Botan's Past

Chapter 2

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"What do you want Botan? Not another vacation I hope, ‘cause you’re not getting any and you know that," said a voice behind the tall stacks of paper. "No, Koenma-sama. I’m here to talk about the incident last week in the Ningenkai. The…" he cut her off before she finished the sentence. "For crying out loud Botan! There are a thousand and one incidents happening in the Ningenkai all at once. Could you be a bit more specific?" he asked impatiently.

"Yes, uh, I’ve come here to discuss about Yuusuke’s previous assignment on retrieving the three treasures of Reikai," she said quickly. She walked closer to his desk to at least gauge his mood. His child-like frame was bent over the desk, stamping his insignia after scanning the documents briefly. He stopped, "Don’t tell me it got stolen again," he said warily. "Er, no Koenma-sama. In fact it’s safely tucked in…" he cut her yet again, this time shouting, "Botan! I know where it is. Now, you were saying?"

At least I have his undivided attention, she thought wryly. "I’d just like to know if you’ve already arrived on a decision on what punishment you’d give the kitsune and the fire demon," she asked. Koenma-sama frowned, "Can we discuss this later?" he asked. "No, wait! I have to know," she said desperately. He gave her a look that said she was being absurd. Knowing Botan, he knew she wouldn’t leave unless she gets what she came for.

"I’ve given it thought. Since Kurama, er, Minamino Shuichi returned the mirror to Urameshi quite willingly, I’d probably have him sentenced to be shipped to…" It was now Botan’s turn to cut him. "I have a better idea," she said quickly. Koenma eyed her with suspicion and annoyance, he didn’t like it when he don’t get to finish what he wants to say. Botan ignored his visible annoyance at being interrupted.

"Why not use their punishment to our advantage?" she asked. Koenma just stared at her prodding her to continue. "So, we have these two legendary thieves at our mercy. I thought, why not force them to do something they despise," she said. "Such as…" Koenma said, interested at what the messenger had thought of this time. Botan nodded and walked across the room, "Why not have them work for us? Why not make them Reikai Tantei?" Botan saw the twinkle of interest in the young prince’s eyes and continued, "I mean, the fact that it took us so long to catch Hiei and Kurama just shows how formidable an opponent they are," she reasoned.

Koenma frowned at that notion, "If you’re going to insult my abilities in catching these…" he started. "No, no. That’s not my point. What I’m trying to say is, we both know Kurama and Hiei are both powerful youkais. We can use their abilities to our advantage if we require them to work for us as their punishment," she stated. He turned pensive, "You do have a point," he said at last, "however, I’m still not sure of this is a good idea. After all, I’m not ensured of their loyalty. You can never tell with these thieves,"

Botan smiled, she’s already thought of that on her way there. "Koenma," she soothed patronizingly, "You’ve seen how the kitsune has changed since he took the body of Minamino Shuichi. I think he’s mellowed and content in being a ningen, and so do you," she sat at the edge of his desk. "It’s not the kitsune I’m worried about. It’s that temperamental fire-demon," he said.

"Hiei? Don’t worry about him. So long as we get Kurama to agree, we’d pretty much have Hiei on our side," he gave her a dubious look. "Well, more or less," she offered. He accepted her suggestion with a nod, "I’d say if I hadn’t known it was from you, that idea is a stroke of genius," he said. Botan smiled stiff, flinching inwardly at the midget’s words.

He banished her out of the room, which she obeyed immediately. She didn’t want to risk angering him and causing him to change his decision. She closed the heavy door and leaned her back on it. Sighing in relief.

A troubled young woman sat on a floating oar, hovering above the house off the street’s corner. She can’t seem to arrive on a decision. She stared at the window facing her. Its lights were shut, just like the rest of the house. And the full moon is the only light that illuminated the façade. It had a nearly eerie feel to its calm as it is set against a well-lit neighborhood with the glorious noise of laughter, conversation: life.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before descending in front of the closed window. She slid it open and invited herself into the cozy room. It was a welcome change from the cruel chill of the night as she stepped on the soft fabric of the floor’s carpet. She panned her view and inspected the room, not bothering to turn on the lights with the full moon outside aiding her probing eyes.

It has been months since she had first seen this room and since then, she made it a point to stop by every time she has a chance to visit Ningenkai. But never as close as actually getting inside. She has always kept afloat at a sure distance where he wouldn’t detect and recognize her ki. But now… now is the perfect time to satisfy her curiosity of the familiar kitsune who ended up as a ningen due to certain circumstances.

The clock in the wall says it’s an hour before midnight. Minamino Shuichi should be home right now, hitting the books for the next day’s school lessons. This struck Botan as something odd. She’s already come to know the young man as one who leads a routine schedule. He’s never missed a single minute of his self-patented schedule, which made Botan wonder why he still wasn’t home. Or where his mother was for that matter. She hasn’t been able to drop by and watch over him for a month, as her job demanded more of her time. She wondered if he’s already changed his schedule. The house was perfectly still and Botan found the situation much too perfect to resist her long-standing curiosity of an old friend.

She walked to the desk where she saw him often, either reading or absorbed in something else. Botan picked up a framed picture of Shiori and smiled as she placed it back on the table. She turned her attention to the tall shelf beside the shelf. It was filled with books in neat rows. She ran a finger across the leathery spines of the books, stopping whenever a certain word catches her attention. In the few weeks she followed Shuichi from home to school, she has come to know what has become of the kitsune thief. She’s met the different facets of the ningen housing the cold-hearted youko’s soul and with it, understood each of them.

She’s saw how his heart swelled with happiness whenever he saw his mother express her joy over something that he did. She watched him gain the approval of his professors and admiration of his fellow ningen schoolmates. She’s seen him lead his ningen ways happily. But then again, she’s never missed the lingering coldness of his youko heart, carefully obscured by the warm and friendly façade created by Minamino Shuichi.

She closed her eyes and lost herself in the pleasing scent of the room. He’s always smelled like fresh roses, she thought, remembering his lair.

Suddenly, light flooded the room. "I hope I’m not about to get a mandatory ride in Reikai," his voice said with much amusement. Botan opened her eyes slowly to a voice that seemed to be left unchanged by his shift to Ningenkai. The air around them hung still. He kept his foot planted on the doorstep and waited for her to turn. She slowly turned as he wished and lifted her pink eyes to his amused green ones.

"Hello, Botan-san," he said, holding her gaze. "Kurama," she whispered. They stared at each other, a fraction of a second longer, before Kurama walked into his room. Botan dreaded his next word and held her breath. "Tell me something, why do you keep this habit of sneaking up on me wherever I live at the most… uh, unnatural moments?" he asked. Botan’s lips managed a tentative smile, "You seem to be doing well as a ningen, Kurama," she stated.

He shrugged, still keeping a watchful eye on the deity, "I’m doing okay," he said softly. There was something different with his voice, Botan noticed. Somehow it had lost its note of cynicism and in its place, there was a certain tinge of politeness. She found it hard to look at him without staring. 20,000 feet away, Minamino Shuichi looked like any ningen leading a normal teenage, ningen life. Up close, he was another story.

His height seemed less imposing than his Youko form but still, he was good foot taller than she was. A lush waterfall of soft, crimson hair framed his delicate features. Features that are, indeed, attractive in both ningen and her standards. Yes, she thought, he is beautiful. Emerald green eyes that seem to pierce through the subjects of its scrutiny… in this case, her. She felt like stepping back from the intensity of his gaze boring holes into her shifting pink stare. Instead, she averted her eyes to the sliding window, half-willing to disappear into oblivion, while half of her longed to stare at him more. Just to make sure he was for real.

"So," he said, sitting at the edge of his bed and crossing his arms, "How long have you been following me?" he asked bemusedly. Immediately Botan fired a series of apologies for her intrusive curiosity. She’s positively sure he wanted to lead a normal life after he escaped his hunters from Makai and her stopping by his ningen house isn’t really going to help accomplish that. He watched her flush as she rattled on her explanations, excuses and whatnots. He smiled serenely at her and held up his palm when she started to talk about a fellow ferrygirl in the Reikai. "Botan, I’m happy to see you," that comment shut her up.

She looked startled, he continued. "I never got to feel your ki but my Youko instincts told me someone’s watching over me," he said calmly. She smiled sheepishly at the realization that she hadn’t really concealed herself well from the cunning kitsune. "And?" she asked expectantly. His brow wrinkled, "And, it’s okay. Tell me though," he said leaning his elbows on his knees, Botan heard warning bells in her head, "why do you act as though I’m going to pounce on you any moment now?" he asked with carefully veiled amusement.

She bit her lip for a while then shrugged, "I don’t know. Reflex, I guess," she smiled at him, "But in the months that I’ve seen you living as a ningen, I know that something in you changed," he smiled back at her. "Youko Kurama’s cold façade seem to be tucked very well in the recesses of Minamino Shuuichi’s being. The ningen," she said, widening her smile, "seem to have tamed the famed thief in you".

Upon hearing that, he averted his gaze to the wall behind her. Botan didn’t miss the change in his expression and that got her worried. "Kurama?" she asked tentatively. His face fell, "Do you know my mother Botan-san?" he asked, his voice steady and unchanging. "Hai. Minamino Shiori has somewhat been an angel sent to nurture the wounded youkai soul in you. She has raised you well, Shuuichi. She loves you and I know, you feel love for her you’ve never bothered to shower to anyone," she answered tenderly.

She saw him nod, when he raised his head, his façade remained calm, not showing the rage of emotions inside him. "Shiori-kun is dying. Just now, I’ve been to the hospital and I know the doctors are lying when they say they’re doing their best. They’ve already exhausted their efforts and they just don’t want to hurt my feelings," he stated. Then she saw the pain in his eyes and tears formed behind her own but she was determined not to cry. So she listened.

"I can’t let her go Botan, not yet. I promised to give the world at her feet when I finish school. She must be here to see me fulfill my promises. I refuse to give her to you," his words struck something inside her. She anticipated what he would say next. When he kept his peace with his head bowed, the words escaped her mouth in a whisper, "The mirror of utterdark,".

They just stood there for what seemed like eternity; two kindred souls, in one way or the other, from two entirely different universe. Time stopped. He waited for her to rage and persuade him to change his decision and tell him there must be another way. She didn’t. Instead, she walked to him and knelt in front of him. She took his hand in hers and held it tightly. He looked up and found himself staring into her now deep violet eyes concealing unshed tears. She smiled ruefully, "I wish you luck, my friend. I may not be smart but I know enough to assure you, what your heart says, is what is right".

Botan was right when she assumed he’s happy in his ningen life but his green eyes revealed the lonely and searching youko inside him. Not even Shiori had melted that part of his frozen heart and that made Botan sad. She eased her hand away from his grasp and fabricated an oar. Kurama let go of her reluctantly, still at awe over her last words.

He got up as well and opened the sliding window open, welcoming the full blast of icy wind into his room. Botan floated in front of him, "Take care Shuuichi. I have a feeling this is the first of many. When we see each other again, I pray we're on the same side," she said smiling at him briefly before surging forward and out into the Ningenkai skies.

Shizuru wondered what the koorime saw in her carrot-head brother that made her care about him but said nothing. She blew a puff of smoke, "I will never be able to get some decent sleep with all the tension racking inside me," she said. Keiko bit her lip. Shizuru has always been the strong one among the girls, always unruffled at the worst of situations. A chill passed her when she realized what Shizuru was telling them. She was scared. Keiko closed her eyes tightly, wanting to blot out the fear and trying feebly to mentally stop time from progressing.

Yukina moved beside Keiko and placed an arm around her shoulders that has been heaving from uncontrollable sobs. She was crying for Genkai and perhaps, for Yuusuke but she certainly was crying for them. How pathetic she felt to know the horrid tomorrow but cannot do anything but dread it. Pearls started to trickle down the floor as Yukina joined Keiko in her misery. Shizuru looked at her two friends, where is Botan anyway? She thought wondering if the blue-haired deity is as miserable as the two and worse, alone.

Botan stopped on her tracks when she saw a magnificent blue light shoot from the island to the sky. Yusuke, she thought, she felt like crying but her eyes refused to succumb anymore. She has been crying for the last three days, mourning for Genkai. That morning, she has busied herself with arranging Genkai’s transport to the Reikai where he would await the Ankoku Bujuutsukai to be over before he chooses his path.

The wind blew fiercely as though howling for her. She’s been walking through the forest beside the hotel they were staying in for nearly three hours now. But she didn’t mind. She went on walking, sandals dangling from her fingers, blissfully aware of the blades of grass coming in contact with her bare feet and the moonlight bathing her with its glorious glow. She stopped when she reached the edge of cliff that overlooked the ocean and the beach. She sat on a large boulder facing the ocean, drawing her knees up to her chest. The ocean beckoned her to go for a swim, she silently conversed to the vast sea her loneliness over what has been happening for the past few weeks and how she helped it come to be. Botan seemed to understand the water’s response as it continuously crawls to the sand and retreats to the ocean’s belly.

A soothing wind came over her and she instinctively released her lush hair from the ponytail. The wind teased her hair endlessly, blue silk against the stark darkness of midnight. She loves the feel of the wind threading through her hair and it felt like a laxative that induced her to yawn. The tears she has shed for the past days have finally caught up with her and she felt sleep lurking around her. She hugged her knees and placed her forehead on them.

She felt her eyes droop and tiredness prevented her from feeling the person kneeling behind her. Somehow, she could no longer tell the difference between the wind and the languorous fingers threading through her silken hair. A strand somehow strayed to the front of her face, she reached up and pushed it back, accidentally brushing her fingers against her uninvited companion. She jumped at the contact and turned.

"Kurama! You scared me out of my wits!" she exclaimed panting heavily. He smiled briefly but kept the smoothing motion of his hand on her hair, feeling its texture between his fingers. "You have beautiful hair Botan-chan, why do you keep it bound?" he asked gathering her hair, his fingers brushing over her nape and the side of her cheeks. She didn’t mind the occasional contact, "How long have you been here?" she asked. What was he doing there anyway? He should be resting for his fight tomorrow.

"You were sleeping," he pointed out. They were having a totally senseless conversation. She rubbed her eyes, "I feel tired. I’ve been going up to Reikai and back for the past two days…with Genkai and all," she said. Kurama felt a wave of loneliness hit him. He’d already grown fond of Genkai-basaan and it saddens him that he can’t seem to keep any of his friends alive enough to be near him. First it was Kuronue, then their sensei, he can’t help but wonder who will be next. With the tough battles ahead in the conclusion of the tournament, losing another friend would not be that hard. He just prayed that fate would let it be him.

He cast a sidelong glance at Botan, her hair flailing wildly behind her like a comet’s tail. He noticed the tired look in her eyes that were now heavy lidded with fatigue. Gently, he put an arm around her shoulders and guided her body down so that her head rests on his lap. Botan snuggled up to him, "Thanks. I was starting to plan on sleeping here alone," she muttered rubbing her cheek against the silk fabric of his tunic. "Why didn’t you just stay in the hotel? Keiko and the others would be looking for you right now," he said, still running his fingers through her hair that spilled on his lap.

"The hotel gives me the creeps. I can feel the evil emanating from its walls. Besides," she added, "I want to see the ocean. The tournament’s been shifting locations so often I don’t have time to see the water". She yawned yet again, the languorous strokes of Kurama on her hair and the occasional touch of his fingers on her nape forehead had a somewhat drugging effect on her.

"You’re just like Karasu, a hair fetishist," she murmured with drowsy humor starting to drift into sleep. He stopped running his fingers through her hair at the mention of his opponent’s name. Thousands of questions started to rattle him all at the same time. He wanted to shake Botan awake to ask all of them. But his logical mind and calm reasoning stopped him and made him resume to smoothing the deity’s hair. He bent his head and asked Botan if she was still awake, softly on her ear.

Botan responded with a stir, Kurama took it as a yes. "Tell me, when exactly did you meet Karasu?" he asked casually, his heart pounding with anticipation. "He dropped by the team’s room after you’ve gone. I was left there, tending on your things. We talked for a good hour before Koenma-sama called me. He removed my ponytail and did exactly what you’re doing right now," she said drowsily. A million emotions started to tug him in different directions. He didn’t even know which one he would acknowledge. So it was Botan he was pertaining to when he complimented his hair when they met!

He wanted to tell Botan of the incident and warn her but stopped himself. She’s already been through so much, he thought, looking down at her peaceful, sleeping face. He stared out into the ocean, he’ll just have to kill Karasu to impede whatever plans he had for Botan. He can’t let that monster harm any of his friends. Not another one. He traced Botan’s sleeping profile with one light finger and stopped at her slightly parted lips. Other than fear, he felt something well up inside him that he refused to acknowledge. It was already hard enough to keep from everyone his brief encounter with Botan in the past. Complicating things won’t be a big help.

He stared at her sleeping face, smitten by its peace. And there, in the godforsaken island, he found peace as shared temporarily and unknowingly by the woman in his arms.