Athena Zandrite
You guys know my schpeal. I'm glad you're all likeing it. It's gonna start to snowball after this chapter O_o and I only have so many chapters already done so I'll slow down how quickly I post them (maybe once a week?) Red, Kuwabara will come back in later, I have him stuck in school currently. ^.~ Wee? And what the heck was going on with FF.net earlier? Anyway apparently the story is back up. So yay again! Um... I think that's it. Now for the notes about this chapter:
We all knew this was leading toward a Kurama-Botan story. Sorry guys, I am hooked on that pair. Anyway, I'm going to try not to make it too much of a couple-story. I like getting right down into plot. But of course I don't really know where I'm going with this yet. It's kind of creating itself. There should be some nice fighting scenes coming up. We've got to confront Lillith soon! I meander too much. C & C appreciated! ~Athena
Botan raps at Kurama's window, clutching the book to her chest and shivering as the wind blows chilly fingers through her hair. She hadn't realized how long it had taken to find the book. She's thankful that Kurama doesn't have school tomorrow or she'd feel guilty about visiting so late. The evening air is cool and the sky a deep black with scattered clouds and stars. She turns back to the window and knocks again then sees the curtain move.
Kurama rubs his eyes and unlocks the window looking at Botan with tired eyes as he undoes the latch. The window slides open with a soft 'ssshhht' and he smiles at her. "Botan-san, it's awfully late. Did you find anything?"
Botan grins and steps off the oar into his room when he steps away from the window. "I think so!" She shows him the book and Kurama immediately sits down and opens it up to the page Botan book marked. "It was the closest match I could find, but it did mention her slaying her children, and absorbing their souls." She glances around the room as Kurama reads, picking up a little teddy bear holding a heart and giggling. This was obviously from one of Kurama's many admirers at his school. "It's adorable." She says to herself and snuggles the bear up against her cheek.
Kurama glances up and smiles. "I get too many of those, I have no use for them, but the girls keep giving them to me."
Botan laughs at him. "You're a real heart-breaker Kurama-kun." She goes back to playing with the bear and Kurama watches her for a moment before returning his attention to the book.
Finally he sighs and closes it. "This does sound slightly similar but it's so vague. There are too many different accounts to get an accurate description of the enemy. But what interests me is this amulet."
Botan stops making the bear dance and looks at Kurama. "I noticed that too, Hinageshi is still looking for information on it, I wonder if Enma-sama's vault has records of it." She sets the bear back down on Kurama's desk and sighs. "None of the books show Lillith's real form either. She keeps shape shifting so we've never seen it. I wonder what she's like."
Kurama looks out the window and is quiet for a moment. "We'll have to confront her. I want to wait until we've gotten the amulet though." He returns his attention to Botan. "What does KoEnma say about all of this?"
Botan shrugs halfheartedly. "KoEnma-sama has so much work he had huge stacks of papers that were due before midnight tonight so he didn't listen to much when I asked him if Hinageshi could help." She twists her hands together and looks at the ground. "Though I sometimes wonder how much he listens to me ever." She chuckles and smiles at Kurama.
Kurama raises an eyebrow but says nothing, instead opening the book again and glancing at the inside cover, then flipping to the copyright date. "1989." He muses quietly to himself and hands the book back to Botan who wraps her arms around it and sits down on Kurama's bed.
"Ne, Kurama, do you really think we can beat her?" she asks, voice sounding plaintive.
Kurama leans and arm on his desk and cups his chin in his hand watching her. "I think if we watch her a little, and learn how she works we may have a chance, yes." He glances at the window and frowns. "Though it would help if Hiei wasn't so stubborn."
Botan smiles then starts giggling and Kurama looks at her curiously. "What's so funny?"
She takes a breath then wipes her eyes. "You think I should whistle for him again?"
Kurama remembers the last time Botan whistled for Hiei and chuckles with her. "If I remember correctly Hiei was rather upset with you after that. Though it was quite entertaining to see him fall head-first out of a tree."
Botan blushes. "I'd never used the spirit whistle before. I guess I didn't need to blow so hard."
"Well, it got the job done." Kurama shrugs. "Perhaps we should wait for Hiei to show some interest before harassing him."
Botan nods in agreement then leans back on her hands. "Ne, Kurama, do you think the humans will be ok with this. It seems kind of dangerous to let them tag along."
Kurama looks thoughtful. "I'd thought the same of Kuwabara when I first met him, but he has proven his worth many times. We should give them a chance."
Botan smiles. "Un! I like Ken, he's a nice fellow. Aya's kind of mean but he's not as scary as Hiei. Youji keeps looking at me funny though." She frowns, looking out of sorts.
Kurama laughs. "Just don't encourage him and I'm sure it'll be OK."
Botan nods and yawns, leaning sideways till she falls on her side on the bed. "Are we going there tomorrow to show them the book?"
Kurama sits back in his chair and folds his hands across his stomach. "I think that would be best. But of course it's already tomorrow." He nods toward the clock"
"Ahh that explains why I'm so tired." Botan's eyelids flutter for a moment.
"You've been working pretty hard lately Botan-san, perhaps you should take it easy, KoEnma doesn't give you any breaks and…" Kurama frowns and looks at her. "Botan?"
Botan's eyes are closed and her lips part slightly as her breathing becomes regular. Kurama sighs and leans over her to get a pillow off the bed he moves to the window and closes it, drawing the curtain again, and then settles on the ground to get some sleep. He looks up at Botan and smiles a little. "Oyasumi Botan-chan."
MWAHAHA I WILL write the next part and post it in one day!! ::clears throat:: so let me begins O_o
The woods are beautiful and the way the wind whips through her hair makes her giggle happily. For some reason she has been stressed out lately but it doesn't matter right now. All that matters is the sound of the bamboo in the wind, like the soft patter of a summer shower, sunlight gleaming through the foliage as she dodges thick patches of the stately plant, and the wind hitting her face like a blast of cool water washing it's way over her exposed skin and then flapping her kimono sleeves out behind her as her oar skims through the bamboo. Kimoshii She smiles and does a barrel roll through the forest. She takes a deep breath letting the smell of the bamboo fill her lungs, stretching calming fingers throughout her body. It's days like this that make her happy to be a spirit guide and have the ability to visit Ningenkai on occasion. She frowns as the air around her vibrates slightly with a new presence. It's not a bad presence, but she wants to be alone right now. "Botan?"
She looks around the forest and blinks trying to find the source of the voice but not seeing anything aside from the pretty brown, green and gold surroundings with patches of blue sky above occasionally. "Botan-san, please wake up."
"mou… don wanna." She hears herself mumble as the forest fades and she reaches out for it. She turns over in the bed and hunches into a ball of pink kimono.
"Botan-san." Kurama looks more impatient. "Ne, Botan-san." he puts his hand on her shoulder and shakes her gently, smiling when she swats at him still half conscious.
"Leemee lone."
"Botan, I can't let you alone. We're going to go check on the others, remember? And show them the book?"
Botan groans and rolls onto her back, her hair splayed out, now out of the rubber band that usually binds it. "Kuraaaamaaa-saaaan… don't make me wake up!" she squints at the sunlight streaming through the window still trying to catch her bearings as Kurama hides a snicker by coughing. She blinks a couple of times before sitting straight up in bed. "GAHH! I fell asleep in your bed!!" she turns and looks at Kurama, horrified. "I'm so sorry! You should have woken me up! KoEnma will wonder where I was! And you! Where did you sleep?!"
Kurama smiles and picks up a brush from his desk walking over and sitting next to her. "On the ground. Don't worry, KoEnma probably doesn't even know you're gone. You said yourself he was very busy."
Botan smoothes the wrinkles in her kimono and frowns at Kurama. "He doesn't notice me unless I'm NOT there. I have such a terrible time with him." She sighs and goes back to working at the stubborn wrinkles. She blinks as Kurama begins brushing her hair for her.
"He has a tough job." He says working at a knot.
Botan sighs and nods then stops so she doesn't mess up his brushing. "Ahh… well, I suppose it's hard when you're the son of a god. But really! He could say thank you occasionally. I've tried repeatedly to teach him some manners but he really won't be taught." She grins and undoes her obi from behind, re-wrapping her outer kimono before retying the knot of the obi again.
"Your job isn't easy either, Botan." Kurama says absently watching the brush slide through her hair before starting to pull it up into it's usual style.
"Ahh, but I'm used to it." Botan smiles and pats her hair. "Thanks! You're better at this than I am." She stands and claps her hands over her mouth. "May I use your toothpaste?"
Kurama nods and shows her to the bathroom handing her the tube then begins rummaging for a spare toothbrush but stops when Botan puts some on a finger and proceeds to brush just using that. "Yew know…" she mumbles through her finger as she vigorously rubs at her teeth, "I wonda wah we han't had mo prolms wif dis ririf ding…" she mumbles glancing at Kurama as he stands and puts some toothpaste on his own brush.
He turns and shrugs at her. "Maybe she only needs souls every so often. And she probably does a pretty good job of getting in and out unseen if she can shape shift into anyone she needs to." He begins brushing and Botan rinses her mouth with water.
"Ahh…" she looks as though she understands. "That makes sense." She splashes water on her face and dabs at the soap with a hand rubbing it on her face and neck making a face as she gets water on her kimono.
Kurama nods and rinses his mouth out.
"Hello!" Botan practically sings as she enters the flower shop with Kurama following close behind smiling at some girls as they squeal and wave at him.
"Ahh, Botan-san." Ken waves from the counter. "How did your research go?"
Botan grins and holds up a hand in an "ok" sign. "I think we've found something to go on!"
Youji pokes his head into the shop from the back room with a cup of ramen noodles in his hand. "So fast?" he glances at Aya. "Should we close shop?"
Aya looks unhappy with the prospect of talking to Botan at all but nods. He moves to the door and flips the sign from open to close as Youji flirts with the remaining customers, while shooing them out. "Come back tomorrow, girls. It's always nice to see such pretty faces."
"Mou Youji-kun, you're terrible, making us leave." A tall brunette pouts at him but allows herself to be ushered out when he puts a hand on her hip and directs her toward the door with a distinct blush coloring her face.
Ken locks the register and sits at one of the barstools by the counter. "So what did you get?"
Botan holds the book up showing it off to the others and flips through some pages until she finds the Lillith passage where she stops and reads aloud for the guys.
"So what does that have to do with the thing that has Omi? Are you saying the thing that looks like him is some ancient human come back to kill off anything she's given birth to?" Ken asks.
Botan blinks and glances at Kurama who smiles and nods. "Well you see," she begins, "Most myths are based in fact. And this is a myth that is rampant in Christian and Jewish cultures. So it was probably based on something. Maybe this demon that has Yuusuke and Omi-san lived in Europe and occasionally had to feed on human souls to survive, so she took some souls and helped the people create a story about an Eve that was banished to darkness and came back for revenge. Or someone who seduced men then killed them, you get the idea. So this was the closest match we could find to whoever has our friends. And it mentions an Amulet. Well, Hinageshi-chan is looking for information on the Amulet so she'll get in contact with me as soon as she's found it. And then we may be able to confront this demon." Botan nods and smiles.
Ken looks at her thoughtfully. Aya is glaring at the book as though it will solve the problem. Youji sighs. "So we can't do anything still?"
Botan scratches her necks and frowns. "I don't think it's safe. Kurama and I need to find Kuwa-chan and then we will at least have two people who can use ki to fight her."
Aya takes the book at her and looks at a picture of Lillith. "This picture." He says quietly.
Kurama steps forward and looks at it also. In the picture the creature looks like she's in pain, recoiling from something but the only thing in front of it is a wall with scratches on it. Aya turns the book in his hand and looks at the picture right side up. "This scratch in the wall…" he frowns and pulls a piece of scratch paper out beginning to draw on it. When he finishes he shows the paper to the others. On it are a series of three peaks the middle one being taller and having a line that extends and splits at the top where the upper bit is bent out at ninety degree angles. "That's what's on the wall." He says pointing to it.
Botan blinks and looks at it. "I've never seen that before." She digs her compact out of her kimono and flips it open pressing some buttons.
"Botan-san?" the image of a young girl with short red hair and a shrine priestess kimono and hakama pops up where the mirror would usually be. "Ahh good, you're ok! You didn't come back last night, I was worried about you. Where were you?"
Botan blushes for a moment then clears her throat.
"It's not important. Hinageshi-chan, I may have something to help you out." She sets the compact on the picture that Aya drew and presses a button. In a moment a picture of the symbol shows up in the compact then Hinageshi's face is there again. "Hey! I saw that in one of the books!" she disappears for a moment and there's a little bit of noise when she appears again. "Here it is!"
She flips through the book and begins reading. "These two ideograms were carved about 5,000 years ago on a rock wall in Cueva de los Letreros near Almeria in Spain. Nowadays nobody really knows what they meant." She blinks and looks at the book. "There's two, one doesn't have the little bent antennae things on it. Wait a minute let me send them to you."
In a moment, two images appear on the screen. (http://www.reikitantei.net/ez/lillith.gif, http://www.reikitantei.net/ez/lillith2.gif Images posted here)
"It's strange that no one knows what they meant though." Hinageshi looks confused. "Reikai has nearly every symbol recorded. I'll have to look around a little more. They don't even have a name for it."
Botan nods. "Thanks Hinageshi, I really appreciate it!"
"No problem Botan-san. Are you coming back tonight?"
Botan blushes again. "Yeah, I think so unless something happens."
"Did you stay with Keiko?" Hinageshi asks. "How's she doing? I don't get to see Keiko-chan very often."
Botan looks as though she's been in the sun too long. "No, I um… fell asleep at Kurama-san's house. Last time I saw Keiko she was doing well though, very happy. I'll try to be back tonight." She shuts the compact in a hurry and stuffs it into her kimono.
Kurama scratches his head and ignores the look Youji is giving him. "Shall we go?"
Ken finishes flushing himself and blinks at him. "Go where?"
"We may as well observe this demon." Kurama says. "But if you don't want to come you don't have to."
Aya frowns. "We'll come."
Youji puts an arm around Botan's shoulder and leans down next to her. "You can stay with me tonight if you want." He says suggestively with a lecherous grin.
"I JUST FELL ASLEEP!" Botan exclaims in exasperation glaring at Youji and pushing his hand off her shoulder.
"Youji stop harassing her." Ken says looking warily at the glare Kurama is giving the older boy. "We have to help Omi now."
Youji shrugs and winks at Botan. "So sorry kitten," he gestures toward the door. "After you."
Botan stalks out the door and Kurama sighs knowing this will be a long day.
(http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/04/0450.html)-Symbol information from symbols.com.
What do you know, it only took me an hour and a half to spit this out O_o I guess I do, do best when I've got a deadline. Doozo!