Title: Flower Garden (A Hana Yori Dango AU)
Author: Yih
16: Things Change (January 30, 2003 to February 5, 2003)
"I heard the F4 are skipping school today," Makiko remarked. "But I'm surprised that Tsukushi would skip school. She tries not to, but rumors have it that Doumyouji's older sister came back and took them somewhere."
Yuki listened fascinated while Kazuya, who was next to her, appeared distraught. It wasn't like Yuki minded. She and Kazuya had gone out on one date over the weekend and had decided midway through the date that they definitely didn't suit each other as a couple. But as friends, their relationship was awesome. They could have fun together, and he could continue his adulation of Tsukushi.
"I wonder what they're doing together," Yuki responded, her eyes dreamy. "At first, I didn't know what was so great about them, why the girls were so crazy about them, but now I totally understand. not only are they rich, they're handsome and they seem like they have pretty good personalities."
Makiko shrugged. "I'll admit they aren't that bad," she commented. "Tsukasa is probably the worst of them, but I personally think Rui's the weirdest because you almost never see him speak. He's always holding Tsukushi's hand, somehow communicating through that media to her. Of course, Soujirou's highly popular with the girls as well as Akira, but both are kind of like playboys."
"Yes," Kazuya agreed, "Rui is weird, but I think Tsukasa's worse. He's the one that always argues with my Tsukushi and teases her without mercy!"
Both Makiko and Yuki rolled their eyes at Kazuya's obsessive adoration of Tsukushi. When he didn't talk about Tsuukshi, he was fine to be around, but one he started, he didn't stop until he'd gotten it out of his system. So they'd leave him alone until then because they both knew it was going to be a while.
~
The road trip back wasn't as fun nor as animated as the trip over. That was because of the tension between SHizuka and Akira, which caused Rui and Tsukushi to have to split up so that they could comfort each of them. Rui, of course went with Shizuka and Tsukushi went with Akira, who she was very close to. Akira was like her big brother. He was the one that took her to school everyday.
Sitting in the car, Akira was driving with Sara and Soujirou in the backseat and Tsukushi, next to him in the front seat. She wished that everything could back up a few days, even a few years. It wasn't that long ago when she and Rui, Akira and Shizuka went out together as a foursome, a happy foursome of friends.
Looking carefully at Akira, she only hoped that he'd calm down and see that Shizuka wasn't rejecting him. Though truthfully, she didn't know what Shizuka was trying to say to Akira by leaving so suddenly about their relationship. Shizuka should have known that Akira was a "there" type person. That he needed the person he liked to be there, while Rui didn't necessarily need her to be present to know that she cared. But Akira did, which was why Shiazuka's leaving was traumatic.
Yet, she understood why Shizuka needed to leave with the parents that Shizuka had. Even she felt that she needed to escape the circle of comfort and strike out on her own and prove that she was strong enough to make it on her own, that she was a success not because of her family background but because of herself. In that she and Shizuka shared something she felt that not even Rui fully comprehended about her.
While she felt sorry for Akira, he still needed to understand that if Shizuka wasn't free, then she would slowly die. Now, all she had to think was how to vocalize this to make Akira understand something that he had no idea about. That was hard; that was something she needed to do.
"Akira, don't be upset with Shizuka," Tsukushi began earnestly. "She doesn't mean to hurt you, you know how her parents are. You know how she is. She needs to be free and independent to be herself. Being trapped, she will wither. Akira---"
He jerked his head to her. "Don't you think I know that?! I know she needs her freedom, that's why she's going. I'm not angry that she's leaving. I'm sad because I don't think she'll come back this time."
"I think she will," Tsukushi whispered fervently.
He shook his head. "You weren't there when she told me she wanted to return to France. She's determined to stay. It's a feeling I have."
"Even so," she remarked, "there is nothing that prevents you from going to France after her, is there? After all, she didn't reject you, all she wants is to go back to France."
"I think she's running away to France."
Tsukushi shook her head. "I don't think she's running, she's escaping."
~
In the other car, Shizuka sat in the middle of the backseat between Rui and Tsukasa with Tsubaki driving and Shigeru in the front seat beside her. The silence in the car was maddening for Tsukasa, but even he didn't have the nerve to break it. It was actually Rui that dared to voice his quiet blunt thoughts, "Why did you hurt Akira like that?"
Shizuka turned to gaze upon Rui. "I didn't mean to hurt him," she responded regretfully.
"You've hurt him anyway."
"I'm going, Rui," she stated firmly. "You know once I make up my mind, I don't change it."
He looked away from her, choosing instead to stare out of the window. It was a while before he gave her a response. "I know," he replied, "I know that you never change your mind, Shizuka." There was a distinct pause. "Do you like Akira?"
Shizuka nodded. "Yes, of course, I do."
Rui sighed and instead of saying anything else, he rested his head against Shizuka's shoulder and closed his eyes, going to sleep. When he had truly passed into the realm of sleep, Shizuka stared at his beautiful face and kissed his forehead, whispering so softly that only she could hear, "There are times when even you don't understand me completely."
Once everyone in the car had fallen asleep, Tsubaki asked frankly, "When are you leaving?"
"In a week," Shizuka answered.
Tsubaki smiled. "Perfect. Change flights and stop in New York for a while before you head off to France. I think it'd be a nice change for you."
Shizuka looked at the mirror so that she saw the sincerity and the friendliness in TSubaki. She was trying to help out. "I'll think about it."
~
When Soujirou and Sara were dropped off at his house, Sara immediately inquired, "Do you think Akira and Shizuka will patch things up soon? Because they really make a cute couple."
Soujirou shrugged. "They aren't really a couple, they never have been. But Akira's crazy about her. Even though he does flirt with other girls, in his mind--- Shizuka's always been the one that's first to him."
"How does Shizuka feel about him?" she asked.
Soujirou shrugged again. "I don't know. She does talk to him and spend a lot of time with him, especially when they were younger. But if she felt the same way about Akira as he feels about her, I don't think she'd want to leave."
Hearing these words drove a conviction through Sara's heart, that she had to tell to find out. When she caught his piercing gaze, she blushed heavily, but still managed to say, "Jirou, I want to show you something tomorrow morning okay?"
He nodded, causing her to smile while his own heart was frozen in fear. He was afraid of letting their relationship take the next step. He'd already been afraid before the episode between Akira and Shizuka, now he was even more so. It was terrifying feeling to think of losing Sara as Akira was losing Shizuka.
~
Akira sat in his room, staring at the white washed walls, thinking about how all the girls were crazy about him and how he'd fallen for one who didn't even feel enough for him to stay. Yes, Tsukushi had mentioned the possibility of going after Shizuka to France, but if he'd wanted to go after her, he would have gone after her the first time she'd left him.
Clenching his fist, he knocked the picture of Shizuka that was on the nightstand next to his bed. When the frame hit the ground, the glass shattered the picture of him and Shizuka together, looking happy together. Glancing down at the broken image, he relaxed his fist and leaned his forehead against the wall.
He wished he could truly be angry as he had been last time. But this time he only felt a sickening regret. Last time, he should have gone after her. He was sure that if he'd gone then, things would have been different. But things were as they were and he would have to let her go. It was for the best. He had held on for far too long.
~
"Did you talk to Shizuka?" Tsukushi inquired, staring down at Rui with concerned eyes. He nodded. "What did she say?"
"She said she's going and that she won't change her mind," he stated simply. "And I know she won't. I don't think it will do any good to talk to her further."
"I know," she responded. " I wish we could do something for them. I still think they'd make a good couple, but that they just don't realize it."
Rui shrugged and grabbed her hand, pulling her down toward him. "I want to tell our parents tonight that we want our engagement rearranged."
She stared at him in amazement at his abrupt change in topics. "Why tonight?" she teased. "Why not tomorrow? What's so urgent?"
He didn't answer her, he only pulled her insistently and once she'd gotten close enough he let go of her and cupped her face. Guiding her face down to his, he kissed her with a passion he couldn't contain. There was a deep urgency in this kiss, like he was reaching, reaching for something that he couldn't reach. He was reaching for something that he hadn't quite attained.
When they finally parted to breath, Rui didn't let her go. He held her tightly in his arms, not loosening his hold even when he drifted off to sleep. Whenever she tried to move to make things more comfortable, he'd only hold her tighter to prevent her from escaping him. So she let him hold her throughout the night, hoping whatever was bothering him would disappear by morning.
Touching her lips, the kiss he'd given her had struck her with alarm, then had overpowered her with his intense desire that went so far beyond the physical. He had been searching for something in the kiss, something she didn't think she'd given him. She brushed aside his locks and touched his lips gently, wondering what he'd been looking for in the kiss.
~
Staring into her mirror, Shizuka tried to calm herself. Both of her parents would be home shortly and she'd tell them of her intentions to go back to France. She felt strongly sure that France was where she belonged. She didn't know how bad their reaction was going to be, but she was sure that it wasn't going to be good. She'd tried so hard to fit into their mold of the perfect daughter, but she couldn't do that anymore.
She heard the door to the mansion open, and she heard the soft conversation between her parents. Glancing one last time at the mirror, she mentally gave herself courage because the one thing she knew she had to do was return to France and find herself. With one last deep breath, she went downstairs and greeted her parents with a charming smile.
"Good evening," her father responded with his greeting. "I didn't know that you were going to be home or else we would have asked you to come to dinner with us."
It was now or never, she decided. "I need to talk to both of you," she stated clearly. "I think you two should sit down." Her parents glanced at each other quizzically before they sat down as she asked them to. When the had situated themselves, she continued calmly, "I have to say that I'm very happy to be back home, but I've made up my mind that I want to return to France and continue studying there."
As she finished, her mother had a stunned expression and didn't seem to have the ability to make a reply. Her father looked absolutely livid as he stood up from his seat and stared with utter fury at her. "Toudou Shizuka! You are not going back to France! You are staying in Japan where you belong as the future heir!"
Staring at her father with her determination gleaming in her eyes, she said in a low, but strong voice, "I am going to France, and I don't care what you two want for me. I've let you control me all my life and I'm sick and tired of it. I never wanted to go to Eitoku, I would have preferred to go to a public high school, but you denied me that opportunity.
"But I won't allow you to deny me my dreams anymore! You've controlled me for far too long. I've done everything you've wanted of me, but now I want to be free of your control and go my own path. I don't want to inherit anything you have. I don't want to be a Toudou anymore. You don't have to disown me, I disown you!"
Without a further word, she walked out of the house and before her parents could do anything, she was taken away by a taxi she'd arranged earlier. She vaguely heard her mother calling after her, but she didn't look back because if she did, she'd feel the pull of her daughterly duty. That was the reason she had let her father control her for all of her life.
"I will not fail," she said firmly. But she'd left with hardly any money and she'd yet to buy her plane ticket to France. She had to get to France, then she'd be okay. She had friends there that would help through the hard times. But that was if she could get to France.
Without having to think, she told the driver the directions to Rui's house. He hadn't liked that she had hurt Akira, but Rui wouldn't turn his back on her. He'd help her, even if she didn't want to because he was Rui. She could depend on him like no one else. She took her cell phone out and message Rui's: I'm coming to your house. I have no where else to go.
~
Tsukushi opened her eyes when she heard the sound of Rui's phone vibrating. She grabbed it and read on the screen that he had one new message. She clicked on the message and read it, her eyes widening considerably. If Shizuka had no place else to go, that meant she'd confronted her parents. Tsukushi felt her heart go out to the older girl, who was like a sister to her. How brave she had to be to rebel against her parents. She wished she could do the same.
Focusing her attention on Rui, she nudged him to wake him up. But that didn't gain anything as he only tightened his grip on her. That was when she thought of a pleasant idea. After all, wasn't Rui always kissing her when he wanted a desired reaction from her? Why couldn't it work both ways? It was worth a shot at least. And it wasn't like it didn't feel good to kiss him. That thought caused her to blush.
Rui was still lost in the hazy, undemanding world of sleep when he felt a jolt of warmth that started in one place that gradually spread to the rest of his body. He felt like he was dreaming because from what he felt, it seemed like whomever was doing to this him, this pleasure had to be Tsukushi. It ahd to be a dream because Tsukushi had never made the first move. It didn't matter if it was real or not, it was a truly wondrous dream. Besides, outside of the slumber kingdom, he could make the first move.
Kissing him was definitely pleasing, but it was certainly not getting the desired response out of him. No matter what method she used that he had taught her during their numerous kisses, he just wouldn't wake up. Finally, there was nothing else she could do but close his nose and kiss him. Eventually that would get him up.
The pleasant feeling still hadn't ended, though his chest was beginning to feel strained. At the back of his mind, he recognized that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. Reacting as any normal human would, he woke up and got rid of whatever was preventing him from breathing, which caused Tsukushi to be sprawled on the other side of the bed with her disarrayed clothes, looking absolutely tempting.
Before he could do or say anything, Tsukushi declared in a rush, "Shizuka is coming here, she has no place else to go. I think she broke the news to her parents. You know how they are, they're worse than my parents. So I was trying to get you up." Not very successfully though.
In a typical Tsukushi response to anything remotely disarming to her, she blushed and he smiled for it was too adorable. "I hope she's okay," Rui remarked softly. "I know how bad her parents can get."
Tsukushi nodded. "I think we both know. I hope that she is okay, and I think she needs to go to France. That is what she needs to do more than anything. If she stays here when she wants to go, that won't be good for her."
Author's Note: Please review, it's very helpful! Thanks. And I only tend to slow down if I think no one is reading!
Author: Yih
16: Things Change (January 30, 2003 to February 5, 2003)
"I heard the F4 are skipping school today," Makiko remarked. "But I'm surprised that Tsukushi would skip school. She tries not to, but rumors have it that Doumyouji's older sister came back and took them somewhere."
Yuki listened fascinated while Kazuya, who was next to her, appeared distraught. It wasn't like Yuki minded. She and Kazuya had gone out on one date over the weekend and had decided midway through the date that they definitely didn't suit each other as a couple. But as friends, their relationship was awesome. They could have fun together, and he could continue his adulation of Tsukushi.
"I wonder what they're doing together," Yuki responded, her eyes dreamy. "At first, I didn't know what was so great about them, why the girls were so crazy about them, but now I totally understand. not only are they rich, they're handsome and they seem like they have pretty good personalities."
Makiko shrugged. "I'll admit they aren't that bad," she commented. "Tsukasa is probably the worst of them, but I personally think Rui's the weirdest because you almost never see him speak. He's always holding Tsukushi's hand, somehow communicating through that media to her. Of course, Soujirou's highly popular with the girls as well as Akira, but both are kind of like playboys."
"Yes," Kazuya agreed, "Rui is weird, but I think Tsukasa's worse. He's the one that always argues with my Tsukushi and teases her without mercy!"
Both Makiko and Yuki rolled their eyes at Kazuya's obsessive adoration of Tsukushi. When he didn't talk about Tsuukshi, he was fine to be around, but one he started, he didn't stop until he'd gotten it out of his system. So they'd leave him alone until then because they both knew it was going to be a while.
~
The road trip back wasn't as fun nor as animated as the trip over. That was because of the tension between SHizuka and Akira, which caused Rui and Tsukushi to have to split up so that they could comfort each of them. Rui, of course went with Shizuka and Tsukushi went with Akira, who she was very close to. Akira was like her big brother. He was the one that took her to school everyday.
Sitting in the car, Akira was driving with Sara and Soujirou in the backseat and Tsukushi, next to him in the front seat. She wished that everything could back up a few days, even a few years. It wasn't that long ago when she and Rui, Akira and Shizuka went out together as a foursome, a happy foursome of friends.
Looking carefully at Akira, she only hoped that he'd calm down and see that Shizuka wasn't rejecting him. Though truthfully, she didn't know what Shizuka was trying to say to Akira by leaving so suddenly about their relationship. Shizuka should have known that Akira was a "there" type person. That he needed the person he liked to be there, while Rui didn't necessarily need her to be present to know that she cared. But Akira did, which was why Shiazuka's leaving was traumatic.
Yet, she understood why Shizuka needed to leave with the parents that Shizuka had. Even she felt that she needed to escape the circle of comfort and strike out on her own and prove that she was strong enough to make it on her own, that she was a success not because of her family background but because of herself. In that she and Shizuka shared something she felt that not even Rui fully comprehended about her.
While she felt sorry for Akira, he still needed to understand that if Shizuka wasn't free, then she would slowly die. Now, all she had to think was how to vocalize this to make Akira understand something that he had no idea about. That was hard; that was something she needed to do.
"Akira, don't be upset with Shizuka," Tsukushi began earnestly. "She doesn't mean to hurt you, you know how her parents are. You know how she is. She needs to be free and independent to be herself. Being trapped, she will wither. Akira---"
He jerked his head to her. "Don't you think I know that?! I know she needs her freedom, that's why she's going. I'm not angry that she's leaving. I'm sad because I don't think she'll come back this time."
"I think she will," Tsukushi whispered fervently.
He shook his head. "You weren't there when she told me she wanted to return to France. She's determined to stay. It's a feeling I have."
"Even so," she remarked, "there is nothing that prevents you from going to France after her, is there? After all, she didn't reject you, all she wants is to go back to France."
"I think she's running away to France."
Tsukushi shook her head. "I don't think she's running, she's escaping."
~
In the other car, Shizuka sat in the middle of the backseat between Rui and Tsukasa with Tsubaki driving and Shigeru in the front seat beside her. The silence in the car was maddening for Tsukasa, but even he didn't have the nerve to break it. It was actually Rui that dared to voice his quiet blunt thoughts, "Why did you hurt Akira like that?"
Shizuka turned to gaze upon Rui. "I didn't mean to hurt him," she responded regretfully.
"You've hurt him anyway."
"I'm going, Rui," she stated firmly. "You know once I make up my mind, I don't change it."
He looked away from her, choosing instead to stare out of the window. It was a while before he gave her a response. "I know," he replied, "I know that you never change your mind, Shizuka." There was a distinct pause. "Do you like Akira?"
Shizuka nodded. "Yes, of course, I do."
Rui sighed and instead of saying anything else, he rested his head against Shizuka's shoulder and closed his eyes, going to sleep. When he had truly passed into the realm of sleep, Shizuka stared at his beautiful face and kissed his forehead, whispering so softly that only she could hear, "There are times when even you don't understand me completely."
Once everyone in the car had fallen asleep, Tsubaki asked frankly, "When are you leaving?"
"In a week," Shizuka answered.
Tsubaki smiled. "Perfect. Change flights and stop in New York for a while before you head off to France. I think it'd be a nice change for you."
Shizuka looked at the mirror so that she saw the sincerity and the friendliness in TSubaki. She was trying to help out. "I'll think about it."
~
When Soujirou and Sara were dropped off at his house, Sara immediately inquired, "Do you think Akira and Shizuka will patch things up soon? Because they really make a cute couple."
Soujirou shrugged. "They aren't really a couple, they never have been. But Akira's crazy about her. Even though he does flirt with other girls, in his mind--- Shizuka's always been the one that's first to him."
"How does Shizuka feel about him?" she asked.
Soujirou shrugged again. "I don't know. She does talk to him and spend a lot of time with him, especially when they were younger. But if she felt the same way about Akira as he feels about her, I don't think she'd want to leave."
Hearing these words drove a conviction through Sara's heart, that she had to tell to find out. When she caught his piercing gaze, she blushed heavily, but still managed to say, "Jirou, I want to show you something tomorrow morning okay?"
He nodded, causing her to smile while his own heart was frozen in fear. He was afraid of letting their relationship take the next step. He'd already been afraid before the episode between Akira and Shizuka, now he was even more so. It was terrifying feeling to think of losing Sara as Akira was losing Shizuka.
~
Akira sat in his room, staring at the white washed walls, thinking about how all the girls were crazy about him and how he'd fallen for one who didn't even feel enough for him to stay. Yes, Tsukushi had mentioned the possibility of going after Shizuka to France, but if he'd wanted to go after her, he would have gone after her the first time she'd left him.
Clenching his fist, he knocked the picture of Shizuka that was on the nightstand next to his bed. When the frame hit the ground, the glass shattered the picture of him and Shizuka together, looking happy together. Glancing down at the broken image, he relaxed his fist and leaned his forehead against the wall.
He wished he could truly be angry as he had been last time. But this time he only felt a sickening regret. Last time, he should have gone after her. He was sure that if he'd gone then, things would have been different. But things were as they were and he would have to let her go. It was for the best. He had held on for far too long.
~
"Did you talk to Shizuka?" Tsukushi inquired, staring down at Rui with concerned eyes. He nodded. "What did she say?"
"She said she's going and that she won't change her mind," he stated simply. "And I know she won't. I don't think it will do any good to talk to her further."
"I know," she responded. " I wish we could do something for them. I still think they'd make a good couple, but that they just don't realize it."
Rui shrugged and grabbed her hand, pulling her down toward him. "I want to tell our parents tonight that we want our engagement rearranged."
She stared at him in amazement at his abrupt change in topics. "Why tonight?" she teased. "Why not tomorrow? What's so urgent?"
He didn't answer her, he only pulled her insistently and once she'd gotten close enough he let go of her and cupped her face. Guiding her face down to his, he kissed her with a passion he couldn't contain. There was a deep urgency in this kiss, like he was reaching, reaching for something that he couldn't reach. He was reaching for something that he hadn't quite attained.
When they finally parted to breath, Rui didn't let her go. He held her tightly in his arms, not loosening his hold even when he drifted off to sleep. Whenever she tried to move to make things more comfortable, he'd only hold her tighter to prevent her from escaping him. So she let him hold her throughout the night, hoping whatever was bothering him would disappear by morning.
Touching her lips, the kiss he'd given her had struck her with alarm, then had overpowered her with his intense desire that went so far beyond the physical. He had been searching for something in the kiss, something she didn't think she'd given him. She brushed aside his locks and touched his lips gently, wondering what he'd been looking for in the kiss.
~
Staring into her mirror, Shizuka tried to calm herself. Both of her parents would be home shortly and she'd tell them of her intentions to go back to France. She felt strongly sure that France was where she belonged. She didn't know how bad their reaction was going to be, but she was sure that it wasn't going to be good. She'd tried so hard to fit into their mold of the perfect daughter, but she couldn't do that anymore.
She heard the door to the mansion open, and she heard the soft conversation between her parents. Glancing one last time at the mirror, she mentally gave herself courage because the one thing she knew she had to do was return to France and find herself. With one last deep breath, she went downstairs and greeted her parents with a charming smile.
"Good evening," her father responded with his greeting. "I didn't know that you were going to be home or else we would have asked you to come to dinner with us."
It was now or never, she decided. "I need to talk to both of you," she stated clearly. "I think you two should sit down." Her parents glanced at each other quizzically before they sat down as she asked them to. When the had situated themselves, she continued calmly, "I have to say that I'm very happy to be back home, but I've made up my mind that I want to return to France and continue studying there."
As she finished, her mother had a stunned expression and didn't seem to have the ability to make a reply. Her father looked absolutely livid as he stood up from his seat and stared with utter fury at her. "Toudou Shizuka! You are not going back to France! You are staying in Japan where you belong as the future heir!"
Staring at her father with her determination gleaming in her eyes, she said in a low, but strong voice, "I am going to France, and I don't care what you two want for me. I've let you control me all my life and I'm sick and tired of it. I never wanted to go to Eitoku, I would have preferred to go to a public high school, but you denied me that opportunity.
"But I won't allow you to deny me my dreams anymore! You've controlled me for far too long. I've done everything you've wanted of me, but now I want to be free of your control and go my own path. I don't want to inherit anything you have. I don't want to be a Toudou anymore. You don't have to disown me, I disown you!"
Without a further word, she walked out of the house and before her parents could do anything, she was taken away by a taxi she'd arranged earlier. She vaguely heard her mother calling after her, but she didn't look back because if she did, she'd feel the pull of her daughterly duty. That was the reason she had let her father control her for all of her life.
"I will not fail," she said firmly. But she'd left with hardly any money and she'd yet to buy her plane ticket to France. She had to get to France, then she'd be okay. She had friends there that would help through the hard times. But that was if she could get to France.
Without having to think, she told the driver the directions to Rui's house. He hadn't liked that she had hurt Akira, but Rui wouldn't turn his back on her. He'd help her, even if she didn't want to because he was Rui. She could depend on him like no one else. She took her cell phone out and message Rui's: I'm coming to your house. I have no where else to go.
~
Tsukushi opened her eyes when she heard the sound of Rui's phone vibrating. She grabbed it and read on the screen that he had one new message. She clicked on the message and read it, her eyes widening considerably. If Shizuka had no place else to go, that meant she'd confronted her parents. Tsukushi felt her heart go out to the older girl, who was like a sister to her. How brave she had to be to rebel against her parents. She wished she could do the same.
Focusing her attention on Rui, she nudged him to wake him up. But that didn't gain anything as he only tightened his grip on her. That was when she thought of a pleasant idea. After all, wasn't Rui always kissing her when he wanted a desired reaction from her? Why couldn't it work both ways? It was worth a shot at least. And it wasn't like it didn't feel good to kiss him. That thought caused her to blush.
Rui was still lost in the hazy, undemanding world of sleep when he felt a jolt of warmth that started in one place that gradually spread to the rest of his body. He felt like he was dreaming because from what he felt, it seemed like whomever was doing to this him, this pleasure had to be Tsukushi. It ahd to be a dream because Tsukushi had never made the first move. It didn't matter if it was real or not, it was a truly wondrous dream. Besides, outside of the slumber kingdom, he could make the first move.
Kissing him was definitely pleasing, but it was certainly not getting the desired response out of him. No matter what method she used that he had taught her during their numerous kisses, he just wouldn't wake up. Finally, there was nothing else she could do but close his nose and kiss him. Eventually that would get him up.
The pleasant feeling still hadn't ended, though his chest was beginning to feel strained. At the back of his mind, he recognized that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. Reacting as any normal human would, he woke up and got rid of whatever was preventing him from breathing, which caused Tsukushi to be sprawled on the other side of the bed with her disarrayed clothes, looking absolutely tempting.
Before he could do or say anything, Tsukushi declared in a rush, "Shizuka is coming here, she has no place else to go. I think she broke the news to her parents. You know how they are, they're worse than my parents. So I was trying to get you up." Not very successfully though.
In a typical Tsukushi response to anything remotely disarming to her, she blushed and he smiled for it was too adorable. "I hope she's okay," Rui remarked softly. "I know how bad her parents can get."
Tsukushi nodded. "I think we both know. I hope that she is okay, and I think she needs to go to France. That is what she needs to do more than anything. If she stays here when she wants to go, that won't be good for her."
Author's Note: Please review, it's very helpful! Thanks. And I only tend to slow down if I think no one is reading!