AN: I literally have no excuse, it's almost been a whole year but 2015-16 has been extremely eventful health wise and so I lost a lot of interest in writing, but hopefully I'm back! Here's the update and I hope it's satisfactory :D
11- Surprise
A young Botan was sitting on a picnic rug with her mother. The woman was handing out the food and drink. Botan was watching her father and brother playing around kicking a soccer ball. Miki, her brother, wasn't the best at soccer so his dad easily got the ball from his feet. "Oh come on! That's cheating dad! You're taller than I am!" He whined. Their father just laughed it off and performed cool tricks with the ball.
"You'll be better than me one day son. You just need to practice." Miki just grumbled and folded his arms.
"Yeah, whatever..." He was a defiant young one. Never listening to anyone, always doing things his own way. He ran up to the taller male and proceeded to try to steal the ball from him, while gracelessly failing to do so. "Grrrr!" He stopped trying upon hearing his little sister's voice.
"Hey! Miki! Daddy! The food is ready!" She shouted. The two males looked at each other then grinned.
"You heard the young lady, let's go eat." Miki nodded then went up the hill to join his sister. Botan smiled and waved at him then heard a honking noise. She looked nervously to her right and saw a car move quickly towards him. She wanted to shout but no noise would come out of her throat. Her eyes widened with fear when the car was just a few seconds away, then...
"NO!" Botan shouted as she bolted upright in her bed. She was dripping with a cold sweat and she reached up to wipe her forehead. She calmed her breathe and her heartbeat settled. 'I-I haven't had a dream like that in a while.' She thought as she looked out her window. The sky was too cloudy to see the moon. 'So much for clear skies tonight...' She heaved a sigh then laid down on her bed again, trying to go back to sleep.
She almost jumped when she heard movement from her bedside table, then she realized it must have been Kuro. She looked up and saw that he was still asleep. 'Good, I didn't wake him. I best be getting back to sleep myself.' With that thought, she gently closed her eyes and went back into dreamland.
xxXxx
Botan opened her eyes to see the light of day. She moaned and went deeper into her sheets. Today she would be completely focused on her homework. It was still the holidays and there was still a week left, but she was determined to get all the work done and dusted. Besides, who knows what kind of deadly missions Koenma would give her. Better safe than sorry in her book. She eyes the alarm clock and noticed it was barely 10. She hated waking up early during the hoildays, but, she seemed to always wake up early anyway.
"Grr, there's no way I'll be getting back to sleep now." She whined while sitting up. She put on her slippers and dressing gown. Winter was just around the corner and so the chilly winds had already made their way to Tokyo. She shook slightly as the coldness made it's way towards her. "I can't believe I already need to turn on the heating, ah well." She turned the dial that was the heating, towards the red. "There, it'll be warmer soon, I just have have to wait now."
She turned on the kettle and got her cup ready. The kettle boiled and she poured the boiling water into the cup. She sat down on her sofa and sighed into the cup. "Nothing like a lovely cup of tea on a cold Autumn's morning." After she finished her tea she dished out her homework. It wasn't too much, just a few maths problems and a few science and english questions. She found the work easy and was able to finish before it was 12. She wiped her forehead and gave a sigh of triumph. "This was what Maya and Riku were dreading? I'm sure even they could do this with their hands tied!" She happily hummed as she was checking her fridge. "Hm, I'm so happy that I feel like baking something. Cookies maybe? Ha, now I have friends to bake for. Before I was just baking things for myself, how sad is that?" She mumbled that last sentence to herself.
"Huh? Looks like I need more ingredients." She sighed as she went back to her room to get dressed. She noticed Kuro was already gone. 'Where does a bat go during the day? How strange.' She shrugged and got dressed. She locked the door behind her and started down the path.
xxXxx
"Whew! All done!" She exclaimed as she exited the convenience store, two full bags in her hands. The weather had cleared up considerably and the sun was out, but for how much longer, Botan wasn't sure.
"Shuuichi-kun!" She heard Maya shout. She quickly hid behind a wall, looking around for her friend. Maya quickly ran past her, somehow not noticing the blunette, much to Botan's relief. She saw that Kurama had been sitting on a bench, reading a book. He raised his head as Maya quickly approached him and he groaned.
"Hello there, Maya-san. What can I do for you?" Maya grinned and clung to his arm like she usually does.
"Oh nothing much, just out walking. And then I saw you, and I thought, why not say hi!" She said in a dream-like voice. Kurama sweat dropped, he was never used to any of his fangirls being so forward to him. It was kind of, perturbing. To say the least. He had things to do and Maya was holding him back.
'But...' He thought. 'Maybe if I tell Maya...'
"Shuuichi..." She said. He nodded his head for her to continue. "Today, is a special day for an old friend of mine, and, since I've been really mean to said friend, I need to make it up to her." Botan couldn't hear what Maya was saying but they were too close for her liking. She shook her head.
'No, what am I thinking? Where did all of that come from, anyhow?' She jumped when she felt a presence behind her.
"Yo. What are you doing in a place like this, hm?" Kuronue asked. He was in his demon form, much to her surprise. She put a hand over his mouth and looked around them.
"I should be asking that, what if someone saw you?" He shrugged while pulling her hand away.
"I don't see what the big deal is, no one's around, and besides, that tyke, Koenma told me to keep an eye on you in-case a rogue demon comes along." He was right, there wasn't anyone to see other than Shuuichi and Maya. Which reminded her. She quickly turned around and was relieved to see them still there.
"As I still have you here..." She started. "How come you still have a physical body when you're dead?" Kuronue sighed and put his arms behind his head.
"Koenma gave it to me so I could help you on missions, duh." Botan grew a stretchmark.
'This...guy...' Even now he pisses her off by just being near her.
She almost shrieked when she noticed Shuuichi and Maya have gone. 'Where'd they go?!' She stepped around the corner and went upto the spot where they were previously standing. Kuronue sighed and walked up beside her.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't know, I suppose I should be getting home." She shrugged. She waved to him goodbye and went on her way. 'That's funny, why do I have the feeling I'm forgetting something?'
xxXxx
Reikai
Ayame held out Koenma's calender, pointing on the day's date. November 1st. Koenma narrowed his eyes. "What was so special about today again?" He asked. Ayame sighed and put the calender down on his desk.
"Botan's birthday. Koenma sir, I've told you this already."
"Oh yeah, sorry Ayame. A lot has been happening lately, so I just forgot. Hee hee."
"I think it would be nice if we did something for her. Wouldn't you think?" Koenma thought for a moment then pushed all of his paperwork away.
"Yes, you are absolutely right Ayame! What did you have in mind?" George, who was standing to his right sweat-dropped.
'Yeah right. You just want a break from the paperwork.'
"Well, I've already told Kurama about it and we came up with a surprise party. What do you think?"
"Yes, that sounds nice." Another ogre came into the office at that time, he looked out of breathe while looking panicked.
"Lord Koenma, we have another demon! He just came from a portal from Makai!" Koenma took on a serious look.
"What kind of demon?"
"He's a panther demon sir! A real fast one too!"
"Hm, we may need Hiei's help." Ayame turned to face the young princeling.
"Do you think he'll comply to your request?" Koenma began to sweat even more at the thought.
"On second thought, maybe not the best idea..."
xxXxx
Botan's Street
A boy with dark navy hair and tanned skin with blue eyes hummed a catchy tune while walking down the street. Female passerbys blushed at the sight of him. He grinned, showing pearly white teeth, which also had fangs. He was in his demon form, but the people thought he was cosplaying and so didn't pay too much attention. He saw a bench and decided to take a seat. He stopped humming and looked up at the sky. 'So this is human world, hm?' His tail went back and forth in agitation. 'I just got here and I'm already bored...'
He sniffed the air and shot straight up. "Something smells...heavenly..." He got up once again and followed the aroma, leading to an apartment building. "The smell's leading here. I wonder what heavenly maiden has descended onto this pitiful world and brought such a fantastic aroma?" He practically danced up the steps and looked into the window the smell was coming from.
"It's coming from here. But, I fail to see a heavenly maiden." He whined. He looked around through the window again but still couldn't see anyone. "Don't tell me it was merely a figment of my messed up imagination?! There just has to be someone!"
Botan put the garbage in the bin, grimacing at the putrid smell. "Eww, that job never gets nice..." She shrugged and went back up the stairs. She put on a confused face when she saw a weird looking boy peek into her window. He said some odd things before finally noticing she was staring at him. Now that she got a better look at him, he had a handsome face, a bit cat-like if anything. She saw his tail and somewhat narrow shaped eyes. He had cat-shaped ears that blended in with his hair. No doubt a demon. She immediately got into a fighting stance, ready to fight if necessary.
"Y-you don't happen to live here, do you?" He asked, hopeful. She blinked and nodded slowly. His expression turned into a happy one. "Oh, I just knew it had to be you as soon as I saw you! You really must be a heavenly maiden sent from above. You're just as beautiful as I imagined!" She blushed at his words, not used to hearing such praise.
"U-um, thank you?"
He grinned and ran over to her and hugged her tightly. Botan froze in place, unmoving. 'W-what should I do in this situation?' He began to purr.
"This must be love at first sight! I've heard so much about it but I've never experienced it at first-hand! It feels so magical!" He hugged her much tighter than before, if that was possible. Her face almost turned blue, it felt so tight. He was alot stronger than he looked.
Kurama sweat dropped when he neared her apartment. He didn't expect to see a demon, and hugging her no less. Maya went wide-eyed. She saw the confused and slightly scared look on her face. 'So, this guy is obviously forcing himself on her...I've got to do something.' She went up to the two and hit the panther demon on the head. He went wide-eyed and fell backwards. Botan blinked, once again, in confusion.
'What just happened?' She noticed there was a burning smell and shrieked. "On no, the cupcakes!" She ran inside and closed the door behind her. Maya sighed, she'll deal with the bluette afterwards. She turned her eyes towards the demon.
"Hey, who do you think you are?" He rubbed his head and lazily looked up at her.
"Why'd you hit me like that? What'd I do?!" Kurama stood forward this time.
"Who are you?" He asked. The demon grinned and stood up, dusting himself off in the process.
"My name? The name's Raito, I'm a wolf demon." He answered them. He looked back into the window, ears twitching in happiness at seeing Botan's face. She seemed relieved for some reason. He thought she looked cute. "My angel..." His face turned happy when he saw Botan come through the door.
"Uh, sorry about that. I was baking and I thought I burnt everything, luckily I got to them just in time." She looked questionably at Raito. "So who are you again?" He grinned and held her hands.
"Its Raito, my love." He kissed her hand. She gently took them from him, hesitantly.
"Oh, uh, I see." She went back in then straight out again, offering the three of them a cupcake. "Would you like any?" Maya smiled and quickly grabbed one, taking a big bite out of it. She closed her eyes in bliss.
"Oh, how I missed these buns of yours." Shuuichi took one and smiled upon tasting it. He also kept a close eye on Raito who took one as well. He took a careful sniff.
"This was it, the smell that led me here! It's better than I could imagine!" He took the rest in one big bite. He happily licked his lips. "Delicious!"
"Tell me." Kurama started. Raito looked at him, annoyed. "What are you doing here in Ningenkai? It's obvious you're not here to fight."
"Yeah, what of it? Not every demon comes here to fight." He grew nervous at the look Kurama gave him then. "Okay okay, I came here because I was bored. In Makai, there's nothing but trees, trees, maybe a village, then more trees. You get the picture. But then," He looked at Botan. "I smelt something heavenly and it led me here, then I saw your angelic face and instantly fell in love!"
'He certainly says heavenly a lot.' Maya thought. "Oh that reminds me." Botan, Shuuichi and Raito looked towards her. "Me and Shuichi have something we want to show you."
"Maya, not yet." Spoke Ayame from down the apartment stairs. She eyed Raito in confusion. "What's the demon doing here? I thought you would have already defeated him, Botan?" Raito pointed a finger towards himself.
"You talking about me, ma'am?" She nodded. "But, I didn't do anything wrong." His ears perked up. "Botan? Who's that?"
"Uh, that would be me." He nodded.
"I see, so uh, what's the problem?" Everyone fell over, anime style. He blinked, still confused. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You seriously couldn't tell who she is?" Kurama asked.
"Hm? She's the Spirit Detective? So what? I wouldn't care if she was a cat demon, I would still love her!" Maya went wide-eyed.
"Now, that's what I call devotion. You don't see that too often." She murmured, mainly to herself. "Oh that's right!" She shouted. She turned to Ayame then. Ayame got what she meant and told them to follow her.
"Yes, now is the time. Come with me won't you?" Botan stood there in confusion as did Raito.
"Um, what about me? Can I come?" He asked. Ayame nodded.
"Might as well. I don't think you'll be causing us any trouble, if you do..." She eerily smiled up at him. "Well, let's just leave it at that." Raito froze in place. Completely scared of the black-haired ferrygirl. He hid behind Botan who sweat dropped.
"It's okay, she's fine, really!" Raito calmed down then hugged her tightly.
"Oh, my fair maiden! You are too sweet!"
"O-okay, I get it." She spoke while choking. He realized what he was doing and gently let go.
"Heehee, sorry about that!" He laughed. Ayame took a deep breathe then exhaled. She was nervous, what if he did do damage and it would have been her fault. 'No.' She thought. 'I just have to trust my instincts, and besides...' She took another look at the wolf demon. 'He doesn't seem bright enough to do much harm anyway.' She thought it was rather rude to think this way, but that's just what she thought.
"Ayame-san. We should leave now." Kurama spoke. She nodded and led the way.
"Where are we going, though?" Botan asked, coming up beside her.
"You'll see, I think you'll like it." Botan looked doubtful but simply nodded. She locked the door to her apartment and then they all left.
xxXxx
"Are we almost there yet?" Botan whined as they neared the park. Maya had her hands around Botan's eyes to use as a blindfold. Maya smirked.
"Almost, but not quite." Botan groaned but complied.
"Okay, Maya-san, you can lift your hands now." Ayame said. Maya did as she was told and Botan was totally surprised on what she saw.
"Surprise!" Her eyes widened when she saw all her friends shout out. Yume, Riku, Kaitou, Yusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Kuronue and Koenma were standing there. Ayame, Maya and Kurama stood forward, joining them. Tears formed at the sides of Botan's face. They were tears of joy. She didn't think anyone knew or remembered. She didn't deem herself worthy enough of any of their kindness.
"Um, guys, I think we made her cry." Maya said, surprisingly a little worried. Despite how she acts, she really does care for her friends, deep down. Although, it was no secret to any of them that there was still a small rift in their friendship. It was mending, only time will tell if things could be as they were all of those years ago.
"Hey Botan. We all had to contribute something to this and I made your cake!" Keiko said showing Botan her 16th birthday cake. It was huge, almost as tall as Keiko herself.
"Keiko, it's, it's amazing! I knew you were good at baking but, this good?" That was all Botan could manage to say. Keiko giggled.
"Well, 16 is a special year, so off course we had to make it extra special!"
"That's right, birthday girl, let us treat you for once." Shizuru spoke up, patting the younger girl on the head. Botan smiled at the brunette and nodded. The party went on happily, even some of the other people who were walking in the park joined in on the celebration. Throughout this event, Kurama felt Kaitou's eyes bore into them, so, he decided to comply with his classmate's unspoken request.
They walked away from the party and Kurama was waiting patiently for Kaitou to ask his question. "Shuichi, just what was that thing in the haunted house?" Kurama was somewhat hesitant to reply. If he said the wrong thing, no doubt Kaitou would ask more questions.
"I don't think I'm the person to ask." He simply said, Kaitou was not satisfied.
"Shuichi, I can't ask Botan, not today. You're the best person to ask." Kurama sighed, Kaitou would have to know sooner or later, and besides, if Maya could handle the truth, Kaitou would no doubt handle it as well.
"Fine, but you must swear not to tell anyone." Kaitou nodded. "Botan has become what we call a Spirit Detective. Spirit world has asked-"
"Wait, Spirit world? So, that exists?"
"Yes, it indeed does. The prince of Spirit World, Koenma." He pointed behind him. "The man with the brown hair, has asked her to do it. I'm actually surprised he came along to this small party."
"He's the Prince of Spirit world? Weird..." He said, there were still plenty of questions he had yet to ask. "I have a feeling you are not what you say, am I correct in assuming so?" Kurama heaved a sigh, well, he had no choice.
"Yes, you are indeed correct. I am a demon, as I'm sure you have guessed, from the other night that is." At Kaitou's nod, he continued. "I'm afraid that I caused Botan and Reikai a lot of trouble by stealing an ancient artifact, now I am forced to work with her to help with cases to atone for what I've done."
"What kind of artifact did you steal?"
"I stole the Forlorn Hope, a mirror that could grant any wish. My mother was sick and I was desperate to save her life, even if I had to give up my own..." Kaitou sensed Kurama's uneasiness and didn't ask more about the subject.
"I couldn't help but notice that short man with the spiky hair, not to mention that long-haired man as well. Care to tell me who they are too?" He might as well ask now, he had no idea in which he'll be able to ask again. Kurama let out a quiet sigh.
"They're Hiei and Kuronue, and they're demons like me, except Kuronue had died a long time ago and didn't want to pass on, as he tells me. We used to be thieving partners back in demon world. Koenma got angry at his lack of help around spirit world and so forced him to help Botan out in missions she may have." Kaitou nodded, not knowing how else to respond. 'This was a lot to take in for one human', Kurama thought. "And as for Hiei, he helped me in stealing the Forlorn Hope, but he was also after the Shadow Sword, a sword that can turn anything into a demon if slashed. So, just like me, he was sent to Koenma and was punished by helping out Botan as well. And, that's really all there is to it."
"I see, things make a lot more sense now, why Botan-san has been coming to school with a few injuries. Off course, I doubt that anyone even cares enough to ask her about it." His tone told Kurama that Kaitou disapproves of his classmate's way of thinking, and to be truthful, Kurama did as well. Here Botan was, saving the world and this was how she was treated, granted they knew nothing about yokai, but no one should be treated this way.
"Why is Botan treated so wrongly in the first place?" Kaitou looked up at the redhead, a little surprised at his question.
"Aparantly something happened between her and Maya when they were both at the orphanage, and Maya started spreading rumours about her to tell them to stay away from her. I know they're friends again, but, I can't forgive what she has done to Botan-san. Until she proves to me that she has changed, I will not forgive her." Kurama nodded in understanding. He would probably feel the same way if he were in Kaitou's shoes, but he was not him and so just left it at that.
"Anything else you would care to ask me?"
"There is but I can ask another time, I believe this'll do for now."
"Okay then, let's head back." Maya noticed the two come towards the party and pouted.
"Oh, Shuichi-kun! Where have you been? Botan-chan's about to open the presents." Kurama noticed the slight glare Kaitou was pointing her way when she said chan at the end of Botan's name. So he just complied with her wishes, hoping to not start a scene.
"If that's the case, then I'll come along." Maya grinned up at him and pulled him along with her. Kaitou sighed and followed behind. Botan turned towards them and smiled at the three.
"I was wondering where you three were." She was a little confused as to why those three were gone, but this was her birthday and nothing was going to ruin it. Not on her account.
"Come on Botan-chan, present time!" Keiko said, holding out her present to Botan. "Open mine first!"
"Hey, aren't you not supposed to blow out the candles first?" Riku asked. Shizuru shrugged.
"It doesn't really matter, but I guess that usually would be the case." Botan shook her head.
"Since Keiko-chan is so excited about me opening her gift, I'll just open them first."
"However you're going to do just do it quickly, I need to be somewhere." Koenma spoke out, he was in charge of Reikai when his father was not there so he couldn't leave it alone for too long. Yume looked confusedly up at him.
"Just who are you anyway, if you don't mind me asking?" Koenma stood stock still in surprise. Well, he suspected someone would ask who he was at one point. Luckily Ayame was there to help him out.
"Oh, he's Botan-san's boss, she just got a new job, you see, and being the great boss he is, decided he would come and share in the celebrations."
"Oh, well it's nice of you to come then."
"Wait, what kind of job did you get yourself into, anyhow?" This time Riku was suspicious.
"Does it really matter? Just open the damn presents already!" Yusuke more or less yelled.
"F-fine!" Botan sputtered out, happily taking Keiko's gift. Once she opened it, she saw a new apron that was a nice yellow colour with a blue peony design. "Wow, Keiko-chan, this is beautiful. I'll definitely wear it the next time I cook something." Keiko seemed satisfied with her response and let Shizuru stand forward.
"Mine's next, hope you like it birthday girl!" Botan smiled brightly at the brunette and opened it. It was the first few volumes of a manga series she thought the bluenette would enjoy.
"Demon Love Spell." The girl read out. 'How fitting.' Botan chuckled to herself. "This looks amazing! I'll start reading it as soon as I get home, thank you so much Shizuru-chan!" She had finished opening the rest of her presents and some were very interesting to say the least. She got a photo album from Maya, a rose pendant from Kurama, a new bracelet from Kaitou, a photo frame from Riku and a camera from Ayame. Botan had told Ayame that she loves taking photographs, and so a camera sounded like the perfect gift. She also received an anime poster from Yusuke, a cat ornamant from Kuwabara, a hat from Kuronue and finally a gift card to an expensive clothes store. Botan was extremely happy that day. She blew out her candles to her cake and everyone happily had a piece. Then the party was over, but it was a great day.
"Say, where are you going to go Raito?" Botan asked as the two of them were walking back to her place. He shrugged and put his arms behind his head.
"I'll just be around, no where in particular." She nodded and waved goodbye to him as he went his separate way. He happily waved back and then he was gone.
"I just hope he won't be causing much trouble, the last thing we all need are humans getting involved with yokai." She finally got home and went into her room. She at on her bed and cheerfully looked through all the photos she took that day, she would have to print them out and put them into her new photo album. She noticed Kuro was nowhere in sight, she didn't mind. It was nice to be just on her own from time to time. She took a quick shower and headed straight to bed, the day's events exhausting her.
Tbc
Preview
Koenma- Hm, they shouldn't be causing attention, being in hiding for centuries.
Ayame- Something must be up.
Botan- Who are you two talking about?
Koenma- In Makai, there are a group of assassins that do their work secretly...
Ayame- But we've been getting multiple cases in where they've been sighted.
Kuronue- They're trying to draw attention to themselves.
Koenma- And we want you two to find out why?
Botan- Wait, just us two?!
Ayame- Well, Kurama is on holiday with his mother, he has no choice but to go. And we cant get a hold on Hiei without him.
Botan- I guess that makes sense...
Ayame- We believe you can do.
Kuronue- To find out who we have to find, tune in next time to Spirit Detective Botan- Mission in Makai.
Disclaimer: I do not own yyh or it's characters, I own Yume, Riku, Kai and any other oc in this story as well as the plot.
End of Preview
Koenma's corner- Howdy once again folks. Today let's talk about Ayame! Before she became a ferry girl, when she was alive, she was a bounty hunter, and quite a well known one. Her personality was completely different than the one we all know and love now. Ooops, don't tell her I said that. Anyway, now she's Botan's assisstant with missions and she may have to be careful on this upcoming one. Strange things are afoot, when are they not? Well that's all that I can reveal in this chapter, next time let's talk about Kurama! Have any questions? Leave them in the review folks! Koenma out
Nanami- Yeah, I love Kurama and Botan too, but I'm afraid it's too early for romance to start, but their relationship will grow! I promise.
ANIMELOVERSHIROGANE: Here's the update, thank you so much for liking my stuff! :D
Please don't forget to review! Even if it's one or two words, that would be greatly appreciated!
