Hiiii! I've decided that I want to compile some one-shots that have been cluttering up my brain. I don't really have the drive to work on my chapter stories at the moment (though they WILL be finished, I swear!) and I can write one-shots that may or may not be added to without feeling too much guilt. So I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I love writing them! Up first, of course, will be a Youko/Botan piece, since this couple is obviously my favorite. I have plans for other pairings, though. I think up next will be a Hiei/Botan.
Silk and Stone
Youko x Botan
Botan was many things – dutiful, loyal, and cheerful were only a few of the qualities that made up the blue-haired deity. She was also a very positive thinker, which came in handy in certain situations.
Like right now. Because being alone with a silent golden-eyed fox demon – especially one who was an infamous kleptomaniac well known for merciless slaughter with the aid of his man-eating makai plants – was enough to put most people on edge (or send them scurrying quickly away, bug-eyed with fear).
But of course, Botan was not most people. Was she nervous? Certainly. Frightened? Very. But she refused to run screaming from the room. Besides, Kurama was still inside the youakai, somewhere, and she didn't want the red-head to think less of her if she showed fear in front of his other half.
And... well... she rather didn't want the demon to think less of her either. So, she did her best to keep a cheerful smile on her face and pretend that the sullen glares the youkai sent her way didn't bother her in the least.
Of course, she couldn't control her heartbeat, and her pulse was absolutely racing from nervous fear. Having been around demons for most of her existence, Botan knew the fox could certainly hear the frantic palpitations in her chest.
From the seat opposite her, the gorgeous fox demon pulled his sensuous lips back to sneer in her direction.
This is where positive thinking became useful! Instead of focusing on all the horrible things he had done, like, like... Hiring an assassin to kill one of his best friends... killing hundreds of other people... robbing innocent youkai blind... using his Death Plant to gobble people up – Botan gulped nervously. Oh, dear, this wasn't going so well.
Wait! She had it! Ears!
The demon had the cutest ears she had ever seen. They were sleek white fox ears, perched at the top of his head, and they swiveled around whenever he heard a sound that interested him. They were adorable! She was squealing with girlish glee (on the inside, of course) over the absolute cuteness.
Someone with ears like that couldn't be that bad.
Come to think of it, someone with a big fluffy tail – like the one that was wagging lazily behind him – had to have a sweet side!
... His tail looked really soft. And fuzzy. And, um, soft. Like it might even be softer than his hair. Not that she knew what his hair felt like, of course (He would kill her if she touched it! Wouldn't he?), but it fell in shimmering silver cascades over his shoulders and down his back and each strand looked to be finer than a thread of silk.
Yes, she waxing poetic about a maniacal youkai's hair, but it was so glossy it absolutely deserved the praise.
The Fox's ears swiveled toward her again and twitched lightly atop his silver head. Botan was so entranced that she nearly forgot the cute little things belonged to a vicious demon. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch. To give them a gentle scratch...
Youko was upset. Quite angry, actually.
He rarely got out, and one of the few times he managed to escape his mental prison and become the dominant personality he found he was trapped again. This prison was a bit more literal, as it had four solid walls that seemed to press in on him in a most uncomfortable way.
You see, Youko was something of a claustrophobic. He was used to squeezing into tight places (he was a thief, after all, and one of the sneakiest around), but it was rare he needed to stay there for longer than several minutes before he slinked off to steal or kill whatever had to be stolen or mauled.
But here he was, stuck in a small chamber with the blue-haired wench that his human half had teamed up with on this particular mission.
He had checked the room twice over to search for any possible escape – a switch, a lever, a loose stone, anything – only to find the room bare of any such useful and obvious mechanisms.
The woman had checked the room over too – as if she would find anything he hadn't, honestly – and, coming up empty, had sat down in one of three chairs that occupied the otherwise empty chamber. He had sat down opposite her, throughly miffed. Why had his human half chosen such a useless partner? She had reikai, but had no training or desire to use it beyond several simple healing spells. And, since neither of them were hurt, her skills were simply no good to them here.
His human side nudged him – something about how this wasn't Botan's (was that the woman's name?) fault and to stop taking his anger out of her. Youko ruthlessly shoved the red-head back into recesses of his mind, kindly telling him to "Shut the hell up." He would take his anger out on whoever he wanted, thank you very much.
To prove his point, he sneered at the woman. To her credit, she didn't jump to hide behind the chair. She did blink rather nervously at him, her large purple eyes darting to fix on a point above his head, apparently ignoring his outright hostile behavior. He could smell her fear, though, and hear her heart's rapid beating, which made him smirk. When others feared him, he was in control.
Youko huffed, his tail wagging restlessly behind him, it's silky fur brushing against the chill stone floor. All he could do at the moment was wait. He felt absolutely ridiculous – here he was, the feared Youko Kurama, waiting to be rescued like a damsel in distress. He was truly pathetic.
With nothing to do but wait, the youkai turned his golden eyes back to the female, only to find her staring at him with a strange... rapt expression on her face. It was his turn to blink. Her amethyst eyes were trained on the top of his head – was she staring at his ears? -- and she had a rather distant look...
Suddenly, it was Youko's turn to feel nervous.
Those cute little ears were swiveling like crazy now. They were absolutely precious! Botan was totally fixated, failing to notice the way the silver youkai regarded her with a slightly apprehensive expression.
Maybe just a little scratch wouldn't hurt? I mean... He wouldn't kill her if she touched him, right? They were practically knee to knee anyway, all she had to do was reach out...
Botan's slender hand shot out and gently caressed one furry fox ear. They really were soft! This time she didn't hold back her girly squeal of delight.
For his part, Youko was shocked by the girl's sudden movement. He flinched in agitation as her fingers slid over the sensitive fur of his left ear. Of all the gall!
"What are you doing?!" He snapped, showing his teeth at her, gold eyes bright and fierce. They were the first words spoken since their sudden imprisonment and his subsequent transformation. His voice was quite loud in the small room and sounded caustic – even to him.
Botan paused, her face draining at murderous look the youkai was giving her. What had she been thinking? Her fingers stilled, but didn't move away as she stared nervously into the fiery eyes of the demon. Her mouth went dry.
"Ummmm... Petting... you?" She croaked.
Youko had never sputtered before, but he found himself doing so now. His jaw dropped and he stared, wide-eyed, at the deity.
"Petting?" he growled in disbelief. No one had EVER had the nerve to touch him like that! He was going to rip this girl limb from limb! Petting, indeed. Why, he would -- Ooooh, good god...
A sudden wave of pleasure had him quaking in his seat. The girls' nimble fingers were at it again!
"Stop!" He hissed forcefully, then completely contradicted his words by tilting his head into her hand.
"Okay," Botan agreed, her fingers pausing for a second. "Umm... In a minute!" She quickly went back to stroking his ear, her fingers smoothing over the fine, silky fur. Youko let out a strangled protest that suddenly became a deep and husky purr when her fingernails scratched the base of his ear, just where it disappeared into his silver hair to meet his scalp.
Oh, this was completely unfair... His body was rebelling against him! Like... Like... Like he was actually enjoying the woman touching him in such a personal way! Like it felt good! Like it felt...
Fucking amazing...! His head leaned further into her hand as he sought more attention from her talented fingers.
Botan continued to gently stroke his ear, her heart in her throat. She had never felt closer to death than she had a moment ago when Youko's burning eyes had been fixed on her with a clear, vicious intent. And since she had been thisclose to being ripped to shreds, she had decided she may as well have given one little scratch, just to satisfy her own curiosity before he summoned his death plant to gobble her up.
By the sound of things, she had managed to distract him.
Youko's deep purr reverberated off the stone walls in the tiny room, magnifying the sound so that it seemed to rumble through her. She swore her fingers were vibrating from the force of it where they touched his hair. And what glorious hair it was. It slid like cool silk through her fingers, and shimmered in the dim light of their prison.
This also meant that she was faced with another problem: Stopping. Obviously, she couldn't do so, or the youkai would snap back to his senses and kill her twice: once for touching him in the first place, and again for continuing to do so.
His head was leaning further and further into her hand, and his golden eyes were half-lidded, his long dark lashes casting delicate shadows on his pale cheeks. She squeaked when he tilted his head, his nose brushing over her wrist in a ticklish fashion as he nuzzled the sensitive skin there. Botan felt her cheeks go hot and was certain that was becoming red stain settling in them.
The demon dropped from the chair, startling the deity as he knelt before her. He was studying her through hazy amber eyes, his sharp teeth glinting dangerously. Botan stopped stroking his hair, a cold wash of fear splashing down her spine. He was going to rip her throat out, wasn't he? He was going to attack her and yank her throat right – oh, hello...
Youko had leaned down to lay his head in her lap. Botan stared mutely down at him, amethyst eyes wide in surprise and apprehension. What on earth was the youkai doing? One alabaster and dangerously clawed hand grabbed her smooth and decidedly un-dangerous wrist. She gulped, but he simply placed her hand back into his hair.
"Scratch," he demanded, his voice gruff and deeper than before. Immediately, Botan obliged, her fingers weaving into his hair and gently scratching his scalp. If anything, his purring seemed to grow even louder and more violent.
Youko had never felt anything so wonderful in all his life. This was almost as good as sex! His body was relaxed and his eyes nearly closed and dreamy from the wonderful sensations that the deity's fingers gave him. Small chills went down his spine whenever she scratched behind his ears, and his cheeks were flushed.
He decided he was going to reconsider this girls' usefulness. In fact, she really needed to be around more often. So she could do this for him. Constantly. His purr crescendoed at a particularly delicious scratch and he rewarded the blue-haired cutie with a nuzzle to her thigh. He, in turn, was rewarded with shriek and smack to the side of his silver head.
Blinking, Youko's head jerked up in surprise and he glared at the woman. He didn't care HOW attractive she was, no one got away with smacking him!
"What was that for?!" He growled, his eyes narrowed. Botan went pale again, but pouted.
"You... You... Nuzzled me...!" She stuttered, indignant. Youko was indignant, too.
"So?"
Botan gaped at him. "It was inappropriate!"
The demon scowled at her. "It was not."
Botan was blushing darkly. "It was!" She insisted.
Youko snorted. Good god, the woman was getting all riled up over an innocent little nuzzle to her thigh? She was fully clothed, for goodness sake! Damn, she was acting like a --. The demon grinned, suddenly, evilly. The blush faded from Botan's face as the blood drained for the third time in the past hour.
"You're a virgin, aren't you?" Youko asked, his voice husky and wicked. Immediately, the blood rushed back to Botan's cheeks. Really, she was going to pass out if this kept up.
"What?!" She squeaked. "I don't see how that is any of your business!" she flushed, and looked away haughtily – though the effect was ruined by the way she kept glancing at him nervously from the corner of her eye. If anything, Youko's smirk widened. He chuckled, and the sound was anything but pleasant to poor Botan's ears.
"You are," Youko cooed, moving in on her. Botan backed her chair up as far as she could – which put a solid two inches between them. Suddenly, Botan was the one who began to feel claustrophobic. A clawed hand was on her hip and Youko's full lips were at her ear, his hot breath on the sensitive skin causing body-quaking shivers to rocket through her.
"Maybe I can help with that?" He purred softly. Immediately, Botan subdued him the only way she knew how – a solid scratch behind the ear. Suddenly, the intimidating demon was a quivering mass of limbs, white silk, and silver hair. His head dropped back into her lap and his eyes were half closed once more, the room-shaking purr back in full effect.
And... was he whimpering? Oh dear... The youkai was in a state of bliss, butting his head against the deity's hand and panting for more of her attention. Botan obliged – anything to keep him from asking embarrassing questions or getting ideas about other ways to... er... occupy their time.
His tail was thrashing behind him and Botan eyed it longingly. Maybe she could stroke that next...
A sudden rush of cool air and a bright light caused her to flinch, lifting her hand up to shade her eyes. About ten feet up the wall in front of her, one of the stones had been yanked out. Silhouetted against the bright sunlight were three familiar heads.
"Yuusuke!" She cried out happily, waving.
There was no immediate response. As her eyes adjusted to the brighter light, she saw why – the three men were blinking down at her in surprise – or rather, they were staring at the demon who still had his head in her lap. Youko looked back with bright golden eyes. After a moment, he seemed to come to his senses and jerked away from her, getting to his feet and scowling – though she thought she saw a slight reddish tint to his cheeks.
"Took you long enough," He said gruffly, glaring at the trio above them. Hiei merely looked back and forth between his demon friend and the blue-haired girl, before smirking slowly.
"We, uh, thought we heard something in here," Yuusuke replied, breaking into a wide grin. Kuwabara was still blinking at them.
"Hope we didn't interrupt anything!" Yuusuke chortled, "Do you two need any more help getting out?"
Youko glared, and before Botan could answer the demon had grabbed her and leaped all ten feet out of the tiny stone chamber to land gracefully on his feet, his silver tail swishing behind him. He set Botan down gently and she blinked up at him, but he turned away.
"Let's go," He said, stalking forward. Yuusuke followed, still chuckling, and Botan summoned her oar.
"I'm going to go report in to Koenma," She announced, "The demon is obviously trickier than we thought if he was able to trap Youko." Said demon snorted – obviously this was going to be a touchy subject for him.
She ignored the looks Yuusuke was giving her. "Alright, whatever," the dark-haired boy said, waving her off.
She kicked off from the ground, but couldn't resist one last look over her shoulder. As she did, she caught a pair of golden eyes. They gleamed brightly at her and she flushed.
Botan had the feeling that she was going to be seeing more of the fluffy-eared fox demon... And strangely, she found herself looking forward to it.
For some reason, I've been dying to write that one for ages! And it may or may not get a follow up. We'll see. ::Grins::
In the meantime, I would love for my readers to suggest some pairings and plot ideas for me – I'm always up for a challenge! Just please keep it Someone/Botan, since these are supposed Botan centered one-shots. My favorite suggestions will be turned into chapters for this compilation!
Thanks everyone! Please review, reviews keep me writing!