"Ring…" The school bell resonated throughout the empty school campus of Hyotei Gakuen. The Hyotei tennis club was the last to go again. The nationals were coming up and they needed all the practice they could squeeze in. The clubhouse was filled with the chattering of the tennis club regulars.
"Oh man…I'm aching everywhere…" Gakuto complained. "I think I'm overstretched."
"What are you, a rubber band?" Shishido said, sneering at the former. " Actually, I'd rather have a rubber band for a teammate than you. At least a rubber band wouldn't complain."
"Shishido sen-pai!" Choutarou chided slightly, vaguely appalled at what his upperclassman had said.
"What did you say?" Gakuto narrowed his eyes at his offender, ready to pounce on him any minute.
"There is no room for argument when the nationals are so near. What we need now is to bond as a team and get through to the nationals together. Ne, Kabaji?" Atobe spoke, exasperatedly.
"Usu," Kabaji replied monotonously.
"And besides, Ore-sama is tired enough. Ore-sama doesn't have enough energy to deal with brats like you."
"Oh yes, Atobe, are you staying back again today?" Oshitari asked his captain.
"Of course, there're too many distractions at home to study for the upcoming tests. Ore-sama still has to study you know, even though my grades are already so perfect."
"Yes yes, Atobe. Well, we're going off now, ja ne."
"Yeah, bye Atobe, see you tomorrow." Gakuto waved and he walked off with Oshitari.
The rest of the regulars said their goodbyes and left thereafter. Atobe motioned for Kabaji to leave too, since he couldn't expect Kabaji to stay with him till whatever time he wanted to go home.
Kabaji looked at Atobe for a while, almost forlornly, as if he didn't want to leave Atobe all by himself. He hesitated for a while, before saying his trademark "Usu."
Atobe looked at the door of the clubhouse, the door which his team members left by. He sighed and picked up his bag, leaving the clubhouse through the same door he was looking at moments ago.
Atobe walked towards the library. He needed to get some work done and the only place quiet enough was the library. Atobe sighed as he put his bag down and pulled out a chair to sit down. He was really drained lately. What with the nationals coming up and tests and exams…sigh, when will there be time to rest?
The captain of the Hyotei tennis club took out his homework to do. The clock ticked slowly, time was passing at snail's pace. Atobe knew what Kabaji was thinking when he left the clubroom. Kabaji knew that Atobe would be…without company and would feel…how he hated that word; lonely.
Atobe Keigo loved his school, Hyoutei Gakuen. It was where he could enjoy himself with all his friends. He knew some were not real friends, they were just…people who were trying to get on his good side because he had money. He was loaded; it was no wonder why a lot of people wanted to be friends with him. But he knew there were some real friends out there who were not after anything of his, only his friendship back in return. Atobe was grateful for that.
Atobe sighed as he thought of his day in school. It was boring, as usual, but it was filled with friends. Laughing at each other, they each made fun of themselves. It may not seem like a very nice thing to do, but when you're with your friends, you know they're just kidding around. School was fun, even if it was boring. What a paradox, thought Atobe as he chuckled softly to himself.
At home, on the other hand, was totally different. Going back home to other people meant: getting to see the people you love and spending precious time with them. To Atobe Keigo, one of the richest kid even in Hyoutei, going home meant wishing the ones he loved most were at home, saying 'I'm back' to an empty house. Sure, the maids and butler were always at home to greet him, but they were different, they did it because they were paid. If they did not serve up to satisfaction, they would be fired and loose a job. Although some were smiling because they were cheerful by nature, that did not change the fact that they were only Atobe Keigo's servants. His parents were never at home as they were always busy with work and socializing. Atobe scoffed, some parents they were, leaving their only son all alone at home to care for himself. And they expect him to take over their business when he comes of age. As if he would. With parents like that, it's no wonder why rich people like Atobe Keigo flaunt their wealth in a desperate attempt to cover for the emptiness inside of them. Wait, wait a minute. Did Atobe Keigo say there was a feeling of void within him? There was something wrong about that sentence…Atobe Keigo…a void, within the immensely popular him? It…sounded like an irony.
Stupid truth. 'I hate reality!' thought Atobe. 'If only…if only there was something to fill that void…Maybe living wouldn't be this hard…'
What do people usually do to fill that void in them? Or do they even have that same void Atobe was feeling at all? The most common one was…to get a lover? Could be, but Atobe Keigo could not get a lover. The other girls, and boys would go after her and harass her to no end. If, it was even a 'her;. Atobe Keigo was straight, wasn't he? He was. He was sure.
Atobe remembered a girl he met when he was young. They were at a golf course as their fathers were good friends and had met up to 'catch up on old times'. He was really small, maybe 4 or 5? But he could remember clearly, not her face, but her manner of speech and what she said to him. Every single word. Almost. She was the one who taught him 'Ore-sama' and 'Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina' (Be awed by my prowess, or something like that.) She gave him self confidence. Wait, scratch that, she gave him arrogance. She made him the proud peacock he was. Heck, if his teammates knew of this, they would probably curse the girl to the depths of hell for eternity, and more.
Atobe chuckled lightly to himself. His teammates. Were they only that? No, Atobe hoped they were just more than mere teammates. He hoped they were his friends. Friends as in, people who liked him, talked to him, smiled at him because of who he was, not because of his status as the only heir to the Atobe Empire. Atobe knew, though, that no matter how much they talked back to him, how many laps they ran given to them by him, they would still be his friend, they would still be the friends who were tolerant of everything he did, because they knew that he was that way. Which was why Atobe tried not to mistreat them. This, however, was a feat getting harder and harder to accomplish as days went by. They were pouting more and whining more about the number of laps given. Just because the great Atobe was their lose friend, didn't mean that they could slack off and skip as much of the training as possible.
Glancing at the clock, Atobe realized it was late and that the library was going to close soon. He packed his things and called his driver to pick him up. He hadn't had much done today, but he did get to think about a lot of things, like his friends, his life, you get the gist. Then, thinking back, maybe Atobe Keigo wasn't really alone, maybe he had his friends, who were always by his side, who would never betray him, and would always tolerate his arrogance. Atobe smiled a genuine smile. He had friends, very good friends. Who cares if the rest of the world hated him? Who cares if he were to be a social outcast? His friends would still like him anyway, no matter what he became. When it came down to that, his friends would be all he needed.
But…why did he feel as though there should be something…more? Not from his friends, but from someone else? Did he want another person who was more than just friends with him? Maybe. Atobe decided, the girl that changed his life would, be fit to be his lover, fit for Atobe Keigo's love. The girl from his childhood, the girl he'd only met once; Atobe decided, she would be the one. When he found her, she would be able to fill that void of his completely.