Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Reflections of Myself - Rikkaidai AU - Niouyagyuu ❯ Chapter 7

Reflection of Myself Chapter 7

A Prince of Tennis Rikkaidai AU Fic

By Andrea Readwolf [andrea_readwolf @hotmail.com]

 

Miss something? Take a look at the <a href=" http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=readwolflair&keyword =%22Reflections+of+Myself%22&filter=all">Previous Chapters</a>

 

Started: July 2005

Word Count: 3544

 

 

It was early still when Satomi knocked lightly on her son's door before sliding it open a crease. Inside, both boys were lying parallel on their futons-- as usual Masaharu had managed to kick off most of his sheets; Hiroshi had done a bit of sheet kicking, too.

 

Before she could stop herself, she was wondering what it would have been like to have known Hiroshi as a child. Was he like Masaharu, serious when he wanted or needed to be, serious in his own fashion, but wildly reckless and free-spirited in every other way? What would it have been like, having sleepovers like this, with two little boys who looked so alike they could have been twins...

 

Satomi quickly staunched that thought--Masaharu was enough for her.

 

"Niou-san?" a sleepy voice muttered as Hiroshi sat up a little. "Is everything all right?"

 

"Yes, yes," she assured him in a whisper. "I didn't mean to wake you, Hiroshi-kun. I'm leaving for work now, but there's some rice in the cooker. Help yourself to breakfast, and don't bother waiting for Masaharu--he'll sleep as long as you let him."

 

"Ah, yes, ma'am. Thank you for your hospitality," he said, absently rubbing sleep from his eyes and fighting a yawn.

 

He looked so much like Masaharu in that moment that Satomi found herself sliding the door open and scooting inside on her knees. Reaching out, she cupped Hiroshi's check, obviously surprising him with the overly motherly gesture if his suddenly wide-eyed expression was any clue. "Hiroshi-kun, you are welcome in this home anytime you want or need it."

 

"I---thank you," he answered finally. "It means a lot to me that you would welcome me into your home. I--I know it must be... difficult, because of--"

 

"Hiroshi," she interrupted softly. "You're not your father. And I don't hate him. I know Masaharu still carries some sore feelings towards him, but the truth is, I was young and made more than my share of mistakes, too. But that's past. I don't regret it--regretting only leaves you with a stomach ache and feeling tired."

 

She smiled and continued, "I won't lie and say it's been easy for us, but I don't regret for a minute meeting Yagyuu Shingure. Because if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here today, and neither would you."

 

She reached over him and pulled the sheet back up to Masahara's chest, smoothing the sheet with a gentle smile as the sleeping boy sounded a mumbled protest.

 

"I should get going," she said, standing up. "If I don't see you before you leave, Hiroshi-kun, be safe and take care, all right?"

 

Hiroshi lay awake on his futon for what could have been hours but was more likely to have been quite less. He lay there thinking about Niou Satomi, and about how life must have been for Masaharu and his mom. Thinking about his dad and the strange look he sometimes got when he stared at Hiroshi for longer periods of time than usual.

 

Now he thought he understood why.

 

Did his father look at him sometimes and see Masaharu instead of Hiroshi? Was that the hidden sentiment whenever his father said he was proud of him? Proud to call Hiroshi his son?

 

It was a disturbing thought, as disturbing as the trickle of jealousy that crept into him. He would have to talk with the older man, and the sooner the better, he realized.

 

Looking down at Masaharu still sound asleep--mouth hanging open and a tiny trickle of drool pooling on his pillow--Hiroshi came to another decision: he should probably speak to his father alone, without Masaharu there. Not that it didn't concern his friend and partner, but...

 

He stayed a little longer, watching Masaharu sleep and just thinking. Although it was Sunday, there was slim chances of his father actually being home, but he would still check there first. He had to go home, anyway--his school uniform needed to be refreshed for classes tomorrow and it wasn't like he could count on his mother or sisters to do it for him.

 

When he finally stopped dallying, Hiroshi dressed quickly and found some scratch paper tucked into an old tin can in the kitchen. He scratched off a quick note to Masaharu, debated about eating anything or just leaving, and then hit the streets with his bags and two riceballs. Masaharu didn't live too far from the train station, but Hiroshi hopped a bus instead. The extra hour in travel gave him more time to think, to try and organize his thoughts and feelings.

 

But by the time he had reached his house, he still wasn't sure what he would say to his father once they were face-to-face. Which was a bit of a problem considering the man was actually home. In fact, Yagyuu Shinjure was the only person at the house and there in the entrance way to greet Hiroshi when he entered.

 

"You didn't come home last night," he stated accusingly.

 

"Where is everyone?" Hiroshi returned, not trusting himself to look at his father as he changed into his house shoes.

 

"They went on a shopping excursion in Tokyo," Shingure growled before demanding, "Where were you?"

 

"I was with Masaharu," he answered simply, idly wondering where else his father thought he would have gone. He dropped off his bags near the stairs before heading to the kitchen. "His mom allowed me to spend the night. She's a very nice woman. I like her--"

"Hiroshi."

 

"He always took care, you know? Making sure his mom was never home when we stopped by his place; making sure we never met or anything," he continued, still avoiding looking directly at his father. "I guess he was worried his mom would've said something. I never thought much of it before, but he wouldn't come here if there was even a chance of you or mom being home, either.

 

"Seemed to think I wouldn't want him anymore if I knew."

 

"Hiroshi, I--"

 

"He's pretty upset with you, by the way," Hiroshi added conversationally-like, proud that his voice had remained controlled. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and check the rice cooker to see if there was anything more to eat--two plain rice balls just hadn't been enough to do more than take the edge off--but the pot was woefully empty.

 

"If you hadn't said anything yesterday I still wouldn't know... and neither would he." He looked directly at his father now, making sure the other man understood exactly what he was talking about. "But I was able to set him straight on a few facts. Namely, that I still want him as my partner."

 

His father's face was a molted canvas or reds, purples, and yellows. It was not a pretty sight, but then, Hiroshi doubted that anything about this... discussion was going to be pretty by any extension of the word.

 

"I've given it a lot of thought, but I just don't understand," he stated plainly then because he couldn't think of any better way to present his confusion other than plainly. "I used to think it was crazy--noble, but crazy--when you told me you loved someone, but you never tried to be with that person. But I just don't understand how you can have a *son* and not--"

 

"Do you think it's easy?" his father interrupted him, and there was more raw angry, desperate emotion in that question than Hiroshi could ever remember his father displaying. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about Masaharu and his mother, and hate myself for it, but I did what I thought was best for them, for everyone."

 

"I fail to see--"

 

"Hiroshi, you are not a stupid child," Shingure cut him off angrily and Hiroshi's mouth snapped shut at the rebuke. "You know what kind of man your grandfather is. He wanted the ties to your mother's family. I was the only male of age who fit certain specifications. If I had refused, if I had tried to use that woman, Masaharu's mother as an excuse not to marry your mother, what do you think your grandfather would have done? Wished me luck and looked for someone else?" Shingure laughed contemptuously. "I assure you, he would not."

 

"No," Hiroshi agreed, ashen-faced. "He would make sure the excuse disappeared."

 

Suddenly he was very glad that they were alone in the house. That they were far enough away from Kyoto and his grandfather. Yagyuu Akihiro was not a man who took upsets to his plans well. And Masaharu and his mother would have definitely been a major upset to his plans to concrete ties to Hiroshi's mother's family.

 

This... created problems.

 

"Masaharu is my partner," he stated finally, quietly looking back at the man who had raised him. "In tennis, and out."

 

He watched the older man closely as he sank down at the kitchen table.

 

"No..." Shingure closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Why can't you just find a nice girl to date? Surely there is someone else at that school of yours, someone interesting," he finally growled. "Some other boy even. There are plenty of good-looking young men in your club alone! But, not Masaharu... it's... it's just... No, Hiroshi."

 

Hiroshi remained quiet, only half-listening to his father's protests. He was more concerned--now that he was aware of the potential problem--with his grandfather. The blood ties Akihiro had desired so much with the Kobayashi family had been cemented by himself and his sisters, the benefits already reaped... therefore, it stood to reason that Masaharu and his mother were safe from any form of retaliation Akihiro might have dispensed. There shouldn't be any immediate danger--there shouldn't be any danger at all--but it would be something he would have to discuss with Masaharu, and the sooner the better.

 

"Hiroshi, he's practically your brother," Shingure spat.

 

"Cousin," he returned absently. "Twice removed," he added before turning on his father again. "Masaharu will probably be coming around more often. He's already met Noriko and Momoko, and I should think the more pressing problem would be what to tell them."

 

"What!" Shingure shouted, banging the table. "You brought him here! Introduced him to your sisters!"

 

Obviously his father had missed that fact. Hiroshi readjusted his glasses. "Yes. In fact, it was Momoko who first noticed our... similarities. Would you like to inform her that Masaharu is her half-brother, or should we?"

"Why does she have to know at all?" his father asked miserably. "The more people who know, the more dangerous it is."

 

Hiroshi shook his head, a feeling of disgust welling within him. "You live your life in fear. That is why you can't be happy."

 

"If you tell her the truth, your grandfather will find out all the sooner," Shingure warned. "What will you do then?"

 

"Eventually," Hiroshi thought aloud, "I would like to introduce them anyway, I think. Make them meet openly when the time is right, face to face." He nodded to himself. That sounded... sound. "In fact, I think Grandfather would like Masaharu."

 

"You're crazy! You'll get both of you killed!" Shingure predicted doomily.

 

"Maybe, maybe not." Hiroshi shrugged and adjusted his glasses again. "Either way, it won't be soon. I'll talk with Masaharu first, and since you won't make any decisions, we'll decide for ourselves."

 

He turned to leave but his father's words chased him out of the kitchen.

 

"Hiroshi, you're both young yet, and the world is a strange and scary place. Don't make any hasty decisions that you'll regret later!"

 

 

~~~*****~~~

 

Masaharu woke up because his cell phone was attempting to buzz its way clear off his desk. It was late, later than he normally indulged in, even on special days. And then he remembered Hiroshi had spent the night-- and how they'd spent most of the evening hours talking and playing video games-- and he sat up, looking around for the other teen but not really expecting to find him.

 

He was disappointed, but not surprised. He wondered just how late it was as he padded sloppily into the other room--and then muttered his annoyance to the empty rooms. It was already after noon. His mom would be home shortly and Hiroshi-- had gone home.

 

He cursed and balled up the neat, concise note Hiroshi had left for him, tossing it into the wastebasket in the corner with an easy-looking flick.

 

Back in his bedroom, his cell phone went off again, and he bit off another curse as he went to retrieve it.

 

"Yo! Masaharu! It's Bunta!" the redhead practically shouted across the line--as if Masaharu hadn't already looked at the caller id and didn't already know who it was before he answered. "Let's go hang."

 

"I don't know," he hedged. It wasn't that he didn't want to, not necessarily. Just...

 

"Come on, man," his bubbly friend whined pitifully. "You and Hiroshi both ditched on us yesterday and skipped our little celebration party, which of course, was completely okay, I mean, you missed out on one of my mom's bestest orange cakes, but, hey, that's cool. And she made a special lemon cake this morning that you so don't want to miss out on, you know? So, listen, call up Hiroshi and tell him to get his ass over to Yukimura's, 'cause we're meeting there in like an hour or two, okay? OH! And there's someone we want you to meet, so you gotta come, okay? Don't worry. We're all friends, and I think you'll really like him!"

 

The phone disconnected. After not being able to get a word in edgewise, Masaharu cursed again and then punched out a quick message to Yagyuu. He went and took care of his toilet while he waited to hear back from his partner, and even though he didn't take long, he wasn't surprised to see Hiroshi's message when he got back into his room.

 

::Call me when you get out of the shower.::

 

"Marui wants us at Yukimura's in an hour," he said by greeting as he approached the pillar near the ticket booth where Hiroshi was waiting for him.

 

Hiroshi's huff barely sounded. "Could've expected as much. Yukimura will want to know what happened yesterday, and Marui probably just wants an easy excuse to eat more sweets."

"Marui doesn't *need* to make up excuses," Masaharu countered, although privately he agreed completely with his partner, "And what does Yukimura know?"

 

If Hiroshi was a normal person, he would have shrugged, but he wasn't, so he didn't. "He's a busybody. He wants to know everyone's business. But, in this matter, well... he knows about my real father, and... it's safe to assume, I think, since he overheard use yesterday, that he suspects the truth about yours, too."

 

"Shit," Masaharu breathed.

 

"It's not so much of a problem, really," Hiroshi assured him. "Yukimura is nothing if not discreet in his knowledge, but it would probably be better to set him straight on some of the facts. If you don't object, of course."

 

"Nah, man, I mean, why would I object, right? It'd be silly not to tell him and have him think stuff about us and--I mean--"

 

He faltered, suddenly embarrassed.

 

"Masaharu," Hiroshi said all too calmly and coolly for the other boy's satisfaction. "I told you last night that I want to have a relationship with you. That hasn't changed."

 

And just like that, Masaharu found himself outmaneuvered, his back pressed up against the wall of a narrow passage of the train station and Hiroshi looming before him. Not that he minded the position in the least, but, to his complete mortification, Masaharu felt his cheeks infuse with heat and his stomach flip-flop. He hadn't forgotten what Hiroshi had said last night, anymore than he'd forgotten what Hiroshi had done last night. What they'd done. Together. What he wanted to do again, and soon. As soon as he was given the chance.

 

"Yeah," he agreed, not really having anything to say.

 

"Good," and Masaharu was sure it wasn't his imagination that made Hiroshi sound relieved. But Hiroshi didn't kiss him like he wanted; instead, he stepped away and continued towards the elevators leading up to the department store proper. "Then there are some more things we need to talk about before we see the others."

 

Masaharu sighed and shoved a hand through his hair, slinking after his partner. "Like what?"

 

Hiroshi shot a look back at him before continuing. "Like what we'll tell the others, for one. And what we'll tell Momoko, for another. Do you want to tell her the truth about--"

 

"The others can just take care of themselves. They'll just think we finally hooked up like everyone else, or something. But Momoko..." Masaharu grimaced. "Why tell her anything different? I mean, it doesn't really make much of a difference."

 

"Of course it--"

 

"No, really. It doesn't." But Hiroshi didn't look like he believed him. "It's fine, Hiroshi," Masaharu insisted. He bumped his arm against his partners purposefully. "I don't need more than I've got already. I'm good, and it's not like she needs to know we share DNA and all that. Frankly, the less people who know about that little fact the better off we are, I'm thinking. So, it's cool. Yukimura knows. Our folks know. No one else really needs to know. And, you know, Momoko'll probably congratulate us on finally hooking up."

 

A small smirk stole across Hiroshi's face. "I'm sure. She's only been dropping subtle hints the size of Mount Fuji for the last month."

 

"Actually, she started the first day I came over to your place," Masaharu corrected him, grinning openly. "So it's cool."

 

 

~~~*****~~~

 

 

Why Marui was answering the Yukimura door, Masaharu didn't care to wonder as the redhead fell on both him and Hiroshi with exuberant glee. "Oh, good! You're here! Come on in. Guess who finally decided to dig himself up out of the woodwork, 'Roshi. Got his ass solidly beat by Seigaku and came back to lick his wounds if you ask me--"

 

"Which nobody did," answered a sour voice. "So why don't you just keep quiet, huh?"

 

"Oh, Kiri-kun, you're so cute when you pout!" Marui teased as he lovingly slung himself over the younger boy. "That's why we like you, you know."

 

"Oh, and here I thought it was my amazing ability to kick your ass at tennis," the dark-haired boy returned, shooting a desperate look at Hiroshi for help before turning to Masaharu. "Kirihara Akaya, current captain of the junior high team. Good to meet you."

"So you lost to Seigaku," Hiroshi said conversationally.

 

"Seigaku's team was not as strong as last year's," Yukimura put in with a knowing smile, coming up from behind the group, "But neither was Rikkai's. They are still a worthy opponent, and it was a fun and challenge game. Wouldn't you agree, Akaya?"

 

Masaharu watched with amusement as Marui quickly released the younger boy at the pointed look Yukimura turned on the redhead before the leader of the pack turned towards Hiroshi and Masaharu. "Yagyuu, Niou, I'm glad you came. Marui, why don't you and Kirihara get the cake and refreshments?"

 

Kirihara didn't have a chance to protest as Marui grabbed his hand and darted towards the kitchen.

 

"I thought we could have a moment in private; the others are out back enjoying the cool air," Yukimura continued, smiling genially.

 

"I assume you've already correctly guessed that Niou-kun and myself are related," Hiroshi started.

 

Yukimura's half-hooded eyes watched them both intensely. "It was a highly plausible possibility," he conceded.

 

"Yeah, well, we've aired the closets and we're hooked up and all that," Masaharu put in, straight to the point since he neither wanting to be stuck for any longer than necessary with Yukimura when the other boy was looking like a large feline watching what could possibly turn out to be an enjoyable snack nor miss the opportunity for his own enjoyment in the form of one underclassman. "Now, Marui promised us cake for a most excellently played game yesterday, and this firecracker looks like quite a promising fellow, so if you'll excuse me..."

 

Hiroshi watched him go with a hint of amusement. Amusement he saw reflected on Yukimura's face when he turned back towards his long-time friend.

 

"Should I be concerned for Kirihara," Yukimura wondered, his voice quivering with repressed laughter.

 

"I'm sure Niou won't damage him too badly." They shared a knowing look, and both boys gave in to laughter so soft that it wouldn't be detected by any of the others.

 

"Next year will be very interesting, I think," Yukimura announced, wiping laughter-tears from his eyes.

 

"High school life will be interesting," Hiroshi corrected before adding whimsically, "'May your life be interesting...'"

 

Yukimura smiled brightly. "It will be. Wonderfully interesting."

 

Hiroshi nodded. "I agree."

 

"Good. And since it looks like I'm going to get to keep my best doubles pair," Yukimura continued, turning towards the back of the house where already he could hear Kirihara's voice raised in squawking protests, "let's go eat some of that cake Marui brought us, yes?"

 

 

 

~~~****~~~

 

 

TBC