Standard disclaimers apply.
two: the meaning of life
Whatever Kurama had been expecting, news of Botan's imminent death had not been it and so he did what any reasonable person would do in the face of something entirely unbelievable.
He laughed.
Botan was a deity, how could she be dying?
"It's her soul."
Kurama looked at him, puzzled. From what he could remember, the deceased were usually ferried over to Reikai to await King Enma's judgment. If their souls were pure, they stayed in Reikai, King Enma's realm. If their souls were impure, they were either sent to Maikai, to be reborn as a demon apparition, or back to Ningenkai, for another chance at human life.
Those who worked for King Enma, known as deities, usually had the purest of souls and were thus given the honor of acting as "guardian angels" to those destined for greatness. The purer a deity's soul, the greater power and responsibility he or she had, which would explain why Botan had been assigned to one Yusuke Urameshi, prospective heir to Raizen, one of the three demon lords.
But this still did not explain why the blue-haired guardian deity was laying on his bed and supposedly dying.
"Though deity-quality souls are given the ultimate honor and all the powers that come with it, they are perhaps the souls that should be pitied the most, for they are the most lonely of all the apparitions."
Kurama knew then what Botan was suffering from and fear gnawed at his insides, causing the demon inside him to growl agitatedly. It was not her life's blood Kurama had smelled, but the blood essence of her soul.
Deity souls were only good for as long as they remained pure and untainted by things such as love and hate. By keeping things on a strictly professional level, deities were able to abstain from the trivial desires that caused suffering and created chaos through rash, impulsive behavior often indulged in by those inhabitants of the three realms. It was only by remaining detached that deities were able to fulfill their duties and continue making the decisions that were unbiased and necessary for a soul to reach Tantei, the ultimate "paradise" for humans and apparitions alike.
"It's not entirely unheard of for a deity to lose her heart to someone," Koenma said, his eyes shadowed with what looked to be feelings of sadness or guilt. "In fact, it's happened quite a few times over the last few centuries."
"Then Botan…?"
"Botan is…" Koenma cleared his throat again, and Kurama found himself wanting nothing more than to rip the young prince's throat out so that the brat might not worry anymore of the lumps that seemed to prevent him from giving Kurama the answers he sought.
"Uhh…"
Though the sound was softly made, it rang in Kurama's ears and both he and Koenma were immediately drawn to Botan's side.
Staring down at the deity's fair visage, Kurama held his breath, praying silently for her revival. And as though sensing his presence, Botan moaned again, louder this time, and without really knowing why, Kurama knelt down beside her and gently picked up her hand, afraid of causing more damage to the already suffering deity.
In the deeper recesses of his mind, detached from daily consciousness and used to store all things deemed significant and helpful for future reference, Kurama discovered to his delight that Botan's hand, while callused from her ferrying work, was still as smooth as rose petals. He stroked it gently and became lost in the sensation of her soft skin beneath his, and the feelings that arose from his simple contact with her, while foreign in scope and nature, both calmed and excited the dual personalities that resided within the red-haired boy.
"Botan is different from the other deities."
Upon hearing Koenma's words, Kurama did not pause in his ministrations to Botan as he knew this already, had known it from the start of their introduction, so why was the prince saying this now? Realization struck him suddenly, and overrode the pleasant sensations he had felt after taking hold of Botan's hand.
Two months ago, Botan had wanted to talk. Kurama had brushed her aside, telling himself at the time that it was because he was confused…confused about his mother's marriage and his own emerging demon powers. But truthfully, he had ignored her because he had been afraid of something else, something with a higher potential for psychological damage not unlike what Karasu had almost accomplished at the Dark Tournament. And like a fool, he had continued to ignore her until now, when it appeared that he might too late.
"Kurama! Please…we need to talk!"
"Not now, Botan. There's something I need to do."
"Wait! Please…just wait!"
Koenma watched as understanding dawned on the red-haired youth and nodded in agreement to the silent question reflected in his eyes. "Kurama, Botan is different for many reasons."
…And it's all because of you.
