Behind a Smile: 08: Ame no Shita ni
Author's notes: Nyaaah! I'm doing this on a school day! Whooopeee!!!
Uh…yeah. Anyway, I'm planning to make this a little bit faster, deleting some scenes from the original plot and everything, speeding everything up. It might seem like I'm rushing this thing, but I hope I could get it done by my deadline…^^; which is, unfortunately, nearing. ^^…
Tonikaku, domo arigato gozaimasu! I appreciate each and every one of your reviews!!! Sadly, I can't answer them all in one chapter, since I am speeding things up…=.= no more RK T.T At least Ranma followed it. Oh well…
I'll be concentrating much on Misao and Soujiro, so I hope you guys would forgive A. Pikachu's treatment to Sano, Megumi, Kenshin and Kaoru. To those who are wondering, Yahiko is currently Sano's younger brother. Arigato!
Ja, ikemasho, ne?
***
08::Ame no Shita ni//Under the Rain::08
***
His figure basked silently in the glowing sunlight, a few stray snowflakes landing beside his blue-colored futon and melting right on the spot. Silence has taken the whole room, only filled with small grunts coming from the sleeping form. Smiling quietly, an amused Himura Kenshin tilted his head to get some rest.
"Ohaaayooo!!!!!!!!" screamed a lively young woman, blasting the shoji open and bouncing inside. All eyes widened and stared up at the longhaired girl, signaling for her to keep quiet as the sick soccer star continued to sleep peacefully.
"Eh? Doushite – SOU-CHAN!" she exclaimed in a silent whisper, immediately plopping beside the futon.
"He stayed outside all night." Megumi said quietly, explicating the current situation to Misao – of course, leaving out the real reason for his sickness.
"Ano…hora de gozaru yo, Misao-dono." Said Kenshin, handing a dark blue velvet box to the startled Misao. "Soujiro-dono said 'Merry Christmas' before he fell asleep."
"Honestly…he's willing to do sooo much for you and you don't even see it." Sano muttered, earning an elbow shoved into his stomach.
Her breath was stuck in her throat. With the winter breeze sifting through her unruly bangs of ebony, her emerald eyes locked on the silver chain placed inside. It shone beautifully under the sunlight, glittering as her finger traced the chain down to the center, her fingertip placed on the small, silver kunai.
The pendant shimmered as her eyes continued to be lost in its gorgeousness. Soujiro definitely knew what she liked – for she was fascinated with the ancient ninjas of Japan ever since she was a little girl.
"Kirei…" was the only words she could muster to say before hugging the unconscious Seta Soujiro.
**
Six months.
An entire half-year has passed over the wonderful city of Tokyo. Now in the middle of summer, successfully graduating high school, the well-known Kenshingumi has decided on where to go to college.
Well, except for one member.
"Mou!" Shishio Yumi exclaimed, looking thoughtfully at the conference table. "How come there are so many of these?!"
Soujiro smiled sheepishly as he placed an opened envelope on the envelope-filled table.
"That's what you get for being so perfect, I guess." Yumi then added, chuckling as she took an envelope and read its contents. "This one's from Tokyo University. Well, what are you going to do? Which one are you going to choose?"
The eighteen-year-old only smiled and sat on a chair. "You know, the last college invitation's coming today." Soujiro remarked, glancing at the college exams, invitations and applications on the table. Since he was the school's Valedictorian, with most of his teachers recommending him to so many colleges, many applications and invitations were delivered to his home.
"It's the last one?" Yumi said, happy about the last college invitation. "Finally! Get to choose before the month ends, alright? By the way…how come the school wants you to get it personally?"
The soccer star shrugged. "I don't know. I just…think that maybe it's an invitation from an important college or something…"
"Alright then." Yumi stared at her pocket watch before continuing her set of words. "I guess you have to go to the school now, Soujiro."
With a last bow, Soujiro smiled and left the house, boarding a black SUV to go to the said high school.
*
The cold rain swept across the said school, several discarded leaves flying around aimlessly as the harsh wind breezed through the buildings and walkways. Birds have quieted down ever since the shower has started, with only the pattering of the rain serving as nature's music. Droplets of water splashed against puddles formed on the hard, asphalt ground, with the fields filled with mud.
His sapphire orbs went over the soccer field for one last time, studying the field wherein he spent most of his time after school. For he was far away – up in the 2nd floor of the high school building, leaning against the windowpane of the teacher's faculty room.
He was fascinated by the misty look the rain was giving upon the field for a while, until his former teacher's voice rang through his ears.
"Seta-kun," said Yukyuuzan Anji, his homeroom teacher, holding out an envelope. "This is a college invitation sent from Oxford University. They would like you to be a student of theirs, and enclosed are the required entrance exams."
"Oxford University?!" Soujiro exclaimed, utterly astonished about the fact that such a prestigious university would like him to enter the said school. "The one in England?!"
Anji only nodded.
"Why would they like me to be a student of Oxford?!"
"Seta-kun, your results and grades are absolutely excellent. And since our principal, Hiko Seijuro, is a graduate from Oxford University, he recommended you to the school."
Soujiro, still surprised about the sudden proclamation, only gaped at his former teacher. "S-sou…d-desu ka…"
"I think you have a tutor, right? Home schooling to prepare for all the college entrance exams you received?" Anji inquired, peering inquisitively at the student.
"Hai."
The teacher smiled and patted Soujiro on his shoulder. "No worries, then. You should answer this test right away – they would like to receive the answers after a month."
*
Rain continued to pour down the crowded streets of Tokyo, different colored umbrellas dancing slowly. His footsteps rang noisily down the deserted hallway, with the dim lights from the different rooms serving as his illumination. Going down the staircase and landing on the last floor, Seta Soujiro started his way towards the exit with an envelope clasped tightly in his hands.
He was going to go outside, planning to walk towards the black SUV and happily go home, inform his teacher about the exam and make Yumi gape at him. But his plans were burned into ashes once he heard the voice of a certain Shinomori Aoshi.
As if it was a reflex, Soujiro hid under the stairwell.
'Are you sure, Aoshi…? I mean, you guys just started going out like…maybe a year ago…''But Enishi, I think Misao-chan's the one, you know? She's been sweet and nice and I love her. And that's all that matters.'
'So you're really going to ask her…?'
'This August, I suppose…I even have it all planned out already! Can't believe it…I'm going to ask her to marry me…'
Words.
To him, those words were like knives plunged towards his tortured soul, intent on making him bleed out of pain; out of misery…out of the life he'd normally call a living hell. Those words were the key on draining his life out of his body, for those words were enough just to make him kill himself right at this very moment. His beautiful sapphire orbs had turned into a lifeless shade of navy, his smile faltering into a thin line that was etched upon his pale lips.
He tilted his head, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill out from his lifeless eyes. After all he's been through…all the pain he had endured, all the torture he had gone through…just for loving this one person – all of it was going down the drain. It was like his efforts had been thrown away, his love crumpled like a used piece of paper.
Not even caring if Aoshi was still there, Soujiro unconsciously walked out of the stairwell and smiled, his eyes still a lifeless shade of blue as his lips curled into an empty smile. He continued to walk out of the building, slowly striding across the campus as the rain continued to pour down Tokyo, harsh gusts of wind blowing through the school. Pellets of freezing water splashed themselves on his faint skin, slowly cascading down his cheeks, mingling with the unrecognizable tears.
His smile never vanished.
His smile was still there when the rain hardened its fall, its music getting louder and louder as the scenery before him started to look like it was covered in heavy fog. His sneakers streaked slowly across puddles, his clothes getting drenched in the cold, summer rain.
As if knowing what he should do, Seta Soujiro stopped in realization.
'I'll go to Oxford…'
*
"WHAT THE HECK?!"
A sogged-up soccer star planted his feet firmly on the Shishio threshold, a vacant grin playing on his deathly-white lips. His clothes were drenched, with water dripping to the beige carpet like a waterfall. His skin was already in a shade of white; his eyes still a tedious shade of blue and his smooth, puffy-looking black hair matted to his face.
"SOUJIRO!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF?!"
"You were supposed to go home by car, Soujiro!"
"Did anything wrong happen?"
"Soujiro-kun, hurry before you get sick…again…"
"Soujiro-kun…are you alright?"
Only a disturbing grin met the group of six, curiosity starting to get the better of them as Soujiro started to walk towards the staircase. Water covered his footsteps as he held out his hand, intent on grabbing the railing before Sanosuke could grab a hold of his shoulder.
"What happened to you, Soujiro?" Sagara Sanosuke asked quietly, looking into Soujiro's sapphire orbs.
"Nothing really…" Soujiro replied, still in his usual tone as he took the college invitation from his hands and threw it on a side table. "I'm going to Oxford University. That's all that happened."
Eyes widened in complete surprise, uncomfortable silence passing through the group as mouths hung open.
Kamiya Kaoru was the one who first spoke up. "W-what do you mean, Sou-kun?"
Soujiro turned his smile towards the successor of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. "I'll be going to Oxford University – up in England."
Takani Megumi passionately shook her head, long locks of ebony swishing around her. "Surely you don't mean you would, Sou-kun –
The soccer star only regained his smile. "I'm going to take the exam, have it checked and enter Oxford."
Himura Kenshin followed the interrogation. "Soujiro-dono, you would never leave Misao-chan here – besides, you haven't even told her yet –
"She doesn't need to know."
The words shot through the group like an arrow released from a bow.
Kaoru tugged at his sleeve, intent on knowing the explanation behind the aforementioned affirmation. "What do you mean by that…?"
Soujiro smiled once again, hair still matted to his deathly pale face. "She doesn't need to know." He repeated, as if thinking that the group understood the message.
"What do you mean she doesn't need to know?" Kenshin queried, looking up at the soccer star. "Of course she needs to know, Soujiro-dono…"
A ghost of a smile passed through his lips as he looked away, faux amusement etched on his face as the chandelier delivered shadows to his cheeks.
"She's going to marry Shinomori."
Without a second thought, Seta Soujiro walked up the stairs. Without resistance…without hesitation…he was able to accept the fact that his feelings would be always one-sided, never be returned. For himself, he was nothing compared to Misao's one and only love. He was just a speck of dirt – a hurdle waiting to be jumped over…or else, trampled upon.
Wiping a single tear rushing down his cheeks, he closed the door and plopped on his bed, still wet from the harsh rain that poured over him a while ago.
*
For one last month, as the days passed by so quickly, the Kenshingumi had tried everything in their power to convince the eighteen-year-old not to go to England. Shishio Yumi could not do a thing, however – for Soujiro would only change the subject and talk about anything else, a vacant smile pressed onto his lips. His expression would never change – ever since that fateful day back in July; nothing could change his mind, or anything else about him.
His actions became worse whenever Misao was around. He would act as if everything was back to normal, although the Kenshingumi could see it in their eyes that he was still hurting from what he heard – for that could be seen at the empty grin he always wore to disguise his true feelings.
Soujiro opened the door to the conference room. He had asked everyone, of course excluding Misao, to go to his home for he had something important to announce.
He looked somewhat serenely at the set of test papers he held between his fingers. This was it – all he waited for, the test that would decide if he would leave or not. To him it already was decided. Besides, what was his use in Japan if the sole person he loved wasn't there to cherish him? It would only be a worse situation for him if he would stay.
"Minna-san," he
started, his soft voice capturing everyone's attention. "It's been set. I'll go
to England 2nd week of August."
**
Author's notes: I hope you don't hate me!!! I'm already past my deadline! I think I'll just finish this…by…I guess 2nd week of July. ^^;
Special notes for special people:
Metajoker-san: Arigato gozaimasu for your comments! *happy*
regina-terrae-san: do you hate misao-chan now? *o.o* which misao?
Aino Saori-san: Sou-chan is a Prince Charming…^^ arigato!
Person-san: Don't worry – I do those things all the time. *nods* Thanks!
Lord Cirenmas: Thanks!
Mitchy-san: Wai! ^^
White Witch-san: what do you mean 'what about us?' ?.? Arigato!
Deathblade-san, DiaBLo-san, battousai rk8520-san, golden-flame4-san: arigato!!!
Midaoru-san: Sou desu ka ne…^^ Talk about self-destruction… Anyway, arigato!
Chaos-Chan-san: Arigato! So sorry, but your review has been cut short. I'm afraid I don't really understand what you mean about the omen. =.= A. Pikachu is mentally slow today…
sophomoric genius-san: Arigato! I'm evil…? ^^ I've been evil for a long time…making various characters suffer. Sorry, but I like suffering characters. One reviewer said of mine that if there's more trouble, when they get together, it would be soo romantic. ^^ Anyway, arigato!
Arigato gozaimasu, for all the others, and please, review!!!!
-A. Pikachu