Author's Note: It's been a while since I updated, and I am truly sorry for the delay. School just started last week, thanks to the trimester system, and I must say that juggling four major subjects is not an easy feat.

I won't delay you, my dear readers, any longer.

"…" – Talking

'…' – Thoughts

"…" – Flashback

CHAPTER 4 Discordant Mysteries

They both stood there with eyes wide open. The incident at the bathroom was quite plausible, (A/N Yeah, right…) it could happen to others, that he was sure. Shuuichi heard similar stories from his friends, like when Yuusuke accidentally walked in on his fiancée, his girlfriend then, Keiko, while taking a bath after a sleepover, and they would laugh about it. But nothing could ever prepare him for what happened just a few seconds ago.

Her hand passed right through his, as if he weren't there at all.

Raindrops started to fall, waking them from their deep reverie. Both their eyes mirrored thousands of questions that cannot be voiced. They stood there immobile, hesitant features staring at each other, as if afraid to know the answers for the many queries swimming in their heads.

No longer able to take the building tension, it was Botan who finally broke the thread of silence. "Um… What just happened?" she said, clutching her trembling hands by her chest. She was confused right now, and being that her memories were blurred added further to the dread she was feeling. And this man's silence was definitely not helping to ease her mind.

Strong and cold winds brushed their skin, but none of them seemed to falter. They may be showing their resilient exterior, but their insides are telling a different story.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Shuuichi replied, his voice could be barely heard with the howling winds on the background.

"What's wrong with you?" Botan asked as if not hearing his reply, "Is that a disease or something? Is that why I can't touch you?" A disease? Nice one, Botan! She cringed as she realized how rude that must have sounded.

"To tell you, Miss Botan, I'm feeling quite perfect. I think you should be asking yourself that question," he said, taking a step closer to Botan, eyes looking straight at her. He cannot explain it, but since meeting her that morning, he felt something unnatural about her. It slipped his mind during their heated confrontation, but now, standing mere inches away from her, the feeling suddenly came back.

He admits he has an average ability in sensing spirits, ghosts and other unworldly beings. He was no longer scared of such beings since he was already accustomed to such incidents since childhood.

This girl in front of him was emitting a different aura, something he has not encountered before. Her spirit closely resembles that of a ghost, that he was certain. No, she's different. Whenever he was near a ghost, he had this eerie and cold feeling that settles in his spine. In the contrary, Shuuichi felt warmth envelope her. That was what confused him.

His thoughts were disturbed as her voice penetrated his hearing. "Me? You think something is wrong with me?" she asked in her shaky voice, taking a step backward as a response to him approaching her.

"Let's see, do you light-headed? Do you have this floating feeling?"

"Um… Kind of," how can she not feel light-headed when he stared at her intensely with those beautiful emerald eyes? Wait, where did that come from! She mentally slapped herself with the sudden line of thought. Think straight, Botan!

"I see. Do you feel cold?"

'What kind of question was that! It's not even relevant!' Botan thought. She opted not to answer, but something in his eyes urged her to do otherwise. "Actually, no, I'm not cold," she said, her face somewhat suspicious, "Why? Am I supposed to feel cold?"

"If you haven't noticed, we are currently experiencing the ravages of a storm, quite strong if you ask me," he said, putting undertones in his words as if conveying something.

"Well, to tell you, mister, I'm cold resistant. I've experienced much worse conditions than this, that's why I am not bothered by a mere storm," Botan retorted, slowly becoming annoyed by his questioning.

"Cold resistant, eh?"

"What? You don't believe me?" she said with a raised eyebrow. Something in his eyes told her that he knew something she did not. And that infuriated her more.

"Do you see any white light above calling you?" he asked, expecting she answers with a resounding 'Yes'.

She looked up for a second, and then realized how gullible she must have been. She looked back at him, eyes narrowed, "Sorry to disappoint you, but there's no white light!" she said, with her hands raised up for added dramatics, "Why are you even asking me such ridiculous questions?"

He remained silent and continued walking up to her. She took a step backward for every move he made. His silence confused her more. Not knowing anything scared her. 'What is this man trying to do!' she panicked when she realized how he was cornering her. Thankfully, he stopped. He stared at her, as if mocking her.

"What!"

"Botan-san, I think you're already dead."

Silence.

"I… I think you're a ghost."

Still, the deafening silence remained. None of the two seemed to want to break it. Botan was at a loss for words. She was prepared for anything he might throw into her. But Shuuichi's last statement ended whatever reasoning left in her mind. He said, and quite bluntly for the matter, that she was a ghost – a soul of a dead person who appears in the bodily form of the living. What was she supposed to say to that? She was insulted once again by the same person within a few hours. All emotions she was capable of seemed to abandon her at that spot, leaving only the feeling of anger. They had a serious problem at hand, and he still manages to make a joke out of it. The nerve of this man to say such things to me!

On the other hand, the bearer of the news, which was neither good nor bad, stood there as he watched the face of his companion contort in disbelief. Being witness to her fiery attitude, he had a slight idea of how she was going to react. He was not worried about any physical pain she might cause him; her inability to actually touch him was out of the question. What worries him is the torture his ears might suffer if she reacted negatively.

"Are you alright?" Shuuichi managed to say, his hands wanting to touch her shoulder to show his sincerity but fought against the idea. After all, his hand would just go through them.

The tone of his voice managed to erase some of her anger. But still, a part of her mind told her to scream at this man. A lot has happened during the past few hours and her brain did not want to process any added information any longer. Shuuichi's logic seemed illogical to her.

"After what you've said, you still have the guts to ask that," Botan said emotionless, "If I told you you're dead, what would you feel? I'm sure you would be far from alright," she continued in monotony.

'Well, not the exact reaction I was hoping,' he thought. He was thankful that his ears were spared from further damage. He remembered from his friend who was interested in the paranormal that ghost usually don't know that they were… well, dead, especially those with an unfinished business. That is why those who are unable to finish it will forever wander the earth.

"I understand how you feel. I --," she cut him off even before he could finish his sentence.

"Don't you dare tell me you know how I feel, because apparently, you don't."

"But—,"

"I know I can be a pain sometimes, I can understand if you want me to leave. You shouldn't have come up with a joke like that to scare me off," she looked him in the eye once more, "If you want to get rid of me, you should have said it instead. I won't take it personally against you."

"…"

"No need to be guilty, Shuuichi-kun," she said raising her hands, a smile gracing her lips – a defense mechanism. She took his silence as an apology. After a few seconds, his emerald eyes made contact with hers, his hands pointing to her torso.

"What?" she asked, before looking down to where he was pointing. Botan's eyes widened at the vision that welcomed her. She was in the middle of table, her lower body unseen. His reason for cornering her was to lead her to this table and prove his point. Point taken. Her body practically went through it, as if it were nothing, all physical laws broken.

She looked back up at him, amethyst eyes now filled with tears. Another wave of guilt hit Shuuichi, wanting more than anything to take back his words. But she has to know the truth. And most of the time, truth really hurts.

"I'm… I'm a ghost," she finally admitted. Her vision started to spin, making it hard for her to concentrate on his words.

"Botan-san, I—," before he could even finish, she fainted.

She was lying on the floor, light in the head, when she woke up. Bits and pieces of what happened earlier filled her mind. She was wondering how she got there and started to piece out her chopped memories. Botan concentrated intently on the task, remembering the events of the day.

"Botan-san, I think you're already dead."

Silence.

"I… I think you're a ghost."

She bolted up, realization finally hitting her. She sat there for a moment, thinking of what she should do next. Being a ghost is new to her. Botan searched her surroundings for a certain someone, her vision landing on him only seconds later. He was sitting on the floor, legs stretched, arms crossed, as his upper body was leaning on the closed door with his head resting to his right. Apparently, he was sleeping. And she had to admit, he looked adorable in his sleep.

A thought entered her mind as she studied his still form. Did he watch over me while I was out cold? Even when the storm had abated, she noticed his damp clothing, suggesting that he endured the storm that raged a while ago. Botan also observed that the table was moved, probably by him. Maybe because he did not want me waking up with my head hitting the table? She shook her head vigorously at the thought; even if the table remained on its original position, her head will not hit it upon waking up, and instead, it will just go right through it.

She did not understand his gestures, but somehow, a warm feeling coursed through her. Looking back at the things she did to him, Botan started to feel guilty. Had she known that he was this nice, she would have been a little discreet while conversing with him. Wanting to apologize, she crawled towards him, only stopping when she reached his side.

"Shuuichi-kun… Shuuichi-kun, wake up," she said in a surprisingly soft voice, rousing him from slumber. He opened his eyes to the sight of pretty amethyst invading his vision. It was relaxing, it's as if all the stress he felt was chased away with that tender look in this girl's eyes.

"Hey," he mumbled, sitting himself at eye level, "I see you're awake. Feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you very much for asking," she replied, a curious look in her face, "Ano, why are you outside? I remembered there was a storm before I passed out… You should have gone inside your house and waited for it to subside. You can catch a cold or something by staying outside, you know."

"I was afraid that if I left you here alone, I will not be able to see you anymore. I was worried that once you wake up, you will wander around," Shuuichi replied, his emotions getting the better of him. He did not understand why he felt that way. She blushed at his words, and with their close proximity, Shuuichi noticed this immediately. She really looked cute when she blushes. Something inside of him wanted to make her blush every time.

"To be honest, I was supposed to keep an eye on you while you sleep, but I guess too much fatigue was enough to put me to sleep, too," he continued. He did not know either what led him to that decision to stay with her. It was more like an instinct, an action which needed no thinking.

"Thank you very much for your kindness," Botan said with her head bowed, "I don't know why you would do it for me, a stranger and a ghost at that. But I'm really grateful," she said smiling a genuine smile.

Shuuichi smiled in return. "Do not worry, just as long as you refrain from screaming your lungs out at me, I assure you I'll be more than kind to you," he said teasing.

Botan blushed further at his teasing. "I'm so sorry for screaming at you every time we get to talk. I know it's a bad habit of mine, but I promise to be kind to your ears, too," she said returning his joke. They both laughed for their silliness, forgetting for a while the girl's predicament. After a few minutes of careless laughter, they both fell silent, contemplating on what to say.

"So, um… What do we do now?" Botan asked Shuuichi, expecting he would now what she was supposed to do since he was the one who figured out her state of being. She was new to this 'ghost' thing and she needed someone to guide her in this new 'life'.

"To be honest, I have no clue as to what to do," he said softly, afraid that he may disappoint her. Her response was evident as her shoulders sagged, her head lowered. Wanting to lift up her spirits, he told her a good news, "But don't worry, I have a friend who's an expert in this stuff. I'm sure he would be able to help us figure out the next step."

"Really? That's great," she said in an even voice. She was lost right now and the only answer lies on the hands of Shuuichi's friend. Even though she desperately wanted to hear what those answers would be, she was scared of what it would mean to her existence. She looked down on her fumbling hands on her lap, doubt evident on her features.

Shuuichi noticed this. He had a slight idea of what was bothering her. Now that she was dead, she did know that one way or another, her spirit will cease to exist in this world and would move on beyond. By the looks in her face, he could tell that she was not yet ready to cross-over. "Don't worry, whatever answers you might hear from him, I'm sure that it will turn out for the best. I promise."

Botan could not help but smile at his encouraging words. No longer did she fear the future. Silently, she held on to her promise. "You know what? I could hug you for that!" she said in a cheerful manner, "But being a ghost, you know I can't do that. My gratitude is all I can offer you for everything that you have done." It was now Shuuichi's turn to blush. He did not understand his feelings right now, but the mere suggestion of the intimate contact caused him to wish she could do just that. Bad Shuuichi! He scolded himself for such thoughts.

She stood up, full of energy, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go to this friend of yours." With that, Shuuichi got up from his sitting position, flexing his leg muscles to ease the numbness he suffered from sitting too long in one position. "Alright, just wait here while I get my keys." With that, he rushed inside his house in search for his car keys.

Botan was left at the porch while she waited for him. Something glimmering at the porch table caught her eye and she slowly approached it. When she finally reached her destination, she saw that the object was a necklace. She felt a weird sense of familiarity from the said object. Maybe I saw this piece of jewelry in my past life. Out of curiosity, she reached for the necklace, momentarily forgetting her current state. When her fingers were a few inches near it, a blinding light flashed before her eyes.

An image slowly entered her mind. It was of a man with billowing dark blue tresses wearing what seems to be a plain white shirt and jeans. She never found out what his eyes looked like for it was covered by his thick bangs. He was calling her name in a manner that she was once used to, it confused her. He had this very familiar aura that drawn her close to him. Suddenly, he reached out his white hand to her. Something inside her wanted to hold onto it, but a throbbing pain coursed through her entire body.

Botan was brought back to reality with the voice of Shuuichi, "I'm ready, let's go, Botan-san." Recovering from the pain, she whipped her head towards him, a sheepish smile forming on her lips, an attempt to conceal any traces of the pain she had just felt. Shuuichi noticed this and arched a brow, a quizzical look evident in his face. "Are you alright? Did something happen while I was inside?"

"Oh, I'm fine! Nothing happened, it's a habit of mine to space out once in a while," she said in an almost too cheery manner that made it look fake. "No need to worry," Botan added, scratching the back of her head.

She looked back at the table, her mind brought back to what happened earlier. The haunting image of the mysterious man she saw earlier filled her thoughts. Who was he?

"Um… Botan-san, you're spacing out again."

"Oh, sorry!" Botan said. "Shuuichi-kun, I think you should first keep this jewelry before we go," she said pointing to the mentioned object on table, "Somebody might steal it." He approached her, looking at the peony pendant.

"That's not mine. I merely stumbled into it this morning during my morning jog," he said reaching for the necklace. "Hm, if that is not yours, then whose is it? It looks very familiar, nevertheless," Botan said in a low voice, but not muted enough for Shuuichi not to hear it.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, it's nothing! Let's get going, you know, to beat traffic," she said as she walked out of the porch and into the open. He merely nodded and pocketed the jewelry. Botan walked on without even glancing at Shuuichi. "Um, Botan-san," he called out to her before she walks any further, "My car is this way," he said as he pointed to the other direction where his garage was located.

"Hehe, I knew that," she blushed at her mistake and followed him to the path of his garage, "I was just, um, exercising my legs."

"If you say so," Shuuichi smirked, obviously amused by her antics.

"Hey, Shuuichi-kun, who's this friend of yours you were talking about a while ago?" Botan asked, her eyes fixed on the scenery searching for anything that can trigger her memory. They have been traveling for almost thirty minutes. As they entered the city, the hustle and bustle of different vehicles can be heard even with the comforts of Shuuichi's car. A huge throng of people were also caught up in their own traffic as they walked down the streets of downtown Tokyo.

"We've known each other since junior high," Shuuichi said, his eyes hawk-like as he waited for the traffic light to turn green. "And even during those days, he's already been talking non-stop about the paranormal," he stopped talking for a moment, readying a change in gear as green registered on the traffic light. He turned right at a corner; a street moderately populated by vehicles welcomed him. "My friends and I got tired of him and his ESP stuff and we eventually ignored him whenever he opens any topic related to it," he let out a small chuckle as fond memories of the past entered his mind.

"He's more like an obsessed fanatic if you asked me," she commented.

"That's another good way to describe him, if you ask me," Shuuichi replied with another chuckle, actually enjoying a conversation with a ghost at the expense of his friend. How ironic. They were now nearing the ramen shop where his friend of several years worked part-time. It was an unexpected visit and he did not know how his friends would react if he showed up unannounced with questions on the mystic world suddenly popping out from him.

He slowed down as the restaurant's sign board came into view. He searched for an open parking space and found one exactly right in front of the store. As Shuuichi got out of the car, he wondered if he should open the door for Botan. After all, she was still a lady, and being endowed with gentlemanly attributes, it is only proper to do so. He was about to go to her side of the car when she suddenly popped out of nowhere. So much for being a gentleman.

"So, where do we meet this friend of yours?" Botan peered by his shoulder, her head tilting to the side and her hands on her back. If anyone else other than him can see her right now, they would immediately notice that she was both excited and nervous at the same time.

"He usually works on his shift at the ramen house at this time of the day," he proceeded in locking his car, and looked at his watch. I was now almost 3:00pm. A random man passing by heard Shuuichi talking to… himself. He gave the young lad a weird look which says 'You should be in a mental institution' before going out of sight. He reminded himself that only those with ample amount of spirit awareness can see spirits like Botan. And only a few percentage of the population has that ability.

'I have to refrain from speaking with Botan-san in such exposed places,' Shuuichi thought as he walked towards the entrance of the all-too familiar ramen house with Botan in tow. He opened the door for her, and laughed sardonically to himself as he thought how weird it must have looked like. He sighed gratefully when nobody seemed to notice what he just did. The store was jam-packed with people from different walks of life, probably to enjoy their afternoon snack.

Shuuichi searched for the familiar faces of his friends, but success seemed unlikely. As he walked further, he heard the unmistakable voice of Keiko Yukimura, part-owner of the business, call out to him. It seems like his red hair is a damn give away. He walked towards the counter where his friend was stationed.

"Hey, Kurama-kun! Long time, no see," Keiko said with a kind smile, "What brings you here? Not trouble, I hope," she continued as she gave him a look.

"It's nothing like that, Keiko-san, I assure you," he said sitting himself on one of the unoccupied stools. "I was merely looking for Kuwabara. I have some important matters to discuss with him." Botan, who was hovering behind him, was asking questions too much questions since they entered the store. It took him a lot of patience to ignore her; hence he would look like a psycho if he were to entertain them.

"Kuwabara-kun? Well, this is new. I would not be surprised if you were here to talk to Yuusuke.," Keiko said with her fingers on her chin. "He's in the kitchen right now. Do you want to wait for him finish his shift or do you want me to call for him?" she asked with curious eyes.

"I think I'll just wait after his shift ends. You have a lot of customers right now and dragging him from his job will be unfair to you and your business."

"Well, if that's the case, here's the menu and order anything you like. It's on the house!" she replied with a wink as she handed him a menu. He bowed in gratitude and sought out a safe place where he can talk to Botan without anyone suspecting him as a mental patient. He chose a dimmed booth on one of the corners of the shop.

As he took their respective seats, Botan immediately confronted him. "Hey, Shuuichi-kun, do you know that ignoring someone you know is rude?" she asked, arms crossed in front of her chest. He knew that she is experiencing doubt at present and his silent treatment is not helping her.

"I'm sorry, Botan-san. Not everybody in this place can see you. I am only able to see you due to the fact that I have average spirit awareness," he paused while looking at the menu to appear inconspicuous to prying eyes, "If they catch me talking to you, they would probably think me crazy." With that, Botan relaxed, her facial expression looked apologetic.

"One question, why did she call you 'Kurama-kun?" Botan asked pertaining to the conversation Shuuichi had with Keiko. "I thought your name was 'Shuuichi Minamino'?"

"Well, all my close friends call me Kurama. I used it as a pen name whenever I write for the school publications since junior high to college," he replied as he looked out of the glass pane on his right.

"I see…"

Silence ensued for a moment; both seemed to run out of things to talk about. The couple was now looking outside, somehow comforted by the scenery of people walking by without any problems big as theirs.

It was now Shuuichi's turn to break the foreboding stillness.

"So, what do you want to eat?" he said holding up the menu to her, a simple smile gracing his lips.

"Um, Shuuichi-kun… I'm a ghost, remember? I don't think ghosts are capable of that," she said, a hand covering her mouth to hide the silent giggles that were starting to form.

"I suppose I forgot," he said with a light chuckle, his right hand scratching the back of his head with slight embarrassment.

It was the second time Shuuichi heard her laugh that day. And needless to say, he loved her beautiful laughter.

Well, there you have it, the fourth chapter! I'm so proud of myself; this is the longest chapter yet! (Pats her back for a job well done) I was about to add more scenes, but it may cause the chapter to become overloaded with information…

I hope you found this chapter enlightening… I think the plot is a little slow. But don't worry; I'll try my best to speed things up a little bit. To tell you the truth, I already have a mental picture of how this story will end, and it's really hard to fill out the gap.

As you can see, Kurama and Botan's relationship starts to bloom in this chapter. I think I'm kinda cheesy in making romantic scenes.

Lastly, I my gratitude goes out to those who reviewed last chapter, sweetcanines, midnight 1987, Kitsune of Darkness, youngblood, and MiaHime. Thank you, guys! I really appreciate your reviews.