TITLE: Fall Is The Warmest Season
PAIRING: Taichi X Chihaya
GENRE: Romance
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chihayafuru
If I own it, Chihayafuru is probably a harem for Taichi. (*￣▽￣)ノ~~
NOTE: I love them. Afufufufu. This is the first story for the Season Series.
More will come!
He wouldn't lie.
After everything that happened, Ayase Chihaya and Taichi Mashima's relationship had grown distant.
Obviously, it would.
It wasn't that they were disgusted. To him, it would be too awkward to approach one another like they used to. And someone had to take time to heal the broken organ before they could be together again- as friends.
Taichi Mashima isn't the type of guy who easily forgets. He doesn't always feel like this. But, when he falls, he falls the hardest. Bitterness will take over at first before he finally sees the new light and moves forward.
He needs to understand things. He needs to understand that no matter what happens, even if the whole universe collapses or he throws tantrums or burns Daddy Bear in front of Chihaya, he can't make her fall for him. As a matter of fact, he's always known the truth ever since he was child, but he's so stubborn he doesn't want to give up and tries to be by Chihaya's side. All this time.
He dug his own grave. No one had to be blamed. If he wasn't just so persistent. If he wasn't just so stupid.
But he also always known, that he's rotten to the core. It makes him relieved knowing that in their current situation, Chihaya is so affected. He is relieved because it secured his selfish self- that Chihaya actually mind
his absence.
"Oi. You're spacing out."
Taichi looked over his shoulder. Suo Hisashi, the Eternal and current Meijin of Karuta sat beside him on the tatami mat. He was munching some mochi and he offered him with those, but politely declined.
"Another round?"
the Meijin asked while he took a piece of the sweets.
"I still have plenty of time."
He stood up.
"I better be going. I have to review for exams tomorrow."
Suo snorted.
Taichi bows his head before his practice partner.
"Thank you for playing with me, Suo-san. Until next time."
He changed his t-shirt full of sweat from practice and gathered his things before stepping out of the Karuta club room in Tokyo University. Months from that day,he would finally become an official student of Toudai. It would finally be hassle-free to come back and forth to the club room.
Club room…
Taichi went outside.
November. Autumn. It had the most pleasant temperature and Taichi liked it. He was walking on the long park of Toudai. The place was painted in orange-red.
Autumn breeze felt good on his skin.
He took a deep breath. He could smell the woods and the maples leaves slowly falling from the trees, it was refreshing. He took a good look of them. They were dancing in the air like red butterflies. Taichi waited one of the leaves to land on his palm.
A beautiful flame-like crimson.
One and a half month from now, the Meijin and Queen tournament will once again open. He has been waiting and training hard for that moment, to think that he's letting himself be beaten up by the current Meijin.
Taichi never wins against him.
He knows, he's nowhere as talented and strong as Hisashi Suo, but he always make sure that everytime he plays, he does his best to put up a fight that he will not be ashamed of. Even in every ending, it's the same. The loses over and over and over.
He's hoping he's never too late. He still wants to get stronger. He's not satisfied being in Class A or being a placer in any competition. He's got to be much, much stronger.
He wants to reach them…
Taichi put the maple leaf in his pocket and sighed. How foolish had he become?
For the nth time, he's digging his own grave. After all that's been said and done, he still couldn't get rid of it. He still had his childhood desire to meet his friends, that would soon happen in Meijin and Queen tournament.
He can't get over.
From those old memories up until now, Taichi still had the urge to make Chihaya and Arata look at him as a friend who is able to catch up with their passion.
To receive their passion.
So, they would look at him.
"Taichi."
She didn't expect it. She really didn't expect it.
Walking on the park, watching the beautiful red leaves falling from trees in the vicinity of Toudai, she suddenly stopped from treading.
Fall is Chihaya's favorite season. Because, it's so pleasant, it feels home.
"Taichi."
The mocha head that's very familiar turned to face her. Chihaya stared at his features she hasn't seen for a long time.
"I love your always short nails
Your finger
Your hair"
"Next time we'll meet in a match"
Her childhood friend and partner-in-crime. Mashima Taichi is standing few walks from where she is.
"What are you doing here, Chihaya?"
Chihaya clearly saw the crimsons, falling slowly.
"I… I'll be studying here."
Taichi heard something cracked. He gawked at her and came hither, whispering,
"W-What?! Y-You really… are you sure?"
It was Chihaya's turn to hear something cracked. She nearly cried at his statement. It offended her.
"Why are you so mean, Taichi? You think, I didn't have what it takes to enter Toudai?"
She was already sniffing when Taichi tried to explain himself. He handed her a tissue.
"Stop crying, idiot!"
He scratched his head at the situation.
Why did it feel natural? There was almost no tension between them. He expected there would be walls so high they be wouldn't able to stand each other.
"It's just… I never thought that you'd attend to Toudai,"
he continued.
She blew her nose on the tissue.
"Of course! Shinobu-chan's coming here, too! And Suo-san…"
Taichi felt her overwhelming fighting aura, like Harada-sensei's, something she always has.
"I will definitely not lose to him!"
The ever idiotic Chihaya ridiculously posed like the Statue of Liberty. As he stared at her, he failed to prevent himself from grinning and finally laughing.
"You haven't changed, Taichi!"
The brown-haired girl hit Taichi on the shoulder for his behavior. His laughter descended seconds later and threw his glance back to her face.
"What have you been doing, Taichi?"
He wiped his tears from chuckling hard earlier. He noticed Chihaya's eyes focused on him. Solemn and talking. The atmosphere abruptly changed from light to serious in a split second. Chihaya's eyes were shining.
"Are you practicing everyday, Taichi? Are you preparing to fight everyone for Meijin's title, Taichi? Who's practicing with you, Taichi? Are you going home alone, Taichi?"
He didn't know what to feel when he saw Chihaya's eyes shine brightly even more and a teardrop fell from her eyes to her cheeks.
The sun was crying. For real.
What to do?
When it comes to this woman, all of his self-control is tested. Taichi automatically moves closer to Chihaya and ignores his mind, saying it's not yet time to come near. The moment her voice reverberates in his ears, muttering his name- to hell with everything.
Like the old time, he offered his clean shirt to wipe her tears away and patted her head.
"I-It's not good if someone sees you. They might think I made you cry,"
he said and tried to calm down Chihaya.
"You really made me cry, stupid!"
she responded in a loud voice.
He let himself be hit by her for the second time. Then, Chihaya moved to open her body bag and picked up something.
"Here!"
A small thud on his forehead. Chihaya tapped something on his face, what seemed to be a card- a Karuta card.
"If you don't keep this, you'd be cursed!"
she says while keeping the card on his face.
He furrowed his eyebrows, not able to comprehend what she said.
What did she say?
When she finally removed the card from his face, she put it in his grip, and shouted his name.
And pulled his freaking shirt so his head would be on her level, and he could place her lips on his.
Mashima Taichi had never been so surprised in his life. Had never been this confused and warm. He automatically snaked his arms around her, so Chihaya wouldn't fall to the ground.
She smelled like cherry blossoms in spring. She tasted like those sweets in summer. This kiss was far from the first time their lips collided.
How would he forget that feeling later?
When she left his lips, it felt like the winter breeze fanned his face.
"Waaaaaa!"
Chihaya shouted in his face. She raised both her arms and ran away as fast as she could.
He nearly collapsed.
Chihaya just left everything in twirl in just a blink of an eye.
Taichi could understand many things in life- from Mathematics to History to the cause of tooth decay. But, he would never understand that one maiden's mind about why the heck did she do what she does. He wasn't able to catch her up to ask her because his knees buckled.
He would fall any moment.
He caught his breath and checked the card he gave her.
"Even when the gods
Held sway in ancient days
I have never heard,
That water gleamed with autumn red
As it does in Tatta's stream"
Fall is widely considered as the most pleasant weather in Japan.
Mashima Taichi and Ayase Chihaya think so.
ちはやふる
End