Prompt: Balance

Hiei scowled at the large human contraption. He did what he'd seen so many before him do: inserted the coin he swiped from an unaware human, made his selection and waited, but the cursed machine malfunctioned before it could release his drink.

He considered breaking through the glass and taking whatever he wanted. Except, doing so would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention his way.

"Hiei! I was hoping to run into you!"

Speaking of unwanted attention, Hiei turned to see the blue-haired menace heading towards him, her grin not at all dimmed by the dark look that spread across his features.

"What do you want, woman?"

"There's no need to be so grouchy, you know," she reproached lightly, hands on her hips as she stopped in front of him. "And it's awfully rude of you to call me 'woman' when I've already told you my name. Would it kill you to use it?"

His frown deepened as he tried again. "What do you want, Baton?"

"It's Botan!"

"Whatever, woman."

She huffed and folded her arms over her chest. Pink lips pulled into a frown as blue brows furrowed over narrowed amethyst eyes. He had to admit, he didn't expect the cheery woman to get riled up so easily. It was just shy of satisfying.

"I was going to invite you to a nice meal, but with that attitude, you can forget it, mister!"

"I wouldn't have accepted, so it doesn't matter either way."

Botan's arms fell from their tightly folded position as curiosity overtook her expression. "Why not?"

"I don't need any handouts." Least of all from a human.

"Oh, but I was only hoping to thank you for the other day," she informed. "And a meal always tastes better with a friend, don't you think?"

He scoffed as he turned away and tromped ahead. "Perhaps you should go find a friend, then."

"I heard the dumpling house is all the rage with the locals," she continued, trailing after him without skipping a beat. "And there's a wide range of selections. I'm positive there'll be something there that you'd like."

Hiei slowed his pace as he considered his options. The only reason he was on this path in particular was because he was in search of sustenance. The yakitori owner was always negligent, allowing the fire-demon to pilfer whatever he pleased, but he was growing tired of the same thing every night. Perhaps he should take the woman up on her offer. It was a better alternative than stealing whatever he could from a food cart or accepting an invitation to Kurama's place.

Besides, she did owe him. If she was so eager to tip the scales of her debt into something more balanced, then he supposed he could allow it.

"Fine," he bit out, as the woman's eyes lit up with joy. "But after this, we're even."

.

.

.

The dumpling house was a small, homely structure nestled in the heart of the shopping district. The jingle of the bell attached to the door announced their arrival, drawing the attention of both staff and patrons alike.

"Good, they're not too packed," Botan observed. "That means we'll be able to get a table."

Hiei merely nodded in response as he waited beside her. He could hear the hissing of steam and clatter of pots from the kitchen. The intermingling scents of fresh dough and savory broths clung to the air, threatening to make his stomach growl. He must have been hungrier than he realized.

It wasn't long until an old man led them to a small table by the window. Although the place was packed, this corner was less so. He was handed a menu after taking his seat across from Botan. Crimson eyes scanned over the glossy laminate, but it was a pointless endeavor. Nearly all of the items were foreign to him.

"How about I order for us both?" Botan offered.

"Do as you please," he acceded, setting his menu down and leaning back in his chair. "You're the one paying."

She wasted no time ordering a variety of dumplings, two bowls of soup and a bottle of rice wine.

As they waited for their food, Hiei glanced around at the establishment through bored eyes. The place was all dark woods, red lanterns and wall art. Voices intermingled with the sounds of chopsticks clacking against plates and glasses clinking against each other. The heady scents of spices and sizzling meats permeated the air. It almost reminded him of the taverns at Makai, albeit much less rowdy.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Botan's dulcet tones drew him from his thoughts and back to their table. Complimentary tea was already set before them, the dark liquid piping hot. Her hands were clasped around her cup as she stared over at him over thin tendrils of steam. "Something tells me you're the quiet, stoic type."

Hiei raised an unimpressed brow at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And you're the pestering, talkative sort."

"Must you be so rude all the time?"

"Must you always state the obvious?"

"It's called making conversation, Hiei," she pouted, deflating a little. "You should try it sometime. You're clearly very rusty."

Hiei grunted dismissively, frowning down at the dark wood grain of the table. He wasn't exactly an expert in social etiquette. All of his relationships hinged on mutual benefits; he'd never spent fruitless time with another soul before without some sort of benefit in mind. Even if the woman claimed she was repaying him and he, in turn, using her for a free meal, this was still the most normal thing he'd ever done before.

"Oopsie, did I hit a sore spot?" Botan eyed him worriedly, mistaking his silence for offense. "I'm sorry, I can be so thoughtless sometimes! I didn't mean to upset you."

"Don't be stupid," he countered stiffly. "I'm not that sensitive."

Her expression softened, the inner corners of her blue brows pinching in sympathy. "You're not used to this whole thing, are you?"

The fire-demon's lips pressed into a stubborn line. Despite not knowing what 'this whole thing' could possibly be, he had a feeling his inexperience would remain the same no matter what the answer was.

"It's pretty new for me, too," she admitted with a smile. "But at least we don't have to go at it alone."

Hiei's eyes widened just the slightest bit.

He should have dismissed her paltry attempt at compassion. He should have shot it down immediately. He wasn't so weak that he needed to rely on another. He wasn't so sentimental that the woman's soft smile and softer words moved him. But nobody had ever offered him this much before. And the refusal lay lodged somewhere between his throat and his chest, making it hard to speak, much less reject her.

Fortunately for him, one of the servers returned with their order, and they both became distracted by the baskets of dumplings that were piling up between them. The waiter left after setting down a bottle of rice wine and a pair of ochoko.

Hiei watched as Botan uncorked the bottle. She took the liberty of pouring them each a serving and then raised her cup towards him.

He stared back at her as if she was crazy.

"Oh come now, it won't kill you to follow tradition, will it?" she urged.

"I don't see the point in it," he grumbled, but snatched his cup up anyway and held it there long enough for her to clink hers against it.

"Kanpai!" she cheered, before tipping her head back and draining the small cup.

Hiei followed suit wordlessly, soothed by the familiar way the alcohol warmed his chest. It wouldn't do much, of course. Human liquor couldn't affect him the way Makai's did, but even so, he did feel himself relaxing just the slightest bit.

.

.

.

By the time the woman finished paying and thanking their waiter, night had already fallen. The streetlights glowed a warm orange through the darkness. A sizable amount of humans still milled around the streets.

"So…" Botan trailed far too close to him for comfort. There was a healthy flush on her cheeks as a result of the rice wine, along with the permanent smile that always seemed to be drawn on her lips. "How'd you like it?"

"It was edible."

"Just edible?"

"That's all that matters."

"I suppose so, if you insist on being militant about it…" she agreed, tapping a finger to her chin. "But there must've been something you favored more than the rest."

Hiei averted his gaze. He noticed the way the woman kept glancing over at him unsubtly back at the restaurant. She was so nosy. So interfering.

Botan leaned in closer in all her excitement. "There was, wasn't there?"

"…The pork was passable," he divulged, if only to get her off of his case.

The bluette brightened triumphantly, amethyst eyes gleaming in the lowlight. "I thought so!"

He glanced away from the brightness of her expression. He didn't understand why such an irrelevant detail brought her such joy, but he supposed he didn't need to. She was such a strange human; there was no sense in ruminating over the way her mind worked.

"I really liked the shrimp," she shared.

"Hn. You devoured the entire basket as if its contents were still capable of swimming away."

"I did not!"

She really didn't, but he much preferred her glaring at him over those weightless, light smiles. He knew how to handle the sting of anger and irritation. He didn't know what to do with her kindness and warmth.

"You're awful, Hiei."

"I know."

"The absolute worst."

"I'm well aware."

Botan rolled her eyes, but there was no heat behind the action. She stretched her arms up to the star-speckled sky and let out a contented sigh. "But - your terrible manners aside - this is nice, isn't it?"

"…"

"I'm usually wrapped up in work and responsibilities," she stated, still looking up at the darkened sky. There was something almost wistful in her smile. "I don't really have much of a life outside of my duty, and something tells me you're pretty much the same."

"I have more important things to do than loiter around aimlessly."

"Such as…?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Tetchy!" she teased, amusement curling the corners of her mouth. "Anyway, the point I was trying to make was: it's important to relax and enjoy your downtime every once and a while. Moments like these are special, after all."

While he wouldn't classify their night as special, he did understand her to some degree. This was all novel and new to him. He'd never done anything as remotely typical as this before. Sharing a meal with someone. Walking around aimlessly. Simply existing in the moment with another.

He should have headed in the opposite direction of the woman the moment they exited the restaurant, but well, here he was. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he kicked a stray pebble in his path and watched it roll away.

Ever since he'd come to this damned world, he found himself off-kilter. He had no true aim or purpose, aside from watching over Yukina. Humans were greedy, corrupt, selfish things. If any caught wind of what Yukina was and what she could do, she would surely be exploited. He couldn't leave her in this realm unprotected. It simply wasn't an option.

So, he wasted his days with no true goals. The fox would occasionally check in on him, but otherwise, Hiei was left to his own devices. Meeting Botan threw his tried and true routine of keeping away from others off track, but all of that would end after tonight. There would be no need to see her again after today.

"We should do this again sometime," she suddenly suggested.

Crimson eyes snapped up to meet amethyst. "This was a one time thing," he reminded her. "In case you've forgotten, you were settling a debt."

"Surely my life costs more than a meal at the dumpling house."

"You were the one who set the terms."

"Well, now I'm revoking them," she countered, hands on her hips. "Besides, all work and no play makes for a dull existence."

"I don't care-"

"We owe it to ourselves to find some kind of balance in our lives," she carried on.

"I don't-"

"And what better way to do that than with a friend?"

"We aren't-"

"It's settled then." Her grin seemed to shine brighter than the moon overhead. "We'll learn to find it together."

Hiei's jaw ticked as he ground his teeth together. It was clear the woman wasn't listening. Arguing with her would only end up being a wasted effort and a futile test of his patience. He would just have to avoid her, he decided. It shouldn't be hard; it wasn't as if a mere human had the means to locate him if he didn't want to be found.

A strange beeping cut into his thoughts.

"Looks like I've got to go," Botan announced, pulling a round device out of her pocket and silencing it. She took a few steps ahead, before turning back around to smile and wave at him. "I had a great time with you tonight, Hiei. I'll see you around!"

.

.

.

From that day forward, Botan continued to seek him out.

And for some inexplicable reason, Hiei continued to let her.

Thanks for the warm reception everyone! :) See ya tomorrow!