-Delicate Petals-
-This chapter is going to be a good one. I can feel it.-
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I stared at Koenma. What did I ever do to deserve this? I never would've thought that I had done anything wrong. It must've been really bad, whatever it was. Man, someone up there must really hate me.
"What is this about?" I asked him, crossing my arms. I was sick and tired of hiding my emotions away. I glared at him, trying to get all of my anger out by pretending that looks did kill. He stared back at me.
"What are so upset at me about, Kurama?" The only thing I could think of was the word 'moron'. Hiei was beginning to rub off on me.
"Take a guess." I said bitterly. The chill in my voice was so cold that it even made me shiver.
"Look, that was a while ago. I know that I did her wrong." He sat down on my bed and sighed. "I apologize. Really, I do. I know what you must think of me after I hurt her." I nearly laughed.
"You're serious, aren't you? Do you believe that a simple apology could make up for the suffering you caused her?"
"You're still only thinking of her, aren't you? What about you? I think I know why you avoided her."
"Don't you even dare go there." I threatened, feeling my anger take hold of me. I couldn't fight it because I knew I didn't want to. "At least I didn't play with her feelings."
"There is no need for this argument to go any further than it already has. Botan has accepted my sincerest apology and now I want to say that I'm sorry to you, as well." He looked away. "I will tell you the truth as to why I did it. Even though it will probably get me killed." I was interested now. "I couldn't stand to think about what would happen if you were to tell her your feelings. I tried to direct her attention to me instead of you. In truth, I didn't want to lose her as a ferry girl and a best friend." I narrowed my eyes at him. He was the cause of all of my suffering.
"You did this to me! You killed me inside for what seemed like forever to me!" Oh yes, you could say I was angry.. but that might as well be an understatement.
"I admit, it was selfish of me to deprive you of your.. desire." He cleared his throat.
"And all along, I thought I was the selfish one! I practically convinced myself that it was me who was selfish.. and that I didn't deserve such a person. Now, here you are, telling me that you were the selfish one who wanted her all to yourself. Botan is a good woman. I could not ask for more. She has enough room in her heart for everyone. But, I might be wasting my breath because you're too thick-headed to understand!" I sighed. "I never thought it would hurt so much to see her happy.." I paused. "Even if it meant watching her be with someone else."
"Kurama.." I turned around and my eyes widened. Botan had apparently heard it all. "I never.." A tear fell from her eyes and she ran to me. I felt her arms around me and returned the embrace. "I never knew that it hurt you so much.."
"Botan.." I watched as more tears fell from her eyes. She had not cried in a long while.. I was almost hoping that I would never see it again. "Don't cry." Koenma cleared his throat once again and we both looked over. He stood up.
"I am sorry to bring about such feelings of remorse and pain. It scared me, Kurama. I thought that when you had fallen in love with her that you might hurt her because of Youko's urges. I think it is time to take my leave.. if you forgive me." I stared at him, anger replacing whatever feelings of love I had just felt for Botan.
"I would never hurt her. Do not accuse me of such again. If you do, I am warning you. I will not be able to control my anger so well next time." He nodded, a solemn look on his face.
"Of course." He stopped before he got to the door and turned around. I wondered when our next meeting would take place. "Stay happy. You have my blessing. Good-bye."
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Botan hadn't said anything since the incident two hours ago. Kuronue and Hiei both came back. Hiei didn't seem interested in anything but the couch. He sat down and sighed.
"Work hard?" He nodded but then shrugged.
"Didn't get much sleep last night, either." I frowned. "Now, let me get some sleep before I kick you." I smiled and nodded, leaving the room. Botan was in my room so I walked in. She was lying on the bed, reading a book.
"Ahh.. so quiet, I think I went deaf." She looked up, obviously not amused. I stared back at her, blinking. She raised an eyebrow.
"I think you lost your mind."
"Ha ha ha." I muttered, sitting down at the edge of the bed.
"Kurama, Koenma really was sorry-"
"Don't stick up for him." I interrupted her. "I know my anger is misplaced. He merely got to you first." I stood back up. "I need to take a walk. Alone."
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I walked along the street. I was thinking about Hiei and Kuronue. Suddenly, I stopped and looked into the tree at my side.
"Back to your normal self, eh?" Hiei smirked and jumped down.
"You and your human emotions. I haven't changed and you know it." I nodded with a grin. He rolled his eyes. I almost felt like I was walking to school early in the morning with my friend at my side. It felt right.
"Yeah." I agreed. "Want to go to the cliff with me?"
"Hn." Yup, things were really looking starting to lighten up. Hiei walked by my side as we neared the cliff face. "I know you have not been here in a while, kitsune. You must have missed your precious cliff." I chuckled.
"I did." The breeze blew lightly, bringing in the salty smell of the ocean. I breathed deeply and let all of my negative feelings out with my sigh.
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I blinked open my eyes when someone poked me early the next morning. Botan grinned at me and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. I gave her a lop-sided smile.
"What time is it?"
"Time for you to get up and go to work." She said with a wink as she left the room. I sighed.
"You had to do that to me, didn't you?" I called. I heard her laugh.
"Of course!" Scowling, I put on my pants then my shirt. I walked out of the room, buttoning up my uniform shirt. Botan raised an eyebrow and I gave her a look. "What happened to that smile I love so much?"
"It's buried with my good morning." I answered. I slid on my shoes then grabbed my keys and a coat. I smiled at last and kissed Botan good bye before I left. I stifled a yawn as I walked out to my car. I unlocked the door and got in, sticking the key in the ignition and turning it. I slammed the door shut and put it into drive, pulling out into the road. I sighed, turning on the windshield wipers, spraying water from both sides as the rain was pushed. "So much for the looks of a bright day." I muttered to myself, looking up at the swirling gray clouds. Soon enough I pulled into a parking spot and got out, locking the car. I slammed the door, hearing the sound reverberate through the lot. I took the escalators up and walked into the store, the weather matching my mood.
"Minamino, thank god you didn't call off today." Daisuke said with a relieved sigh. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Something wrong?"
"No, nothing." I said, shaking my head and trying to rid myself of the dark cloud inside of my mind. "What am I working today?"
"Register." He answered. "I almost made Ema do it." I frowned.
"You know she doesn't like register duty." I scolded. "And don't give anyone else my duty for the day unless I call in sick." He nodded.
"My mistake." I only wish my duty was lugging boxes. I hated the register. Girls bought stuff just to try and talk to me. It nearly made me sick. "Why the stormy mood?"
"I don't know, Dai." I stated. "Maybe it'll fade."
"I'll warn the group not to tick you off today. I know how they can be." I thanked him as he walked away. I slid behind the desk and leaned against the wall. Boredom pursues me and whispers in my ears that today would be bad. I prayed it was wrong. I wanted as many good days as possible.
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"Suuichi?" I turned around, looking at the person who said my name. They said it timidly and in such a shy way.. My mouth ran dry. Botan grinned.
"Don't think I did nothing today, Kurama. I know how bad your day started out so I brought you someone." I stood up and hugged the girl next to Botan.
"Mina.." She hugged me back. "I know someone else who'll be happy to see you. Well.. as happy as he can get, anyway." I grinned.
"Who?"
"Hiei." I stated. Minako blushed and looked down.
"I'm only in town for today, Suuichi. I have work tomorrow. Are you on break?"
"Why else would I be in the food court?" I asked, grinning widely again. That made her smile. I turned to Botan and slapped her on the back. "How has your day been, dearest?"
"Just fine." She replied. "Actually, I'm on my break and my time is running out. I'll take her with me to go and see Hiei while I call Koenma-sama to tell him what's going on." Oddly enough, her mentioning Koenma didn't make me angry. Maybe today wasn't so bad after all. I looked at the clock.
"Hm. I have to get back to work, too." I kissed Botan and ruffled Minako's hair before I left the food court. They followed me and Botan showed her what store I worked in. I turned and waved to them before going back to the register. Happiness escapes me. Right.
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I stared with narrowed eyes at the scene in front of me. Keiko was dragging Yuusuke through the mall. How lovely. He must be having a wonderful day. I sweat-dropped. He looked in the store and then he dragged her in.
"Hey, there!" He grinned, leaving a flustered Keiko to glare at his back. I smiled at her and waved. "What's been goin' on with you, huh?" He leaned on the counter.
"Nothing out of the ordinary." I said, leaning forward. "What about you?"
"Same." He said with a sour look on his face. Then he brightened. "How's Botan?" I blinked and raised an eyebrow.
"Fine."
"And Hiei?"
"Need you ask?"
"What about Kuronue?"
"Peachy." I said in an even tone.
"What's that supposed to mean, fox?" It sounded like something Hiei would say.
"Nothing, Yuusuke." I answered.
"Sure." He grinned then slapped me on the back. "You'd never guess what happened to Kuwabara yesterday."
"What?"
"That's the easy way out, Kurama." I sighed and gave him a look. "Anyway, he got fired. The boss caught him sleepin' on the job."
"That's the fourth one this month!" I said in disbelief. "The second one in two weeks!" He nodded with a smirk.
"At least I've kept my job."
"I wonder how." I mumbled. He apparently heard me because he gave me a look.
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That's all for now.. Had a little writer's block. ^_^ Happens a lot now. Please review.
-Jess-
-This chapter is going to be a good one. I can feel it.-
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I stared at Koenma. What did I ever do to deserve this? I never would've thought that I had done anything wrong. It must've been really bad, whatever it was. Man, someone up there must really hate me.
"What is this about?" I asked him, crossing my arms. I was sick and tired of hiding my emotions away. I glared at him, trying to get all of my anger out by pretending that looks did kill. He stared back at me.
"What are so upset at me about, Kurama?" The only thing I could think of was the word 'moron'. Hiei was beginning to rub off on me.
"Take a guess." I said bitterly. The chill in my voice was so cold that it even made me shiver.
"Look, that was a while ago. I know that I did her wrong." He sat down on my bed and sighed. "I apologize. Really, I do. I know what you must think of me after I hurt her." I nearly laughed.
"You're serious, aren't you? Do you believe that a simple apology could make up for the suffering you caused her?"
"You're still only thinking of her, aren't you? What about you? I think I know why you avoided her."
"Don't you even dare go there." I threatened, feeling my anger take hold of me. I couldn't fight it because I knew I didn't want to. "At least I didn't play with her feelings."
"There is no need for this argument to go any further than it already has. Botan has accepted my sincerest apology and now I want to say that I'm sorry to you, as well." He looked away. "I will tell you the truth as to why I did it. Even though it will probably get me killed." I was interested now. "I couldn't stand to think about what would happen if you were to tell her your feelings. I tried to direct her attention to me instead of you. In truth, I didn't want to lose her as a ferry girl and a best friend." I narrowed my eyes at him. He was the cause of all of my suffering.
"You did this to me! You killed me inside for what seemed like forever to me!" Oh yes, you could say I was angry.. but that might as well be an understatement.
"I admit, it was selfish of me to deprive you of your.. desire." He cleared his throat.
"And all along, I thought I was the selfish one! I practically convinced myself that it was me who was selfish.. and that I didn't deserve such a person. Now, here you are, telling me that you were the selfish one who wanted her all to yourself. Botan is a good woman. I could not ask for more. She has enough room in her heart for everyone. But, I might be wasting my breath because you're too thick-headed to understand!" I sighed. "I never thought it would hurt so much to see her happy.." I paused. "Even if it meant watching her be with someone else."
"Kurama.." I turned around and my eyes widened. Botan had apparently heard it all. "I never.." A tear fell from her eyes and she ran to me. I felt her arms around me and returned the embrace. "I never knew that it hurt you so much.."
"Botan.." I watched as more tears fell from her eyes. She had not cried in a long while.. I was almost hoping that I would never see it again. "Don't cry." Koenma cleared his throat once again and we both looked over. He stood up.
"I am sorry to bring about such feelings of remorse and pain. It scared me, Kurama. I thought that when you had fallen in love with her that you might hurt her because of Youko's urges. I think it is time to take my leave.. if you forgive me." I stared at him, anger replacing whatever feelings of love I had just felt for Botan.
"I would never hurt her. Do not accuse me of such again. If you do, I am warning you. I will not be able to control my anger so well next time." He nodded, a solemn look on his face.
"Of course." He stopped before he got to the door and turned around. I wondered when our next meeting would take place. "Stay happy. You have my blessing. Good-bye."
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Botan hadn't said anything since the incident two hours ago. Kuronue and Hiei both came back. Hiei didn't seem interested in anything but the couch. He sat down and sighed.
"Work hard?" He nodded but then shrugged.
"Didn't get much sleep last night, either." I frowned. "Now, let me get some sleep before I kick you." I smiled and nodded, leaving the room. Botan was in my room so I walked in. She was lying on the bed, reading a book.
"Ahh.. so quiet, I think I went deaf." She looked up, obviously not amused. I stared back at her, blinking. She raised an eyebrow.
"I think you lost your mind."
"Ha ha ha." I muttered, sitting down at the edge of the bed.
"Kurama, Koenma really was sorry-"
"Don't stick up for him." I interrupted her. "I know my anger is misplaced. He merely got to you first." I stood back up. "I need to take a walk. Alone."
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I walked along the street. I was thinking about Hiei and Kuronue. Suddenly, I stopped and looked into the tree at my side.
"Back to your normal self, eh?" Hiei smirked and jumped down.
"You and your human emotions. I haven't changed and you know it." I nodded with a grin. He rolled his eyes. I almost felt like I was walking to school early in the morning with my friend at my side. It felt right.
"Yeah." I agreed. "Want to go to the cliff with me?"
"Hn." Yup, things were really looking starting to lighten up. Hiei walked by my side as we neared the cliff face. "I know you have not been here in a while, kitsune. You must have missed your precious cliff." I chuckled.
"I did." The breeze blew lightly, bringing in the salty smell of the ocean. I breathed deeply and let all of my negative feelings out with my sigh.
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I blinked open my eyes when someone poked me early the next morning. Botan grinned at me and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. I gave her a lop-sided smile.
"What time is it?"
"Time for you to get up and go to work." She said with a wink as she left the room. I sighed.
"You had to do that to me, didn't you?" I called. I heard her laugh.
"Of course!" Scowling, I put on my pants then my shirt. I walked out of the room, buttoning up my uniform shirt. Botan raised an eyebrow and I gave her a look. "What happened to that smile I love so much?"
"It's buried with my good morning." I answered. I slid on my shoes then grabbed my keys and a coat. I smiled at last and kissed Botan good bye before I left. I stifled a yawn as I walked out to my car. I unlocked the door and got in, sticking the key in the ignition and turning it. I slammed the door shut and put it into drive, pulling out into the road. I sighed, turning on the windshield wipers, spraying water from both sides as the rain was pushed. "So much for the looks of a bright day." I muttered to myself, looking up at the swirling gray clouds. Soon enough I pulled into a parking spot and got out, locking the car. I slammed the door, hearing the sound reverberate through the lot. I took the escalators up and walked into the store, the weather matching my mood.
"Minamino, thank god you didn't call off today." Daisuke said with a relieved sigh. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Something wrong?"
"No, nothing." I said, shaking my head and trying to rid myself of the dark cloud inside of my mind. "What am I working today?"
"Register." He answered. "I almost made Ema do it." I frowned.
"You know she doesn't like register duty." I scolded. "And don't give anyone else my duty for the day unless I call in sick." He nodded.
"My mistake." I only wish my duty was lugging boxes. I hated the register. Girls bought stuff just to try and talk to me. It nearly made me sick. "Why the stormy mood?"
"I don't know, Dai." I stated. "Maybe it'll fade."
"I'll warn the group not to tick you off today. I know how they can be." I thanked him as he walked away. I slid behind the desk and leaned against the wall. Boredom pursues me and whispers in my ears that today would be bad. I prayed it was wrong. I wanted as many good days as possible.
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"Suuichi?" I turned around, looking at the person who said my name. They said it timidly and in such a shy way.. My mouth ran dry. Botan grinned.
"Don't think I did nothing today, Kurama. I know how bad your day started out so I brought you someone." I stood up and hugged the girl next to Botan.
"Mina.." She hugged me back. "I know someone else who'll be happy to see you. Well.. as happy as he can get, anyway." I grinned.
"Who?"
"Hiei." I stated. Minako blushed and looked down.
"I'm only in town for today, Suuichi. I have work tomorrow. Are you on break?"
"Why else would I be in the food court?" I asked, grinning widely again. That made her smile. I turned to Botan and slapped her on the back. "How has your day been, dearest?"
"Just fine." She replied. "Actually, I'm on my break and my time is running out. I'll take her with me to go and see Hiei while I call Koenma-sama to tell him what's going on." Oddly enough, her mentioning Koenma didn't make me angry. Maybe today wasn't so bad after all. I looked at the clock.
"Hm. I have to get back to work, too." I kissed Botan and ruffled Minako's hair before I left the food court. They followed me and Botan showed her what store I worked in. I turned and waved to them before going back to the register. Happiness escapes me. Right.
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I stared with narrowed eyes at the scene in front of me. Keiko was dragging Yuusuke through the mall. How lovely. He must be having a wonderful day. I sweat-dropped. He looked in the store and then he dragged her in.
"Hey, there!" He grinned, leaving a flustered Keiko to glare at his back. I smiled at her and waved. "What's been goin' on with you, huh?" He leaned on the counter.
"Nothing out of the ordinary." I said, leaning forward. "What about you?"
"Same." He said with a sour look on his face. Then he brightened. "How's Botan?" I blinked and raised an eyebrow.
"Fine."
"And Hiei?"
"Need you ask?"
"What about Kuronue?"
"Peachy." I said in an even tone.
"What's that supposed to mean, fox?" It sounded like something Hiei would say.
"Nothing, Yuusuke." I answered.
"Sure." He grinned then slapped me on the back. "You'd never guess what happened to Kuwabara yesterday."
"What?"
"That's the easy way out, Kurama." I sighed and gave him a look. "Anyway, he got fired. The boss caught him sleepin' on the job."
"That's the fourth one this month!" I said in disbelief. "The second one in two weeks!" He nodded with a smirk.
"At least I've kept my job."
"I wonder how." I mumbled. He apparently heard me because he gave me a look.
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That's all for now.. Had a little writer's block. ^_^ Happens a lot now. Please review.
-Jess-