Chapter 19: Reconstructing A Flower
By the time Kurama, Hiei, and Amaranta got back to Yusuke's house it was already dark and the moon was high in the night sky. Yusuke still hadn't forgiven Botan. She sat on the roof of the house, looking into the sky.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Kurama asked coming up next to her.
Botan looked over at him and just shook her head. Kurama took a seat and looked up into the sky with Botan. Neither of them knew how long the silence lasted before he spoke up.
"What's on your mind, Botan?"
She hesitated before saying, "Yusuke. He still won't forgive me. It seems that I will never get his trust back, but it isn't my fault. I had to tell Braeden or else they would all be dead now." A small tear rolled down her cheek.
Kurama pulled a rose out of his pocket and held it in between his forefinger and thumb. He looked down at its soft, red petals. Botan looked over at him and the flower, a bit confused. Kurama kept his gaze on the organism.
"I was once told," he began, "that it is easy to pull apart a flower, which of course is true. But then putting it back together is a whole other story. It is near to impossible, but can eventually be accomplished with precision and help."
Botan opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again. What could she say to that? She didn't even know what he was talking about. Kurama looked over at Botan and smirked.
"This is just like friendship. You can break it so simply and putting it back together takes much more work and effort. Botan, I know that you had to do what you did, I don't blame you. Anyone would have done the same thing in your situation, but Yusuke is stubborn like that. You might need to put in a little more effort to gain his trust back then you would normal people."
Botan sighed and drooped her head. She understood it fully now. She did need to do more. An apology couldn't be the only way to show how sorry she was. Botan looked back up into the sky.
"Sometimes," she said softly, "like now, I wonder if it would just be best if I left Earth and returned to the Spirit World."
Kurama watched her, what looked like to be a bit of pity in his eyes. "You would be missed," he said, bowing his head. Botan looked over at the fox demon and smiled.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"It's hurting me more and more," Yusuke said, looking down at the table. "But you have to realize that I can't simply forgive her that easily. She betrayed us, trust is going to be harder to gain back then just a simple apology."
"But it isn't like she did that much harm," Keiko argued. "All she did was tell Amaranta's whereabouts and some of your techniques."
"Then how am I going to fight this guy if he knows all my moves, Keiko, tell me that?" Yusuke said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Keiko sighed. "Yusuke, she is really broken up over this. It's not like she had much of a choice, anyway. It was either tell or all of us would die."
Yusuke didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned on the table and put his hands in his hair, frustrated. Keiko let out a slight gasp. He seemed to be hurting just as much. She moved over next to him and put her arms around him. Yusuke didn't move.
"Are you hurting, too?" she asked softly. He didn't reply. "I'm sorry." Keiko hugged the unmoved Yusuke. "I didn't actually consider how bad you felt. I didn't even think you felt bad."
Yusuke loosened up and leaned into his girlfriend's hug. He was at an indecision, nothing felt like it could be worse than this. He couldn't just forgive her. He needed more to be able to fully trust her again. But he wanted this stupid thing to be over with and fast.
By the time Kurama, Hiei, and Amaranta got back to Yusuke's house it was already dark and the moon was high in the night sky. Yusuke still hadn't forgiven Botan. She sat on the roof of the house, looking into the sky.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Kurama asked coming up next to her.
Botan looked over at him and just shook her head. Kurama took a seat and looked up into the sky with Botan. Neither of them knew how long the silence lasted before he spoke up.
"What's on your mind, Botan?"
She hesitated before saying, "Yusuke. He still won't forgive me. It seems that I will never get his trust back, but it isn't my fault. I had to tell Braeden or else they would all be dead now." A small tear rolled down her cheek.
Kurama pulled a rose out of his pocket and held it in between his forefinger and thumb. He looked down at its soft, red petals. Botan looked over at him and the flower, a bit confused. Kurama kept his gaze on the organism.
"I was once told," he began, "that it is easy to pull apart a flower, which of course is true. But then putting it back together is a whole other story. It is near to impossible, but can eventually be accomplished with precision and help."
Botan opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again. What could she say to that? She didn't even know what he was talking about. Kurama looked over at Botan and smirked.
"This is just like friendship. You can break it so simply and putting it back together takes much more work and effort. Botan, I know that you had to do what you did, I don't blame you. Anyone would have done the same thing in your situation, but Yusuke is stubborn like that. You might need to put in a little more effort to gain his trust back then you would normal people."
Botan sighed and drooped her head. She understood it fully now. She did need to do more. An apology couldn't be the only way to show how sorry she was. Botan looked back up into the sky.
"Sometimes," she said softly, "like now, I wonder if it would just be best if I left Earth and returned to the Spirit World."
Kurama watched her, what looked like to be a bit of pity in his eyes. "You would be missed," he said, bowing his head. Botan looked over at the fox demon and smiled.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"It's hurting me more and more," Yusuke said, looking down at the table. "But you have to realize that I can't simply forgive her that easily. She betrayed us, trust is going to be harder to gain back then just a simple apology."
"But it isn't like she did that much harm," Keiko argued. "All she did was tell Amaranta's whereabouts and some of your techniques."
"Then how am I going to fight this guy if he knows all my moves, Keiko, tell me that?" Yusuke said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Keiko sighed. "Yusuke, she is really broken up over this. It's not like she had much of a choice, anyway. It was either tell or all of us would die."
Yusuke didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned on the table and put his hands in his hair, frustrated. Keiko let out a slight gasp. He seemed to be hurting just as much. She moved over next to him and put her arms around him. Yusuke didn't move.
"Are you hurting, too?" she asked softly. He didn't reply. "I'm sorry." Keiko hugged the unmoved Yusuke. "I didn't actually consider how bad you felt. I didn't even think you felt bad."
Yusuke loosened up and leaned into his girlfriend's hug. He was at an indecision, nothing felt like it could be worse than this. He couldn't just forgive her. He needed more to be able to fully trust her again. But he wanted this stupid thing to be over with and fast.
