Disclaimer: I do not and will never own YnM, all the characters are the sole property of Yoko Matsushita. I'm merely borrowing them.

All that remains after this is the epilogue, the story is coming to an end . . . Hope you all enjoyed the story! XD

Pieces of Me

Chapter 10: Never Letting Go

By: LadyYuina

Ruka sat down in the living room with her friends. They tried their best to comfort her.

"Ruka, it wasn't your fault . . ." Joruri soothed. "I bet you would have done the same thing if it were you in his shoes."

"I-I should have moved! Done anything so Tsuzuki wouldn't have to push me out of the way!"

"Is he hurt bad?" Benito asked quietly.

"I don't know . . . but out on the street he looked really bad . . ." Ruka explained. She couldn't control the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. "I don't want to lose Tsuzuki, I will have no one left . . ."

"We'll stay with you," Benito said, as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "That's what friends are for, right? We help each other out."

"Wanna go check on him?" Kohei asked. Ruka nodded, glad that someone mentioned to her that they should go see him.

On the way to the hospital, scenes of yesterday kept coming back to haunt Ruka. Tsuzuki had been right all along . . .when you were left to yourself to truly think things over some stuff really does come back to haunt you. Whether it had been yesterday, a week ago or even years ago.

--Flashback--

This might take all day," Tsuzuki whined. "Let's take a break and get something sweet to eat!"

"Soon okay? I just want to pass out a few more." Ruka waved her brother away when he poked her every so often to say, "now?"

At one of the crossings that Tsuzuki and Ruka were going over a out of control carriage came wheeling by. "Watch out!" Tsuzuki shouted as he pushed her out of the way. Ruka, apparently had just stood there and watched the carriage approach her. She was so terrified.

--Flashback (END)--

I froze into place onto that one spot, that moment in time took my breath away when I saw the carriage sliding right at me. My eyes were gazed over momentarily until Tsuzuki pushed me. He didn't have to get in the way . . .

"We're here," Kohei announced. Ruka snapped out of her musings and sat bolt upright. With lightening like speed she walked into the hospital. The others were not far behind her.

"Where is Tsuzuki Asato?" she demanded as she got to the front counter. The nurse looked at her with startled hazel eyes. "Which room is he in, goddamnit!"

"Should I call the security?" the nurse asked the woman beside her. She shook her head and said, "let her pass."

"He's in Room 14, floor 2," she replied.

"Thank you." Ruka started for the stairs. Arriving at the room's door, Ruka hesitated in opening the door. A silent nod from her friends told her that she should open it and she did. Looking inside, Ruka saw her brother covered in bandages from head to toe. He lifelessly looked at her.

"Tsuzuki?" she called out. No answer. Joruri took a seat while the rest stood and watched.

"He looks really done in," Joruri commented. "His whole body is bandaged."

Ruka placed a gentle hand on Tsuzuki's cheek. She couldn't help but feel tears well up in the corner of her eyes. She closed them and felt tears come streaming down, one teardrop landed on Tsuzuki's cheek. Just then a nurse walked in, she looked at each one of them for a second before walking to Tsuzuki's side to tend to him.

"How's he doing?" Ruka asked.

"I'm sorry, but were you four given permission to see this patient?" the nurse asked. "The doctor specifically said that visitors shouldn't be allowed yet as-"

"I'm his sister . . . I came because I was worried about him," Ruka argued. The nurse looked at her with an annoyed expression on her face. This only made Ruka more angry. "Look, I spent all of last night thinking over what had happened the last few days, everything is passing by me so quickly. I'm sure your hospital had a patient by the name of Tsuzuki Etsuya omitted here last week and you must know that he passed away in this very hospital. So don't going parading around saying that no visitors are allowed . . .

"Because . . . because if I lost Tsuzuki . . . I'd . . ." Ruka burst into tears as she could find no more words to say to fuel her anger further. The nurse promptly gave Tsuzuki some medication with a needle before haughtily leaving the room. Benito stared daggers at her as she passed by him.

Joruri stared at a folder that was left on the table beside Tsuzuki's bed. Going over she picked it up and skimmed through it. "The nurse must have forgotten this." The others watched as Joruri's face went from indifference to shock.

"What is it, Joruri?" Ruka asked.

"Oh my god . . .the injuries that Tsuzuki obtained-"

"What is it?" Ruka asked again, but this time her voice sounded more frantic.

"Three broken ribs, broken arm, six broken toes, fractured skull, internal bleeding and a broken nose . . ." Everyone in the room shuddered. Just hearing about it made them queasy.

"That pain must've been unbearable . . . was he shouting the whole time?" Benito asked.

"Benito!" Joruri scolded.

Ruka shook her head and lightly smiled. She glanced over at her brother who seemed to be staring up at the ceiling, she didn't know whether he was aware of what he was doing or he was just spacing out somewhere in his own little world.

"Let's go guys." All heads snapped in Ruka's direction.

"You sure?" Kohei asked. "I mean, we pretty much just got here."

"Yes, let's go . . ." Ruka managed to choke out a second time. "I need to prepare for my father's funeral."

"Okay," Kohei replied. His shoulders sagged considerably as he felt pity for his friend.

On the day of the funeral Ruka cried her eyes out, the tears seemed to never end. Apparently she wasn't only crying for her father but for Tsuzuki as well. She cried and cried silently as the preacher said the sermons and had the coffer lowered. Tsuzuki never came to the funeral as he was in no condition to come anyway.

Back at home, Ruka laid in her bed feeling extremely depressed. She had a deceased father and a hospitalized brother who looked like his recovery was slim. Because just the other day she received a call from the hospital telling her that Tsuzuki was probably never going to go back to the way he was. The fractured skull he had seemed to have affected his mental and physical being.

"My life is ruined . . . I've practically lost everything that is important to me," Ruka shrieked. She picked up a pillow and tossed it at her closet door. Joruri who was beside her bedside said, "hush Ruka, you didn't lose everything, you still have Tsuzuki no matter what state he is in."

"But it'll never be the same, Joruri. I'm going to miss his sunny smile and energetic attitude, he always brought happiness to me whenever I was sad . . . he was the silent pillar that supported me when I felt like falling . . . like giving up. I already knew he had problems of his own deep down inside but he never showed them to me nor was he ever willing to.

"I'm such a selfish sister, I had let him battle his own inner demons and fears alone. That isn't fair after how he had helped me through the years."

"Don't forget. You were there for him in his school days, I'm sure he found solace in you then. He's told me many times before that you were such a good sister, he couldn't have asked for a better one in the world. Though he said you did become a little bothersome when you kept pestering over him to tell you what was irking him at times." Ruka let out a little laugh. As humorous as she wanted it to sound, it sounded like a restrained sob. "I guess he felt the need to repay you."

"I have a confession to make, I should have told you sooner but I was scared . . ." Joruri looked at Ruka questioningly. "You see . . . Tsuzuki isn't my real brother, I found him but I love him just as much as a real sister would love his real brother."

Joruri bowed her head. "I can see that."

"At first, when I brought that little bundle of joy home my parents were so happy. They . . . they had always wanted more children but my mother was unable to after she had me. Before you go grumbling that we kidnapped Tsuzuki or something I need to tell you that there was a note in his cradle . . . It had said his name was Asato and please whoever found him should keep him. The writing was messy and hard to read but that was all I could decipher. It sounded like his real mother was in a jam, I mean-"

"It's okay, Ruka, you should be glad that you rescued him that day. Anything could have happened to him if he had remained out there any longer," Joruri added.

Ruka continued on her story as if Joruri had never interrupted. "The most gorgeous thing I thought were his amethyst eyes, they sparkled with curiosity when I picked him up. He was so adorable, I couldn't imagine why his mother would abandon him . . . but I'm assuming the note might have said something about it. Now that I think back I wished I had kept that letter . . ."

"For starters, why are you only telling me this?" Joruri asked, as Ruka made no sign to continue any further. "I think Benito and Kohei deserve to know too. They're right outside in the living room, we could have called them in to listen."

"My confession . . . I felt the need to not speak it in front of a man, whom ever they may be. Please don't tell the others, I want this to be just between you and me, okay?"

"But why?"

"I just feel the need to leave it as is, just don't tell the others." Ruka got out of her bed and went towards the window to look outside at the sun. "Promise me."

Speak of this to no other man.

"Okay."

Why did he say that to me that night . . .? And why did he . . .

Getting up herself, Joruri left Ruka's bedroom, Ruka made no notion to follow. "I'm gonna go home." Ruka didn't reply. "I'll ask Kohei and Benito to drop me off, see you later."

Rustling of feet and muffled voices could be heard, then the opening and closing of a door.