[fic] Tomorrow's Colours
Title: Tomorrow's Colours
Pairing: Shuji x Akira / mostly friendship & the possibility of a subtle, implied, more-than-friendship, relationship.
Word count: 4,728
Rating: PG
Warnings: None that I can think of. Except, probably, my lack of proper experience in writing pikame which may cause this fic to be a total disappointment and suck. You have been warned.
Notes: Under the lj cut, at the beginning of the post and at the end. Please read the note at the beginning of the fic, thank you very much :)
Summary: Shuji defines his relationship with Akira with colours and memories.
Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2013 :)
Notes: I originally wrote this for an exchange (for the prompt: When Shuji thinks about his life without Akira he realized that maybe he needs Akira more than Akira needs Shuji) but the exchange was called off after I submitted this (I don't even know who this was supposed to be for lol XDDD), so I have no idea what to do with this. So, I figured I may as well just post it here in case any pikame fan really want to read my horrible pikame fic :) I'm assuming the exchange community has no use for it and that I can post it here now, since the round was called off lol.
I really think this fic is horrible though, I think I've gotten too accustomed to ryokame <3333 (which really isn't a bad thing since ryokame is like the main pairing I write anyways! :D) but yeah, if you're interested, please read but be warned that I don't write much pikame, much less Shuji x Akira! pikame, so it may suck terribly.
There are more author's notes at the end should anyone get through this terribleness :P
---
Gray is all Shuji sees, a continuous blur of gray as he's dragged along the asphalt streets so quickly that he doesn't even bother looking up; looking up would mean seeing a dizzying myriad of colours that would no doubt make him even more disorientated than he is now.
They're probably lost, Shuji thinks ruefully as a persistent hand clutches at his wrist. He has no idea where they're going, but he's definitely starting to doubt whether even Akira knows. From what he can tell, the other boy is simply pulling him in random directions.
Shuji hopes, with a sinking feeling, that Akira hasn't been lost for the entire hour he's been dragging Shuji around. He wouldn't put it past Akira.
"Kusano -” he tries again, for what seems like the tenth time today. Each and every time before this one, Akira has convinced Shuji to stop talking, stop asking questions, because it’s a secret Shuji-kun.
He falters when Akira stops, looks around tentatively, and tilts his head curiously. For a brief second, an embarrassed, guilty, expression crosses the other boy's features. Then, Akira smiles quickly at Shuji.
Shuji, however, doesn't miss a thing when it comes to Akira. Wrenching his wrist out of Akira's grip, he points accusingly at him, "We're lost!"
Akira's lack of response only confirms his accusation.
Groaning at the predictability of this, Shuji turns on his heel and begins to head back in the direction they had come from, trying to make sense of the street signs and twists and turns that, even after nearly a year, he still doesn't know all too well. He hears footsteps behind him, so he knows that Akira is following, but he doesn't acknowledge that until Akira latches onto his wrist again.
It's like Akira's hand wants to declare that that spot on Shuji's wrist is his and his alone.
"I'm going to find it one day, Shuji-kun," Akira says loudly, out of the blue, so that Shuji, even though he's irritated, can't ignore him.
Shuji stops for a moment, "What are you talking about?" he asks without turning around, not that willing to forgive Akira for getting them lost - again. This is probably the fifth time this month.
Akira doesn't answer and when Shuji turns around to look at him, Akira's smile seems secretive and something about it makes Shuji's insides turn, just a little, in a way that he isn't sure he likes.
* * *
White is the colour of the envelope, a blinding white under the light of the mid-day sun. Shuji stands on the rooftop, alone, staring at the envelope.
Once, Shuji might have ripped up the envelope, and the letter inside, to avoid facing the fact that he had to grow up eventually - or he might have folded it into a paper airplane and launched it from the roof, he thinks with a wry smile.
Almost, as if sensing the direction that Shuji’s thoughts are taking him, Akira appears all of a sudden, brandishing a treat he bought from the school cafeteria.
“Shuji-kun!” Akira announces his presences just like always - a cheerful shout and being all touchy-feely, which Shuji half-heartedly tries to avoid.
The envelope catches Akira's attention and before Shuji can even protest, Akira’s switched his newly bought junk food for the apparently much more interesting envelope. Shuji stares blankly at the desert in his hand.
“Kusano, give that back.” He says flatly.
“What is it?" Akira wonders curiously in nearly the same way Shuji had been only moments earlier, except while Shuji had been looking at it with dread, Akira looks completely carefree.
“It’s mine,” Shuji snaps, but after a second, he rolls his eyes and mutters, “The results of my National Centre Test.”
Akira looks at it and then shrugs, handing it back to Shuji, “I got mine a few days ago,” he says idly, shoving his hands in his pockets, “Didn’t open it either.”
He grins, looking like he doesn't have a single care in the world.
Shuji feels a bit envious about that and stifles the sigh that wants to escape, “Why?”
He wonders if Akira feels the same need he does to stop time, to stop everything from changing before it’s too late.
“Because I don’t want to,” Akira says simply and, for just a moment, his lips turn down into a frown, “I don’t think I’m ready to think about university.”
Shuji laughs, “Since when are you ever ready to think about serious things?” he questions with a roll of his eyes, “We should be studying and yet, you’re getting us lost every day after school.”
Akira suddenly laughs with him, “Well, I want Shuji-kun to be there when I find it.”
Shuji pauses, “And you still won’t tell me what it is you’re trying to find,” he states flatly.
“It’s a secret, Shuji-kun!” Akira retorts.
Shuji’s lips twitch just a little. He had a feeling Akira would say that.
* * *
Red assaults Shuji's vision followed by something heavy slamming into him. Shuji groans when he lands on his back, on the ice, and he glares accusingly at the guilty expression that flickers across Akira's face. Soon, though, the other boy's normally carefree demeanour returns and he's hesitantly getting up.
Shuji gets up once Akira has gotten off him and, before Shuji is even standing properly again, Akira falls again. Shuji's lips twitch just a little at Akira's slightly put out expression. With a sigh, he extends a hand and helps Akira up.
"It was your bright idea to go ice skating," he reminds the other boy. Even as he looks at Akira, Shuji's lips twitch; Akira seems to have taken the words 'holiday season' very seriously, for he's dressed completely in red, like some sort of thin, beardless, Santa Claus. Well, Shuji thinks, at least the jolly part fits.
Akira looks up at him from underneath a red knit hat, before grinning, taking Shuji's hand and getting up, "I didn't think Shuji-kun would be so good at it."
Shuji raises an eyebrow, "So you expected me to completely fail at skating?" he asks dryly.
Akira's grin is unrepentant, "That way, we could learn together."
Despite himself, Shuji feels a bit touched at that sentiment, but he tries his best not to show it. Instead, he promptly lets go of Akira's hand. Like magic, Akira falls again, arms flailing wildly in the air. As he falls, he grabs at the sleeve of Shuji's jacket and then they’re both on the ice.
"Ugh, Kusano, you idiot," Shuji mutters as he rolls off Akira and gets up with ease, "Why'd you have to do that?"
Akira blinks at him, rubbing the back of his head. He probably hit his head on the ice when he fell, Shuji realizes. With a sigh, he helps Akira up again, and this time, firmly leads the taller boy over to the edge of the skating rink, making him sit down on the wooden bench.
The smell of coffee and hot chocolate fills the air as they sit in silence for a few seconds.
"Where do you think we'll be next year?"
Shuji is startled by the question, tearing his gaze away from watching a couple skating together on the ice. He looks curiously at Akira; for once, the other boy seems almost serious. Akira tends to avoid the serious issues until he can't anymore. He likes to go through life with a smile on his face, being as happy as he can, and he seems to make it his personal mission in life to make Shuji do the same.
"I mean," Akira looks pensive, "What do you think will change, when we graduate?" He frowns, looking down at his gloved hands.
Shuji doesn't know what to say. It's something that's been bothering him too, even if he won't admit it. Ever. It's their last year of high school, with only a few months left until their graduation. Shuji's tried not to think about it but with the arrival of his National Centre Test results and the approaching university exams, he can't completely avoid it anymore..
"What,” Shuji tries to make light of the situation, "You're not going to follow me to university?"
Akira looks pensive, "That'd be fun, wouldn't it?" he asks wistfully, looking up at the soft snow falling down on them.
Akira is the first to say it aloud, but Shuji's been thinking about this for a long time. After this year, it's possible that the two of them won't be together anymore. Shuji isn't sure how he feels about that. Lost, probably. He isn't sure he can imagine life without Akira nearby; they've been so close for so long. Shuji almost laughs at this, remembering how annoying he thought Akira was at first. He’s still annoying, at times, but Shuji doesn’t really mind anymore.
Like him, Akira's obviously troubled by the future, but Shuji wonders if he's the only one who feels this desperate to stop time, so that he never has to imagine that life without Akira in it.
* * *
Green is the warm tea that Akira buys him to make up for getting them lost again. Shuji's beginning to think that maybe Akira isn't looking for anything after all and that he just enjoys dragging Shuji all around town. If not for the fact that Akira keeps talking about finding 'it', Shuji would have called him out on it long ago. It seems to fit, because whenever Shuji is getting stressed out about their upcoming exams and graduation - which is really obvious because Shuji starts being snappish - Akira decides it's time to make Shuji traipse around town.
However, whatever Akira is apparently trying to find is still a mysterious unnamed thing that Shuji has no idea about. Knowing Akira, it might not even be something tangible, but something that'll seem ridiculous once he finds out what it is.
After all, this is the same guy who once insisted that his contact lens was actually a scale from his eye.
"Shuji-kun," Akira says after a moment, sipping at his soy milk, "We should fail our exams and stay in high school forever."
Shuji almost chokes on his drink, "What?"
"We should fail and stay in high school forever," Akira shrugs, acting like it's not the most ridiculous thing Shuji has ever heard, "That way, we can both stop feeling sad about going off to university."
Shuji just stares at Akira, wondering if he's really that obvious. He probably is, to Akira, and probably Nobuta if she were here, but Shuji really hopes that that's not the case with everyone else. Shuji can't imagine going through life with everyone he meets knowing exactly what he's feeling - that would just be weird and awkward, not to mention really damaging to his ego. Well, whatever's left of his ego after two years of being exposed to Akira's touchy-feely tendencies.
"You're an idiot," Shuji says flatly and Akira's face falls.
Then, he brightens again, "Does that mean you really want to do it?" Akira doesn't hesitate to start poking Shuji in the ribs, for some odd reason.
"No!" Shuji snaps as he tries to avoid Akira's fingers, "What?"
Akira merely grins, "It can't be that hard to fail, can it?" he ponders.
Shuji rolls his eyes, "We're not failing high school."
Akira sighs, putting his head on the table, "I thought you'd say that. I don't want to go to university; I only got into that school because my father pulled some strings." he muttered, "So that I could go to the same school he did." This isn't the first time that Akira's talked about this; no matter what Shuji says, Akira is convinced that it's his father's fault that he got into that school.
"I'm not going to do well without Shuji-kun making sure I do the work." Akira mumbles into his jacket. This is also about the fifth time that Akira’s hinted that he wants Shuji to go to the same school as him; Shuji really wishes he could, but he also knows that it’s not possible. Even if he did get accepted, Akira can afford tuition at that school but Shuji can't.
Just like how changing schools and moving to a new town, living on his own, just because his friend moves away is something that's always blown Shuji's mind, but doesn't really seem to impact Akira.
Shuji just smiles a little and pats Akira slowly on the arm; he wonders if he's getting used to the idea of them separating. He hopes not; he doesn’t want any part of this to be easy, not when he's pretty sure that Akira is probably the best friend he's ever had. Second year of high school made him appreciate Akira as a friend, when Akira - and Nobuta - stood by him despite everything, despite what their classmates thought of him. This past year has made him believe that Akira has been a better friend to Shuji than Shuji has probably been to him, even though he'll probably never convince Akira of that.
"You'll be fine," he reassures Akira, "You don't need me."
In a way, Shuji almost wishes his words weren't true. It's petty and selfish, but he almost wishes that, one day, Akira will rely on Shuji more than Shuji relies on Akira now.
* * *
Yellow, dark yellow to be precise, is the colour of the sun as it gradually begins to set. Shuji and Akira walk along the shore line, both of them still dressed in the clothes they wore to their high school graduation earlier that day. Akira has been looking irritated all day, especially during the graduation ceremony when they were separated and seated according to the class lists; despite himself, Shuji couldn't help but sneak glances over at his friend during the ceremony, wary about what Akira was thinking.
Now, though, Akira simply looks sad.
Shuji doesn't say anything; he's having mixed feelings himself.
"I really thought I would find it," Akira mutters, looking gloomily at the waves.
Shuji decides to distract him, because he's begun to realize that no matter how much they try, nobody can stop time and nobody can decide to stay in the same place in life forever - it's not reasonable. Even though a part of him is screaming to try to keep things the way they are, another part, a probably more mature, grown-up, part is telling him that even though it's sad, it's only natural.
Shuji wants to listen to the mature part of himself; he still doesn't know what he wants to be, not for sure, but he'll never find that, or his future, if he's insistent on clinging to his childhood.
Even if that childhood has Akira in it.
"Remember when you first showed up here?" Shuji asks, deciding to distract Akira.
Akira looks startled and then he begins to laugh, "That look on your face when you saw me in the classroom!" He snickers a little.
Shuji punches him lightly on the shoulder, "Not funny. I thought I was hallucinating."
Akira grins in his usual carefree, almost silly, way, "It was funny to me."
Then, his expression looks sombre and sullen again, so unlike the Akira that Shuji is used to. Shuji knows that while Akira tried not to show it before, Akira has been just as upset about this transition in their lives as Shuji. However, Shuji also knows that Akira takes things like this a bit harder, mostly due to the fact that what's deemed impossible is different for Akira. The other boy probably took Shuji moving away last year as more of a challenge than a goodbye. The other boy also has a fairly optimistic view on everything, especially compared to Shuji's own more realistic outlook on the world.
Noticing that Akira isn't paying attention, Shuji leans down toward the waves and, with a smirk, cups his hands together to gather as much water as he can, and then proceeds to dump the seawater on Akira's head.
Akira splutters in surprise as droplets of water trail down his face.
Shuji smirks, "That's my slap in the face to you. We just graduated and we're going off to university soon. Stop looking so sad; you're acting like it's the end of the world. It's not." he tries not to remind himself that he's been just as bad about this situation, "It's not like we're going to forget about each other and never see each other again."
He pauses and frowns at Akira, "So stop making me look like the ridiculously happy one," he adds.
Akira's been staring at him the whole time he's been talking, and suddenly, Shuji gets the feeling that they're going to do something incredibly childish that will end up with Shuji's dad shaking his head in exasperation when he gets home. But, really, his dad should be used to it by now, with Akira around and all.
Shuji ends up being right, because ten minutes later, both he and Akira are sporting wet hair, and both of them are drenched. Shuji looks ruefully at the water that now looks orange as the sun sets.
Akira laughs a little, pulling at a strand of Shuji's wet hair, "That was fun," he pauses, silent and sullen again, You know, Shuji-kun, I get the feeling that I'll miss you more than I've ever missed anyone."
Shuji is startled at those words. He's silent for a moment, turning away.
"Shut up," he says knowing that Akira understands that he doesn't really mean it, "Leave sad things like goodbyes for later."
* * *
Black is the suit that Shuji wears, surrounded by hundreds of other students, a sea of pristine clothes and serious expressions as they stand at their welcoming ceremony. He’s one of the only ones not talking before the ceremony starts, preferring to spend time looking around. It’s strange but even though he knows it’s not possible, he almost expects Akira to pop up out of nowhere, with a grin and a teasing, “Shuji-kun!”.
It’s not realistic at all. Shuji blames Akira though, particularly since Akira has done that before.
They’re all in different places now, Shuji realizes - Akira, Nobuta, and himself. They’re all separated and, even though they all reassure each other that they’re fine, Shuji has a feeling that they’re all a bit lonely, not just him.
For some reason, Shuji had this feeling that once they graduated from high school, they could go anywhere, live anywhere, and be anything they wanted to be. They could all be together, like Shuji feels they should have been had circumstances not changed all that. Instead, they’re completely alone in different places.
The past year, Shuji has constantly wondered how Nobuta has been doing - emails and phone calls don't assuage his worries quite enough - but now, he also wonders how Akira is doing. He admits, albeit reluctantly, that he misses them.
Just then, Shuji’s phone vibrates and he looks around furtively, an embarrassed look crossing his face; he had forgotten to turn it off. Good thing the ceremony hadn't started yet. He smiles wryly at the name displayed on his phone; he should have known.
It’s Akira, who is complaining about his own welcoming ceremony.
Shuji shakes his head, smiles, and texts him back. From what he can tell in the message, Akira is wishing he had somebody to bug, just like all the times in high school when he would pester Shuji during school assemblies.
So, maybe Shuji is feeling out of his element and really missing Akira right now, but he’s obviously not the only one feeling this way. In a way, that's good, because these feelings make him feel a little awkward about himself
Before turning off his phone and paying attention to the ceremony, Shuji smiles widely and proceeds to text Akira to tell him that he has the attention span a goldfish, fully expecting an outraged, and maybe whiny, text in return later. Then, Akira will probably forget all about it when he sees something interesting and proceed to tell Shuji all about it. If they weren't living so far apart, Shuji has no doubt that Akira would try to hunt him down to tell him about whatever interesting he saw in person and proceed to completely invade his personal space as always.
Hearing from Akira is like being home after walking around lost and cold; Shuji doesn't know why he feels like that. Maybe this time, he really is the only one who feels like that, but it just is, and Shuji's getting tired of wondering about all the whys when it comes to Akira. He figures this will all make sense at some point.
* * *
Pink, blinding fluorescent pink, flashes brightly up at him from the envelope he gets in his mailbox. Shuji stares at it dumbly, wondering what in the world would possess Akira to write the address in that blindingly bright marker instead of using a regular pen. Then, realizing that he's blocking someone who wants access to the mailboxes, he quickly leaves, still torn between staring in disbelief at the envelope and snickering at Akira.
He doesn't open the letter until he gets back to his room, which is thankfully a single room. That's one thing Shuji likes about university; after sharing with his brother his whole life, a room to himself is a very welcome change.
Akira's letter is very…Akira. Shuji has no other way to describe it; it's strange at times, but in a way that makes Shuji both sigh in exasperation and laugh under his breath. It's odd how annoyed he was with Akira only two years ago, and now, those things that once annoyed him amuse him to no end.
Speaking of annoying…
Shuji lets out a sigh of exasperation at the continuous beeping noise coming from his computer.
"You do realize," Shuji says with a shake of his head after he accepts one of ten or so chat requests sent to his computer and Akira's face - fuzzy and slightly pixelated - appears on the screen, "That with technology these days, it's pretty pointless to send a letter." he says, waving the letter around.
Akira smiles widely, "Didn't stop you from responding to my last one."
Shuji scowls just a little, "Shut up. I just felt that you were going to complain that I didn't reply if I didn't reply."
Akira doesn't deny it and his smile looks a bit brighter. Shuji has no doubt that if they were in the same room right now, Akira would be trying to be all touchy-feely again.
"Letters are so outdated," Shuji comments again, raising an eyebrow at Akira's indignant expression.
"You don't have a sentimental bone in your body, Shuji-kun," Akira complains airily, "What if one day when you're old and you're talking to your grand-kids about your best friend and you have nothing to show them and they tell you that unless you have proof, your amazing best friend is nothing but a figment of your imagination?"
Shuji blinks, and then snickers, "I'm pretty sure that'll never happen." He retorts, fully intent on bursting Akira’s bubble, if only to see how he’ll react.
"Right, because I sent letters to you." Akira almost seems to giggle at the idea. Shuji is brought back to a time when he was first starting to get to know Akira, when the other boy would constantly say random things, burst out laughing for no apparent reason, and just be plain annoying, claiming that he and Shuji were best friends when, back then, Shuji barely wanted to know him.
Maybe it's just from overexposure to Akira, but Shuji hasn't noticed Akira acting that oddly in a long time. He hasn't really thought about it, thinking he just got used to Akira's odd nuances, but that giggle, that seems almost like that hysterical laughter from way back when, reminds him.
Shuji can't help but smile, which turns into a smirk when Akira pesters him about what he's grinning about.
"Just send an email next time," Shuji retorts, before changing the subject and they talk about other things.
Later, when he's back from his part-time job, Shuji finds himself ripping out a piece of notebook paper and sitting down to write a letter back.
He knows that by the time Akira gets his letter, more than a few emails, even more online conversations, and maybe a few phone calls, will have passed between them. That doesn't seem to stop him from writing back to Akira, and he pushes the reasons why out of his head.
* * *
Blue is the colour of the sky when, back home for the summer, Shuji and Akira ride their bikes toward the water. Between them, it's like nothing has changed and distance hasn't separated them for a few months. They pick up their relationship right where they left it. Maybe the blue reflects the calmness Shuji feels about their relationship now - sure and confident, because months apart hasn't made their friendship fade like a memory.
They walk their bikes over to the shoreline, where light waves ripple through the water. A silence falls between them.
They've pretty much exhausted all their stories about university - all the complaints, all the amusing stories, and all the nonsensical stuff in between.
Glancing at Akira, Shuji remembers something and pulls a letter out of his pocket, waving it around, "You're an idiot," he announces while glancing at the white notebook paper with fluorescent blue writing scribbled on it. What's written on it surprised Shuji when he first read it; he also read it over more than a couple times. He supposes that Akira wrote what he did because he knew that Shuji wouldn't be reading it until weeks later
Akira looks startled, before shrugging and grinning in embarrassment, "I thought we already established that I'm an idiot and you're a show-off," he laughs it off, reminding Shuji of a another time, another place..
Shuji laughs a little, feeling nostalgic, as he remembers when they ran through the school with yellow paint on their uniforms
Then, he glances down at the fluorescent blue writing again. Rolling his eyes at one of the lines, "Want to know what I was looking for before we left, Shuji-kun?” he reads, imitating Akira’s voice while staring at the other boy bemusedly “I wanted to try to find a future where Shuji-kun wouldn’t forget about me."
With that, he swats Akira over the head with the letter, before folding it and stuffing it back into the bag hanging from his bicycle.
“You kept it,” Akira remarks with laugh, “I thought you said letters were outdated.”
Shuji smirks a little, “They are. You’re the only one who sends me letters. Not even my dad does.”
Akira grins sheepishly. He doesn't comment about the letter at all and Shuji figures he wants to change the subject, so he’s surprised when Akira speaks up.
“I thought that if I walked far enough, I would find it. Guess I’d already found it without knowing, huh?” Akira has a strange look that’s a mix between serious and embarrassed.
“Like I said, you’re an idiot.” Shuji says, avoiding the implied question, but he grins and pushes Akira. The other boy's eyes are wide as he stumbles back, and into the waves, far enough that when he finally falls down, most of him is drenched. Shuji takes a few steps into the water after Akira, laughing at Akira's expression.
Akira splutters in surprise and indignation and, before Shuji can react, Akira's reaches out, grabs a hold of Shuji’s sleeve and tries to drag him under the water as well.
When he emerges from the water, the blue sky that Shuji stares into when he looks up is endless. It’s also the same sky he’s looked at many times before, in his old neighbourhood, here in this town, and at university. He supposes that even when things change, it doesn't always have to mean the end of what's familiar.
Akira’s face appears in his vision, just before a familiar of call of “Shuji-kun!” reaches his ears and he feels a heavier body fall against his.
Despite himself, Shuji’s lips twitch. He also supposes that, with Akira, even change doesn't really mean change.
The End.
Final author's notes (aka The when-I-am-insecure-I-need-to-justify-everything notes):
1 I really just wanted to write a fic that deals with their feelings once they're forced to have to leave each other. After all, real life doesn't always work the way one wants, so, I wanted to write a fic where they have to face that. When I wrote this, it started as a purely friendship fic that dealt with the reality of growing up but then when i edited it, I realized it had possibility for other angles lol. It all depends on how you'd like to see it I guess, which is really what reading fiction is all about anyways, so yay :)
2) National Centre Test (senta shiken (センター試験), according to Wikipedia, is a nationally administered uniform achievement test. Students tend to take this test, and then the examinations given by the university they want to get into. You need to take this test to attend a public university, while if you're applying for a private university, you only need to take the exam the university gives. (new additional information: Some universities need only the National Centre Test for admission; others require the National Centre Test along with a secondary (institution-specific) exam and some use the National Centre Test as their basis for a preliminary acceptance, conditional upon a successful score in a secondary exam.) Lol, I'm not sure if that was common knowledge or not. Anime and dramas left me with the impression that there were only the test given by universities...
Also, the contacts as a scale of the eye thing...that was the translation in the subtitle I have from episode 1. I have my doubts about the accuracy of that but...well, that's what it says :D
3) Both Akira and Shuji's characters are a little hard for me. I've watched the drama many times, but at the same time, I feel as though both of their characters develop a lot throughout the course of the drama. So, by the end of the drama, having Shuji as some snarky show-off or Akira as a purely childish and crazy character doesn't sit quite right with me. I feel like they have changed, especially Shuji, so I guess the Akira and Shuji that I wrote reflects what I feel like they might be like if they've spent so much time together, a year later. I'm a little unsure as to how out of character they may be, so I humbly beg your forgiveness if you feel that they are and chalk it up to my inexperience in writing these two.
4) I particularly enjoy the ending scene in the drama when they're together on that beach/seaside front, so that played a significant part as a setting in this fic. I also rather enjoyed watching them tackle each other in the water, have fun, and behave like such boys in the water, so that played a part too :)
5) Thank you for reading! Despite my little insecurities about this fic, I did enjoy writing it and I hope you had as good a time reading as I did writing :P
Oh, my next fic should be a ryokame fic. I promised I'd write one for kamexkame for Christmas, but as you can see, I am already very very very late. I don't have as much free time as I used to, unfortunately, and I was busier during the holidays then I expected ): So yes, that should be next, but I don't know when ^__^;;;
Pairing: Shuji x Akira / mostly friendship & the possibility of a subtle, implied, more-than-friendship, relationship.
Word count: 4,728
Rating: PG
Warnings: None that I can think of. Except, probably, my lack of proper experience in writing pikame which may cause this fic to be a total disappointment and suck. You have been warned.
Notes: Under the lj cut, at the beginning of the post and at the end. Please read the note at the beginning of the fic, thank you very much :)
Summary: Shuji defines his relationship with Akira with colours and memories.
Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2013 :)
Notes: I originally wrote this for an exchange (for the prompt: When Shuji thinks about his life without Akira he realized that maybe he needs Akira more than Akira needs Shuji) but the exchange was called off after I submitted this (I don't even know who this was supposed to be for lol XDDD), so I have no idea what to do with this. So, I figured I may as well just post it here in case any pikame fan really want to read my horrible pikame fic :) I'm assuming the exchange community has no use for it and that I can post it here now, since the round was called off lol.
I really think this fic is horrible though, I think I've gotten too accustomed to ryokame <3333 (which really isn't a bad thing since ryokame is like the main pairing I write anyways! :D) but yeah, if you're interested, please read but be warned that I don't write much pikame, much less Shuji x Akira! pikame, so it may suck terribly.
There are more author's notes at the end should anyone get through this terribleness :P
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Gray is all Shuji sees, a continuous blur of gray as he's dragged along the asphalt streets so quickly that he doesn't even bother looking up; looking up would mean seeing a dizzying myriad of colours that would no doubt make him even more disorientated than he is now.
They're probably lost, Shuji thinks ruefully as a persistent hand clutches at his wrist. He has no idea where they're going, but he's definitely starting to doubt whether even Akira knows. From what he can tell, the other boy is simply pulling him in random directions.
Shuji hopes, with a sinking feeling, that Akira hasn't been lost for the entire hour he's been dragging Shuji around. He wouldn't put it past Akira.
"Kusano -” he tries again, for what seems like the tenth time today. Each and every time before this one, Akira has convinced Shuji to stop talking, stop asking questions, because it’s a secret Shuji-kun.
He falters when Akira stops, looks around tentatively, and tilts his head curiously. For a brief second, an embarrassed, guilty, expression crosses the other boy's features. Then, Akira smiles quickly at Shuji.
Shuji, however, doesn't miss a thing when it comes to Akira. Wrenching his wrist out of Akira's grip, he points accusingly at him, "We're lost!"
Akira's lack of response only confirms his accusation.
Groaning at the predictability of this, Shuji turns on his heel and begins to head back in the direction they had come from, trying to make sense of the street signs and twists and turns that, even after nearly a year, he still doesn't know all too well. He hears footsteps behind him, so he knows that Akira is following, but he doesn't acknowledge that until Akira latches onto his wrist again.
It's like Akira's hand wants to declare that that spot on Shuji's wrist is his and his alone.
"I'm going to find it one day, Shuji-kun," Akira says loudly, out of the blue, so that Shuji, even though he's irritated, can't ignore him.
Shuji stops for a moment, "What are you talking about?" he asks without turning around, not that willing to forgive Akira for getting them lost - again. This is probably the fifth time this month.
Akira doesn't answer and when Shuji turns around to look at him, Akira's smile seems secretive and something about it makes Shuji's insides turn, just a little, in a way that he isn't sure he likes.
* * *
White is the colour of the envelope, a blinding white under the light of the mid-day sun. Shuji stands on the rooftop, alone, staring at the envelope.
Once, Shuji might have ripped up the envelope, and the letter inside, to avoid facing the fact that he had to grow up eventually - or he might have folded it into a paper airplane and launched it from the roof, he thinks with a wry smile.
Almost, as if sensing the direction that Shuji’s thoughts are taking him, Akira appears all of a sudden, brandishing a treat he bought from the school cafeteria.
“Shuji-kun!” Akira announces his presences just like always - a cheerful shout and being all touchy-feely, which Shuji half-heartedly tries to avoid.
The envelope catches Akira's attention and before Shuji can even protest, Akira’s switched his newly bought junk food for the apparently much more interesting envelope. Shuji stares blankly at the desert in his hand.
“Kusano, give that back.” He says flatly.
“What is it?" Akira wonders curiously in nearly the same way Shuji had been only moments earlier, except while Shuji had been looking at it with dread, Akira looks completely carefree.
“It’s mine,” Shuji snaps, but after a second, he rolls his eyes and mutters, “The results of my National Centre Test.”
Akira looks at it and then shrugs, handing it back to Shuji, “I got mine a few days ago,” he says idly, shoving his hands in his pockets, “Didn’t open it either.”
He grins, looking like he doesn't have a single care in the world.
Shuji feels a bit envious about that and stifles the sigh that wants to escape, “Why?”
He wonders if Akira feels the same need he does to stop time, to stop everything from changing before it’s too late.
“Because I don’t want to,” Akira says simply and, for just a moment, his lips turn down into a frown, “I don’t think I’m ready to think about university.”
Shuji laughs, “Since when are you ever ready to think about serious things?” he questions with a roll of his eyes, “We should be studying and yet, you’re getting us lost every day after school.”
Akira suddenly laughs with him, “Well, I want Shuji-kun to be there when I find it.”
Shuji pauses, “And you still won’t tell me what it is you’re trying to find,” he states flatly.
“It’s a secret, Shuji-kun!” Akira retorts.
Shuji’s lips twitch just a little. He had a feeling Akira would say that.
* * *
Red assaults Shuji's vision followed by something heavy slamming into him. Shuji groans when he lands on his back, on the ice, and he glares accusingly at the guilty expression that flickers across Akira's face. Soon, though, the other boy's normally carefree demeanour returns and he's hesitantly getting up.
Shuji gets up once Akira has gotten off him and, before Shuji is even standing properly again, Akira falls again. Shuji's lips twitch just a little at Akira's slightly put out expression. With a sigh, he extends a hand and helps Akira up.
"It was your bright idea to go ice skating," he reminds the other boy. Even as he looks at Akira, Shuji's lips twitch; Akira seems to have taken the words 'holiday season' very seriously, for he's dressed completely in red, like some sort of thin, beardless, Santa Claus. Well, Shuji thinks, at least the jolly part fits.
Akira looks up at him from underneath a red knit hat, before grinning, taking Shuji's hand and getting up, "I didn't think Shuji-kun would be so good at it."
Shuji raises an eyebrow, "So you expected me to completely fail at skating?" he asks dryly.
Akira's grin is unrepentant, "That way, we could learn together."
Despite himself, Shuji feels a bit touched at that sentiment, but he tries his best not to show it. Instead, he promptly lets go of Akira's hand. Like magic, Akira falls again, arms flailing wildly in the air. As he falls, he grabs at the sleeve of Shuji's jacket and then they’re both on the ice.
"Ugh, Kusano, you idiot," Shuji mutters as he rolls off Akira and gets up with ease, "Why'd you have to do that?"
Akira blinks at him, rubbing the back of his head. He probably hit his head on the ice when he fell, Shuji realizes. With a sigh, he helps Akira up again, and this time, firmly leads the taller boy over to the edge of the skating rink, making him sit down on the wooden bench.
The smell of coffee and hot chocolate fills the air as they sit in silence for a few seconds.
"Where do you think we'll be next year?"
Shuji is startled by the question, tearing his gaze away from watching a couple skating together on the ice. He looks curiously at Akira; for once, the other boy seems almost serious. Akira tends to avoid the serious issues until he can't anymore. He likes to go through life with a smile on his face, being as happy as he can, and he seems to make it his personal mission in life to make Shuji do the same.
"I mean," Akira looks pensive, "What do you think will change, when we graduate?" He frowns, looking down at his gloved hands.
Shuji doesn't know what to say. It's something that's been bothering him too, even if he won't admit it. Ever. It's their last year of high school, with only a few months left until their graduation. Shuji's tried not to think about it but with the arrival of his National Centre Test results and the approaching university exams, he can't completely avoid it anymore..
"What,” Shuji tries to make light of the situation, "You're not going to follow me to university?"
Akira looks pensive, "That'd be fun, wouldn't it?" he asks wistfully, looking up at the soft snow falling down on them.
Akira is the first to say it aloud, but Shuji's been thinking about this for a long time. After this year, it's possible that the two of them won't be together anymore. Shuji isn't sure how he feels about that. Lost, probably. He isn't sure he can imagine life without Akira nearby; they've been so close for so long. Shuji almost laughs at this, remembering how annoying he thought Akira was at first. He’s still annoying, at times, but Shuji doesn’t really mind anymore.
Like him, Akira's obviously troubled by the future, but Shuji wonders if he's the only one who feels this desperate to stop time, so that he never has to imagine that life without Akira in it.
* * *
Green is the warm tea that Akira buys him to make up for getting them lost again. Shuji's beginning to think that maybe Akira isn't looking for anything after all and that he just enjoys dragging Shuji all around town. If not for the fact that Akira keeps talking about finding 'it', Shuji would have called him out on it long ago. It seems to fit, because whenever Shuji is getting stressed out about their upcoming exams and graduation - which is really obvious because Shuji starts being snappish - Akira decides it's time to make Shuji traipse around town.
However, whatever Akira is apparently trying to find is still a mysterious unnamed thing that Shuji has no idea about. Knowing Akira, it might not even be something tangible, but something that'll seem ridiculous once he finds out what it is.
After all, this is the same guy who once insisted that his contact lens was actually a scale from his eye.
"Shuji-kun," Akira says after a moment, sipping at his soy milk, "We should fail our exams and stay in high school forever."
Shuji almost chokes on his drink, "What?"
"We should fail and stay in high school forever," Akira shrugs, acting like it's not the most ridiculous thing Shuji has ever heard, "That way, we can both stop feeling sad about going off to university."
Shuji just stares at Akira, wondering if he's really that obvious. He probably is, to Akira, and probably Nobuta if she were here, but Shuji really hopes that that's not the case with everyone else. Shuji can't imagine going through life with everyone he meets knowing exactly what he's feeling - that would just be weird and awkward, not to mention really damaging to his ego. Well, whatever's left of his ego after two years of being exposed to Akira's touchy-feely tendencies.
"You're an idiot," Shuji says flatly and Akira's face falls.
Then, he brightens again, "Does that mean you really want to do it?" Akira doesn't hesitate to start poking Shuji in the ribs, for some odd reason.
"No!" Shuji snaps as he tries to avoid Akira's fingers, "What?"
Akira merely grins, "It can't be that hard to fail, can it?" he ponders.
Shuji rolls his eyes, "We're not failing high school."
Akira sighs, putting his head on the table, "I thought you'd say that. I don't want to go to university; I only got into that school because my father pulled some strings." he muttered, "So that I could go to the same school he did." This isn't the first time that Akira's talked about this; no matter what Shuji says, Akira is convinced that it's his father's fault that he got into that school.
"I'm not going to do well without Shuji-kun making sure I do the work." Akira mumbles into his jacket. This is also about the fifth time that Akira’s hinted that he wants Shuji to go to the same school as him; Shuji really wishes he could, but he also knows that it’s not possible. Even if he did get accepted, Akira can afford tuition at that school but Shuji can't.
Just like how changing schools and moving to a new town, living on his own, just because his friend moves away is something that's always blown Shuji's mind, but doesn't really seem to impact Akira.
Shuji just smiles a little and pats Akira slowly on the arm; he wonders if he's getting used to the idea of them separating. He hopes not; he doesn’t want any part of this to be easy, not when he's pretty sure that Akira is probably the best friend he's ever had. Second year of high school made him appreciate Akira as a friend, when Akira - and Nobuta - stood by him despite everything, despite what their classmates thought of him. This past year has made him believe that Akira has been a better friend to Shuji than Shuji has probably been to him, even though he'll probably never convince Akira of that.
"You'll be fine," he reassures Akira, "You don't need me."
In a way, Shuji almost wishes his words weren't true. It's petty and selfish, but he almost wishes that, one day, Akira will rely on Shuji more than Shuji relies on Akira now.
* * *
Yellow, dark yellow to be precise, is the colour of the sun as it gradually begins to set. Shuji and Akira walk along the shore line, both of them still dressed in the clothes they wore to their high school graduation earlier that day. Akira has been looking irritated all day, especially during the graduation ceremony when they were separated and seated according to the class lists; despite himself, Shuji couldn't help but sneak glances over at his friend during the ceremony, wary about what Akira was thinking.
Now, though, Akira simply looks sad.
Shuji doesn't say anything; he's having mixed feelings himself.
"I really thought I would find it," Akira mutters, looking gloomily at the waves.
Shuji decides to distract him, because he's begun to realize that no matter how much they try, nobody can stop time and nobody can decide to stay in the same place in life forever - it's not reasonable. Even though a part of him is screaming to try to keep things the way they are, another part, a probably more mature, grown-up, part is telling him that even though it's sad, it's only natural.
Shuji wants to listen to the mature part of himself; he still doesn't know what he wants to be, not for sure, but he'll never find that, or his future, if he's insistent on clinging to his childhood.
Even if that childhood has Akira in it.
"Remember when you first showed up here?" Shuji asks, deciding to distract Akira.
Akira looks startled and then he begins to laugh, "That look on your face when you saw me in the classroom!" He snickers a little.
Shuji punches him lightly on the shoulder, "Not funny. I thought I was hallucinating."
Akira grins in his usual carefree, almost silly, way, "It was funny to me."
Then, his expression looks sombre and sullen again, so unlike the Akira that Shuji is used to. Shuji knows that while Akira tried not to show it before, Akira has been just as upset about this transition in their lives as Shuji. However, Shuji also knows that Akira takes things like this a bit harder, mostly due to the fact that what's deemed impossible is different for Akira. The other boy probably took Shuji moving away last year as more of a challenge than a goodbye. The other boy also has a fairly optimistic view on everything, especially compared to Shuji's own more realistic outlook on the world.
Noticing that Akira isn't paying attention, Shuji leans down toward the waves and, with a smirk, cups his hands together to gather as much water as he can, and then proceeds to dump the seawater on Akira's head.
Akira splutters in surprise as droplets of water trail down his face.
Shuji smirks, "That's my slap in the face to you. We just graduated and we're going off to university soon. Stop looking so sad; you're acting like it's the end of the world. It's not." he tries not to remind himself that he's been just as bad about this situation, "It's not like we're going to forget about each other and never see each other again."
He pauses and frowns at Akira, "So stop making me look like the ridiculously happy one," he adds.
Akira's been staring at him the whole time he's been talking, and suddenly, Shuji gets the feeling that they're going to do something incredibly childish that will end up with Shuji's dad shaking his head in exasperation when he gets home. But, really, his dad should be used to it by now, with Akira around and all.
Shuji ends up being right, because ten minutes later, both he and Akira are sporting wet hair, and both of them are drenched. Shuji looks ruefully at the water that now looks orange as the sun sets.
Akira laughs a little, pulling at a strand of Shuji's wet hair, "That was fun," he pauses, silent and sullen again, You know, Shuji-kun, I get the feeling that I'll miss you more than I've ever missed anyone."
Shuji is startled at those words. He's silent for a moment, turning away.
"Shut up," he says knowing that Akira understands that he doesn't really mean it, "Leave sad things like goodbyes for later."
* * *
Black is the suit that Shuji wears, surrounded by hundreds of other students, a sea of pristine clothes and serious expressions as they stand at their welcoming ceremony. He’s one of the only ones not talking before the ceremony starts, preferring to spend time looking around. It’s strange but even though he knows it’s not possible, he almost expects Akira to pop up out of nowhere, with a grin and a teasing, “Shuji-kun!”.
It’s not realistic at all. Shuji blames Akira though, particularly since Akira has done that before.
They’re all in different places now, Shuji realizes - Akira, Nobuta, and himself. They’re all separated and, even though they all reassure each other that they’re fine, Shuji has a feeling that they’re all a bit lonely, not just him.
For some reason, Shuji had this feeling that once they graduated from high school, they could go anywhere, live anywhere, and be anything they wanted to be. They could all be together, like Shuji feels they should have been had circumstances not changed all that. Instead, they’re completely alone in different places.
The past year, Shuji has constantly wondered how Nobuta has been doing - emails and phone calls don't assuage his worries quite enough - but now, he also wonders how Akira is doing. He admits, albeit reluctantly, that he misses them.
Just then, Shuji’s phone vibrates and he looks around furtively, an embarrassed look crossing his face; he had forgotten to turn it off. Good thing the ceremony hadn't started yet. He smiles wryly at the name displayed on his phone; he should have known.
It’s Akira, who is complaining about his own welcoming ceremony.
Shuji shakes his head, smiles, and texts him back. From what he can tell in the message, Akira is wishing he had somebody to bug, just like all the times in high school when he would pester Shuji during school assemblies.
So, maybe Shuji is feeling out of his element and really missing Akira right now, but he’s obviously not the only one feeling this way. In a way, that's good, because these feelings make him feel a little awkward about himself
Before turning off his phone and paying attention to the ceremony, Shuji smiles widely and proceeds to text Akira to tell him that he has the attention span a goldfish, fully expecting an outraged, and maybe whiny, text in return later. Then, Akira will probably forget all about it when he sees something interesting and proceed to tell Shuji all about it. If they weren't living so far apart, Shuji has no doubt that Akira would try to hunt him down to tell him about whatever interesting he saw in person and proceed to completely invade his personal space as always.
Hearing from Akira is like being home after walking around lost and cold; Shuji doesn't know why he feels like that. Maybe this time, he really is the only one who feels like that, but it just is, and Shuji's getting tired of wondering about all the whys when it comes to Akira. He figures this will all make sense at some point.
* * *
Pink, blinding fluorescent pink, flashes brightly up at him from the envelope he gets in his mailbox. Shuji stares at it dumbly, wondering what in the world would possess Akira to write the address in that blindingly bright marker instead of using a regular pen. Then, realizing that he's blocking someone who wants access to the mailboxes, he quickly leaves, still torn between staring in disbelief at the envelope and snickering at Akira.
He doesn't open the letter until he gets back to his room, which is thankfully a single room. That's one thing Shuji likes about university; after sharing with his brother his whole life, a room to himself is a very welcome change.
Akira's letter is very…Akira. Shuji has no other way to describe it; it's strange at times, but in a way that makes Shuji both sigh in exasperation and laugh under his breath. It's odd how annoyed he was with Akira only two years ago, and now, those things that once annoyed him amuse him to no end.
Speaking of annoying…
Shuji lets out a sigh of exasperation at the continuous beeping noise coming from his computer.
"You do realize," Shuji says with a shake of his head after he accepts one of ten or so chat requests sent to his computer and Akira's face - fuzzy and slightly pixelated - appears on the screen, "That with technology these days, it's pretty pointless to send a letter." he says, waving the letter around.
Akira smiles widely, "Didn't stop you from responding to my last one."
Shuji scowls just a little, "Shut up. I just felt that you were going to complain that I didn't reply if I didn't reply."
Akira doesn't deny it and his smile looks a bit brighter. Shuji has no doubt that if they were in the same room right now, Akira would be trying to be all touchy-feely again.
"Letters are so outdated," Shuji comments again, raising an eyebrow at Akira's indignant expression.
"You don't have a sentimental bone in your body, Shuji-kun," Akira complains airily, "What if one day when you're old and you're talking to your grand-kids about your best friend and you have nothing to show them and they tell you that unless you have proof, your amazing best friend is nothing but a figment of your imagination?"
Shuji blinks, and then snickers, "I'm pretty sure that'll never happen." He retorts, fully intent on bursting Akira’s bubble, if only to see how he’ll react.
"Right, because I sent letters to you." Akira almost seems to giggle at the idea. Shuji is brought back to a time when he was first starting to get to know Akira, when the other boy would constantly say random things, burst out laughing for no apparent reason, and just be plain annoying, claiming that he and Shuji were best friends when, back then, Shuji barely wanted to know him.
Maybe it's just from overexposure to Akira, but Shuji hasn't noticed Akira acting that oddly in a long time. He hasn't really thought about it, thinking he just got used to Akira's odd nuances, but that giggle, that seems almost like that hysterical laughter from way back when, reminds him.
Shuji can't help but smile, which turns into a smirk when Akira pesters him about what he's grinning about.
"Just send an email next time," Shuji retorts, before changing the subject and they talk about other things.
Later, when he's back from his part-time job, Shuji finds himself ripping out a piece of notebook paper and sitting down to write a letter back.
He knows that by the time Akira gets his letter, more than a few emails, even more online conversations, and maybe a few phone calls, will have passed between them. That doesn't seem to stop him from writing back to Akira, and he pushes the reasons why out of his head.
* * *
Blue is the colour of the sky when, back home for the summer, Shuji and Akira ride their bikes toward the water. Between them, it's like nothing has changed and distance hasn't separated them for a few months. They pick up their relationship right where they left it. Maybe the blue reflects the calmness Shuji feels about their relationship now - sure and confident, because months apart hasn't made their friendship fade like a memory.
They walk their bikes over to the shoreline, where light waves ripple through the water. A silence falls between them.
They've pretty much exhausted all their stories about university - all the complaints, all the amusing stories, and all the nonsensical stuff in between.
Glancing at Akira, Shuji remembers something and pulls a letter out of his pocket, waving it around, "You're an idiot," he announces while glancing at the white notebook paper with fluorescent blue writing scribbled on it. What's written on it surprised Shuji when he first read it; he also read it over more than a couple times. He supposes that Akira wrote what he did because he knew that Shuji wouldn't be reading it until weeks later
Akira looks startled, before shrugging and grinning in embarrassment, "I thought we already established that I'm an idiot and you're a show-off," he laughs it off, reminding Shuji of a another time, another place..
Shuji laughs a little, feeling nostalgic, as he remembers when they ran through the school with yellow paint on their uniforms
Then, he glances down at the fluorescent blue writing again. Rolling his eyes at one of the lines, "Want to know what I was looking for before we left, Shuji-kun?” he reads, imitating Akira’s voice while staring at the other boy bemusedly “I wanted to try to find a future where Shuji-kun wouldn’t forget about me."
With that, he swats Akira over the head with the letter, before folding it and stuffing it back into the bag hanging from his bicycle.
“You kept it,” Akira remarks with laugh, “I thought you said letters were outdated.”
Shuji smirks a little, “They are. You’re the only one who sends me letters. Not even my dad does.”
Akira grins sheepishly. He doesn't comment about the letter at all and Shuji figures he wants to change the subject, so he’s surprised when Akira speaks up.
“I thought that if I walked far enough, I would find it. Guess I’d already found it without knowing, huh?” Akira has a strange look that’s a mix between serious and embarrassed.
“Like I said, you’re an idiot.” Shuji says, avoiding the implied question, but he grins and pushes Akira. The other boy's eyes are wide as he stumbles back, and into the waves, far enough that when he finally falls down, most of him is drenched. Shuji takes a few steps into the water after Akira, laughing at Akira's expression.
Akira splutters in surprise and indignation and, before Shuji can react, Akira's reaches out, grabs a hold of Shuji’s sleeve and tries to drag him under the water as well.
When he emerges from the water, the blue sky that Shuji stares into when he looks up is endless. It’s also the same sky he’s looked at many times before, in his old neighbourhood, here in this town, and at university. He supposes that even when things change, it doesn't always have to mean the end of what's familiar.
Akira’s face appears in his vision, just before a familiar of call of “Shuji-kun!” reaches his ears and he feels a heavier body fall against his.
Despite himself, Shuji’s lips twitch. He also supposes that, with Akira, even change doesn't really mean change.
The End.
Final author's notes (aka The when-I-am-insecure-I-need-to-justify-everything notes):
1 I really just wanted to write a fic that deals with their feelings once they're forced to have to leave each other. After all, real life doesn't always work the way one wants, so, I wanted to write a fic where they have to face that. When I wrote this, it started as a purely friendship fic that dealt with the reality of growing up but then when i edited it, I realized it had possibility for other angles lol. It all depends on how you'd like to see it I guess, which is really what reading fiction is all about anyways, so yay :)
2) National Centre Test (senta shiken (センター試験), according to Wikipedia, is a nationally administered uniform achievement test. Students tend to take this test, and then the examinations given by the university they want to get into. You need to take this test to attend a public university, while if you're applying for a private university, you only need to take the exam the university gives. (new additional information: Some universities need only the National Centre Test for admission; others require the National Centre Test along with a secondary (institution-specific) exam and some use the National Centre Test as their basis for a preliminary acceptance, conditional upon a successful score in a secondary exam.) Lol, I'm not sure if that was common knowledge or not. Anime and dramas left me with the impression that there were only the test given by universities...
Also, the contacts as a scale of the eye thing...that was the translation in the subtitle I have from episode 1. I have my doubts about the accuracy of that but...well, that's what it says :D
3) Both Akira and Shuji's characters are a little hard for me. I've watched the drama many times, but at the same time, I feel as though both of their characters develop a lot throughout the course of the drama. So, by the end of the drama, having Shuji as some snarky show-off or Akira as a purely childish and crazy character doesn't sit quite right with me. I feel like they have changed, especially Shuji, so I guess the Akira and Shuji that I wrote reflects what I feel like they might be like if they've spent so much time together, a year later. I'm a little unsure as to how out of character they may be, so I humbly beg your forgiveness if you feel that they are and chalk it up to my inexperience in writing these two.
4) I particularly enjoy the ending scene in the drama when they're together on that beach/seaside front, so that played a significant part as a setting in this fic. I also rather enjoyed watching them tackle each other in the water, have fun, and behave like such boys in the water, so that played a part too :)
5) Thank you for reading! Despite my little insecurities about this fic, I did enjoy writing it and I hope you had as good a time reading as I did writing :P
Oh, my next fic should be a ryokame fic. I promised I'd write one for kamexkame for Christmas, but as you can see, I am already very very very late. I don't have as much free time as I used to, unfortunately, and I was busier during the holidays then I expected ): So yes, that should be next, but I don't know when ^__^;;;