Dear Readers,

The past two chapters were basically about Yusuke and Keiko and if you were bored of that, I'm sorry but here is another chapter with this couple.

Promise to have Kurama and Botan… I mean… they are the main characters.

Love,

Wolf Princess Aya

Lasting Memories

Keiko sighed as she placed the washed dishes in a small pile to dry. She leaned back against the counter and looked down at her hand sadly, where she still wore a ring from her last boyfriend.

The one he had proposed with.

Secretly, Keiko still hoped he'd come back to her. But deep inside she knew he wouldn't. Yet she just couldn't bring herself to take the ring off.

"I'm back!" Souta cried as he walked into the kitchen. Keiko quickly hid her hands so her brother didn't think that her mind was on "him" again. The last thing she wanted was to have her brother worry about her.

"Where'd you go?" Keiko asked, ignoring the curious look her brother gave her.

"To talk to someone," he smiled, sitting back down and picking at his instrument again. Keiko nodded and didn't ask further questions. She looked out the window at Botan's house.

Botan hadn't been over lately. Come to think of it, she hadn't even seen Botan in the yard or in the house for a while. Biting her lip and wondering what could have happened to her friend; Keiko took her jacket off the hook and threw it on.

"I'm going to see if Botan is okay," Keiko told her brother as she tied some cloth over her head to keep it warm. Souta nodded and Keiko walked outside into the light drizzle and heavy fog. Nothing stopped her when it came to matters of the heart, her little brother thought.

As she squished and squashed across the damp yard, she noticed the carriage was gone. But the vizier was still there, he had just left her house 10 minutes ago.

What was going on?

"Psst!" Keiko hissed a few moments later as she tapped lightly on the door. "Botan! Are you here?" There was no reply.

Where was she?

Botan walked slowly up the winding stairs of the castle with her small, torn bag. 'For being so rich,' Botan thought, shivering, 'you'd think the royal family could spend a little more on fireplaces.'

As she reached the third floor, she walked down a long, narrow hall and to a room on the far right. It was nothing impressive, but not bad either. She closed the door behind her and looked around curiously.

It was small, but that wasn't surprising. Against the wall in the corner was a small bed with a ragged but warm quilt on top. There was also a small closet for her things, and a window that had a beautiful view out into the court yard and its garden.

'Not bad. . .' Botan thought as she sat on the bed. 'Better then at home, anyway-' Her thoughts were cut off by a small knocking on the door. Secretly wishing that it was Kurama, but not allowing her hopes to rise at all, Botan opened the door with a smile. "Yes?"

Outside stood a boy around her age. He was good looking, brownish hair and eyes, and a neat servant outfit.

"Hello," he smiled as he stuck out his hand, "I'm Koenma. One of the butlers- in-training. Thought I'd be polite and see who my next-room-over neighbor was going to be."

"Hi, Koenma," Botan smiled at him. "I'm Botan. Sist- I mean- maid to the future queen."

"That Hari girl, huh? The pretty girl from the ball?" Botan's smile became forced.

"Yes, her." Koenma grinned embarrassedly at her.

"Well, if I were the prince, I'd prefer your beauty to hers any day." He smiled, waved, and walked back to his room, blushing slightly and whistling. Botan stared after him, wide eyed and red, before slowly closing the door behind her.

Looking out at the garden she thought, slightly embarrassed, 'Well. He was nice.'

Yusuke's ears perked as he heard a light tapping on the kitchen window from the sitting room.

"Do you have any twos?" he asked Maya, glancing towards the kitchen.

"Nope. Got any twos?" Maya replied, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Yes," Yusuke answered dryly, handing her his two. "I'm going to get something to drink. You deal again."

"Okay!" cried a happy Maya as she began to sloppily shuffle. Yusuke rolled his eyes as he headed towards the kitchen.

'What is that tapping-?' he thought curiously as he reached the window. And found he was staring face to face with Keiko.

Her eyes widened.

"Keiko!" he whispered, delighted, as he opened the window. "Couldn't keep away from me, could you?"

"Buzz off," she mumbled angrily, "I came to see Botan." Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"She's not here."

"Got sent out for a chore?" Keiko sighed. "Poor girl. Well, when she gets back-"

"No, I mean, she's not going to be here for a while. She's gone to the castle with Kurama-" He noticed how her eyes widened with happiness when he said this.

"-And Hari to be Hari's maid." Keiko's face fell, and then she looked extremely angry.

"Why that royal, no good bastard-!" Keiko growled.

"Whoa!" Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "Watch it! That's my friend you're-"

"That imbecile!" Keiko continued to rant. "And that no good rotten bit-!" she almost yelled, but she found the vizier's hand over her mouth.

"Shut up!" Yusuke hissed. "I don't know what's wrong, but if you get caught here you'll get in trouble!" Keiko glared at him. Yusuke sighed and uncovered her mouth. "Just be quiet. What's wrong, anyway? Hari is the girl from the ball, and Kurama loves her!"

Keiko opened her mouth as if to argue, but then closed it. "So she's at the castle, you say?" she finally asked coolly, an eyebrow rose.

"Yes. . ."

"Right. Well, thanks for your time, you've helped." Keiko turned her back and started to walk away, but Yusuke reached an arm out and grabbed her through the window.

Keiko snarled as her head whipped around. "What do you want!"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I insulted you somehow. I didn't mean to." Her eyes softened slightly.

"Oh. . ." He let go of her arm slowly.

"Well . . . see ya around."

"Fare . . . farewell," she replied softly, walking back to her house. But she did glance back at him once while she walked.

'Farewell. . .' he thought, sighing, as he watched her disappear into the fog. And a carriage- the one taking him, Maya and Sayo to the castle- appeared, a footman calling for them to get ready to leave.

Keiko's angry and confused… Yusuke's stuck with the two idiots and where are Kurama and Botan? Will this madness ever stop! Will we ever get enough sugar!

Aya-chan