.
Since kindergarten, Shun and Ruriko have been neighbors and, somewhat
friends. Shun has always teased Ruriko by calling her Rurippe, a close play on
her name which also happens to mean "Sniveler." Rurippe proved to be quite an
accurate nickname as Ruriko was such a crybaby, and everytime she cried, mucous
drips from her nostrils as well.
While Shun made fun of her a lot, he also had a degree of care for her.
There was once an instance where Ruriko broke a vase and her classmates did no
other thing but make her feel all the more guilty. She cried and snivelled
until Shun, dressed in a red mask and a cape (Ep 14 flashback) stomped on the
vase, prompting all blame to be put on his shoulders. This memory of "Miracle
Mask" became unforgettable for Ruriko.
There was a time, however, when Ruriko had to move away form their
neighborhood. Shun was on his way somewhere with his family during their last
conversation. Shun wasted no time in giving Ruriko his treasured wooden green
dinosaur (Ep 2 flashback), which he himself made. Realizing that this was going
to be her last moment with Shun, Ruriko told him how she'd always liked him,
only to be disappointed as Shun tells her that he likes someone else, Miyo, who
happens to "not" snivel.
Years later, Ruriko Ikusawa, who moved on to better herself and to eliminate
her old life of snivelling, enrolled in Tategami Highschool and became a model
student as well as leader and member of different clubs.
But that is not all. Her school is the front of an elite government agency,
AEGIS, in the hunt for what is perceived as alien beings. Ruriko, being the
first member of the Gatekeepers Party was called for her first mission--to
escort a gatetransponder as a delivery last resort (Ep 1). There, she was faced
with invaders. A boy nearby is discovered as a Gatekeeper, but is injured.
Ruri uses what's left of her power to heal the boy so that he may battle the
invader. Later, she is shocked upon recognizing him as Shun Ukiya himself. To
make matters worse, Shun is boarder at the house next to hers because the male
dormitory is already full.
The fact that these two were the first discovered contemporary gatekeepers
made them unofficially partners (Ep 1,2,3,4,12) who worked pretty well together.
Ruriko even commented that Ukiya is more reliable than he looks (Ep 5). She
even voted him in as captain (Ep 6). Ukiya on the other hand is vocal about his
feelings for Ruriko--probably because he thinks of her as his best friend (Ep
12). Eventually, Ruriko realized that although many things have changed about
her, her feelings for Shun never did. Hence, she tried to show Shun her
affection by making him lunch, but the opportunity was overtaken by the
aggressive Kaoru. She then tries to repress her feeling again, but not before
she thanks Shun for everything in the past that he's done for her (Ep 14).
To further complicate things, Kageyama points out the seemingly brewing
relations of Shun and Kaoru and tries to court Ruriko in an informal fashion,
unaware of his evil scheme. Near series-end, Ruriko is kidnapped by the
traitorous Megumi. This makes Shun re-think his relationship with Ruriko. Even
Kaoru sees Shun's view of Ruriko and makes way. Shun then tells Ruriko of his
feelings as she, being brainwashed, tries to attack him. She withdraws before
it's too late and her feeling are reawakened for the injured Shun. Gatekeeper
closes its TV Animation with an accidental kiss (sort of) between the two
protagonists. |
