"Well well," you readers say, "look who finally decided to come out of hiding and actually finish this horrible piece of half-written work after her Prelims!"
Hontou, Hontou ni gomenasai! T.T
Just about everything in the education system hates me, and hence I have been busy trying to survive the unofficial Amazing Race called SCHOOL. I seriously deserve a medal.
Anyway, back to the story. It's been half-written and gathering dust on my com for a while, and I only got round to finishing it (no thanks to Yanagi Hanabusa…wait, wai-PUT THAT HAMMER DOWN! D8) today…right *ish squashed by ze hammer*
Disclaimer: OMG stop looking at me like I'm a pervert. This jersey is part of my cosplay, MY cosplay!
Warning(s): Bittersweet mood, bittersweet plot, generally all things bitter sweet, neoprints, and ducks. Yep you heard me. Ducks. Slight OOCness if you see it that way, and add more if you deem fit.
I ALSO DON'T OWN THAT AWESOME PIC UP THERE! ITS FROM ZEROCHAN!
Marui pulled his hand out from under Niou's, and placed it on his lap. This was a mistake. All of it, no doubt. If this carried on any longer, things were bound to go wrong.
"Come with me."
The smaller hand gripped onto his with unexpected strength, as the redhead felt himself being pulled (dragged?) outside the parlour. The silverette only let go of his hand when they were both some distance away, under the shade of some nearby trees. Marui sighed.
"You know what? Just…forget everything I said. This is obviously a mistake."
Indeed, he had revealed what she was never supposed to know, or find out for that matter.
"And what if I told you I don't want to forget?"
Those pretty greens peepers. They were challenging, and the redhead could not identify any emotion under that almost steely defense. His own eyes fell, and he did not reply. Niou caressed the other's cheek as she tilted his head to face her.
"You asked me out today for an answer. Ask me that question, right here and right now. Do it clearly, so there is no way I can deny it later."
She had seen right through him. Niou's perception was one to be admired, and it was one of the reasons Marui even fell for her in the first place. He inhaled, looking her in the eye.
"Will you go out with me, Niou Masaharu, as my girlfriend?"
The tension lightened considerably. The silverette nodded in contemplation as she laced her hand with his, smiling up at him.
"That question…will have an answer when we are through with our date today."
Our date? The redhead felt like some kind of teenage girl who had finally gotten a date with her long-time crush. That was not altogether completely wrong, though the image of himself in a cute dress was far from right. He could only nod numbly as he tightened his hold on his companion's hand instead, enjoying that moment of surprise flashing across her eyes, and the tiny pink tint dusting her beautifully contoured cheeks.
"Let's go then…Masaharu."
Maru bit the inside of his cheek. Had he gone too far calling her that?
"Of course…Bunta."
Guess not.
The ex-tensai (that was self-proclaimed and Jirou-proclaimed…right?) had a very typical bishounen schoolboy personality. It was almost as if he could be friends with anyone on the planet (except for maybe his jealous boy classmates), and that made him the biggest receiver of Valentine's Day chocolates just after Yukimura. Blessed with good (definitely much more than that) looks and a naturally wonderful charisma, it was no wonder he one day took his turn in placing down his racket, moving into the world of entertainment.
Sure, he had found some way to manage his stalkers and paparazzi (he refused to tell how), but there was no stopping eyes from turning his way as he strutted down the sidewalk with someone equally good-looking (Hanako had Cs, dammit!). The pair walking side by side in blissful ignorance of the people around them looked like angels descended from heaven. It was almost a sin being able to look so good in normal clothes.
It was cliché, but as Marui locked fingers with the one he was positively in love with, he felt that he could not see anyone but her by his side. Was this what they meant when they said being with the one you loved made you ignore the world around you? Was this what it was really like, being in love?
When eyes seemed to stare at you from all directions, it was normal to feel awkward. Niou could only try to look completely at ease as she gripped the other's hand harder than intended. Had it been right to have agreed on this date with him? Had it been right to give him hope?
"Have any place in mind?"
The silverette looked up thoughtfully.
"Neoprints?"
It was a place they had definitely been to once. Maybe it was during that time the team (ah, the good old days) had gone on a rare outing together and all the members were present. Colourfully dressed machines littered the general area, looking imposing in spite of the decoration. Marui fought to not blanch at the numerous heavily made-up (and absolutely ugly) girls that adorned the hanging posters. The girl at the counter only spared a bored glance at them, rolling her eyes at the sight of yet another couple waltzing through, looking as if she would rather be anywhere but there. The green-coloured bubblegum she kept popping brought back memories, however.
The redheaded male took a moment to wonder about the last time he had chewed any of that green apple-flavoured gum, sighing when he had no clear memory.
Niou was all but eager as she practically dragged him into one of the machines, cooing a little at the many, many options on that tablet-sized screen. Marui should have been the one paying, but his date's insistence had won out, and he just sat watching as she proceeded to finger-abuse the poor screen excitedly.
His thoughts were interrupted when something- or rather, someone, settled beside him, pulling him to sit closer.
"10 seconds" was the only warning he got from her.
Posing was a total breeze. It was like breathing, and Marui found his thoughts once again running wild as he realized the proximity of their bodies. He willed himself not to screw up this rare chance. Niou looked like she was having fun, so he should too. Even though those butterflies in his stomach might as well have taken over his whole body instead.
The built-in camera was efficient, alternating between close-ups and normal shots. It seemed sad that the empty boxes on the screen were filling up fast. Soon, that tiny too-high-pitched-and-cutesy-sounding-to-be-real-voice would ask them to select their best shots, before sending said shots to the decorating booth built into the opposite side of the huge machine.
At the least, that was what one redhead thought until that voice called out that the last shot would be a close-up.
5 seconds left…4…3…
Marui found himself being yanked forward by his shirt, and was still facing the screen as Niou planted a kiss upon his cheek. He froze, just in time for the camera to capture the perfectly planned moment. Even after the woman had pulled away, he remained still and blinking.
"…eh?"
It was not until he heard Niou calling out his name that he realized the other already had the digital pen in hand, annoyed that he had been spacing out while they were supposed to be decorating the pictures together. The redhead observed that his date had already chosen the photos and decorated half of them. The woman shook her head.
"At this rate, I'll be the one doing them all. How about you try one?"
And that was how one Marui Bunta found himself standing in front of the monitor, digital pen in hand, staring dumbly at the screen, looking every bit the idiot that he possibly was. It was all the silverette could do not to squawk in exasperation when he very nearly terminated all their decorations so far. Niou sighed and slid behind him, holding up his hand from behind and guiding it across the screen, all the while giving a spoken tutorial on how to "glam up" those shots.
He could feel her breath on his neck.
He could smell her mildly scented perfume.
Thankfully, he was spared from the close proximity after he had proven that his skill at decorating neoprints was at least decent. The redhead smiled in amusement at the calculating look the other was using to sweep over the mini piece of paper. Niou nodded.
"Not as nice as mine, but good enough."
Ah, same old Niou. Never willing to give all out praise and always finding something that could be improved on. Her analytical views drove the team nuts sometimes, but few could rebuke as they were almost always right. Yanagi even said that if she were not so "lazy" (as he so kindly put it), she would have been the Data Master instead of him. Of course, at that point in time the silverette would probably not follow his example of chanting out weird numbers and percentages, but no one told him that.
"Flush like that some more and I'll really wonder who's supposed to be the girl here."
Marui raised a hand to his cheek. It was hot. Oh why oh why did his face have to be so honest?
"Blame yourself for being so irresistible."
"Ha ha, very funny, Genius. But that pick-up line is seriously overrated."
"But a beauty like you could only be an angel that fell from the heavens above."
"…trying to challenge me now, are you?"
"…and even among the angels, your perfection is beyond compare…"
"B-Bunta!"
Her angry, blushing face was so adorable. Had anyone other than Yagyuu and him seen it? It made her tantrum look childish and cute. Maybe having an honest face was not so bad if it allowed him to see her like this. The man ruffled her hair, enjoying his height advantage over his date and her annoyance at her now slightly messed up hair.
xXEternallyXx
Many people would have killed for a date with Marui Bunta, the genius volleyer of Rikkai Dai.
Even more people, would have killed for a date with Marui Bunta, the hottest male model in the industry.
All this time.
All this time, Marui had only been thinking of her and no one else. He might have had a few short flings here and there, but his heart never left her. Yet, her heart had never been with him, never even looked his way. It was bad enough that one's obliviousness could hurt oneself. It was even worse if that obliviousness hurt someone else, however unintentional it might have been.
Why was she so cruel? Why did she not see?
Niou may have had a foresight to be feared, tactics that knew no bounds. How much of that could she be proud of if even then, she did not notice such a strong emotion emanating from him? It was all her fault that things became this way. It was all her fault he was running after her like a lost puppy with a bone dangling in front of him. Sincerity was all that filled his large, round eyes, along with hope, and that blanket of love.
Was there any way she was going to be able to reject him, after the day was out?
Idle strolling was their current activity, which unfortunately left thoughtful minds to their own devices. It pained the silverette to see how each time their eyes met, the redhead would flash that endearing smile only meant for her. If only she could go back in time to correct her mistake. If only things could have gone as they should.
…even after saying that, what was this supposed future?
Someplace where she and Marui were happily dating, even as a boy?
Someplace where she had never met the tennis team, living out a life with a whole other group of people?
There was no way Niou could imagine life without her ex-teammates after all they had been through. There was an absolute zero chance for her to forget Yagyuu. Even if one day a kappa wearing a strawberry suit holding a strawberry wand drinking strawberry milk appeared in front of her and allowed her to go back in time to experience an alternate future, could she bear to take that chance? Every single action, every single decision leads to a different future. This is the future that she had chosen.
This is the future that bound her tight.
The two had long left the centre after taking neoprints, having walked into a park many loved to frequent. The woman could almost see a young Yukimura-buchou with his jacket on his shoulders, smiling with both sadism and pride as his regulars carried each other on their backs, running along the path beside the pond in full view of the public. Yagyuu's back had been warm, but Marui's grip around her neck had given her comfort, shown her his trust.
The redhead in question had bought ice-cream, jolting her out of her memories with the soft, chilly dessert against her lips. Chocolate was not exactly her favourite flavor, but he did not need to know that.
Her gentle smile while licking her cone slowly made for a beautiful scene. But he knew she was actually deep in thought about something.
What was she thinking about? Could she possibly be thinking about how horrible their date was?
Well…technically, it was not much of a date. They merely met at the parlour, went to take some neoprints, walked about aimlessly, before ending up on a park bench, licking their ice-cream cones. Actually, Marui had wanted to share (you know, like couples always did), but it would have looked really stingy on his part to buy merely one cone, so he ended up getting two instead.
"Hey look!"
And he thus got slapped by a silver fish.
Oh wait, that was just Niou's ponytail. Figures. She had apparently seen something interesting and whipped her head around so fast the poor guy sitting beside her was knocked off the chair, and had some ice-cream splashed on his cheek.
"Ne, Bunt-um, what are you doing on the ground?"
"Giving my affection."
"Riiiight…."
The redhead just grinned sheepishly and got up, dusting his clothes off. He looked to the pond where the object of the silverette's attention apparently was.
"Bunta, look! Aren't those just so…"
If he had been his middle school self, his jaw would have dropped at least a kilometer into the ground. Or maybe even more than 3 kilometres, and then have his poor jaw burnt by the piping hot magma. Yeah, that sounded like what would have happened.
But now he was grown up, and he simply stoned.
Ducks.
He got whacked onto the floor, had ice-cream spilt on his pretty cheeks, and then had Niou see him in such an embarrassing state, all just for…DUCKS?!
Must calm down, Marui…must calm down…you must not get angry when on a date, must not get angry…
"…and look at the ducklings!"
Ok that does it. Those damn ducks were gonna get it.
At least, that was what he thought before he looked at his date picking up a duckling that had trouble swimming and cuddling it like it was a soft toy. All thoughts of roast duck and roast ducklings fled from his mind as he walked over to join her in admiring it, while the mother duck and its siblings were swimming away (what kind of a mother duck forgets her own ducklings?!). It quacked cutely and fluffed up its feathers before trying to get away from Niou's stroking and back to the pond.
Marui frowned as she continued holding onto the poor animal.
"…you should let it go…"
"But I don't wanna! I want to keep it…"
That had to be the most irresistible pouting face a woman in her twenties could make without looking childish or spoilt. Congrats, one silverette had just done what had been deemed impossible by the great Marui-sama.
He sighed.
"…can't you see it wants to go back? It doesn't belong with you."
At this, she looked thoughtful.
"I guess…but I still don't want to let it go!"
His fuse was getting shorter by the second as the poor animal quacked in panic, being held by hands that were using much more strength than they should.
"J-Just let go! T-There are always better pets suited to you out there!"
There was a splash, and Marui blinked as the little one swam quickly away to join up with the rest of its family. He almost sighed in relief. Who knew Niou could be such a child?
"That's my answer, Bunta."
xXEternallyXx
Once more, those lilac orbs blinked, this time in much more confusion.
The woman smiled as she got up, moving towards him. At that moment, she was so…neutral. So unreadable, so far away. The children were running around as usual, but the redhead did not hear them at all. Sea-green eyes looked at the ripples being made in the water by some wind, before looking back at him.
"Remember what you asked me at the start of today?
"Will you go out with me, Niou Masaharu, as my girlfriend?"
That's right. He did ask her that.
"I don't…"
"I'm sorry Bunta…Marui. I cannot go out with you. As a friend yes, but not as your girlfriend."
What had the whole day been for then? Was it all just a game? Marui had his hopes up so high, and hearing this just sent them crashing down right away. She had hurt him before, but that was because she did not know. Now that she did, why was she so cruel as to lead him around? Could Niou not have just stated her disinterest and saved all this trouble?
From where she was standing, the silverette could see the myriad of emotions passing through the other's eyes.
"I…had my own feelings I needed to settle, and it is only right I finish what I started."
"Meaning?"
His answer came in the form of a certain person lunging forward to pull him down by the shirt collar, crashing her lip gloss-covered lips against his. Immediately, his face went red as his arms instinctively held onto the small body, hugging it tight. They finally detached after a while, as the initiator slid a hand down her date's face.
"Treasure that kiss. It's the first and last one I will ever give you."
"…I will."
Niou tilted her head as the redhead slumped down dejectedly.
"Besides, you weren't ready either. Have you called me by my given name more than once today?"
It occurred to him then. He only said that name once.
"True."
"That aside, I didn't bring you about the whole day with the sole purpose of rejecting you."
"That's expected…I suppose."
"Of course. I just realised today how we always forget to look at those close to us. It's the very reason we are even out on this date today, isn't it?"
"Yes, ignorance is hurtful."
"You know Marui, you should open your eyes a little bigger, and try to see what you have been missing all this time."
"Are you trying to give me a hint to your answer?"
She chuckled.
"You said from your own mouth what I wanted to say to you."
"I did?"
The man tried to think back to figure out what he had said that could have been her answer to him, but came up with nothing. He was a genius indeed. Answering a question that was her reply to his question and then saying out her answer before forgetting what the answer was.
"I guess I should leave."
"Eh?"
Niou took out her share of the neoprints, scrutinizing them.
"Mine are believable. Are yours too?"
Hurriedly taking his own out, he zeroed in on the one of her kissing him, which just "happened" to be the biggest one among the lot. Not to mention he did not even know what the silverette meant by them being "believable".
" Marui!"
Said guy turned around to face his manager, who had apparently been running around looking for him.
"Jackal?"
"Where have you been?! You have a photoshoot in an hour and you go gallivanting off like that!"
At this Marui frowned.
"But didn't I…"
FLASHBACK
"…speaking of which, I think I need to call Jackal to inform him…"
"Let me."
There was no time for Marui to reply before hearing Niou go "Moshi Moshi?". How the heck did she even manage to get his phone from him, figure out his number code, and find Jackal's number that fast?!
"Yes…yes…right. He'll be free right? Ok thanks."
The silverette smiled brightly- a little too brightly, as she handed him his phone back.
"Ok we're good!"
END
Would there happen to be any walls nearby? He needed to bang his head on one real bad.
"I see…I'm sorry."
"You better be. You had me so worried…"
"But I wasn't alone, I was with N-"
He had been standing too close to the pond, and a small rock in the right place was more than enough to send him falling over backwards when he turned around. The redhead prepared for the impact, but none came, instead he was being held by Jackal, their faces mere inches apart. There was a hint of a blush on his face as he pulled his charge back to safety, turning away and coughing to dispel the awkward atmosphere.
"You know Marui, you should open your eyes a little bigger, and try to see what you have been missing all this time."
No way…
Did Jackal actually like…him?
"…I just realised today how we always forget to look at those close to us…"
"…rui? Marui!"
Marui smiled.
"Bunta."
"Eh?"
"My given name is Bunta. So use it."
The model watched amusedly as his Brazilian friend looked like he was having an internal conflict before nodding awkwardly. His smile was even bigger now that he had finally remembered what Niou was trying to tell him in the first place.
"…There are always better pets suited to you out there…"
Though in this case, it was probably people and not pets she was talking about.
Marui took out the photos that had been stuffed into his pocket in a hurry just now, scanning over them, over the one that had him being pecked on his cheek unsuspectingly. There was no doubt where this one was supposed to be pasted. It should be pasted in his wallet, in that compartment only he knew existed.
"Jackal, do you think you could wait for me over there? I need to do something first."
"Sure…Bunta."
When his manager was some distance away, he chose the penknife extension of his swiss army knife, carefully cutting said picture out, staring at it some more. Really, Niou could not have given him a better present.
Jackal started walking as soon as he heard Marui jogging up to him.
"So…what were you doing back there?"
"Oh nothing…"
The redhead looked behind him before looking forward again.
"…just something I should have done a long time ago."
In a certain dustbin at a certain park, a lone piece of paper bearing the faces of two people lay, representing a memory left behind and a mission accomplished.
xXEternallyXx
Alternate Ending:
"So…what were you doing back there?"
"Oh nothing…"
The redhead looked behind him before looking forward again, a little puzzled.
Come to think of it…where did Niou go?
For those of you who actually thought I would break the Platinum Pair up…you haven't a lot of confidence in me, do you? I knew it…*cries in a corner*
So, I decided to continue with the love drama *is shot for only mentioning it at the end of the chap*. I might, MIGHT write Alpha for the next one, but there is no gurantee.
The alternate ending was random. Niou would make a pretty good ninja, in my opinion.
Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!
Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD
Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.
Posted: 14/09/2012 (dd/mm/yyyy)