The Lying Cherry Tree

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Blossom Fell and Touched Your Lips
(Third Person Point of View)

"Atsumu-san, Atsumu-san, look! The cherry trees are blossoming!"

Atsumu smiled. "The first blossoms of the first spring."

And Shouyou is more beautiful than them.

Atsumu takes Hinata's hand. "Do you want to be the first one to see them?"

"Yes!"

"Oi, 'Tsumu." Osamu warns. "Better make it quick, we have lots of deliveries today starting this morning and our schedule is quite packed up, I do not want you loitering around."

Atsumu sighs. "Yes, yes, 'Samu. We will make it quick. So, Shouyou? You ready?"

Hinata smiles brightly. "Let us goooo!"

The wind coming from the northeast was still quite cold and some piles of snow have not yet even melted. However, the blossoms were flying even up to the Miya Dwelling Place. The cold season of white and blue was finally being replaced with the lovely season of pink and green.

The cherry blossom gardens were blooming one by one, and the flowers were dancing along the trees, swirling as they touched blossom after blossom.

Hinata went dancing and laughing along with them, and Atsumu was sure, right at that perfect moment,

It was the most beautiful and the most breathtaking of all sights he had seen in his existence.

Atsumu was happy, and Hinata was happy. But the blossoms were jealous of their happiness, and decided to change everything.

That was when it happened. A blossom fell and touched Hinata's lips. Atsumu, with his sight as clear as day, saw that moment as the blossom fell and landed on Hinata's lips.

Osamu's words came haunting his mind. A blossom falls and touches lips that lie. If you see someone with blossoms touching their lips, run away from them. They are a liar.

Atsumu began to shake his head vehemently. No way. No fucking way. Shouyou cannot be a liar. That is just not possible... Is it?

Haunting thoughts came flooding Atsumu's head like the plague. What did he lie to me about? That he really does not the cherry blossoms? Did he lie to me about thinking I was innocent? Is it because of Osamu's onigiris? What the fuck?

"No... Atsumu... Wait... Calm down. Inhale, exhale... It could just be pure coincidence... Right? Calm down, Atsumu. There is nothing to be afraid about."

Hinata continued to dance and play around the cherry blossom garden, and Atsumu continued to watchi him from a distance.

And another blossom fell, and another one. And another one.

The first one is just coincidence. The second is a chance. The third one and those to follow after is a pattern.

Atsumu smiles sadly as he touched the cherry blossoms that were swirling with the wind. "Shouyou is a liar. Shouyou lied to me about something."

Hinata could see the palace grounds from the cherry blossom gardens. He hated to admit, he missed King Tobio, and the fact that he would constantly think about King Tobio while he was with Atsumu... It was not right.

Hinata stopped dancing and looked at the palace.

"Man, I really am a terrible person."

Atsumu approached him. "It is okay, Shouyou. Do not be sad about it anymore. Please do not pity me. I may not tell you I am alright, but I can assure you it is not a pain that I cannot take."

Hinata started to cry. "I am so sorry, Atsumu-san."

Atsumu laughs. "What a terrible outcome. At least for me. Shouyou, I would not be mad. Just... Be honest with me Shouyou. Do you..."

Atsumu's voice started to break. "Do you really like me?"

Hinata cried harder. "I am so sorry, Atsumu-san."

Osamu often told his twin brother that when a person wrongs another person, and then that person finally says sorry for the wrong thing he has done, it would make you feel better.

Well damn right you are so wrong, 'Samu. Hearing the word 'sorry' out of Shouyou's lips made me feel miserable and defeated. I cannot wait to prove to you you are so damn wrong.

Atsumu hugs Hinata. He was hurt to see Hinata crying, and he was certainly sure that he did not want Hinata seeing him cry.

"Shouyou, you cannot force your heart to love someone else."

Hinata cries harder in Atsumu's arms. "Atsumu-san, I wish I could take Kageyama here, too."

"Ahh... King Tobio-kun... Of course."

"I do not know if he likes me back."

Atsumu felt like his heart was sentenced to public beheading.

"Of course he likes you back, Shouyou! You are such a sunshine... If you ask me..."

You are not hard to love, Shouyou. You would make everyone fall for you, and I was one of your victims.

Atsumu shakes his head. "What is there to not like about you? I am sure King Tobio-kun is in love with you, too! Go and tell him what you feel, Shouyou!"

Hahah... King Tobio-kun is such a lucky person. I lost to him in the battle to the throne, and now I lost to him in the battle to Shouyou.

I hope he takes care of my world. My Shouyou.

Hinata wipes his tears. "Do you really think so?"

"Do you not want to go back to the palace and witness it for yourself?"

Hinata finally smiles. "I think I should do that! Thank you, Atsumu-san! ... I am sorry."

"It is..." Atsumu draws out a long sigh. "It is okay. Go now, Shouyou. Your king is waiting for you."

No. It is not fine. It was never fine. I am left ripped in pieces, but what can I do? What can a mere merchant like me have against the king?

Hinata started to run away. "Yes! I hope we will still be friends and still see each other after this!"

"Of course!"

Atsumu walked back to the Miya Dwelling place slowly and sadly.

Maybe our love was meant to be like the cherry blossoms. It was not made to last long.

Atsumu opened the door to his twin brother, his head sinking low.

"'Tsumu where the fuck have you been? We have work--- holy shit, what is wrong? Why the fuck are you crying?"

Atsumu did not say a word, and just hugged his twin brother. Osamu, for once, did not push or shove him away. He just patted Atsumu's back as he cried on his shoulder.

"You are so goddamned wrong when you said that saying sorry makes everything feel better, 'Samu. When Shouyou apologised to me, my heart broke into a thousand pieces."

"'Tsumu.... What happened?"

"Maybe it was so wrong of me to contradict fairytales. The knight ended up with the king, because that was the thing that was supposed to happen since the beginning. There was no place for a merchant like me to interfere."

"'Tsumu..."

"I know I am at fault, 'Samu. I am in the wrong here, but why does it hurt so much? 'Samu, my heart hurts so much."

""Fine. We are caking the day off. You and I. We are just going to sit by the fireplace and eat some onigiris."

"You were right about one thing, though."

"Yeah?"

"Falling blossoms touches lips that lie."