Sibling Rivalry
Disclaimer: You want to know something that can never be proven wrong? Seiryuu Girl doesn't own Fushigi Yuugi.
Tobias' inner torment went on for days. He had at first found it difficult to have Akira going to school with him without talking to the Japanese teenager, but soon he became used to simply ignoring Akira. He still had the right to drool, after all.
Even with this slight respite, Tobias was starting to hate himself. Surely he needed to tell someone, anyone but his parents. The chance came at school a few days later.
"Hey, did you hear about that Ryuuen guy?" a girl had asked Tobias in class.
"Huh? Uh... no," Tobias said. He was surprised that anyone had decided to talk to him. He had a reputation for being a weird loner.
"Well, apparently he's gay." the girl said flatly. Ryuuen was a year twelve student who had once lived in Japan, but he had moved to Australia a few years ago. People had suspected he was gay for years, but it had never been confirmed. Tobias fought to stop himself showing any visible sympathy for the boy.
"Uh... how do you know?" he asked.
"He told everyone. Apparently Killer was calling him a fag, like he always does, and Ryuuen just snapped. He says 'what's it to you if I am?' and then when everyone turned to look, he yelled 'Look, I'm finally saying it. Ryuuen Chou is gay!'. Then everyone looked a bit shocked, and he ran away to the toilets. He's been there for a little while, crying.
"I feel sorry for him," muttered Tobias.
"Yeah... but you're a guy, shouldn't you be a little squicked?"
"No... you know I'm not like most guys," Tobias answered.
"No, you aren't," the girl mused. "By the way, I'm Jenna. It's nice to actually talk to someone sane around here."
"What?"
"Oh... well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm about as popular as you are. I have... let me see... no friends. All the others hate me, because I'm different."
"I understand totally," Tobias replied. Akira looked totally furious that Tobias could even think of talking to Jenna instead of him. It seemed clear to him that the pretty brown-haired girl liked his Tobias a little too much. Akira gave her a dark look, which she interpreted correctly as very possessive.
"Uh... Tobias... can I talk to you later?" she asked.
"Sure," he replied.
"Um... near the computer rooms, okay? And can you ditch the exchange student?"
"What? Why?"
"It's just that..." Jenna's face coloured a little. "I'll explain then, alright?"
"Um... sure."
At recess, Tobias found it difficult getting rid of someone he couldn't talk to. Eventually, he found his sister and her large group of giggling friends.
"What are you doing here?" Mia asked in a hostile tone.
"Um, Mia, can you look after him for me?" This made Mia smile broadly.
"Sure," she said. Akira was pounced on by a horde of girls asking questions and flirting shamelessly. Tobias couldn't help but feel immensely sorry for him, but even so he walked away quickly.
It only took him a few minutes to find Jenna, sitting on a bench next to the IT block.
"Hi!" she said, closing a book she had been reading. Some people turned around to stare.
"Hey, freak boy is talking to Jenna the loser!" one girl said cruelly.
"What a perfect couple," her friend remarked dryly. Jenna, showing remarkable tolerance, ignored them.
"Uh... look, Tobias, I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this, but your exchange student... he's gay too," she whispered to him.
"Huh? Oh, I know that," said Tobias without thinking.
"Eh? You did? How?"
"Um..." Tobias flushed red. "Just a hunch."
"Then... look, Tobias, he really likes you," said Jenna.
"I know that as well," Tobias replied.
"He told you?"
"Not really... it's a little obvious."
"Yes, I suppose it is..." said Jenna thoughtfully. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"I... I... I'll just ignore it, I guess," stammered Tobias. He had no idea of a better lie.
"What? How can you ignore it? He likes you a lot, you should have seen the looks he was giving me. His eyes just said 'hands off my property'!" Jenna was obviously shocked at the very idea of Tobias not doing anything about Akira's feelings.
"Well, I've been ignoring him for a week," Tobias sighed.
"And why? He likes you, maybe even loves you. You've gotta at least talk to him."
"I can't." Tobias was finding it difficult not to simply tell Jenna.
"Why not?" Jenna questioned.
"Because I can't find the right words. He doesn't understand whatever you say," half-lied Tobias.
"Well... look, Tobias, this may be hard... but do you actually feel anything for him?"
"What? Um... I like him as a friend."
"Liar. You have a crush on the guy, don't you?" Jenna observed astutely.
"I... I... I'm... uh... look, Jenna, come over after school, won't you?" Tobias said, changing the subject entirely.
"Really? Sure, I'd love to. But won't Mia be there?" Jenna hated Mia, the girl treated her like dirt.
"It doesn't stop me," said Tobias. Jenna laughed, and he couldn't help but laugh with her.
"You laugh strangely," stated Jenna. "Like a witch."
"Oh, shut up. I can't help it."
A few hours later, Jenna was walking home with Tobias and Akira. Mia had chosen to catch the bus, probably to avoid her brother.
"So, Akira, do you like Australia?" Jenna asked. She wanted to start out on the right foot with the Japanese teenager.
"Yes, very much," Akira said, giving Tobias a small smile. He had tried this tactic to get the boy to talk to him before, and it didn't seem to work.
"That's good. I suppose it's very different to Japan. What do you like to do in your spare time?" inquired Jenna.
"I read manga," replied Akira distantly. He was now staring at Tobias, who was doing his best to look anywhere but Akira's eyes.
"Manga? You mean comic books? Like Sailor Moon?"
"Uh... Escaflowne," Akira answered. Jenna nodded, and then turned her attentions to Tobias.
"He's a little quiet, isn't he?" she asked, as though Akira wasn't there.
"I guess so. I would be if I was in Japan, though. Too afraid of making myself look like an idiot," said Tobias.
"I don't think you would, you're smart enough," Jenna said. Akira gave her another dirty look. She smiled sarcastically back at him.
"No, I'm failing Jap," Tobias laughed. "I never listen."
"Tobias?" Akira asked, hoping that Tobias would be forced to talk because of Jenna's presence. Tobias didn't answer, and pretended to be busy staring at a black cat walking across the road.
Zettai Reido, I'm flattered that you love this fic that much. I won't split them apart, I promise.
Disclaimer: You want to know something that can never be proven wrong? Seiryuu Girl doesn't own Fushigi Yuugi.
Tobias' inner torment went on for days. He had at first found it difficult to have Akira going to school with him without talking to the Japanese teenager, but soon he became used to simply ignoring Akira. He still had the right to drool, after all.
Even with this slight respite, Tobias was starting to hate himself. Surely he needed to tell someone, anyone but his parents. The chance came at school a few days later.
"Hey, did you hear about that Ryuuen guy?" a girl had asked Tobias in class.
"Huh? Uh... no," Tobias said. He was surprised that anyone had decided to talk to him. He had a reputation for being a weird loner.
"Well, apparently he's gay." the girl said flatly. Ryuuen was a year twelve student who had once lived in Japan, but he had moved to Australia a few years ago. People had suspected he was gay for years, but it had never been confirmed. Tobias fought to stop himself showing any visible sympathy for the boy.
"Uh... how do you know?" he asked.
"He told everyone. Apparently Killer was calling him a fag, like he always does, and Ryuuen just snapped. He says 'what's it to you if I am?' and then when everyone turned to look, he yelled 'Look, I'm finally saying it. Ryuuen Chou is gay!'. Then everyone looked a bit shocked, and he ran away to the toilets. He's been there for a little while, crying.
"I feel sorry for him," muttered Tobias.
"Yeah... but you're a guy, shouldn't you be a little squicked?"
"No... you know I'm not like most guys," Tobias answered.
"No, you aren't," the girl mused. "By the way, I'm Jenna. It's nice to actually talk to someone sane around here."
"What?"
"Oh... well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm about as popular as you are. I have... let me see... no friends. All the others hate me, because I'm different."
"I understand totally," Tobias replied. Akira looked totally furious that Tobias could even think of talking to Jenna instead of him. It seemed clear to him that the pretty brown-haired girl liked his Tobias a little too much. Akira gave her a dark look, which she interpreted correctly as very possessive.
"Uh... Tobias... can I talk to you later?" she asked.
"Sure," he replied.
"Um... near the computer rooms, okay? And can you ditch the exchange student?"
"What? Why?"
"It's just that..." Jenna's face coloured a little. "I'll explain then, alright?"
"Um... sure."
At recess, Tobias found it difficult getting rid of someone he couldn't talk to. Eventually, he found his sister and her large group of giggling friends.
"What are you doing here?" Mia asked in a hostile tone.
"Um, Mia, can you look after him for me?" This made Mia smile broadly.
"Sure," she said. Akira was pounced on by a horde of girls asking questions and flirting shamelessly. Tobias couldn't help but feel immensely sorry for him, but even so he walked away quickly.
It only took him a few minutes to find Jenna, sitting on a bench next to the IT block.
"Hi!" she said, closing a book she had been reading. Some people turned around to stare.
"Hey, freak boy is talking to Jenna the loser!" one girl said cruelly.
"What a perfect couple," her friend remarked dryly. Jenna, showing remarkable tolerance, ignored them.
"Uh... look, Tobias, I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this, but your exchange student... he's gay too," she whispered to him.
"Huh? Oh, I know that," said Tobias without thinking.
"Eh? You did? How?"
"Um..." Tobias flushed red. "Just a hunch."
"Then... look, Tobias, he really likes you," said Jenna.
"I know that as well," Tobias replied.
"He told you?"
"Not really... it's a little obvious."
"Yes, I suppose it is..." said Jenna thoughtfully. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"I... I... I'll just ignore it, I guess," stammered Tobias. He had no idea of a better lie.
"What? How can you ignore it? He likes you a lot, you should have seen the looks he was giving me. His eyes just said 'hands off my property'!" Jenna was obviously shocked at the very idea of Tobias not doing anything about Akira's feelings.
"Well, I've been ignoring him for a week," Tobias sighed.
"And why? He likes you, maybe even loves you. You've gotta at least talk to him."
"I can't." Tobias was finding it difficult not to simply tell Jenna.
"Why not?" Jenna questioned.
"Because I can't find the right words. He doesn't understand whatever you say," half-lied Tobias.
"Well... look, Tobias, this may be hard... but do you actually feel anything for him?"
"What? Um... I like him as a friend."
"Liar. You have a crush on the guy, don't you?" Jenna observed astutely.
"I... I... I'm... uh... look, Jenna, come over after school, won't you?" Tobias said, changing the subject entirely.
"Really? Sure, I'd love to. But won't Mia be there?" Jenna hated Mia, the girl treated her like dirt.
"It doesn't stop me," said Tobias. Jenna laughed, and he couldn't help but laugh with her.
"You laugh strangely," stated Jenna. "Like a witch."
"Oh, shut up. I can't help it."
A few hours later, Jenna was walking home with Tobias and Akira. Mia had chosen to catch the bus, probably to avoid her brother.
"So, Akira, do you like Australia?" Jenna asked. She wanted to start out on the right foot with the Japanese teenager.
"Yes, very much," Akira said, giving Tobias a small smile. He had tried this tactic to get the boy to talk to him before, and it didn't seem to work.
"That's good. I suppose it's very different to Japan. What do you like to do in your spare time?" inquired Jenna.
"I read manga," replied Akira distantly. He was now staring at Tobias, who was doing his best to look anywhere but Akira's eyes.
"Manga? You mean comic books? Like Sailor Moon?"
"Uh... Escaflowne," Akira answered. Jenna nodded, and then turned her attentions to Tobias.
"He's a little quiet, isn't he?" she asked, as though Akira wasn't there.
"I guess so. I would be if I was in Japan, though. Too afraid of making myself look like an idiot," said Tobias.
"I don't think you would, you're smart enough," Jenna said. Akira gave her another dirty look. She smiled sarcastically back at him.
"No, I'm failing Jap," Tobias laughed. "I never listen."
"Tobias?" Akira asked, hoping that Tobias would be forced to talk because of Jenna's presence. Tobias didn't answer, and pretended to be busy staring at a black cat walking across the road.
Zettai Reido, I'm flattered that you love this fic that much. I won't split them apart, I promise.
