Crossover – Amicitia Thesaurus Est – Chapter 15
Author: Sabina or Destiny or![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
destiny_1989
Rating: R
Summary: Best friends since the beginning. Every important event of one's life was shared with the other. Can this friendship last in time? Will the different paths the two best friends take affect it in any way?
Warnings: language, sexual innuendos, implied sex, drama
Pairings: ToraxUruha, SagaxNao, RukaxNao (onesided), ToraxShou, ReitaxRuki
Disclaimer: I would be bathing in money if I owned them. So no sue from you.
Pre Notes: I'm going to make an evidence of the embers of every class so no one will get confused.
3-A: Shou, Nao, Akiya, Hiroto
3-B: Tora, Isshi, Yomi
3-C: Uruha, Reita, Ruka
3-D: Saga, Aoi
3-E: Haven't really decided on who to be here.
|Chapter 1| |Chapter 2| |Chapter 3| |Chapter 4| |Chapter 5| |Chapter 6| |Chapter 7| |Chapter 8| |Chapter 9| |Chapter 10| |Chapter 11| |Chapter 12| |Chapter 13| |Chapter 14|
No classes for an entire day and you'd expect students to not be caught dead within one hundred feet of the school grounds. Sports day is the only day you'll see students coming to school with big smiles on their faces and happy when they pass the gate. Pride and competitiveness can make even the calmest person turn into a raging mad idiot, flexing his muscles like Popeye.
That, of course, is the attitude of the ones who participate in some of the events. However, there are some, like the girls, who come for the sole purpose of drooling over good looking guys in shorts, showing off who's got the highest testosterone level by giving all they've got to win and make their class the pride and joy of the entire school.
The hustle and bustle of the courtyard in the back of the school where everything was prepared for the events could be heard from any part of the school grounds. Everywhere you looked you could see students stretching, some of them looking over the medical supplies if, Heaven forbid, any injuries happened, and, of course, the cheerleaders who were more or less practicing and more or less ogling the guys who were more or less biting their nails because of the nervousness.
"Man, I'm so pumped up! I can hardly contain myself!"
Shou, Nao and Akiya laughed at the ball of enthusiasm that was Hiroto. He couldn't keep still for more that 10 seconds and even that was a lot. He constantly had to keep busy - stretching, moving around the courtyard and observing the final preparations, helping his friends stretch as well. You'd think that some students would be annoyed by how he was all over the place and almost constantly in their hair but he was quite the cute picture of barely contained happiness, plus, the girls liked seeing him parading around in his shorts.
Yumiko, their class president and resident slave driver, had gathered all the boys from class 3-A and gave a little speech which she referred to as a pep talk. Only difference is that it was more of a threat than a pep talk. She reminded them that they still had the play for the Culture Festival to prepare under her guidance and if she wasn't happy with their sports results, all Hell would break loose at rehearsals.
"Come on, you little ball of energy, the 400 meter race is about to start." Akiya said as he grabbed Hiroto by the shoulders, making him stop moving around. "Let's go in the stands and cheer Shou on."
The stands were packed with students from every class, yelling and screaming ovations for the first contestants. There were five senior classes so that made five runners. Shou was running for class 3-A, Yomi for 3-B, Ruka for 3-C, Aoi for 3-D and some short kid Shou didn't know for 3-E. They all got in the ready position, waiting to hear the signal to be set and then take off.
It came in the form of a loud horn and the runners took to their sprints. If you thought the cheering from before the race started was loud, then you should have worn earmuffs after the five contestants left the starting line. At first they were almost head to head but soon enough the winners could be seen. The short boy from class 3-E unfortunately had a split second of unbalance which left him in the dust of the other four. Yomi's height and short legs, respectively, started to say their word and he also fell behind. Ruka, Aoi and Shou were left but Ruka started to fall behind too. Unknowing to Shou, who was concentrating on going as fast as he could and not tripping over anything, Ruka shared a smirk with Aoi before he was outran by the other two.
The final stretch came and everyone in the stands was on their feet, cheering the two leading runners, the loudest being, of course, the students from classes 3-A and 3-D.
Aoi had to admit that he was exerting himself quite a lot trying to keep up with Shou. "And here I thought this would be an easy win." He smirked to himself and picked up the pace, going about 20 centimeters in front of Shou but he didn't stay there long. Shou was determined on winning, not because of what Yumiko had said but to prove to Aoi that he wasn't just a nerd who was pulling Tora down by making him study. Taking deep breaths to regulate his breathing, he forced his legs to move faster. One pace, two paces, three paces and he went on like that, taking the lead just in time to cross the finish line first.
***
Shou was still taking his breather, in a very strategically placed seat - next to the stands. It wasn't his fault they were completely overrun. Plus, he had enough space to stretch his legs and let his muscles relax.
"You did great! Congrats!"
Shou looked behind him to see who had patted his shoulder and smiled at Saga and Nao.
"That's my classmate!" Nao sat down as well and threw his arms around Shou hugging him tightly, taking him a bit by surprise and making him laugh.
"Too bad Tora couldn't see it. He'd be gloating about it all day and rubbing it in Aoi's face." Saga laughed as he sat down as well and threw an arm around Nao's shoulders.
Shou's attention was peaked by what the blonde had said. "He's not here? How come? He was really excited yesterday."
"He's not participating in any events. The soccer coach has him and the rest of the soccer team slaving away in the gym for the game this evening with Minomoki High." Saga said.
"That's not fair! He really wanted to be here. Plus, Hiroto's on the soccer team as well and he's participating in the events."
"That's because our homeroom teacher had a little exchange of words with our coach that wasn't so casual. In the end they made an agreement." said Hiroto as he passed the three boys with Akiya following after him. They were headed for the starting line of the three-legged race.
"That sucks! He was really looking forward to this." said Shou drawing his legs up to his chest and placing his chin on his knees, pouting.
***
"You'd better not trip or I'll chew your toes off." Hiroto motivated his partner in the three-legged race.
"You'd better not let your short legs make me fall behind." Akiya retorted.
"You'd better shut your pie-hole if you want to be able to participate in the next events." the short blonde shot back and pinched Akiya's side hard.
"Ow! You want me to be 100% for this race, short stuff? Shut up and do what you're expected to do."
Although their bickering lasted until the announcement to get ready to begin was heard, Akiya and Hiroto flung an arm around one another to keep steady and shut up the minute they were supposed to be completely attentive. Even though they kept hassling each other, Hiroto and Akiya worked well together and that's why they crossed the finish line first.
The knot that tied one leg from each of them together had tightened a lot during their run and they were no longer able to untie it. They walked around the courtyard looking for a pair of scissors to cut the rope. Soon, the circulation in those legs had begun to be quite poor, they lost the feeling in them and on more than one occasion they fell over one another.
By the time Shou and Nao had managed to find something to cut the rope with, the two tied together runners were once again on the ground, Akiya with his face buried in Hiroto's chest, whining that his leg would need to be amputated, and Hiroto with an arm around the taller senior, trying not to snap at him for being such a drama queen.
"There you go. You're free."
Hiroto pushed Akiya off him none too gently, jumped to his feet and started running a bit to get the feeling back in his leg. Too bad the stinging that followed the resumption of the circulation was making him limp. But Hiroto, being the big-headed fool he was, wasn't stopping and Nao went after him.
"Are you okay?" Both Shou and Akiya looked at the new voice and they saw Isshi heading their way, an ice pack in his hand.
"I'd better go and help Nao with Hiroto." said Shou and he defalcated himself from the scene.
Akiya looked after him surprised. He yelped and jumped a bit off the ground he was sitting on when he felt something really cold in his calf. He turned his head back fast and fell backwards, clutching his forehead.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." Isshi chuckled, holding his own forehead. He got off his butt and picked up the ice pack he had dropped when Akiya and he bumped heads. "Hold this here a little while. It'll help with the pain."
"Thanks." Akiya groaned and sat back up, one hand still on his forehead and one arm holding his body up.
***
People were really jumpy even in the breaks between events. But Shou, for one, had his moments of being down on the dumps. He felt guilty that he could have fun participating in the competitions and Tora was slaving his butt off in the gym, all because of a paranoid coach. It wasn't fair!
"Why the long face, friend?" Shou turned his head to the right and saw Saga smiling at him, with an arm around his shoulders. "You know, after this break there's gonna be the tug-of-war competition between my class and Uruha's. There are gonna be two rounds, three if we're tied, after which there's the girls' gymnastics competition and then another break with the cheerleaders from every class."
Shou had no idea where the other was going and raised an eyebrow. "So, if you want to go to the gym and talk to Tora, you have plenty of time. Also there will be no Uruha 'cause there's no way he's going to miss the tug-of-war."
So that was it. What was wrong with everybody trying to get him and Tora together?! The poor guy had a boyfriend, a bitch of a boyfriend but a boyfriend nonetheless, and Shou sure as Hell didn't want to complicate their friendship with anything more. He was perfectly content with how things were.
***
Why was the world so cruel? Rhetorical or not, that question plagued Tora's mind since he had arrived at school that morning. Being dragged to the gym, kicking and screaming, by your coach who wanted you to practice until your legs fell off because, quote "The school's honor depends on the game tonight" end quote, wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend Sports day. Who ever heard of coming to Sports day but not participating?!
Lying on the floor to let the wood seep all the overheat out of your body was really nice. Never mind the huge lake of sweat you left when you got up - what mattered was that you got to rest well. Or as well as you were allowed to by a certain obsessed coach.
A light kick made his foot oscillate from right to left like a pendulum. Tora ignored it. Another kick came and he ignored it as well. Then a strong kick that pushed his foot towards his body, bending his leg, came and Tora looked to his aggressor.
"What?!" he whined.
"I believe you've got company, dude."
Lazily turning his head in the direction he was indicated, he saw a familiar brown haired someone peeking his head through the gym door, looking around. Tora got up, with a few difficulties, and walked in the direction of the door. He smiled when the other noticed him and came inside.
"How's everything on the western side of the Berlin Wall?"
They both laughed at Tora's way of describing his current predicament.
"We're holding on but we need to be reunited with you guys. We're not whole without you!" Shou's continuation sent them in an outright laugh-fest. "Now, seriously, it's great out there! Why the Hell are you forbidden from participating in the events?!"
Tora sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. He grimaced at the feeling and Shou merely giggled at his friend's disgusted face. This was a new way of seeing Tora. Actually, he had seen him during soccer practice before but now he looked like he was giving his all. He was still breathing a little hard, probably their break hadn't started for long, and some sweat was trickling down his jaw and neck. His shirt was sticking to his body courtesy of that same sweat. Never before had Shou thought to thank God for creating humans with those glands all over their bodies.
"... and I guess he thinks we're not ready yet."
Good thing he caught that last part of Tora's statement. It was enough for him to intuit what his friend had said. Had he missed those last words, he would have turned as red as a tomato because the only thing that could have made his attention wander was staring at Tora since they were quite close at that moment.
"That's bullcrap and you know it!" The brunette was taken aback by Shou's hard reply. Maybe it was a bit too hard a way to try and save face. Oh well, might as well continue. "The basketball team has a match tonight with Minomoki as well and you don't see us running around the gym like lunatics! You're going to be wasted before the match. What are you going to do then?"
"Dude, easy! Don't kill the messenger!" Tora put his hands on Shou's shoulders to calm down that blazing fire that threatened to spread everywhere. "I never said you don't have a point - you do - and we've told our coach the same thing. He just won't understand."
"This bites." Shou sighed dejectedly, lowering his head in defeat. "You've been looking forward to today, too."
Tora smiled and gave Shou a one armed hug. Shou wrinkled his nose and pushed the brunette away, face scrunched up. "Dude, you stink! By tonight no one will be able to stay in here because of the smell!"
The taller of the two burst out laughing again and patted Shou's shoulder. "Is the princess not in her element? I'm sorry to have bothered your sensitive olfactory sense with my gruff and boor smell. Will you ever forgive this poor, cad peasant?" Shou merely looked at him with an annoyed face and Tora laughed even harder.
"Alright, you infidels, get your butts back on that field!"
Collective groans were heard from the team members, even from Reita, who was possibly the most enthusiastic about the match from later that day. Even he was turned into a whining bundle of nerves.
"Gotta go back to the salt mine. I'll see you later. Win some competitions and make me proud!"
"I already have. I beat Aoi in the 400 meter race." Shou replied smugly.
"Good going, Chita! You keep that up and make Tarzan the proudest in the jungle!" Tora threw an arm around Shou's shoulders and gave him a few noogies. Shou managed to scramble from his friend's grip but the glare he threw Tora was more of amusement than hate.
***
It was time for the last important event of the day and everyone had their eyes on the participants. It was the relay competition between all senior classes. Was Shou ever glad that he wasn't going to be in the same segment of the race as Uruha. He was going to be running the first segment, and Uruha was going to be running the third.
"If your class wins this race too, you're going to be looked upon with different eyes. Who would have thought that a class of, pardon my expression, geeks would get these results?" Isshi laughed as he talked with Akiya, before the final signal of the race was given. They were both the anchors of their classes, the last segment of the race and everyone's expectations weighing on their shoulders.
"Meh, I, for one, could care less what people call me. I'm just here for the fun and for my classmates." Akiya answered, shrugging his shoulders.
Shou was beginning to be really nervous. His class had done great up until then and he sure as Hell didn't want them to flunk this race. He did some warm up exercises for his ankles, made sure his running shoes wouldn't slip and took deep breaths to calm himself down. No need to be so worried about failing and actually cause himself to do just that.
He went to his starting position and looked at his other classmates who would be running with him. Nao and Hiroto were shouting something to one another, probably encouragements. He couldn't see Akiya all that well but from what Shou could tell, he was talking to Isshi. That made him smile a bit - it looked like a lot of people found a significant other those days. Whoever said that spring was the season of love?
"Too bad Tora wasn't here to see you shine."
"It couldn't be helped. And, no, I wouldn't want him to be here just for me, Yomi, but for himself. He's been looking forward to today since school started." Shou replied to his race adversary, currently occupying the starting position to his right.
"That may sound like you're not after him but such a selfless statement can also be interpreted the wrong way by the wrong people."
"Oh, Yomi, spare me the wannabe friendly advice!"
The shorter senior didn't seem to be fazed by Shou's remark. "You're smart when it comes to school subjects and hypothetical things but when it comes to the real world, you're not so bright and you're especially stupid when it comes to Tora."
"RUNNERS, GET READY!" boomed through the speakers and Shou didn't have the opportunity to reply to Yomi.
Although he didn't want to, he cleared his head of all thoughts that weren't connected to the race and got ready for the start. One breath, two breaths, three breaths. The horn signaling the beginning of the race went off and the first five runners sprang off. Shou and Nao might not have been such good runners as Hiroto and Akiya but they pulled their own weight and that was certainly seen when Nao managed to pass the baton to Hiroto. The blonde senior ran that third segment like rabid dogs were after him, catching up to the runner from class 3-B, who had had an advantage thanks to the quick runners he had had in his team at the first two segments.
Hiroto passed the baton to Akiya the moment Isshi was handed the baton by his own classmate and the race for the final stretch was on. The other three classes were close behind them but not so close that they would pose a problem.
For half of the segment, Akiya and Isshi were shoulder to shoulder, both giving their all to pass the other. With a final burst of strength in his legs, Akiya managed to get a few paces ahead of Isshi and the stands went wild. They were all cheering Akiya on, encouraging him to keep going and win.
But something happened. Akiya gasped and his pace slowed down considerably, giving Isshi the opportunity to pass him. He tried to regain his former pace and possibly pass the finish line at the same time as Isshi, if he couldn't win but the pain in his leg wouldn't let him go any faster. It already hurt a lot with how fast he was going. At least he could come in second - there wasn't much of the track left.
"Come on, Akiya! You can do it!" he encouraged himself in his mind.
Class 3-B's supporters cheered like mad when Isshi crossed the finish line and won the race. True to his ambition, Akiya passed it second but as soon as he had made a few more paces to slow down and eventually stop, he tripped over something - or maybe it was caused by his leg giving up - and he fell, skidding on the prolongation of the track. That was a good thing because he would have scratched himself quite badly had he fallen on the concrete.
Isshi's eyes widened when he saw the scene and he, along with Shou, Nao and Hiroto, was immediately by Akiya's side, lifting him off the ground.
"Are you okay?" Hiroto asked with big, worried eyes, the same worried tone in his voice.
"Cramp!" Akiya hissed when he stretched his left leg, the pain in his calf being almost unbearable.
"Don't move it in any direction or bend it and try not to strain your muscles." said Isshi as he couched down and held Akiya's leg straight.
"Easier said then done!" the brunette hissed as another wave of pain went through his calf.
"I know it hurts but this is the best way to get rid of it. Just don't do anything that can cause you more pain."
After about a minute of hissing and grunting on Hiroto's part because he didn't get a good hold on Akiya and was about to drop him a few times had Nao not helped him, the cramp finally went away and Akiya could breathe relieved.
"I sure as Hell don't want to go through that again." he said as he bent and stretched his leg experimentally.
"You might still feel some aftereffects but you should be okay." Isshi patted his shoulder and smiled.
"Come on guys, let's hit the showers. I don't want to smell like a gym bag until the soccer and basketball matches begin." said Nao and they all nodded.
Shou was the first to finish showering and as he was getting dressed in his street clothes, he couldn't help but think back to what Yomi had told him. What did he mean by "you're especially stupid when it comes to Tora"? Was he that blind to what Tora meant to him or perhaps he didn't want to see?
Post Notes:
1. Cramps are so incredibly nasty!! Last night I woke up two times because of a cramp in each of my legs and it wasn't pretty. >______>
Author: Sabina or Destiny or
destiny_1989Rating: R
Summary: Best friends since the beginning. Every important event of one's life was shared with the other. Can this friendship last in time? Will the different paths the two best friends take affect it in any way?
Warnings: language, sexual innuendos, implied sex, drama
Pairings: ToraxUruha, SagaxNao, RukaxNao (onesided), ToraxShou, ReitaxRuki
Disclaimer: I would be bathing in money if I owned them. So no sue from you.
Pre Notes: I'm going to make an evidence of the embers of every class so no one will get confused.
3-A: Shou, Nao, Akiya, Hiroto
3-B: Tora, Isshi, Yomi
3-C: Uruha, Reita, Ruka
3-D: Saga, Aoi
3-E: Haven't really decided on who to be here.
|Chapter 1| |Chapter 2| |Chapter 3| |Chapter 4| |Chapter 5| |Chapter 6| |Chapter 7| |Chapter 8| |Chapter 9| |Chapter 10| |Chapter 11| |Chapter 12| |Chapter 13| |Chapter 14|
No classes for an entire day and you'd expect students to not be caught dead within one hundred feet of the school grounds. Sports day is the only day you'll see students coming to school with big smiles on their faces and happy when they pass the gate. Pride and competitiveness can make even the calmest person turn into a raging mad idiot, flexing his muscles like Popeye.
That, of course, is the attitude of the ones who participate in some of the events. However, there are some, like the girls, who come for the sole purpose of drooling over good looking guys in shorts, showing off who's got the highest testosterone level by giving all they've got to win and make their class the pride and joy of the entire school.
The hustle and bustle of the courtyard in the back of the school where everything was prepared for the events could be heard from any part of the school grounds. Everywhere you looked you could see students stretching, some of them looking over the medical supplies if, Heaven forbid, any injuries happened, and, of course, the cheerleaders who were more or less practicing and more or less ogling the guys who were more or less biting their nails because of the nervousness.
"Man, I'm so pumped up! I can hardly contain myself!"
Shou, Nao and Akiya laughed at the ball of enthusiasm that was Hiroto. He couldn't keep still for more that 10 seconds and even that was a lot. He constantly had to keep busy - stretching, moving around the courtyard and observing the final preparations, helping his friends stretch as well. You'd think that some students would be annoyed by how he was all over the place and almost constantly in their hair but he was quite the cute picture of barely contained happiness, plus, the girls liked seeing him parading around in his shorts.
Yumiko, their class president and resident slave driver, had gathered all the boys from class 3-A and gave a little speech which she referred to as a pep talk. Only difference is that it was more of a threat than a pep talk. She reminded them that they still had the play for the Culture Festival to prepare under her guidance and if she wasn't happy with their sports results, all Hell would break loose at rehearsals.
"Come on, you little ball of energy, the 400 meter race is about to start." Akiya said as he grabbed Hiroto by the shoulders, making him stop moving around. "Let's go in the stands and cheer Shou on."
The stands were packed with students from every class, yelling and screaming ovations for the first contestants. There were five senior classes so that made five runners. Shou was running for class 3-A, Yomi for 3-B, Ruka for 3-C, Aoi for 3-D and some short kid Shou didn't know for 3-E. They all got in the ready position, waiting to hear the signal to be set and then take off.
It came in the form of a loud horn and the runners took to their sprints. If you thought the cheering from before the race started was loud, then you should have worn earmuffs after the five contestants left the starting line. At first they were almost head to head but soon enough the winners could be seen. The short boy from class 3-E unfortunately had a split second of unbalance which left him in the dust of the other four. Yomi's height and short legs, respectively, started to say their word and he also fell behind. Ruka, Aoi and Shou were left but Ruka started to fall behind too. Unknowing to Shou, who was concentrating on going as fast as he could and not tripping over anything, Ruka shared a smirk with Aoi before he was outran by the other two.
The final stretch came and everyone in the stands was on their feet, cheering the two leading runners, the loudest being, of course, the students from classes 3-A and 3-D.
Aoi had to admit that he was exerting himself quite a lot trying to keep up with Shou. "And here I thought this would be an easy win." He smirked to himself and picked up the pace, going about 20 centimeters in front of Shou but he didn't stay there long. Shou was determined on winning, not because of what Yumiko had said but to prove to Aoi that he wasn't just a nerd who was pulling Tora down by making him study. Taking deep breaths to regulate his breathing, he forced his legs to move faster. One pace, two paces, three paces and he went on like that, taking the lead just in time to cross the finish line first.
Shou was still taking his breather, in a very strategically placed seat - next to the stands. It wasn't his fault they were completely overrun. Plus, he had enough space to stretch his legs and let his muscles relax.
"You did great! Congrats!"
Shou looked behind him to see who had patted his shoulder and smiled at Saga and Nao.
"That's my classmate!" Nao sat down as well and threw his arms around Shou hugging him tightly, taking him a bit by surprise and making him laugh.
"Too bad Tora couldn't see it. He'd be gloating about it all day and rubbing it in Aoi's face." Saga laughed as he sat down as well and threw an arm around Nao's shoulders.
Shou's attention was peaked by what the blonde had said. "He's not here? How come? He was really excited yesterday."
"He's not participating in any events. The soccer coach has him and the rest of the soccer team slaving away in the gym for the game this evening with Minomoki High." Saga said.
"That's not fair! He really wanted to be here. Plus, Hiroto's on the soccer team as well and he's participating in the events."
"That's because our homeroom teacher had a little exchange of words with our coach that wasn't so casual. In the end they made an agreement." said Hiroto as he passed the three boys with Akiya following after him. They were headed for the starting line of the three-legged race.
"That sucks! He was really looking forward to this." said Shou drawing his legs up to his chest and placing his chin on his knees, pouting.
"You'd better not trip or I'll chew your toes off." Hiroto motivated his partner in the three-legged race.
"You'd better not let your short legs make me fall behind." Akiya retorted.
"You'd better shut your pie-hole if you want to be able to participate in the next events." the short blonde shot back and pinched Akiya's side hard.
"Ow! You want me to be 100% for this race, short stuff? Shut up and do what you're expected to do."
Although their bickering lasted until the announcement to get ready to begin was heard, Akiya and Hiroto flung an arm around one another to keep steady and shut up the minute they were supposed to be completely attentive. Even though they kept hassling each other, Hiroto and Akiya worked well together and that's why they crossed the finish line first.
The knot that tied one leg from each of them together had tightened a lot during their run and they were no longer able to untie it. They walked around the courtyard looking for a pair of scissors to cut the rope. Soon, the circulation in those legs had begun to be quite poor, they lost the feeling in them and on more than one occasion they fell over one another.
By the time Shou and Nao had managed to find something to cut the rope with, the two tied together runners were once again on the ground, Akiya with his face buried in Hiroto's chest, whining that his leg would need to be amputated, and Hiroto with an arm around the taller senior, trying not to snap at him for being such a drama queen.
"There you go. You're free."
Hiroto pushed Akiya off him none too gently, jumped to his feet and started running a bit to get the feeling back in his leg. Too bad the stinging that followed the resumption of the circulation was making him limp. But Hiroto, being the big-headed fool he was, wasn't stopping and Nao went after him.
"Are you okay?" Both Shou and Akiya looked at the new voice and they saw Isshi heading their way, an ice pack in his hand.
"I'd better go and help Nao with Hiroto." said Shou and he defalcated himself from the scene.
Akiya looked after him surprised. He yelped and jumped a bit off the ground he was sitting on when he felt something really cold in his calf. He turned his head back fast and fell backwards, clutching his forehead.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." Isshi chuckled, holding his own forehead. He got off his butt and picked up the ice pack he had dropped when Akiya and he bumped heads. "Hold this here a little while. It'll help with the pain."
"Thanks." Akiya groaned and sat back up, one hand still on his forehead and one arm holding his body up.
People were really jumpy even in the breaks between events. But Shou, for one, had his moments of being down on the dumps. He felt guilty that he could have fun participating in the competitions and Tora was slaving his butt off in the gym, all because of a paranoid coach. It wasn't fair!
"Why the long face, friend?" Shou turned his head to the right and saw Saga smiling at him, with an arm around his shoulders. "You know, after this break there's gonna be the tug-of-war competition between my class and Uruha's. There are gonna be two rounds, three if we're tied, after which there's the girls' gymnastics competition and then another break with the cheerleaders from every class."
Shou had no idea where the other was going and raised an eyebrow. "So, if you want to go to the gym and talk to Tora, you have plenty of time. Also there will be no Uruha 'cause there's no way he's going to miss the tug-of-war."
So that was it. What was wrong with everybody trying to get him and Tora together?! The poor guy had a boyfriend, a bitch of a boyfriend but a boyfriend nonetheless, and Shou sure as Hell didn't want to complicate their friendship with anything more. He was perfectly content with how things were.
Why was the world so cruel? Rhetorical or not, that question plagued Tora's mind since he had arrived at school that morning. Being dragged to the gym, kicking and screaming, by your coach who wanted you to practice until your legs fell off because, quote "The school's honor depends on the game tonight" end quote, wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend Sports day. Who ever heard of coming to Sports day but not participating?!
Lying on the floor to let the wood seep all the overheat out of your body was really nice. Never mind the huge lake of sweat you left when you got up - what mattered was that you got to rest well. Or as well as you were allowed to by a certain obsessed coach.
A light kick made his foot oscillate from right to left like a pendulum. Tora ignored it. Another kick came and he ignored it as well. Then a strong kick that pushed his foot towards his body, bending his leg, came and Tora looked to his aggressor.
"What?!" he whined.
"I believe you've got company, dude."
Lazily turning his head in the direction he was indicated, he saw a familiar brown haired someone peeking his head through the gym door, looking around. Tora got up, with a few difficulties, and walked in the direction of the door. He smiled when the other noticed him and came inside.
"How's everything on the western side of the Berlin Wall?"
They both laughed at Tora's way of describing his current predicament.
"We're holding on but we need to be reunited with you guys. We're not whole without you!" Shou's continuation sent them in an outright laugh-fest. "Now, seriously, it's great out there! Why the Hell are you forbidden from participating in the events?!"
Tora sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. He grimaced at the feeling and Shou merely giggled at his friend's disgusted face. This was a new way of seeing Tora. Actually, he had seen him during soccer practice before but now he looked like he was giving his all. He was still breathing a little hard, probably their break hadn't started for long, and some sweat was trickling down his jaw and neck. His shirt was sticking to his body courtesy of that same sweat. Never before had Shou thought to thank God for creating humans with those glands all over their bodies.
"... and I guess he thinks we're not ready yet."
Good thing he caught that last part of Tora's statement. It was enough for him to intuit what his friend had said. Had he missed those last words, he would have turned as red as a tomato because the only thing that could have made his attention wander was staring at Tora since they were quite close at that moment.
"That's bullcrap and you know it!" The brunette was taken aback by Shou's hard reply. Maybe it was a bit too hard a way to try and save face. Oh well, might as well continue. "The basketball team has a match tonight with Minomoki as well and you don't see us running around the gym like lunatics! You're going to be wasted before the match. What are you going to do then?"
"Dude, easy! Don't kill the messenger!" Tora put his hands on Shou's shoulders to calm down that blazing fire that threatened to spread everywhere. "I never said you don't have a point - you do - and we've told our coach the same thing. He just won't understand."
"This bites." Shou sighed dejectedly, lowering his head in defeat. "You've been looking forward to today, too."
Tora smiled and gave Shou a one armed hug. Shou wrinkled his nose and pushed the brunette away, face scrunched up. "Dude, you stink! By tonight no one will be able to stay in here because of the smell!"
The taller of the two burst out laughing again and patted Shou's shoulder. "Is the princess not in her element? I'm sorry to have bothered your sensitive olfactory sense with my gruff and boor smell. Will you ever forgive this poor, cad peasant?" Shou merely looked at him with an annoyed face and Tora laughed even harder.
"Alright, you infidels, get your butts back on that field!"
Collective groans were heard from the team members, even from Reita, who was possibly the most enthusiastic about the match from later that day. Even he was turned into a whining bundle of nerves.
"Gotta go back to the salt mine. I'll see you later. Win some competitions and make me proud!"
"I already have. I beat Aoi in the 400 meter race." Shou replied smugly.
"Good going, Chita! You keep that up and make Tarzan the proudest in the jungle!" Tora threw an arm around Shou's shoulders and gave him a few noogies. Shou managed to scramble from his friend's grip but the glare he threw Tora was more of amusement than hate.
It was time for the last important event of the day and everyone had their eyes on the participants. It was the relay competition between all senior classes. Was Shou ever glad that he wasn't going to be in the same segment of the race as Uruha. He was going to be running the first segment, and Uruha was going to be running the third.
"If your class wins this race too, you're going to be looked upon with different eyes. Who would have thought that a class of, pardon my expression, geeks would get these results?" Isshi laughed as he talked with Akiya, before the final signal of the race was given. They were both the anchors of their classes, the last segment of the race and everyone's expectations weighing on their shoulders.
"Meh, I, for one, could care less what people call me. I'm just here for the fun and for my classmates." Akiya answered, shrugging his shoulders.
Shou was beginning to be really nervous. His class had done great up until then and he sure as Hell didn't want them to flunk this race. He did some warm up exercises for his ankles, made sure his running shoes wouldn't slip and took deep breaths to calm himself down. No need to be so worried about failing and actually cause himself to do just that.
He went to his starting position and looked at his other classmates who would be running with him. Nao and Hiroto were shouting something to one another, probably encouragements. He couldn't see Akiya all that well but from what Shou could tell, he was talking to Isshi. That made him smile a bit - it looked like a lot of people found a significant other those days. Whoever said that spring was the season of love?
"Too bad Tora wasn't here to see you shine."
"It couldn't be helped. And, no, I wouldn't want him to be here just for me, Yomi, but for himself. He's been looking forward to today since school started." Shou replied to his race adversary, currently occupying the starting position to his right.
"That may sound like you're not after him but such a selfless statement can also be interpreted the wrong way by the wrong people."
"Oh, Yomi, spare me the wannabe friendly advice!"
The shorter senior didn't seem to be fazed by Shou's remark. "You're smart when it comes to school subjects and hypothetical things but when it comes to the real world, you're not so bright and you're especially stupid when it comes to Tora."
"RUNNERS, GET READY!" boomed through the speakers and Shou didn't have the opportunity to reply to Yomi.
Although he didn't want to, he cleared his head of all thoughts that weren't connected to the race and got ready for the start. One breath, two breaths, three breaths. The horn signaling the beginning of the race went off and the first five runners sprang off. Shou and Nao might not have been such good runners as Hiroto and Akiya but they pulled their own weight and that was certainly seen when Nao managed to pass the baton to Hiroto. The blonde senior ran that third segment like rabid dogs were after him, catching up to the runner from class 3-B, who had had an advantage thanks to the quick runners he had had in his team at the first two segments.
Hiroto passed the baton to Akiya the moment Isshi was handed the baton by his own classmate and the race for the final stretch was on. The other three classes were close behind them but not so close that they would pose a problem.
For half of the segment, Akiya and Isshi were shoulder to shoulder, both giving their all to pass the other. With a final burst of strength in his legs, Akiya managed to get a few paces ahead of Isshi and the stands went wild. They were all cheering Akiya on, encouraging him to keep going and win.
But something happened. Akiya gasped and his pace slowed down considerably, giving Isshi the opportunity to pass him. He tried to regain his former pace and possibly pass the finish line at the same time as Isshi, if he couldn't win but the pain in his leg wouldn't let him go any faster. It already hurt a lot with how fast he was going. At least he could come in second - there wasn't much of the track left.
"Come on, Akiya! You can do it!" he encouraged himself in his mind.
Class 3-B's supporters cheered like mad when Isshi crossed the finish line and won the race. True to his ambition, Akiya passed it second but as soon as he had made a few more paces to slow down and eventually stop, he tripped over something - or maybe it was caused by his leg giving up - and he fell, skidding on the prolongation of the track. That was a good thing because he would have scratched himself quite badly had he fallen on the concrete.
Isshi's eyes widened when he saw the scene and he, along with Shou, Nao and Hiroto, was immediately by Akiya's side, lifting him off the ground.
"Are you okay?" Hiroto asked with big, worried eyes, the same worried tone in his voice.
"Cramp!" Akiya hissed when he stretched his left leg, the pain in his calf being almost unbearable.
"Don't move it in any direction or bend it and try not to strain your muscles." said Isshi as he couched down and held Akiya's leg straight.
"Easier said then done!" the brunette hissed as another wave of pain went through his calf.
"I know it hurts but this is the best way to get rid of it. Just don't do anything that can cause you more pain."
After about a minute of hissing and grunting on Hiroto's part because he didn't get a good hold on Akiya and was about to drop him a few times had Nao not helped him, the cramp finally went away and Akiya could breathe relieved.
"I sure as Hell don't want to go through that again." he said as he bent and stretched his leg experimentally.
"You might still feel some aftereffects but you should be okay." Isshi patted his shoulder and smiled.
"Come on guys, let's hit the showers. I don't want to smell like a gym bag until the soccer and basketball matches begin." said Nao and they all nodded.
Shou was the first to finish showering and as he was getting dressed in his street clothes, he couldn't help but think back to what Yomi had told him. What did he mean by "you're especially stupid when it comes to Tora"? Was he that blind to what Tora meant to him or perhaps he didn't want to see?
Post Notes:
1. Cramps are so incredibly nasty!! Last night I woke up two times because of a cramp in each of my legs and it wasn't pretty. >______>
Current Mood: 
jubilant
jubilant27 comments | Leave a comment