Note: This is my first time writing a fan fic of any sort so please forgive
me if it's not so great! ^^ I just wanted to try it out after reading some
other people's work. Usually, I write my own original stories instead. I
know Kaidoh's character is off, but that's the way it works out based on
the contents of how the story plays out. The meaning of Japanese words are
placed beside them as they are used. As for the characters, none of them
are mine except for two! The rest of them are from Prince of Tennis. ^^ I
hope you like it and please let me know what you think!!
*********
Chance Encounter
As with every morning, the dark-haired boy tied his green bandana around his head. Before starting his morning ten kilometer jog, Kaidoh took in a deep breath which he subsequently released. To maintain his strong stamina, he had to keep continuing his training that Inui had mapped out for him.
Starting his jog, he took his usual route, passing by neighbors' houses down the street. For part of his route, he passed by a small playground built for the children. He scowled at the memory of the young children, frightened by his face. In the morning, there was usually no one there.
Today was different. As he jogged by, he saw a young girl, maybe four or five, squatting by the sandbox. She was all alone with no one looking after her, but Kaidoh pushed the thought out of his mind. It was none of his business and the little girl would just be scared of him, as was every other child.
He continued his jog, taking the same routine path. As he came to the turning point of his exercise, he jogged around the second small playground and headed home. To his surprise, the little girl was still alone at the first playground he had passed. Stopping by the entrance path, he jogged on the spot, wondering what he should do.
He was torn between leaving her there and going to see what was wrong. It wasn't that he didn't like children, but they always ran away crying when they saw the expression on his face. Making up his mind to leave her alone, he turned around to head home when he heard her sniffles. Just to make sure he hadn't heard wrong, he stopped his movements.
Hearing them again, he exhaled. "Sssh."
How could he leave a crying little girl alone, one who had been in the same spot for the last half hour? Though he disliked to show it, he had a soft spot for little kids, along with furry animals. Usually, he hid his inner feelings well with his gruff exterior, but his heart went out to the little girl.
Walking quietly so that he didn't startle her, he picked one of the nearby flowers for her as he passed by the entrance. As he passed one of the benches, he stopped dead in his tracks. He never did anything like this before. Shaking off his doubts, he closed the distance between them and silently knelt down beside her.
"Oi (here)." he said gruffly, pushing the flower in front of her face.
Surprised to see anyone there, she slowly took the flower from his hand and turned to face him. From all her crying, her innocent brown eyes had become laced with redness. Even still, she held the flower close to her and gave Kaidoh a watery smile. Using the back of her hand, she brushed away the stream of tears falling from her eyes.
"A - Arigato (thanks)." she whispered in her girlish voice.
Kaidoh blushed at her words. Usually, the kids would be running away, crying and screaming, but instead this one was smiling at him. She wasn't scared of him. In fact, she seemed to be eternally grateful for his presence as well as his present. Feeling confused, he didn't know what to do.
"D - Daijoubu desu ka? (Are you okay?)" he finally asked.
"H - Hai, daijoubu. (Yes, I'm okay.)"
Silence fell among the unlikely pair. The little girl continued to watch him intently which made him uncomfortable. This was his first time around a young child. He wasn't a man of many words and so he stared at the sandbox. Picking up a handful of sand, he let it sift through his fingers.
"W - Why are you here by yourself?"
"Because. I - I ran away from home."
Kaidoh was shocked. "Nani?! (What) Naze? (Why)" His raised voice betrayed his emotions.
Before his eyes, the girl seemed to grow smaller as she answered him. "Because. My family doesn't want me anymore. I heard them yelling about how I cause too much trouble."
"Oh."
As her words trailed off, she began to cry, pulling herself into a ball. Growing up in a warm family, Kaidoh couldn't imagine what it felt like. But seeing the little girl in so much pain, he felt anger burning within him at her family's insensitive words. He did the only thing he could do; awkwardly pat her head in attempt to comfort her.
"W - Would you like to play on the playground?" he asked as her crying finally subsided.
"Yes."
Kaidoh got up and wiped at the dirt on his legs. The little girl was still holding the flower in one hand and brushing at her pants with the other. Leading the way to the swings, Kaidoh helped her up and gently pushed the seat. It felt awkward, but at the same time, exhilarating. He had never played with a little kid before.
Time flew by as they both enjoyed themselves. They had played on the swings, then the slide and finally the merry-go-round. Twenty minutes had passed by before a petite girl with light brown hair came rushing in. Her blue eyes sparkled with concern and she was out of breath from running.
"Saya-chan! What are you doing here?!" she asked as she smoothed down her messy hair.
Kaidoh turned around in surprise. The little girl, apparently Saya-chan, stepped off the gently spun merry-go-round and hid behind his legs. The older girl marched forward, hands on her hips. Looking out from behind in fear, Saya clutched at Kaidoh's legs. As the other girl was about to grab her, Kaidoh stepped forward and blocked her way.
"What do you think you're doing with my sister?" the girl asked, glaring at him.
"Ano. Nothing r - really, but she's scared of you."
Not speaking to girls, especially cute ones, on a regular basis, Kaidoh had no idea what he was doing. But feeling Saya's trembling hands on his leg, he wasn't going to let her be taken away back to a family which didn't love her.
"Scared of me?" The girl recoiled back like she had been slapped in the face. "Saya. Why did you run away? Mom and dad are worried to death about you!"
"Oh. I thought you didn't want me anymore."
"Silly girl!" her sister replied. "When did we ever say that?"
"I heard it. After I was sent to my room."
"Oh Saya. They were just mad at you for accidentally breaking their favorite bowls."
Bending down so that she was squatting, she outstretched her arms. Saya rushed forward into her embrace. Repeatedly, she apologized for worrying the rest of the family. The older girl looked up into Kaidoh's face and he blushed.
"What's your name?" she asked softly.
"Kaidoh. Kaidoh Kaoru."
"Asahina Urumi," she replied as she introduced herself. "Gomen ne (Sorry) Kaidoh-kun. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"I - It's okay. I - I better get g - going or I - I'll be late for school."
"Okay. Arigato (Thanks.)"
Nodding, he started to leave when Saya called out to him.
"Oniichan! (Older brother) Will you play with me again tomorrow?"
"O - Only if you c - come with your sister," he answered without turning around, after a slight pause of hesitancy.
"I will!"
Together, Saya and Urumi watched Kaidoh run off. They were lucky that it had been him and not someone else who might have taken her away. As Kaidoh ran off, he could feel the heat rush to his cheeks. Urumi had called him Kaidoh-kun.
But also, he felt embarrassed as he had stuttered in front of her. He ran even faster. Getting back home, he quickly changed into his uniform and rushed downstairs to eat breakfast. It wasn't his habit to be late and he didn't want this to be the first time.
"Daijoubu desu ka?" his mother asked as she noticed his flushed cheeks.
"Daijoubu."
Finishing his food, he grabbed his school bag and headed out. He couldn't believe that he had promised Saya that he would meet her again tomorrow. It was so out of character for him. As he continued to school in this daze- like fashion, he made it there with three minutes to spare.
*********
Chance Encounter
As with every morning, the dark-haired boy tied his green bandana around his head. Before starting his morning ten kilometer jog, Kaidoh took in a deep breath which he subsequently released. To maintain his strong stamina, he had to keep continuing his training that Inui had mapped out for him.
Starting his jog, he took his usual route, passing by neighbors' houses down the street. For part of his route, he passed by a small playground built for the children. He scowled at the memory of the young children, frightened by his face. In the morning, there was usually no one there.
Today was different. As he jogged by, he saw a young girl, maybe four or five, squatting by the sandbox. She was all alone with no one looking after her, but Kaidoh pushed the thought out of his mind. It was none of his business and the little girl would just be scared of him, as was every other child.
He continued his jog, taking the same routine path. As he came to the turning point of his exercise, he jogged around the second small playground and headed home. To his surprise, the little girl was still alone at the first playground he had passed. Stopping by the entrance path, he jogged on the spot, wondering what he should do.
He was torn between leaving her there and going to see what was wrong. It wasn't that he didn't like children, but they always ran away crying when they saw the expression on his face. Making up his mind to leave her alone, he turned around to head home when he heard her sniffles. Just to make sure he hadn't heard wrong, he stopped his movements.
Hearing them again, he exhaled. "Sssh."
How could he leave a crying little girl alone, one who had been in the same spot for the last half hour? Though he disliked to show it, he had a soft spot for little kids, along with furry animals. Usually, he hid his inner feelings well with his gruff exterior, but his heart went out to the little girl.
Walking quietly so that he didn't startle her, he picked one of the nearby flowers for her as he passed by the entrance. As he passed one of the benches, he stopped dead in his tracks. He never did anything like this before. Shaking off his doubts, he closed the distance between them and silently knelt down beside her.
"Oi (here)." he said gruffly, pushing the flower in front of her face.
Surprised to see anyone there, she slowly took the flower from his hand and turned to face him. From all her crying, her innocent brown eyes had become laced with redness. Even still, she held the flower close to her and gave Kaidoh a watery smile. Using the back of her hand, she brushed away the stream of tears falling from her eyes.
"A - Arigato (thanks)." she whispered in her girlish voice.
Kaidoh blushed at her words. Usually, the kids would be running away, crying and screaming, but instead this one was smiling at him. She wasn't scared of him. In fact, she seemed to be eternally grateful for his presence as well as his present. Feeling confused, he didn't know what to do.
"D - Daijoubu desu ka? (Are you okay?)" he finally asked.
"H - Hai, daijoubu. (Yes, I'm okay.)"
Silence fell among the unlikely pair. The little girl continued to watch him intently which made him uncomfortable. This was his first time around a young child. He wasn't a man of many words and so he stared at the sandbox. Picking up a handful of sand, he let it sift through his fingers.
"W - Why are you here by yourself?"
"Because. I - I ran away from home."
Kaidoh was shocked. "Nani?! (What) Naze? (Why)" His raised voice betrayed his emotions.
Before his eyes, the girl seemed to grow smaller as she answered him. "Because. My family doesn't want me anymore. I heard them yelling about how I cause too much trouble."
"Oh."
As her words trailed off, she began to cry, pulling herself into a ball. Growing up in a warm family, Kaidoh couldn't imagine what it felt like. But seeing the little girl in so much pain, he felt anger burning within him at her family's insensitive words. He did the only thing he could do; awkwardly pat her head in attempt to comfort her.
"W - Would you like to play on the playground?" he asked as her crying finally subsided.
"Yes."
Kaidoh got up and wiped at the dirt on his legs. The little girl was still holding the flower in one hand and brushing at her pants with the other. Leading the way to the swings, Kaidoh helped her up and gently pushed the seat. It felt awkward, but at the same time, exhilarating. He had never played with a little kid before.
Time flew by as they both enjoyed themselves. They had played on the swings, then the slide and finally the merry-go-round. Twenty minutes had passed by before a petite girl with light brown hair came rushing in. Her blue eyes sparkled with concern and she was out of breath from running.
"Saya-chan! What are you doing here?!" she asked as she smoothed down her messy hair.
Kaidoh turned around in surprise. The little girl, apparently Saya-chan, stepped off the gently spun merry-go-round and hid behind his legs. The older girl marched forward, hands on her hips. Looking out from behind in fear, Saya clutched at Kaidoh's legs. As the other girl was about to grab her, Kaidoh stepped forward and blocked her way.
"What do you think you're doing with my sister?" the girl asked, glaring at him.
"Ano. Nothing r - really, but she's scared of you."
Not speaking to girls, especially cute ones, on a regular basis, Kaidoh had no idea what he was doing. But feeling Saya's trembling hands on his leg, he wasn't going to let her be taken away back to a family which didn't love her.
"Scared of me?" The girl recoiled back like she had been slapped in the face. "Saya. Why did you run away? Mom and dad are worried to death about you!"
"Oh. I thought you didn't want me anymore."
"Silly girl!" her sister replied. "When did we ever say that?"
"I heard it. After I was sent to my room."
"Oh Saya. They were just mad at you for accidentally breaking their favorite bowls."
Bending down so that she was squatting, she outstretched her arms. Saya rushed forward into her embrace. Repeatedly, she apologized for worrying the rest of the family. The older girl looked up into Kaidoh's face and he blushed.
"What's your name?" she asked softly.
"Kaidoh. Kaidoh Kaoru."
"Asahina Urumi," she replied as she introduced herself. "Gomen ne (Sorry) Kaidoh-kun. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"I - It's okay. I - I better get g - going or I - I'll be late for school."
"Okay. Arigato (Thanks.)"
Nodding, he started to leave when Saya called out to him.
"Oniichan! (Older brother) Will you play with me again tomorrow?"
"O - Only if you c - come with your sister," he answered without turning around, after a slight pause of hesitancy.
"I will!"
Together, Saya and Urumi watched Kaidoh run off. They were lucky that it had been him and not someone else who might have taken her away. As Kaidoh ran off, he could feel the heat rush to his cheeks. Urumi had called him Kaidoh-kun.
But also, he felt embarrassed as he had stuttered in front of her. He ran even faster. Getting back home, he quickly changed into his uniform and rushed downstairs to eat breakfast. It wasn't his habit to be late and he didn't want this to be the first time.
"Daijoubu desu ka?" his mother asked as she noticed his flushed cheeks.
"Daijoubu."
Finishing his food, he grabbed his school bag and headed out. He couldn't believe that he had promised Saya that he would meet her again tomorrow. It was so out of character for him. As he continued to school in this daze- like fashion, he made it there with three minutes to spare.