POSTED ON 8 DECEMBER House Bill No. 6993 was passed in the Congress here in the Philippines recently. The bill asked for the legalization of divorce in the country . Many people want this bill to become a decree, for, as they say, "it will lessen our burdens." But in this Christian country, we believe in the sanctity of marriage and of the family. I am one of those who are against this bill, because among many other reasons, I believe that the family is a gift from God and breaking it up means throwing away God's gift. And once the couple breaks up, their children are the ones who suffer the most. So in response to this, I made up a story, which I turned to a Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic. I do hope this will give you some enlightenment concerning how precious family life is. A very merry Christmas to you all. --------------------------------------------------------------- Falling in Love All over Again by Manille Chapter One ----------------------------------------------------------- It never works. That was the first thought that came into my mind as I woke up one Sunday. Like in all other days before that one. I just thought that our marriage never did work. The evidence was apparent just as I opened my eyes. No one beside me on the bed. As I got myself out of the king-size bed, which I so selfishly dominated all by myself, my eyes darted towards the sofa on the other side of the room. My so-called husband lay there, still snoring, hugging his only pillow. I sighed heavily. Why did I ever think I loved this man? What made my heart long for him years ago? What actually made me marry him? We used to be what we ought to be-husband and wife, father and mother, two lovers under one roof. But after five years of marriage... everything just vanished, you know. I jerked upwards when Yusuke's eyes suddenly snapped open, as if I had willed him to wake up in his dreams. I self-consciously looked away and sauntered sleepily towards the door. "Ohayo," he grumbled, stretching up and inhaling deeply. He smiled at me. "Slept well?" "Um...more so," I mumbled under my breath. If it had been five years ago, I would have woken up with Yusuke creeping under our blanket and giving me a soft kiss on the lips first thing in the morning. Now it was just "good morning"-a classic plastic greeting-first thing in the morning. And Yusuke knew it. Actually, we had been talking about the divorce since September. And neither of us changed our minds about it. It was the first week of December already. I walked out of the room. I then felt Yusuke following me. And that was when we heard the crash-from our daughter's room. Sakura. Oh, no. Eyes wide, Yusuke and I looked at each other in terror, the worst of the worst thoughts in our minds. We sprinted (against each other) for the room. Yusuke beat me for it, and as he held the door ajar, I stepped in. I saw my child Sakura sitting on the floor, broken pieces of clay and countless coins spread out in front of her. My breath came out with a whoosh. "God, I thought-" "Eh, Sakura-chan?" Yusuke spoke before I could even finish. He walked over to our shocked-looking five-year-old. "Is your piggy bank that full already?" "Oh, Sakura-chan," I gushed, picking her up from the floor and kissing her plump cheek. "Already awake so early!" "O-kaachan," Sakura complained in her sweet young voice, "I was just checking how much I have!" "You sure have lots," Yusuke said as he picked up the pieces of what used to be Sakura-chan's piggy bank. He looked at me, quite meaning- fully. I rolled my eyes slightly. Whatever he meant by that, I ignored it. I turned to Sakura exasperatedly. "What am I going to do with you, little girl?" "Now o-kaasan," Yusuke warned me, "don't get mad at our little angel especially when she has just woken up." Yusuke was being so stupidly sweet-and annoying-that it was all I could do to prevent myself from strangling him. "Yeah, kaachan!" Sakura wrapped her arms around Yusuke's neck, releasing an "Ugh!" from him. He sure knows how to make the girl like him more. And the shame of it. "I just wanted to see my money so that I can go Christmas shopping with you!" The smile on Yusuke's face suddenly faded. Christmas. What about it? I asked myself sullenly. Christmas was just around the corner, and neither Yusuke nor I was prepared for it-or actually looking forward to it. "Hey, you're in the right timing, Sakura-chan!" The smile was suddenly plastered back on Yusuke's face. "Your kaachan and I were planning to go Christmas shopping right now." My eyes widened at Yusuke. Right now?! "That is, after our breakfast...or lunch, maybe." I shot him a deathly look. I was looking forward to a quiet day inside the house...and he wanted to go shopping?! "You're coming, kaasan, aren't you?" he asked in a voice dripping with honey. I smiled sweetly. "Of course I am." "Goodie!" Sakura exclaimed. Yusuke laughed and walked her out of the room, carrying her above his shoulders in a piggyback ride, and obviously ignoring my eyes. If only Sakura wasn't there, I could have strangled him until he turned green...really. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The night was young when we got home after shopping. Yusuke drove our car quietly. I sat on the front seat, looking out the window, while Sakura slept on the backseat. Sakura. She was the only reason why Yusuke and I postponed the divorce. When Sakura was born, Yusuke burst to tears, and he told me over and over again how much he loved me and how much he loved being my wife. And I told him, over and over again as well, that I loved him as much and I wouldn't trade any worldly thing for him. Then...the chemistry that we had since when we were fourteen vanished away slowly as we went about our work, him being a restaurant manager, me being an elementary school teacher. Then the time came when we didn't acknowledge each other, until sweet dialogues were replaced by hurtful discourses...until eventually, I got tired of everything. I told him that I wanted it. The divorce. But Sakura...so innocent a child. She didn't even know what was going on between her parents. Soon, her mother would have to leave, and her father would have to explain everything to her, tough as it may sound. And she would have to live in a big house with her father as her only companion. She was only a child! I breathed sharply. Yusuke must have sensed it. "You okay?" he asked softly. "Of course I'm not," I snapped. "Do you really suppose thinking about how our marriage has turned out to be makes me feel any okay?" Yusuke kept his eyes on the road. I knew that he was already used to my sudden outbursts. "There you go again, talking about it. Sakura is right behind us!" "I pity her because here we are, pretending that we're okay when we're not!" The car seemed to have picked up speed. "D you think I don't know that, Keiko?" he questioned, his voice rising. "We're at least pretending because of Sakura!" "You mean we have to wait until Sakura becomes a teenager?" I heard a groan from the backseat. I checked on Sakura, who was stirring in her sleep. Eventually, as if she just had a momentary dream , she lay peacefully again. "How's Sakura?" I glared at Yusuke. "Thanks to you, she's all right," I said sarcastically. Yusuke opened his mouth to speak. Then, as if overcame by a second thought, closed it again. "What?" I demanded. Yusuke shook his head. "W-we're home." I didn't notice. We were turning on a corner, where our two-story house stood. "Hey, Sakura-chan, we're home," Yusuke sang out. I rolled my eyes, got out of the car and opened the gate to our garage to let the car in. Later, Yusuke and I were carrying tons of shopping bag from the car to the house as Sakura opened one after the other in our den. "Can we make the Christmas tree now, toochan?" "Now?" Yusuke repeated. "But...I thought you were sleepy?" Sakura shook her pretty little head stubbornly, black pigtails swaying side to side. "No, I'm not! Onegai, toochan? Kaachan?" Sakura's big brown eyes were unbelievingly pitiful that none of us could resist. "What do you think, kaasan?" I shrugged, smiling. "Why not?" Yusuke beamed at me, then at Sakura. "Okay, little pain." "Goodie!" Sakura whooped in delight, running to Yusuke and hugging his leg. "Thank you so much!" "Aw, Sakura," Yusuke gushed, bending down and picking her up. I shook my head slowly. Sakura was definitely closer to her father than to me. I couldn't deny that. But if I remembered right, I'd say I was that sweet to Sakura a few months ago...even sweeter.... "I'll go and change," I told Yusuke, ambling upstairs. Yusuke protruded his eyebrows in a pleading gesture. "What's the matter? Don't you want to help us?" I sighed. "I'll catch up with you later, okay?" "Oh, kaachan, don't you prepare dinner for me," Sakura reminded me. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course not, child. We just ate in the restaurant!" With that, I continued upstairs. As I closed the door to our bedroom, it opened again, revealing Yusuke, questions written all over his face. "Get out, Yusuke," I growled at him. "I want to change." He simply stepped into the room. "What's wrong? We used to stand in front of each other, both stark-naked." "Used to," I echoed, feeling blood rise to my cheeks. "That was before." Before he could see my face reddening even further, I turned around, my back on him. "So we can't do it again, huh?" "Damatte." I heard him heave a huge sigh. "Fine." "Good. Now will you get out of here?" Silence. Then, the door closed. I sighed, wanting to cry but cannot. All of my tears were already shed a few months ago. Shaking my head, I began unbuttoning my blouse. "Can you do me a favor, Keiko?" "Damn it, Yusuke!" I muttered, whirling around to face him. Yusuke held both hands up. "Onegai?" "What?!" Yusuke stepped closer cautiously, as if fearing my slap. He slowly put his hands down, and the look of surprise in his face gave way to one of...almost pleading, almost despondent. Somehow, his soft gaze also softened my feelings-for a while. "It's...our divorce." He inhaled deeply before continuing further. "Can you...wait...until the holidays are over...before you leave?" I looked at him closely, surprised at his words. He wanted me to stay? I swallowed, fearing that those gemlike eyes of his might make me succumb into his arms. "W-why?" I asked, quite unsure of myself. "Well...I just thought maybe the three of us can get together during Christmastime. You know...celebrate it as one happy family." With the mention of family, I chuckled cynically. "One happy family." Yusuke blinked twice, looking frantic. "Look...we can at least try, right?" I bit my lip. No, I knew. I had plans. "Actually...I'm planning to leave next week." "Next week?!" "Yeah. Leaving. Next week. Get that?" Somehow, I wanted to make him suffer even more. "But...why so soon?" I smiled sweetly. "Why, Yusuke...afraid of the responsibility?" Yusuke's shoulders slumped forward. I realized that I was enjoying this. "Okay, I admit, I'm afraid." Yusuke ran a hand across his black hair. "And you call yourself a Reikai tantei." "I'm not dealing with a youkai, Keiko. I'm dealing with you...Sakura... my family." "Deal with the family? I can't do your housework while I'm gone, Yusuke." "Why do you want to leave Sakura to me, anyway?" Yusuke's voice rose. I could even feel my surroundings tense up. "Afraid of the responsibility, huh? Is that it, Keiko?" His words wounded me like hell. But I was numb; I couldn't feel anything, no matter how harsh his words were. Come to think of it, maybe I hurt him even more. When I realized that I had no more intelligent comeback left inside my head, I went out of the room. I didn't get to change my clothes. "Keiko, please?" I heard Yusuke call behind me as I rushed downstairs. "I'm here, Sakura-chan," I said vivaciously, ignoring Yusuke's pleas. "Kaachan...I thought you were going to change your clothes." Wow. I had no idea Sakura was that smart for a five-year-old. "Oh... I...had a change of mind," I fibbed as I walked over to her. She was examining an angel figure, one that would be put on top of the Christmas tree. Her little pudgy fingers grazed the face of the angel deftly, as if it were her own masterpiece. Slowly, she trailed her hand over the fabric of the angel's robe, giggling to herself when she got tickled by the golden lace lining. My beautiful Sakura. Yusuke and I had named her after the sakura blossoms that were abloom on her birthday. It was springtime then, and the sweet cherry scent drifted into my hospital room as he watched over me. And I noticed how pink her cheeks were. Sakura looked a lot like her father, and she even seemed to adopt his cheerful and quite unbridled nature. "I told toochan to get the tree." I snapped out of my reverie upon hearing Sakura's voice. "What was it?" "He went to the attic to get the Christmas tree, the light, the balls...." "Oh." I smiled uneasily. "S-sure." "Yep, I'm here!" Yusuke burst into the den, heaving a huge carton box that held the detachable pieces to our artificial eight-feet-tall Christmas tree. As he pulled the box effortlessly beside Sakura and me, I noticed his biceps bulging behind his long-sleeved button-down shirt. He set it down. "Whew. Now for the lights!" He dashed up again. Sakura, firmly believing that she had the power to carry the box like how her father did, took an edge and began to pull. "Oomph!" she grumbled, pulling hard, but not managing to move it an inch. I smiled to myself. I'd say Urameshi Yusuke was Sakura's hero. At one time, I even heard him tell her a bedtime story when she demanded it. The story was about four young men who went to another world to get a flute. One that controlled bugs that turned humans they bite to zombies . They finished off the first three youkai they met, when the leader of the group suddenly learned that his best friend, who was on earth, was being chased by these zombies. And he went off to fight with this last youkai, until he was drained of his energy, when this girl, his best friend, cried for him. And he got his powers back and defeated the youkai. It sounded like a fairy tale. "And they lived happily ever after," Yusuke had finished. And as I watched him and Sakura, he turned around and looked at me. And beamed happily. If only the two characters did live happily ever after. Now I knew better. A fairy tale doesn't end in a wedding. It ends until the end. For Yusuke and me, the ending was drawing to a close. I took Sakura's hands and smiled at her. "Let your toochan put the tree up, all right?" "Ah...here we go," Yusuke said, carrying yet another box, now a lot smaller. He placed it beside the other box and grinned at Sakura and me. "Let's begin, shall we, girls?" "Mm," I huffed, standing up. "Sure." Yusuke began taking the plastic dark green branches from the larger carton one by one and sticking them on an also plastic pole. Sakura and I helped with the job. Later on, Yusuke set the tree on the stand and wrapped a 20-meter long Christmas light set around it. Then, we hung golden tinsels, multicolored balls, a variety of aluminum snow- flakes, and little Santa Clauses, reindeers and angels here and there. Finally, Yusuke took Sakura on his shoulders and stooped up so that she could put the last, grandest decoration on top of the tree: the image of an angel. "All right," Yusuke gave Sakura a high five. He set her down and went away to plug the light set. Sakura hurried to me. "I made a good job with the angel, right, kaachan?" she asked. I put a hand on her head and slightly tousled her hair. "Yes. You did well." As I looked back at the angel, I was momentarily blinded by the yellow light that suddenly shone from the tree. "Wow!" Sakura gasped in delight. I blinked. And I also thought, wow. The Christmas lights shone like a thousand yellow stars hanging on this artificial Christmas tree. The tree, although the same one, didn't shine like this during the past Christmas. Maybe the angels and snowflakes that Yusuke had bought that day made the difference.... "Now all we need are gifts under it," Yusuke began, taking his place between Sakura and me, "and of course, the whole family gathered around it." I shot Yusuke a look. He just stared blankly on the tree, eyes unblinking, one arm around Sakura. And I wondered if he did the tree so that he could convince me to stay...for the holidays.