Summary: Keiko Yukimura lives in the uptown part of her town, going to a private school and having parents who owned their own restaurant. She is practically oblivious to the prejudice against the downtown teenagers, until she passes one on the street on the way to school and sees the disgust on her friends' faces. But Keiko finds herself drawn to him in interest of what he does as she sees him each day working on the boats at the dock.
He intrigued her. She found herself wanting to know about him, why he had work everyday there, and why he helped her that one time . . .
When she approaches him though, doesn't know what to think of him. He shows this considerate side and the next thing she knows she's being practically insulted. As she begins to get to know him, Keiko realizes that not everyone has such pretty rich lives as she does and some have to fight just live . . .
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance for those younger than 13) – rated for language, rape, violence, and alcohol addictions.
WARNING: IF YOU CANNOT TAKE READING SOMETHING WHERE A GIRL GETS ALMOST RAPED THEN PLEASE DO NOT PRECEDE THROUGHOUT THE CHAPTER UNLESS YOU DECIDE TO SKIP THAT PART OF THE STORY.
A/N: hehehe!
Downtown
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Chapter1: Downtown Boy
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"Keiko c'mon!" a high female voice shouted from where they stood at the Ramen House's entrance, dressed in their simple uniforms of a white blouse, navy blue vest and pleated skirt, short red tie, high white socks that reached their knees, and a pair of white tennis shoes.
Keiko Yukimura jogged past the tables situated neatly inside of the successful restaurant. She pushed open the double doors, the bell tinkling softly. She smiled kindly at the girls, caramel eyes sparkling with laughter. Her light brown hair was cut short just at her shoulders, her bangs falling gracefully over her forehead.
Keiko was your ideal student. She was head of the student council and head of about all the clubs there were, that at least interested her. She was practically oblivious to her surroundings because she buried herself into her schoolwork, her work above average quality always. Eclipsing her in anything would bring you respect from all. Keiko was fairly kind, compared to some who would flaunt their money in the faces of those less fortunate. She quickly threw her navy blue backpack over her shoulders, falling into step next to her to her two friends.
The first one was a blonde with her hair up in pigtails by bright pink baubles, eyes a light blue. She went by the name of Ayame Tsukami and spoke in a giddy tone, excessively using the word "like."
The second was a short girl with round glasses about grey eyes. Her short black hair was parted in the middle of her head and tucked behind both of her ears. Going by the name of Mina Omaroutsu, Mina had a horrible habit of being snotty, looking down upon those who weren't as smart as her.
They walked down the busy sidewalks towards the towering private school in the distance, Sarayashiki High to be exact. It was known for spouting out dozens of "geniuses" each year to Tokyo University. Only the wealthy were able to get their children into the school and many took it for granted, though they stuck to their classes, but nobody said they actually listened. There were many smart students at the school, but many unintelligent ones at that also.
There town was fairly large, having a wide difference between the private schools and public schools. Competition reigned high between the two different statuses in wealth, the private schools looking down rudely upon the public. To even make contact with the opposite part of town was shameful, unless you were starting some kind of competition or fight.
The hot summer sun beat down upon them, the occasional merciful breeze heading there way. They passed the docks on the way to the school where elegant boats and yachts were roped down tightly and cleaned daily so they could keep there shine.
Ayame and Mina suddenly stopped and Keiko kept walking until she realized her friends were no longer by her side. Keiko looked at them over her shoulder in question.
"What is it? What's the matter?" Keiko asked, curious to know what had caused them to suddenly become stationary.
Mina raised a single forefinger and Keiko glanced in the direction it pointed. She could hear soft footsteps and the soft rustle of cloth and she searched for the owner.
A young man was walking proudly down the sidewalk alongside the black railing that kept everyone from the docks, something you had to take some stairs down to get to. He ignored all the stares he got, a smirk set across his lips. His dark brown eyes twinkled with mirth as he occasionally threw a glare in someone's direction, making them quickly hurry away. His bunch of black hair fell over his forehead in glossy gleams, shifting slightly with each of his steps.
He wore a simple red T-shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, revealing handsomely muscled, tanned arms. One of his arms hung by his side, fist clenched, swaying as he walked. The other held a brown bag over his shoulder. A pair of blue jeans held onto his legs, the shirt tucked in sloppily. His feet were adorned with simple tennis shoes, stained with dirt and mud. Nobody could miss the slit on his shirt by his chest.
Mina, Ayame, and Keiko stared at him with wide eyes, Keiko still ahead of them by a stride. He suddenly stopped when he reached Keiko, glancing towards the ships in interest. Looking back towards Keiko, he smiled.
"Hey, you know where the Minamino's ship is?" he asked in a broad voice. Keiko's eyes widened and she lifted a finger as Mina had done, pointing towards a large yacht with a rose painted into the front regally. He followed her finger to the direction it was poised in the air toward and smiled broader.
"Thanks." He walked over towards the railing and laid a hand on it, ignoring the slightly warm heat it put off, and pushed himself off it so he hopped over it. He landed easily on the other side, landing in a crouch, before standing up and heading towards the aforementioned yacht.
Ayame and Mina hurried to Keiko's side. "Like, oh my gosh! He was, like, one of 'them'!" Ayame cried and Mina sniffed proudly.
"Keiko! Why didn't you just ignore him?"
"That would've been rude . . ."
Mina snorted. "How can that make any difference? Why should you care if you're rude to someone like 'him'!"
"Mina, it doesn't hurt to be kind to people."
"Oh c'mon, Keiko! Like, he's from the streets! Did you, like, see how he was so, like dirty? He's from one of those, like, public schools probably! Like, he probably has some kind of disease!" Ayame cried and Keiko rolled her eyes, clutching one of her backpack's straps.
"You're overreacting, Ayame!"
"Maybe you're just overrating them," Mina scoffed. Keiko sent a rare glare towards the two and began walking again, arms crossed under her chest as she gave a huff of anger.
"Sometimes you two can act like such snobs," Keiko mumbled under her breath. She had only met a few of the people from the downtown, no, only SEEN some of them and they didn't seem to be that cleanly or appropriate. The one she had seen cursed excessively and made inappropriate remarks, but don't a lot of people act that way, despite their rank in the world?
What gave them the right to judge people? They weren't that great themselves! They might be rich, smart, live in a gigantic house, but they weren't perfect. Keiko sighed. Sure, she had to admit she wasn't much better. She had stood just as shocked when he approached and had only pointed instead of giving him a straight answer.
She couldn't help it though. He didn't seem to care about the glares he was receiving from the other people there, sometimes returning them with a fierce one of his own. An air of confidence shrouded him, making it hard not to stop and look at him. Keiko felt her face warm up. And he wasn't exactly ugly either . . .
Keiko almost dropped the dish she was holding in surprise as her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Keiko! How's it going in there?" Keiko smiled over her shoulder towards her mother's voice.
"Just fine! I'm almost finished with the last dish!"
Despite their riches, the Yukimura's valued their workers, working alongside them. Keiko was personally close to the other workers and would laugh along with them when they were cooking. That day her fellow dishwasher had to go home to his wife who was undergoing labor.
"When you're done come out here! I need to ask you a favor!"
Keiko nodded; despite the fact that she knew her mother couldn't see her. The restaurant business was by far a hard one. You had to have good food, good workers, and be able to work reasonably quickly without ruining anything. There were food critics to impress, other restaurants to compete with, and delicacies to be advertised. And with all the hustling to entertain customers, Keiko always felt like they looked past her.
She always worked as hard as she could, hoping for the slightest bit of attention to be averted to her. But it seemed no matter how high her grades were, no matter how many awards she received, their attention was always on the Ramen House, who to invest in, how next to advertise. The few times they'd pay attention to her were if she had created some kind of recipe that could be successful in their business.
Keiko placed the dish down onto her neat stack, wiping her hands on her lace bordered apron. Walking on light footsteps towards her mother, Keiko nodded her head politely.
"Yes ma'am?"
"You know that new store that just opened?" Keiko nodded. "I took my pictures there to get developed, but I haven't been able to get them. You've done enough work. Would you mind going to get them?"
Keiko shook her head and took off her apron, folding it neatly and placing it under the counter. Picking up her purse, Keiko quickly walked out of the restaurant and into the cool summer night breeze
Breathing in the night air, Keiko began walking down the vacant streets, humming quietly to herself. She had changed from her uniform into a gray dress that reached past her knees, a hood hanging about her neck.
Keiko bit her lip as her eyes searched the area. She had passed the new store before, so why couldn't she find it now? An eerie feeling fell over her as she crossed the street that was supposed to head towards the store she was searching for.
Sure, she'd only been there once, but usually she could remember things like that. She'd always been able to.
Keiko quickly sped up. She had a feeling someone was watching her, following her. Clutching her small black purse tightly in both hands, Keiko glanced around herself for any kind of living being. Seeing no one, Keiko gave a sigh of relief, stopping for a second.
A cackle broke through the silent night.
Keiko shivered and turned on her heel, eyes wide with fear.
Before her stood five guys standing in a row, most of them with their arms folded over their chests. One with a piece of hay in his mouth smirked. "Well, what do ya' think we got ere', boys? Some uptown trash in the wrong part of town?"
It was true. Keiko didn't know where the heck she was, but she thought she had noticed how the scenery had changed. Dark alleys were all about, small apartment buildings built sloppily. Trash was strewn across the streets.
The gang laughed, giving Keiko time to turn around and run off. Keiko ran as fast as she could, looking about wildly for a place to hide. She could hear their footsteps rapidly beating the cracked sidewalk. They called out and taunted her, whistling crudely. As loud as she could she cried out for help, so much that her voice began to become hoarse.
"C'mon, girlie! We just wanna have some fun! I thought that's what you richies liked!"
Tears began to seep from her eyes, but Keiko kept running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her toes hit a crack in the ground and she immediately toppled over. The dirty ground ripped at her knee and Keiko ignored the warm liquid that she felt trailing down her calf. Jumping to her feet, Keiko sprinted blindly down into a dead end alley.
She stopped in the shadows, crouching down in a dark corner, hoping they wouldn't see her. "Heh, I thought those people were supposed to smart! Ha! She ran into a frickin' dead end!"
Keiko shivered and buried her face into her knees, crying into them. Why'd this have to happen to her, why!
"Come out; come out where ever you are! We just wanna have some fun! We won't hurt you!" the leader called.
"We won't?" one of them asked and his grunt of pain from an elbow dug into his ribs could be heard easily.
"Hey! I found er'!"
Keiko cried out as a rough hand fisted around her ankle, thrusting her into the open light. They circled around her, laughing. Keiko glanced up at them and tried to pull herself up, but she found it hard to support herself on one leg while her other ankle seemed twisted painfully.
They made grabs for her clothes, tearing it at parts. Keiko screeched and tried to get away from their hands and leering faces, backing up only to be pushed down again. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as they scoffed at her, making inappropriate remarks.
"Pull her up!"
Keiko evaded one of the hands that reached for her hair, instead they grabbed her skirt. With a cry of anger, Keiko tried to pull away, but instead she just tore her dress, a long strip coming out with a loud sound of threads ripping. Grabbing her hair from behind, she was lifted to her feet, trailing his hand up her spine that made her shudder with repulsion. She glared tearfully up at the leader whose eyes were wandering down her figure.
"C'mon, girlie. Open your mouth; we wanna see that little tongue of yours."
Keiko pursed her lips so they weren't visible, glaring at him defiantly. He grabbed her chin roughly, flipping out a butterfly knife. Whipping it about artfully, it folded so the sharp knife stood by her cheek. Her eyes switched to it fearfully as he laid it gently against her cheek.
His other hand wandered from her cheek to her jaw, tracing her neck and collarbone. His hand began to wander lower and she immediately flinched, trying to pull away. He pressed the knife's edge lightly to her cheek and she winced as she felt blood slowly trickle down her cheek.
A whimper escaped her throat, salty tears trickling down her cheek.
"Now let's see whatcha' got under those expensive clothes of yours" he sneered and his hand grabbed her skirt, beginning to lift it up so her legs were bare. A screech emitted from her throat and he slapped her fiercely, mumbling something about "stupid rich wenches."
"Let her go."
All of their heads turned to look at the lean figure in the entrance of the alley. Keiko's head lolled over lazily, looking towards the figure that was blurring in her vision.
"Whatever. If you want some fun with her, you can after we're done."
"I said let her go, now."
The figure stepped into the light, hands clenched by his sides. A faint smile crossed Keiko's lips as she barely recognized the masculine figure.
"Shut up Urameshi! Piss off! You're not wanted here!"
"Why don't you? Leave before you make everyone go blind from horror of that thing you call a face."
"Why you . . . !"
Whipping out another butterfly knife, the leader charged forward, brandishing the knives with vigor. Urameshi sidestepped easily, bringing his fist down on the leader's neck in anger. Anger surging through his veins, Urameshi grabbed the leader by his collar, thrusting him back and bringing his knee fiercely into his gut. The leader coughed, but tried to regain his senses, one of his knives grazing Urameshi's back.
Urameshi cried out and brought his head down against the leader's, rendering him unconscious. Picking up the knives, he held them skillfully in front of him. "Alright. Who's next?"
With a furious cry another part of the gang ran towards him. One charged at him barehanded while the other held a long thick chain, swinging it viciously in the air. The barehanded one kicked out towards Urameshi's gut, but he caught the foot, twisting it to the side quickly, flipping the man onto his stomach.
The other flung the chains around his neck, pulling it tightly back. A cough escaped Urameshi's throat as he curled his fingers under the chains to try to stop it from choking him. Running backwards, Urameshi slammed the man on his back against the wall repeatedly till he went limp, hands dropping the chains.
Leaning over slightly, Urameshi breathed in air thankfully. Keiko screamed as she spotted another gangster heading towards him, immediately receiving another slap.
Seeing this, Urameshi's brown eyes blazed with anger. "Don't you get it! Leave her the hell alone!"
Lashing out with a surprising fury, he threw his fist into the face of the man who had slapped her. The man stumbled back from the force of the punch and before he knew it a foot had been thrown into his stomach knocking all the air out of him.
Raising his fists, Urameshi glared at the last guy. Turning on his tail, the last gangster ran for his life, eyes wide with fear. Urameshi lowered his fists and sighed.
He looked towards Keiko who had scrambled into a corner, shivering and crying. He slowly approached her and smiled gently.
"Hey, you alright?"
Keiko just shivered. Half of her skirt had been torn off to her waist. One of her sleeves had been turn off, making some of the top half expose her modest white bra. Blood dripped from a scraped knee, her ankle a deep purple from bruising. Her face had turned a bright red under his gaze and she was struggling to cover herself. The more he approached her, the farther she tried to burrow herself into her corner.
"Look, I'm not going to do anything to you. I promise. I can help you get cleaned up so you can go home."
"H-how-" Keiko stuttered fearfully. Gulping, she raised her eyes to his. "How can I trust you?"
"If you couldn't trust me, then why the hell would I have helped you? I could've just let those guys have their way with you. But I didn't" He reached out a hand. "C'mon. You can put on some of my mother's clothes. She won't miss em'."
Keiko glanced at his hand fearfully. He snorted. "Don't worry. I've washed them recently. You won't get any of my 'diseases'." Keiko flinched. He'd obviously heard Ayame's words.
Accepting his hand, he pulled her up almost effortlessly. Keiko gave a cry as she placed weight on one of her ankles. He quickly caught her before she could fall. Quickly, he placed an arm underneath her knees, pulling them up with his other arm around her shoulders. Keiko let out a shriek and stared up at him with wide eyes. Her eyes immediately narrowed as her cheeks became redder from his warm skin against her thighs.
"I can walk," she persisted, trying to push away so she could show him, but he held onto her tightly.
"Liar," he stated simply. He began walking out of the alley, a soft cold summer breeze confronting them. She shivered and found herself seeking his body warmth. Keiko folded her arms over her chest and letting herself relax into his arms. A small smile crossed his lips at this and he held her tighter to him, further intensifying her already red face.
He approached a short apartment building and opened the front door with his knee. He quickly hopped up some stairs, stopping as he reached another door with the numbers 42 on it. He bit his lip. "Hang on to my neck" She did as he said, wrapping her arms about his neck, she could feel the chain's indentions in his neck. With his hand that had been supporting her back, he grasped the door knob, twisting it hurriedly and pushing it open. Placing his arm around her shoulders again, he pushed the door closed with his back.
"Mom! I'm home!" he called and a soft curse could be heard from one of the rooms that was illuminated with a TV's glow.
"Get me some beer!"
"No! You've had enough!"
"YUSUKE! NOW!"
"It's illegal for a minor to get you your drink you know!" the now named Yusuke responded. Keiko bit her lip at the harsh words exchanged between mother and son. Yusuke mumbled words under his breath and started walking again when his mother called out again.
"Whatcha' got there!" Keiko could see a reasonably beautiful woman lounging on her futon in front of a TV, long brown hair reaching to the middle of her back. Her brown eyes were half-lidded.
The woman's eyes widened as she spotted Keiko. "YUSUKE! You're too young!" Keiko's face turned redder then she believed possible and when she looked up at Yusuke, she saw he was the same.
"Mom! It's not like that! And you really can't say anything about being too young!" he snapped. The woman's eyes narrowed. Picking up an empty beer bottle, the woman threw it viciously at them in a drunken rage. Yusuke quickly turned away, shrouding Keiko's body with his as the bottle shattered against the wall near them. He visibly winced as a few shards scraped him.
"You don't know anything Yusuke! So shut up and go to hell!"
Yusuke's eyes narrowed in anger. "I've been there Mom! I've been there!"
Stepping carefully over the green glass shards, Yusuke quickly stepped into his room, placing her carefully onto his bed. He quickly left, returning with a large dull pink blouse and pair of blue jeans. He quickly folded them and placed them on his bed, picking up a First Aid Kit from under his bed. Sitting down on his bed, he glanced at her knee and retrieved a large band aid and gel.
"This might sting a little, but it'll help not get it infected," he muttered, an angry edge in his tone. He lightly dabbed it onto her knee and a hiss escaped her lips.
"I'm sorry," he suddenly said. Keiko's eyes widened. Seeing her confusion he shrugged. "For that back there I mean. My mom's a little . . . edgy I suppose. Doesn't like it when I lecture her, but she thinks she can do it to me all the time about things she doesn't even follow."
"Oh, that . . . what exactly did you mean about her not being able to tell you what to do?" she asked cautiously, hoping she wasn't treading on thin ice.
"I'm sixteen and my mother's thirty. You're smart. You do the math," he muttered. Keiko winced. It was easy math and she knew the answer.
"You're mother was fourteen . . .," Keiko trailed off.
"When I was born," Yusuke finished. "As you probably could've already guessed, I'm illegitimate. She had a guy she thought she loved, she had sex, he left the moment she got pregnant, she got into alcohol, bodda-bing, bodda-boo, you've got me"
"I'm sorry . . .," Keiko murmured. He laid the band aid over her knee gently, smoothing the sides down. He chuckled sardonically.
"Why the hell am I telling you this anyways?" Keiko shrugged, flushing as he traced the bruise on her ankle. "You probably shouldn't put too much weight on this. Tell your parents and they'd probably be able to get you to a doctor who could tell whether it was sprained or broken"
"What about you?" Keiko asked. Yusuke looked towards her in surprise.
"What about me?"
Keiko gave a huff of impatience. "You got cut on your back by that knife and a few scratches from the glass. You probably have some bruises too," Keiko explained and he just crooked his head to the side.
"What's your point?"
"My point is you're hurt and you know you need them treated," Keiko explained again.
"Why do you care?"
"Just turn around and take off your shirt!" Keiko ordered. He glared at her and she glared back. Rolling his eyes, he twisted his fingers underneath his shirt, pulling it over his head in one swift motion. He threw it into a distant corner and snorted.
"If you wanted to see me without my shirt than why didn't you just say so?" he snickered and she narrowed her eyes.
"Jerk," she mumbled under her breath. Keiko suddenly gasped as she spotted the cut on his back. Ignoring her ankle, she pulled herself over so she was behind him. Lifting a hand, she placed it on his back in surprise. Unbeknownst to her, his ears had begun to turn a light red at her gentle touch. With a soft finger, she traced around the cut tenderly.
"Does it hurt?" she whispered. He shrugged, switching her gaze to the body part that made the motion. She suddenly realized that his torso was unclothed and her face turned a bright red. 'After this day,' she wondered. 'I'll probably have a red face forever.' His back's muscles were clearly defined, his arms and shoulder shaped handsomely. Taking out some gauze, she patted it softly over it before applying the same gel he had had. Layering the gauze over it, Keiko taped it down.
"So your name's Yusuke Urameshi?"
He nodded.
"What school do you go to?"
"I quit. Costs too much," he responded simply. "Kur-Shuiichi sometimes tutors me, when he forces me to stay after working on his boat."
Keiko looked at him in surprise as she placed some gauze on another cut. "Shuiichi Minamino?" He nodded.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? My name is Keiko Yukimura," Keiko introduced. He just nodded again.
He left the room after she finished and she quickly changed into the clothes, rolling the pants up so she wouldn't drag them on the floor. After he had retrieved a new shirt, they headed out. Staying a good distance behind her, Keiko retraced her way out of the downtown area. Yusuke had provided her with something he had quickly made to be some kind of crutch. Yusuke left her there with a simple good-bye, marching away.
Keiko sighed. She'd have to talk to Shuiichi on Monday.
Hello everyone! Yes, once again I have started another story while I still haven't finished my other two. So that means you all will have to be patient about the next chapter. I'm working on it right now.
I'd like to thank everyone who has encouraged me with my putting up this chapter including my two beta-readers: Ami-chan and Maru-chan. Thank you and I hope everyone enjoyed this!
I accept constructive criticism, but please don't go to the extent where you're just plain out insulting it. So please review and come back for the next chapter! Thanks for reading!