((A/N: If you would like to read the full, uncensored part of this chapter it's on my Ao3 under the same name))
The former ferry woman could have sworn her entire body was made of gelatin, her muscles completely unwilling to move. Heart pounding inside of her chest, what she'd just experienced must have been a gift from heaven. Her mind and body hadn't known anything as intense and wonderful as that until now. Botan was delighted to know she would get to experience that time and time again throughout the rest of her life.
A sudden tingle ran down her arm, not unlike the sensation of her own healing magic. With a curious gaze, Botan lifted herself up slowly before unwrapping her wound. Hiei turned his head at her movement, watching with a raised brow. The bluette could only gasp as more of her wound was revealed. With shock in her eyes, she displayed her arm to the fire demon.
He sat up quickly and looked closer. No longer were there deep bruises or puckered skin but in their place were stark white images of Saint Raphael's sigil and seal. Her arm was almost perfectly smooth, though there was a faint difference in texture between the markings and her untouched skin. Hiei gently ran his fingers over them, watching as goosebumps appeared.
"Hiei…" Botan's voice softly called. When crimson eyes glanced at her, he noticed the bluette's stare was focused lower on him than his face. Glancing down, he was shocked to find Saint Raphael's sigil had appeared on his abdomen, directly over where Leviathan bit a hole through him. The seal, on the other hand, seemed to be missing.
The former ferry woman shifted to look at his back, gasping a little. He assumed that the seal must have been directly opposite of the sigil, where the fang of the leviathan pierced through his back. It was the wound that would have killed him had the Saint and Botan not intervened. He supposed having the marking of the saint that had helped save his life nine times was a decently small price to pay.
"Now he really is your saint." While Hiei didn't exactly like it, the whispered words of awe coming from the bluette couldn't be denied. Of course he had to be tied to one of the more sentimental patron saints around but there was little he could do about it now. "You'll have to be more careful from now on. I don't imagine other demons will take kindly to the markings."
She was right, he knew, but caution had never been his strong suit. Besides, if someone wanted to give him grief over something as simple as a seal and sigil scar, Hiei was more than willing to carve the same markings into their flesh as a reward. It would be a terribly ironic way to show his gratitude towards the saint but the fire demon didn't ask for the patronage.
Then again, Raphael was merely trying to make Botan happy by giving her what she asked for. Hiei couldn't be angry about that. Out of all the people who encouraged his growth, hers had been some of the most impactful. The fire demon was annoyed that he hadn't noticed just how much she had been influencing his life before.
Even setting aside Botan saving his life time and time again, there were many things the former ferry woman had done to improve it: She advocated for a shorter sentence for him, helped his sister find safety and a home in the human world, kept his siblingship with said sister a secret, defended his honor, kept Yukina company while he got himself together enough to tell her the truth, and encouraged his relationship not only with his sister but the others as well. Hiei knew about the times Botan set up get-togethers when she heard he was planning a visit (though he only learned about it after it seemed to occur one too many times to be a coincidence and demanded an answer).
"I can feel that Asmodeus is caged completely now." Botan spoke, looking back at her own forearm. Her sentence startled the fire demon out of his thoughts and concerned him.
"Caged? I thought he was supposed to be pushed back into hell." If the saint went back on his word and the blessing was a farce that wouldn't protect her, Hiei was going to hunt him down.
"He will be once I pass on. That's why I can't go into my spirit form again until then, otherwise he can occupy my living body and prevent me from reentering it." Botan explained, her tone a little forlorn. "Once I die, Saint Raphael will use my body to push Asmodeus back into hell. Until then, he is confined and trapped within the seal and sigil."
"He visited me last night." Hiei revealed, causing his mate to gasp in surprise. "He won't be able to help you save me anymore. When one of us dies, the other will follow." Pink amethyst eyes stared at him, too many emotions running through them for the fire demon to classify her feelings. Finally, though, she seemed to settle on a bittersweet happiness.
"I don't like thinking about you passing on but if I get to follow, it isn't quite so bad." Botan's slender hand grasped his own, wanting the comfort. Despite the sadness, the former ferry woman had no regrets. She was a little nervous though, looking back at the seal and sigil again. "How do you think Lord Koenma will take the news?"
"Well; if he knows what's good for him." The unspoken threat warmed her heart, oddly enough. Botan smiled some more, knowing the rest of their ragtag group would stand behind them. Considering Koenma couldn't do anything about it now was also a source of comfort.
"There's no point worrying about it, I suppose. It's not like I want to, or even could, go back to how things were anyways." Her thumb brushed against the back of his hand absentmindedly as the smile grew on her face. "Besides, I have a future to plan now! There's so many things I'm free to do that I never had time or permission for." An excited gasp left Botan, amethyst eyes widening as she realized the implications. "I don't have to ask permission for things now!"
The fire demon relaxed, relieved to see her more positive mood return. It was the side of her Hiei was not only far more used to but preferred. He was supposed to be the more morbid and morose of the two of them anyways. Since they were yin and yang, she needed to be on the other end to balance them out. He would just have to do his best to keep her happy by whatever means he could.
"Though, that does mean we have to figure out where we're going to live." Hiei tuned back into Botan's musings, realizing she was right. Normally he resided within Murkuo's fortress but he didn't imagine the former ferry woman would want to live there. The bluette had noticed the furrow of his brow. "I'm sure Yukina wouldn't mind the company of us for a little while so we can discuss it. We can ask her when she gets back."
Hiei was about to say something in response before a loud noise came from her bag in the corner of the room. Botan scrambled over, frantically pulling a communication mirror out but not opening it immediately. Instead she pointed it towards the ceiling first before answering the call. The fire demon had the distinct feeling that the deity calling while she was in a state of undress had happened more than once.
"Botan?" Lord Koenma's slightly nasally voice called through the device. "Where are you?"
"I'm getting dressed, sir." The words sounded well practiced. Hiei got up and began to gather their clothing, figuring the god was due to visit them with those wards he had talked about when he last showed. Not that they would need any of that now.
"Oh! Sorry!" He sounded a touch embarrassed, making Botan roll her eyes in amusement. "Ahem. Anyways, I have the wards ready and will be there soon. I haven't heard from you in a while so I'm assuming everything's been okay?"
"Um…" Amethyst eyes met crimson ones, light panic in her gaze. Hiei wasn't sure if speaking up was the best way to break the news to her former boss, all things considered, so he stayed silent.
"Botan?" Koenma sounded concerned, which was fair. Botan didn't want to lie to him (he was her close friend after all) so she decided to go with a gentle truth for the moment.
"A lot has happened." Her voice was soft, suffused with a myriad of emotions far too deep for the words 'a lot' to truly represent everything that occurred. "I think we should talk about it in person."
Koenma was silent for a long enough moment that Hiei, after wrapping a yukata around himself, motioned for Botan to give him the communicator. While she looked unsure, the bluette handed it over anyways. He rotated the mirror to face him, coming face to face with the deity. Brown eyes widened in startled shock. "Hiei!?"
"There's a lot to discuss and she can't go to you to do it." His voice was lacking emotion but held a firmness. "When will you arrive?"
"What are you doing in Botan's-" A look of horror washed over Koenma's face. "Oh no! She fell for the temptations!"
"Don't be a fool! She would be in the pits of hell by now if that were the case." Hiei stopped the panic attack that the toddler on screen was surely about to have. "Like I said, there's a lot to discuss." The brunette took a deep breath in through his nose while sucking furiously on the pacifier in his mouth. After a few more deep breaths, the deity had calmed enough to respond.
"I'll be there in an hour." The screen went black and the fire demon turned to look at the bluette who was still kneeling on the floor. She took the mirror back and stuffed it into her bag. Then Hiei held his hand out to her, helping her up.
"We should wash off before he shows up." He advised and she nodded her head, nerves running through her after that call. Not wanting to focus on the upcoming, difficult conversation, Botan focused instead on the feel of Hiei's hand in her own. It felt almost surreal to know she would be tied to him for eternity. A giddy happiness washed through her at the thought. He prepared the shower for them and two cleaned off in a comfortable silence, toweling off before changing into a set of clothes Yukina had washed while they were recovering from their battles.
The nerves were starting to come back, shaking her confidence just a little. Koenma was a god whereas Saint Raphael was just that: a saint. If anyone could overrule the power of a saint it would be a god but doing so in this case ran the risk of releasing a demon prince of hell into the living world. Botan hoped that risk would be enough of a defense if Koenma decided to undo it all. The former ferry woman wasn't even sure that her union with Hiei was allowed.
Hiei didn't offer her words of comfort, knowing they would do little to ease her anxiety. Instead he didn't let his own nerves show, appearing calm and collected. While he wasn't overly concerned that the brat would try to dissolve their union, he had learned over the years that not everyone in spirit world was as open minded as Botan was. That included her former boss as well at times.
The two waited outside for the deity, wanting to assess his reaction before inviting him inside. Hiei was letting Botan take the initial approach since she knew her former boss much better than he did. The bluette couldn't help but stiffen the moment the portal appeared. In his young adult form, Koenma walked through.
"Lord Koenma, welcome back." After giving a bow, Botan met his concerned yet demanding gaze. When his eyes flicked down to the faint scarring on her arm, the sigil and seal suddenly felt like neon signs. His gaze rested steadily on them, expression blank. A brief moment later, Koenma finally looked up to meet her anxious stare.
"What is going on, Botan?" The former ferry girl did her hardest to suppress the shudder of trepidation that ran down her spine. There were many different tones that the deity used but this one was rare. It was stern and unyielding, seeking answers one way or another. While Koenma may have appeared as a gentle human, he could very easily put 'The Fear of God' into a person if need be.
"Saint Raphael helped bind Asmodeus, sir." She could only hope starting with that truth would ease the rest of the news. There was some relief that seeped into his gaze upon hearing the name of the Saint that helped his chief ferry woman.
"So that's who I was sensing." Koenma closed the distance between the two of them, grasping her arm gently to take a closer look at the markings. She could feel the air around them slowly fill back up with tension as he examined her arm in silence. "But there's more than just that," His eyes, unreadable in that moment, met her own again, "Isn't there?"
"Yes, Lord Koenma." The words were whispered with a touch of fear. While she had seen some of this side of her former boss when he was interrogating others, Botan had never been on the receiving end of it. Not answering his question felt like an impossible task, her heart beating quickly in her chest. His hand continued to hold her wrist, the deity's thumb resting over the pulse point; easily telling Koenma her nervousness.
Brown eyes merely blinked at her, giving nothing away except a demand for answers. After a few seconds of her silence, Koenma leaned in with narrowed his eyes and zeroed in on the hickies along her neck. The deity's hand shot out quickly to the collar of her shirt before Botan could stop him and moved it to see her mate marking. Hiei, on the other hand, swiftly had a grip on Koenma's wrist and wrenched him away from the former ferry woman.
"Don't touch that, brat!" The words were growled out harshly and held a genuine threat of violence, surprising the god. He turned to stare at his former chief ferry woman.
"Like I said earlier, Lord Koenma; a lot has happened. I want to discuss it with you though I don't think you'll like it." Botan didn't make a move to get closer to her former boss, her body still shaking a little from the adrenaline and tension. "But, if you're willing to listen, we can go inside and explain all that's happened."
Koenma took a deep breath before pulling his wrist from the fire demon's grasp. Hiei stood next to Botan, letting off an aura that clearly told the god to keep his distance. She didn't mind; quite appreciative of his protectiveness. Her former boss looked the two of them over, his expression unreadable again, before nodding. In silence, the trio walked back into the temple.
Botan started some tea in the kitchen while Koenma and Hiei went to the sitting room. The tension was thick and the fire demon refused to break it. Sure, it was a literal god that he was standing up against but that didn't really concern him. He had known the brat a decent amount of time and knew that he cared a lot about his chief ferry woman.
Koenma took a seat at the table on one side while Hiei sat directly across. He wasn't keen on having Botan too close to the deity after the episode outside. This way he would be able to prevent said deity from getting any closer without a real fight. While Hiei was usually up for fighting someone like Koenma, he didn't think it would be a beneficial outcome.
"I didn't think you saw Botan that way." Koenma finally broke the silence, though Hiei wasn't surprised. The god wasn't as well practiced at remaining silent and aloof like the fire demon was.
"I don't emote all over the place like the others. If I don't want you to know something, you won't." The brunette gave him a scrutinizing look, though for what exactly Hiei wasn't sure.
"When I last spoke to her, Botan said she hadn't acted on her feelings. What changed so much that you and her went from nothing to tied together for eternity?" There was an accusing tone to his question but Hiei didn't respond, instead turning his attention to the former ferry woman who was coming into the room with a tray of tea for them all.
She gave a small smile at him but the fire demon could sense her nerves easily. Botan prepared the tea, impressing Hiei with how steady her hands remained while doing so. Koenma didn't say anything, opting to let the bluette go through all of the motions before trying to get her to talk. Finally she settled herself down beside the fire demon, facing her former boss.
"Tell me what all happened, Botan." His voice was surprisingly soft, none of the tension he'd held toward Hiei seeping through. "I want to understand."
"Well," She paused, contemplating where to start, "Leviathan came after Hiei the day everyone left."
"And no one thought to call me?!" The shout was filled more with indignant surprise than ire.
"No one else knew until last night. We spent almost two days recovering." Botan placated. That seemed to calm the deity down, though he looked much more concerned than before.
"How did you defeat the beast by yourselves?" Koenma's question made the bluette turn to meet her mate's gaze. Botan wasn't sure exactly how much of that situation she should confess.
"The dragon of the darkness flame took him out. Leviathan couldn't withstand the force." Hiei answered plainly, as if it was a common occurrence.
"That's far too simple. It was a demon prince of hell and, if you were both recovering for two days, you didn't come out unscathed. What else happened?" Koenma's more firm tone was back, making Botan grimace a little. Brown eyes looked to her imploringly but she looked away, instead taking a sip from her tea. The deity didn't take his gaze off of his friend and former subordinate. Unfortunately, both God and fire demon knew she would wilt under the pressure. After another moment, Botan released a sigh and finally met his stare.
"Hiei didn't make it out unscathed." A somber expression overtook her face as the memories ran through her mind. "I prayed to Saint Raphael for help and he gave me the power to revive him."
"Revive? As in he was dead?" There was a hesitation to the question, almost as if he didn't want to ask it. Botan shook her head but didn't say more. Her silence spoke to Koenma far more than her words would have. "He was going to die, though, wasn't he? You wouldn't have been able to save him otherwise, right?"
"He sent a demon prince back to hell; A demon prince that never would have noticed Hiei if it hadn't been for me! I wasn't going to let him die from that!" The protective ferocity in Botan's voice startled the deity. He considered her words in silence before nodding his head.
"Fair enough." His gaze turned to the demon across from him. "Thank you for that, by the way. I know you didn't do it for me but it does make my job easier." Hiei didn't respond except with a small nod in acknowledgement. Koenma turned back to his former chief ferry woman. "That still doesn't explain the rest, though."
"Well, to help Hiei defeat Leviathan, I gave my ward to him. Unfortunately that left me exposed to Asmodeus's influence, which sped everything up." Botan explained, a faraway look filling her eyes as she recalled all that transpired afterwards. "I carried him back here but it took all of our energy to make the trip."
"How far away were you from the temple?" Koenma was impressed with the bluette, not having expected such tenacity from her.
"I'm not sure." Botan's voice was soft, her mind replaying the intensity of that day. "Luckily Kurama had new wards for me when we got back but they weren't enough."
"Asmodeus was taking her over." Hiei filled in. He could tell that she was struggling through the memories of it all and decided to take the burden off of her shoulders. "The saint said to carve his markings into her flesh in order to dispel the demon prince's influence. I did it for her."
"How were you so sure it was Saint Raphael and not Asmodeus pretending?" Koenma asked, his brows furrowed in concerned confusion. "Demons from hell can pull more tricks than you can imagine."
"I know Saint Raphael's energy just as well as I know anyone's that I care about." Her soft voice answered. "It was him, otherwise I wouldn't be here now."
"True. Why did he demand you carve it into your flesh, though?" Koenma was going to have a word with the saint after he was through talking to the two sitting across from him.
"There wasn't time and the wards were disappearing too fast. You'll have to ask the saint why he wanted it on her. Regardless, it worked." Hiei understood the reason but didn't think it was wise to divulge it to the deity in front of him. Considering both Botan and Saint Raphael broke a lot of Spirit World laws to keep him alive and give her protection and happiness, the fire demon wasn't keen on ruining that.
"There was a price I had to pay for the blessing to work, though." Botan continued, her voice a touch forlorn. "Asmodeus is bound to my body." Finally her amethyst eyes lifted to meet her former boss's. "I can't turn into a spirit again until I die. Otherwise he could possess my body and not let me back inside."
Silence surrounded them, the room heavy with the sudden onslaught of emotions. Botan and Koenma stared at each other, a myriad of feelings expressed within their gaze. The deity was tense, his face unreadable only because it flipped through too many looks to pinpoint it. Hers was mainly somber and full of loss.
"You're mortal." Botan nodded at the statement, watching as his face settled into a bittersweet expression. "Well, I guess that means I'll have to visit and call more often now."
"Oh, I would love that! I don't want to lose our friendship too." The bluette reached over to grasp the deity's hand with tears in her eyes. "You're too important to me, Lord Koenma." He squeezed her hand back in comfort, a sad smile on his face.
"You won't lose my friendship, Botan. Something as simple as mortality wouldn't make me turn my back on you." The relieved smile the former ferry woman gave eased a bit of the sadness in the room. Koenma released her hand as his face changed from sad to curious." I would like to know the rest of what happened though." When she gave a slightly confused look, he elaborated. "Something must have happened to get you and Hiei together. You said, only days ago, that you hadn't acted on your feelings. So what happened?"
"Oh." Botan looked down to her lukewarm tea, a small blush coloring her cheeks. "Saint Raphael's price to complete his blessing and bind Asmodeus was our mating. Otherwise Asmodeus would slowly eat through the seal and sigil, risking my life again."
"And you agreed?" Koenma's stare turned to the quiet fire demon beside the bluette, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "All to save her life?"
"Not all. The feelings must be mutual for a demon mating ritual to work." That was all Hiei was going to elaborate on, not wanting to get into a discussion of feelings with the deity. The answer surprised Koenma but, instead of asking more questions to the demon, his brown eyes turned back to Botan.
"You're happy, though. Right?" The question was quite serious and Botan appreciated the care, feeling a little bad that she had been so worried about their conversation. She nodded emphatically, the smile on her face solidifying her affirmation. The deity relaxed and let his own smile come through. "Good." With that he stood, smoothing out the wrinkles in his outfit for a second, before looking down at the two of them.
"I'm happy for you both and you have my blessing." Botan's smile widened as a happy gasp left her. With a speed neither man expected, the bluette shot up out of her seat and rushed over to hug Koenma tightly with joyful laughter coming out of her.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She finally released him, grinning widely. "I'm so glad you approve, Lord Koenma!"
"Hiei isn't who I ever expected for you," Koenma started, his gaze moving to look at the demon still sitting down, "But he is beyond capable of protecting you and clearly makes you happy so of course I approve." Said fire demon nodded his head at the deity, accepting the blessing in silence. Turning back to his former ferry woman, he pulled her into one last hug before preparing for his leave.
Botan walked with him to the front door but Hiei opted to stay behind and let her say goodbye in private. Now that he had the deity's approval, the demon wasn't worried about either of them having to deal with repercussions from Spirit World or its denizens. While he knew that his mate would miss her home and all that came with it, Hiei wasn't displeased about not having to deal with spirit world nearly as much in his future.