Dear Readers,

This time, our strange pair of friends Yusuke and Botan meet! YAY!

Love,

Wolf Princess Aya

Lasting Memories

Knock, knock, knock…

"What is it?" Yusuke called as he happily soaked in the bubble filled bath. He was very pleased to note that he had a large, purple and black bruise on his stomach from Keiko that hurt very much if he touched it. He was hoping that this meant it was going to be there a long time.

"Excuse me, sir," a soft girl's voice called through the door, "I was instructed to come and help you. May I please come in . . . ?"

"Oh! Of course! Please, come in," Yusuke replied, grabbing a towel and quickly wrapping it around his middle, just in case the bubbles started to drift.

A girl around Keiko's age walked in timidly, clutching a towel to her chest nervously. Her ragged brown dress swept the floor as she walked a few feet in, turned, and closed the door again.

There was a long silence.

'She's cute,' Yusuke thought, surprised, as he surveyed the girl with mild interest. 'Maybe I shouldn't have put on this towel.'

"Please don't stare at me, sir," the girl mumbled, blushing and putting the towel down next to the fancy sink, "it makes me nervous."

"Oh. Sorry." Yusuke grinned slyly. "But how could I not stare at one so beautiful?" The girl looked away, a small frown on her face.

"Please don't, I'm not beautiful." Yusuke was, putting it mildly, alarmed at the girl's reaction. Any other girl would have gone giddy at a compliment from one as high in status as he. This one didn't even seem glad.

She seemed downright depressed, in fact.

"Who are you?" he asked slowly, not wanting to sound rude.

"My name is Botan," the girl replied, looking away as she began gathering perfumes, ointments, soaps, and shampoos from cabinets all around the light blue bathroom.

"That's a very pretty name," he smiled.

She smiled a small smile back, but it looked slightly forced. "Thank you." She silently walked over and placed the bottles down, selecting one and opening it. As she poured some on her hands and began to scrub Yusuke's head, she sighed.

"What is it?" the vizier asked, silently enjoying her fingers in his hair, though secretly wishing Keiko was in Botan's place.

"Never mind," Botan replied. There was a moment of silence, and then Botan broke it.

"Do you- do you know the prince very well?" she asked softly.

"Yea," Yusuke replied, surprised at the question. "I've known him most of my life."

"Um. . . do you think he'd. . . Well. . . Do you think that he and Hari . . . will . . . um . . . you know," Botan asked sheepishly, turning very red.

Yusuke looked confused for a moment, and then very quickly understood. "Oh! Oh. . ." He looked up into Botan's face, seeing the sadness in it.

"No. Not with a girl he just met. Even if she was his dream girl."

"Really?"

"Really." Botan finally smiled a true smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Yusuke replied, settling back down in the tub. "May I ask why you wish to know, though?" Botan silently kneaded perfumed lotion into his shoulders.

"You wouldn't believe me," she finally whispered.

"Don't say that. I believe a lot of weird things." Botan smiled a small smile, her lips slightly pursed.

"I just- just. . ." The vizier looked up at her again. She seemed to be struggling for words.

"It's okay. Forget I said anything."

The girl looked down at him in surprised. "Really? You don't mind-?"

Yusuke shrugged. "It's obviously a painful topic, and it's not my place to ask about it." Botan smiled appreciatively. He picked up one of the bottles next to the tub.

"What is this stuff?" he asked curiously, sniffing it and trying to change the subject. "It smells good!"

"Um. . . THAT is the toilet cleaner. . ." Botan giggled.

Yusuke slowly put the bottle down. "Oh."

Kurama found himself dressed in a pair of too-big flannel blue pajamas, borrowed from Sayo's late husband. They were comfortable, but he was not. Hari was laying next to him on the bed, dressed in a very small, pink, lacy, nightgown.

Even her bed clothes matched the room!

But though the color was annoying, it was the size that bothered him. It looked as if she had originally worn it when she was in grade school. Which, of course, bluntly communicated to Kurama what she was trying to do, but he really didn't feel like being seduced, thank you very much.

So he had just kissed her on the cheek and said good night, and she (pouting and rather disappointed) had fallen into a deep slumber. Now Kurama lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling, feeling rather uncomfortable at their proximity.

'Maybe it was a foolish idea,' he thought, sighing, 'to want to marry a girl I had only just met.'

Sitting up carefully so as not to wake Hari, Kurama slid out of bed and crept down stairs, hoping to make himself a cup of tea.

"There!" Botan smiled as she ruffled Yusuke's hair with a towel. "You're all perfumed up, and ready for Maya!"

Yusuke's face fell as he remembered Maya. After talking with Keiko, she had been pushed out of his mind. Now he remembered her. All too well. Botan noticed this.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the sink. She had lightened up considerably after their brief talk of Kurama. Yusuke was silent for a moment.

"Have you ever loved someone that could never be obtained?" he asked slowly. Botan's face fell, but she quickly put on a thoughtful frown.

"What do you mean?"

"What if you felt strongly towards someone in a different class then you?" Yusuke said, rephrasing his question, feeling stupid asking.

Botan was silent for a moment. "I believe," she said after a while, as she began putting bottles away and folding dirty towels, "that love knows no boundaries." She smiled sadly and sighed. "You just have to hope the one you feel strongly for believes that too."

Yusuke nodded, and then stood, the towel he had wrapped around his middle sopping wet from being in the tub, but still effective. Botan silently held out a pair of flannel red pajamas for him to wear, and turned her back while he put them on.

"Kinda big," he said a few moments later as Botan turned back around to find that the clothes were considerably too large for him.

Botan laughed quietly. "My father was a big guy."

"Where is he, anyway?" Yusuke asked, examining his sleeve curiously. Botan fell silent, looking to the floor, biting her lip.

"Oh . . . I'm sorry," Yusuke said, looking up at her with an apologetic look. "I didn't realize. . ."

"It's okay," Botan said softly, looking up at him. As she was looking up, however, she noticed something and blushed scarlet, turning away from Yusuke.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"Um. . . your barn door's open," Botan choked out, still red and silently slipping out the door and downstairs.

"What?" Yusuke looked down, blushed, and quickly readjusted his pants.

(blushes) Eep…

Aya-chan