Name: Back then and now
Author: Hikarino Aki
Beta: Milisante
Fandom: Tennis no Ouji-sama // Prince of Tennis
Characters: Hyoutei regs
Pairing(s): AtoJi, Silver Pair and a little surprise ^___^
Timeline: future
Genre: ummm… I dunno ^___^ is POV a genre?
Rating: Gen
Word count: 903
Disclaimer: Sadly, but I own nothing. If I did, PoT would be about Hyoutei… well, maybe it's not so sad I don't own it actually ^^
A/N: This is not what I wanted to write actually. But it never comes the way I want it anyway, so… hope you enjoy it. POV Jirou.
Back then and now
I guess it was love from the first sight. Or better – love from the first sound, 'cause the first thing I remember about him is his speech on my first day in Hyoutei Junior High. He was marvelous. He talked about changes he wanted to provide with such a confidence it made everyone believe him. He is still like that and even more. Back then he looked strange to all of us – a guy with absolute egoism. When I told Ryou and Gakuto he was interesting they looked at me like I was insane. But in the end of the day they just had to admit it. He definitely WAS interesting.
Never did Atobe pay attention to all those girls (and boys) who were in his fan-club. He greeted them – yes, but never crossed the line of plain acknowledgement. In his own way of course. He had his own ways. Always. And he never fully trusted. Anyone. Not even Kabaji. I know – I asked him.
Kabaji was the closest to him – yes. He had some extras when it came to Atobe Keigo. But that never meant Atobe would change his ways even with him. No way.
The second closed man was Yuushi. Because he was the first one to actually drag Keigo in that match and make him sweat. Not even all the regulars were able to do that. Atobe respected Oshitari and Oshitari returned this feeling. They were close friends. They still are.
Gakuto sort of liked Atobe too. But he would never admit that. He always shouted that Atobe was a "pissy bastard with no sense of style". Every time Keigo said "Ore wa KING da!" Gakuto whispered "o-hime-sama" and smirked. But he never ever disobeyed. Even when Atobe changed Yuushi into a singles player and made Gakuto himself play doubles with Hiyoshi. Though he whimpered about it to me after each and every practice. He respects Atobe much. But don't tell him I know.
Ryou was the only one who did not want to obey. Ever. Before he started playing doubles with Choutarou. But he too respected Atobe's power. In tennis and in life. Maybe it was not so obvious but he understood Keigo more than anyone. In tennis and in life.
Speaking of Choutarou… I wonder if he is okay. His parents were not as understandable as we all thought they would be. Much less than Shishido's. That was a surprise. But I hope it will work out somehow – after all Choutarou's elder sister already has the name of Shishido as far as she had married Ryou's brother.
Hiyoshi is abroad now – he is studying law in Germany. But he will come in two weeks to celebrate with us Kabaji's engagement. Not any of us could ever think that Kabaji will be the first to get married. His fiancée (Keigo said this is how we should call her) is a good girl – cheerful and bright. And she truly loves him. She makes him smile a lot. Kabaji has a beautiful smile.
Why am I writing it? That's because today I'm turning 21 and tomorrow I will move to a new home. The one which is mine and Keigo's. "This year is a new start for all of us" – Yuushi said after his first day working as independent psychoanalyst. – "We should remember how it was back then".
Back then… back then I could never think it may be love – I was never romantic, I'm not Yuushi. And Yuushi was the first to point it out. That I behaved strange around Keigo. Back then – Atobe-kun. I was watching him closely but never entered a fan-club. I thought they knew nothing about Keigo. Well, I was right but that's not the point. Although I was fanboying about Marui-san after that Newcomers Tournament and about Fuji-kun after those Regional Tournament – I never thought they can win over Keigo. They simply could not. But I never fanboyed about Atobe. Somehow I knew he would not like it. I even don't know how it all started. Our relationship. It's just… We were 18 and went to the same university. Me, Keigo, Yuushi and Gakuto. We all were attending TouDai. Me and Gakuto were on History, Yuushi – on Medicine and Keigo – on Politics and Economy. Ryou was attending veterinarian college. It's not like we met often but we still played tennis. All of us. We met once in a week in Hyoutei tennis club (they could not forbid us and they still were proud so we could play there on weekends). But we rarely met in University. We even did not know where to look for one another. But one day he just came when some random girl was going to confess her feelings to me and said "Sorry, but this guy belongs to me". I was surprised. I was shocked. I thought no one knew. Well, Yuushi suspected something and told me a month before that I should do something. I told him Keigo has other things to think about and I'll be okay. He sighed and said "Do what you want…" and never raised that theme again. I don't think he could tell Keigo 'bout that. Anyway. Now it's two and a half years after that. And I guess I must thank them all for whatever they did or did not. Now I am happy and hope they are too. And will be forever.