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Of bratty demons and mushroom heads	By : TrishaMCH Category: Prince of Tennis/Tennis no Ohjisama > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1574 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own "Prince of Tennis" or any of its characters. It belongs to Konomi-sensi. I’m merely using the characters because I like to have fun with them. No profit is being made.

Chapter List
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CHAPTER 53

Hiyoshi had known since his father had called demanding he come home on a weekday that this visit home would not be a pleasant one. Now, looking back on it, he knew he would have given almost anything to make it so he had never woken up that morning. He should have made up some kind of excuse, done anything… said anything… to get out of it. But he knew all that would do was postpone the inevitable, but wasn’t that what he’d been doing all along?

As he sat in the back of the taxi that was bringing him back to the school, he looked out the window with color blind eyes. The world had lost it color, its texture, its warmth. Had it been freezing with snow blanketing him in white frozen death, he doubted he would have even noticed.

His father had found out. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Over the last few months the two of them had been less than stealthy with their affection for each other in public, a fact he whole heartedly blamed Akaya for with a smile. He had never been so happy in his life and doubted he ever would be again.

There had been knowledge in the form of dates and facts, of things the two of them had done together which he had no idea how his father got a hold of. There was even picture proof evidence. Though most of the pictures did not show them in anything but a platonic light, even he could see the love and adoration in his eyes as he looked at Akaya in the pictures.

In the end, he had been given an ultimatum. Give up Akaya or give up his family, his future, his pride. The choice would have been so simple. He wanted Akaya, damn the consequences, but he wasn’t that selfish. He loved Akaya and he would do anything to make sure he was happy. He hadn’t known he was even capable of this kind of love.

Oh, he was sure they could have been happy. He could have spit in his father’s face and told him to keep the dojo, keep his family, his pride. They would have been together and they could pretend that was all that mattered… but it would have been a lie.

Hiyoshi loved his art, always had. He lived and breathed for his art much the same way Akaya did for tennis. His father was a powerful man, one of the most renowned practitioners in the world. People came from everywhere to be able to study with him. Being his son and heir, Hiyoshi himself was not a figure people overlooked. If he was to walk away from his family, it would be the same as leaving his art forever. His father was a stubborn man and would see to that. Asking Hiyoshi to give up Kobujutsu martial arts would be like asking Akaya to give up tennis, which was something he would never do.

He had thought at one point that he could do it. If it was for Akaya, any sacrifice would not be too great, but the romantic notion did not fit in with reality. No matter how much he would try to hide it, in his heart he would always long for his art. Akaya was not an idiot. He would see his pain and longing and the guilt would eat at him. Slowly, they would eventually grow to resent each other over it.

Suddenly all his other insecurities over their relationship seemed so petty, so trivial. Any problems they’d had in the past were nothing but childish misunderstandings. This wasn’t a misunderstanding, it was a choice. Selfishly keep the boy he loved by his side knowing that in the end he may ruin him, or let him go and give him a chance at finding happiness… without him.

They were both still very young. Even if Hiyoshi was fated to be married off to a woman in a similar position as him, Akaya did not share that fate. Their separation would hurt Akaya; he knew it like a knife through his heart. Akaya would probably never forgive him, but eventually he would find someone else that could make him happy, someone that would always make him smile and not hurt him as he was so good at doing.

His heart hardened. There was no other choice but to let him go.

---

There was ice in his veins. The numbness had taken over his whole body. It was as if his body had taken pity on him and shut down everything but what was necessary. His expressionless face didn’t even flinch when he opened the door to his and Akaya’s shared room and he found his boyfriend playing his video games as per usual. Thankfully, Wilson did not look to be there at the moment. This needed to be done quickly and efficiently, his brain deducted, they had class the next day and he shouldn’t stay up too late. “Akaya, we need to talk.”

Akaya glanced over his shoulder as the door opened, pausing the game with a grin. "Hey you're--" his grin slipped away immediately though when he saw the look on his boyfriend’s face. "Oh, um... alright." He scooted over on the bed and patted it. "Come sit down. What's up?"

Hiyoshi took his shoes off mechanically and stepped into the room, but did not take the offer to sit, instead stayed standing where he was. “I have spoken with my father and I agree with him that it’s about time we ended this.” It seemed to him like the words were coming from someone else’s mouth. “It’s been fun, but now I have much more important things to attend to and do not have the time to be distracted from my responsibilities.” All he could do was stand there and listen as he destroyed what was most important to him, using the same words his father had used only hours ago. “For what it’s worth, I sincerely wish you happiness in your future endeavors.”

Akaya just stared at Hiyoshi for what felt like eternity, trying to figure out what the hell his boyfriend was saying, and then it hit him. "What...?" he murmured, then felt a wave of fury wash up inside of him. "What the hell do you mean, it's time we ended this?!" he snapped and got up to grab Hiyoshi’s collar. "It's been a year and now you're just throwing it away?" He felt his eyes welling up already and he gritted his teeth. If this was a joke it was the worst one he'd ever heard.

Without pause, the martial artist used his superior strength to remove Akaya’s hands on him and turned to his closet to pack a small bag. “I realize the fact we live together might now be an inconvenience. I will of course strive to stay out of your way until other accommodations can be arranged.” His back was so straight and so stiff that if he’d attempted to bend over, it might have broke.

"Don't fucking bother!" Akaya snapped and threw open the door as he slipped on his shoes, "I won't be here..." he growled and walked out, not wanting to be anywhere near Hiyoshi right then. “Stupid fucking mushroom head!" he cried as he ran down the hall, wanting to be anywhere but there. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a bad dream. Just a bad dream... but why couldn't he wake up?

The minute Akaya was out the door, Hiyoshi started to shake. It continued for a full minute before his whole frame was shaking with restraint. To an onlooker it might have looked like he was laughing and hiding his face. He was trying so hard to keep the tears back, to keep himself from running after him. Any moment now he thought he might start hyperventilating and pass out. He welcomed the thought.

---

Akaya had run as hard and fast as he could. He had run all over the school, trying to exhaust himself past the point of being able to think. He didn't want to be able to think about or feel anything other than the painful pounding of his heart or the burning of his lungs. Once his wish was granted, he made his way back to his room, panting and sweating heavily.

All he could hear as he limped through the halls was the ringing in his ears, the endorphins from running keeping him from wanting to just throwing himself down the stairs. He knew he couldn't stay in his room anymore so he planned on just grabbing what he needed for him and Wilson then go to Sanada's room. He knew he could always seek refuge with his grouchy fukubuchou. Wakashi would eventually realize he was an idiot and come get him, right? Right?

Opening the door, he walked in, still looking ready to collapse from exhaustion and automatically went to his closet, not even thinking as he started throwing stuff into a bag.

After Akaya had run out, Hiyoshi had all but collapsed on the floor. If he had managed to pass out he wasn’t sure. Time made no difference to him. He wondered idly if his outside exterior felt just as cold and dead as the inside of him. It was a wonder his heart hadn’t stopped altogether.

When Akaya came back, Hiyoshi was still in that same spot on the floor and almost didn’t notice him. He forced his body to stand and regain some semblance of control. “You’re back.” The words flew out, still icy stiff as if coming from a statue. If he allowed anything else, he would have broken down in front of Akaya, and that wasn’t acceptable. Akaya looked like a mess, and usually Hiyoshi wouldn’t hesitate to go to him and comfort him in any way he could… but he couldn’t. It was as if there was a wall separating them and he wasn’t strong enough to break it without breaking himself.

Hearing the other’s voice, Akaya jumped a little and spun around to face him. "Yeah... I had to get stuff for Wilson and I..." he frowned and glared at him. "Sorry to bother you..." he answered just as coldly, trying to hide that all he wanted to do was hug the other man and cry.

He turned back to the closet and kept blindly shoving things into his bag, trying not to give into the urge to yell at Hiyoshi and demand a reason for all of this. If he ever saw Hiyoshi's father he was so going to… err… have Sanada kick his ass!

Hiyoshi didn’t know what to say; if there was anything he could say. He wanted so badly to reach out and hold him it was physically painful, more painful than anything he could ever remember experiencing. When Akaya mentioned Wilson it was like another stab to his chest, but he knew he didn’t deserve the comfort his puppy might afford him; besides, it wasn’t his puppy anymore. “You… never bother me.” At least he could say that. Even if they couldn’t be together, he never wanted Akaya to think it was his fault.

The angry green eyed demon closed his eyes and stopped packing before taking a deep slow breath. “Wakashi... What... Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly, his whole body tired and wanting nothing more than to just collapse and sleep. Thinking hurt, feeling hurt, even breathing hurt...

If he had to look at Akaya like this for one more minute, Hiyoshi was going to fall apart. He closed his eyes. “It’s for the best.”

Akaya opened his eyes again and looked at his lover. "For the best? For who? Because I know it's not for me, and it doesn't sound like it is for you either."

That was it. Hiyoshi couldn’t take any more. He could not appease either of them nor could he continue to tear himself apart. He could not have Akaya, he knew that, but he wanted him so much… It was too much.

His eyes sprang open with vehemence at his helplessness. "Of course this isn’t what I want! This was never what I wanted, but it’s what has to be! Leave it alone or you’ll drive me mad! Damn it… I think I’m already crazy." An escaped tear ran down his cheek but he refused to acknowledge it. “I won’t be the one to destroy your life, and I won’t drag you down with me. So don't presume to know what I’m thinking, Akaya… It's over."

Akaya just stood there and took the brunt of his lover's yelling with a rather calm expression, until he saw that tear. He moved closer slowly and watched the man he loved. "Drag me down with you? What are you talking about?"

“My father found out about us. I don’t know how, but he told me to either leave you or give everything else up. My family, Kobujutsu, everything…” It was out. He’d had to tell him or risk his sanity. He turned away and covered his face so Akaya wouldn’t see any more of his weakness. “The bastard could do it. He could take away everything. I don’t… I don’t know what else to do. I don’t care about my fucking family… but… my art… if I lose it…”

Now he understood. Akaya swallowed hard and hugged Hiyoshi from behind, taking in a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry, Wakashi... really... I'm sorry..." he murmured and gave him a little squeeze before going back over to pack his bag. "I... You made your choice. So, I'll uh... I'll see you around..." Hiyoshi’s art was important to him and he knew he couldn't take that from him. With a choked sigh he just packed up his bag. "I... if you change your mind... you know how to get a hold of me..."

Akaya’s touch burned. It scorched through his numbness and made him choke on his own air. When Akaya pulled away, Hiyoshi felt his body stiffen again with the ice he knew to be freezing through his veins. His didn’t know what was more important, if you could even compare, but in the end he could see it would make them both miserable and he wouldn’t do that to him. He loved him. “I’m sorry…” It was whispered so low that it may not have been heard and more silent tears fell down his face. He couldn’t turn to face him as he waited for Akaya to leave him.

"I love you, Wakashi..." he mumbled and pulled the bag over his shoulder. “Bye..." He took a deep breath, tears rolling down his face too as he walked over to the door and opened it.

Hiyoshi gasped on a silent sob and his frame shook. “I… love you… too.” He could never lie to him and say otherwise. He had hurt him once by not saying so... The only silver lining to this was he would never be able to hurt him again. There was some comfort in that. He steeled his resolve but didn’t turn around. “Good bye.”
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Of bratty demons and mushroom heads