CHAPTER ONE

Click.

Barely suppressing a sigh, Doumiyouji Tsukasa placed the phone back onto into hook. He leant back in his chair, and tried vainly to let the news that he had just received sink in. It was Mimasaka Akira who had called to tell him, and his voice echoed in Tsukasa's ears over and over again.

"Rui and Tsukushi are back"

Five short, simple words, and yet it's the simplest phrases that hits with the most impact. Just like that day, almost a year ago, two simple words were enough to shatter his world.

"I'm sorry"

Sorry?!

Did they think that would be it? Did they think that spoken apologies would be enough to redeem the harm they have caused him? It was as if they didn't even understand…

Understand…?

The young man glanced briefly around his luxurious bedroom. Over the luscious fittings around it, over the expensive furniture within it, over the various ornaments that adorned it… and yet seeing nothing that was of any significance to his heart.

Doumiyouji… it may be easily one of the most well-know names in the province, but to him that meant nothing. When he was younger, his parents and others around him could still convince him that money could buy happiness; as a child he had everything he asked for…it seemed almost true that having money meant you could have everything.

But then he grew up, and learnt that that was far, far from the truth.

Trusting people was a dangerous thing to do for someone like him, it was like putting his heart on the line to be tampered with; since a very young age he's had countless numbers of people approach him, offering to be friends with him…and so many times, he had made the mistake of accepting them.

It wasn't him they were trying to befriend, it was merely that name they were looking for connection with.

As he went through grade school, high school, university…he had held only three others close enough to his heart to care, three true friends from which he knew he needn't fear such betrayal…

Soujirou, Akira, and Rui.

Rui…

A bitter smile crossed his lips as that familiar name passed through his mind.

I never thought it'd be you…

Tsukasa never even cast a serious glance at all those girls who had proclaimed their love for him, the large, countless numbers of them. He didn't ever want to. Most people dismissed his behavior as that which would be typical of such a 'rich-boy', and he'd grown used to that; he would really rather be seen as a snob, than as a fragile soul.

Fragility, a word no-one would ever dream of associating with Doumiyouji Tsukasa.

On the surface, yes, he was a tough fighter with an anger no-one dared to spur, has always been that that way. But it's also a façade to protect what's really inside; he couldn't stand the risk of been betrayed again.

Those three knew, they were the only ones who didn't draw away from him when he gets upset or infuriated, the only ones who understood. He didn't let anyone else in. Sure there were those people he had no choice but associate with, given the stance of his family, but again, that was only the surface, he knew he had to protect himself.

It had become second nature.

And then she came into his life, and everything – everything – changed.

                              *                                  *                                  *

"So that's it?" Tsukasa stared, wide-eyed with disbelief at what his best friend had just said, or at least, the person whom he once thought of as his best friend…

Rui lowered his head, biting his lower lip, and refused him an answer.

"My God Rui, you just throw this at me and you expect me to just accept this?! What did you think I was gonna do?!"

"I…was hoping you'd be happy for me…" Rui whispered, still not meeting his eyes.

"Happy?" It sounded like the biggest joke in the world right then, "you were hoping that I'd be happy?!"

"I'm so sorry…"

"You're unbelievable!" Tsukasa was on the verge of explosion "How the hell could you do this?! How the hell do you expect me to…to just swallow this?! Answer me!"

"…"

"Fuck you Hanazawa!"

Tsukasa was only inches away from punching Rui in the face, when suddenly another figure came between the two of them.

"Doumiyouji Tsukasa! Stop this right now!"

At the sound of her voice, Tsukasa felt himself freeze in mid-action. He felt as if his temples were going to burst.

"Don't blame Rui for this! It's my fault! This is my fault! If you have to punish someone let it be me!"

"You…you stupid woman!" was all he could manage.

"Go ahead, would it make you feel better? If it'd make you feel better then punish me!"

"Tsukushi…"Rui finally spoke again, and the gentleness in his tone pierced Tsukasa's heart as if it had been a needle. That voice…

"Rui…" Tears filled her large brown eyes as she turned to him "Oh…Rui…"

"Forgive me…forgive us…" Rui's voice shook as his eyes finally locked with that of Tsukasa's, "I know you must hate me for this…"

"Hate?" Tsukasa choked out a laugh, "hate doesn't begin to cut it! Why Rui…why are you doing this? Why did you do this? Tell me why Rui!"

 But he never got an answer to that desperate question, all that came was the prolonged silence, a softly murmured plea:

"Forgive us…you must hate me for doing this…I know you hate me…"

Yes, I hate you.

On that day Tsukasa learnt the true feeling of loss, betrayal, and anguish…

 "I know you hate me…"

Yes I hate you.

And all else faded, on that day…the only thing left in his world, was the sound of the beating of his own broken heart…

                              *                                  *                                  *

A tear rolled down his cheek, finally breaking Tsukasa from his trance.

It still hurt. Time could not make the pain fade, as long as the memory was still fresh in his mind, whenever he summoned it, it would hurt. And though he tried with all his will to leave that memory behind, there are things which can never, ever be forgotten. Trying will not help.

He glanced over to the phone again, recalling what Akira had told him.

"Rui and Tsukushi are back. We just got a call from Tsukushi's parents; their flight is due in an hour…"

"That's got nothing to do with me"

Akira sighed loudly "I thought you'd feel this way…"

"Why the hell did you call then?"

"Look, it's been a year already Tsukasa, I know how much they hurt you but shouldn't you be ready to get past it now?"

"Go to hell Akira"

"It's Rui and Tsukushi, can you really shut them out of your life forever?"

"What I do is none of your concern"

"Tsukasa! It's Rui…"

"Shut the hell up!" he screamed into the receiver "Don't ever say that name to me ever again! Don't you dare ever mention that name to me! Ever!"

"Alright, alright! Sorry I disturbed you then" Akira sighed again "I'll talk to you later. Bye now".

He stared at his phone, fighting the urge to pick it up…and he didn't even know who he wanted to dial. Akira and Soujirou would be on their way to the airport by now, who else would he talk to? His sister? What would she say? The same thing she's already said about a thousand times in the past year?

"Grow up Tsukasa, move on!"

Yes, that would be what someone like her would say. She was strong, she knew how to resolve her emotions…she didn't act on impulse alone. That was the one gene he wished he had inherited.

His eyes wandered to the spot beside the phone, and he felt his heart clench.

That photo frame.

How long ago was that photo taken?

The four of them in a row, with their arms around each other's shoulders. Akira and Soujirou had ridiculously large grins on their faces.

"Aw, come on already! Smile for the camera Tsukasa!" Tsukushi had yelled while preparing to take the photo.

"Ch', I'll look like a fool"

"Well what else is new?" She laughed.

"You…you stupid woman!" He growled.

In the end, he did manage to smile, but only that tiny, tiny hint. Anyone who didn't know him well would've thought he was pouting.

Perhaps no one knew, he reserved smiling for only one person.

Across the bottom of the picture, written in thick gold pen, were the words "F4, friends forever" in bold letters. Tsukushi had been responsible, and it was also her idea to frame it and put it there on his desk.

It all seemed like such a long time ago.

He was so happy back then, when had that all changed? He never saw it coming. Perhaps it was brewing up long before he realized it, but he was just too naïve to figure out things such as that.

Things were so different now.

Even the photo reflected that.

                              *                                  *                                  *

"Where the hell are we going?!"

"You'll see"

"Goddamn this! The two of you better tell me where you're taking me or I'm gonna kill you both!"

"Calm down already!" Even Akira seemed to be losing his temper.

"We're almost there, okay?" came Soujirou's voice from the driver's seat.

It didn't take long for Tsukasa to figure out where they're headed.

"Airport? Why?" He demanded to know.

"If we'd told you, you wouldn't have come"

And he immediately understood.

                              *                                  *                                  *

The day they left, only a week after the terrible confession, burns in his memory. They had chosen to run away, away from him. Perhaps they thought it be for the best, perhaps they thought that sooner or later, if they just gave him enough time to accept this, he would forgive them.

They were both shocked to see him; they didn't know that he had practically been kidnapped.

"Tsukasa…" Tsukushi had approached him tentatively when she saw him, sounding on the verge of tears and somewhat frightened.

 "Is this what you want?" He asked her.

"I…"Her eyes widened, surprised as she was expecting him to blow up at them again.

"Is this…"his eyes trailed over to Rui "really what you want?"

He was so tired. He didn't want to drag it out anymore.

"Yes". She whispered, and lowered her head, fighting tears, "I'm sorry…"

What happened to her? When he first met her she was feisty, and she was a fighter; when had she become so fragile and easily frightened?

He looked at Rui, who looked back at him.

For what seemed like forever, they stood and gazed at one another.

Tsukasa was bleeding. He wanted to badly to ask him again why he had chosen to do this, why he had to do this; he wanted to ask how things became like this…what happened to them…

"Take care of her Rui".

A look of pain passed through Rui's large, hazy eyes at the request. He too, was bleeding. He had broken a bond. He was the cause of the destruction. Yet he could not turn back now.

"I will".

The calm before the storm. That could perhaps best describe Tsukasa's attitude as he watched the two figures disappear through the metal gates.

He spoke not a word to anyone from then until the time he locked himself in his bedroom, and even when he did speak it was a ferocious roar warning away anyone who dared to disturb him.

That photo frame was the first thing to be victimized.

Across the glass now is a long, hideous crack, and it seemed be more than just coincidence alone that it's right down the center of the photo, separating Tsukasa and Rui. As soon as he had gotten home that day, he had hurled it across the room, unable to any longer contain his rage and desolation.

He had considered tearing the photo apart, but then abandoned the urge. It would take far too long for him to destroy everything that held sentiments of that sort, there was no point in starting at all.

The photo remained there, but it was not the same.

A hole had been cut, right where Rui's face originally was.

                              *                                  *                                  *

Someone was knocking at his door.

Oh hell…

Inwardly, Tsukasa groaned, it was probably that butler or someone sending up his lunch, but this was so not the time he wanted to be disturbed.

"Go away, I'm busy"

Busy burning myself to death with these cursed memories…

Another knock sounded.

"Didn't you hear me say I'm busy?!"

Yet more knocking.

"Dammit!" He yelled, that fool of a butler he has was sure asking for it.

Standing up quickly, he stormed towards the door; boy, he was gonna give it to that idiot, how dare he intrude on him when it was so obvious he was in such a foul mood?

Yanking the door open, he bellowed:

"Get out of here you…"

And his voice caught in his throat, he couldn't breath. His eyes widened and he felt his limbs go numb. Rooted to the floor from shock, he could only stare at the figure in the doorway.

It wasn't the butler at all.

"Hanazawa…Rui…"

TBC

A/N: Hi people, thank you for reading my first fanfic of Hana Yori Dango. I hope you enjoyed it so far even though I know there must be much room for improvement.

There are just a few things I thought I should clear up:

First of all, I haven't read the HYD manga, I've only seen the Taiwanese Series Meteor Garden, and only the first series, not the second. Hence, I cannot say exactly which point in time this was supposed to happen, I may make references to some events of MG, but some 'flashbacks' may be made up. Sorry for any inconsistency with the manga, especially since the manga is still ongoing, it's even more difficult to set the time.

Also, I'm more familiar with the Chinese names of the characters, but I decided to use the Japanese ones here as more people will know them, and also because they sound weird in Chinese. If I make any mistakes, please inform me.

That's all then, hope you will review. Next chapter will be up soon!