no tags, set in their third year, but i'm only familiar with anime canon! poem translations taken from the chihayafuru wiki
1217 words
A WOUNDING (57)
Taichi gets a call from Chihaya at midnight.
“Taichi,” she whispers, “Taichi, guess what, did you check your messages? Guess what!”
“It’s midnight,” he says, sitting up. “What’s happening?”
“It’s what?” Chihaya asks, and then there’s silence from her, just the sound of rustling and shifting around coming through his phone.
Probably checking the time, Taichi thinks, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against his free hand, arm propped up on his knee.
“Oh! I’m sorry, Taichi! Did I wake you up? Oh no.”
She sounds so-- that’s not what--
Taichi slumps back against the wall, opening his eyes again. “No,” he says. It’s not a lie; he’d been awake. Lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, but awake. He looks out the window. “It’s alright. What was it you wanted to tell me?”
Through the window, Taichi can see the moon. It glows in the dark sky, casting its light into his room.
“It’s Arata,” Chihaya says. “He’s coming to town, for a visit! Isn’t that great? It’s the three of us, back together, for a bit. Hey, we should all visit Harada-sensei and maybe we’ll do a team game together. When’s he coming? Oh, it doesn’t matter, we’ll go the moment he comes, right, Taichi?”
Taichi lets her words wash over him. He’s staring at the shape the moonlight is making across his desk, on his floor. Arata, back in town? His stomach gives a jolt. Chihaya’s so excited about it, too, talking about being on a team. What had Arata said once? The only team for me is the one I had with you and Chihaya. And it had been under the moon that he’d said that, looking up at it, the light of it lining his face.
Taichi feels a vicious flush up his neck, up to his cheeks. He covers his mouth, purposefully turns away from the moon.
“Sure,” he says. What was he agreeing to? It didn’t really matter, since it was Chihaya proposing. Arata, karuta, whatever, he’s gone through them all already, and he’ll go through them again.
--
Chihaya’s midnight phone call didn’t really disrupt Taichi’s sleep schedule that much. He’s been staying up late for a while now, studying for his entrance exams. He imagines that Arata’s doing the same, to be able to have the leisure to pick whatever Tokyo university he wants. Chihaya never disclosed the reason for Arata’s visit, but Taichi suspects it’s to do a tour of some campuses.
“Hello President,” Kanade says as they file into the clubroom. “Chihaya-chan’s looking very happy today! Though,” she says, frowning, “she let it slip that she fell asleep in class today.”
Taichi sighs. “She must have not been able to sleep last night,” he says. He’s definitely not speaking from experience. “Will you be doing the readings today?” At her nod, Taichi adds, “It seems like everyone’s here today, so I’ll sit the first round out.”
Everyone pairs off and Kanade settles herself at the side with her set of cards, leaving Taichi to be the odd one out. Chihaya gives him a big grin over the heads of the other club members before turning back to her cards and getting into position.
Taichi’s sits at the table and takes out his schoolwork, prepared to get some studying done. Instead he lets his mind wander as Kanade reads out the cards.
“Me--”
One syllable card, Taichi thinks, about to automatically fill in the second verse when he stops himself. He’s not playing right now, and he’s as trained as he can get on memorization. He looks up and watches as Kanade reads the entire poem out, wanting to hear it properly.
“Long last we meet, only for me to leave hurriedly, for I could not recognize you, like the moon hidden behind the clouds.”
Taichi looks away, folds himself over his work. Is that what Chihaya thinks about Arata? Is that what Taichi thinks about them?
He thinks maybe he prefers these poems when he forgets they have meaning.
A SEDUCTION (68)
They meet Arata at the train station. He arrives with his mother, each of them carrying a small overnight bag. Taichi insists on helping carry the bags, while Chihaya keeps up a steady stream of chatter. The four of them walk the short distance from the station to the relative's apartment they're staying at, Arata and Chihaya walking ahead and Taichi and Arata's mother following from behind.
"Thank you for carrying my bag," Arata's mother says. "Will you and Ayase-san be showing Arata around this afternoon?"
"Yes," Taichi says, "that's the plan."
"I'm happy that he has such good friends in town," she murmurs. "Please take good care of him."
It's safe to assume, Taichi thinks with a wry twist of his mouth, that Arata never mentioned the bullying then. Well, Taichi had never thought he would, and yet… It's still something he thinks about once in a while, one of the many things that fuels his efforts to not be cowardly.
The moment they arrive at the apartment, Chihaya neatly whisks them away again. Arata's mother waves at them from the door as they head down the corridor right back to the elevators.
"So," Chihaya says. "Are you ready? We're going straight to Harada-sensei's!"
Arata smiles at her, then turns the smile on Taichi. Taichi smiles back. Whatever confused emotions he was feeling before, it’s still nice to be with someone who understands.
--
Once they arrive at the Shiranami Society, they have to wait for their turn to play a three-on-three team match. It’ll take a little wrangling to get everyone sorted out for it, so Taichi, Arata, and Chihaya wait on the sidelines for the current round to finish up before proposing it.
Arata is sitting in the middle of their little group, Taichi on his right side. When Taichi looks over, he sees that both Arata and Chihaya are paying close attention to the matches in front of them, leaning slightly forward in their eagerness. Taichi casts his gaze downwards, too distracted to focus on karuta, letting himself listen to the poetry. The reader is someone he doesn’t recognize, maybe visiting from another karuta society. He’s got a clear voice, though Taichi finds that he’s come to prefer Kanade’s reading. Still--
“As the years pass, I will find myself longing for the sight of the midnight moon.”
And the slap, slap, slap of hands on the tatami mat.
Taichi stares unseeing at the mat he’s sitting on. He slowly raises a hand to the back of his neck, feels how hot it is. It’s hot in the room too, though, it has to be with all these people moving so much. It’s not just him, it can’t be. He glances to the side, sees the way Arata’s hands are resting on his knees. The spread of them seems impossibly large, and Taichi feels the blush spread across his back with little pinpricks of heat.
He lifts his head and catches Chihaya’s gaze just then, across from Arata’s hands on his knees. His heartbeat picks up at her smile, at the way her eyes twinkle.
He turns back to look at the players, his mouth suddenly dry. It’s nice, he thinks faintly, to really think about these poems sometimes.
FILL: TEAM KANZAKI MIKI/TACHIBANA AYA, G
1217 words
A WOUNDING (57)
Taichi gets a call from Chihaya at midnight.
“Taichi,” she whispers, “Taichi, guess what, did you check your messages? Guess what!”
“It’s midnight,” he says, sitting up. “What’s happening?”
“It’s what?” Chihaya asks, and then there’s silence from her, just the sound of rustling and shifting around coming through his phone.
Probably checking the time, Taichi thinks, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against his free hand, arm propped up on his knee.
“Oh! I’m sorry, Taichi! Did I wake you up? Oh no.”
She sounds so-- that’s not what--
Taichi slumps back against the wall, opening his eyes again. “No,” he says. It’s not a lie; he’d been awake. Lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, but awake. He looks out the window. “It’s alright. What was it you wanted to tell me?”
Through the window, Taichi can see the moon. It glows in the dark sky, casting its light into his room.
“It’s Arata,” Chihaya says. “He’s coming to town, for a visit! Isn’t that great? It’s the three of us, back together, for a bit. Hey, we should all visit Harada-sensei and maybe we’ll do a team game together. When’s he coming? Oh, it doesn’t matter, we’ll go the moment he comes, right, Taichi?”
Taichi lets her words wash over him. He’s staring at the shape the moonlight is making across his desk, on his floor. Arata, back in town? His stomach gives a jolt. Chihaya’s so excited about it, too, talking about being on a team. What had Arata said once? The only team for me is the one I had with you and Chihaya. And it had been under the moon that he’d said that, looking up at it, the light of it lining his face.
Taichi feels a vicious flush up his neck, up to his cheeks. He covers his mouth, purposefully turns away from the moon.
“Sure,” he says. What was he agreeing to? It didn’t really matter, since it was Chihaya proposing. Arata, karuta, whatever, he’s gone through them all already, and he’ll go through them again.
--
Chihaya’s midnight phone call didn’t really disrupt Taichi’s sleep schedule that much. He’s been staying up late for a while now, studying for his entrance exams. He imagines that Arata’s doing the same, to be able to have the leisure to pick whatever Tokyo university he wants. Chihaya never disclosed the reason for Arata’s visit, but Taichi suspects it’s to do a tour of some campuses.
“Hello President,” Kanade says as they file into the clubroom. “Chihaya-chan’s looking very happy today! Though,” she says, frowning, “she let it slip that she fell asleep in class today.”
Taichi sighs. “She must have not been able to sleep last night,” he says. He’s definitely not speaking from experience. “Will you be doing the readings today?” At her nod, Taichi adds, “It seems like everyone’s here today, so I’ll sit the first round out.”
Everyone pairs off and Kanade settles herself at the side with her set of cards, leaving Taichi to be the odd one out. Chihaya gives him a big grin over the heads of the other club members before turning back to her cards and getting into position.
Taichi’s sits at the table and takes out his schoolwork, prepared to get some studying done. Instead he lets his mind wander as Kanade reads out the cards.
“Me--”
One syllable card, Taichi thinks, about to automatically fill in the second verse when he stops himself. He’s not playing right now, and he’s as trained as he can get on memorization. He looks up and watches as Kanade reads the entire poem out, wanting to hear it properly.
“Long last we meet, only for me to leave hurriedly, for I could not recognize you, like the moon hidden behind the clouds.”
Taichi looks away, folds himself over his work. Is that what Chihaya thinks about Arata? Is that what Taichi thinks about them?
He thinks maybe he prefers these poems when he forgets they have meaning.
A SEDUCTION (68)
They meet Arata at the train station. He arrives with his mother, each of them carrying a small overnight bag. Taichi insists on helping carry the bags, while Chihaya keeps up a steady stream of chatter. The four of them walk the short distance from the station to the relative's apartment they're staying at, Arata and Chihaya walking ahead and Taichi and Arata's mother following from behind.
"Thank you for carrying my bag," Arata's mother says. "Will you and Ayase-san be showing Arata around this afternoon?"
"Yes," Taichi says, "that's the plan."
"I'm happy that he has such good friends in town," she murmurs. "Please take good care of him."
It's safe to assume, Taichi thinks with a wry twist of his mouth, that Arata never mentioned the bullying then. Well, Taichi had never thought he would, and yet… It's still something he thinks about once in a while, one of the many things that fuels his efforts to not be cowardly.
The moment they arrive at the apartment, Chihaya neatly whisks them away again. Arata's mother waves at them from the door as they head down the corridor right back to the elevators.
"So," Chihaya says. "Are you ready? We're going straight to Harada-sensei's!"
Arata smiles at her, then turns the smile on Taichi. Taichi smiles back. Whatever confused emotions he was feeling before, it’s still nice to be with someone who understands.
--
Once they arrive at the Shiranami Society, they have to wait for their turn to play a three-on-three team match. It’ll take a little wrangling to get everyone sorted out for it, so Taichi, Arata, and Chihaya wait on the sidelines for the current round to finish up before proposing it.
Arata is sitting in the middle of their little group, Taichi on his right side. When Taichi looks over, he sees that both Arata and Chihaya are paying close attention to the matches in front of them, leaning slightly forward in their eagerness. Taichi casts his gaze downwards, too distracted to focus on karuta, letting himself listen to the poetry. The reader is someone he doesn’t recognize, maybe visiting from another karuta society. He’s got a clear voice, though Taichi finds that he’s come to prefer Kanade’s reading. Still--
“As the years pass, I will find myself longing for the sight of the midnight moon.”
And the slap, slap, slap of hands on the tatami mat.
Taichi stares unseeing at the mat he’s sitting on. He slowly raises a hand to the back of his neck, feels how hot it is. It’s hot in the room too, though, it has to be with all these people moving so much. It’s not just him, it can’t be. He glances to the side, sees the way Arata’s hands are resting on his knees. The spread of them seems impossibly large, and Taichi feels the blush spread across his back with little pinpricks of heat.
He lifts his head and catches Chihaya’s gaze just then, across from Arata’s hands on his knees. His heartbeat picks up at her smile, at the way her eyes twinkle.
He turns back to look at the players, his mouth suddenly dry. It’s nice, he thinks faintly, to really think about these poems sometimes.