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Hiei and Botan had fallen into a routine. Botan would still take a portion of her paycheck to donate as before, but now she kept some of it to pay Hiei back for his many kindnesses towards her. It had been about a month since the two of them had become unlikely friends. Hiei had her over for dinner many times. In addition to that, on the cold or rainy nights, Hiei would demand she stay on the boat with him.

The first time it happened, Botan had been shocked. Her clothes from Yukina were getting a bit worn, and they definitely weren't enough to protect her from the harsh elements. Hiei could see her shivering all night, and Botan never noticed the flicker of concern in his eyes.

They had been talking and drinking, and they played cards with a deck Hiei bought with money from another one of his odd jobs. It wasn't much, but it helped the two pass the long hours of the night. When Botan had gotten up to leave, Hiei had gently grabbed her wrist before she could wrap it around her form.

"Stay the night."

Botan protested, not wanting to cause him any trouble, but he was adamant about her not sleeping in the frozen alley. Actually, he demanded she stay because he had two beds, hammocks really, but it was more than the woman could have hoped for. Since then, Botan would bring home her dinner with plastic cutlery. They spent the evenings eating together, sharing the meal.

Each night, when Botan went to leave, Hiei found some other reason to keep her there.

The two developed this whole camaraderie. Every so often, they'd talk about their pasts. Sometimes they'd just drink and banter, Botan finally developing a taste for the cheap crap Hiei could afford. Usually when that happened, they'd make morbid jokes about some of it, Hiei indulging in his usually silent thought about how the boat could sink at any day. When Botan heard this, her hazy, amethyst eyes met his, a tinge of concern flickering through.

"What happens then?" she asked him, a strange sincerity and distress intoxicating her tone.

He answered her with honesty. "I'll probably go with it."

Hiei had expected the woman to say something senseless, to panic. He even worried his words might trigger her considering her tragic past, her parents' deaths ever on the forefront of her mind. She surprised him by doing none of it. Instead, she opened another can of beer, one of their last, and raised it up in mock cheer. "If that's going to happen, then we might as well continue the party." Hiei's lips curled diabolically, finding cruel amusement in the woman's strangely tantalizing and depraved words.

Clearly, Hiei should have stopped the party. The woman was drunk, most likely for the first time in her life, and he shouldn't have let her speak so disparagingly. Still, he was buzzed himself, so much so that he almost didn't care when she playfully threw herself at him, the woman sitting in his lap and bringing her face dangerously close to his.

Almost being the operative word…

Hiei felt awkward holding the woman, his arms wrapped loosely around her. He hardly had much experience save those horrid moments of his past. With the bitch in the past, though, Hiei felt fearful and helpless. Holding Botan, he felt none of those things. It was actually quite pleasant, to feel her developing curves pressed up against him, a sign that the food she had been eating was plumping her up to a healthy weight. The fact that he noticed this was not lost on him.

"You've had enough," he told her in a whisper. She was so close, he could practically taste the alcohol on her breath. "Go to sleep."

As if on cue, Botan attempted to continue the game they had been playing for the last couple of weeks, the one where she tried to leave and persuade him to let her. She hadn't won once.

She tried to get up off of Hiei saying her usual line, "I have to go back home."

Hiei's griped tightened on her, and Botan nearly felt into him. A smirk dusted his lips. "If you can escape, you can go."

"Not fair," Botan mumbled into his shoulder before a wave of exhaustion overtook her. It was probably the last three beers, the woman not used to drinking and having little food and water in her stomach for the day. She nestled her head against his neck, absorbing his heat, not noticing his entire form stiffen beneath her as she fell asleep on him.

Hiei was not feeling completely out of his element. The last time he was in a position like this with a woman…he took a deep breath. There was no way he was going to let her get the best of him. His attention returned to the powder blue hair of the woman and her soft, delicate skin. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat at the thought.

He didn't want to leave her alone to sleep on the floor, and he knew she was not getting up to the hammock. A sigh escaped him as he adjusted their positions, grabbing the blanket they had been sitting on and wrapping it around her. Hiei curled up with her, falling asleep shortly after, and honestly it was the best he'd slept in the longest time. All because she felt so warm.

As this time passed, Yukina had shown up once again, running into Botan with her brother. Yukina could tell that Botan was still timid around her, but she expected as much. She knew that her brother and this woman lived in a world she could never understand. Truthfully, she just wanted to make sure they were okay and offer them whatever comforts she could. They deserved that and so much more.

When the inevitable invite came again, Botan was wary. She was afraid that she definitely would run into Kuwabara. As selfish as she felt it might be, Botan just didn't want to deal with him or their old friends. She didn't want to get in the way again.

Hiei had been surprised when Yukina showed up so soon with new clothes for him and Botan. As much as he wanted to refuse her handouts, he knew his sister would never stand for it. Besides, Botan did need some new garments so he needed to set some sort of example for her to follow. How could he tell her to accept his sister's generosity when he didn't? He wouldn't be a hypocrite.

Still, he knew Botan's concerns about running into Kuwabara, and he could see the fear in the woman's eyes. He stepped in, giving his sister a semi-white lie. "Botan has issues with men," he stated, shocking both Yukina and Botan. He didn't know if Botan's surprise was from the fact that he was stating this in her defense, the fact that he noticed this about her, or that he spoke up at all. Of course, given what happened to her as a child and after she left the club, Hiei was certain that wasn't too far from the truth.

Yukina's eyes softened as she looked to Botan, realization flooding her eyes. She knew that Botan left last time, and now she was starting to understand why. "Are you worried about Kazuma?" she asked. Before Botan could answer, Yukina added, "He's a very sweet man, but if he makes you uncomfortable, I can ask him to go visit his sister for the day. It will just be the three of us."

Botan had agreed, but when they were there for dinner she had regretted it. That night, Yukina asked Botan many questions about herself. She wanted to know the stories of her past. Beside herself, Botan reluctantly shared some of them not in great detail. Hiei was stunned that she humored his sister, but he didn't interrupt. As Botan spoke, he noticed her eyes dim, like she was withdrawing into herself and reporting the happenings of another person. The fact that she could detach herself so easily discussing this with another person bothered him more than he cared to admit, not when she was able to tell him with so much emotion.

The woman's emotional scars ran much deeper than he thought.

It was another random nights, days blurring together. Hiei didn't really keep track of time much, except sometimes when he checked the radio and always at night. Botan came by around midnight, sometimes an hour later, and that was how he marked the time. This night, though, Hiei felt like something was wrong. The woman should have been there by now, he knew. Somehow he could just tell.

Hiei was expecting her, but she didn't show up on time. How did he know? Well, he had felt off and checked radio. She wasn't on time.

Worry was not an emotion Hiei was used to feeling. He worried about his father and mother, and he also worried about his sister. She was in a good place though, so his concern was usually fleeting. Since Botan entered his life, those pesky emotions seemed to infiltrate his mind, but he did nothing to stop them. In keeping with that, Hiei left his boat and headed down the road to her workplace.

His blood boiled at the sight of the bastard that attacked her the first night.

Botan was backed against the wall of the building, fear in her amethyst eyes. The depraved look on the vile man's face was telling. Hiei could barely make out the sleazy remarks being made to the woman he was growing to consider as a friend. Well, Hiei didn't come looking for trouble, but by hell he was going to give some so that the disgusting cretin wouldn't harm her again.

He stepped up, his foot crashing down on the pavement, earning the attention of the guy and Botan. He went over to the woman and pushed her behind him, acting as a barrier between her and the sicko. "Get the hell away from her."

Botan's eyes widened in surprise, but the man found more amusement in Hiei's dark tone. He was stout and fat, old, and clearly deranged. The man actually laughed at Hiei only serving to anger Hiei further, his fist clenching hard as he forced himself to refrain from punching him. "I think I recognize you."

"I was the one to detain you last time you tried something with the woman," Hiei reminded him, voice cold, filled with the promise of danger.

The man was unfazed. "Oh, yeah," he recalled. He then chuckled cruelly. "Look, kid, get lost. You don't want to mess with Tarukane." But Hiei didn't move. He kept Botan blocked from the creep's, Tarukane's, view. Something seemed to register in Tarukane's mind before he turned away. "Suit yourself," he said before he walked away.

He stopped before he went too far, turning to look at Botan one last time. "I'll see you again real soon."

They waited until he was completely out of sight before Hiei brought Botan back to the boat.

Hiei began to set out food for him and Botan, the woman curled up in a ball. Her mind was trapped in the thoughts of what could have occurred had he not shown up to rescue her for a second time, he was loathe to admit. Had he not been there, it could have ended badly, and that didn't sit well with the man. He looked to Botan, his voice cutting through the barrier her mind was erecting. "I am going to start accompanying you to the strip club," he told her. He was met with a disbelieving stare.

Botan was pulled from her thoughts, and her shock was evident. Soon, though, her shock gave way to her ire. Her eyes narrowed. "No."

"This isn't open for discussion," he growled. "You're not going alone again."

"I didn't ask for your help," Botan argued back. "I appreciate it, but Hiei, I have to do this. I don't want you there. You're not going with me."

"You haven't asked for my help," Hiei repeated, "and yet you've needed it twice." Botan flinched, but then glared at him. "Don't you know what would have happened each time if I didn't intervene? You would have been at his mercy. Hasn't that happened to you more than enough already?"

Botan felt the jab, and it hurt her so deeply that Hiei would throw her past in her face. "Screw you," she whispered quietly before getting up and climbing out of the boat.

Alarmed, Hiei demanded, "Where are you going?"

"Home!" Botan shouted. "Don't worry; you don't need to help me again. I was doing fine on my own before you!"

She left, and Hiei had to fight the desire to reach out and pull her back. He was angry at the woman, bitter over the fact that she was refusing his help. He looked to the plate of uneaten food and watched as she rounded the corner into the alleyway. Well, if she wanted to play it that way, fine. He wouldn't try to assist her, never again.

Even his mind knew that that wasn't true.

He couldn't get over the disgust he felt when he saw that same man near the woman. The rage he felt could only be rivaled by what he felt when his grandmother degraded his parents. He cared more than he wanted to admit, didn't even know how it was possible. He was loathe to admit that his own ire had stemmed from feelings of jealousy in addition to his abhorrence of that vile human being. As he thought this, Hiei asked himself what the hell he had to feel jealous over and he realized how sick it sounded. He looked to a half-drunk can from the previous day and downed the remnants of the beer. It wasn't nearly enough to numb him, but he needed to try to temper his fury and turn in for the night.

After all, if the woman came back, he needed to keep calm. A decent night's sleep was the only way to accomplish that.

She couldn't believe who she found walking on the busy street. It had been so long since she saw him, that boy, now a man. The woman smirked viciously. She made him into that, handsome, rugged, and brooding. She tossed her red hair over her shoulder and followed him.

Hiei looked just as delectable as she remembered and a lot less vulnerable. Ruka smirked. It didn't matter. She was sure she could break past his guard. The woman was completely surprised to find him heading towards a boat. If she remembered correctly, his father was a sailor. This must have been all he had left. How sad, she thought with slight amusement.

Her eyes caught sight of a blue-haired woman coming from the alley behind. Ruka's brow quirked. Who was this woman? Then, her gaze narrowed when she saw the girl walking towards Hiei's boat. She stopped there, looking a bit saddened and sheepish at first before Hiei spoke perhaps two words that caused the woman to wear this beaming smile. A growl escaped Ruka's lips. Seriously, what was this woman? Who was she? And why did Hiei seem so familiar with her?

Well, the girl walked away and started heading towards where Ruka was. The sultry redhead watched as the girl walked by like nothing was wrong. She looked a bit dirty as she walked into an establishment. Ruka smirked when she realized. This girl, she was nothing more than a stripper, someone who used her body for money, and nothing more. Pathetic.

She waited around, shopping in the area until later in the evening. Then, Ruka stayed close to the strip club. Around twelve o'clock, the blue-haired wench came outside, and Ruka approached her. She was glad she hadn't been kept waiting much longer. It was getting cold, and Ruka was tired of waiting.

"Hiei doesn't need a girl like you." The girl froze and looked down to the ground before turning to see the stranger. Ruka smirked at the bemused and startled expression she wore. She was just a child, wasn't she, but far from innocent if she sold her body at night. "You can't give him what he desires."

"I…" Botan spoke, still stunned. She didn't get a chance to respond when Hiei showed up in front of her the night before. His expression was the same but filled more with burning hatred. Botan could almost feel the heat radiating off of him as his whole body tensed and shook.

Hiei had been watching from the boat. He and Botan had talked that morning. She had expressed how much his concern had touched her, but she had just been so used to doing things on her own and living on her own without having anyone to tell her what to do that she reacted so harshly. Hiei understood. If the roles had been reversed, he would have acted the same way. They agreed, though, that if Botan had another incident, Hiei would definitely be walking her there and back without question. Of all the nights for Ruka to show up, this was probably the worst.

He said nothing to the witch as he silently confronted her. She looked so pleased with himself that Hiei actually felt the desire to rip her apart. Instead, he took Botan's hand and dragged her away from the woman. He didn't even stop when he heard Ruka's protesting "hey!"

Ruka watched, irritated, but she decided to leave. She accomplished what she set out to do, anyway. He knew she was there, and his little whore would now have doubt. Taking one last glance, she kept a mental note of where Hiei now "lived." This wasn't the last he'd see of her.

Back at the boat, Botan asked Hiei about the woman as they got their dinner together. His jaw clenched, and he continued with the task without saying anything. He seemed so incredibly angry with her, and Botan felt back. The woman had been very attractive, and the way she spoke sounded like that of a jealous woman. Botan wondered if she had been Hiei's girlfriend. Maybe that's why he had been so angry. His next words took her aback.

"What did the bitch say to you," he asked coldly.

"She…" Botan started nervously. "She said someone like me couldn't give you what you needed." Hiei looked up and glared straight ahead. "But I didn't say…" She paused and took in his tensed features. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" Hiei said a bit too hurriedly.

Botan looked at him, guilt written all over her. "I never intended to get you in trouble with your girlfriend."

Hiei felt like his had been struck in the gut, his core and body frozen. He looked to Botan as if she had stabbed him. "W-What's wrong?" she asked. He said nothing. "H-Hiei?" Gently, she moved to touch him.

He grabbed her wrist hard on instinct. The woman cringed from the pain, Hiei loosening his grip on her. Botan looked to him perplexed. He couldn't blame her. She had been open about her experience, and yet he left her clueless to the darker parts of his past. "She is not my girlfriend," he admitted, bitterly spitting out the last word. "She is a witch, a horrible human being."

"What did she do to you?" Botan asked gently, pulling her wrist away from him and taking his hand instead. Hiei gripped her offered hand tightly, like a lifeline. Botan didn't mind. She just moved closer to him as Hiei confided in her all of what happened. As Botan listened, her expression dropped, her heart aching for the kind man who had gone out of his way to help her. He was such a good soul, and he did not deserve what happened to him.

She offered him comfort, taking pride in him. Even though Hiei had felt he needed to suffer that way because he needed the shelter or resources, he proved he could get by without that harlot. "Clearly you didn't need anyone, because you are so strong, resilient, and amazing."

Hiei looked at her baffled before looking out at the water. "You say the strangest things…"

Botan simply smiled and looked out at the ocean and at the stars. She leaned into Hiei, giving him the chance to relax against her after he tensed before leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt this warm and bubbly feeling arise inside of her when he didn't push her away.

A/N: I pretty much have no excuse for why this took a year to update other than life and a need to write more fluff instead of trauma. I have the story mapped out for the most part, and there really wasn't a need for that. Here is me hoping it won't be another year. In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading!