Disclamer : Still not own Tennis No Ohjisama.
Words in /….: someone's thoughts
Words in Italic : flashback
Thanks to everyone for the encouraging. The next chapter must wait a little longer cause it turned out that I'm not only catch a flu but a throat's infection also. > And the medicine makes me sleepy.
A Half-Second Dream
Chapter 6 : Unexpected Birthday Party's Result
Shuusuke awoke when he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder.
"Aniki. Aniki, wake up."
Shuusuke opened his eyes slowly. His body felt stiffed because he slept at a rather uncomfortable position last night. He was felt asleep in a sitting position. Only his head that been pillow by his bed. He smiled tiredly.
"Ohayou, Yuuta." He stretched his stiffen body with a little yawn.
"Gomen." Yuuta looked guiltily.
"Huh? For what?" Shuusuke asked confused. "Oh, because of this? Don't worry about it. I didn't intend to sleep like that. I was finishing the last decorations and before I realized it, I dozed off. Oh, by the way!" Fuji clapped his hand once. "Otanjobi omedetou, Yuuta."
"Ah, thanks." Yuuta said with a slight pink color in his cheek.
"Wait a second."
Shuusuke stood gracefully and went to take something from the top of his clothes drawer. There was hidden in the back a wrapped birthday present.
"Here you go. I hope you like it."
"Aniki, you didn't have to." Yuuta looked at the gift that wrapped beautifully. "You already gave me a present with give Otousan and Okaasan a dinner in that French restaurant."
"Nah, that's okay, Yuuta. Besides, I already bought it before I knew about this party plan." Shuusuke smiled.
Yuuta caressed the present gently.
"Well? Won't you open it?"
Yuuta looked at the wrapper. It was so beautiful that he felt almost a sin to tear it. But finally he unwrapped the present carefully. Yuuta held his breath when he saw it.
"Aniki… it's…"
He couldn't finish his word. Inside the long box was a telescope.
"I hope you like it. You used to love watching the stars when we were kids." Shuusuke said tenderly.
Yuuta was at a loss for words. Yes, he used to love watching the stars. What Shuusuke didn't know was he loved it because Shuusuke loved it too. As far as he could remember, Shuusuke always loved to watch the sky. Not only the night sky but also the day sky. Little Yuuta was curious about what was so interesting in the sky that made his aniki always spend a lot of time watching it.
He remembered that he had accompanied Shuusuke in one night and asked him about what was he watching. His aniki answered that he was watching the stars. Shuusuke told him then about the Milky Way, the polar star, even about Tanabata. He fell in love with the stars through Shuusuke's story. He even cried when the night was clouded so Orihime couldn't meet her love at Tanabata Festival.
But the stars only could be seen in the nighttime. Even so, Yuuta believed that Shuusuke could saw them even in the daylight. That's why his aniki loved to spend his time watching the sky day and night. Shuusuke was blessed, that was what Yuuta had long believed.
Yuuta never watched the stars again after he came to St. Rudolph. He didn't want anyone to tease him that he was a dreamer or a romantic or something that could embarrass him. Even Mizuki-san didn't know it. He thought Shuusuke already forgot about it since he never talked about it. He was deeply touched to know that his aniki still remembered.
"Yuuta?"
"Huh? Uh, gomen. I just didn't know that you still remembered. Arigatou, Aniki. I really love it."
Shuusuke smiled genuinely. He was happy that his otouto loved his present.
"Sa. Let's work on the decorations now, shall we? Then I would make tiramisu as I promised to you last night. Are you sure you want it? I thought your friends would take care of the food."
"They will. But I don't want to miss your tiramisu. Your tiramisu is the best! And don't worry about it going to waste. Those people are bottomless pits." Yuuta said a little irritated when he thought he couldn't eat the cake that his aniki made as many as he wanted it.
---
Shuusuke watched the scene silently. It was like watching a black and white movie. Just sat there as an outsider, not as a part of them. They were his family, but he never felt like one of them. He had long ago closed his heart. It was the safest way. He didn't want to feel hurt anymore.
"He scared me. Why did he always look at me like that? I don't know what he's thinking. Why didn't he say anything? A not so sweet little boy."
Shuusuke closed his eyes. How could their words still hurt that much while it's already been years? And what did he do here? Playing a family? They never wanted him to be there. Well, exept for Neesan and Yuuta. So why did he still hope something would change?
"Aniki."
He was startled by Yuuta's hand on him. He looked at the eyes of concern from his siblings and the uneasiness from his parents. He forced himself to smile. Anything to make them stop looking at him like that.
"Gomen, Yuuta. I was thinking about the party. To check if I had forgotten anything."
---
Yuuta wasn't a sensitive boy. He knew it already. But it was too clear now for him to not notice it. He could saw it now about how forced his aniki's smile was. And so were his parents'. Shuusuke didn't say much. Just a short comment here and there. And they didn't look at each other.
It was too obvious that made Yuuta wonder how could he be so blind before not to notice it. It seems that his parents and aniki tried their best not to look at each others. They looked for barely a moment before they glanced the other way.
He couldn't understand what was happening between them. Shuusuke was a brilliant boy that would make any parents proud of him. Yuuta felt anger boiling inside him. No parents should treat their child like that. He knew the fault was not Shuusuke's. His aniki was a gentle boy that wouldn't have a heart to hurt anyone, anything.
He remembered when they went out together. Shuusuke always didn't have a heart to see others suffer. He always gave his food to the poor because he couldn't stand to eat alone when he knew there was someone who needed the food more. He didn't throw away even the tanpopo that incidently grew in the pot that he used for his cacti. He would cry and bury the animal that was killed in the streets.
So it's really not his aniki's fault. The cold atmosphere there was his parents' fault. Yet they were loving parents to Yuuta, always caring. So why did they treat Shuusuke different? Yuuta couldn't wait for the party. Somehow he felt that he would find the answer there.
---
Tezuka thought nothing would surprise him anymore. He had enough in these passing days. Yet the sight of the regulars a block before Fuji's house caught him off guard.
"Hi, Tezuka." Oishi smiled apology. "We just thought it would be better to come together as the last one to arrive."
"The Rikkadai was the first one who arrived. Then St. Rudolph people. Kisarasu twins came together with Saeki." Eiji reported willingly.
"Rokkoku's fukubchou," Oishi answered when he saw Tezuka raised his eye brow to him. "Also Fuji's childhood friend."
"Hyoutei was the last one who arrived. Of course Atobe was the last from them all. Maybe he thought it would be more stylists if he did that." Eiji snickered.
"We waited for you because we didn't want to ruin the surprise element. It would be 70.75 percent successful if we come together and catch Fuji off guard."
Tezuka didn't say anything. He just nodded while he was heading to Fuji's house with the others hot in his trail.
"There's something that I don't know if I should tell you."
Everyone stopped when they heard Inui's words.
"What is it?" Tezuka asked.
"There's something that disturbs me about our meeting with the soccer boy. I asked Inoue-san to help me to ask his colleague who's in soccer magazine. I want to know if Fuji Shuusuke's name means something for him."
"And?" Tezuka raised his eye brow.
"Inoue-san's colleague enthusiastically told about a genius ten-year-old boy that almost brought Japan to reach the first place in The Youth World Cup Under Twelfth almost five years ago. The boy was called Fantasista because of his brilliant play while he already famous before here as The Field Magician."
"The boy was Fuji." It was more a statement than question from Tezuka.
Inui nodded.
"Inoue-san was very surprised to find out about it. It seems that everyone had expected so much from Fuji but he suddenly disappears five years ago. Japan reached the second place at that championship but Fuji was chosen as MVP."
There was a long of silence.
"Why did Fuji-senpai stop playing soccer when he almost reached the top…?" Ryoma asked softly.
"Inoue-san couldn't get the information yet. His colleague had suspected him knew something about Fuji and refused to tell more if Inoue-san wouldn't tell what he knew. And Inoue-san was not sure to tell about Fuji. He didn't want Fuji become the centre of publicity. He was afraid that Fuji would reconsider soccer again over tennis. Inoue-san thought it would be a waste if Fuji throws away tennis."
No body knew what to say. They could understand Inoue's reason.
"What is Fantasista mean?" Eiji asked softly.
"Fantasista is someone who could overwhelm time and space. When we watched the soccer game, we used to think that the ball should be pass to some place to some one than what the player did. The truth is not as simple as that. The area that eyes could see is not that wide so it would affected the game. Fantasista is above it. They seems like they could view the match in the same view as the watcher."
"As expected from Fuji." Eiji smiled sadly. He felt a pang inside that there's something about Fuji that he didn't know.
"We need to be going." Tezuka's said after a along of silence. He thought it was no used to stand out there. They should confront Fuji themselves.
---
They wished Yuuta happy birthday and gave their present. Everyone admired the decorations. There was a paper craft that hang around the living room that resembled a tennis match. Eiji looked in awe at the balloons and all the hand made ornaments there. After some times, Tezuka finally looked questioningly to the birthday boy.
"Uhm, Aniki is upstairs. Please come along."
Yuuta was nervous. He felt like he had needles on his stomach. He was nervous. He realized he couldn't back off now, yet the confident he had before had fly little by little. He led the others upstairs, followed by Atobe who didn't want to be let out of anything.
He knocked the door softly but didn't get the answer. So Yuuta opened the door a little. A song was heard clearly now. Fuji was looking distantly to the window where he placed his cactus. There's something in his silhouette that radiated the sense of sadness and loneliness. Yuuta closed the door again quickly.
"Uh… I… uhm, I think I'll tell Aniki to be prepared for the party. Please wait downstairs."
No body said a word. They went downstairs and gathered together. Saeki was frowning suspected while looked at them.
"What's an interesting song Fuji had chosen to hear." Atobe was the first one who broke the silence.
"Huh? What about the song?" Eiji looked confusedly.
"It was 'Who Wants To Live Forever' by Sarah Brightman. There's some part of the lyric that I remembered." Atobe stopped awhile before continuing. "Here's some of the lyric in Japanese : There's no time for us, There's no place for us, What is this thing that builds our dreams, Yet slips away from us. Who wants to live forever, Who wants to live forever."
Everyone was silenced.
"Uh, it's not really a happy song." Eiji said thoughtfully.
"Indeed. That's why it's not ordinary to choose a song like this at a happy moment like a birthday party." Atobe said smugly.
"They're coming." Oishi said warningly.
---
Shuusuke almost jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Yuuta."
"Gomen. I'd knocked but you didn't hear me. The guests already come. You should get dress and come downstair."
"Yuuta, really. It would be better if I stay here. They are your friends. There must be something that you would talk about that you wouldn't want me to find out. So, please enjoy the party. Don't think about me. I'm fine really."
"Oh no, you don't. They know you too remember? After all, we all are tennis players. Come, Aniki. They've been asking for you. Beside, Saeki-san is here too."
"Sae? You invited him?"
"Ah, I didn't tell you before did I?" Yuuta acted as calm as he could. "I invited Kisarasu-senpai's twin brother. He rarely spends much time with his brother since he transferred to St. Rudolph. So I thought it's a chance for them to be together. Since Kisarasu-senpai's brother doesn't know my friends that well, I thought it would be better if I invited Saeki-san too."
"Oh."
Shuusuke didn't say anything anymore. He felt that something was up. That his otouto had planned something. He just couldn't think the reason. He stood slowly.
"Give me some time, Yuuta." He started to choose his cloth slowly.
"I'll wait downstairs." Yuuta smiled.
---
Yuuta was the first one who came down. He nodded slightly to warn the others. Saeki looked at him warningly. He didn't know what Yuuta and the others had planned but he knew that something was up since the moment he saw them.
It was a rare sight to see all the Seigaku regulars along with St. Rudolph and Hyoutei regulars. Rikkadai was presented by their buchou and fukubuchou, followed by the arrogant first grade that had hurted Fuji purposely at their match before. The only representative from Rokkoku was Ryou and him.
It wouldn't feel so strange if the Seigaku regulars weren't there. After all he knew what Fuji felt about birthday. His thought was disturbed by gentle thuds from the stairs. Fuji was coming from his room. He wore a casual white cloth with a white pant that made him look like an angel.
/An angel with black wings./ Ryoma couldn't help that thought to pop up again when he saw his senpai's appearance.
Fuji wore his usual smile. The smile froze when he saw his team mates were along with the guests. For a moment his eyes locked with their eyes. Then calmly without saying anything, he walked to the kitchen. He didn't say anything to them as he passed them, not even that he acknowledged their presence.
But Ryoma wasn't blind. Somehow, when he looked at the closed door of Fuji's room where they were weeks before, he felt that nagging guilty feeling again.
---
Saeki looked accusingly at Yuuta and Fuji's team mates. Somehow he knew that was what would happen when he saw them. Without saying anything, he went to chase Fuji.
Fuji was standing near the window. He supported his weight by the left shoulder that was pressed to the wall with his hands that hugged his thin body. His head was hanging low. Saeki could see how tense Fuji's body was.
"Fuji? Daijoubu ka?" He asked gently.
"Eiji had been nagging me about when is my birthday." Fuji's voice was almost a whisper.
"You didn't tell him." It was a statement.
"I told him that it's not a tradition in my family to celebrate birthday."
Saeki was startled when Fuji looked at him. The eyes are the window to a man's soul. Shakespeare's quote suddenly popped up in his mind. Fuji's eyes were so broken. He looked trapped. Yuuta and the others didn't know that they had pushed Fuji to the edge.
"Wait here." His voice sounded commanding.
And like a lost little boy, Fuji just nodded tiredly.
---
They were gathering together. They didn't know what to do. Fuji's reaction wasn't what they had expected him to do. They were expected him to be caught off guard but still in control for himself. He would play along with them. Of course he couldn't avoid the topic again and told them about when was his birthday.
They never expected him to ignore them completely and went. They couldn't forget how cold Fuji's stare was.
"Oreesama doesn't understand why we should go through all this trouble to know about Fuji's birthday." Atobe raised his voice frustrated. "It would be easier if you just asked him yourself! After all, you're his childhood friend!"
Tezuka was surprised when Atobe pointed at him.
"I'm not Fuji's childhood friend! I only met him when he joined Seigaku's tennis club!"
"That's true. Saeki-san is Fuji's childhood friend. Not Tezuka." Oishi confirmed.
"That's nonsense! You were started to learn tennis together when you were eight! And you even supported him when he joined a young championship months later!"
Tezuka twitched. He felt annoyed by Atobe's accused to him.
"Just because we started to learn tennis in the same age doesn't mean we knew each other well. I never came to any championships since I was busy with training! I joined just one championship, and it was before I went to Seigaku!"
Atobe turned quickly to Sanada.
"It was him, right?" He asked demandingly.
Sanada coughed uncomfortable with all the stares he got.
"Fuji-kun was accompanied by two people, yes. I just don't remember their faces."
"You should be more reconsidering to anything that happened around you!" Atobe snapped. "It was him with that Rokkoku's fukubuchou!"
Their argument stopped when the kitchen's door was opened. Saeki emerged. He glared heatedly to them as he walked passed them to Fuji's room. They looked at each other while they were thinking what they should do now. Should they followed Saeki or go to the kitchen to check on Fuji.
"Yuuta, is everything alright?"
They were startled by Yumiko's voice. She had come downstairs because she felt something was happening. She didn't expect the party to be as loud as in the rock concert, but of course she didn't expect it to be as quiet as in a cemetery either. She had passed Saeki who went to Fuji's room.
Saeki had said something like watching the stars together. Now that was strange. Yumiko knew that Shuusuke always love to watch the sky. But to do that in their little brother's birthday party? That was really so unexpected. Beside, the grim smile in Saeki's face made her knew that something happened.
"Ah… uh, I… we…" Yuuta was speechless. He had that look like the mouse that caught by the cat.
Before Yuuta could say anything and before Yumiko could ask anymore, Saeki had come down. He had Fuji's coat along with a scarf, the gloves, and long socks. Saeki walked passed them to take Fuji's shoes and his belonging.
"Sorry to leave the party so early, Yumiko-Neesan." He smiled apologetically. "And I'm really sorry to take Fuji with me. But he had promised to show me the best place to view the stars in Tokyo. Tonight the sky is so clear. I couldn't let the moment pass. Hontou hontou ni gomen ne."
Yumiko wasn't sure if she should allow them go. She thought that they should clear the problem right here and now. But she looked at Saeki's determined face. He nodded to her reassurely. She made up her mind and nodded her agreement. They watched him fled to the kitchen.
Yumiko turned to Yuuta.
"Now tell me what happen." She glared at her little brother.
Yuuta gulped. He was indeed in deep trouble now.
---
"Let's go."
Fuji turned to Saeki surprised. He had watching outside from the window so he didn't hear Saeki was back. He looked at the equipments in Saeki's hands but didn't say anything nor that he accepted them.
Saeki sighed. He helped Fuji to put the coat and the gloves. Then he wrapped the scarf on Fuji's neck. "Come." Saeki held his hand, but Fuji instinctively drew his own hand back. Saeki then quietly took his arm instead.
Fuji allowed himself to be led away from the house and all the things that had troubled him.
---
"You did what?" Yumiko raised her voice furiously.
Yuuta wished a hole would be appearing in front of him so he could jump and away from his sister's wrath.
"Yuuta, I asked you specifically to not ever mention about Shuusuke's birthday didn't I?"
"But I just don't understand! What is so sacred about Aniki's birthday that no one would ever mention about it! We didn't do anything wrong! We just want to give him a nice surprise party! I don't recall that we had celebrated Aniki's birthday anymore since eight years ago while we still celebrate ours!"
"It's almost nine years now, Yuuta." Yumiko said calmly at Yuuta's outburst.
"Whatever!" Yuuta snapped. "That time it couldn't be say as a birthday party either. Aniki didn't celebrate it with us. So that's one wasn't count!"
"We didn't do anything wrong!" Yuuta said it again more like to convince himself. "We just wanted to celebrate Aniki's birthday."
"But, Yuuta, Shuusuke had stopped completely to celebrate his birthday since fifth years ago."
The Seigaku regulars looked at each other. The exact time when Fuji had stopped to play soccer.
"But why?"
Yumiko sighed.
"You're right. You didn't do anything wrong. I should have told you the reason earlier. Then you wouldn't have through all these difficulties only to have the plan backed fire on you."
They looked confused. Somehow they had the feeling that they wouldn't like what they heard.
"Fifth years ago Shuusuke had specifically asked us to not ever mention about his birthday anymore. He even told us to not give him any presents. Before, he still accepted the presents even as he had stopped having a birthday party. But since fifth years ago, he refused any presents that we gave. He became so upset so we decided to follow what he wanted."
Yumiko seems lost in her thought.
"Neesan?" Yuuta asked carefully.
Yumiko blinked.
"Ah, gomen." She smiled sadly. "Do you really want to know, Yuuta? The reason why Shuusuke hates his birthday so much is because on his birthday he had lost one of his best friends. Dakara… on his birthday, Shuusuke always spends it to paying respect to that important person."
---
Tsuzuku…
So the secret is revealed. Is this what you had expected? Or I made you disappointed?
Yuuta was calling Saeki as Saeki-san here because they weren't close. Even though Saeki was Fuji's childhood friend, he was rarely met Yuuta in my story. It was only Fuji who went to Chiba and befriend with Saeki. And yes, Saeki knew the reason why Fuji despises his birthday so much. He knew it better than Yumiko herself. But the next chapter would be Yumiko's side explanation about it. Saeki must wait a little more.
Oyaji/Otousan : father
Okaasan : mother
Gomen : sorry
Ohayou : good morning
Otanjobi omedetou : happy birthday
Arigatou : thank you
Tanpopo : dandelion flower
Daijobu ka: are you alright?
Neesan : older sister
Hontou hontou nig omen ne : I'm really really sorry
Dakara : because of that
