LOVE DEFIES ALL ODDS
By Seiyo
Chapter
13
Koenma’s
senses awakened to the sound of birds chirping. When he opened his eyes, he was
greeted by a soft drizzle in the early dawn, bringing back memories of what
happened earlier.
Botan…
He sat up abruptly, his eyes wandering
around, looking for something. Then he caught a glimpse of the white dress. It
was not far away from where he was sitting. He hurried towards it.
His
heart ached at what he saw. There, lying on the ground was Botan, her dress
soiled and tattered, her hair was a mess, and on her arms and legs, bruises were
beginning to darken.
He
dropped to his knees at her side and cradled her in his arms. He stroked her
hair and her cheeks.
“Botan…”
he whispered to her ear, “Botan it’s me, Koenma… wake up…”
Nothing.
“Botan…
please open your eyes,” he rocked her gently. Still nothing.
Koenma
bent his head, laying it on her chest. He listened, then his eyes lit up. There
it was, the faint beating of her heart… he could hear it.
“Botan,
come on!” he rocked her harder, ”Wake up will you.” But her eyes won’t
open and neither did she move. There was only the sound of her even breathing.
A
hand touched Koenma’s shoulder. He looked over, his eyes filling with tears
“Kurama…”
Kurama,
Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara gathered around.
“She’s
done what she had to do…” It was Hiei who spoke first.
“She’s
still alive,” Koenma informed them.
“But
she has used up all her energy to fight Akuma,” with sad eyes Kurama
continued, “it’s a miracle that she’s alive, but she may never wake
up…”
“I
admire her courage,” Kuwabara mumbled.
“Yes,
she has given everything she had… even if it might mean her life,” Yusuke
sighed, his eyes watery.
There
was deafening silence as moments passed. Around them, the parched soil and the
fallen trees lay as proof of the great power unleashed hours ago.
“What
will you do now?” the question came from Kurama.
Koenma
looked down at Botan. What
do I do now? His eyes widened as a glint of light caught his eye. Botan was
clutching something in her hand. He reached out, opened her palm, and was
surprised to see the crystal right there on her hand. He closed his eyes. Is
this a sign? He looked up to the heavens. The rain has stopped and the first
rays of the sun, peeking out of the clouds stung his eyes. Across the skies a
colorful bow appeared. A sign of hope.
When
Koenma moved his gaze back to Botan’s face, faith and determination can be
detected in his eyes. He gathered up Botan in his arms and stood up.
“Our
mission is over. I will bring her back to Reikai.”
He
walked back to the forest, the four men following right behind him.