Chapter 9: Botan

Saturday, June 14th, 2005

I don't know when I fell asleep. But…this isn't my bed. This isn't my bed at all. It's softer and fluffier than mine. This is a different bed. I know it's a different bed. I remember sleeping in a different bed. And there is only one explanation.

Someone stole the real mattress. Why take something so innocent?

I open my eyes, only to get a sharp pain in my left buttock, for some reason, like it was stabbed or something. "Argh…" I push myself up with my arms. I need to find out who stole my mattress now.

I sit up, and again, my buttock reminds me of its presence and I shift my weight to the right buttock. I rub my temples and swing my legs around. I need to find the culprit.

I open my eyes, and they are filled with bright blue panda-ness. Wow. That is some wallpaper.

Gasp! My old room didn't even have wallpaper. Wait…did I even have a room? What was my past like? Did I have a room?

I instantly stand up, senses alert for any passing sign of danger. I glare at one such deadly panda smiling at me. How dare it look so happy. I am suffering here!

"Would you like some breakfast?" A small voice asks from behind me. I freeze and reflexively swing around and violently chop whoever-it-is hard in the neck area. I hear a grunt of surprise and then a –whump- as the person falls.

How'd I do that?

I turn around to see a poor fallen girl behind me. Short brown hair fans out around her head. She's sort of pretty, with a short red skirt and bright orange sailor shirt and ordinary brown shoes. The breast pocket on the shirt reads Jun Boarding School.

I gasp, not sure why that sounds familiar. It's as familiar as this girl. Wait…wait, I saw her yesterday, didn't I? I can't remember any other time in my life that I've seen her…well, I can't remember the time in my life before now, period. But still, something about her is just soothing and I remember it so well.

And I think I just killed her.

I cringe and drop down to my knees, leaning over her. "Uh…are you okay?" I shake her a little bit. She doesn't move. I sigh. Poor thing. This is how I repay people that want to know if I'm hungry, eh? I check her pulse. Oh, yay, she's alive.

Now what? Won't any of her cronies come around to check on her? And then won't they ask if I want breakfast? I'd better warn them it might be the last thing they ever do. Where did I learn that move?

But you know, a move like that might actually come in handy. I need to escape from here, that much is certain. These people can't be friendly. They say they got me from the streets…I think. Well, wouldn't I remember that if it were true? I mean, I admit, I can't find anything contradicting it, but still, something in my mind is saying no, no, no.

I don't care if they offer me breakfast. It's all a scam. You do not kidnap someone off the streets and then offer them breakfast. It just doesn't happen. They are planning to kill me. They plan to make me trust them and then they'll just slice off my head. Or boil me alive. Or…steal my mattress? I still don't understand what that accomplished.

The girl stirs, and I jump and back away from her. She may be armed and dangerous or at least very unpleasant. She's just using the old breakfast trick, I can see it now.

She opens her eyes and blinks at me. I can see that hidden under those innocent brown eyes is hatred, evil, and meanness. She's planning to draw me in. Her eyes seem to register on me, and her mouth opens in shock. Then, she picks herself up (with a little difficulty) and put her hand on her neck and immediately draws it away as though it stings.

Nevertheless, she folds her hand in front of her and bows deeply. "It's an…honor to meet you."

She speaks in Japanese too. Is English too good for these people? "…What are you, my maid? Why do you bow so low?"

She looks sad for a moment. "Do you really not remember me?"

"No, I really don't."

She sighs. "Well, in any case, we can start fresh today. I am Yukimura Keiko." I blink, recognizing it very slightly, and she gets a sudden look of hope. "Ring any bells?"

I shake my head angrily, and lie, pretty well I think, "No. What is your purpose here already?"

"I was going to offer you breakfast, and then you…kinda…"

My eye twitches. I can't let this girl think she actually scared me by sneaking up like she did. She might get ideas about overpowering me and such. "I simply saw right through your evil plot. Disguised in a simple, kind query as offering me breakfast, your real purpose was to win my trust. When you had me wrapped around your finger, you planned to take my by surprise and without a fight." I smile at her look of shock, certain that I've got her. "I know that you are carrying weapons of all sorts. You're type are all the same."

Keiko looks at me for a long moment. And then—she bursts out laughing. She simply doubles over and cracks up so much that she has to grab onto the end of the bed with the switched mattress to prevent from falling on the floor. The sort of belly laugh that an infant makes if you make a face. The sort of laugh when you really think someone is being stupid.

I stare at her, on and on, and every time she tries to regain herself, she is overcome by another fit of laughter over something that is funny only to her. Finally, my cold stare withers away the laughter. She stands up straight again and wipes her eyes.

"Are you finished?" I hiss.

"Y-yes. I'm sorry. But…but Kat…"

"How do you know my name?"

"Because…never mind. You, seriously, we don't want you dead. You're too important to us."

"I'll never go along with your plan."

"It's not a plan! Honestly, You, we just want you to adjust."

"I can't adjust. You stole my mattress. That's low."

She blinks. "Beg pardon?"

"Don't you 'beg pardon' me, you—"

"What on earth is taking you so long?" A man voice sounds. The door opens and I whirl around. In walks that guy with scraggly red hair and bright green eyes in the pink suit. The feminine one. I feel my body take the form of a strange pose that my body has seemed to memorize. Hm…this is what they call a fighting stance, right? It appears that I've been working out.

"Well? What's wrong? Kat, are you putting up a fight? Keiko is harmless!"

"I'll never fall for it!" This man's name is Kurama. It just came to me. "She may look cute, but I can tell that she is a vicious mattress-stealing beast within—"

"Do—you—want—to—eat—or—not?" He asks slowly.

"Of course not! It's probably poisoned—THAT'S IT! That's your real plot! You'll lure me down to breakfast and poison me there!"

Kurama sighs. "Keiko…come on down. Apparently she's not hungry for eggs and bacon and ham and oatmeal and waffles and pancakes and syrup…"

Wouldn't you know it? I never realized just till now that I'm really hungry. When was the last time I ate (I can't remember)? The talk of food simply withers away my willpower. My damn stomach gives in before I can stop it. "ALL RIGHT! I'll go, I'll go…"

Kurama smirks while I try to swallow my tongue. "Please follow us."

Keiko smiles at me, and bows again. I simply stare at her, not in a mean way or anything, just in a blah way. She immediately avoids my eyes and turns around to follow Kurama out the door.

I sigh, and drag my feet out the door behind them. Then, I smirk. What a bunch of dimwits. I can run away right now. Hahahahaha. As they make a right turn, I creep out behind them. Breakfast can wait, suckers. I make a left turn and stay very silent, careful to blend in with the sounds. On second thought, I just mash myself up against the wall and pretend I'm invisible. I inch along like a mouse.

I smirk at their retreating backs. They have no idea I'm getting away right under their noses. What a bunch of morons. MWAHAHA! Stupid clams. Whoa…what? Clams? Could that be a remnant of my past? It just came to me, like Kurama's name…could I have lived at a beach? Yes…yes…clams…a clam bit my ear and when it died it swore its revenge…what am I saying?

Seeing no one, I abandon my wall-slinking charge down a skinny, rickety black staircase, and for some reason, I stop when I get to the middle. I can see a trash can down at the bottom. I know that trash can…I definitely remember it. And this middle step…a blush rises along my neck and I have no idea why. This is an…important spot. I was here before. I touch my lips with my finger.

But I can't remember anything. Why am I having these flashes? I shiver and continue on my way. This must be a dream. I've probably had this dream before. That's why it's familiar. Great. I'd better just take everything in stride from now on. The memory-loss, the random people, being offered breakfast by people I hate…it was all meant to happen, right? But gosh, that's two memories now. I'm on a roll.

I continue on my way, down the stairs, and across a whole another hallway. Wow, this is a really big place. Who the hell needs all these rooms? Whose castle is this? I mean, obviously these people brought me to Europe, home of all the old-fashioned castles. Could I be in England, maybe? The home of Elizabeth I? France- Napoleon XIV? Spain- Ferdinand and Isabella?

See, why the hell am I remembering pointless history about country leaders when I can't even remember my own history? Nothing surfaces at all. Did the people here erase my memories? I wonder…am I really an orphan? Am I really missing a mom and dad? God, that sucks for me. Maybe they really did nab me off the streets where I was begging for money and they hit me hard over the head to make me comply with them and accidentally gave me partial amnesia. It would certainly explain a lot.

You know what, the more I think about it, the more I think I really must be an orphan. My parents wouldn't have let me get kidnapped. No parent would actually allow that. "I have no parents?" I mutter aloud to myself, wanting someone to talk to other than my own crazy head.

"If you have no parents, then who are you running away to?"

I jump a foot in the air and spin around to the speaker. I feel quite a shock when I see her. She looks like Yukina's older sister, with a pink kimono and blue hair—well, I guess the major difference is that she's riding a stick sidesaddle, the same way an old-fashioned women would ride a horse. And quite possibly, even more shocking than her hair is that she's levitating.

The cloak I was holding almost falls, and she giggles when I squeal just slightly. I furiously tie it into a knot over my body. "I'm Botan, guide to the underworld, nice t'meetcha." She says it so cheerfully I want to slap her. Oh God. Not a perky person. I hate perky people…

"Leave me alone."

"Aww, don't be like that! Don't you remember me, Kat?"

"Is my name stamped on my forehead or something? How does every weird person in this entire castle know who I am?"

"Aww, you really are cute when you're bewildered. Kurama just told me the whole thing. By the way, he knows you ran away. Have you really forgotten everything about us?" She grins happily.

"Forgotten what? Everyone seems to know something I don't!"

She actually steps off her paddle, which glows golden and melts away into thin air , and she hugs me. I'm too stunned to do anything. "We all missed you a lot. I'm sure you'll like us exactly the same way when you find out who we are again."

I finally push her off. "I don't even know you and you're touching me."

"But I know you." She giggles again and pokes me hard in the stomach. I shriek and she does it again.

"STOP!" I scream in her face, making her hair flutter.

"Someone's cranky." She practically sings, completely unperturbed. "You're exactly the same, only as a complete stranger! This will be very interesting, particularly when you meet Hiei. I wonder…"

"I'm exactly the same as what?"

"When we last met! Wow, Yukina must have done some real work on you to get rid of everything you knew about us. I wonder why she did. Do you know why? Huh?"

"No. Go away."

She grins even wider. Her face is going to split. I wouldn't be too against that at this point. "You're so much like Hiei. Well, you don't kill people quite as often. But your attitudes are so similar."

Who the hell is Hiei? I turn around and walk away from her. She follows me. "Talk to me. Come on, I won't hurt you. I'm just the Grim Reaper."

I turn around and raise my eyebrows. "You seem to have forgotten your scythe and your long black cloak. Not to mention that you're not scary, you're just really pissing me off with your lies. Go away."

"What, so you can run?" I stare at her in shock. "Come on, it was easy. The way you're sneaking along the walls like in some cheap movie. And you can't get out anyway."

I try to act disinterested. "Of course I can. Don't try to deter me."

"You know the only transportation out of this castle is the River Styx, and if you swim in it, it carries you right down to hell. Now, if you want that, I'll transport you there myself."

I swallow. "I'll take my chances. You have no idea what you're talking about."

She blinks. "I'm the guide to the River Styx. And I was bluffing."

"I knew that. And seriously, there is no way you're a real Grim Reaper. You're just a blue-haired lunatic riding an oar. No offense. Why should I be so surprised? This is all just a dream."

She blinks and then laughs like a bell. "Ah hahahahaha! Of course you're not dreaming! If only life were just that easy to discount every strange thing as a dream. See?" She takes my arm and gives me a huge pinch near the crook of my elbow. I yelp and wrench my hand out of her grasp.

"You would have woken up if this were a dream! No, Katrina, this is much more than a dream. Shall I tell you what this really is?" Her paddle rematerializes in her hand with that dazzling golden light show. She mounts it and turns the broad end towards me, still levitating 3 inches or so above the ground. "Just grab on tight."

I weigh my options in my mind. She's annoying all right, but she doesn't seem dangerous. She's the kind that would nurse an insect back to health. And, I do want to know what the hell is happening. I want to know why my memory is as clean as a slate. And what I lost.

I think I just might have to trust this Botan girl.

I reach out my hand, flinch it backwards, and then, tentatively, very slowly, I touch the paddle. It's actually soft and warm with the light.

"And off we go!" She says cheerfully, and the paddle rises into the air really quickly. "I think you're going to have some fun. Yusuke sure did."

She grins and this time the smile fills me with dread. What the hell have I gotten myself into? She said nothing about a ride! She said she'd give me information! I wrap both hands around it in a panic and try to make myself heavier to no avail.

A girl that thinks she's the Grim Reaper is making me fly. Somehow, I don't feel as happy as Wendy. Why not?

Peter Pan was not delusional!

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Author's Note: Gosh, this Botan x Kat conversation is annoying me. For some reason I couldn't get it to my satisfaction. What do you guys think of it?