[Fanfic][Prince of Tennis] Jackal - Nostalgia
Title: Nostalgia
Rating: G
Genre: General, Drama
Character: Jackal, mention of other Rikkai and OC
When Jackal stepped inside the kitchen for breakfast, an innocuous white envelope at the edge of the table caught his attention. Something about it compelled him to examine it. The words 'To Jackal Kuwahara' along with his address was written in a neat handwriting, the markings indicating it was postmarked from Brazil. He immediately tore it open. As he pulled the letter up to his face, the faint scent of the sea hit his nose, suddenly bringing back the memory of three years ago in the white sandy beach in Sao Paolo...
It was the night before he left for Japan and his friends decided to hold a going away party for him at the beach. That night the beach was enveloped in silence, until their truck drove in with the radio turned on, invading the quietness with the rhythm of the samba. Someone brought a ball, and everyone became involved in a game of football. Jackal played, but while he laughed, there was dread in his heart.
And then there was her. As he sat down to rest, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he looked up, she was smiling a sad smile down at him.
"Hey, let's go somewhere quiet," she whispered.
In a quiet corner of the beach where the music was only barely audible, they sat down on the sand and talked until the sun crept up in the horizon, painting the edge of the eastern sky red. Suddenly, her head fell on to his shoulders, not a word passed between them until she broke the silence.
"I can't believe you're leaving so soon, and so far away." Her voice quivered as she said it.
He turned around and smiled to her gently. "It would only be for three years. I'll find a way to come back."
They hugged as they promised to wait for each other. But they were young and did not realize that for them three years would feel like an eternity. It was a time too long for him. For her. Three months didn't even pass before he received a letter saying that she could no longer wait. He wrote a understanding reply, but no more letter ever came. The letter he now held in his hand was the first since then.
In the letter, names were mentioned of people who were once so precious to him, but he could not recall their faces. She mentioned one of them being the boy she was seeing, and that he was progressing in the local junior football team. Jackal would probably be in the team had he stayed in Brazil. If he had stayed, he would still be by her side.
A part of him yearned for what could have been. It was the very same part in his mind that cling desperately to the image of him playing on the beach with the others, even though the once vivid image had become nothing but an image so stretched thin in his mind that it resembled a residue of a dream rather than a memory.
His mind continued wandering as he left the house for Sunday practice. He loved tennis more than he had loved football. His current teammates were people who shared his ambitions and serious attitude who he found camaraderie with. Most important, there was the underclassman with a devious but irresistible grin, who often gave him more headaches than he ever wanted. But even though Jackal would complain every time Sanada entrusted him with the responsibility of taking care of the mischievous troublemaker, he would smile to himself and happily follow the order.
Since three years ago, things have changed for him. As he folded the letter and placed it in his pocket, he thought about a question that she asked him - whether he would return to Brazil or not. He could not help but feel guilty that his reply would be no, never. He loved his new life, yes, and a large part of his mind knew that it was what he wanted most.
He had his uncertainties, but he was aware of his goal. He was Jackal Kuwahara, Rikkaidai Junior High third year, member of the prestigious tennis team, who would, no doubt, win the National tournament again. And if he was to do that, he had to keep his mind focused.
There would be no time nor need to desire what could never be.
Rating: G
Genre: General, Drama
Character: Jackal, mention of other Rikkai and OC
When Jackal stepped inside the kitchen for breakfast, an innocuous white envelope at the edge of the table caught his attention. Something about it compelled him to examine it. The words 'To Jackal Kuwahara' along with his address was written in a neat handwriting, the markings indicating it was postmarked from Brazil. He immediately tore it open. As he pulled the letter up to his face, the faint scent of the sea hit his nose, suddenly bringing back the memory of three years ago in the white sandy beach in Sao Paolo...
It was the night before he left for Japan and his friends decided to hold a going away party for him at the beach. That night the beach was enveloped in silence, until their truck drove in with the radio turned on, invading the quietness with the rhythm of the samba. Someone brought a ball, and everyone became involved in a game of football. Jackal played, but while he laughed, there was dread in his heart.
And then there was her. As he sat down to rest, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he looked up, she was smiling a sad smile down at him.
"Hey, let's go somewhere quiet," she whispered.
In a quiet corner of the beach where the music was only barely audible, they sat down on the sand and talked until the sun crept up in the horizon, painting the edge of the eastern sky red. Suddenly, her head fell on to his shoulders, not a word passed between them until she broke the silence.
"I can't believe you're leaving so soon, and so far away." Her voice quivered as she said it.
He turned around and smiled to her gently. "It would only be for three years. I'll find a way to come back."
They hugged as they promised to wait for each other. But they were young and did not realize that for them three years would feel like an eternity. It was a time too long for him. For her. Three months didn't even pass before he received a letter saying that she could no longer wait. He wrote a understanding reply, but no more letter ever came. The letter he now held in his hand was the first since then.
In the letter, names were mentioned of people who were once so precious to him, but he could not recall their faces. She mentioned one of them being the boy she was seeing, and that he was progressing in the local junior football team. Jackal would probably be in the team had he stayed in Brazil. If he had stayed, he would still be by her side.
A part of him yearned for what could have been. It was the very same part in his mind that cling desperately to the image of him playing on the beach with the others, even though the once vivid image had become nothing but an image so stretched thin in his mind that it resembled a residue of a dream rather than a memory.
His mind continued wandering as he left the house for Sunday practice. He loved tennis more than he had loved football. His current teammates were people who shared his ambitions and serious attitude who he found camaraderie with. Most important, there was the underclassman with a devious but irresistible grin, who often gave him more headaches than he ever wanted. But even though Jackal would complain every time Sanada entrusted him with the responsibility of taking care of the mischievous troublemaker, he would smile to himself and happily follow the order.
Since three years ago, things have changed for him. As he folded the letter and placed it in his pocket, he thought about a question that she asked him - whether he would return to Brazil or not. He could not help but feel guilty that his reply would be no, never. He loved his new life, yes, and a large part of his mind knew that it was what he wanted most.
He had his uncertainties, but he was aware of his goal. He was Jackal Kuwahara, Rikkaidai Junior High third year, member of the prestigious tennis team, who would, no doubt, win the National tournament again. And if he was to do that, he had to keep his mind focused.
There would be no time nor need to desire what could never be.