[Fanfic] Echoes (Hana Yori Dango/Kurosagi crossover)
Title: Echoes
Author: walkwithheroes
Disclaimer: I don't own Hanazawa Rui (though I wish I did) or the rest of the cast of Hana Yori Dango. I also don't own Tsurara or Kurosaki(though I wish I did).
Summary: Hanazawa Rui tries a romance with a young law student named Tsurara.
Notes: For
kitsune714 who asked for Rui/Tsurara.
I.
When he first saw her, he thought: She’s sad.
She was sitting on the bench, quietly wiping something that looked like wine off her white, leather bag. Her dark hair was falling into her pale, angular, face . . . yet, she didn’t seem to notice.
“What’s so good?” An arm flopped over his shoulder. (He would have jumped, if he wasn’t so collected.) He glanced to his right to see Mimasaka Akira smirking at him. Akira’s eyes drifted to the bench, and his smirk grew wider. “She’s cute. Think she’s got a single mother or older sister?”
He glared softly, before shrugging Akira off. “No.” he paused in deep thought for a moment, the words: She’s sad echoed in his mind. “We’re late, Sojiro’s waiting.”
*
When he returned later in the evening, she was gone. However, she had left behind her stained bag. Without thinking, Hanazawa Rui took it home with him.
II.
The second time he saw her, she was handing out flyers for something. He was too far away to hear her words, but he could see that not many people were taking the flyers. Somehow, he felt sorry for her. She was trying so hard, but it seemed she was destined to be ignored by the world.
He made a move toward her, but stopped short when he noticed that she had stopped to speak with a lanky man and his female companion. A moment later, she had disappeared into the crowd.
III.
The third time he saw her, he was with Doumyouji in an expensive jewelry store. They were in Ginza, looking at rings for Makino. Doumyouji was running around the store, looking from one ring to another. Every few moments, he’d tap the glass and say something like, “Would she like this? No? Yes?”
Rui found himself more interested in the rain falling angrily outside than Doumyouji’s craziness inside the store. It was then that he saw her, walking solemnly down the sidewalk, yellow umbrella covering her from the harsh rain. Her hair was shorter than before, and she was dressed in a more tomboyish fashion than he had seen her in before; as always, she looked utterly alone and lost.
He stuck out the door of the jewelry store, just as Doumyouji asked the sales girl, “Where’s the diamonds shaped like Saturn?”
Knowing he was much more frantic than he should have been, Rui looked around the streets. But, the rain was much too heavy and the girl was long gone.
IV.
Hanazawa Rui didn’t see her for several weeks after that. The only thing that let him know she had been real was the stained bag he had taken off the bench months before. He was being to think he was crazy, until one overly sunny morning when he saw her again.
She was dressed casually, reading a newspaper and sitting on that same bench as before. There was a new white bag at her side, along with a bag of what appeared to be cat food. Taking her in, Rui was surprised at how beautiful she really was. He had always seen her at night or from afar, but now, looking at her, he was shocked by her simple beauty.
“Nothing I can afford.” The girl muttered haplessly.
Rui watched with interest as the girl folded her paper before stuffing it into her white bag. She gathered her things, before getting up. It was now or never. In a moment, the girl would walk away and soon disappear into the busy street.
Feeling a bit like an idiot, Hanazawa Rui heard himself call out: “Excuse me!” The girl whirled around, a confused expression planted on her face. “Do you . . . have a cat?”
Do you have a cat? What was that? Rui could feel himself growing red. How idiotic did he now seem to this girl?
“Kind of, yeah.” The girl answered with a soft smile. “Do . . . excuse me.” She nodded politely, before turning away.
She was leaving again!
“Could you please help me find something?” Hanazawa Rui called out, trying not to sound urgent.
The girl turned and cocked her head to one side. Somehow, she seemed better looking that way.
V.
The girl’s name was Yoshikawa Tsurara, and she was studying law. Her home town was far, and her only family was a mother. Tsurara’s best friend was Mishima Yukari, a rich girl that Tsurara didn’t seem that fond of most of the time. Tsurara lived in a tiny room, which she rented from a man called Kurosaki. Yukari seemed utterly taken with Kurosaki, but Tsurara seemed to hate him.
Tsurara got along well with Makino and Yuuki. Akira flirted with her every chance he got, while Sojiro made a point to let Rui know that he approved. As for Doumyouji, he just seemed happy that Rui was happy - and no longer a rival for Makino.
Rui was happy that he doesn’t have any love rivals for Tsurara.
VI.
They had been dating five months when she finally let him walk her up the steps to her room. He in his white suit, she in her black dress. . . Rui wondered if it shouldn’t have been the other way ‘round - shouldn’t he have been in black and she, as pure as she was, in white?
Tsurara seemed nervous as they made their way up the stairs to her room. Rui wondered if she was going to invite him in for coffee, or maybe she thought he would try something. Rui was about to assure her that he was happy in their relationship, when the door to the room nearest the stairs opened.
A tall, lanky, man-boy, dressed all in black, stepped out and gave Tsurara the once over. “Wow.” The newcomer glanced over at Rui and frowned thoughtful. “Cinderella found her Prince Charming.” He stated calmly, only the slightest hint of bitterness in his tone.
Rui watched Tsurara; she looked guilty, though he wasn’t sure toward whom. With a grunt, the man pushed past Rui and Tsurara,
“No overnight visitors, Cinderella.”
Tsurara didn’t invite him to walk her home after that.
VII.
The second time Rui saw Tsurara’s land lord; the man was coming out of a restaurant, looking irked. The man noticed Rui, frowned, rolled his eyes, and disappeared into the crowd.
Rui knew that type of behavior all too well - he had a rival for Tsurara’s affections.
VIII.
“I could help you find a place.” Rui stated casually one cool day a week later.
He and Tsurara were sitting on his patio, drinking tea. For a while, Rui had been thinking of the best way to approach the subject of her moving away from her room (and her landlord), but he hadn’t been able to think of the right way to say it. So, in the end, he just said it.
“You’ve been trying to move away from there for over a year now. I can help you find a place, Tsurara. Makino and Yuuki should know some cheap rooms to rent near your university.”
She sipped her tea politely before answering him. “Thank you. But, I think it’s better if I find my own place.”
Rui never brought up Tsurara’s living situation again.
VIIII.
They had been dating ten months when Rui saw Tsurara with Kurosaki.
They were standing at the foot of the stairs to their apartment building. Rui had come to invite Tsurara out for an afternoon concert in the park when he saw them together. Staying on the other side of the street, Rui watched the two neighbors with intense interest.
The two seemed in the middle of one of their classic fights, but Rui couldn’t make out what they were saying. All he could see what the angry way in which Tsurara stood and the passionate way in which Kurosaki grabbed her by the wrist.
Kurosaki pulled Tsurara toward him and. . .
Rui moved forward and. . .
Kurosaki wrapped his arms around Tsurara. He held her tightly, despite Tsurara’s half-hearted struggle to break away from him. Forcefully, Kurosaki pressed his lips to Tsurara's - she did not try to break away from him.
Standing in the middle of the road, for the first time in over a year, Hanazawa Rui felt the pangs of jealously and anger rising up inside him.
X.
It is raining heavily the next time Rui sees Tsurara.
She was standing near the bench where he first saw her, holding a yellow umbrella in one hand and a white bag in the other. For the first time since they’d met, she was living up to his impression of her; she was dressed all in white and looked like an angel.
Her whole face lit up when she saw him. “You’re late, Hanazawa Rui!” Tsurara called to him, sounding happy and excited.
She does care about me. I love her.
He loves her. She . . .
loves him.
Rui returned her smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sorry. Sorry.” Rui reached out for her hand with another smile. “Let’s go.”
XI.
Hanazawa Rui broke things off with Yoshikawa Tsurara after dating her for eleven months, two weeks, and three days. Somehow it felt worse than it had with any other woman he had let go of; maybe because he knew there was a strong chance Tsurara would be hurt by Kurosaki in the end.
They sat together on the bench - on their bench - staring at the blank wall and holding hands. Every now and again, Tsurara sniffed back the tears that were threatening to fall from her large eyes.
“When you become a famous lawyer, don’t forget about me.” Rui half-joked softly.
Tsurara sniffed again, before squeezing his hand tightly. “Hanazawa Rui, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He nodded understandingly. Forgetting himself, he suddenly grabbed her in a hug and held her closely to him. In a voice that was so soft he was sure she couldn’t hear, Rui whispered one last thing to her, “I love you, Tsurara.”
XII.
Ten months later, Rui found himself staring at a girl.
She was standing alone in the middle of a crowd of people, looking utterly lost and alone. Slowly, the girl turned toward his direction and their eyes locked for the briefest of moments. Her lips curled up into a slight smile, and she nodded. A moment later, the girl was walking toward him; she never let his eyes slip away from hers.
“Excuse me,” she bowed her head slightly. “could you help me? I’m lost.”
Despite himself, Rui felt his lips curl into a half-smile. Didn’t she know it was dangerous to just ask random people for directions?
The girl smiled softly, before stating, “I’m trying to find the offices of my friend, but I seem to have gotten turned around.”
Taking her in slowly, Rui noticed that she was wearing all white and a cross around her neck. “I’ll help you. . .”
“Hana.” She told him helpfully.
Rui felt himself smile fully. “Hana. I’ll help you find your way, Hana.”
As the two began walking toward her friend’s office, Hanazawa Rui couldn’t help but think,
She doesn’t look . . . sad.
Author: walkwithheroes
Disclaimer: I don't own Hanazawa Rui (though I wish I did) or the rest of the cast of Hana Yori Dango. I also don't own Tsurara or Kurosaki(though I wish I did).
Summary: Hanazawa Rui tries a romance with a young law student named Tsurara.
Notes: For
kitsune714 who asked for Rui/Tsurara.
I.
When he first saw her, he thought: She’s sad.
She was sitting on the bench, quietly wiping something that looked like wine off her white, leather bag. Her dark hair was falling into her pale, angular, face . . . yet, she didn’t seem to notice.
“What’s so good?” An arm flopped over his shoulder. (He would have jumped, if he wasn’t so collected.) He glanced to his right to see Mimasaka Akira smirking at him. Akira’s eyes drifted to the bench, and his smirk grew wider. “She’s cute. Think she’s got a single mother or older sister?”
He glared softly, before shrugging Akira off. “No.” he paused in deep thought for a moment, the words: She’s sad echoed in his mind. “We’re late, Sojiro’s waiting.”
*
When he returned later in the evening, she was gone. However, she had left behind her stained bag. Without thinking, Hanazawa Rui took it home with him.
II.
The second time he saw her, she was handing out flyers for something. He was too far away to hear her words, but he could see that not many people were taking the flyers. Somehow, he felt sorry for her. She was trying so hard, but it seemed she was destined to be ignored by the world.
He made a move toward her, but stopped short when he noticed that she had stopped to speak with a lanky man and his female companion. A moment later, she had disappeared into the crowd.
III.
The third time he saw her, he was with Doumyouji in an expensive jewelry store. They were in Ginza, looking at rings for Makino. Doumyouji was running around the store, looking from one ring to another. Every few moments, he’d tap the glass and say something like, “Would she like this? No? Yes?”
Rui found himself more interested in the rain falling angrily outside than Doumyouji’s craziness inside the store. It was then that he saw her, walking solemnly down the sidewalk, yellow umbrella covering her from the harsh rain. Her hair was shorter than before, and she was dressed in a more tomboyish fashion than he had seen her in before; as always, she looked utterly alone and lost.
He stuck out the door of the jewelry store, just as Doumyouji asked the sales girl, “Where’s the diamonds shaped like Saturn?”
Knowing he was much more frantic than he should have been, Rui looked around the streets. But, the rain was much too heavy and the girl was long gone.
IV.
Hanazawa Rui didn’t see her for several weeks after that. The only thing that let him know she had been real was the stained bag he had taken off the bench months before. He was being to think he was crazy, until one overly sunny morning when he saw her again.
She was dressed casually, reading a newspaper and sitting on that same bench as before. There was a new white bag at her side, along with a bag of what appeared to be cat food. Taking her in, Rui was surprised at how beautiful she really was. He had always seen her at night or from afar, but now, looking at her, he was shocked by her simple beauty.
“Nothing I can afford.” The girl muttered haplessly.
Rui watched with interest as the girl folded her paper before stuffing it into her white bag. She gathered her things, before getting up. It was now or never. In a moment, the girl would walk away and soon disappear into the busy street.
Feeling a bit like an idiot, Hanazawa Rui heard himself call out: “Excuse me!” The girl whirled around, a confused expression planted on her face. “Do you . . . have a cat?”
Do you have a cat? What was that? Rui could feel himself growing red. How idiotic did he now seem to this girl?
“Kind of, yeah.” The girl answered with a soft smile. “Do . . . excuse me.” She nodded politely, before turning away.
She was leaving again!
“Could you please help me find something?” Hanazawa Rui called out, trying not to sound urgent.
The girl turned and cocked her head to one side. Somehow, she seemed better looking that way.
V.
The girl’s name was Yoshikawa Tsurara, and she was studying law. Her home town was far, and her only family was a mother. Tsurara’s best friend was Mishima Yukari, a rich girl that Tsurara didn’t seem that fond of most of the time. Tsurara lived in a tiny room, which she rented from a man called Kurosaki. Yukari seemed utterly taken with Kurosaki, but Tsurara seemed to hate him.
Tsurara got along well with Makino and Yuuki. Akira flirted with her every chance he got, while Sojiro made a point to let Rui know that he approved. As for Doumyouji, he just seemed happy that Rui was happy - and no longer a rival for Makino.
Rui was happy that he doesn’t have any love rivals for Tsurara.
VI.
They had been dating five months when she finally let him walk her up the steps to her room. He in his white suit, she in her black dress. . . Rui wondered if it shouldn’t have been the other way ‘round - shouldn’t he have been in black and she, as pure as she was, in white?
Tsurara seemed nervous as they made their way up the stairs to her room. Rui wondered if she was going to invite him in for coffee, or maybe she thought he would try something. Rui was about to assure her that he was happy in their relationship, when the door to the room nearest the stairs opened.
A tall, lanky, man-boy, dressed all in black, stepped out and gave Tsurara the once over. “Wow.” The newcomer glanced over at Rui and frowned thoughtful. “Cinderella found her Prince Charming.” He stated calmly, only the slightest hint of bitterness in his tone.
Rui watched Tsurara; she looked guilty, though he wasn’t sure toward whom. With a grunt, the man pushed past Rui and Tsurara,
“No overnight visitors, Cinderella.”
Tsurara didn’t invite him to walk her home after that.
VII.
The second time Rui saw Tsurara’s land lord; the man was coming out of a restaurant, looking irked. The man noticed Rui, frowned, rolled his eyes, and disappeared into the crowd.
Rui knew that type of behavior all too well - he had a rival for Tsurara’s affections.
VIII.
“I could help you find a place.” Rui stated casually one cool day a week later.
He and Tsurara were sitting on his patio, drinking tea. For a while, Rui had been thinking of the best way to approach the subject of her moving away from her room (and her landlord), but he hadn’t been able to think of the right way to say it. So, in the end, he just said it.
“You’ve been trying to move away from there for over a year now. I can help you find a place, Tsurara. Makino and Yuuki should know some cheap rooms to rent near your university.”
She sipped her tea politely before answering him. “Thank you. But, I think it’s better if I find my own place.”
Rui never brought up Tsurara’s living situation again.
VIIII.
They had been dating ten months when Rui saw Tsurara with Kurosaki.
They were standing at the foot of the stairs to their apartment building. Rui had come to invite Tsurara out for an afternoon concert in the park when he saw them together. Staying on the other side of the street, Rui watched the two neighbors with intense interest.
The two seemed in the middle of one of their classic fights, but Rui couldn’t make out what they were saying. All he could see what the angry way in which Tsurara stood and the passionate way in which Kurosaki grabbed her by the wrist.
Kurosaki pulled Tsurara toward him and. . .
Rui moved forward and. . .
Kurosaki wrapped his arms around Tsurara. He held her tightly, despite Tsurara’s half-hearted struggle to break away from him. Forcefully, Kurosaki pressed his lips to Tsurara's - she did not try to break away from him.
Standing in the middle of the road, for the first time in over a year, Hanazawa Rui felt the pangs of jealously and anger rising up inside him.
X.
It is raining heavily the next time Rui sees Tsurara.
She was standing near the bench where he first saw her, holding a yellow umbrella in one hand and a white bag in the other. For the first time since they’d met, she was living up to his impression of her; she was dressed all in white and looked like an angel.
Her whole face lit up when she saw him. “You’re late, Hanazawa Rui!” Tsurara called to him, sounding happy and excited.
She does care about me. I love her.
He loves her. She . . .
loves him.
Rui returned her smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sorry. Sorry.” Rui reached out for her hand with another smile. “Let’s go.”
XI.
Hanazawa Rui broke things off with Yoshikawa Tsurara after dating her for eleven months, two weeks, and three days. Somehow it felt worse than it had with any other woman he had let go of; maybe because he knew there was a strong chance Tsurara would be hurt by Kurosaki in the end.
They sat together on the bench - on their bench - staring at the blank wall and holding hands. Every now and again, Tsurara sniffed back the tears that were threatening to fall from her large eyes.
“When you become a famous lawyer, don’t forget about me.” Rui half-joked softly.
Tsurara sniffed again, before squeezing his hand tightly. “Hanazawa Rui, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He nodded understandingly. Forgetting himself, he suddenly grabbed her in a hug and held her closely to him. In a voice that was so soft he was sure she couldn’t hear, Rui whispered one last thing to her, “I love you, Tsurara.”
XII.
Ten months later, Rui found himself staring at a girl.
She was standing alone in the middle of a crowd of people, looking utterly lost and alone. Slowly, the girl turned toward his direction and their eyes locked for the briefest of moments. Her lips curled up into a slight smile, and she nodded. A moment later, the girl was walking toward him; she never let his eyes slip away from hers.
“Excuse me,” she bowed her head slightly. “could you help me? I’m lost.”
Despite himself, Rui felt his lips curl into a half-smile. Didn’t she know it was dangerous to just ask random people for directions?
The girl smiled softly, before stating, “I’m trying to find the offices of my friend, but I seem to have gotten turned around.”
Taking her in slowly, Rui noticed that she was wearing all white and a cross around her neck. “I’ll help you. . .”
“Hana.” She told him helpfully.
Rui felt himself smile fully. “Hana. I’ll help you find your way, Hana.”
As the two began walking toward her friend’s office, Hanazawa Rui couldn’t help but think,
She doesn’t look . . . sad.