Chapter 2

"I wish. . .I wish time could turn back," Nyoko sighed as she walked home from school. She truly missed the days were she hung out with Keiko and. . .Yusuke. "I also wish Cho would stop thinking she's fat." Nyoko thought Cho looked pretty and slender, not fat. 'Peer pressure. . .' The she frowned, "I wish we didn't have to wear skirts." Nyoko hated to wear skirts or dresses. It wasn't the fact that she looked bad in them because she didn't. No, it was more like a seed that was planted when she was younger and bloomed into her mind. "I wish Kai would leave me alone." Nyoko couldn't help it but she was annoyed with the guy yet she was too nice to tell him so.

'I wonder what Yusuke and Keiko are doing now?' Nyoko thought as she raked her mind to remember the past.

On top of the roof of Sarayashiki Junior High, Nyoko listened to Keiko. ". . .I thought Yusuke would be up here."

"Maybe he got smart and knew that if he hid up here, he would have been caught by you so easily," suggested Nyoko as her chocolate orbs scanned the empty rooftop.

Keiko let out a loud breath. "I swear he'll never succeed in life if he keeps cutting."

"You sound like my mom," sweatdropped Nyoko. "Except it's about me and books."

Keiko shook her head, her chestnut pigtails swaying. "I still don't get that. You always seem to have a book by you."

"It's not suitable for learning," Nyoko corrected. Keiko raised an eyebrow. "It's a book on demons and legends. . ." Keiko remained silent. "You're not into those things are you?"

Keiko spoke, "Yeah. . ."

Nyoko blinked as she noticed Yusuke was sneaking up behind Keiko. His finger on his lips to tell Nyoko not to reveal the fact he was coming. 'He's not gonna. . .'

"Keiko, nice skirt," Yusuke stated, lifting Keiko's blue skirt up from behind.

A small sigh escaped Nyoko's lips. "I really miss them. . ."

"Keiko, nice skirt," the toughest punk in the city spoke.

'I can still hear his voice,' Nyoko thought sadly. 'Then. . .'

She saw Keiko's face grew an ugly shade of scarlet. Nyoko knew what was coming. "YUSUKE, YOU PERVERT!" Then the sickening smack came.

"YUSUKE, YOU PERVERT!" A loud smack echoed through the air. Nyoko blinked and turned the corner to see—

Yusuke was now on the ground, rubbing his red cheek and a grin upon his face.

Of course, Nyoko couldn't tell. All she saw was a steaming sixteen year old girl glaring at the boy, her age, on the ground.

"Why do you always have to do that?!" Keiko demanded her cheeks quite red.

'If she says that, then. . .' Nyoko stood, unable to move. She was waiting for those familiar words of Keiko Yukimura.

"Why do you always have to do that?!" demanded Keiko, her cheeks ablaze. Nyoko, as if it was her turn to say her lines, echoed the words from long ago.

"But that never stopped you from loving Yusuke Urameshi," these words would always cause the two to flush and deny it. Nyoko spoke quite softly so she knew that neither one could have heard her.

"What did you say?" Nyoko saw Yusuke lean his head back, staring at her. "Who are you and how do you know me?"

'Crap. . .' Nyoko's face burned as she turned to hurry away. Now she had to take a different route to head home. 'Please don't let him follow.' Yet a feeling of sadness overtook her. Yusuke didn't know who she was. 'And I always share my lunch with him. . .'

"Hey! I was talking to you!" Nyoko's eyes widen as Yusuke was now directly in front of her. This gave her no time to stop so—

"Ow. . ." Nyoko groaned.

A voice brought her back to earth. "I should be the one in pain," Yusuke complained. Nyoko's cheeks flared as she saw she was on top of Yusuke.

"Sorry!" she squeaked and attempted to get off but was held back down. 'WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING?!'

"We were like this before," Yusuke suddenly spoke softly.

"YUSUKE! Stop it!" Nyoko shrieked in laughter. Her sides hurt so much.

"Never!" Yusuke continued his tickle attack on the fellow twelve year old. Nyoko gasped for breath and managed to push Yusuke away. This caused him to fall over and taking Nyoko down with him.

"Yusuke, Nyoko, I think I managed to bake the cookies right," Atsuko appeared in the doorway of Yusuke's room. "Huh?" she blinked. "Why's both of your faces red?"

"Umm. . ." Nyoko hoped no one would see. How will she live if someone she knew saw her on top of a boy near an alleyway? "Could you please let me go?"

Yusuke sat up, causing Nyoko to sit on his lap. His arms were still around her waist. ". . .Who the hell are you?"

Nyoko sweatdropped at Yusuke's sudden question. "No one important. . ."

". . .NYOKO!" Yusuke grinned, bringing her closer into a tight hug. "No wonder I can't recognize you. You've changed." Yusuke stood up, pulling her to her feet. "Yet you're still short but you've filled in the right places good."

"Yusuke, please let go of me," Nyoko said, blushing.

Yusuke's smile faded. "Yeah. . .I should." His arms left her waist. "So. . .you still listen to your mom?" Nyoko didn't speak. "Oh, come on," Yusuke declared. "Can't you just stop following everything she tells you."

"I can't. . ." Nyoko stated. "I have to get home now. Bye." She turned and hurried away, a red stain upon her cheeks.

"It's your life, Nyoko," Yusuke called after her. "Not hers."

"Why do you still have that book?" stressed Nyoko's mother as Nyoko had the book opened while on the couch. Nyoko didn't answer. "Are you deaf?" her mother's temper flared. "Why did I have such a disrespectful daughter?"

Nyoko knew not to speak but let her mother continue her ranting. 'Something must have not gone right. . .' She looked over to her younger sister, Kaori, who was buried into a fashion magazine. 'And she's only ten. . .'

"I know you're angry every time I talk about you," her mother continued. "But if I didn't talk about you, then I don't care." Nyoko's eyes met Kaori's and Nyoko knew why their mother was angry. Their brother, Hiro, had been up all night sick and keeping their mother awake. Hiro was two years old.

'And the reason, mom had him was that she didn't want to be the only one who didn't give birth to a Kokoro son,' Nyoko watched as Hiro let out a sneeze.

"Kami, I rather be working than watch you!" their mother directed this at Hiro. Hiro blinked as usual. Nyoko knew that the seed in Hiro emerged, knowing that their mother would always yell.

"I'm going to bed now," Nyoko announced which made no difference because her mother went back to focus her temper on her baby brother. 'I'm glad Hiro's strong. Usually I break out crying when I was little. . .' She walked up the steps, knowing which spots to step on so they wouldn't creak. Nyoko didn't want to add more to her mother's disposition.

Opening her room door and locking it behind her, Nyoko let out a heavy breath as she leaned against her door, head down. "Just two more years and you're eighteen," she told herself. 'Kami. . .I want to leave this place so bad.'

"And five more years till you're legal to drink," piped up a familiar male voice. Nyoko's head snapped up and her eyes widen as she saw Yusuke sitting on her bed, grinning.

"Yusuke," Nyoko hissed.

Yusuke frowned, "You never got mad when I used to sneak into your room."

"That's before we stopped talking," Nyoko stated, hoping no one would hear them.

"Why did we have to stop talking?" Yusuke questioned. "Oh yeah, that's right. . .you shouldn't hang out with a guy whose future would be crappy." Then he shrugged, "But I forgive you on one condition."

"What would that be?" Nyoko asked. Yusuke held up his hand and beckoned her closer. Nyoko did as she was told. She sat down as Yusuke pat the space next to him on the bed.

Yusuke looked at her. "I need you to hang out with me this Saturday. No 'buts'. Just tell your mom you're going to the library."

"Ok. . ." Nyoko sweatdropped. 'At least, he didn't—'

"And we go back to doing what we did before you skipped a grade and stopped hanging out with Keiko and me," Yusuke said, grinning.

"Why does everything you say sound perverted?" Nyoko sighed, smiling.

"Cause you love me," Yusuke tackled her into a hug. "Now tell me what I had missed out on these pass two years." Nyoko rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as she poured out her soul that was closed up for two years. Yusuke was always there for Nyoko and made her feel better when she told him her sorrows, worries, etc.

"Wow. . .you have a brother now," Yusuke spoke. ". . .dude, you're gonna be old when he gets to school." Nyoko shrugged and continued without any interruptions from the punk.

". . .I also fell in love," Nyoko spoke quietly.

"WHA-omf!" Nyoko clasped her hand on Yusuke's mouth. She looked at the door and listened. Letting out a sigh, she dropped her hand to see Yusuke frowning. "Who's the guy?"

"I can't—" Nyoko was interrupted by another sudden outburst.

"I don't like him already," Yusuke stated. Nyoko sweatdropped. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Does he show interest in you?"

"Um. . .he never spoke to me until today," Nyoko admitted. 'Yusuke cares way too much after that accident kiss.'

Yusuke's frown deepened. "I think you should forget the guy." Nyoko looked at him confused. "Nyoko, you're a nice girl," Yusuke explained. "I'm sorry to say this but a guy can take advantage of you."

Nyoko kept quiet. 'I don't think Shuichi is that type of guy. . .'

Yusuke sighed, "Ok, forget that. You are too nice. Tell that 'Kai' dude to fucking leave you alone."

"I just can't—" Nyoko stopped as she heard the stairs creaking.

"My cue to leave," whispered Yusuke as he patted Nyoko's head. "You be good now." Nyoko watched as Yusuke jumped out the window into the tree.

'Good thing. . .dad never planned to cut down the sakura tree,' Nyoko thought. There were tiny knocking sounds on her door. She got up from her bed to open the door to see Hiro, clutching onto his blue blanket.

"Nyo. . ." Hiro sniffed as his huge eyes welled up with tears. "Wah!" he ran and buried his face into Nyoko's legs. Nyoko bent down to pick up the boy who was cute and chubby like a chibi.

"Want to read about the bear?" Nyoko spoke gently.

Hiro nodded, "Beh." Nyoko carried Hiro into bed with her. She pulled out a small picture book that she kept on her nightstand. "Once there lived a bear. . . ."

Nyoko's eyes softened as she watched Hiro sleep. Yet she still had that strangest sensation of being watched while reading. Turning her head slightly toward her window so she would not disturb her brother, she found herself looking into a pair of amber eyes. 'What the. . .' Nyoko blinked and there was nothing. "I must be tired. . ."

"Oh good, he's asleep," the door had opened. "Let me take him back to his room."

"Thanks, dad," Nyoko watched as her father whose hair was graying take his son out of the room. 'This sucks. . .' Nyoko always felt bad for her father. He was the only one working to support the family. That was why Nyoko made a promise to get successful so her father could retire sooner. "I wonder if I should take his advice and tell off Kai. . ." Faintly, Nyoko knew she heard, came the sounds of someone chuckling.