Fast for Fear of Choking

by pseudonym

Oishi has been running away for a long time. He can no longer refuse to do what needs to be done just because there is a chance everything won’t work out. Goldenpair.

title: Fast for Fear of Choking

author: pseudonym
word count: 6938
rating: G
disclaimer: This story is based upon characters and situations created and owned by Konomi Takeshi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
summary: Oishi has been running away for a long time. He can no longer refuse to do what needs to be done just because there is a chance everything won't work out.

--

It was hot.

Oishi leaned back in his chair, tossed his pen on the desk and moved to loosen the tie that was currently strangling him. A bead of sweat slid down the back of his neck and slowly trickled down the curve of his spine to join the increasingly wet patch of shirt currently stuck to his skin. Shiny dress shoes and their accompanying black socks lay abandoned underneath the desk and Oishi stretched his toes lazily, glancing at his watch. He wasn't done work for another two hours.

Correction: he wasn't done paperwork for another two hours.

Sometimes Oishi wondered if all of the years of school were worth fulfilling his dream of becoming a doctor. Certainly his parents thought so, their financial future secure once their son opened up his own general practice. But, then again, becoming a doctor was what his parents expected. Oishi could barely remember a time where he hadn't wanted to become a doctor. He supposed that at some point he probably wanted to be something else, but somewhere along the way his parents' dreams became his own.

It wasn't as though being a doctor was bad, dissatisfying, or anything along those lines. But, the road to becoming a doctor took Oishi in a direction that he wasn't expecting. After Seigaku, he stayed in Tokyo for high-school, attending Kaisei, a private academy. Oishi hadn't expected to go to the same high-school as Eiji, as Eiji had been opting for a less expensive school. However, Oishi had expected to at least keep in touch with the rest of his teammates, especially Eiji.

Maintaining contact with anyone from Seigaku had been very difficult. Not only was Oishi the only one who applied for Kaisei, but the school's strong reputation for academics wasn't a joke. There was barely any time to continue the activities that Oishi had enjoyed in junior-high, such as student council, swimming, and tennis, in addition to preparation for school events such as sports festivals, cultural festivals, and the annual boat race along Toda River. Leisurely time with friends outside of school was very little. Every spare moment that Oishi had outside of clubs and school activities was spent attacking the never-ending pile of homework assigned. It didn't matter how hard Oishi worked, the stack of assignments and projects maintained a constant level; for every bit of work Oishi finished, there was something else to take its place.

Of course Oishi did make an effort to get together with his friends, but their different schedules made meetings very difficult to work out. Oishi only ever saw Fuji and Tezuka at Christmas when they returned from studying abroad. Momoshiro, Kaidou, and Echizen had stayed at Seigaku of course, for the first and second years of highschool, respectively. Oishi had managed to make it to one or two prefectural matches each year, but anything outside of the Tokyo area was simply too much time out of his day that he couldn't afford to take. Taka-san was probably the friend that Oishi saw the most, usually once every couple of weeks when he stopped by the sushi shop to pick up dinner. Inui was the team-mate that Oishi didn't see at all after leaving Seigaku. Oishi smiled a bit at the memory of Inui's ominous green notebook and the almost maniacal glint of his glasses. Inui probably hadn't changed a bit over the years; his thirst for data probably took him to the top of both his high-school and university classes.

That left Eiji. Of course Eiji was the one person he had maintained the most contact with. As busy as Oishi was, Eiji still managed to worm himself into Oishi's busy schedule. Eiji had continued playing tennis, even if it was only recreationally. There were a handful of times where Oishi would find himself dragged off to the local courts by his friend. Eiji always came prepared with rackets and balls and the enthusiasm to wallop whoever was unfortunate enough to accept his challenge of a doubles match; without the daily practice, their synchronization was a little off, but it didn't matter because they still won every time. If he didn't drag Oishi to the courts, Eiji would stop by the house frequently, chattering away about anything and everything while Oishi studied.

Eiji was a really good friend. The grin that had slid onto Oishi's face at the thought of Eiji faltered a little.

Correction: Eiji had been a really good friend.

The phone startled Oishi out of his reverie. It was his mother. She wanted to know if he was going to come home for Tanabata next week. Of course he was, he said, hastily shoving his paperwork aside and yanking open a drawer to fish for his pocketbook. Was it the middle of summer already? How could he have lost track of time so easily?

The same way you lost track of your friends so easily. You are too focused on your own work to think about others.

Oishi let the phone fall noisily back onto its cradle with a little more force than was necessary after saying goodbye. Stupid. He hadn't gone home for Tanabata at all since moving to Fukuoka. Sure, his mother asked every year, but there was the slight chance that he could bump into Eiji. He couldn't believe he had said that he would go home. What was he thinking?

Eiji.

Of course. Oishi never could think clearly when Eiji was around. And now, even thinking about Eiji distracted him. There wasn't anything that he could do now after telling his mother he would go. It wasn't like he couldn't afford the flight and he worked more than enough hours to warrant a small vacation. In fact, he hadn't taken any vacation since opening his practice, New Year's and Golden Week aside.

Oishi shut his pocketbook quickly with a sigh. A tattered piece of paper fluttered across his desk and Oishi jumped out of his chair to grab it. No, it wasn't a piece of paper, it was a photograph. Oishi didn't have to turn the photo over to know what it was of. The worn edges and deep creases were telltale enough. The photo paper, overly smooth from years of handling, was comforting, familiar under Oishi's fingers.

It's all your fault.

Slowly Oishi flipped the photograph over and his grip tightened. Eiji's bright smile stared up at Oishi, his one arm haphazardly slung across Oishi's shoulders and the other delivering a victory sign. The Oishi in the photograph shied away from the camera a bit, a light blush across his cheeks and his arm gripping Eiji's shoulder. It had been taken after the Nationals in their final year. That was the last time the team had all been together. It was that moment where they were at the top of the world and everything was perfect. Well, Oishi knew better now than to think that perfect things existed. Nothing was permanent. Nothing was forever. Nothing ever stayed the same.

With a sigh, Oishi tucked the photo back into his pocketbook and started to pack up his briefcase. There was no point in staying in the office; Oishi was too distracted to even think about finishing paperwork. He put his socks and shoes back on, his damp shirt clinging to his skin even more now than it had an hour ago. A shower would be good and then he could look into getting a flight back to Tokyo. Oishi tightened his tie and picked up his briefcase, hesitating only a moment to shut off the lights before locking his office door and stepping outside into the humid Fukuoka summer air.

It was definitely too hot.

--

It had been easier than expected to book a flight, more expensive than usual, but relatively painless other than that. Oishi hated airplanes. Being squished next to some random stranger and confined to your seat with only your thoughts for entertainment was torturous. Although he thought daydreaming and reminiscing was a waste of time, Oishi had found himself doing it more and more lately, especially after thinking about what his former classmates were up to the other day. Of course he was always focused with his patients, but when it came to paperwork, admittedly his least favourite part of his job, Oishi couldn't help but continue thinking about how easily he gave up his friends in favour of his education.

During the flight, Oishi wasn't left with much else to do other than think. He had forgotten his music player on his desk at home and even though he had brought paperwork with him to do, there wasn't much room to write, let alone set any sort of paper down. The flight was a little too short for an in-flight movie and he couldn't make conversation with the Obaa-chan sleeping beside him whose mouth was wide open, letting out little snorts every few minutes or so. So, Oishi was left to stare out the window to pass the time.

Eiji was the friend most difficult to give up.

Correction: abandon. Eiji was the friend it was most difficult to leave behind, even if he was the reason why Oishi left in the first place.

It really had been all Oishi's fault anyway. When that picture was taken at the end of Nationals, Oishi could remember the euphoric feeling he had. It was a mixture of excitement and awe and… something more. When Echizen had won the final match, Eiji had grabbed Oishi which wasn't unusual in itself as Eiji was a very touchy-feely sort of person. In his excitement, or what Oishi had attributed to excitement, Eiji had kissed him on the cheek. The picture that was nestled safely away in his pocketbook had been taken shortly after that had happened. And that feeling hadn't left him. Even now, over ten years later, Oishi could still remember that rush of dizziness and the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach.

Oishi let out a long breath and rested his head against the window. The cool touch of glass didn't provide any comfort though.

After Nationals, Oishi wasn't the same. He tried to forget about what Eiji did and the only way he could do that was by studying. If he was studying he wasn't thinking about Eiji or Nationals or that kiss. The more Oishi studied, the calmer he felt. Studying was safe; it was predictable and comfortable and didn't make his heart beat a zillion times a minute.

Highschool provided Oishi with an excuse to study even more. Even if he had wanted to dwell upon the nature of his and Eiji's relationship, he honestly didn't have time. When Eiji did drag him out or came over, neither of them brought up the kiss. It was like the kiss never happened. Eiji didn't act any differently and he never tried kissing Oishi again. For the sake of his own sanity, Oishi pushed those weird feelings away whenever he was around Eiji and it was almost normal.

The real trouble came when they graduated high-school. Again, Oishi didn't expect to go to the same university as Eiji, but he didn't expect Eiji to forgo university or college altogether. They had met at the place where their dumpster had used to be. Oishi wanted to talk to Eiji about the two offers he had received for medical school and Eiji also said he had something he wanted to discuss. Oishi had let Eiji go first because he looked like he couldn't wait another second without telling someone. Eiji told him excitedly that he wanted to jump into the work force right away because he had a job offer from his part-time job to move into full-time hours. As well, apparently there was some motorcycle that he was dying to get and he didn't want to wait another three or four years to buy it. Eiji said that he could always go back to university later if he wanted to but, for the moment, he just wanted to try out different things and figure out what he really wanted to do.

Oishi didn't know what to say. He didn't even know that Eiji had gotten into motorcycles. Somewhere along the way the subject had never come up. Or, maybe, Oishi had just forgotten about it. It wouldn't have been the first time Eiji had mentioned something and he had simply nodded while continuing to concentrate on his work. So, being the overly-worrisome person he was, Oishi tried to talk Eiji out of throwing away university for the sake of a motorcycle. He wasn't trying to be mean and he wasn't trying to demean Eiji's desire for independence; Oishi only wanted the best for his very best friend. Heh, Oishi scoffed. Some friend I was.

Now, as Oishi looked back upon the whole situation, he could understand why Eiji was so angry with him. Oishi was selfish. What he thought at the time was a good intention, Oishi now realized was nothing more than a desperate attempt to not let anything else change. They were supposed to go to university and Eiji was supposed to continue to come over and drag him to the tennis court or bounce around his room, chattering on about the latest gossip. Nothing was supposed to change until after they had graduated university; they still had four more years left!

Instead, everything changed. Everything had changed after that kiss. Everything changed when they went to different high-schools. Everything changed when Oishi decided to study more and listen less to the person he called his best friend. That evening Eiji walked away angry and hurt and Oishi, thinking it was the best thing to do at the time, decided on his own and accepted the offer from the medical school in Fukuoka instead of the offer from the medical school at the University of Tokyo. It was so stupid. They should have talked about it… about everything. Somehow, somewhere along the way, the Goldenpair bond had faded and Oishi couldn't even tell what Eiji was thinking anymore. Perhaps it was for the best, Oishi remembered thinking at the time. If he was in Fukuoka, he wouldn't be reminded of Eiji so much.

Oishi couldn't help himself and he hunched forward to grab almost desperately for his briefcase which he had shoved under the seat during take-off. He slid the photograph from between the pages of his pocketbook and didn't even try to hold back the smile that spread across his face. Eiji still had that effect on him, even all of these years later. Oishi slid his thumb across Eiji's grinning face and wondered if he still kept that plaster stuck on his cheek or if it had migrated elsewhere on his face; maybe he didn't wear one at all anymore.

"Is that your boyfriend there?"

Oishi nearly jumped out of his seat, but was held firmly in place by his seatbelt. Instead, he settled for letting out a boyish yelp and held a hand against his chest, his heartbeat thumping quickly under his fingertips.

"Did I scare you?" The not-still-sleeping Obaa-chan in the seat next to him leaned over to peer at the now crumpled picture in Oishi's hand.

Oishi didn't say anything and instead swallowed hard. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and tried to smooth the photo out against his knee. After a moment, Oishi turned to the old woman who had since then settled back into her seat and shakily held the picture out to her.

"No, he's not my boyfriend."

"Ahh….," the old woman replied wisely, grasping the picture in her gnarled hands and staring at it for a minute. "Are you sure?"

Oishi blinked and took the picture back from the old woman. "Of course. I don't even talk to him anymore."

"Such a shame," the old lady shook her head in disappointment. "He's a good looking boy."

"Was." Oishi couldn't help correcting and mentally berated himself for having such a private conversation with a complete stranger. "He was… I don't know if he is now. I mean… I haven't seen him in a long time."

"Couldn't have been too long ago," the old women turned slowly, carefully, as old people tend to do, and stared back and forth between Oishi and the picture. "You look the same, a bit worse for the wear, but mostly still the same. It's never too late to fix things. Don't ever go to sleep without making amends."

Oishi didn't know what to say to this and let out a long breath when the old woman gave him a toothy grin and shut her eyes once again. After that, Oishi tucked the photo back into his pocketbook, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep for the rest of the flight.

--

It was good to be back in Tokyo. Sure, the air was a little dirtier than Fukuoka, and it was much more crowded, but there was something about Tokyo that surpassed all of the not-so-good aspects. It was strange how Oishi had left Tokyo wanting to leave all of his memories behind and escape to a new place, yet now he was having trouble figuring out why he had to go all the down to Fukuoka to do that; he wasn't someone who avoided problems. Then again, Eiji always had a way of making Oishi feel different.

His house was quiet when he arrived. His tentative 'tadaima' went unanswered and upon removing his shoes Oishi found that his parents had already left for the festival. It was a little early Oishi decided, looking at the silly bunny clock that was still sitting in its usual spot on the living room bookshelf, even more worn and chipped than he remembered. Maybe his parents had to do something else first. Whatever they were doing, the note his mother had left taped on top of the getabako said to meet around nine o'clock at their usual meeting place in Hiratsuka. Oishi wondered if his sister was going to come as well.

His old bedroom was exactly the way that he had left it Oishi found after dragging his suitcase upstairs. He had thought his parents would have at least re-decorated it after he had graduated. Maybe his parents always knew that he would make his way back to Tokyo at some point. Oishi felt his heart twist a little at how understanding his parents were with his sudden decision to go to school at the other end of the country. He really had been selfish, hadn't he?

As he glanced around his old room, a wave of nostalgia washed over him. He had a lot of memories in this room. His fish tank was no longer sitting on his shelf; he had left his old one here and started a new one when he moved away. The fish were probably all dead by now and no one else in his family would have bothered to take care of any new ones. His bookshelves were still crammed full of books and tennis magazines and a quick look in his closet showed that his games were still stacked in a corner and his clothes were still hanging up, just as he had left them. When Oishi moved to shut the door, the corner snagged on something and it fell against the back of the door with a thud and a light tinkle.

Oishi bent down to pick up whatever fell and went still when he realized it was his old tennis bag. He was silent as he stared unseeingly at the dusty bag. Why was it here? Oishi distinctly remembered leaving his bag by the trash can when he cleaned his room out before leaving for Fukuoka. He blinked and shook his head. Someone must've taken it back inside when he wasn't paying attention. As Oishi stood back up and set the bag upright once again, his hand brushed along the silly maneki neko charm that dangled off the zipper and it tinkled softly. Eiji had given him that charm after they had gone to Nationals in their second year at Seigaku.

Oishi quickly slammed the door shut and continued to look around his old room, pushing the thought of Eiji to the back of his mind with the rest of his memories of his friend. Nothing much else had changed in his room; even his comforter was still the same. On the bed there was a dark blue yukata laid out. It looked brand new and Oishi couldn't remember if he had packed one in his suitcase. Thank goodness for mothers, Oishi thought as he tucked his suitcase under her bed and changed into the yukata, the fabric light and comfortable over his shoulders. After making sure he had enough money for the train, Oishi was out the door, making sure to grab a pair of sandals on his way out.

The train was even more crowded than usual and Oishi found himself crammed into the corner of the car, someone's arm pressed awkwardly against his back and a shopping bag crushed along his side. It really was good to be home; the trains never were this crowded in Fukuoka. The half-hour ride dragged on as more and more people impossibly crammed themselves into the car at each stop. Oishi took in a deep breath after escaping the sardine-packed train and took a moment to orient himself. Even though he hadn't been to the Hiratsuka festival since high-school, Oishi found that after a couple of minutes of wandering, the layout of all the vendors hadn't changed too much since then. A few more food stalls had popped up and perhaps a few more games, but it was still mostly the same.

Oishi wandered up and down the stalls, pausing every so often to watch someone play a game or stop to grab a bite to eat. There were couples everywhere, young and old alike, laughing and smiling and chattering on about anything and everything. When he came to a cold tofu stand, Oishi slowed down and before he knew it he had purchased two boxes. It was a force of habit. The last time Oishi had been to Hiratsuka was when he was seventeen, and of course he had come with Eiji. Oishi wasn't fond of tofu, but Eiji was, and it had become somewhat of a tradition for them to stop and buy two boxes. One box was for Eiji and the second one Eiji usually ended up finishing after Oishi had picked at it for a bit.

Stupid. Oishi berated himself and walked around until he found a small fence to lean against. With the boxes of tofu sitting on the ground next to him, Oishi pressed his palms against his eyes. He shouldn't have come. Every year his mother asked him if he was coming home for Tanabata and every year he had declined. This year he had said yes without even thinking about it. He had been distracted, too caught up in something else to answer properly.

"Oishi-san?"

Oishi jumped and looked around dazed while his heart thudded loudly in his throat. No, it wasn't Eiji; he would never forget that voice.

"Taka-san?" Oishi asked as the tall boy, no… tall man stepped closer toward him. Taka hadn't changed a bit, though he was taller than Oishi remembered. Taka's eyes were still a warm brown and the same shy smile sat on his face. Taka ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"I thought it was you. I didn't know you were back in Tokyo." Taka offered with a smile and a quick bow.

Oishi jumped to his feet to return the bow. "I arrived a couple of hours ago, actually. It was a last minute vacation. How have you been?" He was eager to turn the attention away from himself and Taka took the bait.

"Great." Taka motioned for Oishi to follow him and so Oishi did, grabbing the tofu and brushing his butt off before following.

Taka came to a stop in front of a sushi stand where a young woman sat with a child bouncing happily on her knee. "My father is going to retire next year, so I'm going to take over the restaurant from him."

That was to be expected. Oishi remembered Taka talking about eventually replacing his father in the shop. So far, it looked like Taka's dream was coming true.

"Kumiko, this is Oishi Shuuichirou from my old junior high tennis team," Taka introduced, taking the baby from Kumiko as she stood to give a bow in greeting.

The baby grabbed at Taka's nose and let out a high pitched giggle, squiggling in his arms. "Oishi, this is my wife Kumiko and this is our daughter Yumiko."

Oishi couldn't help but arch his eyebrows up in surprise. Married. With a kid. Wow. Oishi managed a bow in return, "Nice to meet you."

Kumiko had a sweet smile just as Taka did and she picked up a package of sushi and held it out in offering. "It's very nice to meet you, Oishi-san. I think you were the last one of Takashi's old tennis friends that I had yet to meet, right dear?"

Taka nodded in agreement before handing Yumiko back to her mother. "I know Echizen and Momoshiro are around here somewhere; they stopped by earlier. And Fuji is supposed to be dropping by too." Taka patted a plastic-wrapped tray of sushi that looked suspiciously like it was filled with wasabi.

"It's unfortunate that you weren't able to make it back to Tokyo after Echizen won the AIG Open a few years ago. We closed the shop for a celebration afterwards; it was just like after Nationals, but with more people of course. I think you were the only one from the old team that couldn't make it." Taka walked over to the rice cooker and started to paddle some into a bowl.

"Ahh…." Oishi trailed off, accepting the sushi from Kumiko. AIG Tournament? He racked his brain trying to figure out when that was.

"Yeah, I think you had a conference or something. At least, I think that's what Inui said. You're a doctor, right? That's really great. That's what you wanted, right?"

Taka smoothed out a bamboo mat and gave a sheepish grin. "Working outside for the festival isn't the same as the restaurant, but it'll do. I usually use the mats during the festivals. This is the shop's third or fourth year here, but the first one with just Kumiko and me."

For some reason, the fact that he couldn't remember Echizen even winning the AIG Tournament bothered Oishi. He obviously had replied to say he couldn't make it. He nodded to Taka who was quickly rolling out futo-maki rolls with effortless precision.

"Well," Oishi cleared his throat and bowed to Kumiko who had set the baby down in a playpen in order to serve the steadily increasing line-up. "I think I'll let you guys get back to what you were doing. It looks like this is a popular place."

Taka gave another grin. "Sorry that we couldn't chat for long. Don't be a stranger, Oishi. You are always welcome to stop by the shop!"

Oishi smiled in return. Taka was really too nice. "I will," he promised, shifting the packages in his hands into a more comfortable position.

"Oh," Taka stopped rolling to look at the boxes Oishi was carrying. "Is that tofu from Tanaka-ya a little further down?"

Oishi looked down to the boxes. "Yeah, I think so."

"If you bump into Kikumaru, tell him not to forget to pick up his boxes of tofu before he goes; he left them sitting in the cooler so that he could go and write his tanzaku."

Oishi froze and gripped the boxes tightly. Eiji was somewhere around here? Why didn't Taka mention it before?! "Ah- hum-" Oishi cleared his throat and tried again. "Alright, I will if I see him," he gurgled out.

"Thanks." Taka gave him a worried look. "Say… are you okay?"

Oishi nodded shakily and tried to smile. It felt more like a grimace. "Yeah, I'm fine. Look, I'll make sure to stop by the shop before I go back to Fukuoka, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Taka replied cheerily before returning his attention to his sushi.

"Take care!" Kumiko waved goodbye as Oishi turned away.

Eiji. Eiji was somewhere around… here.

Oishi gulped for air noisily. He gripped the rim of a garbage can tightly as he stood in front of it. He wasn't going to throw up, he told himself. This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

"It is not!" Oishi scolded himself aloud. But, it was a lie. He was always lying to himself. All of the years of frustration and anxiety were no one else's fault but his own.

This is stupid. Great, now Oishi was talking to himself aloud. He really shouldn't have come. Maybe he could feign being sick and leave early. Yes, that was a good idea. All he had to do was meet his parents and then he could go home. Yeah, he was going to do that.

Oishi wiped his hands on his sleeves and then picked up the tofu and sushi from where he had dropped it on the ground. It was such a waste of money, but Oishi wasn't going to eat the tofu anyway, so he decided to throw it out. It was two less things to carry and his parents probably wouldn't eat it.

"I hope you're not going to waste perfectly good tofu," a voice interrupted Oishi just as he was about to let go of the boxes. Oishi wasn't surprised as he had been when Taka came up to him. Instead, his back stiffened as Eiji came to stand beside him.

"Mou…" Eiji grabbed the boxes out of Oishi's hand and opened one. "It hasn't even been touched! Geez, Oishi."

Oishi stood, frozen still, and watched Eiji grabbed the tofu between his fingers and took a huge bite. Eiji took another bite and then another until it was gone. Then he opened the second box. He was half way through the second piece of tofu when, as though he suddenly remembered Oishi's presence, Eiji turned and offered it.

"Sorry! I left my boxes over at Taka's booth and haven't had any yet. Did you want the last piece?" Eiji grinned and broke the spell that had glued Oishi into one place.

"No, you know I don't like it." Oishi didn't mean for it to come out accusingly, but Eiji just shrugged it off and popped the last piece in his mouth and tossed the boxes into the can.

"I know you didn't, but you could have acquired a taste for it. It's been a while."

"Yeah." Oishi was sheepish. Here he had been fretting and worrying about possibly bumping into Eiji again, and now here Eiji was, as cheery as usual, acting as though nothing had happened.

Oishi took a small step back to get a better look at Eiji. Eiji hadn't grown much since he had last saw him, a few inches at most, but enough to out-do Oishi by a little bit. His hair had darkened and was now a deeper, more rustic red. Eiji's face was free from any plasters and his eyes were still as bright as Oishi remembered.

"You…." Oishi started before trailing off and looking to the ground. Oishi rubbed his hands on his sleeves once more, but this time to get rid of his sweaty palms. "You're still the same," he finished lamely, swallowing what he really wanted to say. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything.

Eiji turned and levelled his gaze on Oishi. "I'm taller than you now," was all he said and crossed his arms. Eiji's smile fell away and his mouth set in a serious line.

This was it. This was Oishi's chance. Do it. Don't run away this time.

Once Oishi looked up at Eiji, he couldn't pull his gaze away. Oishi's palms were collecting sweat again and he wiped them again on his sleeve. His mother would have a conniption if she caught him dirtying his clothing in such a childish manner.

Oishi wetted his lips. He gripped his sleeves in his hands and toed the grass. God, why was this so difficult? Why was he such a coward? He was supposed to be a professional. He had many years to think of something to say and now it was the time to say it. But, there was nothing. Nothing to go by. It was just him and Eiji, like it should be. It shouldn't be difficult. Being with Eiji was supposed to be easy.

Eiji let out a small sigh and shook his head. "Have you written your tanzaku yet?"

Oishi shook his head. "I just… arrived. I mean, I was killing time before meeting my parents and bumped into Taka-san."

Eiji cracked a smile again and grabbed Oishi's hand. "I know," Eiji said as they weaved in and around groups of people and colourful decorations. "I asked him to go and talk to you."

"What?" Oishi stopped and pulled Eiji around to face him. "You knew I was here?"

Eiji rolled his eyes and gave Oishi a 'well, duh' look before tugging him along again. "Of course. Your mother told me you were coming, so I waited by the station."

Mother?!

"She's been trying to get you back to Tokyo for a long time now. I don't know how she did it, but I'm glad you came." Eiji finally came to a stop in front of a table filled with tanzaku.

Eiji dropped Oishi's hand so that he could pick up a piece of paper and a pen. "Here," he said and shoved the paper into Oishi's hand. "Make your wish."

Oishi stared down at the piece of paper for a moment before setting it back down on the table. He drew a deep breath and let out a dry laugh. "I don't think I deserve to make a wish." He admitted softly. "I've been a horrible person. I've been a horrible friend. I can't believe you're even talking to me."

Eiji's mouth was drawn into that serious line again when Oishi dared to glance up. "You're not horrible, Oishi. Stupid maybe, but not horrible. Everyone deserves the chance to make a wish." Eiji crinkled his nose. "Well… except for murderers maybe!"

"Eiji!" Oishi protested, surprised at how nonchalant Eiji's attitude was toward him. "I was horrible to you when you told me you wanted to get that motorcycle. I mean, I wasn't trying to be mean or to make you go to university… but I was just worried about you. Motorcycles are dangerous and while university isn't for everyone, you would have made it…."

Oishi drew in a deep breath and tried once again to get the words out. "Look, Eiji, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for running away. I'm sorry for ignoring you and for not being a better friend. I'm sorry for telling you what to do with your life. I'm… I'm just really sorry!"

Oishi fell into a deep bow and bit furiously on his lip

"Oiiiishiiiii!" Eiji's voice called out in a familiar whine. "Get up!"

Oishi shook his head furiously and stayed bowed. He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut as they began to burn with the telltale sign of oncoming tears. His hands clutched desperately at his knees and he swallowed the lump that was stuck in his throat.

"Mou!" Eiji grabbed Oishi by the arms and forced him upwards.

Oishi shook his head again and wiped furiously at his face like an upset child. "I'm sorry." He repeated stubbornly.

Eiji cocked his head to the side a let out a chuckle. "Oishi, you idiot! It's fine! If you need me to, I'll say I forgive you. But, I wasn't mad at you for running away or for telling me what to do. And, we both weren't good friends, so it was just as much my fault."

"But-" Oishi started to protest.

"But what?" Eiji broke out into a grin and pulled Oishi into a tight hug. "You were right. And I didn't get a bike. You left before I had a chance to tell you."

Oishi tightened his grip and buried his nose into the crook of Eiji's neck. Eiji's scent was still the same.

"You didn't get a bike?" Oishi asked, his voice muffled against Eiji's skin. Eiji was right; he was a couple of inches taller than Oishi now.

Eiji pulled away a bit and stuck his tongue out childishly at a passing old couple who had stopped to gawk at such a public display of affection. "Yeah, I thought about what you said and you were right. I went to university, just like you said I should."

"Oh?" Oishi pulled Eiji back into the hug and let out a long breath. As cliché as it was to say, Oishi felt like he was home. He had missed this. He had missed Eiji so much. He missed them. His eyes began to burn again and this time Oishi didn't stop the tears from coming.

"Hey now!" Eiji patted Oishi's back a little awkwardly. "Aren't you supposed to be the motherly one?!"

Oishi let out a laugh and pulled away to wipe his face. Yup, his mother was definitely going to scold him, adult or not, for making his clothes dirty. "I don't think anyone's called me that in years," he admitted, reaching out a hand to wipe Eiji's damp neck dry. "And… aren't mothers supposed to be emotional?"

Eiji grabbed Oishi's hand just as he was about to pull away and pushed up the sleeve of his yukata. He pressed his lips quickly against the top of Oishi's hand before letting go. "You know, we're not finished talking about this."

Oishi flushed a deep red at Eiji's affection and he stared down his hand in wonder. "Do you really mean it?"

"What?" Eiji's eyes danced mischievously. "Of course I do. And I think you owe me a zillion tennis matches and lots of ice cream for being so silly."

Oishi shook his head. "No. I mean, yes. Yeah, we need to talk. But, I meant- do you… were you serious just now? When y-you…." Oishi didn't think his face could get any redder; it felt like his cheeks were on fire. "Kissed me. N-now. A-and… back then. At N-nationals?"

Now it was Eiji's turn to turn red. "It took you long enough…" he muttered under his breath as he looked to the ground. "You didn't say anything, so I tried to forget about it. I waited for you to bring it up and you never did. So, that was the end of it."

"But…" Oishi trailed off. Geez, we're both pretty stupid. Oishi laughed.

Eiji's head flew up and he narrowed his gaze. "You'd better not be laughing at me."
Oishi managed to shake his head and calm down a bit. He grabbed Eiji's hand and placed a kiss on it before gazing up at his friend. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at how stupid we both are."

It looked as though a weight had been lifted off of Eiji's shoulders and he let out a deep breath. "Come on, our parents are waiting and while your mother is pretty patient, mine will bite my head off if we miss the fireworks." He grabbed Oishi's hand and then dropped it again. "Oh, you still need to fill out your tanzaku!"

Oishi shook his head and grabbed Eiji's hand again. As the two of them walked to the meeting place, they passed by Taka's booth and they both turned and smiled at each other. Oishi owed Taka… big time, though it was unlikely that Taka even had a choice in the matter; it was nearly impossible to say no to Eiji.

"Maybe we can send Taka and Kumiko out on a date and look after Yumiko for them!" Eiji suggested excitedly, as if he had read Oishi's mind. "She is sooooo cute, and she's just like her father. Quiet one moment and then as soon as she has a spoon in her hand, she's an unholy terror!"

Oishi raised a brow. "You seem to be really good friends with Taka?"

Eiji linked his arm through Oishi's and hugged it tightly. "Yeah, well… you were really busy during high-school and only seemed to really talk to Taka. So I dragged all the information out of him that I could. And I guess we somehow became really good friends along the way. Besides, every now and then he'll let me drag him down to the courts for a match or two!"

Oishi let out a laugh as Eiji broke out into more details about little Yumiko and her seemingly split personality.

Naw, Oishi didn't need to make a wish this year. While everything wasn't completely fixed and both he and Eiji were different people now, Oishi was determined to at least give it a shot. He hadn't been happy in a long time and now he was given a chance to make things right. If only he hadn't run away for so long…. But, then again, maybe it was supposed to work out this way. It was a learning experience for both of them and tonight, Oishi wouldn't go to bed without having made amends. Somehow, they'd make it work. They always did.

--

author notes:
(1) Kaisei Gakuen: www.kaiseigakuen.jp
(2) Tanabata: en./wiki/StarFestival
(3) Fukuoka University: www.fukuoka-u.ac.jp/english
(4) getabako: en./wiki/Getabako
(5) Hiratsuka: en./wiki/Hiratsuka
(6) tanzaku: small pieces of paper that wishes are written on and then hung on bamboo