Something black…and something that would help with his data. This would take Kaidoh awhile. Every time he chose something he'd debate on weather his senpai would like it or not. How…evil as Eiji would say sometimes.
"You've been looking at the same set of pens for three full minutes. Either get them or don't get them," said Ryoma looking out the store window.
Kaidoh glared at the younger boy hissing softly.
"Go get something for the idiot," he snapped.
Ryoma smirked.
"I already did. So you're trying to find something for Inui-senpai ne?" he replied.
Kaidoh felt his face heat up a little bit and looked away. How did the kid always see through everything? It wasn't fair!
"I thought so. So that's why it's taking you so long," said Ryoma teasingly.
"Leave me alone," hissed out Kaidoh.
Ryoma looked at the pens shaking his head.
"Mada Mada Da ne. They're not the kind he uses. Those bleed through paper," he said.
"And how do you know what pens Inui-senpai uses?" asked Kaidoh. He felt stupid in a way, he was closest to Inui and yet he didn't notice what type of pens he used. Not that it should really matter.
"Because you're picking out pens that are used for drawing. I don't think Inui-senpai draws are sketches anything unless it would be a graph. Plus you want to get something nice that will remind him of Japan since he's been in Europe for a while," explained Ryoma.
Kaidoh in a way thought that Ryoma had grown up a lot, and yet he still wanted to slap the hell out of the kid and tell him that it wasn't his business on what he was doing.
"What'd you get him?" asked Kaidoh trying to change the subject as Ryoma handed him the better set of pens. So Kaidoh instantly looked for a notebook. It would have no be nice something that maybe Inui wouldn't place data in because it was so nice.
"Hn. Chocolate and candies. A couple mangas that he's been wanting. A Namie Amuro and Asian Kung Fu Generation CD," replied Ryoma as Kaidoh flipped through a couple journals that were meant for gifts and not for school. Some covers were done in silk, some had engraved or sewed on kanji, some had different colored or designed beads on them.
"Fsshu, you spoil the idiot too much," said Kaidoh.
"It's the fact I have money to blow and Momo's like a little kid making a list. Plus the candy wasn't much. The CDs were on sale, and the manga was expensive," explained Ryoma shrugging.
Kaidoh had found a black notebook out of the many colorful ones. It had a leather cover and the pages were gold edged. It was nice. Maybe even nice enough to where Inui wouldn't write data in it and maybe just keep it for the sake of it being a gift from his kouhai.
Kaidoh paid for the gifts and they both strolled out the store. It was already night and very crowded. Inui would be shopping after him and Kaidoh hoped that he'd be okay out here. It was only 8:00 store kept open until 11:00 on the holidays usually. Despite the warmth of it being crowded and all, it was cold. Even if you were claustrophobic you'd be cold. It was a wonder that it didn't start to snow.
Ryoma and Kaidoh got out the crowded streets and headed home. Kaidoh crept upstairs to the bedroom only to find Inui there taking down data. He looked up from his work to see Kaidoh with bags in his hand.
He smiled at the sight of his kouhai entered the room, looking flustered but satisfied. Bags hung from his arms but Inui couldn't tell what store they came from or what contents were in the bag. .
"98 percent chance those are Christmas presents," Inui said.
Kaidoh flinched.
"Get out!" he ordered.
"I'm correct. I'll be honest with you that I don't go looking into other people's stuff. Your presents are perfectly safe from me," replied Inui.
Kaidoh glared.
"Doesn't matter, get out. You need to go shopping anyway so go!" he snapped.
Inui got up off the bed and grabbed his jacket.
"Alright, I'm getting out," he said.
Kaidoh sighed. Now why was he feeling a little bad for being a little bit cold to his senpai? He had done it to his senpai before, he had pushed him away without looking back. Why couldn't he do it now? Kaidoh took off his dark blue and green scarf.
"Senpai wait," he said.
Inui turned around to have Kaidoh wrap the scarf around his neck.
"Fshuu, it's cold out there. Be careful," he said turning around to hide his blush. He could feel though that his senpai was smiling. And then he heard the door close and then instantly got out the wrapping paper and started wrapping the presents he got for his family and Inui. He would be sure to hide them in a safe place because Inui could be sneaky.
Inui was fairly a patient person. So he let Momoshiro shop first. When the violet-eyed power player went into the jewelry store and got some small diamond encrusted earrings. Inui was stunned. Momoshiro had managed to mess up his data. Which was a first. Inui swore that Momoshiro would buy something for Echizen but instead Momoshiro was buying earrings. For which girl he had no idea. An or some other girl he flirts with probably.
Inui tried to guess to distract himself from the scarf that hung around his neck. Kaidoh's scent always tended to drive him crazy. It was like a cat with catnip. His scent was nice, very nice but they had never really often got close enough to eachother to where the scent would be so strong and warm. It was very comforting. It was like Kaidoh was here with him, when really he was back in their room, with a 77 percent chance that he was wrapping presents and hiding them in nice safe places.
Momo smiled at the box that held the earrings and said they need to head clothes shopping next. Inui was now even more confused. Momo usually hated clothes shopping, but obviously it was for this girl. They went into a brightly lit store. It was pretty crowded and Momo and Inui had to shove past people and stumble over hangers that were carelessly thrown on the nicely polished wooden floors of the store by customers. Momo ended up looking at a white sweater admiring it his glittering eyes when something caught Inui's eye.
A black jacket. It was a simple jacket, but it felt warm in Inui's hands. It would go pretty well with the scarf that he was wearing that was Kaidoh's and at the time and they only had one. It was about Kaidoh's size too. It was lightweight, but warm. Inui decided that this would be part of Kaidoh's Christmas present. He had also noticed that Kaidoh had a windbreaker on for a jacket when he came in from shopping, so no wonder he was so cold. This would most definitely keep him warm.
"Inui-senpai I'm finished shopping, we can get out of here and shop for you now," called out Momo from the register counter. Inui decided to buy the jacket as well and also decided to question Momoshiro as they headed down the concrete streets.
"Who's the lucky girl?" he asked.
Momo blinked.
"What girl?" he asked with his own question.
"The one you bought the earrings and sweater for," pointed out Inui.
Momo laughed.
"Ah it's not for a girl," he said.
"It's not?"
"Nope, it's for the kid," said Momo happily.
"Echizen? Last time I heard he didn't have his ears pierced," said Inui.
Momo grinned goofily.
"That's where you're wrong. He does, if brother made him because of their resemblance! So I decided to get him a new pair," he explained.
Inui was shocked. He hadn't noticed at all that Echizen had earrings in his ears. Inui shrugged that off as they headed into the tennis shop. The nice blue racket that Inui had saw when he first arrived back in Tokyo. It was going to be Kaidoh's now. Inui most definitely knew that Kaidoh had used the same racket from Junior High because tennis rackets that he liked to use were very expensive and he knew that Kaidoh didn't have such money for another racket… This one was in American money about 130 dollars. The strings were already tightened, the grip was the perfect, the frame was strong holding, and the paint wasn't likely to chip anytime soon. This was a nice racket. It was something that a pro would use to play a perfect game of tennis with.
"You're not getting that for mamushi are you? He'd wreck it to pieces!" exclaimed Momo in shock.
Inui sighed.
"You really should stop calling him 'mamushi' Momoshiro, he really doesn't like it when you call him that and it gets old after a while. And yes I'm buying him this racket, he takes care of his tennis gear unlike someone I know who hasn't bothered to even tighten the strings to replace the grip tape on his racket," replied Inui.
Momo made a face.
"Don't nag me," he said pouting a little.
Inui just shrugged and paid for the racket. He'd have to be even sneakier with the gifts he got than Kaidoh would be.
(A/N: The catnip line got to me the most. Maybe that's why Karupin is so attracted to Kaidoh. LOL! And Inui as well though. It's really odd how I thought of that. So what kind of nip is it? I have an urge to call Kaidoh's scent Inui-nip because it attracts Inui. Hmm.. Inui-nip and Kaidoh-nip…Oh god…I'm crazy! Anyway once again thank you for all the reviews in Chapter Seven! You guys rock! Anyway, here's a little side story for this chapter being short...-.- This mini-story might also be a part of my prequel so..here's a little mini-part.
The Last Sunset
It seemed like a chain or a little line of dominos. One by one each would fall. First it was Tezuka leaving, then the brat Echizen who headed off to America, and then Eiji and Oishi leaving for Nagasaki to live their own lives. Kaidoh felt left behind some how, he had no idea why, it just felt like something was being kept from him. He trained as usual, went to school, everything. Inui would meet up with him later to check on his progress and Kaidoh looked forward to it. Inui and him were the only ones who hadn't truly moved on. Momoshiro was a wreck after Ryoma leaving, which kept Kaidoh to babysit the idiot no matter how loudly Momoshiro would protest that he didn't need to be checked on once a week, Kaidoh did just to make sure he wasn't going to die from the mess in his room. Fuji...Fuji was a complete wreck. A broken doll that if anything could never be fixed again. That was all thanks to Tezuka leaving without telling them and even telling him where he was off to. Eiji and Oishi wanted to live happily and left for Nagasaki but still checked in and came into town often to see everyone.
Kaidoh felt so tiny for being the same as always, but it seemed like a good thing. Nothing had major had changed with him yet. He swung his racket again to strengthen his arm. He wanted to be the best and make a title in tennis so he could be just as good as Ryoma and Tezuka. That was his ultimate goal.
"Kaidoh," said a voice.
Kaidoh whirled around to see Inui standing near the street and went down to meet Kaidoh at the river. With Inui he had his notebook and some ramen in plastic bags.
"Inui-senpai," greeted Kaidoh.
Inui smiled and sat down on the ground and patted a place near him ordering Kaidoh to sit. Kaidoh obeyed and a cup of ramen was handed to him.
"For you. Eat," said Inui.
"Itadakimasu."
They both ate watching the sunset and cars on the bridge. Kaidoh wondered why there was such an uncomfortable silence. Something was wrong, very wrong.
"Kaidoh, this will be last time I'll be with you for a long time... You understand right?" asked Inui.
Kaidoh jumped and his eyes went wide. W-what did Inui mean that he wouldn't be here for a long time.
"S-senpai, what?" asked Kaidoh his voice trembling.
Inui sighed, his eyes still on the sun as he replied,"I got the offer in Europe to study there. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
Kaidoh took some deep breaths and tried not to cry. He knew it was Inui's dream to do research in London, but he didn't think it would be this soon... Not like this. Not tomorrow...so soon.
"That's so soon," he whispered.
Inui stood up and looked at Kaidoh his fingers digging into his palms.
"I'm sorry," said Inui.
"There's nothing to be sorry for," replied Kaidoh and with that Kaidoh walked off, never looking back. When he got home he shut himself in his room and cried for a very long time...