[FIC] "It Just So Happens," Part 3/3
(laughs) genius 220 made this chapter more wrong than it started off being! am posting it anyway for the sake of completion ^_^v
first part is here, second part is here, and original full non-english part is here. i still have to edit that last one, though really. i'm in no rush >)
Sanada thought: Maybe I really don't know how to behave like a kid anymore. I can't believe it's Akaya who had to remind me of my age. He had to smile to himself. ...But why not. It's been too long since the last time I tried having fun. He stood from the bench and walked out of the courts. He paid no notice to Jackal, who still stood at the doorway to the courts, feebly asking for help carrying the boxes of chocolates overflowing in his arms.
Yukimura thought: It's true...I'm too soft-shelled. Especially after I got hospitalized...if I let this go on for too long, I'll end up being a bad tennis club captain. He remembered how Kirihara made him laugh earlier. And he had to smile now. It was as if everything happened by some grand design. Looks like it's my turn to learn from someone younger. I'm not so fond of video games, but what's important is, I'll be with Akaya.
Yanagi thought: Am I really too critical? Do I really think too much, that I see problems where there aren't any? He looked back down at the book in his hands. But he couldn't read the words. His mind was flying off again. Akaya made me shut up... Finally, after several failed attempts at concentration, he sighed, closed the book and got ready to leave the library. A video arcade...I could get good data from this.
Unbeknownst to all three, they set off at almost the same time to find the same thing. And the three friends met again in the middle of a wide open plaza within campus.
********************
"Akaya -- !"
Three different voices called Kirihara's name all at once. When Kirihara turned, he saw the three most powerful members of the Rikkai middle school men's tennis club, close by and coming closer.
He almost jumped out of his skin.
"Se -- sempai?!"
But the trio's attention wasn't on Kirihara. None of them even answered his greeting.
This was a truly rare event: Rikkai middle school tennis club's three strongest players were standing in one spot -- staring each other down.
But the most hostile stare was Genichirou's (of course).
"I got here first."
"What do you mean, you got here first? I had to look over my shoulder to spot you."
"Stop arguing...if we're going to measure distances, I'm closer to him than either of you..."
"That's because you were the last to stop walking!"
"Sanada. Your heart. Guys, take it easy, okay? We're not going to fight over this."
"Don't waste your breath, Seiichi. Genichirou's fuse has been short all morning. There's a 92% chance he's ready to punch someone right about now."
"...You know what, Renji, if I'd intended to use my fist at all today, I would've used it on you earlier."
"Hmm. Big words."
"Why you -- !"
"Hey! Stop it!! Are you taking this seriously? Sanada, get a hold of yourself!"
Kirihara stood staring at the proceedings in disbelief. What are these three fighting about now? And what did they want with him, why did they have to call him all at once, as if choreographed?
Oh well. Life is hell. On with the agenda.
His next target was Marui. He couldn't find Yagyuu and Niou, where could those two have gone this time...
"Akaya? What're you doing just standing there?"
Kirihara turned toward the new voice. His alarm and frustration vanished when he saw the approaching gum bubble, large laughing eyes and red hair. "Marui-sempai!"
Marui glanced at the three people of his year level arguing not so far away. While chewing bubble gum like that, it looked like he was the only one in the whole Rikkaidai campus who didn't have anything worth angsting over. "Hey, even those three...? Why do they look like they're fighting?"
Shrug. "I dunno. It's like they're fighting over something, but I dunno what..."
Marui looked over at him. "Is it you?"
He looked over at Marui too. "Idiot, why'd they fight over me."
"Oh, you didn't know...? There really are just days like this, when those three get on each other's nerves. Usually it's all because of one person."
"Huh...?" This time Kirihara was wide-eyed.
"Yup. Last year, it was me."
"Eh, really?!"
"...Well, no." Pop. Scratch red head. "They were fighting about something else. I don't even remember what it is. But I was the one they got to mediate. Y'know how that goes, they put me in the middle then argued all around me...like they actually cared if I had anything to say..."
"Aah..." Kirihara turned his dazed look back to his three sempai. "So...they were planning to make me mediate?"
"Maybe. In that case, you poor little bastard. Not even you deserve that." Before Kirihara could complain, Marui laid his hand on his head (Marui was slightly taller than him back then) and shouted over to the people deeply engaged in debate: "I'm borrowing the chibi, a'right?"
"Stay out of this!!" was Sanada's only answer. And the other two didn't even notice Marui. Fine. A shrug, then he considered himself free to lead his kouhai far away, to peace and quiet.
"Ah...is it okay for us to leave them there?"
"Oh yeah. If they're arguing like that, it means they're at least ready to meet each other eye to eye. They're going to make up in the end, it'll be like nothing happened."
"That so? Well, okay. It's a good thing you found me, Marui-sempai! I was looking for you..."
"Yeah? Why?" Pop.
"Just wanted to ask if you got a girlfriend yet."
A loud, hearty, ringing laugh from the Rikkai team's master volleyer. "Akaya, in your opinion -- which girl in her right mind would actually hook up with a member of our tennis club?"
A short silence on Akaya's end. "You got a point there, sempai."
"Natch." More popping. "Look at Niou and Yagyuu, they adapt good...they don't have to worry about girls on Valentine's Day anymore."
"Huh? What's that mean?"
"...Nothing. So that's it? You're researching for your classmates, aren't ya? I went through that too."
Kirihara then proceeded to pour out all the exasperation built up over the previous days: "Not just my classmates! Even my sister! Even my sister's classmates!"
"Tch. Sucks being a first-year. But why didn't you just wait 'til practice so you could ask us all?"
"...I didn't think of that."
A sigh. "Hey, before I forget: you know that new video arcade downtown?"
Kirihara's impish face lit up. "The one near the coffeeshop? I heard they got new fighting games!"
"That so? All I know's they have a cool new drum machine. Wanna go later after practice?"
"Hot damn, let's!"
On that Valentine's Day, a happy pair, arms linked, made their way to the Rikkaidai tennis courts as if everything on earth was beautiful, and their road was paved with rose petals.
THE END
*********************
and kudos to all the effin' GREAT writers, artists and writer/artists among my friends. belated happy easter, you guys all rock <3 <3 <3
hands are full at the mo, but WILL try to leave more comments before the week is out. would just like you to know you are making this one strange and unlatched-together rikkai fangirl very, very happy ^_______^
first part is here, second part is here, and original full non-english part is here. i still have to edit that last one, though really. i'm in no rush >)
Sanada thought: Maybe I really don't know how to behave like a kid anymore. I can't believe it's Akaya who had to remind me of my age. He had to smile to himself. ...But why not. It's been too long since the last time I tried having fun. He stood from the bench and walked out of the courts. He paid no notice to Jackal, who still stood at the doorway to the courts, feebly asking for help carrying the boxes of chocolates overflowing in his arms.
Yukimura thought: It's true...I'm too soft-shelled. Especially after I got hospitalized...if I let this go on for too long, I'll end up being a bad tennis club captain. He remembered how Kirihara made him laugh earlier. And he had to smile now. It was as if everything happened by some grand design. Looks like it's my turn to learn from someone younger. I'm not so fond of video games, but what's important is, I'll be with Akaya.
Yanagi thought: Am I really too critical? Do I really think too much, that I see problems where there aren't any? He looked back down at the book in his hands. But he couldn't read the words. His mind was flying off again. Akaya made me shut up... Finally, after several failed attempts at concentration, he sighed, closed the book and got ready to leave the library. A video arcade...I could get good data from this.
Unbeknownst to all three, they set off at almost the same time to find the same thing. And the three friends met again in the middle of a wide open plaza within campus.
********************
"Akaya -- !"
Three different voices called Kirihara's name all at once. When Kirihara turned, he saw the three most powerful members of the Rikkai middle school men's tennis club, close by and coming closer.
He almost jumped out of his skin.
"Se -- sempai?!"
But the trio's attention wasn't on Kirihara. None of them even answered his greeting.
This was a truly rare event: Rikkai middle school tennis club's three strongest players were standing in one spot -- staring each other down.
But the most hostile stare was Genichirou's (of course).
"I got here first."
"What do you mean, you got here first? I had to look over my shoulder to spot you."
"Stop arguing...if we're going to measure distances, I'm closer to him than either of you..."
"That's because you were the last to stop walking!"
"Sanada. Your heart. Guys, take it easy, okay? We're not going to fight over this."
"Don't waste your breath, Seiichi. Genichirou's fuse has been short all morning. There's a 92% chance he's ready to punch someone right about now."
"...You know what, Renji, if I'd intended to use my fist at all today, I would've used it on you earlier."
"Hmm. Big words."
"Why you -- !"
"Hey! Stop it!! Are you taking this seriously? Sanada, get a hold of yourself!"
Kirihara stood staring at the proceedings in disbelief. What are these three fighting about now? And what did they want with him, why did they have to call him all at once, as if choreographed?
Oh well. Life is hell. On with the agenda.
His next target was Marui. He couldn't find Yagyuu and Niou, where could those two have gone this time...
"Akaya? What're you doing just standing there?"
Kirihara turned toward the new voice. His alarm and frustration vanished when he saw the approaching gum bubble, large laughing eyes and red hair. "Marui-sempai!"
Marui glanced at the three people of his year level arguing not so far away. While chewing bubble gum like that, it looked like he was the only one in the whole Rikkaidai campus who didn't have anything worth angsting over. "Hey, even those three...? Why do they look like they're fighting?"
Shrug. "I dunno. It's like they're fighting over something, but I dunno what..."
Marui looked over at him. "Is it you?"
He looked over at Marui too. "Idiot, why'd they fight over me."
"Oh, you didn't know...? There really are just days like this, when those three get on each other's nerves. Usually it's all because of one person."
"Huh...?" This time Kirihara was wide-eyed.
"Yup. Last year, it was me."
"Eh, really?!"
"...Well, no." Pop. Scratch red head. "They were fighting about something else. I don't even remember what it is. But I was the one they got to mediate. Y'know how that goes, they put me in the middle then argued all around me...like they actually cared if I had anything to say..."
"Aah..." Kirihara turned his dazed look back to his three sempai. "So...they were planning to make me mediate?"
"Maybe. In that case, you poor little bastard. Not even you deserve that." Before Kirihara could complain, Marui laid his hand on his head (Marui was slightly taller than him back then) and shouted over to the people deeply engaged in debate: "I'm borrowing the chibi, a'right?"
"Stay out of this!!" was Sanada's only answer. And the other two didn't even notice Marui. Fine. A shrug, then he considered himself free to lead his kouhai far away, to peace and quiet.
"Ah...is it okay for us to leave them there?"
"Oh yeah. If they're arguing like that, it means they're at least ready to meet each other eye to eye. They're going to make up in the end, it'll be like nothing happened."
"That so? Well, okay. It's a good thing you found me, Marui-sempai! I was looking for you..."
"Yeah? Why?" Pop.
"Just wanted to ask if you got a girlfriend yet."
A loud, hearty, ringing laugh from the Rikkai team's master volleyer. "Akaya, in your opinion -- which girl in her right mind would actually hook up with a member of our tennis club?"
A short silence on Akaya's end. "You got a point there, sempai."
"Natch." More popping. "Look at Niou and Yagyuu, they adapt good...they don't have to worry about girls on Valentine's Day anymore."
"Huh? What's that mean?"
"...Nothing. So that's it? You're researching for your classmates, aren't ya? I went through that too."
Kirihara then proceeded to pour out all the exasperation built up over the previous days: "Not just my classmates! Even my sister! Even my sister's classmates!"
"Tch. Sucks being a first-year. But why didn't you just wait 'til practice so you could ask us all?"
"...I didn't think of that."
A sigh. "Hey, before I forget: you know that new video arcade downtown?"
Kirihara's impish face lit up. "The one near the coffeeshop? I heard they got new fighting games!"
"That so? All I know's they have a cool new drum machine. Wanna go later after practice?"
"Hot damn, let's!"
On that Valentine's Day, a happy pair, arms linked, made their way to the Rikkaidai tennis courts as if everything on earth was beautiful, and their road was paved with rose petals.
THE END
*********************
and kudos to all the effin' GREAT writers, artists and writer/artists among my friends. belated happy easter, you guys all rock <3 <3 <3
hands are full at the mo, but WILL try to leave more comments before the week is out. would just like you to know you are making this one strange and unlatched-together rikkai fangirl very, very happy ^_______^