A/N: Seventh PoT fic and it's about Fuji, hoi hoi! For those PoT die-hard there, please don't be so accurate with the dates and tournaments, nor the school year; I won't love you for that. Off you go.
BTW: Bold- for journal entries
Italics- for thought and point of view
Disclaimer: PoT was, is and will never be mine nor yours; don't sue me. Suit yourself with this piece.
LEAP YEAR
Fuji covered his mouth as he yawned. It was already 11 p.m. He was still awake three hours after his usual bed time. He was not avoiding sleep, though—far from it. He was already in his brand new PJs: a pair of dark blue cotton trousers too long for him, and a light blue shirt which surprisingly was tight for him as he did not really go for fitting attires. He badly wanted to sleep but he couldn't just yet. Alas, he was not his usual cheery self but a more contemplative one.
Sitting before his study desk, he picked up a pen and fingered the leaves of his new diary. It was the kind that had a plain black cover and a gold ream. Its pages neither had the usual time at the left margin nor the lines across the page. It just had the date at the upper right-hand corner and below that was a seemingly endless white slate.
When Fuji found the date he wanted, he took a deep breath and began writing.
0630 woke up quite normally. The cacti were all doing well.
'Hopefully it means a good day ahead of the team.' I went down and checked the dining table. There was no one about. My parents, it was safe to assume, were in their respective jobs. My otouto was in the dormitory. My oneechan? She gets up whenever she wants to. It always means a cereal breakfast for me.
I won't really be able to keep up with Inui's suggested dietary allowance.
0730 going out of the house I saw Eiji. He tossed me an apple for breakfast and peered at me curiously.
"Hoi, hoi, Fujiko-chan, you are the thinnest third year tennis player I know," he said and volunteered to hold my bag as I adjusted the rackets' bag on my shoulder. "Of all the days your family chose to be busy…"
"Naze, Eiji, don't be so upset by that. I am not bothered at all."
"You should be when I have a bigger family and they don't forget to make breakfast for me, nya…" he pouted. "Gomen, Fuji!"
That Eiji. He never misses a spot. I have to admit he is better in dealing with family matters.
0745 we arrived at school and met Taka-san at the entrance.
"Anou, free pass to sushi-all-you-can?" I asked Taka-san as he was his usual low spirited self without the tennis racket. He nodded and scratched his nape. "Of course, I will when it's given free."
"Maah, Fuji-senpai, you can buy as many as you can with your allowance any day," I heard Momoshiro said at my back. I turned to look at the dunk smasher with the Ochibi of the team beside him. I made a mental note to tell Tezuka that they could be trained as the next Golden Pair.
0900 our teacher asked me about my plans.
"Maa…that's still far…all I am focused on is tennis," I answered and sat back on my seat. Eiji leaned over and whispered: bet sensei did not like that.
"Kikumaru! What about you?"
"Nyah? I'll be in the nationals!"
I gave my seatmate a peace sign. "I bet he did not like that." And he stuck his tongue out.
1215 Oishi gave me a bento as he joined me and Eiji for lunch. I noticed both of them kept on giving hurried glances at one another. I felt as if I were their opponent in a doubles match.
1445 Momoshiro and a blushing Kaido dropped by my class to give me a brand new dictionary.
"Arigatou but you really did not have to bother," I said, thinking of the dictionary I had in my backpack. They must have heard from…now from whom…ah, maybe Oishi or Taka-san, since Tezuka would not share that information.
"Please accept it senpai. Kaido Kaoru had a trouble looking for a perfect one yesterday."
"Pshh…Shut up!"
I smiled and scanned the pages of the dictionary. "Saankyu…Saah, shouldn't you be in your classes? Your teachers will kill you."
Making faces as if they had realized something important that they had forgotten, both rushed to their rooms.
'Is it just me or most of my friends are extra caring and helpful today.'
1638 I was eight minutes late for the practice. My teacher had asked me to work on some materials since I missed a lot due to practices.
'Hm? Eiji isn't here?' I thought as I took a seat beside the teacher's table. We missed the same classes so naturally he should be late as well. That sly cat. Hang on…
I forgot to inform the buchou…
"10 laps around the court."
Hehe. That guy. "Ne, Tezuka, you're getting soft…"
"Fifteen laps."
1650 finished 15 laps and drank two mugs of Penal Tea. Inui is really getting better in preparing it. I wonder why the others seem to detest it more and more. Most of them had turned a violent shade of green when Inui was pouring the 2nd serving of the tea.
1800 finished the training and we went to Taka-san's sushi restaurant.
"Hey, Fuji-senpai, you like wasabi sushi, right?" Echizen asked as he dropped two rolls at my plate.
"Nya, ochibi, why do you give an extra to Fujiko-chan only?" complained Eiji who was already munching his anago.
"Hm, I am jealous, Echizen," Momoshiro said and leaned over to get a piece of Kani sushi from the youngest.
1840 …it was a bang.
"Happy birthday, Fuji!"
"Happy birthday, Inui!"
"Party party, hoi hoi!"
They started handing out presents for both Inui and I. I hoped I could hide the surprise on my face…
They gave me a light blue blue shirt.
"I hope this fits, Fuji-senpai. Kikumaru-senpai told us you almost have the same body as Echizen's..." Momoshiro rambled as he scratched his nape. Echizen, out of his character looked at me and tried to measure if what his buddy said indeed was true. Eiji tried not to meet my eyes.
That guy owes me a lot today.
Oishi gave me a long pair of cotton pants—I wondered why these people were giving me sleeping clothes.
"Eiji said you're fond of trousers."
I looked at the red head. He began to whistle.
"Fuji."
I turned to Tezuka who I thought knew what was going on but trying to make himself appear innocuous. He pushed a pen toward me. Hm…I thought he forgot to wipe his glasses because they looked dim.
"Kikumaru mentioned that you ran out of ink in one of your tests. And you use this brand of pen."
"A…arigatou."
He turned to Eiji and whispered something. I was about to ask what they were so concerned about when Inui pushed his way through the Ichinen who all had flasks of colorful liquids that were meant for our Data gatherer.
Looking sick and green, he forced to my hand a black notebook.
"Eiji said you want this so…"
Before he could continue his sentence he was overcame by whatever he had drunk. He disappeared for quite some time.
That was when I noticed that Eiji was also out of sight.
"Where is Eiji?" I asked Tezuka. He pretended not to hear me and engrossed on one wasabi sushi.
"Mada mada sune," I heard Echizen said behind me, clearly referring to our buchou.
Fuji paused for a moment and thought. He had already filled one page and was starting on the other. He knew however that as any diary, his journal should not end as it was. It was his birthday after all.
He heard a knock. "Hai."
"Hoi!" Kikumaru Eiji, wearing his red pajamas, stepped in the room. He was carrying a big pillow with him.
"Eiji…I thought you are already asleep. Aren't you comfortable in the guest room?"
"Iie. I am just checking out how you are going to end your day, nya," he cheerfully flopped on the floor beside the Tensai and hugged his pillow, . "Sugoi! The clothes fit you!"
Fuji nodded, "They seem to…"
"Nya! You're using all of your new things! I'm happy for you!"
"I know…"
"Nya?" Kikumaru tilted his head, indicating that he could not understand what the tensai had last said.
"You planned all these right?"
Seigaku's cat turned as red as his hair and blurted, "How could you be so brutally frank about it, Fujiko! I just wanted to make you happy on your birthday!"
Fuji Syuusuke chuckled to his friend's reaction. Some things really don't change. "Saa…Saa…Eiji, I am also happy. Minna made me happy today."
"They will still make you happy," he whispered out of the blue.
"Nanitenyo?"
He looked surprised and started picking on his strip of Band-Aid. "B-be—betsuni! I said we can still make you happy since we're still going to be together!"
"Souka."
Fuji looked at his notebook and was about to finish his diary when a loud crash caught his attention. He stood to look at the window but Eiji was faster.
"What was it Eiji?" he inquired as the acrobatic, muttering to himself, blocked the window.
"Nothing, nya, it's just a baka mamushi, trying to slink its way in through the gate."
"M—Mamushi?" He thought it was impossible for Eiji to say that since, first, it was dark already and nobody even if it's Echizen or Eiji could see anything through that darkness and distance, and second, Fuji's residence was in the city, and he, Syuusuke had never heard of python outbreaks.
"Maa, maa, Fuji," Eiji said, turning to him, and pulling him by the hand. His classmate seemed cheerful despite his snake declaration. "Why don't we go look downstairs? Let's have midnight snack? The apples that my mom sent you are really good."
"Ne, Eiji, you don't have to cover my eyes while going there, do you?"
"And the sushi in Taka-san's restaurant is as good as always…by the way Fuji, can you I have some of the vanilla ice cream. Onegai?"
"Hai, hai. Anything you want."
"Minna," said a female voice in the dark. "One, two, three."
"Otanjoubi Omendetto!"
Fuji's eyes needed to adjust to the light as Kikumaru's hands uncovered them. Fuji blinked, first to rub of the dark film on his eyes, and second to affirm himself that what he was seeing was real.
His family, wearing their pajamas, were around the table full of more presents. His parents coolly sported their night gowns as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Fuji noted that his father seemed tired due to the sudden flight but trying his best to look cheerful. Yumiko beamed at the birthday celebrator and pointed at her right. There was Yuuta, carefully not looking at him and counting the presents on the table. If that was not enough, Seigaku Tennis regulars were also in their sleeping clothes, trying their best to blend with the wallpaper. The tensai finally figured out why Eiji had mumbled seemingly useless things awhile ago. What was the "baka mamushi, trying to slink its way in through the gate"? Fuji concluded it was Kaido since it was he who was the only viper of the team. Considering the blush creeping on the sophomore's cheeks, Fuji figured out that the honest and respectful viper had trouble sneakily entering his sempai's residence.
Fuji turned to his best friend who was grinning sheepishly. The cat was finally out of the bag.
With his eyes wide open, taking in all the things he was witnessing, Fuji smiled. He knew how to end his journal.
Back upstairs, Fuji's diary lay open as how it was left. His clean penmanship splashed across one page and a sentence or two occupied the opposite sheet. The moon shone bright on the dates: February 28 and March 1. Hai. There was no February 29 that year but his friends made it for him.
It was a happy birthday.
More A/N: I am fond of surprise birthday parties since I haven't had one. At least Fuji gets to have his and it's from Eiji. Hehe. Aah, minna, yudan sezou ni ikou and review. Zanen Munnen Mataraishu.
Have updated since I saw some typos…for those who are asking why Inui's birthday is not given bigger highlight, I have intended for Fuji to reflect on his own birthday celebration. Peace. Ja ne.
Speadee, thanks for the awesome review on this one…I will just let it as it is; the plot is funnier that way…Gomen minna. I played God again and changed some parts of PoT…Accdg to speadee, Inui's birthday is on July 3. thanks again