Kite

by ruji

The inspiration dawned me at like 2.30 am, and i so had to get it done before i lost it, so i ended up sleeping nearly at 4am. sigh... my life's a wreck. but anyways, hope you'll like it! and pls give me your comments. Sankyuu!

Disclaimer: I do not own them. I don't even own a kite. How sad.

Kite

Leaning against the old tree in the backyard, Fuji Syusuke looked at the sky, smiling to himself, indulging in the beautiful weather. It was spring. The air was fresh and crisp, with an occasional breeze caressing his creamy skin, the scent of newly bloomed flowers saturating the air. The sky was a pleasant shade of blue, and sparsely decorated with fluffy white clouds. The flowers in the garden displaying a myriad of colors, and the leaves in the trees danced slowly to the bypassing breeze. He looked far, hoping to see through the sky, to the place where he left his heart.

Yuuta stepped out of the house to see his brother once again gazing at nothing in particular, just looking at something distant. Somewhere, maybe. It wasn’t anything new really, his brother always had a habit of doing that. Ever since they were children, he would always find his brother sitting under the tree, staring at the sky, seeming to be deep in thought. He had tried numerous times, but he never managed to see what his brother was looking at, or find out what was occupying his brother's intricate mind. He walked over and stood next to his brother, wondering if he could finally be on the same wavelength as his brother after so many years. He couldn’t. He looked at his brother, hoping to find some clues, but all he saw was the usual smile he wore everyday. His brother turned to look at him, smiling warmly.

“Is anything the matter, Yuuta?”

The younger Fuji shook his head. Silence surrounded them for a few moments, before the older boy spoke again.

“Saa… I’ve heard about your boyfriend. He was your tennis teammate right? What’s his name… Misaki, was it?”

The southpaw glared at his brother, trying to fight off the rising blush.

“He’s not my boyfriend. And, its Mizuki.”

The tensai chuckled lightly at his blushing brother. The wind teasingly ran through his honey-brown locks.

“Ah, sumimasen. I’m bad with names, you know that.”

They fell into another span of silence. Yuuta’s blush faded, and he mustered the courage to ask his brother for advice.

“Aniki… what is it like when you love someone?”

Fuji playfully pinched Yuuta’s cheek.

“Ah, you finally admit huh?”

“Aniki!”

The smiling boy looked up at the sky again, this time really thinking.

“Saa… have you flown a kite, Yuuta?”

“Yes… but so?”

“Loving someone is like flying a kite. You have to hold the string carefully, or the wind might take it away. But if you hold the string too tightly, the string might snap when the wind gets too strong. And if you hold it too tightly, the kite won’t fly high either. Kites look prettiest when they’re high up in the sky, aren’t they?”

“Do you have a kite?”

The tensai smiled bitterly and nodded.

“But I let it go.”

“Why?”

“Kites belong up in the sky.”

Yuuta watched as his brother stared longingly at the sky. He was smiling, like always, but the smile looked empty. Lonely.

“What happens when you lose your kite?”

“Then you have two choices. You either get a new kite, or you wait. If you’re lucky enough, your kite might come back to you one day.”

“Where’s your kite, Aniki?”

Fuji took a glance at the newspaper lying by his feet and smiled yet again.

“At the top of the world, showing its beauty for all to see.”

“Are you getting a new one?”

“I believe it will come back to me, so I’m waiting.”

The older boy gave his brother a pat on the shoulder and walked off into the house. The younger boy could sense the sad longing in his brother’s voice. It wasn’t normal. Usually, even if he was upset, he would keep it in. It wasn’t that he never showed his feelings either, just not often. He usually didn’t because he knew his friends and family would be bothered by it, or worry for him, and indeed that was the case. Though Yuuta didn’t enjoy his brother’s usual teasing and over-showering of love on him, he didn’t quite like a moody and depressed Aniki either. He sat down leaning against the tree and picked up the newspaper his brother had his eyes on. Splashed boldly across the first page of the sports section, “JAPAN’S PRINCE OF TENNIS REIGNS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS”. Taking a closer look at the pictures, Yuuta immediately recognized the said person. Spectacles, sharp features, pursed lips, rigid glare. He had seen that face countless times, on and off court. But thinking back, he hadn’t seen that person for a long time, since his brother had graduated a few years back.
“Ne, Aniki. How long will it take?”

The tensai looked away from the photos in his hands to face his brother, quite puzzled by the sudden question.

“How long will what take?”

“Your kite. How long will it take to come back?”

Fuji took a long look at his brother. Thinking carefully and thoroughly, he answered the question, finally dropping his smile.

“I don’t know. Maybe forever. Maybe it won’t even come back.”

“What if it doesn‘t come back?”

“Kites belong up in the sky. If my kite is happy flying high and free, I don’t mind watching it from the ground.”

“You can get a new one, can’t you?”

Yuuta was seriously worried that his brother might be waiting for nothing eternally. He had come to realize over the years that his brother was one who would be willing to sacrifice any amount of time or effort for something he really liked. The best example was himself. He couldn’t even be sure how much his brother had put in to win him back. The older Fuji was quiet for quite sometime, leaving the younger boy in suspense. Finally, a smile re-lighted on the porcelain face as the delicate figure shook his head gently with unearthly beauty and grace.

“None can be compared.”

-owari-