"Shishido-san!"
The tall, silver-haired female called, waving to her doubles partner, upperclassman, and friend, smiling.
"Oi, Chouko.
"You're really nice to me, always! T-Thank you!" She flushed lightly before Shishido blinked, shaking this off as one of Ootori Chouko's little, typical admiration comments and laughed.
"I've got to be nice to my kohai, Chouko."
Her eyes lit up in admiration as she gripped her tennis racquet.
"Chouko! That look you're giving me is gekidasa daze! Knock it off!" Shishido said, blushing lightly and closing his eyes, frowning.
"Ah! S-Sorry, Shishido-san!"
"It's fine! Let's just go get some ice cream."
Sometimes, one does not realize how lonely it is without the presence of someone one cares about until that presence is taken away. Lonely nights of busyness and dwindling contact can syphon away ones hopes and tug at the heartstrings, until the lonely one simply starts wallowing away, looking forward to when they can see their missing care once again.
Now, in the times Chouko felt this, back when her senpai Shishido Ryou had graduated from Hyoutei Academy's junior high and moved on into the senior high section of the school system, she didn't simply wallow away.
No.
Shishido would've, theoretically, killed her for that.
Instead, in the starting months of her third-year as the technical vice-captain of Hyoutei's tennis club, she plastered on a smile up and simply tried to call him more. It was a fact that she hadn't really come to terms with, but she relied on him so much; he was always much like a big brother to her. But, the feelings in her chest when she thought of him… It wasn't just of a platonic sort, was it?
It certainly never felt like it. Even now, those feelings tugged at her hard, and made everything so… different to deal with.
He had been busy.
No special training.
He had been busy.
No daily ice cream and long conversations on the walks back home, where they were sometimes joined by Mukahi Gina and Akutagawa Junko. She never minded the company; of course, being close to friends she enjoyed was nice!
She would check the messages on her phone, just in case, but at some point, they stopped coming, due to them both inconveniently getting phone number changes around the same time. Being how she was, she was too nervous to actually try to mend the contact. It was like that. Normally, if she really wanted something, she'd… she'd go through with it.
Unfortunately, this was probably why she would look up to the sky, letting her silver hair blow in the light wind behind her as she sighed.
She would hold her cross necklace and think about how hard it was to play doubles without him. No one could replace Shishido in doubles, not for her.
They had done so much together, and right from their first, official meeting that made her decide to join the tennis club, Shishido had become an amazing, admirable senpai. The thought still lingered, how he gallantly saved that lady's baby and left Ootori speechless.
That was years ago, as was junior high and senior high, but those memories and times of absence rung strong. She still remembered her first day of high school, where she was reunited with her good friend.
Shaking, Ootori looked up at the gates of Hyoutei's senior high school division. It was quite large and frighten, but she knew that this time, she wouldn't need a heroic act by Shishido to decide to join the tennis team – even if she did have more upperclassmen in competition.
"Wakashi-kun… isn't this exciting?" She asked, holding her nnnnnnnnnn
Hiyoshi Wakashi could merely nod, but he was moreover thinking about claiming a spot on the regulars. Ootori had laughed then, knowing that Hiyoshi was going to mutter "Gekokujou" and walk off.
"Well, let's go in then," she said, casting another nervous glance upwards, knowing that Kabaji Munehiro was already being taught the ways of the school by Atobe Keigo – who was likely already the biggest influencing factor in the school.
"Oi! Chouko! Wakashi! You weren't thinking of going in there knowing nothing, were you?"
Ootori recognized that voice anywhere.
Her brown eyes lit up as she turned to face the voice. She noticed Hiyoshi had moved on and went ahead anyway, but she stayed still, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, as Shishido approached her.
"Miss me?"
He had asked, though the female that was a similar height to him made it clear with her next actions.
Ootori threw her arms around Shishido, "Shishido-san!" She cried, causing Shishido to flush and push her off of him.
"Chouko, don't cry. Look, I'm sorry for not keeping contact with you. You try putting up with Gina's sass, Junko's sleepiness, Oshitari's remarks, Atobe, and keeping contact with someone from a different school when you don't even have her phone number anymore." He tried explaining.
He just didn't want to see her cry like that again. "I'll show you around."
Ootori nodded, before suddenly grabbing Shishido's hand.
There was a quick glance to where their hands connected and Ootori gave a sheepish look, "I don't want to get lost, Shishido-san."
Same old Ootori. Assertive… when she wanted to be.
Overall, Shishido had done so much for the silverette that she really couldn't stand thinking of life without him there. It seemed a little over-the-top thoughts wise, but she really couldn't deny her… her love for her dear friend. She wasn't ever the best at thinking about it – she never had been fond of thinking of love, despite her Valentine's Day Birthday.
That was why the rigorous training courses she helped Shishido go through to regain his spot on the regulars wasn't a huge deal. Her admiration for the male was large enough to begin with. And even if the fact that he had almost lost his spark nearly had her walking away, the way he had caught the ball she had hit was amazing.
He really was the hardest worker, and even a hero in her eyes. Apparently, it had developed past just admiration, past just a school-girl crush… but it wasn't like she could pinpoint when that had become so. Either way, she helped Shishido get better at tennis, helped him even out his hair cut, and learned more about him, even if she did feel a little bad for ending up 'over-throwing' Taki Haginosuke in the process. The strongest… The strongest stayed on the team, right?
So, when they had become doubles partners, and naturally worked well together, of course she was excited! With all their formations - Shishido had regarded them as awkward at first, though with the insistence of Ootori, who had been well behind these formations, Shishido couldn't help but accept them. With all their hard work and training, all the shirt changes (Ootori had learned to try to help Shishido with those as well, by keeping shirts he handed to her to leave in her bag, handy), the two were dedicated. They had even beat at the Golden Pair, as well as the doubles partners of Inui-Kaidou and Mukahi-Oshitari.
Still, now, there were no more days of getting mint gum from Shishido, of which she would hide away in her bag and never eat. She didn't like mint gum. But, she would never say that to Shishido. No. Not ever.
There was hardly time for tennis anymore, considering music took up much of her time. She was even on tour, in America, for an important performance trip, school-funded, for her last year of university.
Despite promises, communication with Shishido was scarce, and she was about to, painfully, give up.
She had time to herself today. Time was nice. Replying to a text from Hiyoshi and seeing a video of Oshitari Yuushi playing violin before a crowd – he still had time to even while he seemingly never ending studies that added up for being doctor continued, how nice – Ootori sat on a bench, setting her hand on the rim of the slightly-beaten blue hat. She felt a breeze, zipping up the sports jacket she sported, wearing it despite it being a little loose on her.
These were rather important to her, even if they didn't seem so to others.
"Chouko, today's graduation," Shishido said.
Silence hung in the air around them, but neither would admit the feelings the rest of their fellow teammates knew they had. Pity. If they had managed it, things might've turned out differently.
"I know…" Ootori said, her voice going to a low, nearly inaudible volume.
He looked at her and ruffled her hair, "Don't frown at me like that. You know I can't control graduation. You'll do fine on your own. You, Wakashi, and Kabaji will be able to hold up the club without us seniors."
"I'll miss you, Shishido-san."
It was the last practice they would share as teammates in senior high. He nudged her slightly with his racquet and shook his head her, before giving her smile, the same looking forward smiling she had grown accustomed to.
He removed his hat and placed it on her head before grabbing the sports jacket he used during their special practices from his tennis bag, and handed it to her. "I won't be far, ever." He had said.
Her face turned red as she said, "Thank you, Shishido-san."
Ootori decided to go do something she hadn't in a while. Her thoughts of Shishido sparked it. It was a sport she wasn't particularly good at, but Shishido sure was – bowling.
Standing, she navigated her way backwards through the American streets, finding a bowling alley thay she knew she had passed earlier.
She entered, going up to the counter and ordering a pair of shoes and a game, paying for it and picking a lane. She switched into the shoes with a sigh, giving a longing smile. She wondered where Shishido was at – perhaps Atobe had decided to express friendship and take Shishido to try different foods around the world? It was always a possibility.
She felt a tap on her shoulder as she set up her game.
"You alone in here? We should play one another. Competion improves someone, right?"
That voice… it was familiar, but Ootori dismissed that thought as just simply missing her doubles partner too much.
"Sure," she replied. That was how her game against this stranger began; the stranger was rather good at tennis – another similarity to Shishido.
Suddenly, her hat was turned backwards, causing her to put her attention onto who she was playing, who she had never actually bothered looking at before.
Her brown eyes widen as he laughs and smirks at her. Tears of pure joy run down her face, some getting caught in loose strands of her hair.
"You still have that jacket and that old hat, Chouko? It's been years. That's so gekidasa daze."
Ignoring the fact that it was her turn, Ootori rushed over to Shishido, hugging him, all those years of saved admiration and missing showing clear. He hugged her back, just a bit awkward at first.
"I've missed you so much, Shishido-san!"
Ah, "Shishido-san." The name that stuck, even if Shishido had made a rather proper and mutual request of Ootori to call him by first name. She had refused it at the time.
"Don't think I haven't missed you either. You've grown on me too much," Shishido admitted, glancing in the pins' direction.
"It's… It's been really lonely without you… I'm so happy to see you… Please… Please don't ever leave me again."
"I won't, Chouko. I…" He paused, face flushing slightly, "…care about you too much to do that."
She smiled softly, resting her chin on his shoulder, considering they were of similar heights, and she confessed through her crying.
"I-I love you… too… …Ryou."
She said, finally gaining the courage to say his first name, without honorifics at that.
They would have never been able to forget each other, even if they wanted to. That was why they were able to wait for each other – for their opportunity to see each other once again. Loyal to each other and their thoughts of one another over the years.
Taking his hand briefly, releasing a content sigh, Ootori turned back to the bowling ball, the corners of her lips rising as she faced Shishido. There was much catching up to do.