A/N Dear Lord. This is epically long, especially for me. It took me a pretty long time to finish this, and most of the times I was high on Italian bread. I love Europe, it gives me so many ideas. This is probably chock-full of OOC-ness, so please excuse me.
I guess I might as well tell you guys to expect more Hyoutei from me. I'm craving more and more of this lovely team these days. Although, how this pairing came up, don't even ask me why. I guess I'll call it the Shadow Pair, since them two's the shadows of Hyoutei. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Let's be reasonable now, shall we?
It was near the end of the school year when Hiyoshi first distinguished the difference between Kabaji and a robot. Of course, he knew before; but deep down inside of him he could never acknowledge that Kabaji had a mind of his own and was not just someone carrying out orders day and night.
Hiyoshi had been hitting some balls around on the court with a random first year that day when Coach Sakaki went to talk to him.
"Hiyoshi." The deep voice of the coach stopped both players immediately. The orange-haired first year turned around to peer up at the imposing man.
"Yes?" His voice was unwavering; able to take on whatever the coach was to say to him.
"Your form is dropping. Fix it before you get holes in your playing style." And with that, he sat down on the bench near the court where the two were playing in.
"Yes sir." Suddenly, Hiyoshi had a new glint in his eyes. He needed this moment. He needed to prove that next year (when Atobe would undoubtedly pass on the leadership baton to him), he would carry Hyoutei on his shoulders with no worries at all.
Thinking this, he leaned back into his famous position to strike a sure ace.
"Your elbow sticks out too much." Just as he was about to hit the ball, he heard the sentence. Stopping his movements, he gripped his tennis racket in his hand.
"I'm sorry, sir." He said as he got ready to serve again. This time he was able to snatch a few points before more complaints were heard.
"Loosen up your shoulders." Hiyoshi did it with a silent nod.
"Turn your right foot 60 degrees to the left." Hiyoshi ignored the irritation that was building up inside him.
"Your hair is too long. Cut it." Hiyoshi was just about ready to tear all his hair out. The entire afternoon he couldn't get through three minutes of playing without being interrupted on how he was playing tennis the wrong way. Who did Coach Sakaki think he was? His form and playing style was unique, and it was cultivated to be different. He didn't need some 'pro coach' to correct the style that was ultimately made just for him. He was doing just fine without his help, and he didn't need a damn haircut.
At the end of the one match that seemed to take forever, Hiyoshi moved to the bench to take a long refreshing sip of water. After the intense concentration it took to keep all that burning irritation and fury inside, he was truly tired.
Coach Sakaki watched this with a frown. "You're tired after this little match? That's just unreasonable, Hiyoshi. Why, by this afternoon's practice session, I can see that you need to work harder. With so many flaws in your play, Hyoutei might have to make Choutarou the next captain." He left the bench and Hiyoshi without another word.
Seething, Hiyoshi gripped the water bottle so tightly it bent into a weird shape. He took two steps toward the retreating back of his coach, and began an angry sentence.
"Why you-" He had barely made it through the second word when he was stopped by a tall, muscular wall.
Kabaji, the towering second year, looked down upon him. He let his hand rest firmly on Hiyoshi's left shoulder, as if to hold him back.
"Don't." This one word made Hiyoshi's whole body react. For some reason, the mixture of hearing Kabaji's deep, low voice so close to him and having him actually say a decent word made the first year's hands tremble.
They stood like that for what seemed like forever in Hiyoshi's mind. In reality, it was barely half a minute, but when the two's eyes locked, the intensity and power of the contact was probably able to bend time and space together.
Realizing that this was a special moment indeed, Hiyoshi stopped his rampage to carefully think about the situation. After some quick thinking and judgement, he decided to take the tall boy's words to heart. It wasn't every day that Kabaji spoke something other than "Usu", so the advice he gave must be wise, Hiyoshi concluded.
"Thanks." The murmured syllable seemed to satisfy Kabaji. Releasing the smaller boy from his grip, Kabaji nodded silently and then went on his way.
Something in Hiyoshi told him that that moment would be the start of something big.
For the next month, Hiyoshi barely spoke anything to Kabaji again. He could always see the second year scurrying around, preparing things for Atobe's graduation. After all, it was something special. The king of everything and anything was leaving junior high in just a month. Lots of preparation had to be done, and Kabaji was the ideal man for the job.
It was the second to last tennis practice when Hiyoshi found himself being watched again. This time, Coach Sakaki said nothing, just watched as Hiyoshi beat Gakuto into the ground.
Of course, Hiyoshi was worried, if only just a little. He had discarded all of the man's advice, and was playing like he always did. It was his tennis, and he would do it his way, coach be damned.
After a couple of snarky trades with Gakuto, Hiyoshi made his way over to the coach. He looked down at the man sitting on a chair, not asking for anything. Their eyes met, and held each other's gaze with no trace of fear or anger. It was just simple, pure hardness.
"You don't take advice, and you're very stubborn. Keep your temper in check, and you will make a good captain." Sakaki said firmly. "You may go."
"Thank you, sir." This time, it was Hiyoshi who left. And when he did, he felt a surge of pride run through him. And in fact, he was pretty sure that the tiny smile from Kabaji who was across the courts was not a figment of his imagination.
"Atobe-sama, good luck in high school!" Such girly screams were heard everywhere, and Hiyoshi was trying to find somewhere where he wouldn't be able to hear them. Girls were really just so annoying.
"Hiyoshi!" He turned to see Choutarou, flushed and bright as always.
"Hello." He greeted, seeing Shishido amble up to Choutarou from behind.
"I hope Hyoutei will make it to Nationals next year! Please take good care of me and our team!" Choutarou smiled energetically.
"I will." Hiyoshi offered nothing more than those two words, but Choutarou took them to heart as if they had been a long heart-moving speech.
"Hiyoshi! Come here." He heard his name called once again, this time by Atobe.
"What?" Honestly, all the loudness in the big gym was aggravating him. He didn't want to be near the source of it all.
"I am going to make you the new captain of Hyoutei, and Kabaji is to be the vice-captain. Listen closely and be honoured by my words." Atobe flipped his hair over his shoulders in a proud fashion.
"As the leaders of Hyoutei…" And then became the long, boring speech. Hiyoshi only half-paid attention, and instead he took the time to look carefully at the new vice-captain of Hyoutei.
As usual, the face was stony and unreadable as a gravestone. Even if his loyal master was leaving, Kabaji would never show any emotion. In a way, Hiyoshi was thankful. He tried to tell himself that it was because he wanted an emotionally stable guy to help him lead Hyoutei, but something in his head told him otherwise.
"…And that is all." Hiyoshi snapped back to attention at the last few words. He tried to make a thankful and polite face.
But in the end, all Atobe got was the usual hard-faced "Thank you very much."
"Young ones. So unappreciative." Sniffed Atobe as Hiyoshi bowed and took his leave. He then proceeded to talk to Kabaji.
Hiyoshi was wandering about when he caught the drift of the last few sentences that Atobe was saying. He listened closely and intently to what Atobe had to say to his long-time friend.
"…help Hiyoshi to grow to his full potential. He will sprout to be something great, and you must ensure that that happens. Hyoutei will grow immensely under you two, and soon, we will be the top once again. All I'm saying is, help Hiyoshi and Hyoutei to grow to be bigger and better. And most importantly, Kabaji, grow yourself." Hiyoshi was amazed at how sincere and friendly the great and mighty Atobe Keigo sounded.
At this period of time, all thoughts that Kabaji was a robot disappeared. Kabaji was a living, breathing human. He was a friend, a support, and soon, a vice-captain.
"Kabaji." He sought out the other boy a little bit later. The sound of his name on his tongue was so strange and different, but undeniably nice and almost exciting.
"Usu." The one word assured Hiyoshi that he had the other's full attention. That's what Kabaji was like, he presumed. He was so stable and trustworthy that he could go through life and never say more than one syllable, and nobody would ever think that he was fooling them.
Yes, he would be an excellent vice-captain.
"Let's make Hyoutei the top." Hiyoshi felt older and more powerful already, commanding such a guy with strong leadership words.
"Yes." Kabaji took a break from his usual word to show the formality of the circumstances. After a pause, a corner of his lips turned upward to make a minuscule smile. "Captain."
Maybe it was the low tremor of the deep voice. Maybe it was the closeness of the situation. Or maybe it was the little word that one little word that gave him all the confidence in the world. Whatever it was, Hiyoshi was blushing, and his legs were shaking.
If Kabaji had noticed any of these things, he kept it to himself as his poor, blushing captain excused himself away.
The first few weeks were unbearable. Everywhere Hiyoshi went, Kabaji was sure to follow. It unnerved him to feel the older guy's presence behind him, so close yet so distanced. He didn't understand what was going on with him. His nerves would peak whenever he saw the other near him. His heart would beat faster every time he heard that deep voice. It was going to drive him insane, or so he thought.
Later, he couldn't feel safe or comfortable out of the almost protective barrier that Kabaji gave him. It was like he had gotten so used to him that when he wasn't there it felt like something was missing.
"What do you want?" He finally asked one day when the two of them were alone in the clubroom. He was steadily working on the ranking matches while Kabaji was standing behind him, being silent.
The questioning look Kabaji gave Hiyoshi made him tense up. Was it just normal for Kabaji to follow any old person around? Was he just looking for someone to order him around like Atobe did?
"Do you want orders? Do you want me to push you around like Atobe did?" His voice sounded harsher than he thought, but he couldn't take them back. Hiyoshi Wakashi did not take back his words. There was too much pride in him.
Kabaji looked long and hard into Hiyoshi's eyes, as if to wonder if Hiyoshi was really as think-minded and stupid as he appeared. When Hiyoshi said nothing, Kabaji let out something of a sigh.
"Friends." The tone of his voice as he said it sounded different to Hiyoshi. It wasn't the usual strong, supportive sound he was used to hearing from Kabaji. In fact, it was more deep, and it had an essence of feeling and persuasion in it. How Hiyoshi gathered this much from the little word that he spoke was a wonder even to him.
"Friends?" Hiyoshi asked weakly. Why was it that he was so wary around Kabaji? It was like his coolness, the distance he put between him and everyone else was torn down in front of the big, tall guy. He hardly believed in friends. In fact, he barely trusted anyone. After being at Hyoutei, he knew perfectly that no one wanted to be your friend without some sort of deeper meaning, some kind of goal they wanted to achieve. Knowing this, he never let anyone come close to him. But this guy, this big guy who barely spoke, had done something Hiyoshi had thought was impossible.
He made Hiyoshi feel. When Hiyoshi was around him, he felt emotions. His heart beat faster when they leaned in close towards each other. He felt embarrassed when he said something that was not as intelligent as he meant it to be. He felt protected when he walked around with Kabaji behind him. He felt powerful as he led the new tennis club members through their first practice.
With Kabaji, everything was different. The question Hiyoshi asked himself, however, was did he want to feel? Did he want to break down the barriers he made for himself, or did he want to keep going as he was, unfeeling and uncaring?
There were definite bonuses with the latter option, he knew. It was safer for him, and his team. However, as you may know, Hiyoshi was not a coward.
"Friends." In fact, he quite liked the sound of the word on his mouth. Being far more mature than his age, Hiyoshi offered his hand to his new friend.
The minute they touched, both guys felt an electric shudder run through their bodies. Hiyoshi's blood was flowing so quickly to his face he wondered if his heart was still okay. Not even in tennis did this much adrenaline rush through his veins to make him so excited. The thrill of this contact, however, made him shudder. Whatever it was, he liked it.
Kabaji wore an almost surprised look on his face. In his eyes, an area was uncovered, discovered for the first time. It was almost like his eyes were… shining.
Both guys did not move. Neither did they notice that they were still holding hands. Later that night, Hiyoshi lay in his bed and stared long and hard at his hand. It still felt like it was on fire, and the adrenaline pumping through his blood had not stopped, either.
He didn't remember who broke off the handshake first. He didn't remember who he had put together for the ranking matches. He didn't even remember when and how he had gotten home.
All he did remember was that heart-stopping sensation when the two of them touched.
In the first week of the new Hyoutei Regulars team, Hiyoshi swore he must've grown at least 50 gray hairs. All of them (for lack of a better phrase), were extremely mada mada dane. The only decent players were Kabaji, Hiyoshi, and Choutarou once he found a good doubles partner.
At first, he didn't see it. He was so aggravated at his team's ignorance that he didn't pay attention for a while, until it struck him in the face.
He really hadn't done anything for the team. He didn't even know what was going to happen the next day.
He found this out while running laps as part of morning training. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. When did they get a morning training schedule? Who decided the schedule? How did it get known?
All at once, he understood how much of a captain he really was. He only focused on glaring and belittling his team, instead of trying to cultivate the weeds into blossoms.
He turned around and jogged over to Kabaji, where he fell in pace comfortably with the third year.
"Sorry." He muttered, feeling like the worst of the worst. He was the captain, and all he had done was pile mistrust onto his team and leave all the work to the vice-captain, who had already done so much for the team, for him, last year.
"Why?" The deep voice threw him off guard.
"I left all the work to you, and only stood there selfishly scowling." He balled his hands into fists. "I am such a lousy captain."
Kabaji didn't say anything for a while. When he did, it was on their last round of laps, when both of them were tired and tense, but didn't show it.
"The vice-captain supports." With those words finished, Kabaji walked away, leaving Hiyoshi to stare after him almost dazedly. If any of the panting, sweating Regulars noticed this exchange, they were too tired to remark on it.
By the end of the first month, Hiyoshi learned something important. Kabaji didn't take orders, he was guided. He had a great sixth sense that told him to do something, and most of the times he knew what you wanted to say before the words even formed on your tongue.
For instance, Hiyoshi only had to stand and glare at the Regulars fooling around on the court, and already Kabaji was walking over to them, silently warning them to get back to practice. Together, they formed a bond that was seen and respected by everyone. Perhaps Atobe only gave the 'orders' out loud because he liked hearing his own voice so much, Hiyoshi thought.
His days were falling into a pattern. Strangely, every single activity and space of his mind was not occupied by tennis, like it was before. Neither was it about crushing opponents into the ground. Instead, they were all about a certain tall third year who didn't talk much.
In the morning, he would come to school early, jog with Kabaji to the local grocery market, and buy 2 big bags of rice. Lugging the bags back to Hyoutei wasn't easy, but it strengthened their muscles and helped their stamina.
Once at Hyoutei, they would pour and separate the two big bags into 7 smaller bags, and label them as 'Punishment'. They were to be used whenever a Regular had the nerve to be late or do something equally disastrous. The Regular would then have to run 30 laps with 1 small bag strapped to his back and one to his front.
After this long and tedious job, they would clean the courts, make sure the tennis balls still had air in them, and relax for a while. As the other Regulars started trickling in, they would start a warm-up match between the two of them.
During the morning preparations, hardly a word passed between the two. The silence that hung over them, however, was far from tense. It was relaxing, almost, how they didn't need words to communicate.
All during morning and afternoon practice, they never spoke too much either. All the team members seemed to have established that the captain and the vice-captain had some sort of telepathic bond. When they passed each other, no word was said, but you could feel something had been talked about in that brief moment. To be frank, it freaked Hyoutei out.
It was after everyone was gone that they would start talking. Hiyoshi was now used to Kabaji saying more and more words to him, sometimes even forming a sentence. The two would talk about everything from possible doubles teams to a new practising regime or even the weather.
"It looks like it'll rain." Hiyoshi said one day as he stared out of the gloomy clubhouse.
"Yeah." Kabaji didn't say 'usu' much anymore, much to the confusion of Hiyoshi. He wondered if he had done something to repel the word from Kabaji's mouth.
"What are you doing?" He walked over to watch as Kabaji folded the new training schedule into a tiny paper airplane. Like children, they watched silently as the little airplane flew around the room, finally crashing into a wall.
"Do you like paper airplanes?" Hiyoshi asked, picking the little thing up. Unfolding it, he refolded it again into a different shape. He let it fly, proud to see that it did better than the other one.
"Of course." Kabaji smiled lightly as he picked up the crashed airplane, and folded it into a different shape and watched it soar.
Soon, paper airplanes were flying everywhere, Hiyoshi and Kabaji frantically folding more and more, both trying to aim at the other. After a while they resorted to just crumpling the paper into little balls and pelting each other. Amidst the chaos, both wore faint blushes. No one would've noticed because of the paper flying everywhere, but secretly, the two boys were quite happy to hear the others' happy, laughing voice.
When the chaos slowed down and they ran out of paper, Hiyoshi looked at Kabaji and got a shock. It was like a whole different person. His face was flushed (with embarrassment or liveliness he didn't know), his smile was bigger than it had ever been, and his eyes shined with childish mischievousness. Realizing that he probably looked equally crazy, Hiyoshi cleared his throat with a red face.
"So…" He inspected the littered mess of the clubroom.
"We should clean it up." Kabaji's voice held a tinge of remorse, as if he wanted to keep going.
"I bet I can pick up more." Not even Hiyoshi knew why he had said it. Maybe it was the sad look on his friend's face. Or maybe it was because he wanted to stay a child a bit longer before returning to stone-cold mature regular Hiyoshi.
Without another word, they both picked up big trash cans, and snatched up every piece of paper they could find. Hiyoshi searched the left side of the room while Kabaji cleaned the right.
After he was finished, Hiyoshi surveyed the room. Kabaji had considerably more paper balls on his side, so it took him a bit more time. Once again, a strange feeling ran through him, and he found himself advancing silently upon his vice-captain.
The strange childishness possessed him for a second time as he slowly tipped the entire contents of his wastebasket onto Kabaji.
"Ah?" The pure sound of confusion brought Hiyoshi to laughter once more. When Kabaji turned to look at him, he was almost rolling on the floor. He had never thought it'd be possible for such a mature, hard face to look for all the world like a perplexed little boy.
His laughter, disappeared, however, once he was hit in the face with an even bigger amount of crumpled paper.
And just like that, the whole thing began again.
After the room was relatively tidy again, Hiyoshi and Kabaji would look at each other, and smile. It was like their on secret joke, pleasure for just the two of them.
And of course, before the two of them would leave for their respective cars, they would pause right in front of the clubhouse door.
"Good work." Hiyoshi would say, extending his hand.
"You too, captain." Would be the ever-steady response. And with that, they would shake hands, smile, and leave. This simple gesture would be the highlight of the day for Hiyoshi. Ending one meeting with the thing that started everything was very much to his old, traditional style. As for Kabaji, well, he didn't look like he didn't enjoy it. And that was enough for Hiyoshi.
Gradually, they became closer and closer. By the time their team was at the semi-finals (if you had told Hiyoshi 4 months before that his team would end up in the semi-finals, he would have scoffed) the two were almost inseparable. Their after practice meetings went on longer, the handshakes held more firmly for longer periods of time, the knowing looks shared many times more. Hiyoshi was even planning to get in touch with his inner feelings.
He knew, deep inside him, that he had grown fond of Kabaji.
Almost too fond, he found out a day later.
He was playing against Shinji Ibu, someone he absolutely couldn't stand. To make the match less annoying, Hiyoshi found himself sneaking looks at his vice-captain, who was playing in the courts across from him.
It was a shock, to say the least, when he heard "Game, Set Match Fudoumine!" All at once, he was brought back to earth as his team mates looked at him disbelievingly and Fudoumine's cheering escalated to the sky.
"Captain, are you okay?" Over the months, the team had grown immense respect for their captain. It seemed to them that he never slept. Even though he was younger than most of them, not one of them believed they would ever be as mature and hard-working as he. So, when the mighty one fell, they help but to wonder if something had gone wrong.
"Yes." Hiyoshi muttered. "Everything's wrong." He left the bewildered Regulars to go take a walk outside. He couldn't bear to be inside, where the Fudoumine Regulars were still cheering their hearts out.
And that's when he realized what he should've known all along. As he tried to remember what he had done wrong during his match, he found out with a sickening jolt he recalled more aspects of Kabaji's match than his own.
Groaning, he sat down on a stray bench and put his face in his hands. For the next half an hour, he didn't make any movement. He was in deep thinking, and he tried to sort out his thoughts. He knew he liked Kabaji. He felt like his feelings were reciprocated. He knew he hadn't been concentrating on his match. He knew he was stupid. He knew his team was disappointed and puzzled. What he didn't know was what to do.
"Let's make Hyoutei the top." His words echoed in his head. His chest heaved, and his adrenaline went slower than usual. He was falling into despair, and only after a match that he hardly remembered.
"Hiyoshi." It was the first time he had ever been called that instead of 'Captain', and his heart clenched. He kept his head low, showing the true shame that he felt. It felt like he was having an affair on his responsibilities as captain.
"I won. We're going to the finals." Short and brief, it only brought Hiyoshi more pain. He bit his tongue, trying to stop from letting all his guilt flow out.
"It's okay-"
"No, it's not." Hiyoshi cut him off, sharper than he intended. His voice cracked. "I failed, Kabaji. I let my thoughts run before my duties." He didn't dare look up into the third year's eyes.
"Hiyoshi." It was almost a plead.
Hiyoshi lifted his head. Kabaji stared into his eyes. They both felt tense, but their muscles wouldn't let them move from their spots.
Hiyoshi's eyes, unguarded, let all the pain he was too proud to say flow into Kabaji's. Kabaji's face, strong and hard, showed the true need and want for Hiyoshi.
Slowly, Hiyoshi lowered his head again. He was certain he had conveyed his thoughts and feelings to the other. He was sure now what he was feeling was heartbreak.
"I understand." It was strange how Hiyoshi could hear the pain and remorse hidden underneath the usual monotone.
When he finally summoned up his courage to look back up, Kabaji was gone.
He wanted Kabaji so much it tore him up inside. Hiyoshi was scared of how deeply he felt for the boy. The team had won Nationals the week before, and was rejoicing for the time being. Hiyoshi and Kabaji still hadn't said a word to each other.
The team could feel the tension, but no one said a word. They all knew it was tied to the incident of the semi-finals, because ever since then the two became distant. No more knowing glances, no more after practice meetings, hardly even warm-up matches.
Hiyoshi knew, now, that it was perfectly safe to embrace his feelings. The hardship was over, the guilt almost gone. But something was stopping him. To be truthful, Hiyoshi was scared. Whoever said that Hiyoshi wasn't a coward was a bloody idiot. He was scared of himself, of what he was feeling, and most importantly, of seeing Kabaji leave him for high school.
So he distanced himself stupidly, and constantly killed himself on the inside for being such a coward. Sometimes, he just felt like running across the courts and jumping into the big strong guy's arms, viewers be damned.
But then he would begin to doubt himself. With each passing day, he grew less and less confident in himself. By the last month of school, Hiyoshi was sure that Kabaji had just thought of him as a friend.
It made sense, he thought to himself. Kabaji was only doing what Atobe told him, and once they got to high school, Hiyoshi would be cast aside for Atobe. And it wouldn't be that surprising, he knew. After all, he had treated Kabaji like total dirt, while Atobe had embraced their friendship with open arms.
The day before Kabaji's graduation, Hiyoshi had curled up on the sofa with a bucket of vanilla ice cream and watched Titanic. That way, if his mom had asked him why he was crying, he could blame it one the movie.
He had lost his chance. He had had no chance in the beginning. He was an idiot.
Digging his spoon into the bucket, he watched stone-faced as the two lovers danced across the screen. Tears streamed down his face, and a box of unopened tissues lay beside him, unused.
As the credits rolled around, Hiyoshi stared emotionlessly at the screen.
It was over.
"Congratulations, Choutarou." Hiyoshi greeted the tall silver-haired boy holding a diploma in his hand.
"Thanks, Hiyoshi!" He smiled shyly. "You were a great captain."
"Thank you." Hiyoshi smiled bitterly. His eyes still hurt from the midnight crying he did the past night.
"Um, Kabaji is over there, and he's graduating, and we all think you guys should talk and make up." Suddenly, the whole Regulars team showed up, agreeing and nodding. They all looked uncomfortable, because they were advising the stone cold captain that had been ordering them all year.
Hiyoshi hesistated. But looking at his team gave him a little courage. Courage to move on. "Yeah. Okay." Hiyoshi felt numb. He walked stiffly over to Kabaji, trying to just get the hardest part over with. He was probably only half-conscious when he stood behind the graduating third year and cleared his throat to alert his presence.
"Hiyoshi." Kabaji's eyes knocked Hiyoshi back into life. All at once Hiyoshi's barriers were torn down by those pleading, hurtful eyes.
"C-congratulations." He couldn't even say the word clearly. He stuttered like a fool and his voice was barely steady. It took all he had not to jump up and just kiss the big guy.
"I'm sorry." The low voice was full of regret.
"Don't be sorry. It was my fault, anyways." Hiyoshi's voice cracked, like the strings on his heart.
Kabaji looked like he wanted to say goodbye, but knew it would be too much for the other boy to handle. So, he put his hand on the shorter one's shoulder.
"Bring Hyoutei to the top."
Hiyoshi could feel himself breaking down.
"Yes." His voice was barely above a whisper. The pain and realness of it all flowed between the electricity of the two's bodies. "Goodbye, Kabaji."
Kabaji broke off the eye contact with great difficulty. He walked heavily past Hiyoshi, but not before whispering something for his ears alone.
"There's nothing good about it."
Hiyoshi was utterly, completely lost. He was, in all areas, a complete mess. His studies were below par, his tennis horrible and off, and his feelings a wreck.
His team didn't know what was wrong. All they could do was hope it wasn't permanent.
The new vice-captain, a guy named Jidou, was at a loss. He couldn't do it like the old one did.
He couldn't do it like Kabaji did.
A light shown down on him. With a grim face, he picked up the phone.
"Captain, I'm leaving." Jidou called out to the last one in the clubhouse, still working on various papers.
"Good work." Was the distracted answer. Jidou felt pity for the guy. He had been so powerful, so strong just a year before. Why had he fallen from grace?
It didn't matter, Jidou thought. Hopefully, everything would be settled by the next day.
He walked outside to where Kabaji was standing, waiting for his signal.
"He's in there." He barely finished the sentence before Kabaji was moving for the doorknob. Sighing, he turned to walk away. He would never understand those two.
"Jidou? Did you leave something?" Hiyoshi, hearing the door open, asked without lifting his head from the paperwork.
"No."
The pen dropped from his hand to the floor. The weary boy looked up to see what he thought might be a sick joke.
But it wasn't. Kabaji was right there, in front of him, like he always was. It had been so long.
"I heard that you needed some help." Kabaji moved to take the chair beside Hiyoshi, for once being the talkative one.
"Yes." Hiyoshi couldn't answer in any other way.
"Is this the new training schedule?" Asked Kabaji, lifting up one of the many scattered papers.
"Yes." It seemed to be Hiyoshi's new favourite word. He still hadn't picked up his pen yet.
"You should-" Before Kabaji could say another word, Hiyoshi was on him.
He couldn't believe it. Kabaji was back. He was sitting right beside him. He wanted to touch that face, run his fingers over those lips, carress those cheeks. Too late he noticed he was already doing it.
"Ah-" He jerked backwards, entire face red with embarrassment. "Sorry." He clenched his hands into fists and cursed his stupid uncontrollable body. "So, what did you say-"
The positions were switched as Hiyoshi got cut off by another pair of lips on his own.
Almost immediately, the two broke off, shocked at the reaction that happened when their lips met.
Hiyoshi touched his lips with the tips of his fingers, as did Kabaji. It felt like an electric current had passed between them, and boy, did Hiyoshi like it. The familiar thrill of passion and excitement overcame him as he leaned towards Kabaji for more.
But it only lasted an instant before he was reminded, once again, of his fear of Kabaji and himself.
He stopped, too frozen to move. He felt Kabaji's questioning eyes on him.
"Hiyoshi." Kabaji took the younger boy's face in his. "I love you." His voice was so soft, so smooth; it felt like he was wrapping Hiyoshi's heart and ears in velvet.
"Really?" Hiyoshi croaked out. He felt almost suspicious. The heavy burden he had been carrying since so long was really going to be lifted off him just like that? But more to the point, he had told himself so many times that he was unloved that he was unsure of what he was hearing.
Kabaji answered his question with another electrifying kiss. By the end of it, both were breathing hard, clutching their hearts and each other. Finally, Hiyoshi got his wish and dove into Kabaji's arms.
He never felt so safe and so protected in his life. He smiled into Kabaji's uniform, and he was sure the taller boy felt it.
"I'm so happy. I've waited for so long to do this." He said, glad he was burying his face into Kabaji's jacket. A Hyoutei captain wasn't supposed to blush this hard, he was sure.
"Then why didn't you?" Oh, how he missed that voice. He craned his neck up to see a faint redness on Kabaji's cheeks. He looked adorable.
If Hiyoshi got anymore unlike himself, he would have to change his name, he thought. But that was okay, because he changed because of Kabaji, and he wouldn't have it any way else.
"I didn't think you loved me." He whispered, leaning upwards.
Their lips met to rid of any uncertainties left.