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It was the last class of the day—study hall. It was only half an hour long, but it seemed to be taking a year for it to pass by. Suichi, having already finished what little assignments he was given because of his first day, suppressed a yawn as he gazed out the window with boredom. Outside, the girl's track team was doing their warm-ups then laps around the track. He heaved a heavy sigh and buried his face into his folded arms on his desk. If he had known that living as a human was so boring, he would have simply killed Botan on the spot and returned to his more dangerous life in Makai.
'No, you'd still stay here because of the slave girl,' a tiny voice whispered in his head. 'Admit that you fancy her.'
'She only interests me because she had the spine to even consider being so close to me. I don't fancy her,' he argued with the voice.
'You're afraid to face it. Your pride will come back to bite you…what will you do when it's too late?'
'There's nothing there for it to be too late. She doesn't fulfill my needs. I'm merely prolonging this hunt so I can draw out her emotions and strike her down. It will be most pleasing to see her choking on her own blood while her eyes plainly say that I have forsaken her…such delicious pain I could cause her both emotionally.' At this, the small voice said nothing, allowing the fox demon to smile to himself. Yes, there was no possible way that this human creature could meet his strict requirements for the perfect mate. Hurting Botan emotionally would hurt her the most. The weakest point of a female was stereotypically their emotions. Botan couldn't possibly be much different from the rest.
His emerald eyes swept through the dead silent classroom. He noticed several girls peeking over their textbooks to gaze at his remarkable good looks only to quickly look at the words when they realized the emerald eyes were on him. He gazed back thoughtfully. What did they find so pleasing about him? Was it his stance? His extraordinary emerald eyes? Or was it the sleek scarlet hair that concealed a deadly weapon? He smirked to himself and supported his head with a cupped hand. Now that he thought about it, what exactly was it that they wanted from him. He longed to know if they saw him as the sadistic demon he was inside or if they only preferred to have him for his lithe form.
'Worthless female scum,' he thought bitterly. He cast an equally bitter glare briefly across the classroom as if daring any female to look up at him now to contradict his words. He was pleased to find that at that moment no one had been looking at him. He lifted his textbook and stared blankly at it to keep his eyes from wandering too much around the room. In the course of fifteen minutes, he had already absorbed the information into his long-term memory. He was bored out of his mind. Unconsciously, his eyes wandered to Botan who was now pressing the side of the pencil against her lips as she was checking her figures against the textbook's examples. She bit into it in frustration and erased the figures and began writing something else.
The fox demon smirked and found his eyes wandering more on her body rather than what she was doing. He studied the curves on her body with a scrutinizing look. It was only when Botan glanced up at him when he realized he had been gazing too openly at her. Instead of flushing, he only gave her a brusque shrug and looked away.
Botan flushed and tugged her skirt further down to try and cover more of her slender legs. She watched as Suichi was motioned briefly in front of the flowerpot on the windowsill. With every twitch of his hand, the flower followed with smooth motions, only a silent marionette to the fox demon's command.
"Erm…Sensei, is it just me or is that flower dancing?" a girl asked loudly. Instantly everyone looked up at the flower. It sat motionless and Suichi looked at her. The girl stood and stared at Suichi. "B-but you saw it too…right? You were looking at it the whole time!"
Botan could only smile as Suichi gave casual shrug. "I'm afraid I haven't seen a thing. I was thinking about something you see," he said in a convincingly innocent voice.
"B-b-but I swear!"
"Please, just sit back down. It isn't much longer until school is let out. I know it was a long day, but honestly," the teacher said in a voice that clearly stated that she was getting too old for something like this.
"Maybe you shouldn't do things like that in public," Botan said to Suichi after stuffing papers into her book bag.
"Do what, exactly?" came the bored reply.
Botan looked up from snapping the clasp on her on her bag to find the fox spirit leaning against the wall. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest. "You know what I mean. Making that flower move."
"Oh. That."
"What were you thinking? You knew that all those girls are goggling and drooling over you and you still did that…whatever it was to that plant."
"I was bored. Would you have preferred that I have killed someone instead of toying with a plant without feelings?"
The deity frowned and began to walk out the front doors beside Suichi. "No. I guess not, but you should've done your homework or something."
"I did it already."
Having no more to say, Botan fell silent and hurried to match Suichi's long, graceful strides. "Can I ask you something without you getting offended?" she said at last. She met the cool, emerald gaze without blushing.
"It depends…on what subject does this question lie?"
"You being a demon and all."
"I suppose."
Botan glanced around to make sure there wasn't anyone close enough to hear her.
"There isn't anyone near enough to hear," Suichi said quickly. He had already taken in the scents around him. The way Botan smelled now was peculiar. There was the scent of embarrassment, worry and…something else that he couldn't comprehend. Mentally, he stared at her in awe. There was no way someone was able to feel several things at one time.
"Well, I know that you're this high and mighty demon who's killed more than most demons do in their life time, right?"
Suichi nodded once.
"So of course that means you're able to use some sort of really powerful weapon that no one else can use…"
A faint smile appeared on Suichi's face. "I suppose you could take it that way."
"Okay, so how is it you can make plants move if you've killed so many people? There's no way you could have some sort of power that could move a harmless little flower!"
At this, the fox demon laughed. "Perhaps you'd want me to show you what I'm capable of doing." He took her by the hand and led her to a nearby elementary playground. He stooped down near a tuft of weeds that sat dolefully near a corner. He plucked the weeds and held them up for Botan's inspection. "I want you to make sure these are real weeds so you don't find me to be a worthless cheater."
The weeds were, of course, normal weeds. Suichi held them in his flat palm, facing upwards. He moved a minute portion of his Spirit Energy into the plant, willing it to extend its physical shape beyond its limit. The weeds grew longer and wound around his hand. It snaked towards the ground to pluck a flower from the small plot of garden, twisting upwards again to offer the plant to Botan.
Botan took it with surprise. She flushed. "I'm not exactly sure how this explains why you can move plants."
Suichi frowned slightly and removed his Reiki from the weeds. He threw the now lifeless weeds to the ground. "I don't usually use weeds. Once we return I can show you more fully what I can do. It's my trademark, one might say, to use plants as my weapon."
"These? These things can hurt someone?" came the incredulous sputter.
"In my hands, nearly any plant can be warped into something dangerous. Those unsightly weeds could suffocate someone without a person being able to cut it with a knife."
"It still doesn't sound that bad. It sounds more like you if you use claws or…a knife or something like that, but not a flower."
"Indeed? Then I shall show you the moment we get home. If you provoke me, I might have to use them against you."
Botan smirked. "Really? Do you really have the guts to kill me Mr. Crybaby-around-tweezers?"
Suichi narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. "I won't remind you again. I don't have a conscious therefore guilt cannot tarnish my soul." With that, he turned on his heel and began to walk away.
"I noticed," Botan grumbled and followed the demon.
"Why do you have to shut the blinds just to show me your 'all-powerful weapon'?" Botan asked as she watched Youko (Disturbedvixen: yes, he's in his demon form now) dart around the room pulling down the shades and locking the door.
"Incase someone peeks in expecting to find you undressing but instead finds me in my true form," Youko answered vaguely.
"What?!" Botan wasn't sure she had heard correctly. "There's no one in their right minds that would want to watch me undress."
Youko only smirked. He had seen the way some of the human boys had looked at her. Hadn't he sensed the flare of hormones in them as they watched her walk by? Botan had only been too preoccupied with her human worries to not notice this. His kitsune ears twitched in amusement. "You're rather pessimistic, aren't you?" he said as he fumbled with the drawstrings of the curtain, finally pulling them closed.
"With demons like you always around me, when can I fit in the time to inflate my ego with complements about myself?" The amber eyes settled on her, making Botan feel slightly uncomfortable. She unconsciously tugged the hem of her skirt down again.
"You find yourself to be ugly?" Youko asked in awe, sitting down on the hardwood floor in front of Botan who sat on the couch.
Botan flushed at the remark. "I don't know about going that far, but I know I'm not pretty. I know I'm not really ugly either, but not pretty enough for…" She trailed off and broke eye contact with the fox. She flushed a brighter red. She was afraid of what smart-ass remark Youko would come up with if she had finished her sentence.
Youko tried to breathe in her scent to take in what emotions she was feeling so he could get an understanding of how she felt. Once again he sensed a mix of several emotions that he was unsure of. "Are you ready now?"
"Sure. Lets see what the Great Youko is capable of."
Youko shook his head once. A seed fell to the floor. He put the seed into his face up palm, just as he had done to the bundle of weeds. "Now, you can't scream. I can't stand it when my victims scream. It affects my hearing and it is quite annoying."
Botan sat up straighter in resolve. "There's no way something you can do will scare me."
"Very well." The fox demon pushed his energy into the seed. The seed sprouted, wrapping its roots and vines around his arm. The tiny seed had grown into what looked like a tree with snapping jaws!
Botan bit back a cry of surprise and fear. "That's what came from that tiny thing?!"
"Yes, this is the Death Seed. If sewn into a body, it can sprout its roots through the flesh and kill the victim…or paralyze him or her. It depends on whether or not I'm feeling merciful or not. This is the Death Tree. Would you like to know what it is capable of?" The fox demon gazed thoughtfully at the jaws on the plant. If he wanted to, he could easily allow his treasured weapon to sink its teeth into Botan, melting away flesh and bone with its acidic saliva.
Botan seemed to have a good idea of what the Death Tree was capable of. "N-no, that's okay. I got the point now," she said in a tiny voice.
Youko smiled and took his Reiki back from the seed. The plant disappeared. He smiled good-naturedly at Botan; acting like the whole thing was a childish and harmless show-and-tell project. "So, what would you like to share with me? Is there anything special you can do?"
"I can cook and clean. That's all you need to know."
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~~kuramaandHiei4ever: Well, you were the first person to review! Here's a super fresh brownie! I already loaded it down with plenty of sugar too! This story seems to be more popular than Silent Whisper of Roses since I'm really close to 100 before I even got 10 chapters up! Thanks for your review! Who's your next character on your poem collection?
~~miyako14: I'm glad you like this fic! I'm honored to have so many reviewers! * sniffs happily * Here's a brownie! You better update soon! I'll be there to read your chapter when it does get up…erm, if I remember…(^.^')
~~Dark Raxiel: You find it interesting? Thanks! I tried to make it interesting and not completely mushy. I don't want to rush things! ^.^ Thanks for your review and have a brownie! I'd say something cool in Spanish, but unfortunately, the most I can do is ask where the bathroom is!
~~Tesina Gela Gardner: That's so weird! I was thinking about brownies with nuts when I was typing and here you are choosing a brownie with nuts…weird! Here's another one if you don't mind a lot of chocolate! Thanks for your review!
~~Tyedye/Rin: You're gonna make my ego explode with all these complements you keep giving me. That part Hiei says (I think it was Hiei…) in Bonded will probably be in this story sometime soon! Bet ya can't wait! Don't worry, you'll get recognized for it. I don't borrow without giving the proper acknowledgements. I don't think I actually asked anyone but you to borrow a certain something on their fics…hm, so I guess you'll be the first! You have some really good ideas that I could never even think about. Of course I'm not the brightest thing in this world. Oh yeah, have another brownie!
~~Mourning Fox: Just to warn you there will be some violence in this and possibly some hints at sex...(maybe…) I don't get into details with that the lemons and whatnot. I hate it when sex and violence is the whole point of a story…it's pointless to me. If it's in a big fic where it has some relevance to the story line, then it's okay, but a strictly lemon fic is boring. Thanks for your review slash opinions! (The last few words before this would look like review/opinions, but I just wanted to say reviews slash opinions because I'm a weirdo. }Here's another brownie! Can you feel the sugar rush?! Mwa hahaha!
~~DarkAnimeChick: Yep! Youko has to be sort of seductive since he's got the looks and all that cut out for him, right? He's gotta be evil, sexy and smooth…* coughs * yes, well I'm getting carried away here! Have a brownie while you wait for the next chapter!
~~PassionateAngel: That's okay that you didn't review the last chapter. I don't force people to review! Thanks for reading and have a brownie! Youko's slowly softening up, but as you can see hints of him liking Botan, but he's trying to deny it. Poor thing. * pats Youko plushie on the head *
~~chocogurl: ACK! Too much ego boosting! * falls over and dies * *suddenly pops back up with basket of brownies * Gasp! I'm a god of all writers?! Well, I'm not. One, I'm a girl so I'd be a goddess, which I'm not, and two, there's three other really good KuramaxBotan authoresses out there! Read one of these three's KuramaxBotan fic and you'll know that I'm nowhere near as good as any of them! Volpone, frith, JDfielding are some of the best ones out there. I appreciate all the complements, but I can't say that I can write nearly as well as these three.
~~Fire Rose: I want to hug him too, but he's not real! * sobs * Thanks for a review and have a brownie!
~~Moonlite Goddess: You liked Youko as a crybaby around tweezers, huh? I thought it was kind of cute in a way. * sigh * I wanted to portray him differently. He can't be tough and macho all the time, right? Even the most good-looking and seemingly perfect person has their flaws. For demons, bloodlust isn't really a flaw, so I guess Youko's flaw here is letting little things like tweezers bother the crap out of him. Thanks for your review! Here's a brownie!
~~orange09: Erm, yeah, that was kind of confusing. I'm glad you're enjoying my fic so far, though. I'm pretty sure I'll have Youko confess his feelings before Botan will. It's a matter of pride for either of them to admit it so I'm thinking I'll have Youko be the first to admit it. You said you hoped this fic will be different than other fics. Can you elaborate on that one? Here's a brownie for taking time out to review!
~~DarkShadowWriter: I completely agree on your opinion on cliffies! You're saying Lost is a Touya freak? Personally, I like Touya and Jin! You like Sakiyo (however you spell the name!)? Is he the guy that Shizuru seems to like during the Dark Tournaments? He's okay in his own twisted way. But I think I like Touya is best apart from Karasu. I don't understand why I like Karasu…maybe it's because he's the only person who's been able to spook Youko. I'm a weirdo ^.^' That's why my penname is Disturbedvixen I guess. Thanks for your review. Here is a chocolaty brownie!
~~TR: Thanks! Here's a brownie and I hope you stick around for more!
~~dragonbabe: You're too kind. Here is a brownie for your troubles!
Like I said, thanks for reviewing and your name will be up again next time if you review!