"Obligation and Duty"

Chapter 17

.oO{I own Rei and Ishida and the story... yada yada blah blah.}

#Trowa raises eyebrow# And I thought I was one for little words. Yes, and if you steal Author's story, I'll come give you nightmares with my freaky clown suit that makes me look like I have big thighs. #Trowa nods for effect#

#Author gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder# Okay, due to Toonami's time schedule and everything...oO{They need more anime} I'm not sure if I'll be able to see all the episodes of YuYuHakusho soooo.... if any of you know any good Episode Summary sites, I'd really appreciate them!#Author gives an embarrassed smile# Also, to answer a question. OaD was taken off FF.net because of the lemon. Therefore, the reviews were taken off, too. I took the lemon out, and now you guys get to read it again! BUT! The original OaD is on my ezBoard. You can find it as my homepage on my Member Directory page. #Author waves#

*****

Ishida had wheeled Rei down to the ground floor and Botan had followed. Signing the paper work and everything he needed to do, Ishida picked Rei up out of the wheelchair.

"What're you doing? Doesn't she need this?" one of the nurses asked him.

He shook his head, "No, she doesn't want it."

They gave him knowing glances and he helped Rei out to the parking lot.

"Okay, can you stand here as I get the car?" he asked Botan and Rei.

They nodded and he quickly ran off.

"Wow... he is so cute!" Botan said. Rei rolled her eyes, "You've seen him before."

"Yes, but only for a second, pretty much. And did you see the way he smiled!" Botan sighed.

Rei rolled her eyes again. .oO{This is going to be one week of hell if Botan is going to flirt the whole time.}

"And, oh my gosh, he kept looking at you!" Botan kept going.

"Botan, let me tell you something here quick. You suck as a Cupid," Rei said with a genuine smile.

Botan understood that she was teasing and smiled back. "But I did a good job setting you up with Yusuke and them, didn't I?"

"Yes, and that's one thing I can't thank you enough for," Rei sighed as Ishida pulled up. He help Rei in and Botan followed.

"Pfft.. helps you in but forgets about me," Botan whispered. Rei jabbed her in the ribs, "It's because I'm a patient. You're just a helper."

Botan rolled her eyes. They drove the rest of the way in silence as Rei helped Ishida find the entrance to her shrine. They got out of the car and Ishida looked at all the steps.

"Oh dear. That's a lot of steps," he said.

"Yup," was all Rei said before she started walking up them.

Ishida grabbed her arm, "There is no way you can get up all these right now."

Rei pulled out of his grasp. "I can do it."

"No, you can't," he said sternly just as he picked her up again. He walked up all the steps with Rei in his arms without even breaking a sweat. He let Rei down to open the door and she walked in before he could pick her up again. Sitting down on the couch, she waited for Botan to come in.

"Do you know if I'd be allowed to get a bath?" Rei asked, her hand resting on her forehead.

"I dunno. Ask Mr. Muscles out there," Botan pointed as Ishida came back in with a few things in his arms.

Botan and Rei looked at him blankly and he gave them a questioning glance.

"Can I get a shower?" Rei asked suddenly. His eyes got wide for a moment as he blushed, but he nodded.

"Yeah, but you'll probably need help," he said. Thankfully, he was motioning at Botan, and wasn't meaning for him to help.

"Okay. I going to get one now," Rei said as she stood up.

Botan followed and Ishida said, "I'll be in here, I guess."

Rei was already in her room and was starting to strip down when Botan came in. Botan turned her head to respect Rei's privacy and sat down on the stool in front of the mirror.

"Ishida is a little, how do I say it... odd," Botan started. Rei looked up as she ran the water for a bath. Her robe was on and she turned to Botan.

"Is this the same girl who had said he was absolutely cute?" Rei asked.

Botan blushed, "He still is, but he seems a little familiar... or something. I don't know how to explain it!"

Rei nodded. She didn't know exactly what Botan meant, but she understood that Ishida was a little hard to explain.

"Help me in, please," Rei said, awakening both of them from their musings.

Botan stood up and helped Rei into the tub before she sat down again.

"I mean, he's really nice most of the time, but he can get mean. He's really good at fighting verbally with you, too."

Rei rolled her eyes as she sunk into the warm water.

"He's really strong, and super cute! And he seems to know what we're thinking, sometimes," Botan kept going.

"I don't know how to explain it, either," Rei said, sitting up a little.

"It's weird, but anyways, how do you feel?" Botan asked, going back to the helper state.

"I'm fine. But I'm mostly sad, and a little glad."

Botan raised an eyebrow. "Sad and glad?"

"Sad that it's gone. Sad that I never got to hold it in my arms. Sad that I didn't get to watch it grow..." Rei's eyes started tearing up.

"Oh... it's alright, Rei. Go ahead and cry," Botan soothed. Tears started pouring down Rei's cheeks as she continued.

"But I'm also glad. I don't think I was ready to be a mom. The poor thing would've had to deal with a mom young enough to be it's sister. And I have 2 demons living with me. What would that do to a little kid's emotions?"

Botan shrugged, "I understand what you're saying."

Rei went on, "As selfish as this sounds, I'm also a little glad that they didn't cut open my stomach. But I'm still going to miss him."

"Him? How do you know it was a 'him'?" Botan asked.

"I don't really, but I had had an odd feeling that it was," Rei answered as she wiped some tears away. Botan looked away again and Rei guessed.

"It was, wasn't it?"

Botan nodded. Rei sniffled and said, "Well, he's probably in a better place now. A LOT better than where he would've been."

"Oh, Rei, don't say that. I think you would've made a great mom. And this isn't a bad place, just a lot of things go on..." Botan tried to soothe again.

"Maybe..." was all Rei said. She finished washing the rest of her body and had Botan help her with her long hair.

"I just love your hair. It's so soft and long," Botan said as she rinsed on top for Rei.

"Thanks. It does get a little annoying, though," Rei answered as she shut her left eye because water was running down that side.

"Just look at my hair. I have to curl it and everything. And since it's blue, no one thinks it's real."

Rei laughed but quickly shut her mouth because Botan poured the water down her head.

"Noo... You're trying to drown your patient!" Rei laughed as Botan laughed with her.

"But it's so true. EVERYONE thinks I dye it," Botan started again.

"I would understand why. Everyone thinks I dyed the white streaks in mine. And EVERYONE," Rei ephasized the word, "Thinks I wear contacts because the color of my eyes."

Botan leaned in to look at Rei's eyes. "You're right, they are odd."

Rei rolled her eyes and said--sarcastically--, "Just 'cause they're green-orange doesn't mean they're odd."

"Rrrriiiggghhhtt....." Botan used Rei's sarcastic answer. Rei splashed her and Botan used the sprayer to get her back.

"Aha, but you forget that I'm already wet, so it doesn't matter much," Rei said. Botan gave up and finished rinsing Rei's hair for her.

Botan helped Rei out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her.

"I wonder what the guys would say to this," Rei muttered. Botan nodded, "They have perverted minds. We don't have to tell them."

Rei nodded back. She pulled her kimono/robe on and walked into her room. Pulling out a pair of maternity jeans that Ms.Tanekai from her grandmother's nursing home had given her.

"That is so not fair. Even when you're pregnant you still look great," Botan whined. "I have to work my ass off to stay in shape!"

Rei looked embarrassed, "Maybe it's because I have to look good for my guys. If I got ugly, then what would Koenma do? He wasted powers on me."

Botan nodded, "I guess that might be it. Oh yeah! I better go see if Ishida has died from boredom yet."

Rei gave Botan an evil grin and Botan grinned back. Plopping down on the couch next to Ishida, Botan started.

"It's Ishida, right?"

He nodded, "Yes. Ishida Takatsuki."

"I'm Botan. We weren't properly introduced, it seems," Botan said as she held out her hand. Rei rolled her eyes as she sat down on the other chair. Ishida shook her hand and Botan seemed happy enough. Rei felt like she was going to throw-up so she turned on the tv. She watched part of the Breakfast Club movie before she decided to turn it. She owned the movie anyways.

"You two hungry?" Rei asked, struggling to get up. Ishida hopped up and made her sit back down.

"If you want something, I'll get it," he said. Rei thought for a moment.

"Get me take-out rice. It's been a while since I've had it from the shop down the street."

Ishida looked like he could slap himself for taking her as a patient, but he went to get the food anyways.

"Ooohhh... You got him eating out of your hand," Botan said when Ishida went back outside.

"Yeah right, Botan. He's my, uhh... nurse, I guess," Rei thought out loud.

Botan shrugged, "Maybe I should get hurt..."

"Oh no, Botan... please don't get all starry-eyed on me. I thought you like someone else."

"I do, but I can like Ishida at the same time, can't I? You seem to do that a lot with the guys," Botan pointed out.

Rei gave up. She didn't want to have an argument right now. All she wanted was some great food and to get some sleep.

Ishida came back a little while later with the take-out boxes in hand.

"Here you are, Princess," he said mockingly.

"Are you mocking me?" Rei asked. {no duh, Rei}

"Oh no. I'd never dream of doing that," Ishida said sarcastically as he handed Botan her food. She thanked him as Rei rolled her eyes.

"Is there something wrong with your eyes that you roll them that much?" Ishida asked as he sat down on the couch with his food.

.oO{Woah, he's been watching me this whole time?} Rei thought as she accidentally bit her chopstick.

"No. There's something wrong with things around me," she said as she stuck out her tongue to him.

He smirked and Rei missed the guys even more. Even Hiei. Fighting with Ishida wasn't the same as fighting with Hiei....

.oO{Oh, stop that, Rei. You're going to get yourself all depressed and the last thing you need is to cry.}

Rei finished her food and walked to her room without any trouble. She instantly fell onto her bed and cried her eyes out. She cried for the guys, for the people of Tokyo, for her son that she would never hold.

Wiping her eyes more than two hours later, Rei thought the reason she was having little flashes of pictures in her brain because she had been crying too long, but she noticed they were like her first dream. She closed them and watched.

Stairs. Again. .oO{What is up with this?!} Rei thought as he eyes flew open again.

"I'm almost afraid to see what happens next," she said aloud.

Closing her eyes for a little longer this time, she noticed she was Yusuke instead of Hiei.

.oO{Why?} was all she asked. Why was she having dreams about the guys? And why did they seem so real?

.oO{Remember, Rei. Don't ask questions, just take what you get,} Rei remembered her grandma saying. That was when Rei had come 'back to life' when she was a kid. She was so scared and didn't understand anything.

"Take what I get? Fine with me," Rei said aloud before she let her mind take her to it's own little world.