Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.
http:// www. deviantart . com /deviation/ 35693186/ (random TezuOishi fanart I drew a time ago; please copy/paste and delete the spaces in between if you wish to view...)
A/N: I apologize for taking such a long time. Now, please enjoy.
Warnings: A bit gag, maybe?
Secret treasures were meant to be hidden.
A simple fact, yes.
Sometimes, they are concealed in realms locked away by the numberless guarding trouble obstacles.
Yet, it would only guarantee the safety of the treasures for the time being.
Sometimes, it takes merely one sensible and practical soul to find the best hiding place for his precious item---the best hiding place is the simplest hiding place, neglected by all whose minds have mapped out sophistication out of desperation.
And, disregarding the level of possibility or impossibility for the secret treasure to be discovered, there is yet another simple fact many did not seem to quite understand.
Each secret treasure was meant to be found---by the one meaning to bear it.
お前と俺と…
Omae to Ore to…
Uniform
Red, like the glorious sun rising day to day from the same country and land (1); blue, like the vast skies of day hinting not at fast-approaching night; and white, like optimistic clouds up above, unconcerned for the arrival of gray and rain (2)---keen tiger eyes roamed his utopia, disallowing even the slightest detail to escape.
Once he has had his while to privately rejoice, he mercilessly slices away the bond he momentarily built between the object and he, both mentally and physically, though not on free will.
Then, to silence and calm his frustrated and deprived mind, his hands quickly carries his valuable into the darkness, away from sight, as he shuts the gate, the only concealing component to the hiding place of his secret treasure.
It was safe in the back of his closet.
For sure.
" Tezuka, you still have your Regular's uniform from junior high?"
His sharp and controlled reflexes wavered momentarily in the lack of preparation.
For sure.
He ensured to himself.
Turning, he replied, simply.
" Aa."
His partner smiled.
" It must be very important to you since you still have it."
With its connection to tennis, that is.
" Aa."
The gems of his emerald eyes radiated soft admiration.
" You take such good care of it…"
Admiration dimmed to disappointment.
"…Unlike me. For some reason, after you left for America on our junior high graduation day, I can't seem to find mine anywhere…"
A pause.
" …"
" I must have misplaced it somewhere…"
A sigh.
It was enough to clear away all traces of disappointment.
" Oh, well, at least you still have yours."
Another smile.
" …Aa."
And a simple reply to confirm his unnecessary unease:
For sure.
The downfall of practical hiding places leading to secret treasures' revelation comes especially quick when the one hiding his treasure operates upon normal behavior as a tactic of concealment.
Yet, this tactic does not work against all.
It is especially futile when another had already caught a glimpse of both the secret treasure and its sanctuary.
It is always certain that the household organizer would encounter every piece of furniture scattered across his dominated territory.
As he cleans from one to station to the next with an indifferent sense of importance and duty, crossing his companion's closet spontaneously dissolves his dutiful attitude.
Then, memory's excited waves crashed into his mind once emptied by total concentration to his tasks.
Instinctively, his hand reached out, acting as a vassal to incapable memory, to uncover the hiding place.
He does not know he was trespassing on forbidden grounds.
His busy companion, departed from home, cannot stop him.
The white-dominated, smooth material itself emitted a luminous aura, easily separating itself from other items in the vacuum.
By the hanger, he gently picked it out.
After the first time he recognized its existence with Tezuka, he had not caught sight of it ever since.
" Long time no see."
He whispered his welcome.
His hands grasped the edge of the sleeve, serving as a gesture much like a warm handshake---to feel, and to cherish.
And excess nostalgia released from his mind, his memory yearning to reconnect with the past creates a crystal layer above his eyes.
When he tightened his grip for the plain intention of squeezing some essence from the material to offer as fulfillment to his memory, he is attracted to a new discovery.
The thickness of the jacket sleeve was unmade for one.
Without pulling at the zipper that knitted it together to the top of the collar, he made one obvious conclusion.
Something similar, like another piece of clothing, was lurking beneath.
The moment he unzips his companion's uniform, his mind abandons his old master, memory, and finds another in curiosity, instead.
Something similar and something else was lurking within, protected by Tezuka's prized jersey.
Beneath, lies the secret treasure.
And all along, the hiding place had not been the abyss inside the closet itself, but his partner, Tezuka Kunimitsu's own uniform.
Beneath, Oishi Syuichirou, one fated to discover the secret treasure, finds…
…Another Seigaku Regular's uniform.
Surprise crumbled his nostalgia-covered forest green depths.
He touched the other uniform.
The feeling of familiarity charged him as if he had found, again, a part of himself once lost.
Yet, gifted with familiarity, he also suffered from anticipation, the side effect that resulted in the trembling of his fingertips.
Swallowing anxiety flooding into his mouth, he swiped the zipper from top to bottom, neatly tearing the jacket front in half.
At its inside, right opening, his eyes descended down the neat path along the zipper tracks and came to a final halt at the bottom edge containing two all too familiar characters---"Big Stone." (3)
Author's Crap:
(1) - An allusion to Japan, land of the rising sun.
(2) - Two descriptions were taken from the Taiwanese flag motto: "青天白日滿地紅" (blue skies, white day, full red earth)
(3) - "Big Stone" translates to "Oishi"... Sorry, I've only watched the Japanese version of Prince of Tennis...
Oh yeah, the uniform with the uniform together was inspired by the movie Brokeback Mountain. If you have seen the movie, would you not also agree that the two shirts in there held great symbolism?
And, Tezuka did not steal Oishi's uniform... I will explain that later, maybe, or you can use the invincible power of your imagination. (smiles)
Important Note: In the next chapter or two, this story will be moved to the "mature" section of the site. And you all know why.
Again, and always: Thank you all for taking time to read.