A.N.: I struggled with this, but I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy reading, and please review.
Word Count: 468.
Warning/s: No pairings unless you want them to be there. I'm guessing OOC-ness. Um, it's not a very happy fic... And my A.N.'s are probably longer than the story, as usual for me... Also, I could not think of a title so excuse that this is horribly named...
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After Akutsu Jin had managed to graduate from junior high, Dan Taichi was very depressed. In all honestly, he hadn't looked forward to becoming a second year.
Being a second year meant harder work. Dan was struggling to understand some of his homework assignments. In class he was mostly okay, but going home and finishing homework was worse. Perhaps this could be attributed to the better-suited-for-work classroom, but he didn't really care for that. Last year hadn't been this way for him.
On another note–the one that really dug into Dan's mind--it was harder to see Akutsu. Though last year Akutsu hadn't been on the tennis team for long and that had caused difficulties in seeing him, it had still been possible. And at least Akutsu was still in the same school then. Now he was in the high school section. (At least, that's where he was on the rare day he would actually attend.)
Dan Taichi missed Akutsu very much this year.
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Kita Ichiuma felt for Dan. He could clearly see the effects of him not having Akutsu as both still were on the tennis team. Kita knew exactly how he felt.
Kita rather missed his old doubles partner, Nitobe Inakichi. Sure, Nitobe (unlike Akutsu) had promised to continue to play with Kita on weekends when he was free from high school work, but they'd yet to meet up again. They'd pretty much lost contact, unless Nitobe went on the computer for research of some essay he probably was writing. Kita honestly had no clue what Nitobe actually did; he just knew they didn't talk.
Kita assumed Akutsu would be glad to get rid of Dan, his little tag-along, and would also apparently disappear from Dan's life. Akutsu wouldn't try to see or speak to him.
And apparently Nitobe felt that way about Kita.
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So, on one particularly clumsy day for Dan in tennis practice, Kita decided to go speak to the second year.
"Dan, I know you probably miss Akutsu," Kita began, and the second year looked up at his sempai. "But try focusing more on tennis here so you can actually make it to the regulars. Akutsu would probably like it better anyway."
Kita went back to his own practicing (not that he'd been on his game, he knew, as compared to last year), and left Dan thinking.
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Over the next week, Dan did a little bit better at practice. He seemed to focus more, and little by little, Kita saw some type of improvement. Muromachi seemed to agree, as by Friday he gave Dan a few kind words about his hard work.
And after practice, Kita opened his locker to find a tomato inside, with a sticky-note of thanks from Dan.
Kita decided he should try to take his own advice after that.
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A.N.: This one was difficult for me. I think I may have been lucky enough to keep Dan in character, at least for the most part, but Kita was difficult. I don't really know anything about him, other than what I've read elsewhere. Muromachi should be fine, too, I think, as he's hardly mentioned. And I hope I got Akutsu but I'm pretty confident in that as well. Nitobe is like Kita, though. So if there's OOC-ness anywhere, I apologize.
For this especially I would very much appreciate reviews telling me how I did with the OOC-ness and just anything you have to say about the story. So, please, go review and tell me anything. I'll thank you with a story for you (if you so desire and I can manage to write a decent one) or putting your name in my next fic as thanks. Hope you enjoyed, and please review!