Author's Notes: I am back!!! Hurrah! At long last, my HYD muse has returned. I am currently writing the sixteenth chapter for Echoes Of The Past. Meanwhile, however, here's my latest one-shot creation. Enjoy!
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
He stood on the steps of Eitoku University.
At forty-six, he is an accomplished, and by the standards of the world, highly successful business man. Their family corporation has grown into one of the global industrial giants. His name has almost become a brand in itself, but he deserves all the glory for his success. His life and career were so intertwine that a lot of people wondered if he lived in his office.
But today isn't just another day in the office.
Today, he will be sixteen again.
Memories flooded his head as soon as he looked up and faced the towering building where he spent four of the happiest years of his life. He was reminded of the sights and smells of the blithe youth at the very prime of their lives, looking for each of their own star to follow. Teenagers still retained precious innocence, ambitious dreams, and unblemished faith. The priceless assets he also once possessed.
His body felt younger as his blood pulsated loudly with each step he took. He could actually feel strength creeping up his legs, into his arms and up his shoulders. He instantly stood straighter, walked faster.
It felt good to be back.
He soon reached the top of the steps and faced the large oak door that was the doorway to his past.
He touched the door, tracing his fingers over the ornate carvings. Should he enter?
With a mighty push, one of the heavy doors opened just wide enough for him to slide through.
He stood at the hallway and realized that despite the renovations on the entrance gates and the expansion of the school vicinity, the old feeling of the school still lingered.
It was strange the way he could still picture the past three decades with utmost clarity. He could almost believe that he was young again.
It was here that he met her, here where he realized that admiration was not love and that love need not be sought after for it will find you at the precise moment it was destined to happen. It was here that love caught up with him, mystifying and unexpected. The poor fellow didn't stand a chance. When cupid's arrow hit him on the mark, he fell without knowing it.
What felt like the touch of a sister evolved into the touch that sent shivers up and down his spine, causing his heart to race. The naive smile that amused him became a smile that melted his heart and his will. The name he called a friend, he had learned to love past that platonic level. And all these, scared him far more than anything else.
For when he finally realized that he loved her, his bestfriend had fallen in love with her too.
"Come on..." A voice and a light prodding woke him from his reverie as he was pulled towards the famous Eitoku gardens.
His breath was lodged in his throat as soon as greenery came into view. Thirty years ago and today was no different. Apparently, while the rest of the world slowly crumbled into ruins, the garden was an exception. It still blossomed of the most beautiful flowers, filling the air with the captivating scent of sweet nectar. It was preserved in all its marvelous beauty, unaffected by the evil that spread the surface of the earth.
He wasn't aware of his arms encircling around the person in front of him. He held her close to him as memories threatened to break the façade he had worn for so long. He could smell a faint yet familiar fragrance in her hair, swirling in his nostrils, knocking at the closed doors he had locked so long ago.
She leaned onto him and he was washed over by a tidal wave of melancholy, a longing that never ceased, but only grew stronger with time. She looked the same as the girl who once taught him to love. She was the image of compassion, kindness and unbelievable strength of heart. There was the irony that she effortless embodied, leaving the rest of the world enveloped in her mystery.
Beauty had never been more justified.
She was beautiful inside and out. What made her even more attractive was the fact that she was the only one clueless about it. While others pause and stare each time she entered a room, bringing a fresh ray of sunshine in, she remains oblivious to the attention.
Odd. Her admirers regarded her as irresistibly odd.
She sat on the stone bench and beckoned him to sit with her, patting the space beside her. He obliged, never taking his eyes off her for a moment. How grateful was he that he had her. Life had a new meaning after she entered his life. Without her, he would have probably killed himself with work. His daily monotony was broken when she would interrupt his schedules with her calls or invitations to spend the day together. He had never felt so loved.
He followed her stare and landed on the beautifully scripted writings on marble.
Author's Notes: Err, I did not intent to leave you all with a cliffhanger, but see I had this idea to make two endings. One more suitable to Tsukasa/Tsukushi shippers, while the second one, for Rui/Tsukushi shippers.
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