Alright, this is the second part I promised. =) There *will* be an epilogue
to this fic so watch out for it! =) 'Thank you's are given out to everyone
who commented on my fic and also to people who are kind enough to drop me a
line or two of encouragement. Believe me, one line of a fanmail is more
energy-giving than eating anything. -_-; Anyway, comments are welcome. 

Special thanks to Rhionae for pre-reading this fanfic. 

Siew Lee 

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Lost in Love - Yusuke Urameshi 

A Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic by W. Siew Lee 

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	A persistent tapping sound echoed through the air, followed by 
soft irritated sighs. A young man in his early twenties sat on an 
elaborately decorated huge chair - or should it be called a 'throne'? 
For years, this place had been an asylum to his wracked self. Here, 
at least, he did not have any need or reason to explain to anyone. 
Raizen had died a long time ago, leaving the entire kingdom under his 
son's rule. 

	Yusuke Urameshi was sitting here as the ruler of a dominant 
Makai kingdom, but there was hardly any indication that an ordinary 
looking young man would be a happy one. 

	Another sigh escaped from his throat as he stared at the high 
ceiling. It was so high that he could barely see the top. He squinted 
his eyes at the tiny speck of light coming from the center of the 
ceiling. 

	He blinked once and pursed his lips into a thin line. No, he 
wasn't thinking about himself. He was thinking of... someone. Someone 
very important to him. 

	Keiko Yukimura. 

	A wry smile lit up his face as he conjured an image of her 
smiling face in his mind. *I love her,* chanted Yusuke mentally as a 
fierce wave of guilt washed over him and winced as his heart ached 
sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Keiko..." 

	Yusuke shook his head dejectedly. What was the use of saying 
sorry here when she was not around? He hadn't mistaken the 
disappointment in her eyes when he actually told her that he wasn't 
compatible with her. 

	He broke Keiko emotionally; and that hurt him more than a 
thousand knives slashing his flesh and wrenching his heart. 

	He broke her. 

	"Urameshi! How could you do this?! How could you hurt Keiko 
like that?" yelled Yusuke, pounding his fist on the gilded armrest of 
his seat. "How could you..." mumbled Yusuke as he laid his head onto 
his arm, his eyes looking at the vast hall. 

	It seemed too quiet, too lonely for words. 

	"I hate you, Urameshi..." groaned the young man, his sweat 
already dripping onto the throne. 

	So many years it had been. *Four years...* whispered Yusuke 
gently to himself. *It has been four years...* 

	It had been four years since he last stepped into Ningenkai. 
Atsuko was so supportive of him when he told her that he would be 
going to Canada for his studies. *Heh! Only ofukuro believes in 
everything I say...* snickered Yusuke but the brief moment of 
amusement was quickly replaced by bitterness. 

	*Why didn't you give this reason to Keiko?* asked a voice in 
his head. "Why? Why? Because Keiko is too good for me... I'm no match 
for her... I'm only a school bully and a thug whereas she is a good 
student with a bright future. I... I love her too much to let her 
live worrying for my safety every second of her waking moments. I 
don't want to let her wait for me," confessed Yusuke softly. "I'm not a 
good match for her..." 

	Reminiscences of those happy times he shared with Keiko flashed 
past his mind quickly. Sweet times and bitter times, happy moments 
and sad moments; they were all swirling in accordance in his mind. 
His right hand reached down to retrieve a piece of fabric from the 
pocket of his trousers. Carefully, he unfolded it and revealed a 
small white handkerchief. Gently, he fingered the handkerchief 
lovingly and stared at it. 

	The blood stain was there, so was the picture of a yellow 
canary flying freely. It was Keiko's. So many years had passed yet he 
refused to throw it away as it contained some of his most precious 
memories. 

	Slowly, a single tear rolled down the bridge of his nose. 

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

Nine years ago... 

	A young girl was standing a few feet away from him, her face 
looking in the opposite direction. The street was empty and quiet, 
and the girl glanced repeatedly at her colorful wristwatch. 

	"Yusuke..." mumbled the girl and stood there silently, her eyes 
were still pinned to the end of the street, waiting for the boy. 
"Yusuke, I thought you promised me that you would come?" whispered 
the little girl, her voice trembling. 

	Yusuke nearly laughed out loud at this point but he controlled 
himself. *Haha, fat chance, Keiko. I came from the other way and you 
are still standing there waiting for me like some china doll,* 
whispered Yusuke playfully to himself. He brushed his hair back with 
his hand and grinned mischievously. It was already after school, but 
Yusuke had personally asked her to wait there as he wanted to show 
her his latest branded wristwatch. Yeah, as if it was the genuine 
thing for a twelve-year-old boy. 

	Creeping behind her silently, Yusuke slowly reached out his 
hands and grabbed the girl. "Keiko, try guessing who I am!" shouted 
Yusuke and erupted in loud explosive laughter. 

	"Yusuke no baka!" screamed Keiko and turned around reflexively, 
her hand swinging through the air. Yusuke yelped loudly as her hand 
made contact with his left cheek and he stumbled backwards, stars 
flying around his head. The stinging pain rushed up his sensitive 
nerves, bringing an instant headache. 

	"Ite, Keiko... It's extra painful," howled Yusuke and rubbed 
his flaming left cheek. A hand print had set in and the outlines of 
five fingers of Keiko's hand were clearly imprinted on his pale 
skin. 

	"Shut up, Yusuke Urameshi," growled the girl, her eyes flashing 
in anger. You are perverted enough to squeeze me *there*," continued 
the girl. 

	"Keiko Yukimura, the fierce tigress with a flat body," grumbled 
Yusuke loudly, intending to draw the girl's anger. 

	"Yusuke! I'll never forgive you for this! I hate you!" screamed 
Keiko and raced towards him, waving her black school bag. Yusuke 
simply made a face at her and ran off. 

	"Yusuke! Stop there!" shouted Keiko again and again, but the 
boy paid no heed to her voice. "Nah, Keiko, you can't catch me!" 
teased Yusuke mercilessly as he turned his head to look at the girl's 
progress while running away from Keiko's attacks. 

	"Owwwww...!!!" This time, it wasn't from Keiko, but it was from 
the boy himself. "Oww..." groaned Yusuke again. A huge rock lay in 
just beneath his ankle and he had fallen face-forward when he tripped 
on it. He tried to get up but a sharp pain shot up his spine, nearly 
bringing tears to his eyes. 

	"Yusuke!" screamed Keiko, not out of anger, but out of shock. 
There was blood slowly dripping from one knee onto the rough pebble-
covered road and a pool of the dark liquid was gathering on the road. 
"Yusuke!" voiced out Keiko and quickly, she caught up with him and 
tried to help him up. Yusuke winced and tried to pry Keiko's fingers 
off his arm. 

	"Yusuke, you are bleeding!" exclaimed the girl and let him sit 
down on the road again. Quickly, she dug in her school bag to 
retrieve a small, white and pristine handkerchief and proceeded to 
carefully dab at the wound. Yusuke looked at her curiously, as the 
girl blew gently on the grazes on his knee, trying to ease the 
stinging sensation. 

	"Keiko, why are you so kind to me?" asked Yusuke slowly as 
Keiko's deft fingers cleaned up his wound with her white 
handkerchief. The girl stopped and looked up at him. "Why?" 

	"Yes, why? I want to know." 

	"Simply because you are my friend," answered Keiko with a small 
smile and continued wiping away the sand and foreign objects embedded 
in his knee. The wound was raw, but Yusuke didn't feel anything. He 
was too surprised to hear such an answer. 

	"Even when I teased you like just now?" asked Yusuke again, 
raising a suspicious eyebrow. 

	"Yes, but I also feel sad when you call me names..." replied 
Keiko softly, a slight twinge of hurt showing through her voice. 

	Yusuke suddenly felt ashamed of himself. Why had he called her 
names in the first place? He knew very well that Keiko would be angry 
and irritated but he didn't expect to hurt her feelings. Honestly, 
he would never ever cause harm to her. *Girls...* Yusuke shook his 
head and rolled his eyes. *Women are a breed that you will never 
understand what they are thinking. Like Keiko. She yelled at the top 
of her lungs that she hates me at one moment, but she is bandaging my 
knee the next,* mused Yusuke and smiled wryly but it was quickly 
replaced by a grimace. 

	"Alright, it's done," cheered Keiko happily as she knotted her 
handkerchief as a makeshift bandage just to cover the injured knee. 
"Yusuke, can you stand up now?" asked Keiko worriedly and tried to 
help him. 

	Suddenly the boy asked, "How am I going to return your 
handkerchief? I'm no good at washing little girlie stuff like that." 

	"Ah, never mind, you can throw it away when you get some proper 
bandages at home," answered Keiko and shrugged. "Can you stand up 
now?" 

	"Yeah, but my ankle still hurts... I think I sprained it," 
mumbled Yusuke as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He 
gritted his teeth, trying to withstand the pain shooting from the 
twisted ankle. 

	"Are you sure? You look as if you have a broken leg," said 
Keiko in concern, a frown appearing on her sweet face. 

	"No problem here. Remember? I'm Yusuke Urame... Ouch!" yelped 
Yusuke as he puffed out his chest and tried to put some weight on his 
injured ankle. His knee was burning with a subtle pain but that 
didn't bother him much - but his ankle... *How am I going to get home 
in this way?* asked Yusuke uneasily in his heart. *Great, I wish I'd 
never make fun of Keiko like that.* 

	"C'mon, I'll help you home," offered Keiko and took his arm, 
placing it around her shoulders. Yusuke smiled as he nodded happily. 
Slowly limping along, he made a secret promise to Keiko: 

	*Keiko, I'll never let anyone hurt you because you are my 
friend.* 

	And he never threw that handkerchief away. 

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Six years ago... 

	*Heh! That Yusuke must be fighting with other boys now...* 
sighed Keiko as she walked down the lonely street alone. Her friends 
were still in the school library, trying to finish off their 
respective researches for the Biology paper. Well, she finished 
earlier so she might as well go home straight away, but Yusuke had 
promised that he would come to walk her home... *Heh! As if he would 
come in the first place,* thought Keiko soberly and brought her black 
school bag close to her chest. 

	Yusuke? Heh! That was just a random thought. She didn't even 
see him during normal schooldays. *Most probably playing truant 
again and he never keeps his promises,* whispered Keiko mentally. 

	Yusuke Urameshi would never change. 

	A pair of eyes peeked out from an alley down the street. They 
narrowed dangerously and a low voice whispered softly, "Hey, isn't 
that Urameshi's woman?" 

	"Hn, Keiko Yukimura, isn't she?" answered another voice in an 
equally low tone. "We'll teach that Urameshi a lesson this time for 
brutally beating up our gang members. I'm sure Nakahara would be very 
happy if he sees her." 

	Keiko had an uneasy feeling and she kept looking backward. *Is 
it just me or something? I have this weird feeling that someone is 
trailing me. No... It isn't Yusuke, he won't stalk me like that...* 
Keiko stopped to put her school bag down and folded her arms. "I'll 
wait for Yusuke," said the girl aloud and sighed. 

	Suddenly two pairs of hands grabbed her by her arms and dragged 
her sideways into a dark alley. "Help!!!" Keiko tried to scream but a 
dirty palm was clamped over her mouth quickly and dragged her further 
down the dark alley. Keiko looked up in fear and saw the two school 
boys who attacked her. 

	Keiko kept on struggling but the pairs of hands holding both of 
her shoulders had a strong grip on her. She made an effort to scream 
again but only muffled sounds escaped from her throat. "Shut up, will 
you?" growled one of the boys but Keiko still squirmed and tried to 
free herself, making muffled sounds. 

	"Alright, I'll make you shut up if you don't," hissed the other 
boy and Keiko felt a dull thud on her head. Slowly, her vision 
contorted into blurry shapes and the speech of her abductors was just 
incoherent sounds. 

	Gradually, she sank into total darkness. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

	A pebble bounced back on the brick wall as a teenage boy 
whistling softly walked down the street, his feet kicking at the 
small debris that lay in his path. *Hell, where is Keiko?* muttered 
the boy as he leaned against a lamp post and folded his arms. 

	*Damn, Keiko, you are the one who asked me to walk you home yet 
you are one who disappeared. Can't you wait for me for ten minutes? I 
was stuck with dragging ofukuro back into her room after she came 
home drunk!* grumbled Yusuke to himself and drummed his fingers on 
his arm. 

	His eyes wandered around, looking aimlessly. *Hm, I wonder who 
is so careless to leave his bag lying around,* thought Yusuke as his 
eyes rested on a black school bag lying in the middle of the street. 
Casually, he walked over and bent down to look at it. "Well, it looks 
a lot like Keiko's," said Yusuke aloud and scratched his head. "Wait, 
it 'is' Keiko's!" yelled Yusuke when he saw a line of characters 
reading 'Keiko Yukimura' neatly imprinted on a corner. 

	"Damn it! Keiko!" shouted Yusuke and slammed his fist onto the 
cement ground. "Who is it?! Kuso! It must be Nakahara and gang!" 
mumbled Yusuke softly as he remembered his latest fight. Nakahara had 
sworn that he would get back at him... 

	"Keiko!" shouted Yusuke and began running down the street. 
"Nakahara, I'll make you pay for this!" 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

	A soft throbbing interrupted the serene silence around her. 
Gradually, it got louder and louder and pain began to set in but she 
was still shrouded in darkness. Keiko cracked open an eye and tried 
to focus on her dim surroundings. It was rather dark and the only 
rays of light came from a dangling light bulb hanging at the end of 
the room. *Where am I?* questioned the girl softly and loud talking 
punctured her thinking. 

	"Where is that Urameshi?" asked a harsh voice and Keiko tried 
to catch a clear glimpse of that person. *Ichiro Nakahara? Why is he 
here? Where am I?* Questions bombarded her mind but she didn't have 
the slightest clue to the answers. 

	"Don't worry, boss... As long as his girl is in our hands, he 
will come," assured another voice and a soft snicker followed. 

	*What? Am I kidnapped or something? What about Yusuke?* thought 
Keiko in shock and struggled, only to find her wrists and ankles 
bound by thick hemp ropes. Her eyes grew wide as she saw Nakahara's 
followers picking out some clubs and wooden baseball bats to begin 
swinging them around. 

	"Hey boss, that girl of Urameshi's is awake!" announced a voice 
suddenly and a dozen pairs of eyes turned to stare at her, including 
those of Nakahara. 

	"Yes, she's awake," smirked Nakahara and produced a glinting 
pocketknife from his shirt. Steadily, he walked towards her and 
pointed the sharp edge at her cheek. "How would Urameshi react if he 
sees blood trickling down this pretty face?" 

	Keiko could only watch in horror as the tip of the knife drew 
closer and closer to her cheek. She tried to scream again, but this 
time, Keiko felt something stuffed into her mouth. *Gods... I'm 
gagged now!* 

	*No! No! Don't!* screamed Keiko mentally and struggled even 
harder. Nakahara only flashed a sadistic smile and edged closer. 

	Suddenly, the door slammed open. "Yamero!" shouted a voice and 
Nakahara stopped in his tracks, his eyes focused on a figure standing 
in the doorway, his body framed by the setting sun in the background. 
Keiko nearly fainted in relief when Nakahara finally took the knife 
away and left her alone. *Yusuke?* Keiko finally realized that the 
boy standing in the doorway was actually Yusuke Urameshi. 

	"Heh, Urameshi, you are here, finally," laughed Nakahara and 
played with the edge of his pocketknife. "Your girl is scared half to 
death." 

	"What have you done to Keiko?!" snarled Yusuke, his knuckles 
turning white as he gripped the frame of the door tightly. 

	"Nothing, just trying to flaw her face," sighed Nakahara and 
smiled. Yusuke glared at him but he quickly focused his sight on 
Keiko. *Thank goodness that I arrived in time,* mumbled Yusuke and 
secretly heaved a happy sigh. "Alright, what do you want?" 

	"Nothing, just want to get back at you for hurting my 
brothers," said Nakahara and snapped his pocketknife shut. "Fine, 
I'll release your woman and you fight alone with all of us." 

	Keiko gasped in shock as she silently counted Nakahara's 
followers. *15... 20! 20 of them! Yusuke won't make it out alive!* 
She looked at Yusuke and waited for his answer. *No... Yusuke... 
Don't!* 

	"Yes, I will fight. Now just release Keiko!" shouted Yusuke and 
pointed his index finger at them. 

	"Release her!" ordered Nakahara and snapped his fingers. Two of 
his followers answered an affirmative and the bonds around Keiko's 
limbs were cut apart. 

	"Keiko, run! I'll handle them!" yelled Yusuke, the boy fixing a 
cold stare on Nakahara. Keiko was literally shaking from head to toe 
and she quickly ran towards Yusuke. "Yusuke, run... Run!" whispered 
Keiko, her voice trembling. 

	"No, you go yourself. Nakahara! C'mon, set your followers on 
me!" challenged Yusuke and cracked his knuckles. Seeing that a fight 
was about to happen, Keiko hid outside the door and could only bite 
her lower lip anxiously as Yusuke charged at them, seeing fists and 
feet flying in a blur. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

	"Owwwww!!!" A voice howled. "Not that hard, Keiko!" 

	A boy without his shirt sat on a futon and a girl was kneeling 
behind him, her hands equipped with a bottle of antiseptic and a ball 
of cotton wool. "I know, I know... This is the softest I can manage!" 
answered Keiko, her hands shaking as she carefully dabbed at the 
blood oozing from a cut on his back. 

	"That stupid Nakahara! Heh! He thought that he could defeat me 
by setting 20 gangsters on me?! Fat chance! I'm still Yusuke 
Urameshi!" declared Yusuke loudly but winced as pain shot up his 
spine and registered in his mind. 

	"Yusuke no baka... He might have easily killed you! Look in the 
mirror now..." said Keiko and threw away the blood-soaked cotton wool 
before dabbing some medicine on the cut. Indeed, Yusuke Urameshi was 
in a sorry state. Bruises adorned his shin and forearm while a 
swollen bump erupted from his forehead. Cuts were rampant on his back 
and there was a gash on his left arm. 

	"Heh! Nakahara is injured even more seriously than I am. I 
think at least three of his teeth are knocked out and he will have a 
sore midriff for days!" boasted Yusuke and began applying medicine to 
a gash on his arm. 

	"Yusuke, why did you ever save me? You know Nakahara wants your 
life..." asked Keiko softly. 

	"Well, I don't think anyone should be tortured because of 
me..." answered Yusuke and paused for a moment. "Especially you." 

	"Thank you, Yusuke," said Keiko and proceeded to hug him. 

	"Well, you are my friend and I should save you anyway... but 
one thing, Keiko, can you not hug me? It hurts," replied Yusuke 
before grimacing. 

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	Yusuke fingered the handkerchief softly. *Keiko... Keiko... 
I... I miss you,* whispered Yusuke softly and slowly unrolled the 
sleeve of his white T-shirt to reveal a scar there. *This was when I 
tried to save you but I got beaten up so badly that I couldn't go to 
school for three days.* 

	*Maybe it was all a mistake to tell her that I don't like her 
anymore,* said Yusuke and looked at the handkerchief again. He 
reached into his pocket again, this time to retrieve a small red 
velvet box. He opened it and a delicate gold ring set with a small 
diamond lay in the middle. *It was a gift from a small neighboring 
kingdom to me together with other treasures, but I like this the most 
as I never did have enough money to buy any jewelry to give to a 
woman that I truly love...* 

	Yusuke snapped the box shut again and stuffed it down his 
pocket again. "Maybe I'll just go to Ningenkai to look at Keiko. Yes, 
to look only." 

	With his mind decided, Yusuke stood up and walked towards to 
door. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

	*Damn it! Keiko is going out with another guy!* screamed Yusuke 
internally and hurled his fist against a nearby wall. He heard her 
call him Kaguya-san and he was waving two pieces of paper in front of 
her eyes. "Kuso! It's all your fault, Urameshi..." 

	Suddenly, he heard footsteps of a single person walking away. 
He lifted up his head to look and to his surprise, he saw that Kaguya 
guy standing by himself with Keiko striding away from him. Yusuke 
reached out a hand and tried to call Keiko but no sound came out from 
his throat. 

	Quickly, he walked out and began following Keiko. *She looks 
even prettier than the last time I saw her... I wonder if she is 
fine...* thought Yusuke, his eyes trailing Keiko's slender figure. 

	"Eh, where is she heading to?" asked Yusuke softly as Keiko 
began running. He also stopped when Keiko finally came to the lake. 
"C'mon, Keiko, don't tell me that you want to kill yourself?" 

	His fear turned to amusement when Keiko dug out a piece of 
crumpled paper and a pen, and scribbled something on it. *She's 
crying,* said Yusuke and resisted the urge to rush out, comforting 
her. 

	At last, Keiko finished writing on it and Yusuke lifted a 
curious eyebrow when she threw the paper into the lake. *Has Keiko 
gone nuts or...* Yusuke stopped short when Keiko began yelling. 

	"Yusuke, I'll wait for you no matter what it takes..." 

	*Yusuke, I'll wait for you no matter what it takes...* These 
words echoed in his head endlessly. *What? Keiko will wait for me? 
Keiko... I owe you this...* From afar, he could see tears streaming 
down her delicate face and it nearly broke his heart. 

	Stepping from behind the tree, he smiled at her. "Thank you, 
Keiko," spoke Yusuke, grinning happily as Keiko turned around to face 
him. 

	"Thank you." 

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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.dencity.com/hiei 
UIN: #14025577 

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