Flower of Dreams
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Don't own
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Friends can change over time. Accepting them is what you are expected to do. Accepting who they are and what they've become could be good or bad, depending on how they choose to change. When someone so close to your heart has come back to you after years apart, how will you react to their new personality? Will you be the true judge and choose whether or not you still feel the same way about them? Accepting the truth can be hard. Make sure you make the decision that's right.
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Kurama. Botan's thoughts struck her hard. She never thought he would remember her. What were these thoughts for? Did she truly believe that he wouldn't change? Did she think that he would still be the same murderer he was before? She shook her head. She would be friends with him even if he changed. He was still the same person. He was still Youko Kurama. He would never change. He was so close to her before.. She shook her head and got on with her work. When she finished, she would go down and visit him. She finished up the last paper and turned to Koenma, who was going through a pile of books about a mile high.
"Koenma-sama, do you need anything else?"
"Go up to shelf 12 and find this book." He handed her a slip of paper and she climbed up the ladder. Her eyes searched over the paper then over the books. "Botan, do you remember that demon friend of yours?" Koenma's conscience was eating away at him. He didn't like to see her depressed and angry at him. She stiffened but continued to search the books, letting it appear as though it had no effect on her.
"Yes.. why?" She successfully found the book and pulled it out, staring at the red velvet cover.
"I remember that I told you about.. his death.." She closed her eyes.
"Koenma-sama, I found the book." She slid down the side of the ladder and handed it to him. "I should get going. I made an appointment to meet with someone. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She left and closed the door to the library. She hated hearing about his 'death'. Was he about to tell her that it was Kurama..? She shook her head and walked down the hallways, toward the spirit room (1). She put her key in the keyhole and turned. Then, with one big shove, the door swung slowly open. She looked around, seeing the portals that the dead were to go to. One portal was white and the other was black. She pushed the door closed behind her and heard it click gently as the lock slid back into place. She rang a bell and pulled a small microphone close to her mouth. "Kuronue!" A figure emerged out of the black portal and looked around until he spotted her. She rang the bell again. The bell opened and closed the portals and the microphone allowed only those who's names you say through. It was convenient. She ran forward and hugged the demon.
"Hello there, little one." He pulled away from her. "Why did you call me? Have you found him?" She nodded, a smile on her face.
"He's in the human world. I will bring him up when I think he may be ready to see you. I never imagined that he would hide himself in the human world. As soon as I saw Kura-chan I knew it was him. I couldn't believe it though. I had been told he had died."
"Technically, he did. He was probably a soul when he escaped." She closed her eyes. "Listen, I know it was hard on you.. but I couldn't even find him down there. I had almost thought that he went through the wrong portal!" She smiled, feeling a tear run down her face. He reached up and brushed it away. "None of that, little one. He told me how special you were to him. The reason we did that.. was to rebel against Koenma and try to get you back.." She fell away from him, staring at him, her eyes wide.
"You died.. to get me to go back to Makai?"
"Yeah. I heard that it wasn't your choice and he told me that maybe if things got bad enough, we might be able to go in front of Koenma." He explained. "When I died and went in front of Koenma, he basically jumped out of his skin when I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to eye-level." He smirked. "It was no use in telling him to let you go back to Makai since I thought he had died as well. I saw his body.. but not his soul. Still, I did it. Koenma probably never forgot about that, either."
"It has been sixteen years."
"So, did you hear anything else?"
"Kurama was going to hide in the human world until he was strong enough to go back.. but his ningen mother, Shiori, got sick and he couldn't leave her." She shrugged. "I don't know anything else."
"What is he up to?"
"He's helping our Spirit Detective, Yuusuke. That was how I met him. When I saw him in his human form, I couldn't tear my gaze from his eyes. You remember that certain look he would give everyone.."
"I do." He said with a smile. "Well, our little meeting is basically all done. You know I can't stay here for long." She nodded and threw her arms around him again.
"Good bye, Kuronue."
"Bye, little one." He smiled at her and waited until she rang the bell. He went through and she closed it. She stared into the black void for a minute or two before she shook her head and left.
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Kurama gazed up at the sky, then closed his eyes. He loved to get away. Especially when he was by himself. He laid back on a grassy hill at the park. His red locks spread out beneath him and he had his hands behind his head. Only one word described his position. Comfortable.
"Kurama?" He opened one eye and squinted up at Botan, who stood over him. She was smiling.
"Hello, Botan." He closed his eye again and tilted his head to the side as if to say to join him. "Anything new?"
"Not really." She grinned when he looked over at her.
"Then what's with all the smiling?" He found her smile contagious and felt the need to smile. He didn't hold it back.
"That." She laughed when he blinked. "I wanted you to smile."
"What's the big deal if I smile or not?"
"Shut up." She gave him a light punch on the arm. "Is that all you're planning on doing today, you lazy lump?"
"No." She laid back and stared up at the sky.
"Kurama.." He looked over. "I talked to Kuronue today." She looked at him. "He wishes to see you."
"Kuronue?" She nodded. "How?"
"I went into the spirit room." She looked back up at the clouds. "He really misses you." A small smile appeared on her lips. "He even told me that you two risked your lives to get me back to Makai." A red tint came to his face and he looked away from her.
"Yeah, well.."
"Why did you bother to risk your life for me? Kurama, I never would've thought that you.." He sat up and looked down at her. His gold-flecked emerald eyes narrowed down at her and he leaned down until his face was just inches from hers.
"Because I found out that I needed my best friend." She blushed deeply and just realized that she was holding her breath. "I needed you much more than I would've thought." She watched him shift his position, putting his hand on the other side of her, steadying himself so that he could kneel there.
"I.." She stared into his eyes. They became amber. The tips of his red hair went silver. She felt tears rolling down her face. He watched her with those eyes.. How she missed that look. He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. She felt a shock run through her entire body. It left a tingling sensation that she longed to have again. When he broke away, she leaned up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him gently. He made it deeper, longing to continue it.
"Isn't that.. Eh!?" Botan froze then pulled away from Kurama, looking up at him. His eyes were still amber and the tips of his hair were still silver. "Kurama!?"
"Kuwabara..?" Botan peered over his shoulder, staring sheepishly at Yuusuke and Kuwabara, who was twitching.
"Botan, I think a little explanation is in order." Kurama turned to look at his friends, his amber eyes regarding each with eerie calmness.
"Is there?" He asked. His voice was like a low growl. Botan sat up and grabbed Kurama's hand, squeezing it. He looked back at her.
"Yuusuke.." She looked up at the Spirit Detective to see a soft smile on his face. She knew she needed no explanation. Getting up, she launched herself head-first into the boy's arms. He blushed and fell backwards, landing them in a compromising position. She blushed and stood up. When he got up, she hugged him timidly. "Thank you, Yuusuke." He returned her hug then squirmed out of it.
"Hey, I know that being a moron is sometimes bad, but it's good in a situation like this, right?" She nodded. She had a smile on her face.
"You told him, didn't you?"
"You read my mind."
"Hm." She felt so close to tears. Yuusuke looked to the boy behind her, who had returned to his normal, human self. Though he had not fully transformed, it had still chilled Yuusuke to the bone.
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Kurama laid on his bed, thinking about Botan. They had known each other for.. 50 years. They were split up during the 34th year of their friendship. He was still mad at Koenma and it pained him to think about that day. He realized that just lying on his bed would do nothing for him. He heard a knock at his door.
"Suuichi, dear! Someone is here to see you!"
"Send them in." He stated in a bored, saddened tone. Shiori opened his door and nodded to the girl at her side to go on in. Then she closed the door. He then heard Shiori's faded footsteps then a 'click'. It was the lock on his door. He sat up and his eyes widened.
"I was thinking about you and I figured that I missed being away from you." She walked to the bed and sat down. She had a soft smile on her lips.
"Botan.." She leaned over and captured his lips with hers. He deepened it, begging for it to last for many an eternity. Then she pulled away and grabbed his face in both of her hands.
"I know it sounds silly but I find myself wanting more than a best friend. Then Koenma could never take us away from each other again." Her voice was no louder than a whisper and he felt himself smile. "I was so miserable, feeling that dying one hundred times would be better than what I was feeling."
"I felt like my heart was ripped from me. It was then I realized that I must never lose you." He paused and hesitated before closing his eyes and transforming himself in Youko. The door was locked, after all. Shiori couldn't walk in on them. His amber eyes met with her amethyst ones. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her once more, savoring her taste as though he would never taste her again. And, for once since the day they became friends, he was completely and utterly happy. When he pulled away, she smiled.
"I don't have long, my love. I need to get back to Reikai to do work. I will see you soon, I promise." She kissed him quickly before going to his window and opening it, summoning her oar. She gave him one last look and, with a wink, flew out the window, leaving him to stare after her until she was no longer visible.
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Chapter 3 is all done!
1 Spirit Room - The room where the departed spirits go to their destination. Hell or Heaven. I just thought I would make it up for purposes of adding Kuronue in here.
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