Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.
Warning: This fic contains mild shounen-ai.
Author's Notes: This is the last chapter! Enjoy!
When Inui opened his eyes again, he saw stars.
He sat up hurriedly and brought his watch close to his face. It was past ten. He leaned forward and rubbed his forehead. What was he going to tell his mother?
His eyes wandered to that spot beside him, where Kaidoh was still sleeping. He scooted closer and leaned down. The moonlight was making everything look softer, somehow… He looked so sweet, lying there.
Inui touched Kaidoh's cheek. Then he ran his fingers all the way up and down the side of Kaidoh's face. He was trying not to think again, trying instead to feel.
He felt…
…warm.
He felt happy… and peaceful. Calm, but not bored… almost excited. He felt light… He felt free…
He felt like he could fly.
In a way, he felt like he already was. He felt like he was somewhere up in the stars, like he had just slept on a cloud and not on the ground. He felt complete; he felt like he had everything he'd ever wanted. And he felt like there was no one else in the world.
He also felt a little foolish, a little silly. He felt like a little boy, felt like he could believe in everything again, felt he could believe that dreams and wishes could come true.
He started realizing things he never had before.
Kaidoh…
Do you know how happy I am right now?
He smiled.
I enjoy every moment I spend with you. I'm not even sure why. But I wish we could always be together…
You're the reason I get up every morning.
Are you as happy as I am when we spend time together? I wish you would be. I wish I could always make you smile like you were today. I wish I could always be there when you needed someone. Because doesn't everyone need someone? You made me realize that. I always thought I didn't need anyone. But, now…
I need you.
I wish you needed me. I wish I could be your everything. I wish I could make your dreams come true.
Inui leaned over, getting closer and closer to Kaidoh's face, until…
His lips pressed lightly against Kaidoh's forehead.
I love you.
Inui sat up suddenly.
So that was it.
Everything became clear in an instant. Every feeling that had snuck in on him in the past week, every time he had smiled, that pain he'd felt in his chest, all those urges he'd had to touch Kaidoh, to stroke his hair, to kiss him…
That was it.
He loved him.
Why did that thought scare him so much?
He put a hand over his mouth. What had he just done? He had just kissed Kaidoh Kaoru.
How could he have let this happen? How could he have let his feelings go so far? Why hadn't he known it sooner?
A horrible thought occurred to Inui. Surely, surely Kaidoh didn't feel the same way about him.
What if Kaidoh were to find out?
Inui noticed the second-year beginning to stir. He was undecided as to what he should do. For some reason, he really wanted to run.
Kaidoh sat up and rubbed his eyes. When he saw the moon, he gasped and turned to Inui. "Senpai, what time is it?"
"Past ten," Inui heard himself say.
Why didn't Kaidoh look like he was listening?
The second-year seemed to be studying Inui's face. Inui swallowed. He knew that his eyes must be filled with passion and emotion. But Kaidoh would never see that, because it would be impossible to see all that through the thick lenses of his glasses…
Inui blinked.
Oh no.
His glasses were still on the ground, beside him.
Inui shoved them onto his face and stood up, startled. What had Kaidoh seen in his eyes? Had he seen everything?
"Senpai?" Kaidoh breathed.
"I'm sorry, Kaidoh…" Inui's tone sounded surprisingly even in his ears. "It's late; I have to go."
Without any further explanation, he took off running.
Why was he suddenly so afraid?
When he got home, he apologized quickly to his mother for coming in so late, then locked himself in his room. For a long time, he sat at his desk, with his head in his hands.
He felt like such a fool.
This was bound to happen. All of it made so much sense. Ever since he had met Kaidoh, ever since he decided that he wanted to help train him… He'd been setting himself up for this, all along. And if he hadn't been so afraid to admit what was happening, he could have stopped it.
But now there was nothing he could do about it. No matter what he did, he was going to end up getting rejected…
No, he decided. He wasn't going to let that happen. Kaidoh would never have to know. All he had to do was wear his usual, stoic mask…
But what if Kaidoh had already seen through it?
Inui groaned and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't sure if he could ever face Kaidoh again.
I'm not going to school tomorrow.
Inui leaned back in his chair, his hand still covering his eyes. Why did it have to be like this? Normally, when people realized they were in love, they were happy. They were hopeful. But Inui couldn't be. Because he knew everything about Kaidoh, had studied him closely for two years. And he knew Kaidoh didn't love him.
But if he did…
I wish…
Inui glanced at the papers on the edge of his desk. He picked up his sheet of tally marks.
89.3 percent finished.
He slowly picked up a square from the top of the pile and began folding it into a crane. When he was finished, he made another mark.
89.4 percent finished.
He folded another one.
89.5 percent finished.
Another.
89.6 percent finished.
He folded for another hour.
91.4 percent finished.
Two more hours…
95.9 percent finished.
He was going to finish this tonight if it killed him. He was starting to think that it would. But he kept folding. His hands seemed to be working on their own.
96.2 percent finished. 96.3 percent finished. 96.4 percent finished…
Was was he doing this? It was absurd. He wanted to stop, he wanted to keep going… Deleriously, he continued folding. He wanted his wish…
His wish…
His wish had changed so much since he started folding cranes. Now, it was something entirely different, something that hardly even made sense anymore. Would he still get his wish, even if it was a different wish than it was when he had started?
He wanted to stop. He needed sleep. He wasn't thinking clearly…
He wasn't going to school tomorrow…
He pressed on.
97 percent finished. 97.1 percent finished…
I wish we could always be together… I wish I made you happy… I wish I could always make you smile… I wish I could always be there when you needed someone… I wish you needed me… I wish I could be your everything... I wish I could make your dreams come true…
I wish you loved me…
I wish…
97.9 percent finished. 98 percent finished. 98.1 percent finished…
But what if the wish is impossible?
99.3 percent finished. 99.4 percent finished…
He was crying by now. His lenses were fogged and he could hardly see anything in the dark. But his hands still knew what they were doing. He slowed down…
99.8 percent finished…
99.9 percent finished…
The last one took him almost ten minutes to fold.
100 percent finished.
Inui made the last tally and threw the paper bird into the now overflowing box. It was almost a quarter to five in the morning, and sky outside his window was just starting to get lighter. He had been folding for more than six hours.
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Why were they still wet? He was finished. He was going to get his wish…
Wasn't he?
He leaned onto his desk, burying his face in his folded arms.
Not if my wish is impossible.
…
Inui woke up in his bed sometime past two in the afternoon. He had been dozing all day, but his sleep could hardly be called restful. He had fallen asleep at his desk for a few hours, woken up suddenly with a sore neck, and decided to move to his bed. There he tossed and turned, having all sorts of strange thoughts and nightmares. Sometimes he woke up and paced around the room. Once he had even gotten dressed, having decided that he should go to school. But then he changed his mind and fell back onto his bed, falling asleep fully dressed.
Now, he just didn't know what to do.
He sat up and stared at the box of cranes on his floor.
He was finished.
Today was the day. Today was the day he should get his wish. At least today, he should decide what his wish was going to be. Once and for all, he should decide what he wanted.
Inui looked at the clock, and decided to go to school. By the time he got there, tennis practice should be starting.
Maybe a little bit of hitting would clear his head.
He got all his things together and walked out the door.
As he was nearing the school, Inui noticed two people that walked past him. He had passed a lot of people on the way, but this time he did a double take.
Wasn't that…?
He turned and, sure enough, it was Fuji and Kawamura. Where were they going?
Inui rushed to the tennis courts, passing a few more club members on the way. Where was everyone going? He found Tezuka standing in front of the clubhouse watching the scene while Oishi talked to him about something tennis-related.
"What's going on?" Inui asked both of them.
Predictably, Oishi was the one two answer, cheerfully declaring, "Practice was cancelled for today. Go home and get some rest." His smile was replaced with a look of concern. "You look tired, Inui…"
Inui quickly shook off the observation. "Yes, but—Why was practice cancelled?"
The captain finally turned to face him. His tone was short and deliberate. "Practice was cancelled because we had nothing planned."
Inui felt his stomach sink into his shoes. Shoot… I was supposed to make the schedule for today… "Tezuka, I'm terribly sorry… I had a rough weekend—"
The captain held up a hand to silence him. "No excuses. You can have clubhouse duty. Oishi, give him your keys."
The vice captain promptly did so, clearly thinking that Tezuka was being too cold, if not too harsh. Inui realized, meanwhile, that he was getting off easy. He had let the entire team down, and because of his mistake, they were losing a whole day of practice. Clubhouse duty was practically nothing in terms of punishment. Even with the lucky break, though, this did not bode well. It just wasn't Inui's day, much less was it a day he should be hoping for something good to happen…
He took the keys, and, bowing slightly to Tezuka, ducked into the locker room, shutting the door behind him. This action was unnecessary, but it was a relief to get away from the two student officers. He could still hear them talking, though.
"I'd better go, Tezuka; Eiji said he'd wait for me at his house. Would you like to walk with me?"
"No, thank you, Oishi. Ryuzaki-sensei has asked to speak with me shortly."
"Alright… rest up."
Once the two of them had disappeared from the window, Inui relaxed even more. Taking his time and walking slowly, he inspected the room for any cleaning that had to be done.
"Senpai?"
"Kaidoh!" Inui nearly fell over backwards as he whirled around to find the second-year standing there, hidden behind the first row of lockers. As startled as he was, it seemed that Kaidoh was just as startled by his senpai's jumpy reaction to his inquiry.
"Kaidoh," Inui began, more calmly this time, though his heart was still pounding. "What are you still doing here? Everyone else left a while ago…"
"What about you, senpai? I heard you were sick today…"
There was a pause, along with a silent, mutual understanding that neither of them had an answer to each other's questions. But Inui wanted as much information as possible.
"Where did you hear that?" he offered, carefully. He was wondering if his kouhai had asked after him. Kaidoh only hissed in reply as he turned back to continue packing his things.
It was worth a shot, Inui mused, just watching. He couldn't help noticing the strong muscles on Kaidoh's arms… Inui hadn't realized before how good Kaidoh looked in that tank top…
Why had Kaidoh changed out of his school uniform, anyway?
"Since we're both here, senpai," Kaidoh blurted without turning around. "Would you… could you… come running with me?"
Inui wasn't sure he had the energy. In fact, he was sure he didn't have the energy. But somehow, the idea appealed to him and he replied, "Yes… I mean, I suppose I could."
Kaidoh shouldered his bag. "Are you ready, then?"
"Oh…" Inui rubbed his neck. "Well, it seems I've been put on clubhouse duty. I'll just be a minute." Inui walked around a bit more, surveying the room. "Then again, it doesn't seem like there's any cleaning to do. Let me just…" Here, he trailed off and sat down, feeling a little dizzy. He still hadn't caught up on sleep… and he just realized he hadn't eaten anything all day…
Kaidoh dropped his bag and was soon kneeling at Inui's side. "Senpai," he started softly. "Are you alright?"
Inui held his head, wondering if his lightheadedness was making him imagine that feathery quality in Kaidoh's voice. With the room still spinning a little, he replied, "Yes, I'm fine. I just haven't had much sleep…"
"What were you doing all last night, senpai?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. He immediately regained clarity of his senses.
Kaidoh stood up, reluctantly allowing himself to be satisfied with such a vague answer. "Maybe I should just go on my own then…" He picked up his bag.
"Get some rest, senpai."
"Kaidoh…"
The second-year stopped and turned.
Inui wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but he had to say something.
Today was the day.
At least today, he should decide what his wish was going to be. "Kaidoh," he said again.
"What, senpai?"
He took a deep breath. "If you could have one wish, what would it be?"
Kaidoh thought for a moment, clearly finding this question odd. He turned slowly towards the tiny window, looking out onto the tennis courts, and replied, with certainty, "I would wish to become the best tennis player in the world."
Inui smiled at this, almost laughed aloud. That had been his wish, once, long ago… It had changed so much since then. He had changed so much since then, learned so much since then…
Oh, Kaidoh…
What if the wish is impossible?
Inui let his smile fade with a sigh. Kaidoh's answer was no help to him in deciding his wish. He'd given up that dream…
"Why? What would yours be, senpai?"
Inui looked up at Kaidoh. It seemed that the second-year sincerely wanted to know.
Today was the day.
Inui couldn't answer honestly. He couldn't tell Kaidoh what he really wanted, and in any case, he wouldn't get it.
He thought of Kaidoh's response again. It couldn't really help him.
Unless…
Suddenly Inui realized what he would ask for. It was something he could ask for, and something he could even say out loud.
"I guess… I suppose my wish would be, for you…" Inui had to take a deep breath. It was hard to look into those eyes for too long. So he looked down again and finished in one breath. "For you to be the best, someday."
Inui could sense Kaidoh's muscles tensing up. "Senpai, you don't wish that for yourself?"
The third-year stood up, feeling a bit stronger and a bit braver. "No, Kaidoh. I gave up on that."
Kaidoh's eyes narrowed, and his voice rose. "What are you talking about, senpai?"
Inui clenched his fists, trying not to get angry. This was hitting him where it still hurt the most. "I gave up, Kaidoh. I'll never be the best."
"Since when?"
"A long time ago."
"I don't believe you!" The second-year was getting just as angry. "If you feel that way, senpai, why do you work so hard? Why have you been training so much?"
"I don't know, Kaidoh!" Inui felt his entire body tense up. Why were they yelling? He took a breath and tried to calm down. "I don't know. I've given up on myself. The only reason I've been training lately is to help you—"
"That's ridiculous, senpai!" Kaidoh was still yelling, and his cheeks were a bright red. "Why, then, do you put so much effort into your own matches? When you won four games off our captain, was that for me, senpai?"
At that, Inui was genuinely angry. He pushed Kaidoh rather roughly up against the lockers and held him there, hoping he would listen. "That's just it, Kaidoh! I can't do any better than that. That's my limit…" His voice quieted a little. "That's the best I'll ever do. I don't have the talent, Kaidoh; I just work hard. I train and study every hour of every day… and for what? Four lousy games off the team captain."
There was a tense silence. Neither of them moved.
Kaidoh spoke, slowly and quietly, through clenched teeth. "Senpai, if you're giving up that easily, I have no reason to admire you anymore."
Inui painfully cracked a smile. Almost in a whisper, he asked, "You admire me, Kaidoh?"
"I thought you knew that, senpai," the second-year replied, just as quietly. Then his voice changed, sounding closer to normal. "But I have no reason to if you can't follow your own dreams." He seemed frustrated at his own cliché.
Still holding Kaidoh's shoulders, Inui looked his kouhai straight in the eye, leaning in until his face was little more than an inch away from Kaidoh's.
My own dreams, huh?
"If I followed my own dreams, Kaidoh…" He paused, squeezing his teammate's shoulders a little tighter. "Then, I'm afraid, you wouldn't admire me anymore."
Kaidoh met his gaze. "Try me, senpai."
Try you?
Inui's heart started beating a little faster. He noticed, again, that deep turquoise color in Kaidoh's eyes… His gaze fell slowly onto Kaidoh's lips.
I wish…
Oishi's voice popped into his head.
"One of you, or both of you, is holding something back."
Inui thought about it.
Holding back…
He could feel Kaidoh's warm breath against his face. The second-year's expression had softened a little, and he seemed like he was waiting for something…
Inui leaned in and kissed him.
…And kissed him…
…And kissed him more.
It felt so good that, when he was done, he did it again.
But the thing that was the strangest, the thing that overthrew all hypotheses Inui had ever made about Kaidoh, was the fact that the second-year didn't protest. When Inui slid his hands up to Kaidoh's cheeks, Kaidoh reached up and held them there. And although Inui didn't know much about kissing, it really felt like Kaidoh was kissing him back.
Inui couldn't stop himself. He'd never felt this way before…
"Inui!"
Instantly, the two of them shot apart. Inui spun around to see Tezuka standing there with a strange expression he'd never seen on the captain's face before.
"What are you doing?" Tezuka managed, after a deep breath.
Inui pushed up his glasses, trying to use his hand to cover his flushed cheeks. Instead of answering the question, he stuttered, "I-I thought you were leaving… How come…?"
The captain's expression settled into something closer to his normal stoicism. "I noticed that the clubhouse was still open, and I wanted to see why you hadn't locked up yet." He pushed up his own glasses. "Now I know."
There was an awkward pause. Tezuka turned to leave.
"You won't tell anyone?" Inui put in quickly.
"No. That would be… careless." Tezuka paused when he got to the door. "Please lock up, Inui." Then he was gone.
Once he was gone, Kaidoh, who was leaning against the lockers with his hand over his mouth, let out a long hiss.
Inui shuddered. "Stop that."
He shook his head. What had he been thinking? He was crazy if he thought…
He started towards the door, on the assumption that Kaidoh wanted him to go. He stopped when his hand reached the doorknob.
"You're leaving, senpai?"
Inui turned. Kaidoh looked as if he would run after him if the answer was yes.
A smile crept over the third-year's face when he realized. There was no mistaking that look in Kaidoh's eyes…
This is completely illogical.
"I think we could use some time away from each other," Inui began. "We can always go running tomorrow."
Kaidoh relaxed. Then he held out his hand. "I can lock up, senpai."
"Alright, I'll get out of your way, then." Inui threw the keys to him and left the locker room.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, smiling at the sky.
Wishes did come true.
-end of chapter 11-
Hope you liked it! If you're sad it's over, don't worry! There's an epilogue! XD