Amethyst eyes slowly opened to a dark room. The faint sound of bugs hummed in from outside. Spreading her awareness, Botan could sense Hiei's energy near. Turning her head, she saw him asleep on top of his covers. He looked peaceful and she was glad at least one of them could have some form of serenity.
Looking away, Botan's heart clenched upon recalling the dream that had woken her. It took all of her strength to hold back tears, knowing there would be privacy later to let her heart break. St. Raphael had visited and the news he brought was unbearable. So instead, the bluette redirected her thoughts towards her aching muscles and joints along with the irritated wound on her arm.
All in all, her body didn't feel as horrible as it should have. Yukina must have done some healing while Botan was asleep, though she surprisingly had left the sigil and seal alone. Sitting up, there was still an ache and slowness to the tired woman's muscles. She flexed them all one by one to get the blood flowing. They were certainly sore but nothing compared to what they could have been.
Her stomach growled, breaking the silence of the room. Glancing at Hiei, Botan saw he remained asleep. He truly must have been exhausted if he was still asleep through her movements. Silent as a mouse, she got out of bed and padded out of the bedroom. The shoji door slid closed silently as she noticed the temple shrouded in darkness except for some warm light in the kitchen. Her feet made their way toward the light and faintly Botan could smell tea. Turning the corner, she was only mildly surprised to see Kurama leaning against the counter while sipping a cup. Emerald eyes lit with relief when they laid on her, a smile gracing his features.
"Botan, it's good to see you awake." Setting the tea cup down, Kurama turned to the fridge and began pulling out a container full of curry and another full of rice. Quickly he put it on a plate and in the microwave before turning back to her. "I know it won't be the most exciting meal but I imagine you're quite hungry."
"Starving, really." Botan amended for him, her stomach protesting louder. She took a seat at the breakfast counter on a tall stool. Her muscles were relieved of her weight, too tired from her ordeals to really withstand much use at the moment. "What time is it anyways?"
"It's ten at night." Amethyst eyes went wide in disbelief while doing the math. They had slept for essentially almost a day and a half with a small break of horror in between. Kurama nodded, a rueful smile on his face. "You and Hiei have been asleep quite a long time."
"Not exactly." St. Raphael's visit sullied Botan's mood immediately as it flashed back into her mind. A steaming cup of tea was set in front of her and the bluette smiled briefly in gratitude. The warm liquid helped ease a little bit of the upset, though not much.
"What do you mean by that?" Kurama asked, concern in the question. Botan looked away from his searching gaze, instead staring into the cup between her hands. She noted the chipped paint on one edge, wondering when it had gotten there, before shaking her head to get back to the topic.
"I should eat first; then we can talk about it." There would be no more appetite after discussing all that'd happened. They'd all be lucky if she ever ate again. Would microwaved curry and rice be her last meal? At least it was Yukina's cooking, so the food would taste good. Botan let out a humorless chuckle at the thought.
Kurama nodded, his face turning serious at her tone. At that moment, the microwave beeped and the redhead pulled out the plate. He got everything she would need to eat and Botan couldn't help but begin practically inhaling the meal. Her body, having gone too long comfortably without food, demanded that she eat quickly before there was no food again. It hurt her stomach some but there was nothing to be done but suffer through it.
It didn't take long to finish it all. Ever the gentleman, Kurama took her dishes and cleaned them in the sink. She didn't break the silence, mulling over how things had turned out in the end of it all. Nothing made sense anymore and the bluette was starting to not see any light at the end of the tunnel. It was frightening.
"Let's go sit." Kurama offered solemnly, heading toward the couch in the sitting room. Taking the seat on one side, Botan took the other. She turned toward him but looked at her yukata sleeve, fiddling with its edge in a nervous fidget "Why don't you start from when we all left the temple the other morning?"
A moment of heavy silence hung between them as Botan gathered the courage to tell the tale. She took a few deep breaths, wanting to start it off as calm as possible. The bluette knew she would probably cry during the retelling and she was already tired enough. Finally, she began.
"Hiei decided that we should go gather wards from a temple after breakfast. He also said that, by the end of that day, either I would tell him who the demon prince hunting me was or he would read my mind to find out." The fox's face turned empathetic and a little worried, knowing what a difficult task that would be. "So we set off and…well," She paused again, the fear in the memory coming back to her, "Leviathan met us partway."
"You survived the encounter?" Kurama asked in shocked surprise, even though the answer was clearly in front of him. "What miracle allowed that to happen?"
"Three miracles, actually." Botan corrected quietly. "The first was your ward. Giving it to Hiei helped protect him from Leviathan, giving him time to unleash the dragon." The redhead expression became concerned and hesitant.
"...That left you without a ward." Kurama noted softly. Botan nodded as her fingers fiddled with the yukata sleeve some more in anxiousness.
"The second was the dragon itself. It's completely loyal to Hiei and had the strength to send Leviathan back into hell." His eyebrows shot up at that a little but he nodded, wanting her to continue, though she paused for a very long moment; Long enough that Kurama felt the need to break it.
"What was the third, Botan?" His voice low, worry coated every word. Her expression crumpled and he could smell the tears that were building. He waited with baited breath for the answer.
"I saved his life." The words came out choked. "Oh, Kurama! He should have died! You don't know how horrible his injuries were!" Her voice rose a touch in pitch, the memory of it still fresh in her mind. Botan's hands clenched into fists in upset. The gaze she cast upon the fox startled him with its intensity. "Don't you understand? He was supposed to die."
"What did you do?" The words were barely whispered as the redhead began to realize exactly what she meant.
"I prayed and St. Raphael answered." It sounded so simple but Kurama could tell it was anything but. There was something lying underneath Botan's answer, something he hadn't deduced yet. "As he always has."
"Always?" The question had her looking away, down at the coffee table in front of them. There was another bout of silence between them, tension filling the air, but soon enough Botan continued.
"Did you know I can sense when someone is supposed to die?" Kurama shook his head, a look of mild horror taking over his face. While a helpful sense to have, the fox spirit could only view it as a curse. "It's not a feeling I can properly describe but I always know if someone will make it out alive or not."
"Have you used this sense on any others to save them?" The redhead had to know if Botan had ever done it to anyone else on their team but she shook her head.
"No." That one word sounded so heavy. "I've only ever saved one person."
"You've saved Hiei more than once?" Shock yet again coursed through him. He couldn't imagine that the fire demon knew. Said demon was a little too prideful to let that keep happening, or at least Kurama was pretty sure of that. Botan nodded at his question, though.
"I've saved him nine times." Frozen; that was the only word to describe him and his mind at that moment. For all of his brilliance, that was an answer Kurama had never seen coming. He could only blink while comprehending what a monumental thing it was to save someone from death. To know that Botan had silently done it nine times for Hiei was astonishing.
"What did you do next?" It was best to let his brain process all of that information in the background, so the redhead decided to move the conversation forward.
"I carried him home where you helped us." Botan continued. "Then I woke from a horrible nightmare. I think it was because of the demon prince, since the dragon was getting restless." Kurama frowned a little at that information but didn't interrupt. "I was still gross from the fight so I decided to take a shower."
"Did he appear in the mirror?" Kurama asked, already guessing the answer. She nodded, confirming his suspicions. Her face pinched a little in upset.
"He burned through six of the wards in less than half an hour." Heart stopping for a brief moment, Kurama had to remind himself that Botan was safe and alive. "We had to do something drastic."
"Like what?" Considering this was the first time Botan described any of this situation as drastic, the redhead was rather concerned for the answer. In silence, her pale hand slid up the sleeve of her yukata to reveal a bandaged forearm. Kurama held his breath as she unwrapped it slowly, hissing in pain a little. Once fully off, he could only stare in dismay.
The skin around the wound was tight and puckered, a dark red with multicolored skin surrounding it. There was dark bruising along with some yellow, red, and white splotches around it. It was clear, though, what it was; the sigil and seal of St Raphael. He could feel the blessing and warding from the terrible wound offering great protection.
"I was running out of time." Botan whispered, staring down at the wound as well. Her eyes looked far away, a little lost in the memory of what they had to do in the name of safety. "This finally banished the demon prince well enough that I could sleep."
"Not completely?" Kurama reeled back a little in distress, not liking the information she gave. The jerky shake of her head told him how upsetting this was, and would continue to be, as Botan gave the final piece of the puzzle to why she was so distraught.
"St. Raphael visited me in my dreams tonight, Kurama." The words were wet, pain flowing alongside them. There were tears in her eyes yet again and he watched her heart break right in front of him.
"Botan, what did he say?" The fox quickly moved to sit beside her, grasping her hand in comfort. The pained whimpers coming out of her frightened him, since he'd never seen the normally upbeat ferry woman so defeated about something.
"He couldn't ward off the demon prince completely; Only bind him in the seal and sigil. The sin is still there." He waited, knowing there was more. "I can't turn into a spirit again until I die. I'm mortal now."
"When you die, are you safe from hell?" The shake of Botan's head had his heart breaking. "St. Raphael had no other solution?"
"Oh, he did." The words were spoken miserably, her throat tight. "He's not only the archangel of healing." Kurama ran through the other things he remembered about the saint and found the theme of love and matrimony. "His blessing is my sin's direct counterpart but I can't complete the blessing without Hiei!"
"Botan, you need to ask this of him. Your very soul is on the line!" Kurama expressed; a rare desperation in his tone. She sniffled, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.
"That would be horribly unfair. I can't put that kind of choice on Hiei's shoulders." The bluette whispered. The very idea of the demon she loved having to make a decision between being mated to someone he didn't desire to save their soul or letting them suffer eternally in hell seemed terribly cruel; the epitome of a rock and a hard place.
"Botan," Said woman's shoulders went rigid at the voice, heart thudding in her chest. "It's time you tell me about the demon prince hunting you and why." The stern tone left no room for argument. Kurama slowly rose from the couch, patting her hand gently before letting go. With a brief nod to the fire demon in the doorway, the fox left. Hiei sat on the couch and waited. After a long moment, she sighed while wiping at the tears on her cheeks.
"You're right. You deserve to know the truth after everything that's happened." Gathering courage, amethyst eyes finally rose to meet crimson ones. "The demon after me is named Asmodeus." Botan felt a twinge of the demon prince's power but it was leashed too tightly at that moment to do anything. "He's one of the seven princes of hell; each prince representing a deadly sin."
"And his is?" Hiei questioned. Blushing, she broke eye contact and looked down.
"Lust." The word was whispered as Botan twisted her sleeves between her fingers some more. The fire demon blinked in mildly shocked surprise. Staying silent, the bluette kept nervously fiddling and avoiding his gaze. Hiei stared at her for another few long moments but she only blushed harder, refusing to look at him.
"As in generally?" He asked, realizing she wasn't going to continue. The red faced woman shook her head a couple times but continued to not speak. "Then towards who?" Hiei listened as Botan's heart raced and her breathing picked up speed a bit. Finally she met his stare, a vulnerability in her eyes that he hadn't anticipated.
"You." Silence surrounded them as his eyes widened in shock; Hiei didn't know what to say. After a long moment, Botan looked away nervously but didn't speak further. They sat in silence for a while longer as he absorbed everything he'd learned.
"What choice do I need to make?" Finally changing the subject, Hiei decided he would dive into the matter of her lusting after him later. Right then they needed to solve the problem of the demon after her. If all he had to do was make a difficult choice to complete the blessing and save her soul, then so be it.
"St. Raphael is also the patron saint of …" She blushed even deeper, still unable to meet his stare again. Botan never having expected to tell Hiei any of this. "Love and matrimony. The only way to complete his blessing and counteract the sin of lust is to be married, or in this case mated, before committing it. Otherwise, I'll go to hell not only for the lust but for breaking fate nine times."
"And he told you all of this in a dream?" Hiei had been listening in on the tail end of the conversation. The ferry woman nodded, still not looking at him. Her scent was muddied with too many emotions that the fire demon struggled to single out. He could understand why she didn't want to ask this of him; He'd never given much of an indication of interest but the past few days had completely changed his perspective.
Botan had proved to be a pillar of strength in ways that Hiei hadn't expected; not only did the woman suppress the influence of a demon prince from hell for days but she carried him while almost completely depleted of energy all the way back, pain and suffering be damned. That wasn't even to speak on how many times she'd saved his life, which meant she was always watching out for him. How it was that Botan always knew when to come save him, Hiei wasn't sure. Somehow, though, a saint got roped into helping her and the fire demon didn't know how to react to it. The amount of devotion it showed was more than anyone had ever given to him.
She possessed a level of willpower that Hiei was pretty sure none of them knew she even had. Her strength and courage to go through with all of the horrors that helped keep herself and him safe was impressive. Alongside her willpower was Botan's absolute selflessness, sacrificing her own safety to ensure his survival. Not many people had done that throughout Hiei's life but here she was, doing it time and time again.
"How long?" The fire demon placed his finger under her chin, guiding the ferry woman to meet his stare. Her amethyst eyes dilated some at his touch while her heart raced again. Botan looked a little confused at his question, though. "You were burning through wards fast last night. How long have you lusted after me if it was that intense?" His voice was low, sultry almost, and it made the familiar feeling of want flow through her body.
"Eight years." Yet again, surprise washed upon his face. Taking a deep breath, she decided to lay the rest bare. "And I've loved you for six." His eyes only widened further upon the confession; Hiei's face slack with shock. Botan waited patiently, knowing it was a lot to process; especially for someone as closed off as the fire demon before her.
The choice wasn't difficult for him, though; He'd known Botan for long enough at this point. While they weren't close before (Though, now that he thought about it, they were far closer than he actually realized), it wasn't like he didn't know who she was. Botan was an optimistic, tricky, kind, happy-go-lucky woman who had an emotionally exhausting job. She had an interest in the other realms that many of Spirit World didn't possess and a strange ability to see right through to the core of others.
Hiei had watched the woman from afar; not for anything more than to study her habits and better know the people around him and his sister. The fire demon also routinely heard about her inadvertently from others, especially his sister. Yukina loved Botan dearly and he knew that the ferry woman loved his sister back just as much. The bond they had actually helped when he was still keeping himself a secret from his sibling.
Thinking about it, Hiei remembered all of the times that Botan went to bat in his defense if anyone insulted him in front of Yukina. She was determined to not let his name be sullied when the ice maiden was around. Memories of the many times she praised him resurfaced, especially the times when the ferry woman thought he wasn't around to hear it or that it wouldn't get back to him. (He wouldn't tell her but the two idiots would sometimes jest about it when she left.)
Botan's soul was soft and kind most of the time, though it had a toughness when called for whereas he was the opposite. In many ways, they were like yin and yang. He could be gentle when needed but more often than not was rough and to the point. She talked more than should be legal and he kept his words to a minimum. She sang praises while he tossed out insults.
The choice was simple, really.
"You shouldn't have stayed silent so long." With that, Hiei leaned forward and pressed his lips against her own. Electricity swam through them at the contact and, when she gasped in surprise, he couldn't help but explore further. Botan's hands moved to rest against his bare chest and the sensation paired with her eager mouth against his own made the fire demon feel heady.
With reluctance, he pulled away from her. They were still in one of the common areas and, while kissing her was enthralling, Hiei wasn't an exhibitionist. He took in the sight before him; Botan's eyes were slightly hazy, her chest rising and falling as she lightly panted from their makeout. Red covered her cheeks but the smile she wore relaxed a knot within him that Hiei hadn't even realized was there.
Without a word, Hiei stood from the couch and she followed suit. Suddenly, the fire demon picked Botan up and raced back to the bedroom they'd been in. Before leaving to eavesdrop, he'd burned the futons. They weren't recoverable, though he would get more to replace them since it would cause trouble for Yukina. For now, though, two fresh futons were in the room but Hiei knew they would only need one.