Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.
Chapter II
The Fools of Memory
- 5 months ago -
The world stopped. The line between right and wrong was slowly blurred. Moments lost its meaning, reason faded, and everything else lost its significance as time marveled at the beauty of their vulnerability. Nothing mattered.
Only her…
Only him…
Something was different this time around. They felt it. The skies could see it. The air could almost grasp it. Still, nothing mattered. Not the rain. Not the tree behind her back. Not the dirt beneath their feet. Not the lure of their unexpected fragility in a land walked by warriors and demons.
The scheme to spite her had long been forgotten, yet why he hadn't stopped was beyond him. She was yielding as he selfishly consumed the innocence of her supple lips. She tasted of wild fruit and floral, and to him, nothing could have been sweeter.
She welcomed his warmth in the middle of the pouring rain and wondered how he could fit her so perfectly. For a second, she forgot who they were as she basked in the fleeting reality in which there were no good or evil, allies or foes, spirits or demons.
After what seemed like an eternity, their lips parted, but neither moved. With just a hair's breadth away, he earnestly studied her face. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were parted, red and swollen. Without removing his hands from the tree behind her, he pulled away, just enough to put space between them.
Her hair glistened with dampness, and a strand had matted against her face. His gaze instinctively followed a droplet of moisture as it dribbled steadily from her cheek to her neck, and down to the hidden flesh under her kimono. He could see her chest heave with labored breaths, and he couldn't imagine anything more alluring at that moment. Seeing her in such a state, because of him, made him swell with pride.
Her eyes drifted open, and she found herself mesmerized by pools of the same hue. Although his face remained void of any emotion, his eyes burned with an intensity so unexpected and unknown that she couldn't help but shiver. Her mouth parted, but not a word came out. What happened moments ago had yet to sink in, but she knew something had changed—
"What have you been eating?"
—or not
In a flash, her dreamy look turned into irritation. She sneaked up and exclaimed on his face, "My breath smells just perfectly fine, you jerk!" This time, her cheeks flushed with annoyance. "And just to jog your memory, I never asked you to kiss me!"
Finally dropping his arms, he took a step back. He briefly eyed the female before inserting both hands in his pockets. "I never heard you complain," he said, looking as nonchalant as ever.
With an exasperated rumble, she retorted, "How could I when you were busy suckling my tongue!"
"Would you rather have me put my mouth somewhere else?" he asked, his eyes traveling down her form suggestively.
As if possible, she went a crimson deeper than before. "Pervert!" she screeched. "Arg, you're impossible!" She flailed her hands and stomped her feet in frustration before dropping down on the tree's massive root. "Look, let's just forget about it, okay?" With a sigh, she fixed her attention to the sky. "Anyway, what are we going to do now?" she asked, worry suddenly in her voice.
His gaze lingered on her for awhile, his eyes narrowing a fraction before he turned to the side. The rain showed no signs of slowing down, and a thick fog was closing in rapidly, obscuring everything in its path. Although it wouldn't make much of a difference to a demon with decades of experience, the ferry girl, on the other hand, would find it hard to trudge through the terrain in such conditions. "We'll wait," he replied without giving her so much as a glance.
A comfortable silence enveloped them, and she found herself stealing quick peeks at her companion. His face remained bare and she took the chance to learn the details of his profile. He was tall in stature, handsomely proportioned, and with a dignified stand. She never noticed it before, but there was an elegance in him that reminded her so much of a particular fox. It surprised her that she hadn't really thought of the other demon for awhile, not since this whole mission started.
Her days rarely went by without a single thought of the boy, and this new progress came as unexpected, but still thoroughly welcomed. A tiny smile graced her lips, and a somewhat fond look appeared across her face. It's because of him, she realized as she continued to watch the silent demon. Or rather, his annoying ways that had gotten her so caught up that everything else seemed irrelevant. She touched her lips at the memory. 'And perhaps that too…' she thought in mild humor.
He was well aware of her scrutiny, and a part of him was pleased at her open interest in his person. However, the other half was rather uneasy, as her gaze made him feel things he hadn't felt before. He almost released a relieved sigh when he felt her eyes pull away. The sound of precipitation was unexpectedly soothing as he let himself unwind. Before, he would have never even considered wasting his time on something so insignificant, but with his freedom only as short as their mission, he would willingly take this chance for a moment of temporary solace.
Lost in his thoughts, it was awhile before he noticed something rather unusual—the girl was awfully quiet. It was quite a feat itself, considering her relentless ranting for the past hour. Curious, he turned to see what was interesting enough to have rendered her mute. However, he had not expected the sight of her sleeping, looking utterly innocent and vulnerable. She sat reclined against the tree with hands on her lap and legs slightly bent together to one side. His eyes unconsciously trailed to her lips, somewhat parted and glistening sinuously in the dim light. His eyes suddenly narrowed in displeasure.
He was man, and he had made his statement, but a new realization had suddenly weighed down on him…
She was also a woman.
There were a few in life he deemed important, his family, his friends, and then there was her. She was perhaps the only female, apart from his mother, he had ever allowed within his guard. She was a pleasant remembrance of his early youth, one of the first perks that made him realize the simple joys of human existence. He still remembered the afternoon she had confessed of innocent affections he had purposely declined. He had done it for her sake. In his world, he was a hunted man and their ties would have only made her a target of his past.
In a last effort to protect her, he had erased her memories, knowing she would be better off without the knowledge of who he was, and what she meant to him. He had not seen her ever since. However, he had not predicted the turn of events, or had simply misjudged the complexity of the threads of fate that had weaved their paths away only to be reunited. It had been seven months since she first stepped through the gates of Tokyo University, and a month since she had his full and undivided attention.
Today was just one of those days when they would spend their time reveling in the small comforts of each other's company. They had been walking quietly along the lake when her pace increased, leaving him on the trail, before she suddenly stopped. "Maya?"
He was about to reach out to her shoulder when she spoke, "Tell me, Shuichi, have you ever been in love before?"
He drew a confused look. "What's with–" "Please, just answer the question," she interjected, and he noticed how her hand had curled into a fist at her side.
"No," he replied. "But I had been close once, a long time ago."
He saw her relax, and for a moment, she was silent. "What happened?" he heard her ask.
"I let her go." He turned his head to the side, reminiscing at the scene of two lovers in a boat whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. "Being with me would have only cost her pain." He heard a sudden intake of breath. He turned his attention back to her, finding it rather amusing how he was talking about her as if she was another person.
Then, when he thought she had decided to drop the matter aside—"That's not true," she began, and his eyes slightly widened in surprise. "I'm happy whenever I'm with you," she spoke, finally turning to face him. "I'm sure she could have been happy too." Her eyes found an empty spot on the ground. "I don't know why, but it feels like I've known you all my life. I've never felt anything like this before," she said before hesitantly meeting his eyes. "I love you," she gallantly declared.
She patiently waited for a reaction, but she found herself disappointed when he remained silent. She bit her lip while she tried to mend her broken dignity with a feigned smile. "Y-you don't have to say anything, I'm just glad that I was able to tell you. Thank you for listening, I'm sure this is nothing. I'll probably forget about it anyway, so don't worry, I—I won't bother you anymore—"
While she was busy stammering and looking at anything but his face, she failed to notice him closing their distance. It was only when he grasped both her shoulders that she finally took notice and halted from her endless stuttering. "Stop," he had whispered.
Her lips froze and parted at his sudden proximity. "S-shuichi?"
The hands on her shoulders slid over her back before taking her within the safety his arms. "Always stay with me, right here by my side," he uttered.
She relaxed and returned his embrace. "Thank you," she spoke, burying her face further in his chest. She meant something to him, and that was enough, for now. Although he couldn't give her the words she wished to hear, she was satisfied knowing that from here on out, everything would be different. She knew, it wouldn't be difficult, he would learn to love her.
Somewhere in the endlessness of darkness, a lone figure was sitting on the ground heedless to all the anguished wailing of souls. His head was drooped down hiding his eyes from view, his legs extended and arms limp on his sides. Drifting in and out of awareness, he tried to focus while he blocked all thoughts away as his semi-conscious mind gradually deepened into a state of meditation.
Calm…
Balance…
A flash of amethyst—
His head jerked up. His peace and concentration, shattered. He bit back a groan. After they had gone their separate ways, he was certain she would be nothing but a fixation of the past. However, he was proven wrong when images of her relentlessly plagued his mind.
He cursed her, and he cursed his weakness. She was a disease that needed to be dealt with immediately. She had already made her way inside his head, and it wouldn't be long before she took a hold of his very core. No, he wouldn't let her. She had already done enough damage. With that thought, he stood up and disappeared through the shadows, carrying with him a vow to reclaim his sanity.
End of Chapter Two
