Chapter IX
And it Begins
She's clearly NOT on vacation. But if she's not here to help Yusuke then why does she have the Spirit Detective tools with her?
And IF she is on vacation and THAT suitcase is not what I think it is, why Houjin? There are a number of other places she could have gone to.
She knows we're here for a mission… and she's in disguise because she's hiding from us…
Why?
These questions ran through Kurama's mind as he continued observing Botan. The ferry girl was a lot of things but he never thought her mysterious. She was bubbly and talkative. She was helpful and kind. But right now, he couldn't help himself but find her captivatingly puzzling.
What are you up to, Botan?
"Kurama, you should definitely see this… Kurama?" Botan called but when she turned to look back at the red haired gentleman, she met his stern gaze and mistook it for a look of annoyance.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for leaving you with that heavy baggage of mine, let me just take that from you…" She said embarrassingly as she walked towards Kurama to take her bag.
Kurama tightly held on the luggage though. "No, it's alright. It's the least I could do for us intruding your vacation. I'll take them to your room."
"Well. Thank you but… I don't even have a room yet."
"Hey, speaking of rooms-" Kuwabara cut in, showing up behind Botan like a fast growing carrot. "I got dibs on the room beside this one. It's the one that has a picture of a bird on the door and I think it'll open up to this garden too."
"I didn't know you've also grown an interest in plants."Kurama commented.
"It's for Yukina." Kuwabara said in a low voice.
"By bird, do you mean a firebird? That's supposed to be my room, obaasan told me about it first." Botan pouted.
"Yeah, but I called dibs on it first."
Kurama was about to point out that it was Botan who generally owns the house so she should make the decisions but the mischievous cat like expression on Botan's face told him that she had something in mind that would counter Kuwabara.
"I don't know how that dib thing works but I think the person who holds the keys…" Botan dangled a set of keys infront of Kuwabara's face. "..is the one who gets to pick rooms."
"Hey come on!" Kuwabara pleaded.
"Sorry, Kuwabara." Botan said merrily then she walked towards the next room, with Kurama and Kuwabara close behind her.
Just as the old woman was telling Botan earlier, a phoenix was indeed painted on the door of the next room. The phoenix was perched on a cherry blossom tree and the firebird split in half after Botan slid the door open, revealing a quaint spacious room.
"Hmp! It doesn't look that great." Kuwabara grumbled but Botan and Kurama knew that he was just saying it out of frustration.
The room was beautiful just like the rest of what they have already seen in the house and even though the Aramata house was old, the furniture in the living room and the phoenix room was kept modern because instead of a futon, there was a large bed in the phoenix room, a television and even a stereo. In the living room, Botan noticed that there were two leather couches and some bean bags in the corner.
Not wanting to frustrate Kuwabara even more, Botan didn't proceed to opening the sliding doors at the other side of the room to see if it would really lead to the garden. She just turned to Kurama and asked him to place her bag near the night stand.
"Here you go." Botan then said, handing Kurama the other keys. "You guys should find which rooms you want as well. We'll meet back at the living room in a few minutes, obaasan told me that she'll get us some snacks. I'll just need to remove this." She pointed at her wig.
"Yeah, you better. You look ridiculous." Kuwabara snorted. "Come on Kurama!" He said as he went back to the living room for Yukina.
"Oh dear. I really annoyed him, didn't I? Hmmm… I hope he didn't promise this room to Yukina. I'll trade rooms if that's the case."
"I think he was planning it to be a surprise." Kurama said as he hadn't left Botan's room yet.
"Does it really look that bad?" Botan asked as she gathered her brown hair to one side.
Kurama smiled reassuringly. "No, but I think blue would still look better on you."
"Aww… Thanks Kurama!" She said warmly.
After a few minutes, everyone did gather in the living room where refreshments have been served by obaasan and a couple of female helpers. It took a while before Botan was able to join them though because of a wig issue. She decided to let her hair down for a while and she met obaasan just outside the living room with an empty tray in her hand.
"Dear, your friends are all in there." The old lady gestured at the closed door. "And what's your name, if I may ask?"
"Eh?" Botan sweatdropped. "It's me, obaasan. It's Botan."
The little old lady gave Botan a very much anticipated perplexed look. "What happened to your hair?"
"I… dyed it." She answered awkwardly and the old lady stared at her for a good ten seconds.
I'm doomed, if I can't even keep a straight face while making up stories to obaasan, how can I make it through with the others? Botan thought frantically as she waited for the old lady to speak.
"My..my… I didn't know hair dyeing can be done that fast." Obaasan finally remarked looking amazed. "Science has indeed taken us ladies forward when it comes to making ourselves beautiful, hasn't it? Maybe I should have my hair dyed as well?" She added in a wistful tone.
Botan then watched with wide disbelieving eyes as the old lady simply walked away, still dwelling on the idea of dyeing her gray hair. When she disappeared at the entryway, Botan let out a sigh of relief.
That was close… Botan thought as she composed herself. After that, she entered the living room to join the others. All that tension was making her hungry.
In the living room Botan found Yusuke slouched on one of the sofas, almost occupying half of it. Kuwabara and the girls were outside and Kurama was leaning at the doorway to the garden; his back was turned against the living room and it seemed that he was engaged in conversation with one of the female helpers.
"So… do you have any message for us from Koenma?" Yusuke asked when he saw Botan came in and his tone clearly says that he's still ticked off about something.
Botan sighed. "Look, I'm sorry Yusuke but I'm off the clock for now. I'm here for a well deserved vacation and no, I don't have any message from Lord Koenma."
"What? You've got to be kidding me! So you specifically went here to Houjin just to rub it in our faces that we're gonna be working our asses off while you lie around all day?"
Botan was slightly taken aback. That was one of the questions she could've avoided if she had successfully kept away from Yusuke and the others.
"I'm not here to rub it in, Yusuke. This place has been suggested by a friend. Being on vacation breaks such as this one is a really rare opportunity so I couldn't have it re-scheduled. I do know that you guys are gonna be here, I just never expected that I'll actually bump into you and I tried to avoid that by wearing a disguise!"
That explains why she chose Houjin… the hair and the clothes…but what about the suitcase? Are you supposed to give it to Yusuke? Kurama thought as he screened out the voice of the lady beside him.
"And shouldn't you be thankful that I'm actually here? If it wasn't for me you won't have a house to stay. And the fact that you brought, Keiko, Shizuru and Yukina with you. What were you thinking? If anyone should get mad, that's me!" Botan yelled, jabbing a thunderstrucked Yusuke on the shoulder.
In an instant, Yusuke and Botan switched roles; Botan was now the one who's furious and Yusuke just sat there trying to explain himself.
"It isn't my fault they came along. It was Shizuru's idea." Yusuke explained.
"You're the leader of the team! You should know how to handle people because you're accountable for them!-" Botan suddenly paused. "But of course!" She then said, her lips curling into a knowing smile. "If it was Keiko who persuaded you then you're nothing but powerless!"
Yusuke almost fell off his seat at how close Botan has gotten to the truth.
Kurama smiled inwardly. As much as he wanted to actually smile, he couldn't without being completely rude towards the young lady who was currently telling him something about how difficult it was to maintain the Aramata residence. Kurama didn't know how him asking the lady if they had orange juice led to the details of her tedious housework, nevertheless, he must end the conversation to focus on something more interesting.
"It was nice meeting you, Anko-san." He said politely, cutting their rather one sided chat at the appropriate moment.
"It was nice meeting you too, Kurama-san." She said demurely then she left the room.
"Yusuke, you have to keep everyone in check during this mission, okay. It can become very dangerous." Kurama heard Botan warn Yusuke as he sat down at the other couch opposite the two.
"You don't have to tell me. I know." Yusuke said then he stuffed his mouth with a rice ball and washed it down with a can of root beer.
"So you're familiar with the case then?" Kurama asked and in less than half a second, he watched as a conflict of expressions wash over Botan's eyes before she was able to answer.
"Yes, I'm familiar with it… a bit." She said. "Don't they have orange juice?" She then asked as she surveyed the selection of beverages on the table.
"They don't, I already asked." Kurama answered.
"I see… so, uh.., where's Hiei by the way? Isn't he worried about those two?" Botan asked again, throwing a glance at Kuwabara and Yukina at the garden.
Kurama smiled. "Hiei is a little busy at the moment and it may not look like it but he trusts Kuwabara. He also told me that he'll gladly give us a hand on the case if we're having problems finishing it."
Yusuke groaned. "So how about that rock then, Kurama? Should we go there now?"
Kurama casually moved his eyes away from Botan and focused it elsewhere. "I think we should familiarize ourselves with the basic landscape of the town first so we can save time if we need to check other locations. But that rock is a good place to start."
"That's first on the agenda tomorrow then. And what's next?"
Botan peered at the two men over the glass of iced tea she picked from the table as silence succeeded Yusuke's question.
What about the Houjin documents? Aren't you supposed to get some information there to get a lead on this case? She thought.
"Uhm.., I hate to be told I'm being nosy or anything but, didn't Lord Koenma provide you with any information? At all?" Botan asked.
"That other ferry girl gave us a tape and—oh yeah! That old book!" Yusuke exclaimed then he turned to scream at Kuwabara who was still trotting beside Yukina in the garden.
"Hey, Kuwabara! Where's that old book that came with the tape? I left it at your house right? We need to look at that!"
"Well, there you go, maybe you should start reading that so-" Botan began to say but she suddenly stopped, her eyes widening at the realization of something really important and she choked at the last sip of ice tea she took.
"Are you alright?" Kurama asked worriedly, rising from his chair.
With a hand over her mouth, she waved the other at Kurama, motioning at him that she's fine. "W-wow, this iced tea has got some kick in it huh?" Botan managed to say after she cleared her throat.
What am I doing egging them on to read something that has me on it?
Wait? Would they know the blue haired girl is me? They won't right? Well, not unless they'd make the same ridiculous-ish connections I did… It's not like they know I'm the only blue haired female in the spirit world. What about Nakatsu's name… Does anyone here know her?
I can't risk it!
"Hey Kuwabara! Where is it?" Yusuke yelled again.
"Gaaaaaa! I think I forgot them at home!" Kuwabara screamed back.
"What? Like your boxers?" Shizuru said, pushing Kuwabara aside and then stepping in on the living room. "I have it in my bag."
"You have… Kuwabara's boxers… in your bag…?" An unfathomable expression was plastered on Yusuke's face and Shizuru didn't appreciate it.
"I meant the book." She said sternly. "I'm gonna go get it."
"I'll come with you." Botan said, standing up. "I wanna see what your room looks like." She added running after Shizuru.
Although Botan meant what she said about wanting to see Shizuru's room, she had a far more purposeful intention of coming with Kuwabara's older sister and that is to get her hands on the Houjin documents first before it's brought to Yusuke and the others. And as much as she hated causing damage to the ancient document even more than what she'd already done, she would rip off the page that contained the passage about the blue haired girl from it. She had no other choice.
As far as she can recall, there weren't any important information that was contained in that particular page so she's guilt free of preventing Yusuke's progress with the case. Surely, no one would give notice if the book has a missing page, it was old and thanks to her, it was all beat-up.
"So Kurama told us that you're here on vacation." Shizuru said as she grabbed her bag from the foot of her bed while Botan looked around in her room.
"Yes. It's quite rare, really." She said mindlessly.
"Us too. Well… Keiko, Yukina, and I are on vacation. I don't know about the boys." Shizuru said sneering.
"I don't think it was wise to come along with Yusuke though. With the mission and all."
"It would make things more interesting." Shizuru looked at her. "You're here."
"The place has been suggested by a friend." Botan said, repeating the reason she gave Yusuke just moments ago for being in Houjin at the same time as them.
"Here it is." Shizuru finally said, pulling out the ever so familiar Houjin documents from the bottom of her bag. "Oh crap…" She added when she heard the unmistakable sound of paper being torn.
"B-Be careful…" Botan said as she took the book from Shizuru, wincing at her own words when it contradicted what she was planning to do with the document.
"Now my bag smells stuffy."
Botan turned around and she almost hit the door as she hurriedly browsed through the document. She easily found the page she was looking for and slowly and quietly, she crumpled it with one hand, making sure that Shizuru did not notice, then, she discreetly slipped the ball of paper inside the pocket of her dress.
And the deed was done.
"O-Obaasan mentioned earlier that—well, actually she sort of insisted that we eat dinner here tonight. Do you have any plans of going out later?" Botan asked as they walked back to the living room. Her heart was still fluttering madly in her chest because of what she just did she felt she had to say something just to ease the tension she's feeling.
"Yeah… The old lady did mention something about that dinner. I think she's nice. And to tell you the truth, we don't really know where we're going tonight or the following days. If it were up to me, I think staying in the house would suffice for a satisfying vacation. Do you know that they have a sauna?
"Really? Don't tell me they have a swimming pool out there that we haven't seen yet?"
"Can't wait to find out." Shizuru said and upon entering the living room again, she took the book from Botan and dropped it on Yusuke's lap then she headed to the garden.
"That book's going to turn into dust if we keep handling it like that." Kuwabara, who has joined the other guys in the living room said.
"You handle it then." Yusuke threw the book at Kuwabara. "You're the one who's so eager to read that back at your house."
Kuwabara gritted his teeth and the glaring between him and Yusuke started. Kurama just sighed.
"For goodness sake guys. Just start reading the book." Botan said then she turned her head towards the door as the old lady came in again and this time she had a tray of fruit in her hands. She was followed by the lady who was speaking with Kurama earlier and she had a glass of what looked like orange juice on the tray she's carrying.
"Obaasan, you didn't have to bring us food this many." Botan said, suddenly noticing that the wooden table in the living room is already filled with snacks and drinks.
"No worries, dear. You've already paid for all these. And the melons are just ripe enough to eat."
"Here you go, Kurama-san. It seems that we have orange juice all along." The much younger lady said cheerfully as she handed the glass of orange juice to Kurama.
"Thank you, Anko-san." Kurama said in his typical unintentional ardent tone and the young lady positively swooned. However, Kurama did not accept the glass and instead he gestured that Anko give it to the blue haired girl sitting opposite him.
"Botan." Kurama prompted and Botan's eyes went from Kurama, to the glass of orange juice that was being handed to her and to the face of the young lady who was trying to hide her disappointment underneath her strained smile.
"Uh… Thank you." Botan said and she could not help but feel sorry for the girl as she walked away.
"I think she made this for you, Kurama…" Botan whispered and the red haired male merely crossed his legs and directed his attention to the old lady.
"Obaasan, when we entered the town, we saw this tall gray rock… is that one of the favored tourist spots here in Houjin?" He asked and Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan listened to what the old lady had to say.
"The rock itself no." The old lady answered. "We call it the great tombstone because it looks like one and the place is riddled with tombstones. It's rare for tourists to go there but what you shouldn't miss is going to the Utagawa temple. It was actually built on the great tombstone but despite its location, the temple is quite magnificent."
"Hey, that's where I'm going!" Botan exclaimed before she could even stop herself.
"I'm fond of it myself but with those stairs, my knees would just give up. The last time I myself visited the place was around eight years ago."
"How old is that temple?" Yusuke asked.
"It's been there for centuries. I'm not sure how long exactly. After going to the Utagawa temple, you can also go boating in the lake, we also have casinos-although I strongly object to immersing yourself in gambling—and our parks, and the forest behind the great tombstone are also fine places to go."
"Excuse me obaasan, the Utagawa shrine… was that owned by a, I dunno, a certain family?" Kuwabara asked unexpectedly and Kurama noticed that he was hiding the open Houjin documents underneath the table while he scanned through it.
"You can say that. If I am not mistaken, an Utagawa family once owned this entire town. The Utagawa shrine was maintained as a historical landmark and in honor of a maiden named Tamamo Utagawa."
Botan looked down on the untouched orange juice in her hand and she swirled the two floating ice cubes in it with a straw. She could feel her blood seethe as the old lady good naturedly told them what she knew about Tamamo Utagawa; her beauty, her kindness, her generosity and her supposed sad relationship with her grandfather. Botan wanted to stand up and leave, or at least throw something and here it crash into a wall, hear it break like her heart. The Utagawa temple was her home and the monks' home. What twist in history occurred that the temple became a tribute to Tamamo.
She closed her eyes, opened it and aimed it at the garden.
"… she made herself appear as though she was a victim… and she had successfully gained the town's sympathy."
Of course. Tamamo was the one who twisted it.
"You look tired, Botan." A gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she gazed at the owner of it. "Do you want me to take you to your room?" Kurama said.
"Ah! No! I'm not tired!" She hurriedly said, perking up. How long has he been watching me? Am I that transparent? Oh no…
"A-and besides, it's a beautiful day. I wouldn't wanna coop myself inside my room." Botan added then she decided to join Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru outside.
Kurama turned his attention back to the old lady but she continued to watch the ferry girl from the corner of his jade eyes.
A/N:
Thanks to everyone who's been following this story! (^_^)
Thanks to Donna Rossa and Danielle Winters for the review of the previous chapters. Technically I only have two reviews but hey, at least I have two., hee-hee., never really expected that this story would be read in the first place.
Thanks to crescentmoon-cat for adding this story to the "Fox and Deity, now and forever, souls intertwined in an endless destiny" community.
Lastly, thanks to those who added this to their story alerts:
Donna Rossa
Emmitha
Thornspike
Twisted Musalih
I hope I'm not letting you guys down :)
