Disclaimer: though yuku would like to own the Tenipuri characters (yes, even those little side characters that barely have any fans x.x), she doesn't. yuku only likes to torture them every once in a while x)
Characters Featured: Kisarazu Atsushi of St. Rudolf (formerly of Rokkaku), misc. appearing Rokkaku and St. Rudolf regulars
Silver Snowflakes
– Ice Barrier –
Kisarazu Atsushi and Ryou were inseparable when they were young. "Were" being the key word. From the times they played together in Rokkaku's playground, wearing matching clothes and growing their hair out, somehow they began to drift apart as all siblings do. It was different for Atsushi and Ryou though. How was it that identical twins could create such a large gap between themselves?
Atsushi bounced the yellow tennis ball on the floor, catching it quickly before dropping it again. He sighed to himself as he shifted his tennis racket bag on his shoulders. Catching the ball again and stuffing it in his pocket, Atsushi looked straight ahead where his school was coming into sight.
Walking onto campus, exchanging polite "good morning" calls with a few of his classmates that called out to him, Atsushi felt the familiar excitement tingling in his stomach as he walked towards the tennis courts. A tiny smile found its way to his lips as he approached the courts, watching his teammates chase ball after ball in their red uniforms.
It was Atsushi's second year of junior high, and he attended Rokkaku Chuu with his twin brother. They had both signed up for the tennis club right away and happily joined practices. Both were skilled players and instantly welcomed into the club. The twins were often put together in doubles, and for a while, they dealt with it. Atsushi didn't mind being with his brother, but lately he began to notice Ryou's frustration each time they were paired together. It was almost as if the boy was angry about being paired with his twin brother.
Touching the chain linked fence, Atsushi scanned the courts until he saw his older brother, already dressed in his red Rokkaku uniform, practicing by himself in a corner. A faint smile appeared on Atsushi's face before it slowly disappeared. Ryou had begun to walk to school early, purposely leaving his twin behind. His excuse was often that he needed "extra practice." Even when it was time to walk home after practice, Ryou would go a different route than Atsushi.
Pulling away from the gate, the second year closed his eyes and sighed. He hated the way things were. He hated the fact that his own twin was constantly ignoring him, pretending as if he didn't even exist. Time and time again, Atsushi had to wonder… What had he done wrong? What had he done to make Ryou act this way?
"Yo, Atsushi. You're here early today."
Turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder, Atsushi smiled slightly at his teammate. A few long bangs fell into his eyes as he said politely, "Morning, Shudou. I was just thinking I should try to get here earlier to get more practice."
The tall boy gave him a slightly skeptic look, but managed a slight smile. Leaning against the fence, Shudou Satoshi glanced over his shoulder at the corner where Ryou was practicing. Shifting his gaze towards the other twin at his side, he commented quietly, "Ryou's been coming much earlier than he needs to lately. Sorry if I'm being nosy, but is there something wrong with you two?"
"I…don't really know," Atsushi admitted, his eyes redirecting themselves towards his twin again. Looking wistfully at his brother, Atsushi lifted his hand to the gate again. "I was thinking maybe I might have done something wrong, or something to have made him angry. I can't think of anything though. He barely even talks to me at home anymore. Has he…said anything to you?"
"Sorry," Shudou said apologetically. Resting his hands behind his head and leaning against the gate, the tall Rokkaku regular closed his eyes. "Things will work out for you eventually though. No matter what happens, you'll always be brothers, you know? There's nothing stronger than that bond, even when it seems like it'll break."
Atsushi blinked for a moment before grinning at the other boy. "Thanks, Shudou," he said brightly with a small, grateful smile. "Are you trying to cheer me up?"
Feeling his cheeks tint slightly, the light haired boy quickly changed his position and scratched the side of his face. "Aha… Just some sentimental stuff I picked up from Sae. Anyway, my point is, don't go stressing yourself out too much, ok? The team's not the same without you."
"I got it," Atsushi said with a rather childish nod. The movement of his head caused parts of his long hair to fall into his face. Slowly pulling his hair back out of his face, Atsushi glanced at the ground. Maybe hadn't noticed the good friends he had made here. Ever since he was little, he had wanted to play tennis at Rokkaku. His teammates now were already friends from the past who had wanted the same thing as he. Looking back up at the light haired boy, Atsushi said firmly yet gratefully, "Thanks, Shudou."
"No problem," Shudou began, a smirk drawing on his face. Holding his racket over his shoulder, he started towards the courts, waving his free hand at the other boy. "You can just buy me a drink later to show how much you appreciate me. See you at practice!"
Atsushi laughed slightly and rolled his eyes. Friends were friends, no matter how strange they were. Pausing for a moment before he went out to the courts, he gazed out at the ocean that was clearly in view.
The ocean was so mysterious. Sometimes it was gentle and calm, bringing in little waves and smooth currents. Other times, it was clashing and dangerous with storm waters raging high, sending crashing waves in every direction. He had grown up by the sea, and had learned to love it. There was a connection he had with the ocean somehow… Or maybe it was just because the unpredictable moods of the ocean were too much like those of his twin. Funny the way the similarities were… Atsushi didn't mind though. He loved his twin just as much as he loved the ocean.
The cool sea breeze blowing gently through his hair, Atsushi walked ahead towards the clubroom. His hands gripped the straps of his racket bag tightly with concentration. Shudou was probably right. Things would eventually work out between Ryou and him. He just had to be patient enough to wait until Ryou was ready. Atsushi would wait, and while he did so, he would continue doing what he loved: tennis.
Opening the door of the clubroom, Atsushi quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Walking towards the shelves, he removed his bag from his shoulder and took out his clothes. Just as he unbuttoned the first button on his shirt, he realized he was being watched. Blinking, he looked up to see Saeki smiling cheerfully at him. "S-Saeki, you startled me."
"Well, you just walked in without saying anything to me," Saeki responded with a lazy grin, holding out his hand. "Well, I'd say there's apparently something wrong with you, Kisarazu ototou. Want to tell me about it?"
"It's nothing," Atsushi said simply, unbuttoning his shirt again. Sliding his school uniform off and pulling the tennis club shirt over his head, the dark haired boy said politely, "Thanks anyway."
Laughing, Saeki patted the boy on his back. "You don't have to be so polite all the time! We're friends, aren't we, Kisarazu? You're so serious and mature all the time. Ha, the way you act is just too cute."
Unsure of how to respond, Atsushi simply blinked at the other boy as he bent over to pick up his racket. He wasn't exactly sure how to react when his teammate just laughed at him and called him "cute." Blushing slightly, the dark haired boy glanced at the door. "We better get to practice before we're late…"
Saeki grinned at the slightly younger boy and picked up his own racket. He loved to tease people; it was just too much fun. "You know, it is ok for you to smile more often. I think I've only seen you smile a few times and even then they were really tiny smiles."
"I guess," Atsushi said with a sigh, "I just don't really have a lot of things to be happy about anymore. I'm too worried about my brother…"
"Are you saying he's dragging you down with him?" Saeki asked with interest, raising his eyebrow as he opened the door for them both. "I noticed he's been kind of angry and silent lately. I wasn't too sure what was going on, so I kept out of it. But let me guess…I'll bet the situations you're both in have something to do with each other, right?"
"…Maybe," Atsushi muttered, walking out the door and towards the courts. He walked silently with Saeki smiling easily at his side. Atsushi knew that he and Ryou were drifting, but he wanted to believe his twin would stop walking in the opposite direction for a while and wait for him to catch up… instead of running faster and faster until he was completely out of sight.
"Look, I just don't want to play doubles with Atsushi anymore, ok?!"
Startled, Atsushi and Saeki halted where they were. Atsushi looked up in surprise and Saeki's smile disappeared and melted into a serious expression of concern. Silently staring at his older brother, Atsushi remained silent as Ryou argued with the captain.
The captain's eyes trailed away from Ryou's angry face and rest on Atsushi's saddened one. "I think," he began, returning his calm gaze to Ryou, "that you need to talk it over with your brother first. I'd like to have a reason for breaking up one of the best doubles pairs we have."
Ryou's brow furrowed. He suddenly felt a jolt of pain in his heart. It was sadness and confusion, but it wasn't his… Eyes still sharp, Ryou turned to see his mirror image staring silently at him. Clenching his fist, he said in a quavering voice, "I'm tired of it, Atsushi."
Confused and surprised, Atsushi slowly took a step towards his brother, trying to understand what his brother was saying with all the mixed emotions he was getting through their twin link. "Aniki, what—"
"Don't interrupt me right now!" Ryou quickly cut him off, eyes blazing. His clenched fist until he began to leave imprints of his fingernails in his palm. His voice rose slightly higher in volume until he was shouting. "I'm tired of playing doubles with you! I don't want you following me all of the time! I'm tired of turning around and seeing myself staring back at me! Why don't you do something different from me?! Grow up, Atsushi! I want, no, I need a break from you!"
"Hey, don't you think that's a little harsh?" Saeki interjected, a frown setting on his face. Brows furrowed, the light haired boy took a step towards the older twin. "He's your twin brother. He can't help it if he wants to be like you. You can't change the person he is."
"It's ok, Saeki," Atsushi said quietly, reaching out to grab Saeki's arm before the light haired boy advanced further on his twin. He forced a shaky smile on his face as Ryou quickly strode away with Shudou instantly walking after him. "He just needs to blow off some steam. Could you…do me a favor?"
"Sure," Saeki said softly with a slow sigh. He didn't think the situation would get this bad. "Anything you want. What is it?"
His shaky smile slowly disappearing, the younger boy let his arm drop as he responded quietly, "Please tell Maeda-sensei I won't be coming to class today."
"What?" Saeki instantly asked, frustration building on his face. His frown deepened when Atsushi took a step backwards, lowering his head until his bangs hid his eyes from view. Saeki quickly took a step forward and reached out for the other boy's arm. Sternly, he said, "Atsushi, you can't just leave…"
"I need to," Atsushi said bluntly, pulling his arm away before Saeki could grasp it. "Excuse me," he mumbled quickly before turning to dash off the courts. He ignored his teammates' calls for him to return. It didn't matter what they thought if his own twin didn't care. Through the feelings they shared, Atsushi already knew Ryou was serious about all that he had said. Like an ocean's wave, emotions crashed through their ties and poured straight into Atsushi's heart. Ryou really did want a break from his twin.
That's fine, Atsushi thought to himself as he grabbed his tennis bag from the clubroom and quickly dashing out again. He squeezed his eyes shut as he ran away from the tennis courts. If that's what he wants, then I'll go away for a while…
His feet carried him away from the ocean, away from the sparkling waters. His feet carried him for hours in a desperate run until he found himself standing in front of the train station. Panting slightly, Atsushi stared up at the sign by the ticket booth. He needed to get away…
"Excuse me, Miss?" the woman behind the counter said a bit doubtfully as she called out to the long haired teen standing before her window. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," Atsushi said, closing his eyes as he slid money on the counter. He was too polite to even bother to correct her mistake. "The next train departing from the station, please. The destination doesn't matter."
"There will be a train leaving to Tokyo in three minutes, would you like to board?" the woman asked with a friendly smile, accepting the money as she prepared the ticket with a stamp.
"Yes, please," the boy said quietly, without much thought on the matter.
"Would you like to purchase a ticket for a round trip? The train back will be departing from Tokyo at four pm today," the woman went on, sliding the boy his ticket. Her smile was gentle and almost understanding. Atsushi only wished she understood the position he was in.
A part of him screamed "no!" After what had happened with his twin today, Atsushi felt the pang of being unwanted. There was nothing more he wanted than to run away and never come back. He was being insensible though. He was not a child anymore, and he couldn't always run from his problems. Maybe that was why… "Yes."
"Thank you and have a safe trip."
With a slight nod, Atsushi gently pushed through the crowd, apologizing as he went. He paused in front of the train with conflicting emotions. He wasn't sure what he was doing…
"Final boarding call for Chiba to Tokyo!"
There wasn't much he understood at all. The only thing he felt as he stepped onto the train, was the lingering feelings of fiery anger from his other half. That was the pain of being identical twins, he thought to himself. Unwanted emotions were always stored in the heart, whether they were his or his brother's.
Staring absent mindedly out the window, Atsushi watched silently as trees and house whizzed by. Ryou was right, he supposed. They probably needed some time apart. Suddenly, Shudou and Saeki's earlier comforts didn't seem as helpful as they did before. Without realizing it, Atsushi slowly drifted off into a light, uneasy sleep.
Time passed by quickly as the boy slept. The minutes melted together, making it seem like time had flown by. Atsushi was jerked away by the arrival call. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he picked up his racket bag and exited the train. Tokyo wasn't an unfamiliar place to him. He had visited the city a few times, but he never wandered around.
Gripping the straps of his racket bag, Atsushi let his feet lead him around. He didn't pay much attention to where he was going. Atsushi only stared at the ground as his feet carried him down the streets and away from the large crowds of people. By the time he looked up, the tall buildings of the city part of Tokyo were behind him.
Shuffling ahead quietly, Atsushi perked up slightly when he heard the familiar sound of rackets and tennis balls. Snapping his head up to look around, the boy noticed a few courts just up ahead with a few boys with white and gray jerseys rallying easily.
Curiously, Atsushi approached the courts, climbing up a small grass hill in the process. He watched with silent excitement as the boys hit impressive shots to each other, working hard to return each ball that was hit to them in return as well. They weren't exactly like the way his teammates back at Rokkaku practiced, but they were good, Atsushi had to admit.
"Hey, you! Girl over there in the red shirt!"
Atsushi blinked as a tall fairly dark skinned boy pointed a racket in his direction from across the courts. Confused, he looked from side to side, looking for a girl as the small group of boys approached him.
"Akazawa-senpai!" exclaimed another boy with mortification on his face. "That's not a girl! That's a boy!"
Akazawa Yoshirou peered closely at Atsushi behind the fence for a moment before nodding in confirmation. "Oh, I guess you're right, Kaneda. His hair kind of threw me off, I guess."
Feeling the side of his mouth twitching slightly, Atsushi took a step back from his observers. It was already odd of him to be at this place at all, but it was getting stranger to see the two boys have such a casual conversation about him… while he was standing right in front of them.
"What's going on over here?"
The Rokkaku player shifted his eyes to see a dainty boy with wavy black hair wearing a white shirt and black pants of his school uniform joining them. His eyes darted between the three boys, unsure of what to say to them.
"Who's this?" the new arrival asked Akazawa with a slight grin as he eyed Atsushi carefully. "Rokkaku Chuu, eh? Are you a spy?"
Eyes widening slightly, Atsushi instantly took a step back and bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm not a spy. I was just…um…I'm kind of lost…"
"It's a long way from Chiba to be 'lost' here in Tokyo, Rokkaku-san," the third boy replied, his amused grin still plastered on his face. "What brings you here…?"
"Kisarazu," Atsushi supplied quietly, lifting his face to look the boy in the eye. "Kisarazu Atsushi."
"Interesting," the boy muttered, holding a hand up to his chin. Smiling strangely at Atsushi, the boy walked around Akazawa and Kaneda to pull open the door of the chain linked fence. "You play tennis, don't you, Kisarazu-kun?"
"Mizuki…" Akazawa began slowly, shooting his teammate a look.
Ignoring him, Mizuki continued to smile at the boy behind the fence as he held the door open for him. "I'm Mizuki Hajime of St. Rudolf. I see you have your rackets," Mizuki noted, still smiling mysteriously. "Care for a match with a few of our boys?"
Atsushi glanced nervously at each of the three boys before slowly and reluctantly stepping in to the courts with a quick nod. His love for tennis will was demanding for him to play. Tennis would be a good escape from the problems with his brother as well, he thought. As Mizuki called over a few more boys from the benches, Atsushi took a deep breath. At this moment, tennis was the only thing that mattered.
"Game set Kisarazu! Six games to three!"
"He's pretty impressive," Akazawa commented to Mizuki off the courts as the Rokkaku player shook hands with the smiling Kaneda. "It was fine when he beat Nomura 6-1, but I didn't expect Kaneda to be defeated so easily."
"Kaneda was made for doubles," Mizuki muttered, a smirk appearing when Yanagisawa jumped up to pat the long haired boy's back with a huge smile. "With the way Kisarazu has been playing," Mizuki commented, twirling a lock of his hair, "It's most likely he'll match quite well against Yanagisawa. Their playing styles are compatible."
"What kind of ideas are you getting now?" Akazawa questioned with a raised eyebrow as Atsushi engaged in a new match with Yanagisawa.
"I think I may have found a new recruit for our team," Mizuki said with a smile spreading across his face as he headed towards the courts.
"Game Kisarazu! One game to love! Change court!"
Atsushi could feel his heart pounding in excitement as he changed sides of the court. He smiled slightly when Yanagisawa pounded on his back again with a laugh. It felt good to play with different people. The longer he played, the more his problems began to fade into the back of his head.
"You sure are cute, da ne," Yanagisawa was saying with a grin. "I mean, even if you are a boy! Plus you're great at tennis da ne. Want to marry me?"
"I believe I've seen enough," Mizuki said with a wide smile as he approached the two boys, interrupting Yanagisawa in the process. He clapped lightly for two as he stalked up to Atsushi. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with you. Privately, of course."
Glancing at the other boys gathered in the area, Atsushi twisted the towel in his hand lightly. Each of them smiled encouragingly back at him with thumbs in the air, so Atsushi nodded slightly at Mizuki and followed him into a corner.
"I'd like to say," Mizuki began with a grin once they were out of earshot, "that you must be having some trouble back in Chiba at school, am I right? There's not really any other explanation of having you run all the way to Tokyo on a school day."
Staring down at his hands, Atsushi felt all his problems flooding back at once. Tennis had been able to take his mind off of it for a while, but when it all came back, it more than ever. "Yes," he responded quietly, clenching his fist slightly. "I kind of…had a fight with my twin brother."
"Another brother situation, is it?" Mizuki asked with amusement. He glanced over his shoulder to smirk at Fuji Yuuta sitting at the bench, quietly sipping from a bottle of water. "You know," the curly haired boy went on, "when you have those kind of fights with a sibling, it's best to put some space between yourselves for a while."
"A-Ah," Atsushi stuttered slightly, twisting his fingers together. His cheeks felt slightly flushed, surprised at the way Mizuki was saying things so casually. It was really as if he understood. "I…think my brother wants that…"
"But is that what you want?" the slightly older boy asked with a smile. Tossing his bangs out of his eyes, Mizuki reached out and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I've been watching you play tennis, and I think you have great potential. I'd like to invite you to join our school and our tennis team. We could use someone like you."
"W…what?" Atsushi asked in surprise, quickly bringing his head up to stare at the boy. "You…want me to transfer to your school? I mean…in Tokyo? There's no way I could. It's too far for me to come here every morning!"
"St. Rudolf is boarding school," Mizuki explained, addressing the long haired boy's concern. "It's a very small school, but has good opportunities. There are advantages to going to a small school, you know. Like more attention, for example."
"I…I don't really need more attention," the other boy mumbled in response, touching his elbow as his eyes shifted to the side. "This…this is really sudden for me, Mizuki-san. I don't know if I can…"
"What's with this 'san' addressing for?" Mizuki said with a carefree tone, smiling mysteriously at Atsushi. "Just Mizuki is fine. I won't force you to attend, but I really think it would benefit you. If you don't agree," Mizuki began, eyes trailing to where Yuuta was sitting again, "I've also recently recruited someone with the same problem as you. Brotherly problems."
Atsushi stiffly followed Mizuki's gaze until it rested on Yuuta, who had just stood up to rally with Yanagisawa. The moment he laid his eyes on the younger boy, Atsushi felt some kind of compassion towards him. He wasn't the only one with problems with his family. There was someone else just like him.
"You two should talk sometime," Mizuki said casually, raising an eyebrow as he watched Atsushi silently watch Yuuta with visible compassion on his face. "Yuuta-kun just recently transferred to St. Rudolf. I think he's doing quite well here."
Holding out a small, folded piece of spotless paper, Mizuki smiled at the boy, saying quietly, "Here's the phone number you can reach me at if you decide on anything. You would be a great addition to our school, Kisarazu Atsushi-kun. Don't forget, St. Rudolf welcomes you at all times."
"Ah…thank you," Atsushi said quietly as he took the slip of paper. He looked up at Mizuki who simply smiled and walked towards his team. Closing his eyes, Atsushi sighed and clutched the paper. Maybe he was destined to come here after all.
"Time to get back to school, boys," Mizuki's voice clearly rang out through the small group. "Lunch is almost over. You coming, Yuuta-kun?"
"I think I'd like to stay for a little while longer," Yuuta said quietly, bending over to pick up a tennis ball. He blinked at the older boy. "That is, Mizuki-san…if you don't mind, I mean."
"Doesn't matter to me," Mizuki said, waving his hand as he headed towards the gate with the other boys. "I'll inform your teacher you'll be coming late to class."
"Thanks," Yuuta said gratefully with a small smile as he bounced the ball.
"See you around da ne, Kawaii-kun!" Yanagisawa called out cheerfully to Atsushi, waving at him before leaving the courts with the rest of his team.
Blushing slightly, Atsushi returned to his racket bag, where Yuuta was standing, bouncing the tennis ball. Silently, he tucked the slip of paper with Mizuki's number into a side pocket of his bag.
"Mizuki-san told me you were having problems with your brother," Yuuta commented quietly, still bouncing the ball on the ground with his racket. "I think I at least kind of understand what it's like. I have an older brother too. He's a regular at Seishun Gakuen."
"Is that so?" Atsushi asked quietly, sitting down on a bench, adjusting the strings on his racket. "Is that the school you were at before you transferred to St. Rudolf?"
"Only for a little while," Yuuta replied simply, catching the ball and sitting down next to Atsushi. Smiling slightly at the older boy, Yuuta commented, "I'm still only a first year after all."
"Really? I wouldn't have guessed," Atsushi replied with a tiny smile. Lowering his racket, he looked at Yuuta with a kind of sympathetic expression. "It's hard, don't you think? Having a fight with your brother that is…"
"I guess," Yuuta said with noticeable guilt on his face. "I guess the problem with my brother is mostly my fault. He's always been really good to me and he's a really great tennis player, but I just got tired of standing in his shadow all the time. I feel like no one knows me as me anymore. I'm just 'tensai Fuji Syusuke's little brother.'"
"That's a little like what happened to me, I guess," Atsushi said, leaning back on the fence to stare up at the sky. "My brother…well, my twin actually. He was saying I shouldn't follow him around all the time. He doesn't want me to be in his shadow, so he told me to grow up. His words were a little harsh, but I think his feelings behind them hurt more."
"Your own twin brother?" Yuuta asked with surprise and interest. "Wow… I don't know if I can compare with that."
"Isn't it better not to?" the long haired boy commented quietly. "It's not a good feeling to disliked by your brother. I think it's my fault for doing something wrong to him, but for a while now, it's felt like he's built an ice barrier up around his emotions. Like…he wants to keep me out…"
"Ah…" Yuuta said slowly, concentration building on his face. "But you know… Ice is something that can be melted. It's one of those rare things that can be solid and liquid with time. Water freezes into ice with time, but ice also melts back into water with time. It's a constantly changing situation with ice. An ice barrier…it can be melted with time." The younger boy suddenly blinked and laughed at his own words, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, that's just my philosophy anyway."
"These kinds of things," Yuuta slowly began again, glancing at the dark haired boy listening intently to him, "will eventually resolve themselves. I mean, even though my relationship with my brother is kind of bad… I know he still loves me regardless, and I…still love him too, I guess. He'll always be my brother, and that's what makes him irreplaceable."
The words sank in slowly, but soon were etched into Atsushi's mind. Smiling up at the younger boy, Atsushi put his racket back into his bag and said with a gentle laugh, "You're really smart, Fuji."
"Just call me Yuuta," the boy said quickly, flushing slightly. "Please. My brother is still my brother, but too much reference to him isn't exactly great."
"Yuuta then…" Atsushi said, standing up. He smiled as he shook hands with the boy. "It was good talking to you. I've realized a lot of things in just a little while. If you don't mind…" the dark haired boy closed his eyes, smile still on his face, "please tell Mizuki for me… I'd like to have transfer papers when I come by this weekend."
"Sure," Yuuta said brightly with a grin. "Welcome to St. Rudolf."
It wasn't a perfect new beginning, and it may have been just another escape route, but at that time, Atsushi already knew that everything happened for a reason. Fighting with his brother, running to Tokyo, meeting these people… It wasn't an accident; destiny probably had it all planned out.
"Transferring?! To Tokyo?!" Kurobane exclaimed, falling back onto a bench with an exasperated sigh. "There goes another loss to our tennis team."
Atsushi smiled sheepishly at his teammates. It was the day after the St. Rudolf encounter, and he was telling his teammates his decision. His eyes only wandered in the direction of his twin, who stood in silent shock, pulling his hat down slightly and quickly walking out of the clubroom with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"It's your choice," Shudou sighed. Smiling supportively, he pat the shorter boy's head. "Do what's best for you. We'll miss you though."
The younger twin smiled gratefully as his teammates slowly filed out of the clubroom towards the courts. He knew they would understand. It was his twin he was unsure about.
"So you're really leaving, huh?" Saeki asked with a soft sigh, standing up to face the long haired boy. He smiled gently. "Kind of makes me wish I had stopped you yesterday from running out."
"I think…it was bound to happen," Atsushi said quietly, staring at his feet. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look up into the boy's eyes. "After all that happened yesterday, there's no way it could have been an accident."
"I understand that," the light haired boy said, running a hand through his short hair. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the wall. "I understand it; I'm just trying to accept it. Even though it already happened, I can't help but think what would have happened if I had stopped you."
"It's not your fault," Atsushi said quietly, leaning against the wall next to Saeki. "It was my own decision."
"You're right," Saeki said with a defeated smile. His features softened as he turned towards the other boy, bringing their faces closer until their noses almost touched. He noted Atsushi's blush with a happy, amused kind of grin. Quickly, he brought his hand up to tweak the boy's nose, making him squeeze one eye shut in surprise. Straightening himself up, Saeki picked up his tennis racket and said cheerfully, "Look out for yourself in Tokyo, Kisarazu ototou. I'll miss seeing your face."
"Then just look at aniki's," Atsushi replied, rubbing his nose, one eye still shut. "We have the same face anyway."
"Nah, it's not quite the same," the light haired boy replied with a carefree smile and a wink. "Your face is much cuter than his when you're blushing."
Atsushi instantly felt his face heat up further, eyes widening slightly. He was just about to retort when Kurobane and a redhead first year stuck their heads in.
"You never told us which school you were transferring to," Kurobane said, kicking the redhead next to him to get him to stop snickering.
"Oh," the long haired twin muttered, feeling the temperature on his face drop slowly. "St. Rudolf."
"Really?" Saeki asked with surprise, turning around face the other boy. "I have a friend that just transferred there too. He's on the tennis team, a first year. Fuji Yuuta. Did you meet him?"
It only took a minute before Atsushi found himself laughing uncharacteristically. Nothing really happened by accident after all.
"There will be a few changes to the way you've been used to at Rokkaku," Mizuki was explaining as Atsushi followed him through the school towards the tennis courts. "I don't think there's anything too big, though."
Stopping in front of the St. Rudolf boys' tennis clubroom, Mizuki smiled at the long haired boy and held out a pair of scissors. "Welcome to St. Rudolf, Kisarazu-kun. It's time to leave the past, and I'm sure you'll find new opportunities and challenges here."
Atsushi looked at the scissors with the sunlight bouncing off of them. Behind Mizuki, the boys he had met the other day all stood in the doorway of the clubroom with supportive smiles, the fading sunlight silhouetting their figures. Slowly, the long haired boy reached out and took the scissors with a small smile. Remembering Yuuta's words, he carefully said, "Just Atsushi is fine. Just Atsushi."
He had never minded being called "Kisarazu ototou" by Saeki and his other teammates, Atsushi thought to himself as he carefully cut his hair with the scissors Mizuki had given him, Yuuta and Yanagisawa behind him. Atsushi knew he had to eventually grow apart from his brother, and switching schools would only be the beginning. They might face each other on the courts someday with new determinations, despite which team they were on.
Placing the scissors down gently, Atsushi opened his tennis bag, where he noticed a long strip of red cloth. Slowly, he picked it up and noted the small, jagged tears at the ends of the Rokkaku-red band. He instantly realized who had left it in his bag. Quietly, he snipped the torn edges off with the scissors and tied the red strip onto his forehead. He smiled softly into the mirror as it reflected the person he was speaking to.
I'm sorry, Atsushi. I never wanted you to go away…
"Thanks, but it's ok, aniki," the younger twin said quietly into the mirror with a slight smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going to forget you any time soon. We're just growing up a little now."
It would still be a while, but the ice was already beginning to melt.
Owari.
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A/N: x_X; ack. This was just bugging me to get out. *twitch* I always did wonder why twins went to separate schools.
This one's a bit longer then the previous chapter/fic. _o; I actually finished it a while ago, but I was *TRYING* to get "Deep Snow" done so I could freely work on this, but I've been having some writer's block on that fic. *sulk*
Thanks for the reviews. ^^; I really wasn't expecting many (they are those poor neglected characters after all xD) but that's alright. I'm just having fun writing about them o.o;
As for the line-up… There's Yanagisawa Shinya, Kajimoto Takahisa (I think that's his name x_@) and the ones Shinigami Girl mentioned. *yuku being lazy* I have ideas running rampart in my head, I just have to tie them down x_X;;;;
As for "Deep Snow" … it's my top priority for now u_u;;; I SHALL DEFEAT WRITER'S BLOCK! PUAHAHAHAHA. o.o;
*cough* thanks for reading and review if possible x)