The Name of the Flower (RitsuMao Angst)

The Day it Wilted

The boy's eyes gleamed as he studied his green-eyed friend.

Every time they spoke, it seemed as if it was always about that brunette.

Ritsu gazed at the redhead. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he ranted about the events that had occurred that day with Anzu. His tone was compassionate and loving.

"I can't believe I got to spend the whole entire day with Anzu!" Mao happily said.

Anzu this, Anzu that. It's as if the girl was all he talked about nowadays.

When will he talk about me like that?

~1 Day Ago~

The tired vampire had just awoken from his slumber. Currently, it was midnight. The moon shone through the window and reflected on a glittering necklace his best friend had given him when they were little kids.

After minutes of just staring at the ceiling, he decided to take a midnight stroll around campus.

The night breeze was refreshing, and the temperature was just right. There were no sounds at all apart from the few chirping crickets. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a petite figure walking out of the cafeteria.

Anzu.

She walked at a slow pace and was heading out of the cafeteria. Her face was red. Studying their surroundings, Ritsu realized that his friend was in the cafeteria as well. On his face was an expression he had never seen before. It was one of love.

Not just plain love. It was one where you could just tell it was romantic.

His heartbeat picked up and his breathing became unsteady. He tried hoping for the best, but his thoughts were racing and jumping to conclusions.

Waiting for the girl to walk slightly further out of sight, he silently crept up behind her. "Hey, Anzu," he called out in his normal, tired tone.

He could see her jump. Quickly she turned around and her expression relaxed when she realized who had called her. "Good evening, Ritsu-kun," after a hesitant pause, she seemed to have made up her mind about something. "Hey, you and Isara-kun are childhood friends, right..?"

Ritsu could tell something was about to happen, but he nodded his head.

"I was wondering.... do you think he likes anyone?"

The puzzle pieces clicked, and Ritsu realized exactly what was happening. Anzu liked Mao.
His breath hitched. He had already suspected that the two liked each other, but for Mao's crush to ask him this?... It was too much.

"Y-" his words wouldn't come out. It was like a weight had formed in his chest and his throat had closed entirely. "Yep."

He quickly and apologetically excused himself. Once she was out of his sight, he ran. From her. From Mao. From the pain. From love.

He stopped once he reached the empty music room he always played piano in. Not bothering to close the door, he stumbled onto a mat he had placed in it in case he ever needed to sleep. Suddenly, everything came crashing down in him and his world crumbled. He let out a cry and quickly covered his mouth so no one would hear him.

They liked each other.

The realization struck him in the face. The world seemed to be spinning, and he couldn't breathe. The feelings that he had buried deep within him had arisen, and tears streaked across his face. He promised he would never cry again, but here he was.

Mao was slipping out of his reach.

He couldn't see anything through his tear-filled eyes. Suddenly, memories of Rei's departure flooded his mind. The feelings of betrayal, sadness, and loneliness came crashing onto him. He was scared. Scared of losing Mao, too. Scared of losing his love.

He had been in love with his best friend for as long as he could remember. It wasn't fair. It was as if the moment that girl had shown up, she had stolen Maa-kun from him.

But he couldn't bring himself to hate her.

She had done too much for him. She was one of the few people he actually trusted. She made Mao happy.

Suddenly he heard the door creak, and he looked up to see his friend stunned. His crush.

Mao.

He could see the confusion, concern, panic, and worry in his eyes. Throughout the entirety of their friendship, Ritsu made sure to never cry in front of Mao. Every time, it would throw his best friend into a state of panic because he rarely saw Ritsu break character.

Guilt weighed him down, and he quickly wiped his tears. "M- Maa-kun..." he struggled to find his words. Trying his best to act normal, he smiled. "You look as if you've seen a ghost~"

The redhead saw through his poor act and rushed to his side. Suddenly, he was enveloped in a hug.

Not finding any words, all he could do was sit in silence. His pathetic act fell apart and tears fell unwillingly from his eyes again. The two sat in silence. Mao seemed to realize Ritsu had started to shed tears again, and he brought him closer to him.

Please... just stop. Stop being so nice.. It's driving me insane.

As he cried, he reviewed his entire friendship with Mao. 'Never once did he show signs of liking me that way, huh...'

He felt defeated. He had lost. Now, he would never be able to talk to Mao with the hope that he would be able to make him somehow fall in love with him, just as he had done to Ritsu. He knew it was bound to happen one day. After all, who would love someone like him..?

Their relationship was a beautiful bud that had begun growing the day Mao decided to reach out to Ritsu. Now, the ray of sunshine was fading and it was wilting before it even reached the most beautiful stage of its life. The name of the flower that never bloomed... forget it.