Hello, again. I have one warning: THIS A VERY SAD CHAPTER!!! A tearjerker, as some may call it. And yes, finally, you will find out who NEGI'S MOM IS!!! Although some of you may already know ::cough cough:: And their will be some language, but very little. THIS MAY BE A LONG CHAPTER!!! (to some at least) With that, lets begin, ne?
Yu Yu Hakusho does not belong to me!!
Anyone still here? Lets read!
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A serious of bangs, booms, sparks, hissing and screaming was heard down at the top floor of the Reikai palace.
The workers, ferry guides and ogres of Reikai all frozed in fear at the sudden outburst…
"Koenma-sam! Koenma-sama!" George panted, rushing into Koenma's personal office. "Did you hear that?! That weird outburst?"
Koenma, who was recently stamping papers, had his head in his hands, disgruntled. Standing up, he groan displeasingly. George quirked a questioning brow.
"THAT, orge," the young ruler stated flatly, "was probably Botan and Negi again." Walking past George and heading to the door, he sighed. "I just hope that they weren't playing with the fireworks again…"
George sweat dropped. "You mean that was them last night with the lights?"
Negi jumped up and down, squealing with delight, his red hair bouncing. It was his third day at Reikai and today Botan had brought his up to the top floor of the palace to shoot some of the leftover fireworks from last year's Reikai festival where they'd just launched some very pretty colors. Botan dusted off her hands from the dust and smiled, winking at Negi.
"And THAT, Negi, was how you "play" with fireworks!" she smirked playfully.
"Can we do it again?" Negi cried again, grabbing her arm and jumping up and down. "Can we?"
"Absolutely NOT!" a new voice came in. Botan and Negi both jumped as Koenma came up the stairs with a deep frown. "Botan, I though I'd told you to stay AWAY from the FIREWORKS!" he grounded out, irked.
Botan smile tightened and she swallowed hard, not liking the mean demeanor in her boss. "Gomen nasai, Koenma-sama, but I was trying to show Negi some of Ningenkai's customs, but I swear, it won't happen again!"
Koenma eyes narrowed tiredly. "I hope not, Botan-chan. I would most certainly hate to see you get punished…" his gaze fell upon Negi. "And as for you, young man, I would like to have a word with you."
Negi shrink back a bit behind Botan, holding onto her sides.
"H-hai, Koenma-sama?" he whimpered nervously, slightly frightened of the baby ruler. Koenma sighed again in frustration.
"Botan, can you please leave the room for a minute?"
No, Koenma-sama, I can't do that," the deity replied good-naturally but her mien told him that she was serious. "Negi is my reasonability and I ust watch him no matter what, under any circumstances!"
Koenma nodded his head slowly, no pleased at all. "Very well…"
Negi inwardly cheered, still behind Botan, clutching onto her kimono.
Just then, Hinageshi appeared at the doorway. "Excuse me, Botan-chan, but you're need in the training room. Oh, and hello, Koenma-sama, how do you do?"
The young ferry girl gave him a quick bow. Botan sighed tiredly.
"Okay, Hinageshi, I'm coming."
The two left with Negi close behind Botan until Koenma suddenly grabbed him and pulled the little boy towards himself abruptly. Negi gave out a sudden yelp when Koenma covered his mouth with his hand. Holding Negi close to him, up to his face, Koenma frown disgust.
"Listen her, Negi, you better be doing your job or else!" he hissed, softly. "You are starting to get on my last nerves! You better watch yourself, you, I'm warning you, yo brat!" With his last word, he pushed Negi away from him.
Negi eyes softened in fear and he started to whimper. He saw Koenma smile in satisfaction and leave the room.
Damn you, Koenma-baka!
Reaching back, he pulled out a red rose from the back of his hair with his small hands, sniffing it for support. Closing his eyes, he held the single flower above his head and concentrated on it. The petals started to glow an eerie light and separated from the stem, blowing around Negi like a whirlwind. Negi disappeared inside of the blinding light and as it decreased, all that was left were red petals scattered all over the floor and Negi…
A Negi with long, silver hair, a tail, ears on top of his head, golden eyes, claws and a white tunic.
An exact miniature replica of the infamous Youko Kurama stood in the place of the young, bright minded boy. Except for his height, Negi now looked every way like his father, down to his solemn expression.
Botan suddenly poked her head into the room and smiled. "Hey, Negi, are you coming?" She took a good look at him. "You changed back into your kitsne form?"
Negi nodded slowly and walked over to her. She smiled and patted his head fondly as his fox ears twitch slightly. "Well, lets be off, ne?"
"Hai," came the flat tone of the once happy Negi.
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Kurama walked along down the streets, completely oblivious to his surroundings and the fact that half of the female student body was trotting behind him in a mob. He was going to visit Negi again later that day, after he did his homework and have a nice talk with Hiei.
Kurama cocked his head to the side amusingly. A talk with Hiei…maybe he should just go to the park and wait for his to fall out of a tree…too bad he didn't have Botan's spirit whistle!
Botan…speaking of which, the last time he'd check up on Negi, which was yesterday, he'd gotten word that the deity and Negi were planning on using the fireworks for "fun" that following night. Hopefully, they were mature about that and reconsidered…but knowing Botan, they probably burned the palace down to the ground in ashes.
A smile came over his face and graced his angelic features when he thought of the bubbly grim reaper. Negi has always been so fond of her…and so has he, he'd realized…of course, in a different manner…even hoping that maybe, just mybe, Botan really WAS the mother…
No! I won't let another person I love be destroyed by the Toguro Team!
He frowned. Back then, he'd just thought that she'd meant it as love for a friend--which is what she is, a friend. A very close friend he'd been thinking a awful lot about for the past year, even before Negi had came to him, but recently he'd been looking at her in a different light. She wasn't just he's friend…she was…someone special…
But still, what Negi had said…"Mommy didn't came…" that thought has been nagging at him for the longest time. What did that mean? That Botan and he weren't meant to be…?
Oh, why did this have to happen? He was so confused for once in his ningen life!
But who else can have such light lilac eyes?
He just HAVE to talk to Negi about this!
"Oh! Minamino-chan!"
Kurama turned around slowly to see half of his "fan club" suddenly standing behind him. His smile tightened as he noted that the owner of the voice that called out to him was no other than Hitomuri Azul, who was standing in front of the mob.
"Yes? May I help you, Hitomuri-san?" Kurama replied politely, silently wishing Minamino Shiuuchi didn't have a reputation for being sweet and polite.
The mob started to giggle as Azul blushed. "I was wondering if you would…like to see a movie with me later? Or maybe you can come over and help me with my schooling--which I need help with, of course--and I'll cook you dinner?"
Kurama pretended to think about it for a sec. Spend time with these pathetic school girls or spend his time with Negi and Botan…hm. "I'm sorry but I'm very busy, so no I can not."
Azul pouted in sadness. "Oh, phooey…well, um, maybe we can reschedule…?" she implored hopefully.
"Yes…maybe…"
The mob started to squeal. Kurama sweat dropped and turned around to leave.
"Now if you ladies would excuse me, I must be off now."
Maybe I'll see Negi now…
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Kurama walked down the palaces many hallways, trying to decipher where his son was.
"Excuse me, sir, may I help you?" came a familiar, happy voice. Kurama turned around to see Botan standing behind him with an amuse smile.
"Hello, Kurama-kun, I didn't expect you to be here so early! My,l we weren't expecting you for a few more hours…"
"Oh, yes. Well, I wanted to speak with Negi."
"Wanna know who's your future wife, ne, Kurama-kun?" Botan poked his chest for emphases. Kurama blushed.
"Yes, I'm anxious to know, is all. Maybe I can get him to twell me before I lose my mind."
With that Botan giggled and Kurama laugh. "Well, Negi is in my room, reading. I hope you have better luck trying to get Negi to tell you then I did! But remember, Sore wa unme de (these are fates) so Negi might not even tell YOU! Ja now, I'd best be off before Koenma-sama blows a fuse!"
Kurama watched as Botan scurried down the hall into a rather big room and disappeared behind the door. Kurama smiled good natural and trotted along towards Botan's room.
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"The plans are set now, Koenma-sama," a eerie, husky voice crackled in a dimmed room of Koenma's bedroom chambers. "And now, with the kitsune here, I'm sure you would not be disappointed."
"Very well," came Koenma's small, "baby" voice, "I hope you don't let me down."
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Kurama opened Botan's bedroom door and saw, to his surprise, a transform Negi sitting ton top of a bed reading an old manuscript. Negi's ears perked up at a familiar chi and looked up. "Hi, daddy!" he greeted, happily as his father approached him.
"Hello, Negi, I hope that you'd been behaving well." Kurama sat down next to him and patted his head fondly.
"…why yes, of course, daddy…what aer you doing here so early?" his gold eyes twinkled in question. Kurama sighed heavily and frowned slightly.
"We need to talk."
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Botan hummed happily to herself in the copy room, trying to get through with her daily chores. But there was a nagging feeling in her guts telling her something…
…that she was being watched…
But that's impossible being they wasn't anyone in the room with her…and no one in sight…which was starting to drive her even more paranoid. Pressing a few buttons on the machine in front of her, the gadget made some whirling sounds as it copied multiple copied of a random document.
She was about to gather them up when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching her. Freaking out, she glanced over her shoulder a bit to see something red…red hair? Kurama-kun?
Gathering up the documents, she turned around.
"Kurama-kun is that--Ahh!" In a shift movement, the person behind her had splashed something in her eyes…something hot and burning, something that HURTED.
Botan collapsed onto the floor, moaning in pain, trying to clear her eyes but to no avail. "Kurama?! Is that you?!"
She tried to open her eyes, only to find out that it burned like fire. "What is this? What's going on?!"
She closed her eyes to try o ease the pain. "Someone, help!!"
Panic filled her mind. If this WAS Kurama…why wasn't he helping her?
A low chuckle was heard in the room. She heard the figure walk out of the room. Kurama?
"Ow…someone please help me!"
Hinageshi entered the room in a rush after hearing all of that screaming. "Botan-chan?! Botan-chan, what happened?!" Kneeling down, she tried to comfort the fallen ferry girl. "We need to get you to the medical lab!!"
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"I want you to tell me who your mother is, Negi," Kurama repeated once Negi didn't answer him right away. "Who is your mother?"
"…" Negi looked at his feet, not wanted to look at his father's face right now…
"Is it Botan? Negi, is your mother Botan?" Kurama implored softly. Negi frown deepened. Now, he didn't know what to do. If he told Kurama…what would Koenma do…? He couldn't risk it.
"No, it's not," he replied, solemnly.
Kurama couldn't believe his ears. His whole body felt numbed and his heart nearly stopped. His couldn't believe it…he wouldn't believe it!
"It's not Botan…?" he croaked out, strain disbelief all over his voice. Negi looked away, denial and lies planted in his eyes. Kurama growled angrily at his fictitious story. It had to be her! He grasped gently on Negi's shoulders and made him look at him.
"Negi! This isn't a joke anymore! Please tell me who your mother is!" Kurama literally begged softly, pleasingly, still keeping his gaze on Negi's demon form. Negi tried to turn away but couldn't, his father's gaze had some kind of a effect on him…
Those irked, desperate green eyes that so much resembled to a faint memory of pure gold eyes who once was desperately trying to get his mom to wake up from her eternal slumber…those eyes that resembled him crying over him mother's death…resembled his mother's eyes begging her killer to spare her son, her husband…her loved ones…
He couldn't lie anymore, not to him…not to his dad…
"Mommy died protecting all of us from Koenma!" Negi lunged for Kuram's body, starting to cry freely. Kurama mouth opened slightly as he wrapped his arms around Negi.
"Please, explain, Negi."
Negi started to cry louder, "My mommy is Botan…it's her!"
Kurama felt his heart skip a beat. It was really her…Botan was his…
"But you said that Botan wasn't…you said that she wasn't here Negi…"
"…I lied…" Burying his face in Kurama's chest, he sobbed…
=================10 years ahead in the future…=====================
"Mommy, where's daddy?" 6 years old Negi asked as his mom tucked him into bed. Botan smiled.
"Out with your Uncle Hiei (cute, ne?). He'll be back soon and when he does, Otousan will take you swimming by the river."
"Oh, yeah! Now I can't go to sleep!" Negi sat uup in bed, fully awake now. Botan pouted playfully.
"But don't you want your strength for tomorrow? You're a growing boy and you need to rest."
"Yes…I guess your right, Kassan." Negi laid back down and Botan covered him with a blanket again. "Can you sing me a song?"
Botan smile and nodded. "What son would you like to hear tonight?"
"Here I am with open arms waiting for my boy to come to me… And when my baby's here with all his charms, I'll whisper to his ear in secrecy, baby... Funny how all dreams come true. Like a fool I'm into you. The day we met I lost my sanity. Funny how I feel for you. Like a fool I'm into you. You washed away my insecurities…" Negi slowly drifted to a fitful sleep. Botan smiled and kissed his forehead. "Nighty-night, my little Negi. Sweet dreams."
"Oh, isn't that cute?!" A mocking voice came in. Botan turned around to the entrance of the cave to see the silhouette of her old boss, Koenma.
"What are you doing here, Koenma?" she hissed disgustedly. Ever since she and Kurama had married, Koenma had became…well, a jackass. She'd hoped that thing would always get better between them but , of course, it only got worst. "What do YOU want?"
Teen Koenma frown mockingly. "Well, is that how you treat an old friend after all of this time, Botan? Humph, I'm disgusted. What has that baka kitsune did to you?"
Negi, who had woken up with all of the commotion, was hiding behind the curve in the wall, watching his mom argue with someone he'd meet a few time…Koenma, was it?
"What in the hell do you want, baka?!" Botan snarled, glaring at her former boss. Ever since she and Kurama had gotten married, he'd never let it down. She'd hoped that in time he would get over it…
…but it never did happened.
"What do you think?" Koenma snarled back, holding out his arm to reveal a spirit revolver. "To kill your precious son, Negi!"
Botan eyes narrowed and Negi gasped.
"Mommy, watch out!"
Botan turned her head to see her son, scared and frightened. "Don't worry Negi, mommy will protect you!"
Koenma growled, clutching his grip on his spirit revolver. "Do you really thought that I didn't plan anything out in case this happened, Botan? That I didn't knew that you were going to betray me and run off with that baka kitsune--"
"Shut up!" the blue hair girl growled, keeping her ground. Koenma scoffed.
"I'd been planning my revenge for so long…and now I'll start it! Start by taking away your son!"
Botan's eyes flashed dangerously as she outstretched her arm to the side, shielding Negi. "Don't you DARE lay a finger him or you will DIE! You just can't accept the fact that I don't love you, can't you? Why can't you just stop whinning and move oon with your life--"
"SHUT UP!!"
A loud bang was heard throughout the forest. Youko Kurama stopped in his tracks, a sudden nauseous feeling rushing through his guts. "Did you feel that, Hiei?" he ground out. Hiei nodded.
"Something's wrong…" reaching up, he untied the bandages covering his third eye. "We have to get back to the lair!"
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Botan legs give out on her as she felt onto the floor, coughing out blood, clutching on her chest where the bullet had pieced. She knew that she was now bleed profoundly, but she had to protect Negi…
"Mommy!" Negi cried and started to run towards her. Botan moaned.
"No, Negi! Stay away!"
Koenma laughed husky.
"Negi, listen to me…" Botan grounded out. "Run, Negi…you must run!"
"B-but mommy--"
"Do what I'd told you NOW! I don't care what happens to me! Now RUN!"
Negi nodded and started to run the opposite way of Koenma, deeper into the hiden passage ways of the lair. Koenma scoffed once again.
"You really think you can get away from me?!" He crackled and aimed the revolver towards Negi. Botan eyes widen on the floor.
"Don't you--"
Koenma eyes narrowed as he shot. Negi felt something piece his arm and lost his balance, falling onto the ground. Botan screamed.
Koenma started to walk past her to Negi…
"No, Kenma, no…don't hurt him…" the blue-hair woman cried ruggedly, having lost too much blood. "I beg of you…stop…"
Koenma stopped in his tracks and turned towards his old fery girl.
"Why? Why should I?"
"It's me you want, isn't it? Leave Negi…if it's me you want, kill me but leave my son alone!"
Negi moaned in pain, his arm bleed profoundly now. He could only hear bits and bits of the conversation his mom and Koenma were having…
Koenma smirked evilly. "That was what I was planning on all along…to kill you…and to use your son against you and have him change the future."
He smirk widened. "I'll see you later, Botan!" He raised up his revolver at her. "Your son will be safe…as long as he follows my instructions…and as for that pathetic husband of yours…he will suffer."
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"BOTAN?!" Youko Kurama cried as he rushed back into the lair with Hiei close behind. He saw Botan on the floor and gasped, a juggle of emotions running through him, numbing his heart. He kneeled down next to her and gather her in his arms. "Botan…? Botan, please wake up!"
Botan stirred slightly, opening her eyes. "Kurama?"
"Yes, It's me." Kurama's eyes started to water as his tunic started to soak in the red blood coming from the wound near her chest. Botan cough out more blood. "What happened?"
"I'm so sorry, koishii…" Botan said slowly, "Koenma took Negi…!"
Kurama's eyes flashed. "Negi?! Koenma?! What was he doing here?!"
"To…to destroy us, Kurama…I'm sorry…I could protect him…"
Kurama teeth bared as he held his wife closer. "Don't leave me…" he whispered, wispy. "Onegai…don't go…"
Tears flowed freely down her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Koishii…Ai shiteru…now and forever…I love…you…"
Kurama chocked on his tears, which were now sliding slowly down his eyes. "I love you too, Botan. Ai shiteru, I'd always have, always will. Please don't leave me…"
Botan eyes softened and buried closer to his chest. Kurama held her closer. "Good bye Hiei," she croaked out Hiei gasped and his eyes soften. She knew he was in the room…?
He approached closer to her and touch her hand. "Goodbye, Botan…please, don't leave us…"
Kurama closed his eyes and tightened his hold on her. Hiei let go.
"We can heal you…just hold on…"
Botan shook her head slowly and closed her eyes. "It's too late…I'm sorry…" Sh looked up at him and managed a small smile, tears brimming in her eyes. "No matter where I am…"
"My heart will always stay with your," Kurama chocked, finishing her sentence. He end down and softly kissed her. "I love you."
Botan eyes closed again.
This time, they didn't opened…
"Botan?! No!! COME BACK!!"
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Negi cried freely as he watched his mom and dad in a spirpti form Koenma had placed on him, outside of the cave. Koenma smirked.
"We're leaving," he said before he dragged Negi off.
Bye mom…bye dad…Ai shiteru…forever…
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Wow…that was so sad!! Wahhh! I almost started crying! ::wipe eyes:: I'm sorry for it being so sad for some people…and I'm sorry for the language. This was a long chappie…took me about 2 or 3 hours and I'm tired…::yawns:: PLEASE review. ANYONE can, so why not you? You don't even have to be a MEMBER to review, if that's what stopping you!!! Thank you for those who review the last few chapters!! You guys are the greatest!
Whitedragoness: Nice to hear from you once again! Thank you. Here's the next chapter!
yen-chan-27: Wow! Thank you, I'm so honored! ::bows:: As always, nice to hear from you again!
Botan and Kurama lover: Hello once again! So nice to hear from you! You're always so encouraging!! I'm glad that you like it! As for all your questions about Botan, hopfully all of them were answered
angel-trump: ::feels honored:: As always, I love hearing from you! I'm not worthy! Well, here's the next chapter!
Carri: Here's the next chappie! Thank you for reviewing, I feel so special!
KitsuneGirl: Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad that you're interested in this!
Lady of Roses: Hello once again, so great to hear from you!! Here's the next chappie! Now you no that Koenma IS evil!
KenshinGal128: Lol. Maybe I will later…here's the next chappie, hope you liked it!