"Okay, here we are!" Botan announced cheerfully. She slid her hand from Kurama's arm down to his palm. Her hands were now holding his. Kurama stared at it for a moment but was pulled again by Botan. She doesn't seem to care if their hands touch each other.
"Come on, it's not easy to pull someone a lot heavier than yourself you know!" Botan teased him. Kurama raised a disapproving eyebrow.
"I'm not that heavy, kawaii" he said with a laugh. ::Kawaii:: it's kinda nice to call her that. It fits her perfectly. Botan looked at him in disbelief.
"Then stop pulling yourself away!" Botan demanded. Kurama shook his head and let Botan pull him again towards the seats.

"Eeek!" Botan screeched as the door on the movie quickly opened. Kurama chuckled slightly. He looked around. He noticed that most of the people there came in pairs, just like both of them, but these pairs are quite different from them. He also noticed that most of the girls clung to the guys beside them in the part where Botan, er, shrieked. Kurama shook his head. He glanced at Botan, who slowly turned her gaze back at the movie. The guy in bloody red shirt, who seem to be the leading man, was running away from a bunch of disgustingly make-upped zombies. The movie was also a suspense movie, figures why these poor girls keep ringing the whole movie house with their screams, including Botan.

"Kotachi!" a girl called his name. He glanced around, looking for the owner of the voice. It sounds like Nuri, his beloved. It made him worry more. He ran and ran, trying to look for. Then he saw it, one of the irritatingly ugly zombies who were trying to catch him held his beloved by the throat. Nuri tried to struggle, but the hand on her neck just tightened. Kotachi stiffened at the sight, but as Nuri screamed again, his anger rose and ran for the two. Just then, as he ran…

"Kurama!" Botan shrieked as she flung herself on the sleeves of Kurama's jacket. Kurama turned to her. A zombie just popped out of the screen, making a very close close-up of the awful face. Kurama heard the other audience gasp.
"Botan, it's just a movie" he told her gently, trying not to surprise her. Botan held his sleeves tighter, pulling Kurama to her, making some of the popcorn Kurama was holding fall to the floor. "Now look what you made me do, Botan" Kurama joked. He held her hand. Her hands were icy cold. Kurama smiled at her childish display, slightly amused by her behavior.
"Kurama?" Botan called him weakly.
"Douka shita no?" he asked. Botan then turned to look around. She wasn't alone, a lot of the girls there still have their eyes closed. She then turned to Kurama.
"Don't you get scared or something?" she asked curiously, totally mindless of the movie now, only concentrating at her strange companion. Kurama turned to her and chuckled.
"My opponents' faces are worse, you know" he said jokingly which made Botan smile. She turned her attention from Kurama to the movie.

"I'm glad that's over" Botan sighed in relief as they stepped out of the movie house.
"You're the one who bought those tickets, Botan" Kurama said with a chuckle. Botan smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, I better go, I had a nice time, domo arigato, Kurama-san!" she thanked him. Kurama nodded and Botan walked away. It's hard to watch her leave. Kurama told himself as she disappeared from his sight as she turned to the corner. Kurama sighed and just walked to the other side of the street. Why was he so upset about it? He'll see her again, eventually. Was he feeling something for the little deity. Does he like her? He knows he does, but it seems there's something else to that. Like love. Love? Kurama shook the thought away. It couldn't be. But then again, could it?

"But Koenma-sama!" Hayame said in shock. She was talking to Koenma that day in Reikai. Koenma just talked to his father, Enma Daioh, about something, something about the ferry girls, especially Botan. "You can't do that!"
"Hayame, I have to, she shouldn't get these kinds of ideas just pop into her heads, it's not appropriate for her kind" Koenma explained to the stunned ferry girl in front of him.
"But, you can't blame her for that, it just happens that her instincts tell her to" Hayame protested against what the young prince said. Koenma sucked hardly on his pacifier.
"Instincts should be used in her jobs, not during plays, that's why our ferry girls here often make mistakes!" Koenma complained. Hayame, being one of the ferry girls, whom Koenma was talking about at the moment, knew she needed to make a move for him to stop.
"Maybe you're just jealous because Botan's having something for that tantei of yours" Hayame said with piercing eyes. Koenma looked at her for a moment. Indeed, what she said was true. He needed Botan. He denied it most of the time, but he knew it was true. A ferrygirl once told him that Botan liked him. Excitement and doubt flooded through him, but still, it might not be true. He ignored it, trying to forget about her. Botan still had feelings for him after all he did to her. But, since he had himself a new set of tanteis, the fear of losing her was starting to build up.
"Well?" Hayame's accusing voice cut him from his thoughts. Koenma gestured her to go away as he buried his head on his palms. Hayame wore a victorious smile as she stormed out of the room. "Botan" Koenma muttered as he buried his face deeper.

"Yusuke, you're being ridiculous!" Keiko yelled as she threw up her hands.
"What's wrong with that?! I just said it could be" he protested against her.
"Please! I need help, will you just please answer me?" Koenma pleaded at the couple. Yusuke and Keiko settled down.
"Now that you mentioned it, they do seem to spend a lot of times together since last week" Keiko said, taking a sip of her drink. "Why?"
"Jealous?" Yusuke asked with sly looks. Koenma gave him a sharp glance that placed Yusuke in an uncomfortable manner. Koenma sighed.
"We have a problem in Reikai…"
"Need help?!" Yusuke volunteered with a grin.
"No, Yusuke, not that, it's Botan. Otou-sama said we need her badly about it, sorry I can't tell you why, but we need help about pulling her off Kurama" he explained. Keiko looked at Yusuke, then to Koenma.
"But we can't do that! It'll break her heart! Not to mention Kurama's as well" Keiko said thoughtfully. Koenma shook his head.
"That's the problem, please, help us" Koenma pleaded. Keiko lowered her head.
"What is it for?" she asked. Koenma finally sighed sadly.
"Botan is to be my princess. Not that I mind it, I like her, it's just that, she's with someone else, and what I'm suppose to do is to is…take her away from that someone, which is Kurama at the moment" Koenma paused for a while, sighed and continued. "I don't like the idea of her being in love with someone else but me if ever we're going to be one" Koenma explained. Giving much attention to what Koenma was saying, Keiko and Yusuke didn't hear the door of the ramen house open a few moments ago while they were talking.
"N-Nani?" a deep voice asked. The three were startled and looked at whoever it was.
"Kurama!" Yusuke exclaimed in shock. He looked at his friend then to Koenma. Koenma stood up in a princely manner and faced Kurama with piercing eyes.
"Koenma, what is this?" Kurama asked calmly, returning the challenging look on the Reikai prince. "You heard it, didn't you?" Koenma asked. Yusuke and Keiko backed off a bit for the two's 'conversation'. Kurama nodded slightly.
"Why?" he asked. Koenma's brows lowered threateningly.
"I want you to get away from her, if not…"
"If not, what?" Kurama asked calmly, but with burning eyes.
"If not, I'll just take her away from you, even the whole Reikai will take her away, you can't do anything about it, I won't give up on her" he said, pointing a straight finger at Kurama. He let it down slowly, and bowed to Yusuke and Keiko and lowered his head slowly at Kurama. He walked out of the ramen house, purposely hitting Kurama's shoulders with his as he walked out. Kurama followed him with sharp looks. When Koenma was out of sight, he turned to Yusuke and Keiko. The two was stunned and quiet. He then grumbled something and stormed out.

Three days have passed, but the incident never came out of Keiko's head. She sighed loudly as she wiped the counter clean. Botan then came inside.
"Ohayou gozaimasu Keiko-chan, have you seen Kurama?" she asked. Keiko didn't reply. "Keiko-chan?" Koenma's words rang up her head, 'I need you to help me'. She shook her head to get the thought away. Botan's voice called again. "Keiko-chan"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't seen him" she answered nervously. Botan nodded slightly.
"Oh I see, see you later then, Keiko-chan" she said as she ran out of the place.

"Everybody's acting strange" Botan said to herself. "Koenma-sama don't even want to talk to me a while ago, Yuu-chan didn't either, then Keiko seem to be so nervous, and, Kurama…I never got to see him these days, what's happening?" she then walked by a small café. She saw Kurama on one of the tables outside. She ran up to him.
"Kurama-san!" she called him. Kurama looked up at her with cold eyes, then turned away. Botan stopped for a while to look at him. He's acting as weird as the others. She slowly walked up to him.
"Kurama?"
"Oh, it's you, Botan-chan" he said as he stood up. He left his pay on the table, tucking it below the vase. Botan looked at him and then remembered his words. His words pierced a hole in her heart. They sounded so...cold. It wasn't like him. Wasn't he glad to see her?
"Kurama?" she called as he started to walk away. Kurama didn't stop, nor turned his back, he just continued walking. "Kurama, is something wrong?" she asked as she caught up with him. Kurama didn't reply as he looked straight ahead, he didn't even take a glance at her. Botan felt her eyes sting with tears. "Kurama, please tell me what's wrong" she pleaded as she placed a hand on his arm. Kurama stopped in his tracks and faced her, coldly.
"Botan, please leave me alone" he said with no expression in him. He jerked her hand away from his arm. Botan still followed him.
"Kurama, please tell me" Botan pleaded as unshed tears filled her lower lid. She attempted to touch him again, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kurama flinched them away. Botan felt her heart break. What's happening to him? Botan reached out her hand to touch him again, but Kurama's hand slapped them off before she could as he turned back.
"Botan, just leave me alone! Couldn't you hear?! Don't ask what's wrong, just go! I don't care a damn if you would, go back to Reikai or something, just go away and try not to show your face to me!" he said as he ran away from her, turning around the corner out of Botan's sight. Botan felt her eyes and cheeks burn with tears. She was stunned, not knowing what to do. She just stood there as Kurama's figure disappeared from her sight. "Kurama…"

Koenma turned off the monitor and twined his fingers together. He sighed deeply.
"Botan, I'm sorry" he said. He leaned his aching head on them and thought for a while. He remained like that for a few minutes. Then, he heard something crushing outside. His attention turned to it.
"Koenma-sama!" Jorju came frantically. He bowed down to him. "Enma Daioh-sama needs to see you" "Hai" Koenma nodded in reply.
"He also needs Botan there" he said. Koenma stopped in his tracks.
"She'll be here" he answered and walked slowly away.

Tears fell as she heard the news coming out of the Reikai king's lips. Botan was in her room, crying her heart out. Then, there was a silent knock on the door.
"Come in" Botan said, wiping her tears away. Koenma opened the door and entered her room. Botan saw him enter and turned away, burying her face in her arms. Koenma approached her slowly and sat on her bed beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she just nudged him away.
"Koenma-sama, I need some more time" she said, her voice being caught up by her kimono. Koenma sighed.
"It's okay Botan, why don't you go somewhere first, try visiting some of your friends in Ningenkai, like Keiko or Shizuru, just try to feel better" he said kindly. He then stood up. "Gomen nasai Botan-chan, that's the plans, all we could do is follow" he said and left. Botan cried.
"Kurama, I'm sorry" she muttered and closed her eyes.

Botan opened her eyes slowly. She looked around. She must've fallen asleep. She then remembered everything. It all came back.
"Koenma-sama...Kurama!" she whispered as she summoned her oar. She quickly flew towards Ningenkai.

Kurama sighed in his chair in his room. He shut the lights off, he just wanted to sit there and think, think about what happened, what he just did. He stared at his clock on the table.
--12:05--
He sighed again, not knowing what to do. He buried his face on his palms as tears fell on them. He remembered how cold he was to her, the woman he least wanted to hurt. Those tears that fell on her eyes, he knew there were tears, though he did try to avoid looking at her. He laid his head on his arms on the table, locking his eyes outside his room. He closed his eyes, feeling the heat of tears falling down. He can never be with her. She can never be his. The pain of truth pierced through his heart like a sharp knife. He can't do anything, that's their decision in Reikai, he doesn't have the power and right to protest about it. Slowly, a figure started to meld in the curtains of his window. Someone entered the open sill, big enough for someone to go in. 'Probably Hiei' Kurama thought. He sat up straight. He didn't want him to see him like that. He looked closely, the figure came near him. Kurama gasped at the person. "Botan?!"

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