Falling in Love All over Again
by Manille

Chapter Two



------------------------------------------------------------------


I came home on Thursday afternoon feeling more tired than usual, but 
somehow the sight of my daughter bobbing up and down as she led our 
way home lessened my fatigue. She was raving about how she loved her 
recent lesson in her pre-school-math.

I was never more than happy to learn that my little Sakura actually 
loved mathematics. I hoped it would continue on until her teenage 
years....

I have always reminisced what Sakura will be like when she grows up. 
Maybe, hopefully, she'll be one of the best students in her school, 
what with her rapid wit and curiosity. Maybe she'll have hordes of 
males waiting for her after classes. But eventually, she'll find 
someone more appropriate for her...someone who'll love her faithfully. 
And then I shall be there on her wedding, with her father leading her 
to the altar....

But I wouldn't be there to help her when she realizes that she has 
grown up. I wouldn't be there for her when her heart breaks, not when 
she wears her gown on her wedding day...no, only Yusuke's future wife 
would be there. 

Yet I knew I had to accept the facts. And for the hundredth time that 
day, I remembered what Yusuke had so harshly asked me last night: "Why 
do you want to leave Sakura to me, anyway? Afraid of the responsibility?"

It wasn't that I didn't care about Sakura or anything. I would visit 
her many times and even let her stay in my next home. But...maybe I 
just wanted Yusuke to know how hurt I was.

And I wanted to join toosan and kaasan in America. That was one reason.

As I prepared our dinner, I heard a knocking on the door. Sakura was 
in the den, quietly playing with her 64-pack crayons and a few pieces 
of paper. Why can't he just come in? I asked myself, feeling quite 
irritated. Usually, Yusuke would just burst in....

Yusuke had the silliest grin on his face as I opened the door. "Uh...
look who's here."

He leaned sideward to let me see who was behind him.

My jaw dropped.

"O...o-kaasan?!"

What in the world is she doing here?! Yusuke...!

"Keiko!" Atsuko-san, Yusuke's mother, suddenly went in and embraced 
me. Then she looked at me on arm's length and stared at my face. 
"Goodness, you still look as pretty as ever."

"W-well...thanks, I guess. Y-you're looking well, too." Yep, Atsuko-
san never seemed to age. Maybe stopping drinking alcoholic beverages 
after five years has its merits, after all. She still had her long 
golden-brown hair, although it was tied in a bun behind her head.

"And where is my sweet dear Sakura-chan who splashed me last summer 
with fruit juice on the face?"

And she never lost her...er, the Urameshi silliness.

"Grandma!" Sakura yelled, running over. Atsuko-san knelt down and 
welcomed Sakura in her arms. "Grandma, grandma, grandma! The best 
grandma ever!"

"Ha-ha!" Atsuko-san began tickling Sakura on her waist, sending shouts 
and giggles all over the room.

"Ah...merry Christmas, everyone," Atsuko finally told us.

"Um...merry Christmas, too," Yusuke and I said in unison. We glanced 
at each other briefly.

Then when I got the impulse, I pulled him away from Atsuko-san and 
Sakura.

When I released my grip on his arm, he started bowing and apologizing. 
"Look, kaasan suddenly appeared in the restaurant. And she asked me if 
I can stay here for the whole holiday season. Of course, I couldn't 
turn her down." He smiled a little. "Don't worry, she gave up drinking 
a long time ago, remember?"

"I know, I know," I told him, raising my hands in front of my face. 
Then I sighed heavily and crossed my arms under my breasts. "I didn't 
say anything about kicking kaasan out of here, did I? I'm not that 
kind of a person, you know."

"Well...I just thought you'd be mad because...we didn't have any 
preparations or anything...." His voice trailed off.

Yusuke really didn't know me well enough. Or maybe I really was 
unpredictable, on second thought. "Whatever. But...."

Yusuke shrugged. "But?"

"But...what about me?"

Yusuke arched his eyebrows dumbly. "What about you?"

I scratched the back of my head. "I wanted to go away as soon as 
possible, remember?"

Yusuke stared at me blankly for a while. Then, as comprehension dawned 
on the forgetful gray matter stuck inside his skull, a smile spread 
across his face slowly.

"Heh-heh...looks like I've ruined your plans."

"You sure did, baka."

If I could only detach those bright white teeth from the silly grin on 
his face, I'd do it. 

No one-not my parents, Atsuko-san, our close friends-knew about our 
plans. Not anyone, just Yusuke and me.

And Atsuko was there when I was ready to leave!

"So you're gonna stay, right?"

Yusuke's wide smile made me feel even worse. "I give up!" I groaned, 
throwing my hands up.

As I walked to the den, where Sakura was showing Atsuko-san her 
drawings, I heard Yusuke call me from my back. "Keiko!"

"What the heck?" I grumbled.

The thousand-megawatt smile didn't leave the face of the cow. "Doumo."

I sneered satirically. "Yeah, whatever."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I soon found out that Yusuke was right grinning after me. I was still 
at home a few days later.

Atsuko-san and Sakura, the couple that can never be pulled apart, were 
playing on the snow one afternoon in our backyard. They didn't seem to 
mind the cold. They threw snowballs at each other, with Atsuko-san 
getting the head of it.

"Oi, kaasan, don't hurt my Sakura!" Yusuke warned him, a small cloud 
forming before his lips as he spoke.

"She's enjoying it, Yu-chan."

Yusuke's jaw dropped. "Yu-chan?! Since when did you call me Yu-chan, 
kaasan?"

As Atsuko-san turned at Yusuke and me to reply, she was hit right 
smack on the face with Sakura's snowball. "Oi, Sakura! I'll get you!" 
Atsuko-san hollered, chasing Sakura-chan again around the place, 
forgetting about Yusuke.

As I giggled, watching the two run around the snow, I heard Yusuke 
chuckle beside me. "Man, she doesn't look like a grandma, does she?"

I shook my head. "Nope. She's...cool." I shrugged my shoulders. "She's 
only fourteen years older than we are, after all."

"Yeah. Had me when she was fourteen."

"I know," I quietly replied.

Yusuke and I stood in silence, each of us intent in our own thoughts. 
Maybe he was thinking about his past. I thought about Atsuko-san and 
Yusuke, when I first met them, when I was in elementary...Atsuko-san 
was a drunkard, while Yusuke was a big-time bully. Yet I managed to 
befriend the two.

Soon, I learned that Yusuke was the fruit of an unwanted pregnancy, 
explaining where Yusuke's father was. Which was nowhere. He lived with 
Atsuko-san ever since.

"But she raised me...though alone."

I didn't make a reply. 

"She had a hard time," Yusuke went on. "But we managed, didn't we? 
Although I acted like some street thug who doesn't know anything but 
to fight...the two of us managed." 

His eyes traveled around him, until they settled on me. "But I don't 
want what had happened in my childhood to happen to Sakura, Keiko. I 
want her to grow up...like a normal little girl. You know, like how 
you grew up to be. Because you had both of your parents."

I didn't even raise my eyes at Yusuke. I felt my cheeks grow hot. 

"Keiko, look at me, will you?"

I forced myself to look at Yusuke's face. 

His expression was like that of...of Sakura's innocent, pleading look.

"W-where is this conversation taking us, Yusuke?" I asked nonchalantly.

Yusuke's face didn't waver; he just stared deep into my eyes. "Our 
marriage, maybe?"

"Yeah, right."

At that point, Yusuke looked down on the trodden snow. "I...I really 
want to live my life forever with my family, Keiko...." he said 
quietly, kicking a patch of snow. 

Now I searched Yusuke's face. He pressed his lips together, frowning, 
as if trying to keep himself from...what, yelling at me? Crying? I 
didn't know.

For a moment, I actually wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around 
him, if that would comfort him. 

"But...it doesn't seem to work, does it?"

Does it?

I closed my eyes for a moment, wondering what had happened to Yusuke 
and me. 

When we got married, we promised never to leave each other through 
thick and thin. We swore to love each other unconditionally. We created
 a home together and furnished it with happiness and love.

When did the happiness and love fade? We didn't seem to notice it 
happen. It came through us slowly, like a shadow at night, creeping up 
our home slowly without anybody noticing. And when it is noticed, it 
is too late. Too late for a change.

My head fell down as well. 

"No. It never did."

An uncomfortable silence settled among the two of us, the only sound 
being the cold breeze and Atsuko-san and Sakura's shouts. 

Then I realized that it was the first time Yusuke opened our marital 
problems up to me.

"Toochan! Kaachan! Grandma's chasing me!"

My thoughts suddenly vanished when I felt my little girl cling to my 
body. I chuckled, looking up at a tired-looking but obviously joyful 
Atsuko-san.

"Ha! Got you at last, Sakura-chan!" Atsuko-san growled, imitating the 
sound of a lion. "Enma Daiou's gonna gobble you up!"

"Kaasan!" Yusuke warned her.

"Whoops!" Atsuko-san tried to pry off Sakura's body from mine. "Sorry, 
sorry...."

I glanced at a sighing Yusuke, who was also smiling at Sakura and 
Atsuko-san. It was an almost wistful smile, I noticed.

"Let's get inside, I'm tired!" Sakura told us, finally letting Atsuko-
san take her. 

"Great!" Atsuko agreed enthusiastically. "You finally know what I'm 
feeling right now."

Yusuke and I snickered. Sakura looked at us, wide brown eyes so curious
and innocent.

She then took Yusuke's hand, and on her left, she took mine. She swung 
both hands together, skipping merrily as if the snow didn't bother her.

I became aware of Yusuke looking at me uneasily. I returned the gaze 
with a smile, also an uneasy one. 

Eventually, Yusuke smiled as well, that same wistful smile.

I suddenly felt another hand holding mine. Sakura was gone without me 
noticing, and in replace of her touch was Yusuke's.

I didn't know how Yusuke managed to slip his hand into mine, but the 
unanticipated moment took me off-guard that I wasn't able to move nor 
to speak for a moment. 

His touch sent shivers that seemed to flow from his hand to mine, 
though my arms, through my spine, through my heart. I found myself 
breathing hard. I alternately gazed at my hand, then at Yusuke.

Yusuke didn't move an inch. But I felt his hand gripping mine harder, 
squeezing it gently, as if that would warm it.

Then he stepped closer. Until his head was inches away from mine.

This looks familiar, I realized. One time, one winter, Yusuke and I 
ran together as snowflakes began falling down from the heavens. We 
danced like crazed people around the field, looking up and laughing 
at the snowflakes and at how silly we thought we looked. Then we stood 
still, gazed at each other, still holding hands. 

He looked handsome. His face was flushed in a light red tint; his lips 
a thin, perfect line. And before I knew it, I felt his velvety lips on 
mine. 

Now, as I looked at him, I wondered how it felt to kiss him again....

"No," I gasped, pulling my hand away. I closed my eyes, trying to 
regain control of my breathing, of my heart that began to pound hard 
behind my ribs. "Yusuke...I...."

With a last look at his befallen face, I ran back to the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I almost jumped when the phone suddenly beeped. As I held on to a few 
celery sticks, I took the kitchen phone and fixed it between my right 
ear and shoulder. "Hello?"

"Hello...Keiko?"

"Yukina? Hi!" Yukina and her family lived near our place and I visited 
her often, both of us catching up with our lives' details. Except for 
one of mine....

"Listen, I can't talk long, for I have to call up a lot of other people
," Yukina went on in her soft voice. "It's like this. Kazuma and I are 
holding a little gathering on the day before Christmas."

"A pre-Christmas party?" I repeated, genuinely surprised.

"Great!" 

I almost jumped-yet again-at the unison sound of Yusuke, Atsuko-san, 
and Sakura. 

"Did we hear Christmas party?" Atsuko-san queried, grinning from ear 
to ear.

"With loads of gifts, candies, and games?" Sakura asked, bobbing up 
and down excitedly.

"Um...hold on a sec," I told Yukina. I covered the mouthpiece with my 
hand. "I'll see, okay?" I mouthed at the three partygoers.

I went back on the line. "Hello?"

"Yes?"

"Um...who's supposed to come, anyway?"

"Why, your family, Keiko!" Yukina nearly exclaimed. "Who else?"

I kept quiet for a while. If the whole family would be there...Yusuke,
Atsuko-san, Sakura-chan and I....

I had to be sure that no commotion will happen...whatever that means.

"What is it, Keiko?" Yusuke inquired.

I covered the mouthpiece again. "Yukina and Kazuma are throwing a party
on the twenty-fourth," I told them. "And...everyone's invited."

"Whoo!" Atsuko-san and Sakura gave each other a high five. Yusuke 
laughed at the sight.

"Oh, kaachan!" Sakura begged. "Can't we go?"

Sakura's pleading eyes were too impossible to resist.

"Well? Is it a yes or a yes?"

I laughed at Yukina. "Why, you left me no choice. A yes?"

"Whoopee!"