Disclaimer: Happy Valentine's Day again, all! As usual, I've gotten back into the spirit of the holidays and had to write a fanfic for the love-y holiday! Special thanks goes out to my friend B-kun for suggesting a couple to write about. (Quite honestly, I was getting a bit tired of writing only RoyRiza fics…AS CUTE A COUPLE AS THEY ARE!) Now for the real point of the disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho or any of its characters, nor do I own the song "See Me Through," which is, of course, by the absolutely wonderful Rascal Flatts. Enjoy, all!
Waking up early for once, Yusuke stepped out onto the front porch of the dojo that now belonged to him and the rest of his team and their friends and relatives. It was just another one of the many things that he had to thank Genkai for, even though by a cruel twist of fate, they had to lose her in the process. But no matter. Life was as perfect as he had ever imagined it to be, and for once there were no damn demons to fight…other than the two rabble-rousers he lived with, of course.
He continued to stare out at their land, which stretched before him as far as the eye could see, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Keiko standing there with her usual smile, and she patted his shoulder tenderly as she said, "We've got breakfast ready. If you're going to keep up with Hiei going five miles into town for food today, you'll need all the strength you can get."
Yusuke just nodded, signifying that he'd be there in a minute, and watched her walk back inside. She was so grown up now, more like a woman even than she had been before. He could remember when Keiko was just a little four-year-old child with those enormous brown eyes too big for her face and teeny-tiny body in comparison to her big toddler's head. Now she was far more proportioned, her big head and eyes giving way to soft curves, including hips that swung gently as she walked.
He could also remember what he had been like as a child and young man, headstrong and (let's face it) an idiotic punk. Poor Keiko had tried so hard to tame him, each time without success. He'd been so selfish and self-serving that he'd done whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, with scarcely a thought as to how it might affect her.
Fortunately, things had been different since he got back from training in the Makai. When he'd surprised her there on that beach that was now a part of their life together, it had been the changing point in their relationship. He'd been far more attentive to her while still retaining his "tough guy" exterior, letting her know that he'd grown up at least a little bit in all his escapades. Even Hiei admitted -- though only to Yusuke -- that he had seen a change in him, a Yusuke who was more man than little boy.
"Thank the gods," Yusuke had thought with a smirk upon hearing this. "Maybe with that, Keiko will be more willing to forgive me when I mess up."
Before we met I was free
I never had to worry about anyone but me
Now that boy is gone and in his place
Is a man who needs to hold you night and day
So if I stumble or if I fall
Forgive me I'm just learning as I go along
After breakfast, Keiko and Yukina began to clean up, giving Shizuru a chance to be her usual nosy self. "So, Yusuke," she said as she lit up a cigarette, "what are you planning on doing for Keiko this Valentine's Day? Surely you'll be more original than my idiot brother. He's planning on giving Yukina flowers and let that be that."
"Hey! I haven't perfected the plan yet! I'm getting Kurama to make a special cross-breed for her!" Kuwabara said, continuing to grumble even as Yusuke began to talk.
"I'm not exactly sure yet," he replied. "And even if I did know what I was going to do, I wouldn't tell you, Shizuru. You're mouth is just as big as your ego, so I can't trust you. But don't you worry your pretty little head. I'll do something particularly special for her. She deserves at least that much for putting up with me all these years."
They heard Kurama give a chuckle, and when questioned he said, "Forgive me. I didn't mean any disrespect. It was more a chuckle of agreement. Even I in the short ten years that I have known all of you have seen how your relationship has progressed. Keiko was right there with you through the best and worst of times. Surely a more caring, compassionate, and enduring woman there never has been."
Yusuke had to nod at this. His redheaded friend certainly had a point. Keiko had seen him through a lot of crap in his life: from things as trivial as skipping a class to things as critical as fighting the most dangerous demon in the Makai. The girl had guts, that much was true. She would act sometimes as though she hated having to follow him around, but even she knew that everything he did, he did with her in mind.
See me through, see me through
This aching heart has come so far
To be with you, see me through
With angel eyes, just look inside
At all this love I never want to lose
See me through
Of course, with all those same things that he did, he knew that he also took a little piece of her heart with him, and not in a good way. Keiko had waited years for him, and he had been so sure that she would wait forever. What an idiot he had been! When he had finally returned, she had been on the breaking point, nearly ready to move on and try to forget him. He'd never forget how his heart had broken upon seeing her tears and hearing her call out, "Yusuke, you jerk! It's time for me to get what I want! I don't want to wait anymore!"
It had taken a lot of sucking up and general holding her to make her forgive him for all of that, but he had been more than willing to do whatever it took. He'd known about six months later that he was completely and totally forgiven when they were sitting together on the couch in his living room, his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder.
"Keiko," he'd said to get her attention. "I know I've done a lot of things that hurt you, whether I meant to or not. There was no excuse for all of it. I'm sorry for all of those things. I'm not a perfect man, and I need time to become the perfect man you deserve. Will you forgive me and give me that time that I need?"
She just laughed and said, "Yusuke, you idiot. You expect anything less? I waited for you for twelve years. A little while longer won't make any difference, as long as you're actually here rather than floating off to the Makai, where I won't see you for two years or more."
He'd nodded and said, "It's a deal."
I know sometimes I let you down
But I'm still getting used to having you around
And if I ever make you cry
There's nothing I won't do to make things right
I'm not perfect and that's for sure
A little time is all I'm asking for
Valentine's Day finally rolled around and everyone had cleared the dojo for the romantic evening that Yusuke had planned for Keiko. Kuwabara had taken Yukina into the city for a fancy dinner of their own; Shizuru had met up with some guy she'd met months ago; and Kurama and Hiei decided to meander about the woods like the good old days, saying it would be nice to spend a night outside again, catering to their basest instincts.
Yusuke and Keiko had their own private dinner with candles and roses, the whole shebang, and even she had to admit that he'd done a good job pulling it all together. Yusuke had never really been good at romance, insisting instead that a good date consisted of attending one of those demon cage matches he'd become so fond of. But this…this was perfect.
He took her hand from across the little table and said, "You've seen me through a lot of stuff, Keiko. You've been my best friend through thick and thin, staying by my side no matter who turned against me. You literally brought me back to life with a kiss. You waited for me for years when I was just a rolling stone. And I think that you've waited enough."
"Meaning what?" she asked, assuming he meant nothing more than he felt as though he'd become that perfect man he'd wanted to be.
Yusuke just smiled and replied, "Meaning that I want you to marry me." Taking advantage of her stunned silence, he kissed her hand and added, "Will you see me through the rest of our lives?"
See me through, see me through
This aching heart has come so far
To be with you, see me through
With angel eyes, just look inside
At all this love I never want to lose
See me through