Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was sand.
He sat up, blinked several times and even rubbed his eyes but the scene did not change.
The burning sun, the dry wind and the boundless dunes were still there.
And he was alone.
Deserted of Memories
Chapter One
Eiji was depressed.
No, he was not going to eat poison, slit his wrists and jump into a moat, but he was still in a state of pure misery. After spending hours wandering around in the middle of a desert, with no sense of direction or any ideas on how to get out, he was indeed feeling very depressed. To make things worse, the day had been predicted to have soaring temperatures and with no water, Eiji could not quite figure out how he would survive. It was no surprise that he was so dispirited.
Especially when he came across that dead body.
The corpse was that of a boy, no more than fifteen years old. Silky, brown hair framed the pale face and the boy's eyes were closed in a peaceful, almost sleep-like way. Eiji also noticed that the boy had rather effeminate features, with smooth skin, pink lips and a slim body structure. He also determined that the boy would not have been dead too long.
Eiji recognised that part of his bleak gloom was fear. The cold, slimy feeling was slowly swamping his emotions, and for a long time, all he could do was stare at the corpse; that poor, pitiful body that was lying discarded in the sand. It was a reminder of his current predicament and he was determined not to die in the same way. Reality was not so easy though.
As Eiji stared into the unmoving face, he felt a sudden surge of loneliness and regret. He wished so much that the boy would come back to life, so that he could have a companion to share his troubles with.
It was ironic that when the corpse twitched, Eiji screamed.
(Eiji's POV)
Calm down, calm down, I thought to myself. Corpses don't move. There are heaps of other logical explanations. Maybe it was the wind? Or it was my imagination. If the corpse moves again, I'll just run in the opposite direction.
However, when the corpse did stir again, I could only watch, frozen in shock, as the boy seemingly revived and sleepily blinked open his eyes.
His eyes. They were mesmerising, a pure cerulean blue that was exotic in the most mystical, otherworldly way. I would gladly drown myself in that ocean of blue, be swept up by the eternal beauty of his eyes. How I wished, how I wanted, to own those eyes, to possess them, to possess him. I desired him and I would do anything to get him –
I snapped out of my daze. What was I saying? Why was I having such ridiculous thoughts about a boy whom I had previously thought was dead? No, I was simply stunned, that was all. Just because he had beautiful eyes did not mean I was in love with him. However, as much as I tried to deny my feelings, there was still a yearning inside of me that would not, could not, subside. I ignored it.
"Who are you, nya? What are you doing in the desert?" I gave the boy my brightest grin, hoping to cover up my inner turmoil, as well as truly being interested in finding out answers.
Meanwhile, the boy had – thankfully – closed his eyes and was also wearing a smile. He laughed at my eager questions, a soft, melodious sound almost as exotic as his eyes. Inwardly I cursed myself for thinking that.
"I'm not quite sure," the boy replied, tilting his head in thought. "I remember waking up in this desert and trying to find a way out. However, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, I'm waking up again, although this time you're here. I don't know why I am in this desert."
"I'm kinda lost too," I admitted. "But we can find a way out together, it'll be quicker."
Yes, that was the only reason I wanted his help. So I could finally get out of this accursed desert. I wasn't trying to spend time with him, not at all.
. . . fine, maybe I do have a small attraction to him. But that's all it is and ever will be.
"Anyway, I'm Kikumaru Eiji, but you can just call me Eiji. And you are?"
"Ah, about that . . . I don't actually know."
"You . . . don't know?"
"What I mean is, I can't remember anything about myself, or my life in general. I think I've got amnesia."
Great. Not only do I find myself crushing on a guy I found in the desert, it turns out he's lost all his memories too.
In the end Eiji and the boy did find their way out of the desert and they managed to arrive at Eiji's home village just before night fell. However, their ordeal had left them tired, thirsty and irritated and Eiji could not wait to ditch his companion and sleep.
However, the fact remained that in his amnesic state, the boy would be unlikely to survive without help, and that 'help' came in the form of a reluctant Eiji. It wasn't that Eiji hated the brunet. The real problem was that he liked him too much.
If Eiji ever thought that the longer he spent with the boy, the more apathetic and indifferent he would become, he would be wrong. Instead, each time he laid eyes on the other, the more infatuated he became. Just one glance would make Eiji's mind reeling out of control as his heart sped up and heat rose to his face. A smile did even more and Eiji found it harder and harder to resist jumping the boy then and there. He hated the way just one person could make him feel so insecure, so irregular, so helpless. And he disgusted himself each time he was reduced to a lovesick fool, blushing and stuttering his way through the day.
"Is something the matter, Eiji-kun?"
"Eh? Ah n-no, nothing's wrong," Eiji stammered out. He didn't even notice that he had started frowning, a murderous look in his eyes as he contemplated his situation. What happened to the bright and cheerful Eiji that was carefree and really did have nothing wrong?
At last the two boys arrived outside a bakery. Through the window, one could see that the store was full of dust and cobwebs with rows of empty shelves. Next to the bakery entrance was a narrow staircase, leading to the living quarters on the second floor.
"The bakery closed down a couple of years ago," Eiji explained. "I live upstairs. It's quite small but that's what makes it cosy."
The other boy only nodded and followed as Eiji led the way up the stairs. Eiji's home only consisted of three rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom, but the whole village seemed to be lacking financially. Eiji rummaged through the cupboards and quickly found a spare mattress and sheets and set them up near to his own bed.
"Time to get some sleep!" Eiji announced. "We'll sort out everything tomorrow."
The brunet nodded again and soon was in what Eiji assumed to be a deep sleep.
Now if only Eiji could ignore the fact that his interest was lying so defencelessly next to him, he might actually get some rest.
