Hi there! This was written for the 50 Scene challenge on Livejournal. The prompt was "Piece." I hope I haven't strayed too far off the prompt….
Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. If I did, Rokkaku and St. Rudolph would have more screen time.
When Kisarazu Atsushi had his hair cut short after he first arrived at St. Rudolph, he didn't just think that Mizuki should never be allowed to hold scissors again. As he gazed into the mirror at his now shorter, crooked new haircut, he felt like he had lost a part of himself.
Until that point, Atsushi had never really thought about why he had kept his hair that certain length. To be honest, he had never really cared for long hair. Long hair was hotter, harder to maintain, and needed constant combing. When he was younger people would often mistake him for a girl. Long hair was just something he had always had because……he just did.
Ryou was the complete opposite of Atsushi in terms of hair style preferences, and enjoyed having his hair long. He loved the way his hair would swish against his back as he ran across the tennis court, the way it would whip around his shoulders when it was windy and make him feel as if he were flying. He adored the attention he would receive from the girls in his class who were jealous of his silken locks and would ask playfully if they could comb it.
Ryou…..that's right, his brother Ryou.
Ever since Atsushi could remember, he and Ryou had always kept their hair long. Whether Atsushi liked it or hated it, it was something that they shared, something that kept them connected. Now that his hair was shorter, they were different. Though it seemed like a small difference, it made Atsushi feel like he had left his brother behind and began moving farther and farther away.
Besides, his hair wasn't always such a bad thing. Atsushi remembers fondly how he and Ryou would sometimes switch and go to each others classes just to annoy their teachers. Their similar hair styles had greatly added to their ploy.
Of course, their similarity had also led to the mix up between Atsushi and Ryou, Atsushi's mistaken recruitment into St. Rudolph, and the reason why Atsushi was standing in front of the mirror in his dorm room feeling furious, ashamed, and homesick in the first place.
Atsushi felt like he hadn't just gotten a horrible hair cut, but lost a piece of his childhood as well. His long hair, while being rather bothersome at times, had always been with him; through countless victories and stinging defeats, carefree summer days spent at the beach with Ryou, Saeki and their friends, through disappointments, arguments, happiness, and sadness.
Atsushi hated Mizuki for mistaking him for Ryou, hated himself for actually falling for Mizuki's manipulation and agreeing to come to St. Rudolph, hated his new ugly, rat-bitten hair style (he really needed to get it fixed before school started……).
But most of all, he hated the detachment that he now felt from his home, beloved friends, fond memories, and twin brother. Everything seemed so far away, so distant, and Atsushi wished he could do something, anything, to bridge the gap.
Atsushi looked down at the red headband that Mizuki had thrust into his hand in disgust. He threw it on the floor and stomped on it as he stormed out of the bathroom, and flung himself angrily on his bed. Eventually he would pick up the headband from the bathroom floor, dust it off, wear it, and even grow fond of the red fabric, but now all he felt was the bitter sting of regret and a painful longing to return to the place where his brother was.
If you've come this far, thank you very much for reading!
The Kisarazu twins need more love. I hope I've done them some justice here. Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.