Cry
By: Aimee (my cousin—posted by me though hehehe ^.^)
Botan looked out the shop window into the vast horizon, where the magnificent blaze of the setting sun was shining through. The skies above were beautifully blending in wondrous harmony with the changing hues, scattering the atmosphere of the early evening into everyone.
She sighed. It was just like before…
I'll always remember
It was late afternoon
"Arigatou gozaimasu! Please come again!"
Botan paid the cashier and headed out the shop, clutching the bouquet of red roses tightly. She bit her lip as she tried to focus on the path she was walking on…
…but couldn't.
It lasted forever
And ended so soon
The smell of red roses brought back the happy memories she had with him, the times they had spent together…walking through the sand…cuddling beneath the trees…talking, laughing…
Or simply just being with each other…
And she wished she could've stayed that way with him forever.
You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
Botan's eyes became watery as she remembered his last days with her. They had so much fun together…but now…he was gone.
Fate had taken him away from her just like that.
Why now…? Now that she had finally fulfilled his wish? Now that she had become an ordinary ningen only for his sake…just to be with him…always…and make him happy…
Doushite, Kurama-kun…? She looked up the slowly darkening sky, her eyes tearing up, as if hoping that he would just appear from the heavens above and wipe her tears away, just like he had always done so before…
Doushite…?
I was changed
She shook her head, willing herself not to cry, not when she was in the middle of the street. She walked around the block and reached the peaceful cemetery, where the only man who had given her true love was now at rest…finally…away from his dangerous missions as a Reikai Tantei…away from all the pain and cruelty of this world…away from the uncertainty and suffering…
…and away from her…
In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
She walked over to Kurama's grave, inhaling the fragrance of the red roses in her hands. "Aishiteru yo…Kurama…" she whispered, smiling wistfully at his name engraved intricately on the beautiful marble stone. She was just about to bend down and place the roses on the foot of the stone, but then—
It was then that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
Kurama was standing there, smiling at her, holding a graceful red rose. Botan watched as he took a step closer to her, and gently touched her cheek…
She took the rose and planned to hug him, but before she could touch his skin…and feel the warmth of his body against hers, he disappeared instantly. And she never even caught a last glimpse of his sparkling green eyes…once so full of life…gazing back lovingly at her…
She realized how truly cruel life could be, to give her such a bittersweet dream that would never happen in reality.
The moment I saw you cry
Botan fell on her knees and hugged herself, as fresh tears began to trickle down again.
It was late in September
And I've seen you before
He looked around tentatively, taking in every inch of the Ningenkai air…and every aspect of the human world. He glanced down at his own hands, flexing his fingers and feeling his skin, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Hesitantly, he reached over to a man standing nearby and touched his shoulder. And to his utter surprise, he felt the solid contact run through his fingers and through his body. The man jerked in shock, but turned to his direction and didn't see anything, or anyone, for that matter.
Kurama smiled. Koenma-sama had been true to his word. He was back in Ningenkai.
And he had an hour to see Botan again.
You were always the cold one
But I was never that sure
He went into his old house. The emptiness was overwhelming and the silence was deafening, and at once he felt an indescribable hollow feeling at the bottom of his heart. He paced on, and with every turn he took, flashes of memories would come flooding back into him. But when he reached the living room, he encountered the most heartbreaking memory of all.
On the center table was a photo album filled with pictures of him with his friends…
And with Botan.
You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
He gently flipped through the pages, every image of her slowly crushing his heart. Then he stopped at a portrait of the two of them, underneath the beautifully moonlit sky littered with stars…He gingerly ran his finger down Botan's beautiful, smiling face, and swallowed heavily. He glanced at the clock. He still had a little more time left to see her.
I was changed
Kurama flipped the album shut and sensed Botan's ki. She was nowhere near that side of town, and he hurried out of his house, frantically trying to figure out where she could've gone.
But then he remembered what Koenma-sama had told him before he left Reikai. Licking his lips nervously, he dashed down the street towards the town cemetery.
Matte, Bo-chan…kudasai…
In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
Kurama reached his grave just in time to see the woman he'd longed to see again after such a long time…the woman who'd made him realize how it felt to love someone…and the woman who broke the barrier between Shuuichi Minamino and Youko Kurama…
And loved him back for who he really was…
Botan…
It was then that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
She was still the same…still the very same glowing beauty that had captivated his heart…the long, silky blue strands, the soulful orbs of soft violet, the perfect cherry lips, and the most amazing face in the whole world…
I wanted to hold you
I wanted to make it go away
Kurama watched in despair as her crystal-clear tears flowed freely from her eyes. Damn…he'd give anything to wipe them all away…
I wanted to know you
I wanted to make your everything
Alright
Kurama ached to touch her, to hug her and to tell her that everything would be okay, that things would be alright…to comfort her, to tell her that…that he would always be with her everywhere she would go…and that his heart would always be with her for all eternity…
For all eternity…
I'll always remember
Botan swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to hold back her tears. She put the flowers down and placed a picture of both of them on top of the tombstone. She stood there in silence for a while, then, she backed away, sobbing uncontrollably.
It was late afternoon…
And that was when Kurama reached out and touched Botan's cheek. Her eyes flicked open, as she recognized that touch oh-so-well…
She turned around.
In places no one will find…
The heavens opened. A ray of light shone marvelously from it.
And there, standing right in front of her, was Kurama, silhouetted in the light.
Botan's reddened eyes widened. Oh, Kami-sama… Her hands flew immediately to her mouth in her silent gasp, as her lips trembled again, staring unbelievably at the figure in front of her. "Kurama…"
In places no one will find
He smiled. He couldn't believe it. Botan had seen him! He took a step towards her, but Botan stepped back. It stabbed a knife right through his heart. Why? Why was Botan afraid of him? Had she not wanted to see him as much as he'd wanted to see her all these years…?
"Kurama…" Botan whispered again. She saw the look in his pained eyes and it broke what was left of her heart. She'd hesitated. She'd withdrawn. She'd backed away from his love. How could she have denied the one person she'd been crying over for such a long time?
All your feelings so deep inside
At once, tears sprang into her eyes again. "Kurama…I'm scared…"
Kurama stepped closer again but this time, she did not move away. He reached out and touched Botan's cheeks, wiping away the tears. "Don't be scared, Bo-chan…"
Botan closed her eyes and savored the feel of his hand on her skin. "I don't want you to leave again…" she breathed, her voice trembling.
It was then that I realized
Kurama smiled and slowly wrapped his arms around her, and she cuddled closer, finally giving in. She sobbed into his chest. He hugged her tighter and leaned in close to her ear. "Daijoubu, Botan-chan…I'll always be with you, in your heart."
That forever was in your eyes
And with that, Botan felt his warm embrace begin to loosen, and she looked up to see his arms around her slowly slipping away. This was it. He was leaving. He was leaving her again.
"Iie," she whispered, clenching her trembling fists. "Iie, Kurama…don't go…"
The light above shone more brightly and Kurama gave her one, last smile. "Aishiteru…Botan-chan…"
Botan reached out to touch him again, her tears streaming endlessly. But it was too late. Her hand caught nothing but air, the light was gone, and Kurama had left her, leaving only a glowing long-stemmed rose on the pavement where he'd stood upon.
"Iie!!!!!!!!!!!"
The moment I saw you cry
It had been a while since that encounter on the cemetery. Botan chose not to tell anyone about it, not even Keiko. She had even refused to speak about him. And for a long time everyone had thought she'd gotten over him.
But they never knew how she would lock herself up in her room every night, and cry herself to sleep.
I think I saw you cry
A moment I saw you cry
Tonight was pretty much the same. She sat by the windowsill, shedding her usual evening tears silently, and looked up at the sky again, gazing at the heavens above. And as if on cue, a shooting star streaked right across it.
I wanted to know you
Botan sighed. She looked down at the bedside table beside her, where she'd placed the glowing blood red rose in an elegant glass vase. The rose never needed to be watered, or given sunlight, or given air at all, and it wouldn't stop glowing. Somehow, the rose was more radiant than ever tonight.
Silently, she made her wish. And a tear fell directly on one of the rose's petals. The rose glowed even brighter.
Botan smiled. With that simple response from the one she loved, she knew that her wish had just come true.
I wanted to know you…
~OWARI~
Hey people :D hehe la lng. My cousin Aimee wrote this songfic some time ago and she just kind of wanted to know if I could post it here, since I'm a member of FF.net and she's just too LAZY to register herself (oi aimee! Mag register ka na kasi eh! ^.^) so anyway, reviews are very much welcome, okay? I'll be happy to tell her every detail of what you think of her fic :D