Epilogue

Several weeks later, in a hallway in the Reikai palace...

"Botan! Matte!"

Botan stopped on her tracks and tried inconspicuously to look for a way to escape.

Koenma walked up to her, "George told me you're working on your papers to make your transfer to the training camp permanent, is that true?"

She nodded.

His eyes widened a bit in shock. "Why?! I thought you hated it there?!"

"I have the right to change my mind, don't I!" she snapped.

"Botan!" he stare at her, shocked and hurt that she suddenly snapped at him.

"Sorry... I'm just stressed, I guess." <And seeing you with Sakura is getting on my nerves.> she added to herself, silently.

"Are you mad at me? If you are just tell me so that I can apologize for whatever I did that made you angry... Botan, please..." he looked at her pleadingly. "I just don't like knowing that you're mad at me..."

"I'm not mad at you..."

Koenma's smile could have lit up the entire hallway. Maybe even the entire palace!

<He's so easy to please these days... must be Sakura's influence.>

"Why are you avoiding me?"

She sighed. She so tired of all these lying. She could at least tell him a part of the truth.

"We keep on arguing and snapping at each other. What's the sense of talking if we're just going to fight?"

"But I thought everything's okay now---"

"No, it's not!" she threw up her hands in frustration. "I don't know! All I know is that it's best if I just stay away."

"Best?! How can you say that avoiding me is the best solution to whatever it is that's bothering you!?"

"Because I know!!"

"Know what?!"

"I just have to!"

Koenma dropped his gaze, "I don't understand, Botan. Ever since you got back from the camp things between us has never been the same. I've tried to reach you but you keep on pulling away from me," his voice is low, hurt. "I wish you'll just say something. Or *do* something. After everything that we've been through together I can accept it if you'll slap me, hit me, anything! I'll take all that because you're my friend! Just don't give me this silent treatment!" He looked up and met Botan's icy gaze. He clenched his jaw and walked away.

When Koenma disappeared from her sight, Botan's expression crumbled and tears rolled down her cheeks. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, they shone with determination. She wiped her tears and ran after Koenma.

She found him in the balcony. She could tell from the way his shoulders are set that he's seething.

"Koenma?" Botan called out softly, about a meter away from him. "At least let me explain..." she began.

"You don't owe me one," he stated, emotionless.

No caring whether or not he want to listen, she proceeded to explain. "E-eversince you told me about your feelings for Sakura, I began to question my feelings for you. Every time I'd see the two of you together I'd get this sudden desire to snap at anyone who talks to me. I was irritable, I was upset, my mood swings were getting to me. And I was starting to hurt the people I care about. I found myself angry at you without reason. Then..." she took a deep breath, "then I realized I was jealous of Sakura."

Koenma stiffened in surprise and turned around to face her. Botan looked at him and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I never meant for this to happen. It just did," she closed her eyes, her cheeks burning. "That was why I moved away, why I avoided you. And why I have to go."

He made a move to reach her, but she stepped away from his reach.

She swallowed. "I'm happy for both of you, really I am. But I just need time by myself," she locked gazes with him. "Your friendship is one of those few things that I value most in my life. I don't want to ruin it. But I can't be close to you right now, I want to be, but I can't. If I stay I might end up driving us apart farther, I don't want that to happen. Somehow, someday, I'll do my best to rebuild our friendship...if you'd let me..."

"Botan..." he whispered hoarsely as he took another step closer to her.

Once again she took a step away from him. "Gomen nasai, Koenma...sayonara." Then she turned and ran.

~end~

Author's Notes:

The identity of the girl referred to as Kurama's girlfriend will be revealed when I finish editing my very first fic which up to now remains unposted.
As for Enma's trial, it was not mentioned in the anime but Koenma did mention that his father seems up to something bad. More info about that will be posted in the manga translations page [of the Reikai Files].
I hope you liked this fic ^_^ I know the ending is a cliffhanger. I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out the ending...for now. So, the Trials of Reikai ends here and a sequel might come up in the next few weeks or months. I'll write one when I get enough free time.
Lastly, thanks to Alli for commenting on this fic and for giving it a title: The Trials of Reikai! Arigatougozaimasu! :)