~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 21~*~*~*~*~

The garden was in bloom. The roses had bloomed in all their splendor. Flowers erupted everywhere in vibrant colors of pink, red, blue, and purple. Everywhere Botan looked she was drowning in a sea of color. She inclined her head toward the nearest rose. A red one. Its soft velvet petals were radiant, bathed in the sun's golden light. Sunlight filtered through the petal giving them a translucent opulence.

The sweet fragrance of the rose wafted to her nose on a cool breeze. It filled her nostrils and wrapped its delicate bouquet around her mind. How wonderful it smelled. How wonderful it was.

All her troubles seemed to be washed away by the perfume. She could try all she liked but her mind could not bring to surface a single memory of days not spent in this garden, a time when she had not been content. Strange, it didn't so much as startle her when she found her own name was but a vague reminiscence. It took her a moment to even recall what it sounded like.

"Botan..."

That was her name. But it wasn't she who had said it. But though her name was vague the owner of the voice was a clear and present fact.

"Kurama!"

There he stood. She remembered him. In a million years she could not forget him. His deep, emerald eyes, and the way they shone with depth as the sun hit them. Or his hair, the deep and brusque color of a red rose. He was smiling. A smile that light up his features and surrounded him in a sort of heavenly glow.

She smiled too. A smile wide and gleeful. Exactly what a smile should be. A smile that was the fruit of pure joy. One that came to ones lips as freely and undaunted as spring emerging from under winter's snow. A smile not forced.

Kurama's arms were open, waiting to receive her. Who was she to disappoint? She ran into them. His warmth encircled her and shielded her from all that was wrong. The cold would never touch her again. That was the promise his warmth pledged.

~*~*~*~*~

Kurama entered the room. It was a rather small circular room. Hardly something you'd expect to see behind those grand doors. It looked like every other room in the castle. Hardly special at all. Walls made of ice and packed snow, as well as the floor and ceiling. Hanging from the ceiling was a chandelier. Though, whoever would be inane enough to make a chandelier out of ice was beyond him.

But there was something special about the room. Something that set this room apart from every other bleak and empty room in this castle.

It was the fact that this room wasn't empty. In the center of the room was a full-length mirror.

At first Kurama paid no attention to it. He merely acknowledged it was odd to place a mirror in the center of the room. Then he looked at it, he truly looked at it. And for a moment he thought he was imagining things. He blinked once and yet the object of his bemusement was still there. Perhaps it was a trick of the light? No, light could never do that.

He took a step closer to the mirror. The image it reflected did not disappear. With a calculating hand he reached out and touched the mirror's surface. The glass was cold and he nearly pulled his hand away from instinct. The image was still there.

Botan's fair, sleeping visage was still reflected in the mirror glass.

"Beautiful, isn't she?"

Kurama hastily drew his hand from the glass at the sound of the voice. Though not turning fully, he moved himself to an angle that he could see the owner from.

There Hakuma stood, in all his demon glory. His ningen clothes had been cast off and replaced with princely looking garbs. A long silver cape fanned out behind him as he advanced a couple of steps.

"I thought so the first time I glimpsed her in my mirror. How majestic she looked, how vibrant was her color against the winter gray. Her cheeks flushed and red from the cold and yet her smile still dazzled me. She was so innocent, so pure. I knew at that moment I had to have her. Such a thing so pure had to be mine."

Kurama stared in disbelief. But that emotion only graced his features for a moment. Soon his eyes narrowed with well-controlled anger. His cool intellect was working hard in formulating a plan. Hakuma's sudden confession had caught him off guard, but not completely. He had enough of his wits about him to be incensed beyond all rational thought. Speaking of Botan as if she was mere possession! A toy to play with! He would not stand for such things. He could not stand for such things. Speaking in a very calm voice-though any trained psychologist would be able to detect the rage that laced his words- he said, "She is not a thing."

Hakuma raised an eyebrow, his primary confidence fading fast as he realized Kurama was more then apt to match it. Perhaps he'd underestimated him.

"A thing, by definition, is a material object. Botan is a person, a single, solitary individual. Thus, she can not be possessed as you would a thing. You have no more rights to her then I."

Hakuma swallowed the sudden bout of incompetence he was feeling and answered with as much serenity as he could muster, "Of course, my dear boy. But you were wrong near the end there."

The ice demon paused a moment to receive Kurama's startled expression. When he got none, he continued.

"You see I do have a great deal more rights to her then you do. You see, young Botan is my bride-to-be."

Kurama's temper went up a notch, though he didn't show it. The thought of Botan marrying this imbecile was so utterly ridiculous that had the kitsune been in a better mood he would have been stifling laughter.

But as it happened, Kurama was not in a better mood. The thought of Botan even remotely involved with this cretin was not comical but infuriating. And he couldn't stand his mindless blather anymore.

"I've had enough," he expressed before brandishing his rose whip.

~*~*~*~*~

Arisu rocked on her heels in the center of her cell. It was uncomfortably small. It couldn't have been more then 6 foot by 6 foot. It's walls were made of horrible bleak gray slate and the only light was filtered in through the barred window.

The cell was stale. The air itself seemed lifeless and old. The smell that entered her nostrils reminded her of old bread that had been left out for far too long. To the point where it was no longer soft and moist but hard and dry.

The first thing she did when she'd entered the cell was drop to the floor and curl up in to a fetal position. She'd been like that for the past hour. Rocking back and forth reflecting on the desperation of her situation.

She had many things to despair about. The fact she was sitting in a cell. Her brother rushing head on into a situation he knew nothing about. But the thought that ambled its way through her mind most of all was that of Koenma.

How he'd looked away.

Every time she thought of the look of scorn the prince had expressed it tore her heart out. So what if he'd been in his toddler form? His eyes were the same. The same old and caring eyes she looked into so many times. It was the same Koenma. It was the Koenma who had held her hand in his. The very same.

And he'd looked away.

In a sense she was glad he hadn't been in his teenage form. Thankful she hadn't seen his pained look to its full extent.

But the fact still remained. He'd looked away.

It was her own fault though. She'd betrayed him. Why? She honestly couldn't say. All she knew was that she was a fool for doing so. The minute she'd told her brother she'd help him was the minute she'd signed away Koenma's trust forever.

She understood why he hadn't looked at her. She understood she didn't deserve his forgiveness.

None the less, burning tears still stun her eyes every time she thought of it.

How could she be so dense? So stupid? Why did she have to do it? Why did she?

Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY!

The question rang in her ears. A question she'd never be able to answer. Not even if she devoted her entire life to the study of it. The question burned itself into the membrane of her mind and she asked it over and over again. And ever time she asked it a feasible answer escaped her.

She finally gave up on her effort of holding her tears back and let them flow. Down her cheeks and soothing the burning question.

So enveloped in her own self pity, Arisu didn't even notice when someone opened the cell door.

She remained negligent until the figure announced its presence with a cough.

Arisu looked up to find a blue ogre staring dumbly down at her.

"Excuse me, Miss, but would you please follow me?" He asked with a very strange sense of uncertainty about him.

Arisu nodded mutely and rose from her position on the floor, slightly self-conscious about her tear stained face. But whether the ogre didn't notice or was too polite, he didn't say anything and merely beckoned her out of the cell.

She wanted to ask where she was going. Where was he taking her? But she remained silent, sure her voice was still broken from the amount she'd cried. She followed the mysterious ogre down several hallways and doors. All in silence. Every once and awhile he'd look behind him to check if she was still there but as soon has her presence was confirmed he turned back to face front.

Soon Arisu was surprised that they were outside. She looked around her in the sudden wonder of being outside in the Ningenki. What was going on exactly? What was she doing out here? She turned to the blue ogre with full intention to ask him what was going on but he spoke first.

"Master Koenma has given you full pardon."

Arisu stared at him, mouth open and aghast. Koenma?

"He requested I give you this." He quickly shoved a brown package into Arisu's hands and rushed back in doors without another word.

Arisu stood in dumfounded silence for what seemed an eternity. Gingerly she tore the brown paper away from the package. When at last the wrapping fell away from the object it hid Arisu had broken into a new flow of tears.

In her hands she held a photograph. One last memory of the two of them together. And he'd given it to her.

~*~*~*~*~

"Never again..."

Botan's eyes met his. Those deep, emerald pools held so much love and kindness it was almost hard to hold their gaze for long. But she held it. Letting herself slowing sink into his stare and melt into him. The scent of roses was strong. It overpowered her senses. Pulling her further into him.

"I'll never again leave you."