A/N: Okay I know that I started putting these at the end but this one needs to be at the top. This is not going to be humor like the other ones, life is not always happy so to make it more realistic I'll occasionally be putting more serious minded or sad ones in. This one is going to be more geared toward Tsuji and Akaya's relationship as friends, I figured I should show the whole backstory on how they met and stuff so there won't be any plot holes in the other chapters. Well that's about it, keep reading for the actual chapter. Note: Flashbacks are in italics.
Photo 7: Make it Last
It was a warm spring day in Kanagawa, perfect weather to take a walk. Taking advantage of the day off of practice a brunette second year girl had decided to make a trip out to her old home for memories' sake. Sighing contentedly as she walked past the local tennis courts she walked a little farther until she reached a familiar bench and sat down, leaning against the backing. She let a smile cross her lips as she reminisced on everything that had happened here. The memories played through her head like a video, a tennis ball, and apologizing voice, and an unforgettable head of seaweed-like hair. Smirking to herself the girl recalled some more recent events. That was until a familiar voice brought her out of her daydreams.
"What are you doing here Kaed?"
Blinking Tsuji gave her long-time friend a small smile "Akaya, what a coincidence I was just thinking of when we first met."
Akaya strolled over taking a seat next to the female "So your just here for one of your memory walks or something? Geez, it seems like those are the only reason you come to Kanagawa these days. You don't come by here just to hang out like you used to, and if you do your always with the Seigaku regulars. Did you forget about me that easy?"
Tsuji gave a snort "Course' not Akaya. But I know we've both been pretty busy these days," she turned to give him a smirk "Besides I heard that the demon has taken a liking to an angel recently."
"Wh-where did you here that from!" Akaya spluttered out, skin tingeing pink.
"Niou and Marui-kun," she shrugged.
"I told you to not listen to anything they say!" Akaya exclaimed "And since when are you on friendly speaking terms with them!?"
"Since you introduced us," Tsuji answered
Akaya groaned, his senpai-tachi could be so tricky sometimes!
"So who's the lucky girl?" Tsuji asked out of nowhere.
"I already told you not to listen to them!" Akaya cried.
"But you didn't deny there was a girl," Tsuji pointed out.
"I thought you were my best friend," Akaya grumbled "You shouldn't turn into Niou-senpai with this."
Tsuji chuckled lightly at his expression "Exactly. I am your best friend. That means I have all rights to tease you, match make you, and approve all possible girlfriends."
"Kaeeeed," Akaya whined "Quit teasing I get it and there is no girl!"
"Whatever you say seaweed head. Whatever you say," Tsuji said.
Akaya let out a breath happy his friend had dropped the subject. "So," he started "You were remembering our first meeting?"
Tsuji nodded "Yep, I doubt I'd be able to forget that."
Akaya flinched a little at the memory "Yeah, sorry bout' that."
A 7-year old Tsuji was sitting on a bench close to the tennis courts and under a maple tree waiting impatiently for her older sister. Just as she was about to get up and look for her late aniki, something small and hard came into contact with her head. Reflexively rubbing her head while mumbling some small "ow's" she bent down to pick up what had hit her, a neon green ball. Tsuji looked at it oddly not knowing where it had come from. That was until a young male's voice reached her ears.
"Oi! Can I have my tennis ball back?"
The young girl looked toward the voice and was met with the sight of a boy about her age with curly seaweed colored hair running toward her waving his arm like a lunatic.
Upon reaching her the boy bent down with his hands on his knees panting lightly "Can I have that ball you have back?"
Tsuji blinked "Sure, but this thing hurts."
The boy's head shot up "Did I hit you? I am so sorry about that!"
"It's fine," Tsuji said "This is yours right? What is it anyway?"
Taking the ball back the boy looked surprised at her question "You don't know what this is? It's a tennis ball. You know the ball used in tennis, the best sport ever."
Shaking her head Tsuji replied "Sorry, never heard of it."
The boy gasped "Never heard of it?! Come with me I'll show you how amazing it is." He declared grabbing Tsuji's wrist dragging her to the tennis courts.
"Hey let go of me! My sister could be back any minute!" Tsuji protested.
"Don't worry about it they're just down this way, not to far I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind me showing someone the greatness of tennis." The boy said still dragging her.
"Well the least you could do is tell me who you are seaweed head. My sister says to never go anywhere with strangers. So tell me who you are and we won't be strangers," Tsuji said firmly.
The boy paused for a minute and turned to face the girl with a slightly stupid but arrogant grin on his face "My name is Kirihara Akaya and I'm going to be the best tennis player of all time." He announced.
"Okay than seaweed head," Tsuji said smiling slightly.
"Oi! My name is Ki-ri-ha-ra A-ka-ya," the now named boy spelled out "Not seaweed head! And I think you should tell me who you are too or I'm calling you Kaed. It's only right."
Tsuji giggled bit at his personality "I do suppose it's only right that I introduce myself," Tsuji said "Well Kirihara-kun," she started actually using his name "I'm Tsuji Sumiko."
Akaya tilted his head, "Nahhh, I'm calling you Kaed. You were under a maple tree and Sumiko is too long."
Present time Tsuji smiled at the thought "If I remember correctly you showed me how to play tennis and we lost track of time and my sister nearly called the police to find me."
Akaya grinned with her "Yeah, I remember that. And you wouldn't stop calling me seaweed head!"
"It fit better at the time!" Tsuji defended.
"We were kids! Of course you thought it fit better but I think you jinxed me because Niou-sempai won't stop calling me that now," Akaya complained.
"Not my fault you have such seaweed-like hair. Plus you always call me Kaed," Tsuji said.
"Guess you're right," Akaya drifted off "Hey," he said looking her in the eye "It's been what six years since we became friends? And we've been through so much together, but it seems like we've been drifting apart lately. What do you think is going to happen?"
Tsuji sighed and leaned back gazing at the sky "I honestly don't know. But I do think that recently we have been getting farther apart. That's how the world works though, friends are going to come and go, but we're still going to have the memories and photos of this time. I know I could never forget you, or any of the other tennis regulars, from all the schools. Even if I would rather forget some of them," Tsuji trailed off.
"True," Akaya agreed "I know I could never forget everyone. But who would you rather forget? I thought you were friends with most of them."
"Ehhh," Tsuji said thinking back to some past experiences "Look I'll tell you but you cannot ever tell them, ever. I would rather forget Fuji-sempai and Yukimura-san."
Needless to say Akaya was baffled "Why would you want to forget them!"
Tsuji shivered "I don't know exactly why but they scare me a lot. And it doesn't help that Fuji-sempai seems to enjoy tormenting me."
"Well okay than Kaed," Akaya said.
"Nice to know," Tsuji said offhandedly.
"Still," Akaya said an edge of sadness creeping into his voice "As everyone is now it seems that we'll all be together though life. That would be nice but once we get out of school we're probably going to split."
"Hmm, well if that ever happens I bet something is going to make everyone come together," Tsuji said "Look, somehow everyone finds each other. I mean look at us we're sitting here together, and you didn't know I was going to be here. What I'm trying to say is, there is something connecting all of us, and as freakin cliché and sappy as it sounds I think it will last."
"Figures you would say something like that," Akaya replied "But it does make a weird kind of sense, whenever something happens everyone goes or finds each other. Like that one time with us I was running randomly from that crazy girl in elementary when we were 10 and somehow ended up at your house."
Tsuji felt a bead of sweat on the back of her head "I remember that one, now that you mention it that was pretty weird."
Not many things could send Akaya running for his life. But this was an exception, he was being hunted down by a crazy girl who had jumped him on his way home from tennis practice. She had ended up chasing him all around town without stopping now he was lost and tired until he caught sight of a familiar house and ran toward it. He immediately started banging on the door.
"Tsuji-chan! Let me in! There's some insane girl after me!"
In his hurried banging he didn't notice the door open and fell on his face inside the house. Tsuji closed the door and looked down at her friend on the ground.
"You okay?" She asked.
Shaking his head Akaya pushed himself up and breathed a sigh of relief "Thanks for letting me in Tsuji-chan. I don't know what would have happed if you didn't open the door."
"Geez, Akaya-kun. If you have girls chasing after you at this age I would hate to think about what is going to happen in middle and high school."
"Odd thing you know?" Tsuji asked him "It started with you and now in middle school you have the Seigaku regular's busting and hiding in my house from fangirls. And somehow the guys from other school's close by have taken up the same thing. And now I'm everyone's keeper. Weird thing though, I was never really friends or close with them until I started helping them out with that at first it was a nuisance but everyone has grown on me."
Akaya smiled slightly "At least you managed to find friends after you left Kanagawa."
Tsuji snorted "Friends yes. But they're all male. All of them the only female friends I have are the girls tennis team and the other girls that you met a while back. The other ones are all fangirls with some exceptions, so they either hate me or don't know who the heck I am."
"Oh," Akaya said. Now that he thought about it most of Tsuji's friends were guys.
"I do suppose there are some upsides to having so many guy friends, there's less drama for one," Tsuji said.
"Yeah, but it makes me sad thinking about what's going to happen later. I mean were friends now but you never know," Akaya said.
"The truth in those words is high," Tsuji said "It makes you wonder how long these friendships are going to last. Years, months, days, it's all so strange."
Akaya sat up with a new resolve in his eyes "Than let's make a promise."
Tsuji looked at her old friend questioningly "Promise?"
Akaya nodded "A promise. A tennis promise."
Tsuji placed a hand on her tennis bag that she had all but forgotten about during her conversation with Akaya and stood up. "So, a promise over a match?"
Upon arrival at the nearby courts they both brought out their racquets and met at the net. Smiling to each other they crossed their racquets and began their deal.
"You know," Tsuji said "I feel like we've done this before."
"Like déjà vu?" Akaya asked "Whatever we know what to do."
"Over this game we promise to never forget."
"The bonds we've made."
"We will."
"Make it last."
A/N: So I lied there was some humor in there. But yeah this was really just insight to Tsuji and Akaya. Sorry to disappoint those looking forward to an amusing chapter. But to make it like actual life as I said before there will be some more serious minded chapters. And I need reader's opinion on this, I showed some of Tsuji's backstory so I need to know if I should show more of it, same goes for my other OCs. Well bye for now!