Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters.

Day 3: Costume/Game night/Meme: Woman yelling at a cat


A solemn night

Fearfully falling

Will you be there to catch me?


They didn't speak of that horrendous night. When Hiei returned, he seemed perturbed and immediately embraced Botan tightly. The ferry girl couldn't even guess at what caused this heart-wrenching moment between them. Instead of confronting her demon lover, she decided to let it go.

But when you don't speak about things, they fester into insecurities. For the first time in their relationship, both felt like they were walking on eggshells. Their communication dwindled, and they moved forward, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

This wasn't like either of them. Neither was afraid of confrontation. In fact, their differences usually led to something amazing. Deeper talks, growth, passion.

It was like their relationship was a shadow of its former self. Neither moved to fix it, and the problem kept building up.

Until one day, they threw the damn eggs at one another, figuratively speaking.

"You said you were going to come!" Botan shouted louder than she intended. "The others are expecting us!"

Hiei sneered, his tone acerbic. "You can all go to that blasted world without me. I won't set foot there again. If you were smart, you'd let it burn!"

"Did you forget that I'm from that world?" Botan yelled, her voice cracking slightly from the tumultuous emotions she felt. Why was Hiei acting like this all of a sudden? She thought he was starting to accept her world, or at least respect the fact that she was from it.

A dark, grim shadow seemed to descend as Hiei uttered the words, "I can never forget that."

A pang struck Botan's heart at the cold and callous way he said that. She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but a trickle of fear filtered through. Was Hiei angry that she was of Spirit World? Did it cause him to rethink their relationship?

"I… I thought…"

Hiei's eyes softened for only a moment as he realized the ferry girl was getting more upset the longer they argued. "This is getting us nowhere. I have to go."

"Wait, Hiei!" Botan weakly gripped his arm as the sounds of a breakup reached her ears. "Don't go. Please come with me to the costume party."

"I can't," Hiei replied as he gently gripped her hands and removed them from his person. "This isn't good for either of us right now."

He left her alone in her Human World apartment, once again crestfallen, this time because she did not believe he was coming back. This was the end.


"Hey, Botan! Why the long face?"

Yusuke wrapped his arm around his long-time friend with a jocular attitude. When Botan responded with a sigh, Yusuke's humor deflated. "Whoa, seriously, are you okay? You live for stuff like this. I thought Koenma would flip at the idea of a multi-world Halloween party. This party is like your baby."

Yusuke wasn't wrong. After whatever rebel group attacked, Botan had the idea to incorporate a joint event between the worlds. Koenma was hesitant, but he did agree that it could help to alleviate the bad blood between Demon and Spirit world. Botan took the reins on it and decided Halloween was a great day. It would also give the demons who used to frighten people on the night an outlet for that energy.

Now, though, she couldn't enjoy it. Not when her relationship was over.

"I'm fine," she lied. "It's just been a day."

Yusuke wanted to press her, but it was clear she didn't want to think about it at the moment. "Hey look, let's go watch the bobbing for apples game. It looks like Koenma is going to join in!"

Botan managed a smile at the teasing tone of the former spirit detective. She looked around the room and could see everyone was having a great time. That was all she could ask for; her idea and efforts were leading to positive results. Maybe one day all the worlds would be able to unify.

"Sure," she replied. "I'd like that."


Botan found herself laughing later. Watching Koenma and George participate in the game made the whole thing more hilarious. The energy from the party was raucous but jovial. To get a quiet moment, Koenma took Botan aside for a private conversation.

"You did a great job planning this, Botan," he praised. "I think we need to make this an annual event."

Botan smiled as she handed him a towel. "I think that's a great idea. I already have a lot of ideas for the next get together."

Koenma turned toward Botan and offered her an encouraging grin. "If anyone can pull it off, it's you. Just one thing. Where's Hiei? I haven't seen him all night."

At that question, Botan's expression changed. She dropped her head and sighed. Koenma grew worried, especially when she said, "Hiei and I got into a huge fight, and he broke up with me."

Koenma looked completely baffled. "Are you sure?" he asked, genuinely confused.

Botan shot her friend a small glare. "Of course I'm sure. He said he wasn't going to come tonight and started saying stuff that sounded like he was against spirits again. He didn't want me to come either. So I reacted, and then he said he couldn't come with me and that this wasn't good for either of us right now, and he left."

Koenma's gaze softened, and he realized the misunderstanding that arose. He felt partly to blame for swearing Hiei to secrecy after the last Spirit World rebellion.

"He didn't break up with you," Koenma assured her. Botan was about to protest, but he stopped her. "He's not upset with you either. Botan, do you know what happened a few weeks ago?"

Botan remembered. It was the start of the issues in their relationship. "There was a rebellion in Demon World and Hiei wouldn't let me come. He wouldn't talk to me about it afterward either."

"It wasn't Demon World where the rebellion took place," Koenma admitted. "It was here, and your room was the first place they attacked."

"What?" Botan murmured out, shocked. "But… why?"

Koenma sighed. "We still had some zealots among us, and the fact that you were dating a demon set them off. I asked Hiei not to tell you, but he already seemed to have that mentality. He probably didn't want you to worry about your safety or the fact that it was our side this time. But I can't put words in his mouth. Maybe you can ask him later."

Koenma nudged his head in the direction of the door, and Botan turned to look. There the fire demon was, in the costume she picked out for him, arms crossed and out of place. But he was there. He didn't leave her.

Relieved, Botan felt a weight lift off her shoulders. After finding out the truth, everything made sense. Hiei wouldn't let her go with the group weeks ago because it would have upset her to once again see fellow spirits causing trouble. When he came back, he held her tightly because he could have lost her if she hadn't been in Human World. He didn't want to communicate what happened after that day because the anger he felt toward her kind would have been expressed and he would have to tell her what happened. He didn't want her to go to Spirit World tonight because he was worried about her. He left her because they both needed to cool down. Now, he was here, because this was important to her and he cared about her.

When all the pieces fell into place, Botan practically ran to him. Hiei was mildly startled when she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him in a room full of demons, spirits, and their friends. Botan didn't care who was watching as she kissed her lover, ignored the whistles and woops from their group of friends. After the momentary shock wore off, Hiei followed suit and wrapped his arms around her not breaking their kiss.

When they finally parted, their foreheads lightly pressed together, Hiei called her name. Botan placed a finger over his lips.

"We'll talk about earlier at home tonight," she promised. "For now, let's have fun. The night is still young."

Hiei rolled his eyes, but he didn't protest. He simply let Botan drag him around to all the different stations, his hand in hers. This was her night, after all, her accomplishment. She deserved to revel in it, the unity she created.

If he had to be in this world with her to keep her safe, he would do it a thousand times over. As long as that smile remained on her face, and her, safe in his arms.