Ruka
Disclaimer: I do not and never will own Yami no Matsuei or any of its characters.
This story came to life from me wondering how Ruka and Tsuzuki lived.
Warnings: some language use and perhaps some violence.
A/N: June 2015. Almost ten years after writing this story, I've decided to rewrite it to update the, quite frankly, horrible grammar and erase small errors.
The contents will remain mostly the same, though some small things may have been changed if I don't agree with it anymore.
Xxxxxxxx
"No...no...no," Ruka ran downhill towards the river as she heard the voice of yelling children.
"Not again, please not again," she slid down to prevent herself from going down in her hurry to reach the group of children that were beating up a smaller one, her little one.
"Get away from here, your punks!" she screamed as she came near enough to pick up her speed again, making their heads snap up.
"It's Tsuzuki-san!" The children shattered as they were all familiar with her not at all lady-like punches and knew that unlike her little brother, she'd fight them.
Ruka didn't bother following them, instead dropping down beside the unconscious form in the mud as tears ran down her cheeks.
What had he ever done wrong to them to deserve that treatment?
She carefully lifted the small form into her arms to check over his wounds.
"Oh, Suki," she sighed as she brushed the fringe out of his face before carrying him back to their cottage, not too far from the river.
As she lowered him onto the bed she picked up a cloth and the water she'd been using to wash to clean out the wounds, not bothering to bind them as she knew they'd heal before she was done.
They always did somehow.
She let her fingers trace over his cheek while carefully dabbing at her tearful eyes as she didn't feel there was any need to let him see her cry if he didn't need to.
It was only a few minutes later that he stirred and beautiful amethyst eyes blinked up into her brown ones, an innocent smile crossed his lips as he focused on her.
"Hey Ruka."
"Hello Suki," she smiled as his eyes lit up like they always did when she called him that.
His given name was Asato, but because it had been bestowed upon him by our parents he hated being called by it so I'd eventually compromised and called him by a shortened version of our last name.
Tsuzuki sat up faster than you'd expect from a person who had been beat up less than an hour ago, but Ruka wasn't worried as she knew his injuries had once more already healed, and looked down.
Frowning Ruka lifted his chin up with her fingers. "Don't look away from me, Suki."
Her heart broke at her little brother's hesitation but kept her fingers in place until he turned his gaze back to her eyes.
"You are nothing less than they are."
His eyes filled with tears as he slowly nodded and she smiled at him mischievously as she thought of a plan to distract him from his current thoughts.
Abruptly lifting him from the bed she turned his small form upside down and giggles escaped as he cried out in surprised laughter.
"Put me down," he laughed and she grinned.
"Make me," she teased him as she blew a raspberry into his bellybutton, making him squeal.
"Ruuuuka!" he tried to break out of her grip, but they both knew she was much stronger than him and that it was no use.
Finally taking pity on him, she dumped him onto the bed before leaning over him and brushing her nose over his.
His purple eyes were full of laughter and joy as he reached up to pull her down and she happily let herself be pulled down for a hug, wrapping an arm around his waist to pull him up with her as she rose to her feet.
"How about you help me prepare dinner, hmm?" she suggested as she put him onto his feet. "Why don't you get us some vegetables from the garden while I peel some potatoes, all right?"
"All right, can I choose?"
"Sure, love," she smiled as he ran off, it was so easy to make him smile after something like that had happened and she was always relieved when he shook those sad moods.
Watching him for a moment through the kitchen door, she fell into memories.
xxxxxx
When he had been born eight years earlier, their parents had hated him because of his unusual purple eyes.
They believed him to be a monster, a demon and they had tried to drown him in the river but she had managed to save him from drowning.
Knowing that he would never be safe in that house, she had taken a few things and had run away with him, despite only being eight years old.
Travelling for weeks had her find an abandoned old cottage near the river and eventually they had moved in there.
With almost no supplies and even less money, they had managed to survive there for five years.
She got some milk and bread from a kind old farming couple and what little they needed she got by selling old furniture from the cottage while Tsuzuki played n the garden.
With the crazy idea that they could grow their own vegetables, Tsuzuki had gathered seeds and planted them in their little garden so that they didn't have to sell everything they owned to survive.
She had supported his plan, even if she hadn't fully believed in it until she had one day come back home to find her little brother excitedly pull her into their garden to show her that the seeds had grown.
She never did find out how he knew so much about gardening, but she suspected the little gardening book she found one day underneath his bed was responsible for his knowledge.
And although she couldn't read and write very quickly, she had done her best to teach him all she knew and would thus be able to read most of the book.
Soon after, Tsuzuki began to grow various vegetables and eventually potatoes in their garden as he gathered more seeds from the fields and they had never been without food anymore.
Selling the left over vegetables for money to make clothes for the winter, Tsuzuki had eventually cleared a part of the garden for growing various flowers as well.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by her little brother calling her name, and with a smile she made her way into the garden.
The smell and sight of beautiful flowers greeted her like always, but she didn't get the chance to truly enjoy them as Tsuzuki grabbed her hand and led her to a specific spot.
"Look Ruka, they are big now. We can sell them!" he laughed cheerfully.
They were indeed beautiful and looked strong, just like her little brother was.
The roses he tended to so lovingly reminded her of him. Beautiful and untouchable on the outside, tender and fragile inside. She noticed from the corner of her eye that he was eagerly awaiting her reaction so she made a show of leaning closer to inspect them closely.
"Yes, I think you are right. Good job, Suki."
The beam on her brother's face at her compliment made her smile as she knew he'd work even harder, just for her.
Together they collected some potatoes and vegetables and after a moment of debate, she allowed him to cook them, hurriedly taking various herbs from him as he tried to add them.
She knew she'd probably be sick when she allowed him to help her cook as if there was one thing Tsuzuki had inherited from their mother it were her terrible taste buds.
Seriously, the kid couldn't cook even if a life depended on it.
Despite her repeated attempts to teach him properly, he still managed to produce terrible things, even without the use of herbs.
But trying to keep him motivated, she always ate what he made in the hopes that she'd be able to one day teach him to make something without the danger of killing people.
Once dinner was done she let him fill their plates and sat down as she stared at her plate without enthusiasm.
Besides cooking she had always begun to teach him to dance and she'd been surprised at how easily he'd picked that up. He could pick up a beat quicker than that she could hear it.
Becoming aware that his gaze was on her, she smiled. "What is it?"
"Dinner's getting cold," he giggled and she smiled.
He never let any food go to waste, knowing how precious it was in their living conditions and actually enjoyed it.
She glanced back down at her plate and lifted some onto her fork, carefully inspecting it with a sinking stomach.
It looked delicious, but she had learned the hard way that just because he could present it edible, didn't mean it actually was.
Taking a small bite she closed her eyes as she took a bite, aware he was watching her reaction.
By all that is holy...she forced her facial expression to remain neutral, despite that they'd tried to scream at her to spit her food out, now as it attacked her taste buds.
"Are you all right, Ruka?"
"I'm fine, Suki," she forced a smile after swallowing before glancing back at her full plate.
She'd hoped to become immune to his cooking, but so far that wasn't her luck and her stomach clenched at the knowledge she'd have to eat it all.
Smiling a little more relaxed as Tsuzuki dug into his food with such enthusiasm that she often wondered if he had any taste buds at all, she took another forkful with envy as she glanced at him.
Yes, she was definitely going to be sick tonight.