My whole life, I've dreamed of finding true love. When I was young, I thought my prince would ride in on his white horse and sweep me off my feet. Just after I turned nine, I was convinced that my celebrity crush would run into me on the street and fall madly in love with me. Upon entering jr. high, my daydreaming personality didn't change - I was still waiting for my perfect guy.
Then, in my second year, it happened. And boy, was I waaaay off about who I would fall for.
My classmate, the boy who I've slowly fallen in love with, is Matatagi Hayato. He has dark brown hair that is always styled in thick spikes, and dark, dark eyes. He is quiet and polite to everyone, but there's something off about him, and I just can't quite place it. He is the school's track and field star, and boy is that guy fast! I go to the track meets when I can, and he is always at the top. Ugh, why did I have to fall in love with him? I barely even know him! Stupid heart. Oh well, there must be a reason, so I just decided to go with the flow.
It was in the hall today that my view of him was completely flipped around. I was getting a few things from my locker before heading over to art club, and I heard him talking to someone a few feet to my left. They were having a polite conversation, and the guy told Matatagi that he could count on him anytime. After thanking him, Matatagi watched the guy walk away.
I was about to close my locker door when I heard him mutter, almost too low to hear, "yeah right. Nobody can be trusted." I shut the tall metal door quietly and looked over at him, surprised. He had his usual platonic expression on his face, and quietly left, I assumed, for track practice. Shaking my head in wonder, I wandered off to art club, my favorite part of the day.
I sat back, satisfied. My drawing was complete. Whenever I was confused or worried about something, I drew it. That was my policy. I'm not quite sure where this one came from, it just felt right… It was a depiction of him. Matatagi Hayato, and the odd thing I heard him say today.
He stood in my drawing, that impassive yet alluring expression settled on his features. Arms crossed, he was standing back-to-back with another boy, made almost entirely out of shadow, a doppelganger of him. He looked exactly the same as the track star, but his hair was slightly different, the spikes changed directions, and he had a teasing smirk settled on his lips. I felt a presence behind me, and I turned my head to see a fellow art-clubian, my best friend, staring at my sketch in awe. "Sugoi, Reida-chan… that's amazing! How did you ever come up with that?"
I shrugged, flushing slightly from her praise. "Well, Usagi-chan, I heard Matatagi-san say something weird today…" And I explained about the conversation I overheard.
She stuck her lower lip out in concentration as she listened, and when I finished, she frowned. "Huh. That is weird. It doesn't sound like Matatagi-san at all…"
I nodded, and decided to tell her what I had thought of as I pondered his words. "I-I was thinking, Usagi-chan… what if the guy we all see isn't really him?"
She cocked her head to the side, "I don't follow."
I chuckled, "think about it, Usagi. He never shows any emotion, and is always polite and agreeable. I like an ideal world as much as the next person, but come on, nobody's like that."
Usagi stood for a moment, then wagged her head up and down rapidly, "oh, I see what you mean! Well, maybe you should confront him about it."
The thought set my stomach doing somersaults. What if he just thought I was an idiot? "M-Maybe…" She gave me a quick hug and ran off to get back to her drawing. I grinned and gathered up my stuff, preparing to leave for the day. Maybe talking to him isn't such a bad idea, after all…
I sighed as I flopped onto my bed. I'd had a nice time after school, drawing quietly in the park, until I remembered that my parents wanted me home by five so that they could go out to eat and not have to worry about me. I'd rushed back home, just barely on time, and my parents left me in the care of my bossy older brother. So I just went into my room, changed into my favorite tee shirt and sweatpants, and relaxed. No homework… ahh, the freedom! I think I'm gonna draw… I reached into my school bag to grab my beloved sketchbook, only to realize that it was gone. Eyes wide, I cried out and pulled open the door to my bedroom, wincing a little when it slammed into the wall.
Running over to my brother's room, I pounded on the door. "Onii-chan, open up!"
The music on the other side stopped, and the door opened to reveal my brother, looking very annoyed, with his guitar in his hand. "What is it, Reida?"
I tried not to burst into tears as I explained. "And so it must be in the park! Please let me go find it!" I finished, distraught.
He immediately shook his head, "nuh-uh. No way, Rei-chan. Mama and Papa said not to leave the house."
I was crying now, the tears sliding slowly down my cheeks. "Please, Onii-chan? That sketchbook is my life. You might as well take away my soul."
He shrugged, not meeting my gaze. I could tell he felt guilty. "Well then, I'm sorry, Rei-chan, but consider your soul lost." And with that heartless comment, he shut the door in my face.
Heart shattered, I leaned against the wall and slid down it, despair filling every part of my being. I cradled my head in my hands and began to sob. After a while, goodness knows how long, I heard the doorbell ringing. Standing up and drying my face, I went to answer it, since my lazy brother was too busy composing to do it himself, much less hear over all his ruckus.
As I turned the knob and pulled open the door, I swear my jaw fell onto the threshold. "M-Matatagi-san!"
He stood there, smiling a little smile with pretty much no emotion behind it. "Konbanwa, Minna-san." Just hearing him say my name sent shivers down my back.
I waved a hand towards the interior of my house, "please, come in." Closing the door behind him, I asked him if he would care to sit.
He just smiled again and said, "no thank you, Minna-san, I'm fine."
After standing for an awkward moment, I asked, "so, what brings you here, Matatagi-san?"
He pulled an object from his pocket and held it out to me. "I found this in the park. I think it belongs to you." The object was none other than my beloved sketchbook.
Eyes wide, I took it from him and hugged it, squealing, "arigato, Matatagi-san! I was missing it!"
He chuckled, and the laugh sounded genuine. "I can tell." I looked up and met his gaze. He looked as though he wanted to ask me something.
"Did you want something else, Matatagi-san?" He scratched his head, nodding. "E-Eto, yes, actually… when I found it, it was open, and I couldn't help but see the drawing… it was of me. But, it was weird. I was just wondering what made you draw that."
I blushed as I realized that he had seen my sketch of him. "W-Well, you see, I heard you say this weird thing under your breath, and then I thought, 'well, what if the person he acts like at school isn't the person he really is?' And that got me to thinking, which always gets me to drawing, and it just… came to me."
He stared, aghast and silent. I shuffled my feet and looked away. After another moment of awkward silence, he spoke. "Wow, Minna-san… I never thought…" I looked up at him to see him frowning at the floor. "I never thought I'd meet someone as perceptive as you."
He grinned cheekily at me, and my face turned scarlet. Had I ever even seen him be playful? "You're right, you know. That's not the real me. But… I just don't trust people. In the end, they just betray you… Oi, Minna-san, can I tell you something?"
I nodded breathlessly. He smiled. "I think I'm in love with you. And I have been, for quite some time. And this, the fact that you saw the real me, just confirms it."
I put my hands to my now raspberry-red face to suppress my growing smile. "No way…"
He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Well?"
Wordlessly I closed the gap between us and embraced him tightly. After a moment he squeezed me back, chuckling, "isn't this the part where you say I'm your dream come true?"
I slapped him playfully on the shoulder for his arrogant comment as he held me close. "No! T-To be honest… you're even better."
I felt him take a huge breath, and I grinned like a cheshire cat. He was. All those years of dreaming for a sweet, compassionate guy, and I didn't even know what kind of guy I needed. Matatagi's calm, and apparently quite conceited demeanor would fit perfectly with my kind, hyperactive personality.
My revelation was ruined by a deep male voice, exclaiming, "whoa, Rei-chan, where did he come from?"
I pulled away from Matatagi and glared at my brother, holding up my sketchbook as I answered simply, "He found my soul.