The more he read of the contract, the more lined and troubled his face became. Botan scratched at her arm, wondering if she should pretend not to notice his mounting anger.
"I'm really sorry about this, Kurama," she murmured. "I begged Koenma not to draft this."
He set the contract on the bench between them, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be eating lunch like a normal student. "Did you read it?"
"I really didn't want to," Botan said. "How bad is it?"
"It states that my loyalty to Spirit World comes foremost, which is less than true."
"Oh, that's just legal babble!" Botan laughed. "Yusuke signed something like that with very little thought."
"There's more." Kurama glanced around, wary of eavesdroppers. His fangirls were sitting just out of earshot, but they seemed painfully focused on his body language. "Botan," he said. "Lean in."
Botan scooted over, taking the contract in her hands.
Kurama whispered his reservations. "It goes on to say that, should my loyalties be called into question, I waive my right to defend myself if they send the Spirit Defense Force after me."
"What?!" Botan realized she'd ruined the false mood they'd set. "Sorry!" she whispered without moving her lips.
"Koenma isn't this malicious," Kurama continued. "And that they include the clause naming the SDF as their agent instead of Yusuke is more telling. In effect, I'm to sign away my rights. Even to privacy. Read here."
Botan read where he'd indicated; it said that Spirit World reserved the right to trail Kurama in all his dealings, naming the SDF's official number two, Shunjun, as the tracker. "So that's what he was doing!"
Kurama put his arm on the bench behind Botan's shoulders and leaned down for her to whisper in his ear; Botan didn't know if he did that to send a message to the fangirls or to keep her from crying out again.
"Shunjun was signing something in Koenma's office when I came to pick this up," Botan said, indicating the stapled documents.
"Volunteering for the job, no doubt."
Botan nodded. "But that's a conflict of interest. You don't have to sign it at all!"
"He'll only send you back here. At most, they'll change the name from Shunjun to another. Do you have that pen?"
Botan handed it over with hesitation. "You aren't actually going to sign, are you?" She watched as he struck Shunjun's name and wrote hers above it. "Um, Kurama? I don't think that's legal . . . ."
"Do you have the date?"
"The twenty-third, why? Kuram—!"
He'd signed on the signature line, and with Botan's surprise, their cover was nearly shot. Kurama had to redeem their ruse before Botan finished speaking his true name, and so he stole the breath of her last syllable with a quick kiss.
"I had to. I'm sorry."
Botan looked at her knees and blushed, trying to pull the uniform skirt down longer than it could be, only faintly aware of a three-way groan somewhere behind their bench. "No, you had to. I know that. But why did you sign it?"
Kurama rolled up the contract and placed it in her hand. "I've taken a few precautions. If nothing else, it'll stall them." He stood, offering his hand. "If that's all, let me walk you off."
Botan stood, brow furrowed, and they walked in silence down the street and around a corner. "Here's fine," she murmured, ducking between a food truck and a trash bin.
"Before you go," Kurama said, pulling a folded scrap of paper from his pocket, "here's Kuwabara's invitation. He wanted me to give it to you."
Botan took the paper, glancing it over. "He has very neat handwriting. Didn't see that coming."
"Neither did I," Kurama said with a smile. "He told me he'd really like for you to come."
"He singled me out?" Botan put a finger on her chin, screwing up her face. "He hasn't done that since before he met Yukina."
"Do you remember the night he went to that rock concert?"
Of course she did. Kuwabara was attacked by Mitarai, and he'd carried him and the rest of his injured gang home on his back before passing out in front of the door. "What are you getting at, Kurama?"
"When we were erasing their memories of the ambush, do you remember what you said to the bald one?"
"Komada? No. Do you?"
Kurama chuckled. "I thought not. When he awoke, you said you liked Megallica too."
"So what?" Botan crossed her arms. "I've heard a few of their songs."
"Yes, and in saying as much, you made him into your own 'fangirl.'"
"Oh, no!" She smacked her forehead. "So he wants me there for Komada? This won't be good."
Kurama's smile suddenly left, his eyes suspicious as he looked back toward the school. "Quickly," he said to Botan, "you must go. We're being watched."
Botan turned into the restaurant, asking the hostess for a bathroom. "I'll just be a minute," she said to the girl. "Bye, Suichi!"
Kurama turned back to Meioh Academy and the girls watching him, smiling when Botan floated out of the restaurant roof and up to Spirit World. That poor hostess, Kurama thought with a laugh, anticipating the girl's confusion when she would find the ladies' room empty.
#
"And he signed it? Bring it here."
Botan approached with the rolled contract. "Well, he did, but he also scratched something out."
Koenma unfurled the pages and skimmed it, groaning.
"I told him I doubted it was legal, sir," Botan continued.
"No, Botan, that's not it." Koenma smacked the desk where Kurama's signature lay.
"Sir?"
Koenma pretended not to hear Jorge or Botan as he flew into a toddler-strength rage. "It was just supposed to be a token of good faith! Why didn't he sign it? I hate him!"
"No you don't, Koenma-sir!" said the ogre, folding his great, blue arms. "Stop speaking out of anger."
"But I can't help it! I'm just a baby after all! Argh!" Koenma's fit lost all sense, then.
Botan and Jorge shared a grimace. "I hate when he starts speaking in tongues," Botan whined. Suddenly she remembered. "But you know, sir," she said with impassioned conviction, "there was a part of that contract that contained a conflict of interest! Not to mention that it waives practically all his rights, which frankly just isn't—well—right!"
Koenma calmed down. "No, Botan, it was only a test of his loyalty."
"But why, sir? He helped us with all that information when he didn't have to, and so what if his prediction was right? That's why we're asking him and not Yusuke!"
"It's suspicious, Botan. And we can't buy his loyalties if his family isn't being threatened."
"We already had his loyalty, but now you've spoiled it with that stupid contract naming Shunjun! He's the one who injured him all those years ago, sir. I told him not to sign it, but he didn't listen!"
Koenma pointed to the signature on the paper. "He's already one step ahead of us, Botan."
She leaned down and read "Suichi Minamino" in Kurama's writing. "What? But what does this mean, sir?"
"He's giving us permission to track only his human form."
Botan stood up again with a laugh. "I guess Kurama won, didn't he? Uh, no offense, Koenma. Will I'll be the one to trail him, then?"
The toddler stamped the contract, a red "Approved" sign appearing right in the midst of the contract's clauses, obscuring Kurama's note. "Well, since Shunjun never came into contact with Suichi Minamino, there is no conflict of interest."
#
"Why the hell would I want to celebrate the birth of that fool?"
"You don't have to be angry, Hiei," Kurama said, resting his chin on the back of his hand, elbow on the armrest. Hiei stood at the window, hiding his trembling fists in his pockets. "He only wanted me to assure you that you were welcome. You know that Yukina will be there."
Hiei scoffed. "Of course she will, but that's all the more reason for me to avoid it." He turned to the open window, crouching to leap away.
"And you trust the whims of Kuwabara and his friends once they've been drinking? Surely not." Kurama knew that would do it.
Hiei twitched. "He isn't my problem, but if he can't control himself around Yukina, then Kuwabara will lose an arm. Slowly."
With that, he left, the curtains snapping at the speed of his departure.
Kurama dialed a phone number, exchanged a few words with Shizuru, and said hello to Kuwabara. "I talked to Botan and Hiei today," he said, leaning back in his desk chair. "Yes, both of them. Though you'll need something strong for Hiei, I'm afraid."
#
Thank you for reading and following! I can't wait for you all to see the next chapter. I've been trying to keep up with the reviews as they come in, but I'll be away for a few days to fix up Chapter Four.
So what will come of poor Komada's crush?
Why did Koenma refuse Kurama's request to change his tracker from Shunjun to Botan?
What did Kurama correctly predict would happen with the Red Glove Gang?
And finally, what will happen between Botan and Kurama at this party?
