I Stay in Love
A/N: This is my first official Yu Yu Hakusho fic and I'm so excited to finally get this posted! Yu Yu Hakusho is forever one of my favorite anime, and I have been watching it since it originally aired on Adult Swim when I was 10 years old (I'm almost 23 now!). Yusuke and Keiko have stood the test of time for me when it comes to OTPs, and I absolutely love and adore them, and I'm happy that I finally came up with a fic that I think really suits them. Well, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.
She had always loved him.
She first knew it when she was only five-years-old, before she really even knew what the definition of love was. And that love had only grown over the years, becoming so strong that it had scared her, mainly because she was afraid he didn't feel the same. But after the time they spent together last night, that fear was finally put to rest for good.
The rising sun's golden rays creeped in through the blinds and spread throughout Yusuke's bedroom, making Keiko squint from the unwelcomed brightness. She then looked down at herself and blushed at her naked form, pulling the covers up over her more, feeling slightly insecure. Though Yusuke had done nothing to make her feel that way after the night they had shared; it was quite the opposite, actually. He had told her the whole time how beautiful she was, and how much he had missed her over the last three years, putting her nerves at bay. She knew that over time she would learn to be more comfortable about being naked in front of him and that her shyness would fade away. Yusuke, however, had no inhibitions about the whole thing and was rather cocky about how she marveled at his body as they made love for the first time last night.
That was thing about the two of them: they were complete opposites, yet somehow they understood and found solace in one another. The cliché of a bad boy and good girl romance rarely lasted long-term, but somehow they managed to make it work despite the odds. Plus, Keiko knew that deep down Yusuke was more of a softy than anything else; Puu had proved that, after all.
She then glanced over at him as he lay beside her with one muscular arm draped lazily around her waist, his face peaceful as he slept. Her heart soared as she watched him, amazed at how they ended up this way, surviving years of hardships and pain, and were now lying in bed together after making passionate love all night long. She never thought this would even happen, especially after that night he left three years ago.
That was a night she would never forget; it was the hardest and most agonizing one of her entire life. She felt so broken that day as she watched him walk away after he told her goodbye. The only boy that would ever have her heart had gone off to Makai, and there was a possibility he wouldn't come back. He had assured her that night that he would find a way to come back, and that once he returned they would get married, but she just wasn't sure how things would pan out over a three year period. It was such a long time, and so much could happen. But even though she loved him with all her heart and soul, she refused to be miserable over his absence and went on with her life while he was gone, telling herself that time would pass.
And time did pass. Slowly. But it passed. She continued to excel in school, and she even had many men approach her during those couple of years, but she had turned them all down. Yusuke was the only one for her, and all she wanted was for him to come back so they could get married and start their lives together. She had kept a picture of him by her bedside during that period, and she would feel at ease knowing that even though there was great distance between them, their bond was still strong and would stay that way. She would go to sleep every night, playing back his words from the night he had left about how he would find a way back to her, and would sleep easy with complete faith that he would stay true to his promise.
But as the three year mark approached, her hope began to waver. Yusuke still had yet to return, and it seemed like his promise he made to her was broken. She had begun to accept the fact that maybe he really couldn't come back from Makai, and that she would have to go on without him, as hard as that was to even imagine. She was prepared to do that yesterday when she and everyone else had gone up to Genkai's. Her friends had seemed to accept Yusuke's permanent absence as well, though they tried not to talk about it around her. Once they had all gone down to the beach later in the day, she was ready to give up on Yusuke and never look back. As she looked at the sunset over the ocean she had accepted the fact that Yusuke Urameshi loved fighting more than her, and that he had made his choice to not come back to her. She refused to sit around any longer for a man that never made her a priority in the first place. It was the harsh truth, but she was willing to acknowledge it, even though it cut her to the core.
That was until an attractive, familiar voice that sent shivers up and down her spine called out to her, and everything and everyone else around her began to fade away along with the setting sun. Like an angel, a dark angel at that, Yusuke appeared right on time, proving once and for all that he really did care for her. She ran over to him as fast as she could, ignoring how hot and grainy the sand was against her bare feet, and practically leaped into his arms, holding onto him as though he could be ripped away at any moment. She vaguely remembered resisting the urge to pinch herself to see if it was all a dream, but gazing into those beautiful brown eyes of his confirmed that she was indeed wide awake.
When it came to public displays of affection with Yusuke, she had always resisted the urge to do anything scandalous, and rarely even hugged him since he wasn't much of a touchy feely guy, but in that moment of their long-awaited reunion she threw all caution to the wind and kissed him with all the passion her body possessed. It was the most breathtaking moment of her life, and sensations she never even knew existed flourished throughout her body as their lips met. They had kissed before years ago when she had revived him from his death, but that kiss was short, and more of a necessity than anything else since it was the only thing to bring him back to life. The kiss on the beach was completely different: it was one of zeal, and a true declaration of their life-long love for each other. It was the moment that they both knew their lives would never be the same again, or their relationship. They had evolved from childhood friends into two adults who couldn't wait to grow old together; it was simply beautiful at how their bond blossomed right before their eyes.
They spent the rest of their time at the beach with their friends, who were all over-joyed at Yusuke's return (and Botan and Kuwabara couldn't stop teasing them about the possibility of an upcoming wedding). Once it had gotten dark out, they had all parted ways, and Yusuke had walked Keiko home, both of them smiling the whole way as they walked hand-in-hand. Once they got to her house, Yusuke turned to her with that grin of his that made her heart melt, his eyes never looking as warm as they had just then. A look of hesitance then took over his face, seeming unsure of what he was doing, but he quickly got over his coyness and cupped her chin before kissing her softly. She had kissed him back, sighing pleasurably against his warm lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. This was all so foreign to them, yet at the same it was how it always should have been between them.
He had taken his hands and began to massage her hips sensuously, unable to keep his hands to himself at that point. He had expected to get slapped like always when he touched her in a more-than-friendly way, but for the first time ever she didn't pull back; all she did was moan faintly and nibble at his lower lip.
After getting caught up in their fervor for each other for what felt like a small eternity, Yusuke had pulled back and told her she should get some sleep, seeing as how Keiko had school first thing in the morning. But for once in her life, school was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to spend more time alone with him, and knew just where to go. She still had a key to his apartment, and she knew that Atsuko more than likely wasn't home. Yusuke had happily obliged, his eyes boldly displaying his desire for her that he no longer wanted to conceal. Once they had gotten inside, they had turned to each other and stared into one another eyes innocently, unsure of what to do with their raging hormones in that moment. But it all fell into place once their lips met in a fiery passion yet again.
It had all lead up to this, to making love for the first time and finally displaying their true adoration and commitment for one another. It was an incredible moment that she would cherish for the rest of her days; her soul was now one with his forever. And watching him sleep in the present moment made her want to pause time; she wanted to stay in bed with him like this for as long as possible, and to recreate last night over and over again. But even though she had no way of freezing time, she was satisfied knowing that they had the rest of their lives to make even more memories together. She couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.
Yusuke then stirred and slowly opened his eyes, seeming to forget where he was for a moment. He looked around once he became more aware, taking in the feeling of waking up in his own room for the first time in quite a while. His eyes then met a fellow pair of brown ones, and he grinned hotly. He raised a hand to push her bangs out of her eyes and kissed her gently, feeling whole and complete the second their lips touched. He knew she had to get up and go to school, not that he wanted her to in the slightest. Last night was more than he could ever ask for, and he didn't regret a single minute of it. He had gone off to Makai to find his purpose in life, but it wasn't until last night when it all finally made sense. His purpose was to be with her. He was confident that it would always be that way, too.
"I love you, Keiko," he murmured against her lips, bringing her naked body closer to his.
"I love you, too," she said with tears streaming down her cheeks, running her hands through his disheveled raven hair.
Lying next to him, the two of them tangled up together, she smiled the widest she ever had in her entire life. The love of her life, Yusuke Urameshi, was home for good. All that anguish and sorrow of waiting three long years for him made this moment even more worthwhile.
She could definitely get used to life like this.