The Portrait: Part Three

Yusuke squinted as the morning sun hit his sleepy eyes. He pulled the covers over his head and closed his eyes once more.

15 more minutes.

As usual, he dreaded waking up early to go to school. Why bother if your first-period teacher always sends you to detention?

He was about to drift again to dreamland when he noticed something was very wrong. As if waking up from a bad dream, Yusuke's eyes suddenly flipped open as he got up from bed. Hurriedly, he walked to his windows and peeked through the blinds.

"That was weird…" He said to himself as he saw the sun was already high. He walked back to his bed and sat, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He reached for the alarm clock beside his bed lamp.

"Now, that is really weird!" He exclaimed when he read the time. He was already two hours late for class! No wonder the sun was already shining that intensely. Quickly, he searched to find the cordless phone on the crumpled mess of his bed.

As soon as his hand felt the phone's hard exterior, he checked to see if it was working. He heard the dial tone and his brows deepened more - the phone seemed to be okay. His finger furiously punched the keys - he was going to call Keiko. He listened as the phone rang on the other line.

"Yes, hello?" Yusuke heard Keiko's mother say.

"Oh, hi. Is Keiko still there?" He didn't bother introducing himself.

"Yusuke, is that you?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is Keiko still there?" He asked again.

"She's already in school - she left about two and a half hours ago."

"She's in school?" Yusuke asked again, his tone a little surprised.

"Why? You haven't seen her there?" She sounded worried.

"Oh, no. I'm still at my place. I was just checking if Keiko had already gone for school." Yusuke explained, not wanting to worry Keiko's mother.

"Uhm, thank you ma'am." He added.

"Okay, then." He heard a click as Keiko's mother hung the phone.

"Now THAT IS REALLY WEIRD!" Yusuke said incredulously to himself. He couldn't believe it. Keiko had gone to school without calling him first. She usually do that - she makes sure Yusuke would already be up an hour before school so he wouldn't oversleep and get himself late. She was his alarm clock - that was why the phone was always placed beside him during sleep. Why didn't she call?

Maybe she did but he didn't hear the phone ring. No, that was impossible. Keiko wouldn't stop ringing the phone until he gets up. Maybe he turned off the phone's ringing. He checked to see if the volume was on its loudest - it was. Now, he's really confused.

Then he remembered the pencil that he forgot to buy for her. Now that was it! She's pissed because of that! And her not calling him this morning was her punishment to him.

Yusuke smiled to himself as if he had just solved the country's biggest economic problem. He headed for the bathroom to take his bath and got ready for school. So what if he's three hours late? And besides, he has to take care of a minor problem - the "charcoal incident".

He got a perfect plan to apologize to Keiko. No, he isn't gonna say sorry! That was way out of his character! He was planning to buy her a pencil today. Yes, a pencil. He's just gonna give it to her. And he is betting his bottom dollar that Keiko would forgive him! Not that it really mattered to him. Keiko is a friend. Well, not really a friend. Hell, he couldn't be a friend with someone who wears a skirt! Let's just say, Keiko is like a flea on a dog.

Yes, that was it, and he's the dog. No matter how the dog hates the fleas, fleas will always be chasing it until it gives up on running away from them. If Keiko didn't forgive him after this. It was her loss, not his. Never his.

He took a detour to school to be able to find a school supply store. He purchased the cheapest pencil he could find and since he doesn't carry a bag to school, he held the pencil and toyed unconsciously with it as he walked to school.

Yusuke slid to his chair as quietly as possible when he reached his classroom. That was a lame attempt to not to get noticed. But of course, teachers could always sense if a first-rate delinquent is within ten meters from them. After enduring the usual sermon and a trip to the guidance office, Yusuke then set off to find Keiko to give her the pencil.

It wasn't really that hard to find her. She is usually found seated on her usual chair, her skirt perfectly pleated and nicely arranged, a book and a couple of texts were neatly piled on her desk and her eyes fixed directly on the teacher. Yusuke waved exaggeratedly to catch her attention.

Upon seeing Yusuke frantically waving to her, Keiko excused herself from class and headed outside to meet him.

"What is it?" Keiko asked matter-of-factly.

"Here." Yusuke said as he handed the pencil to her.

"What's that?"

"It's a pencil. I just bought it to give it to you."

"What am I going to do with an ordinary no. 1 pencil?"

"I thought you needed a pencil." Yusuke said a little unsure.

"I do. But I needed charcoal. Not a no. 1 pencil." Keiko said with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh…" He couldn't find another word to say. He felt stupid and felt like kicking himself really hard. And what bothered him most is that Keiko seemed so distant.

"Is that all? I should be going back to class." Keiko said as she turned away.

"No, wait. I could get you another - this time I'll get the charcoal." He fumbled with words. What was he trying to say? He's going to get her a pencil again!

"Why would you do that?" She asked.

"Well…" Honestly, Yusuke doesn't know what he is trying to do. She was his 'flea', right? It looks to him like he was chasing the 'flea' right now.

"Don't bother. Omi offered to buy it for me." She said.

"Omi?" He asked, his brows deepened in a frown.

"Yes, Omi." She said shortly as she turned away from Yusuke to walk back to the classroom. As if she had remembered something, she paused and looked back at Yusuke and said "And by the way, I won't be walking home with you later. I'll be going with Omi." With that said, she walked inside the classroom without a second look.

"Hey, wait!" He shouted, trying to stop Keiko from going inside. But it was too late, she was already out of earshot. Did he hear her right? What was that she said last? She'll be walking home with Omi? Ishiguro Omi?

She'll be going with Omi? It's a schoolday, Keiko wasn't allowed to go anywhere but school. Yusuke pictured Omi in his mind; he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to punch him on the nose. Why? He couldn't quite figure that out.

Omi? Keiko - walking home with Omi? What happened to the Keiko who always wanted to walk with him? Maybe she's still mad about the pencil - but judging from her reaction she's not mad. She is... she is...

She's distant - so damn far away from him.

He had noticed her tone. Keiko would always talk to him a little "sweeter". Sure, she had slapped him more than few times, screamed at him at least three times a day but she never looked at him with such - indifference.

Maybe he was just imagining things, a minor case of paranoia. Maybe Keiko wasn't really distant. Maybe she was just thinking of something else, something important - like a project with an approaching deadline. Yes, that could be it. Keiko was just worrying about a project. Maybe that project where she will use the charcoal. Yusuke was silently convincing himself. But then, that didn't answer why she's walking home with Omi.

He has nothing against Omi, really. He seems like a good guy. The kind of guy who would never consider hanging out with an Urameshi Yusuke.

He frowned at himself. Why bother figuring out what's happening with Keiko? She was his 'flea', right? He should be glad she's finally stopped pestering him. He should be celebrating because Keiko would no longer nag and brag about school and health and ethics to him.

He was basically 'free'.

He had always pictured a Keiko-free world. He could sleep endlessly, he could dodge her annoying phone calls, he could pretty much do everything he pleases.

He suddenly got a picture of Keiko holding hands with Omi and laughing at his corny jokes. For an instant - Yusuke forgot his so-called freedom and felt an overwhelming urge to mutilate Omi - probably injure his nose or something. But he quickly shook the thought away. He should be glad she has somebody else to pester.

Actually, that was what's bothering him the most - Keiko having someone else to pester.

"Whew!" Thank God that was over! Keiko breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she entered the room. She silently slipped back to her desk.

Her teacher continued discussing about protons and electrons and opposite attracts but Keiko could barely concentrate. An image of Yusuke with the pencil he bought kept popping in her head like an annoying jack-in-a-box.

She had a hard time resisting Yusuke. She even had a hard time telling him she would be with Omi after school. But it was worth it. If it meant having Yusuke realize he cares for her, then it was worth it.

But does he care? Something deep inside her kept telling her so. But she couldn't help but question his feelings for her. What if all she's doing was in vain? What if Yusuke never really cared for her? As a friend or as more-than-a-friend. The thought scared her. She would probably cry her eyes out if she found out she's nothing to him.

Please let him realize he loves me. Please. She just hope this plan of hers will work. It has to work. Because there is no turning back now. It was time for her to know the real scores. No matter how painful it is. She could only wish for the best.

Please let him be so in love with me!