Attractions of Amusement (Prince of Tennis, Niou/Yagyuu, #1)
Title: Attractions of Amusement
Author/Author: yumehikouki
Pairing: Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Theme: #1- look over here/こっち向いて
Disclaimer: The lovely Prince of Tennis series belongs to Takeshi Konomi, not me. sadly D:
----
The air filled with the scent of cotton candy and popcorn; the distinct smell of what could only be a crowd of people and humidity from the shining sun mixed with that of the usual summer breeze. To the left and to the right, little kids dragging their parents as they scampered towards their next desired ride, teenagers sipping drinks and exchanging swift kisses under the rare shade, and adults occupied with collecting ticket after ticket. This, without a single doubt, could only be a busy amusement park, heavily loaded with hours of laughter and chatter, and, of course, the accompanying hours of heat.
Yet, most kids didn’t seem to be bothered by the temperature. All that seemed to pop into their minds in a place like this was the possibility of endless hours of excitement and never-stopping fun. Each kid led their parents on a chase around the park. One child’s laughter only let out to be replaced by the louder chuckle of the next. That is, with the exception of one brown-haired kid leaning dejectedly against a pole.
His small glasses glared back at the rays of the sun. His hands clutched a small dinosaur, probably recently won by one of his parents as a hope of cheering him up. The boy occasionally glanced down at the ground, as if wondering why in the world he’d decided to come here. He didn’t care for fun, or at least not the artificial happiness this place seemed to provide. Taking one last gaze around, most likely to look for his mom or dad, he let out an exasperated sigh as he didn’t seem to spot them.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he notices another small boy, standing precariously on top of one of the railings. Normally, the brown-haired boy wouldn’t have bothered to even think twice about a troublemaker like him; and, if it had not been the railing was guarding a fast-paced water ride, he probably wouldn’t have. He held his dinosaur even more tightly in his hands, deciding whether he should help the other boy or not. His parents had told him to stand here, and he was usually such an obedient son, too. For a moment, he pondered as to why nobody else seemed to even regard the black haired boy with a ponytail. He surely had parents, right? Where were they?
It had only taken a moment before the ponytailed boy caught the brown haired boy’s eyes staring intently at him. Still standing effortlessly on the rail, he gave his head a tilt, and hollered over to the other kid in a way that was obviously only meant for him to hear.
“Look!” The brown haired boy could tell him saying. “Look over here!”
The mischievous boy gave him a grin before he began to clumsily wobble on the railing. And, just like that, a wave of terror washed over his proud face. The boy’s arms flailed around, trying to keep his balance.
That was all it took for the glassed kid to dash over, his dinosaur loosely swinging beside him. He reached out his hand to the falling boy, hoping he’d be able to hold on.
Fortunately, the boy on the rail managed to catch his hand, but, instead of allowing himself to be dragged into safety, he grasped the brown-haired boy’s hands firmly in his, pulling them both back and causing them to cannonball into the water.
As the boy with glasses (well, no longer, they’d been washed away in the fall) finally supported himself up from the water, he rose to find himself face to face with the kid on the rail, smirking at him. Only after gaping at the boy with the ponytail for what must’ve been five minutes, did he realize he’d lost his dinosaur.
“My dinosaur!” He complained, splashing his fists into the luckily shallow water around them. “Why did you do that?!” By now, he was filled with regret; the emotion completely swallowed him. If he’d been a good boy, a gentleman, as his dad often told him, and stayed where he was told to stay, he wouldn’t have been soaking wet, neither having his glasses nor his dinosaur.
But the other boy didn’t respond. He merely chuckled more, failing to stifle his laughter at the infuriated kid in front of him.
“Why?!” He asked again, his fists balled together tight, trying to fight away the urge to hit the black haired boy.
“You didn’t look like you were having any fun!” He replied in between laughs. “Now you are, right?”
“No. You made me loose my glasses and my dinosaur.” Each second that passed between them only seemed to heighten the tension buzzing through the air. “And I was trying to help you, but you made me fall!”
The other boy simply gave him another snicker, and attempted to dry his ponytail. “You didn’t have to come and help me.”
People were now beginning to gather around, attracted by the commotion between the two kids. It probably wouldn’t be long before somebody came to help them out.
“I was having fun on my rail, but you had to come.” He continued, still smirking.
“You…you…” The brown haired boy could hear the footsteps of the amusement park’s staff wading through the water, the chatter of ridicule circling in the background. All he had to do was hold on for a bit longer without hitting him, and he probably wouldn’t be in any trouble. Just a little while longer, just a little while longer. He thought, his glaring eyes burning into the malevolent and playful black haired boy’s expression.
“Just exactly what did I do? It was just a stupid stuffed animal. Pretty ugly, too. You should be happy you lost it.” The teasing continued. Didn’t he care at all that he just pushed someone into the water? And, what’s worse, insult the dinosaur that he’d just made him lose?
Even if the staff was right behind him, his parents probably in the crowd, he couldn’t take it anymore. Even for a gentleman, patience could only go so far, right?
And, in the blink of an eye, the brown haired boy opened his fists, which had been tightly closed for so long, and sent it flying across the other’s face. The sound echoed through the air, overpowering the chitchat of the crowd.
And, just like that, an overwhelmingly satisfied grin began to plaster itself on the black haired boy’s face. His unpredictable eyes peering carefully at the reaction he created in the other boy. He then opened his mouth to declare his next statement.
“So I did trick you, right?”
***
Yagyuu Hiroshi awakens, an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. He places his hand on his forehead as he tries to replay for himself the scene he has just witnessed. But it’s no hope. The only words that echo back in his head are the ignorant, perplexing exclamations and questions of the black haired boy.
He rarely has dreams, and when he does, they’re rarely splendid. He lays his head back on his pillow, attempting to force himself back to sleep. But, he just wouldn’t, or rather, something is stopping him from doing so. It seems like a distant memory, but Yagyuu is almost certain nothing like that has ever happened to him before. None of it makes any sense: the two young boys, the amusement park, and the dinosaur. Nothing sparks any relation in his mind other than what he has just dreamed.
Well, he knows that he had been that brown-haired boy; he knows that his mother’s photo albums have pages filled with memories of amusement parks they’ve been to. But still, Yagyuu is certain that his memory is nearly flawless: he even remembers the proud, smiling face of his father when he took his first steps. He sits there, vexed by his dream, and contemplates every possibility there is. And, for a single second, a silly thought crosses his mind.
Niou Masaharu.
It has to be him, Yagyuu whispers to himself.
That is, before letting out an exasperating and ridiculing chuckle to himself.
With complete confidence that tonight would inevitably turn out to be a restless one, Yagyuu couldn’t help but wonder if Niou, the callous prankster who, so far, manages to infallibly trick everyone in the class except for him, has indeed fooled him.
-----
Author/Author: yumehikouki
Pairing: Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Theme: #1- look over here/こっち向いて
Disclaimer: The lovely Prince of Tennis series belongs to Takeshi Konomi, not me. sadly D:
----
The air filled with the scent of cotton candy and popcorn; the distinct smell of what could only be a crowd of people and humidity from the shining sun mixed with that of the usual summer breeze. To the left and to the right, little kids dragging their parents as they scampered towards their next desired ride, teenagers sipping drinks and exchanging swift kisses under the rare shade, and adults occupied with collecting ticket after ticket. This, without a single doubt, could only be a busy amusement park, heavily loaded with hours of laughter and chatter, and, of course, the accompanying hours of heat.
Yet, most kids didn’t seem to be bothered by the temperature. All that seemed to pop into their minds in a place like this was the possibility of endless hours of excitement and never-stopping fun. Each kid led their parents on a chase around the park. One child’s laughter only let out to be replaced by the louder chuckle of the next. That is, with the exception of one brown-haired kid leaning dejectedly against a pole.
His small glasses glared back at the rays of the sun. His hands clutched a small dinosaur, probably recently won by one of his parents as a hope of cheering him up. The boy occasionally glanced down at the ground, as if wondering why in the world he’d decided to come here. He didn’t care for fun, or at least not the artificial happiness this place seemed to provide. Taking one last gaze around, most likely to look for his mom or dad, he let out an exasperated sigh as he didn’t seem to spot them.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he notices another small boy, standing precariously on top of one of the railings. Normally, the brown-haired boy wouldn’t have bothered to even think twice about a troublemaker like him; and, if it had not been the railing was guarding a fast-paced water ride, he probably wouldn’t have. He held his dinosaur even more tightly in his hands, deciding whether he should help the other boy or not. His parents had told him to stand here, and he was usually such an obedient son, too. For a moment, he pondered as to why nobody else seemed to even regard the black haired boy with a ponytail. He surely had parents, right? Where were they?
It had only taken a moment before the ponytailed boy caught the brown haired boy’s eyes staring intently at him. Still standing effortlessly on the rail, he gave his head a tilt, and hollered over to the other kid in a way that was obviously only meant for him to hear.
“Look!” The brown haired boy could tell him saying. “Look over here!”
The mischievous boy gave him a grin before he began to clumsily wobble on the railing. And, just like that, a wave of terror washed over his proud face. The boy’s arms flailed around, trying to keep his balance.
That was all it took for the glassed kid to dash over, his dinosaur loosely swinging beside him. He reached out his hand to the falling boy, hoping he’d be able to hold on.
Fortunately, the boy on the rail managed to catch his hand, but, instead of allowing himself to be dragged into safety, he grasped the brown-haired boy’s hands firmly in his, pulling them both back and causing them to cannonball into the water.
As the boy with glasses (well, no longer, they’d been washed away in the fall) finally supported himself up from the water, he rose to find himself face to face with the kid on the rail, smirking at him. Only after gaping at the boy with the ponytail for what must’ve been five minutes, did he realize he’d lost his dinosaur.
“My dinosaur!” He complained, splashing his fists into the luckily shallow water around them. “Why did you do that?!” By now, he was filled with regret; the emotion completely swallowed him. If he’d been a good boy, a gentleman, as his dad often told him, and stayed where he was told to stay, he wouldn’t have been soaking wet, neither having his glasses nor his dinosaur.
But the other boy didn’t respond. He merely chuckled more, failing to stifle his laughter at the infuriated kid in front of him.
“Why?!” He asked again, his fists balled together tight, trying to fight away the urge to hit the black haired boy.
“You didn’t look like you were having any fun!” He replied in between laughs. “Now you are, right?”
“No. You made me loose my glasses and my dinosaur.” Each second that passed between them only seemed to heighten the tension buzzing through the air. “And I was trying to help you, but you made me fall!”
The other boy simply gave him another snicker, and attempted to dry his ponytail. “You didn’t have to come and help me.”
People were now beginning to gather around, attracted by the commotion between the two kids. It probably wouldn’t be long before somebody came to help them out.
“I was having fun on my rail, but you had to come.” He continued, still smirking.
“You…you…” The brown haired boy could hear the footsteps of the amusement park’s staff wading through the water, the chatter of ridicule circling in the background. All he had to do was hold on for a bit longer without hitting him, and he probably wouldn’t be in any trouble. Just a little while longer, just a little while longer. He thought, his glaring eyes burning into the malevolent and playful black haired boy’s expression.
“Just exactly what did I do? It was just a stupid stuffed animal. Pretty ugly, too. You should be happy you lost it.” The teasing continued. Didn’t he care at all that he just pushed someone into the water? And, what’s worse, insult the dinosaur that he’d just made him lose?
Even if the staff was right behind him, his parents probably in the crowd, he couldn’t take it anymore. Even for a gentleman, patience could only go so far, right?
And, in the blink of an eye, the brown haired boy opened his fists, which had been tightly closed for so long, and sent it flying across the other’s face. The sound echoed through the air, overpowering the chitchat of the crowd.
And, just like that, an overwhelmingly satisfied grin began to plaster itself on the black haired boy’s face. His unpredictable eyes peering carefully at the reaction he created in the other boy. He then opened his mouth to declare his next statement.
“So I did trick you, right?”
***
Yagyuu Hiroshi awakens, an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. He places his hand on his forehead as he tries to replay for himself the scene he has just witnessed. But it’s no hope. The only words that echo back in his head are the ignorant, perplexing exclamations and questions of the black haired boy.
He rarely has dreams, and when he does, they’re rarely splendid. He lays his head back on his pillow, attempting to force himself back to sleep. But, he just wouldn’t, or rather, something is stopping him from doing so. It seems like a distant memory, but Yagyuu is almost certain nothing like that has ever happened to him before. None of it makes any sense: the two young boys, the amusement park, and the dinosaur. Nothing sparks any relation in his mind other than what he has just dreamed.
Well, he knows that he had been that brown-haired boy; he knows that his mother’s photo albums have pages filled with memories of amusement parks they’ve been to. But still, Yagyuu is certain that his memory is nearly flawless: he even remembers the proud, smiling face of his father when he took his first steps. He sits there, vexed by his dream, and contemplates every possibility there is. And, for a single second, a silly thought crosses his mind.
Niou Masaharu.
It has to be him, Yagyuu whispers to himself.
That is, before letting out an exasperating and ridiculing chuckle to himself.
With complete confidence that tonight would inevitably turn out to be a restless one, Yagyuu couldn’t help but wonder if Niou, the callous prankster who, so far, manages to infallibly trick everyone in the class except for him, has indeed fooled him.
-----