Summary – At first, it was only supposed a visit. A hi, how are you, and then leave. But then she kept going back. Soon it became easier to go and harder to leave. And in the end, she found binding herself to someone that was never thought possible.

Before one

It started out with just an errand. An errand in Makai. Botan was to go Makai and pick up a package from a demon whose loyalties lied with Koenma. It was supposed to be a gift of some sorts. Why didn't Koenma just have a portal get the demon to Renkai? Botan didn't know.

All she was told was that she was supposed to go into Renkai and retrieve a package from this demon, who apparently was very old. At least 2000 years old. So Botan shrugged the unusualness of this request and started to complain more about her safety in being in Renkai. Koenma assured his best ferry girl that she would be fine because she was suppose to do this and that she wouldn't be hurt. This puzzled Botan even more, but again she shrugged it off.

So Botan flew for a couple of minutes in Makai looking for this aged demon. She hadn't been there long and surprisingly, she didn't run across any demons. She looked down from her oar and only saw dark, black trees that survived its entire life without the nurturing rays of sunlight, deformed lands that saw too much battle on its surface, and patches of dried blood that dotted grass and rocks. Makai was and always will be indeed a depressing place. Only fit for those who had a strong fighting spirit. Botan briefly wondered if she could ever survive in a place like this.

Her musings didn't last for very long because something else caught her attention. It wasn't the old demon that she was supposed to look, but a castle. It was the medieval type of castle that many ningens favored; only it had a black color, was much bigger and had many more towers than the average big ningen castle. It looked like it could hold a town in it and still have room for a village. Botan thought back to where she had seen this castle before, for the recognition of the castle would not leave her alone.

After a moment, her eyes lit up in wonder as she thought about a small fire demon. It was his castle. His home that he had been living in for the past couple of years. She remembered a picture of it before in a much smaller scale from Koenma's computer. She stopped moving her oar and hovered in the air watching the castle. Even at a distance, it had a compelling look that challenged the surroundings to defy it.

Inch by inch, Botan moved closer to the castle. It drew her to it. Its features seduced her to come closer. To be within its tall, strong walls. It called out to her. But it wasn't so much of the castle that made her to continue moving to it. It was more of the demon that ruled over the castle. She felt an urge growing inside of her to see him. After all, it had been years since she last spoke with him. Since she heard him call her baka onna.

But Botan blinked and shook her head. It wouldn't be right to just go and abandon the old demon before she even met up with him. Reluctantly, she turned her oar from the direction of the castle and continued on her way.

Minutes later, Botan found an old demon sitting on a large rock. Waiting. It must be him. He was the only one there. Plus, she didn't see any other demons since entering Makai.

"I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting," Botan apologized as she landed and got off her oar. The castle was still in view. Botan put her back to it to avoid staring at it. "My name is-"

"Botan. I know," the demon smiled kindly at her. He had dark brown skin with some wrinkles on his face that came from weariness. He stood with a slump and had slivery white hair that was tied in a low ponytail that reached his mid-back. Botan was reminded of a grandfather that she never knew nor met.

"Did Koenma-sama tell you me name?" she asked confused.

"No."

Botan looked at him, puzzled. She wasn't scared that an old demon whom she never met in her life or after, knew her. The thought never crossed her mind to be scared. The demon's mere presence around her was kind. The only thought in her mind was how the aged demon knew her name. Almost as if he knew her.

"Then how did you know my name?"

His eyes twinkled as if he was about to tell a special answer to a favorite granddaughter. "Let's just say it's my specialty."

Botan was still confused.

"But I believe that you came here to retrieve something for your Koenma-sama?"

Botan nodded.

The demon lifted a package that was wrapped in brown paper that saw many, many years and handed it to her. "Give this to your Koenma-sama."

Taking the package hesitantly, Botan nodded again, still unsure what to make of the demon. As she sat down on her oar again and took some altitude, the demon called out to her.

"A visit is always nice. It shows the person that you still care."

Botan flew off, not sure if she was more confused about the demon himself or his words. As the castle became smaller in view, Botan realized that she never asked the demon for his name. She'll just have to ask Koenma. But there was one thing that she was sure she wasn't confused about. When he meant "a visit," he didn't mean a visit to him once more. She was sure, but didn't know how, that he meant a visit to the person who lived within the castle walls.