………eh? Em….. Don't know what to do….be hard ne?
It was a cold night in December, with snow flakes falling gracefully onto the deserted roads. And it was 3 in the morning when Fuji Syusuke woke up feeling empty in his heart, and himself.
"Syusuke, are you awake?" Yumiko knocks at her brother's door after realizing she didn't see him yet that morning. It is weird as Syusuke rarely slept in during weekdays, especially on Monday. Only silent answers her and after 10 minutes waiting by the door, Yumiko finally push opens the closed door.
"Syusuke?"
"Ne, Ne, Ne, where is Fuji? He never been late before," an energetic red hair boy jumps furiously by his double partner side. Oishi sighs at Eiji's antics and preys for their stoic captain did not assign them laps for slacking off during practice.
"I don't know, Eiji. Maybe, he is sick or something. In this kind of weather, it will be easily to fall ill. Even Inui caught flu last week,"
"Yeah, thank goodness for that. We did not need to have any special juice last week. That might be the best week of practice ever. I hope he will get sick often,"
"Eiji! That is not nice. We should be glad that his flu is over," Oishi scolds him.
"Oh yes, definitely, Kikumaru," suddenly a voice interrupt their conversations and Eiji rush over seeking hide from Oishi.
"Inui! You scared us," Oishi tries his best to hide his nervousness about Inui finding out their conversation.
"You will not if you guys pay much more attention to your surroundings. And about my flu, Kikumaru, it has healed completely and since it was quite bad, I have designed a new formula juice to keep all regulars stamina on the peak, to avoid catching the same viruses. Want to give it a try?"
"Emm… no?" Eiji fidgeted behind Oishi. Like Eiji, Oishi also has the same expressions on his face. Fear.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Kikumaru. Won't you hate it if you get down with the flu? Try it. I guarantee the taste,"
"But…yada! Yada! Even if Inui guarantee the taste, I will still not going to try it,"
"Very well. If you get sick, don't blame anyone then. So, Oishi…how about you?" Silence befalls them as Oishi's take his turn from Eiji, fidgeting in his place.
"Aahh! I think I should go to discuss something important with Tezuka. Sorry, Inui, maybe next time ne? Come Eiji, lets go," Oishi replies pulling Eiji with him towards Tezuka, without waiting for Inui's reply.
"Tezuka, I should warn you,"
"Tezuka!! Inui has created a new juice about something to keep our stamina at peak so we wouldn't get sick. I don't want to drink it! Please, told Inui to stop making all regulars as his guinea pigs," Eiji cuts off Oishi's words as they arrive at Tezuka's side.
"Oishi, Kikumaru. Does any of you know why on earth Fuji isn't here?" Tezuka asks the duo completely ignoring the before warning.
"Emm….no. I am not sure Tezuka. How about you, Eiji? Didn't you sometimes hang around with him during weekends?"
"Well… we always hang around, so does yesterday, but there's nothing weird, if you means with Fuji that is. Everything about him is weird. He didn't tell me anything," Eiji answers with his finger on his chin, imitating Fuji.
Silence befalls those three again and cold winds brush around them.
"Aa…it's getting colder than usual. I am surprise that we didn't have snow storm yet," Eiji breaks the silent.
"I don't think it is a good idea about having a snow storm, Eiji," Oishi replies.
"But even if there is snow storm, I think Fuji will still come here if the practice isn't cancel.
"…. So exactly why Fuji is isn't here?" Tezuka repeats his question again.
No one have the answers to his question as everyone has the same question in their head.
Yuuta's cell phone ringing ring tone grabs the boy's attention before he left for his morning practice.
Home. Yuuta sighs before flipping it open. It better not be aniki or he will hang up.
"Hello? Yuuta's here,"
"Yuuta?" Yuuta tenses up at how his sister's voice quivering at the other end. Something bad has happened. And deep down, Yuuta hopes it has nothing to do with aniki. TO aniki or BY aniki.