[Revue Starlight] Rui visits Yuyuko

Rui visits Yuyuko

It wasn't raining that morning like she expected it to. In fact, it was quite a nice day, the sort of day perfect for a tea party.

Rui hadn't started crying yet. At the ceremony, she couldn't cry. She wanted to. She wanted to stutter and embarrass herself and run around with her friends like always, but that wasn't going to happen any more.

Before the ceremony began, they had a chance to view the body.

Tamao lay perfectly still and serene in the coffin. Rui's lips shook as she looked down, and she reached out and touched her friend. She was cold. Too cold.

Rui's heart hadn't beat since she heard the news.

They still hadn't caught the person that did it. Tamao was walking across the road, on her way to the shops like always, when she was stuck by someone on a motorbike. The police had some suspects, they said, but it had been a week now and there was no updates.

---

She knocked on the door. Inside she heard Momoko, Yuyuko's dog, barking at the noise. There were some failed attempts to silence the dog, then the door opened quietly. Yuyuko stood inside, her clothing and hair still a mess from sleep. She rubbed her eyes.

"Why weren't you there today?" Rui asked, anger simmering inside.

"I-" Yuyuko looked down, "I was asleep."

Rui reached up and slapped the sleepy girl, hard. She stumbled backwards into the room, and Momoko began growling as Rui entered after her. Yuyuko picked up her small dog and stroked him.

"Yeah, I deserved that."

"Why didn't you come?"

Yuyuko sat on the bed, holding her dog close. She sniffled.

"I-I couldn't"

Rui had to hold back from striking the girl again.

"After all she did for you? You should have been there today." Tears began rolling down Rui's face. The anger was rapidly subsiding as thoughts of her dear friend came back.

"How could I?" Yuyuko said quietly. She motioned to the desk, covered in crumpled papers. "I spent all night trying to write something, anything at all. I listened tp all my stories to help and nothing helped!" She pushed a pile of rakugo cds off her bed, the clattering scaring Momoko into jumping out of her arms.

"How could I show up with nothing after all she gave me?" Yuyuko was openly crying, her face buried in her hands.

"T-that's not fair, Yukko," Rui said, "All she ever wanted was you by her side..."

Yuyuko looked up. "Me?" She wiped her face. "You've got it backwards, like always. She only had eyes for you, Rui."

The pair looked at each other for a moment, then sighed. Years of assuming she wanted the other, and now they'll never get a chance to ask her. Rui sat next to her friend. The sight of her tear-stained face moved something within her, and she gently touched her cheek and pulled her close. They kissed gently, quietly, for a minute before pulling back.

Yuyuko was shocked. "R-Rui?"

"M-maybe..." the taller girl said, weighing her words, "Maybe this was what she wanted?"

"Maybe..." Yuyuko sniffed and wiped her eyes again. A small smile came over her face. "We were so blinded by her we couldn't see what was in front of us."

The two girls embraced and pulled each other close, their tears soaking into the other's clothes. They knew it wasn't really what they wanted, but maybe they could find happiness in their shared pain.