Chapter Text
Finally…
Finally.
FINALLY!
Rui, the director of Space and Gaps within reality, happily slipped into a small pocket realm. His smile was wide with glee as he stared at the surroundings—soft, gentle—it looked straight out of a movie!
'This… Yes, this is where I want to live. With him…!'
He looked around. He could sense him- his other half, his other part, the man he’s been waiting for all this time. The air seemed to greet him kindly, signaling that the special person he’d been dreaming of all this time had to be here…
Tsukasa.
He’d met many before, it was the destiny of most Ruis to meet their corresponding Tsukasa- everything was connected after all. Some simply stayed friends, others became rivals or enemies, and some… Some became lovers.
And that’s where he wanted his story to go.
Sure, he’d rendezvous with a few others in the past- most notably that… Jester. But that was PURELY out of desperation! He’d gotten enough of a scolding from both Ringmaster and Timekeeper after that incident. Rui let out a shaky sigh, hoping that the latter wouldn’t appear suddenly and give him another mouthful about balance. He knew about how important balance was! Why else would he be doing this?
He changed his sight to focus on the sky. The sun was bright yet gentle on his skin; though it just reinforced how much he stuck out like a sore thumb, but that didn’t matter! He could see the house his fate was supposed to be and began to run.
He had to run.
He had to get there before another, greedier Rui appeared and snatched his only chance away!
The house itself was a soft baby blue, though it was faded from the sun and possibly age. Chalk stains covered the outside, and the pavement in front had similar markings. Did he have a family? Or was that from a time long past?
Rui could see what seemed to be plants on the inside, he wondered what else decorated the house. Maybe he had picture frames of his family? Maybe he had custom rugs made to look like silly objects? Maybe he collected odd things? Oh, his curiosity couldn’t help but flare up.
Knock knock!
“Coming!” The familiar, loud voice echoed from inside the house. He sounded gentle. Rui couldn’t wait to see him! What would he say? What could he say? He felt his palms get sweaty under his gloves… Maybe he should’ve changed his appearance to seem less weird. Oh dear, he had no plan at all! This was so unlike him.
The door opened.
Rui’s face flushed as he was greeted by the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. Sunset hair was gently swept to the side; it looked fluffier than most other Tsukasa’s he’d seen. His clothes were simple yet seemed refined in a way… A light jacket, it fit him so well. He had a certain look of dignity yet warmth in his eyes, and Rui could feel his cosmic heart swoon.
“Ah, hello!” He greeted awkwardly, quickly looking away from Tsukasa’s face. He had to play this off well; just because they were fated didn’t mean that first impressions didn’t matter. “My name is-”
Before he could speak, he saw something. His voice died there in his throat.
Purple hair. Dog ears.
Perhaps they just had weird colored dogs here? That stood on two legs and looked almost exactly like him! Haha, how funny that would be. Of course,
It was a Rui.
Fuck.
“Wait… It seems I have the wrong house. Does a ‘Kamishiro Rui’ live here?” Rui said quickly, playing it off as well as he could. His heart dropped as his eyes filled with… Jealousy.
This was supposed to be HIS happy ending.
This was supposed to be HIS domestic life.
He could see Tsukasa blink in slight confusion, rubbing his chin for a second before calling the dog over.
“Is this who you’re looking for?” He asked politely, It made Rui’s heart ache in a way he didn’t know it could.
“Ah… Yes. I just wanted to confirm. I’m sorry for interrupting.”
This was hopeless.
Would he ever find a corresponding Tsukasa? Or anyone? At this point, he’d at least like to have a friend in the same realm as him. Every time he thinks he does, they never click. The only god he’s seen was Kanade, and even then, she managed to find a group. Should he go to Minori? Bothering Angels, even ones as kind as Minori, seemed a bit low.
He sighed, floating in the endless expanse- the stars flicking around him, both comforting yet proving how empty it was. He couldn’t steal someone out of their universe, he was selfish, but…
Was he selfish enough to tear someone out of their reality?
No, surely not but…
He could feel the energy shift around him, he could see the colors in the sky shift- leading to the slight effect of a kaleidoscope echoing within the empty air. The way the stars seemed to melt into different colors, it’d hurt.. No, burn the eyes of most, but he was far too used to this.
Selfish, that’s what the others liked to call him. How ironic, though, some others were burying in options- and yet him? Yeah, he’s the selfish one.
Ugh.
He’ll show them.