More Than
Friends
chapter 2
Manille
Yusuke gobbled up the noodles and sushi Keiko cooked for him. In dismay, Keiko watched the food disappear one by one as she sat beside him.
"Yusuke, please, don’t eat so fast," Keiko told him concernedly. "Haven’t you had enough trouble a while ago?"
"You cook such good food!" Yusuke said, ignoring her question. He made a loud sipping noise as a strand of noodles hurried into his mouth.
"Yuck, Yusuke."
"Get used to it."
Keiko rolled her eyes.
Yusuke sighed and waved his chopsticks in front of her face. "Come on, Keiko. You’ve watched me eat in your restaurant for years. Until now, you complain."
"Why shouldn’t I?" Keiko shot back. "You’re fourteen years old and you never change your eating habits. You were like when I first met you."
When I first met you… Keiko stared at the wall behind Yusuke, her own words echoing in her mind. When was it? Oh, yes, when they were in elementary. First grade. Strands of Yusuke’s hair were all standing up on end, Keiko remembered amusedly as she looked at Yusuke’s slicked-back jet-black hair now.
"What was I like when you first met me?" Yusuke asked her thoughtfully, his mouth half-full.
Keiko blinked once. "Uh…you were, like, the rowdiest kid I’ve ever met in my entire life."
Yusuke chuckled. He picked up his glass of water. "Did I annoy you?"
Keiko rolled her eyes. "Up to now, you still annoy me."
Yusuke suddenly coughed. He seemed to be choking on his food. Alarmed, Keiko shot up and hit Yusuke’s muscular back with her fist. With her other hand, she rubbed Yusuke’s chest carefully.
"Yusuke, you always get into trouble," Keiko said, giving Yusuke his glass of water back.
Yusuke drank the water and looked at Keiko. "Doumo again."
With a sigh, she rested her hands on Yusuke’s strong shoulders. "Don’t worry, I’m used to it."
Yusuke placed his empty glass back on the table. "Don’t make me laugh again, Keiko," he said, turning his head to face her. "Look, that pencil hit my eye because you said something about guys and men. Then, just now, I almost choked on my food because you made me laugh."
Keiko pushed him hard and sat back on her chair. "Well, at least I always help you."
After a short moment of silence, Yusuke snickered. "Yeah, as always. Like the good old days."
"The good old days. Yes."
Keiko gazed at Yusuke as he expertly picked up the rest of his food with his chopsticks. He’s so tall already, yet still so…young. So much like when she first met him…
I loved to watch my father cook in our little restaurant. I liked the sound of fried food sizzling on a hot pan and the aroma of vegetable stew with steam rising up from the bowl full of it.
One day in my first grade in elementary, as I sat on one of the chairs near the counter and watched o-toochan in fascination, I heard a boy complaining loudly to his mother.
I have seen the boy in school before. He was rather a bully. He tried to play truant in our classes but our teachers never let him. Everybody hated him. However, I didn’t have the time to notice him. Until that afternoon.
"But o-kaachan!" the boy yelled. "I don’t like Japanese food! I want to eat in an American restaurant! Like that McDonalds’ store!"
"Now look here, Yusuke." I raised my eyes towards the boy’s mother shyly. I noticed that she looked drowsy. "I can’t drive us there. Besides, they don’t have any good booze there."
Booze? I asked myself. Something like beer? My father always told me that beer is very bad for my health. Besides, my father didn’t serve beer. Feeling quite anxious about the woman’s well-being, I shook the boy’s shoulder. Remembering his name, I called him that. "Yusuke?"
The boy turned his head towards me. He raised his eyebrows. "What do you want?" he asked rudely.
I ignored his impertinence. "You should tell your o-kaachan not to drink beer. My o-toochan says that beer’s bad for your health."
Yusuke rolled his eyes and glanced at his mother. "I know that. I always tell her not to drink anymore but it’s her habit. She doesn’t listen to me. So I don’t care anymore." He pouted and propped his elbows on the table. He cupped his head on his hands.
"So who’s your friend, Yusuke?" his mother asked him.
"Some girl in school who is always praised by our teacher," Yusuke answered.
I shook my head. "Oh, no, not always," I said, quite hurt by Yusuke’s sarcasm.
"Well, you are a modest type," Yusuke’s mother said. "Hello. My name is Atsuko."
I smiled bashfully. "I’m Keiko."
With a curt nod, Yusuke’s mother turned away and snapped her finger at my father.
I didn’t have the guts to tell her that drinking is a bad habit. So when Yusuke asked me, "Why didn’t you tell her?", I had nothing to say.
"I thought you’re an undaunted one," Yusuke said, frowning at me. "You’re just like any other girl I know. Naive and helpless."
I was terribly hurt by what Yusuke, a boy I barely knew, said to me. Who was he to tell me stuff, anyway? I narrowed my eyes as I was nearing tears.
I saw the scowl on Yusuke’s face fade as his expression gave way to guilt. "Okay, okay. Don’t cry, okay?"
I rubbed my eyes with my hand. "Say ‘gomen nasai’," I commanded him.
"Sorry? No way, I don’t say sorry to anyone."
Even as Yusuke said that, the guilt in his eyes didn’t go away. "You are going to say sorry, Yusuke," I insisted as I raised my hand into the air.
Yusuke’s eyes widened. "Okay. Gomen nasai."
"Good," I told him. Then, thinking that it would be a lot better if I stay away from him, I ran upstairs to the peace and quiet of my room. As I went up there, I heard his mom say, "Come on, Yusuke. Let’s find something to drink."
The next morning, I sat on my chair in our classroom quietly, as usual. O-toochan waved goodbye, then went off.
I trailed my eyes on the room. There was that Kuwabara Kazuma showing off to the girls with a magic trick involving a pencil on a table. As he moved his hand over the pencil, the pencil moved. The girls stared at the pencil, awestruck, but I knew better. I knew that Kuwabara was blowing on the pencil. It was apparent.
My gaze turned to the one sitting behind Kuwabara. Well, if that isn’t Yusuke! I exclaimed inwardly. Of course, it is he. He’s my classmate, after all.
Yusuke had his feet propped up on his desk. He was staring and raising his eyebrows at Kuwabara’s "magic" pencil. He was alone, like me. He must have noticed me was gazing at him because he raised his eyes towards me.
I smiled at him. My cheeks burnt as I did. I don’t know why, I guess I was a shy girl back then. Anyway, I got up and sauntered towards his desk. We were both alone, so I reasoned out that we might need each other.
"It’s you again," Yusuke told me innocently. Then he turned to the crowd huddled around Kuwabara. "That’s a fake magic trick, minna. He is blowing on his pencil!"
"Awww…" Everyone groaned and turned away from Kuwabara.
Kuwabara scowled at Yusuke. "Urameshi, I’ll get you for that!"
Yusuke managed to smile playfully.
I bit my lip. When I couldn’t take it any longer, I burst out laughing. I didn’t know that I laughed too loud and hard. Perhaps that was the most embarrassing moment of my life. When I opened my eyes, I saw everyone staring at me!
I blushed once more. I glanced at Yusuke, who was staring at me wide-eyed.
I grinned.
About five seconds A. R. (After Recovery), Yusuke grinned back.
"Well, I’m glad at least someone likes my sense of humor," Yusuke commented. "I guess you can relate to me more than I had thought yesterday."
I had to smile.
Keiko smiled at the memory.
Yusuke had noticed Keiko staring at him. That Keiko always thinks about nonsense, he thought, smiling. She goes into one of her personal universes every now and then. Well, that’s Yukimura Keiko for you. "Keiko?"
Keiko sat up straight, seemingly startled. "Yes?"
Yusuke drank the last drop of his water, pondering deeply. He raised his eyes towards Keiko’s deep brown ones. "…Why are you so nice to me?"
Keiko giggled. "Nice? I am?"
"You are too reserved."
"Well," Keiko started, straightening up, "first, from the moment I spoke to you that day in school when we were in the first grade, I resolved that we are going to be friends. And we are still friends, aren’t we?"
Yusuke nodded, urging her to continue.
"And I’ve got an amazing sense of patience."
"I’ve noticed," observed Yusuke, leaning on the table. "The way you put up with us delinquents is…I don’t know how to say it…angelic?"
"You’re flattering me."
"No, it’s true!"
Keiko shook her head. "Don’t call yourself a delinquent, Yusuke. You don’t deserve to be called that. You are too nice to me as well."
Yusuke felt his heart swell. His eyes lit up at her. "Really?" he gushed.
Keiko nodded. "You won that tournament, Yusuke, and you proved to Toguro that invincibility is not really one heck of an asset. You’ve done a lot of good deeds although they all hate you in school. Remember that boy you saved? You even sacrificed our life for him, yet you barely know him. His mother was so grateful to you. And besides, would I stick with you all the time if you weren’t nice?"
Yusuke smiled as Keiko concluded her speech. His heart cried out with joy he can’t explain. "Wow, Keiko. Arigatou. Thanks."
Keiko stood up and smiled at Yusuke. She picked up his tray and went to the kitchen.
Yusuke gazed after her disappearing figure. She moved with an air of confidence that seemed so familiar and zestful to him at the same time. Her short brown hair bounced at the back of her head, making her look more sophisticated.
Yusuke felt his heart thumping loudly on his chest. Nice. She said I’m nice. He wasn’t used to compliments, but she said that he’s nice. It made him feel somewhat…immortal...and completely human at the same time. The way her eyes lit up as she told him that even added to his euphoric feelings.
Why hadn’t I seen her before in this light? Yusuke asked himself. Why hadn’t I noticed how pretty she is? Then, as if finding the answer, he nodded to nobody in particular. It’s just like what she said a while ago—we grew up together. I guess I’ve always known she’s pretty.
Keiko returned as Yusuke was thinking. "Well, Yusuke, have you finally decided what you are going to do with your life?"
Yusuke sat up. "What?" he asked, his voice showing a slight tinge of bitterness.
Keiko’s eyes widened. "N-no, I didn’t mean anything by that. I mean," she chuckled a bit, "you were thinking about something so hard that it seems as if you’re finally figuring out Einstein’s Theory of Relativity."
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Einstein? Einstein…Albert? One whose discoveries led to the invention of…what’s that bomb…the atomic bomb?"
Keiko gasped in delight. "Yusuke, I can’t believe you know!" she teased as she gently hugged him from behind.
"Oh, yes, I know," Yusuke said proudly. "He invented the telephone."
He felt a hard jolt on the back of his head. His brain seemed to be shaken from its usual place.
"It was right at first guess," Keiko said, sitting beside him again. "You just got it twisted at the telephone part. Graham Bell invented the telephone."
"Oh." Yusuke sniggered. "Thanks, Keiko-sensei."
"No prob." Keiko’s eyes twinkled as she said that.
Yusuke’s smile widened as Keiko beamed at him, as if pledging once more that she will always be his friend. Charming, intelligent, sweet, Yusuke thought. What more can you ask for a best friend?
Keiko is too nice.
Yes, she always tells me how careless and stupid I am. But still, I find it hard to comprehend why she never leaves me alone. Her patience? Perhaps. She’s the most broad-minded person in the whole world.
Keiko knows that I, Urameshi Yusuke, always get into brawls involuntarily. She knows that I almost don’t stand a chance in graduating from high school. But she’s always there for me, no matter what it takes.
When you’re a kid, you don’t realize the value of a best friend who’s there to help you at all costs. But I’m glad I did, somehow. This I realized when we stepped into our fourteenth year.
I saw Keiko walking alone towards the school library on that spring day. I thought, Hah, that Keiko is going to read another book there again. What a complete waste of time.
Keiko was staring ahead of her as I followed her behind. Strands of her dark brown hair were sticking out of her pigtails and shimmering under the sunlight.
I knew that I was late—the two of us always walked to school together, but her father said that she’s already gone when I went to her house.
I wondered if she was still angry with me for pulling her skirt up before the guys the day before. She didn’t speak a word to me during the rest of that day.
I planned to catch her off-guard—maybe to grab her waist from behind…
"Yusuke, I know you’re always behind me no matter where I go," Keiko suddenly said aloud. She stopped in her tracks and whipped around, catching me looking like I’ve seen a ghost.
"Hah! Do you really think that?" I asked airily, pretending that I wasn’t surprised. "I’m not always behind you, you know."
Keiko shook her head. "Where have you been, Yusuke?"
"I stopped by your house, but your father said that you’re already gone. Sorry I was late."
"Why?"
"Why? Why? O-kaasan was drunk again, for goodness’ sake. She came home at around four this morning. I don’t know where she had gone to last night, but she seemed to be very drunk—I saw her face-down on the den. She even forgot to close the door behind her. I had to drag her to her bedroom."
Keiko frowned concernedly. "Do you think I could go to your house later and…maybe help you guys keep your house tidy?"
I jumped back. "Oh, no! The house is a total disaster area. It seems as if it’s been hit by the Kobe earthquake. And it smells like hell! Just imagine, the smell of wine mixed with o-kaasan’s vomit…"
Keiko’s eyes widened as she pressed her hand on her lips.
"So don’t go, right? Pretty please, Keiko?"
Keiko shrugged. "Whatever. Yusuke, you can be so disgusting sometimes."
"Right." I breathed a sigh of relief. Keiko had done a lot of things for my o-kaasan already. I won’t have her do another.
"Oh, Yusuke?"
"Hmm?"
I looked at Keiko. I noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed.
"Well?"
Keiko cleared her throat. "Um…do you remember when you…er…when you pulled my skirt up yesterday…?"
I laughed out loud. The expression on Keiko’s face when I pulled her skirt up in front of everybody the day before was priceless.
"Yusuke, shut up! I reminded you of that because I came home with the stitch of the hook of my skirt broken."
I stopped. "You know what, Keiko?"
"What?" she asked, quite angrily.
"I heard the guys say that your thighs are cute…"
"Darn, Urameshi!" Before I knew it, Keiko’s hand was flying towards my face. The impact of her hand on my face was unimaginably painful. I staggered back and fell down on the ground with stars dancing before my eyes.
I think my jaw is bent out of its usual place, I thought incoherently as I touched it. When I opened my eyes, I saw Keiko running towards the school building.
I rolled my eyes. Girls can’t even take a simple joke. So what if I pulled her skirt up? It’s not as if she’s fat enough to hide her thighs…
Maybe I was too hard on her, I finally thought. Urameshi, for heaven’s sake, you had damaged her skirt yet you still made fun of her! It was amazing; I was finally opening my mind. Hah! As if I had any…
But the most amazing thing that happened afterwards is that when I came home late that afternoon, I was welcomed into a very neat Urameshi residence. The foul odor was replaced by the scent of fresh garden flowers. The wine spills and other bits and stuff that lay scattered around during the morning were now gone.
With my mouth agape, I stared at my surroundings. Maybe I had gone into the wrong house or…
"Hello, Yusuke-kun," a voice came out of the kitchen.
It was Keiko.
"K-Keiko?"
"Surprised?"
I snickered, recovering from my shock. "Hah. Stupefied!" I couldn’t believe it was she.
"I dropped by as soon as classes ended," Keiko explained. "What about you?"
"Oh, just being a street guy," Yusuke said. "But…I don’t get it. I thought you’re mad at me."
Keiko shook her head. "I can not hold a grudge against you for long, Yusuke." Then, smiling, she added, "You are too irresistible."
Right then and there, I suddenly knew that I was lucky to have her.
"It’s getting pretty late."
"Yeah." Yusuke stood up, looking at his wristwatch. Nine-thirty in the evening. "O-kaasan is probably looking for me by now."
Quite disappointed, Keiko sighed inwardly. "Mm-hmm."
Yusuke rolled his eyes slightly at the sight of Keiko stroking Pu's strange black hair. "Puu…," the little blue creature twittered.
Keiko shoved Pu in front of Yusuke. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to him?"
"Puu…"
"Aww, Keiko…" Yusuke shook his head.
"Fine." Keiko kissed Pu's head. "Just go home and take care of your mom, hmm?"
"Will do." Yusuke leaned towards her face and kissed her cheeks once more.
Keiko turned a bright red. Why is Yusuke doing this to me? she asked herself. Why has he kissed me twice today?
She gave him a questioning look. "Yusuke, why…?"
There was a heavy silence. Keiko heard her heart beat faster. She squeezed Pu quite hard. Pu groaned, flapping its wings.
Yusuke glanced at Pu and shrugged. "I just want to let you know that you're special."
Keiko rolled her eyes and slapped his face gently, although she was secretly very flattered. "Yeah, right!"
"Yeah, right," Yusuke repeated. He touched her arm and squeezed it. "Sweet dreams."
"Same to you."
Keiko watched him disappear. She stayed on her place for a while, then she stifled a yawn and climbed the stairs towards her room, releasing Pu. It flew away, beating her to her room.
As it did, the telephone rang. Now who could be calling at this time of the evening? she wondered. She sleepily picked up the cordless phone from its recharger and pressed phone. "Yukimuras' residence, hello."
"Keiko?"
"Who is it?"
"It’s Okada Takashi," the person on the other end of the line said. "Hi."
Keiko frowned. "What do you want, Okada?" she asked, annoyed.
Keiko knew that Okada Takashi he was a bigger bully than Yusuke, but Takashi was plastic to the teachers, unlike Yusuke. She remembered Takashi having a row with Yusuke a few years back—one of those you-are-the-one-who-is-a-pain-in-the-back fights. Of course, Yusuke won. But then again, he and Yusuke always fight.
And he…he did something to her that she’ll never forgive...
"I just want to let you know that I’ll pass by your place tomorrow morning. It’ll be a Friday, so maybe we could go to the cinemas in the afternoon."
Her sleepiness quickly faded. All of a sudden, she seethed with anger and disgust. This guy has some nerve! she thought. As if I would go with him! He didn’t even ask me if I want to!
"No, gomen nasai, Okada," Keiko replied coldly. "Yusuke is going to—"
"Look, we can both forget about that Urameshi," Takashi said. Keiko heard him snicker. "You know, it would be just you and me."
Keiko rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "No, no, and no," Keiko said. "I don’t know what you’re up to and I don’t know what you really want and I don’t care. We can kiss this arrangement goodbye."
"Well, can you at least kiss me goodbye?"
"Get a life, Okada."
"Well?" he asked stubbornly.
Keiko didn’t bother to answer. She gently turned the phone off.