The sun shone at its highest on the cloud-free blue sky, giving light and warmth to every part of Tokyo the sunrays could reach. Students of Shuutoku High walked through the gate to the school grounds, everyone heading for the main entrance. The cherry blossoms were soon about to bloom once again, and it was just a matter of time before its flower pedals would fly in the wind again. Sadly, this was a sight the third years would never be able to see again.
The players of Shutoku basketball team – also known as one of the Three Kings of Tokyo, had gathered in the gym. It was a moment filled with all kinds of emotions. It was, the yearly farewell to the third years who would today graduate.
All the first and second years, both benchwarmers and main players, had gathered around the graduating teammates. Midorima Shintarou and Takao Kazunari stood among them, where Shintarou had a light blush tainted on his cheeks and Kazunari grinned widely from ear to ear. Ironically enough, it was the younger students that cried. Their sniffling and sobbing filled the gym with a downhearted atmosphere as if they just had lost a game. For them, it was just like that; they were losing two of their most powerful and important players.
After the short speeches and awkward hugs, the time had reached 11am. Everyone began to slowly walk towards doors leading to the other gym, where the ceremony was held. Shintarou followed right behind the others, until he noticed that someone was missing. He stopped and turned around to look for his raven-haired friend. Shintarou's green orbs traced the area, and it didn't take him long before he spotted him in the far end of the gym.
Kazunari stood a few feet away from the hoop and looked almost lost as he gazed at it from below. His black locks of hair were brushed away from his face and fell down on the sides of his head. His lips were firm, but you could still see a hint of a small smile.
"Shin-chan, do you remember… when we first meet?" Kazunari asked, his voice cracking.
Shintarou's eyes softened at the memory. "Yes."
Kazunari chuckled. "I remember you shooting at this hoop, you didn't even notice after I had been standing there for several minutes, and I remember you were so annoyed when I called you 'Shin-chan'."
"Takao." Shintarou suddenly said, his voice firm and hard.
"Hm?" Kazunari tilted his head to look at the taller one and he smirked when he saw that his words had made Shintarou embarrassed.
"The ceremony."
"Yea, yea, I know."
The graduation was just as boring and slow moving as Kazunari expected. Several times, Kazunari was dangerously close to falling asleep. He would, if it wasn't for Shintarou continuously shaking him in an attempt to keep him awake.
When it was their class' turn, row after row of students stood up and slowly walked towards the podium, where their homeroom teacher and principal stood proudly. The principal called up each students name alphabetically, and the said student had to walk forward to receive their diploma.
"Midorima Shintarou." The principal said out loudly through the speakers.
Shintarou took a step forward. "Yes!" His face was close to be as red as a tomato from the increasing pressure from the whole audience's eyes on him. However, his posture was straight and his expression was serious as he got the diploma in his hands. He bowed deeply and walked back to the line. Kazunari held a hand over his mouth, trying desperately to hold back his laughter. Shintarou sent him cold glare before he stood at his side.
"Takao Kazunari." The principal's voice rang over the speakers once again, reaching everyone's ears within the gym.
Kazunari did his best to regain the seriousness within him and followed the ideal example of a graduate. "Yes!" He yelled and walked towards the woman clad in a light red kimono holding his diploma. The raven took it and bowed. Walking back in the line, he couldn't help but to grin widely. Truth to be told, he never expected he would make it. The fact that he had finally graduated high school with Shintarou made the butterflies in his stomach grow in numbers and size.
In the school grounds students had spread out on every corner of the area after exiting the ceremony, talking, hugging and taking pictures. Shintarou and Kazunari had taken their goodbye with their former classmates and now they where just simply walking around, enjoying each other's company.
Kazunari let out a long yawn and stretched his arms over his head. "Ah, finally we're out of that cramped gym. I thought I would suffocate." Suddenly, he began to laugh. "Did you see the new wig Himoru-san wore today, Shin-chan?" No response. "…Shin-chan?"
Shintarou had stopped under one of the many sakura trees and looked at Kazunari as he turned around to face the taller one. Kazunari's silver eyes held an unusual confusion when he closed the distance between them.
"What's wrong, Shin-chan?" Kazunari asked, looking into the other's green orbs.
"I… I'm moving." Shintarou whispered and looked away from his former light's gaze. "I'm going to America, to study medicine…"
That was when Kazunari's heart fell to his knees, the fall was hard and it continued to throb even though, it couldn't fall further. His face was expressionless, and he continued to stare at his Shin-chan who still couldn't look back at him.
Suddenly, he felt two long arms close around him. Kazunari's eyes shoot open. He felt his cheeks heat up from the unfamiliar warmth he had always longed after. His shattered heart began to pick up its pace and in his glossy eyes tears began to form. Hesitantly, he gripped the back of Shintarou's school uniform and he began to weep onto his chest.
"I will come back one day… Kazunari…" Shintarou whispered and held the smaller male closer.
"I…" Kazunari's breath hiccupped. His heart raced faster at the sound of his first name through Shintarou's lips. "I…"
"I'm sorry…" Something soft and moist touched Kazunari's right cheek and before he knew it, the pleasant warmth had left him. He dried away the last tears with the hem of his sleeve and watched the tall figure walk further and further away.
"I will wait for you." Kazunari whispered, even though his former shadow was out of his sight.
Five years later…
A cheerful dark haired adult exited one of the many convenience stores in Tokyo, with a wide smile plastered on his face. In each of his arms he carried two white plastic bags that were seemly full-packed with groceries. The heaviness of the bags didn't bother him as he hummed a little tune while making his way down the abandoned street.
Takao Kazunari's hair had grown in length, but his height hadn't changed all that much, to his own disappointment. He wore black sweatpants and an orange hoodie, around his neck a headset rested on his shoulders.
Kazunari never really cared over what he wore outside his apartment, especially when it was just the weekly walk to the convenience store nearby.
A few minutes passed as he reached the bottom of a staircase, resting on the side of a tall apartment building. He almost ran up the steps leading up to each and each floor. After jumping up nearly eight sets of stairs, he reached the corridor leading to his apartment. Kazunari continued to walk until he stopped by the door in the far end. The door was painted in a light beige colour and on a silver plate, his family name along with the apartment number was engraved with black letters – "405, Takao".
Kazunari shifted the two bags from his right hand to his left, and with his available hand he fumbled in the pocket of his hoodie after his key. Finding it, he unlocked the door with a click and turned the knob. He pushed himself inside using his foot to hold the door and when he was inside he let out a deep sigh. Locking the door behind him, he carried the heavy plastic bags to the small open kitchen area.
The apartment consisted of a living room – which was overly cramped since the kitchen counters took up almost one third of the space –, a bathroom and one bedroom. Even though the place was small, Kazunari wasn't complaining, it wasn't too expensive and just the three rooms he had was enough.
After putting away all the groceries, he threw away the now empty plastic bags and rolled his aching shoulders, back and forth, back and forth. 'God, I miss my years as a teen' Kazunari thought and chuckled.
Shaking these silly thoughts out of his head, Kazunari walked over to the couch and let himself fall down to be embraced by the soft cushions. He purred as he snuggled into the pillows. Then again, he remembered why he actually sat down on the couch and sat up followed by a groan.
On the small table in front of the couch there was a messy layer of paper covering the surface. You could hardly see the table itself underneath and some of the papers had slid down on the floor, making the floor impossible to see as well.
Kazunari looked through his old study materials and felt overly happy that this would be the last time he would see them and their companion, the damned books. Just last week, he had miraculously passed the final exam and he had never been so happy in five years.
Stocking the papers in three tall towers, Kazunari threw one and one in the paper bin, feeling satisfied to finally get them out of the world. After carrying the overfull bin to the door – in hope that he would remember to take the trash later –, he crawled back over to the couch and threw himself on it, face and stomach first.
Settling down in a comfortable position, Kazunari took a deep breath and let his body relax into the warmth the cushions provided him. "Finally~" he mumbled into the pillow he was resting on. "Five damn years with studying finally over. Now, it's just to apply for a job…" He thought it over again. "Apply…"
Kazunari realized he was far from reaching a complete adultery life and it made his mood instantly drop like a rock falling down from a cliff. He made a mental note to himself to search for an available position in one of the hospitals in Tokyo from tomorrow on.
He smiled and turned around to lie in his back. "A hospital, hm." Kazunari looked up at the roof in deep though, looking almost lost. "I wonder which hospital Shin-chan will be working at…" He hummed and closed his eyes. "That is, if he kept his promise."
Fuuwaaa, a little introduction to what will be a long and heartwarming story, I hope at least~
Thank you for reading and feedback/reviews are very much appreciated w