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Title: Playing with Fire
Summary: She thinks he reminds her of fire. He thinks she doesn't know how right she is.
Disclaimer: I don’t own them. But I play with them. A lot.
Rating: PG. Don't expect this rating for very long.
Cookies: Chapter dedication to Rezzie. Because she stalks me everywhere.
---
He’d come to think of life as a slow continuum of ups and downs, and eventually, nothing’s. But because that’s only what he’d thought of it as, didn’t necessarily mean that that was how it was like for everyone.
Take Botan, for example.
“Hiei-san~. Here’s your new assignment. Will you make sure to deliver it to Yusuke?” Her voice had snapped him out of his thoughts, as his eyes drifted forward to set indifferently upon her.
“Hn.” He curtly took the papers, turning to walk off. Botan stood calmly in the place she’d been in, watching his retreating figure. She shivered as a small breeze strung through one of the opened windows and tickled her skin. The ferry girl turned to walk in the same direction as the Koorime had, turning her head to glance at him down the corner he had taken.
She blushed as he turned to face her. She issued a bout of nervous laughter, before scampering behind the safety of the next hallway.
She missed his smirk, but she didn’t miss his silent snickering.
---
“Koenma-sama! I’ve got the papers~ Where do you want me to put them?” Koenma would look up from the massive heap of black on white, only to fall backwards into it.
“Somewhere.. maybe the trash. I think you should put it in the trash, Botan.”
Botan would have given a bout of laughter, if not had she seen the heading to one of them. It wasn’t the title that had caused a crease in her brow. it was the.. date?
“Ne, Koenma -sama..” Sudden brief flashbacks of her dream would throw her thoughts off a bit, as she walked around the desk to face him with a frown. He blinked at her expression, incessant suckling of the pacifier in his mouth pausing for a moment.
“Yes?”
The ferry girl would open up her mouth, about to inquire as to what had exactly happened on... September 21’st. But she wrinkled her nose instead. There wasn’t any reason for her to ask, except for a dream she’d had. It wasn’t enough to make such a big deal about it. Instead, she’d grin down at him, waving the papers around.
“I’m not throwing them out. Continue your work, or your father will get mad.” Koenma paled, and she cheerfully dropped them onto his desk, skipping out.
It was only a dream. Nothing else. She couldn’t let it play with her attitude and thoughts.
She would have been just delighted to let her thoughts of the subject end there, but a voice snapped her out of it.
“Botan.” She turned, and her breath caught on a whimper.
"Botan..."
"Run."
It was Hiei. She scrunched up her nose, and tried to look at him. In his eyes, and not anywhere else. It proved to be the most difficult thing she’d ever done, even more so than that one time that she’d had to-
“Yes, Hiei-san?” Inhale, exhale, repeat. Why was she acting this way? She almost wanted to whack herself with her oar. Where was her oar, anyway...
“I want to see Koenma.” He demanded. It was a tad bit harsh, but his eyes weren’t as cold. They were still red, though. Like a demon’s. Because that’s what he was.
“H-hai. Um, Koenma-sama was just signing some papers, but..”
“Now.” He was approaching her at this point, and paused briefly beside her. She froze to the spot as he gazed at her, before continuing on to Koenma’s office.
but what caught her attention most was his eyes.
They were a very dark red color, and she thought that his eyes might've also been bleeding.
“ You should sleep.” She turned in a daze, and noted that he was still there, looking at her with his crimson eyes. She wondered idly how many people he’d killed during his life. How many people he hadn’t. How many people...
“Hai. I guess I’ll.. try.”
How many people had wanted to be his friend? She realized she wasn’t looking at him, and looked up, her mouth open in question. But all she saw was the swing of Koenma’s door as it shut, and then she was alone.
---
She seemed so subdued by living, that every moment of her existence was spent in chipper happiness. But, she wasn’t living anymore. She was a guide to the spirit world, so she couldn’t be among the living. But she was happy, nonetheless.
The fire Koorime idly wondered if she was as happy when she’d been alive.
“You wanted me, Hiei?” the nasally voice made him twitch, and he took comfort in the warmth of his coat.
“You know why I’m here.” He was tempted to strangle the youth, but he didn’t. After all, he was of need of him at the moment.
The aforementioned, rubbed his forehead in a manner a forty year old might do as well.
“I almost wished you would have forgot.” He muttered, digging through the papers to pull out one of them with a red title. It was one of the many Botan had brought to him only mere moments ago, and he sighed.
“ Are you sure you want this..? You won’t see them anymore, you know.” his eyes were worried, and big, but Hiei wouldn’t fall to pity him so easily.
“Sign it.” He, again, held his temper. He didn’t want to be reminded that he wouldn’t see them. He wouldn’t admit to any sincere feelings he held for the Tantei or anyone else. He’d convinced himself that he didn’t have any.
Koenma sighed, and brought out his stamp, pounding it against the paper with disapproval. He picked it up and handed to the crimson hued man, who took it, reading over the document in fervor. A smirk took his face, as he glanced down at the young prince of the underworld. He squirmed at his gaze.
“I guess that’s it, then.” He muttered, slumping back into his chair and looking out his balcony towards the gardens. Hiei followed his gaze, his smirk turning into a feverish grin.
“Hn.”
“Are you going to go say goodbye to them?” Hiei almost chucked the stamp at his head. Instead, he rolled the paper, and tucked it in a pocket inside his cloak.
“Hn. Maybe.” Which meant no. He didn’t want to know how a goodbye felt. He’d never given one before.
“Well, then.. you can go. Want Botan to escort you to the.. Makai, I presume?” Koenma sported a nervous look, Hiei narrowed his eyes, and turned for the door. He didn’t wish to say goodbye to her, either. It might hurt him in some incredulous way, and he really didn’t want that.
“I know my own way.”
“Yes, well.. Good luck, Hiei.”
The door slammed in his response.
---
Hiei walked down the hallways, pulling and unraveling the bit of parchment from his pocket. Today, he mused, was a day to remember. It was the 21’st day of September, and now he was free.
And nothing was holding him down anymore. The moronic red head would take care of Yukina, and he had the Jagan. He wouldn’t had to risk her in anyway, and she wouldn’t know. And the Tantei.. Even though Kurama had been secretly freed a month ago, he still worked with them. Hiei snorted. Yusuke had Keiko, and a fighting spirit. Everything he was attached to could go on without him. All strings were cut, etcetera, etcetera.
“Hiei-san? Are you going back to Ningenkai?” He paused, head canting to look at the cerulean locked ferry girl behind him.
Hiei realized that there was still one last string attached.
---
Eh. Yeah, I know. That was a long update. But.. I had so many art projjies to do, it’s not even funny ;_;.
Anyways, reviews make my muse go ‘w007’. So please do so ^^