Summary: In the silence, two friends standing. In Eiji's eyes, tears were threatening to fall. In Fuji's hands, a box was held tightly. In the box, pictures. In the pictures, a story of friendship.
Pairing: Fuji x Eiji
Genre: Friendship… maybe very slight romance if you want
Kikumaru Eiji stood still. He did not make a single move, he didn't even blink. All he did was staring at his best friend in silence.
Fuji himself didn't smile. Still, the feminine looking boy tried to curve his lips upward, but the pure look of betrayal on the red haired boy's face stopped him from doing so.
"Nya, Fuji, you're kidding, right?" Eiji nervously questioned, hopeful eyes searching for the truth in the deep blue orbs before him.
However, he felt his heart sink low when the brunette shook his head. "I'm sorry, Eiji… I'm serious about becoming photographer, and I want to travel around the world to take the most breathtaking pictures. You can understand that, eh?"
He knew that his friend just wanted to shake his head and convince him not to go. He knew that Eiji wanted to do that, but wouldn't.
"Yeah… It's your dream," Kikumaru whispered, trying to erase the pain on his features. "I understand that chasing after your dream and do what you love the most takes you away. But I don't want to be alone…"
The silence that followed was quite uncomfortable. They, who could chat for hours, had trouble finding the right words.
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning," Fuji finally voiced, looking his feet with intensity.
He didn't need to look up to picture perfectly the unbelieving expression the acrobatic player gave him. His eyes would be wide open, his jaw would hang open and his brows would be slightly furrowed.
Fuji knew Eiji by heart.
"W…what?" Kikumaru stuttered, voice shaking, "And you only tell me now?"
The prodigy dared a guilty shrug. "I didn't want it on your mind for too long."
Was it a mistake? He had greatly enjoyed the last week, where Eiji and him had spent the majority of their time together- which had become rare, since Eiji had start working as a tennis coach for children.
"Fuji! That's so selfish, nyaa!!! I'm your best friend! I should know before everyone else!" The usually ever-happy boy cried in a hurt tone. "First Oishi, then Ochibi… even Momo left! But I never thought that you would leave me behind, of all people…"
At this moment, Fuji thought that his closest friend was a real drama queen. Eiji kept making sad faces, fist clenched tight. He almost wondered if it was an act… but knew better.
"Oishi went in America to study medicine further; he'll definitively come back once he's done. Echizen decided to try his hand at going pro and Momoshiro only went in France with Ann for a couple of months. You're twenty, Eiji, stop being a baby about it."
To his surprise, Eiji quieted down. He was about to sigh when the still young face looked up at him. "I know they will come back. But you… you said you were going all around the world. You might never want to come back to Japan again, once you'll see all those gorgeous places!"
Fuji didn't expect Eiji to really cry either- make a show, yes, but to cry for real… But clear enough, tears were slowly drenching his cheeks. He didn't think that the revelation would be so hard on Eiji.
"You know, I told you I was pursuing my dream by going there, ne?" Fuji said in a soft voice. His smile had come back; sad, but a bit mischievous too.
His friend nodded weakly. "I know…"
"But you don't understand at all. Humans have a bunch of different dreams. I like the dream where we are just sleeping on the grass, watching the clouds and discussing tennis just as much."
Eiji eyes dried for a second and he suddenly realized what the sentence meant. "That means you'll come back, even though you cherish the dream of become a photographer famous in the whole world?"
Fuji chuckled warmly. "I don't expect that much- but yes, that's what it means. I dream of friendship too."
"Nya!" Eiji jumped on Fuji, hugging him tightly. "I'll miss you so much, Fujiko-chan!"
"Saa, no need to say that now," the frail boy admonished lightly, "It's not time for goodbyes yet."
The hyper red haired squeezed even more. "I didn't say I wanted it to be…"
-dreamdreamdream-
Eiji woke up at 7 o'clock, the next morning, feeling like pure crap. He took a while to remember why exactly- once he cleared his foggy mind, the answer was more than evident.
His best friend would be leaving Japan in a few hours.
Getting up with difficulty, he wished he could stay in bed. His strong legs felt suddenly too weak to carry him. He mentally cursed the day where he refused passing his driver's license, saying Fuji could be his special driver.
Fuji would soon be gone.
In a new alert mode, he started dressing and eating, all at the same time. He could take his time and sleep later, but he wouldn't get the chance to see his best buddy off twice.
Calling for every muscle in his legs, he ran around to get ready as fast as possible. When he reached his front door, he remembered something important.
Since it would be the last time before Christmas and Fuji's birthday (though he wasn't sure it would really be his birthday… not that it mattered), he had to bring a gift. Racking his brain for a solution, he finally chose upon his most prized possession.
His plaster signed by Roger Federer (Ochibi's dad got it for him- they were on nice terms, after every times they spied on Ryoma together…) would leave him too, this morning.
-dreamdreamdream-
"Hoi, Yuuta-chan!" Kikumaru exclaimed before glomping the twitching boy.
Old habits died hard, especially when your name is Kikumaru Eiji.
Yuuta was the first he had noticed, among the group surrounding Fuji. Beside, he didn't really want all those people around him and Fuji when they'd exchange their last greetings…
"Stop calling me Yuuta-chan! I'm an adult too, Eiji!" Yuuta protested angrily, but the sound was muffled in the acrobat's shoulder that was pressed against his mouth.
Eiji however heard it well and laughed heartily, like you laugh when someone makes a joke. "Nya, you can't be serious! You'll always be my beloved Yuuta-chan and I'll always be your bouncing brother!"
The conversations had died and they were all watching the scene with an amused eye. Of the Fuji family and their friends, nobody ignored the deep connection between Kikumaru Eiji and Fuji Syusuke.
"You're not my brother! Don't you have enough siblings already??"
Eiji shrugged nonchalantly (as nonchalant as possible in a hyper way) and grinned brightly. "You'll need a big brother once Syusuke is gone!"
Yuuta didn't speak a word, so Eiji added after a moment:
"I'll cheer you up every time you need it, even if I must wear a clown nose and a princess dress to do so!"
A shared laugh echoed and the conversations were resumed. Using the diversion, Fuji Syusuke advanced toward his brother and Eiji.
Immediately, Eiji's face fell and he fought to keep his smile. He avoided his friend's eyes, looking everywhere but at him.
"I think you'll need some cheering up too," Yuuta predicted bluntly before turning to his brother. "I'll see you in a moment, aniki"
The older Fuji nodded with his traditional smile. "Thank you, Yuuta."
Yuuta returned the smile before disappearing, leaving the two comrades alone.
"So, now is the time for goodbye."
It was not a question. Kikumaru just wanted to break the heavy silence hanging in the air.
"I guess it is," Fuji answered with a small smile. "Can't stretch time much longer."
Eiji had never felt this uneasy around Fuji. Anxiously, he dug in his pocket and retrieved his last gift to the brunette.
"It's not wrapped… but I thought you might like it," he hastily said, shoving it into the delicate hands.
"A Band-Aid?" Fuji wondered aloud, trying not to look disappointed. "With writing on it…?"
Kikumaru Eiji could often be a strange person, but he was generous… it was the cheapest gift he ever got from the boy.
Said boy laughed nervously. "Nanjiroh-san got it for me. It says Dreams are made to be chased after. Run after it like you run after a tennis ball. Of course, the plaster is small so it's hard to read, but Nanjiroh told me it was what it said. Maybe it's not really it…"
"I still don't understand," Fuji confessed with a confused look upon his face.
Eiji frowned lightly, but soon realized he forgot the most important part.
"Dedicated by Roger Federer."
Fuji gasped loudly. It was not in his habits, but heck! To think his friend gave away such a thing.
"Nya, you should have seen how Ochibi was jealous! But Nanjiroh-san was like, "if you want one, next time kiss the girl", so Ochibi was mad like hell and he emitted this strong aura…"
A true smile graced Fuji's lips. This was the way he liked it to be between him and Eiji. He hoped it would be the same when he'd come back…
"I have something for you too," he informed, handing Kikumaru a closed box.
When he held it, Eiji let out an exclamation. "Hoi! That's heavy, nya!"
"It's eight years of dream. Of course it is."
Excited like a little boy on Christmas Eve, Eiji sit on the floor to open his present, not caring about the odd looks passers threw at him.
The first thing was a scarf, in a cherry red colour.
"Winter's coming," Fuji simply stated.
The second thing was two jackets, blue and white with "Seigaku Tennis Club" written on it.
Eiji glanced at Fuji, who shrugged. "You forgot it at home. Gave you mine too."
Finally, there was a ton of pictures piled up in a neat way.
Eiji grabbed the first, where he and Fuji were together. They were singing at the local karaoke… a night Eiji was sure never to forget.
"There's a story behind each of them," Fuji explained with a slightly broken voice. "The story of a friendship…"
Eiji arched his brows in surprise. "Really?"
He took the next picture, where he was eating a cake greedily. It was the day when they succeed their final exams, in high school. Taking a quick look at the others snapshot, he felt tears welling up his eyes.
It had been a beautiful dream… but now was time to wake up.
"You see, I don't need to be in another country to take pictures of something breathtaking."
Fuji had just kneeled at his right and was pointing at the picture of the two of them, at Oishi's goodbye party.
When Eiji turned his head, he caught sight of tears in his friend eyes.
"You're right," Eiji nodded. "I don't think you can find another stupid guy who would pose for you in a bride dress in whatever country you go, nya."
"Nobody else can continue this story," Fuji acknowledged, resting his warm hand on Kikumaru's wrist.
Eiji wished time would stop. He didn't imagine the moment to be like that. He didn't expect it to be…
Magic.
"Nobody but us," the sad acrobat murmured.
When had he stopped crying?
"The time I'm gone, you can go through all of it. Just so you won't forget…"
Fuji voice was pleading. Eiji flashed him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry!"
Fuji sighed of relief. "I'll come back to continue the dream."
Eiji wore once again his cat smile, signaling mischief. "Sure you will."
They got up and hugged a long time, before Eiji whispered something in the prodigy's ear.
"If you don't, I'll torture Yuuta-chan so bad that he'll prefer to be with you."
"Hey!!!"
Alright… I'm sorry for using 'Aniki' when I try to limit romaji since a while in my stories… but I just don't know any other way Yuuta calls his brother. (Aniki means older brother) I'm sorry to break the guidelines by using Roger Federer's name.
Now, what I want to know is… were they too ooc (since it's 5 years from the canon, I did change their personalities a bit... but does it make sense?)? Was the story coherent? Should I continue it or call it a oneshot? Was the end okay? Did it totally suck?
Reviews, flames and critics are appreciated! (I dare you to write some real concrete critism XD