S2 Chapter 5
Love crashes like a comet
Group - Counseling Needed
Megumi: everyone
Tomorrow, 10am at Maihama Station.
Takao: OMG DISNEYLAND?!
Megumi: ^^
Ageha: Really? I'm free! Let's go Shuu
Takao: An Rin Babes, it's DisneyLand!
An: What. NO! I can't gooo TTTTTTT
Takao: Rin
Shuu: *reply to Ageha* Alright.
Shuu: Rin
Megumi: Rin Check the announcement.
Ageha: Rin Rinnie, Hurry, come to Disneyland!
Takao: Rin
Rin: SHUT THE F-CK UP!
Rin: Why would I go with you?
Rin: You're so noisy.
Everyone: ^^
Rin: *reply to An* Sucks being you.
Ageha: That's not nice, Rinnie *frowns*
Rin: Suck it up. I let my intrusive thoughts win.
An: You suck, you #!1#!?
An: When are you gonna get scouted?!
Takao: ^^'
Megumi: ...
An: What?
An: It's not my fault Rin has a sick brother complex.
Takao: An. Dms.
An: Omg... did I step on a landmine?
An: Sorry, Rin. You know I love you, right?
Rin: F-ck you.
Takao: Dms. An.
An: Aight.
Yui: Rin, can you come? We can drive together : )
Rin: ...
Yui: Headpats included.
Rin: ... I hate you all, but fine.
Everyone: ^^
A few minutes later
An: Rin I'm sorry. I will smash Sae with a racket for you once I'm back 3
Rin: Psycho.
Reporting from N*K TVSTATION in Tokyo, today is gonna be a mild day. Right now the temperature is at 10 degrees. I can see a cloudless, sunny day, which is making it warmer outside. There are dark clouds moving from the west. Please be careful of sudden rainfalls in the afternoon. To prepare for this weather, please make sure to dress warmly and to wear water-resistant clothing. This weather report has been brought to you by N*K Weather Forecast Team. Now back to the Studio.
Yui turned off the Television with a soft click. She was currently standing in front of the bathroom mirrors and applying some light, waterproof make up. Her hair was pulled back with a hairband and still slightly damp from the shower she had just stepped out from. It's been a week since Sae's return, and while busy, the group always made sure to gather up once a week. Even so, today was special. After all, Sae was finally back. Naturally, they all decided to finish their work early and keep this day free. Whether Sae was aware of this didn't matter, after all, Yuusuke already informed his manager beforehand.
As Yui finished her make-up, she stood in front of the mirror wondering what to do with her hair when she remembered that it might rain later. Yui decided to keep it simple and frenchbraided her hair and put the finished braid over her shoulder. She put a few star shaped hair accessories into her braids to prep up her look a bit more and done she was. Yui shifted around in front of the mirror a bit. Liking her appearance she left the bathroom with a smile. After the incident a few nights ago, Yui felt a new spark burning within her. She unconsciously paid more attention to her appearance than before.
Whenever Sae was involved, she wanted to look her best for him. She desired to be closer to him - step by step.
Back to her room - at her own apartment - Yui checked the time. It was 8:50 am. She would have to leave and catch up with Maureen soon. Grabbing a small pouch bag, which she casually slung over, Yui put on her favorite baby blue winter coat and a scarf as well.
Finished and satisfied with her overall appearance, Yui dashed out of the apartment which closed shut with an automatic lock.
It was still early morning and the sun wasn't out yet, Yui breathed out a shaky sigh of morning air when the refreshing coldness hit her. She could already see the black car from where she was standing and headed towards it.
«!» When Yui opened the door she nearly fainted. What greeted her inside of the warm car was a fully clad teen in a black coat. His striking red hair enhanced the classy and mature feeling coming from him.
«S-Sae...? Why aren't you with Yuusuke?» Yui asked and tried to calm down her rising heartbeat. She couldn't help but notice the elegant and perfect posture Sad had, and how his attire enhanced his long legs beautifully.
She nervously looked away towards the floor.
Sae raised an eyebrow at that unusual reaction. Something about her shy look tempted him to tease her. He wondered what kind of face she would make if he did so. Her flustered expressions, her happy ones, even her sad and angry ones - all the things that made her who she is - Sae wanted to know everything there was about her. This reminded him of when he first started football. The desire to learn more. The desire to improve. The will to have things go his way, once again he felt that exact same excitement. This time... with an amazing woman.
Sae's expression softened slightly as he stared at her with an inviting look. «Come inside already. It's cold.»
Yui didn't need to be told twice and she quietly took a seat next to Sae. Despite appearing calm on the outside, inwardly she was panicking hard. She couldn't help but wonder how to explain her thumping heartbeat if he happened to hear it.
To Yui's relief, Sae didn't comment on it. He did notice the girls rather unusual and flustered response, but to hear her heartbeat he was too far away. He pondered over her strange reaction, but the moment he remembered their kiss even he couldn't help but feel the heat rise to his face. Sae averted his gaze away from her and contentedly watched their reflections in the window.
A strange, awkward atmosphere settled into the car. Maureen couldn't help but muse over this sudden change of them. Just a week ago, he saw the two of them holding hands and smiling at each other like a pair of newlyweds. Now, he couldn't help but notice the mildly, awkward glances that would happen from time to time and the stifling silence. Maureen fought hard to hide the small smile that was forming on his face.
'Ah, youth.'
The car pulled over towards a familiar area that Sae recognized. «Where are we going?» He asked when the car passed by the familiar bus stop that reminded him of his reunion with Yui.
Yui replied back gently. «To pick up Rin. Since we happened to pass by the area anyway it's best for me to-»
«Let's not...» Sae interrupted her before she could finish. His voice quieted down towards the end, but it was hard not to notice Sae's displeasure at the situation.
«Sae, why?» These two simple words formed a question, but the answer was harder to find than Sae would like to admit. Sae felt annoyance and frustration rise within him. He closed his eyes and kept shut.
Yui quietly observed him and tried to puzzle the pieces together. Stuck between waiting and pushing further, Yui couldn't tell what's the best thing to do in this situation. It was obvious that Sae was triggered at the mention of Rin - come to think of it, Yui had heard some pieces of information about the fight the siblings had on the day of Sae's return - nevertheless, she hoped that they could set aside their differences and get along soon.
«... We... we can't stop the car, Sae...» Yui slowly reasoned. She had decided to push on.
Sae didn't reply and Yui bit her lower lip. She was scared of hurting Sae, but she was more scared of him hurting her. Still,...
«Rin is waiting for us. We should hurry and get him, okay?» Yui smiled a small smile and although genuine it didn't completely mask her guilt and worry at possibly upsetting him.
Yui didn't want to fight with him. Sae knew that. When he saw the small smile she gave him, Sae suddenly felt like a jerk and sighed once.
He glanced out the window with his usual, bored, disinterested expression again. «Fine.» Sae really wasn't fine and Yui worriedly kept glancing and hovering over him whenever she had the chance. Sae could see the rather skittish behavior in the window. The way she wanted to cheer him up, but didn't quite know what to do, was quite endearing to him. Sae soon found himself bothered (but also pleased) at her behavior and absentmindedly grabbed the ends of her braided hair.
The glittering silver stars had been quite noticable through the windows. The fact that it really made her ashen-brown hair glitter tempted him even more. Sae lightly pulled on it. Not too much to hurt her but enough for Yui to turn her head and look at him. Their eyes met once again. Yui's pale, cool crystal blue eyes and Sae's deep, mysterious teal-colored ones met once more.
It was silent. The teens were unable to pull away and instinctively leaned closer. The memories of that brief dreamy night resurfaced in their mind again. Suddenly, they were back there again. The moonlight, the quiet music room that bathed in the mysterious, serene blue of the night. Sae on the couch and Yui in front of him. just like now, they inched closer until -
«We have arrived, Young Lady. Itoshi-san.» Maureen's voice cut through the dreamy scenery and broke their illusion and moment into shards. The teens jumped back with a startle. Or at least Yui did. Sae on the other hand, ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his clothes. His throat felt dry and he guarded the lower half of his face with a hand. He coughed into it once. A small blush creeped up his face.
«Thank you, Maureen.» Yui thanked her driver, trying hard not to make it too obvious. She then opened the door to the car to call Rin in, but Sae beat her to it.
«Rin.» Sae called out after he opened the door car. He didn't bother to stand up and just opened the door wide enough for Rin to see him.
«!» Rin's glare was poisonous. Sae on the other hand remained indifferent.
Yui sensed that the air was getting bad and she quickly passed him by and got out of the car.
«Rin, good morning. Did you sleep well?» Yui greeted casually and walked up to the tall raven-head. She raised one of her hands and patted his head lightly. Rin was already taller than Sae and she had to stretch her arm up, or stand on tiptoes in order to reach. Rin's angered state immediately softened and mellowed down.
He quietly nodded with a small blush. Sae watched the scene from afar. Feeling a sense of uneasiness, he too left the car before he knew why.
Rin and Yui heard him approach and turned their attention to him. Sae protectively stood between her and Rin. «You're wasting time. Let's move already.» Sae complained with a hint of impatience.
Rin wasn't able to completely hide his hurt expression and Yui quickly inserted herself between them and lightly tucked at Sae's sleeves. She gave him a small frown and Sae stopped feeling strangely affected by it. He sighed, turned away and reentered the car.
Rin and Yui stood in silence. The girl then gave him an encouraging smile. «Rin, come. Everyone's waiting for you.» Yui spoke kindly to Rin who looked at the ground sadly.
«I don't want to drive with... Nii-san.» The hurt from their fight a week ago was still too real and too much for him to bear. As much as he loved him, all the despair and hatred he felt was bursting forth within in. Rin couldn't bear the anger that was still threatening to spill over at any moment. He hated Sae for not keeping their promise. He hated him for beating him. He hated him for abandoning him. Rin hated Itoshi Sae...
'I want to beat him.' Rin thought as the resolve to destroy his brother welled up within him. A dark shadow loomed over him. Madness and destruction ran through his veins...
Flick.
A sharp pain shot through him and pulled him out of his thoughts. He saw the frowning face of Yui in front of him. Her eyes were slightly narrowed and the corners of her lips lowered a bit, as her lips were pulled into a tight line. She was obviously mad, and Rin couldn't tell why.
Flabbergasted Rin looked up at the girl in front of him with a shock look. «Nee-sa-, ... senpai why?» He quickly corrected himself and regained his cool.
Yui heard him and smiled softly. Her early frown gone. She softly played with his hair and gently spoke. «I don't like seeing you two fight... and more importantly, I don't want you or Sae to get hurt. Rin, will you leave him to me?»
'Will you leave him to me?' These words triggered something within him that he couldn't tell what it was. He trusted Yui. Rin wholeheartedly trusted her who had been by his side and supported him during the four years of Sae's absence. These people were his home.
At first, Rin had thought that once Sae was back, his brother would be part of it too. Their happy days would continue on forever and Rin would be the happiest person surrounded by fun, supportive, trustworthy friends and most of all..., together with his brother Sae.
But when Sae came back, Rin's world fell apart once more. This time there was no one to help him up. The person he missed and longed for the most, had pushed him down a cliff. What else was he to do with this? What else can he do but hate?
Thoughts upon thoughts heaped up in his mind when he looked at Yui in front of him. The girl was patiently waiting for a reply and looked at him sweetly. Rin felt more miserable with each moment that passed by. If he let go of all he hatred and resentment, what else will be left for him and his brother?
Rin swallowed down his uneasiness and steadied himself: «What should I do then?» He asked weakly.
«We no longer share the same dream...» Rin weakly whispered. He looked pitiful and crushed when he confessed these.
Yui gently pulled his head lower and gave him one tight hug. «...Your dreams might have changed, but you will always be brothers.» She quickly released him after saying these words.
Rin looked up and saw the soft and encouraging smile she showed him. «And we are family too, right?»
'Family...' Rin pondered over these words.
«We're family too, and we'll always be.» Yui smiled and Rin felt himself warm up at the sight.
A lot had changed in these four years. Sae wasn't there. Sae changed, and so did Rin's life change. Outside of football he didn't have many friends. His family was busy working most of the time and Rin barely got to see them. During the times Rin missed and longed for someone to be with him no one was there... - except for them.
Faces of seven people popped up in his head in no certain order. Whenever Rin needed advice Shuu was there, Takao wholeheartedly treated him like a little brother. Even Yuusuke whom he found unbearable turned out to be a pretty alright guy. As for the girls, he enjoyed Megumi's calm strictness, adored Ageha's obvious care and even An's weird obsession for him was a strange distraction from his daily life. Then there was Yui...
Yui always reminded him of Sae. It was a feeling that was both nostalgic and strange at the same time. Despite knowing nothing about her, Rin felt a certain sense of closeness to her. When it came to missing Sae, Rin instinctively knew that among all of them - without a doubt- Yui was the one who understood him the most. An invisible thread connected them and they understood and shared the pain with each other without anyone noticing. To Rin she was a sister that understood him, comforted him and supported him sincerely.
«Family...» Rin mumbled aloud obviously in thought.
«Yes.» Yui replied smiling. She then lightly tilted her head and teased gently. «I'm your Nee-san, aren't I?» Her voice was light and didn't hide the pride she felt in that. It wasn't obnoxious, but a genuine joy that came from being called 'nee-san' by Rin.
Rin blushed and looked away with a flustered expression. Yui chuckled. This part of him was quite endearing. She turned around and looked back at the car. She couldn't see if Sae was looking due to the blackened window, but she had a feeling that he was looking and could see her. Yui quietly raised a thumbs-up and gave him a jolly smile.
'It's going to be alright.'
Yui's smile told him that and Sae felt a weight that he wasn't aware of before lift slightly. He sharply inhaled and hid the small smile that formed on his face behind his hand. 'You really are an amazing woman.' Sae quietly thought to himself whilst watching the girl convince Rin to join the car with him.
Just a second ago, Sae disliked the idea of driving together to DisneyLand with Rin, but Yui knew him better than he expected. Sae just didn't know how to behave around Rin. Not this soon after their fight.
'Time will tell.' - Sae had thought before, but when he was suddenly tasked with meeting Rin again, Sae had to admit that this whole situation still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Only after Yui's persistent urging and care did Sae open up his heart and relent - albeit slightly and still unwilling, - but he didn't regret it.
Sae quietly watched the two interact and the obvious closeness they had formed first confused him. He then soon realized that he was the only one Yui would look in 'that' way. A sense of pride and devotion filled him at that realization.
'I really do love you.'
Her voice and his overlapped inside of his heart and suddenly Sae felt emotional. He lowered his face. A warm and soft feeling filled up his chest and bursted forth throughout his whole body. It was tingling and flooding and Sae felt himself being lifted up towards the clouds. His whole world was being shaken up by the girl in front of him, and Sae's desire to fight against it gradually weakened. One day in the future, there might come a day where Yui would crash and burn into his life like a comet.. But if that day came, it'd be when Sae had found himself something more important than football. After all, even now, the stars were gradually pulling them closer.
A/N:
I saw some reviews when I checked this site. Thank you for your encouragements and reviews. I apologize for all the grammar and spellings mistakes beforehand since proofreading is taking awhile, but I'll get to it slowly.