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Notes: Oh boy! Sorry minna for SUCH a late update T.T I had a lot of things going on lol P This chapter is kind of short, 6 pages, I kind of crammed some random stuff in here, and the revision level is quite low, so sorry for any english mistakes haha XD


Chapter 4 -- One More Makes Quadruple

"He…quit…tennis," Echizen said slowly, saying each word aloud as if he was trying to catch the meaning of what was repeated.

Instantly, he jolted.

NO!

Tezuka glanced at the sudden realization Echizen had come to. He sighed. "Yes, that was quite some time ago, a couple years ago actually. I believe it was around the 3rd year, or maybe even the 4th."

The smaller boy shuddered. "No, he…he wouldn't quit…" He stared at the former captain. "Fuji, he would never!"

Memories, the court, the rain…

That man at the other side, that ambition, those eyes so blue and so perfect, and the racket, held tenderly in his hands, a grin mildly spread on his face…

Echizen could still remember that feeling. He had seen through the tensai's mask, saw his potential, saw his strength, like gold in the sky. It was magnificent, his moves, the cool touch of the ball, every skill and pattern was thrilling…

And now, that man has quit. He has given up.

Somehow, this shattered a little hope inside Echizen, somehow…

"But why?"

Tezuka found himself a little struggling in the situation here. Maybe he shouldn't have told Echizen after all, perhaps it was a little too soon. But everyone else knows already, all the other regulars knew this old news years ago. It was about time the little rookie got this as well.

Yet still, it was hard to confirm that Fuji had quit tennis. For Tezuka most of all, the reason was still very unclear.

"I'm not sure." He leaned back on the bench. "He just suddenly gave up. One day, he came to practice and announced his retirement. Of course, none of us believed him at first, but then he just left and he never came back."

Flashback

The door opened. Seven pairs of eyes silently greeted Fuji's presence.

"Are?" Eiji jumped. "Mou! Fuji is late today! Ah, Oishi, when was the last time he was late? Hahaha, no, I should be asking Inui…ne, Inui…"

But something in Fuji's eyes were troubling to the rest of the team.

Especially Tezuka.

No smile, no laughter, no enthusiasm. There was only left a pair of hopeless eyes. The once happy-go tensai suddenly looked distraught, weary, and sorrowful…he was broken…

"Fuji…" Tezuka mumbled.

Fuji cleared his throat. He withdrew his right hand from behind his back, his tennis racket held almost too firmly, clutched with every strength left of his fingers.

Seeming to come to the understanding that something was very wrong in the tone of the atmosphere, Eiji turned around to look at his friend again.

"Fuji, what is it?" Oishi asked.

Silence.

"Gomen nasai, minna…" a soft whisper echoed. His head bowed, his eyes saddened, his body slouching, Fuji stated, "I'm quitting the club. I'm quitting tennis."

The last thing Tezuka ever remembered was the clatter of the racket Fuji had held, thrown right into the back wall of the locker room. A tearful, clashing sound rang, immediately followed by the slam of the exit door.

And while everyone chased after the tensai, Tezuka headed to the back, his mind still focused on the mournful look Fuji had.

With bare hands, Tezuka began picking up the shattered pieces of the tennis racket.

End Flashback

He zipped open his tennis bag, fussing through obviously trying to fish out something. Echizen merely watched in a calmer manner as he watched Tezuka laying the bag back down onto the ground. And looking closely at what he clutched in his hands, Echizen's mouth almost dropped.

It was a racket.

But not only a racket…it was…

"This was something I saved from then…"


"Fuji."

Fuji turned around, his eyes slightly open and a smile illustrated on his face. "Aa, Tezuka, you always seem to know where I am at this time of day, ne?"

The air was warm, breezy with a rare tint of wind chill that can make the skin shiver if one doesn't clothe themselves with enough layers. It was a quiet dawn, the sun still setting itself to rise and the day waiting for the signal. Up on the rooftop, Fuji spread his arms wide, feeling the atmosphere taking him along the blue sky.

Tezuka walked forward and silently stood next to his friend. He observed Fuji closely, watching him slowly spin around, enjoying the nature, and seeing the blonde strands of hair float about.

Somehow, a small sense of comfort overwhelmed Tezuka.

Sighing, Fuji looked over at Tezuka who stood a few yards away from him now. "So what are you doing up here?"

"The air feels warmer."

"Ah, souka," Fuji smiled. "That's why I like it up here. See?" He edged to the railing and looked down. "You can see the world from here. It's nice to be so high up."

Tezuka breathed. "Mm."

"But of course," Fuji continued, "You don't want to go overboard. Just high enough is fine, right?" He turned around and lightly placed a hand on Tezuka's shoulder and pointed up. Tezuka followed the direction of his finger. "See that? You can't reach the sky, no matter where you stand. Those clouds, they're just hanging there for you to watch. And at night, those stars are just there for you to admire."

"Heh," Tezuka looked back down. "How would you know? People have already gone to space and many more has traveled within those clouds in planes. You can try."

"Eh?" Fuji chuckled. "Demo…"

Looking down, Tezuka could suddenly see a small glimpse of Fuji's true self, piercing through the blue eyes that were barely opened. Thin, but truthful, a surge conflicting emotions attacked Tezuka.

He could feel it.

What did Echizen say? Like pain, you know. Something hurtful, something that's eating him away.

He didn't like this thought. Tezuka didn't like this feeling somehow. Whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant and it wasn't something he was sure he could deal with, whatever that may be.

A larger hand placed itself on top of his as Tezuka slowly pried Fuji's hand off his shoulder. Eyes opening a little wider and a slight tension in Fuji were noticed as Tezuka sighed. In turn, he leaned against the railing, his arms supporting him and his legs crossed. A pair of eyes watched Tezuka from the back.

"Tezuka?" Fuji leaned over and tried to make contact with his friend's face. "Is…everything all right?"

Tezuka remained silent.

Fuji stopped, his arms dropping down to his side. A part of him wanted to near Tezuka, wanted to tell him everything on his mind, everything that he has come to acknowledge. He wanted to extend an arm out, reach for Tezuka, touch him, and just hold him close, breathing what he's breathing, feeling what he's feeling.

You can try. Tezuka had said that.

Fuji bit his lips. Demo I can't go that high. You're up in the sky where the clouds hang, and I can't go up that far. I won't be able to breathe.

And so, in unison, the two of them watched the sunrise together.


A soft breeze drifted about the air. The figure stood solid in front of the black gates, a sign in front of him that proved he was where he wanted to be right now. Somehow, he wasn't too sure if he should have came here or waited at the airport, but from knowing Echizen's character, he didn't think that a ride was ready anyways.

A childish grin plastered on his face. "Dake," Momo chuckled. "He's so late. I should have gotten a Big Bun first. Ha-Cha!" He scratched his head. "Where was that fast-food restaurant I used to go to before…?"

"You never change, do you, Momo-sempai?"

Momo halted immediately. The voice played through his head again, like the time on the phone, it was a never-ending tape in a radio that would go on forever and ever and never stop until you pull the plug. But in this case, there was no plug at all, just the radio.

He turned around, his eyes all too prepared for that boy who left seven years ago.

Echizen…

Hung in the air was the measure of distance between the two as they stared at each other, numb and somehow, relieved.

Feeling a bit irritated of the sempai's lack of response, Echizen walked past him and opened the gates.

"Yare, Echizen! Mou!"

At Momo's words, he could swear that he saw a little smirk flash up on Echizen's face.

Momo grinned. He doesn't change much either, does he? "Kah! It's been so long, Echizen! Where did you get this place? I thought you just came back from America."

Leading, the smaller boy answered, "Ah, this is a hotel. Tezuka booked a room for me."

"Then, the keys?"

"Eh, the owner has spare ones. It's just strange that he actually knew my name right when I walked in, and he gave me the privilege to hold this key. It was a good bargain."

At the door of the hotel building, "How?"

Echizen shrugged as he pushed open the door. "Ah, a room for 800,000 yen, pretty cheap."

"NANI!"


In Echizen's hotel room

Although he had never been in that room before, Momo could feel a familiarity somewhere in the wind. A few conversations with Echizen soothed him and his nervousness of seeing the rookie again. It was just like back in the old days, years ago when he would rough the boy's hair with glee, with a responding teasing remark of, "Ite, Momo-sempai."

Finally, it was time for hard-core talk.

"Ne, Echizen-kun."

"Nani?" He laid down flat next to Momo on the bed. The scenery was quite cute for the powerhouse tennis player that he couldn't help smiling.

"Why did you call me over?"

Echizen grunted. "Just because."

Momo punched him lightly at the shoulder, grinning melancholy. "Come on, I know you. You sounded quite stressed out over the phone. Something bothering you?"

Whatsoever, the small boy just closed his eyes, finding it easier to nap than to converse at the time. Momo sighed, but felt quite all right as well. No one can help it if it's not Echizen's way or if he's not in the mood to do something. He was very stubborn, yes, very stubborn, and cocky headed but no mistake, he's got skills to back up for such an arrogant attitude.

Perhaps around 15 minutes passed in silence, or maybe even 20. Then so, the small green-haired boy began to speak.

"It's about Fuji."

At the name, Momo choked.

He shivered, his eyes widened, a little electric shock felt penetrating through his heart.

How long has it been? How long since anyone, even the regulars mentioned that name?

"Ah," Momo replied. "So you know already?"

Echizen nodded. "Mm."

He smiled knowingly. "Tezuka must have told you huh? I thought he might as soon as you came back."

"That's true."

"So you just wanted to talk about him? Fuji I mean?"

Echizen nodded. "Hai."

Momo cupped his hands. "Well, you're quite a caring little kid aren't you? When did you ever learn that? Haha." He laughed. "But!" Clapping his hands, "I can't quite help you there, Echizen."

The boy eyed his friend. "Nandemo? What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't know anything about Fuji besides him in middle school. All through high school he was sort of just, how do you say it, unconnected with the rest of us? After he quit tennis, he was just practically a loner, no one ever talked about him anymore. No one seemed to remember of his days as a tennis child prodigy, his talents and skills. Plus, he always seem to be avoiding everyone else."

At this moment, Echizen sat up, facing Momo with his eyes keen and thoughtful. "No one? No one talked to him anymore? What about Kikumaru-sempai? They were best buddies I remembered."

Momo shook his head. "Not anymore. Apparently, Kikumaru-sempai has forgotten about Fuji. In the hallways when they pass by each other, it's as if they've never seen each other. Strangers, you know?"

Echizen gulped as he recalled the past few days and his encounter with the tensai.

No one knew him anymore. No one wanted Fuji anymore, no one.

Not even Kikumaru.

But on second thought… "What about Tezuka-buchou?" Echizen asked.

Momo raised his eyebrows. "Hai hai, that's where it gets interesting and kind of confusing at the same time. In the end, only Tezuka ever gave Fuji any attention. He was quite a sly one, they'd still go watch the sunsets together or walk beside each other. Ha! And I thought buchou was only all about your skills in tennis! How could anyone think he would be so passionate?"

That's right, Echizen thought. The conversation with Tezuka, he was worried about Fuji.

"Dake!" Momo stood up and poured himself a cup of water. "It's strange. Fuji didn't seem very affected by this. He still had that big old grin on his face. And many times, he wanted to be by himself."

Echizen frowned. "Really?"

"Hai hai, I don't know what got over him. Kawamura and I invited him to our table to eat one day and he just politely refused. Or other times, we tried to talk to him like we did before, but he would always have an excuse, like, 'I need to go home early today,' or 'I think I may have forgotten something.'"

"Maybe he has issues with his brother again?"

"Nah," Momo looked at Echizen straight in the eye. "They've had trouble much longer before and he's never acted this way. Oishi had talked to his counselor about Fuji before and all she said was, 'Teenagers, you never know what to expect.' Tch, that was helpful."

For once, to Momo's surprise, there was no response from Echizen. He turned around and found his fellow friend lying on the bed, stiff and sound, seemingly pensive.

A small sad smile spread on Momo's face. Seriously, when did he ever start caring for anything like this?

It had been a while since he's seen the face of the genius who conquered the world within the last seven years. The television and media were everywhere, but even though he could stare at his face everyday in front of his TV screen, it never felt as if Echizen was there.

And of course, it never felt as if he'd care.

It was shocking to Momo how different Echizen seemed in real life than in front of all the reporters. Never once had he ever mentioned anything about the Seigaku regulars out in public. Never once had he talked about his days in the Seishun Gakuen Middle School and the tennis team, nothing at all.

Okay, so he was a busybody, he had tournaments every week and practice everyday, perhaps he needed to focus his mind on the world. That was the whole point of him going to America, right?

But still, Momo could feel some sorts of mixed feelings inside of him.

It was as if lost hope has found its way back. But back to whom is yet to be revealed.

"Ah, Echizen," Momo said softly. The boy looked up. "Nani, Mom-sempai?"

He chuckled. "Ah, nothing, nothing. I was just wondering, is this all you called me over to talk about for? I mean, we haven't seen each other for so long. Do you want to go out for a burger, hah?"

Echizen stared at the carefree grin on the sempai's face. Finally, "Maybe not this time."

The words hit Momo like a razor coming from a few feet in front of him. It was unmistakable, and truly horrifying. For the first time, Echizen actually refused a request from Momo.

Didn't they always go out for burgers together? And they compete in eating as well. Those were great memories Momo treasured. They were good times before when Echizen was still that small 12-year-old boy, an arrogant genius that makes Momo laugh whenever he provokes his opponent. And after each game, they'd go out for burgers. That's right, burgers.

The smile ceased, the eyes widened, a depressing shock filled up the powerhouse player.

You could care so much for Fuji, this man who's kept himself a loner at all means. Yet, you couldn't even spend time with me for burgers?

What exactly do you care about me, Echizen?

Why did you call me over? Just for this? That's it?

Momo frowned, hurt and anger building up inside him. So why did you even come back, Echizen? I thought…I actually thought…

"Ah, Momo-sempai, it's getting late, we should get some rest right now," Echizen said as he stood up and stretched. "Gomen, there's only one bed, so you can sleep on the right, I'll take the left side." He opened his eyes and glanced up at Momo, who seems to be lost in a reverie.

"Ara? Momo-sempai?"

Momo blinked. "Ah? Eh, Echizen, gomen ne." He smiled. "I'll take the right side." He went into the kitchen to wash his cup. Then, he turned his head back to watch Echizen making the bed.

Somehow, at that moment, for a split second, Momo could feel something that only Fuji had ever felt before: alone, uncared, and broken.


Author's Notes: Dakara! How was it? Please review! I promise I'll do better next time. This was a quick chapter TT haha lol P