The KB Collection

Until We Meet Again (c) Chibi Botan


Part Two



The present

"What happened, Botan?" Sakura asked, excitedly. "Did you go back? He said on his note that he disappeared."

Botan sat beside Sakura and breathed deeply. "Yeah, I did. He was—nice, you know. I thought we were going to be good friends. So I went back the same time as he said… And I waited, but he didn't come."

The other ferry girl sensed that Botan still had not gotten over what happened.

"What happened then?"

"Well… I got into trouble." Botan laughed. "Instead of him, a pack of demons came and scoured the area. I heard them saying that the owner died that afternoon, and they were going to take over the territory. I sensed another group coming. They wanted the land, too."

Sakura gasped. "How did you get away?"

"I hid behind his tree. When a fight broke and everyone's busy, I flew away as fast as I can. Thankfully, they were too busy warring and did not see me."

"Thank kami you were safe! But did you look for him? I mean, for his spirit? If he died then his soul would be ferried by one of us."

She shook her head sadly. "No, I couldn't have. I did not know his name, remember? Not even the type of demon he is. And there were too many demons who died that day, from that fight and from everything else. I asked, but with what little information I had, none of the other ferry girls could help find him."

They were silent for a while.

"But he's alive, isn't he? He sent you a note and wanted you to meet him."

She smiled. "Yeah. You think I should go meet him?"

Sakura nodded vigorously. "Of course! There's no reason you shouldn't."

"Right. And besides, I really am glad he's alive. All these years I thought he was gone. For some odd reason, I felt like I lost a really good friend, despite the short time I spent with him."

"Then what are you waiting for? Get ready to go!"


In truth, Botan does not have much memory of how the place looked like. After that night she waited for him, she avoided the place at all cost. But she easily found the sturdy tree where she had hidden from the pack of demons.

She landed near the tree, and cautiously looked around.

"Hello again, Botan." A voice said, and it came from behind her.

She almost jumped with surprise.

"I'm sorry if I startled you."

That voice. Can it be..? She turned around to confirm her suspicion. "…Kurama?"

He walked towards her, out of the shadows. It was Youko Kurama.

She was speechless.

He grinned, and right there and then she knew the demon she met there before was none other than Youko Kurama.

"I'm glad you came. I was worried you might not be interested."

It was him, was all Botan could think about.

Youko easily guessed what is on her mind. "Yes, it's me."

"But, but…"

Right before her, he transformed back to his human form.

"H-how did that happen?"

"It's a long story." He guided her to a grassy part of the area, and she followed him without much thought. "Why don't you and I sit down so I can answer your questions?"

They sat down, side by side, and she it gave her the unnerving feeling of déjà vu.


"You kept your hair up tonight," was the first thing he said. His head tilted towards her, while she stared down at the ground.

She blinked. "Don't I always?"

"Yeah, you always do. But not when we met here long ago. Your hair was down, and you were wearing white kimono."

Botan tried not to stare at Kurama. She cannot explain what she's feeling, if she's disappointed or relieved. Right now, she's wondering where this conversation is heading to. Surely Kurama did not make her go here to discuss her fashion sense?

Kurama went on, looking wistful. "That kimono was similar to what you were wearing when Yakumo kidnapped you."

"Kurama, that day when we first met, that was around two decades ago, I… barely remember that."

"But I do. When I first saw you then, it was the first thing I noticed. Your hair and clothes, I knew you were an outsider right away."

She bit her lips, not knowing what to say.

Kurama sensed her discomfort. "I just couldn't believe I didn't notice earlier." He smiled. "But then, I never saw you wear you hair down during the time we spent with the team. Honestly, I had no idea it was you until the battle with Yakumo. It was when Yusuke fought him, and his power surge created a strong blast. I carried you out of there, and when I looked at you, I had this flash of memory. Of the girl I met here before, how she looked like. That's when I realized it was you."


Botan tried to stop herself from pouting. "Well, it took you long enough to tell me. If I remember right, that battle against Yakumo was a few years ago."

He chuckled. "I know, and I'm sorry. You know how complicated things went. Botan, I'm sorry if I made you wait for nothing. I swear, I wanted to meet you then. But that was the day I was shot… I almost died, until I found a way to live; I resided in a human body. I did not have enough energy to go back and see you." He looked guilty and apologetic.

Yes, that was about the time Youko Kurama was rumored to have died. But at the time, Botan was too upset about the demon that she did not care to listen to news about the infamous thief. Who knew they were the same person?

"Don't worry about it. You're forgiven." She shrugged. "Well, now that I know, I must go. I had a tiring day and I have to turn in before another day starts. Good night, Kurama." She started to walk away.

Kurama looked disappointed. "That's it?"

Botan frowned, and looked back to him. "What do you mean, that's it?"

He stared at her, and she looked away with discomfort. "I didn't make you go here for nothing."

With that, she frowned more. "What? Kurama, you're confusing me. You wanted me to know it was you. And now, you've told me."

"I could have just told you somewhere else if it's just that. There's something else."

Now, that got her curious.

"Don't you want to know what happened to that shrub you were so curious about that night?"

She looked around, and found the spot where, according to her memory, the shrub stood before. There was nothing there. The land have dried, she guessed the plant died years ago. Kurama said before that this kind of plant needs more water than regular Makai plants. "It's gone."

"No, it's not." Kurama smiled, and she was surprised when he held her hand. "Let's go see it."


To her surprise, Kurama lead her towards the lake. She had been so nervous when she arrived, that she didn't look to that side of the territory. What she saw took her breath away.

In the middle of the lake was a tiny island. There, the shrub that was once just reaching up to her chests stood, now taller than any other tree she has ever seen. Its roots covered the entirety of the island, making the impression that it is floating above the waters. Its pink flowers in full bloom, and there were some petals that dropped and scattered on the waters. Several vines hung on the branches, while some had draped themselves on the trunk and made the tree look mystical.

"Kurama, it's beautiful!" She almost applauded in awe.

"I'm glad you like it. When I went back here, right after the Toguro tournament, I saw that the lands have dried up and this plant had stopped growing. It was as tall as we last saw it, but it was almost dead. I thought the island was a good place to revive it."

"And look how huge it has grown." Botan cannot get over her amazement. "It must be hard to maintain it."

She looked up to him, and flustered when she realized he's been staring at her all along.

"It wasn't much. I thought, if that Reikai girl ever comes back, I want her to see that the plant has been taken care of. It's the only memory trinket I have of her, and I wanted it to be special."

He smiled so sweetly that she couldn't look at him out of embarrassment. It was a blessing it was dark, that he wouldn't see how red her face has become.

She started to walk towards the waters, and remembered that she shouldn't. The plant is poisonous and she shouldn't touch it. She stepped back.


"Don't worry. It's no longer poisonous. I made sure of that." Once again, Kurama took her hands and started to lead her to the tree. He did not mind they were starting to get wet, and she did not have time to protest. The island was placed not too far from the land, when they reached it, the water was only up to her waist.

"It's sturdy. Despite that its only support is from this tiny island, it wouldn't be shaken by the waves, not even an earthquake, I predict."

"Kurama!" she shrieked. She was surprised for Kurama grabbed her by her waist and made her sit on the roots. He followed right away, but before he sat by her side, he reached for a flower and gave it to her. He was so casual, so relaxed, the way he does things.

While Botan tried to be as relaxed, she knew she's failing miserably. Her heart was racing, she was breathing so deeply. She accepted the flower, not knowing what to do with it. She must clear her mind, and soon. If only Kurama would stop staring at her like that. It was like, it's the first time he saw her.

"You know…" Kurama finally looked away and leaned on the trunk of the tree. "I'm wondering where we'll go from here—"

"Well, I am going back to Reikai, and…" she stopped when Kurama started to laugh. "Hey, what's funny?"

"You." Botan frowned with that. "You keep blocking off what I've planned all day to say."

"I'm sorry. What is that?"

He shrugged. "Oh. Don't think about it yet. Let's take our time. That's what Genkai said."

Botan was clueless. What has Genkai got to do with all this?

They stayed there, both staring at the full moon, the silence starting to calm her. And then, she couldn't wait anymore. He will have to explain what his last words meant. But before she had the chance to ask, Kurama made her look at him, one hand cupping her chin.

"Botan, I'm sorry. Genkai advised me not to rush you, and Hiei told me I'm being a fool to do this, but I've been wanting to do this since I first saw you here."

She needn't ask what he meant.

He kissed her, and it was sweet, and it was all and more than she had ever dreamed of. She felt like her knees would melt, and she felt his other hand supporting her back. They were so close, and she could feel the warmth of his body against her. She could feel the tiny waves brushing their feet, but it did not matter.

For at that moment, nothing else mattered.

He was wrong; she did not feel rushed at all.

It was like time stopped, and it was just him and her, sharing the sweetest of kisses, beneath this tree, under the moonlight, in the most magical place in Makai.


Suddenly, there were cheers, applause and the sound of water splashing everywhere.

When Botan looked at the shore, she saw that the whole team was there, and they have started to run towards them.

Aghast, she looked at Kurama, who was looking at her slyly. "Kurama, you told all of them before me?!"

But she did not have the chance to make him explain. Everyone was there, teasing them, sharing the most precious moment of their existence.


Thank you for reading!

A/N: There! I had to research a few things about Youko's death and watch Poltergeist Report once again for the scenes that occurred on that timeline, but I still am not sure I got the details right so it ended up a bit vague with details. I hope you like how it turned out. I think this is a bit different from my previous KB fics, I don't know why, but it really felt different to write this one. Maybe because it's so cheesy! :p