By the way, I know I've been talking a lot about Miki and Hikani but that's
because I wanted to give them more background information. I'm going to
talk about the guys soon. Hope you all like this chapter!
SAT word of the day: dulcet - (adj) pleasant sounding, soothing to the ear
************************************************************************
Intratournament II
***********************************************************************
[The next day]
Hikani went to school early because it was her turn to clean-up. As she was walking down the hall she heard a beautiful melody. It sounded like the violin to her. She was drawn to the music room. She slowly slid open the door and was greeted by the sight of a gorgeous male with flowing brown hair. He had his eyes closed. He didn't hear her, or made no sign that he did. He continued playing to the end of the song.
"That was beautiful." Hikani said when the man put down the violin.
He opened his eyes and looked at Hikani. He smiled easily, "Arigato." Fuji slanted his head, "Do I know you from somewhere?"
Hikani looked at him closely, "I don't think so. I just transferred here from America."
"Ahh, so you're one of the new transfer students I've heard about."
Hikani smiled, "I hope you don't believe everything you hear."
"But I've heard nothing but good things. I suppose they're all false."
Hikani laughed, a very dulcet sound. "Well you can believe those."
The man smiled. Hikani's heart skipped a beat. Then she remembered she didn't introduce herself. "Takuya Hikani." She did a small bow, "It's nice to meet you."
The man did likewise, "Fuji Syuusuke. I'm also a senior."
Hikani was about to question him about the piece he was playing when someone ran past their room in the hall yelling, "Damn I overslept and I had morning duty." This reminded Hikani why she was in school early. She had totally forgotten she also had morning duty.
"Gomen I have to go." She ran out the door, leaving Fuji by himself, still pondering where he had seen her before.
********
Hikani ran to her homeroom thinking, was I just flirting with him? I never flirted with guys, but this time it came so naturally. She went into her classroom and apologized to the other girl she had morning duty with. The girl said it was okay since Hikani just came to this school and isn't used to having chores. Hikani counted herself lucky at being let off so easily.
She hurriedly did the rest of the things the other girl didn't do. She did things quickly and efficiently, amazing the other girl. They finished seconds before the teacher came in. Fuji came in after the teacher.
"Fuji-san was on a trip and just came back." Fuji took his seat, behind Hikani. When she looked up at him, he smiled at her. Hikani was too shocked to smile back. She didn't expect him to be in her class since she hadn't seen him.
"Fuji-san. You should get the notes you missed when you were out from one of your classmates."
"Arigatou sensei."
For the rest of the morning Hikani tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying but she couldn't. She was uncomfortable with Fuji behind her. She felt like he was staring at her. She knew it was probably just that she was too aware of him.
If she had looked back, she would've seen Fuji was staring at her. He was still thinking of where he had seen her before. He felt it was important. Her name didn't ring a bell but her face definitely did. He loved mysteries. He didn't pay attention to the class like he usually did but when the teacher called on him to continue reading he simply stood up and finished the passage where the previous student had stopped.
Lunch came none too soon for Hikani. She was about to leave when Fuji called out to her.
"Takuya-san, Can I borrow your notes?"
Hikani turned around, "Sure I'll give it to you after lunch." She didn't stay to chat longer, and practically ran out the door. She was too flustered to speak to Fuji longer. She's never had problems with guys before nor has she shown any interest in them, but Fuji was different. She didn't want to get closer to him until she got her feelings straight.
Fuji didn't make any attempt to stop her. His eyes followed her until she left the class. Eiji noticed. Eiji was astonished that Fuji showed an interest in a girl. Through out the years he'd known Fuji, Fuji never showed an interest in anyone outside of the tennis players he encountered. Eiji smiled mischievously. This was something he could tease Fuji about. It was so hard to get Fuji flustered; Eiji had been trying ever since he met Fuji. Fuji never got embarrassed. He took everything in stride. The people that were easiest to get flustered on the team were Kaidoh, Taka, and Oishi. The hardest were Fuji and Tezuka. Tezuka always ignored what was just said but Fuji always replied. It was one of Eiji's goals to see Fuji embarrassed.
"Ne, Fuji. You like that girl."
Fuji nodded, "She's different. There's something about her."
Eiji fell face flat. Fuji never responds how Eiji wants him to. Sometimes Fuji was too honest. It was a bit scary.
********
After school ended Miki and Hikani went to the courts, it was the second day of the intra tournaments. This time they both had a match against a regular. Hikani played first against Furata Reki. Reki was known for her speed and stamina, but she seemed like a turtle against Hikani. Reki helplessly watched the ball fly past her. 15 minutes after the game started the referee said, "Game set and match, Takuya 6-0."
"Suge! She won 6-0 against Reki-sempai, the fastest regular." They all saw that Reki was breathing heavily but Hikani barely broke a sweat. Hikani didn't use any flashy moves or special techniques. It was just a simple game on her part of serving and returning.
********
[Meanwhile, at the boys' tennis court]
"Ohayo Fuji! I thought you were suppose to come back yesterday morning? You missed the first day of the tournament," Oishi said.
Fuji nodded, "But there was a delay so I didn't get back until yesterday night."
They went to the scoring chart to see Fuji's rank so far. Inui was sitting behind the table and the score chart was behind him. "One default lose and one tie. The tie was because the other person wasn't here either."
"Ehh lucky! Now you can still be a regular if you win every single match. And since you're not playing against Tezuka it'll be easy," said Eiji.
Fuji nodded. He had thought the same thing. He's playing Momo, so there should be no problem there. "I heard there was a freshman that's competing in the intra tournament."
"Echizen Ryoma," Inui said, "He's won both of his matches, 6-0."
"Ehhh not bad." Fuji looked at the D-block to see who were the regulars the freshman would play. "Kaidoh and Inui." He smiled, "Inui have you gathered all the data on him yet?"
"After his match with Kaidoh my data should be complete."
Fuji smiled, to go against Inui's data tennis was no easy thing. It would be a perfect game to test Echizen's skills.
********
[Back at the girls' tennis courts]
It was Miki's turn to play against Kirisago. Kirisago served first.
"Mite! Kirisago-sempai is going all out! It's her spin serve."
Miki was about to return it when the ball bounced towards her. She evaded it before it hit her face. Twist serve? She looked at Hikani, who nodded. It confirmed her suspicions. Miki smiled, so there was someone besides Ryoma who could do the twist serve. This was getting interesting.
"Scared yet? You can still forfeit."
Miki didn't say anything back to Kirisago, instead she smiled wide and bent her knees and held the racket with both hands. This infuriated Kirisago to no end. How dare Miki ignore her!
Kirisago tossed the ball and did her spin serve. This time Miki was prepared. She held the racket with her left hand and returned the ball. Miki was also a southpaw like Echizen.
"She returned it!" said one of the spectators.
The game ensued. Miki amazed everyone with her speed and accurate hits. It was always right before the boundary lines. A few times Kirisago thought the ball would go out but the ball did a slight loop back into the court right before landing. Many of the spectators didn't notice but the regulars who were watching this match did.
"What was that?" said one of the regulars, Fumari Shira, a third year. "The ball was about to go out but it didn't. I've never seen that before."
"When she returns the ball, she puts a slight spin on the side so it does a small loop before landing," Hikani explained, "It's Miki's gust return."
All the regulars, except the captain, turned to look at her. "You know her pretty well."
"Of course, we've been friends ever since we were kids."
They turned back to watch the game but there wasn't much to see. It was a slaughter. All the regulars were shocked. Kirisago has been the regular for a year so they knew her skill. She wasn't weak and on the team she's ranked 3rd. The game ended in 15 minutes, 6-0. Kirisago was breathing heavily. She knew she wasn't out of shape but she felt like she was. She looked up at Miki who wasn't sweating at all!
"This is a good lesson for Kirisago," said the captain, "She's been too content with her skills."
The vice-captain nodded, "Even though she's not number one on the team, she didn't view us as rivals. It seemed like there was no motivation for her to be stronger. Someone like Miki is exactly what she needs."
********
Miki raised her hands and stretched out her body. Hikani followed her lead. "It seems like we'll have no trouble being regulars. I'm a bit disappointed in the strength of the team though. The two regulars in our block were weak."
"Maybe the rest of the people on the team are better, or they could specialize in doubles, not singles."
"True I never thought of that." They packed up their things and walked home.
Halfway home Miki stopped and told Hikani to go home first. She had wanted to go somewhere first. If Hikani had thought it strange, she didn't say anything.
Miki walked to the bridge where she first met Tezuka. There was barely anyone about. She lied down on the grass and watched the sunset. It was rare that she had the time to simply lie down and do nothing.
Unbeknownst to her Tezuka was behind her on top of the hill. This was also Tezuka's favorite place to watch the sunset. And his spot was where Miki was sitting. He thought of greeting her but hesitated to do so. He didn't want to disturb her, nor did he know what to say to her. He's never been a good conversationalist. He came to this place to watch the sunset but instead he watched her. There was something about her that drew him to her. He found it unnerving, especially since they met each other not long ago. He tried to ignore her in school but he was always conscious of her.
He saw the street lights turn on and decided it was time to go. He didn't want Miki to realize he was watching her. He got up and started walking. He turned back once and whispered her name, "Miki."
Miki looked around at the sound of her name. "Who is it?" she asked. She didn't see anyone near her. She looked to the top of the hill and saw the back of Tezuka. Tezuka? She thought. She shook her head. Why would Tezuka say her name? Miki shrugged, maybe she heard wrong. The sun had set; it was time to go home.
********
[At Hikani's place, around 3 a.m.]
Hikani was tossing and turning in her bed, which was a rare thing. Hikani usually stays in one place. It was Miki's bed that always appeared to have suffered through a tornado.
This time Hikani was reliving her childhood in her dreams.
~"Okaa-san! Otou-san! Don't leave me." Hikani cried. She was in an ambulance. They were coming home from a barbecue at her mother's friend's place when a drunk driver rushed a red light, hitting their car. Her dad had died instantly behind the wheels. Her mother shielded Hikani from the blow and died soon afterwards in the ambulance. Hikani suffered a mild blow to her head.
She was brought to the hospital where her injuries were treated. Her parents' friends came to visit her. She knew all these people, but she didn't acknowledge any of them. The doctor said this was normal because Hikani was going through shock. If there is no sign of her getting better within the week then they should call a child psychiatrist.
Hikani shared a room with other children but she didn't pay attention to them. She didn't even notice them. Some approached her to ask what was wrong and others taunted her. Through it all she remained lying down on her bed. Her eyes were lifeless. Her mind was blank. She didn't know where she was nor did she care.~
********
[Fuji's place]
It was midnight; Fuji had just finished reviewing Hikani's notes. She was very neat with beautiful handwriting. He was glad she was there if not he would've had to use Eiji's notes, which were all over the place with doodles. It's almost like he encrypts his notes. Sure, he could've asked his other classmates. He knew a lot of them wouldn't mind but he didn't want to give any wrong ideas to his female classmates. For some reason he didn't mind it if Hikani thought he liked her.
Fuji lied on his bed, ready to sleep. He closed the lights and stared at his ceiling, picturing Hikani when she first walked into the music room. He had heard someone coming into the room. He knew instantly it was a girl because he smelled lilacs.
He always stopped playing when someone came in the room because he didn't want to play for someone else. He didn't like performing and he wanted to only play for his special lady. But that morning he didn't stop. It was something about the lilac smell that compelled him to continue playing. He looked at the lilacs next to his bed, on his study table. He went to sleep and dreamed.
~Fuji was wandering around in the hospital. His okaa-san had just given birth to a son a few hours ago. He wanted to see his new brother. He was about to turn right to the nursery room when he stopped and turned left. He didn't know why himself, but he thought he would find something if he turned left. He walked all the way down the corridor, to the last room. He opened the door and saw a lot of kids in bed. He didn't pay attention to any of them except the girl near the window. She was lying on her bed facing the window. Her bangs were swaying from the light breeze coming from the small crack in the window.
There was something about her that drew him to her. He started approaching her when another girl, who looked to be his age, stopped him.
"You don't want to go over there to her. She's doesn't like people."
"What do you mean?"
"She hasn't said anything since she came here and she ignores everyone who tries to talk to her. Even her relatives who visit her."
"Maybe something happened to her."
The girl shrugged, "She doesn't say anything so how can anyone know and besides your better off hanging out with me. I'm so lonely; nobody ever comes to visit me. She has so many people worried about her yet she doesn't care. She doesn't know how lucky she is. She's probably a spoiled brat anyways."
The girl talking to him was getting on Fuji's nerves, which was a rare thing because he's always been easy-going. For the first time since he talked to her he turned to look at her. She was about his height, with neck length black hair. He supposed she could be called beautiful, if one went for the big eyes and pouty mouth. But she lacked warmth in her eyes. Fuji had always been good at reading people, and he could tell this girl was cruel. "My name is Shirikani Migure. Come stay with me and tell me all about you."
Fuji didn't want to give her his name but his parents told him to be polite at all times. "Fuji Syuusuke. I'm sorry; I don't want to stay with you. I came here for her."
Fuji stopped in front of Hikani's bed. Hikani remained motionless, looking out the window. Fuji reached to touch her. There was something about her that was mesmerizing him, but how could this be? He's never seen her before nor has he even heard her talk. Fuji brushed Hikani's hair. Hikani remained still. She didn't react to the touch, more like she didn't notice it.
Fuji didn't say anything and continued caressing her hair. He touched her cheek, but still no response from her. He stayed there for hours, only when it was getting dark outside did he realize his parents must be worried sick about him. He left the lilacs he brought to visit his mother by Hikani's side, near the window. "I'll visit you again," he whispered. If he had looked back, he would've seen Hikani looking at him, instead of outside the window.
************************************************************************
Yay! I finished another chapter! I was going to do Fuji's and Hikani's romance in a sequel but I realized the timing had to be the same time as Tezuka and Miki, so I had to rethink about the order of my fic. That's why I've been taking so long to update. Do you prefer long chapters or short chapters? Long chapters would probably mean two weeks for an update whereas short would mean once a week update. By the way, this chapter length is what I think a long chapter is.
So many people are confused after reading this! ^_^' To make it clear in case you didn't read the prologue yet (which I added an explanation) Ryoma isn't a regular. I made a mistake when I said he was. I want this fic to run parallel to the show, so that means Ryoma can't be a regular yet, since my fic just started. I know everyone's confused about Hikani but I'll explain that soon. That wasn't a mistake!
SAT word of the day: dulcet - (adj) pleasant sounding, soothing to the ear
************************************************************************
Intratournament II
***********************************************************************
[The next day]
Hikani went to school early because it was her turn to clean-up. As she was walking down the hall she heard a beautiful melody. It sounded like the violin to her. She was drawn to the music room. She slowly slid open the door and was greeted by the sight of a gorgeous male with flowing brown hair. He had his eyes closed. He didn't hear her, or made no sign that he did. He continued playing to the end of the song.
"That was beautiful." Hikani said when the man put down the violin.
He opened his eyes and looked at Hikani. He smiled easily, "Arigato." Fuji slanted his head, "Do I know you from somewhere?"
Hikani looked at him closely, "I don't think so. I just transferred here from America."
"Ahh, so you're one of the new transfer students I've heard about."
Hikani smiled, "I hope you don't believe everything you hear."
"But I've heard nothing but good things. I suppose they're all false."
Hikani laughed, a very dulcet sound. "Well you can believe those."
The man smiled. Hikani's heart skipped a beat. Then she remembered she didn't introduce herself. "Takuya Hikani." She did a small bow, "It's nice to meet you."
The man did likewise, "Fuji Syuusuke. I'm also a senior."
Hikani was about to question him about the piece he was playing when someone ran past their room in the hall yelling, "Damn I overslept and I had morning duty." This reminded Hikani why she was in school early. She had totally forgotten she also had morning duty.
"Gomen I have to go." She ran out the door, leaving Fuji by himself, still pondering where he had seen her before.
********
Hikani ran to her homeroom thinking, was I just flirting with him? I never flirted with guys, but this time it came so naturally. She went into her classroom and apologized to the other girl she had morning duty with. The girl said it was okay since Hikani just came to this school and isn't used to having chores. Hikani counted herself lucky at being let off so easily.
She hurriedly did the rest of the things the other girl didn't do. She did things quickly and efficiently, amazing the other girl. They finished seconds before the teacher came in. Fuji came in after the teacher.
"Fuji-san was on a trip and just came back." Fuji took his seat, behind Hikani. When she looked up at him, he smiled at her. Hikani was too shocked to smile back. She didn't expect him to be in her class since she hadn't seen him.
"Fuji-san. You should get the notes you missed when you were out from one of your classmates."
"Arigatou sensei."
For the rest of the morning Hikani tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying but she couldn't. She was uncomfortable with Fuji behind her. She felt like he was staring at her. She knew it was probably just that she was too aware of him.
If she had looked back, she would've seen Fuji was staring at her. He was still thinking of where he had seen her before. He felt it was important. Her name didn't ring a bell but her face definitely did. He loved mysteries. He didn't pay attention to the class like he usually did but when the teacher called on him to continue reading he simply stood up and finished the passage where the previous student had stopped.
Lunch came none too soon for Hikani. She was about to leave when Fuji called out to her.
"Takuya-san, Can I borrow your notes?"
Hikani turned around, "Sure I'll give it to you after lunch." She didn't stay to chat longer, and practically ran out the door. She was too flustered to speak to Fuji longer. She's never had problems with guys before nor has she shown any interest in them, but Fuji was different. She didn't want to get closer to him until she got her feelings straight.
Fuji didn't make any attempt to stop her. His eyes followed her until she left the class. Eiji noticed. Eiji was astonished that Fuji showed an interest in a girl. Through out the years he'd known Fuji, Fuji never showed an interest in anyone outside of the tennis players he encountered. Eiji smiled mischievously. This was something he could tease Fuji about. It was so hard to get Fuji flustered; Eiji had been trying ever since he met Fuji. Fuji never got embarrassed. He took everything in stride. The people that were easiest to get flustered on the team were Kaidoh, Taka, and Oishi. The hardest were Fuji and Tezuka. Tezuka always ignored what was just said but Fuji always replied. It was one of Eiji's goals to see Fuji embarrassed.
"Ne, Fuji. You like that girl."
Fuji nodded, "She's different. There's something about her."
Eiji fell face flat. Fuji never responds how Eiji wants him to. Sometimes Fuji was too honest. It was a bit scary.
********
After school ended Miki and Hikani went to the courts, it was the second day of the intra tournaments. This time they both had a match against a regular. Hikani played first against Furata Reki. Reki was known for her speed and stamina, but she seemed like a turtle against Hikani. Reki helplessly watched the ball fly past her. 15 minutes after the game started the referee said, "Game set and match, Takuya 6-0."
"Suge! She won 6-0 against Reki-sempai, the fastest regular." They all saw that Reki was breathing heavily but Hikani barely broke a sweat. Hikani didn't use any flashy moves or special techniques. It was just a simple game on her part of serving and returning.
********
[Meanwhile, at the boys' tennis court]
"Ohayo Fuji! I thought you were suppose to come back yesterday morning? You missed the first day of the tournament," Oishi said.
Fuji nodded, "But there was a delay so I didn't get back until yesterday night."
They went to the scoring chart to see Fuji's rank so far. Inui was sitting behind the table and the score chart was behind him. "One default lose and one tie. The tie was because the other person wasn't here either."
"Ehh lucky! Now you can still be a regular if you win every single match. And since you're not playing against Tezuka it'll be easy," said Eiji.
Fuji nodded. He had thought the same thing. He's playing Momo, so there should be no problem there. "I heard there was a freshman that's competing in the intra tournament."
"Echizen Ryoma," Inui said, "He's won both of his matches, 6-0."
"Ehhh not bad." Fuji looked at the D-block to see who were the regulars the freshman would play. "Kaidoh and Inui." He smiled, "Inui have you gathered all the data on him yet?"
"After his match with Kaidoh my data should be complete."
Fuji smiled, to go against Inui's data tennis was no easy thing. It would be a perfect game to test Echizen's skills.
********
[Back at the girls' tennis courts]
It was Miki's turn to play against Kirisago. Kirisago served first.
"Mite! Kirisago-sempai is going all out! It's her spin serve."
Miki was about to return it when the ball bounced towards her. She evaded it before it hit her face. Twist serve? She looked at Hikani, who nodded. It confirmed her suspicions. Miki smiled, so there was someone besides Ryoma who could do the twist serve. This was getting interesting.
"Scared yet? You can still forfeit."
Miki didn't say anything back to Kirisago, instead she smiled wide and bent her knees and held the racket with both hands. This infuriated Kirisago to no end. How dare Miki ignore her!
Kirisago tossed the ball and did her spin serve. This time Miki was prepared. She held the racket with her left hand and returned the ball. Miki was also a southpaw like Echizen.
"She returned it!" said one of the spectators.
The game ensued. Miki amazed everyone with her speed and accurate hits. It was always right before the boundary lines. A few times Kirisago thought the ball would go out but the ball did a slight loop back into the court right before landing. Many of the spectators didn't notice but the regulars who were watching this match did.
"What was that?" said one of the regulars, Fumari Shira, a third year. "The ball was about to go out but it didn't. I've never seen that before."
"When she returns the ball, she puts a slight spin on the side so it does a small loop before landing," Hikani explained, "It's Miki's gust return."
All the regulars, except the captain, turned to look at her. "You know her pretty well."
"Of course, we've been friends ever since we were kids."
They turned back to watch the game but there wasn't much to see. It was a slaughter. All the regulars were shocked. Kirisago has been the regular for a year so they knew her skill. She wasn't weak and on the team she's ranked 3rd. The game ended in 15 minutes, 6-0. Kirisago was breathing heavily. She knew she wasn't out of shape but she felt like she was. She looked up at Miki who wasn't sweating at all!
"This is a good lesson for Kirisago," said the captain, "She's been too content with her skills."
The vice-captain nodded, "Even though she's not number one on the team, she didn't view us as rivals. It seemed like there was no motivation for her to be stronger. Someone like Miki is exactly what she needs."
********
Miki raised her hands and stretched out her body. Hikani followed her lead. "It seems like we'll have no trouble being regulars. I'm a bit disappointed in the strength of the team though. The two regulars in our block were weak."
"Maybe the rest of the people on the team are better, or they could specialize in doubles, not singles."
"True I never thought of that." They packed up their things and walked home.
Halfway home Miki stopped and told Hikani to go home first. She had wanted to go somewhere first. If Hikani had thought it strange, she didn't say anything.
Miki walked to the bridge where she first met Tezuka. There was barely anyone about. She lied down on the grass and watched the sunset. It was rare that she had the time to simply lie down and do nothing.
Unbeknownst to her Tezuka was behind her on top of the hill. This was also Tezuka's favorite place to watch the sunset. And his spot was where Miki was sitting. He thought of greeting her but hesitated to do so. He didn't want to disturb her, nor did he know what to say to her. He's never been a good conversationalist. He came to this place to watch the sunset but instead he watched her. There was something about her that drew him to her. He found it unnerving, especially since they met each other not long ago. He tried to ignore her in school but he was always conscious of her.
He saw the street lights turn on and decided it was time to go. He didn't want Miki to realize he was watching her. He got up and started walking. He turned back once and whispered her name, "Miki."
Miki looked around at the sound of her name. "Who is it?" she asked. She didn't see anyone near her. She looked to the top of the hill and saw the back of Tezuka. Tezuka? She thought. She shook her head. Why would Tezuka say her name? Miki shrugged, maybe she heard wrong. The sun had set; it was time to go home.
********
[At Hikani's place, around 3 a.m.]
Hikani was tossing and turning in her bed, which was a rare thing. Hikani usually stays in one place. It was Miki's bed that always appeared to have suffered through a tornado.
This time Hikani was reliving her childhood in her dreams.
~"Okaa-san! Otou-san! Don't leave me." Hikani cried. She was in an ambulance. They were coming home from a barbecue at her mother's friend's place when a drunk driver rushed a red light, hitting their car. Her dad had died instantly behind the wheels. Her mother shielded Hikani from the blow and died soon afterwards in the ambulance. Hikani suffered a mild blow to her head.
She was brought to the hospital where her injuries were treated. Her parents' friends came to visit her. She knew all these people, but she didn't acknowledge any of them. The doctor said this was normal because Hikani was going through shock. If there is no sign of her getting better within the week then they should call a child psychiatrist.
Hikani shared a room with other children but she didn't pay attention to them. She didn't even notice them. Some approached her to ask what was wrong and others taunted her. Through it all she remained lying down on her bed. Her eyes were lifeless. Her mind was blank. She didn't know where she was nor did she care.~
********
[Fuji's place]
It was midnight; Fuji had just finished reviewing Hikani's notes. She was very neat with beautiful handwriting. He was glad she was there if not he would've had to use Eiji's notes, which were all over the place with doodles. It's almost like he encrypts his notes. Sure, he could've asked his other classmates. He knew a lot of them wouldn't mind but he didn't want to give any wrong ideas to his female classmates. For some reason he didn't mind it if Hikani thought he liked her.
Fuji lied on his bed, ready to sleep. He closed the lights and stared at his ceiling, picturing Hikani when she first walked into the music room. He had heard someone coming into the room. He knew instantly it was a girl because he smelled lilacs.
He always stopped playing when someone came in the room because he didn't want to play for someone else. He didn't like performing and he wanted to only play for his special lady. But that morning he didn't stop. It was something about the lilac smell that compelled him to continue playing. He looked at the lilacs next to his bed, on his study table. He went to sleep and dreamed.
~Fuji was wandering around in the hospital. His okaa-san had just given birth to a son a few hours ago. He wanted to see his new brother. He was about to turn right to the nursery room when he stopped and turned left. He didn't know why himself, but he thought he would find something if he turned left. He walked all the way down the corridor, to the last room. He opened the door and saw a lot of kids in bed. He didn't pay attention to any of them except the girl near the window. She was lying on her bed facing the window. Her bangs were swaying from the light breeze coming from the small crack in the window.
There was something about her that drew him to her. He started approaching her when another girl, who looked to be his age, stopped him.
"You don't want to go over there to her. She's doesn't like people."
"What do you mean?"
"She hasn't said anything since she came here and she ignores everyone who tries to talk to her. Even her relatives who visit her."
"Maybe something happened to her."
The girl shrugged, "She doesn't say anything so how can anyone know and besides your better off hanging out with me. I'm so lonely; nobody ever comes to visit me. She has so many people worried about her yet she doesn't care. She doesn't know how lucky she is. She's probably a spoiled brat anyways."
The girl talking to him was getting on Fuji's nerves, which was a rare thing because he's always been easy-going. For the first time since he talked to her he turned to look at her. She was about his height, with neck length black hair. He supposed she could be called beautiful, if one went for the big eyes and pouty mouth. But she lacked warmth in her eyes. Fuji had always been good at reading people, and he could tell this girl was cruel. "My name is Shirikani Migure. Come stay with me and tell me all about you."
Fuji didn't want to give her his name but his parents told him to be polite at all times. "Fuji Syuusuke. I'm sorry; I don't want to stay with you. I came here for her."
Fuji stopped in front of Hikani's bed. Hikani remained motionless, looking out the window. Fuji reached to touch her. There was something about her that was mesmerizing him, but how could this be? He's never seen her before nor has he even heard her talk. Fuji brushed Hikani's hair. Hikani remained still. She didn't react to the touch, more like she didn't notice it.
Fuji didn't say anything and continued caressing her hair. He touched her cheek, but still no response from her. He stayed there for hours, only when it was getting dark outside did he realize his parents must be worried sick about him. He left the lilacs he brought to visit his mother by Hikani's side, near the window. "I'll visit you again," he whispered. If he had looked back, he would've seen Hikani looking at him, instead of outside the window.
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Yay! I finished another chapter! I was going to do Fuji's and Hikani's romance in a sequel but I realized the timing had to be the same time as Tezuka and Miki, so I had to rethink about the order of my fic. That's why I've been taking so long to update. Do you prefer long chapters or short chapters? Long chapters would probably mean two weeks for an update whereas short would mean once a week update. By the way, this chapter length is what I think a long chapter is.
So many people are confused after reading this! ^_^' To make it clear in case you didn't read the prologue yet (which I added an explanation) Ryoma isn't a regular. I made a mistake when I said he was. I want this fic to run parallel to the show, so that means Ryoma can't be a regular yet, since my fic just started. I know everyone's confused about Hikani but I'll explain that soon. That wasn't a mistake!
