She wasn't there.
Yusuke had a grin on his face and laughter in his voice, but even through all the trials he'd endured, he'd never felt himself struggle so much, all just to keep the uncertainty out of his eyes as he glanced around the mostly deserted beach.
Kuwabara, that big oaf, had his thick arm around his neck in a second, messing up his hair and yelling in that obnoxious voice of his. He looked older now, more fitting to the role of a young man. Still, Yusuke preferred think, with a smirk on his face, that the only thing different was that he somehow managed to get uglier in his time away.
Kurama patiently waited for his turn, smiling that knowing beam of his, just like always. It didn't surprise Yusuke that Hiei wasn't involved in the group gathering, for all he knew the little rascal had finally managed to cut ties with them completely. He doubted it though.
Trust it to Botan to get all sentimental on him. She stood right next to Kuwabara with annoying little tears in her eyes and her hands clasped in joy. She had that same old dumb smile on her face, babbling on about how glad they were that he was home, he was safe, yada yada. She knew just how to make a show of a small deal.
Shizuru and Yukina had showed up too, but he didn't take that much notice to them. Sure, Shizuru always proved hilarious to watch when she was giving Kuwabara a much deserved ass whooping, and Yukina had always been nothing but polite and nice to him, but those things weren't important at the moment. Not while his eyes were still searching for her face, for that pretty smile of hers to welcome him home.
Ok, so to be fair, nobody expected him to show up out of the blue, there was really no reason for him to expect any sort of special attention for his return, but he had been told that today Genkai arranged her Will and had called the group together for the event. She should have showed up for that, she wouldn't have missed it for anything. He knew her better than that.
Besides, he'd promised her he would come back, so she probably would have wanted to talk to Kurama to see how he was doing. She was still waiting, just like last time, all those years ago, when her waiting had been a deciding factor in whether his soul had a body to return to or not. Now she had promised to wait again. At least, he thought that was the way the conversation had gone.
Yusuke tried to grasp the memory of his last night with her, but Kuwabara's annoying baffle kept getting in the way. He recalled going to the restaurant, and she, reluctantly, made him food, and they talked. He told her he would be back, and when he returned, they'd get married, and this time he meant it, for the most part.
Suddenly he couldn't remember if she had given her word to wait for him though. His memory seemed to say that she never gave him a straight answer, but Yusuke reasoned that he was just remembering wrong. Tons of head injuries while fighting will do that to a guy.
"Yeah yeah, get off me, you dumb oaf." Yusuke grinned as he playfully shoved Kuwabara's arm off of him. He shoved a hand into his pocket, taking his usual stance as he shifted his backpack, "So, where's the rest of the gang, huh?"
"Hiei is still in the demon world. He's made no comment on it, but I get the feeling he plans to spend more time there, though I'm sure he would of liked to see your return." Kurama explained in his usual calm demeanor, an amused smile on his expression.
Yusuke felt a smirk tug at the edge of his lips, "Yeah, probably just didn't want us to see him get all sappy over me coming home. You know emotional that little guy gets." The group gave a small chuckle at the thought. Yusuke jerked his head to the side a little, trying his best to appear casual as he got to his main point, "So what about Keiko?"
He couldn't ignore how stale the air became as their eyes glanced down, awkward and knowing, away from him. It was as if everyone felt an enormous amount of guilt. Or pity.
"Ah, well, we haven't really talked to her in awhile now." Botan admitted, her voice strained as it struggled to be upbeat. She waved a hand frantically, as though to shoo away the thought. "I'm sure she's just busy though! What with schooling and all. I hear it's quite a bit of work! Kuwabara's been doing rather well in his studies though, haven't you Kuwabara?"
His orange-haired friend gave a big, goofy grin, rubbing his nose as he said with an air of pride, "Well, I don't like to brag, but-"
"Then don't. Not like I'll believe it anyway." Yusuke scoffed, ending his statement.
"Hey! I'll let you know that I'm one of the top in my class Urameshi!" Kuwabara shot back, taking an offensive position.
"Ha! You must be in one stupid class then!"
Their arguments were common; merely apart of the odd friendship the two had developed by working alongside each other. Then again, maybe it started before that, back when they fought on a daily basis, back when Yusukes death brought Kuwabara to such a state that he had to be dragged away from his wake. It seemed like fighting had always been in his life, every aspect of it. In his home and on his streets, even seeping into his relationships.
He fought with her all the time, too. Only because she overacted though, it was so typical of her. There he was trying to do her a favor by pointing out when she gained too much weight, or when her clothes made her look like an uptight bitch, and she repaid him by yelling at him and complaining about his so-called "insensitivity". Yusuke didn't care how she looked, not much anyway, but he knew she did. She cared what those stupid people in school thought about her, how strangers in the street saw her. It made no sense to freak out on him when he was just trying to help her out; she was the one who was so worried about her looks, after all.
Yusuke didn't bother bringing her up again. Something hadn't of seemed right about the way Botan talked about her, but if it was really that important, they would have told him. He gave them that much credit.
The rest of the evening was spent reminiscing and catching up, laughter exploding from the group every few minutes as they swamped stories. They even went to visit Genkai again, and Yusuke had to admit he had missed the old hag. Kuwabara found a few bottles of sake she had kept tucked away, and though Genkai's words had been somewhere along the lines of "put those back you dumb ass", the whole group drank and chatted merrily throughout the night. No one seemed to notice how Yusuke took a few extra swings then anyone else, but then again, after all the drinking games they played, it was pretty hard to keep count who had how much of what.
Yusuke had passed out before the party dispersed. He seemed to remember saying something insulting to Kuwabara before his exhaustion got the best of him, but everything after that was a blur. The peaceful sound of morning birds woke him up, and he groaned, pulling the covers over his head as he tried to escape the suns irritating rays of light. His head burned, and every little sound that usually would be ignorable enough blared loud and obnoxious. The sharp chirping of birds may as well have been a painful screeching, and the rush of a running faucet brought out the sudden urge to pee. He gave another groan, twisting under the covers as he squeezed his legs together in an attempt to block out the physical need in return for more rest.
Yusuke usually won fights, be it by luck or determination, which was comparable only to his stubborn attitude and ignorance. That only worked to his advantage when he fought against other people though. He had no chance against his own body, especially when it was threatening to spill pee all over himself.
So he gave up. Grumbling, Yusuke forced himself to sit up in bed, stretching and scratching as he let loose a long yawn. He tried to rub the fatigue from his eyes and look around, momentarily displaced as he stared at the sunbathed room. His eyes were squinted to such a degree that they looked like mere slivers, a reaction to the pain due to excess sunlight that seemed to pour into every corner of the room. It occurred to him what had happened last night, and as his mind processed the previous events, he assumed that he must be in one of the many rooms at Genkais' temple. Actually, the more aware he grew, the more he came to realize rooms faint familiarity. If right, memories placed it as the same one he'd slept in while training under the old master, all those years ago.
His reason for dragging himself off of the comfortable pillow interrupted the de-ja-vu. Stumbling to his feet, Yusuke ran a hand through his mess of bed hair as he made his way to the bathroom, trying to ignore his raging headache as he did so.
"I see you've finally graced us with your presence, you lazy drunk."
"Can it old lady. I gotta piss."
Genkai may have given him a response, but if she did, he didn't hear it. When the relieving business had been well taken care of, he opened the door to see her sipping tea silently, apparently deep in thought. He sat, legs crossed, on a mat in full view of her.
"So. Some party last night."
Her eyes were closed in what Yusuke could only assume to be some sort of meditation, but being the considerate lady she was, she still managed to huff out, "Yes, you and the idiot were able to empty my entire supply of sake. You should be proud of yourselves."
"Where is Kuwabara anyway?"
"Gone." She took another sip of her tea, "Fool forgot he still had school today. He's lucky Yukinas' kindness got the better of her and woke him in time to not be late."
"I'm sure Kazuma's excitement over your return just made him forget, Yusuke. All of us are happy to have you back." Yukinas' tender little voice spoke as she entered from the other room, having caught the last bit of the conversation. She smiled, and Yusuke took notice to how much more human she'd become. Her hair was twisted into a clean little braid, and she wore loose, modern clothing. He was pretty sure it was the first time he'd seen her without her tiny blue kimono on, or maybe she'd been wearing normal clothes yesterday too. He couldn't quite remember.
"Oh, hey Yukina, what's up?"
" I was just preparing some lunch for me and Genkai. Would you like anything to eat?"
"Yeah, sure." He blinked after her as she smiled and turned back towards the kitchen. She really was a very kind girl. "So, what's up with Hiei? He tell his little secret yet?" Yusuke murmured as he eyed the kitchen, the sounds of cooking rising from it.
"No. He's a fool to think she doesn't already know though." Genkai spoke, her tone suggesting she held little interest for the conversation.
"What! She knows?" He averted his attention back to the martial artist, his eyes wide as he stared at her, "Did you tell her?"
Genkai gave off another huff, as though the thought was ridiculous, "Of course not. It's none of my concern if Hiei wants to hide from her. The girl figured it out on her own, I can tell by the way she looks at him. She's just waiting for him to come to his senses."
"Huh…" He crossed his arms against his chest, looking to the ground as he muttered, "Guess I've missed a lot while I was gone…"
The old master opened her eyes, looking at him silently with an odd, wise gaze. A few moments passed before Yusuke noticed her scrutiny, and his face grew uncomfortable, snapping at her in an aggravated tone, "What?"
She closed her eyes again, raising the cup to her lips, "Hmpf. Nothing."
He scowled, shouting as placed his hands on his knees and leaned towards her, "You crazy old bat! What is it? Why has everyone been giving me weird looks since I got back?"
"I see your temper hasn't changed in your absence. Too bad. I hoped all the ass kicking you got would have taught you to watch your tongue."
Before Yusuke could give his response, Yukina entered the room, carrying two trays of food stacked on top of each other. She paused, bowing her head slightly as she spoke, "Oh! I'm sorry…am I interrupting?"
"Not at all Yukina. Come on in." Genkai spoke, her tone warmer as she set down her cup.
The koorime nodded, walking gracefully as she balanced the trays, and sat on her knees next to Genkai first, serving her food in an almost professional manner. She then moved onto setting Yusukes tray down in front of him, her red eyes looking up at him cautiously, "I'm afraid I don't know what sort of food you enjoy, Yusuke. I hope this will do."
He looked down at her, a bit at loss of how to respond, then smiled, lifting his chopsticks and tucking a large piece of meat in his mouth, chewing blissfully as he mumbled in a happy tone, "Mmm! It's delicious!" He swallowed, speaking more clearly this time, "Some of the best food I've ever tasted!"
Her young, pale face lit up at the compliment, "Really?"
"Definitely!" Yusuke took another bit, as though to emphasize his words, "Kuwabara's one lucky man!"
Yukina shook her head, "Oh no! Kazuma's a wonderful cook! He's made me dinner on quite a few occasions. He's really very kind."
"Oh has he now?" Yusuke snickered, unable to suppress the grin on his face. He could just picture it, Kuwabara in an apron, trying to move his way around Genkais' tiny kitchen, scratching his head as he tried to follow recipes that inevitably resulted in puffs of smoke. His snickering grew to outright laughter, "I'll have to have him cook for me sometime!"
She smiled, placing her hands in her lap as she said, "Keiko told me you're very good at cooking too, Yusuke."
His laughter stopped, nearly abruptly. Suddenly last night wasn't so foggy, the uneasy feelings of Keikos absence returning, "…She told you that, huh?"
Yukina nodded, her smile still in place, "She said you were the best! Kazuma has been teaching me what he knows about cooking, but from what Keiko says about your food, I would love to learn from you too." Her smile fell for a moment, adding quickly, "If that's ok, that is. I know you're very busy."
Yusuke grinned, puffing out his chest a little in pride and giving off a laugh, "The best? Well, can't argue with that. Sure, I'll give you some pointers some time! Like I said though," He took another mouthful of food, chewing before swallowing and giving her a big, satisfied smile, "Delicious!"
She smiled again, for his agreement more than the compliment, "Thank you, Yusuke!"
"Yukina, aren't you going to have anything to eat?" Genkai spoke gently before taking a drink.
"Oh! Yes, of course. Excuse me, please!" She said as she rose to her feet, making her way back to the kitchen.
Yusuke sat looking utterly pleased as he ate. So, Keiko had said his cooking was the best, huh? He knew she liked his cooking, she always ate it at least, but her responses were always a little bland when he asked her what she thought.
"I'll bet she was just jealous because I did something better than her for once!"He thought aloud to himself, and gave another snicker. Genkai paid no mind to him, so he kept going, chewing then swallowing then grinning, "I can't wait to tell her that I know her little secret!"
Well…His tone was soft as he thought to himself, I guess I'll have plenty of time to cook for her, now that I'm back…
The crone was silent, her eyes on her tray, acting as though the boy wasn't in the room. Once Yukina returned with her own food, the rest of the meal went on in comfortable silence, everyone too preoccupied with their own thoughts to contribute to conversation.
After eating, Yusuke stretched, standing as he spoke, "Well, thanks you guys, but I better get going."
"Your bag is by the door, Yusuke."
"Thanks Yukina." He walked to the door and swung the bag over his shoulder, pulling on its straps, "Bye kid, later Granny!"
"Hmpf. Get out."
"Be safe!"
With a laugh, he waved and started his way back home to his apartment. Once entering the city, he was pleased to find that only a few people turned their heads in fright at his mere presence. Yusuke supposed that the junior high school students that had once trembled at his very name were either over him or forgotten him completely while his was away, which was fine. Let the crown of delinquents be passed down already, he'd worn it long enough.
The young man paused, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Sarayashiki Junior High School stood in front him, deserted, for the most part. The sound of whistles being blown as couches trained their athletes behind the school was the only thing that piercing the otherwise quiet grounds. A couple of young girls came out of the building, giggling as they carried a couple of flutes with them. They chatted happily and paid no mind to Yusuke as they passed him, and didn't notice when he looked after them, his lips pressed in a hard, thin line.
The Urameshi family wasn't good at this, the whole emotional thing. His mother always kept a safe emotional distance from life itself, and his father had went and scrammed out of town when he was faced with an emotional challenge. Yusuke, too, never handled emotion in the best way, and wasn't so great at the maturity thing either. Still, somehow, he had managed to do it. He had matured, everyone around him had.
For a moment, Yusuke wondered mildly if he should go back. Get the education society said he had to have, now that he knew everything that he should of known back then. Now that he had ruled a demon country, now that he had saved the earth more times than once.
He dropped the idea almost as quickly as it had formed. Stupid.
"Yusuke!"
So close to getting away, and here he thought he would be able to get through the entire town without someone calling attention to him. Yusuke sighed and turned back towards the school, surprised to find his old teacher walking towards him. It brought back memories.
"Oh, sorry. What'd I do now? Ditch school, steal someones lunch money? Or maybe I finally beat the shit out of Akashi, that would be nice." He grinned to the older man, taking a sort of sick pleasure in the way he shook his head in disappointment.
"Still such a punk…" The man mumbled before allowing a smile on his old, wise features, "Then again, maybe that's just all part of the act."
"What the hell are you talking about Takenaka?" Yusuke scowled at him. That geezer always did know how to frustrate him, ever since he was young.
The teacher looked back towards the school building, as though in thought, "I heard you went to America. Got in too much trouble here, so you had to start over, in another country, no less!"
Ignoring the youngsters' huff, he continued, "I saw you while I was up in my office, staring at the school. I wasn't sure it was you at first, to be honest. You still look the same, but not quite. No…the way you stood, the look in your eyes was much different than before."
Yusuke shifted, a bit uncomfortable. Takenaka looked back to him, one brow lifted in an almost amused gesture.
"Yeah, well-"
"I never thought you'd make it to 18, Yusuke." The older man interrupted him, his tone tight and serious.
It was these kinds of conversations that Yusuke hated.
"You were just such a troubled kid…" He ran a hand over his stiff, graying hair, "I always hoped you'd make something of yourself, but I never had faith that you would. I always assumed you would be killed in some kind of gang involvement. Then you went and died for a little boy, and by some miracle, came back to life!"
Yusuke sighed, growing agitated. The old man had no idea what that day had actually been for him.
Before he could open his mouth and say anything though, Takenaka was at it again. He seemed to be rambling.
"Nothing had changed though! You were still such a troublemaker headed for disaster. Always disrespectful, always missing school…when your mother told us you were leaving, I thought to myself, this is it. The next time I see that boy will be at his funeral, and this time, he won't come back. I was entirely prepared to accept the fact that you would never be anything more than a delinquent."
"Gee, thanks."
"I'm not finished, Yusuke." He smiled, and his eyes crinkled, "Looking at you now, I see I was wrong. You lived, and to be completely honest, you don't seem to have turned out half bad." He laughed, an old, gruff sound, "Look at you! Now that's the stance of a man, of someone who can do something in life! I don't know what you went through in America, Yusuke, but I'm glad you did. It saved your life. I truly believe that."
Yusuke blinked, his mouth twisted in a grimace, slowly morphing into a grin. So, fighting demons and risking his life on numerous occasions actually saved him, huh? Interesting.
"Crazy old man." He smiled as he said it, meeting his eye. A sort of respect sat just underneath the layer of insult, and in the back of his head, he noted how, for once, the teacher was right. When he looked at Takenaka now, he wasn't looking up. It was equal ground.
The man who had spent countless school hours trying to knock some sense into that thick of Yusukes gave a little smirk. He wouldn't need to lecture him anymore.
Takenaka coughed, clearing his throat before standing a bit straighter, returning to his professional, but somehow warm, tone, "Well then. I suppose that was all I wanted to say. Now then, stop loitering around my school, !"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't have a heart attack, I'm going."
He could feel Takenakas' eyes on his back as he walked away. It seemed he did a lot of that, now that he thought about it. Walked away from the people that actually thought he could make it in life. He would of thought about it some more, if he had cared, but he didn't need their reassurance. Not anymore, anyway.
With a hand held tightly to the string of the bag still lugged over his shoulder, Yusuke continued his way towards home, walking a bit slower than usual. Now and then he noticed a new shop, and the owners would wave happily to him, hoping for a customer. There was something new. He smiled back, gave a short wave, but kept going. It was nice to have the option of going into a store without being glared at, at least.
He began thinking of what he wanted to do after he got home, since his mother would most likely be gone, and his head still ached a little bit from last night. Yusuke didn't want more sleep though. He'd had enough of that. Now was time to play.
"Wonder when Kuwabara gets out of school…" He mumbled, suddenly reminded of his old friend when he saw the form of a school girl waiting at the crosswalk, dressed in a loose, green uniform. Her hair was long and shined a very familiar shade of brown. Yusuke continued to stare as he walked, though his footsteps slowed a little with each second, until he was standing in shock, gaping like an idiot.
"Keiko?" He wasn't close enough for her to hear him, which was fine. Yusuke grinned, appraising her from afar while he could still get away with it. Keiko always did know how to grow in all the right places.
"Oi! K-"
"Keiko!"
Yusuke blinked, his hand halted in mid wave as he watched Keiko turn away from him, towards the voice that had called out to her first. It belonged to a young man wearing a similar, male version of her uniform. He couldn't hear them speak, but he saw each expression she made, a look of surprise as she stared at the panting boy.
It was odd, just standing there, watching the scene unfold before him. Yusuke couldn't recall ever having to deal with any guy friends of Keikos. She'd always stuck to her small group of female friends, and he had liked it that way. Now, watching as the boy offered her a large envelope, he wasn't exactly sure what the emotions rattling around his head were.
She pulled out a piece of paper from the envelope, and as she read, her mouth began to fall open and her brown eyes bugged. The expression of shock quickly switched to large grin as she threw her arms around the boys neck, causing a blush to race across his face. Yusuke didn't miss the grin that followed as he wrapped his arms around her. He could hear her shouting, a sound of glee as she hugged him, "I can't believe it! Hiroshi, thank you, thank you!"
He laughed, his reply not loud enough for Yusuke to make out the words, and suddenly Keiko was off of him, her hands folded in front of her as she looked down to the ground, nearly her entire face a nice, ripe red.
Hiroshi smiled down at her kindly. The crosswalk had already turned green, and he had the nerve to grab her hand, pulling her gently along with him.
Yusuke waited for Keiko to get mad and beat him, to give that little creep one of her famous power punches. She didn't though. Instead, she looked up, her surprise fading to a smile. Their fingers intertwined as they walked side by side, and from what he could see, it seemed very natural for them.
Yusuke stood, staring at their backs until they disappeared amongst the crowd. He felt his breath grow thick.
Keiko had never said she'd wait. The only word she'd given him was that she would introduce him to her new boyfriend. Somehow, Yusuke had forgotten that.
His body curved into itself, offering protection from the too-difficult-to-deal-with emotions ripping at his chest as he began to walk again. Suddenly there was no doubt as to what it was he wanted to do with his free time. Yusuke could already feel the liquor burning his throat.
At least his mother would have a drinking buddy tonight.
Authors Note: This was just a what-if situation that had popped in my head. It may or may not be continued depending on how people respond to it and if I myself feel like continuing it. Shout out some ideas if you want! =)