distance.

"Do you think Hiei might return?" Yukina asked suddenly.

"I think there is a very good chance that he might," Kurama answered, smiling in a way that indicated that he knew more than he let on.

The moment Hiei's feet hit the soft soil of the human world he was hit with an unwelcome wave of familiarity. His eyes narrowed as he examined the bustling town. Nothing had really changed in the past three years: same blue sky, same weightless air, same insignificant humans. The only reason he had come was because he would rather catch Botan during one of her soul retrieval rounds than visit her in the Spirit World.

He removed his bandana and opened the jagan, honing in on Genkai's temple, as he did every day. He saw the image of Yukina with the oaf and the fox, chatting amongst themselves in an open area of the temple's vast land. He quickly broke the connection, satisfied with the knowledge that his sister was safe and content. Next, he fixed his attention towards finding the ferry-girl, focusing on her familiar energy until he located her in the park, on the same bench they had spent a good few of their memories on.

He retied his bandana again and began making his way towards the park at an unhurried pace. He could have sprinted to her, but he found himself hesitating in order to buy time. He was not the type to make social calls - he preferred the solidarity of being alone - but here was, in a world he hated, searching for a woman who he normally would not have wasted any time with. He didn't exactly know what he was going to do or say when he reached her, but at least seeing her again would quell the downright embarrassing sense of longing that had crept up on him.

"Is that you, Hiei?"

Hiei turned around, seeing an unfamiliar form making his way across the street and onto Hiei's side of the path.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked bluntly.

"It's me, Shuichi!"

Hiei took a proper look at the teen in front of him. The boy had grown taller, his face had lost some of its roundness and his features had matured and sharpened. The irritatingly childish voice had lowered by an octave lower, but still carried that familiar note of jubilance. Shuichi flashed a bright and trusting grin at Hiei, one that he had done countless times during their brief encounters years ago and Hiei had come to the conclusion that he was the very same annoying boy from before.

"Don't you remember me?" Shuichi asked with a hopeful grin.

"Unfortunately, I do."

"Shuichi said you moved far away and the chances we would ever meet again were slim, so it's a pleasant surprise to see you again."

"Hn."

"How have you been?"

"I'm not really in the mood for small talk, kid."

Hiei entered the park and began walking towards the direction of the clearing in the middle. Unfortunately, Shuichi decided to follow him.

"I'm not a kid anymore," he grinned. "We can talk man to man now."

"There is no need for me to talk to a child. Go about your business of idolizing Kurama and pester him instead."

"Who?"

"Your meddling older brother."

"I think he might be at school or something. He wasn't home last time I checked."

Hiei rolled his eyes and stalked forward, doing his best to ignore the human boy.

"Are you all right?" Shuichi asked. "You look kind of troubled."

"And what makes you think I'm troubled?"

"I don't know… you seem tense and angry," Shuichi pointed out with a tilt of his head. "But I guess you were always like that now that I think of it."

He wasn't sure why everyone he came into contact with presumed to know all about him and his moods, but he let it go for now.

"School problems? Issues at work? Girl troubles?" Shuichi tried.

"I'm not doing this."

"Hey, I've had a few girlfriends, I can definitely give you some perspective!"

"Go away."

"Come on, I can help!"

The boy trailed after him like a lost puppy and Hiei turned back to face him.

"Don't you have someone else to harass?"

"Not really. I'm all yours to entertain, just think of me as a fountain of knowledge, a listening ear, a shoulder to-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll no longer have a tongue to speak with," Hiei threatened, gripping his sword pointedly as he continued his trek.

Shuichi's eyes lit up as he stared at the weapon.

"Whoa, you've got a sword?" he breathed out in amazement. "That is so cool! Can you show me some moves?"

Hiei was seriously tempted to take Shuichi up on his offer and introduce him to the blade that had slain so many other fools in the past, but he controlled himself.

"No," he said instead.

"Can I hold it?"

"No."

"Not even for a second?"

"No."

"You're no fun," Shuichi pouted.

Hiei exhaled from his nose, jaw tight as he clenched his teeth. He cursed his luckless fate as he wondered why all of the overtly friendly, cheery and persistent souls seemed to gravitate towards him.

Botan enjoyed the peaceful serenity of the park as she waited for Yuuto. He had asked for her to meet him this afternoon, and she had time to spare. She watched as children played, lovers strolled and the breeze ruffled the petals of colorful flowers. In her quiet musings, she remembered that this was the very spot she and Hiei had shared on occasion. Yuuto couldn't have known that when he asked her to meet him here, but this place was heavy with sentiments and moments from long ago. Ever since she had returned from the Demon World, her thoughts drifted back to Hiei regularly. Was he doing well? Had he readjusted to life with the leadership role? Did he think about her as much as she thought about him? She hoped that her thoughts would let up once a few days had passed, but it was already a whole week since she had seen him and she was still wondering about the volatile, unpredictable and guarded fire-demon.

"I hope you weren't waiting for too long."

The charming voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she smiled up at the blue-haired, blue-eyed psychic.

"No, not at all," Botan replied, watching as he took a seat beside her on the wooden bench.

"How was your day?" he asked conversationally.

"Oh, you know, the usual: one of the apprentice ferry-girls lost control of her oar and accidentally interrupted a very important meeting between Koenma and his council, one of the ogres accidentally started a fire in the file room and the SDF's training stint blew an entire wall out in the east wing. It was quite the morning."

Yuuto chuckled.

"There's never a dull day in the Spirit World, is there?"

"That's for sure," Botan agreed. "But at least there's always something interesting happening."

"You're glad to be back, aren't you?"

"Of course, it's always good to come back home," she said.

"It was a quiet week without you," he admitted.

"That's good. You definitely deserved a break from all of the insanity that comes with this life."

"In all actuality, I quite enjoy it. It feels good to be helping others and correcting the balance."

"That's very noble of you," she commended.

"Thank you," he accepted her compliment with a tone of gratitude and humility.

"So, is everything okay? I was surprised that you wanted to meet up on your day off," she inquired curiously.

"Well, I had been meaning to talk to you before you left for the demon world tournament, but I unfortunately never got the chance to. I hope I didn't inconvenience you in any way."

"Oh no, I've got some free time on my hands and I'm all ears," she said.

Yuuto paused, looking uncertain and unsure of himself. He took a quick breath and seemed to regain his usual cool confidence.

"Botan, we've known each other for a while, now," he started.

"We have," she agreed, suddenly feeling a little nervous as he stared at her with such unbridled affection in his eyes.

"Although we spend a great deal of time fulfilling our duties as workers under the Spirit World, I do not consider you to be simply a partner at work."

Botan's heart sped up and she tried to remain calm. She had the sinking feeling that this conversation was going to take a turn towards unchartered territory and she was not sure how she felt about that.

"Of course, we aren't just associates. We're friends," she told him.

"Yes, you have been a good friend to me," he confessed. "But in my heart we could be so much more."

Botan avoided his icy blue gaze. Yuuto had never been so forward with her in the past - discounting the first time they officially met at Genkai's birthday party - and she did not know how to react.

"I don't know what to say," she said honestly.

"I know that perhaps you haven't given us any thought, but I would like you to consider it."

She was silent and he leaned in closer, causing her cheeks to flush.

"Can you do that for me?" he asked gently.

It was a simple and reasonable request and all Botan could do was nod her agreement, too stunned to say anything else. His hand moved to cup her cheek deliberately and then he gave her the look that she had seen many times before on the television screen when a romantic kiss was about to be shared. His advance was cautiously slow, so much so that she would have plenty time to stop him if she had wanted to, but curiosity and a bit of shock won in the end and stopped her from moving away. He closed the distance between them in one smooth motion and he pressed his lips against hers, breaking the contact after a moment had passed.

"Just something to think about," he said, before standing up.

Botan pursed her lips together, the feeling of the psychic's lips still imprinted on her own as she watched him walk away.

Hiei had managed to lose Shuichi entirely, using his speed to distance himself from the boy. Unfortunately, doing so only brought him closer to the clearing and he had yet to decide what exactly he was going to do once he saw the woman again.

Although he had come to terms with his rekindled feelings towards her, Botan was content with keeping them labeled as friends. If the way she acted during the tournament was any indication, the woman had truly moved on in the past three years, while all he had managed to do was come full circle. He was unsure whether or not he should pursue her, but perhaps it would all become clear once he saw her again.

The dirt path eventually led him to the circular clearing in the park and when he finally spotted her, he frowned. She was not alone, in fact, she was with the worst person possible: the pretentious, smooth talking psychic.

He did not have time to ponder what they were doing or why they were together, because moments later, the psychic leaned in and kissed her. Something cold gripped his insides and made it hard to swallow as he watched the other man pull away from the ferry-girl. He was saying something to her with a satisfied smile on his face and Hiei clenched his fists tightly, fingernails digging into his palm hard enough to draw blood as he turned around.

He sprinted away from the scene and leaped into the portal to the demon world in a fit of anger. Ignoring the greetings from the men who worked under him at the border patrol and the reporters who had been huddled around the area hoping to catch a glimpse of him, he sped his way past the forests and plains as he tried to remove the image of Botan and the psychic.

It all made sense now. The woman had remained so adamant in being his friend because she already had that conceited human as a lover. He was too late. He glared at no one in particular as he passed by the guards and entered the gates of Mukuro's fortress. She was standing outside, blocking the entrance to the castle and she took immediate notice of his darkened disposition.

"I take it things didn't go well with the ferry-girl," she surmised, folding her arms over her chest.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Hiei gritted. "She's already with some flowery and fanciful psychic."

"And you were involved with the enchantress two weeks ago, but that affair is cleary over. Situations change," the demoness pointed out.

"The two situations are entirely different," Hiei maintained. "The enchantress meant nothing to me."

"Perhaps your ferry-girl feels the same towards the new man."

"I saw her with him."

"But was she happy?"

"The woman's always happy. It's her base state."

"Was she happy with him?" Mukuro repeated calmly.

Hiei paused in his answer because he did not know. All he had seen was a simple kiss, one that was not exactly impressive.

"Exactly my point," Mukuro said. "You always jump to conclusions."

"What would you know about any of this?" he replied defensively.

"She braved demon world just to find your hiruiseki stone and the way she spoke of you was not within the realm of mere friendship," Mukuro recounted. "Emotions like that simply do not vanish with time."

"I didn't know you were so sentimental," he goaded.

"Far from it, I'm merely observant," she replied with a smirk. "A skill you have yet to master."

Hiei grunted as he walked past her and entered the compound. He was far too wound up to listen to reason, but perhaps after a good spar Mukuro's words would settle in. He took a left, leading him to the large training room full of bloodthirsty soldiers. He needed to let off some steam and clear his head and right now, throwing himself into a strict regimen of training would be provide the perfect distraction.

The sun was setting and the sky was a lovely shade of red as Botan strolled down the street. It reminded her of the demon world for a moment and she found herself wondering what the Hiei was up to. She did not want to, but she felt his absence more than she should have. She was perfectly fine when they were together during the tournament, but now that he was gone, she was questioning herself.

It had been two full days since the incident with Yuuto in the park. She had gone through the motions of ferrying souls, training the apprentices and she filled out the boring, yet necessary paperwork. In the last two days, she had not seen Yuuto at all, and she assumed that he was giving her time to think things through.

When Yuuto kissed her, all she felt was the physical warmth and softness of his lips against hers. It was dull and passionless; lacking some unidentifiable quality and no matter how much she wanted it to feel right, there was nothing there.

When Hiei kissed her, fireworks went off, sparks flew, her nerves tingled and her heart raced.

The stark difference between the two was disconcerting. Yuuto was near perfect and he wanted a relationship with her. Hiei came with many complications and had long since given her up. She worried that there was something wrong with her; maybe she was designed to fall in love with men that she had no future with or perhaps her love was a finite thing and she had used it all up on Hiei.

Botan tried to convince herself that it was a good thing. She did not want to love another person the way she had loved Hiei. It was too consuming and much too risky. She would have done just short of anything for him; it was just the type of person that she was. Even during the tournament, she had felt herself starting to stray from the platonic barriers she had erected. There was something special about him that continually drew her into his orbit, but there were too many strings attached. The weight of their past should have been more than enough to block her from even thinking of such thoughts, but here she was, pondering over the man she had absolutely, positively gotten over.

She needed to talk to someone wise and mature, and the first person that came to mind was currently lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag.

"Guess who decided to drop by for a surprise visit!" Botan greeted cheerily as she came into view.

Shizuru removed her cigarette and held it between her index and middle finger as she blew out a trail of smoke.

"It becomes less of a surprise when I can sense you from a mile away," she informed with a smirk. "But it's always good to see you regardless."

Botan grinned and watched as the brunette stubbed out her cigarette with the bottom of her dress shoes. She was currently dressed in a pair of slacks and a white, button down blouse and Botan realized that she must have just gotten home from work. She frowned, questioning whether or not it was a good idea to unload her issues onto Shizuru when the other woman might simply want a night of peace and quiet.

"Well, are you going to come in or do you plan on standing out there all day?" Shizuru asked. "If there's something on your mind, I'd much rather listen over a good cup of coffee and some snacks."

Botan couldn't help the grin that spread over her face.

"If you insist," Botan agreed, following the brunette inside her apartment. It was a lot quieter without Kuwabara around, though he still showed up to see his precious Eikichi. She remembered the time that she had pestered Shizuru into having a girls' night in with Keiko and Yukina, and Kuwabara had unknowingly come home for a quick visit to see his beloved cat. The boy received quite a shock when he saw the four of them wearing green masks and curlers, looking similar to the apparitions that he was trained to defeat. The shriek that he had let out was far from manly and he was completely humiliated in front of his precious Yukina. The humorous memory brought a smile to Botan's face as she crouched down to pet the docile animal. Shizuru emerged some time later in more comfortable clothes and bearing drinks.

"So, what's ailing my favorite grim reaper today?" she asked as she took a seat beside Botan on the couch.

Botan felt the tips of her ears and her cheeks warm up as she recalled her last memory with Yuuto.

"Um, well, Yuuto sort of kissed me the other day..." she answered, looking down at the steaming mug of coffee rather than the attentive brunette.

"Was it good?" she asked, a single brow raised in interest.

"Shizuru!"

"Well, was it?" she pressed, unfazed by Botan's embarrassment.

"It was... nice?"

"You don't sound to sure about that."

"It wasn't bad, it just didn't feel like anything special," she clarified.

"You mean it didn't feel the way it did with Hiei," Shizuru corrected.

"Yes," she reluctantly admitted.

"It will be different with each person," Shizuru told her. "The way Hiei made you feel in the past and the way that Yuuto currently makes you feel won't always necessarily be the same. What matters is that it makes you happy."

"I just don't know… with Yuuto, I'm comfortable and content, but there's no spark."

Shizuru nodded understandingly.

"Love comes in all sorts of ways and forms. Sometimes it hits you hard and fast, other times, it develops slowly after a while. I think you should keep your options open. You owe it to yourself to see where this thing with him could go."

"What if I don't want to fall in love again?" she asked lowly, setting her mug on the table and folding her hands together in her lap.

"Then that's your prerogative. I'm all for doing what makes you happy and if focusing on yourself is what you need to do, then do it," Shizuru advised. "But, in the same vein, you shouldn't close yourself off from love entirely just because you had one bad experience. Take the time you need, but don't let the fear stop you from getting back out there."

Botan had always valued Shizuru's opinion and right now, her words rang loud and clear. The ferry-girl was terrified of falling in love again, but she knew in her heart that that would not be a problem when it came to Yuuto. They had spent three years together in close contact and she had never felt anything for him outside of the borders of a basic and easy friendship. There was simply nothing between them and she was sure that there would never be anything between them. She would have to reject him in the end and while the thought made her uneasy, she was thankful for the small bit of clarity she had gained.

"I think I know what I have to do now," Botan said. "Thank you Shizuru, you always have a fantastic way of putting things into perspective."

"That's what I'm here for," she smirked.

The two settled into a comfortable silence and Eikichi jumped into Botan's lap, apparently content with lying there for the time being. Botan petted the cat's soft fur as she turned her attentions towards the brunette.

"So, tell me, anything interesting happen while I've been away?"

"Nothing whatsoever," Shizuru replied coolly, taking a sip of her coffee.

Botan's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh, come on, I can keep a secret!"

Shizuru stared at her flatly.

"Really? Remind me, who was it again that told everybody about the time Yusuke teared up over Finding Nemo?"

"First off, it was The Lion King, not Finding Nemo, and secondly he didn't simply tear up, the boy was practically sobbing-" Botan paused mid-rant, her face falling slightly. "Okay, I see your point. But that was an honest mistake."

"Honest mistake or not, I still don't trust that blabbermouth of yours."

"That's not fair, Shizuru, I tell you everything!" she whined.

"And I love you for that Bo, except I'm not exactly the sharing type," Shizuru explained. "But whenever I do have a problem, I promise that you will be the first to know."

Botan couldn't be mad at her friend, not when she had said something so sweet. The ferry-girl grinned, appeased with the knowledge that Shizuru trusted her enough to let her in when it mattered.

"Oh, alright, you're off the hook for now!" Botan said, unable to wipe the placated grin off of her face.

Now all that was left was the matter of Yuuto and how to break the unfavorable news to him.

Hiei sat at an empty table in the dining hall, his foul mood more than enough to keep the tables surrounding him empty as well. He felt the familiar energy of Mukuro's council member approaching him and scowled.

"Those are some pretty dark sentiments you're feeling," Haru announced as he stood in front of Hiei's table, plopping down on the chair opposite of Hiei. "I could sense it from the other side of the castle."

"I'm not in the mood for your emotional readings today," Hiei gritted, gripping his fork tighter than necessary and bending it a bit.

Haru gulped.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"I think you should."

"And I think you should leave me alone if you intend on living another day."

"I'd love to, except Mukuro sent me here to play emotional therapist with you," he explained. "In the past few days you've taken your anger out on a lot of our soldiers and, well, we can't exactly heal them all as quickly as we'd like to when we have a limited supply of regeneration tanks…"

"They are a bunch of weaklings," Hiei scoffed. "Mukuro should be pleased that I am finally whipping them into shape."

"More like chopping them into pieces," Haru grumbled.

Hiei glared at the orange-haired man and Haru laughed nervously.

"You're also scaring a lot of the staff with your ill-manered and brooding countenance," he noted.

"That isn't my problem."

"Actually, it kind of is. You're so wrapped up in your own jealousy, confusion, rage and hurt that you aren't seeing the bigger picture," Haru paused, looking over at Hiei with wide, but unafraid eyes. "Ooh, and now you've gone and gotten all murderous on me."

"Just leave me be."

"You love her, don't you?" Haru said suddenly.

An image of Botan flashed through his mind and after everything they had been through, he supposed that he did. He had loved her back then and he was still in love with her now.

"So fight for her!" Haru urged, slapping a hand on the table dramatically. "Isn't that more your style? You want something and you take it, no matter the circumstances or roadblocks. That's what makes you, you."

Hiei paused as Haru's words sunk in, spreading through the corners of his mind and reigniting the flame that he did not realize had been lost.

He never hesitated when it came to pursuing his own desires and, right now, Botan was the only thing he truly wanted. In the grand scheme of things, Yuuto was inconsequential. The circumstance that they were from two opposing worlds was of little significance. And the fact that he had ruined their chances in the past did not matter. He could win her back and he would. That was all there was to it.

Hiei stood up from his chair, pausing to look down at Haru almost condescendingly.

"I'll admit, sometimes you come in handy."

Haru grinned.

"That's the spirit. Now, go get the girl!"

Hiei ignored the nervous stares of the others as he left the hall and departed for the Spirit World. If he hadn't cut ties with her three years ago, he wouldn't be in this position today, but there was no place for regret in his heart. All he could do was correct the present set of events and make damn sure that it went his way. He would get to the bottom of the issue with Botan and Yuuto and then he would make Botan his.

Oh my gosh, there was such a surprising outpouring of reviews / PMs for the last chapter that I was beside myself. You guys totally rejuvenated my love for this story and I had to make time to update the story before I left for vacation. Although this was one of those obligatory transitional chapters, I hope that it didn't bore you and I apologize that this chapter did not have any HB interaction. I just felt that it was important for them to do their own thing for a bit and to expand on their current mindsets and whatnot.

Also, I totally head-cannon that Botan gathers the group together for movie nights and she makes them watch popular films from all three worlds. I can see it now, Yusuke suspiciously steps away from a viewing of The Lion King during the saddest part of the movie and when Botan goes to investigate, she sees him wiping away his manly tears. XD Maybe I'll make a one-shot about their movie nights sometime down the road.

Nevertheless, we got to see some of the characters that haven't been shown in a while and I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll be on vacation starting tomorrow, but you can bet that I'll be writing my tail off when I have some downtime. See you all in the next update, where Hiei's plans are slightly derailed and he ends up getting way more than he bargained for.