Chapter Text
The clicking of Hiei’s boots on the tiled floor reverberated through the egregiously bright and polished marble hallway. There was a determined tick to his jaw and urgency to his stride as he rounded the pillared corner. If he just made it out of this last door away from Koenma’s office, his chances of running into anyone he had the severe displeasure of knowing decreased exponentially. He couldn’t use his demonic speed without alerting them to his presence, but if he could just blend in with the rest of the unmemorable beings in the next hall down he could—
“Boo!”
His hopes dwindled right before his very eyes in the form of powdery blue hair and a garish, glaringly bright kimono.
Hiei stared back at the ferry-girl stoically as she ambushed him on his way out of the dull, bureaucratic hell that was the Spirit World. She had leapt out from an adjacent corridor in a show of theatrics, amethyst eyes brimming with excitement and pink lips curved up into an eager smile.
He didn’t bother disguising how very much he was not excited from his flat tone. “How did you find me?”
The ferry-girl covered her giggle with a dainty hand, eyes crinkling with mirth. “I know all of the secret passages in Spirit World, silly.”
Of course she did.
“The Prince mentioned you were looking for me. What do you want, woman?”
She tilted her head at him, mouth falling into a displeased pout. “Well, that’s no way to greet an old friend, is it?”
Hiei frowned dismissively, shoving his hands into his pockets. “We aren’t friends.”
“Acquaintances, then?”
“None of the above,” he rejected, side-stepping her and continuing on his way.
“Hiei!” she called out, voice echoing in the empty hall. “Wait up!”
The fire-demon tromped onwards determinedly. He didn’t intend to linger in this world any longer than need be. Mukuro had tasked him with delivering a scroll to the toddler Prince and now that his duty was fulfilled, he was free to return to Demon World.
“I know you can hear me!” she exclaimed persistently, sandals slapping against the tiled floor in a hurried cadence. “I only need a moment of your time!”
The sound of her lilting voice reverberating off the walls only served to exacerbate his prickly mood. He was sure the annoying pest would follow him all the way out of the temple at this rate and that simply wasn’t something he was willing to endure.
“What is it, woman?” he snapped, coming to a halt and whirling around to glare at her. “What possible reason could you have to accost me relentlessly?”
The bluette nearly crashed into him, her fresh meadows scent suffocating his senses as she managed to thwart a full on collision. Recovering with a sheepish smile, she slid a hand into the large sleeve of her kimono and rooted around until she retrieved a small item from its folds. “Tada!” the ferry-girl sang, displaying the card with a sweeping flourish. “You’re officially invited to Fall Fest!”
“Fall-what?”
“Fall Fest!” she repeated enthusiastically. “That’s what Kuwabara dubbed it anyway. For the next two weeks, the good old gang will be partaking in all things autumn!”
Hiei glanced down at the horrendously orange invitation. It was decorated with all manner of strange and pointless things: dead leaves, smiling vegetables and a ridiculous looking apparition to name a few.
“What is this, ferry-girl?”
“Humans celebrate the season in a myriad of ways and Kuwabara’s taken it upon himself to introduce Yukina to its many wonders and traditions. He and Keiko have all sorts of super fun activities lined up, culminating in a Halloween Bash at Genkai’s Temple.”
“Sounds abysmal.”
“Quite the opposite, actually! I’m sure even a grump like you will eventually see the appeal,” she stated, motioning to poke his shoulder but thinking better of it at the last second. “And what’s more, this whole thing is for Yukina.”
The fire-demon’s scowl deepened at the mention of his sister. They all knew she was the key to his surrender, especially now that he had recently revealed the truth of his relation to the ice-maiden. It wasn’t a decision he made lightly. It wasn’t something he had done on a whim. Now that Yukina knew exactly who he was, Hiei fully intended to be there for her.
Unfortunately, that resolution put him in an undesirable position. He considered how she might feel if he reneged on the first real opportunity to make good on his word and prove that his commitment wasn’t for mere show. If he failed to attend an event centered around her enjoyment, she would surely be disappointed. Perhaps not in him directly, but in his absence itself.
He ground his teeth together when he realized what needed to be done. His word was his bond; he would see this through even if it led to his inevitable doom. Crimson eyes flicked back up to meet kunzite as he snatched the invitation out of her grasp. “Fine. I’ll be there.”
“Oh, I just knew you would!” The ferry-girl’s expression lifted joyfully as she clapped her hands together. “It’s like Yusuke always says: you may not be around often, but you always show up when it matters most!”
Hiei glanced away, unsettled by the saccharine assessment.
“I understand all of this is new to you,” she began carefully. “And you may find yourself out of your element when it comes to these Human World customs…”
“What’s your point, woman?”
“I’ll be happy to help you out as needed. Keep you informed and the like. I’m pretty well versed in Human World affairs, you know.”
“I don’t need help, ferry-girl.”
“Botan,” she corrected primly. “And you may not need it now, but my generous offer remains on the table for the entirety of Fall Fest.”
He merely continued to frown at her. The woman wasn’t deterred in the slightest bit.
“See you soon! I’m sure we’ll all have a boo-tiful time!”
Hiei grimaced, resisting the overwhelming urge to burn the tasteless invitation to ashes as the infuriating woman all but skipped away.