The day after the storm - and Echizen's unusual behavior - Momoshiro doesn't come to school because of a cold, but Kaidoh is fine, and Echizen doesn't so much as sniffle all day. That night, however, another sudden storm comes, and Fuji Syuusuke just knows something strange is going on. Then Echizen doesn't show up at school for three days. The excuse is a cold, but Fuji doubts that's the truth. He's proven right when Echizen finally does make an appearance; the boy's right arm is wrapped in bandages. Everyone questions him about it, but he shrugs off the inquiries and goes about his day, as if nothing is wrong. Eventually, the subject of his arm is dropped. Fuji wonders if anyone else saw the reflection of a storm in Echizen's eyes. Surely it would be obvious, since the day is a warm one and there are no storms to be reflected.
Thoughts of Echizen are erased from his mind when, during class, his notes move. The papers stay perfectly still, but the words are moving. They're swaying, squirming, flailing, and Fuji just stares at them for a moment before looking around to see if anyone has noticed. He looks back at his notes and wills them to be still. Surprisingly enough - or maybe not, considering - they obey the silent command. But no sooner does he resume writing than the words start moving again.
All day this happens. Fuji can't touch anything that has a word or a picture or even numbers on it, because the word or picture will come to life. He always manages to get it to stop, and as long as he doesn't touch the object again, it's fine. In a couple instances, there are witnesses, but that's easily dealt with.
Practice after school goes well, and Fuji forgets about the day's earlier events. That is, until practice ends, and he just happens to lock gazes with Echizen. They stare at each other silently for a few moments. Fuji searches Echizen's eyes, finds the reflection of the storm is still there. Echizen searches Fuji's eyes, then nods once, touches the brim of his cap, and turns away. The older boy wonders what the younger saw in his eyes. Then he happens to recall that earlier this morning, his hand had accidentally brushed against Echizen's bandaged arm. It had gotten no reaction at all; Echizen hadn't even turned to look at him. Fuji doesn't remember seeing anyone else even accidentally touch that arm. It's something to consider.
Later, in the safety of his room, Fuji experiments. He pulls out a pad of paper and writes down random things; names, numbers, whatever comes into his head. He even draws a couple of stick figures. All of them come to life. He smiles and watches the stick fingers dance along the page, then orders the scribblings to be still. They freeze where they are. He writes some more things, willing them to be still as he does. It works, so he practices until he doesn't have to concentrate too much. He sets his pen aside and puts the notepad away. As he does, a small photo album that had been perched precariously on the edge of his desk falls to the floor. Fuji picks it up, then pauses. What if he could make photos move, too?
He opens the album without hesitation. Flipping through it, he stops on a page that's full of pictures of the other regulars. He lightly touches a picture of Kawamura, and it moves, as expected. But that's not all that happens. He hears his friend's voice, very faintly, and lowers his head towards the photo album to hear it better. The other boy is talking to his father, and since his voice is so quiet, it's difficult to tell what is being said. Fuji straightens up and considers the photo. When the picture was taken, Kawamura was nowhere near his father; in fact, he was at school. So, if he wasn't hearing a memory, was he hearing an actual conversation? He wills the picture to go back to normal, then touches pictures of his other friends, smiling as he listens in on them. Momoshiro and Echizen are arguing. Kaidoh is jogging. Eiji is playing a video game. Faint music and the sound of turning pages is all he hears from Oishi. And there is silence from Tezuka. Finally, Fuji touches the picture of Inui. He hears only muttering.
After a moment or two of trying to decipher the words, Fuji gives up. "I wonder if you're concocting a new kind of juice, or if you're just gathering data," he murmurs, straightening up. Inui's muttering stops abruptly, and Fuji leans back down, curious.
"...Fuji?" Inui says. Fuji's smile widens. Well, he thinks, isn't this convenient?
"No, Inui, this is your conscience speaking," he says sweetly. "Actually, yes, it is Fuji. Have I interrupted anything important? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
"No, you haven't. I was merely adding the finishing touches to the latest version of vegetable juice." Fuji hears the sound of liquid being poured into a container, and guesses that the juice is being poured into a thermos. Or even several.
"Ah, good. Well, would you meet me at the street tennis courts that Echizen and Momo always go to? I would like to speak with Echizen, too, and you could try out your new juice on Momo."
Inui agrees to meet him, and Fuji 'turns off' the photograph.
The two arrive at the designated place not long afterwards, Fuji armed with a camera and a couple of photos, Inui wielding a thermos and his infamous notebook. There is no doubt in Fuji's mind about what the contents of that thermos are. At any rate, neither of them go up to the actual courts yet.
"What is it you wanted to discuss?" Inui inquires.
"May I see your notebook for a moment?" Fuji asks, stepping forward and holding out a hand. "I want to show you something." Inui hesitates a moment, then hands over the notebook. Fuji turns to a random page, then moves closer, so Inui can see clearly.
"Watch," he says, and touches a word with his fingertips. It moves, and then the rest of the writing moves, like a chain reaction. Inui stares. Fuji wills the writing to be still, and it obeys. He closes the notebook and hands it back to Inui, who takes it then looks at him.
"How long have you been able to do that?" he asks.
"Since this morning," Fuji says, smiling. "It gave me quite a surprise in class, and the rest of the day at school was troublesome."
Inui nods, then gives voice to his other question. "How did you speak to me, earlier?" he wants to know. Fuji takes out one of the photos he brought and holds it up for Inui to see. It's a picture of Momoshiro and Echizen, and the instant Fuji's fingertips come in contact with the picture, it moves, and they can clearly hear what Momoshiro is saying, and that Echizen is getting a soda from a vending machine. Inui opens his mouth to speak, and Fuji shakes his head. Inui nods and shuts his mouth, and Fuji shuts off the photo before putting it back in his pocket.
"Let's go meet Echizen and Momo, now," the shorter of the two suggests, and they go up to the courts. They find that Momoshiro is now playing against Kamio - no surprise there - and Echizen is sitting under a tree beside a sleeping boy that Fuji recognises as Akutagawa Jiroh, from Hyotei. As Fuji walks toward them, Inui goes to watch the game between Momoshiro and Kamio, and he hears Inui say something about the loser being required to drink vegetable juice. He pauses and looks back. Judging by the look on Kamio's face, the boy is already familiar with Inui's concoctions. Fuji chuckles quietly to himself and resumes walking towards Echizen and the still-asleep Jiroh.
"Hello, Echizen," Fuji says, smiling down at the first year, and the boy looks up at him, the usual bored expression on his face. Fuji sits down next to him(on the left, since Jiroh is on the right) and gestures to Jiroh. "Friend of yours?"
"No," Echizen says, and sips his grape Ponta. Fuji takes out a photo - it's the picture of Inui he'd used earlier - and looks at it.
"Echizen, something interesting's been happening," he says.
"What does that have to do with a picture of Inui-sempai?" Echizen asks.
"Just watch," Fuji says. Until this moment, he's been holding the photograph without letting his fingertips touch the actual picture. Now he lets them come into contact with it, and the photo comes to life. Echizen watches silently until Fuji turns off the photo, but it isn't either of them that speaks first.
"Hey, that's a neat trick. Do it again," Jiroh says, peering over Echizen's shoulder.
"It's not a trick," Echizen informs the other boy, and uses his right arm to try and push him away. Fuji senses the small gathering of power around Echizen's hand when it comes into contact with Jiroh's shoulder, but the other two don't seem to.
"Then what is it?" Jiroh asks, moving so he's sitting beside Echizen instead of almost-behind him. Echizen shrugs, and Jiroh continues pestering him about it for a while before giving up and reaching over to poke at the photo, as if that would make it move. Fuji smiles and touches the photograph again, and Jiroh watches it with interest. Echizen moves back so he's sitting where Jiroh was laying a few moments before, and quietly sips his Ponta.
Eventually, Jiroh gets sleepy again, and goes and curls up next to Echizen, using the boy for a pillow. Luckily for him, Echizen's asleep by then, and doesn't notice. Since it's clear that he isn't going to get any answers at this time, Fuji puts away the photograph and stands up. He takes a picture of Kamio and Momoshiro, waves cheerfully to them and Inui, and leaves. As he walks home, he thinks about the ways his new ability could be used, and can't help but smirk.
This was going to be very fun, indeed.
