Violation of the Sixth Commandment This was proably the best I could ask for... Yusuke and I, alone at last! I actually surprised myself -- lately I had managed to obstruct all thoughts of Ben from my mind... and from my conscience, too. Anyway, for tonight, no distractions would certainly be welcome. I sure hope things would go fine...
Kuwabara paused for a breather in front of a lamppost. Panting heavily, he rested his palm on the metal structure for support, his knees bent. That was one workout, running around the block nonstop twelve times! Kuwabara thought, partially feeling accomplished. Sure beats the session Yukina and I had last night. Kuwabara goofily grinned at the thought of his wife. He wanted to accomplish his "secret agenda": to surprise Yukina, with a gourmet breakfast set on their table by the time she gets up. There was no special occasion, he just wanted to do something nice for her. And that was why he braved the early Monday morning frost, embarking on this perilous journey in quest for the most sumptuous breakfast ever. It was still relatively dark, with the fog making it even harder to se, but Kuwabara did not pay attention to it.The twenty-four-hour diner was just around the corner, and he's get there before six. He checked his watch; it was just five-fifteen. There's plenty of time, he thought gleefully. Everything is going great. Walking in a more leisurely pace now, Kuwabara took note of the houses as he passed by them. This is a really big house owned by Tatewaki, he thought. It's almost like a palace! In contrast, this hovel of Ganko's pretty much of a dump! He's never going to outgrow his being a nitpicker. Then Kuwabara passed by the Howards' house -- Keiko's. Stopping in front of it, he recalled his conversation with Urameshi several days ago, and felt sorry for his friend. The guy's been through a tough time, Kuwabara thought sympathetically. Losing the only girl he ever loved! Man I'd just die if Yukina were taken away from me. He gave an involuntary shake. I guess I should consider myself extremely fortunate to have Yukina with me. Obviously uplifted, Kuwabara was about to move on but caught sight of a figure coming out of one of the house's tinted glass windows. What the -- Kuwabara started, but as soon as he saw it the silhouette was gone. Vanished. He looked on a little longer before shaking his head, as if to clear it. Must be the fog, playing tricks on me.
Yusuke didn't bother Keiko much on weekdays. He'd just stop by her house as soon as it gets dark, eat dinner (at times he'd bring some take-out American food), maybe watch some TV, and he'd be gone. Sort of just keeping her company, which Yusuke thoroughly enjoys. He conveniently let himself through the back door, and found Keiko correcting the last batch of essays from her class. "You give out essay questions for Math?" he asked, bewildered. He came up behind her and kissed her cheek. "What the hell do you ask the poor kids?!" "Oh, hi," Keiko greeted him, returning his kiss. "These aren't Math, they're Science essays. I'm just doing a co-teacher of mine a favor." Yusuke pulled up a chair beside her as she continued. "Her finals for the master's degree course she's taking up at the university are coming up really fast, and since I finished my tasks early..." Keiko trailed off and shrugged. "I'm almost done here, anyway. Just four more papers to go." "My poor, hardworking girl," Yusuke murmured, pulling her onto his lap (he was sitting that close to her). "Don't overextend yourself, OK?" She put her arms around his neck. "If you say so." They shared a sweet, unhurried kiss. Afterwards Yusuke set her back down and stood up. "I'll just be in the living room. I brought two videos you might wanna check out." "That would be lovely." Keiko flashed him a grin. "I'll be there in a minute." "Take your time." Her eyes followed him as he breezed into the living room, as if this were his own house. Keiko chuckled to herself; Urameshi Yusuke would make himself right at home anywhere else. Probably even in an alley he'd feel comfortable. She went back to work. Trees help are a vital part of an ecosystem because they maintain balance, she read. Trees, as producers and at the base of the environmental pyramid, are the ones that manufacture their own food, providing the herbivores their nutrition, and the carnivores as well, when they prey on the herbivores. And through the process of photosynthesis, trees and all plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen; thus animals and people can be in harmony with these heterotrophs. The best one I've read so far! Keiko thought, impressed. She looked at the student's name. Mikagami Tomo. Well, it's the resident scientist. No wonder. Keiko gave him a perfect score for that question. I didn't even encounter the word heterotrophs until I reached second year high school! Ding-dong! The sound of the doorbell echoed hollowly, loudly, inside the silent house. Well, silent, save for the not-too-noisy blast of the TV set which the closed living room door thankfully muffled. Great, just great. Keiko grimaced, and hoped the visitor wouldn't stay long. She didn't want anybody else finding about Yusuke, and didn't need anybody to disrupt their plans. Keiko stood up, and made a stop for the living room. "Yusuke, someone's here," she whispered tersely. His eyes bulged. "Better hide or just lie low." He nodded, and turned down the volume further. Keiko shut the door tightly. Composing herself, Keiko looked through the peephole. Outside, a tall brunette with her soft brown hair down to her waist waited patiently. It was Tanima Yuri, her close friend from college. Keiko liked Yuri a lot, but now wasn't a good time. Groaning inwardly, she opened the door wide. "Yuri! How great to see you!" She hugged her good friend heartily, and the other woman squealed. Yuri disengaged herself from the embrace and kissed Keiko's cheek. "How great to see you too! Look at you, you're more beautiful than ever!" "And you are looking even more gorgeous than before." Keiko led her in. "I take it you're in town to see me? I'm flattered." Yuri gave her trademark musical laugh. "You should be," she said mock-arogantly. They giggled. "Actually, I just returned from France, after doing some fashion shows. And of course the first one I'd visit is my you, Keiko!" "Wow, that's great!" Keiko said enthusiastically. "But... aren't you tired?" She tried to disguise the hope in her voice. Yuri just lifted her shoulders, clad in a crisp teal blazer that matched her eyes, in a careless shrug. "I'm just fine; I won't stay long, I promise." Keiko was thankful for that. "Let's go into the kitchen and talk, as I'm... doing some paperwork. Which can wait," she hastily added. "I'll prepare us some tea. Or would you like coffee? Or juice?" Yuri waved a hand graciously. "Whatever you have is fine by me." Keiko smiled. "Two cups of delicious Australian coffee coming right up." She turned on the coffeemaker, and the machine hummed smoothly. Minutes later the air was smelling with freshly brewed coffee. Keiko made small talk as she poured the beverage into ceramic cups. "So how was your show? You've made quite a splash after expanding your mother's business. Imagine, from a small bridal shoppe to world-class signature for wedding dresses!" "Oh, the shows did marvelously well, if I do say so myself," Yuri gushed. Her eyes shone. "One was actually a charity fund-raiser. The critics were there, commenting on everything, but all in all I think they were pleased wit the designs. The btter part was, some famous models were happy to do the show for free. But do you know what the most superb part was?" Keiko knew she was going to tell her anyway. Yuri went on. "We raised close to 500,000 franc! Can you believe it?" Keiko was shaking her head in awe. "Wow," was all she said. "That's a lot of money! Congratulations!" "Thanks," Yuri said modestly. "Where did the proceeds go?" "To three foundations: the Institution for Battered Women, UNICEF, and the Center for Cancer Research and Development." Keiko's head bobbed up and down. "I'm duly amazed at you, Yuri." "Oh, goodness," Yuri said, her hand flying to her chest. "I'm so sorry. I forgot my manners. How's Ben?" "Good," Keiko answered automatically. "He's in Australia right now, finalizing some transactions for his software firm. How's Kazuya?" she asked, quickly changing the topic. Yuri blushed. "Oh, we're still together, if that's what you're asking." There was a sly look in Yuri's eyes. Keiko raised an eyebrow. "OK, what is it? SPILL!" Yuri held out her hand. On her fourth finger glittered a diamond ring. Keiko shrieked. "Yanagiba Kazuya proposed to you -- finally?" She jumped up and gave Yuri another big, sisterly hug. "I'm so excited for you!"
Yusuke pushed the remote button with more pressure than he actually intended. He flniched as he saw the black object embedded into the plastic entireity of the remote. But he was getting sore in sitting in the couch and watching people trample upon each other in inane talk shows. An hour and a half had passed, and Keiko's visitor still hadn't left. What was happening to their evening? It seemed like an eternity, but after ten more minutes of sulking, he finally heard the door close, after the two women bid their goodbyes. Then, the sound of the knob turning, and Keiko entered the room. Yusuke shot her a look. She smiled, slightly embrassed. "That was Yuri, my good friend from college," she explained weakly. "She just came home from France, and we sort of got caught up in exchanging stories." Yusuke just raised his eyebrows. Keiko immediately changed her facade to one of apology. "Oh, Yusuke, I'm sorry, I know I've ruined our evening," she said, patting him on the arm. "Maybe it's not too late yet, ne? Dinner will be ready in about five minutes. Then we can watch those videos you rented." He still had his brows raised. They were raised so high you'd think they'd displace themselves out of his forehead. She tried again. "Please... I'm sorry?" Yusuke gave up his stoicism. "All right, all right," he turned off the boob tube with a last flick of the remote which he almost ruined, and tackled Keiko on the couch. "You're too adorable to resist." She smiled up at him, snaking her arms around his neck, and brought his head down to hers as they kissed. "Mmm-mm," Keiko said as they pulled apart. "Say, why don't we pop in that video in the VCR and not watch it for a couple of hours?" Yusuke showed off a perfect set of teeth when he smiled. "You read my mind or somethin'?" he joked as he bent down and kissed her again. Previous Chapter | Next
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