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:

Escptheshdw835: Thank you. I was worried that I left the chapter hanging a bit, especially with the fight. It didn't seem to flow quite right, but if you enjoyed it then it was more than worthwhile. I am hoping to flesh Keiko and Yusuke out a bit more before allowing them to get back together.

Kuramalover21:Thank you so much. I don't think that I have ever seen a Botan/Sniper fic. But you could always try a Yu Yu Hakusho search on I know there are multiple sites up and going. Or you could write your own. :P

Keta Himura: You are way too sweet and without equal. I want to thank you so much for continuing to keep up with my story. Thank you so much.

Kawaii: Another new one. I absolutely love new people. It's great to get multiple opinions. I'm very glad that you enjoyed the story. It's been rambling around in my head for a while now. Keep with me and tell me how I'm doing.

Anime's-mistress: Another new reader! I love people like you. Thanks so much for you compliment. I try really hard to play up Yusuke's emotions from the series and the manga. The fact that you enjoyed it means the world to me. Keep reading and letting me know what you think. If you would be so kind.

Chapter 7: Leaving

The sun was shining between the trees, playing a game of peek a boo. The fountain in the pond bubbled away some distance away from them. The birds were singing and chipmunks and squirrels could be seen rummaging through the tall grass. In the distance the sound of laughter and shouts from the baseball game rode on the gentle breeze.

The serenity and peace of the scene was lost on the group sitting at a picnic table. Their expressions were grim and tense as they stared into space. The silence of the group was shattered when a fist struck the top of the table.

"I can't stand it anymore!" Yusuke burst out. "How can she possible dodge all of us for a week?

Everyone jumped and stared at the young man. His hazel eyes were tormented as he stared down at his fists. His jaw was tense and a vein was visible in his forehead, giving a clue to the state of his emotions. The group glanced warily away from Yusuke trying to find something else to look at, doing their best to not bring his wrath down on them. His emotions had been a roller coaster for the past week, and with Keiko managing to stay one step ahead of him, there didn't seem to be any end in sight. So everyone had been walking on pins and needles, waiting for him to finally snap and hoping that when he did Yusuke would choose someone else to blow up at.

"I don't know Yusuke," Botan sighed as she reached over to pat his hand. "But I'm sure that it isn't on purpose. We all knew that she was going to busy…" Botan's voice trailed off as Yusuke stood up and slammed his fist into the light post next to them.

The metal groaned as it gave in and buckled under the pressure. The group winced and flinched away from Yusuke. "Don't give me that!" Yusuke gritted out as he glared at the group as a whole. "Keiko is one of the easiest people to predict and find. And yet she's managed to avoid all of us for the past week." His right hand scrubbed at his hair and he flashed an annoyed glance at the rest of the group.

"You don't know that Yusuke," Kurama offered calmly as he brushed his red hair away from his face. His hand was playing absently mindedly with the rose bush nearby. "It could simply be a coincidence."

"Nobody is that busy," Yusuke burst out. He was just barely managing to hold onto his anger. He was tempted to simply wait in Keiko's house until she came back. For the past week he had just managed to miss her. Keiko had either just left the house or came back right after he had left. He would leave a message and when she called back he wasn't home.

Yusuke eye's drifted upwards and absently watched an airplane taking off. His eyes followed it absently as he continued to remember this past week. Normally when he needed Keiko he could always count on her being right there. For as long as he could remember Keiko had been a thorn in his side, always trying to make sure he stayed on the straight and narrow.

But not this week. Yusuke sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as he finally admitted to himself that whatever was bothering Keiko had to do with him. What did I do? Yusuke asked himself as his eyes continued following the airplane. Did I say something stupid? Or offend her in someway? Even as he asked himself these questions, he knew that it was something else. If Keiko were upset with him she would tell him, or give him the silent treatment until he apologized. But she always did that in front of him. She had never tried to avoid him before. Keiko was too upfront for that.

Yusuke shoved his hand into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. His hazel eyes pensive and squinting against the sun, he had finally lost sight of the airplane. For some reason this filled him with a feeling of loss and uneasiness. He tried to shrug off the feeling and concentrate on the current problem. A warm breeze swirled around him, tugging at his black jacket and ruffling his dark hair.

Yusuke closed his eyes as the wind brought a familiar scent. Jasmine. It wrapped around him, holding him in a warm embrace. For a moment Yusuke lost himself in that scent, pretending that Keiko was beside him. Her hand tucked into his arm, her warmth pressed against him as she exclaimed over the day and pointed out how the sun played on the lake.

A hand on his shoulder brought Yusuke out of his memories. His hazel eyes blazed in anger as he tossed a glare over his shoulder. He met cool green eyes that were sympathetic and understanding, his anger faded a bit and he gave a small half smile.

"Perhaps we should just go over to her house and wait," Kurama offered. "With everything that is going on Keiko is probably just running errands and will be home sooner or later."

"I guess you're right, Kurama," Yusuke agreed as he glanced back upwards at the airplane. "Her parents will let me know where she is or just let me hang out until she gets back."

"Then it's settled." Kuwabara sighed and pushed away from the picnic table. "It's about time," he mumbled quietly to himself.

"Did you say something?" Yusuke asked as he glared up at Kuwabara. His blood began to pound at the thought of a fight. It would take a bit of the edge off, Yusuke decided.

"What if I did," Kuwabara shot back, his head bending towards Yusuke. "It's obvious that you finally lost it."

"Ohyeah?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Yusuke's fist shot up into Kuwabara's face. He took delight in the sound that his fist made as it connected. Kuwabara struck back and Yusuke dodged easily. The anger in his body was channeling into this fight, Keiko faded to the background as Yusuke lost himself in the motions of the fight. Kuwabara tried to sweep his legs out from under him, Yusuke responded by jumping over the leg and kicking Kuwabara in the face. Kuwabara's hand caught Yusuke's leg and threw him to one side.

Yusuke landed hard and leapt back towards Kuwabara. His legs easily eating up the distance between them, his fist raised to slam into Kuwabara's face. When Kuwabara moved to block Yusuke's fist, Yusuke dodged to the right and slammed his foot into Kuwabara's side. Kuwabara collapsed inward, his arms wrapped protectively around his ribs.

"No fair Uremeshi," Kuwabara wheezed as he struggled to catch his breath.

"All's fair in love and war, Kuwabara," Yusuke replied as he leaned down to look at his friend. Yusuke's face was relaxed and slightlyamused as he continued to watch Kuwabara struggle to breath. "Besides," Yusuke tossed out as he straightened, "you should be tougher than that by now. How many demons have we gone up against?"

"I'll have you know that I can take any demon, any day," Kuwabara hollered back, his face growing red with anger.

"Of course you can, Kuwabara." Yusuke tucked his hands behind in his head and began to stroll away from them and towards Keiko's house. "Come on, let's go tell Keiko how tough you are."

The group behind Yusuke shared a relieved glance before hurrying after the spirit detective.

Keiko's eyes opened slowly, blurry and dry after her crying half the night. A quick glance at her alarm clock showed that it was time to get up. Puu's weight was a welcome pressure against her back as she contemplated her empty room. Today was the day.

She was leaving.

For the past week she had managed to avoid Yusuke and the rest of the gang. What had surprised her so much over the week was how hard and often they had come looking for her. If the gang is determined to get rid of me, then why are they following me around? Keiko wondered in those early moments before true wakefulness. Keiko shoved the question away and concentrated on something else. There was too much to do today for her to waste any time on them.

Her things had been shipped a couple days ago and should be arriving just before her. Keiko had even got the name and telephone number of her new roommate at Hazard. She had been tempted to call but was afraid that her English wouldn't be up to the task. Instead, she had concentrated on making sure that she had everything she would need for the next couple of years.

Keiko was unsure if she would ever come back to Japan. There was too much pain her and she needed to be away from the place where everything would remind her of Yusuke. There were way to many memories here for her to think about coming back for a while. Maybe in a couple years the pain would have mellowed enough. Right at this moment though, Keiko doubted it. Do you ever forget or truly forgive the betrayal of your first love?

With a quick move Keiko shoved the blankets away form her and rolled out of bed. She was determined that Yusuke and his stupidity wouldn't bother her anymore. Later she would deal with everything. Right now she needed to get ready to catch her plane. The house was still silent and Keiko moved noiselessly down the hall.

In seconds she was in the shower. The hot water was pounding over her form as she scrubbed away at her skin and then washed her hair. Keiko tilted her face up to the hot spray and let it burn away her doubts and her tears. Her head eased down and Keiko gently rested her hands on the tiled wall in front of her. Keiko bent her head and let the water beat down over her head and shoulders. The water slowly worked the tension out of her shoulders and lessened the pain in her heads. As she rested against the tile wall, so call under her hands, she could feel pain start to rise again.

The first sob seemed to be ripped from her throat, taking her by surprise. The tears began to stream down her face and she pressed both hands to her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs. And still she sobbed until her legs buckled under her and she collapsed to the shower floor. The pain was a distant memory as the water continued to pound down on her and her sobs still racked her frame.

Keiko wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her forehead on her knees. She pounded on the side of the wall with her fists, the tears and sobs still coming fast and furious. And still the water continued to rain down, wrapped her in steam and washing away the tears. Keiko cried until there were no more tears left and the water began to cool.

With a jerky movement, Keiko managed to push herself off of the shower floor. Her arms and legs moved stiffly, like they belonged to someone else and it took Keiko a minute to get out of the shower. The towel was soft and fluffy as Keiko used it to dry herself off. She reached for her robe and shrugged it on before turning to hang up the towel. As she did, Keiko caught her reflection in the mirror.

The light brown eyes that stared back into her own seemed to be dead and shattered, the dark hair was plastered to the girls' head and seemed to make the pallor of her skin more pronounced. Even the girls' lips seemed almost bloodless in that white face. Who am I now?

Keiko deliberately looked away form the mirror and returned to her room. Her robe was shrugged off and tossed carelessly to the bed. With a brisk movement Keiko pulled on her clothes. The black jeans were comfortable and snug on her figure, nipping in at her waist and flaring out over rounded hips before clinging faithfully to her long legs. The red tank top showed a hint of cleavage and clung to the curve of her breast. A long sleeved white shirt was pulled on over the tank top, and buttoned to just under her breasts and tucked into the jeans. The outfit seemed to stress how tiny her waist was and the fullness of her figure.

Keiko pulled on a pair of black socks and then put on her black boots. Her fingers tugged viciously at the laces, her head bent over her task. When the boots were laced and tied, Keiko pushed herself up off the chair and reached for her hairbrush. Her hand clasped the handle tightly and quickly pulled the brush through her thick mop. Keiko absently twisted her hair into a French roll and secured it with couple hair clips decorated with red and white stones in a shape of a butterfly. There were four hair clips and they glittered in the light. She reached for a necklace hanging from the corner of the mirror. The white and black stones flashed briefly as she secured it around her neck. The stones shaped out another butterfly that just rested above the curve of her breasts.

The sun was just staring to lighten the sky and inch its way into her room. Keiko watched the beams for long moments, wishing that she could step into its warmth. Instead Keiko looked over at Puu. He was snuggled into her blankets, his head resting on her pillow and snoring lightly. A smile touched her lips at the thought of how much he looked like Yusuke. Just as quickly the smile died and Keiko turned away from Puu. As she did, Keiko suddenly remembered a conversation with Genkai.

Flashback Keiko and Genkai were standing on the porch of the temple. Puu was nestled contently in the curve of Keiko's arms, snoring lightly. Keiko laughed and pressed a kiss to his head, easing him closer to her body.
"He is so much like Yusuke," Keiko told Genkai. "Especially with the snoring." Keiko paused and a thoughtful frown creased her brow. "Though there have been times with Yusuke when he wasn't snoring when I first walk up. It never takes long after I sit down next to him though," she smiled ruefully and looked into Genkai's eyes.
"Simple enough," Genkai replied, her eyes fixed on Keiko's."Really?" Keiko questioned, feeling slightly nervous under that unblinking stare. Keiko was convinced that Genkaicould see into her soul and somehow found her wanting. "He's with you," Genkai told her while gesturing towards Puu. "I'm sorry?" Keiko responded, her tone confused. "He snores when he's with you." "If anyone else said that I would think they were trying to be insulting. And succeeding too!" Keiko sputtered.

"You misunderstand. Yusuke and Puu snore when you are around because you are their comfort zone."

"What?"

"Yusuke has always had to be wary of attack, even in sleep. So he never falls asleep deeply when he's alone or even with other present. Even after being pushed as hard as I pushed him, he maintains an awareness of his surroundings. When he's with you he doesn't have to." Genkai turned and looked over to where Yusuke and the rest of the gang were arguing.

Keiko could see that Kuwabara was yelling at Hiei and Yusuke was yelling at Kuwabara. Botan was trying to get them to stop and Yukina was standing a small distance away simply laughing. "I know that Yusuke never lets down his guard Genkai. But what does that…"

"But when you are with Yusuke, he doesn't worry about attack. He knows that you are there and you will warn him or even protect him from danger. Because he knows this, so does Puu. Therefore both of them can sleep, as long as you are near." Genkai paused and looked over at the Keiko. "Think about it. Who was the first person that Puu went to? You."

Keiko stood there to stunned to say anything. Her mind was in turmoil at the implication of what Genkai was saying. Yusuke only slept like the dead when she was near!

"Unfortunately my idiotic apprentice probably doesn't even realize it. So he'll take forever to tell you what it means. And that he loves you. So you'll have to be patient Keiko."

End Flashback.

The sound of a door closing jerked Keiko from her memories. A sad smile touched her lips as she realized that Genkai had finally been wrong about something. Puu may love her but Yusuke didn't. Or if he did love her it was the love of a friend and that wasn't the love she needed. Whatever it was, Genkai was wrong and Keiko wasn't going to wait around anymore for Yusuke to figure it out.

Another glance at the clock showed that it was almost time for her taxi to arrive. Keiko glanced around the room to make sure that she had everything and nothing was being left behind. Keiko had already packed everything, including her normal pillow and blankets. She had decided to use extras last night rather than try and pack her stuff and take it on the plane with her.

Her suitcases stood by the door; her coat and purse were on top of them. Her back pack was next to the suitcases and it had already been packed. She was taking several books, her CD player with some CD's along with a remedial English learning program. While Keiko knew English and was considered fluent, she wanted to review some of the phrases and their pronunciations.

Keiko sighed and reached for her coat. She shrugged into it and placed her purse into her book bag after checking to make sure that she had her ticket, her identification and her passport. She opened her bedroom door and picked up her suitcases, a brief pause and another glance at Puu sleeping on the bed before she stepped into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her.

Keiko was tempted to wake Puu up for another goodbye but knew that he was too upset. Besides, he knew that he was to go to Yusuke either tonight or tomorrow morning. Her parents were still sleeping as Keiko made her way down the stairs and out the door to the waiting taxi. She smiled and thanked the driver when he took her bags and put them in the trunk. She opened the car door and slipped in, the driver closing her door for her. She looked at her childhood home one more time as the driver began to pull away.

Her parents had thrown her a going away party last night. They had assured her that she could invite whoever she wanted, obviously expecting Yusuke to top that list. They had been confused when she told that she just wanted it to be the three of them. They had been surprised but had quickly agreed. Last night had been full of tears and laughter, along with hopes for the future. Keiko had been sent to bed with tear filled hugs and the admonition to write home soon.

Keiko had also left an envelope with her parents in case Yusuke came in. Keiko couldn't actually see Yusuke wanting any explanation or even bothering her parents but she wanted to make sure just in case. It had taken her forever to write the letter. She had thrown away hundreds; ones that had raged at him, ones that had demanded to know why and ones that had simply told him to be happy.

In the end Keiko had settled on a single line. That line contained her anger, betrayal, fear and anguish. Keiko couldn't help but wonder if Yusuke would even care when he read that line or would he only feel relief? Would he even notice? Or would he feel relieved to know that I'm no longer there to nag and yell? As Keiko entered the airport and the door slid closed behind her, she realized that it didn't matter anymore. It was too late to go back.

It was time to face the future.

The bell to the shop jangled over their heads as the group entered the shop. The smells and noise instantly embraced them. Yusuke looked around and couldn't prevent the fond smile. For as long as he could remember, he and Keiko had hung around the shop. Doing homework, playing or simply talking.

Whenever his mom wasn't around or if there wasn't any food in the house,he would come in and immediately be welcomed. Mrs. Yukimara had often teased him that he was going to put them out of business by eating so much but they had never turned him away or charged him for the meal. They seemed to understand the tension that had filled his frame until Keiko had called his name and smiled at him.

This was home.

Of course Keiko hadn't started to cook those meals until they were both older. Then he would sit at the counter, complaining about doing his homework and watching her cook. He would watch her tie that apron around her waist, tossing the rice into the water and turning on the frying pan. The noodles would hit the pan with the beef and the smell would instantly relax him. He and Keiko would study for test or just talk about their days.

He knew that he had to end his day watching her. It didn't matter if it was while she was cooking, taking care of the kids or just sleeping. Just as long as Yusuke could watch her and see that smile. That smile always let him know that everything was going to be okay and all was right with the world. I never told her that, he reflected. He had never thought he needed to. Her parents understood. And Keiko knew him better than anyone else. Keiko has to know that I'm only as happy as she is. If she hurts, I hurt. She has to know. But Yusuke had a feeling that somehow Keiko was starting to doubt that. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't lose her.

"Yusuke!" A welcoming voice called before he was enfolded in a hug and kiss placed on his cheek. Mrs. Yukimara smiled at him, her brown eyes warm and welcoming. "I didn't expect to see you this early."

"Hello Mrs. Yukimara," Yusuke replied as he returned the hug and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Then he took a step back and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. "I just stopped by to see…." A voice from behind him interrupted.

"That hurt, Kuwabara!"

"Jeez, I'm sorry Botan. It's not like I did it on purpose." Kuwabara whined in reply.

Yusuke winced and his head ducked in disbelief at the argument going on behind him before deciding to just ignore it. "We just came to Keiko."

"I don't understand," Mrs. Yukimara wrung her hands together and stared at them. "Keiko isn't here."

"What!" Yusuke groaned. He couldn't believe his luck.

"Forgive m, but could you tell us where she is?" Kurama asked with a polite smile and a bow. "It is quite important."

"I though she told you," Mrs. Yukimara paused and looked around the group. "She left for America first thing this morning. She's going to school at one of their universities."

"What!"

"Why don't you come upstairs, I know that Keiko left a letter for you Yusuke." Mrs. Yukimara offered and the group followed her up the stairs into the living room.

With a gesture for the group to sit, Mrs. Yukimara left the room and headed down a long hall. She disappeared into a door and the group was left in silence. Everyone watched Yusuke warily, nervously wondering how he was going to take this.

She is not gone. She's just upset. Yusuke told himself over and over. No matter how bad things are she would have told me. Even if it was just to say goodbye. But a voice in his head reminded him that things were tough for him, he didn't tell her. He could almost hear her voice in his ear, yelling at him for shutting her out and how much she worried about him. He always brushed her off, not because he didn't care but because he needed to know that she was happy and worry free. It didn't occur to him that not knowing brought on more worry than knowing.

"Here." A white envelope suddenly wavered in front of his face. His eyes focused on the plain white envelope and he hesitated. For some reason he knew the moment that he opened it everything would change. Slowly his hand came up and grasped the envelope. It was cold to touch and that coldness seemed to spread through Yusuke's body as he carefully eased the flap open and withdrew a single sheet of paper.

The envelope dropped to the floor forgotten as Yusuke gently unfolded the single sheet of paper. There was only a single line. His hazel eyes stared uncomprehendingly as he read the line. His eyes blinked and he read the line again. And then again. His hands started to shake and tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. The paper slipped from suddenly nerveless fingers and his head dropped into his head.

"no. no. NOOOO!!!" Yusuke suddenly screamed. His mind was trying to deny the words written on the paper.

Kurama leaned over and picked up the paper from the ground. His green eyes widened in sudden comprehension as to why Yusuke was so upset. A sigh escaped him and he stared at Yusuke in sorrow.

"What does it say?" Botan asked, as she looked over his shoulder, confused as to why Yusuke was acting this way. Her eyes widened in realization and shock as she read the line and her mouth dropped open. "Oh no." Botan moaned and looked over at Yusuke, tears beginning to form in her own eyes. He was crying and rocking back and forth on the couch.

"What?" Kuwabara asked impatiently and tried to rip the paper out of Kurama's hands. He just missed and Kurama tilted the paper so he could see. "I don't get it," he complained as he read the line.

"Idiot." Hiei spat out as he turned away from the group and headed back down the stairs.

Hiei had to admire the human girl. She had struck a blow in such away that even he was left in awe. For a human Keiko knew how to inflect the most damage possible. Her last message to Yusuke and the rest of the gang made sure that they knew exactly whose fault it was.

Hiei stepped into the afternoon sun and glanced into the bright blue sky. A bird was flying by and his dark eyes followed it for a moment before turning away. As he walked away he could once again see Keiko's final message.

NO More Miss Busy Body.

A/N: Well there's another chapter done. I hope that you enjoyed it. I'm sorry it took so long but my disk and computer caught a virus and it took me awhile to repair the damage. I think this is one of the longest chapters written. But it was also one of the easiest. The next chapter I will introduce the US crew. So until we meet again (Bows deeply) thanks for spending time with me.