Laughter was bubbling out of Botan as Hiei laid her down on the futon. The fear and dread she'd felt since everything started was dissipating so quickly it almost made her dizzy. The very thing the woman had been craving for years, alongside the fact that her soul would be saved, filled her with greater joy than she could imagine.
Her happiness didn't diminish as Hiei disappeared and came back with fresh supplies to wrap her arm again. If anything, Botan was touched that he remembered while she hadn't. Basking in his care, the bluette let him work in silence, watching his face concentrate on taking care with the wound. Her eyes slid shut after a moment, ignoring the twinges of pain as he cleaned it again. Finally, after the ointment, Hiei wrapped it gently.
"How long did your saint-"
"He's actually yours as well, you know." Botan interrupted, rotating to face him as he laid down beside her. Amethyst eyes were filled with mirth while reaching out to grasp one of his hands. "You've been blessed by him nine times now and carved his sigil and seal into me as a form of protection."
"I didn't ask him for any of that." Hiei stated. Praying to saints wasn't something he took part in, especially considering he was a demon.
"No, but I did and he listened every time." She scooted closer, snuggling into him. While the fire demon wasn't used to such touch, he didn't shy away from it either. Wrapping his arms around her, Hiei held Botan against his chest. She couldn't help but hum in comfort. "Besides, you helped him protect one of his most dedicated disciples. That certainly counts."
"I didn't do it for him." The fire demon grumbled, not sure how to feel about a saint favoring him.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's well aware." The chuckle Botan let out was filled with a tiredness she hadn't been expecting. Hiei, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. He could feel how low her energy was while eavesdropping. While eating have given her a short boost, it wasn't enough to keep her awake for too long.
"Did he tell you how much time before the blessing no longer works?" Botan shook her head sleepily at his question.
"No." A tiny yawn escaped and Hiei could sense her beginning to fade. "But I can feel its strength. There's-" A big yawn interrupted her and she blushed a little before snuggling in deeper. "-enough time, I promise."
"Sleep." Hiei gently commanded, increasing his body heat to warm her. Within seconds, the exhausted woman passed out at his word. The fire demon stayed awake a bit longer, thinking about the drastic turn that his life had taken in the last few days.
As his body began demanding sleep as well, Hiei thought about the fact that Botan told the fox she was mortal now. He wondered if the saint had made her that way on purpose or if there truly had been no other option. He was no stranger to sacrifice but such a permanent one, especially one from a saint, seemed especially callous. Sleep took him under as that thought drifted through his mind.
Looking around himself, the fire demon wasn't sure where he was. It was a wooded area, though he could feel the heat of the sun off in the distance. Intense spirit energy suffused the space, which was odd since Hiei was quite certain this was the human world. Reaching for his sword, irritation ran through him to find it wasn't in its sheath.
"No need for any of that." A voice spoke, causing Hiei to turn around quickly. A man with long brown hair and a gentle set of white wings stepped out from the dark woods. Immediately the demon realized that St. Raphael was meeting him in a dreamscape. "You aren't in danger here."
"Why did you help her save me?" Hiei didn't care for any small talk and had no idea how much time he would have with this saint. He wanted some answers.
"Botan's heart has always been far more accepting than anyone else. Her capacity for love is what I always long to see." The saint spoke of the ferry woman as if speaking about a child he was proud of. "Meeting mortals opened her heart so wide that it could never close the way spirit world demanded of her."
"That doesn't answer my question." Hiei always hated the roundabout way ethereal beings talked.
"I helped her because she loves you and begged me to. If I didn't, I knew it would close her heart and all of that love would grow cold." Raphael stepped closer and Hiei bristled a little, making the saint chuckle in amusement. "She didn't realize it but I could see the signs; Botan was becoming a guardian angel, though it was for selfish, loving reasons. Her devotion refocused on you and I could see the devastating aftermath if she wasn't careful."
The saint looked at him and Hiei felt analyzed to his very core. There was nothing he could do about the intrusive sensation so he merely put up with it instead. Raphael reached out toward Hiei and, involuntarily, a sneer found itself on the fire demon's face. The saint only laughed a little.
"Unfortunately, she wasn't careful and caught the eye of the vile demon Asmodeus, as I had been worried would happen. You, though, surprised me. Reading demons' souls has always been a more difficult task than reading spirit or human, yet yours is different." The saint met Hiei's stare and the demon was startled to see respect in the gaze. "You don't realize just how brightly your soul burns sometimes, do you?"
"I'm anything but a bright soul." Hiei countered, uncomfortable by the compliment; especially when the words came from a saint.
"One would think but that isn't so. You burn just like a flame, changing based on what drives you. When your sister is in need, you burn blue with a heat that is almost unmatched. When fighting with your team, you are a constant, steady flame waiting to turn into a blaze. When wronged, you mimic the flames that compose the dragon wrapped around your arm. I thought I had seen all of your flames until last night." Hiei knew instantly that Raphael was talking about having to carve the sigil and seal into Botan's arm.
"You obviously want to tell me what you saw, so you might as well keep babbling on like so many of your kind do." He griped, pulling a soft laugh from the saint. Said saint seemed to find joy in Hiei's prickly nature, similar to the other people the fire demon surrounded himself with.
"You're right, I do want to tell you. If only because I want you to understand my motives and maybe understand yourself better too." Raphael explained, a small smile on his face. "You've spoken at great length throughout your life of your vile nature and your ability to move on without a second thought but your actions have always proven otherwise."
Hiei bristled at that but said nothing.
"As you saved her I was blinded by the brightest blue I'd ever seen. It completely covered her as my seal and sigil bound Asmodeus to the symbols and her form. I'm not sure anything in that moment would have been able to touch her. You washed away Asmodeus's influence as you did what you needed to, holding him off until it was complete." There was a seriousness in Raphael's stare. "Hiei Jaganshi, you pushed one demon prince back into hell and helped bind another in less than two days."
The fire demon blinked, not realizing he had done exactly that when carving into the ferry woman's arm. He had been doing what she needed but he supposed, in reality, he had been helping fight the demon alongside her. Just as Botan had given her ward and saved his life, Hiei had given his strength and saved her soul. It dawned on him how impossible it would have been for either of them without the other.
"You have earned much more than my blessing but it's yours once you bind Botan and yourself together." Hiei stared in surprise, not having expected such high praise, but there was still a question lingering in his mind.
"Why have you made her mortal? Could you not have bound Asmodeus to something else besides her body?" To cut her off from her native world felt cruel to Hiei. He'd experienced that while under probation so he knew the level of loss it would be for her would be even greater.
"I could have, that's true. After all of her hard work, though, Botan deserves happiness. To tie her to you, I can only grant that with her mortality, which means she cannot go back to what she was before. Once she has processed the loss, Botan will understand all that's been gained; if she hasn't already. It's as she told you-"
"Blessings come with sacrifice." Hiei finished for the saint, already understanding exactly why the saint had done what he'd done. It was no surprise that the patron saint of love and matrimony would play matchmaker for his dedicated disciple. While he hadn't hoped for Asmodeus to take notice of Botan, Raphael saw a way to offer her the greatest blessing he could think of while protecting her. As Hiei thought of all of the blessings he'd acquired from her and the saint, the fire demon wondered where his sacrifice was in it all. As if reading his thoughts, Raphael smiled.
"You've suffered quite enough. She became your guardian angel for many reasons, that being one of them." The fire demon would one day find out what the other reasons were, wanting to hear them from Botan herself instead of from the saint, so he held his tongue. Instead he thought of the fact that she had loved him and sacrificed so much. Loving her for the rest of eternity almost felt paltry in return but if it was all she desired, Hiei would more than willingly give it.
"Hiei," The fire demon could feel the dreamscape beginning to taper. "Take care of yourself. I cannot help her save your life anymore. Once you complete my blessing, Botan will no longer be tied to her role as a ferry woman, meaning she won't be able to sense your impending death. Instead, when you die, she will follow you soon after and vice versa. Remember that before being reckless again."
"I understand." Raphael, while advising him, was also warning him. Clearly the saint loved Botan as one did their own child and, based on the power Hiei could feel emanating from him, would not hesitate to retaliate if the fire demon wasn't careful with his charge. At that last thought, the area faded back into the darkness of sleep.
"Botan, I'm making breakfast." Yukina's soft voice and gentle hand on her shoulder had Botan blinking her eyes open. Once she rubbed the sleep out of them, the bluette sat up and yawned
"What time is it?" The ferry woman mumbled out, looking around her while slowly waking up.
"It's nine o'clock. You still have time for a shower if you want one." The ice maiden assured her friend before leaving the room. Sliding out of the covers, Botan planned to do just as Yukina suggested. She gathered up some clean clothes before heading to the bathroom. The mildly throbbing reminder of the sigil and seal of Saint Raphael helped ease the small fear the ferry woman had developed of mirrors and the bathroom.
Sliding the yukata off her shoulders, amethyst eyes finally met their reflection in the mirror. Relief seeped through her body when everything felt completely normal. She could feel the twinge of power fighting the blessing but it wasn't at all enough to cause concern. Instead, Botan looked at her forearm in thought.
Now that she had some energy back, Botan considered healing the wound but decided not to. Until the blessing was complete, the ferry woman wanted the seal and sigil to be there as long as possible. Healing it would only shorten how long it would protect her, so it would stay looking and feeling terrible until otherwise.
Slipping into the shower, the bluette washed herself and made sure to keep the wound dry and protected. It made cleaning herself a little tedious to do but worth it. Once clean, the ferry woman hopped out of the shower and the faint smell of breakfast filled the air, spurring Botan to move quickly. She threw on her underwear, a t-shirt and some jeans before hurrying out to the kitchen.
Yukina greeted her with a bright smile, though refused to let Botan help due to her wound. While the ice maiden hadn't asked about it, the ferry woman had a feeling Hiei may have informed his sister of what had happened during the night. She wondered if the fire demon had told his sister everything, or if he was keeping that private for the moment.
"Let me at least take one thing, please." The bluette pleaded with her friend. The koorime was trying to hold true to not letting Botan help but the pleading doe eyes were starting to whittle her down.
"It's fine, Botan." The ferry woman jumped a little at the voice, turning to find Kurama standing in the doorway. "I'll help her bring the food out. You go sit down." His gentle urging had her giving in with a small pout. Huffing a little, the ferry woman headed toward the dining table. Hiei met her eyes the moment she stepped in the room, bringing a smile to Botan's lips.
"Good morning!" The pout was completely gone as she practically skipped over to the table to sit down beside him. "Seems like I slept in compared to everyone else."
"Your body's still healing. You need more rest than us." Botan supposed he was right. He healed at a much faster rate than she did and he had St. Raphael's help after his battle as well. The thought had her looking down at her bandaged arm. Her saint had only helped her save others, never herself until now. The price she was going to pay would be large, she knew, but it was worth it.
Mortality and Spirit World were tied together in a thread that couldn't be undone but the strands of mortality and the inhabitants of Spirit world weren't supposed to mix. Now, though, her strand had tangled itself into all manner of mortality which meant she would have to give up her home world. The thought made her heart sink just a little.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Kurama's voice suddenly interrupted, drawing her back into reality. Shaking her head at his question, Botan brushed her melancholy away and focused on the people around her. Yukina was setting down plates full of food for everyone while Kurama followed with small bowls of miso soup. Pouring tea was last before the two sat down. Emerald eyes met amethyst again, concern in his gaze. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am." She meant it, too. "Still processing everything, that's all." Botan sipped from her bowl, eager for Yukina's cooking.
"It'll turn out fine. You have all of us to rely on in the meantime." Kurama's words did comfort the bluette. Some of her favorite people were mortals, so being able to have more time with them was a massive upside. It brought a smile to her face, making Botan nod in agreement at his words.
"You're right, as always, Kurama." The concerned tension eased from the fox's face at her chipper tone, happy to hear it once again. "Besides, now I will finally have the chance to live a life outside of my Spirit World duties! Maybe I can go to one of the concerts Keiko is always inviting me to!"
"We can finally go on the trips we've talked about doing together!" Yukina gasped in excitement. Both of the women's eyes lit up before the two started talking animatedly about where they wanted to go first. As they got lost in conversation, Kurama turned his attention to Hiei, pleased to see the fire demon staring at the former ferry woman. He was quick to catch the fox's attention on him, though.
"So I take it your talk went well after I left." There was an amused lilt to the words causing Hiei to narrow his eyes just a touch.
"You speak as if you weren't listening in, fox." The laugh hidden behind Kurama's grin made the demon across from him roll his eyes, though there wasn't much ire in it.
"If it's any consolation, I didn't doubt you would do the right thing. It was simply too hard to ignore the climax of a love story I've been watching unfold for years." Kurama's last sentence had Hiei scoffing, though it was more to ignore the hint of red threatening his cheeks than for any real annoyance.
"You're nothing if not nosy." The redhead couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that. The two started eating, listening to the women go on about their travel options. Kurama occasionally put in his opinion, being the one among them to know the most about the human world.
"What about a group trip? Oh, wouldn't that be lovely?" Botan gushed, the idea making her eyes sparkle. She met Hiei's gaze eagerly, an excited smile on her face. "Would you be willing to join us?"
"Please, brother! It would be so much fun!" Yukina chimed in. Kurama turned his expectant and amused gaze on the fire demon as well. Peer pressure rarely worked on him but his future mate and his sister's pleading eyes had Hiei crumbling before he could even build up a proper defense.
"Fine." Even though the answer was clearly reluctant, the two women still cheered as they began a whole new plan and destination. Kurama chuckled at the reaction before continuing to eat. After a few more minutes, everyone was eating though the atmosphere was still jovial. They finished up the meal soon after.
The ice maiden and the fox took care of the dishes, even though Botan tried to protest and do them herself. The former ferry woman settled for wiping down the table and counters and Hiei swept the floor. Once everything was cleaned up, Yukina and Kurama revealed that they would both be leaving, though the koorime would come back in the afternoon after her day plans with Kuwabara.
Shutting the front door behind the two, Botan turned only to come face to face with the fire demon. There was heat in his gaze, pleased that they were finally alone and could fulfill their part of the blessing. He could hear her heart thudding in her chest and watched her breathing shallow in anticipation of his next move. He could have said something witty or teasing but instead opted for letting his actions do the talking.
Hiei's hand lifted to cup the back of her head, pulling the former ferry woman's face to his own. Their lips met and the fire demon wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling Botan flush against him. The sound of appreciation she gave at his touch set forth a blaze of desire inside of him. Hiei released the back of her head and her waist without breaking their kiss. She only had a second of confusion before he was lifting her up and racing them back to the room they had been sharing.
