The breeze swept across the balcony, gently stroking the cornflowers and irises growing there.
The boy's iris-purple hair was held back by a green sweatband, but the ends still fluttered as he moved.
A pair of iris-purple eyes watched the boy playing tennis, their owner smiling. The pencil in his hand had stopped moving at some point. On the page was the boy, wearing a jacket: his twin younger brother, whose appearance closely resembled his own.
"Ashi, ready to head home?"
Yukimura Seiichi wiped away his sweat and looked at his older brother with a smile. "Sure, Rin."
"What did you draw today, Rin?" "I drew you, Ashi." "Honestly, you always give the same answer, big brother." Yukimura Seiichi's voice softened, his eyes curving into a smile. "But it's the truth." Yukimura Yasurin held out his sketchbook, but Yukimura Seiichi didn't take it. He only glanced at the drawing, then smiled at his brother. "Your drawings keep getting better, Rin."
The sunset fell upon the boys, casting their shadows. It was all so beautiful.
"Ashi." "Big brother, I..." "Ashi, don't be afraid." "Ashi, you have Mom and Dad, your teammates, your little sister, and me. You can try relying on your teammates, and on me, okay? Trust them."
"I understand, big brother." At last, a genuine smile appeared on the boy's face, and his brother patted him on the head.
The red light above the operating room glowed. Yukimura Yasurin stared at it, his hand digging into his palm and leaving crescent-shaped marks.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness everything had worked out in time.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness it wasn't too late.
Yukimura Yasurin couldn't imagine what would happen if Seiichi could no longer play tennis.
That was his younger brother, the "Child of God" who shone on the court. He shouldn't have to force a smile from a hospital bed.
That was his little brother, who should have been allowed to be carefree and sweat it out on the court.
When will I start writing this? Honestly, I'm not sure.
I might still change the title. It overlaps a little too much with other titles.
The plan was for Yasurin to dote on Seiichi, but after thinking it over... they're twins, after all. Given their personalities, they'll probably dote on each other.
The inspiration for this story was probably just that I wanted Seiichi to be a little more childish. I mean, more relaxed, without having to carry so much pressure.
As for Yasurin, I thought it would be too painful if he couldn't play tennis, so I decided he can play, but his stamina and other limitations mean he can't finish a full set. (That means he can't actually compete in official matches, so he's still a poor kid, but at least he can play (?).) I'm still thinking about how strong he should be. If his daily exercise is limited, but he keeps at it and is very talented, just how good could he become? It's really hard to decide.
Theme: Family will always be his safe haven.
