Chapter 13: Battered, Bruised, and Still Pissed Off
Keiko was shaking.
Not just trembling.
Shaking.
Yusuke felt it—every tiny tremor, every uneven breath, every weak, desperate grip of her fingers on his jacket.
His chest tightened.
She was cold. Too cold.
And fragile.
He hated it.
Keiko was supposed to be safe.
She was supposed to be home, nagging him about studying, dragging him around the mall, laughing at his dumb jokes.
Instead, she was here.
Beaten. Broken. Clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping her alive.
And hell, maybe he was.
His jaw clenched.
He was never letting this happen again.
Ever.
"Hey," he muttered, forcing his voice to stay calm, gentle. "You still with me, babe?"
Keiko's fingers curled into his jacket. Weak. Desperate.
She nodded, barely. "Mmhmm…"
His fingers twitched.
He wanted to hold her forever.
But they weren't safe. Not yet.
Behind them—
Mikuri coughed up blood.
Keiko flinched.
Yusuke froze.
And then—he felt it.
The way her entire body locked up.
The way she held her breath for half a second too long.
The way her nails dug into his chest, gripping him like she was afraid he'd disappear.
It hit him all at once.
She was afraid.
Not of the pain.
Not of dying.
She was afraid of Mikuri.
His fingers clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.
Yusuke was furious.
Not just because of what Mikuri did.
But because Keiko—his Keiko—flinched.
She never flinched from him.
Not when he yelled, not when he fought, not even when he came home bloodied and broken from every battle.
But now?
She was afraid.
And that… that was unforgivable.
His body shook.
Not from fear.
Not from shock.
From pure, undiluted rage.
Yusuke's fingers gently brushed through Keiko's hair.
His voice dropped, low, soothing.
"Stay put, alright?"
She grabbed his sleeve. Desperate.
"Yusuke, don't—"
He smiled.
But it wasn't his usual cocky grin.
It was dangerous.
Cold.
"Keiko."
His voice was smooth. Steady.
But beneath it was a storm.
"Close your eyes."
She hesitated.
"Yusuke—"
His eyes flashed red.
"I said close 'em."
She did.
And the second her lashes touched her cheeks—
BOOM.
Yusuke vanished.
Mikuri barely had time to lift his head before Yusuke's boot CRUSHED his chest, slamming him into the ground.
Mikuri wheezed.
Yusuke leaned down, his weight pressing harder.
His voice—low. Deadly.
"Talk."
Mikuri choked. "What—"
Yusuke's foot pressed harder.
"How many times did you touch her?"
Mikuri blinked.
Then—he laughed.
Through bloody teeth, he grinned.
"Enough to make her cry."
Yusuke saw red.
But Mikuri wasn't done.
"Oh, and Urameshi—"
Mikuri tilted his head, his grin widening, despite the blood dripping from his mouth.
"Do you know how hard she tried not to beg for her life?"
Yusuke's entire body locked up.
Mikuri sighed dramatically. "Man, I gotta hand it to her. She really tried, y'know? The whole strong little girlfriend act."
His eyes flicked to Keiko—like she was an object.
"But even the toughest ones break."
Yusuke's breath slowed. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Mikuri licked the blood off his lips, mocking.
"You should've heard her, man. The way she whimpered—"
Yusuke's fingers twitched.
"—the way she moaned in pain—"
Yusuke's hands clenched into fists.
"And I couldn't help but wonder…" Mikuri's smirk turned downright vile.
"…if she sounds like that when you're in bed with her."
Everything stopped.
Keiko inhaled sharply.
Mikuri's smirk widened. He had done it. He had pushed Yusuke over the edge.
And Yusuke?
Yusuke lost it.
SNAP.
Yusuke's fist CRUSHED into his jaw.
BOOM.
Another punch. Harder.
BOOM.
Another.
And another.
And another.
Fist after fist after fist.
Keiko kept her eyes shut.
But she could hear it.
The sickening crack of breaking ribs.
The thud of fists slamming into skin.
The muffled groans—slowly turning into silence.
Then—
Nothing.
Yusuke stood up, breathing hard.
His knuckles dripped with blood.
His own.
Mikuri's.
Hell if he knew.
He turned back to Keiko.
She was still trembling.
His chest ached.
He knelt down, lifting her carefully into his arms.
"C'mon, babe. Let's get you outta here."
She curled into him, fingers weakly gripping his torn jacket.
He held her closer.
His eyes flashed red one last time.
No one was ever gonna hurt her again.
Not while he was still breathing.