Okay, this'll most probably be my last update beforethe Internet dies. I think it's probably one of the better parts to leave off for a while, too- the ending of the chapter's not too dramatic of a cliff-hanger, but it lets you know that something big's coming up, you know?
Oh, and again, thank you all for the reviews.
Everything was dark and quiet when she came home. He was nowhere to be seen. She scowled, he was never around lately. Heaving a sigh, she took off her coat and placed it in the closet. It was then that she noticed the air smelt sweet, flowery. Incense. Curious, she went into the kitchen, then stared, stunned.
The incense was burning on a few ceramic dishes by the window and on the counter. The table, draped with a clean burgundy cloth, was set for two. On the table were two plates, each one with a lobster on it. To one side of each plate was a bowl of greens, to the other a wine glass. The wine bottle was resting in a bucket of ice on a stool next to the table. In the middle of the table was a bowl of plump red grapes, glistening from water droplets that clung stubbornly to the fruit. Candlesticks stood on either side of the bowl, containing a lit jasmine-scented candle in each. Similar candles surrounded the room, bathing everything in dim light.
Suddenly she was met with the music of a saxophone, playing a soft jazz tune. She jumped at the abrupt breaking of the silence.
"Did I startle you?" Out of the shadows stepped Yusuke. Keiko stared. He was dressed up in a nice black suit and dress shoes. His hair hadn't been spiked up in its normal fashion either. She didn't recall having ever seen him like this before.
He saw her expression and began to sweat. "Uh, do you like it?" he asked hastily, gesturing to the table. She blinked but said nothing, at a loss for words.
They both stood in awkward silence for several moments, then the saxophone's melody was interrupted with a loud "PUU!" from somewhere in the back of the house.
"HEY SHUT UP!" Yusuke roared in an exasperated voice. "YOU'RE RUINING THE ATMOSPHERE YOU LITTLE BLUE FREAK!" Then, refocusing his attention on Keiko, in his prior nervous tone, he asked, "So, uhm, do you like it?"
Keiko continued staring, then broke down and began to laugh hysterically. "I love it!" she exclaimed, noticing his horrified expression. "Wasn't all of this hard to do though?"
"Ah, no, not really. It was all easy enough to do, but I felt kind of bad when I put the lobsters in the pot and they started screaming. It's gotta be a painful way to go."
The tension gone, they sat down to their meal. "Actually, Kurama gave me a lot of ideas," he continued between bites. "Just never ask him what to do with cheese."
Talk bounced about to different subjects: work (Yusuke quickly changed the subject), what they might do that weekend, and even Yukina and Kuwabara. The two had been spending more and more time together lately. Yusuke wouldn't be too surprised if he caught Kuwabara coming out of the ring store next.
Dinner ended and Yusuke offered to do the dishes. While he cleaned up he continued conversing with Keiko, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He was so nervous. "Uhm, Keiko?"
"Yes?"
"Uhm, Keiko?" He cursed under his breath when the phone rang. Keiko made to answer it. "No! Wait!" He grabbed her arm. "Let it ring."
She furrowed her brow. "Yusuke? What-?"
In answer, he dropped to his knees and reached into his pocket. He produced a little velvet box and the color drained out of her face. "Here" he said, handing it to her. "Open it."
She did, and nearly dropped it. Ten small sapphires outlining a heart-shaped diamond ring. "Y-Yusuke?"
He tried to reply but all that came out was a squeak. He cleared his throat and smiled nervously. "I took a second job and I've been doing some different odd jobs here and there and I've been working my ass off… Uhm, anyways, I've saved all my earnings, so now we have enough money, and, uh- Keiko, would you marry me?"
The awkward silence came back. "Yusuke, you mean it?"
"Yeah," he said hastily. "And like I said, I've stashed away enough money. We can start planning the wedding anytime we want to, so- DAMN IT WILL THAT STUPID PHONE QUIT RINGING!" Yusuke stalked to the phone and snatched it off the hook. "WHAT IS IT! KUWABARA! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING ME RIGHT NOW! I JUST ASKED KEIKO TO MARRY ME! I DON'T KNOW YOU IDIOT, SHE HASN'T ANSWERED YET!" He slammed the phone back into its cradle. "GEEZ!"
"Yes, Yusuke," Keiko said suddenly, tears in her eyes. "I will marry you."
"What?" She'd just said yes? "You will?"
She nodded, then threw herself against his frame, wrapping him in a near-suffocating embrace. He let her hold him like that for a few minutes, then broke free. "Uhm, Keiko, please don't yell at me- we don't have to if you don't want to- but, uh, Kurama gave me some other advice." When she gave him a curious look, he took her hand and led her to the bedroom.
When they got there, all she could do was stare. Various-scented candles burnt where there was room for them. In a dark blue vase on the dresser rested two pure white lilies. The bed was furnished in covers she'd never seen before, what appeared to be purple silk sheets and a satin bedspread. The room turned out to be the source of the saxophone's song, and the soft jazz danced through the air surrounding them.
"Uhm," Yusuke began again. "Like I said, we don't have to. Kurama suggested it- he's actually kind of perverted when you think about it, but-"
He was silenced when she kissed him. "Kurama is not a pervert. He's romantic. And so are you. This was a very sweet idea."
"Really? So, uh, I really don't mean to ruin the mood, but do you...?" he trailed off, face flushing.
Keiko also blushed. "Uhm, yeah. But first…" she pointed to Puu, who was watching them from the headboard. "I really don't want him watching us."
"Yeah," he muttered, eyeing the odd blue bird. "I'm not crazy about that idea either. All right you little freak, outta here."
The bird stared at him. "Puu?"
"Come on, get." He picked up Puu and escorted him to the laundry room. "You're staying the night in here, and I better not hear so much as one 'Puu' out of you, got it?"
"Puu."
"Good." He shut the door behind him and approached his own bedroom, where Keiko was. Waiting for him. He was suddenly very nervous.
Yusuke took a deep breath, then went into the room.
"Koenma sir?"
The toddler looked up. "What is it, George?"
The oni approached Koenma's desk, clutching a file in his hands, shaking. "Koenma sir, I think we made a huge mistake."
"What are you talking about, Ogre?" the godling asked, annoyed.
"The Butchers," George said. "They're not all gone."
At this, Koenma snapped to attention, eyes wide. "What are you talking about? All the Butchers were exterminated."
"I know, Sir, but I've just found new evidence." He laid the file on Koenma's desk. The toddler gave him a perplexed look, but examined the file. Then he dropped it.
"HOLY SHIT!" He pushed the intercom button. "Botan, I need you in here! Immediately, it's very urgent!"