We Will Always Shine, Together
Author’s Note: Fair warning, this takes place after the series ends.
This idea has been developing in my mind for a long time now, after
seeing the anime a couple of more times, which indeed has many shoujo ai
possibilities. I wasn’t sure if it would be easy between Ryo and Izumi,
but after careful thinking, I decided a fan fiction between the main
girl and her rival would work out, so here it is.
"Hey, Ryo? Something on your mind? You’re all spaced out."
The captain of the Kisaragi Nine blinked and shook her head, turning to
see who the voice was. "Oh, Hikaru, it’s you. Sorry, guess I’m still a
bit down in the dumps since we lost. I mean, we were so close to
winning, you know. The dream to Koshien was just almost within our
grasp.."
A month had passed since the game ended, and even though they had lost,
Ryo and her teammates did not give up on hope. They still had two more
years to try again, and after all they went through, all the support
they had, they would not let this loss destroy their dream. Instead of
putting them down, it had only caused their determination to soar up
even higher.
It was a Saturday, late afternoon, and Ryo was in her running outfit,
staring off into a daze at the school’s tennis court. She was thinking
of one person, until Hikaru saw her and broke into her thoughts. The
Osaka girl was also taking a jog. Listening to her friend, she sighed,
and as usual, she did the next best thing. "Hey, cheer up, Ryo! We still
got two more years! With all of us right behind you, no way we’re going
to lose again!" Ryo smiled. She had wondered where Hikaru got all of her
energy from, and it was just like her to be the team’s morale booster.
"Thanks, Hikaru. How about I treat you to an oden meal? I’m sure Mom
would love having you over."
Grinning, Hikaru slapped Ryo hard on the back, causing her to stumble a
little. "That sounds great! Let’s go! Wouldn’t want the coach to catch
you spacing off when you ought to be keeping your mind focused."
As the two girls walked together, the sun began to set over the hills,
and it caught Ryo’s attention. She glanced over at the pretty sight,
once again, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. Noticing this,
Hikaru tilted her head. "You really look like you’re thinking of
someone." She suddenly grinned and gently nudged her friend’s side. "Let
me guess. It’s that Tasakugi guy, isn’t it?"
Ryo blinked and her expression immediately changed to shock and she
stopped in mid-step, staring hard at Hikaru. The Osaka girl sweatdropped
and blushed. "Heh heh, sorry, I guess I went a little too far. It’s not
really my business, so sorry." Looking embarrassed, she walked ahead,
until she felt a hand pulling her arm back.
"No, it’s not him," Ryo’s voice was soft and her head was bowed. Hikaru
blinked and walked closer to her friend. Her hand slowly dropping, Ryo
sighed. "I’m over him...Tasakugi...there’s nothing between us
now....getting involved with him was a big mistake in my life
anyway...sometimes I wish I never met him at all......and it’s someone
else...."
The clouds slowly cleared away to reveal a beautiful starry sky. Hikaru
looked at Ryo quietly, then slowly pulled her into a hug. "Come on. We’d
better head back to your place or your mom might worry, then you can
tell me all about it."
After their oden dinner, the two girls sat down in Ryo’s room. It did
not happen often that a friend would stay over, and Ryo rarely had
anybody in her room other than herself.
"Mmm...your mom makes the best oden ever. You should be proud of her,
Ryo." Hikaru smiled brightly. Ryo smiled softly. "Thanks. I feel a
little better now." Pausing, the team captain took a moment to collect
her thoughts before she could say anything else. "Hikaru, before I tell
you, you have to promise that you won’t tell anyone. This is very
important to me, and if anyone knew, I’d be so embarrassed I could just
die."
The pleading look in Ryo’s face was enough to get quite a surprised
reaction out of Hikaru. She blinked, wondering what it could be, then
nodded her head. "Of course, I promise, Ryo. Go ahead and tell me what’s
been on your mind." She doesn’t push it, realizing her friend might be
troubled.
Biting her lower lip, Ryo looked down and said softly, "I’ve been
thinking of....I think....well, I was shocked myself when I found
out....I mean, her of all people, I never realized it would be coming
down on me.....I....I think I have feelings for...."
Hikaru leaned in closely. She wanted to help, knowing Ryo was having a
hard time in saying what she wanted to say. "For....?"
".....Izumi."
Ryo prepared for the worst. If she knew Hikaru, she would probably laugh
at her, or think she was insane, or thought she was joking, or worse....
There was no laughing. There was only silence.
Slowly looking up, Ryo was startled to see Hikaru staring at her, a
shocked look on her face. Before she could say a word, the look began to
soften up, and Hikaru smiled. "Oh, wow, Ryo. All this time, I mean,
Izumi of all people?" She didn’t laugh, instead she scooted closer and
pulled Ryo into a hug. "I have to say, I’m a bit shocked myself, but I
thank you for trusting me enough into telling me. Do you feel better
now?"
Her spirits uplifted, Ryo smiled and nuzzled Hikaru’s soft hair. "Yes, I
do." She let out a huge sigh of relief.
Continuing the hug, Hikaru asked, "So, I’m the only one who knows, then?
Are you going to tell Izumi? What really made you feel this way if I can
ask?"
Ryo thought for a moment. The girl who always saw her as a rival, even
hated her, despising her very existence, a hatred that was born out of
the knowledge that Ryo’s deceased father and Izumi’s mother were once in
love, it was so intense, it almost dissolved the entire team. But it
never happened. As fate would have it, the famed tennis player joined
the Kisaragi Nine, because she didn’t want to see her rival lose
so....so weakly.
When she first laid eyes on Izumi, she was astonished by her skills. It
was very different from baseball, but it still required the same mental
and physical playing tactics. Undefeated by the boys, Izumi was a
prideful and strong player, who never knew the meaning of loss or
defeat. That same day as she watched her, Ryo couldn’t help but be
impressed. She began to admire the girl’s skill very much, every time.
Izumi may not have realized it, but Ryo’s admiration grew stronger,
followed by high respect. If it weren‘t for her first meeting with
Izumi, Ryo would have never had the chance to play baseball.
She.....fell in love...with Izumi Himuro.
Answering her friend’s question as best as she could, Ryo felt much
better, and Hikaru continued to hug her, smiling and understanding her
feelings. After a long moment of silence, Hikaru looked at Ryo, and she
looked back. They both knew what the team captain had to do.
"Ryo..." Hikaru’s voice was soft, yet caring and soothing. "I promised
that I would keep this to myself, but....when will you tell her? You
knew how hard it was for her, when it was too late to confess her crush
on Tasakugi, but it won’t be too late for you if you do it soon, right?
Heck, what if she rejects you?"
Ryo bit her lower lip. Hikaru had a point. What if it have good, or bad
consequences? "Hikaru, that‘s a risk I have to take. I just have to let
her know, otherwise the more I keep it all bottled up inside me, the
more it‘ll drive me crazy. For now, I need to have a talk her, alone."
Feeling scared, what if she rejected, laughed at, or turned her away?
Just like the day Ryo first asked her to join the team, but this time
things were different. Izumi changed from hating Ryo, to actually caring
for the girl.
Closing her eyes, Ryo remembered the memory, when they lost the game,
when Izumi came up to her, and held her close in a warm embrace,
smiling. Sighing softly, she thought about what she would say.
"Thank you, Hikaru. I think I know what to do now."
"I wish you the best of luck."
************************************
Izumi blinked, a startled look on her face. She and Ryo were sitting
down inside a café, dressed up in normal clothes for once. It was a
clear afternoon, and the taller girl was staring hard at her ‘rival’,
still not daring to believe that she actually asked her out on a date.
"Ryo? What, what is this about?" Izumi could not help but be a little
surprised by the sudden invitation, something she had least expected.
Blushing hard, Ryo stared down at her lap, swallowing gently. It had
taken her days to plan it all out. She looked extremely reluctant.
<Maybe this was a mistake. I don’t feel ready yet....no, that’s not
true. It’s too late to back out now....no more excuses...Dad, please
help me out. Give me the strength I need to do this...>
"Izumi.....I have a confession..." her voice was so soft, it was barely
heard, but the taller girl had sharp hearing. She looked confused now.
"Ryo?" This girl was the one whom she had always competed against, even
up to the point when Tasakugi got involved.
Ryo shut her eyes. "I like you." She heard nothing.
Izumi was shocked, and speechless.
"I...I really like you. Ever since I first saw you playing tennis, I
found myself drawn to your playing, your skills, your determination,
your courage...you never quit....I’ve always admired you, and respected
you. I loved every minute of our moment together on the team...I learned
a lot from you....if it weren‘t for you, we would have never made it
this far.........I love everything.......about you."
There. She had said it. A huge load off her chest and she felt much
better, however, she could not bring herself to look up and see Izumi’s
face, as she was incredibly embarrassed. Ryo had felt this way before,
for another girl.
The next thing she knew, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Slowly opening
her eyes and looking up, she saw neither amusement or rejection.
Instead, she saw a kind, smiling face, and those beautiful, intense
golden eyes. Ryo blushed, being drawn into those eyes, her mind racing.
Izumi drew Ryo into a hug, and both are reminded of the last moment of
the final game, when they stood together on the mound.
Sighing softly, the taller girl held Ryo close to her chest, smiling.
"Ryo...."
Half-closing her eyes, the brunette relaxed in Izumi’s warm embrace.
"Izumi?"
"Thank you. Thank you for having these feelings for me. Ever since I
broke up with Hiroko, I mean, we’re still friends, since we were little,
but....I never thought I’d have the courage to love again, until I met
you. You gave me the courage and the strength. I must admit, the time
when you were hospitalized, and in critical condition, we all
were....well, I felt like I was the only one, who thought we’d lose
you....I’ve never been so scared in my life....if you had
died...I....but you’re with me now...you gave me the courage and the
strength to always believe. Together, we will shine again, we, the
Kisaragi Nine. I love you, Ryo."
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