Dear Readers,

Read and read and read and enjoy!

Love,

Wolf Princess Aya

Lasting Memories

Tear after tear fell on the shards of the broken necklace. Sobbing, the maid removed her hands from her face, wiping her eyes.

"What am I going to do. . .?" she whispered hoarsely, looking down at the broken gem, her heart as shattered as the necklace.

"I'd pick up the pieces." Forgetting her mangled face, Botan looked up in surprise. Yusuke stood above her, looking down at her kindly. But his expression changed to one of pure shock when he looked upon Botan's face. Noticing this look, the maid remembered her bruises and quickly looked away.

But the damage was done.

"Bo- Botan!" Yusuke choked out, falling to his knees as well and gently turning Botan's cheek so she would look at him. "What happened!"

"Ha. . Hari saw. . . Kurama and I . . . walking home from a festival last night," Botan hiccupped, wincing in pain as Yusuke examined her face.

"HA- HARI! Kurama's fiancée!" the vizier exclaimed in surprise. "But she seemed so nice- - !" Botan said nothing, instead looking down at the shattered jewel.

"Help me pick this up, would you?" the girl whispered, indicating the Shikon shards. Yusuke nodded and began to locate piece after piece, when he asked: "Would you like me to tell Kurama about Hari-"

"No!" Botan cried fearfully. "Hari said she'd- she'd kill me if she- - and Kurama loves her- - and I don't want him to get hurt!" Tears streamed down her face again as she looked into Yusuke's eyes. "Don't tell him. Even if it means that he and I . . . can never see each other again!" Yusuke looked into the pained face of the maid, her eyes wide and filled with tears.

He had to do something.

". . . Wait here. I have something that would work wonders for your wounds," the vizier said quietly a few moments later, getting up, dusting off his robes, and hurrying to the castle.

"What should I-?"

"Just stay here!" he called back as he entered the palace.

Botan watched him blankly, tears still trickling down her face as she looked back at the shards and slowly began picking them up, careful not to hurt herself further.

"My prince!" Yusuke huffed as he grabbed Kurama's arm moments later, tugging him back towards the way he just came. "You've got to come with me!"

"What! Why? And how many times do I have to tell you- the frustrated prince began, but Yusuke interrupted.

"I'm sorry- sorry, Kurama. But you've got to come with me!"

"Why?" Kurama asked again, raising an eyebrow at being dragged towards the doors.

"Err- because!" A stare pierced the black-haired of the two.

"Just come!" the vizier pleaded. "You won't regret it!" With a sigh, Kurama tugged his sleeve out of Yusuke's grasp.

"You're not going to give this up, are you?" Yusuke shrugged.

"Fine, but make it quick. Hari wanted to go over the wedding plans with me." Kurama noticed that Yusuke's eyes slightly hardened when he heard Hari's name, but ignored it.

"So what is it?"

"Come with me," the vizier cleared his throat, opening the door for Kurama.

The prince stepped through it and looked out. "So what is it-" he began again, but stopped short as his eyes fell on Botan, who was sitting in the middle of the field, picking something up.

"Well?" the vizier whispered. "Go talk to her! Only be quiet, and make sure she doesn't realize it's you."

"What!" Kurama hissed, Youko coming out. "She doesn't want to TALK to me!"

"That's a lie and you know it, Kurama," Yusuke glared. The prince stayed silent. He was right. It was a bold faced lie.

"So why is it I can't let her know it's me until she sees me?" Kurama asked a few moments later, refusing point blank to let Yusuke have the final say in this argument.

"Did it ever occur to you that she didn't tell you what was wrong earlier, because of who you are?"

"No. . . . But why the hell would it mater, damn it?" Kurama growled.

"Trust me," the vizier whispered, giving Kurama a gentle push towards Botan. With a final glare at Yusuke, Kurama walked quietly over to the maid, who had remained oblivious to what was going on.

Botan heard footsteps.

"Yusuke?" she whispered, wiping her eyes again, "did you find that ointment-" But she stopped with a frightened gasps as she found herself looking up at- not Yusuke-

But Kurama.

The prince's eyes widened with shock at the girl's face. Both her cheeks were blue and swollen, her left eye ringed in black. Her lip was cut and the side of her head had been bleeding.

"Botan." he whispered, falling to his knees and reaching out for her.

But she backed away, trying to hide her face again. "Don't come closer- please- go away-"

"Who did this to you?" Kurama whispered, gently grabbing her hands and pulling them from her face.

The maid's lip trembled- And then she burst into sobs, flinging herself at Kurama, and sobbing in his arms.

"Shh," the prince comforted, "shh, it'll be okay . . . it's going to be all right. . ."

"No it's not-" Botan choked out between sobs. "It's not. . ."

"Just tell me who did this," he murmured, drying her tears gently. "And I'll see they are punished."

Botan looked up at him with watery eyes. "You wouldn't believe me. . ."

"Was it Koenma?"

"No. . . ."

"Was it Riku!"

"No. . . ." the girl sniveled, getting quieter and quieter.

"Then who!"

". . . Hari."

The prince's eye's widened in shock.

"HARI! But she- she's your sister!"

Botan hiccupped and whispered. "She told me . . . if she sees us together again . . . she'll kill me. . . I don't want either of us to get hurt, so I tried to- to-"

"You tried to push me away. You tried to keep us apart," Kurama finished, seeing the pain in her eyes, and feeling it in his heart. The maid nodded. The prince was silent for a moment, and let go of Botan's hands, looking away.

"Kurama," Botan choked, scooting away. "This is for the best. We'll just- we'll just go our separate ways. We'll pretend nothing ever-"

"Botan," the prince whispered, his bangs covering his eyes, "I-"

"I understand," the maid hurried along, "that a maid and a prince should never talk to each other. If you hate me, that's okay. I don't-"

"Botan," Kurama said a bit louder, his voice rising to drown her out, "just- just STOP!" Reaching out, he pulled the girl into a tight hug, placing his chin gently on her head.

"Kurama. . .?" Mitsukai whispered, her eyes streaming. 'Wha- - -? What's going on . . .?'

"Botan, just stop," Kurama hugged her; "I won't let anyone- ANYONE- not even Hari- keep us apart. Never."

"Kurama." the maid looked up at the prince, "do you really mean that . . .?"

"Of course I do, you ditz!" The girl's lip trembled, and she burst into sobs again- only this time for a different reason.

Huddled together under the graying sky, Kurama rocked the sobbing Botan gently in his arms, while from a distance, Yusuke watched with a small smile.

'That was better then any ointment,' the vizier thought, thoroughly please with himself as he turned to walk back to the castle. 'Damn, I'm good.'

"What are these in your hands?" the prince asked quietly, looking at the shards in the maid's palm.

Botan looked guiltily up at him. "I- I- I kind of- sort of- shattered the jewel. . .'

". . . The Shikon?" Kurama asked, alarmed. "Why-!"

"It was sort of an accident!" Botan insisted. "I- I- I-"

"It's okay," the prince whispered soothingly. "That's the least of our troubles right now- it's okay. . ."

"No, it's not!" the girl's voice cracked. "I loved that necklace!"

"I'll help you gather the shards," Kurama shrugged, picking up a few more pieces of the Shikon no Tama. "And then we'll give it to one of the castle jewelers to piece back together. No problem, really." The girl looked at the prince blankly, who was scouring the yards for shards.

"Well? You going give me a hand or not?" Kurama asked teasingly, smiling. Mitsukai nodded and smiled a watery smile before crawling around with him.

"There," Kurama exclaimed proudly, holding out a handful of shards, "I think this is it!" The sun had mostly set now, and they were both grass stained and sore- but now had all- or at least most- of the shards.

"Thank you so much for your help, Kurama," Botan yawned, looking up at him with wide eyes. "And thank you for . . . for. . ."

"No one will keep us apart, Mitsukai," the prince whispered to the tired girl. "Not even Hari." The maid smiled at him before closing her eyes and leaning on his shoulder, falling asleep. Smiling gently down at her, Kurama lifted the girl into his arms and carried her back to her room, bridal style.

Upon reaching the room, he gently placed her on her bed- suddenly overwhelmed by the sent of her blood which still hung heavy.

'Hari,' Kurama snarled to himself, Youko flashing as his eyes turned golden as he watched Botan sleep on top of her blood stained sheets. 'This. . . This you will pay for!'

YEAH!

Hari's going to be told on! That reminds me of a quote.

"No you're not! I'm not goin' let you! I'm goin' tell on you!" - Makimachi Misao to Chou

Anyways, please review and read my other stories 'Rose' and 'Over the Sunset', which is sad yet it will improve.

Trust me.

JA!

-Luna