A/N: You might need to listen to the song for this. Use your headphones or whatever, it's worth it!
Song: Lantana by OLDCODEX
Always On Your Side
(The cheers were so deafening, a mix of screams and howls and other incoherent shouts.)
(I actually thought my ears would go explode at any time.)
(But amidst all of the screaming and howling, the voices of my friends, they...)
"Urgh, Shin-chan, looks like the tire's flat..." Takao said, poking the tire of the rickshaw with his point finger. They were about to go home, using the rickshaw as usual, but Takao noticed that the balance is unequal for the tires when he mounted on the bike. Turns out, one tire of the rickshaw was busted, so they're forced to walk home.
"Geez," Takao rested his hands behind his head, looking really pissed off. "I wanted to go home early."
Midorima scoffed. "Why are you so eager to go home? It's not like you do your assignments at home. All you ever do is sleep and eat and play."
The frown of the smaller boy beside him became even more deeper as he said those words. "Why are you so mean to me, Shin-chan?" Takao took long strides so that he's a few steps ahead of Midorima. "Miyaji-san and Kimura-san have been cornering me for the past few days. It's about that silly singing competition. Like, what's the big deal?" Takao raised his hands up for emphasis. "They'll just tease me. They never seem to take me seriously. But it's okay. The registration ends tomorrow. After that, I won't be bothered anymore."
There was no mocking reply.
Takao breathed out a long exhale. Of course Shin-chan will just stay quiet about these things. Stupid, you shouldn't be talking to him about this, he's having none of it.
Or so he thought.
"Listen, Takao."
Said boy abruptly stopped to look around but noticed that Midorima's already beside him so he continued walking. "Hm?"
The tall boy looked uncomfortable, but he managed to talk. "I think you should join the competition."
What?
"What?"
Midorima cleared his throat before speaking. "I think you should join the competition. It's regrettable if you let that talent go to waste."
Takao narrowed his eyes. What is Shin-chan saying, now? "Why are you telling me this?"
"Why, you ask?" The greenette looked up as if he could find the answer in the skies. Maybe he did, since he gave Takao's head a light punch and answered. "Because I'm your friend, that's why."
The point guard was stunned.
Did Midorima just admit to him that they were friends? Did those words really come out of his mouth?
"Shin-chan, I-"
"Remember the day when we were all in the locker room and Kimura-san showed you that pamphlet about the competition? You stormed out of the room and Kimura-san asked Ichijou to go persuade you. Do you want to know what he said, without even looking at us?"
Takao found himself nodding.
"'Shouldn't it be Midorima? They're best friends. Takao'll listen to him,' he said."
"I found myself thinking at night that same day that what Ichijou said was true. For some reason, even though you get along pretty well with others, you chose to stick with me, listened to my selfish requests, always stayed by my side. I guess... I guess it's my turn to support you now. Don't misunderstand. I'm not telling you to join that competition so that I could fulfill my responsibility to you. Well... Maybe that is one reason but... What I just want to say is that..."
Takao's eyes widened at what Midorima said next.
"I believe in you, Takao. I always have, and I always will."
Upon realizing what he said, Midorima's cheeks reddened and hurried to say goodbye when he saw the pedestrian lane he has to cross to reach his house.
"I'll go ahead. See you tomorrow." The spectacled boy only walked at first, but after crossing the pedestrian lane, he ran until he disappeared from Takao's view, leaving Takao in a daze.
What...
The point guard hid his shy smile behind his bag. To say he was happy was an understatement. Takao felt like the Heaven's Gates opened before him, like he was given a ticket to eternal Paradise. Fuck, he rarely received any complement from his partner, but when he's given one, it's like a full blow to his heart.
"Shit." He pressed his bag closer to his face.
I'm so happy, dammit.
(I could hear them. Clearly.)
"Good job, Takao-san!" Shirakawa-san, the person in charge of his practices, praised his singing and told him that he's more than ready for the next day's event.
"Thank you, Shirakawa-san." Takao wiped his face with a towel and reached for his water. His throat had been dry due to the continuous practices, so he gratefully gulped down every drop of water from his container.
"Oh," Takao looked around and saw the woman scribbling something on her paper. "Looks like this'll be your last practice."
"Eh? Why?"
"I just received a call." The woman raised her phone, waving it. "Before your performance, an audio-visual presentation will be shown. It'll contain a little background about you. All the necessary photos and videos will be taken from your parents and your school, so no worries about that. The most important part of the video is your interview. It's not really a formal one, you'll just have to answer some question. It is a requirement that the interview should be done the day before the finals. You just have to answer questions as honest as possible. So go. Freshen up. You are already provided with the clothes you need-"
A knock on the door.
"Looks like it's there already. Use this room's bathroom, and after you're finished, I'll direct you to the room where you'll be interviewed." The woman was about to entertain the person behind the door when Takao asked her to give him a chance to practice one more time. Shirakawa-san smiled and complied before fetching his clothes.
And then Takao sang once more.
"Please sit there at the center," the interviewer said. The room was bigger than the other rooms, and what disturbed Takao was presence of a lone chair at the center, the kind of chair that they use in bars and such. He always liked to spin around using that chair as a kid, but now, it only brought him nervousness.
However, his distress was eased by the beautiful glittering lights around him that made the whole room look like it's inside a disco ball (Takao was certain it'd look amazing on cam.) He took a deep breath and took slow, steady steps towards the chair.
"Hello, Takao-kun, my name's Otomo Yoshiki. No need to be so nervous, the questions I'll give are easy to answer if you just use your heart in answering them." Takao nodded, and Otomo told him to just give a thumbs-up if he was ready, going back to instructing the people operating the cameras.
The singer wiped his sweaty palms on his slacks-clad thighs, and for the umpteenth time, adjusted his necktie. He felt so suffocated, like he'd been choked again and again, his head ringing. Very funny, since he was used to being asked questions all the time, questions like: "Takao-kun, what are your hobbies?" or "Takao-kun, do you have a girlfriend?" (not that he's bragging.).
But there's no point in being nervous now. Tomorrow will be the big day. He'll just have to answer with his all. Takao gave Otomo a thumbs-up and decided to cross his legs for his sitting position.
"At what age have you come to like singing? How did singing affect your life?"
Takao felt his heart sink a little, but he regained his composure and answered.
"I think I was about five or four when I started liking singing. I always sang nursery rhymes and songs with my mom and dad. They often bought me these CDs, and I always listen to them. Singing became my symbol for family, for warmth, for affection, for home. But..." He averted his gaze from Otomo. "It really went dark fast."
"Singing became my hero. I always sang when I felt lonely, when I felt sad. I sang when I felt hopeless and useless. But ironically, I despised it. I somehow connected it to pain."
"It was only a few months ago that I became hooked to it again, and it was because of my friends."
Otomo's face was a mix of sympathy and happiness. "How did you know about this competition? Who pushed you to join?"
"Ah..." Takao gave a goofy smile. "My seniors came to me waving a paper a few days before they saw me singing in front of a vending machine." He saw Otomo suppressing his laugh. "I was really pissed off because I thought they just did it to tease me, but I guess I was wrong."
"Why?"
"They chased after me everyday, saying I should join. I ignored them for one whole week, not realizing that I was already slowly giving in to their requests. After one final push," His smile inched higher. "I finally decided to join."
Otomo gave a nod, looking satisfied with the interviewee's answers. "Why do you think you deserve to win?"
Takao's mind wandered off to all the memories of him always practicing, always trying, always, as Midorima said, doing everything humanly possible to win. He admits that he felt proud for everything he had done. "It might come off as a common answer, but with all honesty, I deserve to win simply because I did my best. I'm not really special, I'm just a single, tiny, microscopic dot on a map, but I wanted to win, so I did my best, and this is where my best got me, something like reaching the finals. I always thought it was ridiculous that I even reached round 2, but my family and friends helped me realize that I'm anything but being that shallow."
Otomo hummed and instructed something to the cameramen before giving what looked like his last question.
"To whom do you dedicate your final song for tomorrow?"
Takao definitely has an answer to that. He smiled, and answered the question, his resolve unwavering.
"I dedicate it to family, my supporters, and especially my closest friends from Shutoku, to thank them for being the best of friends they could be. For staying by my side, for encouraging me, for cheering me up when I feel down. Most of all, I want to convey to them that I'm grateful..."
("Just... Just always remember that we're here with you, got it?")
("I knew you could do it!")
("You've already reached this far, and you'll reach even higher!")
("I believe in you, Takao. I always have, and I always will.")
"For them always believing in me."
Takao smiled upon hearing that last line, his face concealed by the blackness of the stage.
The video presentation ended, the once blacked out stage now turning into a myriad of bright, glittering lights in various colors, in the middle of it all the silver-eyed boy. He steeled himself for what was coming, and silently promised that he'll sing with his everything: his soul, his mind, his heart.
He will sing, not just for his family, for his supporters, for his friends, but also for himself.
"Go Takao-kun!"
"Takao!"
The cheers were so deafening, a mix of screams and howls and other incoherent shouts. He actually thought his ears would go explode at any time. But amidst all of the screaming and howling, the voices of his friends, they...
He could hear them. Clearly.
(I believe in you...)
Not by his ears, but by his heart.
The familiar notes of the song he had practiced for hours and hours and hours reached his ears.
This is it.
He's finally here.
He'll just have to give his all.
He won't lose anything.
In front of the excited crowd and on the center of the glittering lights...
He sang.
Futo kidzuita nda
Nakushita mono wo
Furikaeru toki wa osoku
Tsutaetsudzukete ita hazu na no ni
A frustrating story line
(Younger Kimura-san, thank you for showing me the path that day. You never failed in showing just how much of a responsible senior you are. I wouldn't have learned about this competition without you.)
Dakara boku wa
Isoide ita nda
Futashika na mirai he to
Waraiatta hibi wa
Haruka tooku
(Miyaji Yuuya-san, thank you for always pulling me up whenever I fall. Thank you for always telling me that I could do it, that I have what it takes. Thank you for always being there.)
Slow
Hashiri dashiteta
Nagareru toumei na keshiki tokashite
Because
Yoru ga akeru koro ni
Kimi no dasu kotae wa kaze ni kiete itta
(Ichijou, thank you for always knowing what to do in certain kinds of situations. Thank you for always being optimistic. We knew each other for only a few months, but I'm really grateful that you tried to reach out, that you approached us and made friends with us. Thank you for supporting me.)
Me wo fusete mo
Tsutsumareta hizashi no sono naka de
Create the battle plan
I'm always on your side
But I know what is going on
The whole hall was quiet, everybody was hooked to Takao's singing.
Sou kidzuita nda
Konote ni atta
Tonaerareru you na tezawari wa
Chirabari toozakatte iku darou
A birth mark of story told
(Otsubo-san, thank you for being the kind and at the same time, strict leader that you are. I am certain that you helped hone my confidence, that you helped me become who I am today. Thank you for helping me go on the right path.)
Kitto yume to
Iikikaseta nda
Sabitsuite torenai
Toge no you na
Ano kimi no koe ga
(Kimura-san, first of all, I want to thank you for all the pineapples and fruits you ever fed us, hahaha. But most of all, thank you for dropping important messages at the most convenient times. You always seem to know what to say. You're always in the shadows, protecting me and encouraging me.)
Across
Ayumi wo tomete
Magirete hirogaru kioku to kashita
Since
Katari akashita
Ano yoru ni modorenai ki ga shite ita kedo
(Miyaji Kiyoshi-san, from the first day we met until now, you were always the big brother figure to me. I always thought that you were scary, but I realized that that's just your way of caring for me. Honestly, when you told me that you'll be always just... there, I almost teared up. Thank you, thank you for holding me up, Miyaji-san.)
Me wo tojireba
Yawarakana itami mo omoidasu
Hold close to me
I'm always on your side
And I see about it
Carry on
Words of thanks, words of undying gratitude.
(Was I able to convey it to them? Could they hear my heart, screaming out for them?)
(Is this... enough?)
(Shin-chan...)
Moe tsudzukete ita sono omoi wo
Kasureta koe de sakendeta toki
Nogashita sain ga ima mo hibiku
Can you hear the whisper back
(Shin-chan, I don't really know what to say...)
(I...)
Slow
Hashiri dashiteta
Nagareru toumei na keshiki tokashite
Because
Yoru ga akeru koro ni
Kimi no dasu kotae wa kaze ni kiete itta
(Just... Thank you...)
(For accepting all of me... For putting up with me... For silently caring for me...)
Me wo fusete mo
Tsutsumareta hizashi no sono naka de
Create the best of me
(For believing in me...)
I'm always on your side
But I know what is going on
(Thank you for believing in me, Shin-chan.)
Always on your side
And I see about it
Carry on
It's finally over.
But he's still got a long, long journey ahead of him.
He'll still be going to school, still be playing basketball, still be pedaling Midorima around in a rickshaw.
He'll still be threatened to be hit by a pineapple, still be pissing off the others, still be fooling around with the basketball club as always.
Will something change? Well, maybe.
He'll live his life looking forward to each and everyday more, he'll reach greater heights, he'll smile and laugh even more, he'll be more confident in his abilities.
But he wouldn't want to think about his long, long journey yet.
Time should just stop, he thought, looking up, seeing bright green orbs locked onto his silver ones.
Midorima gave him a gentle smile.
"Idiot, why are you crying?" The greenette wiped the blackette's eyes with a handkerchief, his smile becoming wider.
Takao sniffed. "I-I don't know... I seriously don't know why, Shin-chan."
Now that he's shedding happy tears in Midorima's arms, the latter hugging him in a bone-crushing way, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else than here.
The next thing he knew was that he's already up high in the air, being tossed around by his friends, the winning trophy safely cocooned in his hands.
Everything was so colorful. The confetti was falling down onto them, and the lights shone even brighter than before.
As the people rejoiced, the words on the screen glowed clearly:
32ND TOKYO PREFECTURE SONG BATTLE
GRAND WINNER
TAKAO KAZUNARI
Yep. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else than here right now.
Everybody possesses something special. One may have a talent for singing, for dancing, for playing instruments, or for drawing. There are endless possibilities awaiting for them, endless paths that they could take.
And those good things entail bad things as well.
A lot of things will hinder them from going forward, and it's not just about the obstacles around them. Sometimes, the things that keep the others from moving could be found within them, like doubting their abilities and not having enough confidence.
But through it all, their friends will always be there to support them.
Takao considers himself lucky.
He was loved and supported.
And that's about enough to face what shit life hurls at him.
Everything already went back to normal.
Takao was ready to go to school, but was startled when Midorima messaged him to just wait in their house. He certainly didn't expect the sight the sometimes (often) condescending boy gave before him when he stepped out of his house.
The silver-eyed point guard chuckled upon seeing his partner already mounted on their mode of transportation.
"Seriously?"
"Hmph. Just this time," Midorima said, pushing his glasses up.
"Hmm... I guess I'll have to take the rare offer." Takao laughed even more when the greenette glared at him. He climbed into the cart and noticed at once the large spotted stuffed toy (it certainly looked icky) and wondered where the heck Midorima found the thing.
The morning air was cool, and Takao closed his eyes in satisfaction.
It relieved him that he wouldn't have to practice hours everyday anymore. He always thought of it as stressful, and being the person that he was, he never wanted to stress over things.
But he'll also miss the exciting feeling of competing with the others, the happiness he felt when he goes to the next round, the wild thumping of his heart whenever he performs.
It wasn't so bad, after all, he thought, staring at Midorima's wide back.
Learning new things, feeling new emotions weren't so bad.
New emotions...
Love...?
Takao cleared his throat.
"Shin-chan..."
Midorima hummed in inquiry, so he continued. "Do you like someone?"
The boy that was asked momentarily looked around, then went back to looking ahead quickly. "What kind of question is that?"
"Whatever, just answer!"
"Fine..."
Takao could feel Midorima's embarrassment (he found it so funny) but he was all ears.
"It's a secret."
"Wha?! Shin-chan, no fair!"
Takao stepped on the edge of the cart playfully and reached out to Midorima. He put his arms around the tall boy's neck, much to his demise.
"T-Takao, get away from me! Oi, you'll fall!"
"I won't! Not until you tell me!"
Midorima made choking sounds but Takao knew that he was just faking them.
"Takao!"
"Won't let go!"
"Ugh, I'll tell you later, I'll tell you later, okay?! So get the hell away from me or we'll die!"
Victory!
"Yay!" Takao said out loud, pulling his arms from Midorima and balancing himself until he's back into the cart, honestly in a good mood.
Little did he know that the green-haired boy before him was already determined in saying something.
(Who I like, huh?)
A long, long journey for Takao and his friends, it is.
END
A/N: I did it. I did it! Holy cow I did it! *fireworks* I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome but if the ending looks rushed and anti-climactic or bad to you then I'm sorry because I wanted to finish this already. :D Thank you for all the people who read, reviewed, favorite and followed this fanfic. Honestly, I don't know why you decided to read until the end, some parts were really really boring, but still, thank you for everything my dear readers!
If you see any mistakes or if you have any questions, just leave a review and I'll PM you.
See you!
I'll be back soon. :D