Turning Point

Chapter Nine: A Brief Reunion

The Yukimura ramen shop was bustling with activity as Yusuke made his way inside, a sign that good business may have Katsuhiko in a pleasant mood if he happened to spot his daughter's boyfriend. However, a bad sign was that a busy rush may mean that Keiko would have little time to see him.

He weaved his way through the crowds of tables, murmuring apologies where they were needed. He found himself seated in one of the stools in the far corner of the front counter, watching with a half-smile the brown-haired waitress who moved about through the restaurant with a self-assured grace. He really was a lucky guy, he mused silently as he gave his order for a small miso ramen to the waitress that came up to him, a new hire who didn't yet know him by sight.

His eyes inevitably strayed back to his girlfriend, who seemed all the more beautiful despite her harried appearance. Her expression of patient exasperation was invariably similar to the one she wore whenever she lectured or chided him for doing something stupid or inappropriate.

Her hair seemed even lighter now, near the end of her summer break. The effect of long hours under the sunlight produced a chestnut color, the long tresses pulled back into a hastily messy bun, spilling stray strands against the pale column of her neck. More wayward curls fell against her forehead, constantly having to be brushed away from wide, hazel-brown eyes that accented the pretty features of her face. She was nearly a head shorter than him, slim and petite. A tactile memory of just how perfectly her small figure fit into his arms washed over him, chased by a rather lecherous reflection on the softly-formed cures and swaying hips hidden beneath the apron around her waist.

His slight smile grew into a grin as he leaned back in his seat, awaiting his ramen as he made a mental note of the fact that he would never dare to say any of this aloud. He told her often she was beautiful, of course, but any of the rest was sure to earn him a slap worthy of addling his brains or a swift kick to a place that would ensure they had no more children beyond the one she carried within her.

His smile slowly faded, taking on a more thoughtful air. What would she be like, when that lithe swelled with the weight of their child? Would she be like those tired women sometimes saw in his neighborhood, harried and heavily burdened, or would she be as ecstatic as he was sure to feel, healthy and happy and more beautiful than she had ever been as she carried life in her womb?

As if to respond to his private reflection, Keiko turned her head, her eyes filling with excited recognition as they met his. Her nonchalant expression warmed with a welcoming smile, and he greeted her with a cocky smirk and a wave. She mouthed a quick "just a second" as she turned back to the customers she had been serving, called back to the kitchens to tell her father she was taking a break. She took off her apron and grabbed Yusuke's hand as she moved passed him, giving him just enough time to grab a last bite of his ramen before she tugged him through the door leading to the back room.

After making sure the door closed behind them, she whirled back to face him, eying him with a mixture of wariness and excitement. She chewed on her lips fretfully, her hands folded behind her back, offering him a tentative smile. She spoke softly, hesitantly. "You might think this sounds ridiculous…I mean it's only been a few days, but I I've missed you so much." She flushed, shaking her head self-consciously. "Okay, I must sound like a love-sick schoolgirl, but I meant it, so I can't take it back."

"Doesn't sound so much ridiculous as completely sappy," he said as his mouth stretched into a full, teasing grin, "Would it make you feel better if I felt the same?" He opened his arms invitingly, watched as her arms brightened and she practically leapt into his embrace.

Her slender arms twined around his neck, her body pressing into his. As he brushed a kiss to her temple and pressed his face to her hair, a feeling of utter contentment washed over him. As she said, in those few days that had passed since seeing her, the lack of her presence had been a powerful, almost tangible sensation, an ache of not having her there with him, of needing her beside him. This was his haven, his solace, having her resting so peacefully in his arms.

"I'll make us even," he murmured softly, "In danger of being sappy, I gotta say that I've missed you so much it hurt."

A soft sound escaped her, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and she caught his hand in hers, not missing his slight wince. With an almost motherly air, she cradled his larger palm in hers, lifting their joined hands to her eye level. Her face clouded with concern as she took in his bruised knuckles, the half-healed scrapes brazenly red against his skin. She pressed the lightest of kisses to the abused knuckles, watching as his fingers twitched, entwining with hers. "Why didn't you have it treated?"

The memory of his pain, of helplessly watching him slam his fists into the concrete of her front stoop as her father slammed the door in his face, was a raw wound inside both of them, and she winced at the recollection. "I didn't think it needed it," he muttered, his eyes darkening with unspoken emotions as he looked down at her, "Let's talk about it later, okay?"

She nodded as she leaned closer to him, pressing her face to the crook of his neck, breathing in the familiar smell of him, a mixture of sweat of a subtle scent that was entirely male. Her curiosity piqued, she slipped her hands beneath the denim of his sleeveless jacket, felt the way the thin material of his t-shirt clung to his damp skin, feeling his muscles tense and knotted beneath her touch.

She drew back enough to look him in the eye, leaned up to press a light kiss against his lips, the texture of the near-invisible stubble along his jaw, rough against her skin.

"Hmm, you've been working at the construction site in this heat?"

Yusuke nodded, loosening his hold as he rolled back his shoulders, as if the mere mention of it made him aware once more of the muscular ache caused by the physical labor he did for a living. "Yeah, I've been putting in extra hours for Watanabe. The man's a damn slave driver, I swear."

Keiko's mouth thinned into a frown. "Extra hours? I thought you were planning to quit. You've always complained about how hard the work is…"

"I know, I know. But it pays well. I'm going to take jobs from Watanabe as long as I can, at least until the winter."

She shook her head as she reached up, fingers kneading the tense cords of muscle in his neck. He sighed softly, muttering quiet words of gratitude as her touches took on a stroking motion. She gently skimmed her fingers down the sensitive skin of his neck, sifting through the fine hair at his nape. "Yusuke…you don't have to work a job you hate so much…I couldn't ask that of you…"

He gazed at her through hooded eyes, one of her hands, continuing to gently stroke his hair, the other coming to rest against the side of his face. He brushed against the palm cradling his cheek. "I'm asking it of myself, Kei. I have to prove it to myself, to you, and to Jii-san that I can take care of you," he quietly sighed, "This is just something I need to do."

She stared at him for a few more moments, and then reluctantly nodded. She slid seamlessly against him as he hugged once more, his arms wrapping around her, her head coming to rest against his chest. She felt solid muscle beneath her cheek, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat audible to her, both sensations serving as a strong, steady reassurance. "Alright," she whispered to him, "Do what you need to, koi. Just don't kill yourself doing it."

In her voice, was a whisper of old pains, old hurts she had experienced when she had left alone in pursuit of what he thought he needed, all those times he had been selfishly pushing himself to the very edges (and beyond) of what he could take and remind blind to the pain she felt in the worry he caused her. He tightened his arms around her, kissing the curve of her neck. "I promise. I'll never be that stupid again."

The resolve in his voice as strong and unwavering, resounding strongly despite its lack of sound in those minutes of silence as they simply held each other, savoring the presence they would have to do without. Her head moved against his shoulder, tilting upward to meet his eyes. "I almost forgot. My mother scheduled my first doctor's appointment."

His interest piqued, he glanced down at her. "When is it?"

"Monday morning."

His brow furrowed as he frowned. "The first day of school?"

"Yes. It's the only day we could get with Takaya-sensei."

"Takaya…he's your family doctor, isn't he?"

"Hmm-mm…"

She chuckled softly. "I remember. We were…six, I think. You were mad as a hornet when Daddy wouldn't let you in my room. You kicked his shins black and blue until he let you in."

He grinned. "Yeah, then I got sick too and spent the next week at your house in bed." He nodded decisively before leaning his head against her. "Takaya then. He's alright for an old guy. He got you better then."

She giggled. "Glad you approve."

"Of course, I'm the daddy. I've got to approve."

"Yusuke?"

"Hmm?"

She bit her lip, glancing up at him hesitantly. "You like that idea, don't you? Of being a daddy?"

She smiled, lacing her arms around his neck as she kissed him, a quiet, languorous contact, a soft press of her mouth to his, deepening as he gently pressed her back against the wall. His body molded into hers in a way that sent a thrill down her spine, slowly stirring a heat between them.

His hands stroked her sides, eliciting a startled gasp from her as they skimmed upward to just barely brush the curve of her breasts in a ghostlike caress. She clutched at his shoulders, burrowing further into his embrace as the warmth and feel of him enthralled her, called to her, and beckoned her closer to the edges of loving passion.

They parted reluctantly at the need for breath and she sank back bonelessly against the door. She consequently pulled him down with her, his arms locking around her, his body a firm weight against her as his face pressed to the crook of her neck.

He refused to remain idle, lips beginning to trail light, fleeting kisses down her collarbone, and she tangled her hands in his hair, angling her head to give him better access.

The moment his tongue flicked against her sensitized skin, something jarred her back to awareness, a hint of rationality breaking through the fog of pleasure. She gently but insistently shoved at his shoulders, fighting down her reluctance in favor of common sense.

"Yusuke, matte," she whispered, tilting his head up, "Stop." As he looked at her with hazy, confused eyes, she sadly shook her head. "You know we can't. Not here, of all places."

He heaved a heavy, dramatic sigh, but he did obey, straightening from where he levered over her to look at her with a hint of humor in his eyes. "You're probably right. We don't want Jii-san finding me in here and chasing me out of his restaurant with a shotgun."

She couldn't help herself as she laughed softly, pressing her lips together to keep from protesting when he drew back a respectable distance. Foolish as she was for wanting right now, there was nothing she could do to help herself. Because gods, did she want to be close to him, but they seemed to have a habit for wrong time and place. Not to mention at this proximity, she didn't trust herself anymore than she trust him….especially with the way his eyes kept lingering on certain areas of her body, their mahogany orbs darkened with a look she was all too familiar with.

"I don't think Daddy owns a gun of any kind, but he was eying the kitchen knives strangely this morning."

"A kitchen knife then." He grinned and she returned it, glad to see him relaxed, glad that they could smile and laugh together, tease and touch and just e close again. She had been struck by a fear that the tension of the past few weeks had been so tiring and drawn out. So much so it had begun to seep into their very beings, taking away who they used to be. But she looked now into his eyes, and she saw the same self-confidence, the same love, the same mixture of gentleness and bravado that made him Yusuke.

She reached out, laid her hand against his cheek, and smiled softly. "As much as I hate to say it, speaking of Daddy, you should probably go, Yusuke. I'm sure he saw you come in, but I doubt he'll be happy about us back here alone for so long."

Yusuke leaned into her touch for a moment, closing his eyes, and her heart melted at the sight. He suddenly seemed so young in those few moments, vulnerable in a way she often felt when encased in his arms, surrounded by the strong, masculine presence that made up who he was. Her heart ached as she was reminded of the boy he had been. Her heart swelled as she thought of the man he had become.

He opened his eyes, and nodded, drawing away as she let her hands fall. Seeing her uncertain look, he smiled reassuringly. "I almost forgot. I wanted to ask if you were going to Genkai's tomorrow."

"Are you?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I wasn't going, with everything that's going on, but Kuwabara cajoled me into it."

"I didn't realize Kazuma-kun was so persuasive."

"Yeah, well…I did promise the old hag I'd come this time. Besides…" His face grew serious, disconcerted. "We have to tell everyone sometime."

She smiled weakly, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hai, we do have to do that, don't we?" She leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'll be there. I promised Yukina-chan and Shizuru-san that I would."

"Alright." He cupped her face in his hands, drew her mouth to his in a quick but thorough kiss, swallowing audibly as he drew back a few moments later, his eyes shadowed. "Ja, Keiko."

"Ja, Yusuke. Take care of yourself."

"The same to you."

xxx

Koi: term of endearment, meaning "love"

Matte: wait

Jii-san: short for ojii-san, uncle or grandfather

-sensei: honorific generally referencing a teacher, also used to address those in other professions such as doctors

Ja: short for ja ne, "see you" or "see you later"