Hello again! I'm trying to get these out with spaced periods of time so that they don't take too long. I'm really liking the way this story is coming and I hope others are too. Thanks for all the good reviews, and I hope you keep 'em up!

Disclaimer: I don't own this show or the characters.

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The next morning, Botan rolled over and was met by the bright rays of the sun. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block it out, but no luck. She opened them and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Botan looked around and realized she was back in her room, 'How did I get back in here?' She wondered, recalling last night. Yusuke or Kuwabara would have woken her up and Hiei would have just left her there, so it must have been Kurama. She blushed slightly, remembering falling asleep against him, 'He's always so considerate.' She mused and climbed out of bed. With a yawn, she made her way to her bathroom and shut the door behind her.

After a hot shower and a change of clothes, Botan opened the door and stepped back into her room. She was dressed in a pink one-piece swimsuit and an ankle length, flower printed cover-up. Her damp hair was up in its usual ponytail with a pair of pink sandals on her feet and pink-rimmed sunglasses resting atop her head.

She decided to step out on the balcony before finding the others and beginning another day. She was met by a warm breeze of salty air and the bright sun. The backside of the hotel overlooked the ocean but was separated by a forest of tropical trees. It seemed that there were only trees but on a close examination, there were pools, gazebos, hot tubs, and spas. On one end of the beach, the forest was lined with shacks for drinks, food, rental equipment, and picnic tables. Next to the hotel, an amphitheater was set up with a dome for the upcoming competition.

Botan would have loved nothing more than to just relax and enjoy every moment, but they were on a mission. The owner of the hotel, Aioshi Hitosuke, occupied the entire top floor, which was filled with rare artifacts and items, one of which was stolen from Rekai.

The Phlora Gem.

It was the last gift presented to Enma from his now deceased wife and a precious treasure. Any other object would not have been worth the effort, but it meant to world to Enma-Daioh and his son and they would do anything to get it back. No one knew for sure if he had stolen it or if it was one of his men, but the winner of the competition would be given one request from Hitosuke himself.

The deity smiled to herself, as long as she didn't have to sing, she would enjoy this mission. But a frown appeared on her face; she felt as though something else was going to happen, and it wasn't good. Before she could start on another thought, she was jolted into reality when the balcony door next to her slid open and Kurama stepped out.

She watched him shut the door behind him and turn around, surprised to see Botan staring at him, "Botan? I didn't expect to see you out here."

"Well hello to you too." She joked. Taking a moment to study him, she noticed that he was wearing green sandals, tan shorts and a green button-up T-shit, which was left wide open, giving Botan a great view of his well- toned chest. Realizing she was staring, she immediately turned away, blushing bright red.

"Did you sleep well?" He inquired, always being the polite one.

She nodded and turned back to him, controlling her pink cheeks, "Thanks for carrying me up last night, I know it was you."

"You looked too peaceful to wake..and besides, waiting up until three in the morning for us must have been quite tiring." He added his last phrase quickly, realizing the words that had slipped out of his mouth.

Obviously, she didn't notice and leaned against the railing, looking out towards the sea, "Anyway, thank you." There was a few minutes of silence as they both enjoyed each others' company. Kurama took this chance to take in Botan. The wind stirred her hair slightly, bring her scent of Jasmine towards him. She smiled and closed her eyes against the breeze, 'Does she even realize how beautiful she is?' He wondered, thinking back to all the times she wore her loose kimono and baggy clothing. This was the first time he had seen her accentuate her curves, and it drove him crazy.

Finally, Botan spoke up again, "Well, I think it's time we go and meet up with the others, besides, I'm really hungry!" She chirped and smiled brightly.

He nodded, "Alright then." Kurama turned back into his room and shut the door behind him. Botan followed in suit and grabbed her key card along the way. The two met in the hall and walked silently, side by side, to the elevators.

*~*~*~*~*

"So what's keepin' Botan and Kurama?" Kuwabara managed to say as he shoveled food into his mouth. He and Yusuke were towards the center of the tropical forest at an outdoor restaurant, eating breakfast. Yusuke had a reasonably sized plate of food while Kuwabara had quite a bit more. Off to the side, was Hiei, in the shade with his arms behind his head.

Yusuke winced as food flew from Kuwabara's mouth, directly at him, "Hey, watch it. Slow down, Kuwabara, before someone looses an eye." The spirit detective was dressed in blue swimming shorts and a yellow T-shirt with a blue baseball hat turned backwards on his head.

"Oi!! I can eat as much as I want! It's all free!" He snapped. The mighty Kuwabara was in red shorts and a gray tank top with gray sandals.

"Why don't you shut your mouth when you eat, it's really disgusting to watch." Hiei snorted from his place in the shadows. The fire demon was wearing his regular black pants and boots without the shirt. He shifted his head to the side when a fork embedded itself in the tree next to him.

Kuwabara was bright red with veins popping up everywhere, "Shut up Shimp!!" He growled, causing a few people to stare at him.

Yusuke laughed nervously and sweatdropped, "H-Hey now, calm down." He noticed two figures moving down the path towards them, "Look, here come Kurama and Botan." Kuwabara calmed down and watched them come while Hiei barely spared them a glance.

They walked side by side, barely inches apart with Kurama smiling and Botan giggling furiously. When they noticed the others ahead, Botan waved an arm high in the air. As they came to the table, Yusuke spoke, "So, you finally woke up, did ya?" He teased. Kurama took an empty chair next to Yuske while Botan still stood.

"I'm going to go get some food." She turned and made her way to the buffet table where she began to pick up various things.

Back at the table, Yusuke turned to the kitsune, "Now it's hard to believe that you and Botan woke up at the same time." He smirked devilishly.

Kurama glanced lazily at him, "I was down at the beach training and went back to my room to wash up when Botan and I met up."

"Whatever, you are way too weird Kurama." Kuwabara shrugged and continued his assault on the food infront of him.

"Kuwabara, slow down! You're such a pig!" Yusuke snapped.

"Say that again?" He raised an irritated eyebrow. While the two argued, Kurama tuned them out and watched Botan speak with a woman behind the counter. As he did, a voice broke through his head, 'You're getting soft.' Hiei, of course.

'What are you talking about, Hiei?' Kurama asked, looking at the koorime.

'It's obvious that you're showing weak emotions to the deity.' He jerked his head towards the blue haired woman.

Before Kurama could counter, Botan returned to the table and plopped down with a big grin on he face, "Boy am I starved!" They noticed she had two plates of food and Yusuke was about to tease her about the amount when she pushed one plate to the opposite side of the table to Kurama, "Here you are, I figured that since I was up, I could get you something too."

He looked down at the plate and then up at Botan with a small smile, "Thank you, Botan."

Kuwabara began snickering and chanting, "Kurama and Botan sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-" Before he could continue, he was on the floor with swirls in his eyes. Botan had 'accidentally' kicked his chair out from under him.

"Oops." She stated innocently before beginning to eat.

Yusuke began laughing and threw back his head, "Good one Botan!" Kurama noticed that in the corner, Hiei was smirking at the deity's handiwork. The rest of breakfast consisted of idle talk and comments. No one said anything else rash or offensive, but they agreed to begin practicing afterwards.

The group had assembled down at the beach-front where a small cement slab was placed and they set up their instruments. No one wanted to admit it, but they were all quite nervous to listen to Botan play the keyboard. She noticed the nervous glances as she plugged in a wire to the speaker and sighed irritably.

"Fine! I'll show you that I can play!" She shouted and stomped over to her keyboard. Looking at their curious/anxious/nervous faces, she readied her fingers and began playing. (AN: If you've ever heard 'Angel Eyes' by Jim Brickman, then that's what Botan's playing) It was a beautiful melody and played perfectly with grace and style. The boys were stunned into silence, even Hiei seemed surprised by the deity's talent. She looked up from her moving fingers and smiled devilishly at them. When the song came to an end, she crossed her arms, "See, I can play the piano just as well as you boys play your instruments!" She huffed.

"No way!!" Kuwabara exclaimed. She glared at him, but he continued, "You play a whole lot better than we do!"

Botan's glare melted into a smile and she winked, "Well, I dunno about that," She pointed a finger at them, "But you better not dare say I can't play." She warned.

"Well, now that that's out if the way, let's practice a bit." They all agreed and got into position, "Hmm, I suppose we could try this one." He held up a sheet that read 'Dreams' at the top. The others flipped through their music and set up their sheets in front of them. Once ready, they turned to Yuske for the signal. There was a pause before he nodded at Botan and Kurama. They looked at each other before he began plucking the strings sharply at the same time her fingers hit the keys and their song began.

(AN: SONG FIC TIME!!! If you don't wanna read it, it's in detail with the song and basically goes through some scenes of the team at the resort before the competition and practicing.)

The scene starts on Botan's fingers as they play the beginning of the song. After a few measures of the melody, it switches to Kurama's fingers plucking the strings in rhythm. They let the music die for a moment, before starting up again with Kuwabara on the drums. The scene flips to his sticks flying across the drums and cymbal. Towards the end of the opening melody, Hiei strikes up with a thicker, guitar sound. The focus is on his hands as they fly faster than the others. Now the scene is of the four of them playing in unison and smiling/smirking before quickly panning over to Yusuke as his first words come out.

World turns black and white

Pictures in an empty room

Botan is standing next to Kuwabara as he plays his part of the drums. She shakes her head and points to the notes. A look of realization crosses his face and he grins stupidly. He begins to play again and this time, Botan claps her hands together in appraisal. From his place, Hiei smirks, closes his eyes and mumbled something audible. Kuwabara looks up and shouts at the fire demon from his stool. Next to him, Botan sweatdrops and attempts to calm him down

Your love starts fallin' down

Better change your tune

Hiei and Kurama are sitting in the shade, away from the others, practicing on their own. They stop and acknowledge each other's abilities before continuing. In the distance, under a different tree, Yusuke is lying on his stomach, going through the music sheets before him. He has a pen in his hand and is writing all around the paper with a slightly annoyed expression across his face.

Reach for the golden ring

Reach for the sky

Baby just spread your wings

The group is attempting to pack up their instruments. Botan is folding her keyboard down while attaching the strap to both ends. Kurama and Hiei are sliding their guitars into the leather cases and winding up the wires. Yusuke has taken apart his microphone and put the pieces into a small black box. Kuwabara is attempting to break down the drums, but isn't having much luck. The large bass drum is knocked off its stand and goes rolling off the stand and onto the beach, towards the ocean. Yusuke and Kuwabara's eyes both bug out and they go chasing after it. But the drum rolls into the sea and Yusuke skids to a stop, not wanting to get wet. Kuwabara, however, runs into Yusuke and sends them both into the ocean. They come up sputtering and begin arguing back and forth, the drum drifting away.

We'll get higher and higher straight up we'll climb

We'll get higher and higher leave it all behind

On the beach, the other three are watching in amusement. Botan begins giggling at the sight while Kurama watches her with a faint smile. She begins laughing and hops off the podium and into the sand, turning around and holding her hands out, as if urging Kurama to follow. When he doesn't move, she grabs his hands and pulls him to the sand. He stumbles but she laughs and twirls around and jumps back towards the sea. Following, they step in up to their ankles and watch as the sun begins to set in the distance. Hiei is watching everything in disgust and turns to leave, when he is suddenly doused by sea water. With a large vein popping out, he turns to see Kuwabara standing with a bucket in his hands, laughing idiotically. In anger, Hiei charges him, but Kuwabara runs to the ocean, expecting Hiei not to follow, but the koorime does. He tackles the taller boy and submerges him in the ocean, grinding his teeth in anger. Botan, Kurama and Yusuke to hold back their laughter of the funny scene consisting of Hiei perched on Kuwabara's shoulders dunking his head into the ocean.

Run, run, run away

Like a train runnin' off the tracks

Botan wakes up one morning and goes to her balcony to watch the sun rise. As she leans against the railing, she notices a faint figure on the beach. It's Kurama, who's training. He's only wearing green pants and sweat is beading down his face. Botan continues to stare dreamily as he jumps into the air and kicks. The sun outlines him form, which gives off nothing but a serious and unfeeling vibration. He pauses to take a drink of water and wipe the sweat away from his forehead, when he notices a glint of blue. Squinting, he makes out Botan's faint form. She smiles and waves enthusiastically at him. His cold exterior melts and he waves back, although less energetically.

The truth gets left behind

Fall between the cracks

Yusuke and Kuwabara are at the pool. Yusuke is swimming like a frog through the water while Kuwabara is climbing up the diving board. He walks to the end and begins to bounce, getting higher and higher. Once he's ready, he leaps forward in an attempt to do a dive, but it comes out as a big belly flop. Yusuke begins to laugh as Kuwabara surfaces, bright red on his front side. The scene changes to the two of them spreading out their towels on the beach. Half an hour later, they are entering the resort, burnt to a crisp. They are seen by Botan and Kurama who are at the indoor restaurant. The two begin to laugh and the boys stomp up to their room angrily.

Standing on broken dreams

Never loosing sight

Well just spread your wings

The boys, excluding Hiei, are at the indoor gym, sparing with each other to perfect their hand-to-hand combat skills. Yusuke and Kuwabara are fighting together while Kurama is off on the sides, drinking water. When the two take a break, they all realize that they are surrounded by a large group of girls from the resort. They all have hearts in their eyes and urge them to continue fighting. With nervous looks, they glance around when they notice Botan pushing he way through. She puts her hands on her hips and points to the clock. They realize it's time to practice so they quickly gather up their things and run out of the gym at full speed dragging a confused Botan along. The group of girls watch with tears in their eyes as they depart.

We'll get higher and higher straight up we'll climb

We'll get higher and higher leave it all behind

Yusuke is singing his lines with the music as the camera pans around the group. Hiei is smirking while Kurama is smiling at him. Kuwabara seems to be beating the drums for all it's worth and Botan is smiling brightly. There's a flash of Yusuke's face, Hiei's fingers, Kurama's fingers, Kuwabara's drumsticks and Botan's fingers. They all seem to be enjoying themselves, including Hiei.

So baby dry your eyes

Save all the tears you've cried

Botan is sitting in her room, reading a book. It's dark outside and most of the resort is asleep. She turns the page, but closes the book instead of reading and sets it down. She turns to the window and stares at the full moon. Tears come to her eyes as a flash of a violet haired girl with red eyes passes through her mind. Botan shakes her head and wipes away the tears, standing abruptly. She walks over to her door and opens it, stepping into the empty, quiet hallway. She softly makes her way to the elevator and goes down to the ground floor. She goes to the beach and walks through the waves with a calm face.

Ohh that's what dreams are made of

'Cause we belong in a world that must be strong

Ohh that's what dreams are made of

Kurama looks up from his book with curiosity, sensing something. He sets aside his book and walks to the door, opening it a crack. He watches Botan's figure disappear into the elevator and he decides to follow her. As she takes the elevator, he takes the stairs and follows her down the path to the back. Kurama makes sure not to draw her attention to him but stops at the beach line, since there are no more trees to shadow his movement. He watches her stand in the waves for a moment before approaching. She turns around in surprise, and relaxes when she notices it's only him. They share a few words before he steps up next to her. They watch the moonlight's reflection shimmer on the ocean surface when Botan leans her head against Kurama's shoulder. At first, he tenses, but then relaxes and slowly brings an arm up around her shoulder to keep her warm.

We'll get higher and higher straight up we'll climb

Higher and higher leave it all behind

Oh we'll get higher and higher who knows what we'll find

The group is in a secluded part of the beach without a single person nearby. The four boys are training again with each other and are using their spirit energy. Kuwabara and Yusuke are simply testing themselves while Kurama and Hiei are going all out. They're hopping from tree to tree and like flashes of lightening, they meet in the middle. Off to the sides, at a safe distance, Botan is leaning against a tree. She was reading a book but now it was turning over beside her and she was asleep. Now, Yusuke and Kuwabara are done fighting and walk over to get their water bottles. Kuwabara notices the sleeping girl and smirks deviously to himself. He runs over and fills up his mysterious bucket again with sea- water. Running back, he prepares to dump it over the oblivious deity when a hand snatches his wrist. He turns to see a very pissed Kurama shaking his head 'no'. Out of fear, Kuwabara backs away, laughing nervously and sets the bucket down. Kurama watches him go before turning back to Botan. With a small smile, he turns away and returns to fighting with Hiei.

So baby dry your eyes

Save all the tears you've cried

Yusuke is singing again with sweat plastering his hair to his face. The day was extremely hot and none of them wants to be practicing but it has to be done. Kuwabara sighs and throws his sticks to the ground. He gets up, removes his sweaty shirt and runs for the beach. He hits the waves and comes out sputtering with a smiling face. The others stop to watch before Yusuke runs and joins him. Botan shrugs and follows, dragging Kurama and Hiei along with her. The fire demon is shouting and cursing but doesn't make any move to break away. Kurama knows that he doesn't really mind getting cooled off on the hot day. Moment later, they are all in the cool ocean water. Hiei makes sure to stay clear the others but doesn't leave the water. Kurama joins him silently and they watch their three companions splash each other.

Ohh that's what dreams are made of

Ohh baby we belong in a world that must be strong

Ohh that's what dreams are made of

It's dinnertime and the group is assembled in Yusuke and Kuwabara's room. They are sitting in a circle on the floor, except Hiei, who is by the window. They have plates of food around them as well as sheets of music scattered about. Botan is pointing to a certain sheet and saying something about it. The others agree and she smiles before popping a carrot into her mouth. Kuwabara shouts something and Yusuke punches him for it. They begin wrestling again and Botan manages to move the music while Kurama get the foot out of the way just in time. The sigh in relief before glaring at the two with annoyed looks. They stop their fighting and gaze up innocently before Botan whacks them both on the head with her oar. To any normal person, they would look like a group of arguing teens, but on closer inspection, they were a family and a very close one at that.

And in the end on dreams we will depend

'Cause that's what love is made of.

The group is still in the room with dirty dishes and music scattered about. The boys are lying on the floor, sleeping with blankets covering them. Kuwabara and Yusuke are lying next to each other while Kuwabara is snoring loudly. Yusuke has his hand smacked over his mouth, muffling the noise. Hiei is close by, but sitting up against the wall with his arms crossed beneath the blanket. A few feet away from Yusuke, Kurama has his head on a pillow and his arms loosely at his sides. Botan is the only one up and she is sitting on the couch, watching them sleep with sad eyes. She's always wanted to be accepted by them, but knows that she never will be, since she's a girl and technically dead. She moves to get up and go to her room when suddenly, Kurama's voice startles her. She turns around to see him propped up on one elbow, staring at her tiredly.

"Where are you going, Botan?" He asked.

She smiled amidst the shadows, "Oh, I'm just going to my room, you know, to sleep?"

"Why not sleep here, it's not as if we bite?" He teased softly, but with lazy eyes.

"But I-" She began but Yusuke's voice cut her off.

"Oh c'mon Botan. Kurama's right, we don't bite, besides, you have every right to be here with us," He murmured, "We're a team and teams stick together." He rolled over and smiled at her.

Kuwabara opened one eye, "Urameshi's right. Just 'cause you're a girl doesn't mean you can't sleep in here. You're like our sister."

Botan's eyes began to water up as she listened to their comments. Then, Hiei spoke, "Why don't you just lay down and sleep so I can do the same." She wiped her tears away roughly; this was Hiei's way of saying she could stay.

"You guys.." She trailed off.

"Now get down here, my side's getting' cold." Yusuke murmured as Kurama scooted over. Cautiously, she crawled in between the two and Kurama draped his blanket over her. She curled up against the red haired kitsune as Kuwabara's voice floated out.

"Tomorrow's the day when everyone else is arriving. I wonder what they'll be like.." He slurred some inaudible words before completely falling back asleep.

"Not..a..clue." Botan mumbled as she, too dozed off with a content smile on her lips. Yusuke and Hiei were already fast asleep and Kurama was soon joining them. Unconsciously, his arm draped itself over Botan in a protective manor. Yes, starting tomorrow, a lot would change.

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AHHHHHHH!!!! Sorry it took so long! This song fic was just about impossible to finish. I had a lot of trouble attempting to stick in moments of everyone. Also, I know some characters, probably all, may seem OOC but it's too hard to get their personas into my story. 'Till next time!

Next time:

As the other bands begin to arrive, the Poltergeist Crew meet some friendly faces and some no-so-friendly ones. Then, to top it off, there's a luau (sp?) as an opening celebration!

Funny quote:

Before you say something mean about someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then shout it at them and run away. This way, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.