TITLE: UNDER THE GROTTO: A Closure Is All I Am Asking For
SUMMARY: [AU] Sequel-ish for Under the Grotto. What would happen if Yuuta became a bridge between two lost souls? Set six years later after the Epilogue
"Too long have I waited for you
Too long have I seek for you
Too long have I dwelled of our past
Too long have I been imprisoned in your memory
Too long have I linger in this cage of the past
Too long have I had my heart yearned for you
But no more...
And here... beneath is grotto,
Where all things have started...
It shall end also."
Six years & nine months later...
A group of college students were gathering by the school parking lot, mostly were guys yet there were a couple of girls with them. All of them were clad in sporting clothes. And they were chattering about the new sport they were about to play: squash.
"Squash?" one of the guys voiced in obvious incredulity, "isn't that a vegetable? How are we supposed to play it?" That question basically hushed all the conversations. It seemed all of them had no idea what Squash really is. Is it a veggie, or a sport?
"It isn't a veggie, you silly boy!" a woman voice yelled. They all turned to see their Physical Education Teacher, Kanzaki-sensei, approaching them with her backpack and clipboard.
"She couldn't have heard me, could she?" the guy who spoke earlier whispered to his friend who shrugged in response. "And yes, Fuji-kun, I heard you," the teacher replied grumpily.
The students' eyes widened. 'She couldn't possible hear that whisper,' all of them thought in wonder and in doubt.
"Well, yes it is also," Kanzaki-sensei continued, "But technically, in this class, we're going to play the sport Squash. Not the veggie! How do you expect to play a vegetable, huh?!" The teacher ended her ranting with a shake of her head.
After taking the attendance, they all boarded the school bus to head towards the Squash Centre.
"What's a squash centre, sensei?" the guy called Fuji asked again. A vein popped on their teacher's forehead as she drove.
"Oh well, maybe that's where we can play squash, don't you think, Fuji-kun?" the sarcasm in Kanzaki-sensei's voice was enough to make him embarrassed. The entire class had burst into laughter.
Thirty minutes later, the class reached the Squash centre. And thus there Kanzaki-sensei started explaining what squash really is to those who were clueless to what really is.
"Squash is a sport," sensei explained stressing on the word 'sport,' "played in a 4-walled court with a racquet and a squashable rubber ball. It is pretty much similar with tennis but it has its differences. Now go get your racquets so I can explain the rules already!" the explanation ended with a command.
"Ah, ah, ah." Someone interrupted from a behind their teacher: a woman with long auburn tresses who was clad too in sporting clothes, and she was carrying a racquet similar to tennis racquets (though the head was thinner and longer) with her right hand.
"You forgot, sensei," the woman was saying, "they must wear eye protection too."
Kanzaki-sensei chuckled. "Why, of course. How could I forget about it, eh? Thanks for the reminder, Ryuzaki-san."
The two women were busy chatting, oblivious to the gaping guys at the sight of the younger lady. Then finally, one of the girls asked why they would need eye protections.
The young woman called Ryuzaki smiled. "Why else? But of course, to protect your eyes. Unless you want to lose an eye."
"Or both," another young woman joined them. Her hair was red and short that barely reached her shoulders with a pair of white barrettes on the either side of hair.
The girls of the class giggled excitedly. Not only were they joined by Ryuzaki Sakuno, but also by Tachibana An—the two most popular students in their school. The guys smirked, it wasn't everyday they get their eyes laid upon these beautiful ladies but also they get to interact with them.
Then Fuji nudged the guy beside him and whispered, "Who are they, Eba-kun?"
Eba stared at him in disbelief. "You can't be that naive, can you, Fuji-kun? You don't know them? They're like the most popular girls of school. And well, see her?" Eba jerked his head towards Sakuno, "she's the most popular goddess of the school. Ryuzaki Sakuno is her name. And her other friend with short hair, is Tachibana An."
Fuji stared at Ryuzaki Sakuno, up and down. She somehow looked familiar, it was like he'd seen her before but he couldn't remember.
Then Kanzaki-sensei introduced them one by one to the girls before them.
"And this one's Fuji Yuuta-kun. He's got someexperience playing tennis," Yuuta rolled his eyes at this because it was an understatement, "but he can be an idiot sometimes."
Kanzaki-sensei turned to Sakuno with a smile, "would you mind explaining and teaching him the stuff about squash? He'll only give me a headache." Much to Yuuta's embarrassment. The class laughed again, making him embarrass even more.
Sakuno beamed, "why yes, sensei." Then she gave Yuuta a wink which made his heart fluttered, making him blush.
Half an hour later...
Sakuno and Yuuta started hitting balls against the wall. Due to Yuuta's tennis experience and talent, playing squash wasn't so hard. He could play fairly well against Sakuno—who was considered in professional level. He could return all her shots, except the shot which bounces too close to the wall.
He sighed. She tried her best to teach him the shot which may counter and return the ball that bounces too close to the wall: boast, but he couldn't do it.
She beamed at him, "don't worry, Fuji-kun. You're doing well; actually you're better than I did the first time I played this. The boast really is a tricky shot. It took me 20 sessions before I mastered it." She must've seen his grimaced when she told him '20 sessions', because she told continued reassuringly, "But you, I think you'll be able to do it by tomorrow since you're doing tennis."
~*~
The class ended within an hour. And so they drove back to the school. Their teacher offered Sakuno and An a lift but they refused, since Sakuno got her car. On the way back to school, Yuuta's classmates inquired every detail about his lessons with 'Ryuzaki-san' much to his displeasure. He was so exhausted from playing squash. It was very similar with tennis, but you have to be quicker. Especially since Sakuno kept giving him drop shots every time he wasn't expecting it. 'But', he thought out of resolve, 'tomorrow he will be a better opponent and apprentice.'
The school bus arrived at the school within thirty minutes. And before Kanzaki-sensei dismissed them, she reminded them to meet there again tomorrow at the parking lot. After that, Yuuta headed off to the change rooms as fast as he could to elude his curious classmates. He got English next and he didn't want to smell all sweaty in class. Once he was done changing into his casual attire, he headed towards the English building where within 20 minutes, his class would start.
But on his way there, he saw her—Ryuzaki Sakuno, ahead of him. "Hey, Fuji-kun!" she waved at him. He waved back and walked towards her.
"Hey, Ryuzaki-san." He flashed her a smile while nervously clutching the strap of his bag once he reached her.
Then she started walking ahead of him. She stopped when he didn't follow so she gestured him to walk with her. "So, you have English next too?" she asked him.
"Yeah," he replied. He glanced at her. He still couldn't shrug the feeling that they had met before. A minute passed without a word, and the silence was awkward. Yuuta wanted to say something but he didn't what.
"By the way," she started again, "why does your classmates kept laughing at you earlier? As if there was some private joke I was missing." He stared at her and saw her looking up at him, her eyes shone in a teasing way.
"Uhm, because I was... clueless about the sport?" he could not think of a better reason. He couldn't bring himself to tell her how he thought the squash they were going to play which involves the vegetable.
"Nah, you're not telling me something. Is there something else?," she said casually, as if they were close friends.
"Nothing really," he muttered but loud enough for her to hear.
"Is that so?" she asked in curiosity.
"Okay, you're right," he gave up, "It's because I thought we were gonna play with the veggies." Yuuta thought she wouldn't get it, but then she laughed.
"Geez, that's not news to me. A lot of people made the same mistake, and sensei knows about that," Sakuno winked at him, "I made the same mistake myself too."
Yuuta was appalled at this revelation. And though he tried to mask his surprise at this piece of information, his widened eyes gave him away making Sakuno smile.
"You might even evolve into a better Squash player than I am."
It echoed in his ears all over again. Yuuta couldn't help the blush from painting his face. Hours passed since he had a conversation with Ryuzaki-san, and he couldn't forget the compliment he received from her. His eyes were unfocused, as if lost in a daydream.
And it didn't go unnoticed by his older brother. His older brother smirked as he watched his brother daydream, while he was supposedly watching the finals of Men's Wimbledon Open. He continued to watch his younger brother for the next ten minutes, laughing mentally because his little brother was so oblivious to it. Then something hit him, not literally though. The symptoms Yuuta was showing could only mean one thing:
Yuuta's in love. Or so he thought.
So he decided to tease him about it. As the older brother, he felt it to be his responsibility to inquire about his love life. Shusuke crept to his brother's behind. And when he thought the timing was right...
"So who's the lucky girl?" Shusuke inquired in a whisper at his younger brother's ear, which was enough to make Yuuta jump at his feet.
"What is wrong with you, Aniki?! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Yuuta yelled at him, his eyes wide with surprise. He watched as his Aniki flopped down the couch and propped his elbow on the armrest, his cheek resting against the back of his hand. And the smile his older brother was giving him told him he's up to something.
"I just wanna know who the unlucky girl?"
Yuuta glared at him. "First of all, she's not unlucky! Second..." he stopped talking when he realized he fell for his older brother's trap.
Shusuke smirked triumphantly. "So who is she?"
Fuji Shusuke stayed up all night. Not that he wanted to. It's just...
"Ryuzaki Sakuno."
It was needless for him to inquire further. That name, he knew perfectly well to whom it belonged. Though it's been a decade since they last formally saw each other, he could still remember her very well. Too perfectly well.
He suddenly slammed his fist on the wall, growling. Four years ago, he just caught a glimpse of her at a shopping mall. And now, she's his otouto's love interest.
"Damn." It's just been four years yet things had suddenly turned too complicated. How did things unexpectedly turn this way?
~*~
Never had Shusuke seen his little brother this happy in all his life. Just because of a girl—particularly, the girl he first loved. A month passed since Yuuta joined the University Squash Club, and things were going well with his childhood best friend and otouto. As brother, he was happy for him. And he didn't want to take that happiness away from him. So he did every little thing to hide the truth.
"Ne, Aniki. I still couldn't shake the feeling that I've met Sakuno-chan before."
Shusuke would never tell his little brother why. It could only make a misunderstanding between them and he didn't have any intention of straining his now healthy relationship with his otouto. Thus, he hid all his childhood photo albums. And he also hid the picture frame he had of him and Sakuno under the grottowhich usually sits on his nightstand. He had to make sure Yuuta would never find out of his past with his crush.
One Squash Lesson…
"Ne, Ryuzaki-san?" Yuuta hurried towards the front wall to return the signature killer drop shop, Sakuno's favorite.
"Nice one, Fuji-kun!" his opponent chirped as he was able to return it successfully with a drive. Yuuta saw a glint in her eyes as she returned it with another drop shot, which he then failed to return.
"Mada mada dane, Fuji-kun." The auburn-haired commented in a teasing yet stern voice, "You shouldn't press your back against the wall so hard during a rally. And don't forget to focus." Yuuta panted during her lecture. Sakuno scrutinized him under gaze and she sighed, "Take five."
Yuuta watched her head towards the door and went out of the court, as he sank down against the wall, and could only smack his forehead with his hand. She's obviously purposely dodging to have a conversation with him. So he figured out he just had to…
"So, ready?" he turned his head towards the door and found her back again. Instead answering her query, he posed her another question.
Take her head on.
"What if he already has a boyfriend?" Sakuno confided to him during their last session that she came to Tokyo just to look for her childhood best friend and her first love—who he knew practically was his Aniki.
She did not play dumb. She simply glared at him. She walked past him towards the front court and starting hitting the black rubber ball against the wall rather… harshly.
"Why don't you tell me?" she said through gritted teeth. Though her back was facing him, he knew her eyes were hard. 'She had not thought of it,' he thought. But when he replayed her words, he realized something.
"Wha—?"
She turned to face him after hitting a very powerful smash against the wall, and catching the ball with her small petite hand.
"Surely you didn't think I don't know you're his otouto, right?"
One night, Yuuta came home excited. Like he discovered something really interesting. Or as if something happened out of ordinary.
"Aniki! Aniki!" he was calling impatiently.
Shusuke hurried down the stairs at his little brother's call. "What's up, Yuuta?"
"She finally said yes!"
Shusuke didn't have to ask who. Nor ask clarify it. And he didn't want to either. He just feigned shock and happiness for his little brother.
"What a miracle!" he exclaimed, deciding a joke might disguise the pang of jealousy which stroke him upon the news.
Their older sister, Yumiko, decided to make deserts as a celebration. Yuuta finally had a girlfriend for the first time. Or so that's how they interpreted it. And they teased him ceaselessly about it. Though neither of them saw the triumphant glint in Yuuta's eyes.
"So, Yuuta..." Yumiko glanced at Shusuke for approval, who approved nonetheless, "when are we going to meet Sakuno-chan?"
~*~
Shusuke was dreading this day. The day his childhood friend and first lovewould be introduced to him as if they never knew each other. He wondered if Sakuno would pretend like she never knew him—he wished she would. For Yuuta's sake.
"But what if she doesn't recognize you anymore? After all it's been more than a decade." He heard his sister say.
It never came to him. That idea never occurred to him.
"Wouldn't that be better?" Yumiko suggested.
He turned to his sister, and Yumiko was terrified when she caught sight of his sharp cerulean eyes filled with something more than sadness.
Sakuno did not make it much to Shusuke's relief. Yuuta informed them that Sakuno had something she had to attend to.
And so that weekend, Shusuke decided to visit Chiba. It had been long since he visited there. And the last time he did, he failed to visit the grotto. Of precious memories.
"Wow, this is unexpected."
A soft yet mocking voice commented. He could hear approaching footsteps towards him. He did not turn to face the newcomer until he heard her halt just an arm away from him. And he was overwhelmed with shock.
There before standing him, clad in simple yet familiar lilac-colored dress, was none other than Ryuzaki Sakuno. She held him under her impassive gaze.
"You never returned to this place," she started speaking, her voice were hard and almost accusing. "I thought you never would. I lost hope waiting for you. I thought you had an accident resulting you having amnesia or you had just really forgotten about this place—about us. Or maybe you just didn't care about me anymore? Why now, Shusuke? Is it because you think I'm dating your little brother?"
There was no pity in her voice.
"You knew? Wait… what you mean?"
She gave out a cold chuckle. "I knew all along he was your brother. Well, actually at first, I thought he was you, you see. Then I remembered your eyes were cerulean blue... not gray... and they were sharp, sharp enough to pierce through my soul."
"Then why...?"
"I loved you, do you know that? You weremy first love. I waited for you! But you can't expect me to wait for you a decade! I am just human... my patience wears out, Shusuke."
"So why then... why didn't you stop waiting?"
"'Coz you never said goodbye.."
"So you wanted a closure?"
"That's all I am asking for, Shusuke."
He stepped towards her, but she did not step back. They held each other's gaze. Shusuke was desperately looking for something in her eyes.
"What if you I don't give it to you?"
Sakuno gave out a soft gasp. "You can't—!"=
He pulled her in a kiss. A long searing kiss. She tried to push him away. Though with all the strength she obtained from playing squash throughout the years, he was just too strong for her. Finally she gave in after a thousand moments. It started to rain but more than a light rain could bring the kiss into a halt. Not that Shusuke would bring it to an end.
~*~
"How did it go?"
Shusuke was surprised to see his otouto awaiting his return by the doorstep, much less see him grinning like an idiot.
He glared at him. "You made me look like an idiot."
"You are anidiot, Aniki," Yuuta retorted with a snort, "so how did it go?" He watched as his older brother remove his shoes before walking past him.
"Not really good," it was just a mumble but he heard it.
"Why? I thought she loves you?" Yuuta followed him, and watched his aniki collapsed on the couch.
"I don't know. She was asking for a closure," the way he said it sounded so bitter and full of resentment.
"And did you give it to her?"
"I can't… I didn't…"
As his brother, Yuuta knew something was off the hook with his brother. "Aniki…"
"When I refused, she said…" Shusuke trailed off as he remembered her words.
"You're still as selfless as ever, Shusuke. But… being selfless doesn't mean you're the only one who is in pain, don't you know that?"
At the remembrance of her last words, Shusuke dashed out of the house.
"…oh, I'm an idiot!" he ran out of the house as fast as he could.
"What? She called you an idiot?" Yuuta yelled after him.
But he was a little too late…
Shusuke ran as fast as he could, not knowing where to go. He parted with Sakuno at the train station, there's no way she would linger there. He didn't know either where she lives and nor does Yuuta.
The following day, Yuuta informed his anikiabout what he learned about Sakuno from school and the teachers. Most of his information was from his physical education teacher, Kanzaki-sensei. And the information he garnered were far more than appalling and unbelievable.
Shusuke could not believe all that he just heard. It was too good and dreadful to behold. Hearing it made him thousand times more horrible.
"Hey, aniki. I did some digging about Sakuno-chan," Yuuta took his older brother's silence as cue to continue. "She dropped out of school. Well, she's actually hardly a student in the university," he kept stealing glances at his aniki to see his reaction but he betrayed no expression he might be feeling inside. He sighed from the lack of reaction and response.
Yuuta continued, "She was just a temporary student, which means she enrolled in the college just temporarily." Then he glanced at his aniki and saw him roll his eyes. Then he gulped before continuing to tell him the details he gathered.
"And just this morning, as early as 7 a.m., she dropped out of school to fly back to Australia… where she is currently residing. It turned out that she did some digging herself… about you before... you know." He paused, looking at his brother as a pair of sharp cerulean eyes revealed all emotions: guiltiness, pain, confusion…
She changed a lot. More than a lot, he reckoned. But he was not allowed to see all of those changes. Yet he could say that she was no longer the shy girl she was. When she talked to him, she was full of confidence.
Shusuke felt guilty more than anything else. Not only he made a girl wait for a decade but also cry.
How ungentlemanly.
He knew he didn't deserve someone such as her. Unlike her, he did not really look for her. He was waiting for fate to pull the strings. And so fate did. In a way he least anticipated to.
But surely he could still do something about it, right?
A couple of years passed…
And there she was, sitting comfortable by the window while having her cup of coffee. Her long auburn hair cascading upon her shoulder, she was wearing a pair of diamond-studded earrings, a cherry petal pendant hanging around her neck by a white gold necklace, and she donning a simple strapless pink dress. Every man, single or not, in the restaurant kept stealing glances at her. She was a beautiful goddess to behold.
At least, with the large amount of money he paid for his accommodation, it was all worth it.
"You didn't honestly think you can evade me forever, right, Sakuno-chan?"
Lifting her head up to face the one who addressed her, out of politeness, she found herself looking at a pair of pair sharp cerulean eyes—the ones she knew too well. Only to realize she was imprisoned under his intense and penetrating gaze.
He smirked. "Checkmate. There's no escaping me now in the middle of Pacific Ocean."
Sakuno searched into the very depths of his eyes and she beheld sorrow, pain and anguish. But he was just late—more than too late.
"Remorse is a little too late, Shusuke-kun." She lifted her left hand and a spark twinkled about her ring finger.
She saw as his eyes widened for a fraction of second before he pulled her left raised hand and took the ring off, then he ran out of the restaurant. She chased him, trying to retrieve her ring. Then she suddenly, she felt somehow nostalgic.
Chasing him brought back memories of her childhood past—the past she had been trying so hard to forget so she could move on. Then he stopped, which made her stop too. Sakuno looked around her, they were at a veranda. Suddenly, she understood his intention. And she hurried to him to stop him but she was just a second later. Her eyes were wide in shock.
"Shusuke-kun! What do you think you just did?"
He smirked at her; His sharp blue eyes shining.
"I believe I just threw the thing that was tying you to your ex-fiancée."
'Ex-fiancée?' who was he kidding?
"It would take more than a diamond ring to stop me loving you."
THE END
I hope it was good enough for a sequel.