All For the Love of You
chapter 10
by Manille
"Good night, Misako."
"Good night," I whispered back.
Saikaku leaned his face again towards me. He gave me another kiss on the lips. This time, he caressed my lips with his softly, sweetly, almost playfully, unlike that long, passionate kiss by the lake with the sun setting down on us, but just as enchanting.
We finally disengaged ourselves from each other. "Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked. "I’ll come here at around…say three in the afternoon? You free?"
"Of course," I said. I kissed his right cheek. "Now it’s good night."
"Yeah. Seems like we just couldn’t get enough of each other."
I chuckled. Suddenly, I felt an urge to hug him tight for no particular reason—just because I felt like it. And I snuggled in his arms, feeling warmth that I had always felt was there, but this time different—it was more powerful, magical in a way. There I found security.
A moment later, I watched him walk away, whistling into the still night. His hands were folded behind his head, and he was practically skipping his way home.
I smiled, shook my head, and opened the front door. Kaasan was sitting on the couch, absorbed in her book.
"Konban wa, Kaasan," I said, walking over to kiss her.
"Had a good day with Saikaku?"
"Yeah."
"What did you do?"
"Oh…lots of things."
I winced at the hackneyed response. I knew that Kaasan could see space underneath my feet. She deserved to know what had happened. She’s my mother, after all.
Kaasan looked at me, curiosity in her eyes. "Well?"
"Well, Kaasan…" I started to say. I wondered if she’d be furious if I tell her. But somehow, I rest myself assured that she wouldn’t. "It’s Saikaku."
She nodded, urging me to continue.
"He…he’s my boyfriend now."
Kaasan’s mouth hang open. I raised my eyebrows and grinned at her expression, clearly surprised, but she looked so silly! Then her lips curved upwards. She gave a scream and reached out to hug me.
"Misako-chan! Oh, dear. How have you grown up so fast?"
"Kaasan…." I groaned, careful not to squash the baby in her womb even though she was pulling me too tightly.
"I can’t believe it. I simply cannot!"
"You can’t believe I gave in to Saikaku?"
"No, no. It’s just that…oh, my. My child is growing up!"
"I’m a teenager for more than a year already."
"But this is so…oh, Misako…."
Her voice died down. She held me as if she didn’t want to let go—didn’t want Saikaku to take me. She just felt upset that…she’d be losing me.
But of course, she wouldn’t. I love her and Toosan, and no matter what happens, they always will be special to me.
"Kaasan," I told her, "you’ll always have me, you know."
"Yes, I know."
I heard her sniff. I pulled myself away from her and looked at her face. Tears were rolling down her pink cheeks. She wiped them away, seemingly embarrassed.
"Kaasan, don’t cry. Come on, it’s not as if I’m leaving you and live with Saikaku. I’m only fourteen!"
Kaasan shook her head. "No, Misako. I’m just…I feel so happy for you."
It was my turn to embrace her. Being with Saikaku was everything, but this, holding my mother, who have taken care of me, and still does, is like feeling accomplishment—not only in having a boyfriend, of course, but in every single detail in my life that I knew was worth doing and accomplishing.
And before I knew it, I was crying in her bosom.
Yes, I was growing up. But I was still a little girl somehow. I was still Kaasan and Toosan’s little girl who ran to them whenever I needed them.
It was one of the best days in my entire life.
Yes, the day was perfect! I found myself wondering where Saikaku would take me.
I was walking around the neighborhood the next morning, heading towards the public library to do some research work. Then, in the afternoon, goodness knows where to find me.
"Hey, Misako-chan! Looks like you earned a boyfriend the other evening!"
I grinned, slightly flushing, and waved my hand to Hamada-san, one of our neighbors.
"That was the most romantic scene I’ve seen right in front of my eyes in over ten years!" Still another yelled good-naturedly.
I rolled my eyes.
That night looked like I was becoming a Juliet from that English play, gazing at the sky from my window, with Romeo looking from the ground to me.
Sure was romantic.
"Actually, I found Saikaku-chan carrying Misako-chan home a few days ago. Looks like she was unconscious."
I strained my ear to hear what my older neighbors were talking about. Yeah, right, I knew they were talking about me!
"How sweet."
"I actually saw the two standing outside Misako’s house just last night. They were hugging each other close!"
"Sure reminds me of Yusuke and Keiko when they were younger."
"Boy, could that Yusuke fight!"
"Always saved Keiko from those who bullied her."
"But he was a bully, too, when he went to school, wasn’t he?"
"Yeah, but not that kind of a bully. He’s actually a lot better than most students there, considering their true character."
"What? Yusuke was the worst student in their junior high school in those days, I heard!"
"That was just what they said. He saved that kid from being run down by a car and almost died there. He actually cares for people, unlike what others think."
"You know, he once gave me a bump on the forehead when he caught me stealing Keiko’s wallet…."
"Good for him!"
I giggled. Could my neighbors gossip!
Well, I knew that what they said were true, anyway.
I walked further until I got to the deserted street where that wall still stood. You know, that wall I blasted with the rei gan. The big hole was still there. I measured it as about one meter in diameter, but it didn’t blast the whole wall off. There was still that thin concrete bridge above the hole.
I shook my head. Never again.
I continued walking.
Then, out of nowhere, I felt a strong force surround me. It wasn’t normal. I stopped, widening my eyes, trying to see what it was.
I felt my heart rise to my throat. I clutched my books tight, shaking nervously, yet ready for anything.
Where was it coming from?
It was somewhat like that aura that came off Koenma when I met him in our house, but it was still different. More powerful.
I felt the wind pick up speed. Then, suddenly, I felt some kind of energy blanket over me. I felt trapped, but around me was still the street.
I began to run away, continue my way on the street. But as I ran and ran, the street seemed to go on and on forever. Like I’d been running for such a long time, but I was still in where I had previously stood. Like I was running on a floating sphere.
"Who the hell are you?!" I yelled. I didn’t know where I was, in what kind of a trap it was, but one thing was for sure: I was in danger.
"Let me out of here!" I shouted again at the top of my lungs. Strangely, my voice seemed to echo back to me, as if I was inside a huge dome.
"Urameshi Misako, daughter of Urameshi Yusuke!"
I gasped as I heard that thundering deep voice, letting my books fall to the ground. I kept my feet apart and my hands on my sides. Whoever that was, I was ready.
But it wasn’t the voice of a human.
It was some kind of an out-of-this-world monster.
"Who are you?!" I shouted.
Then the odor hit my nose. Bittersweet. I coughed as the stuffy scent filled my lungs. I found myself gasping for oxygen.
"H-help!" I tried to yell but only a croak came out. I fell to the ground with my hands over my nose and mouth. I couldn’t stand up—the smell was suffocating me.
There was a bang inside my head. And another. Still another. Until everything was in the other side of a dark tunnel, and like a galaxy in the big bang, it whirled away, constantly moving away until everything was pitch-black….