Nationals Confessions

Genre: Friendship/Romance
Rating: K+ or PG
Spoilers: Nationals OVA episodes, Genius 248 and after
Pairings: Oishi/Kikumaru, mentions of Tezuka/Fuji
Summary: Oishi Syuichirou re-injures his wrist right before the Nationals, causing a fight with his doubles partner as well as other problems. How does it affect the team?

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is created by Takeshi Konomi. I do not own it.

Author's note:
Sorry if this fanfiction is too much like Seigaku Ranking Results. It was written for an LJ fic exchange. I'm basically going by the manga though some of the dialogue and event details will be from the anime.

The vice-captain of the Seigaku Boys Tennis Club was not surprised to find his acrobatic doubles partner standing angrily outside the clubroom. While making sure everything was in order, Oishi Syuichirou had begun to realize that what had seemed to be a good idea was a mistake at the same time.

"I won't allow anyone whose injuries have not completely healed to be recognized as a regular on this team," Oishi had claimed after asking Coach Ryuzaki Sumire for permission to play a one-set match against Captain Tezuka Kunimitsu who had just returned from his treatment in Kyushu. If the bespectacled captain lost even one game, he would not have been able to regain his place as a regular. This unusual action, especially with the coach's approval, had puzzled the rest of the tennis club.

While the club members were watching the match between their captain and vice-captain, Kikumaru Eiji had correctly noted, "Strange, Oishi isn't his usual self." His doubles partner had been one point away from winning a game when he grabbed his right wrist in pain. The injury from the first day of the Kantou Tournament had acted up again.

"The one who hasn't completely healed yet… is you," the stoic captain emphasized. That explained to everyone else the meaning of Oishi's words and their coach's approval.

Now, as the injured regular left the clubroom, his hyperactive partner quickly ran towards him and grabbed his shirt. "What's that! Why hasn't your injury recovered yet?"

The green eyes gazed down at him. "I'm sorry, Eiji."

Tears began flowing out of the blue eyes. "I mean I'll do something about it! I'll cover for your injury. Oishi, you told me… that we would be the Number 1 doubles team at the Nationals together. Oishi, you big idiot!"

"Weren't you the one who said 'Real men play singles,' then teamed up with me until you can defeat me? Well, the time has come. Now I have a meeting with Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezuka, so I have to go. Again, sorry."

"Fine! I won't play doubles anymore!"

"You were held up by Kikumaru, right?" Coach Ryuzaki questioned a distraught vice-captain entering the classroom. He sighed and nodded as he sat down.

"I understand you wanted the best for the team, but…" she began.

"I should have talked to Eiji first," the black-haired teen interrupted. "I didn't want him or the others to be distracted by my problems, but I made things worse."

"Oishi, the one who is worried and distracted is you," the coach reminded as Tezuka nodded. "You are over-protective and worry too much. I know you mean well, but sometimes it could backfire, like what happened just now." She looked at both team leaders. "You shouldn't always hide your problems. Sometimes it's important to let the team, especially your doubles partner, know what's going on."

"I know," the Golden Pair member agreed. "I was too caught up with preparing for the Nationals that I forgot about my duties as a doubles player. I was also sure that Eiji can win without me."

"I agree that Kikumaru has the skills, but it's not just that. He feels that he is dragging you down, and now probably thinks you're fed up with him as a burden."

A look of surprise crossed Oishi's face, followed by a frown. "I should have thought of that."

"Well, it's obvious you can't play with an injured wrist, and Kikumaru is probably too upset to talk to you. I know you want settle everything as soon as possible, but there are things beyond your control, so please don't worry and lose sleep over them tonight." Coach Ryuzaki's gaze shifted to the brown eyes. "Tezuka, you said that we would face either Rokkaku or Higa Chuu in our first game."

"Right."

"Let's discuss possible lineups, and we'll make the final decision after observing their matches tomorrow."

xxx

Meanwhile, Fuji Syusuke had been waiting for his classmate nearby. "I knew there would be problems that you might need to talk about."

"I trained to improve and not drag Oishi down, and he repays me by treating me like trash!" the hyperactive teen yelled.

The third year genius hugged him. "I don't think Oishi meant it that way, but I agree that he should have discussed things with you first. Maybe that is why Ryuzaki-sensei wanted to see him besides planning for the upcoming matches." He released the acrobat and they walked on. "Let's talk at my house. Yuuta can't come home because of the Nationals, and you know Otousan is almost never home, so it will just be us, Okaasan, and Nee-chan. We will be glad to have you over for the night."

The red-haired boy jumped on him. "Nya, thanks Fujiko!"

"No problem, I'm here for you." As they neared the Fujis' house, Kikumaru pulled out his cell phone to inform his parents of his plans and location.

When the classmates were in the bedroom, the light brown-haired one began, "I understand how you feel, but we have to be reasonable."

"Oishi is being the unreasonable one!"

"Probably, but his injury will reveal itself sooner or later. Oishi knew that it would be better to have that happen in front of just us than in an official match with many rivals staring and possibly taking advantage of it."

"That's why he is an idiot," the angry boy complained. "If he hadn't played that match today, his wrist could have healed in the next two days."

"Maybe, but we can't be sure, which is why Oishi probably decided to test it out today. Come on, Eiji, think! You are playing Doubles 1 against Rokkaku or Higa when suddenly Oishi's wrist starts hurting. What would you do?"

"Cover for him of course!"

"All right, but what if your opponents don't play fair?" Fuji asked. "Or what if Oishi can't continue playing? Can you cover or guarantee victory?"

"Then we'll have to forfeit, and our rivals will know more about his injury and probably take advantage of it nya."

"That's right. Even worse, they might hit a shot that damages Oishi's wrist so badly that he will not be able to play tennis anymore. Then he really wouldn't be able to keep his promise of being the Number 1 National doubles team with you."

Kikumaru jumped on his friend again. "You are right, Fujiko! Why didn't I think of that nya!"

"Probably because you are still trying to get over the shock and anger of what happened. You know Tezuka and Oishi both keep things to themselves, especially when they don't want others to be distracted. I myself also got mad at Tezuka for hiding his injury from us."

Just then, Fuji Yoshiko called them down for dinner. The two Seigaku regulars just informed the mother and older sister about when and where their first match in the Nationals would take place, and possible rivals. They were relieved about not having to bring up the afternoon's events.

"If Oishi finds me a burden, then others will not be able to stand me." Kikumaru grumbled after dinner.

"We played only singles in our school ranking matches, and you won most of them, so you can play singles, too," the smiling genius encouraged. "Oishi has faith in you, and so do the rest of us. Remember our win against Rokkaku? Furthermore, you and Momo won because you supported and helped him learn to play doubles. None of that would have happened if you were dragging us down."

"I'm playing doubles only with Oishi… Wait, no… I said to him that I wouldn't play doubles again."

Fuji revealed his light blue eyes. "You were just mad. Inui and Kaidou will probably play Doubles 1 for now, but Doubles 2 will be a problem. With Oishi unable to play, you are the only doubles expert left. I'll be happy to play doubles with you. We won against Rokkaku before, so we can do it again. However, if you don't want to play doubles, then I can team up with Taka-san. Ryuzaki-sensei would be making the final decision, so we'll just wait."

"I hope I can show Oishi that I'm not dragging him down."

The smiling teen's eyes appeared shut again. "Eiji, you really like him, don't you?"

This shocked the acrobat. "What! Like him!"

"You do. That is why you want to play doubles only with him. You just like being with him."

"Well, we've been partners for a long time, so I'm more compatible and used to his play."

"You also got upset when he didn't discuss things with you. This means you really care about him."

"Well, he's a friend, just like you nya." An arm went around the genius' shoulder.

"But don't you feel different when you're with Oishi? Like more excited?"

Kikumaru thought for awhile. "Maybe I do."

"You also stare and talk about Oishi a lot. You both complement and know each other really well. If you love him, you should tell him."

"But I think he likes Tezuka. He's often with him and they keep each other's injuries secret."

"With Tezuka, it's mostly about tennis and the club, because they are the buchou and fukubuchou. Actually, Oishi talks and shares more with you, and often looks at you, so I think he likes you, too. You really should confess. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Nya Fujiko, how about you and Tezuka? You are often talking about him and spending time with him. Unlike the rest of us, you're not afraid of him."

"He probably likes Echizen or Oishi since…"

The hyperactive boy interrupted, "…he is often with them?"

"That's right."

"Didn't you just say that Tezuka and Oishi being together is usually because of tennis, and that Oishi likes me?"

"Yeah, which would be unrequited love for Tezuka."

"Wouldn't it be similar with Ochibi?" Kikumaru inquired. "I think Ochibi likes Momo. Besides, Tezuka and Ochibi rarely talk or express themselves, so there would be almost no communication between them. If they do talk, it's only about tennis. They also don't see through each other like you and Tezuka do. You are the one who makes Tezuka open up. He also sees you as a great player, which will also attract him to you."

"Really?"

"Why don't you try confessing to him? As you said, what's the worst that could happen?"

Fuji Yumiko then knocked on the door and offered to do tarot readings on the boys, so they followed her downstairs. For each of them, she shuffled the deck, laid cards down on the table, flipped them over, and informed them of their results.

Finally, she concluded, "The readings are basically the same for both of you. You will play singles and doubles with your usual partner in the Nationals, and each of you will sit out for one match. As for results, you will each lose one match and win two. During the games, you will evolve and reveal some new skills that will amaze many people."

"That sounds good," her younger brother praised. "Thanks Nee-chan!"

The acrobat jumped on her. "Yeah, thanks Fujiko-nee-chan!"

Both boys returned to Syusuke's room and began guessing their skills and results for the Nationals, realizing Seigaku would most likely be playing four rounds. They also discussed possible rivals until they went to bed.

Meanwhile, Oishi's worries were keeping him from eating, which aroused concern in his family. At dinner, they weren't satisfied with just the stress of the Nationals for an answer, and interrogated him further, so he updated them on his injury. Fortunately, he didn't have to mention about the fight with his doubles partner, but continued to fret over it. Several times, he had picked up his cell phone only to put it back down, in fear of angering Kikumaru further by calling him, so he finally settled with a text message of apology. He began to recall a strange feeling, mostly excitement and loss of control, when the acrobat had gotten physically too close. After going to bed, he spent most of the night tossing and turning.

xxx

"There is a 100 percent chance that the Golden Pair got into a fight about the match yesterday," Inui Sadaharu, the third year data player, softly broadcasted for despite the partners' efforts to hide their rift, the others could see that something wasn't right.

"A dispute at a time like this!" Momoshiro Takeshi, the second year power player, yelled. "What's going to happen to our lineups, especially doubles?"

"Inui-senpai and I will play doubles of course, you idiot!" his rival, Kaidou Kaoru, the second year snake shot player, retorted.

"How am I supposed to know if you are not in doubles for every match!" the spike-haired boy argued as the rivals grabbed each other's shirts.

Kawamura Takashi, a third year power player with sideburns, immediately pushed them apart. "Stop it, you two! We don't need another fight taking place."

Echizen Ryoma, the first year regular smirked, "Mada mada dane."

"There is a 99 percent chance that they will settle their problems by the quarterfinals," the bespectacled data player announced.

Relieved that Seigaku didn't have any matches for the day, the club members watched the Rokkaku regulars fall to Higa one by one. This kept their minds off the Golden Pair's dispute. The Okinawan players' insults had been angering the Kantou champions, and Kai Yuujirou purposely aiming his shot at Rokkaku's Coach Ojii was the final straw. As the Seigaku regulars and others cheered for the vice-captain, Saeki Kojirou, their determination to defeat Higa increased, and Kikumaru recalled what Fuji told him last night about opponents playing dirty.

While the taunting players left the courts, Oishi approached his doubles partner who had finally stopped avoiding him. "Eiji, I'm sorry for saying all those things at you yesterday. You were right. I was the selfish idiot who broke our promise, and didn't talk things over with you before that match."

"It's about time you admitted it," the acrobatic player retorted.

"I know you can do it without me."

"Yeah right! You're probably afraid to say that I'm a burden. I'll show you that I'm not dragging you down." Kikumaru quickly distanced himself.

At the hospital, Coach Ryuzaki and her club members were relieved to hear that the Rokkaku coach's injury wasn't serious, and that he would be all right. The Chiba team thanked them as they left.

'This defies my data,' the data player thought the next day as the news of one of the Golden Pair playing Singles 2 surprised many people. 'I thought there would be a 60 percent chance that Kikumaru would be paired with Momoshiro again, and 40 percent chance with Fuji.' Everyone watched as Seigaku won the Singles 3 and Doubles 2 matches before the acrobat entered the court with a fierce expression.

After taking the first two points, Kai asked, "Are you really a doubles player? You've got some pretty good stuff."

"I'm never playing doubles again," his opponent answered. While returning more shots, he added in his mind, 'I'm not playing doubles again unless it's with Oishi.'

Most people could see that the red-haired player wasn't himself, but Coach Ryuzaki, his doubles partner, and Fuji knew that under that fierce shell was misery. The vice-captain kept his eyes on the match with concern and surprise.

"Oishi, you really like Eiji, don't you?" the smiling genius whispered during one of the times the players were changing courts.

This startled the mother of Seigaku. "Huh?"

"You care and can't stop looking at him. If you really like him, you should tell him."

'Is that why I've been having strange feelings of excitement and losing control when I'm around him?' the surprised teen thought. However, the conversation had to end as the match resumed. When the score reached 4-0 in favor of Kikumaru, the Higa player switched the racket to a reverse grip in his left hand to use his special skill, Viking Horn, to catch up.

As the Seigaku regular dropped his fierce expression, created a clone of himself, and continued to fight, his coach noted, "It seems like you're getting out of your depression." The mood of the whole court seemed to lighten up as he impressed everyone with doubles techniques alone.

The match headed into a tiebreak, and a strange sensation overtook him. "My body is yearning for something. That's right. I, no we haven't found it yet… the infinite possibilities of our doubles pairing!" He executed a Kikumaru Beam, only for it to be returned by Kai's Viking Horn. "I haven't found it yet. Until I find it, I…" Just when he thought he couldn't reach the ball, his clone scored the winning shot.

"Game and match, Seigaku's Kikumaru, 7-6!" the referee announced.

While cheers erupted, the acrobat shouted, "Yeah!" and held up a victory sign with his fingers.

"You're quite capable of playing singles, Kikumaru-senpai," Katou Kachirou, a first year, praised.

"That's right," Horio Satoshi, another first year, agreed "You're good at singles as well."

"No, I can't," their senior admitted. "I realized I enjoy doubles more. Singles is somewhat lonely. And I'm Kikumaru Eiji of Seigaku's Golden Pair."

"Eiji…" Oishi mumbled with relief.

The cheerful boy looked up towards him, holding out his fist. "So you must recover from your injury before the Nationals are over! I'm waiting for your return, partner!"

"Okay." The vice-captain returned the gesture as everyone cheered and smiled, assured that the Golden Pair had settled their problems. The matches proceeded, and other schools arrived to watch the Singles 1 battle between the captains. After sweeping Higa, Seigaku learned that they would face Hyotei Gakuen again in the next round.

The red-haired boy then jumped onto his partner. "I know you must have worried and suffered the past two days. I'm sorry for blaming and avoiding you when it wasn't your fault. I was the selfish idiot nya. Having the match against Tezuka was not a bad idea after all. If your injury had acted up during a match today, things would have been worse, especially since those Higa jerks don't play fair."

"No, as I said, I should have talked to you about the injury first," the other half of the Golden Pair apologized. "You had the right to be mad at me. I'm sorry. I saw Akitaka-ojisan after the match, and he said that the wrist wouldn't take much time to heal, so I'm still planning to become the National Number 1 doubles team with you. By the way, you were never holding me back, and I didn't want to do that to you today."

"You were always the one bringing me up, not dragging me down nya."

With the Hyotei regulars being much stronger opponents than they were during the Kantou Tournament, Coach Ryuzaki and the team leaders were still unsure about their lineup for the quarterfinals, even after much thought and discussion. Fortunately, rain began pouring during the Singles 2 match, delaying the remaining matches for another day.

"I'm afraid in the next Doubles 1 match, Hyotei will send out their strongest doubles team, Shishidou and Ohtori," the elderly woman reminded the captain. "To be honest, I don't think we have a team that could beat that combination."

The stoic player had been staring out the window at the Seigaku tennis courts below when he suddenly lifted his eyes. "Ryuzaki-sensei, there just might be one team left who can pull it off."

After reaching the school, Oishi had insisted, "Tezuka, Ryuzaki-sensei, please let me play in the Doubles 1 match tomorrow."

"With your wrist?" his friend asked.

"It's risky, but we're out of options right now. It's like when you played with your injured arm."

"We'll think and talk it over," the coach declared as she and the captain departed for the classroom.

The doubles player had then headed for the courts despite the rain, and was knocking down cones with tennis balls while thinking about the matches of the past two days. Suddenly he detected some movement which ended in a flip and a racket hitting the ball back at him.

"Eiji!" the mother of Seigaku exclaimed. "Where did you come from? How did you know I'd be here?"

"I had a feeling you wanted to play tomorrow, and would be practicing," his partner replied.

"You know me pretty well." The green-eyed teen hit a ball toward a cone.

"That's why we're the Golden Pair." The acrobat sent the shot back. "Well, there's still one more thing you don't know about me nya."

"What is it?"

"I…" Kikumaru missed the ball as he stiffened. It was now or never. "I… love… you."

The vice-captain froze in shock as his face turned red. "I… love… you, too."

"Really!"

"Right, I've loved you for a long time."

"YES! Same here!" The hyperactive boy excitedly jumped on Oishi.

"Eiji, don't do anything unusual right now, because Tezuka and Ryuzaki-sensei are probably watching us from the window."

"We can always save it for later nya."

"Though I love you, I feel that I don't deserve you."

"Why?" The blue-eyed boy detached himself from his partner.

"I'm not good enough for you."

"Of course you are. Why would you not be good enough?"

"I am boring, and don't treat you right. For example, I yell at you and decide things on my own without talking to you."

"Come on, Oishi, we all make mistakes, and I'm sorry I acted that way. You're the nicest out of the regulars, and I don't find you boring."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course nya! You're Seigaku's real pillar of support. I like being with you, but you probably see me as a noisy and annoying child."

"No, it's fun having you around. I like your cheerful behavior, and so does everyone else."

The pair smiled as they stood the cones back up. As practice resumed, they began noticing bonds they've never felt before.

A few minutes later, the acrobatic player announced, "All right, that's enough. Let's stop before you damage your wrist or the rain causes more injuries. We'll go see Akitaka-ojisan now."

"No, he'll just say that I can't play tomorrow," the mother of Seigaku responded.

"Then promise me you'll see him after our match tomorrow?"

A female voice suddenly interrupted. "Oishi, Kikumaru is right." They looked up to see their coach and captain. "You are good enough, so don't worry. We don't want anything worse to happen to you."

"Make sure you get your wrist checked tomorrow afternoon," Tezuka reminded as they headed for the clubroom. "Don't let your guard down."

Fortunately, Seigaku advanced to the semifinals the following morning. Some of the regulars remember Shitenhouji Chuu giving the National champions, Rikkaidai Fuzoku, a hard time last year, and after lunch, they proved to be an even stronger team by sweeping Fudomine Chuu.

"If we had known that we weren't going to win this morning, then we wouldn't have let you play, Oishi," Kikumaru complained in his partner's room that night. "You risked your wrist for nothing nya."

"But we didn't know," the vice-captain replied. "Besides, I think that match was necessary for us to obtain Synchro and prepare for the finals."

"Maybe."

"If you hadn't stopped me from hitting the ball then maybe we could have won, and Echizen wouldn't have had to face such a deadly match."

"I guess, but you would have damaged your wrist and never be able to play again. I didn't know what I had done until I heard it from Fujiko. As we know, we remembered up till match point, then it felt like we were having fun playing on clouds together. The next thing I knew was that we had lost…"

"…And Shishidou was mad, and everyone was cheering."

"I heard that everyone was amazed, and Shishidou and Ohtori were really driven into a corner."

"Synchro is powerful, but weird. We still have to explore it more, or we will not find the infinite possibilities of doubles."

"Well, we can't do it tomorrow, especially since you told Akitaka-ojisan that you won't be playing Shitenhouji with that wrist. Tezuka and Ryuzaki-sensei are not going to let you play either."

"Shitenhouji has some dangerous players," the mother of Seigaku reminded. "We still haven't made the final decision for the matches tomorrow. Ryuzaki-sensei said that she will think it over tonight, and announce the lineup before the game. I hope the others will be all right."

"Of course they will, Oishi." His partner threw his arms around him. "You shouldn't worry so much nya."

The black-haired boy returned the hug as green eyes met blue ones, and they kissed. Afterwards, they guessed possible lineups against Shitenhouji, then discussed about Tezuka and Fuji's interest in each other before going to bed.

A/N:

I did not write some of words in English, because they have no exact translation or appear awkward. Here are the translations based on subtitles:

Okaasan – mother
Otousan - father
Nii-chan - older brother
Nee-chan – older sister
Senpai – senior
Buchou - captain
Fukubuchou - vice-captain
Kun – honorific for boys
Nya – a cat sound Kikumaru occasionally adds to his sentences
Ochibi – baby boy, kiddo, or little one (Kikumaru's nickname for Echizen)
Mada mada dane – "no, not yet" or "you still have a ways to go" (Echizen's favorite phrase)

This was the request for the exchange: "I would like to see a darker take on Golden Pair; we all know Oishi has a temper - just look at him snapping before the Hyoutei game, or his deal with Yakiniku. What if their relationship turns abusive, or bordering on? How will the two of them, and their friends, deal?" I didn't quite follow it because it would be OOC, so I just had it be some misunderstandings. Originally, there was a little more hostility between the Golden Pair, but I removed it for outside the fic exchange because I found it OOC.

I might turn this into a chapter fic since I have some ideas. It will depend on if I have time, and can get my ideas together.