Disclaimer: I don't own HYD or any of the characters but I love them like my own.
Also the song "I Don't Ever Wanna See You Again" was originally preformed by Uncle Sam.
The room was covered in shadows except for the sunbeam that infiltrated the darkness through the partial slit in the decadent curtain panel. The unsolicited ray pestered Rui until he finally raised one hand to try and protect himself from its warmth. He stirred awake with a sigh and looked over at his beautiful wife as she lay next to him completely unaffected by the evil intruder. He watched her chest rise and fall, each moment thanking God for having her in his life.
It had been five years since he had asked her to marry him, and even though it had taken her some time to decide, she had agreed to become his wife. He looked at the card sitting on the night stand next to him.
'She must have set it out after I went to bed.' He thought happily. He reached for the card and disappointedly read its contents. It was just a generic anniversary card with her name signed at the bottom.
Shrugging it off he set it aside and rolled over to kiss his sleeping beauty. "Tsukushi," he whispered as he put his arm around her, "happy anniversary."
She stirred slightly and mumbled something before rolling over away from her husband.
Rui kissed her softly along her jaw line and trailed his journey down to her neck, but was cut off when Tsukushi swatted him away.
"God, Rui I'm sleeping." She growled half asleep before she readjusted her position. "If it's not one thing it's another. It's a wonder I sleep at all." She continued to complain, but the rest became inaudible.
Giving up on having an eventful morning, Rui got out of bed and dragged himself to his home office. He sat down in front of the computer and turned it on as he started to open the mail. There were a few congratulatory cards from their friends, but mixed in with the cards and the bills was a plainly addressed envelope with no addressee. He put it to the side and ignored it as he checked his e-mail.
He stared at the picture of him and Tsukushi at that restaurant in New York six years ago. The picture had been a group photo, you could still see Thomas' shoulder by Tsukushi's head, but Rui had cropped it to show only him and his beloved.
When Tsukasa asked her to leave in New York Rui was surprised she hadn't fallen to pieces. Even when Tsukasa had met them at the airport she had had such strength. But after they had gotten back to Japan and Tsukasa didn't come back her spirit began to falter and slowly wear away.
When they got back she told Rui that she loved Tsukasa and that she wouldn't be able to get over him, but Rui was persistent and didn't give up. Even though it had taken her a long time to put Tsukasa behind her, eventually she did and the night she accepted Rui's proposal she had made him the happiest man alive.
Flashback
Rui and Tsukushi had been living together for about six months because it was easier for her to get to and from school. With Rui paying the rent and all the scholarships she'd gotten for college she didn't need to work as much as she did in high school, so it didn't surprise him when she beat him home.
He could smell the intoxicating aroma of spaghetti sauce as he walked though the door. Quietly he closed it behind him, put his briefcase down and crept into the kitchen. Tsukushi definitely hadn't expected him home anytime soon, because she stood in front of the stove humming and dancing to a cute little song while wearing a short tight tank top and a pair of skin tight boy shorts. Rui stopped in the doorway to take in the beauty before him.
Her curves weren't new to him, they had been intimate for a few months, but she was still shy about showing herself around him so he crept back to the door, which he opened and closed for dramatic effect, and called out to her "I'm home."
He heard her shriek, turn off the radio and bang a few pans shut calling out "Don't come back here yet." Then he saw the blur of her petit body run into the bedroom.
After a few minutes she reemerged from the room in a little black dress. She quickly jogged up to Rui, who had found his way to the wet bar in the back of the living room, and gave him a quick kiss.
"Are you hungry?" She asked nervously but noticeable happier than usual as she gave him a hug.
"Famished," he answered pulling her into another kiss, this time a little more passionate.
"I made your favorite," she chirped as she jogged toward the kitchen bumping into the doorway between the rooms.
"I know I can smell it."
After they had finished eating he thanked her for the great meal and started clearing the dishes.
Tsukushi went to take a deep breath, but started coughing instead. "Wait a second Rui," she started breathlessly, "can you help me with something on the balcony?" She said as she started toward the French doors in the living room. He left the dishes for later and followed her.
"This has been bothering me all day," she pointed to the flower stand, "can you move this into the shaded area over there, the sun is killing it."
Not really thinking about it, he picked up the pot and noticed the little shiny band sitting under it. Quizzically he looked up at her and Tsukushi smiled sweetly at him. Rui put the pot down and picked up the sliver ring.
"Remember that question you asked me?" Tsukushi blushed. "Is it too late to say yes?"
End Flashback
He shut down the computer and started to leave the desk when the plainly addressed envelope caught his attention again. Losing to the urge he opened it and started reading the letter. It read: Dear reader, once a close friend of mine. I hope that this letter finds you in time. 'Cause your love is ending and my life's just beginning with a woman that I know you hold dear to you.
Rui couldn't read anymore, his knuckles turning white with the power of his grip on the sides of the letter. He closed his eyes and hung his head backward against the back of his chair.
He thought back to four months before when Shigeru had gotten the bright idea to go to New York for vacation. Yuuki and Tsukushi had met Sakurako and Shigeru there. Rui could remember how excited his wife had been to go, not that it was their first women only vacation, they tended to do it three to four times a year, but Rui remembered how apprehensive he was about the location. Yet, he had gotten over it because he trusted his wife and when she had gotten home she seemed so happy that he had decided that it had been a good idea.
Slowly at first, she had started staying later at work and going on vacations and business trips more often, but since they usually coincided with his trips he didn't think much of it. He had ignored the problem because he didn't want to see one, but deep down in his heart he had feared that something like this would happen eventually.
He got up from his desk and returned to their bedroom letter in hand. Tsukushi was still sleeping when he sat in the reclining chair that faced the bed. He watched her sleep from the chair, but the mood had changed dramatically from just a few hours ago.
"He said he couldn't understand until he felt your touch, but now he could see why I love you so much." He whispered to his companion, "and that's so unfair I never thought I'd have to share the love that I thought was given to only me and that's why…" He paused playing with the ring on his left finger. "I don't ever want to see you again."
Rui could imagine his wife pulling her arms around the other guy's shoulders. Enjoying the barrage of kisses and basking in the other man's embrace. He could see them wrestling underneath the bed sheets as she gave into this villains allure, never once thinking about the feelings of her husband, only giving into her selfish desires.
He had always been there for her. He had helped her get over that jerk when he threw her to the waste side. He had made sure she got through college; got a job she loved and lived as happily as she wanted to be.
It's not like he wanted any gratitude, he had done it because he loved her, but the more he thought about it the more it angered him. He got up from the chair and grabbed the car keys from the dresser before jotting down a note and placing it on Tsukushi's night stand. He calmly left the house and jumped into his car speeding away as he threw the letter out the window.
What hurt most wasn't that she had cheated on him, he probably could have forgave her that, it was the fact that the letter was signed by one of his best friends, Tsukasa.
The front door slammed shut and Tsukushi woke up startled. She yawned as she looked over at her husband's side of the bed. She wasn't surprised to find it empty. She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom lifting her shirt in the mirror.
'Tsukasa, you've got to stop getting so carried away.' She thought as she noticed the bite marks around her shoulders and chest.
She lowered her shirt and ran the water in the sink so she could wet her face. She was still tired. She had been out 'til almost 3am. Each time she saw him, it was harder and harder to leave his side.
Tsukushi lowered her head into her hands. 'Tsukushi you have to stop this.' She battled. 'This is killing you.'
She found herself walking back to the bed and curling up with Rui's pillow. 'I don't want to hurt you.' She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. 'But I love him, Rui; I don't think I ever stopped loving him.'
That's when she noticed the note on her night stand. She rolled over to her side of the bed and reached for the paper and as she pulled it she felt something fall to the floor. She rolled over farther to see what it was, but it had rolled under the bed. She tipped herself off the side and almost fell off when she found Rui's ring laying there on the floor. She jumped up as quickly as she could and found the note where she had left it on the bed.
Tsukushi cried softly as she read the words on the paper. I should have known you can never really own someone else's hand-me-downs. I was the stupid one for thinking you could change. If you were able to put him behind you for me, why not in reverse. I hope this makes you happy Tsu, 'cause I never want to see you again.