Chapter Twenty-Four: Hit or Miss
Disclaimer: I still don't own Prince of Tennis… except in my own personal fantasy world. Which, apparently, doesn't count. XD
Author's Note: Here's chapter twenty-four! Remember, the complete Author's Note for this fic is posted in chapter one. But here are the warnings, summarized for your convenience: May contain spoilers/ shonen-ai/ not-shonen-ai/ please review/ I force flamers to watch the entire PoT series with me over and over and ovvveerrrr. Lol.
At long last, it's chapter twenty-four! This was a difficult chapter for me to write, but I hope you all enjoy it now that it's finished. Thank you so much for your patience during the wait… It's another long chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it. Well, let me know what you all think of chapter twenty-four!
What is the worth of ambition? What is your dream?
Did you realize why you gave yourself away?
Or were you looking for something else?
Open your eyes. You have to make up your mind.
Otherwise, it will be too late.
…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Oishi glanced up from the television, surprised. He hadn't expected anyone to be visiting Eiji's apartment this early, unless it was Momo, who had mysteriously disappeared before dawn that morning. But Momo should have had a key…
Rising from the couch, he glanced toward the side hallway and smiled a little. Eiji still wasn't awake, and he knew for a fact that the redhead was tired. So there wasn't anyone to stop the former vice captain from answering the door himself.
Of all the people Oishi would have expected to find at the door, however, Tezuka was definitely last on the list. And yet, there he was at Eiji's door, all the same.
"Tezuka?" Oishi asked as he opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
Instead of answering right away, Tezuka bowed his head slightly and entered the apartment. Sparing a quick glance toward the living room, he then turned his gaze back to his former teammate and held something out to him. It was at that point that Oishi noticed that Tezuka was holding a newspaper.
"What's this?" he inquired, taking it from Tezuka's hands. But no sooner had the question left his mouth than it was answered with his own eyes, which instantly fell on the following headline…
TENNIS STAR ECHIZEN RYOMA TO APPEAR IN TOKYO PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY!
For a split second, Oishi felt his breath catch in his throat. But he quickly dismissed his own shock.
As he hastily skimmed the article, he addressed Tezuka once more. "Did Echizen say anything about this?"
The former captain shook his head. "He didn't say a word, at least not to me."
Oishi's eyes grew thoughtful as he scanned the print. The article had only scant information on the conference, barely mentioning an approximate time and place. It seemed as though the event had been scheduled in a hurry.
"It says here that Echizen is planning to return to America shortly after the conference," he noted quietly, pointing to the last paragraph of the story.
"I know." Tezuka's response was almost blank.
Oishi looked back up at his friend, a sympathetic expression on his face. "Did you try to call him?"
"I did." Tezuka sighed and began walking toward the living room. Oishi followed him.
"What did he say?" persisted Oishi, only to be interrupted by a correction from the former captain.
"I couldn't get ahold of him. I left a message, but he hasn't called back."
Oishi frowned. "That's odd…"
"No one else could get ahold of him either," Tezuka suddenly added. "I talked with Inui, but he said that Echizen's cell phone cut to his voice mail and that his hotel line never picked up."
The taller man sighed once more, sitting down almost wearily on the couch in the living room. Oishi just stood there, staring off into space, thinking about this.
"So what does that mean?" he wondered at last.
There was a pause, as Tezuka and Oishi glanced at each other.
"It means that he isn't saying goodbye."
- - - - - - - - -
When was the last time I told you…?
I care about you more than I could ever say.
…
The inside of the Kawamura sushi shop was completely silent, when the sound of a door sliding open broke through the stillness. Taka glanced up from where he was arranging the knives, as he was getting ready for the day's work. He was expecting to see Kimiko standing in the doorway, paying him a visit before leaving for her part-time job, as she sometimes did.
Much to his surprise, though, his visitor wasn't Kimiko.
It was Fuji.
"Fuji, what are you doing here?" Taka quickly set the cooking utensils aside and started making his way toward the visitor.
"Please, don't stop your work on my account," Fuji interrupted, gesturing back toward the counter. "I know you're busy."
Obediently, Taka made his way back to the cutting board, but he shook his head even as he did so. "I'm not busy yet. There won't be any customers for a while now."
"That's true," Fuji assented faintly, the usual smile masking his face. He glanced around the shop for a moment, and then he slowly made his way up to the counter to sit on one of the stools.
"Is Kimiko-chan here today?" the tensai asked suddenly. Taka looked up in surprise, but Fuji's head was turned away from him.
"No, I didn't expect her today," Taka answered after a moment, very quietly.
There was a painful pause, as Taka picked up a knife and resumed his task of sharpening the blade. As for Fuji, he just started off into space.
It wasn't because the tensai didn't know what to say, however.
It was because there was too much to say.
…
WHAM!
Fuji looked up at his friend, horrified. He was in complete shock. Of course, he had deserved this. He knew that. He had practically asked for it. He had hurt someone who hadn't done anything wrong. He had strung the girl along and then dropped her like a rock.
Of course he deserved it.
But Taka was the last person on earth that Fuji would have expected to deliver such a punishment.
Taka was his friend. He was kind, too kind, even. He was sympathetic. No matter what Fuji did, Taka understood. Taka forgave him, even when he did something horrible without a single excuse... Even when he accidentally dropped his mask and let his own twisted face show through. Yes, even when Fuji was at his worst, Taka was always there for him.
Not today, however. Today, Taka had hit Fuji right across the face, in an absolute rage.
Fuji could see it now, of course. He could see what had been bothering his friend for months. He could see why, whenever Fuji would mention Hoshina Kimiko, Taka would look unusually concerned and inquire after the girl's well-being. He could see why Taka had always suggested that Fuji should be kinder to her.
He could see why. Taka loved her.
And as if the very floor had been pulled out from underneath him, Fuji Shusuke felt as though his own world had shattered.
Suddenly, everything that Fuji wanted seemed more unreachable than ever. If a steady rock like Kawamura Takashi couldn't keep from falling, than what in the universe could?
In the blind wrath of that fist, Fuji realized that his own reality was already broken.
…
"You never forgave yourself, did you?" Fuji murmured suddenly, with his blue eyes open but downcast.
Taka looked up from his work in surprise, but his expression instantly fell.
"How could I, Fuji?" he replied, almost under his breath. "I hurt my dearest friend."
The tensai's eyes remained focused, almost too intensely, on the countertop in front of him.
"I deserved it, though," the tensai said at last.
But that statement lit a spark in the future sushi chef's eyes. He dropped his knife on the counter with a startling clang! and walked straight over to where Fuji was sitting.
"Listen to me, Fuji," he began, very firmly. He bent over slightly, pressing his hand on top of Fuji's slender ones, which had been resting lightly on the counter. Searchingly, he gazed into those sky blue irises, trying to see behind them.
"Listen to me," he repeated. "You never deserved that. It was my mistake, and mine alone. What I did that day was not your fault."
Even as he spoke, the more Taka stared into those shining eyes, the more he realized that words weren't enough.
…
Taka stared in horror at the ugly red mark that was already forming on Fuji's cheek. Of course, it hadn't been an accident. Taka had known all along what he was doing, and he had intended to hit Fuji, as hard as he could. And he had done it. When his fist had smashed firmly across that delicate cheekbone, Taka had felt a decided sense of satisfaction.
But now, staring at that betrayed look in those blue eyes, Taka wished that he were dead.
Of course he loved Hoshina Kimiko. She was a beautiful girl, someone that Taka had admired for two years straight. And she hadn't deserved the hell that Fuji had been serving her with a smile. No, it was unfair, and it was wrong, and it had been tearing at his heart for months…
But Fuji was his friend. He had always admired his former teammate. Even his newfound love for Kimiko was grounded in the realization that she reminded him of the tensai…
They were both beautiful, and they were both made of glass, even though they pretended to be as strong as iron.
But still, Taka had been unable to ignore his feelings for Kimiko, even though he wanted to remain loyal to Fuji as his friend. It had been a burden on his mind for months. But suddenly, when he had heard that Fuji had dumped the girl as cruelly as he possibly could and told her to get out of his life…
Taka had snapped.
The future sushi chef hadn't gone into his infamous 'Burning' mode for two years. Since he had given up his tennis racquet in his third year of junior high, he had no need of that legendary other half to his personality. But in that moment, when he first heard about what Fuji had done, his more aggressive side had suddenly exploded to the surface. And he had found Fuji and hit the much smaller man right across the face.
In that moment, caught between his two sides, Taka felt it.
In hitting Fuji, his split personality vanished. He would be unable to use it again. His two sides had come together into one coherent form, though that single action.
In a strange way, maybe his wish to die had come true.
…
"You never deserved it," Taka insisted again, averting his eyes from the tensai's silent stare. "I just lost my self-control that day… And that's why I can't forgive myself."
Quietly, Fuji slipped one of his hands out from under Taka's gentle grasp. He set it back down on top of the taller man's hand, pressing his fingers lightly against it as he did so. For a moment, he gazed at their hands without a word.
But then, he looked back up at Taka, and his own eyes had a kind of spark in them.
"And yet, I forgive you. I always have," he said firmly. "The question is whether or not you can forgive me, Taka-san."
Taka looked almost startled for a moment, but then his face grew very serious.
"What do I have to forgive you for, Fujiko-chan?" (1)
The little nickname had left his mouth before he realized it, and he couldn't resist a slight smile. It had been a long time since he had called the tensai by that name.
Fuji even smiled for the memory's sake, but his blue eyes remained serious, even sorrowful.
"Could you ever forgive me for the way I treated her?" he said at last.
There was a moment of silence, but Taka then gave Fuji's hand a slight squeeze.
"It's not my place to forgive you for that," Taka explained calmly, looking at the tensai. "But if it were, of course I would forgive you. And I know that she forgives you as well."
Fuji smiled, not without a hint of pain.
"That's so like you. Both of you. You're too kind to me, you know," he murmured. After pausing for a moment, his eyes met Taka's once again.
"You always knew, didn't you?" he said very softly. For a moment, Taka looked confused, so Fuji quickly added, "About me. About my…"
Somehow, Fuji still couldn't quite bring himself to choke out the word 'illness.' But now Taka understood exactly what Fuji meant.
"I was never really sure," Taka answered, with a slight shake of his head. "You're impossible to read, you know… But when Kimiko-chan figured it out, she told me about it. And then, I finally knew why."
There was a painful moment of silence, as the faint shadows of unpleasant memories passed through their minds.
"I want you to know that I never blamed you for any of it," Taka said at last, with another hesitant smile. "She didn't either. And we both… We always wanted you to be happy, Fuji. That's all we want for you."
Taka watched as Fuji quickly closed his eyes shut, into his usual smiling expression. Except this time, the mask was to hide the tears that had started to form in those blue eyes.
"You are too kind," Fuji said again, barely louder than a whisper. But then he paused, as though thinking to himself, perhaps of someone else who was also too kind.
…
"I want you to be happy. I want you and Buchou to be happy together…"
"…I want you to be happy, Fuji-senpai."
…
"So you want me to be happy, hm?" the tensai murmured after a moment. He then stood up from his seat, with his fingers still pressed around Taka's hand.
Somewhat confused, Taka gave his friend an awkward nod, which made Fuji's smile get a little wider.
"I believe I can do that for you, Taka-san," Fuji confirmed, with his angelic voice sounding unusually determined. "I can be happy, for you, and for Kimiko-chan. For you both."
The tensai glanced down at their joined hands once again, and then he laughed a little.
"After all, it's high time that I start to live again, the way I used to live… For someone else, and not for myself."
His eyes opened again for a moment, still shining with tears. And in that instant, Taka saw something that he had never seen before in Fuji's eyes, something that took his breath away.
"You know," the tensai was murmuring. "I did think once… Taka-san, you and I always were…"
But Fuji never finished his sentence. Instead, he donned his smiling mask once more and looked back up at his former teammate.
"Well," he interrupted himself cheerfully. "There's no use for that now. And we will be happy, won't we?"
Just before Fuji pulled his hands away, Taka nodded once last time, with his warm smile.
"I hope we will, Fujiko-chan."
- - - - - - - - -
Click. Click. Click click click. Click.
Kaidoh Kaoru wasn't the type of person to be annoyed by repetitive sounds. Unless the person who was making them was actually trying to be annoying, he couldn't have cared less. Besides, the constant rhythm of his roommate typing on his laptop was such a familiar cadence to his ears that he hardly noticed it anymore.
Well, usually he hardly noticed. For some reason, though, today it was really starting to grate on his nerves.
Click. Click click. Click. Click!
Silently, Kaidoh walked over to the miniature freezer, pulling out a bottle of water. Of course, he wouldn't even think of touching the soda cans in there, and he usually preferred to buy a specific brand of bottled water at the convenience store. At the moment, though, anything was a welcome distraction.
He walked back toward the nightstand, as he carefully screwed open the lid. As he came closer, he noticed the newspaper lying on the top of the table. Of course, he'd already read the headline earlier that morning, when his senpai had first discovered the news. But it still surprised him.
TENNIS STAR ECHIZEN RYOMA TO APPEAR IN TOKYO PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY!
"Do you really think he's leaving, senpai?" he asked suddenly, causing a momentary pause in the incessant clicking noise.
"Hard to say, Kaidoh," Inui replied after a split second. The data man didn't once look away from the computer screen.
"Aren't you going to run a diagnostic---" But Inui interrupted the snakelike teenager with a slight cough.
"As for that, I think I've proven to myself that it's useless to try to predict that sort of thing."
There was another moment of silence, and then the distinctly percussive sound resumed once again…
Click click click! Click, click. Click. Click!
"Besides, Echizen will do what he thinks is best for him," added Inui, as he continued to type. "We couldn't ask anything more of him than that."
Kaidoh was silent, thinking about this, trying to ignore the distracting rhythm of the keyboard. He sat down on the side of his bed, eyes still focused on the black newsprint.
Click. Click click click. Click, click! Click.
Before Kaidoh even knew it, his eyes had wandered against their will, over to the desk where his roommate was sitting. He stared almost vacantly at the familiar curve of his senpai's cheekbone, the way his glasses rigidly framed his face and then tucked behind his ear, the subtle shape of that long neck…
Kaidoh frowned, willing himself to look away. He was always doing this. Staring at his senpai when he was sure that the data man wasn't looking… He really had to stop it, or someday it would certainly come back to haunt him. He could only imagine how awkward that moment would be…
…
"Say, Kaidoh, I have an offer to make you. How about coming to room with me during college?"
…
Firmly, Kaidoh set the water bottle down on the nightstand, staring intently at the way that the clear liquid glimmered behind the plastic.
When Inui had asked him to come live with him in Kyushu, of course Kaidoh had accepted the offer. He had always respected his senpai. Inui had only become an even better tennis player while they were in high school, and his knowledge already seemed limitless. Besides, Inui was the only person out of all his former teammates that Kaidoh felt had never really changed. He was secretly grateful for that.
And so he had gone to live with Inui in Kyushu. He hadn't once regretted his decision. Inui had never disappointed him. Through the past year and half, he had remained the same dependable person that Kaidoh had first met over six years ago.
But slowly, Kaidoh had come to realize that he himself had changed.
At first, he hadn't understood it. He had always respected Inui, and even regarded him as a friend, which was not like him in the first place. Kaidoh wasn't much for making friends… People either annoyed him or they didn't. And of course, Inui didn't annoy him. But the way he felt about Inui was never that simple. That much, Kaidoh had understood from the very beginning.
For a few months after the move, Kaidoh had decided that his feelings were just those of a very good friend. But somewhere along the way, his senpai became even more important to him than that. And then one night, when Inui had said goodnight and vanished into his bedroom, Kaidoh's eyes had followed his senpai so intently that he suddenly realized the truth.
It wasn't that he was simply grateful to Inui, that he appreciated his senpai's friendship and enjoyed his company. All those things were true, but they had only served to conceal the most important reality from Kaidoh's understanding.
No, there was much more to it than that.
He was in love with his roommate.
Once he realized that, it all seemed clear to him. It was an uncomfortable truth, something that he would rather have died than admit. But it was there all the same, and he couldn't really ignore it, even though he had never breathed a word about it to anyone.
Click, click, click. Click! Click, click.
Kaidoh sat there, listening very intently to that grating rhythm, as Inui continued to type. Suddenly, he realized exactly why that sound was annoying him.
It was just so damn repetitive.
From the moment that Kaidoh had realized that he was in love, he had known that he was trapped. He had already been living with his senpai for several months by the time he had figured it out, and they had become comfortable with each other. They had settled into a certain rhythm of activity: training, studying, resting, working…
As time went on, that rhythm only became more unbreakable, and Kaidoh hadn't dared to confess his feelings to his senpai. He didn't want to disturb their way of life, because even if it was frustrating, he was happy just being near Inui. That was enough for him. And it should have always been enough…
But every once in awhile, on days like today…
Kaidoh wished that he could just smash that damned keyboard to pieces.
Click! Click! Click!
"Senpai," Kaidoh said suddenly, in a slightly louder tone than he had intended to use. The tapping on the keyboard stopped, and Inui looked up from the screen, adjusting his glasses as he did so.
"Ah… Yes, Kaidoh?" his senpai asked, in his usual monotone voice.
Kaidoh swallowed hard, almost making a gulping sound in the process.
"Uh… well… I…"
His thoughts were scrambling frantically for something, anything, to say. Now that the annoying sound had stopped, he felt as though he was about to fall off a cliff.
…
"Kaidoh-senpai, you should tell him."
…
Kaidoh's heart was beating as fast as if he had just run an entire marathon in one go. He opened his mouth, and everything in him believed that he would actually say it…
"It's nothing, senpai," he replied in an even tone.
He cringed inwardly at his own cowardice, but it was better that way. It was better if he never said it. After all, if he did say it, it would change everything… If he said it, it would certainly ruin their friendship, and who knew if Inui would want to see him ever again, after he had finally admitted that he didn't see his senpai as just a friend…?
Click… Click click… Click…
That all-too-familiar rhythm had returned, but it was slower this time, and in the intermediate silence, Kaidoh heard another voice…
…
"Well, you don't know until you try, Viper, and I never pegged you as being a coward."
…
Kaidoh hissed under his breath. Suddenly, he was more than just frustrated. He was even angry. He was angry with himself.
Why had he let it go on for so long like this?
He was Kaidoh Kaoru, after all, and Kaidoh Kaoru wasn't a coward.
As if a lightning bolt had suddenly cracked the sky, Kaidoh walked straight up to the desk where Inui was sitting. Then, just as abruptly, he slammed down the lid of his roommate's laptop. Inui's fingers barely escaped a beating, and for a split second, Kaidoh witnessed an unspeakably rare sight.
Inui was completely bewildered.
The shock of seeing the stoic object of his affections being made even slightly vulnerable was almost enough to stop Kaidoh in his tracks. But he swallowed his anxiety and took the leap, right off of that terrifying cliff…
"Senpai, I need to tell you something," he said.
For a second, Inui just nodded slightly, with a completely blank expression. But it was then that Kaidoh noticed.
Just a little… just a tiny bit, almost completely unnoticeable to the eye…
Inui's hands were shaking.
"Senpai---" Kaidoh was about to express his astonishment at that discovery, when he was interrupted by his roommate's steady voice.
"You know, Kaidoh, I'll listen to whatever you want to say. But you might…"
Here Inui faltered for a moment, and his voice lowered into a murmur.
"You might think about… That is, you might not want to say it."
Kaidoh felt as though he'd been turned into stone. There, right in front of his eyes, entering his ears, was the very thing he had feared. Wasn't this a rejection, before he'd even begun to confess? His senpai already knew all about it, and he didn't want to hear it. That must have been it. The immediate urge to backtrack his way out of such a mess filled Kaidoh's entire being.
"Maybe not," he mumbled, looking away. "Especially if you already know what I'm going to say…"
"I do have a guess," admitted Inui nervously, staring at the closed laptop. "I've been worried that you would say it for some time now…"
…
Worried…? Worried?
Well, that was it, Kaidoh thought. It certainly sounded like a rejection to him, even if he knew next to nothing about this kind of thing. But now he'd gone too far to just swallow the truth, and the hurt that he felt simply overpowered his own nervousness.
No, he had come this far. Even if it hurt, he would say it…
Much to his surprise, though, it was Inui who spoke up first, without even looking at his roommate.
"You want to go solo, don't you, Kaidoh? After all, you're only a year away from reaching your peak, and you're ready for the more competitive circuits…"
"What did you say?" Kaidoh suddenly interrupted, eyes wide in surprise.
Inui paused there, with a confused frown.
"I said, you want to go solo, right?" he repeated calmly, though he looked slightly paler than usual. "It's alright, Kaidoh. I understand. You're the type of person who wants to make it on his own, and I know that my help would be---"
"Is that what you thought?" exclaimed Kaidoh, not even listening to the rest of Inui's remarks.
Inui reached up to adjust his glasses again, and now Kaidoh could see clearly that his hand was trembling.
"I beg your pardon?" His voice, though, was as monotonous as always.
"You thought I was going to say that I was leaving?" Kaidoh demanded, desperately trying to keep all his jumbled emotions from spilling out at once.
"Well, I had been expecting it sooner or later," Inui confirmed quietly. "I'm not so foolish as to think that you would stay with me forever…"
"Do you want that?" Kaidoh asked suddenly, looking intently at his roommate's face.
"Do I want…?"
Slowly, Inui took a deep breath, pressing his hands down on top of the computer case.
"Kaidoh, I've always wanted you to stay. Ever since I left Tokyo, I wanted nothing more than for you to come with me. And so, you know, I decided…"
Here Inui stopped, with another frown appearing on his mouth.
"Well, never mind. That isn't---"
"What did you decide, senpai?" Kaidoh urged him, still staring at his roommate's unreadable expression.
"I decided that I would try to be the person that you always knew, for your sake. I noticed how much it bothered you that everyone else was changing, and so I wanted…"
Here Inui finally looked up again, meeting Kaidoh's stare with his frosted lenses.
"I wanted to be someone that you could depend on. Even though I know you don't need anyone… And even though I knew that someday you would want to leave. I wanted to be there for you, as long as you let me."
There was a pause, and Kaidoh thought he saw something like fear glinting behind those glasses.
"Except that it isn't true, Kaidoh. I'm not the same person that I was," Inui finally confessed. "And no matter how hard I try, I can't really go back, even if I hide it."
For a moment, Kaidoh wanted to ask what Inui was trying to hide. But he stopped himself. Instead, he took a moment longer to gaze at his roommate, to examine the frown on that mouth, to note the way those fingers were fidgeting on the laptop's smooth surface.
Almost imperceptibly, Kaidoh breathed a quiet sigh. Now he understood.
"Did you really think that I wanted to leave, senpai?" he inquired again, his low voice sounding strangely calm.
"Of course I did," Inui replied, looking perplexed.
Kaidoh processed this thought for a moment longer, and then, ever so slightly, he smiled. But even as he did so, he let that familiar noise escape from his lips.
"Fssssshhhhh. I can't believe this."
Inui looked as though he wanted to say something, but his roommate's words had confused him too much.
"Inui-senpai, that wasn't what I wanted to tell you," Kaidoh finally explained, looking almost exasperated.
"What did you want to tell me, then?" Inui managed after a split second, even though the confusion never left his face.
Instead of answering right away, Kaidoh leaned forward, bending down toward his senpai. His hands reached in front of him, coming right up against Inui's face, but the data man didn't even flinch. Slowly, Kaidoh grasped the corners of his senpai's glasses, sliding the frames right off of his roommate's head.
…
"Inui-senpai is far-sighted when it comes to reading people's hearts…"
"He probably can't see the feelings of the person the closest to him."
…
Two dark eyes blinked nervously, exposed, as they gazed up at Kaidoh.
"Maybe if you'd stop looking at me with just your eyes, senpai, you'd already know," Kaidoh whispered.
In that moment, as Inui stared at the blurry image of his roommate standing before him, he suddenly felt something that he had never noticed before. His heart stood still.
"Kaidoh…"
"I love you, senpai," Kaidoh said.
The younger man leaned in closer, with his senpai's glasses still in his hands. And then, in that tiny hotel room in Tokyo, Kaidoh Kaoru gave Inui Sadaharu a kiss on the lips.
And for the first time, Inui knew.
Kaidoh wasn't going to leave him.
Ever.
"I'm sorry, Kaidoh," he breathed after a pause, trying to will his heartbeat to slow down. "I guess that I just never thought…"
"Why didn't you?" Kaidoh muttered, sounding a bit frustrated in spite of himself. "I only followed you around for five years straight. Even if I didn't realize it at the time, you should have."
Inui smiled at that.
"You're right… I should have. Except that it took me too long to realize…"
He chuckled a little, glancing back up at Kaidoh.
"Data can't predict the heart, after all."
Kaidoh sighed at that, shaking his head. "Don't tell me… You were always looking for signs that I loved you?"
The smile never left Inui's face. Coupled with the glitter of those handsome eyes, it was almost too much for Kaidoh.
"Of course I was," Inui promptly replied. "I know myself, after all. I've known that I was in love with you for years."
"Of course you would," Kaidoh retorted, unable to keep from rolling his eyes, in spite of his blushing face. "I never thought I would say this, senpai, but you're an idiot."
"When it comes to love, yes, I am," Inui admitted, as a knowing grin crept onto his mouth. "But then, so are you... I suppose we'll just have to be idiots together."
And with that, Inui pulled Kaidoh into his arms, and they kissed again.
And again.
And again.
Next to them, the laptop remained shut, lying completely forgotten on the hotel desk.
- - - - - - - - - - -
I had always hoped…
That everything would be alright.
…
Oishi was quietly flipping through the channels on Eiji's television. Tezuka had already left the apartment, saying that he needed to go pick up Fuji from somewhere. And as usual, Eiji was doing something in the kitchen. Oishi couldn't help smiling a little, as he listened to the sounds coming from that particular room. Especially Eiji's baby talk to his cat, who was apparently causing some trouble…
"Oh, Shuuko-chan, you are just so silly… Hey, stop it! You can't touch that! You bad kitty…!"
Oishi almost laughed aloud, but he restrained himself. Even so, he couldn't help thinking that it sounded a little odd to hear a grown man scolding someone in such an ridiculously cute voice, especially out of context…
But that's Eiji for you, after all.
Oishi turned back to the television and frowned. He glanced at the TV guide, which was lying open next to him. But sure enough, it was the right channel…
Right channel, wrong program. I guess it's still too soon for that.
He was still gazing thoughtfully at the screen, when the sudden sound of the front door opening interrupted his reverie.
Much to his surprise, there was Momo locking the door behind him. Eiji's normally transparent roommate hadn't been home all day…
"Momo-chin?" Eiji was saying, as he came out of the kitchen. "Where have you been, anyway?"
"Oh, hey, Eiji-senpai," greeted Momo amiably. He was carrying a handful of folders in one arm, and slipping his keys into his pocket with the other.
"Momo, I asked you a question---" Eiji tried to say, but his roommate interrupted him with a wave of his hand.
"Yeah, I know. Just a second. I have to go grab a few things."
Eiji rolled his eyes as Momo disappeared into the side hallway. He could hear the faint sounds of Momo searching through the clutter in the bedroom, throwing things aside and shoving the piles of their possessions off of the furniture.
"Stupid Momo," Eiji sighed, as he sat down next to Oishi on the couch. "I wonder what he's lost this time."
But Oishi didn't say anything, and there was a decided frown on the former vice captain's face. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but something was bothering him. Even though Momo seemed to be his usual, friendly self, wearing a smile on his face as his standard attire…
There was something in Momo's eyes that he didn't like.
Oishi knew that he had seen it before. But where…?
"So, is this the channel that he's going to be on?" Eiji asked suddenly, looking up at the television.
"Oh… Yeah, I think so," Oishi replied, taking one last glance at the guide. "The newspaper mentioned it would be on this program, and the sports channel should cover it live…"
"I'm not exactly happy about it, but it is exciting to think that Ochibi will be on TV," Eiji remarked, smiling a little bit.
Oishi looked at Eiji and tried to smile back. "You're right. Though he's certainly been on TV enough already…"
"Well, not on a Japanese interview, anyway," Eiji pointed out, as cheerfully as he could.
"That's true."
But their conversation came to an immediate halt when they both noticed Momo re-enter the living room. Much to their surprise, he was carrying a large bag over one shoulder, and he held another duffel in his hand.
"Momo-chin, where are you going?" Eiji blurted out, looking very confused.
With a simple smile, Momo reached into his pocket, pulling out his keys. He held them out toward Eiji, placing them gently in his roommate's hand. Lightly, he closed the redhead's fingers around them, and then he pulled his arm away again.
Eiji just stared up at Momo, completely astonished.
"Momo… what…?"
But Eiji couldn't finish the question. His heart was sinking into his chest, even before he really understood what was happening.
"I'm returning these to you, Eiji-senpai."
Oishi was watching Momo's face very carefully, trying to decipher the emotion hidden behind that seemingly transparent smile. But he couldn't see a thing.
… Since when had the power player's smile become a mask?
"Momo, what are you saying?" the former vice captain wondered aloud.
"I'm saying that it's time for me to return them, Oishi-senpai," Momo began, very frankly. "You finally came back, and now I know that Eiji-senpai will be happy again. So it's time for me to move on."
The silence that followed was overwhelming. After a moment, though, Momo turned back to Eiji and bowed.
"Thank you for letting me room with you, Eiji-senpai," he said, still smiling. "I really appreciated it."
"Wait, Momo, where are you going?" demanded Eiji, sounding almost frantic.
"Like I said, Eiji-senpai, it's time for me to move on. I decided to switch colleges, and I'm moving to Kyoto. I finally finished the paperwork for the transfer as of today, so I'm off," Momo readily answered.
"But Momo, you can't actually…" Eiji trailed off, as though he were trying to think of a way to protest.
"Eiji-senpai, listen to me," Momo said, looking his roommate straight in the eye. "All I want is for you to be happy. Now that Oishi-senpai is here, I know you'll be alright. And I don't want to get in the way of your happiness."
Eiji wished that he knew what to say to that. He longed to say something, anything at all… But somehow, as he met the stare of those purple eyes, his mind was completely blank.
"Momo, there's no reason why you can't stay here," Oishi spoke up at last. There was an extremely worried look on the older man's face.
But Momo shook his head. "No, I have to leave you two alone sooner or later. And for me, now is the best time to go through with it. So…"
He paused for a moment, looking at them both with a sincere warmth in his eyes.
"Be happy, Golden Pair," he said.
Momo turned and began walking away. The keys were still in Eiji's hand, as the redhead watched him leave. Both he and Oishi were completely stunned. They just sat there, watching, as Momoshiro Takeshi prepared to leave Eiji's apartment for good.
Suddenly, though, it was as if they both came to their senses.
"Momo, wait!" Eiji cried out, begging his friend to stop. "Please don't go!"
The power player stopped at the door, standing with his back to them. For a moment, he stayed completely still, as though he were reconsidering.
"Momo!" Oishi stood straight up, calling out to the younger man. "Don't do this…"
Oishi had finally figured out where he'd seen that dull look in Momo's eyes before.
Once upon a time, he had seen it in the mirror.
"Momo, leaving isn't the answer," he added, more softly this time.
Oishi knew where the younger man must have been coming from. But he also know that leaving had been his biggest mistake… It was a mistake that the former vice captain did not want to see repeated.
After a split second, Momo turned back to face them both, with that same bright smile. But sure enough, the color was already fading from his eyes.
"It wasn't your answer, Oishi-senpai. You and Eiji-senpai were always meant to be together," he said calmly, as his hand started turning the knob. "That's why I know you'll be happy."
And just like that, the door shut, and Momo was gone.
Oishi just stood there, for a full minute, staring at the closed door. But Eiji slowly sank back onto the couch, and before he could try to stop them, tears were filling his eyes.
With something like instinct, Oishi noticed almost instantly that Eiji was crying. He sat down next to his lover, gently putting one arm around the redhead and drawing him close.
"What is it, Eiji?" he asked quietly.
"It's just that… I… I didn't want this…" Eiji stammered, in between his tears. He buried his head in his hands, looking completely devastated.
"I know you didn't," Oishi said, as soothingly as he could. "But we have to let him go, since that's what he wants."
"It's not just Momo-chin, though … It's Ochibi, too, and…" Eiji gasped out, trying to form his words and catch his breath at the same time.
"What about Echizen?" Oishi was slightly confused.
"It's just that I wanted… I mean, I thought that…" Eiji clasped his hands together tightly, as if trying to hold onto something that was completely irreplaceable.
"I wanted us all to be together again!" he exclaimed finally, in a choked voice.
At that, Oishi grew silent, gazing at the top of Eiji's head with sorrow in his eyes.
"I mean, I know it was stupid… Because we've been apart for so long, and it would never work anyway… We all have different lives now. But when Ochibi came back, I started to believe that it might happen, just the same, and I…"
Eiji sniffled, trying to wipe the tears away from his eyes.
"And I wanted everything to be alright again. But it can't be. Not like this."
For a moment, Oishi stared off into space, thinking. But then he gave Eiji a slight squeeze on his shoulder, and his words were very serious.
"You're right, Eiji. It can't be alright like this. But…"
And he took Eiji's hands into his own, meeting those blue eyes with a sympathetic look.
"But I want to believe that Echizen could give us one last miracle. After all, he brought us together again, didn't he?"
Eiji nodded, though he barely cracked a smile. "He did… And Momo did too. Even though I never realized it before."
"Right." Oishi brought his face close to Eiji's, leaning in for a quick kiss. "So maybe, even now, just maybe…"
Their eyes met, and they said those four words together, perfectly in sync and as carefully as a prayer.
"Everything will be alright."
- - - - - - - - - -
Ryoma was standing in his hotel room, completely alone, as he gazed out the window. He had stayed in his room for most of the morning, trying to avoid the reporters that were swarming around the hotel. But now he had to get ready, because he was scheduled to leave for the press conference within the hour.
The trouble was, he couldn't seem to tear himself away from that window.
I wonder what they're all doing, right now…
With a sudden clatter, his manager barged into the room, looking frantic. But then, Mr. Davis always looked frantic before each and every press conference, even though the chances of disaster were always low. It was a manager's job to look frantic, apparently.
"Ryoma!" he scolded, taking a look around the room. "You have to get moving! We're leaving in twenty minutes to walk to the convention center."
"Do we have to walk?" asked Ryoma after a moment. But his manager just sighed in exasperation.
"You know we have to walk. The convention center is right next door. You'll just have to deal with the reporters."
"Yes, Mr. Davis," came the surprisingly resigned answer. But the manager hardly seemed to notice, as he bustled around the room like a hurricane, tossing some clothes on the bed and making his way back out the door.
"Put those on right away. I'll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes."
With that, the door closed shut again.
Ryoma glanced at the clothes on the bed, blankly walking over and picking them up. There was nothing special about the outfit, really, but if he knew his manager, he had thoroughly analyzed his wardrobe and selected the most appropriate outfit in the space of five seconds. He was like that, after all… A control freak, not to mention insane.
Really, though, Ryoma didn't complain about his manager. He was a smart man, even if he was something of a nag. But then, that was his job, after all. To nag, and nag, and nag…
Ryoma sighed and began taking off the shirt he was currently wearing. He couldn't explain it, but he had never felt so completely disgusted at the thought of appearing for a press conference. Of course, interviews had never excited him before, either, but he usually didn't feel this oppressed by the mere idea.
Again, his eyes wandered over to the window, and his thoughts vanished into the sky, leaving the earth.
He couldn't explain why, but he felt horribly empty. It was as though he was stuck, up there in the heavens, and he couldn't possibly come down, no matter how hard he tried. It was as if his heart was gazing up into space, feeling that strange sense of vertigo that a person gets just before they fall a million feet to the ground.
And yet, he was stuck up there. He couldn't fall. He was frozen in that pale blue sky.
…
"The stars are beautiful… But if you watch them too long, it can get pretty lonely."
…
Echizen Ryoma had never really regretted joining the pro circuit. Sure, there were days when he would have rather stayed at home than deal with all the obligations of being a tennis star… But ever since he had been inspired to stand at the top of the tennis world, he had never actually regretted it.
Until now.
Now, suddenly, it was as though he saw his life through someone else's eyes. And it was an empty life, filled with very little that Ryoma actually wanted. After all, he didn't really care about the money, and fame meant absolutely nothing to him. He didn't mind the constant training, and he had always enjoyed playing tennis, but…
In the end, even tennis had given him little more than a handful of effortlessly fulfilled dreams. And as big as those dreams had seemed at the time, they did not fill his heart.
Ryoma found himself wondering why this was. He had always figured that it was those dreams, given to him by the man he had most admired, that had driven him to go so far in the pro circuits. And then to discover, in the end, that those dreams felt so small, and so cold, and so empty…
It scared him. If it wasn't his dreams that had driven him so far, what was it?
It was the first time that he had even asked such a question.
…
"And then, a funny thing happened… I realized that I loved him."
…
Ryoma's breath caught in his throat, and his heart began to beat with an uncomfortable lack of regularity. He blinked rapidly, trying to will away that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach…
Ever since last night, he hadn't been able to get Momo's voice out of his head.
It was ridiculous, really… Because he couldn't explain why. He couldn't explain it, except that his friend's voice had said every word to him with the most sincere kind of feeling…
No one had ever told Ryoma that they loved him. Not like that. And so, when someone had at last offered him their heart, he had no idea what to do.
The strange thing was, he got the feeling that Momo didn't expect him to do anything at all.
…
"I thought about telling him…"
…
Of course, Ryoma had always known exactly how he felt about Momo. Momo was his best friend. In fact, Momo had been his first friend. Before Ryoma had met the lively power player, he had never known what it was to laugh with someone, or to go somewhere just to hang out, or to poke fun at someone and know that they would never misunderstand you.
Yes, Ryoma had always known how he felt about Momo.
… Or so he had thought.
Now, however, it was as though the ground had fallen out from under him. In all the times he had spent with Momo, he had never even entertained the possibility of falling in love with him. They were friends. Momo was his dearest friend…
… Wasn't he?
Ryoma certainly remembered the Momo from junior high as his best friend. It was true, though, that ever since he'd returned to Japan, he hadn't quite felt that way. In fact, he had felt vaguely uncomfortable around him, and that feeling had increased with every hour that passed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had realized that Momo had changed. Something about Momo had changed.
And at first, Ryoma hadn't liked it at all.
But now…
Now he could clearly see what had changed, and it only confused him. What had changed wasn't Momo. What had changed was Momo's feelings for him.
And now he didn't know what to think.
…
"Then I realized it would be like trying to catch a star."
…
Ryoma swallowed hard, trying to will away the lump that was rising in his throat.
Why did he feel so alone?
"If I am a star, I think I would rather fall..."
Even as he whispered that to himself, he got the strange feeling that there was something that he was forgetting. If he was like a star, floating there in space, was he really alone? Or was there something that could hold a star up, supporting him as he shone from that unreachable height?
… The more he thought about it, though, the more he felt that there wasn't.
No, he was alone.
He was alone, and in about a half an hour, he was going to face the world again, from that dizzying height.
He had tried to get out of the press conference… Even though his manager had called him at Eiji's apartment the night before, to tell him that he was flying all the way to Japan to help Ryoma with the interview. Even though his manager had insisted that it was necessary, that Ryoma owed it to all his supporters, and to all his sponsors as well. Even though his manager had said that since Ryoma had been discovered in Japan, there was no way to get out of the interview without risking bad press…
Even so, he had tried to get out of it. Because for the first time, Ryoma felt so empty that he didn't think he could hide it from the world. He had never felt truly lonely before, or if he had, it had been easy enough to ignore.
But now, with the knowledge that his manager was taking him back to America within the space of twenty-four hours…
With the knowledge that he wouldn't even have time to say goodbye to his eight dearest friends…
With the knowledge that there was someone who loved him more than anyone else in the whole world, and that he was leaving that person behind, whether he returned those feelings or not…
For the first time, Echizen Ryoma wished that he were anything but a star.
- end of chapter twenty-four -
Useless Footnote: (1) During the Fudomine arc in PoT, Taka calls Fuji by the nickname 'Fujiko-chan.' He doesn't normally do this, since it's such a diminutive nickname, but it seems to be a side effect of his 'Burning' mode… Anyway, since Taka's personality has since become a kind of combination of two sides, I thought it would be cute to use the pet name here. XD
A/N: Let me just say… AGH! XD I'm so sorry that this chapter is over a week past due! Gah… I am not worthy! -hits herself repeatedly with her planner- I really didn't think it would take me this long, but I had final exams starting last week, and then this week I also came down with a bad cold. So my brain went dead, and my writing skills were worse than usual. (Lol.) That said, if there are grammatical errors in this chapter, I hope you can forgive them, but do feel free to point them out.
The chapter also turned out to be longer than I expected, but I'm okay with that. Since it's so near the end, I wanted to make sure that I spent enough time on each part. But I really am sorry for the long wait! Though I'm sure that many of you are just as busy, so near to the holidays and the end of semester and all that…
By the way, as for the grand finale, it will be up within the next few days. Really, I promise! XD And I will be doing my absolute best to make it worth your time. So please wish me luck! -cracks knuckles-
Thanks as always to all my readers, and especially all my reviewers. You are the reason that this story is about to be completed, and I can't thank you enough for your support. I hope you're still enjoying the story! Please tell me what you thought of chapter twenty-four!
Coming Up Next: The final chapter, plus an epilogue. See you there!