Times of Ecclesiastes

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."

        – Ecclesiastes 3:1.

~*~

A time to be born and a time to die…

~*~

The first thing that Oshitari Yuushi thought of when he first saw his parents upon his return from tennis practice was that something had happened.

Judging by the solemn looks on their faces while his mother bustled from room to room and his father was busily talking on the phone, it was something pretty big.

Dumping his tennis bag on the living room sofa, he knew better than to dig for information now. He quietly made his way to the kitchen to have a long drink of water, flicking through any plausible scenario that might be the cause of such behaviour. After some quiet contemplation, he emerged again in time to see his father hang up and notice him.

    "Ah, Yuushi, there you are." His father nodded towards the stairs. "Go bathe and then pack for at least a week. We're heading to Osaka after your sister comes home from work."

The blue haired eighteen year old raised an eyebrow at this unexpected order. "What's happened?"

    "You remember my old friend, Yutaka, don't you?"

The reaction was almost instantaneous. "Take-ojin? ‘Course I remember. I stayed at the house so often, I had my own toothbrush there."

Dr. Oshitari nodded slowly. "I'm afraid his father has just passed away."

The younger Oshitari hadn't expected that. All he could say was "…oh."

Another nod. "Yutaka's been too good a friend to leave at a time like this. So, your mother and I decided we should all go attend the funeral and be there for them. It should be alright for you since you've about a month of vacation left."

    "I was planning on joining Atobe on his yacht trip…" Oshitari saw the look on his father's face and he raised his hands quickly in a placating motion. "But I didn't know about this when I invited myself, alright? I'll go pack…"

The younger Oshitari grabbed his bag and jogged on up to his room, mentally reminding himself to send Atobe a message saying he wouldn't be tagging along on the latter's trip to Hawaii this year. Atobe would be pretty pleased since it meant he wouldn't have Oshitari to needle him for longer than necessary. And on a boat with no escape route to boot.

Take-ojin's father huh? I remember someone said he was pretty old already even when I was seven… who was it again…?

Oshitari entered his room, frowning a little as he tried to remember. He'd been about ten when they moved from Osaka to Tokyo. Nevertheless, he liked to think that he had a pretty good memory of his childhood in Kansai.

As he messaged Atobe, his mind flicked through different memories that involved Osaka. He hadn't been back there for quite a while. Junior high had been too full of tennis to pay much attention to going back to his hometown. It was only during major events like New Year and Bon Odori that he went back. Even then, that was just for a day or two before he came back to Tokyo to focus on tennis practice again. His parents and sister were the ones who went back more regularly.

Even after entering high school, it'd been more or less the same situation except that he'd had to turn more of his attention to his studies instead of the sport. He had gotten used to taking care of himself when everyone else went back. Even when he did have the intention to return to Osaka for a visit, one thing just led to another and the trip was never made.

Oshitari suddenly realized that he actually missed seeing his old home after being away for so long. Missed seeing the old sights and smelling familiar smells, missed seeing people like-

.

He blinked, the name having suddenly just come to mind. Luckily, his memory was as good as he claimed it was.

. The girl you used to play with, tease and poke fun at and whom you haven't seen properly for about eight years.

Indeed, he hadn't seen her for a while. The last he remembered, the girl had been an absolute tomboy, always in shorts and never a skirt in sight. Her mother despaired of her ever having cute hair baubles to decorate twin ponytails or braids with. The reason being that she had hair cropped short just like a boy's and she liked it that way, thank you very much.

Oshitari smirked to himself, recollecting the first time her mother tried to introduce the concept of a dress to her. She responded by grabbing him by the wrist and making him run with her all the way to his house so she could hide under his bed and not come out until after Take-ojin promised not to make her wear one of those frilly, skirted things.

Years later, she'd probably evolved to jeans and sneakers with hair still shorter than his, knowing her personality.

Oshitari was suddenly struck with another fact: had been very fond of her paternal grandfather. Indeed, he recalled one spring morning when the both of them were sharing a box of mousse Pocky her grandfather had given her. She'd said, with a very wide beam, that he'd bought them ‘specially for her and ‘jiichan had told her to leave some for him (meaning jiichan) so they couldn't finish it all.

He paused for a while, eyebrows narrowed slightly. Then his steps picked up a little more speed than before as he headed to the bathroom to shower.

~*~

A time to embrace and a time to refrain…

~*~

    "Yutaka, Katsuko."

Behind his parents, and with the background of a priest reading a sutra out loud, Oshitari saw the worn expressions on Take-ojin and Katsuko-oban's faces as they looked up. Standing near them were their two elder sons, Meiichi and Mizuno, looking just a bit better than their parents, although that didn't really help. He decided to say hello and leave his parents to comfort their old friends.

    "Meiichi-niisan, Mizuno-niisan." He shook both men's hands. "My condolences."

    "Thanks, Yuushi-kun," replied Mizuno with a wan smile.

    "How're you two holding up?" asked Fuyuko, Oshitari's older sister as she came to join them.

Meiichi sighed with a light shrug. "As well as can be expected, I suppose." He smiled briefly.

As his sister proceeded to converse with the older brother, Oshitari looked around at the temple grounds where the wake was taking place. It looked as if the patriarch had been pretty popular. Half of them were pretty old, and most likely good friends. He turned back to Mizuno.

    "…seems like your granddad knew quite a lot of people."

Mizuno followed his gaze at the amount of people that had come to pay their last respects and nodded, a tinge of pride in the motion. "He was a kind man, and well respected."

    " said almost the same thing last time."

Mizuno smiled slightly. "She probably said a lot more. Kenji-ojiisan was the only grandfather she knew. They were pretty close."

Oshitari winced slightly. "…how is she?"

The grimace on the other man's face was not promising at all. "…actually she's taking this entire thing pretty well. Too well, I think since she hasn't really cried. Which is more worrying than if she did, honestly."

He nodded in agreement. "I understand."

    "…she's over there, standing near the casket." Mizuno nodded towards a young woman in the distance, standing by herself. "Maybe you can talk to her. She keeps telling us she's fine but…" The older brother sighed. "I know my sister. She has a habit of saying she's okay when she's not."

    "I know that as well." Oshitari nodded at him. "I'll go talk to her."

Turning on his heel, he started towards his old friend…

And could hardly believe his eyes.

That young lady with dark hair that ended just past her shoulders and dressed in a dark blue almost black kimono couldn't possibly be the same girl who made fun of him when he complained about getting soaked in cold mud when they were about ten years younger.

He had to pause before he could call her name. Her eyes were far away, staring into space even though she looked like she was looking at some of the condolence bouquets near the casket. They were blank and her skin was paler than it ought to have been.

She was definitely not alright.

He cleared his throat. "…."

She looked smoothly up and for one split second, he could see the blankness morph into shock in her dark brown eyes. "…Yuu-"

Then she seemed to gather her wits back up and bowed. "Oshitari-kun."

    "…Oshitari-kun?" repeated the boy rather incredulously at the odd greeting. ", just coz' I haven't seen you for a while doesn't mean you have to go all formal on me."

She was unruffled. "I know. But it feels more comfortable calling you that. I'm sorry if it's offensive."

Oshitari raised one eyebrow slowly while considering his next words. He decided not to push the subject, choosing to smirk. "…s'alright. But you don't mind if I call you -chan, do you?"

nearly twitched. Clearing her own throat, she shrugged.

    "…" Oshitari shifted his weight as an awkward silence ensued, the sounds of the wake sweeping about them.

Funny how people change in just a matter of years, thought the boy. One minute you're challenging the girl to climb the tallest tree in all of Kansai (which in actuality was only about six feet high but to two seven year olds who were only one feet tall respectively, that seemed really tall), the next you have absolutely no idea how to talk to her. And to think he was known as the Japanese equivalent of the modern day Casanova back in Hyotei.

    "…my condolences," he finally managed, having run out of other options.

She bowed slightly, as if she were on automatic pilot. "Thank you."

He scrutinized her further when she straightened, narrowing his gaze. He noticed she didn't really look him in the eye, looking instead at some other spot on his face or past him.

    "…My father said -ojiisan passed away with his family around him. That must have been a comfort."

Suddenly, Oshitari found 's eyes right on him, filled with the same blankness he had seen earlier. They were joined with a kind of gray whirlwind – a whirlwind of hurt and regret.

    "…I didn't get to be there. I was… ten minutes late."

They stood staring at each other for several long minutes, once again swamped by the surrounding recitation of the sutras and the conversation of the guests.

Then another person greeted and she had to look away from him, once again composed and calm as she received condolences and the traditional condolence money.

Oshitari knew when to step away. He did so, going to join the rest of his family, the way 's eyes looked branded into his mind.

~*~

A time to weep and a time to laugh…

~*~

The Oshitari family stayed in a nearby hotel, determined to attend the funeral as well as the wake. Oshitari found himself wondering, over the next day as he observed , how he could even help her.

There was no place for smirking or a well placed witticism. It was a funeral, a time of mourning and sadness. Even he knew better than to be sarcastic in such times as these. But he knew no other way to get a reaction out of that girl.

It had always been some wise guy remark or tease that had made her scowl at him or attempt to hit him over the head. Oshitari had never seen her this way – so stiff and blank, like some marionette being controlled by a puppeteer who didn't know anything about the real . The invisible puppet master didn't know that had no qualms about expressing her own opinions, didn't know that she was more comfortable in an airy, mobile yukata than a proper, layered kimono, didn't know that she had more expressions and emotions than just a pale, porcelain poker face that betrayed nothing of how she truly felt inside.

And this puppeteer seemed to have erased all memory of him from her mind. She didn't talk to him like she used to. The dry, meaningless "Oshitari-kun" irritated him so much, he refused to acknowledge it, ending up in him ignoring her half the time. This form of silent protest made little difference anyway since she wasn't talking much at all in the first place.

What had happened to the exasperated, often highly annoyed "Yuushi!!" she used to scream whenever she found he'd stolen her wooden pony figurine from right under her nose last time? Or when he'd flown her remote control airplane right into the koi pond at the back of his old house by total accident?

Calling Gakuto hadn't helped matters either. For one thing, his best friend was too busy being amazed that he didn't mention 's legs once in the entire conversation. For another, Gakuto just wasn't the best person to call about things like these considering that he'd suggested bluntly telling that it was no use moping over the fact she'd been unable to say goodbye to her grandfather and just carry on with her life.

Oshitari had dryly replied that Gak-kun had a really rotten bedside manner.

Gakuto's retort was that since Oshitari already knew that from the very beginning, why did he call him in the first place?

He'd sighed and said never mind before hanging up.

Gakuto was right about one thing though: there was no use mulling over what she hadn't done. Her own grandfather probably wouldn't like seeing his granddaughter so unlike herself.

Oshitari looked over to where the family stood, watching the coffin being slid into the cremation chamber. Amidst other weeping relatives, Katsuko-oban was gripping her husband's hand as she cried. Take-ojin bowed his head so no one could see the tears pooling around his eyes. Meiichi and Mizuno, trying to control their emotions, stood on either side of their younger sister who looked paler than before.

But there was not one sign of tears upon her face.

~*~

A time to search and a time to give up…

~*~

It was late at night at the 's. Yet people were still awake, reminiscing and recalling the old times they'd had. The Oshitari's were there as well since old friends were counted as almost family members already. Blood was no issue here.

sighed as she heard murmurs of laughter from downstairs. She'd excused herself early to her room, changing from that irritable mourning kimono into a white T-shirt and khaki pants. She spent two seconds staring herself in the mirror before feeling like she was being suffocated. She'd escaped to the newly extended balcony so she could think properly… as she had been trying to do ever since her grandfather's passing.

She knew that she was being irrational. There was nothing she could have done in the situation she'd been in.

And yet…

I should have been there. I should have said goodbye. I knew jiichan was sick and I still… I still…

With a low groan, she dropped her head to her arms, trying to breathe past the heaviness that weighed inside her. The cool night wind offered her no comfort as it kissed her skin.

Suddenly, behind her, the door leading to the balcony slid aside before could tell whoever it was to please leave her in peace.

    "So. This's where the elusive escapes to."

She jerked upwards and then whirled around in shock.

Oshitari had stuck his hands in his pockets, strolling further out as the wind blew his hair back gingerly. "…nice spot."

    "…what're you doing here?"

    "Funny. Your brother asked me the same thing just now." He looked out onto the scenery, hidden in darkness with a few yellow-white lights of faraway houses and buildings winking in the distance. "Just touring the house… getting reacquainted with the place again." He gave her an amused smirk.

    "Still have the same room?"

She blinked a bit at the unexpected question. "…yes."

    "Same bed with the broken spring?"

She stiffened slightly at the memory. "…no." After a pause, "The spring broke because you jumped on the bed too hard."

    "You were about to fling something at me. It was in self defense."

shook her head. "Was just a stag beetle. And I wasn't going to throw it at you anyway – beetles have better uses than that."

    "Not when you were seven." He raised an eyebrow as he looked her up and down. Then he nodded, leaning on the balcony railing.

    "You look better like this."

She frowned. "Like what?"

Oshitari nodded at her with a wider smirk. "In pants instead of that kimono."

stared at him for a short while before turning away. "…Oshitari-kun, please… could you leave me? I'm not… not in the right frame of mind to talk to anyone right now."

There was silence and the boy remained there, standing on her left and looking out into the distance. She felt a familiar sense of irritation run through her, the same kind that appeared whenever Oshitari refused to answer her questions when they were children. Even back then, he could be so annoyingly difficult and smug about it.

    "Oshitari-kun, please."

Still, he said nothing and didn't move an inch from where he leaned.

…fine. Two can play that game, decided as she glared straight in front of her. I won more of these little arguments, in case you don't remember, Yuushi.

started before kicking herself mentally. She'd silently promised herself never to call him that again, didn't she? She was being childish but she'd promised never to call him Yuushi ever again after he moved away to Tokyo and didn't manage to see her after that.  

…Jiichan always said to keep your promises, even if it hurt. But before that, he always said to think before you made a promise. Make sure you can keep your word before you give it to someone… that's what he said…

And I just broke a promise I made to myself.

She sighed out loud, feeling like her thoughts were going in large circles.

    "You've been doing that a lot, -chan."

    "…what?"

    "You've been sighing when you think people aren't looking." Sharp blue eyes gleamed behind round glasses. "And you haven't cried once during the entire funeral."

    "…" 's heart ached when she heard his words. And her own voice tumbled out before she could stop it. "Does it matter?"

    "I would think so when it makes your older brothers concerned."

    "…they're kind. But they wouldn't understand."

    "You think so? You think they wouldn't see their sister punishing herself for not saying goodbye to her granddad by not allowing herself to cry?" Oshitari raised an eyebrow when 's wide eyes fell on him in shock. "I know you, . Why won't you tell anyone what's going on?"

didn't answer, looking away and refusing to give in to the wave of emotions that was taking over her at the moment.

Oshitari noticed her distress and took a step forward, frustrated at her stubbornness. "What's up with you acting all stiff and blank?"

There was more silence to which the blue haired teenager frowned harder.

    "You're not acting like the I used to know."

That struck a nerve as she lifted her head to face him, frustration written on her face.

    "The you knew wouldn't have left her sick grandfather to go to the store. The you knew eight years ago would have stayed by her jiichan's side and made sure she said goodbye instead of leaving him to pass away with everyone else surrounding him except her."

Her hand gripped the railing harder as she looked away again.

    "Besides… you've been away for so long. You wouldn't know that I'm not the same person whom you remember."

The wind filled in the silence that ensued. Below them, the adults were still awake, the faint sounds of sake bottles and chopsticks clinking against porcelain bowls resounding.

Oshitari gazed at his childhood friend for a good five minutes before coming to a decision. Quietly, he closed the distance between them and placed his hand on her shoulder.

    "…you're wrong."

She refused to look up but he carried on anyway.

    "You're still the same girl I knew when I was four. You're still the same loving granddaughter I remember. I think -ojiisan knew that."

Oshitari took in a deep breath. "Your brother told me that you went to buy juice for him because your granddad asked for it. No one knew he'd pass away so quickly after you left.

    "He wouldn't blame you."

The wind caressed 's bangs, making them shift slightly against her skin. She turned to look at him, a mixture of feelings within her, unable to say anything.

So shrugged Oshitari's hand gently off her shoulder and silently walked past him back into the house, leaving him to look sadly after her.

~*~

A time to kill and a time to heal…

~*~

    "You're doing what?"

    "You heard me. I'm staying in Kansai for the rest of the summer."

    "And you're leaving me here with only Shishido, Kabaji and Jirou for company?!"

    "You'll live."

    "Yuushi, that's so mean- waaaaaaaaitaminute. Does this have anything to do with that -san you called me about last time?"

    "I'll see you in a few weeks, Gak-kun. Jaa…"

    "Yuushi! Don't you dare hang up! Yuu- hello? Moshi moshi?"

A dial tone greeted Gakuto's ears much to his consternation. He slammed the receiver down in annoyance and crossed his arms.

    "Oooh, that Yuushi! Going off to chase after another girl and leaving me behind so I can't bug him about it later!" He scowled before slipping into a thoughtful mood. "Still, he sounded pretty serious about it… it's got to be something worth Yuushi's time which means it's gotta be interesting…"

Shrugging, Gakuto bounced off to grab his tennis racket. If Oshitari was pursuing other interests at the moment, it just meant more time for Gakuto to polish his tennis techniques so he could beat the heck out of his doubles partner after he returned from his trip.

***

    "Hope you don't mind bunking in Mizuno's old room, Yuushi-kun."

Oshitari smirked at Katsuko as he looked up from rummaging through his luggage. They'd just seen his parents and sister off to Tokyo that morning after Dr. Oshitari and his wife reminded their younger son to behave and not to be a bother for the umpteenth time. Now, after lunch, only he, Katsuko and remained in the house while the other men were at work.

    "Not at all. Although I wonder if Meiichi-oniisan was happy with how Mizuno-oniisan redecorated his room when he moved out."

Katsuko laughed gently. "He relinquished any rights to complain when he decided to get a place of his own. If he doesn't like Mizuno's lava lamps, he'll have to live with it."

Oshitari smirked wider at that. "Thank you for lending me extra clothes by the way."

    "It's no trouble." The older woman smiled. "I have to say, I'm glad you asked permission to stay for the summer. It'll do good to have her old friend with her again."

Oshitari nodded in response. "I don't know if she knows it though."

    "Oh believe me, she's happy even though she doesn't look it. She missed you a lot when you moved to Tokyo." She smiled at the semi-incredulous look she received. "You don't believe me? Why do you think she doesn't call you Yuushi anymore?"

The blue haired teenager raised an eyebrow. "You know, I was wondering about that…"

    "It's less painful if she calls you by your surname. always was pretty sentimental, even though she acts like she's made of steel." Katsuko smiled at his reaction. "I'll leave you to your packing. Maybe later you can convince my daughter into visiting the city again."

    "That sounds like a good idea. Thanks, Katsuko-oban."

Oshitari waited for her to head downstairs before going out and heading to 's room. He'd been in there countless times, he knew, and he almost just barged in without announcement. It still felt strange to knock.

The door was pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

After their last encounter, Oshitari had learnt a few things. For one thing, 's wariness around him had grown tremendously. For another, she still didn't grieve for her grandfather. It'd take a while to resolve both issues.

But Oshitari Yuushi had never been one to quail against challenges.

He smirked.

    "Think you can help an old friend reacquaint himself with this place?"

The eyebrow remained elevated. "I'm pretty sure my brothers or my parents-"

    "Your brothers and your dad are busy working, -chan." He smirked. "And your mom's busy doing chores. I figure since you're also on holiday, you'd be the best candidate for a tour guide."

groaned inwardly. "Oshitari-kun, no offense but-"

    "None taken." Swiftly, he reached for the hand that she'd placed on her room door and pulled her out into the corridor. "Someone has to entertain the house guest. Let's go."

found herself being dragged downstairs before she could react. "Wa, wait a minute! Oshitari-kun! We can't just go out like this! Oshitari- oh for crying out loud, Yuushi!!"

Oshitari barely restrained himself from snickering as they entered the living room. "We're going out, Katsuko-oban. We'll see you later!"

    "Don't come home too late, you two," was all Katsuko said as she folded clothes in the living room.

    "Kaachan!!"

The door closed and Katsuko smiled to herself. She knew her father-in-law's death had affected her daughter more than would let on. Perhaps, with the presence of Yuushi-kun, things would get better.

If anything, at least would eventually go back to her normal, tomboyish self.

~*~

A time to tear and a time to mend…

~*~

sighed as she stood to one side, waiting for Oshitari.

For the past two weeks, he'd practically dragged her all around Osaka, sightseeing, shopping and basically going where tourists went – Osaka Tower, the castles, all the other tourist attractions as if the both of them hadn't seen it all so many times before. They'd grown up with these monuments, the sights as common to her as the sight of her own backyard. Today's excursion had brought them to a large park, with plenty of green trees and benches, and long winding paths.

She hadn't any idea what he was doing, bringing her around like this. She didn't need to be a tour guide considering that he seemed to remember exactly where to go and what to do. More like she had to control herself from slapping him behind the head like she used to do. He'd grown even cockier than she remembered, sometimes bordering on being completely obnoxious.

Still… some tiny, well hidden part within had to admit that her old friend had his good sides too. He may have developed a habit of smirking too much but he was considerate when it mattered. If she seemed too upset, he toned it down, cajoling her into a better mood again. And he was charming, no doubt about it. At least, charming enough to produce fleeting smiles on her face when he wasn't looking.

…like right now as she saw him wink at a little girl who blinked in confusion at the strange oniisan. He nodded politely at the girl's mother and turned to walk towards her.

For one quiet moment, she realized that with Oshitari around, she'd been smiling more often than she used to… as if she'd lost her smiles and he was the one who kept bringing it back.

However, she quickly pushed the thought aside and wiped away the tiny smile as he approached with two ice creams in hand. offered him a wry look. "You know that you could be mistaken for some sort of hentai."

    "I don't have a lolicon complex like you want to believe. I go after girls who're 15 and above." He smirked as he handed her one ice cream cone, vanilla flavoured.

    "Anyone who falls for your pick up lines probably has the mental age of five though," she replied dryly as she took it.

Oshitari made a ‘tsk' sound but still remained smirking as they continued walking along the paved paths, going past tall pine trees. "That's a low blow, -chan. Do I sense some jealousy?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't see anything to be jealous about, really."

Oshitari mock winced, putting a hand to his heart as if he'd been wounded. "Ouch. Have a heart, -chan. It's as if you've been trying to puncture any self esteem I have."

    "And yet my efforts don't seem to have worked." She eyed him wryly.

He merely chuckled, a low sound in his throat. They walked around for a while, taking in the sights and sounds of the atmosphere around them. By the time they reached a quieter spot where less people went, their ice creams were finished.

    "You know, -chan, I have to apologize to you."

    "Now there's a first."

Oshitari smirked. "Seriously."

looked at him through the corner of her eyes, her ears picking up on his change of tone. "…what for?"

    "For not coming back to visit you after I moved." He looked up to the sky, eyes pondering the past. "I don't know why I didn't see you every time I came back here."

    "…I guess you were too busy with tennis to remember. Even while you were here, you loved playing it." At his slightly surprised look that she would know about his tennis, she rolled her eyes. "Oshitari-kun, Hyotei Gakuen isn't exactly the most subtle or unknown school in the country. Particularly that captain of yours, what's his name… A-something or other."

    "Atobe Keigo," said Oshitari with a restrained grin. He could just imagine the look on Atobe's face if he knew he was just known as "A-something or other". "He is quite a character."

    "And so are you. I imagine that meant Hyotei had a pretty interesting junior high team while you were there."

    "…It did. But nonetheless… I'm sorry."

    "…that's twice in one day that you've apologized. It must be a new record."

Oshitari shook his head with a resigned smirk. "You're certainly not an easy woman to apologize to, -chan."

    "…I would think it's pretty simple if you know how to read between the lines."

She continued walking slowly ahead of him while he stopped in his tracks. Oshitari carefully considered the look she'd given him and the choices that he had. Slowly, his smirk turned a little less cocky, more into a smile as he pushed his hands into his pockets and continued looking at her.

    "Thank you, -chan."

And she turned around, her lips tugging upwards slightly – the first smile he'd seen her give him since he'd come back more than a fortnight ago.

It was better than any verbal reply she could have given him. Grinning slightly, Oshitari walked up to her, noting that she waited for him before they resumed their stroll.

~*~

A time to mourn and a time to dance…

~*~

    "Good thing your brother still has a racket lying around."

didn't respond as she sat on a bench in the backyard of her house, a book in her lap. Behind her, Oshitari whacked tennis ball after tennis ball against the garden wall, having expressed a wish to keep up his training since "the people back home would have a field day if I went back rusty."

    "You remember that time Meiichi-oniisan tried to teach you how to play tennis?" Oshitari snickered. "That should have been recorded for posterity. It was the most hilarious thing I've ever seen."

restrained herself from glaring at him, determined to keep her cool. He'd made her yell at him one too many times already, something she hadn't done since childhood. Her reputation as a calm, collected person had to be maintained somehow and he wasn't helping at all. "Don't make me throw this book at you, Oshitari-kun. It's one of my favourites."

    "Is that so? What title is it, I'd like to know?"

jumped slightly, suddenly realizing he was sitting right beside her. His hair stuck to the sides of his face and he breathed a bit heavier than before. Those blue eyes of his though still shone as his adrenaline began to slow down.

She cleared her throat and closed the cover to let him see the title, written in gold above a printed picture of a cream coloured horse with a white mane.

    "‘The Silver Brumby'" read Oshitari out loud, "by Elyne Mitchell."

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Since when have you gotten so proficient at English?"

    "When you hang around people like Atobe and Taki who can speak Greek and German like natives, you learn to pick up a foreign language fast." He smirked, tapping the book with two fingers. "What's it about?"

    "…it's about a horse. They call them brumbies in Australia."

Oshitari listened as told him the story of the protagonist, a cream coloured stallion named Thowra and his adventures. How he was hunted for his unusual colour, how he overcame prejudice and obstacles to become king of stallions… how he fell in love with a tamed filly the same colour as he was named Golden.

Not only did Oshitari listen but he also observed. He saw how subtly animated her face had become, more so than when she had given him that tiny smile the other day at the park. Her voice was higher pitched, with more rises and dips than just a flat monotone. Oshitari had to smirk slightly at the change of mood… and how much prettier she looked if she smiled more.

It suddenly dipped at 's next words.

    "Jiichan was the one who gave me this after he found out I liked horses. He didn't understand the English words but when he saw the picture on the cover, he immediately bought it. We spent a lot of time just staring at the cover since I wasn't good in English either."

Oshitari said nothing as he watched her gingerly brush the cover of the book. There were still no tears, just a droop of her lips and a meeting of her eyebrows.

Taking in a deep breath, he reached out and covered her hand with his, squeezing her fingers slightly. The action made her look up at him and she shook her head.

    "I know a lot of people keep telling me it wasn't my fault I didn't manage to say goodbye. And they keep telling me it's alright to cry. But I just can't." She looked back down at the book again.

    "I wanted to be there at least when he left. I wanted to be beside him, wanted to make sure he knew I loved him before he finally went. But I couldn't do it. All because I wanted to take the longer path home – the one I and jiichan always used because it had more greenery to look at."

Angrily, she closed her eyes. "I'm such a sentimental fool."

    "...-chan, you've always been that way. And people liked you that way. Your jiichan liked you that way. I liked you that way." He kept his hold on her hand, making sure she heard him. "In time, you'll learn that you like yourself that way as well. In time you'll figure out that your granddad wouldn't want you to keep on being so sad like this."

    "But until then, I guess I'm just going to have to remind you. Over and over and over again."

didn't look up again, her bangs shielding her face from view.

But Oshitari felt the returning squeeze of her hand and it was enough.

~*~

A time to be silent and a time to speak…

~*~

    "You stole my spot, Oshitari-kun."

Oshitari just turned his head as he leaned against the balcony railing. He smirked as came to rest beside him, looking out into the distance beyond them.

    "Just wanted to take one more look before I leave for Tokyo."

tried to ignore the sudden weight her heart took on at the mention of his going away the next day. "Time certainly flew by. Almost one entire summer… gone just like that."

Oshitari's smirk was slightly reminiscent. The past weeks had been fun, to be quite honest. He'd enjoyed himself back here in Kansai, being with his old friends and revisiting his old haunts.

He didn't want to leave yet. He hadn't accomplished all he wanted to do while he was here. But the summer was almost over and he had to return to Tokyo to get ready for school which would start in about a week.

Oshitari looked at from the corner of his eyes and exhaled softly. She wasn't outstandingly beautiful like some of the girls he had seen in Hyotei, she wasn't striking or exotic. She frowned a little too much and smiled less than what was good for her. She tried too hard to be composed, suppressing what she felt when it should have been expressed. She was hard towards him and more so towards herself.

And yet… he knew very well he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't take this chance. 

    "…-chan."

She turned to look at him, having learnt the differences in his voice that signaled whether he was going to tease her about her legs or if he was about to say something serious. The latter didn't happen too often.

    "I have to tell you something."

looked at him expectantly.

    "You know how you called yourself a sentimental fool?"

    "…yes."

    "Well…" Oshitari shifted and faced her completely. "I'm a romantic fool myself."

's heart actually skipped a beat. "…what do you mean?"

    "I thought I could be your knight in shining armour, I suppose." He smirked wryly, looking to the side. "I thought I could help you grieve for your granddad, help you to move on.

    "I didn't manage to do that. You haven't cried, haven't mourned… and I have to leave already."

She could say nothing to that, just staring at him and unable to move.

    "I guess I should have known you wouldn't really like to depend on anyone. You never liked being the damsel in distress. In fact, I think you'd prefer the horse to the rider. But…" Here, he straightened and looked her right in the eye.

    "I hoped… and I still hope… that you'd let me be your knight."

There was a long silence in which Oshitari unknowingly held his breath and couldn't find any words to say. What did you say when the boy you'd been friends with for years implied that he liked you as more than just a friend?

And what did you say when you didn't reciprocate his feelings, but despite yourself and despite him, wished with all your heart you did?

Finally, she came to her senses, still staring at him. "…Do you know what you've just said?"

    "I do." He looked at her steadily, the gaze searing her to where she stood. "And I hope you do as well."

    "…Oshitari-kun…"

He inhaled in anticipation.

's eyes were regretful and sad.

    "I'm sorry, Oshitari-kun. I… I can't give you the answer you want."

It was probably his imagination but Oshitari could have sworn he heard a tiny, almost mute crack from within his ribcage, where his heart was. But he nodded, trying to smirk properly. "I understand."

    "…at least… not yet."

stopped a foot in front of him. "I'm… not ready for anyone to be my knight. I've too much going on in my mind right now… and there's just not enough room for anything so… huge as being in love. Not to mention… these whole two months have been a whirlwind, you know?" She swallowed and resumed, her voice remaining tentative and low. "…how do you know if… what you feel is just that – feelings? And not… something deeper?"

Oshitari looked away, suddenly not wishing to look at her.

    "But," Hesitantly, she reached out and took his hand. "But\ if you'll give me some time… if you'll let this sentimental old friend of yours sort out her messes first… and if over that time, you still feel this way…" She trailed off, not daring to guarantee anything and she dropped her gaze to their clasped hands, wishing everything were different.

Then she felt some locks of her hair being brushed away and, as she heard a soft sigh escape him, Oshitari's light kiss on her forehead.

    "Then I'll wait for you, -chan. And this time I won't forget to come back."

***

The next day at the train station, Mizuno eyed his younger sister and her old friend carefully. It seemed as if something had happened between the two of them. He couldn't really say since was so adept at keeping everything inside and Yuushi-kun was an expert at disguising what was going on in his head.

But there was something about the way they were unusually quieter around each other, with a lesser amount of sarcastic, jabbing barbs they usually exchanged. (well, more like tossed them at Oshitari who casually parried them with another witty remark). They looked at each other funnily too. It was something that rang the ‘older brother' alarm bells inside him and warning him that something had changed. He just didn't know what.

Standing beside his mother, they watched and Oshitari bid each other goodbye.

He smirked at her and stuck out his hand. "Thanks for letting me stay, -chan."

Taking his hand, she shook it firmly. "You're welcome, Yuushi."

The smirk grew wider. "Finally, you call me by my first name."

    "Because you promised to come back," she replied pointedly.

Oshitari's smirk morphed into a small smile. "How many seasons do you think you'll take?"

    "…I don't know. But when I do…" She managed to smile at him, giving him and in some way, herself, hope.

    "I'll let you know."

He nodded and released her hand, but never lifted his gaze from her face. "I'll be waiting."

The smile on her face tugged a little wider. watched him turn to go before he started, remembering something. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out something and handed it to her.

She blinked at the thing she held before looking up at him in surprise.

His smile was sincere, unlike the smirks he usually had. "Bought it ‘specially for you. Figure -ojiisan would've done the same."

Before could say anything, Oshitari winked and walked towards the waiting train, waving goodbye to Mizuno and Katsuko on the way. All three saw the train pull out of the station, one clutching a box of Mousse Pocky in her hands.

~*~

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them…

~*~

The warmth of summer gradually faded into the tingling coolness of autumn. Red, brown and golden leaves fell from trees and flowers slowly died away in the advent of cold winter. Snow and blustering winds were allowed to reign over the land of the rising sun for a while. Before long, the first day of spring soon arrived with its prospect of life and pleasanter weather. The cherry blossoms eventually bloomed and then faded away to make way for another summer.

It was during this swelteringly hot season, that Oshitari accessed the Internet, intent on checking his email. His thoughts flew back to a conversation he'd had with his old friends the day before.

    "Seems like you're losing your touch with the opposite sex, Oshitari," commented Atobe with a smirk as the blue haired youth waved apologetically to a couple of girls he'd just let down as gently as he could. "A year ago, you'd have gone out on a double date with those girls already."

    "A double date meaning him and two girls," added Shishido dryly.

Gakuto grinned widely, knowing alongside the others, some extra details about Oshitari's trip to Osaka about a year ago. "More like Yuushi's waiting for something, eh, Yuushi? Or is it someone?"

Oshitari merely smirked, pushing up his glasses. Atobe snorted, a soft sound that carried plenty of meaning.

    "If ore-sama were you, Oshitari, ore-sama would have gone after that girl of yours already. No sense in wasting time like this, na Kabaji?"

The boy, carrying narcoleptic Jirou over his shoulder as per usual, gave his standard reply. "Usu."

Oshitari shook his head as he walked beside them. "Then it's obvious you don't understand the circumstances at the time."

Wakashi didn't offer any comment since romance wasn't exactly his forte. Ohtori on the other hand, smiled at his senpais' conversation. Even after they'd all come out of high school to enter different universities, he hadn't lost his habit of tagging on the old honorifics to the older boys' names.

    "I think what Oshitari-senpai is doing is good considering what -san was going through."

Oshitari smirked. He could always count on Ohtori to be more sympathetic than the rest of his friends.

    "Do you keep in contact with her, Oshitari-senpai?"

    "Through e-mail mostly. But hasn't said a word about anything… and neither have I." He looked up to the sky determinedly.

Oshitari let out a breath as he double clicked the icon and typed in the site address. Admittedly, waiting like this was hard on his nerves since he still felt the same way he did when he had left Kansai. And if anything, absence did indeed make the heart grow fonder.

Too fond in fact until his mother accidentally came across an old photograph of he'd put in his wallet, hidden behind some paraphernalia. Thankfully, she'd been relatively kind and reacted with only a large smile and a soft word of encouragement since " was a lovely girl". If his sister had been the one who'd found out, Oshitari was sure he'd be teased to kingdom come and beyond.

But going back to the subject…. he supposed exchanging casual emails on each other's daily lives was better than nothing. And although all the bigger questions would have to wait, he was enjoying finding out all the little things about her that he never knew before. And of course the incessant teasing (and returning barbs) was just plain fun.

His heart did a little leap to see a new mail from her, sent yesterday. He moved his cursor to open it. Blue eyes read its contents slowly, making sure he took in every word. There was that sarcastic reply to his suggestion she thwack her lecturer with a twig for giving them extra assignments on days off (like she'd done to him last time when he messed up one of her toys)… a congratulatory message from her family upon getting first place in a university sponsored tennis tournament…

Oshitari blinked as he read the last few lines. Then he leaned forward and read it again. And just to be absolutely sure, one more time.

Downstairs, Mrs. Oshitari raised an eyebrow to hear a door slam and a sudden hasty thudding of feet down the stairs. "Yuushi? Is that you?"

    "Going out to the train station, okan!"

    "Wait a minute, Yuushi-"

Her only son had already slipped on his shoes and was out the door before she could even ask what on earth he was doing at the station. She stared at the door incredulously before shaking her head and going back into the kitchen. Honestly… sometimes Yuushi could be so odd.

Upstairs, on Oshitari's computer screen, 's email was still displayed.

To tell you the truth, I'm already in Tokyo, typing this from a cybercafé. I have something to tell you. I'll wait for you at the Seishun train station until you come.

    Jaa matta.

        .

~*~

A time to love and a time to hate…

~*~

It took Oshitari ten minutes to get from his house to downtown, two minutes to regain his bearings and one more to run all the way to the train station.

What was she thinking, coming to Tokyo and not telling me beforehand? He entered the building and looked for her. There was no sign of her familiar face in the usual crowd that milled around the station, each individual with their own agenda. Oshitari walked from one end to the other, searching for her.

The email was a day old. Could she really be here waiting for him?

It was more than likely. wouldn't play around with his head like that. He continued his search, craning his neck and looking past other people who were busy buying tickets or selling their wares. He spent a good fifteen minutes walking back and forth, outside and in, trying to spot her. Finally, Oshitari leaned against a wall near the entrance, sticking his hands into his pockets and releasing a deep breath.

And I was supposed to be the one who was going to look for you, ahou, thought Oshitari with a slight frown. I was supposed to head to Osaka and find you. The plan didn't include you coming here.

…but I guess I'm still looking for you. In a way.

    "Waiting long?"

He looked up to meet her eyes, slightly amused.

Oshitari smirked, heaving himself off the wall. "Not really. Came a few minutes ago."

    "Liar. I saw you running around just now."

He smirked again. "Did you come here by yourself?"

She shook her head. "Meiichi-oniisan took some days off to come with me. He's back at our hotel, watching TV and wondering what he's doing following his crazy imouto on her sudden trip to Tokyo."

Oshitari snickered in a low tone. "In that case… why are you here so suddenly?"

    "…I wanted to tell you something. And I decided I shouldn't wait for you to come like I did last time."

    "What, you don't trust me?"

shook her head. "More like it's too important to wait."

Oshitari willed himself not to get too excited about anything. "Then what couldn't you wait to tell me?"

She looked down. "…six months after you went back to Tokyo, I went to jiichan's grave. I knelt there, in front of that tombstone, for a while…" She let out a deep breath. "And I kept on remembering all the times jiichan and I spent together, all the things he'd taught me… but there was one thing I'd forgotten."

    "Jiichan gave me a piece of advice once." looked back at him, amusement turned to seriousness. "He told me that life had its seasons, each one with a different purpose. There's the season when you need to plant rice seedlings and the season you need to stand aside to let the rice grow naturally. If you interfered in the wrong way… things wouldn't work as it was intended to. And you can't stop spring or summer or autumn or winter. You can't stop seasons from happening. Just like you can't stop death… or life."

    "And I guess I finally got it. I couldn't stop jiichan from dying… and I can't stop life from continuing after his death. And my season of mourning and blaming myself has to end some time… because if it doesn't, life wouldn't work as it should."

Oshitari took in the look on her face and had to smile, in relief and in wonder. "…took you long enough to figure it out."

Unexpectedly, she nodded in agreement. "…I was stupid. And blind. But after I understood, I managed to cry. I just knelt there and started sobbing." She let out a tiny laugh. "Like a baby."

    "-chan…"

She shook her head. "I did. And it felt wonderful, just to let it all out like that."

    "…I'm glad then." He smirked at the look on her face. "Really. I'm happy for you."

A smile blossomed onto 's face. "There's more. After that incident, it took me a while to find out something else. It took me up until last week, in fact, to realize it."

    "Oh? What could that be?" replied Oshitari with a slightly hopeful feeling bobbing in him.

    "…that…" The tinge of red that was starting to stain her cheeks made him feel lighter in anticipation. "…after a year… I wish… and I hope… you'd still want to be my knight. And not just for a day either."

Oshitari, above the feelings of fireworks being set off in his head, took some time to acknowledge that this old friend of his who had a tongue that could be as sharp as a dagger, could actually look embarrassed and unwilling to look at the guy she'd just confessed affection for.

Taking her hands, he pressed it silently to his lips. She looked up at him uncertainly.

He returned a smirk, the kind that came out in situations she'd normally smack him for. Now however, she just wondered what it felt like to erase that smirk with a kiss. "I don't have a white horse though."

smiled at him, widely this time. "That's alright."

    "Then if my ohime-sama doesn't mind," Oshitari let go of her hands only to pull her into a firm embrace. "This knight will try and keep up with you. Okay?"

And with the busy murmurs of people around them and the background noise of a train coming up into the station, leaned into him, resting her head on Oshitari's shoulder and deciding to let that ‘my ohime-sama' remark go, just this once.

    "It's a deal," she answered with the smile he'd brought back to her.

Time can be measured in seasons. Seasons for planting, seasons for harvest, seasons for celebration, seasons for mourning. One just has to know which season is right for what activity, even if it means waiting a little longer for the perfect time.

Including falling in love.  

The End.
Yoake