Masks of Humanity
He could hear the whispers of people and wanted to scoff. They really believed he couldn't hear or understand them just because he was a child. Well, then again maybe they thought, that he, after what happened, didn't realize what happened in his surroundings.
Or they simply believed, that he was asleep.
After some seconds, he decided to open his eyes. He had enough of the whole talking about his condition. He sat up and his eyes widened, as he saw the people, that were in the room.
"Ah, you're awake, Yukimura-kun."
"Are... You wearing masks?"
"Huh, what are you talking about? Which masks?"
Seiichi frowned, "The masks you're wearing."
The doctor, a nurse and his parents were the only people, besides him, that were in the room and they were all wearing a mask. Both his parents masks were white, with blue carvings. The mask of his doctors too. Just the mask of the nurse not. It was black, with red carvings. He wondered why. He blinked a bit and looked at them, to see that they did no longer wear an mask.
"Sorry, I got carried away," He muttered quietly.
"It's okay. It must be shock for you after all."
He nodded. He recently just found out, that he had an illness. Guillain-Barré-Syndrome. It was unexpected and now he needed treatment for it. But what bothered him the most, was that he couldn't play tennis.
On the next day, the nurse, that was yesterday in his room, stole some money from an older woman. Somehow, Seiichi wasn't surprised.
After that day, he kept seeing people wearing masks. Either a white one or a black one. Even his friends had some, but always when he asked they looked at him and asked him, if he was okay. That and after some minutes, the mask just vanished, leaving Seiichi shocked. It was weird, but he was used to it after some weeks.
And on a other day, he learned the meaning of the masks. White meant good and black meant bad. He had saw a boy, with a black mask running around. The next day, this boy bullied a girl and an other boy, without mercy. Seiichi remembered the nurse and understood.
Over the years he learned how to control it and could now see the masks whenever he wanted. It was interesting, as he still couldn't judge people regardless what mask they had. Because on day he saw a boy with white mask stealing some money. Someone caught him and the boy explained about their family situation, which wasn't very good.
Sadly the person he stole money from, wore a black mask.
A year was over and he could leave the hospital, healthy and happy. His goal was to play tennis again, ever since he heard about the freshmen from Seigaku. How Genichirou described him, intrigued Seiichi. It made him want to meet the boy.
And he did.
But not just one boy, no, two boys. And both fascinated Seiichi.
The first boy he met was Fuji Syuusuke. Seiichi saw him in a cafe, sitting relaxed there, while he wore his jersey and smiled. He had brown hair and his eyes were closed. But the most interesting thing on him was his mask.
It was half black and half white.
The capitan decided to speak with him, since he was interested in Seigaku. Talking with him, was quite pleasant. They shared similar interests and got along, to the point, they decided to meet again.
After some meetings, for some reason, Fuji decided to introduce Seiichi to someone.
Echizen Ryoma
He had black hair, that shined emerald. His eyes were golden. But this didn't matter to Seiichi. What mattered, was, that he hadn't a mask.
Suddenly Fuji chuckled and Echizen sighed.
"Is... Something?" Seiichi asked.
"Ne, Ryo-chan mind explaining?"
"You can't see my mask, can you?"
Seiichi's eyes widened.
"That's okay. I took her off, forever."
At his friends shocked face, Fuji decided to explain him everything.
"Ryo-chan doesn't have a mask, because his neither good nor bad."
"But shouldn't he have one like yours? And why do you know about the masks?"
"I should, but like I said, I took her off. And about us knowing..."
"Ryo-chan can see them too."
"Fuji-senpai!"
"Eh? So you can see them too... How did you took it off?"
Echizen sighed annoyed, but answered, "It's about being good or bad, right?"
Seiichi nodded.
"Fuji-senpai's mask is black and white, because he changes between bad and good. And that for along time, without deciding, if he wants to be bad or good."
The capitan processed the whole information and muttered, "I see."
The first-year continued, "I'm neutral. Meaning, I don't go for bad neither for good. My mask was once, like the one from Fuji-senpai. I changed from good to bad. Until I decided to change that. By ignoring everything."
"Ryo-chan actually does some good things or provokes people, which is considered bad. But since the mask is off, this doesn't matter anymore."
Seiichi looked at Echizen. He didn't ask, why Ryoma knew, how his mask did look like. He himself knew how his mask looked. It was white. They just needed to look into a mirror for that.
Nor did he ask, why Ryoma told him everything. It didn't interest him.
"Ah, seems like I need to go. Please look after Ryo-chan."
"I'm not six years old."
"Hai, hai."
The tensai walked away.
They both currently sat in a cafe. Seiichi starred at Ryoma.
"What?" The first-year grunted.
The navy-haired chuckled a bit, "Nothing, it's just surprising, to meet someone, that can see the masks, plays tennis and is good at it.
Ryoma just scoffed.
"How did you even get the ability, Echizen-kun?"
"... Car accident some years ago. Is also the reason, I forget things like names, if I don't bother to remember them."
Seiichi blinked and then smiled, "I got the ability, as I was diagnosed with a illness."
Ryoma starred at him, stunned, and then looked away, "I never asked."
"I know."
They met often and talked about their ability, tennis or something, that caught their interest. Well, Ryoma rarely spoke, so Seiichi told him many things.
Sometimes Fuji would too be there, observing them and smiling at everything, they couldn't see themselves.
Like the love, they developed for each other.
Yukimura played against Ryoma and lost.
But he wasn't mad. No, he took it as experience, that he would carry over the years.
With that, he smiled at the sight of Ryoma smiling and being happy with his friends.
No, he wasn't mad.
Because in the end he won. Ryoma's happiness was the price and the prove.
Time didn't stop and both were now older. Two years to be exact. Ryoma was now fourteen and Seiichi sixteen.
Both were currently on the rooftop of a building, looking at the sky.
"It's blue reminds me of you, Seii."
"Because of my hair and eyes?" Seiichi chuckled.
"No, because of you personality. The sky is gentle and calming like you, but... When night comes... It's dangerous and observant, also like you."
Seiichi blinked, then smiled softly. Looking at the humans, his smile vanished.
Ryoma noticed this and followed his friends gaze. His eyes narrowed, at the sight they met.
"There are so much black masks." He says quietly.
"Hai... They increase by day and day," Seiichi adds.
Both knew this world was near it's downfall.
They smiled at each other, as they heard Fuji complain, about how they two should already confess to each other already.
It wasn't necessary they thought.
After all a confession, could never describe their love for the other.
Both kissed each other.
Fuji stopped ranting and grinned, as he saw them kiss each other lustful.
Standing in the ash, of what was once their home, both starred at the fire, that burned down houses and took lives away.
Was this what humanity wished? Probably not, but they were to ignorant, as to realize their sin.
They pressed their hands tighter and Seiichi broke the silence, "Let's look, if we find some survivors."
Ryoma just nodded.
It was okay. Everything was okay. It didn't matter, that masks were falling on the ground, losing it's owner. They would collect them in the end.
The only thing, that mattered, was that they had each other.
That's all they needed. Not some masks that tried to show them, who was good and which one bad.
After all humanity should know that itself.