A/N: Yes! I'm alive! After one grueling week full of hell (final exams week), I finally got my brain start excreting creative juices. From this chapter onwards, Shuuichi will be called as Kurama, except for special cases.

Standard Disclaimer applies here!

"…" – Talking

'…' – Thoughts

"…" – Flashback

--

Chapter 6 Ars Longa, Vita Brevis (Art is Long, Life is Short)

He woke up with a start. As Kurama opened his eyes, he was greeted by the dim sight of his room. As his vision wandered around the four walls surrounding him, he realized it was still too early for him to get up. He felt sweat trickle down his jaw line, wiping it with the back of his hand to get rid of the sticky feeling. He searched his mind for the cause of his abrupt and untimely rousing, and images of a light-blue locked girl with lavender-colored eyes registered.

'A dream,' he surmised. And what an odd dream that was. It started with his daily morning exercise where he found a necklace buried in the sand. The next thing he knew, he was taking a quick shower when the mentioned girl entered the bathroom, causing them to have an argument. However, they reconciled moments later. But when they were about to shake hands, his went right through hers!

'A ghost,' he thought. His dream then continued with a meeting with Kuwabara saying that she was a lost soul, rather than a ghost. Having dreams about mysterious women is quite normal, but having Kuwabara in your dreams was another thing. He cringed at the thought. The most vivid part of the dream he had was him promising the girl to help her find her body.

For many years, he had but many dreamless sleeps, only now was he able to dream again. 'And it had to be about a girl, the last thing I have in mind,' he silently laughed at the irony of the situation. He searched the subconscious for a name to give the beautiful stranger, but was surprised when it came naturally, flowing from his lips.

"Botan," Kurama sighed as he uttered her name.

"Yes?" an unfamiliar yet definitely welcomed voiced shattered his line of thinking. When he turned around to face the owner of the voice, his eyes widened in shock. It was the girl of his dreams, literally. Kurama backed away from her, the only logical thing left to do. Oh, how he regretted it when he felt himself stumble backwards, hitting the floor head-first. At least, the episode woke him up from his wistful state, and realization smacked itself in his face, 'It wasn't a dream.'

Botan peered at him by the edge of his bed, her slender fingers covering her mouth as if to restrain herself from laughing at his predicament. "Are you alright?" she asked after steadying herself.

"For someone who has been scared almost to death by a ghost, I'm perfectly fine, thank you," he said, a small playful smile forming in his lips. He tried to stand up but it seems that the sheets that managed to tangle itself by his legs has no plans of letting him do so.

"I'm not a ghost. I'm a pure soul," Botan said in a matter-of-factly manner, with her fingers moving in a reprimanding motion. Kurama just laughed at her serious note. "Ok, I get the point," he said as he released himself from the mass of blankets, "Just don't scare me, next time. I tell you, Botan, if I had a heart disorder, there's no doubt I'll be joining you in that ghostly state."

--

"So, what's your agenda for the day?" Botan asked while she watched him eat breakfast. Once again, coffee and French toast was smothered by the young man. After his eventful awakening, Kurama decided to take an early jog while Botan volunteered to remain at his house, joking to scare anyone who dares to enter.

"I'll phone the secretary later to cancel scheduled meetings and other activities for the day," he said as he sipped his coffee, eyes toward his copy of the daily newspaper, "And then we'll go out to town, search for clues or anything that may bring back your lost memories. We'll work things out from there."

"Um, is it okay for you to skip work today? I mean you already missed half of your job yesterday since we went to visit your friend," she said, a little guilty for taking most of his time. She really didn't want to bother him, but with the way things were right now, she really had no choice. "Its okay, I've been working hard since I joined the company. I guess they won't mind if I take a week's day off."

"But-," she was suddenly cut off by the determined look in his eyes. The moment their eyes met, Kurama saw the guilt his companion was currently suffering from. "Don't worry, Botan. I assure you you're far from being a burden to me. And besides, I've wanted to take a break for a very long time, and it seems to me that this would be a great opportunity to do that."

"Fine," she sighed in defeat knowing that she would never best him when it comes to reasoning. "But I really don't see how helping me figure out my past would be considered as taking a break. Seriously, it looks more complicated than your work. I don't think you can relax especially with me pestering you," she continued with a small frown forming in her delicate features. "Believe me, it does relax me," he said turning his emerald gaze back to the neglected newspaper.

Silence ensued for a minute.

"Want some?" Kurama asked her while raising the remaining slice of his French toast, and at the same time, trying hard to look innocent.

"Haha, very funny."

--

It was almost lunch time when they decided to go to the city park. They rounded the southern part of the town, hoping that something there would shed light to the mystery that was Botan's memory. Choosing to begin with public spots, Kurama walked, while Botan glided behind him, concentrating on every detail that may be of importance. Unfortunately, there was nothing.

By the time they reached the entrance of the park, Kurama's stomach started to protest, a loud growl emanating from its depths. After purchasing snacks from a nearby food shack, they continued on with their journey.

The park was filled by people from different walks of life. The cheery laughter of the kids by the playground filled the air as their guardians were by the sidelines, as they watched the young ones in their blissful play. A number of adults were also playing on the park's huge field, throwing Frisbees in the air, while the others concentrated on football or soccer. Some were having a picnic; dozens of food spread out of their blankets, attracting not only hungry passers by but also the ants and other members of the insect kingdom. There were also some who were dressed in business attire who decided to spend their lunch break at the park. One had been busy talking on his cell phone, obviously unable to part from his work, as the patty of his burger slowly slipping from the buns. All of them seemed to be having a normal day, all except for two people: Kurama and Botan.

"Does anything look familiar to you?" he asked taking a small bite from his foot long. They were now seated at one of the park bench under the trees' shade. He had to make sure no one was close enough to hear their conversation, lest he be branded as whacko.

"No, there's nothing familiar here," she sighed as her periwinkle eyes scanned her surroundings. A small breeze blew towards their direction, but she remained unaffected by it. Kurama looked her way, noticing the saddened expression she wore. With that, he finished his sandwich in one fell swoop, almost choking in the process. After chugging down the remaining water in its bottle, he stood up, ready for another round of their searching.

"Let's go, Botan," he uttered, an encouraging smile forming in his solemn face, "We still have plenty of time and more ground to cover. Don't give up that easily, I know that there's something here that will bring back your memories, you just have to believe."

Looking up at him, Botan found the strength she needed to continue. "I guess you're right. Like they say: no pain, no gain!" she said, once again returning to her usual self.

"Ok, now that's settled, why don't w-," Kurama was suddenly cut-off by Botan's loud warning (loud enough for him, that is).

"Kurama-kun, behind you!"

Seeing a soccer ball speeding towards him at the corner of his eye, he took a side step, and then faced the object, catching it in the process. Five young boys, following the ball's trail, soon appeared with an apologetic look on their faces. "Onii-chan," one of them called while another was muttering long lines of apologies, "Did we hit you?"

"No need to worry, I was able to evade it in time," he replied good-naturedly. He walked towards them to ensure no harm befell him. His older brother mode kicked in as he remembered his younger brother, who seemed to be in the same age as these boys.

While Kurama was gone, Botan remained still in her seat, as she watched her companion deal with the younger kids. As she waited there, something caught her eye. A woman walked in front of her, carrying what seemed like a white canvas. Seeing the item sent a tingling sensation that seemed to be undeniable. Before she knew it, Botan was standing on her feet, following the woman, leaving Kurama behind.

After a few minutes, she was led to an unknown yet familiar place, where trees were at its height and flowers blooming fully. The woman set her things down, setting up her materials, placing the canvas on its stand. Paintbrushes of different sizes and types were dug up from the woman's huge bag. It was then followed by paint tubes of different colors and other materials necessary for painting. Finished with her current activity, the woman under observation sat down on a tree's huge branch, and looked for a nice scenery to immortalize.

As she started painting, Botan felt her head throbbing. Memories of her past came rushing, memories of her doing the very same thing, of her making delicate strokes on the canvas surface, of her capturing the beauty of everything in her sight with just a flick of the wrist.

'I'm a painter?' she ended up asking herself, unable to believe her realization.

--

After waving good-bye to the kids, Kurama headed back to where he was once seated only to find out his companion was missing. He started to panic, afraid that something, something he has no control over, might happen to her without him at her side. She is fragile as it is, and he feared the possibility of something threatening her existence in this world.

He ran with haste, treading the path towards the isolated portion of the park. A little voice in his head told him that Botan was there. A few moments later, he reached his destination and found the person he was desperately searching for. She was standing there, a few meters away from another person, who seemed to be a painter. He approached her silently, seeing that she was engrossed observing the young artist continue with her work. Luckily, Botan picked a spot strategically hidden from the younger girl.

"Botan, I've been looking all over for you," he whispered, as soon as he reached her side. "You were already gone when I came back to the bench. You didn't even tell me that you were going. You had me worried back there."

"I'm very sorry if I made you worry, Kurama-kun," she simply said. With her reply, Kurama noticed her sudden lack of energy. Something must have happened while he was gone. Why was she even here, stalking an innocent person?

"Is there something wrong? Did something happen?"

"I-I remembered something just now," she whispered back in a slow manner. "I just found out I'm a painter!" she said excitedly.

"Really? That's good, at least our endeavor was not in vain after all," he said, happy for the young woman by his side, "That's one step closer to our goal."

"Um, excuse me, may I help you with something?" a foreign voice enter the young msn's line of hearing. The solemn painter approached, a paint brush lightly grasped in one hand. It seemed that their supposedly quiet conversation was left unheard.

Slightly caught off guard, Kurama struggled to find the words to explain. Glancing behind the girl, he saw the unfinished art work, a portrait of what seemed like the mountain ranges visible from their location. "I was simply admiring your work, it's rare to find great artists nowadays," he said as if it were true.

The girl blushed at the older man's admiration. "Thank you so much. But I'm not that good as a painter. I'm still a student at Tokyo University," she said as she headed to back to her previous position, resuming her work.

"Is that true? I could have sworn that you were a master painter," he continued with his act, trying to sound sincere. "Do you paint here often?"

"Oh, yes. Most artists find this part of the park a good place to create artworks. It has a warm atmosphere and pleasant scenery, too. An acquaintance recommended this place. But it seems that Botan-san hasn't been around for a few weeks now. I wonder what happened to her," she replied, saying the last words in a soft tone meant only for her mind but it seemed that she subconsciously said it out loud. Even with her silent whisper, Kurama was still able to catch her last few lines and realized that they might know the same Botan.

With a sudden urge to know more, Kurama asked her with a sudden need, "Botan-san? You are acquainted with her?" At the mention of her name, he glanced back behind the tree where he was previously situated. Botan was still there, apparently too dazed about her own previous revelation.

"What?" she asked in confusion, "Botan-san? As in Fukuyama Botan? Yes, we met at an art gallery and were introduced by a common friend. After all, we are in the same industry after all."

"Can you describe her for me?"

The look the artist gave him was that of suspicion. But Kurama, in return, gazed at her with his lovely bottle green eyes that seemed to melt any thoughts of doubt that the young girl has (In short, using his good looks to have his way, sly fox!). The girl instantly complied with his wishes, describing every detail she knew about Botan. Her description matched that of what he knew Botan was: Light blue hair tied in a high ponytail, bright periwinkle eyes, age at about twenty-five and bouncy and perky attitude.

"Do you know where she is right now?" he asked, hoping that she might make things easier for both Botan and him. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she replied with a 'no'. "I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her for a while."

Not giving up easily, he prodded her with further questions, "Do you know anyone who might have further knowledge about her whereabouts?"

"The only connection I have with her is our common friend, Shiyo-san, but I'm afraid she's out of the country as of present," she said, a knowing grin slowly forming in her youthful face, "You have been asking so many questions about her. Who are you anyway? Are you her boyfriend or something?"

Once again, he was caught off guard, by her presumption. The worst part is, he knew that this girl was perfectly aware of that especially when his face blushed as red as his hair. Good thing Botan was not there to witness such thing or else it would be very unpleasant, even worse. Coughing a little to soothe and calm himself, he answered the girl, a shade of pink still visible at his cheek bones, "Y-you are mistaken. We are simply f-friends, we met a long time ago, and I lost contact with her during the years. I was hoping that you might know where to find her, so that I can meet and catch up with her. You know, make up for the lost times."

"Right..." the girl in front of him said in a sarcastic manner.

"What? You don't believe me?" he asked. As a matter of fact, even he was not convinced by his own make-believe story. "Sure, I believe you," she replied as she carried on with her previous activity.

"Well, I guess I have to get going. It seems like I have been intruding your work for a long time now. Thank you for your help, Miss-," he paused, realizing for the first time since they started their conversation that he didn't even know her name.

"Takuto Eri," she said without looking at him.

"Minamino Shuuichi," he briefly introduced himself, "I thank you one again, Takuto-san. You have been of great help. I'll be going now."

"I'll mention you to Botan-san if I get the chance to meet her again," she called out, still concentrated on her work. With that, he continued walking, quietly motioning for Botan to follow him.

After a few seconds, Eri's hand stopped, eyes wide with realization. "That was the Shuuichi Minamino?" she fainted as her brain suddenly comprehended that she had a conversation with our leading man.

And with that, lunch time ended.

--

"I'm very happy that we finally settled the terms of our upcoming joint project, Mr. President. I'll start contacting our sponsors, I'm very sure that they, too, will be happy with today's results," a middle aged man dressed in a formal business attire said as he stood up, reaching his hands forward to meet those of his business partner, "I'll be updating you with further developments in our project. I assure you, you won't regret doing business with us."

"I hope so, too, Hanabi-san," the young man in his early thirties replied with a cool voice. After their brief shake of hands, both bowed, a sign of respect, and Mr. Hanabi started to walk out of the spacious office while the other seated on his chair, resumed reading some reports. As he was about to leave the room, his eyes caught sight of a beautiful painting hung on the wall directly facing the young businessman he had just transacted with.

The painting, encased in an antique frame, contained an image of what seemed like the back woman wearing a simple white dress, soft blue strands swaying with the wind. From that angle, she looked like she was flying towards the blue sky. Cherry blossom trees filled the background, its pink petals, which seemed like snow, covered the whole scene, adding to the breath-taking imagery it presented. The old man can't help but smile upon seeing such beautiful painting; all his problems seemed to be forgotten as soon as his eyes landed on it.

"It seems like you have taken a liking on my painting, Hanabi-san," the cool voice once again spoke, slightly amused because of the power a simple picture had on the man. Such scene was not very surprising though. This had happened not only once, but many times; the picture seemed to get everyone's attention. He stood up, his slender hands sliding through his dark brown hair, and joined his client, who seemed to admire the portrait quite openly.

"Yes, I consider myself an art enthusiast, and I know when I see a true masterpiece," he said, his voice astonished, "And judging from my reaction, you can say that this truly is a work of genius, Sanada-san!"

"I agree, it really is something," Hitoshi Sanada said, crossing his arms in the process.

"Just looking at it gives you an unexplainable feeling. It's as if the artist put in everything in this single painting: his heart and soul. You can even feel his passion affecting you, as if a new burst of life surging through your body, never wanting to stop."

"I bought it in an art gallery in Paris, from an emerging artist. He was still young back then, full of life and zeal. This truly is his best work," Shouji replied.

"Is that so? Where is he right now? I would be more than happy to meet him. Creating such beautiful work of art says so much about him. I would want to see more of his work," Mr. Hanabi asked with a voice filled with anticipation.

"I'm sorry to say, but he is currently out of commission. The last news I had, he was taking a vacation, a very long vacation," he said, his face still free from any emotion, but his voice was saying otherwise.

The older man's shoulders sagged, disappointment evident on his actions. "Its sad to hear that. It's rare to find someone who has such great talent."

"I agree."

"Can you at least give me the name of this remarkable artist?"

Silence.

The young Hitoshi gazed up at the painting above. Memories of what happened almost two years ago flashed in his mind. An image of a bloodied young man with dark blue tresses registered. His magenta-colored eyes pierced right through him accusingly, the memory he had of him as he pointed a gun towards him.

A small sardonic smile formed in his lips, an oblivious Mr. Hanabi beside him.

"Ryo Fukuyama."

--

As they quietly strolled along the sands of the beach with only the pale moonlight to guide them, Kurama and Botan recollected what happened during the day. Truly, it has been very eventful with not only one revelation, but two. Before she came to be a soul, Botan had been a painter. And with Kurama's earlier conversation with one of her acquaintances in the past, they found out that Fukuyama was her family name.

"So much has happened, too much information for one day," Botan began, stretching her arms as they continued walking, "I'm so happy that you decided to accompany me today, Kurama-kun. If you hadn't done so, I wouldn't be able to learn this much, thank you very much!"

"It's quite alright. At least now, we have a solid ground from where we could start, don't you agree? Just knowing your family name opened up many doors for us," he said, eyes gazing forward, "Don't worry, I think everything will be easy from this point onwards."

She nodded in response. "I sure hope so."

On their way back home, a thought suddenly popped in Kurama's head, 'When all of this is finished, what will become of me? Of Botan? Will we be one of those types whose roads meet in an intersection but will eventually separate ways?' Somehow, these thoughts seemed to bother the young man. He didn't know why it bothered him; he didn't even know why it scared him.

"Kurama-kun, are feeling alright?" the tender voice of Botan seeped right through his consciousness.

"I'm feeling fine, Botan. Just a little tired," he replied, smiling at her to ease her worries.

"If that's the case, I think you better rest for now. You've worked hard for today, and I believe you still have a lot of pending jobs for your real work," she said as she entered the door, walking behind Kurama.

His mind pushed away all of his doubtful thoughts. Right now, Botan was with him. And that's all that matters.

--

Inside a dark room far away from the raging waters of the beach, two figures conversed with hushed voices.

"How long will she be in that condition?" a young man's worried voice asked.

"The doctor said that it might take a long while," replied a young woman with an equally troubled tone, "She took the hit on her head a little too much which resulted to her being in a coma. The wound by her left shoulder was confirmed to be caused by a bullet. Good thing it was only minor, merely grazing her."

The young man sighed at the woman's information. At least his worries lessened knowing that she was safe, even for the moment. He was aware of the fact that that man will still be going after her once he finds out she survived. He stood up, reaching the standard hospital bed where a prostate figure laid, a respirator on her mouth, and a life support system located at her right side. His companion soon joined him, standing by the bed.

"I'm sorry, Botan-chan. I wasn't able to protect you from him," he said, closing his eyes shut to keep his frustration in check. Sudden warmth enveloped him as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, giving him temporary comfort.

"Don't worry, anata, we'll protect her this time," she said, holding tightly to him, knowing that he needed this. "We'll be able to honor our promise to Ryo-kun."

"I have a strong feeling that we are not alone in this endeavor," the woman finished.

--

A/N: Waai! A new chapter! Finally, after almost two months of inactivity, I finally had enough inspiration to continue with this. There's so few K+B fan fictions right now, and it somehow contributed to my lack of inspiration. Sigh Life without K+B is really a drag. I owe it to my reviewers and readers to go on with this story.

Anyway, I hope that you, my loyal readers, are able to enjoy this. Kurama and Botan started their search and found new interesting information. Also, I decided to make the antagonist an original character, so I can do whatever I wan with him without flames saying that his out of character. He is Hitoshi Sanada, whose name I thought for weeks. Takuto Eri is a minor character, she might not appear in other chapters, but let's see what will happen. The two mystery characters in the last sequence of the story are to be revealed maybe in the next chapter. Curious, eh?

Replies to Reviews: (the first, and definitely not the last, time I'm going to do this!)

Angel of Death and Rain: Thank you so much for your support! (It makes me want to cry) Knowing that I you like my story really made my day! I'm also happy that you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one, too!

MiaHime: Oh, what to say? I am so honored to receive a review from you. I'm so happy that you even allocate your time just to make detailed critiques of this humble fanfiction. I'm relieved that Kuwabara's sudden change of attitude was accepted by you. I also thank you for that advice, making the bad guy an original character, it really helped. And it seems like you know how my mind work, perceiving the flow of the story. Thank you again!

KooriKitsune: Thanks so much for your praise! I also appreciate that you noticed its resemblance to the movie. It does seem like 'Just Like Heaven' since this was loosely based from that wonderful movie.

Kitsune of Darkness: Once again, my sincerest gratitude goes out to you! It cheers me up whenever I read your thoughts about this fiction. I'm glad that it made you happy knowing that Botan is technically still alive, it makes me happy knowing that my readers are happy. I agree that Kuwabara being portrayed as stupid is kinda funny, too. But sometimes, you have to cut the poor guy some slack. Also, I appreciate you giving an opinion about the antagonist.

sweetcanines: Hello, there dear! I'm pleased to hear from you, and your review really made me happy. I'm delighted that you like the last chapter; I hope this one won't disappoint you. Botan's past? Well, it's starting to reveal itself in this chapter. I also welcome your thoughts about Karasu being the bad guy, but I'm afraid I won't be able to characterize him that well, so I opted to make my own character. I hope that did not disappoint you.

youngblood: I apologize for leaving you there hanging. At least I made you happy knowing that Botan is still alive. I'm glad you liked the idea of Kuwabara's state of mind. I was really afraid at first that no one would like it (I really am a deviant). Here's another chapter for you!

Special shout out for KB authors out there: Make more KB fan fictions!P

Finally, please do review my story! It really helps!