Blood Red Peony (Kurama & Botan)

Chapter IV

Botan waited for lightning to strike again but when it did she felt disappointment washing over her just like the rain. She could have sworn that she saw something or someone that seems very familiar. Kairan glanced at her and saw the look on her face. He didn't say anything thinking that the deity is still bothered by what happened to their pursuers. Its better to leaver her be for the moment just in case she starts questioning things that he knows he cant answer truthfully. They arrived at the castle and once inside he and the 3 warriors started forming a barrier all around the castle. After changing to a dry kimono Botan walked around the building trying to find the others. She felt safe inside because unlike the dark surrounding forest the castle looks almost like their castle in Reikai if not as big. It is bright and colorful, and the fact that a very strong reikai barrier is surrounding it makes her feel at home. But all of the safe feeling ends once she looks outside the window. It is dark and gloomy and coupled with the heavy rain that is slowly turning into a full fledge storm, it is hard to forget that this is Makai and a very dangerous place for the likes of her. She finally found Kairan walking toward her. He smiled and she could not help thinking how handsome he is.

"Botan san we just finished the barrier, we are completely safe here now." He informed her while searching her face for any sign of distress from the earlier event.

Botan nodded "Many demons are not in favor of having Reikai representatives stay her. There will be a lot of attempts to get rid of us, I can tell." She said in a serious tone. Kairan moved his head to the side and asked "Are you afraid?"

She shook her head with a huge smile "Iie, I know you guys are strong! If they attack us we will defend this castle! And kick their ass!"

Kairan started laughing but was trying to stop himself. "Botan san you really are brave, im glad Koenma sent you here with us." Botan started laughing too but stopped when suddenly Kairan became serious "Botan san I will protect you, I give you my word."

Botan's eyes widened in surprise with the sudden seriousness in his voice but she recovered quickly and nodded with a determined look in her face "Hai, I believe you Kairan Kun." Suddenly her stomach growled loudly and if Kairan didn't made her blush this definitely did. "Lets go find the kitchen Im sooo hungry!" with a silly smile on her embarrassed face she started walking, all worries already out of her mind and he followed her with a small smile of his own. "She has not changed at all..always so bubbly.."

Kurama entered a small room connected to the long hidden passage. It was empty and covered with thick vines from floor to ceiling. He walked straight to the left corner and with a dismissive motion of his hand the vines on the wall facing him started moving opening a doorway to another room more spacious than the rest of his lair. The room is full of his previous collections of gem stones, magical artifacts, jewels of great value and but he does not care for them anymore he wants to find something, anything that will give him a clue of what is going on with Botan. He remembers every single trinket that he have stolen and from where he stole them, if its true that he gave a necklace to Botan long ago then it must have been one of these items, and he needs to figure out which one is missing from this hidden chamber. He opened his palm to reveal 3 small normal looking seeds and after feeding them a small amount of is youki he dropped them into the ground in front of him and in an instant they sprouted vines and dug their roots into the hard soil. Within minutes more than a dozen vines are standing as tall as he is, each holding a necklace in front of the fox demon like an offering. Rubies, sapphires, red beryls and diamonds, on their chains of gold and white gold each glimmering on their own majestic way, some looking elegant and some looking as if it belonged to a tribal priestess. With one sweep of his gaze he realized that nothing had been missing. All of the items that he stole are here so what is it that he gave to Botan? Frustrated, and with his tail twitching in annoyance he has the feeling that something was stolen from him, part of his memories to be specific and he does not like the feeling at all. He walked out of the chamber with a plan of finding his old band of thieves, if any of them are still surviving. "One way or another I will solve this puzzle." And with a smirk on his handsome face the kitsune vanished into the forest.

Koenma locked him self in his room and brought the Black Book in his table. No one is allowed to see it aside from the current King, and on very rare circumstances such as emergencies then the Queen and king's heir can look into it. The book contains the most important part of all history, it keeps filling pages after pages and nobody knows who is writing in it or how things are being recorded but whenever a major event happens it gets recorded in the book. He wasn't even allowed to take it out of his father's room but here he is desperately reading, looking for some part of the secret history that might be able to give light to his questions. "The Seven Sacred Beings." he whispered as he gulped nervously. He had been reading almost half of the day and all of a sudden his serious face softened. 

The light of Shizuka has deemed after choosing to be with the man she loves, and the six entities lamented sorrowfully on her departure. 3 years of happily living as the Queen of Reikai she bore a son and with this her days had been marked, for a sacred light is not allowed to give life but only to protect the lives of the living.

Koenma suddenly found himself with tears flowing from his eyes. He angrily wiped it away "This isn't the time to be sad I need to find a way to help Botan! If she remembers her past she wont have the chance to live a happy life ever again or worst..." he shook his head not wanting to think any further negative thoughts "Mother, guide me wherever you are..." his thoughts were abruptly disrupted by a murderous lighting that had hit the sky, so huge that all three realms shook lightly from it. It gave Koenma a bad feeling, and deep within him he felt panic tugging at his core, he could not explain the feeling but somehow he was sure that something bad will happen as if he already knows that this is a warning of the awakening of something but of what he could not say.

Demonic birds scattered around the forest as they heard two tortured screams coming from the cave beneath them. A man can be seen hunched on the floor panting in pain, his back dripping with blood from two huge lacerations forming a bloody letter V. One huge broken feathered black wing was left lying on the floor while the other one was grasp in his hand. His eyes were shut tight waiting for the pain to subside. Slowly standing up, he could not help but marvel at the sensations he is feeling, his hands moving, his feet, even the pain in his back are all new to him. He looked down at his hands and saw it covered in bloody as he cast aside the wing that he tore away from his own body. The skulls surrounding the altar no longer hold any restrains on him now that he is in full control of his body. With one sweep of his bloody hand he destroyed them using an invisible force. Mirthless laughter echoed around the cave and he walked slowly out of it into the forest. His spirit had wondered around the cave that served as his prison for 500 hundred years but his physical body was not used to the sun and bright surrounding stung his silver blue eyes. His long silver hair hung limply behind and half of it was matted with blood, his chest is flawless and his white skin pale from being without the sun for too long. He was wearing black pants and his bare feet feels tingly from all the sensations the grass is giving him. He closed his eyes and breath deeply savoring the feeling of being alive once again. He froze and inhaled deeper, a familiar scent invading all his senses. His eyes opened and a cruel smile slowly appeared on his angelic face "Botan." He started running but stopped. He isn't fully recovered yet, in fact he will never fully recover and he is aware of it but he will gain as much power as he could before facing them, before facing the kitsune again, and this time he will kill the damned demon before Botan seals him again. He started walking towards the other direction finding a place where none of them can find him until he is ready for them. He smiled to him self imaging the moment when he strikes down the kitsune dead, and when he can finally claim her for his own. I can wait Botan. I've waited 500 years, a little more time wouldn't hurt.