The Quiet One
Part 1 Realizations
By Lyris Mendax
Rated T ( for violence, and language )

The Regan, Thank you for the review as well but I am still trying to puzzle out what you are trying to tell me.

Thank you Aikawa I will keep working upon this story and hopefully it will be as great. Yes the last chapter was with Rui and Tsuksuhi. I had not put that because I wanted to people to read it with out having the preset in their mind of just how they are to act.

Thank you Lady Luna, you said it all and more is coming!

Milisant, Hmm a 'New' Rui.. that will I hope still have much of the old in him.

Yaya, I will try too

To any others I might have missed Thank You!! Oh ya, the reason your here, the next chapter. I do not know what happened but I seem to have a small bit of fluff in this chapter, oh well hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer:I do not own Hana Yori Dango and do this for the readers and my own enjoyment.

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The morning came too quickly for his liking, that happy chirping of small birds almost annoying as they gave a bright greeting to the rising sun. Only one thing made it seem better. Slowly his eyes opened and he was given the chance to see it. She rested unguarded and at last held by some kind of peace, now that she was bathed in the bright light he could see a hint of a mark upon her cheek.

For the first time he started to question the wisdom of his choice. Maybe he should have staid closer, so that he would have had a better chance of helping her. They all really knew what the monster was like. He could have told all of them that it would not have lasted for long.

His passions are too hot, that need of his, was never controlled. He would fight and fight until he would get what he wanted and he had already hit her a few times before. He had seen it once and had guessed about the other times. She would run to him and cry showing her pain only to him, but it had never been this bad. He had never seen her hurting like this before. Rui had let himself become blind to the signs of it. They all should have known that Tsukasa was like a ticking boom that would go off at any time.

She turned with a soft whimper, her hand moved and touched him, her eyes snapping open as soon as she felt his soft warm skin. That sleepy look, that melted into one of confusion was cute. Her soft gasp made him smile and before she could whisper a single word he moved taking hold of her and pulling her closer than what she had been before.

She blinked but made no move to back away. That told him a little more of how much she needed him, of how much had changed. At last he moved giving her a little space with out fully letting her go, his hands refused to move away, they stayed upon her body as if touching her told, him that she was really here in his room in his bed and in his light hold. "Hello again." He whispered as he nuzzled her soft hair, his hand moving upon her back, one holding her so firmly about her slender waist gripping at the hip. "I have missed you." He so wanted to say what was in his heart again, as openly as he had a few times before. He wanted to tell her that he understood and that he still loved her in so many ways. He would always show it with his touch, and the small ways he would move to help take care of her.

"I missed you too." She whispered and moved to sit up in the bed taking a little time to look about his room. He smiled and shifted the pillows so that she could sit with her back upon them. She started to frown a little when she saw that her clothing had been changed. Also because he was trying to pamper her. But this was not Tsukasa, she reminded herself. Rui never seemed to have any strings attached to what he was doing, or so she thought, maybe because she simply did not know what they where.

He could only give a soft chuckle and kissed her lightly upon the tip of her nose. "You better stop that look of yours strange girl, or you'll tempt me to do more." He loved to tease her, mostly because she was not like the other girls that had been about him. That got her to openly glare at him, and made him laugh. Then he did what he had threaten to do, he leaned in close to her and gave a soft kiss, just a touching of his lips to her own. He was partly startled when she made no move to pull away, but pulled a little closer and returned his light kiss.

Why was she kissing him back. The thought spun about in her mind, but it was just a light touching of lips right, nothing more than that. For a short moment she felt that stabbing feeling of guilt, then what happened flashed in her mind. She had no reason to feel any guilt or pain for doing this. 'I need, I need' her thoughts drifted then at last she moved away. Had they been like that for a few seconds? It felt like it was a longer amount of time to her.

"Can," she paused as if thinking upon what she really wanted. "We stay here for a time?" She asked like a small child once he moved away from her still holding onto her not trying to let go. He saw that ghost like look of pain in her eyes, he had a feeling that she would tell him of her pain soon. Then he would know of how to help her heal, and become whole once more.

"For as long as you want." He found himself whispering and moving so that he might sit-up in the bed next too her. "But what are we going to eat, if I sit here all day with you." He gave that soft almost boyish smile of his. One that had never changed even as he had turned in to more of a man, one that so few people could ever get out of him. The sun light played upon his chest and it just hit her that is was bare. She looked again to what was covering her a shirt a mans shirt that was used for sleeping in.

"Now that is a little bit of a problem." She whispered back, then as if food had been reason enough for it her stomach gave a soft grumble, making color wash over her cheeks, and most of her face.

"Just rest, I'll get us some food." He moved to stand. Now she could see that he was in the pants that matched the shirt that she was in. They sat upon his hips looking so ready to fall at any moment, the baggy legs of them touching upon the floor almost hiding his feet. He could feel her very eyes as they rested upon him, like she was trying to find a reason to say something anything to make him stay close to her side. He paused at the door looked back thinking that seeing her like this would be something he could live with for the rest of his life.

She watched him as he moved that turning of his head that made his hair move in a messy way helping to hide his eyes. Even as he had gotten older she was finding that little about him had really changed. She started to open her mouth the say something but she took too long in trying to gather her thoughts and he moved fully out of the room. Slowly the young woman looked upon her hands. Then looked upon the large sleeves that where covering them, her hands shook softly as she moved to push back the right one as far as it would go. Upon it she could see that ugly mark that was touched by purples and blues, showing just a hint of yellow telling her just how deep the hurt was reaching. That was the first place that he had caught her, the other night.

---------------------------Flash Back---------------------------

They had been yelling at each other for days now. He had been upset because she was still not giving in to him not letting him have the level of control in her life that he always seemed to fight for. She knew that was a part of why he had loved her. Part of why he wanted her. She loved his passion. That fire that they always had between the two of them, still it felt wrong to just give in to him because he was a rich boy and she a poor girl. That was the last reason that he had tossed at her. Then she said the wrong thing, at the right time.

"Hanazawa Rui, tries to understand why can't you!" She had yelled it at him, not expecting what had happened. It was like someone had taken a match to a stick of dynamite. The look of rage upon his face that moving of his arm it stunned her, caught her off her guard. Hurt her more than any other hit upon her body had before.

He had showed so much anger at her words. The real reason for the fight had been almost pointless it had been just petty bickering until they got to that point. "You still think of him!" He yelled at her and made a grab. When she had tried to dance away from his hand to get out of reach he moved to swing again. Just as she was moving to try and save herself and fight back, the world went black. She had fought him without knowing just how she was moving, not knowing how she was holding her own, and not knowing how many blows she had taken upon her own body in return.

When she had come back to herself again, she was shivering with cold dumped, so she assumed, in the middle of a snow storm of all things, with only the clothing upon her back to keep herself warm. Numbly she had wondered if this was going to be the end of her. Then she felt her own anger boil over. It pushed her to move, and find a way of staying alive.

That feeling lasted a few hours as she trudged along, shivering with cold till at last she had come to a place that looked like it had some kind of life in it. A desperate knocking upon the door. When she got no answer she had kept at it. Wanting to get inside and get warm so that she would be able to got back and give that pompous ass a good piece of her mind, and make him pay for what had been done this time.

---------------------------End Flash Back---------------------------

So now she was here in a warm bed, in the house of the one that been at the heart of the fight that she had been in. Only he was not the one that had hurt her, it was that pride of Tsukasa's and his rage that had done all of this too her. That sleeve dropped back over her arm and she started to move out of the bed only to wince again when she felt a fresh sting of pain. Face twisted as she made a grab for what hurt and suddenly she fell out of the bed.

Fate is a very funny thing. Just as she hit upon the floor Rui walked back into the room a tray in his hands. She staid upon her back, her feet tangled in warm blankets and sheets still upon the top of the bed, and a very dazed look upon her face. He did his best not to chuckle, finding it so funny that this cleaver girl that had been so strong when facing the rest of the world, one that had even tried to act as shield for him was now looking up at his celling. For lack of a better term she seemed to be counting stars. His eyes moved over her slender legs and he had to remind himself that he was needed by her. That now was not the time to think of her in that way. Still the view was nice and he would have much to think upon. Last night he was thinking of caring for her seeing only the damage that had been done to her. Today he was starting to get sidetracked by his lingering feelings for her.

He set the tray down and moved to her side squatting upon the floor beside her a tilt of his head as he moved to meet her gaze. Almost finding that look hard to resist, but he knew better. Get her ready to face the world then win her over. Seemed like a good enough plan for now. "Having problems?" He asked and was rewarded by seeing her flush with embarrassment. She moved as quickly as she was able pulling her feet off the bed, tucking them under her slight form, hands moving to rest upon her lap, her gaze fixed upon a point that was behind him.

"Yes." She sputtered out then stood and scrambled back into the bed, doing her best to pull all the blankets back into place and trying to look like that little fall of hers had never happened. He did his best not to laugh at her, yet he could not stop his chuckle and she frowned because of it.

That was until his hand moved to touch her upon the top of her head then moved so that he was touching her cheek. She looked up and for once saw an open look upon his face that cracking of his inner mask. The problem was she had little idea what that look of his meant and why he was showing it to her of all people. "Don't ever change, just stay as you are, Tsukushi."

For the rest of the morning very little happened they seemed happy just to be about each other. Rui got an idea as the lazy hours passed. He made plans for the next day, after all as nice as she looked in his shirt and little else he had a feeling that she would need more in the way of clothing soon. Already he was thinking of ways to make her feel better and get her mind off the one he use to call his best friend. Already he was putting into action all the plans that he had been working upon, to make that man pay.

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I know your wondering how did Tsukushi end up by Rui's and not upon his doorstep. More of what is going on with Tsukasa in the next chapter. As well as answers to the other questions.

Thanks for reading everyone and please keep giving the great feedback.
Lyris