Dear Readers,

This is for all the cute Keiko and Yusuke fans :3

Love,

Wolf Princess Aya

Lasting Memories

The gray sky had turned a darker shade, one of violet, and the rain that had started earlier as only a slight drizzle had transformed into a storm. Botan hid on the stair case, as she watched the others in the sitting room drink tea.

"We shouldn't go out in this weather, your highness," Yusuke said, looking out the window with a small frown on his face. "We'll just have to stay the night." Though just 'announcing' this would usually be considered rude, Sayo, Maya, and Hari's reactions were far from angry. In fact, they were positively giddy at the idea.

"Oh!" Maya giggled insanely, racing up the stairs, "I get to share a room with vizier Yusuke!"

"Err-" Yusuke began, but Kurama shot him a glance that said, quiet plainly, 'shut up' as Maya bounded down the stairs again and sat back down, smiling broadly at Yusuke.

"We'll make sure Hari and your room is perfect, my highness!" Sayo bubbled. Then her look darkened as she glared up the staircase and straight at Botan. Botan gulped.

"Get the room ready!" hissed Sayo so the others couldn't hear. "And if anyone sees you, so help me-!"

Botan nodded and scampered quickly off into the room.

Kurama was most curious when he heard the small thumping of footprints up stairs. Everyone he could think of was here in the sitting room, talking, and there wasn't anyone else in the house, was there? He looked with a small frown out the window and at the carriage. No one else had come with them to go hunting for the girl who fit the slipper- Hari. Yet. . .

"My lord?" Sayo asked quietly, "what is it?"

Kurama jumped as he realized everyone was staring intently at him. "Err- I was just thinking that- um- that we might have some extra things in the carriage to make out spending the night more comfortable. I believe we have an extra pair of clothes. . ." his voice trailed off, hoping no one else saw through his bold faced lie, used to cover up his lack of attention to the topic (which, when he had tuned it out, had been about the wedding).

"Really?" Yusuke asked curiously. "I don't remember pack-" He winced as another glare was shot this way. "I'll just go check."

"Are you sure?" Maya whimpered. "I'm sure Botan-" Another glare was shot, only this time, it was from Sayo and Hari, and it was shot at Maya. The young girl gulped. "Never mind." Kurama looked with a raised eye brow at the three ladies, but they had all conveniently changed the subject to flowers. For the wedding, of course.

"Yusuke? The trunk, then?" Kurama asked quietly. Yusuke nodded and left, quietly grumbling, very sure that there had been no trunk at all, and that this was just an excuse to either get him out of the prince's hair, or to cover up the prince's short attention span.

'Actually,' the vizier thought, 'it could be both.' So with a sigh, he fastened his cloak and walked out into the pouring rain.

Botan hummed quietly to herself as she cleaned up Hari's room, which of all the rooms in the house was the most extravagant. Putting it bluntly, Hari was spoiled rotten.

Lace covered everything, from the chair of the vanity seat to the curtains, from the mirror and make up containers, to the bedspread and pillow cases. There was warm carpeting that covered the entire floor, and the whole room was lit with a soft glow from the candles, making the light pink paint glow warmly in the pouring rain.

This room always made Botan gag. Way too much lace, combined with too much pink, mixed with the fact that this had been her home before her father remarried, equaled one big stomach ache for Botan every time she entered this room.

However, she was almost enjoying herself as she decorated the room with cherry blossoms and tulips, imagining what it would be like to be in this room with the prince tonight. She suddenly went white and dropped all the flowers that were in her arms.

Hari and the prince. They were going to be in this room. Tonight. By themselves. She could only imagine what could happen. And this time, her imagination was not her friend.

Yusuke grumbled as he searched the carriage in his soaked clothes and cloak. 'There better be a change of clothes in here, or else I'll catch my death!' he thought darkly as he sneezed.

"Need any help, friend?" came a voice from behind him.

He turned to see a very pretty young woman. Her short, coffee hair with was pulled in a very low pony tail and she was in a cream and pink dress with black pants under it. She held a ragged red cloak around her and looked up at Yusuke with brown eyes that looked slightly concerned. "Kinda silly, if you don't mind my saying, to be out in a rain like this."

"No kidding," Yusuke rolled his eyes. The girls eye brows raised.

"Then why, pray tell, are you OUT here?"

"Commanded," he hopped out of the carriage and stood next to the girl, looking down at her and grinning wryly.

"Commanded?" she growled, her eyes flashing. "I HATE people who command others-"

"Hey, calm down, I like my employer-"Yusuke said quickly, wondering what in his previous statement had changed the girl's mood so suddenly.

"Employ-? Oh!" Her eyes softened. "I thought- never mind." They stood in silence for a moment.

"So you need any help?" she asked again, turning to face him.

"Sure . . .?"

"Keiko."

"Ah. Sure, Lady Keiko." And so they both headed into the carriage to look for the supposed trunk.

'Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods,' Botan thought, sitting on the bed with her head in her hands. 'They wouldn't- no, they wouldn't- Well, Hari would, but the prince, he said at the ball- he seemed like one who would get to know the girl first- but what if he really thinks it's me? Gods!' She was red from anxiety and embarrassment of thinking of herself and the prince like that, but she shook it off. 'He wouldn't. I'm sure.'

She stood and took a shaky breath, picking up the flowers and biting her lip. 'He wouldn't.'

Lowering herself back down on the bed she closed her eyes, hugging a pillow close to her face, the pillow that the prince would be using in a few hours, and falling into a light and fitful sleep.

"Okay, I KNOW that time wasn't an accident," Keiko growled, "KEEP YOUR HAND OFF MY BUTT."

"I swear, it was an accident!" Yusuke protested, grinning to himself, "but I do apologize, Lady Keiko." Keiko looked at Yusuke in exasperation and then went back to searching. It was amazing how many hiding places this carriage had.

She felt a hand brush her behind again.

"DON'T, YUSUKE YOU JERK!" she screamed, punching Yusuke in the stomach, following it with a kick where the sun doesn't shine, and then stomping out of the cart, into the rain, and back to her house, grumbling darkly.

Yusuke coughed, keeled over on the floor, trying to breathe, feeling a lot of pain everywhere. When he finally could move, he looked up with a happy gleam in his eyes. "What a woman!"

Kawaii meeting don't you think?

Aya-chan