FOREVERMORE
Have you seen the tree grows in its fullest?
How high it reaches up in the sky, as if longing to scope up the sun in its arms and trowel it in a hug…
How unendless this action seems to be… and as long as they inhere, they will cease not to do this…
Just my assurance to you… I will love you…. Forevermore…
Chapter 3: Keiko's Death
His heart was racing violently inside his chest, sweat pours out in his body. His breathing was rugged, and his skin was unusually pale. Detachment seems to overcome him, as his thought swayed only on the mahogany haired girl he left in the other domain.
His mouth was dry, and his throat was stale as if he is running out of water for days.
The feeling that submerge him into infinite unknown made him taut, knowing somewhere lies within another realm where that of licentious.
"Keiko…!" he mutters again, "Wait for me… onegai!"
*******
The wind howls in after nightfall, and the cold North wind blew fiercely on the wooden huge temple. The sky was dark, not a trace of diamond stars flicker in the sky and the crescent moon was covered by caliginous clouds in the vault of heaven.
The overview ocean knock its wave roughly on the seashore, and its dim water looks like a black fiery fire of the underworld as it continue its assault on the innocent boulders beside them.
Not a sound of night animals can be heard…
It was exceedingly quiet night, even to those who had been in the other zone.
The chocolate hair girl was still senseless. She was sleeping in a soft mat, oblivious to the chaos around her.
She was on a lavender kimono, her wound had stopped bleeding – it was already cast – but her heart beat were so week, one can consider her already dead. Her long fine hair was spreading around, and her once rosy cheeks were now deathly pale.
The small aqua hair girl was sitting beside her. Her delicate face was masked with worry; every now and then, she'll check her pulse.
The man in blue garments was quiet, analyzing the arcane situation.
The deity of death on the other hand was pacing restlessly in one corner of the room. The unnerving silence –atlas – infuriates her.
"I just can't take this! " she announce a matter of factly.
" I myself don't have a clarification with the plight…" Koenma rejoinder.
Genkai was sitting on one corner, calm as always, sipping her tea.
"K-Keiko can't linger any longer." Yukina interject, her eyes started to water.
"Don't you have an idea Koenma? What's the purpose of being a reikai prince and living for hundreds, or maybe thousands of years if your unaware of…" Kazuma retort frustratingly but cut short by his sister.
"Hush Kazuma, we are all thinking! There's no point blaming someone for something he did not do…"
"Demo…"
"No buts! Just be quiet!"
Kazuma sigh and looks fretfully at the slumbering figure and then to Yukina. He slumped down on the floor groaning.
Botan went outside, she was still uneasy. She looked around her, the shadow of the trees in the night were grotesque, but what's the use of her being an entity of reikai world if she'll easily get scared by the obscuration of trees.
She sucks a deep chilly air in her lung, inhaling the fresh burgeoning smell of the pines and flowers of the spring.
Her eyes were still crimson after weeping.
She hugs herself trying to shake the thought that she will bring another one of her closest friend in the spiritual world, wherein, after sometimes would be judge and later will culminate in permanence.
She took another huge breathe, then settle her mind in a more cheerful thought – that ends only in choked whimper.
*****
Two shadowy figures appeared in front of him; one, a tall red head and the other, a short man drab in black garment.
"You can't just leave the council just like that Yusuke, what in the world is wrong with you?' Kurama asked the dark haired half youkai.
"Get the hell out of my way Kurama, I'm in hurry!"
"Why can't you just settle down for a minute and tell us what's going on."
Yusuke closed his fist impatiently while looking at the two fiends infront of him. Hiei – as always had a boring, non-caring expression on his face, while the man with long mane of red hair had protruding eyebrows in question.
"Just…" but later shook his head, not really knowing what he'll say.
"Come on Yusuke, there's nothing you need to hide from us."
He stared at them, he just can't spare another minute, he believe at that moment time is very inestimable.
"Just get out of my way…."
"Demo..." Kurama stopped when he saw the seriousness that mask in his eyes, and the burning gaze that locked at them.
"We'll just go with you then…"
"Whatever."
In addition, with that they opened the gate that separates the two worlds.
"Stubborn human." Hiei complained just as he joined them.
*****
Botan saw a bright light coming down from the forested area below.
Who could it be? She wonders, knowing that someone just transgresses in between two worlds.
In time, Genkai and the rest excluding Yukina came out, sensing the familiar aura that's approaching them.
"K'sou, how the hell did he find out?" the carrot-top head say vehemently.
She saw three individuals approaching them, and at that moment, she cannot trace the emotion that flickers at the one in the middle.
"Where's Keiko?" Yusuke asked the moment he arrived at them.
Kurama looked apologetic, as if trying to atone for his companions' nonsensical behavior.
"Y-Yusuke…ano…" Kazuma started to utter.
The raven head man growl, "What?!" he asked him impatiently.
"She's inside." Genkai answered him peacefully.
Urameshi, Yusuke went pass at them, abruptly in his feet to get within.
"What happened anyhow?" Kurama asked them.
"Let's get inside." Koenma implied.
*****
Yusuke was already cradling the swoon girl in his arms when they came in. There's a dark look in his face. Yukina was in a distance, a still forlorn grimace in her shy face.
"What happen?" Yusuke started, venom was shred in his voice. His sight was focused on the filly in his arms.
Genkai retold the story as newcomer listens at her.
Later on, Kurama intersperse with a question, "In what way can't you restore her?"
"Just as I've said, there's a blocking force within her that thwart us." Genkai explained.
"Let me try." Kurama firmly uttered.
He approach them, Yusuke look at him with imploring gaze, "Onegai!"
He nodded in complete understanding, "She's also my friend, and I don't intend to loose a very good one. You don't need to beg."
Yusuke settle her back in the cot.
When Kurama set forth at his task, the same incident happened, but this time the fox ashura forces himself, not flinching at the mangle he's getting. He impetus a more powerful energy, nevertheless the coercion fracas bravely. The intensity was brawny, and the red head fox were thrown mightily at the bulwark.
Hiei stared at the whole predicament with solicit.
"Are you all right Kurama-kun?" Yukina asked him.
"I'm fine…" he riposte while trying to fix himself in a standing position.
Yusuke hasten at the girls' side.
"Keiko? K-Keiko… come on, wake up…."
He shook her shoulder, looking desperately. Tears started to swell in his eyes as he fondles the fragile body.
"O-Onegai… I'm so sorry…." He said in between tears.
Kurama's head were bending down, the same with Kazuma and Koenma. The old woman were frowning, while the rest of the female present were mourning.
The fire demon, Hiei, were leaning outside the room, eyes close.
A soft voice broke the mood.
"Yu-Yusuke…"
"Keiko?" The man inquired, staring tearfully at the half open eyes of Keiko.
"Go..Gomen!" she finally said.
"No, don't be."
"Just hold on…"
Pale cold hand reached out Yusuke's face. He clasped the hand, firming it on his cheeks, "Onegai…!"
Small ashy lips smiled at him, then tediously, the arms loose its fervor to hold on, as it slowly fall back beside her.
"No…!"
Dark clouds cover up the sky and the caterwauling of wind fortify. Enlarging feeble orb that brought illume in the night sky evanesce. The trees swayed upon, forcefully trying to fight back the impetus that striked them.
Heavy rain pours out like stone ice in the temple roof, splattering the luminous liquid in it.
Everything becomes tranquil, as it was before. On contrariety on the latter event, there's a loud scream that associates on the deafening silence. A screech of denial, and a loud moan of despair.
"Onegai… Onegai… don't go….*hick * … Kei-Keiko…"
A/N: Gomen if I took too long to update! R&R!
Disclaimer: I do not own any character here, they're own by Yoshihiro Togashi!