A/N: Thank you for all the nice comments on chapter one, everyone! I hope someone likes this chapter, and yes, I realize how overdramatic Eiji is being. However, when you're used to such a caring family and then you're exposed to a situation like this, it is rather hard to deal with.
Anyway, this chapter is leading up to the appearance of Oishi and Fuji. They come into the story in the next chapter. Feel free to point out any mistakes—grammar, spelling, or an inconsistency in the plot (of which I'm sure there are many).
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Eiji-angst, semi-compassionate!Ryoma (yes, I do know how wrong that is), appearance of slight one-sided Ryoma/Eiji (because I believe if Ryoma didn't like Eiji at all, he wouldn't let him glomp him so much.
Pairings: Eventual Golden Pair, possible MomoRyo, InuKai, TezFuji.
Shattered Reality
Chapter Two
By Abyssinian003
Echizen Ryoma was late for school. He had slept through his alarm clock again, and no one had bothered to wake him up. It was really nothing new. The first-year Seishun Gakuen student was quite familiar with this scenario by now, but he had to admit that he mourned the loss of sharing Momo-senpai's bicycle for the morning. Momo was probably the only reason he made it to school on time on any given day.
He tilted the Ponta can in his hand back against his lips and allowed the cool liquid to quench his thirst as he strolled along the sidewalk at his own pace. If he was already late, why should he rush? Plus, it was a beautiful day, even if it had rained sometime during the early morning and was a little chilly for his taste. He finished off the can and made as if to toss it into the trashcan just up ahead when a flash of familiar red caught his eye.
Curiously, he peeked around the corner into the alley, asking, "Kikumaru-senpai?"
There was something inherently wrong about the scene he found, he decided within five seconds of taking everything in. One of Kikumaru Eiji's hands was fisted into his hair, pulling at it tightly as he used his other arm to bring his knees to rest firmly against his chest. Even with all the noise of passing cars and pedestrians, Ryoma could hear the third-year's harsh, if somewhat stifled, sobs.
Alarm found its way through his usually indifferent mask almost immediately, and he rushed to the redhead's side. He reached out to touch the other boy before drawing his hand back hesitantly. Eiji apparently hadn't heard him, and he really didn't want to startle the acrobat.
"Kikumaru-senpai?" The redhead jumped and looked around with wild, tear-stained eyes. Ryoma kept still until his fellow tennis player recognized him. "Hoi, it's just you, Ochibi."
Ryoma couldn't help but notice that Kikumaru hadn't even sounded remotely happy to see him. He tilted his head to meet the other boy's wandering gaze and asked, "What's wrong? What are you doing in this alley?"
Eiji tilted his head and scrubbed at his blue eyes again, "Nothing's wrong, Ochibi. I'm just not having a good day." The elder boy tried to rest his right cheek on his knee, winced, and drew in a sharp breath. Ryoma immediately noticed, but he didn't say a word about it.
"What are you doing in this alley, Ochibi?"
Ryoma jerked back and tugged his cap down in reflex to hide his blush. He wasn't going to let Kikumaru-senpai know he was worried about him anymore than he already had. "Mada mada dane."
"Yeah," Ryoma's insides nearly froze at the desolate tone of his upperclassman's voice, "I do have a long way to go, don't I? It's not like I can go back, is it? As it is, I don't really have anywhere I can go."
"What… do you mean by that, Kikumaru-senpai?" he asked cautiously, afraid to know the answer. He was not the right type of person to deal with these situations. Oishi-senpai was much better at such things.
Eiji didn't answer. Instead, he shifted, uncurling from his former position and resting his head back against the wall. Ryoma's golden eyes widened at the sight of the dark, hand-shaped bruise on the other boy's right cheek. Tears were welling up in Eiji's crystal blue eyes as he whispered quietly, "I don't want to go back, Ochibi. They fought over such a stupid thing, and I got caught in the middle, nya. I don't want that to happen again, but I-I don't have anywhere else to go. I don't want anyone to worry about me…"
Ryoma nearly panicked at the sight of his almost constantly happy teammate crying—more like, bawling his eyes out—and looked around for a distraction. When he caught sight of the rumpled, worse-for-the-wear, Seigaku tennis bag resting next to the older teen, suddenly, everything clicked—Kikumaru's words, the bag, the bruise (bruises?).
The raven-haired boy's eyes widened drastically as he asked hesitantly, "You ran away?"
"I'm such an idiot, Ochibi," Eiji nodded miserably, clutching at his red locks once again. Ryoma looked him over once again, noting the state he was in. The redhead's hair hung damply around his face instead of flipping outwards in its usual style, and his clothes were soaked through. He was clutching his Seigaku regular jacket close to his body, clinging to its fleeting warmth. Even in the dim light, Ryoma could tell that the other boy was paler than usual and that a dark flush stained his cheeks.
"How long have you been out here, Kikumaru-senpai?"
"Tell me what time it is, and I'll let you know, Ochibi."
"It's around 10:30 AM."
"I'm late for school!" Eiji looked stunned for a moment before standing up quickly. When he froze for a moment and clutched at the wall as if to stay on his feet, Ryoma decided to help him. "Kikumaru-senpai, don't worry about school. You're obviously sick."
Eiji made a pained, pitiful face, "Hoi, why is the world spinning, Ochibi?"
Ryoma started at the question. Hadn't he just explained that? He cast his fellow tennis player a wary look, "Kikumaru-senpai, you're sick. Here, why don't you sit down again?" He helped his teammate slide down the wall, eyes narrowing when Eiji winced as the brick touched his back.
"Better?"
"Hoi," was the redhead's response.
Ryoma eyed the boy once more before announcing, "Since I'm already late and I have a good enough excuse, I'll call oyaji and have him come pick us up. You can stay at my house for a while, if you really want to."
A smile lifted the corners of Eiji's lips slightly before it disappeared. Blue eyes slid shut, and Eiji leaned his head back against the wall again. "Thanks, Ochibi. You're the best."
Golden eyes regarded his—friend, perhaps—teammate with worry as the other boy obviously passed into the realm of unconsciousness. He reached out hesitantly, pale fingers brushing against the formerly tan skin of his teammate's forehead, and drew his hand back almost immediately. Kikumaru-senpai had a really bad fever!
Ryoma dug through his school bag for his cell phone—most everyone had one nowadays—frowning at his terrible luck. Now he was even later to school, and—no, that didn't matter right now. He'd call oyaji and make him drive over here to pick them up. It was the least he could do for his red-haired teammate at the moment.
Smirking triumphantly he removed his cell phone from his bag. His golden eyes narrowed at the power bar, and he thought about screaming in frustration for a brief second; however, as the case was, that would be very unlike him, so he didn't scream, though he did growl obscenities under his breath. One bar—there was no possible way he could call oyaji and get him to act seriously in the short amount of time that his phone's battery had left.
However, he could text someone and just stay with Kikumaru-senpai until they got the message. He had no doubt in his mind that whoever he sent the message to would rush to meet them. Kikumaru seemed to leave a good impression on most people; he was lovable enough, though Ryoma had decided long ago he would rather die than admit that to any other living being.
So, with his phone beeping ominously at him, Ryoma quickly sent Oishi Shuichirou a short message of urgency. Hopefully, the mother of Seigaku would check his phone during the lunch hour. If not…
Well, Ryoma wasn't sure what he could do for his redheaded teammate if he didn't have any help. It was times like these that made him wish that he had just a bit more height.
To be continued...
Glossary of Terms:
-senpai—upperclassman.
Ochibi—I've seen it translated numerous ways. One such translation is "baby."
Mada Mada Dane—Again, I've seen it translated numerous ways, but I actually like the "You still have a long way to go" translation the best.
Hoi/Nya—nonsensical terms used by Eiji.
oyaji—I believe it roughly means "Old man." Ryoma calls Nanjirou that in the anime, if I heard it correctly.