Orphans
by Keiko no Miko

Chapter Four
Yusuke

The moment I found Maeko hiding behind a tree trunk, I resolved to have Keiko’s patience (and a little bit of my charm that had captivated little Maeko) to convince her that she wasn’t inferior; that she was just as good—even better—than the other kids, in certain aspects. I knew that somehow, I had to make her see that everyone in the orphanage was regarded fair and square, with no favorites.

I later found out that it wasn’t as easy as I had previously thought.

Low self-esteem, I later concluded. Where’s the Sarayashiki guidance counselor when you need him?

Well, since he wasn’t there, and neither was Keiko, I decided to tell her myself. Which was hard, of course. I’ve never given anyone ANY advice, not even Keiko. (She’s the one who gives them to me, although I hardly ever heed them.)

It’s a tough job, but someone has got to do it.

"Hey, Maeko-chan," I said, squatting in front of her and smiling very widely. "Um, do you like playing video games?"

Maeko just kept that bored look on her face, not even acknowledging me a bit.

"Okay. Uh, have you ever gone to the Pachinko booth?"

No reaction.

It was silly. I was trying to get her attention for the past…wait a minute. I looked at my watch—one o’clock? Man, how long did it take me to find her, and how long had I been trying to talk to her?

My stomach began to speak. I really needed food. Food. The plate I filled a few hours ago seemed like a fleeting memory. Rumble, rumble.

Keiko must have decided to eat my food, I thought gloomily. I wonder how she is. She must be worried sick. I just hope Toshiro keeps her animated—at least for a while.

"Niichan, your stomach is talking."

Finally, a whole sentence from Maeko! I silently uttered a prayer of thanks. "Yeah, so it is. Shut up, tummy," I jokingly scolded it.

I heard a giggle come from the little girl. Thanks, tummy, I told it in my mind. I promise you, you’ll get a feast for the emperor later on.

"You should go back there," Maeko said. "I don’t like it when people suffer because of me."

I smiled. What a very thoughtful kid, even if she was a little bratty a while ago. I just had to forgive her for that. Some people are that irresistible.

I placed a hand on top of her head and protruded my eyebrows far out so that I looked really pathetic. "I’d suffer even more if you don’t come with me."

"O-niichan!" she cried out, giggling harder, slapping my hand away. "You’re really corny!"

"Gee, thanks," I said. "Aren’t you hungry?"

"No. I kinda lost my appetite."

"Why’s that?"

Maeko’s face fell. "Well…I…"

"The chocolate?"

Maeko hesitated. Then she nodded guiltily.

I sighed aloud, reaching for my pocket. A while ago, even before lunch was served, I had escaped to where Iwamoto kept the food for the orphans...and I nicked three bars of Snickers.

Hey, at least it turned out to be useful, right? And I sure could use the rest for my rumbling stomach.

I gave her one of the bars, much to her surprise. She alternately stared at it, then at my face. Suddenly, the chocolate seemed nothing in comparison to the gratefulness in her eyes and the bliss in her smile.

Maeko suddenly threw her arms around my neck, and I fell to the ground on my butt. The scent of her hair was so childish and fragrant; her arms felt soft and fragile, yet warm and…just wonderful. I didn’t know holding a child can be like this—I felt like, strange as it may sound, the frangible future of the whole world is in my hands, for me to take care of and strengthen. It was like I myself was the father of this girl.

We just hugged each other there for a few moments, and I didn’t even care if Maeko had a crush on me. In fact, I didn’t even remember. What mattered is that she regarded me as a special part of her own family.

I released Maeko and looked at her straight in the eye. "Now, Maeko-chan. Eat your chocolate, and when you finish it, we’ll go back to Toshiro and Keiko. Okay?"

Maeko nodded once, as she was concentrating on opening the wrapper of the chocolate bar. When she managed to tear it, she took a huge bite from the chocolate.

"It’s good," she said in a mouthful.

My mouth began to water. Heck, better save the others just in case she asks for more.

"When o-toochan was around," Maeko began, "he always brought home candies and chocolates. Then he’d tell me to brush my teeth because I might get little creatures digging out my teeth."

I didn’t say anything. How could I reply to an orphan who just talked about her father?

"You know what, niichan? You remind me of him."

I blinked, surprised at the statement.

Sure, I felt like I was her toochan or something, but…me, remind me of her real father?

"Yeah. He was funny, like you."

"What happened to him?" I heard myself asking quietly.

She shrugged. "He went away. And didn’t come back."

I felt compelled to ask where her toochan had gone to and why he didn’t come back, but I decided to bite my tongue.

Ofukuro told me that my own toosan went away as well…and didn’t come back. I didn’t even get to know what he looked like—ofukuro didn’t keep any mementos or pictures of him around the house. He never gave me chocolates, toys, or anything. All I know is that he didn’t want me—so he went away to no one knows where.

I grew up not needing a father. And I got used to it, even to those rumors people were spreading around about my mother. Later on, when I stepped into my teens, I became the subject of those rumors.

The Urameshi family sure has a bad reputation. Heck, like I care.

"I guess I forgive him for going away," Maeko was saying. "I don’t know why, but I guess I’m still holding on to that hope that he will come back. Even if it has been…three years."

I didn’t see a single tear glisten from her eyes. She just looked…fine. She was finishing off her chocolate, licking her chocolate-coated fingers in the process. It must have had been hard for her during the past years when she was alone, but now, she looked like she can handle anything. She was very strong.

All she needed was confidence.

Since she was quite new to the orphanage, I reasoned that she must be alone before a relative, or social workers, or just someone who knows, turned her over here.

Thankfully, Keiko wasn’t there, or she would have been lamenting over Maeko’s life story for a few minutes now. I made a mental note to tell her about it when we get home, and not here, or she would make a big scandal.

"Tell you something, niichan." Maeko continued, crumpling the wrapper and handing it to me. "If you have a family of your own, don’t leave them. But if you really, really have to, promise them you’ll come back. And keep that promise." She punched me on the chest.

I was dumbstruck at her words…and at her wisdom. How could this six-year-old say that? She sounded even more intelligent than…than Iwamoto-sensei!

Nah, what the heck. Iwamoto is dumb.

Maybe Maeko and the other orphans know more about life than we do—a lot more. I could learn a lot from them.

Maeko’s words were etched in my mind. I was sure to keep it for years to come. I unconsciously touched my chest, as if her assertion hit me like a bolt of lightning.

That was an understatement.

Later on, we knew that we had to go back to Keiko. I pulled her up, and for several minutes, we treaded the forest-like "backyard" in silence.

"Oh, and you want to know something about Toshiro?"

Little Maeko knows a lot, I thought.

Maeko was looking at the ground ruefully. "His parents died in a fire when he was two."

I stopped in my tracks.

Toshiro’s parents were dead.

And he didn’t look like they are. For me, he looked like an ordinary, carefree, happy boy.

The toy fire truck—why it meant a lot to Toshiro—suddenly made sense.

And I completely understood. Completely.

 

"Neechan! Toshiro!" Maeko called, waving her arms high up in the air. "We’re back!"

Keiko and Toshiro were still under the sakura tree. When they heard Maeko’s voice, Keiko bolted upright and scrambled towards us.

"Maeko!" Keiko gasped when she reached her. She dropped to her knees and embraced Maeko tightly. You can just imagine how she does that—like she hadn’t seen Maeko in years. She held her arms and looked at her face. "I was so worried about you! When you ran away, I—"

"Kei-neechan, I’m here now, ne? No sense fretting about it anymore."

I noticed actual tears form in Keiko’s eyes. She cupped Maeko’s small face in her hands. "Don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?"

Maeko smiled. "Of course, neechan."

Keiko hugged Maeko again.

It was like mother and daughter reuniting under the sakura trees; I only wished I had brought a camera with me. It would be an award-winning picture. I found myself sighing aloud, at the same time feeling my heart swell. Keiko kissed Maeko’s cheeks again and again, while Maeko seemed to enjoy them.

I suddenly remembered the time when she took care of my wounds after I got myself in a fight, and when she came over to our house and looked after me when I was bedridden with fever. At those times, and at that very moment right there in the backyard of the orphanage, Keiko was so like her affectionate self; her actions were so Yukimura Keiko, so…I didn’t know how else to explain it. Just by looking at her caressed my very soul ever so lightly, and it was impossible not to fall….

"Oi, Urameshi, we never got to finish that fight we had a while ago."

Even as I turned around, I knew who it was. Nakamura. He and Matsunaga.

Those jerks.

"What are you trying to prove?" I asked them, jamming my hands into my pockets.

They both sneered. "So are you telling us that you want to back off?" Matsunaga questioned.

"No. It’s just that both of you are too damned pathetic and you’re not worth any of my time."

Matsunaga and Nakamura howled in laughter.

If anything, I wanted to punch them back to Sarayashiki, but I remembered the kids. I couldn’t afford any scandal around here, especially in front of them—sure, I was always part of violence, but I never included kids in them. And I didn’t want them to see wrong.

I balled my hands into fists and bit back a curse. I didn’t want to say anything more. I turned the other way, determined to keep my anger to myself—or at least until we got out of the place.

"Hey, you know, Yukimura really looks cute with the kids."

Now where is this leading to? I thought, turning back around.

"Wouldn’t it be nice if they grow up to be like her, so charming and sweet?"

"It would be really nice," I replied flatly. "Now don’t involve Keiko in this."

Matsunaga spoke. "It’s just too bad they don’t have real parents to teach them how to be good kids," he said, studying his fingernails. "Like you."

"Yusuke?"

I was distracted by the small voice that came up beside me. Keiko.

"Why, it’s the ever-present savior of Urameshi!" Nakamura said mockingly, regarding Keiko from head to toe. He wriggled his eyebrows. "I like you better with your hair down."

Of all the things I hate the most, it’s people who try to ridicule Keiko. I put my left arm in front of her protectively, as if to shield her. "I told you NOT to involve Keiko in this," I growled. I was beginning to feel furious.

"Yusuke, what’s—"

"Stay away from this," I interrupted.

"But—"

I eyed her angrily. "Go!" I barked.

She finally became aware of my rage and backed off, a hand over her chest.

I went back to the two. "Now where were we?"

"What I was trying to say," Matsunaga continued, "is that these kids will grow up to be like you, you delinquent."

I didn’t mind what they said about me being a delinquent, but what I did mind was what they said about kids growing up to be delinquents.

"They won’t," I said firmly.

"Oh? They don’t have parents too, just in case you don’t know."

"And just in case you don’t know, as a matter of fact, I do have a mother."

"Oh, but of course!" Nakamura snapped his fingers. "Who are you kidding? We do know who Urameshi Atsuko is."

I braced myself. I had a feeling that this was leading up to something very nasty. I narrowed my eyes and kept quiet.

Nakamura spoke next. "Wake up and smell the coffee, Urameshi. You don’t have a mother. She’s always drunk at the bar."

I gritted my teeth, still intent upon not saying anything.

"Your mother’s a bitch."

"What did you say?" I huffed.

"Hell, it’s true, isn’t it? Your mother is a bitch. Want to hear it again?"

"She’s not," I stated adamantly. "As if you know more about her than I do."

"What do you know?" Matsunaga said. "You are unwanted, aren’t you?"

Damn it! What the hell were they trying to prove to me? Why implicate the orphans, and Keiko, and now, o-kaasan, in this? Was it just because they wanted me to fight them? Was that just it, huh? Here I am, controlling my now-flaring temper, and they go on and on about things which I consider special to me! They know my weakness; it’s the people I care about, and they include them just to get me!

I suddenly forgot about the kids. All I wanted was to get back at Nakamura and Matsunaga! How dare them say those things about my kaasan! I won’t let them get away with this!

"I’LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!!!" I bellowed. I dashed towards them with my right hand raised into the air, ready to swing. All I ever wanted at that moment was to feel their bones break under my fists.

"Yusuke, no!!!"

I didn’t feel any crunching skulls. All I felt was a pair of soft yet firm hands grasp my arm.

Keiko.

"Onegai, Yusuke!" she exclaimed, embracing my arm close to her chest. "Don’t do this!"

Now what is she saying? "Didn’t you hear—"

"Hai, hai, I did!" she cried. "But please—think about Toshiro…and Maeko!"

It was then that I saw the frightened look in her large brown eyes.

My gaze turned to Maeko and Toshiro, with likewise anxious faces.

"Please stop it—just for them, if not for yourself." Keiko clutched my arm tighter. "Yusuke…onegai…"

I gazed back at her pleading eyes, sepia orbs that never ceased to lead me the way towards the right and the truth….

I let my arms fall down. Keiko released her hold, but not her gaze.

I had to tear myself from her warm eyes before running off to the woods. I couldn’t take it any longer.

I was hurt—terribly. Urameshi Yusuke’s feelings were hurt.

Bummer. Damn that.

I guess delinquents get hurt too, after all.

The last thing I heard was Keiko calling my name before I disappeared from her sight—and before Toshiro caught up with me.


Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Back to Keiko no Miko's fanfics | Back to main