The camera is a photographer's eyes
I guess that's why it was my camera that first saw it-
My feelings for you that kept growing little by little
It was already a hobby by the time I noticed,
I'd always click the shutter whenever you're around
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Beloved
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Light coming from the monitor and a lampshade dimly lit up the room. The sound of a finger softly clicking the mouse was the only thing that can be heard.
With one elbow propped on the desk, Fuji was leaning on his palm. His sapphire eyes, partly concealed by half-closed eyelids and long eyelashes were fixed on the monitor.
Click. Click. Click.
A small frown creased his eyebrows. "What to do..." He let a sigh escape his lips. His photo manipulation project was due tomorrow, but it had only been assigned that afternoon.
---
The entire class groaned.
"Don't worry about it." The professor grinned placatingly. "There should be no problem, because there's no specific theme."
But for Fuji, who had a very fickle mind, that made it even harder.
"Should you find it difficult to decide on a theme, why don't you just think of something that might reflect yourselves... your feelings... your heart...?"
---
"These pictures all look so…" He tried to think of the appropriate word, index finger tapping his cheek. "Halfhearted."
He glanced at the lower-right corner of the monitor, and the time showed that it had already been five hours since he sat in front of his computer.
File after file after file.
He had already opened twenty-four folders and looked at and analyzed over eight hundred pictures- both raw and edited- but nothing had quite captured his attention. More so impress him.
Technically, there was nothing wrong. The light was just right. The angle was precise. And the subjects were nothing less than captivating.
But he still couldn't choose which one to work on.
He nonchalantly clicked open another file.
This time it was a picture of Mount Fuji. Judging from the angle, it was taken from high above the ground. His drooping eyes suddenly lit up, and his slouched form straightened with such subtlety. A smile crept its way into his face as he looked closer at the picture.
That picture was taken sometime during the summer, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
---
He was in a Ferris wheel- the one with fully transparent cabins. When the altitude was just right and his camera poised at the right angle, he was ready to click the shutter.
He was just about to do so when his gaze shifted to the person sitting across him.
Fuji had always known that Ryoma's eyes were beautiful, born from the habit of always looking- up close- into those twin orbs whose radiance put even the sun to shame. But at that moment, the golden rays that passed through the cabin's clear walls were illuminating the younger boy's face, bringing out the color of his eyes even more.
And since he wasn't wearing his cap, the top of his head softly glowed, giving the impression of a halo.
Ryoma was looking outside and Fuji could see the light pout playing on his lips, but even his bored face didn't belie the way his eyes glinted with childlike excitement.
Fuji readied his camera. "Ne, Ryoma."
"Hm?" Ryoma looked at him.
"Smile."
And Ryoma did so.
It was the first time he saw Ryoma smile like that. Fuji was so surprised he almost forgot to click the shutter.
---
"And then I had to wait for our compartment to complete another round and get back to that same spot before I could take this picture." Fuji chuckled.
"Come to think of it... that was our 'first date', wasn't it?" Thinking of how Ryoma would react if he heard that, Fuji had to stifle his laughter.
He looked back to check on the only other person in the room. He sighed, relieved, when he saw that he didn't wake him up.
He looked over the young boy lying on his stomach, blissfully asleep, with his Himalayan spotted cat sleeping on top of his back. Fuji couldn't help but smile.
His hands instinctively reached for the camera lying beside the printer, but stopped when a realization dawned on him.
This was why he didn't feel the least bit interested in any of the pictures he had been looking at the entire night.
Fuji shook his head, but the smile on his face still lingered.
"It's all this guy's fault."
---
The next day, a group of girls were huddled around a bulletin board right outside the multimedia arts department, where selected photos were displayed.
The one that got the highest mark was the picture of a young boy, looking over his shoulder, his gaze fixed on a breathtaking view of Mount Fuji at the background. It was brushed all over with delicate shades of blue and white, reflecting what a sky would look like on a warm day- clear blue with wisps of cottony clouds.
The label below it read:
"Beloved"
By Fuji Syuusuke
Disclaimers: Tennis no Oujisama belongs to Konomi-sensei.
geh. cheesy title, i know. actually, i wanted to post this in time for Valentine's... saa, i slacked off again. ehehehe (goes off to a corner and shrinks)