[IC] Sapphire Roses

[Genkai]

Inhaling softly, the blue haired reaper pressed her back further into the tree supporting her. The leaves were slowly forming modest sized blossoms which would soon flourish in the next month. The woman's eyes carefully studied the pack of solemn people in front of her. They were quiet and many were dressed in proper funeral attire. There was a nervous silence circulating around the small cemetery as people began to part ways with one another. A young couple was being consoled, having lost their daughter Meiko only three days ago. Botan had met Meiko, had even escorted her to Spirit World personally.

Of course it being Botan's job to guide lost souls, the idea of flying off on her oar into the misty pink hued sky of Spirit World wasn't so strange. But what was strange, was the fact Meiko was the second person at Meioh Private Academy, a private co-ed high school, to kill herself. The records that she and the others held however, did not predict Meiko dying so soon, much less by suicide. The first victim was Anabe, a younger boy in his second year. While Meiko had thrown herself off the third story building, using the library's balcony, Anabe had slit his wrists in the first floor boy's bathroom. Anabe had killed himself just two weeks ago and with Meiko being a second victim, Botan had been instructed to go down and investigate the matters personally.

As people began to excuse themselves once paying their respects to Meiko's parents, Botan shifted her gaze to the red haired fox demon. Since she was to be digging around his school for answers, she knew she'd have to be a good girl and keep him in the loop. There was also a good chance he'd be able to help her get to the bottom of things, before anyone else got the crazy idea that life was somehow no longer worth living. Being a grim reaper, Botan had been able to watch humans from afar but now she was close to them. They were truly fascinating creatures.

Though she had gone to school with Yusuke and Kuwabara every now and then, she was rather curious to see how older students would act. And although she didn't consider herself a genius like her future fellow classmates, she was actually looking forward to leaning more about humans and all of their fantastic ticks.

Finally exhaling, she pushed herself off of the trunk and headed towards Kurama.

She made a mental note to call him 'Shuichi' around other people, hoping she wouldn't cause him too much stress during her mission. Botan had on a pair of light jeans and an orange top with a brown vest over it. Her usual pony tail was still in place, tied back with an orange ribbon. Botan had on ankle boots to match her vest and knew that come tomorrow, she'd be in a school uniform which was why she decided not to adorn black at the moment. Having dealt with so much death and loss, she didn't like to burden herself further and instead liked to celebrate the lives as they were, not as what they failed to become. Meiko had been a bright, smart woman who should have gone on to start her own automotive business. Meiko should have married her current boyfriend and had two kids. Meiko should have outlived her parents.

And yet...

Shaking her head, Botan buried those regrets away for the time being. She finally closed the minimal gap between Kurama and herself and greeted him with a bright wide smile. "Good afternoon." She laughed softly and glanced over his shoulder at the lingering mourners. "Funny running into you here." She continued. Of course she spent a good deal in such places and she knew she'd find Kurama at the ceremony but still, she found it funny to be in such a grim place, given a month ago they had escaped The Dark Tournament on Hanging Neck Island. Botan tilted her head to the side and then motioned with it, for him to walk with her. They headed for the iron gate and she decided to just have light conversation before revealing her motives.

"The service was lovely, I'm sure Meiko's parents enjoyed sharing her memory with her classmates."

"...Did you know her well?" She couldn't help but ask as they headed down the sidewalk now.

[SoleAccord]

He could still hear the sound of screams ringing in his ears when the body had been discovered. The crowd gathered at the cemetery was moderate in size, complete with family and peers dressed in formal funeral attire. Kurama was among the group of students that had chosen to come and pay additional respects to the deceased, and had set a rose upon the casket just before its final descent beneath the ground. Though the tears had flowed freely at Meiko’s wake a couple days ago, the mood had not changed since then. Family and friends still wept, with many of them approaching Meiko’s parents and offering some words of comfort—if any—that they could possibly offer. Consoling them was a meaningful thing to do, but it would not take the pain away, and they had to have known that just as much as the parents did.

The attendees had said all that they desired to say. Wiping away tears and leaving in groups, Kurama was one of the last to finally peel his eyes away from the new grave and return home. He was there to pay respects to a fellow classmate, and that should have been the end of it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Meiko was a stable young woman with a bright future ahead of her. It didn’t take a man with an IQ above 200 to see that this was both tragic and sudden, and as unfounded as it appeared to be. Never did the question of “why?” be as fitting as it does at this very moment. Why? What had been so hard about her life that Meiko believed taking her life was the only logical answer, when past engagements with her only showed a bright and meaningful young lady?

With a downcast head, Kurama had left the grass of the cemetery and made for home. The funeral should have been the end of things, but in his mind this suicide was too random for him to overlook. Just a couple weeks prior another boy, Anabe, had chosen to take his life in the boy’s bathroom. He had attended that funeral as well and was just as unable to see the boy committing suicide, just as he was unable to see Meiko doing the same. Educational pressure was a possibility that staff and parents had both considered. However, their grades reflected that of a strong work ethic. They weren’t bad kids—if anything they were both upstanding and didn’t cause problems for anyone else.

It would have continued to eat at him on the way home were it not for the arrival of an old friend. He had heard the footsteps deliberately heading for him, and had only raised his head before the last possible moment. Kurama’s tense expression was raised, as was his mood, into something much more pleasant despite his color-bleak attire. “Oh, Botan,” he returned her smile with one of his own. “Yes, it is strange to encounter you here of all places.”

Botan just happening to pass by a cemetery at the same time he was leaving one wasn’t likely to be coincidence. As one who ferried souls to the next world, she was more intimate with death than she appeared. Sometimes it was hard to believe she was one of many grim reapers across the world with a demeanor as pleasant as hers. He followed her gaze just behind him at what remained of the funeral service and his expression fell again, then faced forward again in time to follow her gesture of walking beside her. She didn’t waste any time commenting on the funeral, specifically mentioning Meiko by name.

So, she did know. Then again, how could she not given her profession?

“There was a lot of pain involved, but I think the presence of her peers helped ease this for their parents, at least a little,” Kurama replied, facing forward rather than down towards the ground. With Botan’s presence he could speak with someone who understood how strange the circumstances were surrounding the recent suicide. With her next question, Kurama had begun to suspect that this meeting was definitely leading to something more. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “We studied together once or twice in the past but nothing more than that. She was a good person—as was Anabe.”

He had thrown the mention of the first student in quickly to slow Botan down from any further speech. “Pardon my being blunt Botan, but do you know anything about what’s happened? A suicide two weeks ago, and a suicide last Friday. Since that day, I’ve begun to wonder if this is more than just the pressures of the educational system.” Kurama understood very little; with Botan’s arrival he could ask her questions only she might have the answer to. Being closely tied to Koenma, and having the ability to speak with the deceased, meant that Botan had access to information he did not have readily available.

“Did Meiko say anything to you about what happened when you helped her move on?”

[Genkai]

The matter of their suicides were indeed a sensitive topic. Back in Spirit World, people were trying to figure out why such a precise location would give birth to two lost souls in such a short period of time without any previous indication or warning. Botan was sure by going undercover, she could run some tests and see if there was some demon causing these incidents or something of that ungodly nature.

When Kurama mentioned Anabe, she was sure he was suspicious as to her timely arrival in the Human World, much less to her seeking him out in particular. She kept walking with him and tilted her head to the side as he continued to speak, now getting to the mystery of her appearance as well as any knowledge she possessed about the two tragedies. His final question didn't surprise her. It was like him to ask such a considerate question that some like Yusuke or Kuwabara would happen to overlook.

"Meiko was distraught, to say the least..." Botan began to say.

At the intersection, they stopped to allow a few cars to drive by before they crossed the street. "She wasn't able to piece together the events leading up to her death, at least not right away." She mentioned as they passed by a collection of cafes and small bakeries. Botan sniffed the air and found her attention waning slightly as her pace slowed until she was standing in front of a French cafe which seemed to sell all sorts of baked goods. "Let's stop here, it'll give us a better place to talk."

Without waiting for Kurama's response, she grabbed his hand and darted into the gold and orange establishment. There was a warmth to the cafe as well as an air of sophistication with the detailed golden stencils of foliage on the cream colored walls with orange trim and flowing drapes. Once inside, she let go of his hand, assuming he wouldn't still flee or find a way to decline. "In times such as these, it's important to remember yourself, to treat yourself." She quickly explained as she looked over the menu and decided a berry tart and a chocolate eclair would be good. And maybe some green tea too.

She did have yen which Lord Koenma had given her, plus the other necessary supplies. For now, they were locked up at a storage locker not far from where they were. She needed to find a hotel but she was hoping she'd be able to bat her eyes and Kurama and see if he was inclined to accept a lost lonely grim reaper as a possible roommate. She paid for her items and quickly located a secluded metal table outside of the storefront and sat down. When Kurama rejoined her, she decided pick up where they had left off before she had become distracted.

"Meiko and even Anabe have only been able to recount snippets of their memories but they both seem as though they hadn't meant to have killed themselves, despite all other appearances." She told him as she picked a blueberry off the tart and popped it in her mouth. "I'm here," she paused to licked her fingers. "because of the odd circumstances, our records show both should have lived long and happy lives." But she was sure Kurama knew or at least assumed that much.

"I'll be attending school with you starting tomorrow in order to closely conduct tests and get readings on anything odd happening around the school. There are theories floating around back in Spirit World, some suspect an artifact, a demon or maybe just an ordinary human influencing such events. We won't know until we gather more intelligence. Of course I'll be preforming my other reaper duties but I'm sure I'll manage." She waved a hand and picked up her tea to have a sip/

Botan set her cup down, once satisfied.

She sighed and looked to him. "I was actually hoping I could talk you into letting me stay with you? Just for a while, all of the hotels are rather seedy looking..." The blue haired reaper gave him an innocent look. Plus, she'd rather spend her funds on cute things and good human food, not some rundown hotel where illicit affairs occurred on a nightly basis.

[SoleAccord]

Distraught was definitely the easiest way to put it.

Kurama could only imagine the anguish that came from the unexpected passing of someone with so much to give to the world, whether by benefitting humanity as a whole, or just the existence of a single person. Without the foresight that Botan held with her position as a grim reaper, Kurama knew that Meiko had made people happy. She was not very popular, but she was someone that other people cared for, and people had lost that until they joined her in the next world.

He continued to listen closely to the details Botan offered him. Meiko couldn’t remember what was going through her head before she had chosen to jump. He didn’t want to believe it—especially after their struggles during the Dark Tournament—but it seemed to be something only a demon could instill. As much as he wanted to know more, Botan had caught the enticing aroma of baked breads and sweets. Giving pause to the current discussion, she wanted to go inside and get something to eat. She would find no argument from him; there was no rush to confront a foe they had no information on, and her details would not suddenly cause the answers to fall into their lap. When she took hold of his hand and brought him inside, he gave a soft smile at her back despite the horrible circumstances that brought them together.

Kurama took note of the well-decorated interior and approved of the cosmetic decisions within. The stencils were a good touch, but the color scheme was nothing compared to how clean everything looked. He made a mental note to return here with her at some point.

Joining her at the counter, Botan justified her sudden interest in baked goods that kept his smile going strong. “I’m not complaining, Botan,” Kurama said with quiet laughter, watching as she scanned the menu. He made a quick note that she was a very particular girl when it came to treats. The selection was wide, but this was not a decision the reaper intended to make lightly. After she had finally chosen her treat of choice, it was his turn. “I’ll take a cinnamon roll and some milk.” He kindly requested. Paying for his own items, he rejoined Botan outside and took a seat at the table she had chosen for them.

The outpouring of details continued. The suicide of both Meiko and Anabe were not recalled, going against how deliberate it was to slice one’s wrists open in the bathroom. It was possible that Meiko’s death was foul play. The school had sent everyone home and launched an investigation the day that she had fallen. There was no evidence of a struggle from where she had jumped—it couldn’t have been anything more than the decision of a troubled girl. Or so they thought. Botan’s mention of records had sealed that possibility for Kurama entirely. Their lives were not taken by their choice but by the choice of another influence, another being.

Kurama ate his cinnamon roll and drank his milk, allowing her to continue on. His expression did not change when she told him of her plans. His senses rarely betrayed him, but Botan had access to tools that he did not have, nor did he believe he needed. At this point, anything would be helpful, and he was invested in this case. When she concluded, he chewed the last of his cinnamon roll and drank the last of his milk. Setting the cup down and dabbing at his lips with a napkin, Botan’s request had made his eyes widen and his cheeks slowly tighten up with amusement.

“It would be my pleasure, it’s just—“He paused and held a loose fist up to his mouth, trying to conceal his laughter. “I’m sorry, it’s just hard imagining a grim reaper being concerned about a bad hotel.”

Kurama was no fool. He knew that there were as many bad men in a position of power as there were good. Botan’s attractiveness would certainly grab the attention of terrible men who intend to extort and prey on her. She had to have known that herself and did not want to bring harm on people who did not know what they were dealing with, even if they were despicable. She had survived the Makai Insects and even lived to see the Dark Tournament’s conclusion; Botan had the strength of a fighter deep within, holding power yet untapped. Even if it could not be manifested into a concentrated blast of energy as readily as Yusuke’s, or wielded as a blade of energy like Kuwabara, it was still strong and pure. It only needed to be tended to—nurtured with the care of one overseeing the growth of precious flowers.

Kurama’s fist fell, but his smile remained just the same. “I’ll have to talk to mother about it. We don’t have company over often, much less staying with us, so I’m sure she won’t mind the arrangement.” He was confident that Botan’s presence would be welcome, and left little doubt that she would be refused.

After Botan had finished her meal, they set out for Kurama’s home. Telling a lie to his mother was never comforting, but it was always for the sake of her peace of mind. Together he had bounced off potential stories Botan could use; she was new to the school and transferred from another part of Japan, but due to some confusion during the move she was unable to pay for housing elsewhere; her parents are fighting far too frequently, and she wants to get away from it for a little while by staying with a close friend; Kurama had helped her out of a bad situation with some riffraff, and she won’t be comfortable staying at her own home for a while, at least until she feels safe walking home alone again. Any story was plausible, but he stressed that his mother was more than likely to accept Botan no matter how simple her reason was. It did not take escaping an abusive relationship for his mother to help someone in need. Botan’s housing troubles would be nonexistent the minute she made a case. It was just that easy.

“Mother, I’m home!” Kurama called, entering the warm Minamino home and guiding Botan inside. It was a modest place that was kept very tidy. The carpet and walls were kept clean, with tables and furniture kept dust-free. The sound of a television had greeted them just before Shiori Minamino did, emerging from around the corner of the kitchen wiping away at a wet pan with a look of contentedness.

“Welcome back Shu—“Her son had returned, but with him was a girl she did not recognize. Shiori had, as many mothers might, began to form her own idea of who she was before either Shuichi or the sunny new guest could. “Oh!” Shiori smiled, setting the pan and rag down on the counter beside her before approaching her son and his friend. “Welcome to our home! Shuichi, is this a new friend of yours?”

“She’s not exactly new. Her name is Botan and she’s a good friend of mine. She has something to ask of you.” Kurama could practically see the gears in his mother’s head turning. Botan’s case might be unnecessary at this point. If mother was already coming to her own conclusions, then her place here was guaranteed. All that mattered now was what story she would choose to stick to.

Shiori looked at Botan with subtle excitement. “It’s not every day that Shuichi brings home a friend, especially one so cute.”

“Mother, please.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Shiori waved a hand apologetically. Shuichi’s embarrassment only made this moment more adorable to her.

[Genkai]

Botan couldn't help but give him a pout when he mentioned how amusing it was to imagine her having an issue with being set up in a seedy location. "Hey, I'm not worried about myself." She insisted. "I just can't intervene where I would feel morally obligated to...it's complicated and gross and not a place for a young lady such as myself." She whined softly though she knew he was just pulling her leg a little. "Lord Koenma is being so stingy, after all the years I put in working for him." Part of her was a little insulted that her boss could be so flippant about her accommodations but she knew arguing with him was an impossible battle. So Botan was sure her fox in shining armor would be willing to rescue her.

When he lowered his small fist and smiled at her, she brightened up.

"Of course, of course!" Botan nodded. She had met Kurama's mother once when working with Yusuke on his first case but it hadn't been a formal meeting, by any means. Kurama's mother had been in the hospital and Botan had only watched the sick woman from afar while events on the rooftop played out through the means of the Forlorn Hope as both Yusuke and Kurama tried to offer their lives in exchange for something far more important in their minds. Yusuke had been foolish and impulsive, despite his good intentions. But so had Kurama. In the end, his mother got better and both boys walked away from the clash surprisingly unharmed. Looking back, Botan knew if they had fought, Yusuke would not have been so fortunate. She knew luck had often been on his side, from his fight with Rando, to his fight with Chu in the Dark Tournament.

Evidently, though Kurama didn't need luck to win. He had both skill and intellect to earn his victories and she had to commend him for that. She almost wished he would show Yusuke the merits of studying and applying one's self. When she was finished, the pair got up and continued towards Kurama's home. While they walked, they discussed a history for her to stick to which was easier said than done. She would do her best to remember the basics. The last thing her case needed was to be compromised by people getting suspicious and compromising her research. She decided she would be from Nagano and that her parents were getting a divorce and she was being sent to live with a her father but due to the stress, she wanted to live with a friend until things cooled down, which was where Kurama would come in.

They soon arrived at his home and entered. Botan surveyed the entry and slipped off her shoes as Kurama's mother came to greet him, unaware he had someone with him. Botan kept her wide smile, it was quite sincere but then again, Botan was often happier than most humans in Tokyo it seemed, despite her grim profession. She gave a bow to Shiori as Kurama quickly tried to give a brief introduction as to who Botan was. When the woman complimented Botan, she gave a wave of her hand. "Oh, you're too kind!" She blushed a little, not minding the compliment at all. At Kurama's embarrassment, Botan felt almost privileged to see him in such a state. Not long ago, he had been in a heated battle with Karasu and now he was trying to contend with his mother. If only the others could see him now! "It's really a pleasure to meet the woman who raised such a fine, upstanding gentleman." She rested a hand on Kurama's shoulder briefly.

"Please come in and sit down, make yourself at home, Botan." Shiori gestured for them to move into the sitting room across from the kitchen. The three of them sat around the kotatsu with Botan sitting across from Kurama. "Now...what is it you'd like to ask me?"

Botan glanced to Kurama and then to the woman on her right. "I know this is an imposition...but...I was hoping I could stay here for a while." She chewed on her lip, deciding to go with a more uncertain demeanor for her next move. "My parents are...going through a divorce and it's becoming too much for me...I was transferred to Meioh last week and when Shuichi saw me crying after my first day, he offered a shoulder to cry on and then suggested I talk to my father over the weekend about finding a friend's house to stay. The only person who I could think of is your son...and I'd really appreciate being able to come home to a quiet house, one that isn't filled with shouting over the phone." She said quietly and gave a shaky sigh before collecting herself. "I would help out of course, I'd clean and cook and you'd never have to lift a finger!"

By this point, Shiori was already planning what breakfast she would make for the poor girl in the morning.

Leaning over, she placed an arm around Botan and brought her close. "I am so sorry, my dear. You are welcome to stay as long as you need." The woman was close to tears herself and trusted Shuichi's judgement and could already tell the young girl was sweet and honest, much like her own son. Even though she wanted to ask a few more questions, she knew they had time for that later in the evening. "Shuichi, you should go with her to get her things from her father's, by then dinner should be ready." Shiori smiled to them and got to her feet. Botan rose as well and gave a look to Kurama as Shiori excused herself to return to the kitchen to make a meal fit for an emperor. Botan headed for the door and when Kurama joined her, they put their shoes back on and headed outside. Botan hoped she hadn't gone overboard with the story but thankfully, Shiori had taken the bait.

Like Kurama, she wasn't fond of lying but it had to be done.

And she hadn't meant to put him into a compromising position.

It was too late now though.

"We can pick up my stuff and then head to the school, I think it would be best to go there now, while it's still vacant. It'll allow me to take some readings and run some other tests before school starts up tomorrow." Botan told Kurama as they headed down the sidewalk. They retrieved her things from the storage locker and continued back toward the school. "I've been given several devices to detect various things, I'll need to see where both Anabe and Meiko killed themselves and if you can tell me if they broke any habits in the days leading up to their passing, that would be a big help." The woman was now back to being focused on the work ahead of her and the many reports she'd send to Lord Koenma. "I never thanked you." It dawned on her that she just inserted herself into Kurama's life and he was being so nice about it. She was used to bossing Yusuke around because it was her job but she hoped she didn't step on Kurama's toes.

As they reached the iron gate and let themselves in, she glanced to the red haired boy and smiled. "You don't have to help me but I do understand you wanting to get to the bottom of this and wanting to protect your school. Thank you, either way." She then continued to cross the large courtyard to the entrance of the large private school. "Yusuke was never the most competent when it came to investigating, it'll be great to have someone like you helping for a change!" Her tone changed briefly as they let themselves in and glanced around the school. It was often left open for students to come and go as needed but with the Monday being canceled, it seemed pretty uninhabited, which was just the way the grim reaper preferred it. In her large duffle bag, she had a few devices she needed to use but for now, she was following Kurama's lead to where Anabe had been tragically found.

[SoleAccord]

Kurama did not know what to expect when he sat in front of the kotatsu. Botan had a strong aura of positivity surrounding her, so he doubted his mother would question how sincere she was. Her natural charm would do wonders here, but there was still the obstacle of being convincing. Anyone could say they are struggling, or desperate, and be absolutely horrible at convincing someone of it. With his mother welcoming Botan to speak, Kurama kept focus strictly on Botan to monitor her efforts.

The slight gnawing she did on her lips would help sell the trouble this was causing her. The story was brief and not at all hard to follow, but what impressed him the most was how concise it was. Botan wasn’t wavering or stressing her pause. No tears were needed to capture his mother’s sympathy. One quick glance at Shiori told Kurama that Botan had done it; she looked to Botan with the affection and tenderness that only a mother could provide. It was tale that was bought before Botan had completely sold it, and in the end his mother leaned over to wrap her arm around Botan.

‘Good work,’ Kurama thought, smiling at the two whilst his mother welcomed Botan to stay. Shiori had asked him to accompany her while she got her things and returned them here. Everything had gone just as planned. “Of course, mother. We’ll be back soon.”

Joining Botan at the door and placing his shoes back on, the two had left as quickly as they had come. With Botan’s decision-making skills she had explained what she believed to be the best course of action. Kurama agreed. “I feel the same way. This is a good time to get started on the investigation.” he said. Once they got to her storage locker, Kurama wasn’t shy about examining what devices she pulled out from it. Recognizing them as obvious Spirit World tools—thanks to his bandit days, and a few uncomfortable calls against those searching for him—Botan spoke of the best way they could get a good idea of what happened: returning her to the specific areas Meiko and Anabe were found. It was the best start they could hope to get without any leads.

“I can’t say much for Anabe from personal experience, but I did hear that he was less and less sociable in the days leading up to when he was found. He wasn’t a rowdy boy, but he had a good group of friends. It went on for a few days just before what happened.” Kurama said. “It’s easy to rule it as suicide if they’re withdrawing from socializing, even with friends. Meiko was a lot more cheerful and I know that from having seen her myself a handful of times. The same thing seemed to happen to her; she was more withdrawn than usual, smiled less, and spent a good deal of time alone when she could.”

It was a good cover, yet his instincts and Botan’s own records were pointing them in the direction of a dark scheme. What was there to gain from this? Was it all just a thrill of causing suffering before taking their lives away? It was enough to make Kurama’s blood boil, and his fist tightened to reflect his train of thought. Yusuke and Kuwabara may have understood the significance of their peers suffering the most, especially when they weren’t cruel or malicious. They were innocent.

Botan mentioning never thanking him had snapped Kurama out of his internal anger. He kept alongside her, giving a glance of confusion that turned into one of understanding. “If you’re talking about staying with me, it isn’t a problem. You’re the most well-behaved and considerate out of our circle, so it wasn’t difficult to offer you a place in my home.”

She continued even after they had gone through the gate, expressing gratitude for the part he was playing in this investigation. It would be too odd for Yusuke or Kuwabara to appear here given their attending another school. Hiei was out of the question unless a challenge for him was in place—or worse, Yukina was threatened in some way, a death sentence for anyone who did not know of him. Botan had said how refreshing it would be to work with someone like him, as opposed to Yusuke. Kurama understood the significance this must have on her. It was mutual. “I’m happy to help you, Botan, truly,” Kurama said, returning her smile with one of his own. “While I appreciate Hiei’s insight and… unique perspective on problems and how best to solve them, your presence is refreshing. Let’s see how we perform together.” Kurama did not doubt they would make a good team.

When they finally entered the school, silence was the only thing that welcomed them. They had to have been the only two souls here. Kurama believed he would have sensed someone otherwise. Tomorrow, that was going to be different. “Since we’re on the first floor, we’ll start with where Anabe was found,” he said. Guiding her through the halls, passing posters that advertised various clubs and events taking place after school, Kurama could not find it in him to say much more. He was back to thinking about what made these students so special that they were targeted out of the lot. The significance was lost on him… yet somehow he believed he was missing something important with all of this.

“Here,” Kurama stopped just in front of the bathroom door before pushing it open. Immediately after doing so, the scent of bleach and multi-scented cleaning products overwhelmed his senses. Hitting the light switch just beside the door, they flickered on to reveal a pristine bathroom. The surfaces of all things seemed to glimmer. “Anabe’s death was two weeks ago, but it’s hard to...” Kurama searched for the proper word as he led her to the exact stall Anabe was found in. “To ‘get comfortable’ knowing that a peer took his life here. The faculty must have believed that freshening the place up would make things easier for the other students. I don’t think anyone’s touched it since then.”

The stall closest to the urinals just beside them was the one they would stop in front of. Kurama parted the door with the scent only becoming stronger there, a good indicator that it was here where Anabe was found if Botan had not pieced it together already. “He was sat here,” Kurama gestured to the glistening, closed toilet seat, “He bled onto the floor. The trail managed to extend to the urinal beside this stall before someone was alerted. I wasn’t a witness, but those that saw the body said that his expression was calm. No tears, no fuss. He looked content, with an emptiness in his eyes. The knife is in the hands of the authorities, and it’s beyond what I can accomplish as a student to get to you to examine.” Kurama frowned. “Maybe you can ask Koenma to get us a chance to examine it?”

It was probably better that way. He likely could have stolen it himself, but those days were something he wanted to put behind him unless absolutely necessary.

[Genkai]

'How sweet.' She thought to herself when he mentioned how she was the most well behaved and considerate in their group. 'But that's not saying much...' Botan considered, though she was still pleased with the praise. She so seldom received such kind words directed at her. Usually Lord Koenma was yelling about something and her other colleagues, other grim reapers, didn't congregate often enough to offer a lot of positive support. "Oh, yes! I'm sure we'll be a great, formidable team!" She replied brightly to his closing consideration.

While Kurama led her through the school, she tried to make note of everything, knowing tomorrow would be her first real day attending it and she was more than a little nervous. She knew she wasn't the smartest gal around and she was sure that would quickly come to light. So she hoped she could make friends, as well as a good impression on everyone. She had a feeling she'd have to once again turn to Kurama for assistance if she was to keep her grades in check, or risk being booted. If the school kicked her out for getting low marks, her whole case would be thrown out the window and she feared what might happen if no one was left to dig for answers.

Of course now she had an ally in Kurama.

And she wanted to make sure she didn't just rely on him all the time.

When they reached the bathroom in question, Kurama was the first to open the door and turn on the lights. Botan knew it would be thoroughly cleaned since the incident but that wouldn't hamper her readings, thankfully. Botan gave a small sigh as Kurama went on to mention how students were still having trouble even using it. "It's...to be understandable. Handling these kinds of experiences aren't easy..." Kids as such a tender age, even in their teenage years, had to deal with death differently. And she truly felt sorry for them having to deal with not just one untimely death, but two? It was nagging at her.

Once Kurama had filled in the rest, she gave a thoughtful tilt of her head. "While the weapon would be good to have, and while we could surely use some pull to get it, it's not the most important thing in the equation." She considered. She then pulled out a rectangular device from her bag. It was a light tint of purple and had a small screen which would show her various measurements and readings. She pressed one of the buttons and the screen lit up, a small faint neon glow reflected against her hand as she began to move it around. Already she was beginning to see a noticeable spike in residual repressed energy.

"Hmm...that's interesting." She muttered and backed away from the stall and saw the numbers decrease, but only slightly. Botan glanced to Kurama and then back to the screen itself. The machine would keep track of the numbers which measured certain waves of demonic and spiritual energy. There were many different strains of energy and most demons detected the general sort but some demons had specialized means of tapping into more, distinct, energy waves. Given this flux, it made Botan believe whoever or whatever was behind these, was a sophisticated demon.

"I suppose this explains why you haven't detected a demon in the school but this proves that there is one lurking." She told him as she pulled out another device, a circular technical compass of sorts, "I will need to run another few tests but now we know what we're looking for, isn't something we'd normally look for." She laughed a little and looked at the compass now. It was a device that could suck in the energies in the room, she'd then send it back to Spirit World. They'd have to sort through hers and Kurama's but it might help, even if it would take a lot of time to narrow the results to a rank and species.

They headed back out into the hall and headed for the library on the third floor. She thought since Meiko had killed herself recently, the readings might be more distinct and helpful. As they headed up the stairs, Botan began to wondered if someone was watching them. She knew she was walking alongside a powerful demon but she couldn't help but still be nervous. Just knowing a demon was causing this, made Botan uneasy and ill. "Now comes the question of how and why a demon is influencing these innocent students..." She sighed softly, trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

Finally making it to the library, they were greeted with thousands of books. The library had two levels and was filled with oak desks, large brown leather chairs and stained glass lamps. Across was a large, open-air, rounded balcony that overlooked the school's track and field stadium. Looking over her shoulder, she scrunched up her face a little. Suddenly she heard some scuffling and reached out for Kurama's arm, fearing something was close by. It sounded like claws against a hard surface and a shiver ran up her spine. Her eyes darted around and she clung to Kurama, trying not to whine. Suddenly the sound came again and this time it was closer.

A large flapping raven, who was on the balcony's curved metal rail, then flew into the library and nearly dove for Botan's head.

Botan gave a cry and ducked behind Kurama, pressing her face against his shoulder. The raven flew around the large space and finally flew back out. Botan opened her eyes and quickly stepped back, peeling herself off of Kurama. "S-sorry. My uh imagination got the better of me...it seems. Ahaha...ha." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, feeling rather silly for thinking it had been some demon. Her face was still a bit red and she tried not think about how lovely Kurama had smelled. Botan wanted to be useful and not seen as a weak person and she was already kicking herself for freaking out over something so trivial.

[SoleAccord]

Botan’s idea of importance in this situation had intrigued Kurama, but he remained silent despite his building curiosity. Residual spirit energy could be a part of the knife that was used to take Anabe’s life. Though he had believed he understood her reasons, it still left him wondering. The readings Botan intended to take throughout the school would be of more immediate importance, true, but the weapon may still be of some use later. They couldn’t underestimate the usefulness of a clue left behind by a careless demon. But for this demon, or demons, to get away with this not once, but twice, and entirely undetected by himself, meant that they were anything but careless. And what would they get from a weapon that may not have a clue any different from the readings at the sites of the murders? Wasted time.

“Good point.” Kurama admitted. They had the option now of continuing to get a scan of the school while it was empty. Should there be a lull in their investigation, they could always review the knife later if nothing emerges from their efforts here. Botan had the right idea.

She drew a device from her bag, technical in appearance with a small screen, and had pressed only a single button to activate it. Joining beside her, Kurama witnessed the glow of energy around her hand take form, watching as she began to work. Directing the hand in front of her, the measurements on the screen had spiked considerably. He stepped back once she did so herself, seeing that the readings gathered had dropped only a fraction. Kurama thoughtfully brought a curled finger to his chin. Certainly Botan had come to the same conclusion as himself; not only was the concern of a demonic presence confirmed, their energy readings were also surely above that of an average demon. Only now could he feel the energy for himself, without Botan’s need for the device. No more doubts could remain.

His reaper companion withdrew her first device, with the neon glow vanishing from her hand in the process, only to pull out a compass of sorts. An explanation was not necessary, as this device was one that Kurama had managed to see prior to today. Knowing how it worked and trusting Koenma and the resources he had to take a look, Kurama was left to guide Botan to the last site: The balcony that Meiko had chosen—no, possessed—to drop from and take her life.

Having done all she could to draw from Anabe’s site, Kurama had guided Botan out of the bathroom and into the hall, taking the stairs to the library a couple floors up. He didn’t show it but he was guarded, keeping his eyes peeled and his energy ready to be risen at a moment’s notice. His senses were keen enough to keep track of all disturbances and oddities in a wide radius surrounding himself. That included Botan’s fear, something he could nearly smell, not just feel. Looking over his shoulder as they continued the ascent, he heard her raise the questions they both had on their minds.

“The sad truth is that a demon does not always need a reason to do the things they do, they only need the power to do them,” Kurama spoke not only the truth, but something he had learned through much experience. This could be nothing more than a demon looking for the thrill of playing with human lives, causing pain for family and friends alike. It both sickened and angered him, causing his fist to tighten at his side. “As for how these suicides are being carried out, we’ll figure it out.” He smiled despite his previous feelings, offering her a bit of warmth in a cold and worrisome environment. “You said yourself that you were certain we’d make a formidable team. I’m confident we’ll solve this. Aren’t you?”

Kurama did not intend to see a third peer die while he was prepared to monitor all suspicious activities here, including unfamiliar and dangerous energies that would expose a demon who believed their secret well-guarded. It was possible that the culprit would pick up on their awareness eventually, and that would only mean the odds of a classmate being preyed upon would drop drastically.

He hoped so, at least.

Making it to the library, Kurama led Botan upstairs to the floor where Meiko had taken her last breath. As they climbed, Botan suddenly thrust herself against his arm at the sound of claws against a metal surface. Sensing nothing, he remained cautious, thrusting a hand into his pocket for a lone seed within, ready to transform it into a rose at any time. His eyes locked on the source of the disturbance, but he could only smile inwardly at the offender. A raven. Kurama let out a small chuckle just as Botan had taken notice. When it dove close to Botan, he shifted his body, keeping himself between Botan and the raven at all times. It had soared past the two, doing a few laps around the open space only to leave as quickly as it had appeared.

Botan parted from him, offering an apology that he waved away with his free hand. The opposite had released the seed within his pocket. “It’s no trouble. I’m as much a shield as your partner in this investigation after all.” With the raven incident quickly put behind him, Kurama had led Botan out to the balcony, standing in front of the exact spot where Meiko had chosen to leap from. “Here. This was the last place anyone had seen Meiko alive.” The rail was large enough to stop anyone from just falling over absentmindedly. Botan could see for herself that it took choice to climb atop it and jump.

Botan had taken the final readings needed, concluding their business at the school. They had returned home, welcomed by the scent of fried pork cutlets, miso soup, and rice. Announcing their return, Shiori had just finished setting the table and had come around to greet them again. After the removal of their footwear, and after guiding Botan to the sparsely used guest room to leave her bag, the three were free to be seated after washing up. Shiori was not only a wonderful woman, she was also an incredible cook. Kurama’s bias aside, everything prepared was quality. He had taken the time to praise his mother, leaving Botan to follow suite.

Shiori’s earlier excitement related to Botan had not vanished a bit. The reaper was met with a barrage of simple, easy-to-answer questions: What is your favorite and least favorite meal? No doubt to keep Botan in mind at dinner from now on. Favorite dessert? Again, simple; there was no telling when Botan was leaving, which meant Shiori wanted to keep her best interests in mind as their guest. But then, Shiori, as mothers often do, took the reasonable questions off the table, next asking something that she had to have known her son wouldn’t miss.

“Are you single?”

Kurama, who had been keeping silent and savoring his meal, paused with pork strip in the grasp of his chopstick to spare a quick, knowing glance at his mother. He should have seen this line of questioning coming, but he was never introduced to this side of her before. Shiori appeared very happy with her question, choosing either not to acknowledge Kurama’s glance or simply too absorbed in Botan’s upcoming response to be distracted now.

It wouldn’t have felt right to stop her here, or even try to. At her core Shiori was a thoughtful and compassionate woman, holding qualities that Botan also possessed despite her often depressing duties. The Dark Tournament had taken much of his time to prepare for, which meant that for a while she was without him, and likely without much company. As a student he had kept his head down, achieved excellent academic standing, and minded his business in his day-to-day activities. This left Shiori little opportunity to try and understand the people he had spent time with on these ‘trips’ he mentioned in passing. His grades were good and his work ethic was not to be underestimated, so she rarely asked anything more than when he would return. Her level of trust in him was considerable.

Kurama looked to Botan just across from him, choosing to remain silent. She was smart enough to know where this might be heading, and he trusted her to respond honestly, and kindly. A mother just wanted what was best for her son, even if it meant deciding that, only on the second meeting in a single day, the impressionable girl he brought home for the first time could become his girlfriend.

[Genkai]

With a bubbling surge of pride and accomplishment, the walk back home was lively as the grim reaper bounced along the sidewalk, soaking up the sights as shops closed for the day. They passed by a man selling flowers and the sweet scents didn't escape Botan's nose but upon stepping through the door of the Minamino residence, an even more wonderful smell was there to greet her. Before she could go investigate it, she slipped off her shoes and stepped into the house slippers so Kurama could take her to her designated room. With her bag in tow, the pair went upstairs to her room which was across from the bathroom, with Kurama's room diagonal from it. His mother's room was down the hall with her own bathroom.

One she had unpacked and hidden the special otherworldly tech, she went off to wash up so she could rejoin the mother and son for dinner. Botan sat down across from Kurama and looked to Shiori as they were served. "This looks and smells so delightful." She bowed her head slightly and began to eat. Though she was a spiritual being and therefore didn't have hunger cravings, she found comfort in food that was made with love and it was evident that this dinner, while simple, was made with a lot of love. As they ate, Shiori began to ask questions which were easy for Botan to answer since she stuck to the truth. Her favorite food had to be yakitori and her least favorite had to be mushrooms. And her favorite dessert would be chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. She did find solace in sweets, though that was likely easy to imagine.

But then when the mother inquired as to her relationship status, the blue haired girl found herself stalling, unsure of how Kurama might wish her to answer. She gave the redhead a look before she looked to Shiori, smiling a little. "Oh...I...uh...I'm single." She finally replied after some hesitation. "I just...I want to find the right person to give my heart to." She blushed a little. Though it was the truth, it did spur forth memories of her and Koenma from when they dated, to one or two fleeting flings she had since then. It made her wonder what might have been if Koenma hadn't broken things off. It made her wonder what her next romantic chapter might contain. With her job taking her to Earth, she had to wonder about the humans she'd meet, fully aware anything with a human would be a sad and fruitless endeavor.

It made her feel a little lonely.

But then she remembered she had Kurama.

She offered him a smile before she continued to eat.

"So Botan, what sort of traits would your ideal person have?"

"Well...they would need to be kind. I cannot stand those who are rude or hot tempered or close off to their emotions or of those around them." She said, realizing she just summed up Hiei. "They also need to have ambition, passion, something that really drives them." She nodded with some more thought. "And they while I'd like them to be able to have serious conversations and to be polite, they cannot take life too seriously. After all, it's so short, if I'm going to spend my life with someone, we need to be happy and not wasting our energy fighting or making a big fuss." While her own life wasn't that short, she still had a point to make and she knew with Shiori's health issues, she would understand.

When dinner was over, Botan stayed down to help the woman clean up while Kurama went up to do his homework. "Thank you again for dinner, it was lovely." She smiled. The two women then gushed about going out and shopping. Shiori seemed hopeful she had a shopping companion since there was another girl in the house. As Shiori finished drying and putting away the final pair of chopsticks, the two decided to make plans for Saturday morning. She, Kurama and Botan would go to the mall for a lunch and shopping excursion. It sounded like fun for the blue haired girl who then went up to get some shut eye. But before then, she sent off her findings to Lord Koenma who said he'd have it for her as soon as possible.

With dawn having risen, Botan dressed in her maroon long sleeve blazer shirt and her matching skirt. She found a pair of rimless glasses and slipped them on, hoping it would make her look smarter than she actually felt. She then pulled her hair back into its signature high ponytail and headed downstairs to find Shiori had prepared them a sweet bowl of porridge and berries for her and Kurama. They quickly ate and headed out the door, as Shiori had gone back to bed. The walk to school wasn't very long but with each step she took, she felt even more nervous. 'Will they like me?' She wondered and clutched her thin leather backpack in both of her hands which was gently hitting her legs as they walked. Before she could look to Kurama for support, they had stepped through the iron gates which led to the grassy courtyard of the academy.

There were cherry trees all around but they weren't ready to bloom yet.

Many people were in clusters, either reading or chatting. As the five minute bell rang, signaling students to make their way inside, their attention turned to Kurama and a new student by his side. She and Kurama continued along the dirt path toward the school's steps and soon most eyes were on the pair as Kurama opened the door for her as they entered and walked off to west stairwell. Botan let out a nervous sigh and soon they made it up to the fourth floor where their room was. They entered and she was quickly pulled aside by the homeroom president, Satsumi, who directed her to an open seat beside Kurama in the front of the room. Botan thanked the girl with short dark brown hair. By the time the second bell chimed, everyone was in their seats as Satsumi took roll and everyone began to study and do their own thing but not before she quickly intoduced Botan as a new student.

Throughout the next three hours, Botan felt every girl giving her a curious, almost uneasy look as if they somehow felt threatened. Botan was trying to focus on the teachers as they covered their designated topics. When lunch rolled around, Botan felt mentally drained. Taking notes had been a struggle for the grim reaper and she felt like taking a nap someplace warm and secluded.

"What would she be doing with the Prince?" One girl muttered under her breath.

"She better not get too close to him or we might have to do something about that flashy hair of hers." Another girl leaned over to her blond haired friend.

"Yeah, my scissors might slip when no one's looking." The blond girl snickered.

Boys also seemed to be taking an interest in Botan though, "She is unlike any girl I've ever seen." A boy couldn't help but stare.

"She's not a girl, she's a woman." Another guy with glasses stated.

"I've gotta ask her, she looks like she'd be real fun..."

Before any other mutterings could possibly be heard, Kurama and Botan had headed down to the third floor where the upperclassmen had their own cafeteria. Like everything else in the school, it was lavish, decorated into maroon and gold. They found a polished wooden table after buying a bento and sat beside one another so Botan could share the results Koenma had just sent to her spectacles. While they were an accessory, they also had connections to her gadgets back home. They were still in development but that didn't matter. As she began to discuss the specific energy found, a group of their classmates crowded around them. Both the males and females were determined to figure out what was going on between them. "So what's the deal between you two?" A girl demanded.

"Ummm what?" Botan glanced to Kurama and quickly removed her glasses so that no one saw the data on them, just to be safe.

[SoleAccord]

Reassuring a new student that an unfamiliar territory wasn’t so intimidating seldom worked. It was on his mind as much as Botan; people might not like her, but not for the reasons she must have been thinking of. The girls at his school, while gifted and generally good people, were often… confrontational, he’d call it. But so were the boys. When it came to an object of desire—someone of the opposite sex—these people could turn on each other very quickly. He had seen the ugly side of both genders when it came to the object of their desires. Unfortunately, he himself was still one of those people that girls seemed to cling to. They gossiped here and there about how he was playing hard to get, that he was simply too good for the ordinary girl.

In reality, all he wanted was to finish his education and be left alone.

Botan may not have realized it yet. She was as new and unfamiliar as the very school she was about to enter. A variety of new faces and personalities were going to be met all at once. Kurama had believed that once they finally passed through those gates, Botan would see that the cluster of students in the courtyard were just ordinary people living ordinary lives. They talked about anything—a movie, exams, plans for after school—to pass the time before school officially started. Hee believed she had begun to understand the situation well enough, until that bell had rung, until they had taken complete notice of Botan, and until they had begun to talk amongst themselves without making an effort to hide their stares. She had turned from just a new girl into THE new girl. He had gotten her inside before anyone had decided to question her appearance. That would have to be dealt with later.

“You’ll be alright. You’ve faced worse than a new day at school.” Kurama said as they ascended to their homeroom. Though, he had a feeling that if she had to choose between today and facing another outbreak of the Makai Insects, she might consider the latter option more reasonable. The rest would be up to her.

Being introduced to Satsumi and luckily having a seat beside him, Kurama had kept his eye on Botan for the majority of the morning, until finally lunch had come around. Having done his best to get her past the mutterings of her new peers, Kurama could breathe easier once they had taken a seat at an empty, polished table, and just in time for Koenma to send over the results from the readings they had taken yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, Botan wasn’t able to get far in her explanation. Kurama had felt them come before he had seen them: a small mass of their peers, boys and girls in a relatively even ratio, of all shapes and sizes, had appeared to surround them.

‘It wasn’t enough that they were whispering about her all day.’ Kurama sighed inwardly while doing his very best not to show disapproval. Just when they got the results, this had to occur, distracting them from what was really important. Instead they had to deal with the pointlessness of adolescent gossip, wasting time.

“You know,” A boy with short black hair and thick, dark frames said nervously, continuing from where the girl left off. “A-are you two… well, that is… are you both…close?” His sight was mostly on Botan when he asked. It was almost impossible for him to hide how smitten he was from her appearance. To be this close to her was incredible.

The boys and girls all waited for a response, each equally eager to know.

A hand placed itself on Botan’s knee below the table, giving a gentle squeeze to her. Kurama had already begun to think about the answer they were looking for. It shouldn’t have mattered to any of them. Whether they liked it or not, they had become an object for their peers’ affections.

If he denied the closeness he had with Botan, there’d be two problems. The first was that, even if they weren’t together in a romantic sense, people may still find it odd just how much time he, a loner, had spent with her as the new girl. He couldn’t call Botan a distant cousin or anything like that, because that led to the second problem: these people themselves. Botan was far more attractive than she had realized. Many appealing girls attended this academy but none came as unique and mysterious as Botan. As a source of their curiosity and lust, it didn’t matter how many times she said she wasn’t interested in getting to know them as peers. They’d come back. Confession notes left at her desk when she wasn’t looking, or within her locker. None of them were malicious. Just annoying. Annoying enough that even Botan might have lost her patience eventually.

‘It won’t stop if I deny it… but…’

He could claim her. Botan being his girlfriend would mean that the confession notes were pointless. Kurama could not stop them lusting for her and placing her in their perverse imaginations, but he could at least lower the harassment she received by a considerable amount. That went double for him, who had endured many girls attempting to grow closer to him beyond the level he would have liked. For a guy who kept his peers as just that—peers—it would likely bring some vitriol for Botan, who had appeared out of nowhere and ‘took him away’ from those that had come before her. At the same time, there would also be an equal amount of loathing for him who, while not only being the top student at this school, managed to take the most beautiful girl from them within a day. It complicated matters, but he’d take their quiet loathing over the continued harassment they’d face in their day-to-day activities.

“The truth is…” Kurama, who had his eyes closed to concentrate, opened them to meet the anticipation in the gazes of those that surrounded them. “Botan is my girlfriend.” The hand that softly grasped her knee had released. He turned to look at her, hoping that she understood this move. This wouldn’t work if she wasn’t willing to sell the deception with him. “It’s best that we get this out of the way now. We could never hide the way we feel about each other for long. It’s not in our nature.”

Kurama’s reveal had struck every student within earshot. Mixtures of shock, awe, anger, and disappointment were plain as day on the multiple faces that looked to meet them. The hand that had grasped Botan below had risen from below, coming to settle on her shoulder farthest from him. He drew her closer, daring a kiss with how slowly he drew her in. With great care he avoided it, monitoring the reactions of those nearby from the corner of his eye. It looked as though most of them were entirely convinced by his announcement, as well as his near-kiss, based on the widening of their eyes and the parting of their jaws.

He didn’t think it would be so simple, but somehow almost everyone was sold. It wasn’t exactly in character for Shuichi to lie about anything he had ever done. Daring to kiss Botan in front of them was nearly too much for them to comprehend. The new girl was receiving the exact scenario so many girls had dreamed of for a very long time.

“Sorry,” Kurama stopped himself short of Botan’s lips. His hand didn’t leave her shoulder, but his lips no longer threatened to merge with hers, stopping just a few inches apart. “I tend to get carried away. That’s why we keep our affections private, isn’t that right?” He wanted to wink, but that would give far too much away. At least the idea of him and her having private sessions to express themselves fully would give everyone something to think about. Hopefully it would be enough for them to get back to business shortly.

“N-no way!” A boy exclaimed. “So that’s why you weren’t looking at her so much during class. You were hiding your affection!” He sunk to his knees, his mind blown. Shuichi was far too smooth for the rest of them to possibly comprehend. He was on an entirely different level from everyone else!

“A secret girlfriend all this time? Man!” Another said, ruffling his hair in frustration.

The girls were crushed by this news, even moreso by Shuichi’s daring to nearly kiss her in front of them. Still, it seemed like they were waiting for something… Botan’s word, perhaps. It was one thing for Shuichi to say this, but if Botan didn’t confirm it through her own words and actions, then perhaps this could be a ruse. Yes, that’s it, a ruse!

[Genkai]

With so many eyes upon them, Botan was beginning to feel out of her depths. While demons back on Hanging Neck Island wanted to rip her to shreds, she found herself more uneasy given her current situation around people who were meant to be her peers. When she felt Kurama's hand place itself on her her knee, she quickly looked to him, not sure of his motivations. 'Umm...' Her mind was a bit startled by the sudden contact of flesh to flesh. Though his eyes were closed, she was sure he could tell she was giving him a curious look. Thankfully his green eyes revealed themselves to her and others as he began to speak, needing to address the rampant concerns of the public. Botan looked around the group seeing faces wearing disappointment, denial, anger and confusion. 'What is he talking about? Kurama wouldn't make such a silly thing up so why would he...' She caught his gaze and tried to hide her own bewilderment.

'Why would he want to trick everyone into thinking we're together?' She had to wonder.

Though the girl could already sense the tensions had slowly dissipated. 'Maybe he's doing this to protect me? Maybe to help me fit in easier?' She thought. It was still pretty perplexing but those feelings of uncertainty were readily discarded as his hand moved to her shoulder and drew her in closer and closer to him. Her face turned a delightful shade of pink and she felt the breath being sucked out of her lungs. Before their lips could directly meet, he stopped himself with a light apology though she wasn't sure if it was truly meant for their audience or her. It was this pause that made her notice just how quickly her heart had started beating. 'Perhaps this is the guise we need to do our investigation without prying eyes.' She finally began to understand his manner of logic, though remained unaware of the greater picture.

She glanced off to the others, the boys were beside themselves but the girls were a mixture of denial and devastation.

Botan decided to trust Kurama's facade and assist him in selling it properly.

An 'almost kiss' would never do in her book!

'While he may not be one for PDA, I'm all over it!' She laughed to herself, finally finding playful amusement in the situation. Of all people to pull something so sneaky? Kurama? In her mind, she and him were so different but she still thought they'd make a good pair together. This was just another layer, albeit for show. Botan gave him a cute cat-like smile and slipped her arms around him, keeping them nice and cozy. "We've waited too long for me to transfer here, for us to keep our feelings bottled up, Shuichi-kuuun~!" She then closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. Botan had to consider the fact they've been a serious couple for a while and therefore knew a simple kiss couldn't cut it. She tilted her head to the left and deepened the sweet, sensual kiss, pressing closer to him. Around them, she could hear varying 'aw's ranging from cute to disappointment in the truth being realized.

After several long moments, Botan parted from the kiss and stared into his eyes, her own pink colored eyes dazzling with admiration and joy. She slowly uncoiled her arms from around Kurama's shoulders, hoping her attempt would suffice for those around them but also Kurama. He started it but she wasn't going to have him carry the burden alone. 'To be honest...pretending to date Kurama isn't something I'd consider a burden.' She told herself mischievously. Her heart was beating again and she somehow felt lighter than air but she didn't need to think about that at the moment. Finally a female spoke up, having finally gathered her strength to confront the scene in front of her.

"So you two really have been dating for a while...where are you from? How did you two meet?" She needed to know more, to fully verify this sudden revelation.

"I'm from Sapporo. Shuichi-kun had been visiting, doing some shopping for Christmas last year...and we both bumped into one another in line at the Norbesa Ferris Wheel. We ended up going together and while the view was incredible with all of the lights lit up, we couldn't stop staring at one another." She put a hand to her face, blushing a little more as if remembering it had been love at first sight. "Since we were both alone, we had dinner together and continued shopping...we ended up spending the rest of the weekend together and well...we've been enchanted with one another ever since." She gave a soft sigh and looked to the girl who seemed to accept the story. Botan only remembered the Ferris Wheel from another fellow reaper who mentioned it had been recently built and had become a popular place to go to.

Botan could see a few students wandering off, now that things had been explained and hoped she and Kurama could now have a private conversation without someone interrupting them. She had been taken aback by Kurama's idea but now she decided there was no way they could back out of it. 'I wonder if I need to report this to Koenma...probably not. It's not like it'll interfere with my reports.' She considered, deciding to just be happy and not worry about the future. As far as she was concerned, everything felt pretty good, pretty...right. Besides, this was for everyone's benefit. What was the harm, really?

[SoleAccord]

For a moment Kurama had believed them in the clear. Botan need only smile and openly confirm that he was her boyfriend, leaving no shadow of doubt for their unreasonable peers. As it turned out, Botan had been more agreeable in this ploy than he thought. He caught her smile, mischievous as it was adorable, just as her arms came around his body. She delivered a line that went against his previous. Genius. Couples did not always agree on the way things are handled. Even turning her persona into that of a very animated girlfriend was worthy of applause, and helped sell the idea that they were both just hiding themselves away. Botan was doing so well that he didn’t realize just how close she had gotten until she brought their lips together in a sudden, deep kiss.

Unprepared as he was, Kurama kept his composure in the heat of the moment. His idle hands rose up and planted themselves at her side, neither pushing her away nor bringing her close. The softness of her lips surprised him even more than the act itself. Botan’s ability to get in character was impressive and most welcome. The natural fragrance that scented her body was appealing, adding to the already pleasant closeness she provided. When she tilt her head and pressed in, he had instinctively turned his own in the opposite direction, slowly closing his eyes as well. For a while he wasn’t sure who would break the lock first, but when the pressure of Botan’s lips began to weaken from his own he had known to peel himself away just as she did. Opening them again, their eyes met in a situation that should have been a bit more awkward for pretenders. Strangely, Kurama felt no embarrassment, only excitement.

‘She’s…’ His thoughts trailed no further, far too wrapped up in her eyes. If it wasn’t for a girl speaking up he wasn’t sure if he would have looked away in time. Even with the kiss broken he could still feel her lips on his own. In the back of his mind, he wished they had a moment longer. Maybe this pretending business wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Turning to the remains of the crowd, Kurama had a story in mind that could be used to cover for them both. Surprisingly, Botan had taken the initiative with a cover story of her own. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she explained her entire story, offering the spectators enough for them to understand that from the very beginning they had formed a connection. Ascending together in a ferris wheel was a popular concept in romantic works, and when you added dinner together following that you had a recipe for an ideal date. As Botan concluded her story, it struck him as odd that she thought of the scenario so quickly. Reaper or not, she also had dreams. Those dreams could include an ideal date with a good person by her side. It may mean a lot to her if he managed to offer her that opportunity in the future.

The nature of their date had left little room for nonbelievers now. Some scowled at Botan and others hung their heads in disappointment, denied their chances at dates with two of the upper echelon of boyfriend and girlfriend material. Finally, they were alone again.

“Your lips are very soft,” Kurama smiled, closing his eyes as a finger brushed across his lips. The tingling sensation hadn't vanished yet. “I apologize for how sudden this story of ours became romantic, but it was the only thing I could think of to have the other students keep their distance, at least for a while.” He would believe that the girls would make a voodoo doll of some kind in Botan’s image, hoping for some misfortunate that would make Shuichi available to them. Obviously the boys would wish the same for him. Lust was a powerful emotion. They had shaken off the masses for now, but there may come a time where a couple of them wouldn’t understand the circumstances clearly. Botan was taken.

Kurama opened his eyes and looked to her spectacles. “Your explanation of the energy, before we were interrupted?”

Giving Botan the chance to finish her explanation, the two were then able to finish their lunch and become used to their new role as the latest hot couple at school. The rest of the day was peaceful, save for the several glances of sadness and frustration from men and women alike. This news wasn’t taken well by a small batch, but Kurama was used to ignoring those that resented him. Botan would need to learn, too, if she intended to go about her day with him, especially now that he would start holding her hand to and from school. As the day came to a close, Kurama had done just that, keeping his bag in his left hand and clutching Botan’s hand in his right. With the last of the looks given by their peers as they departed for the day, Kurama was once again ready to speak about matters that didn’t concern school.

“About your story,” He tread lightly, giving pause before glancing at her, hand still held closely in his even after passing the iron gate. “It occurred to me that I know very little about you. I know that you ferry souls. You're intelligent and capable, but what about your dreams? How much of what you told mother and our classmates is true in your heart?”

Did reapers dream? What did Botan do before this job, and did she intend to do this forever? The more Kurama thought about this now, it was almost insulting to Botan that no one, bar Koenma, might have an answer to these questions. She had been committed to helping them as Team Urameshi in the Dark Tournament, dedicating her time and energy to supporting them and Spirit World as capably as she could. When was the last time anyone had asked about her ambition as a person? Kurama was embarrassed, and rightly so. Botan deserved an ear. She was more than just Koenma's assistant.

She was a friend.

[Genkai]

Nagging doubt rattled her brain as she feared she had severely overstepped a line when she initiated the kiss between her and Kurama. After all, he was reserved, soft-spoken and very thoughtful. She hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable by taking him by surprise and yet he had responded rather well. When they were finally left alone from the fretful eyes of their classmates, Kurama made a comment about her lips which in turn caused her to blush once again. Any on-lookers might think he had paid her a compliment, in which case they wouldn't be too far off the mark. Botan was just happy she was able to help and not add to the problem they had been faced with only minutes ago.

'Who knew high schoolers could be so critical? Then again, they are rather smart for their age...fooling them may not be so simple.' She considered briefly before Kurama continued speaking, his finger still brushing against his lips. He was quick to explain his reasoning which confirmed her theory. The two continue to talk about the strange energy and how it was very rare or at least something that hadn't been detected in many decades, hence the slowness in new information. Once lunch concluded, they headed back to their classroom, the rest of the day brushed by without any other major incidents or accusations, thankfully.

Since it was her first day, she hadn't thought to explore any clubs though she wasn't too eager to join any and make a commitment she might have to break should work summon her elsewhere. Plus, considering she barely retained any of the lessons for the day, she didn't think she'd have any extra time to spare. But she knew if she were social, it might help to see who in the school might be a next target or might have a connection to the demon terrorizing the academy. It was something to mull over. After the cleaning was done, people began to depart for home or if their club met on Tuesdays, they were off to their meetings around the now tidy school.

She and Kurama packed up and both held hands as they left the classroom and headed down the stairs and out the double doors. He then began to speak though it didn't pertain to school, much to her surprise. She listened with interest, as she at first began to worry her story wasn't to his liking. But it turned out to be the opposite, as he admitted to knowing very little about her. Botan's grip on his hand relaxed as he then went on to say how intelligent and capable she was. Her heart quickened a little. It was not often she was complimented, much less by someone who was speaking sincerely. Whenever Yusuke said something nice, it was usually sarcastic when they were fighting with each other, usually about her trying to get him to take his job seriously.

Botan pursed her lips together, still a bit caught up in his kinds words.

"To be honest...I've been as sincere as I possibly can be, given the parameters of the situation." She finally collected herself as she looked to him, her own bag brushing against the side of her thigh as they walked down the sidewalk, having crossed through the iron gates of the school. "I can't say I've had a date on a Ferris Wheel but I have been to it while flying and it was quite the sight...not nearly as nice from my oar but...if I was on the ground, it would be a close second to the way flying makes me feel." She then realized how silly she must sound to him and shook her head, hoping she wasn't blushing too much, though her face felt quite warm.

"I know my job right now, is to blend in but I do feel bad about lying to people. I know intimate details about everyone surrounding me. I know the personalities, quirks, hobbies and favorite foods of everyone at your school, I even know when they'll die...It just feels wrong to deceive and patronize them. Even if they forget about me in a few months, I'd like to try to leave their lives better than when I entered them." She glanced up as they waited to cross and intersection. "I just don't want more lives to be cut short. But...to answer your original question, I want to be as honest as I can, it's...easier...in a way." It also made her feel a little better. "It's hard to explain." She sighed a little, not sure if her logic had been presented as well it could have.

Not wanting to make the mood somber, she put a smile back on her face.

"But my dreams? Ah...I'd love to see much more of the world. Not just Spirit World but this one too." She said, now sounding much more bubbly. "I could really use a vacation-"

Having spent the afternoon shopping for the next few days, Shiori Minamino had spotted her son and his new friend walking rather closely. She waited until a car had passed before she scuttled over to them. "Shuichi, Botan." Before Botan could continue, Shiori caught up to them, holding two hefty grocery bags. She looked down to see the pair holding hands and smiled even more, but refrained from commenting. Both students took a bag from her so she could walk more freely. "OH, thank you. How was school?" She inquired as the three walked the rest of the way home together. She brushed some lint off of her son's shoulder and looked to him and Botan, her gaze rather peculiar as if she were trying to imagine the idea of her son finally going on a date, and with such a cute girl no less!

Once they arrived home, they assisted Shiori in unpacking the groceries. She went onto to make a sea food stir-fry while Kurama and Botan went up to his room to do their homework. For the next three hours, there was ample whining and grumbling from Botan, who was laying on Kurama's bed, on her stomach while he sat on the floor beside her. She would tug at her ponytail from time to time, pointing out how her job shouldn't entail doing Trigonometry or pointless sickening wars humans engaged in years ago. She eached down and finished one final question for their math homework, "That's it. My brain cannot take anymore." She dropped her pencil and heard a small ding from her glasses which were sitting atop her blue head. In actuality, she had been making progress but she had to wave the white flag despite this.

"You amaze me...you're brilliant, charming, good looking...no wonder the girls (and guys) at your school want to claw my eyes out..." Her tired voice trailed off as she flipped the glasses down onto her nose and saw an alert. There was a demon nearby. It was the lowest rank, a pesky bottom feeder. A useless imp. And yet it was these kinds who stole from humans, knocked over trash cans and committed other minor but concerning crimes. Still, it would be wrong to just let it go about its business. It could be up to something. Or it could lead them to a bigger threat. "There's a demon prowling around here, we better check it out."

She assumed it was so weak,it didn't even register on Kurama's internal radar but Botan could still sense it, lingering.

Getting to her feet now, she helped the red head collect their papers and books and put them on his desk in a neatly order. They then ventured downstairs to where Shiori was reading a magazine and watching the nightly news. Kurama explained they would take a quick walk to stretch their legs after working for so long on their homework. Shiori gave them a knowing smile and told them to take their time and that dinner would be ready upon their return. Botan and her partner in crime quickly took their leave, with the grim reaper directing them to another street over which was a dead end. As they approached the demon, they could hear rattling and growling. Botan flashed her hands and her long wooden oar suddenly appeared.

It wasn't the best weapon but without her preferred bat, it would have to make do.

The demon in question was a scrawny blue imp with white horns. It was currently rumbling through some trash bins and making quite a racket. A small cat darted away and it darted at it, finally revealing itself to Kurama and Botan. "Hey! Stop that. Leave that cat alone." Botan called out to the puny demon who stopped and looked at the two, clearly surprised that it could be seen. It gave Botan a toothy smile and licked its lip, seemingly more interested in feasting upon her than some feline. Botan gave a glance to Kurama, not sure if he would deal with it or if he'd give her honor.

[SoleAccord]

Kurama listened well to Botan’s explanation. It was hard to be genuine when you had come to live with someone whilst basing your reasons for doing so and your history with her son on a lie. Shiori was a hard woman to lie to. Thankfully she was more than trusting of her son, and of the company he had chosen to keep, which made things easier on Botan and himself in the long run when it came to the business of Spirit World. Imagining Botan atop her oar and hovering beside the Ferris Wheel didn’t bring him the same thrill that she might have experienced. It didn’t occur to him until recently, and especially now, but Botan had one of the most unlucky duties he could imagine, which didn’t appear to leave her much time to savor earthly delights. The lunch they had the other day might have been the first time she had sat and spoken with someone else for another time, and it was about a job.

‘How lonely it must be…’ Kurama felt for her, and continued to listen as she explained everything she could, as best she could. She was a woman who, at her core, was cheerful and honest. Lying to Shiori was never something she wanted to do, Kurama knew that without her saying so, but what he had forgotten entirely was that Botan had the means of knowing when anyone and everyone was meant to die. Even him. Another layer of weight added itself to his mind, generating further sympathy for her position. Not only was she to lie, something he was forced to encourage for the sake of their job, but she was also forced to look others in the eye and be aware that, sooner or later, she would need to guide them to the next world. Botan’s situation was far more complicated than he had realized. He didn’t envy where she was or what she had to do—and especially not what she knew as a reaper—but she didn’t need to face any of it alone.

As they crossed the intersection, Kurama’s hand tightened around her own for a reason he didn’t fully understand. All he knew was that he didn’t want to let her go until she had finished expressing all she had to. It was a relief when she had sounded far more cheery than before, talking about seeing more of the world than this small part of it. For someone like her, vacations sounded like they were few, and far, far between. The question of where she’d want to visit was on the tip of his tongue when the familiar tone of his mother was heard just behind them. Groceries in hand, it didn’t take a detective to know what she had been up to. Her eyes wandered to their locked hands, leaving Kurama to release Botan’s hand and offer to carry a bag, with Botan doing the same. The three left together, with Kurama allowing Botan to tell Shiori of her very first day.

Returning home and unpacking the groceries, homework was next on their schedule, and to be frank it was not going to become Botan’s favorite part of any day. Try as he might, no explanation he gave her, no description made simple, had made any of the homework easier on her. Her eyes narrowed into tight slits at Trigonometry, followed by tugs at her hair with low grumbles. History had a funny way of making her puff her cheeks out, questioning how anyone could be so cruel or foolish in the past. Kurama couldn’t understand it either, yet had avoided saying so. The last thing he needed was for Botan to look for any momentary escape from the work she so desperately wanted gone. This was for her own good, and he was making sure he was a good tutor by not letting her excuse herself until the job was done.

When the last math problem was solved, he could have sworn he saw hope return in her dull, irritated eyes once more. “You did well for yourself. I imagine Yusuke would also have a hard time with this amount of homework. Double for Kuwabara.” Kurama said. He had known better than to laugh at her struggle; this was the level of work that drove some students insane, without the influence of a demon in the shadows. The fact she had laid herself down and committed to finishing the work was worthy of praise that she had more than earned. Yusuke and Kuwabara might have been here all night.

To his surprise, Botan had complimented him in areas he had heard before, but never from someone he held in such high regard. Brilliance was just forcing himself to sit down and understand everything, knowing he had it in him to do so. Diligence was an important part of being a successful student. With enough time, Botan would also be on his level as long as she continued to work as hard as she did tonight.

Charming? He wasn’t sure what to make of that. Throughout her endeavor he had been with her, patience through her struggle and stress, there to be asked questions if needed. Being a decent person, and knowing how to talk and treat someone, shouldn’t have been seen as special to him. But maybe his idea of charming and hers were different. Or maybe it had been a long time since Botan had sat down and worked with a good young man. No offense to Yusuke, but he wasn’t exactly the poster child for talking to someone well. Keiko had mentioned in passing just how many blows she had to deal to him in the past for brazen comments and… ahem… examinations up her skirt. Classy, Yusuke.

Good looks. Superficial, but Kurama had appreciated it nonetheless. Beauty wasn’t everything there was to anyone or anything. Even the most striking of women could hold ugliness behind their alluring shells. Kurama attributed it to good genes and nothing more.

“You’re all of those things, too.” Kurama pointed out. Whether or not she heard it had remained to be seen. The beeping of her glasses did not go unheard by him, and as he patiently waited for an update from her Kurama had begun to wonder what Botan saw in herself. Sometimes the bubbliest of people had deeply rooted insecurities and low self-esteem. He had been given a pedestal by his peers for so long that he was unused to hearing anything other than praise. When was the last time Botan had been told she had done a good job, or received a pat on the back for her own contributions? It disturbed him to think that someone such as her went underappreciated by anyone, most of all Koenma himself. Botan needed to know that she was every bit as worth a compliment as he was to her.

Unfortunately the insight would need to wait. Demons were afoot.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Kurama had left with Botan just after explaining to his mother that they were taking a walk. He didn’t miss the twinkle in her eye; two young people going out for a walk so late could mean almost anything, but for Shiori who had dreamed of her son meeting a nice girl, she only hoped that Shuichi would further their relationship, and someday come out with his true feelings for Botan. Kurama smiled as he turned away, knowing exactly what she was thinking. ‘Never change, mother.’

Setting out, the location in question wasn’t very far from home. Traveling down a dead-end street, the sound of rattling behind bags and bins of trash could be heard, joined with the sound of a creature growling. Reaching into his pocket, Kurama drew out an idle seed and, with his spirit energy, transformed it into a fully formed rose. Just moments after they had drawn their weapons of choice, a stray cat had scurried away from the demon in question, the latter of which pausing to look at them. Botan in particular caught its eyes, licking its lips at her. Whether it was hunger or lust, it couldn’t have meant anything good for her. Dispatching it would be child’s play.

Kurama hesitated, leaving Botan to glance at him, likely waiting to see if he would like to continue. He could do it and allow them to go back home, but this was a demon that was ideal for a rookie detective to defeat, or at least someone unused to combat. Botan was perfect for this. “Would you like to learn how to fight?” He asked her, though his eyes did not once leave the imp ahead of them. Through his stare alone he was conveying two messages to it: One, it definitely could be seen. Two, it dare not attempt anything. Botan was one thing, but beside him she couldn’t be touched, and running was out of the question here. She had agreed.

“No matter how weak or frail a foe appears, never underestimate them. Strike fast and hard, and never with more power than you have to.” Kurama’s energy within the rose dissipated, causing it to revert to a seed once more. Pocketing it, he had suddenly stepped away, much to the comfort of the imp before them. Botan was being placed between the demon and himself. “You aren’t equipped to fight with technical abilities. Your oar has a long range, but it isn’t suited for close-range battle. Not only that, it’s not sturdy enough to endure extended fighting. You need to win quickly.” Placing his left hand on her leftmost shoulder, Kurama firmly grasped it. “He targeted you the moment you spoke to it, so he knows that you see him. The element of surprise is lost, and with the way he’s looking at you now he looks to you as new prey. You have two options: either you attack, or you react. I suggest that you react for now.”

The imp ahead of them had begun to hop with excitement, blind and deaf to anything but the attractive blue-haired beauty before it. It had begun to visibly salivate at the mouth, increasing its tongue whipping around its mouth. As vulgar as it appeared, it was a miracle that it was patient enough to let Kurama finish talking.

“It’ll leap,” Kurama said. What was obvious to him may not have been obvious to Botan. Something that small wasn’t about to run up to Botan and gnaw on her foot. It would go for something far more vulnerable, say, the neck. But crediting intelligence to the unintelligent was how mistakes were made. Still, he’ll bet on his instinct. If he were a petty demon with nothing to lose, and a full-figured snack like Botan was right in front of him, he wouldn’t start at the foot if he was looking for a meal. “Aim for the head, and remember: strike fast, and as hard as you can.”

There was no countdown to battle, only when someone was ready to make the first move. As Kurama had suspected, the imp had lost its patience and broke into a sprint towards Botan. Once it was halfway to her, it had leaped from the ground and soared towards her with arms outstretched, appearing to be gunning for her chest. It needed something to hold on to, after all.

“Now!” Kurama lowered his head, uncertain of how wide Botan’s swings would travel.

[Genkai]

'Never again,' She vowed 'will I nag Yusuke and Kuwabara for neglecting their homework.' She told herself firmly, having experienced the mind numbing torture firsthand. Though when Kurama mentioned that she had all the qualities she had seen in him, she wasn't sure if she believed him or if she just thought he was being polite. In her mind, praise should be voiced much more often. She had seen too many people die with words still left upon their lips, forever unspoken to those around them, no longer able to hear them. To have people die without telling those around them how much they cared, was always such a shame. Botan had learned many lessons from her line of work but applying them was sometimes a scarce activity.

While Botan knew how to fight, actually applying her knowledge was a different matter. And though she had taught Yusuke and other Spirit Detectives the basics with fighting and using the handy spirit gun technique, it had been quite a while for the grim reaper to find herself in such a position. The last time she was in real danger was with Keiko but even then, Botan had to limit her skills to what Keiko could probably handle, which meant not firing a burst of energy from her pointer finger. With Kurama armed with his signature, stunning rose, she gave him a nod, intending to have a whack at the little pest.

Soon enough the male's rose reverted to back to a seed and was pocketed as he stepped back to further instruct her. There was no doubt that the demonling in question could sense how powerful Kurama was. Botan had assumed it would leap, she knew the sort of demon in front of them, would be prone to erratic movements. Still it was reassuring to have Kurama so close, just in case something went awry. In her mind, she would prefer to go on the attack but she knew his tactic was likely one with less risk. The imp wasted no more time before lunging for his newfound snack. Botan tensed, still not used to actually facing against someone on her own. Usually she was happy to be on the sidelines but she knew, given the grave mystery, she had to be brave.

Taking a deep breath, she swung backwards and then used that momentum to follow through to connect the flat part of her oar with the imp as he got close enough to strike. Thankfully it connected and he was jettisoned back to the ground, going several tumbles before landing in a dusty heap. The imp then vanished into a puff of smoke, having been successfully weakened enough to be banished back to demon world. Botan let out a small sigh though it wasn't one of relief, but one of contemplation. "I can use the spirit gun but it would be an embarrassing attempt, as it's been quite some time since I've even practiced." She informed Kurama and then brought her oar to her, inspecting it for any damage.

But it would take more than a puny imp's skull to do any real damage so for now, the oar disappeared into thin air, no longer needed.

"Though it wasn't much...I am glad to have had your support." Botan smiled to him. The encounter was able to give her a delicate taste of perhaps greater, far more dangerous things to come. The blue haired woman could no longer see other indicators of demonic activity, aside from the one by her. She took off the glasses and slipped them into the pocket of her red pleated skirt. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but worry if the demon wad connected to their potential enemy but ultimately she doubted such a weakling would be connected to their case. "And of course that applies to everything else, not just...this." She waved her hand around a little, implying that his support throughout their school and after-school activities was much appreciated. "So we should probably get back yeah? I'd hate for Shiori to worry." She frowned.

[SoleAccord]

Botan was not the type who took pleasure in acts of violence. Still, Kurama had wondered if she may have found some satisfaction from dealing with that imp with her own hands. He was able to admit to himself that there was enjoyment in dealing with beings who did nothing with their existence but cause hurt and suffering, especially when they clearly took joy in it. There was no shame in having that feeling. People like himself, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were not violent people at their core; they dealt blows to those that caused a great deal of harm to others, and while it was regrettable that it came to it, it was rewarding. They knew that they were making this world, and due to recent events Spirit World as well, a better place. Botan already felt the relief of someone cruel and merciless being dispatched in both the Toguro brothers. It was inevitable that she eventually learned more about defending herself, but he hoped that there would never be a time where she had to take a life. That innocence of hers was something he wanted her to keep for as long as she was able. It was already too late for him.

The imp banished to the appropriate realm, he released his hold on her shoulder and joined her in inspecting her oar. Luckily there were no splinters or a severe impression of an imp’s skull against the wood. A bullet dodged. “With a swing that dangerous I don’t believe your spirit gun would be necessary.” He said with a smile.

The spirit gun was a very powerful technique in the right hands. No doubt Botan had limited use for it in her day-to-day activities, but the knowledge that she could use it herself would be more useful than she realized.

She had thanked him for his assistance. The gesture was kind, but unnecessary. Having done all the work herself, it was him that should have been the first to praise her. She had gone on to say that it wasn’t just her taste of combat, but her integration into the school system at such short notice. His smile didn’t wither even after she had frowned due to concern for his mother’s worrying. “You don’t have to worry about her. I don’t know if you saw it earlier, but she believes that there is something brewing between us. It’s possible that she also believes this walk was just to get out of the house and express ourselves intimately, in an area she can’t intrude on.” His mother’s imagination was very active ever since Botan had entered the picture. The fantasy of her teenage son with a respectful and intelligent young woman was one he was willing to let her hold on to. If their peers were to believe their story, then perhaps…

“If we are to continue with our story at school, why not bring it home with us as well?” Kurama had nodded towards the way they had come, turning on his heel and starting to return home with her beside him. “My life as Shuichi Minamino is far different than that of Kurama. Shuichi doesn’t deal with demons and join tournaments. He doesn’t get into fights. He’s quiet, studies hard, and avoids trouble. Your arrival in our lives is the most exciting thing that has happened to her in a very long time. You’ve shaken things up for us.”

The brushing of his shoulder earlier and the notice of their hands locked had not gone unnoticed earlier. His mother wasn’t blind to a sign so large. He was almost certain that she was just waiting for the truth from one of them—that, or another sign that she could be able to pick apart for herself. The urge to give his mother something to gush over was building, as it was very rare for her to ever have this chance. His academic standing and good nature were things to be proud of, but they weren’t exciting or risqué. With Botan, maybe he could give her a taste of a teenage boy’s development. A girlfriend was a big deal to some parents, wasn’t it?

“I know you don’t enjoy dishonesty. What I asked—no, what situation I forced you into earlier was for the sake of our investigation. What I ask now is just me being selfish,” Kurama couldn’t look her in the eye as he went on. Using Botan in order to please his mother’s fantasy of her son having a girlfriend was not something he thought kind to ask. Shiori adored Botan, he had seen it in her eyes the day they had met. News of their dating would justify all the time they would spend together from this point on, but it would also let her have something to tease him about. It was more for her than it was him. “I’d like to give that suspicion of hers some ground to stand on. In other words… either we announce it, or we show her our new relationship. This walk wasn’t just a walk… it was an opportunity for me to formally ask you to be my girlfriend.”

Somehow it felt even worse when he had put it that way. They were just walking up to the door when Kurama had stopped, finally giving her his full attention. His eyes were softer, betraying the deep turmoil ongoing inside. It was wrong. Botan would almost certainly do this for him, and if not for him it would be Shiori. Arrogant as it sounded, he knew her well enough to know that she would do almost anything for the sake of someone else she had respected.

“You can say no. After all, when a boy asks a girl out, he should mean it. I should mean it.”

Out of all the women that had ever entered his life, it was only at this moment that Kurama realized that Botan was ideal in every sense to him. He could think of no part of her that he resented. This was all about being in character, but if they were to be in character then surely he had to pull his own weight. After what she had done for him in the cafeteria earlier, it was his turn to take the initiative. He reached down for her hands and gripped them loosely in his, eyes never leaving her face. The last of the sun’s rays had accentuated her face fully. He had looked at Botan countless times but not once had he seen her in this light, and never so closely. Unparalleled beauty.

“Botan… even if it’s only until this investigation is over… would you become my girlfriend?”

Kurama was braced for rejection. Pretend or not, he could easily see how this could hurt her feelings. No matter how much he had cared for Botan, it would seem as if he was using her for his own benefit, and not only to help bolster their cover story, but to help his mother feel as if her son was normal when he’d never truly be. But in this admittance, Kurama would like to think that his being honest with her would also mean something. He wouldn’t pretend her knew her as well as her peers in Spirit World, and he wasn’t going to. While going over how this could help him, Kurama had stopped to ask himself how it could help her. What was her gain, other than helping a friend’s mother believe her son was a normal boy with a healthy interest in a good girl?

Saying that she had wanted to be as honest as she could with people earlier, at least by accepting his request to be his girlfriend—temporary as it just might be—meant that it wouldn’t be a lie anymore. It would be as sincere as he knew she was. A truth Botan could be proud of, without need of putting a veil over everyone’s eyes.

[Genkai]

Feeling the thrill of besting someone, of defeating them and coming out the victor, claiming life while you still remained standing...bloodying up someone wasn't a fond activity for the grim reaper. In her careful line of work, she had seen enough gore and the heartbreak it led to. Even if it meant saving someone she loved, she would never feel the same excitement or sense of accomplishment that someone like Hiei might feel after a fight. It would be a tough task to find a vengeful bone in Botan's body, in other words. The woman was glad to be out of the mild danger but also glad to have rid the world of a pesky demon. That was as far as her delight could go.

When Kurama ascertained that his mother likely had her own suspicions, she felt her heart drop.

She didn't want to further lie to someone so kind as Shiori.

Botan felt rather guilty and couldn't help but voice her concerns, "I never intended to further deceive her." While it was difficult to lie to the students, it was even more tough to lie to someone so close to Kurama, someone who was taking her into her home, feeding her. Botan wasn't sure how comfortable she was with fooling his mother and she wondered if it would be easier to explain the issue at school and need for the facade. But then Kurama spoke up and continued to voice his idea as they left the scene. Kurama continued to explain how his life as Kurama was different than his life as Shuichi and how her arrival had shaken things up. Again, she felt rather sorry for having to force herself upon his life. She hated to think she was intruding upon him and his mother.

But as they walked, she tried to consider things from Shuichi and Shiori's point of view. 'I have a feeling Shuichi doesn't bring many girls home and yet I come barging it...I suppose it was only a matter of time before Shiori started thinking we were a couple.' She thought. The grim reaper had to wonder if this would bring Shiori some kind of relief or at least some short lived happiness, to see her only son with someone. Botan still wasn't fully on board with the notion of giving Shiori false hope but since Kurama was proposing it, she knew to trust his judgement of the situation and his own mother. 'Still, this feels wrong...to stretch to lie even further.' She sighed to herself, trying to see the suggestion from more than one point of view.

As she tried to see the good in this lie, Kurama went on to admit that though he had pushed her into the lie, he was now presenting something more selfish than that. As the let out a long sigh, trying to figure out how to even approach the matter, the man beside her finally came out with his intentions: to formally ask her out. Her lips came together but no words came out. They settled on the doorstep and Botan had a feeling, a from watching teenagers from afar after work, this was where a normal boyfriend and girlfriend would embrace and kiss. Or in situations she had observed, a father would emerge and shoo the boyfriend away from his daughter. Botan knew neither of those things were happening. Instead, another choice was presented to her.

Raising her gaze from the ground, she looked to Kurama, unsure as to why she was suddenly feeling unwell.

He corrected himself and admitted that in normal circumstance, someone should mean what they say. Botan wasn't sure how exactly he had meant the question to be perceived. 'Surely he means this in a fake way.' She told herself. Even so, her heart was beating slightly quicker than normal, taking her back to their moment during lunch. It wasn't just the false relationship that had thrown her off, it was the reminder that she hadn't had a real relationship in a while and she missed the companionship. She missed sharing her life with someone.

Botan spent her days ferrying souls to another realm, listening to their pleas and stories. Ad yet at the end of the day, she went to her small apartment and collapsed in bed, completely drained of everything. And she was beginning to miss being able to have someone waiting for her, someone who could give part of himself to her, when she had nothing left at the end of a tough day of tears and sadness. She had to wonder if Kurama or even Shuichi, knew how that felt. His hands took hers in his as he looked into her eyes. Deep down, she was sure he knew how she felt but she would never wish that isolation on anyone, not even Hiei.

After Kurama's formal request, there was silence.

Botan honestly wasn't sure what to do. She say merits in declining but also accepting, the strange request. It wasn't sincere, even if Kurama meant it as such. Botan knew this would help them practice for the grueling school hours and the observant students. She also considered it might be something to repay Kurama with. But lying to Shiori? Botan wasn't comfortable with that. As much as she wished to give the man in front of her the answer he desired, she couldn't. At least not now. Time was needed to mull over the options. Botan gave him a slow smile and removed her hands from his. It was somewhat painful to have someone ask her out, it just reminded her of how much she had been focusing on work and less on her own needs, even the basic ones such as friendship and romance.

"I'd...I'd like some time to think it over." She said softly. There was a subtle warmth where his hands had once been around hers. Botan found herself missing it, yet another thing that was difficult to explain. Maybe it would be easier to just agree and continue to go along with it. But Botan couldn't help but think of the future, when the case was over, she and Kurama would break up and that wouldn't be well for his mother, to have her just vanish into thin air, after giving the mother so much happiness.

Her smile became more firm though, more assured. Botan didn't want to leave this encounter on such a delicate note. "Of course I am flattered that you would ask, I'd be so lucky." Regardless of the context, Botan had to admit the scene was intriguing, even if it needed to be treated with caution. "I'll have my answer tomorrow, I promise." Botan assured him. It also gave her a window of time to think it over and make a decision, and not just fiddle with it for days on end. They had the investigation to deal with and they needed to be on the same side. Whether or not she agreed to carry the lie back home once school was over, she knew she could count on Kurama.

Glancing to the door beside them, the girl opened it and found the aroma of the seafood stirfry to be positively intoxicating. Botan felt more at ease but she couldn't shake Kurama's comments from the back of her head. 'Kurama wouldn't ask me to do this if he didn't see the value in it. She told herself as they removed their shoes and slipped on their house slippers. Botan decided to just keep things cute but casual for now. Botan reached behind and placed her hand on his back as they moved further into the house and into the kitchen to see Shiori was just pouring herself some tea. Upon seeing the two, she quickly took down two other cups for them to enjoy some along with their dinner.

Botan's gesture was one that could be seen as romantic or just friendly. She knew for now, she would need to walk the line between both labels, very carefully. She wanted things to look natural no matter which route she decided to walk. Shiori then served them a bowl of rice and a plate of toppings, ranging from carrots to shrimp to squid. It had been soaked in a rich deep miso based sauce and Botan let out a hum of joy after her first bite. Shiori really knew her way around the kitchen and Botan knew she'd miss the food almost as much as the company. Taking a sip of her tea, she looked to Kurama and tilted her head, 'If I had to pretend with anyone, I'd love to pretend with him. He's been so understanding and accommodating. And we do get along fairly well...maybe this lie of ours doesn't need to be so dishonest...not if we already enjoy one another. She couldn't help but consider as she resumed eating.

[SoleAccord]

Without a word leaving her lips, Kurama deduced her intentions the moment he felt her hands slipping from his own, and he did not fight to keep them where she was not comfortable having them. The smile that revealed itself told him that what was coming next was not from a place of disgust, or hurt, so he could breathe easier after she had said what she needed to. Just as expected, yet not quite, Botan was refusing his initiative in the most polite way she could while leaving the future one with possibility. He nodded his head in understanding, smile firm on his face to not give her a modicum of doubt that he was hurt by her reluctance. The truth was that he was glad she was thinking farther than the present; the future itself was surrounded by a fog so thick that it was impossible to see what would be in store for them should they have continued on this path blindly. But, he’d be a liar if he said it wasn’t exciting to take that jump. Botan couldn’t—not yet, anyway.

Her being flattered was a good consolation prize to the original goal, and he was satisfied with it, but she wasn’t stopping there. His eyes opened another inch apart, unable to mask the surprise that Botan needed only a single night to consider him someone to make this relationship one they would carry with them everywhere. It would be convenient throughout the investigation, that much was true, but at the same time he wanted to offer her a sense of what it was like to actually be a human, not simply a student. There was more to the life of people his age than attending classes and returning home. Now, with someone who wasn’t simply after him for his appearance, he had an opportunity to be a little more human. A date with Botan sounded delightful, but taking her out only as a friend would also have been rewarding. Either way, he’d be able to be himself with someone who knew the real Kurama, and not just Shuichi Minamino, a top student at his academy. This was good enough for him, as long as it was good enough for her.

“Take as much time as you need, there isn’t any rush.” Kurama said, matching the softness of her voice with his own. The last thing he needed was for her to feel like he was rushing her, on top of already putting her in a position like this, one that she clearly wasn’t prepared for.

Following closely behind her after removing his own shoes, the scent of the seafood stirfry moistened his tongue as the last house slipper was put on. Mother was a wonderful cook and knew how to prepare a variety of meals, all of which were made with love; cliché as it was to say it, Kurama knew no other way to describe it. Shiori loved cooking, and she loved cooking well. Fresh ingredients without exception, she had never settled for anything that looked off or smelled odd. She took preparation seriously, kept timers in her head, and did a taste test of everything she made before serving it. A guest in her home would not only know warmth and comfort, they would also know what it was like to have a fine meal prepared by her own two hands. One glance at Botan told Kurama that she, too, valued the lengths Shiori went through to ensure that they both had a fine meal to come home to.

Having a seat at the table in their usual places, Kurama had begun to sample the food he already knew to be delicious. He had ignored it earlier, but he thought back to the hand Botan had placed on his back. It was a sign of their closeness, as you didn’t place your hand so comfortably against someone you hardly knew. It meant friendship, but it could also have meant more. Even after the discussion outside she was still intending to help him out with Shiori. He saw it working when she first saw the two return. Her smile had grown wider, only a little, but enough for him to know that seeing that gesture had a positive effect on her. Shuichi was out with a nice girl, rather than hoodlums and mischievous types getting into trouble. The truth was far more complicated of course, but he would never betray the thought that Botan was anything but a positive influence on his life. After the bloodshed of the Tournament, he could use her bubbliness more than ever.

While he was thinking about Botan’s helpfulness, Shiori herself was quietly watching the two on either side of her. She wanted to know about their day, yet at the same time she didn’t. The death of anyone was a hard topic to bring up. While the two students that passed away weren’t particularly close to Shuichi, she feared that whatever stress drove them to such a horrible solution wouldn’t befall the two of them. “Shuichi,” she began, arousing the attention of Shuichi from his own meal, “and Botan, too,” Shiori glanced at the girl beside her. “I’d like to talk about what’s happened in the last couple weeks, regarding your classmates.” She gave a slight pause. “Suicide… simply is not the answer. It never will be. If the stress of your classes begins to wear on you, please, talk to me. I may not have been as intelligent as Shuichi is, but I do know that I care about the both of you deeply, and I would hate it if… if you were…”

“Never.” Kurama knew where this was leading. Two mothers had lost their children recently and Shiori did not want to be the third, nor did she even want to consider that. Botan being mentioned might have been seen as courtesy, but it was just like her to think of Botan as her own child. That was just how his mother was. She was full of love and had more than enough to share. His eyes darkened, growing serious. “That won’t happen, not to us. You don’t have to worry.”

“A mother can’t help but worry, especially with what’s happened to two other students,” Shiori lowered her head, eyes growing moist. She fought the building tears, having no intention of making the mood of dinner any sadder than she already did. “If you ever need to talk, both of you, don’t hesitate coming to me. I’m here for you.”

Assuring her that the same fate wouldn’t befall them would do no good, Kurama saw that. Without a child of his own, there was no way of knowing for sure just how fearful Shiori would become if another student met a horrible fate. As far as she would know, Botan and he himself were susceptible to the same pressures. All he could do is accept her feelings and do his best to never let her believe they were struggling with any dark emotions. Kurama nodded. “I will. I promise.”

Botan’s answer had come as well. Shiori smiled and shut her eyes tightly, brushing away any buildup of tears that threatened to slide down her cheeks. “I’m sorry to bring such an uncomfortable subject up to you both. I care, and—“

“We understand,” Kurama reached over the table for his mother’s hand, gripping it firmly. “You don’t need to apologize for caring about us.” Shiori was able to smile, being reassurance by her son. The subject was something he did not want her to dwell on. With Botan’s own efforts, he had seen in her eyes that she believed herself to be someone they both trusted enough to go to. Kurama doubted they ever would. “How was your day?” he asked Shiori.

Changing the subject had done the trick. Within moments Shiori had begun to smile like her normal self again. She had gone over her day’s events, nothing too unusual for her, yet had wanted to change the subject to Botan’s experience at Meioh. She had asked whatever she could, face lit with enthusiasm and interest; what did she think of her professors? What was her favorite subject to study, and her least? Did she manage to make any new friends? Was Shuichi a good tutor? As if she even had to ask knowing her son’s studying habit.

Dinner had come to a close, ending brighter than it had begun. Kurama and Botan both cleaned up in Shiori’s place, allowing her to wash up for the evening. Kurama had made doubly sure that Shiori did not walk away from them without seeing his smile. She had to know that he was okay, and Botan, too. With the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned up, Kurama guided Botan back to his room and gently closed the door behind them, sighing heavily as she did so. It was hard to see his mother so distraught, but he was confident that after that talk she would be confident that the two of them always saw her as someone they could confide in, leaving no doubt.

“I’m all she has,” Kurama spoke the obvious to Botan, frowning. “The suicides had affected her harder than I realized. She couldn’t help but imagine herself in the position of the parents that lost their children. Were it me instead of their own children…” He closed his eyes. “Let’s focus on something different now.”

The greenhouse was something he had mentioned to her in passing; she had known about the unpopularity of the club, how some joined but didn’t last. The humid conditions were only a part of that. Simply put, tending to a variety of plants wasn’t of heavy interest to many. Even those that joined it to spend more time with him didn’t last long. Some found the hobby boring. For him, it was cathartic.

He opened his eyes again and took a seat beside her. “You’re not a fighter, but perhaps you can utilize your spirit energy in other, more defensive methods. Tomorrow after class I would like you to accompany me in the greenhouse. It’s private enough to let us talk more freely compared to the lunch room. Also, I can take a good look at your spirit energy and measure its strength, as well as its potential. Is there anything else I should know about your abilities that I don’t already?”

[Genkai]

Seeing Kurama's smile gave her a sense of relief, it ensured there wasn't pressure for her to come to a conclusion on the matter. It allowed her to focus on the dinner set in front of them. It was very rich and flavorful. 'I could get used to this.' She thought to herself, becoming slightly saddened by the fact that in the near-future, she probably would have to walk away. She'd tell Shiori she could move back with one of her parents as their divorce had been finalized. Botan had quickly grown fond of the motherly woman and found the kindness radiating from the woman, to be very soothing and warming.

So when Shiori spoke up, Botan was quick to turn her attention to the frail woman. Botan was sure the concern came from a sincere place in Shiori's heart. It was very kind of her to include her in the discussion, even if it was a solemn one. Botan stopped eating and focused on listening though Botan was fairly certain she and Kurama would be able to spare Shiori from such heartbreak. It still made the woman ache, to think Shiori could be kept up at night due to the two suicides at their school. It wasn't right. Death was able to reach so far and haunt anyone. Botan wished there was some peace of mind she could easily provide but for now, she could only listen and express empathy for the mother.

Ultimately, at the core of the woman's plea was that either them felt free enough to come to her, should they feel any inking of feeling hopeless or lost. Botan gave a slight understanding nod and looked to Kurama, now unsure if she and him were exempt from the demon's dark influence. For now, she looked back to Shiori Kurama promised to heed her warning and respect her wish about being honest. "Yes, of course." Botan replied, hoping neither of them would have to put Shiori through any further pain. "Your concern really means a lot to me, thank you." She added, reaching out to place her hand atop Shiori's for a brief moment before the woman apologized for the topic which cued Kurama to also comfort his mother.

Botan slowly resumed eating as the topic shifted to something lighter, thanks to Kurama's tactic.

Botan was happy to discuss school as well as Shuichi. She mentioned to Shiori that the teachers were nice but a little too intense with the lessons. But Botan assumed that was just due to the strict school itself. She said she enjoyed English and found Math to be the most challenging. Though for Botan, it was all pretty tough. If she was being tested on Spirit World lore and history, she would be just fine but sadly, humans were more detailed in their retelling of events, despite their short history. She was sure Kurama could relate to here in that regard but it went unspoken. And even though the school day had been tough, she mentioned she had indeed made friends, since to Shiori's knowledge, Botan had already started school a week ago. "Oh yes, Shuichi-kun is very good, he's patient and ensures I understand something before moving on. I wish the teachers were more like him!" She said, realizing she was probably putting the praise on a bit thick, despite it being utterly honest.

Soon the pair were upstairs and up in Kurama's room, the closest one to the stairs. Botan was feeling rather drained but knew it would be wise to talk before they both turned in for the night. Though Kurama apologized for his mother's commentary, Botan knew it was well-founded and understandable. She waved a hand, dismissing his need to explain him or his mother. She understood where Shiori was coming from. He took a seat beside her on his bed and changed gears, bringing up a possible way for her to fight without needing to train too much. She thought for a moment and gave a small shake of her head, her ponytail wagging slightly. "Nothing comes to mind but maybe tomorrow I'll think of something I may have forgotten to mention." She said. "I'm just so tired for all the excitement today, I may sleep for twenty years." She laughed softly and stood up, struggling to stifle a yawn.

"Goodnight." She then excused herself and went to her room, needing less than five minutes to fall asleep.

The next arrived and flew by with little interest. Botan stayed mostly conscious during classes and before she knew it, school was over. Through the day, she had time to think more about Kurama's idea. It was just an extension of their lie. And if Shiori did know it was lie, it could just add to the complication at school. It probably was better to just have her believe she and her son were in fact, going out. She also had to consider that it could be fun to play with the role throughout the day, instead of trying to flip a switch inside her head, on and off. She still didn't like deceiving Shiori but since it was Kurama's idea, she had to trust that he knew his mother's judgement and that when they had to break up at the investigation, that Shiori would be alright with it.

As they entered the greenhouse which was located behind the academy, near the tennis courts, Botan found her train of thought shattered as the array of flowers and plants greeted them. Most were in good shape, considering Kurama's long absence but some of them lacked the necessary attention to sustain life. "Wow, this is like an oasis!" She stepped inside and began to observe the plants. Some of them were clearly imported but others, she recognized. "This whole campus will light up with cherry blossoms soon." She mentioned as she saw two cherry trees near the back of the rectangular greenhouse. Botan walked towards them but stopped when she came to a bush which had many dead roses sprouting from it.

Down by her feet, she saw shriveled up grey rose petals.

"Aww..." She knew something was bound to be neglected given the situation but she still felt bad for it. While Kurama watered some of plants, Botan crouched down and placed her fingers around the stem of a dead rose. Though she was a reaper of souls, she wondered if she would be able to give such a beautiful flower some new life. Concentrating, she felt her spirit energy flow from her fingers, into the rose she was grasping between her thumb, pointer and middle finger. Suddenly the rose began to lit up and soon enough it turned into a rich deep sapphire color with a faint shimmer. It was unbelievable.

"Hey, Kurama..." Botan stood up, having plucked the blue rose from its cemetery.

Glancing down at her creation, she then reached to another decaying rose with her left hand and it soon transformed into a glistening beautiful blue rose, full of life. She then touched the other roses and by the time Kurama turned his attention back to the grim reaper, she had revitalized all of the roses. She walked over to him with the first one in her right hand. She studied it carefully, able to feel her own energy nestled in the bundle of rose petals. The stem was no longer prickly and daunting to the touch. She brought the rose to her lips, the petals were soft to the touch and the smell was divine and delicate. "I never knew I could do this." She said quietly, wondering if Kurama had seen anything like it before. Botan was excited and rather hopeful, rather glad she could something interesting.

Perhaps the rose could help her channel her spirit energy. She had contacted Lord Koenma at lunch and asked him to manufacture a baseball bat which could have different channels for her to amplify her power behind it. He said it would be done over the weekend and until then, to stick close to Kurama to be safe. She still neglected to mention her new role at school but she still didn't think he needed to know. It was kind of thrilling to have a secret that was all hers. Well, hers and Kurama's. Botan's gaze continued to study the rose as she then handed it to Kurama, their fingers brushing together. She wondered if him holding it would make any difference. After about a minute, the color began to fade and once it was back in her soft hand, it was brimming with a vibrant blue glow once more. "It seems to require my actual energy...I do have some healing powers, they're not very powerful but this might be useful for using them. What do you think?"

[SoleAccord]

“Understandable. Goodnight Botan.” Kurama said as she stood and took her leave. He had forgotten how much new information she had to process from school; adding on to that with more discussion of what it means to be a combatant might only lull her to sleep faster from disinterest. It was ideal that she get enough rest for additional lessons tomorrow, as well as the possible drama that might develop from a variety of their peers. For him, who was used to the weight of homework assignments and already had strong studying habits, he lacked the same pressure she was now under. Maintaining two different lives wasn’t going to be easy, but as long as he was with her he would do his best to keep her spirits high.

After what Shiori had confessed to the both of them tonight, Kurama, who had already dressed for bed, lay atop his mattress and stared at the ceiling with his spirits lowered. In a short amount of time, Botan had appreciated Shiori’s kind heart and good will. Shiori herself had taken a good deal of interest in the newcomer, having continued to scout out the possibility that her Shuichi might find a nice girl, one who valued him as he deserved to be. Kurama had known of the strain it would cause the students when it came to the string of suicides. What he underestimated was the dread of parents just like her, who had to go on living without the children they had put all their love and care into for most of their lives. Shiori was fearful that they might be next. What he feared was that there would actually be a ‘next’.

His confidence wasn’t lacking when it came to solving this mystery, but just knowing that his mother felt that way had hurt him, too. He had forced his eyes shut and turned over in his bed, hoping that Botan’s descent into sleep was far easier than his own. At some point, he had at last found the slumber he desperately needed, and the worries of tonight were put to rest along with him.

The next morning progressed as usual, only he did not leave home without offering Shiori a hug that was even firmer than usual. Wishing her a good day as she did him, he left home and made it to school holding Botan’s hand just as he did yesterday morning. The day had passed without incident, albeit there were still the longing and envious stares directed at the new couple during lunch and their study periods. With the final bell dismissing students for the day, those that remained had headed to their respective clubs. That left Botan and Kurama to tend to the greenhouse, a club unpopular and considered boring, something he was thankful for.

Arriving inside it beside her, Kurama was relieved to find that a majority of the finer, rarer plants had survived his absence without death by negligence. To him, the vibrant variety of colors were a common sight, but to Botan they were new and exciting. She wasted no time exploring the area while he reached for his empty pail. Leaving to fill it from a convenient spigot outside, he had returned to find her examining the remains of a dead rose. “It’s unfortunate, but the necessity of training for the tournament had outweighed any need to have someone take care of this place in my absence.” Kurama said. He had begun to move down the aisles farthest from Botan, carefully dousing the beautiful flowers with a refreshing shower of water.

When Botan had called for his attention, Kurama had only been halfway down the first before giving pause. He looked over his shoulder, eyes landing on the bush that once contained dead or dying roses, dull in color, now a radiant sapphire. His eyes widened slightly at the sight. He would have remembered a bush full of them, but there were none like them—none at all—until Botan had entered. She came to him, holding one in her hand and taking in its scent as though it couldn’t possibly be real. Before he had taken it from her by her offering, one look and inhale of its scent had confirmed its authenticity.

Botan had given life to what was nearly dead. The irony wasn’t lost on him; a reaper, giving life rather than taking it? For the first time since he had arrived at school, a smile had formed. In his hands he could feel the remnants of Botan’s spirit energy through the small veins of the rose, even as it slowly deteriorated. His eyes watched as the radiance of the flower had begun to vanish. It was not by his own spirit energy that this flower found its life restored. It was Botan’s alone. As a test, Kurama had channeled his own spirit energy into the rose only to find that its blue color had made way for his deep and familiar red.

‘So it’s truly based on one’s spirit energy. In my hands it’s nothing more than an ordinary-colored rose, but in hers…’ Kurama handed it back to Botan’s hand and witnessed his theory come true. Only in Botan’s hands did the rose find its new color once again. Botan had come to the same conclusion and had gone a step further, exploring the possibility that a tool such as that rose could help channel some of her healing ability. “Kuwabara utilized a tool to maintain his Spirit Sword in the past. It’s quite possible this sapphire rose could do for your powers what Kuwabara’s tool had done for him.” Kurama said with a nod.

Taking a glance at the bush Botan had poured additional energy into, he could see the brilliance of them begin to fade from her absence. The reaper lacked the spiritual reserves, and the strength, to maintain the health of the rest for long periods of time with her absence. “Your spiritual energy is unique. Whether that’s because of your true identity as a reaper or simply because of who you are, I don’t know,” he admitted, bringing his right fist to rest beneath his chin in thought. “What I do know is that we can definitely look into you using that rose to help channel your powers. Yusuke has his fingers and fists. Kuwabara has his sword. I have my plants. Now you have a tool of your very own.”

Without sufficient knowledge of Botan’s healing capabilities, it would be hard to consider all the possible ways she could use that rose to a complete advantage. This was a strong start to helping her learn how to wield her energy in new and helpful ways, even more than he could have hoped.

“You need to build up your stamina. Gym will help you physically. After school ends, this place will be ideal in helping you practice manipulating your healing powers,” Kurama didn’t wish to bore her with his theories and strategies, so he chose to end the topic there and give her the reins of the conversation. Taking the pail in hand again, he offered one pleased glance at Botan and the sapphire rose in hand before returning to watering the plants of the greenhouse.