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Always and Forever

Chapter 2: I Never Knew

"Botan?? How is K-Keiko?" he asked again, this time his voice more urgent.

"That's why I came to see you Yusuke...I came to tell you...that Keiko....she's....dead.."

"She-she got into a car accident....." Botan whispered quietly.

"B-but how? How could she die?......in a car crash? But......why? Why!" Yusuke grabbed her by the shoulders. "How could you let this happen Boton?! Why didn't Koenma stop it from happening!? He HAS the power! w-why?" his voice cracked, as he lightly shook her.

"Yusuke......their was nothing we could do. I-I'm so s-sorry. She wasn't suppose to leave like that......" Tears streamed down her face as she said this. Yusuke loosened his grip on her shoulders. He stepped back a bit, trying to regain his composure, but it was no use. With out warning, he sank to his knees, his body shaking in silent sobs. His mind was a blur as he sat there, and the only thing he could mutter, was why?

'Why? Why did she have to die like that? How could she die.....How could this happen? And I-I wasn't even there to see her once more....why? Why couldn't I have been there? I could have stopped it......I could have saved her...' His head was spinning as he tried to process this all.

He heard a quiet thump, as Botan slowly slumped to the ground. She brought her knees to her chest, and hid her face in her arms. This was hard for her too.....Keiko was her best friend...

"Botan?" Yusuke said, his voice stiff. She lifted her head to look at the former Spirit Detective. His face a most melancholy expression. "Take me to Koenma." Botan was slightly scared as she saw the hard, determine look in his eyes. His eyes.....his once laughing brown eyes that were so full of life, now cold and fearful. She nodded. She understood why he wanted to see Koenma-sama. But she was also afraid of what he might do if he did.

Botan pulled her oar out of hammer space and hopped on, her legs dangling over one side. Yusuke grabbed the tail of it, and they were off.

Botan smiled and closed her eyes as the cool breeze caressed her once tear stained cheeks. It felt so good to fly, she felt like...she was free. And it also brought back so many memories.....memories of when she first became Yusuke's assistant, and she first took him flying. He was such a punk back then! Even at the age of 14, he was smart beyond his years, and always so sure of him self! If In need, he was always there to help, and he never backed down from a challenge. He would face it head on, and he would win. Always.

But now....years from then.....who was he now? Was he still a hard headed boy who believed that you could do anything if you tried? Was he still the playful high school boy who loved to flip girls skirts? Was he still the green clad punk that they had all come to love? Of this she did not know. After he left to train, the group of friends sort of....separated. She had lost track of time after he left....because he never came back. Hiei and Kurama also came to the Makai, but she did see them sometimes. Once in a while, when she was in the human world, she would see Kurama, running from his ever persistent group of fan girls. And when ever she saw Kurama, she also noticed a shadow who was never to far behind the red head. It was Hiei of course; those two could never be separated for long.

Yukina was still living with Genkai, at her temple, and she often saw Kuwabara there too. He had just finished college, and was currently looking for work.

And Keiko......she had also just finished college, and she was a second grade teacher. And what a wonderful teacher she was! All her pupils adored her, and she them. She loved kids...and some day, she wanted some of her own. She would have made an excellent mother. ....But she never found the right guy.......and honestly, Botan thought maybe Keiko didn't want too.....

Botan turned around to check on Yusuke, who had been silent this whole time. His face was solemn, and he seemed to be in great thought. What was he thinking of? What did he plan to do once they reached the Reikai? Only time could tell her that.

"Koenma-sir?"

"Yes ogre?" Koenma answered, with out looking up from his paper work.

"Botan and Yusuke are here...." he responded nervously.

"Ah, good. Let them in." The young ruler pushed his work aside, and turned his attention to the two front doors of his office. With out warning, they slammed open, and their Yusuke stood, his brown eyes burning with hatred.

"Yusuke. Long time no see." Teenage Koenma said casually, earning a glare from the former spirit detective. "Not that I'm surprised by your visit, I knew sooner or later you would have to come and chat with me...."

"You know damn well why I'm here Koenma!" Yusuke affirmed. "I'm here because Keiko is dead, and as far as I know, you didn't lift a finger to stop it from happening. Koenma......why? why did she have to die? she was so young....."

"Actually, she wasn't. She died not as the 16 year old you left all the years ago, her 24'Th Birthday was just last month." Koenma corrected him.

"She was 24? I've been gone for....."

"Yes, you left exactly eight years ago." He finished for him. Yusuke plopped into one of the chairs in front of Koenma's desk, and ran his hands through his raven hair. "Eight years? I had no idea I've been gone that long....." he muttered.

"Time isn't really an issue in the Makai, is it?"

Yusuke shook his head. No it wasn't. So......that meant......that he was also 24....it was hard to believe that eight years of his life had gone by, and it didn't even seem like half of that. "Back to what we were just talking about; Keiko is dead."

"I'm aware of that Yusuke." Koenma reminded him.

"Yes I know you know, but what I want to know, is why? Why did she have to die? and in a car crash? Koenma.....you control whether or not a person lives or dies, so why did she have to die!? She was so young in her life....she could have gotten married....had kids, why did you take that all away from her? Why did you have to end something as pure and beautiful as her?!" Yusuke was screaming now.

"Yusuke!" Koenma also raised his voice. "Don't you dare come in here and pretend you know what kind of life she lived! You left her eight years ago, and so much happened in that time!" Yusuke was confused, so he quieted him self.

"After you left, Keiko....changed. She....well.....she just stopped caring really.........Her grades went down, she wouldn't eat, she wouldn't sleep, she was a total wreck! And.....I saw her.......Botan and I left the Spirit world to go to the see her one night, and as we were outside her bed room window.....we saw her crying. She was standing in front on her mirror, tears streaming down her face. And all we heard her say before we left was her calling out your name.

"After that......things just got worse. She would slip in and out of day dreams......and she wouldn't speak. Every one could tell she was suffering.....from a broken heart." Koenma stopped to take a breath, than continued.

"For two years, she honestly believed that you were going to come back. She really, truly believed that you would keep your promise, and come back for her. But then, as her High School years were coming to a close, she finally realized.......it finally clicked in her mind, and her heart, that you obviously didn't care, and you wouldn't return. For her, or anyone else.

"After that, things got better. Though her grades had been slipping, she brought them back up, and she was accepted to numerous colleges. She chose one, and she began her work to become a teacher.

"She made many new friends, and for a while, she seemed to forget all about you, and you're past together. But one day, somewhere in her third year of school, a very attractive guy asked her out, and she said no. She was asked out again and again, but each time she turned them down. None of her friends could understand it; Keiko was a beautiful girl, but she wasn't interested in a relationship with anyone. What was she waiting for? Who was she waiting for? No one knew. Keiko was surprised too, what was she waiting for? These were the best years of her life, and she wasn't even taking any chances. But one night, as she was looking through an old photo album, she came across some pictures. Pictures of all of us. Her, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Yukina, Botan, me, Shizuru and you, together.......just hanging out. And she found some other pictures, that brought back so many fond memories. Hiei's first time eating ice cream, a picture of Kuwabara up to his neck in sand at the beach, Puu trying to fly for the first time.......so many funny pictures, that brought a smile to her face, and made her laugh......

"But one picture stuck out the most. It was of you and her when you were kids......you were pushing her on the swings, and you were both laughing. Then she found more pictures.....you two playing in the snow, at a Birthday party, and then their were pictures of you two as you got older. Their was even a picture of you flipping her skirt! And in all of them, you were both smiling. Well, except that one where you flipped her skirt..

"She then found one of you two........holding hands, and her head was leaning on your shoulder. At that moment, it dawned on her. The reason why she didn't wanna be in a relationship with anyone........was because she was still in love with you."

This hit Yusuke like a slap in the face. 'She l-loves me? I had no idea........all those years of misery......loneliness....was my fault? Did she really miss me that much....that she couldn't move on? She loved me?' he kept asking him self that. Some how, those words didn't seem to click in his mind. And saying them over and over wasn't helping much either. '...She loved me?'

"I never knew......" he whispered. 'I had no idea.......that she loved me....."

"Yusuke! You Know damn well that isn't true!" Koenma yelled in a ferocity that would rival his fathers. "You always knew how she felt about you! Since you were kids, she has cared about you more than anything in the whole world! You always knew she loved you; but I'm guessing you were too afraid to admit that someone did love you, and that you loved them back. Yes, you loved her. Don't try to deny it! Because then you would not only be lying to me, but your self.

"As for the reason she died, we had no choice! It was either that or.......never mind. It's not important." The little Enma rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. "Yusuke.....I am truly sorry that it had to be this way."

Yusuke nodded, and stood. "Where do you plan to go now?" he asked. Yusuke was about to walk away, but turned back and answered, "Home."

"Back to the Makai?"

"No. To my old home.....in the Ningenkai...." And with those last words, he walked through the two oak doors of the office, and left.

Botan, who had also been in the room while all this was said, wiped a tear from her eye, and walked over to her Boss's desk. "Koenma sir? Why didn't you tell him the reason why she died?"

Koenma sighed "I think it would just upset him more if he found out the truth."

"It's hard to believe......that a girl as wonderful as Keiko would actually have thoughts of suicide..." Botan whispered disbelievingly.

"Yes....knowing that she would eventually succumb to her sadness, and take her own life away, is to much to bear. She was going to kill her self.......and I thought that if she had to die, and she did, it would be better.........if we could just call it an accident.......If Yusuke had found out that she died, because she loved and missed him so much.........I don't think he would be able to take it. As strong as that boy is......his heart is still made of glass, just like every one else's....."

Botan nodded sadly. "But Koenma sir, what still bothers me is that we never picked up her soul."

"Yes this is a very strange case.....true, sometimes the souls of those who have died are restless, and are not so willing to come to the spirit world, but never before have we completely lost a soul! And our resources cant detect where she might be hiding.......this truly is a mystery......."

"So your not going to tell Yusuke about that either?" Botan asked him. "No. I don't think so. But Botan, I do think you should follow him back to the Human world, who knows what he might do!" Koenma thought franticly.

Botan nodded, and pulled out her oar. Together they walked out onto Koenma's balcony.

"Don't worry Koenma sir! I'll keep an eye on him!" she smiled. "Feels just like old times, doesn't it?" with one last smile she flew away.

Koenma frowned slightly. "That's just what I'm afraid of Botan.......that is just what I'm afraid of....."

(Tbc!)

Yay! Another chapter done!! Hope you all liked it! Also, I would liek to make a note on somthing. In the anime Yu Yu Hakusho, Yusuke does leave Keiko, and he does come back. As you can see, my story is differant, so I guess this is what other authors called AU. Alternate Universe. Or somthing like that, lol sorry If I'm wrong and that's not the correct term!

As bad as this may seem, everything I write has a meaning, so please be patient, read, and enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!! & HAPPY HOlIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!