‘I might have overdone it with that last climb.’ I thought, as I felt as if my whole body was as heavy as lead. The ride at full speed around the lake had finally taken its toll, as everything seemed to be becoming a bit blurry, as I struggle to keep my bike straight as it slows down. 

Well, the race was finished, he had won…

Aoi looks so happy as he celebrates…

What is that guy made of?

How could he still have the strength…

…

…

…

“Kyo….. ke…. Are…. Okay…”

Angelica was saying something to me with a panicked face…

She rarely does that, mostly she wears a mischievous  façade, which only gets to be brought down once she digs her own grave…

…

Crap…

I feel nauseas…

My legs won’t cooperate…

Why is this feeling familiar…

Ah…

Back then…

 I thought back, as I saw the blur of the world as it goes upside down…

Then I felt myself hitting the ground as my consciousness fades…

*Thud*

…

…

…

_________________________________________

I was the 8th son of the Sanada Clan, so I was not given any love by my parents. At most, I was kept as a spare part in the unlikely event that my seven older siblings suddenly disappeared. I was given the necessities and all that I wanted, so I couldn’t complain…

“Stand up!” 

The one shouting at me holding a training sword, as I lay face down in the wooden floor of a dojo all battered and bruised, was my brother…

The perfect one… 

The one who is most loved… 

The one who never fails and never loses…

The heir to the Sanada Clan…

Sanada Aoyama…

“Ghh sor… rry… I ca… n’t…” I mutter feeling nothing, as my whole body was numb while tears stream down my cheeks from the pain…

“What do you mean you can’t?! And you call yourself a Sanada when you can’t even land a hit on me?”

“Hkk…” I look to the side and extend my hand at all of my other brothers and sister….

…

They all merely either looked indifferent or looked away.

‘Why…’ 

With all my might I push my fist against ground going to one knee, then doing the same with my wooden swords as a crutch, standing up. Breathing heavily, as looked at his imposing figure, giving off an intimidating aura that makes you obey. He looks at me scowling as he glares at me then once again charges, I could barely stand up as I am. 

‘I want to run…’ But that will not please him, so I charged with sword over head, every step feeling like walking on hot coals as I brought my all to this last attack…

“AAHHHHH!!! Guh-” 

Then suddenly a knee hits my abdomen, as the unbearable pain makes me fall to the ground, coughing.

*Thud* 

“Pathetic…” He says as he turns his back to me and walks towards the open door of the dojo.

“W..hy…” I muttered.

“Kyousuke, one thing you must remember is… A Sanada never loses.” He says as he slides the door close, with my other siblings following closely behind, looking at me with pity in their eyes…

“Ah…. Ugh…” I lay there sobbing on the floor going into a fetal position as I felt how it was to be suddenly helpless…

…

And that was the day I vowed that I would never unintentionally lose to anyone ever again, as I fell unconscious.

…

_________________________________________

*Crash*

Kazuya had suddenly fallen sideways off his bike onto the grass as he rolled down the hill with his bike skidding through the pavement.

 In a panic, not knowing what to do. I hop off my bike and ran towards him, to see him lying unconscious on the grass some distance away.

“ Kazuya!” I shout as I run towards him with heavy steps. I was also tired from the race…

I knelt beside him not knowing what to do. I panic, what would Kazuya do in this situation…

…

“Come on Aoi… think!”

‘What would Kazuya do?’

…

Then what popped into my mind was what happened yesterday…

“What did he do yesterday?” I rack my brain for a bit to remember, it was not that hard to remember.

‘I remember he did this…” I push him so that he was facing up, and examined his breath to see he was breathing. I sighed a breath of relief as I remembered what else he did then, I put my hand on his chest as I pushed repeatedly.

“Was it like this? I remembered he did this 30 times… right?”

“1,2,3… 27, 28, 29, 30 yosh!”  I repeat what he did and at the last step. I remember the last thing he did as it flashed back into memory.

‘He sealed his lips with hers back then…’ I looked at Kazuya as he lays unconscious.

“No, I can’t do that!” I shake my head.

Then I look at him again… 

But…

No…

I won’t…

I mean we are both guys!

But…

If something happened to him here…

Ageha will be sad…

As well as the others too…

“AHHH!” I scream to gain some courage as I think about what I was going to do.

“No! he wouldn’t be thinking about this he would just act.”

Steeling myself I pushed my face closer to his…

_________________________________________

Huh?

This is weird why do I feel something pushing on my chest?

“…15…26…30” I hear a muffled voice that was… counting?

Did I drown? Because, this feels like CPR being administered…

‘Hurry up and wake up Kyousuke. If you want to keep your purity that is…’ I hear a feminine voice whisper to me.

Huh? What do you mean…

I open my eyes…

…

To the sight of Aoi’s face, with closed eyes coming closer.

‘Eh?’ I was dumbfounded as I put my hand between his face and my lips

“Uhmm… Didn’t know you swung that way Aoi?” I say in a playful tone and a skeptical look.

Realizing I was awake, he opened his eyes, then realizing what he was doing, his face instantly became pale. Then he pushes off and puts some distance between us

“Wha-ga-Kazauya I-I can explain!” he shouts as his face was as pale as a snowflake…

…

…

…

“So, that’s what happened?” I reply, as Aoi explained what had happened after our mad dash up the hill. I had suddenly fallen off my bike of exhaustion, and how he remembered me using CPR on Ageha and how he thought that’s what he should do.

“Though that’s the case you do know that CPR is only to be used when someone wasn’t breathing or a pulse can’t be found? Not when someone faints, though putting me face up was right…” I chuckled

“Yeah…” He says, looking down, clearly embarrassed at himself.

I look to the side to see an Angel grinning like a madman

‘So, close…’

‘What do you mean’

‘I had almost made a bromance blossom, when his lips wakes you up like in those fairytales, Kyah!’ She says sarcastically, I shook my head at that.

‘Pretty sure that it was a man and a woman in those stories that kiss not… You know… two guys?’

‘Heeeeh? I guess… but it’s the 21st century, you gotta be open minded Kyousuke!’ She beams an innocent smile at me.

I could only sigh at her.

‘Well, where’s my thank you for safe guarding your pure lips from the Yaoi experience’ she looks at me with a playful grin.

I could only shake my head, as I brought my focus back  to Aoi…

I then laughed out loud to lighten the tense atmosphere.

“Pffthahahaha!” at this Aoi looked at me quizzically

Then hesitantly asks “What’s so funny?” 

“Nothing, you are just very kind I think, I mean you were willing to part ways with your first kiss with a guy because you thought it would save him. It seemed so ridiculous it made me laugh.”

“Wha-a I well…” He stutters for a while as he suddenly mutters something that I barely heard “… it doesn’t matter anyway Ageha… taken”

“You like Ageha don’t you?”

“Huh?! Why would I like that tomboy?!” he shouts as he looked at me in shock

“Hmm, is that so… Well I’ll just take her then.” I say  in a nonchalant tone as I looked up

“Heukkk?!” he stares at me with a dubious look.

I only laughed once more and looked at him in the eye “It’s so obvious, you know? It’s written all over your face.”

“…” he just stayed silent, so I decided to probe him for a bit.

…

“So… I felt yesterday that you were feeling down, so want to share why?” I say in a gentle tone

“Ah…. Well… You wouldn’t understand…” Then he shakes his head and stays quiet once more. 

“Wouldn’t I?” I push him further

“…” 

I sigh thinking ‘This isn’t gonna be that easy? Isn’t it?’

‘Why don’t you, you know? Kiss him? That the best way to get close to someone to get info right? Kyousuke?’

‘Shut up, and in what world does that work?’ I thought as it suddenly gave me an idea and then tried out a new approach

“Was it because I took Ageha’s first kiss…” I muttered

“Huh?! No… I-I no..” He suddenly stands up, the gives a deep bow. “It’s not like that! I, I am very grateful that you saved her, I was just, you know? You were are so great that you got so close to An-chan. Then you got Hotaru involved. And- and you actually dove off a cliff after Ageha, so, I thought…”

“Kazuya is so perfect? And that he deserves to be with Ageha? Or how can I compare?” I cut him off with a gamble.

“…” to that he only tilts his head down in resignation and sits down.

‘Bingo!’ Finally got what was the root of his concerns, I knew what to do, well, somewhat…

…

_________________________________________

We sat in silence for a bit as the afternoon sun shines on us, when he saw through me. in a few minutes, and a few moments of conversation he had found the problem, I was amazed once again thinking ‘He really is pe-‘

“I have also felt what you are feeling now.”

“Huh?” I was surprised at his remark. 

‘you would never understand!’ Then as if in disbelief I thought, then suddenly blood rises to my head in anger as I looked at him. Then he continued…

“You… HOW COU-“

“There was this person who was better than me in every way possible…”

“…!?”

“Better than Kazuya at everything? Heh… Is that even possible?” I thought out loud as I looked at him with a shocked expression.

“Haha… yeah he was someone that at anything I did, he could do many times better.”

“How? I mean, who was he?” I asked reluctantly as I sat back down on the grass

“My bro- someone from the past… someone out of reach and, someone I could never beat…” He was about to say something but he suddenly cuts himself off, then looks to the lake in the distance with a wistful expression…

“I am not perfect, Aoi..” he mutters

‘Still better than me, atleast…’ 

“I am not unbeatable like him.” he continues

‘Still, can’t catch up to you.’

“I still have my faults.” he adds

‘Still can’t compare to you though.’

“And you also almost kissed me.”

‘Still bet-‘“…  Ha?!” then he cracks a smile at my shocked reaction.

“Hahaha! Lighten up will you? Wallowing over things will never solve anything.” he laughs then says that as he looked into my eyes.

He sighs then says, as a serious expression forms on his face “ I wasn’t born good at things, Aoi… I trained and studied to attain it.” 

“But…”

“But nothing. Think of it this way…” he suddenly looks around for something, and then as if he had found it he looked at a single yellow flower right between the two of us.

“This flower here might look beautiful but it wasn’t always like that, right?” He then takes a dead leaf under it and holds it towards me

“It had weathered many hardships such as rain, storms and even competition from other plants to grow here. And look at this one…” he gestures to a plant next to it which looks like it hasn’t bloomed yet

“You beat me Aoi… nothing will go against that, so like that one you probably just haven’t bloomed yet, but with enough time you will catch up… and maybe bloom like this flower think of me as one of the trials for you to bloom…”

“…” I guess I understood his analogy but…

…

“Also the fact you never gave in, is a plus.”

“Hey! That was because you taunted me, you know!” I felt a tinge of anger as I recalled the first time I saw him wink, smile then sprint off.

“Worked, didn’t it? Kept you in the race and, who also did it when he passed me for the first time?”

“Well… that was just a shoe is on the other foot situation.” I giggled as I recalled Kazuya’s face as I passed him and paid him back for all the taunting.

“Haha! I guess? But… But you’re so talented… Kazuya…” I mutters.

“Haaah… There you go again with your butts. Then, okay, I am that talented, perfect even. Doesn’t that only mean you beat a talented perfect person? So, be proud of that. Keep training, keep going, keep fighting, because as shown today your constant passion and training beat my so called talent.” He says in as a matter of fact tone.

“…”

“Be proud of that and keep on training and never lose passion, maybe you can even be like me… the one you call the perfect one.”

“Yeah…”

“And maybe you might even soar through the sky in the future…”

“Eh?” I lost him there.

“Ah… never mind that, what I am trying to say is to… never give up even if something looks insurmountable, you can get past it with enough effort…”

“Okay… then did you manage to beat your friend?”

“Hmmm…” He looked to be contemplating something, then smiles sadly “ I am still working on that…”

“Is that so… I feel better now.” I smile.

“That’s good to hear…”

“But I am going to surpass you someday, Kazuya, mark my words.” I stood up once more and point at him.

He smiles and says nothing only extending a fist at me.

Not knowing what he meant I also formed a fist. As I did, he pushes his against mine.

“I look forward to that day Aoi… So! Come on lets go, they are probably waiting for us at the base. So… Aoi, wanna race there?” He stands up and looks towards me.

“Nah, you might fall asleep again Kazuya.” He lightly laughs at that, then pats me on the back as he turns around and walks up the hill…

I also stand up finding more confidence ‘He is right, I beat him! I beat Kazuya! All my efforts have not been for nothing, with enough practice I can beat him then…  maybe…’ I thought…

Then another thing comes into mind…

“Hey Kazuya?”

“Yeah?” he stops and turn around and looks at me with a confused look.

“Do… Do you like Ageha?” I asked hesitantly

“Hmmmm? I wonder, she is pretty, and cool in a tom boyish kind of way, but you know about that right? So you probably should man up, Aoi. Just in case. Come on, let’s go!” he gives a ambiguous answer which left me dumbfounded, as he chuckled and kept on going up the hill

“Hey, wait for me! What do you mean by that?” I asked as I ran after him, of which, he just ignored my questions, giving me a mischievous smile, as he gets on his bike and cycles off.

“Hey!” I could only sigh and think ‘I won’t lose to you Kazuya!’ as I got on my bike and cycle behind him.

“I will catch up someday…” I mutter under my breath as we made our way to the secret base…

_________________________________________

“Great job, you helped another one… though you did almost get kissed by a guy doing it though.” I say to him in a playful tone

“Yeah, though I was a bit clumsy with that one…” he looks down as if recalling something.

“Well, it was a bit of a hard thing to tackle, the insecurity of being inferior to someone, so, I am proud of you…” I say in frank tone to cheer him up a bit.

…

“He… was like me back then.”

“Hmmm? That’s a surprise, I thought you were born like that, well, y’know, perfect?” I say in a sarcastic tone as I grin at him.

“Nevermind…” He shrugs me off

“Well, practice what you preach and try harder! Kyousuke!”  I try another approach seeing that he wasn’t in the mood for bantering.

“Is that so… Yeah, thanks… Angelica.” he said to me with sad smirk as we cycled off…