Disclaimer: I don't own any YuYu Hakusho characters!
Authoress' note that YOU MUST READ!!!: For your information, this is the sequel to my other one shot called "Humanity", read it if you want, and please review for this fic… thanks!! -
"Please make sure your trays are in an upright position, we will be leaving Japan shortly, thank you," the voice of the stewardess came through the small speakers on the plane.
A young woman looked up from the book she was reading, her icy blue eyes tinged slightly red from tears. She sighed as she adjusted the large, round wire rimmed glasses on her nose. Silently, she folded closed the worn paper back book and placed it on her lap, leaning her forehead against the small plastic window.
The scenery of the landing strip slowly began to move as the plane began its long trip back to America, the girl's homeland. She closed her eyes, her nose just barely touching the minuscule window's surface. The girl's face was calm and relaxed, and her breathing deep and calming.
While she was serene, the young man sitting next to her was anything but. His slender hands gripped the arms of his seat with a vigorous energy, his knuckles seeming to glow white. His hair was messy, many stray strands falling into his chocolate colored eyes, which held a slight look of anger, like a fire slowly smoldering.
"You look tense, Riles," the girl noted, looking at her companion. He was older than her, as she looked around 15 years old, while he must have been at least 18 years of age.
"Well, you would be a wreck too, if you had to go through that," he replied curtly in a gentle British accent. His voice was slightly breathless; his cheeks flushed red from exhaustion.
The girl just stared at him curiously. In all the time she had spent with him, she had to yet to have seen him so… chaotic. His right hand shot up, as he wiped large beads of sweat from his brow, and he took a deep steadying breath, then his hand proceeded to quickly scratch the back of his head, only making his hair messier.
"Calm down, I can hear your heart from here," she replied, smiling at him jokingly, punching him softly with her left hand.
"With what you just put me though, you just expect me to calm down, bollocks," he replied indignantly, as he ran his hand again through his hair again, as he remained very nervous.
"Yes, Riles, I expect you to calm down. You should be relieved we didn't send a young man to his death," she replied as she leaned over her seat, her left hand rummaging in the leather book bag that rested at her feet. She pulled out a much worn, thick leather journal, no bigger than her hand.
"I thought you'd agree with me, after what you've been through, and I thought you wanted to revenge your father or something like that," Riles replied as he heaved an all mighty sigh and leaned back in his seat, covering his eyes with his hands to block out the light.
"I did want to revenge my father, but this Suiichi Minomino is not the one who killed my parents," she replied calmly as she one handedly untied the leather strip that kept the journal closed.
"You and you're honor, I just want know that you just obliterated one of the best chances the medical field could have ever had to research non-human beings!!" he cried out, throwing his hands into the air.
"Shush, you're making a scene," she whispered to him as she smiled apologetically to the other passengers, who were glancing at her partner reproachfully.
"Sorry, he's just cranky, jet lag and all," she said in flawless Japanese to the couple who were glaring at them, probably on their honeymoon. They just nodded back to her, understanding completely.
"Look at you, you're making a scene, for Christ's sake, get your act together!! You're acting like a child!" she exclaimed, as the plane slowly leveled out, and they were finally in flight.
"I know, don't think I don't know, but it's not like you're making it easy on me!! How could you have done that??" he groaned. She just smiled at him.
"You need to relax, take a vacation, and get away from the job," she replied, smiling at him cheerfully.
"Ugh," was his elegant reply closed his eyes and did his best to catch what little sleep he could.
"I really can't stand you, Rita," he replied sleepily as he slowly fell into a deep slumber, the only noise coming from him was a gentle snoring sound.
Rita just smiled at him as she pulled down the tray and placed the leather book on the cream colored plastic surface. Again, with her left hand she slowly pulled a cheap ball point pen out from the breast pocket of the pale blue blouse she was wearing, and, using her mouth, she uncapped it, and placed the cap on the other side of the pen's plastic tubing.
With a soft rustling noise, she opened to a blank page in the journal and began to write, her pen making soft scratching noises in the slowly quieting plane, as the passengers fell asleep, amid the droning of the engines and the rustling of newspapers.
Dear Father, I feel as though I must apologize, as I yet again have failed to clear the family name, and am still considered a laughingstock. The files on my computer containing the data for Suiichi Minomino have been cleared, and all information regarding his DNA has been destroyed. I guess Riles is right, I am just a sentimental fool, but I realized that revenge will never be worth it if it costs a human life.
She stopped, pulling her pen away from her paper, as its tip hovered just above its surface. Sighing, she laid the pen down and gently massaged the stump on the end of her right arm, the tissue there still being rather sore, as it always seemed to become after long days. It had been awhile since she had lost her right hand, and even though it had been missing since she was of the age of six, there were times she could have sworn it was still attached.
The skin covering it was nothing but scar tissue, shiny and smooth to the touch. She knew she should get a prosthesis, but it seemed oddly like cheating to her. Scars trailed up her right arm, and she absently mindedly ran her left hand's pointer finger along the pale lines.
Riles turned softly in his sleep, and she took it as a cue, and picked the pen up again, and began to write more to her father.
I know what I did could spell out disaster for the human race, as I have yet to have seen how destructive a demon can be, but it was then I was faced with a question that, for once, I didn't know the answer to. For the safety of mankind, would I be willing to send a young boy who had done nothing wrong that I had known of, to his death? Could I kill someone for the safety of the world? I know my choice will haunt me, for quite some time, but I would be worried if it didn't. I know what Riles' choice would have been, as he has already made clear to me, many times over. But I still didn't want a death weighing on my consciousness. Poor Riles, he's already had a mental breakdown…
She trailed off, casting a glance to the young man, who lay fast asleep; his hair falling into his tightly closed eyes, and even in sleep, his brow was furrowed. She knew he must be worried, as he would be proposing to his soon to be fiancé soon, and she wished him all the best of luck.
And with that, and turned back to her writing, and once more, her pen began its dance across the paper, writing down her thoughts to her father.
But Riles has other things to worry about, and I know he'll get over it. I knew that my decision would not be easy, and I'll secretly admit that even now I am beginning to have doubts, but as I look around this plane, I realized something. The people sleeping in their seats have no clue as to what happened today, how close the world was to discovering demons and how close they were to being thrown into chaos. But I guess that it's the way it should be, living proof that no matter what may happen, life will continue to go on, no matter what may have happened that day to you or anyone else. I know that deep in my heart though, nothing has been as rewarding as seeing the young man embrace his mother, and I wish him the best of luck in whatever he may do, and hope that he will remember just what I have done for him, as a reminder… just in case…
She stopped shortly to chuckle to herself for a moment, as the idea of the red-haired, green eyed boy with such a gentle demeanor destroying the planet seemed preposterous, and then returned to writing, her pen being one of the few noises in the sleepy cabin of the plane.
So yes, Father, I will now conclude this by explaining just why I had to let the boy go. It was not my own selfish desires of revenge, and it wasn't even because I didn't want a death weighing on my soul. No, it because, in some silly, sentimental part of me, I hoped that maybe, being raised by a human mother, the boy had gained something… a soul. For surely the demon who did that to you, me, mother, and Jon, did not posses one. Yes, I held hope that maybe he possessed a soul or a conscience, or something passed down to him from the woman he called 'Mom'. For if he had a soul, maybe, just maybe there was hope for the world, and somehow, that thought, just made the world seem a little brighter. However, while I must end this, there is also something I must tell you; this will be the last entry into this book I make. I have realized that holding onto the memories of you and mom, and Jon was only holding me back, keeping me from having a life, and I know that is not what you want. So yes, this will be the last entry, and I must thank you, for this gift, and while this makes me sad to be writing this, I know that it's for the best.
She began to cry, her shoulders shaking from the sobs as they wracked her body, and eventually, she cried her self to sleep.
By the time she woke, they were landing at LAX, and Riles was already unbuckling himself and grabbing his bags. Rita hurried to help him, grateful all they had was carry onshe slung a large backpack onto her shoulder and she picked the journal up lovingly, pausing for a moment to run a hand along the worn cover before hurrying to catch up with her partner.
And as they boarded the bus to take them back to Los Angeles, Rita finished her last entry into the journal.
So, Father, Mother, and yes you, Jon, I will end this final letter as always, with love… and hope, yes, always hope…
-Thank you for reading this, and tell me, what do you think?!?!? Please Review!!!!