Covered in rain
CHAPTER TEN

"Where am I?"

A red canopy filled her vision; all the rest was drowned in blur. She struggled to get up and found herself surrounded by regal red sheets and it petrified her. Where was she? And most importantly, who brought her here?

She got up from the bed and walked over to where a huge mirror stood. Yep, she definitely was not in her room anymore.

The room was huge, with enormous objects adorning every corner. The bed could well house 5 children at a time, there was a couch at the foot of the bed, a small circular table near the window, an open balcony with a breathtaking sight, a bookshelf, marbled flooring, gigantic curtains with golden tassels and paintings to adorn every bare wall. The room exuded regality, and she could swear on her life that she was in the midst of Royalty—however which royalty she did not know.

The room creaked open and a beautiful lady with brown eyes walked to where she was standing and bowed. She bowed back. The woman handed her a dress made out of silk, saying that the king requested her to wear it since it was improper to be seen in her nightgown. She wore it, albeit reluctantly, for she feared the man she was about to face.

In a little while she was escorted out into the corridor. She was shocked to find herself walking amongst souls and demons---where in the world was she? She wanted to ask the woman before her of what was happening, but she feared the answer as much as she feared the person that lay in waiting for her.

They stopped in front of a room, which oddly looked like it was an office.

"You may go in now, lady"
"Arigato." She whispered bowing as low as the former did. Without any more ado, she entered the room.

Standing there was none other than Lenma himself.

"Nani?" she burst out. "What are you doing here"
He crossed the room and placed a hand on her cheeks. "You look resplendent in that dress you wear"
She did not respond to his flattery and glared at him. "Where am I? And what am I doing here"
"You are here at the request of Koenma's father Enma-sama. And you are in the world of the dead…

Koenma is the son of death, Botan-chan."

She placed a hand over her mouth as her eyes grew wide in horror as she realized that try as she would want to convince her self that this was merely a dream, it was real. Koenma was the son of death, and would one day be death.

"What does he want me to do?" she whispered, biting back the urge to cry. Lenma looked at her and clasped her hand as lovingly as he could. "Forget him. You are impeding his becoming the king of Reikai. There are political situations that could arise, if this relationship is to pursue. You would put him in jeopardy Botan"
"How do I forget him?" she whispered, as if in a trance. She wanted so desperately to fight for him, but how could she stand in way of his future? She loved him, but she loved him far enough to know which was beneficial for him—to have her go away than suffer a dire punishment.

Lenma crossed the room and pulled out a vial from one of his desk's drawers. He handed it to her and she looked at the crystal contained inside the glass. "So it all ends with this now." "Come with me," Lenma urged. "Don't forgo this. You still have a life"
She smiled at him. "I loved you Lenma; loved you. I felt miserable when you wed someone else. But this is Koenma. I can't replace him. Gomen."

She slipped her hand from the one that held it and with melancholic eyes looked at Lenma for one last time, and left the room.

It only took three gulps before everything faded to oblivion.

Koenma walked the halls with a frown on his face. He did not know what his father spoke of, but he was urging him to go as quickly as he could to the great hall. Finally he arrived and upon his entrance said, "I am here as you commanded father."

He looked up and saw his father with a tight expression on his face. An old priest stood beside him.

"Tell him what you have done, Enma-sama."

The king looked like he was about to lie but the better part of his conscience got hold of him and urge the truths to tide out of his mouth. He watched as he spoke of what happened to his son: that his friend, Botan's soul is in torment, as a result of the water she drank from the river of forgetting, one of the four rivers in the Spirit world. The soul was never meant to forget until it has escaped from its mortal shell. Botan was alive and therefore, forcing her soul to rebuke all that it holds in memory would cost her her life. Her soul will be consummated by the power of the river and therefore she would be held in ties with it, to suffer immortality as one of the guardians of the four rivers.

"In short terms Koenma, she will not remember anything about you unless there is a stronger power than that of forgetting. You will also bear to see her every day, as she will now work as your ferry girl.

I regret that there is nothing else to repair this."

Koenma shocked from what he heard, did not feel the constricting of neither his throat nor the drops of tears from his eyes. Neither did he hear his heart break, for the shattering of it was swallowed up whole by the screaming rage of his anger.

"Father," he said as his voice shook—with anger and with pain. "I have gone as far as to tolerate what has happened between you and my mother. I do not wish to tread the same path, and neither do you wish that for me too, but in your meaning to you have cost me the one thing you failed to give me."

He wiped the salt stains in his cheeks and resolutely walked from the hall.

"Koenma," his father thundered. "I only did--- Koenma, I am sorry."

The oak door closed, and neither father nor son heard no more from each other.

Love destroys and guilt consumes.

He pushed the door to the council's room bowed low and told them what happened. I resign, he told them. He could not bear the atrocity he had done.

He drank the elixir handed to him, and he felt his immortality ebbing away.

"Tell Koenma that I am sorry."

He needed to get to her.

The corridors stretched to far as he raced with every tick of the second and with every drop of time. He had to get to her. To perform the responsibility he was tasked with and administer death to the one person who gave him life.

Botan, he was chasing after her.

He turned sharply at a corner and with a last spurt of adrenaline, pushed open the doors that led to where she was. He ran to her side. "Botan, gomen nasai"
"Hello death," she smiled. "Don't say that," he said shaking his head. "I hate to hear it, I hate to be it"
She rubbed the back of her hand against his ashen cheeks and said. "This makes dying worthwhile, Koenma"
"I don't want you to." He whispered as two fat drops of tears rained from his eyes. He looked at her, beautiful golden eyes pleading, showing, and needing. "Don't close your eyes. Botan, please, please don't forget about me." She clutched her chest, and Koenma saw the necklace he gave her glittering amidst the clasp of her hand. "Do you remember when I told you that I'd never love any man as much as I did Lenma"
He could barely feel himself nod. "Never forget the stars," she whispered mostly to herself. "Koenma, I lied. I did love. I loved you and more."

Her hands pressed against his, and he felt the heat of her seep into the palm of his hand.

And he was forgotten.