Entangled Pasts
by Reiko-chan
Chapter 1
August
of 1872
"Yuki-chan! Quick you will be late again!"
The girl of seventeen then bounded carelessly from the tiny room of their little
cottage. Her blue pony-tailed hair bouncing behind her oval face, gleaming under
the bright light of the morning sun.
"Hai, Kaasan!" she answered,the cheerful lilt of her voice quite
audible although she spoke it with obvious worry on her sweet face.
Her mother shook her head slowly as she approached the scurrying girl. She
adjusted her obi, which was obviously falling out of place.
"Your sensei won't be pleased again,Yuki-chan." her mother said
gravely. Yuki gulped nervously as the face of the stern English woman crossed
her mind.
"I suppose so." she replied remembering how humiliated she had been
yesterday. No doubt her sensei would punish her again and this time severly.
"I just can't understand you young people." her mother began.
<Uh-oh...>Yuki thought as she found her mother getting ready for another
one of her speeches.
"Why do you insist on going to school anyway? In my days-"
"Mother I'm going!" Yuki called out as she dashed outside, carrying a
cloth bundle containing her books. She gave a grateful sigh when her mother
mercifully stopped.
"Oh, well take care Yuki-chan." she said as Yuki slipped her feet in
her zoris. "Be back home right after class, all right?"
"Yes mother!" Yuki called out dashing outside in the most
unfashionable manner leaving her mother frowning after her.
==========
"K-koenma-sama?"
"What?!"
George, the blue oni of the prince gulped down nervously. Of all the times he
was ordered to deliver a message to the young Prince of the Rei kai, why does it
have to be now?
"Well what is it?" Koenma snapped again.
"Y-your father, the Great Enma-Daiou just wanted to remind you to change
into Ningen clothes before going down there." the oni nervously replied.
Then without anther word, Goerge hurriedly left the irritated koenma.
"Ch! Great Enma Daiou!" he spat as he changed into his teenage form.
<What is so great about him anyway? > he thought as he donned on his black
trousers and his silk white shirt.
He sighed as he faced the mirror. He didn't actually mean to snap at George like
that but then he couldn't help it since he was in a very foul mood today. Enma
Daiou, ruler of the dead just ordered him,the Prince of Rei Kai to go down to
Ningenkai to personally check and bring back with him the souls of the
supposed-to-be-dead-right-now.
"Damn!" he cursed. Bringing souls to Rei kai is the job of the ferry
girls and not his. Why can't his father see that he has so many work tied up on
his hands right now? And besides, it was of his own doing why the ferrying of
souls has been delayed.
"If it wasn't for that stupid reshuffling thing!" He muttered as he
crossly made his way towards the portal separating the Rei Kai and the Ningenkai,
dragging his coat with him.
Because of the reshuffling, his domain fell short on ferry girls causing the
endless delays. As a result, many Ningens suffered greatly, especially the
ailing ones who had been longing for death.
Muttering out another curse, he gruffly went through the portal. Well, he has no
other choice. If he wants to end this, he has to get this over and done with.
And besides, no matter how annoyed he is with his father right now, he dared not
disobey the great Enma Daiou.
==========
"Oh dear!" muttered Yuki as she hastily made her way across the
crowded streets of Kyoto. She clutched her books tightly to her chest as she ran
faster.
"Sensei would be furious." she thought as she turned into a corner,
the last turn she had to make before reaching the school house. Just then she
felt herself bouncing back. Then she became dizzy as she felt herself falling on
the hard ground, her books scattering around her.
Clearing her head, she slowly looked up only to see a young man sitting across
from her, rubbing his back side.
"Oh,oh,I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed realizing that she had actually
bumped into someone.
"I-I am all right." Koenma slowly replied getting up. What a very nice
welcome for a prince indeed!
Yuki stood up as well but the sudden force of the collision made her rather very
dizzy. She groggily picked herself up, swaying a little.
"Are you all right?" the young man asked steadying her. She looked up
only to find a set of hazel-brown eyes peering at her with concern.
"Y-yes, thank you." she replied averting her eyes. She then bent down
to pick up her books scattered on the ground.
"Im so, so, sorry for being careless." she said noticing the boy
bending over and picking up some of her books as well. "I'm just in a
hurry." she added.
"Well that makes both of us." he said handing her her books.
Yuki, getting past the dizziness, smiled gratefully. Koenma momentarily stared
at her, her smile catching him off-guard for a second.
"She looked mighty cheerful for someone hurrying to class." he thought
absorbing her pretty smile.
"Um, well I have to get going." Yuki said taking a step past him.
"Thank you and it was nice bumping into you." she added running away
from him before he could utter a word.
Koenma looked after her lost for words. He would've loved to follow her if the
streak of her pink yukata hadn't vanished from his sight. He then looked up, the
warm sun bathing his face.
"Ningens." he thought wryly, shaking his head. He then turned around
and started walking. "What a strange bunch of creatures." he added.
But then he smiled softly upon remembering the girl's beautiful smile.
Amusing it really was. He was just granted the most beautiful smile he had never
seen before. It made him wonder if the girl would smile at him just the same if
she had known who he really was and what is his purpose for coming here. Then
dismissing such thoughts, he shoved his hands into his pockets and started to
walk.
Funny, he just realized that he was taking the same direction where the girl had
gone.