---Chapter 04---

Disclaimer: PoT is not mine.

Some A/n's:

-- Thank you for your reviews and comments. :)

-- This fic is AU, as of now. The storyline stays in their childhood.

-- The timeline is between spring and summer seasons.

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The next day was a light and breezy day. Even in that bright and fair weather, Keigo remained anxious in waiting for his visitor. Meanwhile, Beat, following his master with his head, watched him walk back and forth in his room.

"What's taking that boy so long? I want to know now if he is Sanada Genichirou. Right, Beat?"

"Ruff!" was an instant answer.

Keigo continued fussing around while his dog walked over to his bed and grabbed something under it. It was a bright green Frisbee disc. Beat took it in his mouth and presented it to Keigo with a wagging tail.

"I can't play now, Beat. I'm waiting for someone."

The dog whined.

Keigo sighed. "Alright. Just a few throws. Okay?" Keigo had a soft spot for his pet.

"Ruff!"

With that, the boy and his dog went to the garden to play.

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Little Genichirou had never been in a mansion before. He had only seen them on TV. He never imagined that Atobe Keigo's house would be as big as a palace. The intricately-designed steel gates (with the word "Atobe" on it), the long driveway, and the limousine that brought him to the house were enough proof for him that Atobe lived at the peak of luxury.

Sanada-kun kept a straight face even though the house's extravagance astounded him. The mansion's interior was as grand as its exterior.

"No wonder he is so arrogant. He must have more servants than I can count," Genichirou thought.

As he was being led by the butler to Atobe's location, he prepared what he would do. Just be nice to him. Don't forget to ask him to be his friend.

When he reached the garden, Genichirou found the place really beautiful. There was a sakura tree in full bloom. The floating petals in the air were nice to watch. On one side, there were bushes of various kinds of flowers. Flitting butterflies could be seen around it. In one corner, there was a fountain with a koi pond underneath it. Primly cut grass covered the whole place. The garden was still spacious enough to play around.

As he stepped out into the garden, a gentle wind brushed up his face.

But this was not the only thing that collided with Genichirou's small body.

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"Catch this, Beat!" Keigo threw the disc to the garden's other side.

Beat, despite his big size, could athletically play "fetch" with his master. Keigo would throw a toy and he would always catch it and bring it back to the boy.

But this time, the Frisbee didn't return to Keigo, nor did Beat.

Keigo's throw curved near the glass door leading to the garden. As Beat was about to catch the toy in midair, Sanada walked out of that same door.

Crash!

Sanada ended up being pinned on the ground (his head down) by the big, white dog with a Frisbee on its mouth. His cap flew out and landed on Atobe's feet. Atobe picked it up and ran towards the scene.

"Sanada?!"

"Before…anything else…get...this thing…off me!" Genichirou's breathing was slightly uneven.

"'Thing?' Don't ever call Beat a thing! Come over here, Beat." The dog obeyed.

Sanada stood himself up and brushed off the dirt on his clothes. Atobe handed him his cap, which he wore right away.

"Are you all right?" Atobe asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. But that dog. It could've killed me! I was starting to lose my breath down there."

"It's not Beat's fault. You're the one that blocked his path. You should've looked where you're walking."

"Now it's my fault? I'm the victim here! You're the one that threw the toy. It's your fault."

"Mine? If you weren't so careless, it would never have happened."

"I'm careless?! Look who's talking."

"I'm not. You are!"

"No! You are!"

They looked sternly at each other. Then, there was "hmph" from both sides.

Genichirou thought that this pointless bickering would end if one of them would humble down. Hey! That gave him an idea…

"Atobe, didn't you promise me something yesterday? Something about being 'as humble as you can'?"

"Your point is?"

"I strongly suggest you fulfill it now or this argument won't end. You're at fault, Atobe. And you know it."

Again, Keigo would've swore Sanada if he knew such words. Keigo never conceded his mistakes. Now it was about to happen because of that foolish promise that he made.

"Nobody treats Atobe Keigo this way." Every word was icy.

"Yes. Nobody. Except me." Genichirou relished the moment.

Atobe's eyes were as sharp as icicles. If a stare could kill, Sanada might've been dead.

He took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Sanada. I'm sorry that my dog accidentally tackled you on the ground because of me." He tried to say this as sincerely as he can.

"Apology accepted. It's not so bad to say 'sorry' once in a while," Genichirou said.

"You forgive me that quickly? Won't you even gloat or laugh proudly after I said 'sorry'?"

"I could have done that. But I want to be your friend, so I did not do it."

This struck Keigo. Sanada Genichirou wanted to be his friend. He could feel blood rushing to his face. No one ever said that to him. Every "friend" that Keigo had could only be considered as his "minion." It was the first time that someone said this to him: "I want to be your friend." Keigo fell silent while he let his face slowly flush. His ice-like stare at Sanada was melting to a gentle gaze.

"Atobe?"

Keigo spoke in a soft voice. "What you said is really nice, Sanada. I want to be your friend too."

Genichirou smiled at him. He felt more than happy. "You're blushing, Atobe. I can see it on your cheeks." He pointed this out.

"That's just the wind blowing on my face," he replied smoothly.

Keigo walked towards Sanada. He slightly leaned his face on the capped boy.

"You say I'm blushing. But you're the one who's turning much redder, Sanada."

"If you want me to kiss you again, just say so."

Keigo withdrew himself. This reminded him about the other event yesterday.

"The moment you kissed me…I felt a flutter across my chest," Keigo said.

"I know that feeling."

Keigo was hesitant to speak but a small voice in his mind was urging him to tell Sanada what he felt about it. "Sanada…I think I feel something special for you. I'd like to be…close to you." He was soft-spoken.

A cool breeze met Genichirou's warm face. "That feeling that you say…I may have the same thing for you."

Silence. They just looked at each other with affectionate eyes. They understood. Both of them had a mutual desire to be close with each other.

"I remember that you will give me your acknowledgement if I fulfill the dare." Genichirou spoke first.

"You now have my acknowledgement, my humility, my friendship and my first kiss . Is there anything else you want?" Keigo was sarcastic but playful.

"Yes."

Keigo raised a brow. "And that would be?"

"Your name. Can I call you Keigo?"

"I suppose you can, Genichirou." Keigo said with a smile.

RUFF!

Beat barked at the two boys. He was being ignored long enough.

"Sorry, Beat. Ore-sama didn't mean to ignore you. Say hello to my friend, Genichirou."

"Ruff!"

"I believe we have agreed about your 'Ore-sama'?"

"Please, Genichirou. Just that word. I'm used to it." Keigo had a small pout while his dog seemed to have puppy eyes.

Genichirou rolled his eyes. What could he do? He could not resist Keigo anymore. "Do what you want."

"I take that as a 'yes'."

Keigo and Genichirou played all morning with Beat. The disc flew back and forth in the garden.

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"Genichirou, will you visit me everyday?"

"Yes, Keigo. You have my word."

The End…for now.

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Thank you for reading my fic. :D

Reviews are received graciously.

Sequel? I plan to make another fic about that. It will be a series of oneshots of their childhood moments. :)