White lies

Chapter 3

And the four letter word...

It was a rather cloudy day of the Kantou tournament preliminaries. Since the girls' match started a bit later, the Seigaku boys and girls walked together to their designated places.

"Huh… I hope it doesn't rain anytime soon." said the blue haired vice-captain Yumi, walking next to Fuji. The tensai glanced at his girlfriend and smiled with reassurance.

"Tsk. I really don't wanna play in this sucky weather." stated the black haired captain of Seigaku girl's team. The stoic boy next to her sighed in slight dissatisfaction of her words.

"Sayaka, mind your words, please." said Tezuka gently. The said girl beside him could only smirk in return. She was happy that he was paying attention to her.

"Well, even if it does rain, it won't hinder us from winning and advancing to the next round. Right, Inui?" said Fuji with his usual gentle smirk.

The said bespectacled data king only adjusted his glasses, scribbling something down in his notebook.

"Advancement to the next round: 100%." was the only thing he said.

"Hmph. Most certainly for us. I don't know about the girls though." exclaimed Echizen, adjusting his cap and glancing with a meaningful look at Sayaka. The raven haired girl caught his tone of voice as she smirked at him. Everyone came to a halt as they were about to part ways.

"Hn. Don't be so cheeky, Ryo-kun." said Sayaka to her cousin. She then quickly grinned in excitement and attacked the poor boy with pinching his cheeks.

"Awww! I so wanted to see chibisuke playing in a match!" said Sayaka loudly while continuing her torture. The boys, along with Tezuka could only sweat drop at the scene.

"Saya-nee-san! Stop it! Cut it out!" shouted Echizen, while trying to pry the teen away from him. When he managed to do it, he said "Just try not lose in your first round."

The teen stared at the boy for a second before attacking him again.

"Eeeeh? What's this? Ryo-kun is worried about me? So cute!" she wailed loudly.

"Saya-nee-san!" yelled Echizen in embarrassment. The teens around him started laughing at their cute relationship.

Sayaka then stopped her attacks on Echizen and withdrew, giving him a satisfied smile.

"Don't worry." said the black haired captain.

Sayaka then walked up to Tezuka. She gently reached out her hand and touched his cheek. Before the hazel-brown haired teen could react, Sayaka gave him a swift peck on the cheek.

"Only after you win, Mitsu." said Sayaka while pointing with her fingers onto her lips. The teen in front of her blushed slightly, understanding the meaning behind her words. He then sighed and smiled back.

She then grinned and signaled the girls to follow her. Both boys and girls waved at each other.

"Good luck, Rika-chan!" called out Momoshiro to a certain brown haired girl. The girl glared at the Momoshiro.

"Who are you calling 'Rika-chan'?!" she shouted and turned her back to him swiftly. The spiky haired boy only sighed and hung his head down. Eiji only patted the poor boy on the shoulder. Rika then slowly glanced back once more and smirking lightly.

"Baka." she whispered.

The girls slowly walked to their assigned courts. Ayumi looked around with a slight anxious face expression. The blond teen then looked at her cell phone fondly. Haruhi noticed her acting weird. It seemed to her that she was looking for someone.

'I want to see him.' thought Ayumi. The blond girl then pushed her cell phone into her pocket.

"Sorry, captain, I need to go to the bathroom. Be right back!" she stated and quickly dashed back the same direction they just came. Haruhi watched her best friend suspiciously. She then said the same excuse and followed the blond girl.

'The toilets are in the opposite direction, Ayu-chan.' thought Haruhi.

Ayumi ran back to where the boys were supposed to have their matches. She slowed down her pace and looked desperately around to spot a certain wavy haired boy. She really needed to see Mizuki. As she searched from one court to the other, she couldn't seem to find him. Her eyes saddened as she felt her heart sink into a dark pit.

"Hajime." she whispered.

Just then from the corner of her eyes she finally spotted the St. Rudolph jersey. Ayumi turned in that direction, as a big smile appeared onto her face. As she looked on with a gentle expression, she slowly took a few steps towards them. She looked on as Mizuki talked to his teammates. He then glanced to his left and noticed the golden haired girl staring at him. Mizuki widened his eyes but smiled gently just as quickly. He knew why she was there because he felt the same way.

Ayumi waited patiently until Mizuki finally dismissed his teammates. The black haired teen walked up to Ayumi. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Mizuki smiled tenderly.

"What's wrong, Ayumi?" he asked finally.

"Eh?" asked the said girl. She was pretty sure she wasn't looking worried or anything for him to ask that.

"Well, I mean, you came all the way here and now you're not saying anything. I thought maybe you needed some advice or something." said Mizuki. The blond teen chuckled to his statement. His guesses could be off sometimes.

"Or maybe you needed some data on your opponents?" he continued. Mizuki blinked, as Ayumi then looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"Nothing of the sort. I just wanted to see you, that's all." she said with a wide smile. A slight shade of pink appeared on Mizuki's cheeks but then disappeared just as fast. He then smiled back in relief.

"Really, Ayumi…" he mumbled.

As Mizuki was relieved that nothing bothered his girlfriend, some teens suddenly walked past them, talking about them rather loudly. It seemed that it was too soon to be relieved.

"Oh, look at those two. They're probably exchanging information on their teams." said the girl walking next to the boy.

"Seriously, they're from different schools and meeting right before the match on top of it all. How can their teammates even trust that?" said the boy.

As Ayumi listened, her heart cracked at their words. It wasn't the truth. They knew nothing about them but still it hurt her. She already heard the same words at her school before. Despite it all, she still decided to see Mizuki because he was the only one who could understand her.

"I know, right? I bet their teammates don't trust them at all!" said the girl again.

Ayumi's eyes saddened as she lowered her head and let out a silent gasp. Mizuki noticed her becoming sad and devastated. She started to tremble, as the couple near them continued to talk trash about them loudly. Mizuki didn't like it. Just a second ago the girl in front of him smiled at him with a bright smile which made him happy. Because of that smile he thought that this cloudy day became bright and clear to him. And now it was gone.

Mizuki's body moved on its own, as he hugged her, covering her ears. Ayumi widened her eyes in surprise.

"Haji-"

"Don't listen to them. You and I know the truth. They know nothing about us, Ayumi." whispered Mizuki gently, as he hugged her tightly.

The girl in his arms returned his embrace and rather listened to his heartbeat. She didn't care less about that couple anymore. All she could listen to was his heartbeat. It calmed her down.

Just when Mizuki was about to glare back at the couple who talked behind their backs, he noticed a certain purple haired girl, wearing the Seigaku jersey, emitting a dark and angry aura right in front of him.

"Hey, you two! Stop talking trash about my best friend! 'Exchanging information'? 'Our teammates don't trust her'? That's pure bullshit! Ayu-chan would never do that and our team trusts her! I trust her!" shouted Haruhi in rage. Ayumi turned her head in her best friend's direction.

"Haruhi." said the blond teen. She smiled lightly. She knew that Haruhi would trust her. It made her happy.

"If you dare say one more word about Ayu-chan, I will personally crush you." stated the purple haired girl, sending a threatening glare.

This scared the couple, as they finally walked away. Haruhi kept on glaring at them until they disappeared from their sight. The teen then sighed and turned to her best friend, who was still clinging to Mizuki.

"Ayu-chan, you know better not to do this kind of thing during the tournament, especially before a match. Of course, people will talk." lectured Haruhi. Ayumi lowered her head and smiled faintly.

"Un. I know. Thank you, Haruhi." said the blond teen. Haruhi could only sigh in return. She then signaled her that they needed to go.

"Sorry, Hajime. It's my fault it turned out like this. I'm sorry I dragged-"

"It's okay, Ayumi. I don't mind. Besides, it would be only unfair if you're the only one bearing this weight on your shoulders." he said reassuringly.

A glow reflected in Ayumi's eyes. Those words surprised even Haruhi. She thought that Mizuki was only using her best friend but for the first time she felt something warm coming from the couple. Could she trust it?

Mizuki then hugged Ayumi once more, as he whispered, "Depend on me a bit more, okay?"

Ayumi felt her heart pounding fiercely as his words sunk deep inside. It made her feel warm.

Mizuki finally let her go and smiled widely. Ayumi returned it and walked past Haruhi. Before the purple haired girl could follow her best friend, Mizuki said something that made Haruhi stop.

"Thank you for what you did just now." said Mizuki. Haruhi glared at him.

"Just so we're clear, I did it only for Ayu-chan. Hn." she retorted and followed Ayumi shortly.

Mizuki stood there for a while, watching his girlfriend until they disappeared from his sight. His eyes then softened, as he sighed. He had been thinking about it for the past few days but still it concerned him. It made him even more anxious after this incident.

'I'm well aware that I like Ayumi and I admit it too. Still, what exactly made me act the way I did just now? It's not like me at all.' thought Mizuki.

He then walked back to his team. The preliminaries had already started…


Before their short summer vacation break...

Mizuki was in his room minding his own business when his cell phone started ringing. He took it and blinked for a while while looking at the screen.

„Unknow number?" he mumbled. He then decided to pick it up anyway.

„Hello?" answered Mizuki. He heard a familiar laugh on the other end.

„O, so you really didn't change your number! Hey, Mizuki, long time... errr.. no talk? Haha! How are you doing?" asked the male voice on the phone.

Mizuki frowned slightly and then sighed as he recognized the all too talkative male voice. It was his former classmate from Middle school, Nakanishi Makoto.

„It's been a while, Makoto-kun. May I ask on what occasion you're calling me all of a sudden?" asked Mizuki. He wasn't really fond of talking to him but nevertheless they interacted quite often during Middle school.

„How cold! Anyway, remember the rock band that I was in back in Middle school?" asked Makoto.

„What about it?" countered Mizuki.

„Well, our lead guitarist, Ichijou Rinnosuke, he's back in town and wants to re-form the band." said Makoto and waited for some reaction from his former classmate. Mizuki simply listened indiferently.

„And? What does it have to do with me?" asked Mizuki.

„Well, you most certainly do remember Hotaru, the lead vocalist, right?" said Makoto slowly. Something clicked inside of Mizuki. Surely, he knew her.

„She disappeared right before graduation. Not even Rin can reach her. We need your help to find her. I heard your data gathering is pretty good." continued Makoto with his story.

„And why should I? It probably was the fault on your side that she disap-"

„Don't say that, Mizuki! I know that deep down inside you actually really do want to find her. After all, you always loved her." stated Makoto with confidence. There was silence for a while before one of them finally spoke.

„Fine. I'll give you some time. I'll call in a few days to hear an answer from you. See ya!" said Makoto and hung up.

Mizuki put his cell phone on the table. He sat down and looked out the window.

„Hotaru, huh?" he mumbled.


The summer vacation had finally arrived. Certainly, the teams were doing some training but some relaxation was needed as well. So, they headed for the beach.

Seigaku boys and girls were having a fun day. Ayumi invited Mizuki along. Some of his teammates were there as well. Yuuta was there too because Fuji was also there. Other schools were also enjoying the warm and sunny day.

Shortly after they had arrived Ayumi already got hit on by a few guys. However, she quickly brushed them off just. She disliked clingy guys, besides she didn't want Mizuki to get involved. Even though she felt that way, Ayumi couldn't help but glance at Mizuki, who was simply reading a book in the shade. Ayumi got a bit dissapointed that he didn't get jealous like he did when Yanagizawa was hitting on her a few weeks ago.

'He could've at least glared this way or something. Oh, well.' thought Ayumi to herself.

Just then, „Ayu-chan! Come play beach volleyball with us!" called Haruhi to her best friend.

They started playing beach volleyball with the other Seigaku members. It was a friendly and fun game between the teens.

Mizuki, however didn't leave Ayumi unnoticed. While reading, he lifted his eyes from the book and watched Ayumi for a while. The sun was shining brightly and it illuminated Ayumi's golden strands of hair. Her smile became even more dazzling. The black haired boy realized it, as he looked on.

'Ah, I must admit I'm mesmerized by her right now. The way she's smiling, it's so... charming.' he thought. It was true what he thought and what he felt.

Just then realized that he was staring at the blond teen. Mizuki blushed and turned his attention back to the book, but still his thoughts drifted back to Ayumi. He couldn't concentrate on a single word anymore.

Ayumi, on the other hand, glanced at Mizuki during her game. She thought that she should spend time rather with him, since he seemed lonely. Ayumi then walked up to Mizuki.

„Hey, Hajime. Come join us. It's fun!" she offered. The said boy lifted his head from the book and stared at her.

„Umm... No, it's okay. You go ahead." Mizuki refused politely.

Ayumi frowned slightly at his response. She then smirked and took his book away, dragging him to swim with her.

„Hey! Ayumi, stop! Wait!" he called out but the said girl didn't listen.

As Ayumi ran into the water, she splashed Mizuki. A bit annoyed, Mizuki did the same. However, he lightened up just as fast.

„Come on, Hajime! Enjoy the beautiful weather today!" called out Ayumi happily.

As the black haired teen looked on, he realized as to why he liked Ayumi. He really liked the chearful and bright side of her.

'Really, summer is hot this year. No, it might be just too dazzling for me.' he thought and then smirked to himself.

Ayumi then suddenly ran further in and swam into the deep a bit.

„Wait, Ayumi! Don't swim too far!" warned Mizuki.

„It's fine! Hajime, swim over here!" called out the said girl. Just then her foot got a cramp. Ayumi noticed just in time to start calling out to Mizuki.

„Hajime! Help! I can't move my foot!" she shouted, as she started drowning.

Mizuki got terrified, as he didn't have time to think. He rushed in to save her. He managed to get her and himself out of the water. While clinging to Mizuki, Ayumi caught out some water out of her lungs.

The wavy haired teen put her down on the blanket and inspected her foot first. With a serious face expression, it took Mizuki a while until he massaged her foot back to normal. Nothing could explain what he felt back there. He was terrified and already imagined the worst but refrained from remembering, since he didn't want to burst everything out at once.

„Hajime, it's no big deal. It was just a cramp, nothing serious." stated Ayumi with a faint smile, noticing that it took quite long for Mizuki to inspect her foot.

Although, he just promised himself that he didn't want to remember, he couldn't help it. Her words made something crack inside of him.

"Ayumi! How is a cramped foot okay while you're swimming? What if you had drowned? Did you even think about how your friends would feel? How would I feel?" shouted Mizuki. He got infuriated, as he scolded her.

This caused the blond haired teen to stare at him for a while before she realized her actions. She didn't think about how he would feel. It made her happy that he said something like that to her.

„I'm sorry." was the only thing she said. Mizuki sighed in anger but still in great relief that nothing had happened to her.

„Seriously..." he mumbled. He then covered her body with a towel and sat down with his back to Ayumi.

The blond girl watched his back fondly, with a slight glow in her eyes. She slowly moved closer and rested her head against his broad back. Mizuki widened his eyes, when he felt her warmth against his skin.

„Thank you, Hajime." said Ayumi gently.

Mizuki's heart skipped a beat after she said those words. His eyes still showed a bit of anger and fear, as he, not letting her notice, put his hand to his mouth. He tried to calm his heart down. 'She's okay. She's right beside you, right?' was what he was trying to tell himself to finally calm down after such an experience where he nearly lost something precious to him.

Both of them simply continued to sit in silence, not a word uttered after her words.

Next chapter

„You have no idea how I felt back then. Don't ever make me go through that again. Ever."

„What if by chance Hotaru suddenly came out of the blue and confessed her love for you?"