Days were busy now that the mansion was filling up. Rui could still remember the early days but it was hard sometimes- hard because the time when she had to remember was often interrupted by Yuuki crashing into this or Sakura breaking that. The poor girl didn't know her own strength. It wasn't that she minded their trouble- she hadn't had a family in quite a long time and, though she could have considered the Re:Codes one, they weren't exactly the type that she'd longed for. There was something in her that ached for stability and the life that they lead was far from stable as evidenced by her current absence from Code:Seeker's side. Things changed, time sped on, and people came and went. The only constant was Seeker himself. So her second family was here instead.

She was good at getting away when she had to. If she woke up early enough she could finish her chores, clean the place, set out breakfast, and head out to the stream to go fishing. It was a past time that she'd always enjoyed- Kouji had taught her how. Sometimes she used it to catch unworthy crooks and beat the fight out of them but these days she just didn't have the energy- so she cast her line for fish.

And the fish would bite eventually, but she didn't really care about that part. She fished for the peace of mind, not for a meal; while the fish could be considered a reward by some, to her the real reward was a chance to reminisce.

Her past was far from a happy one though she was sure that she could say the same about just about everyone she knew. That didn't mean that she didn't treasure it though. Some time after the fire she had come to terms with what had happened. Of course it would never be alright, and she would never forget the pain, but she was now able to look back upon the fond memories without letting the painful ones taint them. That is, if she had peace and quiet. Maybe she was trapped in the past, but there was nothing wrong with that as far as she was concerned, nothing wrong with dwelling on it as long as you didn't let it hold you back. She didn't think that she did, at least not very much. There was nothing to hold her back anyway except the house she'd left behind. Sometimes she would go there as well, just to try to catch another memory that she'd forgotten long ago behind the dresser or under the stairs.

If she did she'd take them fishing with her.

And she and her memories would sit and watch the line float by until dawn turned to day.