The annual HB week is in full swing once again! :) Hope you all enjoy this year's entry.
Prompt: Saving
"It's settled then," Botan decided, coming to a halt in front of the movie theater. "We'll meet in front of Sarayashiki tonight, when the owl demon is sure to be on the prowl."
"Yeah, yeah." Yusuke's hands pillowed the back of his head as he headed towards the ticket booth as he grumbled, "One of these days I've gotta start charging Pacifier Breath per case…"
"Good luck with that," Botan laughed as she turned on the ball of her heels. Lord Koenma was notoriously cheap. Convincing him to supply her with the meager discretionary funds needed for her human-world endeavors took weeks of endless pestering, after all. Her features morphed into her signature feline-esque grin as she regarded Yusuke again. "In any case, have fun on your date with Keiko! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"It's not a date!" he bristled.
But Botan was already scampering off in the opposite direction. She had more free time than she knew what to do with now that her primary duties revolved around assisting their newest detective. There wasn't much to do until their appointed meeting time, so the ferry-girl decided to linger in the world of the living.
It was freeing to stroll around in her human container. Dressed in the current trends, she fit in seamlessly with the rest of the throng. In idle moments like these, she allowed herself to imagine what it might be like to have a normal life: a family, a close circle of friends, and obligations that didn't pertain to the otherworldly. Her expression softened dreamily. It was a nice - albeit impossible - fleeting fancy.
The ferry-girl spent the majority of her afternoon alternating between people-watching and window-shopping. She was eyeing a floral patterned dress in the display window of a small boutique when a man's gravelly voice reached her ears.
"What's a pretty little thing like you doing all alone?"
The bluette turned to spot a trio of men leering at her. The one who'd spoken to her sported a pompadour and black shades. Flanking his sides was a man with a buzzcut and another with bleach blond hair and brows. The ferry-girl wasn't one to judge based on appearances, but these leather-clad hooligans screamed trouble from head to toe.
"Just browsing," she replied dismissively, edging backwards to put a little more distance between them.
The blond one smirked. "Can't be fun just watchin'. You should join us."
"Yeah, we can show you a real good time," Buzzcut insisted.
"No, thank you, that's quite alright." Botan laughed sheepishly, moving to walk past them. "I've got places to be, you see, so I really should be on my way-"
The leader grabbed her arm tightly, angling his body in a way that diminished any chances of an escape. His grip was bruising and his voice lost all signs of playfulness as he spoke once more, "We ain't askin'."
Botan's eyes narrowed and flashed in indignation. One good swing of her metal bat would surely teach them a lesson on how to treat a lady. But before she could even summon the energy to produce the bat, the blond member of the group let out a pained groan and crumpled to the ground.
They all turned to see a newcomer standing there, his sharp eyes passing over the remaining men coldly. Despite his smaller stature, he exuded the mistakable aura of danger. He didn't look phased at all by the fact that he was outnumbered. Nor did he seem to think the punks were much of a threat.
"How dare you do that to Ichimi!" Buzzcut yelled, before lunging at the dark-haired man.
The stranger dodged the sloppy advance easily and chopped the back of his assailant's neck in one, fluid motion. Buzzcut let out a groan, eyes rolling to the back of his head as fell to the pavement.
"You little shit!" the ringleader cursed, releasing Botan in favor of pulling out a switchblade.
The short blade glinted in the waning sunlight as the thug thrusted his arm forward. Botan let out a gasp, but the dark-haired man's expression remained wholly unimpressed. He caught his attacker's wrist in his grip, squeezing hard enough for the bones to crack and crunch. The punk let out an anguished yelp as his switchblade clattered to the ground uselessly. In the next instant, the Good Samaritan's fist connected with Pompadour's face, breaking his sunglasses and possibly his nose. He collapsed beside his downed companions, out like a light.
"Serves them right," Botan huffed as she brushed herself off.
Her savior merely grunted in dismissal, pushing his hands in his pockets as he strode ahead.
"Hey!" she called out, rushing after him. "Wait up!"
For the first time since their encounter, the dark-haired man finally deigned to look her way. She was afforded a clearer view of his red eyes and gravity defying hair, illuminated by the fading rays of daylight. His choice in wear was as monochromatic as it was different: from his stark white scarf, to his long black cloak and matching boots. He certainly didn't look like an ordinary human, and the longer she observed him, the more she realized his energy didn't feel like one's, either.
He's a demon, she realized, surprise flickering over her features.
Aside from the few she'd encountered during her time as the detective's assistant, she wasn't actually all that accustomed to being around demons. This one didn't have the usual hardened skin, pointy horns, pronounced fangs, or massive claws. In fact, his features were akin to that of a human's, save for his sharp, crimson eyes.
"Are you going to say something of substance, or did you intend to stare at me all day, woman?" he asked impatiently.
Botan snapped out of her reverie. "I wanted to thank you for helping me out back there," she expressed solemnly. "I was just about to make my move when you swooped in and saved me."
The man's expression twisted into a sneer, clearly unhappy with her turn of phrase. "Don't word it like that," he discouraged. There was a dark and almost sinister edge to his voice, but it didn't alarm her the way it probably should have. "My motives weren't nearly that noble."
"Oh?"
"I needed to blow off some steam. Unfortunately, those weaklings didn't prove to be much of a challenge."
"Well, the end result is still the same, mister hero," she pointed out with a warm grin.
The downward slant of his scowl persisted as he scoffed and continued ahead.
Botan really should have left it at that. The demon held no interest in prolonging their exchange and he certainly didn't seem to be a fan of words, either, but there was something about the prickly demon that she couldn't quite ignore. His taciturn and anti-social nature had the opposite of its intended effect on the ferry-girl, stirring up her interest in ways she didn't fully understand.
She couldn't place what it was that intrigued her so, but she knew that she'd come to regret it if she let things end this way. He was heading in the same direction she was due to meet Yusuke, anyway, so there was little reason to deliberate.
Nodding to herself, the ferry-girl made her decision.
"Wait for me!" she called out.
And so, with nothing more than plain and simple curiosity spurring her on, Botan followed after him.
When Hiei stalked off, he didn't expect the annoyingly blithe woman to match his pace and direction. He was beginning to regret intervening at all. It was entirely unlike him to meddle in the affairs of the human world, but his damned honor code couldn't let it stand. He spotted the three fools cornering her while he was racing across the rooftops and before he knew it, he had jumped down to the ground level and made swift work of the human trash. He intended to slip into a shadowy alley and scale back up to the nearest rooftop, but he couldn't exactly do that with the girl hot on his heels.
Hiei eyed her from his peripheral view clinically. Although her shock of blue hair and bright pink eyes were certainly unusual, her energy was undoubtedly that of a human's. If that wasn't enough of an indicator, her carefree, careless attitude as she practically skipped beside him was a dead giveaway.
Still, human or not, it didn't excuse her peculiar insistence to trail after him. Either she was insane, lacked basic common sense and awareness, or formed a misguided attachment to him after his equally misguided decision to save her. None of those outcomes bode well for him in the slightest. He needed to put an end to this now.
"Why are you following me, woman?" he asked, stopping short and forcing her to do the same.
She blinked, long lashes fluttering as her pink lips parted. "I'm not following you, per se, I just happen to be going this way, too," she explained matter-of-factly. "And it's Botan, not woman."
"What?"
"My name," she clarified with another one of those irritatingly infallible smiles. "It's Botan."
"…"
"You know," she hedged, tilting her head a bit. "Like the flower?"
Hiei stared back at her blankly, wondering why she even bothered offering up such a pointless piece of information.
Botan then proceeded to lean closer towards him, pulling a faux-whisper behind her hand. "This is usually the part where you tell me yours…"
"That's none of your concern," he maintained, pulling away and tromping forward. Her fresh meadow scent hung all over the air, even as he attempted to put a reasonable amount of distance between them.
"Alright, mystery man. I suppose I'll just have to make one up, then," the bluette decided as she tread closer. Pressing a finger to her chin, she let out a hum of consideration. "You sort of strike me as a Yuuto."
Hiei shot her a dirty look in response.
"No?" she realized. "How about Haru?"
"..."
"Maybe you're more of a Kai!"
"…"
"What about-"
"It's Hiei, you deranged woman."
"Hiei," she repeated, as if testing the name out on her tongue. "Flying shadow, huh? It suits you somehow."
"Hn."
She appeared to be satisfied by the knowledge of his name, pink lips curved upwards as they continued down the park's long pathway. The cadence of her light footfalls clashed with his near silent ones. She stood so close to him that he actively had to ensure the natural sway of her arm didn't brush against his own. And every now and again he could feel her eyes darting over to him.
Everything she did only served to set him on edge, raising his defenses exponentially.
It was as ridiculous as it was illogical. He knew very well that she was harmless. There wasn't a single thread of malice in her aura, nor any duplicity in her words. But - much like everything else in this realm - she made him uneasy. He couldn't ignore the swooping feeling in his chest or the quickened pounding of his heart.
The fire-demon swallowed thickly and ripped his gaze away from the perplexing human girl and fixed it up on the sky instead. It had already begun to morph from a bright blue to lighter shades of pink and purple, dusk casting long shadows all around them. Night would fall soon. Surely the woman had other people to pester or things to do. As they came upon a fork in the trail and Hiei veered left, his wish was granted.
"Looks like this is where we part ways," she announced, hands clasped behind her back as she stood before the right path. Her form was outlined in the fading rays of the sun as she raised her hand in a wave. "It was nice meeting you, Hiei. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime!"
He said nothing as he watched her go, ignoring that odd and persistent stirring in his chest.
.
.
.
The moon was close to its zenith by the time the fire-demon settled on the thickest branch of a cedar tree. The bark was rough and cold, but he'd slept in worse places over the course of his lifetime. With his bandana shifted upwards and jagan eye glowing faintly, he was able to pinpoint Yukina's whereabouts. She was still faring well in this realm; the complete opposite of the fire-demon. Where she was content and at peace, he found himself restless. Unfulfilled. Left with no true goal or aim other than ensuring his only remaining kin's safety.
Hiei stared up at the full moon with a sigh, tugging his bandana back down to conceal the jagan. There really was nothing for him in this world, he thought to himself bitterly.
But as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he found himself dreaming of sky blue hair, twilight soaked eyes and a teasing, airy smile.
It's been ages since I've posted anything, so I hope this is up to par.
If you enjoyed it, please drop a note and give your girl a little of that sweet, sweet validation. :)
See you all tomorrow!