Koenma sat back in his chair, having just finished stamping the last of the papers for the day. It had been several weeks since the overthrow of his father, his coronation as King Enma II, and the hostage situation at the palace, but he still felt a bit on edge. He briefly considered that it might be the fact that he'd been spending all of his time in his adult form since the incident, but that seemed unlikely since this was something other than mere exhaustion. He had no idea what this feeling was, it's just that lately he'd been feeling... empty, like there was simply something missing in his life that he just couldn't explain. He let out a sigh as the door to his office opened, and his faithful assistant Jorge Saotome entered the room.

"What more paperwork already?" Koenma moaned in anticipation of the heightened workload.

"No my lord, I need to talk to you about something... special," Jorge responded.

"Is Hiei betraying us? The bastard, I'll send everything I've got after him if that-"

"No no no no," the ogre said frantically, looking somewhat nervous as he did so, "This isn't about the Spirit Realm my lord, at least, not directly. It's just... when are you going to get married my lord?"

"Ma-ma-married?!" the new king said in shock.

"Well, you see my lord it's just that... well... as king, it's important that you secure your bloodline, you'll need an heir in order to ensure that things stay smooth and stable... and we've really been lacking in stability recently... besides, everything that's been going on recently has everyone really shaken up, and a royal wedding would be huge boost to the people's morale!"

"We-we-wedding..." Koenma muttered under his breath.

"My lord?" the ogre asked, unable to hear his master's panicking.

"Alright, alright I'll think about it, now get out of here!"

"Yes my lord," Jorge said, recognizing that Koenma simply needed time to process all this.

As the Ogre left the room, Koenma sunk his face deep into his hands. He'd had crushes on girls before and he obviously couldn't help but be attracted to beautiful women, but he'd never actually thought about something so long term and sacred as marriage before. He knew that Jorge was right, it was something that he had to do (it's likely that he would've been married long ago had it not been for his father's obsession with keeping all power for himself), but he had no idea where to even start. The Spirit Realm Ruler rose from his desk and left the room, knowing that there was somewhere else he could go to help clear his thoughts.

It was a short trip down the hall to the palace garden, that place so calm and full of life would be the ideal place for him to retreat to, so he could get his thoughts in order. As he entered the garden, he was surprised to find someone else there ahead of him, a reaper clad in a pink kimono whom he was all too familiar with. She was kneeling down on the ground, looking at a patch of blue flowers that gave off a faint internal glow as they bloomed.

"Those flowers come from the Demon Realm, do you like the look of them?" he asked as he approached Botan's position.

"Koenm- I mean King Enma- I mean my lord, I'm sorry to be here it's just-" she said nervously before he cut her off.

"Relax Botan, you can just keep calling me Koenma. Just because there was that coronation, doesn't mean you suddenly have to start treating me different," he replied with a warm smile.

"Okay Koenma," she looked away and blushed slightly before continuing, " I see you've gotten rid of the pacifier."

Koenma chuckled slightly, "Yeah, it took a little while for me to get used to not having it too. I figured if it couldn't stop Sensui's plan, then it can never stop any other kind of threat so what's the point."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So, why did you come here, is there some plant you need?"

"I wish it was something that simple, the truth is, I came in here to clear my head a bit."

"Why, is something wrong?" Botan asked, a look of concern crossing her face.

"No, well, it's nothing wrong with any of the Realms at least."

"What is it then?"

"Well, you see, Jorge came by just now and told me that I need to get married soon and produce an heir, to keep things stable, but I'm not sure I'm up to it, I mean, you know the way I am, do you really think any woman would put up with that?"

"I'd put up with it..." Botan said shyly.

"Botan?" he replied. As he looked at her nervously averting her gaze, he noticed for the first time just how beautiful she was. More than that, he remembered all the times she had been there for him, and how... comfortable he had always felt when she was around. The more he thought about it, the faster his heart began to beat.

"All of that about 'the way you are', I love that about you Koenma, and I wouldn't just put up with it, I'd cherish it," she continued, now looking into his eyes.

"Botan..." he said in disbelief.

"I guess... I guess what I'm trying to say is... I love you!" she finally managed to blurt out. "I know I'm not good enough for you, I'm just a lowly reaper and you're the king, but... it's just the way I feel, and I'd gladly marry you if I could!" Koenma's response was quick, in an instant, he leaned forward, held Botan firmly in his arms, and planted his lips against hers. She stood in shock for a moment, before processing what had just happened and allowing herself to sink deep into the embrace.

After what felt like an eternity, the two finally broke from the kiss and Koenma spoke, "I've always felt the same way too Botan, even if I never showed it. I would love it if you would be my Queen."

"Koenma," Botan replied, tears of joy forming in her eyes before she quickly moved forward and kissed Koenma in return. This time, the two stayed interlocked for much longer, as both of them were ready for it this time. "So, what happens now?" Botan asked after the two broke from the kiss.

"Well, for now, let's just start spending time together and see where this goes, you can't rush these things... my queen," he replied playfully.

"That's for sure, this isn't like a giant stack of papers or anything," Botan retorted before the two shared a laugh together. It was in that moment, that Koenma realized that he no longer felt that strange empty feeling, and with Botan at his side from now on, he was sure that he would never feel it again.