Was she in an interval? Seino Hazuki wondered, watching the people buzz by outside her apartment window. If she was in an interval, didn't that incline that something was about to happen? Like she was just in a valley between two mountains right now?
Maybe she was just slowly going down -besides the up hill struggle. Just how far was she going to drop? This thought crossed her mind often. Oh, how it disturbed her-scared her. She just couldn't let anyone know. Only god knows what would happen if her coworkers found out she was some poor sap barely getting along.
If she had learnt anything from this ordeal, it was to be strong. Don't let the weakness show in your eyes. She gulped down the rest of her morning coffee on her way out the door.
"Hey, Hazuki-chan! I just figured out!"
"Found out what?" Seino watched her hyper friend bounce up and down in front of her cubicle door.
"Our new boss is finally coming at the end of the week!" Kyoto Binzuru grinned gleefully. She was always like this-so childish. Hazuki didn't mind though, as long as she didn't take it too far. She quickly recalled how they met. She had been on her way to her work place when she saw a girl having a hard time with her last boss. Apparently Kyoto was being interviewed not knowing any Japanese whatsoever. She saw her boss's temper rising, and if he got mad that meant trouble for everyone else in the office-so she hurriedly stepped in to translate.
"A new boss? You know their name yet?" Hazuki asked.
"Oh, it's Yuki something-or-rather, but I heard he's really good-looking-and young!" Great, that's exactly what Hazuki needed at that moment-another young boss who knew absolutely nothing about his job. She sighed; she wasn't looking forward to this. Especially when she was going to be his personal secretary. So much for a peaceful week.
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Seino immediately dropped to her knees, trying to gather up all the scattered essays she had dropped. She couldn't handle being late for another college class. Between spilling her tea over her shirt and tripping down the long flight of stairs all on the first day, she'd have to say she was having a horrible time.
The boy she had run into bent down and helped her pick up the spilt flyers. She only looked up at him, and that was a far way up, when he gave back her papers. She nervously smiled at him,
"Thanks. These halls are pretty hectic, aren't they?" The boy merely nodded, then said in a strong voice,
"Someone should do something about it. At least put up signs."
"Yeah," was all she could meekly say to such a serious answer. Or maybe he wasn't, maybe it was just the way he said it that made it seem serious. "Um, what class are you heading to?"
"Physics."
"Oh, me too. I'm Seino Hazuki."
"Sanada Genichirou," and they shook hands.
Hazuki woke up the sound of her alarm going off Friday morning. She hazily got up for another day in the office-after her part time job of course. She's rather jack a limo first than to admit that she needed any help with her financial problems.
"Good morning!" her only daughter, Misao, piped, officially latching herself to Hazuki's leg.
"Good morning," Hazuki replied, hugging her back, "What do you want to eat?"
"Hmmm," Misao looked so much like her late husband when she furrowed her eyes in concentration, "I'll choose cereal."
"Good choice," Hazuki pathetically smiled, knowing very well cereal was the only breakfast food they could afford. It pained her to watch her only soul and joy eat her cereal, oblivious to all the problems around her. It pained her more to see her daughter smile as she left to the job that barely made her ends meet.
She swiveled in between clusters of chairs and people chatting the morning away, teetering a tray of eggs and bacon complete with orange juice.
"Here's you order, is there anything else you'd like?"
"No, that'll be all." Hazuki quickly bowed at her customers and rushed away to check on others. That's when she glanced at the new man walk in through the door. He looked very familiar. Maybe it was his bright, wavy blue hair. In fact, he looked very familiar. She couldn't ponder any longer, however, as she was roughly pulled on the arm by a small boy wanting to know where the bathrooms were.
She wasn't able to look for him later, when a particularly loud group of high school students entered. The blue hair boy would have to wait. Maybe she would catch him later. She had no idea how soon "later" would be.
"Hazuki-chan, Hazuki-chan!" Hazuki's hyper friend called out, joining her in waiting for their new boss in his new office, "The new boss is here and my resources weren't kidding! He is REALLY HOT!" Hazuki sighed. Kyoto was already hooked on this guy.
"Who's hot?" A voice said from the doorway. In drifted a tall man in suit, bright wavy blue hair haphazardly tied in a low ponytail – the same as the guy from earlier. Binzuru almost yelped in either surprise or as a fan girl. His features really did look familiar. Didn't Kyoto say his name was Yuki or something? Hazuki squinted her eyes at him through her thick rimmed glasses.
"Oh, is that you Seino-chan?" and then it all rushed back to her; she leapt up in the air.
"Yukimura-san! It's been such a long time!" Hazuki was surprised to say the least. What was he doing there? Well, for his job-duh. Yukimura smiled at her remembrance.
"I'm surprised you still remember my name," he smiled. What a serene smile it was.
"Wow, you grew your hair even longer?"
"Oh, this?" he gestured to the ponytail over his shoulder, "It's just an indication of my neglect to cut it." Neglect or not, it made him look ever more girlier. The only reason why you'd know that he was in fact a he was the way he dressed.
"Ah, it's still nice to see you again. I guess you're the new boss now?"
"That's right."
"Well, I'm your secretary, and I guess I'll be showing you around with your duties?"
"Ah, you're so serious already?" Yukimura nervously asked, "Well, we are on the clock. We can catch up later." He stepped to the side, inclining Hazuki to lead. Seino hesitantly walked in front. Kyoto hurried to catch up with her in the hallway, and in a hushed voice she asked,
"You KNOW him? Why haven't you ever mentioned him before?"
"You never asked," she plainly said, and turned her head to the man walking just behind the two, oblivious to the comment.
"Man, are there any other hot friends of yours I don't know of?"
"Kyoto-chan, don't you have work to be doing? I think I hear someone banging up the vending machine again." Hazuki commented. Her friend quickly swore and ran off into the direction of the pounding noise. Yukimura watched her sprint off,
"What was that about?"
"Some person tries to get a free drink at least every other day. Apparently our machine's beverages always look like they're teetering."
"When I signed up for this job, I didn't think I'd be dealing with these kinds of things." He laughed. Hazuki smiled back, it was nice to have him in company again.
"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know, from why the coffee machine produces grape juice to watching TV on your computer screen."
"Grape juice? I can't wait."
"Well, it was really fun catching up," Hazuki said, standing in front of her doorstep.
"Same here," Yukimura smiled, the two decided to catch a quick bite after work to catch up, her paying ofcourse.
"Well, goodnight, Yukimura-san."
"You can call me Yukimura-kun, I hope you know." She nodded politely,
"Alright, Yukimura-kun." He smiled in approval,
"Good night, Seino-chan."
She watched his figure walk off and disappear into the elevator. He had grown so much from the last time she'd seen him. It had been a few years since Sanada first introduced them. Hazuki reminisced when she made her way into the bathroom, slipping into the tub.
Sanada would always say how good of a friend Yukimura was, even if he never said so to his face. Hazuki missed him. As she thought this, the rock had plunged her in the gut again, making her breathe heavy. She could feel the tears start wadding up, put she didn't let them drop. Sanada never cried, so she wasn't going to now.
She was grown now with a child. She couldn't afford to cry. Thus, she spent the rest of the night as normal, acting like nothing spectacular had happen.
Hazuki wandered through the big park, looking for the designated spot Sanada had mentioned. It was freezing outside, and she wished that she had put on a heavier coat before rushing outside. She wasn't out in the cold for long though, as she found him faithfully waiting next to a tall street lamp.
He looked over under the rim of his hat. What was so important as to call her out so late at night? She wondered this as he merely lead her higher in the park, not uttering a word. He stopped at the railing on the hill. Oh how the lake sparkled below.
She was concerned though, "Sanada-kun, what is it? Why'd you call me out?" Sanada followed with a long silence. She patiently waited for his answer, eyes wandering onto the lake's surface. You could actually see the stars dance on the ripples.
"Seino-chan, we've know each other for a while," he said suddenly. She nodded in agreement. "I've have come to like you as a friend, but that feeling slowly grew bigger." She didn't nod this time; she didn't understand. "Seino, what I called you out here was to ask...," he looked at her for the first time that night, "Will you be not my friend, but my girlfriend?" He searched her face for any sort of response, but in the darkness he couldn't even see if she was smiling or not.
It wasn't until he heard soft hiccupping that it occurred to him that she was crying. He panicked, "I'm sorry if that was too blunt. Are you alright? Y-you don't have to answer me right now. In fact, you don't have to answer at all. Just forget I ever asked…," but the tears kept rolling. He pulled her into a hug, hoping that it'd help. He was just about to give up all hope when he heard a soft murmur in between the hiccups and gasps.
"Y-yes. I want to go out with you."
Another week had passed by without as much as a hick or trip. The streets even seemed cleaner, the people nicer. Maybe if Hazuki had bothered to smell the flowers, to slow down, she'd notice the brighter skies. She had continued to help Yukimura around, their conversations always staying around the topic of work. After work she'd always sneak out right before he could catch her. He, by the end of the week, stood defeated again. This time a coworker had caught him on the way to her small office, and insisted he take a look at the copier machine, claiming that it ate his tie.
It was a Friday, too. That means he'd have to wait until Monday for another chance. He sighed and pulled on his jacket. Hazuki didn't even give him the time of day it seemed like. Or at least, outside of the work space. He didn't want to just barge up to her doorstep unannounced, but that seemed like the only way he'd ever get her to talk to him about something other than how to work his job.
Ring
"Okaasan! Someone's at the door!" A small voice called from behind the door.
" Misao, can you answer it for me? I'll be there in a minute." Yukimura recognized this as Hazuki's voice. Maybe she just got out of the shower? Or perhaps just in the middle of something? The door creeped open, and for a moment he was puzzled as to how, until he looked down to see a small girl gaping up at him. Ah It's Misao-chan, isn't it? She grew up so quick.
"I'm here to see your mother," he smiled at the girl. When she continued to stare he added, "You've grown up so much since the last time I saw you." Misao opened her mouth in reply, but Hazuki walked into the living room before the words left her mouth.
"Yu-Yukimura-san!" she burst out in surprise, almost dropping the stack of papers in her arms, "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to treat you to dinner. Unless," he looked at the piles and piles of documents mounted around living room, "you were in the middle of something?"
"Oh, this? No, I'm not doing anything." She said, placing her burden somewhere next to a cookie jar. So, it's always like this…? He wondered. "Was there somewhere you had in mind?"
"No, but I'm sure I can think of something."
"Um, Misao, you think you could spend the night at your friend's again?" Misao smiled enthusiastically,
"Sure!"
"Alright, I'll be out in a minute. Yukimura-san, you can have a seat. Make yourself at home."
"Hey, Okaasan," Misao called out before she left.
"Hm?"
"Are you going out on a date?"
"…"
"…"
"Of course not Misao! Yukimura-san is just an old friend of your dad's," the sentence started out more hyper, but at the mention of her later husband, her face's features grew darker, sadder. Yukimura easily picked up on this, and decided not to say anything as she left.
"So, you knew me as a baby?" Misao turned her attention to the man looking for a seat not inhabited by overflowing papers. He nodded, only half thinking,
"You were such a cute baby. You used to hang onto your mother's leg a lot back then," he sat down, and then looked at the top paper to his right. Curious as to what infested the room; he took and scanned it over.
He knew that her financial budget must've been low, but it surprised him on how high the rent was. If she was able to pay rent, how much was she spending on everything else? Apparently not a whole lot…He quickly snapped out of it as Hazuki re-entered the room,
"Ready?"
"High-Class, are you sure?" Hazuki asked. The restaurant was, as the name stated, very high class. It had great food, amazing service, and also very expensive. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to pay her portion of the ticket. She was also a little underdressed for the occasion.
"I'm sure. I think you could use some relaxation time," Yukimura ushered her in. As they were shown to their seats in the large room, she couldn't help but be thankful for Yukimura. She realized that he cared for her. She just wished she was in a position to return the favor. They quickly ordered, Hazuki making sure she chose the cheaper items.
"So, Seino-san, how've you been?" Yukimura politely asked after the waiter shuffled off with their orders.
"I'm fine. How about you, Yukimura-kun?" She nervously replied.
"I'm doing very well," a pause of silence, "Misao-chan has grown up quite a bit since the last time I've seen her."
"She is growing up quick, isn't she?" Hazuki sighed, realizing once again of how she was doing a poor job of watching her grow. Yukimura picked up on it immediately as another poor conversation starter,
"Have you seen any movies recently?" It wasn't the smoothest way to change the topic, but it did the trick.
"Actually, I haven't seen any of the newest movies. There's this one new movie I've wanted to watch for a while."
"What is it?"
"Moon Child."
"…," Isn't that an old movie?, "I don't think they're showing it in the theaters anymore. Do you like Gackt-san?" It wasn't hard to start up a conversation after that. The subject changed from taste in music, to hair, to personalities, and rocketing forward. Neither of the two had even realized the time passing by them, when their waiter came over and politely asked the two to leave.
The woman laughed at how oblivious they were, completely forgetting about the bill. Yukimura didn't, leaving enough money to pay for both of their meals on the table. The two left, laughing on the way.
"Haha, at least you're not a klutz at work. When I first got my job, I spilled my drink all over my papers once so I had to ask everyone to reprint them out for me."
"You weren't fired?"
"Oh, no, I was the only one that made the coffee for them."
"Haha, saved by coffee." Yukimura joked while she chuckled, "Oh, can we make a quick stop?" He asked, already entering a small flower store. She followed him inside, gazing at all the bouquets sticking out of the shelves,
"These are so pretty."
"M-hm, which ones do you like?" he asked, watching her figure skim the rows,
"These are nice," she said, staring at some bright lilies. He walked over, and took them up. "What are they for?" Hazuki questioned as he handed over the money to pay for it. Yukimura looked at her grinning face. This was the happiest he ever saw her in years,
"They're for you," he fondly gazed, handing her the small bundle of flowers. Her face lit up for a slight second, full of hope and remembrance.
Hic
Tears rolled down her cheek, softly falling on the floor. She thrust her fists to her eyes, not wanting him to see her in such a state. What was she doing, completely forgetting the world around her; the reality that was her life. How could she forget Sanada? How could she see her face on his friend's?
Yukimura dropped the flowers on the counter and hugged her. This was too much for her. It was now obvious that she wasn't over him. He shouldn't have pushed her so hard. Her body trembled in his arms, as he whispered, "It's alright. It's alright…" Between the gasps, he heard her trying to say something,
"I-I saw him…I saw him smiling…on your face…I-,"
"Shhhh, it's alright," he reassured her, knowing what she was trying to say. He then pulled away a little, and took off the glasses that threatened to fall off any moment now. He wiped her tears and she quieted down. "There," he said, smiling at her, "you look so much better when you're not crying." This brought on another round of tears, but it was short lived, and he lead her out, flowers in one hand and the other on her back. He faithfully led her all the way back to her door.
Once inside, he pushed over the papers still sitting on the couch, he couldn't care if they were important or not right now. He helped her lay down, scared that she'd just blow away at the slightest of winds. She looked so tired, her clear eyes staring somewhere in the distance. He made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a tall glass that would hold her blossoms. She wearily sat up as he was about to head out the door,
"Yukimura-kun."
"Yes?"
"Tha-thank you for tonight." He nodded in acknowledgement,
"Anytime, Seino. Good night."
"Good night," she watched him disappear through the front door, leaving her to her own thoughts. Thoughts she knew she was going to have to deal with sooner or later.
She walked up the aisle. Her long white dress trailed behind her. The piano played all around her. She was so happy. To her right she saw her new family and many friends she had met recently, and right next to her, her father smiled. The rest of her family sat to her left, all assembling in her day of eternal joy.
It was her wedding day. No one could see it, but she could tell Sanada was nervous standing at the alter. She knew he was smiling at the sight. She was handed off to him. Time stood still all around her. Words barely reached her ears as the thumping of her heart grew louder.
The picture perfect wedding was sealed as the preacher said, "You may kiss the bride." He lifted the veil. It was like an image from a movie, not from her life. They finally declared them as a couple with a kiss. She could feel the smiles, the tears. This was the moment.
What happened to her happily-ever-after?
Seino was shocked at the end of the month when her landlandy wouldn't accept her rent,
"I won't accept this."
"Why not?" Hazuki pleaded.
"It's already paid for."
"What, by who?"
"A young man came by earlier, insisting I take his money for your rent. You should be grateful I accepted it."
"Did he have a blue hair in a ponytail?"
"Actually, he did." Hazuki didn't even wait for her to finish when she darted away. She needed to do something about this. How did Yukimura know about her financial issues? Well, he did get a good look at the poor state her house was in…
"Yukimura-kun, did you pay my rent?" she demanded to know when she reached her phone.
"Yes, I did."
"How am I supposed to pay you back? Why'd you do that?"
"Seino, we both know you're struggling. I even know about your part time job. I remember seeing you the same day as when I started work."
"Yukimura-kun…you really shouldn't have."
"It's not a problem, Seino. Listen, I'll make it up to you. Why not I treat you to a movie?"
"…Isn't that still paying for me…?"
"Hm? What was that?"
Hazuki sighed, giving into his "apology", "That sounds fun. When do you want to go?"
Seino's sentimental feelings welled up inside of her again, just about to burst. The movie on the screen in front of her was so sad, but so happy. Oh, how she could relate to it. Her spirit soared with the heroine. It also made her sad in same way. So there she sat, next to Yukimura.
He noticed her eyes glued to the screen, and he knew that he picked the right film.
"That was such a beautiful movie," she was saying afterwards. They had discussed it in such detail, with so much opinion. Again, Hazuki found herself enjoying his company. He never made a fuss at her, and always listened to her. He was much too kind to her.
"Seino, I have to tell you something." Yukimura suddenly said as they had ventured away from the bustling crowd of the city.
"What is it?" Hazuki asked. He stopped and stared down at her seriously. A light nearby was spilling a glow across his face. What could he possibly need to tell her? He took her glasses. "Why'd you take my glasses?"
"I want to see your eyes when I tell you this." Was his heart pounding in his throat? Well, of course. He took hold of her two small hands.
"Hazuki," he paused, "I love you."
Hazuki couldn't speak. This came out of nowhere. What was she supposed to do? She still wasn't over him…
"You don't have to say anything. I know your still getting over someone. I just wanted you to know," Yukimura said.
"How'd you know-."
"You can easily see it in your eyes."
She then realized that he finally peeled away the tough exterior she tried to keep up. Secretly, unknowingly, she was falling for him.
She dropped the phone.
"Hello?" it kept calling out, "Are you there?"
There was a lump of fear, dread in her stomach. She spent such a short time with him. She grew colder and colder, seeing an empty future. It couldn't be true. He was going to walk through that door any minute now, eager to sit down and eat. He was still in his car, driving home. Maybe he was stuck in traffic…
She fell to her knees when she realized he never would. He was gone. He went somewhere she couldn't follow him. She cried nonstop.
Her husband, Sanada Genichirou, had died in a car crash at four thirty on a Friday.
"Yukimura, thank you again for coming with me," Hazuki said to Yukimura as they stood in the middle of a sea of gravestones.
"Seino, it's no trouble at all," he replied. He knew that she never went to the funeral for Sanada. This was her time she could finally pay her respects and say a long overdue goodbye. He watched her as she went on her knees and softly touched the smooth face of stone. She didn't say anything, but he knew she was sharing her final words with him.
He looked to the sky, imagining where he would be watching from. Hello, old friend, he thought, I imagine it's very different up there. I just want to tell you that I'll take good care of Seino, because now, he smiled at the girl still praying; now I know why you loved her.
"Why's he the one that cooks, Hazuki-chan? Aren't you the woman?" Kyoto asked one morning in Hazuki's kitchen.
"Yuki-san cooks because his food tastes so good!" Misao replied, sitting with the two woman. Hazuki merely smiled. Things were going along great. It wasn't how it used to be, but that didn't mean it was bad. Recently, they had even cleaned up her small apartment. Yukimura was such a big help, especially since they started going out. Her life was getting back on track.
Kyoto sighed, "When is he going to propose?" Yukimura glanced over at Hazuki from his station at the kitchen counter. She grinned back at him.
She knew he was waiting for her to recover, but she knew that if he did propose, she'd say yes.
A/C: Yet another DN for DOPAMINE's one of two Kiriban winners. This wasn't at all as nice as I had wanted it to be, but I was cutting the deadline close so I had to cut a lot of scenes I wanted in it, (also didn't edit it) sigh. Hope you enjoyed it. R&R loved.
Disclaimer: I do not own Konomi Takeshi's Prince of Tennis or any of its charactors in this fanfiction. I also don't own the OCs Seiko Hazuki or Misao-the belong to the Kiriban winner. (of which the name escapes me) I also don't own the OC Kyoto Binzuru-She's my close friend's, known as Savvy/MoMoMonkey/Kyoto/idiot/etc.