Remembrance - Day Four
Title: Remembrance
Pairing: TezukaFuji
Rating: G for now
Genre: Romance/Drama
Warnings: Spoilers, and this is shounen ai
Disclaimer: I don't own Tezuka and Fuji. They own each other, though.
Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
A/N: here you go! Hurrah! There's only one switch here. ^_^
Hint No. 4: What you’re reading right now… it’s just a subplot. The main plot will appear in the last chapter. -insert evil cackle-
oOo
One runs a risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed… - The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
oOo
Remembrance - Day Four
oOo
“Like” wasn’t quite the word that described what you felt. It left you an impression that was much too casual, too impersonal, too abrupt. “Like” was used by couples as an excuse to hold hands, to kiss in front of public and you weren’t sure you agreed with that.
When she asked you again, “Is there someone you like in particular?” you replied in your usual toneless way, “I am attached to someone.”
She nodded slowly at this before finally speaking. “I see.”
Somehow, you found yourself relieved that she didn’t ask any further. You didn't feel at all willing to offer any explanation.
“We’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow,” she told you offhandedly. “Could you help me shop tomorrow? I promised some friends that I’ll give them gifts from Japan.”
“You can ask Fuji to do that,” you said pointedly.
You saw her lips tighten as she said, “Can’t you? Are you very busy? Besides, Syusuke’s not allowed to go out and strain himself unless for school.”
A crease formed on your brows as you considered her request. At that instant, the door of the clubroom creaked open and he emerged, slinging his bag on his shoulders and wearing a smile that never quite left his face.
“Yukino,” he said cheerfully, “we should be going.”
“Can you go with me, Kunimitsu?” she asked, her wide and round eyes were fixed on you.
You pressed your lips together and unconsciously threw a glance at him. “Ahh,” you said coolly.
“Really?” she asked, brightening up. “It’s a date, then!”
Perhaps you were putting too much hope, but you thought you saw his eyes flicker rather sadly in your direction. But he must have recovered instantly or you simply must have been imagining things for he chuckled and said, “Let’s go, Yukino. Tezuka,” he turned to you, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Ahh,” you said quickly.
She showed up unsurprisingly early the next day. She told you that she didn’t mind waiting for you to finish practice. She replied with a grin when Eiji asked why she was dressed up and early for the day. “I have a date with Kunimitsu,” she said.
“Really?” asked Eiji with eyes widening.
She laughed, however. “No, not really,” she said lightheartedly - all to your relief.
When practice ended, she practically dragged you down the sidewalk and toward the mall so you couldn’t possibly have noticed the pair of eyes that was watching your disappearing figures.
You couldn’t understand where she got the energy that fueled her to enter nearly every store that you passed by. By the end of the day, you found yourself worn out you thought you’d rather play a hundred matches than shop with her again.
“Thank you, Kunimitsu,” she began to say as you strode out of the mall, lugging shopping bags and boxes with you.
“Hn.”
“Kunimitsu,” she called gently. She tilted her head so you could see her gleaming brown eyes. “Do you remember what I told you that night after the play?”
You blinked at her. “No,” you said honestly.
“I told you then that I liked you,” she said. You noticed that her head was down and her eyes were fixed on the ground. “I still do.”
Choosing not to say anything, you walked steadily behind her.
“This person, the one you like, is very lucky…” she started thoughtfully. “But I hope you enjoyed this afternoon. I really did.” She stopped at the bus stop and said, “I’ll be going then. By the way, Syusuke wanted me to ask you if you could call him tonight. He wants to discuss your project.”
Your eyes gained a warm color then but you hoped that she didn’t notice the way you reacted upon hearing his name. “Yes, I will.”
As soon as you got home, you reached for the phone and gave him a ring. You promised to do the project with him and when you dropped the line, you went down for dinner and your mother noted that you were almost smiling.
“I thought you’d want extra credit,” he told you once you were inside his room the next day. “And I thought you wouldn’t want the weight of schoolwork adding to the things that you have to do for the club.”
“Ahh,” you said, concomitantly pulling out your reading materials from your bag. You settled on the extra seat before his desk as he bustled around, gathering his own materials.
“Tezuka,” he said, dropping to the seat beside you. “Yukino ordered me to tell you ‘Take care.” He smiled gleefully at you. “And she thoroughly enjoyed the date.”
You found his smile forced or, perhaps, you hoped so. “It wasn’t a date,” you said matter-of-factly and you couldn’t help but sound as if you were defending yourself.
“Indeed?” he asked, but you could see that his quaky smile did not alter. “But she likes you, don’t you know?”
“Ah.”
“You know?” he asked. He raised his brows in question. “I see,” he said when you jerked your head in a nod. When you didn’t respond, he propped open his book open and he began writing. For ten minutes or so, all you heard was the scratch of pen against paper and you deftly avoided trying to glance at him every so often.
“Tezuka.”
You almost instantly lifted your head then. “Hn?”
“I’m also very fond of you, do you know?”
You couldn’t help but stare. You studied his face, searching for some signs that he was on to one of his pranks again. He was almost always spouting random things at you and you often used to wonder why he even bothered to share things that you rarely ever had a response to. You used to think that he was just being random or being the trickster that he often was. But you saw no mischief in his eyes. The answer to your queries dawned on you then.
You heard him sigh. “You seem to be a little fond of me, too,” he said pensively. You noticed that his smile was genuine this time and a bit hopeful as well.
“Ahh.”
You had a glimpse of his eyes for a second or two. Then, he closed it again as he flashed a beam at you.
“Fond” was a warm word. And you had to admit that it did explain a lot why you were content just standing right next to him while watching tennis games, why you were comfortable sitting right next to him in class and why you were heartened to study whenever he invited you to go to the library. Fond. Perhaps, he was right. Perhaps, "fond" was the word.
You were only thirteen then and you didn’t yet quite understand what these things meant. But as I look back, I realize that it was the start of a relationship that would be deemed unusual, uncertain, unnamed.
oOo
As his lips opened slightly with the suspicion of a half-smile, I said to myself, again: “What moves me so deeply, about this little prince who is sleeping here, is his loyalty to a flower - the image of a rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp, even when he is asleep…” And I felt him to be more fragile still. I felt the need of protecting him, as if he himself were a flame that might be extinguished by a little puff of the wind… - The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
oOo
a/n: Phase one of Remembrance is over. Now, we have four more. you see that little ‘splice’ button down there? You’ll be given lots and lots of love (and some more meringue) from vierblith if you clicked it and dropped a review. Theories on who the 'I' is and why will be accepted and might be confirmed. ^_^
Pairing: TezukaFuji
Rating: G for now
Genre: Romance/Drama
Warnings: Spoilers, and this is shounen ai
Disclaimer: I don't own Tezuka and Fuji. They own each other, though.
Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
A/N: here you go! Hurrah! There's only one switch here. ^_^
Hint No. 4: What you’re reading right now… it’s just a subplot. The main plot will appear in the last chapter. -insert evil cackle-
oOo
One runs a risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed… - The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
oOo
Remembrance - Day Four
oOo
“Like” wasn’t quite the word that described what you felt. It left you an impression that was much too casual, too impersonal, too abrupt. “Like” was used by couples as an excuse to hold hands, to kiss in front of public and you weren’t sure you agreed with that.
When she asked you again, “Is there someone you like in particular?” you replied in your usual toneless way, “I am attached to someone.”
She nodded slowly at this before finally speaking. “I see.”
Somehow, you found yourself relieved that she didn’t ask any further. You didn't feel at all willing to offer any explanation.
“We’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow,” she told you offhandedly. “Could you help me shop tomorrow? I promised some friends that I’ll give them gifts from Japan.”
“You can ask Fuji to do that,” you said pointedly.
You saw her lips tighten as she said, “Can’t you? Are you very busy? Besides, Syusuke’s not allowed to go out and strain himself unless for school.”
A crease formed on your brows as you considered her request. At that instant, the door of the clubroom creaked open and he emerged, slinging his bag on his shoulders and wearing a smile that never quite left his face.
“Yukino,” he said cheerfully, “we should be going.”
“Can you go with me, Kunimitsu?” she asked, her wide and round eyes were fixed on you.
You pressed your lips together and unconsciously threw a glance at him. “Ahh,” you said coolly.
“Really?” she asked, brightening up. “It’s a date, then!”
Perhaps you were putting too much hope, but you thought you saw his eyes flicker rather sadly in your direction. But he must have recovered instantly or you simply must have been imagining things for he chuckled and said, “Let’s go, Yukino. Tezuka,” he turned to you, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Ahh,” you said quickly.
She showed up unsurprisingly early the next day. She told you that she didn’t mind waiting for you to finish practice. She replied with a grin when Eiji asked why she was dressed up and early for the day. “I have a date with Kunimitsu,” she said.
“Really?” asked Eiji with eyes widening.
She laughed, however. “No, not really,” she said lightheartedly - all to your relief.
When practice ended, she practically dragged you down the sidewalk and toward the mall so you couldn’t possibly have noticed the pair of eyes that was watching your disappearing figures.
You couldn’t understand where she got the energy that fueled her to enter nearly every store that you passed by. By the end of the day, you found yourself worn out you thought you’d rather play a hundred matches than shop with her again.
“Thank you, Kunimitsu,” she began to say as you strode out of the mall, lugging shopping bags and boxes with you.
“Hn.”
“Kunimitsu,” she called gently. She tilted her head so you could see her gleaming brown eyes. “Do you remember what I told you that night after the play?”
You blinked at her. “No,” you said honestly.
“I told you then that I liked you,” she said. You noticed that her head was down and her eyes were fixed on the ground. “I still do.”
Choosing not to say anything, you walked steadily behind her.
“This person, the one you like, is very lucky…” she started thoughtfully. “But I hope you enjoyed this afternoon. I really did.” She stopped at the bus stop and said, “I’ll be going then. By the way, Syusuke wanted me to ask you if you could call him tonight. He wants to discuss your project.”
Your eyes gained a warm color then but you hoped that she didn’t notice the way you reacted upon hearing his name. “Yes, I will.”
As soon as you got home, you reached for the phone and gave him a ring. You promised to do the project with him and when you dropped the line, you went down for dinner and your mother noted that you were almost smiling.
“I thought you’d want extra credit,” he told you once you were inside his room the next day. “And I thought you wouldn’t want the weight of schoolwork adding to the things that you have to do for the club.”
“Ahh,” you said, concomitantly pulling out your reading materials from your bag. You settled on the extra seat before his desk as he bustled around, gathering his own materials.
“Tezuka,” he said, dropping to the seat beside you. “Yukino ordered me to tell you ‘Take care.” He smiled gleefully at you. “And she thoroughly enjoyed the date.”
You found his smile forced or, perhaps, you hoped so. “It wasn’t a date,” you said matter-of-factly and you couldn’t help but sound as if you were defending yourself.
“Indeed?” he asked, but you could see that his quaky smile did not alter. “But she likes you, don’t you know?”
“Ah.”
“You know?” he asked. He raised his brows in question. “I see,” he said when you jerked your head in a nod. When you didn’t respond, he propped open his book open and he began writing. For ten minutes or so, all you heard was the scratch of pen against paper and you deftly avoided trying to glance at him every so often.
“Tezuka.”
You almost instantly lifted your head then. “Hn?”
“I’m also very fond of you, do you know?”
You couldn’t help but stare. You studied his face, searching for some signs that he was on to one of his pranks again. He was almost always spouting random things at you and you often used to wonder why he even bothered to share things that you rarely ever had a response to. You used to think that he was just being random or being the trickster that he often was. But you saw no mischief in his eyes. The answer to your queries dawned on you then.
You heard him sigh. “You seem to be a little fond of me, too,” he said pensively. You noticed that his smile was genuine this time and a bit hopeful as well.
“Ahh.”
You had a glimpse of his eyes for a second or two. Then, he closed it again as he flashed a beam at you.
“Fond” was a warm word. And you had to admit that it did explain a lot why you were content just standing right next to him while watching tennis games, why you were comfortable sitting right next to him in class and why you were heartened to study whenever he invited you to go to the library. Fond. Perhaps, he was right. Perhaps, "fond" was the word.
You were only thirteen then and you didn’t yet quite understand what these things meant. But as I look back, I realize that it was the start of a relationship that would be deemed unusual, uncertain, unnamed.
oOo
As his lips opened slightly with the suspicion of a half-smile, I said to myself, again: “What moves me so deeply, about this little prince who is sleeping here, is his loyalty to a flower - the image of a rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp, even when he is asleep…” And I felt him to be more fragile still. I felt the need of protecting him, as if he himself were a flame that might be extinguished by a little puff of the wind… - The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
oOo
a/n: Phase one of Remembrance is over. Now, we have four more. you see that little ‘splice’ button down there? You’ll be given lots and lots of love (and some more meringue) from vierblith if you clicked it and dropped a review. Theories on who the 'I' is and why will be accepted and might be confirmed. ^_^