Chapter 10: Changes

"Yo Rui! What time does she land again?" asked Akira.

"12 you idiot. This is the 12th time you're asking," replied Soujiro getting frustrated.

"Yeah… yeah can't I be excited to see her after so long. By the way, Tsukasa… Hey! Tsukasa…" said Akira waving his hand in front of Tsukasa.

"Damn… Rui disease is contagious. Even Tsukasa's like that now," said Soujiro making noise for the sake of it.

Tsukasa's POV

Frankly I detest Shizuka's homecoming. Every time I see her, I remember her face…every time I come to the airport I remember that day.

Rui's POV

It's my duty as an observer to report all the happenings of F4 I suppose. As usual the monkeys are fooling around but as Akira pointed out, Tsukasa has been silent all week long. Since the business trip...not that I'm complaining but I've gotten used to his bantering ways. Since he's been drinking and keeping to himself a lot. It's already 12. 10 yet no sign of exit from either gate. Suddenly a throng of people appeared out of Gate 14. Rushing to collect their bags, so common… soon the place cleared out. Sigh… then a figure appeared. So ethereal a beauty… she carried a small luggage bag and a case, a violin case. Apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed her beauty… the surrounding people stopped waving their name cards and signs just to gaze upon he loveliness…. Just then

"I see her! I see her… Shizuka! Over here…" shouted Akira waving frantically.

Then her fan club surrounded her... funny they knew she was coming back to Japan… a stab into my heart I felt.

I saw her make it out of the throng of fans there and went on to hug each of us in turn, I was last. She looked at me and smiled whispering "I'm glad I came back…" but all I could see was the eyes of my first love… sighing, I give in to my weakness and say "Me too."

Tsukushi's POV

As I exited the gate, I heard a voice shouting, "Shizuka! Shizuka Over here!"

I wondered how many people had the name Shizuka. Smiling at my own curiosity I went to take a peek. So it paid off, it was really Shizuka. She was hugging four guys, each in turn but lingering on the last one… wait a minute that figure seems familiar… it couldn't be..

"Tsukushi!" Shizuka spotted me and came to me like a freight train, causing all my things to drop and my violin case to split in half.

Tsukasa's POV

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that name, just when I thought it was bad to have to look at a replica, I found out its worse to stare the real thing in the face. I took slow strides to the scene my mind wanted to turn and run but my body willed me to her.

Rui's POV

It was the girl from Gate 14. I heard Shizuka cry out the name Tsukushi but I thought my system was just hallucinating of the day I awaited for so long. It wasn't till I was within 1 meters radius from them that my dream had come true. I wasn't hallucinating; I could recognize that violin from space.

/Flashback/

"Rui, come here" said Mrs Hanazawa egging her son on.

"Yes mother?" replied a confused boy wondering why his mother was in bed in the afternoon.

"Pick that up… the case there."

"This?" asked little Rui and received a weak nod.

"Open it darling"

"What is it…" said Rui observing his new gift.

"A violin… see it has your name on it."

"Hmm… mummy, why are you in bed?"

"I'm just tired darling" then Rui looked to his father seeing the agony in his eyes.

Something was amiss…

/End of Flashback/

What followed was a black moment in my life; suddenly I felt tears rolling down my cheeks, uncontrollable tears.