Covered in rain
CHAPTER FIVE

He strode towards the dinning hall looking cross. He didn't want to attend his father's fruitless dinner party, especially if it was for a long lost leader of one of their subordinate kingdoms. However he had no choice but to oblige because he needed the information for his added load of paper work.

"I really don't see why I have to do a long letter to the council about this. It's not as if they weren't well informed that the leader of Ryo kai has returned to fulfill his tasks." "They need to get you opinion of him sir," muttered Ayame, one of Rei kai's finest ferry girls and his personal assistant. "If he doesn't add up to your expectation, they would return the power to your command"
"And just what do they expect me to do? Observe his mannerisms at the dinning table and make an inference on his leadership skills"
Ayame looked at him. "We are here sir"
"Thank you. You may resume to your quarters."

She gave him a low bow and walked away.

The guards on either side of the double oak doors did the same. They opened the door and Koenma heard the sound of a trumpet being blown. "The honorable astral prince has arrived," the squire announced. All the guests present at the table rose from their seat, looked at him and bowed in respect. He strode indifferently towards the table and with a bow to his father, took his place of honor at the table.

The squire announced the names of those present at the table. "I present to you Lord Koenma, the leader of Ryo kai, Lenma Aoki and his wife Yumi."

Koenma's hazel eyes narrowed as he watched the black haired man bow once again to his direction. Lenma…Lenma…where have I heard his name…? He struggled with his memory until...

"Lenma, the man who used to be mine is Lenma Aoki."

There was no mistaking it; he was the man that was once married to Botan.

"Lenma," the squire continued, oblivious to his reaction. "Was your mother's descendant sire."

It was probably sheer luck that enabled Koenma to keep his dignified posture. But in technicality, he was on the verge of throwing anything he could at the young man; revolted at the fact that he was in association to the one person he felt contempt to.

"It is a pleasure to know you." "Same here." He took the hand offered, but did not flash him a cordial smile. However Lenma did not seem to be bothered by all of this, on the contrary he was highly amused.
"You must understand the position we are in Lord Koenma," he spoke in tones that suggested of his affluent pedigree. "We were unaware that such responsibility could ever be bequeathed to us, let alone such power. I had long known of Ryo Kai, but had not really given it any thought"
Koenma fixed him a calculating stare. "Amuse me with your story, Lenma"
"Well, you must know that my childhood had been spent in Ningen Kai. But my parents did not keep my ignorant of my lineage, on the contrary they would always douse me stories of their noble past. But I thought that this information did not concern me very much, so I carried on my duties and responsibilities without another regard to Ryo Kai. Forgive me, I thought that it was completely not in my hands anymore, however I was apparently mistaken"
Koenma's mouth corners twitched to a forced smile. "Well, you cannot be beholden for your actions. However you must be aware that running Ryo Kai is no walk in the park"
Lenma frowned. "I am very prepared Lord Koenma."

The dinner platters started arriving and the royal family included their guests started to indulge in the inviting food served. However, even a hearty meal could not stop Koenma from prying in Lenma's life. It was as if he needed to know what made him who he is; probably for comparison as to who was better, but Koenma knew it was for complacency.

Soon after dinner, he invited him for a glass or two in the grand garden of the astral palace. Lenma did not seem to find any peculiarity about the situation, and so he bid his wife to wait for him at home. She obliged without another word.

Koenma sipped his drink. "We haven't got time Lenma, you and I, so indulge me in the gist of your life"
"What gist"
Koenma smiled. "Oh, the fickle fascinations of a man"
Lenma grinned. "I should've known Koenma"
"It is only right I think that we should share our life. We are related after all"
He grinned. "I see"
"You must feel fulfilled right now," Koenma stated after emptying the glass down his throat. "A new power to your command, a noble birth right, and a wife who loves you equally as you do to her"
A bitter laugh escaped the other's mouth. "Love is not a constitution in our marriage, Koenma-kun. It is merely formality"
"Is that so"
"It is a funny story actually. You see, Yuki was not my first wife"
Koenma's eyes burned. The amused look on the other's face almost made him want to choke him with his collar. "Yeah, I know. I was once married to a lady named Botan Nisei. She was the prettiest of the village girls and the most eligible to marry. She was phenomenal! It was almost surreal to have her"
"She sounds like she's perfect"
"Yeah, but the marriage I was in was a drain for me. She was my childhood sweetheart and I loved her dearly but I guess it isn't in my nature to settle down"
Koenma tried to keep the anger in his voice minimalized. "You left her"
"Only to perform my duties. Yuki was just supposed to carry my child that Botan could not bear"
"Are your duties much more important than your wife"
He gave him a pitying look. "I had to do what I had to, in order for me to have this. It may not be a lot to you, but it is for me."

Koenma nodded, as if to say suit yourself. But there was something boiling inside him; it was a mixture of anger, discomfort and a suicide of the common sense. Here he was defying everything to have a moment of her, but he who had it all squandered it without a second thought. It was all for his ambition. "You and I are very different in ways, Lenma. But I honor your choice. Oyasumi."

He extended his hand to him, and Lenma shook it heartily. "I look forward to working with you Koenma"
"I as well."

"So you do honor a promise."

Koenma smiled at the blue haired girl in front of him. "Well I am here, aren't I?"

Botan found herself returning the smile. She could not express her gratefulness towards him for bearing with her and in the smallest ways lifting her from the rut she found herself in. she poured him more tea, which he drank gratefully. "What have you been doing today?" he asked. "I've been teaching the children. It is what I've always wanted to do before I—before I got married"
Koenma placed a veil upon his emotions. "That's very fulfilling Botan-chan."

She grinned, despite her awkward feeling that somehow she shouldn't still be feeling this good. But everything else dispelled when she was around him; his charm had swallowed anything that exuded her misery.

With him she was free.