Smile for Tomorrow

"That's it for today. See you tomorrow!" The teacher cheerfully dismisses his class as soon as the school bell rings. Some students start fixing their things; others go to their friends to talk about their plans after leaving the campus.

A short-haired girl scans her surroundings before finally standing up and quickly taking her bag. She leaves the classroom unnoticed, goes to her cubby to change her shoes and after a couple more minutes, leaves the school.

Her steps seem calculated as she is walking faster than usual. She checks her watch every five minutes or so. It seems that she is trying to catch something.

A couple of blocks from the school and the girl reaches the small shopping district. The whole area is busy as always. She fishes out a small paper from her pocket and looks around her. When she finds what she is looking for, she doesn't waste another second and goes to her destination. She tightly clutches the small paper in her hand, and just like her presence, the smile on her lips is never noticed by anyone.

**********

"So are you skipping practice? I should tell this to Tachibana-san. Oh wait, we don't have practice today, so I guess it's all good," Ibu Shinji said as he watched his friend Kamio Akira take some of his things from his locker. The two sophomores were inside the tennis club room and the former just accompanied the latter after class.

Kamio didn't seem to mind what Ibu was saying. He needed to pick up something and he was going to head to the shopping district. His favorite band, the Hammervines, had released a limited CD and it was going to be out at exactly 4:30 that afternoon. It was almost 4:00 pm, and he had to run, fast.

"You really don't have to panic since you're quite agile, Kamio. You'll be there in no time," Ibu continued as he was still standing there, watching Kamio moving frantically. Kamio zipped his tennis bag and stood up.

"Yeah, I know it's a good thing we don't have practice today. I really have to leave now," Kamio waved at Ibu before going out of the club room.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? You'll be bored while waiting in line," Ibu asked.

Kamio made a face. "I'll be fine. See you tomorrow!" He then started running out of the campus.

The Hammervines is Kamio's favorite band. He had heard of their music just by accident but after listening to some of their songs, he was immediately hooked. While he really was into catchy tunes (and used these kinds of songs to condition himself before a game), he was also into rock bands. He was particularly fond of The Hammervines' amazing rifts and melancholic lyrics.

For a fan like him, the release of a limited CD was an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. And despite the fact that his movements were quicker than anyone else, he still wanted to get to the music bar before they ran out of copies.

The thought of owning the CD made Kamio really excited, and his steps became quicker than usual. A smile was also forming on his lips as he was on his way to the shopping district near Fudomine Chuu.

**********

I am here, the girl whispered to herself as she found herself standing in front of a small but popular music store in the shopping district. She held her breath and went inside the store, and noticed a small kiosk inside with the big letters "The Hammervines" written on the banner. There was also a line near the booth, wherein some fans were anxiously waiting for the booth's opening. She went in line and waited.

She wasn't really a fan of The Hammervines. In fact, she was just a regular listener. Today, she wasn't going get a CD only for herself, but she was also going to give another copy to someone.

There was a boy in school that she liked but never got the chance to talk to or befriend. Nakamura Ukiya was popular with the students because of his talent in playing the guitar. One day, she overheard Nakamura say that he was a big fan of The Hammervines. Unfamiliar with the name of the band, she decided to buy one of their regular albums, and after listening, she understood why Nakamura liked the band.

Hearing that The Hammervines were releasing a limited CD, she decided to get two copies and hand one to Nakamura. When she gives the CD to him, she probably might be able to talk to him as well.

She stood at the line quietly, patiently waiting for her turn.

**********

Kamio Akira quickly reached the shopping district and tried to look for the music store when he spotted a familiar figure making its way to the local fast food chain.

"Oi, Momoshiro!" Kamio waved. The tall, sophomore tennis player from the nearby private school heard his name and turned around.

"Kamio! What are you doing in here?" Momoshiro Takeshi greeted. The boys tapped each others' shoulder.

"I'm on my way to the music store. You?" Kamio noticed that Momoshiro was wearing a casual pair of sports pants and a yellow shirt. "You're not wearing your uniform!"

"Ah, I'm going to the sports store. The sports festival in Seigaku is coming soon, and I'm playing basketball," Momoshiro answered.

"Ah, a sports festival. That's nice. Fudomine's intramurals won't be up until a month or two." Kamio commented.

"Anyway, you said you're headed to the music store? They have a very long line there. What's going on?" Momoshiro asked.

Hearing what the latter said widened Kamio's eyes. "Oh no! I'll be late. I'll talk to you later," Kamio said as he started to leave.

"Oi! Wait a minute!" Momoshiro tried to call Kamio but his attempt was futile. Kamio was gone.

A couple of minutes and Kamio reached the music store and seeing that a lot of people were already in line. Some people were also already leaving after getting their own copies of The Hammervines' CD. As soon as it was Kamio's turn, he took some money from his pocket only to realize that...

"Dammit! I'm short of sixty yen!"

**********

The short-haired girl was really happy as soon as she got two copies of The Hammervines'CD. She stood beside the small kiosk inside the music store that also served as a promotional stand for the famous band. She was holding one copy and reading the list of songs at the back of the CD when she heard an exasperated voice coming from the line.

"Hey, I know you went all the way here to get a copy but if you don't have sixty yen to add to your money, then I'll sell this to someone else." The man from the booth said as a red-haired guy fumbled to find some spare change inside his bag. The boy apparently didn't have enough money to pay for the CD.

"Shit, why is this happening to me?" She heard the boy declare as he stepped aside, trying to re-count his money while another took his place in the line.

Seeing the helplessness on the boy's face, she went towards him and tried to get his attention.

"A-anou... I-I can lend you sixty yen," she softly said. Surprisingly, the redhead heard her voice and she saw his eyes glimmered with delight.

"Seriously?! W-wait a minute, I don't know you–"

"Is that really important? I suppose that you're a fan of The Hammervines." She said while trying to avoid his gaze. The redhead smiled and called the salesman's attention.

**********

"Wow! I really can't believe I have a new CD!" Kamio said as he held his brand-new copy of The Hammervines' album. The girl who helped him earlier was walking beside him, quietly listening to the boy's happy words.

"By the way," Kamio said as he stopped in his tracks and went in front of the girl. He then shook the girl's hand in appreciation. "Thank you, thank you, thank you very much! I really appreciate your help. I promise that I will pay the sixty yen tomorrow!"

The girl was surprised with Kamio's gesture that she looked at him shyly and smiled timidly. "It's no big deal."

"Before I forget, my name is Kamio Akira, a sophomore student at Fudomine Chuu. Nice to meet you! What's your name?"

" . Also a sophomore at Fudomine." She said.

"Eh, so you're also from Fudomine? How come I've never seen you before?" Kamio asked as he continued walking. The girl didn't say anything; she just nodded in response.

The two continued walking quietly towards the bus station. Kamio stole a glance at the girl beside him, noting that she didn't really like to talk. No wonder he had never noticed her in school. She's like a wallflower, Kamio told himself.

They were only a few steps away from the bus station when their attention was caught by a small group of noisy yet good-looking students from Fudomine Chuu. One of them was easily recognized by both Kamio and . It was Nakamura Ukiya.

suddenly reached inside her bag, her fingers were looking for the CD she bought earlier. Seeing that the boys were about to leave the station, she pushed her bag towards the startled Kamio and ran towards the boys.

"A-anou... Nakamura-san," she said, trying to catch her breath even though she didn't ran too far to reach Nakamura Ukiya. The boys turned their head towards her. Nakamura was surprised.

"Are? Another one of your fangirls, Nakamura!" One boy teased. The rest of them laughed. Nakamura gave a smile and then told everyone to keep quiet.

"And what's your business with me, hmm?" Nakamura said. fidgeted a little and then presented him the new CD that she acquired earlier.

"Ah, I heard that you like The Hammervines, so... so I decided to give this to you. I hope you like it!" shook her head, trying not to look at the boy that she liked the most. Her inner voice was praying that Nakamura would take the CD and thank her, at least...

Nakamura Ukiya took the CD from her alright, and then examined it. Without any hesitation, he tossed the CD inside the waste can and a mischievous smirk formed on his lips.

"Sorry about that, but I don't like The Hammervines anymore. Switch Parade is a better band. And if you think I will go out on a date with you just because you gave me a CD, then you're mistaken. I don't go out with plain people like you."

was shocked. She stood there, unable to move. Cruel words from Nakamura were repeating inside her head over and over again. Before she knew it, tears were starting to form in her eyes.

The boys were laughing so hard, starting to leave, while felt like such a fool standing there in here tears. Then she heard Kamio shouting.

"Y-you, asshole!"

She saw Kamio's tennis bag on the road, and he was now holding his racquet and tennis ball. In an instant, he served the ball, quickly hitting Nakamura's soft face. Nakamura fell on the ground, yelping in pain.

Kamio approached and looked at his fellow schoolmates in disgust.

"W-why did you hit me, you punk?!" Nakamura belted out.

"What kind of people are you?! She fell in line just to get that CD, and you're just throwing it away?! She's not expecting you to like her but at least give her some respect!" Kamio answered back. "If you want people to respect you, then at least try showing kindness to other people. Stop acting like jerks!"

Kamio turned around to see if was okay. "Don't worry about these stupid guys. Let's just go and catch the bus." He then looked sharply at the boys, (who finally realized who he was–after all, Fudomine Chuu's tennis team was really strong) and they scrammed, frantically leaving the station.

looked at the trash bin (fortunately it was empty) and took out the CD. She stared at it and another batch of tears started to form. She then noticed Kamio handing his clean towel.

"I don't use the handkerchief, but please do wipe your face. It's not nice to see girls crying," he said. looked at him and took the towel. "Thank you."

"Seriously, why are you talking to people like that? They're annoying!" Kamio said as he sat on the station's bench and stretched his arms. "I guess they are good-looking but they don't do anything but cause havoc in the campus. See! They're stupid!"

"I-I didn't know that he was like that at all... Plus I thought he liked The Hammervines..." reasoned out, albeit she was hanging her head quite low.

"Geeze. And then I assume you started listening to the band just because that stupid Nakamura was listening to it before." Kamio scolded. nodded her head softly.

Kamio sighed. "I know I am not in the position to tell you what to do, but consider me as someone who's concerned for you, okay? Don't let yourself blend in the background. People are interesting, you know. Except maybe Nakamura and his idiot friends... but...everyone has a story tell. If you can listen to what people have to say, they will do the same for you. So…" Kamio was unable to finish his sentence when he noticed that was still quiet.

"It'll be hard to be... lively and cheerful. It's just not me." She muttered.

"Then at least try to smile." Kamio said. looked at the boy and saw that he was smiling at her. Seeing his calm expression made her feel at ease. She nodded her head and tried to smile a little.

"See! That looks good on you. Anyway, I have to take the bus. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Kamio said as both of them noticed the bus stopping in front of them.

nodded. "See you. And...thank you." she said softly.

Kamio smiled at her as he stood up and boarded the bus. watched as the bus slowly accelerated until she lost sight of it.

Tomorrow, she resolved, she will try to smile a bit more not only for her new friend, but also for herself.

##########

October 29, 2006
Written by: Megane-ko
Edited by: linchpin

A/N: It's so hard to write a romance DN featuring Kamio since he really likes Tachibana An. In any case, I hope you still like the story. :3 Oh, BTW, there is no such band named as The Hammervines. Or if there is one, kindly tell me so that I can put a note here.