Title: Nox

Author: Nirvana

Pairings: Yusuke/Botan

Rating: PG-13...later to be rated R(?)

Keywords: Romance, Angst, Lust, Revelation

Summary: I remember those old romance movies, with the hero and heroine. The cliché plots and scandalous, climatic moments. It was almost like unveiling the perfect dream, when two, destined soul mates meet. (Botan's POV)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters. They rightfully belong to their respective owners.

Author's Notes: This is my first Yu Yu Hakusho fic, so please be gentle with me. To put it straight, I'm not too much of a Yusuke/Keiko fan. It's not that I hate Keiko, I like her actually but I can only see them on a brother and sister relationship. Besides that, I like different kinds of couples together, as you can see from the story. Most of the time, the story will be put in Botan's POV, more depth and blah, blah. Italics just means dreaming or past events. But enough about my babbling, let's get to it.. Hopefully, I will do my best to keep everyone in character and keep you, the readers, interested. This is my one challenge to make a story that keeps people into it. Well, that's enough said. Enjoy.

Chapter 3-In Medias Res

I was always fond of Ningenkai. The people, the places, everything. Especially the films I was able to see once in a while. I remember those old romance movies, with the hero and heroine. The cliché plots and scandalous, climatic moments. It was almost like unveiling the perfect dream, when two, destined soul mates meet. I couldn't even admit it to myself, but I had secret desires to create my own love affair, through my simple inspiration and reveries.

I like to dream; it's probably the only thing I have control over. I can always pretend to be the angelic woman. I'd have the long soft hair, creamy skin, and eyes that could take your breath away. My lover, an irresistibly handsome man, would have a smile that would make my knees weak and my cheeks warm. I can make believe that we'd be in love, happy, free. We'd have no worries, and would never be held back by fears. I would love this man with all my heart; we'd be together until the ends of our days. That's my comfort.

But dreams are not reality; I'm finding that out with each passing day.

Wherever I go, I find myself feeling out of place. I know now, that there is no better thing in the world than feeling belonged. Having that dependence and security was something no person should take for granted. To be honest, I wanted to find myself. Not one of those soul-searching journeys that could take an eternity. I just needed to know my purpose in life. Sometimes, late into the night, when I can't fall asleep, I wonder about my past. My life before I became a Deity. No matter how much I try, I can no longer remember anything. Not a single face or voice. But I do know, before I was a ferry girl, before I even knew what Reikai was, I...was happy. And even though it is my fault for choosing this path, I can't help but feel cheated somehow. I should have died centuries ago.

I stumbled out my classroom as soon as I heard the dismissal bell. My mind was a whirlwind of misery. I think the only person that was keeping me sane was Yusuke, or for the most part, I let myself believe this. After our brief conversation on the roof, I had avoided him. But it wasn't like I saw him often during the school hours, to my relief. The only reason I felt the need to talk to him was for the case's sake. It wasn't fair, I thought with a frown, how could one person leave me feeling like an emotional wreck? Maybe I would never know.

I stopped walking, noticing I had guided myself to the door that led to the rooftop. I knew Yusuke was up there, it was only place he could be. And I wanted so badly to see him. Yet all this time, pride and much more kept me from doing so. Shoving my stubbornness aside, I wrapped my fingers around the knob and pulled the door open. I started up the steps, my heart racing and my hands quivering. If I stopped now, I would end up not having the courage to see him. Shaking my head, I continued on and finally reached the door. Slowly, I pushed it open and stopped once I heard not only Yusuke's voice but someone else's.

"Well, what do you want me to say about that?" Yusuke asked, he muttered something that I couldn't catch.

"A 'congratulations' would be good." The other person was a girl, her voice as gentle and blithe as anything.

I felt rude, intruding on a private conversation. But I couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of jealousy come over me. I didn't know who this girl was, so why was I upset? Besides, there wasn't anything to worry about. Yusuke said himself that he had missed having me here with him. Wasn't that proof enough? With renewed confidence and a feeling of giddiness in my stomach, I pushed open the door with a bright smile. That smile vanished and I suddenly felt sick when I saw who Yusuke was talking to.

There, Yukimura Keiko stood, in all her unknown glory, staring at me with just as much surprise. She was a bit taller now, her chestnut locks falling just past her waist, and her features no longer that of girl, but of a young woman. It was breathtaking to say the least, seeing her and Yusuke standing side by side like that. They had finally grown up, and me, being a Deity, did not have the power to do so. I almost felt like I was being taunted by Keiko. Her eyes were silently telling me that Yusuke was hers. That I could never be the woman he loved so dearly. I was just a difficult obstacle to get past, and then, they would be together again.

Finally, Keiko gave me a brilliant smile.

"Hello, Botan. How are you?" Her greeting was enthusiastic.

"Hey, Keiko. "I swallowed and managed a poor excuse of a smile. "I'm fine."

Her smile only widened, then she turned her gaze to Yusuke expectantly. "I must have been wrong," She began casually. "I thought you would have given some consideration that your best friend was accepted into an international university." She waved a hand dismissively. "I should have known Yusuke, you wouldn't care that I was leaving." Before Yusuke could protest, Keiko, with a glimpse of smirk and a wave to me, left the rooftop.

I stared after her, even when her footfalls faded. It was more than a shock to see her. I knew Keiko was attending this school with Yusuke, but I wondered why I had not seen her at all for my first weeks here in Ningenkai. My train of thought was derailed when Yusuke cleared his throat to get my attention. When I looked at him, he arched an eyebrow, waiting. Taking the hint, I reached into my schoolbag and pulled out the file and began to skim threw the papers. With a grin, I gave Yusuke the picture. I had studied the photograph plenty of times, just to make it easier to identify him in the crowded hallways. He was average height and looked like any other boy in the high school. But what caught my attention the most was his eyes, an unusual pale shade of gray.

I leaned against the wall. "I've already confirmed it with Koenma-sama. This is the person we're looking for. I've been following him for the past two weeks, memorizing his daily patterns. As you already know, he's been emitting high amounts of spirit energy. It only occurs when he's killing humans."

"Why?" Yusuke asked.

"From what I can tell, for the souls. Just to sustain him."

"Okay, so why don't we take care of this right now." Yusuke started for the door but I grabbed his arm.

"I wouldn't advise that." I warned. "Besides, he is not killing tonight anyway. It'd be better if we waited until tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" When I nodded, Yusuke again muttered something inaudible before I let go of his sleeve. I pulled open the roof's door. "Where are you going?"

"Where else? Home." I answered, I couldn't resist smirking. "I think you should get home too, Yusuke. You don't want another bottle-beating from Atsuko-san, now do you?"

I had prepared myself for a smart retort from him. Instead, Yusuke said nothing. And I could have sworn I saw him blushing. No, I thought, it had to be my imagination. He looked at his feet for a few seconds before he stared back at me. "What is it?" I urged gently.

"Come over to my apartment tomorrow." It wasn't a request, but more of a demand. I couldn't help but be a little suspicious. Why, I asked myself, to be alone with me? The silent mention of it sent a warm shiver down my spine. Just the two of us, away from the commotion of the day and enjoying each other's company. It was just too good to be true. I was snapped out my thoughts when Yusuke approached me.

"Why?" I asked hastily. Unfortunately, it didn't stop him from closing the space between us. I felt my knees go weak when he gave me his enigmatic smile.

"If you want to know, you'll have to wait and see. Be there by noon, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, he left. I waited until I could no longer hear his footsteps before I groaned in exasperation. This was the second time he left me in a state of complete confusion.

-

I gazed outside the window at the quiet suburban streets. Not too far away, I could make out the tall buildings of the city. Out of irritation, I shifted in my chair and turned away from window. I glanced at my watch, it was well past noon. I had been more than excited to meet Yusuke and arrived almost a half an hour early only to meet Atsuko. I focused my attention on her. She was in the kitchen, and I could faintly hear the soft rattle of cups and the sharp whistle of a kettle. Why would Yusuke invite me over and not be here? I wanted to leave, I felt so embarrassed. But to Atsuko's polite insistence, I stayed.

A few minutes later, she came out of the kitchen. In her hands was a tray.. On the platter was two teacups, a teapot, and a basket of rice cakes with assorted cookies. She placed them onto the table with a satisfied smile, silently gesturing me to have some. I returned her smile and picked up a rice cake while she poured tea into both our cups. Atsuko sat down and her smile faltered.

"Gomen," She began. "I have no idea why Yusuke would do this. He's too unpredictable."

"You don't need to apologize, Atsuko-san. It wasn't your fault." I bowed my head respectfully. "But thank you for the tea and cookies."

Atsuko beamed, and almost out of thin air, pulled out a bottle of sake. "It's my pleasure." She said while pouring some of the liquor into her tea. She gave me a knowing look. "Sake always adds to it, you should try some, Botan." Before I could respond, she had already started poring some into my drink. I stared at my tea, hesitant. Atsuko took a swing of hers and sighed. "Come on, it really wakes you up." She encouraged, the beginnings of a flush on her cheeks.

Finally I picked up the cup and brought it to my lips. It was sweet at first but quickly became bitter and I let out a strangled cough. The alcohol burned as it went down my throat, but I took another sip. Once I got used to it, it actually tasted good. Before I realized it, I finished the tea too quickly and had a blush to match Atsuko's. I was dizzy and felt so happy that I eagerly asked her for another helping. She was about to pour me my second cup when a knock came from the front door.

She turned around. "I wonder if that's Yusuke." Atsuko said aloud. She smiled at me. "Help yourself, Botan. I'll be right back." She stood up and headed for the door.

She was gone for a good five minutes. And while I sat, gazing at the wall, I could hear forced whispers. I placed down my cup with shaky hands and turned back to the window. I already felt drunk, and I only drank one cup of sake-tea. Once Atsuko came back, she began to clear the table. I looked at her, puzzled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's for you, Botan." She answered. "You get going and I'll just clean up here. Ja ne."

I gave her another confused look but eventually stood up and headed towards the door. The effects of the sake had worn off for the time being but I knew they would come back. I was expecting to see Yusuke standing at the door, but I was more than surprised to see Keiko. She smiled but said nothing to me. Now, I was more baffled.

"Keiko, Yusuke isn't here. I was waiting for him but Atsuko-san said-"

"I'm not here for Yusuke, Botan." Keiko interrupted, her smile widened. "I'm here for you."

"Nani?"

"It's been forever since we spent the day together, ne?" Without waiting for my answer, she continued. "So, I was thinking it would be a great idea if we go out and have some fun. You know, catch a movie, go shopping, have some lunch. It's been two years, Botan-chan. I have to know what you've been doing this whole time." Before I could say anything, she grasped my hand and ran down the hall, literally dragging me along. It was definitely going to be a long day.

-

For the whole day, Keiko treated me like someone I believed couldn't be possible anymore. After all this time, she still thought of me as her best friend. It reminded me of another day we had spent together, before our problems tore us apart. It was during a summer festival, and we had been standing side by side, gazing into the navy blue sky at the blazing fireworks. You are my sister, she said that night with a ghost of smile, and I am yours. Never forget that, Botan.

We explored the entire city, going from shopping malls, to antique shops, to movie theatres. I almost forgot that we hadn't talk to each other in nearly two years. But it was more than good to be in her presence again. Still, I felt awkward at times whenever she mentioned Yusuke. We had just left a near by bistro, and we both decided to take a stroll in the park to end the day. The sun was slowly descending behind the horizon, the clouds orange and crimson while the first star gradually appeared. Taken by the sight, Keiko abruptly dropped the shopping bags in her hands with a sigh before turning her attention to the evening light. She smiled.

"It's beautiful," She commented quietly and I only nodded. A comfortable silence enveloped us both before she spoke again. "I really do need to hand it to Yusuke, it was a really nice trick."

Bewildered, I looked at Keiko. She saw my look and laughed. "Trick? What trick?"

"The trick we played on you." She responded. "You see, we were talking about you, Botan, yesterday on the rooftop. But you just happened to walk in and I changed the subject before you realized what was going on.." Keiko put up her hands in mock surrender. "It was Yusuke's idea, I promise. He wanted us to spend some time together, catch up on old times. I was more than happy to oblige."

"So when Yusuke asked me to come over to his apartment..." I said, all the pieces were coming together.

"...You thought you were going to see him. But you got me instead." Keiko finished for me. She laughed again. "You should have seen the look on you face. You were so-"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked so suddenly the grin completely vanished from her lips. I hastily added, "Taking me out, spending time with me, why? I don't understand." I attempted a smile. "Don't get me wrong. I'm happy and thankful, I really am but..." I looked away from her. "I don't see how I deserve any of this."

Keiko stared at me for a few moments before understanding flooded her features. "I don't know why I never saw it." She said, a pensive look came to her eyes. "You loved Yusuke just as much as I did then. You still do, probably more than I ever did." She turned her gaze to the sun. "Us two, are some of the most important people to Yusuke." She smirked. "Or so we'd like to believe. It's not good to put yourself in denial. Don't be modest either because it won't help you if you want Yusuke to love you as much as you do him.

Keiko's smile faded. "It was never you're fault, Botan. You have to understand that. I had this feeling me and Yusuke would not work out. I never thought we'd be more than best friends. But we gave it a try anyway because people believed we were this 'meant-to-be' couple. But that was our first mistake." Her voice became a whisper. "There were times, when I convinced myself that everything would be all right. Yusuke and I had been through so much, I thought we could make it through our relationship. We had our problems, way before you came into the picture.

"It had even come to the point that every time he hugged me or kissed me, I felt like I was being intimate with a brother. To top it all off, we argued. Not the usual bickering, but real fighting. And over the stupidest of things. I don't even remember how many times I cried about it." Keiko looked at me again. "I love him, he loves me. But we didn't love each other like that. Eventually, we broke up, but I believe, it made our friendship even stronger. I'm glad to know that the relationship between Yusuke and I ended on such good terms. We're better friends than lovers." She approached me and placed an arm around my shoulders. "Now you know the whole story, Botan." She wrapped her other arm around me. "So, don't blame yourself anymore, all right?"

I stared her, completely amazed before I gingerly returned her hug. Keiko pulled away and grinned brightly. I smiled back, a true, genuine smile. She glanced at her watch, groaned in aggravation before she went over to her shopping bags. She picked them up before turning back to me.

"I need to get going," She said. "I'll call you soon and tell Yusuke I said hello. Ja ne, Botan!" With those departing words, she started off in a steady jog out of the park.

Once Keiko disappeared from sight, I sighed. So many emotions were overwhelming me that I almost wanted to cry. Almost. Picking up my own belongings, I didn't head home, but I went to Yusuke's. Even through all of this, I still wanted kill him. Or at least hit him across the face--hard. There was no way he was going to get away with this. What gave him the right to try and fix things? Especially when...

But my accusations came to a halt when I did. I couldn't believe it. This whole mess had started because of what Yusuke and I had done. And when Keiko found us like that, the problems only became worse. But Yusuke...had willingly gone out of his way to fix things, just for me. Only me. It has to mean something, I thought, it has to mean he truly cares for me. Yet Yusuke was the last person I thought would resolve drawbacks between me and Keiko. I was too stubborn to give him my gratitude.

Still...I just...

I left my thoughts unfinished as I started walking again before I broke into a sprint. In minutes, I made it to his apartment, jogged up the endless stairs, and before I could knock on the door, it flew open. Yusuke was smiling at me, with that undeniably smug look on his face. He leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms across his chest.

"I had this feeling you were coming." He said, his smirk widened. "How was your day?"

I was quiet for a long time. His smile faltered. "Botan? What wrong?" He sounded...worried? Concerned?

Finally, I could only murmur one thing. "Yusuke," My hands rose.

Before he could speak again, I encircled him in my arms. He was stiff for a moment before I felt his hands rest on my back and bring me nearer to him.. I had this fear that if I let him go, I would lose him forever. I guess it took this moment for me to realize how much in love I am with Yusuke. I was shaking when I gently pulled away and smiled.

"Arigato," I said.

Yusuke smiled haughtily and ran his fingers through his hair. I watched as his bangs fell in front of his eyes. It gave him a beautifully innocent look. "Resolving problems between you and Keiko wasn't too much of a hassle."

My smile vanished to be replaced with a deep frown. "A hassle? Is that what you think it was?" I grabbed my bags and started for door. I wasn't angry with him, I've known for a long time that's just the way he acts. But now, I wanted to go to my own apartment and take a hot, well-deserved bath and get some rest. But he wouldn't let me go so easily. I was about to reach for the knob until Yusuke stepped in front of me. I looked at him expectantly, then suddenly remembered two things.

"Where's Atsuko-san?" I asked, looking around. "I wanted to apologize to her for leaving so rudely this afternoon. Is she here?"

Anticipation washed over me as a terribly wicked smirk curved Yusuke's lips. He locked the door. "She isn't here." He finally responded. He stepped closer to me and I stepped back.

"Yusuke, there's something else I need to tell you." I promptly said. "It's about the case-"

"It can wait." He interjected and in a matter of a second, he was less than inch away from me. I tried to step back for a second time but he got a hold of me before I could even move. With triumphant ease, Yusuke pulled me to the floor. The smirk was still on his face but his eyes were dancing with mischief. He wrapped me in his embrace. I felt his lips brush against my ear. "I want another thank you, Botan." His voice was suddenly hoarse.

"All right," I surrendered, "Thank you very much, Yusuke-sama. I will forever be in your debt." I tried to move but to no avail. Having more strength would have done me some justice. "Now if you'll get off me, we need to-"

"That's not the kind of thank you I meant." Yusuke interrupted me again. He had already straddled me beneath him so there was no use trying to fight back. But still, I could feel my heart hammering madly against my chest. A deep shade of red dusted my cheeks as Yusuke's smirk became more suggestive. I felt like such an idiot. It was almost as if I was a naive child with a schoolgirl crush. The worst part about it was, he knew what he was doing. And enjoyed it.

Again, I tried to protest but Yusuke didn't let me. Before I could say a word, he swooped down and claimed my lips. I felt my body suddenly go numb as my knees became weak even though I wasn't standing. I was completely and utterly dumbfounded. I had impatiently waited for this to happen, but now, I couldn't even take advantage of Yusuke's direct advances. He pulled away, and stared at me. His eyes were boring into mine with such intensity, I forgot how to breathe.

"Botan," Yusuke's eyes darkened. "kiss me back."

I didn't need anymore persuasion. Shyly, I titled my head up and closed my eyes. His kiss was feverish, slow yet demanding in an oh so delicate motion that left me clinging to him for dear life. My hands trembled with barely suppressed excitement, and our tongues danced in rhythm that was familiar only to us. Finally, we broke apart for air, and Yusuke pressed his forehead against mine. We both exchanged lopsided smiles.

"You're welcome," He said.

"Yusuke, I..."

"Shhh." He interrupted me once more. "No words." I couldn't help but shiver.

I breathed in sharply as he began planting butterfly kisses on my neck, barely touching. But gradually his roaming hands and soft caresses became more demanding and I gave in without a struggle, wrapping my slender arms around him. I leaned my head backwards, and my eyes closed as an uncontrollable whimper left me. I felt Yusuke's fingers begin to undo the first button of my blouse before he came back up to kiss me again. All my pent up longings had finally taking its toll. It was indescribable what was happening. Almost like a warm, hazy feeling coming over me and...

The case!

"Yusuke!" His grip on me had loosened, giving me the chance to push him away. I was breathing hard, my hands fanning my flushed face. He looked more than irritated while he stood up, muttering something underneath his breath. I shook my head. "You know just as well as I do that we don't have time for..." I trailed off, blushing tomato red. "Come on, we need to go."

"Go where?" Yusuke asked.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what I told you already. We need to go to the city, while I was out with Keiko, I kept getting these high readings of spirit energy. I guess that youkai...is most likely feeding at this very moment." I paused for a second before I spoke again. "How long will it take you to get to the city, Yusuke?"

"About ten minutes if I run." He answered. "Why?"

I produced my oar. "It would be best if I went ahead and looked around. You know, distract the youkai until you get there. I just hope this can be over with by tonight."

"But that's too-"

"It's only a few minutes, it's not like I'm going to get myself killed." I seated myself on my oar. "Get going, Yusuke. I'll meet you there, all right?"

"How will I find you?!" Yusuke exclaimed. But I never got the chance to answer his question. I had already soared into the dark clouds of the night. Even though spring was at its peak, it was still chilly. I shuddered as the wind whipped past my face. I knew I was still blushing, and the cold air did nothing to sooth my heated skin.

If I hadn't pushed Yusuke off of me...

Did I even want to?

"Don't think about it," I murmured. "just don't think about it."

But I was doing quite the opposite of what I told myself. Rolling up the left sleeve my blouse, I glanced down at the rei compass, then looked back up. I shifted my weight forward, and my oar began to quickly descend to the ground. I stopped, just a few inches from a bed of trimmed grass before standing up and realizing I was in the same park from earlier that evening. I swallowed hard. At night, this place looked so different.

I started walking, staring every now and then at the compass. Ten minutes had passed and still Yusuke hadn't shown up. I knew my plan had been out of the blue, but it seemed logical at the time. Maybe something was holding him up. Or maybe he was already fighting the youkai. I walked past tall, thick trees making sure not to trip over roots and small branches. For the most part, the moon's light gave me some comfort. I halted for a second to gaze at it through the swaying branches. Something had to be wrong, Yusuke would have been here by now. Maybe he was attacked, or hurt, or...

"I'm being paranoid." I chided myself softly. "Five more minutes without company won't hurt, Botan."

With some renewed assurance, I kept walking until I came across a clearing. I was lost, I knew from the first moment I started. I had just been too stubborn to admit it. To top it all off, I knew the youkai was here. I felt it, even though I was not gifted with spirit awareness. He was just there, watching, waiting, killing, feeding-

I closed my eyes, hoping the hideous images would leave. The only thing I could do now was go forward.

I was about to continue walking until I caught a glimpse something in a nearby bush. Maybe it was the youkai. I wanted to just keep going and not look back but curiosity had already tempted me. Carefully, I approached and extended my hand to push back the leaves. A limp body of a girl, almost as young as me, crumbled to the ground with a soft thud. Blood, slash marks, burns, and cuts decorated her body horribly. I looked past her and found other bodies in the same state. I knew they were not dead, they were just soulless but barely breathing. Any other person would have thought them all dead. For some odd reason, seeing all these people, didn't bother me in the least.

I've seen dead bodies before, I've seen so many that I lost count a long time ago. It's my responsibility to look at corpses and not get swept away by emotions. Yet sometimes, I cannot not help but give them my sympathy and my tears. It's even come to the point that if I saw a lifeless body on the street, I'd pass with only a quick glance. In Reikai, it was just the spirit that mattered, not the body. But this...this was so different.

This girl, with beautiful blue eyes, gazed unblinkingly at me. It was almost as if she were trying to tell me something. Every so often, a spasm would pass through her and new blood would seep from her old wounds. She was so close to dying and I couldn't stop staring.

To this day, I still don't know what triggered it. Maybe it was the blood. Or maybe it was the bleak eyes of this soulless girl gazing at me. But I knew at that moment, I was remembering.

I had spent a summer afternoon at a cherry orchard. I was only a little toddler, barely able to walk on my own. The sun had been bearing down on my skin so much that I could almost feel it right now. There was a woman with long blue hair and lavender eyes just as bright as mine watching me, calling to me. She was smiling at me, still calling to me. But I didn't listen, I wanted to hide, I wanted to be left alone. Picking and eating the cherries all day long. Wet crimson dripping from my fingers, my cheeks, my clothes. Crimson...cherries...blood.

My eyes widened and mouth fell open as I stumbled away from the bodies. On unsteady legs, I stood up and was about break into a run. Then...

"Deity,"

My body froze and my breath caught. It was almost like cold water had been poured on me. I turned; slowly, anxiously and before I could say a word, the sudden feel of a hand clamping down on my neck left me speechless.

Author's Notes: Ahem! Well, so ends another chapter. I know I'm not the only one who thought this cliffhanger was a little unexpected. But I wanted to add the little memory for Botan because of what I had described in the first paragraphs of the chapter. Seeing all the blood just triggered it. Now that the first three chapters are completed, now it's going to get good! I've been dying to get started on chapters four and five! I can't wait!

Some things I wanted to point out. One, I hope you enjoyed the Keiko and Botan scene. In my opinion, I see no point in making them hate each other just for Yusuke's affection. I thought it would be more convincing and realistic if they were still best friends. Two, I have decided to bump this fic to rated R but that won't be happening for a long while. At the most, the upcoming scene will be a very mild lime. Three, for anyone who was wondering, the title of this fic, In Medias Res, means, in the middle of things.

WARNING: Okay, I've really got some bad news. Unfortunately, I will not be able to post up chapter four for the next three weeks or longer. I'm going overseas with family and I will not get back until early August. I'm really sorry about this delay. But I promise, as soon as I get back, I'll make sure to work twice as hard to get chapter four posted.

Hopefully, these few perks will help until August rolls around. For the upcoming chapter 4, there will be:

-More characters introduced.

-Another cliffhanger. (I am aware that isn't great, but still...)

-And a clue for all readers: Which YYH character do we always associate with the color RED?

I know the answer is obvious, but don't jump to conclusions. Finally, I'd like to thank all reviewers. You guys are incredible, I never imagined that I would get such amazing reviews. Thank you all! See ya'll in August! Oh before, I forget, there are readers I want to address. They asked me questions and I'm going to answer them.

Cat Youkai: Thank you so much for your help so far, and your words of inspiration are one in a million. But when you sent me the e-mail for chapter three, I downloaded it and all the paragraphs had somehow condensed themselves. I'm sorry, I've been so busy lately that I did not have the time to separate it all. You should have seen it, everything was so crammed together. So unfortunately, I had to use the chapter that was not read by you. But I was able to go back, reread, and make the changes that you had made, but not all of them if you noticed (Keiko's last name). I'm pretty sure now, that it starts with a 'Y' I'm so sorry, Cat Youkai. Forgive me. You know my e-mail address and I can explain it more clearly if you don't understand. Thanks again.

Botan: Thank you for your review, I enjoyed reading it. I know you didn't ask a question but I wanted to comment on what you said about me having a beta-reader. To be perfectly honest, there are several reasons why I made that choice. But the one of the main reasons is for me to have a second person just read over each chapter and tell me anything that might be wrong. And as for Yusuke and Botan being the only couple in this fic...I'll let you find out on your own in chapter 4. *laughs* I think you're going to hate me for it!

jennycraig10: *blushes* You wanted to know how old I am? Well...*plays with fingers* if you really want to know, I just recently turned sixteen. Yeah, I know! I'm an old, withered lady! As for Yusuke still dating Keiko after the 'incident', he still loved her. That's the only, blunt answer I can give you. I know that there some people who cannot stand Keiko and Yusuke together. But in my opinion, they seem to flow with each other flawlessly and I respect that. It's just that I like to see someone take a different direction in coupling YYH characters, that's what fanfiction is all about!

I hope I answered your questions. Anyone else who does have questions can ask in their review. Thank you all!