** Blossoming Love ~ Chapter Two **

Tsukushi trudged slowly towards the school building, grumbling. Her car had broken down that morning.. if you could call that old piece of junk a car at all. Even the beautiful Sakura trees that grew around Eitoku failed to lighten up her mood. She was late and on the way to school she had passed that bitch Asai, who never seemed to be short of new insults to throw at her. Those sniveling idiots never failed to aggravate her.

If I was still rich, I would never treat people like that! She thought angrily. Slowly she walked through the school gates and was immediately aware of people whispering and giving her weird looks. As she walked, she found people clearing away from her. What was wrong? It was strange.. Even Makiko failed to show up where she had promised to meet Tsukushi.

Suddenly, glancing at her watch told her she only had 10 minutes left.. to go to her locker and find her room for that day.. 25C. Quickly she rushed into the West Wing of the school, opening the locker, she found the answer to all the questions that had been revolving in her mind. All those weird looks..

She had received the red tag.

Ripping the tag from her locker, she closely examined it. A piece of red paper saying “You’ll be Dead.” With F4 written on top with gold paint. Dead? A grin spread across her face. F4? Hadn’t Kazuya said that Tsukasa was the leader of F4? And now they were giving her the “dreaded” red tag. She burst out laughing, somehow she could not imagine her Tsukasa doing something like this.. But his temper had always been bad. She sighed, what had she done to deserve this red tag?

Maybe that guy from the cafeteria yesterday.. was their friend? She smiled again, maybe Tsukasa didn’t know about her yet.. She wondered what Tsukasa looked like now.. had he changed much? Still the tall lean guy that she had known? The loud ring of the bell brought her crashing back to reality.

Oh no! Where is room 25C?! Kazuya! Makiko! Where are you people.. she thought desperately. She looked at the number of the classroom next to her locker. 30A. So 25C would be somewhere near here right? Hurriedly she ran along the corridor. 29B, 28 D.. she ran along, hoping to find 25C after the rooms numbered 26. It was 20B. She cursed the school. Wasn’t it logical to put 25 after 26? But no! They just HAD to put 20 after 26. Damn the architects.. designers.. whatever.

What could she do now? Looking around the deserted corridors, she knew everyone had gone to class.. except her. So how was she supposed to find the bloody classroom? Frantically, she pulled out the map of the school. But it only confused her more.

Turning around she caught sight of someone’s back, walking away. Quickly, she ran until she got near enough to see it was Rui. “Rui chan!” she called out, “Matte kudasai! (please wait)”

He spun around to face her, it was that Tsukushi girl again. Slowly he found himself smiling again, the frantic look on her face was too hilarious. Tsukushi could never fail to make him smile. “Tsukushi?”

She stopped in front of him, panting for breath. “Rui chan.. Do you know where room 25C is? Actually..” she paused, “Can you take me there if it’s not too much trouble? I can’t really follow directions that well…” She blushed, it was true. She was always getting lost.. especially big school like Eitoku.

Hesitantly, he slipped his hand into hers. “Come with me.”
Why am I doing this? Don’t I normally just mind my own business? Why have I decided to help this girl.. Tsukushi? But she is pretty cute.. I wonder if she received the red tag from Tsukasa? After all she did make him very angry yesterday..

Tsukushi blushed again as she felt Rui take her hand. It felt so warm and comforting.
'*Oh god.. I hope he doesn’t see me blushing.. Again! Why do I always blush around him? But he is so handsome.. I wonder if he knows anything about Tsukasa.*'

Suddenly she felt him pause. Looking down, she saw a thin fishing line strung across the corridor. If Rui had not been here to guide her, she knew she would have surely tripped. Was this what Kazuya had talked about? The tricks that they played on the people who received the red tag? Before long they had reached the door of 25C.

She turned to thank her “saviour”, “Rui chan.. Thankyou so much!”

“Be careful of the tricks.” He advised before turning and walking away.

Looking at her watch again made her realize that she was 10 minutes late to class. She took a deep breath, and with renewed confidence, she opened the door. She took a step back, preparing herself for the worst. And she was right, a splash of cold water came running down in the spot where she had just stood and soon the bucket came tumbling down as well. She grinned and silently thanked Rui again. She walked in slowly and cautiously and faced the teacher. “Sensei.. Osokunatte Sumimasen! (Sorry I’m late) I got lost coming to this room.”

“If you were lost, then how did you get here?” the teacher asked sternly.

“I.. Rui helped me.” She explained.

“Ha..na..za..wa.. Rui?!” stammered the teacher. “He helped you?!”

A high cold laugh rang out from the class, it was Asai. She sniffed haughtily, “Hanazawa help you? In your dreams Makino! Why would he take notice a poor stupid girl like you?” *Hanazawa Rui helped this Makino? How is that possible when he never talks to anyone but F4.. Not even me, Asai!*

“Quite right.” The teacher agreed, “Stop lying Tsukushi san!”

“What?!” she cried out, “But it’s true!” Why are they making such a big deal out of this.. It was only Rui. I wonder what’s so special about him? And why wasn’t he in class this morning..

“Stop lying her I will kick you out of class!” the teacher shouted.

A few giggles and sniggers came from the class. However the teacher took no notice. “This time I will forgive you since you are a good student academically. Next time, DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!”

Tsukushi opened her mouth to retort that she wasn’t lying, but she closed it. There was no point in arguing anyway, the teacher seemed firm on his decision about her. Reluctantly she dragged herself to an empty desk. Be careful of the tricks.. Rui’s voice rang in her head. Quickly she stood up, fingering the seat she found that glue had been put on her chair. Taking out a piece of paper, she covered her seat before sitting down. Smiling, she glared defiantly at Asai. These students would need to work harder on their tricks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

F3 sat restlessly in the cafeteria, alone, waiting restlessly for their remaining member to come. Slowly Rui made his entrance into the cafeteria.

“Rui! What took you so long?” Akira called.

The cafeteria was their place to hang out, when it was deserted by all students.

Rui shrugged and sat down, before closing his eyes as slumber took over.

“We were waiting for you!” Tsukasa declared then a mad grin appeared on his face. “I wonder how that girl is doing. She must have received my red tag by now.”

Rui’s eyes flickered open in interest. Tsukushi? He had helped her that morning.. But why? Simply because she asked? No… that was not the reason, he normally ignored everyone that tried to talk to him. He simply shut them out, but why not Tsukushi?

“Oh yes.. and Rui..” Anger flashed in Tsukasa’s eyes. “Why were you talking to her yesterday? She is our enemy! How did you know her anyway?”

Rui shrugged again, his face showing no sign of interest.

“Yeah.. Rui! You normally don’t talk to anyone. Why did you know her?” Soujiro added.

“We’ve met before..” he answered in a tone that clearly showed he was uninterested.

“Where?” even Akira started to question him.

Rui sighed and looked at his three friends. They showed no signs of backing down on their little “interrogation”. “I talked to her on the rooftop..”

Akira’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You TALKED?!”

“Yeah..”

“What was her name again?” Soujiro asked, “Sushi?” he chuckled at his own joke.

Rui looked at him, clearly annoyed. “Her name is Makino Tsukushi.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tsukasa’s P.O.V:

I sat up, not trusting my ears. Tsukushi?! My Tsukushi was here?! In Eitoku? Happiness filled me, satisfying a deep longing I had had since Kushi had left.

“Who? Say her name again!” I cried eagerly.. if not forcefully.

Rui’s puzzled eyes focused on me. “Her name is.. Makino Tsukushi. Why?”

KUSHI! It was really her! My ears had not deceived me! I almost leapt up in joy, a big grin spreading across my face. Tsukushi was back.. Why had she not called me? Not told me she was back in Japan? It had been eight years since I had last seen her. Was she still the petite and skinny girl? I could still remember our farewell like it was yesterday.

* Flashback *

Tsukushi looked up at Tsukasa, her vision half-blinded by her tears. “Tsukasa..” she managed out in a voice, broken with sadness.

“TSUKUSHI! WHO HAS BULLIED YOU?! TELL ME!” his hands clenched into fists, “I will..”

“No no no..” she sobbed, “Tsukasa.. I..” Somehow the words remained caught in her throat. “I have to go to Australia.”

“WHAT?!” his loud exclamation resounded in the few metres surrounding them.

“My family’s business is not well.. We have to leave Japan.” She said, her voice void of emotions. It didn’t seem like it was her talking anymore. The voice seemed alien in her ears.

“But my mother can help you!” Tsukasa cried desperately, “Please.. Don’t leave Kushi..”

“I’m sorry..” she choked before walking over to the limo. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said goodbye.. then maybe it would’ve been easier.

“Tsukushi!” he cried, “I won’t forget you..”

Tsukushi sobbed as she got into the limo, she turned around to see Tsukasa running frantically after her.

“Tsukushi! Call me..” he shouted before his breath finally ran out and he stopped, watching her limo drive away into the distance..

* End flashback *

I headed for the door, prepared to meet Tsukushi again.

“Tsukasa.. where are you going?” Akira asked. “I thought we were going to the pub?”

“I’m not interested!” I answered. What could be more important than meeting Tsukushi again?

“Tsukasa.. you really shouldn’t bully Tsukushi anymore.” Rui’s quiet voice spoke.

Bully her? How could he say that? Tsukushi.. my first and only love. Then I stopped as realization hit me with a thud. I had been bullying her before. Would she forgive me this easily? I suddenly felt very stupid. How could I have not recognized her yesterday when she yelled at me? But then.. I had been very angry at that time. The humiliation had been almost too much to bear. I had given her the red tag.. would it be too late to take it back?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tsukushi’s P.O.V:

It was almost too much to bear. Even though I had been cautious of their tricks, I never knew they would stoop as low as to cheat during a test. They had thrown little pieces of paper of me and the teacher had accused me of cheating. Was even the teacher involved in this red tag game?

*Tsukasa.. you are really great. You have managed to make everyone in Eitoku listen to you!*

A crazy smile lit up my face, he would pay for doing this to me.. Did he even know I was Tsukushi? One thing I was sure of.. the old Tsukasa would never do something like this. Had he really changed that much?

Slowly, as the bell rang, I packed up my books, still thinking about Tsukasa. The cheeky and friendly boy I had grown up with.. had he really changed into the tyrant and bully that he now was? It seemed hardly possible.. but I would have to see for myself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Still Tsukushi’s P.O.V)

I walked slowly into the cafeteria again. Tuesday. This was really starting to become a routine to me. As I walked towards an empty table, I spotted the annoying guy I had met yesterday. Surely he was the cause of all this red-tagging. Imagine what a shock I got when I heard one of his friends call him Tsukasa. That’s right. Doumyouji Tsukasa, my childhood friend.

I gasped and stared at him. Now that I realized.. he did bear some resemblance to Tsukasa.. in fact, there could be no doubt about it, it was Tsukasa. How could I have not recognized him before? I giggled as I remembered the way he had looked yesterday when he was arguing with me. So I had offended the leader of F4.. no wonder I had been given the red tag!

But Tsukasa.. when did he become such a spoilt brat? It was no wonder I didn’t recognize him, his arrogant behaviour.. so unlike the fun-loving boy I had known. I received a further shock when I realized that Rui was sitting next to him. Rui.. my ‘friend’ was part of F4 too?

No wonder there was that big reaction this morning.. A member of F4 helping me get to class.. Right, so believable, Tsukushi! No wonder that *censored* *censored* Asai said all that crap.

Then Rui saw me, I grinned at him. Then after giving him a knowing glance and a wink, I walked up to Tsukasa and punched him in the face. The look of surprise and anger on his face was so comical! Oh well.. he deserved it. After those hours of torture I had endured because of his stupid red tag.. the punch was nothing. Besides, I had hit him often when we were kids. What was the big deal?

I looked expectantly at him, waiting for his reaction. I already knew that everyone in the cafeteria was surprised at my punch. As Tsukasa’s eyes looked upon me, his face softened and it turned to a look of pure joy. Had he really missed me that much?

“Kushi!” he cried before wrapping his arms around me.

“Get off me you idiot!” I shouted before running out of the cafeteria.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rui’s P.O.V:

I was sitting in the cafeteria with F4 as usual when I saw Tsukushi heading our way. I could see her surprised look that I was sitting there. I had almost forgotten that she didn’t know of me being a member of F4. Then she grinned at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. I should’ve known she would do something daring.. but I never knew she would punch Tsukasa!

Although no emotions showed on my face, I was clearly surprised. I expected Tsukasa to get angry and start shouting at her.. But it never came. Instead he softened as he looked at her and shouted, “Kushi!” before hugging her. It came as a shock to me – Tsukasa who had never been interested in any girl before.. was now hugging his so-called “enemy”? The Tsukasa who had no friends other than F4 was embracing a stranger? It was almost too unbelievable. Then the thought struck me. Perhaps they knew each other?

“Get off me you idiot!” Tsukushi shouted at him before running out of the cafeteria.

If they were friends… then why did she say that? The expression on Tsukasa’s face amused me very much, still this did not penetrate my mask. It seemed the only ones who could make me smile were Shizuka.. and Tsukushi, though I had only known her for 2 days..

Tsukasa stood stunned, staring after Tsukushi. After a few seconds, he too ran after her.

I wonder what is happening between those two?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tsukasa’s P.O.V:

Get off me you idiot! Tsukushi’s words rang in my head as I hurried out to pursue her. Was this really Tsukushi? How could she say such things to me? Wasn’t she my best friend? The pain and loneliness I had felt in her absence had only increased, the pain I felt had doubled as she had said those words. Her harsh tone, added more to my sadness. Was it true that she really didn’t remember me? I focused myself on the task at hand – to catch up to Tsukushi and demand an answer from her. It seemed to most logical thing for me to do. Besides, I smiled smugly, I knew I could catch up to her any day. Never before had I lost a race (not aware of the fact that people let me win), I was sure to catch up to her – so I thought.

After ten minutes of continuous running.. I was not so sure.  The truth was bitter for me to accept – Tsukushi was a faster runner than me. Even so, I tried to make excuses… no REASON with myself that I had not had much practice. It consoled me little, my ego bitterly affected. Being beaten by a girl! But of course, I had not had much training.. swimming being my preferred sport. Running made you sweaty and .. I didn’t particularly like sweating. With these ‘reasons’ fixed securely in my mind, I continued – with renewed energy – to chase her. But my attempts for futile, soon I was out of breath with Tsukushi still sprinting effortlessly in front of me.

Finally I came to a stop, panting heavily – painfully conscious of the fact that everyone was looking at my degraded state. But then it didn’t matter, all that mattered was Tsukushi right? I was even willing to risk my reputation for her! Admitting defeat is not a thing I can do easily. She had NO IDEA how much I was sacrificing..

“Tsukushi!” I panted, trying to calm my erratic breathing, “Stop!”

Thankfully she came to a halt and turned around, a grin plastered on her face. Her laugh rang out as bubbly and musical as I remembered it. “Giving up already?” she asked teasingly.

Ah.. the sound of her voice. How long had it been since I had heard it? Still, running around like crazed person had already done enough damage to my reputation, my pride would not let me accept defeat. “I was just letting you win!” I declared stubbornly, “I could run faster than you any day!”

She stared at me in shock and disbelief. Finally she rolled her eyes, “Your ego is too much..”

My anger started to flare up. Nobody had ever done this to me and lasted this long. My primary instinct was to fly into a rage and start… I forced myself to calm down. This was Tsukushi! The girl of my dreams.. not any other person. “Why did you run away?”

She turned to stare at me and suddenly all warmth dissipated from her eyes, instead there was an icy coldness in the way she looked at me. “Because you were chasing me.” She replied – as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her offhand, indifferent tone angered me. I mean.. come on, I was Doumyouji Tsukasa! Who dared speak to me like that? The closest I had ever experienced – was from my sister, Tsubaki. Anger started to flare up in me, no matter how much I tried to resist it. This was Tsukushi! I told myself, but it didn’t matter. My primary instincts took over and rage filled me.

“If you didn’t run then I wouldn’t have had to chase you!” I cried out indignantly.

Tsukushi only rolled her eyes, “Why am I even here, talking to you? You are such a stupid mean arrogant...” she droned on in English.. a subject which I was not particularly good at. “Anyway,” she reverted back to Japanese, “Are you the one who gives red tags?” she asked. 

I smirked, was she really so stupid? Wasn’t it obvious I was the great Doumyouji Tsukasa? I mean.. who else looked so good.. But the point was, she didn’t know me?! She didn’t remember?! My head screamed out, causing a stab of pain in my heart. She had been my best friend.. how could she forget? Was I really that unimportant to her? I suddenly felt foolish, to have pined for a girl who had never even given a thought about me. Once again, anger took hold of me. How dare she play with my feelings like that?! “Don’t you remember me?!” I cried, desperately trying to suppress my anger (and pain).

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Who are you?”

My heart shattered.

Chapter Three                                                                                          Review Chapter.

Fanfiction  :: Site Home :: Prince of Tennis :: Hana Yori Dango ::  Yami no Matsuei :: Inuyasha ::  Lord of the Rings :: Lyrics :: Email me