Disclaimer: Don't own Prince of Tennis
Pearls
Fuji Syuusuke was a genius, but Fuji Yuuta was not. It is amazing how such a simple fact can tear the relationship of two siblings to shreds. However, this was no fault of the two siblings. The people are the only ones to blame. The people are everywhere, scrutinizing the two Fujis and comparing the two boys like two pearls from the same oyster. It is inevitable that the larger and more spherical pearl would be sold for a higher price than the smaller seed pearl.
Living in the shadow of his luminous older brother, Yuuta felt the need to distance himself and not doubt Fuji understood Yuuta's feelings quite well. Fuji had often heard his parents dangle his accomplishments in front of Yuuta in the face of one of one of their younger son's failures. What the parents had thought would be a motivation was in reality a taunt to the Yuuta, and Fuji understood. When the fateful day came for the two pearls to separate from the oyster's shell finally came, Fuji could only accept.
The two pearls were refined, but whereas the larger pearl could worn on it's own as the centerpiece of a necklace or ring, the seed pearl could only become part of a string of pearls. Even with the distance between the two siblings, everyone in the junior school tennis scene has heard of the infamous Fuji Syuusuke, the prodigy of Seigaku, but Fuji Yuuta is still most commonly known as "the brother of Fuji the prodigy".
It was no surprise to Fuji that Yuuta became even bitterer. Truthfully, he would have been rather suspicious if Yuuta had welcomed him with open arms. It seemed that Fuji's shadow was larger than Yuuta had thought it was and quite impossible to escape short of leaving Japan. Yuuta can only try to cast his own shadow, one that was equal to or greater than Fuji's. Once the shadow of "the Left-Hand Killer" was created, Yuuta flaunted it like a lady would flaunt her new pearl necklaces.
To the older Fuji, Yuuta's new identity was a great accomplishment for the younger boy, but hardly something he should concern himself with. To Yuuta, this new identity was a milestone in his lifelong competition with his brother, and he is resentful that the older Fuji isn't threatened. And it seems that the price of a large perfect pearl on a chain of silver will always be worth more than a string of small though elegant seed pearls.
Yet if Yuuta looked carefully, he would understand that it wasn't who was better that it counted but who understood better that mattered. Afterall, the price isn't what gives a pearl necklace it's beauty but rather the glow.
Author's Note: A tribute dedicated to my little sister because I love her to pieces and she hasn't broken our truce in the past couple of weeks. I feel bad that she has to live in my shadow, but we're six years apart so she has it better than Yuuta. I can relate to Fuji a lot, because well…I'm a bit eccentric. One of my hobbies is just saying random things to simply freak people out and another is tolook up stuff aboutcannibalism. But I'm a good older sister, and that's all that really matters. Well, thanks for reading!