Stay Golden

Summary: There's an accident! Hiei's in the hospital and everyone is a nervous wreck including Botan who sits at his bedside waiting for him to awaken. College fic.

By Rikku Minouke

Please don't leave me …I don't think I could survive without you…Please come back…

Tears flowed down Botan's cheeks as she grabbed the man who lay on the bed's hand. It was limp and slightly cold in her grip. Droplets of water soaked in to his palm as they trickled from her eyes. She watched as he took slow breathes on the life support system.

Many of their friends surrounded them. It surprised them that all of this was happening. First off that Hiei was even in the hospital; that something like the bridge collapsing in Minnesota would happen with someone they knew on it. Also, that Botan was even affected by Hiei being hurt. The two of them hated each other, were rivals at everything they did and didn't agree on anything including what color the sky was.

The doctor was talking in the background about his condition and how bad the accident was. When the bridge collapsed and Hiei hit his head severely hard on the steering wheel of his car as it fell towards the Mississippi River. It's a miracle he's even alive, were about all Botan understood as she ran a hand threw Hiei's raven hair.

If only he could glare at her with those ruby eyes, call her an idiot just one more time and it would make everything all better. Just let him know that she's loved him all along, she just couldn't find the strength to let him know before.

Yukina, Hiei's twin sister was sobbing next to her. They'd recently met when their parents got remarried. It wouldn't be fair for them to spend such little time together. Kurama placed a hand on each of the bluette's shoulders. He had a far off look in his eyes that let everyone know he was sad. Yusuke had an arm around Keiko as she cried into his shoulder. A few curses were slipping past his lips about how Hiei could have been so stupid to get hurt and almost killed. Shizuru was smoking a cigarette in the waiting room with a quivering hand as her brother sat next to Yukina holding her hand and telling her that her brother would be all right.

Everything was quiet to Botan, people were speaking but she couldn't hear them. There lips were moving, although all she could hear was her own heart beat and her thoughts. The ones that said she would give anything to have Hiei back. Have him back to hear his snide remarks, his not so threatening glares, their stupid arguments, and their silent secrets.

Shizuru entered the room and the only way Botan registered this was by Kurama's slight smile. She must have told Kazuma they had to head out because he hugged Yukina good bye and disappeared. Kurama then replaced him next to Yukina to stare at Hiei's unmoving body.

Two shaky arms wrapped around Botan's shoulders and she knew that Keiko had to be leaving to. Yusuke patted her shoulder and probably gave a half hearted grin to Kurama. He would be taking Keiko home because she had to work soon. All that was left was Kurama, Yukina, Botan, and the doctor with Hiei silent and still, sleeping on the bed in front of them.

Botan mentally shook herself and looked at the doctor behind her for the first time. He was tall and had a rugged look to him, like he'd been working for too long and on too many cases like this. The mans dirty blonde hair was in need of a comb as it stuck out a little at the side and a stub was already growing on his chin. Maybe a little coffee would do him some good.

Kurama stood and started talking with the doctor. Turns out that it was getting past visiting hours and only one person could stay with Hiei…a family member. Yukina stood up as well and Kurama then looked at her as she spook up for the first time since everyone arrived. Botan's eyes traveled back to Hiei's face.

There was a smug of dirt that Botan had to hold back the urge to wipe it. She had to control her self from crying at a memory of him yelling at her during a football game when she was a cheerleader. He'd been sitting on the bench and she wiped some dirt off his sweaty face. That was at least five years ago when they were juniors at Watertown High School.

Botan…Excuse me… Botan…

She looked up to see Kurama and Yukina gazing at her and the doctor walking out of the room. Her eyes were glazed over with tears and a bit puffy, cheeks red from brushing away the streams of water falling down them, and her hands still gripping Hiei's. Kurama squatted down to be more eye level.

"Botan, we just talked to the doctor and he said that all non family members have to leave and only one person can stay through out the night," Kurama stared her in the eyes making sure she knew what he was telling her. She nodded to reassure him. "Yukina needs to go home and sleep a bit and call her parents back in Watertown. Do you think that you could stay the night?"

"Uh…" was about all Botan could make out in her confusion.

"The situation at hand has taken a toll on everyone and I understand that it's a lot to ask of you, knowing how you and Hiei felt of one another," Kurama back peddled. "Although you happen to live down the street from the hospital and it's a long drive back to Carver for me when I also have to drop Yukina off half way."

"But family," she managed to say around tight vocal cords.

"That's taken care of," Kurama smiled diminutively. "Yukina told the doctor that you and Hiei were to be married in a few months and he said one of you two may stay the night under the hospitals supervision." Botan nodded, letting Kurama know that she would stay.

Yukina hugged her and the two girls cried for a moment together before Kurama drove Yukina to her and Hiei's apartment in St. Cloud. Botan stood from the stiff chair she'd been sitting in and walked around to the other side of Hiei's bed. She sat down on the edge to stare down at him.

"Hiei… pull through this…" tears landed on his check and Botan wiped them away as well as the smug of dirt. "I won't complain anymore, I promise. I'll be good for you, and I won't call you short anymore either. Maybe I'll even take dance class to be less clumsy, or etiquette class to know what fork to eat with. Whatever it takes for you to get out of the coma, please do this. If not for me… for your sister who needs you to look after her when she starts a job as a nurse.

"I bet you didn't know that she got a job," Botan grinned slightly. "It was gonna be a surprise for you. She's trying really hard to stay tough. Yukina's grown a lot with you around; she will grow up more if you stay."

She stared at his face hoping for some sign that he was okay and coming out of the coma. There was nothing, not a twitch, not a flutter of eye lashes… nothing.

You can't leave us, we all need you… even if we say otherwise, we all love you.

"Do you remember when we were little and you'd always make fun me because I had blue hair? I know you do, because you still do it. Or the time when we were like six and you convinced me that the sky was really purple, there was just something wrong with my eyes. I'm pretty sure there's nothing wrong with my eyes, it's not purple, the sky is most defiantly blue." The corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly at the memories.

"I remember when we first met… somewhat," Botan closed her eyes to picture the moment. "You were my neighbor and I'd just moved in and our fathers became good friends so we always had to hang out with one another. One night you stole my shoes and hid them so I had to walk home through the wet grass in my socks. I don't think I ever got them back from you."

The night passed by with Botan talking to Hiei hoping that he'd awaken and say a snide remark. Her voice hopeful as she told him stories about their childhood to his comatose mind.