Title:Keiko's Revenge
Author:Bradybunch4529
Summary: Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.
Disclaimers: Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC
A/N: I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai. Hints of Keiko/Hiei friendship
Reviewers:
Donamarine: Sorry about the spelling. I hope that I got it right now. Bird Form doesn't show up until after Yusuke goes through his own changes. I believe it's the last two episodes of the Chapter Black Saga. So you still have a ways to go. But it's definitely worth it. Thanks for sticking with me. Let me know if I'm going to fluffy or overboard!
Escptheshdw835: I always wait for your review! You can always make me smile. I hate when my own computer goes funky, so lots of sympathy from me. Keiko has always been treated way to lightly. She grew up with Yusuke, so she has to know how to take care of herself. She would never just stand back and watch. It was definitely fun to write. I was unsure about her stepping in front of Hiei, but in the end I thought it made a good impression. What do you think? You deserve lots of hugs and kisses for your reviews. Thanks so much. Please review again.
Animeluv109:I hope that I got the username right. I think I might have messed it up. Sorry if I did. Anyways, yes it is going to be a Keiko/Yusuke fanfiction. I just wanted a hint of Hiei and Keiko. Don't worry; she's going to take care of it in this chapter. You're right; it was quite unusual to see Keiko stepping in front of Hiei, however she couldn't do anything else. That'll get explained in this chapter too. So stay with me. If you have any other questions or concerns, never hesitate to ask. Thanks so much for your review. Please do so again.
Kuramalover21: Botan and Kurama are a great pair! I really enjoy them together. Other than Yusuke and Keiko, the other pairs may change. I've already altered the story plot so Botan and Kurama may wind up together. That's still up in the air. :P Actually, Hiei never says much about Keiko. He kinda ignores the girls most of the time. So you can never be quite sure what he thinks of Keiko. So I decided to write them this way. Thanks so much for asking. It made me think and go back over the series. Hope you enjoy this chapter. And be sure to tell me what you think!
Keta Himura: A new reviewer! How fabulous. Thank you so much for your kind comments. I don't have a beta reader and sometimes I think I go overboard or that the story is stupid. I'm glad that you took the time to read the story. It made me smile. I don't think I'll go more than 10 chapters. But I just write and the gang lets me know what they want to do. Please review again.
Chapter 5: Pain
The first thing that Keiko became aware of was pain. It was all consuming, allowing for no other thought. She didn't try and move; Keiko did nothing but take stock of her condition. Her head was pounding, her hands were throbbing and the rest of her just ached. In that plane between sleep and wakefulness, Keiko couldn't understand why she hurt so much. Keiko struggled to remember what happened and where she might be.
"I think she's waking up," a voice murmured above her.
The sound of the voice had Keiko's eyes popping open. It took a second for her to focus on the sea of faces above her. She tried to sit up and fell back with a moan, her muscles protesting the move. Her stomach rolled as the pain swamped all of her senses. For several seconds she did nothing but concentrate on pulling air into her stunned lungs. When she was able to see again, she almost laughed at the varying expressions on their faces. Instead Keiko took a deep breath and tried to roll over. Six pairs of hands immediately reached out to prevent her from moving again.
"Don't move," Yusuke told her as he glared down at her.
"That's right Keiko," Botan agreed as she moved to fluff the pillow under Keiko's head. "I haven't wantedd to risk healing you until you woke up."
"Where?" Keiko croaked as she looked around the unfamiliar room.
"You're at my house," Kurama told her as he stepped out of Yukina's way.
Yukina crossed in front of Kurama with a bowl of hot water and a washcloth thrown over one arm. She smiled at Keiko as she began to clean away the blood from Keiko's face. Keiko stared up at Yukina and felt guilty at the worry she saw there. Keiko could tell from the redness of her eyes that Yukina had been crying.
"Don't worry Yukina," Keiko assured the girl. "I'm not as bad as I look."
"Yes you are!" Yusuke burst out as he watched Yukina continue to wipe away the blood and grime.
His gut was tightening as the bruising on her face became more evident with every swipe of the washcloth. His blood had run cold when Puu had came out of nowhere, his beak red with blood. His heart had leapt into his throat when he came around that corner and saw her slumped into Hiei. He hadn't taken a breath until Keiko had shifted against Hiei's shoulder. In those first few moments Yusuke didn't have a chance to consider all the bruising or what it meant. The only thing that Yusuke could allow himself to concentrate on was getting Keiko to safety.
But as he watched the bruises forming on her face and the blood beginning to flow again, Yusuke couldn't prevent the rage from flooding him. He didn't know who did it to her, so he struck out at her instead.
"How stupid can you be," Yusuke shouted. He pushed Yukina out of the way and grabbed Keiko. "I told you that a girl shouldn't be out walking alone," he gritted out and began to shake her. Keiko moaned and bit her lip as pain began to swamp her senses.
"There were 12 of them, Keiko." Yusuke gritted his teeth and ignored the tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "What if Hiei hadn't managed to get there in time?" Yusuke asked. "And then, to top it all off, you step in front of Hiei when he drew his sword."
"Enough, Uremeshi," Hiei ordered as he grabbed Yusuke's arm.
"Let go!" Keiko screamed and yanked herself from his embrace. She lost her balance and fell backwards into the wall. Her head struck the corner of the window ledge and stars exploded across her vision. Her vision began to gray but Keiko bit her lip and slowly pulled herself upright. The room seemed to spin around her and ignoring everyone else she levered herself up to her feet, her hand clutching the window ledge.
"Keiko." Hiei was beside her in a flash, his eyes worried as he stared at her, hand reaching to steady her.
For a moment Keiko was tempted to lean on him. Looking into his dark eyes she could see the beginnings of a crush. She knew if she offered any encouragement Hiei would fall for her. For a second she almost considered it; considered letting him think she had stepped in front of his blade because she loved him. It would be so easy to fall into letting Hiei protect her.
Instead she shook her head at Hiei and moved away. "It's alright Hiei," Keiko voice was warm and caring. "I'm used to dealing with Yusuke's moods. Though it's nice to have a big brother watching out for me." She told him as she pressed a hand to his arm.
"As for stepping in front of Hiei sword," she went on and met Yusuke's light brown eyes. "It wasn't really a conscious decision. It was an impulse." Keiko shrugged and moved towards the window. "I remembered something I overheard once and I knew that if Hiei killed a human, he would be killed. I couldn't let that happen," Keiko paused and looked over her shoulder at Yusuke. "He's important to you. A member of the family."
Keiko looked back out the window, taking in the night sky and the stars twinkling above her. Looking up at the moon and the stars, Keiko wondered if the answers were written there. Unfortunately whatever answers written there remained hidden. She sighed softly and turned around to face the group.
Her brown eyes sought out Yusuke's by habit. For the first time she became aware of the changes within her. Normally the shadows in his eyes would make her want to know what tormented her love. Instead she found that she didn't want to know; everything she could say that she didn't understand was another thing Keiko wouldn't have to struggle to forget. The warmth and worry Keiko saw in Yusuke's hazel eyes used to fill her with a sense of belonging and love. Now she wondered what was behind the warmth and the worry.
Was it just a habit anymore? Did he worry because they grew up together? Was the warmth and love she saw in his gaze for who she was now or for the little girl she used to be? But the biggest difference was the fact that she no longer wanted to wonder. The shadows were Yusuke's business and he would have to learn to deal with them. It was no longer her place to try and understand them and ease his troubles. If it ever had been.
Yusuke watched the emotions chase through Keiko's eyes. He had always been able to see those emotions and understand them. Tonight it was like a screen was between them. He could see the shadows of the emotions but not the actual emotions. For the first time, Yusuke began to really worry. Keiko had been his strength for so long. She made him explain the secrets and the worries he hid from the rest of the world. And now it was like looking at a stranger wearing her face. It was Keiko but at the same time it wasn't. And he didn't know what to do about it.
He didn't know how long they stood there staring out each other. Keiko made no move to come closer and Yusuke just stared. He kept hoping if he looked long enough that he would see his Keiko back in those eyes. Instead, with each second that passed, it was like watching another person being born. Yusuke could no longer see any emotion in her eyes. It was as if her soul was no longer in residence.
His ran his hand through his hair and groaned. "Come on Keiko. Why don't you tell me what's going on? You got into a fight, you're hurt, and you faced down Hiei." Yusuke paused and waited. When she didn't say anything he continued on, "I don't think the two of you have said more than 5 words to each other since we started this mess."
"It doesn't matter anymore Yusuke," Keiko finally sighed and looked away. "If it ever did." She paused and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She winced slightly at the pain from that action. "I just want to go home and sleep," her voice was tired and defeated as she stared out into the darkness. "Just give me my bags and I'll go."
"Let me heal you first," Botan hurried to offer after glancing at Yusuke. The blue haired ferry girl wasn't always quick on the uptake when it came to human emotions, but she knew that something was off with the two of them. She hurried over to Keiko and placed her hands on Keiko's shoulders. She was surprised when Keiko stiffened under her touch. Keiko's brown eyes narrowed on her face and for a second Botan felt a fissure of hear.
The girl looking at her was not the same girl that had sat through the Dark tournament with her. The girl currently looking at her was acting as if this girl didn't know her or trust her. Botan tried to brush it off, but Keiko never relaxed under her touch. She just nodded and as Botan healed her wounds, kept her gaze fixed firmly on Botan's.
Botan was relieved when she finally was able to let go and step back. She wanted to hide behind someone to avoid that dead gaze. She almost collapsed when Keiko finally looked away. It was worse than dealing with the King.
Keiko finally shifted her gaze from Botan. She didn't want to think about the girl that had taken her place. What did it matter anymore? She sighed softly and looked around the room. She spotted her bags in the corner beside her and reached for them. Only to be stopped as Yusuke grabbed her hands and shook his head.
"I'll get them, Keiko."
"No you won't Yusuke," Keiko told him as she shook off his hands.
"You are not walking home by yourself, Keiko," Yusuke replied as he tried to grab the bags from her.
"You are not walking me home Yusuke," Keiko told him as she twisted away from his grasping hands.
" You are not leaving here without me," he stated determinedly. "The gang that did this to you is still out there and they could be waiting."
"Do you think I'm stupid Yusuke Uremeshi?" Keiko asked as she stabbed her finger into his chest. "I'll have you know that while you were off training with Genkai, I was attacked on a daily basis because I was your 'girl' and you weren't there." Keiko told him as she shoved him backwards. "You even ditched me on the first day you were back."
"I was on a mission!" Yusuke protested weakly; his mind in an uproar over Keiko's revelations.
Keiko said nothing just shook her head and brushed past him. Keiko just couldn't bring herself to care anymore. It wasn't worth it to fight or make Yusuke admit that he was wrong. A soft hooting sound made her look up. Puu landed her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek with his beak. She walked to the window and Puu hopped onto the window ledge. Puu's black eyes gazed into hers for a moment before he flew outside and hovered at the window. In a second a bright light was beginning to encompass Puu. When it finally faded away, Puu was in full bird form. His head was even with the second story window, his beak slightly inside the window.
Keiko rested her hand on his beak and Puu pulled back a bit and ducked his head. Keiko slipped onto the window ledge and swung her legs out. Her feet landed on Puu's head and she eased the rest of the way out of the window. She didn't turn to look back in the window until she was standing on Puu's head. Her eyes met Yusuke's and she almost gave in when she saw the grief and confusion in them. Instead her eyes went to Botan, whose hand rested on Yusuke's arm. A slight wry smile twisted her lips before she looked down at Puu.
He nodded his head and Keiko slid down his neck to his back. With a slight hop, his wings began to beat the air and in seconds they were airborne. Keiko rested her head on Puu's shoulder and let the tears she had been holding back flow. Puu glided through the air, riding the airflow higher into the night sky. Keiko's tears continued to drip onto Puu's feathers; her shoulder shaking with her silent sobs. She wondered when Botan and Yusuke had started to fall for each other. The tightness in her chest got worse when she pictured Botan's hand on his arm.
Why did it hurt so much? Keiko asked herself. Is this what a broken heart feels like?
A/N: Well here's chapter 5. It didn't work out the way I had planned. And it's much longer than I had thought it would be. But what do you think? Any and all mistakes are my own. So Review and let me know what you think. Thanks so much for your time.