I want to take a moment to thank everyone who's left reviews on my other three stories. Reading all of them makes me so happy. I'm still getting use to this program and format so I'm sorry if I didn't replay to your comments, but I do appreciate them and love reading them. Thank you!

He ran past the trees with such speed that not even a trained warrior would be able to spot him. His wide eyes narrowed, dark pupils sparking with twisted mirth. The demons trailing him all shouted like foolish animals, waving their weapons around blindly. That was their first mistake. Their second was following him into the dark woods- his dark woods. This is where the flying shadow thrived, luring his victims in for the kill. No demon, no matter how strong they where, could sense anything in the decaying darkness that surrounded the freakishly tall trees like a dome.

Hiei stopped atop a branch, watching the horde of demons below fumble around. One demon pointed towards the northern path while a few others pointed towards the eastern path. Hiei smirked, katana in hand.

Hn, typical, they were already lost. Such fools- outsmarted by a mere child.

He was about to flit down and slice their throats, when a small cry penetrated his ears. Hiei stopped, glancing behind him. The demons below heard it to, and sick smiles split their ugly faces. One started jumping up and down, clapping his hands like a manican, chanting something about 'pretty meat'.

Hiei arched an eyebrow. He had no idea what the fool was going on about.

Again, the cry echoed throughout the dark forest, the tall trees swaying in the wind, almost as if they pitied the owner of that pathetic wail.

"Didja hear that, boss," one of the demons snickered.

The 'boss' grunted. "We'll catch Hiei later." He smirked. "It's been awhile since I ate a little girl."

Hiei scowled. He didn't scene any girl around. Still, he followed the demons, hiding up in the trees. Once he got closer to the cries, he sniffed the air, eyes growing wide when he smelt something akin to purity. That must have been why he couldn't scenes her before- she was not of this world.

The demons below finally came to a small clearing, all hovering over a shaking, small thing. Hiei knelt down, katana now strapped to his hip. The small girl had long, flowing blue hair and was dressed up in a pink kimono. Her long limbs looked awkward scrunched up like that. She was trying to make herself look smaller, but failing miserably.

Hiei should have let the demons kill her. He should have let them cut her apart and spill her organs all over the grassy floor, but something inside him told him to move. His own legs sprang into action, moving solely on instinct. Katana drawn, Hiei swiped, a clean attack that split the small horde of demons apart. Their dark purple blood colored his trees.

Hiei scowled, the smell would linger for a month or so.

The whimpering behind him quieted down a little and if Hiei where to turn his head just so, he'd see the girl's bright pink eyes widen. Her body shook and she scooted away, back pressing up against a tree.

"A-a-are you g-g-going to kill me too?" Her voice came out in such a small whisper and sounded so pathetic. Hiei eyed her, pinning her down with his sharp glare.

"What's your name." It was a demand, not a question.

The girl murmured something, but even with his supernatural hearing, her words were lost on him.

"Speak up, girl!"

"Botan," she said, a little louder.

Hiei nodded, tapping his claws along his katana. "Stand up."

Botan did as he said, using the tree to lean against. Her legs shook, her arms shook, and those eyes of hers watched him with such terror. He smirked and flitted over to a rock, leaning over to get a better look. She was taller than him, even now that he stood on the rock. Well we'll just have to change that. In one swift motion, he had a clump of her hair fisted in his claws, forcing her to lean down. Now he was taller.

"Where do you come from, girl?"

She winced. "I… s-spirit world."

"Your a ferry-girl then."

She nodded as best she could, wringing her hands. "I… I need help getting back. My oar broke and, and I…"

Hiei arched an eyebrow. Did she not know who he was? No. If she did, she wouldn't be asking for his assistance. Still, he's never met a ferry-girl before and seeing Spirit World could be beneficial in the future. He snapped his wrist, releasing her hair and pressing the bloodied blade of his weapon to her neck.

"I'll help you," he said, eyes dusting over with a dark glint. "But you are now in my dept."

Botan's eyes widened; a mix of fear and hope, albit her fear was much stronger. "You'll help me? Really?"

"That's what I said."

The ferry-girl offered a small smile through her tears. "Thank you."

Hiei nodded, brushing her words off. "Stay here," he hissed, "I'll be back later."

Hiei came back a few hours after the sunset, finding the ferry-girl in the same place he left her: up in one of his trees. He stopped a few feet away, watching the taller girl from his perch. Her hair looked like she commed it with her fingers and her long legs hung off the branch, swaying a little. Her pink kimono was torn beyond repair, exposing more skin that he was comfortable with. His crimson orbs trailed from her bare shoulder, down to her exposed side.

He scowled, ripping his eyes away from the ferry-girl.

She was a pest, but a useful pest.

"Girl."

Botan lifted her head, pink eyes shining like two flashlights. "Oh, your back."

Hiei ignored her greeting and shoved something into her face. "Eat."

Botan scooted back, getting a better look at the food he was rudely offering. It looked like a purple mango.

"Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but… is it poison?"

Hiei arched an eyebrow. "Are you stupid? Why would I poison your food?"

"I just thought-"

"Don't," Hiei snapped, "now take it before I change my mind."

Botan blushed out of emberestement and carefully took his offering into her hands. The fruit smelt good and she was hungry. Throwing caution to the wind, the ferry-girl took a modest bite, humming when the sweet fruit drentched her tongue.

"It's good."

"Hn."

He sat down, one hand on the hilt of his blade, the other on his knee and watched her eat. It got to the point where the ferry-girl couldn't swallow anymore and awkwardly shifted.

"You know," she whispered, "it's rude to stare."

"Hn."

He continued to stare, just to spite her.

Botan glanced down to the side, playing with the fruit in her hand. "It's rude to stare…" she echoed.

Hiei shrugged. "I do a lot of rude things."

He continued to watch her until the fruit was all gone, the only evidence that it had been in her hands was the stick juice dripping off her fingertips. Hiei eyed the appendages, his nose crinkled. If she didn't clean them, it would attract demons.

"Clean yourself."

Botan jumped when he spoke, trying to wipe her hands carefully on the bark.

Hiei hissed, catching her wrists. "Not like that." He squeezed her flesh as a warning, taking a split second to note how soft she felt. Without thinking, his tongue flicked out and licked off the juice from her fingers, bathing in the spike of fear and uncertainty that flooded the ferry-girl's scent. He let her go when he was done, watching her scoot away.

Her cheeks tinted a brilliant red. "Thank you?"

He gave her a twisted smirk, making sure to show off his sharp fangs, and disappeared from view.

He reappeared when the ferry-girl was fast asleep, her hair falling over her eyes in an almost peaceful way. It was an emotion Hiei was alien to. He crouched down, carefully watching her chest rise and fall. Her long hair fell limply all around her body, reaching down to her hips. He sniffed. Vanilla. She smelt like vanilla- sweet. He scowled. Of course, she was a ferry-girl, all of them must have such a sickly sweet scent attached to their bodies. Fucking disgusting.

He stood, nudging her awake with his foot. "Get up, girl."

Botan murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Um, good morning. A-at least, I think it's morning. I've never been here before so I'm not all to sure how the weather works down here- oh! I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean to offend you or anything!" She was waving her hands now.

He ignored her. "Tell me how you got here."

Botan seemed thankful for the subject change.

"I… well, I was suppose to scout the area for any wondering demons," Botan began, wringing her hands. "It was my first outing on my own, I had to beg Lord Koenma, but when I got too close to the ground, I… I sorta tripping over a rock and broke my oar." She sheepishly smiled.

Hiei blinked. This girl was an idiot.

"Do you have another?"

"Another what? Oh! No, I can only summon my broken oar."

The fire-demon had half a mind to collect a fist full of the girl's hair and give it a good pull. He didn't, his mind already working on a solution. If he remembered correctly, there was a town just past the woods, a small market like place where a welder lived. One who could repair damn well anything.

Hiei glanced down at the ferry-girl, who was wringing her hands again. He clicked his tongue.

"Give me the oar."

"W-what?"

He held out his clawed hand. "The oar. Hand it over, girl."

"I can't."

His eye ticked. "Why?"

Botan blushed, looking away. "I… I don't know how to. I can only hold it, I don't know how to…" She fumbled with her hands. "well, you know."

Damn it. That ment Hiei had to drag this ditz with him. He ran a clawed hand through his spiky hair and exhaled through his nose. "Your coming with me than."

"O-kay. Where?"

Hiei ignored her. "I'll be back tomorrow." And with that, he disappeared.

That night, Hiei stole a map from one of the bandits, studying it until the image was engraved into his mind. The town he was taking the ferry-girl to was dangerous and full of refugees and thiefs. A hole-in-the-wall town where seedy business was often conducted- Hiei smirked, he should know, he's done his share.

After making sure he knew the map inside and out, Hiei folded it back up and dropped it to the grounds, setting it aflame with his unholy fire.

"You brought me breakfast?"

"I don't need another corpse rotting in my forest," Hiei bit out, but that was only half the reason, the other half revolved around his personal interest in getting to Spirit World. If this girl died now, he'd have to find another way, and frankly, Hiei didn't have the time or patients to do that.

"Of course." Botan timidly touched her food, yelping when it jiggled and a red liquid oozed out. "Is it safe?"

"I told you before. I have no interest in poisoning you-" Hiei leaned in, pushing his claws into her hips and whispered into her ear, "-yet."

Botan paled, her body too frozen to move away. Her bones felt cold and the blood in her body stilled. Thankfully the fire-demon was the first to act, putting distance between them.

"Now eat, or I'll shove it down your throat."

Gulping, the ferry-girl did as he said, taking a harty bite, humming in shock when the food actually tasted pretty good. The red liquid tasted a little like bitter jam and the crusted outside felt like a pastry. Was this really from Demon World?

"This is good."

Hiei leaned back against the tree, his hands positioned behind his head. "Hn."

"Is it from-"

"No."

"But it tastes like-"

Hiei growled, reaching out to grip the ferry-girl's arm. He watched her squirm in his grip, using her free hand to tap his knuckles pleadingly. He let her go forcefully, scowling.

"Don't make it a habit of jumping to conclusions," he threatened, "or have you never heard; curiosity killed the ferry-girl."