Blame It On The Rain
by Kloudy Reignfall

So, I wrote this little thing like... forever ago. I found it just now, decided I like it enough to possibly write more if it goes over well. So, here.

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People often compared Eiji to a cat. So it made sense that he seemed a bit down on a particularly stormy and wet afternoon. And though the incessant rain was rather depressing, he resignedly accepted it with as much grace as he could muster.

But... did it make sense that this 'down' feeling wasn't really all that bad?

He sat stiffly at a quiet library table while he contemplated it. To think that being down wasn't bad- That was like saying that being sad didn't make you unhappy. And what sense did that make?

Eiji sighed and stared out the library windows, rainwater streaming down the glass. The room was lit just well enough, but beyond the walls of the building the day was dreary and the sky was grey and drizzly. It was one of those days, one of those skies that, for whatever reason, made minds wander. Not that Eiji's mind ever needed a special reason, but the grey sky seemed to inspire a different train of thought than normal. So while he watched the rain beat down on the rest of the world, Eiji, safe from the rain but not its influence, allowed his mind to wander without a thought to the consequences.

It's relatively common knowledge that, when left to its own devices, one's mind has a tendency to dwell on things you have deliberately tried to forget.

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It was yesterday. Just after practice, and Eiji had been walking home with Oishi, as was the routine. It was a nice day, with a light blue sky and mellow sun. There was even a soft breeze, pushing the pale clouds across the sky. All-in-all, it was the kind of day that put Eiji in a pleasantly calm sort of mood. Or perhaps it would have been a pleasant mood, had there not been something rather weighty on his mind.

Oishi seemed to notice quickly that something must have been bothering Eiji; normally the boy talked non-stop. But he was quite the opposite today, walking alongside him, slowly and quietly, his eyes downcast.

"Eiji?" Oishi asked carefully. "Is there something wrong?"

Eiji looked over at Oishi, who had stopped walking, and forced himself to smile. "No, there's no problem," he told Oishi, shaking his head.

Oishi, however, did not seem convinced. "No? There's nothing? You seem preoccupied."

"Oh," Eiji said. "I… I was just thinking, about something."

"About what?" Oishi asked, trying to help.

Eiji forced himself to keep smiling as he tried to answer nonchalantly. "About… just something, something…" His cheerful face was quickly cracking, and soon he was struggling to speak without crying. "It was something someone said at school, but I…"

Little tears began to drip down Eiji's face, and he backed away as Oishi reached out to him.

"Eiji, you never let anything anybody says get to you," Oishi pointed out. "What did someone say to make you so upset?"

Sniffling, Eiji backed up and leaned against a tree. "I can't…"

Edging carefully closer, Oishi responded calmly. "Yes you can," he said supportively. "You can tell me anything."

Eiji looked up at his faithful friend and decided to divulge his little secret, hoping for the best, but still dreading what might happen. "It was one of those trouble-maker guys that hang around after school," he started. Glancing around him, as if afraid that someone might hear, Eiji slowly continued his story, still sniffling slightly. "One of them started bothering me and… and saying mean things. Things like… He said…" His story was suddenly swallowed in tears.

Oishi hastily put his arm around his hysteric friend, who was still trying to choke out his tale, and simply nodded him on.

Eiji's throat had cleared enough for him to continue. "He said… he told me I'm nothing without you. He told me that you're going to leave me and then I'll be nothing!" Suddenly, speaking was not so hard, and all his thoughts came spilling out in a waterfall of tears and words.

"I am nothing without you!" he sobbed. "You can't leave me, you can't! Please don't leave me! Stay with me forever!" he pleaded, choking on his tears. "Oishi, I love you! You have to stay with me forever! I really need you, Oishi. I love you!"

His tears made him blind, but he felt Oishi let go of him and step back. And then Eiji got his head around what he'd really just said. Afraid to face Oishi after such a revelation, he turned and blindly ran.

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For the rest of the day and up until now, Eiji had spent all his energy trying to avoid his best friend. Luckily enough, it had rained so practice was cancelled, which was quite a release; Eiji knew he couldn't stand to see Oishi right now, let alone play tennis with him. And since he didn't want to walk home in the rain, Eiji came to the library. And here he was. Trying not to think about yesterday, and not at all succeeding.

Yesterday's tale was rather a depressing one, but Eiji still wasn't completely cheerless. He had at least one good emotion left in him: relief. He was immensely relieved that he'd gotten this huge secret off his chest, even if it came out to a bad end. Keeping something like that secret for such a long time was slowly driving him crazy. He knew it had been high time to tell someone about his overpowering love for his partner, and who better to tell than Oishi? He'd had a right to know… And now he knew.

And now he'll never want to look at me again, Eiji thought dejectedly. He really must think I'm some kind of freak. But I can't blame him…

His feelings of relief completely overwhelmed by his misery, Eiji buried his head in his arms and cried, surrounded by loneliness and the dull patter of cold rain.
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Whaddya think? A second chapter?