A/N Hey, hey, hey, my first one-shot! I wanted to write a little something and got...well, this. So, this happens after Akutsu's defeat by Echizen. Au-ish, doesn't follow dialogue or events exactly, but for good reason!
Warnings: language (just barely), pubescent teenage angst, and Akutsu Jin (he's his own warning)
Disclaimer: I swear, if I owned Prince of Tennis, I wouldn't be on this website right now, 'cause all my spin-offs would be a reality.
"Don't tell me what to do!"
The words are snarled, full of fury and unbridled violence, and nobody stops him from storming off the courts, up the bleachers, and out of the tennis park. Banji lets out a small sigh, staring sadly after his ace-well, ex-ace now-before smiling again and turning towards a confused Yamabuki and Seigaku. "Please don't mind him. This will be his last match."
As players shoot the Yamabuki coach confused looks, Akutsu Jin finds himself climbing into a taxi, his lips pulled back in a snarl, eyes wide and lit with fire. The poor taxi driver shoots the fifteen-year-old in the backseat a wary look before asking, "And where are you looking to go?"
Akutsu, just barely refraining from tearing everything he sets eyes on to shreds, grunts out, "Hospital."
The taxi driver just barely holds back his sigh. Kids these days, so full of pent-up aggression and angst. "Which hospital?"
Akutsu shoots the man an ugly look and growls, "The one closest to this tennis park, you damn idiot!" His fingers twitch. Maybe he will find some way to destroy this car (and its driver). Wouldn't be the first time.
Far from feeling scared, the taxi driver begins to get a little bit pissed. A muscle along his jaw feathers, but he manages to hold back his scathing remark full of colorful language, instead turning on his signal and easing out of his spot in front of the tennis gardens. He's dealt with many a difficult passenger (mainly drunkards at three in the morning who whine to him about the failure they call their life), but not a teenager. Certainly not an albino-looking teenager with silver hair and a killer look on his face.
Akutsu spends the next few minutes breathing in and out angrily, air escaping his nose in loud huffs. The loss doesn't anger him, not really. Well, maybe he does mind losing a little bit, but only because...
Well, that's something else entirely.
That little Seigaku brat was better than he had thought. Akutsu certainly never expected that anyone would ever have the guts to hit a ball directly at the forehead of the Kaifutsu Akutsu (1).
As his eyes dart around the taxi car (with anger, of course), he catches a glimpse of his face. That red mark is still there, though it's a bit faded now. Looking at it somehow manages to calm him down enough so that his heavy breathing won't fill the tension-rich silence.
A few more minutes and the taxi finally pulls into the parking lot of the hospital, stopping right in front of the entrance. Even before the taxi comes to a complete stop, Akutsu unlocks the passenger door and throws it open, causing the driver to shout a warning, but he doesn't pay attention, merely fishing out a wad of crumpled bills that are probably worth ten times the cost of the ride and tossing it to the driver. The car rolls to a stop just as he slams the door closed, immediately taking off towards the revolving doors of the hospital.
It's not like he's excited or anything. He just doesn't want to deal with the fucking driver coming after him.
Violently storming into the reception area, he makes his way towards the receptionist, who's quaking in his seat, the sight of the obviously pissed off teen almost causing an accident right then and there. Technically, the poor guy is only a volunteer-he isn't supposed to be manning the receptionist desk, but the hospital's a bit short on staff today, so now...
Now he has to deal with a boy who may or may not be ready to beat the pulp out of someone all by himself.
The stand-in receptionist swallows thickly, cowering under Akutsu's piercing glare. "H-h-hello."
"Aoki Haruna."
Nodding woodenly, the stand-in receptionist moves his shaking hands towards the keyboard, quickly typing away on the black keys before scanning the screen and answering, "R-r-room 839."
Akutsu's glare sharpens and the stand-in receptionist squeaks, covering his head with his hands. A warmth pools in the bottom of his pants and if he weren't so terrified right now, he'd be blushing bright red from embarrassment.
When no hand shoots out to grab his head roughly, the stand-in receptionist slowly pulls his hands away from his head, peeking upwards.
The scary teenage boy is gone.
Letting out a sigh of relief, the stand-in receptionist stands up and heads towards the bathroom, scarred for life.
Meanwhile, Akutsu Jin once again storms into the elevator, jabbing the "eight" button repeatedly, feeling the need to, once again, relieve all the anger and violence inside of him without breaking something in half. He runs his other hand frustratedly through his silver hair, not caring if the action seems uncharacteristic of him.
When was Haruna moved to floor eight?
The elevator smoothly ascends, the only sounds being the light "ding" as it passes by each floor and Akutsu's incessant jabbing at the button. When the elevator finally stops, its doors sliding open to reveal the white hallway (he wrinkles his nose-she must hate it here), Akutsu strides out, forcing a relaxed, cocky mien, even as he heads towards her room.
Upon reaching Room 839, Akutsu stops for a moment in order to examine the area. He tells himself that he's only checking to make sure that no one knows that he's here (why would anyone want to know anyways?).
He knows that it's a lie, but that doesn't stop him.
The little plaque right next to the door catches his attention. "Aoki Haruna" is carved into it in a pretty, cursive penmanship and he sneers at it.
It's almost as if the hospital is commemorating her stay here. "Oh, you have to be hospitalized for whatever strange defect in your tainted body? Here, have a pretty gold plaque, it'll make you feel better!"
Not able to come up with any more excuses for loitering outside her door, he finally raises a fist in order to knock before pulling it back, instead rudely turning the knob and pushing the door open.
His eyes widen at the sight that greets him. Haruna sits upright in her hospital bed, jet black hair (maybe that's why he doesn't hate the brat as much as he should, because the brat reminds him of her) pulled back in a tight, high ponytail, no wisps of escaped hair dangling anywhere near her face. A book is propped up in her lap, and a glass of water sits on the bedside table set next to her. She lifts her eyes from the text on the book, a slightly surprised look flashing across her face upon catching sight of him before a soft smile curls the edges of her lips up.
That's what does it for him.
Akutsu gently closes the door, delicately treading towards the end of her bed. She gently closes the book after marking her spot, setting it on the bedside table, right next to that glass of water. Everything she does is soft, no sharp edges or harmful exteriors-the complete opposite of him.
But then again, Akutsu muses internally, I'm nothing but mush around her anyways.
Haruna's still smiling as she gazes up at Akutsu. They never defined their relationship-they aren't friends, they aren't lovers, they aren't family.
They're just...Haruna and Jin. Aoki and Akutsu, to the outside world, either friends, lovers, siblings, even strangers-but to them, they're Haruna and Jin because what they share, what isn't said, is too wide to be confined to a single word.
"Hello, Jin." Even her voice is soft and mellow. A bit hoarse from a long time of silence, but still soft and mellow and wholly Haruna.
Akutsu smirks. He doesn't know how to smile, but now that he's seen her again, he might relearn. "Yo, Haruna."
"How are you? Okaa-san said that you had a match today."
The easy smirk on his face disappears, and Haruna only laughs softly. "So who was it?"
"Who was who?"
"Jin, you know what I'm talking about. Who did you lose to?"
Akutsu scoffs, glancing away from her and rolling his shoulders, cracking his knuckles. Strange, all his previous feelings of anger and violence have disappeared. "Some little gaki (2). Too cocky for his own good, I would've beat the snot out of him."
Haruna only watches him with amusement. "Hmm, but obviously you didn't. And isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"
"Shut the fuck up."
Haruna's eyes narrow and Akutsu lets out a sigh. Moving to the chair set up beside her bed, he slouches down onto it. "Language, Jin."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The gaki's name doesn't matter, anyways. I'm done with tennis."
Haruna frowns. "Why? You're so good at it. I want to watch you play some time."
Akutsu snorts, leaning his head back and throwing a hand over his eyes. He knows for sure that if she watches him play, she won't forgive him for a long time. "Nah, it's just tennis. Two people run themselves to the ground trying to chase a little yellow ball around. There's nothing special about it at all."
"But you play it," he hears Haruna reason, "and that's all that matters to me."
"Played, Haruna, and I don't see how that's a valid argument."
"Well, it's not like you have a valid argument for me either."
Akutsu clenches his hand into a fist before letting his arm drop to his side, straightening up and leaning forward until he's directly in Haruna's face. "Tennis is nothing more than a stupid game that kills people. That's all there is to it."
Haruna doesn't back away, doesn't even blink, only stares into his eyes with her own, an unreadable mask slowly inching across her open face. "Jin, your father wouldn't want-"
Akutsu's eyes narrow and his nostrils flare. The topic of his father is extremely sensitive. Even with Haruna, he isn't willing to discuss it. "Haruna, stop."
"-he wouldn't want you to quit, don't you remember how proud he looked when you first held a racket, he was so happy-"
Akutsu growls, pulling back and raising his fist threateningly, but it's useless because they both know that he would never lift a hand against her, not Haruna. "Haruna, shut the fuck up right now. I don't care about that bastard-"
"Jin, that bastard has been dead for several years now, learn to respect the dead!"
"Can't respect the dead who threw away his life chasing some career in pro tennis when he had a wife and son waiting for him at home!"
A pained look flashes across Haruna's face and he almost apologizes right then and there, almost, but he doesn't, because his pride won't let him. "Jin, you know his dream was always to become a professional."
"And that dream meant that his precious Yuki-chan who was nine months pregnant at eighteen just wasn't as important as the damn tournament that ended up killing him!"
One last look at Haruna and her pained face and Akutsu abruptly stands up, pushing the chair back from its position near the bed. "You know what, I thought that this would be a fucking good idea, but I can tell that it isn't. Don't be expecting me any time soon, Haruna."
Pushing down the twinge of guilt and pain that arises from Haruna's frown, Akutsu storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
The plaque shudders on its precarious spot hanging on the wall and, almost as if in slow motion, falls onto the ground, facedown.
(1) Apparently, this is Akutsu's nickname, at least according to Wiki. It means Monster Akutsu. How very fitting, ne?
(2) Brat
Sorry for all the randomness. I just noticed that Akutsu's father was never really mentioned, and somehow, that entire dialogue between him and Haruna just came out. I kinda want to leave this story open-ended. What do you think happens afterwards? Did you like this take on Akutsu's character?
Anyways, thank you to all the people who decided to check this story out! Please rate and review if you liked, and some time later, I don't know when, I'll be posting a multi-chapter story about Rikkaidai with actual tennis matches in it and an actual plot. If you liked the style of this story, be on the look out for that one!
Peace!
LivingDaLife