The votes are in and...

*drum roll*

No love triangle! (Sorry to those of you who wanted one.)

~*~*~*~*~ Roses and Peonies ~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 4 ~*~*~*~*~

Keiko didn't stop her bombardment of questions until she had unearthed every last detail of the attack in the park. Kurama and Yusuke's explanations were constantly interrupted with surprised gasps and even more questions. Yusuke was given the difficult task of explaining to her how Botan was hurt and consoling her at the same time. Keiko sprang to her feet and murmured something about them needing more tea. She rushed to the kitchen and hid behind the pantry door. They didn't need more tea; she just didn't want them to see her cry. Kurama signaled to Yusuke to avert his eyes and they both stared thoughtfully at their reflections in the teacup. When at last Keiko had cried her eyes out she returned with the teapot and politely gave Yusuke and Kurama refills. Neither commented on her red, puffy eyes.

"There is still one thing I don't quite understand," Keiko said after seating herself in a chair opposite of the one Kurama was sitting in, "You said the monster was really powerful but it sounds like the fight didn't last long."

A still standing Yusuke nodded and looked at Kurama, "Yeah! I only used the spirit gun once and he went down like a ton of bricks!"

"It's because that wasn't the monster's spirit energy, Baka."

Yusuke turned on Hiei, "What do you mean it wasn't the monster's spirit energy?"

Yusuke's tone suggested he was not at all happy about the demon startling him with his sudden appearance or being insulted.

Hiei gave a superior sounding cough which spoke volumes of what Hiei thought of Yusuke's intelligence, "Someone was obviously channeling their spirit energy into the beast. The monster itself was considerably weak, Kurama could have handled it on his own."

Yusuke blinked and looked back at Kurama who had suddenly found the pattern on his tea cup to be quite interesting indeed. Yusuke then turned back to Hiei and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Keiko.

"Hiei, would you like some tea?" Keiko said brightly already reaching for the tea kettle.

"Hn."

"Here you are." She handed the cup to Hiei, she had naturally assumed he'd wanted one, though she wasn't quite sure what "Hn." meant. Hiei took the cup but didn't drink from it.

"How can you channel spirit energy?" Yusuke managed to say at last.

Hiei made another sign of what he thought of Yusuke, "To explain how you do it would be a total and utter waste of time. Let me just assure you that is what happened."

Keiko got up and refilled Kurama's cup and the turned to Hiei with worry etched on her face, "But who's doing it?"

Silence met Keiko's query.

Kurama chose this time to speak, "Whoever is doing it is extremely powerful. It would be wise to be on our guard."

"Wow! We're in quite a pickle, aren't we?"

Everyone's attention turned to Botan. She was sitting on the couch with a very smug expression on her face.

"Botan!" Kurama, Keiko, and Yusuke chorused and all three rushed to her side. Keiko was the first to greet her friend with a hug.

"Botan, you're all right! You are, aren't you? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, Keiko! Never better!" Botan assured her.

"Are you sure? They told me what happened. What about this bruise-"

"I'm fine!" Botan persisted.

"But-"

Yusuke sighed and pulled Keiko away from Botan, "She's fine."

"But-"

This was hopeless.

Kurama examined the bruise on Botan's cheek and smiled warmly, "You're feeling well?"

"Yep! As good as new!" To prove her point she stood up and danced around the room.

Kurama laughed, "Good." He looked over at Yusuke who was desperately trying to ebb some of Keiko's concern. "Look, she's fine."

"But-"

"Kurama just said she was fine."

"But-"

"Keiko, why don't you make us some breakfast." Kurama suggested.

Keiko looked like a kid at Christmas, "I can do that!" She exclaimed. She'd completely forgotten her conversation with Yusuke, "I can make pancakes! I have blueberries! I can make blueberry pancakes!" She bolted toward the kitchen with a speed that would have put lightning to shame and assembled the ingredients, leaving the others with very stunned expressions on their faces.

"So," Yusuke said to Botan, "How long has she been on this cooking craze?"

Botan shrugged, "Ever since we got cable."

"What does cable have to do with it?"

Botan grinned, "She found out there was a channel entirely devoted to cooking. She watches it 24/7."

"Oh..." Yusuke was entranced by the whirlwind taking place in the kitchen.

Keiko stopped and glared at the others. She was vigorously stirring a batch of pancake batter and flour covered her face, making her look particularly frightening. "Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me and set the table?" Keiko said commandingly and as an afterthought she added, "You too, Hiei, if you don't help you won't get any food! You here me? Not so much as a scrap!" And the whirlwind started again.

"Hn!"

~*~*~*~*~

Everything was frozen. The walls were covered in ice. Snow covered everything, as far as the eye could see was nothing but a pallid field of blankness. There seemed to be no end. Dark and cold was the room. Black gloom clashed with the snowy white, a dismal and sinister shadow hung over the place. No light at all was found in this place. All seemed dead, dead and very, very, cold.

A dim, faded, gleam flickered across the colorless room. It kept flickering, it was mirror. A single mirror, icicles hung off the mirrors silver frame. The strange thing about the mirror was that it's glass did not reflect the snowy world before it, but images of things beyond. In the mirror, clearly emulated was the beast The very beast that had attacked Kurama, Botan, and Yusuke mere moments before. In fact there was clearly reflected on the monsters shoulder, was Kurama choking the monster with his rose whip. He shouted something, but the mirror offered no sound. The mirror flickered and their was Yusuke light erupted from his finger and hit the beast. As it hit the monster fell back. The mirror flickered and their was Botan, eyes wide with fear as the loose arm came closer. The mirror flickered and zoomed in on her face, the look of fear captured in the mirror's glass.

A single, pale hand waved and the mirror froze. Botan stopped mid scream. The hand reached out and rested against the cold glass. It traced Botan's face, the hand ran it's fingers along the outline of Botan's chin. The owner of the hand admired her features, her magenta eyes, wide and innocent, her beautiful blue hair, the color of ice. Most of all the owner of the hand the wonderful rosy color of her skin. How spectacular it looked against his own. A breathtaking contrast to the bleak land before him. The hand withdrew and rested upon the arm of the throne before the mirror. A smile played upon the man's thin lips.

~*~*~*~*~

I updated! All right!

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