Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm Xaphrin-chan, and I'm here for your viewing pleasure!

This is my first ever 3X3 Eyes fan-ficcie! But don't worry, it's not my first fan-fiction period. Otherwise you'd go screaming in the other direction. 

I don't own 3X3 Eyes, (Ain't that obvious.) But I do own my own plot and sometimes I think I might own the brain that came up with the plot (Which may or may not be a good thing.) So Enjoy!

This story was brought to you by:

FRAKS INC.

Yeah… we'll do that!

Http://www.geocites.com/xaphrin

ENJOY!!

Come Back to Me 

Chapter One:

One Year, Two Hearts, Three Eyes

(January 12, 2003)

            It had been a year now. One full year. He tried to remember her… just the way she had been… before her flee in Hong Kong, before her sealed memory, before she sacrificed the safe, but false, walls that had told her she was Pa-bo, friends forever with Ken-Ken and Dawn-chan.

            It was hard to remember her like this… the way she had been before, so innocent, so naïve… so perfect in every way. The way her entire life was built around her wish to be human, her love for mortal life, her friends, and… Yakumo.

            He loved to think of her this way… it brought him the greatest joy that he could ever imagine… but only for a few miniscule seconds, and then harsh reality sunk into his skull like a cleaver. She wasn't there, and Yakumo hadn't the slightest idea when she would come back. Sanjiyan had told him that she would rest until Pai had awoken, how long would that be? One Year? Two Years? A century? A Millennium? An aeon? Yakumo didn't know. The only thing that he knew was that as long as he was alive, Pai was too… and that's all that mattered. After all, wasn't that a Wu's job? To protect his Sanjiyan at any cost?

            The phone rang, knocking him out of his reminiscence of things before. He looked over at it, silently wondering if he should pick it up, or let it ring until it died. Might as well pick it up… he didn't want to have to buy a new phone.

             "Moshi-Moshi?" He questioned.

             "Konnichiwa, Yakumo-kun!" A very light and happy voice said from the other end. Yakumo's lips split into a wide smile.

             "Konnichiwa, Pa-bo!"

            This time it was by accident that he met Pa-bo. He ran into her when he was in a marketplace and knocked her down. He offered to take her to tea in an act of remorse and was happy that she had accepted, of course Ken-Ken and Dawn-chan had to tag-along too. He didn't mind though, they were pleasant girls and all four of them quickly became friends. It was like his gang again….

            He could tell after a few months that Pa-bo was quickly becoming… attached to him, or more properly: attracted to him. She flirted and asked him to accompany her almost everywhere. He, being the softhearted guy he was, accepted and always took her places and such.

            After a while he quickly learned things about Pa-bo. There were ways in which she was so like Pai that it was heart wrenching, and then there were ways that couldn't be less like Pai. And there was more of the latter then the former. Pa-bo wasn't Pai, and Yakumo knew that, but sometimes it was as if his common sense told him he should forget Pai and go after Pa-bo. His heart always attacked his brain for thinking that though, he loved Pai. Their souls were entwined and would remain so until the day Pai passed away… and he would be forever with her.

            "Hey, Yakumo? Ken-Ken and Dawn-chan and I wanna go to the market place later, wanna tag-along?" Pa-bo's voice was pleading so much with him that he smiled. This wasn't something Pai would do, this wasn't how she sounded.

            "Hai! I'll tag-along, when and where to you want to meet?" He asked.

            "Oh, where heading over to your place now! Ken-Ken hasn't seen your new apartment yet, remember?"

            "Oh! Right!" He said. He knew Ken-Ken wanted to see his apartment, only because she was nosey, but he didn't care. It was fine with him.

            "Good, we'll be there in about forty-five minutes. Ja ne!" She cried happily.

            "Ja ne!" Yakumo said in response, then hung up the phone. His thoughts drifted swiftly back over the conversation and then darted to the first time he knew for sure that Pa-bo could never replace Pai.

            It was a dark night and Pa-bo and Yakumo had been out to see a movie, now he was taking her home. That's when she stopped him outside her door.

            "I want to give you something, Yakumo-kun."

            He smiled, knowing that Pa-bo was always writing poems or making him cookies or the like, and she always liked to make a big show of it too.

            "Hai?" He questioned, a smile on his face.

            "Close your eyes."

            He did so, still smiling.

            "Okay, Yakumo-kun…"

            And she kissed him. Very slowly and with a strange kind of lustfulness, that seemed tinted with love, but not the love that Yakumo wanted.

            He returned the kiss out of pity for the girl, he didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he didn't kiss her with the same passion. His passion was reserved for only one girl, and she had dark purple hair, dark fuschia eyes, and a personality that could spark light into anyone's heart.

            This girl that was kissing him was Pa-bo. Although she was adorable sweet, cute, and innocent, she wasn't Pai. Yakumo was reserving himself completely for Pai, and Pai alone.

            That was the day the Yakumo decided that there would never be a substitute for Pai, and he loved her… deeply. He wondered if all Wu's fell in love with their Sanjiyan… it could be a possibility.

            There came a knock on the door. 'That's odd, Pa-bo said she wasn't going to be here for a while. Must be the landlord,' He thought slowly. He stood up and walked to the door, expecting the landlord, but what he got knocked him off his feet.

             "P…P… Pai?" He whispered.

            Pai looked down at the ground, trying to hide her blushing cheeks. "Is Yakumo angry with Pai?"

             Yakumo's eyes opened wider in even more surprise. "NO! Why would I be!"

            "Pai has been gone for so long… has Yakumo forgotten Pai?" Her voice was like wind chimes and it made him want to grovel at her feet in the great hope that she would accept him.

            "Pai…" He took her into his arms. "Suki da."

            He felt her feeble attempt at trying to squeeze the life out of him and he smiled. "Are you mine?" he questioned.

            "Hai! Pai is Yakumo's! Pai is Yakumo! Pai is Yakumo!" She repeated over and over again. "Sanjiyan told Pai what happened when she woke up, and Pai came straight to Tokyo! Pai missed Yakumo so much, it hurt right here!" She pressed firmly on her heart. "Nani desu ka?" she questioned after a moment. Yakumo smiled, and once again marveled at her innocence.

            "It's your heart." He picked up Pai's hand and pressed it to his own chest. "Mine hurt badly too, when you were gone."

            "Is it all better now?"

             Yakumo smiled again and covered her hand on his chest with his own hand. "It's all better, now that you're here."

            "Pai loves Yakumo! Suki da!"

            "PAI!" Yakumo began to cry and he pulled Pai as close to himself as he could. Pai hugged him and nuzzled her face into his chest.

            "Don't be sad, Yakumo… Pai doesn't like it when you're sad."

            "I'm happy, Pai… I'm so happy that I can't stop crying."

            Pai looked up at him, her eyes bright. "Suki da." She whispered again. With that her present self receded and her third eye opened in the middle of her forehead.

             "Sanjiyan!"

            "Pai hasn't been this happy in a long, long, long time, Yakumo." Sanjiyan said, looking nonchalant, as if she always knew this would happen.

            "I know…" He smiled lightly at her. "I feel the same way. Are you happy to see me too, Sanjiyan?"

             Sanjiyan raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Possibly. That will never be information for you. Take care of Pai, you are, after all, our Wu."

            "I love Pai. I'll never let anything bad happen to her," Yakumo stated firmly.

            "Good, because if you do, you will see me a lot sooner then you think…" Sanjiyan spoke this almost malevolently.

            "That's a scary prospect." Yakumo said, chortling.

            "I know." Sanjiyan smiled at Yakumo. "Take good care of her, Yakumo."

            "I promise," He whispered.

             "Good."

            With that last word Sanjiyan receded and a sleeping Pai lay in Yakumo's arms.

            "Pai… I love you…"

            Pai's eyes fluttered open and her cheeks burned bright red. "Aiiya! Gomen ne! Pai didn't mean to fall asleep."

            "It's alright…" He smiled. "Pai?"

            "Hai?" She looked innocently up at him.

            "Can I… kiss you?"

            Pai's cheeks burned bright red at the word.

             "Kissu?"

             "Hai…" Yakumo said, feeling uncomfortable. Pai was making this a little to difficult for his tastes.

            "Can Pai kiss Yakumo?" She questioned, her own cheeks red.

             Yakumo didn't say anything, he pulled her close and kissed her sweetly on the lips. He felt her small form tremble, then hold onto him tightly, as if she were going to fall at any instant. He pulled away slowly not wanting to lose her kiss's feeling. It was as if everything was right and in it's right place. He knew that there would never be another Pai, and that was perfectly fine with him.

            "Suki da…" Yakumo whispered to her.

            Pai smiled, blushing. "Suki da."

              Yakumo swung Pai into his arms and twirled her around as if he were some handsome man in an old black-and-white love story. Pai giggled with glee and clung to his neck.

            "Pai is so happy that Yakumo is happy!" She snuggled deep into his embrace and Yakumo smiled.

            "I'm happy too Pai."

            She looked up at him, smiling. "How long has it been since Pai has been in Tokyo?"

             Yakumo smiled again. "Five years."

            "It's been so long…" She looked sad.

            "What is it, Pai?" He asked, concerned.

            "Pai is sure that everyone forgot about Pai…"

            "That's not true!" Yakumo stated firmly. "I could never forget you! I will never forget you!"

            "What about Ling-Ling and Mei? Did they forget about Pai too?"

            Pai's pleading face made Yakumo's heart tear. He didn't talk to the two that much anymore. He called them a few times a month, but there were no more frequent trips to Hong Kong. Instead he waited for a year for her, and before that he searched the world for her. But Pai was here now, maybe he'd better start going back to visit with the two.

            "They could never forget about you Pai. You're one in a billion!" He kissed her forehead and Pai looked up at him innocently.

            "'One in a billion'?"

             Yakumo smiled, "It means your very, very, very special."

            "Pai is special?"

            "My father told you that, didn't he? And I told you that before… you are special, Pai. There will never be anyone like you. Especially not here…" at this, he took her hand and placed it against his chest, right above his heart.

            Pai smiled, she took Yakumo's hand and placed it above her own. "There will never be another Yakumo for Pai!"

             Yakumo stared at his hand, pressed in between her breasts, he couldn't help but feel… something. He quickly pulled his hand away, then Pai looked at him innocently.

            "What did Pai do?"

             "Nothing! You didn't do anything, Pai… It's just… I shouldn't touch you…there." He said, his cheeks burning a bright red.

            She blinked. Then her cheeks flushed red after a second. "Gomen ne! Pai didn't want to make Yakumo uncomfortable!"

            "Pai, it's… fine…" He felt his cheeks go red again.

            "Pai felt a warmth in her heart again… when you touched me…"

            "Ai."

            "Ai?"

            "Hai… you love me Pai… and I love you… that is what makes that warmth…" He looked down at her, then, without warning, embraced her tightly as tears streamed down is face again. "Pai…"

            "Don't cry, Yakumo… or you'll make Pai cry… and Pai wanted to be strong for you today…"

            "It's okay to cry, Pai… they're tears of happiness…"

            Pai's eyes suddenly exploded with tears. "SUKI DA!!" She cried, grasping on to Yakumo's form. "Suki da, Yakumo!!"

            The door slowly, but suddenly, creaked open and Yakumo looked up at three forms, which stood there aghast at the couple before their eyes.