Okay... after some major threatening mails from some people (not you,
Sylvia!), I have finally got this part out. I admit, this part is a bit
twisted though... Highest credits go to Rhionae for finding time to
pre-read my fic and all the best for her exams next week!
Please give me comments, but no flames please.
Siew Lee
wsiewlee@tm.net.my
---------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~The Past, The Present And The Future~~~
~~~The Present - Vengeance~~~
Chapter 6 - Forgiveness
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A figure walked slowly along in the semidarkness of the
Reikai palace. An air of regret and remorse surrounded him. The
footsteps trudged along the long hallway, their owner not even sure
where he was heading.
The figure sighed and stopped right in front of a door. He
reached out a trembling hand to turn the doorknob. He sighed again,
forcing his hand to maintain a grip on the knob.
*Click!* the door opened a small gap. The figure stumbled
clumsily into the room and shut the door behind him. As the door shut
closed, he slumped down onto the floor, leaning heavily against the
wooden door behind him. Kurama drew his legs up close to his chest
and wrapped his arms around them; at least this made him feel more
secure. Secure? Why? Kurama felt so... dirty.
*Why? Why? Why do I have to make this type of mistake?* asked
Kurama softly to himself. He truly didn't know. He was so insistent
on getting back at Hiei, and what had he done as a result? He had
destroyed Arisa's life, he had destroyed his own. He had destroyed
everyone's belief in him! He folded his arms around himself
defensively, feeling that the entire world had fallen in on him.
The impression of him as a gentleman was smashed into millions
and millions of tiny pieces by one mistake.
Tears came. A teardrop rolled slowly down his cheek. *Hiei...
Are you happy now? Because of you, I've now done something
terrible...* thought Kurama plaintively. *Maybe I've been too
persistent in trying to hurt you, harm you... and I've taken her.
I've hurt her! Why do you have to force me to do all these things?
Hiei, you don't understand what I've been through. Days seem like
years now, filled with my sorrow for you.*
*I shouldn't blame Hiei for all the things I have done... I
shouldn't blame him... But who else can I blame? Myself? Yes,
myself,* a voice spoke in his head.
"Maybe I shouldn't push all the blame on him, it was me! Me!"
wept Kurama. "This world is so unfair! So unfair to all of us!"
"Hiei! Tell me! Tell me what should I do now! I can't just go
straight up to her and confess what I have done!" yelled Kurama
angrily. Hot tears streamed down his face, soaking the collar of his
shirt. Kurama slumped down on the floor again, weak and tired.
Kurama was so tired of leading this type of life, but what
could he do? Life was just a big lie. He had lied to practically
everybody around him... He lied to Shiori, he lied to his friends, he
had to lie to Arisa now! Kurama was tired, truly tired.
Another thought struck him.
"Oh no..." mumbled Kurama softly. "I shouldn't have done this
to her from the beginning... I'm youko... I'm youko! I can't have
children with humans... Inari-sama won't forgive me for this,"
breathed out Kurama miserably. The idea of being banished from Makai
forever was horrible. His mind flashed back to the moment when Inari-
sama had told him never to get too intimate with humans... The plaque
in Inari's Makai shrine. It was carved clearly that any children with
human and youko origin would have to be killed... The mother wouldn't
survive either and the youko itself would have to be banished from
Makai forever. Banished forever! A youko's soul would be more than
enough to taint innocent souls...
"Please... Please, Arisa; don't get pregnant... Please
don't..." pleaded Kurama hopelessly. The very thought of having
himself banished and Arisa killed frightened him. Kurama didn't get
scared all that easily, but this time was different from robbing or
stealing valuables... This matter couldn't be solved by using
violence.
*But... must I tell Arisa what I've done to her?* This was
another serious question which had popped into his mind. Kurama
buried his face miserably in his hands.
The voice in his mind surfaced again, distracting Kurama from
his thoughts. *You have two choices now. You know you fed Arisa that
painkiller so she wouldn't know anything physically so far, but if
you hide the truth away from her, you will be lying to her. Besides,
that will be the very act of a chicken. Chicken youko, chicken
youko!*
Consequences, consequences.
*If I tell her, what would she do? She might report it to
Koenma-sama and I'll get sacked from the Reikai-tantei team... Yusuke
and the rest would start avoiding me... Worst of all, Arisa will get
hurt the most. But... if I don't, I'm not being truthful to her. What
would she think of me?* debated Kurama silently. He was really
confused now, fervently wishing there was something to guide him
through this predicament.
Time had passed by, it was already dawn. The soothing rays of
the sun poured through the windowpane. Kurama's heart was already
decided. He couldn't, and wouldn't tell Arisa what he had done. Maybe
it was the best way out after all he had done. Sometimes, it was
better to keep secrets than to tell the painful truth. Slowly, he
fell into a trance-like sleep that was giving him barely any rest.
Would it be a war won or would it be a lost cause? No one knew
the answer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ow... my head hurts," groaned Arisa as she raised to a hand to
feel her own forehead. She turned her head to glance at the digital
clock at her bedside. She felt very tired and still slightly dizzy.
*Most probably from yesterday's drinking session.* Arisa would never
try alcohol ever again in her life. Too exhausting.
*10.00 am. Why am I still feeling so tired after sleeping for
so long?* wondered Arisa to herself. She closed her eyes and tried to
recall what happened last night. She remembered herself drunk and
someone helping her to her room. *Must have been Keiko or Botan,*
thought Arisa to herself as she got off the warm and cozy bed.
*Great, why are all my clothes so crumpled? Did they drag me
all the way from Yusuke-san's room?" thought Arisa as she grabbed her
shirt and looked at it. *Owww... I'm aching everywhere now...*
muttered Arisa as she rubbed the back of her head.
*Oh no! What did I say last night?* Arisa's face colored into a
blush as she had seen in movies that drunk people are always saying
something strange and weird... What if... *Did I say something very
embarrassing? Like... my feelings for Kurama?* That was her deepest
secret that she could tell no one, not even Misuko. *Well, a crush is
a crush...*
Arisa closed her eyes again. The dream last night was great!
Kurama had finally said the words that she yearned so long to hear
from him. He had even kissed her... but she couldn't quite recall
what happened afterwards. Her mind was nearly in a blank state except
she could barely feel that someone kept kissing her repeatedly. At
one point, she could even picture his green eyes looking at her...
but even her eyesight went after that. She could just see the
darkness in front of her eyes... Anyway, that feeling was great, but
that was only a dream. *I could have sworn that it was Kurama who was
being so... nice to me.* Arisa sighed and consoled herself.
*Forget about it, girl. Kurama has so many girls trailing after
him every single day of his life, he won't take any notice of you...*
an irritating voice in her voice whispered. Arisa shook her head and
commanded herself to ignore that stupid voice.
With a sigh, Arisa got up and grabbed her bathrobe. She dug in
her backpack for a fresh change of clothes. Stepping under the
shower, she embraced the relaxing stream of water gushing from above
her head.
*Yuck! I hate the small of alcohol and now, it's all over me,*
complained Arisa as she turned the tap to the fullest level. The cool
water was a good change from the drowsy feeling in her head. "Just
imagine sleeping one whole night permeated with this smell... It is
sticky too..." grumbled Arisa.
At last, Arisa finished showering and getting dressed. She
pulled on a navy blue round neck T-shirt and a pair of white shorts.
Refreshed, she began combing her hair in front of the dresser.
Just then, Misuko burst into the room.
"Arisa, you're up! The last time I came in, you were still
sleeping under covers," said Misuko.
"Yeah, I was drunk last night," said Arisa as she tied her hair
into a ponytail with a matching white hair-band.
"I heard it from the rest, you lost many times in poker right?
I thought you can't take alcohol... I wonder why they were trying to
keep their faces straight whenever they saw me this morning," asked
Misuko curiously, sitting on the bed waiting for Arisa to finish
looking at the mirror.
Arisa shrugged and answered, "I'm in Reikai anyway and I wanted
to try drinking." Misuko would freak out of she was to ever know that
Yusuke had even described the details to all of them.
"Where were you yesterday?"
"I was with Koenma-sama for a very long chat," answered Misuko,
her cheeks turning pink.
"By the way, Koenma-sama wants to see all the Reikai
investigators in the sports ring. He has some new tools to give you
guys," continued Misuko after regaining her composure.
"School's tomorrow... Misuko, can you get me to Ningenkai after
this? I want to get ready for school tomorrow," begged Arisa, nearly
going down onto her knees.
"Okay," agreed Misuko as she took Arisa by arm.
Both girls ran to the sports ring.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"What's that?" asked Kuwabara as he studied a device about the
size of a cassette tape that Botan passed him. It was black, with
a row of three buttons by its side. There was a small L.E.D. screen
on the top side completed with a small red light at one corner.
The whole team consisting of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei and
Arisa each received a device. Arisa couldn't help noticing that
Kurama was looking quite burnt out and tired. *Was he drinking with
me yesterday?* Just a random thought.
"It's a pager... An inter-dimensional pager, actually,"
explained Koenma when he saw that everybody gets one.
"A pager!?!" chorused everybody at once.
"You are to bring it along with you everywhere because whenever
there's an emergency, I could use this to contact all of you at
once," continued Koenma and he paused for a while.
"Yeah... as if Mukuro would like it a lot," grumbled Hiei as he
fiddled with the pocket-size device.
Little by little, he explained all its functions and uses. An
hour later, the group was dismissed.
Kurama gazed at Arisa and Misuko from a distance. He was still
feeling guilty, very guilty. Luckily he had the sense to stuff a
painkiller down her throat last night or else... Although he had
decided against telling her but still...
When Arisa walked past him, Kurama had the sudden urge to tell
her the truth. He *had* to tell her sooner or later. His conscience
was already betraying his thoughts.
"Arisa..." called out Kurama weakly, his heart sinking deeper
and deeper into guilt as Arisa responded by smiling at him.
*She looks so vulnerable now...* whispered Kurama silently,
furiously restraining the terrible truth.
"Yes?" asked Arisa again, her brows knitted into a slight
frown.
"Er... nothing," answered Kurama at last. He didn't have the
heart to tell her... Kurama secretly heaved a huge sigh of relief
when Arisa smiled and walked away. *That was dangerous...*
*Maybe I should go back to Ningenkai to think things over.*
Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara went back to Ningenkai as the
school holidays ended today. Arisa went with them as Misuko was the
one who took them back to Ningenkai. Arisa had a feeling that Kurama
was eyeing her secretly. As if... he was trying to tell her something
but held back at the last second. She also had a feeling that Kurama
seemed to treat her more intimately than before... but she shook it
off quickly. Maybe it was just her hyperactive imagination.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Two months passed, still no news of Yamaro and Murashi. Nothing
serious had happened so far, maybe a few youkai attacks now and then.
It was just a normal day at Meiou High. The second bell had rung and
students were walking to their respective classrooms in crowds.
"Oh, Kurama! I do really hate Biology... I can't seem to
remember the anatomy of a frog... " complained Arisa in a low tone
as Miss Sachiko walked in the noisy classroom. The teacher had a very
strict looking face and all of her hair was tied up into a prim bun
behind her head.
"Me too," replied Kurama as he took out his Biology textbook.
"Good morning, Miss Sachiko," chanted the class monotonously
and slowly in order to greet the middle aged teacher. Miss Sachiko
greeted them back and the whole class sat down in their places again.
"Class, turn to page 78 please." said Miss Sachiko's strictly-
no-nonsense voice. Arisa sighed softly and flipped to page 78 of her
textbook.
"...frog is a very unique vertebrate creature in the world of
living things. Let's start with the physical features..."
Arisa stared at her textbook unhappily. Biology was always so
tedious to study. The last time she studied for a Biology test, she
could still remember the facts one month later.
Suddenly, Arisa felt butterflies in her stomach, and she felt
very queasy. Her head hurt a little now and the words in front of her
swam around in circles. She choked a little and Kurama, who was
sitting beside her, looked at her quizzically. At last, Arisa
couldn't withstand it anymore. The feeling was so bad that she had to
get out before she threw up in the class. She rushed out with 40
pairs of astonished eyes trailing her.
"What does that girl think she's doing? Running out just like
that! This class has totally no discipline!" scolded Miss Saichiko
angrily, plainly irritated by Arisa's act of running out of the
classroom.
After 10 minutes, Arisa walked back to the class with a pale
face. Her breathing was rather haggard and beads of sweat were
forming on her forehead.
"Are you okay, Arisa?" asked Miss Sachiko out of pure concern.
Arisa looked really ill.
"I'm already feeling better now. Just now was just some sort
of food poisoning," replied Arisa weakly and she went back to her
seat.
"Are you really alright?" whispered Kurama to Arisa softly.
"Yeah, I've been sick like this for the past two days, but
today was the worst," answered Arisa in an equally low tone.
"Go and see the doctor after school. Do you want me to
accompany you?" offered Kurama. Kurama had a bad feeling about this,
one that he simply couldn't place... No... it couldn't be such a
coincidence...
Arisa just shook her head and went back listening to Miss
Sachiko's teaching. Her nauseous sickness disturbed her once in a
while, with only very mild attacks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Arisa trudged back to her bedroom and flopped down on her
favorite bean bag, still dressed in her school uniform. She stood up
again. She grabbed her towel from the clothes hanger and took a fresh
change of clothes.
When she stepped into the shower, the warm water was relaxing
enough, but Arisa's mind wasn't there. The doctor's words still
echoed in her ears.
*Congratulations, Miss Arisa. You are two months pregnant
already,* announced the doctor happily, but Arisa just felt hazy. It
had all happened too fast... The mini agenda in class, a visit to the
doctor, the news...
How could she be pregnant? The doctor's words were like someone
had just splashed her with a bucket of cold water. She had never had
any close relationship with a guy. Unconsciously, a tear dropped down
to the tiled floor.
*Two months. Where was I two months ago?* She squeezed her eyes
shut, trying to recall the days she had spent in Reikai. That
night...
Arisa suddenly had a bad feeling about this. The kisses, the
blurry face she found herself looking up at in her 'dream'... The
face was very familiar... Soft red hair, green eyes... She remembered
feeling disappointed because it wasn't real... No! It was real after
all! She finished off her shower quickly with a hollow pit in her
stomach. She dressed and ran out. She dug in her wallet for Keiko's
phone number and began dialing from the phone extension in her room,
fervently hoping it was just a hallucination.
"Hello, is Keiko there?" spoke Arisa into the mouthpiece.
"Yeah, this is Keiko speaking," answered a girl's voice over
the line.
"Hi Keiko. This is Arisa here," said Arisa.
"Yeah, is there anything?" answered Keiko.
"Oh, I just want to ask you something," began Arisa slowly as
she bit her lower lip.
"Go on, I'm listening," said Keiko.
"Remember one night two months ago when I was drunk over at
Reikai?" asked Arisa anxiously, keeping her fingers crossed;
seriously hoping that the doctor's verdict might be wrong; so were
her intuitions.
"Sure! You could barely even stand up properly. I think I would
like to whip Yusuke for making you and Kurama drink so much alcohol."
said Keiko angrily, ready to teach Yusuke a lesson.
"Do you still remember who helped me back to my room? Was it
you?" asked Arisa.
"No, it wasn't me. It was Kurama. He was kind enough to send
you. In fact, he was also half drunk," answered Keiko.
"---silence---"
"Hello, hello... are you there, Arisa?" asked Keiko, upon
hearing no sound. Just then, she could hear a soft thud.
Unknowingly, the telephone receiver dropped on the ground as
Arisa ran out of the door, sobbing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Shuiichi! Shuiichi!" called Arisa from the gate, wiping her
tears away. She was quite familiar with Kurama's house as she was
always here to borrow reference books from him.
A middle aged woman answered the door and looked out.
"Are you looking for Shuichi?" asked Shiori.
"Yes, I'm looking for him." came the answer.
"Which Shuiichi? Oh... of course my elder son," answered
Shiori, stopping herself in time. Strange enough, both of her sons
were also named Shuiichi. How ironic.
"Shuiichi Minamino," said Arisa, nearly bursting out to sobs as
she pronounced that name.
"Please wait," said Shiori, smiling at Arisa. Shiori had smiled
so sweetly that Arisa couldn't resist smiling back.
A few moments later, Kurama dressed in a white polo shirt and
black slacks walked down the stairs to the front gate.
"Good afternoon... It's you, Arisa. Is there anything?" greeted
Kurama, his face showing signs of worry.
*That jerk... His face shows that he is guilty!* muttered Arisa
angrily.
"We need to talk, really talk," said Arisa in a trembling voice
as she took Kurama by hand and ran down the street.
"I'm pregnant. Two months," said Arisa as calmly as she could
to Kurama once they stood under a huge birch tree in the nearby park.
Kurama's eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. His face went
pale suddenly and beads of cold sweat began to form on his forehead,
but he kept quiet. A gust of wind blew by, dead leaves fluttered by.
This confirmed his worst fear.
"Tell me the truth. Is it you who did it? Were you the one that
night? Answer me!" demanded Arisa, determined to get a straight
answer from him.
Kurama's brilliant green eyes blinked a few times and his lower
lip trembled. "Yes," he admitted softly. *Tell her, Kurama. You have
to face the reality...* a voice whispered in his head.
Two teardrops fell from Arisa's eyes onto the soft green grass
below. She raised her hand to slap him but Kurama didn't wince. He
was expecting the stinging sensation... but the slap never came.
Arisa reluctantly put down her hand and clenched it. "You never
expected I would get pregnant at first try," said Arisa coldly, the
hurt in her voice very obvious.
"I'm sorry," whispered Kurama back; his guilt torturing him
once again, as it had been torturing him every night since that
incident.
"It's too late to say sorry! Why? Why did you do this in the
first place?" yelled Arisa in a fury.
"I was also drunk that night and it was a moment of lust... I
was so aroused at one moment that I kissed you and you responded. I
asked you again whether you loved me or not and you answered yes,"
explained Kurama weakly, feeling that his knees were about to buckle
beneath him. This feeling was terrible... Although Kurama had thought
of these consequences later that night, he was altogether unready to
face them.
"A moment of lust... How dare you say that!" screamed Arisa.
"Yes, I admit it! I did really secretly admire you, so what? You
can't do that to me! Tell me now, what am I going to do with the
baby?"
"I'll take full responsibility," said Kurama as sincerely as he
could.
"Both of us are only eighteen..." answered Arisa. "How can you
take full responsibility?" Arisa wiped away her tears and ran down
the street.
Kurama stood there dazed. As Shuiichi Minamino, he was eighteen
now; but as Kurama, he was centuries old. He shouldn't be that stupid
to do all these things. What was the problem with him? Kurama folded
his arms and walked back home. *Please, Arisa, you have to forgive
me... but Inari-sama?* Kurama sighed and walked further down the
street.
***
"Shuichi, what's the matter? That girl looks as if she's going
to burst into tears anytime," said Shiori, showing concern for her
son.
"Nothing, kaasan," answered Kurama as he trudged up the stairs
slowly. He was confused even now. He needed a place to think slowly.
Slowly and carefully.
Kurama reached his room and locked the door behind him. His
room was painted a pleasant light blue, and a study desk stacked with
books was placed in one corner. On the opposite wall was a book rack
and the room was very neat overall. Kurama sat down on his bed
ruefully.
There was a voice speaking to him in his mind. In the midst of
darkness, there was lamp burning with a golden light guiding him. It
felt so... close to warmth. *You should take this full responsibility
as a man, not hiding yourself in your own room. Isn't that the same
with escaping from reality?*
Kurama squeezed his eyes shut in pain. His heart was nearly
bursting with wild confusion and guilt. "Kurama, what have you done?"
Kurama asked himself softly for the hundredth time. He knew that the
answer lay within him, within his very soul; but he didn't have the
courage to face it. *Face it! Face the demon of your mind, your body,
your heart!* screamed the voice inside his head.
His head was starting to hurt. He had long discerned the voice
as a part of himself, but the situation was different now. He was not
dealing with Hiei anymore. He was dealing with a girl, a girl that he
had blindly taken advantage of. Kurama clutched his own head, half
afraid that the turmoil and uncertainty swirling in him might
actually make their way out.
Hiei... Hiei... That name still wouldn't leave him alone. Was
his passion for him really that strong? It had almost became a
terrible nightmare for him. Kurama knew that he must forget about him
sooner or later, but that was betraying himself, betraying what he
had pursued all along...
Kurama found himself remembering memories long ago. He was once
a youko, not wary of the sky and earth. As he slept away lonely
nights in Makai, the air blanketed him, the ground protected him. In
other words, he was the king of nighttime. Youko ears and a tail,
liquid golden eyes... He was under Inari-sama. In fact, he trained
under Inari-sama, the guardian protector of foxes... It was a very
long time ago... But now, it was all gone in a flash of reality and
light. It was his most terrifying nightmare come true. He would have
to be banished from his clan and race forever because of a single
mistake. Just once, and it was inexcusable. He did it out of
downright selfishness, not just lust that prompted him.
One single mistake. The mistake proved to be costly. Kurama
sighed unhappily, he would have to rectify his mistakes, he had no
choice. "Besides it isn't fair to Arisa, right? I would have to
forget Hiei..." whispered Kurama miserably. Hiei was his only flame
in his life, but he had to put down that burden somehow...
Without much thought, Kurama picked up the phone receiver from
the bedside the began dialing Arisa's phone number.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Misuko, are you in?"
Misuko, hearing a voice calling her and looked out. Arisa was
standing there wiping away tears, dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-
shirt.
"Come in. The gate's not locked," invited Misuko. Arisa walked
in haltingly.
"Are your parents in?" asked Arisa weakly, leaning against a
white-washed wall.
"No, they went for some function and won't be back until night
time," said Misuko as she grabbed two cans of soft drink from the
refrigerator. "Is anything wrong?" asked Misuko as she noticed
Arisa's pale face and tear streaks. Her curiosity flared as she
recalled that her cousin wasn't the type of person to break down and
cry openly.
"I need some help." As Arisa said that, she broke down into
sobs.
Misuko set the cans down the table and put a comforting arm
around Arisa. "What's the matter? Got into a huge fight with your
family?" asked Misuko gently.
"Far worse than that. I got pregnant, two months," confessed
Arisa tearfully.
Misuko gasped and clamped her hand over her own mouth. "I
thought you had no boyfriend?"
"No, I don't. Remember our stay in Reikai? That was the night
before we went back to Ningenkai, where we were having a party in
Yusuke's room. Kuwabara, Yusuke, Botan, Kurama and I were playing
poker. Kurama and I lost heavily and we were forced at drink more
than a dozen cans of beer. I got drunk myself, so did he. When I was
drunk, I barely even knew what was happening," recalled Arisa slowly.
"Kurama-san did that to you? He did that forcefully? I thought
you looked alright the next morning. Come on, follow me to Reikai.
I'll tell Koenma-sama about it and he will know what to do." Misuko
took Arisa's hand and looked at her.
"Let me finished the story. According to Kurama just now, I
even responded when he kissed me. When he asked me whether I loved
him or not, I even answered yes. Now, I'm not even sure that Kurama
did it totally on his own. By the way he said it just now, it seemed
like the truth," said Arisa miserably.
"I'm sorry about that," consoled Misuko as she gave Arisa a
hug. "People make mistakes, you are human too, right? I shouldn't
have talked with Koenma-sama for so long that night or else..."
Arisa wept even harder. "What am I going to do with this baby?
I can't tell my parents and I have no one to turn to except you..."
asked Arisa helplessly.
"Do you love him?" asked Misuko.
Arisa was speechless for the question. Yes, she did have a
crush on Kurama just then but she wasn't sure that she would be able
to make such a big commitment with so little time.
"If you really love him, you should discuss this with him. You
also have to take in account that both of you were drunk that night.
You shouldn't put all the blame on him. Besides that, the baby also
has Kurama's blood," advised Misuko.
"What would you do if you are in my place?" asked Arisa,
looking straight into Misuko's eyes.
"I would talk to Kurama," repeated Misuko. "Now, dry your tears
and I'll walk you home.
Arisa wiped away her tears with a piece of tissue paper and
stood up. "Thanks for your advice, I feel a lot better now. I guess I
need some time to figure things out."
Suddenly, Arisa felt like throwing up again, but she bit it
back.
"Are you okay?" asked Misuko out of concern.
"Yeah. The doctor said it's common for the first few months,"
replied Arisa as Misuko opened the door for her. "Bye!" As Arisa's
figure retreated into the streets, Misuko felt genuine concern for
the girl.
*How would she live on?*
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Arisa, why are you only back at this time? A boy called
Shuiichi had called nearly 20 times during the past hour," said Mrs.
Kino as Arisa walked into the living room.
"I don't want to answer his calls," replied Arisa coldly and
she ran upstairs. Mrs. Kino looked at her daughter worriedly,
wondering what had actually happened. Arisa seldom spoke of her
problems...
Arisa flipped on her favorite music compact disk and listened
to it, hoping that she would be able to regain some peace of mind.
The mini-hifi set in her room began churning out some sweet music. A
sentimental song began playing with the sorrowful sound of a violin.
Arisa reached out for her journal and began writing.
*I'm really scared. What will happened to me? Trouble at school
and with parents? I'm going to be a parent soon, but a single parent?
I'm really scared and I don't know what to do... I feel that
everything had disappeared out of my sight when I saw Kurama... I
couldn't bring myself to face him,* wrote Arisa furiously on the
white paper.
*Life is really cruel, to pay me out like that. I have
practically all I wanted in life; a good home, loving family,
terrific grades and at least, looks, but why did this have to happen
to me? Why me?* wrote Arisa as a tear rolled down her face and
dropped on the notebook page.
It was all coming back to her now. The hazy looks that she
thought she saw... The green eyes, the red hair, the kisses... After
that, her sight was totally blanked out. Gods, he even blindfolded
her. After that, she could only recall bits here and bits there, but
it was like a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces falling into place.
"Do I really love him?" asked Arisa softly to herself as she
remembered Misuko's advice. Her mind opened to a wider perspective.
*The gift that you give yourself, is to give a chance to
yourself,* Arisa wrote the words in her journal slowly. Arisa closed
her eyes, trying to recall how she had secretly loved Kurama. *Yes, I
do really love him, but he was wrong to do that to me.*
*But... if I were to ever let go, I don't think I would be able
to find someone like him again... at least someone to take care of me
and my baby... Besides, he has also offered to take full
responsibility." Arisa wiped away her tears, her mind decided. She
ended her journal with her decision.
Mrs Kino began calling up the stairs again. "Arisa-chan! You
really don't want to talk to that boy, Shuiichi?"
"Wait, okaasan! Don't hang up the phone! Don't connect it to
my room!" yelled Arisa as she hurried down the stairs. She had
decided that she would go out after this. She had to talk to him.
Problems couldn't be solved by just locking herself in her room.
Arisa ran towards the phone and picked up the receiver.
"Hello..." said Arisa softly, knowing Kurama would hear her from the
other side.
"Hello. Arisa, I know you are over the line. Sorry... I really
don't know what to say after all these things that happened so fast,"
began Kurama, his voice also shaking slightly from emotions that he
forcefully kept under control.
"Yeah... I understand," said Arisa, turning her head to face
the wall as Mrs Kino began throwing puzzled looks at her.
"Look Arisa. I have something I have just found out and it's
very important," said Kurama, suddenly his voice growing excited.
"Um... My kaasan is next to me right now and I don't think she
will take the news so easily. Why not we meet outside and talk about
this major problem?" suggested Arisa, her hand clutching the phone
receiver tightly and bit her lower lip.
"Alright, I'll walk to your house right now and we *will* sort
things out," said Kurama quickly.
"Yeah. See you." said Arisa, hanging up. Then, she turned to
face her mother. "Okaasan, I'm going out for a while. I don't think
I'll be back for dinner," said Arisa, grabbing her wallet as she
went.
"Okay, be careful. Well, it's time you had a boyfriend," said
Mrs Kino, glancing wistfully at her daughter. "A child grows up real
fast," mumbled Mrs Kino as Arisa took a wind breaker from the hall
closet.
"Er... bye, mom!" yelled Arisa, her face already hot and
blushing. Just then, a male voice began calling outside the house.
"Nice looking guy," commented Mrs Kino as she craned her neck
to look outside the window. Arisa took the opportunity to escape and
run out.
"Kurama, let's go," said Arisa, already walking down the
pavement.
"Okay."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Kurama and Arisa sat down on a bench in the central park. The
communal park was quite deserted. The only living things there were
some birds flying around and chirping happily. The face of the lake
was calm. Kurama picked up a stone and threw it at the lake. Ripples
formed and slowly spread into bigger rings.
"I'm... I'm sorry for what happened that night. I really didn't
mean it... I... er... was also drunk. You, Arisa Kino, just looked so
beautiful that night so my senses kind of got out of control," said
Kurama, clasping Arisa's hand and bringing it close to his face. He
had decided not to tell her about his secret liking for his friend,
Hiei. Besides, Hiei already had Botan and there was no point trying
to stress on that...
Arisa blushed slightly, but just kept quiet.
"I honestly didn't mean it. I never thought twice that you
might get pregnant at first try," apologized Kurama. Arisa just kept
her mouth closed, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Let's get married," proposed Kurama. "Although I don't have a
bunch of red roses now or a diamond ring now, my heart is sincere.
Unconsciously, I have fallen in love with you. Alright, I don't have
a bunch of roses but I *do* have one," said Kurama, lying in this
part. *Well, love could be cultivated, right? Besides, I kind of like
her personality,* whispered Kurama mentally as he conjured a single
red rose out of the thin air.
A tear dropped from Arisa's eye as she gently touched the green
stem of the rose that Kurama gave her. "We are underage. Don't
forget, we are only just eighteen."
"That's right and nobody could change that. That's why I called
up the marriage registration department just now to confirm something
I heard somewhere," said Kurama happily, at least that was what he
could do for her...
"Why? To find out if we would be jailed or kicked out of
school? I want to have a good life in the future, not working as some
office clerk in a stuffy room... I want a five digit salary,"
answered Arisa pessimistically.
"No! Not that! I learnt that anybody could get legally married
at the minimum age of 14, at least with parents' consent," assured
Kurama, answering Arisa's doubts.
"B... But my parents will kill me for that in the first place."
"We have to try. I don't want you to be an unwed mother,"
protested Kurama.
"Why not I go and have an abortion?" suggested Arisa
desperately.
"No! If you go for an abortion, that means we are killing our
own child! Our flesh and blood," disagreed Kurama loudly.
"You decide. You are the father," answered Arisa, more tears
forming in her eyes. If Kurama and she didn't solve this problem
quickly, she would probably destroy her life as a student and her
once-bright future will be jeopardized. The thought of being sacked
or suspended from school scared her deeply, deeply enough to make
tears come.
"Arisa, after this, I'll take you to see my parents," said
Kurama as he looked at Arisa straight in the eye.
"Will your parents be surprised?" asked Arisa, imagining her
own parents' reaction.
Kurama laughed languidly. "Who knows?" said Kurama as he put an
arm around Arisa's waist. His other hand reached down to the grass
below and plucked a small daisy. He twisted the stem to formed a
ring. Slowly, he picked up Arisa's left hand and slipped the
makeshift ring onto her fourth finger. Face to face, he whispered,
"From now onwards, your name shall be Arisa Minamino."
Arisa hugged him in return. She rested her head on Kurama's
shoulder and felt a sense of security rushed over her. "My idea of
our personal life isn't being drunk in bed," chided Arisa, stroking
his head of red hair. *Hey, isn't this what I have wanted so long?
I always desired him...* thought Arisa slowly.
"Yeah, me too. Since we are not drunk now..." Kurama lifted up
her chin and looked deeply into her brown eyes. Slowly, he leaned
forward and gave her a deep kiss.
At least this could do some good - for the moment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright reserved 1998 W. Siew Lee
All standard Yu Yu Hakusho disclaimers apply to this fanfic.
E-mail: Siew Lee <wsiewlee@tm.net.my>
URL: http://members.xoom.com/hiei
UIN: #14025577
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Siew Lee, Wong
URL: http://members.xoom.com/hiei
UIN: #14025577
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Malaysia Boleh!
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