Title: Brittle
Author: Megrim
Word Count: 311
Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi
Warnings: Hmm…Ann haters stay away?

Never once in their five years of knowing the other had he thought of Tachibana Ann as fragile. Her eyes reminded him of glass at times but only of their coldness and never their brittleness, because just as he was a trickster she was stone.

Times changed though and there was one day that he thought her fragile because she truly was glass that day. The rain only helped to wash out what remaining color was in her face and he could see the water threatening to escape from her eyes. She wouldn't cry in front of him, ever, even if it would only be mingled in the rain because she knew his eyes would see everything.

They were standing on a nondescript bridge overlooking a busy street and her back was to him when she said quietly, "If I said I was leaving, would you do something?" He wasn't surprised or sad or anything. He was numb and didn't answer, and she continued, "Would you care?"

His voice wasn't working right and he couldn't even bring himself to unclench his jaw. She turned around then with a bright, false smile shining on her face and said, "I'm sorry, then, Niou-kun" —she never called him that, not even when they had first met— "for wasting your time. I thought today would be a nice day too." He didn't miss the double meaning in her words or miss the tears that did fall from her eyes as she left without a backwards glance.

Of the two of them neither had ever been called fragile. That day, she was—so, so easy to break like a porcelain doll and he'd done just that with his calloused hands—but personally he thought that of the two of them, he was weaker because porcelain could be put back together over time, and he never would.

AN: The first of a series of oneshots revolving around Niou Masaharu and Tachibana Ann. About Ann's name, I prefer writing it as 'An', but then I get it confused with the word 'an', so it's Ann for that reason. As always, hope you enjoyed it and hopefully the angst will tone down with the next few stories :)