I Notice
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Summary: Kurama notices things about Botan, and he doesn't know why… Not that he minds it. K/B. Told from Kurama's POV.
1.Nervous
Botan has this habit of biting and licking her lips when she's nervous. She does it all the time; first she bites, then slowly, her mouth slightly opens, allowing her pink tongue to trace over her lower lip.
And I would watch her, eyes raking over her wet mouth, the sight of her sending shivers down my spine.
When she turns to look at me, I look away.
2.Pictures
She likes to take pictures. When Koenma was generous and bought her a cell phone, she quickly became fond of the camera. Sometimes I see her take photos of things; things like people, the green nature surrounding us, or just a random dog she happens to pass by and think it's cute.
But there's one thing I notice about her.
She never takes pictures of herself.
Then, one day, without her knowledge, I slid my hands into my pockets, retrieving my phone and opening the camera, focusing it on her. Click. Saved.
Thank goodness she didn't notice a thing.
3.Cooking
There was a time, during the dark tournament, when Yusuke teased her about her cooking, saying that she didn't know how because she always lets Keiko or Yukina do it. Botan didn't let it bother her.
Or at least that was what I thought.
Then, at night, after waking up because I was feeling thirsty, I heard a strange sound in the kitchen. Like something falling and shuffling.
Thump!
"Shit."
It was a night where everyone gathered for a game of poker, and slept in someone's room – in this case, it was Yusuke's. I thought everyone was already sleeping, so when I heard the word pass her lips, I almost assumed I imagined it. But I knew her voice. I recognized it.
I opened the door, just a little, to let a small crack peek through. I looked through it, and there she was; flour all over her blue strands, and clothes. Hands picking up a pot that had fallen. For a moment, I wondered what she was making in the middle of the night and was about to open the door fully to ask her, but then,
"I didn't want to let Yusuke or the others know… but I wish I knew how to cook." I heard her say.
And I saw the disappointment on her features, amethyst eyes reflecting sadness as she stared at the mess she made in the kitchen. Her form stopped me from doing anything, and I walked away.
Not wanting to embarrass her with me knowing about her 'secret'.
When Yusuke woke up the next day, and threw a tantrum at how messed up the kitchen was, he demanded who caused it. Botan bit and licked her lips; just her habit, and I didn't say anything.
Sometimes, I stand outside Botan's apartment, staring down at her in the kitchen. She practices cooking once or twice a week, and I'm always there, watching her. Not that she knows it.
The sound of a plate breaking.
Her whimper when she accidentally pricks her finger with the knife.
And today, it looks like she's still trying. I don't let her know it, but on the inside, I guess I'm rooting for her.
4.Sewing
Although Botan isn't the greatest at cooking, I notice she's good at one thing; and that's sewing. She sews things like scarves, clothes, but that's not what I like about her talent. It's when I see her make puppets of our friends, of herself, of me, that's when I realized I couldn't stop watching her.
She does it in secret, but I always knew her secrets even without her telling me.
One day, she finishes them, and gives them to us. "It's a sign of our friendship," she says, and the others applaud her. I smile, mouthing a 'thank you', to which she mouths back 'you're welcome'.
Again, I don't let her know I know.
5.Ignorance
Botan has always been clueless, but no one knows how far. She isn't stupid; no, she can be quite smart when she puts her mind into it. However, there are times, she doesn't notice things; the smallest of things people do around her.
Like, for example, the looks guys give her sometimes. Their eyes traveling up and down her body, tracing over her skin.
There was a time when I told her this, and she was surprised, and didn't seem comfortable with the stares. But that was when she finally noticed it.
Then, one day, I'm walking with her to the convenience store. And there's this guy staring at her, his brown eyes watching her every movement; every sway of her hips, every bite of her lips, every inch of her face.
When I finally can't take it anymore, I grab her hand and pull her away; away from his stare. When she asks what's wrong, it's the first time I don't let on I notice.
Then again, maybe I'm just jealous.
Just maybe.
6.Staring
On more than a few occasions, she looks outside the window, and stares up ahead at the sky. If it's morning, then she's staring at the puffy clouds, and if it's night, she's staring at the bright, shining stars.
Sometimes, she gets too caught up in staring that she doesn't hear what people say around her. If you ask me how many times the others have nudged her when she's not listening, I would say I don't know; because I've lost count a long time ago.
Or maybe I just stopped counting, because it's not what people do that matters, but it's the expression on her face. Her eyes slightly glazed over, her mouth slightly open, and her chest heaving up and down as she takes greedy breaths for air.
I don't think it's the beauty of the sky that makes her that way; but it's the excitement. I can tell from the look on her charming features that she's thinking of flying. On her oar. And sometimes I see her hands twitch, as if she's trying to control herself from materializing it.
One particular day, she notices me staring at her looking at the sky. She turns, her eyes now watching me, as a blush creeps up my cheeks.
Then, slowly, a smile form on her lips,
"I wanted to fly."
So she says.
7.Innocence
People think she's so innocent, but I know she's not. I notice the look on her face as blood trickles down her fingers; someone else's blood. Her eyes would darken, that usual shade of light amethyst turning into dark purple. And I would wait for the quirk of her lips; the corner of her mouth curling in a way when she knows how she enjoys the thrill of killing sometimes.
She's not so innocent.
But strangely, I find myself drawn to her.
Then again, I'm not so nice myself.
8.Protective
Most people don't usually realize it; not even our friends, how over protective she is. But I still notice this fact about her. Because I've seen this side of her.
For instance, one time when Yukina was being hit on a bunch of guys, she had sent them a glare, fingers curling protectively around her friend's. This managed to scare them away, and they flee, much to Yukina's obliviousness as to why.
At first, I thought this only goes for her girl friends.
But when a guy mistakenly thought I was a girl, hands touching my arms in an uncomfortable manner, she suddenly slapped the guy's hands away. "He's a guy, for god's sake!" she had roared, arms flailing around in frustration.
Then, when the guy was gone, I looked at her with a questioning gaze.
But she just grinned.
To me, I think she needs more protecting from me than I need from her.
9.Sleeping
I notice how when she sleeps, she does things unknowingly. Like clapping her hands, kicking her legs, or grabbing someone's hands. Everyone knows this about her, yes. In fact, Yusuke had once got angry when her legs had suddenly reached up, and kicked him in the head. But no one knows of the one thing she did.
I was sitting beside her; she was sleeping, as expected. I was listening to some music, and didn't let it bother me even if she clapped her hands, or kicked me in the waist a few times. I was quite used to it.
When I was about to stand up, my throat feeling dry, as I was thirsty, I didn't know what was coming. I was about to make for the kitchen when suddenly her arm shot up, her hand grabbing mine, and before I could react, she pulled me down.
Then I was kissing her.
Her lips on my lips. Moving rhythmically against each other. They felt so soft, so warm. Her tongue darted out; the tongue I've wanted to taste for years, tracing over my lips sensually. A growl escaped me by this time, the kiss making my body hot and bothered, but when I moved deeper to deepen the kiss, she pulled away.
And I realized she was sleeping the whole time.
To this day, I never told her about the kiss.
10.Noticing
I was sitting on a chair, leg propped up on the other, hair tied up in a pony tail and a pair of glasses at the bridge of my nose. A usual posture for me when I do my reading.
I was about to flip to the next page, when a finger suddenly poked at my rear area. I jumped, knowing who it was as she was the only one in the room other than myself, the touch making my muscles flexed. I gulped down a lump, turning my head to look at her and trying to control my urges, trying not to pound her right then and there. God, she doesn't know what she's doing to me.
She smiled, her eyes tinted in mischief and amusement at the reaction she managed to elicit from me. I looked away from her face, trying to avert my attention to the book in my hands, but then, her fingers trailed over my neck, down my shoulders, my arms, before moving to my chest. She made teasing circles on it, making me shake.
Unable to stand it anymore, I grabbed her hands and pulled them away. "What are you doing?" I asked her, my voice ruff, my breathing ragged as my dark green eyes stared down at her.
Her smile widened. Instead of answering my question, she inquired, "Why do you always jump when I touch you?"
I didn't answer her, but my eyes narrowed, my hand that was gripping hers tightening its hold around hers slightly. "Why are you asking that?"
"Because I've noticed."
I was taken off guard by her answer; just when I thought I was the only one watching her… it seemed as though she had been watching me back. Noticing things about me, like how I notice things about her.
"What else do you notice?" I asked again, not moving an inch, even as she moved to sit on my lap, her face inching closer to mine, her lips only meters away from mine.
"I notice you're always there for me. You're always behind my back, giving me an encouraging push. I notice how you slide your fingers in your red curls, your dark eyes staring at me and I wonder what you're thinking, your stares making my body tremble. I notice, I just notice, how your muscles move when you work out, when you walk. How desirable your lips look when you open them, how smooth your voice sounds." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, before opening them, looking deep into mine as she said, "God, Kurama, do you know how much I want you?"
A smirk found its way to my lips, a hand moving to her waist, wrapping around her body and pulling it flush against mine. I brushed my lips against hers. Just a small brush. "And why are you telling me this? How did you expect me to react? Didn't you think of that before saying all this?" I asked, my voice a whisper, seductive and coy at the same time.
She glared. "I expected you to kiss me, take me, do whatever the hell you want with me 'cause I know you want me back."
And there's one thing I finally noticed about her.
I noticed she was crazy about me just as I was crazy about her.
A feral growl.
Slamming my lips against hers.
Bruising her mouth.
Our tongues battling for dominance.
Minutes passed.
I pulled away.
Then I finally said it, after all these years.
"I do want you."