The Ever-After
Author's Notes: Written for the LJ community, 31 Days, May 5th, "What do you think is the moral of the story? Set years after the ending of the series. I haven't written anything about these two in a long time, actually. I hope they're still in character for this fic. ;
She was sitting in the darkness when he returned, arms crossed, lips pursed. What remained of the dinner that he had missed still lay on the table before her, his plate untouched, as if still waiting for him. She did not look up when he entered, nor did she even deign to speak to him.
"Er, well," Yusuke stammered, "Tadaima, Keiko."
She still did not stir.
Yusuke grinned at her as he put down on the dinner table the paper bag he was carrying. He moved to plant a kiss on her cheek, but she turned away before he could do this, and he stumbled facedown onto the bowl of cold rice on the table.
"Where's Kaori?" he said, the smile on his face still unwavering, as he wiped off the rice grains off his face. "Ah, well, it's already one o'clock, so she must be asleep now. I really am late, huh?"
He laid a hand on his shoulder, which she did not brush off, but only ignored completely.
"Sorry, Keiko," he went on. "I guess we all just forgot the time. Kuwabara was going on and on about how happy he and Yukina are—but, here I am, home at last."
Her frown deepened, but still she did not speak.
"Come on, Keiko," he went on, blithely, "I know you've stayed up waiting for me, and you must be tired. We should go to sleep."
She finally looked up at him, and her eyes were terrible to behold: Yusuke could almost have sworn there was fire burning in them. He blinked to clear his vision, and what he saw was no less terrifying—pure and intense anger burned in them. He took a step back, his blood running cold, his whole body tensing.
"What's wrong, Keiko?" he whispered.
She looked surprised: the anger in her eyes faded somewhat, to be replaced with disbelief. "You mean you had no idea how angry I am at you?"
"What?" Yusuke arched an eyebrow at her. "No. I figured if you were angry, you'd have slapped me the moment I took one step inside the house." His fists remained clenched, and he regarded her warily, still not sure if all was safe.
"Oh, Yusuke," she said, "You…you…idiot." Tears sprang to her eyes, and her lip quivered. "I was worried that you wouldn't come home anymore, after receiving Enki's invitation today—I thought that one day you would want something else other than an ordinary life, after all the things that you've gone through, and surely you wouldn't be able to resist joining this new tournament—"
Yusuke couldn't help it at all, but his next reaction was to laugh, which sealed his fate.
"Oh, Keiko," he said, clutching his sides as he laughed, "Why would I leave you and Kaori? Sure, a little adventure would be nice every now and then, but I know my own priorities, and I would never leave the people I love for that. All this worrying was just so silly, Keiko! And here I was, almost thinking that you were possessed by some youkai who wanted my head because you were so quiet even when you were angry, so unlike the Keiko I knew—"
"Silly?" Keiko said, her voice now dangerously low. "You call my fears silly?"
"Aa, Keiko, I didn't mean—"
"After I stayed up all night thinking about it?" She stalked over to him, her feet barely making a sound. "And you even thought I was a youkai?"
"Look, Keiko," he said, managing the widest grin he could make under the circumstances, "Let's forget about it." He caught her in his arms, and buried his head in her long brown hair, breathing her in.
She relaxed in his hold, and he sighed, relieved that all was finally well. Until, that is, she suddenly shrieked:
"Yusuke no baka!"
And then her hand came crashing down on his face, throwing him to the floor.
"You think I can forgive you so easily? You can't just come home acting as if nothing happened, you idiot, you moron, you—"
"I am home, aren't I? Gods, Keiko, you're just so—"
"I know, and I'm glad you're home!" she screamed. "Okaeri nasai!"
Keiko stomped off to their bedroom, and she screamed, "Good night!" right before she banged the door to their room.
Yusuke rubbed the spot on his cheek, right where her palm was already imprinted on it, crimson and sore. He grumbled to himself as he stood up, but in truth, mostly he felt relieved that she had slapped him. He had his misgivings about not going to the tournament, but now, he knew that he had made the right decision. Home was where he was needed.
"Good night, Keiko!" he yelled back, as he climbed the stairs. He smiled as he entered their room, expecting another slap once he went to their bed: he would like that, even, because that meant everything was going to be all right in the end, and ever after.