Chapter 3 : Lock Me Out When I Disappear
The brown-haired boy shook his head dejectedly as he entered the school grounds and made his way towards the tennis courts. It wasn't good to start the day off like this, doubting himself to this level.
Fuji sighed and went to the males' change room to change into his Regulars' jersey, only to find the door locked. Cerulean-coloured eyes opened slightly to gaze at the inert doorknob. He was earlier than usual today, but Ooishi had to have come already. Unless...
Fuji mentally slapped himself in the face. Of course that was why the door was locked. Kikumaru had gone over to Ooishi's house last night. The brown-haired boy gave a small shudder as he imagined the activities his best friend and his fuku-buchou must have token part in that would make even Ooishi so late. It probably involved a lot of se...
A sudden noise from inside the change rooms jerked Fuji out of his thoughts and the tensai ran towards one of the windows to find what had sounded like an animal in pain. Unable to see much from the range of vision the windows provided, the brown-haired boy tried the door again. His eyes silted in disappointment as he found the door tightly locked. Fuji reached into his pocket and took out a paperclip. His slim fingers unraveled the finger clip, twisted into a narrow metal stick and jammed the makeshift lock picker into the keyhole.
After some twisting and turning, the lock broke with a small 'click', and the door opened. Fuji sighed in relief and quietly rushed into the change rooms to find the injured critter. His ears twitched as he heard the sound again, this time deeper and more human-like than last time's, coming from the direction of the showers. Cerulean-eyes narrowed as Fuji made his way towards the noises which were appearing more and more frequently.
The brown-eyed boy tip-toed quietly across the change rooms. He pressed his body against the wall until he reached the showering area. The tensai winced at the disturbing sounds coming from the other side of the room and he turned his head over to see...
'...Tezuka and Echizen?'
Fuji's pupils dilated and his mouth nearly dropped open as he saw his Buchou and their Regular freshman together in the change room. Echizen was standing on a bench, his arms wrapped around Tezuka's waist and his body grinding against the other's. One of Tezuka's arms was wrapped possessively around the freshman's waist, fingers gripping on to his discarded glasses, and the other hand grasped Echizen's chin to collide their lips in a passionate kiss.
Fuji stared at his teammates with a bewildered expression etched on to his face. He tore his eyes away from the scene and abruptly turning away from the two lovers, began to walk towards the lockers, forcing down the tears in his eyes that were already blurring his vision. He couldn't believe it, but to see Tezuka and Echizen like that, so loving and passionate, came as a slap in the face for the tensai.
'I never thought that the situation would turn out like this...that Echizen would get to Tezuka first.'
Fuji zipped up his Regulars' jacket over his white dress shirt and grabbed his tennis racket. He made sure to close the door quietly as made his way outside. The cerulean-eyed boy shivered as a strong wind blew in his face. His fingers trembled as he walked towards the courts.
'Heck, I didn't even know that Echizen had feelings for Tezuka, or vice versa. I thought that Tezuka was only interested in Echizen's potential to become Seigaku's next pillar.'
Fuji made his way on to the tennis courts, the black sleeves of his uniform pants brushed against each other with every step he took.
'But, then again, I not only admired Tezuka for his skills, I loved him because he was unique. Tezuka...is this how you see Echizen?'
Fuji took out a neon yellow tennis ball and bounced it consecutively against the floor of the court.
'What was so special about Echizen that captured your heart, Tezuka? Was it because of his potential? His desire to win? The motivation that I lacked? Was it because he reminded you of yourself? Are you trying to play the role of Yamato-buchou? Do you love him because he's better than all of us?'
Fuji stood in the service box with the tennis ball in his hand. Instead of tossing the ball upwards, he spun it with his fingers towards the direction of the floor.
'It was because of his limitless potential, wasn't it? The way you two were drawn towards each other by your Zones...The way you two were drawn towards each other as the Pillars of Seigaku.'
Eyes that were now a dark blue colour snapped open as the ball fell and Fuji swung his racket at the yellow projectile.
'If that's the case, Tezuka, then I will show you my potential...'
The ball flew over the net and bounced against the floor of the court, flashing towards the imaginary opponent.
'I'll improve and surpass my limits. I'll surpass everyone, even you, Tezuka. Just so you can...''
The ball disappeared.
'...Acknowledge me.'
The ball reappeared at the side of the court, beyond the boundaries and rolled towards wall.
'I'll have to push myself if I want to be noticed. Or else, I'll disappear from under your radar, just like my serve.'
Fuji's lips quirked upwards as he walked to the other side of the net and picked up the tennis ball. He had just found an appropriate name for his newest move...
"...The Disappearing Serve."
