A Prince of Tennis fanfic.
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair
Story: Sugary Coffee - Chapter.7
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.
Author's note: Wow, it's so long, but I guess it makes up for the short chapter 6. There's another twist!! And also... a puzzle!!
It's so annoying how I can't use asterisks... so I have to use brackets...
Hmm... I guess some of you must know why Yukimura's nickname is Prince... But besides from that reason... it suits him anyway (even though it kinda reminds me Echizen)
Note:
Ouji - Prince
7. Creamy Latte
Yukimura saw Kirihara off at the airport the next day before catching the train to Todai. According to the information Kirihara gave him, Sanada's last lecture would finish by 2pm. Yukimura wandered around the campus, wondering how different life would have been if he had stayed in university. Sometimes he really envied Sanada, Yagyuu, Yanagi and those who continued school; despite exams and lectures, it seemed to be a much easier life compared to the world beyond.
At two, Yukimura walked to the lecture centre and stood ten or so metres away from it as students poured out. He bit his thumb nervously, waiting for Sanada to appear. Finally, among the last to leave, Sanada walked out, hands deep inside his pockets. Yukimura inhaled deeply, took off his sunglasses, and marched forwards. He felt a little overwhelmed by how nervous he was, his mind already creating possible scenarios.
Sanada sighed; the professor had given them two essays on a tedious and pointless topic. He looked up at the sky, wondering how Yukimura would cope if he was still in university. Then, as if in a dream, Yukimura appeared and was walking towards him with the slightest hint of a suppressed smile. Sanada could not believe Yukimura was giving him a chance to explain after all! He wanted to pinch himself to assure he was not simply dreaming. Sanada could not help but grin sheepishly as Yukimura's eyes met his.
Yukimura resisted his urge to smile back, but it was difficult. Extremely difficult. He remembered how much he loved Sanada and how badly he was hurt because of that love. The more we love a person, the easier it is to be hurt, Yukimura thought; perhaps that kiss was simply a measure of their love for each other. Now that Yukimura was only a few metres away from the one he loved most, he could not believe the time they spent apart. Yukimura's grin widened as he quickened his pace towards Sanada. He could hardly suppress the urge to shout "aishiteru" and circle his arms around the one he missed for such a long time.
"Yo," a familiar figure stepped out from the shadows. "I decided to come as soon as I got your message." The aristocratic voice flowed richly in an almost seductive way. Atobe Keigo stepped in between the two, his hand latching over Sanada's shoulder. A smile hung off his perfectly curved lips, widening as Sanada turned to him.
For a second or so, Yukimura felt lost. Were the texts Sanada sent him false? Were the emails begging for reconcilement false? Was the sincerity in the voice messages false as well? Devastated by a mix of emotions, Yukimura felt dizzy. A bombardment of images flashed across his mind, and Yukimura could take it no longer. Walking away, tears threatened to burst out. He should have known this would happen.
Atobe's words replayed again and again as tears blurred his sight. "I got your message", Atobe had said. Why did Sanada want to meet with Atobe? WHY?
"Yukimura!" Sanada stood in front of him. "Please let me explain."
Yukimura lifted his head, his sadness and anguish disappearing suddenly. He smiled. "I came here to give you another chance," Yukimura said, his voice sweet as if he was talking to a stranger. "But you threw it away. You were the one who ruined our relationship in the first place. I gave you a chance. And you ruined it again."
Despite the sweet smile and honey voice, Sanada took a step back. The aura of Rikkai's invincible captain had returned to Yukimura. At that point, Sanada felt as if he was transported back to their tennis days, when all Yukimura needed was a smile to control the team. Unlike Sanada, he never required physical punishment or harsh words; just a simple smile did the job. The whole team, even their demonic ace, was suppressed by Yukimura's authoritative aura.
"Sanada, I love you," Yukimura said, his voice – strangely – calm and without emotions. "No, I loved you. But you didn't return my love, moreover, broke my heart. Tell me, how can I forgive you?"
"Yukimura..." Sanada stammered, unable to control his feelings.
"No, don't speak," Yukimura said and continued to walk away. "Every time you speak, it's rubbing salt into my wounds. And my wounds are deep enough as they are, thank you very much."
"Please!" Sanada reached for Yukimura's hand, begging. Yukimura stopped for a brief second, then walked away, leaving Sanada with unforgiving words.
"I don't want to speak to you again. I don't want to see you again. Not ever."
Sanada was on the couch, the same position he had been in for the past four days. For the last 96 hours, he sank in depression, not moving or even eating anything. Yukimura's words kept replaying in his mind, breaking him into smaller pieces every time he remembered. His body was deteriorating, but there was nothing he could do; at first, he tried eating, but his body rejected it by making him throw up. Then, he tried sleeping, but that was no use either, because those haunting words kept him awake in an unsettling state.
Eventually, he simply gave up.
The phone rang. Sanada allowed it to ring until it was connected to voice message. "Umm... hey, it's Akaya," the slightly distorted voice said. "I'm just wondering if buchou talked to you. I can't reach him. Can you give me a call when you receive this message? Bye."
Sanada sat up and picked up the phone on the coffee table. But after consideration, he placed the phone down again; it was inconsiderate to ask Kirihara for help when he needed full concentration. Sanada sighed and laid back onto the couch again, closing his eyes for those harsh words to sweep him into another night of insomnia.
A phone call from Australia came every day, and every time, Sanada would let it go through to voice message. For another week, he ate barely anything (three bread rolls in total), missed university and remained in depression. One day, Kirihara called earlier at seven instead of eight, but once again, Sanada let it through to voice message.
"Fukubuchou," Kirihara's excitement was evident even with the heavily distorted voice. "I'm through to the finals! It's on tomorrow, so please watch me and cheer me on!"
Sanada could not help but feel a little proud for the troublesome kouhai he had watched over the years. He rummaged for the remote and turned the television on. The seven o'clock news was reporting on an earthquake near Hokkaido. Sanada watched absent-mindedly, waiting for the sports & entertainment section to start. At last, Kirihara appeared on the screen. He was being interviewed by Australia's Channel 7.
Sanada felt a little surprise at Kirihara's English, which was significantly better compared to the English he knew in junior high. "Akaya," the interviewer said and Sanada felt a little uncomfortable – even though it was expected – to hear Kirihara's first name being used. "Are you excited about tomorrow's match?"
"Definitely," Kirihara beamed, "I'm really, really excited!"
"You're only nineteen years old," the man said, "does your age affect you?"
"Not that much," Kirihara said, "I mean, Hewitt won an ATP title when he was sixteen."
"You were ranked outside top 100 last year this time. How does it feel to be in the top 50 only a year later?"
"Well, I guess it feels great. But it's tiring as well, having to compete and train all the time."
"If you win this match, you'll have your first Grand Slam title and you'll move into the top 10. Do you feel pressured?"
"Of course, but I have a lot of support behind me, so that's okay!" Kirihara grinned and waved to the camera. Sanada sighed silently and shook his head; his kouhai was still so similar to the bratty child after all these years.
"Any last words to family and friends in Japan before we finish?"
"Yep," Kirihara faced the camera. Then, in Japanese, he said, "Watch me play, min'na-san! Especially Yukimura-buchou, Sanada-fukubuchou and Rikkai's senpai-tachi. Watch me win!" He smiled and turned back towards the interviewer, who nodded and concluded the interview.
Sanada reached for the remote and turned the television off. After watching Kirihara, he felt slightly better. He got dressed and went to the seven-elevens downstairs. Picking up the first tennis magazine he saw, Sanada flipped through the pages and stopped when he caught sight of Kirihara.
They described him as "the teenage sensation" and praised him for reaching the finals of Australian Open. But Sanada was not concerned with those fancy details, concentrating instead on the profile of Kirihara's opponent. He was American and around 10cm taller than Kirihara (who was 177cm). He was the 3rd seed in this tournament and was currently holding six singles titles, one of which was the U.S. Open last year. Sanada remembered that he was the one who beat Kirihara in the 2nd round in that tournament.
Sanada closed the magazine and walked towards the exit. As usual, he passed by the gossip magazines and one of them, with Yukimura on the front cover, caught his attention. Trying not to feel embarrassed, he picked it up and flicked to the article on Yukimura. Sanada couldn't help but let out a little chuckle when he saw what they dubbed Yukimura on top of "Prince": A singing sensation.
Perhaps it was a fad word these days, Sanada thought as he read the article. It mentioned the new movie he starred in, "P.S. I Love You", and the new album, "Our Love no Owari".
Sanada was surprised that it was still topping the Oricon charts, but was even more stunned – even though it was last year's news – when he learned that Yukimura was the winner of last year's Newcomer Award. The interview focused mainly on the album and most of the questions asked if his style changed. Sanada continued to read it, although wondering why he was wasting his time on such idiotic magazines.
Question (Q): Ouji, your first album Sweet was all about delightful love. So why is Our Love no Owari all about broken love?
Yukimura (Y): Ah, (laughs) it's probably because I was a bit down at the time I wrote the lyrics and when I recorded it. My songs show my feelings, so that's probably why.
Q: What happened?
Y: (laughs) It was nothing, I was being a child. It wasn't something important. It's like a child dropping his candy down the drain accidentally. It's nothing big.
Q: Really? Because there are rumours that one of your songs contains a hidden meaning.
Y: Is that what they say? Maybe, I don't know. (laughs)
At that, Sanada shut the magazine and placed it back onto the shelf. He walked over to the music section and picked up Yukimura's latest CD. He frowned at the cover; it was a picture of Yukimura's upper body, naked. One of his arms - with a rose tattooed on the biceps - was extended, and on his fingertip, a black and white butterfly sat. But Sanada quickly ignored that and flipped the CD to its back. The songs on the album were listed.
Sanada looked for the song that may contain the "hidden meaning" Yukimura denied. Sanada knew it must be there, because Yukimura, in an interview, would never laugh every time he answered a question. Yukimura was insincere, and Sanada knew it. The answer must be there somewhere.
Suddenly, Sanada's mobile phone rang. "Moshi moshi," Sanada said.
"Fukubuchou!" It was Kirihara. "Why aren't you and buchou picking up?! I've been calling like every day."
"Sorry."
"Anyway, did buchou come and see you?"
Sanada felt as if he had no choice but to lie. "Um..." Sanada took a deep breath. "No."
"Oh, okay then," Kirihara said. "Well, I'm going to bed now. My big match is tomorrow!"
"I know," Sanada said, "I'll cheer you on. By the way, has Yukimura ever mentioned something about a hidden meaning in any of his songs?"
"Hidden meaning in one of his songs?" Kirihara pondered. "Oh, the hidden meaning that buchou denies and the one that all his fans are trying to find out. It's just a rumour spread by his manager, isn't it?"
"I don't think so."
Kirihara was silent for a moment. "Well, you're right."
"What is it?" Sanada asked urgently.
"It's in the song called Sayonara," Kirihara said, "it's in English. And it's in English because..." There was a pause and Sanada could hear Kirihara screaming at someone. "Sorry, fukubuchou, I have to go. I'll tell you tomorrow! Good night!"
The line disconnected. Sanada hurried to the cashier with the CD. He ignored the weird glance the check-out girl gave him and rushed back to his apartment as soon as he paid. Sanada ripped off the plastic covering and opened the CD case. He took out the glossy lyrics booklet and flipped to Track 4: Sayonara.
V.1
Sweet love blossoms like roses in spring
And wilts in winter, fading like snow.
Not once did I hear the truth those words bring;
Affections blind my eyes from tomorrow.
Days and nights pass thinking of our first kiss
As I begin to believe love is real.
Childlike, I dream in a world of bliss,
Only waking with wounds too deep to heal.
My heart shivers; my heart fades in pain.
Emotions boils; and down pour the rain.
Chorus
What did I believe?
Why did I fall deep in love?
When will my heart heal?
V.2
Breaking away from you shatters my heart;
All I can feel is suffocation.
Cutting our bonds, forever to part,
Keeping my sanity from degradation.
Tainted and torn, I look to the sky.
Out of my reach is the sun, and your love.
Maybe one day I'll grow wings and fly,
Elating myself from despair to above.
You took my heart and my soul and everything.
Sayonara, my love. I am nothing.
Sanada could only recognise the agonizing pain Yukimura suffered when he wrote these lyrics, but there was nothing else he could see. Where was the hidden meaning?
Please review!
Does anyone know the hidden meaning in this song/poem?
I really like it... hehe.
