Disclaimer: yuku does not own Whistle!
Pairing: Mizuno x Kazamatsuri

Note: theme 28) Wada Calcium CD3

Greater Heights

By: yukuro

To most people, it was rather amusing to see the small Kazamatsuri Shou on the tip of his toes, desperately reaching for a book on the top shelf in the library at Sakura Jyousui. To Mizuno Tatsuya, however, he was somewhat concerned despite the pure adorableness that the smaller boy was exhibiting. There was nothing wrong with being short. In fact, Mizuno rather liked Kazamatsuri that way. Small and cute suited him well. The thing that really bothered Mizuno was that others would pick on Kazamatsuri for his size.

"Does it bother you?" Mizuno muttered as he reached up to easily pull down the book Kazamatsuri had been reaching for. Smiling gently, he held the book out to the small, embarrassed boy. "Being limited because of your height?"

Taking the book gratefully, Kazamatsuri beamed up at the other boy before responding cheerfully in a whisper, "Not really. It's only just one more obstacle to conquer. I believe a person cannot truly be accomplished if he cannot overcome the obstacles he was given naturally."

Blinking once, Mizuno absorbed these words and could only offer a sheepish smile in return. Flushing slightly, he rubbed the back of his neck in a humble gesture that other people rarely saw. Smiling, he replied, "I should have known you would respond in a way like that."

"Even though I think that," Kazamatsuri laughed again in a slightly embarrassed manner, "I still want to be at least as tall as Fuwa-kun and Shige-san sooner or later!"

Mizuno let out a soft laugh before the annoyed librarian sitting at the front desk promptly silenced them with a hiss with her finger held up to her lips. Bowing his head guiltily back at the woman, Mizuno turned back to face Kazamatsuri with a grin. Somewhat teasingly, he said, "Shall I treat you to some milk then? Calcium is good for a growing body."

"Since there's no practice today, I guess we could go do something," Kazamatsuri replied with an easy smile, making Mizuno feel more or less like mush. Dignified mush, of course. "That is…if you're up for it, Mizuno-kun."

"Of course," Mizuno blurted out at once, probably a bit faster and more eager than he would have liked to sound. Face tinting slightly read, Mizuno resisted the urge to slap himself and cleared his throat. "I mean, we should. It is a break day, after all."

Before Kazamatsuri could reply again, a loud gasp sounded from the row of books beside them, "What! Tatsu-bon and Kaza are going on a hot date!"

The books in the row between them were split apart, and Satou Shigeki poked his head through to smirk widely at the two. Apparently, the stares of everyone else in the school library, as well as the fuming glare of the librarian, did not really faze him. Mizuno, however, did want to die at that moment.

"You're supposed to be quiet in a library," Fuwa Daichi stated in a monotone, snapping his book shut as he came closer to Shige and the parted books. Swiftly, he brought his arm across to hit the blond on the back of his head with the book he was reading, only causing more people to stare in shock. "Your incompetence amazes me sometimes."

"And you're not supposed to abuse the books," Shige replied in a cheerful singsong voice, ignoring the way Mizuno was glaring at him through the bookshelf in an embarrassed, wide-eyed manner. Grinning cheekily, he suddenly reiterated for Fuwa, "Hey, guess what, Dai-chan? Tatsu-bon and Kaza are going on a hot date."

Fuwa did not so much as raise an eyebrow. Folding his arms, he replied without missing a beat, "What? It's not like they haven't before."

"W…WHAT?" Mizuno choked on his words, eyes widening and face reddening. Kazamatsuri looked similarly embarrassed, but he was still smiling and offering polite bows of apology to all that stared. Parting more books to get a better view of Fuwa, Mizuno exclaimed in embarrassment, "Since when did we ever go on…on a date!"

"Oh, you hadn't?" Fuwa asked in reply, hardly sounding sympathetic. Continuing in his dead tone, he went on as he pointed a finger at Shige, "Based on what that thing says all the time, I simply assumed that you would have already. In Kazamatsuri and your case, I suppose you probably would need much more time than usual."

Mizuno simply stared, completely bewildered. Before the poor, disorientated boy could get another word in, Shige reached over to flick Fuwa's finger back. Poking the other boy's face, he demanded with good humor, "What's that supposed to mean? 'That thing.' How rude! You can sleep on the couch tonight."

Fuwa then raised an eyebrow. "What," he began again with a slight variation of irritation in his monotone, "are you talking about?"

As the two conversed, Mizuno grabbed Kazamatsuri's wrist and began to slowly tiptoe towards the exit. The last thing he wanted was to be around when Shige made any kind of scene. With Fuwa tossed in, bad things were bound to happen.

"Don't be shy!" Shige exclaimed slightly louder, drawing more people's attention towards them. Sloppily, he tossed an arm around the other boy's shoulders. "Why don't we set a good example for Kaza and Tatsu-bon and go on a date too?"

There was a long pause, and everyone in the library seemed to be staring at the two while secretly waiting for Fuwa's response. The dark-haired boy looked thoughtful for a moment before blinking once. "Oh. Did you mean with each other?"

"That's so cold!" Shige burst out laughing as he patted the other boy's back heartily. "You'll never get married."

"Neither will you," Fuwa replied logically just as they were promptly kicked out of the library and banned for a month. "Banned from the library," he muttered thoughtfully, "I needed a book too."

"That's alright, no problem!" Shige replied cheerfully, mussing Fuwa's hair much to the other boy's displeasure. "You can just get books from the city library. The point is we've accomplished our goal!"

"What 'we?'" Fuwa asked, folding his arms. "Besides, I think Kazamatsuri and Mizuno already got away."

Shige paused and blinked for a moment before shrugging and cheerfully stuffing his hands in his pockets. "The other point is that they are now happily alone."

"…wasn't that how they were before you interrupted?" Fuwa asked dully.

"Yup, happily alone!" Shige exclaimed again, completely ignoring the other boy who was presently rolling his eyes and taking off down the hall. Grinning, the blond cheerfully jogged after the other boy.

Outside of the school, though not far away, Mizuno was walking with his hand on his forehead in vexation next to the easily smiling Kazamatsuri. Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Mizuno mumbled to himself, "I really don't get Shige's motives sometimes. What is he thinking when he does such stupid things?"

"Don't be mad at Shige-san," Kazamatsuri said gently, instantly rising to the other boy's defense. "I'm sure he means well. I think he cares about you the most, which is probably why he teases you so much. Be happy about it, Mizuno-kun."

Suddenly forgetting his frustration, Mizuno turned his head slightly to smile at the shorter boy. Laughing sheepishly, he commented, "Sometimes I forget how completely unselfishly kind you are."

Kazamatsuri blushed graciously while staring at his shoes with a pleased grin. Rubbing the back of his neck, he laughed, "I'm not really like that."

"And you don't give yourself enough credit," Mizuno laughed gently, gazing kindly over at the blushing, embarrassed boy beside him. He felt at ease seeing that embarrassed smile, even though it was directed at the ground. Every time Mizuno saw Kazamatsuri smile, he could not help but smile himself.

"Let's go back to my house," Kazamatsuri said suddenly, beaming up at the other boy. "I've never had you over before, Mizuno-kun!"

Blushing gracefully for a moment, Mizuno nodded numbly and followed the smaller boy in a state of silence. Somehow, as they continued to walk, Mizuno could only smile and constantly think about how cute Kazamatsuri was. Of course, he would never admit that to anyone. It was too embarrassing to do so.

The moment they stepped into the house and removed their shoes, Kazamatsuri led Mizuno into the kitchen for a snack. Somehow, his current surroundings seemed to be exactly the kind of living place Mizuno had imagined Kazamatsuri would be inhabiting: clean, spacious, and yet still rather cozy.

Spotting a lone plastic bottle on the counter, Mizuno took a step closer to examine the label. Lifting a hand to point the misplaced bottle, he asked, "Kazamatsuri, what's this? Is it out of place?"

Turning to catch a glimpse at what Mizuno was point at, Kazamatsuri put down the cups of tea he was holding and went to stand by the other boy's side. Blinking once before blushing slightly in embarrassment, he explained with a soft smile, "Those are some calcium supplement pills my brother got for me."

Smiling at this, Mizuno commented, "You really do think that calcium helps you grow, huh?"

"Well, I know it's just to make bones stronger," Kazamatsuri began with a sheepish laugh, "but it's good to think try everything, isn't it?"

The sudden overwhelming feeling of cuteness turned Mizuno's insides to mush again, and he could only stand and smile at the smaller boy. Somehow, Kazamatsuri always had that effect on him. At some times, before he would even realize, Mizuno would find himself gazing out at the smaller boy in admiration of his determination. No matter where or when he was watching Kazamatsuri, Mizuno would always feel his insides turn just a bit softer and warmer.

"Oh, but you know," Kazamatsuri said suddenly, interrupting the other boy's thoughts. Grinning, he brought his hand up to the back of his head and let out a slight laugh. "Even though they're pills, they still taste so terrible! Of course, I know it's just another obstacle, but I can't help but at least wince a little every time I take one."

"Is that so," Mizuno muttered thoughtfully, an idea dancing playfully in his mind. Grinning deviously in an inconspicuous manner, he turned to ask, "Ne, Kazamatsuri. Do you mind if I have some water?"

"Of course not," Kazamatsuri chirped instantly, rushing off to retrieve a glass of water. He returned in just a few seconds and set a clear glass of cool water before the other boy. "There you go, Mizuno-kun. Do you not want tea anymore?"

"Hmm," Mizuno buzzed lightly in reply, swirling the water a bit with amusement on his face. Without explanation, he reached out for the bottle of calcium pills and screwed the cap open.

Confused, Kazamatsuri followed the other boy's actions with his eyes in a slightly dazed manner. Blinking when the other boy began to remove a pill from the bottle, the smaller boy finally blurted out, "Mizuno-kun?"

"It can't be as bad as you say," the other boy replied musingly as he placed a single pill in his palm. Taking the glass of water in the other hand, Mizuno popped the pill into his mouth, making Kazamatsuri's eyes widen slightly. Only waiting a second, he brought up the glass of water to his lips and took a sip.

"It tastes terribly bitter, doesn't it?" Kazamatsuri asked with a sheepish laugh. "But you're so strong, Mizuno-kun. Your expression isn't changing at all."

Kazamatsuri felt a tap on his shoulder.

The moment he lifted his face, Kazamatsuri felt lips on his own. Blushing instantly, the smaller boy felt his eyes widen at the touch of Mizuno's smiling lips. His lips were gently coaxed open and in an instant, Mizuno had passed him the pill.

Once Kazamatsuri swallowed, Mizuno pulled away to dry his lips and gaze at Kazamatsuri's dark red face with amusement. Really, Kazamatsuri was too cute.

"M-Mizuno-kun…?" Kazamatsuri stuttered in a slightly bewildered state, clearly embarrassed. It took a great deal of courage to look up at the other boy's smiling face, but Kazamatsuri finally raised his gaze high enough to meet Mizuno's.

"Kazamatsuri," Mizuno began, smiling softly, "you really love soccer, don't you? And for that reason, you want to grow taller, right?"

Unable to clearly formulate a coherent thought, Kazamatsuri simply nodded, completely transfixed by Mizuno's soft and gentle features.

"Keep working hard," Mizuno began again, smiling more brightly. "Because it's you, I know you'll make it to greater heights."

Laughing slightly at the double meaning of his friend's words, Kazamatsuri felt his blush intensify. Smiling back in return, he replied, "Thank you, Mizuno-kun." A playful gleam danced in his eyes as he went on, "The pill was rather sweet this time, I think."

Kazamatsuri let out a soft laugh as Mizuno took his turn to blush significantly.

Not alone, but together they would reach far greater heights.

Owari.


A/N: Oh jeebus. Considering all the time I spent on this (gah! I'm so late! T.T), I don't think I did a very good job. Eeeeh… My writer soul has been dead for a while. Lol. Anyway, as much as I love Mizuno and Kazamatsuri, I just can't help but add Fuwa and Shige in too! It just wouldn't be the same without them. XD Kaza's birthday today!

Thanks for reading! I hope this has been acceptable. :D