Disclaimers: Tennis no Oujisama and all its characters belong to Konomi-sama. Only the story line is mine.
More than What They Could See
Shishido Ryoh knew was one of the few people who grew up with Atobe Keigo and still lived through it with enough sanity left.
However, that didn't mean that Shishido liked Atobe.
He did not. Not even one bit.
He never liked the way Atobe strutted around as if he owned everything (which wasn't entirely far from the truth). He never liked the way he controlled people with one click of his fingers, especially if said person was Kabaji. He never liked that egoistic and bossy attitude.
No. He did not like Atobe at all.
But through all that, Shishido respected Atobe greatly. After all, he had skills to back everything up. And he was Hyotei Gakuen's buchou. His buchou.
Sure, there were some attributes that made Atobe a dear and a good friend but the times he showed it were rare. So rare that Shishido often forgot that they were there in the first place.
Which was maybe why he often wondered how Akutagawa Jiroh could just be there beside Atobe. None of the regulars liked to do that, well except Kabaji.
Somehow, of all of them – Kabaji and Ohtori exempted – Jiroh was the only person who could stand being with Atobe and not be the least irritated.
At first, Shishido thought it was only because Atobe was the only person in Hyotei who could match the volley specialist's skills. But there were times that Jiroh was asleep in between classes – which was always – and all Atobe needed to do was to sit right next to him and then the usually narcoleptic boy would be awake all day. And that didn't do anything with tennis at all.
And yet, the dash specialist thought, maybe he didn't know Atobe at all the way he thought he did. Maybe there was something that he missed, something that every one of them missed. Something that Jiroh didn't.
Something that made Jiroh smile at Atobe even when if the diva was being irritating. Something that made the intolerable buchou shut up and smile back at Jiroh.
Shishido smiled as he saw Atobe walk into the classroom and sit right next to Jiroh, evoking the usual reaction from the latter.
Perhaps, he thought, if he looked through those wine-tinted eyes, then he would see more than what they could see.
-Owari
::06Oct04:: ::9am:: ::392 words::