"Hey, how come you don't use that freaky green body of yours anymore?"

Hiei wasn't expecting such a question to pour out of the detective's mouth and almost choked on his drink.

"Green body?" Kuwabara asked, leaning on his elbows, his attention shifting from Yukina to her twin. "What's Urameshi talkin' about, short stuff?"

Yukina seemed interested too, failing to hide the way her red eyes widened and small hands clapped together on her lap. Hiei silently cursed the damned detective and fought down the urge to carve the boy's tongue out. Instead, he turned his attention towards the oaf.

"I fail to see how that is any of your business."

"Oh come on," Yusuke urged, making sure his legs didn't jolt to much and wake Keiko, who had long since fallen asleep with her head nestled neatly on his lap.

Hiei growled and his grip tightened around the half-empty bottle of liquor.

"Perhaps we should change the subject," Kurama spoke up, sensing the growing tension, but his words fell on deaf ears. Yusuke continued to question Hiei, and in his half drunken state, it didn't seem like it would stop any time soon.

Sighing, the fox picked up his tea cup and forced the warm liquid down his throat. A weight suddenly settled on his right shoulder and the smell of cider and cigarette smoke filled his nose. He coughed into his hand.

"You going to explain this to me?" Shizuru whispered, her finger pointing between the detective and the fire-demon.

"Perhaps later, although, it really isn't my place to say."

His partner tossed a few stray strands of hair over her shoulder. "I take it you know what they're talking about then."

Kurama nodded. "I do."

"I won't force anything out of you, but I do expect an explanation later." She didn't clarify when 'later' would be, so Kurama returned his attention back to the conversation (more like interrogation at this point), watching silently. If his words wouldn't work, then there was no point in trying.

"Wait, you're tellin' me the shrimp can turn green? And grow a bunch of eyes? What the hell- that's creepy!" Kuwabara shouted, his loud voice booming around the room.

Hiei hissed, clenching and unclenching his fists. He should have never come to this idiotic get together. He should have left right after the tournament ended, he should have-

The door separating the kitchen from the room they were in slid open and Botan popped out from the corner, holding a cup of lukewarm tea. "Are you boys talking about Hiei?"

Fuck. Hiei's shoulders jolted. This is what he had been trying to avoid.

"Hey Botan, you've seen it, right? When Hiei kidnapped Keiko and went full demon?"

Botan's pink eyes found Yusuke. She bit her lip, shifting through her memories. "Oh, yes, of course." She smiled sheepishly. "How could I forget?"

Her words struck a chord in Hiei. Annoyed, he forced the remains of the drink down his throat. When he first met the detective, he had activated his Jagan form, kidnapped Keiko, and threatened Botan telepathically. Hiei thought nothing of it then. The Jagan body was intentionally constructed to look hideous and intimidating.

It was different now.

"He was very powerful," Botan continued, leaning against the wall. "It was by sheer luck Yusuke and I survived."

Yusuke chorkled at the memory.

Kuwabara didn't understand and spoke up when the noise died down. "If it's so powerful, why didn't he use it during the tournament? Why try and tame the dragon when your already so-"

Hiei slammed his hand against the table. "Shut up."

The room fell silent.

No one dared speak.

Kurama took to idly running his finger around his cup.

Yusuke found Keiko's hair very interesting.

Kuwabara looked out the window and Yukina played with something on her lap.

Botan blinked, she knew how sensitive the topic of the Jagan body was for Hiei, even if he'd never admit it. Talking about it so openly was destined to put her fire demon in a bad mood. With that in mind, Botan decided to try her hand at easing up the tension. "Well, I don't know about you, but I thought his Jagan body was quite cute."

"You though his demon form was cute?" Kuwabara asked.

"Um, yes?"

"... you got some weird tastes, Botan."

Yusuke snickered behind his hand and muttered something under his breath.

Botan blushed, fingering a few strands of her blue hair. "I don't see what's so weird about it."

"To each their own," Kurama said, glancing at Shizuru.

Kuwabara rubbed his chin. "Ya, but still, I can't picture Botan getting it on with a green, multi-eyed shrimp."

Hiei growled warningly.

Botan was the only one who seemed to notice Hiei's growing anger and tried to dismantle it before things got out of hand. She kneeled down beside him, hand on his leg in what she hoped was a calming gesture (she's still new to demon mannerisms).

"Call me stupid, but I gotta agree with the numbskull over here," Yusuke said, jabbing his thumb in Kuwabara's direction.

Hiei's eye ticked.

"Dear, calm down," Botan whispered.

"Maybe she has a thing for Jagan eyes, Urameshi."

"Who knows," the spirit detective grinned, "I bet our favorite ferry-girl has a bunch of secret little kinks she's not tellin' us about."

Botan stilled, her hand stopping just below Hiei's knee, a blush growing across her cheeks. "Tha- that's not- Yusuke you pervert!"

"I don't hear you denying it."

"I- I-"

Kuwabara gapped. "Oh man, Hiei corrupted her!"

"Fool, keep your mouth shut," Hiei snarled.

"I'd do as he says, little bro, unless you want to meet the tip of his sword," Shizuru cut in, lazily watching the teens around her. "As for Botan's exotic tastes, she's not the only one trying new things-"

Kurama went ridgid. Surly she isn't suggesting…

"-I bet if Keiko was awake, she'd have a few interesting stories to tell."

In the next few minutes, multiple things happened.

Kurama visibly relaxed, Yusuke fell backwards (yet somehow Keiko stayed asleep), Kuwabara covered Yukina's ears, Botan giggled, and Hiei hid a smirk, pulling the ferry-girl closer to himself.