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Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed this lovely Hiei x Botan Week. I hope everyone had fun with it. Stay safe and healthy! :)

Day 7: Free Day

"Grace is kindness, compassion, and caring." - Unknown

Quite a bit of time had passed since Hiei had last set foot in Spirit World. It stilled looked the same. The sky was still infuriatingly colorful, and the castle was large and unnecessarily ornate. Hiei's eyes narrowed in disgust. Maybe four months wasn't enough time to change, but this place held this pompous air for its eternity. The fire demon scoffed. At least not all were like that.

Hiei had been incredibly busy with his new position as Mukuro's general. There was barely any time for him to get away from it all. Mukuro could sense Hiei's agitation. It definitely came out in brutal ways during the last training session with the recruits. Some even ended up in the infirmary.

It was a long time to be away from his sister. Truthfully, though, it felt even longer being away from the ferry girl. The restlessness Hiei felt had very little to do with keeping a watchful eye on Yukina and everything to do with a longing for Botan. It was a ridiculous notion, and Hiei almost cursed Mukuro out for suggesting he was 'lovesick'. Still, when she told Hiei to take some time off, the fire demon jumped at the chance. The tension which had built up finally started to ebb away the closer he got to Spirit World…to her.

The strange, suspicious, and judgmental looks he received from all the Spirit World inhabitants did not deter him as he walked down the sparkling, bright hallways towards the ferry girl quarters. The closer he got, the more people he encountered. All the ferry girls seemed to be congregating for some reason. Botan was not among them. Hiei's brow raised, and a question settled inside of him. Why wasn't Botan with them?

The dark-haired ferry girl who seemed to be close with Koenma and friendly and protective of Botan spotted Hiei. Her eyes dimmed, but she excused herself from a conversation with some other woman. Hiei managed to keep his expression neutral as the woman, Ayame, approached. She was not as disapproving as the others, but Hiei didn't care for her much like he didn't care about the world she resided.

Her greeting words stunned Hiei. "Would you please go check on Botan?"

"What?" Hiei bit out in a venomous tone. He felt a pang in his chest, a feeling of anxiety that crept into him. "Is she ill?" Could ferry girls even get ill?

Ayame didn't seem bothered by his angry outburst. She smiled sadly at the fire demon and shook her head. "She just hasn't been herself these last few days."

Crimson eyes narrowed, especially when her heard some of the other ferry girls make noises of disgust or disbelief. He shot them all a nasty glare, a glare so fierce that many of the girls jumped and backed away. They turned away from Hiei and he could see them whisper in each other's ears. It appeared they were displeased about his arrival, but not as much as Hiei was about Ayame's words.

His fury was once again directed towards Ayame. "What did you do to her?"

"I'm sure a friendly face is just what she needs right now," was the reply.

Ayame walked away, back towards the other women. Hiei didn't bother to stay long. He disappeared in a flash and flitted off to Botan's room. The request of the elder ferry girl concerned Hiei more than he cared to admit. An unusual feeling of foreboding afflicted the fire demon. The instinct to make sure his woman was okay overrode everything.

When he made it to her room, Hiei opened the door without knocking. The room was dark and quiet; most would assume no one was there. Hiei knew. Botan was in there, and she was upset. There were times he'd return to the apartment to find Botan alone in the dark, usually after one of their senseless arguments. A pit formed in his gut as he moved past the entryway. Botan was in her bed, back towards the door, and she was shaking. The scent of salt and water diffused through the room.

Hiei's fists clenched. He hated it when women cried. It reminded him too much about his sister's kidnapping, and for strong women to cry it meant something truly hurt them. He only caught Botan crying a handful of times, and each time twisted him and tore him apart. Whoever caused this would pay.

The sound of his footsteps alerted Botan. She flinched, but she did not move to see who was there. The ferry girl assumed it was Koenma. He tried to visit her the day before to find out why she didn't do her duties that day. "I already told you, sir, I'm just not feeling well."

"That's not what that other woman said."

Botan gasped and sat up quickly. When her amethyst eyes fell on Hiei, she tried to dry her tears and smooth her messy hair. "H-Hiei!" she called out. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

The woman's demeanor did not change. She still appeared upset and sad. Normally, Hiei's return brought her great joy, even when she had a bad day. He tried not to be snarky when he asked, "The question is what got the normally cheery ferry girl in such a state?"

At that, Botan smiled a little bit. Most people would see Hiei's question and actions as rude, but she knew deep down that he was only there because he cared. "It's nothing," she lied. She finally moved to get out of her bed and after she stood, she headed towards her small kitchenette. "It's good to see you. Let me go make us some tea."

Before Botan could retreat, Hiei grabbed her wrist. His touch was gentle, but his grip was firm. Botan turned back to face him; his crimson eyes bore into her soul. "Botan."

The ferry girl's lips pursed into a firm line. She released a sigh and shook her head. "It's nothing that should have made me feel this badly," she whispered. "The other day, the some of the other ferry girls were talking about me. I overheard, and when I asked, they said I lacked grace."

Hiei forced himself to rein in his temper. So, Botan had been bullied by her coworkers, probably those witches who made mocking noises and talked about him while he was standing right there. "What?"

Botan didn't seem to notice the room's temperature go down a few degrees. She continued to explain her plight. "And it really upset me because I know they're right." While Botan made the statement, she was turned away from Hiei. She didn't see his brow furrow or the angry, disbelieving glint in his eyes.

"I'm not all that elegant," she lamented forlornly. "I'm pretty clumsy from time to time. I try to carry myself with grace, but obviously I'm failing."

Hiei didn't say anything. Instead he raged internally. Botan was wonderful just the way she was. Sure, she had clumsy moments and wasn't always light on her feet, but that didn't matter. If someone as good as her could care about someone like him with his history of evil deeds, then she was the most graceful, more than all of Spirit World put together. Most likely, the other ferry girls said such a nasty thing to bully Botan, and Hiei had a sneaking suspicion it was because of Botan's relationship with him.

The tears returned, and Botan closed her eyes. She turned away from him again, probably so that he couldn't see whatever shame she felt. Botan was usually not the type to pity herself like this. Hiei could only wonder just how toxic and spiteful the other ferry girls had been to her without giving any kind of reason. Botan probably wondered what she had done to make her friends turn on her like that. There was a distinct possibility that Botan wasn't just hurt by the words but felt betrayed by her own kind.

Swiftly, Hiei appeared in front of Botan. He lifted his hand and gently stroked Botan's cheek. Botan's eyes snapped open, the woman startled out of her sadness. Hiei wiped away the offensive tears.

"You have more grace than anyone in existence. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Botan's eyes softened, and her features relaxed. Before she could say anything, Hiei sealed her lips in a kiss. Her hands entangled in his hair, and the two felt like the separation of the past four months never happened. Hiei would make damn sure that by the time he left, those petty spirits' words would no longer affect his kindhearted ferry girl. She was much too good for that.