You and I, Make a Wish
“Dan-chaann, the girl sang as she quickly bounded towards her friend.
“--san desu!” The small boy stumbled on his words as he turned around to face the smiling girl. He took a second to react and then spoke. “What are you doing here at this time?”
Really, for anyone who had known , it was weird for the bright girl to be at Yamabuki at that time. Dan and both had tennis practices with their respective schools, Dan with Yamabuki’s tennis team and with Kotetsu’s team.
“Ah…” She started as she closed her eyes and put her hand sheepishly behind her head. “Well we were stopped at the beginning of practice because they were cleaning and adding a new tennis court. I suggested that we go into the gym to condition, but the coach told me that the baseball team was making use of the whole gym…” She paused and then opened her eyes. “So I thought that I could come see you and your team for once!” She smiled widely again.
Dan looked up at her. wasn’t all that tall, but to Dan… well, she was taller than him by quite a bit. Tall enough that he had to look up at her. They were both second years at their own schools, but Dan didn’t look like it. While other boys around him were growing taller and taller, he didn’t seem to be. He had remembered last year when he was a first year and how he and Echizen had been the same height - that wasn’t the case now. His friends kept assuring him that one day his growth spurt would come, but he was beginning to doubt it at this point.
“Well I’m not sure if it will be all that exciting desu,” he laughed.
“Hrmm…what are you guys doing right now?” she asked him as she bent over a bit to reach his level, ignoring his last comment.
“Not all that much we’re just--”
“Lucky~”
Dan froze. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who it was.
“Since when did you know such a cute girl, Dan-san?” Sengoku asked, grinning. “You should introduce us!”
Dan looked at . Sengoku is not what he wanted right now. Especially since… “-san, this is Sengoku-san, one of Yamabuki’s regulars.”
was blushing a little; she never had been good at keeping the blushes at bay. “Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.” She bowed a bit and held out her hand.
“Hn…” Sengoku looked at her hand for a second then pushed it aside as he walked over to her and gave her a hug. “Yoroshiku!” He said into her ear as he broke the embrace.
Her face turned even a deeper shade of red.
“Se-sengoku-san!!” Dan stammered. “We really should get back to practice!”
“O~kay then,” Sengoku agreed. “See you later.” He winked as he walked back out onto the tennis courts.
“Friendly bunch, huh?” she said nervously as she looked back down at her good friend. There weren’t really many words that you could say in a situation like the one the two were currently in.
Somehow Sengoku had managed to make it awkward.
“Yeah…but as I said before, I should probably get back to practice before Banji-kantoku sees desu.”
“Okay, but before I go…I was going to ask you if we could do something tomorrow.” stared blankly at the tennis players. “I have a lot of things on my mind lately…”
Dan nodded. “Definitely desu!”
“Thank you, Dan-chan~!” she squealed again, bending to hug the boy. “I will see you tomorrow!” she exclaimed as she ran off to continue her trek home.
Dan smiled.
It was true that they were really good friends, but the problem was that Dan had started feeling differently towards her. He had started realizing how beautiful she was, how happy he was just to be around her, how the whole world seemed brighter with her presence…Dan started feeling like…like…
He liked her.
More than a friend should.
Now the complication with this was that there was no way that could ever take him seriously. It was quite obvious in the way that she called him “Dan-chan” instead of “Dan-kun” or “Dan-san” even.
It was natural, considering that he was shorter and did look quite young for his age that she wouldn’t be able to take him this way. Dan would never have enough confidence to pursue her seriously anyways, no matter how much he wanted to. But somewhere he still kept that small hope alive that he had this miniscule, microscopic chance with that would make his dream come true.
He sighed and walked back out onto the tennis courts.
------------------------------
Dan grabbed his bag as he ran out to the front of Yamabuki.
“Dan-chan,” smiled. It seemed that his name was becoming their usual greeting. “Let’s go to the park,” she suggested.
Dan knew what that probably meant.
Whenever something was bothering her, she always called to have him come to the park with her so that she could talk about it. He enjoyed it because it made him feel like he was special to her somehow.
------------------------------
sat down on the bench and smiled weakly at the boy next to her. Dan took his seat next to her. “What is it desu?” he asked innocently as he gave her a coaxing smiled.
She laughed a bit. “You can always see right through me huh?” she sighed.
After a while, she spoke once more. “He left again.”
Dan knew what she had meant. Although was usually a happy person, her family matters were a different story. Her mom and dad had never really gotten along that well, which resulted in one or the other leaving the house for a time, usually after a long fight which had endure. No matter how much you love or hate your parents, hearing them bicker is never something that makes you happy, especially when sometimes you get dragged into the fight.
“They got into another fight and this time he told us that he’s leaving for sure…so that he can start another life without having to deal with mom.” She explained as she stared off in the distance.
“He’ll come back desu!” Dan assured her with a bright face. stared at him for a second.
“I know…” she started as she put on a weak, faint smile. “But this time…how can I be so sure?”
“Because he loves you, and your mom, that’s why he always finds himself back at your house.”
stared at him for a moment like he had gone crazy. He quickly tried to explain himself.
“No matter how much your parents get in fights, they can’t help but love each other, right desu?”
She paused, looking a bit taken back. “I suppose…but…”
“No desu! No more sadness, -san!” He stood up and raised both arms into the air as he yelled, “He will come back desu!!”
She stared at him with widened eyes.
“You have to believe in him, -san.” Dan hushed his voice so that only could hear him. Suddenly a big grin appeared on ’s round face.
“Thank you so much Dan-chan!” she exclaimed as she lunged toward him and embraced him tightly.
He blushed madly, but she didn’t notice.
“I’m so happy that I have someone like you…” she said quietly while still keeping the embrace. “You’re my best friend. I can say anything to you.
Dan’s blush faded.
Friends.
That was the only reason that she had held him so close to her, the only reason as to why he was so special. Nothing more than that. Just…friends.
broke the embrace and looked down at him. “Okay, now lets go get some ice cream, Dan-chan. Your treat!”
“Wait - my treat? Why is it my treat desu?!” He gave her a small playful smile as he questioned her decision.
“You wouldn’t make a girl who just got over an emotional crisis pay for her own cheer-up ice cream, would you~?” She put a finger innocently to her cheek in a cute way and then started laughing.
Dan laughed too as they made their way to ice cream parlor.
------------------------------
Dan blinked in confusion as he walked out onto the tennis court. The whole team was there, which wasn’t odd, but they were all just staring at him.
Just…staring.
“W-what is it desu?” Dan was starting to feel uneasy by there stares.
“Che” Sengoku sounded as a smirk crept across his face.
“What?!”
“Lucky you~” was all the explanation that Sengoku gave him. There was a silence again before the rest of the team broke into smiles along with Sengoku.
“…I still don’t get it desu.” He was very confused at this point as to what was going on.
Minami decided to speak up. “I guess we should tell him now before he explodes huh?”
“Okay, okay, I guess we could tell you.” Sengoku started, still wearing that smug smile on his face. “Apparently there’s some sort of special tennis camp that each member from the surrounding schools gets to go to…”
Dan scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, still not fully understanding fully what exactly the orange-haired boy was trying to get at.
“So that means that each school has to pick someone to attend this camp.” His smirk grew larger. “And this year we chose Dan-san to go.”
Dan didn’t know what to say; he was just speechless.
“We all knew how much you have been wanting to pursue your tennis dream so…” Sengoku walked up to the seemingly dumbfounded boy.
“Show us what short tennis players are made of.”
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“Whaat?” The loudness of the girl’s voice was probably heard throughout the whole neighborhood.
“What do you mean that you’re leaving me?!” just couldn’t fully comprehend the situation at hand. Dan had always been there, if Dan wasn’t there who could she vent to? Who could she tell everything to?
“It won’t be too long…just the upcoming break and maybe a month or two after that desu.” Reasoning with her probably wasn’t going to work much at this point.
“A tennis camp?” she repeated what Dan had previously told her. “Our break and a month our two…” It was almost as if she was soaking the words in now at this point.
He grinned sheepishly, not fully facing the girl. “They didn’t really give me much time to prepare for this either desu.”
“…how much time do you have?”
“Actually…none.” His nervous grin grew.
“Whaaaat?!” The whole neighborhood could definitely hear her now.
------------------------------
fell onto the couch after she arrived home. She could understand maybe a week or two, but two to three months for a tennis camp?! And that was only an estimate…
She sighed again in defeat. Her best friend for more than a year was now leaving her for the first time in her life. She supposed that it could’ve been worse – he could’ve moved to some other place instead of just leaving for a camp. But still… she had never experienced a day where she wasn’t able to get hold of Dan if she needed him. They were best friends! Things like this just didn’t happen to them.
To make matters worse, Dan didn’t have a cell phone so she couldn’t call him or text him to make herself feel better.
But it wasn’t like Dan was her only friend, right? She had tons of other friends that she could keep herself occupied with until Dan came back. “What am I, obsessed or something?” She shook her head as to shake off the thought.
------------------------------
The last few months traveled home alone from school. Her family was all right at the moment; her father had come back just like Dan had predicted – for a while at least. Since she passed Yamabuki on the way to her school, she had sometimes encountered the oh-so-famous Sengoku Kiyosumi, who had offered to take her home a few times. At first she declined him, but after a while she found herself wanting at least a few ties to Yamabuki while he was still gone.
He…
“-chan~” Sengoku’s voice rang through her head, further scattering her thoughts.
“Oh! Yes, what were you saying?” Her face flushed as she realized that she had just missed half of their conversation as the duo walked home from their schools.
“That you should come and have lunch with me at the café on Friday.”
A pink colour rose in ’s face when he said those words.
She waved her arms in front of her face. “Se-sengoku-san, its kind of you, really, but--” Suddenly the tie on her school uniform was jerked forward. “Ah--”
Suddenly they were close to each other. So close she could feel his warm breath in intervals, sliding across her face.
And at the moment she thought she would break, he spoke.
“I will make you forget about him.” He let go of her tie and started walking down the path without her. “Ja, see you Friday -chan~!” he said without looking back at her, his hand waving in the air.
She stood there like a deer caught in headlights. Her cheeks were like two ripe tomatoes at this point, but still she was only thinking about his words.
“Forget about who?”
------------------------------
arrived at the school just as Yamabuki’s tennis practice ended. Banji called the team in to give them some encouragement for the upcoming game. She stared at the group. He wasn’t there…
…but she shouldn’t be looking for him now.
“-chaaann~~” She felt the warm arms encircle her.
“S-Sengoku-san!” She pulled away and turned around to face him.
He pouted. “Come on, -chan, don’t be that way.” The smile started returning to his face. “I was beginning to wonder if you would actually come, because if not…” He smiled playfully and pulled her close. “I was going to have to go kidnap you.”
Why couldn’t she just make the blush on her cheeks go away? “Stop being stupid.” She tried to play it cool, but really, she had no idea what to do as she pushed away the towel that was hugging her waist.
He chuckled. “Hn, no fun.” She couldn’t help but start laughing with him.
“Let’s go~” Sengoku said. She nodded.
------------------------------
was laughing rather loudly.
“Did that really happen?” Her laughter showed no signs of subsiding.
“Yeah, and then he started doing this chicken-like face to prove that he was mad.”
“I can’t believe it!”
“No, no, I swear it’s true!” Sengoku insisted.
’s laugh transformed into a smile. “You’re a little liar.”
“Prove it then~”
“You know I--” She was cut off by the small vibration coming from her pocket. “Oh I must have a message.” She picked up the small phone in her pocket and flipped it open.
The screen flashed. “New text message.”
“Hrm?” She clicked the “View” button to see it. She didn’t exactly glance at the number but…
“Sengoku, I have to go.” she said hurriedly, even forgetting to be polite to the boy she had been spending the whole day with.
He almost snarled in displeasure. This was been his chance, why did she need to leave now? “Wait—why?!” He glanced at the phone.
“Gomen nasai,” She bowed with her hands together as a sign that she really was deeply sorry for leaving him at such a time. There was just no way that she could stay with him right now. “I’ll see you later, Sengoku-san”
“Tch.” He turned his head away from the fleeing girl. He had seen the message on her phone.
I’m back.
Shouldn’t he be more important than whoever it was that sent her that message?
------------------------------
“Hello?” She called out to the empty tennis court. Only silence replied. She sighed. Could it be a lie?
Why would someone lie to her about this?
She checked her cell phone again and read the message. It was simple, but it sent so many emotions running through her head.
“Hrm? Who’s that girl standing out there?”
turned around quickly with a large grin on her face, which suddenly faded. “You’re Yamabuki’s coach, right?”
Banji nodded. “And you’re not from this school, are you?”
“Oh. No, I’m not.” She could imagine that it was probably a weird sight for him to come out on the courts and just see some student in a foreign uniform just standing there.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but do you know if Dan Taichi is here? I got a message from him on my phone today.”
She flipped open her phone and held it up so that he could see the message.
“Taichi-kun?”
“Yes, Taichi-kun.”
“Well, I can’t say I remember anything about his return…” He studied the message on the phone.
“Hrm…are you sure that Taichi-kun sent that message? It doesn’t really have an exact name for the number…all it really says is ‘I’m here’.”
It had never occurred to her that maybe Dan wasn’t the one who had sent this message. Then she remembered that he didn’t have a cell phone to begin with. She looked at the message again, the slight look of anguish on her face as she closed the phone.
“Sorry, excuse me for being a nuisance.” She bowed slightly. She took a deep breath in the midst of her bow.
“Could that be -san?”
turned around to see Muromachi standing there, smiling slightly. She didn’t know him that well, but neither was she a total complete stranger to the Yamabuki team.
“Muromachi-san, I was just leaving so I guess I’ll see you--”
“You’re not staying for the party?”
There was a silence as blinked in confusion.
“Party?”
“Dan’s welcome back party.” The smile on his face grew.
Disbelief. She looked back at the man standing there with that look on her face, the same man who had told her earlier that Dan was not present on Yamabuki’s school grounds.
“Oh…oops.” That indescribable smile still plastered onto his face. “Taichi-kun did get back today, didn’t he? Must’ve slipped my mind…”
------------------------------
’s heart raced as she grabbed for the door knob. She trembled at the cold touch of the metal against her soft delicate fingers. It was almost as if the knob would break or melt through her fingers if she didn’t handle it gingerly. It was so surreal…
She inhaled slowly as the door opened.
There were many people there, chatting, eating. She never knew that Dan knew so many people. She soon snapped back to reality to look for the black-haired boy.
Her eyes glanced over the crowd. He couldn’t not be there, not after Muromachi himself had come out and told her that Dan was in fact back at Yamabuki.
She made her way farther into the room and bobbed her head up and down as she looked for that familiar face.
“How could he not be at his own party?” she huffed as she took a seat off to the side of the room. She felt a bit angry.
“-san?”
jolted up and swung around to face the person.
“Da--” She was silenced. This wasn’t Dan…this couldn’t be Dan.
She looked up.
He was—he was…taller than her. He was more mature than he had ever been. He was very different; it was almost like he had thrown away all of his child-like features into a garbage can where you would never have to see them again.
She didn’t even notice her heart skip a beat as that wretched pink colour once again found its way to her cheeks.
“D-Dan-san” bowed slightly, letting the instability of her mind get to her.
His brown eyes ran over her for a second before he laughed. “‘Dan-san?’ Are you alright desu, -san? Usually you’d be all…” He paused for a cheeky grin.
“‘Dan-chwaaannn~!!!!’” He swung around and giggled cutely as he imitated her. “‘I am so glad that~ you-are-back!! Ahahha!’”
Her face almost blew up like a puffer fish. “Since when do I act like thaaa--!” Suddenly she was swung up in the arms of her friend.
“Dan-san put me down! Now! I mean it; I’ll do something really loud and…” She continued on threatening him as Dan laughed. She was so cute like this, just like before. His face softened, almost to the point of sadness.
“Taichi-san!” she yelled again.
“Yess~ desuuu?” he asked with an innocent look on his face.
“Don’t you act so innocent.”
“But whatever are you talking about, -chwaaaaan~~! I was only so worried about you~!”
“Well, isn’t this an interesting scene? Dan-san sure is lucky to be holding -chan like that.”
“Sengoku-san!” exclaimed without thinking. Then she looked at Dan.
“D-Dan-san…please…” Suddenly she was pleading desperately with her eyes for him to let her down.
“O-oh.” Why was it that all of the sudden she wanted to be put down again now that Sengoku was here? What was so special about him? She wouldn’t have cared at all before if Sengoku had come…
Sengoku looked over everything. “So this is what all the commotion was about. I was wondering why I was left stranded suddenly.”
“Sorry, Sengoku-san, I didn’t think that…”
Dan suddenly felt…invisible? Forgotten at the presence of one stupid orange-haired jerk?
“It’s fine. You can just repay me by having a drink with me,” He gave her a toothy grin.
What? Dan didn’t understand what was happening.
“Um, yeah, we could do that! I’ll see you later, Dan-san!” She smiled as she went ahead.
“Thanks for watching over my date for me, Dan-san,” Sengoku smirked and nonchalantly walked away.
------------------------------
“Akutsu-sempai!!” The boy yelled his brains out as he pounded on the door, hoping desperately for an answer.
“Answer the door! I know that you’re home desu!!”
“Goddamnit, what do you want brat?!” The door swung open and hit the wall with a bang.
The anger directed at Dan that moment could’ve killed any small animal within a 5-mile radius.
“Well?!”
“I…I need your help – please!”
“Forget it, brat!” Akutsu started to shut the door.
“No! Don’t!” He was frantic, he had to do something! He shoved his foot into the door so that Akutsu no longer had the option of shutting it in his face. “Please.”
“Do you not understand me? I said no.” Akutsu’s tone of voice was positively venomous.
“You don’t understand!” Suddenly Dan dropped to his knees, his head touching the floor in a desperate, pleading position. “Please, Akutsu-sempai, please…”
There was a silence as Akutsu’s rough, amber eyes fell upon the boy. What did he need so badly that he was willing to throw away all his pride and dignity just to beg for it?
“Hn, fine. Come in.” Akutsu hit the door as he turned around and walked inside.
“Hai!” Dan sounded happy as he raised his head. “Arigatou desu.” He stood up and quickly followed Akutsu.
------------------------------
“What is it that you so badly want me for?” demanded Akutsu. “And when exactly did you get so damn big”
“I need your help with something desu,.” he said, ignoring the second question.
“I got that much, Sherlock,” came the smart-alecky reply.
Dan took a deep breath. “I think…” He was hesitant. “I think I’m losing, Akutsu…I think I’m losing her.” He couldn’t even face Akutsu, he knew that there was only a small margin of chance that he would even give any sort of care about what he was thinking, but who else did he have? He needed him to understand.
“What are you talking about, brat?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his usual cigarette.
“I mean, I need you to help me desu…Usually I would never bother you for anything, but…”
“What are you, a girl having mood swings?!” He flipped the lighter open and lit the cigarette as he spoke.
“It’s…-- de-desu.” He felt like he had tied his tongue in a knot.
“Psh, you want me to help you with some broad that you fell in love with?”
Dan was silent.
“You are in love with her right?” Akutsu fiddled with his cigarette at his side.
A small blush came to his cheeks. “I…I…” Why couldn’t he say it? What’s preventing him? It’s not like it was a secret to him that he liked her…but to phrase it as ‘love’?
“I’m not going to help you with something you’re not even sure about.” Akutsu started walking towards the door to let the stumbling kid out of his house.
“I-I do desu! I love her…” Dan pushed the rest of the air out of his chest. His face was now even redder and he was even breathing a bit heavily, as if he had to force the words out.
Akutsu closed his eyes, in a thinking pose. Why should he waste his time helping that little brat get a girl? It wasn’t his problem right? He glanced over at the Dan, who was currently displaying more than a handful of flaws in his composure.
He looked at Dan straight in the eyes. “If I’m gonna do this, you’re going to listen to everything I say.”
“Y-yes, desu.” He answered cautiously.
“And you should know that Sengoku’s got her under his little spell.”
“Yes, desu.”
Akutsu twiched. “And we’ll start out with getting rid of that stupid thing you do.” He shot Dan an annoyed looked.
“What thing desu?”
“That damn annoying ‘desu’ thing you do every two seconds!? I can’t believe that a brat like you even still has that stupid little annoying habit!”
“Gomen nasai de--”
“Shut up!”
“G-Gomen nasai!”
------------------------------
“-san!” Dan waved as he walked up to the waiting girl. Now all he had to do was remember what they had talked about at Akutsu’s house that night. Number one, no ‘desus.’ Fairly easy. Number two, play it cool. Work-in-progress. Number three, flirting. Never tried it before.
This would be interesting…
waved, relief washing over her. He really was here… she didn’t have to wait for Sengoku to stroll by, she didn’t have to hope that that black hair would be present on the tennis courts…because he was right there.
“How was school today de-” Dan paused and blushed a bit in embarrassment. “How was school today?”
“Who cares about me? I just want to know if you could even fit into your old school uniform!”
He laughed along with her and she smiled genuinely as they walked off.
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“Did you really get back just yesterday? I would’ve thought that the tennis team would’ve given you time to rest before they went all out on a party.” didn’t even give him time to answer before whipping out her cell phone. “Oh yeah, and I meant to ask you…”
“Did you send me this?” She held up the message that had previously sent her into shock.
Dan laughed a bit as he pulled out a small cell phone out of his school bag. “Heh?”
“Hey, why didn’t you tell me that you had a cell phone?! Tell me your number~!”
“I just got it yesterday at the party as a ‘welcome back’ gift,” he explained as he looked up his own number on the phone, not having memorized it yet.
“Liar.” She poked him in the side, causing him to jump a bit.
Dan caught onto what she was doing, but wait…was this…flirting? Er—crap. He had never had to deal with this type of thing before; it was so weird. No. It was just friendship, that’s all it ever was…
Just as fast as he blinked he realized that was gone.
“Snooze, you lose – catch me if you can!” she laughed from far in front of him.
“Ah—!” Who was he kidding? He knew nothing about this…maybe he should just let Sengoku have her…she would be happier with him anyway.
No.
“Get back here, you!” He started running after her.
If this was a race, then he would go as fast and as far as he needed to beat him because he lo-
He lov—
He loved her.
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Before the two had realized it they were suddenly way off course from their routine walk home. It didn’t matter to them though; they were both still mesmerized in their little game, which at that point, didn’t have a definite name.
“Come on, Daaan-sannn! Do you think you could be losing your touch?” teased in between breaths.
Dan panted. Were they really in the park now? “I would watch that mouth of yours if I were you!” He sped up, determined that he was going to catch the sprinting girl.
turned around, running backwards so that she could face him. “What are you gonna do~? Catch m—aah!”
toppled backwards into a fountain, followed rapidly by Dan, who didn’t manage to stop in time.
“Ungg—what was that?” groaned as she tried to move her aching arm to her aching head. But she found she couldn’t move.
Dan was right there on top of her.
So close, so entrancingly close that she didn’t even notice the pain of her body and the weight on top of her. How…did it get like this?
Dan froze. He knew that there was nothing that you could do to prevent this awkward situation now. He was sure that she could hear his heart from a mile away, her and everybody in the park around them.
It was almost as if he could reach out and grab this moment.
The wind blowing over them, the heat of their bodies so close together, the sound of their pounding hearts…
He brought his bright red face close to hers; she lay still, not sure of what to do. But she couldn’t move even if she wanted to anyway.
“I won’t let him have you.”
He ran his hand against her soft cheek.
There were no words to describe this.
Just…
Ring Rin-bzzr.
Dan had no choice but to let his moment in heaven cease. He got up as fumbled for her phone, mumbling incomprehensibly. He pulled the previously speechless girl out of the fountain, sighing deeply as he did so.
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“Dan-san…Dan-saaaan!!”
Dan turned to the person who was so desperately trying to get his attention.
Orange. He realized who it was.
“Oh come-on, I’m not that bad right~?” Sengoku laughed a bit, Dan could almost punch him.
“I need to know your ideas for the school festival this week – we have to work together for the school, right?”
Sengoku knew something…
This was as good as flat-out taunting as and him at the fountain yesterday.
“I thought we all agreed that it was going to be a feudal Japan theme.”
“So…we’ll all probably have to wear kimono and yukata then…”
Sengoku flashed that ridiculing smile.
“I wonder how cute -chan will look in that kimono as I guide her around the festival.”
Dan stopped.
“Good thing I called and asked her last night. I was afraid that I would miss the chance.” With that, Sengoku got out of the desk next to Dan and started to walk away.
“Wait!” Dan slammed a hand down on his desk as he stood up. Sengoku looked back at him, looking innocently surprised, as if he didn’t expect Dan to act like this.
Dan gritted his teeth. He didn’t know what to say. The festival… he had totally forgotten…and now that orange-haired hindrance had the nerve…. He shut his eyes in frustration.
“Hn” Sengoku sounded happy. “That’s what I thought.”
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The knocking just wouldn’t stop.
“Damnit, stop!” Akutsu swung open the door, once again to be greeted by the displeasing sight of the love-struck boy.
Dan only looked at the ground.
“Well, brat!? What is it this time?” he snarled.
Just then Dan looked up at him, his brown eyes almost piercing through Akutsu like two large knives. Eyes that were brimming with tears, but eyes that just weren’t ready to die.
“Hmph, come in.”
He suspected that Dan was about to move onto a whole different level.
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It was almost inspiring how a plain school like Yamabuki was transformed overnight into this amazing wonderland. Lanterns everywhere, people in kimono and yukata, and there was even supposed to be one of those wishing trees where people hung their wishes… it was like stepping into a time machine, only to emerge back in the Edo period. smiled, taking it all in.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Sengoku asked as he looked down at her.
“Oh, yes!”
All the same, felt something just wasn't right.
But Sengoku had gone to all this trouble for her, plus he’d helped her when Dan was gone…
She looked back up at him and watched all the lights of the school dance in his shining eyes. A slight somber feeling took hold of her.
“Don’t see Dan-san huh?” Sengoku laughed. “Guess he couldn’t get a date.”
blinked and opened her mouth, but no audible sound came out.
Why wouldn’t Dan be able to get a date? If anything, he should be trying to fight off girls. The way that he always talked to people with such high spirits, the way that he smiled…
The ways those brown mesmerizing eyes seemed to look right through you…
The way that he had brushed her cheek, so gently yet…
Wait…
What was she thinking!? She didn’t care about all of that…Dan was ONLY her friend.
That was it.
She paused, and then brought a hand to her heated cheeks. The feeling her heart was so desperately trying to avoid, was she just noticing it right now?
“-chan.”
“O-oh, sorry… It’s just so nice how everything looks. It’s like we are in ancient Japan again.”
Sengoku frowned. “That’s not good, because I’m sure that all those fancy samurai out there would be dying to catch a glimpse of the graceful geisha standing beside me.”
It was so corny, but the heat of her face got turned up a few notches. Why did Sengoku always have to be embarrassing like this?
walked only a little bit ahead before she realized that the presence beside her was gone. She turned around to look for him. “Sengoku-san?”
He was staring off into the distance.
“Sengoku-san…” She walked closer to snap him out of whatever dream he’d gone into. “Come on.” She smiled playfully as she touched him gently.
Before she even realized it, she was pulled into an embrace, her head buried in Sengoku’s arms.
“Sen-sen –”
“But let me tell you a secret.” Her heart thumped faster as he put his lips next to her ear. “I don’t care if they look.” She jolted backwards, fearing this situation, but he just closed his arms tighter. Sengoku had done things like this before… but she only thought that it was part of his natural flirtatiousness.
He had never held her with this much passion… and it scared her.
“…”
No, don’t say it.
“I want you to look at only me.”
“S-sengoku-san, please, this isn’t right…” She half mumbled the last part.
The cat-like grin rose again. “I’m not letting you go until you promise me that you will be only mine.”
“I-I can’t do this – please let me go!” She forced the words out as he was now holding her so tightly, she could hardly breathe.
“Oi, Sengoku-san.”
Sengoku’s embrace loosened, but he still held ’s hand tightly. “Dan-san? Wow, who’d have thought that you would’ve actually come?” He sounded slightly amused.
Dan gave him a look. “I would’ve come earlier but, you know, things with the festival weren’t working out… Which reminds me: the principal was looking for you. Something about the stand that you made for the goldfish booth not being stable.”
Sengoku looked murderously at Dan, but Dan only replied with that annoying grin that Sengoku always wore. “Unlucky~ huh?
If looks could kill, Dan would probably have been annihilated.
“Wait here for me, -chan.” Sengoku smiled at her sincerely. “I’ll be back.” He ran off, but this time without the satisfaction and confidence of having won.
Dan looked at .
looked at Dan.
He never could get over how beautiful she was. Especially now with that kimono, the subtle curls in her hair…
All of it…
He loved her.
“Dan-san…”
He smiled softly at her polite manner.
“Taichi-kun,” he corrected her.
“T-taichi-kun.”
There was a silence between the two. Why was that only now she was feeling so…so…
“Here, follow me.” Dan motioned to her slightly as he turned around
She nodded as she ran to catch up to him.
------------------------------
“Ah, here it is!” Dan exclaimed as he walked over to the tree standing in front of both of them.
It was large with small branches jutting out everywhere. Green leaves were scarce on it, but small white slips replaced them all along the branches.
“Oh, it’s the wishing tree that everybody was talking about!” was overjoyed to finally see it. She looked back at Dan, but he wasn’t there. “Taichi-kun?” She blinked and then turned back to the tree.
There was a new slip of paper there, one that was clearly different from all the others. Instead of being white, it was a bright pink…and it was a lot larger.
Although she knew that it was against the rules of the wishing tree, something compelled her to take it off the tree.
Gingerly, she opened it up.
“Although I know that it’s wrong, although I know that its hopeless, my only wish is that she would notice...”
She paused and then read on.
“…that the feeling I held onto for so long, but did nothing about would be recognized; that all those times when I thought that she noticed were not just dream; that the glowing radiance of her face could somehow shift my way. I wish that all those times when I beat myself up for keeping it inside…were exposed.”
What was this?
“I wish that would realize this overflowing emotion that even took me sometime to believe. I wish that would realize that I, Dan Taichi, am in love with her.”
stood there with the slip of pink paper enclosed in her fingers. She gaped slightly.
This was it.
This was the feeling that had been plaguing her.
The sadness that she had felt when he was gone, the way that she felt when he had come back, and the way her heart beat at the fountain that day.
It all made sense…
She looked around for Dan. “Taichi…Taichi!” she yelled desperately, and then reached for her phone and pounded the numbers in.
Dan watched her from a distance, smiling at the way that she was fumbling, obviously flustered. The phone in his pocket vibrated at intervals, but he ignored it.
He moved towards her, the girl whom he thought never had a chance with, the girl whom he had considered giving up.
The girl he loved.
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Songbird
Edited by Elenniel