Ninth
Chapter
Confidante
IN DOWNTOWN
TOKYO, a ramen shop was bustling with activity as the busiest hour of the
evening came. Inside, the owner's wife directed the workers as they struggled to
satisfy everyone in the chaos. The manger-in-training was herself tangled in the
melee and Keiko, her employer, is trying to sort out the madness.
"Hey,
there!" greeted Keiko. "A table for four? There near the counter,
please. A table for three, there in the corner. All done? Angel, I'm leaving you
in charge for a while."
"Yes,
ma'am," replied the harried girl.
Keiko dodged
the various people rushing about and managed to escape to the outside via the
backdoor.
"Whew!"
she sighed. "Sundays are so busy. And where on earth is that
Yusuke?""
She stood still
for a while, observing the park overlooked by their shop. It is their
shop, the product of sweat, tears, blood and hard labor. That's so nice to hear.
"Hmmm…"
Keiko murmured, hugging herself as a strong breeze blew at her.
"Chilly."
She put on the
cardigan she was carrying and was about to walk away for her customary walk en
route home. Before she could move a few paces, however, she caught something
from the corner of her eye.
Keiko frowned.
"It couldn't be her," she muttered. "She said she's too busy for
a visit just yesterday."
BOTAN SWERVED
HARD, ignoring the indignant squawking of the migratory birds as she zoomed past
them, missing the feathered creatures by mere millimeters. Then, she gave her
oar a viscous jerk, sending her plummeting, nose first, to the ground below in a
near ninety degrees angle and the same warp speed. Had you been quick enough to
see her, you would have seen her clutching tightly onto the piece of wood.
But it wasn't for dear life she hung on, as one might expect. It was for
support. Emotional support that is.
Of course, she
wasn't aware of the speed of her descent. Perhaps, she wasn't even navigating at
all. Her limbs did everything automatically, leading her through the route
soaked with familiarity. If only she could remember where it was bound to go!
Now, all she can think of was herself, her crimes and the fact that she may
bring trouble to the Yoshio clan and the whole of Reikai, and of course…
Koenma.
She reached the
earth safely. She rolled off her oar, falling in front of Keiko. The latter
immediately had her arms around Botan.
"Botan?"
she asked urgently. "What's wrong? Tell me!"
Botan just
stared into space, face expressionless.
"What is
it, darling?" Keiko rubbed Botan's back, her voice rising in concern.
"Did somebody hurt you? Did Koenma scold you or something?"
Upon hearing
the name, Botan snapped. She totally lost control over her emotions. Her whole
body shuddering, the tears spouted from her eyes and words rushed from her mouth
incoherently.
"K-k-k-Keiko…"
she stammered. "Koenma-sama… Mistress Masago… downfall of Reikai…"
Keiko gathered
Botan in an embrace and gave her a squeeze.
"I'm
sorry, girl," she said soothingly. "I can't make out anything. Why
don't we go to the house and we'll talk, ok? I have some of those Swiss hot
chocolate you're so addicted to. We can have it with marshmallows and roasted
nuts. What do you say?"
SOMETIME LATER,
THE two girls sat in the Urameshi kitchen. Botan had a steaming half-filled mug
of hot chocolate in front of her. Keiko sat beside her, cracking nuts and
popping them in her mouth.
Keiko took a
sip from her mug as Botan summed up her story. She told her best friend
everything. No, not everything.
Botan mentioned nothing of the freak accident.
For a while,
Keiko just looked at her in silence. Botan squirmed uncomfortably under her
scrutiny. "Keiko, I-" she said.
"Ah,
sorry," said Keiko. She cleared her throat a few times. "You know if I
was Yusuke, I'd say you're overreacting-" Botan opened her mouth to
protest, feeling a little betrayed. "-But I'm not." Botan closed her
mouth. "Anyway, so what your saying is, you're in love with him and he's in
love with you, which is why Masago doesn't want to marry him?"
Botan shook her
head desperately. "I'm not sure about his feelings," she said.
"And mine's none to clear either."
"I think
I'm a little confused."
"Everybody
said so!"
"Everybody?"
"Well,
Miss Masago and Sir Ieyasu did. I didn't want to believe it but…"
"And
they're blaming you for the failed match?"
"No. Come to think of it, not really." Botan paused.
"And?"
Keiko continued cracking nuts, waiting patiently for her friend to finish.
"Sir
Ieyasu only said I should distance myself from Koenma-sama because our
friendship might interfere with his relationship with Miss Masago."
"What
about Masago?"
"Well, she
told me that Koenma-sama is in love with someone else and that she didn't want
to compete with that."
Understanding
slowly filtered into Keiko's brain. "I see. So you just assumed she's
referring to you."
Botan reddened,
eyes panic-stricken. "B-b-but…"
"I
understand. You've been under much influence of Ieyasu's words so you
panicked."
Botan felt
foolish. "I…"
"I know
what your problem is. It's guilt. You know Koenma's and Masago's rebellion will
cause trouble. You're blaming yourself for putting those thoughts into their
heads."
"But it's
true!"
Keiko pouted
chidingly. "You really are foolish, Botan." Then in a much gentler
tone, she started admonishing the spirit guide-turned-lady-in-waiting.
"Listen,"
she stated. "You know Koenma much better than I do. Will you describe him
for me?"
A lone tear
slipped down Botan's nose.
"Ok,"
she said, sniffling. "To most people, he's clumsy, awkward, childish. But
that's not all he is. Everybody thinks he cowers before his father, but he
doesn't always. He follows orders as respect for authority but not when he
believes his father is in the wrong. How could he handle all his work? How could
he manage to run Reikai? How could he protect Ningenkai if he really is that
weak?
"No.
Koenma-sama has a mean streak, too." A trace of a smile appeared on Botan's
face. "He probably inherited it from Enma-sama. He can be cunning like his
father and almost always as gruff and as touchy. He's stubborn, righteous
and-"
"And he
doesn't let other people curb his way of thinking," finished Keiko.
"So you see, Botan, you couldn't have made him think differently even if
you wanted to. Anyway, what about your mistress? She never loved Koenma from the
beginning, right?"
Botan shook her
head. "Miss Masago has no romantic feelings towards Koenma-sama. Still, she
was open to the idea of her betrothal to him. She only changed when I came. See?
If it was only Koenma-sama who refused, everyone would attribute it to his
rebellious nature. Since Miss Masago is resisting, too, people would blame her.
I would be the cause of the Yoshio clan's downfall from power!"
"But she's
right, Botan. It is her life. They have no right to control her, to live her
life for her. You helped her fix things with Koenma. Because of that, she was
able to assess the situation and was able to decide for herself. You didn't fill
her up with lies or even radical ideas. You just let her be. It's her own
decision."
Botan had her
head down; her fingers still clasping the warm mug and letting its heat comfort
her. She realized that she already knew everything Keiko had told her only that
she needed someone else to tell it to her. However, she's still a bit confused.
"You know
there's something good your confusion has brought you," remarked Keiko,
breaking the silence.
"What?"
asked Botan doubtfully.
Keiko grimaced,
seemingly in distaste. "Do I have to tell you everything?"
Botan sighed.
"Just tell me."
"Do you
love him or not?"
"What?!"
Botan was incredulous.
"It's a
simple question. I'm sure even you can answer that. Do you love him or
not?"
"That's prepos- You understand."
"I want to
hear it from you. I'm not perfect, Botan. I want to make sure my inference is
correct."
Botan shut her
eyes for a while, pondering. Do I love him, she asked herself. All
those times I got mad seeing him overworked, all those times I got ecstatic
whenever he allows himself little rest, was it love? All those times she saw
him everywhere and was reminded of him by everything, was it yearning? And that
quirk in her heart when he first announced his betrothal, and that wistfulness
she felt whenever Miss Masago goes out with him or even mentions his name, was
it jealousy?
I don't know, I don't know!
screamed her inner voice.
"Idiot,"
admonished Keiko suddenly, cutting through her reverie. "Don't think about
it, you simpleton. If I had used my brain then I wouldn't have married that
Yusuke. Use this." The brunette pounded her chest with force and
conviction, her brown eyes flashing meaningfully.
Follow the heart… thought Botan. She closed her eyes again, this time relaxing
in the darkness, letting whatever it is inside her to emerge.
First, she saw
an infant, or toddler rather, yelling at her, ordering her around. He was
wearing his usual garbs, the oversized hat, pacifier and all. There's the
ever-conspicuous Jr on his forehead.
The usually
crinkled eyes opened and he was no longer a babe but a young man standing before
her, his brown hair flying freely with the wind. His long mysterious golden
brown eyes probed her pink ones deeply, seemingly seeing right into the bareness
of her soul.
Then it was no
longer just seeing him but also feeling him, smelling him, and hearing him, all
of her senses alive and active.
She can hear
him clearly. Now she heard the angry bawling of a kid. The next moment, it was
engulfed by the clear authoritive voice of one who has just stepped out of
adolescence, now in scolding, now in laughter, then in sadness.
His familiar
smell overpowered her. First, the mild fragrance of the baby powder wafted.
Next, it was defeated by the striking scent of his eau de toilette enveloping
her with a sudden wave of desires.
Finally, she
felt him. The soft caress of his breath tickling her ear, the reluctant awkward
but gentle way he touches her and the simple gesture of friendliness as he
pulled her ponytail gleefully. She felt his aura surround her. The familiarity
comforted her, warmed her, and made her be herself to the fullest.
Botan smiled.
Now she knows. And knowing gave her a liberated feeling. She felt suddenly free
and a tranquil serenity settled with in her.
She slowly
opened her eyes. Then, in a barely audible voice, she answered, "Yes."
Keiko smiled.
"So now what are you going to do?"
Botan blinked.
"I wait for Yusuke to ask permission to stay here in the meantime."
Keiko felt as
if a whale just levitated out of the sea and fell down on her.
"Here we
go again," she moaned. "Botan, Botan, the next step is to profess to
him that you return his feelings."
"But I'm
not sure about his feelings."
"That's
why you find out if your feelings are mutual."
"But…"
Botan smiled to herself. "I don't care if it is or not. All I want is for
him to be happy, safe, successful and for everything to be fine."
Keiko groaned
again. "I don't believe this," she muttered. "Silly! If you just
leave them with out telling them why, they'll never understand. They'd probably
both cause a clamor in the kingdom anyway. Besides, he'll probably get depressed
and be sad all his life."
"That's
true…" said Botan reluctantly. "But what if you're wrong?"
"Then, my friend, you can go back to your original plan."
"Ok, then.
I daresay it's time for Miss Masago's bath anyway. All the same, save the spare
room for me, ok?"
"I don't
think that'll be necessary." Keiko beamed at her encouragingly.
"See you
then."
"Bye."
"And
Keiko?"
"What?"
"Thanks."
"Anytime.
I have lots of hot chocolate here for you. Both for your stomach and your
heart."
JUST AS KEIKO
finished washing the dishes, an urgent knocking was heard on the door. She wiped
her hand and rushed to it.
"Coming,"
she said loudly.
She opened the
door after peeping to see who it was. In barge Yusuke, followed by Kurama, who
greeted her absentmindedly, and Hiei, who merely nodded in acknowledgement.
"Where's
Botan?" asked her husband. "Angel said she was with you a while
ago."
"Oh, you
just missed her," said Keiko. "She already left."
"Darn
it!" exclaimed Yusuke in frustration.
Hiei's ever
present scowl deepened and Kurama shook his head as if to say "no
good".
"Is there
something wrong?" Keiko felt her skin prickle.
"Should we
tell her?" checked Yusuke.
Hiei only
grunted in reply.
"Well,"
said Kurama. "She does have a right to know."
"Ok,"
sighed Yusuke. "Makai had been experiencing problems and they had asked for
my help."
"Just
now?" Keiko asked almost worriedly.
"Actually,
since last month…"
Keiko was about
to open her mouth.
"You can
scold me later." Yusuke cut her off. "Right now, listen. A small-scale
rebellion has been terrorizing Makai. They're not that formidable compared to
the main bulk of the Makai army and defense sector but they have ample
information to disable the government.
"Now, the
real problem is that if the militant groups manages to take over Makai, anarchy
and chaos will once again reign there. Security will once again disappear
between the three worlds and powerful beings will once again be freed to cause
trouble here in Ningenkai.
"Besides,"
Yusuke paused, looking somber, his voice becoming softer. "I helped create
order in that place, my ancestors' home. I can't just watch and let it fall to
pieces."
"Was it
the ruler of Makai who asked for your help?" asked Keiko.
"Yeah,"
answered Kurama. "But Koenma asked for our assistance, too."
"What does
he have to do with this?"
"Remember,
Keiko. It's Reikai's job to ensure peace between the worlds. Also, they're
involved in this even more deeply.
"It seems
the information the rebels have came from Reikai. They're suspecting an inside
job. Reikai forces are trying to find out the truth and trace the real traitor.
"Hiei, who
also works for the Makai information agency, is also in this case, trying to
clear the name of his sect. They've found a new lead."
"So you
wish for Botan to relay this information to Koenma? But she no longer works for
him."
"Even so,
everything revolves around her," spoke up the ever-grim Hiei.
"Yes,"
said Yusuke. "Which is why we must call her back."
"But
why?" asked Keiko in disbelief, still confused. "You don't mean to
say…"
"She may
be in grave danger."
Masago studied the
assortment of knobs on the bathroom wall. After a long time of mussing with the
controls of the water temperature, she has finally attained the desired heat.
Now, she is faced by the dilemma of how to stop the water from draining away in
the bathtub.
"I'll try
this one," she said, reaching out from her position at the side of the
bathtub. Instead of clogging the drainage however, the switch shifted the water
flow from the faucet into the shower, thus bestowing a premature wetting on the
confused girl.
"Sheesh!"
After fumbling with a few more knobs, she finally succeeded in plugging the
tub's drainage. "I really should watch them do this next time."
She peeled off
her wet clothes and slipped into a bathrobe. Next, she puzzled over the mass of
liquid soaps, oils and perfumes in the tub side. Which of them should she use?
Shrugging coolly, she dumped them all unceremoniously into the churning water.
Satisfied, she entered the water.
"Now
what?" she murmured. Realizing she had forgotten about her sponge, she
attempted to rise. However, the stuff she mixed into her bath was excessively
much, causing the bubbles to rise and overflow all over the place. Groping in
panic as she disappeared behind the mass of bubbles, she managed to rise and
step out of the tub. Clutching her bathrobe to her dripping body, she started
walking to the luffa hanging behind the bathroom door. Or at least tried…
"Whoa!
Easy- Yikes! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!"
THUD.
The scream was
heard all through out the mansion. Practically everyone, ladies-in-waiting,
maids, - and of course, guards-, rushed to where the mistress of the
house resided and forced the door open.
"Masago-sama!"
they yelled in unison. "Are you alright?"
Masago screamed
again, hastily donning the robe she was holding, despite the fact she was
sprawled on the soap covered floor. Fortunately, the blanket of bubbles hid her
naked body from view.
"I'm
fine," she choked out. "Just please get OUT!"
After the
red-faced crowd hastened out of her apartment, Masago shakily stood from the
tiled floor.
"Owww…"
she moaned, her hands rubbing her hips. "I didn't think it would be this
hard."
Indeed, for an
average person, it isn't half as hard as all that. Poor girl! After decades of
being waited on hand and foot, it's not surprising she's fumbling around. She
has tried to do other things by herself but taking a luxurious bath she's
accustomed to sure wasn't one of them.
She gave up and
instead went out to her bedroom. She sat down on her bed glumly.
"I wish
Botan was here," she said.
"Your wish
is my command."
Notes:
Wah! I blew
it! Botan's realization of her feeling for Koenma was dumb. Wah!!! I read lots
of books and stories covering a wide variety of topics but not too much of
romance. I guess it shows, huh?
Alright,
whatever it is you hate about it tell me. I won't get mad or anything. I'm
begging!
T_T What
can I do to improve this thing?