AN: lol its been a while hi
Harukachan- hey, thanks! im glad youre enjoying my work. and yes, misaki does deserve better in a sense that hes been through many hardships just so he can play soccer, he's gonna be transferred to PSG soon im sure, maybe even after the olympics. it terms of being with azumi, im fine with it in canon anyway. but considering she kind of dropped out of the manga like a fly, we just dont know. anyway, thanks again for reading!
HimeKanata- lol, dont worry im going to continue this. im having too much fun writing this. its nice. anyway, yeah... misaki wasnt exactly angry, just annoyed and irritated. ayame was being a baby lol. was she really drunk, or was she just fooling with him, we just dont know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. thanks for always reading and yes i will continue this
yeah i dont own captain tsubasa
Chapter 9: One Look
It's been a few weeks since the party, and so far everything was going great for him. After returning the ring to jewelry shop, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of him, and somehow, it was as if he felt alive again. Slowly, everything began to change. He could feel the heat of summer creeping in, smell the various scents and aromas of Paris, hear the most wonderful things that he used to ignore, see everything with all their colors.
But for some reason, the colors were livelier, more vivid when he was with Ayame.
He was happier.
Ayame noticed the changes that happened to him, and wasted no time asking him what happened to him. He told her of what he did, of what he decided, and he couldn't help but return her excited smile when she hugged him, telling him how proud she was of him.
He woke up feeling tired for some reason that day, didn't know why he felt like it was going to be a long day for him. Wait, yeah he knew. They had a press conference today about the pre-season games coming up, and Coach Roux wanted him to go with him along with Lindström. He didn't know why their coach would choose him of all people, but whatever, he'll go. It's not like Coach Rox would let him refuse anyway.
He didn't really like press conferences that much. Most of the time, the questions from journalists tend to veer towards personal ones, and he hated when it comes to that. Like, they were there to ask them questions about the team, not each and everyone's personal lives. It was a good thing he knew how to control his emotions, or else he'd be dealing with unnecessary problems.
Huh, maybe that's why Coach chose him to go. Considering his teammates, he was actually one of the most level headed in the team, and would most likely attract less trouble.
Damn.
He yawned blearily as he opened his cupboard to get a mug for some coffee. Caffeine will help him face this day, at least he hoped. If not, he'll get himself some smoothie after it because lord knows that sugar was the only thing that would help him calm down after that stressful event.
He didn't use to crave something like that after something like that, but Ayame for the short time they've known each other(four months, if he remembered), managed to influence him in getting those sweet, sugary stuff. At least it wasn't those sugary caffeinated drinks she was obsessed over.
He searched through his other cupboard, looking for some coffee. He should have some. He was sure he bought a pack - what the hell?
Taro stared down at his empty jar, completely devoid of any coffee at all.
Oh no, he forgot to grab some when he went to buy groceries didn't he? Ugh, really did it have to happen today.
He sighed and closed the jar, returning it back to its place. Looks like he had to grab some coffee from her. Again. Well, he wasn't complaining. Her coffee tasted a lot better than what he had anyway. He planned on buying the same kind she uses, but he forgot to grab it.
Putting on some slippers, he set out to her apartment, ignoring the fact that he was still wearing his pajamas. Who cares? She's seen him in his night clothes many times now, it didn't really matter anymore.
He rang her doorbell, and it he was almost got a little concerned that it still didn't open after five seconds. He was sure she was up at this time.
He was about to ring the bell again when it finally opened. She was already in day clothes, jean shorts and a blue tank top underneath a white loose shirt that was slipping off her shoulder. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and for some reason he thought there was something a different about her today.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before he finally told her why he was there.
"Hey, I ran out of coffee again, so I'm gonna go and make myself a cup. Thanks." Without even letting her say anything, he went inside her apartment. He was sure she was only going to complain half-heartedly about him taking advantage of her, but in the end she'd let him. For some reason, she could never say no to him.
And he wouldn't admit it, but he liked it. It kind of gave him a step over her.
He headed straight to her kitchen, and proceeded to make a pot of coffee. He already knew where everything was like the back of his hand so it didn't take him long to find what he needed. After all, he's been here so many times it almost seemed like he lived here.
He was just waiting for the coffee to brew when something interesting caught his ear.
"What do you mean I have really weird guy in my kitchen?" He heard her voice coming from the hallway. Was she talking to someone? On the phone maybe? But it didn't sound like it. "And you just let him come in?"
And why was she talking in English?
Was she talking about him? But he thought she said he could come here whenever he wanted? Or well- he forgot to buy coffee last time he did his groceries. In all honestly, he was just grabbing some coffee since she said he could whenever he needed something, and he really needed coffee to face the press conference today.
"What do you mean he just let himself in? Ayu, you know how dangerous tha- He seemed like to know me really well?"
Ayu? Who's Ayu? Wasn't it supposed to be Aya since, you know, her name's Ayame…
"He's attractive? That's your argument? Ayu that's not enough reason to let someone in," he could hear her voice getting closer, and her steps was echoing throughout the room. He took the pot full of coffee from under the coffee machine and poured some of it in the mug, adding some cream and sugar to his liking. He took another mug from her cupboard and poured the rest of coffee in that mug, putting the right amount of cream and sugar that Ayame preferred. He knew that she was almost in the kitchen, so he figured he might as well make her one.
He grabbed his cup and turned around to lean against the counter to wait for her, bringing the cup close to his mouth to cool the liquid down.
"He needed coffee? Really? You're expecting me to believe that bull- Oh it's just you," Ayame appeared from the hallway, her face that was in a panicked rage suddenly melted into a relieved one. "I thought that it was somebody else."
"Who else would it be?" he asked as before sipping his drink. The hot liquid went down his throat and he suddenly felt calmer. That was better.
"Ugh, shut up. It's too early for this," she said to him as she rubbed her forehead with her hand. This time, he finally noticed that she was still in pink cotton shorts and a light blue shirt, her sleepwear for the summer. Her hair was up in a messy bun a top of her head, unruly and a sign that she just threw it up like that from being woken up.
Wait, wasn't she just wearing different clothes a while ago as if she was already heading out for the day? Why was she back in pajamas?
He saw her scrunch her nose up, before a wide grin broke out on her face.
"Oh my god, that coffee smells delicious!" she squealed before treading towards him. "I want some," she said.
He chuckled at her actions and immediately grabbed the other cup on the counter.
"I figured you'd want some," he told her as he showed the steaming mug of coffee to her. She squealed once more and grabbed it gingerly with both of her hands.
"You are the best, hotshot. Seriously, I don't even know why anyone would dump you. You're total boyfriend material," she rambled while smelling the aroma of her drink.
He felt himself smile dryly. He knew she didn't mean anything with that statement, but bringing up Azumi leaving him was still a sore subject for him. He still couldn't stop thinking that everything was still all his fault, but he's trying to convince himself that it's not his fault, that life just didn't want them together. And he's getting there. He had too, because he knew that they just weren't meant to be together.
He rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee. "Just drink it," he told her lazily.
Ayame giggled once more and followed his order, the corners of her lips curved into a smile as she sipped her mug. Taro managed to smile softly watching her drink. There was just something with Ayame whenever she does the simple things that never failed to fascinate him. She always did stuff with so much life, he couldn't help but be amused by it.
He was about to drink from his mug once more when something caught his eye.
There seemed to be another person with them?
He stopped from taking a sip to look closer behind the column, and sure enough there was another person, another girl with them. Who was she?
Before he could even call out the girl, she seemed to have noticed him looking at her and immediately left, running to the other hallway towards the rooms.
He knitted his eyebrows in confusion. Well, that was weird.
"What's with that face?" he heard Ayame asked him. He turned his attention back on her.
"I just saw someone hiding behind the column," he answered confusedly. "She left before I could even say anything. Or maybe I'm just hallucinating."
"Nope, you're not," she replied as she put her mug on the kitchen table. "You're not hallucinating. She's real, and she's just awfully shy."
"Who?"
"My twin," she said as she walked away from him. "Just stay there and let me get her. I want you to meet her."
He watched her leave him with a raised eyebrow. She strode out of the kitchen, a bounce in her step while some obscure song he didn't know.
A twin. She didn't even bother telling him she had on- oh wait, yeah she did, back when they just met. Actually, she just told him she had two sisters –not that she had a twin.
Either way, he would have appreciated it if she gave him some kind of notice or something that her sister was coming. It was probably her who opened the door for him, considering that Ayame looked like she just got out bed. No wonder he thought something was off that time. The poor girl was probably traumatized that a random guy just suddenly enters her sister's apartment without even letting her speak.
"-op! Aya, I don't want to do this. Stop pushing me! Please," he heard their voices again as he continued drinking his coffee. Soon he saw the two of them rounding the corner while Ayame pushed her sister, who had a panicked expression on her face.
"Come on Ayu, I promise you, he's not going to do anything to you," Ayame assured her.
Why was she making it sound like he's done something awful to everyone else?
"He's nice!"
They finally stopped in front of him, Ayame standing behind her sister with her hands on her shoulders as her sister looked down, refusing to look at him.
"This is Ayuri," Ayame introduced her to him with an excited smile. "My twin sister."
Ayuri finally looked up to him, and Taro finally confirmed that she was the one who opened the door. She wore the same clothes as he saw a while ago.
"H-hello," she greeted him. He gave her a smile, and greeted him back, offering his free hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Taro. Taro Misaki."
Ayuri gave him a shy smile and shook his hand gingerly. Ayame them proceeded to rattle stuff about him, which he immediately tuned out. He was more interested in looking at them.
It wasn't hard confusing the two of them. They were so similar in appearance that it wasn't a surprise that they were identical twins. They had the same build, same height, facial structure, you wouldn't really be able to differentiate the two of them if you didn't look close enough. The only "big" difference between them was the color of their eyes. While Ayame had those deep chocolate eyes that never failed to show her emotions, Ayuri had orbs as blue as the sea. You could see how troubled she was and if you continue to look at them, you'd be able to see them calm down.
"She's actually supposed to be named Sayuri*, you know to keep the flower theme like our dad wanted, but I guess our mom was too tired after giving birth to two babies she forgot to add the S," Ayame informed him. He didn't know why he needed to know that, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Ayuri sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes, "Do you always have to do that every time? I don't even think Misaki-san needed to know that."
"You can call me Taro," he told her. "And it's fine. It was definitely interesting to know."
"See I told you!" Ayame exclaimed in triumph to her twin, who only huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. He couldn't help but chuckle, even their mannerisms were similar. Ayame tend to do that when she was annoyed.
"Well, I'm gonna leave you to for a bit so I can get ready," Ayame told them. "Ayu and I will be going all over Paris. We'll probably be eating out too, but I'm sure I have some food in the fridge if you want some, Taro. Unless you want to come with us. I'm sure Ayu wouldn't mind."
Ayame turned to her sister, who shook her head in agreement.
That sounded like a better thing to do than this stupid press conference. But…
"I'm good," he said. "I have a press conference about our pre-season at one. Besides, you rarely get to be your family. You should use this time to be with her."
Ayame looked at him in surprise, but it quickly turned into a grateful smile.
"If you say so, super star," she said with a chuckle. "But take note, this will be the last time you'll have a chance to hang with your gal pal for a couple of days. I'm devoting the next days to hanging out with my sis here, since she would be back to her university in Seattle when I'm in New York in August. You wouldn't be able to see me for a while."
"Good," he answered flatly as he laid his empty cup on the table. "It'd be nice to have a break from you."
He heard Ayuri stifle a laugh with her hand, while Ayame gasped in offense. He gave her a teasing smile while he watched her stare at him with her jaw open.
Recovering from her shock, Ayame punched his arm lightly. "You ass. And here I am feeding you for more than two months now."
He chuckled and threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he said, looking down at her as she pouted at him with her arms crossed. "But really, it's fine. Go hang out with Ayuri. Don't mind me. I'll be fine.
Ayame stared at him inquisitively. "You sure?"
He rolled his eyes, "Yes. Now go change so you guys can go. Take advantage of the day. Paris is huge." He pushed her lightly out of the kitchen and she left the area, laughing gleefully.
He didn't notice the serene smile that formed on his face as he watched her leave them, nor did he notice the knowing look Ayuri gave the two of them.
The press conference went well in the beginning, the journalists asked typical questions like how they were going to face the season, what were they going to be focusing in pre-season, who did he think they were going to get for the summer transfers, what he thought about who they going to be against, normal stuff, safe stuff.
Then everything went to hell after someone asked what his thoughts if ever Marcel was transferred to the team, he didn't really know how that came about in the journalist's mind, but being the rational person that he was, he answered as evenly as possible and pointed out how Marcel would be a good addition to the team. He could see Coach Roux contemplating his words from the corner of his eyes as he spoke, but to be honest he really hoped that he wouldn't get Marcel. He was just beginning to get over Azumi, and if she was still with Marcel, it'd mean they'd have lots of unwanted encounters, and he didn't think he was ready for that. Not yet.
"That seemed like thorough analysis," he remembered the journalist telling him as he smiled placidly. There was something wrong with the journalist when he first spoke, and Taro didn't know why he didn't listen to his gut that told him he was bad news. "But according to some sources, you were rumored to have been dating supermodel Azumi Hayakawa. Can we get a confirmation on these information? And what do you think about her involvement with Marcel? Would this affect team dynamics if Marcel comes to PSG?"
How in the world did they get that information? He was sure that no one, except for a select few knew about this. He hid it pretty well. Even his manager didn't know about his relationship with Azumi.
He was frozen at his seat, not knowing what to say. He was just so shocked that someone would tell a secret that he kept hidden, something he wanted to keep to himself so he had something to look back to, of the times where he felt the happiest, to be leaked so easily. To make matters worse, all the other journalists seemed to be expecting his answer, as if they already knew what this guy was asking.
Who would do this to him?
"I believe that question is out of the line and have no connection to the topic, please stop asking those kinds of inane questions," Coach Roux intervened, and he was grateful that he did that. He actually wanted to jump out his seat to strangle the guy for speaking of it, but he knew any irrational actions would endanger the team. Plus, his manager would kill him for such an atrocious display of behavior.
Though he was still wondering how his relationship with Azumi was leaked to the public, what baffled him even more was what he answered.
"Yes, I was in a relationship with Miss Hayakawa," he said as evenly as possible, surprising and everyone in the room. Even he was surprised. "But, we ended it a few months ago. It is not any of my business who she chooses to date nor will it affect the team if Marcel joins. I will treat him like I do all my teammates, with respect and as a friend."
The conference ended even though the journalists still had questions, mostly about him.
So now, he sat on his couch, watching the sport news absentmindedly as he mulled over what he said that afternoon. He was still trying to figure out what made him admit everything he kept for the past three years, and he couldn't find an answer.
"You alright?"
He jumped lightly and turned sharply to his side just to see Ayame standing nearby with a paper bag in her hands.
Oh god, he thought it was someone else. But why was she at his apartment? And how?
"I knocked!" she immediately said to him before he could even say anything. "And rang your bell. But you weren't answering. Your door was unlocked too, so I came in. I even called your name more than once, you still weren't answering. I almost thought you weren't home, maybe to get dinner or something, and just forgot to lock your door, but then I found you here staring at your TV."
He stared at her incredulously, then she cleared her throat. "Anyway, you okay?"
He blinked twice, processing what he said before turning back to his TV.
"Yeah," he answered. "Just had a lot on my mind."
"Hungry?" she asked while sitting down beside him and set the bag on his coffee table. "I got you some dinner. Ayu and I ate at Belle's and I was thinking that you haven't eaten yet, so I got you some steak frites."
"Thanks," he smiled at her. Right, he hasn't eaten dinner yet. Ever since they started watching movies together, he's always been eating at her apartment. He almost forgot that they wouldn't be doing that for the next couple of days because Ayuri was here.
"How was the conference?" she asked while folding her left leg close to her, hugging her leg.
He groaned and hid his face behind his hand. "Don't remind me. It was awful."
She chuckled and settled her cheek on her knee. "I heard. I was checking my email and next thing I saw was the internet blowing up about your press conference."
He sighed and slumped again the back of the couch. "I don't even what forced me to say that. I thought I was bent on keeping it to myself, but for some reason, something inside me went to hell with it, it seemed liked everyone already knew what was going on, and I just… told them."
He released a deep breath and stared at the TV that was showing highlights of a cycling tournament. He wasn't really listening because his mind was busy replaying what he said that afternoon.
"So," Ayame's voice broke through his thoughts. "How do you feel?"
"I-" he started, but he found that he couldn't continue. How did he feel? What exactly did he think about this? He thought he was angry, and maybe he was because he didn't want anyone to know about this at all, but when he really thought about it, he wasn't actually. Was he disappointed that someone betrayed his trust? Maybe, but it wasn't a big part of it. Did he feel sad? Of course, because he once dreamed that when he was going to make his relationship with Azumi public, it'd be when they were finally engaged.
But now that he contemplated deeply about this, he didn't feel any of those.
"I feel… I feel lighter, like I can breathe better, freer," he confessed calmly. It felt better than returning the ring back to the store.
"Then that's all that matters," she told him softly, pushing some of his hair from his hair. He turned to look at her slowly as she settled her palm on his cheek, there was a serene smile on her face, even though her cheek was still against her knee.
It was the first time he saw her with her hair down, and suddenly he unconsciously took a deep breath.
She then patted his cheek lightly, making
him jump again slightly and blink.
"Now go eat," she said as she stood up from his couch. "I'm sure that conference made you hungry and tired. You should probably head to bed. I'm gonna-" she yawned as she stretched her arms up in the air. "I'm gonna turn in soon too. We've only toured like a quarter of Paris today and I still want to show Ayu more places. We have another busy day tomorrow. So, I'm gonna go. Night hotshot."
She turned around to give him one last smile and a wave, and she was gone before he could say anything.
He stared at the spot she was just standing for a while, before turning away to lean his head back on the couch releasing a breath.
She looked nice with her hair down.
End Chapter
AN: chapter title is supposed to be really "one look and my heartbeat stops" but i didnt want to put it like that so i just had those two to title the chapter. lyrics came from Walk the Moon's Avalance by the way. Which for the second time, i missed see them perform live. they're in the philippines right now (when i posted this anyway) and i wish i could go so bad but no i have to be stuck here in the US. someday i'll get to see them live.
anyway, for those of you who read Flying on Little Wings, you've probably seen Ayuri in there, but she didn't talk. still she is still shy and ayame's sister. whatever universe i put them in, ayame will always have a twin sister lol. also, hoped you like the press conference scene. its another step for misaki to let go of azumi. it seems like keeping the relationship to himself was a lot unhealthier than he thought. maybe it was time to let everyone know what happened between them so he could have a peace of mind
*Sayuri means "little lily". while Yuri is just "lily", i liked Sayuri better. that and then i could make that stupid story about their mom forgetting to add the S from fatigue of giving birth to twins.
thanks for reading and i'll try and update soon
cya
