Entangled Pasts
by Reiko-chan
Chapter 3
"Did
I ever tell you how much I love you, mother?" Yuki asked hugging her mother
later that night. Her mother gave out an amused laugh.
"Do you want something, Yuki-chan?" she asked raising her eyebrows.
She pursed her lips and looked at her daughter knowingly.
"No!" Yuki protested. "What ever made you say a thing like
that?" she added pouting.
"Well, I don't know. Just this morning you were depressed and now--"
"Mother!" she exclaimed looking at her incredulously. "Is it
wrong for a daughter to tell her mother how much she loves her?"
"Hmm… I suppose your day turned out right."
With that Yuki smiled.
"You can say that again." she replied.
"Anything special happened?"
Yuki thought about Koenma, his handsome face, and his gorgeous brown eyes
looking at her. Instantly she blushed.
"Well let us say that I've just learned to accept everything and went back
to my usual cheerful self again." she replied.
With that kind of answer, her mother laughed.
"You are hiding something from me, Yuki-chan." She said.
"No! It's the truth!" she protested. Her mother shook her head.
"Oh whatever it is, it is off to bed with you young lady." She said
giving her a light slap on her behind.
Yuki laughed as she made her way towards her chamber. Moments later she poked
her head outside.
"Yes, but I won't tell." She kidded.
"Off to bed!" her mother threatened with mockery. "And you will
tell me about it tomorrow."
Yuki laughed out loud and closed her shoji. She then prepared herself for bed,
changing into her sleeping yukata and untying the ribbon holding her blue mane.
She gracefully knelt down before her low table, got her mirror out and combed
her hair, her head full of the handsome stranger she had just met a while ago.
Then it struck her. Stranger! Koenma is a stranger! Such a thought made her sick
to her stomach. Why did she easily let herself get carried away just like that?
Why did she let her sensibility slip upon seeing a pretty face? Is a handsome
face enough for her to lose her sense of thinking that quickly?
She stopped combing her hair and looked at her reflection furiously. Then her
face softened.
"No." she thought. "I am wrong."
Who was she kidding anyway? She knows that she had this strange feeling about
that man the first time she saw him smile. A feeling of somehow she had known
him forever, as if he was always there watching her. Strange it may seem but she
knows that it wasn't just because of his charming personality, it is this
strange familiarity that drew her to him.
Shaking her head, she then decided to put her things back into her drawer and
get ready for bed. Setting herself on her futon, she stared at the ceiling
dreamily as faces of Koenma danced inside her head.
"Seems like I 've really known him forever." She reiterated closing
her eyes. But then she reminded herself not to get too carried away. Who knows
he might just be a good friend, nothing but a good friend.
=======
"Good afternoon, Yuki-dono."
Yuki jumped with surprise upon hearing a cool, soothing voice behind her.
Turning around, she clutched her chest and smiled upon seeing where that voice
came from.
"You startled me, Koenma-san." She said.
"So sorry." He replied. "Please?" he asked as he handed her
a single white rose.
Yuki's eyes widened with surprise upon seeing the pretty thing before her. She
smiled softly.
"Thank you. It is very lovely." She said as she brought the fragrant
flower to her nose, inhaling its sweet scent.
"So how was school?" he asked as they started walking.
"Oh it went just well!" she answered cheerfully. And before she knew
it, she was chatting away gaily about her day's events.
Koenma just listened with a smile on his face. It made him wonder how lovely her
eyes are, changing from light purple to dark ones and then to light pink,
depending on her mood. Just then Yuki stopped and turned to him.
"How about you?" she suddenly asked feeling him looking at her.
"How was your day?" she added as they reached the town square.
Koenma grinned at her boyishly that Yuki nearly felt herself melting with
admiration. Reluctantly, she turned away and focused her attention on the rose
instead.
"I am afraid nothing special." He replied. <Just a bunch of souls
and a mountain of paperwork waiting for my approval. > He thought wryly.
"Oh come on, Koenma-san!" she exclaimed. "You can do better than
that! Tell me, what really happened?" she coaxed her face shining with
excitement.
Koenma let out a laugh, actually his first genuine laugh combined with pleasure.
It amused him to see her excited face, as if he had really done something
exciting and worth anticipating for.
"Well, another set of deliveries came this morning." He finally said
thinking about the new batch of souls that actually came that morning.
"That means another bunch of paperwork for me, which will result to
exhaustion and who knows what terrifying things it has in store for me." He
added chuckling.
"Boy, sure makes me feel lucky to be in school." Yuki mumbled
thoughtfully. Koenma laughed louder.
"Why, thank you for saying that, Yuki-dono!" he exclaimed with mild
sarcasm. Yuki immediately got the message in the tone of his voice. She turned
to him, her eyebrows shooting upwards.
"I'm sorry but it is true." She said smiling pleasantly. "Before
meeting you, I thought I was the unluckiest girl to ever live because of
school." She added. Then she became thoughtful again. "Makes me even
wonder why I even insisted going to school in the first place."
"Well, you know you could always quit school and get married right away, ne?"
Koenma replied. With that, Yuki wrinkled her nose with disgust.
"And then what? Stay at home and produce babies till I get weary?" she
spat. Then realizing what just came out of her mouth; she blushed and quickly
turned away from him embarrassingly.
"Um well that is, sadly, the awful truth." He replied chuckling. The
seeing the beautiful tint on her cheeks, he smiled softly.
"But then, I'm glad to know that you are one of those women who's got a
brain and is not afraid to speak her mind."
Upon hearing that, Yuki turned to him smiling. She twirled the rose playfully as
she looked out.
"I see we have already reached the bridge." He said looking into her
eyes.
"I suppose we already have." She replied realizing how time flies when
you're having fun.
"May I-- may I see you tomorrow, Yuki-dono?" Koenma asked her, his
face hopeful.
Yuki smiled, her face getting warm.
"Hai." She answered softly. Then they stood there for a second, their
eyes meeting, saying all. Koenma took a deep breath as he felt the sweetness of
the moment.
Yuki then broke into a sigh.
"I think I'd better head home." She said. "Thank you again for
the lovely rose, Koenma-san."
"The pleasure is all mine." He replied. "Take care?"
"Hai." Yuki replied before turning around and walking away from him.
========
Koenma whistled cheerfully as he stamped and read the documents one by one. He
let out another cheerful sigh as he once again brought another document in front
of his eyes.
"I wonder why many Ningens die suddenly this year?" he mumbled as he
lightly brought his stamp down against the paper creating a light banging noise,
so much different from the noise he commonly makes. Then slumping himself
against his leather chair, he closed his eyes wearily.
"How come my work seems to triple up everytime I get home?" he asked
himself staring the pile of documents before him waiting for his stamp of
approval. Then the face of Yuki suddenly filled his head.
Instantly worry filled him mixed with longing. How could he do a thing such as
this?! He is a demigod, an immortal and she, a ningen, one who is destined to
die someday. A demigod's quest for a ningen's heart would always end tragically
but then…
"She made me laugh." He thought remembering what happened that
afternoon. "She was actually the first one who made me laugh." He
added a light smile curving his lips.
With that, he let out a low, tired groan as he desperately wished that the
marble floor would somehow open and swallow him up. Just what did he get himself
into?! But then he knows that he can't bear the thought of not seeing her pretty
face, to hear her cheerful laughter, to feel her bubbly nature… everything
just really got out of hand!
He then sat up straight. He is, after all, Koenma, the son of the Great Enma
Daiou, the Prince of Rei Kai. If he started this, surely he could end this.
Although it fills him with great sadness, he must do what is right to spare them
both from pain and loneliness. He must stop this nonsense before he finds
himself falling and in order to do that, he must bid farewell and stop seeing
the attractive blue-haired, purple-eyed ningen who got his attentions.
"Tomorrow." He thought as he once again picked up another document.
"Tomorrow…"
But somehow he couldn't help but wish for tomorrow not to come.