His Heart's Desire [Tennis no Oujisama, TezukaxSaeki, #s 01 &11]
Title: His Heart's Desire
Author: yumeyana
Fandom: Tennis no Oujisama
Pairing: Tezuka Kunimitsu x Saeki Kojiroh (and a surprise one)
Theme: #s 01, look over here and 11, gardenia
Genre: Drama, Mild Angst
Rating: PG
Summary: Just when he thought all he wanted was his respect as a fighter, a closer look into his heart tells him he actally yearns for more. Part II, chapter 5 to my 30_kisses saga.
Previous Chapters:
::prologue::
Part I: ::01:: ::02:: ::03::
Part II: ::04::
Author’s Notes: This is the second installment to part two of the saga. It continues from where it took off before. It’s a bit short since a lot has been partially explained in the previous chapter.
Disclaimers: Tennis no Oujisama and all its wonderful characters belong to the ever-complicated Konomi-sensei. Only the plot is mine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II
Chapter Five: His heart’s desire
Sanada had proved to be of amiable company despite the rumors on how strict and unsociable he was. The Rikkai player had seated himself diagonally across Saeki, beside Tezuka. Syusuke was seated beside the champion and the rest was scattered around the restaurant.
Kawamura sushi ya was closed for the day, catering only to the Fuji family, friends and the Rokkaku family as well. It was good, Saeki thought, to have Kawamura as a friend in such occasions. The boy was really too kind.
“Omedetou, Sae!” Kawamura said, patting his back. “Food ok?”
Saeki beamed. “Thanks, Taka-san. Food’s great. You’re getting better every time I eat here.”
The sushi boy blushed, still unused to the praises about his cooking. After winning the Nationals back in Junior High, Kawamura had kept his promise to his father - quitting the tennis club and starting his sushi training. With him gone, it was Saeki who now filled his position in the regulars.
“Ah, Fujiko! More wasabi sushi?”
“Saa… domo, Taka-san.”
“Are you enjoying yourself, Sanada?” Saeki asked his rival. He was worried that Sanada would feel out of place in his crowd and would cause a slight rift in their friendship.
Wait. Were they even friends?
The brunette tipped his head. “It was very good of you to invite me. Thank you.”
Polite answer, he thought even though Sanada didn’t really answer his question. Yet as he looked at the other’s face, it clearly said what words didn’t relay.
This was one of those times when he was grateful he had Tezuka for a friend.
“Yukimura’s your buchou again, aren’t I right?”
“Aa. Seiichi’s reputation has been well-known within Rikkai and he was recommended by our former buchou. Our former buchou even wanted Seiichi to…”
Saeki listened as Syusuke’s conversation with Sanada droned on. The Rikkai fukubuchou’s - yes, he was the fukubuchou once again - face seemed to glow whenever he said something about Yukimura. Just as he thought before, Yukimura had an indescribable effect on people, especially Sanada.
It was different when he talked about his buchou. Something deeper than buchou-fukubuchou relationship, deeper than the usual friendship.
There was something special that made Sanada glow. Something that produced a smile on those pursed lips. Something that made Sanada’s expressions a little softer, a little more like a regular high school student.
Something he knew he could not produce. He was not Yukimura after all.
Saeki blinked. What was he saying?
He and Sanada were just rivals in kendo. It was Sanada who was his rival, not Yukimura. And why would he want to be rivals with the Rikkai buchou? Because of Sanada?
But Sanada meant nothing to him.
Yet, he didn’t know why but his heart was saying something opposite of what he was trying to convince himself. It was like it was him against what his heart and mind were saying. For the first time, they were united. United in telling him what he knew his heart had been whispering all along.
Look over here, he wanted to say. Try and look at me. Yukimura isn’t the only one who exists.
Yet, looking wasn’t enough. He knew Sanada looked at him, saw him, knew he existed. He saw Saeki the way he saw everyone else. Just another face in the crowd.
He didn’t want that.
Neesan, this feeling…
I don’t know how it started, when it started. I don’t even know why it’s there. Sanada and I aren’t really friends, just acquaintances and rivals. We don’t even know each other’s backgrounds. Nothing beyond each other’s techniques in kendo and tennis.
But…
His eyes flitted towards the flower arrangement on their table. He hadn’t noticed it before, hadn’t even recognized the flower.
Gardenia.
“Saeki?” Sanada was looking at him, a concerned look on his face.
Gardenia. The flower that symbolized…
------------------------------------------------------
“Kojiroh, is there anything wrong?”
Saeki had asked both Syusuke and Tezuka to be left behind. He needed to talk to them. He just couldn’t keep on writing to his neesan. He needed someone to talk to.
“Kojiroh?” Even Tezuka was really worried about their friend’s unusual behavior.
He sighed, leaning on Yumiko’s car. Syusuke had been given permission to drive it; he, after all, had a student’s driver’s license.
“Syu, Kunimitsu…I think…
“I think I like Sanada.”
The tensai’s eyes widened. He hadn’t really expected it, hadn’t seen it coming. He glanced at Tezuka, perhaps he had noticed something. He was sharper than him in some aspects.
But Tezuka had looked away, eyes reflecting sadness deeper than anything he had ever seen before. It was like Saeki’s words had given the coffee-haired one the kiss of death.
“Not just like-like. But deeper than that.”
He swirled the flower in his hand. Gardenia was the flower of secret love.
Just like the one he had for Sanada.
-to be continued-
Author: yumeyana
Fandom: Tennis no Oujisama
Pairing: Tezuka Kunimitsu x Saeki Kojiroh (and a surprise one)
Theme: #s 01, look over here and 11, gardenia
Genre: Drama, Mild Angst
Rating: PG
Summary: Just when he thought all he wanted was his respect as a fighter, a closer look into his heart tells him he actally yearns for more. Part II, chapter 5 to my 30_kisses saga.
Previous Chapters:
::prologue::
Part I: ::01:: ::02:: ::03::
Part II: ::04::
Author’s Notes: This is the second installment to part two of the saga. It continues from where it took off before. It’s a bit short since a lot has been partially explained in the previous chapter.
Disclaimers: Tennis no Oujisama and all its wonderful characters belong to the ever-complicated Konomi-sensei. Only the plot is mine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II
Chapter Five: His heart’s desire
Sanada had proved to be of amiable company despite the rumors on how strict and unsociable he was. The Rikkai player had seated himself diagonally across Saeki, beside Tezuka. Syusuke was seated beside the champion and the rest was scattered around the restaurant.
Kawamura sushi ya was closed for the day, catering only to the Fuji family, friends and the Rokkaku family as well. It was good, Saeki thought, to have Kawamura as a friend in such occasions. The boy was really too kind.
“Omedetou, Sae!” Kawamura said, patting his back. “Food ok?”
Saeki beamed. “Thanks, Taka-san. Food’s great. You’re getting better every time I eat here.”
The sushi boy blushed, still unused to the praises about his cooking. After winning the Nationals back in Junior High, Kawamura had kept his promise to his father - quitting the tennis club and starting his sushi training. With him gone, it was Saeki who now filled his position in the regulars.
“Ah, Fujiko! More wasabi sushi?”
“Saa… domo, Taka-san.”
“Are you enjoying yourself, Sanada?” Saeki asked his rival. He was worried that Sanada would feel out of place in his crowd and would cause a slight rift in their friendship.
Wait. Were they even friends?
The brunette tipped his head. “It was very good of you to invite me. Thank you.”
Polite answer, he thought even though Sanada didn’t really answer his question. Yet as he looked at the other’s face, it clearly said what words didn’t relay.
This was one of those times when he was grateful he had Tezuka for a friend.
“Yukimura’s your buchou again, aren’t I right?”
“Aa. Seiichi’s reputation has been well-known within Rikkai and he was recommended by our former buchou. Our former buchou even wanted Seiichi to…”
Saeki listened as Syusuke’s conversation with Sanada droned on. The Rikkai fukubuchou’s - yes, he was the fukubuchou once again - face seemed to glow whenever he said something about Yukimura. Just as he thought before, Yukimura had an indescribable effect on people, especially Sanada.
It was different when he talked about his buchou. Something deeper than buchou-fukubuchou relationship, deeper than the usual friendship.
There was something special that made Sanada glow. Something that produced a smile on those pursed lips. Something that made Sanada’s expressions a little softer, a little more like a regular high school student.
Something he knew he could not produce. He was not Yukimura after all.
Saeki blinked. What was he saying?
He and Sanada were just rivals in kendo. It was Sanada who was his rival, not Yukimura. And why would he want to be rivals with the Rikkai buchou? Because of Sanada?
But Sanada meant nothing to him.
Yet, he didn’t know why but his heart was saying something opposite of what he was trying to convince himself. It was like it was him against what his heart and mind were saying. For the first time, they were united. United in telling him what he knew his heart had been whispering all along.
Look over here, he wanted to say. Try and look at me. Yukimura isn’t the only one who exists.
Yet, looking wasn’t enough. He knew Sanada looked at him, saw him, knew he existed. He saw Saeki the way he saw everyone else. Just another face in the crowd.
He didn’t want that.
Neesan, this feeling…
I don’t know how it started, when it started. I don’t even know why it’s there. Sanada and I aren’t really friends, just acquaintances and rivals. We don’t even know each other’s backgrounds. Nothing beyond each other’s techniques in kendo and tennis.
But…
His eyes flitted towards the flower arrangement on their table. He hadn’t noticed it before, hadn’t even recognized the flower.
Gardenia.
“Saeki?” Sanada was looking at him, a concerned look on his face.
Gardenia. The flower that symbolized…
------------------------------------------------------
“Kojiroh, is there anything wrong?”
Saeki had asked both Syusuke and Tezuka to be left behind. He needed to talk to them. He just couldn’t keep on writing to his neesan. He needed someone to talk to.
“Kojiroh?” Even Tezuka was really worried about their friend’s unusual behavior.
He sighed, leaning on Yumiko’s car. Syusuke had been given permission to drive it; he, after all, had a student’s driver’s license.
“Syu, Kunimitsu…I think…
“I think I like Sanada.”
The tensai’s eyes widened. He hadn’t really expected it, hadn’t seen it coming. He glanced at Tezuka, perhaps he had noticed something. He was sharper than him in some aspects.
But Tezuka had looked away, eyes reflecting sadness deeper than anything he had ever seen before. It was like Saeki’s words had given the coffee-haired one the kiss of death.
“Not just like-like. But deeper than that.”
He swirled the flower in his hand. Gardenia was the flower of secret love.
Just like the one he had for Sanada.
-to be continued-