This few days, I'm in a *very* bad mood because of crappy teachers (the one
that insisted that students in my class are racists, which we are not...)
and stupid classmates (yup, they kept bugging me for my add. math
homework). At least my grades don't suffer... ^_^;; and I'm looking forward
to my karate class this evening. (God bless me! I could finally bash up
someone without entering the principal's office! I haven't bashed up
anybody in four years and I'm itching to do so.) 

Well, this part is rather heavily lemon-scented... Still no lemon scenes,
though... I can't bring myself to write lemons although I know there are
quite a bunch of yaoi and non-yaoi writers that I know in Real Life (about
the same age also...) who do that. Anyway, this entire fic should be rated
R judging by its contents... ^_^;; It's so pathetic. I'm writing a fic that
I can't read myself... ^_^;; 

As usual, thanks to my pre-reader - Rhionae. =) AND send me comments, please! 

Siew Lee 
[wsiewlee@tm.net.my] 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

		~~~The Past, The Present And The Future~~~ 

			  ~~~The Future - Dreams~~~ 

			 Chapter 3 - Jokes of Destiny 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Hiei, are you there?" whispered a voice softly in the dark. 
Long red locks flew with the gentle draft that blew past the side of 
the penthouse on the roof of a high-rise condominium. Kurama folded 
his arms across his chest and waited for a response, his body leaning 
against the wall. 

	He knew Hiei would be here. He just knew it. 

	A dark shadow flitted past him and stood by the edge of the 
tall building, overlooking the view of the city's beautiful skyline. 
Twinkling lights adorned the faraway structures of skyscrapers, 
creating a marvelous sight. Kurama's emerald eyes trailed the shadow, 
looking at the person he wanted to see all along. 

	The figure stood still, the wind ruffling his black cloak and 
his stiff hair. He folded his arms also and closed his eyes, 
breathing in sharply. "Kurama," he addressed his friend curtly. 

	Kurama walked out of the shadows that the wall cast and stood 
directly behind the fire demon. "Arisa went with Inari-sama," began 
Kurama in a low whisper, holding back the ache in his chest. No, he 
didn't love her, but she had grown on him. More or less, she was 
already a part of his life. Her presence affected him deeply, almost 
as important as Shiori to his feelings. 

	"So? You still have your brat," answered Hiei emotionlessly. 
Weeks and weeks of working non-stop for Mukuro had helped him to 
forget about his misery. Well, it worked, at least for the meantime. 
Nine months... Nine months... More blood had stained his hands after 
ruthless slaying of trespassing youkais. He knew could not hide away 
from his problems forever, but he was afraid to face them. Too 
scared to tackle them head on. Maybe he had been a coward all along. 

	"Sayuri lost her kaasan," croaked out Kurama painfully. When 
was the last night he shared with Arisa? It had been more than a 
month already. Sayuri still cried every night, her little innocent 
mind wondering where her mother could be. She had been just two 
months old when Arisa went away... Only two months old... *It was 
Fate which wanted to torment Sayuri-chan like this...* thought Kurama 
and gritted his teeth. 

	"None of my business," said Hiei coldly upon hearing Kurama's 
phrase. He slowly placed his katana down on the cement floor and sat 
at the edge, his almond-shaped eyes gazing down at the now-quiet 
street. *Why should I care? Kurama is only my friend, no more than 
that,* thought Hiei blankly and looked straight ahead. 

	"Hiei, she needs you too," tried Kurama instead. "And you know 
who I really love deep inside me," continued Kurama and placed a hand 
to his heart. "I need you," said Kurama in a strong tone. 

	"Hn?" asked Hiei and turned his head around quizzically, 
narrowing his large eyes. "She needs me? You need me?" 

	"Yes, she needs you to be part of her family. I need you to be 
a part of my life," smiled Kurama weakly and walked towards Hiei. 
Folding his legs beneath him, he sat down next to Hiei, his eyes 
looking out to the serene skies of his present home - Ningenkai. 

	"Why? I am just your friend, nothing else," growled Hiei and 
pulled his cloak tighter around his slender frame. The chill was 
getting to him and he shivered uneasily. 

	Uneasily? No, Hiei wasn't uncomfortable because of the cold 
that he forced himself to believe, he was shivering from the 
helplessness that he forcefully inflicted on himself. *Kurama? Why? 
Why did you have to find me? Wasn't it better in this way, the way it 
has been for these last few months?* asked Hiei silently, his body 
blocking Kurama's gaze. Deep inside, he was afraid to face Kurama and 
his questions. More or less, he was afraid to face the demon of his 
fears. 

	"You are not just my friend, you are the one that I love most. 
I need you, I want you," whispered Kurama in a low tone, his eyes 
turning their gaze onto Hiei's head. He reached out both hands and 
gently moved Hiei's face from its original position into the spot 
directly in front of his eyes. 

	Hiei blinked once, his ruby red eyes showing confusion. Slowly, 
he pulled Kurama's hands away from his face and it hurt him to do so. 
*Kurama, tell me what to do now... I can't forget Botan, I simply 
can't...* whispered Hiei softly in his heart. 

	"Kurama, you still yearn for Arisa, don't you?" asked Hiei 
uncertainly. In the past, he used to share everything with Kurama, 
even his personal feelings; but in these few months, he had sensed a 
barrier between them. An invisible barrier that separated them from 
telling each other the revealing truth. It was like they were 
drifting further and further apart. 

	"Yes, I do, but only for the sake of Sayuri-chan. Arisa is more 
like a friend to me than a mate. Lawfully, she is my wife, but in my 
heart there has only been you from the beginning," whispered Kurama, 
the wind carrying his voice straight into Hiei's ears. Hiei sat up 
straight, his eyebrows knitting together in a frown. Kurama's words 
brought a new message to him. He had always thought that Kurama had 
grown to love his vixen... "Only as a friend? Was she the first 
female you ever touched?" 

	"Yes... Only as a friend... Yes, the first and the last... 
There was only you from the beginning. As for Arisa, we never started 
on anything. There was no beginning for me and her, nothing," 
whispered Kurama sadly. "But there was an ending for us, a very hard 
ending." 

	"Botan... She's also gone forever..." answered Hiei softly, his 
face remaining expressionless. "She taught me how to feel and care 
for others." Tears were already threatening to fall from his eyes yet 
he blinked them away. What was the use of shedding tears over a 
reality that he couldn't change no matter how he strove to alter it? 
Hiei swallowed painfully and looked at Kurama. 

	"I know... Will you give me a chance?" asked Kurama, his 
brilliant emerald eyes doing most of the questioning. He searched 
deeply for the answer within Hiei's ruby red ones, but found nothing. 

	"Will you?" asked Kurama again, bringing his face even closer 
to Hiei's. Hiei was quiet, very quiet. Kurama sighed inwardly, most 
probably the fire youkai was still undecided. Maybe it was a little 
too early to pressure Hiei into accepting him. 

	Minutes ticked by as two still figures sat there, their hair 
ruffled by the breeze. At last, Hiei slouched down, stabbing his 
katana onto the floor for support. *Why? Why must you force me to 
make a choice now?* asked Hiei endlessly, his entire upper body 
weight supported by the sword. 

	"Bo... Botan..." whimpered Hiei and shut his eyes painfully. 
His hand gripped the handle of his sword even tighter than before and 
the tip scratched on the floor in a gritty sound. Botan's last words 
still echoed in his mind... 

	*Remember, move on...* These words tormented him day and 
night. 

	"Hiei, accept me... Give me a chance, please," pleaded Kurama 
and hugged the small youkai from behind, feeling his trembling body. 
"Botan is gone, learn to accept me and I'll also learn to accept 
you without feeling guilty towards Arisa. She is the one who asked me 
to find you..." 

	Hiei slowly opened his eyes and his hand released its strong 
grip on the handle of his katana. He looked around, his face blank. 
Kurama's lips parted a little with pure disappointment, for Hiei had 
no expression visible on his face. 

	Suddenly, there was a flash in Hiei's eyes which Kurama caught 
quickly. He saw it! He saw it! The very light of approval! Hiei gave 
him a half smile and nodded a little. "Kitsune, we should move on 
with our lives, shouldn't we?" 

	"Yes! Yes, of course!" half-shouted Kurama in joy and wrapped 
his arms around the fire demon, feeling his warmth. "Arisa is my past 
and she will remain a part of my memories... Hiei, don't you know 
that I have been waiting for this moment for so long? I was scared... 
Very scared that you would say no..." 

	"Hn. Stupid fox," growled Hiei and struggled out of Kurama's 
hug. "I can't breathe just now." 

	"Gomen, gomen..." apologized Kurama quickly and looked at Hiei 
deeply in the eyes. "You are the prettiest youkai I have even seen in 
my few hundred years of life..." 

	"Don't you have other words to tell me?" asked Hiei and looked 
away. Secretly, he was flattered by his words... After that, there 
was no more noise interrupting their thoughts. 

	There was only silence in the cool midnight air. Nothing else 
in the dark skyline, nothing below their feet. There was the sky 
above their heads and the earth beneath them, nothing else. 

	Kurama gently turned Hiei's head with some help from his gentle 
hands and his eyes looked straight into Hiei's large ones. 

	There was only silence around them. Only silence. 

	Slowly, Kurama bent forward to kiss him deeply on the lips, 
savoring them sweetly as Hiei's arms encircled him around his neck, 
pulling his body closer to him. The fire demon's body heat enticed 
him, making his mind swirl delightfully. 

	The kiss deepened as Kurama pinned Hiei down on the concrete 
floor, his tongue running over Hiei's front teeth and his fangs. Hiei 
rolled over, laying his body on top of Kurama's; his tongue playing a 
game of its own inside the half youko's mouth. 

	Hiei broke the kiss and looked at Kurama. "You are even better 
than Botan at suffocating me," teased Hiei while Kurama fiddled with 
the knotted strings that held his cloak in place. Hiei stopped when 
that name brought an immediate ache in his heart. 

	"Don't let the past control us, Hiei..." whispered back Kurama 
before kissing him again, this time more passionately than before. 
Hiei started kissing back, his slender fingers reaching up to undo 
Kurama's high-collared shirt. 

	*Don't ever let the past conquer us...* 

	At last, Kurama had finally conquered what he had wanted all 
along. He had finally conquered Hiei's heart. 

	Finally. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

	A piercing scream echoed through the entire house. The birds 
which roosted on the tree branches were scared half to death, causing 
them to fly away in flocks. 

	Silence set in for a few seconds. 

	Another scream rang out and the lights in a certain part of the 
house were immediately switched on. Kurama held his head for a while 
to ease the throbbing pain in it as he cast an irritated glance at 
the crib. 

	Sayuri was crying again. One look at the wall clock showed the 
time as two in the morning and the sky outside was pitch black. 
Kurama closed his eyes for a while, trying to calm down from the high 
pitched screams of his daughter which were driving him insane. 

	"Kurama, go and have a look at your daughter," a voice growled 
beside him, making Kurama look at that direction. Good, even Hiei was 
awake now. It wouldn't be very long before Shiori came knocking at 
his door, demanding to know what had happened to Sayuri. Kurama 
crawled out of his bed in a tired fashion, attracting Hiei's amused 
looks. "Kitsune, make her stop crying..." voiced out the fire youkai 
irritably. 

	"Hiei, she has been crying like this every night since Arisa 
left and it is beginning to take its toll on my schoolwork... Tell me 
what to do with her," sighed Kurama as he picked up the screaming 
baby and cuddled her close to him. 

	"Hn. She's your brat, how should I know?" 

	"Arisa, where are you now?" complained Kurama as Sayuri refused 
to calm down. Instead, she began crying even harder. "Why did you 
just dump your daughter here for me to raise her alone?" muttered 
Kurama and began stroking her on the back gently, hoping for a 
miracle. What was a miracle to him? It simply meant that Sayuri would 
fall asleep within ten minutes. 

	"Is she hungry?" asked Hiei in a gentler tone. "When was the 
last time you fed her?" 

	"About six in the evening? Damn! She must be hungry now!" 
fussed Kurama as he carried Sayuri and began walking in confused 
circles. "What must I do now? Poor Sayuri-chan..." said Kurama 
helplessly. 

	"Then feed her, fox," sighed Hiei and rolled his eyes. *How 
ironic, how ironic,* mused Hiei. Even a cruel and cold-blooded Makai 
thief like Kurama could be rendered helpless by a few screams and 
wails from his child. 

	"Alright, Hiei. Hold her while I go and get something for her 
to drink," said Kurama. Without waiting for Hiei's reaction, he 
quickly shoved the baby into his empty arms. Hiei started to protest 
but stopped when Kurama hurried out of the room. 

	The soft pattering of footsteps running down the flight of 
stairs confirmed Kurama's action of going down to the kitchen. Hiei 
sighed awkwardly as he held Sayuri in his arms. Frankly, he had never 
hugged her before and reaching out a finger, he touched her softly on 
her face. 

	Her eyes were squeezed shut and streaks of tears were running 
down her face freely. Hiei's gentle touch made her scream once, but 
she gradually shut her mouth. Hiei's hand reflexively moved away for 
the fear of hurting her. Sayuri calmed down, leaving only her haggard 
breathing from crying. 

	Hiei trailed his fingers down Sayuri's face again, feeling the 
silky softness of her skin. Sayuri opened her eyes and began to 
chuckle. Her eyes shone a beautiful shade of green and the fire demon 
started to cuddle her. *She looks so alike to Kurama...* marveled 
Hiei and started to hug her lovingly. He loved Kurama and he would 
also learn to love whoever the fox loved. He had even started acting 
civilized in front of Kurama's schoolmates... 

	*Stupid giggling girls... Stupid ningens... Even boys are 
attracted to Kurama!* thought Hiei and rolled his eyes. He couldn't 
help feeling jealous every time his kitsune walked into Meiou High 
surrounded by his over-zealous admirers... *His kitsune! His!* His 
heart still burned at the thought of the boys blowing wolf whistles 
at *his* fox when he entered that artistic gymnastic competition a 
while back; but he had to admit one point - Kurama was a bishounen by 
human standards. Alright, even by youkai standards. Even being 
married to Arisa lawfully didn't help much on distracting his 
admirers. 

	Hiei sighed again. How did Kurama explain Arisa's absence to 
everyone else? At this point, that god of Kurama's was so bent on 
Arisa returning to the Realms that he even *granted* Arisa a quick 
and serious illness just one day before last day of her human life. 
It was quick while that vixen and Kurama left for Makai. Alright, 
Koenma was supposed to stop this but even he had no more ways to help 
them as Enma Daiou himself approved this agreement. 

	Slowly, Sayuri began to fall asleep in Hiei's arms, her chubby 
hand holding onto Hiei's index finger. Hiei smiled a little at the 
sleeping baby's sweet-looking face. He sighed a little also, since 
when had he become Sayuri's personal baby-sitter? Even during 
daylight, he would occasionally flit past Shiori's house or the 
Reikai Imperial Palace to check on Sayuri's well-being. 

	The door opened with a soft click, alerting Hiei instantly. He 
tried to stand up, but quickly sat down again upon the thought of 
waking Sayuri in the process. Kurama stood outside the room, looking 
at Hiei. 

	His face showed surprise at that *sweet* scene of Hiei holding 
the baby tenderly in his arms. 

	"She actually stopped crying?" asked Kurama and walked into the 
room, holding a bottle of milk formula. 

	Hiei shrugged. 

	Kurama smiled and picked up Sayuri from Hiei's arms. "I 
could never get her to sleep peacefully yet you achieved the 
impossible," sighed Kurama as he carefully placed Sayuri back in her 
crib. "You make a good tousan, you know," continued Kurama and set 
the bottle which he was holding onto his study desk. *Well, if Sayuri 
starts crying again, I could feed her, right?* thought Kurama and sat 
down next to Hiei. 

	"Hn. She screams a lot and it hurts my ears. Worse than that 
Reika..." stopped Hiei suddenly as he remember the owner of the Demon 
whistle - Botan. Her name still brought an ache to his heart... 

	"Hiei, do you love me?" asked Kurama uncertainly, rendered 
uncomfortable by Hiei's reaction. He was almost certain of the 
answer. Almost. 

	"Hn, stupid fox. Why ask that question all of a sudden?" 
growled Hiei and looked away in between the blinds to the dark 
scenery outside the window. That kitsune could be so stupid at times 
to ask this type of useless question for him to answer. 

	"Just answer me, Hiei," pressed Kurama and knelt down in front 
of the fire youkai, clasping his hand tightly. His eyes searched 
Hiei's, wanting his assurance. *I don't care whether you call me 
stupid or not, I just want to know the truth from you...* thought 
Kurama and bit his lower lip. 

	Hiei closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "All that is history; 
Botan, Yamaro, Murashi... Everything," sighed Hiei before opening his 
eyes. He flashed a half-smile at his lover. "Of course..." 

	"Ai shiteru, Hiei," breathed out Kurama and laid his head on 
Hiei's lap. His arms reached out to encircled Hiei's slim waist in a 
hug, drawing the fire youkai closer to him. 

	"Ai shiteru," whispered Hiei softly before the whole room 
plunged into darkness again. 

	"I shall love you forever." 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Yusuke!" screamed a female voice. 

	No answer, no sound inside the apartment. 

	A girl with a sweet face stood outside the metal grill of the 
door with her hands crossed over her chest. She tapped her foot 
impatiently on the concrete floor and waited for another few seconds. 

	"Yusuke!" screamed Keiko again and began banging her fist on 
the wooden door by putting her hand through the tiny gaps in the 
metal framework. 

	"Wake up, baka!" hollered the girl before the door opened a 
crack with a soft click. 

	"Huh? Why so early?" asked a sleepy-looking boy behind the 
door. His messy hair was tousled and he was still dressed in his 
pajamas. "Hang on..." said Yusuke as he reached out to unlock the 
padlock. 

	"Why are you, Yusuke Urameshi, asking *me* this question? Don't 
you remember that Reikai is hosting a banquet today? Don't you 
remember your friends? Don't you remember Misuko-san and Koenma-san?" 
retorted Keiko as she stepped into the comfortable space. She bent 
down to remove her shoes before placing them neatly by the side. 

	"Yeah, yeah... It's still early with eight hours to go..." 
grumbled Yusuke and staggered back into the living room. Keiko 
followed him, her blue pleated skirt lifting slightly with the wind 
coming in from the opened windows. "I know... but didn't I promise 
Misuko to help out with the food?!" Yusuke sighed and rolled his 
eyes. Why must Keiko always *cook* and do nothing else? 

	Keiko's eyes widened in horror as she stood face to face with a 
huge mountain of junk and trash. "What did you do here?" asked Keiko 
slowly and swallowed. Empty cans of soft drink were strewn everywhere 
and opened packets of crackers were left around with the sizzling 
background of the switched-on television. 

	"Um... Just had a gathering last night with Kuwabara and the 
rest. You know, a guys' gathering..." explained Yusuke quickly before 
yelping loudly when Keiko grabbed hold of a magazine entitled... 

	"What is this? Su... ke..." read out Keiko slowly before Yusuke 
hurriedly snatched the magazine from her hands. "Hey!" 

	"Wait, wait... Close your eyes..." stammered Yusuke and began 
picking up those magazines from the floor. "I didn't buy these... 
Honest! Er... Kuwabara brought them!" 

	Keiko was silent, instead, she simply smiled at him without 
saying anything. 

	*Nani da yo?! That smile...* A sweat-drop appeared on Yusuke's 
forehead as he studied Keiko's smile. "Well, I guess I can't stop you 
from reading this type of material..." said Keiko coldly and turned 
around, starting to take leave. 

	"Matte! Matte, Keiko!" yelled Yusuke, throwing the stack of 
magazines in his arms away quickly. "I really, really didn't look at 
those magazines! Kuwabara and his friends looked at them but I 
didn't!" 

	"There is no need to lie anyway. I'm not your mother or wife," 
answered Keiko simply as she put on one shoe. She blinked her eyes to 
ease the stinging sensation of tears but one teardrop still rolled 
down her cheek. She was very disappointed with him, really. Now, she 
even regretted the way she bashed him when he made lewd remarks about 
her body years ago. 

	*Fine, Keiko Yukimura, you did it. Yusuke is turning to 
pornographic material now,* thought Keiko angrily as she reached up 
to brush away that tear streak on her face with the back of her hand. 

	Yusuke stood there, speechless. "Wait, Keiko. No..." Yusuke 
tried in vain to explain. "Wait!" shouted Yusuke suddenly and took 
hold of her arm. "Can't you just listen to me first?!" 

	Keiko tried to pry off Yusuke's fingers but he was simply too 
strong for her. "Oh yeah? I forgot that you are a S-class youkai and 
you are supposed to rule a kingdom in Makai. Yeah, I forgot about 
that," said Keiko sarcastically and turned her head away from 
Yusuke's gaze. 

	Yusuke sighed and gritted his teeth. Keiko could be so 
headstrong at times. "Alright, Keiko, do you know why I'm so tempted 
by these magazines?" Keiko didn't answer him but Yusuke kept asking. 

	"Do you know that I also have my physical needs, Keiko 
Yukimura?! Alright, I may be a toushin but I still have a human body! 
I just can't *resist* when Kuwabara shoved a few copies into my 
hands!" half-shouted Yusuke and forced Keiko to look at him with his 
free hand. 

	"So what? You have your self-respect, haven't you?" answered 
Keiko coldly. 

	"I am already twenty this year, okay?" snapped Yusuke and 
pushed Keiko against the wall. Keiko struggled uncomfortably as he 
pinned her against the wall with his left hand. 

	The stony expression on Keiko's face softened considerably when 
she heard Yusuke's words. *It is true also... I have never let him 
kiss me or touch me in any way. In fact, I even bashed him up 
whenever he used to say anything about my body...* thought Keiko 
silently and looked up at Yusuke. *And he let me hit him...* 

	Yusuke glared at her with his dark eyes and breathed in and out 
evenly. Silence hung between them as their hot breath mingled. 
"Keiko, go... gomen ne," apologized Yusuke and released Keiko. Beads 
of sweat were already forming at his forehead from his mini 'crisis' 
just now. 

	Keiko looked at him and undid her shoes again. "Well, you need 
someone to help you clean up this mess in your apartment too, right?" 
smiled the girl faintly. Yusuke's words made sense to her now... 

	"Hai, Keiko," smiled Yusuke back and grabbed a box of matches 
from a chest of drawers nearby. "I'll burn the magazines..." 

	Keiko's brown eyes looked intently at him and his efforts to 
regain her confidence in him. Yes, Yusuke Urameshi was a violent 
person, but he would do *anything* to protect her. *How many guys out 
there are willing to do anything for you, Keiko Yukimura? The answer 
is only the one and only Yusuke Urameshi...* thought Keiko. The girl 
sighed softly and focused on him again. They were already a couple 
and their feelings for each other had already been nurtured since so 
long ago... Why didn't they make it go even more deeply? Suddenly, 
she felt as if she was so 'deprived' of him, and that longing feeling 
in her heart was already on the verge of bursting. She longed for him 
to stay by her side forever and ever. 

	Keiko walked up to him suddenly as he began striking a match 
with his fingers. Her slender arms wrapped themselves securely around 
Yusuke's waist and pulled him closer to her. "Keiko?" asked Yusuke 
uncertainly as the girl rested her head on his shoulder and he 
dropped the stick and matchbox in surprise. The matchbox landed with 
a dull thud on the floor but the couple took no notice of it. 

	"There is no need to look at those cheap models, right? You can 
always look at me," whispered Keiko into Yusuke's ear and waited 
for his reaction. True, she was so jealous of other girls deep inside 
her heart in the teacher's training college when they were talking 
about how well their boyfriends treated them... She had one too; but 
to him, was she really that invisible to the extent of giving in to 
Kuwabara's stupid magazines? 

	Yusuke stood there, immobilized. The unfamiliar pressure of 
someone else's body resting on his made him cringe a little but 
slowly, he relaxed himself. What was she up to this time? "Keiko?" he 
asked uncertainly again, not sure of the girl's actions. 

	Keiko tightened her grip around Yusuke's waist and blushed 
fierily. At least she was thankful that he couldn't see her face or 
else he would laugh at her. "Yusuke no baka..." growled Keiko softly. 
"There is always me if you need anything... Just look for me..."  

	"Er..." stammered Yusuke. He was already sweating at the heat 
and passion... He had always wanted to do this to Keiko but he 
respected her and loved her enough to control himself. Think of all 
the chances he had when she always came to help his kaasan clean up 
the apartment; yet he never touched her, not even for a real kiss. 
Even the only *two* kisses that they had ever shared were initiated 
by Keiko herself, never once by his own will. "Keiko..." sighed 
Yusuke again and closed his eyes. He was all together too afraid to 
touch for the fear of hurting her. He would never hurt her in any 
way, no matter under which circumstances. 

	Never ever. 

	Many wonderful memories were brought back to life in his mind. 
Keiko had been his friend since he was little and they had grown up 
together. He had witnessed how Keiko cared for him when he was 
sick... After he was hit by that joy-rider six years ago, Keiko had 
wept and grieved. *That* was something that he could never expect out 
of any other girl. Deep inside, he understood that Keiko loved him 
and he also knew who he really loved deep inside. 

	Yusuke blinked open his eyes again and grasped Keiko's hand 
gently. "I need you," whispered Yusuke. He had never whispered softly 
to her before, at least not in an intimate way. Keiko suffered 
through all these years whenever he disappeared without a single 
word. "Keiko... I need you," repeated Yusuke and pulled away from 
Keiko's hug to face her. 

	Keiko was silent, her eyes looking straight into Yusuke's dark 
ones. She smiled a little. "I once made a promise to you during that 
duel with Yamaro and Murashi back in Makai..." began Yusuke, his hand 
reaching up to cup Keiko's face. "...that I would survive that match 
to see you again. I thought Reikai was losing and I was dying, yet 
you gave me strength to go on. Thank you, Keiko." Slowly, they sat 
down on the floor. 

	"Ai shite," whispered Keiko back and closed her eyes. 

	"Ai shiteru," declared Yusuke gently and slowly leaned forward. 
Taking in her lips, Yusuke kissed her gently but his body was tense. 
He squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating a rough shove from Keiko. 

	But the shove never came. 

	When he broke off the kiss, he opened his eyes and saw Keiko 
looking at him amusedly. "Yusuke, do you mind me asking you a 
question?" 

	"No. Why?" asked Yusuke curiously, his face still hot from the 
kiss just now. 

	"The next time, don't squeeze your eyes shut like that... You 
looked as if you are undergoing a severe bout of constipation..." 
laughed out Keiko simply. Yusuke scratched his head and nodded a 
little. Without much anticipation, he began blushing also... He had 
very *limited* experiences with Keiko, let alone with girls. He might 
be a genius when it came to fighting youkais, but he was a total 
idiot when it came to this. A total idiot... 

	Suddenly, his face darkened into a serious tone. "Keiko, marry 
me," he whispered, his face only centimeters away from her face. For 
a moment, the girl was silent and speechless. 

	"Keiko, marry me," repeated Yusuke and held her by her 
shoulders. "I want you to be my wife. I want to have children with 
you in the future." 

	"No, Yusuke Urameshi. I don't want to have children with you in 
the future..." answered Keiko slowly and swallowed. Yusuke blinked 
twice, unable to digest Keiko's sudden words. They hit him like a 
stinging slap and Yusuke slowly sat back on the floor. She actually 
refused him... His ego! 

	"I want to have children with you 'now'..." continued Keiko and 
looked deeply into Yusuke's eyes before glancing at his torso. *His 
pajamas... Still the striped ones...* thought Keiko as she waited for 
his response. 

	"Now?!" repeated Yusuke and blinked again, not believing his 
own ears that Keiko actually suggested *this* with her own mouth. 

	Keiko nodded once. *So that you won't read 'Sukebe' again with 
Kuwabara and the rest,* continued Keiko silently. She wanted Yusuke 
to treat her tenderly. She wanted Yusuke to love her deeply and she 
wanted Yusuke to be by her side forever. 

	"Keiko, don't you think we should tie the knot first?" asked 
Yusuke cautiously. *This* was Keiko, not some ordinary girl and he 
didn't want to hurt her. One part wanted to laugh and tease her off 
just like that but an intuition told him not to do so or risk Keiko 
breaking off with him. 

	"Yusuke, I don't want to wait, but I also want to be the mother 
of your children. What if some beautiful female youkai turns up and 
you fall for her?" answered back Keiko and hugged him around the 
neck, waiting for his reply. 

	"Keiko, don't worry... You will be my wife..." proclaimed 
Yusuke before lifting her up easily. "Don't worry..." Keiko smiled at 
him and buried her face in the thin fabric of his shirt, feeling him 
so close to her. Wasn't this all she had dreamt of all these years? 

	As Yusuke kicked the door of his room shut, Keiko buried her 
face into his pajamas top, not wanting Yusuke to see her red face. 
Frankly, she couldn't believe that she had actually suggested this to 
him... She simply couldn't believe it... 

	"Keiko, are you sure?" asked Yusuke and set her down gently on 
the bed. He also couldn't believe his own ears when Keiko actually 
*asked* him... 

	"When will Atsuko-san be back?" asked Keiko as she held onto 
Yusuke's shirt, pulling him close. 

	"Not until tonight... She has joined a touring package to 
China..." whispered Yusuke and nuzzled his head against Keiko's 
chest. 

	"Then nothing can come between us now..." said Keiko as Yusuke 
started kissing her on her cheek... 

	"Don't call my kaasan 'Atsuko-san' anymore... Call her 
'kaasan'..." whispered Yusuke and sealed his lips against hers before 
undoing her yellow blouse. His fingers trembled when he unbuttoned 
the topmost button... His eyes looked into her brown eyes, searching 
for her permission. 

	"You don't have to ask, Yusuke," smiled Keiko and trailed her 
fingers on Yusuke's collarbone, creating little jolts of electricity 
up Yusuke's spine. He merely smiled before kissing her tentatively 
again on the lips, taking in the sweet taste on them. Slowly, he 
became bolder and ripped off the entire row of buttons on her blouse, 
revealing smooth and delicate skin. 

	"Keiko, I didn't know you have skin like that..." teased Yusuke 
and bit her softly on her shoulder, breathing in her scent. 

	"Shut up, Yusuke," whispered a female voice before a hand 
reached up to draw the curtains across the windows. 

	"Ai shiteru, Keiko." 

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Copyright reserved 1999 W. Siew Lee 

All standard Yu Yu Hakusho disclaimers apply to this fanfic. 

E-mail: Siew Lee [wsiewlee@tm.net.my] 
URL: http://members.xoom.com/hiei 
UIN: #14025577 

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