Covered in rain
CHAPTER NINE


"Oyasumi, Koenma-sama." Ayame greeted. She gave him a low bow, as he pushed the door open. Koenma bowed his head in return, and proceeded to enter the room. There he found all the previous papers he had abandoned in favor of the dinner that Botan prepared for him. They were neatly stacked in one corner of his desk. Before he was able to close the door completely though he found the note that George the demon had previously tacked on his board. Koenma laughed. That George.

He settled himself on his squashy arm-hair and began leafing through a number of Reincarnation requests, world transfers, and soul subpoenas. He proceeded to read each one of the 65 papers, his brow creased in concentration as he found the contents completely distasteful. All of them carried nothing but their selfish intent of finishing an unfinished business, which clearly wasn't viable enough for an unfinished business. He shredded one.

In span of about half an hour, Koenma has shredded about 12 papers, filed 13 other letters of the council for a feedback letter, and stamped on 21 more. He was about to open another letter from one of the other council members when a knock disturbed him from his task. "Come in," he said, not bothering to look up.

"Good evening Koenma-san."

The voice caused his eyes to rise and meet the figure of Lenma Aoki, standing a good two feet away from him. "Good evening," he greeted, trying to suppress the surprised tone of his voice. The other man smiled grabbed a chair and politely asked, "May I?" Koenma nodded his head, granting the other man permission to sit.
"Thank you." He said politely. Koenma nodded.
"Is there anything I could offer you assistance?" Koenma inquired. Lenma shook his head.
He folded his hands together. "None. But there is one thing, if you grant me permission to do so, ask you. It is not within context of work"
"Shoot."
"What is your relationship with my former wife, Koenma-san?"

The question took the other man by surprise. He had not expected any of this to come up between them, as he was sure that Lenma no longer cared as to what his former wife's life is now. However he answered the question as politely as he could and as limitedly as possible. "Botan and I have grown rather fond of each other."
He nodded his head. "I see, is there nothing else?"
"Forgive me for being direct, but is there something else to this?"

Lenma's gray eyes bore storms. It looked like they finally came to the point in which he was most eager to discuss. "I find it rather impolite of you to take something that had once belonged to me, without my permission"
"I inferred that you have no care as to what had happened to her after you have left her for the betterment of your familial life. And by saying she was once yours, am I right to assume that you no longer hold claim for her"
"That is where you are wrong, Koenma-san." Lenma said, his voice low and shrewd. "I do care if someone was to take her. Yes, I am very much selfish about her, for I still want her as mine"
"I will not abdicate the position I now hold." Koenma said firmly.

There was a terse moment between the two. "Give her back to me," he said coldly. "I cannot allow that." Koenma replied, his eyes set and heavy.
"Very well," the former said, standing up from where he was seated. "I think you may well know that there is no truce."


There has to be something I could do.

Lenma feverishly paced the length of his quarters. The previous talk with Koenma frustrated him, but he already knew that he would not give up on the one thing he seem to hold a high regard for. After all, who would? He didn't, even when he thought he was on the dead end of hope.

It all happened so sudden to him, that up to know he still could not fathom why he had wanted her back so badly. It may have been his currently frustrating marriage, over a wife who cared no less for him than he did to her. It may be that he found everything so unfulfilling, that he had to find a new avenue of inspiration. Or maybe it was because she was better in everything: in poise, in grace, in intellect and in beauty. But whatever the reason was, he knew he had to have her… again.

But the trouble was someone else already did. It had happened once, before they were married, but it wasn't like he had no choice but to accept the fate befallen upon them. He had ingeniously destroyed any budding relationship of Botan to any other man before it grew into something more.

He was jealous about her.

And who wouldn't? Given that she was almost perfect, who wouldn't want to take her, or to keep her? Lenma had first become attracted to her for this reason. He knew that he risked mistake and regret of letting their marriage fall into shambles, but to him nothing is more important than keeping the Aoki pride alive. He was merely choosing the most practical of choices.

But it did not mean that he would not stress any effort to get her back.

He did not know how things would fall into place: would he forsake his marriage in preference for his first wife turn mistress? He did not brood over this any longer, as he was more intent on her than anything else.

He looked out in the window and tried to ease his rampaging thoughts. By some strange twist of fate, what he saw made his heart jump in his throat in sheer excitement upon the enlightenment.

He quickly re-arranged his rumpled robes and proceeded to march out of the office, not giving any care to whoever walked past him or greeted him. He was intent on getting to the astral palace of Reikai, to speak to Koenma's father.

It took him about 15 minutes to get there, as transportation in Reikai is blessedly better than that in Ningenkai. He paused at the giant oak doors, trying to collect his thoughts and practicing his prepared lines. He was feverish now, feverish with the excitement of what he was about to do.

He heard the squire say: "Lord Enma receives the honorable Lenma into his court."

He took measured steps towards the Lord of Death, bowed down low and bade him a good evening. "What is it you beg to tell me about Lenma-san"
He lifted his head and with a mastered skill, look into his senior with great remorse. "I ask that the Lord need not repeat this conversation with his son. I, personally, do not interfere with other's business, but I think it is already a matter of great importance"
"Which is?" the God asked, impatient.
"I fear that Koenma has an ongoing relationship with a mortal sire."

He did not see Enma's face but he was sure that it registered awe and anger over the fact that his son has allowed himself to be devoured by the one thing he feared would—love. Lenma had done his research on the royal family well; he knew that the last thing Enma wanted for his son was for him to allow himself to fall in love, especially with a ningen, and neglect his duties for he knew the political situation that would arise from this and besides, he did not want his son to tread the difficult married life he led.

"Is this true?"

The suppressed anger was unmistaken, the King of the underworld would probably drag his son and give him a punishment so sever he could well forget who he was seeing. "Yes. The woman's name is Botan Nisei. I know her personally as she was… she used to be my wife"
"Are you implying a possibility that this is more for your good than my son's"
Damn mouth. "No your majesty. I also feel that this woman needs to be justified, as she is also unaware as he is. If you please you majesty, I would suggest a graceful measure for us to take"
"Cut to the chase"
"We make her forget. But we do it in a way that she would gracefully accept our offer"
The older was skeptical. "How do you do this forgetting?"

Lenma smiled in the dark. "Leave it to me your highness."


They crept inside her quarters as silently as they could. They saw her lying peacefully on the futon and with in a practiced and stylized movement, grabbed her from where she was resting and took her out into the night.