The last time I wrote for YYH was when I was 13. I finished re-watching the series again and wanted to relive the past by writing this little old thing.
This story is meant to relatively follow the canon ending of the anime- with obvious changes, expansion on some details, and an interweaving of some canon ending elements of the manga.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Standard disclaimers apply.
Botan was not used to the peaceful, transitional periods. These periods are usually characterized by its ambiguous nature and further exemplified the unforeseen future. During her time as the liaison between the spirit detectives and spirit world, series after series of events propelled the team to constantly being on their feet and on the go to the next unsolved case. So after Yusuke tendered his resignation as a spirit detective, Botan found herself in more of a new problem rather than a welcome ending.
Yusuke had noticed this one month after his return to the human world. He had taken to lying on the porch after holding extensive training with both Kuwabara and the still spry Genkai. The warming rays danced on his aching muscles, goading him into a nap that could last hours until the chilling air of evening started tickling his relaxed body. Usually, that would be the case, but the day he noticed the fretful ferry girl was when he was awakened by dull footsteps against the hardwood porch he slept upon.
These footsteps echoed loudly and then would fade off as it went further away. Then immediately soon after he would hear the pounding drums close in again, and soon after that, it would fade again until the heavy chirping of insects masked its drumming.
He opened one eye as soon as he heard the footsteps hop up into the porch again. Still too sore and lazy to start a shouting match, Yusuke listened thoughtfully to the footsteps closing into his lying form.
Familiar pink cloth swayed into his view when the culprit passed by. In that split second of realization, Yusuke's hand shot out to her ankle. A cry of surprise from above, but quick reflexes helped the ferry girl to shoot out the other leg before her whole body lurched to the floor in one fell swoop.
"Yusuke, you jerk! Was that really necessary?" Botan cried out. In a huff, she wiggled her foot out of his grasp and stamped it right in front of his face as an act of retaliation.
"Your mouth is already loud enough as it is," Yusuke replied in an equally exasperated expression. He shot up from his prone position on the floor and started stretching his legs in a runner's lunge to prep him for the oncoming barrage of chastising from an incensed blue haired girl.
While able to go through the motions of each stretching exercise, he started to realize that she was not even paying attention anymore. After releasing a satisfied groan while grabbing the side of his head and pulling it the opposite way, Yusuke dipped his head a little and watched as his companion took a seat on the porch with her feet dangling over the edges.
"It's been a month already," she mentioned, almost too quietly.
The buzz of the cicadas settled into the comfortable silence before Yusuke found his voice. With careful consideration of her attitude, he threw his hands behind his head and said, "Weird, huh? Been awfully quiet around here lately."
"That's right, especially after the time you took after the demon world tournament to help everyone transition into the rules that Enki had set."
"Do I hear disappointment in your voice, Botan?"
She scoffed immediately, "Don't be silly. The work you have done so far has done wonders, for sure."
"But..."
Botan tapped her chin. She furtively shot him a suspicious glance but was met with attentive eyes that couldn't miss a thing. In her time knowing Yusuke Urameshi, all her frantic worries and her fed up exasperations were usually met with an aggravated groan. But this time, Botan noticed the subtle change when she met his concerned gaze quickly before looking away ashamed.
Botan was not used to the transitional periods. She's also definitely not used to the more mature nature that Yusuke has started to develop during this time.
She sighed quite loudly to indicate her initial reluctance before proceeding, "But... I do miss giving assignments to our team sometimes. It seems to grow more few and far between now that a lot of the demon world affairs have been settled. I guess I started to like that aspect of my job, especially as a break between all the ferrying that must be done. Even though much of the cases could have nearly spelled doom for all of us, there were some interesting-"
A burst of loud laughter echoed in the compound. Such an act rattled the blue haired girl, enough so to the point of silence. She looked over at him again and inhaled deeply, readying her breath for a spirited reprimand at the former detective.
"Before you start acting up again," Yusuke managed to muster between laughs, "Why can't you just say you miss all of us?" He then let out a few more laughs before adding, "All of us together."
While not an entirely unexpected statement, the individual revealing her true sentiments seemed to be the most surprising part. Instead of honoring him with an affirmation, Botan instead responded with a small smile and a stretch of silence. She was known to be quite the chatterbox, but she typically thrived in that aspect when it was related to work. When it came to matters of the heart, Botan had always wafted carefully into the unknown waters of her feelings. Especially when it came to the very rare moments with the often brash and aggressive spirit detective.
"Never knew you to be the sentimental one here," Botan replied in a mocking manner. Yusuke gave her a wide smile when he heard a hint of sincerity in her voice.
"Hey, I'm not the one saying I miss everyone. I'm just saying what you were trying to say."
"Admit it! You do miss it!" Botan immediately cried out with happiness and attempted to jab him in the abdomen.
"Never. Should I miss you nagging me for new missions? Or when Kuwabara rattles on endlessly about Yukina and I have to make sure Hiei doesn't react violently? Don't even get me started on Koenma…"
The two then joined each other in laughter as they started to reminisce about their past missions with each other. Each story passed by quickly, sometimes ending with Botan clunking Yusuke on the head for starting to get perverted or erupting into more laughter after discussing an embarrassing story.
The sound of laughter doubled as soon as Keiko and Yukina joined the conversation after hearing the commotion upon entering the main household. Both were previously away assisting Genkai with a small errand on her vast compound.
As the night drew on with stories being exchanged with everyone, most of the commotion started centering around Yusuke and Keiko. With an easy slip of the mouth on Yusuke's end, the couple engaged in the usual shouting match that was typical of them in past years. But ever since the return of Yusuke and the much anticipated romantic union between the two, their arguments became more light-hearted in nature, less combative, and very open. Before, much of the argument came out of insecurity with how they were proceeding into their relationship. Now, they bicker in the knowing contentment of lasting love between them.
Botan, no longer worried about moderating between the two, decided to say her goodbyes and head back to the spirit world. Of the many things that were changing, she did not mind the deepening relationship between Yusuke and Keiko.
Four months passed and Botan was finally able to make it back to the Genkai compound. While it was the usual stream of souls needing to be taken to the spirit world, it was Koenma's insistence on taking newer responsibilities that made her busier. She had taken the news a little harshly at first, but she also had no real reason to reject it either.
Botan hovered over the compound for a bit before making her appearance. Her ears had picked up the distinct sound of shouting and grunting. The welcome sounds startled her in a delightful way when she realized that those sounds could only be of young men shouting in unison while training. Quickly, she shot down to the grounds in order to find out more.
Upon entering the main building, she was greeted by Yukina who held a more exciting temperament today.
"This is a pleasant surprise, Botan. I'm glad to see you today," the young ice apparition greeted with a welcoming hug. "What brings you down to the human world today?"
The ferry girl returned the hug quite fiercely. Spotting an older woman approaching from behind Yukina, Botan swiftly swooped in to give a stoic Genkai a quick hug before explaining her arrival.
"I have some free time to spare, so I wanted to come and check in on everyone today. Although I do admit, there is news I'm supposed to bring from Koenma," Botan explained. She then craned her neck to the side to peer out into the tea room in order to see if anyone else was here. Then she started moving over to the porch with Genkai and Yukina following after. "Although I must know, what's happening today? Are all the boys here?"
"No, just Kuwabara," Genkai replied. The old woman picked up her pace and started leading the two girls over to her training grounds. "I think to know of the news that you are bringing today, so I've made arrangements with a few people you might remember."
Botan, while slightly disappointed about not seeing her favorites today, perked up at Genkai's announcement. As usual, Genkai was also prepared and rolling plans in motion even in her old age. Botan was glad that this was something unchanged.
As the three women approached the training grounds, a familiar orange-headed man immediately came bounding in upon the sight of his beloved.
"Yukina! Where have you been? You've been gone for too long! I was just able to teach these losers some awesome moves. You should have seen the way I was handling them! Aw man… maybe we can do a repeat exercise for today and then you can-"
Botan cleared her throat. Kuwabara, who had lost himself in his excitement, looked over from his intimate spot next to Yukina. The ice apparition sighed in relief as the tall man straightened up and proceeded to give Botan a great big hug.
"Oh hey Botan! It's been ages since we last saw you! Why haven't you dropped down and given us a visit?"
Botan started patting Kuwabara slightly away, indicating her need for air and space. "Yes, well, we've been going through a lot of changes in the spirit world. A bit of a restructure. Anyway, I'm glad to see you have been doing well, Kuwabara."
More than well, Botan noted in her head. She observed Kuwabara already settling himself beside Yukina once more, and the ice apparition let him hover a bit closer than usual. The faint red hue that painted Yukina's delicate face while he hovered closer and closer showed the growing closeness of this pair. A new development between the two when she noticed Yukina's expression held a hint of embarrassment.
Botan was most pleased with this progress. Although a quick passing thought of a certain fire apparition with a darkening scowl made Botan a little nervous. Good thing the barrier was still intact, for now at least.
"What is this restructure you speak of, Botan?" A voice belonging to a bespectacled young man questioned.
The three boys that had been training with Kuwabara finally made their approach after basking in the rare break that had presented itself. It was Yana, Kido, and Kaito in various states of disheveled. This new revelation came to Botan as an incredible surprise.
"Hello, boys! It definitely has been a while. It's good to see you again," Botan greeted. She gave them a radiant smile, and all three appreciated her warm welcome.
"I suppose I haven't really told you what might be happening down the road- or why I have asked you three to join us again in training," Genkai spoke up, deciding to take over discussing the news that Botan was supposed to supply. "I feel the barrier between human and demon world weakening significantly. With Yusuke's involvement in the demon world, we are now met with a welcome development between the worlds."
At first, the three were hit with a shock, but Kaito quickly noted the use of Genkai's words. "Welcome development?" Kaito repeated before the other two voiced their protest. After all, they had risked a lot preventing the barrier from coming down just a few years back.
"That's right. I'm not sure what Yusuke or the others told you, but the new changes in the demon world have started to affect the spirit world as well."
Botan nodded. "Yes, this is news I wanted to bring up with everyone. Koenma and much of the spirit world have started viewing the demon and human world in a more… open way, to say the least. He wanted me to let everyone know that the barrier may come down in a week."
She was met with a range of different emotions. Kaito was lost in thought, while Yana and Kido had looked at each other with concern. Kuwabara had a puzzled look directed at Yukina who had a hopeful look light up in her eyes.
Genkai took a step forward, her hands clenched behind her back. "This means no slacking. While relations between the worlds are becoming lax, this does not mean we let our guards down. We need to make sure we have an adequate response to those in the demon world who do not like this change. Even though we may have changed the minds of many, there are still demons with dark intent."
"Then why take down the barrier?" Yana questioned, still not warming up to the idea.
"I think you may find this a step in the right direction. You would be surprised, Yana, but I have been noticing the changes," Genkai answered. Everyone noted her words came with a more softer edge than usual.
Botan liked this change, especially when she became more privy to Genkai's final intentions. The more she became comfortable with the changing nature of humans, the more she didn't mind as much anymore. Although, in the case of Genkai, her actions mostly related to laying down the foundation for her proteges so that she may make the final journey as a human.
With a hurtful pang of that realization, Botan took a deep breath and looked away. She was familiar with that feeling of acute sadness when Genkai first passed. Her next passing into the spirit world will still hurt.
The group started hearing the hard edge once again present in Genkai's voice as she continued on. "Now we must step up here in the human world to meet those rising changes. Just as demon world has patrols out for unwitting humans, we must create one ourselves."
A murmur rose between all as they tried to discuss the ramifications of what the old woman just announced.
"You know, I was about ready to finally bury that into the past," Kido spoke up. He cracked his knuckles with more excitement now lighting up his face. "But I think this is a project I don't mind being involved in. If Urameshi is also in, I don't mind taking the brunt of responsibilities for this."
Yana nodded, even more eager. Kaito was a little bit more reserved with this notion. His affairs in the human world started taking an upward turn and he was more eager to pursue that instead.
He lifted his glasses to snugly fit it on the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps if this was something I can participate in on and off, I don't mind lending a helping hand."
Genkai tapped her foot. "Yes, seems like we should discuss the terms a little bit more closely as time moves on. But I've seen you in training, Kaito, and there is a bit of excitement in your moves."
Kaito bashfully scratched the back of his neck and dipped his head a bit lower in response.
"There is one important request I would have you do before you back out of this commitment, Kaito," Genkai continued. "I've noticed a notable absence in your classmate."
Botan's ear perked at the mention of a certain red-headed young man. She looked over to Kaito with keen interest.
"Well, we did finish our last semester at school a month ago, so he's more of a former classmate now. Kurama apparently started taking up some college classes last I heard."
Genkai frowned. "I'm interested in knowing why you are able to make plans to visit us and we have not seen him since the day Yusuke returned from the demon world."
"That's five months now," Botan murmured as she rubbed her chin.
"Yusuke and I visited him a few weeks back trying to convince him to visit more often," Kuwabara chimed in. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head to show their attempts were not successful.
"Kurama only made brief mention of what was going on in demon world after he came back. I do remember him mentioning that he was going to focus more on his studies and his family for now. But you know him, he only reveals as much as he wants us to know," Kaito sighed, recalling his few attempts at befriending the fox spirit.
"We would like to see him sometime, Kaito, if you can tell him that. All of his friends are quite concerned," Yukina spoke up. She has had many conversations between the group about their disappointment in his disappearance. Notably, Yukina looked over at Botan who pinked slightly at being acknowledged.
"I could try…" Kaito supplied, but he trailed off at the monumental task when he started thinking about how Kurama could be.
Before anyone could make another appeal to Kaito, Genkai started waving off all four of the boys. "Enough talk of this for today. We will make plans before you head off, Kaito. Now follow me. I plan to tire you all out with endurance training before the end of the day!"
Kuwabara, Yana, Kido, and Kaito straightened their backs at the new urgent and commanding tone that Genkai adopted. Kuwabara quickly squeezed Yukina's shoulder before hustling back with the group to the training grounds.
The two girls passed each other a meaningful look before making their way back to Genkai's main building. They fell in lockstep with each other, enjoying the more quiet environment, before Yukina finally made her thoughts clear to the taller woman.
"When the barrier comes down, I wish to look for my brother still," Yukina mentioned with that hopeful look again appearing on her face. "I have a feeling Hiei might have found out something about it, so having Kurama come back and help us find him would be quite nice."
Botan, while appreciating her eagerness to continue her search, patted Yukina's shoulder in a comforting manner. "If I know anything about Hiei, it would take him no time to come back to Genkai's once the barrier comes down."
Yukina raised her eyebrow in surprise. Botan laughed nervously and immediately changed the topic, "It would be nice, though, to have Kurama around again. He was always the more reliable one in my opinion."
Yukina nodded. "Perhaps you can try to convince him to come around more."
A deeper shade of red rested on Botan's face with the idea of making a visit alone to the fox spirit's human home. She laughed again, and Yukina's smile widened. This was usually the ferry girl's response when she became nervous.
"I'm sure Kurama is also very busy. I couldn't possibly make an appearance and be the one to pester him!"
"That never stopped you when it came to Yusuke," Yukina suggested.
"Oh, Yukina!" Botan cried out. "My how perceptive you've grown! Isn't that a conundrum, huh?"
She patted Yukina's shoulder, hurrying the ice apparition into the courtyard area of the main building. Yukina let the taller woman frantically guide her along, thus further making the smile on her face wider. This was not an isolated act. Every time they started discussing the red-headed young man, Botan made sure to quickly pass over the conversation.
"Now that I have delivered the news, I should be going now. Please take care to make sure the boys get this piece of information. What with the barrier coming down soon, I'm sure there will be some cases to look out for in the near future!"
Yukina noticed the particular glint in her eyes at the last statement. She always wondered why some people would be eager for the next step in a time of quiet and peace.
With Genkai, Yukina could understand her urgency in completing certain projects before she leaves this world. With Botan, she felt an air of unfinished business always following her. However, while Genkai knew her plans, Botan didn't know half of them and when to start or how to start them.
She was a boundless energy of ball moving forward at a fast pace. Yukina always admired this about her friend, even though it would sometimes lend to some scatterbrained episodes.
"Perhaps scatterbrained, but at least she's always thinking. Always trying to understand with excitement each and every time." Yukina recalled Kurama once saying when Hiei made a scornful remark about Botan.
"Do come visit us soon, Botan," the ice apparition called out when she saw the ferry girl materialize her oar and hop on. Botan floated over and squeezed Yukina's hand in response, but made no promises.
Five more months passed by before Botan was able to head down to Genkai's compound. Even though the barrier came down, no further cases presented itself to the spirit world team. Or perhaps Koenma was adamant in keeping Yusuke free from the ties of being a spirit detective. As such, Koenma deemed it necessary to pile even more hard work on her plate and restrict the number of visits to the human world. He had told her that the spirit world was still going through a big period of change that required more managerial and admin tasks rather than the usual fieldwork she engaged in.
When Botan had the confidence to question it, Koenma offered her a dismissive response, "Well, there are small pockets of activity, but nothing worth gathering the team over, to be frank. Besides, with the demon world patrol and now this human world patrol forming, the small problems that have been occurring are usually rectified in a few days!"
He noticed the somewhat pensive face that his head ferry girl had adopted. "I know! Imagine my surprise! While it proves to be more useful and liberating by the day, it still presents a whole new host of problems that we haven't accounted for. The paperwork has definitely piled up!"
Botan didn't maintain the same concerns that her boss did when he started to groan and ache about the new changes to everything. Instead of contemplating further about those thoughts, she asked Koenma to at last give a reprieve and let her visit everyone in the human world for a day.
With her request approved, she made plans to visit the Genkai compound. Maybe this will be the day when the whole group was gathered. Her small hopes were dashed, however, upon entering the main building and finding the last individual she expected to come across.
"Hiei," Botan acknowledged with slight trepidation.
"Hn," he replied.
Hiei had been sitting in the corner of the tea room alone. He was enjoying the peace of being back in the human world. While the demands of demon world were something Hiei had always enjoyed, he did not expect a feeling of relief passing over him when he lowered his body to the tatami floor mat and looked out to the pristine nature that Genkai kept as company. A more appreciative feeling started washing over him when Yukina had brought in tea and sat down with him in silence.
But at present, it was just him enjoying the quiet peace when Yukina got up momentarily to go check on the former spirit detective, who was assisting Genkai with tasks around the compound. At least, it was quiet peace until a certain "scatterbrain" made her appearance.
"Is anyone else here today?" Botan decided to push her luck by querying further.
"The detective and Yukina," he replied curtly. Botan noticed he maintained his nickname for Yusuke even after his official resignation. This brought a smile to her face.
An uncomfortable silence then settled between them for a minute. Botan had frozen in place, thinking any more movement would make the darkening look on Hiei's face turn into full spite.
"Are you just going to stand there and annoy me, ferry girl? Or can you do me a favor and move on?" Hiei finally spoke in a scathing tone.
"Right you are, Hiei!" Botan nervously laughed. "Good to see you again, it looks like you are doing well." And with that, she moved to exit the tea room and quickly find Yukina, Yusuke, and Genkai. She took about three steps forward before his voice dropped a deep, intimidating command.
"Hold."
Botan froze in place again, as if there were magic to his words commanding her every movement.
"It's not really my business," Hiei started, then paused as if the next spoken word pained him, "...but I must ask how you've been." He was not looking at her at this time, and the tone sounded more demanding rather than inquisitive.
Her first initial reaction was of complete surprise, and then it immediately turned into suspicion. Of the time she has known this fire apparition, he has always remained quiet and disaffected by the group. To this day, Botan can never expect anything else besides a sneer and a fast exit if he truly did not tolerate the human or spirit trying to engage in friendly conversation from him. But as with most changes that have been happening around her, this one hit hard and fast. Or perhaps she was not giving him a fair chance in being the friendly type.
"Considering all things that have happened so far, I'm… okay," she managed to muster under his critical gaze. "The spirit world has been rather hectic so far, so I have not had the opportunity to take a break. What with Koenma-"
"Enough. I did not ask for a novel," Hiei interrupted. He got to his feet and started walking away from the ferry girl instead of waiting for her to show herself out. Botan was laughing quite nervously at this point but quieted as soon as she saw a pause in his step.
"I'll be going to demon world. I'll come by again," he provided when he tilted his neck over to look at her. With a slight nod of his head, he disappeared into the air, effortlessly and soundlessly moving through the trees with an intention on meeting a certain red-headed young man.
The whole conversation lasted around five minutes. Four minutes more than what she is typically used to. Four minutes more of discomfort with the fire apparition than she would have liked to experience. She inhaled deeply, put her hands on her hips, and blew into her wispy bangs. "I think that went quite well," she said to no one in particular.
As she walked out into the hallway, Botan started laughing at herself when the thought of that encounter with him seemed almost… fun. Hiei may not be the best sort of company, but she is starting to get used to the fire apparition's personality.
"Sorry! I was going to come and greet you sooner but I wanted to finish some errands first. Yusuke and Genkai are in the study just down the hall, " Yukina called out from the opposite end of the hallway. She finally made her appearance by scurrying over to meet the ferry girl but slowed when she noticed Botan's mirthful laughs. "Is something funny? Did I do something wrong?"
The two met in the middle, and at that point, Botan had stifled her laughs when she saw her friend's worried and confused looks. "No worries, Yukina. I just ran into Hiei, is all."
Yukina lightened up at the mention of his name. "Oh yes, Hiei has been here for a few days already. You were right about him finding us before we do."
Botan regarded the ice apparition warmly. She wanted to explain the reasons why, but Hiei would probably appear in spirit world himself ready to take the ferry girl to her grave. Although, Botan sometimes wondered if Yukina had a slight inclination to the matter because the ice apparition would always speak of him fondly and with eagerness in her voice.
"Well, he left now. He said he's going back to demon world, but he would come again soon," Botan decided to inform her. She tapped her chin rather as she thought more about what she had stated. "Originally I thought it was weird for him to sort of say goodbye to me, but now I think I know the reason why..." she mentioned, and then trailed off as she met her friend's curious eyes. When Botan didn't further pursue the thought, Yukina took the opportunity to relieve the ferry girl's insecurities about the fire apparition.
"When Hiei first arrived at Genkai's, the first thing he did was give this to me," Yukina started as she fingered the warm, red shawl over her kimono. "It's going to be cold soon in human world, he had said to me. He also mentioned it was from ice world so he figured that I would find more use for it than he would. I asked him if he went there, maybe to find my brother. He scoffed at me, though, and said he found it on some dead corpses of ice apparitions while traveling across demon world."
Botan paused and looked at Yukina before entering the next room that contained both Genkai and Yusuke pouring over a stack of papers. Her face took on a disgruntled and appalled look. "Well, if that works," Botan muttered, almost in a strained tone.
Yukina only laughed in response. She pulled the shawl closer over her body, knowing in her mind that Hiei didn't want to tell her the truth on how he attained the item and why he would give it to her.
"Ahhhhhh, good! Heya Botan! I needed a distraction from all this legal bullshit," Yusuke cried out as soon as he saw Botan and Yukina enter the room. "Who knew inheriting a temple on a huge piece of land could be so complicated! All this lawyer speak- drives me nuts. I bet if we could get Kurama back in here he could help clear this up in a matter of hours."
At the sudden mention of the fox spirit's name, Botan tilted her head to the side in concern and quickly asked, "He still hasn't come around?"
Genkai, Yusuke, and Yukina all passed each other looks. Botan's concern grew when she noticed all three had quieted. "What's wrong," she ventured, insistent on finally finding out what was happening with him.
"The last I saw him was two months back. I passed by his house. Not only did he quit college within one month, but he also quit working under his step-father after spending just a few months there as well. He mentioned he would be gone for a few months," Yusuke said and scoffed at his last statement. "And as it turns out, Hiei just told us he saw him in demon world not too long ago!"
Botan gasped, her heart almost leaping out of her throat. "Is he okay? I remember Kaito saying he wanted to focus on being in human world for a while. Oh, I knew I should have visited him."
"Hold on, hold on, don't worry so much," Yusuke quickly interrupted, holding his hand out to stop her further fears. He had a smirk tugging at his lips when he noticed her worried and pained eyes.
"Yes, Botan, there is no need to worry. Although Hiei did not mention too much, he did say that he was in demon world to explore a bit. No mention of any demons blackmailing him to come back or even a reversal back into his old ways," Genkai spoke up before Yusuke, preventing him from further agitating the blue haired girl by teasing her feelings. "I would have liked to find out what he was doing there, however. As usual, Hiei only delivered the news of Kurama's whereabouts and declined to further comment about anything else."
"That's… a relief then," Botan managed to reply. She slowly made her way over to an empty seat next to the pair and plopped down when she felt her knees go a bit weak. While she retained a more concerned expression, Yusuke's smirk cemented itself on his face. Genkai's sharp looks his way made him restrain the barrage of comments he wanted to hurl at the ferry girl.
The pair regarded her for a moment longer, surprised by the loss of words she was experiencing at this time. With a fist to her young apprentice's head, Genkai further prevented Yusuke's mouth from exploding into fits of laughter or accusations. The old woman quickly shoved papers his way after he recovered from the blow to maintain his focus on the task at hand.
Yukina entered the room again after having excused herself at the beginning of the conversation to prepare more tea for their prized visitor. Unaware of what just transpired, she set down the tea set and hummed softly as she prepared tea. The group fell into a more comfortable silence as soon as the sound of steaming water poured from the teapot into each cup.
"Here, I hope you enjoy this. I was saving this one specifically for when you came around," Yukina gently said as she handed the cup over. Botan welcomed the warmth into her trembling hands. The heat soon soothed her fretful thoughts and the scent she caught brought her back into a peaceful state of mind. Inhaling deeply, Botan caught a few notes of a fruity lychee flavor with an undertone of wild red rose petals.
At least two months rolled by without any major incidents. With the work in spirit world finally settling itself into a temporary lull, Botan found herself with a lighter workload. Enough so to plan another trip to the human world very soon. As such, she approached the young ruler to talk about a two-day long reprieve.
Koenma acquiesced to her request easily. Mostly due to her restless nature and incessant questions she would lob at him daily. Of which, a lot of questions tended to pertain to the young red-headed man taking a small journey through demon world.
He had to swat her away on many past occasions when she approached him about it. She was like a pestering fly that buzzed around him. In fact, he would rather take a pestering fly, as opposed to the much more lumbering figure that would mimic the movements of one. At least one swat would be sufficient enough for its removal.
"Oh, before you go," Koenma nonchalantly called out before the deity walked out of his office. "I forgot to mention this to you a few days back when Yusuke visited. I hear Kurama got back to human world a week ago. He seems to be over at Genkai's temple every day now. Yusuke wanted to deliver the news to you, but I think you were ferrying at the time. Perhaps…"
Koenma paused and then sighed in exasperation. His room was empty and the door was left slightly ajar.
He got up and walked out into the hallway where George the blue ogre had been running in between rooms getting various errands done. The blue ogre had to pause in his work when the young ruler approached him.
George lifted a finger and pointed down the hallway. "Did you see that Lord Koenma, sir? She was like lightning, almost barrelling me over when she ran by. What did you say this time?"
Koenma sighed, but there was a crinkle of amusement that did grace his teenaged face. It was a form that he had taken to utilizing more often since his responsibilities have steadily grown in the past year.
"Nothing mean, ogre," Koenma replied almost scathingly, knowing that George had implied his antagonistic ways to his head ferry girl. "I only mentioned the return of one our former detectives."
The pair looked between each other, not knowing what to exactly think yet of their head ferry girl's excitement.
Yukina, on the other hand, had a slight idea as to why a zooming figure in the sky would come barreling down into Genkai's temple. She was sweeping the front entrance when she noticed the spark in the sky and an incoming sound of a figure racing down to the ground.
Yukina squinted her eyes and looked up to watch the figure come more into view faster and faster. It was with a flash of blue and pink that eased the ice apparitions growing anticipation.
Unfortunately, Yukina's mood almost soured as the fall leaves that she had been so diligently gathering into a pile shot up into a cyclone in the air upon impact. As soon as the ferry girl slowed her advance and came to a rough stop, the leaves then scattered in a flurry and wafted gently down around them.
"Welcome back, Botan," Yukina greeted with a cheery smile, easily dismissing that initial bout of frustration. She was never one to hold any grudges.
"Sorry about that, Yukina," Botan sheepishly apologized. "Here, I can get that for you if you'd like."
As the ferry girl made a move to grab the broom, Yukina gently laid a hand to push her arm away. "Oh please, don't worry about that. The leaves aren't a big deal anyway. It's the vines that are a bit concerning- as if they have a mind of their own!"
Yukina quickly demonstrated by pushing the bristles against the winding vines on the edge of the concrete pathway. They recoiled suddenly but started to encroach ever so slowly again once the broom was out of its vicinity.
Botan's eyes lit up in awe in response. Even more so when she realized that what Koenma said was true. She met the ice apparition's gaze, which held a glowing excitement for her.
"I imagine you would like to go in. I'll speak to you later, Botan," Yukina urged. She gave the ferry girl a meaningful look before returning to combatting the overgrowth of vines.
With that, Botan quickly headed off to the main building of the temple. The familiar building seemed ordinary as usual, so she thought nothing of her surroundings until she opened the door and was met with flora and fauna of all kinds. A heavy floral scent invaded her sense of smell, almost to the point of gagging. She even had to push away a branch of heavy padded leaves that kept smacking her in the face.
Many of the walls lined up with all kinds of plants and flowers, some of which she recognized as the human world and demon world varieties. She had half a mind to immediately exit the room once she spotted a specific plant of demon world that had multiple reports of its fine work done on unfortunate humans.
"Don't worry about those," Genkai said as she appeared at the entrance to greet Botan. She had so casually emerged from bushes in the other room. So casual that it looked like she has been living in the jungle all this time. "I've lined the rooms with a spirit barrier. I've made a pathway between the rooms, so make sure to follow it along."
The old woman gestured to the faint outlines of spiritual ki that would guide visitors along the house. While it did prevent the more aggressive species from overreach, the barrier was also meant to preserve and protect some plants from visitors with touchy hands.
"Hello, Genkai. Re-decorating the temple are we?" Botan greeted with a lopsided smile.
Genkai scoffed, "This is only temporary until Kurama finally sorts through all these."
Genkai then looked over her shoulder and pointed out the porch. "I'm sure you're curious about why we are doing this, but it's not my story to tell you. Follow the path down this way, and you'll find him just at the edge of the forest clearing."
With a quick bow of thanks, Botan headed through the main building that almost seemed alive with activity. Plants subtly moving behind spirit barrier and bugs that seem to have found its way through the barrier and left thrive along with its leafy friends. Botan felt a trickle of sweat slide down the side of her face. It seems the unfortunate side effect of deciding to store all the plants in the building turned it into a hot box.
Stepping off the porch and onto the gravelly path came with relief to the ferry girl as the wind gently blowing cooled her heated body tremendously. Botan followed the spirit barrier path until she noticed her redheaded friend off in the distance with a notebook in hand. He was intent on scribbling notes detailing a plan for demon world plants to thrive in the human world. She approached him almost too carefully when she realized it was not often when the two spoke alone together. It was almost nerve-wracking to start thinking about it, which surprised her considerably when she thought of the times the pair had comfortably interacted in the midst of friends.
Kurama, after finishing a thought about a particular plant species in his notebook, lifted his head up when a familiar ki approach ever so closely. He looked behind him and was greeted with a sight he had missed while gone from the group. Botan had put on a welcoming smile as she approached. A twinkle of excitement dance around in her eyes, something he had come to enjoy whenever she was around.
It was at this moment when he actually took the time to observe this young woman. She had looked slightly different from when they had first started their adventures together, but at least her sweet disposition and eager nature still remained. Her kimono had a slightly darker pink to it and the high ponytail she had on almost every day in the past now sit a little lower near the nape of her neck. The longer blue tresses lined the side of her slightly more mature face. He noted it accentuated her amethyst eyes a little more, something the usual bushiness of her high ponytail distracted from. He found himself liking the small changes.
Botan moved in closer to the redhead and pulled him into a gentle embrace. His breath hitched in his throat at the sudden gesture. He was not expecting such warmth and relief as she snaked her hands around his waist. Kurama would like to think he was a smart man- something that everyone often told him- but sometimes he had to question himself in moments like this when his mind came to a complete standstill. He quickly scrambled to place his arms around her in response but held her more loosely and tentatively.
As she slowly pulled away from the fox apparition, their eyes quickly met. Kurama, with a quick moment to really take in the petite woman in his arms, raised his eyebrows slightly and tilted his head to the side. Botan's face pinked slightly at the sudden recognition between each other. She quickly looked away, jumped back, and swiftly took a quick jab at his arms.
"You had everyone worried sick, Kurama!" She expressed with a slightly disapproving tone to her voice. Kurama noticed and quickly decided to appease her to the more gentle nature he had just witnessed.
"Sorry, Botan," he said while raising both of his hands in defense, "I didn't mean to have everyone stirred up like that. There was a lot of pressing matters I had to deal with and I didn't want anyone to worry unnecessarily." He then offered her a conciliatory smile, took a few steps forward, and stared to reach up to the back of his neck in order to quickly offer a placating present.
"Oh, put that back, Kurama. I know what you're doing, and you're not getting off that easily, " Botan persisted and put her hands on her hips.
As if caught red-handed, Kurama paused and let his hand fall to his side once more. A small, admiring smile started tugging at his lips as he looked upon the fiery woman.
"My mistake. I should not have underestimated you," Kurama said, his voice a little quieter.
Solemn green eyes held onto vivid purple ones. He remembered stealing glances her way to watch those pretty eyes always alive and dancing during the missions that Koenma would assign the team. This time, as they gazed at each other, Kurama started to get the hint that he could not get away with superficial presents or placating words in order to avoid a conversation. Her usual carefree eyes were instead perceptive and inquiring as it met his secretive gaze head on.
"I heard you barely made any visits. Yusuke even mentioned at some point there was zero contact with the group," Botan sighed as knelt down and fingered a delicate leaf on a potted plant at her feet. "Can you imagine, Kurama, how your friends felt? I almost wanted to come to visit and drag you over myself, but I was unsure if you wanted to be bothered or not."
Botan traced around the edge of the leaf and continued when Kurama fell silent. "It must have been pretty rough for you over the past year, though. Not reaching out to any of us must have been hard," she commented.
Kurama had the tendency to predict how women usually were with him. All the human girls that would initiate contact with him would always comment on how pretty his hair was or talk about how he might look like a famous pop star that they saw on the television. For the few that managed to befriend him on a deeper level, Kurama found himself being a bit bored by their strictly human world views. School this, politics that, a cool new pop song on the radio or some other.
He did not realize how much he had missed his friends when he was absent. He also did not realize how much he had missed Botan this past year when her observation of him took hold and drilled down the defenses that he always held. This woman of spirit world always surprised him.
"This," he said and moved to kneel beside the ferry girl to take hold of the potted plant that had long, thin branches and three-pronged leaves, "is a plant of demon world. One of the more common plants, in fact. You can find them around the edges of lakes or oceans, usually near places of respite."
Kurama then laughed when he saw her stealthily move to wipe her hands against her kimono upon mention of demon world. She bunched her eyebrows up in worry.
"These are more benign than the ones you may be familiar with in your spirit reports," he continued to assuage her fears. "In fact, they're rather useful. If you feed in just a bit of energy, it will return two-fold in a calming aura that can help you replenish at a faster rate. Unfortunately, they require a bit of upkeep to maintain."
He handed her the potted plant and watched with contentment when the first thing Botan did was feed a bit of her energy into the plant. She gasped in surprise as the plant let out puffs of energy over the next few seconds. The haze hovered over her body in a tingling sensation.
"That's… a surprisingly delightful little thing from demon world," she commented with the twinkle of excitement in her eyes. Kurama drew closer to his friend when he saw the same light return to her inviting eyes. He relaxed his body, becoming more comfortable in her presence.
"I figured it would be a nice addition to Genkai's when I went to travel around in demon world," he said and then plopped down into a seated position. "I thought I knew everything there was about demon world and its host of plants, but going on that trip really helped open my eyes a bit."
Botan followed suit and leaned back to sit on the ground. "Did you go over there to find a new home?"
Kurama looked over at her. She was always forward and open. "At first that was the plan. After the demon world tournament, I thought I knew what I wanted to do: become more human and forsake my other side. But after months of trying, the unrest and longing never abated. So I went."
Botan, with the potted plant still in hand, fed more energy to revel in the healing sensation of this plant. She fell into quiet thought to consider her companion. Although he hid it well, Kurama was just like any other individual struggling with his identity and finding his place between two worlds.
"It's hard to choose, isn't it? Sometimes, I think often about running away from spirit world and becoming more human instead of retaining a deity status."
Puffs of spirit energy filled the air. It surrounded the pair who had now started focusing heavily on the plant before them. The male companion keenly aware of his partner but choosing to hide it, and the female trying her best to remain distracted from him.
Kurama knew he couldn't choose. He tried and failed. Those restless nights underneath a pale white glow of his study lamp didn't further ingratiate his love of human world. Constantly looking over his back in case demons wanted to make a meal of him didn't help his love of demon world either.
It was the place in between- Genkai's temple- that finally affirmed his suspicions of who or what he was becoming.
Even though the picture was not yet clear, his time clearing the landscape with Yusuke and Hiei over the past week helped hint towards a more tangible realization of his future goals.
Even though he may not have all the answers now, speaking with Genkai and trying to appease her incensed reaction towards his disappearance helped get him closer to the next step in finding out more solutions.
Even though he may have a great family in human world that will always accept his human form, being next to this bright and welcoming girl and his troop of friends brought him closer to feeling at home as both Shuichi Minamino and Youko Kurama.
"I have a feeling we don't have to decide right now, Botan," Kurama suddenly spoke up. "As long as we have this place, I think we can take the time to figure out how we fit."
Botan perked up in response, "I guess there is no rush for us, huh?"
"That's right," Kurama nodded, "Besides, I'm sure there are a lot of projects to work on around here to keep us preoccupied in the meantime. I have a few ideas for the landscape around here."
Kurama then gently grasped her arm and lifted her body up with him. He paused slightly to take in the warmth and closeness of her before reaching behind his neck again to pull out a bright yellow flower with pink edges.
"Your souvenir," he said simply.
"Please tell me this one doesn't have any tricks down its sleeve," Botan said as she cautiously took the gift from his hands.
"None," Kurama answered with a laugh, "Unless you count longevity as a trick. This plant from demon world will not wilt for a long time."
"Is there a catch?"
"Well, it might drain just a tiny bit of your spirit energy over time to maintain its vibrancy. I would be careful to keep more than one lying around."
Botan laughed nervously at his response and the smirk tugging at his lips. "Usually I would believe you, but now I'm not so sure."
"I guess you can find out," Kurama said in a playful tone. He started walking away from his companion and back to the main building. "Now, we have a lot to plan so let us head back."
"Plan?" Botan echoed as she tucked the flower into the sash of her kimono and let the petals peek out. She quickly jogged up to catch up to him.
"Yes, I would like to get started on a greenhouse here. I think we can arrange something with Genkai and Yusuke."
"Oh, I can help! I don't mind putting in some good old manual labor once in a while," Botan exclaimed as she rolled up her kimono sleeves for added effect.
Kurama smiled and patted her shoulder to calm the excited young woman, "With Genkai's new recruits, Yusuke, and Kuwabara around I'm sure we can arrange a better task for you."
Botan shot over a disgruntled look but started laughing happily instead.
Walking closely together, the pair animatedly discussed the new plans for the compound. In quiet moments between the two, Botan observed some trees and plant life noticeably more lively than before. They swayed happily along the path as if greeting the two and welcoming them home. She assumed it was probably due to the temple's new visitor, but she also attributed it to the lighter feeling in her heart that helped color her world a shade brighter.