I own absolutely nothing. RG Veda and all its characters belong to CLAMP.

He's the one who puts her back together when she breaks. Alternate Reality
Rating: PG-13 for mildly referenced sexual situations

Ryuu: This is ridiculous! I don't like Ashura like that!

Ashura: Is something bad going to happen?

Sim: Slightly. Depends on your point of view. Also, there will be Yasha/Ashura in this!

Ryuu: WHAT?

Sim: innocently But Ryuu, I thought you didn't like Ashura like that.

Ryuu: sputters angrily

Sim: Onward!

Broken

Ryuu scowled at the romantic comedy that was on TV. Life wasn't like that, he knew that from experience. In real life, when you fall in love with your best friend, they fall for a guy who is literally the closest you can get to perfect! You watch the guy give her the perfect birthday presents and take her out on dates, and you keep your mouth shut because she's smiling more with him than you've ever seen before.

You figure, once high school ends, they'll break up and then you'll have your chance. But, no. Instead, they'll stay together, despite a three year age difference, with him constantly coming down from college to take her on dates! Then, once you actually get to college, you find he's become more perfect for her than he was before, if that was even possible.

So they continue to date and you're the one sitting back watching them and hating yourself for wanting them to break up. Ryuu sighed and turned off the TV. Rolling onto his back, he tried to study history, but the words just kept going out of focus.

Finally giving up, he threw the book at the wall and turned onto his stomach. From this angle, he had a perfect view of the picture on his desk. He and Ashura were sitting under a tree in his backyard, he with his back against the tree, Ashura leaning against his chest. She was reading something, a book whose title he couldn't remember, and he was relaxing, enjoying the summer day. Their friend Kendappa had taken the photo, while making a marriage comment that had the two of them shouting at their slightly insane friend.

Maybe if you had manned up, there would be a wedding, the little voice in his head that wouldn't shut up commented, causing Ryuu's mood to darken again.

A quiet knock on his door surprised him. It was Friday night, no one should have been inside by now. What does that say about you? He ignored the voice this time as he sat up, hoping it wasn't Kendappa trying to convince him to go to a rave again.

"Ryuu? Are you there?" Ryuu's eyes widened as Ashura's voice reached his ears. Had she been crying? Jumping off the bed, he hurried to the door and opened it. Ashura was standing there, her arms wrapped around her like she was trying to hold herself together. Her eyes were red and tears kept rolling down her cheeks.

"Ashura." Ryuu gently guided her into his room, shutting the door behind him. Ashura kept walking until she reached the bed, and then she sank down, tears falling faster and faster. Ryuu sat beside her, unsure of what to do. "Ashura, what's wrong?"

That broke the dam. Ashura threw her arms around Ryuu and started sobbing into his chest. Startled, Ryuu sat there for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around her, stroking her back while making shushing sounds.

They sat there for a bit, her sobbing, him holding her. As she calmed down, Ryuu pulled back to look at her. "Ashura, what happened?"

She leaned back into his chest, and then whispered, "Yasha's cheating on me." Ryuu blinked. He had to have heard wrong. Yasha couldn't be that stupid, could he?

Then something occurred to him. "Ashura, did you hear a rumor or something? You know how those things can be. The majority of them aren't even true!" It nearly killed him to say it, but it had to be asked. Ashura looked up at him and shook her head.

"I saw them...in bed together," she whispered, the tears falling faster now. Ryuu pulled her close, hoping that she didn't see the scowl on his face. Yasha could have had everything! What the hell was wrong with him?

As Ashura cried in his arms, Ryuu reached out and grabbed his cell phone. He had a feeling he wasn't what she needed right now.

Ͽ

Kendappa eyed herself in the mirror. While she adored Souma, it was kind of hard to live with her. After all, Souma thought she looked wonderful no matter what she wore, so Kendappa only had her own opinion to go on when it came to dressing up.

The sound of her ring-tone, I Kissed a Girl, rang through the room a few times before Kendappa picked it up. "Hello, who is it?"

"It's me."

"Hey Ryuu! Did you change your mind about coming to the rave?" Inwardly, Kendappa was hoping he had. Ryuu was completely crazy about Ashura, she knew that. But she also knew that he needed to move on, since she and Yasha were the perfect couple. Ryuu deserved to be happy, and waiting around for Ashura would end up killing him.

"No. Kendappa, I need you to come to my dorm. Ashura's pretty upset." Kendappa sat down, trying to guess why Ashura was at Ryuu's dorm rather than her own or Yasha's place.

"What happened?" She heard Ryuu sigh quietly.

"I'll let her tell you." Kendappa heard a beep that signaled the call had ended. Frowning, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Since she didn't know the situation, she would have to go all out on this.

"Souma! We'll have to cancel the rave. Get me chocolate, tissues, and every romantic comedy we own!"

Ͽ

Ryuu threw the phone back and continued to rub Ashura's back. Her sobs were getting quieter, but he knew things weren't getting better. "Kendappa's coming, and she'll probably bring Souma," he told her.

Ashura immediately sat up, and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, you don't want to deal with this. I'm such an idiot!" She started to get up, and Ryuu pulled her back.

"Hey, I didn't say that. I just thought that a girl would know how to deal with this better than I do." He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "And you aren't an idiot. Yasha's the idiot here. He gave you up."

Ashura's eyes filled up again. "Then I'm not ruining your night?" Ryuu rolled his eyes.

"You're more important to me than studying. And I wasn't trying very hard anyway." Ashura giggled, and gave him a watery smile.

A pounding on the door caught their attention. Ryuu got up and opened it, revealing Kendappa and Souma, along with their friend Karura carrying boxes of tissues, pounds of chocolate, and dozens of DVDs with titles fluffy enough to make Ryuu want to gag. "We come bearing gifts guaranteed to bring joy to women everywhere!" Kendappa declared as she dumped her load onto the floor.

Ryuu grimaced. He hoped Syaoran would decide to stay the night at his girlfriend's; he did not want to explain this to him. Souma placed her things in a neat pile on his desk, while Karura dropped hers on Syaoran's bed. This was all too much for Ashura, and she started crying again.

"Oh, honey!" Kendappa sank onto the bed beside her and pulled her into a hug. Karura sat on her other side, gently rubbing the girl's back, as Souma knelt on the floor beside them, placing a comforting hand on her knee. "Just tell me who and what and I'll go get my machete."

"The school lets you have a machete?" Ryuu couldn't help asking. It didn't surprise him that she had one, just that the school let her keep it.

"They don't know," Kendappa shushed him before turning back to the girl sobbing on her shoulder. "Now, tell me what happened and I'll make them pay in painful ways until you feel better."

Ashura rubbed her eyes and looked up at her best female friend. "I caught Yasha cheating on me with..." She couldn't finish and started sobbing once again. Ryuu automatically took a step towards her, only to be stopped by Karura.

"I don't think you're what she needs right now," the stately woman whispered quietly. Ryuu watched as Kendappa and Souma attempted to comfort Ashura. He nodded quietly and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ͽ

Ashura wished that she was stronger. She hated that she was the one sobbing openly into her friend's new top, over a guy of all things. Sure, she and Yasha had dated exclusively for three years and she had loved him completely, but still, she had thought she wasn't the type of girl to collapse at the smallest thing!

"Just tell me who the ho-bag is and I'll make her regret it!" Kendappa said with a slightly evil grin. Karura sighed and Souma quickly shook her head.

Ashura buried her head deeper into Kendappa's long hair and whispered, "It wasn't a she." Kendappa, Karura, and Souma all stared at her. Probably thinking that I made a mistake, Ashura thought to herself.

"I know Yasha isn't the smartest guy in the world, but I can't believe he's that stupid!" Kendappa shouted. "You two were perfect and he gave all that up for a guy?"

"Ashura," Souma whispered soothingly as she rubbed Ashura's back tenderly.

Karura knelt down and took her hand. "Do you know who he was?" she asked quietly. Ashura nodded sadly.

"Kujaku. I saw him and Yasha were in bed together through the door; they didn't see me and..." She paused, biting her lip. Wiping at her tear filled eyes, Ashura continued, "They... I knew they had... been together and... I just ran. I couldn't even call him out on it. He doesn't know I know."

There was a silence. Then Kendappa said, "As much as I support love between anyone because love is love and I don't see anything wrong with it, I won't accept it when it hurts one of my friends!" She turned and gestured, "Souma, start a movie. Karura, get the chocolate." Ashura watched as her friends settled in around her. She didn't deserve such good friends.

A few hours, two romantic comedies, several eaten chocolate bars, and five boxes of tissues later, Ashura was feeling a bit better. "Thanks for everything, guys," she said as she helped the girls pick up Ryuu's room.

Souma smiled. "You would've done the same for any of us. We're just glad you're feeling better." Ashura grinned back, though she knew her smile looked a little fake. Her heart still hurt and tears had fallen even through the funniest moments in the movies.

"So, who's going to be your next conquest?" Kendappa asked as she filled Ryuu's trash can with tissues.

Ashura blinked slightly. "Conquest?"

"Yeah. After you break up with Yasha, who're you going to sleep with?" Ashura and Souma gaped at Kendappa.

"Kendappa, Ashura just got out of a serious relationship. I highly doubt she will want to start dating anytime soon," Karura pointed out as she picked up some of the DVDs.

"I'm not talking about dating, Karura. I'm talking about a hot hook-up that will leave her feeling good about herself!" Kendappa jumped onto Syaoran's bed and looked up at the smaller girl. "So, who is he? Is he cute?"

Ashura could feel her face heating up and she started staring at the comforter. "I... I don't think I'll do that," she whispered.

"Why? Lots of guys at this school would jump at the chance to take you out. You're sweet and nice and cute as heck! In fact..." Kendappa got an evil look on her face. She got up and bounced over to the door, opened it, and shouted, "Ryuu, wake up!"

"Wh...what?" Ashura blinked at the sound of Ryuu's voice. She had forgotten they were in his dorm. Has he been out there all this time? Ryuu walked back in, stifling a yawn behind a hand. "Can I have my room back?" he asked.

"Soon. I just need you to answer one question. If you had the chance, would you sleep with Ashura?"

"Kendappa!" Karura and Souma shouted at the same time. Ashura flushed and Ryuu turned a bright shade of red.

"What? It's a simple question!" Souma sighed and Karura shook her head. Ashura glanced up at Ryuu, only to drop her eyes down again as her friend looked awkwardly away.

"I think we'll be going now," Karura decided, pulling Kendappa off the bed. "We'll see you both tomorrow," she added as the blonde and Souma pulled Kendappa out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Feeling awkward, Ashura glanced around the room, searching for a way to break the silence. Her eyes fell on the picture on Ryuu's desk, the same one she kept on a table in her dorm. "I can't believe you still have that," she said as she lifted up the picture to examine it. It had been the summer before their freshman year, and they were relaxing in Ryuu's backyard. She'd been reading, he'd been about to fall asleep, when Kendappa took the shot, asking when the wedding would be. Ashura smiled, remembering how red her face had gotten as she denied it, and how Ryuu had chased Kendappa around, trying to get the camera back.

"Yeah, it's one of the only pictures that I have kept," Ryuu replied as he came up behind her. "Kendappa was always making jokes about us."

"Yeah," Ashura agreed, setting the picture back down. "She knew I had a crush on you back then." As her brain processed what had just came out of her mouth, she slapped a hand over it, turning a dark pink. She chanced a glance at Ryuu, who was looking at her in shock.

"What? You...you had a crush on me?"

"Uh...I... um..." Ashura stuttered, trying to come up with something to say. "I've gotta go!" And with that, she bolted from the room, heading back towards her room, where she could curl up into a ball and die of embarrassment.

Ͽ

Ryuu stood there in shock, staring at the door Ashura just ran out off. I had a crush on you back then. She had liked him!

A huge grin on his face, Ryuu grabbed his room key, and headed after her. He wasn't going to miss this chance. Not this time.

End

Sim: Wow, that was hard to write.

Kendappa: I liked this! Will I be in some other ones?

Sim: Yes, yes you will.

Yasha: looking mad I would never do such a thing.

Sim: I know, but I like you and Kujaku, and I couldn't think of anything else.

Ryuu and Ashura: blushing and trying not to look at each other

Sim: Read and review!