To Miu-chan, my dearest beta-reader, I wish I could tell you how much I owe you for your help and so on. As a proof the only thing I can do is dedicating this fic to you. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
Disclaimer : All of the Seigaku's members here plus Ryuzaki-sensei are owned by Konomi-sensei. I'm not making profit from this fic so don't sue me.
Chapter 7 : And So It's Settled
"Shimatta!" Oishi groaned when his ball hit the net. It was the eleventh time in his game with Kawamura, which with the failure was ended in 6-3. Perfect! This is all I need to let everybody knows I'm in trouble...
"Yoosh! Great! My victory!" Well, maybe he's an exception...
Oishi glanced briefly at his watch again -he had been glancing at it at least twenty times in the last five minutes, which certainly was the causal factor of his defeat. For him, tennis had never been so long before. He spared a glance at his partner who was staring at his own racket. He looked a bit quiet too. Neither any of cheerful demeanour was seen nor the usual incoherent phrases were heard from him in that session. After what seemed like an eternity, Ryuzaki-sensei -who looked extremely displeased- finally assembled them.
"I don't know what's going on here but I daresay some of you are not in the game at all," she gave a piercing glance to the golden pair in particular. "I want the next session to be taken seriously, with all of your concentrations!" With that, the coach dismissed her charges.
"I wonder what happened to her. We weren't that bad, were we?" Momoshiro muttered to Echizen in dismay as he gathered his things in the changing room. "At leats, I think I'm good enough."
"Good? You lost to me," the younger boy replied.
"Hey! That's not the point!"
"You still can't beat me though."
"Why you... arrogant brat! I swear I'm gonna beat you one day!"
"You said that too the last time you lost, Momo-senpai," And they walked out of the room in a protracted endless dispute.
"Those two will never change, will they?" Fuji smiled at the disappearing figures of the lower-graders.
"I guess so," Kawamura answered with his sweet-Taka tone. "But you know the truth. They really understand each other."
Oishi put his tennis gears in his bag but not in the orderly way as he often used to, his mind was full with Kikumaru and Ryuzaki-sensei's harsh reprimand. She's right. I have to talk with him now. It's just...
He looked up and saw his redhead friend was at the other corner of the room, also packing his stuff. The remaining members who were still in the room were only third-graders minus Inui. However he was sure he wouldn't speak one word of it in front of public, even if they were his best friends.
The vice-captain looked down at his bag, as if searching for something while his mind rolled. He knew he must hasten because Kikumaru usually returns early. So the main problem was how he could manage to get his friends out of there as quick as possible.
"Taka-san, can I borrow your Physics' notes? I'm afraid I'll be having a test tomorrow," all of the sudden he heard Fuji's voice.
Before Kawamura could answer, Kikumaru cut in, horrified at the bad news, "We have a Physics' test tomorrow!?"
"Well, I'm not sure," his classmate pondered, "but it will likely happen since we have finished all of the subjects. You know sensei."
"Geez, I'll have to study tonight!"
"So?" Fuji drew his attention back at Kawamura.
"Sure, but I left it at my locker. I'll get it first then."
"I'll go with you."
Oishi raised his eyebrows at this unexpected fortune. Not that he minded anyway. But was that an accident? Whatever. So the last obstacle was his quiet leader. A quite tough one since he knew Tezuka had been the last one who left the changing room for countless times. Being Aware of the fact made his eyes bulged when the captain walked out without saying a word.
Abruptly, he looked down once more. The time has come. What should I say? God, I don't know how to start this...
Suddenly he heard a soft sound which made him raise his face. The vice-captain found himself staring at Kikumaru who was leaning against the closed door. His friend's face couldn't be seen because the guy was looking downward, the red bangs hung down, covering his eyes.
"Eiji?"
"What am I to you?" Softly, Kikumaru spoke up. To be honest it was the last thing Oishi expected that his partner would ask.
"...what?"
Slowly Kikumaru raised his head and Oishi could see pain in his eyes –the pain of being betrayed by someone important. But suddenly his expression altered into rage. "What am I to you, Oishi? Am I not your best friend!?" he snapped, grasping Oishi's collar.
"Yes...I mean, of course you're my best friend-" he absent-mindedly answered, still shocked by his friend's sudden violent action.
"So God tell me why the hell someone won't let his best friend know that he has a girlfriend!?"
Oishi was astonished as the question was spilled out. Me? A girlfriend? What is he talking...shit!
"Wait a minute, Eiji. I think you're misunderstanding something."
"Misunderstand? How can I understand the fact my best friend keeping a secret without telling me a word!?" he tightened his grip on the black-haired man.
"Listen!" Oishi released himself by holding his friend's shoulder. He looked at him, straight to the glowering orbs. "Ayaka-chan is NOT my girlfriend! She's just an old friend of mine from the elementary school!"
Kikumaru was puzzled by the answer since his partner didn't seem to be lying at all. "But, you were holding her waist-"
"I was preventing her from falling. You know I will do the same for anybody."
"So... she is not your girlfriend?" he asked, an embarrassed blush was forming on his cheeks.
"No."
Suddenly, the acrobatic player felt his limbs give out and he slumped to the wooden bench. His face was all crimson now. "Well...I've never thought-"
Oishi sighed slowly, "How could you think of it? You know me well, don't you?" The silence hung between them, then he looked at Kikumaru in accusation, "Why don't you see yourself?"
"Don't see myself for what?" Kikumaru asked, bewildered, since the statement couldn't bring any idea up of what his partner was talking about.
"Come on, you don't think that I don't know, do you?"
"I don't get it."
"Of course you don't," he said cynically.
"Oishi, what are you talking about?"
"Do you expect me to 'throw the fact in front of your face'!?" The taller guy was starting to lose his temper.
Suddenly, Kikumaru had his strength back and stood up. "What's going on in that head of yours !? I don't understand a single damn thing you're saying!" he was obviously pissed off.
"You made me admit you're my best friend and what I get back is a fact that you don't admit you're dating Fuji's sister!?"
There was an unusual silence while Kikumaru was staring numbly at his friend, which was returned by intense glare. Suddenly he burst into an incessant stream of laughter. Oishi was still standing in astonishment at the redhead's reaction, not sure whether he had to be angry or not.
"So that's it! God, Oishi, you're impossible!"
"What do you mean?" His voice was tinged with irritation.
Kikumaru tried to control his giggles though the smile wouldn't go, "OK. I am not dating Yumiko-san. Is that clear?" Then he laughed again, "Me? Dating Fuji's sister?"
"Wait a minute, I heard it from yourself a week ago."
His friend sighed, "I think you have to know the real matter. You know my cousin, Shiro, right?" After receiving a nod as an answer he continued, "He has liked Yumiko-san since the first day they met accidentally here, at Seigaku. So, in brief, he asked for my help and Fuji's. That day after the practice, I met her to arrange a meeting between her and Shiro. It was Fuji who called the conspiracy a date and you misunderstood it, right?"
"So when I saw you last Sunday..."
"I was chaperoning her to meet Shiro 'cause Fuji couldn't go."
Both of them were mutually staring for a while before Kikumaru broke into a smile, "I guess we were misunderstanding each other."
Oishi looked down in shame, he really couldn't look at his best friend's face because of the ridiculous mistake he had made. Such a short-minded act for the composed vice-leader. But at last he found his voice.
"Eiji, gomen, I'm really sorry I've said such a thing...such a rude thing to you," he still didn't have any audacity to face him.
"It's okay. I apologize too for my own mistakes."
The silence between them was beginning to get uncomfortable so Oishi decided to turn to face his locker. He opened it and was preparing to leave, when he felt something warm was pressed on his back.
"I'm glad you cared about me," Kikumaru mumbled on the back of his shoulder.
He was stunned by the sudden propinquity, but then he smiled - a true, genuine smile which hadn't appeared during their fracas.
"Me too."
* * *
Outside of the building, two figures were leaning on the wall, eavesdropping the not-a-problem-anymore quarrel between the golden pair. Tezuka looked at Fuji meaningfully and both of them lifted their bags and left. The catastrophe had been settled.
* * *
"Oishi, do you have anything to do afterward?" Kikumaru asked while he waited for his friend who insisted to rearrange the content of his bag.
"No, why?"
"I'm hungry. Why don't we find a place to eat?"
"You'll have a Physics' test tomorrow, don't you remember?" Oishi frowned at him.
"Come on, just for a liiiiiiittle while," he put one of his cute faces, one of his famous enchantments, on.
Oishi sighed in defeat. I can't resist that face, can I? Ever since the first time we met, you had me drawn by your charm. "Fine, fine. Let's go."
* * *
"I've never thought you know about the problem," Fuji said while they were walking along the tennis courts.
"Aa."
"You really care for them, don't you, Tezuka?"
The captain frowned at this more-likely-to-be-statement query. "It was just for the sake of our club. They are the best double pair we have."
"Just admit you're worried," his companion smiled victoriously. "To eavesdrop like that isn't something our captain would do in a million years."
"Whatever," he muttered with disinterest.
They resumed the strolling in silence, before Tezuka chose to look around. The trees surrounding Seigaku's tennis courts were turning into brilliant colour of gold, signifying the season's alteration. Wind blew their strands of leaves, peeled them from the solid figs, but then let them fell onto the ground. It was the pure tranquility which he always loves, a heavenly serenity.
He halted his tracks when realized his friends was not pacing beside him. Then he turned around to see Fuji had quit his steps several metres behind. The prodigy was staring into nothingness while his fingers instinctively caught a falling leaf.
"It's nearly autumn, ne..." he could hear the exquisite lips whispered.
Tezuka was caught by the sight of this ethereal beauty. The nearly setting sunbeam on half of his longing countenance, making different shades when the delicate strands of hair framed a pair of aquamarine pools, lavished with long lashes. However, the guy wasn't seemed to be aware about the stare of his leader, too subdued by his own thought.
When more leaves were circling around his friend, instinctively the captain looked up.
This tree...
^ Flashback ^
"Eiji, I don't think we should do this," Fuji mumbled to his friend who was sitting beside him.
"Why not? We can look from a better angle from here," Kikumaru offhandedly replied. His eyes were stuck on several figures down there.
"But why should we climb and sit here, up on the tree, only to see the tennis practice?" his friend inquired in a higher tone.
"Because we can look clearer from up here," the redhead gave the same answer. Unexpectedly, he moved forward, "I can't see the captain. Where is he?"
Fuji looked apprehensively at the somewhat brittle branch, "Be careful. It's likely to..."
SNAP!
* *
Two other guys were strolling around the tennis courts, doing the same observation, only in a complete different way.
"So, you have decided, Tezuka?"
"Aa."
"Well, I guess it's the best choice. Seigaku's tennis club is an outstanding one. And with ability like yours, it would be a waste to enter other clubs," Oishi added.
"So you will go for tennis too?" Tezuka asked to lure the subject from himself.
"Yes, I think..."
Tezuka had no chance to know what Oishi thought for in the exact time they heard a horrified scream. Immediately both of them looked up and spotted a red-haired guy was hanging down from a tree, depended on his friend's hand. But it didn't take a long time before the bond was separated.
"Eiji!" The brunetttes up there cried.
They watched in horror as the guy fell. But somehow he managed to land on his feet safely, after doing some unbelievable magnificent moves in the air. Oishi promptly approached the redhead based on his sudden anxiety.
"Are you alright?" he asked, full of concern.
The guy shook his head but then stared in bewilderment at the complete stranger, while his friend slid down the guilty tree.
"Eiji! Are you alright?" he knelt beside his friend.
"Yeah," the other answered and tried to stand on his feet. He warded some dirt off his school uniform and said, "Do not forget my reflexes, Fuji. I have the best here."
His friend raised his eyebrows at this declaration. "Well then, if you're that good, I don't have to worry about you," and he walked away.
"Hey, Fuji! Don't get mad!" Suddenly he noticed the presence of the two other boys and turned to face them, "Ano, I don't know who you are, but thank you for your concern! Fujiiiiiii!" Then he flew away.
Oishi stood at his place for a second, to register the just-had-been-passed chain of events, when Tezuka gave a comment, "What an interesting guy."
"Looks that way," Oishi mumbled a reply, without knowing they were thinking of different person.
^ End of Flashback^
"Tezuka?"
He was pulled out of his reveries by the soft voice calling his name. He found Fuji was staring at him in confusion. "What are you thinking?"
He pointed at the particular tree with his eyes. Fuji followed his gaze and the realization drowned. He smiled at his captain.
"The first time we met?"
"You remember?" Tezuka looked at him in surprise, though you couldn't be so sure whether he was surprised or not since his visage indicated a very little of it.
Fuji looked in amusement, a mischievous smile was playing on his lips. "How can I forget the first soon-would-be-captain ice guy whom I met? You had made that impression in me at the very first time."
Tezuka made the reply in some undecipherable phrases, which was clearly referring his annoyance of his friend's answer.
"But you can be nice and gentle too."
His face altered into the stern stage on Fuji's remark "Don't make fun of me."
"I don't. Why should I if you're dangerous to be made fun of?"
"So what exactly do you want?" his irritation was growing.
Suddenly his elbow was held by steady fingers, which made him stopped and turned to see the intruder. "You are a good guy, Tezuka. You care about us, that's why you're so firm, that's why you choose to use severity. Why do you deem yourself as a jerk when you're the complete opposite? See that with your heart." Fuji poked a finger to his captain's chest before he let him go.
Tezuka made no answer, therefore Fuji continued, "You know, you can prove to yourself that you're nice."
The inquiry in his eyes was enough as a question to Fuji. "How? With lots of things. You can start with teaching me the World History," he smiled amusedly.
Fuji could almost swear he saw his captain smile at the reply, but the guy chose to resume his strides.
"You surprise me sometimes," the prodigy could hear Tezuka mutter.
"Am I not always full of surprises?"
TBC?
Actually I have no idea how to continue this and I'm definitely not going to rise the rating to R. But how can I abandon them when they haven't even gotten together? ^.^ Let's just see…
