"Yuusuke!"

I can barely whisper his name.  He stands before my hospital bed with death in his eyes.  His mother’s death.  For which I am to be charged.

He stares at me in silence.  I don’t know what to say - but I must say something!

"Yuusuke - it wasn’t me!  I swear it wasn’t me!  I don’t know how, but…"  My sudden flow of words trickles to a halt in the face of his implacable gaze.

"Please,"  I try again.  "Please believe me, Yuusuke!"  Tears run down my cheeks, as I plead with him…

He sighs heavily, bowing his head.  When he lifts it once more, he flashes me a weak half-grin.

"You know, I thought that my day just couldn’t get any worse," he tells me.

Worse?  What could have possibly happened before - ?  I study his expression carefully, looking past my own pain and confusion, to see his.  He looks away once more.

"I went over to Genkai’s just a short while ago, along with Kuwabara.  We were going to check on Yukina, what with Hiei and all…"  He glances up briefly, meeting my eyes.  "Kurama was over there.  He told us that Hiei was dead."

I close my eyes.  Poor Kurama.  Poor Yukina.  They must both be heartbroken -

"Yukina was there, too.  She was dead."

What?!

"Kurama told us that he’d killed her."

Now I know I’m imagining things.  It’s a huge relief to know that this is no more than a nightmare, and I will soon wake up from it -

"Kuwabara kind of lost it, at that.  He tried to kill Kurama."

I’m not at all surprised, this time.  He can be so protective of Yukina.  I think it’s sweet.  Probably the nicest thing to happen in this horrid fantasy of mine…

"He didn’t succeed, though.  Kurama killed him instead."

How noble of him, to die attempting to avenge Yukina…  It would have been better if he’d won, of course, but I can hardly picture Kurama as the villain…  Unless he’s in his youko form…

"I had to turn Kurama over to the Reikai authorities.  He’s probably serving a sentence in Hell, right now…"

I giggle.  I cannot help it.  He blinks at me in shock.

"I’m sorry," I tell him.  "I just wondered if they’d make him cut his hair… It would be such a shame…"

He shakes his head, a stunned expression on his face.  "Keiko," he asks me, "did you kill my mother?"

"Of course not!" I reply indignantly.  "Don’t you believe me, baka?!"

He hesitates a long moment before answering.  "I’m sorry, Keiko.  I don’t know what to believe, anymore…"

"Fine!" I snap at him.  "Be that way!"

I roll over on my bed, burying my head in my pillow, and wait for him to leave.

Eventually I hear the door click as he leaves my room.

Now I must wait for this nightmare to end.

The hours pass.  And I am still here.

Frustrated, I turn to the window which overlooks a beautiful park, several floors below.   I gaze up into the afternoon sky, imagining that I could fly away on one of the wisps of cloud I see.

And why shouldn’t I be able to?  I realize this with a laugh.  After all, this is my dream, and I would like to have at least one pleasant experience in it!

I try the latch.  It is locked.  Oh well.

I smash the window with the chair meant for visitors.  What does it matter, anyway?

The guard who had been posted outside my door burst into the room - but by then I am already slipping over the windowsill…
 

And at last, I am flying!

It is an unbelievable feeling, to be so light and unburdened!  I revel in it, spinning delightedly in the air…

Eventually I notice a crowd gathering on the street below me.  I swoop down for a closer look.  Nobody gives me a second glance - or even a first glance! - as I hover above the centre of the commotion.

I freeze.

No.

This can’t be happening.

This can’t be real!

It’s just a dream!

A flash of pink and blue catches my attention.

"Botan?"  I plead, not really wanting to hear the answer to the question that I am too afraid to ask.

She smiles at me.  It is not the cheerful, friendly smile of the Botan I know.  This ‘smile’ is no more than a malicious parody of that one…

"Sorry, Keiko-chan."  She laughs cruelly.  "You lose."  Then she is gone.

And I am alone, left drifting - a spirit without a guide…

Only now I can see where I have been led before…

Now I know -

Oh, Yuusuke…

I’m so sorry…

Go to Evil fic 8