Must Love Basketball

With the chances of them ever seeing one another being less than zero, he left her behind with no promises of a future together and in doing so managed to break two hearts simultaneously.

He didn’t want to breakup with her.

That had been the very last thing he wanted to do. But when he had to move back to Japan with his family, leaving her behind in America, he knew that no matter how much they cared about each other, it just wouldn’t work.

That much distance would have been too much to overcome, too stressful on both of them keep their relationship working. Their lives were headed in two separate directions and neither road looked to lead them back to the other.

His parents wouldn’t let him stay with her family in America, no matter how much they liked her.

Her parents would never allow their only child to move so far away from where she had been born and raised, from them, just for a High School romance that would probably end sooner rather than later.

He understood their reasoning, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

He didn’t see their relationship as flippantly as they did and neither did she. In the eyes of their families they were nothing but love-struck teenagers, that didn’t know anything about real life.

There were a lot of things he didn’t know about life and love, but the one thing he knew for certain was that there was something deep between them. It had been there almost from the very beginning and had only developed further over time.

It had begun one summers’ evening when she had asked if he and Taiga would teach her how to play basketball. She was terrible at the game, truly, but she tried. She gave it her all and that was something he later came to love about her. Her determination was unrivaled and when she set her mind to do something, she did it.

She got better over time, but conceded that she didn’t have the talent that they did for the game. She didn’t have the talent for it, but she always cheered for the both of them when they played, even against each other. She never favored him over Taiga or vice versa, even after they started dating and the two boys had their disagreements. Taiga was as much her best friend and brother as he was his.

Yes, she had her quirks but they made her, her.

Her smile was a little on the crooked side and she had braces on her teeth up until her thirteenth birthday. Even with her teeth now perfectly straight, she rarely gave an open mouthed smile. When she did though, it was beautiful.

When she truly laughed it was always silent with her eyes tightly closed and her sneezes were hilariously high pitched. Sometimes she could even trip over thin air. Whenever she wore headphones she would sing aloud and she had to wear glasses to read. She hated using stairs, but could jog for hours.

She liked to eat pizza cold, the taste of Root Beer, preferred the smell of fresh mint leaves over floral fragrances, was absolutely terrified of flying and heights, and she unconsciously chewed on her fingernails when she was nervous.

Her Japanese pronunciation was terrible, barely intelligible when she tried to say more than a simple phrase, but he loved the way she said his name in either language. He loved the way her nose would scrunch up when he purposely teased her by using Japanese phrases or words that she didn’t know and wouldn’t tell her what they meant.

She burned easily in the sun, but she loved the sound of the ocean waves breaking against the beach and the feel of the summer sun on her skin. She had an odd fascination with body piercings, but was too afraid of getting more than just her earlobes pierced.

She could stay up for hours playing a videogame she had already beaten several times. She had no preference in music and listened to whatever she was in the mood for. She favored action and adventure movies over romance, sneakers over high heels, and jeans and tank tops over dresses.

She never wore much make-up, but when she did it was very little and natural looking. She always fussed over her hair because it never styled like she wanted, but she liked the wind in her hair when she rode in or drove her father’s ‘91 T-top Camaro RS.

She loved that shiny light metallic blue car, and hoped to call it her own one day.

He knew that her parents planned to gift ‘Old Blue’, as they affectionately named it, to her as a birthday and graduation present when she turned eighteen. He wished that he could be there to see her expression. She would be so happy.

She wasn’t perfect, but to him she was perfectly imperfect. He wouldn’t have her any other way.

It had been nagging at him for some time, teasing him and threatening to roll off his tongue at the most random moments, but he hadn’t known for sure until the plane had lifted off the ground. He was in love with her, and now he would never see her again thanks to cruel fate and his own hand in the matter.

He wasn’t ashamed to say that he had cried that day. He had wept for what he had to leave behind and what he was sure he would never have again. The regret of all the things he didn’t say or do stung. He should have told her just how much she meant to him when he had the chance. He should have let her known that she was all he had ever wanted.

He regretted having hurt her by breaking off their relationship so coldly, when all he wanted was to pull her close and never let her go, not ever.

But maybe it was better this way, he reasoned. If she didn’t know just how much he loved her, then there would be no illusions for her to hold onto and eventually, she would be able to move on. He hated knowing he wouldn’t have any part in her future, even as a friend.

At least she had Taiga there to comfort her after he left. That was of some small comfort to him, knowing that his little brother would be there to look after her. It wouldn’t last forever. Taiga would eventually move back to Japan, as well. It was inevitable. But for a little while longer, she’d still have one of them there.

Having conceded that he would never see her again, Himuro couldn’t suppress his visible shock when a familiar voice unexpectedly called out to Taiga and drew both of the teen’s attention away from what they had been doing previously, as well as several others.

There she was, like a bittersweet dream, standing next to Alex and waving happily at the openmouthed redhead who appeared just as shocked as Himuro felt to see her.

She got on an airplane, willingly and by herself? They unknowingly shared the same thought.

She looked no worse for the wear, though a little intimidated of the surrounding crowd of unknown, but similarly aged boys. The sight of a familiar, friendly face however caused that rare beautiful smile to light up her features wonderfully.

If it were possible, Himuro could have sworn that he had fallen in love with her all over again.

Taiga finally managed a small wave of his own when most of the shock wore off and was immediately rewarded with a tight but comfortable hug from the seventeen year old girl. She was so happy to see him again that she looked ready to cry. Taiga hesitantly pat her back in an effort to stall the forthcoming tears and scolded her for jumping him so unexpectedly, but he smiled. He was just as glad to see her as she was to see him.

Himuro smiled just a little at his little brother’s awkwardness.

When she pulled away from the much taller teen they habitually began to converse in English and successfully confused almost everyone within earshot.

Taiga’s teammates began to mutter and argue among themselves about how he had the fortune of knowing two pretty American girls. One wondered aloud if she was his girlfriend since they seemed so close and Himuro felt the first intense flare of jealousy. He managed to shake it off though.

They didn’t know any better and… she wasn’t his anymore.

She was right in front of him, well within his reach for the first time in so long. He had but to extend his arms and she would be in his embrace, where she belonged… but she wasn’t there for him. She was there for Taiga, the one who hadn’t broken her heart. He was the one who had been there for her.

She hadn’t spared a glance in his direction, not knowing that he was there. He was well hidden amongst the majority of dark haired individuals and not as easy to spot as Taiga’s shock of red hair. If she knew, would she even give him the time of day anymore? He had hurt her so deeply. Would she be able to forgive him?

A pained expression crossed his features. He hadn’t known he had spoken aloud, until Taiga and Alex gently turned her towards his direction by her shoulders. He had called her name out of reflex and the pain he felt at being ignored, though unintentional, was all too obvious in his soft tone. It was a plea for her to look at him, to acknowledge him in some way.

She was clearly confused as they steered her around until she finally spotted him standing amongst his teammates. It took a moment, but when it registered that he was actually there, she really did begin to cry. Old habits die hard, and Himuro didn’t even think, he just acted.

She was hurt, in need of comfort, and he acted as he would have before the breakup, as he had before.

He quickly strode over and wrapped his arms around her. Her hands found purchase on his clothes, but he wasn’t sure if she was trying to pull him closer or push him away, or maybe do both. He hoped that she wasn’t trying to push him away. He would have understood had that been the case. She was sobbing now and he closed his eyes in shared pain knowing he had done this to her.

He began to shush her softly, as his fingers found her unbound hair and gently began to massage her scalp. He laid his cheek against the top of her head softly inhaling her sweet, familiar scent. He had missed the way she fit against his taller body so perfectly. He missed the way her lips felt against his. He missed everything about her.

He had just missed her so, so damn much.

Her sobs began to soften, but still he held on to her, unwilling to let her go again. It wasn’t until she whispered his name and gently pulled away that he finally released her, albeit very reluctantly. He had thought that walking away from her had been hard, but he was wrong. This was ten times harder.

She refused to meet his gaze and tried to brush away the remaining tears discreetly. She had missed some and his hand reached up to brush them away. Her bottom lip trembled from the soft brush of his skin against hers and she briefly spared a glance at him before looking away once more. He was disappointed by this reaction but, he had half expected a similar response.

He all but whispered her name, as his hand cupped her face. “Please, look at me.” She bit her lip and slowly, ever so slowly met his gaze. “I’m so sorry for hurting you. I never thought we would see each other again. I thought you would be better off… I was wrong, so wrong. Please, forgive me.”

Her expression turned eerily placid and he felt his heart freeze in terror.

He knew it. He had ruined them, and now she was going to tell him that his apology was too little too late. That she didn’t care about him anymore. That the damage he had done to them was irrevocable. He was certain that she was about to break his heart, as he had so cruelly done to hers.

“Tatsuya,” Her voice was so soft that he barely heard her, but he was so tuned into her that he noticed every little thing about her. Nothing mattered but her. “I love you,” His breath was knocked right out of him at her confession and his heart soared in hope, and yet, he still felt uneasy. “But, I just don’t understand why? Why did you… say those horrible things?”

She choked on her words; the memory was still too painful.

“I… surely we could’ve made it work, somehow.” She was still trying to find the reasoning behind his abrupt dismissal. She still had some hope left in her broken heart for them.

“Yes,” He resigned to the truth of her statement with a soft breath. His thumb brushed the last tear from her flushed face and he had to fight the urge to kiss her, to make things better between them with actions instead of words. “You’re right. I should have done things differently.”

Hesitantly, her hand reached up and grasped his, holding it steady against her cheek. He watched in wonder and sadness as she finally leaned into his touch, her watery eyes sliding closed. In that moment Himuro Tatsuya swore to himself that he would make things right between them, even if it took the rest of his life. From that moment on, he would make it right.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead lovingly, not caring what anyone watching would think. “I love you,”