~Atobe Keigo~

Using my fork, I pierced through the smooth texture of the omelette on the plate in front of me. The branded tomato sauce caved in, reddening the golden inside of the egg dish. I cut them into small little pieces and I could see the heat dissipating into thin air. Then, I took a piece, spins the fork sluggishly while staring at the separated bright yellow egg.

I took a deep breath just to exhale excessively before I put my fork back onto the plate, it clanked in response. Pushing my chair backwards, I stood up and left. I did not have any appetite.

"You are not eating anything, Atobe-sama?" One of the butlers politely questioned.

I looked at him sharply with my blue eyes then I shook my head. "Not hungry."

He knew better than to interfere with my personal life, or maybe he just didn't care enough, and he kept quiet. Instead, he escorted me to the car while carrying my bag. He opened the door to let me in before placing my backpack beside me neatly then he bowed down and remained in that position until the car drives off.

My mother had not once come to gawk at me ever since yesterday's incidence. I haven't been particularly close with my parents, so it didn't come as a surprise. Both of them, particularly my father had always been busy with their work to care enough for my well-being.

The trip to the school was mercifully short. I looked around to spot a certain bulky boy, but couldn't find him in the crowd. Some familiar faces approached and accompanied me into the class, although I wasn't really in the mood for talking. I tried my best to look as normal as possible, and it seemed to be working.

"Kei, you left your book yesterday," One of the guys sitting behind me said, stretching his hand to hand over my English workbook. Unlike Japanese, everyone in England calls me by my first name regardless of our relationship. Some of the closer friends I have call me 'Kei'.

"Thanks," I said, taking the book.

"What's wrong, Kei?" He asked again, crossing his arms and resting his head lazily on the desk. "I heard you told off some boy yesterday."

My shoulders tensed before answering. "None of your business."

He curled his nose in disappointment as a result of me being secretive. "Aw…" He then whinged. "But that's something I wouldn't expect from you. Is he that annoying?"

"He's not," I replied. "If anything, he's the opposite of annoying."

He shook his head then spoke, "I don't get it. You told him off because he's not annoying? Some legit reasoning you've got there." He said sarcastically.

"It's complicated. I need to apologise to him." I retorted to get a faint nod as a response from the boy in front of me.

"Okaaaay…" He whined, stretching himself across the table. I heard him mumbling 'I still don't get it as I turn my back, but I ignored him. I flicked through the English book on my desk, head placed on my left palm, wondering whether my action towards Kabaji was forgivable or not.

The peace was broken when someone frantically scrambled into the classroom, almost falling over. He looked terrified. "M-monster!" He cried out, setting all eyes in that very room on him. He looked so pale, as if blood had been drained from his body. "Keigo!" He exclaimed when he saw me sitting next to the window. "H-he's your friend, right?! Take him away!"

"What are you babbling on about?" I asked.

"Tennis c-court," was all he said for the first few seconds. "Go to the tennis court NOW!" He raised his shaky voice. Out of curiosity, I stood up from my seat and paced up to the backfield where the tennis court is located. There, I could see two vague figures, one standing up so proudly whereas the other was kneeling, panting, just like how I was yesterday. The other students around the outside of the court looked absolutely horrified.

I used both of my hands to claw my way into the court, trying to get a clearer vision. I supressed my laughter when I saw who was lying on the ground, utterly defeated. It was the boy who had crushed me yesterday and forced me to say things that I had not wanted to say to…

…Kabaji.

Kabaji was in the other end. He had a black tennis racket and he looked down on the opponent whom he had trampled.

"Kabaji!" I screamed, or so I thought. My mouth opened without any sound coming out. Like everyone else, I found myself terrified. He had such strength to defeat the person who overpowered me yesterday, yet he always seems so humble next to me. He followed me around although I was not stronger than him. He could have knocked me out when I said such hurtful thing, but he didn't.

The pair of dark eyes focused on me, stunned. Atobe-san, he mouthed.

I did not respond.

He walked past me and I still did not respond—not that I didn't want to.

I couldn't.

~Kabaji Munehiro~

I had seen the match between Atobe-san and that brown-haired senior. I had seen how he crushed Atobe-san flat. He usually invites me to all of the little matches between him and his friends, but this time he didn't. I was curious, so I stood there in the second storey and observed through an open window. Atobe-san is not a bad player, definitely not the one to underestimate. He's really good at reading people's movements, and I admire him because of that. However, once his opponent starts to dominate him, he would slowly crumble. He lost against himself before losing against his foe.

I could see Atobe-san being mocked and ridiculed. I quickly ran down to drive away those people. But when I arrived there, they were no longer there, and Atobe-san had left.

When I came over to Atobe-san's house, his mother stepped out to greet me politely and told me that Atobe-san was not in. I thought it was weird, since he always locks himself in his house after school. However, I couldn't start arguing with his mother, so I left after handing her back the DVD I had promised to return.

Atobe-san was really mad at me yesterday. After I recovered from the sudden sorrow of being rejected, I started remembering his expression. I could see the hesitation in his sapphire eyes, but it was mixed with anger. He was distant and seemed like he was talking to someone else and not me. He wasn't angry at me. But I couldn't start coming up with an appropriate explanation of why he would say such thing to me.

Think about it. He had been humiliated in front of his peers, Munehiro. He's really arrogant, and being ridiculed like that must've crushed his pride. Maybe he simply got forced to play by his classmate because he's been so close to you, a mere junior, lately. But look at what you've caused. Now he's furious because you have indirectly helped to humiliate him. It's only natural that he doesn't want to associate with you any longer. Forget about him, okay Munehiro?

That was the only reasonable theory.

I will not allow Atobe-san to be humiliated any longer. I have to avenge him.

So I challenged the boy who had crushed Atobe-san. He mocked me, and his friends laughed at me. I did not budge. My lack of reaction must've provoked him to pick up his racket and pushed me to the court.

It was no challenge at all. I could easily read all of his moves and copy them. If I was playing Atobe-san, he would have no problem with all his techniques being copied. But, he was flabbergasted that he lost all senses. He screamed at me, saying that I was not human. He said that I do not deserve what I could do. I have heard those too many times to actually care.

I looked at him panting on the ground, chest rising and sinking as a result of all energy being drained from his body. All the cheering against me had ceased, replaced by a series of murmurs.

"That's what you get for messing with Atobe-san" I thought. "No one hurts Atobe-san. Not as long as I'm alive."

I looked around to see terrified expressions worn by all the audiences. Only then I realised that I had gone full force and exposed my brute strength that I wish I do not possess. I felt strangely small while being stared at, being the topic of all conversations.

When I turned my face, I almost dropped my racket.

Atobe-san was near the exit, lips shaking in fear. Only then I realised that he was frightened. I was about to call out for him, but my voice betrayed me. I could only manage the faintest whisper. "Atobe-san…"

I couldn't stand the petrified look in his eyes; I couldn't stand the thought that Atobe-san was horrified. All because I had gone all out against a senior in order to exact revenge in his name. I walked past him silently, not looking back. In my mind, I had the slightest hope that he would turn around and call me, and he would smile.

But Atobe-san did not budge.

~Atobe Keigo~

We were sitting in the gazebo in my garden, watching the Sting Ray flapping its sides, seemingly crawling through the pond. I rested my head on my crossed arms, which were placed on the backrest of the small shelter.

"Kabaji, you can speak Japanese, right?" I started, eyes still focused on the reflection made on the surface of the clear water.

"Yes," He said.

"One day, I want to go to school in Japan. I heard that the spring there is really pretty. I've seen some pictures of Sakura tree blooming. Don't you want to go too, Kabaji?" I asked. "You're going to follow me everywhere, right?"

"Yes, Atobe-san." He answered firmly without any pauses.

I crumpled the piece of paper on my desk while letting out a frustrated sigh. The teacher eyed me curiously but I avoided her gaze. I found it impossible to concentrate after what I had witnessed. I still couldn't find the reason why someone as powerful as Kabaji would bow down to me, obeying my every command.

"Kei, you're shaking." My friend poked me on the shoulder using the back of his pen. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I lied.

"I saw that boy. Munehiro, isn't it? He completely crushed the tennis pro in our year. And he's one year below us. Scary, eh?"

I grunted as a response, not that I had anything better to say.

"He looks like a pretty cool guy, though. I never knew he plays tennis."

"Be quiet!" The blond teacher raised her voice, shutting up my friend. I was a little bit thankful for that. I wasn't in the mood for conversations.

XxxxxX

The rest of the day was uneventful. I hadn't tried to find Kabaji, since I wasn't sure how I should begin. I figured that it would be better for me to stop having inner conflict before starting to resolve the problem between us. The school ended and I was still in my classroom, tapping lightly on my notebook, trying to finish the last little bit of my homework before going home.

A pair of hands was smashed onto my desk; my writing tools rolled over and fell to the ground. I clicked my tongue and froze on spot when I see who was next to me. His face was red—I could see the embarrassment and anger mixed together in his eyes.

"You fucker!" His voice echoed in the empty classroom and hallway. He then grabbed me by the collar and shook my violently. "You told that monster to get revenge right?!" He didn't allow me to answer as his hands got dangerously close to my throat, he was about to choke me. "Who the fuck is he?!"

I smirked in victory. "He's Kabaji. My Kabaji."

It wasn't a great move. He lifted me up from my seat and threw me until my body smashed the solid desks and chairs, sweeping them off their rightful place and some fell on top of me, as if burying me. I closed both of my eyes, readying myself for a kick in the stomach. I could hear footsteps rushing towards the place, and noise, followed by a scream of pain. But it didn't involve me.

I opened my eyes to see a familiar figure in front of me, he held the other boy above the ground with only one hand. His feet were wriggling mid-air as he cries out in pain upon having a powerful hand pushing into his throat, cutting off half of oxygen supply.

"You hurt Atobe-san." He hissed. "Do not hurt Atobe-san." He let out another throaty threat before he flings the boy he was holding easily towards the wall. I could hear the crashing noise and a scream in anguish as his body made contact with the wall and fell near the desks.

"M-monster…" He writhed in pain. "Monster like you should go die!" He screamed, scrambling to get to his feet and stormed off, leaving both of us in the messed up classroom.

Kabaji looked at his right hand and bit his lower lips. He looked at me with a pair of saddened eyes. "I'm sorry, Atobe-san… I can't… control myself… Sorry…"

"K-Kabaji…" I mustered up enough strength to speak.

"I promised myself… that I will always protect you…" He continued and I could hear sorrow in his tone. "You were the first… to accept me… And now… although you don't want me anymore… I still want to… protect you…"

I slowly stood up, although my back was killing me. I ignored Kabaji's protest when he saw me straining myself. "You big idiot!" I cried out, smacking him on his chest although it didn't really have any power in it. "Big idiot!" I repeated. I could hear my voice breaking. "W-why would you do that? I hurt you and you can still say such thing! You big idiot!"

"Sorry…" Kabaji whispered in his low voice.

"You have nothing to be sorry for… idiot…" I replied meekly. "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry!"

"No, Atobe-san… Don't say sorry…"

"I'm sorry!" I cried out. "I'm not strong enough to protect you!" I did not allow Kabaji to reply to me as I continue. "Why would someone as powerful as you follow me? I can't even protect a friend!"

"Atobe-san…?"

"Kabaji… I've decided." I took a deep breath before I braced myself to face him eye-to-eye. "I want to be stronger."

He looked at me and I could tell that he was confused. But he said nothing, instead, he allowed me to finish my sentence.

"I want to be strong enough to control you. I want to be strong enough so you don't have to fight my battle. You'll help me right, Kabaji?"

Only then his smile grew—possibly the biggest smile he had ever given me. Then he said the one word which I wanted to hear.

"Yes."

Author's note: Aaahh, I'm really having fun writing the possible relationship between them. This happened after I read shintenipuri when Atobe told off Kabaji... it was sad T.T Next chapter will be happier stuff, I promise!

Anyway, please review and thank you for the support :D!