Title: Variable Geometry (2/?)
Author name: Leo Dormiens
Author email: leodormiens2000@yahoo.com
Category: Drama
Warning: Non-explicit Shonen Ai
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A love triangle... No wait! It's a love square.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Takeshi Konomi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author notes: Without Abinikai and Jennifer M, this chapter would be even more difficult to understand. You should thank them.
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"I'm going to die." wailed Kikumaru, rolling on the ground.
"Stop complaining," a breathless, but still standing, Oishi replied. "At least we didn't have to drink that dreadful thing."
Kikumaru shot a sympathetic glance at the many club members who had passed out stone dead from Inui's Penal Tea version 4.1. "Ok, I admit there are things more painful than dying of exhaustion."
"Eh! What's your problem, BABY? Running's good for you. BURNING!"
Ryoma winced at Kawamura's loud comment and tried to crawl away from the over-excited player.
"Who's the genius that gave him a racket?!" shouted Momoshiro from his other side, and Ryoma winced again.
"That would be me," said Fuji, sniggering. Everyone glared at him. "Eh, don't be mad." He raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "We're all lacking motivation these days. I just thought having to keep up with Taka- san in this state could be an interesting challenge, that's all."
The glares grew in intensity.
"Fuji." growled Kikumaru.
Fuji's smile did not waver, but he took two steps back, overwhelmed by the surrounding aggressiveness. Fortunately, he spotted the captain and the coach approaching the courts. "Oh, they're back," he commented, and all eyes turned towards them.
"They don't look that mad; it's probably going to be ok," said Momoshiro, glancing at Ryoma, who was nonchalantly stretching his arms.
Tezuka addressed Inui, who stood, as usual, scribbling information in his notebook. "Are you done with the endurance training?"
Inui looked very pleased. "Yes, Captain. The regulars had a very good performance today." He shared a knowing smile with Fuji.
"Good," said Ryuzaki-sensei. "Let's continue indoors."
It was still winter, so the majority of the club's daily practice took place in the school gymnasium. It was cramped and unpractical, but since the only other option was to remain out in the bitter cold, no one complained.
Tezuka took out his tracksuit and started running in laps around the courts, while Ryuzaki-sensei quietly strolled towards the gymnasium.
As the rest of the regular team headed there, Tomoka came running, looking worried as she noticed Kachiro, Horio and Katsuo lying on the floor, still clutching empty paper cups.
"Um, Inui-senpai," she said nervously, "are you sure they're going to wake up this time? I mean, they look.dead."
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to murder your classmates."
Ignoring the skeptic snorts, Inui opened his notebook again to record her report.
"So, how did it go?"
"Come on, tell us!" exclaimed Kikumaru, putting his hands on the girl's shoulders.
While the tennis club members had gone through their warm-up exercises, a bit of prompting from some of the more curious regulars had Tomoka sent off on a 'data-gathering' mission to eavesdrop on the conversation between Ryuzaki-sensei, Tezuka, and Kaidoh in the coach's office.
"Well," began the girl, putting her hands on her hips, "they didn't bother to close the door, and I could hear everything! He got a long lecture about it; Ryuzaki-sensei kept shouting at him for ten minutes! Then she said the normal punishment for bad behavior was twenty laps around the court, but everyone knows he gets off on extra training. So instead, she decided he'll have to help the first years take care of the equipment today and tomorrow."
"But he scares the first years half to death," remarked Momoshiro. "For them, it's more a curse than a blessing."
"Hum, these guys won't be of much help today, anyway," concluded Oishi, kneeling beside Horio. "Don't you think we should carry them inside? They'll freeze to death if we leave them out here."
"NO PROBLEM!" shouted Kawamura. He swung the other two boys over his shoulders as if they were weightless puppets, and then proudly marched towards the gym.
Oishi chuckled. "Taka-san's incredible strength when he's in Burning Mode is very useful. Well, let's go." He took Horio in his arms.
"That's not all," added Tomoka, successfully getting back everyone's attention. "Tezuka-buchou is so cool, he ordered that maniac to apologize to Ryoma-sama, saying that's the least he could do!"
She waited for a reaction from Ryoma, but he stayed stubbornly silent.
"Oh my, I have to see that," said Momoshiro, an enormous grin spreading across his face.
"Sssssh."
They fell silent, waiting for something dramatic to happen as Kaidoh passed near them. He just glared around and continued his own way, leaving them stunned.
Momoshiro recovered first. "Eh, Mamushi! Aren't you forgetting something here?" he cried after Kaidoh.
"Leave him alone," said Fuji, "I think he needs a long psychological preparation to do something like that."
They all burst out laughing, except Ryoma, who merely smiled.
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Sakuno Ryuzaki tightened her grip on her racket.
"I can do this, I know I can do this." she kept mumbling to herself. Then, with renewed determination, she tried another serve.
Ryoma observed her from behind a tree, not believing his eyes. The poor thing was so ashamed of her lack of skills that she practiced behind the gymnasium, where she thought no one could see her. Still, he could tell she had made significant progress. She'd been trying so hard lately, and it was beginning to show.
He didn't understand why, but he liked her, and he hoped that for once she would listen to him.
He stepped near the girl, startling her into a frightened yelp.
"Oh.! Ryo.Ryoma-kun."
"Concentrating on the ball is not enough; you should also consider where you want it to land. Your grip on the racket is too tight. And your hair is too long."
Her lips started to shake, and Ryoma rolled his eyes.
"Ryoma-kun, don't make fun of me."
"Madamada dane"
Why on earth couldn't she take his advice seriously? She was constantly distracted by her own braids bouncing around at her every move; her useless coach of a grandmother should have made her cut them long ago.
He walked away from her, searching his pockets for coins. If he ever saw her come to the tennis club practice with a short, no-fuss hairstyle, he would buy her a drink to congratulate her. He had the strange idea that it would make her day.
But right now, he thought, while selecting a drink from the vending machine, he would drink on his own, as usual. At least, until Kaidoh seized this opportunity to speak to him alone.
"I'm sorry, about yesterday," came a low voice from behind him.
Just as expected.
Ryoma inserted the coins and opted for a can of hot cocoa, letting silence stretch between him and his senpai. Then he sipped his drink and turned towards Kaidoh, still not talking. Anyone else would have repeated the statement, assuming Ryoma didn't hear it. But not Kaidoh, who was standing there in a slightly insolent stance, as if he was prepared to wait forever to get his reply.
"Ah, never mind," Ryoma said eventually.
Kaidoh nodded, but otherwise didn't move. Ryoma waited for what he would say next.
"You went through my things, just admit it."
"I already told you, it fell from your bag."
Kaidoh visibly struggled to keep his composure.
"I don't believe you."
"Kaidoh-senpai, not all of us are 'stalkers'."
Ryoma threw his now empty can in the air and sent it to the trashcan behind Kaidoh by hitting it with his racket. "Ask Arai-senpai, he was there." And he hates my guts; little chance he'd lie to help me, he felt inclined to add, but decided against it.
"Hey, Echizen! It doesn't take an hour to buy a bloody drink!"
Momoshiro came to a sudden stop and looked from Ryoma to Kaidoh.
"He apologized?" he blurted out without thinking.
Ryoma adjusted his cap to hide his eyes. "Sort of," he replied in a doubtful voice. "I'm cold, let's go back."
"I can't believe I missed the show."
"Go to hell, Momoshiro!" hissed Kaidoh, breaking into a run.
"Look at that stupid moron running away!" huffed Momoshiro, walking beside Ryoma. "He's ashamed to be seen with us, or what?"
Getting no reply, he took off Ryoma's cap and mischievously ruffled the boy's hair. "Oi, Echizen, you with me?"
Ryoma snatched back his cap, annoyed. "I wish you'd stop doing that, Momo- senpai. It's embarrassing."
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Fridays were devoted to coordination training.
The current exercise, called 'Ball over Shoulder', was easy enough that even the non-regulars could participate: while you looked straight ahead, your partner dropped a ball over your shoulder, and you aimed to hit the ball as quickly as possible, either over the net or against the wall. It was kind of lame, and Ryoma felt bored after twenty seconds of it.
Anyway, he had something at the back of his mind --- a brilliant plan he had to carry out now or never, since Saturday's training had been suspended.
He stole a glance at Kaidoh, who was setting a net a few feet away, to evaluate the distance. When Katsuo dropped the next ball over him, he aimed it at his senpai, not even bothering to make it look like an accident.
When the ball hit him in the back, Kaidoh flinched and instantly glared at Momoshiro, somehow not even considering the shot could have been someone else's.
"Ah, sorry, sorry," Ryoma said, picking up the yellow ball, "I'm so clumsy these days."
Kaidoh grunted in disbelief and returned his attention to his work.
Ryoma kept standing there, pretending to check the strings of his racket.
"I'm kind of stuck in a nasty situation; that's why I'm a bit distracted, lately."
Kaidoh pointedly ignored him.
"My dad promised one of his friends that next Sunday, I'll give tennis lessons to the members of the elderly association this guy works for. I can think of better ways to spend my time." He sighed heavily. "Alone for a whole day with a bunch of old bags."
"You disrespectful brat!" Kaidoh interrupted him.
"Sorry," replied Ryoma with an apologetic smile "I mean.with a dozen of charming old ladies."
"What are you expecting from me, exactly, a rescue operation?"
"Really, Kaidoh-senpai? You'd do that for me? With someone to help me, at least, it won't be so bad."
"You can go to hell for all I care, so just find yourself someone else to bother."
Ryoma gave another exaggerated sigh. "To think, I was so sure you'd want to come."
The net Kaidoh was installing tore with a loud crack as he pulled it too hard, and it caught the attention of the coach.
"Ryoma-kun, stop needling Kaidoh!" she ordered. "Go back to work, your partner's waiting!"
"I haven't done anything." he protested, but did as he was told. "It's your turn now," he told Katsuo, "let's swap places."
"Sure, Echizen. Are you all right? Is Kaidoh-senpai threatening you or something?"
"Ah, I just can't figure out why he's so mad at me."
"Maybe it's about that thing you gave him back last Monday. What was it, anyway?"
"Can you believe it? It was some kind of a short memo that contained every detail of."
A sudden, deafening yell interrupted Ryoma's revelation. The entire club stopped to watch as Kaidoh gripped Ryoma by the collar, his face contorted in fury. He had moved so fast that Ryoma didn't have time to react.
"Where?" Kaidoh asked in a strangled voice.
Ryoma thought for an instant about playing the fool, but realized it would mean his death.
"Well, at Meguro Tennis Club, near Naka-Meguro subway station."
"I'll be there at nine," he spat, releasing Ryoma. "I won't bring anything with me; you'd better prepare all the equipment we'll need." Then he neatly pivoted on his heel, marched back to where he was a moment ago, and resumed fussing with the ruined net as if nothing had happened.
Katsuo released the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, Ryuzaki- sensei rolled her eyes in exasperation. Tezuka clapped his hands to bring his teammates out of their dazed state. "I don't remember allowing you to take a break," he said in a calm but firm tone.
Ryoma stood rooted to the spot, still processing the sudden event. He lifted his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder and wasn't surprised to see Momoshiro with a displeased and somewhat hurt expression on his face. "It doesn't start until ten," Ryoma said quietly. "Do you think I should go and tell him?"
"You asked 'him', of all people?" reproached Momoshiro.
"I didn't ask, he kindly offered."
Ryoma broke the eye contact and started counting in his head. One, two, three, four.
"Don't worry about Sunday, I'll be there too," declared Momoshiro, before the count had reached ten.
Ryoma made a mental note to work on his 'surprised and innocent' look, since he used it quite often these days.
"But, Momo-senpai, you said you already had other plans for the weekend, when I told you about it this morning."
Momoshiro ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Guess I'll have to cancel everything. Ah, what I wouldn't do to help the juniors of this tennis club!"
"Yeah, whatever," said Katsuo, purposely sounding unconvinced. "Shall we start, Echizen?"
"Uh huh. Ready when you are."
Katsuo walked a few feet away and prepared to hit the first ball. Just as Ryoma was about to throw it, a tall figure walked in between the two boys.
"Need some extra help for your volunteer work?"
Ryoma fought the smirk creeping on his face and lost. The results of his brilliant plan had exceeded everything he had hoped for. "Wanna join us on Sunday, Inui-senpai?"
"If I do, you'll tell me what's going on with Kaidoh?"
"Eh, sure."
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On Sunday morning Kaidoh woke up early in order to run to Meguro Tennis Club rather than ride there. At first, he intended to use his subway pass on the way back, but at the end of the day he felt like running again, so he did. Slowly, not ready to be anywhere too fast, but heading for home, because he'd spent the whole day feeling awkward and out of place, and he needed to be somewhere safe.
Once there, he felt so tired he could hardly drag himself up the stairs to his room. Funny, though; as soon as he closed the door behind him, he was restless again. A quick look at the calendar: geography test coming up on Monday, but no way he could concentrate in such a state. The only sane option seemed to just change clothes and head for the river.
"Going out again, Kaoru?" His mother came in from the kitchen and looked at him in surprise. "I heard you come in just a moment ago. Where are you going now?"
"Just to the river and back; I need to stretch my legs a bit. Don't worry. I'll be back before dinner."
"You were already gone when I woke up this morning. Did you have a match or something?"
He looked at the ground in embarrassment. "Not really. One of my.uh, friends needed help, so."
His little brother peered around the doorframe of the kitchen. "You have friends, 'Niisan? Since when?"
"Oh, don't start," Kaidoh snapped, putting on his sneakers. "Well, I'm on my way. See you in an hour or so."
He started off at a near-sprint, pushing his aching body into a full run. His muscles protested, then progressively accommodated to the rhythm he imposed, and the strain was gone. Endurance training demanded patience and tenacity. You had to be prepared to suffer, and keep on suffering. On good days, the running seemed to flow effortlessly, on bad days it was just hell. So what.
The whole thing at Meguro had been nerve-racking. What with the cold and the rain, everything that could have gone wrong, had, of course, gone wrong. And it was just his luck that Momoshiro had shown up, too. Sometimes Kaidoh called him Flirt-With-Anyone-In-A-Skirt-Momoshiro. If he'd known it extended to seventy year-old ladies trying to learn tennis. He really could live without seeing that. In comparison, Inui joining them was a pleasant surprise, even if Kaidoh couldn't figure out how Echizen had convinced the third-year. All in all, a shitty day spent at an unpaid shitty job with annoying people.
Such a small price to pay for Echizen's silence. He gave Kaidoh his word, and no matter what else you thought of the brat, you could trust him to keep it. Now that Kaidoh's side of the bargain was complete, the matter was closed; hopefully they'd never broach the subject again.
The burning in his chest and legs receded; He was back on an endorphin high and felt like running forever. A pity he promised to be back soon. Okay, time to slow down to a cruising pace, turn around and get on the way back. He looked forward to a hot bath.
That afternoon, while coming back from the locker room, Kaidoh had overheard Inui asking questions about him, and Echizen's carefully thought out replies.
"That thing I found on Tuesday? Oh, nothing really, just a scrawl on the back of a bookmark. Thought maybe he still needed it, so I didn't throw it."
Yep, Wonder Boy bluffed his way through it. If the whole thing wasn't such a mess, he might have found it amusing.
The snotty brat had the nerve to add, "What it meant? How should I know, I'm not psychic. Just ask Kaidoh-senpai."
Of course, Inui was pissed. At another time, Kaidoh would offer his help to plan revenge, but he owed it to Echizen not to interfere. After all, the boy had come across a sure way to humiliate him in front of the whole school, but had promised to never use it. In a reverse situation, he'd show no mercy.
Funny thing was, Echizen had told Kaidoh he felt far too flattered to hold any grudge. Probably thought his senpai was so dazzled by his tennis skills, that he'd taken to spying on him. Yeah, right. In an alternate universe, maybe. In Echizen's brain, everything revolved around tennis.
Rather convenient, for once. Anyone else would suspect Kaidoh of having a crush, and probably freak out something fierce. Then the only way out would probably be suicide. //My name is Kaoru Kaidoh, my only goal is to become a tennis champion. I just don't have time for stupid things like crushes. Give me some credit, for pity's sake.//
The last thing he needed was people starting to get the wrong idea.
The truth was much simpler than that. He needed to watch Echizen. No way he'd stare at the boy during training ---he couldn't afford that kind of distraction. Besides, he had a reputation to maintain.
It had taken him so long to gather all the little details of Echizen's days. Train schedule, school timetable, weekly library study. He even knew when the boy slipped away from his classmates to work on his backhand in the deserted gymnasium. Spotless data. Inui would be so proud.
Kaidoh's favorite moments were Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Echizen took advantage of a long lunch break to sneak to the roof for a nap. He fell asleep almost at once, and Kaidoh could watch him from very close.
Impossible to do, now that Echizen knew.
"Kaidoh-senpai," he had said that morning, "You won't learn anything useful by watching me study or sleep, but you're welcome to see me practice anytime."
Kaidoh couldn't decide what he wanted, snap the boy's neck or take him at his word. Echizen was just baiting him, so he kept my mouth shut, earning more sarcasm.
"And Senpai, when you feel ready, let's have another match. I'm dying to see the results of your.research."
//Don't worry, Echizen, one of these days I'll make you swallow your racket. Not just yet; I still can't concentrate properly when looking at you. Kicking your ass will rid me of that ridiculous obsession.
In the meantime, I have to stop following you around. And it's bloody killing me.//
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End of chapter Two
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Is it starting to make sense? Do review and let me know what you think. Feedback, good or bad, makes me happy.
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Author name: Leo Dormiens
Author email: leodormiens2000@yahoo.com
Category: Drama
Warning: Non-explicit Shonen Ai
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A love triangle... No wait! It's a love square.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Takeshi Konomi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author notes: Without Abinikai and Jennifer M, this chapter would be even more difficult to understand. You should thank them.
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"I'm going to die." wailed Kikumaru, rolling on the ground.
"Stop complaining," a breathless, but still standing, Oishi replied. "At least we didn't have to drink that dreadful thing."
Kikumaru shot a sympathetic glance at the many club members who had passed out stone dead from Inui's Penal Tea version 4.1. "Ok, I admit there are things more painful than dying of exhaustion."
"Eh! What's your problem, BABY? Running's good for you. BURNING!"
Ryoma winced at Kawamura's loud comment and tried to crawl away from the over-excited player.
"Who's the genius that gave him a racket?!" shouted Momoshiro from his other side, and Ryoma winced again.
"That would be me," said Fuji, sniggering. Everyone glared at him. "Eh, don't be mad." He raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "We're all lacking motivation these days. I just thought having to keep up with Taka- san in this state could be an interesting challenge, that's all."
The glares grew in intensity.
"Fuji." growled Kikumaru.
Fuji's smile did not waver, but he took two steps back, overwhelmed by the surrounding aggressiveness. Fortunately, he spotted the captain and the coach approaching the courts. "Oh, they're back," he commented, and all eyes turned towards them.
"They don't look that mad; it's probably going to be ok," said Momoshiro, glancing at Ryoma, who was nonchalantly stretching his arms.
Tezuka addressed Inui, who stood, as usual, scribbling information in his notebook. "Are you done with the endurance training?"
Inui looked very pleased. "Yes, Captain. The regulars had a very good performance today." He shared a knowing smile with Fuji.
"Good," said Ryuzaki-sensei. "Let's continue indoors."
It was still winter, so the majority of the club's daily practice took place in the school gymnasium. It was cramped and unpractical, but since the only other option was to remain out in the bitter cold, no one complained.
Tezuka took out his tracksuit and started running in laps around the courts, while Ryuzaki-sensei quietly strolled towards the gymnasium.
As the rest of the regular team headed there, Tomoka came running, looking worried as she noticed Kachiro, Horio and Katsuo lying on the floor, still clutching empty paper cups.
"Um, Inui-senpai," she said nervously, "are you sure they're going to wake up this time? I mean, they look.dead."
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to murder your classmates."
Ignoring the skeptic snorts, Inui opened his notebook again to record her report.
"So, how did it go?"
"Come on, tell us!" exclaimed Kikumaru, putting his hands on the girl's shoulders.
While the tennis club members had gone through their warm-up exercises, a bit of prompting from some of the more curious regulars had Tomoka sent off on a 'data-gathering' mission to eavesdrop on the conversation between Ryuzaki-sensei, Tezuka, and Kaidoh in the coach's office.
"Well," began the girl, putting her hands on her hips, "they didn't bother to close the door, and I could hear everything! He got a long lecture about it; Ryuzaki-sensei kept shouting at him for ten minutes! Then she said the normal punishment for bad behavior was twenty laps around the court, but everyone knows he gets off on extra training. So instead, she decided he'll have to help the first years take care of the equipment today and tomorrow."
"But he scares the first years half to death," remarked Momoshiro. "For them, it's more a curse than a blessing."
"Hum, these guys won't be of much help today, anyway," concluded Oishi, kneeling beside Horio. "Don't you think we should carry them inside? They'll freeze to death if we leave them out here."
"NO PROBLEM!" shouted Kawamura. He swung the other two boys over his shoulders as if they were weightless puppets, and then proudly marched towards the gym.
Oishi chuckled. "Taka-san's incredible strength when he's in Burning Mode is very useful. Well, let's go." He took Horio in his arms.
"That's not all," added Tomoka, successfully getting back everyone's attention. "Tezuka-buchou is so cool, he ordered that maniac to apologize to Ryoma-sama, saying that's the least he could do!"
She waited for a reaction from Ryoma, but he stayed stubbornly silent.
"Oh my, I have to see that," said Momoshiro, an enormous grin spreading across his face.
"Sssssh."
They fell silent, waiting for something dramatic to happen as Kaidoh passed near them. He just glared around and continued his own way, leaving them stunned.
Momoshiro recovered first. "Eh, Mamushi! Aren't you forgetting something here?" he cried after Kaidoh.
"Leave him alone," said Fuji, "I think he needs a long psychological preparation to do something like that."
They all burst out laughing, except Ryoma, who merely smiled.
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Sakuno Ryuzaki tightened her grip on her racket.
"I can do this, I know I can do this." she kept mumbling to herself. Then, with renewed determination, she tried another serve.
Ryoma observed her from behind a tree, not believing his eyes. The poor thing was so ashamed of her lack of skills that she practiced behind the gymnasium, where she thought no one could see her. Still, he could tell she had made significant progress. She'd been trying so hard lately, and it was beginning to show.
He didn't understand why, but he liked her, and he hoped that for once she would listen to him.
He stepped near the girl, startling her into a frightened yelp.
"Oh.! Ryo.Ryoma-kun."
"Concentrating on the ball is not enough; you should also consider where you want it to land. Your grip on the racket is too tight. And your hair is too long."
Her lips started to shake, and Ryoma rolled his eyes.
"Ryoma-kun, don't make fun of me."
"Madamada dane"
Why on earth couldn't she take his advice seriously? She was constantly distracted by her own braids bouncing around at her every move; her useless coach of a grandmother should have made her cut them long ago.
He walked away from her, searching his pockets for coins. If he ever saw her come to the tennis club practice with a short, no-fuss hairstyle, he would buy her a drink to congratulate her. He had the strange idea that it would make her day.
But right now, he thought, while selecting a drink from the vending machine, he would drink on his own, as usual. At least, until Kaidoh seized this opportunity to speak to him alone.
"I'm sorry, about yesterday," came a low voice from behind him.
Just as expected.
Ryoma inserted the coins and opted for a can of hot cocoa, letting silence stretch between him and his senpai. Then he sipped his drink and turned towards Kaidoh, still not talking. Anyone else would have repeated the statement, assuming Ryoma didn't hear it. But not Kaidoh, who was standing there in a slightly insolent stance, as if he was prepared to wait forever to get his reply.
"Ah, never mind," Ryoma said eventually.
Kaidoh nodded, but otherwise didn't move. Ryoma waited for what he would say next.
"You went through my things, just admit it."
"I already told you, it fell from your bag."
Kaidoh visibly struggled to keep his composure.
"I don't believe you."
"Kaidoh-senpai, not all of us are 'stalkers'."
Ryoma threw his now empty can in the air and sent it to the trashcan behind Kaidoh by hitting it with his racket. "Ask Arai-senpai, he was there." And he hates my guts; little chance he'd lie to help me, he felt inclined to add, but decided against it.
"Hey, Echizen! It doesn't take an hour to buy a bloody drink!"
Momoshiro came to a sudden stop and looked from Ryoma to Kaidoh.
"He apologized?" he blurted out without thinking.
Ryoma adjusted his cap to hide his eyes. "Sort of," he replied in a doubtful voice. "I'm cold, let's go back."
"I can't believe I missed the show."
"Go to hell, Momoshiro!" hissed Kaidoh, breaking into a run.
"Look at that stupid moron running away!" huffed Momoshiro, walking beside Ryoma. "He's ashamed to be seen with us, or what?"
Getting no reply, he took off Ryoma's cap and mischievously ruffled the boy's hair. "Oi, Echizen, you with me?"
Ryoma snatched back his cap, annoyed. "I wish you'd stop doing that, Momo- senpai. It's embarrassing."
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Fridays were devoted to coordination training.
The current exercise, called 'Ball over Shoulder', was easy enough that even the non-regulars could participate: while you looked straight ahead, your partner dropped a ball over your shoulder, and you aimed to hit the ball as quickly as possible, either over the net or against the wall. It was kind of lame, and Ryoma felt bored after twenty seconds of it.
Anyway, he had something at the back of his mind --- a brilliant plan he had to carry out now or never, since Saturday's training had been suspended.
He stole a glance at Kaidoh, who was setting a net a few feet away, to evaluate the distance. When Katsuo dropped the next ball over him, he aimed it at his senpai, not even bothering to make it look like an accident.
When the ball hit him in the back, Kaidoh flinched and instantly glared at Momoshiro, somehow not even considering the shot could have been someone else's.
"Ah, sorry, sorry," Ryoma said, picking up the yellow ball, "I'm so clumsy these days."
Kaidoh grunted in disbelief and returned his attention to his work.
Ryoma kept standing there, pretending to check the strings of his racket.
"I'm kind of stuck in a nasty situation; that's why I'm a bit distracted, lately."
Kaidoh pointedly ignored him.
"My dad promised one of his friends that next Sunday, I'll give tennis lessons to the members of the elderly association this guy works for. I can think of better ways to spend my time." He sighed heavily. "Alone for a whole day with a bunch of old bags."
"You disrespectful brat!" Kaidoh interrupted him.
"Sorry," replied Ryoma with an apologetic smile "I mean.with a dozen of charming old ladies."
"What are you expecting from me, exactly, a rescue operation?"
"Really, Kaidoh-senpai? You'd do that for me? With someone to help me, at least, it won't be so bad."
"You can go to hell for all I care, so just find yourself someone else to bother."
Ryoma gave another exaggerated sigh. "To think, I was so sure you'd want to come."
The net Kaidoh was installing tore with a loud crack as he pulled it too hard, and it caught the attention of the coach.
"Ryoma-kun, stop needling Kaidoh!" she ordered. "Go back to work, your partner's waiting!"
"I haven't done anything." he protested, but did as he was told. "It's your turn now," he told Katsuo, "let's swap places."
"Sure, Echizen. Are you all right? Is Kaidoh-senpai threatening you or something?"
"Ah, I just can't figure out why he's so mad at me."
"Maybe it's about that thing you gave him back last Monday. What was it, anyway?"
"Can you believe it? It was some kind of a short memo that contained every detail of."
A sudden, deafening yell interrupted Ryoma's revelation. The entire club stopped to watch as Kaidoh gripped Ryoma by the collar, his face contorted in fury. He had moved so fast that Ryoma didn't have time to react.
"Where?" Kaidoh asked in a strangled voice.
Ryoma thought for an instant about playing the fool, but realized it would mean his death.
"Well, at Meguro Tennis Club, near Naka-Meguro subway station."
"I'll be there at nine," he spat, releasing Ryoma. "I won't bring anything with me; you'd better prepare all the equipment we'll need." Then he neatly pivoted on his heel, marched back to where he was a moment ago, and resumed fussing with the ruined net as if nothing had happened.
Katsuo released the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, Ryuzaki- sensei rolled her eyes in exasperation. Tezuka clapped his hands to bring his teammates out of their dazed state. "I don't remember allowing you to take a break," he said in a calm but firm tone.
Ryoma stood rooted to the spot, still processing the sudden event. He lifted his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder and wasn't surprised to see Momoshiro with a displeased and somewhat hurt expression on his face. "It doesn't start until ten," Ryoma said quietly. "Do you think I should go and tell him?"
"You asked 'him', of all people?" reproached Momoshiro.
"I didn't ask, he kindly offered."
Ryoma broke the eye contact and started counting in his head. One, two, three, four.
"Don't worry about Sunday, I'll be there too," declared Momoshiro, before the count had reached ten.
Ryoma made a mental note to work on his 'surprised and innocent' look, since he used it quite often these days.
"But, Momo-senpai, you said you already had other plans for the weekend, when I told you about it this morning."
Momoshiro ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Guess I'll have to cancel everything. Ah, what I wouldn't do to help the juniors of this tennis club!"
"Yeah, whatever," said Katsuo, purposely sounding unconvinced. "Shall we start, Echizen?"
"Uh huh. Ready when you are."
Katsuo walked a few feet away and prepared to hit the first ball. Just as Ryoma was about to throw it, a tall figure walked in between the two boys.
"Need some extra help for your volunteer work?"
Ryoma fought the smirk creeping on his face and lost. The results of his brilliant plan had exceeded everything he had hoped for. "Wanna join us on Sunday, Inui-senpai?"
"If I do, you'll tell me what's going on with Kaidoh?"
"Eh, sure."
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On Sunday morning Kaidoh woke up early in order to run to Meguro Tennis Club rather than ride there. At first, he intended to use his subway pass on the way back, but at the end of the day he felt like running again, so he did. Slowly, not ready to be anywhere too fast, but heading for home, because he'd spent the whole day feeling awkward and out of place, and he needed to be somewhere safe.
Once there, he felt so tired he could hardly drag himself up the stairs to his room. Funny, though; as soon as he closed the door behind him, he was restless again. A quick look at the calendar: geography test coming up on Monday, but no way he could concentrate in such a state. The only sane option seemed to just change clothes and head for the river.
"Going out again, Kaoru?" His mother came in from the kitchen and looked at him in surprise. "I heard you come in just a moment ago. Where are you going now?"
"Just to the river and back; I need to stretch my legs a bit. Don't worry. I'll be back before dinner."
"You were already gone when I woke up this morning. Did you have a match or something?"
He looked at the ground in embarrassment. "Not really. One of my.uh, friends needed help, so."
His little brother peered around the doorframe of the kitchen. "You have friends, 'Niisan? Since when?"
"Oh, don't start," Kaidoh snapped, putting on his sneakers. "Well, I'm on my way. See you in an hour or so."
He started off at a near-sprint, pushing his aching body into a full run. His muscles protested, then progressively accommodated to the rhythm he imposed, and the strain was gone. Endurance training demanded patience and tenacity. You had to be prepared to suffer, and keep on suffering. On good days, the running seemed to flow effortlessly, on bad days it was just hell. So what.
The whole thing at Meguro had been nerve-racking. What with the cold and the rain, everything that could have gone wrong, had, of course, gone wrong. And it was just his luck that Momoshiro had shown up, too. Sometimes Kaidoh called him Flirt-With-Anyone-In-A-Skirt-Momoshiro. If he'd known it extended to seventy year-old ladies trying to learn tennis. He really could live without seeing that. In comparison, Inui joining them was a pleasant surprise, even if Kaidoh couldn't figure out how Echizen had convinced the third-year. All in all, a shitty day spent at an unpaid shitty job with annoying people.
Such a small price to pay for Echizen's silence. He gave Kaidoh his word, and no matter what else you thought of the brat, you could trust him to keep it. Now that Kaidoh's side of the bargain was complete, the matter was closed; hopefully they'd never broach the subject again.
The burning in his chest and legs receded; He was back on an endorphin high and felt like running forever. A pity he promised to be back soon. Okay, time to slow down to a cruising pace, turn around and get on the way back. He looked forward to a hot bath.
That afternoon, while coming back from the locker room, Kaidoh had overheard Inui asking questions about him, and Echizen's carefully thought out replies.
"That thing I found on Tuesday? Oh, nothing really, just a scrawl on the back of a bookmark. Thought maybe he still needed it, so I didn't throw it."
Yep, Wonder Boy bluffed his way through it. If the whole thing wasn't such a mess, he might have found it amusing.
The snotty brat had the nerve to add, "What it meant? How should I know, I'm not psychic. Just ask Kaidoh-senpai."
Of course, Inui was pissed. At another time, Kaidoh would offer his help to plan revenge, but he owed it to Echizen not to interfere. After all, the boy had come across a sure way to humiliate him in front of the whole school, but had promised to never use it. In a reverse situation, he'd show no mercy.
Funny thing was, Echizen had told Kaidoh he felt far too flattered to hold any grudge. Probably thought his senpai was so dazzled by his tennis skills, that he'd taken to spying on him. Yeah, right. In an alternate universe, maybe. In Echizen's brain, everything revolved around tennis.
Rather convenient, for once. Anyone else would suspect Kaidoh of having a crush, and probably freak out something fierce. Then the only way out would probably be suicide. //My name is Kaoru Kaidoh, my only goal is to become a tennis champion. I just don't have time for stupid things like crushes. Give me some credit, for pity's sake.//
The last thing he needed was people starting to get the wrong idea.
The truth was much simpler than that. He needed to watch Echizen. No way he'd stare at the boy during training ---he couldn't afford that kind of distraction. Besides, he had a reputation to maintain.
It had taken him so long to gather all the little details of Echizen's days. Train schedule, school timetable, weekly library study. He even knew when the boy slipped away from his classmates to work on his backhand in the deserted gymnasium. Spotless data. Inui would be so proud.
Kaidoh's favorite moments were Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Echizen took advantage of a long lunch break to sneak to the roof for a nap. He fell asleep almost at once, and Kaidoh could watch him from very close.
Impossible to do, now that Echizen knew.
"Kaidoh-senpai," he had said that morning, "You won't learn anything useful by watching me study or sleep, but you're welcome to see me practice anytime."
Kaidoh couldn't decide what he wanted, snap the boy's neck or take him at his word. Echizen was just baiting him, so he kept my mouth shut, earning more sarcasm.
"And Senpai, when you feel ready, let's have another match. I'm dying to see the results of your.research."
//Don't worry, Echizen, one of these days I'll make you swallow your racket. Not just yet; I still can't concentrate properly when looking at you. Kicking your ass will rid me of that ridiculous obsession.
In the meantime, I have to stop following you around. And it's bloody killing me.//
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End of chapter Two
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Is it starting to make sense? Do review and let me know what you think. Feedback, good or bad, makes me happy.
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