Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Summary: Best friends separated for seven years are finally reunited to have a grand wedding due to earlier arrangements made by both families. Not bad, right? Especially if the groom to be is a young, handsome redheaded actor who everyone adores, right? WRONG! Now, if only he can get his fiancé to fall for him… Completely AU, featuring the KB pairing.

Couples: Mainly revolving around the red blue couple, Kurama/Botan, but also includes the 'supporting' pairing Kuronue/Shizuru, a bit of Yusuke/Keiko, and mentionings of Kuwabara/Yukina

Chapter 2

Amethyst orbs peered here and there around the room in a nervous manner. Botan fidgeted a little, fiddling her thumbs in an attempt to calm her nerves. It was spacious. Way too spacious for her. The Victorian-style house was ginormous in a way that made her feel like a little girl. Even her home back at Osaka wasn't this big. Speaking of Osaka, anyway…

She cleared her throat, turning to look at the lady standing proudly in front of her. She was a maid, but Botan still found her more lady like than she was – which was a fact she was unsure how to take. The ebony-haired girl with brown eyes met her gaze, a curt smile coming to form on her lips.

"Is something the matter, Botan-sama?" she asked in a polite voice, and for a moment, the bluenette jumped a little at the honorific. She hadn't been called that since she fired all her maids and butlers back at home – and even in the duration of them working for her, she had never told them to call her 'Botan-sama', mostly due to the reason she felt awkward – so it took her a little off guard.

"N-no," she started with a sheepish grin, "Please don't call me that. Just Botan is fine, alright?" The maid parted her lips, going to say something but Botan was swift to cut her off, "Anyway, I was wondering; my work place is back at Osaka and… well, I wonder how things would work out?"

The maid blinked at her in surprise. "Oh? Did Yukio-sama not tell you? Kurama-sama's mansion is at Osaka. So, you don't have to worry about that small matter," she explained, breaking into a wide grin, whilst Botan was staring at her, dumbfounded. She recognized 'Kurama' as Shuichi's stage name, but still…

What? Seriously?

For a moment, she racked her brain for any memories of her father elaborating such a thing to her – only to find nothing. Perhaps, he'd forgotten to tell her? Then again, that wasn't possible… He wasn't the kind to make a stupid mistake like that. Well, he was pretty busy at the time, so maybe he didn't have enough time to explain everything to her? And she fainted, anyway.

She blushed hotly at the reminder, and quickly brushed off the embarrassing recollections. Seriously, what a disgrace! If it was anyone other than her father, then she wouldn't mind much… but then, it had been her father.

What a disgrace.

She inwardly hoped to herself he wouldn't tell her off for such "unseemly" behavior the next time she sees him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it, after all.

If so, why did she have to go all the way to Tokyo? Was it to meet up with Shuichi's step father so they could discuss the wedding preparations or—

Okay, it still feels weird saying that. What would Shuichi feel if he sees her? Or, what would he say?! Argh! The waiting was killing her!

And then, she was back to a nervous, fidgeting wreck.

"Shuichi-sama, your tea…"

"Shuichi-sama, about tonight's dinner…"

"Shuichi-sama, the lady in the room waiting for you is so pretty! Is she…"

A vein popped dangerously at a red head. Kurama snapped around, pinning a death glare on the maids who paled at his heated stare. He promptly ignored the last statement of the "pretty lady", knowing it was Botan and abruptly pointed a finger accusingly at them.

"Get to work, you fools!" he roared angrily, the maids shrieking back in fear, "And stop calling me Shuichi, or I'll have you all fired this instant!" With that said, the poor maids nodded their heads urgently, before scurrying away from the furious redhead.

Kurama expelled a heavy sigh as he watched his servants scurry around, momentarily noting their resemblance closely to that of little mice, before shaking his head in slight disapproval. Really, they should be grateful he had a lot of tolerance for incompetent fools like them…

All of a sudden, his mind drifted to Botan. How had she been? He pondered for a moment, before realizing what he just thought and shaking his head once more to brush off the musings. Why was he even wasting his brain cells thinking of her, anyway? The sole reason he avoided her for all these years – ignoring her letters, even going as far as to change his cell phone number so she could no longer text or call him – was because he desired nothing to do with her. So, why was he forced to take this marriage gig, anyway?

… Well, then again, that one maid did say she was pretty. How pretty, exactly? From what Kurama could recall about her; she always had an almost incomparable beauty – in fact, even from a young age of nine, she had already managed to draw various attentions from people, males and females alike caught in utter awe upon witnessing her. Of course, as she got older, it was expected that her uncommon beauty grew with time, and from that once little, cute girl, she had grown to be one of the most attractive women Kurama had ever had the pleasure to lay his eyes on. But, that was seven years ago. Last time he saw her was when they were fifteen, and even then, she had an adorable, almost elegant perfection, and her body had been very well developed at every place—

—Okay, stop, Kurama. Get your mind out of the gutter. I thought you said you don't like her, anymore? He grudgingly thought to himself, the smile that had unconsciously found its way to his lips now tugged down into a sour, deep scowl. He would never admit it, but he had had a crush on her for the longest time – a crush he'd learn to forget over their long, seven years of separation.

And he'd rather not think about it right now.

As his feet stopped at a large, brown, wooden door, Kurama heaved out a sigh, his heart thumping loud in his chest. Wait, was he really nervous. Calm down, Kurama. It's just Botan, he told himself in a futile attempt to slow the fast beating of the stupid thing in his chest he called his heart. Closing his eyes, and furrowing his brows in frustration, the redhead slowly reached a hand for the doorknob. He hesitated only for a moment, before reluctantly twisting it and pushing the door open, the loud creaking noise following his actions causing him to momentarily note to himself to fix the damned thing later on.

Oh, wait. He had servants. He could ask them. And they would have no choice to do as he ordered; no matter how busy they were – unless they wanted to be fired, that is.

Just as he finally fluttered his eyelids open, he met eyes with a pair of amethysts, ones he had not seen for a long time, but still managed to make him lose his breath everytime he met contact with them.

Literally.

When she saw him again, Botan almost fainted… again. To finally meet him face to face after all those years… Oh, she couldn't even begin to describe how happy she felt. Still, she knew she had to control herself, and not to let her joy show too much.

Shuichi stood there, looking proud and handsome in his casual outfit of a gray sweater, coupled with a pair of black sweatpants. The clothes themselves weren't what would make someone seem "proud and handsome", but with Shuichi, anything was possible. Whatever he wore, he would always succeed in pulling that prince charming image. And she found herself gaping at amazement without her knowing. He looked better than in television…

She developed a pink tinge in the face when Shuichi cleared his throat to gain her attention, finally realizing that she had been caught staring. Although, he seemed as if he was a far cry from displeased at the rude gazing of the girl, as he had been doing some… er, checking out himself.

He was right.

She had gotten prettier.

Her sky blue hair was noticeably longer now, reaching just about beneath her hips as it cascaded down her shoulders and back gracefully. The warmth and innocence in her bright pools of amethysts had never dissipated – not even in those seven years – and he found himself unable to look at them anymore, in fear that he would drown even further in them than he already was if he did. Her legs were still as slender as ever, if not longer now – has she gotten taller, as well? – and her waist was still as lithe as it was the last time he'd seen her. Her skin was porcelain, and smooth, and she almost looked like a doll. But, she'd gotten bigger… and curvier… in some… other areas…

Kurama shook his head to regain some sense and composure. Really, what the hell was he thinking? Why was he noticing those things about her, anyway?

Trying hard to shrug off the persistent thoughts in his mind, Kurama closed the door behind him and walked calmly towards her, pulling his usual poker faced expression as he sat down in front of her. He excused the ebony-haired maid standing at the corner with a smile on her countenance, the maid nodding her head in affirmation and leaving as she was ordered. Now that they were left alone though, Kurama found that he was nervous… yet infuriatingly, again.

"H-how have you been… Shuichi-kun?"

He expected him to be the one to make the first move, so it took him by surprise so much when she spoke first that it had slipped past his hearing senses that she had called him by his despised name 'Shuichi' instead of 'Kurama'. Albeit she stuttered and sounded timid, demure – almost nothing like the bubbly, nearly shameless to speak her mind Botan he knew her to be. Had her personality changed over the years? He wasn't sure how to take it. Was it a good sign or a bad sign? Then again, she did have this habit of acting like a shy little princess around people she was uncomfortable with – was she uncomfortable with him? Well, it was true that they had not met for almost a decade, but…

Shaking his head, Kurama leaned back in his chair, hoping he hadn't lost his composure in her presence just yet during the time he spaced out. "Um… fine, I suppose. I have been quite successful, if you haven't noticed." He didn't know why he felt the need to tell her that, but he did, and almost kicked himself in the shin at the stupid mistake. He didn't want to sound arrogant… even if he was.

Wait, why did he care about her opinion of him, anyway?

Botan blinked her eyes for a moment, before surprisingly letting out of a laugh. "Yeah, I know!" she beamed, seemingly to have forgotten over her shyness. "I've seen you on TV a lot! You are quite the successful, attractive sought after bachelor, aren't you now? You have girls practically chasing after you!" she teased, startling him when she stood up from her chair and playfully elbowed him at his rear area.

Kurama nearly blushed. Nearly. "Y-you idiot! S-stop standing so close to me!" he stammered indignantly, slapping her hand away when she reached and patted him on the head. The girl frowned deeply at this, but then she grinned.

"Oh, don't be so abashed, Shuichi-kun!" And a giggle poured out her lips, whilst he shot daggers her way, having noticed her calling him Shuichi this time. "We're practically fiancés now! So, don't you start getting shy on me now, you silly boy!" For some reason beyond Kurama's understanding, Botan had apparently decided it was a good idea to pat him on the head like a small, cute pet as she said this.

Again, he slapped her hand away. "You… Aren't you the slightest bit embarrassed saying those things?" he snapped at her, glaring back at her blinking face. Really… and to think she was the same girl as that shy, soft spoken woman from before… Wasn't she uncomfortable?! And how could she acknowledge the fact that they were fiancés just like that?! He couldn't even think of the word without having to stifle a groan.

She blinked some more, before opening her mouth to utter something out. However, she didn't even manage to get a word out when the door suddenly drifted open. Their heads bobbed to see who it was – and in came Kurama's step father, Kazuya Hatanaka. His father had a worried look on his countenance, as if he was concerned Kurama had said the wrong thing and was trying to drive Botan away. That kind of thing wasn't impossible for the redhead, after all.

"Oh, hello, Kazuya-san!" Botan greeted with a wide, friendly grin, apparently forgetting the discussion between her and Kurama as the man let out a small chuckle.

"Hello, Botan-chan. I see you're still as energetic as ever," he remarked simply with an amused smile, taking a seat on the chair beside Kurama's – whose eyebrow was twitching, for some reason.

"Yep!" Botan flopped back down on her chair, Kurama's irritated expression going unnoticed by her. "How have you been? How's work?" she asked.

Kazuya ordered a maid, who had conveniently entered the room, for three cups of tea for drink, before turning to regard the young, perky girl with a broadened smile. "Well, work is work and nothing more. How about you? I hear you're working as a salesgirl. How is it going?" he inquired back.

Botan's lovely features brightened up – if such a thing was possible, with the huge, ear to ear grin she initially already had on her lips. But, before she could answer, a certain redhead beat her to it,

"Why are you working as a salesgirl when your father owns one of the biggest companies in the entire of Japan?" he asked incredulously, giving her a weird look, as if she'd just grown two heads. "It would have been easier if you just take over the family business. You've got nothing to lose, anyway. Isn't it in your blood or something?"

She blinked at him, brows creasing at his choice of words, and more at the odd stare. Nonetheless, she answered, "Well, I just didn't want to, I guess. Plus, I like being a salesgirl. I have a lot of good friends at my work place. And it's not like I have to be the one to take over. There's still my brother, Souta, after all."

"Wait." One red eyebrow arched at her. "You like being a salesgirl?"

"Yeah, I do." She nodded her head, whilst wondering to herself why he was staring at her as if she was a mad woman who had just gotten out of a loony bin. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"But, why would you—"

"So, Botan-chan, you said you have a lot of good friends there. Is one of them the lovely Keiko Yukimura I met a month ago?" Kazuya cut the redhead short, a bead of sweat dripping from his eyebrow.

Phew. Good save.

Kurama's frown – which had been etched on his forehead for a while now – deepened at the disruption of his and Botan's discussion. Why did his step father have to interrupt?

Botan blinked once more, although this time, in surprise at Kazuya's words. "Huh? Do you know her?" She didn't answer his question; her statement was enough to indicate that she did know who Keiko was.

"Yes. I met her back when I was on a business trip at Osaka. I was kind of lost at the time, and it was none other than your good friend who lent me a hand. She is a woman with a big heart. I would not be surprised if she was friends with you, Botan-chan."

The blue haired girl formed an 'o' with her mouth in understanding. "So I see… Well, Keiko is a nice girl, I would agree. But, how did you know I know her?"

The older man in the room allowed another chuckle to pour out his lips. "Well, because she was kind enough to help me, I decided that I should walk her to work. She said she was working as a salesgirl, and when I went to her workplace, I saw that you were working there, too, Botan-chan. Although, I did not manage to greet you at the time, as I was busy – and so were you back then."

Botan was a little taken aback. "Huh? You saw me? Wow… I can't believe I didn't notice…"

"Well, you've always been quite a simpleton at times, anyway, so it's not that surprising," came Kurama's rude remark all of a sudden. The girl shot the boy a heated glare, whilst Kazuya was beginning to sweat. The tea had arrived, and he quickly took one cup into his hands and sipped its contents.

Kurama was fingering his hair in slight disinterest. The bored look on his countenance further igniting Botan's anger, and her glare seemed to intensify. Was she supposed to be insulted?

"What did you say?!" she yelled at him, and the redhead lifted his head to fix his gaze on her. He blinked.

"What? Have you gone deaf as well? I said, you've always been quite a simple—"

Botan abruptly stood up from her chair, the wooden furniture falling to the ground and making a loud, screeching sound under the brute force. "I know what you said!"

This time, it was Kurama's turn to get annoyed. "Then, why did you ask me that, you idiot?"

"I-Idiot?" Botan stammered in utter shock, her expression mortified, and her eyes reflecting nothing but pure wrath. "W-why you—" She gritted her teeth. Was this really the Shuichi Minamino she was accustomed to? The boy whom she was very close friends with? The boy whom she used to like a lot? He was different. He was far different. Where had the polite, sweet, mild mannered, gentle spoken Shuichi she loved? Where was he under that—that arrogant, rude, and insensitive monstrosity glowering back at her?

"What?" The redhead narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were in the middle of saying something? Go on," he "prodded", although the tone in his voice indicated nothing but a warning.

"Forget it!" she snapped, blinking back the tears stinging at the back of her eyes. "I can't believe I used to have a crush on a jerk like… like you! Idiot! Stupid! Y-you—"

"Idiot and stupid basically mean the same thing," he told her bluntly, averting his attention back to fingering a strand of his red hair. He ignored her confession; it wasn't as if he had any feelings for her. Not anymore, anyway, he mused to himself, and she said she used to, so that means she doesn't either. So why is she acting like such a baby? I don't get her.

She gawked at him. Why the nerve of the man! Here she was, practically on the verge of crying her eyes out, and yet, he was acting as if he didn't care. He probably really doesn't, she thought sadly, the lack of emotion on his features making her snap.

"Screw you!" she growled, surprising Kurama and Kazuya, who spat his tea out in shock. They stared wide eyed at her as she walked to her bags, carrying them with her utmost effort, before turning to glare at the former.

"I will never marry you!"