The Portrait: Part Five

Keiko had been sitting in front of the mirror for about 30 minutes - pretending to be examining herself. Her eyes were less blotchy after she had placed cucumber on them and after two hours of no crying over Yusuke. She was actually proud of that fact - she spent two hours alone and did not cry over Yusuke.

She caught a glimpse of her untidy bed on the mirror. Books and papers were scattered all over it. She had been trying her darndest best to study last night but to no avail - Yusuke's face kept popping up her mind and making her cry.

She focused her attention to herself again. She looked at her reflection and tried to smile. She saw her reflection smiled back at her. Then she breathed deeply.

"Today, I am a different Yukimura Keiko. I am a changed girl…" She was giving herself a little pep talk.

"No more Yusuke. No more craziness over Yusuke. Today, Keiko will never think of that Yusuke again. Today, Keiko is different. Today is the beginning of my life without Yusuke. Without phoning him early in the morning, without calling him before sleeping, without walking home with him, without anything to do with him. Today, Keiko knows no Urameshi Yusuke… Today…I would... stop won...wondering if...if Yusuke had eaten...or if he has been...been smoking...or if he...he had studied...studied for an exam."

Keiko broke down to tears- she was trying hard not to but she can't. She realized how big a part Yusuke was in her life. She began to sob - she could not continue her little speech anymore. Who was she trying to fool? Even with that fake smile she had earlier, even after not crying for about two hours - she was still the same Keiko, the Keiko who was so in love with Yusuke.

She shook her head to rid of all her thoughts of Yusuke. She couldn't afford to stay in love with Yusuke - it would probably kill her little by little. She reached for a piece of tissue and wiped her cheeks.

"Well, whether you like it or not, you are going to forget Yusuke." Keiko said sternly at her reflection. She stood up and got something from the desk beside her bed.

"My goodbye gift." She said aloud as she kissed the box where a framed portrait of Yusuke she drew was wrapped. She silently wished for Yusuke to be wearing his deep brown jacket. She loves him in that jacket.

"Happy birthday, my darling Yusuke." She said as she hugged the gift one last time before leaving the room to head for Yusuke's place to give him her present for his birthday.

"Good evening, Mrs. Urameshi." Keiko politely said as Yusuke's mother answered the door.

"Oh, please! Just call me Atsuko…hik…" Yusuke's drunken mother replied.

"Is Yusuke here? I need to give him this." Keiko held out her gift.

"Yusuke is not here. He told me it was his birthday so he went out to celebrate it with his friends."

"Oh…is that so." Of course he will be out with his friends. It doesn't mean that because I was always at home crying over him, he will be doing the same. Keiko managed to smile weakly.

"If you want, I'll just give him the gift and say you dropped by." Atsuko offered.

"No, but thank you. I… I… think I'll… give it myself." Keiko fumbled for words as she tried to stop her tears from falling.

"I have to go. Thank you Atsuko." She hurriedly turned to run away, hiding her tears from Yusuke's mother.

"Is that so?" Yusuke said as he gulped the last of his noodle soup.

"Yep, you missed her by one second." Mr. Yukimura said.

"Where did she say she was going?" Yusuke never really thought making up to Keiko would be easy.

"Hmmm… let me see…" Mr. Yukimura scratched his chin as he tried to recall where Keiko said she was going.

"I'm not really sure - but I think I remember the name Omi." He added after a pause.

"Omi?" Yusuke frowned' a little alarmed on what he had just heard.

"Yes, Omi. Why?" Mr. Yukimura noticed the sudden change in Yusuke's expression.

"If it's Omi - then I have to go. I have to get to her before that freakin' fag gets her!" Yusuke said as he hurriedly paid for his meal and ran out of Keiko's diner to Omi's place.

Yusuke ran as fast as he could. Darn, Urameshi! If you weren't too busy ego-tripping, Keiko would still be 'Your Keiko'! He silently cursed himself. Then he realized something.

"Where the hell is Omi's house!" He said aloud as he stopped. Now, that is major stupidity!

It's already 8 in the evening. Oh, fuck! Yusuke felt like kicking himself. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. He promised to himself that he will tell Keiko everything today - how he misses her, how he cares for her and how he loves her. It couldn't wait for tomorrow - it might be too late by then.

"The phonebook!" Yusuke exclaimed as he figured out how to reach Omi. Just as he was about to turn away, he thought he caught a glimpse of Keiko out of the corner of his eye. He looked back again to make sure. And as if he just solved the country's biggest economic problem, Yusuke screamed Keiko's name.

Keiko heard someone calling his name from the other side of the street. Yusuke? No, it can't be. I'm just imaging things. She shook away the thought and continued to walk hurriedly.

She heard the call got louder and louder as if the one calling her was running after her.

"Darn it, Keiko - stop!" Yusuke reached for Keiko's shoulder to stop her from walking and nudge her to turn and face him.

"Oh my, you are really Yusuke." Keiko said softly with surprise as she looked at Yusuke.

"And who do you think I was?"

"Oh, sorry…I tho-…" She tried to explain.

"Were you crying?" Yusuke cut her off as he noticed her tear-stained cheeks.

"Crying?"

"Did Omi made you cry?"

"Omi? Why would he make me cry?"

"You were at his house, right?"

"No. Who told you that?"

"Your Dad."

"My Dad? You shouldn't believe him when it comes to memory - he easily forgets stuff." Keiko put on a little smile.

"So you weren't at Omi's place?"

"No."

Yusuke breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Can I ask you something? Are you and Omi…uhmm…together?"

"Together? As in boyfriend-girlfriend?"

"Uh-huh."

"No - no, why?"

"Nothing. Can I walk you home?" He smiled to himself. It wasn't too late.

They both continued walking silently. Keiko noticed Yusuke's anxiety as he fretted with the zipper of his deep brown jacket. Why was he so nervous?

"Uhmm…Yusuke? This is where we stop - this is already my house." Keiko said, admiring how handsome Yusuke is on his brown jacket.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry. I just got carried away. You know - I love walking and I just got carried away with the moment. You know how it is." Tried dumbly to explain why he was so out-of-it.

"Oh…so, goodnight?" Keiko asked - she was afraid he'd say yes. She wanted to be still with him.

"No, no…wait." Yusuke said as he elaborately played with the ends of his jacket.

"Why?" Keiko was relieved he stopped her.

"Uhmm…uhmm…." Yusuke fumbled for words. He wasn't really good at these Kodak moments. But he has to try. Darn it - he has to try!

"By the way, before I forget - here's my gift. Happy Birthday, Yusuke." Keiko said after a moment of silence, remembering that she was still clutching the box holding Yusuke's portrait.

"Thanks. I thought you forgot." Yusuke said. His thoughts a little jumbled up from too much fretfulness.

"I didn't. I went to your house to give it you but your mom said you were out celebrating with your friends."

"Oh… I wasn't really out celebrating with my friends."

"So, where were you?"

"I was here - looking for you."

"Why were you looking for me?"

"I need to tell you something, Keiko." Yusuke said seriously. He took a deep breath. This is it, Yusuke. This is it. Blow it and i'll kick your ass!

"But don't talk until I'm finished, okay?" He said as he readied himself. He tried to remember the lines of the speech he rehearsed earlier in front of his bathroom mirror.

Keiko nodded.

"Keiko, during the past three and a half days of not being with you - I realized something. I hate seeing you with Omi. I hate seeing you smiling at him. I hate seeing you hugging him. I hate the thought of him walking you home - when it should be me walking you home. I hate the thought of you calling him during early mornings and late nights - when it should be me you're calling…" Yusuke paused to relax himself a bit - he could feel himself trembling with nervousness.

"…And I thought that I should do something about it. That's why I'm here. I can't let Omi have you without a fight from me. I… I… I… miss you, Keiko. I care for you…" Yusuke voiced trailed to a whisper as he looked at the ground, he couldn't quite get himself to look at Keiko in the eye. He was afraid Keiko would choose Omi before him. He was afraid to lose Keiko.

"Are … are … you fin…finished?" Keiko managed to speak between sobs.

Yusuke looked up to see Keiko crying. He didn't notice her tears when he was making his speech.

"You make me want to kick you!" Keiko exclaimed as she laughed aloud. For five days she had been crying her eyes out because Yusuke didn't care for her!

"What!" Yusuke was confused. He couldn't quite get how Keiko could be crying while laughing so loud and why she wanted to kick him.

"Oh, Yusuke! I'm never Omi's and never will be. I'm your girl, remember?" Keiko said as he reminded him of what he wrote on a hand-made Christmas card he gave her on third grade for a project.

"You are my girl?" He asked, his voice a little shaky.

"Always."

Silence as they look at each other.

"Can I go now? I need to get some sleep. I haven't slept well for five days." Keiko said.

"Keiko…I still haven't told you something."

"What?"

"Keiko, I… I… I… I think I lo-…I…" Yusuke began to fumble with his jacket zipper once again.

"What?" Keiko smiled as she realized Yusuke was trying to tell her he loves her.

"Keiko, I… I…" Yusuke breathed deeply. What's the problem with him! He had recited about a hundred-line speech and now he's having problems with three little words?

"I… I… I lo-…" He tried again but still couldn't make it out.

"I know, Yusuke. I know." Keiko said reassuringly before he can even finish what he was trying to say.

"And I love you, too." She said as she turned away to enter the front door.

She smiled at a dumbfounded Yusuke before closing the door and hurriedly headed for her room. She didn't bother clicking on the lights. She went directly to her windows and peeked through the curtains and just as she had expected - Yusuke was still there - waiting for her to look at him from her room.

Yusuke waved at her and mouthed, "I LOVE YOU" before he turned to walk home.

"I know, Yusuke. I know now…" Keiko said as her eyes bore the childish excitement brought about by fairy tales - but now, it's her own fairy tale she was smiling about not Rapunzel's nor Cinderella's.