First Love
(Ohtori Choutarou)
oOoOoOo
They were best of friends.
Childhood friends who are inseperable even in middle school.
They tease them that they'll marry when they grow up a lot more older.
And Ohtori Choutarou would just blush beet red and face them with a depress look on his face.
"Maa, would you please stop that? Its now what you think it is."
"Then what is it?"
Mukahi Gakuto cooed, leaving Ohtori even more helpless on his feet and blushing even more furiously at the expense of the acrobatic red head and his partner, the bespectacled Oshitari Yuushi.
"Cut it out Gakuto, you are scaring him off his feet."
Shishido Ryou reprimands, patting a hand on his shoulder while he shot him an apologizing thank you look.
On the other side of the fence lies the girl's tennis court. His chestnut brown eyes spotted her.
Swinging her racket in the air, obviously practicing how to even more perfect her backhand swing.
The reason why he is afraid to confess is because of three things;
One is that because they grew up together. They almost knew each other's skeleton.
Two is that because he knew how she rejects prospective suitors right off the bat. Straight to the point and very crushing.
And three, even though they are best of friends, he still refuse to call her by her first name...
Because he wanted to only call her in her first name if she also reflects the same feeling.
Too much demands he knows.
And he knows those are only excuses to hide the true reason why.
He wouldn't want to be rejected. By her of all people.
Ohtori sighs and turned his back.
She is his first love.
Confessing would simply either break or make their next would be relationship. A relationship he hopes that would benefit his feelings the most.
His feelings and hers. But hers is more important.
"If you keep on thinking the other way around, you would not know what is the truth."
Shishido broke his musing, handing him his own tennis racket.
"Quit beating around the bush Choutarou, even just for once."
He nods forcibly and thrudges his way inside the court to have a doubles practice with Kabaji and Jirou on the other end of the court.
"Choutarou-kun!"
He heard her call him out, her face flush from tennis practice and practically running her way to his.
How beautiful did she became. Butterflies starts fluttering in his stomach. His cheek heating up.
"A-Aku-."
He stuttered, catching her after she accidentally tripped herself from a vagabond stone.
She smiles sheepishly, asking for forgiveness for her clumsiness. Then she pouts.
"Next time you call me that I'll pounce you right where you standing is that clear?"
"Maa, save my partner the torture okay?"
"Then please do tell your doubles partner that I am demanding to be called by my first name since we are very familiar with one another."
There, that's where his problem always starts. He would always get as stubborn as she is about this demands.
Shishido could only shoot him a look of askance. All he could do for a response is an apologetic smile. His partner instantly got his meaning and nods in understanding.
How would he tell her that he loves her?
"Ne Choutarou I guess you should tell her that you are leaving for Germany next week."
Yes, he'll be leaving for the exchange scholarship program Sakaki-kantoku had purchased for him being an adept violinist and pianist at the same time.
"I'll try tomorrow, besides I am doing my last round of ironing the documents and I am good to go."
"Are you sure you wanted this?"
He let out a sigh and couldn't pluck the best response for that question.
One side of him would say of course.
But the other half has something the other way around.
"You know what to do best Choutarou. Just hope you know what you are really doing."
Shishido cautioned.
And it echoed in his mind.
He finished packing his belongings when his eyes strayed on the long-forgotten Playstation One console she always played on when they were much younger.
Would she always pouts when she loose and gets irritated after having successive loosing against him.
She rejects defeat of any sort.
Would she always smiles warmly whenever they finish a game together.
She rejects doing it alone.
Would she always get him the latest game so that they could try it out together.
She rejects being alone.
And how painful yet sickenly sweet those memories are.
How he hate the word rejection.
The very foremost feeling that massively shakes even his greatest resolve.
How he wished that word hadn't even existed.
Because that word is what she is good at. It embodies her whenever she has no penchant for such prospect.
She would just go in for the kill. Straight and rather ruthless.
He saw it first hand how it shattered a man into thousand pieces. Like a broken glass.
Its as if she hates the other gender.
That's where rejection hangs like a grim reaper's scythe over his fate.
"Are you sure you are leaving without even settling the feud between you and her?"
Shishido's voice vibrates with concern. Ohtori sighed and handed a letter to Jirou he made just for her. He shifted then his eyes towards the one of the large entrance of the airport.
"If you leave it means you're giving her up that easily."
His doubles partner prodded.
"Retreating doesn't mean loosing Shishido-san."
He adjusted the bag on his shoulder, not daring to meet his senpai's eyes.
"Besides, I didn't want nor asked for that argument, she won't even listen to what I have to say."
Yes, he well versed his self with that, trying to repudiate every little spark of hesistation in his mind of not leaving for Germany and just stay.
"How selfish of you then."
Oshitari commented, fishing his hands on the pockets of his trouser. He didn't his own self to counter the tensai's words.
Of course he is. Because if he isn't then he is not leaving to seek a sore needed comfort somewhere else.
Because if he wasn't then he'll no longer be bounding for Germany and standing now in this airport with his luggage lurking behind him.
He wanted her to miss him.
He wanted her to want him.
Just like what he to her.
Are those demands too much to even ask?
His departure is something not really uncalled for. It is planned. And he knows it will pain her to even know that he left without even saying goodbye.
Choutarou looked back once again on his team mates before going inside.
First love never dies, as the song echoes.
He hope it does not.
oOoOoOo
Tears sprang unbiddingly down on her cheek as she reread the letter for the third time, her free hand wiping it madly away from her face.
"You're so unfair."
oOoOoOo
end
oOoOoOo
hitsu: heartbreaking. saa, I think it sucks again. quite non-directional. unfortunately, I wasn't able to save the original last part because the connector disintergrated from the android and I can't even retrieve it back T_T
anyways, guys thanks for the reviews ^o^v be easy with me ne? Silver-Cat20- yes this next one is a Hyoutei-ouji drabble, unfortunately its not quite the happy ending ^_^ and kimi-lee22, Lemora my dear thanks =) yeah I could not *evil laugh*
if you read my other chouta-based fics, you'll know why the theme of the story is departure and retreat. any kind of mistakes you'll happen to encounter please point it out. it helps biggie.
prince of tennis is not mine coz if it is then I already have Sanada do every biddings of mine *wonders what to ask from Sanada without even being killed by Yukimura and the hordes of fangirls*