31st of December, 6:00 pm, Miyako's house
Ruby has just returned from her trip to Kana's house as the last rays of the sun disappear, and darkness is cast over the surrounding houses. A loud thud pierces through the eerie silence as she shuts the front door.
The hallway she finds herself in is just as dark as the outside world, maybe even more so. She tosses her keys towards the wooden bowl in which they store them, just like she did thousands of times before.
She has already begun to turn away when she hears the keys jingle to the floor, sighing as she turns back around. The dark room is flooded with light as she flips the switch, keys lying right before her.
She bows down, swiftly swooping them off the floor before rising again. She freezes in her tracks as her face hovers right before the bowl, behind it a picture of Herself, Miyako, and Aqua, taken years ago.
She still remembers the exact day it was taken. It was a sunny day at the zoo. That day, she saw Pandas, Lions, Gorillas, and even Penguins. Even Aqua was smiling a genuine smile, looking like a completely different person.
She remains frozen for a good ten seconds before turning away again, unable to hold eye contact any longer, even when it's just a picture. She places the set of keys down, quickly walking away, and sitting down in the dining room.
When did you just change this much, Aqua?
That smile… That version of you would never do what you did…
Was it the world that changed you?
Our lives are so similar, yet you turned out to be so… weird…
How? I don't get it.
Ruby's eyes wander to the dark window a few meters in front of her, greasy marks all over it. She steps over to draw the curtains shut; the outside is so black she can't even see anyways.
Stop blaming the world for his actions and face the facts, god damn it.
Aqua has changed a whole lot; he turned into somebody that you wouldn't want around you.
I mean, what if he does it again? What if I'm in danger and he really does sacrifice Kana?
She doesn't seem to be important to him anyways, at least he never visited her.
Ruby… Why aren't you finally cutting him off completely?
Ruby walks over to the fridge, grabbing a leftover sandwich before sitting back down.
All of this is his fault to begin with.
The reason Kana was injured? He.
The reason we didn't stop Kamiki sooner? He.
The reason why Akane is at another emotional low? He.
And the worst part is, he would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Right on cue, Ruby can see how the door is swung open as Aqua walks in. Her thoughts pause as her heart begins to race.
Aqua only seems to pay little to no attention to Ruby. Instead, he walks over to the fridge, opening it before grabbing himself something to eat, and then sitting down to.
As soon as Aqua sits down, Ruby stands up and takes a step away from the table, trying to avoid any contact, as if he's poisonous.
"Please wait."
Aqua's voice makes Ruby freeze; the hair on the back of her neck stands up. A few seconds pass by like this before she reluctantly turns, betraying her own thoughts mere seconds after thinking them.
"What do you want?"
Her tone is sharp and unyielding. The pain is still sitting deep enough for even someone like her to be unable to mask it.
"I want you to know that I am sorry for how things went down. And for what I had to do."
Ruby's face falls even further as she hears Aqua's wording. She's fearing that her thoughts are true while taking an aggressive step towards him.
"That's everything? Seriously? You think you can do all of that and you'll be forgiven just like that?"
Aqua sits completely still, looking relatively calm compared to Ruby.
"You haven't even tried to visit Kana once. Everybody else visited her… Even Akane did… Just you didn't, it's always just you… And now you'll look for excuses again, when in reality you just don't care."
Aqua's expression shifts as he touches the bridge of his nose like he would readjust his glasses.
"Ruby, breathe. You are being irrational. If you don't regulate yourself, then you will only worsen the situation."
Ruby looks at Aqua, hurt, alongside realization flashing in her eyes.
"What the fuck are you talking about? Why are you talking like that? Who are you?..."
A moment passes before Ruby speaks again, her voice quieter and more vulnerable.
"I want my brother back…"
The moment for vulnerability passes by just as fast as it came, her demeanor changing back to her previous angry expression.
"No. That's not the problem… The problem is that you don't think you were in the wrong… That you would do it again just like that… Or is it not?"
Aqua remains completely silent, unable to deny Ruby's accusation.
"That's what I thought. I just can't afford to trust someone like that any longer."
Something inside Ruby shatters as Aqua's silence confirms her earlier thoughts. She turns her back towards Aqua, not wanting to burst out in front of him. The hopelessness in her voice has completely set in by now.
"Wait!"
Aqua quickly gets up from his chair while slamming both of his hands onto the desk, making Ruby jump.
"I am doing this for us. I am doing this to keep Sarina safe. Safe from the dangers of this world."
Ruby gasps before turning around, almost crying from all the pent-up rage by now.
"I AM NOT SARINA TENDOUJI ANYMORE, AND YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT GOROU AMAMIYA EITHER. MOVE ON YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE."
With that, Ruby storms out of the dining room, slamming the door behind her and leaving Aqua alone in silence.
Unbeknownst to both of them, they were not alone. Somebody who was standing in the hallway, mere seconds before Ruby stormed out, overheard what Ruby said.
Gorou Amamiya… Where have I heard this name before?
…
Ruby storms upstairs, shutting her door so loud that even Aqua, who is still in the dining room, can hear it. She jumps onto her bed, instantly reaching for the nearest plushie she can get her hands on and burying her face in it.
Why am I feeling like that?
What are these feelings?
I don't understand them.
I want my brother back.
I want the guy with whom I made so many fond memories.
I don't want to live with the fact that this is who he is now.
Isn't there some way for me to change it all?
Why can't things just go back to how they used to be?
I just want for all of us to have fun again. Is that really too much to ask for?
Why doesn't he have the same goal?
My stomach feels like it is about to burst.
Why can he hold so much power over how I feel?
He barely even said anything.
This needs to change asap.
I can't have someone like him control how I feel.
Ruby tosses and turns; she desperately wants to find another way, but the simplest way keeps popping back up in her head, taking all space away from the other thoughts.
I know what I have to do.
Even when it still hurts for now.
I can't be with him anymore.
…
No matter what happens… He will never be my Aqua again.