Hiei looked down at the box containing the silver chain Botan had bought for him one last time before putting it in his nightstand, where her novel and the photo-booth pictures remained hidden. He had yet to actually use the chain in the days following its receipt, but the fact that it was that she had gotten it for him was enough.

As he exited his room, he looked into the direction of Botan's door across the hall. Things between the two of them went as normally as they could and while that should have been a good thing, Hiei realized that she had taken to treating him as merely a friend again. He supposed that it was better than having her be skittish and nervous around him, but the fact of the matter remained: he was back at square one.

"Well, doesn't someone look miserable," Haru cooed as he came into view.

Hiei gave the other demon a disinterested look. He was dressed more formally than normal, trading his casual attire for more formal robes as he strolled down the hall and closer towards the fire-demon. He must have come back from one of his excursions outside of the fortress. Hiei did not know did he care to know what business the emotion-reader conducted, but if it suited Mukuro, then that was all that mattered.

"Things not going well with your lady?" Haru pried as he ran a hand through his hair so that it was ruffled once more.

"It's fine," Hiei answered.

"But it's not where you want it to be, is it?"

It was the unfortunate truth. He thought that by having her here most of his troubles would be solved, but as it stood their relationship was stagnant.

"Maybe if you filled me in and told me the whole story, I could help you," Haru insisted, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest casually. "So, tell me, what happened between you two in the past?"

"None of your business."

"As your love-advisor, it kind of is my business," he shot back, undeterred.

"…You're no advisor to me. Now leave me be."

"But I came up with a brilliant idea to help you out," Haru whined. "Don't you want to hear it?"

"I have no desire to listen to anything formed from the mind of someone as perverse and bizarre as you."

"I'm gonna ignore that remark and graciously tell you my genius idea, because I'm a good friend like that," he said with a grin. "What you need now is simple. Now that you've softened her up with some romance, it's the appropriate time to start bringing on the nostalgia."

"What?"

"You know, recreating special or pivotal moments from your past. Reminding Botan of all the good times you two had to reinforce the idea that you two are meant to be."

Considering the fact that Haru's last suggestion was not a complete failure, Hiei decided to give the idea a second thought. He and the ferry-girl had done a lot of activities that he would rather not relive, such as the carnival, the double date and the baking class. The first date at the park and the third one where they viewed fireworks were not so bad because it was just the two of them and they did not have to deal with anyone else. And the only thing that made the baseball game tolerable was the fact that he had gotten two kisses out of it and he had won that silly little bet of theirs-

Hiei's thoughts froze as the reality sunk in. If he recalled correctly, Botan had yet to fulfill the conditions of that bet and he could not help the smirk that upturned the corner of his mouth.

"I don't like that sneaky look you've got on your face, Hiei."

"Quiet," he ordered. "You've proven to be of some use today, let's not ruin all of that with your big mouth."

"Hmph!" Haru huffed as he crossed his arms. "I guess that's as good as I'll get with you."

Their conversation was halted by the appearance of Botan, who had come out of her room with a frown on her face. It was only after she had locked her door had she noticed Hiei and Haru from across the hallway.

"Oh, hello boys," she greeted half-heartedly, her gaze rolling off to the side in worry.

"Something the matter? You look a little off," Haru noted, voicing the concern that Hiei could not.

"I was just searching for my book. I seemed to have misplaced it," she revealed, before bringing her pink eyes back to them. "You two haven't seen it, have you?"

"Unfortunately not," Haru replied, turning to look at Hiei innocently.

"What about you, Hiei?" she pressed, giving him her full attention.

Two pairs of wide and rounded eyes stared at him curiously and Hiei paused. It was never easy to lie to the woman and Haru was only difficult because of his pesky abilities. He stared back at them indifferently, keeping his voice even as he answered.

"No."

Botan nodded as though she had expected the answer and Haru looked as though he fell for it too, meaning the emotion-reader really did keep his word and monitor his abilities when he was around those he trusted. He did not need the orange-haired fool learning that he had stolen the book, for he surely would have told Botan, and Hiei would never recover from something as embarrassing as that.

"It's like it vanished into thin air," Botan lamented. "And I left it off on a really good part too!"

"Really?" Haru asked interestedly.

"Yes! The heroine was caught in a love triangle and she was going to finally choose someone!"

Hiei rolled his eyes. The day that the indecisive twit in that horrible book figured out what she wanted would be the day that Kuwabara realized that he had a brain.

"I'll help keep an eye out for it," Haru offered. "What does it look like?"

"It's got a red cover and the title is Burning Desires."

"Sounds sizzling," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows for added effect.

"It is!" Botan replied, matching his grin.

"Hardly," Hiei scoffed, looking away from the two and crossing his arms.

"What was that?" Botan asked.

"Nothing," he dismissed.

"Hiei thinks my romance novels are a waste of time," Botan revealed. "But I think he secretly wants to read one."

Haru broke out into peals of laughter.

"Can he even read?" Haru pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Of course I can read you fool," Hiei replied angrily.

"No need to get snippy, I've just never seen you do it before!" Haru explained, putting his hands up in a defensive gesture.

"Hn."

Botan giggled at the exchange before folding her arms over her chest.

"So, where were you boys off to?" she inquired, looking between them inquisitively.

"We weren't going anywhere," Hiei said, glaring at the orange-haired man. "I was going to get dinner."

"Hm, now that you mention it, I am kinda hungry," Haru announced, rubbing his empty stomach.

"Me too," she grinned. "Shall we?"

After dinner, Haru claimed that he had something important to do and needed to leave, but Botan had the sneaking suspicion that he was just trying to give them some time alone. She did not mind at all, seeing as the past few days had passed normally between the two. She asked Hiei if they could explore the fortress a bit more and he had taken her through a different route back to their rooms. As they passed by an open window, Botan paused. There were a group of soldiers near a campfire making noise and having some sort of ritual.

"What's going on out there?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity as she focused on the soldiers. She recognized a few of them during her travels throughout the fortress and they seemed to be more relaxed and at ease than she had ever seen them before.

"It must be the soldiers," he answered, not even bothering to follow her line of sight. "They have weekly meetings where they indulge in food, drinks and trade stories in an attempt to inflate their own egos."

Botan's expression brightened as she turned back to face Hiei.

"That sounds fun!" she said. "Can we join in or is it an exclusive thing?"

Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly as his expression took on a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"Woman... Those are a group of horny, rowdy and crude men and even cruder women. You'd either have to be extremely foolish or blindly naive to willingly go out there."

She gave him a serious look, suppressing her excitement at the prospect of joining in on something new and unfamiliar.

"As an ambassador, I should be experiencing life as it is in the fortress."

"Don't use that as an excuse. I can see you bursting at the seams and I'm telling you now that this is not one of your brighter moments."

Her shoulders deflated a bit. Hiei always could see right through her and she supposed this time was no different.

"They sound like they're having a good time! Doesn't it just make you want to join in?"

"No, it doesn't," he answered predictably.

"Don't be so anti-social. They're your soldiers; don't you think you should get to know them on a personal level?"

"No, I don't."

She pouted at him and tried to give him her best pleading look as she clasped her hands together.

"Please?"

"No," he answered firmly. "And don't bother making faces at me. It won't work."

She dropped the pout in lieu of a more playful look.

"Okay, if you join me outside, I'll do something nice for you," she proposed. "How does that sound? There must be something you want from me."

"You already know what I want," he told her simply. "And you're not yet willing to give that, so this discussion is over."

Botan blushed at his simple declaration, suddenly finding herself at a loss for words. He was right; she wasn't willing to give him what he wanted, but maybe they could find a medium. He had been extremely patient with her this entire time and perhaps she could reward him for that.

"How about I give you one kiss if you join me at the bonfire for an hour?" she tried.

"What?" he asked, staring at her as though she had proposed something completely ludicrous.

"One kiss in exchange for one hour of your time," she said raising a finger.

Hiei stared back at her, eyes searching hers for something that Botan could not determine. Moments later he averted his gaze and grunted out a response.

"One hour and that's all."

Botan clapped her hands together, a smile lighting up her face.

"You've got yourself a deal, mister. Now let's go!"

The disparaging look Hiei sent her was not enough to quell her excitement as he led her out of the back exit of the fortress. It was a bit chilly tonight, but Botan hardly felt it amidst the swirling excitement of doing something so different and new. She could clearly see a group of ten sitting around the fire in the distance, laughing amongst themselves. Together they walked towards the group of soldiers, the sounds of their conversations and chuckles ringing throughout the area.

A blue-haired demon spotted them first. Botan had recognized him easily enough, having been the one of the few she had seen with blue hair like her own. His name was Souta, she believed. He seemed to be respectable enough as he bowed his head and greeted them first.

"It's nice to see you joining us for once, General."

"It wasn't by choice," Hiei answered curtly, eyes drifting towards Botan.

"Good evening everybody!" Botan piped in cheerfully from his side, giving them a friendly wave. "I hope you don't mind us crashing the party."

"No worries," a red-haired demon said as he moved off of a log, allowing Hiei and Botan to take a seat.

"Have a drink!" Souta said, passing along a mug filled to the brim down the line until it reached Hiei.

Botan watched as the fire-demon accepted the offering and drank the entire thing in one go. She wondered what it tasted like. Maybe she could…

"Don't even think about it," Hiei told her, as he set his empty mug on the ground near his feet.

"Why not?" she frowned.

"I don't think it'd suit your delicate sensibilities," the redhead who had previously given them a seat piped in.

"Oh come now, just one taste won't do any harm," she said, extending her hand and waiting for someone to provide her with a drink.

The demons looked over at Hiei for permission and when Hiei did not falter in his decision, they shrunk back. A brown haired woman fearlessly moved over to fulfill Botan's request and she accepted the drink with surprised eyes.

"Drink up, sweetheart," she urged, ignoring the growl Hiei sent her way.

"Why thank you…" Botan trailed off, looking at the woman expectantly.

"Amara," she filled in with a smirk.

"Amara," Botan finished with a gracious smile. She looked down at the liquid inside of the mug and took a large gulp. She couldn't help the grimace that graced her features as the liquid ran down her throat. It was disgustingly bitter and the flavor was much heavier than she was used to. Aside from that, the alcohol content was much more than she could have imagined. "That's really strong."

Amara laughed heartily as she returned to her seat and Botan looked over at Hiei sheepishly. He wordlessly took her mug and replaced it with one that he had gotten for her when she wasn't paying attention. She watched as he easily finished the rest of her drink before she decided to give the new one a try. Botan smiled, pleasantly surprised and finding the taste to be much more pleasing than the last drink. It was warm and comforting, too. She smiled contentedly and settled in as best as she could on the log.

"This is good, what is it?" she inquired.

"It's the blood of a bat demon," Hiei answered without missing a beat.

"What?" she shrieked, nearly falling off of the log as the others roared in laughter.

"It's only warm mead," Amara cut in. "But I didn't know that our General had a sense of humor."

"Yes, he only seems to have one when it's at my expense," Botan noted sourly as she stared into her cup to avoid the embarrassment of making eye-contact with the others. Hiei remained silent but she caught the smirk he hid behind his second drink. Well, she supposed having him be smug was better than having him sulk moodily about having to be out here with the others.

As the rest of the group continued the conversation where they left off from, Botan turned to Amara.

"Do you all do this every night?" she asked.

"We try for once a week. The size of the group usually varies," she answered.

"I think this is a great idea. You should join them more often, Hiei," Botan said as she nudged him.

He looked over at them uninterestedly before returning his gaze to the fire.

"I'd rather not."

Amara and Botan exchanged knowing looks and Botan reached down to take another sip of her drink. The wood crackled under the fire, creating a soft background noise as the others continued to engage in small talk amongst themselves. The embers rose into the dark atmosphere, glowing and lighting the place up as the orange and yellow flames burned on. It was a beautiful night and she was glad that she had gotten Hiei to come out, if only for a little while. She turned her attentions back to the group with.

"Hiei tells me that you all exchange stories and the like. Let's hear one!" she urged.

"Well, we have this rule, think of it as an initiation of sorts," a green-skinned demon started as he looked back and forth between Hiei and Botan. "Newcomers are always the ones who have to start us off."

"You're making that up," Hiei accused.

"No, it's true! I had to do the same when I joined..." Souta attested.

"Sure, that sounds fair enough," Botan agreed. "What kind of stories are we telling tonight?"

"Past battles," another decided from across the flames.

"She's a ferry-girl. She doesn't fight," one of them stated.

"I'm no ordinary ferry-girl. I'm also assistant to the spirit detective, so yes, I have been in a few."

"Let's hear one, then," Souta urged.

Botan placed a hand on her chin as she thought back over the years.

"Hmmm... I had a run in with a bunch of infected humans once," she recalled.

"Humans are the weakest in all three worlds. It couldn't have been that difficult," someone grumbled in a low voice.

"Considering they were all strengthened by the Makai insects, I think I'm justified in saying that it was a dangerous and scary battle!"

"Is that when those annoying Saint Beasts were wreaking havoc on the human world?" Amara asked.

"Bingo! It was just me and Keiko, all alone and surrounded by a whole city of angry, vicious humans. They were all targeting her because of her relationship with Yusuke and it was my job to protect her until the rest of the team handled things back in the City of Apparitions."

"So you're saying you were left to fend off an entire city of overpowered, rage infected humans?" a high-pitched voice inquired.

"Yes! It was pretty scary!"

"How did you defend yourself?" Amara asked.

"With this," she said, brandishing her metal bat. "It comes in handy from time to time. It's certainly gotten me out of a few sticky situations."

"So what happened?" Souta urged her to continue.

"Well, when all hope was lost, the team saved the day. Like usual. Yusuke defeated Suzaku and crushed the Makai whistle, breaking the humans from the influence of the insects and returning everyone to normal. It was just in time, too, because Keiko and I had gotten cornered."

"Sounds like a bad TV show," one of them muttered.

Botan frowned.

"Well, what about you, mister?" Botan challenged. "Let's hear your story!"

The brawny, horned demon paused to consider her goading for a moment before he nodded.

"The Dark Tournament," he grumbled as he tossed another log into the fire. "It was a decade ago. I fought against a demon with pincers that nearly chopped my head off. It's how I got these."

He paused to pull his collar down, revealing scars on either side of his neck and Botan's eyes widened.

"Close call," she muttered.

"It was."

"How did you manage to get out alive?" she asked.

"Instinct took over and I developed a new technique. It allowed me to defeat the enemy in one fail swoop."

"Talk about bad television shows," Botan muttered under her breath.

The others started laughing and Botan covered her mouth immediately, shooting the demon a guilty look. He only smirked in return, fixing his collar to hide the scars once more.

"You're not half bad, ferry-girl," his low voice muttered.

Botan grinned in response, relieved that she hadn't crossed any lines or offended anyone.

"What about you, General? Have any stories to tell?" Souta asked.

"No."

"That's not true, you've been through some really incredible battles. He won every single one of his fights in the Dark Tournament, you know," Botan bragged.

"Woman-"

"And prior to that he defeated a Saint Beast. And then there was that nasty item collector, Koukai," she recalled. "And I'm sure there's many others that we don't know about."

"She's said enough on my behalf. Someone else go," Hiei ordered.

Amara spoke next, spinning a tale that left everyone hanging on her every word. She purposefully ended it on a cliffhanger, telling them that if they wanted to hear the rest, they would have to return to the next meeting.

"This is so much fun!" Botan exclaimed. "The only thing that would make this better would be s'mores!"

"What are those?" Souta questioned.

"Graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows," she explained. "You sandwich the marshmallows and chocolate between the graham crackers and enjoy."

"I don't know what this chocolate or graham cracker thing is, but I have heard of marshmallows," Souta said.

"Hm, well have you ever tried roasting marshmallows before?" Botan asked.

"No," he said, shaking his head.

A brilliant idea hit her in that moment as she grinned.

"I'm sure I saw some in the kitchen, would you like to try it?"

"Sure," Souta answered.

Botan looked over at the rest of the group, who all seemed open to the idea and she nodded determinedly.

"It's settled then," she said as she stood up. "I'll go get them and I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Hiei watched as Botan wandered off excitedly into the fortress. He looked down at the grass below, kicking a stray pebble in the dirt as he half-heartedly listened to the conversations occurring around him.

"She's a lively one," Amara noted.

"Pretty nice to look at, too. Wonder what a night with her would be like," a fox demon supposed, licking his lips lewdly as he watched her enter the fortress.

Hiei's glare turned murderous and the man shrunk back.

"Idiot, she's obviously the general's girl," Amara berated. "Have you no sense, Touma?"

"I didn't know," the fox demon replied.

"To be fair, I didn't know, either," Souta mentioned.

"Men, so oblivious," she sighed.

"He never said she was his..." Souta defended lamely.

"He shouldn't have to!" Amara defended.

Hiei regarded all of them with a dangerous glare, hardened over the many years of practice.

"I thought this much was obvious, seeing as she is a ferry-girl under Koenma's protection, but if any of you so much as look at her the wrong way, I will kill you," he warned lowly.

"She's off limits," Souta agreed, rubbing at the back of his neck as he shot Hiei an accusatory look. "To be fair though, you never told us you had a mate, so how were we supposed to know that she was yours?"

"He doesn't have to tell you for you to realize!" Amara said. "Were you always this dense or did you take one too many hits on the head?"

"She isn't my mate," Hiei clarified.

"But I thought you-" Souta started.

"-She doesn't have to be his mate to still be his," Amara filled in.

"You're all being very confusing," he said, scratching his head in a befuddled manner.

"No, we aren't. You're just dense," Amara countered.

"Regardless, what I said still stands. Are we clear?" Hiei asked.

They nodded obediently and he dropped the stern look in lieu of a more stoic one.

"You two met because of your brief stint in the Spirit World, right?" Amara asked.

Hiei nodded.

"Do you think this ambassadorship will do any good?" she continued.

Hiei paused to consider the question, dragging his gaze towards the woods in the distance as he spoke.

"Koenma always was a pacifist, unlike his father, and he is still naive enough to believe that words can solve everything. This ambassadorship is a prime example of his naivety, but it's still too early to tell."

"Well, I still hate the Spirit World. They all just high and might tyrants," Souta said.

"The Spirit World you are talking about and the one that is in power now are two separate entities," Hiei said, a little surprised that he was defending the world he hated.

"Just because they say they've changed doesn't mean the new rule is all that different," he noted darkly.

"I'm telling you that it is," Hiei said. "I hate Spirit World as much as the rest of you. But even I have to admit that Koenma's rule is fairer and more beneficial to us than Enma's."

"I agree," Amara added. "I mean, look at Botan. She's a product of the new regime and she is probably one of the kindest people I've met. A little too trusting, but she has good intentions."

"She might be the exception to the rule," another demon piped in. "I'm sure a majority of the world does not think the way she does."

"Believe what you want but remember that this suits Mukuro's needs first and foremost. That is all that matters," Hiei reminded them.

They all nodded in agreement. They were all allowed to have their own opinions and thoughts, so long as they respected Mukuro's decisions above all else.

"All this serious talk is killing my buzz," a new voice said as he took a gulp of his drink. "Let's talk about something else."

"What's the best lay you ever had?" Souta asked, a lecherous grin spreading over his face as he regarded the others.

Hiei had expected Amara to flare up in anger as she usually did when dealing with Hiten, but instead she grinned, as if recalling a good memory. Surprisingly enough, she was the first to answer.

"This was before I joined Mukuro's territory. I met the prince of a wolf demon tribe. He certainly lived up to his reputation."

"Mine was a leopard demon from Yomi's territory," Souta answered.

They had begun to go into details and Hiei was glad that Botan wasn't around to hear this. It was normal talk among the soldiers and it hardly fazed him, but she would have been highly uncomfortable. It was one of the reasons he didn't want her coming out here in the first place.

"What about you, General? Was it Ruka?" Souta asked.

"I refuse to take part in this uncivilized conversation," Hiei replied.

"Maybe it's the ferry-girl," Souta whispered.

"That would be something ironic, considering the Spirit World seems to be full of prudes," another one muttered.

"You said it yourself, Botan is the exception to the rule," a third voice reminded them.

"Shut up," Hiei growled, turning away from the flames so that his face was covered by the shadows once more. Hiei did not blush. His cheeks were just overheating. That was all.

"I'm a little surprised that she's got your attentions though, especially considering you were with Ruka before," Amara said. "Don't get me wrong, I think Botan is a much better match for you in the long run. It's just surprising to see at first, but I guess the whole opposites attract cliché really does work in some cases."

"If the opposites attract thing is true, then Amara should probably end up with a really feminine man, on account of how tomboyish she is," Souta joked.

"I would kill you," she said, punching his arm lightly. "But I happen to like my pretty boys."

Hiei turned away as they continued trading insults and the like. He had never spent much time with the soldiers outside of the training room and it was strange to learn that they all had distinct personalities and qualities that were independent from fighting. He knew them from the inside out when it came to their strengths and weaknesses, but anything outside of the realm of fighting was foreign knowledge to him. His attention drifted back to the fortress when he felt Botan's energy signal drawing near. Sure enough she had appeared with a bag of marshmallows and some sticks she had procured on the way back.

"I hope you all didn't wait too long," she announced.

"No worries, you came in the knick of time. We were talking about what our ideal mates would be like."

Botan blinked as she looked back and forth between them.

"Really?"

"That among other things," Amara said. "Do you have a type?"

Botan's gaze fell to the grassy floor.

"I don't think so," she answered. "As long as he's a good person and I feel comfortable around him… that's all that matters."

"Even if he's from a different world and has a standoffish and volatile personality?" Hiten questioned in what he believed to be an innocent tone.

Botan giggled when she realized that he was referring to Hiei.

"Like I said, as long as he's a good person and we get along fine enough, then that's good enough."

"Good answer," Amara said. "Now how about you show us this roasted marshmallow thing."

"Oh, right!" Botan said as she handed out sticks and marshmallows to everyone. Hiei declined to take one and she did not pester him in front of his soldiers. "So, you skewer the marshmallow like this and then roast it over the fire for a bit. When it's done, it tastes great."

"Sounds weird," a voice muttered.

"Just try it!" she urged.

Soon, everyone was roasting their own marshmallow over the fire until it turned golden brown. One of them immediately went for a taste, yelping and spitting the marshmallow out in its entirety. He brandished the stick at Botan menacingly and Hiei had already decided that if the fool made the mistake of attempting to attack her, he would kill him without a second thought.

"Nobody eat them! She's trying to kill us!" he warned.

"Dummy, what'd you expect would happen when you shoved the marshmallow into your mouth immediately after pulling it from the flame?" Amara asked.

He blinked as the anger left his features and the realization set in. The others laughed at him as he sat down and muttered a quick apology. Botan hid a giggle behind her hand.

"Sorry about that! Perhaps I should have mentioned that you're supposed to let it cool off for a bit and then dig in!" she instructed sheepishly.

Hiei watched as she blew on the marshmallow before pulling bits and pieces off and depositing it into her mouth. She licked her fingers in a way that was nearly sinful and the fire-demon had to look away. In a few short minutes she would have to hold up her end of the bargain, he reminded himself.

"Do you want some, Hiei?" she asked.

"No."

"The General hates sweets," Hiten explained.

Botan laughed lightly, raising a brow at Hiei.

"Oh, yes, how could I forget about his aversion to sweets," she played along easily.

"He doesn't like much of anything to be honest," Amara said.

"You've got that right," Botan agreed.

Hiei rolled his eyes in response. He liked her well enough; though he had trouble figuring out why at times.

"So, how did you all end up here?" Botan asked.

"Mostly circumstance. Few believe it to be fate. Some purposely came here, having heard of Lord Mukuro's power. I came because I wanted to test my strength against her. After that, it didn't make sense to go anywhere else. This is where I belonged."

Botan nodded in understanding.

"The General's the only one she actually sought after, or so I hear," Souta informed.

Botan smiled at him unabashedly.

"Yeah, he's pretty special."

Something flared within Hiei when she looked at him with such fondness. How she could claim she only wanted to be friends when she did things like this was beyond him. He stared back at her for a moment before tearing his gaze away. The woman was truly strange and he supposed he was even stranger for wanting her to this extent. They were close to where he wanted them to be and he should have been content with their progress, but it was not enough. He was not a patient man. When he wanted something, he went after it without any thought to the consequences. He was always charging forward without caring about what might happen in the end. It was what led him to this point in his life today. But as he glanced over at Botan, he knew that he could not charge forward recklessly, nor could he afford to sit back and let this opportunity pass him by.

He took another swig of his drink, deciding to discard the confusing thoughts for now. There was no sense in giving himself a headache when he was already surrounded by a scene that annoyed him. His soldiers were acting more foolish by the second and Botan seemed to enjoy every minute of it. The night continued on in a normal enough fashion. As normal as it could get considering he was sitting amidst a group of cutthroat soldiers eating marshmallows and talking about strange topics with a pacifist ferry-girl. Soon enough his torture was over and he stood up, shooting Botan a pointed look. Botan looked down at her watch, realizing that the hour had passed by.

"Well, I had a great time chatting with you all," she said as she stood up. "Thanks for opening your bonfire to me!"

"Anytime!" Amara responded kindly.

"Good night!" Botan said with a wave.

The group responded boisterously, causing Botan to giggle as she followed Hiei back inside. They walked back to their shared hallway, and Hiei stopped before they could reach their rooms.

"I believe you owe me."

"That's right, I do," she noted calmly. "But you have to close your eyes first."

Hiei stared back at her as though she had suggested something unreasonable.

"Just do it, Hiei! Or I'll back out right now," she warned.

He rolled his eyes and obeyed. A moment later, he felt her lips press against his cheek. His eyes flew open as she pulled away and then quickly narrowed into an irritated glare.

"You tricked me."

"No I didn't," she asserted innocently. "I said I would give you a kiss, I just didn't specify where."

He crossed his arms over his chest. The woman had long since proven that she could be tricky when she needed to and he should have suspected that this would happen. She looked a bit smug as she stared back at him, but what she did not realize was that Hiei had an ace up his sleeve.

"Do you remember the bet we made at the baseball game?" he asked.

Botan nodded.

"The winner of the bet would have one wish fulfilled by the losing party," she recounted easily.

Hiei smirked purposefully and a moment later her expression dropped. She must have realized his train of thought because her brow furrowed with worry.

"I believe I was the winner and I have yet to receive my reward," he stated.

"This is crazy!" she proclaimed. "That bet was three years ago... it doesn't apply now!"

"I don't recall you placing any expirations on it and I've finally decided what I wanted."

"But I-"

"I want you to kiss me the right way."

"That's out of the question!"

"I didn't take you for the type to go back on your word."

"I'm not! I just..."

Hiei's smirk deepened as he watched her have an internal conflict with herself. He had only been riling her up as a means of extracting revenge on her for pulling that trick on him. He expected her to argue with him some more, call him a pervert and then retire to her room. He never would have guessed that she would agree to his wish until he noticed the strangely determined look that passed over her features and sharpened her gaze. His smirk vanished when he felt her place her hands on either side of his face and press her mouth against his. The action was much more forward than he would have expected of her and all other thoughts outside of Botan and what she was doing to him were extinguished. His lips moved in tandem with hers almost automatically as he got used to the sensation of being at the mercy of another person. Everything about her was sweet and soft, from her scent, to her touch, to her taste. It was a sensory overload and all he could do was respond to her light kisses in the same cautious fashion. The moment her hands laced around his neck and her fingers carded through his hair, the strange spell she had cast over him broke and he found himself unable to continue with the careful and controlled pace that Botan had set. In one smooth motion he had snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, gaining the control he so desperately desired. Botan gasped at the sudden contact and he took the opportunity to move his mouth against hers hungrily, feverishly and without pause. She melted into him without any resistance and his hands lowered to her hips as he dragged his lips over hers again and again. The depth of those three years without her had hit him in full force and though he was never good with words, he could surely show her with his actions. It was almost too easy to pour his longing, his desire and his need for her into the electrifying kiss.

A low whistle suddenly cut into the air.

"You two are putting on quite the show," Haru sing-songed. "It looks like you're enacting a scene from Burning Desires."

Reality came rushing back to the both of them and Botan detached herself from Hiei immediately, her entire face flushed as she looked over at Haru. Hiei glared at the self-proclaimed love advisor, wondering why in the world the buffoon decided to interrupt them now of all times.

"H-haru," she greeted nervously, straightening her shirt and running a hand through her ruffled bangs. "Um, what brings you here of all places?"

"Well… my room is right there," he said, pointing over to his door. "But besides that I was looking for Hiei."

"What do you want?" Hiei growled out.

"The tournament committee decided to make a late night surprise visit to see what was going on with the current leadership. Figured you'd want the heads up."

Hiei nodded dismissively and Haru grinned.

"Okay, you two crazy kids carry on, but you might wanna makeout somewhere less public," he advised, before scampering off.

Botan looked over at Hiei, blush still evident as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Satisfied, Mr. Pervert?"

"I was only goading you to make a point. I never intended for you to comply," he told her.

"I only did it because you questioned my honor!" she defended.

He smirked.

"Even if I did, there was no reason for you to kiss me like that," he pointed out.

"I was just…" Botan trailed off. "Fulfilling the bet thoroughly and properly. That's all!"

"Right," he answered, unconvinced by her reasoning.

"I was!"

Hiei's eyes met hers challengingly as he hardened his expression. He was getting tired of her denial and decided that it was time to put an end to it.

"Tell me something, woman. If this was all just platonic to you, then why does your heart race when I draw near?"

He advanced towards her, eventually backing her up against the wall.

"I…"

"The way your breath hitches and your pulse speeds up isn't a result of fear, it's anticipation," he informed as he traced his fingers from her pulse point down to her collarbone, eyes trailing the path he had made. He moved his hand down further, ghosting over the bare skin of her arm and finding purchase on her waist. Botan swallowed, but said nothing as he continued. "You want this just as much as I do, but you choose to turn away."

"Hiei…" she breathed out quietly.

"When you're longing for someone, you seek me out. And when your mind wanders, I'm the one that it lands on," he said lowly, lips inches away from her ear as he spoke. "Don't act as though I'm the only one in this and don't pretend that I'm the only one at this point, because I see you, woman, and I know that you're right there beside me."

The moment stretched out for what felt like an eternity before he released her and took a step back.

"You still want me," he stated knowingly. "And I'll be here when you finally realize that you do."

Hiei, you little seductive thang you.

A good amount of readers have been asking if I will write M rated scenes and I thought I would clear the air and let you all know upfront that I will not be doing so. I hope that doesn't disappoint anybody, but I'm not comfortable with writing anything more than what I've done so far.

Anyway, the next chapter includes lots of good development for our favorite pair. Look forward to it!