The K + B Connection: Kurama

Author’s Note: Just felt inspired to write yet another 
K+B LEMON. It took me quite a while to finish it, since 
writing from Kurama’s point of view is kinda hard. 
Disclaimers apply as usual. Any comments can be sent to 
talishya@mifinca.com. 

***********************************************

              What luck! I didn’t know whether to curse 
the circumstances or to be thankful for them. I was stuck 
with Botan in a cave, miles away from the ski resort. The 
cold was biting and there was a chance, for sure, that 
our oxygen would run out in a few hours due to the 
blockage of the cave’s entrance. I had to find a way out 
without using much of my spirit energy, or it would cause 
another avalanche. I searched the cave’s corners, even 
dug through the thick snow, but it was futile. Our only 
hope was for Yuusuke and the others to find us. 
              Botan looked panic-stricken, but I admired 
her for being able to hold back her hysteria. Even when I 
told her the bad news, she looked hopeful. With trembling 
lips, she leaned back against the stone wall and hugged 
herself. I might as well make the most of the situation. 
To be trapped in a cave, in the wintry mountains, alone 
with a pretty girl, wasn’t so bad. 
               A week ago, my family and I had planned a 
skiing trip to the Japan Alps. I had requested for 
`Kaasan to allow me to bring my friends along. `Kaasan, 
being the kind and gentle woman that she was, agreed.  
However, Takanaka-san, her newfound husband, wasn’t too 
thrilled with my plans as usual. He always had something 
against me, but I told him that I, along with Yuusuke and 
the others, wouldn’t get in the way. He eventually 
agreed, but he still wasn’t too happy with the idea. 
Shuuichi, my stepbrother, on the other hand, had no 
comment about it. He had said that as long as I was 
there, he was okay with it. I smiled. He always looked up 
to me, that kid. 
              As I was shaving the morning of the ski 
trip, Shuuichi entered the bathroom and asked me a 
question that almost made me let go of my razor. It was a 
sudden move of my hand, and thus, I nicked 
myself. 
              “Oniisan, that girl you’re always with, 
from your neighboring school… Is she coming along?” 
              At first, I thought he was talking about 
Keiko Yukimura, the object of Yuusuke’s affections. 
However, there was one other girl I knew who wore the 
uniform of that junior high school. 
              “Why do you ask?” I replied casually. I 
focused my gaze on the mirror in front of me and eyed the 
cut on my upper lip. The gash wasn’t bleeding severely, 
but I cursed myself silently for being so careless. 
              “She’s cute.” He answered, sitting himself 
atop the sink. 
              I paused to look at him. Boy, was he 
growing up fast! Well, he was turning thirteen soon. 
Most adolescents were strongly attracted to the opposite 
sex.  And very soon, I’d have to take responsibility as 
an older brother to answer all his questions about girls 
and sex. If I wasn’t mistaken, he had a stack of 
pornographic magazines hidden under his bed. It was a 
part of growing up for a typical male, so I didn’t say 
anything about it. `Kaasan would never have lived it 
down. And Takanaka-san, as usual, would blame it on me. 
              “She’s much older than you are,” I reasoned 
out. How would he react if he found out Botan was a 500-
year old deity? I chuckled quietly. The wound was almost 
dry.  I reached out for my toothbrush. “You’re better off 
with a nice, sweet girl your age.” 
              “You like her, don’t you?” 
              I squeezed the tube of toothpaste tightly 
in my surprise.  It erupted in my grasp, and soon, the 
mirror and sink were coated with a decorative bright blue 
toothpaste gel. 
              “Something I said?” He grinned. 
              I laughed. “You little---!” I wrung his 
neck playfully with the crook of my arm. “That’s none of 
your business!” And we laughed heartily. 
   

              I had arranged to meet Yuusuke and the 
others at the Tokyo train station later that morning. 
My family had gone on ahead to fix up the vacation house 
for our guests. I saw Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun almost 
immediately. The two were, as usual, wrestling iin front 
of dozens of people,quarrelling like schoolboys, who were 
fighting over their lunches. The passersby, especially 
the senior citizens, looked on and shook their heads in 
disapproval. 
              I heard Yuusuke say, “Give me back my 
sandwich, you big, dumb ox!” I sweat-dropped. 
They WERE fighting for their lunches! 
              I waved to them and they quickly composed 
themselves. I looked around, but I found no trace of the 
others. My eyes searched the large crowds, but there was 
still no sign of the girls. As Yuusuke, Kuwabara-kun and 
I walked towards the ticket booth to get our shinkansen 
passes, I still kept my eyes peeled for the girls. 
              “Where are the others?” I finally decided 
to ask. 
              Yuusuke was still gaping at the cost of the 
green ticket he was holding when he answered. 
“Oh, Keiko and Shizuru went shopping. They said they’d 
planned it a long time ago, so they send their apologies. 
And Hiei is---“ 
              “Who cares about that little fart!” 
Kuwabara-kun snorted disdainfully. “Let’s just get on the 
train, head for the mountains to ski and have fun!” 
                I chuckled. “Well then, let’s go!” 
              Yuusuke didn’t mention Botan, and that made 
me clench my jaw in discontentment. Yuusuke and Kuwabara-
kun boarded the express, both arguing on who was getting 
the better view at the window seat. I paused by the door 
of the train after most passengers had gone in. Wasn’t 
she coming? I was disappointed to know that she wasn’t 
going to be able to make it. 
              As soon as I turned around to board, I 
heard a familiar voice calling my name. “Kurama! 
Wait! Don’t leave without me!” 
              I turned my head abruptly towards the 
direction of the voice. I smiled as I saw the girl I was 
waiting for. She was running down the escalator with two 
heavy-looking bags on each arm. When she reached me, she 
leaned down to catch her breath. “Oh thank god I caught 
you! I thought I would regret this day for the rest of my 
life!” 
              “We were waiting for you, Botan,” I smiled. 
My day was made. 

              We arrived at the chateau about five past 
three in the afternoon. `Kaasan greeted us on our 
arrival, then prepared mugs of cocoa for all four of us. 
As we sat ourselves on the comfortable couches in the 
living room, I caught a glimpse of Shuuichi peeking at 
Botan from behind the wall. I saw him grin at me. I 
grinned back and shook my head. I took another sip from 
my mug and noticed Botan’s gaze on me. I raised an 
eyebrow in question, and she suddenly almost spilled her 
cocoa over the expensive carpet, which Takanaka-san 
carefully chose and bought for the vacation house! 
              Botan smiled sheepishly at me, lowering her 
head in apology. I wasn’t outraged or angered by her 
clumsy display. In fact, I was even amused. I chuckled. 
Shuuichi was right. She WAS cute. 
              Suddenly, Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun started 
arguing about a certain race. I looked around and noticed 
that my family had gone off elsewhere to leave me alone 
with my friends. It was a good thing too, because Yuusuke 
and Kuwabara-kun would have annoyed the hell out of 
Takanaka-san. I asked what the race was about, and 
Yuusuke held up a leaflet in front of my face and I read 
its contents. A ski race. 
              After I understood, Kuwabara-kun and 
Yuusuke were at it again, bickering childishly on whom 
was going to beat whom.  They cursed and called each 
other names like moronic cavemen. Botan and I sighed, 
exasperated at their immaturity. 
              “Ne, Kurama, “ Yuusuke said. I looked at 
him after putting my mug down on the table in front 
of me. “You joining? The winner gets an all-expense paid 
trip for two to Hawaii!” 
              “That’s right!” Kuwabara-kun nodded. “If I 
win, Yukina-san and I will have the most exciting trip of 
our lives!” 
              “But then, Hiei would---“ 
                I cut Botan off to stop her from almost 
revealing Hiei’s secret to Kuwabara-kun. “But what if 
Yuusuke wins?” I smiled knowingly at Yuusuke. “What would 
he do with the tickets?” 
              Botan giggled. “He’s going with Keiko-chan, 
of course!” Her laughter died down shortly, then she 
stared down at her mug of now-cold cocoa. 
              “Don’t joke around like that! I’m NOT going 
with Keiko!” He protested. He looked at me and he changed 
the subject. “What about you, Kurama? What would you do 
with the tickets?” 
              I smiled. “I’d probably give them to 
`Kaasan and Takanaka-san. They’d been wanting to go to 
Hawaii for a long time now.” If not… I looked at Botan, 
who was still eyeing her drink thoughtfully. I 
contradicted the idea. That was too high a goal to 
accomplish. I was attracted to her; there was no doubt 
about that. But what puzzled me was why did I not say 
anything about it to her? Fear of rejection, perhaps? 
              Kuwabara-kun grinned. “If you had a 
girlfriend, you’d probably take her along with you to 
Hawaii, Kurama!” He snickered. “Hey, Urameshi, we’d 
better start looking for a girlfriend for 
Kurama!” 
              “Uh, that’s not necessary!” I sweat-
dropped. 
              Kuwabara-kun swung his arm over my 
shoulder, still grinning. “You’re no fun, Kurama! One 
day, Urameshi and me oughta take you to a bar where all 
the pretty girls are!” 
              Botan stood up abruptly, her expression 
annoyed. “Do you mind? There’s a lady present!” 
              Kuwabara-kun laughed. “A lady? What lady?” 
              Botan knocked Kuwabara-kun unconscious, and 
Yuusuke and I sweat-dropped. 
              “How about you, Botan?” Yuusuke asked. 
“What would you do with the tickets if you won?” 
              “I, uh… I’m not joining the contest!” She 
replied uneasily. We all asked why, and she shook her 
head. “I just don’t want to!” 
              “Come on, Botan,” I smiled reassuringly. 
“It could be fun.  And imagine if you won, you’d get a 
free trip to Hawaii.” 
              She clasped her hands together, her cheeks 
turning a light shade of pink. “A trip with 
Koenma-sama… that would be grand!” 
              I didn’t like how she mentioned Koenma’s 
name. But even as the jealousy hit me like an arrow, I 
held my smile in place. However, she quickly regained her 
unsettled expression and shook her head again. “I’m not 
joining!” 
              “Why not?” Yuusuke asked. 
              Botan crossed her arms. “No!” 
              Kuwabara-kun finally woke up and grinned 
mischievously. “She probably doesn’t know how to ski!” 
              “I can TOO ski!” She fired back. Determined 
to show Kuwabara-kun what she was made of, Botan dragged 
him all the way to the ski station by the collar. 
Kuwabara-kun struggled helplessly, leaving a trail of 
complaints and expletives. Yuusuke and I followed shortly 
behind them, our faces wearing ridiculous expressions. 
              I knew Botan couldn’t ski. It was written 
all over her face, but I don’t think Yuusuke and 
Kuwabara-kun noticed how nervous and pale she was as she 
eyed the steep slope from the starting point. Kuwabara-
kun, who was glad to be finally free from her ---and I 
quote--- ‘evil clutches’, headed over to the ski station 
to rent some skiing equipment and to sign his name as 
contestant. Yuusuke did the same. I followed shortly 
behind, glancing back at Botan every few minutes to make 
sure she didn’t faint and go rolling down the hill. 
              Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun signed their names 
on the list. Their handwriting was a bit smudgy, but 
readable. I neatly signed my name below theirs. A certain 
entry above Yuusuke’s name suddenly caught my eye. ‘The 
Flying Shadow’, it said. I hid a smile. Hiei was here. 
But it made me wonder why he joined the race. What were 
his intentions? 
              “Hey, shouldn’t we write down Botan’s name 
too?” Yuusuke asked. I nodded. 
              “That’s right!” Kuwabara-kun agreed. “She 
DID say she could ski!” 
              I wrote her name down. I had the best 
handwriting among them. It just seemed odd to jot down 
someone’s name that didn’t have a last name. I gave the 
two an inquiring look, and they just shrugged. 
              “Just put ‘Minamino’, Kurama,” Yuusuke 
suggested. 
              I blinked. And just before I could say 
anything, Kuwabara-kun grabbed the pen from my hand and 
wrote ‘Minamino’ beside Botan’s name! 
              I stared at the entry. Kuwabara-kun made an 
effort to inscribe it neatly and properly along the 
lines. But that wasn’t what I was gaping at. The name 
‘Botan Minamino’ made my senses grow excited. I had to 
almost hit myself just to get rid of the feeling. 
              Later, everyone took his position at the 
starting line, ski gears ready. I put my ski goggles on 
and glanced at Botan. She was biting her lip anxiously 
and holding her ski poles in a death-like grip. 
Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun were grinning like fools. I 
rolled my eyes, amused. 
              In a few minutes, the referee’s gun cocked 
and fired. Like the other contestants, I zoomed down the 
slope. I saw no trace of Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun, and I 
realized that they had fallen down in just a span of ten 
seconds and 1.5 meters! I sweat-dropped. They actually 
didn’t know how to ski! I heard their curses and name-
calling even from a distance. But what worried me was 
Botan. 
              I suddenly felt Hiei’s presence. He was 
close by. I slowed down my pace for my senses to detect 
how far he was. Without warning, a scream sounded. I 
blinked in surprise as I saw Botan speeding down the hill 
from the starting point without any control over her 
runners! I quickly moved to reach her. She had swerved 
off the race path and was heading towards the mountainous 
woods where avalanches were plentiful. 
              Botan knew I was there to be her hero. She 
waved to me. The greeting was a nice gesture, and I 
smiled. But as soon as she lifted her arm in the air, she 
shouted my name. My smile faded. I tried to form the 
syllables, ‘a-va-lanche’, silently on my mouth, but I 
knew Botan wasn’t very good with lip-reading. And much to 
my dismay, she yelled, “I can’t understand you!” 
              Just as I expected, the forest floor began 
to shake. I uttered an oath under my breath and sped for 
Botan. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the ground, 
which shook and rumbled loudly. My head turned towards 
the mountains and I felt the blood drain from my face. A 
flood of ice and snow was coming down on us rapidly! 
Botan’s racket had caused an avalanche! 
              Protectively, I wrapped an arm around her 
waist to stop her from speeding away on her skis. 
It felt good to hold her, but I kept my attention fixed 
on the sticky situation. I covered her mouth with my 
gloved hand to silence her scream. My eyes were quick, 
and luckily, I was able to spot a cave nearby. I 
hurriedly pulled Botan towards the cave for shelter. We 
were safely in the cave when the deluge of snow came down 
with a crash, entrapping us inside! I couldn’t find any 
form of escape, no matter how hard I searched the cavern. 
              Botan shivered. The air was getting nippy, 
and I, too, was getting slightly numb from the cold. 
Without offering, I took off my jacket and subtly placed 
it over her shoulders. She blinked up at me and tried to 
protest, but I didn’t want to hear any of it. I eyed her 
for a brief moment before sitting down beside her on the 
cold stone floor. She wanted to cry. I could see the 
unshed tears welling up in her bright-colored eyes. 
              “We might as well make the most of our 
time, right?” I said, trying my best to make her smile. 
She was always so cheerful; I wasn't used to her being 
sad. She looked up at me curiously, and I added, “Let’s 
play ‘Connection’. I’ll start. Snow.” 
              She giggled, and I congratulated myself 
silently for my success. “Yukina-chan.” 
              “Kuwabara-kun.” I smiled at her. At last, 
she was beginning to enjoy my company even in a 
predicament such as this. 
              “Rei ken.” 
              “Rei gun.” I moved closer towards her. Our 
shoulders brushed against each other, but she didn’t 
notice. 
              “Yuusuke!” 
              “Keiko.” Her long, blue hair was fragrant; 
almost like ylang-ylang. I knocked the back of my head on 
the rock-hard wall to snap me awake from my thoughts. 
              “Ningen!” 
              “Ningenkai.” With my thoughts laid aside, I 
focused on the game. I was enjoying myself. 
              “Reikai!” She laughed merrily, and it 
sounded so much like Christmas bells tinkling. Her 
laughter was contagious. I chuckled. 
              “Koenma.” Much as I didn’t like that name 
at the moment, it was the only thing I could think of to 
connect with ‘Reikai’. 
              “Kurama!” Botan cheerfully blurted out. I 
blinked, puzzled, and she clamped her hands over her 
mouth. She turned her face away from me to hide her eyes. 
I hid a smile. I knew she was blushing. 
It made me wonder. Still, I didn’t like how she connected 
my name with Koenma’s. Well, there was only one way to 
find out the truth. 
              “How am I connected to Koenma?” I gently 
asked. I was disappointed in her answer, however. She had 
replied that it was because I was one of the spirit 
detectives that I was connected to ‘Koenma’. I quickly 
let it slide and carried on with the game, this time 
starting with my name. “Kurama.” 
              “Ha---“ She paused. I waited for her to 
finish, but I already knew what she intended to say. 
And at that moment, I knew that I wanted her. But for 
now, I let her have her way. “Happy.” 
              “Happy?” I blinked. 
              “You ARE happy, right?” She crossed her 
fingers hopefully. Was I happy? I looked at her lovely 
face, my gaze moving down to her lips. I imagined myself 
kissing her, touching her… 
              “Forget ‘happy’!” Her voice cut through my 
thoughts. “Uh, Botan.” 
              Was that my cue? If it was, I grabbed at 
the opportunity. It was as if she had placed me under 
some kind of magic spell. I was hypnotized, drugged 
because of her. Her, and her alone. And I couldn’t 
resist. What was worse was that… I didn’t want to resist. 
I smiled at her, then I heard her suck in her breath. 
Softly, like a whisper, I said, “Kawaii.” 
              She looked up at me, surprised. I leaned 
over her and touched my lips to hers… softly, 
undemanding. She didn’t respond. She was too shocked to 
do so. I didn’t want to rush her, nor did I want her to 
be afraid of me. I forced myself to pull away from her. 
Her eyes slowly opened, and I realized that my kiss had 
made her eyes drift closed. I searched her face for a 
sign for me to go on, but all I saw was confusion and 
indecisiveness.  Was she thinking of Koenma or Yuusuke? I 
wanted her to feel even just a little something for me. 
Even just a little bit. 
              I traced her lips with my thumb and pulled 
her closer. She didn’t protest, so I did what I believed 
to be right. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her 
again, my tongue seeking entrance into her mouth. I 
couldn’t stop myself from being rough. Was she imagining 
Koenma or Yuusuke kissing her at the moment? The thought 
bothered me. 
              She barely noticed that her arms moved 
around my neck. Finally, she was responding. She leaned 
her trembling body against mine, seeking my warmth. Her 
lips were so soft, so inviting, so sweet… My mouth moved 
to her jaw, her ear and her neck. I wanted to know 
everything about her. Every inch I tasted of her was like 
sugar cookies and honey. I heard her whimper softly, and 
my control snapped. 
              She gently pushed me back. “Kurama, I---“ 
              “I want to.” I cut her off, silencing her 
with my middle and index fingers. I hardly recognized 
my own voice. I knew what she was thinking at that very 
moment. She was afraid of making a mistake; something 
she’d regret for the rest of her eternal life. I wanted 
to show her that I was a man true to my word. I wanted to 
convince her that I had no intention of breaking her 
heart. For a long time now, I’ve always thought her 
likeable. Could I have gained certain affections towards 
her? Like love? As I gazed at those shining eyes of hers, 
I finally knew the answer. “I love you, Botan. I always 
have.” 
              “Kurama…” She whispered brokenly, now 
understanding. She closed her eyes and I let my hands do 
their magic. Slowly, I undressed her. She kept her gaze 
lowered as she did the same to me. I looked down at her 
flushed face and thought that she was one of the most 
beautiful women I’ve seen. In time, we were both free of 
our clothing. We held on to each other, warming ourselves 
with our bodies and heated flesh. 
              I pulled her down to the floor with me. As 
she lay atop me, I caressed her cheek, then let loose her 
long, luxurious hair, which fell in cascading locks of 
bright blue down her back and shoulders. I ran a hand 
through its silkiness and kissed her again. Demanding and 
possessively. I wanted her to be mine.  I wanted her to 
feel what I was feeling inside. I laid her on her back, 
while my hands and mouth explored her slender curves… 
fondling, stroking and caressing… until she was moaning 
and sighing in my arms. I felt her soft, creamy skin 
against my body, and it was enough to make me grow hard. 
God, I wanted her. I needed her, ached for her. 
              My hand descended towards the damp, 
delicate femininity between her legs, my fingers teasing 
the sensitive folds. She cried out as I brought her to a 
high-level peak of pleasure. 
              I readied myself above her. Her eyes 
remained closed, but I knew she knew it was time. As if 
hearing my thoughts, she opened her dewy rose-colored 
eyes, her expression unreadable. Slowly and gently, I dug 
my throbbing manhood into her tight virginal passage. 
Pain mixed with a delicious sensation was what I felt. I 
let out a low sound in my throat, almost like a groan, 
but it was drowned out by her teary cry. I kept as still 
as possible to avoid hurting her more. Her cheeks were 
drenched from the tears that spilled from her eyes. 
              “Daijoubu ka?” I asked in a ragged, yet 
gentle, whisper. When she nodded, I apologized to her. I 
wanted to show her that I cherished her, not hurt her. It 
was inescapable, though. She smiled up at me, comforting 
me, her smooth palm touching my cheek. 
              I couldn’t stop after that. My body seemed 
to have a mind of its own. I thrust in and out of her 
continuously, until the tempo grew faster. The 
temperature was building up. The heat in my groin 
increased, rising higher and higher. I couldn’t 
understand if it was pain or not. 
              Botan pulled me down to her, her arms 
encircling my neck. She followed the pace magnificently. 
Her back arched gracefully like a bow. She opened her 
mouth, but no words came out. I pumped forcefully, 
vigorously, the beat of our erotic dance quickening. 
              Suddenly, the heat flooded all over me, 
making me burst into flames. I exploded within her, 
and she cried out my name as she threw her head back. I 
could feel her nails dig into the flesh of my back, but 
it didn’t bother me. I was immersed with such incredible 
sensations, I couldn’t stop myself from shuddering. I 
felt her convulse violently beneath me. Like a harp, the 
sensations lingered, and I let out her name in a fierce 
whisper. Our breathing was rapid and labored as we lay 
there for a while, contemplating on what just happened 
between us. 
              When I regained a bit of strength, I 
brought myself to rest beside her. I swept a lock of sky-
colored hair away from her forehead, then kissed her; 
first, on her forehead, then on her dainty little nose, 
and lastly, on her sweet, honey-flavored lips. 
              “Botan,” I rasped out. She looked at me 
through half-lidded eyes. “You’re right. I AM happy.” I 
smiled at her. 
              She leaned her head against my chest. Her 
cozying up to me made me feel triumphant that I had made 
her, at least, trust me, but that wasn’t her reason for 
doing so. The oxygen in the cave was running out. I knew 
dizziness was overcoming her. I had to admit my vision 
was getting fuzzy. 
              I felt Botan shiver in my arms. It was 
growing colder again. I put back my clothes on and helped 
Botan put on hers. We sat there in silence, snuggling 
close together. We either looked like smitten lovers, or 
calamity victims fighting for survival. Maybe both. 
              “Kurama…” I heard Botan say. I looked down 
at her worriedly. She was struggling to keep her eyes 
open. She tried stifling a yawn, but failed. “I love you 
too.” I was surprised at her admission. Before I could 
tell her not to fall asleep, she gave in to her 
drowsiness. 
              I smiled gently at her and caressed her 
cheek. “I love you, Botan.” I whispered in her ear, 
knowing she couldn’t hear me. 
              I let her sleep, hoping that help would 
reach us in time. Hopefully, Yuusuke and the others would 
be able to track us down by the seeds I left along the 
trail. They weren’t edible, and they emitted a certain 
stench that kept animals away from them. I looked at my 
watch. Botan and I had been in this cave for the past two 
hours. 
              Suddenly, a deep voice in my head startled 
me. “Oi.” 
              I grinned as I realized who it was. “Hiei!” 
              I heard him chuckle a bit. “Enjoying 
yourself?” 
              “Not quite,” I replied, amused. “Air is 
running out.” 
              “Hn. That’s what you get for trying to 
rescue a dimwit like her!” He grumbled and I laughed. 
              “Hiei,” I said in a quiet, contented tone. 
“It was worth it.” 
              There was a pause before he replied. “Hn.” 
              “So, Hiei,” I inquired. “Why did you join 
the race?” 
              There was another pause before he answered. 
“I didn’t sign my name on that list, if that’s what 
you’re thinking!” He said gruffly. “But I joined the race 
because I wanted to.” 
             I chuckled. 
            “Is there a problem with that??” He demanded. 
             “No, not at all.” I replied, still amused. 
Then, I changed the topic. “Hiei, when you try to get us 
out of here, don’t use your ki to---“ 
              There was a loud yell from behind the wall 
of snow, making me groan in exasperation. Hiei never 
listened to anyone. Now all I needed to do was wait for 
another avalanche. 
              “Jaou ensatsu rengoku shou!!!” 
              The heat of his black fire melted the block 
of snow, which trapped Botan and I; however, the strength 
of his ki also caused another rumble. 
              “Hurry up!” Hiei ordered when he was in 
view. 
              I complied. I lifted Botan in my arms, and 
swiftly retreated out of the cave. The girl I was 
carrying was still oblivious to everything happening. I 
looked up and saw another flood of snow rushing down the 
mountain! I sucked in my breath, my heart rate turning 
rapid. 
              “Hiei!” I exclaimed, knowing that the 
stampede of snow would surely crush us. 
              “Jaou---“ 
              “Hiei, no!!” I cried. And much to my 
surprise, he actually listened. He dropped his hand, 
unknowing what to do next. Before I knew it, I heard a 
familiar voice bellowing. I couldn’t stop him. 
              “Rei gun!!!” 
              To my horror, Yuusuke fired his rei gun at 
the deluge of snow coming down quickly, threatening to 
devour us alive. I watched as the blast hit the flood of 
snow and sent it flying everywhere! Kuwabara-kun came 
running towards us, wondering what was going on. He 
yelled in alarm as he saw the big balls of snow, the size 
of 7-feet boulders, tumbling down, heading towards us! 
              “Yuusuke! What did you do! Now it’s raining 
giant snowballs!” I said, almost panicking. 
              Yuusuke blinked. “Oops.” 
              “Stupid…” Hiei mumbled, but I heard him. 
              “Urameshi no baka yarou!!” Kuwabara-kun 
grabbed Yuusuke by the collar and shook him. 
“You’re gonna get us all killed!!” 
              “Yuusuke! Kuwabara-kun!” I shouted to them. 
“Look out!” 
              They looked up and gasped. An enormous 
snowball was coming down on them! Kuwabara panicked, 
yelling like frantic loony bird. Yuusuke gritted his 
teeth, waiting for the danger to befall them. 
              Suddenly… 
              “Kazuma-saaan!!” 
              Kuwabara-kun stopped his panicked frenzy at 
the voice, which was his weakness. Yukina-chan was 
running towards us, a worried expression on her face. I 
looked at Hiei, and I noticed the frown on his face. He 
obviously didn’t want his sister to be here. When it came 
to his sister, he was very over-protective. And he 
especially didn’t like the likes of Kuwabara-kun making 
goo-goo eyes at her. 
              “Yukina-saaaan!!” Kuwabara-kun called back, 
a wide smile plastered on his face. But then, the smile 
vanished when he realized that Yukina-chan was in the 
middle of a hazardous area. “Yukina-
san, run for cover!” 
              However, Yukina-chan stayed in her place. 
She eyed the snowball, which was coming down on them. She 
outstretched her arms, and a barrier of chilling ice and 
wind formed around us. The snowball crashed down on the 
barrier, and dissolved in to water. She made the barrier 
disappear a moment later after all the snowballs had 
landed, then waved her arms in the air. We all blinked at 
Yukina-chan’s power. Just like magic, the patches of 
thick snow above the mountain, which could very well turn 
into another avalanche, were turned to pure, glittering 
ice. From our angle, the mountaintop looked like an 
exquisite piece of crystal. 
              And what timing! As soon as we wrapped 
things up, the medics arrived. The sound of the 
ambulance’s siren was blaring, almost making my sensitive 
youko ears deaf. My family was there too, fussing over me 
as if I were a child of three. I reassured them that I 
was perfectly fine. 
              I laid Botan on the stretcher, which the 
first-aid people provided. I eyed her, concerned, and 
waited for her to open her rose-colored eyes. Shuuichi 
couldn’t help grinning at me. 
              “Is she your girlfriend yet?” He whispered. 
              “Shut up, you!” I whispered back, grinning. 
              His smile was sincere this time. “I’m just 
glad that you’re okay, `Niichan.” 
              I smiled and ruffled his hair. Then, I 
heard a groan from the stretcher. Botan was finally 
waking up. Yuusuke, Kuwabara-kun, Hiei, Yukina-chan and I 
all gathered around her, as if anticipating the awakening 
of something great. Well, in my opinion, she was a great 
girl. 
              She opened her eyes and blinked. As we 
stared down at her, she probably thought that she 
had something on her nose. Finally, realizing where she 
was and what happened, she sat up and smiled 
at us. 
              “Botan-san, are you all right?” Yukina-chan 
asked. She was as polite as ever. I looked at Hiei and 
wondered how they could be twins, when they were as 
opposite as fire and ice. 
              Botan nodded, then turned to Yuusuke and 
Kuwabara-kun. “Who won the race?” 
              Kuwabara-kun grabbed Hiei by the scruff of 
his cloak. “This little shrimp did! And the jerk didn’t 
tell us he was joining the contest!” 
              I chuckled, and Hiei slapped Kuwabara-kun’s 
arm with the back of his hand. “I had no intention of 
joining. But some idiotic person wrote my name down on 
the list! Besides, I thought of it as an experience.” 
              “Well then, what happened to the all-
expense paid trip for two to Hawaii?” Botan asked. 
              “Hn.” Hiei answered. “I tore those two 
pieces of paper up. What the hell was I supposed to do 
with those?” 
              Botan shrieked. “You tore the tickets?!” 
              “What?!” Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun chorused. 
Yukina-chan blinked, not understanding what was going on. 
              I exhaled loudly, half-amused and half-
annoyed. But that was Hiei for you. I should be used to 
him by now. 
              Hiei, realizing that he was in major 
trouble, leaped off. Kuwabara-kun chased him. “You shit-
head! You tore up the tickets?! Yukina-san and I were 
supposed to go to Hawaii together!” 
              Yuusuke, Yukina-chan, Botan and I laughed 
lightly 
              “Ne, Kurama, Botan,” Yuusuke said. “It 
must’ve been so boring stuck for hours in that cave. 
What did you do the whole time?” 
              I saw Botan blush at his question. But I, 
as usual, smiled calmly, with my hands tucked casually in 
my pockets. “We played ‘Connection’.” I winked at Botan. 
              I saw her redden again, and I smiled a 
smile filled with tenderness. I knew she’d want to keep 
what happened between us a secret. But even if our 
relationship was to be kept hidden and unsaid, I didn’t 
mind. She was still my deity of death. 
              She was my Botan.