Fool's Gold
Chapter One
A/N: This is an AU. To those who managed to somehow get confused, Youko Kurama never died so he was never reincarnated into Suichi's body. So there. Edited for cruddiness 7/9/06.
I'll be the garden, you'll be the snake. All of my fruit is yours to take.
- Madonna, Like It Or Not.
Botan pushed a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. "So I go to Kuarma's, er, lair thing, right? And then I ask for a job?" Koenma smiled. Despite her lack of vocabulary, he knew that Botan was quite intelligent.
"Yes, Botan. All you would have to do is go into his territory. I hear he's quite possessive of it. Ayame will follow a few days after you to take away suspicion of her arrival."
Botan searched his slanted eyes - they were more visible in his human form, not hidden by the usual folds of baby fat. It didn't sound too dangerous, but she was still a rookie. Would he send her out on a mission if a sacrifice was needed? No, he was already too attached to her, and he didn't strike her as that kind of a leader...but was she sure?
No, but she had no other option than obeying. Damned if you do..."That sounds like a lovely plan, Koenma-sama. I'll gather my things as soon as possible," she replied, plastering on a grin.
"I know you can pull it off, Botan." he said with a wry smile. "However, I must warn you that his particular kind of youkai can smell lies from a mile away. He can smell anything on you, from fear to malice. You must be very, very careful."
"I will have the utmost precaution, Koenma-sama. Thank you. Who will fly me to his territory?" she asked.
"I know it's a hassle, but you'll have to fly yourself there with some supplies for the journey. None of the other ferry girls will get near there for fear." he sighed exasperatedly. "I couldn't even get Hinageshi to do it, and she's a pushover."
Botan liked the little redheaded ferrygirl and, on principle, disliked Koenma's constant exploitation of her, but wisely betrayed none of her thoughts in her expression and simply nodded.
"Anyway, you can leave today or tomorrow! It's your choice." He smiled as if this were a large treat.
"I think I'll leave today. Thanks." she said rather briefly. Wandering to her apartments, she wondered which outfit would be appropriate for both traveling and applying for a job.
Her bags were ready within a few minutes, and she was clad in black clinging material suitable for fighting, her hair tied up in the usual ponytail. Her oar hovered eagerly near the door, and she leapt onto it after tying her small parcel of necessaries to the back.
Her oar sped through the worlds, her ponytail flying out comfortably far behind her. It was a long, tedious ride, and she found herself spending a lot of the time nearly falling off the oar when she fell asleep. She was very relieved when she reached the familiar area of Makai, and sped downwards immediately when she spotted a gleaming lake.
Now, to mask the scent of a Reiki official that had been in close contact with many office employees. It wasn't exactly a nice lake, and she wouldn't have bathed there if she'd thought she had a choice, but it would do. At least the surrounding area was gorgeous - the signature Makai treesstoodtall and regal, and a small field of purple flowers swayed in the breeze to the west. The brackish water looked about as inviting as mud, but she stripped anyways, pulling out several bars of fresh-smelling soap. She scrubbed herself unmercifully, then happily basked in the water for a few minutes, ignoring the small voice saying that she should definitely be getting on and the rather strange texture of the water plants that grew in the shallows.
After motivating herself, she wrung out her wet hair, sat on a nearby rock and dried off. She was beginning to feel a sunburn coming on (not an attractive idea for someone who wanted mobility without pain) so she hurriedly dressed. She once again pulled on her somewhat smelly black clothing, then was about to conjure her oar out of the air when she felt watched. Her hand stopped mid reach, and she masked the movement by reaching for one of the purple flowers near her feet.
She shrieked and recoiled as a mouth, equipped with large fangs, formed out of the flower and bit her.The bite was more than hard enough to break the skin, and she paled at the amount of blood welling on her hand.Gargantuan vines burst out of the ground, surrounding her, waving in every direction. The thorns on them were growing rapidly longer. She was sure that they would soon pierce any part of her that stood in their way.
She swiftly pulled a sword from her belt and hacked with a vigor that only occurred when her life was threatened. As soon as she cut one more grew, and the sap that oozed out whenever she severed a vine made the skin it landed on bubble in a particularly nasty looking, painful way.
She screamed as a large amount of the liquid landed on her right arm, bubbling furiously. The sword dropped from her hand. Knees buckling, she fell to the small amount of ground available in her thorny prison.
She blinked furiously as she realized the thorns were forming everywhere but where she sat. They seemed unable to form this low. She imagined her obituary, and snickered darkly. "Argh...killed by a fucking plant because she didn't realize it couldn't reach her on a lower level..."
"Well, they'll keep you there as long as I want." a silky voice interrupted. Botan's eyes widened as she looked up through the enclosure of thorns to see a man, fox ears positioned atop his fair-haired head. His skin was paler than hers, she thought with slight jealousy. His eyes were an obnoxiously handsome shade of gold.
Youko Kurama.
Why did he have to steal gold when he had such golden eyes? Weren't they good enough?
