One bottle of wine later, Saturday was shining its milky light through the curtains. It was a cloudy morning and the air was thick with humidity. The two had moved into the living room. Kurama was trying to keep his mind busy while tending to his vertical jungle, while Amara laid between a few pots, looking up between their leaves.

"What are we gonna do? Yomi said we've got until the end of the week. I assume he meant tomorrow?"

Kurama sighed heavily. "It's typical of him to try to pressure me into joining his side. He's done it once before when he threatened my human mother. I will have to join him once more until I find a way out."

"We," Amara corrected him. "I'm not leaving you alone in this mess."

"This is not your problem to solve, Amara. I don't want you involved."

She sat up. "You do realize Yomi sent me that bait text out of the blue, right? I didn't even know he existed, so there's no way I gave him my number. I think I'm already involved."

Kurama sighed heavily as he fed the pitcher plants with insect larvae. "I suppose you're right..."

"It's gonna be fine. I mean... All we have to do is go over to the other side, meet up with your psycho admirer, and convince her not to bring the apocalypse over the Human world, right?" she laughed. "Okay, maybe that sounds bad, but we'll work it out."

"I have a feeling this is much more complicated. Things had never been simple with Ranna."

"Her name is Ranna?" the girl asked.

Kurama began spraying the air plants and those tropical specimens in his collection that loved humidity more than most. "Yes, although only a handful can call her by her name and I think you and I are not among them."

"She seems pretty obsessed with you. Are you sure you never gave her any reasons?"

Kurama sighed and let a bitter smile creep upon his face. "I used to be quite different before the merger. Perhaps I did give her some reasons, but none more than the usual. Kuronue and I led a very... plentiful life, on all levels, and more often than not, we were being offered and we'd choose whatever we liked. That included women. Kuronue was more in tune with his emotions, so to speak. I was rather cold."

"You? No, I don't believe that." Amara laughed. "You're anything but cold."

"Right now, yes, but I wasn't always this way," Kurama kept the conversation going as he checked the plants for pests. "I've always been more inclined towards the exact sciences, towards numbers, diagrams, so planning and strategizing came naturally to me. That doesn't mean I never made mistakes - that's perfectly normal, but I think it's safe to say they were few."

The girl crossed her legs and watched him going from one pot to the other, turning leaves, tapping on their edges, and parting the stems.

"What about Kuronue?"

"He was... quite childish, in private. He had a passion for art, especially paintings, but he was in love with beauty in all of its shapes. He was kinder than most demons - he made me spare many and taught me the value of life. He's the reason behind my philosophy that as thieves, we should only steal, and avoid murder and rape at all costs."

"Is that why you don't have any paintings in your home?"

The question struck him like lightning. Kurama never felt like his home needed any art, but now that she pointed out this aspect and in this specific context, it really made him reconsider.

"...I don't know. I honestly never thought of this."

She stood up. The nocturnal flowers had closed for the day and the room was now receiving the first rays of sunlight. Amara turned off the artificial light.

"Do you want anything specific for breakfast?"

Kurama picked up a few pots. "That won't be necessary. I'm not hungry."

Blocking his way to the bathroom, she crossed her hands over her chest. "Okay, I get it, the plants need you. That's not an excuse to starve yourself. You're going to eat anyway, so do you want anything in particular?"

"...Not really. Anything is fine." He sighed and walked into the bathroom past her so he could soak the plants he was carrying.

"Alright," the girl mumbled before going into the kitchen. Getting an idea, she sneaked back into the living room, took his phone, and unlocked it using the pattern she had seen plenty of times to memorize. He was going to forgive her for this once he saw her reason.

The girl texted his mother, explaining who she was and that they were sharing an apartment until she could afford rent. Apparently, calling Shuichi a perfectionist sulking over a small bump on the way to success was accurate, as the woman didn't question it for a single second. She seemed glad that someone was interested in her son that much and gave Amara all the information she needed.

By the time Kurama began caring for the plants in the bedroom, a sweet scent began to fill the air. It was very familiar and unlikely at the same time. Shaking the thought as nothing but a coincidence, he kept inspecting the plants. He needed about one hour just to water them all, but since he didn't feel like having company at the moment, he moved much slower than usual. The memory of Kuronue was awake in his mind again and as much as he didn't like to admit this, it hurt. He picked up the first out of three types of fertilizer and measured it. This should get his mind off things. Too little, and his heavy feeders will start yellowing again. Too much, and the fertilizer burns might appear. There was a certain satisfaction in precise measuring and dosage.

A knock caught his attention all of a sudden. Someone was at the door on the balcony. How did he become so distracted that he did not sense their presence before? His mind was all over the place. Sighing, he went to open the door to his friend whom he hasn't seen in almost a year. Her pink eyes were once again serious and her joyful smile was gone. She stepped inside and skipped the hello.

"It's bad," Botan said in a worried voice. "It's really, really bad."

Kurama gestured towards the couch. "What happened?"

The girl nodded and sat down. "I know you have retired, but I didn't know who else to reach! Koenma doesn't want to reassemble the team, he says he can't force you to sign against your previous arrangement, but if what we've heard is true...!"

Good. At least he had something to keep him from thinking about Kuronue and the good old days, or from overthinking how Yomi could threaten his human family again.

"I believe I may have a clue, but tell me what you know. It could be unrelated."

With a deep breath, Botan began.

"Yesterday one of our agents sent on patrol didn't return. His area stretched along the edge of the Golden Desert, on the east where Raizen's territory was. He returned this morning and nobody can figure out what happened to him. He's terribly sick, incoherent, he's got all kinds of symptoms and it seems contagious, too! We had him in the hospital wing, but two nurses got a high fever and fell into a coma in just a few hours after the exposure. Surgical masks don't seem to stop this thing from spreading and it's moving fast."

All trace of emotion had evaporated from Kurama as he listened. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Golden Desert Ranna's territory?"

"Do you think the Shadows are involved?! But why? They've been so quiet the past few centuries. Why now?"

"Botan, I need you to calm down... I have no proof of what I am saying, it's just my intuition. I'm guessing they have something to do with this. First, though, does the Spirit World hold any records on how the Three Kings came to possess their thrones?"

"What do the Three Kings have to do with this? The monarchies are gone, Yusuke made a new system."

"I realize this may be confidential, but I put all of my faith in you. Look into Yomi and tell me if he has any connection to Ranna or the Shadows immediately before his political career. A yes or no type of answer is enough, I wouldn't want you getting into trouble."

Botan went pale. "Those are classified files, Kurama. I can't just take them out!"

"You don't need to do that. Sneak in, read, memorize what I asked you, then leave everything as it was. It will be as if you've never been there."

She shook her head. "I can't! If anybody finds out...!"

"Who?" he asked in a calm, confident voice. "You and I are the only ones who need to know. You can forget it ever happened once you tell me this - a yes or a no, that's all I need to know."

Botan shifted her eyes to the side. "But why...? How is this relevant to anything?"

"I will tell you when you return with the information. Please be careful, act as if the plague is in full bloom. You can't ever be too cautious."

Nodding slowly, she noticed a shadow in the hallway by the open door od the living room. Botan's eyes immediately widened, which made Kurama check over his shoulder, ready for the worst.

"Sorry, I didn't know we had visitors." Amara walked through the door. "Are you staying for breakfast?"

Botan stood up slowly. Her mind was spinning with a million questions. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Relaxed, Amara shrugged. "I'm supposed to be a lot of things. I'll never be what others suppose I should be, though. If you tell Koenma about it, I will go after whatever it is that you love, I will find it, and I will kill it." Then, she began laughing. "Actually, not really, but I'll make your existence hell."

"I can't just not tell Koenma about this! He has to know!"

"Okay, let me put it this way. If you mention anything about tonight to Koenma, you'll be in trouble for talking to us, Kurama will be in trouble for asking you for that information, and I'll be in trouble because he'll know where I am. This gives Ranna, or the Shadows, or Yomi, or whoever else might be involved sufficient time to bring the end for many beings - human, and from what you're saying, demon as well. Now, one way to avoid this entire thing is for you to shut up. I know I will and I don't think you doubt Kurama. Is Koenma going to find out eventually? Probably. Let's just try to stop the spreading of the Plague until then."

Listening closely, Kurama recognized what attracted him in the first place - thought patterns. She saw the whole picture and the consequences, which Botan was too worried to notice. He saw confidence backed up by reason, spoken in a perfectly calm way, and silently agreed when Botan turned to look at him.

"...This is so bad," the reaper whined. "Koenma is really going to kill me this time."

"You can trade my ass for yours. I'm quite slippery, I'll disappear again."

Huffing, Botan sat down again. "How can you joke about this?!"

"Well, nobody died yet..." Amara pointed out.

"Yet!" Botan repeated.

"Aside from the jokes, Amara is right. You have to do this silently, Botan. Nobody must know this disease even exists, not even Yusuke. I will talk to Hiei only if I'll need him. Don't talk to anybody, for now."

Although it stood against her morals, Botan accepted the deal. "Just... be careful."

"We will be," Kurama promised her without hesitation.

"I mean it!" She turned to Amara. "He's got a habit of nearly dying every single time."

Faced with a silent question from Amara, the red-head tried to wave it off. "We've all had our close calls during the years."

"Yes, especially you!" Botan insisted.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration. Kuwabara had numerous accidents-!"

"You're an upper A-class! Kuwabara is human! And I've surely seen you half-dead more often than him!"

"Alright, time out," Amara declared. "Nobody's dying on my watch, okay? Okay. Now, let's get moving. I don't know Yomi, but he gave us until tomorrow, yet this guard of yours is already infected with something. That alone tells me we're already out of time."

With a sigh, Botan stood up and walked back towards the balcony. "I'll see what I can find."

Once she left, Amara's smile had faded away. "...Are you going to fill me in on Yomi and Ranna?"

Kurama walked past her. "I already told you, he was my loose cannon. I suspect Ranna has him under her control. Knowing both, it's very likely she's the one who secretly ruled Gandara and that's why she wants it back. Gandara used to be the most developed of territories, and it also had many resources - some of which may be my responsibility. It would make sense for her to want it back. Also, Rizen is dead and Yusuke has no intention for the throne. Mukuro supposedly retired, from what Hiei told me... This leaves two massive territories free of interest."

"World domination? How am I not surprised? Your psycho admirer must be a very ambitious woman," Amara said as they walked into the kitchen.

Kurama's eyes widened. "...I was going to ask how you know Botan, but where did you get the inspiration for this breakfast?"

"A little birdie told me," the girl began to sing. "Come on now, it's going to get cold."

"Is there any reason why my phone is on the counter?"

"Maybe you forgot it there," the girl avoided his question. "Botan and I worked on a case in Russia three years ago. We're all assigned our own territories, but since this one involved both Europe and Asia..."

Kurama sat down. It smelled and looked exactly like the comforting dessert his mother would make whenever he felt sick or sulked over something. "This wouldn't happen to involve my mother, by any chance? Know that I usually find what I seek, be it the truth or anything else."

"Nice warning, but I don't think your mother had been possessed by a demon in Russia three years ago."

The thought made him uncomfortable. "Please stop twisting the topics together. I still want an answer from you before I seek it out."

"I didn't tell her why you were sulking, if that makes you feel any better," she chuckled.

"I was not, and although I appreciate your concern, I believe you have overstepped several lines."

Amara sat down. "Oh, come on! A simple 'thank you' would have been enough. I didn't look at anything while I was on your phone, even though I could haven."

"There's nothing compromising on that device. What I'm worried about is my mother's interpretation of this."

"We're friends. I can't be the first female friend you make!"

"I'm a rather private person. Having a roommate is not exactly characteristic of me."

"Are you going to try it, or not? We can leave the explanation for later. She seems nice, I bet she'll understand."

Sighing, Kurama found himself defeated. "She is... perhaps too nice." The word didn't make her justice, but it was easier to repeat hers instead of finding something better fit. He finally took a teaspoon of the dessert, feeling the warmth that marked his childhood overtake him. "...Surprisingly close," he noted.