Written by: BWinner

BWinner's note: This story is so OLD… I think I started writing this almost seventeen years ago; it was a "plot bunny" my friend gave me as a challenge. I lost this fic for a long time; it was on a flash drive that got shuffled around in numerous moves. Naturally the original draft of this was god awful, so I went through and edited it, because admittedly I don't really hate this story(horror of my old writing style aside). I'll say this now, I kind of stray from canon story line; I'm putting this after the Dark Tournament, but adding in some more time before Yusuke gets captured. I'm not sure if there are many people who still follow the YYH fandom, but maybe someone will get a kick out of this :)

Warnings: Mainly foul language and suggestive scenes, and OOC to be on the safe side.

Pairings: All pairings must remain a secret until the end!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, it is property of Yoshihiro Togashi. I do not profit from this work of fiction.

The Price of Love for a Reaper

Ch.1: The Problem

Botan sighed as she put on her Sarayashiki Junior High uniform. It was time for another day in an unfamiliar body, in an unfamiliar setting. Straightening the collar over her scarf, she gave herself a once over and frowned. Just how long was this expected to go on? Botan was getting to the point where she resented everyday of this new existence; aiding the Spirit Detective was taking a far harder toll than she had anticipated. In order to assist Yusuke properly she had needed to give up her claim to the title of a ferry woman, and take the form of a human girl. Though this is not what troubled her, she had volunteered to do so after all. No, the strain came from all of the emotions that flooded her now; so many different things she had never before experienced. Happiness and even sadness she had always known, but now she was being introduced to fear, hatred, jealousy, and most alarming of all, romantic love.

That particular emotion had come up on her rather slowly over the last few months. It was such an uneasy emotion, something that could swell your heart with warmth, or crush you mercilessly if unfulfilled… the latter is what she was heading towards each time she put on this uniform and began another day. Botan shook her head and heaved another heavy sigh as she slipped on her shoes, then grabbed her book bag to head out the door. The warm and sunny weather of the morning stood in stark contrast of her feelings; she was in pain about this situation and really had no clue what to do about it, but try to get control of it. Yet how could she do that if she didn't know what to do about it? Botan wanted to cry out in frustration.

'Why did it have to be him?' Botan lamented quietly to herself. 'Of all the boys I've come to associate with, why him?'

Deliberately the young girl slowed her pace; she knew when she reached that junior high school, she was going to have to put up her cheerful façade and act as if there was nothing wrong. Sometimes she wondered why humans were given emotions, if they were only going to be forced to bury them anyway. This day didn't allow her much time to ponder the matter as a solid tap on the shoulder arrested her attention. She turned, startled to see Yusuke standing behind her, bookbag slung nonchalantly over his shoulder.

"Hey there Botan, how are ya do…ing?" he faltered a bit, and leaned down to her eye level to scrutinize her. "You feeling okay?"

"Oh Yusuke! I didn't hear you walk up," she admitted, hurriedly plastering on a smile.

"That doesn't answer my question Botan, I asked if you were all right," the young man persisted.

"I swear it's nothing, Yusuke. I was just remembering an emotional scene from one of my soap operas. One of my favourite characters finally came out of their coma only to find out that their one true love had run off with somebody else. It was all so very sad," Botan explained lamely.

After hearing this Yusuke's face lost its suspicious expression and he tilted his head back with a groan. "Jeez Botan, you really had me worried there for a second. You're really crying over some crummy soap? Ugh, what's with you women?"

Botan was unfazed by Yusuke's little rant, all too used to the outbursts by now. With a feigned irritated sigh, she slowly kept making her way to school, but not before grumbling out playfully; "Leave it to you to be unappreciative of anything with substance."

Brown eyes widened in shock before Yusuke sobered up to the insult and began to chase her with his fist shaking in the air. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" he ranted as he struggled to catch her. "Seriously Botan, get your butt back here!"

It was to no avail though; Botan just laughed merrily and continued to skip along. The comical chase continued in such a manner all the way to the gates of Sarayashiki where Botan finally stopped and Yusuke doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily. Quickly he looked up and fixed the laughing girl with a glare.

"I swear Botan, when some one tells you to stop… you stop!" he yelled breathlessly.

"Well Yusuke, you should know that it is ungentlemanly to chase a lady," said Botan with a huff and playful smirk.

"Yeah, well you're no lady!"

"I beg your pardon Yusuke Urameshi!"

"Hey you guys, what's all the fuss about?" A cheerful alto cut through the playful banter.

Both teens turned to see Keiko standing behind them, a puzzled look on her features. Never missing a beat, or an opportunity to avoid getting one, Yusuke dashed behind his childhood friend and peered at Botan over her shoulder. Botan's demeanor slipped slightly seeing the young girl, and she slowly lowered the hand with the book bag she had been ready to strike with. For a moment she was at a loss of what to say or do.

"What in the world did you do now, Yusuke?" Keiko asked the cowering boy behind her in an irritated tone.

Botan finally snapped out of her trance. "He was being frightfully rude this morning and I was just about to give him a good kick in the rear for it!"

"Oh my god, Yusuke! Can't you be civil for more than two seconds?" Keiko shouted.

Yusuke only chuckled softly before reaching around to give Keiko's chest a firm squeeze. "Probably not!" he called back as he promptly ran for his life.

Keiko was soon hot on his heels screaming about immature boys and Yusuke not being grown up a day passed kindergarten. This time Botan did manage to giggle a little, Yusuke would get what he deserved soon enough. Keiko was not a girl to be toyed with in such a manner and likely the next time anybody saw Yusuke he would have a nice red swollen cheek from her right hook.

School was fairly uneventful on this particular day; but then again school always seemed dull to Botan. It was days like this one when she wondered how Kurama managed to live as long as he did with such mediocrity. Kurama… of course! Why hadn't she thought of it until now, Kurama would likely be the perfect person to help her with this conundrum! While their situations were not exactly the same surely, he would have some insight into how to mange her emotions.

It seemed to take years but finally the last bell of the day rang. Botan was out the door in a flash; not bothering to look back or call a "good bye," to Yusuke, Keiko or Kuwabara, who all exchanged worried glances as this happened. Normally she would socialize with them for a moment at least, talk about work on cases, or news from Koenma. Today she appeared to be in a frenzied hurry though. The former reaper ran as fast as she could to the roof of the school. Once there she glanced around for anyone who might witness her actions, and when she saw no one Botan made the attempt to summon her oar; it would be faster and easier to get to Kurama's school this way. However, when she held out her hand nothing happened. Botan frowned deeply and tried again, concentrating harder, but nothing came.

Frustrated and a little frightened, Botan turned on her heels and dashed back down the stairs and out of the gates of Sarayashiki. The girl ran through the streets of the city, narrowly missing people along her way before she finally arrived at the gates of the Meiou Academy. Botan darted through the halls looking in classroom doors frantically in search of her friend, and at last found him near some lockers with a few other students.

"Kurama!" Botan called as she made it to him then doubled over to catch her breath. "Kurama, please… I need your help!"

Kurama looked nervously at his classmates who in turn looked at him in confusion, muttering about the strange name they heard. Timidly he put a hand on her back and crouched down to reassure her; but was alarmed when he saw tears glinting in the corner of her eyes. Had something happened to one of their teammates?

"Botan, I'm Shuichi here," he stressed as gently as possible. "Perhaps we should talk where it's a little more private."

"Uh Shuichi, who is this?" a young girl in the group asked. She looked the young ferry woman up and down with dark eyes and a bit of a sneer. "Also, why in the world is she calling you Kurama?"

Kurama suppressed a sigh and painted on a smile. "She's a friend of mine from another school, and Kurama's just a stupid nick name," he insisted. This caused the girl to take a hard side-glance at the friend next to her, and Kurama resisted a frustrated frown. "The two of us just need to go somewhere and talk, now if you'll excuse us," he requested with a polite bow.

The fox caught a few of the boys in school smirking at him as he led her off the campus but, tried to push it to the back of his mind. At this point he was relying on the esteemed reputation of Shuichi Minamino being a student of honor to stop the rumor mill from starting. He also reminded himself that Botan, and whatever problem she had come to him with, was more important right now anyway.

Kurama looked down at his friend who was walking alongside him, eyes glued to the floor and in tears. What in the world could have happened? It was rare for her to pay him a visit, normally she told Yusuke or Kuwabara of the situation and one of them would seek him out. That face had him rather alarmed as well, were Yusuke and Kuwabara okay? At this point things weren't looking too good, and she really wasn't interested in divulging information as they walked. Kurama decided that he needed to get her back to his place as soon as possible and figure things out.

To be continued…