Author's Note: I'm a maniac! This is definitely my fluffiest chapter so far... We've kind of strayed from the whole bell thing O.o... Don't worry; it comes back.

Enjoy!

The bell disappeared with the beginning of eighth grade, along with Captain Yamato, which made sense. I didn't forget about it though. I just thought it was gone. I would still hear it faintly in my head sometimes when Eiji moved, especially while playing tennis. I got used to it. Every so often, I would hear it without seeing my partner, like if he tried to sneak up behind me on the way home from school. Then I would turn around and scare him more than he had been planning to scare me, just by saying hi.

Eighth grade was an interesting year. Eiji and I were regulars now, if only for our doubles playing. Under Captain Yamato's training, we had mastered a very solid doubles strategy. The technique of it was nearly flawless, but sometimes… we were a little off.

Eiji would get frustrated whenever we messed up like that. Well… sometimes he'd be frustrated. Other times he would be okay and try to reassure me that I hadn't let him down. Still other times he would give me a hurt look that said exactly the opposite. What scared me the most was when he didn't say anything, or even turn around.

I took it upon myself to fix these holes in our game. It was my job. I was supposed to support him so he was free to play his net game unhindered. I had to match his rhythm, which was another place where I soon discovered the bell had helped. But that device could do no more for me. I got a little creative.

One day, Eiji had invited me over to help him study for an algebra test. Of course, it ended up that I was doing most of the work. He decided he'd play video games upside down while lying on his bed. I told him he could continue if he promised to study with me when he lost all of his lives. He agreed.

Eiji was very good at video games when he wanted to be.

I had been waiting for over fifteen minutes when my mind wandered back to tennis, as it often did. I strained myself to figure out a way to fix our synchronization. No idea came.

I idly watched the screen, not really seeing what was on it, but knowing Eiji wasn't even nearly finished. We already knew each other so well. Everyone made mistakes like we did, right? But it was impossible for me not to desire perfection. To do that, though, I'd have to know my partner absolutely to perfection, inside and out.

What had helped before? The bell had helped. I tried to figure out why. It had triggered my reflexes with sound. And it helped me find Eiji's rhythm. There were certain beats that it always rang on…

Suddenly an idea came. I looked at my friend, who was still lying on his back with his head hanging over the edge of the bed. I didn't even know if my idea would work, but why not try?

"Eiji, can you hold still a moment?"

"Sure, whatever," he said flatly, not really listening.

I gently laid my ear to his chest, listening for his heartbeat. Thump-thump… thump-thump…

"What the heck are you doing? Oishi! You made me lose a life." I could hear his heartbeat speed up slightly as he angrily clicked on the controls.

"Shh… I'm listening." I was determined to memorize this.

The only response he could come up with was, "You're weird."

I spent a good half-hour listening like that. If his heartbeat and his breathing weren't the rhythms I needed to learn, nothing was. And nothing would help us anymore. This seemed rather meticulous, but I figured that if we wanted to improve, we had to be picky.

From then on, I listened to his heartbeat whenever I got the chance. He rarely let me do it, even when we were alone in one of our rooms. He still thought it was a little more than weird. But whenever we had a sleepover, I would wait until he fell asleep and then lay my head on his chest again, listening. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. It would lull me into a peaceful sleep.

Our game improved. It seemed I always knew exactly what my partner was going to do, like second nature. There were still hiccups, though. Eiji would sometimes skip a beat, unsure of himself. We had moved on to the next problem. Eiji didn't trust me completely.

I kept assuring him that I had him covered. He knew that, and he was sure to let me know that he knew, sometimes getting very upset with me for supposedly implying that he was stupid. The problem was so slight that I became convinced that it must have stemmed from somewhere other than the tennis court. Once again, I was determined to fix it.

It was through these attempts that I learned one thing: Eiji was a free spirit. I could tell he didn't really want to depend on me. This was amplified by the fact that he was really moody that year. The whole growing process came to him in an ugly package: growing pains, changing voice, and violent mood swings.

Everything in me wanted to help him. Everything in him wanted to push me away. But he didn't. I don't know why this was. Either he needed a good friend to get through this stage in his life, or he was slowly letting himself need me. I didn't see this at the time. There were many times I was ready to give up; many times when I was sure he hated me.

That Christmas, my family planned a vacation to visit some relatives a little farther north. When I told Eiji, he just shrugged and said, "Sounds fun. At least you won't be bored over the holiday."

I looked over at him. He was leaning over a railing, looking out towards the ocean, and eating strawberry ice cream. It had been bright and sunny that winter day, so it was a little warmer than it had been for almost a month. The sun was low in the sky, making the water and nearby snowdrifts and everything seem to sparkle. I couldn't think of anything to say. I didn't want to leave over break. I wanted to stay and spend Christmas with Eiji. I had come to hate the thought of being away for a week. But he seemed fine. In some strange way, I was jealous.

I spent that night at his house. We watched movies, played video games, and talked about nothing in particular. His smile and laughter made me forget about the trip. I convinced myself that we'd both be fine, and fell asleep listening to his heartbeat again.

I stayed at his house the next day. We played video games after lunch, and I was beating Eiji, something that almost never happened. He kept interjecting things like, "You suck!" and "That was so cheap!" and "Jerk!" His voice was rising in pitch with every insult. At first I didn't think he was really so frustrated, and I sort of laughed it off inwardly. Then I realized he was really upset.

"Eiji, we don't have to play if—"

"No," he interrupted. And the game went on.

I was at a loss. He had never done this before… Whenever he lost to me at anything, like cards or board games, he would say he hadn't been trying, or shrug it off in some other way with a smile or a giggle. Maybe he was just being moody today.

The game was over and I had beaten my doubles partner pretty badly. He threw his controller. "You're so stupid!"

"Eiji, that was luck. You always win at that game," I stuttered.

"Shut up! Why are you always so… so…" He couldn't find the word, and his temper exploded. "I HATE you! Go away!" he screamed.

"Eiji—"

"GET OUT!" I dodged whatever he threw at me, but I was out the door with my things before I could figure out what it had been.

Eiji's mom met me in the entryway just as I was heading out the door. "Oh, Oishi. You're leaving?"

"Yeah. Thanks for everything, Mrs. Kikumaru!" I called as I ran out onto the sidewalk and took off for home.

I stopped running after a few blocks. I considered going back. If Eiji was left to fume by himself, he might hate me forever… What had happened? Was it something I said? Or was it really just the stupid game? I didn't think Eiji would get so upset over something so little…

I figured that I must have been the problem. He had tried to tell me how I frustrated him, but couldn't get the words out… What was it that he wanted to say?

I couldn't figure out anything, the whole way home. But on the doorstep of my house, I concluded something. I had to fix this. I couldn't leave him over my holiday.

My parents were very obliging. I would say they understood, but they admitted themselves that they had no clue why I felt I had to stay. My mother said the trip meant a lot to her, but I insisted that I couldn't go. She sighed. I felt guilty. But I stood by my decision, and she said I could stay as long as I found a friend I could stay with. Of course, my first thought was Eiji, but he was still mad at me… I figured I'd ask him anyway. It would be a good opportunity to tell him that I wanted to make things right.

I talked to him the next day after school, on our way home. He wasn't exactly happy to see me. My friend was good at holding grudges.

After a terrible pause, I blurted, "I'm not leaving for vacation, Eiji. I'm staying here."

He stopped, ahead of me. I braced myself, thinking he was angry. I even closed my eyes, expecting him to yell again.

Nothing.

I looked back up at him. He was just staring at me. He wasn't angry. He looked like he was about to cry.

I felt concern kick in. "Eiji, what's the matter?"

He didn't move. "You're… not leaving?"

For the first time in a while, I couldn't read him. I was about to tell him I would go if he wanted me to, when he collapsed into my arms.

"You'll stay at my house, right?"

I was shocked. Everything became suddenly clear again. I smiled, almost laughing from relief. "Of course I will."

Eiji had been so afraid that I would leave, and he never wanted me to. I brushed the newly falling snow off his red hair as he snuggled slightly into my jacket. That's why he'd been so frustrated. And he'd been trying so hard to hide it. Now I understood. I understood everything. And I finally saw that Eiji needed me, and he trusted me, and I understood him.

From then on, things were never the same.

Christmas at the Kikumaru household was the most fun I'd had in years. There were so many people, so many presents… It was always warm in that living room, by the tree. On the evening of the twenty-fifth, after the festivities were over and everyone was asleep and I knew I'd be back at home by the afternoon of the next day, I went down the stairs and turned on the Christmas tree lights. Then I just sat on the floor in front of it, leaning against the couch. I closed my eyes.

After a few minutes, I felt someone sit next to me. I didn't have to open my eyes to know who it was. "Merry Christmas, Eiji."

"Thanks for the video game." He scooted closer to me.

"You're welcome. Thanks for the CD."

"No problem." He sighed happily. "Merry Christmas, Oishi."

We watched the blinking lights on the tree, silently telling each other how happy we were just being there. We looked over at each other at the same time and smiled. The colors were dancing in Eiji's eyes like magic.

"Oishi, this was the best Christmas ever."