Addressing the Issue
Yusuke and Botan

Rain pounded on the window and Yusuke could hear every drop that hit it. It soothed him and relaxed his overworked body. He may have demon heritage in his blood, but he did have his kids and Botan's to look after. His kids did have some demon blood in them, more so in Botan's. Man, were they ever active and hyper! Yusuke almost gave up hope on the kids ever falling asleep. They were like batteries that kept going and going and going and going and going….

He was so proud of his two kids.

Yusuke glanced at his eldest son sprawled on the bed and his youngest one with his head plopped on his onii-chan's stomach. Both were snoring. Reminded him of himself. Sparing one last glance at his children, Yusuke went downstairs and into the kitchen to make tea. He didn't trust Botan to make it; least he wanted burned boiled water. However impossible that seemed.

A few minutes later Botan walked into the kitchen. "I smell tea brewing."

"You mean you smell water boiling," Yusuke smirked at her.

"But you are going to make tea, ne?"

"Only if you watch the kids for an hour after they wake up while I sleep."

Her eyes widened. "Are you crazy! Your kids are like batteries that kept going and going and going and going!"

Yusuke smiled. It was exactly how he described their children. "My kids? What about your kids? They can be as bad as their father. Especially the girl."

"Their father isn't that bad."

Yusuke gave her a skeptical look.

"He's changed!" Botan defended her husband.

"Well he still has that mean streak going on."

Botan huffed at him. She began setting up a tray of cups and placed small leaves in them. Next he took the tray and led her to a small room with a low table and set down the tray. Yusuke then poured water into the cups and looked out the window again. The early afternoon was dark because of the clouds that released their tears. While Atsuko wasn't the ideal or best mother around, she did tell him some stories. Like rain was the tears of angels and even God who cried and it descended onto Earth.

He wondered what Koenma was crying about now.

"It's so quiet."

"Hmm?" Yusuke turned his head to her and stared questioningly.

"The house. It's so quiet. Usually there's always something going on. Either Yoshi or Akira yelling at the top of their lungs at each other or Keiko yelling at you. Now, it's so quiet. Kind of spooky," Botan made exaggerated shivers to prove her point.

"Well I for one am enjoying it. So too bad for you." Yusuke took his cup and took a big gulp from it.

Botan rolled her eyes at him. "I just meant that it's unusual."

"Well enjoy it while you can like I am because you are going to watch them for an hour while I sleep remember?"

"What! You can't possibly mea– mnmm…" Yusuke clamped her mouth from going on any further.

"Shh! They have good hearing remember! Do you want to wake them up?" he hissed at her.

Botan shook her head. They waited for the dreaded signs of their children waking up from their nap. Both sighed with relief when they didn't hear any movements from upstairs. For a moment, neither of them moved away from each other. Each too aware of how close the other was and how alone they were. Although their children were upstairs sleeping, they considered themselves to be alone because the kids couldn't bother them. It had been a long time since the two could actually be alone with each other and talk about things that they shared only with each other.

Yusuke felt the familiar desire to hold the ferry girl closer as he looked deep into her pretty pink eyes. He wanted to show her how he felt about her. He wanted to, but…

Botan blinked, took Yusuke's hand in hers, and pulled them away from her mouth. She sat back down in her sit and smiled softly at him. Dazed, he followed her example. The sound of rain was all that was heard in the house for a few minutes.

"So has Keiko given you permission to take Yoshi and Akira in Makai yet? They may be only eight and five but I think that you should take them there when they're younger. It's not so bad in some places and they could even come to our house. Hotaru-chan and Susumu-chan wanted to show off their newly done rooms. And…. "

Botan continued to babble on about their children and then to whose birthday was coming up next and what to get. Maybe even a surprise party should be planned. Yusuke listened to all of this with an attentive ear. It was different from Keiko's yelling. Softer and gentle. It was inviting the other person to join in anytime, even though it was unlikely to happen. A voice and way of talking that was just waiting for another person talk as well but always waiting in vain. It was either stopped when someone told her rudely to or ignored. Yusuke wondered if anyone else noticed her voice the way he did.

He wondered if he noticed.

"What do you think Yusuke?"

"It's a nice idea Botan," he calmly said.

"You really think so?"

"Sure. A few streamers here and there, everyone keeping quiet," he gave her a pointed look. "And we'll have a great surprise party for Shizuru."

"Great!"

They both fell unto silence again. Yusuke looked out the window again. The rain still kept going.

"Botan, do you ever wonder how things would be like if things were different?" he asked softly.

"Different? Different as in how?" she asked back.

"You and me."

Yusuke met her eyes dead on. She smiled.

"Yes. A lot actually."

"Do you regret being with Hiei?" Yusuke twitched. After years of seeing them together, he still felt a tiny twinge of jealously. He still couldn't believe that she chose Hiei of all people to be with either.

"No," she paused. "Do you regret being with Keiko?"

"Never."

"Do you ever think about how things could have been?"

"A lot actually."

Silence fell upon the two once again.

"But why… didn't things work out for us?" Yusuke ask, not looking at her.

"Because," he felt her reach out to him. "You were with Keiko. Ever since I heard about her, I knew that she would be the one that you would end up with. That you two were meant to be together. You two were in love with each other since you were kids and you didn't even realize it!"

"But still," Yusuke took her hand in his. "There was always something special for you."

"There was also something special, just for you. In here," Botan placed her other hand on her heart. "And no one could ever take it away. Not even Hiei."

"Well that's good to hear."

So he was smug that he had something that Hiei could never have, but can you blame him? A part of Botan's heart that would forever belong to him. Like she said, no one could ever take it away. Just like no one could ever take away a piece of his heart that belonged to her. Keiko had the majority of it, but Botan had free access to a small piece of it that she could never get.

Rain hitting the window continued. The two hands still clasped with each other.

Suddenly Yusuke grinned. "If I were to ask you to leave Hiei and come with me, would you?"

Botan was startled. "You aren't serious. Are you?"

"Would you?" Yusuke pressed.

"Are you serious!"

"Would you leave Hiei to be with me?" He wanted to know. He wanted to know if he did ask, would she leave Hiei for him?

Then Botan smiled. "Would you leave Keiko for me?"

"If you left with me, maybe."

"Then maybe I'd do the same."

Yusuke leaned closer to her. And though he wanted to, and she wanted him to, he didn't. Instead he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. His lips lingered there for a while before he pulled away. For the rest of the afternoon, the two of them listened to the rain as it fell to the window. On the table were two hands, stubbornly refusing to let go.