CHAPTER TWO
Something's in the air…
Koenma saw what happened and in an instant, curiosity and concern consumed him. He was ill at ease, although he wasn't sure if it was born from the fact that a man was too near her or maybe it was because there was something he couldn't put a finger on. But he knew that he had to stand up; he had to call her name...
Let go of my hand…
Botan pleaded in her thoughts, her whole body filled with dread as his words sank into her subconscious. It wasn't as if she was foreign to the idea of men approaching her with their inventive pick-up lines. She had gotten more than a hundred of them whenever she was in Ningenkai hanging out with Keiko, Yukina and Shizuru. But somehow, this man's words scared her. It was as if she knew that he was right, they both knew each other long before this incident.
"You're speechless," he whispered, in a tone so haunting.
She wanted to take her hand away from his, but his grip was so binding. She couldn't, and she had the strangest feeling she didn't want to. "I-umm," she blundered through words, uncertain of what to say. The man curiously peered in her eyes, undeniably searching for something; a feeling perhaps?
"Botan?"
She heard his call, but she decided to take no heed of it. She wanted more time with this man, at the same time she wanted to get away from him. "I don't know you're name." she lamely said, after a bout of silence. He laughed his eyes amusing to anyone but her. "My name's Lenma. I have long forgotten my surname." "Oh"
"What's yours'
"What"
"What's your name"
She hesitated. Should she give him a name that she merely invented? "Botan"
He grinned. "Beautiful. It suits you"
She stammered. "T-thank you,"
"Botan!"
Her name was twice called; she knew that if she delayed any longer, she would irritate Koenma. "I have to go"
"That phrase is usually a conclusion of everything isn't it"
"I guess so," she darted a furtive glance at a now jogging Koenma.
"I want to see you again"
"Huh?"
His eyes roamed her face, as if letting every line of it be etched in his memory. She tried not to blush, for the manner his eyes scrutinized every detail on her face was scorching her. Lenma was persuasive, and it seemed like he's the type who would never take no for an answer; she had reason to believe he'd never gotten any.
She was really anxious to leave him right now.
"I will"
"Tonight then."
And he turned away, a pleasant smile shinning on his face. Botan sighed, aware of what she had gotten herself into. She heard soft padding of leather shoes against the sturdy earth and found Koenma standing right behind her. "Are you okay? What was that all about"
"Why are you jealous?" she tried to inject sarcasm in her voice but she ended up with a lame tone lacing her statement.
"C'mon, enough with that; what really happened?"
She wanted it to hide it from him, if only that was possible. But a sensible part of her said she had to tell him, at least she owed him that for all the concern he was showing. "He invited me to see him tonight." She answered nervously as if there was something terrible about the offer.
Koenma looked like someone just blew the palace to pieces. "But you just met!" he said, disbelieving. "Well, did you agree"
"Yes"
Koenma blanched further. "I—I—couldn't say no to him Koenma-sama. There's just something about him and…"
The next sentence made his world fall apart.
"I feel this certain attraction to him."
There was a pregnant silence between them, which Koenma broke with his "Oh." Botan looked away. "Say something, Koenma-sama." "Uh, I-I'm stunned"
She bit her lip.
"What I mean is that you guys just met and already a date"
Botan chided him. "It's not a date Koenma-sama, were merely seeing each other in the literal sense"
"That somehow makes a difference," he replied sardonically.
She sighed. What's up with him? "Is there something that I should know"
"None. Why'd you ask"
"You're awfully huffy"
He smirked. "It's just him. I think he's sort of"
"Go on"
"Rough"
"Rough?" Botan repeated. She almost laughed.
Koenma's eyes narrowed. "Well, it's true."
Botan really had to laugh this time. She hugged him tightly and said in a low almost seductive voice. "He isn't as cute as you." Koenma had to smile at this point. He was lying if he would say that this doesn't please his ego. "Oh. I just knew you had a thing for me"
"Shut up," Botan said affectionately.
They walked towards Yusuke and the others, Botan not bothering to disengage herself from Koenma. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Shizuru muttered to Yukina, who craned her neck to spot the two. "It looks like Koenma-sama and Botan-chan are"
"…arm-in-arm?" Keiko finished.
"No," interjected Yusuke, "It looks like they're hugging"
"Ssh. This is none of your business." Keiko admonished him.
"DON'T SHUSH ME"
"You guys be quiet!" Shizuru hissed, noticing that Koenma and Botan were only a few feet away from them.
"Well, he started it!" Keiko glared at Yusuke.
The other flared in anger. "EXCUSE ME"
"Shush!"
Koenma blinked. Something was not right. Everybody was awfully quiet. Too quiet, he thought. "What's going on"
"We should ask you that." Yusuke said; an evil gleam in his eyes.
"Are you meaning Lenma?" Botan asked.
"The hottie has a name?" Shizuru beamed.
"Kuwabara glared at his sister. "I should tell you to Touya," "Shut up." "Wait, so what really happened between you and that Lenma guy?" Keiko asked Botan. "It was intense back there that Koenma had to stand up and check if you were okay." She finished, emphasizing the phrase 'stand up'. "Eh, he was pretty friendly"
"Too friendly," Koenma interjected, his face showing disdain.
"Hmm. We saw that." Kurama said with a wink. Botan blushed.
She fidgeted. "And he"
"Don't keep us in suspense!" Shizuru said exasperated.
"He asked me to see him again tonight"
That left everybody speechless.
All eyes were now settled on Koenma whose only reaction was a stony expression on his face. Practically everybody knew that there was something different with the way he acted around Botan and vice versa, everybody except him. It was pretty ironic, but then so were a lot of things; like the fact that Botan was agreeing to see a complete stranger, when she didn't even propose a similar idea to Koenma. Maybe they knew subconsciously and they just didn't want it to bother them anymore. It's possible that the prospect of actually falling in love scared them, although it wasn't clear to everyone.
"Are you going to see him?" Kurama asked breaking the tension.
"Yes"
The group lapsed into another silence.
They wanted Botan to say something---anything—because everything was just too muddled. She didn't say anything though and they never probed anymore. They were sure that she has her own reasons—whatever they may be.
The hours passed and it was filled with much talk, which mostly circulated around the political status of both the Makai and the Rei kai. The girls were busy shopping around the little booths and it helped Botan ease up. She even forgot that she was supposed to meet Lenma when the night fell.
They were in a comfortable room in the Rei kai palace.
Everybody was sitting on squashy armchairs, all except Botan, who went inside the bathroom. "I'll be just a minute." She promised: In the mean time everybody resumed what they were talking about an hour ago; the boys about Rei kai trials and the girls about Shizuru's wedding.
Everybody was in a loud and boisterous mood, probably stems from the fact that it was full three years before they heard anything from each other. They were blissfully unaware of anything until Botan stepped out of the powder room, all fixed up and with places to go.
"I'll see you guys later." She said cheerfully as she distributed pecks and hugs (with the exception of Hiei) around the room. "You take care okay?" Keiko warned her. "If something happens to you I swear I'd strangle that guy." Botan laughed. "Don't worry; I have my oar with me." "It's not enough, you should know full well that he's still a man and he has a capacity to possibly crush your oar to pieces"
Botan's eyes fell on Koenma, who was biting his pacifier. He was trying hard not to let her know that he was scared to let her go, but it was all in vain. She could sense more than meets the eye when it came to him.
She walked over to him, and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be safe I promise." She whispered. Koenma dragged a lungful of air through his nose. "I'm counting on that"
"God, you are so serious." She teased him, whacking him on the arm. She turned towards the door. "Ja." She waved goodbye. "Ja." The others chorused. With a last look at them, she opened the door and disappeared back to the festival.
"Well," Yusuke started. "Should we stay---?" He was cut short when he saw Koenma stand up to peer through the window. "What's wrong, Koenma-sama?" Yukina asked. Koenma shook his head but there was something bothering him and it fueled the curiosity of the others. "There's something you are not telling us, Koenma." Hiei said all of a sudden. "It has something to do with that Lenma guy isn't it"
He didn't answer. Should he tell them?
I think he's jealous, Shizuru surmised. But there's something stronger than that.
Koenma sighed. They were his friends and Botan's as well, and they only meant to pry because they cared. "Botan and Lenma," He gulped. The group inched forward to listen. "They were once married."
The statement stunned them. For a minute or so, nobody uttered anything; even to themselves. It simply was too surreal that they were married. Maybe knew each other but to actually be married? It was too damning. And how come Botan didn't remember?
Someone Koenma couldn't remember- voiced out this question but he answered nonetheless. "It's because I made sure that she wouldn't remember any thing about it." Koenma said with agony lacing his voice. "I guess I failed." What he said caused a stir within them, as he expected it would. What was his intention of doing such a thing? Didn't he know that he was causing her much pain by separating her from the only thing that death couldn't take, but apparently did? That was completely selfish of him!
He didn't answer, he let the TV that clicked to life do that for him. There was so much he couldn't explain, and if he did it would tantamount to so much pain. What happened before was long forgotten, but only by Botan, only by Botan.
He let himself be sucked back to the past.