Bravado
Hi all! I know this is a pretty fast update, compared to some of my absences, but what can I say? The plot bunny yelled jump, and I didn't bother to ask how high.
Thanks to all who've read, reviewed, favorited, or put me on Author Alert! You guys are awesome!
One last thing before I let you get to the drabble. I just have to put a shout out to Thai Tea Addict in here, even though they'll probably never read this, because it was their story In a Handbasket that first planted the idea for Seigaku's Insanity in my head, and their updating of said story that inspired me to dive back into my "idea pit" and pull this out.
Disclaimer: Seigaku is not mine. Atobe is not mine. Dang it, what is mine? *cough*nothing*cough*
Timeline: Sometime before the Kanto Tournament.
Hyotei- the ones who will be the winner.
Atobe- the one arrogant enough to call himself Ore-sama.
Seigaku- the ones determined to crush that ideal into dust.
Atobe Keigo. The King of Hyotei. The strong, confident, arrogant tennis player determined to beat Tezuka, no matter what. The one who wants to win.
Everyone knows this; acknowledges that Atobe is a gifted, if occasionally crazy tennis player, someone who might actually have a chance at beating the Pillar of Seigaku. He's strong and talented, and the crazy is mostly negligible; besides, it's to be expected- he is a tennis player.
The source of his rivalry with Tezuka is somewhat well known as well, at least among their two teams; Tezuka beat Atobe once, and the King has never forgotten it. But that's the not the only thing he's never forgotten...
He will always remember the look in Tezuka's eyes as he turned a simple defeat into a crushing loss for the Hyotei attendee. And it had been crushing, no matter how close the score was. For all that Atobe could wield the World of Ice now, he'd never felt such cold as when he locked gazes with his opponent. He had seen a glimpse of what lay behind the Seigaku regular's mask, and it terrified him, because that glimpse did not reveal a sane man.
Atobe still declares that he'll beat Tezuka. He is still arrogant, still gifted, and still odd with the occasional touch of most of the time, all of that is completely true. Most of the time, he believes wholeheartedly in what he says.
But there are days when he remembers looking into eyes as cold as absolute zero, and all the arrogance becomes nothing more than a mask, to disguise the seed of fear that Tezuka left in the King's heart, that no matter how good Atobe becomes, it still won't be enough. There are days, when indulging in his oddness, that touch of crazy that makes him both loved and hated, still isn't enough to let him forget that flash of insanity beneath Tezuka's stone facade.
There are days, when all he has left is bravado.
And... cut! I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of Atobe through the SI universe's lense. It took me awhile to even think of what angle of Atobe I could write from, but I actually really like the way this turned out. Read and review?