Title: Decision
Pairing: Manjoume/Tenjoin; (onesided)Wakame/Manjoume
Rating: PG? Maybe?
Summary: Tenjoin Asuka doesn't understand the trouble she causes.
Note: Attempting to use Japanese names for this one, because I felt like a change. A) Did I do it right and B) do you think it makes it flow better?
Note2: I think I wrote Asuka far too OOC. I guess that's why I don't write her too often, heh.
Rainy days were rare on Duel Academy Island. Part of the charm of being in the tropics really, but when they did occur it was close to a wild storm. So, the students confined to the main campus building, they were merely milling around the class rooms; or, in the case of the Osiris students, taking full and gratuitous advantage of the cafeteria offered there. Most of the students though, were in classrooms.
In one, a certain Manjoume Jun had nervously pushed a piece of paper over to one Tenjoin Asuka, shifting in his seat as he waited a reply. Inside the small folded piece of paper, a piece of poetry hid, describing his love for the golden-haired girl, the way she spoke, moved, duelled, looked, laughed, smiled… Everything that the teenager could commit to paper about what he found so wonderful about her was there in elegant words and rather beautiful penmanship. He had even decorated the corners with small scrolls and curves to fully illustrate his efforts.
Next to him, the bespectacled bluenette snorted, rolled his eyes and simply went back to the book he had been reading. Inside the cover were other small scraps of paper with poetry; this time, addressed to the dark-haired boy currently infatuated with a Tenjoin.
So it was a hard, crushing blow when she crumpled the piece of paper up and tossed it at the side of his head with cruel scowl.
"Manjoume." She snapped, standing up and placing her hands on the desk to complete the intimidating expression. "I've had enough of this. Letters. Flowers. Jewellery. Wine. Poetry. It's all too much, and it's stupid, because you're getting no-where. I've…" She sighed, standing back and crossing her arms across her chest as he watched Manjoume slump in his seat.
"I've tried-"
"You've not tried hard enough." She cut him off, in a gentler tone then she had before. "Try to understand. I'm not interested. I…" She trailed off, and then had an idea. "I'll make you a deal."
"What? A duel? I'll duel you for your love, I will!"
"That wont work." She did allow herself a small smile at that though, shaking her head and regaining her seriousness. "You can choose; give up your pursuit and accept that we will simply be friends, or…" She paused for effect, Manjoume already in deep thought. "You can have one kiss. But then, you can never speak to me again unless an emergency absolutely calls for it. You can have much time as you need to think this over." She turned and headed back to her seat. Within moments, she was back into a conversation with her friends; clueless as to the devastated mess she left behind her.
It took Manjoume around two agonising hours filled with occasional pacing, having his head in his arms or angsting about it to his rather quiet friend to finally choose. Standing, he made his way over to the front of her desk, hands balled in fists by his side.
"I've decided. I-I pick the kiss." He said finally when her attention was on him. She twisted her lips into a grimace but nodded anyway; a deal was a deal.
So he kissed her.
Tori felt sick. Part of it was because of how the rest of the class was reacting; this was supposed to be something precious and wonderful for his friend. Now it would be remembered with the hooting and catcalls that were currently sounding out from all around the room. Part his nausea came from being sick with envy though.
It didn't last too long. Eventually the teens pulled back from each other, hands going to their mouths; Asukas' quickly and with such force so that she could rub all traces of Manjoume away from her lips, Manjoumes reverently and softly touching his lips as though he still couldn't quite believe it. Then his head hung, and he stepped back from her desk as quickly as he could.
"…Manjoume?" Asuka asked when the only movement was a few shivery movements from the teen in front of her. "Are… Are you crying?"
"It felt like flying..." Was the only whisper the boy got out before Manjoume turned and walked out of the classroom. Five minutes later, Tori left to try and find him.
For the rest of his tortured life, he would curse that he hadn't left right away.
It took nearly half an hour, and when the bluenette caught up with Manjoume they were both drenched. High winds made talking impossible, but as far as Tori was concerned, the only words he needed Manjoume to hear were 'I love you, get away from the cliff, please, please, just get away from the edge, you can't swim, this isn't worth it, I love you, I love you, oh God, please, I love you, just don't move…'
Tori never knew if Manjoume heard him.
Those same high winds drowned out the sound of Tori giving a scream when he watched his friend - his crush, his Best Friend, his love - give a hollow smile, wave and pitch forwards off the rock into the dark ocean below.
Running over as fast as he could he threw himself down to the ground to try and look into the waves to spot Manjoume, but the teen was a black spot swallowed in blacker waters.
Three weeks after the funeral, Asuka received a letter; it was short, it was angry, but it was mostly a simple note of agony. She dismissed it; she always recieved them, afterall, for the amount of suitors she turned away.
The next day, Tori's body was found hanging in his wardrobe.
Hn. Yup, there you go. Enjoy.