Chapter Two: Tappei's Coming Back to Town

"Tappei!"

Eguchi Tappei rose from the pool, a polite smile tugging on his lips at the sight of his friend. He nodded at his friend, another swimmer named Reagan Jones. It wasn't a secret that the American girl considered him as more than friends, but Tappei paid her no heed. He liked having her around, but he never considered of being her boyfriend.

"When'll you go back?" she asked.

"Probably in three or four months," he answered in his now-fluent English and took off his swimming goggles.

"What a break. It'll be so quiet without you around for months," she said, almost whiny. Tappei rolled his eyes and took his towel. He smirked at her, dried his own body, and grabbed his bag.

"I miss my hometown, Jones."

"I told you, it's Reagan," she was really whining now. "And will you write to me when you're there? I want to know more about Japan."

"If I had time, I would. Now I gotta go."

"See you! Hope you have a great holiday!" Jones laughed softly as she left, leaving him alone.

Tappei walked into the bathroom and took a quick bath in the quiet bathroom. He wanted to be ready as soon as possible. So he wanted to go home as fast as he could. He missed his hometown and his old friends. He closed his eyes as the warm water doused his slender, athletic body. He let himself drown in old memories and self-guilt.

When his parents finished filling the divorce papers, he was taken to America by his father. Last thing he heard about his mother was that she remarried, and he had a stepsister. He never saw her, and he didn't really care either.

His father had registered him in a small swimming community near their new house, and that was the beginning of everything. He had been head over heels with swimming, and he still was. But he also knew that swimming took away his old friends. He became more and more tired, and much busier. He hadn't had time to speak to them, and since he left without telling, his guts lessened much more. That made him lose his old friends, and he found out that he finally could live without them.

He couldn't tell his childhood friends that he would leave, even in their graduation day, and he knew they hated him so much. He couldn't stand people crying for his farewell, let alone in that happy day. So he left, and realised (a bit too late) that he had no time left to say goodbye.

Kenta and Ogawa—Yukko, she was no longer Ogawa—whom he had met accidentally in their honeymoon last year, practically punched him for not telling. Well, actually Kenta had punched him.

They had been in Australia at that time, and Tappei had entered in one of the swimming competitions. His eye had been bruised when he won the second place. Kenta still has a fist of steel, he mused. Maybe it was because he had made breads since he was a little kid.

Kenta and Yukko had come the night before they went back to Japan, and Tappei had been preparing his things to go back to America as well. Although Tappei had said nothing, they filled the awkward conversation with stories about their friends, and what they had become.

Yukko had told him about Shimura making comics for living. Tappei had scoffed; he had known that she would do that someday. About Yoshida being a math teacher (so?). Yoshiki had become a script writer, and was quite well-known for making sci-fi movies. Tappei smiled to himself. Obviously.

Kenta had said that he had owned a huge bakery, and Yukko had been a social worker for several months. That suits them. Their teacher had retired, along with almost all the teachers in their school year. Tanimura had become a photo model, and now was residing in Singapore. And he had told him that Yamada Miiko had become a journalist. A reporter.

Tappei closed his eyes at the image of his certain old friend. Yamada Miiko. Before Kenta and Yukko came again into his life, he never knew what happened to that silly girl. Deep inside himself, he knew he missed her the most. That girl was different.

Tappei knew that his self-guilt was majorly because of her. He practically beat himself for not telling her—at least her and Kenta—that he would leave.

He shut the shower and walked out the bathroom.

"Welcome to Japan!" a cheery female voice greeted. "Do you need some accommodation, sir?"

Tappei ignored her as he tried to shoo his tiredness. He picked up his bags and walked towards one of the taxis. He sat in one and told the driver his destination. His mother had agreed when Tappei called her, asking her if he could stay. She was ecstatic when he said that he was looking forward of meeting his stepsister, Yuki.

It took him several hours to reach his mother's new house. She hadn't changed, Tappei mused. Makiko still ran Lazy Moon, and the store didn't seem to change. Tappei was sure he could find things with his eyes closed.

In the age of sixteen, Yuki didn't look exactly like him, but she exactly had his sharp tongue. When Makiko introduced them, it had taken her a minute to insult his hair. Tappei hated his hair. Jones had volunteered herself to cut it a week before he went back to his hometown, since her mother owned a salon and whatnot. It turned out so bad, making the young swimmer had to wear hats wherever he went.

When their mother had left them for the shop, she looked back at him; the amusement of seeing his ruined hair still remained. "If you're this hilarious, old brother, I wonder why we couldn't meet sooner."

Tappei snorted and she laughed. "Oh, and by the way, this is for you. Fame's waiting, isn't it?"

He took the letter and read it. Yuki was right. That was the reminder of the interview he would be in. He had agreed to the interview before he went back, and it would be held next week. Alright then, he said to himself.

Yuki smiled. "An interview to go?" she asked.

Tappei nodded. "Next week."

She picked up the letter and saw the name of the newspaper. "I remember someone told me your friend is working in there. I don't know her name, though."

Tappei nodded, but he didn't give it much thought.

A/N: About names... my comics put surnames in the front, and switching it makes it a bit odd. Sorry!

Look, finally some Tappei! I know his parents remarried, but I want to make some twist that not everyone are that happy, okay? *evil laugh* Reagan (name's taken from Reagan Pasternak XD) and Yuki belongs to me! I'll probably take names from Wikipedia's Miiko Underground, since I'm crap at giving names. :)