Cover Girl
I fell in love with a girl in the picture
That I use to keep
Carried her 'round in the back of my pocket
She was always with me
~ Girl in the Life Magazine, Boyz II Men
PROLOGUE
Friday afternoon.
A young, silver-haired man sat on the chair beside the window. It had been raining for the past two days now, and his team's practice had been cancelled because of this. He sighed and looked at the other people inside the club room. Most of them were busy reading, writing, eating or sleeping. The past few weeks have been pretty hard, for they were practicing a lot for the District Tournament. Maybe he should be glad that all of them were able to get some space to catch up on their lessons and have enough rest.
Shishido Ryou was eating his cheese sandwich and turned to Oshitari Yuushi and asked, "Ne, Yuushi, how's the newspaper drive?" Oshitari fixed his eyeglasses for a while and looked at his teammate. "It's been doing great, really," he said, "Although, I can not understand why we seniors have to be stuck into this project. How about you, Ootori?" He turned, looking at the tall second-grader. The boy smiled and said, "I think we're collecting aluminum cans, Oshitari-senpai," he answered. Mukahi Gakuto chuckled, "Why do we have to do this when Hyoutei is an exclusive school?" He then turned his gaze towards Atobe, who was still sitting besides the window.
Atobe chuckled. "For an elite school like Hyoutei, isn't this kind of activity really different? Besides, we're extending our help to other people. It wouldn't be so bad, na, Kabaji?"
"Usu."
Gakuto sighed. "I hate this," he said. "Oh, by the way, I left some of the newspapers and magazines here in the room. It's raining outside and I can’t bring it to the other building. Is that okay?" Atobe nodded. The boys continued what they were doing, when Atobe noticed that his second year companion, Kabaji Munehiro, stood up and went towards the large pile of used magazines and newspapers that Gakuto brought earlier. He didn't bother much, as Kabaji started sorting and looking at the pile. Just then, a particular magazine caught Kabaji's eye. He picked it up and looked at the cover closely. It was a magazine for girls, mostly about fashion, and the cover, of course, featured a photo of a girl. Kabaji continued to look at it for a while, and then...
"."
The boys stopped from what they are doing and looked at Kabaji. They rarely heard Kabaji speak, and today was... just different.
"Kabaji, is something wrong?" Oshitari asked. Gakuto was suppressing his laughter. Ootori, Shishido, and Hiyoshi only looked at the tall guy with a questioning look. Atobe stood up and went towards Kabaji and asked, "Nani?" Kabaji turned to his senpai and showed him the cover of the magazine. "," he said. Atobe looked at the cover and stared at the girl. She looked half, but it seemed that her Japanese blood is dominant. Her hair was tied up and she was wearing a camel pipe coat, posed like Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Atobe once more looked at Kabaji and asked, "Oh, so this is her?"
"Usu."
"Oi, oi, what is this all about?" Shishido asked as he stood up and looked at the magazine. However, Atobe snatched the magazine before Shishido could reach it, and placed it in his bag. Oshitari chuckled. "Atobe, I didn't know you read those kinds of magazines," he said. Atobe glared at him and then just smirked. Ootori and Hiyoshi still look puzzled, but then decided not to meddle anymore. They would probably get to know what was happening in time. In fact, nothing's a secret if it involved Atobe.
**********
A month and a half later...
stepped out of the car and waved at the driver to say goodbye. She stood in front of the school gate and then fixed her uniform. It had been a while since she returned to Japan. She did not, however come back for work. Instead, she came back to continue her studies. She didn't skip grades, for while working as a model, she had the chance to be schooled at home. For some reason, her parents had asked her if she wanted to come back to Japan, and she had said yes.
She took careful steps and went inside the campus. Soon enough, she was welcomed by students who were all smiling, talking and running. She didn't expect that she had missed the school environment so much. She hoped that she would be able to make friends. As she went to look for her classroom, she noticed a tall, dark-skinned guy carrying tennis equipment. He was also surrounded by other guys: one with a blue baseball cap, a caramel-haired boy that looked really sleepy, a tall, good-looking guy and a grumpy-looking boy. The small group grew when they were approached by a guy who wore glasses, a small, redhead boy, and an elegant yet arrogant-looking young man. She looked again at the tall guy and could not help but call his name.
"Kabaji-kun!"
The group of boys looked around and then saw a slim and pretty girl waving at them -- no, she was waving at their teammate, Kabaji. They looked at him with surprise. "Kabaji-san, who is that girl?" Ootori asked. Kabaji looked at the waving girl, and then smiled. "Chotto matte," he said and went towards the girl.
"I didn't know Kabaji had a girlfriend," Gakuto said. Oshitari looked at Kabaji with amusement, and then turned to Atobe, saying, "Atobe, I assume that you know this, hmm?" Atobe smirked. "Kabaji does not have a girlfriend. As--" Atobe’s sentence was interrupted when he saw Kabaji walking towards them, followed by the girl.
"It looks like Kabaji is going to introduce the girl," Shishido said. "Che," muttered Hiyoshi.
Atobe faced Kabaji. "Is she the one that you were talking about, Kabaji?"
"Usu."
looked at the guys questioningly. After a few moments, she regained her composure and then bowed. " , second year. Yoroshiku," she introduced herself. The other boys nodded and bowed in recognition. Atobe went toward her and took her hand. "Atobe Keigo, student council president and boys' tennis team captain. It's my pleasure to meet a beautiful girl like you." he said as he kissed her hand. The girl looked somewhat surprised, but smiled back. "That's very handsome of you, Atobe-san."
The guys looked at each other. They knew that girls chased Atobe, but this was the first time that a girl appreciated Atobe's arrogance without looking (and acting) like a fangirl. They looked at and they saw that the girl was elegant and composed. Oshitari then asked the young girl, "It seems that you're acquainted with Kabaji." The girl nodded. "Kabaji-kun is a childhood friend of mine. Plus, our families are really close. I'm happy that he's attending the same school so that I won't feel alone." The rest of the boys nodded, somehow absorbing and understanding the information. However they could not understand why Atobe was acting all excited instead of Kabaji.
Atobe went beside the girl and looked at Kabaji. "I think we should help -san since she's new here, na, Kabaji?"
"Usu."
looked Atobe. "Is that okay?" she asked, and then answered her own question. "Sou ka. You're the student council president after all. Would you like to come with us, Kabaji-kun?"
"Usu."
"Ja," said, and then turned towards the rest of the boys. "Thank you very much. Hope to see you guys soon. Arigatou Gozaimashita!" And then the three figures went away.
"Something's happening," Oshitari commented. The rest of the guys nodded. "Che, the captain is doing unnecessary things." Hiyoshi commented. Oshitari looked at Hiyoshi and smirked. "It seems that Atobe's in love, eh?"
"MAJI???" Shishido, Gakuto and Ootori exclaimed. Jirou, who apparently was leaning behind Ootori's back, jumped and woke up. "N-Nani? What is happening?"
Oshitari smirked once more. "We wouldn't know unless we observe those two -- and ask the Bau[1]. It seems that he knows something about this." Shishido looked confused. "But you wouldn't get information from Kabaji -- he rarely speaks in whole sentences."
"But he's been speaking now... I mean not that much, but still... right?" Ootori asked. The other boys nodded. "Either way, it's still interesting to see Atobe in that position. I want to know what is happening." Oshitari concluded as they decided to go to their separate classes.
**********
"Kyaaa, she's so pretty!"
"She's even prettier in person, don't you think?"
"Sou, sou. And I heard that she's really nice too."
"What is she doing with Kabaji?"
saw some people looking at her and Kabaji. She let out a soft sigh.
People liked to talk about others' lives, and she found it irritating. Especially that the girls recognize her as a teen model. Nevertheless, she didn't want to spoil her afternoon with her friend.
asked Kabaji if he could accompany her to the rooftop to eat lunch. It had been a few days since she started going back to school and she's enjoying it a lot. Not to mention that her childhood friend, Kabaji, attends the same school and is in the same class. Kabaji followed her until they reached their destination.
"Hai, I made you a bento as well. I know your bentos are better than mine, but hope you like it!" beamed. She knew that Kabaji's favorite subject was Home Economics, and his friend knew a lot about cooking, laundry and other stuff. Kabaji sat and then took the bento from his friend's hands. For a while, they ate in silence before Kabaji stopped and looked at his friend.
"What do you think of him?"
looked at her friend and then thought for a while before saying, "Kabaji-kun, he's a little annoying..." Kabaji looked down. "Sou desuka." She looked at her friend, afraid that she might have hurt his feelings. "Daijoubu! I still like him though, so you don't have to worry about it," she said. Kabaji let out a small smile and continued eating his lunch. looked at her friend and then remembered the time when Kabaji mentioned Atobe for first time.
Kabaji never forgot to send her e-mails despite their busy schedule -- him, being involved in the tennis team, while she was busy with her modeling stints. Through his e-mails, she learned that Kabaji was very loyal to his team captain and friend, Atobe Keigo. She was familiar with Atobe when she was still in elementary school and still living in Tokyo, mostly because Atobe's family was really rich. Kabaji's stories about Atobe made her really curious about the guy, and as the e-mails kept coming, she started to admire the guy from afar even though he didn't know her. It was later that year when Kabaji said that he had told Atobe about her, and the young man was interested in meeting her. This made her heart skip a beat. For a while, her decision to go to Japan was an event that she had been excited about, probably because she really wanted to meet Atobe in flesh. And now that she finally saw him, she didn't know how to express her feelings.
"Kabaji-kun," asked as her friend continued to eat. Kabaji looked at her. "Nani?"
"Do you think Atobe-san likes me because of who I am, and not because I am a pretty, well-to-do girl?"
Kabaji once again stopped eating his bento and stared at his friend. He knew that it was because of him that his two friends became connected. He knows how both parties felt, and as their friend, he knew that he had to do something about it.
"Usu."
looked at her friend with delight and smiled. "Arigatou, Kabaji-kun."
"Usu."
**********
Atobe and Kabaji were walking away from the club room. Training had just finished, and they were about to go home. Atobe paused and looked at Kabaji.
"Na, Kabaji, do you think I'm a nice person?" Atobe asked, randomly. Kabaji looked at him.
"Usu."
"Sou ka." Atobe said, and then started walking, this time, a little bit slower. He was thinking about - san and how he could manage to make her like him. He knew that he was a very influential student, girls chased him. However, based from what he had learned from Kabaji, was not impressed with guys who were very self-centered. He knew he was great, but oftentimes he tends to go overboard. And he did not want to dislike him because of that.
"Do not change. will like you if you're just like that," Kabaji said, much to Atobe's surprise. He looked at his friend and then smiled. "Just like this, ah~n? Are you sure about that?"
"Usu." And with that, the two guys left the school. They didn't notice a guy with spectacles hiding somewhere, who obviously heard what they were just talking about.
**********
was sitting at the rooftop and enjoying the warm breeze after eating her lunch. She lay down for a while, and then closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt someone kiss her softly on the forehead. She opened her eyes and saw a beautiful pair of eyes looking at her. The boy smiled.
"A-Atobe-san! Ohisashiburi!" said as she quickly stood up fixed herself. Atobe chuckled. "It seems that I interrupted your siesta[2]," the boy said. "No, it's not like that! I'm just relaxing for a bit," said. "A-anou..."
"Did Kabaji tell you how much I like you?" Atobe asked, bold as usual. expected that Atobe would ask her this sort of question, so somehow she wasn't really surprised.
"H-hai. Well... He said you're interested but I didn't know to what extent," said, careful of her words. Atobe chuckled. It seemed that Kabaji would do anything to make them into a couple. Instead of being angry, he was pleased. Atobe took 's hand. "I liked you from the first time I saw you on the magazine that Kabaji showed me. And everyday, these feelings grew whenever Kabaji tells me something about you. Of course, this might seem really hasty through the eyes of the people... but I don't have to worry, right? I knew you long before I saw you personally..."
smiled, seeing Atobe rattling off. "It seems that you're really nervous. You never confessed to a girl before, ne?" Atobe was caught off-guard with her smile, and then asserted his dominance. "Ore-sama never gets nervous. However," he said as he planted a small kiss on 's lips. "This is the first time that I became awed at the prowess of a young, beautiful woman." went closer to Atobe, feeling his warm body.
While the two figures hugged each other, Oshitari, Shishido, Gakuto, and Ootori were hiding behind the rooftop door. Shishido seemed pleased, Gakuto was grinning wide, Ootori was blushing, and Oshitari was, again, smirking. "You know what, you did a good job," turning his back to the guy who was responsible for everything.
A tall figure stood up behind the boys, and then carried his sleeping senpai. He peeked through the door and saw that his plan worked. Helping his friends made him feel good.
"Usu."
##########
April 02, 2006
Written by: Megane-ko
Edited by: Rikapyon!
[1] I got this info from xenium-san's Valentine Kiss translations.
[2] Siesta means afternoon nap.