A/N: This is a songfic that I did as a request for Petals. Of. Midnight. The song is Mata Kimi by Aozu. Petals. Of. Midnight. gave me the translated lyrics and the idea to base the story around, so I give her all of the credit and thanks for that. This story would not have been possible without all of her help.

I took much too long to get this story up and I sincerely apologize to you, Petals. Of. Midnight., for that. I hope you can forgive me and that this story is everything that you wanted it to be (and sorry for the spaces again, it doesn't work otherwise ^~^).

This is my first attempt ever at a songfic, so I hope that it's not too terrible. I thank anyone and everyone who reviews this story ahead of time.

Disclaimer: I don't own the song or Prince of Tennis, I am merely borrowing them to write the story. ^_^

The sky was dark, covered heavily with clouds of every shape and size. Not one patch of blue was visible. The rain poured relentlessly, as if someone had turned on a faucet above the clouds and left it running.

In desperation, a drop of water can be clearly seen after the scent of rain fills the air,

Everything is cleansed but the one thing not washed away is understanding.

Oishi walked slowly through the streets, an umbrella for shelter from the downpour and a coat to ward off the chill of the air. He hardly noticed it, though. He was too preoccupied with other matters.

In my heart, I hide just the wish I will voice as my sadness grows,

In my heart, maybe I should just draw a map of the future with faith facing life ahead.

If on that day it will all inevitably come to a standstill,

I want to intercept it now…

Oishi wasn't even really sure how this whole mess had happened. He was confused, and though he tried again and again to sort things out in his mind, he couldn't make much sense of things.

Eiji was very upset with him, and Oishi couldn't get his mind off of it. He hated when Eiji was unhappy, even more so when he was the cause of it.

This was supposed to be a joyous time. He and Eiji weren't supposed to be ignoring one another; they should be spending time together, delighted to be in each other's company. It was their anniversary, after all.

Oishi remembered when he had first proposed to Eiji. They were seniors in high school and it was about a month before they were going to graduate. Oishi would be attending a university that was a bit of a distance away and he wanted Eiji to know that nothing could separate them.

He waited for a Sunday when they both weren't too busy with studying for entrance exams or other chores and asked Eiji to come with him to the Seigaku junior high tennis courts. Since it was a Sunday, he knew the courts would be empty and they would be alone.

FLASHBACK

"Nya, Oishi, why are we coming here? Did you want to have a match? Cause I didn't bring any equipment," Eiji asked curiously. Oishi was being so secretive and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take not knowing.

Oishi smiled and took Eiji's hand gently in his own. He led Eiji to one court in particular: the court they had played their very first match against each other on when they were first years in junior high.

"Eiji, this place, these courts, they hold many memories for us," Oishi stated as he gazed at the slowly setting sun that bathed the courts in a yellow-golden light.

Eiji peered at Oishi for a moment before turning and looking into the sunset as well. "Ah, they do," he replied.

Oishi reached into his pocket and pulled something out, taking care not to let Eiji see his actions. "There's another memory I want to make here."

"Hoi?" Eiji asked, blinking curiously at Oishi.

Oishi turned to face Eiji, a nervous smile on his face. He felt shaky and was starting to break into a sweat, despite the cool air. Oishi hoped he didn't look as much of a mess as he felt. He did his best to put those feelings under control. He needed to do this now before he lost all of the courage he'd worked so hard to build up.

Gripping the little box he held in his left hand, Oishi took Eiji's left hand in his right one and slowly kneeled down before him. He looked up into the deep blue eyes of the man he had fell so strongly in love with.

"Eiji," Oishi began, " I love you more than you could possibly imagine. My life would not be complete without you in it. I don't know what I did that was so great to deserve such a precious gift as you, but everyday that you're a part of my life is a blessing," Oishi let his heart speak for him, never once breaking eye contact.

At this point, he revealed the box. Both Eiji's and Oishi's eyes were on the box as Oishi popped it open with his left hand so he didn't have to break contact with Eiji. Inside was a white gold ring with gold trim and five small diamonds across the top. Oishi had not wanted to be too cliché and get a completely gold ring. And this one had stood out to him. There were two kinds of gold that came together to make this ring just as two people made up the Golden Pair.

"I know I cannot legally marry you," Oishi continued, reestablishing the eye contact, "but I want you to take this ring as a promise that we will always be a part of each others' lives. No matter how far apart we are, no matter where we are in the world, no matter what anyone else has to say. Nothing can change my love for you, Eiji. Will you accept the ring?" Oishi finished, holding the ring out to Eiji, a genuine smile on his face. He still felt just as nervous if not more, but it was being overshadowed by his happiness.

Eiji's face was completely blank, as though he didn't know what to feel at that moment. He didn't move, he didn't speak; it almost seemed like he wasn't breathing. Oishi felt an ache growing in his chest.

"I understand if it's too much to ask of you," Oishi started to ramble, lowering the box. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

Oishi didn't get to finish his sentence before he had an armful of Eiji. It was sudden and he couldn't keep his balance at that angle. Oishi landed on his rear with Eiji still against him and the ring still safe in his hand.

"Don't apologize, Oishi," Eiji said, his words slightly muffled because he still had his head buried in Oishi's chest. He slowly lifted his head to lock eyes with Oishi. Eiji had the brightest smile Oishi could ever remember seeing him have. "Of course I'll accept the ring. I want to be with you forever, no matter what. You're everything to me, Oishi," Eiji stated, hugging Oishi as tight as possible without cutting off his oxygen supply.

The ache in Oishi's chest had completely evaporated. He gently pushes Eiji up to slip his promise onto Eiji's left ring finger. "I can't tell you how happy you've made me," Oishi told him, pulling Eiji into another hug. They both just stayed as they were, neither wanting to break the contact.

Again with you I start running to the new days ahead,

Through it all, through it all, will you look at things this way?

Just a little more rebellious than you were yesterday.

The goal we seek guides us to the end, so we will not be divided,

Feeling with those hands, choosing, grasping, taking, won't we continue forward?

END FLASHBACK

Oishi smiled at the memory. There had never been a ceremony or anything of that sort. The ring and the words they spoke at that time had been more than enough. So that day was what they both considered their anniversary.

That seemed so long ago and just the other day at the same time. He and Eiji were now third years in college. Oishi was following his dream of becoming a doctor. Eiji had surprised everyone, except for Oishi and Fuji who knew him so well, by making the decision to become a veterinarian. Eiji had had a love for animals for as long as he could remember.

The owner of the pet shop that Eiji frequently visited saw this and offered him a part-time job there at the beginning of his senior year. Eiji's family was a little skeptical about him working and doing well in school at the same time, but Eiji put their fears to rest. He seemed to do even better with his studies after beginning work at the pet shop. It was then that Oishi and Fuji began to suspect what the redhead's future career choice would be. Eiji still worked at the pet shop, although mostly on weekends now since college demanded much of his time.

Since Oishi was further away, he had been the one to make the trip out to see Eiji to celebrate their anniversary. That had never been a problem until this year, their third anniversary.

Eiji had seemed upset on the phone when they spoke. He didn't want Oishi to have to make the trip and burden himself again. Oishi was trying to explain that it was no problem when the line suddenly went dead. He didn't know if Eiji hung up or something else happened, but all of his attempts to call Eiji back were to no avail. Oishi felt he must have really angered Eiji for him to ignore him.

And that was why Oishi was out walking in the rain. The conversation with Eiji was a day and a half ago. Part of him, a large part, wanted to just leave and go see Eiji now, but another part was telling him to wait for Eiji to call him.

Oishi sighed deeply as he looked into the sky. It was all just so confusing.

Losing something important placed in your hands, that kind of thing happens over and over again,

Those times return in the early moments, so gather courage in your heart.

In time, the things that are washed away turn into uncertainty,

So I can be ready now…

Arms draped around Oishi's neck, startling him out of his thoughts. He turned quickly only to come face to face with the person who had been occupying his mind for days.

"Eiji?" Oishi asked in disbelief. He thought for a second that he might be imagining this since Eiji had seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Who else?" Eiji stated, moving off of Oishi so that he could turn around the rest of the way.

"But…When?…How?" Oishi questioned, still in a state of disbelief.

Eiji gave him a warm smile. "Nya, I was trying to tell you that I wanted to come see you for our anniversary this year, but then Oneechan accidentally tripped and ripped the phone cord out of the wall and my phone is still broken, so I decided to come surprise you!" he explained.

"So…You're not angry with me…?" Oishi asked, still a bit uncertain.

Eiji shook his head, a smile still on his face. "Of course not." The smile began to fade. "I'm sorry, I know I should have said something so you wouldn't worry, but I really wanted to surprise you…" Eiji said hanging his head.

Oishi pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you, you're the best present I could hope for," Oishi told him, gazing into Eiji's deep blue eyes.

Eiji's smile returned in an instant. "Happy anniversary Oishi."

"Happy anniversary Eiji," Oishi breathed, pulling Eiji in for an even tighter hug. When he did, a sudden realization struck him, causing him to jolt and Eiji to look up at him with a confused expression.

"Eiji, did you come out in this rain without an umbrella?" Oishi asked, concern evident in his features and voice as he eyed the soaked redhead in front of him.

Eiji smiled sheepishly. "Hehe, well I was in a hurry and I wanted to find you before you were somewhere I didn't know, so I just left," he quickly explained, a guilty smile on his face.

Oishi sighed as he pulled Eiji closer, making sure he was completely covered by the umbrella. "Let's get out of this rain and cold before you get sick," Oishi stated as they began walking.

Eiji didn't protest knowing that the well-being of others, especially him, would always be first on Oishi's mind. He simply let Oishi hold him close, thinking how truly blessed he was to be with him. It was only their third anniversary, but it felt as if he and Oishi had always been together, always a part of each other. They had many wonderful memories together and would continue to make a lifetime more.

Again with you we start running to the continuation of our dream,

Eternally, eternally, will you still embrace it?

Just a little more unbelievable than you were yesterday,

Again with you we start running to the new days ahead.

Through it all, through it all, will you look at things the same?

Just a little more rebellious than you were yesterday.