Chapter Fifteen: The Same Old Feeling
Ruriko slowly opened her eyes. Her heart started beating fast as soon as her blurry surroundings became clear. She felt eyes looking at her.
"Ikusawa sempai!" Kaoru said, overjoyed.
"Minna…" Ruriko whispered. "Ukiya kun…"she widened her eyes, now fully awake. "Where's Ukiya?"
"He's downstairs getting a drink." Fei said.
"Come to think about it…he's been gone a long time…" Reiko added.
Ruriko sat up suddenly, every word, every event became clear as she remembered everything that happened against her own will. She slid off the bed and stood up, rushing towards the door. The door opened and closed with a bang.
Everyone was confused for a moment.
"What's wrong with her?" Bancho asked, clueless.
Heads turned as the door opened. Ukiya entered the room and looked at the empty bed. "Where's Rurippe?" he asked, handing each one of them their drinks.
Bancho shrugged. "She went out."
Ukiya stared at Bancho, trying to decipher his words. Then, he rushed towards the door. The door opened and closed with a bang yet again.
Everyone sighed.
"What's wrong with him?" Bancho asked, just as clueless.
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ruriko took a deep breath. The sun was starting to come up and dawn was close at hand. She leaned against the railing on the hospital terrace. She sighed. 'I've been here before.' She thought. But the last time, it was Ukiya who was injured and was the primary reason for being at the hospital. She winced as she remembered SHE almost killed him at that time. She remembered how easily a letter deceived her. She felt ever since she met Ukiya again, she has been a bother to him and their group mates. She sighed again. 'Even when we were children, I was a bother to him and to everyone.' She added to herself, remembering the vase accident. It felt like no matter how hard she tried, she will still make so many mistakes and it doesn't matter how hard she tried anyway because this life didn't even belong to her.
"You don't have a life!" Izuka said. "You were born simply because your body would be a host for my soul."
She winced at the memory of Izuka's words. She didn't know where to go from here. It now feels like that ever since she was born she was nothing more than a tool to be used when she grew older. 'Pathetic.' She thought. She sighed once again.
"Mou!" said a voice behind her. "If I have to watch you wince or sigh, I'm gonna crack!"
Ruriko turned to look at Ukiya walking towards her. 'He can be so care free.' She thought. This situation required seriousness and only Shun knew how to joke at a time like this. She wiped the tears that started to form in her eyes.
"I don't know what the big deal is," he continued. "You should be happy you're here now and Izuka is gone."
She wanted to cry out how she felt right now. Suddenly, the tears she was keeping inside fell down her cheeks, replacing the words she wanted to say. Ukiya's face switched to one of concern and a little bit of confusion.
"Rurippe…" he said, surprised at this outburst of emotion. It was weird, even for Ruriko.
Ruriko felt herself start shivering. Wordlessly, leaned her head forward, burying her head at the side of Ukiya's neck, silently begging for comfort. She felt Ukiya's arms wrap themselves around her, holding her.
Ukiya felt Ruriko shaking. "You shouldn't be like this…"
"Thank you…" Ruriko said. "…For saving me, from the sealing chamber, from Izuka and from myself…"
"Daijobou…" Ukiya comforted. He heard Ruriko sniffle. A slight smile played his lips.
"You should stop crying or else you'll start sniveling again."
A small laugh escaped Ruriko's lips. "You're right. It's just that everything that Izuka had said…born a nothing, die a nothing…"
"That's not true!" Ukiya said, looking for the right thing to say. Comforting somebody was not something he was good at. "You're not a nothing. In fact….in fact you're definitely something!" Wait…that didn't come out right. That wasn't what he meant.
Ruriko started to laugh. Ukiya sighed with relief. It looks like she was fine even though things didn't go exactly as he had planned. It was a lot easier to say things when a genocide arrow was aiming at your heart. He sighed.
"Now you are the one who's sighing." Ruriko said.
'It's just because…"
Ruriko stepped back and leaned against the railing again. Ukiya joined her.
"You remember the last time we were here?' Ukiya asked.
Ruriko nodded, blushing a little bit at the memory.
"You remember everything I said?" he continued.
Ruriko nodded. She expected Ukiya to ask her something, but he stayed silent. After a long pause of unbearable silence. "About that time…do you still feel the same?"
She looked at him. He was looking at the sunrise. His emotions and feelings where hard to know a reason being, he himself doesn't know how he feels.
"I don't know…" Ukiya said. "These past few days I've done so many things, even to the extent of disobeying AEGIS, so many things I'm sure I wouldn't have done back then but now…" he stopped, unsure of what he is saying…just like the last time.
"Ukiya!!!" a voice behind them said. The couple turned around to see Bancho.
"Somebody downstairs wants to talk to you."
Ukiya smiled at Ruriko. "Let's go Rurippe."
"Mou, you still haven't stopped with the "Rurippe" thing." She retorted, half disappointed.
Ruriko slowly opened her eyes. Her heart started beating fast as soon as her blurry surroundings became clear. She felt eyes looking at her.
"Ikusawa sempai!" Kaoru said, overjoyed.
"Minna…" Ruriko whispered. "Ukiya kun…"she widened her eyes, now fully awake. "Where's Ukiya?"
"He's downstairs getting a drink." Fei said.
"Come to think about it…he's been gone a long time…" Reiko added.
Ruriko sat up suddenly, every word, every event became clear as she remembered everything that happened against her own will. She slid off the bed and stood up, rushing towards the door. The door opened and closed with a bang.
Everyone was confused for a moment.
"What's wrong with her?" Bancho asked, clueless.
Heads turned as the door opened. Ukiya entered the room and looked at the empty bed. "Where's Rurippe?" he asked, handing each one of them their drinks.
Bancho shrugged. "She went out."
Ukiya stared at Bancho, trying to decipher his words. Then, he rushed towards the door. The door opened and closed with a bang yet again.
Everyone sighed.
"What's wrong with him?" Bancho asked, just as clueless.
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ruriko took a deep breath. The sun was starting to come up and dawn was close at hand. She leaned against the railing on the hospital terrace. She sighed. 'I've been here before.' She thought. But the last time, it was Ukiya who was injured and was the primary reason for being at the hospital. She winced as she remembered SHE almost killed him at that time. She remembered how easily a letter deceived her. She felt ever since she met Ukiya again, she has been a bother to him and their group mates. She sighed again. 'Even when we were children, I was a bother to him and to everyone.' She added to herself, remembering the vase accident. It felt like no matter how hard she tried, she will still make so many mistakes and it doesn't matter how hard she tried anyway because this life didn't even belong to her.
"You don't have a life!" Izuka said. "You were born simply because your body would be a host for my soul."
She winced at the memory of Izuka's words. She didn't know where to go from here. It now feels like that ever since she was born she was nothing more than a tool to be used when she grew older. 'Pathetic.' She thought. She sighed once again.
"Mou!" said a voice behind her. "If I have to watch you wince or sigh, I'm gonna crack!"
Ruriko turned to look at Ukiya walking towards her. 'He can be so care free.' She thought. This situation required seriousness and only Shun knew how to joke at a time like this. She wiped the tears that started to form in her eyes.
"I don't know what the big deal is," he continued. "You should be happy you're here now and Izuka is gone."
She wanted to cry out how she felt right now. Suddenly, the tears she was keeping inside fell down her cheeks, replacing the words she wanted to say. Ukiya's face switched to one of concern and a little bit of confusion.
"Rurippe…" he said, surprised at this outburst of emotion. It was weird, even for Ruriko.
Ruriko felt herself start shivering. Wordlessly, leaned her head forward, burying her head at the side of Ukiya's neck, silently begging for comfort. She felt Ukiya's arms wrap themselves around her, holding her.
Ukiya felt Ruriko shaking. "You shouldn't be like this…"
"Thank you…" Ruriko said. "…For saving me, from the sealing chamber, from Izuka and from myself…"
"Daijobou…" Ukiya comforted. He heard Ruriko sniffle. A slight smile played his lips.
"You should stop crying or else you'll start sniveling again."
A small laugh escaped Ruriko's lips. "You're right. It's just that everything that Izuka had said…born a nothing, die a nothing…"
"That's not true!" Ukiya said, looking for the right thing to say. Comforting somebody was not something he was good at. "You're not a nothing. In fact….in fact you're definitely something!" Wait…that didn't come out right. That wasn't what he meant.
Ruriko started to laugh. Ukiya sighed with relief. It looks like she was fine even though things didn't go exactly as he had planned. It was a lot easier to say things when a genocide arrow was aiming at your heart. He sighed.
"Now you are the one who's sighing." Ruriko said.
'It's just because…"
Ruriko stepped back and leaned against the railing again. Ukiya joined her.
"You remember the last time we were here?' Ukiya asked.
Ruriko nodded, blushing a little bit at the memory.
"You remember everything I said?" he continued.
Ruriko nodded. She expected Ukiya to ask her something, but he stayed silent. After a long pause of unbearable silence. "About that time…do you still feel the same?"
She looked at him. He was looking at the sunrise. His emotions and feelings where hard to know a reason being, he himself doesn't know how he feels.
"I don't know…" Ukiya said. "These past few days I've done so many things, even to the extent of disobeying AEGIS, so many things I'm sure I wouldn't have done back then but now…" he stopped, unsure of what he is saying…just like the last time.
"Ukiya!!!" a voice behind them said. The couple turned around to see Bancho.
"Somebody downstairs wants to talk to you."
Ukiya smiled at Ruriko. "Let's go Rurippe."
"Mou, you still haven't stopped with the "Rurippe" thing." She retorted, half disappointed.