[Multi-Part Fic] Facets of Me: Chapter Nine - Fire Opal
Title: Facets of Me
Author: Zab Jade
Rating: R (for eventual sexual situations)
Summary: Shortly after starting his first year of high school, Kaidoh is given an assignment in creative writing to explore the aspects of his personality. As he writes about himself, he shares the stories of his life with Inui.
Facets of Me
Facet Nine: Fire Opal
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or the associated characters.
Author’s Note: There will be two more chapters after this one. The final stone, and then a closing out chapter. One-hundred yen is roughly a dollar. If you remember back to one of the earlier chapters (Hematite, I believe), that’s how much two-year-old Kaidoh wanted to sell Hazue for.
~*~
Over the past week, Kageko has acquired the habit of perching on my shoulder and watching as I do my homework. The movement of the pen triggers her hunting instincts just enough to keep her entertained without compelling her to attack.
“Mrrrrowmp!” she trill-purrs in excitement as I open up my creative writing notebook. She knows that means I’ll be doing even more writing than usual. I scratch her ears, then set pen to paper and begin to write.
The fire opal represents enthusiasm and spontaneity. I’m not really known for either of those things, but I have my moments. And those moments often involve Hazue.
The duty of an older sibling is to guide, protect, and set an example. It’s not an easy duty, as parents are more likely to spoil and indulge subsequent children. They’re more secure in their parenting abilities and less strict. Because of this, the eldest child in a family often considers the younger ones to be hideous little beasts.
Hazue, however, is a fairly good child. He’s outgoing and happy and really the best little brother ever…. Yeah right, who the hell am I kidding? The brat is a hideous little beast, and there are a lot of times when I just want to smack him. I do love the little cretin though, and we’ve had a lot of fun together over the years.
I don’t like wearing socks. They feel confining, and the fabric is usually itchy. Despite that, there are times when I will wear them. A Sunday morning during my second year at Seigaku was one of those times.
I had a pair on as I slid across the kitchen floor, wearing nothing else except black silk boxers, the white dress shirt that was part of my school uniform, and a pair of sunglasses. I was holding a broom and signing into the handle along with the radio.
“Dare hitori mo kitsukanai ashimoto ni karamitsuku unmei no kusari. Yuuutsu na RU-RU wo kaiku gutte JARAJARA to hade ni abareteru.”
Hazue joined me in the kitchen, wearing something similar and singing the next verse into a mop. “Machi ha nita you na hyoujou tsuku yatsura de. Afureteru oboreteru MANYUARU toori ni konashiteru.”
We stood back to back and sang the next line together, as loud as we could. “I JUST WANNA BE A NAUGHTY BOY, NAUGHTY BOY!”
We danced around the kitchen and singing along with the radio, somehow managing to leave the room in better condition than when we started. When our mother came home for a moment between errands, we were sitting on the couch together in our normal clothing, watching TV.
She looked around the house and smiled at us. “You already have all of your chores done. You’re such good boys.”
She gave us both some money, then hurried off to her next errand. Hazue glanced at his allowance, then at me.
“Oi, dork boy, wanna go out for lunch and maybe get some ice cream after?”
“Tch.” I reach over and ruffle his hair, mainly because I know it annoys him. “Sure, brat.”
Inui-senpai has a wistful smile as he reads, and I suddenly wonder what it’s like to be an only child. Hazue was born when I was two, so I’ve been responsible for looking after and setting an example for him for as long as I can remember. Being an only child has a lot less responsibility, but it seems like it’d be very lonely.
“Having a sibling seems like it would be an enjoyable experience,” Inui-senpai murmurs, his thoughts similar to my own.
“I can sell you mine for just one-hundred yen,” I offer with a slight smile.
He chuckles and sets the notebook down. “You seem to have an interesting relationship with your brother. It’s supportive, yet somewhat adversarial at the same time.”
“I think that’s the nature of most sibling relationships, especially when they’re close in age. The younger sibling feels the need to test himself against the older, to see what the limits are and push them back if possible,” I explain. “Hazue is pretty much a good kid, and we care a lot about each other. I’ve overheard him saying good things about me to his friends, and that incident with the high school kid wasn’t the only time I had to rescue him from getting his ass kicked.”
I smile slightly as I continue to think about my little brother. Despite my feelings when I was two and my joking offer to Inui-senpai, I would never be willing to sell Hazue. He’s been with me for pretty much my entire life, and it would feel empty without him. It would be like losing a limb. Or Inui-senpai.
No amount of money would ever be enough to replace him.
Author: Zab Jade
Rating: R (for eventual sexual situations)
Summary: Shortly after starting his first year of high school, Kaidoh is given an assignment in creative writing to explore the aspects of his personality. As he writes about himself, he shares the stories of his life with Inui.
Facets of Me
Facet Nine: Fire Opal
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or the associated characters.
Author’s Note: There will be two more chapters after this one. The final stone, and then a closing out chapter. One-hundred yen is roughly a dollar. If you remember back to one of the earlier chapters (Hematite, I believe), that’s how much two-year-old Kaidoh wanted to sell Hazue for.
~*~
Over the past week, Kageko has acquired the habit of perching on my shoulder and watching as I do my homework. The movement of the pen triggers her hunting instincts just enough to keep her entertained without compelling her to attack.
“Mrrrrowmp!” she trill-purrs in excitement as I open up my creative writing notebook. She knows that means I’ll be doing even more writing than usual. I scratch her ears, then set pen to paper and begin to write.
The fire opal represents enthusiasm and spontaneity. I’m not really known for either of those things, but I have my moments. And those moments often involve Hazue.
The duty of an older sibling is to guide, protect, and set an example. It’s not an easy duty, as parents are more likely to spoil and indulge subsequent children. They’re more secure in their parenting abilities and less strict. Because of this, the eldest child in a family often considers the younger ones to be hideous little beasts.
Hazue, however, is a fairly good child. He’s outgoing and happy and really the best little brother ever…. Yeah right, who the hell am I kidding? The brat is a hideous little beast, and there are a lot of times when I just want to smack him. I do love the little cretin though, and we’ve had a lot of fun together over the years.
I don’t like wearing socks. They feel confining, and the fabric is usually itchy. Despite that, there are times when I will wear them. A Sunday morning during my second year at Seigaku was one of those times.
I had a pair on as I slid across the kitchen floor, wearing nothing else except black silk boxers, the white dress shirt that was part of my school uniform, and a pair of sunglasses. I was holding a broom and signing into the handle along with the radio.
“Dare hitori mo kitsukanai ashimoto ni karamitsuku unmei no kusari. Yuuutsu na RU-RU wo kaiku gutte JARAJARA to hade ni abareteru.”
Hazue joined me in the kitchen, wearing something similar and singing the next verse into a mop. “Machi ha nita you na hyoujou tsuku yatsura de. Afureteru oboreteru MANYUARU toori ni konashiteru.”
We stood back to back and sang the next line together, as loud as we could. “I JUST WANNA BE A NAUGHTY BOY, NAUGHTY BOY!”
We danced around the kitchen and singing along with the radio, somehow managing to leave the room in better condition than when we started. When our mother came home for a moment between errands, we were sitting on the couch together in our normal clothing, watching TV.
She looked around the house and smiled at us. “You already have all of your chores done. You’re such good boys.”
She gave us both some money, then hurried off to her next errand. Hazue glanced at his allowance, then at me.
“Oi, dork boy, wanna go out for lunch and maybe get some ice cream after?”
“Tch.” I reach over and ruffle his hair, mainly because I know it annoys him. “Sure, brat.”
Inui-senpai has a wistful smile as he reads, and I suddenly wonder what it’s like to be an only child. Hazue was born when I was two, so I’ve been responsible for looking after and setting an example for him for as long as I can remember. Being an only child has a lot less responsibility, but it seems like it’d be very lonely.
“Having a sibling seems like it would be an enjoyable experience,” Inui-senpai murmurs, his thoughts similar to my own.
“I can sell you mine for just one-hundred yen,” I offer with a slight smile.
He chuckles and sets the notebook down. “You seem to have an interesting relationship with your brother. It’s supportive, yet somewhat adversarial at the same time.”
“I think that’s the nature of most sibling relationships, especially when they’re close in age. The younger sibling feels the need to test himself against the older, to see what the limits are and push them back if possible,” I explain. “Hazue is pretty much a good kid, and we care a lot about each other. I’ve overheard him saying good things about me to his friends, and that incident with the high school kid wasn’t the only time I had to rescue him from getting his ass kicked.”
I smile slightly as I continue to think about my little brother. Despite my feelings when I was two and my joking offer to Inui-senpai, I would never be willing to sell Hazue. He’s been with me for pretty much my entire life, and it would feel empty without him. It would be like losing a limb. Or Inui-senpai.
No amount of money would ever be enough to replace him.