Chapter 3: Deities and demons

"Damn, we've been here for almost four days now, but we still haven't found that damned wolf's lair!"

Kurama sighed and looked at the black haired teen. "Kurusake has been known far and wide for his power but also for his possessiveness, that's why he made it sure that it would be impossible for any normal youkai, ningen or reiki to find his lair."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Then how the hell does Koenma expect us to find him?!"

Hiei snorted. "Baka. We're not after the wolf demon himself, we're after his wife."

Yusuke glared at the fire demon, "You find him, you find his lair, you find his WIFE!"

The red haired kitsune merely sighed at his friends and watched the clear Makai skies, Now, I guess that fills in the puzzle of Botan's dreams. She's starting to remember her past… it must have been triggered by being surrounded by demons all the time. If she's having her dreams, then that means one way or another, she was bound to remember everything… she's probably going to go straight here in Makai to find the answers to her past… his brows furrowed worriedly at that last thought.

"I see that Reikai sent some more of their people to look for me…"

Emerald orbs widening in surprise, jumping up, he turned around along with the rest of tantei to face a beautiful raven haired woman with bright amethyst eyes. Behind her stood three demons, keeping guard over her.

"Tell Enma-dioh that I no longer want to go back and that I am perfectly happy here in Makai…" she told them a bit vehemently

"Lady Shizume, I presume?" Kurama asked her

Amethyst orbs looked at him and nodded, "We have been sent here to bring you back to Reikai to assume your position as deity of Death."

Shizume merely snorted and shook her long raven black hair. "They have a lot of ferry girl to appoint to that position. Leave now tantei, my husband will not be pleased if he finds you near his grounds, he dislikes anything that is connected to Reikai." As she told them that she turned her back to them and prepared to leave.

"We are also here to bring you back to your daughter once again."

At the kitsune's words, the woman stiffened and slowly turned to face the red-haired teen. "What do you mean by that?" she whispered softly.

Yusuke's eyes glittered, "You daughter is currently Reikai's resident deity of Death." He answered her.

Shizume lifted a hand to her face and laughed ruefully, "You might be mistaken dear tantei, my daughter…"

"Was a demon, who died a long time ago and now is currently in the services of Reikai." Hiei told her.

She frowned and gripped the fan that she was holding tighter. "I do not believe you! Leave now before I order our guards to take care of you!" she said angrily said before turning back to leave them.

Kuwabara merely squawked and opened his mouth to speak only to be beaten first by Kurama. "She has your eyes."

This time, everyone could feel the shock from the woman's body and as she turned to look at them, her eyes wide and luminous. She gave a strangled gasp as she looked at the kitsune who continued. "She doesn't have you hair though… I don't think she inherited it from Kurusake as well, her hair doesn't match any of yours… yours is as dark as the night while Kurusake's is as dark as the bark of a willow tree… and she has the coloring of the bluest skies on a clear day and the scent of peony that goes well with her name."

Shizume gasped this time, her eyes filling with tears. "You have seen her?"

Kurama nodded. "She is appointed Deity of death to reikai and the assistant to us tantei."

Shizume hardened herself, "How do I know that you're not lying…?"

Silence met her words before she gritted her teeth, "Bring me proof that you do know her and that she is under Reikai's protection and I will consider going with you." She told them before hurrying back inside the forest that stood behind them followed by the two demon guards.

"Nice going, Kurama. All that we have to do now is bring a proof that Botan is staying at Reikai and we'll have her mother back at Reikai in no time flat!" Kuwabara told him grinning.

"That is if Kurusake doesn't find out about this first."

Yusuke swore. "Damn. We've gotta hurry or that wolf might come back and get a heads up on what we're doing. I think Keiko has a picture of the group when we went swimming last summer… let's just use that and be done with this." At his words the four tantei hurried back to the portal that would lead them to ningenkai, unbeknownst to them, the same ferry girl that was in question was already on her way to Makai… with a specific demon by her side.

0000000000

Botan sat down on the soft bedding and looked at the calm Makai skies, her hands twiddling with the laces of her robes. I'm a youkai, born a youkai… all this time I've worked with reikai and they've never bothered to tell me… Koenma-sama… gritting her teeth, Botan faced the mirror and glared at her reflection there. How could you?! You knew all along and you never told me?! Eyes flashing with fury, she stood up and stomped across the vast chamber. As soon as she got here in Makai, she had met a beautiful woman with an unmistakable amount of spiritual energy in her. Completely shaken after knowing her past, the young ferry girl glared once again at the mirror. Her mother was and still is a ferry girl from Reikai and her father was a full blooded demon… one heck of a combination but she was the result of their union, and after her sudden death, Reikai took her in but completely erased all semblance of her past appearance or her youkai memories.

I've loyally served them for centuries and they have never breathed a word to me! What do they think?! That I'll never find out?! Growling deep in her throat, Botan threw the cup that had found its way to her hands to the nearest wall, shattering it to pieces. How could they keep my own past from me?!! I have the right to know!!

"If you're planning to vent out your anger, you could try throwing those vessels at you prince's head."

Swiftly turning around, Botan flushed brick red when she saw her mother standing behind her with a rueful grin. "Anou…" embarrassed to be caught venting her anger.

Shizume chuckled. "You always did have a temper."

Glaring at the broken glass on the floor, she gritted her teeth, "How could they not tell me?" she whispered harshly

"I think they we're only trying to do what they think was best for you." Came the soft response

"But it's still not fair!" flopping down on the floor, she sighed and looked sadly on her hands.

Shizume smiled and kneeled beside her daughter. "I has been along time, Botan-chan demo, knowing how Enma-dioh works, he was probably trying to protect both the spirit realm and you. I have all my life worked for them and they have always watched over me… except for this time… this was my decision. I wanted to be with your father."

Looking up her mother, "Did you ever know that I was in Reikai?'

The raven haired woman smiled sadly and shook her head. "Iie… not until now."

Botan blinked. "What did you mean not until now?"

Looking at the closed doors behind her, Shizume held her daughter's hand tightly with her own. "You father has not known of this yet… but Reikai had sent some of their tantei just a while back to look for me… and they were the one's that told me that you were in fact at Reikai…" at her daughter's surprised look she continued. "I was giving it serious consideration to come back with them, if they would be able to give me adequate proof that you were indeed their assistant and that you were working with them."

Amethyst orbs widened and gripped her mother's hands tighter, "Do you… can you… can you describe to me what they looked like and when they came here?" she stammered

"They came here about the same day you arrived with your father. I think that Reikai sent them because they were alerted of Kurusake's movements and that he was currently starting to move to try and locate you between the three worlds…"

Gulping at her words… Just recently… "Who…"

Shizume merely shook her head, "I do not know who for I did not ask them… but from the spiritual energy of the other two, I realized that they belonged to Reikai and had a hunch that they were sent to look for me." Pausing to gather her thoughts, she thought back to what had transpired the other day between her and the reikai tantei. "There were four of them, one of them was a ningen, but he did have a significant amount of reiki in him, tall, a bit bulky… the other three were lean in form…the other I would surmise as half demon and half ningen, dark of hair and his spiritual energy was exceptional."

Botan's lips trembled at her mother's description of the first two tantei, Kami-sama… that sounds exactly like Yusuke and Kuwabara… she gasped silently at her mother's next words, "The other two I do believe are demons. The small one I remember clearly as the koorime, Hiei and the other demon I do know recognize but her was quite striking in appearance… he was the one that described you to me, hair as red as a rose, his face held almost a feminine appeal and his eyes were as green as emeralds. I sensed that he was a ningen but his spirit spoke of nothing of being one but a youkai through and through."

Kurama… he knew… lowering her head, she bit her lip to prevent the onslaught of tears that threatened to overflow. And here I thought that they had no idea what's happening…

"Do you know them Botan?"

Merely nodding her head, the former deity of death looked at her daughter whose hands were now clenched into a whiter knuckled fist. "Botan?"

Lifting her head, her eyes eerily cold with fury. "I know them. But I swear… they'll regret not telling me the truth…" she said vehemently.

Especially, Kurama… I'll make you pay kitsune… for lying to me… especially when I've given you my trust… and my heart.

00000000000000

AN:

Hello minna!! It's been quite a while!! I've really been into Kurama and Botan these past few months that I've finally got the time and the inspiration to continue with working on this story! To those who reviewed the first time, thank you very much and I hope to hear from you again and very much hope that you'll like this chapter!

Aoi-chan