Tender is the Night

Disclaimer: Standard
-
Tender is the Night
-
It startled her from sleep, that hand that slid slowly up her thigh. Not only because she knew she had locked her door before going to bed and not only because she knew that she was on the sixtieth floor and the windows were permanently sealed shut, but because the fingers that skimmed over her knee and sunk into her inner thigh were just so bloody possessive, as if they knew, even if she didn't yet, that she belonged to them and every secret of her body was theirs to plunder.

Unwillingly, she moaned and arched back, even as she slipped her own hand down to stop the invader's progress. The tangled fingers halted midway above her knee.

The breath that hit her ear sent shivers down her back as she was rolled over to face the ceiling. “Onna, I think you need a lesson in focus.”

Her eyes abruptly ripped open to find Hiei's crimson ones glinting in the faint light coming from behind her curtains that rippled with the rotation of the fan above her. A smirk touched his face even as her hands came up to rest on his shoulders, undecided yet as whether or not to push him away.

“W-what...” she paused, regrouped, licked her lips, and tried again. “What do you mean?”

His gaze remained glued to the place her tongue had just lingered, though he answered her clearly enough. “Hn. You made such a beginners mistake on the last job, you must not have been thinking straight. I need to make sure you have the ability to focus before you participate in any more.”

Shakily, she inhaled, catching a whiff of whatever faint scent seemed to linger around him, of sweetly burning wood and the chill crispness of winter. She shuddered again as he sunk from his one supporting hand to his elbow, her arms giving against the force, and the smell enveloped her. “I don't understand. How is this-”

His mouth interrupted her, molding with alacrity to hers, snagging against her lips as he tilted his head, and then searing back firmly as he continued with a better angle. She moaned, she couldn't help it, letting her arms make their own decisions to wrap firmly around his neck. Slowly, he melted into her, the elbow sliding up to curl under her shoulder and pull her breasts flush against his chest. She gasped as she realized that somehow he had managed to pull the hem of her tank top up to her chin and that his naked body was now pressed tight to hers.

“Focus,” he groaned roughly into her ear, and suddenly the hand that she had stopped on her leg swiftly and purposefully completed it's journey. It smoothed up her thigh like velvet, crept past the leg of her boxer shorts, and rested against the cotton of her panties before pressing oh so firmly...!

Botan gasped awake and sat swiftly up in bed, staring blearily at the wall opposite her. The mirror there in return gave a haunted reflection of her, panting, sweaty, and alone. The sheets were twisted savagely across the king size feather mattress, and her clothes were plastered tight against her body.

Slowly, she flopped back to the bed as her heart rate decreased, half heartedly straightening the sheets as she did so. She hadn't had a fantasy that intense for years. And to have one about her partner in crime! Botan groaned, and not in that body wracking, pleasures fulfilled way. This was not good. This was so not good. It was almost the epitome of bad except that, thank goodness, it wasn't the absolute worst it could have been, because he wasn't sharing the bed with her tonight.

She probably would have jumped his bones after waking up from a dream like that if they were.

Frustrated, Botan flipped and gave a morose scream into her pillows. Seriously, this hadn't happened for years, not since she'd be disillusioned by that rugby fellow back in her first year of college, so why did her 'natural instincts' or whatever they were called have to come back now? How was she ever going to look him straight in the eye now and not think of this?

Then again, she hadn't been as attracted to a man as she was to Hiei in years either.

With a sigh of resignment, she rolled back towards the window, watching the faint lights dance against the curtains. “Old girl,” she muttered quietly, “you are in so much trouble.”

--

Hiei shaded his eyes against the glare reflecting off the myriad of windows as he strolled down Nanjing Road, pausing every once in a while to linger by shop windows and peer inside. With the top two buttons of his shirt loosely undone and a camera cellphone twirling in his fingers, he could pass for a tourist visiting the area. And he played the part up well, lingering to snap a picture of a street performer even as he leaned towards an old man begging at the cusp of an alleyway.

“Did you happen to see this woman last night?” The cellphone twisted a few degrees in his hand, displaying a digital photograph of a brown haired girl in a ponytail asleep in a plane seat. A bill was quickly passed into the small tray on the ground.

Slowly, the old man glanced down and assessed his new wealth, then pointed right, further down the street towards People's Square. Hiei nodded his thanks and walked off, letting his fingers slide the phone shut before they began twirling again. A small bump into a random stranger and a stop by the trash can had him prepared to pay off his next informant.

He would have preferred to have spent this morning relaxing and reconnecting with his sometimes associates in China, but he honestly was in no mood to play Yusuke's games. The yakuza had gotten himself into trouble again some how, he always was whenever he called Hiei in for a job since it was cheaper to use his own thieves rather than hire out for most of the petty stuff he dealt with. It was only when in dire need that he went to his old 'friend.' And when Yusuke got into trouble he usually had a bad habit of involving those people close to him. Botan would be seen arriving into Yusuke's care, there was no help for it, it was just the way things were done, but under no circumstances did Hiei want her staying associated with him until absolutely necessary. It was hard enough watching his own back, he didn't want to have to worry about her yet until he knew exactly what was going on.

Which is why he had instructed her to 'run away' the night before. Yusuke's protection was large, thuggish, and painfully obvious, she'd be a sitting duck. Their was no level of finesse or stealth about it. It was simply a better option to let her disappear into the city and find her again the next day using his roundabout methods.

Anyway, it wasn't as if he was actually paying for any of his leads. With such a large number of people looking up instead of around, the temptation was too great to resist. Several people would end the day with missing wallets as Hiei brushed up on his pickpocket skills.

He followed the trail past the large public square, lost it for a short while, then found it again as he made a lucky deduction and guessed that she would return to Nanjing eventually. It wasn't as if the onna knew much of the city, at least to his knowledge - she had been glued to that window in the taxi cab, after all – so he assumed that she wouldn't likely wander too far from landmarks she recognized.

When another beggar directed him down a side street and he spotted the large “Hotel” sign, Hiei took a bet that this was his destination and pushed his way through the revolving doors.

“Hello, sir, how may I help you?” a young man asked from the right, looking slightly uncomfortable in his uniform.

Hiei waved him off. “A question for reception,” he replied shortly, stepping around the empty carousel pulled up next to the bellboy and moving towards the counter lining the left side of the lobby. An older gentleman looked up as he approached.

“Yes, sir, checking out?”

“No.” Red eyes flicked to the surroundings, an imitation English drawing room style, and he noted the exclusive use of her native language before continuing. “I'm checking to see if you have a guest by the name of Botan Wakahisa.” After entering a visual safehouse like this one, it was likely that she had booked the room under her given name and not a fake one. If he was wrong, he could always come back in an hour after making sure this really was the hotel she had stopped in and sneak into the office to get a look at their records or perhaps interview the housekeeping staff.

The receptionist drew himself up taller in his chair, attempting to appear more intimidating as he stared across the counter. “I'm sorry, sir, but we are not at liberty to give out information about our guests. I suggest you call your friend and get a room number before talking to the staff.”

Hiei's eyes narrowed. The man wouldn't have phrased it like that if she wasn't staying here. He smiled tightly in return. “Of course. Could I leave a message for her? Just in case she's actually here?”

The man hesitated, as if trying to determine if this would give away the answer he was trying to conceal, but finally nodded his head in acquiescence, handing over a small pad of paper and a pen. Hiei quickly took the materials and jotted down a few words before handing it back.

“Thanks,” he said, before turning around and walking back out. He continued down the side street and stopped at another beggar to double check his hunch that she really hadn't gone any further and to get rid of the last of his lifted cash. Then, feeling confident that he would have no problem getting in contact with his new partner this afternoon, he slipped through a few side alleys and back to Nanjing to take the metro.

Hopefully the onna was at this moment taking his other suggestion to get to know the city. He had been serious about that, especially since he didn't yet know any details of the job, and the more familiar she was with the setting the smoother it would go. But even if she wasn't he supposed at this point it really didn't matter too much. Right now he had time to head over to Zhongshan Park and perhaps catch a short nap propped up against one of the trees.

But if she showed up tonight without the proper outfit, well, we was taking his money back.

--

Strolling down the west end of Nanjing Road and munching on a sticky bun she had purchased a few street vendors back, Botan realized that not being able to speak Chinese while in Shanghai was not such a terrible impediment at all. Idly, she listened to the chatter around her as she licked a long line of honeyed juice off her arm and wrist. What she assumed must be Mandarin (though it could be any dialect variation and she wouldn't know the difference, honestly) melded with English which intermingled with Korean, shared a few sounds with Filipino, and slid smoothly into Japanese. There were touches of French, a language that Botan knew moderately well having spoken to her old teacher almost exclusively in it, a splash of Spanish, a yammering of German from a group of students across the street, and the rolling of Russian thunder from a larger man with a cellular phone. He was dressed rather incongruously to be doing business, in khaki shorts and a brightly colored polo, so Botan assumed it must be a call back home during vacation or something along those lines. And there were still more languages that she passed that she couldn't identify.

Thank goodness it seemed as if everyone knew at least a little English. She could always communicate with the people around her if she got lost or had a question.

With the last of her snack finished, Botan licked off her fingers and ran her hands along her jeans to remove the last of the residue, then set her shoulders as she got down to what she had come out to do in the first place: blow at least a good portion of her cash.

She had thought about sightseeing on Hiei's money, but without a good grasp of the transit around here and the feeling that she shouldn't wander too far hanging on her shoulders, Botan figured she'd settle for buying a knockout wardrobe. After all, that could be taken as following her erstwhile partner's instructions and not just revenging herself on his wallet. Letting her eyes lead her, she walked in and out of high class shops, examining the dresses and outfits on display and trying on a few when the mood struck her.

By the time she hit the smaller boutique that caught her eye next to that coffee shop, she had already amassed six bags. The straps pooled around her elbow as she pushed the door open and walked inside, and the young woman greeting people near the door kindly offered to hold them for her while she browsed. At least, Botan hoped it was a kindly suggestion and not one made because she looked liable to shoplift if she had convenient hiding places available to her. If, only a few months into the habit, she already gave off the 'vibe' that she was a thief then she didn't want to know what her colleagues at Interpol would think when she got back. 'If I get back,' she added to herself with a sigh before pushing her lingering worry to the back of her mind once more.

Squaring her shoulders as she sized up the artfully arranged racks, Botan flexed her fingers before diving in once more, skillfully pushing through hangers and selecting outfits to try on as only a veteran shopper could do. She was focusing on purple today, she wanted something that would bring out her eyes, and her hands lingered over anything with a splash to a theme, shades ranging from lavender to royal and back again. She was hovering over a wide flared dress with Mulberry accents when she bumped by accident into the woman behind her.

“Oophf!”

“Oh! I'm so sorry!” Instantly Botan flipped around, her arms coming up to steady the person she had tripped and her eyes flashing with concern. “I'm sorry,” she repeated, “I shouldn't have stepped back so suddenly! Are you okay?”

The startled expression of the woman slowly melted into one of reassurance. Her large brown eyes crinkled up in a small smile as she replied in the Japanese that Botan had automatically rushed out. “No, I'm fine, you just surprised me, that's all. Don't worry about it.” She hoisted the several outfits she held in her arms higher before continuing. “So, how far along are you? I'd swear you're not even showing yet!”

“...excuse me?” Botan asked, blinking blankly.

“Are you just shopping in preparation? For maternity clothes,” she added, when Botan's expression did not clear up. “Because, let me tell you, you might want to wait until you actually fill out a little bit. I'm not wearing the weight at all where I expected, so I'm having to make a lot of adjustments in my wardrobe, but I guess these are the kind of things you learn when having your first.” Her mouth twisted into a wry little line. “Not that my husband seems to mind much. Who cares about the expense when you've got a fuller, ah, figure to compensate?”

“M-maternity?” the taller woman managed to choke out. “Oh, no! Heavens no! I'm not pregnant at all!”

A delicate brunette eyebrow rose. “You're not? I think you're in the wrong store then. This boutique is dedicated entirely to clothing designed for expectant mothers.” She smiled as Botan held up the three outfits she held with incredulous eyes. “You haven't noticed how they're much looser than most of the current fashions now?” She laughed as the thief set two of the hangers down and tented the last dress she had been admiring out with an amazed expression. “They're made ingeniously I think. Hide a multitude of sins. It's why I shop here. But you would have figured it out when you hit the racks in the back. There's no hiding nine months along, unfortunately. You just have to flaunt it then.” A soft hand patted her new acquaintance on the back as the dress went morosely back to its starting point. “Did you not read the name of the store when you came in?”

“I can't read Chinese,” Botan replied, then quickly corrected herself. “I mean, I guess at the meanings because I know the kanji, but I'm really not as good at it as I should be. Especially when the signs are written with odd characters.”

A sympathetic smile was given back. “I understand. I'm a Japanese native myself. It takes some getting used to over here, but with a little practice you can pick it up in no time.” Pausing, she glanced down at the items she held in her arms, then looked back up with determination. “Okay, how about this? I'm almost done here, so if you give me a minute to check out, I'll help you with your shopping!”

“Oh! I couldn't impose-!”

“You're not imposing,” the young woman cut off firmly, shaking her head as she began to lead them to the register. “I rarely get a morning to myself - my husband's 'family' hovers like you would not believe! - and I'm not due back until this afternoon so I'm determined to enjoy it. If you don't mind, I'll have fun shopping with you and dressing you up. I feel like I haven't had some 'girl time' for months!”

As the clerk rang up the expecting mother's purchases and totally the amount on the register, Botan slowly smiled and nodded her head in acceptance. “Okay. Thanks. This will certainly save me some confusion while browsing the market,” she added with a laugh. “Hopefully I won't repeat this mistake.”

“Great!” her new friend said, paying for her things and taking the bag from the clerk. She swung back towards the other woman with a wide smile. “My name's Keiko, by the way. Nice to meet you!”

--

Keiko, it turned out, was a great asset while shopping the rest of the morning. Not only did she evaluate Botan's previous purchases - “Most of these are fine, but this skirt is two seasons out of style around here. Save this for when you're out of Shanghai.” - but she also had a good eye for what was flattering on certain figures.

“You've got such a thin waist, it's great for kimonos! Do you have any?” the brunette asked as she watched Botan model a silky violet dress that flared just above her knees and extended to her high calves in elegant pleats. She shook her head as the young woman with her indicated a negative and did a twirl. “You really should invest in some if you go back to Japan. It's worth the money to get one or two really good ones. They'll last for years and always look good on you.” Her head tilted. “I like the color, I'm not sure about the cut. These are a bit to retro. Let's try this new modish store that just opened a few blocks down!”

The name of her new friend had given her pause for a few moments – she was sure she had heard it somewhere before – but overall, Botan was having a great time. By the time noon rolled around, the two women were already on the way to becoming fast friends. As they sat down to lunch at a cheap but good cafe, she already knew a ton about Keiko's life. The young woman was twenty eight and had met her husband back in elementary school. They'd grown up in the same neighborhood and had been good friends for years, but hadn't really begun dating until high school. Keiko confided that she had promised herself that she wouldn't actually go on a date with the boy until he refrained from flipping her skirt for a whole month. What she didn't realize was that he got wind of this oath from one of her friends and so acted like a perfect gentleman for the entire time and then retaliated by ending their first date with a massive skirt flip in the middle of Shibuya station. It had been a rocky relationship for months afterward, and Botan had laughed herself silly at the recounting. But they'd gotten married when Keiko had finished college. Her parents had wanted her to help them with their ramen restaurant, but their daughter had followed her heart and gotten a degree in literature, though she did little with it now except go over the documents at her husband's business. She was currently four months pregnant, just enough so that it had started to become obvious in her body shape. She hadn't told anyone yet, but secretly she was praying for a girl. The next ultrasound would tell, but that was still a few weeks off.

Botan, in turn, was sharing details about her life that she hadn't recalled in years. She was currently twenty four, and had attended the private schools her parents had sent her to back in London for her primary and secondary education. She was single, but the first boy she had ever loved had been her cousin's best friend, a bumbling, pudgy boy by the name of George. He'd been St. George the dragon slayer and she the princess Botan he was in charge of rescuing in those make believe games they'd played as kids, but usually she was the one who ended up smacking dragon Koenma on the head and pulling George to safety. The infatuation had worn off quickly when she reached secondary school and discovered the joys of the boys cricket team, but she still held a soft spot for old George, even if he did have a blue tinge from the chemicals he worked with at his assembly plant. Despite her girlish tendency to swoon over most of the boys at bat, she was the tomboy of the little group her cousin commanded. As one of the most nimble, it fell to her to carry out the stunts of climbing trees rescuing cats and scouting the neighborhood, as well as jumping the fence and making off with the underwear hanging on the line of the mean old lady who lived in the cul-de-sac three blocks from school. She left for college at the age of seventeen, only months after her cousin had finally hit his growth spurt and shot up a foot and a half, and completed her degree in Engineering in three and a half years at the age of twenty one. After a failed relationship with the backup rugby player for the national team, she had remained single, but was content for now to focus mainly on work.

'At least, I was until that dream,' Botan added mentally, blushing into her cup as she took another sip of green tea. “I'm currently in town on business, technically,” she added, setting the teacup back down and adding more vegetables to the top of her rice bowl. “My partner's supposed to get in contact with me this afternoon and we'll get down to work. But right now I'm taking a little vacation.” Her mouth curved into kittenish conspiracy.

Keiko laughed aloud at the comment. “I can't even reprimand you, since I'm taking a break from my own 'family' right now as well.” She pushed her bangs back absently behind her ear and took another bite of her meal. “What business do you do, by the way?” she asked after swallowing.

“Oh, er, we're in the acquisitions department,” the thief lied, letting her gaze dart away for a moment as she slipped the falsehood out. “It's kind of an international job.” She looked back up at Keiko, smiling in what she hoped was a deflecting manner. “And what about you? What does your husband do?”

The brunette's smile was also a little more strained than before. “Ha, well, I suppose we're kind of the same. It's definitely international, but we're more on the trade end of it.” She tilted her head. “Perhaps we'll even work together. Wouldn't that be funny?”

God, she hoped not, not after she had grown to like Keiko so well. But Botan laughed lightly anyway with her new friend and finished the meal discussing places she should try to see in Shanghai as a tourist before she left town. They parted an hour later at West Nanjing Road station, Keiko scribbling down her telephone number in case Botan had time to meet up again and then impulsively hugging her before hopping on the train she was taking back home. Botan herself strolled back to the hotel in high spirits, her bags swinging merrily in her hands as she bounced along. It was a little before two and she had plenty of time to soak in the large tub she'd seen last night in her room before getting dressed and heading back down to the first hotel in hopes of finding Hiei by four. After thinking it through this morning when she woke up, she had come to the conclusion that he'd keep their meeting place the same as he had implied yesterday before he left. As it was the last thing he had mentioned to her about it, she didn't suppose he could do anything else.

She pushed through the revolving door cheerily as she entered the hotel, already anticipating the blissful indulgences of those jacuzzi nozzles she had seen the controls for on the side of the sunken tub, only to be stopped by the current receptionist quickly hurrying over to her.

“Miss Wakahisa?” the young girl inquired politely, sprinting the last few steps towards her.

“Yes?” Botan acknowledged, turning to face her interrupter. Her expression was mildly curious. Was there a problem with her room? Had she missed check out time already and was now responsible for another night's stay? She could have sworn the sign she'd perused last night had said that remaining until four thirty in the afternoon was acceptable – which had amazed her, but she supposed that paying extra for the suite gave her more privileges – but if she'd misread it she supposed she could draw from the bank account that Koenma had recently replenished for her for work expenses. It was, after all, her mistake.

The young girl bowed, holding out a small card. “There was a message for you, Miss, left earlier this afternoon.”

Suddenly wary, remembering her pursuers from the night before, Botan put out a hesitant hand and took the note, unfolding it to reveal the short message.

'Four, onna, Jing'an Temple. Don't be late.'

Her heartbeat slowed back to its normal rhythm even as her expression turned petulant. Hiei. Somehow he had tracked her here and still found a way to be controlling. Did he have to be so rude when she had been left on her own in a foreign city for almost a full day? She felt a small electrifying fear that he had led the people she'd lost last night right back to where she was, before the reassuring realization came that he'd been the one to alert her about running away last night and was therefore unlikely to seek her out without first making sure he was not being followed himself.

“...is everything alright, Miss?” the young receptionist asked, watching her face with faint concern.

Botan quickly smiled at her. “Oh, yes, everything's fine. My business partner just moved our meeting to a different location for this afternoon. It was a little surprising.” She waited until the girl smiled back and returned to her desk before stalking over to the elevators and hitting the call button. There went her fantastic mood. Killed by Hiei.

But even as she thought critically about him behind his back, Botan also couldn't deny that she was looking forward to rejoining him in a few hours. Hiei could be an insufferable man at times, but he could also be a comforting presence. And without the distracting friendship of Keiko, she was finding that she needed the familiarity and assurance that he provided.

Plus, she also wouldn't be getting very far in her assignment without him, she thought wryly.

--

Jing'an Temple was beautiful, Botan marveled as she arrived. It was crowded, but the building was impressive, with its glittering golden tiered roofs and graceful pillars and walkways. Her eyes darting continually back to the architecture, Botan paid the small fee to get inside and stepped into the plaza.

Without taking a thought for Hiei, she began to explore her surroundings, passing beneath the lanterns and through the intricately carved doors into the main halls of the Buddhist temple. She walked though the open layout of the building, lingering for a few minutes at the large Buddha statue before continuing on, finally stopping on one of the side balconies to overlook the square and get an eagle eye view of the slim golden pagoda like structure that topped what appeared to be a jar. If she hadn't grown up in England, she might actually have known if it had a special meaning or was just decorative, but as it was she could still appreciate the fine art that went into it and admire the bells hanging from the rim of each roof.

“You're on time.”

Quickly, Botan flipped to the voice that emerged from her right, a moderately surprised voice, and found Hiei there, his forearms resting against the railing of the balcony as he looked down at the crowds.

“Hiei.” She drew in a large breath, ready to start on her rant that he had left her on her own without so much as a by your leave.

“You look nice.” His comment sapped the fight right out of her. Helplessly, she looked down at the outfit she was wearing, an elegant dress that ended just below her knees, the thin strapped top a deep violet that ended in an empire waist and continued in white gauzy layers that spread into a classic bell when she spun. Keiko had said that while it didn't show off her waist to full capacity, it had a way of enhancing the delicate cream of her skin and so she had insisted she buy it. Hiei continued with a raised eyebrow. “I'm surprised, but I guess you can manage on your own on occasion.”

“Thanks so much,” she replied, a little sarcastically. But she was still lingering on his compliment, and so didn't have the heart to do more than that. Anyway, she was glad she had made the right decision on clothing, since she was uncertain if she should have dressed more business like for whatever meeting he was taking her to now. As it was, Hiei was dressed in a suit, his jacket tucked over one arm.

He glanced back as they reached the stairs, taking a good look at the delicate heels strapped around her ankles, and then held out an impatient hand, waiting until she took it before tugging her quickly down to the plaza. “Where's your luggage? You should change your shoes. We have a lot of walking to do tonight, I don't want you complaining about it later.”

Her hand gripped his own tighter as they almost jumped down the last few steps. “In a locker at the metro station. Where are we going tonight, Hiei?”

“Hn.” He didn't let go of her hand as he swiftly wove through the people visiting the temple at the last second and pulled them back onto the street towards the subway. “Pudong. It's east of here.” Within minutes they were at the station, and he turned her loose. “Get your things, onna.”

She led them to the small break in the wall near the police box and used the key she had dropped in her purse to remove the two bags she had left behind, quickly pulling on a pair of old tennis shoes and leaving the locker door hanging open as they left and caught the next subway train east. It was close to six as they pulled into Longyang Road station and Hiei called a cab. They arrived with about half an hour to spare at the tall skyscraper Hiei had stayed at the night before.

“This looks more like a business than a house,” Botan commented as she thanked the driver as he retrieved her things from the trunk.

Hiei handed over a few bills before he turned and led the way in through the front doors. “It's both. They built apartments on the floor above.”

“Doesn't that seem a little strange?”

A shrug was her answer as they stepped into the elevator, the button for floor forty eight lighting up. “It's quiet enough at night.” The doors closed but they remained unmoving until their visit was validated by the occupants of their chosen floor. If they had had the pass code, they wouldn't have to wait. Red eyes speared into her. “Remove the wig.”

“What?!” Botan's hand flew instantly to her head as she stared at him. “Why? I thought this was for safety! And my hairs all pinned down beneath it.”

“So pull out the pins,” he shot back, clearly uncaring. “We're off the street, it's not like anyone is going to care about that odd color.”

“Clearly you do,” she muttered in retaliation, pulling out a few of the larger pins before sliding the wig off her head. Oh well, she thought, it wasn't as if she liked wearing wigs anyway. It would have been more comfortable just to dye her hair, but it wouldn't be as easy to change back. The rest of the pins quickly followed and her hair spilled down her back in unruly ribbons as she stuffed the brunette disguise and her comfortable shoes back into the front pocket of her larger suitcase and slipped the fashionable high heels back on. “Now I look a mess,” Botan complained, trying fruitlessly to straighten her hair in the mirror on the back wall as the elevator jumped into motion.

Hiei personally thought she looked deliciously good in what he assumed must pass as bedhead for her, but since there was no way he was admitting that out loud, let alone out of his subconscious mind, he wordlessly passed her the comb he had managed to slip out of her other bag and watched as she applied the fine teeth to her hair and pulled some strands back with a few of the pins she had recently removed to clip the powder blue strands out of her face.

“It'll have to do,” she sighed, putting away the last remnants of her disguise as the bell for the elevator dinged. They stepped out into what appeared to be a foyer. Hiei quickly rang the buzzer by the door and led her inside as the man who opened it bowed them in. With a few words to their greeter, the suitcases were left by the door. His path led them unerringly into a traditionally Japanese styled room, with tatami mats lining the floor and paper screen doors occluding the portals.

From his position seated at a short table, Yusuke looked up from the cards he held in his hands. “You're early.” The cards were eagerly strewn on the table. “Good thing, too. I was losing at hanafuda, and that wouldn't be good for my reputation.”

“Hn,” Hiei replied, removing his shoes and stepping forward into the room.

Which, Botan supposed, was what she should have done as well, except that her attention was currently stuck on the woman who was seated across the table from Yusuke, the stacked piles of points she had earned for this round in the game spread out before her. Brown eyes blinked back at her with open shock and confusion.

“Botan?”

“Keiko?!”