Chapter 2

By Katty

Even though the term had started out in late summer it felt like no time before the season had barreled on into autumn and the tennis practices that had seemed difficult at first were now on the verge of killing everyone. Oishi had been sure that the practices in Junior High had been the most impossible ever, and that no one could be a harder taskmaster than Tezuka when his eyes where set on a goal. But, while Ryuzaki-sensei had a decidedly hands-off approach to instructing her team, Kochi-Yagi had studied in America for many years, and was, most likely as a direct result, far more...militant. [1]

Over the pounding of his feet heart, Oishi could just barely hear the thunderous bark of orders. "One more lap, then target serving!" Oishi could swear he recognized outright glee in the coach's voice even through the wheezing breath of the entire team. "And if the team doesn't make enough serves we go for forty laps, then serving again, then fifty laps.... Is that whining I hear? Just remember, it's up to you guys when we go home!"

With a bit of effort Oishi turned his head to the side, eager to make encouraging comments, but nobody was there. Oishi blinked the sweat from his eyes just to be sure he wasn't seeing things, or rather wasn't not seeing things. Still, not a trace of that familiar damp, yet bouncy hair. Oishi turned to face back forward, eyes scanning until they settled on a shock of red several paces ahead of him as the team slowed to a stop, laps finally done. The team formed a sort of vague line with the bold and barely panting regulars heading straight to front, determined to start the percentage high even if the ratio of successes fell steadily as more of the team had an opportunity to serve.

Oishi didn't even notice when his serve hit the target cone.

There was a chaotic sort of crowded shuffle in the locker room after practice. It was loud, as per usual, but laden with a deep lethargy that only a truly strenuous practice can inspire. Oishi watched the world go by at half-speed as he tugged his shoes into place, grabbed his bag, then searched the low benches. Eiji was wedged between Sasuga-sempai, a third year regular, and a second year who's name Oishi didn't know, intently studying the gray cement floor, practice clothes still very much in place.

Oishi blinked in surprise at his teammate. While Eiji usually lagged behind when it came to getting cleaned up after practice by jumping into conversations or getting distracted by a spot on his shoe, he was never this slow. Oishi had felt that he was just barely crawling along himself, but Eiji's odd lethargy stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Eiji?" The redhead jumped like he'd just been caught clawing the furniture, bumping into the second year next to him, who swung his bag rather violently and left with the rest of his group.

"Jeez! Watch it will ya?" he yelled back over his shoulder.

Eiji looked distantly in the direction his sempai stomped off in for a long moment, before he called after with a belated "sorry" the vague expression on his face indicating that he wasn't entirely sure what he was apologizing for.

Oishi studied his partner; brows pulling together as he considered what he was seeing, then tried to think of something to say. He looked around the clubroom. It was starting to empty now, the remaining players congregating in chatty groups around the doors. Oishi took in a deep lungful of air.

"Is something bothering you?"

"Hm?" he looked up and noticed Oishi hovering, and smiled inside. "Mmm...not really. Just drained, you know." He paused a moment and looked intently out the door. "It's ju..."

The words cut off abruptly at a muffled squeal from deep within Oishi's bag. A soft wordless exclamation of surprise escaped Eiji's hovering doubles partner, who immediately started digging through his duffel. Over the noise of the shuffling contents and the high-pitched electronic clang, Eiji thought he heard a brief "sorry, gotta take this," yet over the ringing in his ears he couldn't be entirely sure.

Eiji could see Oishi calmly answering his phone and understand that the other boy was having a conversation with a person who was not there, but Eiji couldn't hear a thing. The entire exchanged seemed far away and underwater...in a bag, as the ringing continued to pierce his skull, and only the gentle smacking sound of Oishi's cell snapping shut brought Eiji's hearing back.

Oishi looked down as he put his phone back in his bag, then sighed loudly as he looked back at his doubles partner. "You were saying..?" Only the part of Eiji's hair was visible, weirdly pale against the blood red strands. Oishi felt himself frown "Eiji? What's wrong?"

His bent head shook back and forth ever so slightly. "Mnn," he intoned vaguely, "'s nothin'. Just tired, 'hats all."

Eiji's voice seemed small in the cement lined room and not at all like words, just sounds that didn't mean what they were saying.

Oishi just set down his bag then immediately started to reorganize it, eyes absorbed in the task before him. "Hmm, I see." The sound of the zipper made Eiji jump. Oishi picked up his ridiculously heavy bag with a little groan then turned to face his double's partner his smile pleasant. "Then just take it easy tomorrow, Eiji." He turned to head toward the door, but the faintly desperate call of "Oishi?" made him stop and turn.

"Yes, Eiji?"

The boy did not look up, "How long have you had a cell phone?"

Oishi started at the question, eyes lifting slightly upwards as he considered, "Hmm... A few weeks I guess, maybe almost a month." Oishi tilted his head as he considered the slumped redhead. "I thought you knew about it."

A little shake of Eiji's head was the only response.

Oishi could only reply with a tense little "oh."

Oishi turned and headed out the door, turning back before he exited, "I've got to get going now." A long beat of nothing that set Oishi's teeth on edge consumed the locker room. He blindly grabbed the knob, "See you later then, okay?" and shut the club room door.

As he made his way slowly but purposefully out of the club room, Oishi tried very hard to occupy his mind with nothing in particular, allowing his feet to take him to the front gate of the school by muscle memory alone. A small stone went tumbling in front of his feet and into the grass. As he watched it, his eyes caught on a figure walking out off in the distance by the small side gate that most students never used. He jumped with recognition and started to jog, hand waving.

"Taka-san!" The former teammate jumped and turned, but then waved at Oishi, smile pleasant on his face.

Oishi jogged to a halt, breath coming a little heavier, as he rested his hands on his knees for a moment. Taka smiled, "Looks like you just had a tough practice."

Oishi looked up and gave a kind of half smile, "Well, I've had worse." He straightened himself out as his breathing evened, "It's been a while hasn't it?" The tone was kind, if a little distant. It really had been a while since he'd talked with Taka.

"You're right, it has. We just don't see each other very often." Taka looked down as his hand came up the rub at the back of his head. "I don't really see much of the old team at all, except for Kikumaru-kun and Fuji."

Oishi smiled warmly. "Well it's only natural that you see those two. You do see then in class everyday, and I know you've been busy, so..." Oishi paused for a bare instance mid-sentence. "Don't you have sushi classes right after school?"

Taka blinked, thrown by the quick shift in thought. "Mmm...yes, but..." he took a minute to gather his thoughts, "I didn't have class tonight and I have a report due on Monday, so I spent some time in the library preparing." He looked up at Oishi before visibly steeling himself and pressing onward. "More importantly," Taka winced a bit as the words came out too loudly then continued in a softer tone, "how are you doing?"

Green eyes blinked twice and confusion painted little lines between Oishi's brows, "I've been doing just fine." He smiled tensely, "Nothing really happening to tell you the truth." He glanced down at his watch, conveniently interrupting himself, "Oh, look at the time." Oishi looked up with his painted smile, "I've got to be going now." He took a step back starting to turn, "Let's get together sometime, when I can stay and talk longer." He waved over his shoulder as he turned back toward the gate.

Taka reached out a hand to get his attention for just one more moment, but Oishi had already frozen mid-step. Taka looked at Oishi confused for an instant, before he followed the other boy's gaze and saw Eiji making his way towards the front gate.

Oishi snapped himself together as he watched the no doubt exhausted Eiji jogging across campus, allowing his feelings of frustration at his partner grow. He raised a hand and started to shout, "Ei.." before something grabbed his attention.

The first detail that Oishi noticed was the pleated blue hemline swinging in the gentle breeze, the second was the neon pink backpack, followed closely by the cropped blond hair and knee-high socks. It was only after she had waved and jogged over to meet Eiji halfway and the red-haired tennis player offered to carry her bag which she handed over while simultaneously taking his as they walked out the front gate, that Oishi was able to consolidate all the details into any sort of observation.

Eiji was talking with a girl...and laughing with her...and walking with her.

Oishi suddenly felt as if his stomach was lying on the ground.

"Taka-san." He didn't move an inch as he asked, didn't even blink. "Who was that just now?"

"Eh?" Taka blinked in surprise then looked at the ground, "Ashiwara Kimiko- san, third-year, girl's volleyball team captain," he paused, waiting for some sort of recognition on Oishi's part, "you know, Eiji's girlfriend." He looked at the back of Oishi's head. "I thought you knew about it."

A little shake of his head was the only response Oishi could manage.

And Taka could only reply with a tense little "oh."

Japanese notes: "Coach" (English)
(Note: Again with the bad English. Here I just wanted to make clear the
fact that Yagi was making his players call him 'coach.'

Please R&R