I'm in a writer's block. Blame it on the graduation and the fact that I won't meet my friends in quite some time because they're all leaving for college. T-T
Anyway, a little angst-fluff fic I bring in just for you.. originally translated from my native language into English. Hope you enjoy..
Title: The Cherry Blossom Petals
Pairings: Subtle hints of TezuFuji.
Genre: Angst.
Disclaimer: I don't have a wish to be hit by Hoshi Hanabi or Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, and then have Konomi-sensei sue me because I'm trying to own Fuji and Tezuka. And don't we all know Fuji and Tezuka own each other?
Summary: After graduation, Fuji idly thought of how similar they all were with the beautiful Cherry Blossom petals.
The Cherry Blossom PetalsIt was April.
A month with the soft breeze bringing the fresh smell of the spring–the smell of the leaves and flowers that was starting to blossom, greeting the shyly shining sun that hid behind the white clouds warmly. The remaining of the snow on the earth surface had all gone without any trace, replaced by the green grass and bushes, beckoning th animals that had just awoken from their hibernation to start the spring with fresh, green food.
April, a month known as a month full of the rain of the cherry blossom petals, falling from their branches and flying with the wind to some place far away on earth, among the steps of the third graders who went to school that day with unusual spirit and anxiety. The pink petals slipped among the first and second graders who came to school that day with uncertain feelings in their minds–happiness and sadness mixed into one unnamed feeling. They–the petals–became a witness of every single laughter, every single falling tear, and every waving hand that was saying farewell.
It was melancholic.
Full of memories, yes. Beautiful memories? Maybe. Painful memories? Ah, that, too, was right.
The wind and the cherry blossom petals became the witness of everything.
Graduation. Something for the third graders to step into the next stage of their lives. Their drama of lives in junior high stage had finally ended, and now, it was time for them to move forward, leaving their traces and memories for their underclassmen who looked up to them with such admiration in their eyes. The underclassmen who silently vowed to be better than the third graders had been.
And you were there, still smiling, your right hand raising the camera you were holding–your left hand gripping tightly the roll of your diploma you had accepted at the graduation ceremony this morning. More and more pictures you took with your precious camera, trying to capture the memorable moments into the eternity. The sound of the shutter opening and closing was heard over and over again, breaking in among the deafening cheers of your kouhais.
“Nya! Finally we graduated!” your best friend hugged you from behind, his red hair tickling your ear. You laughed, and patted his head.
“Congratulations on graduating, senpai!” one of your kouhais bowed low before you, his eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “I hope you’ll still be successful like this in the high school..” his voice shook with emotions. You smiled, and nodded.
“Thank you, Kachiro,” you put your hand on his shoulder, his boy shaking as he now crying hard. “You, too, keep up your best, alright?”
You glanced at the tennis court that had been your ‘house’ for the three years you had spent in Seigaku. It was a wonder, though, now, when you looked at it from outside, it felt lik it was thousands of miles away from where you were standing. You sighed softly, nearly inaudible, and raised your camera once again. Click!
“Congratulations on graduating, Fuji.”
“Ryuuzaki-sensei,” you replied without even turning to the source of the voice, a smile perfectly etched on your face. “Thank you.”
“Hmm..” the tennis coach who was also your teacher stepped to stand next to you, her old face shone with pride. Silently, you wondered how many times actually the old woman had witnessed this kind of moment–a moment when the third graders were graduating.
“I heard that you’re going to continue to a boarding school in Hokkaido?”
“Saa..” you raised your camera once again, and a whirling sound filled your ears as the shutter closed and opened again. Your reaction was enough for her as an answer.
“Well, even though you’ll be far away in Hokkaido, don’t forget to drop by here from time to time,” her hand tapped your shoulder lightly. “Your friends also would make some sort of reunion and stuff like that. Don’t forget to come.”
Your eyes suddenly snapped open, and your smile faltered a bit. You stared at the old woman–who was now walking away to talk to your former tennis club captain, your eyes shone in disbelief.
Ah, Ryuuzaki-sensei should have known best, you mulled silently. And the you shook your head, correcting yourself. No.. Everyone should have known that it was impossible.
Then why.. Why did they even pretend? Uttering empty promises that would never be possible to fulfil? Saying promises of “Our friendship would always be treasured in my heart” or “I will be your best friend forever!” or I will never forget you,” or “See you soon, ne?”
Nothing is eternal in this life, you mused. And so is the friendship.
The gentle breeze played naughtily with your hair, and the cherry blossom petals fell all around you, half of them scattered on to the ground, and half of them followed wherever it was the wind was taking them to. You looked up, staring at the flying cherry blossom petals, far, far away... until they finally vanished from your rage of sight.
We are all just like those petals, you thought idly. And the wind is our life. No matter how strong we tried to hang on to the firm cherry blossom branch, when the time comes, our holds will fall, and we will be separated from each other by the wind.
We are all the cherry blossom petals... and the wind is our life. And the cherry blossom branch... is our friendship. After all of us let go of our holds on it to fly and following wherever the wind goes, the branch someday will decompose because of age, and finally die.
Yes... and while each petal will freely ride the wind, far, far away... and will never come back. No matter how many times each petal hopes and promises to come back.. They will never be able to come back.
Then, what are those promises made for? You asked sarcastically. Are humans always being that coward to step forward, that they just have to make sure that they will not lose the place where they have been hanging on to? Although everyone must realize that even though they made promises to always be friends and meet again someday, everything wouldn’t be the same.
Nothing was eternal. Like the beauty of the cherry blossom, it was only for one or two short weeks, before one by one, the petals slowly fell, leaving the branch they had been hanging on to and flying far away with the wind.
Why making promise when you know you won’t be able to fulfil it? Won’t that only make you a big liar?
Even best friends at school won’t always be best friends when we became adults, you grimaced. Friendship is not eternal. As the time went by, all of us would drift slowly apart from each other, riding different winds in our own lives. We are all the cherry blossom petals. No one will be able to own us, to claim us, to keep us. No one can catch the cherry blossom petals without rushing the fragile shape of the petal.
“Fuji.”
You turned around, carving special smile you had always served for the former Seigaku buchou. “Tezuka,” you answered calmly.
The tall and strong figure of your buchou stepped forward to stand next to you. For a while, seconds ticked by in silence, turned into minutes, until finally you couldn’t even remember how long he had been standing there next to you.
“In Hokkaido, too, try your best.” His deep, stoic voice slipped into your ears, and your eyes flew open, surprised at his sudden statement. You turned to look at his bespectacled face, and your breath stopped when you suddenly realized how important this moment was.
The farewell moments. A moment when everybody else might utter promises of eternal friendship and another meeting in the future. The last moments, people might say.
But you wouldn’t utter empty, fake promises–especially not to him. You would never lie to Tezuka. Not now, not ever.
And that was why you chose to set a fake smile trying to reply to his statement lightly.
“You, too, Tezuka. There would be many challenges in Germany later, ne?” How strange, your voice sounded strained, like it was caught in your throat, because of the welling emotion you were trying to suppress. Never had before you felt emotions as intense as this one.
You could feel your buchou’s stare on your face, breaking through every smiling mask you wore, and for a second, you felt so transparent before him. Under the firm gaze of his, through your masks and wall of defenses, opening every curtains of emotion that are welling up in your chest, and you felt like a child who had been caught stealing a midnight snack from the kitchen counter.
A heavy, yet soft sigh from him drawn your gaze upwards to meet his, and you saw him taking out a piece of paper and a pen, writing something with those. When he finished, he offered the piece of paper to you, and your eyes scanned the paper for a moment. Numbers.. A phone number?
“Tezuka?”
“I will call you, Fuji,” From Tezuka, it didn’t sound like a promise at all, merely and information. “And whenever you need something, call me anytime.”
A sincere smile finally made its way up on your expression after you gazed at him for several moments. You took the piece of paper from his hand, and nodded.
Not a promise.
You understand, don’t you.. Tezuka?
Oishi said, he would set up a small meeting for the regulars before my flight to Germany,” Tezuka said, informing you. You took a breath, and nodded once again.
“I will come,” you said.
Not a promise. Just an information.
Because you would never lie to Tezuka.
The wind blew gently, flying the cherry blossom petals, flowing through your and Tezuka’s hair. You stared, mesmerized at th flying pink petals, and raised your hand, trying to catch one of the flying petals as soft as you can. When you opened your palm, you gasped inaudibly.
The petal wasn’t crushed. It was still perfect–its shape, its color–the gentleness you had used to catch it had saved it from being crushed under your slender fingers. The wind blew again, and the next second, the petal on your palm was flown away, once again riding the wind.
Tezuka’s hand moved, catching your attention, and you realized that he was trying to catch a cherry blossom petal, like you had just done. His long fingers were closed in the midst of the air, catching a petal gently, trapping it under his grasp.
The petal remained in its perfect shape when Tezuka opened his palm.
You smiled, gazing fondly at the petal on his hand as the wind flew it away, far, far...joining hundreds, thousands of other cherry blossom petals, until finally you couldn’t make it out of the thousands of other petals.
Slowly, you reached Tezuka’s hand, and intertwined your fingers with his, holding his hand firmly and fondly.
“Ne, Tezuka,” you began, a sincere smile was carved on your face. “On your next birthday, treat me in Taka-san’s, will you?”
A nod was all you got as an answer, and you chuckled lightly.
Maybe, if it was with Tezuka, you could believe in eternity...even though deep, deep down in your heart, you knew there was no such thing as eternity.
-FINITO-
Wow... Fuji.. Was really OOC here... *sweatdrops* Ah! Comments are loved, constructive criticisms are apprciated. I’m sorry for the bad grammar, this was un-beta-ed. My English is not getting better.. I swear... T-T
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accomplished
ecstatic
anxious
artistic
confused
disappointed
cynical
