Author's Notes: This is the first time I've tried School Rumble fanfiction, but I love the series - both anime and manga. Original story, art and copyright belongs to Kobayashi Jin, and not myself. But I'm really glad I could write this story. Even though I'm actually more of an Eri x Harima fan, I also like Yakumo a lot, and this idea just struck me. Enjoy!
Let Me Hear You
The first time I saw you, you were silent.
The man next to you was staring at me and thinking about how sexy I looked in summer clothing, but you were silent. He was thinking about how I was just the type of girl he liked, but you were silent. When Iori had a thorn in his foot, you took charge and brought him in when I could not. You also fixed our air-conditioner. I learned then how capable you were.
The second time I saw you, you were silent.
You were with Hanai-sempai and Imadori-sempai when we met in the woods during our Tea Club trip. We introduced ourselves while picking up firewood, and I wondered if you had remembered me. I wanted to talk with you about animals, but instead you asked about the welfare of my sister. I learned then how considerate you were.
And when you thanked me for the riceballs, I was pleased that you had remembered me. My sister was trying to protect me from you during that camp, because she thought you were planning to make advances on me. But I knew you wouldn't. I knew I was safe with you. Because you were silent.
The third time I saw you, you were silent.
I had been chasing after a giraffe that Osakabe-sensei was raising. He was not silent. I could hear him thinking, but I didn't know what he was saying. But while playing with him, suddenly I could not hear him anymore, as if his thoughts had changed to someone else. That was the time when he ran away to meet you. All the animals loved you. I learned then how lovable you were.
The fourth time I saw you, you were silent.
It was at the start of the new semester, and the animals had to be placed somewhere else. When the news crew discovered our secret, and I jumped out to protect them from the anaesthesia gun, you were concerned for me, and turned your back to the animals. I watched you force yourself to threaten them, to fire a gun at them, even though it tore at you inside. I learned then how sensitive you were, even though you hid it under your tough exterior.
The fifth time I saw you, you were silent.
When you and Hanai-sempai fought over me at the mock wedding, you were silent. I knew there had been a misunderstanding somewhere, when you interrupted the wedding to carry me off. But yet I was a little relieved. Hanai-sempai's thoughts were a little overwhelming, and it was nice to take comfort in your silence. It was the first time I had really seen you fight, and I learned how you got your reputation. When it came to love, you knew what you wanted and were willing to fight for it. A little bit of me wished that it was real, instead of the results of a misunderstanding. But a misunderstanding it was. Because you were silent.
When you asked me to read your manga work, you were silent.
I was a little scared of you, because of the intensity with which you were scrutinising me. But once I started reading it, I understood why. You had put your heart and soul into this story. The main character sort of reminded me a bit of you. I liked him a lot. I was rather pleased when you asked me to read the final copy again. It must have really meant a lot to you, this story. And when we met on the roof to discuss the copy, and you apologised for possibly causing rumors to spread about the two of us, it didn't seem like such a bad thought to me. I learned a little something about myself then. But I wouldn't tell you yet. Not until you are not silent anymore.
When we were mistaken as "going out" by the others, you were silent.
Even when you invited me back to your place to help finish the manga, and caused me to stay overnight, you were silent. Even when you were the first one to guess my secret, you were silent. When we talked of love, you were silent. When our fingers touched, you were silent. When we rode together to school on your motorcycle, you were silent.
I learned then the reason why you were silent.
For the first time in my life, I was jealous of my sister. If she had my gift, I'm sure you would not seem silent to her.
But you are still silent to me.
Please let me hear you.
Because if I did...