Where It Starts, Where It Ends
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.
Warning: Shounen ai. Some OOCness.
Pairing: MomoXRyo
Author: StrawberyJubilee (LJ: StrawberryJ)
Beta: NiennaAngel (LJ: SkyAngel2009)
Chapter Nine
He didn't know why he was feeling so angry. He sat on his bed, holding his knees close to his chest. He felt some sort of heavy feeling in his chest. He knew what he was feeling, but he didn't want to admit it. He was jealous. The feeling kept growing stronger each time he remembered the scene between his senpai and the brunette girl. Unconsciously he gritted his teeth. He mumbled something about 'making out in public' and 'stupid senpai.' He was mad, very mad. He clenched his fist, digging his nails deeper as he recalled the fact that Ryuzaki was hugging Momoshiro. His Momoshiro.
'No way. He isn't mine. I'm the idiot here. It's clear that Momo-senpai and Ryuzaki-san are dating. I'm the idiot for even thinking that that kiss meant something.' He buried his face in his palms. 'Bu-but… why did he even kiss me if it meant nothing to him? Why does he make me feel this way if he already has Ryuzaki-san? Could it be that he's only playing around with my feelings?'
'Why did he kiss me if he doesn't even care?' He felt anger burning inside of him. He felt betrayed by his friend. Suddenly, a tear ran down his cheeks. It has been a long time ago since the last time he cried. He always tried to hide his emotions. He never let himself cry, but his feelings betrayed him, just like what his senpai did to him. 'I hate him.' He hugged his knees tighter. 'I hate them both.' He felt like his feelings were completely mixed up.
The next day he woke up with a headache for not getting enough sleep. He took a quick shower, dressed, snatched his school bag and rushed down the stairs.
"Morning, shounen!" his father greeted him with a cheery face. "You look like a mess. What happened?" Ryoma didn't answer, he shrugged. "Now, now… get some breakfast first."
"Not hungry," he mumbled. "I'm going," he mumbled again as he rushed through the door.
"Hey, shounen!" Nanjiroh only shook his head as he muttered, "Kids these days…"
Ryoma was in a hurry since he wanted to get to school early. He didn't want to meet Momoshiro. They used to go to school together on Momoshiro's bike, but today he didn't want to meet the upperclassman of his. 'Maybe he won't come here anyway. Maybe starting now he will go to school with Ryuzaki-san.' His heart slumped by the fact that he may have to walk alone to school everyday. He sighed. "Maybe it's better that way."
"What's better that way, Ryoma-kun?" The familiar voice surprised Ryoma.
"Mo-momoshiro-senpai! What are you doing here this early?" His eyes widened.
Momoshiro only smiled sadly. He was glad that he could meet his beloved kouhai, but he was also sad that what he thought earlier was true. 'I thought you were going to go to school earlier since you don't want to meet me.' Momoshiro took a deep breath. "Let's go to school together, Ryoma-kun…"
A tingling feeling of excitement rushed into Ryoma after hearing his senpai's words, but the moment he remembered the incident with the Ryuzaki girl, his feelings became bitter. "I'd rather walk alone." He calmly walked past Momoshiro.
Momoshiro was taken aback by the cold tone of his kouhai's voice. He realized that Ryoma was mad at him and maybe even hated him. He looked at the smaller boy's back as he walked away. He didn't want Ryoma to hate him. He wants Ryoma to love him. Suddenly, he rushed to catch Ryoma's arm, then he pinned his kouhai between the wall and himself. "I-I…" There were millions of words that he wanted to say, but he didn't manage to get it out. He wanted to tell Ryoma that he only loves the boy. He only managed to say, "Ryoma-kun, please…" He gazed into Ryoma's eyes. 'Please don't hate me. Please listen to me. I love you, Ryoma…'
For a moment, they were only staring at each other's eyes. Ryoma glared at Momoshiro with hate in his eyes. Momoshiro looked at Ryoma with a sad expression. Ryoma smirked. "Don't act like you even care for me, Momoshiro-senpai." He left Momoshiro alone as the walked slowly to school.
Momoshiro could only whisper, "I do care, Ryoma…" but the other boy was too far to hear it.
Ryoma was ignoring him for the past few days. His kouhai only spoke to him during practice, but it was still obvious to the other regulars that something had happened between them. Their teammates were starting to worry about them. Coach Ryuzaki and Buchou were afraid that the situation would affect their tennis. Several times they tried to talk to Ryoma and Momoshiro, but none of their attempts succeeded to fix the relationship between the two boys.
Sakuno always being around Momoshiro just made the relationship between Ryoma and him even worse. Even though he already tried to ignore her, he just couldn't get away. There was some gossip about Sakuno's change of attitude. They were saying that it had something to do with her friend Tomoka. She used to be a shy and calm girl, but now she was neither. She was getting more and more like Tomoka each day.
Even though Ryoma refused to be near him, he still waited for Ryoma before school and after practice, but the boy kept acting as if he didn't exist. He felt exhausted and he leaned on the tree trunk feeling so empty. He remembered the times they used to spend together underneath the tree. The tree had become some sort of silent witness for their friendship and for this love towards Ryoma. "Ryoma-kun…" The place felt too silent for him, too vacant without Ryoma.
'One day, when I find the right person I want to carve my name here.' He touched the tree trunk looking at certain names carved on it. "I guess I'll never have my name carved on it after all. He hates me." Momoshiro took a deep breath and stayed there for a while, trying to clear his mind. He kept thinking about what he should do to repair his relationship with Ryoma. 'At least as friends. I understand if you don't love me, but please don't hate me. I just can't take that.'
"I'm sorry, young man. He already left…" Nanjiroh said with a concerned voice. Nanjiroh was feeling sorry for his son's friend; the boy came to his house everyday just to find that Echizen had already gone. His son was clearly avoiding Momoshiro, but he didn't know why. Ryoma's gloomy face became more noticeable everyday and he was sure that it had something to do with Momoshiro. Ryoma also became more isolated everyday. Not that Ryoma is a friendly type of person; he's arrogant and bratty to everyone, but Nanjiroh could still sense that there was something wrong going on. His son was unhappy. Feeling a sudden urge of his fatherliness, he called out for Momoshiro as the boy was about to take off, "Boy! I don't know exactly what happened, but there is something wrong with him. He isn't being himself lately. He may be bratty, but he's a nice son. So, take care of him, Momoshiro-kun." Nanjiroh smirked. "I know that the kid sees you as a special person."
Now he knew where Ryoma's arrogant smirk came from. With the approval from Nanjiroh, he determined that he must talk to Ryoma to settle their problem especially after hearing that Ryoma considers him as a special person. "Thank you, Echizen-san."
"Boy, if you ever hurt him, I will make you regret that."
"I won't hurt him, not ever." Hearing that response, Nanjiroh smirked.
TBC
A/N:
I planned this ficcie to be a short one, but it ended up to be not so short at all… R&R, please!
