Author's Note: At some point in time, I'll develop a plot for this thing. Meh. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter! This chapter, I'm switch POV's because Oishi is kind of difficult for me to write...but I think I'd go crazy writing as Eiji the whole time, so I'll probably have a different POV each chapter. Whether it's just the Golden Pair or other characters as well remains to be seen. Anyway! This chapter it's Eiji. And I will now attempt to make a plot.
Chapter Two: Laughing on the Inside
No one ever told me love could be practical
And no one ever guessed that you'd be so wonderful
And when you sign with smiles I fly away...
"Eiji, you'll be late!"
"I won't!" The mirror slammed shut before everything could fall out of the cabinet behind it again, and I turned off the sink, reaching for a towel to dry my face. Someone pounded at the door. "Eeeeijiiii, hurry up!"
I made a face at the door and stuck my thumbs in my ears, wiggling my fingers. "I'm almost done, sis, promise!"
Sometimes my family could pass as sane. Mornings were never those times.
I finished putting away my toothbrush and toothpaste, wiped down the sink, and checked my reflection in the mirror. After a moment, I opened the mirror to grab a comb--and everything went crashing into the sink again. "Aaaaaaah! No way!"
"Eiji!" my mother hollered from downstairs again. "You only have fifteen minutes!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Everything somehow fit back into the cabinet again. The mirror slammed on the mess just before it tumbled out into the sink again. I turned the water on just the littlest bit and carefully went over my hair one last time. It didn't take too long to get it to lie down properly again. There were some days when my hair just didn't want to stop sticking out all over the place first try.
The boy in the mirror looked back at me and grinned slowly. "There. You're perfect."
"Eiji!"
I winced as both my mother and whichever sister was outside shrieked in unison, and decided now would be a good time to start out for school.
Mom passed off a lunch and my breakfast wrapped in paper to me as I dashed past. "Have a good day!"
"Thanks, Mom!"
"Remember to-"
Whatever else she'd been saying was cut off as I slammed out the door.
Eating on the run wasn't that new to me. It saved so much time, whether you were running late or early. Honestly, after all the training I'd gone through for the team, it really didn't take me long to get to school at all. Fifteen minutes was more than enough time if I really sprinted. I'd have to eat when I got to school, but I'd rather be there early and cramming down breakfast than get there just before the bell and miss out on time with Oishi.
Just thinking about him made me smile.
Some mornings I'd run into some of the other guys on my way in, usually Taka or Fuji. It was fun talking with them on our way to school, but talking with Oishi was on a completely different level. He didn't just listen to me like everyone else, and he didn't patronize me, ever.
Today was all about Oishi. There was no chance I'd run into anyone else, not this close to the bell. And once I was with Oishi, no one would interrupt us. It was like an unspoken rule: You may talk to the Golden Pair only if they invite you in or respond positively to your overtures. You may not interrupt their conversation unless it is an emergency or they are clearly wrapping things up. You are not part of a Golden Trio or Golden Group; therefore do not disturb the Golden Pair.
I had to smile more at that thought. Maybe I'd write out the rules someday. The Guide to the Golden Pair. It had a nice ring to it. Oishi would find it very amusing.
The Golden Pair. I never got sick of hearing that name. Every time someone mentioned us at school like that, at a tournament, anywhere, I wanted to start laughing. It's hard enough to keep from smiling when you hear something like that and know it could so easily mean even more. Everyone thinks I wear my heart on my sleeve, but that's not always true. Sometimes I'm laughing on the inside.
I dashed into the school and up to the classroom, spending as little time at my box as possible before bursting into the room. A few of my classmates looked up briefly. Most of them kept chattering to one another or getting ready for class. Oishi smiled and me and waved as I hurried over. "Good morning, Eiji."
"Morning, Oishi!" I sang as I dropped into my seat and tore through the paper around the sausage and egg muffin my mother had made. I took a huge bite and tore off a small piece to offer to Oishi. "Want?"
"No thanks. I'm fine."
"Mmmkay." I took another bite without swallowing the first one, and realized my mouth was too full to speak. It was a few second before I could swallow enough to keep talking. "Whatcha doing after practice today?"
Oishi shrugged, but his eyes moved further away from my face. "I'm not sure. I might have to watch my sister tonight, but that's not till later. Why?"
I raised my eyebrows. Oishi had been acting strangely lately, ever since that day when I started joking about discounts. I wondered if maybe I'd scared him off a little. "I thought we could get some ice cream. Maybe with the rest of the team, too. We haven't gone out as a group in forever and I want ice cream."
Oishi smiled a little at that. "That's not a bad idea. I'll ask Tezuka how long practice is going today."
"Make him end it early. Ice cream is more fun than tennis right now."
"What's that?" Oishi put a hand to his ear. "Say that again? Eiji Kikumaru has something he likes more than tennis? I must be hearing things."
"Nyaaa, Oishi, that's just mean."
I mock-pouted and threw the ball of paper that had held my breakfast at him. He laughed as it bounced off his shoulder, caught it, and threw it right back at me. I leaned to the side, grinning as it flew past me and skittered to a halt on the floor just past my desk. The smile inside me was even bigger. Silly Syuichiro...and people called me oblivious.
Of course there was always something I liked more than tennis. He was sitting right in front of me.
================================================================
There were a few problems with being best friends with the vice-captain of a seeded tennis team. Most of them seemed to revolve around the fact that he had to spend most of our break time during practice talking with the captain.
Of course, today I wanted him to. It didn't make me feel any less put out.
I watched Oishi from where I sat by the fence for a bit, and wrinkled my nose. It annoyed me that I could feel even the littlest bit jealous of his and Tezuka's friendship. It was nothing compared to what we had, and I knew it. Still...sometimes...
I stretched out my legs in front of me and bent over them, hands wrapped around my ankles, and tried to touch my nose to my knees. It almost worked. If I bent my knees a little bit...but that wasn't going to happen. I was bendy. I was flexible. I'd get there soon enough.
"Hey, Kikumaru!"
I turned my head to the side so that my ear almost brushed against my leg. "Hey, Taka! What's up?"
My teammate sat down beside me, his usual sweet, affable smile fixed on his face. "Nothing much. How do you do that? Doesn't it hurt?"
"Not really," I answered, rolling back up again and leaning against the fence. "It's just a stretch."
"Well..." Takashi looked sheepish. "I could never do anything like that."
"Sure you could!" I thought of some of the things I'd seen him do during the games he'd played. "It just takes time."
Taka looked at me shyly. "No...you've always been able to do that stuff without working hard at all." He looked around at the other regulars. Taka never was one to gesture much, most of the time. "Any of us could do what you do if we worked hard and kept at it, but you're something special. You, and Oishi, too. You two don't even have to try to be the best."
I wasn't sure how to respond. I laughed a little and rubbed a hand over the back of my head. "Well, maybe..."
Taka smiled again and waited. I couldn't think of a thing to say. The silence was unnerving. We spent plenty of time together, but it was always filled with chatter, even if it mostly came from me. I decided a subject change was in order. "You don't have to help your dad out at all today?"
"Not today." Taka shook his head. "He told me he was fine and that I should stop worrying about the shop and stay through practice more. He's worried I'm missing too many important things during clean-up."
I grinned and flashed him a quick victory sign. "He probably doesn't need you to worry, then. Don't worry! Although," I added thoughtfully, "you have the perfect excuse to get out of cleaning up the courts...maybe I should start helping your dad out, too!"
Before Taka could answer, a voice rang out across the courts. My ears perked up at Oishi's words. "Break's over! Regulars, we're running practice matches next!"
I sprang up, sweeping my racquet off the ground without having to even look for it, and hurried over to Oishi as the rest of the team made their way over to where Tezuka and Inui stood. He met me halfway, and we changed paths to join the rest of the team without even speaking.
I don't know why I could ever be jealous of his relationship with Tezuka. Taka was right. The Golden Pair was something special. We had something very special indeed.
================================================================
"I can't believe Tezuka let us go early!"
"It was only three minutes, Eiji."
I made a face at Oishi. "It's still early."
"Still," Oishi said, ignoring me and staring up at the sky, "this was a nice treat. Bringing the whole team was a great idea, Eiji."
I beamed. "Ice cream is always a good idea, nya! Especially with friends." I moved closer to Oishi and pushed his playfully with my shoulder. "Right?"
Oishi stepped away quickly, and his strides lengthened. "Right."
I frowned, and took two skipping steps to catch up. There was definitely something going on. Oishi was just acting weirder and weirder. No one else probably noticed, but I figured by now I knew my doubles partner better than I knew my own family. There was something off.
"Hey, Oishi, what's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
My eyebrows pulled together. He wasn't looking at me. This was just too weird. "Don't act like that, you've been acting really weird around me lately. What's going on?"
Oishi started to look back at me, then turned his gaze forward again. "Nothing's going on. You're being ridiculous, Eiji."
I frowned and flung my hands down by my sides, balled in frustrated fists. "I am not! Stop it, Oishi, just tell me what's wrong!"
"Eiji!" Oishi turned, looking around nervously to see if anyone was staring. It really bothered me...it's not like I was throwing a tantrum like a little kid or something. Why should he act like he was ashamed of me? He never did that, never. "There is nothing wrong, all right?"
I stopped right there and put my hands on my hips. "You're lying. I know you are. I'm not moving until you tell me why you've been acting so weird."
Oishi put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. When he spoke, it was like he was talking to a little kid. I wanted to scream. Or cry. I wasn't really sure which. "How have I been acting weird?"
Why was he acting like this? It wasn't fair, and it wasn't at all like he was supposed to be. Oishi, where are you? "You've been avoiding me," I snapped, trying not to pout. "Not running away or ignoring me, just avoiding me. If I ask if you want to do something, you make up excuses. If I try to joke around with you, you push me away. You won't look at me half the time, and I don't know why. Something is up and I want to know what!"
I knew my voice was spiraling up in pitch, going into whine territory. I didn't care. Oishi finally looked at me, and his expression was startled. Startled, and something else. I strained my eyes, trying to see what it was, but I just couldn't.
Oishi stared at me for a moment, then looked away, almost like he was embarrassed. "It's just," he started, "I...Eiji, we've been doing everything together almost nonstop lately, and..." He sighed, and put that hand to his head again, expression flustered. "It's been almost too much."
I froze, and wondered if my face reflected the way my heart had seized up. It didn't matter--Oishi wasn't looking at me, he wouldn't have seen anyway. "You're a very very good friend, Eiji, but sometimes...sometimes even good friends..."
I didn't want to look at him anymore. I looked down at the ground, and tried to breathe. It hurt, it hurt like something was poking into my lungs with every breath.
I could see him look up from the corner of my eye before I dropped my gaze again. "Eiji, I'm not sure if you're really my friend and partner or if-"
I couldn't listen. I couldn't stay silent and listen to this. "Oishi!"
Oishi stopped, and after a moment I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Eiji?"
He sounded concerned, the way he always did when someone was hurting, either physically or emotionally. It was like things had always been between us. But...
I reached up and shoved his hand away violently, not looking at him. I didn't want him to see me like this. I didn't want him to see the hurt in my eyes. If he wasn't even sure we were friends anymore, I didn't want his comfort. "Oishi....you idiot!"
I pulled away from him, still not looking up. I had to close my eyes against the anger I could feel suddenly burning there. "You big, stupid idiot! Don't talk to me anymore! I don't want to hear it!" The scream that had been building up burst out of me, and without waiting to hear his response or see his face, I pushed past him and started running for home.
It hurt to breathe, but I ran as fast as I could despite the pain. I never ran that fast, except at practice and to get to Oishi. Now I ran to get as far away from him as fast as possible. My feet slammed into the pavement furiously as my own anger and hurt boiled, but my heart didn't pound like it usually did. I thought for a moment about all those stories about broken hearts before I pushed that aside, too. Oishi didn't break my heart. Oishi wasn't worth a broken heart. He clearly didn't think I mattered enough anyway.
But maybe that's what's making it hurt so much to breathe.
================================================================
My mother used to tell stories about how I was afraid of the dark. I always begged her not to, but I remember it just as well as she did. My brothers would tell stories to me to scare me, stories about the demons that came out at night, the witches and ghosts and evil spirits that could cross over into our world at midnight and wreak destruction on the sleeping world. They told me about the spirits that awoke at midnight to steal our souls, or to take away our lives on a whim just because it amused them. I was terrified of the dark.
If I ever woke up a night, I'd start screaming, convinced it was always midnight and that the creatures would sense I was awake and kill me so I couldn't tell anyone that I'd seen them. In the daytime I knew better, and even when I went to bed. But late at night, even if it wasn't really midnight, everything seemed so much more serious than just brotherly teasing.
The dark times were always midnight.
"Eiji?" My mother knocked on my door. "Eiji, you barely ate tonight. Are you sure you don't want something else?"
"I already brushed my teeth," I called back tiredly.
"Eiji, are you sure you're all right? Are you sick?"
I rolled over so I wasn't facing the door. "I'm fine, Mom. We had a tough practice today. I'm just tired."
There was silence for a moment. "If you're sure..."
"I am. Don't worry, Mom. Good night."
I could hear her faint sigh through the door. "Sweet dreams, Eiji."
I waited until her footsteps faded away down the hall before burying my face in my pillow and screaming. My throat felt raw by the time I was finished, but I could barely hear the muffled sounds from my pillow. I wrapped my arms around it and turned my head to the side as I hugged my pillow closer, tightly enough that my arms ached.
Stupid, stupid Oishi. What's wrong with him, anyway?
My breath caught, and I forced myself to swallow past the lump in my throat. I was furious at him, absolutely livid. But I hurt more than anything else.
Around Oishi, I always felt safe and happy. I didn't need to be serious. I'd thought he would always accept me any way I was. I never thought he'd say anything like that.
Right then, and every time I was away from him, it was always midnight.