More Than
Friends
chapter 8
Manille
The ice cream parlor was too quiet, except for a persistent tapping sound coming from the table of three young men. Two were looking at the other, who didn’t cease to sigh heavily.
Yusuke stared at his untouched ice cream. It was slowly meting away, just like his life.
"Yusuke, I want you to recall the moments you and Keiko spent together before she broke you off," Kurama stated. "Was she acting rather strangely? Didn’t you suspect anything?"
Yusuke shook his head resolutely. "I don’t want to recall anything."
"Well!" Kuwabara slammed his spoon on the table. "What are Kurama and I here for? I thought you want to talk about it!"
"Kuwabara!" Kurama snapped at him. Then, more calmly, he turned back to Yusuke. "Come on, Yusuke."
"Hah," Kuwabara sighed, "I didn’t know that we are here not only to help Yusuke with his spiritual detective assignments but also with his love life. I wonder where Hiei is."
"I’m getting sick and tired of you, Kuwabara," Yusuke barked. "If you want to get out of here, fine. I don’t care."
"Good!" Kuwabara stood up. "I won’t sit here and watch you mope around. We’re supposed to help you but you don’t want to."
"Guys! What’s wrong with you two?" Kurama asserted irritatingly. "We are not going anywhere while you two do nothing but cause a row around here."
Kuwabara leaned back on his chair. "Okay, okay. I was joking with the love life thing. No need to be so exasperated with it, you know."
Kurama turned to Yusuke. "Well?"
Another sigh escaped Yusuke’s throat. Well, what? I miss Keiko and I’m going insane just thinking about her.
It has been a week since. Yusuke didn’t go back and forth school and home with Keiko anymore. He spent his time more alone than ever, although sometimes Kuwabara hung out with him.
But he missed her terribly.
Every night, he would go to Keiko’s house and ask for her, but Mr. Yukimura would say that she is already asleep, or that she doesn’t feel well. He, too, was confused with his daughter’s sudden change. No matter how hard Yusuke insisted, Keiko still didn’t want to see him.
She was hurting his feelings.
But the question is, does she know it?
Yusuke looked up at the two awaiting faces.
"Well…the night before that—you know what happened back there. It seemed as if she didn’t want to talk with me."
"Right." Kurama scowled a little. "Speaking of which, we have no idea where it came from yet."
"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed. "Where’s Koenma when you need him?"
"Okay, let’s not go out of the topic intended here. Yusuke?"
"Right. That day," Yusuke continued, "something about friendship ending in love came up. You know that, Kuwabara."
"Oh, so you and Keiko talked about it, huh?"
"Well, not really. I just said something about love stories having the same plot and she said friendship often ends in love. An awkward moment came afterward, but we became all right when the day ended."
"How?" Kurama asked.
Yusuke frowned, trying to recall the details of that afternoon. "We…we talked about our mothers. That’s all, nothing strange about that."
Kurama and Kuwabara looked at each other.
"You’re right," Kurama said finally. "Uh…before that. What happened?"
"Before what?"
"The friendship-love thing."
"Oh. Well…" Yusuke looked at the ceiling. Keiko and I…we were on that bench… "Hey…"
"Hmm?"
"I thought she seemed quite lonely that morning," Yusuke said, snapping his fingers as he recalled that morning. "She said that it wasn’t important. We even joked about it and I ended up being slapped on the face."
Kuwabara snickered.
"But…she was just fine afterwards. She didn’t bring it up during the rest of the day. I just assumed she forgot about it."
Yusuke knocked himself on the head. "Stupid me. I should have asked her."
A heavy silence settled on them for a long moment.
Urameshi no baka… Yusuke thought. Maybe the reason for her sadness that morning is also the reason why she left you. You should learn to be more curious about your friend’s state.
You baka…
"Urameshi, she couldn’t break you off for a very shallow reason," Kuwabara told him. "Maybe her object is too hard for her to tell you, and that’s why she couldn’t say it."
"She is not the type to keep secrets from you," Kurama added. "There must be a deeper reason."
"What I want to know," Yusuke said, "is that reason. When I do understand it, then I’m on my way to accept it. But the thing is, I don’t have any idea."
"Haven’t you asked her why?"
"I asked her a lot of times, Kurama, but she refused to tell me anything. Whenever I see her in school, she turns the other way and avoids me. And whenever I visit her at home, she says that she doesn’t feel well and she doesn’t want to see anybody." He chuckled bitterly. "But I suppose ‘anybody’ means ‘Urameshi Yusuke’."
Yusuke saw Kuwabara shake his head sympathetically. Hah, the two of us are quite unlucky in love…
"Do you guys…suppose that…I’m falling in love…towards Keiko?"
Kurama and Kuwabara straightened up at the question. "Huh?!" they exclaimed in unison.
"You mean…?" Kurama’s mouth was agape.
"Urameshi’s a strange person," Kuwabara told Kurama. "He refuses to accept the notion that he loves Yukimura Keiko from the very beginning."
"Oh, my goodness…" Kurama shook his head in disbelief. "There she is yet you don’t see her. Oh, brother."
"Kurama, you’re beginning to annoy me."
"Okay, but…look here. There is one person who loves you for the way you are. Isn’t it strange that you don’t feel the same for her…?"
"Keiko…she’s such a great girl," Yusuke said sincerely. "She’s a responsible student, a kind daughter and a good friend. She’s too…she’s too…perfect for me."
"But she loves you," Kuwabara pointed out.
"You’re lucky that you don’t have to choose between a bunch of girls." Kurama took out a piece of stationery from his uniform pocket and held it up for Yusuke and Kuwabara to see. "This love letter came from another one of my colleagues."
Kuwabara snatched the letter from Kurama. Kurama let Kuwabara read it aloud: "To you, for whom my heart beats for: Aishiteru. Can I buy you a pair of shoes so that you can step into my life?"
Kuwabara and Yusuke looked at each other. Then they burst out laughing.
"It’s sleazy, I know," Kurama said, laughing as well.
" ‘Can I buy you a pair of shoes…’ Ha-ha-ha!" Kuwabara’s face was red with laughing. "I never thought some girls can be this corny."
Yusuke, who didn’t laugh as loud as he usually did, sighed. "Come on, guys. Let’s blow this joint."
"Good idea." Kurama took his love letter from Kuwabara and put it back in his pocket.
"By the way, I didn’t eat my ice cream."
"That’s all right," Kurama assured him.
"So I don’t owe you anything?"
Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "Just do us a favor, Yusuke. Promise us that when all of this ends, you’re going to tell Keiko how you feel about her."
"I’ll try," Yusuke promised.
Yusuke led the two towards the double glass doors of the restaurant. He pushed the exit door forcibly.
And stopped.
A couple was walking in front of them. They were holding hands.
The girl looked at Yusuke as her opened the door. As she did, her body froze in shock.
"Keiko…"
Yusuke’s eyes shot towards the person with her.
Okada Takashi.
Yusuke’s vision began to spin around him. It can’t be her, he told himself over and over again. But everytime he shook his head and looked back at the girl, her face was still there.
"Y-Yusuke…"
Yusuke felt a hand on his shoulder. "Yusuke…it’s…"
"I know, Kurama," Yusuke said in a very low voice. He stepped towards Keiko and Okada.
Okada’s face was expressionless. But behind that mask, Yusuke knew, he was happy to see Yusuke find him and Keiko together.
"Keiko, could I talk to you for a moment?"
Keiko’s body shuddered. She couldn’t even bring herself to nod her head.
Yusuke turned around and walked the other way. Keiko followed him silently.
"Yusuke…"
Yusuke spun around and faced her—angrily, questioningly. He looked at her like that for a long moment. Keiko burst into tears.
"Y-Yusuke…I’m…I’m terribly sorry!"
"Sorry!" Yusuke bellowed. "Sorry?! Of all the stupid things you could do, Keiko, why this?" Yusuke raked his hand across his hair. "Why…why go out with that person?" He pointed at Okada. "I though you hated that person’s blasted guts!"
Keiko shook her head helplessly. "I…please, listen to me…"
"Okay." Yusuke breathed in deep, short gasps. He walked back and forth, continually running his fingers through his thick black hair. "I’m going to listen to whatever explanation you have, Yukimura Keiko, no matter how low they sound."
Keiko whimpered. Yusuke knew that he was hurting her, but he couldn’t help it. How could you…how could you…?
Keiko whimpered. "I-it’s a long story, Yusuke," she said, her voice barely comprehendible. "I really want to tell you what it is…b-but the worst thing about it…is…is that I can not tell you…"
"Why?"
"Y-Yusuke, through all the years we’ve spent together, you completely understood me. Please, you have to understand me on this one," Keiko pleaded as more tears spilled down her cheeks. "It’s that important."
"I’m trying my best to understand you, Keiko," Yusuke snapped, "but how could I? I didn’t know why you broke me off in the first place!"
Keiko sniffed. "I…"
Yusuke shook his head. "So Okada is the reason, huh?"
The answer seemed to be very painful for Keiko to utter. "Yes," she breathed.
Yusuke looked up at the sky, controlling his temper. "Ending our friendship is one thing," he said. He looked down to Keiko. "But going out with Okada, that jerk…this is it, Keiko."
"Yusuke—"
"I’m telling you this, Yukimura Keiko. I swear that your relationship is going to end much sooner than you expect. And when it does, you’re going to come running back to me." Yusuke inhaled deeply. "And I’m going to welcome you with open arms, although you’ve hurt my feelings much more than you can imagine. I’m not going to turn you away. I’m promising you this to show you how much I really…I really…care…for you…and that…nothing’s changed in my feelings…towards you."
Yusuke’s voice cracked as he uttered the last sentence. When he realized that nothing was left to be said, he wordlessly ran away.
Why didn’t I say it? he immediately scolded himself. You’re supposed to tell her! You’re supposed to say that you love her!
"Yusuke!"
He couldn’t stand to hear her voice calling him. He ran away as fast as he could.
"YUSUKE!!!"
Yusuke wiped his wet cheeks with his arm. She wanted him; he knew it. But…not as more than a friend.
Of all the things he regretted the most, it was not having told her.