Just the Two of Us
Chapter Two: Memories
"Botan, I need you to go to Ningenkai right now." Koenma instructed. "Kurama has just discovered what caused your condition."
She held her breath. "He did?" It was not much of a question. She knew that Kurama was well capable of that.
For three months now, Botan had started to experience some lapses. The first few weeks, she became very forgetful. She would go to places and then forget why she went there.
And then, she lost her healing powers. She needed to heal an oni who was in a minor training accident, but she couldn't. She thought it was just overfatigue.
But then it became worse. Two months ago, she found that couldn't materialize her oar. Without flight, she couldn't ferry souls. Koenma told her to rest while he assigned researchers to try to figure out what happened to her.
Last month, they were getting more desperate, and he had enlisted the help of the tanteis.
Koenma nodded. "They are expecting you to meet them today."
And so with the help of a portal Botan found herself in a familiar forest.
She wondered why they chose that place to meet. Last year they had a picnic there, celebrating Keiko's graduation, and it was one of the most beautiful places in Ningenkai she had been to. It has a breath-taking view.
When the small portal disappeared, she looked around, half-expecting to see all of the tanteis. But it seemed there was no one.
Soon she heard her name being called. She looked behind and saw that it was Kurama, walking calmly towards her. He seemed to have come from the direction of the waterfalls. He was still far, and Botan walked to meet him.
Despite the situation, she was glad that she will see them today. It had been months since they last saw each other and she missed everyone.
"It's so nice to see you again Kurama," she greeted him. "It's been a while isn't it?
"Yes, it's nice to see you again too, Botan. How are you feeling?"
"Fine, fine," Botan decided to smile despite her worry. She could see that Kurama was worried too, the way he's looking at her, as if he was searching her face for something. He didn't seem to believe her, and so she answered more honestly, "Well, a little bored, and I miss being airborne..."
Kurama nodded. "Well, for someone who loves the sky so much, that's understandable."
Her eyebrows knotted with that. When did she tell him that? Or anyone at all? Oh well. Maybe it was just something he noticed. Or maybe she did tell him, and like many others things these days, she had forgotten about it. More than she would admit, this unknown condition is worrying her.
She shrugged, and remembered why she's there. "Koenma said you have found out what's ailing me?"
He frowned a little. "Ailing? Botan, you are not sick."
"I'm not?" She felt relieved. She trusted Kurama and she knew that he wouldn't lie just to appease her.
"You're not. That is what I'm going to tell you." When he said this, he wasn't looking at her anymore. He was looking past her.
"What is it then?"
"Let's not talk about that here. We need to go—"
"Wait, Kurama. Where are Yusuke and Kuwabara? And Hiei was on this case too, right?"
"Yes, but Yusuke and Kuwabara will be late. Hiei will be here too I think, but much later…"
"Okay."
He motioned her to follow, and she did. She noticed that they were heading to the falls, where he had come from earlier.
She was surprised when he led her past the falls, and towards the area that they did not explore when the team went there the year before.
If she remembered right, where they are going is a restricted area. She expressed her concerns to Kurama, but he just smiled.
"No need to worry. My stepfather bought this property earlier this year, so we are allowed to roam about."
"Oh." That was her only reply.
Past the falls and farther into the forest, they stopped in front of an old lodge. The gate was open, and they entered.
Botan almost jumped when the gate closed behind them. She ran for it and was aghast when she saw that because of some tangled vines, the lock was stuck, she couldn't open it. "Kurama!" She almost shouted, before realizing he was back to her side.
He took one look at it, and said, "Don't worry about it, Botan. Right now we have to go inside and worry about that later. There are things we need to discuss now."
She sighed, realizing that this condition she's in is finally getting into her nerves. She then followed him inside the lodge.
The interior was a cozy place. It was warm and furnished and neat. Although outside it looked like a western style lodge, inside almost everything is furnished in classic Japanese design. Kurama let her in to a medium-sized room that looks to her like an old-fashioned dining room.
She was given a seat on what he called the 'breakfast nook', basically a table for two by the window.
He offered her a drink, and, admitting she was thirsty, she accepted it.
"Thanks, I love apple juice," she smiled and almost emptied the glass right away.
He then said he needed to get something before they start, and took some bottles from the cupboard. Those contained herbs, as far as she can tell.
Botan kept quiet, just watching him. She didn't know why, but she felt that he was nervous. It does not show much; he actually looks calm outside, but she felt just otherwise.
Finally he placed two bottles in front of her, and took his seat. He looked so serious, that Botan blurted out, "We probably look like a doctor and patient on a consultation. Please smile, Kurama," and laughed nervously.
He smiled, but his smile made her feel more nervous.
She straightened on her seat and said, "This is serious, isn't it?"
"Well, yes and no. Yes, there's something serious we have to discuss later, but no, your... condition, as you call it, is not serious the way you think... You're not sick," he repeated.
"Okay." She watched him hold the smaller bottle up. Inside was yellow powder but she didn't know what it was for.
"This is powdered pollen. When inhaled, or taken in some other way, it can cause you to forget," he explained. "How much you will forget depends on how the pollen was prepared, how strong it was made, and what is mixed with it. Sometime before, I had used it to make someone forget my existence." He stopped at that, as if thinking of that someone and lingering on the memory. And then he continued to explain. "I never had encountered any side-effect from it, until now. This, Botan, is what caused your current condition."
Botan stared hard at the bottle. She tried to remember any incident she might have inhaled a pollen.
"But I don't remember being in contact with something like that, Kurama. When this started all I've been doing was ferrying souls. I don't think I was exposed to such pollen at the time."
"Not that time at least," Kurama said in a sure tone. "You had a juice mixed with it many years ago and the side-effect is just kicking in."
She tried to jog her memory, but couldn't remember a thing. "I really don't remember."
"Because you're not meant to remember." For some reason, Kurama carried his seat beside her, and Botan thought he was too close for comfort. "Drinking that was part of what you were supposed to forget."
Botan froze. "H-how could you have known that?"
Kurama sighed, looked at the bottle, and then back to her. "Because I was the one who gave it to you. I'm sorry Botan, I needed to do it. You had to forget something you didn't want to forget, but now I'm giving it back to you. That juice I gave you today, contains the antidote I made..."
She didn't have time to react. She felt dizzy and had to close her eyes, aware that Kurama was now holding her. She must have lost balance.
Her head seemed to swirl and memories long forgotten started flooding in...
Flashback: More than a thousand years ago, at the Horizon...
"I love the sky!"
"Me too!"
"And me also!"
"It's so pretty, Botan-sensei!"
Kurama heard the happy shrieks and woke up. His fox ears twitched, and he jumped down from the branch of a tree and looked for the origin of the sounds.
He was in a place called Horizon, the place that connects the three worlds together. From the Ningenkai and Makai this place cannot easily be seen. Ningens would only see this place as a lone island surrounded by the seas. Weak beings from Makai will see this just the same, but stronger beings will be able to sense the spirits floating at the skies.
He may be young, but Kurama knew that this place is surrounded by some sort of portals to and from Reikai. Several times he had caught sight of ferry girls and newly departed souls but they were so high and he never made contact. He suspected anyway that there is some sort of barrier up there that would keep him from getting near even if he had the ability to fly.
He had spent several afternoons here, but this was the first time he found someone else on the land.
It was a group of children running around, jumping up and down, pretending to reach the skies. In the middle of them all is a girl, perhaps around his age. He was sure she's the one who shouted her love for the sky, and since she is the eldest, she's also the one they called Botan-sensei.
He didn't show himself, but observed her leading the children in a game. They were so happy and loud. He thought it refreshing to watch them—her, to be specific. She was such a sight to behold. Her sky blue hair, happy features, a pink kimono that seemed to play with the wind, and an unusual color of her eyes. From where he stood, he couldn't tell exactly what color it was, but it twinkles with joy and how he liked that sight.
"Hide and seek!" she shouted, and in a matter of seconds she was blindfolded, and the children scattered about.
He walked back to the tree and sat down. He didn't want to bother them, but he couldn't remove from his mind the image of the girl named Botan.
He stood up, deciding to leave, when he suddenly collided with something—someone, who, instead of being sorry, had shouted, "Boo!"
It was her.
He chuckled, thinking it funny to collide with someone and be booed. He stopped chuckling when he noticed her embarrassment. She had removed the cloth that covered her eyes earlier.
Scratching the back of her head, she apologized, "I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't know anyone's here... I thought you were one of my students. You see, we were playing hide and seek..."
"Don't apologise. I assure you it's alright."
"Ah. Thank you, Sir—"
"On no. Don't call me Sir. 'Sir' is for old ningens and upper-class reigens."
She blinked. "You aren't?"
He knew she thought he was an upper-class reigen. With his intelligence, good looks, pristine white robe, silver hair that he kept in a loose ponytail, who would have thought he is from the Makai?
"No, I am not. Are you disappointed?" he teased when he noticed her disbelief.
"Nah. I'm actually weary of the upper-class until now. Except with these little tykes, of course. They are all fun."
"So I noticed." He smiled at her, thinking of how beautiful she was up close. He couldn't have known she was thinking of the same thing towards him.
"You're a teacher, then?"
"Not really," she laughed. "More like a nanny than anything. I've just been hired to take care of these kids from the Spirit World Kindergarten."
"Ah, from that establishment." He had never been to Reikai, but he knew several things about it. "And what brings you all down here? I thought these royal kids are not allowed outside Reikai?" He laughed when she saw her blush. She may be new, but he knew she should know those rules. She was breaking an important rule.
"We... uh, we're on a... field trip. Yeah, that's it." She nodded, pretending not to be rattled. "We decided to spend our lengthy free time down here. You know, excursions like this will help them learn more about the three worlds." She prayed she sounded credible.
"Hmmm. Sounds fun," he said, not breaking his stare. He was glad that she seemed to be not aware of that. "So that means we'll see each other here often?"
"I guess," she said. It wasn't that easy to slip out of Reikai, especially with a dozen children to carry with her. It was just so lucky that the oni who's assigned to the gates has a crush on her.
"Botan-sensei, where are you?" a voice called.
Botan saw the little girl who looked lost. The girl spotted them, ran towards them and was going to say something to Botan when she noticed him.
"Wow." She immediately tried to reach Kurama's fox ears, and asked, "Are those real?"
Kurama chuckled. "Yes, they are."
"Cool." The girl looked at him in awe. It was the first time she saw someone of his kind.
Suddenly all the children surrounded them, all eager to meet the young spirit fox. A minute after that he found himself dragged to join their game of hide and seek.
Needless to say, they had fun. It was easy to see that the little girls had formed a crush on him, and the little boys had expressed that they wanted to grow up like him.
Botan thought it was embarrassing, but there was nothing she could do. The little ones were smitten at first sight. And it was just nice of him to accommodate them.
Kurama thought it funny, but he was used to it. Even the young demons in Makai were like that towards him. Besides, he really did enjoy their company. Life in Makai is hard, especially now that he enlisted to train under Yomi. Soon he will be a part of the patrol that will protect his property from invaders, and there will be no time to play.
By sunset, they were all exhausted but happy.
Botan and the kids had to return to the Kindergarten building, where the royalties will pick up their children.
"So, I'll see you again soon?" he asked her once more.
"Well—"
"Of course we will!" the children answered for her.
She laughed. "Looks like I have no choice."
"Great. I'll prepare something for you all next time."
"You don't have to, but…" she heard a honk, and they both looked to see a floating wagon waiting for them. The children had started to get in one by one. The driver looked impatiently at Botan. "That would be great, I guess. See you, Kurama!" She waved and hopped in.
He watched the wagon float and disappear.
When he finally left, one thing was stuck in his mind.
She has the most beautiful pair of amethyst eyes he had ever seen.
To be continued. Thank you for reading :)