This was inspired in part by the elderly couples - the ones that have lost their partner after 30 plus years of marriage. It is truly like seeing a ragged half of a whole.
*Standard disclaimers*
Thank You
Take (March 1999)
~~~~~~
Thirty years and more go by
In the blinking of an eye,
And you are still the same
As when first you took my name.
Much the same blush now as then
Glimmers through the peach-pale skin.
Time (but as with a glove)
Lightly touches you, my love.
Stand with me a minute still
While night climbs our little hill.
Below, the lights of ears
Move, and overhead the stars.
The estranging years that come,
Come and go, and we are home.
Time joins us a friend,
And the evening has no end.
-Donald Justice, "On an Anniversary"
~~~~~~
It felt good to be doing this - almost like playing hooky, all those years ago. Yuusuke smiled, watching the fading sunlight caress Keiko's pert nose and full lips. Had it really been thirty years? It seemed like a blink of an eye, the intervening time a sweet dream.
The kids were minding the restaurant for them; Keiko had protested, but Yuusuke had finally convinced her to break habit for once. As he relaxed on the hill, Yuusuke was struck by how similar it felt to a scene some thirty odd years ago.
He had broached the subject of his leaving in his usual tactful manner. "I've become a mazoku…I'm leaving tomorrow." Keiko had looked at him, and her soft brown eyes had tugged at his soul, before turning to look out over the city.
Yuusuke looked at the woman and saw traces of the girl she'd been; time had changed her little. Keiko bore her years well, taking his sporadic trips to the Makai with resilience that Yuusuke could only admire. It was to her and the stability she offered that he returned time and again; the knowledge of a warm and loving embrace often kept him going when he was at the end of his strength. With a certainty that was rare for him, Yuusuke knew that if not for Keiko, his accomplishments would have meant nothing - over the course of their lives, they had become so intertwined that, should something ever happen to her, Yuusuke knew he'd be lost, despite their children's presence. She'd been his best friend, supporter, lover, motivation, and, the dark-haired man realized, he'd never once told her how much he needed her.
"Na, Keiko," he said, his tone light as he moved to stand behind her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he whispered into her ear, "Thank you." Two words, but they conveyed a wealth of meaning.
"You're very welcome Yuusuke," was the reply, but Yuusuke could hear the smile and happiness in his wife's voice. "It only took you thirty years to say that."
Yuusuke grinned at the tart remark. "Some things never change," he said, quickly stepping back and flipping up the hem of Keiko's skirt to peek underneath. "Like you penchant for white panties."
"Yuusuke no baka!" Keiko yelled, more laughter than anger in her tone. She made to slap him as he chuckled, easily evading her swing.
Other lovers smiled at the sight; a handsome man chased by his beautiful wife, their intermingling laughter bringing hope to those who saw them. Maybe love *could* survive the test of time.
~Owari~