CHAPTER TWO:

Early Morning Escapades

It was bright and sunny when they watched the bus drive away. The six of them headed for cabin seven. Rin stared up at Kuwabara in utter awe of how tall he was. Both the girls giggled when Rin stated that he was going to be big and tall like Kuwabara when he grew up. Kuwabara then picked little Rin up and put him in his shoulders, grinning like a fat-and-happy cat. Yusuke smiled, "You'll be as big and tall as Kuwabara and as cool and strong as me" Rin grinned down at Yusuke. Keiko thought it was a very cute moment, even if it was egotistical of Yusuke to say that.

Over the next week, the weather got progressively worse. It started out sunny and warm, and then got gray and cool, then cold and rainy, now freezing and snowy. Keiko stared out the window, watching the fat snowflakes sail through the air. Yusuke and Kuwabara were off somewhere in the cabin.

Keiko felt a small tug on her knee length skirt. She glanced down at Rin as he gave her a worried look and hugged a tiny gray kitten with its paw wrapped in a bandage. She swept him up into a big hug and kissed his cheek, "What's the matter?" She added a warm smile at the end, as he tucked his head under her chin. "Who's that?" She asked softly, gently stroking the kitten's fur.

"His name is Pooch, his paw got hurt" He said quietly; the kitten mewled softly, hearing its name.

"Aw…he'll be ok" She smiled down at the two most adorable, make-your-heart-turn-to-mush faces in the world.

She set him down and he jogged over to Genkai, who was drinking tea and sitting on the floor in front of the fire. He held up a deck of cards, she stared at him for a moment then shifted her position so he could sit down too. Keiko smiled; Genkai must really like him…

Yukina called for Keiko to help her with pealing the potatoes for dinner. Keiko jogged into the kitchen and smiled as Yukina tossed her a peeler and moved over to make room for her to work at the counter. Keiko rolled up her the sleeves of her pink blouse and they started to work. As they peeled they talked about various things, the weather, how happy they were that Rin was breaking out of his shyness more and more. Then the conversation turned to the boys. "So I guess Kuwabara really likes you huh?"

Yukina blushed "Despite what he looks like, he really is a sweet guy, just yesterday while we were out playing with Rin, he found a wounded kitten and went all to pieces over it; it was so adorable"

Keiko nodded "So THAT'S where the kitten came from" Yukina smiled and there was a brief pause in their conversation.

"Soo.." Yukina started out lamely "What's going on between you and Yusuke"

Keiko blushed and shook her head "There's nothing going on Yukina where would you get such a silly idea?"

Yukina's smile turned wicked "Then why do you blush so much when he's around, and why do you two fight so often an-"

Keiko cut her off with a bawl-faced lie "I don't blush, I turn red because he ticks me off so much, and we argue so much because he's a pigheaded moron" They both shared a laugh at Yusuke's expense.

Then something that Keiko was totally unprepared for slipped past Yukina's lips, "Then why did you play with his hair and let him rest his head in your lap that day on the bus?" Keiko froze and the only thought in her head was Oh.My.God.

"Hmm…" Keiko said as she read over the recipe. "We don't have enough to cook this Yukina" She said as she handed the other girl the recipe.

"Oh no! You're right! I'll make a list and send Kuwabara and Yusuke out." Yukina jotted down the missing ingredients on a piece of paper. "Kuwabara!" Yukina called. Kuwabara trotted into the kitchen. "Could you and Yusuke please go buy these groceries down at the market?"

He smiled down at her. "Of course! You can always depend on the Number One Strongest in the city! We'll be back later!"

Yusuke trudged into the kitchen, "We can't go, we don't have snow clothes" he said.

"Oh no you don't, you're going to do SOMETHING of use while you're here" Keiko said as she grabbed his shirt when he tried to walk away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yusuke grunted over his shoulder.

"It means that you need to help out a bit or you'll be sleeping outside till the snow melts." Keiko said. Yusuke opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off "AND! There's no need to worry about snow clothes because there're some jackets and boots in the closet that you guys can use."

So she one-upped me? Who cares? Not me…Aw who'm I kidding, I'll get her back later… Yusuke silently seethed.

He and Kuwabara were trudging through the snow carrying groceries back to the cabin when Kuwabara spoke up, "so…what's up with you and Keiko?"

He saw Yusuke visibly stiffen at the subject. "Nothings up, dufus"

But, contrary to popular belief, Kuwabara was not a complete idiot. "Bull. C'mon, I've seen the way you watch her when she's not looking, and I know the only reasons you help out are 'cuz you like the kid, but you LLLLOOOOOVVVVEEEE Keiko"

Yusuke grunted, "I do not 'lllooooovvvveeee' Keiko. We've only known each other for like a week"

Kuwabara didn't believe that for a second "C'mon why don't you ask her out?" Soon the cabin was in view and Yusuke sprinted for the front door. As soon as he was in he stamped the snow off his borrowed boots, and then dropped the groceries off at the kitchen. Noticing Keiko he tried EXTREMELY hard not to start another argument. He walked to his room and took of his coat and boots. He flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Of COURSE I like her! I mean COME ON! She's smart, and funny and kind and gentle and so freaking beautiful, oh my God is she beautiful… I mean just look at her! Soft chocolate brown hair, big, innocent, hazel eyes, AH! And those lips! Ooohh and the way her hips sway when she walks…her dainty little hands …the way her hands played with my hair………the way her smile just seems to lighten my mood…how much she worries about everyone but herself…maybe I should ask her out…Nah, she's probably got a boyfriend back home…she hates me anyway…Yusuke rolled over onto his stomach and flipped off the light, skipping dinner, entirely too tired to do anything but sleep.

Kuwabara had poked Yusuke until he'd gotten up. He had needed help chopping the wood for the fireplace.

"But it's so damn early!" Yusuke whined, in truth it was horrifically early, 5:12 to be exact.

"But I don't want the girls to freeze to death!" Kuwabara had said 'the girls' instead of 'Yukina' so Yusuke would do it, thinking of Keiko. Yusuke stared at the ceiling, picturing a shivering Keiko trying to stay warm.

I'm going soft…this bites. He sighed "Fine. Just let me get dressed, meet ya' in five okay?" Kuwabara snorted he's such a sucker for her. True to his word, Yusuke got dressed and met Kuwabara outside. They worked for at least two hours; it was about 7:20 when they came in from the cold.

Keiko woke up bright and early, 7:00 AM, just like everyday, and took a shower. It was about 7:20 when she got out of the shower. She wrapped a fuzzy white towel around herself and squeezed the extra water out of her hair. She threw another towel over her head and did her best to dry her hair the rest of the way, but only really managed to make her hair messy. While she made another attempt at drying her hair, she thought about the day before. Why does he have to be so damn stubborn! Why can't he just help out when he's asked? He's so lazy! UGH! So frustrating! And I'm picking up his stupid swearing habit…mom's gonna have a fit…Why do I act so weird around him anyway? It would be so much easier to force him to work if I didn't get so flustered by him all the time! She stepped out of the bathroom with the towel covering her head, still trying to dry her hair. She stopped dead in her tracks when a pair of heavy black boots came into view, they also stopped mid-step. Slowly she raised her head and their eyes locked onto one another.

When Yusuke entered the warm cabin the first thing he did was take off his jacket and throw it on one of the chairs near the fireplace. He then walked past his room, heading for the shower. Yusuke peeled off his black tank top. All that work had made him sweaty. He had just about reached the bathroom door, when it opened, steam billowing out. Then a girl with towel around her and another on her head stepped out, dripping wet. He knew those legs, it had to be Keiko. And when she shyly lifted her head, and he met her gaze, he was sure of it. She was absolutely breathtaking. Dripping wet, hair a total mess, face flushed and those long, perfect legs of hers completely exposed. He cautiously stepped forward, one step, then another and another until he was right in front of her. "Yusuke! W-what are you doing up this early?"

Their eyes still caught on each other, he explained, "Kuwabara wanted me to help him chop wood, when we finished, I wanted to take a shower so I came here…" He trailed off at the end. Keiko blushingly took notice that not only was she almost naked, but he was shirtless and had a very nice chest.

"Oh...well…the shower's all yours go ahead and use it" she said softly.

"Uh-huh" Yusuke had stopped caring about the shower; all he could focus on now was the beauty before him and how badly he needed to touch her. Slowly, he tucked her hair behind her ear. His hand stayed there for a moment then began to explore a little. Drifting downward, his fingertips brushed across her shoulder and down her arm. So soft…

She shivered lightly. Why is my heart beating so fast? She clutched her towel to her chest. His fingers were soon followed by his mouth, placing light kissed on her shoulder. She gasped lightly and he paused.

I should apologize… His gaze flicked upward and he drew back, "I'm sorry about yesterday" His voice sounded husky even to him. He knew he wanted to kiss her everywhere, but he also knew he couldn't hurt her, ever.

She blushed hard. "Uhm…It's ok, I shouldn't have made you go…Kuwabara could have gone alone…" His heart skipped a beat as she softly placed her hand on his chest. What am I doing? She thought as she stared at her own hand. He gently took her hand and entwined their fingers. He reached behind her to close the door. Keiko leaned against it, grateful for the relief for her wobbly knees. They held each others gaze for a long while. Then, cautiously, Keiko leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, both were very surprised by her action. As soon as the first contact was made, Yusuke was intoxicated by her sweet taste. With the one hand that wasn't holding hers, he pulled her to him. He disentangled their hands and cupped her face. Slowly he leaned down to kiss her. Keiko closed her eyes and their lips met.

Kuwabara walked into the house with Yusuke then left him to do whatever and went down the hall to his bedroom. He didn't bother changing back into his pajamas; he had to get up in an hour anyway. As soon as his head landed on the pillow he realized that he had to pee….BADLY. He dashed back the way he'd come and just as he was about to turn the corner he heard two voices whispering back and forth. Kuwabara leaned against the wall, doing the 'holy fudge I need to GO!'-dance. He peeked around the corner to see what was going on and who the crap was hogging the bathroom, just in time to see Yusuke bend down and kiss Keiko on the mouth. YUSUKE YOU DOG! Kuwabara grinned I KNEW there was something between you two! Without hesitation, Kuwabara walked into the hallway and cheered, "OOOHHOHOHOHOOO! Go Urameshiiiiii!" Instantaneously they FLEW apart, both blushing bright red.

Yusuke glared at him, "Shut up Kuwabara", Oooh how badly Yusuke wanted to kill Kuwabara for interrupting.

Kuwabara grinned cheekily at him, "It took you two long enough to get together, Urameshi, you should be happy!"

Yusuke glanced over to where Keiko was, only to find she was no longer standing in front of the bathroom door. In fact, she wasn't even in the hallway anymore. Yusuke sighed; well that moment was just shot to hell.

Keiko stared, wide-eyed as Kuwabara sauntered over to Yusuke. Oh my God, I can't believe that I just…that we just kissed! Without a second thought, Keiko slipped out of the hallway and into her room, which she shared with Yukina. She closed the door and peered into the darkness, making sure Yukina was still asleep. Why is my heart still fluttering? She leaned her back against the door, instantly reminded of doing the same just before she and Yusuke had kissed. Why is my heart fluttering at all…I mean I HATE Yusuke! He's so arrogant and rude…well he's not all bad I guess. He is really nice to Rin, playing with him all the time and stuff. He does help out a little, in his own way. I guess…maybe I don't hate him… was the last thing she thought before she climbed into bed on the other side of the room, opposite Yukina's bed, and fell asleep.

OOOOHHHOOHOHOHOHOHOHO! What will Keiko do now that she's kissed Yusuke and realized she DOESN'T hate him with every fiber of her being! Read and find out:evil laughter: