100 themes challenge [3/100] / Rejection

A/N: I was planning to make every part of the challenge a one-shot, but this story's a bit longer than the other's so I'm splitting it instead. Ryohei's a Third Year and Hana's a Second Year in high school, and Ryohei is a bit less intense than normal by the way. Enjoy!

I let the boxing club leave earlier than usual as soon when I caught Kyoko walking by through the window. When my members questioned my actions I brushed them all off by telling them that we would have a double practice tomorrow. They all bowed to me and one by one filed out of the practice ring—and I threatened them that if they so much as looked at my sister they would have a triple practice tomorrow instead of double. I know Kyoko hates it when I scare people (especially guys) away from her like that—but hey, I do it to protect her. Anyways, I didn't cancel practice just for Kyoko. I canceled it for her.

I quickly cleaned up the facility and gathered my things then sprinted to the locker room to do a quick change before running on my way. No time to shower unfortunately—I have to take my chances that I don't smell as sweaty as I look. Within five minutes flat I was able to make it out of there with my school clothes back on and both my school and gym bags slung over my shoulders. With every ounce of energy I had left, I ran to my sister who was walking toward the front of Namimori High School.

"Big Brother!" she exclaimed when she caught sight of me coming toward her. "What're you doing here? I thought Boxing Club still had another hour left?"

"I know," I said through my huffing and puffing. I guess I had less energy than I thought. "But I let everyone out early today."

"That's weird, I thought you loved staying late for practice."

"I do, but I just wanted to…walk with you home, so you wouldn't be alone." A perfectly executed white lie.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow with that look she got whenever she was suspicious of me. "But today's a Tuesday," she said. "You know today I walk home with—"

"Hey, Kyoko."

"Hana, you're here already," Kyoko greeted.

There she was, Hana Kurokawa. I've known her as long as my sister has, but I had never given her a second thought because well, I never particularly cared. But all of that changed when I saw that that in the future.

In my future self's room there was a picture of the two of us, and my arm was around her. Even someone as clueless as myself was able to gather that I must have become romantically involved with my little sister's best friend at some point in those ten years. I don't know how and I don't know when, but some way or another my future-self was able to win the heart of that girl—a girl I never actually thought had a heart to be honest.

"Oh, Ryohei, you're here," she said then scrunched up her face. "And you're all sweaty. Gross."

Hana had always been kind of…well she had always been mean about things since my sister brought her home. Always critical, with her nose stuck up at everything and everyone—especially to guys. "All boys my age looks like monkeys to me," was her famous phrase. I never really bothered talking to her because of that kind of intimidating attitude—not to mention the fact that she's loads smarter than me.

She stepped past me with and began leading the way home while me and Kyoko (still with that suspicious look on her face) exchanged glances behind. "Well come on you two, we can't just fly home—move those legs."

My sister walked a bit ahead of me to talk with her friend, and I spent time in the back mulling over why I was so interested in Hana. Maybe it was because I liked that she didn't like me—since I love a challenge. Or maybe it was because I was interested in understanding someone so different than me. I don't know, I still haven't figured out the reason why my future-self chose her, but there must be some reason—right?

"Ryohei, walk further behind us, your odor from your sweatiness is starting to waft over to me," Hana told me. "You need to start showing after practice, otherwise I won't be able to stand being near you and your stench."

I hope there's a reason at least.

I kept canceling practice on Tuesdays to keep walking with Kyoko and Hana. I thought it would bring me closer to figuring out why it was Hana I was interested in, but after the fourth Tuesday in a row of walking with her I was getting ready to give up. If I haven't figured out why it's her that Future Me wanted by now, then maybe it's not meant to be. Besides, I don't have time to be thinking about a girl when I have boxing to focus on.

It was now the fifth Tuesday, and unfortunately for me my club had gotten used to being so lax on Tuesdays and started to like double practice on Wednesdays for some reason. Now I have no choice but to leave practice early to walk with my sister and her friend. Maybe if I take as much time as possible, they'll get tired of waiting for me and leave before me.

So I took time to clean up my practice facility better than I normally do and took an actual shower—soap and shampoo and all. Despite me dragging my feet however, Hana was still in front of the school waiting—but she wasn't with Kyoko. Odd.

"Oi, Hana," I shouted, jogging toward her. "Where's my sister?"

"She's taking some extra time to study with stupid Tsuna in the library," she answered.

"Then why didn't you just go on your own?"

"Because I wanted to wait for you."

She turned her back to me and began walking. I stepped up quickly to catch up with her and together we walked in silence. She wanted to wait for me? I wonder what her deal is, I thought she didn't care about me. Guess I thought wrong.

Halfway home she finally said, "Alright I have a confession to make."

"Yeah?" Okay, looks like she had a reason for waiting for my company.

"I was actually planning to leave early without you the moment Kyoko told me she couldn't walk home today, until I heard that a classmate had actually asked her to not come with me home because he wanted to ask me out. I knew that if I left early then that guy would've ambushed and annoyed me, so I waited for you."

"Why didn't he ask you out in front of the school where you were all alone?"

"I heard from a friend he was going to wait until I started walking home so he could 'coincidentally' bump into me. Then he was going to walk with me home so he could ask me then. So instead I waited in plain sight for you, and you scared him off immediately due to those scary muscles of yours," she poked my biceps.

"Seriously, are those made of stone or something? Geez."

"How come you didn't want this guy to ask you out? Something wrong with him?"

"Well, he's the top of his class, captain of the track team, and a part of student council."

"Then why—?"

"Because all boys my age—"

"Right, look like monkeys, I know. How could I possibly forget?" I rolled my eyes. We made it to her house shortly after and stopped in front of the steps to her porch. "Alright, I'll tell my sister you missed her when she gets home."

"You know Ryohei," she studied my face. "You've never actually looked like a monkey to me."

"I haven't?" I felt myself blush a bit.

"Nah, more of a baboon." She walked up her porch steps and I started to go on my way, until I heard her say, "Oh, and by the way, you smelled nice today."

For the first time, Hana smiled at me. Not one of those bored, sarcastic, or malicious grins she does, but a real smile. I watched her as she went inside her house, and clutched my chest over my heart. It was beating hard, but not the way it does when I'm done with a workout or finished with a fight. No, this thumping was different. And just like that, I figured out why my future-self had fallen for Hana Kurokawa—because of that smile.

"Good God if you stare at your sister any longer she's going to burst into flames or something," Gokudera said. "Are you really that concerned that someone's going to ask her out when you're sitting fifteen meters from her?"

I was sitting with the guys at lunch and coincidentally Kyoko sat down near us with her usual group of friends.

"I actually don't think he's looking at Kyoko," Yamamoto added.

He was right, I wasn't looking at Kyoko—I was staring at Hana who was sitting next to her. I can't get her out of my head. Every time I close my eyes at night I see that smile, then I break into a nervous sweat and toss and turn until I tire myself out enough to sleep.

"Why're you looking at Kurokawa, Ryohei?" Tsuna asked.

"Because she's my future."

I wasn't expecting them to act so surprised at me saying that, until I remembered I hadn't told them about the picture I saw in the future. To clear things up, I took a minute to explain things and although they all understood, they all still had those confused looks on their faces.

"What?" I asked.

"N-nothing," Tsuna stammered. "It's just that we never pictured you being so hung up on a girl…especially one like Hana," he shuddered. I forgot how abusive she was toward Sawada.

"It's weird," Gokudera sneered. "I thought you were in a committed relationship to your stupid boxing."

"Why don't you go ask her out?" Yamamoto suggested.

As stupid as it sounds, I never actually thought of that. That's it, it was so simple! I could settle this whole thing once and for all! I'll just go over there and ask her out—how hard could that be?

She and my sister got up and started to head back to class and I bolted after them. Kyoko squealed when I jumped in front of them and almost fell back if it weren't for Hana catching her.

"B-big brother, don't scare us like that!" she scolded as she hit my arm.

"Hana Kurokawa," I stood proudly in front of her then bowed. "Go out with me!"

I looked up at her from my position and noticed that everyone around us was staring—including my friends that looked absolutely mortified. Was it something I said? Too bold? After a few seconds of awkward silence, her stern expression was suddenly broken by her laughter that was so hard she doubled over. Why was she laughing?

"Good one Ryohei," she said, clutching her stomach with both hands. "Oh my God, I haven't laughed that hard in years," she said, grabbing Kyoko's arm.

"Brother, you shouldn't joke about asking girls out like that," she scolded again, flicking my forehead before leaving with Hana.

The guys walked up to me and we watched the girls head back to class. Gokudera put an arm on my shoulder with a smug-looking smirk on his face. "Smooooth."

"Shut up," I groaned.

That afternoon my teammates easily noticed how distracted I was during practice; I was letting them get punches on me here and there and I wasn't doing a thing about it. For once in my life I was too deep in thought to get fired up in practice.

"Um, captain…do you want us to work with the kick bags?" one of the members asked me.

"What? Oh yeah, sure Tachibana, do that."

I stepped out of the ring and walked to the practice bags hanging from the wall with my members, but then I saw a flash of black hair go by in the window. Without thinking, I sprinted out of the facility to go after what I thought was her.

"Hana, Hana!" I cried out. I caught up to her and spun her around, embarrassed to find that I was just wildly chasing after a girl I had never seen before. "S-sorry," I stammered. "Thought you were someone else."

The girl gave me an odd look and walked off quickly, and when I turned around I almost had a heart attack when I saw who was suddenly before me. Just my luck.

"Doing your confessing game again, Ryohei?" Hana asked. I opened my mouth to say something but words weren't coming out. "Geez, are you okay? You're making less sense than usual."

"Hana," I caught myself, giving her a stern look. "I meant what I said earlier. I'd like to go out with you."

This time she didn't laugh, instead she took a step back from me with a scowl. "You're insane," she said. "You're my best friend's older brother."

"You've always said you liked older guys, and I'm older than you by a year," I took a step forward and she took another one back.

"I've always said I like mature guys. And Ryohei, you're definitely not a mature guy. I mean, you have a one-track mind, you barely made it into high school and even so you're entirely unfocused on your studies, you're always running around screaming with Sawada and his friends, and you're just—well you're just not my type. Sorry." She stuck her nose up at me and left me in the dust. When she paused and turned around, I felt my spirits lift up. Maybe she changed her mind! "And you're also too sweaty."

I fell to my knees and groaned. Of all the high school girls to fall for I had to choose the one with the highest, most unrealistic standards. I fell forward from there to the ground and laid on the concrete, processing how much of an idiot I just made of myself. Looks like getting Hana to give me a chance is going to require more effort than I thought.