Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Summary: The two times he tried to kiss her, and the third time he actually did. Kurama/Botan.

Chapter 2: Two-time Failure

Months passed after that, and they had grown closer.

It wasn't the same kind of friendship she shared with Yusuke, but it was enough. They had five-minute conversations with the occasional adding of ten more with each time they saw each other- had even shared a few jokes and a couple of friendly hugs, which he had hoped would last much longer. Botan's wariness had dissipated over time, giving way to humor and her bubbliness as she began to treat him less like a stranger and more of an ally, and Kurama was more than satisfied.

In time, he knew she noticed the long stares he gave her, was aware that she took note of the way his fingers sometimes lingered on her form. He never went more than a friendly pat on the shoulder, or just a simple brush of her hand, though. She emitted waves of bewilderment the first few times, but she never chastised him for any of his gestures. Once he even managed to muster up the courage to take her by the hand, and had even braced himself for her rejection- but she hadn't tried to pull away. Instead, she had looked up at him- had even curved her lips into that warm, bright smile.

She never knew he was that fox demon she saved a decade and a half ago-

-until he fought Karasu.

She never approached him to ask about it, however, even after the whole tournament was over and they had been the victors. He figured she must have been upset that he kept it from her, thought that she needed some time to think before she could talk to him again. He knew they had to go separate ways for the time being, though- seeing as the entire ordeal was now reaching its end- had expected she would start acting like usual around him perhaps the next time they would meet.

But, that wasn't the case.

He sensed her energy walking to his direction as he continued to stare idly at the Kubikukuri Island, the isle growing smaller in sight the further the ferry sailed at sea as he heard her soft, padding footsteps coming to a halt right beside him. And although he was slightly startled, he covered it up with that never gone impenetrable mask of stoical.

"How are you?" Her voice resounded in the air, reverberating in his ears after a few moments of silence. She sounded hesitant, almost uncertain. A direct contrast to her usual cheery tone. "Your wounds, I mean."

His mouth pulled upwards into a smile, but he did not look at her. "I'll survive," he replied with a chuckle, parting his lips to blow out a column of breath as the wind led astray a strand of his red hair from his bangs. He watched it flew back, before tucking it back into the rest of his fiery fringe. He finally shifted his gaze to her as he saw her squirm nervously from the corner of his eye. "What is it?" he asked, though he knew what she had in mind.

There was a pause before a soft sigh escaped her pink lips. She looked up at him, pinning a hard stare on his face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" The quirk on his mouth took on a more cryptic approach. "The fact that I was Youko Kurama? Or the soul of the lowly, legendary thief you were supposed to collect those fifteen years ago?"

Her features suddenly softened. "You're not just a lowly thief, Kurama," she murmured, her voice barely audible as it was carried along with the tender breeze. "You're so much more than that. You've done more good than anyone I've ever known." She heaved another sigh, and shook her head. "Look, I'm not mad or anything- well, a bit, actually. But not because you kept it a secret, just that… I just thought that you had forgotten all about me. I mean, Yusuke told me that you told him about your past once. When he was dealing with The Three Treasures' case. And I got a bit annoyed that you didn't say anything, but I knew you must have had a reason. So…" She stared at him straight in the eyes, "what is it?"

His smile wavered. "There was merely no right time to reveal myself," he mumbled, trying not to allow any sentimentally to cross his countenance as he gave out a light shrug of his left shoulder. He avoided her scrutinizing gaze. "Besides which, I knew you wouldn't trust me that easily- you would have wanted proof, wouldn't you?"

"That fight against Karasu wasn't exactly the way I wanted to find out," she spoke evenly, with a slight nod of her head. "But, yes, you are right. I would have demanded evidence." She paused momentarily to purse her lips, features thoughtful as she considered something. "Though I still wish I had figured it out sooner. I apologize for not recognizing you." Her voice lost its slightly angry tone, giving way to a gentler edge as the last sentence left her in a hushed whisper.

"It is quite alright with me, Botan," he told her, dismissing her with a small wave. "After all, I do not exactly possess the same degree of Demon Energy as I once had as the fox. It was actually understandable that you had no clue as to who I was."

"… I suppose you're right," she agreed after a short, hesitant pause, turning to look away from him as her pools of amethysts fixed on the ground beneath her feet. "How's life in Ningenkai, by the way? Are you enjoying it?"

A smile danced over his lips once more. "To be frank, I actually am."

"You haven't been stealing at school?"

"Ouch, that hurt," he faked a wince as he placed a hand over his chest in response to her brutal joke. A laugh erupted from his throat as she playfully punched a fist against his shoulder. His fit of laughters subsiding and mischief aside, he collected himself as he gave her a firm stare. "No, I have not done anything of the sort as a human. I am quite the embodiment of a perfect son any mother would want, to be honest- not to be narcissistic, of course."

"Of course not." Her voice dripped with sarcastic humor as she casted an almost unusual grin his way, one side of her lips pulled upwards whilst the other remained unmoving. "I would think so, seeing as you're a millenia-old fox who cannot sustain his charming attributes."

A delicate, red eyebrow rose to disappear in Kurama's crimson locks as he eyed the girl with a tinge of mirth dancing in his emerald orbs. "Does that imply towards your opinion of me being charming?" he asked her, discreetly scooting closer.

Her porcelain cheeks colored into a bright scarlet hue, and Botan swallowed a lump in her throat as she felt his shoulder lightly brushed against hers. She took a step to her other side, trying to gain some respectable distance between them. It didn't help that he smelled so much like roses, nor did it serve to calm her wrecking nerves to see the almost seductive hint in his smile. She made a mental note to perhaps take up some lessons to be calm in the presence of an attractive teammate- who was obviously flirting with her.

It felt like forever before she could slow down the stupid thing she called her heart that had been thumping wildly in her chest. She cleared her throat, shooting him a slight glare. Although, the effect clearly wore off as the flush remained on her sweet face, causing the fox to smile as he thought of how adorable she seemed.

"If I didn't know any better-" she paused to look at him in the eyes, "-I could have sworn you were making advances on me."

"So?" The blunt response that formed on his lips took her off guard and she staggered back slightly as the redhead calmly strolled closer to her. She stopped as her back collided against the wall and considered her chances for escape before he placed both palms flat against the spot at the either side of her head, pinning her between him and the wall. He leaned closer, turning his head to the side as his mouth hovered an inch from her ear. "What if I were?" he whispered, the teasing edge in his voice causing the red shade on her cheeks to turn darker.

His hot breath ghosted over the sensitive flesh of her ear, and she resisted a shiver as she pushed him gently off of her. She glared at him, though anyone could tell she held no fury in her as her irises remained clear of any animosity, merely reflecting shyness instead at his earlier actions. "You're incorrigible, you know that? Making a move on a grim reaper like that. I didn't take you as such a flirt," she huffed, wiping a hand softly along her face to somewhat make the blush disappear. But too bad for her, her blush wasn't a pencil and her hand wasn't an eraser. But, she didn't stammer, so that was good.

Kurama chuckled as he felt her light shove, letting her as she pushed him away. She didn't exactly mind his shameless flirting though, as she seemed less than angry. "Forgive me. Blame my biorhytms. I cannot help but tease you. Foxes have a mischievous streak, you see."

"I can see that," she murmured, nodding her head as the flush on her physiognomy was reduced to a faint pink. "Though perhaps you should focus your affections on someone more available."

The shock practically flitted over his features. "You're not available?" His body turned into a rigid line, a dark cloud looming over his head at the prospect of her being another's.

She quickly shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean… maybe you should, er," She shifted uneasily as she looked away from him, "start your courting activities with someone who isn't tied to collecting dead souls all the time." Her expression became solemn as her voice grew to become a few octaves lower. "You'd be let down."

He blinked for a moment, before realization hit him across the face. Right. Botan wasn't exactly taken- no, in fact she feared he would wind up disappointed if he chased after her. He shook his head, his features softened as a tender smile found its way to his lips.

"Botan," he called her, and he watched her as she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"What?"

"I'll have you know that I'm not doing this for nothing," he told her, his voice serious and his visage equally stern, "No other woman will do for me. You are the only one I want."

Botan's eyes grew wide, blood immediately rushing to her cheeks as his words sunk in. She couldn't believe what he was saying. "Why?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity. "What's so special about me? You're- You're Youko Kurama. You… you have a god-like attractiveness as a demon- and you are equally good-looking in this form. You can have anyone you want, but why me?"

He didn't answer at once and merely echoed, "Why you?" He slowly advanced towards her, halting just as they were about a hair's breadth away from each other. Reaching a hand up to cup her cheek, he softly traced her smooth skin with his callous fingers, feeling her flesh heat up at his attention under the pads of his digits. "Because you were the first to offer me unconditional kindness. You rescued me that night. You gave me a chance to become a better man. An opportunity to find parental love under the wing of my mother." His eyelids fluttered close as he felt her hand coming to hold the one that was cupping her cheek. Her warmth was addicting and overflowing as it sapped into his skin, pulling at the strings of his heart. "Because of you, I was able to gain a life I never realized I wanted. A lightning chance to flee from my old one." His eyes slid open once more, and when he opened them, he caught sight of tears brimming in hers. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met Hiei. Yusuke. Kuwabara. I wouldn't have become a part of this. I would have died all those years ago and I- I never would have learned how to love and be kind."

The tears finally came free as they cascaded down her cheeks in rapid waterfalls. She took in a shaky inhale of breath, eyelids fluttering close as she felt him wipe her tears away. He pulled apart slightly, and saw that she was shutting her eyes tight. Her eyelashes shook, her cheeks flushed bright pink and her mouth trembling. The sight was almost too endearing to bear and he couldn't resist the urge to lean in. His head moved closer to hers, his lips inching nearer- until she pulled away. Her hand released his which felled limply to his side as he eyed her silently without a hint of emotion evident on his face, despite the incredible fear of rejection tearing him apart from the inside.

Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper as it left her lips. "I've always liked you, you know. Even before the night I let your soul escape. I've read your files for centuries- watched you for ages- and I've liked you ever since I saw what you would do for the sake of your friend, Kuronue. It was unfortunate that he passed away. He was a good comrade, and you are a good man. You've always been. And even when I didn't know you were that Youko from the past, I ended up liking you as the Kurama you are now as well. I really do. A lot. More than I can actually afford to describe. But…" She chewed on the bottom half of her lip, "I don't know if I'm ready for this. I haven't been in a serious relationship for so long- in fact I haven't been attracted to anyone else after you. I just- I need some time to think. Can you permit that?" she asked with a tinge of trepidation in her voice, as if afraid that he would say no.

Kurama's tense shoulders slumped down as he relaxed; his body language calm and poised now as a smile travelled to his lips and he nodded. A breath of relief escaped hers, and he flicked his eyes down to the glossy texture of her lips, his gaze lingering as he stared at her sweet mouth. Her sweet mouth which he had failed to kiss for a second time. But that was okay. He knew he couldn't rush her. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away.

She needed time, so he would give her just that.