"Kurama-kun, what are you doing?" the blue-haired girl asked as she shifted her form to look at the piece of paper. An eyebrow arched in amusement as she read what was written.
    "Well? What do you think?" the Kurama asked, this time sitting up to see her reaction. The girl was silent as she read the stanzas. "Botan?"
    "It's good" Botan replied with a smile plastered on her face. Kurama returned the smile, taking the papers from her and wrote on it again. Once in a while he'd stop to think of the next words and resume on what he was doing. "Can you sing it for me?" she asked, looking up at him expectantly. Kurama glanced at her, seeing himself reflect on the purple orbs that seem to drown him in their depths. He shook his head.
    "I won't sing it unless I finish it. Would you mind helping me?" he asked, giving a challenging stare at her. Botan pouted and moved closer beside him, rereading the phrases all over again.
    "What's it about anyway?" she asked, her brows meeting in the middle in deep thought. Kurama shrugged. "And what's the beat? How can I come up with words if I don't know the tune" she asked irritantly, impatiently waiting for him to sing the darn song.

    Instead of singing, her companion just hummed the tune, annoying her further. "Kurama"
    "I told you, I won't sing unless I finish" he insisted, holding up the pen for her and tearing up a piece of paper on the pad that laid  on the table. Botan leaned on the base of the couch in deep concentration on what to add. Kurama explained the subject he wanted to emphasize, how the lyrics of the song should be. Botan lit up and scribbled down a few words, handing it over to Kurama after. Kurama smiled, adding the words up in his copy.
    "Thanks" his gratitude was almost inaudible, keeping up in his deep concentration all over again. Botan giggled, causing him to glance up at her. "What?"
    "What are you doing it for anyway?" she asked, trying to stifle her laughter to herself. Kurama did look pretty serious about it.
    "I don't know" Kurama answered, looking down on the piece of paper in his hands. He laid it down and grabbed the guitar on the couch, strummed a few strings and played. The tune of the song rang around Botan's ears like a soft enchantment, causing her to fall in silence, watching his skillful hands play the instrument. The deep sound of his voice sounded as well as he hummed himself to keep on the right tune. His eyes were closed, keeping himself on the spell of the music.

    "Kurama?" Botan called, causing him to stop his melodious playing. "Won't it be easier to make up the words if you dedicate it to someone? You know, like in your fights. Kazuma-san gets all powered up whenever Yukina-chan is there watching him, like dedicating his own fights for her, not matter how lame his fighting is" she suggested with a grin on her face, questioning him subconsciously if he agrees. Kurama smiled and nodded. He thought of someone to dedicate the song for for a minute. As a grin spread across his calm facade, Botan knew that he already thought of someone to put the song around. He grabbed the pen and paper again and wrote on it, using his guitar as a table.

    The words came flooding over his mind as he thought about Botan's suggestion, thinking only of the person he had set his mind on. He would glance a few times at his companion a couple of times through the strands of his hair, amused at her reaction on how fast he wrote the words. Writing the final words, he lifted the pen up to glance down, browsing the words for any errors. He smiled and handed it to Botan.

    As she read the words, Kurama picked up his instrument, playing the first few cords of the song. With another strum of his guitar, he sang in the most beautiful voice Botan has ever heard.
    "Saa...Samishisa ni kawaita tamashii yo..." closing his eyes as the feeling of every word coursed through him like a soft breeze. He could feel the girl's eyes on him, a smile spread across her delicate face. He sang continuously, never leaving a tune unplayed. No errors were made in his strumming, no lost words were trapped in his throat as he thought of the person he dedicated the song to.
    "Anata wo mamotte tatakau Soldier...Ai koso kiseki wo umidasu chikara...I'm a Soldier..." his feet tapped gently on the floor, as he knocked his knuckles a few times on the wooden surface of the guitar. HIs voice sounded on the whole room as the last word came out of his mouth. He glanced down on the girl beside him, seeing her lean on her palms as she watched him sing a while ago, her face showing complete peace and calmness. "What do you think now?" he asked her with a grin on his face.
    "It was beautiful" she honestly replied, a smile spreading across her face as she answered. A slight pause overcame them, with the only sound of Kurama's playing could be heard.

    "Ne...Kurama-san, who did you dedicate the song to then?" Botan asked, her mind curious of who would've given him that much inspiration to finish the song so quickly. Kurama smiled sheepishly, his cute face turning away from her.
    "It's a secret" he replied, fixing the crimson locks on his forehead. Botan frowned a bit on his answer.
    "Please?" she begged, pulling on the sleeves of his shirt as she did so.
    "No" he answered sternly, but still an uneasy expression on his face.
    "Pretty please? Please? I'll do anything"
    "Botan-chan"
    "No fair! I'm the one who told you to dedicate it to someone. I helped you. You owe me one" she accused, placing both hands on her hips. Kurama sighed.
    "Anything, but please let me keep my secret" he pleaded, a serious tone on his voice. Even if curiosity was still bugging Botan's mind, she knew she won't win this argument if he really was serious about it. She agreed not to make him say it to her at last.

    "So...what do you want me to do to pay you?" he asked, an exasperated sigh on his lips. Knowing Botan, he knew she'd ask for something he'll be working hard for. He watched her be steady for a while, staring into mid space as she thought.
    "Teach me how to play the guitar" she said, a cute cat-like face on her. She clasped her hands together, waiting for an answer.
    "Teach you?" Okay, so it wasn't that hard, but he'll be paying a lot of attention to her if he really wanted her to learn. She can't do it by herself. Not that he minded paying much attention to the ferry girl. He smiled. "Okay then, the basics first" he said, resting the instrument on her lap. He placed her left hand on the strings, putting them on the right cords. He then placed her right arm around the instrument so it rested on its sides, her thumb ready to strum at any minute. "This is the first note" he explained, strumming the strings with his thumb. "It's the C, it's most likely the first note you'd learn in music. Next is D, E, F and G"
    "What happens to A and B?" Botan asked, a little bit confused with the lesson.
    "It comes after G. It's like, you start with C, then D, E, F, G, then  A, B" he explained, his eyes fixed on the strings. Every time he says a letter, he places Botan's fingers on the strings in the handle Botan couldn't even remember. She even forgot where Kurama taught her the C note.
    "Uhm...Kurama? It's kind of hard" she said with a low exasperated voice.
    "You're the one who wanted to learn. You just need a little practice" he said, fixing her fingers up again.
    "How many of these string arrangements do I have to learn anyway?" she asked, blowing off a few strands of hair from her face.
    "A few more, there are still the sharps and other things. These notes I'm teaching is nowhere near the half of the notes you have to learn" he said to her, causing a moan from the girl.
    "How am I supposed to learn this if I can't even get the right places where to put my fingers on" she said with an irritated voice, her eyes glaring on the strings. Kurama sighed. It was hard teaching her the right strings to hold in his position. He stood up and sat behind Botan, placing his hands over hers. A slight hue of crimson spread across Botan's cheeks as she felt his chest on her back, his head on her shoulders.
    "Here" he said with a suddenly soft voice, leading his fingers down on the strings. Botan watched as his fingers went over hers, placing them on particular strings she can't even understand. Her mind wasn't on the lesson anymore though, just the slightest touch of his hands on hers caused electricity to flow through her body all of a sudden. Almost trapping her as his legs spread on her sides, her between them with his arms resting on hers on the guitar was getting her off her mind. The blush on her face crept some more as he changed the arrangement of their fingers on the strings.

    "Botan!" she heard him call her quite loudly. She quickly glanced up at him, their faces so close she could even feel his breath on her lips. "Sorry, I don't think you were still listenting"
    "Gomen ne, Kurama-san" she apologized. She didn't tell him she wasn't really listening to him though. Her thoughts were clouded with something else.
    "Do you still want to learn how to play?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulders. This simple gestured almost caused Botan to jump up. Instead, her head quickly flew to look at him, his gaze fixed nowhere in particular. His fingers were driving her mad as they twined and played against her own. "Kurama-san?"
    "You know, if ever you do want to hear a guitar played, just tell me. You don't need to learn it" he said, slowly smiling and looking at her. He placed a small kiss on her lips, just a feathery light one. Though a bit shocked, Botan closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his mouth on hers. As the kiss ended, Botan opened her heavy eyes to see him gazing down on her with a loving look on his face. He smiled and kissed her once more.
    "Shall I play the song again for the person I dedicated it to?"

Kurayami ni Akai Bara
 
Saa Samishisa ni kawaita tamashii yo
 Saa Tattaima yuuki wo sakase
Well, a thirsty soul in solitude
Well, now let the valor bloom

 Marude kurai daichi ni saku
 Akai bara no you ni sa......
Quite like a red rose
Blooming on the great earth

 Dare mo ga jibun to tatakau Soldier
 Kurushimi fumikoe ashita wo sagasu
 Soldier of Love
Anyone is a soldier fighting with himself
Stamp out the pain, search for tomorrow
Soldier of Love

 Aa Nemurazu ni nayanda yoake ni
 Aa Umareta yo atarashii jibun
Yes, in the dawn of troubled sleepless nights
Yes, a new self was born

 Kurayami kara noboru chouyou
 Ore no mune ni hirogaru......
The morning sun rises from the darkness
It spreads in my chest

 Anata wo mamotte tatakau Soldier
 Ai koso kiseki wo umidasu chikara
 Soldier of Love
I'm a soldier fighting to defend you
Love is certainly the power that brings forth miracles
Soldier of Love

 Dare mo ga jibun to tatakau Soldier
 Kurushimi norikoe ashita wo tsukame
Anyone is a soldier fighting with himself
Ride past the pain, hold on to tomorrow

 Anata wo mamotte tatakau Soldier
 Ai koso kiseki wo umidasu chikara
 I'm a Soldier
I'm a soldier fighting to defend you
Love is certainly the power that brings forth miracles
I'm a Soldier