It was a cold, dreary day in March. The sky was gray and shrouded with clouds.
Once in a while, lightening would strike, but there was no rain, yet. Although, all signs pointed to it.
Somewhere on Ningenkai, in a vacant park sat a lonely, derelict soul. She sat unaccompanied on the swings, not swaying, just thinking.
She was usually a cheerful person, but that kind of weather just brought the worst of emotions in her, sometimes.
Botan breathed in slowly and deeply, and then exhaled, her breath coming out in a ragged sigh. A bright crack of lightening whipped across the sky accompanied by the booming voice of thunder.
She tilted her head upwards and peered at the sky just as the first droplets of rain began to fall. She looked down at her hands that lay in her lap. She was going to get drenched. This, she knew because she had nothing on to protect her from the rainfall. Only a T-shirt and some blue jeans.
He hair was down today, for she hadn't the optimism to put it up. You see, she only wore her ponytail on her good days. This, of course, not being one of them.
The sudden sound of laughter caught her attention, then, and she looked up to see where it had come from. A young couple ran through the park holding hands, using their other hands as shields from the rain, which had begun to fall harder. She frowned at the sight of them.
She jumped in alarm when her hip began to vibrate, a loud buzzing sound emanating from it. She lifted up her now soppy wet T-shirt to glance at her pager and sighed roughly with disgust.
Koenma.
He had been paging her for the past four hours. He must have had steam escaping from his ears from anger by now, since she hadn't answered any of them. She certainly wasn't in the most tolerable mood today, so she thought it best to just steer clear of him.
She began to shiver as the effects of the rain began to wear on her. Botan rose from her seat on the swing and took slow, heavy steps across the sand and towards the grass. She wasn't really sure where her feet were taking her, but she seemed to be moving towards the pond. She stopped about an inch short of the edge of the large pool.
She crossed her arms over her chest and just looked out over the water. She watched as each droplet penetrated the surface of the pond, producing thousands upon thousands of ripples with each passing second. The rain was so loud, it sounded like a round of applause from a large crowd.
She growled irritably as her pager went off yet again. She unclipped it from her waist and tossed it out into the pond.
"Leave me the fuck alone!!!" she shouted at it as it slowly sank to the bottom.
"Botan?!" shouted a voice from behind her. She spun around quickly causing her hair to whip around her head and gather on her shoulder.
"Yusuke?! What are you doing out in the rain?!" she shouted in an attempt to be heard over the loudness of the rain. Yusuke stood about five feet away from her holding his jacket over his head as protection from the downpour. It was no use, though. The jacket was thoroughly soaked and the water still seeped through and spattered on his head. He came closer to her so that they only stood a few inches apart.
"I was coming home from being at the library with Kurama when I got caught in the rain. I decided to take a shortcut though the park. What about you? Why aren't you in Rekai?" he shouted back.
"I needed a break from work, that's all," she told him. Yusuke quickly looked her over. Her T-shirt was now soaking wet and it clung to her body, making visible her black, lacy bra. To make it worse, her collar had slid off of one of her shoulders, showing her pale skin. He looked at her face and noted how drained it was, save for her lips, which were purple due to her exposure to the heavy precipitation. Her hair was plastered to the sides of her face, neck, and shoulders. Yusuke smiled.
"You really should have worn a coat, Botan!" he shouted. Botan's frown deepened. Was he scolding her?
"I don't see you wearing a coat," she responded smartly. Yusuke laughed.
"Touche," he said. Then he nodded at her. "But your bra is showing!"
Botan looked down at herself and shrugged.
"So? It doesn't bother me," she replied. Yusuke looked at her quizzically. This sure wasn't the Botan he knew. The Botan he knew was modest, yet perky. This one was dull and angry. Now he frowned. The thought of Botan being in this kind of state disturbed him.
He lowered his arms and dropped his jacket to the ground. He took one stride in her direction and was directly in front of her. He glared at her and said, "What's your problem, Botan?"
Botan glared back at him just as hard and said, "None of you business, Yusuke. It doesn't concern you."
Yusuke shoved his hands into his pockets and smirked at her. Then he took a small step towards her so that they were face to face and said, "I'll get it out of you whether you want to tell me or not."
Botan stepped back and nearly slipped into the pond but quickly regained her balance. She stared at him sternly for the longest time before she shook her head slowly and said, "You'd never understand, Yusuke. I've got to deal with my problems on my own." Yusuke frowned down at her.
"Stop being a pain in the ass and just tell me!" he exclaimed at her. Botan growled and pushed him. Then she brushed past him and turned around to face him.
"Why, Yusuke?! So that you can just whine at me and tell me how stupid it is?! Well I'm not in the mood for that!" she shouted at him. Yusuke began to get mad.
"What the hell are you talking about, Botan?! How do you know I would do that?! I'm not that insensitive, you know!" he shouted back at her, his fists balled at his sides. Botan sighed angrily.
"Yes, you are! You don't care about me! No one cares about me...!" she said her voice trailing off. Yusuke's face softened. It was silent for the longest time before Yusuke spoke.
"That's bullshit and you know it..." he told her. Botan groaned and turned on her heels to stalk off in the opposite direction. Yusuke sighed and began to follow, scooping up his jacket along the way. He jogged a little and caught up with her easily enough, draping his jacket on her shoulders. It provided little warmth, though. It was just as wet as she was. Still, it was the thought that counted. Botan glanced up at him then return her gaze to the front of her, mumbling her thanks. Yusuke shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Where are you going?" he asked her. She shrugged.
"I don't know yet, but I'll know when I get there," she responded indifferently. Yusuke laughed.
"In that case, we'll go to my place. I'll have Atsuko make us some hot chocolate," he said casually. Botan looked at him warily. Why was he being so nice to her? He didn't care about her. Was it pity?
She frowned at that thought. She didn't need pity. Especially not from him.
But still...
It was nice to be taken care of. Even if it was just a little bit. Besides, she was freezing. She sighed. Hot chocolate it is, then.
She looked back at the ground.
"Okay."
Yusuke fumbled in his pockets for a moment before finally pulling out his keys. He reached to stick the key in the lock only for them to slip through his fingers and fall to the ground.
"Kuso..." he groaned as he bent over to scoop them up. "Bare with me, Botan."
Botan let a dry, foul attempt at a laugh escape her lips. Then she cleared her throat as Yusuke turned to look at her.
"That wasn't at all believable, you know," he said turning back around and opening the door to step inside. Botan narrowed her eyes at his back.
"Sorry. I'll try to be more feasible next time," she said sarcastically as she followed behind him.
Yusuke waited for her to step inside before he closed the door behind her. Then he locked it and made his way past her.
"Wait right here, Botan. I'm gonna' see if Atsuko will make us that cocoa," he said before disappearing into his mother's room.
Botan took the time alone to survey her surroundings. Not a sound could be heard apart from the dripping water from Botan's soaking form. There were beer bottles strewn all over the couch, sake glasses were scattered on the table and floor, and there were cigarette packs sticking out from underneath the couch. Aside from all of that, the Urameshis owned a pretty nice house.
There were pictures of Yusuke and Atsuko on the walls, many of which Yusuke was not happy. A lovely crystal chandelier dangled from the middle of the ceiling and reflected shimmering flecks of light onto the walls. Next to the living room was a large dining room, which looked like it was rarely used, if ever. In the middle of the greatly proportioned wooden table sat a picture of Yusuke as a baby. He was wearing a blue T-shirt and suspender shorts. His eyes were sparkling as he played with a toy race car.
Botan would have smiled had she not have been in such a foul mood.
She heard footsteps approach her from behind and she turned around to see a rather embarrassed Yusuke standing in the doorway.
"Oi, Gomen, Botan," he said scratching his head sheepishly, "I guess that drunk's not here. Looks like I have to make it myself. I've already put the water on so..."
He stopped talking when he noticed Botan had her hands on her hips.
"Nani?!"
"Don't call your mother a drunk, Yusuke! It isn't nice," she growled, her eyes narrowing slightly. Yusuke scoffed.
"Neither is throwing the pager your boss gave you into a pond, now is it?" he retorted.
"It is when you're angry!" came her reply.
Yusuke glared at her for a short while longer before grabbing her wrist and dragging her towards his room.
"Hey!" Botan protested.
Yusuke ignored her and pushed the door open with his other hand. He led her to his bed and turned to face her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and shoved her down on his bed.
Botan shot right back up.
"Hey!" she restated.
"Shut up and sit down!" he snapped shoving her back down on the bed. This time Botan stayed but she didn't let the opportunity to give him the evil eye pass her by.
"You can't keep using your height as an advantage over me," she glowered. Yusuke smiled smugly an crossed his arms over his chest.
"I can and I will," he responded. Silence passed between them for a few moments before Botan sighed agitatedly.
"What do you want, Yusuke?" she growled between clenched teeth. Yusuke frowned down at her.
"I want to know what's bugging Rekai's favorite ferry girl," he said. Botan rolled her eyes at his playful attempt at flattery.
"I've told you, Yusuke. I just need a break from work," she said flatly.
"Oh, is that so? Why didn't you just request a day off from Koenma? I'm sure he'd understand. Or why not go to a nice spa to relieve some tension? Daioh knows you could have used it," he asked her.
Botan said nothing, just stared at the carpet. Silence once more enveloped them both as Botan stared at the floor, and Yusuke stared at her.
Seeing that he was getting no response from her anytime soon, Yusuke sighed and kneeled in front of her.
"Botan, look at me..." he demanded softly. Yusuke saw her swallow at the sound of her name, but her eyes stayed glued on the floor. Yusuke took her chin between his index finger and thumb and turned her face towards him so that she would look at him.
"Don't be so stubborn. Talk to me... please," he pleaded. Botan's eyes softened a little she nodded once. Yusuke dropped his hand to her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
"Now, finish what you were saying by the pond. What's this about no one caring about you...?" he asked her.
Botan's jaw tightened.
Why did he want to know?
When did he suddenly start caring about her feelings?
Then she looked into his brown eyes and saw how earnestly he was looking at her...
She shook her head.
Nope. No deal. Not talking.
"Botan... I'm your friend. Don't push me away."
Botan felt something in her chest tighten and she swallowed hard. Against all of her will her mouth began to move.
"Sometimes," she said, "sometimes I feel alone. I feel left out. Like the only time any of you acknowledge me is when we have a fight on our hands. I feel... unappreciated. All I have is my work. And today I had too much of it... I just snapped."
Yusuke stared blankly at her for a while and for a moment Botan thought he was going to make a wisecrack about what she just told him.
"Why do you feel... as if we don't care?" she asked her.
She swallowed again. Every fiber of her being was telling her not to talk... to just keep it all bottled up inside. But once again, she found her mouth had a will of it's own.
"Because... no one even checks up on me. No one ever pops up in Rekai just to see how I'm doing. Nobody stops by just to say, 'Hi, Botan.' My life revolves around guiding souls, Koenma, and the Rekai Tentai, and no one seems to notice... no one seems to care.
I know this may seem petty to you, but you try working under those conditions for over three hundred years and see if it doesn't have the same effect on you. It feels like I just exist to work for others. Serve, serve, serve. Guide, guide, guide. That's what pop into my head when I wake up, that's my last thought when I go to sleep. On some days, I don't even get to sleep. I'll be lucky if I can get a shower in..." she said, talking more so to herself than Yusuke.
"Well, I understand what you're saying," said Yusuke placing his hands over hers, "But you've got it all wrong."
Botan blinked at him.
"Excuse me?" she asked taking her hands out of his and placing them on her hips. Yusuke shook his head. He took her hands once more then smiled.
"I said, you've got it all wrong. Not only does the Rekai Tentai care about you, but we also need you. You're the backbone of the team, Botan. You keep us together. When we're in deep, you keep us sane. You always tell us there's nothing we can't handle. In the worst situations, you keep us from losing our heads and attacking each other. Daioh knows how many times you've kept Hiei and Kuwabara from goin' at it. You always cheer us on during our bleakest moments. And even after we win, you make sure you boost our egos even more. That might be the reason why Kuwabara's head is so fat," he joked. Botan laughed and another tear ran down her face.
Wait... when had she started crying?
"So of course we need you. I doubt if most of us would still be alive without your help. And of course we care... some more than others," he told her softly.
Botan's breath caught in her throat.
Wait a minute... what?!
"Botan, what I'm trying to tell you is... you're my rock. Without you, everything would fall apart," he whispered. Botan was shocked, to say the least.
"I thought... I thought Keiko..." was all she managed to utter.
"I thought so, too. But then I realized, it's your fighting spirit that drives the strength in me. When I'm losing a fight, all I do is picture your face and I feel such power surge through me... I don't know how I got along before you, and I don't know what I'd do without you now. I may not always show it, but I appreciate you so much, and I care for you so deeply. So it hurts me to know that you think we don't care... that I don't care," he said while placing her hand to his face. Botan closed her eyes in deliberation.
This is all a joke. It's all a joke. When is Yusuke ever this serious?
When she looked at him again, she saw such raw emotion brewing in his eyes that all doubts of his sincerity fled her. The little voice keeping her from opening up shriveled and died with a howling screech and her wall of depression came crashing down.
She took hold of his face with both hands and smiled, a single tear running down her face. But this time she cried out of happiness, not out of anger or sorrow. She let out a short laugh before she put her forehead to his and closed her eyes.
Yusuke's heart was beating fiercely at the feel of her touching his face. His excitement got the best of him and before he could stop himself he inclined his face upward and placed his lips on hers.
Botan wasn't surprised when he kissed her, though it did send a jolt of elation through her being. They were so close that they were breathing each other's breath. She was actually expecting it. She would have been more surprised if they hadn't kissed.
It was soft and chaste, yet it still left rivulets of warmness in the pit of her stomach. Just as quickly as he had given it to her, he took it away. Botan took a hand away from his face and touched her lips. Her face quickly flushed when she realized how warm they had gotten.
Yusuke smiled slowly.
"If I didn't care about you, would I have done that?" he asked. Botan smiled slowly now.
"No, I guess not. So do you care about Kuwabara?" she asked. She laughed loudly at the disgusted look he gave her. He stood up only to sit next to her. Botan turned to look at him, a blush slowly creeping back on her face.
"Do that... again," she said. Yusuke looked confusedly at her.
"What? That face?" he said. Botan shook her head slowly.
"No. Kiss me," she said. Yusuke tilted his head to the side and smiled lopsidedly.
"Why?" he asked. She looked down at the quilt on the bed and began tracing its pattern with her finger.
"Because... even though I've been kissed before, it feels nice when you do it," she said. She looked up at him again to see he was already leaning in on her.
He slid his hand across her face and to the back of her neck. He gently pulled her face closer to his and once again placed his lips to hers. He smiled against her mouth as he thought about spicing it up.
He opened his mouth a little and she followed suit. Once she did, he quickly slipped his tongue inside her mouth and let it roam about. Botan wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her body closer to him. She was just starting to get into it when she felt him pull back. He disconnected the kiss and smiled at her.
"How was that?" he asked her cockily. Botan smiled back.
"It was... okay," she said. Yusuke looked surprised.
"Okay?! Only okay?!" he shrieked. Botan laughed and then waved her hand in a so/so manner. Yusuke frowned.
"Oh, I know I can do better than okay," he said.
"Prove it," Botan said. Yusuke shrugged.
"Okay," he said. He had just placed his hands on her hips when he felt his own begin to gyrate. He groaned and looked down at his waist. When he saw the name that ran across his beeper, his eyes bugged and he blanched.
"What?" said Botan.
"It's Koenma," he said grinning at her. Botan swallowed as the color quickly drained from her face. Yusuke flipped open the pager to be greeted by the reddened angry face of a toddler.
"URAMESHI!" he hollered. Yusuke shrunk back and covered one of his ears with his hand.
"Whoa! What's wrong with you? Gotta' diaper rash or somethin' ?" he joked while putting a finger in his ear and twisting it. This only seemed to further enrage the toddler prince.
"This is no time for play, Yusuke Urameshi! Botan has gone missing! I've paged her several times within the last hour and many times before that and I've received not one answer! I want you to find out where she is, Urameshi! I want you to find her and bring her to me immediately! Waste no time! Souls are piling up by the hundreds and I don't think they know how to guide themselves----"
"Calm down, suckle face! She's right here with me. See?" he said turning the pager to Botan so that he could view her face. All became silent as Botan shrank back as though Koenma was going to hit her.
"Where...have...you...been?" Koenma growled making Botan's skin crawl.
"Uh..." she said at a loss for words.
"I can explain that, Koenma. You see, Botan's still in a state of shock," said Yusuke. Koenma's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly sucked on his pacifier.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Yusuke cleared his throat.
"Well, about an hour ago, Botan was on her way to my house and she decided to take a short cut through the park. A mugger attacked her and threw her into the pond. Her beeper now swims with the fishes. I was skipping school, as usual, when I heard her screaming for help. I came just in time to see her hand disappear under the water. I dove in after her and saved her. I brought her back to my house and before she could leave, it began to rain. And here we are," he lied.
Koenma stared at him incredulously for the longest time. His pacifier twitched slightly to the left and then he sighed.
"Yare, yare... Just make sure she's back within the hour. These souls are getting restless and they aren't going to escort themselves. Botan, I'll see you when you get here," he said before the screen abruptly shut off.
Yusuke sighed a breath of relief and looked at Botan who was half smiling. She leaned towards him.
"Thank you," she whispered before she softly kissed him on the cheek. She drew back only to be caught up in his arms. He squeezed her tightly against him and breathed in deeply against her neck.
"You're always needed, Botan. Remember that," he said to her as he pulled away. Botan smiled and nodded.
"I have to go now," she whispered. Yusuke nodded.
"I know," he said while rubbing her arms. She looked out the window and visually shivered. Although the rain had recoiled to a low drizzle, it was still cold and dismal. She was going to have to ride back to Rekai on that...wooden thing.
She sighed and slid Yusuke's jacket from her shoulders.
"Here's your jacket," she said. Yusuke shook his head then gripped the jacket and slid it back up her arms.
"You keep it. It's cold outside. I don't want you to get sick. I've got a closet full of them," he said. She laughed then smiled kindly at him.
"Arigatou, Yusuke..." she whispered. She stood and walked over to the window, Yusuke close behind her.
"Bye, Urameshi," she said grinning from ear to ear.
"Bye, Botan," he said returning her smile. He opened the window for her and she summoned her oar. She hopped on and slowly hovered out the window. She turned and waved at him before she flew into the sky and disappeared.
Yusuke sighed and closed his window.
Botan yawned and flopped down onto her bed on her back. Today was her last day of work for a week. Once Koenma realized how overworked she was he agreed to give her a week off every month. Tomorrow would begin the first day of her vacation.
She looked over at her wall then smiled. Yusuke's jacket hung exactly where she had placed it a little over a month ago. Of course, she had washed it then dried it first. As she had foretold, during the week she had got rained on, she had gotten sick and was on bed rest for the remainder of the week.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock at the door. She groaned loudly then sat up.
"Hai?" she said. The door opened and George's blue face popped into her room.
"Botan? There's someone here to see you," he said.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Urameshi Yusuke-san," he replied. Botan shook her head in disbelief.
"Wait a minute... Yusuke's here for me?" she squeaked. George smiled and nodded.
"Are you so surprised, Botan?" he asked her. Botan smiled then nodded.
"Hai, I am," she said hopping from her bed and straightening her clothes out. She prepped her bang a little and tightened her ponytail before she trotted to the door. She opened it wider to see Yusuke leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the hall. Her smile broadened.
"Hi, Yusuke," she said. He stepped closer to her and half smiled.
"Hi, Botan," he responded. George stood there watching the two before coughing uncomfortably.
"I'll take my leave," he said bowing politely and turning on his heel.
"So... what brings you here?" she asked playfully.
"Well, I believe I lent my jacket to a young lady and I haven't seen it in over a month," he responded shoving his hands into his pockets.
"The girl or the jacket?" she asked as she stepped out of her doorway and into the hallway.
"The jacket," he responded smartly. Botan laughed then dived on him. Yusuke grunted then wrapped his arms around her. She pulled away from him and punched him in the shoulder.
"You said I could keep that jacket!" she laughed. Yusuke reached his hand out and rubbed the side of her face with the back of his hand.
"I know. I came to see you," he said quietly. Botan's smile quickly spread across her face.
"Why?" she asked softly.
"Just to say, 'Hi, Botan,'" he replied.
"Well, you've just done that," she said. Yusuke shrugged then turned to leave. Botan caught him by the arm then spun him back around.
"Oh, no you don't!" she laughed. Yusuke laughed and then grinned at her, his eyes gleaming playfully. They just sat there staring at each other, both of them feeling like Elementary school crushes.
"Uh, how's Keiko?" Botan asked. Yusuke shrugged.
"Same ol', same ol'. You know... pain in my ass," he said smiling. Botan laughed.
"And Atsuko?" she asked. Yusuke sighed.
"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen her in two weeks. On one of her wild escapades, I guess. She'll be back in another week or so," he said. Botan nodded then bit her lip.
"Do you wanna'... get something to eat? The food's really good on Rekai," she said. Yusuke's face brightened at the thought of eating.
"Show me the way!" he said holding out his arm for her to latch onto, which she did. As they slowly strolled down the hallway, Botan laid her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you for coming to see me, Yusuke. You've brightened my day," she said.
"That's what I'm here for," he sighed. She laughed a little then gave his arm a small squeeze.
"See, Botan? I do care," he said. Botan lifted her head and stopped for a second to kiss him on the cheek.
"I know, Yusuke," she said, "and I'm sorry that I doubted that." They began walking again in silence before Yusuke spoke.
"So when do I get to show you how much I care?"